0:00:06 > 0:00:11Today, Flog It! is in Warminster, in my home county, beautiful, rural Wiltshire.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15There are enigmatic, mystical sites peppered all over the landscape here,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19from Silbury Hill to Stonehenge and Avebury.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20And ever since the '60s,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25people from all over the world have gravitated to this county to gaze up at the skies.
0:00:25 > 0:00:31And that's thanks to the mysterious phenomenon known as the Warminster Thing.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Back in the mid-'60s, Warminster was thrust into the media spotlight
0:01:03 > 0:01:06when many people came forward claiming to have witnessed
0:01:06 > 0:01:08some rather strange events
0:01:08 > 0:01:10of extra-terrestrial nature.
0:01:10 > 0:01:16It started up over ahead there, and I stood and watched it right out of sight.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17It seemed to be hovering.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22And they went in that direction, and I don't know where it went to.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26For the next 20 years or so, it became a Mecca for UFO obsessives,
0:01:26 > 0:01:32who flocked here from all over the world to see if they could spot a flying saucer of their own.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43But right now the crowds have flocked here to the Assembly Hall in Warminster
0:01:43 > 0:01:47to get objects of a more Earthly nature identified.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49And the mystery they need solving is...
0:01:49 > 0:01:51ALL: What's it worth?
0:01:51 > 0:01:52You're going to find out.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57Heading up our investigation team are experts Kate Bliss and David Fletcher.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Kate caught the antiques bug at an early age.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02In fact, you could say it was in her blood.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Her father was an auctioneer and she was selling from the rostrum in her teens.
0:02:06 > 0:02:12- So she has years of experience, and knows what sells and what doesn't. - Oh, yes. Look at that.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15That's great. We'll have a closer look inside.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18David is an experienced auctioneer and valuer.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21He started his professional career in Hertfordshire,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25and now works as a consultant to some of the leading international auction houses.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29He's hoping to find something world-class on today's show.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31It is quite interesting to talk about,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35because Suzie Cooper is important, and the Art Deco style is interesting.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37The beauty of Flog It! and what excites me,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41is that you never know what's going to come through the door.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46The experts and I can't wait to see what's in all those bags and boxes.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Coming up on the programme, we meet Jeanette, who doesn't seem
0:02:50 > 0:02:53too sure about the designs on these children's beakers.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58- That one's a bit gruesome, I think. - Well it looks a bit violent for a child.- For a child, yes.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03And Lindsey, who loves this still life, but also has a real passion for railway paintings.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04So, something's got to give.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06I shall be loathe to part with it.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08- You'll miss this?- I'll miss it, yes,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12walking out the bedroom - it faces me straight in the morning.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Also Audrey, who's been keeping this collection of nearly 300 postcards under wraps for years.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Let's hope it contains some treasures.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25Well, let's get started and find out what Kate can tell us about Jeanette's beakers.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28You've brought something that's unusual. Did you know that?
0:03:28 > 0:03:32- No, I didn't.- Well, what do you know about these two little beakers?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35They were given to us 14 years ago,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39on the death of my husband's grandfather, for my children.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43One's left home, one's thinking of leaving home. They don't want to split them.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- And they've decided to keep them as a pair, and sell them.- OK.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Do you know what factory they are?
0:03:49 > 0:03:52No, I don't. That's why I'm here for you.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Well, this is the really interesting thing about them.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Because they are a pair
0:03:58 > 0:03:59of children's-ware beakers,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01if you like, or nursery items,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05in fine bone china, or porcelain,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08- and they were made for the children's market.- Right.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10But the factory that made them
0:04:10 > 0:04:11isn't known for producing
0:04:11 > 0:04:13this sort of ware.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14If we look on the bottom,
0:04:14 > 0:04:20both of them are marked with the printed mark for WH Goss.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24- Yes.- This is a factory started by a chap called William Henry Goss.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28And he's best-known for producing badged and crested ware.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33- Right.- That's what we associate the name Goss china with.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35And it really
0:04:35 > 0:04:36developed with the growth
0:04:36 > 0:04:38of the tourist industry,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40because what he produced were
0:04:40 > 0:04:42little replicas, in miniature,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44of historical artefacts,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46to be sold as little souvenir items.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49What we've got here is something completely different.
0:04:49 > 0:04:58If we look at the beakers, they're printed with these charming little children's nursery scenes.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02This one entitled Sweet Oranges, with the two pigs.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05And the second one entitled The Naughty Bear.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09And there he is, getting a real telling off.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14- That one's a bit gruesome, I think. - It looks a little but violent, doesn't it?- For a child, yes.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18But if we look really closely, there's a little mark here, which is a monogram.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21And the monogram is for the initials MG.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23It's for a lady called Margaret Goss.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27- Oh, right.- Who was William Henry Goss's granddaughter.
0:05:27 > 0:05:33And in the 1920s, it was Margaret who introduced these designs for children's-ware.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37And these pieces are even dated as well, underneath the monogram, 1922.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40So it's something completely different for the Goss factory
0:05:40 > 0:05:44in terms of production, and something actually very rare.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47- Particularly as you've got a pair. - OK.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50And particularly as they are in perfect condition.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55- So I tick the boxes?- You do. And I think they're absolutely charming.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- And I'm going to value them conservatively at £100 - £150.- Wow!
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- Lovely.- And I wouldn't be surprised if they made a little bit more.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04There are collectors out there for Goss?
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Absolutely. But particularly rare pieces like children's-ware.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- Wonderful.- You just don't see them very often at all.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Lovely. Thank you very much.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16And what a great find!
0:06:16 > 0:06:19You never know what will turn up at our valuation days.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Laura's brought along a beautiful piece of Victoriana.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- Looks as if it's a wine ewer.- Right.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- I don't suppose you've ever used it for that purpose?- No.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34It takes the form of the 17th century, perhaps early 18th century prototype,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39but in this particular case, Victorians have taken that shape
0:06:39 > 0:06:44and have designed and manufactured a purely decorative object.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- Is it something you bought? - No, it belongs to my grandmother
0:06:48 > 0:06:53- and she got it from her great aunt. - Right.- She lived in a big house in Derbyshire.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- Derbyshire?- Yes. - That's very interesting,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00because this is a Royal Crown Derby ewer.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04- We can see that by looking at the mark.- Yep.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Typical red transfer-printed mark.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Royal Crown Derby, England.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14The fact it's marked England indicates it was made after 1890.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19- Right.- And that's borne out by the fact it has a date mark beneath
0:07:19 > 0:07:24- which is a symbol, it's a code mark, really, for 1897.- Right.
0:07:24 > 0:07:30- Do you know if they had other items like this in their collection?- Lots. It's all scattered round the family.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36It's lovely quality. Beautifully crafted objects made out of porcelain.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Not pottery, this is porcelain.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43But what really dignifies this is the nature of the decoration.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47This fabulous upside down heart shape
0:07:47 > 0:07:51enclosing this view of, I think, Tuscany.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57- Yes.- It evokes Italy or perhaps Southern France, doesn't it?
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- And it's beautifully painted. - Is that hand-painted?
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Absolutely, it's hand-painted.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07There would once have been a pair to this which would have had an opposing landscape.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12This type of decoration, I suppose, is probably not everyone's cup of tea.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18- Do you like this fancy Baroque style of decoration?- Not really, no.
0:08:18 > 0:08:24- Is that why you're thinking of selling?- Yes. My grandmother wants to get rid of most of her pieces
0:08:24 > 0:08:28because none of the family want them and she may as well split the money up amongst her family
0:08:28 > 0:08:32rather than have individual pieces that don't go in anybody's houses.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37- None of us own Victorian houses. - We haven't discussed value yet.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- Do you have an idea what it might be worth?- No really, no.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43OK.
0:08:43 > 0:08:50I'm tempted to say £300 or £400. I'd like, though, to suggest an estimate of £200 to £300.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- OK.- And a reserve just below that.
0:08:53 > 0:09:00- And I think it'll do well.- Sounds good.- I look forward to seeing it in the sale and meeting you again.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01OK? Thank you.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07It's good to find such rare pieces.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Let's hope the collectors are out in force when we get to the auction room.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Lindsey, why are you selling this?
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Because you've just taken it off the wall?
0:09:17 > 0:09:22That's very true. Basically, it's pushed for space, and I like collecting my railway paintings.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24- Do you?- Basically, yes.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26How did you come by it?
0:09:26 > 0:09:28As far as I know, it was a wedding present that's been passed down from
0:09:28 > 0:09:32my step-dad to my mum, and down to me eventually.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33And what do you know about it?
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Have you done any research on it? It's not signed, is it?
0:09:36 > 0:09:41No. But I have got this letter from the artist himself,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43which did come with the painting, that's been handed down.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46It's a letter from Gloucester Road in South Kensington, so the artist lived in London.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51It's dated 11/9/1931, which is so typical.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54This is 20th century British school.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57And it's been inspired by the Bloomsbury School, obviously.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Duncan Grant, people like that.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01But also, I think, by the Scottish colourists.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- OK.- It says here, "Dear Monica, I just want to write to you and congratulate you,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09and wish you all the happiness and prosperity in your new home.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12I shall be sending you the painting I had at the Royal Academy this year.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15But at the moment it's in another exhibition in Brighton.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18But you shall have it as soon as possible." That's so sweet.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21And I like the way the artist has sort of decorated the borders of the letter.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26And it is signed, "Yours sincerely, Trevor S Gould."
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Now, without this piece of paper, we wouldn't know where to start.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33- Yeah.- I've looked on the internet, we've searched worldwide
0:10:33 > 0:10:37for Trevor S Gould, and he doesn't really exist in the art world.
0:10:37 > 0:10:43I can't give you a price comparal, because his work hasn't come on the market before, as far as I know.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- Hopefully I'm wrong.- Yes! It's just a shame it's not signed.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52Exactly. Or dated. The foreground image, it's bruised, it's muddy, and it's very impressionistic.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54It's done with a broad brush stroke, very confident.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56But if you stand back there, it comes alive, doesn't it?
0:10:56 > 0:11:02Yeah. I find it an attractive painting myself, especially within that frame as well.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04As I say, the frame has never been touched, as far as I know.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06No, it's in its contemporary frame.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08- Yes.- And if you look at the nails, there's no extra nail holes, where
0:11:08 > 0:11:11someone's taken the canvas out, and put it back.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14If you hold the letter, I'll point that out to you.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16This is something very important to look for.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19You can see these rusty old nails.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- Yes.- They've never been taken out, OK? And that's quite nice.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27It's also got its stamp, where the frame-maker was working at the time.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29So the whole thing correlates, it ties in.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Have you any idea what you might think it's worth?
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Personally, I thought it was between £20 - £25.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38OK, if I said to you, I think we should put this into auction with
0:11:38 > 0:11:43- a valuation of £400 - £600, would you be quite excited?- Good grief!
0:11:43 > 0:11:46That really has shook me, that's shook me rigid. As I say...
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Well, speechless!
0:11:48 > 0:11:50If somebody knows a lot more than I do about art, and
0:11:50 > 0:11:55- millions of people do, and they fall in love with this, well, the price will go up and up and up.- Yeah.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- So, I think for an auction price guide, £400 - £600.- That's fine.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01I shall be loath to part with it, because it is a very nice painting.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03- A very nice painting. - You'll miss this?
0:12:03 > 0:12:07I'll miss it, yes. Especially walking out the bedroom, because it faces me straight in the morning.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10- Well I love it. I'll see you at the auction room.- Thank you very much.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Thank you, because I'm so excited about that. I really am.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15I can't wait to see how that does at auction, and
0:12:15 > 0:12:19it would be great to track down more information on the artist.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21So I'll ask the auction house to do a bit more research.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Now, David's found a large collection of postcards,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and he thinks some of them might be pretty special.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- Hello, Audrey.- Hello.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36Now, someone in your family knew some friends who travelled the world a bit, I can see from this.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Yes, I think they all sent her cards, from all over the world, as you say.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41To my husband's aunt.
0:12:41 > 0:12:47To your husband's aunt. OK, right. So they were collected, really, over a long period of time, just looking
0:12:47 > 0:12:50at them, and it would seem that she didn't throw any of them away?
0:12:50 > 0:12:54- I don't think so.- I wonder how many families can say that.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56That they've kept all their correspondence.
0:12:56 > 0:13:02I've singled out a group here, which I think are among the more interesting.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- But you've got nearly 300? - Yes, I think there are.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10And some of them are humorous, some of them are of cricket and football teams.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15- I'll just briefly, if I may, discuss the four or five we've got here. These are particularly saleable.- Yes.
0:13:15 > 0:13:22Anything that relates to transport, especially ocean-going liners, is collectable.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28- Yes.- This is the twin screw Steamship Letitia, of the Anchor-Donaldson line.
0:13:28 > 0:13:35In black and white we have the RMS Loch Ness, from the Glasgow and Highland Royal Mail Steamers.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39- Is that older than that one? - I don't know, to be honest with you.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43- They appear to be from the same sort of period.- Yes.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46And I'm sure the auctioneers will check dates on these, to give you
0:13:46 > 0:13:48a range of dates when they come to catalogue them.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51The Handley Page one I think is particularly interesting, too.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55This wonderful biplane here, twin prop biplane.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- Lovely, sunny day. Typical British sky.- Oh yes.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01It's a most evocative subject.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06An example of one of the humorous cards in the selection, "Having a howling time."
0:14:06 > 0:14:11Now, if I push about there, it should make a howling noise.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13And I'm sure, once, it did.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15But it doesn't now.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19So that's an example of some of the more commercial ones, some of the more saleable ones.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24I must say, postcards like this tend to be less sought-after, really.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26"The best of all birthday wishes,"
0:14:26 > 0:14:30and it's a parkland scene, with a pair of figures.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35So a wide cross-section, really, from very desirable postcards, which are worth a few pounds each,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39to others which are going to be worth a penny or two, really. Right.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And you're clearing your desk drawers out, are you, by the looks of it?
0:14:42 > 0:14:47Well, they've been in the drawer for about 30 years, since she died in the 70s.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52- Well, I think that we have, given that there are 300, the best part of £100 worth here.- Oh good.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55On an average of 30p a time.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I always tend to err a bit on the cautious side,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03- and I would be thinking in terms of an estimate of say £60 - £100.- Right.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06And a reserve of £50.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- How does that sound? - Yes, that sounds fine.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Jolly good, and I'll see you at the sale.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17In the 1950s, two American friends,
0:15:17 > 0:15:22a wealthy collector called Dallas Pratt and an English-born antiques dealer named John Judkin
0:15:22 > 0:15:29began to realise a shared vision of creating a unique museum, the likes of which had never been seen
0:15:29 > 0:15:32anywhere else in the world before.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37Dallas wanted to show that America contributed a great deal towards the decorative arts
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and having the kindred spirit in John was the perfect partnership, really,
0:15:41 > 0:15:46because it combined Dallas's cheque book with John's business contacts.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Together they acquired a great deal of furniture and objects representing
0:15:50 > 0:15:55the cream of the craftsmanship and the folk art of America throughout the centuries
0:15:55 > 0:15:59and then they had it shipped all the way over to England.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02In fact, Dallas and John didn't just acquire objects...
0:16:02 > 0:16:04they shipped over entire rooms!
0:16:05 > 0:16:09All they needed now was somewhere big enough to display it.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Claverton Manor near Bath was just a stone's throw away from where John's business was based.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18So when the opportunity arose to purchase the place, they both jumped at it.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23It was the perfect location to display their collection of Americana.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29Today, the collection is maintained by curator, Laura Beresford.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Laura, I love this room, I really do. I could live there!
0:16:37 > 0:16:39It's wonderful, isn't it?
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I want you to imagine that we've now gone back to late
0:16:41 > 0:16:4617th century Massachusetts, more or less contemporary to the Salem Witch Trials, so perhaps not a nice
0:16:46 > 0:16:49thing to be thinking about, but it's a puritan household
0:16:49 > 0:16:53and puritans often have such a bad rap but actually they would have had a lot of colour
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- and generally people would have been wearing purples and greens... - Really!
0:16:56 > 0:17:00- Black for best!- You always think black, don't you?- I know. - Very conservative, then?
0:17:00 > 0:17:05Very, very conservative, austere households, but as you can see, still lots of wonderful decorative items.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10So how long did it take to get this sort of broken down
0:17:10 > 0:17:13from the house it came from and how did you get it in?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Well, our founders were always very, very keen that their decorative arts
0:17:16 > 0:17:20collection be showcased in period room settings because they wanted to
0:17:20 > 0:17:26give people a sense of how life was lived and one of our founders had an export business taking European
0:17:26 > 0:17:31furniture over to the States and then all these containers were coming back empty so he decided to fill them up.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36What happened then? It must have been like one big jigsaw puzzle because it was all in bits?
0:17:36 > 0:17:39It's funny you should say that because the guy that was responsible for
0:17:39 > 0:17:43putting all those bits together did talk about it being a "nightmarish jigsaw". That was his phrase.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48He would go to sleep dreaming of cornicing, you know, bits of plank pursuing him along corridors.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- Who was this guy? Was he a tradesman?- He was a tradesman.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56He was a restorer and his name was Nick Bell Knight and he was a bit of a magician and without him the museum
0:17:56 > 0:18:01would not have been the success that it is because he spent two years reassembling all these bits
0:18:01 > 0:18:06into these wonderful period room satins and doing it seamlessly in chronological order.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08- That's what is so amazing! - He's got a fabulous eye!
0:18:12 > 0:18:14So we're now in a New Orleans bedroom,
0:18:14 > 0:18:19a great luxurious plantation house on the eve of the Civil War, so about 1860, so I want you to
0:18:19 > 0:18:22imagine that it's very, very hot, very muggy,
0:18:22 > 0:18:27there are mosquitoes in the room hence the mosquito net on the bed
0:18:27 > 0:18:34and we're looking at wealth on walls where in a plantation house the plantation house itself is
0:18:34 > 0:18:37an emblem of the estate - it has to look sumptuous.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41People who own these houses are boasting about how wealthy they are
0:18:41 > 0:18:43and of course that wealth was built on slave labour.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47- Very imposing high ceilings, though. - Nice high ceilings and of course this
0:18:47 > 0:18:52affected furniture design because they could create huge enormous pieces.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Actually the gentleman that founded the museum referred
0:18:54 > 0:18:57to these pieces in particular as "the friendly dinosaurs".
0:19:00 > 0:19:04It isn't just furniture here. With the emphasis on decorative arts, the museum also holds the
0:19:04 > 0:19:08biggest and best collection of American quilts in Europe.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Let's have a look at a couple, shall we?
0:19:15 > 0:19:16- Absolutely.- You do the turning.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21This is one of my favourite types of quilt. This is a Hawaiian quilt.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25- Hawaiian!- Hawaiian! I mean why would you need a quilt in Hawaii!
0:19:25 > 0:19:27There's a very nice story behind this.
0:19:27 > 0:19:33When the European missionaries went over they were slightly appalled at all the dancing the island girls
0:19:33 > 0:19:37enjoyed and so they wanted to distract them, they wanted to Europeanise them.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42So that was a call to say, "Come on, stop dancing, stop stripping off and start doing something practical!"
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Well, not only to be practical but to become a European lady or to become
0:19:46 > 0:19:49familiar with what is acceptable as a lady.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50It's a discipline really, isn't it?
0:19:50 > 0:19:54- Absolutely! It was a means of social control, really.- Very nice.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58- What's next?- Right, my dear, let's show you some beautiful crazy quilts.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03The nice thing about these crazy quilts is that you get so much more of a sense of the person's
0:20:03 > 0:20:08personality behind them because they often stitch their name. For instance, Grace here and...
0:20:08 > 0:20:10- It's about them being creative?- Yes.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13This is so finite, it's a one-off, you won't find another like that.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- Nothing like this at all.- Have you got a favourite?
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- Well, I do have a very funny... - Is it hiding behind here?
0:20:18 > 0:20:21It is a funny favourite and it's this one here.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23- This one?- What type of bird do you think that is?
0:20:23 > 0:20:27I guess I'd say a dove, really!
0:20:27 > 0:20:31- I don't know!- Well, actually they're supposed to be representations of eagles so we're talking about
0:20:31 > 0:20:37the great seal of America, this great majestic bird, but they actually look to me like sort of very plump turkeys
0:20:37 > 0:20:42which have been shot and this is the explosion in the centre and they're all lying on their back
0:20:42 > 0:20:47in the farmyard, but I just find this wonderful because it's just so funny and so comical.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49That looks like it's the star of the show, this one.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- It is astonishing, isn't it? It's more or less ten feet square...- Gosh!
0:20:53 > 0:20:56And it would really swamp a bed, wouldn't it?
0:20:56 > 0:21:00- Yes.- So the remarkable thing about these quilts is that they weren't actually intended to be used.
0:21:00 > 0:21:06These were often given as wedding presents and individual people would make up
0:21:06 > 0:21:13each of the blocks which would then be sewn together as the quilt and they're called "album quilts"
0:21:13 > 0:21:16because they basically take up the same type of task as an autograph album.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19You know you write sweet mementoes wishing them the best for their married life,
0:21:19 > 0:21:25for their new home. It's more or less as it was when it was presented to these people in 1847.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26Absolutely incredible!
0:21:31 > 0:21:34So, you've given me a wonderful guided tour of the museum. Thank you so much.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36It's a pleasure. Thank you.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44And now for my favourite part of the show, let's head straight for the auction
0:21:44 > 0:21:48And this is where David and Kate's valuations are going to be put to the test.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers, in the heart of Devizes.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55And here's a quick recap of what's going under the hammer.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Jeanette's unusual Goss beakers, with nursery rhyme scenes.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03The 1930s painting, which I think is a real cracker.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07The Crown Derby porcelain with the beautiful Tuscan scene.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12And David's erred on the cautious side with his estimate on Audrey's postcards.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Will it pay off?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Before the sale gets under way though, I just want to see if
0:22:20 > 0:22:25auctioneer Alan Aldridge has managed to find out any more about the mysterious artist Trevor Gould.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29This belongs to Lindsey. I got really excited when
0:22:29 > 0:22:33I saw this, because t reminds me of the Scottish colourists, it's sort of good, muted brush strokes.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37And quite confidently put on. I don't know a lot about the artist, apart from the accompanying letter.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And I like this so much, I would be prepared to pay £400 - £600.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43And, as someone that's been in the business a long time,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47I know if you could buy it for that, there's still a profit to make, if you could put it into a gallery.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52Trevor Gould is an unknown artist, but he's been at the Royal Academy, so he's got some kind of credit.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Well I have to say, Paul, I did what you asked me. We did try to research.
0:22:56 > 0:23:03The problem with the Royal Academy is, if somebody shows at the Royal Academy, it doesn't have to be sold.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- No.- It needs to be sold for us to get a price that we can work on.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11This man, I don't know how prolific he was, I would say he was very, very talented.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- Yeah.- His calligraphy is absolutely beautiful.- Yes, it is, isn't it?
0:23:14 > 0:23:18The accompanying letter as a wedding present makes it a wonderful, wonderful thing.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20But I can't find him selling anywhere.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25So I think I have to agree with you on its quality. Agree with you on its colour, agree with you on everything.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Would you agree on the price?
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I'd have to agree with you on the price, because if I saw it, it's a lovely frame.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36- I mean the frame is £100. - And that's contemporary with the picture, it's right for the picture.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- If you look at the nails, nothing's come out.- It all works right.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- It is touch and go, then? - I think it is touch and go.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43But I still like it, like you.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45I do, I like it.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Well, we both like it, but will the bidders?
0:23:47 > 0:23:50The standard seller's commission rate here is 16%.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54And first to go under the hammer are those Goss beakers.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59I've been joined by Jeanette, and we've got two little Goss beakers.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02They're real quality, and you're selling them
0:24:02 > 0:24:06because you're frightened of them getting broken, and the kids don't want them.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- And we are looking at £100 to £150? - That's right.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11I love them! I think these are great.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14But I have to say, you know the one entitled "Naughty Bear"?
0:24:14 > 0:24:18You've got the two images of the two bears. One in tears - the naughty one...
0:24:18 > 0:24:21- Yes, one complements the other one. - But one threatening with a stick.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- You wouldn't get that in today's protocol.- It's a bit un-PC.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26You've hung on to them for quite a time.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29They came from my husband's grandfather.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33When he passed away, for the children. But, um,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37separate them, and go to separate houses, or they get through.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Keep them together, put them in auction.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Let them go to a collector. We're going to find out right now what they're worth.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Right. Next on to two little unusual Goss items.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50The Naughty Bear and Sweet Oranges.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Little children's beakers painted by Margaret Goss.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Very unusual little things.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Give me 120 quid for them. £100 start me.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00£80 get me away.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03£50, then.
0:25:05 > 0:25:0850 I've got. 50. I've got 60.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10£50 on the maiden bid. 60.
0:25:10 > 0:25:1270. 80.
0:25:12 > 0:25:1590.
0:25:15 > 0:25:205. 100. At £100. 100, is it 5?
0:25:20 > 0:25:24On my right, is it five, quickly?
0:25:24 > 0:25:27£100.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29We've done it. £100.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32I have to say, I thought I'd pitched those conservatively.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36So although you look pleased, I was hoping to get a wee bit more than that.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40But they've gone to a good home. Somebody will look after them.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44And they'll still be a pair as well, because they were so hard to separate.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- You can't really separate them. - No, they're unique,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Well, Kate may be a bit disappointed,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52but I'm sure there's a delighted collector out there right now,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and hopefully it'll mean the set remains together.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57OK, now it's my turn in the hot seat.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I really hope we get a good price for Lindsay's painting.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I've just been joined by Lindsay, and I think it's the moment of truth
0:26:03 > 0:26:05about that oil painting by Trevor Gould.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09I asked Alan if he could a little more research, and he has.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12And we can't find anything on the open market.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14I don't think that detracts from the value.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18If we could find some more provenance, it would add to the 400-600.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21And Alan didn't disagree. Hopefully someone will invest in it.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23It's a lovely painting, as I say.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25I do love the wooden frame on it as well.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Let's see where the bidders think.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I think all the talking's over with and it's down to this lot to decide.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- Let's go with it. - Let's do it, Lindsay, here we are.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Very interesting painting, this one.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Trevor S Gould and it's a very pretty painting.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43It has a letter of provenance, it's a lovely picture. 300, 400?
0:26:43 > 0:26:45What about two, then. Start me at two?
0:26:45 > 0:26:50At 2. 150? 150 I've got.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53150 I've got. 175?
0:26:53 > 0:26:56I wish I could put my hand up and chivvy it along!
0:26:56 > 0:26:59250.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01275. 250.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04At 250. At £250.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Not quite enough, I'm afraid.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08I'm ever so sorry.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13I think that is worth £400-600 of my money or anybody's money any day.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15It's a shame. As I say, it's got a good home.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18It'll been on show, so it's not going anywhere.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23I'm pleased it didn't get the bottom end and just scrape through, if that's how you feel.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26No, I'm quite happy to take it back.
0:27:26 > 0:27:32- Thank you very much for bringing it in, because it got me excited and I appreciated it.- That's great.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Sometimes these things work out the way they do for a reason,
0:27:35 > 0:27:40and just like Lindsay I'd be delighted to have this one on my wall.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Will we manage to sell Audrey's postcard collection?
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Well, we're about to find out.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I've got a few nerves, I've got a few jitters.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51We're just about to sell the postcard collection you got out of your drawer.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54We have a valuation of £60-100.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Had a quick chat to Alan, the auctioneer.
0:27:57 > 0:28:03He said there's one or two there that just might make the value at the lower end.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07He's not excited about getting anything near the top end.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- There are one or two good cards. - Yes, there are.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12I love the fact they're a single collection,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15so it gives the collection an entity, so I am optimistic.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Why do you want to sell them, though?
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Because really, they belong in the family, don't they?
0:28:20 > 0:28:23They do, but who's going to get them out and read all through them?
0:28:23 > 0:28:27I don't think they're interested. I brought them out when I heard you were coming.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30You got rather excited
0:28:30 > 0:28:33and I know David sent you back to get some more, because there is 300.
0:28:33 > 0:28:38When you think about it, 300, £60 to £100 is not a lot of money.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41So let's see if the collectors are here, shall we?
0:28:41 > 0:28:44A shoebox containing postcards now.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49The bulk of them are just quite normal, but there's two or three nice ones. Nice little collection.
0:28:49 > 0:28:5150 get me away?
0:28:51 > 0:28:53- 50 I've got. 50 I've got.- We're in.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56We've sold them.
0:28:56 > 0:29:0060. 70. 80. 90.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02- 100.- Brilliant.
0:29:02 > 0:29:07105. 110. 115.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09120.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13125. 130. 135.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15140.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16This is very good.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21- Isn't it?- 150. 155.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24160. 155. At 155.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Are we all done? At 155.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Brilliant result! 155.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35There was obviously one or two there, and only a few people knew about it.
0:29:35 > 0:29:36Including me.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40- Well done.- Thank you very much.
0:29:40 > 0:29:45What an amazing result! Someone out there really knew what they were looking for.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48That's the thing with auctions, they can be so unpredictable
0:29:48 > 0:29:51and throw up a brilliant surprise, just like that.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Will that Victorian wine jug fetch a good price?
0:29:54 > 0:29:59- Going under the hammer next we've got a Crown Derby jug. It belongs to Laura. Who have you brought?- Alia.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02- Your little daughter. How old are you? Six months?- Yes.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Hello!
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- What an unusual name. Alia. - Yes, it's Arabic.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12- But we did get it from a science fiction novel.- Did you?- Yes.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17- Were you trying to choose a really unusual name that nobody else had? - Yes.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19- I think you succeeded! - Yes!- Don't you?
0:30:19 > 0:30:24- I won't say hello, cos I'll start her crying. I have that effect on babies.- She's so beautiful!
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Don't wave your hand about, you might be buying mummy's jug back!
0:30:28 > 0:30:31This has been in the family a long time, three generations,
0:30:31 > 0:30:38from a big collection, at least. Why isn't is Alia's? Why isn't it going on to the fifth generation?
0:30:38 > 0:30:41- It's just... For us, it's outdated. - OK.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44- So the money's going to come in very useful, anyway.- Yes.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47Not everyone's cup of tea, but a lovely piece.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50£200 to £300 should do it. We're going to find out right now.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54This is a pretty little thing, this.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57Somewhere around about 300 quid?
0:30:57 > 0:31:00300? It's pretty.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03250, then, start me.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08A couple will get me away. 180, then.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10160. Thank you.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12160 I've got.
0:31:12 > 0:31:17170. 180. 190. 200. 210.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21220. 230. 240.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24- This is good.- 250.- Yes!
0:31:24 > 0:31:27At 240. Is there 50, quickly?
0:31:27 > 0:31:30At £240.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33Yes! £240. That's great. That's going to come in so handy
0:31:33 > 0:31:37because you need buggies, pushchairs, car seats, travel cots.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- I mean, it just doesn't stop, does it?- No.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44- Tell me about it. I know.- She grows and then she needs the next size up.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48- Yeah.- And then the iPods and then it'll be university.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50- I'm not worrying about that.- OK. - Then it'll be antiques!
0:31:50 > 0:31:53THEY LAUGH
0:31:53 > 0:31:56A spot on valuation by our expert.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08In the early hours of Christmas morning 1964, housewife Marjorie Bye
0:32:08 > 0:32:14was en route to holy communion at Christ Church, Warminster, when she had an unsettling experience.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17She heard a crackling noise that became louder as it passed over her head.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22The sky was clear and she could see no cause for the sound, but afterwards she explained
0:32:22 > 0:32:27how it scared her to point of making her legs feel weak and her knees knock.
0:32:27 > 0:32:33Her experience was the starting point of a phenomenon which became known as The Warminster Thing.
0:32:36 > 0:32:42The story was first reported by a local newspaper on 7th January 1965, and in the coming months,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46more and more people started hearing strange noises and made reports,
0:32:46 > 0:32:50and as the months went on the reports got more dramatic,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53like it was so frightening and loud it could damage buildings
0:32:53 > 0:32:55or blow people off their feet or even kill birds.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00And in the summer of that year, that's when the sightings began.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04I saw this thing go over, what they call a thing,
0:33:04 > 0:33:08and it was exactly like a railway carriage.
0:33:08 > 0:33:15There was a silver plane and a pink one, like between a pink and a red, cerise colour.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19What I did see was a green, shimmering light for about quarter of an hour.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23It's hard to explain, it was like a bright light with a red light in the middle.
0:33:23 > 0:33:29But after that went over, I heard a whimpering noise, and like something going,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31"Ohhhh." That was the noise it was.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35I saw something over there, between those two bungalows, and to me,
0:33:35 > 0:33:39it looked as if it was about 500 feet high.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43- It seemed to be hovering. - It resembled something like a comet, but comets are white,
0:33:43 > 0:33:47but this was orange, so it certainly wasn't a comet.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49She said, "What's the matter with you?"
0:33:49 > 0:33:51I said, "Did you hear that noise?"
0:33:51 > 0:33:55She said, "No, nothing don't wake me up," and she went to sleep again.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00It's been estimated that there were over 1,000 sightings in the year following that Christmas morning.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04And as they grew in number, so the public interest built and built.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11A key moment in the whole extraordinary story came when a local man,
0:34:11 > 0:34:18Gordon Faulkner, took a photograph that would cause the story to be a sensation all round the world.
0:34:18 > 0:34:24I had a camera with me, I was taking it down to my sister who wanted to borrow it,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28and, well, as I say I just had the camera with me, pure luck.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31- I just took a picture.- The object was staying still or was it moving?
0:34:31 > 0:34:34No, it was moving. I couldn't say how fast.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Some people have said that when they tried to take a picture of one of these things
0:34:38 > 0:34:42there's been some mysterious force or radiation that stopped the camera from working.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45It didn't stop my camera from working.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49I know it's not a fake and it doesn't really bother me what other people think.
0:34:49 > 0:34:56When the picture appeared in the newspaper in September 1965, the story became a national obsession.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58For years to come, people would flock to the area,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01anxious to experience The Warminster Thing for themselves.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Amongst the crowds that gathered on the hillsides
0:35:04 > 0:35:08was a young teenager from Stourbridge called Kevin Goodman.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11The experience would have a lasting effect on him.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17I guess it must have been a bit more like a festival with that many people here.
0:35:17 > 0:35:22There was a whole community atmosphere, because, as I say, you had this cadre
0:35:22 > 0:35:25of like-minded people who wanted to be together.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29They would swap stories and ideas, and it was a totally unique event
0:35:29 > 0:35:32which I don't think has been repeated in the history of ufology.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Why here, though? Why not New York or London?
0:35:35 > 0:35:40You think about it, 1964, 1965, it's the start of the hippy era,
0:35:40 > 0:35:44and I think everything just clicked at the right time.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48It was the Age of Aquarius and people wanted something different to believe in.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51I bet there was a lot of energy here with that amount of positive people.
0:35:51 > 0:35:52There would have been.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56Obviously, the driving force behind it was Arthur Shuttlewood himself.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58He's the man who put it on the map.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01I think that there could be several reasons.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04The story ricocheted round the world, for example,
0:36:04 > 0:36:10after the first big sighting of the aerial cigar, which was to the south there.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Arthur Shuttlewood was a local journalist who reported the initial sightings.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17It wouldn't be long before he became the leading authority,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21writing several books, including The Warminster Mystery.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23..which was rather graphic,
0:36:23 > 0:36:26but I could see what they meant, having seen the thing myself now,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29I think I can see what they meant by that description.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33- How many sightings were there over those years?- Thousands.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37I mean, Shuttlewood himself reckons that between about 1966 and 1969
0:36:37 > 0:36:42he saw something in the region of 5,000 UFOs.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46But how many of those were genuine anomalous phenomenon is very much open to debate now.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Some have theorised that the town's positioning
0:36:49 > 0:36:54in the heart of Ministry of Defence country might explain the sightings.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58Perhaps people had witnessed secret testings of advanced military technology.
0:36:58 > 0:37:05But most of the accounts have never been explained, and to this day, it still remains a mystery.
0:37:06 > 0:37:13Warminster is a social, cultural phenomenon, and that's what I enjoy researching these days.
0:37:13 > 0:37:14So why did it stop then?
0:37:14 > 0:37:20I think Arthur Shuttlewood basically retired from sky watching and active research,
0:37:20 > 0:37:25and without Arthur Shuttlewood's continual input, it just basically died a death.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30It's sad that the phenomenon's been forgotten by mainstream ufology, but at the end of the day,
0:37:30 > 0:37:34as I've said to many people many times, something strange
0:37:34 > 0:37:37did happen this in this town, but what, I don't know.
0:37:37 > 0:37:42Although I saw it, it hasn't convinced me, I still don't think there's anything in it myself.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46You've got to see it to believe it. Have you seen it?
0:37:46 > 0:37:48It's not proved.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51I just don't believe they exist until they are actually proven.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55I believe in it, because whereas those who haven't seen it don't believe it,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58those who have seen it must believe it.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02For a moment in time, people's imaginations all over the world were captured
0:38:02 > 0:38:05by the strange goings on in this rural Wiltshire town.
0:38:05 > 0:38:10Such a concentration of unexplained things.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13And it's never probably going to happen again, and as to the reasons
0:38:13 > 0:38:17what was going on, and why, well, maybe we'll never know.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26It's time to get our feet firmly back on the ground
0:38:26 > 0:38:32at the Warminster Assembly Hall, where the vast Flog It machine has landed and is now hard at work.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35On the main tables are Kate Bliss and David Fletcher,
0:38:35 > 0:38:41but they're supported by a whole team of antiques experts to make sure everyone gets seen.
0:38:41 > 0:38:47David has spotted Val, who's brought in two beautiful Moorcroft vases - or are they?
0:38:47 > 0:38:51Now, you have brought what looks like two Moorcroft vases,
0:38:51 > 0:38:54and in a way, I think I'd be right, but I'd also be wrong.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58- There is a Moorcroft connection, isn't there?- Yes, there is.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02The connection is Sally Tuffin, who worked for Moorcroft.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07- OK.- And then she set up her own business with her husband, Richard Dennis.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10And that's where the connection is.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14And that's why it does look very much like Moorcroft, but it isn't Moorcroft.
0:39:14 > 0:39:19- I think I'm right in saying she started as a fashion designer. - She did.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21With Mary Quant.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25- Mary Quant, of course, was around in the '60s.- Yes. So was Sally.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29In our youth. and these bear very little relation to that period.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34They bear more of a relation, I think, to the 1920s, 1930s,
0:39:34 > 0:39:39when the Moorcroft factory was at its peak, and we can think about the similarities for a moment.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44Firstly, this slip trail decoration, which the Moorcroft factory used.
0:39:44 > 0:39:50- Tube lining. It's really made in the same manner as you would decorate a cake.- Yes, it is.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53The lines are applied to the body of the pot and then the colour is filled
0:39:53 > 0:39:58in between the lines, so it harks back to the Moorcroft tradition.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00- Do you collect this?- Yes, I do.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04- And do you know Sally Tuffin? - I don't know her personally, but I have met her
0:40:04 > 0:40:06a few times, when I've been down to the factory.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10If you collect this, why have you decided to sell?
0:40:10 > 0:40:14I've just got so much of it and we've downsized indoors a bit.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19It just looks a jumble, so I really need to tidy it up a bit.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23We need to think about what these might be worth. To help us do that,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27shall we turn them upside down? OK, we'll start with this pot,
0:40:27 > 0:40:33which is decorated with wisteria and underneath we have the word, Dennis,
0:40:33 > 0:40:38which obviously refers to the pottery, and it's marked, Trial 1. This is obviously a trial piece.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42It would appear this never went on sale to the general public.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45I think it did, eventually.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48What they do is, they start trial pieces and see how they go
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and then perfect them and then put them into...
0:40:51 > 0:40:56- OK, so ultimately this design was developed and it would have been on sale to the public?- Yes.
0:40:56 > 0:41:02This one, decorated with irises is marked, again, Dennis China Works.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06- It's signed, so that presumably isn't a trial piece.- That's not.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10- You bought them new, obviously. - Yes, I did.- Can you remember what you paid for them?
0:41:10 > 0:41:14I can't really remember, perhaps £50-£60, I expect.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Well, unlike many new things that you buy today,
0:41:17 > 0:41:19they have certainly held their value.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24I think certain rarities will doubtless have gone up in value.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28I'd be inclined, having said that, to offer them for sale
0:41:28 > 0:41:32- at an estimate of about £60 to £80 each.- That's fine.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34It gives you cash to spend
0:41:34 > 0:41:36on something else you might want to do.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39Let's go ahead on that basis. £60 to £80 each.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43The auctioneers may prefer to put them in one lot, in which case,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46the estimate would be £120 to £160, and I would suggest
0:41:46 > 0:41:49a reserve of £120. Are you happy with that?
0:41:49 > 0:41:52- Yes.- We'll go ahead on those lines and if there are any more
0:41:52 > 0:41:56- Sally Tuffin pots at the sale, please don't buy them, will you?- No.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00We'll find out if she manages to resist temptation later.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04Paul has brought in a beautiful little box, that has caught Kate's eye.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06Do you know what it was used for?
0:42:06 > 0:42:10- I think it's a vinaigrette box, is it?- That's right, yes.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12So what were vinaigrettes used for?
0:42:12 > 0:42:17Would I be right in saying, bad smells in London, maybe years ago?
0:42:17 > 0:42:20The ladies would sniff it, when they came across...an area.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24That's exactly right. In fact, some examples
0:42:24 > 0:42:26still have the little sponges inside.
0:42:26 > 0:42:31- Oh, right.- So if we look inside this one, we should have a pierced grill
0:42:31 > 0:42:35inside the box, which we have here, in lovely condition.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40This was quite often gilded, as was the interior of the box,
0:42:40 > 0:42:45so that the smelling stuff inside wouldn't stain the silver.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Here you can see, the gilt is still in really nice condition.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52If I just open it a little bit more, it's very clearly hallmarked,
0:42:52 > 0:42:57but also we have maker's initials, which we can look up, given more time.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00- It's the initials, WE.- Oh, right.
0:43:00 > 0:43:06The lovely thing about this piece is that it's dated for 1822.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Now, in 1822, something quite important happened to the hallmark
0:43:10 > 0:43:12and it's not clear why it happened,
0:43:12 > 0:43:18but the leopard's head, up to 1822, in the mark for London, was crowned.
0:43:18 > 0:43:23- Right.- The leopard's head wore a crown. In 1822, that was taken away,
0:43:23 > 0:43:27- so it was just the leopard's head, without the crown.- Yeah.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29Because this dates from 1822, you can see that.
0:43:29 > 0:43:34- The leopard's head has lost his crown, but it's the first year that it happened.- Oh.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37That's quite a nice example and in really lovely condition.
0:43:37 > 0:43:42The outside is engine turned and then, just where it opens,
0:43:42 > 0:43:48it is cast with this floral band. Typical design for that period.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Then you've got the initials engraved, EH.
0:43:50 > 0:43:55- Is there anybody EH in your family? - No, not at all.- Shame!
0:43:55 > 0:43:57Why do you want to sell this?
0:43:57 > 0:44:00- We got it from a car boot sale... - Did you?!- ..believe it or not.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04My wife was rummaging through one of the boxes, like you do,
0:44:04 > 0:44:07and that caught her eye and she said, "I quite like that."
0:44:07 > 0:44:11She asked the person how much they wanted for it and they said "£5".
0:44:11 > 0:44:15So, I think, hopefully, she got a bargain.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18Your wife has got a very good eye, hasn't she?
0:44:18 > 0:44:19She has. That's why she picked me!
0:44:22 > 0:44:24- What more can I say?!- Thank you.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26- She wants to sell it?- Yes, she does.
0:44:26 > 0:44:31OK, well, unfortunately, they have gone down a little bit in value,
0:44:31 > 0:44:34but this is still a very nice period example.
0:44:34 > 0:44:39- I think at auction today, it's going to be between £80 and £100. - Wow! That's good.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42So, for a car boot find, she's done fantastically well.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44I'll have to take her out Sunday.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46I think you better had!
0:44:46 > 0:44:50Quite how well Paul's wife did, we'll discover very soon.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Our final find of the day is David's.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56He's quite taken aback by the quality of Judy's figures.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59Whereabouts do you think they were made?
0:44:59 > 0:45:02- I used to think they were Chinese. - In fact, they're made in Japan.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06- Yeah.- Certainly Oriental, but a different part of the Orient.
0:45:06 > 0:45:11- Yes.- They were made in the late 19th century and,
0:45:11 > 0:45:18at that time, Japanese gentlemen started to adopt European costumes - they started to wear suits and ties.
0:45:18 > 0:45:24Therefore, the craftsmen who had previously been employed making netsukes, little toggles that held
0:45:24 > 0:45:31the ropes together around their waist, which kept their costumes secure, were out of a job, really.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34So, they turned to making figures like this.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37I mean, the quality is just fabulous, really.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41They're carved ivory, of course, and, you know, one can examine
0:45:41 > 0:45:42any part of the figures, really.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46You can look at their toes, you can look at the basketware,
0:45:46 > 0:45:49which contains that little fish on the right-hand side.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53The crispness is just phenomenal. They are, of course, fishermen.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55Each one has a different type of catch.
0:45:55 > 0:46:00The one on the left is holding a flat fish and this chap here is emptying his basket
0:46:00 > 0:46:06and there's a little stream of fish falling onto the ground. How did you come by them?
0:46:06 > 0:46:08They belonged to my grandparents.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10They were given to me when I was quite young,
0:46:10 > 0:46:14although I didn't actually have them until my grandmother died.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17They've lived in a glass cabinet for quite a long time.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21I'm very sorry to see them go, but I think somebody who
0:46:21 > 0:46:23really appreciates them will get to have them.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27Did you have anything in mind that you'd like to spend the proceeds on?
0:46:27 > 0:46:31Well, yes, there's a small organisation in Tanzania, which I used to live,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34called the Fisherfolks' Trust. Maybe some of the money will help
0:46:34 > 0:46:38with the projects that I'm hoping we're doing with them.
0:46:38 > 0:46:43That's a lovely story and I do hope that they will benefit from the sale of these.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46They're just lovely quality. So I'd be inclined to estimate
0:46:46 > 0:46:51- each in the region of £200-£300, but sell them as two...- Yes.
0:46:51 > 0:46:57..with an estimate of £400-£600 and a reserve of £400.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00- Yes, all right. - Does that sound all right?- Yes.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03- I'm confident they'll sell well. - That's wonderful.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06- I look forward to that and thank you for bringing them in.- Thank you.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12Kate is intrigued by a book that John has brought along.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16We have a beautifully tooled leather volume here.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19But what lies within its pages?
0:47:19 > 0:47:23Well, it's a book I've had for 50-odd years in my family.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25It was given to me by an old aunt
0:47:25 > 0:47:29and it's a journal of Mary H O'Brien.
0:47:29 > 0:47:35So, you found the name inscribed here, dated November 22nd, 1831.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39- So what did you find about Mary? - We went onto the internet
0:47:39 > 0:47:43and we found that she married an admiral
0:47:43 > 0:47:49and also he was the captain of the Beagle, which is Darwin famed,
0:47:49 > 0:47:53- so from there on, it proved a little bit interesting.- How fantastic.
0:47:53 > 0:47:58Because, to place this in history, what you've found out is very important.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02Mary Henrietta O'Brien
0:48:02 > 0:48:07married Vice Admiral Robert Fitzroy in 1836.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10But in 1831, before they were married,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13HMS Beagle was on its second voyage
0:48:13 > 0:48:16to Tierra del Fuego.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20And Darwin, you're right, was on board that ship at the time.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24And Mary, obviously, has gone with him,
0:48:24 > 0:48:27because we see sketches in the back.
0:48:27 > 0:48:32We've got one entitled Rio De Janeiro just here. Look at that.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35A sketch, presumably in her hand,
0:48:35 > 0:48:38and dated December 1831.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42Not one of the better sketches. But there are all sorts of things in here.
0:48:42 > 0:48:47That's a lovely little vignette of a lady, heightened with watercolour.
0:48:47 > 0:48:53But I think one of my favourites is this botanical study.
0:48:53 > 0:48:59This is beautifully done in watercolour and she's annotated down here,
0:48:59 > 0:49:05"Given at the Cape of Good Hope to..." and she's put her initials, MHJ,
0:49:05 > 0:49:09"October 1843." So that's a little bit later.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13So it's a collection of things from her travels as a whole,
0:49:13 > 0:49:17not just from the voyage with Darwin and her husband to be.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22- What a fascinating collection. - It's interesting.
0:49:22 > 0:49:28And I think, John, something which collectors would really find exciting.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31- How do you put a value on this? - I don't know. You tell me!
0:49:31 > 0:49:34- THEY LAUGH Any idea what it might fetch at auction?- No.
0:49:34 > 0:49:39I think it's got to be £300 to £500.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43- I'm going to stick my neck out. - Right.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47I think I would probably usually say £200 to £300.
0:49:47 > 0:49:53But with this Darwin connection, with the sketches, annotating her voyage,
0:49:53 > 0:49:56I think it's got to be between £300 and £500.
0:49:56 > 0:50:00And if two collectors really want it, who knows, it might make even more.
0:50:00 > 0:50:05- Well, you amaze me. That's quite good.- What a piece of history!
0:50:05 > 0:50:09- And it's been sat around doing nothing for a long time. - Thank you very much.
0:50:09 > 0:50:14And what a great find! You never know what will turn up at our valuation days.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20So our final lots are the two Dennis vases that Val is sacrificing from her collection.
0:50:20 > 0:50:25Paul's car boot buy. But how much of a bargain will it turn out to be?
0:50:27 > 0:50:30That amazing journal with a link to HMS Beagle.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34And, of course, Judy's Japanese fishermen.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43We're selling at auction in Devizes. Auctioneer Alan Aldridge is hosting proceedings.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Generally, the sellers and buyers' premiums
0:50:46 > 0:50:49are subject to a 16% commission charge.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Now it's time to see how we do with Val's Dennis vases.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56- You've got a lot of these, haven't you?- 30-odd.
0:50:56 > 0:51:01- "30-odd." Were you a big collector at one stage?- I still am.- Still are.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05- This is the first to go.- Yes.- David, you've put 120 to 180 on these?
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Yes, £60 each.
0:51:07 > 0:51:12I'm relieved to see there's none in the sale, because I was anxious you might start buying it back.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17- Happily, that won't be happening. - This is Flog It, we've got to sell.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19It's going under the hammer now, here we go.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23Two lovely, lovely little vases these.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26100 to start me? 80? 80, I've got.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28Right, we're in.
0:51:28 > 0:51:3280, I've got. 90, 100.
0:51:32 > 0:51:33Is there 105?
0:51:36 > 0:51:38- 105.- Come on.
0:51:38 > 0:51:43- 110... 120.- We're selling.- 125.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47130. 135. 140.
0:51:47 > 0:51:53- Oh, the tension.- 145?- £140.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55At £140.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59- £140. You've got to be pleased with that.- I am.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Why did you decide to sell now? This is part of a big collection.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Yes, it is. It's just that, on the day, I met Tracey.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07- Our off-screen expert.- That's it.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09- She loved them.- She loved them.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13- She knows all about this kind of thing.- Yes.- It's her market.
0:52:13 > 0:52:14Are you going to sell the rest now?
0:52:14 > 0:52:19Eventually, I will. I will be selling some more of it, because we're hoping to eventually downsize.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21Right. OK. Well, good luck.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23Thank you.
0:52:24 > 0:52:29Val seems really pleased with that one and no-one knows the value of pieces better than a keen collector.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31That was a good result.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35Now, will we sell Judy's fishermen figures? Let's find out.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39The chaps who carved these were craftsmen of the highest degree.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42They knew exactly what they were doing. They did it very well.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45Let's hope we get the top end of that estimate.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49- £600 would be really nice, to send that sort of money back.- It would.
0:52:49 > 0:52:50- Keep it up, keep it up.- Thanks.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52Here we are, it's under the hammer.
0:52:52 > 0:52:57Ivories. A pair of these. They are a pretty little pair of ivories.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01Minor damage. I reckon one of them's worth 300, the other, a couple.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04Give me £500 for the two. 500?
0:53:06 > 0:53:07Four to start me? Three?
0:53:07 > 0:53:12Three? Thank you. Three, I've got... 320.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15320, 340, 360...
0:53:15 > 0:53:18- We're going to do it.- 400, 420.
0:53:18 > 0:53:23440, 460? 440. 440.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27At 440. Is there 60?
0:53:27 > 0:53:31At £440. Is there 60 anywhere, quickly?
0:53:31 > 0:53:32At four...
0:53:32 > 0:53:34Sold. I'm pleased they've gone.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37I know we didn't get the top end, but we got some money.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39- It all helps.- £440.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43- Thank you very much. - It's been a pleasure meeting you.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45Well, the bidders certainly took the bait
0:53:45 > 0:53:49and those exotic ivory fishermen are off to new waters.
0:53:52 > 0:53:57Hopefully we're about to turn £5 into £80. It's a vinaigrette and it belongs to Paul.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01- This was a car boot find, so it is still is all out there?- Yes.
0:54:01 > 0:54:02- Where was the car boot?- Salisbury.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05- Do you still go back there? - We do, every week.- Every week?
0:54:05 > 0:54:07Why are you selling this now?
0:54:07 > 0:54:09My wife bought it some time ago.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13She's interested in antiques and likes to look around car boot sales.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15- Are you going to trade up with the money?- Er...
0:54:15 > 0:54:16Yes, come on!
0:54:16 > 0:54:19What do you think, Kate? He's got to trade up.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22I'll be very disappointed if he doesn't. The nice thing about this is
0:54:22 > 0:54:26it's not fantastically unusual, it's just a really nice Georgian example.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30You did really well finding it. I would be going, if I lived a bit closer. Every week.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35We're going to find what the bidders think right now. Here it is. Good luck.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39A little vinaigrette. A lovely little vinaigrette.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42Makers mark, WE, London.
0:54:42 > 0:54:43Pretty little vinaigrette.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45120? 100, to start me?
0:54:47 > 0:54:4880, gets me away.
0:54:50 > 0:54:5270, I've got.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54- 80.- We're in. We've sold it.- 90.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56100?
0:54:59 > 0:55:03- Well done!- Even after commission, that's pretty good going.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05- What did you pay for it again?- £5.
0:55:07 > 0:55:08What a fabulous result!
0:55:08 > 0:55:11You can't beat car boots for finding buried treasures, can you?
0:55:11 > 0:55:17You never know what might be lurking at the bottom of a box, so make sure you have a good old root around.
0:55:17 > 0:55:24This next lot really fired up my imagination. I hope it's done the same to some of the bidders here.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27- We've got £300 to £500 on this. - Hopefully.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29- There's a lot of nice material in there.- I know.
0:55:29 > 0:55:35The sketches are superb, and you've got the Fitzroy correlation with Darwin's voyage of discovery
0:55:35 > 0:55:38on HMS Beagle, so the whole package is very nice.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41And I know you waxed lyrical about it all day.
0:55:41 > 0:55:47It's a great story. John unearthing it and finding it and realising that it's something a bit special.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50- It's an unknown quantity.- It is. - It's a difficult thing to value.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Let's see what happens. This is it. Let the bidders decide.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59I reckon start me at £400.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03It's something you will never see again. £400.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05300 start me, 200 get me away.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09200 I've got.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13220. 240. 260.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16280. 300.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18At £280.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22280. At 280. Is there 300?
0:56:22 > 0:56:24It's very cheap, but I'll sell.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28300. 320. 340.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32360. 380. 400.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35420. 440?
0:56:35 > 0:56:39At 420. At £420.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42At £420.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46440. 460?
0:56:47 > 0:56:50450. 460. 470.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52480.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56At 470. 470 for persistence.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59At £470.
0:56:59 > 0:57:04Hammer's gone down. Yes! That's what we like to see. £470.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07- Thank you, Kate. - Pleased? I'm pleased, actually.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11That was a very good valuation. There is commission to pay, 16%.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13- He definitely earned his money. - He has.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16Alan's done us proud. What will you put the money towards?
0:57:16 > 0:57:19I think it might go towards a holiday.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21On the other hand, I might get the car taxed.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24THEY LAUGH
0:57:24 > 0:57:27- Thank you, Alan.- Thanks for bringing it along. It's been fascinating.
0:57:27 > 0:57:28Thank you very much indeed.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32If you'd like to get our experts' advice on unwanted antiques
0:57:32 > 0:57:34check our website to see where we're planning to be
0:57:34 > 0:57:37for our next valuation days...
0:57:40 > 0:57:43Click F for Flog It! and follow the links
0:57:43 > 0:57:47to find a list of towns we're coming to soon.
0:57:47 > 0:57:51That's it. It's all over. We've come to the end of another show.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54We've had a fabulous time here in Wiltshire
0:57:54 > 0:57:56and I hope you've enjoyed watching
0:57:56 > 0:57:58So until the next time, it's cheerio.