Monmouth Flog It!

This pretty little market town has a certain English charm about it,

yet it lies in the Wye Valley, in Wales.

Welcome to Flog It! from the border town of Monmouth.

There's been a settlement on this site since the Roman conquest

and from that time onwards,

Monmouth has passed back and forth

between the English and the Welsh far too many times to mention.

But today, Monmouth is most definitely in Wales,

being the county town of Monmouthshire.

Later, I'll be exploring the incredible landscape of this region

and discovering how it became a landmark on the tourist map.

But first, there's quite a queue gathering

at Monmouth comprehensive school.

What will we see today?

Royal Worcester porcelain, from England, or Welsh dressers?

Our experts, Mark Stacey and Charlie Ross,

are here to represent both sides of the border.

Mark, a local boy from the valleys,

and Charlie, the quintessential English gentleman.

Let's hope it doesn't all end in a battle.

But first, we start with another old foe of the English, the French.

Idwal, this is a real trip down memory lane for me.

Oh, the Babar stories are wonderful. I've been fanning through these.

I can remember being read from these books 50, er, years ago

and I looked through a few of them

and I recognise so many of the actual pictures,

not just Babar himself, but some of the characters in the books.

It's terribly exciting for me. How did you get hold of them?

Many, many years ago, I worked for a motoring organisation,

and in those days, I was on a motorcycle and sidecar.

-Yeah.

-And one day between Raglan and Usk.

-Yes.

In one of the lay-bys, all these were thrown out.

-No!

-Of course, I looked through them...

-Yeah.

..collected them up and took them home.

The original author, Jean de Brunhoff, was French.

-So I understand, yes.

-Born in 1899.

These are dated...

1934, 35, 36, 37 and 38.

38's interesting because I thought he died in 1937.

-Presumably, they were just published the year after.

-Possibly. Yes.

So to have five in a run, at the end of his life, I think it's very

exciting and they were translated into lots of languages, obviously.

Published by Methuen's.

And I just think the illustrations are wonderful.

-Yeah. They are very nice.

-And I can remember that as whatever I was,

four, five year old, looking at this picture.

"The country of the elephants faded from sight.

"The balloon glided noiselessly along in the sky.

"Babar and Celeste, his wife, admired the view.

"What a wonderful journey. The air was warm.

"A light wind blew.

"And there was the sea, the great blue sea."

-It's just fantastic.

-Yeah.

I'd just like to stay here and read them all.

-There is one other image, look at that.

-Yeah.

I remember that so well. This particular volume

is about their trips round the world and where they went.

And they set off in this balloon,

and the thought of two elephants in a basket on a balloon...

-is just such a wonderful image, isn't it?

-Yes. Yes.

And they visit the most wonderful places.

It's beautifully written and because the size of them is so good,

it's visually wonderful for children.

And apart from anything else, they've got a value.

I think that these volumes are worth over £100.

-Are they?

-Yeah. I do. I think we'll estimate them at £100-£200

and I think there'll be no shortage of people wanting to buy these.

If I were allowed to buy them, I'd buy them myself,

but I'm not because I think my mother threw them all out.

Whether she put them on that lay-by?

You want to ask your mother, did she dump them on the roadside?

-Hello, Jean. Hello, Ron.

-Hello.

-Good morning.

Nice of you to come and support us here at Monmouth.

-This is your box, Jean?

-Yes.

-And what's Ron doing here?

He's come with me today to keep me company.

-He's your friend?

-Yes.

-Wonderful.

-Yes.

-To hold your hand?

-Yes.

-Something like that.

-I promise I'll be gentle.

-OK.

You've brought this fabulous little box. Tell me about it.

It belonged to my late mother-in-law,

so I don't know much about it except it's a little trinket box.

I thought I would bring it along.

-Do you like it?

-No. Not particularly.

I think it's quite fun. I don't think it's terribly old.

-I don't think we're looking at a great antique here.

-No.

What I like about it is somebody's taken the idea of this tortoise

and has made a box. This is not tortoiseshell,

this is carved wood simulated to look like tortoiseshell,

so we don't want viewers complaining

that we were doing tortoiseshell, because we're not!

-No.

-But it is wonderful.

When we open it up here, we've got a little bit of information there

which we'll come back to. Then this little handmade...

-did you do this, Jean?

-No.

I'm sure this isn't the original puller, but you pull that up and

then there's a little well inside, where you've got all this rather nice

sort of geometric parquetry work there, as well, which is rather nice.

I think what lets it down is the quality of the hinges

and the quality of the face, but this is very decorative,

the interior of it. And I notice you've brought in a little snippet

from a magazine, or newspaper, saying that one of these boxes,

a similar box, made £145 in a sale fairly recently,

-which I think is a damned good price.

-It is, isn't it?

-And I don't think we're going to match that.

-No.

-But you never know.

In the sale room, if two people really want it, then they will.

My own gut feeling, to be honest with you, is sort of £50-£80.

I think if we put it in at £50-£80, it shows people it's there to sell

and hopefully that will attract a few bidders and we'll make

slow and steady progress right up and over the 100, hopefully.

-Would be nice.

-What do you think about a reserve?

Seeing the advertisement there, I thought about 100, but whatever.

-If you want to put a reserve, we need to put it at 50.

-Yeah.

Is that all right? Are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-And so why have you decided to sell it now?

Well, to declutter a little bit.

-And have you got a lot of things to declutter?

-Yes.

-Wonderful. Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-All right.

The crowds are still spilling out of the hall and in the queue,

I've uncovered a little gem. Maurice, pleased to meet you.

What have you got there?

These are scout badges.

-Were you a boy scout?

-Yes.

-I was the leader to the Raglan Troop for many years.

-Gosh. Look at that.

I was in the cub scouts, as well. I didn't get as many badges as this!

LAUGHTER

-Where did you get all of these badges from?

-They're all Australian.

I think there's every Australian badge possible.

-Yeah. I had that one!

-And I got the girl guides at Raglan

to sew all these badges onto the two neckerchiefs for me.

-Oh, you didn't do your sewing yourself, then?

-No.

-No. I didn't get my badge for sewing.

-Cos there was one, wasn't there?

-Yes.

-What's your favourite badge? Which was the hardest to achieve?

I think that, the pioneer scout.

I would have worn that on my blazer thinking how attractive it was, then.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Oh, gosh, look at that.

-Well, this is hard to put a value on.

-Is it?

-Oh, it really is.

Anything to do with the scouts' group fetches big money.

It's a worldwide organisation, you can sell it anywhere.

-But I think something like this is personal to you.

-Yes.

-I wouldn't want to put a value on it.

-I wouldn't want to sell it.

-No.

-I think for people to be able to see them, is wonderful.

Yes. Thank you for bringing those in.

-It's brought back memories for me, as well.

-Thank you very much.

Michael, I've seen some charm bracelets on Flog It!

over the years, but I think this is the best one I've ever seen.

-That's nice.

-It's variation, quality and interest. Where did it come from?

It belonged to my late wife's auntie.

-Right.

-And because there were so many grandchildren

and nephews and nieces, they raffled it off.

-Raffled it off?

-Yeah, between the families.

My wife's name was pulled out the hat,

so that's how we came about it.

-Did she ever wear it?

-My wife?

-Yes.

-No.

-No. No.

No. My auntie used to wear it.

Have you ever counted the charms?

I think there's about 40 of them.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-There or thereabouts.

I've picked out two in particular, which I particularly like.

This one here, which is a continental charm, Art Nouveau style

with lovely enamel flowers on it and a little pearl drop.

It's French or German and individually, I think,

worth £30-£40 just on its own, which is lovely.

And there's another little one, here.

It was a brooch once and somebody's converted it or at least taken

the pin off the back of it

and put it on here for show, but in the middle of the

blue enamel, here, we have seed pearls round the outside,

in the middle, we've got a diamond.

-Yeah.

-Again, you don't find diamonds studded into charm bracelets.

Now, of course, the more usual ones, animals, always popular...

jet planes, which tells you that some of them aren't Victorian.

No. That's right. Very true.

Two padlocks.

The main chain, itself, is nine carat, so a more ordinary gold.

There are one or two of higher carat value

-but not many, most of it's nine carat.

-Yeah.

What made you think of bringing it along today?

-We just thought, it's never going to be used...

-No.

..so somebody might want it.

Yeah. When you were in the queue, did you think to yourself, this is worth X, Y, Z?

-I didn't have a clue.

-Not a clue?

-If it made £100...

-You'd be happy.

I'd be reasonably happy.

So if we said to you 350-450...

I'd be very happy. Very happy.

-Very happy, indeed.

-Good. Well, I shall watch for the smile on the sale day.

-That's right.

-Thank you for bringing it. It's no good leaving it in a box, is it.

No. No.

-Are you ready to tee off?

-I certainly am. That was a good pun.

-Well, I had to, really, didn't I?

-You did.

It's by a great factory, Royal Doulton, of course.

-Yeah.

-How long have you had it?

I've had it about 30 years, now.

It was given to me by my granddad.

-Right.

-He had it just stuck away in the cupboard and he decided to

get rid of some things and asked me if I'd like it.

So I didn't want to upset him.

It's not really my cup of tea but I accepted it and it's been in the cupboard ever since.

-I think you've been fair to him. You've had it for 30 years.

-I have.

-You obviously don't like it.

-It's quite a masculine thing, isn't it, golf?

-Yeah.

If we have a little look at the Doulton mark underneath,

we can see here the lion surmounting a crown,

and the Royal Doulton, made in England mark.

-This would date it, actually, to around about 1902 to 1932.

-Right.

What I like about it is that this is, as I mentioned to you, Royal Doulton, and it's from their series ware,

-which refers to these types of colours, the browns and the greens, autumnal colours.

-Yeah.

And normally you get things like Charles Dickens characters or...

-Yeah.

-Summer flowers and that sort of thing.

-And if this jug had been like that, then we would have been looking at maybe, £30 or £40.

-Right.

But we've got the golfing connection.

Not only do we have these lovely figures which are playing, obviously, in 17th century costume on the front,

but if we look at the back of it as well, we can see that

-we've got this lovely little group, huddled around playing and I really think it's rather charming.

-Yes.

Having said all that, are we going to get a good price for it or will it just be par for the course?

Well, I hope we get a hole in one.

Look, I'll do the birdies, all right. Now...

I think we can safely put £100-£150 on. Put a reserve of 100 on it.

-We don't want to sell it for nothing.

-No.

-Do you know what I mean?

-Yeah.

-And then we can go from there.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-And who knows, if we get two collectors...

I mean, golfing can still surprise us at the sale room and it might just lift it up a bit.

-Hope so.

-Lovely. Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-That's OK. You're welcome.

So now it's time to get our first lots off to the auction room in Cardiff,

but before we do, here's a quick reminder.

Idwal bought his Babar books in a lay-by

and Charlie couldn't help wondering if they were his own childhood copies.

My mother threw them all out.

Whether she put them onto that lay-by...

You want to ask your mother, did she dump them on the roadside?

Mark thought that Jean's tortoise box was worth less than she had hoped at £50-£80.

Will it come out of its shell at the auction?

Charlie was charmed by Michael's bracelet

and gave it a healthy estimate.

If we said to you 350-450...

I'd be very happy. Very happy.

And Debs inherited a jug from her granddad but it's not to her taste,

so will it go a fair way at auction?

I hope we get a hole in one.

Look, I'll do the birdies, all right?

This is where all our items are going under the hammer,

at our Anthemion Auction Rooms here in the centre of Cardiff. On the rostrum is auctioneer Ryan Beach.

It is a packed sale room. There's a buzz in the air.

Fingers crossed, our experts are on the money.

First up, it's Jean's wooden tortoise box.

-Packed auction room.

-Oh, yes. Very busy.

I just hope we get the top end. Lovely tortoise.

Lots of work in that. So why are you selling the little fellow?

-Decluttering.

-Decluttering. What do you think of it, Ron?

-It's nice, but Jean said it's got to go.

-So it's got to go.

-It's got to go.

Trying to get rid of rubbish, really. Rubbish.

-It's not rubbish rubbish, is it.

-No.

-Just decluttering.

-It's a bit of fun.

-Yeah.

-But I think it'll appeal to collectors or dealers.

It's a nice little saleable lot. Hopefully, we'll get at least the £50.

Lot number 501. Tortoiseshell box in the form of a tortoise.

Lot 501.

Numerous commission bids, here. Start me straight in at £95.

-Ooh.

-95 I have to start. £95.

-Yes.

-At £95. 100, is there anywhere?

£95. 95. 100. And ten.

-We've got over 100.

-140. 150.

At £150. Back at me with 150. £150.

Are we all done, then? At £150.

Yes. Hammer's gone down. Well, that certainly wasn't slow off the mark.

-It wasn't, was it.

-150.

-Wonderful, isn't it.

-Yes.

Quality always sells.

Charlie and I have just been joined by Idwal in the nick of time.

We've got five Babar The Elephant story books going under the hammer, from the 1930s.

-This is a lovely story, you found them in a lay-by?

-I did.

-I guess they weren't worth a lot of money then, were they?

-No. No.

-But they are now worth in the region of £100-£200, which is the valuation we put on.

-Yeah. Yeah.

They're great stories. And the colours are so good.

Condition's good. Somebody'll have a lot of fun with them.

Lot number 622 is The Story Of Babar. Five in the set here.

£100 I have to start. £100. 110.

-120. 130. 140.

-They're going well.

At 150. At £150.

-Are we all done, then? £150.

-Yes.

Sold. £150, in and out, virtually.

-Yeah.

-Lovely things, though. Good illustrations.

-Very nice.

Good for you for looking after them all that time.

They've been in a box in the attic for ages.

Next under the hammer is Debbie's Royal Doulton golfing design jug.

We're going to get this away

cos the golfing side of it will help this shift. They're big collectors, aren't they, Mark?

Very big collectors. Very big collectors.

-Doulton are well-known for producing these sort of things.

-£100-£150.

-It should do that.

I hope I've been a bit mean, that it should nudge the middle to upper estimate,

but you just don't know these days.

-I hope so.

-Do you play golf?

-No.

-No. I've never played.

Can't hit a stationary ball.

I can hit a moving ball like tennis or football, but not a little ball on the floor.

I can't see the point of it, to be honest. I'm sorry, I can't.

I tried it once and I didn't like it.

There'll be a lot of golfers watching going, "You don't know what you're on about".

-Hopefully, the golfers here will be buying this Doulton jug.

-Absolutely.

Lot 402 is a Royal Doulton jug

decorated with a golfer and caddy here. Lot 402.

Numerous commission bids, here. Put me straight in at £110.

110 to start.

£110. Will I see 120 anywhere?

At £110. Are we all done, then, with the main bid at £110?

That was short and sweet. Straight in, straight out.

110. It's gone. It's gone, Debs.

I hope it's gone to a good home.

Next up is a gold charm bracelet.

There's 40 charms on this and it was valued by one charmer here, Charlie Ross.

It belongs to Michael. £350-£450.

-It's a great time to sell gold right now because the scrap value is right up there.

-Yeah.

But these certainly won't be scrapped.

They're quite precious. Happy with the valuation?

-350-450.

-Yeah. Very good.

I'd like to see it do top end. But actually, some of those charms are really beautifully, beautifully made.

-Yeah.

-And as you said, there are 40 of them.

-Yeah.

-So I think top end.

-OK. Top end.

That's what we're looking at. £450.

Let's find out what this lot think.

Lot number 71 is a nine carat yellow gold charm bracelet,

set with approximately 40 charms here.

Lot number 71. £260 I have to start.

£260. At 270. 280. 290. 300.

310. 320.

Back with me at 320. 330. 340.

-350. Takes me out at 350. Far back, it's 350.

-We've sold it.

370. 380. 390.

400. 410. 420. 430. 440.

450. 460. 470.

-Fantastic.

-At £470.

The gentleman sees it, at 470 now. At 480, fresh bidding.

At 480, gentleman standing, at 480 now. 490, fresh bidding. 500.

And ten. 520. At 520, back with the gentleman at 520. At £520.

Are we all done, then? At 520...

-Yes. At £520.

-Brilliant.

-There is commission to pay here.

-Yeah.

But what are you going to put that towards?

Towards a holiday.

Oh, catch the sun, somewhere.

-Exactly. Yeah.

-Where do you fancy going?

I don't know. Anywhere.

Ask the missus. Let her choose.

-Top end, there.

-I'm pleased with that.

-Brilliant.

-Over the top end.

-Very good.

We'll be back here for some more excitement later.

-That's fantastic.

-I'm tingling. I'm tingling.

But before all that, I've taken a leisurely trip outside the town to explore the breathtaking Wye Valley,

one of the most dramatic river landscapes of Southern Britain.

This beautiful valley winds its way through five counties, crossing the borders of England and Wales.

Today, much of this landscape is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Last year, around a million people visited the Wye Valley and with this

spectacular scenery, it's easy to understand why, isn't it?

Over decades, this whole region has attracted artists and poets alike.

But what makes this place so special,

and who were the first people to discover and appreciate its beauty?

The answer takes us back to the 18th century and the first tourists who explored this area.

Amongst them, was a man called William Gilpin, an English clergyman and a schoolmaster,

whose visit helped put the Wye Valley on the tourist map.

In a century when the educated classes favoured a sightseeing tour of European landscapes,

Gilpin wanted to introduce to them what was on offer in their own back yard.

Incredible scenery just like this and you don't have to travel far for that and he promoted the word

by producing illustrated guides, or tours, as they were known, based on his own experience

of travelling across Britain and his passion for the landscape.

And the first of his chartered journeys started right here on the banks of the Wye.

In the summer of 1770, Gilpin arrived in the market town of Ross-on-Wye,

hired a covered rowing boat and three men to navigate him

and embarked on a two-day journey down the river, which took him through

a section of the valley known as the Wye Gorge, with its steep wooded banks, scenic viewpoints,

like this one from Symonds Yat Rock, and historic landmarks such as Goodrich and Chepstow Castle.

It was, and still is, perhaps, the most scenic stretch of the valley.

Gilpin wasn't the first to go on what was known as the Wye Valley Tour.

People had been taking boat trips along the river since the 1740s,

but his book Observations On The River Wye

popularised the journey for the very first time.

It was published in 1782 and is arguably the first guide book in British history.

Through the decades that followed, people would flock here to the area,

armed with copies of the book, take a boat trip and literally follow his itinerary along the river.

One of the key stops of the tour was the awe-inspiring Tintern Abbey.

Built as a Cistercian monastery in the 12th century, the abbey was in ruins

by the time of Gilpin's visit, but he found it a very enchanting piece of scenery.

And on behalf of the local museums in Chepstow and Monmouth,

Andrew Helm came to meet me and tell me more about William Gilpin and the Wye Valley tour.

What was Gilpin trying to achieve with his book?

Basically, his aim was to give people guidance

on how to actually appreciate landscape and to record it.

-His name is associated with the picturesque.

-Tell me about that.

The picturesque wasn't a term that Gilpin coined,

it was certainly around at the time, but Gilpin's take on the picturesque

was essentially that which would look well in a picture.

He wanted people to look at the landscape as if it was being painted.

So they would sit in their tour boat and paint a picture of what they were seeing.

But he had very definite rules about what was picturesque.

Gilpin was particularly keen on the deep gorge of the Wye Valley because

it gave you the natural frame for a picture, so you had side screens, you had the river as the foreground

-and you have the view disappearing into the distance.

-You had a vanishing point.

-That's right.

And this suited his theory extremely well.

How was it received? It must have been a limited audience.

Well, it was a limited audience.

It was the well-heeled, the middle class, aristocracy.

The king had a copy of his manuscript version of the Wye Tour.

He moved in those circles and he was known as a sort of an academic who was interested in landscape

and picturesque, and the theory of art and so on.

He was a good communicator.

-He was the one who got it down on paper.

-Yeah.

And circulated among his friends. And then it was published.

It turned into a book 13 years after he'd actually been on the Wye Tour

and it was as a result of his book that lots of other people came.

Yeah. So was the valley and the landscape entirely picturesque in the late 18th century?

It's probably not what we'd think of as picturesque, because the whole valley,

from just above Monmouth down to Tintern, was a hive of industrial activity.

Iron-making and iron-forging was going on all along the river.

They were building ocean-going ships as far up the river as Monmouth,

so it was very heavily industrialised,

but this wasn't seen as a disadvantage by the picturesque tourists.

It all added to the fun of what was going on.

Yeah. We're sitting in the ruins of the abbey and it's so beautiful and still, here.

Gilpin arrived here on his second day of the tour. What did he make of it?

Two things upset him. First of all, the abbey was surrounded by the dwellings of beggars,

people who acted as guides to the abbey,

but they were regarded by Gilpin as a bit of a mess, really.

They took away from the picturesque of the abbey.

The other thing he didn't like was the regularity of the ruins

because he thought they were a bit too well formed,

so he advocated taking a hammer and bashing down some of these gable ends,

particularly that one there, cos he thought it was just not picturesque enough.

Just a bit too perfect.

Just a bit too perfect.

I think it's stunning.

Tourists weren't the only people drawn to the Wye Valley in the 18th century.

This landscape was a source of inspiration to many artists and poets.

Gilpin's book inspired many people to come to the area.

Turner, a famous artist, was among them.

He came twice in the 1790s to paint Tintern Abbey.

And other artists, who were not quite so famous as Turner now but in their day were famous,

Michael Angelo Rooker, famous English watercolour artist.

One of the founding fathers of English watercolour painting, came before he died in 1801

and left pictures of the area which we have in the museum in Monmouth. So there were other people coming.

-And the poets?

-Well, everybody knows Wordsworth.

-Yeah. Of course.

-But, for instance, a poet called Robert Bloomfield...

in his day, he was far more famous than Wordsworth and co.

And he came on the Wye Tour in 1807 and wrote an account of the tour as a poem

which he wrote while he was floating down the river.

"The unruffled bosom of the stream Gave every tint and every gleam

"Gave shadowy rocks and clear blue sky

"And double clouds of various dye

"Gave dark green woods all russet brown

"And pendant cornfields upside down."

Why do you think people are drawn here? What is it about the place?

It's got wonderful pastoral fields all round it.

The river's running by. There are birds in the sky.

And wonderful woods and trees surrounding.

So it's an incredibly peaceful place.

Driving down the Wye or floating down the river, you come round the corner and see Tintern Abbey

and you think, "Wow". It still has that ability to knock your socks off.

It's just beautiful.

Andrew, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me today.

Sadly, the Wye Valley boat tours of earlier years no longer exist today.

And visitors that come to the area are more likely to explore on foot with a rucksack or by car.

But what we can appreciate and take in and marvel at

is this magnificent scenery that drew Gilpin here some 240 years ago.

We're back at Monmouth Comprehensive School

where our experts are still hard at work valuing items and something glittery has caught Mark's eye.

-Hello, Pam.

-Hello.

-How nice to see you here at Monmouth.

-Yes. Nice to meet you.

Now, you've bought this charming little ring in to show us. What do you know about it?

Well, my husband bought it off of a friend who was left some jewellery and there was other

jewellery with it and he bought it back about seven years ago.

Oh, right. And he bought it for you to wear, did he?

Yes. And I don't wear a lot of jewellery, you know, not so much now like I used to, like.

Well, these antique pieces tend to be a bit on the small side.

-Yes.

-Because ladies were much smaller back in the Edwardian period.

-Yes.

-And I think that's what we're looking at.

-Early part of the 20th century, maybe circa 1920.

-Right.

-It's a very, very pretty...

-It is a lovely ring.

It's like a little flower, isn't it?

-Yes.

-You know, with the centre stone and the little petals coming around.

-Yeah.

-And I think it might even have been something like an engagement ring, I suppose.

-Yes.

It's very delicately done.

And I think it would be quite a commercial piece, because it's so pretty.

-Yes. You couldn't tell me what carat it is?

-Well, looking at... you've got really...

seven little stones in there...

probably comes up to the best part of a carat in weight, but of course,

they're all cut in smaller stones and when you're valuing by carat, what you really want is a single stone.

-A single stone.

-The smaller the stones get...

-Yes.

I mean, roughly speaking, a carat of diamond is roughly around about £1,000, if it's a single stone...

-Yeah.

-..and of good quality.

-Yes.

-These are smaller stones, 0.15 or something like that.

And obviously, that then affects the value downwards. Have you thought about the value, yourself?

Well, I think it's worth a couple of hundred ponds, it's such a pretty ring.

-Yes. Well, I think you're probably spot-on there. I think if we were to say put £200-£300 on it...

-Yes.

..something like that and maybe just put the reserve at a little bit under that, to protect the ring on the day.

So would you be happy with a reserve of 150?

150.

Could you make it a bit more than that? 170?

170. Why not? Let's go for that.

And maybe you could put the money to something else that you would be able to get more pleasure out of.

-A picture or a piece of ceramic or something...

-Yes. That's right. Yeah.

-Wonderful. Well, thank you very much, Pam, and I hope it glitters in the sale room for you.

-Thank you.

Bridget, we all know what this is.

A toucan with a splendid motto round the bottom.

-Yes, it is.

-And in good condition.

I should think it probably spent most of its life in a pub.

-Did it, as far as you know?

-Its working life.

-Yes.

-Just a few years.

-Oh, did it?

-Yes.

-Which pub did it come from?

It was in Sussex, a little country pub in Sussex.

-And who owned the pub?

-My father.

-Oh, really.

He was a Fleet Street journalist and when he retired, he took a pub.

-Oh, right.

-It was part of the pub then.

I presume it was given to them, or they bought it, I don't know...

-No. Would have been given.

-An advertisement thing.

-Yes. Exactly.

And it resided on the bar very happily for a few years.

-Wonderful.

-Yes.

This has become a very famous image, hasn't it?

-It has. Yes, it has. Yes.

-There are three things I like about it.

-One is that I can't see any damage.

-I think there is none.

Colours are good. And low and behold, the original shade.

Yes. Been in a good retirement home.

-Has it?

-Yes.

-In your attic.

Yes.

-And lately in a cupboard.

-Yeah.

I would have expected it to be much more nicotine-stained,

-being in a pub in those days when everybody was sitting at the bar smoking.

-Yes.

Fortunately, it doesn't smell.

It wouldn't be in our house if it smelt of tobacco.

You know who it's by?

I think it's by Carlton Ware.

-Carlton Ware. The first named Carlton Ware appeared in 1890...

-Did it?

-..until 1990. Lasted 100 years.

-Yes.

We will just turn it up and make sure it's not a fake.

No. All that writing is absolutely genuine.

Absolutely genuine. Colours, as I say, are very good.

-Beautiful colours.

-Yeah.

-And what about value?

-No idea.

I think it's worth between £100-£200.

You don't look awfully thrilled with that.

Well, we thought we'd give the money to Cancer Research if it makes the money.

So we want as much as possible.

-Wonderful. So we've got to try extra hard.

-Yes.

-Extra hard.

I think between 100-200 is the right estimate in the current market.

-I would expect it to come down in the middle somewhere.

-Yes. Will it have a reserve on?

-It should have a reserve fixed at 100.

-Yes.

And with any luck, we'll get up to the 200 mark.

-Oh, I hope so.

-I hope it goes more.

-So do I.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

Thank you very much, indeed.

Christine, you've made my day.

-Have I?

-You've brought along a tiny little pocket globe which I think,

if I can do that to show everybody,

is absolutely stunning.

-It is, isn't it.

-Oh, yes. How did you come across this?

Well, it belonged to my aunt and she gave it to my daughter

in the early '80s when she was housekeeper to an architect in Newport.

And I think it came from his house.

He either gave it to her or when he died they cleared the house

and she had lots of bits and pieces and it could have been among those.

-Property of a gentleman, a sort of a learned scholar.

-Oh, he was. Yes.

This is a wonderful scientific piece and it will be owned by somebody that was a scholar, a professional.

It spins on its axis, as you can see there.

And it's a terrestrial globe, you can see... you've got

the whole world there... and here, you've got the lunar cycle with the four seasons.

It's just beautiful.

Let's start with the case because that is so special.

It's got its original

little clips that holds it shut and its original hinge.

For its age, its condition is very, very good.

Next thing to look for on the little globe is a maker's name.

Now, the best globes you can go for, dating from the 18th century, are either the Carys or the Newtons.

Now, do you know which one this is?

-It's a Newton's.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

Well, let's have a little look at that and find... There it is.

-1818.

-Newton's new terrestrial globe.

1818. That's fantastic, isn't it?

Early part of the 19th century.

The condition of this is very, very good, actually.

It's starting to peel a bit there, in a few places.

The varnish is peeling. Could that be restored?

Yes. That can. The globe itself isn't damaged.

And these little transfers are all gauze which are stuck on.

I just think it's wonderful. The stories this could tell.

I know. You're making me sorry that we've decided to part with it.

-Well, do you want to change your mind?

-No.

-Do you? I mean, you can.

I've thoroughly enjoyed looking at this and musing over it and having the pleasure of sort of holding it.

-No. We won't change our mind. We will flog it.

-Why do you want to sell it?

Well, my daughter has no children and there's nobody to pass it on to.

She likes it but we decided maybe now's the time to flog it.

And the money will go in a new kitchen and bathroom.

Which brings us to the value of this little one really, doesn't it?

-Yes.

-Any idea?

-I have a rough idea, yes.

Go on, hit me with it.

I think, maybe, 600-800.

£600-£800 would comfortably sell it.

-OK.

-I think we should put a valuation of £800-£1,200.

-Really.

-Yes. But let's have a £700 reserve.

A fixed reserve at £700.

Yes. Lovely. Do they advertise them on the internet, as well?

Yes. It's on the internet so it'll get worldwide,

global attention.

Thank you very much, Paul.

Over at the auction house, what will Ryan Beach make of that globe?

It's lovely. It really is fantastic quality.

The nice thing is it's that bit smaller.

It's about two inches across when they're usually another inch bigger.

The only concerns, as far as the condition's concerned,

if you look closely at it, you'll see patches.

But the fact that it's got a little bit of wear, I think, is one of its virtues.

It's been used. It's been loved.

If that was in pristine condition, it would look like a reproduction.

It would. I mean, it certainly gives it charm, but again,

-collectors want things in as best condition they can.

-They're fussy.

I mean, it's the sort of thing that will go to a private collector.

Let's hope the phone lines are booked. Good luck.

Also going under the hammer today is Pam's diamond ring.

Let's hope the bidders take a shine to Mark's estimate of £200-£300.

I hope it glitters in the sale-room for us.

Thank you.

And Charlie valued Bridget's toucan lamp at £100-£200, but hopes it might make more for a good cause.

We thought we'd give the money to Cancer Research if it makes some money,

so we want as much as possible.

So we've got to try extra hard.

And first up, it's that wonderful lamp.

We know Guinness memorabilia is big business. We've seen it before on the show.

Let's see if we can see it right now with this toucan lamp that belongs to Bridget.

We've got a valuation of £100-£200 on this.

I'd like to see it fly through that, I really would. I know Charlie put that on.

I think that was cautious but I don't know, fashions do change.

-We've seen them do a lot more.

-I think they've come off the boil a bit.

-I hope it makes the 400, but I'm quite happy with 100-200.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-Well, let's hope we get the top end.

-Hope so.

-Yes.

-Why are you selling this now?

-We're giving the money to Cancer Research UK.

-OK. It's a good cause.

-So we want as much as we can get.

Brilliant. Let's see what we can do.

It's now down to the bidders.

Lot 388 is the Carlton Ware lamp with the Guinness toucan.

A pint of Guinness here. Lot 388. Numerous commission bids here.

Put me straight in at £170.

-That's good.

-£170.

180 is there anywhere? At £170. 180.

190. 200. 210.

At 220 on the telephone.

220. Clears the book at £220.

On the telephone, it's £220.

At £220. Are we all done then at £220?

They had their hands in their pockets, but I tell you what,

we did get over 200 quid, just.

That's marvellous. That's really good.

-Happy, Bridget?

-Yes.

-Good.

There's a lot of jewellery in today's sale,

but our Edwardian flower-head ring sparkles above the rest.

We've got £200-£300 on it and it belongs to Pamela, here.

I can't believe you want to sell this. It's beautiful.

Well, I've had it a long time and it's very small.

Didn't ever wear it, did you?

-No. No.

-Were you happy with the valuation, £200-£300?

-Yes. I was. I was very pleased.

-Can we see any more, I wonder.

Well, we've tucked the reserve under a little bit. The reserve is 170.

-That's right.

-It is a pretty ring.

The size is against it cos for a modern hand, you know, you do have to be very petite to wear it.

-Yes.

-It is a beautiful setting, you're right, Paul.

-It's a good trade lot.

-It is.

And they're here today because there's a great deal of jewellery. Look, good luck.

Lot number 24 is a seven-stone diamond ring, here.

Lot 24. £85 I have to start. £85.

-85.

-At £85. And 90. 90. 5.

100. And 10. 120. 130. 140. 150.

At £150. Back with me at 150.

At 160.

-Make it 170 to clear the reserve. 170 I have. At 170.

-You've got 170.

£170. Are we all done, then? At 170.

He's sold it. £170.

Right on that reserve. Cor, we were lucky there, weren't we?

-Yes. Very lucky.

-You're happy, cos you wanted to see it go.

-Yeah. I'm happy.

-Mark's disappointed.

He'd have liked to have seen the top end.

I would have but it is good that we advised a reserve and it was agreed, so we protected it.

-That's right. Yeah.

-Always protect your lot with a fixed reserve.

-Never put anything in to auction with no reserve.

-So I'm quite pleased.

Well, now it's my turn to be the expert

and next up it's the Newton's pocket globe which I valued at £800-£1,200. What a lovely thing.

You made my day bringing that in.

-Did I?

-How have you been feeling over the last month?

Looking forward to this moment?

Yes. Looking forward to it.

The day of reckoning, isn't it?

It's up to this lot now and not us.

Lot number 567 is the pocket globe.

Newton's terrestrial one. Number 567.

Numerous commission bids here. Start me straight in at £850.

-850 I have to start.

-Straight in.

£850. 880 is that? 880. 900.

920. Clears my book at 920. 950.

980. 1,000 standing. And 50.

1,050. 1,100, please. 1,100.

-1,150. 1,150.

-That's great.

1,200, please. 1,200. 1,250.

1,300. 1,350. 1,400. 1,450.

-Oh, I can't believe that.

-1,550.

1,600. 1,650.

Two dealers have locked horns, here.

My daughter'll be over the moon.

-1,700 on the phones. Anybody out?

-1,750.

-1,700 here.

-1,750.

-I'm tingling. I'm tingling.

1,800. 1,850. 1,900. 1,950.

At 2,000 on the telephone, here.

-2,000.

-At £2,000. At £2,000.

Are we all done, then? At £2,000.

Wow.

That's absolutely marvellous, isn't it?

I never dreamt it would get that far.

Gosh, it's got to be a world record for a little pocket globe like that.

-I thought if we reached the 1,000 we'd be, you know, doing well.

-Wow.

The money's going towards a new kitchen for your daughter.

I mean, it's going to get most of that kitchen, isn't it, most of the base units and wall units.

Yeah. That'll be good.

-Does she know you're selling this today?

-Oh, yes, yes.

She gave it to me to sell. She didn't want to come herself.

Oh, what a moment.

What a special moment.

Get on the phone and tell her now.

What a great day. What a great ending, as well.

We've had the best time ever in Cardiff.

It's great to be back here in Wales.

I hope you've enjoyed watching the show, plenty of surprises for you.

Do watch again because there's more to come.

So from Cardiff and everybody here, it's cheerio.

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