Kilmarnock Flog It!

Today I've crossed the border into Scotland,

into the largest town in East Ayrshire.

Welcome to Flog It! from Kilmarnock.

The crowds have gathered outside today's venue, the Palace Theatre,

at this busy junction in the heart of Kilmarnock.

This grand concert hall was opened in the 1860s and over the years,

it's endured various closures and developments, changing from theatre

to cinema and back again to theatre.

Well, it looks like all the locals have turned out in force today

and already the experts are working the crowd.

I'd better join them.

Today's entertainers are veteran expert James Lewis

and new boy David Fletcher.

They're keen to find all those important valuables to take off to auction.

And coming up later in the show a familiar lady at auction weaves her magic.

100, 110...

And we get some exciting results.

-What do you think of that?

-I'm speechless!

-Sweet music to our ears.

-It is that, aye.

But now to the valuation tables and opening the show

is our old hand James and he's spotted some beauties from overseas.

Rita, tell me, what are a fabulous pair of French Grecian maidens doing here in Kilmarnock?

Well, I'd have to ask myself that.

-No, no. I went along to the antique fair in Edinburgh...

-Right.

..which I go to every couple of months and I bought them there.

-OK, how long have you had them?

-Five years.

-OK.

So why are you flogging them now?

They've been on my wall five years, I thought it would be nice to get something different to look at.

Fantastic. Well, I love them.

I have to say they're really wonderful quality

and I'm sure you've seen the signature down at the bottom here.

I have indeed.

F Barbedienne for Ferdinand Barbedienne,

and Ferdinand Barbedienne was a sculptor

but he actually started in France as a wallpaper designer.

-Really?

-And he was a trainee saddle maker as well.

-Wow.

-So he was from the start having made saddles and then going into interior design and wallpaper making

his influence really was on the overall look rather than

on the actual sculpture, he was an interior designer.

-Right.

-So it was something that always has what we call "the look"

and these are typical of his work.

They're influenced by ancient Greece,

they're made probably 1840 to 1860 and they're wonderful quality and as you say,

they're just wall plaques, and they're lovely, I think they're great.

So tell me, are you a massive collector of antiques?

The house is stuffed full of antiques and bits and bobs and we say to the children that all the stuff

is their inheritance and they say, "But, Mum. It's a load of rubbish."

It's all about investment, and getting the money back that you paid, so what did you pay for them?

Paid £160 for them.

Well, we need to get you that money back...

-Yes, please.

-And I think we'll do that quite easily.

I would put an estimate of 180 to 250 with a bit of discretion,

-then fingers crossed it might do even better.

-Yes.

-Is that all right?

-Yes, please.

Brilliant. Let's see what happens.

James has got one under his belt and now to our new expert, David. Well, he's spotted a little gem.

Marjorie, this is sensational,

a little group comprising a brooch and a pair of ear pendants.

What can you tell me about them?

Actually, I inherited them from my Aunt Mary,

who moved out to Long Beach.

Sadly, she died quite young and I inherited them from her

along with some other items of jewellery.

-Have you ever worn them yourself?

-Yes, I have worn them.

-The earrings in particular, yes.

-Marvellous.

-I enjoyed wearing them.

They're real eye-catchers aren't they?

-Yes.

-The jewellery itself comprises three gold pieces,

each one of which is set with an emerald

backed by a piece of green foil, which just made them

catch the light and sparkle in the way that a gemstone might do.

These trembly bits are prone to damage and there is a certain

amount of bending that has occurred there, which is a bit of a problem.

Have you any idea what they might be worth?

Um, about 300 - 500? I don't know.

I think you're spot on.

I think somewhere between those two figures.

You should be doing my job, I think you've hit the nail on the head, really.

They would have been made, I don't think I mentioned this, in about 1860

so they would be catalogued as Victorian, in the middle of Victoria's reign.

And, as you say, I would suggest an estimate of 300 - 500.

The reserve just a little bit below the bottom estimate,

280, if that would be acceptable to you?

-Yes.

-OK?

Have you got anything nice planned to spend the money on?

-We're going out to California, my fiance and I.

-Splendid.

-And it's near Long Beach where Aunt Mary used to live...

-That's right.

So perhaps I can visit some of her friends...

How fitting.

OK, I'll look forward to seeing you at the sale and I'm sure they will do very well.

Tim, may I have a look at your walking cane?

-Certainly.

-Every fine gentleman should have a stick.

-They should.

-Does that look better? Does it suit me?

-Absolutely.

Tell me its history. How did you come by it?

Well, it's actually my mother's. She's had it for years and years and years.

I remember playing with it as a boy but that's all I know about it

to be honest with you, apart from it's having little secrets in it.

There are little secrets and we shall reveal them in just a moment.

-It's actually a Malacca cane.

-Right.

-A lot of the good quality canes were made of Malacca, it's a tropical cane, basically.

-Right.

A good straight grain, easy to work with, and this is circa 1920s.

-Right.

-It's not a great deal of age but it was at the time when the Edwardians were hunting

and shooting and fishing and just really pondering around the countryside, dressed up...

-Right.

-Enjoying themselves. Anyway, I can't wait to do this.

-Carry on.

-So we'll take this off because inside the cap there is...

This is the little surprise. I'll use my finger here, look,

very carefully...

to reveal a little, tiny...it's like a stirrup cup, really, isn't it?

-Look at that. So you can take a wee tot...

-Yeah.

..out on a frosty morning, in the winter.

And where do you get the whisky from? Well, the flask is inside the cane, isn't it?

Yeah.

I'm astonished at the size of the flask, actually.

-Here we go. It's still got its original silver stopper with cork, making it watertight.

-Yeah.

Because you don't want to lose any of that whisky, do you?

Look at that.

It'll keep you warm on a winter's morning.

How about that?

Everything is in such good condition. Isn't that lovely?

-It is, yes.

-Have you any idea how much this is worth?

Haven't a clue.

Well, because it's complete, these flasks usually break and they go missing.

-Yeah.

-And they get replaced with all sorts of things.

I think we could put this into auction with a value of £100 to £150

but I wouldn't be surprised if it made a little bit more.

Mmm...yeah.

-Were you surprised with that?

-Yes, I was actually.

Because it doesn't look quality from the outside.

The components are all there and it's totally original.

That's where the value is.

-OK.

-The collectors would like to own this. We'll put a fixed reserve on

-at £100 if you're happy.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Do you want to sell it?

-Yeah.

I'll see you at the auction room and I think I'm ready to go now, I think that's rather smart.

-Thank you, Tim.

-Thank you.

Liz, I can tell that this is a Royal Doulton pot,

or a Royal Doulton jardiniere to give it its grand title.

I'll tell you a bit more about how I know that in a minute. What can you tell me about it?

Well, actually it was inherited from my mother, who went to auctions quite regularly.

Right. What did she do with it?

That was never ever a favourite of hers for some reason.

-No.

-And she obviously kept plastic daffodils in it.

There's nothing wrong with plastic daffodils but it cries out for an aspidistra.

-Yes.

-Really. And they were very fashionable in the late 19th,

early 20th century when this was made.

I know this is Royal Doulton because I've seen a lot of similar items,

all featuring this blue and white transfer-printed decoration.

The decoration comprises two panels,

each depicting a romantic...

it could almost be a Tuscan landscape, couldn't it?

Northern Italy.

It evokes a distant time and a sunnier climate

and you get very nostalgic about these things,

so it's a piece of escapism, really, in that sense.

Pots like this are fashionable, popular today,

although they're not used for the same purposes,

which makes me think to ask, what do you use it for?

Well, I actually keep receipts in it.

Keep receipts in it. OK. Your bookkeeping is about as good as mine if you can fill that with receipts.

If you want to keep on top of your bookkeeping, you file your receipts immediately,

you don't chuck 'em in a blue and white pot.

Anyway, that's digressing.

I'm pretty certain this would do very well if we came to sell it

so I suggest an estimate of 100 to 150

and a reserve of £100 if that's OK with you?

-That would be fine.

-Good.

Well, we're half way through our day and we've found our first items

to take off to auction and this is where it gets exciting

because we put those valuations to the test and as you know,

anything can happen in an auction room.

So what will happen to this fab four?

Firstly there's Liz's Royal Doulton pot that her mother filled with plastic daffodils.

It will be joined by my stylish find.

Every fine gentleman should have a stick. Does that look better?

-Does it suit me?

-It does. Absolutely.

Tim's walking cane with secret drinking flask and mini glass should appeal to the Scottish bidders.

David valued the stunning emerald and gold mourning brooch

and earrings at £300 to £500.

Marjorie is selling these inherited pieces

to raise funds for a trip to California.

And finally, James loved Rita's two bronze plaques by sculptor Ferdinand Barbedienne.

James valued them at £180 to £250,

but at auction will the bidders have their own ideas?

Get me a chair.

And now we're off to Glasgow to find out

because those items have been catalogued by Flog It! favourite Anita Manning

ready for today's sale at the Great Western auction rooms.

As you can see, the room is absolutely packed full of kit.

I think we'd better get things started.

And to kick things off that fantastic set of gold and emerald jewellery.

Now we've got those, they're just about to go under the hammer

but unfortunately the owner, Marjorie, is in California on holiday.

But we do have her best friend here, Elizabeth.

Now you've been best friends for how long? Well, since you were what?

About 18 or 19.

-That's about ten years or so.

-Something like that, yes.

And did you ever see this brooch?

Yes, I did. She wore it on one or two celebrations of mine,

my 60th birthday and things like that, she wore it then.

-But I don't think she's worn it since then.

-Right. That's why she's decided to sell it?

Yes. It's in a safe and not being used,

so she's decided it's time for her to let it go.

In a safe. Oh, it's that valuable. We got three to five, David.

We have. It's a nice little assemblage, really, the three items.

-Yes.

-And it's that lovely little trembling effect you get

from the little dangly bits that are going to make the sale really.

They're eye catching.

Hopefully, they'll be eye-catching to somebody here, they're about to go under the hammer.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-You're going to get on the phone and tell her the good news?

-Yes, I think she'll phone me this evening.

-Will she? OK, it's going under the hammer.

Lot 100, ladies and gentlemen,

we have the brooch with the step cut emerald in the centre

and the pair of earrings.

That is a wonderful Victorian set.

Can we say £500? 300?

Will you start me at £200 for the emerald set? 200 bid.

-200, any advance at 210?

-Come on.

It's always a nerve-wracking time this.

240, 250, 260, 270, 280...

-We're getting there Elizabeth, we're getting there.

-280.

Any advance on 280? All done at 280, all done at 280, 280.

Yes. The reserve was 280. Just!

Just edged it. It's so tense when the bidding starts as low as 100, 150,

you're thinking they're never going to get there...

-Yes.

-But they do.

-It climbs, it climbs.

People are reluctant to make that first bid that's the problem.

-That's right, yes.

-He who dares!

If you ever get stuck for something to drink out of you should be buying this next lot, it's a walking stick.

-Yeah, and it belongs to Tim. Well, Tim's mother in fact.

-Yeah.

It's a wonderful walking cane with a little secret surprise and it's just great.

I had a little chat to Anita off screen before the auction started

-and she said it is such a fun item...

-Yeah?

When it arrived at the auction room straight from the valuation day

-with the couriers she ran round to the pub which is next door and showed the landlord...

-Right.

-And he fell in love with it so hopefully he's going to be buying it.

-It should be good.

-I think that's a great thing for a landlord to have, don't you?

-Yeah.

Lot 250. Now this is a 19th century Malacca drinking flask cane.

It is an unusual and rare item.

Will you start me at 100? 50 then? 50 bid.

60, 70, 80, 90, 100,

110, 120, 130.

-130.

-It's sold, isn't it?

-Yeah.

With Ian at 130 for this rare cane.

Any advance on 130.

-Come on, we'd like a bit more.

-Any advance? 140, back in.

150.

With Ian at 150, any advance on 150? All done at 150, 150.

-Hammer's gone down.

-Spot on.

-I think Mum would be pleased.

-Spot on.

-£150.

-Yeah.

-That's not bad is it?

-Yeah.

And hopefully the landlord did buy it.

200, 210, 220.

220, any advance on 220...

We've got a top name going under the hammer right now, a bit of Royal Doulton.

-It's a pot with a value of £100 to £150 and it belongs to Liz. Hello, there.

-Hello.

Now you kept, Mum kept plastic daffodils in this and you kept your...?

-Receipts in it.

-The receipt pot.

The Royal Doulton receipt pot. Will we get that top end?

Well, I don't think we will, Paul. I've had second thoughts about this.

Bit of mixed feelings since valuation day.

Yes, I have I'm afraid. I think I was so seduced about Liz's stories

about keeping daffodils and her receipts in there,

I thought, "What a wonderful idea."

As a result of all that I think I slightly over-valued it

so we got our heads together, Liz and I,

and we've spoken to Anita and we've dropped the reserve. Not significantly...

-OK.

-But £80.

-OK. Hopefully it shouldn't effect the result.

I'd like to see it do what David said initially, between 100 and 150.

Lot 598 is this very nice, now it's Royal Doulton,

it's blue and white, it's a large jardiniere

decorated with village scenes.

Can we say 200? 150? £100.

100, £50 then?

£30. 30 bid.

Any advance on 30 in the Doulton?

40, 50, 60, 70, 80.

£80. Any advance on £80?

All done at £80. £80.

-£80.

-That's fine.

-Well done.

I think we did the right thing.

-You did, didn't you?

-I'm chuffed.

That's fine. I'm very happy to have that.

What are you going to put the money towards?

-A meal out.

-Oh, good. Good.

Right, Rita, are you ready for this?

-Absolutely, Paul.

-It's the moment of truth.

-It is.

The bronze plaques are going under the hammer.

We've got 180 to 250 on them. Will we get that top end?

If we get top end we've done really well.

-OK.

-I think sort of 200, 220's about the mark for them.

-OK.

-But, you know, who knows?

-Great auctioneer.

-Yes.

She's great. From Glasgow, you see.

She is, isn't she? Yeah.

We're going to find out what Anita can do for us.

Let's see some magic. Good luck.

Lot 583, a beautiful pair of cast bronze wall plaques.

Now they're by Ferdinand Barbedienne

and they're depicting two classical maidens.

Start me at £200, £100 apiece.

Start me at 200. One bid, one bid.

110, 120, 130, 140.

150, 160, 170,

180, 190, 200, 210,

220, 230, 240, 250,

260, 270,

280, 290, 300...

-These are my things?

-Sorry?

-These are mine, aren't they?

-These are yours, yes.

-20,

330, 340, 350, 360, 370...

-370.

-380, 390, 400.

Get me a chair.

420, 440, 460, 480, 500...

-It's frightening now.

-It is, isn't it?

520, 540. £540.

Any advance on 540?

All done at 540, 540.

£540. The hammer's gone down on Rita's plaques.

What do you think of that?

-I'm speechless.

-Cor. So am I. I think James is.

You know, you often see great results, but that,

I just cannot see that amount of money in those plaques. Fantastic.

Do you know what it was? It was our bonny Glasgow girl, Anita Manning,

-on the rostrum don't you think?

-She's very good.

-We should give her a round of applause.

-We should, shouldn't we?

We've got off to a great start and we'll be back to do battle in the auction room later.

But first we're off to visit a collection

any knight would be proud of.

This is Dean Castle Country Park on the edge of Kilmarnock town.

At the heart of these stunning grounds is the magnificent historic castle itself.

But it's the collection, a wonderful collection,

that I've come to see today that's housed inside the castle.

The armoury here at Dean is a magnificent collection.

It was brought together by just one man

and it provides a fascinating insight

into the realm of knights in shining armour

and the conflict throughout the Middle Ages.

Late on in the 19th century

Dean Castle was inherited in a terrible condition

by the eighth Lord Howard de Walden, Thomas to his friends.

The eighth lord was a great benefactor to history.

Not only did he bring this evocative castle back to life

but he also established the glorious collection I am here to see.

And thanks to the generosity of his son, the castle and armoury

was donated to the people of Kilmarnock for all to enjoy.

My guide to this incredible collection

is museum officer Linda Fairlie.

-This suit of armour is an Italian suit and it has...

-16th century?

-It is 16th century and it's very light, it's light in weight.

-Yeah.

There's not a lot of weight in that one. The breast plate is very light.

So how did the eighth lord amass such a wonderful collection?

-How did he put it together?

-Well, he had the help of a dealer in London.

His name was Joubert and Joubert advised him on the weaponry to buy.

He had a great deal of knowledge himself and he wrote books on armour

but Joubert was certainly the dealer in London who was of most help to him.

How much is in the collection?

There's in excess of 250 items in the collection.

90-odd swords, there are helmets,

there are suits of armour, lots of decorative pieces.

It's not like a military collection where there are lots and lots

of the same type of thing, it has a whole variety of examples.

-And you can see how it's developed over the centuries as well, can't you?

-Yeah.

-Not only as a cutting edge weapon but also as a piece of protection.

-That's right.

Conflict in the Middle Ages was dominated by the knight in shining armour.

Forward.

Battledress in various forms had been used throughout recorded history

but only in the Middle Ages did the developments in metalworking

enable sheet armour to be widely adopted.

An arms race followed, with conflict spurring

great innovations in design of armour

and soon it became just as important

outside the realms of conflict.

Armour was a huge status symbol,

the equivalent of a sports car or luxury yacht.

Elaborately decorated and beautifully crafted,

style became important as fashion dictated trends.

Beauty and craftsmanship is abundantly evident in the Dean's collection

and, for Linda, it is this that is most interesting.

You've selected some pieces, Linda, for us to look at.

What interests you most about these?

I think these ones are interesting.

The piece we looked at earlier, the armour, is a lightweight suit that would be worn on parade.

This one is exceedingly heavy, it's at the other end of the spectrum

and it's early to mid-17th century.

It's Hungarian, originally this would have been bright blue.

It would have been polished steel and then heat treated

and it would have ended up being almost peacock blue with all the gilding,

it just would have been amazing.

There's this sense that you can't move in this sort of armour and you really can,

they're so well made that the articulation on them is wonderful

and you can move quite freely, really.

One thing that does interest me is the gun.

-Can I pick that up?

-Yes, you can.

Can you tell me about this?

Yes, this is a really interesting piece.

It's beautifully decorated, it's a rifle carbine,

it dates from about 1660 and the interesting thing about this

is that it's one of the few English pieces that we have in the collection.

The collection is mainly European.

-Yeah.

-Italy, Germany are the main, but there are one or two notable exceptions and this is one of them.

-It was made by Hughes...

-Hughes, it says here.

-Yes.

-Wootton Bassett. It says it here and it says it...

That's incredible, that's near me in Marlborough, in Wiltshire.

Yeah, yeah. And he is known only to have made five weapons.

Two pairs of pistols, and they are in Copenhagen and Vienna museums,

-and this is the only rifle carbine that we know off.

-It's beautiful.

-It's a beautiful piece.

-Look at the craftsmanship and the detail.

-Yes.

-It is a work of art. And the bat extends?

-It does indeed.

There's a little button just here and with any luck it will just pull out

and that allowed it the carbine...

Goes into the shoulder.

-The carbine was used on horseback.

-Yes.

And it's not as long as a flintlock rifle as such,

smaller than that and it can be turned into a pistol as well,

so the muzzle can screw off and it turns back into a pistol.

This is possibly one of the nicest guns I have ever held.

-Yes, it's beautiful, really beautiful.

-It really is.

What's your favourite piece in the collection, if you can have one?

Well, it is quite difficult.

Possibly a basinet, which is on display but another piece

is this tiny little piece here and this is a wheel lock spanner.

It's beautifully decorated and, basically, it's like a Swiss army knife of an earlier date.

It dates from 16th century and it is counterfeit damascened,

which means that it has been cross hatched

and then the gold has been battered into it

and that's held as a key and that's held it in place.

It's the fact they've gone to the trouble to decorate

-a tiny little thing like that.

-That's beautiful isn't it?

-Yes.

Thank you so much for showing me round,

I know this is just a small part of it and there is so much more to see.

-There is indeed and it was my pleasure.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

And now it's time to battle through the crowds

back at the Palace Theatre.

And James has quite a reaction to his next item.

Ann, I love this. Do you?

-I'm not particularly bothered.

-No?

-No.

-Oh, it's fantastic.

Look at that. That's a typical piece of Scottish hardstone and silverwork,

only ever made in Scotland but taking all of its influence

from a Roman or possibly... no, in fact, Greek...

-Yes, it's a Greek key.

-A Greek amphora.

Set with Scottish hardstones and I think that would have been used as a scent bottle.

I can't see what else it could be.

It's got a little detachable or screw off cover

that then slides, then you can see the hole from the centre.

But this, I don't think, started life...

-With the...

-With the scent bottle.

I think that is a chatelaine

so it would have probably been suspended

from a lady's dress or skirt

and each one of these is a little separate tool.

Now, it could be a baby's feeding spoon, little separate fork.

It's too jaggy for a baby, that fork.

Oh, yes, the fork wouldn't be for a baby.

But that...

that looks remarkably like

an ear cleaner.

Ever tried it?

-You can do it on yourself, thanks.

-Come on, have a go, go on.

Go away.

Well, I'm not going to start poking my own ears.

But you know, it's amazing that if you look at the ancient excavations,

the Roman's had these and they called them ear spoons.

-Mmm?

-And you know...

-Is it not a bit broken off the edge?

No, I don't think so.

See that little rounded end?

-Yes.

-It's just a little spoon.

And it's much more sensible that a cotton bud.

-Well, cotton bud would just shove wax back in again.

-Yeah.

But, on the other hand, I would think you could do your ear drum

-a great deal of damage with that.

-You certainly could with that.

But, no, I think they're great.

-I mean, I think that was probably made in China.

-Oh.

In Shanghai or possibly Hong Kong around 1890 to 1910.

I think by the time this little lot finds its way into the auctions,

I think Anita may well split them up into two lots

but I'm going to leave them together,

put an auction estimate of £100 to £150

and I think they'll do that and do that easily.

We'll be able to go for fish and chips when we're finished with it.

Will you take me for fish and chips?

Is that a deal if it does that?

-Yes.

-Shake on it.

Deal. Fantastic.

-Hello, Robert.

-Hi there.

-Thank you for coming to join us today.

-Have you come far?

-Catrine, ten miles away.

Ten miles. Not too bad. Now, tell me what this is you've brought in for me and where you bought it.

Well, I got it from my mum who passed away quite recently.

-OK.

-And she told me it was a Clarice Cliff jam pot.

-Right.

She's absolutely right.

It's typical of Clarice Cliff,

in the sense that it's decorated in those bright colours

that are characteristic of the Art-Deco style, 1930s style.

-Where did your mum buy it?

-She got it in a charity shop for £5.

-£5.

-£5.

-OK.

If we turn it upside down we'll see that it's marked

and this will also tell us the name of the title, which is Nasturtium,

so we know exactly what the pattern is, the nature of the decoration is.

There's one thing about it that strikes me as being slightly odd.

Have you twigged what that might be?

-No.

-Well, I'm a bit concerned that the cover doesn't belong to the base.

-Right.

-I think if it did, you would find this type of decoration echoed in the lid.

-It would carry on up the lid.

That's exactly right.

It's the right shape, I mean, the object itself forms the shape of an egg, as you can see,

-and it has one of these popular Art-Deco handles...

-Right.

But the fact that it's filled, that's typical of the Art-Deco style.

It would be more logical to have a piercing through the handle so you could pick it up.

So it's not terribly functional but it makes it dead stylish, really,

-and that's what Clarice Cliff is all about, style.

-Style.

We should now think about what it might make at auction.

I think if it were absolutely certain that the top and the base matched

-we'd be looking at a figure of around about £100.

-Right.

As it doesn't match, I think we're going to have to come down a bit.

-I think this is worth between £40 and £60.

-Right.

-Not a huge amount of money but more than your mum paid for it.

-Aye, aye.

So what would you do with the money?

Well, I would buy some mementos or keepsake for Mum.

A keepsake of your mother, that's a lovely thought.

Something I could keep that I liked.

-Yes, something that would remind you of her and remind you indirectly of the Clarice Cliff...

-Aye, aye.

-..Pot that she bought from a charity shop.

-That's right.

-And I hope will have happy associations for you because you brought it along to Flog It!

-Right.

-And I look forward to seeing you at the auction sale.

-Right. Thanks.

-Thank you.

George, I have to say, when I first saw you in the queue outside

I thought I was going to see you busking,

but here we are, give me a pull with this.

Do you play the concertina?

-No, no.

-No?

-The guitar.

-Oh, there's somewhat of a different skill in that isn't there.

-Yeah.

So tell me, where did you come to gain a concertina?

Well, my uncle worked in a cleansing department in Glasgow.

A cleansing department. What's a cleansing department?

-Bin man, he works for...

-Oh, a bin man. OK.

-The council.

And he used to pick up a lot of things and he brought me this

and some records and a print and when he died they passed on to me

-so it's really no good to me so better somebody gets the use of it.

-Yeah.

And that likes that sort of thing and get it back to its original state.

-Isn't that amazing what people do and what they throw away?

-Aye.

-Gosh.

So whatever I get for it will go to restore an old guitar that I've got.

-Restore one?

-Yeah.

-Why not buy a new guitar?

Cos I like the one I've got, it's from the '60s and it's a wee bit damaged.

-Electric or acoustic?

-Both. Semi-electric.

-And do you play in a band?

-No, no.

-Just for fun.

-Just for fun.

-Brilliant.

Well, let's have a look at this.

C. Wheatstone & Co, inventors, patentees and manufacturers

of concertinas, violas, based in London.

Now I'm not a specialist in the concertinas so I've phoned a few friends,

and I looked it up on the internet before coming to the table here,

and Wheatstone's first concertinas are listed between 1842 and 1847.

This one is slightly later than that,

probably made between 1860 and 1890

-but the value really depends so much on how many keys...

-Yeah.

And on the quality of the materials.

This one is ebonised rather than rosewood

-and the front and back plates are pierced chrome rather than pierced silver...

-Uh huh.

But it's still a very good model.

-Yeah.

-I think it's going to make between £150 and £250.

Right, right, that'd be quite good.

How much do you think it's going to cost to have your guitars restored?

I think about a £100 to £150 to get them restored.

-Fingers crossed that'll pay for it.

-Oh, aye, that'd be great.

Well, our experts have been very busy working flat out.

It's now time to test our valuations as we go off to auction and here's a quick rundown of what we're taking.

Firstly, this brightly painted Clarice Cliff preserve jar with one small problem.

Well, I'm a bit concerned that the cover doesn't belong to the base.

But Robert's bound to make a profit, his mum got it for a fiver.

George's concertina made by London makers Wheatstone

was saved from the bin

and could now prove to be a bit of a star in the auction.

And last by no means least,

Ann's unusual scent bottle with silver tools valued at £100 to £150.

-Ann, I love these?

-Why?

-Do you?

-I'm not particularly bothered.

-No?

-No.

Let's hope the bidders share James' enthusiasm.

Well, our auctioneer, Anita, is definitely on James' side.

We have two separate things here, Paul.

We have this absolutely divine little scent bottle and I love Scottish polished agate.

-You like the stones.

-Yes, I love the stones, I love them.

-I'd rather have the mossy hues of Scottish pebble jewellery than diamonds.

-Yes.

But, added to this, we have this little...

-Collection of tools.

-Collection of tools.

-It would have been part of a chatelaine, maybe at one point.

-Yes.

-I particularly like this little...

-Moth.

-Butterfly.

-Is it a butterfly.

-Or moth motif there.

-It's lovely.

I think it's very sweet and I kept them together.

Yeah, I'm pleased you kept them together because James wanted them to be together.

Well, again, it's the psychology of selling. He's an auctioneer.

-Yes.

-The people who look at that will know that they are two separate items...

-Yes.

And perhaps they're getting two for the price of one.

So are we OK with the money?

-Top end?

-It might struggle at the top end, Paul.

-Lower end then.

Lower end. Lower end.

But I'll do my very best.

Well, they belong to Ann and she's arrived ready for the sale and I've got a question for her.

I want to know why you're selling this because it's gorgeous, it's good,

it's quality and it's something, it's something that,

well, if we were allowed to buy,

I know James and I would probably have a go at it.

-Well, it's been in the family for a long time...

-Yes.

And, at my age, there's not really any sense and nobody else wants it.

Oh, that's a shame isn't it.

So you're going to let it go to a collector anyway?

Yes. Maybe somebody will get some fun out of it.

But it's quality, they're silver and they've been beautifully made as well.

And I know, I was listening over your shoulder at the valuation day

and thinking what's James going to say about the little spoon?

You know, it could be a baby spoon or something,

or one of them was an ear cleaner.

Yes. I would have done myself an injury with that.

You would, wouldn't you? You'd burst your eardrum.

-I did try and clean her ears with it...

-Oh, charming.

-But you wouldn't let me.

-They're clean already.

-Isn't he naughty? Let's take a look at James's.

-You don't want to.

Oh, could do with some work there.

131 is the Scottish silver scent bottle

and it has, and it's a separate item,

a chatelaine with a lovely,

a silver chatelaine with a lovely little butterfly detail.

So you have two lots there really, two items in that lot.

Will you start me at 100? 100 bid.

100. 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160.

160. 160, 170, 180...

-She's pulling those bids.

-This is good, isn't it?

-190.

190, it's on the floor at £190.

190.

All done at 190, 190.

-Yes.

-That's it.

Quality always sells. We got top money for that.

-Fantastic.

-We did.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

-He was right.

Well, it wouldn't be Flog It!, would it, without this next lot.

Can you guess what I'm going to say? Yes, Clarice Cliff.

It's a preserve pot, it belongs to Robert.

Now we've got the pot but unfortunately Robert can't be with us today but we do have David,

our expert that put the value on this.

-I did.

-£40 to £60, somewhere around there we're hoping for.

I mean, it's by no means the best lot in the sale

but if you're looking to start collecting Clarice Cliff

you've got to start somewhere and why not buy some like this?

It's fully marked, it's brightly decorated,

we're a little bit concerned that the top might belong to it

but a good place to start.

Lot 463, ladies and gentlemen,

the Clarice Cliff bizarre Nasturtium daffodil shape preserve pot and cover.

And I can start the bidding at £40.

-OK.

-It's with me at 40.

50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110.

110.

I have a bid of 120 so the bid's with me at 120.

Are you out, sir? Out. 120 with me.

130, I'm out, fresh bidder.

Fresh bidder at 130 and I'm out.

140, fresh bidder again. 140.

£140.

150, 160.

160. It's on the floor at £160.

Any advance on 160? 160.

-Gosh.

-Fantastic.

-£160.

Robert will be so pleased with that because I know he was expecting £60

for sort of the top end of the estimate.

-Yes.

-What did I say? Clarice never lets us down, does it?

-Now he'll be able to buy something lovely in memory of his mum.

-Yes.

So I'm really sorry he's not able to be here but that's good news for him anyway.

George, Wheatstone concertinas are big business

and we've seen it on the show before, we've had some great results.

It all depends on how many buttons.

-Right.

-We've got a valuation or around £150 to £250 put on by James

but we're hoping, we're hoping for a big crescendo, a lovely big ending to this one.

I'm totally confused, I have to admit.

You know, on the valuation day I looked at this and I thought,

"Now is it a good one or isn't it a good one?"

-It's a great make, it's the best.

-A great make but I didn't know if it was a really, really good one

so I checked up on the internet and I thought, "Fabulous, yes,

"found that one, that one and that one, they've all sold for around £200,

"let's put 150 to 250 on it."

A week last Friday, a week last Thursday, I was taking a sale where I put exactly that estimate.

I'm not going to tell you, I've written on here what it made.

OK. We're going to have a grand reveal later on.

Lot 233 is the Wheatstone concertina with brass label

in original box with paper label.

I am holding bids on this item and I can start the bidding at £300.

We're straight in at 300.

Any advance on 300?

320, 350, 380, 400, 420, 450,

480, 500, 520, 550, 580, 600, 620, 640...

-Getting higher and higher.

-680.

680. 700.

700. 720, 750, 780.

£780. 780.

-800 on the phone.

-Oh.

-Yes, 800 on the phone.

800, 820, 840, 860...

-Sweet music to our ears, isn't it?

-It is that, aye.

880, 900,

920, 940, 960,

980, 1,000.

1,050, 1,100.

1,100 with Lara on the phone.

1,100. Any advance on 1,100?

All done at 1,100, 1,100.

-Yes.

-1,100. Why didn't you say that on the day?

Because it was only a week last Thursday.

-But I have to say the box of this one was fantastic condition in comparison to theirs.

-Yeah.

-Is that right.

-Yeah, brilliant.

-Fantastic, George.

-That's superb.

-That'll get the guitar.

-Aye.

Should get the granddaughter a new one and all. She's only three, so...

-Oh, she's only three. Start them young.

-That's right.

-You never know, she might be the most famous singer songwriter in the next 20 years time.

-That's good.

-Fantastic.

-What a great result. Thank you so much for bringing that in.

-Yes, did well.

-And to James for the valuation.

I hope you've enjoyed today's show.

We've got plenty more surprises to come in the future so whatever you do keep watching.

Until the next time, bye-bye.

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