Worthing 24 Flog It!


Worthing 24

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The great British seaside. We've been in love with it for years.

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And that's why we're in Worthing. It's a picture-postcard scene.

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We've got the pier, we've got the beach,

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and the pavilion, which is the venue for today's star attraction.

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Welcome to Flog It!

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This is Sussex, by the sea.

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That's a nice photograph.

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Worthing was an inspiration for playwrights Oscar Wilde and Harold Pinter.

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It's fitting that we should follow in the theatrical tradition today,

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because our venue is the impressive Pavilion Theatre on Worthing seafront.

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Just about to go on stage for Act 1 are our two experts, David Fletcher and Michael Baggott.

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The first thing David Fletcher ever sold was a live rabbit.

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And look, he's still an animal lover today!

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Even I can work it! Vaguely!

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-He's got a lovely face!

-He's looking at you.

-Yeah, he's got his eye on me!

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'And Michael Baggott's got his hands full, as always.'

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-Who wants a sticker?

-I do! Where are you going to put it?

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This is a dangerous operation. You saw, my hands never left my arms!

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Flog it!

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'Coming up, David gets excited...'

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Look what I found, Mum!

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'..Michael gains an admirer...'

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-You're the best.

-He is the best.

-Can you say that again?

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'..and I discover surrealist art.'

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Isn't that just incredible? I might even have some vivid dreams tonight!

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Well, it's 9.30, it's time to get the doors open, let's go inside!

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Come on, everybody!

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Well, everybody's now safely seated inside the Pavilion Theatre,

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and it looks like we've got a full house. Are you ready for Act 1? Well, so am I.

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It looks like David Fletcher is our first expert to the tables.

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Let's take a closer look at what he's spotted.

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-Hello, Cindy.

-Hello.

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Every now and then, we see something which gives us

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an insight to a bygone age and, by George, this does, doesn't it?

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-It does.

-It advertises a series of events to be hosted

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by the Royal Dramatic College at the Crystal Palace in 1865.

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Now, the Crystal Palace was built, as you probably know,

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in 1851 for The Great Exhibition.

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Now, how did you come by it?

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I did a little cleaning job for a lady that was retired

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and she had this on her wall and when she had to move

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into a residential home,

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she offered it to me, along with a couple of other little bits.

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The list of events it describes I just think are fantastic.

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One of the ones that really caught my eyes was Wombwell's Menagerie.

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Now, Wombwell's Menagerie was well known.

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I would have expected them to be top of the bill,

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and they advertise lions, tigers, panthers, bears.

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"The lion weighs from 700 to 800lb

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"and is allowed by all who have seen him

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"to be the finest in captivity."

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-They don't hold back, do they, these Victorians?

-No!

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They think they've got something good, they will tell you.

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But just to make sure we don't all get too light-hearted

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about all this, there is a lecture here on comparative anatomy.

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So, after you've been to Wombwell's Circus

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and you've seen the amazing brothers and the Gypsy Cave

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and the Fairy Post Office, you can

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take in something more cerebral and go off to a lecture on anatomy.

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Fantastic.

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The Victorians loved this sort of thing. I noticed

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that the occasion or the event took place on Saturday and Monday.

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Not on Sunday. That's interesting. Sunday, being a day of rest.

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-Exactly. Now, printed on silk.

-Yes, I think so. It's got a shine to it.

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That suggests it might just have been sold as a scarf, perhaps.

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-Otherwise, why not just print it on paper?

-Paper.

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I don't think it's hugely valuable.

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In fact, I think really, it's something if you're thinking

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in terms of selling it, you should be prepared to sell without reserve.

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-Right, yes.

-Now, I hope the auctioneers will agree with me

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that we should estimate at say £20-£30.

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But I wouldn't want to put too high an estimate on it,

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because in the great scheme of things,

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it doesn't have that intrinsic value that collectors really like.

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-Would you be happy with that?

-Very happy, yes.

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And the lady who owned it would like that?

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She'd probably say, "Go on, see what you can get for it."

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Good for you, Cindy, we love a determined seller!

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It's all in here. Hang on!

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What's in there? This is the bit I like where people open their boxes.

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It's the reveal. Oh, look at that.

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-It was presented to a person who used to work at Hoover.

-Oh, right.

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That's a copy of one of the first automatic washing machines.

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-That was presented to him as a leaving gift.

-Oh, was it?!

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-That has never, ever been used.

-Isn't that lovely?!

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Carol, you've brought this lovely watch in for me today

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with a silversmith's name on it.

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A very good retailer's name on it - Asprey.

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-Can you tell me, where did it come from?

-It was my mother's.

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She had it for a very long time and she used to keep it in her jewellery box

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and get it out and have a peep at it now and again.

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She loved it, she thought it was very pretty, but she never wore it, because it's a pin

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and she wouldn't put pins in her clothes.

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Understandable, because it's quite... If we pick him up,

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even though he's small, it's a heavy little weight,

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and if you had something light on, it would eventually pull a hole in it.

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This was made in the late '40s, early '50s, as a piece of cocktail jewellery,

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and you could imagine those beautifully turned-out ladies

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in their thick, heavy coats, tailored.

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And that would be...

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I don't wear one myself, but it would be poised there,

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-and would fit in quite well.

-Yes, yes.

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The case, I imagine, is nine-carat gold.

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The little suspension chain and clasp that it's on, we have got a little mark for that,

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-and that's stamped 750, so we know that that's 18 carat.

-OK.

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And we've got those three little greyish pearls set in,

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which might conceivably, from the colour, be Scottish freshwater pearls,

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so it's a lovely little thing.

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But there we've got the face, and that's rather luxurious.

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The black enamel dial, with the little gold spots for the hours.

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We've also got the gold weights,

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if nothing else, that case must weigh several grams.

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I think it would be sensible if we put an estimate of £100 to £150,

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a fixed reserve of £100 on it.

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-OK.

-And hopefully, the Asprey name alone will carry it on from that.

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-Yes, yes.

-Why have you decided to part with it?

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I'm doing the same thing as my mother did - it's in a box,

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-and I'm looking at it occasionally and popping it back in.

-Not pinning it on?

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No, it's very pretty, but it's not something I would wear.

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I think it's almost becoming a collector's piece now.

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So let's put it into the auction and hope it ticks away to a profit for you!

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-That'd be great.

-Marvellous. Thank you.

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David is fascinated by a mysterious object belonging to Adam and Nicola.

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-Nicola.

-Hello.

-And Adam.

-Hiya.

-You brought your mum out for the day?

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-Something like that.

-She doesn't get out very often?

-No, not at all!

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-It's nice of you to bring her out. I'm glad you've come to Flog It!

-Thank you.

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You've brought with you a...gizmo, really.

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-Yes.

-It looks to me as if it's made of marine ivory.

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We can tell that by looking for flecks,

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and they are really quite distinctive here.

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Now, marine ivory really means walrus ivory,

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as opposed to elephant ivory.

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Ivory today, for obvious reasons, is not as fashionable as it was,

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but this was made a long time ago, and it's entirely legal to sell it.

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So there's no problem there.

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As I say, it is a gizmo in the sense that it does two or three different things.

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If I can unscrew it there...

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We have...a pen,

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not a fountain pen, but a dipper.

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And at the other end, of course, a paper knife.

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One other thing which I suspect is going to be the case,

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is that if I look through this little hole at the end,

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I'm going to see a black-and-white photograph.

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'The image is so tiny, our cameras can't film it.

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'But this is very similar to what David could see.'

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I'm sure the moment you saw this, you thought, "I've got to go to Hastings!"

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-We went there last year!

-Did you?

-Yeah, we did!

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This type of magnifying device is known as a Stanhope

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because it was invented by the third Earl of Stanhope,

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who obviously hadn't got much to do with his time.

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-No!

-He was probably very thrilled with it, and I must say, it is miraculous.

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This isn't going to make the earth, let's be honest, but it's good fun,

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and I'd like to suggest an estimate of £30 to £50.

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-That's OK!

-All right.

-Go ahead.

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OK. We'll go ahead, and I'll see you both at the auction.

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-Lovely, thank you.

-Bye-bye.

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Now it's my turn to have a go at a valuation.

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We're having a marvellous time here in Worthing, everybody's thoroughly enjoying themselves.

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It's jam-packed in the pavilion, getting rather stuffy,

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so I thought I'd do my next valuation outside, on the pier,

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not just to get some fresh air, but also to take in the beautiful scenery

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and listen to Dave perform on the pier - take it away for some seaside entertainment!

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HE STRUMS TUNELESSLY

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-Is that it?

-That's about my lot, I'm afraid! Would you like to have a go?

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I've got to say, that's about all I could do as well.

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Tell me about this wonderful mandolin, how did you come by it?

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Well, I usually go to a boot fair Sunday mornings,

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and I was wandering around, no rush,

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and I saw it lying under a bench.

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I picked it up, I asked the gentleman what he wanted for it.

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-What was the price tag?

-Well, it was expensive - it was £3!

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And I was a bit worried about getting my money back.

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-You didn't try and knock them down?

-I did. I tried £2.50, but got rejected.

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I'm not surprised! I'd have smashed it over your head for being cheeky!

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-I think you got a bargain for £3.

-Do you? Oh, good.

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-I did wonder once whether it wasn't genuine.

-Can I have a closer look?

-Yeah.

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Cos you know about wood, Paul!

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-What wood is it?

-That's rosewood.

-And what's this banding?

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-It's all rosewood.

-Is it?

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Yeah, it's just different sections of the grain showing through.

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-So looking at this, that's mother-of-pearl inlay, can you see that?

-This?

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Basically, mother-of-pearl is just very, very thin slices of seashell,

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inlaid into the tortoiseshell.

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-Would that be done by hand?

-Yes. Isn't that beautiful?

-It is.

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And this, I thought first off perhaps it was broken, but it's not.

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No, the neck's been cut away on purpose inside the sound hole.

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That's because this instrument was either designed to be plucked,

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-or strummed with a plectrum.

-Right.

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-I'd say this is around 1850s to 1870s.

-Really?

-Yes.

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This is an early one.

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It's really, really nice,

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It's got that lovely Neapolitan bowl shape to it.

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These instruments were first made in this kind of form and shape

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-in the early part of the 17th century.

-Yeah.

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HE PLUCKS NOTES

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-And it's derived from the lute.

-Mm-hm.

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-So your £3...

-Yes?

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-What do you think it's worth?

-Oh, double. How about six?

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OK, how about 250?

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-That'll do!

-That'll do you, won't it? There you are.

-Thank you!

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I say we put that into auction with a value of £150 to £250. Reserve at 150.

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-Sounds good to me.

-Happy?

-Very happy.

-See you at the auction.

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-Thank you, Paul. Thank you very much.

-That's OK. I'd be keeping that.

-Yeah.

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Michael is entranced by the silver jug belonging to Pam.

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It wouldn't be a "Flog It!" for me unless I saw a lovely bit of silver.

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And you have kindly obliged by bringing this lovely jug along.

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Where did you get it from?

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It was a gift from an elderly neighbour and friend.

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Have you got any idea how old it is, where it was made,

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-anything like that?

-No idea whatsoever.

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Right, most silver should have a set of hallmarks on. Super.

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We've got the hallmarks there.

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Sadly, the central mark, which is the maker's mark, was just

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lightly struck when it was punched, because it is on a curved surface.

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So, rather than hitting the punch down flat,

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and making a good impression, they just caught the edge of it.

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-Yes.

-I can't really make that out,

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but about half of these jugs were made by a man called David Mowden,

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who was working in London, so there is a great good chance it's by him.

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What we have got, struck nice and clear, the sterling mark

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and we have got the crowned leopard's head, which is

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the London town mark and most of all,

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the date letter which is a Gothic A. And that is for 1756.

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So, you've actually got a little George II silver...

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-Oh, I'm surprised.

-..tripod cream jug.

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And you've got all these lovely features, these cast,

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squat feet and this leaf cap scroll handle.

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And what's most attractive is this lovely, scalloped and waved rim.

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It's actually one of the cheaper bits of silver you could

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buy in the 18th century. There's not a great deal of weight to it.

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And you could imagine these handles being cast in quite a large number

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as were the feet.

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The nice thing about yours is that it's come down

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in perfect condition.

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I'd say half of these were got at during

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the 19th century, and the Victorians had the delight

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in chasing them with flowers and berries and figures.

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And at the time, it was jollying up something that was

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completely out of fashion.

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But, of course, it ruins the Georgian original for collectors,

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and we've got even the original owner's initials on the base there.

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-I didn't notice that.

-Any idea of its value?

-No idea.

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As I say, they were made in relatively large numbers.

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And this is the sort of thing that someone would buy, who's just

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starting to collect silver. It is very much entry-level.

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Let's put £100-£150 on it. Let's put a fixed reserve of £90.

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It won't go under that.

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But I'm sure a collector will love and enjoy this,

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so let's hope it does really well for you.

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-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

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This very pretty, unprepossessing house

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in the Sussex village of Rodmell,

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was home to one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.

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It's Monk's House, and it was Virginia Woolf's country retreat.

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Virginia Woolf is the most famous British writer of the 1920s

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and '30s. Her work and her life are

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closely associated with women's rights.

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But she was a tortured genius who took her own life at the age

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of 59. Virginia Woolf suffered from severe depression and throughout

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her lifetime, experienced several nervous breakdowns, but during

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that period, she never stopped writing novels, journals, diaries.

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And together with her husband Leonard,

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she founded the Hogarth Press,

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which published works by authors such as TS Eliot and DH Lawrence.

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'Virginia and Leonard were members of the infamous Bloomsbury Set,

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'who soon adopted Monk's House as a regular retreat.

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'They were intellectuals, artists and writers and the place was

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'decorated in avant-garde style by various members of the group.'

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Monk's House was acquired by the National Trust in the 1980s

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and for the last ten years has been looked after by Jonathan

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and his wife Caroline. I'm very pleased to meet you.

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Nice to meet you.

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-As soon as I walked into this house, it embraced me.

-Yes.

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It really did, it's like a mini Charleston.

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I love the artwork and the colours.

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It's a treasure trove of the whole spirit of the Bloomsbury group.

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And not just the paintings. They painted all of the surfaces.

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Exactly. That's just like Charleston.

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I can see the tables are painted. The lampshades.

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I noticed there was a packet of cigars there.

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-Are they yours or is that a prop?

-No.

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-Those are the cigars that Virginia is known to have smoked.

-No, really?

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Yes. And she would have sat there in that chair.

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There are photographs of her in that chair in front of the fire,

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which is the obvious place in a very cold, damp room like this.

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So, you have been here ten years, you can

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obviously build up a picture of what she's like, a very good picture?

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Just tell me a little bit about the woman.

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Well, she was a genius and obsessed with words.

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So, all her life, she was focused on writing.

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It could have been be letters to a friend,

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it could have been her diaries,

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which she kept every single day.

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And of course, then, her great works, her novels.

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She was also reviewing books, so she was just surrounded with words.

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I think she was writing at a time

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-when men had all the political power and the wealth.

-Yes.

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She was a proto-feminist in an era when that wasn't really fashionable.

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She wrote A Room Of One's Own,

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about how she didn't just want to be an ordinary little housewife,

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but that she wanted to have the space

0:19:000:19:03

and the freedom to devote herself to her work.

0:19:030:19:07

Throughout the 1920s, that whole decade, she had a very close

0:19:070:19:11

and intimate relationship with Vita Sackville-West.

0:19:110:19:14

Well, she was somebody who was maybe quite confused in her own mind

0:19:140:19:19

about her sexuality.

0:19:190:19:21

And she certainly explored some quite intimate relationships

0:19:210:19:25

with other women.

0:19:250:19:26

Not just Vita Sackville-West, but also the famous composer,

0:19:260:19:30

Ethel Smyth.

0:19:300:19:31

And I think this was part of the whole Bloomsbury experience

0:19:310:19:36

that they were experimenting in many of the ways

0:19:360:19:39

in which they lead their lives.

0:19:390:19:42

Monk's House was a retreat from the busy, chaotic London life,

0:19:430:19:47

but Virginia Woolf's real retreat was the rambling garden,

0:19:470:19:50

complete with orchard, which became an inspiration to her.

0:19:500:19:54

In 1934, Leonard built this small writing lodge, especially for her.

0:19:540:19:59

It's a marvellous writing studio, isn't it?

0:20:000:20:02

Writing shed, in fact, a clapperboard shed -

0:20:020:20:05

must be the most famous one in the world, if you're talking about sheds.

0:20:050:20:08

It certainly is one of the most

0:20:080:20:10

and it is something that a lot of people come to see here.

0:20:100:20:13

-This is a pilgrimage, isn't it?

-Exactly.

0:20:130:20:14

Where was she when she wrote those famous words of To The Lighthouse?

0:20:140:20:19

And the paper that she wrote on, this blue paper, because

0:20:190:20:24

apparently, she had quite bad eyes, so she didn't like white paper.

0:20:240:20:28

Just think how many famous people, let's say 80 to 100 years ago,

0:20:280:20:32

would have sat here under the canopy of this chestnut tree.

0:20:320:20:36

They loved to come down here to work,

0:20:360:20:38

but they definitely entertained here as well.

0:20:380:20:41

And there are photographs of the Bloomsbury group assembled,

0:20:410:20:45

in fact, on this very bit of terracing here.

0:20:450:20:49

People like EM Forster, TS Eliot, they all came here

0:20:490:20:51

and they're all photographed here.

0:20:510:20:53

'Despite her lifestyle and open relationships,

0:20:530:20:57

'Virginia Woolf's heart belonged to Monk's House

0:20:570:21:00

'and the man she shared it with, Leonard.'

0:21:000:21:03

And he did support her in everything she did, didn't he?

0:21:030:21:06

He was a loving man. And I know they had a great friendship right

0:21:060:21:09

-throughout their life.

-Yes, yes, and she, when she died,

0:21:090:21:14

said in her letter that she left, that you have been the best

0:21:140:21:18

husband that anyone could have been, because obviously, she didn't

0:21:180:21:21

want him to feel guilty about, "If only I had done this for her."

0:21:210:21:25

After Virginia Woolf's death,

0:21:310:21:32

her husband Leonard continued to live here at Monk's House until his

0:21:320:21:35

own death in 1969 and there is no doubt about it,

0:21:350:21:39

this humble little house really does embody

0:21:390:21:41

the spirit of one of the 20th century's greatest writers.

0:21:410:21:44

It illuminates her life and it's definitely well worth a visit.

0:21:440:21:48

Now, quick reminder of what is going to auction.

0:21:540:21:57

We have Carol's gold watch with that all-important maker's name,

0:21:570:22:01

Nicola and Adam's 100-year-old Stanhope, made from marine ivory,

0:22:010:22:07

Cindy's Victorian theatre playbill dated 1865 and printed on silk,

0:22:070:22:11

that 250-year-old silver cream jug belonging to Pam and, finally,

0:22:110:22:16

David's early 19th-century mandolin with its beautiful mother-of-pearl inlay.

0:22:160:22:21

I'm getting excited, and I hope you are,

0:22:280:22:30

because it's time to put our experts' valuations to the test.

0:22:300:22:33

We're doing it in this building, Denhams Auctioneers.

0:22:330:22:38

Before I go inside and catch up with our owners,

0:22:380:22:40

who are probably really nervous, let's have a chat with today's auctioneer, Simon Langton,

0:22:400:22:45

see what he's got to say.

0:22:450:22:47

As you can see, the sun's shining, so let's hope he's in a good mood.

0:22:470:22:50

I want to know what Simon thinks of my item, the mandolin.

0:22:520:22:55

The reserve's been reduced to £120.

0:22:550:22:58

I have been punchy, I put 150 to 250 on this because of its quality.

0:23:010:23:06

A little bit punchy, a little bit excitable...

0:23:060:23:09

But it's better than the norm.

0:23:090:23:11

Oh... Crumbs, it's top-drawer, this is the biggest news in mandolins, but you're a bit high,

0:23:110:23:16

-I'm a bit low, perhaps we'll meet in the middle.

-Let's make music!

0:23:160:23:21

Well! Steady on!

0:23:210:23:23

It's your job to get on the rostrum and find a buyer that's going to fall in love with this.

0:23:230:23:28

David's wife Shirley has joined us for the sale.

0:23:280:23:32

Thank you, sir.

0:23:320:23:34

Hello, pleased to meet you as well. You've come to wave it goodbye.

0:23:340:23:38

-Yes, sadly.

-I tell you something... Sadly? Ooh, do you want to keep it?

0:23:380:23:43

Well, you might be, because I had a chat to the auctioneer earlier,

0:23:430:23:47

and you know what he said - he said he thought it was a bit punchy.

0:23:470:23:51

He would put it at about 100 to 150.

0:23:510:23:53

So his top end is my lower end, but it doesn't really matter, does it?

0:23:530:23:57

They don't mind if it's going home. I think the pressure's off.

0:23:570:24:01

Next time we come to Worthing, we'll probably see him busking along the seafront.

0:24:010:24:05

Let's see if we hit the high notes now - it's time to sell it.

0:24:050:24:08

The six-stringed mandolin, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl,

0:24:090:24:13

two labels on it, a handsome-looking mandolin.

0:24:130:24:16

What do we say, £100 for it?

0:24:160:24:18

75 then, come along, let's make music together. Come along, now.

0:24:180:24:25

50, if we dare. 40, then. Thank you. And five. 50. And five.

0:24:250:24:30

At £55, do I see 60?

0:24:300:24:33

At £55, looking for 60. At £55, 60 I've got. And five, 70.

0:24:330:24:38

And five, 80.

0:24:380:24:40

And five, 90. And five. 100. 105, if it helps.

0:24:400:24:47

It's only money!

0:24:470:24:48

At 105, good for you. At 105, we're using discretion here.

0:24:480:24:52

At 105, going to sell, at 105.

0:24:520:24:55

Hammer's gone down. He sold it, with discretion. We wanted 120, he sold it at 105.

0:24:550:25:01

-So he's used a bit of discretion. Is that OK?

-Yeah, that's fine.

0:25:010:25:04

-It's gone, anyway, it's gone.

-Won't have to string it now.

-That'll help toward the golden wedding!

0:25:040:25:09

It's got him out of playing it, hasn't it? Let's face it!

0:25:090:25:12

-The golden wedding?

-Yes!

-Wow! 50 years!

-On Friday!

0:25:120:25:17

-Well, that's a bit of money towards the celebration.

-That's right.

0:25:170:25:21

-Buy a box of champagne.

-Yeah.

-Job done! Job done!

0:25:210:25:26

Next up, the Victorian playbill.

0:25:280:25:30

Cindy's decided at the last minute to put a £20 reserve on it,

0:25:300:25:34

and it looks like she's brought the whole family along to the sale.

0:25:340:25:38

My daughter Kylie, and my granddaughter, Lilly.

0:25:380:25:41

How old is Lilly?

0:25:410:25:42

-She's a year a week tomorrow.

-Oh, bless!

0:25:420:25:45

Hiya! Hello, Lilly. What are we selling? Well...

0:25:450:25:52

-You've had this in the family quite a time.

-I've had it about 15 years.

0:25:520:25:57

-And did you have it on the wall?

-Yes. My husband quite likes it.

0:25:570:26:02

It's your husband that's instigated the reserve?

0:26:020:26:05

Yes, yes, because he said to me, "Actually, I quite like it."

0:26:050:26:09

-He said, "I'll give you £20."

-Did he?

-Yes.

0:26:090:26:13

We had a chat about it, and the auctioneer liked it,

0:26:130:26:16

there's lots of history there.

0:26:160:26:18

The thing is, if you had somebody in your family, past generations,

0:26:180:26:21

that actually performed in a play that was there, well,

0:26:210:26:23

-you've got a buyer, haven't you?

-That's right.

-No matter how much it costs.

0:26:230:26:26

-It's an important piece of social history.

-Yeah, let's find out what happens. Here we go.

0:26:260:26:31

240, is the Victorian programme there.

0:26:310:26:34

The Royal Dramatic College at Crystal Palace.

0:26:340:26:37

Numerous names of amusement and fun. What do we say for it? £20 for it.

0:26:370:26:44

10, then, come along now, I'm bid 10 at the back.

0:26:440:26:47

12, 16, 18, is it? At £18, 20, and two now, sir.

0:26:470:26:53

22 right at the back there. Selling at 22, we're going at 22, are we?

0:26:530:26:59

I think Lilly nearly put in a late bid there!

0:27:000:27:03

-Crying out, "Over here," she said!

-Yeah, that's right.

0:27:030:27:07

-Well done, David, spot on.

-Brilliant, thank you.

0:27:070:27:10

-Thank you so much for bringing all the family in.

-Lovely.

0:27:100:27:13

And a wonderful piece of social history.

0:27:130:27:15

Not exactly a fortune, but a spot-on estimate, and it's gone.

0:27:150:27:18

Next, it's that 1756 silver cream jug belonging to Pam.

0:27:180:27:22

Why are you selling the cream jug now?

0:27:240:27:26

-It sits in the back of a cupboard.

-Does it? It does.

0:27:260:27:28

That's what happens to silver, isn't it, when you don't want to polish it and leave it on display?

0:27:280:27:32

But the fact that Pam hasn't polished it means it's got

0:27:320:27:35

this lovely patination to it. This is a pure, clean...

0:27:350:27:39

It's honest, that's what they say in the trade. Very honest, very clean.

0:27:390:27:42

-That's your favourite word, isn't it?

-Crisp.

-Honest condition.

0:27:420:27:45

"It's honest, guv, it's really honest."

0:27:450:27:48

-I tell you what, it's a good time to sell silver as well, isn't it?

-It is.

0:27:480:27:51

Despite what other people might say, it's a very buoyant market.

0:27:510:27:54

-Happy with all that?

-Yes, very.

0:27:540:27:56

Shall we now find out what the bidders think?

0:27:560:27:59

OK, this is the real test, here we go.

0:27:590:28:01

840 is the George III, 1765 cream jug.

0:28:020:28:09

There it is, handsome cream jug, I'm bid 75, 80, and five, 90 and five.

0:28:090:28:14

Straight in.

0:28:140:28:16

100, and 20, 30, 140, 150.

0:28:160:28:20

Are we all done and selling now?

0:28:200:28:23

-At £150, you're done with it at 150, are you?

-£150.

-Top end.

0:28:230:28:30

-How about that?

-Very pleased.

0:28:300:28:32

-Obviously there is commission to pay, here it is 15% plus VAT.

-Wonderful.

0:28:320:28:36

-But that's good spending money, isn't it?

-Yes, we're going on holiday very shortly.

0:28:360:28:40

-So it's towards the kitty, really?

-It is.

-Going anywhere lovely?

0:28:400:28:43

-South of France.

-Oh, are you?

-Do you speak any French.

-En petit peu.

0:28:430:28:48

A little bit, yes, thank you for translating for us!

0:28:480:28:51

That's about the extent of my knowledge.

0:28:510:28:54

Ha-ha, superb! Let's hope we can do the same with the Stanhope.

0:28:540:28:58

It's a mixed bag, really - a letter opener,

0:28:580:29:00

we've got this wonderful Stanhope which eagle-eyes found.

0:29:000:29:03

-Tell us about that.

-I just found it in the back of the cupboard.

-Fascinated?

-Yes.

-Were you?

0:29:030:29:08

They're incredible, aren't they?

0:29:080:29:11

It's the thing which sums up Victorian life.

0:29:110:29:14

Victorians loved this sort of thing. Things that did other things.

0:29:140:29:18

The question is, will this lot out here love this?

0:29:180:29:20

Let's find out, shall we? It's going under the hammer.

0:29:200:29:23

Victorian pierced ivory paper knife, the end incorporating a Stanhope.

0:29:250:29:31

Come along, now.

0:29:310:29:33

What do we say for this one? I'm bid 20 and 2, 24, 26.

0:29:330:29:37

28, 30 and 2, 34, 36.

0:29:400:29:43

£36, are we all done? At 36, selling at 36, do I see 38?

0:29:430:29:49

No, it'll be at 36. Selling at £36 then...

0:29:490:29:53

-It's gone. £36. Straight in. Happy?

-Yeah, fine, thank you.

0:29:530:29:57

It's not a lot of money,

0:29:570:29:58

-but it's a great learning experience.

-Exactly.

-Definitely.

0:29:580:30:01

-It's a great thing to start collecting, because it's affordable.

-Exactly.

0:30:010:30:06

Oh, go and play football. It's probably more interesting, isn't it?

0:30:060:30:11

Well, that certainly brightened my day! Next up is a bit of class.

0:30:110:30:15

Unfortunately, Carol can't be with us. But we have our expert, Michael Baggott,

0:30:180:30:23

and we have a value of 100, £150.

0:30:230:30:27

It's fabulous quality, there's a lot of gold weight in it,

0:30:270:30:31

and then it's got the Asprey name, so I don't want to commit myself before the action,

0:30:310:30:36

but it should sell, 100%.

0:30:360:30:38

Let's find out what the bidders think. It's going under the hammer right now.

0:30:380:30:42

Pendant watch, by Asprey's - what do we say for this one?

0:30:420:30:48

Starting us here at £50 and five. 60, and five. 70, and five.

0:30:480:30:54

80, and five. 90, and five. 100.

0:30:540:30:57

It's sold.

0:30:570:30:59

120, 130, 140, 150,

0:30:590:31:02

160, 170, 180, 190, 200. And 20.

0:31:020:31:06

240, 260... 240 standing, all done at 240, do I see 260?

0:31:060:31:11

At 240, and selling at 240 then...

0:31:110:31:15

£240.

0:31:150:31:18

-Bang, the hammer went.

-That's great. It was a come-and-buy-me, wasn't it?

0:31:180:31:21

-I think it was. You're right - the name got it away. Quality always sells.

-Brilliant.

0:31:210:31:27

Who's going to tell her?

0:31:270:31:29

I think a phone call from you is a joyous thing.

0:31:290:31:32

A phone call from me, it could be bad tidings.

0:31:320:31:34

Well, so far, so good, that completes our first visit to the auction room today.

0:31:380:31:42

We are coming back here later on in the show, so hopefully,

0:31:420:31:45

fingers crossed, there should be one or two big surprises, so don't go away.

0:31:450:31:49

Now, when you think of surrealist art, you think of lobster telephones

0:31:580:32:03

and sofas in the shape of Mae West's lips,

0:32:030:32:05

and also iconic names like Salvador Dali, Max Ernst and Magritte,

0:32:050:32:10

but England had its surrealist artists too, and this was their HQ -

0:32:100:32:14

Farley Farm in deepest rural Sussex. Be prepared for a surprise.

0:32:140:32:20

In 1949, the surrealist artist Roland Penrose and his wife, the photojournalist Lee Miller,

0:32:230:32:28

made this place their home.

0:32:280:32:31

Surrealism is a revolutionary art movement

0:32:470:32:49

which features the elements of surprise and juxtaposition.

0:32:490:32:54

It's been described as an exploration of the subconscious, like a dream.

0:32:540:32:59

And the Penroses lived in it.

0:32:590:33:01

Today, their former home, Farley Farm, is full of their artworks and that of their friends.

0:33:050:33:09

It's a unique art gallery, museum and archive.

0:33:090:33:13

The main rooms in the house had been left largely as they would have been when the Penrose family lived here.

0:33:140:33:20

The room I am in now is the dining room.

0:33:200:33:22

As you can see, the walls have been painted with a bright sunshine yellow,

0:33:220:33:25

which is an incredibly bold move.

0:33:250:33:27

And what dominates the room - you can't miss it -

0:33:270:33:29

it's not just the fireplace, but it's a mural on the wall inside.

0:33:290:33:32

Painted by Roland, it's the Sun God. Isn't that just incredible?

0:33:320:33:38

But it's the dining table that the Penroses entertained all their friends at,

0:33:460:33:50

the likes of Pablo Picasso and all.

0:33:500:33:52

Could you imagine the conversations that went on around this dining table?

0:33:520:33:56

I'm just about to find out as I'm now going to have a chat with Antony Penrose, their son.

0:33:560:34:01

So, how did your father meet your mother?

0:34:070:34:09

-They met at an absolutely wild fancy dress party.

-An elite party?

0:34:090:34:13

It was a surrealist party.

0:34:130:34:15

They were all dressed in what you might imagine

0:34:150:34:17

the surrealist version of a fancy dress costume was.

0:34:170:34:20

And they met, and my father described the moment as though he had been struck by lightning.

0:34:200:34:26

-It's a great crack. He was never the same again.

-Love at first sight?

0:34:260:34:32

Yes, indeed. Although she was married and would have been living in Cairo,

0:34:320:34:37

but he tracked her down, pursued her,

0:34:370:34:39

then finally in 1939 she came to live with him in London, just as the war began.

0:34:390:34:44

Lee Miller was a model before becoming a surrealist photographer and photojournalist.

0:34:460:34:51

She even risked her own life, documenting World War II,

0:34:550:35:00

but much of her work was unpublished.

0:35:000:35:04

Antony spent over 30 years researching and presenting his mother's hidden photography.

0:35:100:35:15

You didn't find out she was a photojournalist during the war until after her death?

0:35:160:35:21

Well, I didn't know she'd been a combat photographer

0:35:210:35:24

and I certainly didn't know the extreme breadth and penetration of her work.

0:35:240:35:30

And I was absolutely astonished when we found the material in the attic of this house

0:35:300:35:35

where she had hidden it away.

0:35:350:35:38

They obviously kept that from you, didn't they?

0:35:380:35:40

They just didn't talk about the war at all. It was completely buried.

0:35:400:35:44

It was like a part of her life that she'd shut the door on and wanted to forget.

0:35:440:35:49

Did Roland paint her at all?

0:35:530:35:55

Many times. And he painted her really in a very perceptive way.

0:35:550:36:00

He really understood the inner workings of her in a way that I don't think anybody else did.

0:36:000:36:06

Was this the first time he painted your mother?

0:36:090:36:11

Yes, he painted her like this in 1937, soon after he had met her.

0:36:110:36:15

Tell me a little bit about it.

0:36:150:36:18

Well, you can see her legs are earthy. Roland was very intuitive

0:36:180:36:22

and he found metaphors for things that he couldn't explain in other ways.

0:36:220:36:26

So, earthy legs, she was grounded. Really earthy sort of personality.

0:36:260:36:31

And the upper half?

0:36:310:36:32

Well, her body has become the sky because she was very strongly dissociated.

0:36:320:36:36

It's like she didn't live inside her body.

0:36:360:36:39

He knew this, didn't know how to explain it,

0:36:390:36:41

so he just painted her with her body like the sky.

0:36:410:36:46

He used a lot of visual metaphor in his work.

0:36:460:36:48

-For example, you see the face is the sun.

-It's a golden ball.

0:36:480:36:53

Well, that was the brilliance of her intellect and the warmth of her personality encapsulated in there.

0:36:530:36:59

And I see she's got two birds as hands. One's a swallow.

0:37:010:37:05

Yes, the swallow comes because she should have been living at this moment with her husband in Cairo,

0:37:050:37:11

and Roland was hoping that she would fly like a swallow,

0:37:110:37:14

migrating from North Africa and come and live in his home in London.

0:37:140:37:18

-That's so romantic.

-It is, isn't it? It's lovely.

0:37:180:37:21

You grew up here. It must have been quite an unusual upbringing. Tell me about that.

0:37:300:37:34

Well, it seemed perfectly normal to me,

0:37:340:37:37

didn't really occur to me that it was anything different

0:37:370:37:39

until I got to be in my teens,

0:37:390:37:42

and then I suddenly realised that, yes, perhaps it was unusual.

0:37:420:37:45

So everything that was unusual seemed normal

0:37:450:37:48

and your normal life at the time must have seemed unusual?

0:37:480:37:51

Well, it took me a long time to discover what normal was, that was for sure.

0:37:510:37:56

'But growing up in a surrealist household did come with its perks.'

0:37:560:38:01

Well, I can recognise one person in the photograph,

0:38:010:38:03

possibly the greatest artist of the 20th century - Pablo Picasso.

0:38:030:38:07

-But who's the other little chap?

-Well, that's me.

-Aren't you lucky!

0:38:070:38:11

-I know.

-So lucky. How old were you?

0:38:110:38:13

-I was three and a half.

-Can you remember that day?

0:38:130:38:15

It's just on the edge of my memory. I remember that he smelled good.

0:38:150:38:19

He smelled of Gauloises cigarettes and cologne,

0:38:190:38:24

and that was very unexpected for a small English boy.

0:38:240:38:27

You can't meet anybody more important to have your photograph taken with.

0:38:270:38:31

Well, he was very important to me,

0:38:310:38:34

and he was instantly a friend, somebody that I felt good with,

0:38:340:38:38

and that continued for the years afterwards.

0:38:380:38:41

-You're a lucky man to have met him.

-Indeed I am.

0:38:410:38:43

Thank you so much for talking to me today.

0:38:430:38:45

It's been a great pleasure. Thanks for coming.

0:38:450:38:48

Well, I'm certainly going to have fond memories of Farley Farm here in Sussex,

0:38:500:38:53

home to the English surrealists.

0:38:530:38:55

I might even have some vivid dreams tonight,

0:38:550:38:57

and wake up and paint murals all over my walls.

0:38:570:39:00

But one thing is for sure, this place is definitely well worth a visit.

0:39:000:39:04

But it's only open on certain days of the year,

0:39:040:39:07

so make sure you come here when it's open to the public.

0:39:070:39:10

Welcome back to the Pavilion here in Worthing.

0:39:230:39:26

We've still got a full house. It's time for Act Two.

0:39:260:39:29

Let's join up with our experts and see what they've spotted to take to auction later on in the show.

0:39:290:39:35

We love to see smiling faces on "Flog It!"

0:39:350:39:37

and Susan's brought along this one for Michael to value.

0:39:370:39:40

Susan, we are not alone.

0:39:400:39:43

I see that!

0:39:430:39:45

Where has this severe-looking fellow come from?

0:39:450:39:48

Well, someone graciously donated him to a charity shop that I work in, in Hove.

0:39:480:39:54

And we're all puzzled as to where he might come from and his value.

0:39:540:39:59

Right. Well, hopefully, I can tell you where it was made, when it was made and what it's worth.

0:39:590:40:07

If we look at him first, what a marvellous thing to be dropped into a charity shop.

0:40:070:40:11

We've got something which is very obviously a Chinese carving.

0:40:130:40:16

And it's on a variety of softwood.

0:40:160:40:21

Your mind always goes, when you see these Chinese figures, "Is it one of the Buddhist immortals?"

0:40:210:40:25

But looking at how he's dressed, it's very much court-dress.

0:40:250:40:31

I mean, you've got here this armoured sleeve

0:40:310:40:36

and then we've got this fine robe, which is decorated all over.

0:40:360:40:40

I say decorated all over, a lot of it's lost,

0:40:400:40:43

but it's depicting clouds on it,

0:40:430:40:46

because the Chinese loved the stylised formation of clouds.

0:40:460:40:50

Clouds are like waves, like mushrooms,

0:40:500:40:53

the Emperor would have a ruyi sceptre and the head of it would be carved as a mushroom.

0:40:530:40:58

-It's very interesting.

-Very interesting.

-So, all of these forms.

0:40:580:41:02

Now, originally this fine fellow

0:41:020:41:04

would have been not as an individual sculpture, as we would understand it in the West,

0:41:040:41:09

but a fitment off a large carved architectural building

0:41:090:41:14

or a walkway or gallery, or even an altar.

0:41:140:41:18

And you've got to think of this

0:41:180:41:19

rather like the decorative pantile off the top of your Victorian house.

0:41:190:41:24

And when you think of the Chinese court and the palaces

0:41:240:41:26

and the massive scale they were on, you get hundreds, if not thousands, of these carved figures.

0:41:260:41:33

And it can be very difficult to date them.

0:41:330:41:36

And that's really my problem today.

0:41:360:41:38

They certainly were made as early as the 16th or 17th century, right up to the 20th century.

0:41:380:41:44

I've got a feeling, from the amount of genuine wear on this,

0:41:440:41:48

that we'd be safe in saying it's 19th century,

0:41:480:41:51

it may even be earlier,

0:41:510:41:53

but it comes to the question of value.

0:41:530:41:55

-That's it.

-I mean, I remember 15 years ago when Chinese works of art were making money,

0:41:550:42:02

but they weren't making a lot of money,

0:42:020:42:04

and there seems to have been an explosion over the last two or three years,

0:42:040:42:09

so whoever donated this was giving a real gift to the charity.

0:42:090:42:13

Let's put £200-400 on him.

0:42:130:42:17

Wonderful!

0:42:170:42:19

Let's put a fixed reserve of £180 on him.

0:42:190:42:22

Wonderful.

0:42:220:42:23

It's the sort of thing I wish we saw more of on "Flog It!"

0:42:230:42:26

cos it's really unique, in its way.

0:42:260:42:28

Thank you, Michael. I really appreciate your time.

0:42:280:42:31

It's a pleasure. Let's hope he brings you luck on the day.

0:42:310:42:34

-Let's rub his head a little!

-If it helps!

-If it helps.

0:42:340:42:38

David's up next, with Lesley's sewing kit.

0:42:420:42:45

Thank you for bringing these little items in here.

0:42:450:42:48

-Are you a sewing lady yourself?

-Yes, I am.

-Good.

0:42:480:42:51

This button's coming loose.

0:42:510:42:53

-Perhaps you could sew it up for me before you go?

-Maybe!

-Thank you.

0:42:530:42:57

Let's discuss this little needle case, which caught my eye

0:42:570:43:03

because it's decorated with views of St John's College in Cambridge.

0:43:030:43:08

-These are probably, as you know, transfer printed on the back of glass.

-Yes.

0:43:080:43:14

They're then coloured.

0:43:140:43:16

The needle case itself is in astonishingly good condition,

0:43:160:43:19

particularly when you bear in mind

0:43:190:43:21

how susceptible the boards are to chipping.

0:43:210:43:25

There's no wear there at all.

0:43:250:43:28

The second item we'll quickly discuss is this box,

0:43:280:43:32

which contains crewel silk for art needlework.

0:43:320:43:36

Now, crewel work is a late 17th century technique

0:43:360:43:40

whereby you create a raised decoration.

0:43:400:43:43

It might be flower heads, or possibly animals or birds.

0:43:430:43:47

You then cut round those and they were then applied to a linen or cotton backing.

0:43:470:43:52

This particular thread is actually three or four different shades,

0:43:520:43:57

going through from almost white to quite a dark green.

0:43:570:44:00

And I was interested to see that that is shade 235, so whether that means

0:44:000:44:06

that you could obtain 234 other shades or not, I don't know.

0:44:060:44:11

And finally, as far as the sewing bits and pieces are concerned,

0:44:110:44:15

there's this little pin holder here,

0:44:150:44:18

made, I think, but I'm not absolutely certain, from stained ivory.

0:44:180:44:23

-Yes.

-And seeing as you've brought it along with you,

0:44:230:44:26

we might throw these playing cards in for good measure.

0:44:260:44:29

-Have you any particular hopes or expectations?

-Not really, not really.

0:44:290:44:35

Wouldn't really put an estimate of much more than, say,

0:44:350:44:39

£30-£50 on the lot.

0:44:390:44:41

-That's fine.

-You look a bit disappointed.

0:44:410:44:44

Yes, I just thought a little bit more than 50, but...

0:44:440:44:49

Well, we'll do our best for you.

0:44:490:44:51

I mean, I say this a lot to people,

0:44:510:44:52

in today's market you've got to be realistic.

0:44:520:44:55

And because it's a low value lot, the auctioneers would probably be grateful

0:44:550:44:59

-if we didn't put a reserve on it.

-Oh, no, I wouldn't put a reserve.

0:44:590:45:02

Jolly good. OK. I'll see you at the sale, then.

0:45:020:45:05

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

0:45:050:45:07

Well, if you've got any unwanted antiques and collectibles you want to sell, we want to see you.

0:45:130:45:18

Bring them along to one of our valuation days,

0:45:180:45:20

and you can pick up all the dates and venues on our BBC website.

0:45:200:45:23

Just log on to bbc.co.uk/flogit - all the information will be there.

0:45:230:45:28

If you don't have a computer, ask a friend,

0:45:280:45:30

or check the details in your local press,

0:45:300:45:32

because we will hopefully be coming to an area very near you soon.

0:45:320:45:36

So, come on, dust down your antiques and bring them along.

0:45:360:45:38

This old chap's caught Michael's eye.

0:45:380:45:41

-Jo.

-Yes?

0:45:410:45:43

Did you bring this fellow or did he swim here himself?

0:45:430:45:46

No, I actually brought him here.

0:45:460:45:48

Where did you get this specimen from?

0:45:480:45:52

Well, my uncle gave him to me years ago, about 50 years ago.

0:45:520:45:56

I was just worrying for him because I loved him so much

0:45:560:46:00

and eventually he gave in and gave the turtle to me.

0:46:000:46:03

-So he really appealed to you?

-He did. He still does.

0:46:030:46:07

-He's got bags of character. He isn't everybody's cup of tea.

-No.

0:46:070:46:12

I think I might have been running away from him earlier today,

0:46:120:46:15

when I saw him, thinking, "Good grief, what's that?"

0:46:150:46:18

But he is, of course, as we all know, a turtle.

0:46:180:46:21

-And this just feeds into the Victorian fascination with dead animals.

-Yes.

0:46:210:46:26

And we think it's a bit macabre today but really,

0:46:260:46:30

there was no television,

0:46:300:46:32

going to zoos was a long drawn-out and expensive process,

0:46:320:46:35

so a lot of people of moderate means

0:46:350:46:38

would put together these naturalistic museums of stuffed specimens.

0:46:380:46:44

-You couldn't have them live, after all.

-No, no.

0:46:440:46:47

So what, to us today, can seem a little bit horrible and, "Oh! Why would they do that?"

0:46:470:46:53

It's simply the only way that they could see these animals.

0:46:530:46:57

-Catching these things and taking the shells off them is now banned.

-Yes.

0:46:570:47:01

That means there's a great deal of regulation that goes with selling anything like this at auction.

0:47:010:47:08

-And the main thing is that it is prior to 1947.

-Yes.

0:47:080:47:12

Once you see that face, it's fairly evident it has 100 years of wear,

0:47:120:47:19

-colour and patination to it.

-It has.

0:47:190:47:22

-You don't want to release him back, do you?

-If only! If only.

0:47:220:47:27

-I think, at auction, we could put £100-£200 on him.

-Yes.

0:47:270:47:32

In that very macabre, strange, Victorian aesthetic that it has -

0:47:320:47:36

-I think someone will fall in love with him too.

-Let's hope so!

0:47:360:47:40

-Wave him bye-bye.

-Yes. Bye-bye, dear old chap.

0:47:400:47:43

I won't touch him. I'm still scared.

0:47:430:47:46

As this is a theatre, I thought I'd do my next valuation right on the stage here,

0:47:550:47:59

so we can keep an eye on what's going on behind us.

0:47:590:48:01

I've been joined by Janet and we've got something that will appeal

0:48:010:48:04

to the macabre, somebody with a wonderful, wacky sense of humour.

0:48:040:48:08

And it's right here, Janet's holding it.

0:48:080:48:10

-That is pretty wacky, isn't it?

-Yes.

0:48:100:48:14

What is a lady like you doing owning something like this?

0:48:140:48:17

A lady that lived near me, I was friends with her

0:48:170:48:20

and her husband, and he died and I used to go and visit her

0:48:200:48:25

and she was throwing several things out and this was amongst it.

0:48:250:48:30

And she said that it was her grandfather's

0:48:300:48:33

and he did sail a ship.

0:48:330:48:34

-And obviously it caught your eye.

-Well, it did.

0:48:340:48:37

Although it's not nice to look at, for me,

0:48:370:48:39

but I thought, "Don't throw that out, I'll have that."

0:48:390:48:42

Well, it is a little vessel for holding tobacco, that is

0:48:420:48:47

definitely pear wood.

0:48:470:48:49

Definitely. And this is...turned on a lathe, as you can see,

0:48:490:48:53

the little frog's applied afterwards.

0:48:530:48:55

The inside has been hollowed out on a lathe,

0:48:550:48:58

then they've left this little length of pear wood as it

0:48:580:49:01

came off the branch and they they've chip-carved a wonderful skull.

0:49:010:49:05

Look at that!

0:49:050:49:06

All the teeth have been actually carved by hand into the pear wood.

0:49:060:49:11

And this is bone, this little snake, weaving through the eye sockets.

0:49:110:49:17

But where the inspiration came - well, I don't know.

0:49:170:49:20

But somebody that had a fascination for pirates

0:49:200:49:23

and voodoo and...gosh, all sorts of spooky things.

0:49:230:49:28

-I absolutely love it but I wouldn't have it in my house.

-No.

-I wouldn't.

0:49:280:49:32

-Where's this been in your house?

-It's in a shed. I don't want it...

0:49:320:49:36

-Not in the house.

-No.

-Definitely not in the house.

0:49:360:49:39

In the shed, in the garage, anywhere but in the house.

0:49:390:49:42

Could you imagine finding that at the end of the bed?

0:49:420:49:44

Waking up one night and going...

0:49:440:49:47

-Any idea of its value?

-No, not really.

0:49:470:49:51

Do you know, I think if you put this into auction, we should be

0:49:510:49:54

-looking at around £100-£150, because I think it's so out there.

-Yes.

0:49:540:49:59

Someone will like this. They really will.

0:49:590:50:02

-Shall we call the valuation £100-£150?

-Yes.

0:50:020:50:05

-And put a reserve at 100 and see what happens?

-Yes, OK.

0:50:050:50:07

-Let's say goodbye!

-Yes, goodbye.

0:50:070:50:11

I hope I've got that valuation right.

0:50:110:50:13

With unusual items like this, it's all about a gut feeling.

0:50:130:50:18

Well, we've found some real gems.

0:50:200:50:22

I think we've got one or two stunners, and we could have a few

0:50:220:50:25

surprises, so let's get straight over to the auction room.

0:50:250:50:28

And we're taking with us Jo's Victorian turtle,

0:50:280:50:32

a naturalistic exhibition piece,

0:50:320:50:34

Lesley's sewing kit,

0:50:340:50:35

including a Cambridge-themed needle case and silk box,

0:50:350:50:39

Janet's tobacco pot, with its carved skull, she kept in the shed

0:50:390:50:43

because it was so scary,

0:50:430:50:45

and Susan's imposing Chinese figure, in his robes, decorated with clouds.

0:50:450:50:51

This is where we're putting our valuations to the test today,

0:50:530:50:56

Denhams Auctioneers, just a few miles outside of Horsham.

0:50:560:51:00

As you can see, the house is filling up.

0:51:000:51:01

It's got all the ingredients of a classic sale.

0:51:010:51:05

Quality kit, lots of people, enthusiastic bidding.

0:51:050:51:07

That's what we want to see, and hopefully push the prices through the roof.

0:51:070:51:11

Whatever you do, don't go away, because I can guarantee one or two big surprises.

0:51:110:51:16

First up, a real museum piece. Will the bidders want to give him a home?

0:51:170:51:22

Coming up now, something for all you taxidermy enthusiasts.

0:51:230:51:26

It's a wonderful little turtle. It belongs to Jo.

0:51:260:51:28

I've got to say, condition is superb.

0:51:280:51:30

Taxidermy, ten years ago,

0:51:300:51:32

you couldn't do anything with it, nobody wanted it.

0:51:320:51:34

Then you get Damien Hirst cutting a cow in half,

0:51:340:51:37

and all of a sudden everyone's interested in Victorian taxidermy.

0:51:370:51:40

I just loved the turtle, myself.

0:51:400:51:42

There was a move towards the sort of mini museum at home, with lots of natural history.

0:51:420:51:46

-It's not to everybody's taste.

-No, it's not.

0:51:460:51:49

I hope there are two turtle fanciers here.

0:51:490:51:52

I kind of...I like it in a way. I'm with you, I'm with you,

0:51:520:51:55

but I know what Michael's saying.

0:51:550:51:57

I would be delighted to be proved wrong.

0:51:570:51:59

Let's find out what the bidders think. You've heard what Michael had to say about it,

0:51:590:52:04

it's now down to the bidders. Here we go.

0:52:040:52:05

It is a 19th century stuffed and mounted turtle.

0:52:090:52:12

-Don't hold it up.

-There he is, making his way amongst you.

0:52:120:52:15

What do we say for him? £100 for him?

0:52:160:52:18

75 for him? Come along now.

0:52:210:52:25

I'm at £40. Good grief.

0:52:250:52:27

£40, and five? 50,

0:52:270:52:30

and five? 60?

0:52:300:52:32

-At £60 then, and five.

-Struggling, isn't it?

0:52:320:52:34

As ghastly as he is, he's worth more than that.

0:52:340:52:37

Yes, he is. You were right with the valuation.

0:52:370:52:40

Do I see 70? At £65, he's all there. Beautiful looking specimen.

0:52:400:52:47

Not quite enough. At £65, I'm going to have to pass it, I'm afraid.

0:52:470:52:51

-He's going home.

-Oh, I'm so pleased!

-Are you?

0:52:520:52:57

I'm going to find a shelf for him again.

0:52:570:53:00

No, I love him dearly, so I'm not sad that he's going home.

0:53:000:53:03

This is not a sale, this is a love affair.

0:53:030:53:05

-And he's destined to stay with you.

-He obviously is, yes.

0:53:050:53:08

Thank goodness she DOES love him.

0:53:080:53:11

Now something I think should attract the attention of some

0:53:110:53:14

hard core rock'n'rollers.

0:53:140:53:16

I've just been joined by Janet, the owner of this lovely old skull.

0:53:160:53:20

We've got to sell it, because you don't want it back in the house

0:53:200:53:22

-and all the money has got to go towards the cats.

-Yes.

0:53:220:53:25

So tell us about the cats.

0:53:250:53:26

Yes, I've got a stray and my own cat,

0:53:260:53:29

-but I do feed two others that come to me.

-Do you?

0:53:290:53:32

The word's got around now, all the cats are telling each other...

0:53:320:53:36

-"Get down to Janet's, there's free grub."

-Yes, yes.

0:53:360:53:38

Well, let's see what this skull does.

0:53:380:53:41

I really want this to sell but I'm having my doubts right now.

0:53:410:53:44

Here we go.

0:53:440:53:46

And lot 660 is the curious tobacco jar in the form of a skull.

0:53:490:53:53

There we are, a little bit of eastern excitement there for you.

0:53:530:53:57

What do we say for it, £100?

0:53:570:54:01

-I'm bid £100 straight in, bold bidding.

-Straight in.

0:54:010:54:04

-Do I see 110? At £100, then...and ten.

-120, 130, 140..

0:54:040:54:12

-Yes, we've done it. Ever so pleased!

-150 now.

0:54:120:54:16

All done and selling now, at £150. All done, are we?

0:54:160:54:20

-I'm ever so chuffed at that!

-I'm a bit psychic, I thought it would be.

0:54:220:54:25

I did have my doubts, when I arrived at this sale, and I thought,

0:54:250:54:29

"Mm, no." But, all credit to Simon, he's found the buyer.

0:54:290:54:33

That's what it's all about.

0:54:330:54:36

'Now for the sewing kit,

0:54:390:54:40

'and Lesley's husband, Gordon, has come along for the sale.'

0:54:400:54:43

A bit of a mixed lot coming up right now

0:54:430:54:45

but not for a great deal of money - £30-£50. It belonged to Lesley, and who have you brought along today?

0:54:450:54:50

-My husband, Gordon.

-Hi, pleased to meet you.

0:54:500:54:52

-I gather some of these were your grandmother's.

-Correct.

-The same items, were they? Yes.

0:54:520:54:57

So, been in the family a long time, which is your social history, isn't it?

0:54:570:55:01

Yes, that's quite true.

0:55:010:55:02

Let's find out if the bidders are interested,

0:55:020:55:04

cos that's what we're here for, to put it under the hammer and flog it. Here we go.

0:55:040:55:08

Victorian ivory item there, as we see it there,

0:55:100:55:13

we've got all sorts of goodies there,

0:55:130:55:15

playing cards, etc. What do we say for it?

0:55:150:55:18

-It's a funny old mixed bag, isn't it?

-75, then?

0:55:180:55:21

I'm bid 40, and five. 50, and five.

0:55:210:55:25

-60? £60 there?

-That's good.

0:55:250:55:29

Are we selling now at £60? Do I see the five? With me at 60, then.

0:55:290:55:33

-All in and selling at 60, are we?

-Straight in and out, really!

0:55:330:55:37

There was something there somebody definitely wanted. £60.

0:55:370:55:41

-No, I'm very pleased with that.

-Good. Well done.

0:55:410:55:44

Yes, nice little lot.

0:55:440:55:46

Sold, over estimate. That's what we like to see on "Flog It!"

0:55:460:55:50

Now for our last item, the wooden Chinese figure.

0:55:500:55:53

Susan's brought along her colleague, Amanda, for the sale.

0:55:530:55:56

This was an Oxfam find, wasn't it?

0:55:580:56:00

-This is an Oxfam find.

-Tell me all about it.

0:56:000:56:03

It came into the shop, a normal donation, in a box of other bric-a-brac.

0:56:030:56:07

And we have a lady that specialises in antiques

0:56:070:56:10

and she brought it out, thought it might be worth something.

0:56:100:56:14

-And we brought it here.

-Michael, we've got £200-£400 on this.

0:56:140:56:17

-I swooped on it like a hawk!

-You did, you beat me to it.

0:56:170:56:20

-I went, "Ooh, ooh!"

-I saw you behind me, leaning in.

0:56:200:56:24

-Chinese figures, big business.

-Ceramics.

0:56:240:56:27

At the moment they've replaced Russian works of art as the most saleable class.

0:56:270:56:32

-Highly sought-after.

-Incredibly sought-after.

0:56:320:56:35

-This is the big one!

-This is the big one.

-It's a lovely figure.

0:56:350:56:38

Hopefully, there are telephone bids and internet bidding.

0:56:380:56:41

By somebody in Hong Kong.

0:56:410:56:43

We're going to find out, all the waiting is over.

0:56:430:56:46

It's been a long time, hasn't it? It really has. OK.

0:56:460:56:49

It's a roller coaster ride just about to take place.

0:56:490:56:51

-It's going under the hammer.

-We want to buy a couple of cows.

-Here we go.

0:56:510:56:56

The very handsome, carved Eastern figure of a seated deity.

0:56:570:57:01

There he is.

0:57:010:57:04

-And...

-So decorative.

-And I am bid...

0:57:050:57:09

£100, and 10,

0:57:090:57:11

120, 130, 140,

0:57:110:57:13

150, 160, 170, 180...

0:57:130:57:16

..190. 200, with me now at £200.

0:57:180:57:21

Are we all done and selling now?

0:57:210:57:23

At £200, then, can't make any more out of this, at £200...

0:57:230:57:27

Just.

0:57:270:57:30

At £200, I'm going to sell at £200. All out at 200, are we?

0:57:300:57:33

-Yes!

-Fantastic. And all the money's going back to the shop.

0:57:330:57:38

We want to buy a couple of cows.

0:57:380:57:39

-Do you?

-And goats.

-Oh, wonderful.

0:57:390:57:42

-Yes, very excited.

-If anything else like that comes along, bring it in.

0:57:420:57:45

-We certainly will. It's been great. Thank you so much.

-Bang on estimate.

0:57:450:57:50

-Bang on. You're the best.

-He is the best!

-Can you say that again?

0:57:500:57:56

He's the best. He is!

0:57:560:57:59

Well, that's it, the auction has just finished

0:58:030:58:06

and, I've got to say, all of our owners are going to go home very happy.

0:58:060:58:10

I know it was a struggle, a few ups and downs,

0:58:100:58:12

but that's auctions for you, you cannot predict what's going to happen.

0:58:120:58:15

That's why they're so exciting. So, do join me again for many more surprises

0:58:150:58:19

but, for now, from Sussex, it's goodbye.

0:58:190:58:23

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