Liverpool Flog It!

Today, we're in one of the most thrilling and vibrant cities in the North-West,

famous for its creativity, comedy and culture.

"Flog It!" is in Liverpool.

MUSIC: "Live And Let Die" by Paul McCartney and Wings

As a city, Liverpool is diverse, energetic and exciting.

Situated by the River Mersey, the docks are central to Liverpool's history,

with the best-known being the Albert Dock,

the largest single collection of Grade I listed buildings in the UK.

The city's role as a major port in the British Empire means that many of its finest buildings

were built as headquarters

for the shipping firms and insurance companies.

The Pier Head is perhaps

one of the most famous iconic images on the city's skyline

and it's dominated by

the Royal Liver, the Cunard, and the Port of Liverpool buildings.

Together, there's over a century of heritage between them

and they're still fully functioning.

They're known locally as the Three Graces.

Later on in the programme, we'll be looking at

Liverpool's fascinating maritime history, but for now,

it's anchors aweigh and let's get on with the show.

And gracing us with their presence today are our two experts,

the fabulous Mark Stacey and the gorgeous Kate Bateman.

Today's venue is St George's Hall, right in the centre of the city,

and, by George, do we have a fabulous queue here,

on a gorgeous sunny day.

I can't wait to find out what's in those bags and boxes,

so let's get the doors open and get "Flog It!" going.

So, as the crowds rush in to this great hall, let's see what Kate

has uncovered from this Liverpudlian treasure trove.

Tony, you've bought in this vase. What do you know about it?

All I can tell you is that I bought it from a jumble sale,

approximately about 25 years ago, so when I was about eight.

A jumble sale. What did you pay for it?

I paid less than £1 for it. No more than £1.

It's quite a weird thing for a small boy of eight or so to buy.

-What attracted you to it?

-I've no recollection of buying it.

I just know at that time, I bought a lot of things,

spent most of my pocket money on junk.

-On junk.

-On junk.

-This is an item of junk.

-Yeah.

OK. Do you know anything else about it?

-I know it's Troika. I know it comes from Cornwall.

-Right.

I know it's featured a lot on Flog It!

It is a favourite of our Paul Martin.

I have to say, I disagree with him on this.

I am not a big fan of Troika.

It just doesn't float my boat,

but you obviously liked it.

I don't particularly like it, actually.

I have no feelings about it, at all, actually.

-Ambiguous on the whole subject of Troika.

-Yeah.

And, obviously, it's graffito decorated,

so, scratched into the wet clay before it's fired

and you've got all these different

sort of highly-painted geometric designs. Quite funky.

All different on each side.

Pricewise, £60 to £90 is a fairly normal estimate

for something of this size.

And the condition's good.

It's obviously quite a mark-up from £1.

-Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

-So quite a good investment.

-Yes.

-I want to know what else you've bought.

-I'll have a look.

-Have a rummage.

-Is that the kind of figure you'd be happy with?

-Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

-Reserve-wise, what's the least that you'd take for it?

-Maybe about £40.

What will you do with the money?

I'm going to spend some of the money on the garden

and also, I'm going to treat my mum to a bunch of flowers

because she thinks I gave it her many years ago but I don't remember.

-You're not going to be tempted to buy more junk, are you?

-Absolutely.

-You'll be at the next car boot, out there with

-£1. Yes.

-You've clearly got a good eye.

-Thank you.

-Shall we give it a go at the sale?

-Yeah. Absolutely.

-Thanks for bringing it in.

-Thanks very much.

Now it's time for something of a change - a lovely pocket watch.

Catherine, you've brought this lovely item in. Tell me about it.

This was my late father's.

He was an avid watch collector -

marine chronometers, anything.

Anything scientific or with a mechanical movement.

Yes, but it had to be working.

If it didn't work, he didn't want it.

-Or he spent a lot of money doing it up, I suppose.

-To restore it, he spent £400

and nearly two years of a man's time to restore the watch.

He wanted to see it working.

-Well, he was quite determined, cos £400 is quite a lot of money and that was some time ago.

-1979.

-Good Lord. Unfortunately, of course, we can't add that on to the value of the watch...

-No.

It doesn't work like that.

What I can tell you about it is,

it's by a very good maker, Joseph Martinez,

and it's going to date to the, sort of, second half of the 18th century,

so it's a nice George III period piece.

The case is engraved with this lovely design here.

The face has got a few cracks in the enamel but it's a very typical face for this maker.

What I like, also, about it... If we close it up and have a look at it...

the glass here is bevelled and faceted

so when you actually look,

you get a sort of almost like an insect's eye view of the face

and it's very nice.

-And of course, it repeats.

-Right.

So when you press it like that... WATCH CHIMES

Now, what that will tell you when it chimes like that,

it'll give you the how many quarter pasts...

quarter past, half past, quarter to,

-and then the last two are the last hour.

-Oh, right.

So you know that it's, you know, the time is coming up or has just gone.

That's the first time I've actually heard it.

-Oh, really? You've never been tempted to squeeze the top?

-No. No.

Well, the thing with these, of course, is,

the gentleman would put this by the side at night on a watch stand,

so when he woke up, he maybe didn't want to light his candle,

so he'd press that and it would give you an approximation of the time.

What I would say to you, as well, with this,

this is the central bit of the pocket watch.

It would have been enclosed in an outer case...

either a full case to make it a full hunter,

or a glass open face to make it a half-hunter.

So, you are missing that bit.

Now, value.

£400-600 would be my suggestion to you,

with a reserve of 400.

And, hopefully, it'll knock up a bit on that. How do you feel about that?

I'd just like the watch if it went to somebody who'd appreciate it.

Well, it's certainly going to go to either a specialist dealer

or a specialist collector.

One way or other, it's going to go to somebody who's going to appreciate it slightly more than sitting...

-..In a drawer.

-..for 30 years.

-I look forward to seeing you at the auction and let's hope it chimes the right note at the sale.

-Thank you.

Wendy, this is a fabulous postcard album.

Yeah. It's very musty.

I know. It's...

-It's got that smell.

-Yeah.

Fresh to the trade, they say.

I think the collectors are going to like this

because it's not been through the auction rooms or an antique shop before.

-Never. No.

-No, which is great.

-And if you read, originally, it came from an old friend of ours.

-Her name was Mabel and she lived in 150 Great Homer St, Liverpool, which doesn't exist any more.

-Oh, really.

-It's all been bombed down now, pulled down.

-This is the beauty of postcards like this from the early 1900s.

-It captures social history which has been lost.

-Yeah.

-And that's why individual images are so highly sought after...

-I see.

..because these buildings don't exist.

Well, whoever put this album together has obviously travelled to all the right destinations,

-sort of, towards the end of the 1800s, early 1900s.

-Yes.

So, they're topographic scenes you expect to find in a lovely album.

They've toured all of North Wales, look.

Going through Snowdonia, Betws-y-Coed,

-We've got Colwyn Bay.

-That must have been the old original pier.

-Yes. That's not there now.

-No.

You see what a wonderful document it is of past civic history, can't you?

You can see why the collectors want things like this.

Oh, look at that one of Southport.

-Isn't it beautiful?

-Now that really does sum up the 1920s.

Yeah. It's lovely, isn't it?

and I think this should do somewhere in the region of sort of high 300s.

That's what I'm hoping.

Can we put this into auction with a value of £225 to sort of £325...

-with a reserve on at 225?

-Yes.

-Can we do that?

-Yes. That's fine.

-Fingers crossed.

-Yeah.

-Fingers crossed we get that top end.

-OK. Thank you very much.

Now, you've brought a lovely little item in to show us, Jean. Have you had it a long time?

Quite a while. It's come out of our garage, because my husband

is a watchmaker, retired, but has all his bits and pieces in the garage.

So, out of the box that came, and I quite like it.

Well, I think we need to have a little look at it, because it's actually quite an interesting object.

First of all, it's two-pronged.

-We've got this rather nice little eagle's head here in gold...

-Yeah.

-With this little seal here, and then the item going through it is an actual clock winder...

-Winder.

Which is wonderful, actually, and you could just imagine it on a Victorian gentleman's watch chain.

Pocket watch on a chain, yes.

His pocket watch. And what a wonderful thing to have on, your own seal.

And it would seal letters, I think, would it?

Yes, it would. It's quite small.

Normally, the seals for letters are quite big, as you can imagine big envelopes, but this is, yeah...

It's only initials, so it's not from a titled family or anything like that...

-Right.

-..where you've got a family crest.

-Yeah.

So would it be quite old, then?

-I think so. I think we're certainly looking at the 19th century.

-Yeah.

And looking at the shape of the shield here and the

type of decoration, I would have thought we're probably looking at...

-maybe the last quarter of the 19th century, so maybe 1870, 1880, something like that.

-Yes.

And why have you brought it in today?

Well, it hasn't got any sentimental value, because it's obviously not

really ours, but it's come to us, so it doesn't mean anything to me.

-Oh, well, that's it, so I can say anything I like...

-Yes, you can.

-And you'll say yes, wonderful.

-I won't get upset.

-Fantastic.

-I don't think we're looking a huge amount of money.

-No.

-But it is a collector's object.

-Yes.

-And I think with these, sort of, things, it's best to put a rather modest estimate on them

and then just let the market place itself wherever it wants.

-Yes.

-If you know what I mean.

-So, I would suggest, sort of, £40 to £60.

-Right.

-Now, what about a reserve? Do you want to put a reserve on it?

-Well, do you think we should?

Well, we don't want to give it away for £10, do we?

-No.

-So shall we put a reserve of 30?

-Right.

-Just to give it a bit of protection.

-Yes, that's fine.

-Wonderful.

-Well, let's hope we wind up a good price at the auction.

-Right. OK.

-Andy.

-Hi.

-Welcome to Flog It! You've brought me these two Doulton figurines in.

-They're a study of contrasts.

-They are.

-I think it's fair to say.

-I know which one's my favourite.

-Is it this one, by any chance?

-Definitely.

-Yeah. You've got two very different styles

from the same factory,

so you've got the Flower Seller's Children, here,

which is quite an early piece.

Lovely colours. Probably early 1930s.

And then you've got Old Father Thames here.

He looks fairly ancient, but in terms of a model, he's not very old.

-No.

-Probably a 1980s. Some people like this one.

-Yeah.

I think what you've got is much more collectable on the terms of this one.

We always moan about condition on these things.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here and have a whinge. A few bits missing.

A few little chips and cracks and things on the flowers, which you expect. They all fall off.

It's in pretty good condition other than that, though.

-No heads off.

-No.

-Fingers are fine.

-No.

It's a nice piece. Why would you be selling it?

I want to take the daughter and the wife down to Great Yarmouth

to see two good friends of ours who run a hotel down there.

-And fed up of dusting it.

-Well, I don't mind looking at this one.

I just want this one to go, you know.

This is a strange piece. I mean, it's not going to be everybody's cup of tea.

In terms of pricing,

I think the best thing to do is put them in two separate lots

-because they'll appeal to two different kinds of people.

-Right.

And this one is the lower figure.

-Maybe an estimate of £40-50 on him.

-OK.

-And this one's slightly more collectable, so £100-150.

-Right.

Would you want to set some reserves on them?

-On this one. I wouldn't like to see it go for less than 100.

-OK.

So put a fixed reserve of 100, cos if it doesn't make that,

-you can always have it back.

-Of course.

-Brilliant.

-Well, I'll see you at the auction.

-OK. Yeah.

-Fingers crossed it will go.

# From Liverpool to Bristol

# A-rovin' I went

# But a stay in that country Well, it was my intent

# For drinking strong whisky Like other damn fools

# So, not need transported back to Liverpool... #

The docks have always been central to Liverpool's rich history

and the most famous of them all being the Albert Dock here,

which Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, gave his name to.

Its heyday was the second half of the 19th century,

but within a fairly short period of time, it became obsolete, spiralling into decay and disuse.

Once considered a blot on the landscape, some 30 years later,

it's now become the jewel in the crown of Liverpool's rejuvenation.

It's now a global tourist attraction...

with museums, restaurants,

bars, luxury apartments and offices to visit. So, let's go back in time.

How did it all begin?

Until the early part of the 18th century,

vessels used to unload upon open quaysides,

but they were at the mercy of thieves and smugglers.

Ships' contents were taken to around 200 bonded warehouses

scattered all over Liverpool

and, consequently, the government found it very difficult to impose customs taxes.

When St Katherine's Dock opened in London, in 1828,

it was the first enclosed dock with quayside warehouses.

Ultimately, a much better port system to control tax evasion.

The Albert Dock was based upon this pioneering design.

I've come to Liverpool's Maritime Museum to meet Stephen Guy

to find out more about this amazing dock.

Who was behind the design and when was it built?

Jesse Hartley... he was...an engineer.

He had no experience, really, of port engineering,

but he created this role which he fulfilled in Liverpool,

and he designed and built this dock

and, of course, it worked tremendously well.

-Yeah.

-But, really, if you were going to choose a place to put a port, Liverpool isn't it.

The engineers had to overcome these problems with the tides and with the docks,

and he created the template for dock engineering throughout the world.

By February 1845, the dock was ready to receive its first ships,

but it was only on July 30, 1846 that Prince Albert formally opened the docks.

It was truly a grand occasion.

It was the first state visit by a member of the British royal family to Liverpool

and it was a time to celebrate. After all, Liverpool had arguably the world's first

fully-enclosed fireproof and theft-proof system of dock warehouses.

When you look around you,

everything you can see, apart from the modern frontages etc,

is original Victorian engineering at its very best.

-It really is.

-It's incredible because this is the largest group of Grade 1 listed buildings in Britain.

It's amazing and it's all done by hand.

You know, look at all those bricks, all laid by hand, all that cast iron,

granite, sandstone, and it's a great place to be.

-It is. It feels good, doesn't it?

-It does. Yeah.

Now, is that part of the original mechanical loading system?

Previously, it was blokes hauling ropes.

-Pulleys and tackles.

-Push and pull, push and pull, labour intensive.

-So that really did speed things up.

The machine changed. I mean, this was the Industrial Revolution, you know.

This was a major change, and so, obviously, you could shift cargos so much quicker.

What were they unloading?

All sorts of things were brought in from all over the world.

-It must have been colourful and vibrant and the smells would have been wonderful.

-It was.

In Victorian times, the smells of the spices,

the smell of the cotton, the smell of the rum, the tobacco.

Everything was incredible and the characters, of course, they would have been all round here.

-Yeah.

-You know, tremendous characters, including Jesse Hartley, was a great character himself.

You can imagine him shouting, "Get on with this," you know.

-He was the ultimate foreman and he either altered or built every dock in Liverpool...

-It's incredible.

..during his time. He was a colossus.

And I guess it employed, in its heyday,

thousands and thousands of people.

This area down here would have been total noise,

-the clanking of machinery.

-A hive of activity.

Total hive of activity.

# As I walked out one morning fair down by the Liverpool docks

# Heave away, me Johnny Heave away! #

Although the dock prospered hugely, slowly the demands of ships began to change.

Consequently, a downturn in the life of the Albert Dock was almost inevitable.

Why did the docks go out of favour? What was their demise?

Well, you can make all the great plans for a dock, but, really, what happened was the ships got bigger.

Right. OK. And I guess access is quite tight here.

Well, you look at the lock gates.

-Yes.

-They weren't able to predict how big ships were going to go.

They couldn't predict the leviathans of the sea which were coming,

but a simple thing like the lock gates not being big enough

really sounded the end for this dock as a major dock in the town.

What happened in the 20th century, then?

Throughout the '70s, this was a very, very bad area.

Nothing was happening here and the dock board crashed. It went bust.

-It went bankrupt. And at about that time, there was an accident here, where a ship rammed the gates.

-Here?

Yeah. Rammed the gates to the Canning Dock and because of the state of the dock board at that time,

there was no repairs done.

So what happened was, this area became tidal.

All the tide came in and it silted up, so if you'd look behind you here,

you know, 30 years ago, it was just a mass of silt.

I mean, the Piermaster's House over there, the warehouse round the back there, they were ruined.

It was a very sad time for Liverpool.

But it was Michael Heseltine who spearheaded turning around the fortunes of the Albert Dock.

In the early 1980s, the newly-elected Conservative government

appointed him Environment Secretary, and under his guidance, the Merseyside Development Corporation

was set up to take over the responsibility of regenerating and redeveloping Liverpool South Dock.

Thank goodness it's been preserved, cos this is Liverpool's social history, isn't it?

It's all here. It's a world history.

-These buildings are really quite symbolic of that.

-Yeah.

And so the transformation slowly began to take place.

With new plans for leisure usage, the docks had a new lease of life.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this place has now become a huge tourist attraction,

giving you a sense of connection to the past to Liverpool's glorious maritime days,

but also offering the city inspiration for the future.

Let's get the excitement going.

We're going to make our way over to the auction room in Mold

and leave you with a rundown just to jog your memory of the items that are going under the hammer.

Kate's not a fan of Troika,

but having paid the price of just one English pound, how will Tony's vase fare under the hammer?

It is a favourite of our Paul Martin.

I have to say I disagree with him on this. I am not a big fan of Troika.

Catherine wants her father's pocket watch to go to a good home.

How much will she pocket at auction?

-You press it like that.

-That's the first time I've actually heard it.

-Oh, really?

Will Wendy's album of just over 250 postcards gain a stamp of approval?

-It's very musty.

-I know. It's got that smell.

Fresh to the trade, they say.

Boxed up for years,

Jean won't be missing her watch key and seal either.

-It doesn't mean anything to me.

-Ah, well that's it.

-So now I can say anything I like and you'll say, "Yes, wonderful."

-I won't get upset.

And Andy is expecting a decent figure for his Royal Doulton figurines,

but will he get it?

This is where we're putting all our experts' valuations to the test,

in Dodds Auction Rooms, in the heart of Mold.

There's an air of excitement and anticipation, all the ingredients you need for a classic auction.

Who knows what's going to happen, but we're going to find out.

'And the man with the all-important gavel in his hand today is auctioneer Anthony Parry.

'First up, Tony's £1 piece of Troika.'

£60-90. Kate here doesn't really like Troika, do you?

If I said here's 50 quid, would you go out and spend it on Troika?

-Not a chance.

-Not a chance.

-Not a chance. No.

In fact, there must be insanity in your family cos you're mad to buy something like that. Honestly.

No. I think Troika is really lovely.

-It's a matter of taste though, isn't it?

-Well, exactly.

-And lots of people like it.

-I think it's quite ugly.

-I'm not really a fan of Troika.

-A man after my own heart.

-You're outnumbered.

-I know.

I'm flying the flag here.

So we're going to find out what the bidders in Mold think.

It's going under the hammer right now. Fingers crossed.

Right. Nice little Troika vase.

30. 40. 50. 60. £60. 60.

-60. 60. 70. 80. £80.

-Oh, wow.

80. Going to have 90? No. £80. 80.

80. Anybody else? £80.

85. 85. 85. 90. Five, is there?

90. All done at £90, then?

We've finished at £90?

Well done. Well done for you.

-I had a really nice time.

-What next? You can spot the next thing.

-I'm going to root through the rest of my drawers and see what I've got.

-Brilliant.

160. 160.

And next under the hammer we've got a silver-cased verge pocket watch belonging to Catherine and Peter.

We've got a value of 400-600 put on by our expert, Mark Stacey.

This is real quality, and was it your father...?

My father bought it. Yes.

And since then, the watch has just been kept in a little green box in a cupboard.

Well, that's one of its virtues, really, the fact that you've looked after it. It's not been damaged.

It's still working. It's in mint condition.

-This is true.

-And it's superb.

-It's lovely. It's a very good maker.

-We've looked it up. It's, sort of, mid-to-late 18th century.

-Exactly.

-So we've put a sensible estimate on it and we protected it with a reserve.

-Good.

-So, fingers crossed.

-Something for the purists.

It's definitely the oldest thing in the sale. Let's hope the bidders fall in love with this. Here we go.

We've got a very nice Verge pocket watch here to start off with.

200, I'm bid. £200.

200. 225. 250. 275. 300.

£300, up there. 300. 300. 25 is it?

All done at 300? 325. 350. 375. 375.

-375. 375. 400.

-Yes. We've got four.

-400.

400. Take ten up here, if you want.

£400 is there. All done at £400?

Missed no-one?

We just did it - £400.

-That's a good result.

-Yes.

-It's a good result.

Right. It's my turn to be the expert today and I've been joined by Wendy, who's looking absolutely fabulous.

-You really do. Love the scarf.

-Thank you very much.

-Bit of Marilyn Monroe and some other film stars there.

-Yeah. Ava Gardner.

-Talking about photographs, we've got lots of photographs and postcards, really...

-Yeah.

..just about to go under the hammer with your album.

-And I think there's about 240 odd in total.

-Yeah.

We've got a value of £225-325.

Let's hope we can find a new home today. Here we go, Wendy.

It's going under the hammer.

Lot 100 now. Lot 100 is the album of 264 photographs.

-What shall we say for that? Nice album.

-Come on.

50, I'm bid. £50. 50. 60. 70.

80. 90. 100. And ten. 120. 130. 140.

150. 150. 150. 160 is it?

150, not much money, that isn't. 150. 150.

All done at £150, then?

We finished?

It's worth a lot more than that.

I'm pleased we put a reserve on, that's for sure.

They're easily worth over £200.

So I think the best thing you can do is - no-one in the room wants them today -

take them home, keep them at home for three or four months,

and if you decide to sell them, then put them in maybe to a different sale.

-You can definitely come back here, if you want.

-Yeah.

Watching other valuers value these postcards and I've done them myself and they've been fetching £300-400,

so there's no reason why those ones shouldn't.

Well, I've just been joined by Andy and Kate, our expert here.

We've got two Doulton figures to go under the hammer.

We're splitting the lots. The first one is the flower seller.

-Yes.

-Very collectable. We've got £120-150.

-Yeah.

We've upped it slight from that 100.

-I think that was the wife, wasn't it?

-It was the wife.

-Saying, "Come on, we want a bit more than that."

-She must be obeyed.

-Right. Yeah.

-Don't blame you there.

And the other one for £40-50.

Less popular. Hardly any colour, just a bit of gilding on that one.

-This one's Old Father Thames.

-Yeah.

Yeah. Hopefully, we've got the collectors here. It's a great name.

Let's just hope the price is right.

-Well, we'll see.

-We will... right now. Here we go.

We come onto the Royal Doulton section now.

165, the flower seller's children.

A nice one there. 50. Thank you. £50. 55.

-60. Five. 70. Five.

-Started low.

75. 75. This is not much money. 80.

Five.

90. Five.

95.

£95. 95. Who's following it up? 100.

And five.

And ten. 115. 120.

-This is good. Well done. We've sold it.

-120. And five, is it?

120. 120's close to me.

120. Are we missing anybody?

-120, it's gone.

-Brilliant. First one down. Here's the next one.

165A. Old Father Thames.

There he is.

20. £20. 20. Two. 24.

£24. 24. 24. Where's six?

24. 26. 28. Have one more, Michael.

30. £30. 30. 30. 30. I'm very grateful to you for that.

£30. 30. Two, is there?

All done at £30, then?

-That's not bad, is it?

-No.

-£150.

-So I think the wife will be really happy.

-Yeah. I hope she is.

Jean, let's hope we get the top end of Mark's estimate,

which is £40 to £60 for this lovely watch seal and fob. I think it's cracking.

It is gold, but it's not hallmarked.

-Yes. Well, we couldn't find the hallmark on it, but it's very pretty. I love the eagle's head.

-Yes.

-Yes. Gorgeous. It's quality.

-It's a lovely little object.

-It's only tiny, though.

-I know, I know, but it's lovely actually and I'm sure it's going to find a new home right now.

-Right.

-It's the kind of thing that the collectors always want.

-Absolutely.

It's not a lot of money to part with for something so different. You're not going to see this every day.

Particularly if you're a watch collector or a specialist watch dealer.

-You like this sort of thing to add to another quality item or to put on a nice fob chain, you know.

-Yeah.

-And some of the best things come in the smallest packages. We know this, don't we?

-Exactly.

Well, we're going to find out anyway what the bidders of Mold think of this lovely small package.

It's going under the hammer right now.

401, a very nice watch key.

What shall we say for that? £20, thank you. £20,

20, 5, 30, 5, 40, £40.

40, 40,

5, is it? £40. 40, 5, 7.50, 50...

-That's good.

-Yes.

£50. Over here at £50. Are we done at 50?

-Made estimate. That's good, isn't it?

-Not bad.

-That's very nice.

£50. It's going to come in useful.

-Yes.

-A little bit of commission - it's 15%.

-Right.

-You'll be able to treat yourself.

-It's not the money - it's being with you.

-Oh, well, that's nice. Can't put a price on that!

-No.

Coming up, we go from minor to major, with Royal Doulton.

It cost a fortune to post,

but can Tam find an over-the-top price for his vase from down under?

-It must have cost you a fortune to have it shipped over.

-Just over £300.

-Good Lord.

But right now, I fancy a bit of fresh air,

so I'm going to do some sightseeing on the waterfront in Liverpool.

Standing here on Liverpool's iconic waterfront are the Royal Liver,

the Cunard and the Port of Liverpool buildings.

Now, known collectively, they're the Three Graces, but I'm not here today to see these historic buildings -

what I'm here for is that one, that's caught my eye, that ultra-modern one.

Now, as of yet, it's unfinished, but it's soon going to play a key role in the city's history.

The Museum of Liverpool is a landmark modern design,

built here at the Pier Head in the heart of the city's old docks district.

It's based on a striking geometrical pattern and will eventually house a collection of 6,000 items,

telling the city's history from its origins

as a small tidal inlet to European Capital of Culture and beyond.

As you can see, it's a work in progress, but when it's opened,

there'll be 8,000 square metres of exhibition space on three floors.

The museum will focus on four themed areas - port city, creative city, people's city and global city -

all reflecting different aspects of Liverpool's history

and including many exhibits which have never been on display before.

Part of this building's genius is its complex steel frame, which forms the structure's core.

This cutting-edge design means the museum's largest exhibition areas

are free from columns and pillars and so maximise the gallery space.

I've come to meet Martin Hemmings, buildings operation manager

for the National Museums Liverpool, who is overseeing the build.

It's a stunning building, there is so much light here.

What are the highlights of the design for you?

I think particularly the spiral staircase in the middle of the building.

We can't see it in all its glory today.

It's a superb self-supporting staircase from the ground up to second floor.

It seems to float in the air, there's no columns or support,

and it does look magnificent with the roof light over the top and the natural light coming through.

You've got these wonderful architectural scoops of daylight coming in from all over the place.

Yes, yeah, and that's very unusual

for a museum to have such large glazed areas,

particularly on the upper galleries with the big gable windows.

The views are just fantastic.

They are. They're striking, really.

The whole form of the building, it's very much of this age,

but very much in keeping with the Three Graces, we think,

and there's a real good balance and scale to the whole thing.

Are you allowed to talk about costs? Are they quite frightening?

We had a community group along a couple of months ago,

and one of the little lads asked me how much it was going to cost,

and when I said 65 to 70 million...

there was this audible gasp from the mothers and fathers and teachers,

and I pointed out it was about the same as a couple of Premiership footballers, in reality.

So I asked him whether

he'd rather have a couple of footballers in his football team

or this place to come and see for the next 100 years

absolutely free for him and his children and their children, and he chose here.

I don't blame him.

This is special, and I think people know it.

It must be fantastic to have a purpose-built space.

It can give you a lot of freedom to work with.

-Yeah, very much so, for the designers.

-Yeah.

Bearing in mind this is the largest new museum that's been built in the country for over 100 years.

-Is it really?

-Yeah.

It's enabled us to bring some key objects out of storage that have never been on display.

So you do know some key items that have already been...

Yeah, many of them. For example, here we're overlooking the Port City Gallery,

and the recess in the balustrade at the side there will be taking a very special railway coach.

And here it is. Just look at this - isn't it marvellous?

An original carriage from the Liverpool Overhead Railway.

Now, I'm lucky enough to be in the museum's workshop,

getting a sneak preview, as this is being restored,

ready for display in the Port City Gallery.

The Liverpool Overhead Railway was the world's first elevated electric railway line.

Known as the Docker's Umbrella,

it is still remembered by many Liverpudlians

as one of the city's lost icons.

And I'm sure it's going to be a runaway success.

And here to tell me a little bit more about it

is Sharon Brown from the Port City Gallery. Hello, pleased to meet you.

-Hello.

-And thank you for talking to us today.

-No problem.

Now, you're in charge of the Port City Gallery

and, I guess, in choosing the exhibits.

Was that a hard decision?

It's not really a hard decision

when you've got such fantastic collection to work with.

-Well, you've got to leave something out?

-Well, you do have to leave some things out unfortunately, yes.

But the nature of some of the objects which is the Overhead Railway coach,

they're a dead cert, really, there's no way you could leave them out.

The Port City Gallery is all about the growth of Liverpool as a port city.

It's a fascinating story, and I think even local people will be surprised

at what we've managed to get into the gallery.

How many items are going to be there, all told?

-Gosh, hundreds and hundreds.

-Hundreds.

-We still haven't reached the final number yet... So it's going to go up.

-So why is this coach so important?

This is the only surviving motor coach from the Overhead Railway that ran along the docks in Liverpool.

-It ran from 1893 to 1956, so still within living memory.

-Yes.

There's a lot of people

that still have great affection for the Overhead Railway,

not just as a railway, but as a piece of the landscape as well.

And there was one lady who came in

and she was really interesting.

She'd worked as a ticket collector on the railway,

but she'd also met her husband during the course of her work.

He was a messenger boy for the Mersey Dock and Harbour Company,

so he used to ride up and down the docks on the Overhead Railway.

He liked the look of her and asked her out, and she wasn't sure.

-They ended up being married for a very long time. A nice happy ending.

-That's fantastic.

-So a personal story...

-Yes.

And also information about how the railway operated from her.

Are there any other items here that are going to go on display?

Yes, there are, and if you look just out the window behind you,

you'll see a Lion locomotive.

'Lion was an early locomotive

'which ran on the Liverpool to Manchester railway. Opened in 1830,'

this railway was vital to Liverpool's growth and prosperity as it provided cheaper faster transport

of raw materials and finished goods

between the city's ports and the mills of Manchester.

-So why did you choose this locomotive?

-The Lion is really the star object

in the whole of the Port City Gallery, it's a really important locomotive.

It was built in 1838 by Todd Kitson & Laird in Leeds to run on the Liverpool to Manchester railway.

-It was the first ever timetabled railway for passengers...

-Really?

..and freight, and it was incorporated under an Act of Parliament,

so it was a really big thing and it set the precedent for railways

-really around the world.

-Must have done. So she's had a colourful life, hasn't she?

-She's had a really colourful life.

-Oh, good old girl.

She had a film career, as well.

-Has she?

-She's actually been in three films - Victoria The Great, The Lady With The Lamp,

but most famously in 1952, the Titfield Thunderbolt,

the Ealing comedy.

So she got a new audience and a new band of fans through that market.

-A new lease of life.

-Yeah.

'What a treat to get a look behind the scenes

'and see some of the work that goes into creating a new museum.

'There's still a lot more to do before the exhibits can take their place in the galleries,

'not least, finishing the building work!'

Now, once this magnificent building has been completed,

it's going to stand proud alongside its famous neighbours here,

and who knows, maybe, just, one day,

it might be known as the Fourth Grace.

And now it's back to St George's Hall,

and Kate's found a little pot with a big name.

-Judith, hello and welcome to Flog It!

-Hiya, Kate.

-You've brought along this vase. Tell me a bit about it.

I had it given to me about 30 years ago via my aunt

-and apart from that, it's sat in the cupboard ever since.

-Do you like it?

Yes and no. I like it, but it doesn't go with my home. I like crystal and things like that, so...

Right. Well, there are lots of collectors for Moorcroft obviously,

-and if we look on the bottom, it will tell us a bit more about it.

-Mm-hm.

Obviously you've got the WM signature and the potters to the late Queen Mary, which allows us to date it

-to Walter Moorcroft, as opposed to the earlier William Moorcroft.

-Right.

-And about the 1950s.

-Mm-hm.

Now, the pattern is Anemone, so it's quite a well-known pattern, but it's usually in a different colourway.

-You usually have a blue background and then sort of pink flowers and green leaves.

-Mm-hm.

This is quite an unusual, almost like autumn colours.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Mushy green and brown, red, it's quite attractive.

It is nice. It looks better with the lights, to be fair, but when it's in a dark room,

-it looked really dark.

-It doesn't float your boat?

-It doesn't. No not at all.

So any ideas, price-wise, what you think it would be?

Don't know. Around 250, 300.

A reserve of at least 225.

Right. OK, well, I was going to say a little bit lower.

I was going to say between £200 and £300, but you don't want to sell it for any less than you're happy with.

-No, not really.

-So it's a bit of speculative one.

-What we'll do is put a reserve at 225...

-Mm-hm.

-..an estimate of 250 to 300...

-OK.

-..and see if we can get it away at the auction.

-Right. Fine.

-Would you be happy with that?

-That's fine.

-All right.

So it may or may not go. It's a bit of an iffy one this one...

If it does, it does - if it doesn't, it'll go home.

That is the way to think about it. Brilliant.

-What a lovely group of silver and you've brought lots of pieces in to show us which is fantastic.

-Yes.

But we've chosen this little group as a mixed lot

-because they're all of a type, aren't they?

-They are. Yeah.

The designs are not the same, but very similar.

Well, a lot of them are quite lightweight silver.

This is actually quite a good weight, this little bonbon basket, I suppose.

You know, you'd use it at the end of a table, in a bygone era really,

when you had maids to do all the silver cleaning for you.

This one is hallmarked for London, 1895.

And then this little dish is Chester, 1901, I think, isn't it?

So they're all from that sort of general late-19th century, early-20th century period.

And we've got a little mustard pot and two pepperettes there.

-We've decided to put them in as a group lot and you're happy with that, aren't you?

-Yes.

Now, they're a nice little group of pieces. Where did you get them from, Michelle?

-I bought them off the internet.

-Off the internet.

-Yeah.

Are you a dabbler on there? Do you like it?

Well, I had hoped to be a dabbler, but it's not working out.

Oh, dear. I'm sorry to hear that. You need an awful lot of money you know, these days, to be a dabbler.

-I found that out.

-What did you pay for the group? Can you remember?

-Probably about £120-130.

-Well, that's not too bad.

I mean, I think I would probably suggest putting them in at 100-150,

with a reserve of 100. And then, hopefully, they'll drive a little bit towards the upper estimate.

So you're happy with that then? You're happy if we put £100-150 on it?

That would be fine. Yeah.

-And why have you decided to sell them with us now?

-I just need the money.

-You need the cash.

-Well, we all do at this credit crunch time, don't we?

-We do.

I wish I had some things to flog.

Mike, you've bought in this wonderful painting.

-What can you tell me about it?

-Well, it belonged to my father.

-Yeah.

It hung over his mantelpiece for about 40 years and I've inherited it essentially. Yes.

Right. There is a little bit of background about this history.

It's a fairly well-known painting.

It's a copy of a Rubens, which has got a very long-winded title,

Night Scene With An Old Lady With A Basket And A Candle. As you can see, you can tell she's uplit

as if she's got a candle out of shot here and she's uplit by the light of the candle.

It's a very beautifully painted thing. If you've not hung it, do you not like it?

Well, some people say it's a bit spooky.

My father was fond of it, but if I can get a fishing rod and reel out of it, I'd rather catch a trout.

Right. OK. Obviously, we all go on about the subject matter.

This was part of a larger painting that has a young child in the same picture,

and that's a nice contrast between young girl and old crone.

But it's still a beautifully painted thing.

If you look at how well it's done, it's not signed so we don't know who did it

and it's certainly a copy, a late-18th, early-19th century copy of the original Rubens.

They've left quite a lot of thick paint, which is known as impasto, here on her forehead you can see.

And the uplighting's wonderful.

And all of this darkness is called chiaroscuro which is shadow.

It's a really dramatic painting.

I don't think it's spooky. I think it's lovely.

The original sold at auction recently for £2.4 million.

-Wow.

-I would love to say, "Here it is, another one."

-I'd love you to say it, too.

This painting, actually, this particular one is a known copy

so it has been catalogued as a known copy of this original.

And I think a cautious estimate would be £700-900.

-I mean, would you be happy with that or what do you think?

-Well, it'll find its own value, I guess.

I think what you're saying is probably right and I'd be happy to go with that.

So maybe if we put a reserve of 700,

we can put a guide price of maybe straddling the £1,000,

so maybe 800 to 1,200 as the guide price in the catalogue.

-And then hope it makes about the £1,000 mark.

-Yeah. Smashing.

-Hopefully a new fishing reel for you.

-Hope so.

-Or two.

-Hello, Tam.

-Hello, Mark.

-Now, who's this charming young lady with you?

-That's my daughter, Keeley.

-Hello, Keeley.

-Hello.

-And what do you think of Dad's huge pot?

-Horrible.

-Horrible?!

-Yeah.

-You don't like it at all. Does it give you nightmares?

-No. It's just the horrible colours.

-The youngsters don't appreciate these things, do they?

-No.

-But it is a real corker, isn't it?

-It's an absolute beauty.

I've never seen a Doulton vase of this size

by, of course, the famous Hannah Barlow and Frank Butler.

That's correct.

I mean, an amazing combination.

I think we ought to look at it straightaway, really,

the quality of it.

We've got a very typical frieze in the centre

of the horses and the cattle.

And then it's flanked either side, top and bottom,

by this wonderful glazing on the top of it,

the green and the blues, by Frank Butler.

Again, a top-notch Doulton designer, so you've got, really,

two leading names.

I haven't even had the courage to try and pick it up,

but I'm sure it's marked underneath - Doulton.

And I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't made for some sort of ceramic exhibition somewhere.

Now, tell me, where did you get this pot from?

Actually, I bought it online from an auction in Australia.

-It must have cost you a fortune to have it shipped over.

-It cost just over £300 for shipping.

-Good Lord.

-Yeah.

-Now, we've got to think about price.

-We know Keeley wouldn't give her pocket money for it.

-No.

-But I'm sure she'll be happy to know the value.

-I would suggest maybe putting it in at a £2,000 to 3,000 estimate, with a 2,000 fixed reserve.

-That's fine.

But five or six years ago,

-we probably would have been saying £3,000 to 5,000.

-Without doubt.

But that's the nature of the beast, isn't it? Are you happy with that?

Yeah. That's fine. That's fine.

I think I almost saw a smile with Keeley then

when she heard the 2,000 figure.

-Do you like it more now that it's worth that much money, Keeley?

-Yeah.

Thank you very much for bringing it in, Tam.

Ranging from small to large, here's a quick reminder of all the items heading off to auction.

Michelle hopes she can polish off a decent profit on her silver collection.

-Why have you decided to sell all of this now?

-I just need the money.

-Well, we all do in this credit crunch time, don't we?

-We do.

I wish I had some things to flog.

Crystal-loving Judith just doesn't really like her dark-coloured Moorcroft vase.

It looks better with the lights, to be fair, but when it's in a dark room it looks really dark.

-It doesn't float your boat?

-It doesn't. No, not at all.

Can Tam find a giant price for his giant vase?

We know Keeley wouldn't give her pocket money for it, but I'm sure she'll be happy to know the value.

And, finally, will Mark's dark, Ruben-style painting brighten up the saleroom?

And before it goes under the hammer,

I've found a few minutes to sit down with Anthony to get his opinion.

-Now, would you like this on your wall at home?

-At home?

-Not in the saleroom.

-Not in the saleroom.

No. I wouldn't like it at home. It's a very dull-looking picture.

I find a lot of Rubens are quite sort of spooky.

This is after Rubens, obviously.

-Yes.

-It's A Night Scene With An Old Lady Holding A Basket And A Candle.

It belongs to Michael. He doesn't like it. He keeps it in bubblewrap.

-Oh, right.

-So he wants to sell it to buy a fishing rod and a reel.

Oh, I think we might manage that, a fishing rod and a reel out of it.

-But you haven't heard the valuation.

-Oh, right.

-OK. 800 to 1,200.

-There has been a fair bit of interest in it.

-Has there?

-Yeah. We've had international interest in it, as well.

-Good.

-So, hopefully, it'll make money.

-Fingers crossed. Could we double the top end?

Oh, don't be greedy.

Whenever we say invest in antiques, we say invest in a good name, and quality and condition,

and this lot does have the lot. A Moorcroft vase of bulbous form.

-It belongs to Judith...

-Yes, indeed.

-..and we've got £250 to £300 on this.

-Indeed. Yes.

Fingers crossed we'll get a bit more.

-Well, we'd like a bit more, but we shall see.

-It's a lovely thing.

It's nice form and lovely colours, autumny colours, so that's quite rare for Moorcroft. I quite like it.

And I agree with you on the valuation and I'm pretty sure we're going to sell this.

So there's a lot of bidders here, it's a packed saleroom.

-It is a packed saleroom.

-You can't move, can you?

There's no chance to view now, but hopefully they're going to buy this lot.

We're going to find out right now.

Anemone design.

100 I'm bid.

£100, 100 and 10, 120,

130, 140, 150.

150, 160, 170, 180...

It's OK though, cos it's going in the right direction - upwards.

..180, 180, 190, 200, 210, 210.

-Go on!

-210, 210, 220,

-220.

-5? Yes.

-Keep going.

Five in the doorway. 220's in the room.

Are you all done at £220, then? It's in the room. 220.

-£220 - just.

-Just.

-That was close.

-It was.

-Would have been nice more, but never mind.

-Yeah, but it'll come in handy.

-I'm sure it will.

Well, it's a shame we had to rely on the auctioneer's discretion.

Let's hope we don't need it for our next lot.

Fingers crossed, Michelle. We're going to find out and so are you,

because all the silver collection is just about to go under the hammer.

We're selling it because...

-got to pay some bills, haven't you?

-Got to pay a lot of bills.

Fact of life, we've all got them and we all have to pay them, Mark.

-We do.

-We've got a top end of the estimate at £150.

And there's a lot of silver here, bonbon dish, all sorts of things, mustard pot.

Nice little mixed lot, actually. Should appeal to the trade buyers,

-cos there's a lot there, or private collectors who want to furnish their little silver cabinets with it.

-Yeah.

All different assay offices so there's something for everybody.

And I know they've been wrapped up at home ready to go for a long time.

-Yeah.

-Let's hope this is the day, shall we?

Good luck, both of you. Here we go.

36. A mixed collection here.

A mixed collection of silver, a swing-handle basket.

Three ounces. London hallmark.

Bonbon dish. Chester, 1901.

A pair of pepperettes. Birmingham...

-It's a long list

-It is.

-He's getting out of breath describing it.

Sheffield, 1889. Five items.

-Have you got them all, Mike?

-Yes.

-Right. What shall we say for those?

50. Thank you. £50 the lot. 50.

5. 60. 5. 70. 5. 75. 80.

5. 85. 90. 5.

-100. 5. 110. 115.

-Oh, good.

-120. 120. 120. 120. 120. 120.

-A bit more.

-Five, is it?

All done at 120 then? Are we finished at 120? And they're gone.

-120. That's not bad.

-It made estimate.

-It's going towards those bills, that's for sure.

-Absolutely.

-I'm happy.

-You're happy?

-I'm relieved.

It's after Rubens, it's a wonderful oil on canvas and I know you love this.

-Yes.

-And I know you want to sell it.

-I do.

-And I think, I just think, we've got a new home for it somewhere here in Wales.

I had a chat to Anthony, the auctioneer, before the sale started.

Well, he said he's had quite a bit of interest.

There's been a lot of viewings.

-If you could just find a signature in the bottom-right, that would be quite helpful.

-Just a bit.

-No,

-it's beautifully painted and I love it.

-Why do you want to sell it?

-Well, it's a legacy from my father and it's got to be split three ways.

-OK.

-It's got to go.

It's an easy way of dividing up the value then, isn't it, really?

-Quite.

-It's hard to value unless it goes into an auction like this where everyone has the chance to buy it.

I think the talking's over with, don't you? We can't really say any more about it.

We all love it and we're going to find out what the bidders here in Mold think of it. Here we go.

It's going under the hammer.

After Peter Paul Rubens, I wish it was Peter Paul Rubens.

The study of the old lady. Part of

A Night Scene Of The Old Lady Holding The Basket And The Candle.

The original was sold, as we've got in the catalogue, for 2.4 million,

in 2004. So there's a chance for you all now to have a Rubens.

What shall we say for it?

We won't ask you for 100,000 to start.

500. Thank you. £500. 500.

£500. 500. 500. 550. 550. 550. 550.

600. £600. 600.

£600. 600. 600. And 50.

650. 650. 650. 650.

£650. 650. 650. Where's 700?

£650 then. All done at £650?

-Not enough, is it?

-No.

-Are we finished at 650?

I'm really surprised.

-So am I.

-Oh, dear.

-Oh, dear.

-Oh, well.

-What a shame.

-You're taking it home.

There was somebody on the phone, wasn't there, as well, but they didn't want to be pushed?

-That was the highest bid on the phone - 650.

-Was it to the phone?

Yeah. Yeah. If someone was in the room pushing that,

the phone bidder may have gone 750, 800, which would have just sold it.

-Yeah.

-Which just goes to show, you can't get it right all the time.

-No. That was so close.

-It was.

What I would do if I was you is have a word with the auctioneer after the sale...

-he'll have the phone number of the phone bidder.

-Right.

They might be able to see if he's prepared to go that one bid extra to get it to the reserve.

-Yeah.

-It's worth trying.

-It is.

-Ask him. Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Ask him cos it's so close.

-Yeah.

Are you over at 55?

We're looking for £2,000-3,000, for the Royal Doulton.

It's made by Hannah Barlow.

It's absolutely gorgeous. It belongs to Tam. Why are you selling this, Tam?

It's just that it's a big, massive lump and I just really haven't got room for it.

I've had it about 2½ years now and I think it's just time to sell it and move on to something else.

-It is big, isn't it?

-It's huge.

-Where's it been at home then?

-Stuck in the corner, basically.

-Stuck in the corner.

-Yeah.

-What, on the floor?

-On the floor.

-On the floor.

-On the floor.

-Not a good way to display something like that. No.

-No.

But it is kind of the wrong size, isn't it, really?

That's the only thing it's got its downsides on.

If you were a collector at a very big house and you had a big jardiniere stand to put it on or something,

-in the corner of the room, and you really wanted to appreciate it, that's fantastic.

-Yes.

But I love the combination of the Frank Butler border and the Hannah Barlow and I agree with you,

I think it's an exhibition piece, but it's fingers crossed because it's a specialist market.

Which means it could be a lot rarer.

-It's a one-off.

-Yes.

-How can you do your price comparables? You can't.

That's what auctions are all about. This is what makes this so exciting.

Right now, it's going under the hammer.

-We're going to find its real value. Good luck, both of you.

-Thank you.

181. Are you showing it? You're not even picking it up. 181.

We've got this heavy jardiniere, the Hannah Barlow decorated one.

Doulton Lambeth, 1885.

Never seen one that size before. £500. 500. 500. 600.

700. 800. 900.

1,000. 1,100. 1,200.

£1,200 there. 1,200. 1,200.

-We're a long way off.

-Yeah. We are, a bit.

13. 50. 14. 50. 15. 50. 16.

50. 17. 50. 18. 50. 19. 50.

Yes.

One more.

1,975, was it, to you?

Go on. 1,975. 1,975. 1,975.

-Great year.

-Are you going to fill it up for me? No. 1,975. It's going.

At 1,975...

Yes. We've done it.

I think the auctioneer's going to make up the extra £25

because it was fixed at £2,000,

but what a great result.

I'm pleased with that, cos I didn't have high hopes, in fairness.

-I thought it was the wrong sale.

-You were getting the wobbles this morning, I could see that.

I had the cobbles this morning, I can tell you.

Your reputation was on the line.

Oh, it's been on the line for some years.

Naughty boy.

Look, that's great, isn't it? What are you going to do with the money?

I'll reinvest it into something nice, another piece of pottery, probably.

-Something smaller.

-Yeah. Definitely. Something lighter.

-Yes. Yeah.

We've had a brilliant day here in Mold

It's not been a 100% sales success, but that's what makes auctions so unpredictable.

It keeps them exciting. And I think our owners have gone home having enjoyed themselves,

and I hope you've enjoyed watching the show today.

So until the next time, it's cheerio.