Sunderland Flog It!


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Today I'm in the Northeast, in a city celebrated for its shipbuilding,

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coal mining and glass making heritage and it's also very proud about its footballing history.

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Welcome to Flog It! from Sunderland.

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We're at the Stadium Of Light, home to the mighty Sunderland Football Club, also known as the Black Cats.

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This magnificent stadium is situated on the banks of the River Wear

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and it first opened its doors in 1997.

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It's the seventh home ground the club have had

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and come match day, there's room for a whopping 49,000 fans.

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And by the look of the queue, we've got a pretty good turn-out on our hands this morning.

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Battling it out here at the stadium are experts Anita Manning and Adam Partridge,

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looking for the best items, but remember,

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it's all about the final score and we won't know that until the auction...

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when we might be up for a few surprising results from our star players.

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Basically, an 1881 Doulton Lambeth jardiniere or planter.

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Let's hope Clarice does the business one more time. Please, one more time!

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-You can just about see the R Lalique, France...

-I've never noticed that.

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And it looks like Anita is going to kick off with an early star of the BBC's.

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Kath, welcome to Flog It!

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and thank you for bringing along good old Muffin the Mule.

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Tell me, where did you get him?

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Well, I bought him in the 1970s from a jumble sale.

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He only cost me a few pence, but I love him!

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What drew you to him?

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I remember him,

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you know, in the 1950s when I was a little girl,

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and it's one of the few children's television programmes that I actually remember.

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Seeing Muffin on top of the piano

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and Annette Mills, who was the presenter, was singing away,

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-and the tune, I can still remember it in my head.

-I remember it too.

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Do you think we could give it a verse?

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# I love Muffin, Muffin the Mule... #

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Takes us back

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and probably dates us.

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Unfortunately.

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Have you had him on display?

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Initially, yes, but I downsized a couple of years ago,

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as people do and now I haven't got any...any need for him now and I think we should let go.

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-Yeah. I mean, he's not in the best of condition, Kath.

-Poor thing.

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But if you look at him - I love the articulated legs and neck

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-and he is capable of quite a lot of movement.

-Yes, he is.

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He was made by Moko and again, made in the 1950s.

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In fact, when we look at him, although the body,

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or the material is still in good condition,

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there's a lot of loss on the paintwork and that will make

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a big difference to the price.

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-Yes.

-So he has been played with...

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-A lot, I think.

-And that's lovely. I like that.

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He wasn't rare.

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Every little child watched...

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I think we had Muffin the Mule...

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-Yes.

-We had Andy Pandy, we had The Woodentops,

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so it will take grown-ups back to the days when you had

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these fairly simple programmes for children.

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So, um, quite a nice item.

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Not a lot of money.

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Perhaps £20-£30,

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-if you're lucky.

-That's fine by me.

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I'd like him to have a new home.

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And if you want to...

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You know, if on a bad day there's no great interest,

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we could perhaps safeguard him with a reserve of maybe about £15.

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-That sounds OK.

-Really just in case there isn't a great deal...

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-He may go back home with you, but we have had fun looking at him.

-Oh, good. I'm glad.

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# Everybody sing

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# We want Muffin the Mule. #

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Lillian, welcome to Flog It! Thanks for coming along.

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-You're welcome.

-So, three copper pots.

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Firstly, where did you get them from?

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From San Mateo, California, which is just up the peninsula from San Francisco.

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When?

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-In the early '70s.

-In the early '70s?

-Yes.

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-What were you doing out there?

-I was a cook-housekeeper.

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Right. And you bought these at a flea market, an auction...

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It was an auction. On my days off, I had nothing to do,

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so I would go to antique shops

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just for something to fill time in.

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-OK. Now, it was a long time ago, but do you remember what they cost?

-Roughly 20.

-20.

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Actually, it was roughly about 2 to the pound at that time.

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Right. Well, we, as auctioneers, see lots of copper and brass every day.

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-Yes.

-And unfortunately nowadays the market has gone for a lot of your traditional copper and brass,

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like your kettle and even this little one, which is quite cute, but not worth a great deal.

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-No, no. Course.

-So we'll move those...

-It's all minimalist now.

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Right. People don't want to clean them. They say - I've brought this

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-cos I don't want to clean it.

-That's true.

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But this is different. This one's much more interesting.

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-It looks Japanese, doesn't it?

-It's oriental style, yes.

-Very much so.

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It dates from the late 19th century, and this is an American-manufactured...

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-Yes.

-..piece by Gorham, marked on the bottom for Gorham.

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Gorham - a quality firm, still going...

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Started in 1831 and mainly known to people nowadays for their silver -

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cutlery and glassware as well.

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Again, it doesn't hold a lot of value,

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but if you think that those are worth £5 between them

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and this is worth £30-£50, then it's a big difference.

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And I think this is silver that it's decorated with.

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I think they probably are, yeah.

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They would certainly polish up, so it would look a bit smarter.

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I hope it would make £50 plus.

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-They're not going to add to this, so those are going home with you now.

-That's right, yes. OK.

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-This one we'll put in the auction...

-Lovely.

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-30-50.

-That's fine.

-30 reserve.

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-Yes.

-If it doesn't make 30...

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I take it home as well. Right, that's lovely.

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I think it'll do a bit better. I hope it does.

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-Why are you selling them, Lillian?

-To go in my travel fund.

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-You're a keen traveller?

-I'm going to Barcelona in September.

-Are you? Excellent.

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So when I can, I go.

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-I hope you have a good time.

-Oh, I shall.

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Val, some people like Clarice Cliff, some people hate Clarice Cliff.

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I personally like it.

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I love the colours and I love the vigour

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and I love the patterns of Clarice's work.

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-How do you feel about it?

-It's exactly the same for me.

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I love the vibrant colours and it's different

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and it just shows really well in the cabinet where it sits.

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-Tell me, where did you get this piece?

-I bought it from the internet about four or five years ago.

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-What did you pay for it?

-About £100.

-Uh-huh.

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Do you collect Clarice Cliff?

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I do, yes. I've got quite a few pieces.

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And why are you selling this piece?

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My son, when anything ever happens to me in the future,

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will probably throw this

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and everything else that's in that cabinet, in the bin,

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because he doesn't, A - like it or B - know the value of it.

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Uh-huh. Maybe you should tell him the value and he'd start to appreciate it a wee bit more!

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So, Val, let's have a look at this wee pot.

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We have this wonderful - and I love this -

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these oranges and lemons in that really vibrant Clarice Cliff colour.

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And if we turn it round, we're looking again at this,

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it's almost like a streaky pattern there, which is repeated in the inside.

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I find that quite an interesting combination,

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and I like that.

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If we look at the back stamp here,

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we have the typical Clarice Cliff back stamp,

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and the pattern is Delecia, so we have all the information there.

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Now, you paid £100 for that and it was only a short time ago.

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Five, six years. It wouldn't have increased in value.

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-We can certainly put it into auction at, say, £100-£150...

-Right.

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..try to get your money back.

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Now, would you like to put a reserve price on it?

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I think £100 reserve.

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100. Have we any discretion?

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Oh, yes, because the money I get from it, it's not for me.

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I'm going to give it to a small charity that I'm involved with.

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Ah, that's excellent.

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Hopefully, there are Clarice buyers on the day,

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-and they will be competing for that.

-Thank you.

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Alice and Denise,

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you've brought in this rather nice Doulton Lambeth jardiniere, or planter.

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-Whose is it?

-Mine.

-Right.

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-Where did you get it from?

-It was a present.

-From?

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-From a lady I worked for. When she died, I could pick what I wanted.

-OK.

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I've always liked it.

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So, in what capacity did you work for this lady?

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-Housekeeper.

-Right and was that for a long time?

-25 years.

-Really?

-Yeah.

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-So, you chose this because you always liked it.

-I've always liked it and I like the colours.

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So, why are you here now?

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-Because she doesn't like it and if anything happens, it'll go to her.

-Denise, you don't like it?

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I do like it, but I would rather my mum had the money.

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-If she can get money for it, I'd rather her have it.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-It's not especially valuable.

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-I know.

-I think that's a bit of a cop-out, Denise!

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-I'd rather me mum had the money.

-Yes, that's saying it the nice way.

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-Instead of hurting her feelings.

-"I don't want to say I don't like it."

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It's not to everyone's taste.

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Some people watching will like it, a lot of people won't.

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-Modern tastes change.

-That's right.

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So you've decided to put it up for Flog It?

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-Yes.

-It's Doulton Lambeth. Doulton's a big name.

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A pottery body with this incised design all around

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and they're fairly typical with these applied mouldings.

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You see them quite often. This is quite a nice example.

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I'm going to just whip it over now and show you the marks.

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There's the Doulton Lambeth mark and there's some initials under there as well.

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-Is that KD?

-KD.

-That would need us to look it up because there were over 100 artists and assistants,

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but that's the artist's or the decorator's mark.

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-Yes.

-And also you've got a number there - 1881.

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Now, a lot of people bring us things with numbers on the bottom and they think that's when they were made.

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In fact, they're a shape number.

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But this one is actually the date when it was made, so this was made in 1881.

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So it's basically an 1881 Doulton Lambeth stoneware jardiniere or planter. Any idea what it's worth?

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I'm reckoning up to 100. I know it's not really valuable.

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-Yeah. If it made over 100, I think that would be good going.

-Oh, that would, uh-huh.

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-My estimate would be 50-80.

-Yes, I know it's not...

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-Is that about what you thought?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

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-And I think we should put a reserve of £50 on it.

-Uh-huh.

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So, if it doesn't make £50...

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-Yes, I still have it.

-We get to keep it.

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Denise will have to start liking it!

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We're halfway through our day. We've been working flat out and the room is still packed full of people,

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so there's more valuations to come later on. But right now,

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let's put our theories to the test. Let's get into the auction room

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and here's a quick recap of all the items we're taking with us.

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Let's hope that Muffin holds on stubbornly to the £20-£30 estimate

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by jogging memories, as he did to Anita and Kath.

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-Do you think we could give it a verse?

-# I love Muffin, Muffin the Mule! #

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This Gorham teapot has travelled all the way from California.

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Lillian now wants to sell it so she can continue on her travels.

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Clarice Cliff is always popular, so this vase should attract the bidders, who will appreciate it

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much more than Val's son.

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Alice picked out this planter as a gift from her former employer,

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but her daughter doesn't like it, so now it's up for grabs.

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-I do like it, but I would rather my mum had the money...

-Really?

-Yeah.

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I think that's a bit of a cop-out, Denise, isn't it?

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Today's sale comes from the Boldon Auction Galleries

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and in charge of the proceedings in auctioneer Giles Hodges.

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Just before the sale starts, I'm going to have a quick chat with him, so I'd best get inside.

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I keep saying it wouldn't be Flog It! without Clarice Cliff, but it wouldn't be an auction

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-without Clarice Cliff, would it?

-Very true. I have a piece in just about every single sale.

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This belongs to Val.

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We've got a value of £100-£150 on this, but it does have a little hairline crack.

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It does indeed and that's the one thing that might

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-just detract from it reaching its full market potential.

-Oh, really?

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-I think so.

-I thought it might be worth that with the little crack.

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I'm not sure. The way the market is,

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-people want things in as good a condition as they can get.

-So this just might struggle.

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-It might.

-For once, Clarice just might...

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We don't want to put any dampeners on it, but it might let us down.

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I'm joined by Val and Anita and next up it's the Clarice Cliff pot.

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-We keep saying Clarice never lets us down, but is this the moment it goes wrong?

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-Hopefully not.

-Oh, I hope not as well,

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but I did have a chat to Giles before the sale started.

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He pointed out a hairline crack.

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Right, I didn't notice that, Paul.

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And he said, "I suspect that wasn't noticed because the value was £100-£150."

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Because of the hairline crack, he would put sort of £80-£100 on it, so we still might get the lower end

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or someone might not notice the hairline crack and pay top end for it!

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-Well, I didn't notice it.

-Yeah, there was a tiny one.

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He pointed it out. Right now, it's about to go under the hammer.

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Let's hope Clarice does the business one more time. Please, one more time! Here we go.

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Am I bid 50 to start it?

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At £50. 5, anybody?

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At £50, is there 5?

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-Yes.

-55, 60...

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5, 70...

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£70 with me. £70... 75. 80?

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-85. On the net at £85. 90.

-One more.

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We've done it.

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-95.

-95.

-We've done it.

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-100.

-Yes! Yes, yes, yes!

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105.

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-110...

-Oh, brilliant.

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..110 on the internet.

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At £110, are we all done?

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At £110, we're away.

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-Good. Good.

-Brilliant! It didn't let us down, did it?

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-£110.

-That wasn't a worry, though.

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I've had the pleasure of displaying it for four or five years and, um...

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-Yeah, and having the joy from it.

-Yes, yes, and it does display well,

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so the money's going to go to the Spinal Injuries Association,

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-which is a charity that I'm involved with.

-Brilliant. And that's based where?

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-In Milton Keynes.

-Good plug for them - great cause.

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Thank you so much. Thank you.

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Next up, the Doulton Lambeth planter. I've been joined by Denise, but Mum is on her hols, isn't she?

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-She is, yes.

-Where to?

-She's gone to Benidorm.

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-Oh, does she go there every year?

-Every single year.

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Will she come back completely tanned?

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-No, she'll come back exactly the same colour.

-Will she?!

-Definitely.

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Well, we've got £50-£80 riding on this, but it's something you didn't like anyway.

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-Not really.

-You twisted Mum's arm to sell it.

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-That's right.

-She had the pick of a few things in that house, but she picked something you didn't like.

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-That's right, yeah.

-It's always the way, isn't it? Always the way!

-Typical.

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Well, let's see what it does anyway. It's now down to the bidders,

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but hopefully we'll get a bit more than Adam's top end estimate.

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We've got the Doulton Lambeth stoneware jardiniere.

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I've got one, two, three,

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four commission bids,

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and 120 starts me.

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-120!

-At 120, 140, 160.

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At 160... At 160...

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I'll take 70.

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At £160, are we all done?

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170. To my left at 170.

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170, for the last chance.

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On my left at 170.

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-Yes, we're going to take that!

-That was a good price.

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You've got to be happy with that.

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Yeah, definitely.

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-I think you should get on the phone to Mum and give her a surprise.

-I'll send a text message and let her know.

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Lillian's about to sell her 19th-century

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copper Gorham mounted with silver, because you want to travel.

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Yes, well...

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-You want to go travelling again, and you got this in California.

-That's right.

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We've got something from the '70s here in California and I'm pretty sure this should do well.

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It's very nice. It's Gorham, second only to Tiffany in manufacturers in America.

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-I think we're going to do all right.

-Good luck, it's up now.

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..Copper pot

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with the applied oriental emblems.

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I've got two commission bids

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-and 60 starts me.

-Oh, I say!

-£60.

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65, anybody?

0:18:330:18:34

65, 70, 5, 80...

0:18:340:18:38

Oh, brilliant.

0:18:380:18:40

..5, 100, 10, 20.

0:18:400:18:44

With me at 120 on commission.

0:18:440:18:47

-Now to the net.

-Maybe it's going back to America.

0:18:470:18:49

-Oh, might be.

-Are we all done at £120?

0:18:490:18:51

And we're away at 120.

0:18:510:18:54

-That's fantastic, isn't it?

-Surprising.

0:18:540:18:56

-It's travelled well.

-I got it in a job lot.

0:18:560:18:59

-Did you?

-I got three...

0:18:590:19:01

Yeah, the other ones were rubbish, if I may say.

0:19:010:19:03

-One wasn't, but we didn't know where it came from.

-Right.

0:19:030:19:06

That's a very good price, £120 and I agree with you, Adam.

0:19:060:19:10

-That's going back to the States.

-I think it probably is.

-Yeah.

-Right.

0:19:100:19:14

Now, we're about to turn three pence into £20. Well, fingers crossed, that's what we're going to do

0:19:210:19:26

and how are we going to do it? Well, Kath's going to tell us.

0:19:260:19:29

Well, I bought Muffin the Mule for just a few pence 30 years ago from a jumble sale.

0:19:290:19:34

And we've got a valuation put on by Anita of 20-30. I hope it does that.

0:19:340:19:38

I know the condition is really poor, it's got no box but...

0:19:380:19:42

Hey, it's been played with and that's what it is meant to do, isn't it?

0:19:420:19:45

-Yeah.

-I think this is a little star, don't you?

0:19:450:19:48

-It's a piece of nostalgia, so the collectors will love it.

-Good.

0:19:480:19:53

-Fingers crossed.

-Not for a lot of money, right enough!

-No.

0:19:530:19:56

-Well, it's down to this lot now - the bidders. Good luck.

-Thank you.

0:19:560:19:59

-Lot 40, the one we've all been waiting for...

-Aw.

0:19:590:20:03

-..it's the tin-plate Muffin the Mule puppet.

-He needs a new home.

0:20:030:20:07

Bit of interest, and I'm bid 10 to start.

0:20:070:20:10

At 10, 15, 20. At £20...

0:20:100:20:12

Brilliant.

0:20:120:20:14

..5, front row. At £25...

0:20:140:20:17

Come on, Muffin!

0:20:170:20:18

30, 35, 40, 45...?

0:20:180:20:22

£45 front.

0:20:220:20:24

£45 anybody to the net?

0:20:240:20:27

£45, we're away at 45.

0:20:270:20:31

-£45!

-Oh!

-That's a good price.

0:20:310:20:35

That's fantastic.

0:20:350:20:37

The condition was so bad on that!

0:20:370:20:38

So that's 3p turned into £45.

0:20:380:20:41

-That's marvellous.

-That's good profit, don't you think?

0:20:410:20:44

-Thanks a lot.

-Gosh!

0:20:440:20:46

Are you going back to the jumble sales 30 years later?

0:20:460:20:49

I think I will. You never know, do you?

0:20:490:20:51

That's a great result for Kath and we'll be coming back later to the Boldon Auction Galleries

0:20:540:20:59

to see Giles generate some more excitement.

0:20:590:21:02

He doesn't muck about, does he?

0:21:040:21:06

The Durham coastline's beautiful, isn't it?

0:21:100:21:13

It looks so rural it's hard to believe that, until recently,

0:21:130:21:17

this was an industrial landscape dominated by coal mines.

0:21:170:21:20

Now, I'm not the only outsider to explore this part of the Northeast.

0:21:200:21:25

Photographer, Chris Steele-Perkins has spent three years photographing this landscape,

0:21:250:21:30

focusing on the people and their rural pursuits and he's captured a unique record

0:21:300:21:34

of the place and the people, for his book Northern Exposures,

0:21:340:21:38

and I'm going to meet up with him to find out more.

0:21:380:21:40

And here's the man himself.

0:21:450:21:47

-Hi, how are you?

-Thanks for meeting up with us today.

0:21:470:21:50

You're not from the Northeast, are you?

0:21:500:21:52

No. No, I was brought up in Somerset, I now live in London,

0:21:520:21:55

but I did spend four years as a student here,

0:21:550:21:58

-so I have a knowledge of the area and an affection for the place.

-You've certainly moved about a bit.

0:21:580:22:03

I guess because you were a student here, that's what brought you back. Is this where it all started?

0:22:030:22:09

-Well, certainly with this place. I mean, this is Haswell Plough Mart.

-Right.

0:22:090:22:13

It took place in an old barn and you could buy literally anything,

0:22:130:22:18

from a bag of rusty nails to a chicken, to a car, to a horse,

0:22:180:22:23

or a rather battered door. And it was an institution.

0:22:230:22:30

Every weekend they'd have this thing, and all the local farmers and characters would turn up.

0:22:300:22:35

In fact, this is where I met a number of my sort of contacts,

0:22:350:22:40

who were able to take me out into different parts of country life that I was really unfamiliar with.

0:22:400:22:47

-What did that door sell for, in the end?

-I don't know, but I can't imagine it was a lot.

0:22:470:22:52

But it's clearly a door of great interest to many people there.

0:22:520:22:56

-Can we move on inside and look at the rest of exhibition?

-Sure.

0:22:560:22:59

From the mart, I met all these people. I met this guy Wayne who had a couple of lurchers.

0:23:090:23:16

I took his picture and we got talking,

0:23:160:23:18

and I said, "What do you do with the lurchers?" and he says, "Oh, I go hunting rabbits."

0:23:180:23:24

I said, "OK, can I come along with you?"

0:23:240:23:27

And here he is with some ferrets and one of the lurchers, and they...

0:23:270:23:31

I can see the nets they've put over the escape holes.

0:23:310:23:34

That's right, and they put the ferret or a polecat down one of the holes,

0:23:340:23:39

-and chased the rabbits out into the net.

-What did they do with all the rabbits?

0:23:390:23:44

They eat some of them, and they told me they give the rest away to old-age pensioners and stuff.

0:23:440:23:49

-Well, that's good.

-It's recycled.

0:23:490:23:52

Yeah. The images are wonderful quality.

0:23:520:23:55

What camera do you use, or do you vary cameras?

0:23:550:23:57

Well, I vary, but for this project I used what's called a Mamiya 7

0:23:570:24:01

which looks like a very old-fashioned camera.

0:24:010:24:04

It's really simple, but the great thing about it is that

0:24:040:24:07

it's got a negative about that big...

0:24:070:24:09

-Yeah.

-..and that gives you fantastic richness of detail and tonality.

0:24:090:24:14

You know, I wanted a kind of... surface, if you like, and the detail in all the information,

0:24:140:24:20

-like the pieces of grass, the cross of the nets and so on.

-Yeah.

0:24:200:24:25

It's quite, you know...

0:24:250:24:27

-If I do it again, I'd do it digitally...

-Would you really?

0:24:270:24:30

Oh, yeah, but when I started this project,

0:24:300:24:33

there weren't digital cameras of the quality that I wanted. There's plenty of them now.

0:24:330:24:38

There are, and it's more like point and shoot, but it's real art to capture work like that.

0:24:380:24:43

You've still got to work at it with a digital camera, to do it properly.

0:24:430:24:47

See, I've noticed that a lot of your work does feature animals.

0:24:470:24:50

-Why is that?

-Yeah, well, that was never my intention,

0:24:500:24:54

but it soon became apparent to me, you know, cos I was working in the Durham coalfields,

0:24:540:24:59

and the mining villages were just there because there was coal, not because of any other reason,

0:24:590:25:05

and very often they were just on either side of a road, and then it's open country.

0:25:050:25:09

So the miners had this relationship with the countryside right from the beginning,

0:25:090:25:16

and almost everybody I met still seemed to have two or three animals,

0:25:160:25:21

whether it's cats, ferrets, horses, dogs, chickens, you know.

0:25:210:25:25

But they had this sort of intimate relationship with animals.

0:25:250:25:28

Chris chose to include poems by local poet Katrina Porteous in his book,

0:25:280:25:35

because he felt they complemented the photographs.

0:25:350:25:38

Here she is, reading an extract of The Pigeon Men.

0:25:380:25:41

"Small doors, cobbled from sleepers and iron sheeting

0:25:410:25:46

"Hauled up from underground It was pit-work

0:25:460:25:49

"That made them ache to be out here in the sunshine

0:25:490:25:53

"Among the birds

0:25:530:25:55

"See yon green fields? Yonder's where Horden pit was -

0:25:550:25:59

"The biggest pit in Europe, that. Nowt there now. Gone.

0:25:590:26:05

"John bites his tab, says nothing, glares into the distance

0:26:050:26:09

"Then he throws up his white dove like a flag - come on!"

0:26:090:26:14

Pigeons are the miner's pet.

0:26:180:26:22

Pigeons and, I guess, whippets.

0:26:220:26:24

I mean, OK, people haven't been miners for a long time up here now, but, you know,

0:26:240:26:28

the tradition remains, but it actually remains for the older guys.

0:26:280:26:34

-Pigeons don't attract a lot of young kids.

-No.

0:26:340:26:38

They want to play Nintendo or whatever.

0:26:380:26:40

And, er, it's a source of some regret to the old fellas.

0:26:400:26:46

-Where's this?

-Well, this is Horden and it's the Whippet Club.

0:26:510:26:57

Again, whippets were very much the family dog of the miners,

0:26:570:27:03

certainly up in this area.

0:27:030:27:05

And this whippet club used to have 30, 40 members not so long ago,

0:27:050:27:12

but it's more or less reduced down.

0:27:120:27:15

Just like pigeons, you know,

0:27:150:27:16

the younger kids don't seem to be that interested in it. And what they used to do was...

0:27:160:27:21

This is the football pitches, you know,

0:27:210:27:24

and along the edge of it, they'd set up a race track

0:27:240:27:29

with a machine that wound in a rag on the end of a rope - you know, zzzz!

0:27:290:27:33

And the whippets would go after it.

0:27:330:27:36

-Ah, it's great, they made their own entertainment, didn't they, really?

-Yeah, yeah.

0:27:360:27:41

This is about how real people live in the real world,

0:27:410:27:45

and it's a kind of tough old world, you know.

0:27:450:27:48

It is. It's not posed. That's what I love about it.

0:27:480:27:50

-It's not cliched, it's not people posing.

-No, no.

0:27:500:27:54

It's them going through their lives

0:27:540:27:56

and I am fortunate enough to be allowed to kind of witness it.

0:27:560:28:01

What I really liked about this project was that, you know,

0:28:060:28:11

it's something that I didn't know about,

0:28:110:28:13

and these people sort of let you into their little universe of things that they really care about,

0:28:130:28:19

and you were able to participate in that, you know, which is great.

0:28:190:28:24

A lot of the people, your subject matter,

0:28:240:28:26

must have come in and checked it out. What do they say to you?

0:28:260:28:32

-What's their opinion?

-Well, the feedback that I've had is, you know, they...

0:28:320:28:37

like the idea that somebody's paying attention to them, you know.

0:28:370:28:41

And, I mean, I haven't been here to make fun of them, you know.

0:28:410:28:45

I wasn't here to sort of glorify them either, these sort of working-class heroes.

0:28:450:28:50

I really wanted to be honest about my feelings,

0:28:500:28:53

and I think they can respect that.

0:28:530:28:55

Thank you so much, Chris, for giving me a brief insight

0:28:570:29:00

into rural life up here, which I would never have glimpsed.

0:29:000:29:03

You're welcome. I was very happy that I had my eyes opened too.

0:29:030:29:08

Let's look at some more, and while we do that,

0:29:080:29:11

we'll listen to one of Katrina's powerful, evocative poems about The Pigeon Men.

0:29:110:29:15

The Pigeon Men, yeah.

0:29:150:29:17

"And Clifton, Coxon, Cuba Streets

0:29:200:29:23

"The vanished homes of vanished men, who never dreamed

0:29:230:29:27

"How much of themselves they nailed in the crees and gardens

0:29:270:29:32

"Home the birds stream

0:29:330:29:36

"While John, on the stock-loft roof, waves the frantic fantail

0:29:360:29:41

"'Come on!' he yells to the open sky. 'Howway!'

0:29:410:29:45

"And the white wings beat at the end of his outstretched fingers

0:29:450:29:48

"As if he too was ready to fly away."

0:29:480:29:54

Back at the valuation day, Anita has stumbled on something rather spectacular.

0:30:000:30:04

Sandra, what a wonderful piece of silver.

0:30:060:30:12

Tell me, where did you get it?

0:30:120:30:14

It came to me from my husband because it was his grandmother's.

0:30:140:30:20

-Do you have it on display?

-I have. It's on the sideboard.

-Uh-huh.

0:30:200:30:23

-And do you like it?

-Very, very much. It's very much a talking point.

0:30:230:30:27

-Oh, it's a conversation piece?

-It is.

0:30:270:30:30

Well, you wouldn't be able to use it, Sandra,

0:30:300:30:33

because originally it would've had a bowl...

0:30:330:30:38

-Yeah.

-..probably quite an extravagant and cut crystal bowl

0:30:380:30:43

which would've held fruit or sweetmeats or whatever.

0:30:430:30:48

-And it's very sort of over-the-top, isn't it?

-Yes.

-High Victoriana.

0:30:480:30:53

Let's have a closer look at it.

0:30:530:30:56

On this wonderfully intricate base,

0:30:560:30:59

we have a sleeping child,

0:30:590:31:02

sitting under a tree.

0:31:020:31:05

Now, this child appears to be being protected

0:31:050:31:13

by this little dog,

0:31:130:31:15

from the serpent here.

0:31:150:31:17

So it's a rather sentimental... it tells us a sentimental story,

0:31:170:31:22

-and the Victorians loved that type of story.

-I see.

0:31:220:31:27

It's intricately made, it's beautifully made, it's finely finished.

0:31:270:31:33

Let's have a look at the back stamp.

0:31:330:31:36

Now, we have a lion mark which tells us that it's silver.

0:31:400:31:44

-Right.

-We have a leopard which tells us it's the London hallmark,

0:31:440:31:49

and it's dated for 1854, so high Victoriana.

0:31:490:31:55

We have the maker's name of Stephen Smith and William Nicholson,

0:31:550:32:00

so all the information is there.

0:32:000:32:03

They were good silversmiths, good London hallmark,

0:32:030:32:07

-so this piece has everything going for it.

-Right.

0:32:070:32:11

Auction estimate, I would say between £250 and £350.

0:32:110:32:18

Very good.

0:32:180:32:20

-Now, would you be happy to sell it at that?

-Oh, yes, yes.

0:32:200:32:23

-We'll put a reserve of, say, £250, with a wee bitty of discretion.

-OK. Yes, fine.

0:32:230:32:30

-Why are you selling it?

-Well, my daughter, she's going to be moving down to Cheshire.

0:32:300:32:36

She's going to start off a new life and we really want to just give her that bit of help along the way.

0:32:360:32:44

You're a wonderful mum, and young people need money.

0:32:440:32:46

They do. They do, always!

0:32:460:32:49

-Let's flog it!

-Thank you.

0:32:490:32:51

-June...

-Hello.

-It's a lovely piece of Lalique.

0:32:570:32:59

-Thank you.

-The Poisson bowl - that's the name of the pattern, obviously because it's got fish on it.

0:32:590:33:05

-Yes.

-Where did you come to get this from?

0:33:050:33:07

My husband bought it from the auctions.

0:33:070:33:10

-He was an addict to auctions.

-Right.

-He loved the auctions.

0:33:100:33:13

He would come home with things I never knew he had,

0:33:130:33:16

he would hide them in the cupboards, in the drawers, top of wardrobes, you name it.

0:33:160:33:20

-I do that sort of thing too!

-I would find things all over, but I did know about the plate.

0:33:200:33:25

Yeah. But, unfortunately, I don't really like it.

0:33:250:33:28

And were you pretty appalled when he came home with it and said, "Look what I bought"?

0:33:280:33:33

Well, no, not really. I knew Lalique was nice and collectable, not like some of the things he came home with.

0:33:330:33:39

Did he come home with some junk as well?

0:33:390:33:41

-Yeah.

-Did you say, "That's nice, dear," or did you tell him off?

0:33:410:33:45

No, "What's that, more rubbish you've bought?"

0:33:450:33:48

It's by Lalique, of course.

0:33:480:33:50

Rene Lalique. It dates to about 1935.

0:33:500:33:53

I don't know if you've noticed, but if you hold it up to the light,

0:33:530:33:58

-you can just about see the R Lalique, France.

-Yeah!

0:33:580:34:00

-No, I've never noticed that before.

-Have you not?

0:34:000:34:03

-I've had it 12 years and never noticed.

-Really? Well, now you know.

-Yeah.

0:34:030:34:07

And it's got this lovely opalescence to it.

0:34:070:34:10

-Holding it up to the light really shows it off to its best, doesn't it?

-Yes, it does.

0:34:100:34:16

Do you know what he paid for anything or did he keep that a secret too?

0:34:160:34:19

-No, no, he paid round about £400 because he got in a pricing war.

-A bidding war.

0:34:190:34:25

-As you do in the auctions.

-Yeah. I'm not letting him have it!

-That was what he said.

0:34:250:34:29

He was determined the other person was not going to get it.

0:34:290:34:32

Well, that's the top end of its value, really.

0:34:320:34:35

Usually, you'd make £250-£350 on this, at auction.

0:34:350:34:38

-Right.

-And that would be the estimate I'd suggest. We could put a reserve on it of 250...

0:34:380:34:43

-Yes.

-..and that would be fixed so it doesn't go for less, and it should make somewhere round there,

0:34:430:34:48

-ideally the top end or towards your money back would be nice.

-That would be good.

0:34:480:34:52

-Don't think there's going to be a profit.

-Right, OK.

0:34:520:34:56

But he enjoyed it and he enjoyed the sport.

0:34:560:34:58

And he would love this. He would love me doing this.

0:34:580:35:01

-Oh, good.

-Yes.

-So he'd be pleased that you brought it back to auction.

0:35:010:35:04

-I think so, yes.

-And let's hope there's another bidding war and then two people...

0:35:040:35:09

-That would be super.

-You never know. Thanks for coming.

-Thank you very much.

0:35:090:35:13

Heidi, welcome to Flog It!

0:35:170:35:20

I love brooches, and I think this is a lovely item.

0:35:200:35:25

Tell me, where did you get it?

0:35:250:35:27

I bought it from a charity shop in the Lake District.

0:35:270:35:31

-Ah. How much did you pay for it?

-Two pounds.

-Two quid?!

0:35:310:35:34

That is absolutely wonderful.

0:35:340:35:37

Well, let's have a wee look at it, first of all.

0:35:370:35:41

It's nine-carat gold and it is hallmarked.

0:35:410:35:44

It's from, I would say, from the design, from the 1930s or 1940s.

0:35:440:35:51

And we have this delightful array of aquamarine stones.

0:35:510:35:59

Absolutely lovely, and for £2!

0:36:010:36:03

You really do have a good eye.

0:36:030:36:05

Do you make a habit of frequenting the charity shops and so on?

0:36:050:36:11

Yeah, I do enjoy the charity shops and car-boot sales. I do it weekly.

0:36:110:36:15

-Weekly? Uh-huh. What type of things are you drawn to?

-Handbags and costume jewellery.

0:36:150:36:20

-Did you think this was costume jewellery?

-That was with costume jewellery,

0:36:200:36:24

but it was sparkling a bit, so it looked more than the different costume jewellery in the box.

0:36:240:36:29

You've got a wonderful eye.

0:36:290:36:31

So did you get your glass out and have a look?

0:36:310:36:34

-I haven't got one of those yet!

-Oh, you need to get a glass. You need to get a look.

0:36:340:36:38

Anyway, it's a lovely wee piece,

0:36:380:36:41

and I think that it will be well-fancied at auction.

0:36:410:36:45

Value - I would put £60-£80 on it, and I think I might be being a wee bit conservative there.

0:36:450:36:53

We'll put a reserve price on it, and I think maybe £55.

0:36:530:36:59

-Yeah, I would be happy at that.

-Would you be happy at that?

-Yeah.

0:36:590:37:02

In selling this, is there anything special that you would put the money to?

0:37:020:37:07

Me and my boyfriend are saving for a house at the moment, so every little counts.

0:37:070:37:12

Every penny counts. Well, let's hope that we can get a good return on that,

0:37:120:37:18

and I think that it's a wonderful hobby -

0:37:180:37:22

to get out there, to search in the car-boot sales,

0:37:220:37:25

to search in the charity shops, make a couple of bob and have a great time.

0:37:250:37:31

-So well done, Heidi.

-Thank you.

0:37:310:37:33

That's it for our experts' valuations

0:37:330:37:36

and now it's time to put them to the test with Giles at the auction house.

0:37:360:37:42

OK, Sandra's silver centrepiece.

0:37:420:37:44

This is very, very showy.

0:37:440:37:46

Missing the bowl, obviously.

0:37:460:37:48

We've got a value of £250-£350 on this. I think it's absolutely stunning.

0:37:480:37:54

I love the quality,

0:37:540:37:55

but it looks more like nickel than silver, doesn't it?

0:37:550:37:58

Well, it does, because it's been so well cleaned and so well looked after,

0:37:580:38:03

it's practically jumping off the table.

0:38:030:38:07

You've said the one thing against it is the fact it hasn't got a bowl.

0:38:070:38:10

But that's why it's that value, isn't it?

0:38:100:38:13

Well, exactly, cos the bowl's going to cost probably £200, £300, maybe, to get fitted.

0:38:130:38:18

Oh, it is lovely. What do you think that'll do? Will that do the top end?

0:38:180:38:22

Well, the estimate we've got is...?

0:38:220:38:24

-£250-£350, top end.

-I think you can go well above the top end.

0:38:240:38:30

-Good.

-In fact, I think we'll go for, if you doubled the bottom end of estimate...

0:38:300:38:36

500? Giles has sold it.

0:38:360:38:38

-I think, yeah... I think we...yeah.

-Lots of excitement! Don't go away.

0:38:380:38:43

Well, that's fantastic news for Sandra.

0:38:430:38:46

It sounds like her silver centrepiece should really do well. I can't wait for the final result.

0:38:460:38:52

We also have June's lovely Lalique plate.

0:38:540:38:56

It's a true classic, so I have no doubt its sale will go swimmingly too.

0:38:560:39:01

Heidi's nine-carat gold brooch is our final item.

0:39:010:39:05

It only cost her £2, so I have big hopes pinned on it,

0:39:050:39:09

and it's obvious that Anita thinks Heidi has spotted a real winner.

0:39:090:39:13

-You've got a wonderful eye. Did you get your glass out?

-I haven't got one of those yet.

0:39:130:39:17

Oh, you need to get a glass. You need to get a look.

0:39:170:39:20

I've been joined by Heidi, whose motto is, "Every penny counts", because you're saving for a house.

0:39:230:39:28

-How long have you been saving?

-About a year and a half.

0:39:280:39:31

We're selling a nine-carat gold brooch which you bought in a charity shop.

0:39:310:39:35

-Yeah.

-For just a couple of pounds?

-£2.

-That was a good spot, wasn't it?

0:39:350:39:39

We've got an estimate of £60-£80. Hopefully we'll get the top end. Here we go.

0:39:390:39:43

It's stamped nine-carat.

0:39:430:39:46

I've got three bids -

0:39:460:39:48

sorry, no, two bids and I am 80 to start me.

0:39:480:39:51

-That's good.

-Yeah, better than the top end.

0:39:510:39:54

90, 5, 100...

0:39:540:39:58

110, 120...

0:39:580:40:00

-I'm pleased with this.

-130, 140, 150...

0:40:000:40:04

On the phone at 150. Anybody left?

0:40:040:40:08

At £150, the net is out too.

0:40:080:40:11

At £150, we're away at 150.

0:40:110:40:14

Heidi, that's fantastic! £150.

0:40:140:40:17

-Yes. Thank you very much.

-Excellent result!

0:40:170:40:19

You have a great eye.

0:40:190:40:21

-You just have a really good eye.

-Are you happy?

-Yes.

-Good.

-Fingers crossed.

0:40:210:40:26

-How long before you'll get the house or the flat?

-Probably another year and a half!

0:40:260:40:31

June, I can't wait to see what the bidders think of this, cos it is real quality.

0:40:360:40:40

It's the Lalique plate up next. £250-£350.

0:40:400:40:45

And when we talk about antiques, Adam, we always say invest in quality,

0:40:450:40:48

invest in a name that's got good provenance.

0:40:480:40:51

-This has got the lot and the condition.

-Good strong name, good pattern, fish are popular.

0:40:510:40:55

So why are we selling it? That's what we want to know.

0:40:550:40:58

-Because I don't like it.

-You don't like it! That's incredible, isn't it?

0:40:580:41:02

I thought everybody liked Lalique. It's beautiful glass. It really is.

0:41:020:41:07

If you're going to collect glass, Lalique is up there with the very best.

0:41:070:41:11

-Yes, strong.

-Yeah. Hope it sells.

-Will we get the top end, Adam?

0:41:110:41:15

-I don't know if we'll get the top end, but I'm pretty sure we'll sell it.

-OK.

-Well, 95.7% sure.

0:41:150:41:20

That's good enough for us! We're going to find out what the bidders think. Here we go.

0:41:200:41:25

We have the shallow Lalique Poisson opalescent, circular bowl

0:41:250:41:30

by Rene Lalique.

0:41:300:41:31

-Plenty of interest. I've got two commission bids...

-There you go.

0:41:310:41:35

-And 260 starts.

-We're in.

0:41:350:41:37

260, 280, 300, 320.

0:41:370:41:41

Bid's upstairs at 320. Anybody else?

0:41:410:41:44

£320. To my left...

0:41:440:41:49

-£320 for the last time...

-I like it.

0:41:490:41:53

-We all like it.

-At £320.

0:41:530:41:55

-Gone!

-I think June likes it as well.

-I do, yes.

0:41:550:41:57

-That's a great price.

-That's fantastic.

0:41:570:42:00

What are you going to invest in now, then?

0:42:000:42:02

-Another antique or...?

-Maybe some jewellery.

0:42:020:42:05

-Jewellery. Something you can wear and enjoy.

-Yes.

0:42:050:42:08

-That'd be nice, to turn it into something else, so you've got a memento.

-Yes.

0:42:080:42:12

Next up, we've got a bit of quality.

0:42:160:42:18

It's Sandra's centrepiece. It's gorgeous, isn't it?

0:42:180:42:21

-It is.

-Nice chunk of silver. £250-£350 we've got on this.

0:42:210:42:25

Had a chat to the auctioneer, and we both said this has got to do a lot more than that, surely.

0:42:250:42:30

If it had the bowl, £1,000.

0:42:300:42:32

-You know that, don't you?

-I do.

-You've obviously explained that.

0:42:320:42:36

Uh-huh. It's an absolutely wonderful item and it was a pleasure to handle.

0:42:360:42:41

Hopefully, this is going to go to a good home for a lot of money!

0:42:410:42:44

-Hopefully.

-That's what we want.

-That'd be great.

-Let's find out.

0:42:440:42:48

-London 1854...

-It's certainly the centrepiece of the saleroom now!

0:42:480:42:54

I've got three commission bids and I'm starting it at £700.

0:42:540:43:00

-Wow!

-720, 750, 780, 800, 820.

0:43:000:43:07

At 820 to my left. Anybody else?

0:43:070:43:10

At 820 for the last time...

0:43:100:43:13

At £820, the internet is out too. At £820.

0:43:130:43:19

-Yes!

-Lost for words!

-He doesn't muck about, old Giles, does he?!

0:43:190:43:23

-Straight in at £820.

-I was a wee bit conservative there.

0:43:230:43:26

"Come and buy me," wasn't it? I reckon someone had a spare bowl for that.

0:43:260:43:30

-Yeah, maybe!

-Do you know that?

-Two people had a spare bowl!

-Yeah!

0:43:300:43:34

-That's marvellous.

-Thank you so much for bringing that in, and to you, Anita.

0:43:340:43:38

We've had a brilliant day here.

0:43:380:43:40

I hope you've enjoyed the show. There's plenty more surprises to come, but for now, it's cheerio.

0:43:400:43:45

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:43:480:43:51

E-mail [email protected]

0:43:510:43:54

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