Liverpool Flog It!

This city's history dates back centuries.

It's home to the country's most successful football club and the world's most famous steeplechase.

And it gave birth to one of the greatest pop groups in history, The Beatles. Have you guessed yet?

Well, of course you have. Today Flog It! is in Liverpool.

Historically, Liverpool's wealth came from its position as a port

with trading links stretching far and wide.

In the 19th century, it was a major driving force in global economy,

with 40% of the world's trade passing through these very waters.

The prosperity and the status of the city were shown

by the development of many fine iconic buildings...

And today we're privileged to be at one of those

grand designs - the magnificent, the beautiful St George's Hall.

And I've been joined by our equally impressive experts,

Mark Stacey and Kate Bateman, who are eager to see what's inside all those bags and boxes.

So let's get the doors open and get this big queue inside.

Like all of Liverpool's great buildings, St George's Hall

is imbued with the city's history, and later I'll be visiting yet another.

But I'm not here today to see these historic buildings.

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

But before all that, let's get down to business and first at the tables, it's Kate.

So, Mary, welcome to Flog It! Who have you brought in for us today?

I've brought Ooloo and I think it's a cat.

-Well, yeah, we're not quite sure. It's a dog or a cat - I think we'll got with cat for now.

-Yes.

-What do you know about it?

-Not a lot. All I know is it's called Ooloo.

Well, that's given away by his name on the back.

Apart from the fact that he's got his name on the bottom as well,

which is Potter & Moore, what's his big surprise? Tell me about it.

-He's a perfume bottle.

-OK, so his head comes off here.

-Yes, it does.

-Have a look.

Take his head off, and he's got a little scent bottle in here.

-You can still smell the perfume.

-Oh! Is it a nice one or is it fairly noxious?

-It's quite nice.

-Where did you get him from?

-I bought him from a church jumble sale.

-He cost me 10p, and I collect cat figurines.

-Ten pence.

-Yes.

How many have you got?

Well, I've got 40 figurines and one real cat.

-Ah, OK. Well, that's quite a passion, but you're willing to part with one of them.

-Yes.

And why are you thinking of selling him?

Well, this year, our first grandchild is due to be born.

-Right.

-So any money we get from this will go towards the baby.

-So we've not got much of a target to beat, 10p.

-No.

Would you be happy if we sold for 20p?

No. A little bit more.

Well, he's quite collectable. He's from the 1930s and obviously

Potter & Moore is who he's made by, so he's well-marked

and his condition is quite good, and there is quite a market for unusual novelty scent bottles.

-Oh, right.

-So he's not very early, he's only 1930s, but I think there is a market for him.

So at auction, a cautious estimate would be £30 to £40, something like that.

-I mean, would you be happy with that kind of figure?

-Oh, yes, yes. Yes, I would.

If the estimate was £30 to £40, you probably wouldn't bother putting

-a reserve on it, you could just trust it and see what happens.

-OK.

-Would you be all right with that?

-OK, yes.

-It's a bit risky, but I think he will do OK in the sale.

And anything's an improvement on 10p.

How can we lose? Brilliant!

-Thank you.

-OK, thank you very much.

I think it's time to tee off with this painting, isn't it, Graham?

-It is indeed.

-Because we think it's St Andrews, in fact we know it's St Andrews.

-Yes, we do.

-Tell me a little bit about its history in your family.

Well, it's been in the family for as long as I can remember.

I inherited from my grandmother who died in the mid-'60s.

-I also know that my grandfather used to own a golf shop at Morecambe golf course.

-Oh, right.

-So that's maybe the connection.

-There is a connection with golf in the family.

-Absolutely. So maybe he went to play one day at St Andrews...

-Yes.

-..and saw this painting and fell in love with it and took it home with him.

-Yes.

I believe that anyone who knows St Andrews could identify

-that there is now a golf shop somewhere around here.

-Oh, really?

Well, this is pre the golf shop.

-Pre the golf shop.

-I think it's quite nice.

It's...it's generally what we refer to as a decorator's painting.

-Yes.

-It's quite big and decorative.

My favourite part of it is actually the sea.

-It's only a small bit, but I love that vivid blue of it.

-Yes, it is very vibrant.

And it's a sort of pastel which really hasn't been touched since the day it was painted.

-Yes.

-The other problem we have is we can't see at this stage any signature on it.

-No.

The only way we can do that, of course, is to take the whole

-thing apart, and I think that's asking for trouble with something as fragile as this frame.

-Yes.

And it's in a lovely Victorian frame and only suffered some minor damage.

-Yes.

-Now, why are you selling it now? You've had it for many years.

Well, in our previous house, we used to have it on the wall in the hall.

Having moved house just a couple of years ago, we're going through

a more contemporary design within the house.

We hear this quite a lot, you know, this modernist look,

-this downsizing and decluttering and all this sort of thing.

-Yes.

I think if we were putting it in for sale, not knowing the artist, I think somebody would certainly

-be very happy to pay £200 or £300 for it and I think we should put a reserve on it...

-Yes.

-..of maybe £200 with a bit of discretion for the auctioneer, so hopefully...

-Yes, that will be fine.

-So are you happy to put it in for sale?

-I am indeed, yes.

Thank you very much for agreeing to put it in the sale, Graham, and I look forward to seeing you at the

-auction, and let's hope, you know, we get the right price on the day.

-Fingers crossed.

-Ice and a slice, anybody? I like this. What's your name?

-I'm Kath.

-Kath. And what have you got here?

-It's an ice bucket that also doubles up as an apple.

-Isn't that great!

I mean, you see lots of these as a pineapple, don't you, but this is quite unusual as an apple.

Yeah, I loved it. I saw it and just had to have it.

-And how much did you pay for this?

-I paid £10.

-Well, I think you did really well. How long ago was that?

-Just a few weeks ago.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-You don't sound like you're from Liverpool.

-I'm not, no.

-I was born in Scunthorpe, came here to university and just fell in love...

-Fell in love with the city?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

And I think you've done well, because I think something like that...

the pineapples fetch around £60 to £70.

-Right.

-So I've not seen an apple, so it could be worth a little bit more.

-But there's a very fine line between tacky and kitsch, isn't there?

-Yes.

-This is definitely kitsch.

-Definitely.

-And this is where the value is.

-Yeah.

-And it's so typical of the '50s and early '60s, and that is what it's all about.

-David, hello.

-Hello.

-And welcome to Flog It! What have you brought me in here today?

It's a silver bonbon or sweet dish, which I inherited from my father.

I couldn't tell you anything else about it, really.

Right. Well, we can tell a lot from silver, because if

it's English silver, it's hallmarked, and luckily they've got the hallmarks

here for us to have a look at, and this tells us that it's late Victorian, so it's Birmingham 1894.

It's a very attractive thing.

What it is is a pierced, as you say, bonbon dish or sweet dish. It's got all these little flowers

and scrolls round the outside and it's quite a nice little heart shape.

So did you get it from anyone in the family?

You say you just inherited it?

It came from my father, but where it came from before that I don't know.

-Why are you selling it?

-Well, it's a bit girlish for me and it's just gathering dust.

-Not your taste. You're not interested in scrolls and flowers, I take it?

-Not at all.

-All right.

-So you wouldn't be too gutted if we sold it?

-Not at all.

Any ideas, price-wise, what you're hoping to get for it?

I think anything over 40, 50, I'd be quite happy.

Right, well, it should make the mid-estimate of that.

I would say probably £30 to £50 would be a sensible estimate.

What you could do is put a reserve at £30,

-so you'd rather have it back than sell it for less than that.

-Yes.

-You're prepared to flog it - shall we give it a go?

-Yes, why not?

Wonderful. Thank you for bringing it in.

-Hello, Howard.

-Hello.

-I'm really delighted - you've brought in an absolutely cracking lot today.

-Yeah.

-It's a little egg.

-Yes.

On like a sleigh, but with this wonderful little wishbone underneath, and then you've got this lovely

-deep purple velvet top, which I guess you could use as a pin cushion.

-Yeah.

But then when you open it up, it's a little ring box.

So you can just imagine, with my romantic sense of purpose in life,

somebody putting their wedding ring in there or engagement ring and asking someone to marry them.

-Yeah.

-With a lovely little ring box to go with it.

-Yeah.

-Be wonderful, wouldn't it?

-It certainly would, yeah.

-Tell me about it. Where did you get it from?

-I bought it on the internet.

Oh, right. And what did you like about it? Why did you bid?

It's just unusual. I thought it was very unusual, with it being a ring holder and a pin cushion.

-And what did you pay for it in this auction?

-About £60.

-About 60 - well, that's not too bad, is it?

-But I think it's lovely and it's fully hallmarked here for Birmingham 1908.

-Yeah.

-So it's you know over 100 years old, and I think it's just a really charming object.

-Yes, it is.

And I think you've got a very good eye, Howard, if you don't mind me saying so.

-Thank you. Yeah.

-And why have you decided to flog it now?

Well, I've got lots of pieces like that. I just thought

I'd bring it down for the interest, and now you've picked it out, I'm quite willing to sell it.

So maybe allow it to go to a collector or somebody like that.

-Yeah.

-And if I was putting it in for sale, I'd suggest to you £80 to £120 with an £80 reserve.

-If it sells for 80, you're going to get your money back at least.

-Yes.

-And even a bit more.

-That's fine, yeah.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Fantastic! Well, let's hope it brings us good luck at the sale.

-Hope so, yeah.

Well, I think it's about time we upped the tempo, don't you?

This is my favourite part of the show - we're going to experience

the thrills and the spills and the tension of the auction room.

So while we make our way over there, this is what's coming with us.

Cat-loving Mary has a real eye for a bargain, picking this little scent bottle up for just ten pence.

With a profit almost definitely in the bag, the money's going to help with an upcoming family celebration.

This year, our first grandchild is due to be born...

-Right.

-So any money I get from this will go towards the baby.

This picture of St Andrews belonged to his grandfather,

but it's proving a little bit of an albatross for Graham, so let's hope we can turn it into a hole in one.

Howard bought this egg-shaped pin cushion on the internet

and hopes its novelty will charm the bidders.

And David's not exactly enamoured with his heart-shaped bonbon dish.

-Well, it's a bit girlish for me.

-Not your taste? You're not into scrolls and flowers, I take it.

-Not at all.

-All right.

Well, for today's sale, we've crossed the border into Wales

and we're the guests of Dodds Auctioneers & Valuers in the heart of Mold.

As you can see, there's a healthy crowd gathering, working up

an appetite and hopefully they're going to be hungry for our lots.

And the man in charge today is our old friend, Anthony Parry.

Well, good luck, Howard.

-Hopefully, we can get you money back right now.

-Let's hope.

It's just about to go under the hammer, this gorgeous little silver pin cushion in the form of sleigh.

-That's right.

-£80 to £120 - we've got a fixed reserve at £75.

-Yeah.

-Which is a little more than you paid for it.

-Yeah.

-Here we go, we're going to find out.

52, 52 - a silver pin cushion and ring holder in the form of a sleigh.

It's only two inches, it's Birmingham 1908,

but it's a pretty little thing.

30 I've got, £30, £35, £40, 45, 50, are you bidding?

55, 55, 60, five...

-We're getting there.

-70, five.

-That's got your money back.

-75, 75,

-75, 75. 80's where?

-Come on!

-75. At £75, it's going.

£75, all done at 75, then?

It's gone. £75.

I would have liked a bit more.

And me. And definitely Howard!

Good luck with this, Mary, and I know you're an animal lover.

Maybe that's what made you buy this little cat perfume bottle.

-Yes, it was.

-Was it?

-Yes, it was.

-Well, you got it, you bought it well - it cost you ten pence.

-Yes, a whole ten pence.

-I think this is really good fun.

-This is great.

-I like the little head, cos it comes off.

Well, that's a bit worrying if you're a cat lover to take the head

off a cat, but you know it's fine in a scent bottle, that's OK.

-So hopefully it'll go.

-I hope so.

-Good luck anyway.

-Thank you.

-Here we go.

-Ooloo! Ooloo, the cat.

Isn't that nice? 10, 12, 14, 16.

£16, £18,

£20, 22, 24, 26,

28, 30, 2,

34, 36, 38, 40, 2.

42 down here, 42. Any more?

All done at £42, then?

-That's brilliant!

-Oh, more.

-46, 48, 50.

-Fresh legs.

No? 50 over here, £50.

All done at £50 then, we're finished at 50.

Brilliant!

-50 quid! What a good result, wasn't it?

-Yeah, for 10p.

-Not bad.

That's what I call super profit!

-It is.

-Keep doing it.

-I will, I will!

Up next, something for all you fine art lovers, it is some fine art.

In fact, it's a pastel, a scene of a lovely ruined abbey.

It belongs to Graham, and we've got £200 to £300 on this, put on by our expert, Mark.

I know since the valuation day you've had a chat to the auctioneer

-and you've dropped the reserve down to 150 now.

-Yes. Yes.

Is that because you felt it... you just didn't really want to take

-it home if it didn't sell at 200 or the auctioneer...?

-That's right.

We brought it to sell it and that's why we agreed to the revaluation.

Well, I think that's fair. It's not signed, we can't see a signature.

No, it's unsigned, we don't know who the artist is.

And the only nice thing about it is a view of St Andrews, we know that,

so if there's a golf lover or something, that might help

chivvy it along a bit, but other than that, it's just very decorative, it looks lovely from here I have to say.

It's fantastic, don't you think? The great thing is it's right up there where the rostrum is.

All the bidders are facing that way, so hopefully they'll fall

-in love with it, put their hands up, and who knows, we'll get the top end.

-Here's hoping.

We're going to find out right now.

365, 365 right behind me here,

the pastel study of... St Andrews Cathedral in Fife.

What shall we say for that? Couple of hundred?

50 I'm bid, £50. 50, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, £100.

100 - it's not the price of the frame yet!

£100, 110, 120, 120, 120, 120, 130 is it?

120. All done at £120, then.

Are we finished?

Not quite... 120.

No.

-I think you should take it home, try and fall in love with it again.

-Yes.

Find a different wall for it in the house. See if it suits that room.

-Yes.

-And if not, try another saleroom a different day.

-Yes.

It's a packed house, isn't it? It really is.

It's quite tense right now. David has just joined us.

We're selling a silver bonbon dish which has been in the attic for a few years collecting dust

and we've got £30 to £50 on it, which Kate our expert has put on it.

-I kind of like this in a way, cos I'm a big fan of heart-shaped things.

-It's really pretty, yeah.

I thought you were just about to say it's really girly.

-Well, it is quite girly, so David doesn't like it quite so much.

-But it's a nice contemporary shape.

-Yeah, and it would be a nice present.

-Especially on Valentine's Day.

So you never know, do you?

I'm just sort of trying to big this up, because I think it is worth

-the £50, and fingers crossed that's what we're going to get, so good luck, David.

-Thank you.

-Here we go.

Nice little silver bonbon dish, heart form.

Right, Birmingham 1894. A tenner? Dear me, that's a low start.

£10. 10, 12, 14, 16,

18, 18, 20, 22,

24, 26, 28, 30, 32...

Well, we're getting there.

34, 36, 38, 40.

Are you still in? Put your catalogue up.

42, 44, 46,

-48, 50.

-Great. Top end.

-54, 56, 58, 60.

-It's the shape, they love the shape.

-64, 66, 68, are you sure?

-It's the romantics here.

-Well, it's very contemporary- looking.

-69, a pound for you. 70.

1. Got him back into it now. 72.

No, sure? 72's over here. £72. All done at 72, then?

-That extra pound. Yes, £72.

-Makes all the difference.

-Very good.

-Well done.

-I'm quite happy.

-Well done. Yeah, I bet you are.

Well, that wasn't bad, but later on in the show, there's an item that simply took my breath away.

Welcome to the world of precision wood-turning instruments.

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

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

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

the Cunard and the Port of Liverpool buildings.

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

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

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

The Museum of Liverpool is a landmark modern design,

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

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

the city's history from its origins

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

As you can see, it's a work in progress, but when it's opened, there'll be 8,000 square metres

of exhibition space on three floors.

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

all reflecting different aspects of Liverpool's history

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What are the highlights of the design for you?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yes, yeah, and that's very unusual for a museum to have such

large glazed areas, particularly on the upper galleries with the big gable windows.

-The views are just fantastic.

-They are. They're striking really.

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

in keeping with the Three Graces, we think, and there's a real good balance and scale to the whole thing.

I guess there must be something of an architectural

and engineering delight, because it is state of the art, isn't it?

-Oh, very much so, yes.

-Very progressive.

-The giant cantilevers that you probably noticed on the way in...

-Yes.

To some extent, they were dictated by the fact that the new Leeds to Liverpool canal link along the

head of the pierhead has just opened, and the tunnel actually comes under the cantilever of the building, so...

-Wow.

-It's incredible, isn't it?

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

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

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

and when I said 65 to 70 million...

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

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

So I asked him whether he'd rather have a couple of footballers in his

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

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

I don't blame him.

This is special, and I think people know it.

It must be fantastic to have a purpose-built space - it can give you a lot of freedom to work with.

-Yeah, very much so for the designers.

-Yeah.

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

-Is it really?

-Yeah. And it's enabled us to bring

some key objects out of storage that have never been on display.

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

Yeah, many of them. For example, here we're overlooking the port city gallery,

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

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

An original carriage from the Liverpool Overhead Railway.

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

getting a sneak preview, as this is being restored, ready for display in the port city gallery.

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

Known as the Docker's Umbrella, it is still

remembered by many Liverpudlians as one of the city's lost icons.

And I'm sure it's going to be a runaway success and here to tell me

-a little bit more about it is Sharon Brown from the port city gallery. Hello, pleased to meet you.

-Hello.

And thank you for talking to us today.

-You're welcome.

-Now you're in charge of the port city gallery and I guess in choosing the exhibits.

Was that a hard decision?

It's not really a hard decision when you've got such fantastic collection

-to work with.

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

Well, you do have to leave some things out unfortunately, yes, but the nature of some of the objects

which is the Overhead Railway coach, they're a dead cert really, there's no way you could leave them out.

The port city gallery is all about the growth of Liverpool as a port city.

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

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

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

-Gosh, hundreds and hundreds.

-Hundreds.

-Yes. And we still haven't reached the final number yet...

-It's endless.

-So it's going to go up.

So why is this coach so important?

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

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

-Yes.

There's a lot of people that still have great affection for the Overhead

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

And there was one lady who came in and she was really interesting. She'd worked as a ticket collector

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

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

-to ride up and down the docks on the Overhead Railway.

-Oh, brilliant.

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

-but they ended up being married for a very long time, so what a nice happy ending.

-That's fantastic, isn't it?

-So a personal story...

-Yes.

And also information about how the railway operated from her.

Are there any other items in the workshop that are going to go on display?

Yes, there are, and if you look just out the window behind you, you'll see a Lion locomotive.

'Lion was an early locomotive which ran on the Liverpool to Manchester railway. Opened in 1830,'

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

of raw materials and finished goods between the city's ports and the mills of Manchester.

So why did you choose this locomotive?

The Lion is really the star object in the whole of the port city gallery, it's a really important locomotive.

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

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

-Really?

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

of Parliament, so it was a really big thing and it set the precedent for railways really around the world.

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

-She's had a really colourful life.

Oh, good old girl.

She had a film career as well.

-Has she?

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

famously in 1952, the Titfield Thunderbolt, the Ealing comedy.

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

-A new lease of life.

-Yeah.

-Is there anything else here before I leave that I can look at?

-Yes, there is one more treat for you.

-Sneak preview.

-Our Ford Anglia.

-And where's that? This way or that way?

-It's just down the bottom of this door.

-Shall we go?

-Yeah.

Well, I remember these.

My auntie had a Ford Anglia. What's so special about this one?

This is the first car, not just the first Ford Anglia,

but the first car off the production line at Ford's plant in Halewood in 1963.

Right. So that's significant history.

It is. But it was actually won in a raffle run by the Liverpool Echo...

-Really?

-By a man, Mr Taylor, who couldn't actually drive.

So he won a prize that he couldn't use.

-He couldn't use it, no.

-My auntie had the two-tone one.

-Oh, right.

-I think it was a sort of super 1200 with a thicker stripe.

-Do you know the one?

-I do. This is the Deluxe model.

It would have cost about £540 to buy new.

Have you driven it at all?

-Unfortunately not - no, I haven't.

-Not even up and down in here?

-No.

-You should, though.

-I should actually, you're right.

'What a treat to get a look behind the scenes and see some of the work

'that goes into creating a new museum.

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

'not least finishing the building work.'

Now, once this magnificent building has been completed, it's going to stand proud alongside

its famous neighbours here, and who knows, maybe, just one day it might be known as the fourth Grace.

But one thing that is for sure, it will be part of the lasting legacy of Liverpool's tenure

as European Capital of Culture, and I for one can't wait to come back when it's finished.

And now it's back to St George's Hall, and Kate's found a little pot with a big name.

Judith, hello and welcome to Flog It!

-Hiya, Kate.

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

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

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

-Do you like it?

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

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

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

-Mm-hm.

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

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

-Right.

-And about the 1950s.

-Mm-hm.

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

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

-Mm-hm.

This is quite an unusual, almost like autumn colours.

-Yeah, yeah.

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

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

-it looked really dark.

-It doesn't float your boat.

-It doesn't. No not at all.

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

Don't know. Around 250, 300.

-A reserve of at least 225.

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

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

-No, not really.

-So it's a bit of speculative one.

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

-Mm-hm.

-An estimate of 250 to 300...

-OK.

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

-Right. Fine.

-Would you be happy with that?

-That's fine.

-All right.

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

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

-That is the way to think about it. Brilliant.

-That's it.

Matt and June, what can I say?

When you open the box, what a reveal!

Welcome to the world of precision wood-turning instruments. I think that sums it up, really.

The Rolls-Royce of wood-turning instruments. Who's the wood-turner?

I will...

Hands up! So tell me, how did you come by this, this wonderful set?

I didn't know I'd bought it.

-Why? How?

-Well, I bought a lathe...

-Yes?

-And when I came to collect the lathe, they said, "Oh, we've got some tools that go with that."

It was nearly 50 years ago.

-Times have changed.

-Well, you're looking really good. 50 years ago. How much did you pay?

-You're not going to believe this.

-Go on.

-£16.

-£16.

-For the lathe, and these came with it.

Mind you, that's still quite a lot of money, isn't it?

-Oh, in those days.

-In those days.

-It was an awful lot for me.

-How much were you earning then?

-Ah, I was earning something like £30 a month.

-What were you doing? What did you do?

I was teaching.

I went into teaching and then various other things and then I started a business...

Yeah. And you never ever used them?

-Oh, yes.

-You did. ..So he's always in the garage or in the garden shed, is he, working?

-Playing with old cars.

-Playing with old cars? That's your passion?

-That's his passion.

-Hence your selling these, then.

Well, senility's setting in.

I'd like to take June on a cruise.

-Oh, right, OK.

-The Isle of Man boat.

Oh, the Isle of Man!

What a fabulous set! That's all I can say. You bought really well

and all credit to you, you kept them boxed.

Obviously you kept them hanging on the wall.

Let's just pick one up, for instance this one down here, look at this.

-This is a typical wood-turner's tool, it's a gouge.

-It is.

You can see here by the end, but as with all precision instruments, you know, perfectly balanced.

That's not going to give you any grief if you are going to be using this for three or four hours...

-Absolutely.

-..every day. It doesn't get any better, does it?

It doesn't - that's why it's the Rolls-Royce of turning tools.

Gosh...you've made my day!

You really have made my day.

-But they've all been punched with Holtzapffel & Co.

-That's right.

-Made in Charing Cross Road in London.

-Yes.

And John Holtzapffel, a German immigrant, started the firm

-in the late 1700s, and it was a father/son/grandson business...

-Yes.

And his son Charles took over the firm, I think, in 1827...

-Right.

-..and I think

that's bang on the date of these.

1827 to 1840.

Well, I think we put a fixed reserve on this of £1,000.

I'd love it to do £2,000.

We need four wood-turners in the auction room at the same time

fighting it out and hopefully we'll get that.

This deserves to go on the wall in a museum.

Let's put a fixed reserve on of 1,000 and see what happens. OK?

-Yeah.

-Happy?

-Yes.

-Yes, very.

Well, thank you so much for making my year so far.

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

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

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

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

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

First of all, it's two-pronged.

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

-Yeah.

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

-Winder.

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

Pocket watch on a chain, yes.

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

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

Yes, it would. It's quite small.

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

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

-Right.

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

-Yeah.

So would it be quite old, then?

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

-Yeah.

And looking at the shape of the shield here and the

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

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

-Yes.

And why have you brought it in today?

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

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

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

-Yes, you can.

-And you'll say yes, wonderful.

-I won't get upset.

-Fantastic.

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

-No.

-But it is a little collector's object.

-Yes.

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

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

-Yes.

-If you know what I mean.

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

-Right.

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

-Well, do you think we should?

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

-No.

-So shall we put a reserve of 30?

-Right.

-Just to give it a bit of protection.

-Yes, that's fine.

-Wonderful.

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

-Right. OK.

-See you then.

-Yes.

Well, that's it for the valuations - now the fate of the items lies in the hands of the bidders.

But before we see what they decide, here's a reminder of our experts' choices.

I was really knocked out by this collection of beautiful

precision wood-turning tools and I'm sure they'll carve out a good profit for Matthew.

This deserves to go on the wall in a museum.

Thank you so much for making my year so far.

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

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

-It doesn't float your boat.

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

And boxed up for years, Jean won't be missing her watch key and seal either.

-It doesn't mean anything to me.

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

-You can, yes.

-You'll say yes, wonderful.

-I won't get upset.

-Fantastic.

And no prizes for guessing which item Anthony Parry wants to talk to me about.

-This has got to be my favourite thing I've seen on Flog It! for years.

-Yes.

Matthew brought this in with his wife, June.

He bought this 50 years ago...

-Yeah.

-Paid something like £60, which is a lot of money back then. The best money can buy.

-The best.

They're the finest set of tools I've ever seen.

I was just about to say, have you seen anything like it in your life before?

-Finest set I've ever seen.

-Beautiful mahogany cabinet as well.

Mahogany cabinet, they're all positioned in, they're all levelled off.

-So has there been much interest? You've had it on the wall now for a week.

-We've had it on the wall.

We've had a number of actual craftsmen have been in, serious to look at it.

Yes. I've told them £1,000 to £2,000.

-Yeah.

-And they're going to put the money together to go on a cruise.

-Very nice.

-I mean, they'll be happy with £1,000.

If we can get £1,000, it's sold, put it that way.

OK. Well, I'm confident we'll get £1,000.

-Are you sure?

-I'm positive.

'I'm glad Anthony said that and although I love this item,

'I wonder if I've been a bit over-enthusiastic with my estimate.'

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

-does have the lot. It's a lovely Moorcroft vase of bulbous form. It belongs to Judith...

-Yes, indeed.

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

-Indeed. Yes.

Fingers crossed we'll get a bit more.

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

-It's a lovely thing.

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

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

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

-It is a packed saleroom.

-You can't move, can you?

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

-We're going to find out right now.

-Anemone design.

100 I'm bid. £100, 100 and 10, 120,

130, 140, 150.

150, 160, 170, 180...

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

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

-Go on!

-210, 210, 220...

-Yes.

-Keep going.

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

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

-£220 - just.

-Just.

-That was close.

-It was.

-Would have been nice more, but never mind.

-Yeah, but it'll come in handy.

-I'm sure it will.

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

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

It's my turn to be the expert, and you know what I fell in love with back at the valuation day.

I think it made my month or my year possibly, it was a set

of wood-turning chisels, and they belong to Matt here and June.

Now, you got them 50-odd years ago, didn't you?

-50-odd years ago.

-£16, and what a comprehensive set.

Had a chat to the auctioneer, you know what he said earlier.

Great name, great condition.

He agreed with the valuation, but he said, "Paul, I think I would have kept it

-"at the lower end," so he's not optimistic about the £2,000...

-No.

But he said he's certain about the £1,000.

But let's hope we can get a bit more than that, shall we?

When we were filming earlier on, I actually noticed a few people looking at them,

-and an old chap came up to me and he said, "I've got a set of 35 of those, they are the best."

-Really?

Yes. And he came to look at them and he said he can't believe there's so many and what a collection.

But he did say to me, "I've got no money - if I won the lottery, I'd buy them."

-But they have been looked at, they have been handled and viewed and beautifully displayed there.

-Yes.

Anyway, I've got high hopes.

I'm sure you have.

Favourite lot. It's going under the hammer now.

201, this fine collection of tools right behind me here.

The nicest set of tools I've ever seen.

What shall we say for those?

500 I've got to start. £500, 500. £500.

600, thank you. £600.

700, 800 for you. £800,

£800.

£800. £900.

£1,000. £1,100.

£1,100, £1,100, £1,100 - the bid's right at the side of me.

£1,100. 50, if it'll help anybody.

£1,100. All done at £1,100, then?

-Brilliant.

-Great.

-Just over.

-Great.

I was getting a bit worried then, but we did it, didn't we?

-It's great.

-Sold. Gone.

-Gone.

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

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

It is gold, but it's not hallmarked.

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

-Yes.

-Yes. Gorgeous. It's quality.

-It's a lovely little object.

-It's only tiny, though.

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

-Right.

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

-Absolutely.

And it's not a lot of money to part with for something so... different.

-You're not going to see this every day of the week.

-And particularly

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

-Yeah.

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

-Yeah.

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

-Exactly.

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

It's going under the hammer right now.

401, a very nice watch key.

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

20, 5, 30, 5, 40, £40.

40, 40,

5, is it? £40. 40, 5, 7.50, 50...

-That's good.

-Yes.

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

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

-Not bad.

-That's very nice.

£50. It's going to come in useful.

-Yes.

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

-Right.

-You'll be able to treat yourself.

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

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

-No.

We've had a brilliant day here in Mold.

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

exciting, and I think our owners have gone home happy and enjoyed themselves

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

So until the next time, it's cheerio.

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