Weston Flog It!

So where does Flog It come from today?

Well, just listen to this music and it will give you a clue.

# Off to sunny Weston-super-Mare

# Super-Mare. #

Yes, you've got it! Today we're in Weston-super-Mare,

which is in the Wurzels' home county of Somerset.

Well, the Wurzels have certainly hit the nail on the head.

It's a beautiful bright day here in Weston.

We've got a massive queue here. Hopefully they're gonna give me

a good old Wurzels welcome outside The Winter Gardens

here on the sea front. Are you ready for this?

Yes!

The doors are open and there are hundreds of people all wanting a special Flog It valuation.

and appraising the antiques and collectables from Weston,

our experts, Anita Manning...

Not my bag!

And Michael Baggott.

Hold onto them.

Later in the programme I'll be visiting a local treasure

which very nearly disappeared in the nearby town of Clevedon.

Well, I wasn't expecting this!

But for now it looks as if two things of interest

have already caught Michael's eye.

Julia, thank you so much

for bringing in these weird and wonderful candlesticks,

-they're delightful!

-You're welcome.

Can you tell me first, where did you get them from?

-I bought them from a friend of mine about 35 years ago.

-Oh, really!

A long time ago, beginning of the 80s, so that's... 30 years ago.

30 years ago, oh, don't say that!

He used to collect oriental objects and I just liked them

and he needed some money and asked me if I wanted to buy them

so I gave him £50 for them.

Marvellous! So did you collect oriental objects?

For a while, yes. I used to like bronzes.

-Bronzes, absolutely!

-Oriental bronzes.

So in terms of date, I think they're definitely Chinese.

-Definitely Chinese?

-Definitely Chinese.

They could be made anywhere from 1880 to as late as 1910.

There was a tremendous vogue for Chinese works of art then,

and now we have to think of value. Now you paid £50 for it.

Instinctively, I would say £50 to £100 at auction

with the head missing, but I think possibly you want

a better return than that on them.

-As long as I break even, to be honest.

-Break even.

I think we should then say let's put a reserve on them for £60,

which I think is this one and you're almost getting that one

as a makeweight in the lot,

but let's put an estimate of the auctioneer's favourite, £80 to £120.

-£80 to £120.

-So it's leading people in the right direction.

Julia, you've had these for so long now,

why have you decided to sell them?

Mainly because I don't want them to get more damaged,

as that one has already lost its head.

-We don't want that one to go as well, do we.

-No, not really,

and it's the right time and it will go towards my holiday fund.

Marvellous, so they might get you to the Far East?

You never know! That would be wonderful!

They're going to appeal to someone that loves oriental taste.

And they'd clean up quite well?

-I wouldn't clean them.

-You wouldn't?

-Never.

If we could use this moment to put an alert out

across the country, never clean bronze.

-OK.

-If it's bronze, leave it alone.

Dust it and possibly get the wax off with the tip of your thumbnail,

but the whole thing with these is patina and colour

and they've got the colour that's built up over 100 years.

It's like a wooden table, that beautiful shine.

Exactly, so the last thing you do is clean them and people think,

"it's a bit of brass, bit of bronze, needs polishing"

and as soon as you do that, they'd be £10 to £15 if you polish them.

Thank goodness I'm not obsessive about cleaning!

-Never polish your bronze.

-Never!

You've made me make a very good point there, Julia!

-Thank you so much for bringing them in.

-Thank you, Michael.

Bill, welcome to Flog It.

Thank you for coming along and what a fine handsome watch and chain

you've brought to Flog It today.

-Thank you.

-Can you tell me where you got it?

-Yes, I can.

That originally was my uncle's

and he died not long before my auntie

who was, at the time, my godmother.

-Oh, I see.

-I didn't know too much about it

because I was only a teenager but apparently my godmother

left this to me in her will and that's how I came into it.

What age were you at the time, Bill?

I would think I was around about 15-ish, something like that.

I'm pretty sure I was still at school, but probably late school.

Were you quite proud to get a fine gold pocket watch? Did you wear it?

I felt really chuffed that it was given to me, if you know what I mean.

I did not wear it, no. Really, I just used to get it out now and again,

have a look at it, wind it up and make sure it's still going, put it back away again.

Well, if we look at it a wee bit more closely,

it's made of 9 carat gold.

So you have two chains here, each of which is a curb linked chain

with graduated links and each of the links is hallmarked for 9 carat gold.

That's your little 0.375.

We have our T-bar here, which is again hallmarked with gold.

The watch is also in 9 carat gold and it is of local interest

because it was made by Showering Brothers of Bristol.

Which is where I originated from.

Which is where you came from.

Bill, I would put an auction estimate of £300 to £400.

We'll put it into auction.

I think we should have a firm reserve of, say, £280.

Would you be happy with that?

That would be very nice, yes. I would be very pleased with that, thank you very much.

Well, I think it will do well and I'm very pleased that you brought it along to Flog It.

Thank you very much, thank you.

Ray, thank you for bringing this rather lovely photograph frame in.

Can I ask you, where did you get it from?

Well, my wife Mabel

was sorting out a relatives house after, sadly, she died

and right at the end of clearing it out we went out and emptied the

dustbin, or rubbish bin, and as we went to tip it into the wheelie bin, I found the photo frame.

Good grief!

Which was a shame for it to have gone on the tip.

-So it was seconds away from the tip?

-Exactly!

Good grief! Well, I'll tell you a little bit about this frame.

We've got a standard Edwardian die-stamped frame.

All these four sections would be struck in a die

and soldered together and they're put on a velvet backing,

-which invariably wears in time, but we've still got the easel back there...

-That works OK.

..which is an important feature and if we open that up, lovely,

we've got a watered silk background with the retailer's stamp for the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company.

-Regent Street, is it?

-Regent Street, 112 Regent Street...

Oh, 42, they must have moved!

THEY LAUGH

And there, to just write it in stone,

we've got the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths mark and

then we've got the London hallmarks for 1903.

Any idea what

the skip dodger might be worth?

Well, I thought maybe £70 upwards, £70 to £100?

You can sit where I'm sitting!

Yeah, but I do watch Flog It!

The value of watching Flog It! Absolutely right!

I think because of the tatty condition on the back, we'll pitch it at £70 to £100,

put a fixed reserve of £70 on it so if it doesn't sell, it can go back home but

I think they'll be a lot of people for this in the auction.

-Oh, good.

-And we should see over the £100, so thank you

so much for bringing it in and I hope it does really well in the sale for you.

It's been a pleasure. Thank you very much.

Anne, what a pleasant rural setting.

That's idyllic, what a lovely place. I wonder where it is?

Tell me, where did you get this picture?

I got it from a lady who lived next door to me and I used to look after her and take care of her so

she let me have the picture.

-But this is a lovely picture.

-It is.

-These figures pull me into the picture immediately.

You have a gillie here,

who's rather a proper looking gentleman on horseback and he's

perhaps directing what might be a peddler towards a little homestead,

perhaps she's selling pegs or some other useful type of thing and you've got the little dogs.

You've got a very pleasant group of people here who are pulled into the picture and then the eye starts to

wander round and look at this lovely countryside, hills in the background there,

these wonderful trees and a very pleasing skyline.

A wee bit of damage along here,

a wee bit of staining but that's not bad, it's not too bad at all.

And if we look at the back of the picture, let's turn it round here...

..we can see that it's Walter H W Foster and

the subject is Hambledon in Surrey.

My initial reaction to it would perhaps be in the region of...

..£250 to £350, in that sort of area.

Would you be happy to sell it

-within that estimate?

-Yes, yes.

So if we say £250 to £350

-with a firm reserve, a firm reserve of £250.

-OK.

-Shall we go for it?

-Yes.

Anne, what would you put the money to?

It would help to pay for a trip to Florida for my family.

That's lovely. Are you all going together as a family?

-Yes, yes, yes.

-Wonderful!

Well, let's hope it's sourced.

We need it!

Well, you've just seen them. What a great start to a valuation day and

this is where we're gonna be selling all our lots...

the Clevedon Sale Room. In a moment, this room's gonna be jam-packed.

Auctioneer Mark Burridge is gonna be on the rostrum, hopefully flogging

all our lots but before he does, here's a quick recap of all the items going under the hammer.

Bill was chuffed when he inherited his 9 carat gold fob watch and chain

but sadly he doesn't wear it, so it's time for it to go.

Ray's silver picture frame very nearly didn't see the light of day

when he was clearing a relative's home.

And as we went to tip it into the wheelie bin,

I found the photo frame.

Will Anne's inherited painting of a rural scene add funds to her holiday pot?

And finally, Julia's owned her bronze candlesticks since the '80s and they've built up

a fabulous patina, which has increased their value.

Thank goodness I'm not obsessive about cleaning!

Never polish your bronze.

In fact, these are the first items going under the hammer.

We've got our expert Michael who put the valuation on them, £80 to £120, but we don't have the owner Julia.

She is stuck in traffic right now.

She's just made a phone call, she's not far away, she's really upset and she's going to get here

but the sale cannot stop, we've got to go on with it.

I'm just hoping she walks through the doors any second now, but fingers crossed, Michael!

What a pity! As long as the bidders that want to

buy the candlesticks aren't stuck in traffic, there won't be a problem.

That is what you call a full auction room.

I've not seen a busier auction room for a long time and they're here to buy.

Yes, and oriental things always do well in the south west, so...

-Why is that, then?

-Because a lot of oriental dealers live in the south west!

Well, I hope they're here today. It's going under the hammer.

Lot 240 is the pair of Chinese bronze candlesticks,

decorated with dragons, lot 240, what can we say?

50, 5, 60 I'm bid, 5 now 5, 5, 5, 65, 70 here.

-80 here, 90 now...

-Great, we've sold them!

90, 90, 90, 90 thank you. 100...

It's all those oriental dealers that live in the south west, I told you!

-I know.

-And £110 and 20...

All done then and selling at £110.

That's very good, £110.

-Top end of estimate.

-You were right, yes.

-Superb!

What we have to do now is wait for Julia to arrive and

-tell her the good news, otherwise we could ring her up.

-Absolutely!

In the frame right now is Ray, who's just joined me, with

the wonderful silver picture frame with a value of £70 to £100 on it.

Now we need to sell this because Ray wants to invest in...

Some premium bonds for my wife.

What a treat! And I hope you win as well, I really do!

Well, we'll have to thank Flog It for that then, won't we!

Yeah, well Michael...

-And Michael as well, yeah.

-Top end!

Top end photograph frames are what people have wanted in silver for years now.

And always have, always will.

They always have. You don't have to collect them, you just need to have a photograph of a loved one

and you want a nice frame, so I'd be very disappointed if we didn't make the top end or even a smidge over.

Let's find out what the bidders of Clevedon think. Here we go.

460, a silver picture frame,

1903, 460, what can we say 55 and 65 and 70 with me and 5, 5, 5,

-5, 80, 5, 90, 5, 100...

-Yes!

100, I'll take 5, 10, 15 in the room and 20, 20.

In the room at £115. Is there 20, yes, or no?

Sold it, the hammer's gone down.

-£115.

-What it deserved to do, just over the top end.

-Yes, very good.

Extra £15 worth of premium bonds!

Well, this oil painting going under the hammer right now belongs to Anne,

and we've got a valuation put on by Anita of £250 to £350.

Good artist, exhibited RA over a dozen times, so the artist has form!

-And that's gonna sell it!

-And people like that.

Yes, they'll like that, won't they. Anything with a RA initial

makes things sell. That's the provenance and that's what the collectors look for.

Lot 140, Walter Foster's oil there,

Hambledon in Surrey.

Full title and signature is what people like.

What can we say for lot 140?

150, 60 here, 170?

170 now, 170 now, 170 now, 170 now. Thank you.

170 in the room, 180 on the book, 190, 190, 190, 200, and now 10.

-210, 220, 230...

-Oh, it's going.

230, 240, 250, 260, 260

260. Sat down at £250, anyone else?

All done then at £250.

Got that away, got that away, what a great result!

-It is a lovely little picture.

-Oh, yes, yes.

What are you putting the money towards? There is commission to pay.

Yes, yes. Going for holidays.

Just putting it into a holiday fund?

How lovely, well enjoy it, that's a good result, isn't it?

And remember those bronze candlesticks? Well, Julia's

eventually made it here, so let's break the news to her.

Right, Michael, give Julia the good news.

The good news is...

we didn't get low estimate, we went above my reserve, we got £110.

That's wonderful! What great news!

That's fantastic. It was worth it in the end.

Yes. I shall be spending that in Wales, on my holiday.

-Where are you going, what part of Wales?

-Pendine Sands.

-Lovely!

-Nine miles of sandy beaches!

Oh, gorgeous, just walking barefoot and relaxing!

-Well, enjoy it, won't you.

-Thank you.

I love this next lot.

It's a gold fob watch.

Didn't you ever fancy a little waistcoat and dropping it in?

When you're younger, you don't think of it!

No, but nowadays, wouldn't you want to use it?

No, I don't wear waistcoats so much these days!

I think it's lovely, I really do and I hope it sells well.

We have a gentleman's 9 carat cased

top wind pocket watch, 1927, together with a

9 carat curbed link double bracelet

and we will start on the reserve price of £280, 290 with me, 300...

-Yes, we're in, we're in.

-300 now. 300, thank you.

310, 320, 330, 340 in the room.

350.

Bid's in the room on 340, who's got 50? Selling then at £340.

Just got it away!

I'm happy, are you happy?

-Thank you.

-Excellent!

OK, look, there's commission to pay but what are you gonna put the money towards?

I've got nothing specific for this amount.

-Save it for a rainy day?

-Save it for a rainy day.

-Excellent!

Great result for Bill and when we come back to the auction later on, all is not what it seems...

We strongly feel that this is a 20th century copy.

Well, I've left the auction behind for a little while and I've popped out to indulge in a wonderfully

nostalgic experience, one that very nearly died out.

Welcome to the Curzon Community Cinema here in the heart of Clevedon.

Now this is one of the oldest continually running cinemas still operating in the world

but in 1995 it nearly disappeared and it was due to follow in the path of so many other doomed

independent cinemas if it hadn't have been for the people for Clevedon.

The Curzon had a special place in the hearts of so many of the people in the community that a

large group of them got together to save the cinema.

Hence in 1996, it became the Curzon Community Cinema.

In doing so, it's guaranteed a cinema is on this site for

many more years to come so I think I should cough up my £5.50. Hi, there.

Hello, thank you. Bye.

Thank you. Where's my ticket?

Thanks very much, thank you.

Well, I wasn't expecting this! It's fantastic!

It's like a throwback to the 1920s.

It has all the trappings of a traditional picture house.

Well, I've got my popcorn and my traditional cinema ticket.

We've got these incredible 1920s surroundings.

I'm starting to see what the people in Clevedon saw in this little gem and why they wanted to save it.

The first cinema building erected on this site was named "The Picture House"

and it was the brainchild of Victor Cox, a local sculptor and monumental stone mason.

The grand opening of the Picture House took place on 20th April 1912

at 7.00 pm and the cinema was packed to capacity with many people being turned away.

Since its opening night about 100 years ago, the Picture House has gone through many reincarnations

but the most crucial moment in its history came in 1995,

when as a cinema, it was on the verge of closure.

Gareth, it's a pleasure to meet you.

You're the Director of the Curzon Community Cinema here in the heart

of Clevedon and I'm so pleased they saved this place.

Why do you think it was so important to keep the cinema open?

Well, I think a venue like this can provide a real focal point, not just for a community but

also because it's a link to the whole heritage of cinema and to the picture houses from the golden age of

cinemas in the '20s and '30s. So we have people in Clevedon

who have been coming here for decades and have now been able to introduce their children and even grandchildren

to go into a traditional cinema in their home town.

How did the people of the community go about saving the cinema?

Well, when they heard that the company who owned the building had

gone into receivership, John Webber and a group of like-minded people basically formed a registered charity

with the aim of buying the building and keeping it running as a cinema for the benefit of the community.

So there was a great deal of publicity in the local press,

there were public meetings held here in the cinema, which you have people spilling out of the doors.

A lot of people put money in to try and raise the money to keep it going as a going concern.

One of the things that first struck me when I came in was the relaxed experience.

Is that a policy that you want to maintain?

We certainly try to keep a friendly atmosphere and to give people a warm welcome

whereas I think a lot of the bigger cinemas have this...

people have this feeling that they're slightly impersonal places whereas we try very hard

to make this a kind of unique place to visit, one that's very much at the heart of the community.

And it's a trip into nostalgia as well, isn't it?

You've got the old cinema tickets, you've got the organ, you've got...

just awesome embossed walls.

They look like Moroccan red leather! I know they're not!

Most of the auditorium that we're sitting in now

dates back to 1920, although there has been a cinema on this site since 1912,

so we're nearly 100 years old.

But I mean, the embossed metal panels are a big part of the reason why we gained listed building status.

What I'd love to do is have a wander around.

I know there's some interesting things up there but at least show me the projection booth and backstage.

-Can I do that?

-Yeah, of course.

-I'll follow you.

-All right.

Here we are in the projection room, the nerve centre.

I guess this is the most important room in the cinema, really.

It is, yes. For anyone wanting to watch a film, it certainly would be.

-So the pressure's on the projectionist?

-Absolutely.

-How does the film arrive?

Well, we have two main projectors here.

I mean, we have one which is your 35 mm projector,

which is essentially how film has basically been shown for

the last 100 odd years and on a 35 mm traditional print, it comes in a big box like this.

-So a courier drops this off?

-A courier drops this off.

And it cost a lot of money that, I would imagine!

It comes in up to six to eight separate reels.

So that's the standard 35 mm format.

There is an option now, isn't there?

There is. We do also have here a digital projector and the film

comes in a rather different format for this. I've just got one here.

This is kind of state of the art kit now, isn't it?

It is yes, so I mean this is Che Part Two, which we ran last week.

So this is the whole movie in that little case.

The whole movie in this little case and it comes on a hard drive,

so what happens is, we put this into the server on the digital projector,

we download the film and then we can show it on the digi-projector as many times as we've got the licence for.

So it's a lot cleaner, a lot simpler and easier to use?

It doesn't have the wear and tear that you can get on 35 mm prints and it is a lot easier to operate.

It's so simple, even I can do it!

There's some other treats here, I know. I know there's definitely a balcony.

-I'd love to see that.

-There is a balcony upstairs but we're gonna go

from something that is very modern to something that's a little bit older.

Well, here we are in the auditorium, up in the gods, so to speak.

Why is that false ceiling still there, or why did they put it there in the first place?

Well, they put it in there in the early '70s and at the time,

it was really a perfectly sensible economic decision, unfortunately.

So, out of sight, out of mind!

Well, I mean it was at an era when cinema attendances were just dropping through the floor.

I mean, it's a really big space to heat as you can imagine, so at the time it just made sense that it was

easier to run the cinema without the balcony in operation, unfortunately.

This is great up here! What a space!

-It is!

-Look at that!

That ceiling!

It looks like you've got space for about, what 100 seats, a bit more, maybe?

A little bit more I think, certainly at the time.

You could fill these!

With the right film, we could absolutely fill it, yes.

Would you contemplate sort of having

luxury seats up here, wider ones or something like that?

I think, yes. I think we quite possibly would.

I mean, I do sometimes meet older people in Clevedon,

who reminisce about sitting up here when they were kids.

But the fabric of the building is here, it's intact and it can be achieved.

The roof above the ceiling is about 80 years old now

and it is leaking in several places, so we are working on

a fund-raising drive to patch up the worst of the leaks.

The first priority has to be to make sure the fabric of the building is

safe and sound for the next three generations.

Well, you're doing a fantastic job, you and your team,

Thank you so much for sharing a bit of time with me and showing me around.

My pleasure.

This cinema obviously holds a very special place in the hearts of

the people of Clevedon and after visiting the Curzon Community Cinema today, I understand why.

It's great to see an old picture house like this going from strength

to strength, run by the very people that depend on it.

And there's still a full house back at the Winter Gardens and Anita has

found a piece of Poole Pottery nearly as tall as her!

Jane, I always love to see Poole Pottery on Flog It,

it's one of my favourites.

Now, tell me, does this belong to you?

No, actually it belongs to my parents.

They bought it in about, I think, 1969.

My brothers and I were deemed old enough and responsible enough

to be left on our own and they went on their first holiday on their own,

from having children, and they went to Weymouth and they went to Poole Pottery.

-And they brought this back?

-Yeah.

Did you behave yourself when they were away?

I did, but my brothers didn't.

So it belongs to your mum and dad?

-Yes.

-Do they know that you've got this vase here today?

My father said it was OK. Checked with Mum, and they said it's OK.

Excellent, excellent. This vase is similar to the design

on the earlier pieces from the 1930s

and it also has the embossed mark on it, which the earlier pieces had.

Can you see the embossed mark here, but the later pieces like this

had a less heavy pattern and perhaps slightly muted colours.

I love them, I think that Poole

has painterly qualities, artistic qualities and design qualities, it's

always made a wonderful product and it is still doing so today.

Price-wise, Poole has gone off a little bit

in the last couple of years, 1930s stuff was very popular

and doing very well, but it's come down a wee bitty, a wee bitty.

I would put an estimate of £30 to £50.

Jane, we both like this vase, but tell me, why are you selling it?

Well, my daughter and I knew that Flog It

was coming to Weston-super-Mare, we live in North Devon.

I don't have anything that's worth anything and I knew my parents had this, and we wanted to come to

Flog It, we love Flog It and so here we are.

And here you are part of the Flog It experience.

-Indeed, indeed.

-Which is wonderful fun, wonderful fun.

It is a great day, we've had a great day.

Frank, I think you might have done yourself

an injury today bringing this into Flog It.

It's a hefty beast. Can you tell me where did you get it from?

I bought it at auction about five years ago.

Are you a clock collector? Is it something...

-No, just took my fancy on the day, really.

-Well, I've got to be honest.

It took my fancy when I saw it on one of our valuation tables.

We've got, to all intents and purposes if we do that,

a standard marble mantle clock and if we look at the name there

we've got Charles Nephew & Company, Calcutta,

and that's interesting to me because they're actually a firm of silversmiths,

and they were set up around about 1820

and carried on through 1850, 1860, but as I say, it's quite ordinary

and it's quite sad with that little bit of metal holding the hinge in

until we move down to this dial here, which is something

you really don't expect to see on a mantel clock.

We've got a full calendar dial with a moon phase

and it can be re-set at the back,

so you can basically tell the day of the week,

the day of the month, which month it is and the phases of the moon.

I haven't seen another clock like this, so I'm assuming

there were probably others made,

but they weren't either popular or they weren't viable to produce,

they were just slightly too expensive.

What made you struggle in with it today to Flog It?

Well, basically, this morning my wife said, "Are you going to take the clock?"

Is it not something that your wife particularly likes or...

Not too keen, I don't think.

I think you're probably under instructions to sell it, are you?

Certainly am, yes.

Right. I think, if I can be rude, what did you pay for it at auction?

I paid 300 for it.

Now, it does need a little bit of work,

just a little bit of cleaning up, but it's a very interesting piece.

Mantel clocks traditionally are very hard sellers -

£60, £80, £100 for a blank slate.

I think this has got enough things going for it

for us to get you your money back and maybe a small profit on top.

So if we put it into auction at £300 to £500, put a fixed reserve of £300

and hope that the clock and watch specialists are there

and are as enthralled by this calendar dial as I am,

-and it could go on from there.

-OK.

-So are you happy to do that?

-Very much so, thank you.

John, that's a cracking little hand-warmer.

-Yeah.

-How long have you had that?

-18 months to two years.

-Not long?

Yeah. No.

Why have you brought it into Flog It, then?

Well, I've collected so many things and it's nice to see that

it will probably go somewhere else now

and somebody else will have the pleasure.

It's got a lovely English inscription there.

"The gift is small, goodwill is all,"

which I think is a lovely little sentiment

and that kind of tells me, I feel it's West Country.

I'd like to say this is Bristol, from one of the Bristol factories.

-Could be.

-Couldn't be 100% sure.

It's a little hand-warmer for a lady.

It would have had a stopper, obviously there,

possibly of cork wrapped in leather and wedged in,

you fill it up with some warm water

and put it inside the muff, basically, and hold it.

-Sit in church. It's like the Bible, too.

-Exactly, yes, yes.

It's so beautiful.

I would say...

this is around the first quarter of the 18th century.

I'd like to date this from round about 1720-1740 really.

How much did you pay for this?

-Oh...with the commission probably about £120.

-What? How much?

-Yep.

You bought this in auction for £120.

-Yep.

-Have you any idea how much that's worth, then?

I've had so many varying things, I've read so much about it now about what it's worth and...

-Lots of people have been giving you their...

-It goes sky-high and down to the depths.

OK. On a very, very good day,

-it might do £1,100.

-Yep.

But I personally think an auctioneer would like to catalogue this

with an estimate of £700 to £900, OK,

with a reserve on the £700 with discretion.

I think it's a nice little thing for anyone to have.

-You can hold it, it's...

-Yeah, it's tactile.

-It feels right.

-Yeah, and you're buying a piece of history as well.

-Yeah.

And it's solid, it'll always keep.

And we are in the West Country, this belongs to the West Country, it's definitely the South West region.

It's just a lovely little inscription and a young lady...

would have had this, and that's what really nice, you know?

There's a little bit of moral guidance there for a young lady and that's what it's all about, really.

-Don't be too greedy.

-Yes.

-Well, we mustn't be, either.

-No, no.

So, John's hand-warmer is one of the three items

we're taking off to auction. I really love this little piece,

but I'm worried that John's received mixed messages about the value.

Also, Jane's parents have had their Poole Pottery vase since 1969, but

now it's off to auction, so Jane can enjoy the Flog It experience.

Frank bought his mantel clock at auction because it caught his eye,

but his wife isn't so keen on it.

I think you're probably under instructions to sell it, are you?

Certainly am, yes.

Before we see our lots go under the hammer, I caught up with auctioneer

Mark, as he has a revelation about John's hand-warmer.

I love this little thing, this hand-warmer. John brought this in.

He paid £120 for it.

I got quite excited, told him it was 18th century

and I've seen them do around £1,000 plus.

I've been cautious and I put £700 to £900 on this,

but all is not what it seems, is it, I gather?

No, Paul. We have the benefit of more time

and we strongly feel that this is a 20th century copy.

What led you to that conclusion straightaway?

Did you have your suspicions?

It has the look of French faience, campare, the colour of the yellow

isn't the same as 18th century delftware

and really the pages here on the side...

The pages too look just a bit too crisp, don't they?

-Yeah.

-But the wear is so good.

-The wear's been added to that,

it's been clipped up with some pliers, I think, maybe buried for a couple of weeks to look the part.

And John took it on the chin when you told him?

He did, he took it very well.

Yeah, so it's now...entered into the catalogue as 20th century,

as a reproduction with a value of £50?

-It's actually not dated.

-Right, OK, you haven't dated it,

-but it's gonna do, hopefully, £50 to £100.

-I'm sure it will.

We might get him his money back.

-If he's lucky.

-You've gotta be so careful, haven't you?

I hope John's not spent £900 already.

Half of it on holiday already(!)

You know what's happened, don't you?

-Mark called you on the phone, it is in fact a reproduction.

-Yeah.

It's 20th century, it's French.

We've got a revised estimate of £50 to £100.

Fingers crossed we get you your money back. I know it cost you £120.

And 180, the continental faience hand-warmer there.

Who'll start me on £100 for it? £100 I'm bid, 100 in the room.

Now 10, 110, 110, 110,

a maiden bid at £100 in the room, who will give me 10?

110, 110, it's here to be sold, make no mistake, 110.

120, 130, 130, 40, 40, 50...

They like it, anyway.

..160, 70, 80, 180, 190, 200 now 20,

220, 240, 260, 260, 280,

300 and 20, 340, 360, 380...

-Maybe I was right all along.

-..and 20, 440,

460, 480, 500, 550.

-No, at £500 in the room...

-That's incredible, isn't it?

-Incredible!

-At £500 then.

Yes! £500! I actually don't know what to say about that,

because I think somebody has bought a fake and they've paid

£500 for it, because I think Mark was right, I was wrong.

I hope not, but there you are.

-But you've got to be happy at that?

-I'm pleased.

Because he rang you up and said it was only worth 50 quid.

I didn't think I'd get the petrol to come over the bridge.

Well, Jane, the reason you bought the Poole Pottery along is because you wanted to be on Flog It.

-We did.

-You've made it.

-Yes, I have, I have.

And now we've just gotta find out whether you'll get the £30 or the £50. I hope it's the top end.

-So do I, because I've already spent it.

-Have you? On what?

-On what?

-I bought the chair I was sitting on.

-You haven't, have you?

-Have.

Beautiful Edwardian folding chair and the lady that was selling it

actually came up and said, "I've sold that and it was really loved,"

-and we're gonna really love it.

-How much did you pay for it?

-£35.

-Brilliant!

And I've also bought a cheese dome and I paid £18 for that.

-Right, the pressure's on.

-So I think I've already spent it. Absolutely!

Lot 400, the large Poole Pottery vase.

Monogrammed for Alan White.

-I'm starving, darling.

-Yeah, are you?

How can you think of food at a moment like this?

What can we say, give me £30 to start then.

Nice large Poole vase there, £30. £25 I have, I'll take 8 now, 8,

and 30 here, 30 and 5, 5, 5, 35, 35, 5, 5, at £30 only in the room.

-We've done it!

-I've paid for the chair!

-35 anyone else?

Are you all done at £30? And I'm selling, make no mistake on the 30.

-The hammer's gone down.

-We've done it!

-That's a fair exchange, don't you?

-Yes, absolutely.

A bit of Poole Pottery for an Edwardian chair.

And two wonderful days out, absolutely wonderful days out and thank you so much.

Thanks for being such a great sport, Jane.

-And thank you, Anita.

-You were wonderful.

Thank you very much indeed.

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

It's a Victorian red marble clock with a value of £300 to £500

and it belongs to Frank.

-Happy with the valuation?

-Very much so, yes.

£300 to £500, can we push that higher?

Well, hopefully. I've never seen the perpetual calendar segment in

a clock before, so it's pretty much a guess in the dark for me.

What attracted me to it was the retailers who are Indian colonials silversmiths.

HE CHUCKLES

That's why I had to do it, but what it makes

is anybody's guess and we'll just have to see what it comes under.

Well, we're gonna find out right now, Frank. Good luck.

Lot 360 then is the French, mottled red marbled case,

perpetual calendar mantel clock, quite a mouthful there.

What can we say? A lot of clock, lot 360.

-A lot of clock, Frank.

-Not half.

-£300 I'm bid, 350 I'll take. 350, 400...

-It's gone straightaway.

..500, 600, 700, 800...

What?

-..900, 1,000...

-Ah!

..1,000 and 50, take 1,100.

1,100 in the room, and 50? 1,200?

Fresh bidder in at £1,150. 1,200?

-Incredible!

-All done? Selling then at £1,150.

Unbelievable! Yes! £1,150!

-That's just amazing!

-Unbelievable. It's fantastic.

Gosh, you were right, Michael. Quality always sells.

If you'd had known it was that rare and valuable

would you want to keep it?

No. I think we were keen to get rid of it, so very happy with the result.

And spend the money on the house.

Spend the money on my wife, actually.

-Oh, right, OK.

-Yes, yes, as a present for her.

PAUL LAUGHS

Well, that's it, it's all over.

Everyone's gone home and they've gone home happy, especially Frank.

You could say time was up for his clock.

It made £1,150.

What a surprising result!

If you do have any items like that that you're thinking of selling,

bring them along to one of our valuation days.

You can check details in your local press, because we will be

coming to an area near you very soon and we'd love to see you,

so until then, it's cheerio from Clevedon.

For more information about Flog It,

including how the programme was made, visit the website at bbc.co.uk.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]