Bognor Regis Flog It!

We've got, sea and sand.

All we need now are a few surprises!

Welcome to Flog It!, from the south coast resort of Bognor Regis.

But there's more to a Bognor holiday

then just beaches and ice cream. The area boasts many attractions,

including this magnificent castle.

It's a treasure trove of riches, which I'll be exploring later.

The detail is superb.

This is as good as you're ever going to see. But first...

There are two very special attractions that have drawn

a massive crowd here today at Butlin's. They are the gorgeous,

eye-catching Catherine Southon and the irreplaceable Charlie Ross,

already sifting through the bags and boxes looking for

souvenirs to take off to auction. It's now 9.30,

-it's time to get the doors open so let's...

-Flog It!

And first at the table is Charlie, who's found a brother and sister

with something so unusual he's has burst into song.

# Champagne Charlie is my name

# Champagne drinking is me game! #

Actually, it's not my favourite tipple, really.

-Alex and Terry, you've brought a bottle of champagne along.

-Yes.

-In the hope that it might be worth something?

-Hopefully. Yes.

You haven't thought of drinking it?

-No.

-No. It's too old to drink.

-It wouldn't be drinkable.

-No.

-No, no. But that doesn't mean it hasn't got any value.

-No.

-But it's a great name

-and the reason I'm interested in it is the year, 1943.

-Yeah.

-So how did you get it?

-It was found in the bottom of my mum's larder.

-It had been there for donkey's years.

-Yeah.

-My father used to be a waiter.

-Yeah.

And he got it from the Metropole Hotel.

-I don't know how, but...

-Did he?

-But probably a gift.

-Do you remember him coming home with it one day?

-No, no. I was too young.

Well, it's Paul Roger,

one of the great, great champagne houses in Epernay,

which is east of Paris, which is where all the champagne comes from.

-Yes.

-A current bottle of vintage champagne

would be £35 or thereabouts and this is 1943.

What was going on in 1943?

-Not much champagne making.

-No.

-No.

-There was very, very little produced during the war.

What was produced the Germans drank a lot of and ransacked.

The more clever makers of French wines at the time with great cellars,

some of them switched the labels so that when the invading forces

came in they would pick up a few cases of what purported to be 1936,

or whatever, which was, of course, probably freshly trodden grapes

which tasted revolting. So, it's... It's rare in its year.

-It's worth, I would think, certainly £40 to £60.

-Right.

-Right.

-And somebody will buy it because of the interest...

-Yes.

Of war coupled with the lack of production and the name.

-Can we put it in the sale?

-Yes, please.

-It's not doing any good where it was.

-No.

-You're not going to drink it.

We'll put a reserve of 40 with discretion and I don't think

we'll have a problem selling it.

-That's fine.

-I'm glad you found it. Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Wendy, I always hoped that somebody would come along

with a piece of Charlotte Rhead, because I love it.

You've made my dream come true bringing this along to Flog It!,

-so thank you very much.

-Pleasure.

-Tell me about this.

-Where did you get it from?

-My grandma had it.

She was 100 years old and she had it on the wall for years and years,

-as I remember, and she just loved it.

-Right.

-She was very interested

in the pattern of it and of Charlotte Rhead and always reminded

-us that it was a very beautiful plate.

-Did she collect Rhead?

No, she just had this one piece which was very special to her.

Right. So, you always saw it at her house, you always admired it?

-Yes.

-And it's been handed down through the family?

It's been handed down and now she's gone, she died just recently.

Well, I said it's by Charlotte Rhead.

Now, Charlotte Rhead, a wonderful potter.

She had it in her blood, really.

Her father was a potter, as well.

He was more concerned with Art Nouveau,

whereas Charlotte Rhead was more Art Deco.

Now this piece actually dates from 1930s. It's got these colours,

the oranges and the greens which we associate with the 1930s,

but what I love about it is the real Charlotte Rhead characteristic

which is this lovely tube lining. It's beautiful. I love it.

The colours are... The browns look obviously sort of slightly dark,

but I love these vibrant oranges. Let's just have a look at the back

here because we can see her signature there.

Quite a lot of people knew her as Lottie and you can see the signature.

-I think that's probably L. Rhead, there.

-OK.

-But it's a lovely piece. Oh, sorry.

-There's a little label there

-to remind us how special it was.

-Your grandmother put that there?

Yes, she found a cutting and stuck it on the back.

Oh, how lovely. Do you think she'd actually mind you selling it?

I think she'd be quite excited to see me here with it because

she always said, when I'm gone, do something special with the money

that you perhaps make from it. She didn't expect any of us to keep it.

It was just her way of saying, "have a good time."

-I hope you will do some something special with the money.

-We will.

-Value wise, I would probably put this at £100 to £150.

-Yeah, that's fine.

-How does that sound to you?

-Great.

I know this is a very important piece to you and your family,

so we don't just want to let it go, so I would suggest probably putting

-a reserve on of £100.

-Oh, that's fine. That's fine.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, I'd be happy with that.

OK, let's flog It! Let's hope Charlotte Rhead does well for us.

-You can have a nice night out.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Wendy.

You never know what you're going to find at a valuation day

and that's why I like getting in amongst all the people before

they get to the tables, and I'm sitting next to Derek

and he's got a volume in his hand. It's a book that somebody's

put at collection together of and you'll never guess what it is.

Open it up, Derek, let's have a look.

Somebody has been collecting tax discs

and it dates right back to where?

March 1921, when they first started.

And it goes all the way up to year?

-78.

-1978. Every single year, but every car is obviously different.

It's not the same car!

So, how did you come by this?

-Car boot, possibly.

-Car boot. How much did you pay for it?

-10 years ago, £20.

-Since you bought that 10 years ago

have you been collecting tax discs as well and sticking them in?

I have collected them but not stuck them in because

I'm not sure whether this damages them, but I've kept them.

-How many people collect car tax discs?

-I haven't a clue!

But they do exist? They do. Have you had this valued by anybody,

because I wouldn't have a clue how to value that?

Not officially, but I have seen reference to some going

-for £40, £50 apiece.

-Wow!

-For the very early ones, yeah.

It is quite incredible what you can find in a car boot sale, isn't it?

And I would imagine this collection, if some of the early ones

are worth £40 or £50, you might have £300 or £400 worth here.

There's over 500 items.

Get collecting tomorrow, that's what I say!

-Yvonne, how many charms are on this bracelet?

-16.

Well, well-counted! 16. There must be a story behind so many charms.

Well, the bracelet was bought by my ex-husband...

-Right.

-When I was 18.

-Yeah.

-And then every birthday he used to buy me a charm, or Christmas.

-Fantastic.

-Yeah.

-There's some other interesting ones there,

I'm particularly taken by that.

Now that's a US dollar.

-Yes.

-Dated?

-1830.

Gosh! The horseshoe, which you find on most charm bracelets.

There's a couple of prams with...

there's a cot with a baby in, a pram with a baby in.

-And the church opens.

-A car. The church opens?

-Yes,

-there are two little people in it. And something here?

-A 10 bob note.

10 bob note. You must have a favourite amongst these?

I think the two rings.

I quite like them and they're so cute.

The single stone diamond ring and the matching wedding ring.

You'd have to be extremely young to use those

-if you were going to get married!

-You would.

-Because they're tiny.

-Yes.

-Have you ever had it valued?

Only for insurance purposes with some other jewellery.

-With other jewellery, nothing specifically on that?

-No.

But gold is gold and will always be valuable

and the little charms are always collectable.

-Yes.

-It's the great thing about gold, you don't...

You know, if nobody likes that, it's still worth gold value,

so you've always got an insurance policy with gold

which you don't have with furniture or porcelain.

If nobody likes a bit of porcelain it's not worth anything,

but anybody in the world would pay the scrap value for it,

so you've got that rock bottom price.

Let me ask you what you think it's worth.

Well, if I could get between 250 and 300, I'd probably be satisfied.

Right, I think the estimate's 200 to 300, OK?

I think nearly all the charms are nine carat...

-Yeah.

-And not 18 carat.

If they were 18 carat charms it would be 300 without a doubt.

I'm rather thinking 200 is probably nearer the mark.

-Really?

-So... Yeah.

I would put a fixed reserve of 200 so it couldn't be sold for a penny less.

-Yeah. I'd rather do that.

-I think if we do that then there should

be interest in it and we'll put it in the sale and see what we can do.

-Thank you very much for bringing it along.

-OK, thank you.

Cyril, as soon as I saw this lovely little cylindrical fish skin case,

I knew that we'd have something a little bit interesting.

Shall we take a look?

There we are, this lovely little monocular.

Now, when I say monocular, something like this is

a little travelling telescope, perhaps it's something that,

because of the decoration on it, something maybe a lady

would have used, or perhaps a gentleman, taking it to the opera.

This monocular is by a very important scientific instrument maker.

See on the bottom the name, G. Adams? Does that mean anything to you?

I believe he also used to make sextants for the Navy

-and things like that...

-Absolutely.

Basically, so he was in that line of field,

but I had no other information apart from that.

G. Adams is actually George Adams and there was a George Adams Senior

and a son, so a father and son team working together.

I would say this is actually George Adams Junior,

I would have thought, by the actual style of it.

They were working in Fleet Street, London, I'd say

this one probably dates from around the 1800s period.

Let's take a closer look at the instrument.

-Can you see the tortoiseshell?

-Yeah.

-There's a band of tortoiseshell

and then we've got this mother-of-pearl inlay,

these little spots going round and then these strips

of mother-of-pearl round the side. I think it's actually a nice,

really charming, little piece. Are you happy to let it go?

Yes, I am, really, because I've got other bits and pieces

that I'm clearing out now and getting rid of things

-and I've been a bit of a collector...

-I can see.

I'm a hoarder, and now is the time to get rid of some

-of the things I've got.

-I hope it does well for you.

It is a great piece. Value wise, I hope that people will recognise

the importance of this object and I would probably put

an estimate on of 100 to 150. I would like to see it making

about £200 because that's really what it's worth.

I want you to put a fixed reserve on of £100

because it should not be sold for less than that.

-Are you happy with that?

-I am, definitely.

-I hope it makes £200.

-So do I.

-It's a good piece.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks, Cyril.

As you can see, lots of people,

which means lots of antiques to look at.

We've been working flat out and now found our first batch

of items to take off to the auction room in Chichester,

so we're going to leave you

with a recap to jog your memory of what's going under the hammer.

-Champagne...

-Terry and Alex's 1943 bottle of Paul Roger champagne

might not be drinkable any more, but will it still be worth a bob or two?

This 1930s Charlotte Rhead charger was very special to Wendy's

grandmother, but she wanted her family to enjoy it in their own way.

She always said, when I'm gone,

do something special with the money that you perhaps make from it.

She didn't expect any of us to keep it.

It was just her way of saying, "have a good time."

Yvonne was given this gold charm bracelet for her 18th birthday

and has added to it over the years,

but now she's hoping it'll charm the bidders.

And Cyril's decided it's time to go

for this dainty George Adams lady's monocular.

-I've been a bit of a collector.

-I can see.

-I'm a hoarder

and it's time to really get rid of some of the things I've got.

And for today's sale we've headed inland to Chichester

and we're the guest of Henry Adams Auctioneers.

As you can see, the room is filling up, tension's in the air.

Fingers crossed we're going to have a few surprises today.

On the rostrum and wielding the gavel is auctioneer, Cliff Beecher,

and first to go under the hammer is the champagne,

but will we be celebrating later?

-We've got a 1943 bottle of champagne belonging to Alex and Terry.

-Yes.

I've got some bad news for you. We've got the champagne bottle,

-someone's drunk the contents.

-Have they? It'll make them sick.

-Who did that, Charlie?

-They'll have a hell of a tummy ache if they have!

No, they haven't really. What a rare bottle!

-Yes.

-How did you manage to put a price on that, Charlie?

I have to confess I cheated and phoned up a vintner friend of mine.

-OK.

-And said why has got it got a value? It's a collector's value.

Hopefully, they're here today, that's what we want,

-that's the general idea.

-Yeah.

-It's going under the hammer.

This is it, good luck.

The Roger & Co 1943 bottle of French champagne. There it is.

Where am I started for this?

£40?

£20?

-£10. £10?

-Oh, someone!

£12. 15. 17? 17. 20. 22.

25. 27. 30 with me. 32.

5. 7. 37.

40? At £40. Standing at the back.

42 I see, thank you. 45.

-This is good.

-47. 50.

55. 60.

-65. 70.

-This is interesting.

-Keep going!

£70. In the doorway, it's yours at 70.

At £70 I'm going to sell it. £70.

-Sold.

-Yes, £70!

-That's good.

-Yes.

-Super duper!

-Thank you very much, indeed.

-That's OK.

-It is.

-I have a little confession to make, when I...

-You bought it!

No, no, no!

When I spoke to the vintner I said, what?

He said 40 to 60, but on a good day it'll make 70.

-So he was absolutely right, wasn't he?

-Very good, indeed.

Wendy, I love this Charlotte Rhead charger.

Great name in studio pottery.

We've got £100 to £150 on this, put on by our expert Catherine.

Why are you selling?

-It had belonged to my grandma.

-Yeah.

And all the time it was there in the house she always said to us,

don't forget the plate and if anything happens to me spent it...

Sell it, spend the money and have a good time and,

unfortunately, she died, but she got to her 100th birthday.

Wow! Oh, bless her.

-It was after that she died, so...

-Bless her.

We're having a party on her.

-Fingers crossed we'll get the top end of this estimate plus a bit more.

-I'd like to get it.

252 now, a Charlotte Rhead Crown Ducal tube-lined

Persian leaf pattern plate.

-It's lovely.

-Oh, I feel really emotional, now.

Where am I started with this? £100?

100 for this one? Half it then, £50 for a start.

-Big mis...

-Oh, no!

-50 I'll start it. 50.

5. 60. 65.

70. 75.

-80. 85.

-Yes.

-They like it.

-£85. Shakes his head.

-At £85. At 85. 90 anywhere? At £85. Nothing more?

-Up and up and up.

-Come on.

-At £85. 90 in the room?

At £85.

He put the hammer down on 85. It didn't sell.

We had a reserve of 100. In a way I'm pleased it didn't sell.

I can't understand why that didn't sell.

In a way, I'm pleased, too, because I think I might have it. I might keep it.

There's a tear in your eye now, isn't there?

-There is a tear.

-Yeah, I can see it.

-I feel quite emotional.

Look, hang on to it. It's meant to be.

-No, I'll hang on and I think I'll take them all out on me.

-Yeah.

£32. 35.

Right now it's a great time to sell gold and precious metals

as Yvonne is just about to find out.

Going under the hammer right now, your charm bracelet.

-You had it when you were 18.

-Yes.

And you've added to it since.

Yes, over the years.

Lots of classics like little horseshoes. What's your favourite?

-Babies in a pram.

-Babies in a...

-The rings.

-The rings.

-Yeah.

We've got £200 to £300 on this.

It could push through that top estimate.

Putting on the value on it was Flog It's own charmer, Mr Charlie Ross!

-Spot on with the estimate.

-It was, actually.

It might go a bit more.

I think it might. I think we could be in for a surprise.

Lot 149, a nine carat gold chain link charm bracelet.

16 charms. There it is.

-Come on!

-Where shall I start? £200?

200, thank you. 10 anywhere?

210 I see. 220, seated? 220.

-230. 240.

-This is more like it.

250. 260. 270.

280. 290. 300.

£300 upstairs. 300.

At £300. Selling upstairs, £300.

-251.

-The hammer's gone down. It is a great time to sell right now.

-I can't believe it.

-That's good, isn't it? Well done, you.

If I went like this, guess what's coming up. Yeah, Cyril's monocular.

It's going under the hammer now.

We're looking for around £100. Hopefully a bit more, Catherine.

-That'd be good.

-It's quality. In its original case.

-That case, can you believe it?

-It's gorgeous.

Why are you selling this?

Well, I didn't realise at the time.

In actual fact it was in a little box of trinkets I bought from my sister-in-law

when she was clearing her mother's property.

-Yeah.

-I said, well, don't get it to auction, I'll buy it from you

-and I gave her £50 at the time for quite a number of items.

-Yes.

This was in a little tin, which Catherine saw there

I believe when she took it out, what's this?

If she'd have said,

-"I'll give you a fiver for it, she could have had it!"

-I wish I had've.

You came to the right person, Catherine loves her scientific instruments.

But it's the name, G Adams, George Adams, one of the best makers.

And lot 206, a 19th century monocular, single draw opera glass.

£100? In original case.

100 I'll start. At £100. 10 I'd like. At £100.

110 I see with the catalogue. 120.

-Come on! It's a nice thing.

-At 130.

Thank you. 130. 140.

150. 160. 170. 180.

This is great, they love it now!

Still with me at 190. 200.

And 10 again? 210. 210.

It's upstairs the bidding at £210.

At £210. I'm going to sell it at £210.

Yes! What a great result!

-That's another great buy!

-£210!

Lovely. Yeah, beautiful. Beautiful.

-He's got himself...

-Quality.

-A good thing. That is a lovely, piece.

Well, that's not a bad start and there's plenty more surprises to come.

I thought that one wouldn't be worth anything

and I was going to give it to a charity shop.

Fresh legs!

I love exploring places like this,

they're so full of family history and beautiful artefacts.

I could spend all day here.

Arundel Castle in West Sussex dates back to William the Conqueror

and over the centuries it's seen its fair share of noblemen come and go.

Amongst them a few good characters, like a poet, a saint,

a Machiavellian politician responsible for two Tudor queens,

so let's go inside and meet the family.

Picture yourself at the Court of Henry VIII.

Tudor politics was a deadly game and if you got caught on the wrong side it could be fatal.

But this chap, Thomas Howard, the third Duke of Norfolk,

was a consummate politician and he was prepared to do anything

to retain favour with King Henry VIII,

including sacrificing his family.

He introduced his two nieces Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard to court.

The King married and beheaded both, then when Thomas's son was executed

on trumped up charges of treason the Duke,

in a bid to save his OWN skin, wrote to Henry VIII

congratulating him on despatching such a dangerous traitor.

Incidentally, that dangerous traitor was also known as

Henry The Poet Earl

and he was credited with introducing blank verse into England,

a written form of poetry that Shakespeare used for many of his famous speeches.

In contrast, Philip the 13th Earl of Arundel was a man of conscience.

He converted to Catholicism in 1584,

a brave move in the reign of Elizabeth I.

And Phillip was later to die in the Tower of London

after being condemned to death for high treason.

In 1970 the Pope made him a saint

as one of the 40 Catholic martyrs of England and Wales.

Now, if we fast forward a few hundred years

in the history of Arundel Castle

to the 18th century when politics was not so deadly,

the Dukes were able to devote their energies

to other things than keeping their heads.

And Charles Howard, the 11th Duke of Norfolk,

decided to redesign the castle.

He was a colourful character

who is said to have fathered many illegitimate children of whom he has acknowledged most,

but I think his greatest achievement has to be this,

the castle's splendid library.

Built as a chapel to learning

it is probably the most important Gothic interior

of the 1800s to survive in England

and, as you can see,

its design resembles a church

with the slender cluster columns supporting a vaulted ceiling.

In fact, it's based on St George's Chapel, Windsor,

and the cloister in Gloucester Cathedral.

It houses around 10,000 books and it is essentially

a gentleman's library of the 18th and 19th century,

one rich in Catholic teachings and history.

But it's not just a stunning room full of interesting manuscripts and texts.

What I want to show you is this.

Take a closer look at that table. At first glance

you think that's all hand-painted,

but on closer inspection you can see it's all micro mosaic work.

The table was commissioned by the 13th Duke and Duchess of Norfolk.

In the centre you've got the Duke's coat of arms

impaled with his wife's, Charlotte Leveson-Gower.

It's incredible!

The person that did this must have spent hours,

in fact, years doing this.

It's been inlaid into that one piece,

quite a large-sized black marble top

which was supplied by a manufacturer in Rome in 1847.

It's beautiful, it really is.

It's surrounded by this gilt

bronze cast rim

and the construction of the table itself is of oak, but what I love

are those generous four legs

terminating in these massive claw and ball feet,

and all that foliate carving on the knees

has also been partially gilted, as well.

It's beautiful, but what I think is great about this table

is the family still use this today.

If we go forward again, this time to the late 19th century,

we come to Henry, the 15th Duke of Norfolk and another moderniser.

He wanted to keep the castle 13th century Gothic,

but also to have all the Victorian mod cons,

so he installed hot and cold running water,

brought electricity to the castle

and fitted eight fully-functional bathrooms and 65 flushing toilets.

And this is one of his other additions, the armoury.

It is largely ceremonial

and was brought together by the Duke in the 1880s

and it's one of the few surviving Victorian collections of its kind.

You know what my passion is by now, it's wood,

and there's something I have to show you.

It's this, a gorgeous Coromandel centre table.

It's a 16th century top and it's inlaid with ivory Florentine work.

It's a Medici table. The detail is superb.

This is as good as you're ever going to see.

Unfortunately, it's on a 19th century base,

but we'll skip over that and just look at the top.

This was bought by the 15th Duke.

If you take a closer look at the centre roundel just here,

inset inside that one are six smaller circles

very much like little pills,

and this is a punning reference to the Medici family,

obviously meaning doctors.

Isn't it lovely? It's part of their coat of arms.

They were a very wealthy Florentine family.

They became bankers and money lenders and it's said that

the three balls on a pawn broker's sign derived from that source.

There is just one other thing I must show you.

I've fallen in love with this and I want to share it with you.

It's a 17th century leather travelling trunk.

Now, it's got a lot of studded decoration on the front

and if you look you can see the monogram of KR.

Now, that's Katherine Regina, Queen Catherine of Braganza,

who married Charles II.

Most people had a travelling trunk like this. It was portable furniture.

England was at war with itself.

The only pieces that would survive were things

that you can pick up and run with or put on the back of a horse and cart.

It's got a domed lid. You would lift that up, put all your clothing in there and your valuables,

but people got fed up with going like that,

getting everything out to get to something at the bottom.

Some bright spark in the 16th century put a drawer in the bottom

and, hey presto, it was the birth of the chest of drawers.

Beautifully fitted with some banks of drawers. Look at that.

So there's no wastage.

Isn't that beautiful?

And that's all tooled leather, original handles.

It's incredible it survived all these years in such perfect condition.

It was bequeathed to the Dukes of Norfolk in 1856

and I'm sure that's here to stay.

There are stories and treasures

in every room of this magnificent castle.

Today we've only just had a fleeting glimpse of some of the characters,

their place in history, their treasures and artefacts they've collected over the years.

There is so much, much more to see

and I for one I'm going to make a return visit very soon.

Back in Bognor our experts have been hard at work.

It looks like Charlie's found a touch of silver

that's not all what it seems.

Kathleen and John, these are very bright spoons but...

there's a lot more to them than meets the eye, which is interesting.

-Where did they come from?

-I inherited them from my parents.

-Yeah.

-I didn't even know they had them there, actually.

-No, no.

-There were just stored away.

-Tell me all about them.

-Well, I can only say that they're like a fruit spoon.

-Yes.

I've been told they're very old, but they've been printed on top.

They've been embossed.

-Yes, that's the word I'm looking for.

-That's the word, yes.

-They were never embossed to begin with.

-No.

Because I think looking at those they're 18th century

and this is just a very typical Victorian thing to do

and I get hugely angry with the Victorians,

-not that they're around any more.

-No.

They did things like this

which, of course, ostensibly to them improved something,

but to us ruined all the plain lines

of Georgian workmanship and they've crimped the edges.

We've got the hallmarks here, a little bit rubbed.

We can tell from the leopard's head, which is crowned,

that they're London made and they're 1740s, which is George II.

So, they just wouldn't have had...

They wouldn't have had this bright cut decoration of acanthus leaf

and what have you on the back either.

They would just be plain, would they?

They'd have been as plain as plain.

And this object here

I originally thought was a sifter until I thought better.

But, in fact, it's been made a sifter.

It was a simple ladle.

Oh, right.

And, again, the marks are a bit rubbed,

but we're looking at George II again.

They're a mixture of makers.

But I have to say I rather like them.

Yes, I like them. I like them, yes.

On that handle there seems to be initials.

There are initials. These wouldn't be related to your family?

-I doubt it, no.

-Not that we know of.

Why have you brought them along? Fed up of cleaning them, looking at them?

They were just stored where I found them.

-What about value?

-I've been told they're worth about £30 each.

30, 60, 90, £100 the lot.

I should think that's spot on

and I'm going to put 80 to 120 on them and with any luck

they'll make just a little bit more.

-Thank you. They're really interesting.

-Thank you very much.

-Hope we'll send you off with a few bob.

-Thank you.

My word! It's a complete volume of postcards

and they're all P&O cruise liners, Peninsular & Oriental.

Colin, what's the fascination with the cruise line?

Well, I used to work for P&O and I've been retired now for 10 years,

but when I worked for them

I just used to collect P&O postcards of just cruise liners.

-Just cruise liners, as you were working on them?

-Yes.

-And where did you source all these from, then?

-Around the world.

-Have you?

-Some of them, yes.

-Gosh.

I think this is a stunning comprehensive collection.

Have you contacted other collectors?

Well, I did go to a postcard fair and a chap looked at them for me.

They're getting very rare now to find coloured ones like that,

those particular ones with the logo on the side...

-Yeah.

-Because they're getting so old.

Were any of them sent anybody? Is their writing on the back?

-It was sent to somebody in St George in Bristol.

-Arden Villa, Bristol.

Packet boat, so it's sent off the ship.

-That's absolutely fascinating, isn't it?

-Well, yes.

-Fascinating.

Then we start with some of the more modern ones, you see?

Have you thought of the value at all?

-I have had them roughly valued at about £400.

-Yes, yeah.

I was going to actually pitch to you

I think there's a value of 300 to 400,

and obviously I'm hoping for the top end,

-so we're singing from the same hymn sheet.

-Yes.

But I think in order to get that top end

-we've got to put it into auction at a competitive rate.

-Yes.

And if you're willing to put this album into auction

at a £300 to £400 price guide we might just achieve that.

A lot of the early Edwardian and late Victorian postcard collections

-that have come in have fetched £400 to £600.

-Yes.

But that's sort of documenting civic pride from bridges and buildings

and churches which are no longer here. They're highly sought after.

But I think this is more specific than that, isn't it?

-So I feel it is slightly smaller.

-Yes.

But £300 to £400 I'd be happy with.

-Yes.

-And a reserve at the 300.

-Yes.

-With a bit of discretion.

-That's it, yes.

-If that's OK, yeah?

-Yes, certainly.

Lots of memories for you.

Oh, yes. Yes, where I've bought certain postcards I can relate to

where I bought them in different parts of the world.

It's fantastic and I hope it remains as a collection.

-I look forward to seeing you at the auction.

-OK.

-Keith and Angela, welcome to Flog It!

-Thank you.

-Thank you for coming.

You've brought two different examples of Doulton.

You've brought us a piece of earthenware and a classic piece of stoneware.

Now, where did you get these from?

Well, we used to have a neighbour we knew for a long, long time

and we used to look after his...

Get his carers and then find him a residential home

-and he left them to us.

-Right, OK.

-We don't know any more about them.

-Was he a collector of Doulton?

No, no. No, he wasn't, no.

Right, OK.

So, this piece here, this is a piece of earthenware, as I say.

Doulton earthenware. It's probably part of a series.

-Oh.

-This one probably by itself.

I can see there's some paint around here. Who's been doing the painting?

Who's the culprit?

Me, I'm afraid, yes.

I didn't notice that. Whoops!

Apart from that, it is actually in quite nice condition.

Whereas this one was made in Stoke-on-Trent,

this one was actually made in Lambeth.

It is actually stamped on the bottom Royal Doulton, Lambeth.

Now, this one is quite a classic piece. It's...

You often find these colours, these sort of beiges and browns,

-rather sort of, dare I say, sort of quite dull colours?

-Yes.

But this is quite a nice jug.

-Would you be happy to sell the pair together?

-Yes.

I think it's quite nice to have the two different types of Doulton

and selling them as the pair would probably be a good idea.

-Sort of £70 to £90, are you happy with that?

-Yes, yes.

I thought that one wouldn't be worth anything.

I was going to give it to a charity shop

but he said bring it along.

You did the right thing, it will support this.

It's nice you've got the contrast, the two different designs.

Do you want to put a reserve or just let them go?

-About £40 I think would be...

-£40.

-We wouldn't want to let them go for less than that.

-Right, OK.

Let's put a fixed reserve on as £40, then.

And what would you do with the money if they did sell?

-It's going to the Guide Dogs For The Blind, they supported them.

-Your neighbour supported them?

-Yes, yes.

-I think that is a really lovely story.

-Yes,

-yes. Carry on supporting the guide dogs.

-Thank you for coming along today.

-Thanks.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

That's it for the valuations and we're ready to go to auction with our second hoard of antiques.

As well as Angela and Keith's stone and earthenware Doulton jugs

which they inherited from their next-door neighbour,

we have Kathleen and John's 18th century silver fruit spoons

which Charlie picked despite the Victorian vandalism.

I get hugely angry.

They did things like this which, of course,

ostensibly to them improved something,

but to us ruined all of the plain lines of Georgian workmanship.

Finally, there's Colin's stunning collection of postcards

which I'm sure will cruise away at auction.

I'm so excited by those postcards that I had to see what auctioneer Cliff Beacher made of them.

This has got to be the best collection of postcards

relating to P&O cruise liners I've ever seen in my life.

It belongs to Colin. He worked for the line.

He's due that top end of the £300 to £400 I put on this.

I would think he probably is. It's a very, very interesting lot.

There's one postcards in there were the ship actually sailed

for the first time in 1869 and was scrapped in 1875.

-There's a lot of history.

-A lot of history, right through.

-A lot of history.

-Over 100 years of P&O history.

One of the best collections you've seen?

-One of the best collections of the single subject I've ever seen.

-Yes.

-Most of the postcards are new... Not new, but never been used.

-No.

-They are in more or less mint condition.

-Yeah.

And their colours are still good and everything else and they're kept well.

On a good day with three or four collectors chasing this

what do you think it could really realise?

£600 to £800 maybe. Maybe a bit more.

-It is a very unusual thing and very difficult to put a value on.

-Yeah.

You'll have to wait and see whether he's right

because first under the hammer are those silver spoons.

It's a shame the Victorians got to them, isn't it?

Lovely Georgian spoons. Why do you want to sell these right now?

Just to... They've been laying in a cupboard for umpteen years

and we feel they're a bit better off with someone else who might have a collection.

-Let a collector have them.

-Yes, yes.

-We'll find out, we'll see if we can get that top end. Charlie.

-it's a shame because they would have been worth a lot more, twice that.

-Exactly.

-It's quite interesting they spent all that time and money...

-Yeah.

-..ruining them.

Lot 86,

a pair of 18th century matched berry spoons

together with a similar sifter ladle.

-Ladle!

-Isn't that nice?

-Where shall I start, £100?

100, thank you. Straight in at £100.

-100.

-This is great.

A maiden bid of £100. 10 I see. 110.

120. 120. Stood in the room. 30 now?

-At £120.

-That's the top end.

-Lovely.

-In the room. 120.

-Sold! Hammer's gone down. £120.

-Yeah, that's good.

-Good result.

-Yes, lovely.

What'll you put that money towards? Treat yourself a meal?

Well, we thought we might put it towards...

See a show up in London or a couple of days away somewhere.

Next up Keith and Angela's Doulton stoneware jugs

going under the hammer with a value of around £70 to £90

and I know Catherine said what sort of reserve shall we put on this, could we get it...

Tuck it in with a reserve of £40?

-Yes.

-You didn't mind. You said, yeah, because they're rubbish!

-They're not really, you know? Doulton...

-Are you sure?

-Doulton is a great name. It is a collectable and somebody out there will buy these.

-Really?

Yes. I know you're not here alone, are you?

No, no. We've the family. They all insisted on coming.

All the family for moral support and if you look down that row there, give us a wave!

-All the grandchildren and daughters.

-That's right.

-How many grandchildren?

-Eight.

Wow! I bet it's fun around your house, isn't it?

Oh, yes! Bedlam!

-It fills you with horror, doesn't it?

-It does, yeah.

-Just you wait.

-Especially at mealtimes, I bet.

Yes, it's a bit of a joke having them.

-Are you all going for lunch later?

-Yes, we're going out to lunch.

-It'll be a bit of a party.

-Let's hope we can send you off...

-Yes, I hope so!

-OK, in a great mood because...

-I hope so.

They're going under the hammer now. Good luck.

We start with Doulton ware.

Doulton Lambeth stoneware jug, with another jug.

-There you are, two Doulton jugs.

-Oh, dear.

Where am I started for these two? £40?

30 I'll start. At £30. £30. 32.

5. 7. 40. 42?

42. 45. 47.

-50. 5. 60. 65.

-It's good!

With me on the book at £65.

At £65 they're here to go. At 65.

Selling then on the book.

-70. Just in time.

-Fresh legs.

At £70. It's in the room now.

At £70. Five again anywhere?

I'm going to sell to the lady in the room. £70.

-Yes!

-That's good, isn't it?

-That was good.

-That's good.

-We're happy. £70.

-Yay! Excellent!

Glad they didn't go for 40. That would have been a bit of an insult.

-It would have been, yes.

-It would yes.

-70's a reasonable... We're happy.

-Yeah, it's great.

130, seated.

I've been looking forward to this. It's my turn to be the expert.

Remember that photograph album with the P&O cruise liners?

It belongs to Colin.

I had a chat to the auctioneer, you know this and guess what he said?

"Paul, spot on, one of the best collections I've ever seen in my life."

-It's that good and it's all down to you for collecting them.

-Oh.

Methodically put together.

Yes, yes. The fun is in collecting them.

Of course it is. It's the journey, isn't it?

It's not the destination. But why do you want to sell them now?

Well, I cannot get any further with them.

I've got most of the postcards that were printed,

because they weren't printed until sort of 1898

and most of the ships I want now

were built and scrapped before postcards came out.

Well, I'm very excited about this one.

I have been looking forward to this day, I can tell you,

and I just hope they fly away because they deserve it.

350, an album of postcards of ships. Very interesting album this lot.

P&O liners.

Over 100 years of history in there in postcards.

A lot of interest in this lot. I've got to start it at £400.

-At £400.

-We're in at 400, Colin. We've sold it.

-£400 for the album.

420 I see, thank you. 440. 460. 480.

That chap wants them there, look.

-540. 560. 580. 600. 620.

-He's keen.

640. 660. 680.

700. 720. 740. 760. 780.

800. 820 with me.

840. At £840.

-At 840. 850 anywhere?

-£840!

At £840 then, gentleman seated in the room. Selling forever at £840.

-506.

-Lovely!

-£840!

-Very nice.

-Congratulations, that's down to you.

-Thank you.

-You put that together.

You should be proud. What a lovely thing to do.

I pays to collect over a period of time

and that will be a great investment when you come to sell it.

What are you going to do with all that money?

Can I say it will go on a P&O cruise in November?

-You can't keep away, can you?

-No!

You've got it here in the brain P&O.

-That's it, yeah.

-What a wonderful day.

-Thank you so much for bringing that in.

-That's all right.

-We had a fabulous day.

I hope you've enjoyed today's show, we enjoyed being here.

But from Chichester, until the next time, it's cheerio.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

Email [email protected]