Bognor Regis Flog It!

Today we're in a popular south coast seaside resort which, in the past, has played host to royalty.

But today, it's playing host to Flog It! Welcome to Bognor Regis!

Now, here's a little-known fact for you.

Before 1929, Bognor Regis was simply known as plain old Bognor.

It was not granted the suffix Regis until 1929, when King George V came to stay in the town.

He was recovering from a serious illness.

And the word Regis comes from the Latin origin, meaning kingly.

So there you have it - Bognor Regis.

And later in the programme, I'll be taking a trip to the nearby South Downs,

as it's the perfect place to find out about man's first successful flight.

And I'm keeping my fingers tightly crossed that I will be able to take to the skies.

-Are the conditions right? Can we go up?

-We can do a little test. We let it go,

-and if it looks steady, and it doesn't go off wobbling all over the sky...

-We can fly.

-Great.

-So, we'll let it go, and see what it does.

And now, it's time to head over to the valuation day.

And this is where all the action's taking place today. Butlins!

And just look at this massive queue, worthy of a royal coronation.

But this lot are here to get a valuation on their collectibles.

And here are the couple to do it, the queenly Catherine Southon, and our very own court jester,

Charlie Ross. Well, it's now 9.30, it's time to get the doors open,

get this massive queue inside, and they're going to ask that all-important question, which is...

ALL: What's it worth?

As you can see, there's hundreds of people here. We've got a full house, lots of antiques to look at.

The experts have been delving in bags and boxes in the queue.

But now everybody is safely seated inside,

it looks like Catherine has already found something fit for a queen.

-Alan, it's lovely to see you.

-And you.

-Thank you for coming along to Bognor today.

-No problem.

I do like to see unusual pieces.

And you certainly turned up with something out of the ordinary.

-Tell me about it.

-Well, I got this in 1966.

I was in the Royal Navy, and I'd come home on leave

to my mother-in-law's house, because we lived there, my wife and I.

And I walked into the kitchen.

And she had the lid up, and was just about to take a hammer to it.

Your...? Somebody was going to smash this up?

Take the inside out of it, yeah.

Let's take a look inside, cos it's not an ordinary box.

-No, it isn't, no.

-We've actually got a lovely musical box here.

-Yes.

So we've got the winding handle on the side, the paper roll.

So we turn this round and then this feeds through here. And then we've got the bellows I presume underneath.

-Underneath, yes.

-Now, your mother-in-law was going to smash this up.

-Yes, she was, yes.

-And what was she going to do with it?

-A shoe box, she was going to make out of it.

My word, she was going to turn a cabinetto into a shoe box.

-Yes, absolutely.

-That is horrific. And you saved her.

-I did, yes.

Good man, I'm pleased you did that!

We can see here the paper labels, the trade labels.

Now, it's actually patented in 1879, in the USA.

So it would have been manufactured in the USA and actually sold in London.

-I see.

-It's in quite nice condition on the inside.

But on the outside, it does look to be a little bit tatty.

We've got some scratches here, and some wear to the transfer on the outside.

Quite a pretty little box.

An unusual box, as well.

So I think I'm going to be positive and put an estimate on of about £100 to £150, with an £80 reserve.

-How does that sound?

-Good, yeah. Flog it, yes.

-Flog it?

-Yes.

-There's my man.

-The only thing we've got to do now is to have a listen.

-Absolutely.

-Let's check it's working.

-Yeah.

-Here we go...

MUSIC PLAYS

-Pamela, good afternoon.

-Hello.

-Open the box.

Open the box. There we are. Oh, that's rather jolly.

Very jolly.

-Is that by Britains? Yes.

-Is it?

-Yes.

-The Rolls-Royce of toy manufacturers.

-Yes. I think it's more of a model, though, than a toy.

-Well, yes.

-I never played to it, as a...

-You're absolutely right, it's not really to be played with.

-No.

-Tell me all about it.

-Well, it was given to me as a child.

-Yeah.

-I had two others.

And the jockeys that I had had the royal colours,

-that is the Queen's Royal colours that she uses now.

-Yep.

Racing colours. But these are the colours before she was Queen.

-Right, so when she was Princess Elizabeth.

-Yes.

-So, that's going to date it to late '40s, isn't it?

-Yes.

Between the end of the war and the coronation.

That's right. About '48, '49.

-But it's in jolly good order.

-Well, I've kept it wrapped up...

-Yes, quite right, too.

-..to make sure.

And he's got his whip, which is one of the important things.

Right, oh, you're a real world expert on these. I'm most impressed.

I can just sit here and listen to you describe it, value it, you can probably auction it as well.

No, I don't think so! It cost...

Oh, here we go! Six shillings!

And a tuppence ha'penny.

Tuppence ha'penny! Quickly, new money, what's that?

-30p and...

-Well done!

-And a 1/2 p, I think.

-Well, 30p will do, that's very good.

-30.5p, isn't it?

That's very good. Well, I think it's worth between £100 and £200.

-Yes.

-What d'you think? You'd make a very good poker player.

-Your face didn't move at all.

-Well, I think that's very good.

-You think that's spot-on?

-Yes.

-Put a reserve of £100.

-Lovely.

-A little bit of auctioneer's discretion, in case he got within a pitch and a putt...

-You're not happy with that, no?

-No, I don't think...

-Fixed reserve.

-Fixed reserve.

-No, no, I'm here to be told.

-Put in my place.

-You don't mind, do you?

Not in the slightest, no.

-It's yours, it's not mine.

-I know. I just feel that it's worth that.

-No, I'm very happy with that.

And of course, like all toys, the box is all-important.

Absolutely.

There's no doubt there will be a collector lurking round the corner to have a bid, I'm sure.

-I hope so, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Charlie Ross said that's a big improvement!

Robin, I do love a piece of Lalique. And this is absolutely beautiful.

Lovely, stylised item here, with these wonderful little holes at the top.

-So it would have been like a posy vase.

-Yes.

But we've got these wonderful, stylised doves at the front here, interlocking.

Tell me, where did you get it from?

Well, my company imported them, back in the '60s.

They were the people who imported all the top crystals from France.

They sold these pieces, from the showrooms, off to staff.

-So your company had actually imported these from France?

-Yes.

-And they were just selling them off at the end?

-Yes.

Fantastic. And you picked this one up?

I picked this one up, I fell in love with it.

It cost me two weeks' wages, but I thought, I've got to have it,

-it's the only chance I'll get to have a bit of Lalique.

-Wonderful.

What did you love about it?

Just the style of it.

It was so elegant, and I just had to have a piece.

It is absolutely, I think elegant is the word, really.

The way these beautiful birds come into one another, interlock.

This lovely frosted glass.

We also know that there was opalescent glass.

This one is that lovely frosted colour.

I'm just going to turn this over.

-Gosh, it is a weighty piece, isn't it?

-It is.

And we can see there, we've got the signature on the bottom.

Etched in, Lalique. Of course, Rene Lalique died in '45.

And I think that this particular piece was designed by his granddaughter, Marie-Claude.

She was working from the '60s until the 1990s.

And you think that you bought it probably in...?

-'62, '63, yes.

-'62, '63.

You say it cost you a fair amount.

It cost me £58, 10 shillings, which was two weeks' wages.

-It's amazing that you remember.

-I remember it very distinctly, it was a lot of money.

-Absolutely. Robin, you're obviously attached to this.

-Yes.

-It's an important part of your life, your working history.

-Yes!

With that in mind, I know that I've got to be a bit punchy with my estimate.

Shall I say about 250 to 350?

-How does that sound?

-That's fine by me.

-Are you happy with that? And a fixed reserve of 250.

-Yes.

And I hope that it flies away at the auction and does well for us.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much.

Alex and Terry, you've brought along a baby for me.

-Yes.

-Are you husband and wife?

-No, brother and sister.

Brother and sister?!

So, who does this belong to?

-My brother.

-Which, I got it from my mother.

-Which she said I could have it. I said, thank you very much.

-Yeah.

But I didn't know what to do with it.

-No.

-So I just put it in the bottom of a wardrobe.

So, tell me, why did your mum give you the doll and not you the doll?

-I don't know.

-It seems a bit strange to me.

-She gave... When...

-Did you end up with some dinky toys or something?

-No.

-Just by the way, the costume is quite old but not original.

-No, that's right.

The head is porcelain and the rest of the body is composition.

Right.

Very, very lovely dolls are all porcelain, but it's very rare to find a doll like that.

So we're going to have a look. Lift back the bonnet, and all should be revealed.

It is a Heubach doll.

It's got a batch number, model number 267.

Koppelsdorf, which is German.

The Heubach factory was in Koppelsdorf.

DR - the Deutschland Republic.

So, now, that means it's going to be after the First World War.

-Right.

-So we're going to be putting this doll at about 1920.

The thing to do with this is to look very, very carefully at the head,

and make sure there's no damage.

-Mm-hm.

-If it's got cracks and chips, frankly,

it's not good news, from a valuation point of view.

Nope, it looks in pretty good order to me.

And of course it's got opening and shutting eyes.

-Yep.

-And the beauty of taking the wig off, you can see how it works.

-Oh, right, yeah.

-Have you ever done that?

-No.

-No. Never.

So it's on a counterbalance weight, which enables the eyes to open and close.

It's got eyelashes on one eye, they're rather gone from the other one.

But other than that, it's in pretty good condition.

And it's collectible.

So, what about a valuation?

You must have thought, as you were coming along, what it might be worth.

Ladies first, what is it worth?

-About £50.

-I'd say 65.

You're both pretty good, I reckon.

£50 to £80 is the right come-and-get-me estimate.

And there shouldn't be any shortage of people wanting it.

-Thanks for bringing it along.

-Thanks.

-Thanks.

Well, I don't know about you but I think we've found some cracking items so far.

So let's get straight over to the auction room and put those valuations to the test.

While we make our way over there, here's a quick recap,

just to jog your memory, of all the items going under the hammer.

The American-made cabinetto wouldn't have made it to Bognor if Alan's mother-in-law had had her way.

My word, she was going to turn a cabinetto into a shoe box?

-Absolutely.

-That's horrific.

Since being a child, Pamela has owned her 1940s Britains horse.

But now it's time to see if it'll run away in the auction.

Robin bought this stunning dove-shaped Lalique posy vase in the early 1960s.

And it certainly was a considered purchase.

I just fell in love with it. It cost me two weeks' wages, but I thought, I've got to have it.

And finally, brother and sister Terry and Alex are selling their Heubach German doll.

Let's hope it can find a loving new home.

We've been on the road, and we've travelled north-west from Bognor Regis

to the West Sussex town of Chichester for today's sale.

We're the guests of Henry Adams Auctioneers.

On the rostrum, the man with the local knowledge is Cliff Beacher.

It's all down to him now. All the talking is over with.

Let's see what happens.

Under starter's orders right now is the Britains model horse.

We've got a valuation of £100-£200.

-It belongs to Pamela.

-Yes.

-Good luck with this.

-Yes, I hope so.

-I hope it doesn't fall at the first hurdle.

-I hope it's the last one!

We've got a fixed reserve, haven't we, of £100. So you're keen to hang on to this.

-I am.

-Where has it been all these years?

Well, I've just kept it and kept it and collected.

I've had a lot of horse memorabilia.

-I can see the brooch.

-And my father was into racing.

-So we kept and kept a lot of stuff.

-And you gave me a tip.

-I did.

-Gave me a tip for the races.

-And it won.

-It came in, yes.

-Well, good luck.

-Oh, yes, I should cross my fingers.

Good luck, they're off. This is it, it's going under the hammer now. Here we go.

Lot 374,

a Britains model jockey on horseback. Racing colours.

There it is. You've seen it. It's in the original box, as well.

Collectible item. £100?

£50 to start it off, then.

-50 anywhere?

-Come on.

£50 to start anywhere in the room?

Thank you, sir. £50 I've got. 55?

55 and 60. Five...

-Tension.

-70, five, 80, five, 90, five.

-100. £100, standing up in the room.

-Oh, there we are.

110, I'd like.

At £100. 110 anywhere?

At £100, I'm going to sell it.

£100 it goes.

-It's gone. We did it.

-Yes, we've got it.

-It's gone.

-It crept there.

-It did.

-It kicked off the last bend.

-I know, I know. Never mind.

-Gosh!

Are we going to hit the right note? We're going to find out.

We've got Alan's music box going under the hammer.

We're looking for £100-£150.

That certainly would be the crescendo, the 150, wouldn't it?

-That's what we want.

-Yes, absolutely.

-Why are you selling this, Alan?

-It's just been stuck in a cupboard for years.

-It's massive, isn't it? Big cupboard.

-Yes.

The only time I take it out is when the likes of we have a barbecue, and the music's going,

-and I sneak it downstairs and have a go, and everybody gets a surprise.

-It's a bit of fun, isn't it?

Actually, you're right. It's a picnic piece, that's what it is.

It suddenly just dawned on me.

-It's a bit of fun, isn't it?

-Entertainment on the lawn.

And it's a really pretty box, as well.

-It's very nice.

-I quite agree.

-It's just one of those quirky things. Will it, won't it sell?

Well, we're gonna find out, that's for sure. We're here to flog it.

-Here we go, good luck, Alan.

-Thank you.

A musical cabinetto.

Table model organ with rolls. There it is.

Unusual.

Very unusual lot.

Where do I start for this one, £100?

Thank you, £100. 110, 120.

130, 140, 150, 160. 170... £170.

£170. It's going to go... 180 in the middle.

190. 200. 210. 220. Still in the middle of the room, sitting down.

At £220. Closed forever.

220...

-That's the crescendo we wanted!

-I'm amazed.

-Thank you very much.

-That's good. What will you do with the money?

-Spend it.

-Spend it.

Take the family out for a good meal.

More importantly, what are you gonna do at the barbecue?

Well, find something else.

Get an old banjo or something and have a go with that.

Going under the hammer right now, a 1920s German doll. This is quality.

It belongs to Alex and Terry.

Brother and sister. Your mum gave you this.

-Yes.

-So, what's Mum going to do with the money?

-Is she gonna give it to both of you?

-Probably.

Oh, that's all right, then, isn't it? It is quality.

-There are a lot of doll collectors out there, and I'm sure there are some here today.

-Right.

-Fingers crossed. It's going under the hammer now. This is it.

-Good.

Lot 437. The German doll.

Open-shut eyes, open mouth with teeth. There it is.

Starter for this one. £50?

-£30 for a start, then.

-You can't sell a Heubach doll for £30!

32, 5, 7, 40, 2, 5, 7, 50.

£50, got to go at 50. Five anywhere? Up in the balcony, £50.

It's not expensive, is it?

-£50, for a lovely doll.

-Come on.

Are you all done and finished? £50.

Yes, it's gone.

£50. Only just, though.

-But I think Mum will be pleased, don't you?

-She will.

-Yeah?

If it's any consolation, it's considerably more than it would have cost new.

Yes!

Next up, we've got a frosted shaped vase, but it's not any old frosted shaped vase.

It's a Rene Lalique, one of the top names in glass design.

It belongs to Robin, here, with a value of £250-£350 put on by Catherine.

Quality, quality, quality.

Why are you selling this, Robin?

Well, I'd had it over 40 years, and really and truthfully,

although I've enjoyed it, I think it's about time it went.

But it's in fantastic condition. It's a lovely, elegant piece. So, hopefully, we should do all right.

I think you will. It's a sought-after name.

Very, very collectible.

-Yes.

-Let's find out what this lot think. Here we go.

That brings us on to lot 415,

the Lalique frosted and clear glass vase, modelled as two doves.

-It is beautiful. It catches the light so well.

-It does.

£200? £100 for a start, then.

100, thank you, all over the place. 110, 120. 130, 140. With me at £140.

150 anywhere? 160, 170, 180,

190, 200.

210? 210.

220, 230,

240, 250.

250, upstairs in the balcony at 250.

At £250.

260, fresh face. 260, standing up.

-Back of the room, at 260...

-You're happy with this, aren't you?

270, lady came in. 280, 290, 300.

310, 320.

This is fantastic.

320, still with the gentleman. At £320, have you done and finished?

320.

-We did it.

-That was fantastic, I'm surprised, actually.

-£320!

Quality. Quality always sells.

What are you going to put the money towards?

-Pay my wine bill.

-Pay your wine bill?

-Have you got a big wine bill?

-Yes.

What, you collect wine or you've been running at up in the local wine bar?

I just got a bit mad with my wine merchant and spent too much money.

That's the end of our first visit to the auction room.

We are coming back later on in the show, so there'll be plenty more surprises.

And all our blood pressures soar when my valuation is put to the test.

-Wow! Well done.

-I was scared about that.

I really didn't think you'd sell 'em, you know.

-It caused a bit of a flutter!

-They did.

But right now, I've got something very uplifting to find out about.

Like a lot of people, I've always wanted to go up in a hot-air balloon.

And I'm very excited that I might, just might, get the chance today.

The dream of flight has mesmerised people for thousands of years,

going as far back as Icarus and his home-made wings in ancient Greek mythology.

Since then, the world has witnessed centuries of creative efforts to try and get man airborne.

But it wasn't until 21st November 1783 that man first realised his dream of flight,

when a hot-air balloon invented by two French brothers soared to the sky, carrying two passengers.

The Montgolfier brothers, Joseph and Etienne, were paper makers from the small French town of Annonay.

And they created a wonderfully colourful balloon, which took off

from the Bois de Boulogne, with a young physicist and an army major on board as the first aeronauts.

The flight itself, although historic, was quite short-lived.

It only lasted about 25 minutes.

The Montgolfier brothers lit a fire of straw and sheep's wool underneath the balloon to inflate it.

They thought the dense smoke actually helped the balloon to rise.

What they didn't realise was the fact that it was the hot air created by the fire

that propelled the balloon skywards.

The first successful flight in Britain came the following year, in 1784.

And then other air balloons of various shapes were created

and launched from countries all around the world.

As years passed, new ways of lifting balloons were thought out.

Successful experiments were completed using helium and hydrogen, gases that were lighter than air.

Since air ballooning's creation, there have been various attempts to break new records,

like making the largest balloon,

being the first to cross the Channel

and, in more recent memory, flying around the world.

The competitive nature of ballooning has advanced its development,

as well as assuring its place in history.

But it's in living memory that ballooning has become the hot-air ballooning we know today.

Hearing the roar of the gas under the balloon, well, that's down to an American guy called Ed Yost, who,

in the 1950s, developed hot-air ballooning using LPG.

Which stands for liquid petroleum gas.

Following swiftly on his heels was British man Don Cameron,

who first pioneered the technique in Europe in the 1960s.

Well, I'm here to meet ballooning pilot Graeme Scaife,

who's going to enlighten me about these lovely old flying machines. Hi, Graeme.

-Hello, Paul, nice to meet you.

-Thank you for meeting up with me.

-My pleasure.

-It is a lovely day.

I don't know if we'll get a chance to fly, but I'll leave that up to you at the end of the day!

Hopefully we can. How long have you been flying?

I started in 1985, and I got my licence in '86.

I originally got started... I had two balloons fly over my house one afternoon.

I thought, this looks the most magnificent way of travel.

For me, every flight is exciting, you never know quite where you're going, it's an adventure.

Whereas in a fixed-wing plane, you start the engine, you're going from A to B. We don't know where B is.

So it makes it a lot more exciting.

Let's just talk a little bit about the history of flying, prior to LPG.

Prior to LPG, there was hydrogen balloons, which still, to this day, are operated.

They're very expensive to fill up, and it's very difficult to get hydrogen.

They're mainly used by real enthusiasts, real pure balloonists, we call them.

I have never been in a hydrogen balloon. And I would just love to go in one. Cos it's totally silent.

There's no noise from burners or anything.

-It's completely silent.

-Wow! Can you talk me through the technique?

Well, hydrogen is a gas that is highly inflammable.

-Yes.

-And what happens is that the balloon envelope is made of a type of rubbery material.

And they put a net over the top of the material, and then they feed the gas in to a tube,

-into the side of the balloon. And it slowly starts building up into the shape of a round balloon.

-Yes.

And it's weighed down at the side with sandbags.

And as the balloon fills, it starts to become more and more buoyant, so more and more sandbags.

Until, finally, it has enough lift to lift the basket and the passengers.

And the sandbags are then all around the side of the basket.

So it comes to a point of buoyancy

when you throw out one hand of sand and the balloon will rise slowly into the air.

-The most fantastic experience.

-Yeah. That's why it's dead silent, then.

-Absolutely.

-How lovely.

There's no noise from burners or anything like that. It's completely silent.

-But it's dangerous, isn't it?

-It is very dangerous. You have to wear cotton clothing.

And there must be no chance of any static electricity,

cos that can cause a spark, and bang, up it will all go.

It looks like the guys are coming in to prep the balloon.

This could be exciting. I might get a flight.

Yes, so what they're doing now is, they're laying it out downwind.

And then we'll spread it out on the ground.

And then we fill it full of cold air.

Is this quite a dangerous stage?

Er, at this stage, no, it's not too dangerous. But you just make sure that the basket is tied off properly.

-Yeah.

-Because a gust of wind comes along...

-To the Land Rover.

To the Land Rover, otherwise it'll be off down the field. So you must make sure it's tied off.

What about the navigation up there, being an aeronaut governed by the wind?

To go up and down if you're approaching a peak on a mountain or a rooftop, give it a bit more...

We have a huge amount of control, up and down control.

You've got a lot of control on that.

People say, you just missed my chimney pot. Well, we didn't really.

We've got a lot of control.

What's the most dangerous aspect of being a pilot?

The most dangerous aspect is making sure you don't land anywhere near power lines.

That's what we really have to watch out for.

If you go through a hedge or the top of a tree or something like that, there's nothing to panic about.

That does happen from time to time.

-They don't actually land with a bump, do they?

-No, you round them out as they come in.

And most of the time, out of every 12, 15 landings I do, probably only one of them will tip over.

And that's if it's a bit windy. Most of the time they stay upright.

The moment of reckoning has come. The balloon is laid out. But am I going to be able to take a flight?

-Are the conditions right? Can we go up?

-We can do a little test.

-OK.

-Matthew, can I have a balloon, please, and a compass?

Thank you. There we go.

-What do you look for?

-What we look for with this balloon, we let it go.

And then we watch that it doesn't climb lower than 45 degrees.

And if it looks steady and it doesn't go off wobbling all over the sky...

-We can fly.

-That means it's gusting. If it's nice and steady, above 45, we can fly.

-Great.

-So we'll let it go and see what it does. So it's shot off.

To one side... And then I look in the compass, and you can see, it's going down.

It's not even climbing.

No. Now it's shooting off in the air.

So it's not ready yet. It's definitely too windy at the moment.

And it's all over the place on the compass.

-That would be an uncomfortable ride, if we were underneath that?

-The problem is landing the balloon.

-You'd never be able to land it safely.

-Gosh.

-That's gone, that's probably gone a mile, hasn't it, in 30 seconds?

-It's gone off very quickly, yeah.

-Thank you so much for prepping it up and...

-Not at all.

It's a shame at this stage we can't take you up for a flight!

But that's ballooning.

Take care. Bye-bye.

Well, that's disappointing, isn't it? Good old British weather. Never right, is it?

I can only imagine what it would be like soaring in the sky over the South Downs.

Well, one day it'll happen.

I've just got to remain positive.

I bet it's magic up there.

Back to Butlins, and our valuation day. And I can't believe this,

there's still people queuing outside trying to get in.

It looks like we've still got a packed house inside.

Our experts really do have their work cut out.

But let's join up with them now and see exactly what they're up to.

-Judy, what bright colours you've brought to the table!

-Yes!

-D'you like them?

-Not very much, really.

-You don't?

-No.

-So that's why you've brought them here today.

-It is.

-What's the history behind them?

They were my grandmother's.

-Right.

-All I know about them is that they're Belgian.

My grandfather and grandmother went out to Belgium in 1910.

-Yes.

-They came back in 1914. Strange, many would say.

Oh, what a shock!

-And then went out again in 1919, when it was safe again.

-When it was all over, yeah.

And I reckon these have to be at least the 1930s.

Right. Well, we'll have a look at them.

It's very interesting that you should say the connection of Belgium.

Certainly if I looked at this, I would have said it was Chinese.

-Oh, right.

-It looks like Chinese, 19th century, crackleware.

But I'm going to turn one upside down, and I expect to find something relating to Belgium.

Yes.

Boch Freres. I think what you would call the Clarice Cliff of Belgium.

Right.

You might look at this and think, they're nothing like Clarice Cliff...

-No.

-..because they don't have that sort of decoration.

But they did do pottery with vibrant decorations.

Right.

The bad news is of course that these are not decorated,

and the ones with bright decorations are the valuable ones.

-Yes!

-Nevertheless, you're absolutely spot-on with the date.

I would think between 1920 and 1930.

-Yes.

-From Belgium. And not seen much in this country, actually.

-No...

-But whilst these would be particularly valuable,

or much more valuable, back home - or for them, back home - they wouldn't be so valuable over here.

-Ah.

-You could say, well, why don't we take them to Belgium?

-Frankly, the cost of getting them there, they're never going to be that much more valuable.

-No, absolutely.

So, coming to the valuation, I think we're looking at about £100.

-Sounds good.

-Is that enough?

-It is.

-So I'll come up with a rather obvious estimate of 80-120.

-Yes!

And put a reserve of £80 with discretion.

-That sounds very good.

-That sound OK?

-Jolly good. And then you won't have to look at them ever again.

-No! Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Pat and Richard, it's great to see you.

Thank you for bringing in such a wonderful display, a great collection of butterflies.

-So who is the lepidopterist?

-Well, neither of us, actually.

It was my father, he was in the Navy in the late '40s...

He's obviously travelled a lot, cos these aren't English, are they?

No, these came from Malaya, Singapore.

-Did he personally collect them?

-He did, yes.

-Running around the jungle with a net.

-Yes, indeed, yes.

My word. How many are there? Let's have a quick look.

Nine trays all together.

I've never counted them accurately, but I suspect there's about 300 or so there.

Cos there's big ones and little ones.

He's beautifully displayed them, hasn't he? And he's sealed them in. They're airtight.

If vermin gets inside there, and the wings start to get frayed and eaten,

the collectors just don't want to know.

And they are pretty much perfect.

-It's the colours. They just merge together so beautifully.

-Yes.

And it hasn't lost any of the hue or the iridescence of the wings. That's what's so important.

No. They've been in the dark for over 60 years.

You've certainly looked after them.

He never got them out. He would let you have a peep at them at Christmas, perhaps.

But you weren't ever allowed to look at them much.

This harks back to sort of Victorian England, when it was so fashionable to collect items of natural history.

And everybody at home would have a mini museum.

On a Sunday, you'd go into the parlour, and have a real treat.

-You'd have the family around, you'd open up the cabinet, and all the little children would go, wow!

-Yes.

It kind of died out, really. It wasn't fashionable.

-Come the First World War, people started to get rid of of taxidermy, cos it reminded them of death.

-Yes.

And it's only just starting to make a resurgence, natural history.

You've got some paperwork there, have you?

Yes, that's the gentleman himself.

-That's your father.

-Yes, my father.

-What's his name?

-Leo.

Leo Paul Walter Ricard.

-What was his rank in the Navy?

-He was a wardmaster lieutenant.

-So he was in the medical brigade.

-He was an academic, then.

Yes. There's some pictures of the jungle, where they came from.

-And he took these snaps himself, did he?

-Yes, yes, yes.

Thank goodness he survived the war.

Yeah. And even the Latin names for them.

Oh, this is interesting. So each case is marked,

-and there's a description of every single butterfly.

-Yep.

Quantity - four of, dark blue with high blue tip.

And there's the Latin name.

I mean, it's not really PC, is it?

It's totally against the law to do this now.

And you can't import things like this. But this does predate the 1947 DEFRA guidelines anyway.

So we're OK to sell this. So, the value...

-What have you thought about this? Have you had any idea?

-No idea.

No idea at all, really. Er, 100, 200, something like that, possibly?

We really don't have an idea.

-Well, I can tell you, I'd like to double that straight away.

-Really?

-Yes. I'm gonna put £400 to £500 on the lot.

-Really?

-Wow.

-If an academic butterfly collector picks up on this,

and there is a very rare extinct one or two amongst this lot...

-Yes.

-..it might go for a lot more.

-Yes.

-And, if you pardon the pun, they could just fly away.

-Very good.

-Yes.

# Say a little prayer for you... #

Jilly, thank you for coming along today and thank you for bringing your absolutely exquisite snuffbox.

Now, I say exquisite because it's the most

beautiful piece of tortoiseshell I've seen for a long time, actually.

One of the most important things that I love about it is the cartouche in the middle,

which has no initials, so it's all fresh, all ready for us to inscribe it.

Really beautiful. Where did you actually get it from?

I got it from my aunt, who I think inherited it from her parents.

But it was in a cabinet of little things which she left me when she died.

So your aunt obviously had wonderful taste.

Oh, she was wonderful... Yes, she was gorgeous.

I mean, to look at it it does almost look Continental.

-Oh, really?

-But I think that this design is probably quite...

is English. It's just beautifully done, it really is perfect.

The bit I love is that, is the little band of flowers just in the front. I think they're absolutely gorgeous.

Now, what is a shame, I can see that the lid doesn't look...

-Yes, it is a little...

-..very safe. Do you want to lift it off? I don't want to...

The hinge doesn't work properly, so it's just best to lift it off

and do it that way, because there's this bit across there.

OK, so we've got a bit of damage going on there.

That's a nasty crack. That's a nasty crack.

Is that recent?

Very shortly after my aunt died and it came to me, the cabinet nearly fell off the wall.

-It was the day of her funeral, it nearly fell off the wall...

-Oh, my word!

And a lot of the things came out of the cupboard and smashed.

-Right.

-And I think that got damaged at that stage.

Right. And this looks like it could get longer and longer so we need to be very, very careful with this.

I just think it's the most amazing colour tortoiseshell.

You often see lighter colours coming through,

but I really do like this dark, dark tortoiseshell.

And it was half full of snuff when I was a child, as I do remember.

Oh, really? So it was...

Jilly, it's such a wonderful story.

I'm a little curious as to why you're wanting to sell.

My twin sister, Jackie, needs the money.

She's a missionary in Hong Kong and she has had a building project in Hong Kong

and this year needs to pay £1 million towards the final stage.

-Right.

-And that's what it was going towards.

-We'll see what we can do.

Would you be happy with an estimate of about £100 to £150?

-Yes, that sounds fine.

-With an £80 reserve.

I don't think we'll make a million, but we'll see what we can do.

-That'd be great, thanks so much.

-Thank you, Jilly.

Well, it's time for our final trip to the auction now and there's certainly no love lost

between Judy and her inherited Belgian Boch vases.

So let's hope we can get rid of them for her.

I was wowed by Pat and Richard's extensive butterfly collection,

which they inherited from Richard's father, and it's clear to see why they're in such good condition.

Pop never got them out. He would let you have a peep at them,

at Christmas, perhaps, but you weren't allowed to look at them much.

And finally, Jilly is selling her beautiful tortoiseshell snuffbox

to raise funds for her twin sister's charity.

So let's hope there are some eager bidders waiting to fight it out, as it's going under the hammer now.

The money is going to your sister's charity that she's running in Hong Kong?

-That's right.

-Tell us a little more about that.

It's called St Stephen's Society, and it's concerned with really down-and-out-people.

Unlovely and unloved are the people that she likes to pick up.

-Of any age?

-Of any age.

Drug addicts, street sleepers, abandoned grannies,

-all sorts of people who're just unlovely and unloved.

-How lovely.

-Katherine, I think this is quality and I know why you fell in love with this.

-Yes.

-It's very you.

It is very me, it's very pretty.

Well...!

But it is beautiful. It was the little bit of damage that worried me, but it's a sweet little box.

And you know what we say on the programme - quality always sells.

It's now down to this lot to stick their hands up.

Let's find out who buys it. Here we go.

Lot 188, an early 18th-century tortoiseshell rectangular snuffbox.

There it is, nice little snuff box.

-What am I started for this one?

-Who'll be the lucky buyer?

A lot of interest, I've got to start at £100.

At 100. £100. At 100.

At £100, 10 I'd like. At £100.

For the snuff box, 100. 110, I see.

120? Still with me at 120.

120. Would you go 30? No? £120.

With me at 120. 120. 120.

Go on, 30. Seated, 130. Thank you.

130. 140, with me? 150?

140, then? £140? With me on the book at £140.

Are you all finished at 140?

That is a great result, £140, just £10 short of our top estimate.

All the money is going straight over to Hong Kong now.

-What's your sister's name?

-Jackie.

-Jackie'll be really happy with that.

-Yes.

-I've just worked it out, Jackie and Jilly.

-Yes, we're Jack and Jill.

My parents thought it was funny.

It is funny.

Next up, three Belgian vases.

They belong to Judy, who has just joined me.

-And you've been in the wars, haven't you?

-Yes.

-What's happened?

I discovered that you...

I don't forget how to cycle after 45 years, but I did forget how to stop.

Oh, no! You fell off your bike?!

-Oh, God!

-Thank goodness you weren't carrying the vases!

Yeah. Let's hope we can cheer you up with a good result on the vases.

-I do like them.

-The colours are good.

-The colours are great.

But they're Belgian.

-I was a little bit...

-What's wrong with Belgian?

Nothing's wrong with Belgian.

-If it was chocolate, it would be better.

-Or lace!

-They're quirky.

-Yeah.

-I think they'll appeal to a lot of the buyers here.

We're gonna find out. Good luck.

And thank you for soldiering on, as well, and coming in. Here we go.

Lot 301, Belgian pottery vase.

A blue one together with two other similar vases.

Shown on my right hand side, there.

Three vases. Where am I started for these? £100?

-Come on.

-£50 for a start? 50. 50, thank you. 50. 55? 55.

60, now? At 55.

At £55. 60, anywhere?

At £55. 60 in the room? £55.

-All done at £55?

-People looking at the auctioneer, not bidding.

-At £55.

Unfortunately, we didn't sell them.

Thank goodness you put a reserve on them,

cos I know Charlie likes you to sort of...

Imagine if we haven't put a reserve on. They might have sold for £10.

50? Five? 60? 65?

70? 75?

Will they fly away? You know what I'm talking about, don't you?

That exquisite, that wonderful butterfly collection.

-Pat and Richard, it's great to see you again.

-Hello.

-Hello.

I'm quite excited, because I know the condition is spot-on for the collectors.

-I just hope they're here.

-Yes.

Let's just hope we can get the top end of my estimate and they do fly away.

Yes, let's hope!

They're going under the hammer now.

Here we go.

Lot 390.

-Lot 390, the butterfly collection...

-I'm scared.

-I'm so scared.

-Mainly from Malaysia and Singapore.

Approximately 300. Where am I started for these?

Unusual lot. £400? 400?

200 to start it, then?

200, thank you. 200, I've got. £200.

At 200. 210? 220? 230?

-230. At £230.

-Oh, come on.

-240? 250?

260? 270?

-Good heavens.

-280? 290?

£290.

Shakes his head, up in the balcony. 290? 300? 300, I've got. 300. 300.

320? 340?

-340? At £340.

-Come on.

At £340, I'm going to sell them.

At £340. 60, anywhere?

At £340. 60 anywhere in the room?

At £340, I will sell them.

At £340. Are you done and finished?

At 3... 60, he's came back.

-360. 380?

-Oh, you've sold them!

-Fluttering about!

-400, sir?

No? At £380, then. In the balcony. They go forever.

Wow, yes! Well done!

-I was scared about that.

-I didn't think you'd sell them, you know?

-They caused a bit of a flutter.

-They did.

And no doubt they will wherever they go.

-Absolutely.

-They'll be enjoyed.

-Really good, yes.

-That's all down...

-Granddad would be pleased.

-Thanks to Granddad.

Well, that's a brilliant result.

Richard and Pat are going home happy.

Join us for many more surprises next time. Until then, it's cheerio.

For more information about Flog It,

including how the programme was made,

visit the website at bbc.co.uk

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