0:00:04 > 0:00:06Today we're in one of the smallest cities in Britain.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09But it's said to have the longest high street in Wales,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13and its pier, Garth Pier, is 1,500 feet long.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16It's Wales' second largest pier. So where are we?
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Well, we're in North Wales
0:00:17 > 0:00:20in the small but perfectly formed city of Bangor.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52For such a small city I'm delighted to see such a large crowd
0:00:52 > 0:00:55gathering here outside Bangor University's Prichard-Jones Hall
0:00:55 > 0:00:57and I can't wait to see what's in some of these bags and boxes
0:00:57 > 0:01:01because, hopefully, there's going to be something really interesting
0:01:01 > 0:01:03that's going to bring some big results for our owners
0:01:03 > 0:01:05when we put them under the hammer later on in the show.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11'There are surprises in store for some of our owners.'
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Rather have the money than have them stuck in a drawer, wouldn't you?
0:01:14 > 0:01:15Or stuck in me!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17'And some of our experts.'
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Tell me a little about yourself first of all.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20Where do you come from?
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Gogerychwyrndrobwyll- llantysiliogogogoch.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24THEY LAUGH
0:01:26 > 0:01:29So, whose antique knowledge will we be testing here in Bangor?
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Heading the team, our Adam Partridge,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35who gave up his studies at Oxford because he found himself
0:01:35 > 0:01:39more often in an auction house than at a university lecture hall.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42If Mark sees that, he'll be really jealous!
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And Mark Stacey, whose enthusiasm for antiques
0:01:46 > 0:01:49and thirst for knowledge has given him an expertise
0:01:49 > 0:01:53now sought-after by the very top names in the business.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- You really are a charmer, aren't you?- I try to be.
0:01:56 > 0:01:57THEY LAUGH
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Let's start with Mark, who's with Margaret
0:01:59 > 0:02:01but he's not giving much away.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04- Hello.- You've brought a charming little piece of silver in
0:02:04 > 0:02:06but we don't want to reveal what it is at the moment.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Where did you get it from?
0:02:08 > 0:02:12From a very elderly lady who was with me when I was born.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15No. What do you mean with you? Your mother, you mean?
0:02:15 > 0:02:17She was with my mother when I was born.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19And what was she doing with your mother?
0:02:19 > 0:02:24She came in an emergency because she had just done her midwifery.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28- And did you stay friends all your life?- All our lives.- Fantastic.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Yes. I moved away from this area
0:02:31 > 0:02:35but I came back and re-contacted with her.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37And you've ended up back in Bangor.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Yes, back in Benllech in the promised land.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Well, it is a lovely little thing. I think it's about time
0:02:45 > 0:02:48- we told everybody what it is. - Yes.- Silver, of course.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52- Yes, of course.- And when we open it, it's a little purse.- Yes.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54- And it's Victorian.- Victorian.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57It's Victorian. The mark has unfortunately rubbed,
0:02:57 > 0:02:58- so we can't see the date mark.- No.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01But it's got Victoria's head on there.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- And I think it's around about 1880. - I can't imagine where it came from.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Well, you can imagine, can't you?
0:03:06 > 0:03:11A fashionable young Victorian lady going out for the evening,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13- she'd have her bag... - To a ball.- To a ball.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17And there she would have, in here, maybe a few half sovereigns.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20- Yes.- To pay for her taxi cab. - Or whatever.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Well, horse-drawn cab, of course, in those days.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26But I think it's lovely, I just love that shape -
0:03:26 > 0:03:28it's so simple and yet so elegant, isn't it?
0:03:28 > 0:03:29Elegant is the word.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34- And what do you think it's worth? - I have no idea whatsoever.- £10, £20?
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Oh, no, I would think a little bit more than that!
0:03:37 > 0:03:41That's what they all say. That's what they all say.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43I do think it's worth a bit more than that.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45I don't think it's hugely valuable.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48No, I don't think I'm going to go sort of a lottery...
0:03:48 > 0:03:50No, I don't think so.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53But I would put it in - because it's such a charming piece,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55and I think it would catch on to people -
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- I would put it in at an estimate of £60-80.- Yes.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02It might go a little higher on the day. I would put a reserve on it.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04I would put a reserve of £50 on it.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- Yes. That would be... - Would you be happy with that?
0:04:07 > 0:04:08I'd be very happy with that.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11But aren't you just a little bit sad to see it go?
0:04:11 > 0:04:13But I have a number of other things,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17particularly liked or used when she was alive.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20And I can see that you're quite a determined lady, Margaret -
0:04:20 > 0:04:24- once you've made a decision, that's it.- Yes. That is very true.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28- I have been like that all my life. - We have to be, don't we?
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- Yes, life puts that on you. - Fantastic.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36An item like that just brings the Victorian era back to life.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Adam kicks off with a couple whose names are easy to remember.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Paul and my wife, Pauline.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Paul and Pauline! That's a good start already, isn't it?
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- Corny but true. - Easy to remember, yes.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51I was instantly attracted to this on a number of levels.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54But it's a wonderful shape, isn't it, that streamlined shape?
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- Very sporty.- Beautiful.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59I could imagine a cad driving it.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04- Absolutely. Are you a motoring enthusiast?- My goodness, yes.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07- Since I was probably about three, I should think.- Right.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I've been very lucky with cars.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- I've had everything from a Mini to a Rolls-Royce.- Have you? All sorts.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15What do you make of all this, Pauline?
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Well, he's very fortunate because he married a petrol-head wife, as well.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- Really?- Yes.- So you share that passion?- We do. Very much so.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- That's wonderful. - We have hundreds of model cars.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28A load of Dinkies, but one of the reasons I brought it in today
0:05:28 > 0:05:31was I've never seen anything made out of Bakelite.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33- You've never seen one of these before?- No.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35That's really fortunate because I have. In fact,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39I've sold one in my auction rooms about three or four months ago.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43- Oh, brilliant. - So I know quite a bit about it, which is quite unusual.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48- Well, you're the expert!- Firstly, where did you get this one from?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50- Is it something you've bought recently?- Absolutely not.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53It was a birthday present from my parents, I think
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- when I was about three.- Right. - There's a tiny hole in the front.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Just trying to do my maths here... Was that in the '40s?
0:06:00 > 0:06:01About 1948, I think,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04and I used to pull it round the garden on a piece of string.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07But my parents were very poor.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10And one of the reasons I've brought it in today was I'm wondering
0:06:10 > 0:06:15whether it could be new in 1948 or whether it predates that.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19- I think it predates that. I think it predates that.- Any idea?
0:06:19 > 0:06:20It looks 1930s.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25Typically 1930s. It's got that real Deco streamlined shape of the 1930s.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27- Beautiful.- It's a wonderful shape.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32And on the back you've got the mark of CODEG, C-O-D-E-G.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- Is that British or not?- It is.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39It stands for Cowan de Groot and Co.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44Which they shortened into CODEG, and they were a British toy firm
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and, in fact, they still are retailers of toys now, I believe.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49They're still in the toy business
0:06:49 > 0:06:51but they're not called CODEG any more.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54They're back to Cowan de Groot, as they used to be.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58But that's why it's called a CODEG car. Made of brown Bakelite.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00They also did a cream model, as well,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- which would've been pretty swish, as well.- It would, wouldn't it?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06It's very Poirot, too. You could see him in it.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09That's right, yes. So, you want to know what the one I had made?
0:07:09 > 0:07:10Indeed I do.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- And me!- The one I had was damaged.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17But we only estimated £20-40 because of the damage but it made 95.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21- Goodness me.- I mean, it's obviously worth £50-80.- Sounds pretty good.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23There is a piece missing.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I have dim a recollection there may have been a Perspex windscreen.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30The windscreen's missing. I think we go with a 50-80 estimate.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- How does that sound?- That sounds absolutely fine.- Is that all right?
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- And a reserve of 50?- Yes.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Because you don't want it to be undersold, do you?
0:07:38 > 0:07:39That would be heartbreaking.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42It would, because you kept it all those years.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Now, it's not a massive sum of money, £100.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47It's probably not even enough to fill up your Rolls-Royce, is it?
0:07:47 > 0:07:48Not these days!
0:07:48 > 0:07:51So I shan't be asking what you're going to do with the money.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53My wife always treated me, she's very good,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56so I'm going to treat her and put it towards a weekend in Paris, I think.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57Excellent.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01What a fun thing, and for Bakelite it's in pretty good condition.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I'm mad about wood, so it's hardly surprising
0:08:05 > 0:08:08that Sandra's piece of treen has caught my eye in the queue.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- What's the story? How did you come by this?- Erm...
0:08:11 > 0:08:15We had to clear out my mother's house 18 months ago.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17I wonder if you can guess what that is.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19It's a nice bit of turned lignum vitae.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21It's an exceptionally hard word.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26You know what it is, obviously, don't you? Have you used this?
0:08:26 > 0:08:32That's where the handle is. There's the mechanism. That screws back on.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Ready? Is there anything in it?
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Remnants of something inside.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46- It's all gone over your clothes! - We thought they were coffee beans?
0:08:46 > 0:08:50They would have been coffee beans, yes. This is to grind coffee down.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51- It is.- Yeah.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55If I had to stick my neck out, I'd say this is Continental.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59- Really?- Yes, possibly French. About 1820.- Really?
0:08:59 > 0:09:01This is a lovely bit of table treen.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04It's called treen because it's obviously made from the tree.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- Look at this lovely ambiguous grain. Can you see that?- It is nice.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. - I like the knot.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12There's a knot in the wood.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- Yes, there. - And a knot at the bottom, as well.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19- Yes, lots of heart and soul. - Yes.- Isn't that lovely?
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Would you like to put it into auction?
0:09:21 > 0:09:24I think it's worth around £100-150. I don't know what you thought.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- I had no idea. No idea.- OK.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30There's a bit of damage to it, just there, but you can see
0:09:30 > 0:09:32that is so early, it softened up, it's not as if it was done last week
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- and it's got a brittle edge. - Indeed. It's a long...
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- Long time.- Let's put it into auction with the old auctioneer's cliche,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- £80-120.- OK.- OK? Happy?- Yes.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46And I'm just rather hoping it'll do the sort of 120-150 mark.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- That would be nice.- Yeah? - Yeah. Lovely.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53It's got to feel right, and if it feels right, someone in the auction
0:09:53 > 0:09:56will pick that up and go, "Oh, oh, that is so tactile, I love that,"
0:09:56 > 0:10:00caress it, not want to put it down. They're going to want to own that.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02And, hopefully, they'll put their hand up and buy it.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- See you on the day.- Lovely.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07What a nice thing. I love early pieces of treen.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Next, Adam's extensive knowledge comes in handy with some
0:10:13 > 0:10:15mystery objects brought in by Jill.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Well, Jill, these are fantastic little items you've brought
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- along here today.- Thank you. - Do you know what they are?- No idea.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28- Where did you get them from?- My mum. - Does she live in the countryside?
0:10:28 > 0:10:31I think probably they came from her father originally.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Or her grandfather. He was in the farming industry.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Well, that helps, really.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40They are Georgian, early 19th century, and they are fleams.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- Fleams.- Fleams, which are blood-letting instruments.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45- Oh, right.- Yes.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47So, we've got a little group of people behind us
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and I thought we could do a demonstration.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52They're blood-letting instruments
0:10:52 > 0:10:55and three blades there, and this one is stamped Borwick,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Borwick was quite a well-known fleam maker.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59He was in Sheffield.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Roger Borwick. And he started about 1790 until 1860,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05so I would think that's early 19th century.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07They're horn handles, both similar things,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09and there are collectors of medical apparatus,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11medical instruments out there.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- But more veterinary than human. - I think so.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16- Quality, aren't they?- Yeah. - Nice quality.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19They usually make £20 each, something like that.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22I'd be tempted to put an estimate of 30-50 to be realistic.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27- Yes. Each, or...?- For the two. I would put 30-50, realistically.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- OK.- Would you have them back if they didn't make a certain price?
0:11:30 > 0:11:31Oh, I don't know.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- No, I don't think so.- Oh, there's some input there. "Let them go!"
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- Let them go.- Let them go.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Really, it's not a lot of money, but they're interesting objects.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42There'll be a lot of people watching this
0:11:42 > 0:11:44that have no idea what they are and what they're for.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- Well, I didn't know what they were until I brought them today.- Good.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I've managed to teach someone something. That's wonderful.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Hopefully there'll be people watching this at home saying,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55"We've got one of them. I never knew what it was for."
0:12:04 > 0:12:07So, a quick reminder of the first few items which will be
0:12:07 > 0:12:08up for sale at auction.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Mark's find was first - the little silver purse.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14What a glorious reminder of bygone elegance.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Adam picked out the Bakelite car
0:12:18 > 0:12:21because he's recently sold one in his own auction house.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25The treen coffee grinder was my choice.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28The wood is superb and it has a wonderfully worn quality.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31It caught my eye and I don't think I'll be the only one.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Adam unravelled the mystery of Jill's fleams,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37the blood-letting instruments,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and once again they give us a glimpse into the past.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45These little pieces of history haven't got far to go.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48They are being sold at Rogers Jones and Co Auctioneers & Valuers
0:12:48 > 0:12:49in Colwyn Bay.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54It's looking busy, which is always a good sign.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00We're kicking off with Jill
0:13:00 > 0:13:03and her husband, Peter, with their pair of fleams.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05We haven't seen these on the show before -
0:13:05 > 0:13:09this is a first for "Flog It!" Fleams, I believe, Jill and Peter.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11- Correct.- Hope they were never used!
0:13:11 > 0:13:12LAUGHTER
0:13:12 > 0:13:16- Well, they were at one time!- They were only for veterinary use, these.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18So how did you come across them?
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- Found them amongst my mother's things.- Oh, did you?- Yes.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- Not a lot of money, £30-40.- No.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It's the kind of thing not a lot of people would want to buy.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29At a fair, you'd have to give 30 or 40 each for them,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32and sometimes a touch more, so I think we should be about right.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- Good.- That's positive. Happy?- Yes.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39- Rather have the money than have them stuck in a drawer.- Or stuck in me!
0:13:39 > 0:13:40SHE LAUGHS
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Two bone-backed, three-bladed fleams, one marked Borwick,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47the other indistinct.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Bid me. £50 for two fleams.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51£30.
0:13:51 > 0:13:5320, thank you, sir.
0:13:53 > 0:13:5720 I'm bid. 20. 442, 25.
0:13:57 > 0:13:5930. 35.
0:13:59 > 0:14:0240. 45.
0:14:02 > 0:14:0645 I'm bid. Is there 50? At £45.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Everybody done now? Any further? At £45 and going.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Yes! £45.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16We nearly did it. That's not bad. A really good result, isn't it?
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- £45. Happy?- Yes. Very happy.- They could easily have been discarded.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- Oh, yes.- The type of thing you wouldn't look at twice.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24That's the great thing about antiques - classic recycling!
0:14:24 > 0:14:27You can't get anything greener than antiques.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29A spot-on valuation by our expert.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36Next up, it's the Pauls - me, Paul and Pauline and their Bakelite car.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I've just read in my notes, this was your birthday present
0:14:39 > 0:14:44when you were three years old. Oh, you can't sell something like that!
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Would you sell something that you were given
0:14:46 > 0:14:48- when you were three?- I'm very sentimental, so probably not.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Nor would I! I really wouldn't.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54- My mum would go absolutely mad. - I've got that many cars.- Have you?
0:14:54 > 0:14:56All over the house and in the loft.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01- This was unusual. I thought it might appeal to you.- It did. I love it.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04It was a gorgeous shape. Here we go. Good luck, you two.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Paul, Paul and Pauline, how about that?
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- I feel a bit out of place! - You do, don't you?
0:15:12 > 0:15:16A Bakelite CODEG open tourer sports car.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18- Marvellous thing.- It's got the look.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Doesn't need taxing, doesn't need insurance.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22It don't need petrol.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25It starts with me at £80. At 80 I'm bid.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28The bid is on the book here at 80. 80 bid.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33A typical piece of that period Bakelite, wonderful. 85? 90?
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- Show us your money!- £90.
0:15:36 > 0:15:3895. 100 with me.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42At £100. 5 again. 5. 110.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44110. 110 bid.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46My bid on the book.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47At £110.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Coming back at £110.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51All done?
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Well done, auctioneer. Yes, £110.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Paul looked like he really enjoyed himself then, just...
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Teasing the extra money out of the bidders. Yeah.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04I promised her a treat, so I'll have to do it now, won't I?
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- What's it going to be? - Paris.- Ooh, very nice!
0:16:08 > 0:16:09What a good result.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15You can remember the 19th-century coffee grinder
0:16:15 > 0:16:18that I valued at 80-120 belonging to Sandra.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Well, we've got that going under the hammer now.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Unfortunately, Sandra can't be with us
0:16:22 > 0:16:26but we do have her daughter, Joanne. It's good to see you. It really is.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Now, since the valuation day, the family have been in touch
0:16:29 > 0:16:33with the saleroom and they've now put the reserve up to £600.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38- That's a great big quantum leap in value.- It is.- It really is.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41It says to me, really, that somebody in the family
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- doesn't really want this to go.- Yes.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47They've done a little bit of research into it and, like you say,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50it's sentimental, it was my grandmother's.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53- It's hard to let things go. - Yeah, it is, isn't it?
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Anyway, let's find out what happens because, you know, it's interesting.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58- It is.- And this is what auctions are all about.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- That's right. You never know.- You just never know. Good luck, Joanne.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02Here we go.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07The 19th-century lignum coffee grinder. Bid me 500.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Early piece of treen. 400.
0:17:13 > 0:17:19200, I'm bid at 200. At 200 on the book. Where is 50? At 200.
0:17:19 > 0:17:2250 anywhere? At £200. Is there 50?
0:17:22 > 0:17:25At £200. 50 I'll take.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26Everybody done?
0:17:26 > 0:17:31At £200. Afraid this is a nonstarter, at £200.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32Everybody done?
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- Well, it's good, it's going home. - It's going home.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37It's not meant to be sold, is it?
0:17:37 > 0:17:40She's looking down on us, she's saying, "Don't sell that."
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- Yeah, and you've got kids, you've got a little boy.- I have, yes.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47- That'll be his one day.- You're right.- Yeah? Don't ever sell it.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Shouldn't really, should we?
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Oh, well, we've all learned our lesson there, haven't we?
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Next we have Margaret and her charming Victorian silver purse.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Well, we do say condition is everything in this game
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and this lot has the lot. It's got the look, the condition, as well.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09It belongs to Margaret. It's that lovely Victorian shell-shaped purse.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13It's not a lot of money and I expect this to fly out the room. Oh, I do!
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- Has it just been in a drawer?- Yeah. - Not on display?- Not on display.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19It's a lovely-looking thing. It caught Mark's eye.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22It's a charming little bit of Victoriana, Edwardiana.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25I mean, it's something that nobody would use today
0:18:25 > 0:18:27but you can imagine a lady going to the ball,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31keeping a sovereign there for the carriage on the way home.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- Yes, that's right.- Keeping a little dance card in there.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- It's just wonderful. And it should sell well.- Fingers crossed.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40It's going to go to a collector who's right here in this room.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46The Victorian silver shell coin purse. It's a little beaut.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51- It starts with me at 80. 80 I'm bid. - He's good!- It's gorgeous, isn't it?
0:18:51 > 0:18:55- You see, they love it.- 90 anywhere? £80 with me. 90.
0:18:55 > 0:18:5790 I'm bid. 90.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00£90 only. Leave the gate open at 95.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- Is that 100? 100. £100.- Yes!
0:19:03 > 0:19:04And again now. 100.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06This is good.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Get it up to £100. Yes!
0:19:08 > 0:19:11You see, straight in at 80. Quality...
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Quality always sells, that's what we keep saying -
0:19:14 > 0:19:15if you're going to invest in antiques,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17make sure it's great condition.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- It was lovely, wasn't it? - It was very nice.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23A good result for a good thing.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26And, when we return later, Adam has a bright idea of how antiques
0:19:26 > 0:19:29could help the financial health of the country.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33It's been up in the loft now for 20-odd years.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35If we could clear every loft in the land,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37I think we'd solve the economy.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48I've crossed the Menai Strait to the Isle of Anglesey to visit
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Plas Newydd, one of Britain's superb country houses.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54And, like so many of these fine establishments,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57it was given over to the National Trust,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00which has maintained it since 1976.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Well, there's plenty of history here -
0:20:03 > 0:20:06parts of this magnificent house date back to 1470.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10But today I've come to look at something relatively more modern
0:20:10 > 0:20:13and that's the 20th-century work of artist Rex Whistler.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18In 1936, when the sixth Marquess of Anglesey had architects to remodel
0:20:18 > 0:20:21the complete wing of this part of the house, he commissioned
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Rex Whistler to paint a mural on his recently created dining room wall.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30At the time, Rex Whistler was an extremely fashionable choice.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33He was highly versatile. Not only did he paint
0:20:33 > 0:20:37but he also turned his hand to book illustration and theatre design.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44He was an absolutely delightful chap,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47very popular with the country house set in heady interwar years
0:20:47 > 0:20:51and he became personal friends with many of the families who commissioned his work.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55And today I'm lucky enough to talk to the present Lord Anglesey,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58who still resides here in this magnificent house,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Plas Newydd, and he's going to talk me through the mural
0:21:00 > 0:21:04and share some of his personal memories of Rex Whistler.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Lord Anglesey, how did the commission come about
0:21:12 > 0:21:13and what was the brief?
0:21:13 > 0:21:18Ah, well, it's very interesting, that, because when my father
0:21:18 > 0:21:24made this room specially for him, other people asked that.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29And the answer was, he had just become THE fashionable painter.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32- Did the family have a say in what was going on in the mural?- Oh, yes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35He discussed it with us all the whole time.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37How old were you when Rex was here painting then?
0:21:37 > 0:21:42I was... When he first started, I was about 15, 16.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Yeah. Did you take a liking to him? Was he a fun, artistic chap to know?
0:21:47 > 0:21:50He became for all of us, including my five sisters,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53an absolutely adorable friend.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57He loved children. He used to allow us at all stages,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02- when it was just charcoal on canvas, to paint in.- Have a little scribble.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04How long did it take him to do?
0:22:04 > 0:22:09In good summer weather, he would come and stay here for a fortnight.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Trouble was that, as he was a very, very fast worker,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18- if the sun was shining we often found him not at it.- Oh, really?
0:22:18 > 0:22:20- He was sunbathing, was he? - Sunbathing, yes.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23This is absolutely beautiful.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Will you walk me through the story?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28First of all, there is him as the gardener.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32I don't think he'd ever got a weed out of anywhere.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Isn't that a wonderful perspective?
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- You feel like you can walk right through those arches.- Absolutely.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Well, that was what he was a particular master of - perspective.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44He got those arches exactly right.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- That's perfect.- Quite beautiful. - Yeah. Show me how the story unfolds.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54- Shall we start here?- OK. - First of all, here are three dogs.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58The one on the cushion always wore the best real pearls.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- Really?!- She was very spoilt.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05This is my favourite house of the whole thing.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06This Gothic bit here.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Perfect symmetry he's captured.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10It's almost like the work of an architect, isn't it?
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Well, he had this extraordinary memory.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18If he'd seen that building in reality ten years earlier...
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- He could capture it and remember it? - No, but more than that.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- He could tell you exactly how many windows there were.- Really?
0:23:24 > 0:23:28Exactly how many panes there were in the windows and how many doors
0:23:28 > 0:23:31and everything else. He could remember it absolutely.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The water looks like it's moving.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35Yes, absolutely.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40But I remember as he was leaving and had to leave it unfinished, he said,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44"Of course I should have made this water calm inside here."
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Yes, it's in the harbour, isn't it?
0:23:47 > 0:23:52This was a ship he painted out. I think you can see it.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53I can. You can just see the mast.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55- That's right.- Why did he do that?
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Because he said one day, "There are too many ships here."
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Big brush, out it goes.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Next day, it's finished.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Amazing speed.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08There's my father's pre-First World War yacht.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Those were the days when we were rich.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12HE LAUGHS
0:24:12 > 0:24:15You said with a big smile!
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Then this is very fascinating
0:24:17 > 0:24:21because one evening we were all rather drunk
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and about to go to bed, and Rex said,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28"There's a ship here which I want to take out, too."
0:24:28 > 0:24:31In the morning we came down and here was this.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34This wonderful island.
0:24:34 > 0:24:35He did that overnight, did he?
0:24:35 > 0:24:39He did it overnight and finished it off in the course of that day.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42It must have been great for you to get up as a teenager
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and come downstairs, wander through here and say,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- "I wonder what Rex has done next." - Absolutely right.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52That happened often. Now the most important historical thing is...
0:24:52 > 0:24:55- Hey, look at the footprints.- We've got footprints. Why are they there?
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Whose are they?
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Someone's just come out of the water.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- Or like Neptune.- Neptune! You're quite right.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07There is his crown and his coral sceptre with a golden tip.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13He was a master at doing this rigging.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16My father, who knew about rigging, was amazed.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18- The detail is very good, isn't it?- It is.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21It's as if he spent time at sea to understand that.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22Well, he hadn't at all.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25He'd merely observed, but he'd seen them.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28He was always observing. My father said,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32"It's incredible! You've got them almost exactly right."
0:25:32 > 0:25:33- Nice, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I don't know who that is, but it's probably my twin sister, Kitty.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Ah, she's holding a little doll.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Yes, you're right. I've never noticed it before.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Thank you very much. Yes, thank you.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53Here is this great town. It's full of all sorts of things.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Here is an amazing...
0:25:56 > 0:26:00- It's like a little helter-skelter. - Helter-skelter!
0:26:00 > 0:26:03And a fair going on there, which is nice, isn't it?
0:26:03 > 0:26:05- Yeah.- How about that?
0:26:05 > 0:26:06Look at that as a backdrop.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11- A wonderful mountain range.- Yeah. Here is my father...- Oh?
0:26:11 > 0:26:13..as the creator of all this.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17- Was your father really happy with this mural?- Oh, amazingly happy.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19- We all were.- Beautiful, isn't it?
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Here, I long to know what happens up there.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28So what happened when Rex finished the mural?
0:26:28 > 0:26:32- Did he come back and stay often? - No, because the war came, you see?
0:26:32 > 0:26:34He didn't finish it, as I've shown.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37He then became an officer in the Welsh Guards.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39He wanted to go over and fight.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41"I want to go and get killed."
0:26:41 > 0:26:43And he did, as well, didn't he, at the age of 39?
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Then he got killed before he saw a suspicion of a German.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49It was a mortar, wasn't it, in Normandy that got him?
0:26:49 > 0:26:51It was indeed.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- Terrible.- Tragic.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Oh, I was in Italy at that time
0:26:57 > 0:27:00fighting the Nazis, too, when I heard the news,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02and my first reaction was...
0:27:03 > 0:27:07"Oh! He was so incompetent at anything
0:27:07 > 0:27:09"except painting and drawing."
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I was...
0:27:18 > 0:27:22So, there you are, Rex Whistler's marvellous 18-metre mural.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Wasn't that a real eye-opener?!
0:27:25 > 0:27:27I just think it acts as a time capsule, really.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30It gives us a glimpse into the past in the 1930s with all the glitz
0:27:30 > 0:27:35and the glamour that the privileged had living in houses like this.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37A last flowering of life, if you like,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41before it was cruelly swept away for ever by the Second World War.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49At the Prichard-Jones Hall in Bangor,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51there's still plenty to be examined.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Our team of experts are at full tilt,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55working their way through the crowd.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Adam is in his element.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59He's with Edwina and Ivor,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and they have a violin case on the table.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04- I'm always excited to see a violin case.- Oh, right.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07It's one of my areas, violins. It is one of the things I know about.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10So, tell me a bit about yourselves. Where do you come from?
0:28:10 > 0:28:12We live in
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrn- drobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17LAUGHTER
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- Do you really?- Yeah, we do. - Can you say that, Edwina?- I can.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrn- drobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26- OK.- And I'm not Welsh. - You're not Welsh?
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Well, you did very well there. And you brought a violin, too.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33- Can't get much better. Now, the case looks a bit tatty.- It does.
0:28:33 > 0:28:34Where did you get it from?
0:28:34 > 0:28:37It belongs to my son-in-law, Peter.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39- Does he know you've got it?- He does.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Last night, he said, "I've got a violin in my attic.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44"Would you like to take that along?"
0:28:44 > 0:28:47And how has it come to be in his attic?
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Well, he doesn't play it. And neither do the grandchildren.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53How did he get it? Where did he get it from?
0:28:53 > 0:28:55It belonged to his grandfather.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Peter played this in a youth orchestra.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- But he doesn't play it any more. - Shall we have a look at it?
0:29:00 > 0:29:01You can do.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05There we go. Now then,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07let's get the instrument.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10That bridge has fallen off, but that's not a major problem there.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11That can be put back up.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13You're lucky that you haven't got all the strings on it,
0:29:13 > 0:29:15otherwise I'd be playing it.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Then we'd clear that hall pretty quickly.
0:29:18 > 0:29:19It's got a one-piece back there.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23Sometimes they have a two-piece back, or a one-piece back.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25This is a one-piece back made from maple.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28And on the front there, we call that the table,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31the violin people, rather than the front.
0:29:31 > 0:29:32That is made from pine.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Inside, there's a label.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36I can just glimpse a label there.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39It says M Costelli, Paris.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Luthier Artistique, 1895.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44- So it's French.- It's French. - Oh, right.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- She's smart, isn't she?- Oh, yeah.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51This Costelli sounds like an Italian name.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55The Italians were very well known for the finest violins.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59French violins are also quite highly regarded, and then usually
0:29:59 > 0:30:01another step down to the German violins,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03which were more mass produced.
0:30:03 > 0:30:04This is in pretty good condition.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07People will think, "Oh, it is no good, it's got no strings."
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- But it really doesn't matter. - It can be restrung.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13It can be restrung for £60, something like that. Not a lot.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Under £100 you can get that into a playable condition.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19There's no cracks, which is the major thing.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21He was obviously quite enthusiastic, Grandad,
0:30:21 > 0:30:23because he's managed to knock a corner off there.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26That's from really enjoying it with a bow
0:30:26 > 0:30:29and maybe just caught that as he's been playing it.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Really enjoying himself, bang, off goes the corner.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36But that's just a cosmetic thing again. That can be sorted.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Now, we always check the bows, as well,
0:30:39 > 0:30:41because, sometimes, the bow can be worth more than the instrument.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Oh, right.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Let's have a quick look at that one.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47- What is this? Horsehair? - Horsehair, yes.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49That's right. You haven't got any
0:30:49 > 0:30:52special individual value with the bows.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54So, what do you think your broken violin
0:30:54 > 0:30:57in a tatty old case is worth, then?
0:30:57 > 0:30:58- Haven't got a clue.- Not a clue.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00- No?- Know nothing about violins.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03- No guesses?- Not at all.- 50 quid? - No idea.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06- Would you take that?- No idea. - I think it's more than that.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09I mean, French violins can make a few hundred pounds.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11The most famous ones can make even more than that.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13- Early thousands.- Oh, right.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17This Costelli isn't a very well-known or highly regarded maker.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21So I'd go on the cautious end and I'd put 100-200 estimate.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23- Right.- And put a reserve of 100.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26- Definitely worth £100, whatever happens.- Is it?- Yeah, yeah.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28All day long. If it doesn't make £100,
0:31:28 > 0:31:30- then it's not worth selling it.- No.
0:31:30 > 0:31:31So, I would try that.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33Put 100 reserve. If it doesn't sell,
0:31:33 > 0:31:36you'll have to take it up and learn it.
0:31:36 > 0:31:37I could give you some lessons.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39LAUGHTER
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Nice idea, but I don't think they'll be taking up the violin.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45I think it will sell.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Dora, why are you selling such a pretty-looking vase?
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Well, it's only stuck in the cupboard.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Only stuck in the cupboard, is it? It's charming, isn't it?
0:31:55 > 0:32:00- It is, I like it.- It is lovely colours. Really spring colours.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02These very delicate oranges and greens.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06- Yes, that took my eye when I saw it. - It is. And is it a family piece?- No.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08- You bought it?- Yes.- When?
0:32:08 > 0:32:10It must be 18 years ago.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13- Gosh! And what did you pay for it 18 years ago?- Half a crown.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17- Half a crown? 25 pence, isn't it? - 25 pence now, yes.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20- And is it a bargain, do you think?- Oh, yes.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23- And have you used it to put flowers and things in?- I did, yes.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27- When we had the cats and dog, I said no.- I think it is lovely.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29You've looked after it, you haven't damaged it,
0:32:29 > 0:32:31which is the main thing.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33It's a really, really nice piece. I don't need, actually...
0:32:33 > 0:32:36We will look at the mark, but I won't need to look at the mark,
0:32:36 > 0:32:38cos I know who designed this vase.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Very typical of her work and
0:32:40 > 0:32:43we've filmed a lot of things of hers on the show.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45It's not Clarice Cliff,
0:32:45 > 0:32:47it's the other well-known Art Deco design, Charlotte Rhead.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50And we know technically, straightaway,
0:32:50 > 0:32:52with this lovely two blind decoration.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55And I love the shaped, ribbed body.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58We will just have a look at the mark.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01And there we've got C Rhead, Crown Ducal,
0:33:01 > 0:33:03which is one of the firms she worked for.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05And then a shape number, as well.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09But it really is quite typical of the 1930s, that mottled glaze,
0:33:09 > 0:33:11that lovely decoration.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16And you've had it a long time. Why have you decided to sell it today?
0:33:16 > 0:33:1718 years, I think I've had it.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20I'm getting older, nobody wants it.
0:33:20 > 0:33:25Nobody wants it? It's a bygone era, isn't it, now?
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Well, I think it's a lovely item.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29It's not going to be worth a huge amount,
0:33:29 > 0:33:32because it's quite a small piece by Charlotte Rhead.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35The things that make a lot of money are the big decorative chargers.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38But I think, if we were putting that vase in for auction,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41we'd be looking at around £40-50.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43Would you be happy with that?
0:33:43 > 0:33:46- Yes...- Ish?- Ish. And more.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Well, we all want more, don't we?
0:33:49 > 0:33:50I think we've got to be sensible.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54It is a nice little piece, but if we put 40 to 50 on it,
0:33:54 > 0:33:56we might then hit the £50 or £60 mark.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59And we'll put a reserve of 35, is that all right?
0:33:59 > 0:34:00- Yes.- Fantastic.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04Dora certainly got a bargain there.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09Next, Adam has spotted some quality decanters.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11- Steve, welcome to "Flog It!" - Thank you.- How are you doing?
0:34:11 > 0:34:14- All right.- Good. You've got a nice thing here.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17- Yes, it is very precious.- Is it?
0:34:17 > 0:34:21- I hope so.- Well, is it precious to you sentimentally?- In a way, yes.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25But it's been up in the loft now for 20-odd years,
0:34:25 > 0:34:27doing nothing, so...
0:34:27 > 0:34:30If we could clear every loft in the land, I think
0:34:30 > 0:34:31we'd solve the economy.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33LAUGHTER
0:34:33 > 0:34:37The amount of stuff people have in their loft. Where was it before?
0:34:37 > 0:34:40How did it come to be in your family's possession?
0:34:40 > 0:34:45My grandfather and granny and my mother worked in a hall in Formby.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47- So they were in service? - In service, yes.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50You know, last of the upstairs and downstairs people.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53My granny was the cook and my grandfather was the butler
0:34:53 > 0:34:55and my mother was a maid.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58- And where was that?- That was in Formby Hall.- OK, Merseyside?
0:34:58 > 0:35:00- Yeah, Merseyside.- Excellent.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03And so, how do you think they got these?
0:35:03 > 0:35:06- Do think they were given them by... - I think they were given to them.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09As a sort of thank-you gift? Or retirement gift or something?
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Could have been.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13It's a very posh thing, this.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16It's made out of... Look at the thickness of the wood, as well.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19It's made out of coromandel, which is an exotic
0:35:19 > 0:35:22and expensive timber that was mainly used to make small things.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26You don't see much furniture made out of it. It was all boxes and
0:35:26 > 0:35:28small things like this.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31It's fitted with two really nice-quality decanters.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34- Was it English made, do you think? - Yes, it is.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36Definitely English made. And another sign of quality...
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Well, you've also got the key, which is quite unusual.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41- Most of these have lost their keys by now.- Yeah.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44- And you've got this special type of lock on here.- Yeah.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46- Bramah patent lock.- Oh, yeah.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Well, these locks are a special, secure lock.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52I remember you saying, before we started, you said,
0:35:52 > 0:35:55- "Don't shut it, because it's a terrible thing to open!"- Yeah.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57- That's because of this lock. - Oh, I see.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01It's a patent lock and it's wonderful quality. Bramah's patent.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03- And you only see it on fine things. - Yeah, yeah.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05So it's also another sign of quality.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08- That's why it took us ages to open, then.- Yeah!
0:36:08 > 0:36:09They used to use that for...
0:36:09 > 0:36:12as they were travelling along, in carriages and things?
0:36:12 > 0:36:15In a carriage or, yes, if you're travelling out
0:36:15 > 0:36:18and, rather than take your liquor just in a bottle,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21the more refined people would take them in decanters,
0:36:21 > 0:36:23in a fitted coromandel case,
0:36:23 > 0:36:25with a flush brass carrying handle on the top, as well.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28It's just all lovely quality, really.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Now, of course, it is, what, 1850s or so,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35- so it's been around 150 years plus. - 150 years plus.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38It's had a few...bit of a hard life in places, hasn't it?
0:36:38 > 0:36:40- It's not too bad but... - A few little nicks in it.
0:36:40 > 0:36:41With these things here,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44they're always nice on the front and on the top
0:36:44 > 0:36:47- but then they were cheaper on the sides and back.- Yeah.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50And then, if you see on the side there, you've got a bit of damage.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53And, on the back, it's not nearly as posh as it is on the front, is it?
0:36:53 > 0:36:55No, no, that's right.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59So that's often the way with these things. It's a nice thing.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02- What do you think it might be worth? - What do you think it's worth?
0:37:02 > 0:37:04I don't know, I haven't a clue, really, to be honest with you.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06Realistically, in that order,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08because the glass isn't perfect, either.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11- There's few little minor grazes, aren't there?- Yeah.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13But I would have thought
0:37:13 > 0:37:16between £100 and £200 is your likely realised price.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18- Sounds all right.- Maybe a touch more,
0:37:18 > 0:37:20but I think that's probably fairly realistic.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22- I would put a reserve of 100.- Yeah.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24And if doesn't make 100,
0:37:24 > 0:37:26maybe give it 10% leeway just in case,
0:37:26 > 0:37:27if that's all right with you?
0:37:27 > 0:37:30- If it doesn't make 90 quid, £100, then keep it.- Yeah.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32But all in all, a good-quality object.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35If it makes 150 quid, what will you do with it?
0:37:35 > 0:37:37- Finish my kitchen off. - Oh, really?
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Now that's a story I've heard before.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46Next, Mark meets Valerie, who's brought in a little family heirloom.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49Now we've got a little bit of a savoury item coming up here,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52- haven't we, Val?- Yes. - This lovely period set.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54What do you do with such a grand-looking object?
0:37:54 > 0:37:58It was my father's, possibly my grandmother's
0:37:58 > 0:38:01- and, when my father died, I kind of took it on.- You took it on.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03You've got a bit of a Scottish accent there, haven't you?
0:38:03 > 0:38:07- I have, yes.- And we see that there's a Dundee name there, as well.- Yes.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10So it's all indicating that it might be Scottish, actually.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13- Oh, good.- So is it something you use on a regular basis?
0:38:13 > 0:38:14No, I'm afraid not.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17I'm more the kind of plastic tub of salt and a mustard jar.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19You can wash it up easily, without all the polishing.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21- Absolutely, yes. - It's really rather nice.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23What we've basically got is two little pepperettes,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26two little table salts and the little mustard
0:38:26 > 0:38:29with the spoons, as well, which is rather nice, actually.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33- So you've had it quite a long time? - It was my dad's.- Right.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36And I've had it for ten years, since he died.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Living in a cupboard, not being looked at.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41- Living in a cupboard, unfortunately, yes.- It's a shame, isn't it?
0:38:41 > 0:38:45It used to get put out, the mustard pot, when I was a child,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48I remember seeing that. I don't remember the whole set.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Well, in fact, it is hallmarked.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Each piece is silver.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55- But it's not Scottish.- Oh!
0:38:55 > 0:38:57- It's hallmarked in Birmingham. - Right, OK.
0:38:57 > 0:39:001902. So it's Edwardian.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03- Nice, nice.- Just over 100 years old.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05And it's very much in that Edwardian style.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08It's sort of reminiscing - reviving, if you like -
0:39:08 > 0:39:12the sort of Georgian period, where you had very neoclassical shapes.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15- Yeah.- With little festoons and things like that.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19And this is very typical of a style which would have been sort of 1790.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22- Right.- But this is 1902.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25But a jolly nice and I would say practical set,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28except that we don't tend to use these sort of things.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30We don't eat formally any more,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33we don't have housekeepers to look after our silver cupboards.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36If we were putting this into auction,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39I would probably say somewhere around about the £100 mark.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41- Oh, right.- 80-120.- Yes, yes.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44- And with a reserve of £80.- Right.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47I would probably say fixed reserve, actually,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49- so we don't sell it under £80. - Yes, yes.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52But tell me, you've had it for at least ten years.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54It's been in your family a long while before that.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Why have you decided to flog it today?
0:39:56 > 0:39:59My father was quite grand
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- and would have quite like to have seen it being used, really.- Yes.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05- And I never use it, so it seems silly...- Time for it to go?- Yes.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Someone else could maybe enjoy it and actually put it on a nice table
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- and...- Absolutely. Well, I think it will appeal to a private buyer
0:40:11 > 0:40:14cos it's all there, in its case, which is always very nice.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17- But also it will appeal to a trade buyer.- Right, yes.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Someone who specialises in buying and selling silver.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Quite right.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24No point leaving something so nice sitting in a cupboard.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Let's remind ourselves of the remaining items
0:40:26 > 0:40:28to go under the hammer at auction.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32I really don't think that Ivor and Edwina's son-in-law, Peter,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36should worry - there won't be any problems selling his French violin.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41And I think Dora will be getting a good return on her half a crown
0:40:41 > 0:40:45when the Charlotte Rhead vase goes under the hammer.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Steve needs to get on with that kitchen,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50so let's hope the sale of the decanters will help fund it.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53And Valerie's cruet set caught Mark's eye,
0:40:53 > 0:40:55so let's hope it does the same in the sale room
0:40:55 > 0:40:57and the bidders like it.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04There's a lively atmosphere at the auction house, so fingers crossed.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06And first up are Steve's decanters.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08His wife, Anne, has joined him,
0:41:08 > 0:41:12probably because she's keen to get her kitchen finished, too.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14- Fingers crossed, Anne and Steve, OK?- Yeah.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16I know you're feeling a bit nervous.
0:41:16 > 0:41:17We're just about to sell the decanters.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21- We are looking for about £100-200. OK?- Yeah.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23- Happy with that? - Yeah, I think so. Yeah.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25- Confident as ever. Cocky as ever.- Yes, he is.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Let's hope we get the top end, OK?
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Good luck, it's going under the hammer right now. This is it.
0:41:32 > 0:41:38And the very nice amboyna decanter box, containing two decanters.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Nice, with mushroom stoppers.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Bids all over the book on this one.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44453.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Whoa! Straight in.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48- That's the lot number. - That's the lot number!
0:41:48 > 0:41:49THEY LAUGH
0:41:49 > 0:41:52You got keep alert at auctions! Believe me!
0:41:52 > 0:41:5670 if you like. At 170. 180?
0:41:56 > 0:41:59180 bid. Is there 90? At 180.
0:41:59 > 0:42:0190. 190.
0:42:01 > 0:42:02Level money? At £190.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04I'd better not fan, I might bid it.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07Level money? At 190.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09- That's a good result. - Top end of estimate.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11At £190.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14We'll settle for that. I think that's drinks all round.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17£190. Well done, Adam. Happy with that?
0:42:17 > 0:42:19- It was our anniversary the other day.- Was it?
0:42:19 > 0:42:20I was just about to say,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23- what would you put the money towards or spend on?- 46 years.
0:42:23 > 0:42:2646 years together. Still in love, as well? Happy as ever?
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- Just about, yeah.- "Just about"!
0:42:29 > 0:42:30Of course they are!
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Next up, the pretty Charlotte Rhead vase.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37It's a lovely little vase, valued by Mark, our expert.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40- It belongs to Dora and I'm ever so jealous.- Are you now?
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Yes, because Dora lives in Anglesey.
0:42:42 > 0:42:43I don't want the Charlotte Rhead vase,
0:42:43 > 0:42:46but I'd love to live in Anglesey. Have you got a sea view?
0:42:46 > 0:42:50- Yes!- Oh, and a bit of land?- All the way from Holyhead to the, um...
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Point Lynas.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55- And have you lived there all your life?- No, 30 years.- 30 years.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59- Where were you before that?- Near Pwllheli. Between Nefyn and Pwllheli.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02- North Wales, born and bred, then?- Yeah.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04- What a great part of the world, isn't it?- It is.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07You look so healthy, as well. It's all that sea air, isn't it?
0:43:07 > 0:43:11- All the gardening.- All the gardening! Do you like gardening?- I do!- Do you?
0:43:11 > 0:43:14Hey, good luck with the Charlotte Rhead vase. Everyone will love this.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17I had it for years before I found the name on it.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20It is rather sweet, the design. Very typical of her.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22The auctioneer liked this. The auctioneer liked this.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25He said it would do well. And it's going under the hammer right now.
0:43:27 > 0:43:32Lot 219, the very nice Crown Ducal wide-necked vase.
0:43:32 > 0:43:33Charlotte Rhead.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Number 213 to the base. Start on the book... I've got book bids.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37It starts at 70.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40- Oh, lovely, £70. - Straight in. Top end.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42At 70. 70 bid.
0:43:42 > 0:43:4470. It's a little beaut.
0:43:44 > 0:43:465. 80. 80 bid.
0:43:46 > 0:43:495. 85. 90. £90.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Coming back? 90 with me.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Anybody else? At £90.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56That's not bad, is it, £90?
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Final call at £90. Level money would be nice.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02- That's very good.- Make no mistake.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04Great result and good luck, good luck with the garden.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08- I bet all the money's going on some more plants, is it?- A bit of it!
0:44:08 > 0:44:10And a bit of manual labour?
0:44:10 > 0:44:13A strong young man in to sort of do some...?
0:44:13 > 0:44:14No, it's all you.
0:44:14 > 0:44:15THEY LAUGH
0:44:18 > 0:44:19Now, that's the spirit, Dora!
0:44:21 > 0:44:23So far, so good, which brings us to our next lot,
0:44:23 > 0:44:25and it's been in the cupboard for about ten years.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Can you guess what I'm talking about?
0:44:27 > 0:44:29Well, probably not, as most of our lots
0:44:29 > 0:44:32have been kept in cupboards or drawers for about ten years.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34But it's the five-piece cruet set belonging to Val.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Never, ever thought of using it?
0:44:36 > 0:44:38- Well, I'm not really posh enough to have a silver cruet set...- Oh!
0:44:38 > 0:44:41..with the miniature teaspoons and...
0:44:41 > 0:44:44You know, it's lovely but it's not something I would really use.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46No, it's got all the bells and whistles, hasn't it?
0:44:46 > 0:44:48- I mean, it's a showy piece. - It is nice, it's a showy piece.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51Yeah, and you'd think it would be worth an awful lot more
0:44:51 > 0:44:53than sort of 80-120 but I guess nobody wants them?
0:44:53 > 0:44:55No, I mean, we don't eat the same as we used to, Paul.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58We now have, you know, much more informal dinner parties,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00where we sit around the table with our friends,
0:45:00 > 0:45:02swigging glasses of white, red...
0:45:02 > 0:45:04Champagne and oysters in Mark's case, isn't it?
0:45:04 > 0:45:07Well, I wouldn't like to comment. I do live near the sea!
0:45:07 > 0:45:08THEY LAUGH
0:45:09 > 0:45:13348, the cased five-piece silver cruet set with spoons.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16Bristol blue glass liners.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19Birmingham, 1902. Rather nice. £100?
0:45:19 > 0:45:21100. 100 I'm bid. Thank you, sir.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23- Oh, 100's bid.- (Straight in.)
0:45:23 > 0:45:25- 20 anywhere?- Mid-estimate.- At 100.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28100 bid. 120. 130. 140.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31- 150, 160... - Hey, Val, this is very good.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33170, 180. 190. 190 bid.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36Out at the back also. Halfway down, the bid. Your bid, sir.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39This could be going to a local hotel or something, couldn't it?
0:45:39 > 0:45:42Anybody else coming in? At 190. 190. All done?
0:45:44 > 0:45:46Gosh, what a surprise!
0:45:46 > 0:45:48- There's us playing it down, saying no-one wants them.- I know!
0:45:48 > 0:45:50Well, you see, there's a lot of grand houses here.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53- Posh houses in Colwyn Bay. - A lot of posh, big Victorian houses.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56A lot of guesthouses and a lot of hotels here.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59- That's the market for it.- Maybe they'll get us round for dinner!
0:45:59 > 0:46:00THEY LAUGH
0:46:02 > 0:46:05That's more like it. We like to see people go home happy.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08Our final lot is the French violin
0:46:08 > 0:46:11belonging to Ivor and Edwina's son-in-law, Peter.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Edwina and Ivor, good luck with this one.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18We're just about to put the violin under the hammer.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21And it's a good job Adam Partridge was on our valuation day
0:46:21 > 0:46:23cos he's the only expert that understands violins!
0:46:23 > 0:46:24THEY LAUGH
0:46:24 > 0:46:26We all go, "Ooh, this is nice.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28"Unfortunately, Adam's not here today."
0:46:28 > 0:46:30Because he doesn't do every single one.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32We kind of pass the violin around.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34Will this do a little more than 150?
0:46:34 > 0:46:37It should make 200 or 300, really, I suppose.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39But it has got a few condition issues, just the corners,
0:46:39 > 0:46:42cosmetic things, which may put people off.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44I think the estimate's about right.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46I'd like to see it make a bit more, of course.
0:46:46 > 0:46:47That would be nice for everyone.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49Good luck. It's going under the hammer now.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55Very, very nice violin. Had a lot of interest in it. Start me, £300.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57Deathly silence.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59- 200?- Come on, where are the hands?
0:46:59 > 0:47:00Opening bid of 100.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04- £100.- I'm feeling nervous now. - 100 bid.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06At 125, 150.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08150?
0:47:08 > 0:47:09150 bid.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12That's good. That's what you wanted.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15Is there 200? At 175.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18200. A new bidder at 200.
0:47:18 > 0:47:2125. 225 online.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23- This is good.- 250 on the phone.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26Now it's creeping up. Now they don't want to lose it.
0:47:26 > 0:47:27275 online.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29300 on the phone.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31300 I'm bid.
0:47:31 > 0:47:3325 online.
0:47:33 > 0:47:34350 on the phone.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37At 350. 75 online.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39People find it everywhere now, don't they?
0:47:39 > 0:47:41400 on the phone.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43I'd like to be going 50s now.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45425 online.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47425, 450.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50475 online.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52- (475.)- 500 on the phone.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57At £500. 525.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02525 online. Final call.
0:48:02 > 0:48:03PAUL LAUGHS
0:48:03 > 0:48:05Slow down!
0:48:06 > 0:48:08All done? No second thoughts?
0:48:10 > 0:48:14- £525.- Very good. - I was a bit cautious.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16- That ended in a crescendo, didn't it?- It did!
0:48:16 > 0:48:18What a wonderful moment, eh?
0:48:18 > 0:48:19Fantastic.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23You can find details of our next valuation days
0:48:23 > 0:48:26by logging onto the internet and going to...
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Click F for "Flog It!" and then follow the links
0:48:31 > 0:48:34to find the list of towns that we're coming to soon.