Sunderland Flog It!

Today, Flog It! comes from the banks of the River Wear,

once famously hailed as the largest shipbuilding town in the world.

Welcome to Sunderland.

Situated at the mouth of the River Wear, the shipping trade

and all things nautical has played a significant role

in Sunderland's history since the 14th century.

Later on in the show, I'll be meeting a man whose traditional skills

are trying to keep this proud heritage well and truly alive.

But first, we're at the Stadium of Light, home to Sunderland Football Club.

And shining their own light on us today, our experts Anita Manning and Adam Partridge.

Well, team, are you ready to get this lot inside and kick-off proceedings?

-ALL:

-Yes!

Our behind-the-scenes experts are hard at work looking through all the items brought along today.

First at the tables, it's Anita with a few gems.

Vera, welcome to Flog It!

I'm always delighted to see jewellery along at our valuation days.

I love these little lockets.

Tell me, where did you get them?

When I was a teenager, our next-door neighbour's mother used to visit periodically and she used to give

me a little gift when she came, and this time, she said, "I don't think I'll come any more,"

cos she was quite old, and said, "I don't think I can travel."

And that was the last gift she gave me.

But I've never worn them. I like them a lot.

-Perhaps not the type of thing that a teenage girl would want to wear.

-Yes.

You wanted maybe something a bit bigger and more extravagant.

Because these are quiet statements.

Let's have a look at them.

This little one here, it's a little gold-mounted, rock crystal locket.

It's a Victorian...turn of the century, really,

late Victorian/early Edwardian style.

We would be able to take away the back part

and put in a little bit of hair or a photograph or something.

Very pretty, very quiet, very understated.

But this one here is my favourite, and they say that diamonds are a girl's best friend,

and what we have are nice rose-cut diamonds.

Your auctioneer will measure how much we have

in carats of diamonds, and hopefully he'll put that in the catalogue.

These are very pretty,

but this one is the item which has the best value.

But also, it has that wonderful fin de siecle look about it.

It's charming of its period.

Price-wise, I would say if we estimate...

I would put them together as one lot,

because I think they'll help one another.

I think probably I would like to estimate them £100 to £150.

-Would you be happy to sell them at that?

-Yes, with a reserve of 100.

We'll put a reserve of £100 on them.

They certainly deserve that.

-Let's hope we have a good result at the auction.

-I hope so.

-Thank you for bringing them along.

-Ruth, how are you today?

-Fine, thank you.

-Welcome to Flog It!

And you've brought along something that needs a bit of love.

-Yes, a bit of TLC.

-A bit of TLC.

I had a joke on one of the researchers before we were filming.

I said, "Has anyone got any superglue?"

I said, "I've just broken a lady's plate," and she went pale.

But I'm afraid that's just me messing around.

For good measure, we've got a crack running across the back.

But this is your typical tin-glazed earthenware, known as Delft.

Some people watching this will be thinking, "What's going on here?

"They've got a broken plate with a chunk out of it, chips on it, a crack on the back."

And some people will be going, "That's lovely. I want that." Why are you selling it?

Because I would just bin it if I didn't sell it.

So have you had it out on display?

No. It's lived in a cupboard for the last ten years.

And you've brought it along today, for what reason?

Really to see just how old it was because I had a feeling it was old.

You're quite right. It's 18th century, hand-painted.

-Very nice, really, but sadly not a lot of money.

-Is it English?

-I think it's Dutch.

-Dutch? Oh.

-Where did you get it from?

-I think it belonged to my grandparents.

My mother had it from when I was about ten and it sat on the mantelpiece.

-So clearly it appealed to your mother to hang on to it because it's a decorative object.

-It is.

-So it was either Flog It! or the bin?

-That's it.

What I like to say some times is "check it before you chuck it".

Because so many times, people have found things in skips and in bins

and they can be worth hundreds, thousands of pounds.

Unfortunately, this isn't one of those moments when you're going to be keeling over.

I'm not going to fall off my chair.

Unless £30 to £50 does it for you.

It's more than I thought.

That's the estimate I would suggest on it.

And I'd like to think that a couple of people would give 50 quid for that and maybe a bit more.

-Happy with that?

-Yes, very happy.

-I would say no reserve, so whatever it makes, it makes.

And thanks for coming today.

'I love having a good old rummage around.

'You can stumble upon some really fascinating things.

'Just look what I've found.'

This is Professor Fuller's slide rule.

It really does hark back to the golden era

of Sunderland's shipbuilding days.

Used by shipwrights and many other tradesmen.

It's a very clever little spiral slide rule, dating from around about 1885.

It operates by an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder.

Both have a printed paper registration.

It's got all sorts of things you can convert from one thing to another, and we're talking about the decimals

of a quart, the decimals of a pound, the date of a year,

all kinds of things.

But if you move THIS section, the outer cylinder, up and down

and find a chart that you want to read... Let's just take this one.

There's inches

to millimetres just there.

What you have to do is slide the outer cylinder down to meet this.

So if I hold that with my finger and just drop that down, that is right on inches to millimetres.

What you're supposed to do then is look down this bar of the quantity you've got.

It will converts that times by that figure,

let's say inches from there,

all the way down to millimetres here.

So it does actually mathematically work things out for you, and it is very, very advanced.

-Hi, Joanne.

-Hello.

-How are you doing?

-Fine, thanks.

-Thanks for coming to Flog It!

I see you've brought quite an interesting maritime watercolour.

What can you tell me about it? Where did you get it from?

I inherited it. It came from my mother-in-law.

Her husband bought it years and years ago.

It used to be on the wall in the bedroom,

but unfortunately when he passed away, she put it into storage.

This is by a well-known maritime artist, William Birchall.

Dated 1915. His dates...

I'm just sneaking downwards cos I've written them on my leg.

I'm not that much of an expert.

1884 to 1941. So this is painted when he was about 30, 31 years old.

It's his typical subject. He was quite prolific.

He was a maritime painter. He did numerous shipping scenes.

I'm going to whip it off the stand now so we can see the back because I believe there's a title on the back.

"Night..." What does that say?

-Night Cruise?

-"Night Cruise, Bellona."

Presumably Bellona's one of the names of the ships.

"And Torpedo Boats 35 and 36."

So this is a World War I thing, isn't it?

1915.

Why have you decided to flog it?

Because it's just been stuck on the top of a unit since I got it.

-So you don't have it on display?

-No.

-Anyone else like it in the family?

-No.

Any idea what it's worth, yourself?

Not really, no.

As I say, he's got a good track record.

When we're valuing art, it's all about the artist, when they operated and what they make at auction,

and these are things we can look up in various books, even online now.

He's quite an easy artist to value because he painted a lot and they've appeared a lot,

so we've got loads of records of his, and they vary from 60 to even 400 or 500 for the very big fancy ones.

I'd put this one at our usual favourite, 80 to 120, which I think is fairly accurate for it.

-How does that sound?

-That sounds great.

If we tuck in a reserve at 75 just to protect it, because I think it must be worth around that.

-Yes, that sounds great.

-If it doesn't make £75,

it's worth coming back, and maybe you should hang it on the wall then.

Perhaps!

Sandra, what a beautiful piece of Royal Copenhagen.

Tell me, where did you get it?

It was a present from my mam.

Did you have it on display?

Yes, in my bedroom window.

-Looking out or looking in?

-Looking in.

Yeah, looking in.

Royal Copenhagen was a very good factory from

the late 1800s right up till today.

They always had very good designers who worked for them.

They were an expensive and quality porcelain.

They made a variety of wares.

But I suppose they are best known for their wonderful and well sculpted figures.

The design of the figure is classical.

We have on the body, a matt effect.

But on the plinth, we have the wonderful high glaze

that we associate with Royal Copenhagen.

But let's look at the back stamp and see if it tells us more.

Now, underneath here we have the mark for Royal Copenhagen.

And this mark here, 20th of the 9th, 1963, tells us the date.

So, although it's an earlier and a classical design,

it is a late model from the 1960s.

This mark here, "LBX", tells us who the modeller or the decorator is.

I've done a little bit of research on it myself,

and the LB I believe to be Lotte Benter, who was a lady.

That's excellent. It's great fun doing research, isn't it?

Now, I like it. I think it's lovely.

I like Copenhagen, and Copenhagen is hot just now.

Because it's late, the price will not be high.

I would estimate it in the region of, say, £70 to £90.

Would you be happy with it going to auction at that price?

Well, it was hoping for a little bit more.

I tend to estimate conservatively

because I feel that that encourages the bidding.

Would you be happy with, say, an estimate of 100 to 150 and will we take a chance on it?

Yes, we'll take a chance.

We'll put it in at 100 to 150 and with a firm reserve of £100.

We'll keep our fingers crossed.

It may happen.

If we don't get there, take it home and enjoy it again.

-Right.

-But thank you very much for bringing it along. And I'll see you at the auction.

-Yes.

I think we've found some cracking items so far

and I can't wait to see what the auctioneer thinks of them.

So why don't we put those valuations to the test?

Let's get over to the auction room.

And who knows, we could make a profit or two for our owners, eh? Will we be on the money?

-Yes.

-Yes. Here's a quick recap just to jog your memory of all the items we're taking with us.

These delicate lockets were given to Vera as a teenager by her next-door neighbour.

Although she likes them, she's never worn them.

Not the type of thing that a teenage girl would want to wear.

You wanted something maybe a bit bigger and more extravagant.

Joanne's maritime watercolour has been gathering dust since she inherited it from her mother-in-law.

Now she's hoping it will make waves at auction.

Ruth's 18th-century, hand-painted Dutch Delft charger is living on borrowed time, so will Flog It!

come to its rescue?

Why are you selling it?

Because I would just bin it if I didn't sell it.

And Sandra's beautiful Royal Copenhagen figure was a present from her mother,

but it's just been sitting in her window,

so she's hoping to turn it into another attractive figure in the sale.

And for today's auction, we've popped up the road to the pretty village of Boldon,

where we're the guests of the Boldon Auction Galleries.

Manning the rostrum today and keeping us all in order

is auctioneer Giles Hodges.

-Ruth, it's good to see you again.

-Thank you.

Ruth's saying goodbye to something she's known since she was 10 years old. No?

No. I've brought a carrier bag to take it home.

You think it isn't going to sell!

Oh, I think it will sell. It's 18th Century, it's something for the purists, it's full of character.

And I can see this doing the top end plus a bit more.

I don't disagree with you for once.

Have you remembered your new slogan?

-Yes!

-Go on, what is this new slogan?

-It's a new one - "check it before you chuck it".

-Well done.

-Does that look like it was worthless?

-Yes, and it was going in the bin.

A broken plate on its way to the bin, it's gonna make 50 quid or something.

Classic bit of recycling.

It's going under the hammer now.

We've got the Delft tin-glazed circular charger,

and a bid straight in on commission at £25.

30 anybody? At £25. 30 anybody?

At £25... Anybody else?

I'd like to see a bit more, wouldn't you?

At 25...

-It's gone. I would love to have seen that double that.

-Yeah.

That's a little bit of a damp squib really.

You CAN pick up a bargain now and then.

But look, it's gone. It's gone.

-You don't mind.

-No. No. No.

-It's still better than the dustbin as well, isn't it?

-Yes, it is. It is, yes.

That's what it's all about. You can't get greener than the antiques trade, can you?

Sandra, the next lot is yours, the Royal Copenhagen, the classical pose of a woman.

-Yes.

-It's been on the bedroom window sill for a long time.

-It has, and on the wardrobe.

-Why are you selling this?

Well, whatever I get for it, it's a day trip for me grandkids.

-Is that what it's all about?

-Yeah.

It's definitely quality. But it's not an early one.

No. It's 1960s, and it is a classical pose,

so it's not describing the period that was made in the Sixties.

And the Sixties' Copenhagen IS very popular.

But the quality is there, it's very appealing,

so I'm hoping for at least the bottom estimate.

-It's a day out.

-It is.

-It's a day out. Here we go.

We have the Copenhagen of Denmark figurine of the reclining nude.

I've got two commissioned bids and 110 start.

-Yes!

-We've done it.

-110, 120,

130, 140, 150...

160. Knocks the bid out at 160.

At £160...

Are we all done on the net as well? At £160, and we're away!

-That's great. That's really good, isn't it, £160?

-Great.

I'm absolutely delighted.

Well done Anita as well.

-They loved it.

-They did actually.

-Got to be happy with that?

-Yeah, I am. Very pleased.

Going under the hammer right now we've got a maritime watercolour by William Birchall

with a valuation of £80-120 put on by Adam, our expert.

It belongs to Joanne here, who since has done a bit of research and has changed the estimate, haven't you?

-Oh, dear...

-Tell me all about this, because I don't know, nor does Adam.

I did a bit of internet research and I also did some digging around in some old paperwork in the house.

I found it had originally been valued at £300-500 in probate.

Well we've got to move a mountain here now. It's all down to Giles.

The problem with internet research sometimes, when you see the prices

and you don't know about condition, size, subject, etc.

-There are a number of factors.

-Definitely.

Here we go. It's going under the hammer now. Good luck both of you.

The signed William Birchall, dated 1915, titled 'Our Defenders'.

I'm bid 100 to start it.

At £100... 120,

140, 160... 180...

At 180... 200.

Seated in the middle of the room. I'll take 10 from anybody else now.

At £200, it's seated in the middle.

At £200 for the last time... 200!

Yes! £200, brilliant.

-I think you're both right, do you know that?

-Handshake?

Both right.

Next up, it's Vera's locket.

Since the valuation day, she's decided to up the reserve.

£80. Anybody on the net?

Vera, we've got your lockets that your next door neighbour gave to you.

-Fingers crossed we get the top end of Anita's estimate.

-Very sweet.

They are gorgeous, aren't they? We'll find out now.

We have a lovely little lot, the small heart-shaped lockets.

I have a phone on my left.

I've got two commissioned bids.

-That's good.

-And I'm starting it at 180.

Excellent!

That was just plucked out of the air, wasn't it?

260, 280, 300...

-SHE GASPS

-320.

-On the phone at 320.

-That's a shock.

-What?!

-340 anybody?

At £320, are we all done?

At 320...!

Come on! £320!

We were expecting 150, weren't we?

The jewellery buyers were here, Paul.

Jewellery is strong at the moment.

Jewellery is really, really strong.

There's commission to pay, but what will you do with it?

Some of it's going to my grandchildren, and then I'll treat myself and my partner.

Oh, you've got to treat yourself, haven't you?

-Good luck.

-Thanks.

-What a shock!

At £125. All done?

That's our first visit to the auction room over with today.

We are coming back later in the programme, so hopefully there's gonna be one or two surprises.

-What about a value - what do you reckon?

-£50.

Good start. How does 500 sound?

-Wow!

-Yeah.

-Yeah, how about a thousand?

# The ships were wood way back in the past

# When sails made clipper ships go fast

# And oak was wood to make them last

# They'd keels of Sunderland oak, me boys,

# Keels of Sunderland oak. #

Sunderland has a long and rich history of shipbuilding dating as far back as 1346.

But what's not so well known is its equally important boat building heritage.

There have been little boatyards scattered all up and down the banks

of the River Wear for the last 600 years,

building everything from wooden fishing vessels to motor launches and lifeboats for the Royal Navy.

And like its larger shipbuilding cousin, the wooden boatbuilding

industry has played a key role in Sunderland's nautical history.

Side by side, these two industries prospered for centuries.

But by the 1950s, modern materials such as plastics and fibreglass,

saw the traditional craft of wooden boatbuilding all but die out along the River Wear.

A similar fate was soon to befall the shipbuilding industry, when the last yards closed in 1988.

The Maritime Heritage Centre was started by a group of volunteers

determined to preserve the city's nautical history.

The yards may have gone, but the skills of wooden boatbuilders haven't.

Well, not while 72-year-old Derek Rowal, one of the last surviving

boatbuilders on Wearside, is still practising his craft.

What drew you to boatbuilding in the first place?

Well, it was an accident really.

When I left school I wanted to be a cabinet maker.

I thought cabinet making was the bee's knees.

And of course I got into a cabinet yard just down the road here.

And I realised that all the furniture was made by machinery downstairs,

and upstairs they just assembled it.

So I left there and went to the local youth employment centre.

She says, "I think you might like this, it's boatbuilding."

So when I went round the boatyard and seen the trees and smelt the timber,

and the men were working with tools on the benches...

The linseed oil, the paint, the putty...

I fell in love with it straightaway. It was absolutely fantastic.

-I was right in me element.

-I bet you were.

So you've always been a boatbuilder?

Well, I served me time from '52 to '58. And of course in them days you had to do National Service.

And when I came out of National Service, you were supposed to

have been taken on for six months, but the boatyard was closing down.

But lucky enough, one of the yards had a cobble smashed up.

-Which is an old fishing boat, an old working boat?

-Exactly.

-You've got one down there, haven't you?

-Yeah.

Well, I've actually built one of those, a clinker-built vessel just like that,

with my dad, when I was about 19 down in Cornwall.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah, so I know all about the hard work.

It's obviously a scale model, but of who?

-This is the Venerable, she was a flagship at the Battle of Camperdown.

-So we're talking late 18th Century?

Yeah, when we were fighting the Dutch.

There was a local lad from Sunderland who was able seaman on the boat.

During the battle, the colours were shot down.

-In those days, if your colours come down, you'd give in.

-Yeah.

So he had climbed up and nailed the colours to the mast.

Came down, the colours were knocked down again.

When he climbed up a second time, he was shot in the cheek

and he still went up and nailed the colours to the mast.

They won the battle, and after they came home,

the king invited him down to London and gave him a pension of £36 a year.

-Gosh.

-So when he came out of the Navy, he was a pretty wealthy man.

He was a brave man as well. He deserved it.

So this is the reason why we decided to build this.

What's the next project for the Heritage Centre? What are you working on?

When we get this finished, we're going to work on the Willdora. It was a Dunkirk veteran.

-She's down the docks. If you wish, you can come down and I'll show you.

-I'd love to. I'll follow you.

Willdora was one of hundreds of small boats which set sail to France

as the German army drove all the allied forces back to the Normandy coast in the summer of 1940.

Despite being badly damaged by shellfire, during the evacuation,

she was credited with saving 200 servicemen from the Dunkirk beaches.

After the war she went back to fishing, and was later sold as a pleasure craft.

Years later, she was spotted, sunk, in Sunderland's South Dock.

How did you come by her?

One of our trustees bought it off one of the people on the Tyne

who left her two or three years and found it too big to handle himself.

And he was going to sell it, so we suggested we would buy it off him.

The reason she's out the water now is because she's taking more water in

and she had to be pumped out daily, we had to keep the pumps manned, so that she didn't go down.

And that's why she's out here now. Ready for the work.

-She is in a bad way. You've got a lot of work to do.

-Oh, yes.

When we get all this top side off here

she's got a lot of deck beams what's got to be replaced and also

something that has been missed out, her two beam shelves, have got to come off, which is a big job.

And that's just what we've seen up till now - we'll need to get down and examine it.

What plans have you for her, once she's finished?

We'll just take her to all the various venues where they have historic ships of this nature

and sail her round, you know, for people to see.

Wonderful feeling, isn't it, to think this vessel saved so many lives?

-Yes, yes.

-You'd be glad to see this in 1940, wouldn't you?

-I bet, I bet.

Keeping our past alive is what Derek and his colleagues are all about.

And it's great to see such an important part of Sunderland's

industrial past being so carefully preserved for future generations.

Back at the Stadium of Light, it looks like Adam has spotted some more nautical treasure.

-Mr Lesley.

-Yes.

-Welcome to Flog It! today.

I'm very pleased that you've come along, and you brought us some things of local interest?

-They are.

-Shipbuilding interest as well.

-Yes?

-Hawthorn, Lesley and Co were shipbuilders from Newcastle.

-Yes.

-How did you get hold of that?

-I bought it in a junk shop.

-Did you? How long ago?

-Quite a few years ago.

-Are these from the same place?

Yes, they've got the name engraved on.

"Northumbrian." I see.

And these are the fire hoses.

-Yes.

-Excellent. Well, they're rather nice, aren't they?

In my younger days when I was courting my wife,

she lived in North Shields, and lived in South Shields.

Consequently I very often went across in my car on that ferry.

-There's the Northumbria.

-Yes.

-So this has some sentimental interest from there, I suppose.

When you saw the plaque for sale.

I put it in my nautical collection.

-And that's how you came by it.

-Yeah.

-Wonderful. Do you remember what you paid for the plaque?

-Can't remember.

Probably about £20 - £30.

I have to ask you, why are you selling these things?

Well, now that I am old and fragile, I don't really have any feelings for them, so I am clearing out a bit.

Let them get on the market and see what they are going to make.

-Were these all bought at the same junk shop?

-Yes.

About £20 - £30 for the whole lot?

-Yes.

-Well, there's going to be a profit there, isn't there?

-I hope so.

-Yeah, what do you think? £100?

-£150?

-In that region.

-I think so.

Shall we put that estimate on them?

-100-150?

-Yes.

And a reserve on them of 100?

I would think so, yes.

-Put a reserve of 100 and we'll hope for the best when we go to the auction.

-Fingers crossed.

Thanks for bringing them in.

Fred, this unassuming little object

was made by one of the most prestigious glassmakers of the 20th century.

It's a little Lalique dish.

Tell me, where did you get it?

It was originally my grandmother's, and my grandmother died in 1959.

And she left it to my uncle.

And unfortunately, he died in November last year and it was left to me.

It's been locked in his little china cabinet since I was three/four years old.

As a wee boy, did you gaze into the china cabinet and look at it?

-I wasn't allowed to touch it, though.

-THEY LAUGH

It's a lovely wee thing.

Let's have a closer look at it.

It's a lovely little opalescent dish

with this charming mouse and probably the type of thing that

would sit on one's dressing table

and you would put your earrings or rings or that type of thing into.

If we left it up and look at the mark,

we see that we have "R Lalique, France."

And we know that this was the script back stamp

and they only used the "R Lalique" pre-1945.

So it has a good age to it.

Lalique was originally a jeweller,

and when we got into the 20th century,

he experimented with glass, and this is one of the little objects

that has resulted in that.

And now I would think that he is known more for his glass objects

than his jewellery.

If it's passed down the family,

why do you want to sell it?

I mean, before my uncle died he said, "Anything I have that's worth it, sell it."

I've got two little children, a daughter who's two-and-a-half, and an eight-week-old boy.

I mean, he was Grandad Fred to them.

So it is a case of, do as he wished.

And the thing is, this is the type of thing that little hands would want to go towards.

Once these things are damaged, they lose so much of their value.

I would value, although it's not a big piece of Lalique,

and not the most desirable of pieces,

I would still put it at estimate, £100-£150.

-Would you be happy to sell it at that?

-Oh, yes.

-Shall we go for it?

-I think so.

-I think it will find favour.

It will charm people. They will like it

and the Lalique buyers will bid competitively for it.

I would probably pitch the reserve about £80 - really only to protect it.

-I'm sure it will go much further than that.

-That's great.

-Thank you for bringing it along.

-Thank you.

Elizabeth and her friend have brought something along to set Adam's toes a-tapping.

It's really good to see musical instruments on the programme.

This looks like a very nice example of a concertina.

Some people call them an accordion, that's wrong.

Some people call them a squeeze box. Now, whose is this?

It was an old lady who I looked after,

and became a very good friend.

And after she died I had to get rid of it, out of her house.

-You cleared the whole house?

-Yes.

How long have you had it?

-About 30 years.

-OK. Where does it live?

-In the garage.

-The garage. Right.

-You've never used it? Never played it?

-No, never.

-How about you, Julie? What's your involvement?

-I'm just the neighbour.

-Friend?

-Oh, yes.

-Yes.

It's through Julie that I'm here today.

Well done, Julie, because the value of these things can very immensely.

Concertinas are quite in-demand, on the whole.

Before we go into that, I'll just show you the box. Leather case.

And inside, you've got the makers, Wheatstone of London,

and this is Wilkinson and Co, of Sunderland, retailers.

So actually, this has probably been in Sunderland all its life.

Retailed in Sunderland, and stayed here, but a London-made thing.

I'll put that to one side.

Because it's blocking my light.

The concertina is an air-based instrument, but it also works on reeds.

If you unscrew all these tiny little screws around the side,

this will lift off and you will see an arrangement of little reeds.

And on here, you see a serial number - 26546.

I've been on to the Wheatstone archives.

I know a chap who's very clever with concertinas.

We have worked out that it was made on the 19th November, 1914.

I can be that specific. Which is fascinating.

To get it that close to an actual day on which it was completed,

19th November, 1914, a lot was happening in the world then, wasn't it?

-Goodness, yes.

-Would you believe how much that cost in 1914?

26 Guineas. That's a lot of money.

-Don't you think?

-In 1914, yes.

Have you ever had it valued before?

-It's never been out of the case all the time I've had it.

-Never showed it to anyone?

-No.

-So, it's all down to Julie that you brought it along today.

-Yes.

What about a value? What do you reckon?

-I've got no idea.

-Really?

None whatsoever.

-Give me a figure.

-I couldn't.

-Julie?

-£50.

-Good start.

-I wouldn't even have guessed 50 because I have no idea.

-OK.

How does 500 sound?

Wow!

How about 1000?

That's more realistic.

Is it?

If I'm going to be conservative, which is always my way,

I think if we put a reserve of £800, that's sensible.

And an estimate of 800 - 1200.

That is going to get everybody chasing this, thinking they're going to buy it for £1,000.

What we say is, it's going to be a bloodbath. They're all going to be chasing it.

And hopefully, we're all going to be jumping for joy when it makes the

best part of £2,000, I would have thought, in the auction.

-I wish I could play it.

-So do I!

Unfortunately, I'm not going to get any meaningful noise...out of it.

But at least I've managed to annoy the people filming on the other table!

-Thanks for coming today.

-Thank you.

Well, that's it for our valuations.

Here's a quick reminder of what we've picked.

Bought in a junk shop, Mr Lesley's ferry memorabilia is a reminder of when he was courting his wife.

She lived in North Shields, I've lived in South Shields.

Consequently I very often went across, in my car, on that ferry.

Inherited from his uncle, Fred is worried that his two small children

might break this delicate 1930s Lalique dish.

Elizabeth inherited her concertina from a friend, 30 years ago.

But it's lain, forgotten, in a garage ever since.

-It's never been out of the case, all the time I've had it.

-Never showed it to anyone?

-No.

Well, the experts have had their say, but will the bidders agree?

It's time to find out, as we are moments away from our next lot.

But first, let's see what auctioneer Giles Hodges thinks about that squeezebox.

I absolutely fell in love with Elizabeth's concertina.

Best one I've ever seen, I think.

Undoubtedly so.

Good make. Very, very popular.

Huge amount of interest, pre-sale.

Condition is just superb for its age, with original receipt, photograph and fitted case.

The bellows are in immaculate condition which is obviously the most important thing.

-A little bit of oxidisation around the sides, but...

-That's to be expected?

-Yes.

We've got 800 - 1200 on this, which delighted her.

Right, well I'm confident we shall do well above that.

How confident?

I think we should be pitching somewhere between the 1500 - 2000 mark.

Going on the pre-sale interest we have had.

-Fantastic. Let it hit a high.

-It should do.

Hopefully Giles is going to push all the right buttons right now, get on the rostrum,

and knock this one out for, hopefully, £2,000.

Well done, Giles.

Before we see if Giles CAN, first to go under the hammer

is Mr Lesley's Tyneside ferry memorabilia.

Earlier on before the sale started, I saw plenty of people

picking up the plaque, viewing it and looking at it. Saying, "Yes, this is our local heritage".

-We've got a value of £100 - £150?

-Yeah, should do that.

-Should do that quite easily. Good luck. Here we go.

Fascinating lot, the pair of brass fire hose nozzles, stamped

the ferry of Northumbrian, with the plaque and picture as well.

Now decommissioned.

And I'm bid 120 to start it.

120, 130, 140, 150. Anybody else left?

At 150.

160, 170, 180.

190. 200. At £200.

-Anybody? At £200, and we are away...

-Local things.

At 200.

Yes! £200 - that is a great result. That's a brilliant result.

Everybody invests in social history now. That's what it's all about.

Great to see local things doing very well. Staying in the area, I'm sure.

Having a sense of civic pride.

There's commission to pay, but what will you do with the money?

-Stick it in the bank.

-Yeah, I don't blame you.

Save it for a rainy day.

Fred, there's a lot of people in the room.

The Lalique dish is also about to go under the hammer.

It's quality, good quality.

Lalique always sells.

This is quite a sweet wee thing. I like it, with the wee mouse.

And it's an early one. 1930s, so...

It's not to your taste?

-Not really.

-Come on, be honest!

It's a bit sissy for a big lad like that! THEY ALL LAUGH

Again, plenty of interest.

We have the Lalique circular dish with the little etched mouse.

I have got one, two, three, four, five bids.

And I'm starting it at £200.

-Yes!

-240, 260. At 260.

280 anybody?

At £260 - all done?

At 260.

Yes, yes!

That's fantastic, isn't it?

What will you do with that, Fred? There's commission to pay.

Two little ones, a little boy, little girl.

I think they will be quite well spoiled with that.

-What are their names?

-Phoebe, who's two and Joshua, who's 12 weeks.

-And he's here in the room?

-He's over there.

-There he is there.

-Bonny lad.

-Takes after his father.

-Yeah.

How are you feeling, Elizabeth?

A little nervous.

You shouldn't be, don't need to be.

-I was so excited when I saw that?

-Were you? I know you were.

-I had to fight him for it.

And Giles was really excited.

-What's your prediction?

-1800.

I'll go a bit higher, then.

-Two grand?

-I'll go two grand.

Just see what happens.

How exciting is that, Elizabeth?

-Very.

-And you had no idea.

-None whatsoever.

-Here we go.

So, we are on to Lot 245

which is the Wheatstone and Company concertina.

A huge amount of interest.

I have telephone bids. Are we all on?

There's a few telephone lines.

I love these lots.

And we start it at...

1500, and away.

Get in!

1600, 1700...

-Less nervous now?

-Yes.

-..1800, 1900.

2000, 21.

22. Tom's phone at 22.

Incredible.

-Anybody else? At 22.

-It's gone quiet.

-Everyone's very still.

-At 2200. The internet is out as well...

-£2,200.

-At £2,200.

We're all done at 2,200.

Thank you very much.

-That is a brilliant result.

-Excellent.

Absolutely brilliant. Elizabeth, thank you for bringing that in.

It has given us so much pleasure.

And a lot of excitement, which we have all appreciated watching.

We really have.

-It's brought me more pleasure!

-Yes, cos you get the cheque!

Well, it doesn't get much better than that, does it?

We've sold everything today. All credit to our experts.

They were on the money and, as you know, it's not an exact science,

it's not easy, but we had a flyaway result

with Elizabeth's concertina going for £2,200. That was sheer quality.

And it had great history. And it was a lovely surprise, and I hope you enjoyed watching this show.

Until the next time, from the Boldon Auction Galleries, it's cheerio.

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