0:00:03 > 0:00:04Welcome to "Flog It!" -
0:00:04 > 0:00:07the show that values your unwanted antiques and collectables
0:00:07 > 0:00:09and then whisks you off to auction,
0:00:09 > 0:00:11and today we're in the most stunning part of the world.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13We're in North Wales, and this auction room is where we're
0:00:13 > 0:00:17putting our valuations to the test a little later on in the show.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20But first, we need some antiques to sell, so it's off to Bangor.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Bangor lies on the coast of North Wales, near the Menai Strait which
0:00:49 > 0:00:51separates the Isle of Anglesey from Gwynedd.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58It's one of the smaller cities in Britain, but that doesn't stop it
0:00:58 > 0:01:02boasting a cathedral, a university and a rich cultural life.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Well, for such a small city, I'm delighted to see such a large crowd
0:01:07 > 0:01:11gathering here outside Bangor University's Prichard-Jones Hall.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And I can't wait to see what's in some of these bags and boxes
0:01:14 > 0:01:17because hopefully there's going to be something really interesting
0:01:17 > 0:01:19and it's going to bring some big results for our owners
0:01:19 > 0:01:21when we put them under the hammer later on in the show.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31Our team of experts are here in force and are led by Mark Stacey,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34who enjoys both the antiques and the tales behind them.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- Where did you get this from, then? - That's a long story.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Is it? Do tell.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42And Adam Partridge, a tenacious auctioneer who searches high
0:01:42 > 0:01:46and low for the right item to take off to auction.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Normally this wouldn't be right, would it?
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Rummaging in a lady's bag like this.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Coming up, Mark spots something rather enjoyable.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56It's really rather grand, isn't it?
0:01:56 > 0:01:59You've got this wonderful sort of classical scene
0:01:59 > 0:02:01revolving around it in sort of silver-plate.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03They're having a really good time, aren't they?
0:02:03 > 0:02:06And fortunately, most of them are clothed, which is a bonus.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08And I find something top rate.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13Well, I like that a lot. Oh, I do. Yes. Yes, I do. Isn't it super?
0:02:13 > 0:02:15It's a lovely example.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18We also take the opportunity to visit Portmeirion
0:02:18 > 0:02:22to find out about pottery designer Susan Williams-Ellis.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25One of our reps was rather intelligent.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28He said, "What we want is a very smart coffee set."
0:02:28 > 0:02:31So I thought, "All right, I'll try and do one."
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Mark's up first with Dora, but not at the table because she's
0:02:36 > 0:02:40brought in an old family trunk which is full to the brim.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43- Is it going to be a treasure trunk today, Dora?- I hope so.
0:02:43 > 0:02:44- SHE LAUGHS - Shall we have a look?
0:02:44 > 0:02:49I can't resist any longer. Well, we open it up here. There we are.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Well, now, tell me about this lovely set.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57Well, my cousin bought it for my boys.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58And it was second-hand.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02She brought it off somebody else whose children had all outgrown them.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03Oh, wonderful.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Your sons were very well-behaved children, weren't they?
0:03:06 > 0:03:09They had to be because we've got a small house.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11So once they were finished playing with it,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13they all had to go back into the boxes.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14Fantastic.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Well, I mean, it's lovely because this is what collectors really want
0:03:17 > 0:03:20- to see, is these original boxes. - Oh, great.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23And, you know, there is a few bits of scuffing on this,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26but, you know, at the end of the day, it's 50 years old or more and,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29you know, it's going to be. It's going to have that sort of damage.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34And when we open this up... we've got the locomotive here.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36And some of the carriages in its box there.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39And I particularly like seeing these sort of boxes
0:03:39 > 0:03:42because you never know what you're going to find in them, do you?
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Now, what are we going to find in here, do you think?
0:03:45 > 0:03:46I hope there's no mice. SHE LAUGHS
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I hope not. Are you squeamish? Should we risk it?
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Should we have a go?
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Oh, that's wonderful, isn't it? One of the little station units.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58What have we got here? The goods depot.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03And in really quite good condition, because these are printed on here
0:04:03 > 0:04:04and when kids play with them,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07they get scuffed and they get chipped and scratched.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11And this is really rather good condition. It's nicely made there.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13And we'll just have a look at one more.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17There we are. Shell's oil.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Well, thanks for struggling in with it, Dora.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20You've obviously had it a long time.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Why have you decided to sell it today?
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Well, I have three boys.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29I couldn't give it to one without to the other, so I said I'll keep it
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and I'll sell it one day and they can have the money.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34It's not the earliest type of train,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37but there's a lot of it here and I think we should be looking
0:04:37 > 0:04:42at an estimate of somewhere in the region of £150-£250.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47- Now, would you be happy with that? - £150? More than that.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- SHE LAUGHS - More? Well, we'd always like more.
0:04:49 > 0:04:55- How much more do you think it's worth?- Well... I don't know.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- Over £500, I'm sure.- Oh, well, it...
0:04:59 > 0:05:02It might be at that, but I think we've got to be realistic about it.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05We could try at maybe £200 to £300 and put a reserve of £200,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08because then we won't sell it below that figure.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11And hopefully we'll, you know, chug into the station in first class.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14I hope so. SHE LAUGHS
0:05:14 > 0:05:18It's a lovely collection, but I think Mark is right to be conservative.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- Looks like a watercolour. - HE LAUGHS
0:05:24 > 0:05:29Adam has found some nice-looking silver belonging to Jim and Eileen.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Tell us about this little cruet set.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Well, we bought this about ten years ago in an antiques fair,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39and we saw it and we thought it very attractive.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41We were rather taken with the design.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44It has a number of nice qualities to it, doesn't it?
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Very attractive design
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and these are not engraved with initials on any of them, are they?
0:05:49 > 0:05:54- No, that's right.- The shields are blank. All nice, matching hallmarks.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Good condition for the blue liners.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59And most unusually, really, the amount of these
0:05:59 > 0:06:02we get through the sale rooms that have got the wrong spoons.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- EILEEN:- Oh, right. Yes. - They've lost the spoons.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07And the hallmarks on these are the same maker,
0:06:07 > 0:06:08same year as everything else.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10So everything matches, doesn't it?
0:06:10 > 0:06:13I wonder if once it might have been in a fitted case.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15That's the only other question I'd have.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Perhaps originally you do see them in those fancy fitted cases.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- But it's a lovely set, isn't it? - It is. Yes.- Have you dated it?
0:06:22 > 0:06:27- I think it's 1907.- That's what I looked up. I've checked it as well.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Birmingham, 1907.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33And there's initials CEW on there, which is CE Williams
0:06:33 > 0:06:37of Birmingham, who was in operation from 1901 to 1909, I think.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39I had a quick look, anyway.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Well, I think most people will agree with us that these
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- are pretty nice, aren't they?- Yeah. - And what did you pay for them?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- Do you mind if I ask? - I think it was about £150.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52Right. Well, that's not too bad for a fair. Um...
0:06:52 > 0:06:57- You always pay top whack, really. Even if you twist their arm. - You tend to.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00I'd suggest a lower estimate, but not much lower.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02I think we should put a reserve of £100,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05as long as you don't mind potentially losing £50.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Oh, no.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09But that's what the name of the game... Name of the game, isn't it?
0:07:09 > 0:07:11And an estimate of £100 to £150.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14And I think there's every chance of us getting the £150 you paid for it,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- which would be quite nice.- Oh, yes. - That would be good.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19What would be extra nice would be a small profit
0:07:19 > 0:07:22so that after your commission, you end up with what you paid for.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Yes. Yes. Or that we've broken even. Yes. That's right.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25Now, why are you selling them?
0:07:25 > 0:07:30Because we've moved on now to collecting silver pincushions.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- Animals, birds.- Very nice.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- And they are quite expensive. - They are very expensive.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39In fact, we bought two in the Portobello Road about...
0:07:39 > 0:07:41..a month ago. Six weeks ago.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43- Have you got a pig one yet? - Yes.- Yeah.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45How much did you have to give for that?
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- The pig wasn't too bad. I think it was £120.- Oh, that was all right.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- I sold a muzzled bear one once.- Really?- Yeah.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Anyway, I'm always digressing. We'll put these in the auction.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57£100 to £150.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59I don't need to ask you what you're going to do with them, I think.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02I know you're going to spend it on either small silver,
0:08:02 > 0:08:04silhouettes, pot metal, Staffordshire figures.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- That's correct. - Thank you very much for coming.- Yes.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- Nice to meet you. - Nice to see you.- Yes. Lovely.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12I'll have my fingers crossed that they do break even.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Liz has brought in an interesting piece of jewellery which has caught
0:08:17 > 0:08:18Mark's eye.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Now, you've brought this rather nice brooch in. Is it a family heirloom?
0:08:21 > 0:08:26No. Um, I actually bought it in a charity shop about 10, 12 years ago.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- No. Really?- Yes. And I just thought it was really pretty.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32It is. And dare I ask you what you paid for it?
0:08:32 > 0:08:35I think I paid about five pound for it. £5.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37That's not bad, is it?
0:08:37 > 0:08:38This is really rather nice.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41We've got a sort of shotgun here and then you've got a pointer or
0:08:41 > 0:08:43something like that. A hunting dog.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- And it is actually nine carat gold. Did you know that?- No, I didn't.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48I knew there was a hallmark on the back,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- but I didn't know what year or what...- Yeah, I know.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55It's stamped 375 at the back, which says nine carat gold.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57And it's just... I mean, it's a quirky item.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00It appeals to those people who are into hunting and shooting, I suppose.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Not the most politically correct subject these days,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06but, you know, there are a lot of people who like country pursuits
0:09:06 > 0:09:10and I think a lady would like that on a sort of hunting jacket or whatever.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14- But I think also as a tiepin, maybe. - Yes.- You could use it as a tiepin.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16I have no idea what it is or it was used for.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Well, it's a brooch, really, I think.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20A little bar brooch, but certainly you could use it as a tiepin.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22And it's quite well modelled.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24The little dog has had his body chased,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26so you can see the texture of the hair on there.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28And there's someone engraving on the hilt of the gun,
0:09:28 > 0:09:29which is quite nice.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Is all this gold or is some of that silver?
0:09:31 > 0:09:33No, I think it's a mixture.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Certainly the butt here is gold,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39but then it does go up to this white metal, which is not marked.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41It could just be that it was silver-gilt originally
0:09:41 > 0:09:43and some of the gilding has come off.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46But I think we've got a value it as a decorative piece of jewellery.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- It's not going to send you to the Bahamas, I'm afraid.- Right.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- You might get to Prestatyn.- I quite like Prestatyn, so that's fine.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Oh, good.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Well, you've had it for around ten years. Have you worn it?
0:09:59 > 0:10:00- What have you been doing with it? - No.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02I bought it because I liked the dog.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05I didn't really think any more about the hunting/shooting part of it
0:10:05 > 0:10:08and it's unfortunately just been in the box in the drawer.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11I haven't worn it. It's not the sort of thing I would wear.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I bought it because of the dog. I like the dog.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Well, yes. I mean, people do go mad for their little dogs.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17I used to have King Charles spaniels,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20so I love pictures and images of King Charles spaniels.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22People get nuts over those sort of things, don't they?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24The dog is really cute.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25And after all this time,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28why have you decided to bring it along today to sell it?
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Um, because I've never worn it. It's just been in the drawer.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34I'd like somebody to buy it and actually wear it.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35And enjoy it.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40Somebody maybe, as you said, that shoots guns or, you know,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43does the hunting or shooting that would actually appreciate it
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and wear it. I think it's a shame. It's very, very pretty.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Well, certainly I think somebody would appreciate it.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Somebody living in the country who likes that sort of thing would appreciate it.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56In terms of value, I would probably say roundabout £70-£90.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58£70 to £100. Something like that.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59And we'd need to put a reserve on it,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01because we don't want to sell it for nothing,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05so maybe a £70 discretionary reserve which gives the auctioneer
0:11:05 > 0:11:07sort of 10% leeway on the day.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- Would you be happy with that? - Yes, I would be happy with that. Yes.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12I just really, as I said, I don't wear it.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- I would like somebody to buy it and wear it and appreciate it.- Fantastic.
0:11:15 > 0:11:16It's not really the money.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19It's just that I think it's such a shame that it's just stuck in a drawer somewhere.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Well, all I can say is I look forward to seeing you at the auction
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- and let's hope we get a lot of hunters on the day.- Oh.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27That's a very bad joke.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31We always expect the unexpected at the valuation day.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Are you ready for this?
0:11:36 > 0:11:40And the next item, brought in by Irene and John, is no exception.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44This is lovely. I can already see it's an Attaboy, isn't it?
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Which is a type of hat make.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50So let's have a look at it. Let's get that lid off there.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- This is the sort of salesmen sample, I think, really.- I see.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56And a saleswoman would take it out, because it's small enough to
0:11:56 > 0:11:59carry around and say, "Well, you know, believe it or not,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03"this miniature Attaboy is half the size of an ordinary Attaboy hat."
0:12:03 > 0:12:05So you've got an idea of what it will make...
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- JOHN:- What it would be. Yeah. - Isn't that cute?
0:12:07 > 0:12:12And it's got the Attaboy label in there. What a cute little thing.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- It is lovely, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18These were introduced in the '30s. Attaboy, I believe, started in 1930s.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20- Oh, you said the '30s, didn't you? - Yeah.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22And I think they carried on for quite a while after that.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25It was quite a popular thing, this type of trilby hat.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28The Attaboy trilby hat was quite well known.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31I think that's dead cute and also it serves a purpose for me because,
0:12:31 > 0:12:35of course, now I'm getting on a bit, I've got one of these bald spots.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39That would cover it just nicely. How did you get to own it, then?
0:12:39 > 0:12:44A gentleman gave us this, didn't he? One of the neighbours.
0:12:44 > 0:12:45And how did he own it?
0:12:45 > 0:12:51- Well, he had a gentleman's shop, didn't he?- Like an outfitters?
0:12:51 > 0:12:52- Outfitters.- Yes.
0:12:52 > 0:12:59So he may have got that as a sample or, um, as a shop display article.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01It's just my kind of thing, really.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04So what's brought you to come and sell it? Where does it live at home?
0:13:04 > 0:13:08- Do you have it out or...?- In the loft. With lots of other things.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- Like everyone else.- Yeah. You put it in the loft, you forget about it.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- That's it.- Yeah. You just think of looking at it, do you?
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- And yet it is cute, really, isn't it? - It's lovely. Yeah.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21You've got the box and everything and it's all made exactly...
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- That's still the same tissue. - I think it's excellent.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26So why are you selling it? I suppose because it's in the loft.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Yes. We're trying to get rid of quite a lot of things, actually.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Well, that will free up a load of room, won't it?
0:13:31 > 0:13:32No, I know. This is it.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38- Um, it's not worth a lot.- I know. We know that, but...
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- Great fun, though, isn't it?- I know! It's a novelty thing, isn't it?
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- It's a curiosity.- It's about what you've got
0:13:44 > 0:13:46and, you know, the story that you can tell.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51- So I think it will make £20-£40. - Quite surprised.- Fingers crossed.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54You never know. You never know.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I think we should put a reserve on it, though. 20 quid.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59- You don't want to give it for less than 20 quid, do you?- No.- No.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01We'll take it home and look at it again.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06So let's put £20 bottom limit and then hopefully two people will fall
0:14:06 > 0:14:09in love with it and it will find a new head.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Thanks for coming up. Really enjoyed that.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Beautiful Gwydir Castle.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24In my view, one of the finest Tudor houses in Wales.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Nestling in the glorious Veil of Conwy in the foothills of Snowdonia.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32It is a true delight, a fantastically romantic place.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Just the sort of house that I absolutely love.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44A house like this just echoes of the past. The walls permeate history.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47You can't help yourself. You want to touch them and soak it all up.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49It was once a fortified house.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53The castle was the ancestral home of the powerful Wynn baronets -
0:14:53 > 0:14:56a significant family in North Wales throughout the Tudor
0:14:56 > 0:14:58and Stuart period.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Today, as you can see, the house has evolved over the centuries.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04But inside, it's full of character and charm and atmosphere.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07All the perfect ingredients for a fairytale.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14This modern-day fairytale started in 1994 when a young couple,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Judy Corbett and Peter Welford, followed their dreams.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Throwing caution to the wind they bought Gwydir with the money
0:15:20 > 0:15:24they raised from the sale of an inherited cottage and a bank loan.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27It was totally dilapidated at the time, a crumbling ruin
0:15:27 > 0:15:30with a wild, overgrown garden.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33With the help of the Welsh Historic Monuments Agency,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37they started what will probably end up being their lifetimes' work -
0:15:37 > 0:15:39its restoration.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44A restoration project of this size is a huge undertaking.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47In fact, I'm going to rephrase that. It's a mammoth undertaking.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50But Peter and Judy are totally focused and committed.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53They love architecture, they love history, and with that combination,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55they've succeeded so far.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58It's a beautiful, beautiful castle.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01I'm going inside to catch up with Judy to find out all about it.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08I've got to say, I'm full of admiration for you both.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10What was it like when you first came here?
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Um, it was pretty derelict. Yeah. Roofless in part.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Horses and chickens living in here.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- Really? In this particular room? - Yes.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Yeah. So it was really quite bad.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Obviously no plumbing or wiring to speak of.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25I had a walk around the grounds before I came in
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- and they're beautifully landscaped now.- We're not gardeners.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Peter calls himself a chainsaw gardener.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32And that's really what we needed at the beginning.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Just to cut back through the wilderness.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36But, yeah. It's been a lot of clipping.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39A lot of doing clearing just to find that...really get back to
0:16:39 > 0:16:41the bones of the garden and the gardens are Grade I listed.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Are they? Well, it's beautifully planted up this way.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Perfect symmetry, isn't there?
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Yes. Yes. Lots of, you know, formal plantings.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Lots of clipped yew and box.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51And gradually, it's all coming back together again.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57There's one particular tale I know you haven't mentioned yet,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01and that's how you managed to do a bit of detective work on your dining room.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Yes. That's been a very interesting...
0:17:03 > 0:17:05..very interesting journey for us, really.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08It began just after we moved into the house.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12As I say, we were really buying a sort of a wreck, really. A ruin.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17And a neighbour turned up with the sale catalogue.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21- For the contents of this castle.- The contents of the castle from 1921.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Basically, to cut a very long story short,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28it transpired that William Randolph Hearst, who you will know as Citizen
0:17:28 > 0:17:34Kane in the famous film, had bought two rooms at the sale here in 1921.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36The rooms had been destined for San Simeon in California,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38the castle he was building for himself there.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43And we started doing some detective work and gradually traced the room
0:17:43 > 0:17:47to the Metropolitan Museum in New York and that is where we found it.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Was it on display or was it just in storage?
0:17:50 > 0:17:53No, it is actually still in its packing crates from 1921.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56- So he'd never done any thing with it?- Never done anything with it.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58So were they pleased you sell it back to you, then?
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Well, it took us two years to negotiate with them
0:18:01 > 0:18:03and we went over to New York to see the room, in fact,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06and went to this extraordinary warehouse in the Bronx.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10- This whole new world was opening up for you.- Yes.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13There, in the middle of it, was our panelled room and they literally
0:18:13 > 0:18:16just gave us a hammer and chisel and said go ahead and open the crates.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19And the most astonishing thing was when we started opening the crates,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21we saw this amazing room -
0:18:21 > 0:18:25it still smelled of Gwydir after all those years. 75 years.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Well, only you know what that smell is, really, don't you?
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Yeah, well, it moved us enormously, just to have a piece of...
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- Did you have a tear in your eye? - I did, I'm afraid. Yeah.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35- Can I have a look? Do you mind? - Yes. Here is...
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Of course all the furniture, all the contents were sold as well.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- All the contents went. - Why was there big house sale?
0:18:41 > 0:18:46Hard to say. 1921. Just after the war. Money was tight.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Same old story. It was happening all over Britain.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51And was the start, really, of the decline?
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Yes. In Sir John Wynn's day the estate was huge.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58You know, the deer park alone was 36,000 acres.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59It was a massive estate.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06So this is Lot 88. The remarkably fine 17th-century panelling.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08How much did it sell for back then? Do you know?
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Well, quite a lot of money, actually.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14I think something like 1,000 Guineas, which is a lot of money.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15But it attracted a lot of attention.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18You know, Hearst, obviously was introduced to it by his friend
0:19:18 > 0:19:23who owned the house then and started to asset-strip, basically.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26So after two years of negotiation,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30it got packed away back in that box again and shipped back over here.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32It came back. Yes. Yes.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35After 75 years of exile, it came back to Gwydir.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Was it a puzzle putting it back together or was it all carefully
0:19:38 > 0:19:39marked joint to joint?
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Well, unfortunately not.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44So that's why it made our job that much more difficult, really.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48It was very hard because they came in great big sheets of panelling
0:19:48 > 0:19:50and they had very loose markings on the back,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52but we were really working from just the sale catalogue.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54These sepia photographs.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Whilst we were working on the room, we hardly left the place for two years.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59It just was that intense, really.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Just making sure that everything went back together again.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- You really are living and breathing this, aren't you?- Yes.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06We're very passionate about it and love it very much.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Have you broken the back of this now?
0:20:08 > 0:20:10I think so. I think the end is in sight.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12And actually, last year, we finished our roof,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15so that was a cause of great celebration.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16Yeah. Now you're sound.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Everything really starts at the roof in a way, doesn't it?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21We're wind- and watertight. That's the main thing.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25- Can I have a look at the dining room?- Absolutely.- Which way is it? - Follow me.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Gosh. Here we are. Wow. I love the carvings.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53I love the trailing ivy with the grapes.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Yeah. They're very intricate and very elaborate.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59When was that carved? When was this made?
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Well, the panelling was made for the space in about 1640
0:21:02 > 0:21:05for Sir Richard Wynn, and then it's been embellished
0:21:05 > 0:21:07and played with a little bit over the centuries.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08But really, yeah, 1640.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12- And this echoes what's going on around the doorway, doesn't it?- Yes.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15These twisted columns. They are called Solomonic columns.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Lovely, deep relief on the carving.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21And then in the middle, we've got the coat of arms of the Wynn family.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24OK. This is what we've got to look out for now.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26If we find anything like this we know where to bring it to.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Exactly. The three eagles of Owain Gwynedd
0:21:28 > 0:21:30and the three lions of King Cynan.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Was the leather panelling part of the package
0:21:33 > 0:21:34- out of the crate as well?- Yes.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Everything came back except the movable furniture.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39So, even the window shutters came back.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44And this leather frieze up here is actually quite important.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46When it came back from America, it was completely black.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48We took advice from the V&A
0:21:48 > 0:21:51and they said the best thing to clean it with is spit.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53So we spent six months, I'm afraid,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57and a lot of spit later, it now...it now shines.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59But we both ended up with very bad sore throats at the end of it.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Oh, dear. I can't imagine you spitting at that.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03THEY LAUGH
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Spit and polish, I guess. You know, that's where the saying comes from.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- Exactly. - But it's in remarkable condition.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Well, that's the amazing thing about this room.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13I think because it's been in its crates for 75 years,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15it hasn't been exposed to daylight
0:22:15 > 0:22:17and it really is in wonderful condition.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20What a wonderful tale. It's a great detective story.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Well, another little piece is that if William Randolph Hearst hadn't
0:22:24 > 0:22:27bought this room, it would have burnt in a fire the following year.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30So we're very grateful to him also.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Is there anything else you're looking out for?
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Yes. We're now looking for a second missing room,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39and William Randolph Hearst bought two rooms from Gwydir in the 1921 sale
0:22:39 > 0:22:42and we're now looking for the oak parlour, which is also missing.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44But sadly, we just...
0:22:44 > 0:22:47We think it's in America somewhere, but we just don't know...
0:22:47 > 0:22:49- It obviously got sold to a different owner.- Yes.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53It was disassociated from this room, which is the dining room. So yes.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55- Fingers crossed.- Fingers crossed. Indeed. Yes.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Let's hope it's not in some ranch house in Texas.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00I know. That would be a disaster.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03And a sadness for Gwydir. But I hope we're able to get it back.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- Good luck.- Thank you.- Thank you for showing me around.- My pleasure.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Right. This is where we up the tempo.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22This is where it gets exciting
0:23:22 > 0:23:24because we are now going to put our valuations to the test
0:23:24 > 0:23:27and we're doing it right here in this building,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Rogers Jones's auction room in Colwyn Bay.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Now, right now I know our owners are feeling really nervous or really
0:23:33 > 0:23:34excited. That's auctions for you.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36It's a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39So I'm going to go inside and make sure they're feeling OK,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41join up with them, settle their nerves
0:23:41 > 0:23:43and leave you with a quick rundown
0:23:43 > 0:23:45of all the items going under the hammer.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Dora is hoping to get a good figure for her Hornby train set,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52so we need the toy collectors on the day.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Jim and Eileen's collecting has moved on to other things,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00so the little silver cruet set will go to the highest bidder.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Irene and John have big hopes for their small hat.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07And finally, there's plenty of countryside around here,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09so we have a good chance of finding a new owner
0:24:09 > 0:24:11for Liz's gold hunting brooch.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17It's always a good sign to see plenty of browsers at the auction house.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Start bid, £100.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21£100, I am bid. £110.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23There's quite a buzz in the sale room.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Our auctioneer on the rostrum is David Rogers Jones.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33First up, it's Dora with her wonderful Hornby train set.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- And boxed up as well, isn't it? - Oh, yes.- Beautiful. Beautiful.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40- A good collectors item.- I think so.- £200 to £300? Good luck, Dora.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42It's going under the hammer now.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- ROGERS JONES:- Ladies and gentlemen, it's the Hornby clockwork train set.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51Lovely selection of boxed rolling stock in lovely condition.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Station accessories. There's a water tank, a large quantity of track.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Everything is here for the model railway enthusiast.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01It's a great lot for somebody to sort of invest in
0:25:01 > 0:25:02to start a collection.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05£300.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08The Hornby clockwork. Lovely condition. Come on.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13They're not battered and flaked. Mint to good condition. £250.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Push me off at £200.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23£140, I am bid. £140. At £140. £140.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27£140. £160. £160. Is there £180?
0:25:27 > 0:25:28At £160. £160.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32£180 anywhere? At £160. Is there £180?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35- We want a bit more money than that, don't we?- Oh, no.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39At £160. I would have thought that this was a very, very cheap lot.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- At £160.- MAN: £170.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44£170. £170 bid. At £170.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48Struggling badly. At £170 online.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51- £170.- He's not going to sell. - I don't think so.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Sell it subject to approval or otherwise.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58- No, we don't want to sell it. - No, I'll keep it.- At £170 online.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02£180, anybody? At £170.
0:26:02 > 0:26:08- Final call. But it has to be with owner's approval if at all.- No.- No.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11£170. Doesn't want to sell? OK. £170.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Any advance? Pass on at £170.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17The auctioneer is calling for £170. We didn't get it.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19We had a reserve of £200 and I think you were right.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I think so, don't you?
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Yes. Yeah. Good on you for bringing that in, Dora.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25All right. I might see you again.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27You live to fight another day in the auction room, though.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29If you need to get rid of it.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32'That's auctions for you. And it's not worth giving things away.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36'Now it's Irene and John with their unusual display piece.'
0:26:36 > 0:26:37I love this little...
0:26:37 > 0:26:41- Well, it's almost like a tailor's sort of advert, isn't it?- It is, yeah.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43- It's a miniature.- A little hat.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45It's the sort of thing that if I saw it at a fair or something
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- I would definitely...- You'd have to buy it, wouldn't you?- Yeah.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50And you wouldn't really want to sell it for £30 or £50.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Well, I don't know if it's worth hundreds, though, is it?
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Well, let's hope it goes to a good family.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- Be nice to see it make 50 quid, wouldn't it?- Who knows?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01You never know what's going to happen in an auction, do you?
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Bright little thing, isn't it?
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Hats off to you two for bringing it in.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Let's find out what the bidders think.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Now, I know that my opinion counts for nothing
0:27:09 > 0:27:12but I think this is one of the most delightful lots in today's sale.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13It really is.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17It's the cardboard-boxed Attaboy velvet trilby hat.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21It won't fit any of us here. I don't think it really matters.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26Original labels to the box and to the hat. It's a real little gem.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28£100.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32You wait. We won't be far away when we finish.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38£50. £40. I am bid £40. £40 bid. £40.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41A real little beaut at £40. £40, I am bid.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44£50. £50.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48£60. £60 bid. £60. And again now. Is there £70?
0:27:48 > 0:27:51- At £60.- MAN: £65.- £65.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54£70 with me. £70. Five again now.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57At £70. A delightful little lot.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59£75. £80.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02- £80 bid.- That sounds good. This is good.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04- It's great, that, innit? - Are you coming back?
0:28:04 > 0:28:07£80 only. With me now against you.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10At £80 on the book. £80.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14- That's good. - Great!- On the book. £80.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I didn't think we'd get that. I thought I was going home with it.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21- £80.- £80. The hammer's gone down.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25That was in museum condition, wasn't it? It really was pristine.
0:28:25 > 0:28:26Well done, you two.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Next, Jim and Eileen with the silver cruet set.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Here we go. Let's find out what the bidders think.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39We need someone with a posh bed and breakfast sort of thing
0:28:39 > 0:28:41- who want to show it off. - Or a castle.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43- Or a castle.- That's right. That's what I said.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48Four-piece silver condiment set. All with Bristol blue liners
0:28:48 > 0:28:51and the nice twist handle salt spoons.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53The right spoons as well, wasn't it? The right spoons.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55They often come without the right spoons.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57With me at £70. £70 I am bid.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59£80. £80 bid.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01- Straight in.- £90. £90.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03£100. £100.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05At £100. Is there £110?
0:29:05 > 0:29:08£100 seated in the room. At £100.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10I'll take £110. Anybody new?
0:29:10 > 0:29:13£100. Everybody done?
0:29:13 > 0:29:16I'll take £110 before they go. Anybody coming in?
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Final call at £100.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Well, we got in way within estimate, that's the main thing.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24And hopefully someone's going to use that as well.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Cos it is a practical thing to use for £100.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29It's showy, but it's practical.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Good. Well done. I'm glad it didn't sell for too little, anyway.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35- Hopefully it's gone to the castle down the road.- Hopefully.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37I'm sure you use yours all the time, don't you?
0:29:37 > 0:29:42- There's about ten castles within 16 miles.- We live near one.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46- In Beaumaris, we live.- Oh, lovely. - Thanks for coming.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52Here comes Liz's hunting brooch.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54She's had a little crisis of confidence
0:29:54 > 0:29:56and has dropped the reserve to £50.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00Liz, fingers crossed. It's going under the hammer right now.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02Let's hope there's some dog lovers here as well, shall we?
0:30:02 > 0:30:04- Because that will put the price up. - Yes.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Nine carat gold bar brooch.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08Very nice bit of novelty jewellery
0:30:08 > 0:30:11in the form of a shotgun with a gun dog.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Lovely bit of novelty jewellery.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16It starts with me at £60. £60, I am bid.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18At £60. £70. £80.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20£80, I am bid. £80. £90 anywhere?
0:30:20 > 0:30:24- Come on. Come on.- At £80. Come on.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26You've got to have this if you're a sporting type.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30At £80 only. Is there £90? The final call.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32£85. £85, I am bid. £90.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35£90 bid. Do you want five again?
0:30:35 > 0:30:39It's going, then. At £90. Everybody done at £90?
0:30:40 > 0:30:43- Yes.- £90.- Thank you very much indeed. Thank you.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46- We're happy with that, aren't we? Well done.- I am very happy.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Well done, Mark. That sold at the top end of the estimate.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58Now something for all you pottery fans. I'm off to Portmeirion.
0:31:10 > 0:31:11I've come to the village of Portmeirion,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13just down the coast from Bangor,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16to find out about a remarkable woman called Susan Williams-Ellis.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25Susan was an imaginative and multi-talented designer.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30She's most famous for being the creative force behind Portmeirion Pottery, which hit the big time
0:31:30 > 0:31:35when Susan launched her Botanic Gardens range in 1972.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39Her inspiration may well come from her love of horticulture.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43Her father, Clough Williams-Ellis, the creator of Portmeirion Village,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45had nurtured Susan's gardening ambitions.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49And to find out more about Susan, the woman and the artist,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52I've come to have a chat with her son, Robin Llewelyn.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Robin, thanks very much for meeting up with me today,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03especially right here, your mother's favourite spot.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06And I can see why it's rapidly becoming one of mine.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08What did this mean to her?
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Well, this was where she enjoyed putting a bit of her
0:32:11 > 0:32:14creativity into Portmeirion.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17She was very heavily involved in the gardening
0:32:17 > 0:32:20and in developing the formal gardens within the village.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24And it's without doubt that her love of gardening inspired her
0:32:24 > 0:32:25design work.
0:32:25 > 0:32:31She was an enthusiastic plantswoman with an intense love of nature.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35Her father gave her the responsibility for landscaping large
0:32:35 > 0:32:37areas of the gardens.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41She made her mark by adding oriental features, which she designed herself.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52She studied at Chelsea School of Arts under Henry Moore
0:32:52 > 0:32:56and Graham Sutherland, so shapes were important to her.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00But she didn't really want to become an artist who simply produced
0:33:00 > 0:33:02one-off pieces.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07She wanted to become an industrial artist who could design elegant
0:33:07 > 0:33:09and functional pieces for daily use.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14SUSAN: One of our reps was rather intelligent.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17He said what we want is a very smart coffee set,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20so I thought, "All right. I'll try and do one."
0:33:20 > 0:33:22It was something that nobody had done before
0:33:22 > 0:33:25and that was a tremendous success.
0:33:28 > 0:33:34I think it's terribly important to be absolutely in straight contact with
0:33:34 > 0:33:39customers, with real ordinary people and see what they like,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43and what my father's motto always
0:33:43 > 0:33:46was about Portmeirion - good design is good business.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50And so that's what's been my motto ever since.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55This desire to make useful artworks led Susan to establish
0:33:55 > 0:34:00the Portmeirion Pottery brand with her husband Euan in the early 1960s.
0:34:00 > 0:34:01When they first started out,
0:34:01 > 0:34:05they were producing innovative patterns such as Cypher and Totem.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08Those striking shapes are now iconic, but it was the Botanic
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Garden design which made Portmeirion a household name.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16Susan found its huge commercial success a mixed blessing.
0:34:19 > 0:34:25That was in 1972, I think, and it's never stopped.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27And it's bunged up our factory.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30We just didn't have enough room to make anything else.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33And that is why I'm really sad about all these things,
0:34:33 > 0:34:35which I like much better.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38The Botanic Garden is a classic and it's continued to flourish,
0:34:38 > 0:34:40but that was when she wanted to do other things.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43I was just about to ask you that. Was she proud of that legacy?
0:34:43 > 0:34:45She was proud of it, but she always thought, "Well, why can't people
0:34:45 > 0:34:49"forget the Botanic Gardens, and now I want to design something else."
0:34:49 > 0:34:5340 years on, Botanic Gardens is still a top seller,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56but thank goodness its success didn't dampen Susan's creativity.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02What was she working on in her final years?
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Well, her passion during the last decade or
0:35:05 > 0:35:09so or more of her life was underwater painting.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12- Really? She took up snorkelling? - Well, she did.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17When we were very little, my mother asked me
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and my sister, "If you could choose what sort of animal you would like to
0:35:20 > 0:35:22"be, what would you like to be?"
0:35:22 > 0:35:25And my sister, I thought rather sensibly, said a giraffe.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28I, for some unknown reason, said a lady oyster.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30SHE LAUGHS
0:35:30 > 0:35:33I can't imagine that.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35But I don't think I should.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37I mean, if you've got to be a shellfish, be a scallop,
0:35:37 > 0:35:39because at least they've got eyes.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42At times, she felt more at home underwater than
0:35:42 > 0:35:44she did on the surface.
0:35:44 > 0:35:50It was another world and she invented a method of drawing
0:35:50 > 0:35:53underwater using a special crayon and a board.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55She didn't actually colour underwater, but she
0:35:55 > 0:35:59- would make detailed notes of the various colours.- Sketches.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01And then come on land to colour it in
0:36:01 > 0:36:05and my father Euan would then also look up in the books the exact names
0:36:05 > 0:36:08of all the fishes, the corals and annotate the drawings.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12So it was quite a scientific process as well.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15But that was her passion, was the underwater painting.
0:36:16 > 0:36:22On November 27 in 2007, Susan Williams-Ellis sadly passed away
0:36:22 > 0:36:25here in Portmeirion, the village she dearly loved,
0:36:25 > 0:36:31leaving behind a wonderful artistic legacy for all of us to enjoy today.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Our experts are deep in their studies at the
0:36:42 > 0:36:46Prichard-Jones Hall at the university in Bangor.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50Coming up, one of our owners gets more than just financial
0:36:50 > 0:36:52reward at the auction.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Condition made that sale, you know. It was in perfect condition.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58- Your luck has changed forever now. - I hope so.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Alan and Gwyneth have brought in a little treat for Mark.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08- You've brought in a spectacular cup. - Yes.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Now, is it a treasure of your family's?
0:37:11 > 0:37:16No, not at all. I'm representing here today St David's Hospice in Llandudno.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19And this has been donated, really. It came in a box with lots of other
0:37:19 > 0:37:23items in this last week or so to our distribution centre.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26So my staff there were looking at it and they thought,
0:37:26 > 0:37:28"Well, this might be an item for Flog It!"
0:37:28 > 0:37:32Wonderful. So you thought, "I'll come along and see whether it's worth anything."
0:37:32 > 0:37:33That's right.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36And were you as excited as Alan when you saw this piece?
0:37:36 > 0:37:38- Oh, I love the cup. It's beautiful.- Fantastic.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41It's a remarkable-looking object, actually,
0:37:41 > 0:37:43because it's really rather grand, isn't it?
0:37:43 > 0:37:45You've got this wonderful sort of classical scene
0:37:45 > 0:37:47revolving round it in sort of silver plate.
0:37:47 > 0:37:48I don't think it is silver.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51And then you've got this sort of gilt bronze, I suppose.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Or gilt metal which forms the rest of it.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57I'm a little bit concerned about one thing.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01There's a little rim just underneath here, which is plain.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- I think that would have sat on a bigger base.- Right.
0:38:04 > 0:38:11And I think it's copying an old Roman or Etruscan drinking cup.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14And I think this was probably done in the 19th century.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17It's very much in the style of the early 19th century.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19The Empire period in France.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22- But I think it could be a little bit later than that.- Right.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24And I wouldn't be surprised if it's English.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27- Right.- And possibly by a firm called Elkington's.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29There are very few marks underneath.
0:38:29 > 0:38:30Some scratch marks
0:38:30 > 0:38:34and there's a little mark which has been partly obliterated that says B.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37But a very nice quality piece.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41You know, the quality of the casting is very exciting.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44- And what a lovely thing to have donated.- That's right. That's right.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49And obviously it would be better turned into monetary value.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53Cash for the hospice, for the care of the patients that we look after.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57And I tip my hat off to your colleagues as well, to recognise
0:38:57 > 0:38:58it as something of interest.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02And rather than putting it in the shop or the stall for £20 or
0:39:02 > 0:39:06something, you know, saying, "Look, we ought to check this out."
0:39:06 > 0:39:07That's right.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11Yourselves, have you thought of how much you'd like it to be worth?
0:39:11 > 0:39:17Well, I think one would have sort of thought we'd try it
0:39:17 > 0:39:20initially at about £80, £100 in one of our shops.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22Particularly a little shop in Rhos on Sea,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25I think that item would go quite well.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27Yes. I'm sure. I'm sure.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30And it's just lovely, this whole almost bacchanalian scene
0:39:30 > 0:39:33going along there, with all these figures in various positions.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36They're having a really good time there, aren't they?
0:39:36 > 0:39:39And fortunately, most of them are clothed as well, which is a bonus.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42We're not going to get offended by them.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47If I was putting it into auction, I would suggest a realistic
0:39:47 > 0:39:51- estimate of something like £150-£200.- That's fine.
0:39:51 > 0:39:56- That's great.- And we'll put a reserve on it of £150.- OK.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59With 10% discretion, if that's OK, for the auctioneer.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03And I think if he catalogues it well and puts it on the internet,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06- we should get quite a lot of interest.- Excellent.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Well, Alan and Gwyneth, it's a pleasure meeting you.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10And I look forward to seeing you at the auction.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Let's hope we can really raise a good
0:40:12 > 0:40:14- amount of money for your hospice. - Lovely.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19It's always nice to hear of a charity benefiting from the auction.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26Next, Adam is enjoying examining a scientific item belonging to Gillian.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32- This is an interesting collection, isn't it?- Yes. I think so.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34How have you accumulated all of this?
0:40:34 > 0:40:38The man who had the factory next door to my father collected microscopes.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40He had a big collection of them.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43- Oh, right.- And he knew I was interested and he gave me all this.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47- How long ago was that? - About 40 years ago.- Right. Excellent.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Well, I think this is a nice little collection.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52Firstly, you've got this mahogany-cased microscope which is
0:40:52 > 0:40:54a lacquered brass microscope.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56A nice quality instrument.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00- About 100 years old now.- Oh, right. - Getting on a bit. That's right.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03And retailed by Baker of High Holborn in London.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06A good-quality thing. And you've got the case.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09It's fitted, of course, with your extra bits and pieces.
0:41:09 > 0:41:10Accessories and lenses.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13But what people find of particular interest these days -
0:41:13 > 0:41:16I mean, these are fairly common, but the slides.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20- People are really getting much more interested.- I couldn't imagine.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23- I nearly didn't bring those. - When the microscope slides come up,
0:41:23 > 0:41:25they're getting much more enquiries about them.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29They've improved the value of this fairly significantly, anyway,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31because this one on its own, you know, without being rude,
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- it's a fairly ordinary, as they go. - Yes. Well, I thought that, yes.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36Still quite a nice example.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38But you've got a whole load of slides here
0:41:38 > 0:41:40and they're from all around the world, aren't they?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Yes. There seems to be different countries on them.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46In this one, we've got insects. Quite easy with that one, isn't it?
0:41:46 > 0:41:47Lots of flies and bees.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Bees and butterflies and all that sort of thing.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54This one looks like... little microorganisms of some sort.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57These are privately prepared ones, so they're not going to be...
0:41:57 > 0:42:00- I think there might be one or two. - ..of great value these days.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02No, I think most of these are the man himself.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06It's mainly in these ones and these ones that were purpose-made.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10And this one's from Santa Monica. From Venice. From Colombia.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Coast of Dalmatia. Sweden.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15So there's a whole geographic selection here.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18- Have you got any idea what it might be worth?- No idea at all.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20I've never valued, looked at them or anything.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Well, based on the fact that this is worth £60, £80,
0:42:23 > 0:42:27maybe £100 and I would think these are worth a similar amount.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30- Oh, very good! - So £150 to £250, probably.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32And it might go on from that.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Wouldn't be surprised if it went on a little bit longer.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37- So does that sound all right to you? - That sounds very good. Yes.- Good.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40I wasn't thinking they were worth anything at all.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Pleased to hear you so positive, Gillian. Now, why have you decided to sell?
0:42:43 > 0:42:45I don't have time to look at them now
0:42:45 > 0:42:48and they've been sitting at my mum's house for years now.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51- Right. So time to get rid. - I think so.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53- They'll go to a collector, I'm sure.- Oh, lovely.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55It would be nice if they were...
0:42:55 > 0:42:58If they made a few hundred pounds, would you have any plans for that?
0:42:58 > 0:43:02- Um, doing things in the garden, really.- Are you a keen gardener?
0:43:02 > 0:43:05Well, I bought an old house with a field behind it and I'm making
0:43:05 > 0:43:09a vegetable plot and doing, you know, my own little allotment in the back.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11That's great to hear.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Thanks for coming in, and I really hope that they take off and I think
0:43:15 > 0:43:18they probably will. We'll put a reserve at £150, just in case.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Lovely. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24What a fascinating collection of slides.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Someone's going to really enjoy looking at those.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28It looks like Valerie
0:43:28 > 0:43:32and Gary have brought in one of our old "Flog It!" favourites.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36- Hello, Valerie. Hello, Gary. How are you doing?- Fine.- Fine, thank you.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Well, you've brought a "Flog It!" favourite on, haven't you?
0:43:39 > 0:43:41It's a Clarice Cliff.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43A rather nice biscuit barrel.
0:43:43 > 0:43:44Are you a collector of Clarice Cliff?
0:43:44 > 0:43:48- We'd like to be.- We'd like to be, but not these days.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51- It's too expensive, isn't it? - Yes. It is these days, yes.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55- So where did you get it from?- Well, um, some time...
0:43:55 > 0:44:02In '74, '75, we went into a car boot and we saw this on the table
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- and as it happens, we knew the people that were selling it.- No!
0:44:05 > 0:44:08And I said, "Oh, how much?" you know.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11And he said, "Well, to you, 50p."
0:44:11 > 0:44:13And she said, "No, 30p."
0:44:13 > 0:44:17You didn't. 30p, you paid for it? Good Lord.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20Mind you, in those early days of car boots, you really could get a bargain.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23People just went mad and took everything.
0:44:23 > 0:44:24Cleared auntie's house out.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27- You know, didn't know what they were selling.- Correct. Yeah.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30Well, good on you. You spotted a really nice shaped piece.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33In some ways, I love and loathe Clarice Cliff,
0:44:33 > 0:44:35but I do like unusual shapes.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Though, the pattern is rather boring on this one
0:44:38 > 0:44:40because it's the Spring Crocus pattern.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42But the shape is rather nice.
0:44:42 > 0:44:47This shape is known as the Bonjour shape. Because of these loops.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49And it is very morning-looking, actually.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52It's got that rather fresh look about it.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54This is the original handle, of course.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57And underneath, we've got the usual Clarice Cliff mark.
0:44:57 > 0:45:02So we're looking at maybe the 1935 period. So a nice period to be in.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04There is a small chip.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07Very small chip on the corner, which I have to point out to you.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Now, how much do you think it's worth?
0:45:10 > 0:45:13Because I have a feeling you've done some research on this.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15- Well, we thought £300 to £400.- Oh!
0:45:15 > 0:45:17HE LAUGHS
0:45:17 > 0:45:19But I don't know.
0:45:19 > 0:45:24Well, you know, I think you should stop thinking, Gary.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28Several of these have come up recently in more exciting patterns,
0:45:28 > 0:45:30I have to tell you.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34And the more exciting patterns have been making £300, £350, £400.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36As much as £500 or £600.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40But I think because this is the crocus pattern,
0:45:40 > 0:45:43we've got to think a little bit less than that, really.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46I mean, ideally, I would say around £200 to £300.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49And then you might find that it pushes up towards the £300.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52If you put it in at £300-£400,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55it might not encourage the bidders on the day.
0:45:55 > 0:45:56Would you be happy with that?
0:45:56 > 0:45:58- Um... Yes.- I think we are.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Well, then we'll put a reserve of £200 on it,
0:46:01 > 0:46:04because we don't want to sell it below that.
0:46:04 > 0:46:09Valerie, you've knocked it down from a grand total of 50p to 30p.
0:46:09 > 0:46:14You've had it all these years. Why, oh, why are you selling it now?
0:46:14 > 0:46:17- Um, to help raise some money, really. - Towards?
0:46:17 > 0:46:20- Because we're buying a new car. - A new car.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24So you're hoping to turn a biscuit barrel into a car.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27- Well, part of a car.- Part of a car. - It will help. It will help.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31- Well, thank you so much for bringing it in.- Well, thank you very much.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Jill and Peter must have had me in mind
0:46:37 > 0:46:39when they decided to bring in this next item.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41I just love it.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Tea caddies are so collectable.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47They come in all various shapes and sizes and different materials.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49I've seen them in pewter, I've seen them in silver,
0:46:49 > 0:46:51I've seen them in sort of...
0:46:51 > 0:46:55..pottery items. But my favourite, obviously, are wood.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58And this is particularly nice because it's a Regency one
0:46:58 > 0:47:00and it's got a lot of paper scroll work on it.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03- Quilling, isn't it, they call it? - Yes. Yeah. Can you see that?
0:47:03 > 0:47:06All the paper is folded up very neatly. Well, I like that a lot.
0:47:06 > 0:47:12- You like it?- Oh, I do. Yes. Yes, I do. That sort of 1815, 1820s.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14- And that would have been used in this country.- Oh, yes. England.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18Oh, yes. It's English. Made in this country. Oh, yes. Yes, yes.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21Someone with a lot of money and a lot of quality
0:47:21 > 0:47:23and a very good eye would have owned this.
0:47:23 > 0:47:24Looking at this,
0:47:24 > 0:47:29I suspect this has been gilded slightly at a later date. See this?
0:47:29 > 0:47:31This gold leafing. It's not...
0:47:31 > 0:47:33To me, that doesn't look like gold leafing.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35That looks more like gold enamel paint.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39Which is probably put on in around the '40s or '50s by somebody.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43- And then inside, you've got this... - Yes. Well, that...
0:47:43 > 0:47:47..that would have sat on a little recessed rib there.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51So the lid wouldn't drop down. And that would then house all your tea.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53This is a single-blend caddy.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56Now, some tea caddies are double blend, so you can have green tea and black tea.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59You can have a large one, with a bowl in the middle
0:47:59 > 0:48:01and mix the two blends together if you want.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03"Caddy" comes from the Malay word "kati",
0:48:03 > 0:48:06which is the amount of weight the tea was sold in.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10And can you see there's traces of tinfoil there and there?
0:48:10 > 0:48:13Well, that was all lined in tinfoil to keep the tea fresh.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17So that would have sat there. That would have kept the tea fresh.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20A single blend. Maybe a green tea or a black tea.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24The lid would shut down and it would be put under lock and key
0:48:24 > 0:48:27because tea was so expensive.
0:48:27 > 0:48:28It was such an expensive commodity.
0:48:28 > 0:48:33Only people in the sort of upper echelons could really afford it to
0:48:33 > 0:48:35start with in the 1600s.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39Whoever made this was a master of his genre, put it that way.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41There's a bit of restoration here.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45Whoever buys this has to spend a couple of hundred pounds on it.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48- Do you know that?- Yes. We did. - They have to spend £200 on it.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52If they get it at £400 in the auction room and they spend £200 on it,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54it has cost them £600.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57They're going to be wanting to sell this for £1,200, maybe.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00And it will probably be worth that after a lot of TLC.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Well, I think the collectors will love this. They really will.
0:49:03 > 0:49:08£300-£400 is the valuation. Reserve at £300, but not a fixed reserve.
0:49:08 > 0:49:13Use a bit of discretion. So he can use 10%. So it might sell at £280.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15- That's fine. Yes.- Is that OK? - Yeah, that's fine.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18And we'll let them fight over it and hopefully one of them will be
0:49:18 > 0:49:21a good restorer, pay top money for it, which benefits you.
0:49:21 > 0:49:27- And cuts the middleman out. - Lovely.- Yeah?- Yes.- OK.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31Even needing restoration, it still looks fabulous.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35Let's have another quick look at our items before they head off to
0:49:35 > 0:49:36the auction house.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39The silver-plated trophy cup is stylish,
0:49:39 > 0:49:42so it should raise a reasonable amount.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46It'll be joined by Valerie and Gary's Clarice Cliff biscuit barrel.
0:49:46 > 0:49:51Gillian's microscope is of little interest to her, so it's time to move it on.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55And finally, my choice, the early 19th-century tea caddy, which is
0:49:55 > 0:49:59pure quality and a beautifully crafted thing.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Alan and Gwyneth are first with the classical cup.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Let's hope this next lot is a real winner.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07It should be, Alan and Gwyneth. It should be.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10It's a trophy, for crying out loud.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12We want to hold it up high and say, "Yes, we won."
0:50:12 > 0:50:15- £200 top end of the estimate. - Well, that's the top end.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19We know you like to get the top end each time, but I just don't know. It's a speculative thing.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23- But I think it should make £150.- I can't imagine who'd want it.- Well...
0:50:23 > 0:50:26Look, there's no accounting for taste.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28Somebody here in this room will absolutely love it
0:50:28 > 0:50:31and they will display it beautifully and it will be in the right place.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33We hope so. We need the money for the hospice.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36- Proceeds to the hospice anyway. All of it.- Good luck.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39- ROGERS JONES:- Something very, very good quality about this.
0:50:39 > 0:50:44The quality of the figuring is brilliant. Six inches high. £200.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46£200.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49It smacks of quality, doesn't it? £150.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52£100, I am bid. £100. £100 bid.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54£100. I hope you're lucky. It's at the bottom, though.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56At £100 bid. £120 anywhere?
0:50:56 > 0:50:59- Now just go up.- £120.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01£140. Is there £160?
0:51:01 > 0:51:04At £140. £140 bid. £160 anywhere?
0:51:04 > 0:51:07£140. £160 now?
0:51:07 > 0:51:11At £140. I'll go £150, even.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13At £140. £150.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17Well, we've got £150, so we've made the reserve.
0:51:17 > 0:51:22- £150. I am selling at £150. - Just on the reserve.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24£160. A new bidder.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27At £160. Worth every penny of £200, in my view.
0:51:27 > 0:51:32At £160. All done. £160 and going.
0:51:33 > 0:51:37- It's gone. We're happy.- It's gone within estimate. Yes, it has.
0:51:37 > 0:51:38Good estimate.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42Well, that's £160 towards the hospice.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48Now, Gillian has been holding on to the next item for about 40 years
0:51:48 > 0:51:51so let's see what she gets for it.
0:51:51 > 0:51:52Gillian, good luck.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55We're talking about the microscope with the three boxes of slides,
0:51:55 > 0:51:57which are absolutely wonderful. So interesting.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59You must have had so much fun looking through those.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01We could have sat there for hours.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03It was a shame we had other people to deal with.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06In a way, the interest is in the specimens, really.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08Yeah, for the collector nowadays as well.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11I mean, microscopes appear a lot, but a lot of interest in old slides.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14Especially the named ones. Especially produced ones.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17- I guess it's harder to pick up these early slides now.- Yes. Yeah.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20And always a great demand for them, so I'm quite confident today.
0:52:20 > 0:52:26Also it's a named instrument as well, so that's in its favour too. So that'll put the price up.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28I'm not good at selling things.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Did you not win things like raffles and lotteries and things like that?
0:52:31 > 0:52:34- No.- Actually, I don't either. - Neither do I.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37- But now is the time for Gillian's luck to change.- Here we go.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40We're going to find out. It's going under the hammer right now.
0:52:40 > 0:52:48This is by Baker. Lights, lenses and a very nice parcel of mixed slides.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Bid me £200.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55- Got to be.- It's gone quiet, hasn't it?
0:52:55 > 0:52:56Start me at one and a half.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03- £120. I am bid at £120.- You pitch it at £100 and build them up.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06£150. £180. £180 bid. £180.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09Well, we're back up there now. £180.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11- £180 bid.- MAN: £190.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13£190. £200. £200 bid.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17Online, the bidding now. At £200. £200 bid.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Is there £210 there? £200.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23- £210. Still online.- That's good.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27- And again now.- £250. - £250. £250 bid. Online.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31At £250. £250 bid. £250. Again?
0:53:31 > 0:53:34- To online.- £260.- £260.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36We've got an online battle here.
0:53:36 > 0:53:41Is there £270? £260 online the bid.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44At £260. £270 if you like.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46All done?
0:53:46 > 0:53:49- £270.- £270. £270 bid.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51I think there might be a little tickle in this yet.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54It's gone very, very quiet. At £270.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58- Chewing it to get more meat off the bones.- They sit there and...
0:53:58 > 0:54:01- "Hmm, actually."- I've never been to an auction before.- Haven't you?- No.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03£280. And again now. You could hear a pin drop.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05At £280.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09It's a baptism of fire, isn't it, for you? In at the deep end.
0:54:09 > 0:54:14Final. Final call at £280. All done. £280.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17Yes! That's a good result.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Top end of the estimate. We're really happy with that.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23Condition made that sale. You know, it was in perfect condition.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26- Your luck has changed forever now. - I hope so.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30I'm glad that Gillian's first trip to auction has been so successful.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35Biscuit barrel. OK. £200-£300 put on by Mark.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38We're going to find out exactly what the bidders think right now
0:54:38 > 0:54:42up here in North Wales because it's going under the hammer. Here we go.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46The Clarice Cliff Bizarre Crocus lidded biscuit barrel
0:54:46 > 0:54:48with basket woven handle.
0:54:48 > 0:54:53- Not perfect, but still...- There we go. He had to say that, really.
0:54:53 > 0:54:58- £210. Bid me £200.- Fingers crossed.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00£200.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04£180. I have £160 on the book.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07At £160. £160 bid. £180 if you like.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09At £160. £160.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12Is there £80? At £160.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13£180. £180 bid.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16£180. £180. Is there £200?
0:55:16 > 0:55:18At £180. £200, I'll take.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22We've got a £200 fixed reserve. We're one bid away.
0:55:22 > 0:55:27£180. Everybody done? At £180.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30It can be sold on condition, that's all. £180's in the room.
0:55:30 > 0:55:31Do we take it?
0:55:31 > 0:55:36£180. It can be sold on condition, that's all. £180's in the room.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39Final call at £180. £180.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41- Well, he has sold it. - He's used a bit of discretion.
0:55:41 > 0:55:45I think that was wise, to be honest with you, because of that chip.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48- Are you happy?- Yes.- Yes.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52For the sake of £20, yes. Exactly. That's a good result.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55That's a very good result for a damaged Clarice Cliff.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57That was just under the reserve and our auctioneer
0:55:57 > 0:56:01use his discretion, on a nod from Gary, and sold it anyway.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04I'm quite confident about this tea caddy that belongs to Jill
0:56:04 > 0:56:07and Peter. Hopefully for not much longer.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10- The auctioneer liked the lot as well.- Oh, good.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12So there's a great deal of work that's gone into this.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16I know it needs a little bit of TLC. That's why we've got £300-£400 on it.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18It's a wonderful thing.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22- Have you had second thoughts?- No, it's going towards our anniversary.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26- We're going on a trip for our 50th anniversary.- Oh, congratulations.
0:56:26 > 0:56:3050 years together. Wonderful. Where are you going?
0:56:30 > 0:56:35- On a cruise. Not far, though.- Oh, OK. Not around Anglesey. A bit further.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Oh, a bit further.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39- Little bit better. - Hey, look, good luck.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41Let's find out what the bidders think.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47Very nice quality early tea caddy with the filigree scrolls
0:56:47 > 0:56:49and filigree decoration.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52OK, it needs a bit of attention, but it is a lovely rare piece.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56- Fingers crossed.- £400.
0:56:57 > 0:56:58£350.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03£300, I am bid. At £300.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05At £300, I am bid.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08£350. £400.
0:57:08 > 0:57:09£425.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11SHE GASPS
0:57:11 > 0:57:14£450. £475, if you like.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17At £450. £475, anybody?
0:57:17 > 0:57:20At £450.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23- That's a good price.- Very.
0:57:23 > 0:57:28Final call at £450. Once again.
0:57:31 > 0:57:37- Yes! £450. Oh, I'm very pleased with that.- Thank you very much.- Gosh.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40Good tea caddies always sell well, and that's quite a rare one.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44Even though it had a bit of damage, you know, that could be sorted out.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48- And that was on you. You take the credit for that.- Oh, no. Not at all.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51I've just seen them sell for that kind of price before, you know.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55The more you go around the block, the more you get to know, really.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Well, that's it. It's all over.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07All of our owners have gone home and they've gone home happy.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09OK, there were one or two sticky moments,
0:58:09 > 0:58:11but that's what auctions are all about.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14You get lots of highs and lows and lots of surprises.
0:58:14 > 0:58:15And I hope you've enjoyed today's show,
0:58:15 > 0:58:18because we've loved being here in North Wales.
0:58:18 > 0:58:20And all credit to our auctioneer and our experts.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22Everyone was on the money today.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24Till the next time, it's goodbye.