Nantwich Flog It!

I'm at the headquarters of one of the top names in the world of pottery, the renowned Moorcroft.

It's here in Staffordshire that a team of designers create their remarkable work.

This lot will let me have a go at painting one of their designs later on in the show. I can't wait!

But right now, let's head west and flog it in the Cheshire town of Nantwich. Yeah!

The people of Nantwich are nicknamed Dabbers and they have a history of being strong-willed.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, they were the only Cheshire town to support Cromwell.

It's early doors at the Civic Hall and there's a rebellious crowd just bursting to see our experts.

And who have we got? The wonderful Kate Bliss

and the equally charming Will Axon.

It is 9.30, time to get the doors open and get this massive queue inside.

'Later on, I'll work on a special piece of Moorcroft which will be auctioned off for Children In Need.'

My hands are so thick and clumsy, I'm worried I might break off what's already been done.

'But how will this special Pudsey edition work out? Keep watching

'because we're selling it later in the programme.

'But first, Will has found something with regal origins.'

John, thank you for coming in today and bringing in a piece of furniture,

which we don't often see on Flog It because it's a bit cumbersome to bring in.

You've brought in this rather interesting stool.

From all accounts, from looking at it like this,

it just looks like a normal, almost Georgian-style stool,

but there's something about it. What can you tell me that you know?

It's a Coronation stool from Westminster Abbey from the coronation of George VI in 1937

-when I was just one year old.

-OK.

-Almost exactly.

It came into my possession when my mother died in 1990.

It's never actually been used and it's one of the things we've said that we really ought to shed

because we've got so much stuff, including furniture.

Technically, it's oak-framed, it's in oak, it's a stool.

It's limed oak, which is why you've got this white in the grain.

It's limed oak which, at the time, was quite fashionable.

-I suspect this is the original velvet upholstery.

-I believe so.

It's in wonderful condition because you've had this dust cover.

Even this piping around the edge is wonderful. It's almost probably as it was the day it was used.

If I turn it over, we can have a good look at the marks because that's the important thing.

So we'll gently turn it over.

And sure enough, you've got here the marks -

"Coronation, GR VI",

with the crown above.

Rather than the hierarchy who had chairs with backs, those at the back of the Abbey perhaps had the stools.

And I suspect this was a mechanism by which they all joined together, held together.

-When I was looking at it earlier, I spotted another stamp under here.

-Yeah. I hadn't noticed it.

I was looking for a maker's stamp,

bearing in mind they probably didn't get a lot of notice about George VI's coronation

because of the abdication of his brother, as we all know, to marry his future wife.

The mark I spotted was down here just underneath this iron bracket

and it's "Maple & Co" and then "London" underneath.

I suspect they're not going to be the makers. I suspect that's a retailer's mark.

So, after the coronation, these would have probably been sold on.

Perhaps they were sold in bulk to these furniture retailers, large retailers,

then it's been retailed in Maple.

I'll tell you now that a single stool, very similar to this, sold at the end of last year for £80.

-Right.

-That was up against an estimate of 50 to 80 and it made 80.

You know how auctions work. It can depend on who's there on the day,

-but if we go along those lines of £50 to £80, it's got to be worth £50 of someone's money.

-Exactly.

So if you're happy with that, £50 to £80,

a great bit of history, and not a lot of money really,

but hopefully, we'll get towards that top end.

And across the room, Sylvia has brought in a bit of family history.

This is a sweet little child's chamber pot.

-Can I delicately ask - was this yours?

-No, it's never been sat on.

-OK.

-Where did it come from?

-My grandmother bought it ostensibly for her first great-grandchild.

So where has this been kept?

Basically, in a cupboard in a box, looked after. It's never been used.

-I have to say it looks like it because it's almost pristine.

-Yes.

There are two things which are of interest,

the fact that it's by Shelley, by that factory,

and the fact that it's Nurseryware and has this lovely design by Mabel Lucie Attwell,

which is collectable in itself.

Let's just have a little look at the illustrations.

This little character here intrigues me and is quite important in the history of this sort of ware.

This elf was known as Boo Boo

and Mabel Lucie Attwell, a very, very well-known children's illustrator,

illustrated all sorts of fairy tale books, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Andersen's Fairy Tales,

but she had just illustrated a series of books about this elf known as Boo Boo

when the Shelley factory approached her and she began her collaboration with them as a designer.

It was her relationship with Shelley that established her not only as an illustrator, but as a designer

because the Shelley factory started manufacturing Nurseryware in the form of her characters

-and they produced a milk jug in the form of Boo Boo the elf.

-I didn't know that.

Here we have a great example of her illustrations.

And the fact that it's a chamber pot is a little bit more unusual

than having a cup or a beaker or a plate or a baby's bowl.

So that gives it a little bit more commercial appeal.

So why do you want to get rid of it?

It's not really that I want to sell it. It's just sitting in the loft.

My son is very minimalist and I don't think he'd want a chamber pot on his mantelpiece.

I think at auction, taking into account all those factors,

-we're going to be looking at between certainly £80 and £100.

-Oh, right.

-Would you like to put a reserve on it?

-I think so, yes.

If we put a reserve at £80, the lower end of the estimate, that will safeguard it.

-It should make quite a bit more, I would hope.

-Good.

Well, Margaret, here's a splash of colour you've brought in today.

What can you tell me about this vase?

It was my mother-in-law's and I think she would have bought it

-while she was on holiday in Devon, Cornwall, somewhere there.

-OK.

I've been married nearly 50 years, so I've known it longer than that.

-And it passed down to you?

-When she died.

-Via your husband?

-Yes.

-And is it something that you like?

-No.

Did this cause...?

-Well, you've accepted it gracefully, of course.

-Oh, yes.

This dates from that sort of first part of the 20th century

where everything was a bit experimental with this sort of studio pottery, shall we say?

-Now, you probably know who the vase is by...

-It's Ruskin.

-It shows us underneath that it's a Ruskin vase.

-Yeah.

Now, Howson Taylor was the founder of the Ruskin Pottery

and his son carried it on after his death

in that early part of the 20th century.

Usefully for me as well, the date also appears on the bottom of this piece. It dates to 1932.

Now, the Ruskin Pottery before the First World War

was a very expensive pottery producing very expensive wares,

mainly because of this rather fancy glaze that you can see.

They really experimented with glazes, this kind of souffle glaze, they called it,

maybe a drip glaze, bright colours,

and because it was such a difficult glaze to get right, it needed a lot of firing,

every time you fire something, the cost goes up in producing it.

Once we get into the later period of Ruskin, into the '30s...

This is the year before the factory closed. It was closed in 1933.

After the Depression and the First World War,

people couldn't afford to go out and pay the money Ruskin were charging for their more expensive pieces.

That's why I think this piece is not going to be as highly desirable as perhaps the earlier pieces.

-Have you any idea of value? What do you think your mother-in-law paid for it?

-I've really no idea.

My suggestion, estimate-wise, it's a bit of an old cliche, that sort of 80 to 120 estimate,

but it's going to be around that £100 mark, I would think.

If it was high-fired and a desirable glaze, you could put a nought on the end of that.

That's the kind of difference there is. Is there no-one you can hand it on to? You've not got daughters?

Well, I've got two daughters and one is very minimalistic.

-And the other one?

-She lives in Spain.

-Right.

-You drop it on the floor and it would be smashed instantly.

-What, with the tiled floors?

-Yeah.

-Is the money going to go towards a visit?

-Yes, probably, an extra visit.

Why don't we try it at 80-120 with an 80 reserve?

-That's fine.

-Do you think Mother-in-law is looking down at us? Is she cross?

-No.

Next up, Kate has found some silver belonging to Patricia.

-This is a very smart silver ink stand. Is this something you've had for a long time?

-Yes.

I bought it about 40 years ago.

I saw it in, um... an antique shop in Oxford.

-Right.

-And decided that it would make a very nice birthday present

for my gentleman friend.

-But you still have it, so it never made it to the gentleman friend?

-No.

-What happened?

-When I got it home and really looked at it,

it was far too pretty to give away.

He wasn't that nice then, obviously!

No, he wasn't. Not really.

I think this actually would have been made for a gentleman really

or a lady, but primarily for a gentleman to sit on his desk.

-And it's the epitome of restrained elegance, I would say.

-Definitely.

-I love the way it's just raised up on these lovely little scrolled...

-Beautiful little feet.

-Paw feet.

-Most attractive.

-Very nice. And all in super condition as well.

One thing you look for on pieces of silver like this is the hallmark,

-of course, which helps us date it.

-Yes.

Here you see the little anchor mark which means the silver was tested in Birmingham.

We have a date letter here for 1946,

so it's George VI in period.

-Oh, right.

-You look surprised.

Yes, I had absolutely no idea of the age.

The other good thing is the maker's mark for Mappin & Webb who were leading Birmingham silversmiths,

so that's a good sign of quality and something a buyer would look for.

I love the way the glass is faceted and cut, not moulded, which is another sign of quality.

And it's cut to fit into these little square recesses really nicely, so it just sinks in there,

but this one has been dropped or knocked and we've got quite a chunk out of the glass there.

But it sits in its little square

and you can't see the damage.

So why do you want to sell it now? You've had it all these years.

-My great-grandparents were Irish.

-Right.

And they sailed out to Vancouver...

-..during the Potato Famine.

-Right.

And we used to receive food parcels from them during the war,

-so the contact was kept up with them.

-Right.

And I really, really, really would love to go out to Vancouver

and just see where they went and what it was like,

so this money is the beginning of the Vancouver Fund.

It sounds like the trip of a lifetime!

Well, I would put a conservative estimate at auction of £70 to £100.

-Right.

-How do you feel about that?

-Yes, that's...

-That's OK?

We ought to put a reserve on it, so it doesn't sell for less than what I believe is a fair market value.

I would like to put a reserve at the lower end of the estimate - £70. Does that sound all right to you?

Well, could you sort of push it up just a wee bit to maybe 80?

I don't think that's unreasonable. We'll say £80 as a fixed reserve and let's hope you have a great trip.

There we are. Now it's time to head off to auction.

We'll be back later as there are more antiques awaiting valuation,

so let's remind ourselves of the items going under the hammer.

First we had the Coronation stool.

John had never sat on it, so let's hope the buyers appreciate the lack of wear and tear.

The Lucie Attwell piece excited Kate, although not everyone agrees on its finer points.

I don't think my son would want a chamber pot on his mantelpiece.

Margaret is hoping the sale of her Ruskin vase will fund a trip to Spain

and the money from the sale of Patricia's inkwell is also destined for a travel fund,

this time a nostalgic trip to Canada.

I really, really, really would love to go out to Vancouver.

And this is where we're hoping to sell all those items today -

Adam Partridge's Auctioneers & Valuers near Congleton in Cheshire.

On the rostrum is the man himself.

I like this next lot tremendously, a Coronation stool from Westminster Abbey. It's real quality.

Had a value of £50 to £80. It belongs to John.

I know, since we saw you at the valuation day, you've had a chat to the auctioneer Adam,

and you've changed the valuation by upping the reserve to £60.

Yes, I thought the lower end of the valuation was a bit too cheap for that particular item,

not because I wanted the money, but it was a sort of...

-I can understand.

-Something in my gut said that if it won't fetch more than £50...

-It's not worth selling.

It stands just as much chance of selling at 60 as it does at 50, so it won't put any buyers off.

Or indeed at 80, which is what we want.

A George VI Coronation, limed oak, commemorative stool by Maple & Co.

There we are there. We've seen a few of these over the years.

What will we say for this one? £1,000?

I think he's having a laugh.

OK, I've got 55 bid. 60 now? 55 is bid. 60, are we?

At 55. 60. 5. 70?

-£65.

-That's good.

£65, mid-estimate.

All done now at 65? Any more?

65, we sell this stool at 65...

It would have been nice if someone had come in at £1,000!

It's in its original condition which people want.

-I would like to be in my original condition at the same age as the stool!

-Well done.

70...

5. And 70 now...?

We've just been joined by Patricia who is saving up for a trip of a lifetime.

-She's got a goal and it's a trip to Vancouver. It's great to see you again.

-Thank you.

We've got your Mappin & Webb little inkwell which is so cute and pretty.

I know, Kate, you love this as well.

-Anything we can raise towards this trip will be so precious.

-Yes.

Lot 610, and 80 for this one? 80 for this one?

60 then?

60 bid and take 5? At £60 now, at 60.

Any more? 5. 70? 70 bid. Take 5 now?

-At £70.

-5.

-We're online at 75.

I'll take 80 if you like? At £75.

All done on this one? Any more now? At £75.

Come on, a bit more!

Hammer's gone down. He's sold that. He sold it at £75.

-Yes.

-Oh, right.

-I think he got a bid online at 75.

And he didn't want to take it up because the next bid is the reserve,

-so if you've got a live bidder at 75, he'll probably reduce the commission.

-Make the difference up.

-So you'll get what you would have got if it had sold at reserve.

-We got the £80.

-It's a little bit towards the trip. Every bit helps, doesn't it?

-Yes.

Margaret can't wait to jet off to Spain, but first we've got to get her there

-and we need to sell that Ruskin vase.

-Yes, please.

-We're looking at £80 to £120. It's a nice thing.

-Buena suerte!

-That's Spanish for "good luck".

-Thank you.

-Here we go.

1932, the Ruskin vase. £80, please?

Who'll start me at £80 for that? 50 then? £50?

50 bid. And 5 now? At 50. 50 bid. And 5.

60. And 5. 70. 5. 80?

75 at the back. 80 somewhere? At 75. 80. 5?

80 here. £80. At 80.

£80, expertly valued. 85.

-90.

-Nice of him to say so!

100. 110?

£100. At £100. Here we are at £100. Any more?

At 100. All done then? Are we selling this one at £100...?

Bang on mid-estimate! Well done, Will.

-Brilliant.

-That's got you there.

-It has. Thank you.

-# Viva Espana... # Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Sylvia, this is a rare thing, this child's chamber pot.

-Yes.

-Especially made by Shelley.

-I've not seen any children's ones.

-I've seen one at auction.

-After the valuation day, I did some research and there has been one at auction recently.

-What did it make?

-A bit more than our estimate.

-We've got 80 to 100.

Let's find out what the bidders think. Good luck.

Child's chamber pot, the Shelley one.

A Shelley child's chamber pot printed with Mabel Lucie Attwell characters.

What do we say for that? £80? 80? 50?

£50. 50's bid. Take 5?

50 I have. 55 now? 55. And 60. 65.

And 70. And 5. And 80. And 5. And 90. 95.

100. 110. 120.

130? 120 at the back of the room.

Top end of the estimate.

All done on this one, £120...?

-Well done, Kate.

-Thank you.

-Well done as well for looking after it.

-It's quite a rare thing.

-It's been tucked away, yes.

Later in the show, we'll find a valuable piece of early Moorcroft that's had a rough ride.

I've got to be honest. When I first inherited it, we used it as an umbrella stand.

'To find out more about Moorcroft, I've come to the heart of the British pottery industry.

'This area is so synonymous with the trade that it is traditionally referred to as the Potteries.

'You may know it as Stoke-on-Trent.'

Today, Staffordshire boasts some 350 potteries.

Renowned names like Clarice Cliff, Royal Doulton and Moorcroft with its exquisitely vibrant style

were all born and based here, producing everything from the little egg cup

to the most expensive bowls and vases.

They may be all the rage today, but the industry has been around for centuries.

Pottery was established in the West Midlands in the early 1700s,

but it wasn't until 1897 that the world was introduced to a style legend.

William Moorcroft caught the attention of a local pot manufacturer, James Macintyre & Co.

And that moment marked the official birth of an artistic genius.

Young William Moorcroft already had a reputation as a gifted painter, even though just a recent graduate,

and he started working for Macintyre's as a lead designer.

With his vibrant, colourful designs inspired by nature, he soon captured the market

and he even boldly placed his signature on the bottom of every Macintyre pot.

He was a visionary designer and revolutionary in his approach to ceramic art.

Demand for William's work soon exceeded any other designer in the firm.

In 1912, aided by money from Liberty of London, Moorcroft left Macintyre's employment,

taking with him 12 members of staff to start his factory.

They marched 500 metres from the old premises to Moorcroft's factory,

taking with them sketches, designs, pot moulds and tools.

A new age of ceramics had dawned and the iconic Moorcroft was born.

'Today, Moorcroft is a much loved, worldwide brand. Its delicate,

'but intricate detail delights thousands upon thousands, and it's been a bit of a regular on Flog It.'

-How about 150, 250?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Definitely.

-They're not worth that.

-OK.

-They're worth 300 to 500.

-You are kidding?

-No.

'It doesn't often disappoint us when it comes to selling on at auction.'

-At 2,050.

-That is a great Flog It moment.

£2,050!

'So to find out why it's so sought after,

'I've come to the Moorcroft Visitor Centre to meet MD Elise Adams

'and take a look at their stunning collection.'

What an incredible room! Moorcroft is vying for my attention everywhere.

I'm surrounded! What is this room called?

This is the Moorcroft Museum, part of the Moorcroft Heritage Visitor Centre here in Stoke-on-Trent.

-How long have you been working here?

-I've been at Moorcroft for 12 years and slowly worked my way up.

Being a living art pottery, there's always something new happening.

-We've got a few pulled out from the cabinets.

-I've started with some early pieces.

This is where William started when he worked at Macintyre's, a local firm that was founded in the 1830s.

He started with pieces like this. This is Aurelian Ware.

-It's flat to touch. It's not like the pieces of Moorcroft which have the...

-Tube liners.

-That's right.

-Where did he get his inspiration?

-Very much from his environment.

A lot of British flowers, things that he would see day-to-day.

Then these pieces lead on to other pieces that come forward.

But he was very clever at this stage because, although he was working for Macintyre,

-he was signing all his wares "Moorcroft". How did he get away with that?

-He was very canny.

Macintyre's don't seem to have objected.

Pieces like this, it's got the Macintyre backstamp on it,

but then clearly in green is William's signature.

He's branding his own name, he's setting himself up for when he's going to go it alone,

so people are knowing these pieces as Moorcroft when in fact they're Macintyre's.

What's distinctive about this piece?

It's the very first range that William designs when he moves to this new factory in 1913.

This follows in 1914 and it's called Persian Ware. The shape was inspired by Middle Eastern culture.

William starts to work with Liberty & Co in London and they buy pieces of Macintyre Ware.

He then designs specific ranges exclusively for them such as this powder-blue ware

which they used in their Liberty tea rooms.

-Flambe.

-Flambe, wonderful.

-From blue to red.

-This was his technique, wasn't it? It was his little invention.

This was something he held very close to his heart.

He only passed the recipe on to his son Walter on his death bed in 1945.

He didn't let anyone else fire or load the kilns.

What period are we looking at now?

We're coming forward a little bit in time here to more contemporary pieces

and pieces by William's son Walter who takes over the factory in 1945.

But we do start to get away a little bit from what Moorcroft is all about.

There's very little tube lining on the pieces which is the opposite to what William had devised.

Let's talk about the new designers. Do they have to have a good archive knowledge of previous designs?

They're very aware of pieces that have gone before.

You often find them in here looking at old shapes and designs,

but they're very careful to always be moving forward.

But the process of Moorcroft has changed very little. It's tube-lined, painted and dipped by hand.

So, from that point of view, in 112 years, very little has changed.

That's great to see some animals.

It's by Kerry Goodwin, one of the newest members of the design studio.

She works here on our factory and is here today, so if you would like to meet her and have a look round,

-we can see how this kind of piece is made.

-That'll be interesting.

'The first stage of the process is mould-making.

'The craftsman hand-makes each mould with plaster of Paris.

'Next, the piece is cast. The mould is filled with liquid clay and then emptied, leaving a wet shell.

'When the clay has dried, the mould is removed, revealing the shape.

'The vase is then placed in a damp room overnight to harden.

'The dried vase needs to be smoothed. It's mounted on a lathe and any seams removed by hand.'

That's precision work.

'Excess flakes of clay are removed with a sponge, dipped in water

'and those familiar stamps are then pressed into the base.

'The pattern is inked on to a clear sheet of paper with a special ink mixed at the factory,

'then the wet design is pressed on to the pot with the tube liners to follow.

'Once the pattern has been pressed on to the pot,

'the famous Moorcroft tube lining can begin.

'They follow the pattern precisely, laying it on to the pot.

'It's a good job my work is being overseen by the designer who created this piece, Kelly Goodwin.'

My hands are so thick and clumsy, I'm worried that I might break off what's already been done.

That's hard. That's very difficult.

-It's not going, it's not running.

-You're doing quite well.

Come the final glaze, that will be very vibrant like this, won't it?

Yes, the glaze is the main part because the colour soaks into the pot itself.

Once you put the glaze on, it turns into precious jewels.

-All the colours come through.

-The whole thing just comes to life.

-Do you want to finish this?

-It would take me two days, not three hours.

-Can you finish it off for me?

-Yeah, I'll finish it off and send it through the kiln.

Thank you so much. I'll put it in a charity auction for Children In Need.

We've got a Pudsey scarf on one of those which you've kindly put on. Hopefully, it makes a lot of money.

And thank everybody here because they've shown me the secrets behind Moorcroft. It's alive and kicking!

It's time to head back to the valuation day at Nantwich Civic Hall.

There's no let-up for our experts and with plenty of people still arriving,

who knows what we'll unearth?

Alan, if you're a fan of the show, I won't have to tell you what we've got here.

-You know exactly what it is.

-I do indeed.

-It's a lump of Moorcroft.

What can you tell me about it? Is it something that you collect?

No, it used to belong to a great-aunt of mine,

who bought it new, which I do know.

It was then passed on to my parents who passed it on to me.

-Wow!

-So I've inherited it, basically.

-You've inherited it.

-The first thing that strikes me is the size of the piece.

-It is large.

And with Moorcroft, they do say bigger is better.

And also the condition.

I mean, it's come some way from... I don't know, when was it bought, do you think? The 1920s?

-Yes, the early '20s, something like that.

-It's around that sort of production period.

We're talking 80-plus years and it hasn't had a chip or a crack.

Has it been cherished by you?

When I first inherited it, we used it as an umbrella stand.

-You are joking?

-No.

-And it still survived?

-When I say it now, it's frightening.

-Until I realised what Moorcroft was...

-Then you thought...

-It's been upstairs in the bedroom.

-Tucked away?

-Out of the way.

If we look at the marks underneath, we've got a good, strong signature of William Moorcroft there.

In the green which means it's an earlier mark. Later on, he signed in blue.

Then after that, it became his son's signature.

Once you get into that period, it tends to be less collected, it becomes a bit more mass-produced.

A lot of people might say this looks a bit dull, it doesn't look as bright as the normal Moorcroft,

which is quite vibrant and vivid.

-I have seen brighter ones.

-That's quite a nice touch, as far as collecting it goes.

Again it means that this is an early piece of Moorcroft.

Have you got any ideas of value?

-Only vaguely. I'm honestly hoping it could be worth between £200 and £300.

-£200 and £300?

-Yeah.

-I'll see if I've got my wallet on me because I might give you £200 for this.

-Hang on!

-We haven't shaken on it yet.

-No.

I think it's worth between £400 and £600, so double what you thought, Alan.

-You've shocked me.

-Really?

-Yes. You have surprised me.

-There's no-one you can pass it on to?

-No.

-It's come through the family this far.

-My children don't want it.

-They're not interested.

-Not interested.

We hear it all the time as auctioneers.

So I thought, "Let's sell it and let somebody else get the pleasure of it."

-Reserve it at £400?

-Yes, certainly.

It'll get good coverage from the auction house, still well collected, early piece.

-I think you'll do well.

-Brilliant.

Kate has also found something worth its weight in gold, belonging to June.

I can see from what you're wearing that you like wearing gold.

-Have you worn this quite a bit?

-Not a great deal. It's a bit heavy.

That's why I've brought it today really, to see what it was worth.

-So where did it come from?

-I think originally I bought it

in this hall at an antique fair.

-Actually here?

-Yes.

-That's interesting. How long ago was that?

-About 30 years. A long time.

Originally, I think it was a watch albert.

A gentleman would have worn it on his waistcoat

with perhaps a watch on one side

and often a little vesta case to hold matches on the other side.

But here we have it, it's still got the little fob on the end,

and that's marked "9C" for 9-carat,

as opposed to 18 or even purer gold, 22-carat.

I love these rectangular links that are interspersed within the design

which are almost Art Deco in style.

-A bit different.

-They are a bit different.

So did you have it transformed into a bracelet?

-Yes, I thought I might wear it a bit more often, but I haven't really.

-Right.

Gold is selling very well at the moment, so I think you've actually brought a very commercial piece.

And very commercial in that somebody would wear it as a bracelet twice over like that.

-Yeah.

-And the weight of it, of course, is pretty heavy. There's quite a bit of gold in there.

I haven't weighed it exactly, but I would think, at auction,

that's going to fetch you between £300 and £500.

-How does that sound?

-That sounds fine.

-Can you remember what you paid for it?

-200 or something like that, so it was quite expensive at the time.

But because it was so heavy, we thought it was maybe an investment.

-It's been quite a good investment and how funny that it's come back to where you purchased it!

-Exactly.

Jane, you've brought in a rather fine selection of stoneware mugs.

Are these used at home, full of tea and coffee perhaps every morning?

No, they sit on top of my dresser, so I don't see them directly in front of me.

-And they're semi-inherited from a relation 25 years ago.

-OK.

I felt this was the time to bring them to be valued.

I rather like them. I think they're rather fun.

-They're Doulton Lambeth.

-Yes.

They're stoneware which was typical of the Doulton Lambeth factory that they worked in stoneware,

hence, actually, these colours

because of the actual material that they're made of.

The firing wouldn't allow for nice, bright enamels to be used.

I think it was 1871 when Henry Doulton,

who was the son of John Doulton who established the factory,

moved to a factory in Lambeth, hence the mark "Doulton Lambeth".

Now, he actually employed students from a local art college

to do work for him,

so it could well be that that's why there's a slightly arty sort of feel about it.

When you have a closer look, you've got these wonderful little verses on them, which I think are great.

This is, "Remember me when this you see, though many miles we distant be."

-That's quite appropriate, isn't it, for today?

-Yes.

Tell me, what's the idea behind getting these sold?

My daughter went to live in Sydney, Australia, last August.

-And as you can imagine, I'm missing her very much.

-Yes.

The idea is to try and sell them, then I'd like to go out at the end of this year to see her.

-Wonderful. It's all going towards a good cause.

-Yes.

When I first saw them, I thought they're in perfect condition,

but I had a closer look on this one and I noticed that the handle has been repaired.

It's got a small bit of restoration on the rim.

Then this one here, we've got a bit of a chip on the foot rim.

That really is everything. The first thing people do with ceramics is look for any damage.

-Yes.

-And I think 100 to 150 for the five,

-reserve them at £100?

-Yes.

-If they don't go at that...

-We'll keep them.

-They fill a space on the dresser, don't they?

-Yes.

And I'm hoping we'll get you sort of maybe halfway across the Channel or maybe even into Europe.

-Yes. Thank you.

-Thank you. See you on the day.

Before we head back to the auction room, let's recap what we have to offer up to the bidders.

John was surprised when he discovered just how much his Moorcroft was worth.

-You've shocked me.

-Really?

-Yes.

Kate is sure that June's gold watch chain will catch the bidders' attention.

Jane's Royal Doulton mugs are a neat collection and it seems that travel is a bit of a trend today

as Jane's putting the proceeds towards a trip to Australia.

The room is packed with bidders, so let's get on with flogging those items.

Fingers crossed, Jane, that we get the top end of the estimate.

Five stoneware mugs, Doulton. Big fan of stoneware.

You can ping it, it's rock-hard. I like the way it's fired at a high temperature.

-It has an earthy feel.

-Yeah, country pottery.

-I think all of these bidders are into their ceramics.

-I think so.

A little bit of damage, Lot 290,

but a good set of five Doulton Lambeth mugs.

£100 for these? £100, set of five?

Surely, £100? Start me there? 80 then?

60 bid then. 60 I have. Take 5? At £60.

£60. 5. 70 now? 70.

And 5. And 80. And 5. And 90.

And 5. 100? 95 at the back of the room.

I think he'll sell them at 95.

At 95. At £95. Any more now?

If you're all finished, we have to sell at £95, close enough...

-Will, you were right.

-It's the damage.

-It just holds them right back.

-That's a shame.

-If they'd been perfect...

-They've gone.

-You wanted them to go.

-Yes.

Adam used his auctioneer's discretion to sell the Doulton mugs.

It's time to sell the gold chain.

-There's a lot of gold here, June.

-Yes.

It's that chain which can be worn as a bracelet which Kate has valued at £300 to £500.

-You bought this at a fair where we held the valuation day.

-Yes.

It's all come home again. It's on home territory.

Let's see how it goes in the room. It's all now down to this lot, the bidders. Here we go.

735 is the 9-carat gold chain and bracelet, chain-cum-bracelet.

About 57 grams, this one.

And I'm bid 320, 340, 360. Is there 380 now?

-Yes!

-360's bid. 380. 400. And 20.

420, I'm out. 420, front row. Any more now? At 420.

All done then, £420...?

-That was quick!

-420, it just flew, didn't it?

-You've got to be happy with that.

-Oh, yes, indeed.

-15% commission, don't forget.

-Yes.

-Adam's got to earn his supper.

-He has, bless him!

-He's doing a fantastic job.

-What are you going to put the money towards?

-Maybe a balloon flight.

-Ooh!

-Have you ever done that?

-No.

-I have done one.

-Have you?

-It was very good.

35. 40. 45...

All done at 35...

Next up, we've got an umbrella stand, a rather expensive umbrella stand.

-It is if you live in Alan's household.

-True.

-It's a lovely bit of Moorcroft.

Why are you using something that Will has valued at £400 to £600 to stick your brolly in?

We didn't realise what it was. My daughter said, "That's a Moorcroft. It must be worth something."

-It's amazing how it hasn't got damaged.

-I can't believe it.

I'm confident we're going to break through that top estimate easily.

You heard it here first!

Very nice Moorcroft vase in the pomegranate pattern.

Lot 223. There we have it there. And I'm bid £300. Take 20?

-Come on.

-£300...

-320. 340. 360.

380. 400. And 20. 440? 440 bid.

Is there 460? 460. 480. 500. 520.

540. 560. 580.

-600. 620?

-Yeah.

-Done it!

At 600 on this one. 620.

640. 660. 680.

700. 720. 740.

-760.

-Keep going.

-780. 800.

820. 840. 860. 880.

900. 920.

940. 960.

-980?

-Incredible!

£960 I'm bid. Is there 980?

At 960, this one. All done at 960...?

-Yes!

-Yes!

-£960!

-Well done.

-Brilliant.

-Alan...

-I enjoyed that.

-I'm so pleased you didn't crack that.

-So am I.

-What a wonderful moment! We never expected that, did we?

-No.

-That was incredible.

-When you brought it to the valuation day, you had no idea it was worth anything.

-No.

-What's the money going towards?

-We're going to use it towards...

-Now it's this much!

-Change of plans!

-We're going to use it towards a holiday in Ireland with the dogs.

-How many dogs have you got?

-Three. Dalmatians.

-Oh, lovely.

-Yeah.

But now I'm going to buy Sandra something, my wife,

and my daughter something because she told us it was Moorcroft, so she deserves something.

What a fantastic result for Alan, but can I do any better?

Remember that Moorcroft vase I painted for Children In Need?

It's time to sell it at Golding Young in Grantham.

Right, ladies and gentlemen, Lot 50, the most important lot of the day coming up now.

This is a one-off, special edition, limited vase, painted by Paul Martin from BBC's Flog It.

The proceeds of sale are going to Children In Need, so whatever you bid, all the money's going to Pudsey.

Let's start at £100. Thank you, madam.

100 bid. At 100. It's going to be a long day. 100.

And 20. 140. 160. 180. 200.

250. 3. 50. 4.

50. 5. 50. 6. 50. 7.

50. 8.

50. 9.

50. 1,000. 1,100. In the room at 1,100.

1,200 now? 1,200 anywhere else?

I have £1,100. Any more now? 1,150 I'll take.

£1,100. My bid is in the centre of the room there.

At 1,100. You're all out on the internet and on the book.

It's in the room and selling, all the proceeds Pudsey gets.

£1,100! Give her a round of applause!

APPLAUSE

Thank you. That's brilliant news. Thank you so much. Bye-bye.

That's the auctioneer on the phone. The Moorcroft vase has sold.

It's made loads of money for Children In Need and every penny helps.

I hope you've enjoyed watching today's show. Join us again soon for many more surprises on Flog It.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2010

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