Stroud Flog It!

I'm in the oldest part of this bustling Gloucestershire town.

There's been a market in this area from around the 1500s.

Today, it's still named after the buildings that stored the meat - The Shambles.

Welcome to "Flog It!" from Stroud.

Today, The Shambles forms the centre of Stroud.

It provides a wonderful meeting place

for artists and Bohemian types alike,

who hang out in the many art galleries, cafes and bookshops.

And hoping to be inspired and get their creative juices flowing,

are today's experts Kate Bliss and James Lewis,

who are already working the crowd here at today's venue, the Subscription Rooms.

This grand building is no stranger to crowds,

built for leisure and entertainment.

It's still doing so after 150 years.

So, as people take their seats,

let's head over to Kate,

who's already entertaining the idea of taking something special to auction.

This is a rather splendid teapot, isn't it?

-It's very interesting. It's been in my eyesight for many years.

-Has it?

One of my first memories, as a young child,

polishing the silver.

And it particularly appealed to me because of the signs of the Zodiac.

As a child, do you recognise those as the signs of the Zodiac?

-I recognise them as being mystical animals.

-Yes.

And it's probably pushed me in a direction

of being interested in natural history - animals, plants.

-Right. So, this had quite a bearing on your interests as a boy.

-It has, really.

-And your life, really.

It has really because I've looked at these on many occasions

and realise they're not animals which you'd find in nature

but they are animals which have some mystical value.

If you go through them, here we are.

We have the fish for Pisces.

-We have the lion for Leo.

-That is so.

We have the scorpion there for Scorpio.

And they are indeed the signs of the Zodiac.

The date letter, that letter F, is for 1876.

So, why the signs of the Zodiac?

-The Victorians were people of very strict morals.

-That's right.

-Very God-fearing, really.

You see, the Victorians also loved the exotic.

They loved the magical and the mystical.

-They loved fairies and goblins.

-I can understand.

The signs of the Zodiac work into that very well.

-What a fun thing!

-Indeed, yes.

I'd like to say, at auction we would certainly be looking at £100 to £150 if you want to sell.

I'm sure it will pull in interest from far afield.

-If it could go to someone who's a collector and can enjoy it, so much the better.

-Ah, excellent!

Miriam, for me, a day at "Flog It!" wouldn't be a good day without seeing a tea caddy.

One of the things I love about a caddy is you can tell

it's never been through the hands of the trade.

It's never been repolished, it's never been recleaned, it's never been altered.

-I love that about it.

-It was inherited from my father.

He died about seven years ago.

And he probably had it from his second wife, whose name

was Wakefield, because I've found a W on the escutcheon there on the front.

So, I suspect with the W

that it probably came from my stepmother's family

rather than from my own.

It's a piece that dates back quite a long way.

-So, 1800, 1805, somewhere around there.

-Quite early then, yes.

It is. 200 years old.

If we look inside, here we've got one compartment for green tea, one compartment for black tea.

And, if we just open that...

That hasn't been used for tea for a long time, has it?

No. I've never used it for tea and I don't think my father did, either.

When this was made, 200 years ago, you wouldn't drink tea just

at the table, out of a mug, it would be fine porcelain.

The whole tea ceremony would be at a table, known as a tea table, especially for tea drinking.

This sort of caddy, being tortoiseshell, it's had a few problems.

Probably only one problem really, in its lifetime.

It seems to have been dropped on this corner.

And, tortoiseshell collectors are very bothered about the panels and the condition of the panel.

I'm very glad to say that you can't buy tortoiseshell today, it's totally illegal.

And, whatever this is repaired with, will be what we call a breaker's piece,

something that is like this but not in such good condition.

So, if they've got another tea caddy with a back panel that is good,

they will take a section out and replace that section.

Of course it's quite an expensive job to replace.

If it was perfect, I think that would have a hammer price of about £1,000.

I think, to get it repaired and restored, is going to be say, £400.

If we put an auction estimate of £500 to £800,

put a reserve of £500 and don't let it go below that,

let's hope we can celebrate with something stronger than tea.

Stephen, a fine pair of oils.

I want to know all about them.

Well, I've owned these oils for about two years, Paul.

They came into my possession when my mum downsized -

moved to live with my sister in Ireland.

I was going to say, this is not a Stroud accent.

-No, that's right.

-What part of Ireland?

I lived originally in the north of Ireland, Paul.

That's where these came from.

I can't attribute them to anybody at the moment.

Looking at them stylistically, it's loose, it's impressionistic.

It's almost like the Newlyn School - the late 1880s.

You've got artists like Stanhope Forbes,

painting sort of our vernacular history

with localised clothing, very much like the fishermen's wives.

I need to do a little bit of research on this.

You didn't paint the frames, did you?

My late father did to match his decor, I'm afraid.

You can't blame your dad, can you?

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.

It doesn't matter about the frames. They can be sorted out. They can be reframed and reglazed.

The problem is, there should have been a mount, separating the oil from the glass.

I'm taking the weight of the picture underneath the frame.

If I just release my fingers from the back, watch!

-Oh, yes!

-Can you see?

It's starting to stick on the glass.

Not just there but if I move up there, there, there, there.

-All over.

-So there's some damage really, Paul.

There's a lot of damage on both of them.

-I think she's got the look.

-Yes.

-It's a shame. This one's more damaged than that one.

-Yes.

-Because it's probably the more attractive painting, isn't it?

-Yes.

If they were in good condition,

-you'd be looking at £400 to £600 for the pair.

-Right.

They need money spending on them.

It's going to cost a couple of hundred pounds.

-Right.

-Therefore, I think, if we put these into auction,

we're going to ask around £200 to £300.

-OK. That's fine.

-For the pair. Your mum obviously liked them.

-She's kept them a long time.

-She did. She'll really enjoy seeing them on TV.

-What's her name?

-Betty.

-Betty?

-Yes.

-Let's hope we make Betty's day.

-Thanks very much.

What a fabulous, impressive tureen that is. Tell me about it.

Basically, I came by it in the mid-'60s.

I bought it at a contents auction.

I paid £40 for it.

I got rather carried away.

-In the mid-'60s.

-In the mid-'60s.

-My goodness!

-It was a week's wages.

-Was it really?

-Yes, it was.

It is so neo-classical in its style. very delicate shape - very feminine.

Lots of ovals. There's not a straight line there.

That could only be maybe three or four periods in history.

The neo-classical fashion and movement started around 1770-1780.

It was during those wonderful excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum

and they were discovering these wonderful shapes that were around 2,000 years earlier.

Any time you see these husks, swags and festoons - these little

oval roundels, known as patera, tied with ribbons at the top.

That's a classic piece of design from this period.

What you would often have in the 18th century was,

services like this in silver and silver plate, actually copying the interior of the dining room.

The decorations and the swags on the walls would be on the ceiling,

on the walls, on the carpet, and then again on the silver service they'd be serving the food from.

Now, value.

A week's wage in the 1960s.

I guess a week's wage today is going to be a few hundred pounds - £200, £300, £400.

-It's not going to make that.

-No.

-So, I'm afraid, investment-wise, it hasn't been a great one.

But you've enjoyed it and it's been useful over the years.

So, I guess today, if we put that into an auction, I'd expect it to make £100 to £150.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, very happy.

Now, these rooms where we are today are quite important in the history of your family, aren't they?

-Yes, they are. My grandfather and grandmother met here at a dance.

-Did they really?

They then eloped to Reading and now I've come back to live in Stroud area.

-And it all started here?

-It all started here.

Tell me about this lovely snuff box that you've brought in today.

It always sat on my parents' chest of drawers in the bedroom,

and they kept little knick-knacks, I can't remember exactly the contents,

but it was never snuff, I know that.

-Right.

-And I inherited it and it was sitting on my chest of drawers.

I think it's a charming little box, I have to say.

If we take a look more closely,

the lid fits very neatly on and it is, of course, made of paper mache.

Rather beautifully pressed with this sort of ribbed border here,

on the outside, to frame the painted subject in the centre.

It's a very well-known subject, of course,

the portrait of the woodcutter or the woodman.

There he is, smoking his pipe of tobacco.

This one dates from the late 19th century, I would say it's Victorian.

It's beautifully painted in a very sort of primitive style, if you like.

And a very collectible object.

Is it a print or a painting?

-It is a painting.

-Oh!

-It is a painting, yes.

So, what sort of value would you put on it?

We didn't think it was worth anything. We thought we'd bring something down to "Flog It!".

-You didn't have high hopes.

-No, we've not got high hopes.

If it pays for the car park we'll be happy.

Well, I think it might just pay for the car park.

I would put an auction estimate of anything from £60 to 100.

Oh, I see, good Lord! I'm amazed.

You might find a collector who falls in love with that.

-Yes. You've made my day.

-Good!

-You've made my birthday.

-Your birthday! It's not your birthday today, is it?

-I'm afraid so, yes.

Well, very many happy returns.

It's very well worth it. Thank you very much.

Well, happy birthday, Hugh.

And with your snuff box on board, we have our items heading off to auction.

But first, I'm off to the country to find out about a man

whose discovery changed the face of medicine.

So, why am I standing by a row of cows in Gloucestershire?

Well, back in the 1700s, these animals gave one local man the answer

of how to protect generations of people against one of the most horrific diseases ever - smallpox.

In 18th century England, smallpox was one of the biggest killers.

This incurable disease wiped out large numbers of the world's population.

It started with flu-like symptoms, followed by a rash,

developing into blisters

that covered and disfigured the whole body.

There was no effective treatment once infection had taken hold

and the result was deafness, blindness and almost certain death.

But it was here, at this house in Berkeley, that Edward Jenner, a humble country doctor,

was to discover a breakthrough that could purge the world

of this killer disease and change medical history for good.

All he needed was the world to listen.

To understand why Jenner took on this killer disease, we need to go back to when he was a child.

The way to protect against smallpox back then was to infect the young

with the smallpox virus and hope they developed immunity, if they survived.

I caught up with Sarah Parker, the curator of the Jenner Museum,

to find out more about this strange practice called variolation.

What happened to Jenner and the other children when he was aged eight?

Jenner was orphaned, sadly,

at the age of five, and he was sent to boarding school locally in Wotton-under-Edge.

At the age of eight, he and his other fellow pupils were

locked in a barn and purged, bled and starved,

in preparation for this medical procedure called variolation.

-How long was this for?

-It was for around about two weeks.

It was a really horrible procedure but not everybody could afford this technique.

In actual fact, he was one of the lucky ones, believe it or not.

-Psychologically, that's damaging for an eight year-old?

-Terrifying. He didn't have his parents.

He was away from home.

He was systematically given this live smallpox from somebody who

got it in the village and then left to see whether it developed.

Even if they had survived, they could have been blinded,

they could have been deaf, had problems with their joints, such as arthritis.

It really was not just a disfiguring disease, potentially fatal, but generally horrific.

-But he was one of the lucky ones.

-He was.

He did develop smallpox, which was the intention, but he didn't get it very badly.

He was determined, throughout his life, to come up with a better procedure so that

other children wouldn't have to go through this terrible experience.

After completing his training to be a physician in London, Edward Jenner returned to this house.

It was here that he started the bulk of his research into smallpox.

It was in this study, after years of research, Jenner finally thought

he'd found the answer and it lay right on his rural doorstep.

He had observed that many of the local milkmaids often developed

a non life-threatening disease called cowpox.

He believed there might be some truth in the folklore that cowpox provides some immunity to smallpox.

On 14th May, 1796, Jenner put his theory to the ultimate test.

He infected eight-year-old James Phipps with cowpox and then gave him a dose of smallpox.

The result was, it produced no effect.

Phipps was successfully inoculated.

Jenner knew he was on to something.

Jenner followed up this experiment with many others, which confirmed

his theory, that cowpox did indeed protect against smallpox.

This was the beginning of vaccination.

So we've got a vaccination against the disease.

Why didn't people start to use it?

Well, it's like most things.

People were resistant to change, as they are today.

Edward Jenner strived for 25 years before he actually came up

with his theory and his vaccination experiment.

Variolation, which was the established medical procedure at the time in this country,

was a very lucrative

and also very established procedure. The medical establishment -

the medical elite particularly - were definitely not willing to change.

They weren't particularly receptive to Jenner and his ideas.

He must have been so frustrated.

He was extremely frustrated, yes.

He was a man who just was trying to make a better medical procedure for everybody.

He wasn't trying to make money out of it.

Therefore, trying to get his ideas across against a huge backlash of opinion.

Many people thought that if you were to give somebody an animal-derived substance like cowpox,

you would grow horns and udders and other cow-like features, which sounds ridiculous today.

Other people thought that, well, maybe you'd die of another disease.

There would be a population explosion and mass starvation.

The church weren't particularly happy for it to happen.

Everybody was against it. How did he make that break?

-He obviously needed somebody to champion this.

-That's right. Yes.

Luckily, he also had a house in Cheltenham, which... It was a spa town. It was the 18th century.

-Lots of the elite were there.

-Exactly. Because he was a doctor,

he met lots of influential people, who became his friends.

Not least the 5th Earl of Berkeley, at Berkeley Castle.

If it wasn't for his friends, the aristocratic lords and ladies of the day,

he perhaps would never have got his idea off the ground. They really championed him.

Strong support was all Jenner needed for his reputation to be sealed worldwide.

He had succeeded against all the opposition.

In 1853, vaccination with the cowpox virus was made compulsory in this country.

While Jenner's ground-breaking discovery saved millions of lives,

the disease ravaged the poorer communities throughout the world, with 50 million new cases each year.

It wasn't until 1967 that the World Health Organisation instigated a mass vaccination programme.

In 1980, this disease was finally declared dead.

It still remains the only disease to be eradicated from the world

in its entirety, thanks largely to the pioneering work of Edward Jenner.

Nestling in the beautiful countryside, just outside of Cirencester,

is today's auction room, Moore, Allen and Innocent,

where the valuations of Kate, James and myself are going to be put to the test.

And here's a reminder of what we're taking.

Kate was intrigued by the silver astrological teapot

and she predicted it fetching £100 to £150.

But will the stars foresee a windfall for Bill?

-The silver-plated tureen caused Glynn to be a big spender in his youth.

-I paid £40 for it.

-I got rather carried away.

-In the mid-'60s?

-Oh, my goodness.

-It was a week's wages.

So, it needs to make the top end of James's £100 to £150 estimate.

Hugh had low expectations for his snuff box and was

so pleased with Kate's £60 to £100 valuation.

And Steven's oils have crossed the Irish Sea from Northern Ireland.

Finally, that Regency tortoiseshell tea caddy, belonging to Miriam,

that James fell in love with.

And the man wielding the gavel is auctioneer Philip Allwood.

Time for tea, according to Bill, because he's selling his silver teapot. We got £100 to £150 on this.

Why have you decided to sell?

Well, we don't use it and, as a young child,

-I used to have the job of polishing it.

-Oh!

And I think now, my wife has polished it enough.

It's a good job she hasn't polished it too much so it's worn.

It's still in lovely condition.

Silver is up in value. People are investing in precious metal.

Hopefully they're going to do it, right here, right now. It's going under the hammer.

-I only wish it was gold.

-Oh, yes!

You can't have everything.

Lot number 244.

It's a nice little teapot.

Glasgow, 1876, with the signs of the Zodiac.

And I can start you here at £100.

At 100, I have for it.

Sold straight away.

-Right on the reserve.

-110. 120. 130.

140. 150. 160.

170. The book's out at 170. 180 now.

At 180 on my right now. At 180.

190 anywhere? At £180.

All sure then at £180?

It's gone, Bill.

Top end of the estimate and a little bit more.

-No more cups of tea.

-No more cups of tea!

Not many people use a pot anymore anyway, not even a china one.

I do. I love my teapot.

I wish it was silver but it's not solid silver.

That's why we've got a value of £100 to £150. And it's Glynn's and I think this is style.

-If it was real silver, would you be keeping it?

-Yes!

I can see what you saw in it.

Hopefully, there are half a dozen people who will think the same.

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

Lot 294 is the silver-plated vegetable tureen,

in the Adam manner.

A very classy looking piece this - good-looking piece.

Where are you going to be for that? I can start you at 110.

At 110 I have.

-A good-looking piece at 110. 120. 130. 140. 150. 160.

-It was a looker.

170. 180. The book's out at 180.

190 now. At £180. On my left now.

At 180. 190 anywhere? At 180.

Well, how about that? I knew it would sell. What a looker!

We've got £60 to £100 on your snuff box.

I love the naive painting.

That's what's going to sell this.

It's such a nice thing. When you hold them they're so tactile.

-They are, yes.

-Where have you had this in the house?

They've been sitting on a chest of drawers.

It was on my parents' and then on my chest of drawers.

We just keep odds and ends in it.

We never thought it was a snuff box.

At least you had it on display and you've cherished it.

That's what it's all about with little items like this.

I love snuff boxes. Love them. Lots of history.

It's really an area of small antiques which has kept its value, I think.

Let's find out what the bidders in Cirencester think, shall we? It's going under the hammer.

Lot number 274 is the papier-mache snuff box,

decorated with the woodsman.

There we go, the woodsman there and who'll start me?

Should be 100 really. Start me 50?

£30. 30 I'm bid. At £30.

5 if you like now. At £30.

At £30, a nice little snuff box. £30 only.

5. 40. 5.

50. At £50. On the book here, at 50.

At £50. It's selling here at £50.

At £50. 5 anywhere? At £50.

You all sure? Selling here on the book.

At £50. Are you all done?

It's gone.

It's a good little treasure, that.

Perhaps I should have kept it.

Next up, something for all you fine art lovers.

It's my turn to be the expert.

It's a pair of oil paintings, possibly Irish.

They belong to Stephen. We've got £200 to £300 on this.

A little bit of damage. The paint's pulling off, sticking to the glass.

-I know Dad, bless him, touched the frames up, didn't he?

-Yes.

With paint he found knocking around the house.

-That's the kind of thing we do, isn't it?

-That's right.

-Your mum will be pleased, won't she?

-She will.

She'll be watching right now. Betty, I hope you're enjoying this moment.

Stephen is flying the flag for you, OK.

They're going under the hammer, right now.

Lot number 322 is the Irish School portraits there

of the young boy and girl.

I can start you at 180. At 180 I have.

-That's our fixed reserve.

-190 now. At 180, 190.

200. 220. 240. 260.

At 260. 280 now. At 260.

280 on the phone, if you like.

At 280. 300. At 300. 320 to me now.

At 300. 320 on the phone. At 320.

340 now. At 320. It's on the phone.

At 320. 340. In the room again, 340.

360, if you like.

At 340, right in front of me now.

-At £340.

-It's great value.

-Sure? At 340.

That's good, that's a good result.

-There's a lot of work to do on those.

-Sure.

That's good for you. You don't have to do it.

That's good. I'm glad they're going to somebody that'll treasure them.

And I hope Mum's enjoyed this moment as well.

The money's going to Mum, isn't it?

Yes, yes. We'll be making sure she's taken care of.

Oh, bless! He's a good lad, isn't he?

Miriam, this is definitely the best lot in the sale.

-It's my favourite item.

-Really?

Regency tea caddy. We've got £500 to £800 riding on this. I had a chat to the auctioneer

and I said, "Come on, top end, plus a little bit more".

He kind of went, "Yes". He didn't put his neck on the block.

So, why do you want to sell this? It's so gorgeous! Why?

Well, I don't know. It was a bit grubby when I first had it, actually.

It wasn't until just recently I cleaned it up.

I must say I thought it looked nicer.

Hopefully we'll get 800 plus.

800 is what I think. I'm hoping it will make 800.

-Really? That's good.

-Top end.

-Fingers crossed.

-Well, yeah.

-Good luck. Enjoy this moment.

-I shall.

We can't talk anymore. This is it.

Lot number 196 is the Regency tortoiseshell tea caddy.

-There we go. Nice little piece there.

-Good luck.

Thank you.

Good-looking piece.

I can start here on the book

at £440. At 440.

I'll take 460, if you like now.

At 440. 460.

480.

500. 520.

540. 560.

580. 600.

At 600. 620 now. At £600.

620, can I say anywhere? 620.

640. 660. The book's out at 660.

At £660. 680 anywhere now? At 660.

-Done.

-That's OK.

-That's fine.

-Well, that's...

-It got over mid-estimate.

You've got 15% to pay on top of that so that has made £780. That's fine.

You've got a bit of commission to pay, the odd 15%.

-What are you going to put your money towards?

-Well, we're going on a holiday to...

We're going on a cruise up the Baltic to St Petersburg.

-Oh, lovely!

-I'm going to put a bit of money towards that.

-That was a gorgeous item.

-It was.

-Yeah.

-Lovely! My favourite thing.

Well, that's it. It's all over for our owners but the auction's still going -

it's going on outside.

What a cracking day we've had here. Our experts are on the money.

Phillip Allwood did us proud - a great auctioneer.

All I can say is, I can't wait to come back.

So, until the next time, it's cheerio.

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