Lancaster Flog It!

Today's programme is on the northwest coast, welcome to Flog It! for the first time from Lancaster.

Later on in the programme, we'll be finding out more

about the fascinating story behind this incredible structure.

But now it's time to get your antiques valued, at the Town Hall,

which, incidentally, was commissioned by the same man.

# Imagine all the girls Ah ah-ah ah ah-ah-ah-ah

# And your boys Ah ah-ah ah ah-ah-ah-ah... #

These Lancastrians are keen to find out if their antiques and valuables,

family heirlooms, are really worth something.

So, rummaging through the bags and boxes of this massive queue today,

looking for the best items, we've got our experts,

Mr Philip Serrell and Anita Manning!

What have you two found so far?

-Oh, this is going to be a good day...

-Some plastic bags!

-Bubble-wrap!

And as you can see, the hall is filling up.

First at the tables Philip Serrell, who's found something rather mysterious.

Dorothy, this is interesting, where's it come from?

I bought it at a bring-and-buy sale about 30 years ago.

I hadn't been particularly interested in it when I saw it,

but when the stalls were being packed up, I heard somebody say,

"Shall we throw this dirty old thing in the bin

"because nobody wants it?"

So I paid a pound for it.

It's a crying shame to think that all that work

is going to be confined to the bin, isn't it?

-That was what I thought.

-So it was really bought out of the sympathy vote?

-Yes.

Why has it taken you 30 years to decide to sell it?

I don't know, it got put in a cupboard,

and I really forgot about it most of the time.

As I say, it was very dirty,

I've tried to brush it a little, but you can't do a lot with it.

I mean, all this lovely bead work, this lovely mellow sort of patinated,

which is another way of saying dirty, but in the middle...

-Yes!

-..there is a bright, shiny...

-Modern pin.

..modern pin. Is that you, Dorothy?

Yes, I did, I thought it needed something in the middle.

Well, it does a job there, so we'll just leave that as it be.

It's a Victorian love token, really.

-Oh!

-And this would have been done by someone in the Forces but I think

-this particular one has been done by a sailor for his sweetheart.

-Yes.

And you can just, can you see these anchors?

-The anchors, yes.

-So, we've got the anchors and the hearts.

Ah! Are those hearts?

Yes, and it's been done as a real,

-in the literal sense, as a labour of love, as a present for someone.

-Yes.

It would date, I would think, to the last half of the 19th century.

So it's a Victorian sailor's love token.

And I think it's really sweet, it's become quite collectable. Any idea what it's worth?

No, no idea at all.

Well, I think... It's not big bucks, particularly for the amount of work

that's in there, but I think that's gonna make between £30-£50.

If you have a bit of luck it might make a bit more.

So you've been to your bring-and-buy, now it's your take it and flog it!

-Yes.

-Let's hope it does really well at the auction.

-Yes.

Dorothy, this was the best-looking bird in the queue!

-What a lovely object, what a wonderful thing.

-She is pretty.

Tell me, where did you get her?

It belonged to my mother-in-law, and it was left to her

by a Polish gentleman, and they were friends,

and she had nursed his wife,

and he left it to her, and she left it to us.

Now, Edna, tell me, what do you think of her?

I think she's really tactile.

You want to touch her all the time.

Did you think of giving her to your sister?

Erm, I love her but not that much!

Let's have a look at her. Now, she's made of alabaster,

the period that she was made was say between 1910 and 1920.

I thought initially she may be French

but I think she is, erm, Hungarian-Austrian,

so that may fit in with the fact that it was given by a Polish gentleman.

Right, yes.

Now, if we look at the back...

we can see the artist's signature here.

Now, we can't make it out at this point or find any information on him,

-but when he goes to auction, your auctioneer will have time...

-Right.

..to perhaps identify the artist.

That will be interesting, mmm.

And if we look underneath,

we have this brass stud here,

and this stud tells us where it was made and which foundry made it.

Right.

Now, what I like most about her is the overall beauty.

We have this lovely young maiden, with this interesting garment,

it's a dress made from the wings of a dragonfly,

isn't that a romantic idea?

-It is, yes.

-She's a lovely item,

she will be very popular, have you had it valued before?

No, I haven't, no.

The estimate I would put on it would be in the region of £300-£500.

Would you be happy, Dorothy, to sell it at that price?

Yes, that's absolutely fine.

Well, let's put it to auction,

we'll put a reserve of £300, with a little bit of discretion.

And I'm sure that she will be fiercely competed for.

Cedric, this has got the look,

those dogs are flying through the hedgerow, such movement!

Tell me all about this.

I literally rescued it from a skip.

Where and when?

Going back 35 years.

-35 years?

-I've had it.

-You've had it 35 years, OK.

And I was working at the Customs House on Lancaster Quay.

-And they were just...

-Clearing it out.

..clearing everything out,

throwing stuff away which probably was of value.

-Yeah.

-I like greyhounds, whippets.

-Yes, do you have one?

-No, I might get one one day.

And I just thought, it's a real shame to see it thrown away.

Exactly, and someone was gonna literally chuck that.

Just throw it away.

So I asked if I could have it and they said, "By all means, take it."

-That was a bonus on top of your wages, wasn't it?

-It was, wasn't it?

Yes. I'm hoping it is anyway.

-And you've had it on your wall for the last 30-odd years?

-30-odd years.

Can I take it off and have a good look, do you mind?

By all means, yeah.

I absolutely love it, I think it's typical of the 1830s, 1840s.

Have you done any research on this?

Erm, first of all the name came up, Abraham Cooper.

Well, he did sporting dogs.

And he flourished in the 1830s, he did paint dogs just like this.

Unfortunately, there are no signatures,

we can't attribute it to him without a signature,

it's certainly in the style of.

-This was painted on card.

-Card, yes.

And it's been laid on plywood, quite a thick piece of plywood.

Have you had any work done to this?

Because this certainly is not 1830s, this is sort of marine ply,

-you know, from the 1930s.

-I had it restored.

And regardless of the price of having it restored,

I thought, to me, it's worth it. I just like the picture, full stop.

-You fell in love with it.

-Yeah.

How much did you pay for restoration?

-300.

-Right, so, the picture owes you £300, basically.

I've got to say,

I do think it's been over-restored.

Right, yes.

I think it's been slightly treacled up, and I think it's been cut down.

Was it always this size?

-Always, yes.

-Whoever painted this, if it was Cooper,

he would have painted that...

-You would have seen the full...

-You would have seen the full dog,

you would have seen that dog ready to leap, there would have been

something else going on here,

and there would have been more foreground interest here.

And in this corner, hopefully it would have been signed

"Abraham Cooper", you know, 1840, or something like that.

-It would have been nice.

-It would have been very nice,

-then you would have been looking at £2,500.

-Shame, still, it's nice.

Value-wise, it's a hard one

cos I want you to make as much money as possible.

I think if we put this into auction with £600-£900 on it,

I don't think we're gonna get a sniff.

I think we've got to tempt people in.

Are you happy with £400-£600?

-We'll try it.

-And I'd like to put a fixed reserve of £400 on this,

so you're not gonna lose any money.

And hopefully we'll get the £400-£600,

and we'll get that top end.

-It's about time it moved on, yeah.

-OK. That's fine.

-How are you doing, James, all right?

-Fine, thank you, you?

-Yep.

-How long have you had this, then?

-My father had it in about the 1940s.

When I was about five years old.

-I remember it.

-You've just told everybody how old you are now!

I know, it's not a problem.

-Did he enjoy a drink?

-Yes.

-He did.

So what would he have kept in here?

Three different sorts of malt?

-He probably would because he used to have pubs as well.

-Really?

Do you know what this is called?

A tantalus.

-Why's it called a tantalus?

-I've no idea.

-Cos it tantalises you and you can't get the booze out.

-Right.

But it's interesting cos there's more going on in this one

than you'd normally expect to find.

So if we open it up, clearly,

these cupboards here form the locking device because when they're shut,

you can't get the decanters out.

So let's just open it up...

And now, of course,

out your decanter comes out.

-But there's a lot more going on here, isn't there?

-Oh, yes.

This is quite interesting. That is for lighting a cigar.

Possibly, yeah.

And this little beast here,

that's a cigar-cutter.

You put the end of your cigar in there, and then bang.

And let's just pull this draw out here and have a look...

Look at that!

Now, we've got a pegging board there, look,

-that's quite nice in its own right, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Playing cards would have fitted in here.

And quite what would have gone there, I'm unsure.

So, it's a tantalus, with a games compendium here as well.

You fall between two stalls a little bit really, because this is oak.

Early tantaluses in mahogany or rosewood

are much more sought-after than the oak version.

A normal oak version might only be £80-£120,

but the very fact that this has got all of this going on,

and our games compendium as well,

I think that's going to lift that up to possibly £200-£300,

perhaps a little bit more.

And I think you need to put a fixed reserve on it,

-of about 180. How does that sound to you?

-That's fine.

-So it's gonna go?

-Yes.

And if it makes 200 quid, what are you going to spend that on?

Probably give it to my daughter.

What will she do with it?

-She'll soon find a way to get rid of it.

-She's a spender, is she?

Well, yes, handbags.

-Handbags?! Oh, my life! So this is going for a handbag.

-Or two!

Absolute travesty, absolute travesty!

-That's the way it is.

-Let's just hope it sells really well.

-OK.

Now it's time for our first visit to the saleroom,

so let's remind ourselves of what we're taking.

Dorothy's canny £1 buy should see a great return at auction.

And I'm sure there will be plenty of bidders

whose decor will suit Dorothy's beautiful statue.

And it's amazing what you can find in a skip these days.

So I'll be hoping for the right collectors in the saleroom

on the day to buy Cedric's painting.

And finally, because it's functional,

James's oak tantalus should do very well.

I can feel excitement in the air, tension is building,

have our experts got their valuations right?

We're just about to find out,

because it's auction time on the rostrum,

we have two auctioneers today, Kevin Kendall and David Brooks.

First, I wonder what Kevin Kendall

thinks of Cedric's canine composition?

I like this a lot. I took this painting in, I'm a dog lover,

and thank goodness the dogs are in chase, they haven't got to the kill.

I'd have said, "No, don't want that, I don't think it's gonna sell!"

It belongs to Cedric,

a great story behind this because he found it in a skip...

-Right.

-..on a building site some 30-odd years ago.

He's looked after it, he likes looking at it,

recently he had it restored and paid £300 on restoration.

I personally think they've over-restored it,

they've mounted it on the wrong kind of plywood, it's far too thick.

And they've kind have taken the love out of it, for me.

But he wants his money back,

so we're gonna try and get him £400-£600 for this.

Yeah, I think we could struggle.

It's catalogued in the style of Abraham Cooper.

If it had been an original Abraham Cooper,

then we're talking several thousands,

but I think we'll struggle to get several hundred.

It's pretty typical, naive style, and could be painted by anybody.

Exactly. It's got something about it though,

that sort of linear look.

I mean, when you look at it to start with, it looks like a sort of 1930s,

it looks like that, but it is earlier.

But it has been cut down from a larger painting.

And he's adamant he wants 400 quid, so...

It's a nice subject,

-so with the wind behind it, we could just about get there.

-I hope so.

With Kevin Kendall weaving his magic on the rostrum,

and this guy is so good, they named the town after him,

it's got to sell!

From £1 hopefully to £50,

that's what we're hoping for with Dorothy's little pin cushion.

A nice little love token. I love the anchors and the hearts.

You found this, didn't you recently? You'd forgotten you had it.

It was in the cupboard, yes.

I did buy it quite a while ago.

About 30 years ago.

That was a good spot though.

-Yes.

-Mind you, £1 was a lot of money back then,

-but it's gone up considerably.

-£1 a year.

Hopefully, if we get the top end, a little bit more.

-£1.50, £1.80.

-Now we're talking!

-That would be rocking, flying away!

-That would be very good.

-It'll do well.

-It should do.

Lot 60, a very nice lot, the Victorian sailor's memento cushion.

No pressure.

A very nice lot. Some old romantic would have made this as a gift.

And we have interest in it. Romance isn't dead.

We start the bidding, with me, at £40. £40 bid.

45. 48. £50 now. 50, bid.

£50. Are we all done this time?

We sell away this time.

At 50.

-I make that a good profit.

-Yes.

You're not bad at this, are you?

I should be on the rostrum, shouldn't I?

-I tell you...

-You ought to be on the telly!

Next stop, a beautiful, Art Nouveau, alabaster maiden

with little butterfly wings.

Value - £300 to £500.

Brought in by Dorothy and Edna, here, also,

equally as beautiful, aren't you both?!

I think this is going to sell well, up here.

I know I'm tempting fate, anything can happen.

This is what keeps us going. This is where the tension is.

We're experiencing it right now.

Good luck. It's been a long wait.

We've got lots of bidders here though and they're keen to buy.

This is it.

Lot 353 is the alabaster figure bust.

The young maiden with the dragonfly dress. 500, surely.

500, somebody will.

5. We'll start at 250 bid then. 250.

280. 280. 280. 300 on the telephone.

300 bid. 300 bid. 300 bid.

300 bid. That wasn't a bid, was it?

No? 300. 300.

300. 300 is on the telephone.

No further interest, we'll sell then at 300.

Well, they've gone, that's sold.

Do you know, there was a guy on the telephone,

he'd be prepared to push that bid possibly to the £400 mark.

But there was no-one in the room to bid against him.

-I think he was keener, you know...

-I'm quite pleased with that.

Well, we sold it anyway, didn't we?

OK, it's my turn to be the expert now.

Remember the dog chase, well, time is up.

Hare today, gone tomorrow, let's hope that rings true!

That's all I can say. £400 to £600.

I've had a chat to Kevin just before the sale started.

He thinks it might struggle, but you just don't know with auction rooms.

I understand why you want a fixed reserve at 400.

It means a lot to you. You've enjoyed it. You've had it 30 years

-and you spent money on it.

-Well, if no go, it's going back home.

Makes me feel a lot better anyway,

cos it's an awful moment if things don't sell.

But fingers crossed this one will. Here we go.

Lot number 409, the oil on board, in the style of Abraham Cooper,

not signed, still a nice painting all the same.

600, somewhere.

Six, four, start lower then, start sensible, £300 bid.

£300 bid. 300 bid.

300 bid. 320. 320. 320. 320, now.

We're stuck on 320.

320. 40, yes? 340. 340.

350 now. 350, all done?

350. At 350, I'm afraid that's reserved, we can't sell that today.

Not quite.

-Three bids away.

-Oh, well. It's the way it goes, isn't it?

Yeah. It's going home. At least you can enjoy it.

Yes. Try again some time.

-And it's had an airing on telly.

-When the dogs are back in fashion!

That's the spirit!

# Dankeschon Darling, Dankeschon

# Dankeschon... #

James, this is an absolutely cracking tantalus.

Remember the tantalus Philip spotted at the valuation day?

It's about to go under the hammer.

We've got £200 to £300 valuation put on this,

but it really is a Rolls-Royce version.

It's got the lighter, it's got the cigar cutter,

it's got everything going for it.

I think it will be well sought-after.

You don't see too many with all of those fittings to it,

-so it should do very well.

-All of the bells and whistles.

-Do you enjoy a drink, James?

-Yes,

but I don't have a dining room any longer, so it's nowhere to stand now.

Some one that does drink in excess is our Phil.

THEY LAUGH

Erm...I'm not sure I'm in a position to argue with that one,

Paul, but that was rather hurtful, actually.

75 is the tantalus, with the cigar cutter and the games drawer,

so you've got smoking, drinking and gambling.

The recipe for a good night!

We'll start the bidding with me at 150. 150. 160.

For somebody with a lot of vices.

180. 190, I'll take. 190. 200. 200.

200. 200. 200, we're going to sell-on commission.

220 at the back. 220.

220 we're selling at this time, at 220.

Very, very odd, because that was quality.

Could have done more, but it didn't.

That's auctions for you, some days they're cracking,

other days they're a little bit disappointing,

but we've got £220 on the hammer. I think that's a good result.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Looking at this soaring building

with its domed roof and its lofty towers, you'd be forgiven

for thinking we'd travelled to India, but we haven't.

We're in Lancaster. And this is the Ashton Memorial.

It's known to the locals as the Taj Mahal of the North.

In keeping with the romantic story of the original Taj Mahal,

this fine Edwardian edifice was built to commemorate a family tragedy.

James Williamson, Lord Ashton, built it between 1907 and 1909

on this highest point above Lancaster City, here in Williamson Park.

Now, who would have thought that this modest, unassuming-looking figure

could have been capable of such a grand romantic gesture?

Lord Ashton had originally planned a statue of Queen Victoria on this very spot.

But after losing two wives, Jessie and Margaret and a daughter, Maud,

he decided instead to have this incredible building built in memory of them all.

CHORAL MUSIC PLAYS

So, let's go and find local historian, Sue Ashworth,

who's going to tell me a little bit more about Lord Ashton and his touching story.

So, Sue, what can you tell me about Lord Ashton?

What sort of chap was he?

Well, as a businessman, fantastically astute.

-Was he?

-Hard-hitting.

Made an awful lot of money.

By the time he'd died, he'd made £10.5m.

Oh, that's a lot of money.

-My word!

-As a private man, we know virtually nothing.

He kept very much to himself.

And even where he was giving buildings and statues to the town,

he wouldn't have a ceremony to unveil them.

-Wouldn't he?

-No, they were all unveiled privately.

Who designed this extraordinary building behind us?

-A fantastic building.

-Incredible.

Lord Ashton was very happy to go to London architects and artists to help with his grand designs.

After all, he did have a London house.

So, he brought in Sir John Belcher, who was president of the Royal Institute of Architects.

So do you think it may have been inspired slightly by the Taj Mahal?

Well, it could be. It's certainly linked with, as far as we know,

losses in his family, so there's a personal and maybe a romantic link.

Hard to know how romantic he was, but that would be a lovely idea.

It's slightly reminiscent of St Paul's Cathedral, with the big domed roof.

Indeed, certainly, Belcher was working in that Edwardian, baroque, very confident style.

And yes, I think that's quite close to the mark.

But it's very dramatic here, overlooking this wonderful landscape.

Yes, it's a fantastic piece on the landscape, and everybody sees it from miles away.

A great backdrop, isn't it?

For Sir John Belcher, it turned out to be the biggest challenge of his career.

And the result was much admired by his contemporaries.

They couldn't believe he'd been given free rein

to design the most sumptuous building of his career -

a grandiose folly with no obvious function.

It was built by Gillows, the famous Lancaster firm,

renowned for its cabinet making with exotic hardwoods.

You couldn't get any further away from that, could you? Just look at this.

In the past, the local press described this as a poem built in stone,

and I think that's such a fitting tribute.

To me, it's like a cathedral, floating in the sky -

beautiful, symmetrical proportions.

The gleaming facades are of Cornish granite and Portland stone,

painstakingly brought up from the West country, hundreds of miles away.

And the main steps to the building are all of Derbyshire limestone.

In the two-and-a-half years it took to build this, it's recorded that 300 tonnes of worked stone

was delivered each week by the Ashton Road Yard.

In 1907, the total cost of the build was £87,000.

Now that's an incredible amount of money.

In today's standards that works out as £6.5m.

While Lord Ashton's memorial to his loved ones may have been seen as somewhat extravagant at the time,

the local community also benefited greatly from his Lordship's wealth.

He was a great philanthropist and his legacy can still be seen in the city today.

He built Lancaster Town Hall and erected a Queen Victoria monument

next to it, and founded many other public buildings throughout the city including this beautiful palm house

opposite his great memorial, which you can still visit today.

Whatever we think of Lord Ashton today, he built beautiful structures just like this one and the memorial.

And I tell you what, it really is good for the soul in here.

There are butterflies fluttering everywhere.

He employed over a quarter of the city's population,

spent well over £400,000 on the region,

which is a great deal of money.

It works out to be round about £30m in today's standards.

He gave the city of Lancaster great prosperity, redevelopment and hope.

Look at those beautiful little things.

It's now time to get back to the valuation day at Lord Ashton's town hall,

where Anita has found something from his era.

Cynthia, welcome to Flog It!

-Thank you.

-This is a lovely wee item. Tell me, where did you get it?

I got it from my aunt.

It was left to me when she died, quite a good few years ago.

It was a present to her from her husband when she first got married.

So it was a loving gift at that time. And a loving gift again.

But, tell me, have you worn it?

-No, I haven't.

-Why not?

Because I don't think it's my style at all.

It's probably for somebody a little bit more delicate, I'd say.

-Well, that's the thing about jewellery, it's such a personal thing.

-It is.

There are some people who like nice, big, chunky pieces.

Other people who like things that are a bit more delicate.

And this is a very delicate and bonny wee thing.

If we just have a wee look at it, it's made of nine carat gold

and we have two very light-coloured aquamarine drops and a little seed pearl drop,

-so it's a very gentle, delicate sort of thing, and I can imagine a young person wearing that.

-Yes.

I think it would be more suitable for a young person than for someone more mature, like me and you!

But it's lovely.

This was, this is an Edwardian pendant, it was made somewhere

between 1900 and 1910, and has a slight flavour

of the Art Deco when you look at this round motif here.

But I think it's pretty.

Now, price, it's just a very, sort of simple, straightforward type of pendant.

And I'd say, probably 60, in the region of 60, 70,

and even then, I may be pushing it a wee bit.

But if we put 60 to 80 on it.

Yes, that would be fine.

A reserve of 50. Now would you be happy with that?

-Yes, I think so, yes.

-OK.

I'll be holding your hand at the auction.

-We'll hope that it's really well fancied there.

-Let's hope so.

And we'll enjoy the day. Thank you for bringing it along.

Thank you. It's a pleasure.

Sandra, Martin, how are you doing?

-All right, thank you.

-Locals?

-Yes.

-Lancastrians?

-I was born in Lancaster, yes.

-Oh, right. It's nice round here.

-Lovely.

-Great building.

What I love is, people bring these things along

and that could be 101 different things in there.

It could be a little empty box, it could be a rouge box,

it could have a seal in there, and we've got no idea.

When we look at it from the top, initially it looks like it's made out of yew wood.

You have very light flecks in yew wood occasionally,

but I am absolutely convinced that's boxwood, rather than yew wood.

There's only one way we're going to find out what's inside.

Yes.

Let's take the lid off.

Oh, wow.

So this is a compass. Yes?

-Yes, I'm sure it's a compass.

-It's not.

-Oh.

-Right.

-Right!

It's a compass sundial, OK?

So you put this down and it's actually self-orientating

so that it finds north.

And then the sun casts a shadow, and the shadow tells you the time.

-Right.

-But what's interesting is in different times of the year you've got to make adjustments.

-Yeah.

And here we can see we've got a table for all those adjustments.

-Yeah.

-These things were popular, I would think, in the first half of the 19th century.

I think it's a great little thing. How did you come by it?

My grandmother died about 27 years ago and my mother said, "What do you want?"

Ornaments, and... I presume Martin said, "I'd like that."

-Why would your grandmother have a sundial?

-Don't know.

Was it just one of those things in a box and no-one knew it was there?

-I think she had it in a display cabinet.

-She knew what it was.

She treasured it.

-Yes.

-It wasn't stuffed in a drawer?

-Oh, no.

-And one of you two chose it and you don't know why.

No. Just liked it.

I think it's absolutely lovely.

Do you think it's worth a lot?

I wouldn't like to say. 80 or £90?

You're not far off the mark. I think we ought to put a 120-180 estimate on this.

It might do a lot better than that.

We'll put a reserve on it of £100.

I just think it's a nice thing.

-Are you happy with that?

-Absolutely happy.

-Let's hope that time flies at the auction.

Let's hope so.

Angela, thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk to you about this picture.

When I saw it earlier on, I was drawn to it.

I love this industrial landscape.

When I looked to see who the artist was, and it was Trevor Grimshaw,

I hadn't heard of the artist.

We did a wee bit of research and I do believe that his work is coming up in auction now.

But I would be delighted if you could tell me a bit about him.

Right, well, Trevor...

I knew Trevor when I was a teenager.

He went to Stockport Art College before I did.

He was about five years ahead of me. My mother thought the gang he hung around with was very racy

and the reason she thought they were racy was because he didn't wear any socks!

I was told, "Don't have anything to do with them.

"They'll get you into trouble." I got into trouble without any help at all from Trevor Grimshaw.

What he did was he always did Northern scenes and he always did them in pencil.

-Is this all the one area?

-No, this is different areas.

It was Ashton-under-Lyne, Dukinfield, and Hyde, and some in Salford, that he'd worked on.

-He brought all these elements together to put into one work?

-Yes.

Even the North of England hasn't got that many mills in that much space.

I love art and Trevor would say, "I've got this.

"Do you want it?" I would say, "Oh, yes, please."

My husband never had to do any decorating because the walls were full of pictures.

That's absolutely marvellous.

So what we have is this large drawing here and we have two smaller ones.

And this wonderful portrait.

This is a wonderful portrait.

Which I would never part with. The others, yes, but this one I couldn't possibly.

-Do you know who it is?

-I seem to remember it was T S Eliot.

Trevor, this was the only portrait he ever did,

and he said he would never do another one,

despite all this work, because that one took so long for him to do.

It was so precise and it took so long and it was never right.

Why do you want to sell these works, Angela?

I started off with a big house and now I'm in a small house

and now I'm moving into an even smaller house and I need a new kitchen.

We'll do our best. What I suggest, Angela...

-You want to keep the portrait.

-Yes.

I suggest we put the big one in at £400-£600. Would you feel happy at that?

As long as it's got a reserve for 400, I'm fine.

We could put the two little ones in at 150-250, with a reserve of 150.

It doesn't matter at all if they don't sell, I'm quite happy.

It's very Northern and this is where we are.

You know, it's part of our past that we're never going to see again.

-It's part of our history.

-Yes.

-Thank you very much once again for bringing them along.

-Thank you.

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

so let's remind ourselves what's going under the hammer.

Kay's pretty Edwardian pendant should attract plenty of bidders in the saleroom.

Let's hope the weather is fair for Sandra and Martin's unusual sundial.

And finally I'm confident that Angela will be able to start

her new kitchen with the proceeds of Trevor Grimshaw's painting.

Perhaps she'll also be able to run to a pair of socks for him!

Cynthia, any regrets? We're right here in the saleroom.

There's no turning back. This was your aunt's necklace.

-It was.

-You don't wear it?

-No, I don't.

-You'd rather have the £60-£80 in cash?

Yes, I'm going to buy some jewellery.

Are you? Sell some jewellery to buy some jewellery.

Someone who would like this... is our Anita.

It's kind of understated.

I like it very much.

I love that period.

It's the beginning of the 20th century, looking towards Art Nouveau, maybe a wee glance at Art Deco.

It's very pretty, very simple, and I hope it does well.

Lot 244. Yellow metal pendant set with aquamarine and seed pearl.

Pretty thing.

I've commission interest. I can start the bidding with me at £30.

-35, 40.

-We're in at 30.

-45, 50.

55. Commissions are out.

-55 in the room now. 60, fresh bid.

-It's gone.

-It's against you.

65. With the gentleman now at £65.

-Bit more.

-I'm selling, make no mistake.

It's gone.

-£65.

-Not bad.

-That's not bad, is it? Spot-on.

-I think it's fine.

We're gonna point you in the right direction now because I've just been joined by Sandra and Martin

and this is absolutely divine. It's a little sundial.

You've got to find north but then you can tell the time.

Do you know, if this was mine, I wouldn't be flogging this.

This is a keeper.

-But it's got to go, hasn't it?

-It has.

We're raising funds. What for?

Our daughter's wedding.

Congratulations.

-What's her name?

-Zara.

-And what's the lucky guy?

-John.

So is this going to be a new hat or is it going towards the cost?

The cost of the wedding, the reception.

Philip, this could do a little bit more than your top end.

-I have to say that I'd miss a course at the reception and keep this.

-So would I.

Good luck. We've both enjoyed looking at this.

I'm sure it's going to find a collector here and make lots of money. For the big day.

Right now, this is your big day.

-Good luck.

-Now we have lot 94 which is the 19th century pocket sundial.

I'll start the bidding with me at £90 only. £90 bid with me. 90 bid.

100. 100. 110, sir? 110. 110?

110 only this time. At 110.

Oh!

I was expecting 200 quid for that.

We aren't allowed to bid on things

but of all the things I see on Flog It! that's one thing

I would have loved to own and I would have loved to bid on that.

I don't think that's...

You could argue, why didn't I put more money on it?

I think you have to put an estimate of 100-200 to sell it.

I think it's worth that sort of sum and then you get the competition of the auction room.

But I think that was disappointing.

Well, it's better than nothing.

It's gone. And it's going towards that big day. Good luck, Martin.

-Good luck as well.

-Thank you very much.

I love this next lot.

There's two of them, Trevor Grimshaw paintings. Monochromatic.

Both belonging to Angela.

You went to art college with the guy.

He went a little time before I did.

-But you were there!

-I was there.

I saw the guy. I knew him very well.

-Mr No-Socks.

-I wondered if you had socks on today.

It's a lovely little collection you brought in. I like the portrait. You hung on to that one.

That was gorgeous. The larger one, that's a mill-scape, that's really nice.

400-600, and there's two in the next lot.

We've got a conservative estimate.

We could punch through the roof on these.

We could. I've done a little bit of research since the valuation day.

This artist is doing well in auction.

He had a retrospective exhibition in Stockport Art Gallery in 2004.

His works are coming onto the market and they are reaching good prices.

The sale will be on the internet so let's hope they pick up that name.

Exactly. This will have a worldwide audience.

As Anita said, anybody that understands art and knows about art,

the next name to buy for is always the big catch.

Buy at the right time, sell at the right time.

-Maybe this is the right investment.

-Crossed fingers then.

Let's hope we get more than £600.

-Super.

-It would make your day, wouldn't it?

-It would!

-Gosh. You've got a lot more at home.

-This is it.

-Don't tell anyone!

396 is the first of the Trevor Grimshaw lots. Signed and dated.

What can I ask for a start on this lot? 500, surely.

Four? Start me at 300 bid. £300. £300 on the bid. 320 at the back.

320. 340.

360. 380.

400. 400.

20 on the phone if you can? 420.

-440.

-It's creeping up.

-It is.

-460 on the phone. Are we going to sell?

Have you all done this time? At 460.

Yes. Mid-estimate. That's OK.

Good start. Here's the next one.

Lot number 397. Again, Trevor Grimshaw.

A pair this time. Yes. I have bids on the book as well

as the phone and I have to start at £150.

Straight in at 150.

-160. 170. 180. 190.

-They're keen.

200. 200. I'm going to sell.

If you're all done this time at 200...

Yes! Sold.

-That's excellent, Angela.

-Yes.

-£660.

-Well worked out, very quickly.

I always work money out!

The owners always do!

-That's a good result.

-Super.

-You've got to be pleased with that.

I am, I'm really pleased with that.

There's commission to pay on this, it's 15% here but anything over £500, it's 10%.

That's good. Oh, but...

I don't know how you stand because you sold in two separate lots

but I'm pretty sure they might do a favour for you.

That would be good.

What will you put the money towards?

I could tell you it's going to a kitchen but it's not.

I need some new bumpers for my car.

-Do you? Have you been parking badly?

-I'm not a very good parker.

I sort of abandon but somebody reversed into me so I need two new bumpers, front and back.

-That'll sort that out.

-Just about.

Yeah. Just about.

Very unromantic, isn't it?

Everyone else is going on holiday and I need two new bumpers!

That's it. It's all over for our owners and what can I say?

It has been a tough day but our experts did extremely well.

We've had some highs and some lows.

But the high for me definitely had to be tempting everybody's palate with the Trevor Grimshaw paintings

belonging to Carole selling for a staggering £660.

Something worth investing in. Look out for his name.

Join us for many more surprises on Flog It! soon.

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

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd.

E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk