Clacton Flog It!

Ice creams, miles of sandy beach and, of course, a pier.

The perfect recipe for a bit of traditional British antique spotting.

Welcome to Flog It from Clacton on Sea.

Clacton's pier was constructed in 1871 and it now reaches over 1,000 feet into the sea.

It survived a fire and storms and helped this Essex seaside resort becomes the attraction it is today.

And like most seaside resorts, Clacton has a history of glitz, glamour and showbiz.

And we've set up in the heart of this seaside town

at the Princes Theatre

and it looks like word has got out that Flog It is in town

because look at the size of this massive queue!

And I can't wait to see what's in all of these bags and boxes.

And later on in the show we'll be dipping into the world of variety here at Clacton's oldest theatre.

This stage has provided a springboard for many well known British entertainers.

But, first, helping me sort through all the bags and boxes are today's experts Elizabeth Talbot and

Will Axon and they'll be looking for today's star attractions.

And first on today's bill is a silver trio brought in by a local lady, Georgina.

Georgina, I love this tea service, this tea set, and I just feel like

we should pour ourselves a refreshing cup of tea now. That would be nice.

What a good idea!

What can you tell me about this set?

-It's obviously a silver tea set.

-Yes.

It belonged to my husband and it belonged to his father.

-Right.

-And I don't know where he could have been...

-So it might have been family silver via him then, through the family.

-That's right.

I mean, they're Victorian pieces and they will predate your husband's father by some way.

-Yes.

-Interestingly, I don't know whether you know, but the teapot and the milk jug are London 1844,

but the sugar bowl

is dated London 1850, and actually if you look closely and

compare them, you will see there is subtle differences in design.

Well, I've always thought it was oversized compared with the other two.

Yeah, I'm not too fretful about the over-sizing, because Victorians did like their sugar.

-Well, yes.

-And it did often come in large bowls, but it's more the question of the actual design.

Whereas these two are floral...

-Yeah.

-..between the vacant cartouches,

this one has more of a sort of a crest in the middle.

I can see what you mean, but I never knew it was different

-until your expert eye pointed it out.

-Well, there you go.

Live and learn all the time.

Interestingly, the shape of these, the melon fluted shape with the baluster outline

reflects very much the William IV period which just preceded Victoria,

so there's this transition into the Victorian era.

And the Victorians just through everything else at it,

so they threw all the floral design and all the lavishness of it, this wonderful flower

and the handles, so the Victorians just loved more rather than less. But I think, all in all...

Well, you tell me, what do you think it might fetch? Have you got an idea?

-375.

-Oh, my goodness! I think we'd better make a note of that to see how...

I like decisive suggestions, that's good.

Well, I think given the weight alone, it should make £300, and I would hope it should

make somewhere between £300 and £450, so I think, you know, you're quite in the middle there,

so I think between us, we should have success

-so we'll put on a £300 reserve...

-Yes.

-..if you're comfortable with that.

-Yes.

-OK. I think it's a lovely set, so thank you for bringing it in and we'll...

Do attend the auction, you can buy it!

I shall be at the auction, but I cannot buy it. So...

-No, no.

-But someone will, I'm sure.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

-Karina, Sue, welcome to Flog It.

-Hello.

You're sisters, right? Tell me I'm right.

-No.

-No?

-No.

-Mother and daughter?

-Yes.

-You're looking great, both of you.

-Thank you.

And you've brought in what's perfectly obvious - we're hidden behind these because

-neither of us are particularly gifted in the height department - but a pair of corner chairs.

-Yes.

So, Sue, are these pieces that you've inherited through the family or...?

No, a friend gave them to me.

Very nice friend, yes.

And you've had them on display in the house? Do you use them?

They were in my conservatory, but they didn't look quite right, so...

-Don't tell me they're in the loft.

-In the loft, yes.

I tell you, the number of times we hear that on this show.

They're in the loft.

-But at least you've held on to them and you haven't chucked them on the skip or the bonfire.

-No.

-Karina, you're not tempted?

-No.

They don't do anything for you?

-No, I'm afraid not, no.

-Really?

-They've got to go.

-They've got to go, so we've got to flog them.

-Yes.

Well, I like them because A, they're a pair of...

You know, anything that, you know, comes in pairs tends to be sort of

well received on the antiques and the auctions. And another thing, they...

The sort of shape of them, this corner chair, it really sort of harks back

to the earliest chairs that they used to make.

In the late 17th century, mid 17th century, they used to call them thrown chairs,

thrown being another word for turned, and you can see here on these spindles at the back and

along these top where all this is done by turning.

This is what they would call turning, so they sort of hark back to the late 17th century. They're not that old.

They're going to be late Victorian, that sort of period, 1890s, maybe into the 1900s perhaps.

That sort of late Victorian, early Edwardian.

They look to me as if they're made in beech, in beech wood, which is a reasonable wood.

It's not sort of Premier league but, you know, it's not Jewson's League either,

it's, you know, second division, shall we say.

-Value wise, they're not going to be hugely valuable.

-OK.

-I would say let's put these in at an auction with an estimate of 100 to 150.

-That's all right.

-How do you feel about that?

-Yes, yeah.

Yeah? £100 in your pocket, hopefully a bit more, maybe.

What about a reserve? Are you going to want them back if they don't sell?

What do you think?

-What do you think? What do I think?

-What do you think?

Well, my suggestion is... Well, I'm always a bit cheeky on reserves and

I like to go in without reserve, but they're not mine.

-I mean, let's protect them at £80. How you feel?

-What about 100?

You just valued them at 100.

-Yeah, do you think 100?

-With discretion.

-Yes.

-So 90, meet me halfway.

-Yes, yes.

-Yes, OK.

-What do you reckon, Karina?

-Yeah, fine.

-So they're £100 discretionary reserve.

-Yes.

-So at £90 they'll go...

-Yes.

-And if they don't reach that, they'll be in the boot of your car back down to Clacton.

Claudia, Mary, it's good to see you.

-Now, it's... That's grandma, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So, is this is yours, Claudia, or is it grandma's?

Well, it's my nan's and my granddad's.

OK. This dog needs a new home, I guess?

Yeah, it does because it's been in the family for a while now, but my nan and granddad have just moved

and they're going to sell a few things and split the money between the grandchildren.

-So you get to benefit!

-Yeah.

So it was yours, Mary.

-Yes.

-And you had a paint shop?

-Yes, wallpaper and decorating.

-What a lovely little business. Was that based in Clacton?

That was in Old Road in Clacton.

Are you going to take over one day, Claudia?

-No, the businesses isn't there any more.

-Isn't it?

What happened to the business?

-You just sold it?

-Yes.

-Sold it and now it's a block of flats.

-It's a block of flats!

-Yeah.

-Oh! But, nevertheless, you managed to hang on to this.

-Yes, yes.

-And you know it's made by Beswick, don't you?

-Yes.

-And there's a registration mark, there's a little stamp underneath, just there. Can you see that?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-These were first issued in 1964 and then they stopped issuing them in 1970, so it was just a short...

A short spell of time that Beswick were making them.

A few times on the show we've had these on and they've been full of cement

because the shop owners have filled this hole up underneath with sand and cement and it's left to set

so it weighs an absolute ton and they've used this little dog as a doorstop for the shop.

And we've also seen little holes cut in here.

-Yeah, we saw that one.

-You've seen that one!

Where the little paint tin's been used as a money box.

Well, this is in perfect, perfect condition, it really is.

And all credit to you, Mary...

-Thank you.

-..for looking after this little dog.

There are a lot of fakes on the market now.

-Right.

-Because these peaked at around £300 four or five years ago,

a lot of fakes have been reproduced...

-Yes.

-..which has now devalued the good ones.

-Oh.

-And even though this one is in perfect condition, I'd say it's in mint condition,

we might struggle to get that £300 today purely because of the fakes.

-Yes.

-So, if you're willing to sell this, we could put it into auction

with a value of £180 to £280 and still hope for that top end.

-Yes.

-That sounds good, doesn't it?

-Yeah, that does sound good.

-Happy?

-Very.

What would you spend your half of the money on, then?

-Well, a fifth.

-A fifth! Oh, a fifth!

-Yeah.

-Oh, crikey.

-I'll just save it.

We need £500 for this dog!

Well, a camel in Clacton is a comparatively rare sight, Paul, but you tell me your story behind it.

Well, a long story, really.

I started off getting involved in antiques and collecting about

20 years ago from a friend who introduced me to the subject.

I've been going to boot sales and antiques fairs,

auctions on and off for the last 20 years.

This one, I picked up about two years ago at an auction in Brentwood.

-Right.

-And I was just taken by the size of it, really, and the fact

that it's a bit quirky. I'm quite a quirky person and I think I was just taken to it quite instantly, really.

OK. Well, it's certainly an unusual piece.

Do you know much about the factory?

I know it's Czechoslovakian, but apart from that, it something I don't know much about.

OK. I mean, it's by the Royal Dux factory, which was founded in Dux in Czechoslovakia in 1860,

and they do favour a sort of Arabian and sort of desert type subjects, but in their heyday, during the

late 19th century, they were very, very influenced and influential within the Art Nouveau period, and

they did some very romantic stylised figural groups, particularly shepherds and shepherdesses

in very sort of artful poses and they were large because they were intended to be statuesque.

They were intended to be the equivalent of

almost painted marble statues. They were the bigger figures.

-Right.

-You do find smaller, more elegant ones, more in the size of Royal Worcester

or Royal Doulton sized figures, but most of them are actually quite large size.

And in the 19th and early 20th century, a lot of their figures

were actually brighter than this, they were more colourful. They used a lot of browns and greens.

This one is later. It comes further into the 20th century, but it still retains all

the elements of the original large figures that they were making several decades earlier.

-It looks to be in good condition. I couldn't see any damage.

-I've not seen any.

I've had a good look over it and it looks to be in perfect condition.

So, you bought it at auction. What did you pay for it?

-I paid £200.

-£200.

Well, you know, I mean, you get a lot for your money at £200.

It probably will be a little steep for where the market would support it at the moment.

I think a more realistic estimate is in the region of £120 to £160 at the moment.

Yeah, I expect it to have gone down.

-Right.

-Obviously if you get two bidders buying...

-That's it.

-..it may reach the 200.

That's the joy of auction. But you're a realist and you know the marketplace

well enough to understand that, which is important.

A lot of people fall short there.

Making a profit's nice, but it's not always possible.

No. Who knows - good condition, quality piece, well known factory.

-It's got all the elements of a good day, so let's go and flog it!

-Fingers crossed, yeah.

-Fingers crossed.

-OK.

Everybody's working so hard down there.

Our valuations are well underway, but we've now found our first items to take off to auction.

So while we make our way over there,

we're going to leave you with a recap of all the items going under the hammer.

Paul's Royal Dux camel has outgrown his flat

and after two years together, he's ready to let go of the reins.

Sue and her daughter Karina might have banished these chairs

to the loft, but Will's interest has upped their expectations.

-Yeah, do you think 100?

-With discretion?

-Yes.

-So 90, meet me halfway.

-Yes. Yes, OK.

With the price fixed, the corner chairs are heading to auction.

I loved the Beswick sheepdog brought in by Mary and her granddaughter, Claudia.

I give it a broad estimate of 180 to 280. This should get it away.

And, finally, Georgina's Victorian silver tea set.

It may be a bit of a mix and match, but Elizabeth loved the detailing

and is confident the bidders will, too.

For today's sale,

we've travelled inland to Reeman Dansie Auction Rooms

on the outskirts of Colchester, once the old Roman capital of Britain.

As you can see, the car park's pretty full which means there's going to be a lot of bidders

packed inside the room, and it looks like somebody has got an eye for quality!

And in charge of this arena is auctioneer James Grinter, who's almost ready to sell our first lot.

At the centre of the action now is this gorgeous centrepiece.

It's a table centrepiece, in fact. It's a Royal Dux, it's the figures with camel. It belongs to Paul.

Now I know you're a bit of a buyer and a seller, aren't you?

-A bit of a dealer?

-I like to make a bit of money if I can.

Hopefully we'll get your money back today.

-I know Elizabeth has put 120 to 160 on it.

-Yes.

-How much did you pay for it?

-£200.

£200. Not long ago?

Two years ago. I bought it on a whim. I really liked it.

-It was very big, it was impressive.

-It is, isn't it?

It's showy. That's what you want for a centrepiece, something, "Wow!"

So, hopefully the quality will get it away at the top end. We're going to find out. Here we go.

The impressive Royal Dux porcelain camel table centre with Arab rider.

There we are. The one as shown. £100 to start me. £100 I have.

-Yes, come on.

-At £100 now. Do I hear 110?

-At £100 is bid.

-Oh, come on.

Any advance?

110 down here now. At 110. 120. 130.

At £130. Down here now at £130.

Are you all done? 130 it is.

-Mid estimate, but...

-It's fair enough.

-Fair enough.

-Happy with that.

-Sorry about that.

-No, I'm happy with it.

-But it's gone.

Are you going to reinvest the money back into antiques?

I collect Poole pottery, so I'm hoping to buy one or two pieces of that.

-Early Poole?

-1920s normally.

-Ah, good period.

-Nice designs.

-Well, you'll pick up something for £130.

-Yeah, hopefully.

-Sue and Karina, it's great to see you again.

-Hello.

-I've got to say you both look stunning.

-Thank you.

-You really do.

Your corner chairs are just about to go under the hammer.

We've got £100 to £150 riding on this.

Plenty of dealers here and there's lots of good kit, so hopefully these will get snapped up.

Yeah, I mean they're nice, they're small, they're easily accommodated.

We all know we love a pair, so, you know, I'm sure that there's going

to be someone here who's going to fall in love with these.

Number 557 now is the pair of Edwardian corner chairs.

£80 for these somewhere? 80? 60?

-60's bid on there. At 60. At £60 now.

-Come on, come on.

Do I hear 65? At £60 is bid, only. At £60. Do I hear 65 anywhere?

No? At £60 only, are you all done?

No. That's it, the hammer's gone down on it, didn't sell it.

-Oh, no.

-Oh, well, they'll have to go back in the loft.

No, put them in the conservatory.

-No, no! They won't go, they won't go.

-Oh, what a shame.

Look, there is another auction room on another day if you fancy doing that again,

-but I'm just sorry it wasn't your day today.

-That's all right.

Now it's my turn to be the expert and we've got the Dulux sheepdog

made by Beswick going under the hammer.

It belongs to Mary and unfortunately we don't have Claudia with us today, so let's say hello to her anyway.

-Yes, she's very sorry.

-I hope she's OK.

-Thank you.

-I put 180 to 280 on this. Let's just hope we can break that top end.

-Yes.

OK, it's going under the hammer now. This is it.

Number 100 now is Beswick Dulux dog.

There we are, the advertising figure.

Can I start the bidding with me at £260? With me now at 260.

At 260 with me now. 270. 280.

290. 300. At £300 with me now.

At 300. At 320. 340. At 340.

With me on the book at £340.

All done now at 340? All done?

-Yes, £340.

-Very good.

-Brilliant.

-Well, done.

So, that's going to be split now between the five grandchildren.

OK, what are their names?

-Is Claudia the oldest?

-No, Jonathan.

OK.

Chloe, Ellie... Oh, I've forgotten Claudia in the middle there!

And Evie. Evie's 11 months.

Oh, all lovely names. Well, look, wish them all well, won't you?

-Will do.

-And have fun. Get them all together and spend the money.

-Yes.

It's about that time of day when we're thinking about a cup of tea.

Well, don't rush away to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

We are selling Georgina's silver tea service.

Why are you selling this, because there's a lot of silver here and it's worth a lot of money.

I've had my pleasure out of it and I need a new bathroom.

OK. And how much money have you got saved up?

-Towards the bathroom?

-Yeah.

-4,000.

-4,000!

-Yes.

Cor, this is going to be a posh bathroom, isn't it?

The shower is over £700.

It's a steam shower, it's got a radio in and I was tempted.

And it's only a little two bedroom bungalow but, boy, is that going to be a good shower!

Number 186 now is the Victorian silver teapot and

the two other items with it.

I have three commissions with me and

I start the bidding at £360 with me now. At 360.

Fantastic! At £360 with me. 380.

400. 420. 440. 460. 480.

500. At £500. Over here now at 500.

520. 540. 540. 560. 580.

At £580. On my left at £580.

Are you all done?

-Excellent, well done. That was brilliant.

-Fantastic!

£580! That's going to go a long way towards that walk-in shower.

-Well, it is.

-Instead of the radio, you could get a TV put in there.

-You could watch Paul!

-Now, stop being silly, Paul.

-You could watch Flog It, then!

What a great result!

And, coming up, Jacqueline was not impressed to find out her plastic box is actually ivory.

I honestly thought it was plastic.

When I bought it, all I was looking for was a jewellery box.

Until she gets to the auction.

I don't believe this.

I honestly don't believe this.

But, before all of that, it's show time at the oldest venue in town.

Welcome to the West Cliff Theatre, home for over 80 years to the variety show.

Now, the curtain is just about to rise,

so I'm going to get myself ready for a very special performance.

By day Bill Graham was a civil servant, but by night

he was a talented performer. So in 1894 he gathered some friends together and

they started giving open air concerts in Clacton on a piece of wasteland.

The first permanent theatre, the West Cliff Gardens Theatre, was established on this site in 1898.

Open to the elements initially, it developed in stages as a large marquee,

a timber building and finally to its current design in 1928.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, at enormous expense, stars of stage,

screen and the local job centre, for one night only, Bob and Reg, the Young Brothers!

APPLAUSE

# Oh, I'd give the world to start all over

# Back in the old routine

# To live my life in fields of clover

# Back in the old routine. #

Bob and Reg Young have come from a long tradition of acts that have

developed the variety show from its beginnings on the Victorian stage.

It's a collection of musical and comedy performances knitted together by a compere or host.

# Or calling encore, we'll walk in a wonderful glow

# Oh, see the joy to be there pluggin'

# Back in the old routine

# You're up, you're down, you're in there slugging

# Back in the old routine, oh! #

So, tell me a little bit about your career.

Well, we've been performing 59 years, 59 years this year, Robert.

-Yes, yes.

-We're getting on a bit now.

We started in 1950 and we started in a young people's club.

They began to start a drama group.

We thought we'd go into drama group, but it didn't turn out that way.

It certainly didn't, because two chaps arrived

who were obviously ex variety performers and

instead of a drama group we found ourselves at a concert party.

And he picked out his talent from our members at the club and actually there was no talent there at all!

-Not really.

-So, it was rather difficult for him.

Yeah. He had... He had a couple of singers and he thought,

-"Well, that's a start and we could do some chorus work".

-Yes.

And then he said, "We want some comedy," and he looked at us, didn't he?

And we said, "Well, we actually haven't done anything like this before."

"Don't worry, I'm writing a script for you."

-Which he did.

-Yeah.

-Straight in at the deep end.

-Oh, indeed.

-Well, you must know all the old gags, then.

-Please.

-Oh, yes. Some of them...

Well, actually, we are now older...

We are now older, Paul, than some of the gags.

-Between you and I.

-Yeah.

-I've got little bit of trouble downstairs.

-Downstairs?

-Yes.

How can that be, you live in a bungalow?

-No, no, I don't mean that.

-People don't think we rehearse.

They say, "It looks as though you're making it up as you go along." I wish that were true!

We spend hours, you know, rehearsing so that we get...

And, like all comics, it's timing.

Of course it is and you've both got great timing.

I always remember timing because when we first started doing

-professional work at the Savoy Theatre in Clacton...

-Big gig!

-Oh, big gig.

-Always a big gig.

And Max Miller, the famous variety star of the music hall,

came down for one week and he was supposed to be the man

that you used to look at and say, "It's the timing."

You see, I'm going to ask you a leading question.

-A leading question.

-Now, I want you to answer this truthfully.

-He said, "Have you passed water lately?"

-And had you?

Well, I had to admit I walked along the riverbank on the way to the surgery.

-And it's also wonderful to think of the wonderful performers that have been on this stage.

-Yeah.

-I mean...

-Tommy Trinder was one.

-Oh, Tommy Trinder.

-Remember Tommy Trinder?

Don MacLean. Old Jimmy.

-Jimmy Cricket.

-Jimmy Cricket, yeah.

-Roy Hudd, Roy Hudd.

And they all say that it's wonderful, the acoustics are great.

It's a wonderful little theatre.

It's like really performing in somebody's front room.

When I went to see the doctor, you know what he's like. He said, "What's the matter this time?"

I said, "Well, I've got a touch of the old lumbago again."

He said, "The lumbago again?" I said, "Yeah, I've got it again."

He said, "Would you go and stand by the window?

"Stand by the window and stick your tongue out."

I went and stood by the window, stuck my tongue out.

"Why am I doing this", I said.

I said, "Does this help the lumbago?"

-He said, "No, I've had a row with the bloke over the road."

-Oh!

-We'd better go home now.

-All right, we'll go, then.

-Got to go now.

-Cheerio!

-See you later. Right-o, bye bye.

The theatre is now managed by a charitable trust and

there's an army of volunteers, but only one employee,

Mike Bareham, who's also very passionate about this theatre.

Why is the theatre so special?

It was built as a variety theatre, a seaside variety theatre,

and that's what it's remained right the way through it's history.

-Besides, it has got a special feel.

-There is a nice feel in here, isn't there?

You can imagine when it's packed, there's a wonderful atmosphere.

Let's talk about the future. What does that hold for the theatre?

I think we look to the future very optimistically.

We have a very strong following in Clacton and the surrounding areas.

I think the thing that worries me most of all would be that

where are the big names of tomorrow coming from?

There are no longer the holiday camps, we don't have the variety shows on TV that we use to have

which were the proving ground, of course, for so many of the stars of the stage. So, that is a worry.

So I believe there is a bit of bad news because this year there is no summer season.

This year, it was just not possible for us to stage a summer season,

so we're basically busy working away to see...

-Planning next year.

-To see what we can possibly do next year.

I think one of the things we have to face now, of course, is that

seaside resorts do not draw the sort of crowds that they used to draw.

-No.

-We have put entertainment on every week.

-Well, that's good. That's fine.

-Oh, yes.

-We haven't closed our doors.

-Thank goodness.

-Far from it!

# Gee, the joy to be there pluggin'

# Back in the old routine

# You're up, you're down, you're in there sluggin'

# Back in the old routine, oh

# Give me the jazz

# The razzmatazz, and we'll tread on Heaven's scene.

# Back in the old routine

# That's where the corn is green

# Back in the old routine. #

APPLAUSE

Well, there's still plenty of entertainment going on

at the Princes Theatre, and Will has found some diamonds to put in the spotlight.

Jan, you've brought in a rather showy watch to show me today.

-Yes, yes.

-Is this something that you've worn through the years and had enough of, or have you inherited it?

No, I inherited it from my mother's jewellery

about ten years ago and it's been in my drawer ever since, I'm afraid.

-And it's very pretty, but hasn't been worn. It's unlikely to be worn, so...

-Do you remember your mother wearing it?

-No, I don't.

-Was it some something she wore?

-No, not at all.

So it probably hasn't got a lot of sentimental value to you.

It hasn't, no. To be honest, it hasn't, no.

There's not a lot to say about it. It really is what it is.

It's an Art Deco cocktail watch,

-diamond set. They are diamonds.

-Yes.

It's on platinum, which is nice also, good quality.

But the trouble with these is, you're selling it for the very reason people don't buy them.

-Yes.

-They're hard things to wear.

They're not terribly commercial, as we would say.

-Not something you'd wear every day is it, really?

-Certainly not.

Well, some people might, but not in my circles!

Now, the other problem that we come up against when we see these, they do get brought into valuation days

at work and at Flog It and we do see a fair amount of them because they were very fashionable at one stage.

People had them, were given as gifts. People often think that they're worth a lot more than they actually are.

-Yes.

-Usually because they see diamonds, platinum.

-Exactly.

-Art Deco.

-Pounds notes!

-Exactly.

For us it's a little bit tricky, we have to try and talk people down.

Now, have you got any idea?

Did you have a figure in mind when you came here and said, "I'm not going to let it go for less"?

Well, I thought it would be a four figure, but realistically looking

at it, I realise it probably won't be four figure. A three figure.

Let's go for three figures.

-I think two figures would be cheap! So, let's go for three figures.

-Yes.

I mean, I've seen these sell.

Like I say, we do see them in the saleroom quite often.

Not so good quality ones can make a couple of hundred, the better quality ones can make 400, 500.

It's that sort of price bracket, so what I'm going to suggest is, I think it's better than a £200er.

-Right.

-I don't think it's £1,000er.

-No.

-I hope I'm wrong on the day.

-Well, that would be nice.

So I'm going to suggest an estimate of £300 to £400.

How do you feel about that?

Yes, I'd be happy to go along with that, actually. Yes.

I mean, I'm not going to try and force you into it, but like you say, it sits in a drawer.

-It does.

-What does it do there? Nothing.

-No.

-It's got no real sentimental value to you.

-No.

-So as long as you're happy, let's put it in, £300 to £400.

Let's reserve it at 300.

Can we give the auctioneer a bit of discretion just in case?

-Yes, why not?

-I think once you've decided to sell...

-It's got to go.

You should go for it. Hopefully it'll make a little bit more than that.

-Yeah.

-Are you going to reinvest it in a piece of jewellery or something else perhaps?

-Well, probably not.

No, I think I might split it between my son and daughter

and they can treat the family to a day out or something.

Very nice. Are they aware of this treat?

No. They don't know I'm here!

Are you going to tell them or leave it as a surprise?

Oh, I'll probably have to tell them. My husband will tell them!

That's right, blame the husband!

-Yeah, he'll let the cat out of the bag.

-Exactly.

-It's been a pleasure meeting you.

-And you.

And let's hope we can get as much money in your pocket as we can.

-That would be great. Thank you very much.

-Well done, Jan.

Barbara, your vase has really caught my eye when I saw you in the queue.

-What can you tell me about it?

-Well, I work at the St Helena Hospice Shop in Clacton

and when I turned up for work on a Tuesday morning, as I always do,

it was sitting on the shelf and I just thought it was very beautiful and

thought that I would bring it along and see,

you know, what it's worth and if you can tell us anything more about it.

Do you know anything about it at all?

-Have you...

-We did have somebody look at it from...

We have a coin and metal dealer next door to our hospice shop

and he came back in the afternoon and said that he thought it was

about 1905 and that it was German, WMF.

-It doesn't mean anything to me, but that's all we know.

-OK, fine.

Well, I did notice that at the bottom here on the foot rim is indeed

the mark for WMF, which is a foundry

which was established in Germany in 1880 and

they specialised in pewter ware, silver and silver plated items.

-And this is actually a piece of silver plated ware.

-Right.

And they were very design orientated, specifically for the Art Nouveau market

of the period, which lasted from the turn of the late 19th century into the early 20th century, and

they made metal, which is obviously very solid, very heavy, into such a fluid, decorative form.

And the sinuous handles that flow from the top down, the baluster shaped body,

incorporating these lovely poppies are just so evocative of that period and that style,

so it's a lovely example.

Now, I do think from looking inside, being hollow all the way through and with no bottom to it,

I do think it probably had some form of liner at some point, possibly.

-Right.

-But in general terms, it's in very good condition.

So, have you, in the shop, been sort of wondering what...

what the vase might be worth?

-Yes, yes.

-Have you had any sort of...?

Well, the chap did say that because it doesn't have its liner,

he thought around about £25 is realistic.

I thought it would be worth a little bit more than that.

-Yeah.

-But, I mean, it's just something that I like.

-Yes, it appeals to you.

-Yes.

Well, I think that a realistic pre-auction estimate for this vase would be £30 to £50.

So, I side with you, I think slightly higher than £25.

And would you like a reserve on?

I think the £30.

-Yes, we'll put £30 reserve on, but would you allow auctioneer's discretion on that?

-Yes.

So, we'll have £30 discretion, £30 to £50 estimate, and we'll take it to auction.

So that means you can go back to the shop and tell them the good news!

Yes, I will do straight away!

-Excellent. Oh, thank you for bringing it in.

-You're welcome.

-Jacqui, thank you for coming in today to Flog It.

-That's all right.

And bringing along your item today.

Now, from the outside

I can do a bit of guessing as to what this is.

I would suspect that it's made of ivory from where I'm sitting.

I haven't had a look inside, so it could be a jewellery box, a little trinket box, maybe even a tea caddy.

So let me just have a look inside so I can make a decision from that.

Well, looking at the interior here, nicely lined in this felt,

I would say that that's a jewellery box.

-Is that what it's used as at home?

-That's what I bought it as...

to use as a jewellery, yes, and that's what I've been using up until today.

-So, do you do use it?

-I did use it, yes.

-You did use it. Not any more?

-No.

What was the reason for that?

Well, I thought it... I didn't realise it was ivory, I thought it was plastic.

-Yes.

-It was my husband that thought it was ivory and a friend of ours.

Does that put you off a little bit?

I've never owned everything in ivory, so I wouldn't know, really...

It's an interesting area in the auction world and you have to be so careful as to dating these pieces.

-Now, the cut off date is 1947.

-Right.

So anything pre 1947 is OK to sell.

-Oh, I see.

-Anything after 1947, you have to have a license to sell it.

-All right.

-And generally, most places will say, "No, we're not selling that."

Looking at this trinket box,

these Chinese...

what we would call chinoiserie panels, just Chinese figures amongst pagodas in a Chinese garden.

Yes.

I would suggest that it's come out of Canton. Canton carved ivory.

-Around that late 19th century, turn of the century, which is when I think this dates from...

-Yes.

..there was a lot of exports, ivory carvings from Canton.

So now you know it's ivory.

-Yes.

-You've told me they you thought it was plastic.

I honestly thought it was plastic. When I bought it, all I was looking for was a jewellery box.

So now you're giving me some clues that I don't think you've probably paid

the sort of money you would expect to pay for an ivory box.

-Come clean with me, what have you paid for it?

-A pound.

You're seri...

It never happens to me, does it? It never happens to me!

I honestly bought it as a plastic box.

-And where did you buy it from?

-A boot sale.

I tell you, I think the boot sales are pretty handy down here in Clacton

because I would estimate this, maybe a little conservatively,

it could make a bit more, at £100 to £200.

Now, are you happy with that sort of investment for a pound?

-Who wouldn't be?

-And we'll reserve it at £100 with a little discretion, 10%,

and really let's just hope it gets away on the day. I'm sure it will.

And whatever happens you're going to go home with the profit, aren't you?

-You've done well.

-Couldn't go wrong.

-I'll see you there.

-Right, thank you very much.

Well, now it's time to take our final trip

to the auction and here's a reminder of what we're pinning our hopes on.

Jan inherited this Art Deco diamond cocktail watch from her mother who never wore it.

Jan's followed suit, but hope some bidders will want to wear it with style.

Elizabeth valued this WMF vase at £30 to £50.

We're all hoping for the top end as the funds raised are going to the hospice where Barbara works.

And completing the trio is the ivory jewellery box that Jacqueline thought was plastic.

-Come clean with me, what have you paid for it?

-A pound.

Ivory is not her thing, but Will thinks this piece should set the auction alight.

Before it goes under the hammer,

let's catch up with the auctioneer and get his expert opinion.

Gorgeous little ivory jewellery box.

It belongs to Jacqueline. A wonderful fitted interior as well.

-We've got £100 to £200 on this.

-Well, I think it's going to do very well, Paul.

The Chinese market is very strong at the moment and they're buying back a lot of their works of art,

particularly ivories and things like that, and they've really gone up a lot in the last two years.

-What will it do?

-Well, hopefully it's going to do at least £200 to £300.

-Oh, that's fantastic, isn't it?

-I think it'll be all right.

You're not giving much away! You've got this grin on your face which says, "Yes, 300 plus."

-Can I tell you how much she paid for it?

-Please do.

-A pound.

-Really, that much!

She thought it was plastic.

I think she'll be very happy.

-I do as well.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, especially if it exceeds 300.

-Yeah, we'll see.

-OK. Well, it's down to you.

-Right, no pressure!

I think it's time to get on the rostrum and weave your magic. I'll look forward to watching it.

I'll do my best.

If you love the combination of platinum and diamonds, you will certainly love this next item.

It belongs to Jan and it's that gorgeous cocktail watch and I love it.

-A good Art Deco piece.

-It is nice.

£300 to £400. It's not a lot of money for the quality.

Well, no. I'm hoping it will go higher.

Oh, so are we, so are we.

Even Will is, our expert. Did you ever wear this?

-No, I didn't, no.

-A bit too dressy?

Well, it was in my mum's jewellery that was left to me and I never...

just never had the occasion to wear it, to be honest, so...

-Beautiful.

-It's good quality. I mean, the trouble with these

cocktail watches is a lot of people think they're worth a lot more than they are.

It doesn't stop it making more,

but you've kept the value sensible again, but like you say, for the platinum

-and the number of stones in it, it seems good value.

-Yeah, it is.

Number 326 is the 1930s lady's platinum and diamond cocktail watch.

I have two commissions with me and I start the bidding at £320 with me.

-OK. It's a start.

-Good.

-340. 360. 380. 400. 420, I'm out.

420 in the room now. At 420.

Do I hear 440? At £420, are you all done?

-That was quick.

-Yes.

-What are you going to put the money towards?

Well, I've got a son and a daughter

and I'm going to split the money up and they're

-going to have a day out, with the family.

-Oh, brilliant.

Barbara, the time has come! We're just about to put that gorgeous WMF Art Nouveau vase under the hammer.

A big fan of that Art Nouveau style, especially with

that naturalistic handles. You know, those stems.

Absolutely. Well, this shoot suits the shape of the vase itself, so it's a nice little piece.

Not too big, suits it very well, so we'll see.

Number 278 is the early 20th century WMF silver plated Art Nouveau vase.

I have two commissions with me and I start the bidding at £60.

-Oh, straight in!

-Do I hear 65?

65. 70. 75. 80. 85. 90. 95. 100.

At £100 at the back now. 110 in another place. Against you.

At 110. 120. 130. At 130 is bid.

The lady has bid now at £130. 140 on the internet against you.

-It's still going.

-That's brilliant, isn't it? That's really good.

At 150 is bid now. 160.

170 is bid down here now. At 170.

At 170 is bid down here now. At 170.

Make 180? 180.

At 180 is bid down here now. Are you sure?

-At £180, are you all done?

-Well, how about that?

-That's wonderful. Wonderful.

-You've got to be pleased with yourself?

Pleased for the shop.

-Well, spotted for you, though.

-Yes.

-Because if you hadn't you would have let it go to somebody else!

-Well, that's the point, yeah.

That is the point, so...

-It's brilliant. Thank you very much.

-Excellent.

-Thank you.

Well, this next item came from a car boot sale and it cost £1.

It belongs to Jacqueline and it's this lovely ivory jewellery box, which you thought...

-It was plastic.

-It was plastic. I expect the person that sold it to you thought it was plastic, as well.

Well, they wouldn't have sold it...

-For a pound!

-..as cheap as that, no, no.

It's going to attract a lot of buyers, especially from the Orient, because I had a chat

to the auctioneer, James, just before the sale started. You know what he said?

-Tell us, Paul.

-It could fly away. There's been a lot of interest...

-That's what he said?

-From China, yes.

Number 491 is the good quality 19th century Cantonese ivory casket.

I have four commissions on my book.

-Four!

-Four commission bids!

-And I start the bidding at £500.

-£500!

-My goodness me!

At £500 with me now. 520. 540. 560.

580. 600. 620. 640.

At 640. With Ian now at 640.

Jacqueline, what are you thinking?

-What's going through your mind?

-I don't know.

-I didn't think it would sell.

-720.

740.

760. 780.

At £780 is bid now.

I honestly don't believe this!

At £780 I'm going to sell it. All done now at 780.

£780! And that was bought for just one quid at a car boot.

You see, it is out there.

Jacqueline, that's a lot of money. What are you going to do with that?

-Well, I expected 100, because we're going to France in November to see my mother in law, she's 92...

-Wow.

-It would be nice spending money.

-Is she living there?

Yes, she's had to go and live with her daughter.

-So we go over there twice a year to see her.

-OK.

-And...

-That's going to pay for the trip, isn't it?

-Oh, my goodness!

-Spending money, as well!

-Spend, spend, spend!

That's what's what we like to hear!

-Thank you so much for bringing that along.

-Thank you.

It's given everybody the most wonderful surprise.

-Thank you so much.

-If you've got anything like that, Will and I want to see it.

Until the next time, from Colchester, it's cheerio.

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