Southend Flog It!

Well, just looking at this, you wouldn't believe busy Central London

is less than an hour away by train, would you? But it is.

We've headed out to the Essex coastline. Today, "Flog It!"

is on a day trip to Southend-on-Sea.

Southend Pier is the town's historical icon.

It stretches just over 1.3 miles and it is literally the world's longest pleasure pier.

Not only is it a great tourist attraction but it's also put Southend in the record books.

Southend's pier is so long there's a train that transfers holidaymakers

from the seafront out to the pier head.

Since the present iron pier was first opened in 1889, it's had a very interesting history, surviving

a boat crash and two fires, the most recent of which was in 2005

when the fire severely damaged much of the Victorian pier head.

Today, it's still undergoing restoration but remains a major part of Southend's seafront.

And talking of the sea, later on in the show I'll be taking a look

at harvesting sea salt, a craft the east coast of Essex has been famous for for well over 2,000 years.

But right now it's back to another type of PIER, and that's peering in

all those bags and boxes, and there's literally thousands of them.

And that job is down to our two experts today, and

here's the first, Mr Thomas Plant, and of course joined by Will Axon.

We've got a huge crowd here.

Their job is to pick up the best items to take off to auction later on in the show.

But right now I think it's time to get this massive crowd

inside our venue for today, Southend High School for Boys.

As the crowds rush in, something special has already caught Will's eye.

Tony, I like this little piece you've brought in today. What can you tell me about this?

It was given to myself and my wife by a close friend of ours.

She now and again gives us bits and pieces.

I think she's just clearing her clutter out, but she just gave us this box.

Really? Well, that's a nice friend to have, isn't it?

-Yeah. Yeah.

-This has a sort of continental feel to it, to me.

I don't think this is English.

-I think this could possibly be French or suchlike.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Let's have a closer look at it, shall we?

-Yeah.

Interesting sort of lozenge shape, this sort of diamond shape.

Little trinket box, I suppose, little casket, that sort of thing.

-The colour looks very right to be gold, doesn't it?

-Yeah. Yeah.

But I don't think it is.

Various sort of factors that sort of suggest to me that it might not be

is the overall sort of quality of the whole as a whole.

I mean, it is nice, but it's not that sort of premier league of quality that French craftsmen...

If they were using the gold and the silver,

-it would have been top-notch work.

-Yeah, I see.

-And then these panels.

I see it's had a bit of damage, obviously.

We've seen that and we can see that on the piece now.

-Are they leather?

-Well, that's what I think.

I think this is like a red leather, isn't it?

But you've got these cherub figures, and then above one of them I see a little lever here.

So if I press that,

we can open up the lid, and then it's got this rather nice sort of lined interior, which

leads me to think that it is a little trinket box.

Yeah. Yeah.

Is that how it's used now? Where does it live?

No, we just keep it in a glass cabinet.

OK, so it's on display.

Yeah, it's on display. Yeah.

-My wife shows it to everybody who comes around.

-Does she?

Yeah, she's quite keen on it.

-Is she? And she's quite keen for us to sell it, is she?

-I am.

-You are?

-Yeah.

-Don't you like it?

I don't mind it, but I just try and clear out clutter.

We collect things and accumulate things, but then I think we need to make room for others.

Well, that's the way to do it.

You sell the lesser bits or the bits that you've had a while

and use the money that you get to buy better bits.

Well, I was hoping with this to pay my mortgage off, give my notice in at work and emigrate, but...

And you can invite me on a world cruise!

-Yeah!

-I'm afraid not.

-No.

-Have you thought about value?

Well, yes, of course.

-Obviously, the fact that perhaps some people thought it may have been gold-mounted...

-That was our hope.

-..that was obviously going to make a big difference to the value.

-Yeah.

I think it's going to be worth...

I would suggest £40 to £60 as an estimate.

We won't put a reserve on it, and it's the sort of thing that I would be tempted on buying.

I can't, unfortunately, but hopefully there'll be two other people out there who think like me

-and they'll push it up past the top estimate for you.

-OK.

-Les?

-Yes?

Thank you for coming along and bringing your little friend...

-Glad to do it.

-..this little piggy-wig. Tell me, how did you come by him?

Well, at an auction, looking at other objects, it just caught my eye,

-and, looking at it closely, I had to have it.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Why are you selling it, then?

-It doesn't go with the rest of my stuff, which is bronze.

It's the only silver item in the cupboard,

and because "Flog It!"

was in town, I thought, "I've got to bring something", and it had to be the pig.

Yeah. Quite good fun, isn't it?

Pig pin cushions are quite collectable,

-because pin cushions are collectable and pigs are collectable.

-Yes.

And it's a silver one, which is nice, as well. And it's quite early.

It's Birmingham, and the date letter for it is 1903.

-As early as that?

-Edward VII. It's a nice thing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It takes you back well into history.

-So what took your fancy about it?

It just seemed so perfectly formed as a pig.

It was just a beautiful-looking animal.

-Mm.

-The face, the curly tail, it just sits nice, or stands nice, in the cupboard.

-And I'm glad you didn't polish him, as well.

-No, I wouldn't dare.

-Because the tempting thing is to give it a clean.

-Not with me.

And silver cleaning is fine, there's nothing wrong with that,

but that tarnish is quite nice.

It shows that it's nice and private and not sort of been fiddled with, and I like that about that,

I like that it hasn't been lovingly polished, and it means that the definition is still there.

-That's right.

-I think silver's quite popular at the moment, it's doing very well.

We're not looking at weight value or anything like that, we're looking at its pure collectorship value,

and I would put it in at,

I'd like to say, £100 to £150.

I would be pleased with that.

Yeah? What did you pay for it?

With commission, 115.

-Oh, well, we're nearly there, aren't we?

-Nearly there.

-Nearly there.

-Obviously, if we sell it for 100, we might lose a bit of commission on that.

-That's all right.

I think we should have a discretionary reserve at 100 just to give the auctioneer a bit of leeway.

Yes.

-But I'd love to do that.

-On the other hand, pigs might fly.

Well, it's not Pandora's box, it's Barbara's box, isn't it?

-Certainly is.

-And I love your tan!

That's the garden that does that!

Can I take a closer look and open it this way? Because I know it's full.

If I open this,

look at that.

Isn't that superb?

What a surprise inside!

And it looks on first inspection - I'm just going to open the wings...

These fold out.

This is continental, isn't it?

-I had an idea it might be.

-Yes, it is. It's French.

I'm pretty sure it's French. It's all cut glass.

It's all crystal. Yeah.

That's superb!

It's got a beautiful fitted interior.

And these were for spirits, kept under lock and key, the liqueurs and the brandies.

Where did you come across this?

Well, it's been in our family, or my husband's family, actually, for a while.

We've actually owned it for about 20 years, something like that.

Well, this dates back to around about 1850, 1860.

The coromandel has been ebonised on the outside, which gives you

this lovely black finish, and the lock actually works, doesn't it?

It does. What is that on the top?

That's also inlaid brass.

-That's brass as well?

-Yeah, with a little bit of mother-of-pearl.

Can you see that on the four corners? That's mother-of-pearl.

So, why do you want to sell something so beautiful?

Because it's in perfect condition, and it's the kind of thing you should keep forever.

-Well, we do have quite a large family...

-Right.

-..fifteen grandchildren...

-Oh, gosh!

-..so if you can imagine...

-You can't divide it up, can you?

I can't divide it up, and also...

Fifteen grandchildren?!

Yes. And one great-grandchild.

Oh, wow. I bet Christmas is a happy time in your house.

It certainly is, yeah!

So, any idea of the value?

Not really, no, none at all.

If I said £400 to £600, would you be happy?

-As much as that?

-Yeah.

Yeah. And I think if we put it into auction with a value of 400 to 600,

put a reserve of 400 with just a bit of discretion,

-and you'll find a buyer.

-Right!

Avis, I love this bowl you've brought in for us today to have a look at.

Is this from your own collection

or is this something you've happened upon through the years?

No, this was inherited from my late husband's aunt.

She always had a plant pot placed in it with a lovely plant, and I always loved it.

-And when I first had it, that's what I did as well.

-Put the plant in it.

That's invariably what happens.

-Over the years, it's been put away.

-Has it?

I'll tell you what it is first. It's what we would call a Sunderland lustre bowl. So, the "lustre"

we call it because of this lovely sort of iridescence you get from the glaze that's used, and "Sunderland"

because that's the part of the world where these were made.

Now, what makes this a little bit more interesting, a little bit more

different, is the Crimean coat of arms, the Crimean crest that refers to the Crimea war.

-Do you know the dates?

-Would you like me to tell you the dates?

-You know them, do you?

-I do.

-What were they?

-Crimean War, 1853 to 1856.

Very good. I'm impressed.

I'm very impressed. Well, a bit of a dark horse on the history!

You're right, of course.

It looks to me on this bowl... I'm going to pick it up and have a good look at it now, turn it round.

So, looking though it, we've got "Now weigh the anchor, hoist the sail".

But generally, the last line tells you what it's about - "Deliver us, good Lord, we pray".

So it's looking to be looked after.

And here again you've got the sailor's return with his sweetheart,

The Token, or Jack's Safe Return To His True Love.

And then we've got this rather fine Crimea sort of crest here.

The colours are good on here, because if I look inside the bowl, you said that you had kept

a plant pot and your late husband's aunt had kept a plant pot, that has affected the interior a bit,

because if we look, we can see we've got a bit of staining, haven't we?

And that staining gets into and under the glaze, which can be a problem. It's very hard to get out,

which also, turning over, now we're on that point, you've got a bit of a star crack to the base here.

So you don't need it, you don't use it, you've brought it to us here today.

You probably want to know what I think it's worth.

-Have you got any ideas?

-I've got no idea at all.

I would say...

Let's keep it sensible. I'm going to say keep it under £100.

I'm going to say let's put it in at sort of £60 to £80.

-That's fine.

-Yeah?

-That's fine.

You don't need it, do you? You don't use it, like you say.

-What's the money going to go towards?

-Probably spend it on my grandchildren.

-I've got three grandchildren.

-Yes?

So 60 to 80, £40 reserve.

We'll fix it at 40, so at least then you know you've got something.

At least it's going to be a tenner and a bit more each for the grandchildren, isn't it? Yeah?

We're halfway through our day and there are still hundreds of people to see.

In fact, the queue still goes all around the block, back into the car park.

But right now it's time for our first visit to the auction room.

We've found some fantastic items.

It's time to put those valuations to the test.

So while we make our way over there, we're going to leave you with a quick recap just to jog your memory

of all the items going under the hammer.

Tony is hoping his diamond-shaped trinket box will make enough money to completely change his life!

I was hoping with this to pay my mortgage off, give my notice in at work and emigrate, but...

Well, I'm pretty sure it's not going to fetch that much, but we'll soon find out.

Les wants to extend his collection of bronzes by flogging this silver

pig pin cushion, and Thomas thinks it could make between £100 and £150.

And I absolutely loved Barbara's decanter set.

It really deserves to be on display.

But with such a large family, it's been safely tucked away.

And finally, Avis's Sunderland lustre bowl was used as a plant pot,

but now she wants to treat her three grandchildren, so it's going under the hammer.

For today's auction, we've headed just up the coast from Southend

to Stacey's Auctioneers in Rochford, and on the rostrum are brothers Mark and Paul Stacey.

First up, it's the Sunderland lustre bowl.

It's a Crimean war theme, and it should fly away.

It belongs to Avis, who's just joined me in the nick of time.

-It's absolutely packed here.

-It is.

-You have to barge your way through!

We haven't seen an auction like this for ages! Why are you selling the bowl?

Well, it was something that had been put away I don't use.

I just wanted to come along to "Flog It!" anyway...

Come and meet Will, get a valuation.

I've got to say, doesn't Avis look fabulous?

Great. You did on the valuation day as well. Perfect.

-And that's all for the auction world.

-Definitely!

Lot 400, Sunderland pink lustre bowl, Lot 400. Plenty of interest here with me, ladies and gentlemen.

One, two, three, four bids.

I'm clearing the book at £90.

-90?!

-Yeah, straight in!

Here with me, commission bid at 90. 95. 100. Against you. 105. 110.

115. 120.

-A lot of people collect this.

-125.

130. At £130. It's still here with me, commissions at £130.

Coming in at £130. Last time.

I'm selling at 130.

-Yes! Brilliant!

-I can't believe it!

Got to be happy with that! That was a good result, wasn't it?

-That was brilliant.

-Don't forget, there's commission to pay.

-Mm.

-Yeah? If you sell something in auction or if you buy something, there's always commission to pay.

So they're going to deduct that. But there's a bit of spending money.

Mm. How much will I get?

I'm not sure, because I haven't worked it out yet!

-Exactly! Where's the accountant?

-Yeah!

It's my time to be the expert, and I'm joined by Barbara.

-And who have you brought along with you?

-I've brought my son Peter.

-Hi, hello.

-Pleased to meet you.

-What do you think of this decanter?

-I think it's very lovely.

-It's gorgeous, isn't it?

I fell in love with this.

I don't know why you want to sell this.

For the children's sake.

It's not large enough for them to get their lagers in, you know, those little glasses?

No, I suppose it isn't, really, is it?

How many kids have you got?

I've got five children

-and fifteen grandchildren.

-And fifteen grandchildren!

Well, try dividing that up, then!

Lot 560. We come now to the fine 19thC French ebonised brass-inlaid decanter box, Lot 560.

There it is, nice one there. Where are we going to be?

Let's not waste time. £300 start straight in. £300 anywhere?

£300 I'm bid. Thank you. 310.

320. 330. 340. At £340 now.

Are we all done at £340?

Any advance? At 340.

Last time, then, at £340.

I'm ever so sorry. It's just short of that reserve.

There's another auction room on another day, or you can re-enter it here.

Have a word with the auctioneer, see if you can find that underbidder.

Well, this little piggy went to market, and who brought him along?

Yes, Les, who's standing right next to me.

-I know we've got £100 to £150 on this, and there's a fixed reserve of 100, isn't there?

-I think so.

Yeah, you're not

letting it go for nothing, are you?

-I think it's discretionary.

-Don't blame you. Thomas, it should get that top end.

-It's quality.

-It should do. It's a nice-looking object.

Let's hope it does get away at 100 and do a little bit more.

Moving now to Lot 160,

we have the silver pin cushion in the form of a pig.

A bit of interest in this, ladies and gentlemen, straight in at £90.

Any advances on £90?

At £90. 95. 100. Back on the books.

-There we are!

-At £100. Are we all done?

I'm selling, then, at £100.

-Well, it's gone. It's gone.

-That's not bad, is it?

No. A bit of money towards the bronze. Well, good luck.

-I know there's some bronzes in the saleroom, and hopefully you'll get one.

-I hope so, too.

-Thanks, Les.

Like the hat, Tony.

Suits you, actually. Really good. What do you do for a living?

Park ranger. I'm the lone ranger for a local authority.

-And you do all that on horseback, do you?

-Erm...! I'd like to!

No, not quite, no.

Anyway, going under the hammer is a diamond-shaped trinket box, £40 to £60.

Sounds good value for money.

A nice little trinket box.

We were looking at it - it's got something about it, hasn't it?

It's got a touch of quality about it.

-I was hoping it was gold.

-Yeah. I had a word with Mark earlier.

He tested it for gold. It wasn't, unfortunately, it is brass.

-But even so, it's just got little touches of...

-It's got the look.

-Yeah.

-That's what's going to get it away.

-It's no reserve, that helps.

He's here to sell! Good luck!

You don't need it. This is it.

Lot 460, 19thC trinket box

of diamond shape. Nice trinket box there.

To prove it, I have one, two, three bids,

and I start the bidding here with me at £90.

It's here with me at £90. 95.

100. Against you. 105. 110.

115. 120. At £120, it's here with me.

Commissions at 120. Any advance at £120?

Last time at 120.

Cracking result! £120!

-Good price! Good price!

-We didn't need that "no reserve", did we?

Just in case, just in case!

-Got to be ever so happy with that.

-Yeah, it's brilliant.

I wasn't expecting that.

Stay with us, because later on in the programme, Will has a difference of opinion over a creamware mug.

-You don't like it?

-No.

-Don't you?

No! What does it match?

It's right up my street, I must say.

For hundreds of years, people living on the east coast of Essex have been harvesting this stuff.

That's sea salt. The first documented evidence of salt being extracted from the sea

was in the Domesday survey of 1086,

when it listed a total of 45 salt pans here in the Maldon area.

The conditions are perfect in this part of the country for making salt

due to the relatively low annual rainfall, as there is less rain water to dilute the sea water.

As well as this, when the tide recedes, exposing the marshlands and mudflats, a combination of the sun

and wind evaporates the water, leaving salt deposits on the vegetation.

The salt that dries across the marshes is then re-absorbed by the

higher spring tide, thus making the concentration of salt even higher.

For hundreds of years, salt was skilfully harvested from the sea.

But during the 19th century, a combination of heavy taxes and more

economical methods of production meant that the Essex salt traders soon began to disappear.

Today, the Maldon Crystal Salt Company is one of only four sea salt manufacturers left in England.

It's still a family-run business, and it's headed up by Clive Osborne,

who knows these salt marshes very well.

It is absolutely stunning here, Clive, isn't it?

You must love it, because you were brought up here as a young lad.

Absolutely. Spent all my life here, yeah.

How many acres do these marshes cover?

Well, Essex is notorious for its salt marshes.

There's literally thousands of acres of marshland.

Most people think of natural sea salt as the white, flaky things you sprinkle on your food, don't they?

Let's face it. But there's a lot more to it than that.

Oh, I mean, the annual world production of salt

is approximately 110 million tonnes a year. Gosh! Really?

Yeah. The vast majority, though, is used in the chemical industry for the making of chlorine, caustic

soda and other chemicals to produce many man-made things, from rubber to paper to plastics.

It's a massive industry. Yes, it is, indeed.

But we at Maldon, we produce a very small quantity of salt exclusively

for food, for the home and for sprinkling on your food, yes.

Tell me a little bit of the way salt was used in the past, though.

-Well, salt was around...

-Because the Egyptians were using it.

Absolutely, yeah. The Egyptians used it to preserve their meat.

Campaigning Romans were paid in salt money called salarium, and that's how we get our word "salary"

in today's language.

-So it was used an awful lot.

-I never knew that!

-Yeah, yeah.

So how do you get the salt from here onto the plate?

What we do at Maldon is during the spring tides, the high tides,

we're testing, monitoring the water, and if the conditions are absolutely right, we siphon off

the water on the high tides, and then it goes into large tanks, where it's allowed to settle.

And after settling, we then filter,

and from there we put it into large stainless-steel salt pans.

-Why don't you come along and and see how we do it?

-I'd love to!

Maldon Salt has been a family-run company ever since 1882.

Clive's grandfather passed it on to his son Cyril, who ran

the company for 50 years before passing it himself on to Clive.

Although the production of sea salt has become

more efficient and streamlined over the years, the basic skills and process remain the same today.

So, what's going to happen here?

The water's pumped into these stainless steel pans here.

-The water is then brought up to a galloping boil.

-OK.

Then the heat's reduced and then we get down to a saturated solution.

As more water comes off, the water gets saturated and the salt crystals then start to form on the surface

-of the water, as you see here.

-What are you holding there?

I've some salt crystals that can form on the surface of the water.

These crystals have formed in a pyramid shape.

As they grow in size, they get heavier, and as they get heavier,

-the water then flows in the top and they sink down to the bottom.

-Right.

In its place, another crystal starts to form, and what's happening is the level of the crystals

gradually build up from the bottom of the pan as the level of the water through evaporation drops.

So you come over a period of time to where the level of the crystals

meet the level of the water, and then the process is finished.

So these guys work on shifts 24/7?

They're here from six in the morning till six at night, and then they're setting it on an automatic, but one

of us will come down at night to have a look, see that everything is going according to plan.

Right. So what happens next, once it's got to that stage?

Well, the salt makers come in early in the morning, and then

they will be drawing the salt pans, which you will see over here.

So, what it is, they're still using the same traditional long-handled rakes to hand-harvest the salt,

the salt that's been manufactured the day before.

He's drawing them up into piles here.

And once he's drawn the pans, the salt gets shovelled out into the bins

and then more water is poured in and the process is repeated again.

So what happens after that, then? That's all going into that bin.

Yeah. Salt goes into the draining bins there, where it's drained for 24 hours, and then it's

put into a low-temperature oven to adjust the moisture and finally dry it before it goes up to be packed.

And that's Maldon salt. Nothing added,

nothing taken away, and naturally harvested like this.

That's fantastic, isn't it? How much salt do you produce a year?

It's about 1,500 tonnes a year.

-That's a lot!

-Well, it's a lot of small little boxes.

-Yeah.

About 65, 70 per cent, though, that we produce is exported.

-Is it?

-Yep.

-Where to, mainly? All over the world?

Literally all over the world.

I suppose our biggest markets would be Scandinavia, Australasia, but we go

to South Africa and America.

Good for you. I can't wait to have some on my salad tonight for supper, I really can't.

-Great.

-Looking forward to that!

So the next time you sprinkle some natural sea salt on your meal, spare a thought for its journey

from these wonderful marshes here in Essex straight to your plate.

Now it's back to Southend High School for Boys,

to see if our experts can find any classic pieces

amongst the hundreds of people still queuing for their valuations.

Myra, thank you very much for bringing along Brun the bear.

I call him Brun, because alas, poor Brun

is this bear of Germany, and he's commonly called Brun.

-Does he have a name?

-Yeah, Bruno.

Was he Bruno, was he? Tell me about him.

Well, my father brought him back when he came back from the war.

I was four years old, and it was the first time I'd seen my father,

because he'd been away, you know.

And I didn't even recognise him when he came up the path to the front door.

I saw him and screamed, and went running in, but my mother went out

and put her arms round him, and he gave us that.

-And that was the little present he brought back?

-Yeah.

-Was this 1940s...? 1945?

-Yeah. '45, '46.

So, do you think... When he brought this, did it look in this condition?

Was it a little bit better?

I think it was probably better. But it was second-hand, he said.

Because I think this could be a Hermann bear.

I don't think it's a Steiff, because it doesn't have a button.

But it could be a Hermann one.

Not one hundred per cent convinced, because it's very difficult to date.

-It's certainly before the bears we see normally, which are jointed, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So it's like a carpet bear or a pull-along bear, and I would say certainly 1900s,

late 19th century, early 1900s, first part of the 20th century,

when this bear would have been made.

-And he's straw-filled, isn't he?

-Yeah.

-With this mohair.

He's rather handsome.

I think it could make £100.

I don't think there's a problem with making 100, at all.

And I would like to estimate it at 100 to 150.

I think it's delightful. It's just so fun.

And he's such a nice-looking bear,

and I think we should reserve it at sort of, you know, £80.

Now, when we do sell him, it will be quite sad, I know...

but you have to take solace that he will be amongst other furry friends.

-Yes, he'll have somebody to talk to.

-He will have somebody to talk to.

Victoria, thank you for coming along today

and bringing for me, I think, one of my favourite little pieces today.

What can you tell me about this,

is it something that's been handed down to you?

Yeah. It came from my grandma.

When I was nine she passed away, and it's been in the back of my wardrobe.

The back of your wardrobe?

-Yeah. It doesn't look very pretty.

-You don't like it?

-No.

-Don't you?

No! What does it match?

Well, it's right up MY street, I must say.

It's a piece of genuine English 18th-century pottery,

a bit of creamware, which is a type of pottery

that was developed in Staffordshire.

One of the most famous names associated with creamware

is Josiah Wedgwood - a name you've probably heard of, Wedgwood.

He developed this type of earthenware,

which was then covered with this thin lead glaze

to try and create the feel and look of porcelain,

because we in England didn't know how to make porcelain.

Certainly in the Staffordshire regions

they weren't making porcelain until the very late 18th century.

Another point is this rather attractive

little sprig decoration.

Now, I don't know who that is,

I haven't had a lot of time to do any research on it today.

But what is going to make a huge difference to the value

-is the condition of it.

-Yeah.

Now, you tell me it's at the back of your wardrobe.

It's got a bit of a chip up here. It's got a bit of a hairline crack.

Well, it's 200 years old. I mean, if I look that good in 200 years, I'll be quite happy!

I think if it had been perfect - and it's quite rare to find creamware in perfect condition,

because it is susceptible to the odd crack and the odd chip

just because of the way the body itself is made, it's not like hard porcelain -

it would have been worth a few hundred pounds, say £200 to £300.

Maybe more, actually. But you'd put it in at two to three,

and it's so nice I think it would do well.

Because of the damage, I'm going to have to rein in my valuation a little bit, I'm afraid.

-You just want shot of it, don't you?

-Yeah.

I'm going to say to you, let's put it in at...

£100 with discretion.

-So what should we put the reserve at?

-80?

OK, that sounds fair to me.

-Should it go at 80?

-I thought I'd ask you, because if you come back and say,

"I want it away", I would have hit you for the "no reserve".

-But I'm happy for you to say it's £80 reserve.

-OK.

So let's put it in 100-150. £80 reserve.

That's impressive for a cracked mug.

-You're happy at that?

-Yeah.

-Peter, thank you very much for coming to "Flog It!"...

-No problem.

..and bringing along some toys which don't belong to you...?

-No, they're my wife's uncle's.

-Right.

And we've just been into her grandmother's loft,

as she's gone into a home,

and these were literally in a dusty box in a corner of the loft,

and he said he didn't want them, so here we are.

He's got no use for them. Children have been and gone,

so he hasn't got sons that would have played with them himself,

so he's got no use.

He'd sooner have someone that would appreciate them more

in THEIR collection, rather than sitting in a box.

-Who gets the money?

-He does.

-Really?

-He does.

-But you've been here, you've queued...

-I know.

-..you've waited.

He might buy me a beer.

Now, the important thing with Dinky cars - which are not an antique,

they're collectables - are condition, and also boxed.

So we have the crane, the tank transporter

-and the eight-wheel Foden lorry, all boxed.

-Yeah.

The two pieces which aren't are the tank

and the Hornby 00 flatbed truck.

The climate for this is really good.

-Ah...

-I sell a lot of toys, I sell a lot of diecast,

-and these objects are always popular.

-Oh, right.

-Reason being, they're in good condition...

-Yeah.

OK, the boxes are a bit tatty.

There's a lot of people in their fifties, sixties,

who remember these as toys.

Nostalgia washes over them, and nostalgia wants to buy back.

So I think it's a good time to sell.

-Oh, right. Excellent.

-And they are in good condition.

There's a little bit of paint chipping.

The boxes I would give a six out of ten for.

Today's money, what I would see is you're looking at

£40 to £60 for this beast here, the crane,

similar sort of money for the Foden,

similar sort of money for the actual flatbed, the tank transporter.

The tank, without a box, in that condition, probably 20 to 30,

and the Dinky 00 and also the tractor, small value -

looking at sort of £15 to £20, £25 each.

And I think you should get between £150 and £250

-for this collection as it stands now.

-Excellent.

As well as selling the collection of Dinky toys, here are the other items

that are going under the hammer at the auction room.

Myra's father gave her this German bear on his return from the Second World War.

Although steeped with sentimental value, with three grandchildren

it's hard to decide who should have him,

so now she feels the time is right to sell him.

And finally, Victoria's 18th-century creamware mug,

which has taken a few knocks.

Well, it's 200 years old.

If I look that good in 200 years, I'll be quite happy!

Will this affect how much our auctioneers Mark and Paul Stacey think it could fetch?

Let's head back to the auction house in Rochford to find out.

Right, let's talk about this lovely creamware jug.

It belongs to Victoria. She inherited it from her grandmother

when she was eight or nine,

and Will, our expert, has put £100 to £150 on this.

And I think it's got charm. It's 18th-century, and it's got the look,

it's really got the look.

Definitely. Probably dating to somewhere between 1760 and 1780.

Possibly Wedgwood, but unmarked.

The thing I like about it is the tortoiseshell decoration.

It's a little bit unusual on creamware.

And also even more unusual is this little bit of sprig decoration,

the portrait on it. And the mystery is who is the portrait?

Very unusual to find that on a piece of creamware like this.

Downside, obviously... a little bit of damage on it.

We saw that, I think that's reflected in the value

that Will's put on this - 100, 150.

If it was in museum condition... well, possibly £1,000 plus.

Yeah, I'd go along with that.

So what do you think, Mark?

This morning, I've seen two separate collectors look at this,

so I've got a feeling that it might just do above the estimate.

So it's been handled, it's been viewed. OK, stick your necks out.

200...?

-Just under for me.

-I'm going to go just over, I think.

-Brilliant.

-I think it'll do a little bit more.

See, his cup's half full, yours is half empty!

Not all the time!

But before we find out how much it does sell for, let's see what happens to Myra's German bear.

We've got £100 to £150 on this gorgeous little toy.

I don't think he's a toy now, he's a collector's item.

But he's been a toy for you for most of your life, in fact since you were four years old.

Yes, that's right!

-Thomas.

-Hello, Paul.

-You fell in love with him. So did I.

Aaah, he's lovely! Lovely bear!

I can kind of understand why you want to sell him, but also, he's such a family piece now, isn't he?

-Poor chap.

-Yeah.

-Pastures new.

Moving on, Lot 580, we have a pull-along bear, Lot 580.

Nice little bear, that.

Two bids I have, and I'm clearing the book at £90.

Bid's here with me at £90. Any advance?

Bid's here with me, I'm selling at £90...

Maiden bid...and going at £90.

Last time, then...

-Just did it!

-Sold on discretion.

Sneaked him in. He's gone off to a new home, Myra.

-£90.

-Ah.

-Oh, a sad moment.

It is, isn't it? Aw, bless you.

Right, something for the boys right now -

it's a boxed set of Dinky Supertoys.

150 to 250 we've got riding on this lot, and they belong to Peter.

-How long have you had them?

-They're the wife's uncle's, they've been stuck in a loft for years.

-Have they really?

-Yes.

And when was the last time you saw them, do you think?

He hasn't seen them since the '50s, when he played with them, so they've literally been kept in dust.

-They've been preserved!

-Yes.

-That's the best thing, really.

Forgotten about and left.

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

-Thomas?

-Yeah, well, they're Dinky Supertoys, so they would be early '60s, so that's probably

the last time he would have played with them.

But I sell a lot of toys, as you know, and they should do quite well, actually.

It's the lorries which fetch big bucks.

They do, the Fodens et cetera. I mean, there's all these intricacies to the Dinkys themselves.

You've got to be in the know.

Lot 420, collection of three boxed Dinky Supertoys.

There we are, nice collection of toys there, Lot 420.

One, two bids I have, and I'm clearing the book at £140.

Here with me at £140, any advance at 140?

145.

150. Against you, sir.

155. 160.

165 beats me. At £165 now,

in the room at 165.

170. New bidder.

-That's good.

-175. 180.

At £180 now. One more, sir?

-Come on, come on.

-Shakes his head.

At £180, then, last time at 180...

£180, Peter. We'll settle for that, won't we?

That's good. Yes.

I think her uncle will be as well, because the money will be his.

-Exactly. I was just about to ask that.

-Yes...

-Hopefully, you'll get something for doing the day's work here.

-Hope so.

Good luck, Victoria. This is my favourite lot.

It's not a lot of money,

but it's something from the 18th century.

The purists will love this, little creamware mug.

-Mm-hm.

-And I know why you're selling it. You need the money.

You're going back to university,

-and you've had a bit of time off lately, haven't you?

-Yeah.

We've got £100 to £150 on this.

I had a chat to the auctioneer a little earlier, and you know what he said. ..I'll tell you.

If it was in perfect condition,

it could possibly do four figures. It's that rare.

It's got the tortoiseshell markings on it. But we're being realistic -

-I agree with Will, who's joined us now. ..Hi, Will.

-Hi there.

I agree with your valuation. The bit of damage might hold it back.

But if there's two purists, two collectors and they fight for this -

and this is what auctions are all about, people are here to buy -

they're going to stick their hands up, and they could get carried away.

Lot 190, we have the late 18th-century creamware mug

with the loop handle. Interesting little thing.

Lots of interest here.

I'll start the bidding here with me

at £200. Are we all done?

It's here with me at £200.

210. 220.

230. 240. 250.

260. 270. 280. 290.

300. 320. 340.

360.

At £360 now. Are we all done?

Against you on the phone...

-380.

-He's come in again.

-400.

420, if you like.

At £420 now

on the telephone, against you all in the room...

440. Against you.

-This is what we want, a battle.

-Yeah, let's get £500.

-You've got to round that up to 500, haven't you?

-480...

500...

520...

At £520 now. The bid's on the telephone.

Are we all done? And I'm selling at £520...

You see? If the collectors find it,

they'll push that price right up. Victoria?

-I'm shocked!

-That's a lot of money.

That's going to go a long way to those university books.

I can't believe that at all!

No, it was worth every penny.

Lovely lot. And fair play to Mark -

he's got the PR out there, he's got the right buyers interested.

In perfect condition it would have been 1,000.

-That's a shock, isn't it?

-I'm not going to be greedy!

-No, we'll take that!

-Good work!

-Congratulations. Thank you for bringing that in.

And what a fabulous day we've had here. Unfortunately it's at an end.

But there's going to be another "Flog It!" very soon, with plenty more surprises.

So from Rochford in Essex, it's cheerio.

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