Oldham Flog It!

Each place we visit has a whole host of these,

but the town we're in today has many blue plaques commemorating some rather unusual firsts.

Today, Flog It is in Oldham.

Oldham is the place where Winston Churchill was

first elected as an MP and up there is the blue plaque to prove it.

And this plaque marks the place where the very first British chip was cooked.

Well, we've got no blue plaque to welcome us here today, but hopefully the Queen Elizabeth Hall

will mark our presence with a massive turnout

and some marvellous items, so let's go inside and find out.

Now, I wonder who's going to be first to find a memorable item.

Our experts giving the valuations are Anita Manning and Kate Bliss.

And it looks like Anita has beaten Kate to it.

Kat, I'm always delighted to see a bonny bit of Maling walking through the door.

Tell me, where did you get it?

Well, my great auntie left this for me when she died

and I've brought it here today

because I'm getting married and I'm saving every penny.

Oh, right, so if we sell that, that will go to the wedding?

-It will. It will.

-It could be your auntie's wedding present to you.

Absolutely.

That's what I'm hoping for. So we need about ten grand.

Oh, right!

Not going to get that.

But it could be a start.

Absolutely. Yes.

-When did it come to you?

-In about 2004.

I went with my uncle to have a look around her flat

and I were allowed to choose something

and at the time I really liked pink and it really stood out for me

and I chose it because I liked it and then I've had it

in my mum's house for the past three years and now I've moved out of there

and it doesn't really go in the...

Does your fiance like it?

If I took that to me new place with him, I think I'd be divorced before we married...to be honest.

-Now, do you know anything about Maling?

-No.

-To be honest, I don't know anything. I just know I really like it, it's pretty.

-Right.

Now, Maling was a very popular factory.

It was in Newcastle and Tyne and it had been there for about 200 years.

Right.

Initially they made domestic wares and so on

and then they started making

more decorative objects in the 1930s

and they made very pleasing things like this little dressing-table set.

-The base of a piece of porcelain or pottery tells us a lot.

-Right.

And if we look at this little candlestick

we will see here the mark for Maling.

Established 1762, so the Maling factory

has been going for a long, long time.

-Wow.

-And if you see this motif here, it's called the Maling thumbprint.

It looks as if someone has made the pattern

by putting a thumb mark on it.

-Right.

-So, time to sell it.

-Yes.

-Now, I would like to put this into auction at £40 to £60.

-Right.

-Would you be happy for that to make a start...

-Oh, definitely.

-..on the wedding pot?

-I'm so excited for that. That sounds fantastic.

-Well, let's put it into auction.

Estimate 40 to 60

and we'll put a reserve of, say, £40,

with a little bit of discretion.

And we hope there'll be a lot of Maling collectors there on the day.

-The money will go towards the wedding. When are you getting married?

-2009, in autumn.

-Well, you've got plenty of time to save up lots and lots and lots and lots of dosh.

-Yes.

-It'll start the saving off nicely.

-Good. Good.

Sheila, we've got two items of silver here,

but they are actually very different.

-Did they both come from the same place?

-Oh, no.

-One of them, that's a family piece.

-Right. The spoon?

-Yes.

The little box I bought myself at an antique fair many years ago.

Can't remember quite how many.

Right. OK. And what do you like about it particularly?

It looks very French.

It's a nice little design and just a pleasing little object.

-It is, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It's a sweet little piece. You're exactly right.

It is French and, if we have a closer look at it,

it's got the French mark on the bottom here.

-Yes.

-It's late 19th century in date.

-Yes.

-And it's rather nice quality.

It's quite heavy. There's quite a lot of silver in that.

The thing I've noticed is that on the back we've got engraved -

I don't know whether you've noticed this -

-it says Lenoir 14 Rue Royale.

-Which is Paris.

Which would be Paris. And a very upmarket quartier of Paris.

So, a nice address. Lenoir would be the retailers, in fact,

which is rather nice having that engraved on the back. Rue Royale.

And then on the front, if we turn it over, the decoration is actually

beautifully cast and we've got a little basket of flowers,

or a jardiniere, as it's known as,

and this rather nice almost rope-twist border,

which is cast into the lid.

-Yes.

-So, everything really is a sign of good-quality silversmithing.

So, that's the first piece.

Let's look at the caddy spoon.

It's a lovely piece of 18th-century English silver.

If we turn it over we can see the initials here...

IT. This is for John Taylor, who was working at that time,

-who was quite sought after.

-Yes.

So that would certainly help it in ordinary circumstances.

-Probably ought to be between £60 and £80. However, unfortunately...

-Yes.

we have a little bit of damage...

-Damage?

-..which you have to look quite carefully to spot.

Can you see, if you look at the front, the handle is

just slightly skew-whiff there.

-I can now you mention it.

-Just slightly off-centre,

and what we have here is a little repair.

Now, unfortunately, Sheila,

that's going to bring the price down quite dramatically,

-because for a collector that is a bit like the kiss of death.

-Yes.

Instead of being £60 to £80,

it's probably going to be nearer sort of £15, £20.

Oh, dear. What a difference.

So, as a little lot together, because I think the box is

-very commercial and certainly very pretty, isn't it...

-Yes.

..I think we'd probably be looking between £50 and £70.

-Would you be happy with that?

-Oh, I think so.

-Good.

Margaret, it's a great display cabinet. Is this yours?

It's something my mum inherited, yes.

Can you remember seeing this as a little girl, full of china?

Yes, I do. I do. Yes.

So how long have you had this?

My brother's had it, but he's moved into a small flat so he's no room.

So he's given it to you, has he?

Yes, and I've not really got any room for it either,

so we thought we'd see if somebody else would like it.

Now, if I hold that up,

this is the pediment with a mirror that's been inset.

It needs little dowels. There's a couple of holes that are missing.

-Have you got them?

-No, I haven't.

-And the dowels will just sit in

and stop that from falling over.

-That's a bit precarious like that so I'm going to drop it down.

-Right.

Architecturally, you can actually see

that arch, with the mirror inset, echoes the door.

You can see that when you stand back. It's made of mahogany,

-which is a lovely exotic hardwood.

-Yes.

And it's got some lovely stringing inlay.

Can you see this... in a chevron pattern?

-Yes.

-That's been inlaid in ebony with some boxwood

and there's some satinwood, look, running down there.

But if you look at that closely, go on, take a close look...

-that's not inlaid.

-I thought it was painted on.

-It's a transfer.

-Oh, a transfer. Oh, right.

Clever, isn't it? It looks quite good.

-And then it's just heavily varnished over.

-Oh, right.

This is Sheridan Revival. It's an Edwardian piece of furniture,

but unfortunately this is sort of late. this is 1920s to '30s,

where you've got that sort of almost Glasgow school coming in, you know.

There's fashions coming in of the period

and this is slightly echoed with this.

-Any idea of value?

-I haven't.

-Well, I think if we put it into auction,

we'll put a value of £100 to £200.

-Oh, right.

-It's a useful cabinet. It's a good size.

-Yes.

I think whoever buys this probably won't use it

-with the pediment on the top...

-Right.

-It looks nice without it.

-It looks better without it, doesn't it?

It was made for it, but I think it looks much better without it.

-But we'll sell it with it on top.

-Give somebody the choice.

It's pretty. And you've obviously had the memories

of seeing it full of china...

-Yes.

-..at Mum's and Gran's.

I'm sorry in a way that I haven't got room for it.

So, OK, this is the interesting thing. You're going to sell it,

but obviously it was left to you and your brother, so who's going to get the money?

-Are you going to split it?

-Probably. We've not discussed it, actually.

-Does he know you're flogging it?

-Yes, he does.

-Hopefully we'll see him at the auction.

-He helped me bring it here.

-Oh, did he?

-Yes.

-God bless him. Thank you for bringing it in, cos we love seeing furniture on Flog It.

We don't get enough and I know it's hard for people to carry it in

but if you make the effort it really does look great, doesn't it?

It makes the room, and I'm so pleased.

I love it. It's nice to touch. It's very tactile. I love my wood.

One to two hundred. Hopefully get the top end.

-Thank you.

-See you at the auction.

-Thank you very much.

Linda. John Ditchfield, a Lancashire lad, contemporary glass artist.

-Are you a fan of his?

-Yes. Most definitely.

He does very good work.

Very nice individual pieces but very good quality.

Pieces of art, really.

You know, they're all individual

and some of the designs are really fabulous.

Do you have many pieces?

I've got a few. I've got about seven pieces of his.

I've got a couple of vases and mushrooms and that sort of thing.

Yeah. And he often has that... a little silver animal

on top of his paperweights, or the mushrooms.

The mushrooms I've got, one's got a dragonfly, one's got a frog.

-And then there's a spider.

-Yeah.

-And they're all silver, those.

They're very popular pieces of art glass,

which is of today, of the modern day.

-Yes.

-And people love collecting it.

Now, if we look at this one, it has the iridescent finish,

which we're looking for in a piece of John Ditchfield.

We have these flowing heart shapes, they're like melting sweeties.

But I'm looking at it and thinking that it's a wee bit crude.

It's very crude. There's no way a piece like that

would get out of the factory now

and I definitely think it's an experimental piece.

Well, that's what I think, because of the irregularities.

-Yeah.

-It adds a wee bit of interest for me

and I think you thought that when you bought it as well.

Well, to think that that's perhaps how he started off, with these designs

with the iridescent, and then to have gone on to what he's doing now.

-There's quite a massive difference.

-Tell me, where did you buy that?

I bought it at a summer fair.

-How much did you pay for it?

-£5.

Oh, you've got an eye for a bargain.

-Yes.

-Did the people who were selling it know that it was Ditchfield?

I don't think they knew who Ditchfield was or anything,

and when I saw it I thought, "It's so crude, is it Ditchfield?"

but then, yes, it's got all the tell-tale signs...

as well as the signature... but it has got all the tell-tale signs.

So this became part of your collection?

Yes. I put it in with the other things, but it actually stands out.

It doesn't actually sort of blend in with the rest of my collection because it's so different.

And is this the reason that you want to sell it?

Someone else who perhaps has early pieces would love it

and it would fit into their collection.

Well, I think you're absolutely right.

You know your own collection best.

It's quite difficult to give an accurate estimate on this vase,

but I think to put it in at 30 to 50.

It would be a conservative estimate but it would be an estimate at least

would give it a chance to go further.

-Yes.

-Would you be happy with the vase going in at that price?

Yes, it would be OK, but I would like to put a reserve on it of 30.

I wouldn't let it go for less than that.

-If it doesn't get 30, take it back home again.

-Yes, I will.

-It'll go back in my collection.

-Thank you very much for bringing it along.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Well, out of the hundreds of items we've seen here so far, our experts have now selected their first lots.

And, as regular viewers will know, it's now time to go to the saleroom, and here are the chosen four.

The sale of Catherine's dressing-table set

isn't going to pay for her wedding

but it might make enough money for at least a bouquet or two.

Sheila's two pieces of silver could make between £50 and £70.

Fingers crossed the little bit of damage doesn't put the bidders off.

It's always great to see furniture on the show

and I really hope Margaret gets a good price for her cabinet.

And the John Ditchfield vase was a real find at £5.

I'm sure it will make more than that when it goes under the hammer.

Here at Calder Valley Auction Rooms, there's just enough time

before the sale starts to view all the lots that are up for sale

and all of our items are out on display

and it looks like they're attracting lots of interest already.

And today the man doing all the flogging is auctioneer Ian Peace.

Well, all the money's going towards a wedding, and congratulations.

Catherine is getting married.

Pressure's on. £40 to £60 for the dressing-table Malin set.

-Yes.

-I love Malin.

Anita, will we get the top end?

Malin has gone off a little bit.

The more ordinary wares are not getting as high as they were getting maybe two years ago

-but this is very pretty.

-It's a bit different.

And we have four pieces there, so I'm hoping that we'll get the bottom estimate, at least.

Let's find out. Here we go.

A four-piece Malin pink-lustre dressing-table set. Opening at £20.

At 20. Malin. 20 I'm bid.

-We're in.

-Thank you. £20. £20. And five. 25.

30. At £30. At £30 now.

At 30. And five in the room. 35. 35.

£40 on the phone.

45.

-Catches the light beautifully there.

-So it's 45.

Got you in the room at 45.

He said no on the phone at 50 so you're still in, £45.

Have you all done at 45, then?

Hammer's gone down. £45.

It was within estimate. We got it right.

Just didn't get the top end but it's gone and it's money towards the big day.

Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm pleased. I'm just glad it's gone.

I didn't want to take it home. I've parted with it now...so I'm happy.

We've just been joined by Sheila and next up it's the little French box.

The little tiny silver box, with caddy spoon.

Family heirloom?

Yes. The caddy spoon was, but the French silver box I bought

with the housekeeping money, or what was left of it, about 30 years ago.

-Oh, bless.

-You sound like my mother. Always spending the housekeeping on silver.

Let's find out. Here we go.

Now, lot 653 is the French silver snuff box

and it's also goes with the silver caddy spoon.

Open me at £30. £30 I'm bid. Thank you, ma'am.

30. And five. 35. 40.

I have 40. And five. 50.

And five. 60.

Look at that lady down there. Very keen.

I have 70 on my right.

-70. And five.

-Amazing!

-Well, we've sold it now, haven't we?

85. 85. 90.

95. £95.

At £95. 100. And five. 110.

115. 120.

And five. 130. And five.

135. It's been back at £135.

Are you all done? 135.

-£135, Sheila.

-Absolutely marvellous.

Isn't that great? It was quality.

Thank you for spotting it, Kate.

Well, I'm just wondering whether the buyer spotted that little repair. I think that's a pretty good price.

Question is, what are you going to spend all the money on? That's what we want to know.

I think the most important thing is, I've got my computer in a terrible knot.

I'm no good at computers so I think I shall have to spend money on getting a man in to see...

-To sort the computer out.

-To sort the computer out.

-Well, with all that, it's a good job it made such a good price.

-Yes.

We've got a value of £100 to £200 on this Edwardian display cabinet and it's worth every single penny.

I just hope this lot realise it.

Was Mum's, wasn't it?

Well, Mum inherited it, yes, off her foster aunt.

I had a chat to the auctioneer before the sale and he said that he has regular buyers

in Edwardian shipping furniture, but they haven't turned up.

I'm just hoping it struggles through and gets that £100 mark,

-because the last thing you want to do is put it in the car, isn't it?

-Mm.

If it doesn't sell, I think we have a word with Ian,

-he could store it and put it in his next sale.

-That'll be fine.

And hopefully the guys that buy all the shipping furniture will buy that and ship it abroad.

It'll probably end up in Australia or South Africa...

and having a good life, yes.

-Yes. A long way to go.

-Exactly, but long may it live.

Let's find out if it's going to sell in the room, shall we? Here we go.

Lot 744 is the mahogany china display cabinet being shown now.

£100. 80 to start.

60. £60 start. 60.

£60 there. 60. And 70.

At £70. Anybody else now at £70?

At £70. Are we all done at £70?

At 70, I regret we're not in the market at £70.

Anybody else now at £70?

Oh, well. I think we leave it here.

-It's not going back in the car. It's too much of a struggle.

-Another day.

-Another day. Back in this room.

When the weather's better.

-I'm so sorry.

-Oh, that's all right.

-I'm so sorry, Margaret.

-It's not your fault.

Linda, we're going to find out right now. It's that John Ditchfield vase.

£30 to £50.

You collect these and you're a bit of an expert on John Ditchfield,

so why are you selling this one, if you collect them?

Well, it's an interesting piece and I think that...

I collect...sort of... a lot of the more modern things.

I like his old stuff but I think someone who collects

particularly his old pieces would be quite interested in this.

-OK.

-Well, although John Ditchfield wares are modern,

they have become collectable

and they're coming into the salerooms,

people like them and they're doing well.

Is this the new thing?

-Could this replace Troika and Whitefrairs on Flog It?

-Very well could.

You heard it here first from our expert, Anita Manning.

Get out there and get buying it.

It's all down to you now.

Well, look, good luck, both of you.

Let's hope there's a big profit in this.

Let's go down to the hammer now.

A John Ditchfield glass vase. Here we are.

666. What am I bid on this?

£50, ladies and gentlemen. 50. 40.

-40. Thank you. £40.

-Yes! Linda, straight in at £40.

45. 50.

And five. At 55. 60. At £60 on my right.

Any advances? 65, sir. £65. 70.

-Ooh.

-I have £70 here.

It is the new thing.

Are we all done? At £70, then.

In the room at £70.

First and last time.

The hammer's gone down, £5 into £70.

That's very good, isn't it?

Remember the name. John Ditchfield.

Go out and buy it.

-That was wonderful.

-That was excellent.

Now, as you know, I've got a passion for all things that are made of wood, so I've come to Hebden Bridge,

which is just down the road from the auction room, to see this block of wood, this lovely bit of beech here,

turned into something rather unusual, yet, very traditional for this part of the country.

Any ideas what it is? Well, here's a clue.

In the late 19th and early 20th century,

clogs were worn by coal miners and cotton mill workers.

They were the preferred footwear because they were long-lasting, comfortable and cheap.

# Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side

# Said hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side... #

I'm here at Walkley Clogs,

one of the few remaining producers of this traditional footwear.

Through determination and hard work,

the craft of clog making is still thriving in this area.

And the woman responsible for keeping it alive and kicking is Sue Jones.

-Hi, Sue. Hello.

-Hi.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you, too.

-Thanks for letting us film here. It's a proper hive of industry.

-It is.

-So how many people work here, then?

-Right.

There's five of us altogether, but we all do various jobs.

Our clogs, obviously, as you can see, are wood and leather, so we will start off the sole process.

We have huge planks of wood which we cut up into blocks.

-Very much like my little one here.

-That's right.

And then they're turned on profile lathes,

sanded, waxed and then the leather process which is...

all the leathers here.

I do the stitching depending on what styles are wanted.

And then it goes to the clog maker who nails the uppers onto the finished sole.

Can we go and have a look at the process?

I'm going to take my block with me cos I'm a tree lover,

whether it's living or felled.

Come this way then and I'll show you the process.

The wooden soles are the first to be made,

shaped from a spinning metal template in five minutes flat.

That's incredibly quick. That's so fast.

Thank you very much.

A very valuable member of the team is Arthur.

He definitely knows a thing or two about clog making.

-Hiya.

-Hello. Pleased to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Can you turn it off?

I've got two more soles for you.

I see you're sanding down on the belt sander.

Yeah. That's right.

-How long have you been working here?

-70 years.

70 years! How old are you now?

84. I started at 14.

-And you're still working here every day.

-Only two days a week now.

-I can see you're wearing clogs.

-Yes.

-Have you always worn them?

Yes. I've always worn clogs. Yes.

They're extremely comfortable. Would you wear anything else nowadays?

I've never had anything wrong with my feet.

They always say that clogs are good for your feet and they keep the shape of your feet.

-Very healthy. They support the arch, don't they?

-That's right.

So, as a skilled man, once you did your apprenticeship, what was your first week's wage packet?

Well, it was fourpence ha'penny an hour

and, for a full week, it was 17/6.

Was that good money then?

Yes, it was. Because when I left school, jobs weren't easy to come by

and I thought myself lucky to get a job really.

And here you are, still working away.

-That's right. Yes.

-Keeps you fit, though, doesn't it?

-I'm going to take this one. The one that you finished sanding.

-Right.

-Wish me luck.

-Yes. All the best.

-And I'll leave you to it. OK. Bye bye.

Once the soles are shaped and ready, the next stage is the cutting of the leather uppers.

Each clog is made of four separate leather parts which then need to be stitched together.

-You need that bit, as well.

-Thanks, Rose.

-Thank you.

-Hi, Sue.

-Hi.

-It's good to see the boss getting hands on here.

Oh, I work very hard, believe me.

Rose has just given me the uppers.

-Oh, right. Yeah.

-And I can see you're working on a set there.

-Yes. These are for you.

-OK.

-Yep.

I'm enjoying this. I should get a job here really, shouldn't I?

Won't pay as much as what you're paid now, though!

-If I pass you these, then you can take them over to Alan for the next step.

-Thanks, Sue.

Alan, that's looking very good. I've got my uppers with me.

I know you're working on some now. You've already put the eyelets in.

-That's correct. I've stretched the upper over the last.

-Yeah.

And I'm now nailing it on.

-Can I have a go?

-You certainly can, Paul.

-All right.

I've got an apron here.

This one's seen some use.

And there are your nails.

Why are you using different nails here to the ones you've used there? Is that purely decoration?

It is, yeah. Some people specify steel nails all around.

-This is quite a therapeutic little job, isn't it?

-It is.

-All done.

-I can see that this is quite a lengthy process, isn't it?

I mean, that will take me about probably...

half an hour to go around but I'm sure you can do that a lot quicker.

That's fantastic. Look. You can actually see what that's like now.

That's brilliant. I've actually seen the clog evolve.

I'll pass that back to you.

-And when you finish that, I think I'm going to buy the pair and take them home and wear them.

-Jolly good.

# I'm walking, yes, indeed

# I'm talking, 'bout you and me

# I'm hoping that you'll come back to me. #

Well, you could say I'm all booted and suited.

So it's back to the bags and boxes to join up with our experts at the valuation day.

Christine, it's great to have you with us cos you've got a special association with the programme.

Well, I do. I run a fan site for Paul and Flog It on the internet.

-That's great.

-Members all over the world.

-Fantastic. And you're an avid collector, aren't you?

-I am.

These aren't my major collection.

Right. What's your major collection then?

-Salt and peppers.

-Right.

-2,000.

2,000! We'll have to have a look at those next time. But what have we got here?

We've got some plastic jewellery.

I love plastic jewellery.

-Plastic brooches. Mostly, though, I've got bangles and rings.

-Right.

But these are by a very special lady. Lea Stein.

That's right. And what do you know about Lea Stein?

-Only that she was from Paris.

-That's right.

-She's still around.

Her husband worked in plastics and she experimented, I think magically,

with the colours and the effects that only plastic can give you.

I think you're absolutely right and it was quite a special partnership

because Lea Stein was born in 1931 in Paris,

and it was in the '60s through to the '80s really that she developed jewellery design

and her husband with the knowledge of plastics and the industry helped her with the practicalities of it.

And, in fact, when she was working from the '60s to the '80s, she was very little known outside Paris

and it's only recently that she's gained, really, international recognition as a jewellery designer.

And she developed, as I'm sure you know, bangles and bracelets and...

-I have a bangle.

-You have a bangle.

But it was the pins, the brooches that she's best known for

and, as I'm sure you know, lots of different designs -

-animals, insects, portraits. I think she did an Elvis Presley lookalike.

-Yes. There's a sort of...

That's right. Yes.

I have a bowler hat with the walking stick and a swallow.

Why do you want to sell these two, in particular?

I'd like to... they are the most common one.

I'd like to replace them with something less common.

-Right. So what will you be looking out for?

-A ladybird.

That is unusual.

So, what about value?

You probably know just as well as I do. Where did you get these from?

I bought them from a flea market. I paid around 40 for that one.

And £12 for that one.

Right. That was a very good buy.

Well, I think retail, the fairly common design as I say, the cat, is probably going to be 40, £45.

At auction, we've got to bring it slightly down and I would say

-these ought to be anywhere between 20 and £40 each at auction.

-Yes.

So, if you're happy with that, we'll put them in with that estimate

and hope that we've got a real collector there like yourself who's prepared to give a good price.

-I'd like that.

-It's always nice to see good costume jewellery

because it's a market that's ever growing. And she's a great name.

She is.

-Maria, does this wee chap have a name?

-It doesn't, no.

Tell me, where did you get him?

It's a piece that was bought for my husband when he was born.

It was given by a family friend. He was born in 1969

and I believe that these started to be made in the '60s.

So you've had to take on the dog...

when you took on your husband.

-I did. Yeah.

-Do you like this one?

-I don't. I'm not fond of it at all.

-Well, Maria, plenty of people will be fond of it.

-Yeah.

Now, this dog was produced by Beswick,

commissioned by Dulux, the paint makers,

-and if we turn our dog round, we can see the Beswick back stamp here.

-Yeah.

-Beswick were very good at animals.

-Yeah.

We have a very good factor there. We have a very good factory there.

-The second factor is he's an advertising figure.

-Yeah.

Dulux commissioned Beswick to design and produce this dog

and he would have sat in the shop window to advertise the paint.

Who could resist a wee face like that?

So you're appealing to the Beswick collectors and you're also appealing

-to those people who collect advertising items.

-Right. OK.

So, quite a nice item here.

I would estimate him in the region of £200-£300.

Gosh, yes...

By the way, have you consulted your husband?

He does know I'm here today!

He knows you're here. And is he quite happy that this goes to auction?

-He's happy for him to be sold. Yeah.

-OK.

And will you share in the takings?

Yeah, in some way I will. We're hoping if we are able to sell him

that the proceeds might go towards a piece of original art work for the house.

-You might see something at the auction.

-We might do.

-Yep.

Well, I think the dog will do well.

We'll put a reserve of £200 on him. Estimate of £200-£300.

-I'm sure he'll do very well and you'll be very pleased.

-Thank you.

-Meg, hello.

-Hello.

-Hi. And you've brought your friend, Ann, along.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Have you come for moral support?

-I have. Yes.

Some very colourful pottery here. Where did this come from?

They belonged to a great aunt of mine who was also my godmother

and they'd just been passed through the family since the 1930s.

Do you know what factory they are?

-Clarice Cliff.

-They are Clarice Cliff.

But, it's not perhaps immediately obvious that they're Clarice Cliff.

One of the things I like about them is the pattern. It's quite an unusual pattern for Clarice Cliff.

If we turn the bowl over, we can see her signature, just as it should be, on the bottom.

Clarice Cliff. And the word Bizarre. Do you know what that relates to?

I just know a lot of Clarice Cliff pieces have the Bizarre on but I don't know the significance, really.

Well, it's actually the name given to a range of her work.

One of the earliest ranges in fact - it was launched in 1928 - which usually used very bright colours.

Some colours really quite outrageous, which is what makes this quite unusual.

And the thing that really strikes me about it is this beautiful powder blue colour.

It's called blue cafe au lait, the ground here that we see, which really makes it striking,

combined particularly, I think, with the pink.

It's known as Japan pattern.

That's what it's called, particularly on the plates, you can see a pagoda here.

Obviously, very Japanese and this tree, also, has a Japanese look about it.

It's set in landscape and the way she's composed the landscape also has a Japanese feel about it.

So, it's quite interesting.

So, Meg, what about value?

-Any ideas?

-Not really.

No, because it is an unusual pattern and I haven't seen it before.

OK. What about you, Ann?

Have you done any secret research?

Well, I thought they were worth a bit more.

As Meg said, they're unusual, so I was looking at 250 for that and about 100 for the two plates.

-OK. Right. You're optimistic, aren't you?

-I am, aren't I?

She needs a new bathroom, you know.

Well, I'm going to be a little bit conservative.

It's a great pattern and I mean, the shape is nice as well

but it's the pattern that's really going to pull collectors.

-But plates, we've only got two.

-Yeah.

They probably would have been a set of six or larger.

-So it would have been part of a much larger dinner service and we've only got a small section here.

-Right.

So that does affect the value quite a bit.

So I'm going to say, conservatively, £100-200 at auction.

-I certainly would hope you'll get the upper end of that but that will get buyers interested.

-Yeah.

-But I really hope we reach the 200 or even more.

-Right.

-I think it's super. I love that powder blue.

Yes. It is nice. Yes. Yeah.

Two cat brooches could be the perfect thing for any feline loving bidder.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Christine.

I hope Maria sells the Beswick dog so she can get the art work she really wants.

And finally, Clarice Cliff is an old Flog It favourite.

I hope this piece does as well as the others have in the past.

Calling all cat lovers, we have two Lea Stein little cat brooches, which Kate fell in love with.

You don't like them, so I guess you're not an animal lover, are you?

-Oh, I am.

-Oh, are you. Dogs?

-Dogs and not cats.

-I do like cats.

But not cat brooches.

-OK.

-I don't want to walk round with one on my chest.

-No.

They're a bit big, aren't they? They look like they belong to the '70s.

-I think you have to wear them with the right thing.

-Colourful gear.

One of them's very bright.

Nevertheless, they're just about to go under the hammer.

Let's hope it's purrfect.

And the next lot. Lot 536.

The Lea Stein Paris plastic brooches in the form of cats. Rather pretty.

What am I bid on these? Lot 536.

£50. 40. 20 to open. £20.

-20 I'm bid. Thank you.

-We're in.

-£20.

-And five. 30.

-Oh, yes.

There's interest here, Kate.

And five. 40 sir. 40.

And five. 50.

And 50. And five.

-Oh.

-I have 55 in the second row.

£55. Are we all finished?

At £55 then, first and last time.

Yes. Great result, there.

Definitely cat lovers.

£55, less a bit of commission.

-That's good.

-That's very good.

-That'll buy me a bug.

Back to the markets to buy a brooch, or something like that.

-Good for you.

-That lady buyer looked very determined down there.

-I don't think she was going to give up.

-Good.

-Well, I'm coming shopping with you next time to the flea market.

-Yes.

How much is that doggie in the window?

Or should I say at Calder Valley? Well, we're going to find out.

I love this little Dulux dog. He's quality. He's brilliant.

His condition is wonderful.

His coat is glossy. His nose is wet.

He should get a first.

-Best of breed. Here we go. Good luck.

-Thank you.

Lot 523. Large Beswick advertising model of an old English sheepdog.

This was issued 1964 to 1972.

£100 I have. £100. I have £100.

I have 100. 120. 140. 160.

180. At £180.

At £180. Any further advance on 180?

At 180. At £200. £200.

-There's another bid coming here.

-At £200. 210 if you like. 210.

Well, done. 210. At £210. We're in the market and selling at £210.

Any further advances. At £210 then.

It's gone. £210 the hammer went down.

I was expecting 300 plus.

But you're happy cos you're not a dog lover, are you?

And you didn't like that little Dulux dog.

-Cat lover, you see.

-Yeah.

OK. £210 less a bit for commission.

What's that going to go towards?

Hopefully, a piece of art work for the house that we've just moved into.

Oh, brilliant.

Contemporary or sort of fancy?

More contemporary I think, yeah.

There's plenty for sale here.

Yeah. I'll keep looking.

Meg's Clarice Cliff is just about to go under the hammer

and I've been joined by Ann and Kate, our lovely expert here.

So, you two, best friends...

guess for how long?

-I know it's quite a long time. How long is it?

-Near on 40 years.

40 odd years. Did you meet at school then?

No. Meg's from Northern Ireland.

I'm from County Wexford.

We're involved with the Irish community in Manchester, so we met really through that.

-Friends.

-And you've been best friends ever since, for 40 years. That's a cracking long time.

Well, you like Clarice Cliff but you don't mind flogging this.

-They're just taking up room at the moment.

-Ann, do you like this?

Not really but I can see, you know, the value in it because the design is different.

There's not a lot of that design around. So fingers crossed.

Let's see what this lot think right now, shall we? It's going under the hammer. Here we go.

Right. The Clarice Cliff salad bowl and two matching octagonal plates.

What am I bid for this lot, ladies and gentlemen? 100, shall we say 180?

Open me at £50. £50.

50 I'm bid. I have 50. At 60.

At 70. At 80. £80. At £80. 90 bid.

£90.

I've £90. 100. 100.

At 100 on my right. Anybody else?

110 there. 110. 120. 130. 140.

-This is more like it.

-I was a bit worried there for a moment.

-Yeah. Mid estimate now.

-150.

160.

170. 180.

Clarice Cliff never lets us down, does it?

-210? Yeah.

-210. 220.

-Keep going, Meg.

-230. 240.

-250. Yeah.

-250. 260.

That phone bidder's pretty determined.

290. 300.

310? Yeah.

-And ten. 320.

-Yeah.

-330.

-Oh, don't they love Clarice Cliff?

-Don't they.

360. At £360, are we all done at £360 then, on the phone?

-Brilliant.

-That is a good result.

That's a great result.

-You two girls are going to have a jolly afternoon, aren't you?

-Yes.

-You're set up for one now.

-We are.

What's £360 going towards, less a bit of commission?

Well, I've recently had a new granddaughter, so hopefully, a lot will go on her.

Treat yourself to lunch out as well.

-We might.

-You might. I'm sure you two will.

-Trouble.

-No doubt.

Well, the auction's over and what a super day we've had here in West Yorkshire.

The highlight of the day had to be Meg and Ann going home with £360 to spend on themselves.

Clarice Cliff, well, it never lets us down, does it? It always does the job.

I hope you've enjoyed today's show, so until next time, it's cheerio.

For more information about Flog It, including how the programme was made,

made, visit the website at bbc.co.uk/lifestyle