Dover Flog It!

Today we're in the busiest passenger ferry port in the world.

On average 16 million people a year pass through here.

Can you guess where we are? Of course you can.

Today Flog It! comes from Dover in Kent.

Dover is well-known for many things,

but perhaps most famously for its iconic white cliffs,

and look at how magnificent they are,

but it's also a magnet to swimmers who see that 21-mile short distance

to mainland France as a bit of a challenge.

Later in the programme I'll be finding out why conquering

the English Channel has always lured journalists and swimmers alike.

Well, it's nearly 9.30am

and it's time to get the Flog It! valuation day underway.

Just look at this fabulous turnout!

Hundreds of people queuing up outside the Dover Town Hall

all waiting for that special valuation and if the price is right,

what are you going to do? Flog It!

Yes! And the two experts responsible for putting the things through

to auction are Mark Stacey and Catherine Southon.

Well, it's now 9.30am, so without further ado

let's get the doors open and get everybody inside.

We're so lucky to be in such a stunning venue today in the historic

coastal port of Dover and it looks as though Catherine

has already found a maritime themed item.

Helen, good to see you.

-Shall we have a little look what's in this box?

-Yes.

-Let's have a reveal.

A nice little steamboat there.

Powered by methylated spirits, is it?

-Yes.

-Tell me how it works, what do you do?

Well, you lift the top...

..here and you put the methylated spirits in here.

Right, OK, yes.

And then you fill up the boiler with water here.

-So then the steam...

-And the steam forces the propeller to go round,

it turns the propeller that way.

-That's lovely.

-Shall I put this back?

-This is actually made by Hobbies

and I can see that you've got the original box.

-Yes, but not the lid, sadly.

-No, often the case.

Tell me a little bit about it in terms of where you got it from.

It belonged to my father and he was born in 1917 and he...

It came to me when I was, oh, a teenager I should think

and it's never been used since.

-It's something your father obviously played with...

-Yes.

-Quite a lot.

-Yes. I have had it in actually working, but not in water.

-You never played with it?

-No.

Well, sadly, as you can probably tell, it has actually been repainted.

Yes, that was typical father.

Typical father. Naughty father, I think we should say.

I don't know if you know, but this is actually fibreglass.

-It's painted on fibreglass.

-Right.

-We have seen other models like

this where they've actually been painted on tin plate.

Makers like Bing, Mark Linn,

and they're obviously a lot more collectable,

making big money.

What is nice is that you've got the original box and obviously

-on here it's got stamped, on either end actually...

-Yes.

Hobbies, the maker, Bowman Steamboat, and then the model name,

which is Swallow, so the boat is obviously called Swallow.

I mean, it must be quite important to you as it belonged to your father.

Yes. I just feel that it would be nice if it was appreciated

-by somebody who collects model boats.

-Yeah.

-Or steam engines, even.

I have known them to go for around the £100, £150 mark

if in their original condition.

Bearing in mind it has been repainted,

it has got the box but without the lid,

-I think we should probably pitch it around £60 to £80 mark.

-Right.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-Maybe with a £50 reserve.

-OK.

-Thank you very much. I'll see you at the auction!

-Hello, Pauline.

-Hello.

-How nice to meet you here in Dover.

-And you.

-You're looking very cool in blue.

-Oh, thank you very much.

Now, tell me, why have you got this item?

Well, it belonged to my father.

He got it from an antique shop, I think, somewhere along the line,

and then when I was about 16 I said to mum,

"I do like that horn, will you leave it to me in your will?"

Which you do when you're young, you know? So, that's what she did.

When she died she left that to me.

Oh, wonderful.

And in your family, I mean, do you have a Scottish connection?

-Yes, my father.

-Your father was Scottish?

-Yeah, he was.

-Ah, that's why he bought it, then.

-It meant something to him.

-Yes.

Because whenever you see an item like this

you always know they're Scottish.

-They're known as Scottish snuff moulds.

-Right.

They're made from the end of ram's horns or deer horns or whatever.

Sometimes you can get big table ones, which are deer horn.

This one is particularly nice because it is silver mounted,

there's no hallmarks, but I have every confidence

-that those are silver mounts on there.

-Yeah, yeah.

-And we have a little family crest there.

-Oh, is that a family crest?

We have a name here.

James Robertson, Inverness.

So that confirms its Scottish pedigree, if you like.

-That's right.

-The other nice thing we've found is a Latin inscription

-which means glory is the reward of valour.

-Fine, yes.

But I found out that the Robertson clan

are the oldest clan in Scotland.

-Really?

-And they also descend,

I think, from the old Norse rulers of Scotland, the kings of the Norse,

-Vikings who came over and conquered Scotland.

-That's interesting.

Or they married into them. And you've had it obviously a few years.

Yes, I've had it a few years.

And why have you decided to sell it with us today?

I'll tell you the truth, now.

I was going to leave it to my daughter and her husband said,

"Oh, well, when you've gone we'll sell it"

and I would like them to have kept it.

And I thought, well, no, I'm not going to have that,

so I will sell it myself.

Well, it's your item. I've every confidence the auction house

will do as much marketing as possible and I suspect we'll get some

Robertson from America, from Scotland, from all over,

who are interested in getting part of their family history back.

It'll be a double good thing for you. Hopefully get a bit more money.

-Yeah.

-And you'll be reuniting an item that's been lost from

-the Robertson family, which will be good.

-Yeah.

-I would like to put

-an estimate of £200 to £300 on it.

-OK.

-With a 200 reserve.

-Yeah.

-Our little Scottish piece of history will do us proud, I'm sure.

-Yeah.

What a lovely three quarter length portrait, Reg.

Do you know who she is?

-Lady Dover.

-So how did you come by this portrait?

This was left to me about five years ago.

-And you've got some paperwork, I believe.

-Yes, indeed.

Can I have a quick look? By John Jackson, was the original artist.

He died in 1831. This is a copy,

but it's a beautiful copy. It's a period copy.

The original hangs in the British Museum, but this is done

by George Dodson Tomlinson, a Victorian artist who died in 1884,

so he was flourishing around the mid-1800s.

He's exhibited at the Royal Academy, which is great news for you.

-Good.

-Because it gives the artist a little provenance,

so a lot of weight behind him, which pushes the price up at auction.

We even know who this is. It's a lady called Georgina,

the daughter of the Sixth Earl of Carlisle,

so this is the first Lady Dover.

-Yes, and possibly the only one.

-Possibly the only one. In 1831.

Well, I absolutely love it.

The frame is letting it down at the moment because it's been painted

so many times with obviously coats of emulsion or something like that,

but that's its contemporary frame.

The frame's perfect for this picture and I can see it...

I can see it is, you know? This has not been cut down and fiddled with.

I have a feeling this has been hanging in a smoker's home.

-That nicotine stain.

-It has, yes.

-Isn't it?

-It is.

Look at this, if you just go like that...

..you can tell it's the nicotine.

It needs a good clean, a professional should tackle that.

-Do you like the portrait?

-Not really, no.

-Why is that?

I find her a bit frightening.

-It's the eyes.

-That's the sign of a good painter,

there's quality in those eyes, and the lips are beautiful.

They're so full. The skin tones are great.

-What sort of money had you in mind?

-I've no idea of the value.

-No idea?

-No.

-And why do you want to sell this now?

-Because I'm moving to a flat.

-Are you? That won't work in a flat,

will it, with a low ceiling? It'd look a bit OTT.

It really needs a big room.

That is a big picture.

If you're happy, I think we can put this into auction

-with a value of around about £400 to £600.

-Right.

With a discretion on the 400, a 10% auctioneer's discretion.

Right, fine.

-Peter, welcome to Flog It!

-Thank you.

-Thank you for coming along.

I do like a little object in a little case.

Shall we just have a little open up here?

We've got a lovely pocket aneroid barometer.

Tell me about this, where did you get it from?

It was from my father-in-law.

-He's an... Well, he was an avid boot fair collector.

-Oh, really? Right.

And he collected lots of bits and pieces and when he died

we sorted out and that's what we found in amongst

-other bits and pieces, so...

-Do you know if it's working?

No, I don't know, no. I don't know anything about it at all,

so I thought perhaps you might be able to enlighten me a bit on it.

OK. Well, date wise we'd probably be looking at about turn of the century,

so probably about circa 1900.

We can see here the name Army & Navy,

so it would have been actually sold in the Army & Navy stores.

I love this little red Morocco leather case that it's contained in.

Nice green velvet inside here.

This is something that gentleman would have had.

He would have taken it with him in his pocket.

Unfortunately, we've got a bit of wear here.

It looks like the leather,

-the red leather here has actually been lifted off.

-Yeah.

-Has it always been like that?

-Yes.

-As far as you know?

-Yes, yes.

It's quite a nice little instrument, Peter, it's a shame

there's no signature on the dial. That would certainly

beef up the estimate a bit, but have you ever had it working?

-No, we haven't, no.

-Do you know how to get it working?

-No.

-One of the tricks of the trade,

what you can do is put it in like a polythene bag,

blow up the bag and then, obviously, you've got the

air inside it and hopefully you should see the needle move.

See if it works before the auction.

-That will be quite interesting to see.

-Yeah.

You do see quite a lot of them coming up at auction,

so they're not... They don't have great value.

-They're probably going to be worth in the region of about £60 to £80.

-Yeah.

Is that a bit disappointing to you, or are you happy to sell at that?

Yeah, I... I will sell at that.

Yeah, I mean, because I hadn't got a clue what it's worth,

-so it's not a disappointment.

-Let's put a reserve on of £50

and that should easily make that.

How does that sound?

-Fine, yeah.

-Happy with that?

-Yes.

Well, let's go for that and hope that it makes a bit more.

We've found some quirky items and now we're heading north into the heart of Kent for today's auction.

I can feel tension building all over the place, an air of excitement.

Today we're at the Canterbury Auction Galleries.

Cliona Kilroy is just about to take to the rostrum, today's auctioneer.

As you can see, we've got a packed house.

Let's hope this lot are going to bid on all our items.

And in case you've forgotten what's going under the hammer, here's a quick recap.

I thought Reg's late 19th century portrait of Lady Dover was in

remarkable condition, although the frame could do with a good clean!

Reg is keen to get rid of it though, as it's too big for his flat.

Pauline has been in love with her Robertson clan Scottish snuff horn

since she was a wee lass.

Mark thinks it may raise a lot of interest.

I suspect we'll get some Robertson from America and from Scotland...

-Really.

-And from all over

who are interested in getting part of their family history back.

It's now time for Peter to sell his Army & Navy Store barometer

in a red leather case which he got from his father-in-law.

Finally, Helen hopes an enthusiastic collector

will sail away with her inherited Hobbies Bowman steamboat.

But will the botched paint job put the bidders off?

It's time to find out as it's the first of our items

to go under the hammer.

I'm a big fan of this next lot.

I've just been joined by Helen, the owner.

Boys and their toys. I think this little steamboat is incredible.

It works on methylated spirits. It's got the look of an early launch

and it's known as the Swallow, in original box.

-Yes.

-Fingers crossed, OK?

-Definitely, fingers crossed.

Yeah. Here we go.

333 is the early 20th century

Hobbies Bowmen steamboat, the Swallow. Lot 333.

-Lots of commission interest.

-Some interest in this. We'll start at...

-We'll start at 130.

-Starting at £130.

-Yes!

-I'm looking for 140. Any interest at 140?

On my left at £130 now.

-Any interest at 140?

-Yes.

140. 150. 160.

-Yes.

-170. Anybody at 170?

It's online at £160. Are we all done? Any further interest?

If not I'm selling at £160 online.

-Told you!

-Fantastic!

-Excellent.

-You didn't have any faith.

-I didn't.

-Well done.

-Well done, you.

Thanks. It was a nice thing. It's a real gentleman's piece and I... I...

I was looking at that earlier and I saw so many people looking at it

as well and it brought back so many memories for them.

Everybody buys into that. There's commission to pay.

-Of course, yes.

-But I think you can treat yourself with that.

-Yes.

This is a cracking lot.

I've just been joined by Pauline and we're about to put

the Scottish snuff horn under the hammer from Robertson's clan.

-That's right.

-Good luck, but I think this one is going back to Scotland.

That's lovely. Yeah, it's nice to know, you know?

Lot number 287 is the 19th century

Scottish silvery metal mounted horn, snuff mould, lot 287.

-Who'll start me at £100?

-Yeah.

-100 I am bid. Who's in at 110? 110 for someone?

-Come on.

110 I have. 120. 130. 140. 150.

160. 170. 180. 190. 200. And 10.

The bid is on my left.

It's gone, 210. Within estimate.

What are you going to put the money towards?

-I want a new carpet.

-Do you?

-So it will go to that.

Yeah, I'd love a new carpet.

-Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-That's quite all right.

So far so good. Temperatures are rising,

which brings us nicely to our next lot, this little pocket barometer

belonging to Peter and we've got the valuation of £60 to £80.

-Now, your father-in-law found this at a car boot.

-He did, yeah.

-How much do you think he paid for it?

-I haven't a clue.

Unfortunately, he's not with us now, so I'll never know.

Probably a lot less than what we're hoping to get today

I think, Catherine, don't you?

Yeah, they always used to get 80 to 120, but I think nowadays they've

gone down a little bit, so hopefully we should get between 60 and 80.

-Case is nice.

-Absolutely.

-It's ready to go.

-It's in good condition.

Lot number 318 is the late 19th early 20th century

gilt brass case pocket aneroid barometer

by the Army & Navy Stores, lot 318.

-Who'll start me at £50?

-Yes.

-50 I'm bid. Who's in at 60?

It's on my left at £50, now.

-Well, we've sold it.

-Who's in at £60? 60. 70?

-No.

-Anybody at 70? Right at the back of the room at £60 now.

Any further offer? The bid is right at the back at £60.

And selling at £60.

-Spot on valuation.

-Yes, spot on.

-£60. Happy with that?

-That's fine.

-There is commission to pay, unfortunately.

-Yeah.

That's going to take a swipe out of it,

-but it's a meal out or something.

-It's an experience.

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

OK, for all you fine art lovers

it's now time to find out exactly what Lady Dover is worth.

I've been joined by Reg. This is my valuation. We had four to six on it.

The auctioneer thinks it could do a little better, so fingers crossed.

We always like a little more, don't we? Should be a lot of

local interest and that's what it's all about. This is it.

Lot number 75,

attributed to George Dodson Tomlinson after John Jackson's.

The oil painting, the half length portrait of Lady Dover. Lot 75.

Two bids, one at 500.

We're going to start at £500 and I'm looking for 520. The bid is...

The commission bid of £500. I'm looking for 520. 520. 540.

560. 580. 600. And 20. 640.

640? 660. 680?

Brilliant. Come on, a bit more.

680. 700. And 20?

Anybody at 720? On my left at £700 now.

Any further offer? If not I'm selling at £700 if we're all done.

-Fantastic.

-Brilliant! And what are you going to do with that?

Towards the next holiday.

-Where are you going?

-Gran Canaria.

-Good for you.

-He's retired, you deserve it.

-That's it.

-Thanks for bringing that in.

-Thank you.

And coming up later, Catherine finds an antique pot

which has performed some interesting functions.

-I think I've been sick on it.

-Oh!

-In it.

-Oh! I don't know if I want to touch it! In it?

I've come back to Dover today to find out a bit more about

one of the hardest physical challenges in the world

and it's something every serious long distance swimmer

would love to conquer. Can you guess what it is?

Well, you probably can by my location here today.

I'm talking about swimming the English Channel.

The Channel is 21 miles across at its shortest distance and the

starting point is over in that direction at Shakespeare's Cliff

and, of course, it finishes over there at Cap Gris Nez, in France.

The intrepid challengers have to deal with swimming

in hypothermic-inducing water which is around 14 to 18 degrees Celsius.

They've also got to swim through one of the busiest shipping lanes

in the world avoiding all the floating debris.

And then they've got to battle against tides and currents,

which change every six hours.

On top of that, they've got to deal with getting stung by jellyfish,

getting cramp and also swimming through floating fields of seaweed,

so you can see it's not for the fainthearted.

This is a serious challenge.

People have died doing this.

Some, well, have conquered.

Those include sort of seasoned swimmers and, of course,

just ordinary people giving it a go.

It all started on 24 August 1875, when Captain Matthew Webb

dived in from the Admiralty Pier in Dover and swam across the Channel.

21 hours and 45 minutes later he came ashore near Calais, in France.

After his historic swim, Webb became a national hero.

Many people assume that Captain Webb's success was a fluke

and could not be repeated and though hundreds of people attempted to swim

and many British newspapers offered sponsorships and a £1,000 reward,

it took 36 years before the Channel was conquered again.

This time it was a man called Thomas W Burgess who succeeded in 1911

on his 13th attempt.

He was a Yorkshire man who was actually living in Paris at the time

and he worked in the motor tyre business.

He was 37 when he swam the channel

and was famed for wearing motorist's goggles.

It took him 22 hours and 35 minutes to get across to France.

After Burgess had successfully followed Webb

and shown it was indeed possible many more attempts were undertaken.

New records were made and broken,

such as the first woman to swim the Channel,

who was Gertrude Ederle in 1926 and who Burgess helped train.

In the early 20th century the men and women who completed

the challenge became instant stars and large crowds gathered

to greet the returning heroes.

World War II stopped Channel swimming attempts, but following

the end of the war the 1950s saw the real heyday of Channel swimming

with a great surge in its popularity.

Races were organised and once again British newspapers offered rewards,

alongside holiday camp magnet, Billy Butlin.

Many of the successful challengers have had their photograph taken here

on the seafront at Dover right next to Captain Webb's memorial.

Sadly, the swimmers today don't make a splash they once did.

You know, there's not thousands of people lined up along the seafront

to congratulate them and welcome them home because that really

is a tough challenge, possibly because more people are succeeding.

We're a lot more savvy about nutrition, diet

and putting in the right training regime. But, I'll tell you what,

having a lot of knowledge doesn't make this any easier.

It's far from it.

Today I'm lucky enough to be meeting two people who are experts

on all things Channel swimming.

They are Freda Streeter and Michelle Toptalo.

Freda is known lovingly as the General Of The Channel

as she helps hopefuls train and prepare for the challenge.

Michelle is a local to Dover

who had recently swum the channel for the first time.

Freda, great to meet up with you today. Hi, Michelle.

Thank you for joining us as well. What perfect weather.

-It's beautiful

-Yeah, we're blessed.

-It really is the perfect day.

How long do the training sessions last? Are they here weeks on end?

Weeks on end. We start in May, we finish at the end of September

and we build them up and build them up until six, seven, eight,

even 10 hour swims in the harbour here.

Just to make sure, we give them back-to-back swims

so that they do sort of seven one day, six another,

which is possibly the equivalent of the Channel.

They just had a night's rest in between,

but mentally then it helps them tremendously.

What are the rules?

-One swimming costume, one hat, one pair of goggles.

-That's it?

And you do not touch the boat.

Michelle, you've actually swum the Channel. What is it about it?

Why did you want to do that?

For me, I grew up in Dover.

-Right.

-I've always seen that piece of water.

I've always been intrigued by the fact

that you can see the weather in a different country.

-Yeah.

-I've always swum and I think I always knew one day I'd try it.

It's the lure of the Channel.

It just seems to get into people's blood and people do come back

time after time after time.

What did it feel like when you got to the other side?

-The best feeling in the world. It's...

-Did you kiss the beach?

Did you sort of crawl up it and go, "I've done it" and pass out?

Everybody has a different experience. For some,

it's just sheer relief. For me, I just looked round,

looked at that boat and just...

I couldn't believe I'd...

You know, it had been a long day.

I mean, I was so lucky, the conditions were perfect,

my crew were perfect and I just couldn't...

I just couldn't believe I'd just achieved that.

What makes a good Channel swimmer?

I think it is about determination.

-Yeah.

-You know...

-It's all up here, do you think?

I mean, you have... everybody has their battles.

We've had some really surprising people here... You watch them swim

and you think they're never going to swim the Channel, you know,

but their determination... They do.

90%... I say it's 90% mental and 10% physical out there.

It is. You negotiate with yourself.

I remember thinking to myself out there, there's people that believe

-I can do this.

-Yeah.

-If you don't do this today than every time

you didn't go training it was the wrong decision.

They're the kind of battles you have out there.

-Is it expensive to do this?

-Very.

Very expensive, yes. It's the pilot boat which costs the money.

How much does that cost?

About 2,100.

-Does it?

-Yeah. Because that is the biggest shipping lane in the world.

Obviously the pilot boat is essential, isn't it?

Absolutely. The only person that's tried to cross this without

-a pilot boat was found in Belgium about a fortnight later.

-Right.

There is no way that you can do this swim without a pilot boat.

This is like a hedgehog trying to cross the M1.

Did you come across any super tankers crossing your path?

-Nothing came that close to me.

-You were lucky.

I've been on swims where we've had some very close encounters,

but for me, I could see ferries and things in the distance.

Is this something you can recommend?

-Absolutely.

-To all the viewers watching, to have a go?

The torment you go through in here, and it is torture.

For me this was more torture than the actual day.

Entering the water in May is no mean feat

and I've got so much respect for anybody that gets that far.

And the boss here makes sure everybody toes the line?

They'd be foolish to argue with her

because she knows what she's talking about.

Tell me about the greasing up?

-The greasing up I think is probably over advertised.

-Really?

LAUGHTER

For me it was just in the areas that my swimming costume would chafe.

-Yeah.

-This idea that you need to cover your body is...

-I think it's a myth.

-So, what do you eat? Can you eat?

What we use is a very, very high carbohydrate powder

mixed into a drink that they can

literally swallow in three, four seconds,

that's the equivalent of two jacket potatoes, big jacket potatoes,

and it just goes straight through, gives them energy and we're off.

-And that's it?

-That's it. Well, they do have the occasional treat

-if they get grumpy...

-Do you?

-A mini roll or something like that.

Once you've been in a while you can't really taste anything anyway.

-No.

-Just salt!

-You know, your tongue goes, goes salty.

Right, now it's time for me to give it a go.

So, here we go... But, do you know what? I could never do that.

I wouldn't even make it to the harbour walls, but fair play

to all the people that have done it, they're champions,

and to all the people that have tried and attempted it but failed,

they're still winners, as well. It's all about trying.

What a brilliant day.

Welcome back to a busy valuation day here at the Town Hall in Dover.

It's still jam-packed full of people all hoping

to go off to the auction room. It's now down to our experts

to find those remaining items, so let's catch up with them.

Yvonne, what a charming little figure you've brought in.

-Thank you.

-Tell me, where did you get it?

It belonged to my mother-in-law.

She passed away some 22 years ago.

My father-in-law wasn't very keen on it and he asked us

if we would like it and to take it away, so we did and we've had it

for a number of years, but now it's... You know,

we've moved into a little tiny small bungalow and it's beautiful and

-I've just got nowhere to put her.

-Nowhere to put her?

-No.

You know what it is, of course? It's a Meissen figure.

-Yes. From the latter part of the 19th century.

-Oh, right.

It's very reminiscent of the sort of 18th century Meissen figures.

You've got this sleeping beauty, here, who's taken her shoes off

-and decided to have a little nap.

-Right.

-But if you look closely

she's wearing this really nice floral dress and then just tucked in

to the dress, here, there's a little letter which looks like it's got

a little red seal mark on it, so it's a little love letter.

-Ah!

-And what we don't know, of course, is whether

she's tucked it in there and then fallen asleep contented that

her beau is in love with her, or of course he's tucked it in there when

she's fallen asleep and then left her to wake up and find the letter.

So it's a little bit of a mystery.

It's a little bit of a mystery, but Victorians liked that,

these little sort of sentimental touches.

She's obviously quite an elegant lady, but then she's got

this rustic furniture around her.

-Yes.

-They liked that sort of rustic style, as well.

Looking underneath, we've got the crossed swords mark of Meissen.

We've got some numbers as well which refer to shape and pattern numbers,

-Very nice. We do have a small chip there, see?

-Yes, I noticed.

Which unfortunately affects the value a little bit.

-There's the odd chip here and there, always the case with Meissen.

-Right.

But I think because it's such a nice sentimental subject,

and if you look at the detail, which I think it is worth pointing out,

of the little bow in her hair here. The little earring she's wearing.

The modelling of her ears, the modelling of her face.

Yes, it's beautiful.

The modelling of her little pearl and lace necklace, there.

-I mean, everything screams quality about it.

-Yes.

-But in a very sort

of "sugar sweet" sort of way, I suppose, which is not

-terribly fashionable these days.

-No.

-Now we want big, bold statement,

-decorative pieces, not these sort of...

-Delicate.

-Rather feminine...

Feminine, delicate porcelain objects. Of course, it does have a value.

-Right.

-You've had it for a long time. Have you thought of the value?

No. We have absolutely no idea. It's only since your programmes

have been on, etcetera, that we suddenly thought

-well, perhaps it has got some value.

-Yes, well, I think it does.

I still think there will be Meissen collectors,

even though there's a slight bit of damage, I would have thought

maybe 200 to 300, with 150 reserve. Would you be happy with that?

-Yes, yes. I think 200 to 300 would be lovely.

-And who knows?

Some other person might fall in love with it at the auction.

They could well do, couldn't they?

And what would you do if we got a good price for you?

Well, we'd like to go back to Italy.

We holiday in Italy quite a lot.

-Well, it's a good cause.

-Yes.

Well, I can't wait until the auction and you'll fly up from Dover...

-Absolutely.

-To Canterbury.

Lorraine, I am so excited about this Minton jardiniere.

-Where did you get it from?

-It was my great-grandmother's.

Right, OK. And where did your grandmother...

-Great-grandmother get it from?

-I don't know.

-It's been in your family the whole time, been passed through?

-Yes.

I'm so excited because I do collect Minton Viennese Secessionist Ware

and this is just so beautiful.

I mean, I pounced on you in the queue because I saw it and I just thought

those colours are absolutely fabulous. They're so vibrant.

-Yeah.

-And it's got this wonderful tube lining,

this very typical pattern that you find in the Minton Secessionist Ware.

Do you know anything about Minton Secessionist?

-No.

-Well, the designers were John Wadsworth and Leon Solon.

They started really towards the late 19th century and it was

all finished pretty much by 1905. They worked in partnership together,

Taking their inspiration from Viennese Secessionist Ware,

Art Nouveau, so you can see lots of sort of influences from nature

and we see these quite sort of stylised flowers and plants.

It's quite a simple design, but it's just so very beautiful.

Are you not... You don't seem very... I'm so excited about it

because it's the best thing that I've seen all day.

I do like it, but my partner doesn't like it, so he won't want it...

What doesn't he like about it?

He likes modern things, so he won't let us have it

-in our new conservatory.

-It is still very modern, I think.

-Especially the colours.

-He has come round about the colour.

-But, no, I'd rather...

-You want to get rid of it.

-Give my mum the money.

So, have you had this in your home for some time?

I've had it about six months in my home.

Before that my mum had it in her home as long as I can remember.

Right, OK. Pride of place I hope?

No. My grandmother had a Christmas tree in it,

my mother's had newspapers and sweet wrappers

-and I think she had an aspidistra in it at one time.

-That's dreadful!

Then she put it in the bedroom and it got forgotten about,

and then she gave to me about six months ago rather than use it

as a rubbish bin and I think I've been sick on it. In it.

I don't know if I want to touch it. In it! Oh, God!

Once upon a time it would have been... I mean, it's a jardiniere,

-so it probably would have had a stand.

-Yeah.

Does anyone in your family have any recollection of the stand at all?

No, no.

As a piece this is really, I think, quite special.

Do you have any idea of how much it's worth at auction?

Well, I only thought around 50, 80 quid.

I'll give you 50 quid!

I'll take it from you straightaway.

I think that it's worth around £300 to £500.

-Wow!

-With a 250 reserve, is that OK?

-Yeah.

-You're smiling.

-Yeah, lovely.

-Hopefully, smiling all the way to the bank.

-Yeah, thank you.

-Hello, Nina.

-Hello. Very nice to meet you.

-And you, as well.

Now, you've brought a really, really interesting piece along.

Tell me, how has it remained in this condition?

Because it's just been away in a drawer somewhere

for all its life, I should imagine.

-And do you know how it came into your possession?

-I've no idea.

I probably first saw it when I was a teenager, about 60 years ago,

and I'm sure my mother took it out and showed it to me and then it got

put back and put away and whenever we did a spring clean it came out

again and we had a look at it and that's what's happened to.

-I think it's in pretty good condition actually for its age.

-Yes, yes.

What we've actually got here is a little...

What looks like a little book, but it isn't, it's a sort of diorama,

and it's called

Lane's Telescopic View Of The Ceremony Of Her Majesty's

Opening The Great Exhibition,

-of course, in Crystal Palace in 1851.

-Absolutely.

-And it's by the printers down here, Lane & Stanhope.

-Yes.

Stanhope actually went on to develop those little miniature things

you brought from Brighton Rock and things like that were you could

-look in and see the piers.

-Ah.

But what I found charming about this is it's such a simple little

piece of equipment and it's been around for 158 years.

And you open it up like this and it's so simple to modern standards

when we look at the internet and the games we play,

and you just take a little look through the hole there

and you can see right the way and you have a whole sort of panoramic view

of the Crystal Palace exhibition.

-Absolutely.

-Imagine as a child in 1851 that being brought home

-and the wonder of it, it must have been fantastic.

-Absolutely.

If you couldn't go yourself you could have a little look through there.

Because you can't appreciate the pretty colours inside

from the front of it, which has faded.

And when you look inside all those colours have been protected,

-so they're much brighter.

-Yes.

-It's been in a cupboard for many years.

-Yes.

And I think it's time to let somebody else appreciate it and enjoy it,

-isn't it?

-Yes, yes.

Value, any ideas?

-£500.

-Think again.

I'm going up then, £700!

-Well, I'm going down.

-I know!

-I think if we're sensible about it

-We should maybe think around £200 to £300.

-Yes.

With a 200 reserve, because we must protect it with a reserve.

-Absolutely.

-Well, Nina, I really hope we get a lot of money for it

because it's one of my favourite items I've seen today.

I think it's a really exciting piece.

If we do, what would you put the money towards?

I'd use it to go on my travels.

I've seen quite a lot of the world, but I haven't been

to Australia and New Zealand yet.

-Well, I hope we get you part of the way.

-Thank you very much indeed.

It's now time for our final trip to the auction

where we'll find out if Yvonne will be making it to Italy

on the proceeds of her Meissen sleeping beauty figure.

Although Catherine was crazy about

the Minton Secessionist Ware jardiniere, there was no love lost

for owner Lorraine or her family,

although it had been put to good use over the years.

My grandmother had a Christmas tree in it, my mother's had newspapers

and sweet wrappers and then she gave it to me about six months ago.

And, finally, Nina's stunning diorama of the Grand Exhibition

is now in the spotlight.

I think this is absolutely remarkable,

but before we see it sell, I caught up with auctioneer Cliona Kilroy

to see if she shares my enthusiasm.

-This is a bit different, you don't see many of these.

-No.

-And the condition is very good considering it's 1851.

-Yeah.

-Crystal Palace. A lovely diorama.

-Yeah.

-It belongs to Nina.

I think it's just an amazing piece of history

and a small token from the Great Exhibition.

It's only made of paper and fabric.

The intention to preserve it probably wasn't there,

but it has remained intact incredibly well

-and the colours are amazing when you look through it.

-Yes.

It must have been so exciting to have something like that

in the Victorian period, especially for a young child, it's great.

Just to look through the hole and go, wow, look at that.

It brings it all to life.

If you couldn't go there, that was as good as back then.

You got this wonderful three dimensional diorama

showing it all off.

I just think it's a great little thing, a souvenir from it.

We've put £200 to £300 on this. Do you think it could get any more?

I think it's really interesting and the fact that it has...

The condition is very much in its favour.

The front and back is a little scuffed, but generally it's in

really good order, so I think so, yeah. I would hope so.

We have seen other Victorian dioramas on the show,

slightly more squat, but slightly longer in perspective

and they've reached a little more than that, so I'm hoping

-good things for this one.

-Good.

Before we see if Nina's diorama is a hit with the bidders,

it's time to find out how Lorraine's Minton jardiniere fares.

Good luck, it's just about to go under the hammer.

I'm talking about Lorraine's sick bowl!

She said it! We're talking about that wonderful Minton.

Hello, mum, by the way. What's your name?

-Margaret.

-This is yours really, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Fingers crossed.

-What do you think, Catherine?

-£300 to £500. I think it should

-do quite well, actually.

-Well, let's see what this packed

auction room thinks. It's going under the hammer now.

Lot number 35 is the early

20th century Minton Secessionist pottery jardiniere, lot 35.

Who'll start me at £200? Lot 35.

£200 I'm looking for. Any interest at £200?

Come on, come on, come on!

Any interest at 200?

Thank you. 200 I'm bid. 210? 210.

220. 230.

240.

-It's a bit slow.

-250.

260. 270.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, we sold it.

280. 290.

300. 320.

340. 360.

380. 400. 420.

-That's good.

-440.

460?

Anybody at 460?

It's at £440 on the telephone now.

Any further offer? If not, I'm selling at £440 if we're all done.

Yes! Well done. Thank you so much

for putting a smile on our faces, that was a funny story.

I really loved that story, fantastic.

Well, thank you very much. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I've been joined by Nina today and Mark, our expert.

This is absolutely stunning, the little diorama of Crystal Palace,

-the Great Exhibition. Yeah.

-In great condition.

-This is it.

308 is the Lane's Telescopic View Of The Ceremony Of Her Majesty

Opening The Great Exhibition in 1851. Unusual item. Lot 308.

Who'll start me at £100? £100? Any interest at £100?

100 I'm bid. Who's in at 110? 110.

-120?

-Yes.

-130.

-140.

-Yeah.

-150. 160.

-Yeah.

170.

180?

-No.

-Anybody at 180? 180. 190?

190? Anybody at 190?

190. 200? 200 anywhere?

The bid is at £190, then. Pass at 190.

Oh, Nina. We just missed it by...

-One bid.

-Yeah. One bid.

-Never mind.

-Sorry about that.

-It lives to sell another day.

-Absolutely.

-Will you do that?

-Yes.

-Another auction room, another day.

Absolutely.

So close! That was very disappointing.

But can we do any better with the Meissen figure?

Right now Meissen figure is just about to go under the hammer,

could it be our little sleeper? I'm joined by Yvonne

and we've got £200 to £300 on this and it is the sleeping beauty?

-It is, it certainly is.

-This figure is so evocative.

You've got the young lady sleeping,

-the little letter tucked into her cleavage.

-I know.

Now, is that a letter from a lover or is it just a shopping list?

We don't know, but it's in a safe place!

Anyway, let's see what the bidders think,

it's just about to go under the hammer. Here we go.

Lot number four is the Meissen porcelain figure

of the young woman in 18th century dress, lot number four.

We have four bids and we're starting at £400.

-Starting at 400!

-420? Any interest at 420?

The bid is on my left at £400 now and I'm looking for 420.

420. 440. 460.

480. 500. And 20. 540.

540 with anybody?

540. 560. 580.

-580, sir? 600? Anybody at 600?

-Yes.

600. And 20. 640.

660. 680. On the 'net, no? The bid is with Chris at £660.

-That's very good.

-Please!

-£660.

-Hammer's gone down, Yvonne.

-Wonderful!

-£660.

-Thank you so much, Mark.

-We're happy with that?

-Very happy.

-The buyers were definitely here today.

-Absolutely. Thank you very, very much.

-Enjoy that holiday, won't you?

Oh, absolutely. Lake Garda here I come!

It's all over and what a fantastic day we've had here in Kent.

All credit to our experts, they were on the money today

and it's not easy because it's not an exact science.

I hope you've enjoyed watching the programme.

We enjoyed being here.

So, until the next time, it's cheerio.

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