Dudley Flog It!

This castle was once the grand home to an aristocratic family

who shared the name of the town we're in today.

Welcome to Flog It from Dudley.

Dudley Castle became home to the ambitious Duke of Northumberland,

John Dudley, in the 1500s.

He married off his son to Lady Jane Grey

in a plot to prevent Mary Tudor from becoming queen.

The plan backfired. It went horribly wrong and the young couple were beheaded.

Shortly after that, John Dudley's head rolled too.

Needing to keep their heads today are our experts, Thomas Plant and Adam Partridge,

as they hunt out the best items to do battle with at auction.

The crowds are keen to get into today's venue, Dudley Concert Hall,

to see if their items can catch the experts' eye.

First to put his skills to the test is Thomas Plant.

Hello, Nick.

-Hi.

-Tell me about this collection

-you've brought along.

-This collection belonged to my grandfather. He worked on it

most of his life and I recall him bringing me first-day issues

and so on and showing them to me.

Was he more passionate about collecting stamps

or collecting money or postcards? What did he like the most?

It was the collectability factor.

He just liked to have things to keep.

Yes, I can understand that. Why have you brought them today?

I was curious, really, to see if anything was of value.

But I also thought cos I'm not continuing the collection, I have no interest in that kind of thing,

that I'd like to pass them on to somebody who would add to a collection

-or think, "Oh, wow! I'm after that."

-Absolutely.

You're doing the right thing. Although it's not going to be worth a king's ransom, it's of value.

Postcards, people like to collect them because they fit into their collections and they tell a story.

These here are really quite interesting

-because they're all First World War.

-Are they?

-They're moralising ones as well. This is what we call a sweetheart card.

-Right.

-It was bought within Flanders, somewhere like Ypres, and sent home.

-I see.

To their loved one. Though it's a myth it was done by the soldiers.

That's a myth. These were done to be bought by soldiers to send home.

-Right.

-And these are the flags of the Allies.

You get collections of these and they make quite a lot of money.

-OK.

-I like this little stamp group

cos you don't see things like this.

They're lovely, still intact.

You sometimes get sheets of stamps and people get very excited.

But the main interest when I saw you in the queue and looked through the album was this paper money.

This was obviously something quite tempting to spend

-but he's kept it.

-No, he kept it. That's right.

He kept it in an album and he used to add to it, especially the pound notes.

-He was keen on that.

-There's quite a few of these in the albums.

-Yes. He was keen on that.

-They're worth a bit more than a pound.

These are worth between five, three pounds, five pounds.

-And about 25 to £30.

-Oh!

-How does that grab you?

-Crikey. OK, yeah.

So even with what you've got with the paper money,

there's over £50 there.

-If you think about all the first-day covers you've got, quite a few.

-Yeah.

They're probably worth between 50p and £1 each.

-So you're looking at £100-plus.

-Right. OK.

-For the collection.

It's not masses of money. It's not £200,

-but I would say if we generally say between 100 and 150...

-Yes.

..for the whole collection, with a reserve of £100.

I think you need to protect this.

-OK.

-You don't want it to go for nothing, do you?

-No, no. I mean, no.

-Will you come to the auction?

-I'd love to. I've never been to one.

Tell me, how do you feel about this going up for auction?

-Fantastic. Really excited. I'd love it.

-And you have those memories.

Nobody will take them from me.

But I'd like this to go to somebody who's already got an interest.

-I'm sure it will, and we'll have a good day.

-Fantastic.

-I know you're Dot because I remember seeing you this morning.

-You did.

And it was a great experience meeting you then and it's really

nice to have you back at the table with your Worcester vases.

Oh, you are nice!

-You can see straight through it.

-I can, yes.

You've got a lovely pair of Royal Worcester vases.

Can you tell me how you came to own these?

Yes, a gentleman gave them to me.

I used to go into his mother when I was a district nurse and he gave them me when she died.

So, very nice to be given these.

Were you familiar with the vases before?

-No.

-So you never said, "Ooh, I love your vases"?

Oh, no, no, no.

-No hints there.

-Oh, no, no.

-They just ended up with you.

And what do you think of them?

Oh, yes, they're lovely.

So why are you selling them?

I thought somebody else might appreciate them.

Oh, come on!

That's what I've heard said on Flog It!

Well, that's what everyone says, so let's have another reason, Dot.

Why are you selling them?

Um... Well, I don't do anything with them.

You can't really put flowers in them.

-No.

-They're not a great deal of use, are they?

They're very pretty to look at for the collector.

You're not a collector of fine china and things.

-No.

-Do you collect anything at all?

-Spoons.

-Souvenir spoons?

Yes. Any spoons.

How many have you got?

-About 300.

-Yeah. See, when I first met you this morning, I had you down as a stirrer!

I guess we'd better talk about your vases.

-We're very much alike.

-I think so - although you've got more hair.

-Yeah, that's true.

-These are Royal Worcester as you can see from the mark on the bottom.

Puce-coloured mark of the Royal Worcester

and then we've got these five dots,

a star and then another five dots, which is how we date Worcester.

And the star with ten dots is 1926.

Now they're mirror image, so they're clearly a pair...

One of them's signed... Here's the signature there.

M. Hunt, that's Millie Hunt.

A well-known paintress of roses... were her speciality.

They usually specialised in various roses or flowers or animals or whatever it might be.

Condition's pretty good. The only thing I've noticed, a tiny, tiny little chip just there.

Very minor but it would need to be pointed out.

So, any idea what they're worth?

No.

No, no idea at all?

-No idea at all.

-Have a guess.

-No.

-You're not having a guess.

-No.

-I thought you were fun.

No, cos I don't think you'd come up to £2,000.

-No, £150-250.

-How much?

150-250.

-You're joking.

-No.

-Is that good or bad joking?

-Good.

Oh, good.

I thought you were suddenly expecting loads and loads.

-No.

-No, they should make £150.

-Really?

-Yeah, that would be the reserve I'd put.

-Oh, lovely.

And if they don't make that, you can take them home again.

-Thank you.

-I think if they were absolutely perfect,

they would probably make the top end £250.

Dot, it's been really nice to talk to you and very nice to meet you.

-It's been very nice to meet you.

-Stop it! That's not true, is it?

-It is true.

-You're desperate to go, I can tell.

-No, I watch you on telly and it's very nice to meet you.

-OK.

You look much younger than you do on telly!

OK, can we up that valuation or is it too late?

Now you've said something pleasant, we could make it higher!

-Cliff.

-That's me.

-This is fantastic.

Thanks so much for bringing in some natural history.

It's a sawfish bill, which is a cross between a ray and a shark.

It's a fantastic example.

A sawfish is found in temperate waters around the South Pacific.

Australia, New Zealand, all the islands round there.

A very dangerous fish. Imagine coming across this in the water!

This is quite an old fish, actually.

It's reached maturity. It's got 30 teeth either side.

And looking at this,

I would say this example dates back to around about 1850, 1860.

It's a nice early Victorian one.

Tell me about how it came into your possession.

It was given to me by an old friend,

about 25 years ago.

-Yes.

-He asked me if I wanted it.

I said, "Yes, I'll have it."

Was it on the wall in his house when you saw it?

No, he hadn't got it in his house. I don't know how he came by it.

It's been treated with a borax acid.

That's how they treat it to stop it rotting.

That was one of the early sort of things that was applied to any form of taxidermy

from the late 18th century.

Taxidermy, incidentally, the name comes from the ancient Greek -

"taxi" meaning to move around, "dermy" meaning skin,

so you moved the skin around. Hence taxidermy.

And the Victorians, they just loved it.

There were so many practitioners in Victorian England, it was unbelievable. Hundreds of them.

Everybody wanted a little piece of something from a faraway land.

They wanted their own private museums.

Because England ruled the waves. We had the best navy in the 18th century

and we were conquering everywhere, bringing back exotic specimens.

I think this would have been one. Imagine it on the wall in a Victorian parlour!

Over a doorway or something.

It's... I think it's incredible.

I really do think it's incredible.

And the teeth are so sharp.

Of course, you know what the good thing is.

-There's not one broken one.

-No, there isn't.

If you had one damaged tooth on this,

it would devalue it possibly by 30%.

That much, just for one broken tooth.

Why do you want to sell this?

Well, it's just in the cupboard at home.

That's the first time it's been out the cupboard for...

A lot of people do find these things quite frightening.

They're a little bit put off by it.

But it's becoming fashionable again.

There's a resurgence. People are collecting mini museums of taxidermy items.

I think this will sell well

to an academic, somebody who likes this kind of thing on their wall.

So what sort of figure do you have in mind for this?

Well, I was told it was worth 500.

But I'm happy with what I get.

I'd like to think this will fetch around 100 to £150.

-Somewhere in that margin.

-Yes.

-OK? We'll put a reserve on of £100.

-Very nice.

-Very nice, too.

I'll see you in the auction room, Cliff.

Thank you very much.

-All right, David?

-Hello.

-How are you?

-Not bad.

You brought along a violin. Everyone heads for me with violins.

-I'm known as the violin man, these days.

-Very nice.

Hopefully, you're in good hands.

-First of all, where did you get it from?

-I had it out of a skip.

-Someone threw that in a skip?

-Yes.

-The case and everything? With the bow?

-Bow, spare strings.

-Amazing, isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

-What were you doing in a skip, David?

-Just going through.

-Having a scout.

-A lot of people find good things in skips.

-I've had many a good thing.

-What else? Tell us some good stuff you've found.

-Bits of jewellery,

pottery and plates.

-Ever had a really good find?

-I had a silver hand mirror once.

I took that into a second-hand shop and got a fiver for it.

-OK.

-About 20 years ago. It was OK for me at the time.

Back to the violin. What it is,

it's a fairly ordinary violin, too good to throw out.

It's a factory-made violin.

It's 20th century, probably somewhere around 1930,

or thereabouts. So it's got a bit of age to it.

It's hard to be specific about it. It's almost definitely made in Germany.

Most old violins were factory-made in Germany. It's not rubbish, but it's not particularly valuable.

You've got a pine table here. The belly of the violin is called the table.

And the back is maple. Made from maple.

It's a two-piece back. You can just see the dividing line round the back.

How would you describe the condition?

-A mess.

-A mess!

Yeah, basically!

It looks a bit of a mess.

But it's not that bad. With the back, here, a few scratches,

but nothing major, no cracks.

Once you've got cracks and splits, it is knackered -

for want of a better word!

-Because of the resonance.

-It wouldn't give a proper sound.

Presumably you've brought it in to flog it - for what reason?

Cos you don't play it and you want to sell it.

It's been left under the stairs and if somebody could do something with it,

it would be nice restored or whatever.

That's right. You could clean it up quite easily.

-So cutting to the money, it's probably worth about 40 to 60 in auction.

-Yes.

-So it's not too bad.

-It's a good find.

-It'll find its value. Yes,

Just down the road from the auction house is Solihull, the home of a true British icon.

The Land Rover can be classified as one of Britain's motoring success stories.

Originally built as a basic utilitarian vehicle for working on the land.

At 60 years old, it's survived the ups and downs of the British car industry

and has developed from being a tough workhorse into the ultimate off-roader...

even sparking the move into the luxury four wheel drive market.

So, what's that workhorse like to drive?

Well, the man who knows all about it is behind the steering wheel in that Land Rover.

Roger Craythorne has led the demonstration team here for 25 years.

He even shares his birthday with the vehicle, so he's got a wealth of experience.

Let's flag him down and have a chat.

Roger, it's great to meet up with you.

I can't wait to get into one of these later on and go for a drive.

But tell me about the conception of the Land Rover, its early days.

It started immediately after the Second World War,

when the Rover motor company wanted to start building motor cars,

and unless you could export your vehicles, it was very difficult to obtain steel.

The British Government would only allocate steel for building vehicles if you could export them.

The Wilkes family were very involved with the Rover company...

SB Wilkes was the Managing Director and his brother was the technical director.

At the time, he owned an ex-World War jeep and he thought that he could do a better job.

He thought, if I can build something better than the jeep, I can export

that and then we can get enough steel to start building Rover cars again.

The Land Rover was only developed originally as a stop-gap...

but of course it very quickly took on.

In the first year alone, we built over 1,700 vehicles.

This one's a '49 but '48 was our first year of production.

This one here was owned by the British Army, originally,

when they first bought them in 1949.

But they were successful from the moment they were released on the market?

It was successful because, although we have a fondness for jeeps, the jeep only had a three-speed gear box.

This had a four-speed gearbox. It also had permanent four wheel drive

when it was first launched and the jeep had selectable four wheel drive.

I think that's one of the reasons the Land Rover got so popular so quickly...

-because the vehicle generally didn't get stuck and didn't get trapped.

-What about this one?

The vehicle very soon became very popular and some people suggested that we should

have vehicles with a little bit more power.

To make it perform a little bit better, we went from a 1.6 litre engine to a 2 litre engine.

But also, at the same time, we decided to go to selectable four wheel drive.

OK, we're sort of getting up to the '60s there, aren't we?

-That was the Series three Land Rover. This was launched in 1971.

-Oh, was it?

The vehicle was in production right up until the '80s, when we introduced the Defender with coil springs.

Tell me a little bit more about your role in the company.

Well, I started, like most engineers here, as an apprentice

and fortunately qualified just at the time when the Range Rover was conceived

and was selected to work on the Range Rover development programme.

A lot of the work that I was given during that time was developing the off-road

credentials of the vehicle, making sure the vehicle was as capable off-road as current Land Rovers.

-Yeah, and we've got one there.

-We have, yes.

Can you remember this particular model?

Oh, yes. I mean this is a four-door Range Rover.

We actually started off with two-door Range Rovers.

This one is in lovely condition and it's part of the Land Rover Experience fleet here at Solihull.

Tell me a little bit about the course.

The site is around 300 acres and we've got 15-20 acres of off-road driving...

with approximately 10-15 kilometres of track.

What is it about off-roading that you love?

Well, you can take these vehicles where other vehicles can't go.

The fact that you have the confidence

to drive over terrain that most other vehicles...as I say...

can't traverse.

What makes a good off-road driver? What are the pointers?

Somebody who's got a good feel for vehicles, understands the geography

inside and outside, can read the ground ahead of them...

probably only 50-100 metres, where normally when you're driving

on the highway you've got half a kilometre ahead of you.

And it's having an appreciation of the environments around you...

you just definitely wouldn't damage that environment in any way.

If you're a good off-road driver, you've got care for the environment, care for the countryside, along with

your experience that you gather from years of off-road driving.

The most important thing is not to drive too fast, to understand where your steering wheels are pointing

and to generally be in the right gear for the right object or incident that's in front of you.

And don't put your thumbs right around the steering wheel.

-And don't put your thumbs round the steering wheel, no. You've done it before!

-I want to have a go.

Roger's let me loose in a brand-new Land Rover to attempt part of the off-road course.

I'm very excited but slightly apprehensive, as I don't know what Roger has in store for me.

But I'm about to find out.

-Where do I go now?

-Up the stairs here, so...

-Oh, wow... look at that!

So, second gear, just a little bit of acceleration.

OK. I wouldn't want to tackle this without you.

That's wonderful. Brilliant.

How about that? That was the elephants footprints!

This car can do absolutely anything.

The only thing that's missing is a button to push, wings would come out and we could fly.

-What's next?

-We're going to go for the collapsing bridge next.

-The collapsing bridge. OK, here we go.

Wow.

Oh, that's fantastic.

That's not for the faint-hearted.

The horizon disappears right in front of you.

Big thanks to Roger for such an adventurous day out.

No wonder Land Rover has survived 60 years, it's just fantastic.

It's going to go on into the future.

It's a great British icon. And, by the way, I stalled then.

Let's start up.

I couldn't get it right first time.

Time for a reminder of this morning's catch

and who's heading off to auction.

Nicky hopes a keen collector will want to pick up where her grandfather left off

and take on this collection.

Dot thinks her Worcester vases are pretty but impractical, so it's definitely time to flog them.

Cliff's sawfish bill is coming out of the closet

but will the bidders be excited by this unusual piece

of marine taxidermy?

And will the violin prove to be David's best skip-diving prize

as it goes under the hammer?

This is where all our experts' valuations will be put to the test,

Fieldings auction house in the heart of Stourbridge.

And the auctioneer flogging our items for us today is Nick Davies. So, let's get things under way.

First up is the pretty pair of Worcester vases.

They belong to Dorothy here.

-Not much longer, though.

-No.

You can wave goodbye to them.

Adam's got £150-200 on these?

-I think so.

-We'll get that top end.

Dorothy's just come back from Scotland.

She's been on a spending spree with one of her friends.

-Have you?

-Yup.

-What have you been buying?

-Whiskey.

-Whiskey!

..which is a pair of Royal Worcester posy pottery vases.

And we have bids I believe.

The bid's telling me £150 on a commission, straight in at £150.

Do I see £160 in the room, anywhere?

£150 on a maiden bid commission.

It's on commission.

First and last at £150 and on a commission, £150, all sure?

Well, straight in and straight out.

Had a commission bid on the books, no-one here to bid it up.

But we've done it anyway!

-No, I'm fine.

-Lucky we put a reserve on them.

Yes, yes. It is.

Otherwise we could have been less than that, couldn't we?

Yes. That's fine, yes.

-He's a canny chap, you see.

-He is, yes.

A lot of experts would have said, no reserve.

Let them find their own level.

No, no, Adam didn't do that.

I wouldn't want Dot asking me if they'd made £80, that's the thing!

I've got to protect myself as well as the object.

-This was found in a skip.

-It was.

Unbelievable. It's a classic bit of recycling,

turning this into hopefully 40 or £60.

I can't understand why anyone would throw it in a skip.

It'll make that.

-Here it is.

-Here it comes.

And a bow as well with it, in the case.

-Been some interest, I believe?

-Interest?

-I'll open at £60. Six-zero.

65? 70? You're out. 65 in the room now. The commission bid is out.

-I'm happy.

-70, anybody else?

At 65 I'm selling it.

All done for the fiddle at 65? Done?

-How does he know it? It's got to be a fiddle!

-They're easy!

When you know, they're easy.

-That's great news.

-It is for me. Yeah.

-A little birdie tells me you're taking the wife out.

-Anniversary meal.

-Anniversary meal.

-Nick, you're selling off grandfather's collection.

-Yes.

-Lots of paper money, postcards, first-day covers.

-Yep.

Nice little lot, actually. Will we get that top end of the money?

It would be nice if we could.

-These items of social history do really well.

-I've done well with some postcards.

This is mainly first-day covers in this collection.

And paper money. Extraordinary.

You've heard what we think. Let's see what that lot think.

It's under the hammer. Good luck.

Three 1970s and '80s first-day cover albums.

A small selection of First World War postcards in the lot as well.

And I can open these, and I'll look for in the room,

I'll open at £85. I'll look for 90 in the room.

Anyone coming in at £90?

We've got £100 with discretion.

90? Anyone coming in?

-No bids.

-I'm going to have to pass these, I'm afraid.

Anyone coming in at £90? Any interest? No?

-No.

-Unsold.

-They're going home.

-Oh, no!

-Ooh!

-Sorry about that.

-It's not your fault.

-Maybe it's meant! Maybe Grandad's thinking, "Keep these."

-"Hang on a second"!

-Yes.

-Cliff, great to see you again.

-Good.

-You look smart!

-Thank you.

This sawfish bill is the only item of natural history here.

So it stands out alone a bit.

But I hope we're going to sell it. I had a chat to Nick,

the chap on the rostrum, the auctioneer, there.

-He liked it.

-Good. Good.

He kind of hinted bottom end.

Not his thing, but he said, "Paul, it should sell."

-I'm sure it'll sell.

-Let's hope.

Time to wave goodbye. Here it is.

Lot 673, which is a sawfish bill,

properly known, apparently, as a rostrum.

Where do you start on this? Lot 673. Bids and interest.

-We open at...

-Three bids!

-This is good.

-£195.

Wa-hey! Yes!

£195.

I'll even it up and ask for £200. Anyone coming in in the room at 200?

195 takes all the other bidders out again. 200 anywhere?

-Last time of asking.

-Brilliant.

-At £195, I'm selling it.

Yes! Hammer's gone down at £195!

-I'm ever so happy with that.

-Yes, very nice.

-Nick was slightly doubtful at first, but that's good news, isn't it?

-Yes.

He's done us proud. He had three or four bidders on the books

and worked it up for us.

-You've got to be pleased with that?

-Very nice. Very nice.

The grandchildren will be pleased. There's one here.

-The eldest, isn't he?

-Thanks, Cliff.

Before we head back to the valuation day,

I'm nipping across to Dudley's museum to learn about a local talent.

In 1943, a German bomber dropped his explosives

on the cliffs at Brighton. A lone walker lost his life.

That man could have become one of the most celebrated British artists of his generation.

Yet over the last 60 years, only a few people have heard of his name.

His name was Percy Shakespeare

and his artwork was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London and at the Paris Salon.

But this is where his incredible talent was first displayed,

the town's art school, which is now Dudley's museum and art gallery.

But for young Percy, becoming an artist was not going to be easy.

Percy was born in 1906, one of eight children

living in Dudley's crowded terraces, a slum area.

He was the son of a steam engine fitter

and after a basic education, Percy was expected to head out to the Black Country

and find similar work to help his struggling family.

But for Percy Shakespeare, just across town, through all the smog,

shone one bright light - the art school.

In 1919, the principal of the art school, Ivo Shaw,

confronted a scruffy 13-year-old boy wandering through the corridors,

peering into the classrooms.

He recognised an artistic talent in the youngster

and gave him the opportunity of a lifetime -

a place at the art school.

Percy thrived under Ivo's strict approach to teaching.

Ivo believed that the disciplines of life drawing

should be mastered before launching into freer forms of expression.

Since Percy's death, his work has almost been forgotten

had it not been for the dedicated work of the Dudley Museum and one man.

And the man who put Percy Shakespeare back on the map

is the principal's son, Robin Shaw, and he's right here.

Robin, pleased to meet you. Thank you for talking to us.

What made you play detective and research this wonderful local talent?

When I was an eight-year-old boy, I remember my father's dismay

when Percy Shakespeare was killed at the age of 39. My father,

Ivo Shaw, was terribly upset because he had such high hopes of Percy.

-Your father nurtured him, didn't he?

-My father discovered him.

I grew up with drawings of Percy Shakespeare on the walls

and paintings on the wall.

I made a resolution that when I retired, in 1999,

I would find out more about Percy.

-Can we have a look at them?

-Certainly. They're round here.

I've lived with these all my life. As a boy, these were on the wall

and I've had them at home ever since.

These are art school studies.

-Most of these were done when he was 18, 19, 20.

-Gosh.

They've got so much movement. So much maturity for an 18-year-old.

Yes. Of course, these two are my mum!

-Aw!

-She was a fellow student.

Later, of course, she married my father, Ivo Shaw.

He was in his 40s and she was a student

and it caused a bit of eyebrow-raising in those times!

But he married her, didn't he?

-It was a happy ending.

-Yes, a happy ending.

Percy drew the people that surrounded him.

Friends and colleagues became his models.

One was the daughter of the gallery's curator, Barbara Wilkinson,

now Barbara Jennings.

Barbara, it's definitely you. You haven't changed much!

How old were you there?

I think six or seven, something like that. I'm not sure.

Can you remember what he was saying when he was sketching you?

He was sort of chatting generally.

He asked me about my pet canary, which he was acquainted with, having visited the house.

-So he kept you entertained?

-Yes.

It shouldn't have been boring, but I was too young to sit for any length of time!

-Were you pleased with it when you saw it?

-Yes, I was quite impressed.

And what happened to this picture?

My parents kept it always, and finally, when my father died,

it was stored away and I noticed the mount was getting foxed.

It would have been a matter of time until the picture went as well

so I thought Dudley Gallery was the proper place for it.

In 1923, Percy left Dudley and moved to Birmingham art school

to broaden his horizons.

Here, he developed a new body of figurative work

that was in keeping with his European counterparts

who were rejecting the experimentation of the post-Impressionists.

I like these two portraits. Different mediums - oils on canvas.

Tell me about them. Start with that one.

It looks like the Rhine. Did he travel abroad?

A local lad from Dudley didn't do much travelling!

It was probably the first time he went abroad, with some students

to the Rhineland, the Mosel part of Germany.

1934. The Nazis were just coming to power

and this picture reflects it.

There's a Nazi flag in the back of this thing

and there was a celebration of youth, which is part Nazism,

which is there, in this portrait.

-She's a powerful girl!

-Healthy, powerful, outdoor woman, yes!

-And this one?

-That's called The Mulatto.

That was the term used then for people of half black, half white origin.

It's clearly a celebration of her beauty.

I think Percy really likes that girl.

It was the first painting which was accepted by the Royal Academy.

He must have been so proud because acceptance by the Royal Academy

gives you so much kudos, such a lot of weight as an artist.

-And it puts the value of your work up.

-That's right. It does.

And it was a proud moment for Percy

and particularly he would feel very proud

when Dudley Arts Circle organised a public subscription to buy the painting

-for Dudley, for the art gallery.

-Wonderful.

And, of course, Dudley paid for it. It was our first sale, I think!

And he wasn't going to get many more sales.

These, totally different. We're moving on now.

He's teaching by now, isn't he? He's a serious painter, isn't he?

He is a serious painter.

He embarked on these compositions, he called them. He did drawing after drawing

for each figure in these paintings and built up a composition.

-The sketches.

-Together they show what life was like, leisure, in the '30s.

And this one again. More Impressionistic,

but this little figure is Barbara, who we've just chatted to,

in her straw hat.

-Whereabouts is this?

-This is Dudley Zoo,

the opening of Dudley Zoo.

Dudley was very proud of its zoo

and Percy painted this to celebrate it.

Wow. He's really stamped his mark at this stage.

He is the master of the genre.

But this is what I want to get to cos I love those legs!

I really do! That's a cracking pair of legs!

-Who is that?

-Well, I was told that it was Dorothy Round,

a famous tennis player who came from Dudley, in the 1930s,

but it's not Dorothy Round, it's a model.

But it's about the same time as Dorothy Round was winning the ladies' singles at Wimbledon.

And this one, this is the lazy, hazy summer days, I guess, in the 1930s. A leisure scene.

Yes, I think it's Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham. "The Boat House".

It's an interesting painting.

-The angle. It's painted as from above.

-Yes, you're right.

-He was very influenced by the cinema. He loved the cinema.

-The wide lens, moving the perspective.

The way he positions some of the figures are like camera shots.

These last few paintings are very much like a snapshot of the 1930s

-and the leisurely times people had.

-Exactly.

He was building up a body of work which showed what the '30s was like.

Mainly outdoors, leisure pursuits.

Sadly, these were the last paintings that he did before he was tragically killed.

Yes, the last few, really.

He was showing them at the Royal Academy right into the beginning of the Second World War.

Then he was called up by the Navy.

He tried to keep on painting, right to the very last.

And then he was killed by chance

on the cliffs.

So, who was Percy Shakespeare?

Thanks to Robin's hard work, we've got a glimpse of this very private man

with an extraordinary talent.

If his life hadn't been tragically cut short,

who knows what great works he would have gone on to produce?

We can only wonder.

We're still drawing in the crowds at our valuation day.

Adam has met two ladies happy to part with their little friend.

-So, Thelma and Joy.

-Hello.

-And who's this chap?

-Little Monk.

-Is that his name?

-It is.

OK. How do you two know each other?

-We met on holiday in 1989, in Rome.

-Really?

-And ever since we've been...

-Friends ever since.

-Friends ever since.

-You met completely by chance?

-Yes.

-Isn't that funny, how that happens?

-Fate threw you together.

-Exactly.

-Now, let's get back to Little Monk.

You've brought him in cos presumably, it's Flog It, you want to sell him.

Well, we haven't got any children, nobody to leave anything to.

-And we're downloading!

-Downloading!

Diamond wedding tomorrow.

-Really?

-60 years.

-60 years! Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-So he's surplus to requirements.

-He is, yes.

-Where did you get him from?

-My cousin was an estate agent and auctioneer.

My father used to help when he had auctions.

-He came home one day and said, "I've brought you something." He gave me that.

-Were you pleased?

I didn't know it was a candle snuffer then.

-When did you find out it was a candle snuffer?

-When I went to Worcester.

-And saw the other ones.

-Yes.

It's by Royal Worcester, of course.

They produced a range of candle snuffers,

all different types and this one, the monk has the puce mark on the bottom

and a series of dots - 22 dots I counted on there -

which date it to 1913.

The vary in terms of their desirability and commercial value quite considerably.

Some make hundreds and hundreds of pounds,

and some make 30, 50, that sort of thing.

-Joy, what's your opinion of Little Monk?

-I think he's very sweet.

Very sweet indeed. He doesn't look to have been used much.

-I wonder if they ever were.

-There's nothing inside.

-You don't see many that show signs of usage. He's very clean inside.

-Very clean.

So this one, I would estimate at 50 to £80 at auction.

-Right.

-So it's not great, but it's better than nothing.

-If somebody likes it, that's best.

-That's right. Happy to sell him?

-Oh, yes.

-Yes? We'll put him in the sale with 50 to £80 estimate.

We'll put a reserve of 50 so that he doesn't go for any less.

-Is that all right?

-That's fine, yes.

It's not a lot of money so I presume it'll be spending money for your next holiday?

-Which is on Monday!

-Really? Where are you going?

-On a cruise to Madeira and the Canary Isles.

-That'll be good.

-Off to celebrate the diamond wedding anniversary.

-Yes.

We'll take care of Little Monk while you're away and deliver him to auction.

I look forward to seeing you there.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you both.

-David.

-Yes.

-Thank you for coming.

-My pleasure!

-Tell me about your train set.

-This is a quarter of a set that my father had.

Four locomotives and loads of carriages.

When he passed away, my three brothers and I shared it.

-So this is my quarter!

-This is your part.

-It is.

But it's been sat in my loft ever since.

-You've never run it since?

-No.

Tell me, when your father was alive, did you run it with him?

-We did, every Christmas!

-Really?

-Yes.

-On the lino floor!

-And when did it stop?

-When we had fitted carpet!

-Fitted carpet instead of lino floor.

-That would be 1958, '59.

-Really?

-Oh, yes.

So it hasn't been played with for a long time?

It's certainly not been played with for 40 or 50 years.

So it needs to go to an enthusiast, doesn't it?

-It needs to go to somebody who would look after it and treasure it and use it.

-Absolutely.

But you have got a big mixture of tin plate trains here.

-But they're all O gauge.

-Correct.

-That's the gauge we're looking at.

-The wide gauge.

-The wide gauge.

-We've got O-gauge signals, made by Hornby series here.

-Yes.

The fitted box for one of them.

-We've got a Hornby Pullman's restaurant car.

-Indeed.

Then we've got a LMS Bing.

-This is a German-made tin-plate O-gauge carriage.

-Right.

-Two Bing LMS carriages here.

-Yes.

-And a Bowman's spirit-fired locomotive.

-Meths.

-Runs on meths.

-A huge mixture!

-A dream to some person!

-Maybe a dream to some person.

-But it's a headache.

-It's a mix. It is a mix.

There's Hornby, there's Bing, spirit-fired locos. But it's all O-gauge.

-And to top it all off, you're running on a three-rail track.

-Yes.

-Which is an electric track.

-It is.

Which had green boxes.

-Which my brothers had.

-Which are more valuable than anything else!

-My two elder brothers had the expensive ones!

-I've got you.

OK. But still, they're very attractive.

But because you've got quite a big mixture,

it's best to sell it as a lot rather than dividing things.

-Yes.

-I don't want to put a huge amount of money on it,

but probably you've got over a couple of hundred pounds here. When you add up

-the certain bits and bobs together, I think we get to that figure.

-Indeed.

I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. It's fine.

So if we put it in at two to three hundred pounds

-and hope it makes 250.

-Fine.

-How do you feel about a discretionary reserve of 200?

-I'm happy and content with that. Yes, indeed.

-Brilliant.

-We'll do that for you. Will you come to the auction?

-I will. I will. Look forward to seeing you there.

-Absolutely. I'm excited to see how well they do.

-I'm excited as well!

-Hi, Val.

-Hello.

-How are you today?

-Fine, thank you.

-Welcome to Flog It.

-Thank you.

I'm glad you came cos you've brought a lovely set of napkin rings.

Where did you get them?

They originally came from my great-grandmother.

-My grandfather had them and then they came to me when he died.

-OK.

How long have you had them?

Oh, I would say it must have been in the 1960s

-when he died.

-So you've had them 40 years or so, probably.

-Yes.

It's always interesting to find out.

A lovely set of napkin rings, hallmarked silver, all numbered.

One, two, three, four, five, six in their fitted case.

Presumably you don't use them?

I have used them when we were in our bigger house. We've downsized now.

I haven't got a dining room. I did use them when we had a party.

-I bet they looked fabulous.

-When we used to have friends round.

-Sure.

They're nicely decorated as well. Let's take out number two.

They seem to be decorated with vine leaves and grapes,

which is in keeping with a dinner party, wine flowing and everything.

We've got a hallmark on here as well.

-Which is Birmingham.

-It was Birmingham?

The anchor for Birmingham.

And that little "Z" there is the date letter for 1899 to 1900.

-Right.

-So they're just on the turn of the century. It makes them late-Victorian.

-Lovely!

-They're rather nice quality. If you look inside,

-they're gilded inside as well.

-Yes.

Which is very nice. They've obviously had very little use.

-Why are you selling them?

-We're trying to raise a bit of money

to go back to Mauritius where my son got married in 2000.

He'll be married ten years in 2010.

He wants us all to go again.

So we're going to put any money we make on anything towards that.

-Good idea. Ten-year celebration of the marriage.

-Yes.

-It's still going, then?

-Yes! Past the seven-year itch!

-You can't say that for all marriages!

-I mean, the value's not huge. I would estimate these at 80 to 100 for auction purposes.

-Right.

-I would expect them to make 100.

-Oh, right.

-How do you feel about that?

-I thought about the 100. But I'd want to put a reserve on them.

-OK.

-I would suggest £80. How do you feel about that?

-Yes, that's fine.

-Fine.

-Let's cross our fingers for over 100.

-Lovely.

Hello, Jill, Tania.

-Thank you for coming along.

-You're welcome.

You've brought this rather fantastic deco figure.

-Who owns it and tell me the story behind it.

-Well, it's mine.

I've had it for over 25 years.

It was given to me by my daughter's father. That's all I know about it,

And is it on display at home?

-Yes, I have it on the fireplace.

-Do you like it?

The figure's nice, yes. I like her.

I'm not that bothered about it, though.

A little bit of scratching... Has it always been like that?

-It's always been like that.

-Yes, this is quite soft, this marble here.

It looks like something's knocked against it.

But she's rather elegant, isn't she?

-She is.

-A lady of high fashion.

I love this coat she's wearing with this frilly collar round here and this great design.

It's lovely, isn't it? Very pretty.

Really handsome. Tania, do you like it?

Yeah, it's nice. I remember it when I was a kid and I'd lean my Barbies up against it.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Well, I've just had a quick look at her and had a good look over.

she's great quality and I thought she was going to be a Spelter.

But I had another look and there's some rubbing of the paint.

She certainly looks bronze from here.

Have you always known her as being bronze?

Well, I wasn't sure.

Sounds like bronze and certainly I can see that coming through.

She is rather handsome, sitting there.

What I like is she's got these lovely, elegant legs.

-They are, definitely.

-And her arms are lovely and thin.

She's looking... She's obviously

contemplating a recent love or something. I don't know!

Is it like an Art Deco?

Absolutely. It's probably made between the 1920s and the 1930s.

Up towards about '38, '39 and then obviously things stopped because we had the war.

-I think it would have been one of a pair and they might have been book-ends.

-Book-ends?

-It's very heavy.

-It's very heavy... have your row of books...

and then you have another one. That's why she's sitting there thinking, probably.

But you've just got the one, which could go against the wall.

We've got the mark... can you see that mark there?

-Oh, yes.

-A bit indistinct because the painting has gone over it

and got in the way but that is the foundry mark or the designer's mark.

-I've never noticed that.

-It's great, isn't it?

So why are you selling it?

Well, I've had them over 25 years and I just don't want it any more.

You don't want it any more?

-No.

-So, the all-important question is the price.

I mean, I think she's going to make about £100, maybe a bit more.

Very fashionable, quite desirable in today's market.

However, being an auctioneer, I want to be cautious and I want to use my favourite estimate...

-our favourite estimate is £80-120. Is that all right?

-That's fine.

-So are you guys going to come along?

-Yes.

-Both of you?

-Yes, we will do.

That's all from our valuation day, so let's head off to the auction room for our last lot of sales.

If some candles need snuffing, Thelma's Royal Worcester monk is just the thing.

Secondly, some fancy Victorian napkin rings belonging to Val.

And the Art Deco figure would probably sell better if it was still part of a pair.

But it's so stylish, I'm sure it's going to be the star of the saleroom.

And finally, David's train set.

This varied collection should track down some bidders!

Jill and Tania's Art Deco figure, just about to go under the hammer.

I think you've picked the perfect expert because this really is your field.

-Yeah, the Deco is.

-The Art Deco. £80-100?

-Bit more?

-Maybe a bit more.

-£150?

-I'd say we get it away first.

-OK.

OK, why are you selling this? Cos this is your inheritance.

-Yeah.

-Don't you like it?

I'm never going to use it. It's not really my sort of thing.

-Just don't like it any more?

-No.

-I've had it years, so I just thought...

-Flog it!

-Yeah!

-Let's do it. This is it.

-The Art Deco, there she is...

as illustrated and described in the catalogue.

Lot 662 we're bidding on. Where do you start me on this one?

£75? £75.

We're in, £75.

£80. £85.

You're out. £80 at the back.

£85, and £90? And five?

£100? £100. £110?

-It's good.

-£120?

-£130? £140?

-Ah, fantastic.

£150? So it's now at £140. At £140 it'll be.

I'll open it up.

£140, bidding in the room at £140.

Are we all sure and done at £140?

She looks good and they love her.

-£140, the hammer's gone down.

-That's great.

-You'll settle for that?

-Yeah!

-Is that lunch out for the two of you?

-Definitely.

-And some new shoes, I bet.

-Yeah.

Oh, good. New shoes, brilliant.

Thelma and Joy, good to see you again.

-Don't they look great?

-Wonderful.

-Very smart.

I'll have to smarten myself up, I think!

We're selling your candle snuffer.

It's Worcester. It's a little monk.

Do you like the candle snuffer?

-I do, yes.

-Never used it.

-No, it's very clean inside.

-Yes.

We've seen them before, Adam, and they always tend to sell cos they're quite rare.

There's lots of different models.

-They vary massively from £50 to a few thousand sometimes.

-Wow!

-Did you hear that?

-Ooh, the Little Monk!

Like me, I'm a bit of a monk with my hair loss!

But the Little Monk is quite a common one so I don't expect any major shocks,

-unfortunately.

-50 or £60.

-Around there. Any more would be a nice bonus.

-This is it. This is it.

A candle extinguisher, candle snuffer.

The model is a monk. Lot 115, we're bidding on.

I can open this one at £45. Do I see 48 in the room anywhere? £45

for the Royal Worcester? 48 anywhere else?

At 48. I've got you. 50 anywhere else?

At 48. Gentleman's bid. It's in the room. 50 anywhere else? £48.

I'm going to sell it. Are we all done for the Worcester snuffer? £48.

-Last time. All done.

-That's OK.

It's down, the hammer. It's gone.

-It's gone.

-£48.

Just a couple of pounds shy of that £50 mark.

-I don't mind.

-You don't mind, do you?

-Thank goodness!

-I'm trembling.

-He was. He was scared!

-Scared!

We've got the silver napkin rings and a valuation of 80 to £100.

Unfortunately, we don't have Valerie,

but we do have Valerie's daughter's father-in-law.

-Hi, what's your name?

-Alan.

-Pleased to meet you.

-And you.

-Have you seen these napkin rings at all?

-I haven't, actually.

You can't really comment on them. Fingers crossed.

-Adam's well on the money for this.

-Should be all right. Not a tricky thing to value.

There are six of them. Could we see a little surprise?

Could see 120, 150, perhaps, but unlikely to be more.

I'm not promising that, but they should sell.

Let's find out right now. This is it.

Hallmarked silver napkin rings in their original case, numbered.

-Lots of bids and interest.

-Ooh! Lots of interest.

-£140, I believe.

-Straight in, Alan!

£140. Do I see 150? Thank you. 160?

150 in the room now.

160 anywhere else? At £150.

In the room at 150 for the napkin rings.

-All sure and done? £150.

-I love it!

Yes, a good sold sound. The hammer's down.

-A nice result.

-£150. She's going to be so happy with that.

-I think she will.

-We'll leave it to you to ring and tell her.

I'll tell her straightaway.

Do you think she'll share the profits with you?

I don't know about that!

This is a cracking lot. I like this and Thomas fell in love with it.

David, I'm surprised you're selling this

because I'd keep it for the rest of my life.

I love those carriages and that lovely engine.

O-gauge, large-scale.

A large collection from my father's days. He had four engines.

The three brothers split them between us.

-And this is the last of your section?

-It is.

Will we get £300, that's what I want to know.

We've got a good chance.

It's the only train in the sale, but it is superb.

It should have dragged people here to buy it.

We'll find out right now.

Lots of bids and interest.

225 I'm bid. Do I see 230 to get us on an even keel?

230. You're out? 230 at the back of the room. 230 in the room.

Do I see 240 anywhere else?

At £230 I'm selling. At the back of the room.

£230 for the trains.

-Hammer's down.

-That's all right.

-Yes.

-He's chuffed with that.

-I'm happy.

-Yes, I know!

I know!

That's it. It's all over for our owners.

Nick's still weaving his magic on the rostrum.

We've had a great day and everyone's gone home happy.

One or two surprises, but we've enjoyed ourselves.

Hope you've enjoyed watching the show too.

From Stourbridge, until next time, cheerio!