Warminster Flog It!

Today we've come to one of the most mysterious counties in England,

where stone circles befuddle,

crops circles confuse and strange giant white horses

gallop across the hills. Yes, today, Flog It! has come to Wiltshire.

The white horses of Wiltshire are giants carved into the chalky hills.

Many of the carvings are only a few hundred years old,

although the origin of most of them remains a mystery.

Now, the white horse you can see cut into the chalk hill

over there behind me, that's the oldest in the county.

It was cut over 300 years ago, but in the mid 18th century,

the steward to Lord Abingdon, who owns all of this land around,

re-cut the horse because he thought the old one didn't look lifelike

and it was also facing in a different direction

and the name of the steward that cut that, what we're looking at today,

well, he was called Mr G Gee.

How unbelievable is that!

Under starter's orders are Warminster Assembly Rooms in Wiltshire today

are experts David Fletcher and Kate Bliss,

and they'll be leading our valuers finding the best items to take off to auction.

Kate has been around antiques since she was a toddler,

so spotting those gems should be child's play,

and David's got a heart of gold - in fact, the first item David ever sold

as an auctioneer was a live rabbit,

but with no bidders, he took pity on it and bought it himself.

They were both happy bunnies!

'It is always good to see the fans turn up at one of our valuation days

'although some fans are bigger than others!'

And coming up on today's show, Joel and Pauline raise the stakes at auction.

Since that valuation day, you've upped the reserve to £130.

-We have, yes.

-Why did you do that?

-Honestly?

-Yeah, go on!

-I had a bigger offer.

You had a better offer.

And auctioneer Alan will go to any length to sell Phyllis's painting.

Couple of hundred quid? 150?

They're all sitting on their hands!

And if anybody says a tenner, I'll throw the gavel at them!

But will it work? Find out later in the show.

As the crowd settle into their seats, it looks like David is saddling up with his first item.

Now, did you ever work in the circus yourself?

No, I've never worked in the circus,

but we have been circus clowns in the carnival.

OK. Who is we?

-My sister Avril and me.

-Your sister and you? OK, you're a double act!

Yes, we're a double act.

I love this. It's a good bit of fun, isn't it, really?

Amazingly colourful, I mean, that's what first struck me about it

when I saw it across the room earlier on.

As we can see, this is encouraging us

to book tickets for the Belle Vue Circus.

Now, I understand that the location was a permanent location and

that the circus appeared there every winter

and that is confirmed, really, by what it says at the bottom -

the winter season.

Now, as such, I would take it that this

was a permanent poster and probably in position

somewhere within the Belle Vue complex all the year round,

which may explain why it's in such good condition.

It wasn't taken up and put down and wheeled out in all weathers

and the condition really is very good.

The frame has been repainted, but apart from that, it's fine.

I would have thought that it dated from the 1950s, possibly 1960s.

Did you acquire it fairly recently?

My late husband bought it at a car-boot sale about 20 years ago.

And paid next to nothing for it, I daresay?

Two or three pounds, I think.

Good for him, and where did you have it in the house?

I'm afraid it's been in the loft for the last 20-odd years.

-Right, so you haven't been enjoying it?

-No, I haven't.

-But what a lovely conversation piece it would have been!

-Well, yeah.

Never mind. I mean, we would be delighted to sell it for you.

I would like to think this will make over £100.

Oh, right, OK.

With luck, a bit more, but I've never seen anything quite like this before,

so I'm going to be a little bit cautious

and I think I'll suggest an estimate of 60 to 100

and a fixed reserve of 50.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, very happy, thank you.

Good, OK, we'll go ahead on that basis.

-Thank you.

-And roll up, roll up at the auction sale.

While Sally says goodbye to the fun of the circus, I'm saying hello

to Joel and Pauline who have brought in a little plate that's worth investigating.

So tell me, where did you come by this?

All we can remember is that we bought a box

of rubbish from a junk shop.

I think there old vases and things, and this was in it. I think we paid

probably no more than three or four pounds for the whole box, so...

And that came out of it.

Was this plate

in such bad condition because it's got a lot of knife marks on it.

-Did you do that?

-No, no.

It came like that!

No, we would never dare to do that.

-Oh, no.

-We bought it like it.

Obviously, whoever sold this to you who put it in this box of junk

didn't realise its value

and had been using it for domestic purposes, cutting up fruit, maybe.

It's Nantgarw. There's an impress mark on the bottom,

sort of a white paste porcelain so typical of William Billingsley.

William Billingsley started producing his wares in around 1813

from about eight miles north of Cardiff,

but the factory didn't last very long, it didn't employ many people.

It was very productive for about two or three years

and then it had another second period around 1817 to 1820,

which I think was when this little plate was made,

and he kept sort of running away and taking the company's money

and not paying his bills and he had debt collectors knocking at the door,

and eventually, he went off to work for Worcester

with great debts on his shoulders, and the little factory collapsed.

It's painted beautifully.

But what an artist and what a genius as well.

Because I think this is second period, when he went missing for

quite a bit of the time, a lot of the goods were sold as white goods

off to London without being decorated.

If this was painted in London,

it would have probably been done by Thomas Steel.

This fruit is so much like Thomas Steel's work.

-He never signed it, did he?

-Never signed it, no,

but just look at the unevenness of this little plate.

I wondered whether it was a second

or something like that because of the shape.

No, no. Most things were fired like this at very uneven temperatures.

You couldn't control the temperature, and nothing was fired that came out perfect.

If that was in mint condition,

I would be looking for around about £180 to £220.

-It's not in mint condition.

-No.

I think it's worth around 120

and I'd like to put it into the sale with a valuation of £90 to £130.

-That sounds fine.

-If that's OK.

-Yes, that's fine.

Our experts and valuers are always on the lookout for interesting and unusual items.

Kate has spotted some silver cups brought in by David

and she wants to take a closer look.

David, two very pretty cups and saucers we've got here.

All we need now is something to put in them,

and it certainly wouldn't have been tea.

What these cups and saucers were made for was almost certainly coffee

or what I really fancy,

chocolat, as the French say it, but where did they come from?

They were given to us by this old lady who,

as a child of about three or four,

she was taken to France with her family

because he was a racehorse trainer from Beverley in Yorkshire

and he got a job on the Chantilly Racecourse just outside Paris,

so she stayed in France practically for the rest of her life,

but she came back to live in Warminster.

We got to know her, and she eventually gave us these two.

So do you know where she acquired them from?

Her father got them as a trophy or something like that.

How interesting, because they could be seen as presentation pieces,

so they would be a very fitting trophy, if you like,

but also, equally, you could use them in high society in Paris

in the very early part of the 20th century,

because this is exactly when these date for.

The decoration is typical for art nouveau.

If we look at the silver closely,

we can see that it is French silver and it has got the French hallmark

just here on both of the cups,

and also, if we look at the saucer which should also be marked,

there we go, right in the middle, but if I just get my glass on that

you can see as well as the French mark,

which is the French head symbolising the republic,

you can see on this mark also is a tiny little maker's mark

-with initials AT.

-Something I've not seen before.

Yes, it is really small, I had to get my glass on it,

but there it is, but what I love about them

is the shape and the design, and if we look at the cup first

this lovely curvilinear shape

and the decoration, which would have been machine-stamped on them.

It's not engraved or chased, it's actually stamped,

so machine-made, and it's got this lovely border of fuchsias,

and the fuchsia, this lovely pendant flower,

was a very typical naturalistic image used in designs

for the art nouveau period.

The handle of the cup, though, is quite different.

This is cast, made separately and then joined to the cup,

and the design dates from a little earlier, I would say,

not typically art nouveau, but 19th century, I would say,

and that's cast. Do you like them? Do you think they're attractive?

Yes, I do, yes, yes, and they're sentimentally attached,

but what do you do with them? You know.

We liked the old lady, we loved her actually, you know...

You obviously got to know her very well?

Yes, she was one of the people that you remember

and perhaps mould your life around a bit.

Well, how lovely. Well, I think you've just hit the nail on the head

when it comes to value, because you've just said,

"What do you do with them?"

which is why you've brought them here, presumably, to sell.

-They're not the most commercial items.

-No.

And at auction, I would say

they're only going to really have quite a conservative estimate,

-I would say, of between £100 and £150 for the pair.

-Right.

And we could put a reserve, if you like, of just under that, of £90.

Are you still happy to sell them at that?

That's OK, I think that's the best thing.

-Somebody who likes them as much as me might be interested.

-Lovely.

David's silver cups may not have much use, but they're very pretty.

Let's hope they catch someone's eye at the auction.

We get a lot of armchair experts on Flog It!

She says 80 to 120, reserve of ten!

Not a bad guess, but let's head over

to Henry Aldridge's in Devizes, where auctioneer Alan Aldridge

is concerned about the damage to Joel and Pauline's plate.

I put £90 to £130 on this, which is, I think,

about right for a bit of Nantgarw.

There's a lot of wear on it, a bit of damage, but it always sells well.

I agree with you. When I got it, pretty plate, reasonably well painted

not brilliantly painted.

But unfortunately used and scratched!

I've looked at the back.

It's that that makes it right.

-Yeah.

-The word Nantgarw is enough to forgive most things.

Your estimate, I thought, was quite sensible,

but the owner contacted me and asked to increase the reserve.

Oh, really, to what?

-To 130.

-OK.

-Now, I have to be honest, I think we are pushing our luck.

I think the original figure, you had chances,

and it's actually been used, the plate, it's scratched to blazes.

Whether that word will pull it off...

I don't think it's painted well enough

for us now to pull it off.

-Oh, dear. It might be going home, that one.

-It may be, it may be.

Well, we've got to try hard.

Or it might prove us wrong!

-Exactly!

-And two Welshmen decide, "I must have it!"

Also about to go under the hammer is Sally's circus poster,

valued by David at £60 to £100,

and David's silver cups valued by Kate at £100 to £150.

We're going under the hammer right now in Aldridge's sale room.

We've got Sally's Belle Vue circus poster.

Now, was David, our expert, clowning around when he put

£60 to £100 on it, was he in the spirit of the circus theme?

I thought I was being serious, Paul. I hope so.

I just thought this was a jolly lot. Good fun, bright, cheerful,

a sort of feel-good thing, really.

I've got to say, I do agree with David, that's sensible money,

£50 to £100, but all the proceeds

-are going to a special trip for you, aren't they?

-Yes.

-Tell us about it.

Well, I'm going to see Geoff Hamilton's garden in Rutland

in June and the money's going towards that.

Fingers crossed we get the top end of the estimate

and send you off in style.

-Here we go, this is it.

-Lovely, thank you.

This is a fun lot.

I think somewhere around about 70 quid, about £70 to start me?

50 to get me away?

30. 20.

20 I've got.

We're in...just!

30, 5,

40, 5,

50, 5.

We're talking a tightrope, aren't we?

-£50 on my right.

-It's got to the reserve.

£50 is cheap, but I'll sell it, make no mistake.

At £50 on my right-hand side, am I going?

Just, it's gone.

-Lovely!

-Quite good.

-That's a good result. At least it's gone.

-Yep.

It's better than putting it in the attic!

That's money towards that gardening trip.

-Yes, very pleased.

-Have a good time.

-Thank you.

Well done, David. Thank you, Sally.

Just there by the skin of our teeth.

I'm slightly concerned about the new reserve on the plate I valued.

It might just put the bidders off.

Let's find out why Joel and Pauline changed it.

We put £90 to £130 on this because of the damage.

I know it's been scratched up by a fruit knife.

Since that valuation day, you've upped the reserve to 130.

-We have, yes.

-Why did you do that?

-Honestly?

-Yeah, go on.

-I had a bigger offer.

-You had a better offer?

-Yes.

-And a private one?

-Yes.

-Right.

If it sells, we're happy, if it doesn't sell, we're happy.

-We'll take it home.

-OK, so that was my top end, anyway, 130.

Hopefully, it will sell at 130,

a little bit more, like we said on the day.

19th-century Nantgarw plate, been used, but haven't we all.

Somewhere around about £120.

110?

90?

-Come on!

-£90 I've got.

We're in at 90.

90 I've got. 100?

£90. 100, 100, 110.

110.

It's a slow old climb, isn't it!

120?

125?

130?

-135.

-Ooh, made it!

-Done it.

-130.

-Yes, fresh legs.

-135.

140.

145.

-That's more like it!

-It is!

150.

155?

At £150,

at £150, all done.

-Happy!

-I'm happy.

-That's brilliant!

-You're happy as well?

-Yes.

-There was no need to panic.

Thank you, Paul.

What a good result. £150.

Now, let's see how we do with David's silver cups.

-They were won as trophies and they belong to you now?

-Yes.

-And you've decided to sell them?

-Yes.

Kate, we've got a valuation of £100 to £150,

hopefully we'll get that top end.

I'm hoping so. These are delightful little things,

they're wonderful examples of art nouveau in silver,

the thing is, though, they're just not that commercial.

I mean, somebody like David may think they're lovely,

but what do I do with them.

That's the tricky thing, so I really hope we get that value.

It would be an awful lot more if they were something more useful.

Here we go, let's find out what they make.

The French silver cups and saucers.

Start me 50 for the two.

50, I've got 60, £50 on a maiden bid,

60, 70,

80, 90, 100.

At £90, at £90,

at £90, take five if anyone is quick. At £90.

At £90, at £90, am I all done?

Yes, we've sold them, £90, just on the reserve.

-David, thank you so much.

-Right.

-It's been a real pleasure.

Only just the silver cups have gone,

but on the reserve. That's a good result for David.

On the outskirts of Bath is the only museum of Americana

outside the United States,

and I've come here to find out about the legacy of

an extraordinary woman from the 18th century.

When Ann Lee was born into an impoverished, working-class family

in Manchester back in 1736, nobody could have predicted the impact

she was to have on American furniture design

over the next 200 years. Hers is a unique story.

At the age of 22, Ann Lee became a Quaker,

but she soon joined a sub-sect called the Shaking Quakers

or Shakers for short, so-called because of the frenzied dancing

that accompanied their religious fervour.

Disenchanted with the squalor and destitution she saw all around her,

Ann Lee started to nurture a vision of a utopian society,

one that was based on order and celibacy,

and in 1774, at the age of 38, she joined a growing band of people

that were migrating to the new world, America,

and she settled in New York, where she established a new colony

and then started to spread the word of Shakerism.

For the next 150 years, the Shakers carved a niche for themselves

in the new world. Communities were self-contained and self-sufficient,

adhering strictly to Ann Lee's doctrine of order and celibacy.

The Shakers were reliant on converting people to their faith

to expand their numbers.

At its peak in 1850, there were more than 6,000 members

in 18 communities across America.

Shaker life was governed by strict rules.

There was even one stating which foot you should use first

when climbing the stairs, and it's this unity of vision

that's embodied in every aspect of Shaker life,

right down to the furniture they produced,

and really, that is how they're best remembered today.

Here at the American Museum in Bath is one of the best collections of

original Shaker furniture in the world.

Shaker designs sprang from a religious philosophy that rejected

the values of the world at large,

a world that was deliberately set apart from everyday American life

during the late 18th and early 19th century.

And this is what I'm talking about.

The simplest and purest of furniture you will ever find,

and it is so practical, and every time I look at Shaker furniture,

it always makes me smile. Life is so simple when you de-clutter,

and the Shaker belief was all about sharing things,

and you couldn't have clutter as you would never find anything,

because they had to share their tools, utensils, blankets,

absolutely anything, and when you look at the furniture,

you'll never see a piece of Shaker furniture that has been identified

by its maker. You see, they didn't want to know,

they didn't want single ownership of that either.

A mixture of woods were used,

all highly-coloured and polished as well. This is a cherry wood top.

They loved fruitwoods, but also hardwoods, ashes and maples,

and lots of softwoods.

You'll find softwoods always in the pine carcass.

Sort of a lightweight, cheap wood,

a bit like a soap box, really, but no-one looks at the inside,

but just looking at the simple banks of drawers,

there is absolutely no ornamentation.

There is no need for decoration. It sort of takes the eye off what

the whole thing was supposed to be about in the first place,

and this is very humble,

but when you take a closer look at this chest of drawers, you think,

"Hang on, look at the overhang on the top!"

I've never seen an English or European chest of drawers

with such generous overhang.

You see, now this, also doubles up as a counter,

as a table-top, very functional, very practical,

and somebody has been using this as a worktop, because you can see

all these drawer knife marks as an indication of an awful lot of work

going on, which is great, because that is what it was meant for,

and also, it's got a drop-leaf section here,

so you could fold that flap down and move the thing back

against the wall, get it out of the way, de-clutter again.

Cleanliness was next to godliness here!

# I love mother... #

The Shakers strove to lead pure and simple lives,

and their furniture reflects this.

The simple and elegant designs were way ahead of their time,

and almost by accident, they became art objects.

# ..and the miser his gold

# The monarch his palace and the princess her robe

# I covet none of this For I've a gospel call. #

Take a look at the picture rail, because you've got these hand-turned pegs which have been

driven into this wood, which had been painted with a blue ground,

but the great thing about this is

you don't just hang your clothes on it, or your tools, but when you've

finished using a piece of furniture and space is of a premium,

you can pick your piece of furniture up

and you can hang it out of the way.

You see, they were always in the pursuit of perfection,

improving things, moving along.

A simple thing like this stove.

OK, it's a very basic wood-burner, here's the hub of the burner,

but also, it's got an extension on the top.

As this heats up all day long, so does that, so that is going to

give off twice as much heat again. You see, it's genius, isn't it!

I love this as well, the old rocker,

and this is so typical of a ladder-back chair.

It looks like an English one, ladder back here with the rush seat,

but what sets it apart is the fact that it's an American one

and it's got these lovely mushrooms

terminating at the top of each leg where it joins the arm.

I love that, and that's so comfortable,

you would just want to caress it,

but this I have to show you, because Shaker furniture hasn't just

influenced furniture designers, but all designers of the 20th century.

If I hold that up, that does look like a bit of Philippe Starck,

doesn't it? Let's face it. But it's just the simpleness, you know.

You don't need a lot of weight there,

it's just a functional little side table or candle stand,

beautifully symmetrical, and again, so pleasing on the eye.

# ..I've a gospel call

# And a kind, loving mother

# Which is better than it all

# The king may have his throne

# And the miser his gold

# The monarch his palace... #

I would love to live my life in a space like this,

because I know I would be on top of everything and, you know,

I'd have more time to read and think and I'd be a happier person,

and that's what Shaker furniture does for you.

Back at our valuation day in Warminster,

Kate Bliss and David Fletcher are busy looking out

for more antiques to take off to auction.

David is loved-up with a cup brought by Margaret.

-Hello, Margaret.

-Hello, David.

You've brought in a loving cup.

Do you know why it's called that?

-No, I don't, no.

-OK.

I think it's called a loving cup

because it has two handles

and in theory, if you and I are husband and wife,

we would perhaps share a cup of tea in it

and you would drink out of one side using that handle

and I would drink out of this side using this handle.

Um...it's called a "farmer's arms" loving cup

and it's called that

because it celebrates the life and efforts

of the farming community.

-Right.

-Do you come from a farming community yourself?

-No, no.

I was born locally but I got it from my aunt.

OK. It's transfer-printed and it would have been made in Staffordshire.

Now you first see loving cups like this decorated with the farmer's arms

-dating from about 1830-1840...

-Right.

..but the nature of the decoration

is a little bit too unsubtle, really, for an early piece of transfer printing...

-Right.

-..and I think that points to a late-19th-century date.

-Shall we just have a look at the rhyme on the back?

-Yes.

It says, "So jolly boys now Here's God speed the plough

"Long life and success to the farmer."

And it finishes with a motto,

"Industry produceth wealth,"

and that says the harder you work, the richer you'll become.

-In theory!

-I'm not sure that applies. In theory, exactly.

-I'm not sure that has applied in my life, but did you ever use it?

-No, no, no.

-You've never drunk out of it?

-It was in the cupboard.

-So you haven't even had it on display then?

-No.

-So you won't really miss it?

-I shall not miss it!

-Now I've got to tell you that it's not terribly valuable.

-No.

-I suspect you thought that was the case?

-It's the fun of coming here.

Well, I think it's going to make probably no more than £20 or £30.

-That's fine.

-So we'll make that the estimate.

-Right.

-But what I would like to do, if you're happy,

is to sell it without reserve.

-Yes.

-So if it doesn't make £20

and sells for, say, £15...

That's fine.

-That's fine.

-You won't shoot me!

No, definitely not!

Is David putting his neck on the block here by selling Margaret's loving cup with no reserve?

We'll find out shortly at auction.

Meanwhile, Kate is taking a closer look at Phyllis's picture.

This is a really striking portrait. How did you acquire it?

Well, we just recently moved house and it was a much larger house

and I was always looking in antique shops and I just saw her

and I just had to buy her because her face was just so beautiful.

-The face that sold it to you?

-Yes.

It's also very delicate, it's not harsh at all.

-Do you know anything about the artist, though?

-Only a little.

-I knew it was painted in 1862 and he was a member of the Royal Academy.

-That's right.

And that's, er...Pre-Raphaelite.

OK, well, it is dated quite clearly, actually,

-although quite small detail, here 1862.

-Right.

But above that, the initial "F"

and then "Smallfield"...

-Right.

-..the signature of the artist.

And I think you're right -

-it is the face, which is the best thing about it.

-Yes.

-And, for me,

it almost looks as if the hair and her dress

-could almost be by a different artist.

-Really?

That perhaps deserves an explanation

-and when I tell you about Frederick Smallfield, you'll understand why...

-Right.

..because he was at the Royal Academy, he studied at the Academy in the 1840s

and at that time, it meant that he was studying with a lot of the Pre-Raphaelite artists...

-Right.

-..then went on to become leaders in their field...

-Right.

..but of particular influence among the Pre-Raphaelites

-was the artist, John Everett Millais...

-Right.

..and Millais really inspired Smallfield

and helped him to develop this very Pre-Raphaelite style

which you can see in the face of this young girl

and if you look carefully, you can see

that he's captured it almost by using the technique that miniaturists use

of perhaps using the end of the brush

in tiny, tiny little dots which produces this very soft effect

and that almost gives the texture of the skin as well

-and that is essentially a very Pre-Raphaelite technique.

-Right.

So we've got here somebody who studied with the Pre-Raphaelites

-but somebody who is not really recognised as being a Pre-Raphaelite.

-Right.

This is dated 1862, which you noticed.

-The 1860s were when the best of his work was done...

-Right.

..and the subject, of course,

being a young girl is the best subject in portraits,

and the most commercial, so it's got a lot going for it.

-The downside is that it is foxed...

-Yes.

And foxing, that you can see here in these brown patches,

luckily actually up here, not so much in the actual painting,

but foxing is an actual fungus that will grow within time.

So if that isn't seen to, that will interfere with the painting more,

but having said that, it could be fixed fairly easily by a restorer.

-Right.

-So why do you want to get rid of her now?

Because we've got a smaller house.

I've got lots of pictures

and we've got a houseful of historic race cars which my husband restored.

So vintage racing cars?

-Yes, it's all their classic Formula 1, '60s, '70s stuff.

-Wow!

-Can my dad visit you?

-He can, anytime.

-We've got one in the garage now.

-Ooh, fantastic!

-I might take you up on that!

-Right.

-But back to the portrait...

-Right.

..what did you pay for it in the antique shop, can you remember?

-I'm sure it was about £40.

-Right, OK.

-I'm going to say £200 to £400 but I think she might make even a bit more than that.

-Really!

But it's a little bit of a vague estimate, £200 to £400 but that's because I recommend a reserve,

-perhaps towards the lower end of the estimate.

-Right.

But I think she has potential perhaps

to make 400 plus.

-Really!

-I think she's lovely.

She is beautiful, isn't she?

Really lovely.

Could Phyllis make ten times what she spent on the painting?

It's a tantalising prediction.

Now if you've got any unwanted antiques and collectables that you'd like to sell,

we would love to see you but you have to come to one of these - a Flog It! valuation day.

There's two ways of finding out the dates and the venues.

The first is to check the details in your local press, the next is to log on to...

Click F for Flog It! and then follow the links

and you'll find the dates and the venues for our future valuation days

and hopefully there's one very near you soon.

It's good to see sporting memorabilia on Flog It!

as it can do really well at auction and that's why David has got quite excited about Bill's collection.

Not only do they tell us about football itself

and a bit about the people who played at the time,

-they also tell us a bit about graphic art of the time too.

-Yes, yes.

This Aston Villa programme, for example, dated 1949 -

-what a wonderful piece of design that is.

-Yes, yes.

And the Newport County AFC programme too.

It's a lovely piece of design, but as I say, the interest I think goes further than that.

If we open this one for Arsenal versus Aston Villa,

we can see some of the players whose names are household names -

-Compton...

-Yes, yes.

-Presumably Leslie Compton?

-Yes, I think they both played.

-And he was Dennis Compton's...?

-His brother, and they both played,

not on that particular day, but they both played at the same time, yeah.

And another name, Mercer, presumably Joe Mercer?

Yes, yes, that's Joe Mercer, yes.

And he went on to manage Manchester City in my young days.

Yes, and England.

And England, of course, quite right, yeah. Is this your own collection?

No, my brother's. He actually went to all of these games.

Gosh! He must have spent a fortune travelling the country!

-He worked for British Rail for 50 years!

-Did he? Oh, good!

So it was subsidised rail fares?

-Yes, yes.

-And he made the most of it!

-He certainly did, yes.

-Wonderful!

And what we've got here is just the tip of the iceberg.

-Yes, yes.

-How many in all, do you think?

-Over 200.

-Over 200?

-Yeah.

Right, and anything else that relates to football or is it just programmes?

-I've got some signed photographs.

-Have you? Right.

-Stanley Matthews.

Stanley Matthews, right, yep.

-And Sandy Mortensen.

-Mortensen, yes.

-You've got their autographs in the collection?

-Yes.

Amazing, and are they taking up space?

Do you want to clear your decks a bit?

No, not particularly. They're just stored away and I've got three sons,

they would appreciate having them but they would just be stored away.

-You don't think they'll regret their passing too much?

-Oh, no, no.

We need really to think about what the collection's worth.

Given that you've got these autographs,

-which we haven't been able to see today...

-Yes.

..you know, I think the whole collection is going to make the best part of £100, really.

-I would be inclined to go with an estimate of £80 to £120.

-Yeah.

A reserve a bit below £80, say £60.

They'll be happy with that.

We'll go ahead on that basis, then.

OK, Bill, well, I'll see you with all those other football fans

-in the sale room and I'll look forward to that, OK?

-I look forward to it, yes.

So without delay, let's kick off our second stint at auction.

Alan Aldridge is on side with Bill's football programmes.

It seems our expert, David, has been very cautious with his valuation.

We've put £80 to £120 on the lot and there's a lot of early photographs

with signatures as well, autographs.

I think it's a lovely little lot.

It's our field, sporting memorabilia, we've got good clients for it.

It's my era as well, so I know all these guys, I watched them as a lad.

Fortunately or unfortunately, my dad didn't work for British Rail.

-I could only see Arsenal.

-But that's your team, isn't it?

-That's my programme.

Have you seen this? Look! Look at that.

-1948.

-I may have seen it.

-I don't remember it.

-The Gunners.

-I may have seen it.

-I love this! This reminds me of the early Shell posters, you know the graphics on this.

-Yeah.

There's two guys at an East London School,

and they did beautiful posters and they are very, very collectable.

-Have you split the lot?

-Yeah, I've split them because this is purely programmes and club programmes.

-OK.

-These are international programmes and autographs.

-Right.

You'll touch different collectors. By splitting them

it will benefit the client, obviously, and I would say

we'll get top end of the estimate and if things are good to us,

we'll bang on a bit more on that as well.

OK, so we're looking for a bit more than £120 for this particular lot?

-Yes.

-And for the autographs, what are you looking for there?

-This is less.

-Less?

This is probably sort of £60, maybe £80.

This one, £180, £200, £250.

£250? Hey, now you're talking!

-If we get carried away.

-OK, fingers crossed, fingers crossed!

So, will two lots mean twice the money? We'll find out shortly.

First, a quick reminder of the other lots just about to go under the hammer.

Kate has given Phyllis's painting a hefty estimate of £200 to £400 but will the condition put people off

and will the bidders love

Margaret's loving cup with no reserve - anybody's guess!

I absolutely love this next lot; it's one of my favourite pieces of the sale.

Why are you selling it? You should be hanging onto this - it's not going to make you rich!

-It's just being here, isn't it?

-The Flog It! experience!

-Yes!

You could have come without bringing anything along.

Anybody is welcome at our valuation days. If you want to watch, you're more than welcome to.

I don't need it, it's just in a cupboard.

It's a nice thing, isn't it?

It's just a nice little keepsake from the days when farming wasn't as bleak as it is now

and people in this country were directly or indirectly involved in agriculture;

most people worked in agriculture -

far, far more than they do today and it's just a reminder of those golden bygone days.

-Perhaps it will go to somebody who appreciates it.

-I hope it goes to a farmer.

We'll find out right now because this is your lot.

"God speed the plough" -

a nice little loving cup, 20 quid.

15? Who wants to start me at a tenner, then?

Oh, God!

Ten at the very back.

12 quickly, at £10, at 10, is there 12?

10 is not a lot of money.

It's very pretty. At £10, at the back...

-Oh, it's worth twice as much as that!

-£10 all going.

£10, it's gone, there was no reserve.

It's just coffee money, isn't it?

Yes, it was a nice thing, that was a lovely thing.

-You might be able to buy yourself a gin and tonic...

-Possibly.

The cup only sold for a tenner but it's put a big smile on Margaret's face.

Next it's Phyllis's painting of another pretty face, but will the condition hold it back?

Phyllis, time to put that watercolour to the test by Frederick Smallfield,

£200 to £400 we've put on this.

I think it's interesting because it is a slightly unpredictable market

-but she has got a lovely face!

-Yes, she's a beautiful girl.

-Yeah.

-I may be slightly optimistic but you never know...

-You don't know what will happen.

-There seems to be a lot of picture buyers in the room.

-We'll find out.

-Fingers crossed, Phyllis.

-There's got to be somebody

-that looks for portraits rather than scenes.

-That's right.

Now this by an artist called Fred Smallfield; decorative.

Couple of hundred quid?

Couple of hundred?

150.

Come on, come on!

-They're all sitting on their hands, aren't they?

-They are!

We've got to start somewhere.

-And if anybody says a tenner, I'll throw the gavel at them!

-20.

Well, that's nearly there!

20, I will start. 40.

60. 70.

£70.

80. 100?

At £80.

-90. 100, 110.

-This is more like it!

110, anywhere else?

All going.

-Not quite.

-No.

-Not sold.

-Sorry about that.

-It's all right.

-Wasn't to their taste, was it?

-No.

-That's what it was.

-Exactly!

-Maybe there is a space on the wall left?

-Yes.

-It's had a Flog It! outing, it's had an airing, it's been on TV.

-Yes.

-Maybe you should enjoy it.

-Yes.

And it reminds you of a day in Flog It! in the auction room.

Phyllis's painting will be going back on her wall,

where hopefully she can enjoy it for a while longer

and now it's time for Bill's football programmes.

They've been split into two lots, each with an estimate of £80 to £120 with a fixed reserve of £60.

-There's some wonderful things there, David, as you know!

-Yeah.

-The Villa programme, the Arsenal one.

-Yeah, and the '48 Cup Semi-Final.

-Yeah.

All late '40s, early '50s.

-Yeah.

-All credit to your brother and you for keeping them in such condition -

-that's where the value is.

-I hope so.

-They're about to go under the hammer.

We're going to find out what they're worth. This is it!

These are autographs and a few programmes -

a couple of nice internationals at the back, good little lot.

50, I've got. 60.

70, 80, 90,

100, 110, 120?

I've got 110, at £110 with me.

120, 125, 130.

I've got 125 with me. 125!

-Well done!

-I'm happy with that.

-One down, one to go. We got the top end.

Again we've got a collection

of nice early 1947-1948, mainly Birmingham teams.

Start me somewhere around about 160.

-Wow!

-170, 180, 190, 200, 210,

220, 230, 240.

250, 260, 270, 280,

290, 300, 310.

At £300, 300, at 300; is there 10?

-At 300!

-You've got to be pleased with that.

-That's £425 in total.

-You knew something, David!

-Yeah, very, very pleased.

-£425! Who gets the money?

Well, I don't know whether it will be me or my brother...

we didn't expect to get anything like this, really.

Brothers can sort it out. Look, all credit to both of you for looking after them.

-Ask your wife to sort it out between you and I'm sure she'll be able to do a deal.

-She can.

-No fighting, no brothers fighting, please!

-It's already decided!

-Thank you so much, Bill.

-Thank you, thank you very much.

Well, that's it, it's all over for our owners as we're coming to the end of another auction

and the highlight of the day for me had to be that big smile on Bill's face

when we sold the football programmes.

They made a total of £425, almost four times the original estimate.

That's the excitement of auctions. If you've not been to one, come and join us soon,

but you've got to bring some antiques to one of our valuation days,

so from Wiltshire, until then, it's cheerio.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd