Loughborough Flog It!

Today I'm in a town that's played a surprising part in the history of travel.

Welcome to "Flog It!" from the market town of Loughborough.

In July 1841, the holiday operator Thomas Cook ran his first tour

but it wasn't to Spain - it was to the market town of Loughborough.

Cook was a Baptist and a follower of the Temperance movement,

which meant he was a teetotaller,

and the idea for his company came about when he set up a trip, by train,

for 500 other Temperance supporters to travel from Leicester to Loughborough.

And this wasn't the only transport claim to fame in the area.

Later, I'll be navigating one of the longest flights of locks

in the English canal system.

The design here at Foxton was so clever considering this was the age of horse and cart.

There were no mechanical diggers.

So you can imagine the blood, sweat and tears

that went in to building this flight of locks.

But first let's get over to today's venue...Loughborough's Town Hall.

Getting to meet all the locals today are our two travelling experts -

Mr Adam Partridge and Elizabeth Talbot.

I tell you what, there's so many people - you've got your work cut out.

-We certainly have.

-We'll cope.

I don't know what's in those boxes, but are we gonna find out!

It's time to get the doors open and get this queue inside. Are you ready everyone?

ALL: Yes!

And I think Adam's already found something he'd like to take home as a souvenir.

-Welcome to "Flog It!" I'm Adam.

-Hello.

-You are?

-Susan.

Susan, very interesting item you've brought, a wonderful piece of music - The Moonlight Serenade.

-Absolutely.

-Are you going to sing it for me?

-No way.

-Go on...

-It's a lovely song, isn't it?

-Yeah, beautiful song.

-Glenn Miller, the very famous Glenn Miller.

-Yup.

And what we've got on here, "To Ron from... "

-Glenn Miller.

-Glenn Miller. How did you come to own this?

My father was a musician, he played with lots of big bands,

and he saw Glenn Miller playing in Hyde Park

-and one of his friends got that for him...

-Really?

-And he gave it to me.

So, Susan, I presume this holds a few memories for you, does it?

Yeah. Mainly because my father was in a band

and he played a lot of that music.

-It does hold memories.

-Happy memories?

-Very happy memories.

-That's good.

Was your father a saxophonist?

-He was. Played the saxophone and clarinet.

-Did he?

-Yeah, and flute.

I presume... Why are you selling it? Because you don't need it?

Well, it just sits there on the shelf,

so if somebody else could appreciate it, that would be nice.

-I think there will be some interest in this.

-Cos it's very special.

-Well, valuation isn't great, it's 20 to 40 in my opinion.

-That's OK.

-There's always the chance it'll make more.

-Yeah.

-Do you want to put a reserve to protect it?

-Yes, please.

-£20?

-Yeah.

So if it doesn't make £20, it can go back.

-And if the bidders are... In The Mood...

-Oh, very good. Yeah.

..then hopefully it'll make more.

It'll be A String Of Pearls.

-Thanks for coming to "Flog It!"

-You're welcome.

Right, Peter, you've brought a lovely, lovely watch here.

I'd like to know some of the history about it, what can you tell me?

Well, it was my father's.

I've had it the last ten years

and it's been in a drawer, never comes out.

-Right.

-My father wore a watch every day

because he wore a three-piece suit, which is unusual for a lot of people.

-Uh-huh.

-He used to like nice things,

and I've looked up a little bit on the internet

but I can't find a lot out,

but I know it's supposed to be a bit of a quality watch so, you know...

-Come to find out more about it?

-Yeah...

I thought I'd see if I found out some more.

Well, the first thing I noticed,

which is obvious when it's closed, is how very slender the watch is.

I think it's a sign of quality that this little watch has got all the ingenuity of the movement,

and it's all refined into such a flat case.

The quality of the engraving

and the decoration on the case

is such that it belies the fact it was used so often and was in service for so many years.

It looks as though it's been treasured and put away for all its life.

It was used regularly, yes.

Well, that's a great compliment to your father, how he looked after it.

If we open the case here to reveal the movement,

it's a Swiss watch made by Audemars brothers, Audemars Freres.

The case is actually Continental gold, it's 14 karat,

it's spelt with a 'k' so we know it's Continental,

so obviously that ties in with its Genevan origins,

and it's a very smart thing. So you don't wear it then?

-No, I don't wear a waistcoat myself.

-Oh, do you not?

-No, no.

Not everybody does, but it's just a good honest piece,

and you're quite right, the quality of it as a watch

will set it apart from many others from the late 19th, early 20th century.

So having said all that, Peter,

have you got a figure in mind for what it might be worth?

-I've got no idea what it's worth...

-No?

OK. Well, I think, given the positive elements we've discussed,

there's a realistic chance it should make, in the region of,

about £200, £250, maybe £300, but £200 to £300.

But I'd advise a reserve on it of £150,

-if you're comfortable with that.

-That's fine, thank you.

In which case, it's time to see what it makes in the auction.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for coming.

-Thank you very much.

-Are you a photographer, Diana?

-Not at all.

I know nothing about cameras

and even less about the old cameras like the Leica.

Fantastic camera, what can I say?

Leica sort of pioneered the 35mm lens. So whose is it?

-It was my husband's.

-You were obviously this side of the camera - you're the model, basically.

Well, no, he didn't actually photograph me, it was other things of interest.

-He travelled quite a lot.

-And used this widely?

Yes, he used it quite a lot when he had the time

-because it isn't something you would take an instant picture.

-No.

He bought it in 1988 and it cost about £225 from a dealer,

I think, in Cambridge.

-This camera dates back to 1925, basically.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-And he paid about the right amount of money for it.

-You can use it today, that's the great thing about it.

-Yes.

-I think you'll easily get your money back if we put this into auction.

-Good.

My only concern is we're selling something with moving parts,

and a lot of people tend to shy away

from buying something like this in auction.

-I'd like to put an auction price guide of £250 to £350.

-OK, yep.

-With a reserve at £225.

-That's fine, yes.

-Which is...

-What I paid for it, yes.

Let's face it, the auctioneer's gonna give this full exposure.

-Yes.

-It's gonna be in the catalogue, it's gonna be on the internet.

-Yep.

Dealers and collectors will find this.

People all over the world will want a camera like this.

Because you can use it and it's still quality.

-That's right. Well, thank you, that would be wonderful.

-Happy?

-Yes.

Josie, thank you for bringing this wonderful book in.

Now I know what's inside, but you tell me the story about it first.

My mother had a second-hand furniture shop for many years

and she would clear out houses.

-Right.

-And then my father would toddle down to the shop

and see what was interesting in the cupboards and the drawers,

and take them home and squirrel them away into his cupboard.

-Oh, OK.

-And when we cleared the house out a few years ago,

-I found that in my father's cupboard.

-It's a book of maps,

and when we open up these wonderful marbled boards to reveal what's inside,

we find that it's a book of maps here - 33 of them in total.

They were originally engraved on copper plates

and they are designed for use in schools

and this is rather nice,

"And of gentlemen who make the ancient writers their delight or study,"

which is just wonderful.

And at the bottom we have the date here, which is 1796,

and then we turn over to see some of the wonderful maps,

which have been protected by these covers inside,

and this one we'll recognise as the British Isles.

And this book of maps really, to a certain extent,

is almost covering the majority of Europe as it was seen then.

What's special about this

is the fact that you have the 33 original maps still in situ.

Particularly during the late Victorian and early 20th century,

map books were taken apart

and the maps were then framed

as individual hanging pictures to put on walls.

It's lovely that they've survived as purely as this.

-Now you've obviously enjoyed ownership of it.

-Yes.

But you're now looking at selling?

We've moved to a small bungalow

and we just haven't got the room. So I'll be sad to see it go, but...

-if it could go to somebody who will appreciate it...

-Yes.

I think because of the subject matter, it will definitely be a collector of maps.

In terms of value,

I think that it will have a ready market at round about £150 to £250 at auction.

So it should have a reserve to protect it at the lower end, £150 if you're comfortable.

-Right.

-So we have a firm reserve, the auctioneer will work to that and we'll see how we do.

-Lovely.

-Thank you very much.

-I will look forward to it.

-Thank you.

You've just seen the gems our experts have chosen. Are their valuations right?

We're gonna find out because it's time to up the tempo. We're making our way

to the auction room and we're going to leave you with a little reminder of what we're taking.

'Susan's signed Glenn Miller music brings back lots of happy family memories

'and Adam thinks it might serenade the saleroom.'

If the bidders are...In The Mood...

-Oh, very good.

-..then hopefully it'll make more.

Yes, it'll be A String Of Pearls.

'Peter didn't inherit his dad's taste for three-piece suits,

'so it's time to let go of the pocket watch.

'I thought Diana's camera was in great condition, and I feel sure

'she'll make her money back with an estimate of £250 to £350.'

-Let's face it, the auctioneer's gonna give this full exposure.

-Yeah, yep.

'And Josie is sad to sell her dad's book of maps,

'but Elizabeth thinks it's a fantastic item for the collectors.'

This is where we put our valuations to the test,

courtesy of Gilding's Auction Rooms in Market Harborough.

It's packed and hopefully this lot are gonna bid on our items.

Are you gonna put your hands up?

Whatever you do, don't go away because I think there's going to be one or two surprises today.

-'And wielding the gavel here in Market Harborough is auctioneer Mark Gilding.'

-32.

I love this next item, it's quality, it's a gorgeous Swiss pocket watch.

It belongs to Peter and at £200 to £300, I think we're gonna sell this, Elizabeth.

-I agree with the valuation.

-Thank you. I would hope so, it's in superb condition.

I can't believe your father wore it virtually every day.

-Yes.

-And you've got lots of memories of seeing photographs of him...

-Oh, yes.

-Did you never fancy a waistcoat?

-No, no.

-It is quality.

-It is.

-It's working. It's beautiful.

Let's see what the bidders think. Here we go.

285 is a slim pocket watch.

It certainly is, and with engine-turned case

marked 14K, 14 carat, the bids start here at 120, I am bid.

120... are you all out at 120, at 130 now...at 140, £140 bid...

-140.

-He's struggling.

-Yes.

-150 bid... at 150 in the room, at 150...

I'm selling at 150.

-It's gone.

-It's OK.

What will you put the money towards?

-It's going towards a holiday.

-Oh, where?

-Lanzarote.

Oh, well done. Get some sun.

-Yes.

-Not too far to go.

-Oh, no, no.

Now it's my turn to be the expert, and in the frame

we've got Diana here, who's looking radiant, and I love the colours.

-Thank you, Paul.

-And it's that wonderful Leica camera.

Precision personified, that is, in the original case.

We need two collectors here that really understand the lenses.

-Yes, exactly. Well, let's hope they're here.

-I do as well.

-Yes.

-Let's find out.

Here we go.

100, a Leica DRP camera with the original leather case.

Lot number 100, bidding starts at 180...

£200, £220 I am bid...

220 bid here, all out at 220...

I'll take 40 if you like, 240 on the telephone...

240, 240 on the telephone. All out on the room...

at 240 and selling now at £240.

Yes, the hammer's gone down at £240.

-Great.

-We just did it.

-I'm happy with that.

-Fixed reserve at 225 so...phew!

-Yes, I'm relieved.

It was bought by phone. If there was somebody else to push him, he may have gone the extra two or three.

But we're never going to know that. That's the beauty of auction.

I've just been joined by Josie with our expert here, Elizabeth.

We've got something for the purist - an 18th-century book of maps.

Absolutely fabulous, and the condition is perfect as well.

Let's hope we get the top end of Elizabeth's valuation, we're looking for around £150 to £200.

It's a stunning book and if you're interested in cartography, this is the one.

A dealer might just split this up and sell them separately, we don't know.

But we are on the right road here.

-Well, I hope so.

-We're gonna find out. Good luck, Josie. This is it.

210, Geographica Antiqua, being a complete set of maps

printed in 1796, and bidding starting here at £120, 130...

140, 150... 160, 170...

180, 190 - the commissions are out.

It's in the room at £200, 200...

210, take 20 if you like, internet's out, 210...

straight ahead at 210 and selling at 210...

Brilliant! I hope the money comes in useful.

I can have my TV up in my office now.

Is that what you want, a TV in the office?

-I like it, I like it.

-To watch "Flog It!".

Now we've got an original valuation - a signed autograph from Glenn Miller, £20 to £40 from Adam.

Had a chat to the auctioneer before the sale and he said they've revised the valuation.

He's now put £100 to £150 on this.

-Thinks it's very collectable.

-Right.

-Let's hope we hit the right notes.

-Hope it doesn't scare them off.

-Oh, well done!

-And ends in a big crescendo.

A musical score, Moonlight Serenade, pencil inscribed

"To Ron from Glenn Miller", £75 I am bid.

75...85,

-95... £100.

-He's done it.

110 on the internet...

-at 110, room's out now... internet's in at 110...

-115.

115. 115, new bid in.

115... I'll wait for you, internet, at 20 if you like, 115...

in the room then, please be quick at 115...and selling...

£115, the hammer's gone down.

-Great!

-That was good.

-That's wonderful.

That was really, really good.

-Brilliant!

-'What a great result for Susan.

'And there's more to come later when a "Flog It!" favourite gets rough treatment from its owner.'

Were they bought like that? How did this damage occur?

Someone opened the cabinet door and the whole tea set fell out.

-You're covering for somebody.

-I am, but she'll kill me.

'I've left the busy valuation day behind and taken to the towpath.

'These days, we think of canals as a place for fun and relaxation, but at the end of the 18th century

'these were the motorways of the Industrial Revolution,

'vital for moving goods and raw materials in bulk across the country.

'And situated just outside of Market Harborough,

'this stretch of the canal network has a particularly interesting history.'

I've come to Foxton Locks, one of the longest flights of locks in the English canal system

to find out how engineers in past times ingeniously solved the age-old problem

of moving water uphill.

And how did they solve it? Well, by this -

a staircase of locks, ten of them, a flight of them going up the side of the hill.

Now the front gate of each lock created the back gate of the next one and so forth.

And assisted by these ponds and reservoirs, that helped

regulate the water flow as the narrow boats were passing through.

Here at Foxton - that was a brilliant design, considering this was the age of horse and cart

and pulley and tackle, no mechanical diggers.

So you can imagine the blood, sweat and tears that went in to building this flight of locks.

'Navigating the locks can be a challenge, even for the most experienced.

'Bill Smith works on site here. This morning he's kindly offered to be my guide.'

-Hi, Bill.

-Hiya.

-Pleased to meet you. What a lovely day.

-Yes, it's fantastic.

-How long have you been lock-keeper here?

-I've been here four years now.

-Gosh, what a lovely job, eh?

Des res here, look, and what a view from the office!

-Yeah, fantastic both ways, isn't it?

-When was this established?

The locks opened in 1814, the lock-keeper would have lived here

in the house and he wouldn't have got his two days off a week,

-he'd have just been here and that would have been his job working.

-24/7?

-Yeah.

I mean, it was the height of the Industrial Revolution and trade was flowing backwards and forwards.

-So what's the main difference today?

-The emphasis is more on leisure

and we're getting many people come here, some of the people we know.

One of the differences is that the working boaters would have been regular.

It would have been the same group of people

so the old-time lock-keepers would have probably known their customers

far better than we ever get the chance to, given the turnover we get now with the holiday boaters.

-And you end up giving the novices lots of tips and helping them out?

-Yes.

-Beginners perhaps need a lot more instruction and a lot more time.

-A little bit of guidance.

-Bill, I think we should take to the water now and you can show me the ropes along the way.

-Great.

Paul, this is Terry and he'll help us take the boats through the locks.

-Hello, Paul.

-Pleased to meet you, Terry. Can I come aboard?

-Yes.

-Thanks.

Ever since the locks were completed, a huge variety of cargo, from coal and iron

to everyday items such as beer, flour, milk, and cabbages, have been transported through here.

At the canal's height, 50 or 60 working boats a day moved through the locks,

passing between the busy industrial Midlands, London and the South.

We're in position now, we're at the top of the lock staircase.

-You'll need one of these, which is a windlass.

-Shall I go this side?

Yeah, we both step off this side and take a walk on down there.

Right. OK, this is the first lock then for us, what do you want me to do?

These things here in front of us are called paddles,

and there are two paddles to operate at each lock. It's straightforward -

we wind the red one up and then we go back to the other side of the beam and wind the white one up.

So with the windlass, you start to wind it up.

Push the windlass onto the spindle, nice tight fit, and then turn it clockwise.

-OK.

-This one in particular you'll certainly need both hands to be able to wind it up.

When we wind this one up, it opens up a channel that connects

-the pond to our right to the lock below us.

-Yep.

We lift that up and the water starts coming to fill the lock ahead of us.

So this is a reservoir and they're dotted all the way down from each lock.

-Each lock has its own side pond.

-Ingenious, isn't it, really?

-We'll keep turning this till it won't go any further.

-That happens pretty fast, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-You can hear the water gushing in. It's filling up.

What a lovely sound as well.

OK, Paul. Now it's time to do this one

and we're gonna do exactly the same. Do you want to turn that clockwise?

You probably need both hands.

Actually, it's a lot easier than it looks, it really is.

The one I did wasn't.

You're doing the easy one, I think.

-There you go.

-If you look behind you...

-Look at that!

And obviously that's now letting the water out and the boat is dropping quite rapidly down. Look at this.

That is so quick.

You can see the narrow boat is now almost level with my feet in about...eight seconds.

-Unlike lots of locks where the water travels through the gates, the water travels via the side ponds.

-Exactly.

It means we're going to take this boat all the way down the locks on one lock full of water.

Look at that, what a smooth operation.

It looks so easy in the sunshine but obviously in the middle of winter with the rain pouring down...

-It is a bit bleak up here then, yeah.

-In past times, this narrow boat full of coal or something

and horses everywhere, it would have been hard work. Hard work.

-What's next?

-Well, that was easy, Paul.

We've got another nine to go now, so on we go.

Should we get winding?

The journey through the locks takes a minimum of 45 minutes,

but when the canal gets busy, people can wait up to five hours.

In the late 1800s when working boats plied the canals, bottlenecks were affecting business

and competition from road and rail meant a more efficient way

to move boats up and down the hill had to be found.

So while Terry and Bill carry on down through the locks,

I'm off to see what an engineer called Gordon Cale Thomas came up with.

And this is it.

It's the site where the Foxton Inclined Plane once stood.

It was a brilliant piece of Victorian technology.

It was opened in 1900 and it was designed to take bigger boats more quickly and effectively up the hill.

Built by a workforce of 300 men, the lift had two tanks which carried boats suspended in water.

Each tank could carry two narrow boats or, for the first time, one widebeam barge.

The whole system was powered by an engine house at the top of the hill.

It's marvellous. You can just imagine what this would have looked like back then.

The inclined plane journey time was just 12 minutes - it was a vast improvement on the flight of locks.

And of course it was a lot greener as well because in the lock system,

when you let a narrow boat pass through, all the water was flowing downhill.

This way, you use the same amount of water in a large tank going up the hill

as you did coming down the hill, so it saved a lot of this vital resource.

Sadly, the lift wasn't operating for long.

After just ten years, it was closed

and in 1928, it was demolished and sold for scrap.

A team of fundraisers here at Foxton is now at work to restore it.

Well, until it's back in operation, and let's hope that's soon,

the only way to travel through this stretch of canal is via the historic lock system.

And I've had a great time this morning travelling through it with Bill and Terry.

Our journey's almost come to an end, we've got one more lock to go through.

Terry, thanks very much!

-Bill, it's been a pleasure.

-Cheers, Paul.

Thank you. I'm gonna jump off now before I end up in Leicester.

Welcome back to the valuation day. The queue is still going down the road.

The house is still full. Plenty more antiques to see.

So let's now catch up with our experts.

And it looks like Adam is about to launch into some more boating history.

Well, Tony, I can feel an interesting story ahead.

What can you tell me about these objects?

Well, this was a silver salver

presented to Mrs Blott, the owner of the Essex Maid, built at Colchester.

Obviously John Blott Esq of Essex was quite an important chap, what do you know about him?

-Well, he was my wife's aunt's husband.

-Wife's...aunt's... OK.

He was a businessman and he loved ships and boats

and he had boats all his life, really.

So here's an album of the construction of the Essex Maid.

From the stocks right till she was launched, which was just prior to the war starting.

How nice to have it documented like this all the way through, every week, isn't it?

-They took a photo every week.

-The ship was acquisitioned by the Government for work with the Navy.

It served as a minesweeper throughout the war.

-Throughout the war?

-Yes.

-Well, this is interesting.

Yes. The ship went on then to serve through the war.

-So it never got damaged?

-It came through unscathed.

-Really?

-Yeah, not a scratch,

apart from the Navy giving it a bit of a beating up.

-Wear and tear.

-And when it came back, it wasn't to the standard that it had left, obviously,

and he decided that he would take the money from the Government.

The Government then, apparently, sold this on to an Arab sheikh

-who had it converted to a real luxury...

-Luxury cruiser.

..which he sailed for a few months, apparently,

and then he ran it aground on a large rock

in the Red Sea and the Essex Maid folded away.

-So it survived World War II as a minesweeper.

-The whole of World War II,

and then finished up at the bottom of the Red Sea.

Well, what an interesting life!

So why have you decided to sell it then, Tony?

Well, I'm getting older and it's not something that you put on display a lot,

in case the burglars look through the window, and we wouldn't use this.

But there must be people out there with interest of this sort of thing.

-That's right, oh, definitely. Maritime is a strong field for collectors.

-Yep.

And this is a nice object in its own right, this silver salver

with the engraving of the Essex Maid,

that's got to be worth £200 on its own.

Often when things are engraved, they detract from the value,

but this adds to it, bearing in mind the album as well.

With that, together with the interest there,

it must be worth £250-300, at least.

So hopefully we'll do that and more.

If it makes £300, would you put that towards anything particular or not?

A nice golfing weekend would be very handy, but I don't know whether the wife would agree with that.

Well, we're going to put it in the auction. I hope it sails away.

"Sails away"!

I know, sorry. I've got to stop doing that, it's an illness.

And we'll see you at the SAIL.

-I've done it again.

-Done it again.

Yvonne, I'm so pleased you've come today

with this wonderful little group of items.

Tell me what you know about them.

Most of them belonged to my relatives.

My aunt is the receiver of most of these

and they've been handed down to me over the years.

The scent bottles I've had since I was a child.

-Right.

-My aunt...

was a lady who went to Paris to the fashion shows,

draw sketches of the clothes, and she would come home

and redesign the things for the normal market.

Oh, really? So she translated what she'd seen on the catwalk...

-Yes, into saleable items for the clothing industry of England.

-How fascinating!

-Yes.

-So she was a very elegant, well dressed lady with the accoutrements to go with it.

-Exactly.

And you obviously like them and treasure them.

I like them, but they've been in the cupboard for far too long.

So you're looking to sell, hopefully.

-Yes.

-And the money's being reinvested?

The money will be split four ways - a bit to each of my sons and a quarter to Cancer Research.

Cancer Research.

-Which I'm very into at the moment.

-Close to your heart.

-Close to my heart.

-OK, very good.

We'll see what we can do and I'll explain these.

What you have here, fundamentally,

is a little collection of silver items or silver-enhanced items

and I've put them on the table like this simply because, being purely sexist,

this one will appeal to the boys

and this one should appeal to the girls. Something for everyone.

Well, yes. That's a good idea, yes. I like that.

So what we have here, we have three little vesta cases,

would have been for carrying matches,

and I'd have thought a little group like that at auction

would average out at round about £20 each, give or take.

-Yes, that is fine.

-Now, moving on to the scent bottles. Interestingly,

they both retain their little scent stoppers inside made of glass.

So often, over the 100 or so years since these were first made,

they'd have been lost, so it's a treat

-to find TWO that have got their stoppers in.

-How sweet.

They were both assayed in Birmingham and we have 1897 and 1900 in date.

I've put them with this piece at the front - a powder compact,

which is actually Continental silver, it's stamped 925 and I think it's possibly French.

The little group together, I think, in the current market, should fetch

in the region of about 70 to 100.

Again, they may make a little more, but I think we need to be realistic.

-Be sensible, yes.

-I would suggest a reserve of £70 for those.

So a fitting tribute to your aunt and your previous family.

Thank you very much.

-Ivan, welcome to "Flog It!".

-Thank you very much.

-You are Ivan, aren't you?

-I am.

-Ivan...

-The Terrible.

-Ah yeah! I enjoyed meeting you earlier

when you showed me this Clarice Cliff tea service,

because you haven't got high expectations.

-No, not really, because there's slight damage.

-Yes.

-That piece is damaged.

-Yes, there's a crack there.

Yeah. That's damaged.

-There's a chip there.

-And the plate has got a...

There's a crack there as well.

Now, were they bought like that? How did this damage occur?

No, actually they were kept in a cabinet

and someone opened the cabinet door.

-Someone?

-And the whole set fell out.

-The whole of it?

-Yeah.

-Really?

-All of it, yeah.

-Someone with an aversion to Clarice Cliff?

-It must have been.

-And who was that someone?

Me.

-That's not true, is it?

-No.

-You're covering for someone.

I am, yes, but she'll kill me.

OK. So how did you come to own it in the first place?

Well, actually I'm an obsessive Art Deco collector.

So you know what you're doing.

Pretty well, yeah, on the china side. But I collect other Art Deco -

-anything I can find.

-Have you got other Clarice?

-No, this is it now.

It's a good set despite the damage because of course we've got a good shape, triangular handles.

-Is that the Bon Jour shape, this?

-Yes.

The pattern's Rodanthe, mid-1930s.

Very good example of Clarice Cliff and the Art Deco period with that shape.

-Now in good condition, it's £1,000 worth.

-Yeah.

Maybe a bit more.

Because you've got a bit of damage, I would be tempted to put £500 to £700 with a reserve of £500.

Yeah, I'll go with that.

And then it gives you every chance of making hopefully £700 or £800,

-which is somewhere probably more along the lines of what you want to get.

-Yeah.

I once met one of the paintresses of Clarice Cliff called Rene Dale and she was a great character.

She told me lots and lots about Clarice Cliff.

And she also told me one of my favourite stories -

-she went to see Clarice Cliff for a pay rise, otherwise she was going to work for Susie Cooper.

-Right.

So Clarice Cliff said to her, "No pay rise, Rene, back to work."

So at lunchtime, Rene went off to see Susie Cooper at the Crown Works in Burslem just down the road,

knocked on the door, and Susie Cooper was on the phone.

She put the phone down, she said, "You must be Rene.

"That was Clarice on the phone - get back to work!" So there was no headhunting in those days.

-So you said you need the money.

-Yeah.

-What for?

-I need a boat.

-It may be a Dinky Toy speedboat that you end up with.

-Or a canoe.

Yeah. But it's a good set, it's a great pattern, strong design

-and, hopefully, we'll make the £700 or £800.

-Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed. Thanks for bringing it along today.

-No problem at all.

-See you at the auction.

-Thank you very much.

'So we have another batch of great items going off to the saleroom.

'Let's take another look.

'The boat The Essex Maid may be at the bottom of the sea,

'but the photo album and silver salver are still alive and well.'

We're gonna put it in the auction, I hope it sails away.

-"Sails away"!

-I know, sorry,

and we'll see you at the SAIL. Oh, I've done it again.

'Elizabeth divided Yvonne's items into lots for the boys and lots for the girls,

'so there should be something for everyone in the auction.

'And Ivan had his eye on a speedboat until Adam valued the Clarice Cliff tea set at £500 to £700.'

-It may be a Dinky Toy speedboat.

-Or a canoe.

-Yeah.

'Over at the auction room, Mark Gilding has taken more Essex-made items on board.'

-Now this is an interesting lot which has grown.

-Yes.

So you've got to do some explaining here.

We've got the silver salver and the photo album, which was left to Tony, and it is all about the Essex Maid,

which was originally owned by Mr and Mrs Blott.

We've got a valuation just on these two items

-of £250 to £300.

-OK.

-But since the valuation day, you've some news.

Yes, I have. The vendor has decided to include some extra items with a similar provenance.

We've got a silver inscribed cigarette box. It's fully hallmarked and in very good condition.

We've also got a Lloyds Register of Yachts, 1938.

And then another album here,

with more photographs and history of the travels to Gibraltar.

-We've also increased the estimate.

-To what?

-We hope it's now going to make £400 to £500.

Oh, it's got to do that, surely?

Yes, we've got some interest from the family.

It's their social history.

Yes, it is. It would be very good to see them being able to retain it.

So how's it going to do with its new valuation of £400 to £500?

Well, Tony's joined us and he's also been doing his homework.

-I did get in touch with a member of the Blott family.

-Oh, did you?

-And there's interest from South Africa.

-Which is really good news.

-Excellent.

Anyway, let's find out because it's going under the hammer right now.

Lot number 50 now,

hallmarked silver salver,

all relating to the Essex Maid, this lot,

and we've got a cigarette box

and albums of photographs.

Lot number 50 and lots of interest.

Bids start here £300...

At 300 bid here, at 300, 300 with me...320, 340 now, at 340...

Here at 340?

340 bid.

I'll take 60 if you like.

-360.

-360 bid then on the telephone, and I'm out at 360.

Telephone's in at 360...

They will sell. 360...

-All out in the room.

-He's taking discretion.

Telephone's in at 360 and away.

-Well, we got it away at the lower end.

-Yep.

-And hopefully it's gone back to the family members.

-That's right.

So there is commission to pay, what are you going to put the money towards?

It's going in the holiday pot.

We normally go to Arizona to my wife's brother and we called it off this year,

but we might go later on in the year now. We'll put that in the holiday fund.

Excellent. Have a good time.

And later we found out the Essex Maid items were bought by a member of the Blott family.

It's so nice to know they're all going home.

Yvonne, your vesta cases, there's three of them, they're just about to go under the hammer.

We've got a valuation put on by Elizabeth £50 to £70,

quite a bit of silver there, I think we should get these away.

What have you got? What are you holding?

Well, this is the five sisters. The eldest sister brought up my mother,

and she's responsible for some of the items that you've got today.

Oh, right. She's a beautiful girl, isn't she?

-Oh, they were.

-Why are you selling these? There's a lot of history and sentiment, I can see it.

-Sadly, I have three sons...

-Ah.

-..who are...you know? Come on.

-Boys don't like that kind of thing.

-As sons are, yes.

Well, that's what we're here for, to put them into auction.

Let's find out what they make, it's now down to the bidders. Good luck, both of you.

230, silver vesta case and two others, starts the bidding at £40...

£50, £60?

-That's their scrap rate.

-Yes.

New bidding at 65 in the room, 65... 70, do I see, 65...

seated then at 65 and selling.

Brilliant, £65 and now our second lot -

two scent bottles and a powder compact,

-and we're looking for £70 to £100.

-Yes, this is the feminine lot, Paul.

-There is a lot of lot here.

-There is, yes. I'm hoping for a good price here.

-Hopefully well over the top end. Good luck.

-Fingers crossed.

-Here we go.

235, it's a Continental silver enamelled powder compact marked 925

and two glass scent bottles with hallmarked silver mounts,

masses of interest. 50...

60, 70...80, I am bid at £80...

80 all out, 90...100, 110...

115 on commission,

120... 125 at the back.

-Great.

-125, she's out there...125.

-You're joking!

-Selling at 125...

Yes, £125! That's not bad, is it?

That's absolutely fantastic.

Bizarrely enough, our next item rarely lets us down on "Flog It! " -

can you guess what it might be?

Yes, it's some Clarice Cliff.

It belongs to Ivan here, valued by Adam Partridge.

It's a tea set with six cups and only five saucers but we have got £500 to £700 on this.

So who broke the missing saucer?

My wife actually broke it. She opened the cabinet and it fell out.

I remember you telling me on the valuation day how clumsy and heavy handed she was, Ivan.

Oh, he's trying to name and shame.

I told you I broke it on the valuation day and you wheedled the truth out of me.

Is that why you've decided to sell?

-Well, yes.

-It's a little bit too delicate.

Yeah, we've had it 30, 40 years, something like that, you know.

So we've had our pleasure out of it.

We're gonna find out what the bidders think cos it's down to them.

Here we go, you guys, this is it.

Lot number 30, Clarice Cliff part tea set,

lots of bids here, starting at £550.

-Oooh!

-Get in there.

560...and I'm out at 560, all the commissions are out now at 560,

580 new bid in on the telephone...

600 bid, at 600...

I'll take 620 down here, 640, 660...

680...£700, 700...

720, 740 on the telephone...

-760...

-Blimey, we've done it!

-We have.

-760 telephone's out...

internet's out, 760 and away...

-Brilliant, £760. Perfect valuation.

-Good result.

You've got to be happy and the wife's going to be.

She'd better be or she's gone.

-You don't mean that, do you?

-I've got the money.

-She's gonna be watching this.

-No, it's for the holiday.

-Where are you going?

We're going down to Mexico first and then we fly up to Vegas, we've got 28 days.

So you're not going to buy the speedboat?

No!

Well, that's it. It's all over for our owners. As you can see, the auction's still in full swing.

But what a day we've had! Everyone's gone home happy

because we've sold everything. All credit to our experts. And I hope you've enjoyed today's show.

So from Market Harborough until the next time, it's cheerio.

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