Brighton Flog It!

Being on the south coast an hour from the capital, no wonder this place is a day-tripper's paradise.

Welcome to Flog It from London-by-the-Sea - sunny Brighton!

Brighton has been a fashionable destination since the Prince Regent brought his mistress here in 1783

for maybe the first dirty weekend

and the exotic Royal Pavilion which he built was certainly the place to be seen in.

But the most fashionable place to be seen today is outside the Regency Corn Exchange

where looking through the bags and boxes for something in vogue

to take to the saleroom are Catherine Southon and Mark Stacey.

-Hello, Ed.

-Hi, Mark.

-I always like seeing boxes like this

because you never know what's gonna be inside.

And even more interesting, lots of inscriptions. Tell me what you know.

It was offered to me at a reasonable price of £20.

-Good Lord!

-I spoke to the lady about it. They were going across to France to live.

I obligingly bought it, opened it up and it appeared to have never been used or seen the light of day.

We'll come on to that in a second.

We have this nice inscription,

which is, "First prize presented by Baron Profumo."

I don't think he would have given it as a personal gift. He was probably the grandee at the event.

It was presented as a prize for something.

It's a very interesting case.

When we open it up, we see exactly what we've got inside -

this very nice little Art Nouveau morning set.

I think these are grapefruit spoons.

We've got a butter knife, sugar tongs

and then preserve spoons for your marmalade and jams.

And a little cruet set which I am gonna take out for one moment

because I don't think this was originally part of this set.

Stylistically, it's completely different. We've got a more angular shape with the stepped section.

On the top I would have expected a similar Art Nouveau motif.

When you look at all those pieces, they are very, very typical of that sort of 1890 to 1905 period.

Very high Art Nouveau. They are silver plate, rather than silver.

But it's obviously lived in there because it fits very snugly in there to protect it.

We also have this little cut-out of three gentlemen in uniform.

-They look like musicians from a regiment.

-They certainly do.

And unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to ask the previous owners what the connection was

because it was laying in the bottom underneath this cruet set.

Well, it's got a date on there, "May 24th, 1900."

So it does tie in a bit with 1906.

I thought he may have been the sportsman who this was presented to.

This is the mystery and what makes antiques so interesting.

You find these clues and if you've got an investigative mind, you see if you can develop it any more.

-Looking at value, you didn't pay very much for it.

-That's right.

If we were putting it in for auction, I would suggest maybe 100 to 150 with a 100 reserve.

If two people like it, it could go a bit above that.

But with a 100 reserve, we're not giving it away.

-How do you feel about that?

-I feel very happy at a 100 reserve.

-At the auction let's hope it makes a lot of money for you.

-I hope so too.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for your time.

Stella, welcome to Flog It. Thank you for coming along.

You've brought along some rather nice little pieces here.

-Where did you get them from?

-They've come down through the family.

They've been there ever since I can remember.

Although they look like Meissen, I don't think they are. I'm not sure.

If you turn these over, we can see that it's got the mark of "AR".

Do you know "AR"? Do you know what that stands for?

I think it stands for "Augustus Rex", but I don't know much else.

Augustus Rex was involved with the Meissen factory.

These aren't actually Meissen. They are a later reproduction.

They would be early 20th century, up to 1920s.

But obviously of that Meissen style.

They would be by another Dresden factory, so still German, but very late.

This piece really caught my eye,

this lovely little chamber stick here.

You put your finger through the hole and your thumb rests on the top

and you would've carried this as you go up to bed, the candle in here.

-This piece looks much finer.

-Yes.

Flowers you can see. Much more intricate. The colour is a lot finer than on these flowers here.

-If you turn it over, it has got the crossed swords.

-Meissen mark?

-Yes.

A lot of people have copied this, but I think, I would put money on it, that this is actually Meissen.

-Good.

-Unfortunately, I think it is a late piece and these are all of the same sort of period.

So again, early 20th century,

but I think that, unlike these pieces, is actually Meissen.

Yes, when you see them together, it's so much finer.

These aren't so nicely painted, not such good quality.

So taking that into account, I would like to put on the whole lot probably £100 to £150.

-OK.

-With an £80 reserve.

-That sounds fine.

-Does that sound OK?

-Yes.

-These have been in your family a long time. Why are you selling them?

-They're very delicate.

You couldn't use them and I don't want them any more, although they're pretty.

-I've got too many other things to show and I don't want to show those.

-The time has come.

-Yes.

-Good morning, Peter.

-Good morning.

-This is a charming watercolour.

-What happened here?

-After surviving on Granny's wall for decades, it took a tumble in the back of my car.

I suspect somebody would want to reframe it anyway

-and put a new backing on it.

-Yeah.

-You inherited the picture?

-Yes, it was one of two or three paintings hanging up in my grandmother's house.

That was the one I always liked, so she gave it to me.

-How long have you had it?

-I think probably about 25 years.

-Why have you decided to sell it now?

-It's been in the attic for so long and it's not my style of painting.

-I've seen something I'd rather buy.

-Something more contemporary?

-Yes.

You've kind of hit the nail on the head in some ways.

This type of painting is a little bit out of fashion.

It's dated 1871 by Collier who isn't that well-known.

But it's a rather charming subject.

We've got this nice robin's nest on your side with the eggs inside

and these rather nice wild flowers cut in that very framed setting as a watercolour.

You wouldn't find that in real life. Have you thought of the value?

No, not at all. I just thought I ought to bring it along and investigate further really.

It is slightly out of vogue at the moment and it does need a little bit of cleaning and remounting.

Even if the glass hadn't been broken, I think some people would want to reframe it.

At auction, we'd be looking at around £200 to £300.

-How does that grab you?

-That sounds great.

-Is that OK?

-Yeah.

-Would you want to put a reserve on it?

-Yeah, I think probably 175.

-I think that sounds sensible. We'll put a fixed reserve of 175.

-Right.

-If we can't get that for it, put it back in the loft and see what happens in a few years.

-Good idea.

Ann, thank you for coming along. This jumped out at me in the queue.

-Tell me where you got it from.

-It belongs to my mother.

She gave it to me a few weeks ago to have valued and I hadn't done anything about it.

I saw an advertisement in the paper that Flog It was coming here.

I thought, "Let's go along and see what happens."

It belongs to your mother, but where did she get it from?

It's been in the family for three generations, but we think it came from an antiques shop.

One of our ancestors had an antiques shop in Cheltenham. We used to try and blow it as a horn.

-We now know it's a powder horn.

-It's a scrimshaw powder horn.

These things were done by sailors on either whale's teeth or indeed on this wonderful horn

for their sweethearts and loved ones back home.

This has got wonderful sunshine on the back.

It's very naively done, but that's its charm.

On the front of this, this man has engraved "Lucy" and perhaps this is Lucy underneath, the sweetheart.

What's rather nice about it is it's got colour

which is something you don't always find on scrimshaw.

This has got red across the belt and also around the arm of Lucy.

These things are very brittle, so they do damage quite easily.

I often see ones with cracks down them or little parts broken.

We can see that there is a little bit that's been broken off this sort of scalloped edge,

but that's not a major problem.

-Is it something you're interested in?

-No, I'm not interested in it. It's just the tale that it tells.

-Lucy's got a spade and there's a graveyard.

-You turn it over and there are some graves.

-There's a fort.

-There's the old Union Jack.

-That's also coloured in with this red wax.

-Does your mum not like it?

-It's in a cupboard.

It's in a polythene bag in the cupboard, she moves it around and it gets damaged.

-Yes.

-And she just thinks it ought to go.

-It's time to go.

-Time to go.

What would you think it is worth? What would you like it to be worth?

I'd like it to be worth over £200.

-How does £800 sound?

-My word!

-No!

-That's what I would like it to fetch at auction.

-Wow!

-These things are very sought after.

-My goodness me!

-It is in lovely condition.

-I can't believe it.

It's 1830s, 1840s and it should be worth about £800.

-My word! How exciting!

-Let's put it in the auction at around £800 to £1,000.

Let's put a reserve on of 650 and let's not let it go for any less.

It's a great piece. You've made my day.

-You've made my day too!

-Thank you.

I'm hoping we're going to be making everybody's day at the auction, so let's see what we're taking with us.

The Art Nouveau morning set should be a winner

as Ed only paid £20 for it.

Of Stella's china, only the chamber stick was Meissen,

but its quality should light up the saleroom.

Peter's granny's watercolour definitely needs reframing now.

It's charming and it should attract interest.

The scrimshaw powder horn was such an exciting find.

I'm certainly feeling very bullish about this one.

Now it's time to put our experts' valuations to the test. Everything is about to go under the hammer.

Today's sale comes from the Worthing Auction Galleries and Scarborough Fine Arts.

I hope this lot will be bidding on all our items.

Today's auctioneer is Nick Hall. I want to find out what he thinks of the piece of scrimshaw.

-I think this is absolutely stunning.

-Yeah, I agree.

One of the best pieces of scrimshaw.

It's been in Ann's family for three generations. It's proper folk art.

Catherine Southon, our expert, has put £800 to £1,000 on this.

You would expect it to make that and more.

Folk art is so popular at the minute. Good, early folk art.

It's so hard to find genuine, quirky pieces. This fits the bill.

We've got the named lady we assume it was made for. It's cow horn, not marine bone.

-It would add value if it was marine bone.

-Yes.

It's more tactile to touch cow horn rather than whale bone.

-It's softer and lighter.

-There's a little bit of damage around one rim.

But I've got high hopes. Sometimes these things just fly away.

And rightly so. They're wonderful and rare things.

If it made 2,000, 3,000, no-one would be surprised.

-Where will you find another?

-On a one-horned cow!

Let's hope the bidders are all in the room. Before we find out, here comes the boxed morning set.

We'll turn 20 quid hopefully into £150 if we get the top end of Mark's estimate on Ed's morning set.

I'll put a little pressure on you here. £100, £150 - will we get that top end?

-I don't know. You always want the top end.

-Yes.

-It is nice quality.

-I love that sinuous Art Nouveau design.

-That's your thing.

-It is.

-You've got keen eyes to spot this for only £20.

-Absolutely, yes.

-Seven months ago?

-Seven months ago, I bought that.

People going out the country offered it to me and I snipped it up.

-Knowing you were gonna flog it.

-Yeah.

-It's not your thing.

Certainly not, no, but it's welcome to anyone who is a collector of Art Nouveau.

We've got a change of auctioneer. It's Andrew Scarborough giving us some hammer action.

-Good luck, Ed.

-Thank you, Paul.

The Art Nouveau plated, cased breakfast set.

Lovely quality. Shall we start it at 80?

60 then?

50 it is to start. 55.

60. 5. 70.

5. 80. 5.

90 standing in the middle. 5. 100.

Right in the middle at 100. Are we all done at 100 then...?

-We did it, £100. It was touch and go.

-What a result!

-We turned £20 into 100.

-Not bad.

Next under the hammer, two cups and saucers and a chamber stick belonging to Stella

valued by Catherine at £100 to £150.

-Let's find out what this lot think, Stella.

-Yes.

-Why are you flogging these?

-They're just going to get broken.

-I've got eight grandchildren, so it's a bit vulnerable.

-Time to move them.

I think it is. We should get that top end, shouldn't we?

I would hope so. There's quite a few people here today. It's very pretty.

Yes. I think that's gonna get them away. We'll find out now.

Some nice Meissen porcelain, floral chamber stick. Start me at 100?

-£100? 40 I'll take. It's a low start.

-That is low.

-It's an "in" though.

50. 5. 60. 5.

-70. 80.

-We've sold.

-90?

80 it is in the front row. 90 behind you. 100 in front.

110. 120.

120 in the front row. 120 I'm bid on this lot. Are you all sure?

At 120 I'm selling...

-Fantastic.

-£120. Great result. Well done.

-I'm pleased about that.

-What are you gonna put the money towards?

-I'll take my family out for a slap-up meal.

Something for you art lovers - real quality and immense detail.

It's a Victorian watercolour that belongs to Peter and not for much longer, valued at £200 to £300.

It really is there, isn't it? I saw this in the queue.

-It had glass on it.

-Bits.

-It was cracked on the way in.

-It was, yeah.

We've had to take the glass out in the auction room for health and safety reasons.

The auctioneer thinks it might sit at the lower end.

He's probably right, which is why we put a fixed reserve of 175.

It should be worth a lot more. It is nice quality.

But unfortunately, this sort of Victorian genre is out of vogue.

Keep hold of it for another five years, it's back in fashion and worth £400 to £500.

Or you can do what Peter's doing and sell something that isn't being enjoyed and buy something that is.

-You're after a new modern artist?

-Yeah, there's an artist in Eastbourne that I like.

-To invest in?

-Yes, and just because I enjoy the work.

Good luck. It's going under the hammer right now.

The still life by Collier.

The nest with the eggs and flowers. Pretty little picture.

Shall we say 100 for it?

Thank you, 100. 110.

120. 130. 140.

150. 160.

-170. 180.

-We've done it.

-We've done it.

190. 200.

-Oh.

-On my left at 2...

210.

At 210 at the back. 220. 230...

-Keep going, keep going.

-240.

-It's creeping up.

250. At £250 right at the back of the room...

-Yes! £250, Peter.

-Excellent.

-Middle of the estimate.

-I'm pleased.

-So am I.

-Very pleased with that.

-Good valuation.

-That's something towards the picture.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for taking part.

-It's been good fun.

This is a cracking item and it's turning out to be a family affair

because we've been joined by Ann who we saw at the valuation day

with that beautiful bit of scrimshaw, the carved powder horn.

-But it is Mum's?

-Yes.

-Who have you brought along?

-My mother Ruby.

-Hi, Ruby. This is gorgeous, brilliant.

-You think so?

-Yes, I do.

-And who's this?

-This is Ella, the great-granddaughter.

-How many great-granddaughters do you have?

-Eight. Five boys.

-The money's all going to be divided up.

-That's where the money's going.

-We've got a valuation of £800 to £1,000 put on this by Catherine.

I had a chat to Nick the auctioneer and we both waxed lyrical over this.

-It's fabulous.

-It's so good. It really is. I just hope it goes well above Catherine's estimate.

-It should do. If it doesn't, don't sell it.

-It was only in a cupboard.

All credit to you because you've looked after this, haven't you?

-No.

-No? What happened? Tell us the story.

-The children used to blow down it and try and get a tune.

Did they? Well, all I can say is... let's watch this.

Lot 270 is the piece of scrimshaw.

Lovely item. Super bit of folk art.

What are we gonna say? 700 to start me?

£700? Is that 5?

It's a start. It's 500 I'm bid on the far side.

Any advance on 500? At 500 in the far corner.

510 I'll take, thank you. 520.

530. 540.

-540 on the side. At £540.

-It's struggling.

-Come on.

Any further bids on 540 quid? It's worth more.

It's not gonna go.

Anyone else coming in at 550? At £540...

A little disappointing, this lot. At 540.

Can't let it go. The reserve's higher. At 540, we're gonna pass it.

Unsold, I'm afraid.

-Don't worry.

-I can't believe it.

I'm pleased it didn't sell at the lowest end.

-We all think this is worth about £1,500, £1,600, £1,800.

-Absolutely.

-In the right sale. It's just the wrong day.

-It's not worth a few hundred. It's worth a lot more.

-This just means it stays in the family. It didn't want to be sold.

-It didn't want to be sold.

But don't use it as a trumpet. It's too fragile.

I'm in the trendy Kemptown area of Brighton and have found an antiques shop with a difference.

It belongs to Alex MacArthur. I could spend hours in this shop.

Alex has created a unique look by mixing traditional antiques with heavy industrial furniture

and many other intriguing items.

Alex's talent is seeing beauty in the unusual.

But it's hard to visualise how some of these pieces would fit in a home,

which is why Alex's house doubles as a showcase where buyers can see the stock at its very best.

Alex, you've got a great eye.

When you walk into your house, it's got the wow factor, as has the shop.

You know how to knit things together but it doesn't work for everybody.

You've got to have a very good eye.

That's what makes it fascinating. It's about balance.

-I don't like it when people think they can put me into a certain category.

-Put you in a box.

Then I go, "This is me as well."

Because in a way, it's all about self-expression, expressing all of the facets of who we are.

So I might have my gym equipment and my sports benches and my antlers and my horns.

But I might also have my Little House On The Prairie piece like this piece here.

It's homely, it's authentic, it's simple, it's English.

And that is also part of what I am.

Now, that's nice. That is very me, very traditional.

I love the way you've created symmetry and balanced it up.

I love that and what it says. "No poisons are used. Family prescriptions prepared daily."

-Pharmaceutical cabinet.

-It's so simple.

-It is, isn't it?

That chemist was in Bond Street from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.

I think that piece is Georgian. It's very simple.

George IV, yes, it's really nice.

So everything in this room is for sale?

-Absolutely everything except what is already sold.

-OK.

And that is the downside of dealing from home.

These two Chesterfields, I had to move the whole house around to accommodate them.

-They look like they were meant to be in this room.

-It's quite rare, two matching button-back Chesterfields.

They're a lovely colour. And I love things in pairs, in collections.

-Pairs sell so well.

-Unfortunately, they're already sold.

-Are they?

I sold them last Saturday.

I only had them for two weeks and they made me happy for two weeks.

I was skipping around because I had two lovely Chesterfields.

I can sympathise. I used to deal from home. I had my flat above the shop.

And good clients came up to the flat. At first, it's hard to let go.

You strive for these nice pieces, then someone wants to buy it. It's cash flow.

You need to let go to buy more, but it's a hard principle to follow.

My philosophy is you need to let go and there might be a period of void,

but something equally gorgeous will take its place. You need that faith.

Where do you buy a lot of your stock from? Do you go abroad or search auctions?

I do a little bit of auctions, but mainly I buy in Europe, I buy in France. I'm constantly buying.

-You've got a good gym theme going, lots of leather, old benches.

-That comes from Eastern Europe.

I have somebody who sources it for me, but the supplies are running out.

The guy who supplies me used to have 20 or 30 leather gym mats to choose from at a time.

Now he has two or three.

'The gym equipment shows Alex's vision - seeing style, beauty and new uses for obsolete things,

'turning old leather benches and mats into chic tables and sofas, which he can then show off at home.'

There's so much space here. You can create themes in different rooms.

That's something I quite enjoy. At the top of the house, there are two smaller rooms.

One of them is a study and the other one is my daughter's bedroom.

-My daughter's bedroom is the girliest...

-Pretty pink with '50s mirrored tables

for putting make-up on and things.

And that lovely 19th century, four-poster bed which I couldn't sell. She loves it.

You have to draw the line. You can't take clients up there, your daughter comes home and everything's gone!

I know. I feel guilty because it's quite an insecure lifestyle,

feeling as though the sofa from underneath you might be sold.

-So with certain things, I do have to draw the line. I can't sell my daughter's bed.

-No.

It's nice the way you can incorporate a slightly more industrial look in certain rooms.

-Yeah.

-Hard-edged metal.

-That's right. But it's about finding the balance.

It's a bit like being the conductor of an orchestra and realising that you have trombones, but also violins.

And if you can see that and accept that, you can get them to play very well together.

I found Alex's taste absolutely fascinating.

It's creative, exciting, pushing boundaries and embracing the avant-garde.

It's so distinctive that you either love it or you hate it, but there is now an Alex MacArthur look.

There is still plenty to look at back at the valuation day.

Catherine has a piece of jewellery brought in by Sally.

This is a very charming Victorian bracelet. Where did you get it from?

I remember getting it, I think I was a teenager, from my grandmother,

-who is my mother's mother.

-Right.

But I've never worn it because I don't wear jewellery at all.

I've always thought it was really pretty, but it was your mother's.

I can remember as a child looking through my mother's bits and pieces and thinking how pretty that was.

-It was the turquoise that I liked.

-Absolutely.

Date-wise, it's from about 1870, so it's been passed through...

-It could have been my mother's mother?

-Yes.

-I just remember it with my mother.

What I particularly like are these lovely little turquoise stones which are in a criss-cross pattern.

It's going to be 15-carat gold. I've had a good look and I think that's probably what it is.

Unfortunately, here there's one of the links missing which would join the chains together.

That's not a huge problem. I can't believe you want to sell it.

-Why are you selling it?

-Just because it's literally shut...

It was in a drawer under the bed. I had to move furniture to get it out.

It's not seeing the light of day.

-Somebody else should enjoy it.

-It is quite a chunky piece of jewellery.

It's not everybody's cup of tea.

But I think a lot of people will be interested in the wonderful turquoise stones

and it's a good, collectable piece of Victorian jewellery.

Value-wise, I'd like to see it make £200-plus.

So I'd suggest putting it in the auction at around £150 to £250.

-How does that sound to you?

-Yes, I think so.

But as it's been in the family for such a long time, it would be a shame to let it go,

-so maybe put a reserve on of £120?

-That would be fine, yes.

-Mum looks like she's having second thoughts.

-No, I'm not having second thoughts. It's Sally's decision.

It's silly if it's not worn.

It's a piece of jewellery that should be worn and enjoyed.

You're not enjoying it as it's under the bed, so it's time to flog it.

-Thank you very much for coming along.

-Thank you.

-Hi, Paul.

-Hi.

-We won't win any prizes for guessing what's in here.

-It's a concertina.

-Yes.

-This one is a nice example.

You know it will be good quality because the case is rosewood.

-OK.

-Then when we do open it up,

you can see this rosewood concertina inside. I'll pull it out delicately.

It's quite important when you look at these to look at certain features.

Why have you brought it along?

Because it's been sitting in my cupboard for the last ten years since my father died.

He was an open-air missioner who travelled up and down the country preaching the Gospel

to various places like Rhyl, Redcar and during...

-All the exciting places?

-Yes. He'd be on the beach preaching to people.

They would have services and my father would play the concertina in order to produce the hymns.

We've been clearing out the house and as Flog It was coming to Brighton,

I thought I could get a valuation and see where we go from there.

We've got this nice pierced top to it

and I'm sure that'll match underneath, which it does.

We've got the nice maker's label, which is a London maker, Wheatstone.

Looking at the type of wood used, it's towards the end of the Victorian period, the 1890s.

You also have to look for the number of keys. They can be as low as 14 for quite poor quality ones

and over 30-something for very high quality ones which can make over £1,000.

This one is mid-range. There are 25, I think, here.

Also you must look at the bellows.

You've got a bit of damage on the actual pull-out, so I'll be careful when I open it.

The bellows is in quite good condition and quite decorative.

-So it's time for it to go to a good home?

-I think so.

-Somebody that will treasure it.

-What would you hope it was worth?

I had a feeling that it could be around maybe £300, £400?

-I think you're spot-on.

-Right.

An estimate of £300 to £400 with a 300 reserve would be perfect.

-How would you feel about that?

-Entirely happy.

Thank you for bringing it in. I look forward to seeing you at auction. Let's hope we make sweet music.

Tess, this puts a big smile on my face. I absolutely adore it.

Why have you brought this in to Flog It in order to flog it? Why do you want to do that?

I've got a lot of other paintings and this one doesn't fit in with some of those.

And it's been up in my attic for at least two or three years.

Shame on you. This is gorgeous. Where did you get this from?

I found it in a junk shop in Brighton. I happened to see it and the shop was closed.

I rattled the door and the chap who lived above the shop came down. That was about ten years ago.

-You said, "How much is that?"

-It was a time when I didn't have a lot of money. I think I paid £50 for it.

Just because I fell in love with it.

I can see why. I've fallen in love with it as well.

It's very much along the lines of the Newlyn School who copied the French Impressionists.

I've looked up the artist and it's Margaret Sheffield.

And there is a Mary Sheffield, her sister. They lived in Blackheath in London.

They both flourished around the 1890s with great painters like Stanhope Forbes and Walter Langley.

They went down to Cornwall for the light. Maybe this is Cornwall.

-The cliff range doesn't look high enough.

-I thought it might have been East Anglia or Suffolk.

-That's the feeling it gave me.

-Low horizons, typical of that area.

I love this character. It looks like his trousers are rolled up.

He's either a fisherman digging for ragworm or he could be an artist. That could be an easel.

-Yes, painting for the day.

-Yes.

There's a little bit of damage there, but other than that, the paintwork is very thick, very bold.

It's a very competent artist using a broad brush.

When they were flourishing around the 1890s, they had exhibitions all over the country,

but I can't find any documented evidence of their paintings selling in auction.

So I don't know how to gauge the price for a landscape of this size in oils.

So it's a tricky one really.

If I walked past a gallery in the West End and saw this

and it had a price ticket of £500 on it,

I'd be inclined to buy it and that's my gut feeling.

Obviously, for auction purposes we must pitch it lower than that.

I think if we put it into auction, we've got to be asking around £250 to £350

-and hope that it tops that £400 mark.

-Right.

-Happy?

-Sounds good.

-Do you really want to sell it?

-Yes.

-Shall we put a fixed reserve...

-Yeah, I'd like a reserve.

-Of £250?

-Yeah, 250 would be great.

-I'm pleased you brought this in and I can't wait to see this sell.

-I look forward to that.

Let's have a final look at what we have to offer the bidders.

The Victorian bracelet is too pretty to keep under the bed.

I'm sure someone is going to snap it up.

Paul's rosewood concertina is in good condition, so Mark hopes it will squeeze the right price!

Finally, the Margaret Sheffield oil painting - I love it and I think others will too!

First up, it's Paul's concertina.

We've got £300 to £400 put on this by our expert Mark and this is another quality item. It's rosewood.

It pushes all the right buttons.

-Let's hope two people push it higher.

-It strikes a chord with me.

-I'm glad we're all singing from the same hymn sheet.

-I think we should get on with it. Here we are.

Musical lot, it's the 19th century concertina, by Wheatstone.

Nice fretwork. Rosewood case. 300 anywhere?

-Come on.

-250 then? 250 offered.

-That's it, we're off.

£250. 250 I'm bid. 260 I'll take.

270. 280.

300 standing. All done? At 300 I'm selling here...

That was short and sweet. £300, on the money.

-What are you gonna do with the money?

-Hopefully, I'm going to get a painting to fit into my lounge.

-What...?

-I'm not sure I've seen anything here today.

-Nothing tickles your fancy?

-I think that the painting over there, that's quite a nice little painting.

-Will you be getting a bidding paddle and having a go?

-I might do.

Coming up right now is that wonderful gold bracelet.

-We've got Sally here, but not Shirley. Where's Mum?

-She's looking after my daughter.

OK. It is a bit of a family affair because the bracelet was Great-grandmother's, wasn't it?

-Yes, I think so.

-Not going to your daughters?

-No.

It's just too fussy. I don't think it's going to be their cup of tea.

-You don't like it?

-I think it's pretty, but not to wear.

I'd prefer to get a photo frame to put a photograph of Grandmother in and remember her that way.

Rather than have the bracelet put away in a drawer. Optimistic?

-It's a nice little piece. It's very pretty. I just don't know...

-You were looking around there.

-I don't know that the jewellery collectors are here.

-We've got a reserve of £120. Here it is now.

The 15-carat gold and turquoise bracelet. There we are showing...

-Shall we say 150?

-200, sir.

-2 is a good start.

-Oh, that's nice. That's a surprise.

It's always nice to have bidders like that!

At 200 on the book. 210 standing. At 210 at the very back.

Are we all done at 210...?

They're not mucking around here. The hammer's gone down at £210.

-That was incredible. The bid came in at 200.

-He just shouted out.

-Got to be happy with that.

-I am. We can get a nice frame with that.

I think this Margaret Sheffield oil on canvas, which I valued at 250 to 350, should do the business.

-Hopefully.

-We just need fingers crossed for the top end of the estimate, plus a little bit more.

This is the next lot. Good luck.

The Sheffield oil on canvas.

Shall we say 200?

-Yes, please.

-2 it is then. Thank you. On the right.

210. 220. 230.

-240. 250.

-Sold.

-260.

270. 280.

290. 300.

320? Thank you, 320.

340.

At 340 on the commission bid. Are we all done?

-Yes! There's a delayed reaction.

-Excellent.

-£340, that's great.

-Top end of the estimate. You're happy.

-Really good.

Did I ask you what you were going to put the money towards?

Probably split. I've got a new granddaughter, Aoife, who is three weeks old.

She's going to get some of it and I'm going to plant a tree for my dad who died,

-so it's going to go between the two of them.

-Lovely.

-Thank you so much for bringing in such a quality piece of art.

-Thanks.

It's all over for our owners. The auction is still going on.

It was tough going at times, but I think we've pulled it off today. All credit to our experts.

So until the next time, it's cheerio.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2008

Email [email protected]