Wilmslow Flog It!

Today, we've headed to the north of England for "Flog It!",

and we're in a sleepy, picturesque Cheshire town. Welcome to Wilmslow.

Wilmslow has a population of around 30,000 people, and the town is based

10 miles due south of the city of Manchester.

It's only three miles from Manchester airport.

So, fingers crossed, our items will be flying away at auction.

And later in the programme I'll be taking a trip back in time

when I find out more about one of my favourite artists, LS Lowry.

He probably would have been a bit upset by the label "matchstick men".

To be honest, we've banned the M-word in this gallery!

He painted so much more than "matchstick" figures.

But first, we've got to get the valuation day under way.

And this is where all the action is happening, the Wilmslow Leisure Centre.

Also taking a star turn today are our two experts, the wonderful Anita Manning, and James Lewis.

Just about to hit me! Have you found anything wonderful?

Yes, of course you have. There's lots of goodies here.

Well, it's now 9:30, it's time to get the show under way.

-Everyone ready to Flog It?

-Yes!

Well, everybody is now safely seated inside.

And I think Anita has already spotted something. Let's take a look.

Clive, James Bond is one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century.

-That's correct, yes.

-And today you've brought us along a first edition by Ian Fleming.

-And it's entitled "Thunderball". I believe you're a book collector?

-Yes.

So, tell me, in books, what are we looking for?

Condition is all, really. And a nice wrapper.

And it's in mint condition.

Well, it's very close.

The spine is in good condition, the pages are in good condition.

-Nice and white, aren't they?

-Tell me, Clive, where did you get the book?

I got it from, I think, a church fete some 20 years ago.

Did you recognise that it was a rarity, or a thing of quality?

Yes, at the time, yes, I did do.

Ian Fleming was starting to be very collected at that stage.

Another interesting thing I like about it is,

I absolutely love the design of this cover.

-That's right.

-And, we see this embossed design here,

of a skeletal hand.

And, again, that's in perfect condition.

Why do you want to sell it?

It's not getting any younger, it's starting to get a little yellowed on the spine there.

It can only deteriorate from now on, unless it's put in a bank vault.

Which, obviously, some people might do.

I can see what you mean. Once they do deteriorate, then the value...

That's right, it starts to drop.

Clive, I'd like to put this into auction with an estimate of £150-£250.

Would you be happy to sell it at that?

-I'd be happy to sell it at that price.

-Shall we put a reserve on it?

-Yes, because I am quite attached to it.

-Well, let's put a reserve of £150.

-And let's hope it flies.

-Let's hope so, yes.

I love James Bond.

So, I'm delighted that you've brought this in today. Thank you very much.

Cheers.

Well, Faye, when I was looking up and down the lines I was expecting

to see some really good, fantastic porcelain.

-But I didn't see you, did I?

-No.

-You've sneaked in without me seeing you.

And here are four fantastic pieces of Worcester porcelain.

Worcester is the factory that most people associate

with starting porcelain manufacture in England around 1747-1750.

It had been made in Meissen, about 40 years earlier.

And, until that point, everything we had on the porcelain side of things

came from China and the Far East.

This is known as blush ivory.

And it's not the traditional porcelain that we associate with Worcester,

it's known as a Parian Ware. And Parian was invented in the mid-19th century,

and it was made to copy the Carrara, white-marble busts that the Italians were making.

But, if you couldn't afford a solid marble one, you could afford the second best, a Parian Ware one.

So, we've got a pair of shell dishes and the pair of leaf-shaped dishes.

And the surface decoration here is flowering stems.

Now, half of this is transfer-printed and half of it is hand-painted.

So, what I'm going to do...

-these have been in store for a while, haven't they?

-Yes.

-In one of your cupboards?

-Top of the cupboard.

Let's have a... Nothing worse than the top of a cupboard

-for causing a little bit of grubby dirt.

-They've been there 40 years.

-They've been on the top... 40 years on the top of your cupboard?

-Yes.

-Gosh, they're spotless, then.

First of all, look at that.

See that white flower there? Look at that coming up.

-It's coming up white.

-It is white!

-I feel ashamed.

-Not at all.

There we go, look at that coming up.

-Beautiful.

-That is a super hand-painted flower.

If you hold it in the light, you can just see where the white is raised above the rest of the glaze.

That's because it's hand-painted. Let's have a look at the date.

If we turn this one over, we've got the green crown and interlaced Ws,

with "Royal Worcester England" around the underside.

Now, above the R of "Royal", and above the D of "England", you can see little dots.

So, nine dots. The first dot was put on in 1892.

-Really?

-So, 1891 plus nine, 1900.

So this was made in Worcester in 1900.

They're nice, I like them.

I'd say an auction estimate on those... One is chipped.

£150-£250.

The pair of shell dishes, £300-£400. Is that all right?

-That's all right, yes.

-Super.

We ought to put a reserve of £300 on this pair.

And a reserve of £150 on that pair. Is that OK?

-Yes, that's fine.

-Super. Let's take them along and see how they do.

-That would be great. Thank you.

What a shame about the chip on Faye's leaf bowl.

I hope the Worcester purists can see past it at the auction.

-Janet?

-Hi.

-Thank you so much for bringing this in.

I'm holding something that's called "Janet" here.

-It is yours, isn't it?

-It is mine.

-And I know you might be thinking

of selling this, and you want a valuation, but you're not sure?

-Not sure.

-It's got something to do with Edward Jenner, hasn't it?

Because, this is S Jenner.

Yes, I believe he's Stephen Jenner, Edward Jenner's nephew.

-And of course, Edward Jenner found the vaccination for smallpox.

-That's right.

It's dated 1872.

Look, there's Berkeley Castle.

-How did you come by that?

-My husband bought it for me from an antiques shop in Berkeley.

We were down there on holiday a few years ago now. Because it's me.

It's you! But, what's the story anyway?

It says "Sam Cornick and Rachel, the meet".

And it says, "To Berkeley Castle, one mile".

And there he is with his little dog. You've got a couple of guys being thrown out of a pub here.

Then, they're obviously in the village stocks.

Then they're back in the pub fighting.

And then they're making merry in the inn.

Making it all up. And then they're in the butcher's shop.

And then the final scene is the Dancing Master's Ball.

It's fascinating. I wonder who Janet was? Maybe Sam and Rachel had a daughter called Janet.

I have been trying to find out.

I've been looking at the census returns and things.

-I know exactly where you could get all the information from.

-Right.

Recently I filmed one of our little "Flog It!" films at the Jenner Museum,

right next to Berkeley Castle.

-Really?

-It's like an old vicarage where the doctor lived and treated everybody in the village.

-I'll have to have a trip there, then.

-Take this with you.

-I will.

-Let us know, won't you? Please let us know.

Because then the story will evolve and we can all find out.

If you decide to sell it, we'll sell it for you.

-OK.

-But, if you don't, take it to the Jenner Museum.

-I'll find out about it first.

-Thank you so much for bringing that in, Janet.

-You're welcome.

Alan, welcome to Flog It!

And thank you for bringing this delightful little ladies' fob watch along.

-Can you tell me, where did you get it?

-I bought it about 20, 22 years ago

in a second-hand shop in Colwyn Bay in North Wales.

How much did you pay for it?

I paid about £35.

That's not bad.

My father used to like mending them and playing about with them,

just for his own hobby. It's something I've picked up from there.

-As a wee boy, did you watch your dad...

-Yes.

-..footering about

and playing with all these little mechanisms and so on?

-That's what really drew me to it.

-Did you give that to your dad?

-My dad looked at it, yes.

-Did he want it?

Not really, no. He just thought I'd bought a nice watch at the time.

-And it's still working.

-It still works now, yes.

Well, let's have a look at it because it's a nice, clean little watch.

It would have been worn by a Victorian lady.

She'd have worn it at the end of a long chain.

This is a lovely, sweet little one.

It has a porcelain face, Roman numerals,

and it was made by Thomas Russell.

If we look at the back here, we can see this highly embossed back plate.

And that's lovely, and it's nice and crisp. We can see the hallmarks.

This is marked 18 carat gold, and that is good.

It was made in Chester in 1898,

so nice, little Victorian ladies' fob watch.

Alan, have you had this watch valued before?

I had it valued in '91.

And I had it valued for about £600 for insurance purposes.

-Of course. That's a high figure.

-Yes.

Even though that was 20-odd years ago,

the resale valuation that I would make on this little watch

-is much, much below that.

-Yeah.

Insurance valuation is usually four times, sometimes can be five times the resale value.

So I would put this watch at, say, £150-£250.

-Would you be happy to sell it at that price?

-I would, yes.

We'll put a reserve of £150 on it.

Let's hope that it sails away. I'll see you at the auction.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you for coming along.

I'm heading south from Wilmslow now, to the countryside near Congleton.

Isn't that beautiful?

The countryside. There's nothing like the calm before the storm.

In a moment, I'm about to go in there, into the auction room.

Adam Partridge's. We found some cracking lots this morning, and I'm quite excited about them.

We're going to put the valuations to the test, so let's go inside and meet our owners.

It's time for the book collector Clive to part with his first edition of Thunderball.

Let's hope it leaves our bidders shaken but not stirred.

Faye's exquisitely decorated Royal Worcester bowls had been festering on top of her cupboard for 40 years.

So, I'm glad they're now seeing the light of day!

And finally, will there be a market for Alan's 18-carat gold ladies' fob watch,

Which he bought for £35, 20 years ago?

It's now time to find out. The first of our items is going under auctioneer Adam Partridge's hammer.

I've just been joined by Alan in the nick of time.

Time being the right word, because we're putting his fob watch under the hammer right now.

We've got a valuation of £150-£250.

-I know your dad was a keen watch collector?

-Yes, he was.

-Good luck with this. Hopefully you can reinvest the money.

-I will.

601 is a late Victorian 18-carat gold ladies fob watch

by Thomas Russell of Liverpool. That's marked for Chester, 1898.

-I have interest here. Starting me at £160 bid.

-Straight in!

-Yes!

210 bid, any more?

At 210, 210. 210, any more now?

Anyone else on this lot? 18-carat gold. Are you all done at 210?

Straight in and straight out.

-Well done.

-Great result.

-Blink and you'll miss that.

-You've got to be happy with that?

-Very much so.

What will you put the money towards?

That's going to go for a nice long weekend back in Wales.

-With the wife.

-I might look and see if I can find the shop again in Colwyn Bay.

-That's nice.

We're now selling Faye's Royal Worcester bowls as two separate pairs, instead of one job lot.

Good luck, Faye. Royal Worcester, it's a quality name.

-Everybody loves it except for Faye. That's why we're flogging it, aren't we?

-That's right.

We've got two lots going under the hammer right now. The first, valued by James, we're looking £150-£250.

-And the next, hopefully the big figures, around £300. Quality.

-Lovely, really nice.

Royal Worcester doesn't let us down.

Such great quality. Royal Worcester is always great quality.

There were lots of factories that made everything from drainpipes to fine things like Doulton.

-I do love Royal Worcester.

-Worcester is always good.

We're going to find out what the bidders here in Cheshire think.

-319. Royal Worcester leaf-shaped bowls. £150 the pair.

-Come on.

£100, then, the pair?

100 bid. 10 now. At £100 bid?

At £100, any advance? At 100.

110, 110 bid. Any more? At £110.

120, 130.

It's climbing slowly.

-Very slowly.

-£120 the pair, any more now? 120.

-It's the damage that kills it.

-Didn't sell it, did he?

-No.

-No.

-OK. here's the second lot.

Again, a pair of shell-shaped bowls.

Worcester again. 1900. Lot 320.

I'm bid £190 here. 190. Is there 200?

At 190 the pair.

-Any advance on these?

-These have gone?

-Hope so.

-Over ambitious, I'm afraid.

-He didn't sell the second lot, either.

-No.

He announced that there was a bit of damage.

Maybe that just scared off the purist,

because Royal Worcester collectors are real purists.

They're so fussy, they have to have it 100% right.

All I can say is, there's another saleroom on another day.

You need half a dozen people that want Royal Worcester.

Maybe there was only one here today with no-one to bid against them.

-Possibly.

-That's the problem.

So, put them in another auction in maybe six months' time

if you really don't want to take them home because you're downsizing.

-I'll give one each to the grandchildren.

-You could do that.

Then they can decide what to do with it, then they stay in the family.

-Then it's not your decision, is it?

-That's right.

-Do that, Faye.

Next up, lot 007!

But, will Clive's book be licensed to thrill?

Going under the hammer right now, we've got a first edition.

Yes, it's the Ian Fleming. It's Thunderball.

It belongs to Clive, who's a book collector.

-How many have you got?

-A couple of thousand, probably.

-Gosh, that's a lot. All neatly on shelves?

-No, no, no.

-All boxes and all over the place.

-Why are you selling this one?

Just because it's not getting any younger. It's...

-Getting a bit tatty around the edges?

-It's starting to, yes.

I had a chat to Adam just before the sale started, he said £150-£250, "bit punchy".

I know we've got discretion at £150.

It would have been great if it were signed. But, fingers crossed.

Hopefully we'll get it away at your lower end, Adam's top end.

That's kind of what I'm thinking.

There's a lot of people here, things have been selling.

-You never know.

-Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed, yes.

Here we go, good luck.

478, which is an Ian Fleming first edition of Thunderball.

Lot 478, London, 1961. I'm bid £100, starting.

Take 10. 110, 120, 130, 140, 150?

140 bid. Any more? £140, are we all done at 140?

-So we've sold it.

-150, 160, 170?

-Yes!

£160, away, £160.

All done then, 160 for Thunderball?

-Brilliant. Well done.

-Thank you very much, thank you.

-And well done Miss Moneypenny.

-I'm so pleased with that, so pleased.

-Miss Moneypenny!

-Yes!

-Good valuation.

-I'm glad it sold.

-So am I. Don't forget, there's 15% commission to pay.

-That's right.

Plenty more books you can go and buy now.

-Well, that's true.

-Especially at £1 each.

That was a super result for Clive.

Later on, at the valuation day, I meet a guy who isn't afraid to gamble.

It doesn't need a reserve. It'll sell to the best person.

-You said it. No reserve!

-That's it!

-But, will the risk pay off?

-Who will bid me £1,000?

I'm ever so pleased for you.

I've come to the Salford Quays in Greater Manchester, which is

just a short drive north from our valuation day in Wilmslow.

I want to find out a little bit more about a Flog It favourite.

LS Lowry, one of my favourite painters

and arguably the greatest artist of the 20th century.

British artist, that is.

Every time I think of Lowry I always think of the industrial North West,

captured as a bleak urban landscape, with either crowds of people

or the odd lonely figure going about his business.

Everybody can identify with these figures.

Every school child will know them as "matchstick men".

Laurence Stephen Lowry, to give him his full name, was born on 1st November 1887 in Manchester.

He was the only child of Robert Stephen Lowry and Elizabeth Hobson.

When Lowry was 22, the family moved to a small house in Station Road, Pendlebury, in Salford.

Which was right in the middle of an industrial suburb.

Well, I'm not sure Lowry would recognise Salford today.

The smoking chimneys have long gone and been replaced with luxury flats, offices and shops,

down here on the quay at least.

But here is the flagship architectural delight.

Look at this. The Lowry, named in commemoration of the great man.

I'm sure he would approve of this building.

It's an arts theatre, an exhibition space, a gallery, it's got everything going for it.

In fact, it boasts the largest collection of Lowrys anywhere in the world.

So I'm really excited. I can't wait to get inside and hopefully dispel

some of the myths and find out more about the great man.

I'm meeting Michael Simpson, Head of Galleries here at the Lowry,

to gain a little insight into this iconic British artist.

Thank you for meeting up with me.

I feel really honoured to be surrounded by so many Lowrys.

There's no arguing, he is one of Britain's favourite artists.

The reason why I think he's so popular is that we talk a lot

about his landscapes but really, for me, he's a painter of people.

-He understood people.

-Yes.

He understood the working lives of people.

He understood about what it was like to get up in the morning...

-And go about their day.

-..and come home again.

To be honest, I can stand in front of a Lowry with a ten-year-old or a 90-year-old,

and it's the focus on people that attracts both ends of that spectrum.

He probably would have been a bit upset by the whole, sort of, label, matchstick men.

To be honest, we ban the M-word in this gallery, I'll tell you now.

I think it started as a term of affection but, in a way, it seems

to have defined his work and nobody looks past that.

Whereas he painted much more than matchstick figures

-in terms of landscapes, portraits.

-Seascapes.

Seascapes which are absolutely extraordinary.

That was just how he chose to represent this huge body

of humanity, if you like, ebbing and flowing in the city.

Going into work, coming out of work.

And rather than try and paint individual people every single time,

they become almost like motifs that swarm around a picture,

almost like worker ants or something like that.

'People often tell me that my fingers are long and thin

'and my feet are enormous. Well, I say, I suppose my figures may be

'long and thin, and the boots may be enormous but I'm not concerned.

'I don't mind it at all. They may be like matchsticks, they may be

'any way you like but I simply paint the people as I see them.

'That's all there is to it.'

I want to know a little bit more about the man.

Why did he move to Salford?

He grew up, when he was younger, in a very leafy part of Manchester.

A leafy suburb. But his father, who was a businessman, experienced some financial difficulties.

And, almost overnight, they moved to Pendlebury, part of the borough of Salford.

And instead of all these beautiful trees and country roads, actually,

it was chimney stacks and factories that formed the landscape around him.

So, this really was his inspiration from a young lad, then.

Famously, he says he got off a train one day,

I think it was knocking-off time. He was coming out of the station

and suddenly he sees these swarms of people coming at him.

And he sees the big Acme factory in the background.

Suddenly it's like a light goes on and he thinks, "This is extraordinary

"and I want to start painting it."

He was working as a rent collector for all of his life.

Why didn't he just concentrate on this kind of thing and sell it?

Because, as a rent collector, he would walk these streets every single day, virtually.

He'd see life going on around him and he was a very grounded person.

He worked for the same company, Pall Mall Property Company, for 42 years

when he could easily have given it up long ago.

He wanted to carry on doing it because it kept him grounded.

It kept him on the streets that he'd grown to love.

'I really don't know why I paint these streets.

'What I do feel that the pictures that I like the best are pictures

'done entirely from, call it imagination, if you like.

'Building up scenes from the blank canvas.'

I've taken a closer look at some of these and I didn't realise

the background, the ground actually on the canvas. Before he started painting,

there must be seven or eight layers of paint.

-He obviously didn't like the weave in the canvas.

-No, he didn't. He would absolutely plaster it.

Then he used to, pretty much, concentrate on using five colours.

-I've noticed that. A very palatable five colours.

-Absolutely.

Vermillion, Prussian blue, yellow ochre, ivory black and flake white.

They were his colours. But the reds for me...

I love the odd moments in his pictures where there will be a moment of red.

A little hot spot.

You gravitate towards it. You get drawn there.

It wasn't just the urban industrial landscapes. There were seascapes as well.

When did he move on to that?

After the war, I think. The Second World War was quite a pivotal moment for him.

He became an official war artist, actually

but that coincided with the death of his mother

and he became a little bit more inside himself and started painting,

frankly, quite bleak landscapes to begin with.

I think this is probably his most personal work.

He also did a lot of portraits, as well.

One of them I particularly like is the portrait of Anne who was this

very interesting figure that features in quite a number of his works

and there's a great debate about who Anne is.

If anyone can someday pin down who Anne is, they'll be able to write a book about it.

Again, it sums up his character.

He always liked to have this mysterious element to his character and to his life.

And, in this case, to one of the key figures that features in his paintings.

Did he paint and draw right up until his death?

Yes, absolutely. He was always working.

The irony is he died in 1976, just a couple of months before his major

retrospective at the Royal Academy. There were queues round the block.

At the time, I think it was the Royal Academy's biggest-ever exhibition of a British artist.

And that, in a way, would have been the great pinnacle for him.

I'm sure it is absolutely a tragedy that he missed it.

No, right up until his last days, he was still working.

-Thank you very much for making my day today.

-That's quite all right.

-I'll spend the rest of it looking around and learning more.

-Great. Thanks for coming.

Well, it's still very busy back at the Wilmslow Leisure Centre

with plenty of people waiting for a Flog It valuation.

It looks as though something beautiful has grabbed Anita's attention.

Molly, I am always delighted to see Doulton on Flog It.

Thank you for bringing these in.

Where did you get them?

Well, they were part of my mother's family when she was a child, I believe.

She inherited them when her mother and father had died

and she gave one of these to my sister and one to me.

-We decided they were a better value if they were a pair.

-That's right.

It's always better to keep them in a pair

because the pair is worth more than double the price of one.

-That's right.

-Well, let's have a closer look at them, Molly.

If we look at the base of them, we can see here the Royal Doulton back stamp.

One of the best of the factories.

The Doulton stoneware, Doulton Lambeth.

They were made around 1910.

They are this wonderful colour.

That's what drew me to them, Molly.

Yes, I saw you pick them up straight away.

This wonderful blue and lilac. I think the colours are very appealing.

Now, I can see them looking towards the art nouveau period which is again an interesting period.

And a period that people love.

Now, Molly, price.

Have you got an idea of price? What you're looking for?

I have no idea. I'll be guided by you.

-Thank you. Well, I would put them in at 80 to 120.

-Yes.

Were you hoping for a wee bit more?

I can see a wee bit of disappointment in your face.

No, I'm not bothered about the money side of it, really.

It's just that I don't want to throw them away.

We have Adam Partridge as our auctioneer.

They will not be thrown away. They will market them as well as possible.

And sell them well. They will find the market price for them.

Because they've not a break or a scratch anywhere.

They are in mint condition and that's very important as well.

-We will put a reserve of £80 on them.

-Right.

Are you happy at that?

Yes, I'm happy at that.

OK. I'm sure they will do very well.

And what would you do with the money?

Mine will go to a charity but I think my sister will be glad of it.

And they'll go to a collector.

We'll all be happy.

-Fingers crossed.

-Right.

See you at the auction and thank you again for bringing them in.

Is it a Rembrandt? Well, you never know.

Keith and Ashley, it's great to see you. I know you guys found this.

We found it on a local tip.

It's incredible what people throw away, isn't it?

This is classic recycling.

That's all I can say. How long have you had this?

-15 years.

-On the wall?

-No, down the cellar.

So you thought you'd bring it along to Flog It and see what it's worth.

-See what it is.

-I just want to show the viewers. Look at the back.

I can see it's come from your cellar

but at least the canvas is in very, very good condition.

There's no tears, there's no rips. It's not even been patched up.

But it has been through the wars.

But that's to be expected if you got it off the skip.

-Yeah.

-Probably was exposed to the elements for a few days before you found it.

It is an Edwardian portrait of a gentleman but I am not sure who of.

That's the problem. Generally, the condition is OK. It needs a clean.

The frame needs...

well, it needs an awful lot of work.

But I think...

if you put it into auction, it's going to have a value of around £100 to £150.

I think a picture restorer would love to get his hands on this.

Reframe it, clean it up. Yes?

It's obviously painted by a competent artist.

A jobbing portrait artist.

I think it was meant for a civic building

because it's a man who's quite dignified, maybe an ex-army officer.

I wish we knew who he was because we could trace some provenance

and that would add value to that painting.

We don't know who it is. I know the artist has left his signature.

It is a Mr AH Fox.

We've looked him up but there's nothing on the internet

and there is nothing in the art index guide to say

he's got any form or sold anywhere else.

I'm going on it's sort of decorative value as a furnishing picture.

And I think this is worth around £100 to £150.

Super, that.

I don't think we'll take it into the auction, if that's OK?

Yeah, not a problem.

I think it needs a bit of work before you put it in.

Yes.

That's being negative, really, isn't it?

Shall we take it in?

Shall we take it in and see what happens? Would you like to?

Shall we give it a punt?

It'll only go back down to the cellar.

Yes, let's have a laugh with this. Let me lower the value a bit.

-What you think, Ashley?

-Yes.

-Yes. Let's do it.

Let somebody have the pleasure of it.

Yes. Let somebody get their hands on it, enjoy it, and bring this character back to life.

Can we put it in with

a reserve of £25?

It doesn't need a reserve. Just let it sell to the best person.

OK. Let's put it in with a value of around £40 to £60 and see what happens.

-That's super, that.

-Yes?

-Yes.

If you're happy with that I'll shake your hand on that, you two.

You said it, no reserve.

'I'll be interested to see how the painting does in the auction.

'Before that, it seems like the people of Wilmslow have a lot of watches.

'James has found two more wonderful specimens.'

Carl and Tony, welcome.

Lots of people bring father's pocket watch to the Flog It tables for us to have a look at.

But I have to say, I've never seen a father and son each with a gold pocket watch before.

So, tell me, whose is whose, and what's the story behind them?

Well, this one's my mother's father's.

And this is my dad's father's.

Lovely.

-So, do you remember your father wearing this pocket watch?

-I do.

When I was about a 14s year old.

-Is it this one?

-Yes.

He used to have a waist coat and he used to put it in the pocket each day.

When he turned the pocket out, it was gold inside.

Really?

-With it being 18-carat gold.

-So, this used to wear?

So he got a little case made because his pocket was wearing it.

This one is a lovely one. It is known as a hunter pocket watch.

It has a cover on both sides.

The idea was if you were out riding your horse and you fell off,

you would have something to protect the glass.

When we open up and see it's not a standard pocket watch.

It has a second hand, a sweeping second hand,

a chronometer stopwatch and it is a good thing.

The inner case, let's have a look at that.

Is hallmarked with an 18 for 18 carat gold

and we've got the Crown and we've got the wheat sheaf mark for Chester.

And the date letter R for 1900.

There is one thing that separates, other than the fact it has a cover,

these two watches when you look at them from a distance.

-Do you know what that is?

-No. Not really.

This one has got a top winder.

Oh yes.

It doesn't have a key, does it?

Absolutely.

This one, which is known as an open face pocket watch.

We've got the subsidiary second style.

It's inscribed Thomas Russell and Son's.

Good retailers.

If we opened the inner cover, we have a hole there to be wound with a key.

And again, it's 18 carat.

Again it's Chester.

It's about 1870 or so. Have you ever looked this one up?

1877.

I'm glad you're here. I should have brought my pocket hallmark book.

Nice thing. OK. Values.

The auction value that I'm going to put on this, £300 to £400.

This one, it's got less gold, £150 to £250.

That is what I think they are worth. How do you feel about that?

-I'm OK with that.

-Well, yes.

Thank you very much for bringing them in.

I'm sure they will do really well.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Now we found our second batch of items,

it's time for a final trip to the auction room.

Before we see our items go under the hammer,

I caught up but Adam Partridge to find if

he was able to shed any more light on Keith's A H Fox painting.

This belongs to Keith and Ashley. They found it on a skip.

It needs a lot of TLC but it is signed, A H Fox.

I'm afraid I haven't found anything about Mr Fox himself, either.

I couldn't find any reference in books so I said,

let's stick it in at £50 and I thought you would like that.

Yes, well. Do you recognise the subject?

-Is it a cricketer?

-No.

-Who is it?

-I don't know who it is.

-Haven't got a clue.

You could make something up. That's the great thing with a portrait.

They don't sell very well. Who wants a bearded chap on their wall?

Exactly. They'd like a pretty lady.

We'll try to sell him as an instant ancestor.

At dinner parties you could pretend this is your great uncle.

This old ancestor up there, looking down on us.

He won a lot of medals in the war for doing something heroic.

The uncharitable among us would have said, should have left it in a skip.

No. Do your best. This deserves to go on a wall. It does.

Are you trying to sell it to me?

-I'm doing a very good job.

-You are.

Well, we'll see what the painting sells for shortly.

At least with no reserve it shouldn't end up back down Keith's cellar.

Also going under the hammer is Molly's pair of Royal Doulton vases.

Let's hope they do go top end as she is giving the proceeds to charity.

And finally, James unearthed two gems with the pocket watches

belonging to father and son duo, Tony and Carl.

I hope the watch buyers who bid on Alan's fob watch are still here.

First up, let's see how the A H Fox painting does.

My turn to be the expert. Remember that wonderful portrait, that distinguished gentleman.

Oil on canvas, painted by A H Fox, it's just about to go under the hammer.

All we need is Keith or his mate Ashley to turn up and they are not in the room right now.

Maybe they're in the car park, I don't know.

But I am just hoping they walk-in any moment because it is going under the hammer in just a moment.

I had a chat to Adam about this and I wanted to tell Keith but he is not here.

£50, that is a good buy for anybody.

It's a bit of wallpaper in a hotel or a pub.

That is what it is all about. Recycle antiques. Here we go.

It is going under the hammer, let's see what it does.

771 is an A H Fox oil on canvas.

A bearded gentleman.

An instant ancestor this one. 771. Here it is. The bearded gentleman.

Who'll be to me what £1,000?

£100?

I've got 20 bid, take 5.

It's worth a lot more than 20. Come on. Stick those hands up.

20. Is there any advance on £20 here?

25. And 30. And 5.

No. 30 here.

£30 here with me at 30. Anyone else?

I'm expecting Keith to walk in the door any minute.

£30. And 5. £40 and 5.

£40, then. Selling at 40.

All done £40. Anyone else?

£40? He's in the car park.

At £40. Are you all done? It is going to be sold.

There he is.

At £40, last chance with me at 40.

40 with T16. Excellent estimate.

-Where have you been?

-Traffic. There has been an accident on the road.

-I'm sorry. Are you guys OK? You weren't involved in it?

-Oh, no.

Are you ready for this?

-Yes.

-You just missed it.

-Have we?

-It made 40 quid.

That's 40 quid better than nothing.

I'm ever so pleased for you.

Going under the hammer now we have some real quality, Royal Doulton.

One of the best names in the business.

Two stoneware vases and thank goodness Molly hadn't fallen out with her sister

-because you both had one each.

-That's right.

-And she's here today.

-Yes. She's here.

-Two vases make the pair.

That's what we like.

We've got 80 to £120 on these.

Hopefully, we can get that top end.

Let's get down to business, shall we? Fingers crossed.

267 is a pair of Royal Doulton vases.

Moulded with flowers and foliage by Betty Newbury.

Start me at £80 for them.

-80. £80.

-Come on.

Come on, let's see some hands.

-I'm not taking 50.

-Doulton vases.

Who's is going to start me off on a bid of £50 on these?

Thank you.

50's bid. I'll take 5. £50.

I'll take 5, then. At £50.

£50 only bid at 50.

Any interest online? £50 is only bid on the these.

-Not selling.

-And 60?

Yes?

65. And 70?

One more. 65 only bid. take 70.

65 only.

70 and a free catalogue next time.

70. 70's bid. We'll sell them. At £70 now. Any advance on 70?

The free catalogue trick works this time.

At £70?

I think he's selling, isn't he?

All done now at £70?

-He's sold them, £70.

-Well, that's all right.

-That's OK, isn't it?.

-Yes.

He used his discretion, because we had 80 to 120 on it so he's used his discretion.

Well, that's better than sticking on the shelves and dusting them.

Yeah. At least all the money is going to charity.

-Yes.

-And what's your sister's name?

-Doreen.

-Doreen and Molly.

-Thank you so much, both of you.

-Thank you.

OK, so far so good. Right now, we could brighten things up

because we've got two pocket watches.

I've been joined by Carl, but we haven't got Dad. Where is he?

-He's on holiday.

-Where's he gone?

-Blackpool.

-Gone to Blackpool.

It's a good time of year to go.

Get a good bargain. Who was the watch collector amongst you?

My father.

-So you'll be on the phone to him later on.

-Yes.

James has put a valuation of £300 on the first one. Quality, gold's up.

That's got to sell.

Good luck anyway and hopefully you'll have some good news for Dad.

Here we go.

A late Victorian, 18 carat gold, hunter case pocket watch.

Marked for Chester 1900.

And a range of interest here.

-Goodness me. I'll have to go at £400 bid.

-Wey!

440, 460, 480, 500. Your bid 500 and take 20.

At £500, any more now? 500. All done and selling now.

500. Are you all out and done?

And selling at 500 now.

Straight in, straight out.

-First one down. Here's the second lot.

-617...

He's smiling. 617 is a Victorian 18 carat gold open face.

This one's Chester 1877. Open face this time.

I'm bid 230 to start. 240 now?

Straight in at the top end.

240, 250, 260, 270, 280,

290, 300, and 10,

320, 330, 340, 340 bid.

You had some real treasure there.

£340. Are you all done now?

Away at 340.

I'm liking that, James. Good job.

Wasn't that good news?

-Yes.

-Straight in, both at the top end.

-Brilliant.

A total of £840.

That's very, very good.

And as James says, it's a really good time to sell gold right now.

Best time ever to sell gold. It just shows if you sell it in the right place it does really well.

-You've got to phone Dad now.

-I will do, yeah.

-Will you get some of this money?

-Hopefully.

There's 15% commission to pay, it varies from auction to auction room,

-but it's 15% here, so bear that in mind.

-Will do.

-Take care. Happy shopping.

-Thank you very much.

Well, that's it, it's all over.

It brings us to at the end of another great day in a saleroom.

All our owners have thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

All credit to our experts, because it's not easy, it's not an exact science.

It's all down to the bidders, if this lot put their hands up.

I didn't see any hands going up here.

Although these are going under the hammer later on today.

But for now, it's cheerio from Cheshire and see you next time.

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