Milton Keynes Flog It!

A New Town, born in the 1960s.

Its ambition? To offer thousands of people a better future.

You're watching Flog It and this is Milton Keynes.

To relieve post-war housing congestion, the government came up with a plan.

A grid system of streets and roads spread from the newly designated centre,

engulfing miles of farmland and several villages into one large town.

Taking its name from one of the villages at the heart of the development,

Milton Keynes became one of Britain's biggest New Towns.

Even today, this metropolis is full of big, bold forms,

angles and impressive lines.

Just like this one outside today's venue, Jurys Inn.

Our experts are an all-girl team, the wonderful Anita Manning and the gorgeous Kate Bateman.

They're gonna be angling to find great antiques to take to auction.

It's time to get started, and keen to put her skills to the test is our new expert, Kate.

She's already spotted an interesting vessel.

You've brought in this rather unusual centrepiece,

what can you tell me about it?

Not a great deal.

It was always known in the family as an Agazi Boat,

presumably come from Italy.

It's been in my mother-in-law's family for quite a number of years.

I used to dust it when she was not very well.

Subsequently she died.

But she inherited it from a lady that she used to do work for.

-Right, and so you got it from her presumably?

-Yes.

-What do you think of it? Do you like it?

-Frankly, I think it's ugly.

It's rather large to put anywhere in your home.

It's quite grand, isn't it?

-It's a lot of dusting, if you're dusting it.

-This is true, yes.

-OK.

Well, what I can tell you is, it's not Italian, as you first thought.

It's actually English.

It's made by a company called Branham, Charles Branham,

and it tells us that on the back if we look here.

We're got C H Branham on the bottom, inscribed, and the date, 1901.

So, that tells us it's over 100 years old.

And also on the front of the prow here we've got a little number.

That's the registered number

and that tells us more about when the design was registered.

You can see it's got a bit of damage,

that's the only thing I would say about it.

It's got a little chink off here.

-Right, yes.

-So have you dropped it while dusting?

-No, no.

-I've looked after it.

-OK.

-Hidden away in a cupboard.

Well, it's over 100 years old, so it looks pretty good.

-If you're not a big fan, I'm guessing that you wouldn't mind selling it?

-No, not at all.

What sort of price would you be happy to get for it?

If someone offered you £20 in a car boot sale,

would you be happy with that?

Not really, I think it's worth a little bit more than that.

I think it is worth a bit more.

-I think probably in an auction you'd put an estimate of £150 to £200 on it.

-Oh, that much?

So, what you would normally do is put a reserve slightly lower than the low estimate, maybe £100.

-Right.

-Would you be happy to sell it for that?

-Yes, yes.

That would be a good result? It would save you dusting it.

It would indeed, yes.

Well, let's put it into a sale

and see if I'm right with my valuation. See you there!

See you there.

-Lynne.

-Hello.

I never tire of looking at Clarice Cliff.

Tell me, where did you get this little condiment set?

I bought it at a jumble sale a few weeks ago.

-So, you're one of these mad collectors who go to jumble sales and so on?

-Yes, that's right.

Tell me, what do you look for when you go to the jumble sale?

I don't go for anything in particular. If I like something, I'll get it, if I can.

Why are you selling it?

Because I really collect Wade,

so if I sell this I can perhaps put it to some more Wade.

That's what I like to hear.

Sell something and buy something. Tell me, what did you pay for this?

-About 50p.

-Oh!

-Did you bargain for it?

-No, I didn't.

Ah. Well, very well done.

Very well done, Lynne.

Now, people either love Clarice Cliff or hate it.

I like it. Do you like it?

Not particularly. It's not something I would go out and collect.

Not one of your favourites.

-No.

-Did you know that it was Clarice Cliff?

-Yes.

-How did you know?

I've seen Flog It! on numerous occasions!

Well, at Flog It! we're always delighted to educate the public

and tell them about the items that we look at.

-Now, this is not a particularly rare pattern. It's from the 1930s.

-Yes.

Typical Art Deco period.

Let's first of all have a look at the backstamp.

We have the series, which is Fantasque, Clarice Cliff,

Newport Pottery, and it's Houses and Trees.

And in this range we would have had lots of dinnerware.

We would have had bowls, plates, so you could have had a lovely shelf full of Clarice Cliff.

-The lovely colour of Clarice Cliff.

-Yes.

-With all these things.

I always say to people, if you have Clarice dinnerware or teaware

-then use it.

-Yes.

-Don't stick it in a cabinet, use it.

-No.

We have to look at the condition always in Clarice.

-Condition always matters when it comes to price.

-That's right, yes.

And if we look at this salt pot we can see that there's little nibbles

-or edge chips there and that will affect the price a little bit.

-Yes.

I would like to put an estimate of...

maybe 100 to 150.

That sounds fine, lovely. Yes.

Reserve price, really just to protect it, £80.

That's fine, lovely.

That's absolutely fantastic!

Patrick, this is a cracking Victorian hall chair.

What do you know about it?

It belonged to my nan. Unfortunately, she passed away this year.

She left a few items for me, this is one of them.

-We don't really have room for it.

-Who's we?

-Me and my wife, Heather.

-She doesn't like it?

-She doesn't like it.

I think it's a lovely chair.

OK. I think your gran had a very good eye,

and she probably had a lovely house, as well.

This is a classic, early Victorian sort of circa 1860, 1880.

It's a wonderful hall chair.

My first thing I would say is, was there another one?

We've only got the one, I'm afraid.

Cos these things make good money when they're a pair.

You just put them either side of a chest of drawers or a small table

and you create a really nice interior designer look.

It's called a hall chair because, simply, you found many of these,

they would have made possibly 12, 13, 14, 15, to fit a hall.

You'd have six either side of a very big, wide hall.

And the back is very, very straight,

which makes you sit upright when you're sitting on here.

It's not meant to be comfortable.

You're waiting...

with a bit of trepidation,

because you've got to meet the master of the house

and they're quite frightening!

Maybe you were the gardener or somebody coming for a job interview.

It was very threatening. Sitting on these chairs,

they're very hard, they're meant to feel hard.

They didn't have soft cushions.

Many people that came to visit the master of the house were workmen,

they'd have dirty clothes, so these were easy to clean.

-Ah.

-They could sit on these without mucking them up.

Which is why you don't buy them to sit on nowadays, you buy them

to look at, put books on, towels.

I think this would be a cracking bathroom chair.

I've seen a pair of chairs,

used like this, either side of a double bed as little bedside tables.

-Oh.

-Because look at that lovely back.

That's so Puginesque. That's Gothic revival, Victorian Gothic revival.

This is the kind of thing you will see sitting comfortably

in the Houses of Parliament, or Highclere Castle.

Properties built by Barry or Pugin, the great architects.

I think it's got the look, it's made of English oak.

It's got some lovely grain, it's got good patina.

It's a cracking little chair. Have you any idea of value?

We were talking about this earlier.

I was thinking between £15 and £30?

Well, brown furniture is cheap but it's not that cheap!

I'd give you £20 for it right now.

I'd like to put this in for auction with a value of around about £120.

-That's a lot more than I thought.

-I think this will do...

just about that on a good day with two people wanting it,

but I'd like to put a valuation of £80 to £120.

-OK. Fantastic.

-OK, with a bit of discretion on the £80. If it only reaches £75, you can sell it.

-Yeah.

-Charlie Ross will do us a very good job and I know Charlie will like this chair.

He's going to say, "Brown furniture is struggling" and I'll say,

"I know, but look at the quality."

It's a good hall chair. It's gotta be worth £75 to somebody.

-Don't give this away, OK?

-OK.

-Hang on to it.

If it doesn't reach £75, you are keeping it.

Holly, I love these Victorian earrings. Where did you get them?

I was left them in my nan's will about 13 years ago

and they were from her husband's first wife.

I see, so they've got a wee bit of history.

They have. Apparently the family was from Wales but that's all I know.

-So, have you worn them?

-No.

-Never worn them and they've just been in a cupboard.

-Have you tried them on?

-No, never tried them on.

-You haven't?

-I don't like them.

-You don't like them. OK.

I do like them. I can understand that as a young girl

they're maybe not to your taste.

But people do like to collect this type of Victorian item.

Let's pick them up and have a look at them.

Now, what we have here is this lovely acorn shape

with very intricate chased and engraved work on the body.

And this is repeated in this part, which we screw into the ear.

So, it's nice, the Victorians liked big, extravagant, dangling earrings.

-They wore low-cut gowns and this type of earring would have suited that fashion.

-I see.

-Now, if it's a family bit, Holly, why are you selling them?

Because they're just in the back of the cupboard in my jewellery box,

I never look at them.

-What about kids, do you have kids?

-I've got two boys.

-Well, they're not going to wear them! Not even one each!

-No!

So, I think it would be nice for someone who collects them to have some enjoyment out of them.

Now, price. They are in good condition.

I would estimate them 150 to 250.

-Would you be happy to sell them at that price?

-Yes.

Let's take them to auction. I think they will be very well fancied.

And, if you like, we'll put a reserve price on them of £150.

-OK, that'd be great.

-Thank you for bringing them along.

-I'll see you at the auction.

-Lovely, thank you.

Well, things are certainly hotting up in here.

We have found our first items to take to auction so, while we make our way over to Woburn

to put those valuations to the test, here's a quick run-down of all the items we're taking with us.

Eve's not too keen but let's hope the bidders are tempted by the Charles Branham boat vase.

And surely Lynne's condiment set will spice up any Clarice Cliff collection.

It might not be a pair but Patrick's hall chair is definitely a charmer.

And will the room go nutty about Holly's gold acorn earrings?

This is where today's sale is taking place, the old Town Hall in the heart of Woburn.

Once owned by Charlie Ross, but he's recently sold it to auctioneer Jasper Marsh.

But Charlie Ross regularly wields the hammer on the rostrum and he's our auctioneer today.

750 it is.

We always say it wouldn't be Flog It! without Clarice Cliff. Well, we've got a bit right now.

Not one bit, not two bits, but in fact it's a trio.

It belongs to Lynne

and it's a lovely little set purchased for just 50 pence.

-That's right, yes,

-A few weeks ago?

-Yes.

I can't believe somebody is selling you Clarice Cliff and they didn't know it was worth anything.

-Ridiculous in this day and age.

-I bet you had a big smile on your face.

-Oh, yes.

-Have you ever been somewhere where you can buy three pieces of Clarice Cliff for 50p?

-Unfortunately not.

What's wrong? Aren't you watching Flog It! out there?

You must know Clarice Cliff is worth an absolute fortune by now!

50 pence! Well, how much are we going to get for this, £100?

£100, I mean, it's not the best of patterns or the rarest of patterns,

but we do have three pieces, not too bad condition.

So we should get 100.

50p, here comes £100. This is it.

Our old friend Clarice Cliff.

Three piece condiment. I'm bid 80.

5, anyone? At £80, 5, 90, 5.

110. 120, 130? No.

-120 commission bid.

-120 now!

On my left, 130. At £130.

-All finished at 130?

-Fantastic.

-I'll sell at 130.

-Yes!

-Wow. That is incredible.

50p converted into £130.

-That's brilliant.

-You see, it is all out there.

You've just got to have eagle eyes like Lynne here.

Gosh! Are you going to do a lot more jumble sales now?

-Yeah, one's in a fortnight so I'll be there.

-Get down there quick!

Patrick, fingers crossed, it's a cracking little hall chair.

It's got the Gothic revival look,

I'm just hoping the bidders are gonna like this as much as I do.

I had a quick chat to Charlie and he said, "That's a bit of quality."

He felt the weight of it, he looked at the sabre legs and said, "Very nice, Paul."

I said, "I knew you'd pick that."

-Any regrets?

-No.

I think we're gonna say goodbye, you know that.

-We are, but I'm looking forward to the money.

-OK. It's gonna come in handy, isn't it?

-It's gonna go towards my daughter's birthday.

-This is it.

Lot 685 is a Victoria oak hall chair with a Gothic-style back.

Oh, look at that.

It looks fantastic.

Classic bit of Victorian Gothic furniture. £50 I am bid. £55 anyone?

At 50, five, 60, five?

No. At 60 now. Five anyone?

-Gosh.

-At £60. Anybody going at 65?

At 60.

Are there any more bids? 65...

At 65. £70. 75? No. At 70. All done?

I need one more bid.

-75?

-Oh, come on.

-Go on, sir.

75?

-Well done. Sold!

-Yes!

£75. Oh, wow.

That was a cliff-hanger, wasn't it?

I think Charlie's done a fantastic job today.

That was worth its money, I think.

Thank you so much. At least we got it away, we got it away.

It's ugly, Eve is fed up with dusting it, it's gotta go, hasn't it?

-It's gotta go.

-We've got to flog this Charles Branham boat vase

and we've got a valuation of £150 to £200 given by Kate.

We're both hoping it's gonna sail away but

it's a hard thing to put a price on, isn't it?

Yeah, it's not everyone's taste, but I think it'll go.

Yeah. We're going to find out what this lot think,

it's going under the hammer right now. Good luck, both of you.

45, the Branham tin-glazed earthenware jardiniere

modelled as a longboat.

And I can start straight in at £100 and I will take ten. At 100.

110 now. £100. £110?

110. Come on.

-And 120, 130...

-We're in. It's selling.

-150, 160, 170, 180...

-Wow.

-190.

-We're gonna get the top end.

Any more? 180. Selling at £180.

-Brilliant.

-Wow.

-That has sold.

£180.

-You'd rather have the money, wouldn't you?

-I would, yes.

-Whatever you do, good luck, OK.

-Thank you.

These are a bit of fun. Holly's acorn-shaped Victorian earrings.

We've got a valuation of 150 to 250 put on by our expert Anita.

These you've inherited, Holly.

They were left to me by my Nan when she died, yeah.

-And you've never really worn them, don't really like them.

-No, no.

And also there's no-one to pass them on to because you've got two boys

and they certainly don't want acorn-shaped earrings, do they?

-Hopefully not.

-So they've got to go and they're going under the hammer today.

Now, the question is, are they fashionable?

We know how fashion dictates this industry and you've got to keep

one step ahead if you want to sell something.

I do have my doubts but I think we'll get them away at the lower end.

-They won't fly.

-Fingers crossed, OK?

Fingers crossed. Here we go, Holly.

Lot 300 is pair of gold earrings, fashioned, unusually, as acorns.

Circa 1880 and I can start at £220.

-240 I'll take...

-Ooh!

-At 220.

-Gosh.

-240 now, 220.

From these little acorns we get some mighty pound notes.

260 still with me, you're all out in the room. Commission bid, £260.

-That's incredible.

-At 260.

-Sold!

-Bang.

That was straight in and straight out, really, wasn't it?

Blink and you'll miss that one.

-That's good!

-We were all being a bit negative. Well, I was...

I thought the lower estimate.

I got it wrong there.

You didn't, you were spot on really. Always spot on.

-Happy?

-Yeah, really happy.

-Wonderful.

-That's brilliant.

Now, before we go back to valuation day I'm heading

to a futuristic landscape and I haven't had to travel too far.

These stylish new homes here in Oxley Wood went on the market

in 2007 adding colour and vitality to this rather leafy suburb.

They're the result of an unlikely partnership between a building firm and a firm of architects that bought

us such iconic landmarks statements as the Millennium Dome in London and the Pompidou Centre in Paris.

Yet choosing to build 145 houses here in Milton Keynes was no accident.

Milton Keynes landed on the map in the late 1960s, born out of

a government initiative to relieve housing congestion in London.

It dared to be different, designed using modernist principles,

which put function before decoration.

The roads were laid out in a grid system.

Straight lines connected areas designed for living, work and recreation.

As the largest of the British new towns it has stood the test of time

far better than most, proving to be flexible and adaptable.

More than 40 years on, this new development keeps that tradition very much alive

and this too was also born out of a government initiative, but this time the challenge was to build a house

that tackles the ecological and energy efficient demands of the 21st century.

As well as meeting these demands, the architects also wanted to create homes that were visually striking.

The modernist principles came into play yet again.

Function over decoration, using materials that met the demands set, but also

using a colour palette that makes these homes exciting to the eye,

like the striking red pyramid on each roof.

Now, it might look like decoration, but it's actually a new generation of chimney stack,

efficiently filtering and warming air throughout the home.

But it's the way it all goes together that is key.

To meet the brief of eco-friendly, energy efficient homes the architects turned to the prefab.

It's a way of manufacturing houses on a factory production line and

then assembling them on site, and it's an idea that's proved useful before.

After the Second World War close to 160,000 cement-panelled

prefabricated houses came off the factory production line.

They were bolted together on site to make temporary shelters for the homeless.

They have survived long beyond their intended ten to 15 years, and some, well, they're still in use today.

Such housing has long suffered from the stigma of uninspired design and shoddy construction.

But in recent years all that's changed.

Architects have taken the idea of the flat-pack, and literally

run with it, creating bold, bespoke homes.

And there's another really big advantage to these new houses.

They go together pretty quick, saving on construction costs.

The main structure is made in the factory in seven days.

Then it's assembled on site in just two weeks.

But this is not just a story about the modern prefab.

These new homes at Oxley Woods might prove very tempting as they reduce carbon emissions by almost 40%

and could save plenty of money on energy bills. So how do they work?

It's all about effective insulation, utilising natural light as much as

possible and, of course, using energy efficient recycled materials.

Let me just show you a cross-section of the wall here.

Now, the main construction of the building is made of wood, and 90% of all the wood on this project

is from responsibly managed forests, which means there's an ongoing plating scheme, which is fantastic.

But just looking at this cross-section of wall here

you can see you've got an inner cladding of plasterboard which can be emulsioned to any colour.

This could be your sitting room, let's say.

And you've got the outer, industrial skin.

Now, 85% of that is recycled materials.

It's very easy to clean, it's completely weather resistant and it comes in a variation of colours.

This one's a sort of off-white but, as you can see behind me, there's a wonderful aubergine colour.

This cross-section shows the cavity wall and it's filled with recycled paper which forms the insulation.

And, believe it or not, it's recycled telephone directories

which are pumped in afterwards, so this could be your number!

And it's all topped off with a new roof. Let me show you this.

It's made of timber construction, it's quite heavy.

It's got a sandwich there of foam for your insulation,

but it's all covered with this pink waterproof membrane

which is going to last for the rest of out lives, anyway. Completely waterproof.

And this roof doesn't sit flat, it inclines towards the back of the house, as you can see.

The water runs off and is collected in water butts to be recycled.

It's quite ingenious really.

Well, that's all well and good, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

So what's it like to live in one?

So what d'you think of Milton Keynes?

Well, I like it very much. I came down here about 30-odd years ago.

-Where from?

-From Sheffield.

-And what do you do as a profession?

-I'm an architect.

Oh, well, that's great, your head's in the right space here anyway.

-Yeah.

-It's an architect's dream.

-Yeah.

-The first thing I have noticed, it's a wonderful feel here. It really is really nice.

Yes, as soon as I walked into the show house when

I came to look at the development I thought, wow, this is where I'd love to live when I downsize.

Has this space forced you to become minimalist?

Very much so. It has done, yes. I had a much bigger house before and I had to get rid of a lot of things, yeah.

What are the best bits about the house?

I like the space, the feeling of spaciousness,

even though it's quite small.

And the light, I like the fact that it is energy efficient but I haven't actually counted up over the years...

-Have you had your bills yet?

-I've had some and they haven't been too much of a surprise.

They've been quite good. And the eco features, the fact that it was built partly

from sustainable materials, water saving features.

All those sorts of things, they're all an added bonus to actually liking the design of the house itself.

Are there any down sides?

I suppose there is a bit of a lack of storage.

In this smaller unit, I've got a good space under the stairs,

but upstairs there isn't a lot of space for wardrobes and things.

And the house functions as a really good office because upstairs,

in one of your spare rooms, there's a draughtsman's desk.

I'm using it in the largest bedroom actually, I'm using that as a study.

It's great, there's a lovely view. And there's a high-level window

which, on good days, has a superb view of the sky.

Every time you walk in, there's virtually a different picture on the wall.

Now, these homes might not be the answer to all of the questions.

A lot of people say they're hard-looking,

they're too far removed from our love affair with bricks and mortar.

But they're a massive step forward towards environmentally conscious house building.

Not to mention the fact that there's a bit of colour, there's a bit of vitality about the place.

It puts a smile on your face.

I think they sit right at home here in Milton Keynes as this place continues

to develop as a thoroughly modern forward-thinking town.

Let's go straight back to the valuation day.

Sharon's keen to de-clutter, but in a small way.

Sharon, you've brought this pendant. What can you tell me about it?

Well, I can't remember where I bought it.

It's been kicking around in a pot for about the last 15 years.

It's not a family piece. I bought it somewhere and I've taken it out from time to time,

looked at it and thought gosh, that looks interesting.

I've showed it to various people, nobody knew what it was.

And I popped it back again.

Then when Flog It! was in town, I thought I'd find out about it.

"This is my chance to find out!" So you don't wear it, presumably?

-No. I could do I suppose but...

-Not your thing?

-No, not really.

Well, it's really lovely. What you've got is a silver gilt and enamel pendant. It's really pretty.

Late Victorian. I love the fact that it's an egg shape.

You're supposed to wear it round your neck or maybe off a little fob.

If you open it up, what you've got inside is a hinged little lid

and then this really sweet little pierced grille.

And if you open that up inside... is a tiny little sponge.

-You can smell it.

-It's still strong.

-It's fantastic.

After all those years.

I'm guessing, if you feel a little faint, because you're a Victorian lady...

-You've got the vapours...

-Yeah. If someone's having hysterics...

You can waft that under your nose and be restored to health.

It's a really nice thing.

So, you don't wear it and you didn't inherit it,

-so it doesn't mean anything to you?

-No, no.

You want to flog it?

-Yes, please.

-For an auction estimate, there's lots of people that collect this kind of thing.

If it only had the initials C F for Carl Faberge on it

we would be writing you a large cheque.

It's gonna be a continental maker, so probably French or Swiss.

It's got a little bit of a chip on the bottom.

Yes, it was like that when I got it.

OK. It's still pretty collectable even with the damage.

I think probably, for an auction estimate, £80 to £120.

-Excellent.

-You sound quite pleased with that.

-I am.

If you put maybe a reserve of £70, would that be acceptable?

A bit less really, as long as it sells.

Right, so if you put a £50 reserve, if you'd take that?

Yeah, 50 would be great, yeah.

The auctioneer will thank you, that makes it easier to sell.

But hopefully it will go within estimate of 80 to 120.

-I'd pay £80 for it, let's hope somebody else thinks the same.

-Let's hope so.

Steve, welcome to Flog It!

-I'm from Glasgow on the River Clyde and I love tug boats.

-Right.

Tell me, where did you get this lovely little item?

I got it from a local jumble sale.

A jumble sale story!

How much did you pay for it?

No more than 50p.

-I think you've got a bargain there.

-I hope so.

What drew you to this little item?

I thought it was unusual, you know, boats.

-I've got a small collection.

-Ah, I see.

So, this would have been the jewel of your collection?

-One of them, yeah.

-One of them.

Well, let's look at it a little closely.

Now, the first thing that most people do is probably

to turn it upside down.

And if we look at the backstamp here,

-we can see that it was made by Royal Doulton.

-Yep.

Now, Royal Doulton is a good make so you've got a nice little quality item here.

Now, this stamp would date it from the late 1800s, early 1900s.

-It's quite old.

-It's a good age.

-It's a stoneware item, not a fine porcelain.

-Yep.

It's this lovely sort of toffee colour

and I think that it may have been an advertising item at one point.

The little tug is called the George Livesey.

I believe that George Livesey was an industrialist

-at the turn of the century...

-That's interesting.

..who had some connection with Doulton.

If we look at these little funnels here,

they can be detached,

-and I think it's wonderful that they have lasted such a long time.

-Yes.

They've not been separated from the main body of the tug.

So we've got a quality item, it's unusual.

-I haven't seen one of them before.

-Nor have I.

-You haven't seen one?

-No.

Let's hope the people at the auction haven't seen one.

So, it fits into that lovely little category of collectables

and the collectable market is vibrant at this time.

That's good.

-Estimate, have you had anyone look at it?

-No valuation at all.

-Well, I would like to put an estimate of 80 to 120.

-Good improvement.

Now, it may do more than that because it's an unusual little item.

Are you happy to sell it at that?

-Fine, yeah.

-Why do you want to sell this one?

We've got to start de-cluttering.

-Have you had your orders from your wife?

-Definitely.

-Get rid of that stuff.

-Get rid of the junk.

Well, we'll be delighted at Flog It! to help you de-clutter.

Thank you very much.

So, John, you've brought in these two paintings.

What can you tell me about them?

They were my father-in-law's

and he received them in payment for a gardening job he did.

-Do you know what sort of cost that would have been?

-No, no idea, no.

Not a huge amount, presumably?

Possibly not, but he was given the choice of various paintings

-and he chose these two.

-Do you like them? What do you think of them?

-No.

-You're not a big fan? Have you had them hanging up?

-No. Under the bed.

-Under the bed?!

That's disgraceful!

That sounds like prime material for selling. They're not great condition.

-I know.

-I expect you've noticed that. What happened here for a start?

The cord broke, apparently, and it fell onto a chair.

I think the arm of the chair went through it.

-Oh, dear. Do you know anything about the artist at all?

-No.

-No? OK.

Well, they're by one of a family

of fairly well known late Victorian, early 20th century painters,

they're the De Breanskis.

There are quite a few of them. The father, Alfred De Breanski,

is the most well known and his things get the most money.

This is actually by one of the other De Breanskis,

you can see here it's signed A F De Breanski,

that's for Alfred Fontville De Breanski.

He's also quite well known as a painter.

Rather helpfully for us, it tells us where this is.

If we look on the back here,

a quick slow look, it says near Sonning-on-Thames.

Which is brilliant because that's clearly a recognisable place,

it's apparently near Reading.

This one is sunset over a wood, it says on the back.

They're both stretched oil on canvases.

They're not very clean, and obviously with the damage

-they would need restoration and a bit of doing-up, let's say.

-Yes.

A bit of a clean. But they're very nicely painted.

So you're not that keen on them.

-Not really, no.

-They're under the bed.

What would you do with the money if you sold it?

Probably spend it on walking equipment.

Walking equipment? OK.

-Would you go walking in Sonning-on-Thames?

-Possibly, you never know.

-To remember the painting.

You ought to if you sell it.

How would you react if I said I thought they would make something like £600 to £900 at auction?

-You'd be thrilled.

-Definitely.

I think a wise move would be to put a reserve on them so that they're not going to go for

next to nothing if it's a quiet sale day and to protect your interests.

But at the same time you want to sell them so you'd put a reserve slightly lower than that,

something like £300. That way if it doesn't reach £300, you haven't sold it

-and you can have a rethink about what you want to do.

-Excellent.

-Let's give it a go!

-Certainly!

-Let's flog it!

Before we put the experts' final valuations to the test,

here's a reminder of what we're taking to auction.

Will Kate's confidence about Sharon's pendant spread to the bidders?

Anita's also positive that her rare find will tug at the bidders' pockets.

Finally, will anyone be keen to take John's damaged paintings off his hands?

But before our auctioneer, Charlie Ross, lets the hammer fall,

I thought I'd get the expert opinion of the new owner of this saleroom, auctioneer Jasper Marsh.

I'm not sure about these,

we've got a pair of oils on canvas, could be De Breanski,

the condition's really poor on this one. They belong to John.

He definitely wants them to sell.

Our experts have said £600 to £900, that's what they're hoping for

for the pair, but we've got a really low reserve of £300.

I think it's wise to have that low reserve, Paul.

I've catalogued them as attributed to De Breanski

because I'm not sure if the quality's there.

The condition on them is poor

so I'm afraid it's one for the day. A fingers crossed job.

If this came into your room tomorrow would you put three to five on it rather than six to nine?

-I'd probably put one to two on it, to be honest, Paul.

-Right, OK.

-And then watch it run.

-And then watch it run.

If it does indeed. Any interest?

There was initial interest, we've sent a couple of e-mail images, but they haven't been responded to

-so who knows? They might be here on the day to buy them.

-I hope so.

-Let's hope that we get them away.

-Fingers crossed.

This is so sweet, this little lot. It opens up, it's a little mini egg, it's like a Faberge egg.

It's a pendant. It belongs to Sharon.

We've got £80 to £120 on it.

Kate absolutely adores this, you're in love with this, aren't you?

I want this, I want this bad.

Your eagle eye might have spotted Sharon on Flog It! before

because it was in Milton Keynes five or six years ago?

Five years ago, yes.

What was it, a vase? A piece of Minton?

A Minton Secessionist vase. It sold here and did very well.

-Yes.

-I'm hoping for the same today.

-You've got all the kit in your house!

-I have too much stuff in my house, by a long way.

I think we're coming round there to do a whole valuation!

Let's hope all the bidders here in this packed saleroom think the same way as we do.

-This is it.

-A red enamel and gilt decorated vinaigrette

circa 1890 of egg-shaped form and I'm bid 35.

And 40, 5, 50,

5, 60, your bid. Top of the stairs.

-5, 70.

-It's going.

No. 65 now. The bid's on my left at 65.

Anybody going at 70?

65, left-hand corner.

At 65 I sell. Your bid.

Gosh, that was quick.

-65.

-Fast and furious.

-I put a £50 reserve on so...

-You did.

-So it's sold.

-Yeah.

-Brilliant.

-We did it. Are you happy?

-I'm happy, yes.

-We would've liked a bit more, wouldn't we?

We would. But it's gone, I'm pleased.

Well, this next lot is bound to pull in all the bidders.

It's got to, it's a tug boat and it belongs to Steven, not for much longer.

You fell in love with it. It's a bit of Royal Doulton.

So many people collect Royal Doulton and they won't have a bit of this.

It's rare, it's hot to trot

and it's worth possibly a lot more than £80 to £120.

The market loves the unusual items today.

They're hard to put a price on. So hard to put a price on.

A lot more than 50p, because it was bought at a jumble sale, wasn't it?

Local jumble sale, yeah.

Well, we're gonna find out what this lot in the room think because I had a chat to Jasper, the new owner,

and he said there's been a lot of interest and he hopes it's going to make around £300.

-Very nice.

-I think it'll fly away, then.

-Sail away.

-Or maybe sail!

-I think maybe that's the one, Anita, sail away!

Let's watch it go, here it is.

Interesting lot. A Royal Doulton Lambeth model of a tug boat.

The George Livesey, showing there.

-And I can start at £100.

-Yes!

And I'll take 10.

At 100. Opening bid, commission bid. 110, 120, 130,

-140, 150? At 140 with me.

-Come on.

-140.

-Come on.

-150 now?

-150, it's behind me. 150, 160, 170.

-It's almost like panto!

180, 190, 200, 220.

This is more like it.

-240 on the telephone? 240, 260.

-We could be hitting that £300 mark.

-280, 300.

-Yes!

300, 320?

320, 340?

340, 360? 360, 380?

-It's pulling away at a rate of knots!

-£360 now. All finished?

360, telephone bid at 360.

-Yes!

-That was definitely a sold sound.

Charlie's got a fantastic hammer action.

It's very solid. It's very clear.

£360, you've gotta treat the wife.

I'll have to take her out.

Somewhere very special, maybe away for the weekend.

John, we are gonna find out in just a moment if they are De Breanskis

and if we can get £600 to £900.

-Let's hope so.

-Big talking point, Kate, big talking point.

-I hope we get somewhere near what you're hoping for. But we have got a fixed reserve of 300.

-Yeah.

I had a chat to Jasper just before the sale and he said that they might struggle

but hopefully we'll do the £300 to £400.

I'm sticking to my guns. I think they're Alfred Fontville De Breanski,

who wasn't the best known of the De Breanski family,

but I still think it is by him, not just a copy.

Let's see what the market thinks.

Lot number 353, attributed to De Breanski, near Sonning-on-Thames.

-One with a bit of damage. And I can start at £350.

-Yes!

400 I will take, at 350. 400 now.

-Brilliant.

-At 350. All out in the room? 400. 450.

-Great, he's got a bid left on the book.

-500. 550.

No. 550, still out.

550 commission bid,

and I sell at £550. All done?

Well done. Yes, well done, Kate.

-That's great.

-Result.

What else have you got under your bed?

-I shall have to have a look!

-Bring it out.

-Well done you, as well.

-It feels good.

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

Well, that's it. What a great day we've had here.

The auction's still going on behind me as you can see and I've got to say all credit to Charlie Ross.

He's been magnificent on the rostrum and so have our two experts today.

They've stuck to their guns and they were spot on.

The highlight had to be John's big smile on his face

as he walked out the saleroom with £550 for his De Breanski oil paintings, a great result.

I hope you've enjoyed today's show.

Until the next time, from Woburn, 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

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