Cirencester Flog It!

Welcome to Cirencester and to the heart

of the British antiques and collectables trade.

We're in the Cotswolds, where every single town has a scattering

of period listed buildings and wonderful antique shops,

so what a perfect place to Flog It!

Cirencester is one of those places packed with character and charm.

Everywhere you turn there are pretty houses made from

local sandstone and interesting streets lined with quirky shops.

And the peaceful countryside is never far away.

All that adds up to a location that's brimming much-loved collectables,

and hopefully ready to give up a few of its treasures.

We've a wonderful queue gathering outside the Corn Hall.

These people have been waiting patiently, and hopefully,

at the end of the show,

they'll go home with lots of money

if these bags and boxes are full of treasures that we can sell in auction.

Yes, this is the programme where we value your unwanted antiques

and collectables and then help you sell them.

Our team of experts is led by the very capable Thomas Plant and Michael Baggot.

I'm sure we can do something for you with those.

Michael started early in the antiques business,

making his first deal at primary school.

So there's no kidding him. He's a silver specialist,

but that won't stop him spotting other collectables.

I'll leave that to my colleague cos he's the toy man.

Thomas Plant claims to be the action man of the team.

He's a James Bond fan with a love of skiing and fencing.

There's only one thing he loves more than jewellery though

and that's giving advice.

When this was made, the brass would be really shiny.

-Well, I wasn't about to clean it.

-No, life is too short.

Coming up:

Thomas is on sparkling form and has some good news for Lynn about her ring.

I always thought it was costume jewellery.

You've seen the valuers.

They've told you what these stones are here.

-They have.

-They're not glass, are they?

-No.

I have a battle on my hands with Phyllis

as she tries to wring every penny out of this pot.

OK, you win.

Thanks, Phyllis.

Michael is brewing up some excitement over a large piece of silverware.

At the time, Americans were buying silver in droves.

The price of silver was high.

It was worth every penny when you bought it.

So, has it gone up in value since then or down?

Stay tuned to find out.

So many people, which means an awful lot of antiques.

We do have a full house here.

I think it's about time we went treasure hunting.

And Michael is first at the tables.

He's gone for one of my favourite subjects to kick things off with.

It's a pretty item of silverware, brought in my Muriel.

Muriel, thank you for bringing this lovely little silver jug in today.

Can you tell me how you acquired it?

It was in a cardboard box with a lot of odds and ends and the lady said,

"If you're interested in what's in the box, you can have it for £5."

There was some china,

Japanese plates.

Some other silver things, but they were silver plated.

-Where was this at?

-It was around Bristol.

A car boot sale at Bristol.

-We used to live in Bristol.

-Good grief.

Was that long time ago?

Yes, over five years.

Don't say five years is a long time ago.

I'm thinking back 20 years.

Well, to find that in a car boot sale, even five years ago,

is a fantastic achievement.

Have you got any idea when it was made? Who made it?

No idea whatsoever.

Well, it's a form we call a helmet-shaped cream jug.

If we turn it upside down,

you can see why cos it's shaped like a helmet.

It should be marked and it's marked under the lip here.

If I just breathe on those, I will be able to see them a bit clearer.

And we've got the maker's mark, SH.

-And we've got a set of marks for London, 1794.

-Oh, gracious!

-It's over 200 years old.

-Oh, gracious!

-What a fantastic buy for... The box for £5.

-Odds and ends it was.

These cream jugs were made and bought by a lot of middle class people

because they're fairly light, quite thin silver.

Rather than having any cast decoration, they simply punch

around the rim to give this beaded effect.

And because of that, they are quite fragile and prone to damage.

Now there's been a little bit of repair at the handle there.

But, nonetheless, it's a Georgian silver cream jug.

So we're going to show you a good return

on your £5 if you put it into auction.

In pristine condition it would probably be £150 - £200.

We've got to take into account the little bits of damage and the wear on it.

Nevertheless, it's a little jug that at £70-£100.

We put a fixed reserve of £70 on it.

I think there'll be hands flying into the air at the auction.

Lovely. Thank you.

-So, you're happy to put it in?

-Yes, please.

We'll put it in and hope it pours out a profit on the day.

That would be lovely, wouldn't it?

-Thank you very much, Muriel.

-Thank you.

Well, it seems Muriel is absolutely delighted with Michael's valuation.

What a way to start the show!

And I've spotted a rather bigger item,

it's this jardiniere belonging to Phyllis.

-Phyllis, are you a collector?

-I am, yes.

-How many pieces do you have?

-50 - 100.

Do you know what we're talking about?

You know what this is, don't you? It's Wemyss.

We've seen it on the show before.

So, why are you selling this?

I have too many pieces and we're downsizing.

Is this the first to go?

No, the second lot to go.

How much did you pay for this vase?

-£385.

-When was that?

In the early '90s.

You know all about Wemyss, obviously.

-I enjoy Wemyss.

-There's the mark.

It tells us it's Wemyss. The condition is very good.

Very, very good.

Wemyss is the brainchild of Robert Heron and it is probably

the most sought-after Scottish pottery from the factory in Fife

which was started in 1882.

I think he got lucky by employing Karel Nekola,

a wonderful artist. And look at the decoration.

-Beautiful.

-That's what you get.

-Beautiful.

Wonderful, wonderful. There's a big market for Wemyss.

I think you paid the right money for it, I have to say.

I don't think you'll be in for a big surprise.

If we put this into auction,

I think I would like to put £400-£500 on this.

Hopefully, we'll get you your money back.

Let's put £400 - £500 on this with a reserve of £400.

Would you be happy with discretion?

-Maybe.

-Maybe. Is that yes or no?

-No.

-OK. Well, you're steering this. You know this.

I have to go with what you say.

The auctioneer might ring you up and say, "Can we have discretion?"

-It covers all the bases then, doesn't it?

-Well, yes, it does.

It gets people interested if it's not too high, as well.

You are starting off at a high trade price, £400.

Everybody knows that's its price.

OK, £400 with discretion. OK, you win.

SHE LAUGHS

Thanks, Phyllis.

-It's hard going, isn't it?

-I like it.

I know you do, but you know what I'm saying.

Everybody wants a bargain in auctions. That's why people go to auctions.

Otherwise, you would go to antique shop instead,

and there'd be price tag saying £400.

And then you try and knock the dealer down still.

You say, "Come on, you give everyone 10%.

"Why don't you give me 20? I'll be your new best friend."

Phyllis might just need a few friends in the sale room

if this jardiniere is going to make her £400 reserve.

From someone who knows how much she wants to a lady

who had no idea how much her item was worth.

Lynn has brought in what she originally thought was a costume jewellery ring.

So, Lynn, tell me, why did you come along and bring this ring?

Well, it's been lying in a box in my drawer for at least 20 years now.

I've always thought it was a piece of costume jewellery.

I thought, seeing as Flog It! was in town,

I'd come and see if they can tell me any more about it.

You have seen the valuers and they have told you what these

-stones are here.

-They have.

-They are not glass, are they?

-No.

They're a carbon, they are diamonds.

-They are, apparently.

-What is that stone in the middle?

-It's a sapphire.

-It's a nice blue sapphire.

Not a dark, dark blue. Not too much aluminium.

It's a nice blue sapphire. These are lovely diamonds.

Really nice, white-coloured stones.

They are also cut in what we call the "old cut style".

So that helps date the ring, early Edwardian, I would say.

I reckon you've got over one-and-a-half carats of diamond in there.

The little sapphire is of minimal value.

Although the shank - this is what we call the shank on a ring -

isn't marked, it could possibly be 18 carat gold

and this white here would probably be platinum. Where did you get it from?

I inherited it from, dare I say, my ex-husband's aunt.

It was just in a box of assorted things that were left.

What would you have done with it if you had not come here?

Left it in the drawer for another 20 years.

Really, just sat there?

Yes, more than likely,

until my daughters found it after I'd left this mortal coil.

-Are they into jewellery?

-No, they're not.

The thing is about diamonds,

diamonds are worth money when they're over a carat.

When you have a diamond which is one single stone over a carat,

it tends to hold its value extremely well.

Little stones set into something don't add to up to the figure of a single stone.

But for little stones set within a pretty setting,

which is also very clean as it hasn't been worn.

I would value these diamonds per carat at about £300 a carat.

So, the ring would be worth at auction today about £400 - £600.

Would you be interested in selling?

I would be.

I have no real use for it.

So I think it would be a shame for it to sit in the drawer

when somebody else might appreciate it and wear it.

It's a fine thing. I would certainly say one should have a reserve

of £400 with a little discretion.

Are you going to come to the auction?

Yes, I would love to, I really would.

It will be all of the part of the experience that today has been as well.

It's been very, very fascinating. I've enjoyed it.

A Flog It! valuation is certainly an experience.

If it's one you would like to share, keep watching.

At the end of the programme, I will tell you how you can take part.

Now, three items ready to go off to auction.

Here's a quick recap of what we're selling.

This 200-year-old-jug belongs to Muriel.

Michael valued it at £70 - £100.

The floral jardiniere is an unwanted part of Phyllis's Wemyss collection.

She's pushing for top-dollar bids here, but I'm not so sure.

Lynn had a pleasant surprise when we told her this ring is certainly not

the costume jewellery she had imagined.

It is covered in real diamonds and a sapphire.

So, come on bidders, get your cash ready.

Our auction is at the sale rooms of Moore Allen & Innocent, just outside of Cirencester.

They've been in business since the 1840s.

Today's sale contains a mix of antiques and general items.

It looks like somebody's selling a complete

collection of Staffordshire greyhounds, all in pairs.

Must be a dog lover.

Obviously, someone did own a greyhound.

Our auctioneer has a very busy day ahead of him,

with 800 lots in the catalogue, including ours.

A reminder here, the sellers pay a commission of 15%, plus VAT.

Our first lot is this silver jug, brought in by Muriel.

We're hoping the slight damage to the handle won't put the bidders off.

You can't get greener than antiques. It's classic recycling.

They keep going around and around and around.

And hopefully up in price. That's exactly what we want here today.

-I know you got this little silver cream jug for £5, didn't you?

-Yes.

-Where was that?

-A car boot sale.

Muriel, I think you have great eyes for looking out for bargains.

We're looking at, hopefully, £100 at the top end of the estimate.

-£70 - £100.

-It's a period piece.

It's done the rounds.

Ending up in a car boot, at some point.

It's small, it's collectable. You can make a collection of cream jugs.

They're affordable.

I just think it's delightful.

Let's hope we get the top end, shall we?

Let's do some recycling. Here we go.

And lot number 265 is the George III

helmet-shaped cream jug, 1794.

Who will start me?

Should be £100 to start me.

Good looking little piece there.

£100. £80.

£50. Yes, £50 a bid there.

55. 60. 5. 70. 5.

At 75. 80 there.

At £80, 5 if you like. 80 here.

85 on my right. At 85, 90 now.

At £85...

He's calling for 90. We've got 85.

90 new. Five if you like, sir. 100.

100 where we wanted to start. 110. 120.

At 120. At £120. Sure?

120.

Excellent. £120. You see, that is brilliant recycling, isn't it?

-Yes, marvellous.

-It will go round and round again.

Hopefully, someone will have that three or four years and move it on.

Someone will lose some money along the way and someone will make a bit more. That's how it works.

And we'll see it in ten years' time on Flog It!

-Well done, you.

-Thank you very much.

And quite right, too.

It was a beautiful piece when it was made 200 years ago

and it's still beautiful now.

It will outlive us all. Next we are selling Phyllis's jardiniere.

She paid £385 for it five years ago.

But I'm doubtful that she's going to see much more today.

Unfortunately, we don't have Phyllis, but this is Paul her son.

I know this is your first auction, isn't it?

-Yeah, quite exciting.

-Come on, are you going to buy anything?

We shall see. There are a few items.

I've looked around. Maybe I'll come back.

It's packed. I hope they all want to buy a bit of Wemyss.

Right now it is going under the hammer

and hopefully Paul can get on the phone and tell Phyllis,

who's somewhere in the Panama Canal, we've sold it.

It's going under the hammer now.

A piece of Wemyss ware.

And that is the large trumpet-shaped vase there.

Who will start me? Should be £500 really. Who will start me. Three?

I can start you at £280 on the book.

It looks cheap at £280.

At £280. I'll take £290.

280, 290. 300.

310, 320. At 320. 330 now.

At 320. At 320. 330 anywhere?

At £320.

-At £320 on the book.

-It's struggling.

£330 anywhere? £320.

You're all out in the room. At £320.

Didn't sell. Ever so sorry.

It's OK. Can't always win.

At least it's quite easy to pick up and put back in the car.

At least it's not a chest of drawers.

Mum will be disappointed.

I'm sure there's a space on the shelf it can go back onto.

Or you might just inherit this collection.

-Maybe I will get this piece for being here today.

-Thank you so much.

Thank you.

At least Paul's looking on the bright side.

Talking of bright,

we have that sparkling diamond and sapphire ring up next.

And the great thing about a Flog It! valuation is you can bring your items along,

find out all about them and find out exactly what they are worth.

You thought this ring was costume jewellery.

-I did.

-What a pleasant surprise when Thomas said £400 - £600.

-I was flabbergasted.

-Were you?

I was. A very pleasant surprise.

It's a good job you never gave it away

or discarded it thinking it was only worth £6.

Absolutely, yes.

It excited Thomas. It sparkled in the room.

Hopefully, it will sparkle here today.

We need two or three keen bidders.

-Let's find out how it goes. Shall we?

-Yes.

Here's the lozenge-shaped diamond and sapphire ring.

Super little ring. Should be £500, really.

Start me at four.

Three. At 300 a bid. 320. 340.

360. 380.

-400.

-We've done it.

At 400. At 420.

At 420. At 440 now.

At 420, good-looking ring at 420.

Selling at 420. 440 now.

At 420. Are you sure now, then?

At 420.

The hammer's gone down. £420.

That is good. Better than sitting in the drawer.

Exactly. Don't forget there is commission to pay.

-That's right.

-Happy shopping.

-Absolutely.

Thank you very much indeed.

Well, it makes you want to rush off and check your old sock drawer

just in case there is something valuable hidden at the back.

Don't do it yet.

We have more exciting auction action later in the show.

Now, it may not be the biggest or the most ornate,

but this rare gem of a Jacobean country house

has something special about it.

This is Chastleton House in Oxfordshire.

It was here in the 1990s

that a brand new experiment in conservation was launched.

When the National Trust acquired Chastleton House

they adopted a new approach.

Rather than restore this wonderful Jacobean building

back to its former glory, they decided to leave it as found.

Now, I'm in the main kitchen to the house

and this was in daily use right up until 1952.

The soot-blackened ceiling above me hasn't been cleaned for nearly 400 years

and when I say soot-blackened, I really mean soot-blackened.

Look at that.

Isn't that incredible?

Gosh!

You could scrape that off, couldn't you, with a chisel.

In a way you look up there and you take it in, you don't really mind it.

After a while I could probably live with that,

but my wife would go mad. She would.

In 1991, this hands-off approach

went against many years of National Trust policy.

Usually, they dress a house to represent

one notable time in history, redecorating, changing fittings

and bringing in furniture to illustrate how the house might just have looked.

Here at Chastleton they saw a opportunity

to experiment with something different.

The house had been in the same family since it was built in 1612

and had somehow escaped the updates

and makeovers experienced by so many country houses.

So the Trust realised by keeping the family's mix and match

of tastes of furniture, wall hangings and decor,

the house would appear frozen in time

at the point their conservators first arrived.

The National Trust have also left more recent redecoration untouched.

This room was fitted out with book cases

in 1850 to be used as a library,

but what's not in keeping the library is this mad, red wallpaper.

This striking red wallpaper was hung by the family 100 years later,

in the 1960s and it's totally out of keeping with the style of the room.

But instead of stripping it off and restoring the room

to how it might have looked in 1850,

after much debate the National Trust decided to leave the wallpaper in place.

I like it. It's very eccentric.

I'm pleased they've kept it.

It shows the house has been lived in by a family.

While it may look like the National Trust haven't done much work here,

they have done the important things,

spending six years and a huge amount of money

repairing the roof, replacing wiring and defending against damp.

Their policy was to protect Chastleton House,

but not to disturb the character that reflects its 400 years of life.

I'm come to the oak-panelled hall

to meet the house steward, Sebastian Conway.

What is the philosophy behind the National Trust

leaving Chastleton House as found?

It was a giant leap forward.

Instead of taking this house back to a glory day in the 18th or 19th century,

to really show the public how we found Chastleton.

This sort of treasure house, this time-capsule of a property

which has been unaltered really by any sense of modernity.

How do you balance conservation against restoration. What do you do?

The approach at Chastleton, really is to do little and often.

Never going overboard, never affecting how the house looks too much

-and trying to, importantly, keep it as we found it.

-Yeah.

What's the evidence, in let's say this room alone,

of how you found it?

Well, if you look around,

you'll see there's the peeling paper all around the room.

The cracks which have appeared, you can see those.

There are the cobwebs which are in the house and in this room here.

There is a fine layer of dust on most furniture and the panelling.

It is pretty evident here.

You can see it if I run my finger across,

how much dust is coming off in my hand.

There is a story really about when the first conservators were here

actually spraying the cobwebs with hair spray to make them last longer.

What about dust on the furniture?

Did you polish anything? I'm looking at things.

Everything is really, really dry. The panelling is dry.

-The tables look dry.

-It's dry, yes.

We don't polish. We don't wax.

Basically, we just brush. We brush very occasionally,

maybe once a week and that's really as a rarity.

Most things get brushed once a season.

So, it is once a year.

Chastleton House is unlike any other National Trust house I've been to.

You can feel the sense of history and the passing of time.

Cobwebs and all!

It gives the house a unique character and the experiment has proved such a success

the Trust is adopting it for other, larger stately homes.

Back at our valuation day at the Corn Hall in Cirencester,

there's still a good crowd all wanting their antiques valued.

Let's join up with our expert, Thomas, who's with Arthur and Maggie.

He's finding out that Maggie has some hidden talents.

I want to know about your badges here. What are they all about?

That one was when I did a couple of wing walks.

-Wing walks?

-Wing walks. And the second one I did when I was 75.

-So you did wing walking at 75?

-Yes.

Wing walking at 75. Wow!

And parachute jumping. I've parachuted jumped, as well.

-In a tandem?

-Oh, yeah.

I wouldn't go on my own, I would have never have got to the bottom!

You are a very, very brave woman.

So, planes have obviously been part of a life for some time?

I think probably from my father. Yes.

There he is in the First World War.

That's right, that was the First World War.

-He was an engineer, is that right?

-Yes.

He worked in the Royal Flying Corps.

This here RFC is Royal Flying Corps which predates the RAF.

-Yes.

-So this was First World War?

Yes. He was in the First World War and the Second World War. Yes.

-What was his name.

-Theodore Frederick Saunders.

Theodore Frederick Saunders.

So airport technical notes.

-It's quite a dry book really, isn't it?

-Yes.

But what's nice is it's stamped Royal Flying Corps.

It is an interesting book, but a little bit dry.

I understand, that's why I don't know what else to do with it.

This book is actually quite interesting.

OK, it's technical notes again.

It has pictures of all the planes.

As a schoolboy, I remember doing the First World War

in my history lessons and we learnt about the Sopwith Camel

and the other Sopwith biplanes and while flicking through,

I found all these technical drawings and details

-of the Sopwith biplane.

-Yes.

-It is quite interesting, isn't it?

-Yes, very.

-I have looked through it.

-Certainly, from this period there isn't much about.

If it does have a value.

-Also being quite rare it also doesn't have a massive market.

-No.

So, we're not looking at lots of money here.

It will be under £50, I'm afraid.

-That's all right.

-It will be £30 - £50.

Are you happy with that?

Put it at the lowest estimate,

I would put £50, but if it goes at the lower estimate...

We can put it in at £30, can we?

-We'll probably reserve at £30 with a bit of discretion.

-Yes.

It could make more, just because the interest in militaria,

the Royal Flying Corps and the First World War

is in a high peak at the moment.

Where have they been in your house?

In a drawer upstairs.

Unfortunately, my son lives up in Scotland,

I don't think he is very aircraft-minded.

I don't think that to him they would be of great value,

if you know what I mean.

We look forward to seeing you at the auction.

-No more wing walking before the auction.

-They won't let me.

No, come on Maggie, at your age you should be settling down

to something more gentle, maybe bungee jumping(!)

That is absolutely lovely.

That's making me buzz.

I'm quite excited about that. Is that something you want to sell?

-No.

-It's a gorgeous brooch.

It's not silver.

I think a novelty brooch like that is worth around £40 - £50

because it's so individual.

If that was silver, it would be £300-£400.

Napoleon Bonaparte was fascinated by bees.

The Sevres factory actually made his diner service for him, you know the fine porcelain.

Hand-painted little bees on all the saucers.

He wore bees on his tunics.

Oh, that's beautiful!

There's certainly plenty to keep our workers busy. It looks like Michael's on a tea break.

He's with Tim, who's brought in some classic silver.

Tim, thank you for bringing in this absolutely breathtaking teapot and stand.

It's wonderful.

What do you know about it?

It's not a family heirloom.

I bought it to give to my parents for their golden wedding anniversary in 1982.

I bought it in London. I know it's by Peter and Ann Bateman.

Bateman is a great name to conjure with.

The dynasty really starts off with Hester and she managed

a whole workshop of silversmiths and produced a range of affordable silver.

Then, of course, we've got the following generation.

We've got Peter, Ann and William.

There are various combinations of their marks and partnership.

In this case we're dealing with...

Peter and Ann Bateman.

We've got the date there for 1792. The engraving here.

This wonderful late 18th-century bright cut engraving, which became

all the fashion, simply because they improved the quality of the steel

on the burins they were using to the point where rather than scratching a line, they could scoop out

areas of the surface and as they did that, it brightly polished them.

So you get this faceting with the engraving.

It's wonderful borders and we've got the original cartouche here and those initials are...

-Match that.

-Exactly match that.

And we've got here, really rather attractive, the carved ivory pineapple finial.

If you think how rare pineapples were at the end of the 18th century.

Hugely expensive and if you had a valued guest

to your house and could afford it, you would serve a pineapple.

So it became the symbol of welcome.

Which is why we've got it there. Wow.

They are super pieces and they are in lovely condition.

Dare I ask - in 1982, were they, erm...?

London isn't the cheapest place to buy silverware.

It is not the cheapest place!

I think I paid £400 for it.

£400.

At the time, Americans were buying Bateman silver in droves.

The price of silver was high.

It was worth every penny of £400 when you bought it.

I think it would be prudent to put an estimate of £700 to £1,000 on.

A fixed reserve of £700.

But delightful to see. Wonderful Georgian silver on Flog It!

Thank you, Tim, for bringing them in. They've made my day.

Michael certainly loves his silver.

That's two nice items ready for auction.

We've just enough time for one more valuation.

Thomas is with Chris, who has brought in a beautifully decorated cross.

Thank you for bringing along your cross, Chris.

This is your daughter?

Hannah wanted to bring some jewellery.

Yeah.

-Did you get it valued?

-Yes.

Not a positive result, then?

-Not worth anything.

-That's a shame.

Chris, this is your item.

-Yeah.

-What do you know about it?

Well, I think it's Italian.

-Yeah.

-I didn't really know anything.

How did it come into your possession?

My mum gave it me and I've just had it a long time.

-Your mother had it from...?

-I've got no idea.

Where is your family from?

-Warwickshire.

-Nowhere else?

-No Italians.

-No foreign fields.

-No.

Maybe your grandmother would have picked it up?

Possibly, I don't know.

-Did they travel?

-I don't know.

Mum just had it a long time and I've had it years.

-She gave me a few things.

-What have you been doing with it?

-I've just had in a jewellery box.

-Really?

Mmm. I've never worn it.

As to its origins, we know it is Italian.

Date, 1850s, it's mid-Victorian.

It's the kind of thing....

I asked if your family travelled - it's the kind of thing you would pick up on a Grand Tour

if you were a Catholic from Britain.

You might be in Rome and take it back as a memento of your trip.

These are what we call micro-mosaic.

It's lots of little tiny shards of glass, inlaid to make a picture.

It's set in a base metal.

I wouldn't imagine it to be gold.

It is a base metal.

It is widely collected and it's got the symbolism to do with Christ.

The ladder which went to take Christ off the cross and the dove of peace and the holy spirit.

-The pillar I have no idea.

-No.

I literally do not know.

And the flowers, I'm sure they're just decoration on there.

It's been finely done and I love this type of stuff. I really do. I think it's wonderful.

Lovely and colourful.

Regarding value, I think it's worth between £150-£200.

I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if it made that £200

but I would suggest a reserve at £150, with discretion, which is 10-20% below that bottom estimate.

-So are you happy to flog it?

-Yes, fine.

-Do you like it?

It's OK, yeah.

-Just OK.

-I like the flowers.

The flowers are pretty, aren't they? Are you going to come to the auction?

-Oh, yes.

-You won't be able to come.

-It's on a school day.

-It's on a school day, unfortunately.

-But we look forward to seeing you, Chris.

-Lovely, thank you very much.

We'll all be in for a few lessons at the sale room,

especially the economics of how much that cross is worth.

Our lots are going off to Moore, Allen and Innocent's Cirencester sale room.

This is what we're taking with us.

Maggie and Arthur's technical aircraft books are a slice of history

and her father's special connection makes it quite unique.

The micro-mosaic cross brought in by Chris and Hannah took a lot of detailed work to make.

Let's hope the bidders appreciate it.

We have Tim's silver teapot and stand, a lovely example dating

from the 1790s and clearly marked as the work of the Bateman family.

Michael loves it.

Auctioneer Philip Allwood thinks it could be overpriced.

This looks absolutely fabulous.

I'm not a big teapot person, but this to me looks more like a centrepiece. It really does.

If you wanted to find an example of a Georgian teapot, this has got to be it.

The shape is exactly what you'd expect.

By Bateman, late 18th century.

-It's got everything going for it, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

-A classy piece.

Very, very smart,

perfect in every way.

-I just ideally would be liking to see it more like £400-£500 rather than £700 to £1,000.

-Yeah.

There's a fixed reserve at £700.

Yeah. There's only one thing will stop this selling - I think we're just slightly on the high side.

But a good thing - if you wanted to buy one, this is a good example.

Fingers crossed.

-And everything else.

-Both of them!

We'll stay with crosses right now, because our first item

to go under the hammer is the Italian micro-mosaic cross, belonging to Chris.

It's been in the family a fair bit of time.

A little while.

And it's never been worn?

I've never worn it. And I don't remember my mum ever wearing it.

It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

-I know you've had a chat with Phillip, haven't you?

-Yes.

-You're slightly worried about the valuation, you just want this to sell.

-Yes.

Phillip's advised you to drop the reserve right down. He's going to use his discretion.

-That's right.

-It could go for a lot less.

-That's fine. I'm quite happy with that.

We're going to find out, Thomas.

You're not really happy about that.

I know there's quality in this.

I don't like things being given away.

-We are in the open market and the open market will decide.

-OK.

And 355 is the Italian gold-coloured crucifix pendant with the micro- mosaic decoration. Super piece.

Who'll start me?

Should be a couple of hundred. Start me at 100.

£100?

80?

50 to get off. 50 bid, thank you.

-At £50.

-Come on! Slow start.

And five if you like now.

-At £50.

-No-one likes giving anything away to start with.

-At 55.

Got to be cheap at 55. 60 anywhere?

60. At £60, five? 70, five...

80, five. At £85 on my left here.

At £85. It's selling, make no mistake at 85.

At £85. 90 if you like.

At 90, still cheap. Five if you like.

At £90, on my right.

At £90, are you all sure?

Selling here on my right at 90...

Good, well it's gone. We're pleased.

I know Thomas is a little disappointed.

I thought it would have made a little more.

Then again it is a religious work of art and they do not sell as well as they should.

-It does put a lot of buyers off.

-Well done.

Thank you very much.

Thomas was clearly a little disappointed there but the auctioneer knew his stuff

and the advice to drop the reserve was spot on.

So, will he be right about this next item?

Michael's valued this silver teapot and stand at £700-£1,000.

The auctioneer thinks it might just struggle.

It belongs to Tim. Unfortunately he can't be with us today.

We do have Michael, our expert who put the £700-£1,000 on this.

We've had a chat to the auctioneer and we thought this was just so tasteful it's exquisite.

-It really is.

-It's a beautiful design.

-In lovely condition.

-Good makers?

And Bateman a fantastic name.

Everything matches, all the armorials, the crests are all the same.

We have seen silver selling extremely well today.

I think the trade are covering all the silver lots.

Hopefully ours is no exception. Let's hope we get top money, because it's a choice piece.

If you're going to buy a teapot, buy this one. Anyway, it's going under the hammer now.

George III silver teapot and stand by Peter and Ann Bateman.

Where are you going to be for this? Super little lot.

Super piece, where are you going to be for that? Who'll start me? £800?

Five?

I can start you here on the book at 440. On the book here at 440.

At 440.

Good piece there at 440. 460. 480.

With me at 480. 500 now.

At 480. At 480. 500. 520.

540. 560. At 560. 580 now.

At 560. At 560.

Looks a good piece at 560. 580.

600. 620.

640. 660.

680. 700. On my left at 700. Book's out now at 700.

Someone's got a good buy, I think.

720 if you like now.

At £700. On my left is 700.

720 anywhere?

At 700. Are you sure now? It's selling...

At 700...

Sold, just.

Skin of its teeth. I think there was one really interested buyer and no-one else to push him up.

-He did very well actually.

-He did.

Just made it. Tim should be happy because he's nearly doubled the £400 he paid for it almost 30 years ago.

Now hoping to fly high with her World War One

technical aircraft manuals and notes is wing-walking pensioner Maggie.

Are you ready for this, Maggie and Arthur?

We most certainly are.

Maggie's always ready. Maggie's a wing walker, aren't you?

-I am.

-What was it like up there?

-Fantastic.

-Yeah?

I'd do it again if they let me. They won't.

And we're talking about those two technical flying manuals with

two photographs of your father.

One's in the First World War and the other from the Second World War.

Incredible. Has anyone else in the family done a wing walk?

-No.

-They are all too chicken, aren't they?

I've got to say you're very brave. I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't do it, Thomas.

You wouldn't get me up there.

I'm a little agoraphobic with big high spaces, seeing the ground beneath me.

And she's done parachuting as well.

-And you've done parachuting. Have you done any?

-No way!

So you watch from the ground below and you're like, oh, gosh.

-Oh, gosh.

-It's all for charity.

All for charity, good luck. Let's see what this does.

-Let's see if this flies away, shall we?

-Hope so.

The World War One Department of Aircraft production technical notes.

There we go. A couple of volumes there.

Again, good wartime memorabilia there.

Who'll start me, it should be 50 to get on, really.

£30?

A bid here at 30.

At £30, In front of me 30. Five now?

At 30. Got to be cheap at 30. Five?

40. Five. 50.

Five. 60. At £60 in front of me now.

70, five.

80, five. 90.

They're doing well.

100.

At 100 here now.

Gracious me.

At £100. 110 if you like.

At 1o0, are you sure in front of me?

At 110 back in.

120 if you like, sir. At 110...

Have another, you're here now.

At 110.

120 if you like. At 110, it's right at the back at 110.

Sold. £110.

That's absolutely...

That could pay for another wing walk if you would be allowed to do it.

We've got £110 now. What are you going to do with that?

It will go to charity.

We've got our 60th wedding anniversary coming up next week.

Congratulations.

And take the family out for a meal.

-You've got to do that, haven't you?

-Exactly.

What a wonderful celebration. Thank you.

Let's hope Maggie keeps her feet on the ground at the party.

What a terrific result to end the programme.

£110 was more than double Thomas's top estimate.

If you've got any antiques and collectables you want to sell, we would love to see you,

but you've got to come to one of our valuation days and you can check the details

in your local press or you can log on:

Click F for Flog It! Follow the links and hopefully we'll be coming to a town very near you soon.

So come on, bring them along.

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