Oxford Flog It!

Today, Flog It has come to the home of the oldest university

in the English-speaking world.

Let's hope our experts score top marks

when it comes to valuing antiques brought in by the people of Oxford.

Our valuation day is being held

in Oxford University's magnificent Sheldonian Theatre.

It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1668

as a venue for graduation and degree ceremonies.

These days, it's also used for music concerts and lectures.

Today's crowd is here to learn more about the antiques

they've had tucked away at home.

Leading our team of experts are Tracy Martin and Charlie Ross.

Let's hope they graduate with honours

later on when we put them through their paces at auction.

Tracy's an Essex girl...

Wow, look at that.

..with a real passion for vintage clothes, handbags and shoes.

She's relatively modern. She's not antique.

I appreciate that.

Charlie began his auctioneering career selling chickens

and progressed to turkeys before he was let loose on antiques.

Look a bit like a curtain ring, this one!

But we've certainly no turkeys in today's programme!

Coming up - Charlie thinks Cynthia is going to cross swords with him

over his valuation.

I hoped you weren't going to say, "It's at least £1,000!"

A candlestick brought in by Brenda

makes a little bit of Flog It history.

That's never happened before in nine years of Flog It!

We like to provide a little surprise now and again.

And Charlie comes up against an item

that proves to be rarer than any of us thought.

Fancy coming into the Sheldonian in Oxford with these!

Everybody is now safely seated inside the Sheldonian.

What a fabulous interior! Looks like we're going to have a cracking day.

Let's join our experts at the tables.

It looks like Tracy is first to spot something.

She's been joined by mother and son, Jill and Nathan,

who have brought in something pretty special for her to value.

I love it when I get a postcard album come in

because you never know what's inside,

what visual treats and wonderful postcards.

So let's have a little look.

Look at that. Isn't that lovely?!

I love old postcards like this.

Who does this actually belong to?

-Me.

-To you. Is it a family piece?

It belonged to my father's godmother.

-Right.

-From her and her friends as they corresponded to each other.

Then that was passed down to you.

-Yes.

-I love this, that they are actually written on.

You've got some postmarks there. I think that's 1907, isn't it?

It's over 100 years old.

Let's pop that back in there.

Let's whizz through and see what else we can see.

Postcards, as you possibly know,

-are very, very collectable.

-Yep.

It's got some lovely local history ones.

That's of interest to anybody that lives in Oxford.

Let's have another little look.

And I did notice, when I was flicking through this earlier,

that there's some lovely nautical ones.

Anything nautical - cruise ships, tall ships, steamers,

are very much collectable and they can command a premium.

So have you got any idea what you would like?

You looked into it, didn't you?

I don't know, but around £100, I would imagine.

I think £100 is a bit top-heavy to start.

Purely because with auction they like it to be lower

to encourage people to bid.

-I'm thinking really in the region of 60 to 100.

-Right.

I'm hoping it will go for a bit more.

-So if you're quite happy for me to put a reserve of 60 on?

-OK. Yeah.

Hopefully it'll fly. There'll be loads of collectors there

that will want to get their hands on it.

-OK?

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

What marvellous pictures. A wonderful snapshot of another age.

Jill and Nathan seem quite happy with Tracy's valuation.

Charlie, on the other hand, better be on his guard

as Cynthia looks like she's ready to do battle with him!

Cynthia, what an amazing amount of history you've brought in today!

I have. Yes, I have.

Why have you brought it all along today?

-Because I don't want to keep it.

-No. Where did it come from?

A cupboard at home.

It's my husband's collection and he died five years ago.

Right. There are some really interesting things here.

Do you know what any of them are?

-That's a bayonet, I know. And the badges...

-That's a German bayonet.

There are various cap badges. This took my eye.

-Yes.

-Do you know what that is?

-No.

It's a plate off a tank.

It's got "Fear nought" on it, which is the motto of the tank regiment.

-Yes.

-I think that's come off from the

North African campaign, probably.

-1941, '42.

-Yes.

There is a General Service medal here.

-Interestingly a 1918 war medal.

-Yes.

One that was given to everybody, but nevertheless, still has a value.

Quite a lot of buttons here.

And funnily enough, a button cleaner.

Not worth anything, but slide it behind the buttons

so you could polish these wonderful buttons

without ruining your khaki kit.

-Yes.

-Very important.

And, should you be misbehaving...

-Yes.

-..what we have here, Cynthia, are some handcuffs.

-Yes.

-Have you got the key?

We did have that once

but I think it was played with and then it got lost.

-You know.

-Right.

They're not that sophisticated, the keys for those,

so somebody could get one made.

What about a value? Any ideas?

-No. No idea at all. Not a lot.

-It's not an easy one.

-No.

-I don't think there's anything here of any huge value.

You have a German bayonet worth ten to £15 in that condition.

A medal worth, again, ten to £15.

You've got cap badges worth a few pounds each.

I'm beginning to think there's probably 150 to £200-worth here.

-Oh, well, that amazes me!

-You're happy? Oh, goody!

Goody! I was hoping you weren't going to say, "At least £1,000."

-It amazes me.

-You don't want them back,

so we won't put a high reserve on.

-But we need to put a reserve on to protect them.

-You think so?

-I think so. We'll put a very safe reserve of £100.

-Yes.

I don't think there'll be any problem exceeding the reserve.

Hopefully we'll get between 150 and 200, the estimate.

-Thank you very much for bringing them along.

-Thank you.

Now, Brenda's brought in something special to show Tracy.

But will it light the room up on its own?

What a lovely thing.

Very, very stylised.

Shame there's only one and not a pair.

-Where's the other one?

-No idea!

-No idea.

I picked it up in a rummage sale 20-odd years ago. 25 years ago.

Gosh, the amount of people that are telling me this!

I never find anything like that. How much did you pay for it?

It wouldn't have been more than a pound. Not in those days!

What attracted you to it?

I liked it at the time. I thought it was unusual.

-I'm not very keen now.

-You've gone off it a bit.

It's very reminiscent of a very, very well-known designer

called Archibald Knox.

Archibald Knox was a very, very talented designer

that produced a lot of things for the store Liberty's in London.

-Yes.

-I'm not saying this is definitely Archibald Knox,

but it's very much of that Arts and Crafts style.

-It's taken a bit of a battering, though, hasn't it?

-Yes.

It's not laying flush, as it should.

-Could something be done about that?

-To be honest, I wouldn't bother.

It does add character. It is a piece that has age.

What age would it be?

I'll tell you now. We'll turn this over

to look on the bottom.

Can you see there's some markings there.

"Tudric". T-U-D-R-I-C.

Tudric ware, Liberty's, so that's round 1910.

-It's a lovely thing. Is it something you would be happy to sell?

-Yes.

-You didn't pay much for it.

-I didn't realise it was that old.

-And you don't like it?

-No.

I'm thinking put this into auction with a reserve of...

-£60.

-Better than I thought.

-You seem quite happy with that.

A bit of discretion on there.

The auctioneer has 10% discretion, so he could sell it for about 55.

Pre-sale estimate, 60 to £80.

-I think it should do OK.

-Thank you.

-Great.

What a stylish candlestick!

If only Brenda owned a pair.

What a good start to the day.

We've found our first items to take off to auction.

This is where it gets exciting,

where we put our experts' valuations to the test.

Anything can happen. Let's get straight over there.

We're taking our items to Jones and Jacobs sale rooms in Watlington.

We've got two key ingredients for a tremendous sale -

a packed room full of bidders, and some really tempting lots.

Going under the hammer are Nathan and Jill's evocative postcard album,

Cynthia's unthreatening collection of military items

and finally that wonderful Arts and Crafts candlestick,

which could be by Archibald Knox.

Auctioneer Simon Jones is just the man to know.

This belongs to Brenda. She bought it 20-odd years ago for a pound.

-That was a good investment.

-It was!

We've got about 60 to £80 on this. It's so Archibald Knox.

Yes, it's actually in the book, down as him.

Down to the great man himself,

and we have someone who has the pair to it.

-Really?!

-And they're very keen to own it.

And if it goes too expensive, I'm to offer the successful purchaser

the option on the other one.

Gosh! That's never happened before in nine years of Flog It!

That's quite remarkable.

We like to provide a little surprise now and again!

How much would this be worth as a pair?

As a pair, it takes an individual one

to more than double its top estimate.

Is it likely we'll get 250 to £300?

Probably get 200 to 250.

There's a bit of damage to the bottom.

-What fun!

-It is!

-I'll look forward to this.

-It'll be an exciting day.

Sharing the rostrum with Simon is Francis Oggley.

He'll be auctioneering some of our lots today.

First up, it's the postcard album

brought in by mother and son Jill and Nathan.

-Do you watch Flog It?

-Yes.

You must have seen a few collections going for 300 to £600.

-Yes.

-Hopefully there might be one or two rare ones, Tracy?

-I hope so.

The collectors know what they're looking for.

Fingers crossed!

Did you, by any chance,

pick out one or two favourite ones and take them as a keepsake?

-Um...

-Must have been one that caught your eye.

-Yes, the one of the boats and ferries.

-Did you keep that one?

Yeah, I did. We talked about that last time.

It was probably the rarest!

That might be one worth £80!

-It probably is!

-Good for you.

That's the kind of thing I would do.

I'd take one or two out, sell the rest.

Good luck. Hopefully there might be a surprise, you never know.

Collectors are fussy, but if there's one or two in that collection,

-they'll find it.

-Yes, they will.

You can guarantee that.

Let's find out if they're here. It's going under the hammer now.

188 is the album containing postcards, mostly topographical.

60 to £70 for these?

£50 start me, then.

50 I'm bid. 55 anywhere? All happy at 50? 55.

60. 65. 70. 75.

80. 85. 90.

95. 100.

110. 120. 130.

120, then. Seated at 120. All done

at 120.

-Wonderful. £120. That's good.

-Really good.

-Really good.

-They always find buyers. It's incredible.

Most people think, "They're rubbish. Black-and-white postcards."

That's documenting social history.

And that's quite rare.

-It is.

-Good things to have.

Enjoy the money. Enjoy the spending.

We've enjoyed being on the show, meeting you all.

It's been really nice. Thank you.

What a marvellous way to kick off our Flog It sale.

I hope Cynthia can be just as lucky.

Next up, the collection of military memorabilia belonging to Cynthia

who's feeling really, really nervous, aren't you?

But you've got your daughter Jackie for moral support.

Fingers crossed we'll get the top end of Charlie's estimate.

-There's a lot here.

-A huge amount.

I did ask for the sale room to check there wasn't anything

particularly rare and valuable.

I don't think there was. So we're quite safe, I think.

-But there are a lot of collectors for this kind of thing.

-Are there?

Yes. You get specialist sales,

solely dedicated to military memorabilia.

-Happier now?

-Yes, I am.

-You haven't had time to look around.

-There's too many people.

-We came early.

-Did you?

-Yes.

-We did. We did.

-Bit of a squeeze, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It is a squeeze.

Have you seen anything you want to buy?

No! I'm getting rid of stuff now!

-Yeah.

-Good on you. Good luck, it's going under the hammer now.

Lot 111 is the German bayonet, another bayonet and some others.

150 for them?

£100 I'm bid. 110? At £100, then.

All happy at £100 for the assorted blades at 100?

All done?

-Sold.

-Sold.

-Sold at 100.

-That's not bad, is it?

-It's all right.

I want it to go to the British Heart Foundation.

-That's where the money's going?

-My husband had a heart attack.

-Four years ago.

-That's a good contribution.

-It is, yes.

Right. Now I'm going to tease Brenda and Tracy a bit

about that candlestick.

Brenda, I've got some news for you.

-And you, Tracy.

-Yeah?

We're talking about this pewter candlestick. It is Archibald Knox.

The auction room's done some research. That's good.

Because we had a value of 60 to £80. So it puts it right up there.

Hopefully a bit more. But you'll never guess what.

The auctioneer said to me before the sale

that somebody has an identical one to it.

They've only got one. So it makes up the pair!

And there's always a premium on a pair!

Can you believe that? There's another odd one.

There's probably loads of odd ones.

But that person was looking through the catalogue

and found it for sale today.

-So they're on the phone trying to buy it.

-Wonderful!

-Great news for you.

-Wonderful!

-It means the price will go up!

-Hope so.

-But what a name, Archibald Knox.

Fantastic! Arts and Crafts, very stylised. Should do OK.

The collectors will be here because they look for that name.

It's going under the hammer right now!

Lot 422, the Art Nouveau pewter candlestick.

Style of Archibald Knox.

£60?

170 I've got.

At 170. 180, anyone?

170. On commission at 170.

All done at 170? 180.

190.

190. Still on commission at 190.

All done?

-Brilliant. £190.

-That's brilliant news.

-That's very good - isn't it?

-Fantastic!

-Twice the value!

It was worth the effort of coming over.

It was. Thank you very much for all your help.

OK. The nice thing is, that's going to meet up with its other half.

-Lovely.

-It'll look striking, won't it?

-Mmm. Thank you.

Gosh, way over the reserve.

That shows that sometimes you can find the perfect partner at auction.

We'll be back at the auction later in the show

when we find out that African shield

valued by Charlie is causing a global stir!

Shall we say there's been interest from its homeland

-and at the New World.

-Really?

But before all of that,

I'm exploring the secrets of Oxford's skyline.

Oxford's long and distinguished past has resulted in such a stunning city

with a myriad of architectural styles.

You can find examples from almost every period throughout history,

dating right back to the Saxons.

But as you wander around, everywhere you look, you're being watched.

Dragons, demons and a whole array of other mystical creatures

and quirky characters stare out from the buildings.

For 1,000 years, gargoyles have stood guard over Oxford.

And you can't help but admire them.

One of the finest collections of "grotesques" adorns the walls

of the university's world famous Bodleian Library.

But being so high up, these fantastic creations

are constantly under attack from weather and pollution.

In 2007, while doing restoration work on the roof,

the university discovered a row of grotesques

had crumbled away beyond recognition.

They wanted to replace them, but had no historical records to work from.

So a competition was launched among local schools

asking pupils to come up with new ideas.

There were 500 entries from which nine were selected

to be immortalised in stone.

The sensitive task of translating the original drawings

into the finished stone carvings

was given to local sculptors Fiona and Alec Peever,

who began by making clay models

and I've come to their studio to find out more.

-This is fabulous, Fiona.

-Thank you.

What challenges did the children's designs give you?

Transferring their two-dimensional drawings

into something that will work three-dimensionally

and also very high up, at an angle on the building.

Have you got some examples of what they originally looked like?

-Here are the original children's drawings.

-OK.

This is the one for Narnia.

All the winning designs were based on Oxford literary themes.

Once you get the depth and the relief, with those dark patches,

it does look good.

That's what gives it impact when it's on the building.

But also, when you're carving, you have to make sure

that you don't have areas where water will settle

and crack the stone.

-Yes, the frost would crack it.

-Yeah.

The interesting thing about using clay

is that it's a process where you build the model up.

You add on to it.

But when it comes to stone, you're just removing the stone,

so you can't get it wrong.

Do you get involved in the stonework, or just modelling?

-I carve them as well.

-You do both.

The new designs for the Bodleian

aren't, strictly-speaking, gargoyles.

Gargoyles have a spout to gargle water from the gutters

clear of the walls.

These are grotesques, which are purely decorative

but with a character of horror or humour.

To find out more about the actual carving

of these wonderful grotesques,

I've cornered the other half of this talented partnership, Alec Peever,

working on something of his own.

What are you working on?

This is a head in Portland stone.

Is this the same principle as the grotesques?

Um, this is more direct carving.

With the grotesques, we went through a stage of modelling them in clay

and working from the clay.

This is a slightly more risky process

where I'm just taking off a little bit at a time

without taking any measurements,

just discovering whatever's inside it,

as Michelangelo is famous for saying.

When you choose that block of stone,

do you look at it from all angles to check for fault lines?

-Yes. The thing you always have to do is to tap it.

-OK.

If it has a ring, like that, it's fine.

If it has a dead noise, like that, you know there's a flaw in it

and so you don't touch it!

And the chisels you use are the same on the grotesques as on this?

Very much. These tools have not changed in 5,000 years.

It's exactly the same tools as the Ancient Egyptians used,

the Greeks, and so on throughout the centuries.

So it's an absolutely basic process.

Can I watch for a while? Start on the mouth, cos that's quite scary!

Right.

-Do you know what kind of mouth you're giving him at this stage?

-No.

I might ask you to model for me, in a minute!

Must be a good feeling, knowing that you're following in the footsteps

of great craftsmen that lived around Oxford.

It's not why I went into it for,

but once you've made something and you see it go up there,

you think, "Gosh, that's going to be up there for hundreds of years.

"My little boy, who's nine, his grandchildren will be able to say,

"'great-great-grandfather made that.'"

It's tremendous to see such continuity

between the past and the present.

For hundreds of years to come, those brand-new grotesques

will sit neatly alongside their ancient cousins

on the Bodleian Library, for all to marvel at.

That's a testament to the skills of Alec and Fiona

and the people whose footsteps they've followed in.

Right, it's back to our valuation day in the Sheldonian Theatre,

where our experts Charlie and Tracy are marvelling at the vast quantity

of antiques that have been brought in.

It looks like Charlie has, once again,

found someone to do battle with!

Nick, you look absolutely terrifying!

Fancy coming into the Sheldonian in Oxford with these!

Tell me about them.

Well, my grandfather went to - I thought it was Sudan -

-in the 1880s, 1890s.

-Yes.

And we believe he brought them back.

He wasn't in the services.

-Was he not?

-No.

-So he didn't win it as a trophy?

-At Rourke's Drift?

-Not as far as I know!

-He never mentioned it.

-No.

It's from South Africa, a Zulu shield.

I think that dates from 1880, 1890,

which is the time pre-Boer War, the Zulu wars.

-It's an extraordinary part of history, really.

-Yes.

And in remarkable condition.

This looks like a zebra skin. I'm sure it is.

-But being 100 years old, we're happy to talk about it.

-A working tool.

Obviously if this was modern,

we wouldn't want to know, for obvious reasons.

By the lattice work of weaving more skin into it,

which also has a functional purpose as well,

it provides the handle, which is really interesting.

-Yes.

-Just leaving out a couple of notches forms the handle.

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

-It is.

You'd think... All right, it wouldn't have stopped a bullet,

but if you chucked a spear at it, it would have to be

thrown pretty hard to get through that.

And they attacked by bashing the spears against that.

If you imagine a few thousand people doing that, it's a terrifying sound.

-Absolutely.

-The spear is also Zulu.

Beautifully made, actually, and in pretty good condition.

Quite light. It's like a cane, isn't it?

Then we've got a leather strap here

which is strengthening the join between the metalwork and the shaft.

Look at the age on it. It's amazing, isn't it?

It's become rock solid and hard.

Value. Any ideas?

-You hoped it was worth something when you brought it.

-Of course.

-I think you've got a value here of between 100 and £200.

-Really?

-Yes.

-That has surprised me.

-Has it?

-Yes.

-That's good.

-Yes.

Sometimes we get people on the show who almost hit me

when I tell them what things are worth!

-I won't do that!

-They're disappointed.

I would say 100 to 200.

We're not talking about £100, it's not worth selling.

-I'm sure that the shield is of that order.

-Thank you.

And the spear will add to it.

We're happy to go to auction with an estimate of 100 to £200.

-Thank you.

-With a reserve of £100.

-Brilliant.

Perhaps a bit of auctioneer's discretion.

But I'm confident about the lot.

Thank you for bringing them to Oxford!

Nick seems happy with that valuation.

But tribal artefacts are very sought after.

I can't wait to see what happens at auction.

Of course, not everything that comes to our valuation day is for sale!

What have we got here? What's she worth? 80 to 120, Mum?

She isn't worth giving away!

Well, hopefully we don't give anything away on Flog It!

Next up, David has brought a stylish teapot for Tracy to value.

Have you ever used it to make tea?

-No.

-I didn't think you would have!

-No.

-So is this something you've inherited?

Just inherited, yes.

-Who did you inherit it from?

-From my brother-in-law.

Do you know any history, anything about it?

Yes. It was bought as an inheritance so they handed it to their daughter.

Right. OK.

So if your brother-in-law bought it to hand down to his daughter,

how come you ended up with it?

Because sadly the daughter passed away.

Passed away. Oh, I am sorry.

-So then it came to you.

-It came to us.

-Right. I see.

Have you ever thought about where it dates from,

or who made it?

I did, at one time, because we happened to get a book of hallmarks.

-Right.

-I didn't bother, really, after that.

You obviously know it's silver

-because you've looked at the hallmark.

-Yes.

Quite right, too, it is silver.

So if we have a little look at one of these...

We've got the E for Elkington & Co.

The Birmingham anchor.

The date letter to 1893.

And the passant lion.

-So you're quite right. It's silver, a good maker, nice year.

-Yes.

-It's a very decorative piece, isn't it?

-Yes.

We've got some wonderful flower decoration and leaf decoration.

Quite naturalistic, around the body of each of the teapot,

the sugar bowl and the milk jug.

It's a really, really attractive thing.

Silver's doing really well at the moment

whether it be in scrap or as an item.

The thing with this is we're going to sell it as an item.

-You wouldn't want to scrap such a beautiful piece.

-No.

I think if we took this to auction

we could put a pre-sale estimate of 250 to 350,

with a reserve of 230.

-Right.

-Would you be happy with that?

Yes, we have talked about it,

and the grandchildren will benefit from it.

That's good. How many grandchildren do you have?

-Seven.

-Seven grandchildren.

-At least they'll all get a bit of money, won't they?

-Yes.

These valuation days are such fun.

Sometimes I feel like playing around!

All hand-forged, made in Scotland.

Back to business. Charlie's getting personal with Margaret!

Margaret, have you been rummaging around your drawers at home?

Definitely! Rummaging in the drawers.

-What made you come along today?

-Because it was Flog It!

and these are cluttering up the drawers

so I thought I'd bring them along.

-Fantastic. Are you a fan of Flog It?

-Definitely, yes.

-Goody!

-Oh, yes.

There's a real mix here

-of quite nice and not so good.

-No. A bit of rubbish?

Rubbish. I'm glad you said it and I didn't.

Do you know where it all came from?

They belonged to my mother-in-law.

You've got three rings, two earrings, a cameo -

not a good quality cameo brooch -

and this is not gold, this chain.

And these are simulated pearls which are losing their colour rather fast.

-So, by and large, we can forget most of these items.

-Yes.

But the wedding band here is 22-carat gold.

-I'll have a look.

-That's good.

-22-carat.

-The best you can get is 24.

-Oh, right.

Most gold items are nine-carat.

And you have a nine-carat gold ring there.

Now, purely in scrap value today, gold is worth a lot of money.

-Yes.

-We also have a little three-stone diamond ring.

-Yes.

But it's illusion cut, if you know what I mean.

I've never heard of that.

You look at it from a distance and think, "That's a whopping diamond."

And the closer you get to it, the more you can see

that the actual setting is engraved cleverly and bright-cut

to give the impression of a diamond.

So when we actually get into it,

the diamond itself is a tiny little chip.

-Oh, right.

-So we don't have a huge value there.

When you pulled them out of your drawer, did you think,

"I'm going to win the pools today!"

No. I'd no idea how much they were worth

but I'd be interested to know if you know the date.

The date of the wedding band

-and the engagement ring is 1930 or thereabouts.

-That's right.

-Would that ring true?

-That would be my mother-in-law.

-Your mother-in-law.

-Yes.

-Can you remember when she got married?

-Yes. Maybe early '30s.

-Yes, that's about right.

I think that fits in with the dating of them.

Value. Have a guess.

£50?

£50. Well, I think it's worth at least twice that.

Well, I'm sure that this gold ring is worth the best part of £100.

-Right.

-So that's good news, isn't it?

-Yes.

Sadly, we can't add a great deal for the rest.

But we can certainly add 30 or £40.

-I'm thinking if we put 100 to £150 as an estimate.

-Yes.

-With a fixed reserve at 100.

-That sounds excellent.

-That would be good?

-That would be great. Yes.

And you can go and spend some money on something.

What would you spend it on?

I think I'd put it towards the New Zealand fund.

Are you going to New Zealand?

No. It's on my list.

Well, every little bit helps.

If you're having a clear-out,

why not bring your items to our valuation day?

You never know, it could help with your holiday fund.

Right. Now it's time to go off to auction

with Margaret's unwanted jewellery,

we're also taking David's silver trio,

and the zebra skin shield and spear.

Let's see what Simon has to say about those rare tribal pieces.

This is absolutely fabulous and fascinating.

Ethnic artefacts fly through the roof, don't they?

-They really love them.

-Anything tribal.

-Yep.

And with a bit of history,

and something like this which is unusual,

it's a rare skin, cos being a zebra skin,

it's not a standard weapon one.

It's not for fighting with. It's for special occasions.

So it lifts it. Cow hide is the normal one.

There's plenty of those about for 300 to 400 quid.

Has there been much interest?

Enough to get the old auctioneer quite excited!

-Really?

-Which is unusual for auctioneers!

Are you going to let me in on this, and the viewers?

I might just do that.

Shall we say there's been interest from its homeland

-and in the New World.

-Really?

-Yes.

But how much for?

I think rather more than four times top estimate.

OK. Someone's going home with a great deal of money.

That's really exciting.

First, Margaret, who's selling her jewellery

to raise money for a trip to New Zealand.

-Who do you want to see out there?

-Well, New Zealand was on the cards,

-but since...

-Changed your mind?

We've booked a cruise on the Queen Victoria.

-Oh!

-So that sounds... Next year, in the winter.

-Oh, how lovely! So this is a bit of spending money.

-Definitely, yes.

Gin and tonics. Gin and tonics on the deck!

-As the sun's going down.

-Oh, can I come?

You could do your antiques lectures, Charlie.

I could, yes!

On miscellaneous jewellery!

Anyway, it's going under the hammer now. Good luck.

Lot 422. The 22-carat wedding ring,

a diamond ring and other jewellery. Mixed lot.

£100?

100 I've got. 110 anywhere?

At £100. Selling at 100... 110.

120? 120.

130? At 120.

All done at 120?

Selling at 120. All done?

-Right on estimate. That's good, isn't it?

-That's good, yes.

That's a few nice bottles of wine!

-Yes, it is.

-Not many on that boat! They'll be expensive!

Margaret's happy with that. Let's see if Tracy can do even better

with David's silver trio.

We're talking about that silver tea service.

It's Victorian, it's Birmingham, late 1800s.

-You haven't had it long?

-No, only a few years.

-It's a good time to sell silver.

-Very good time.

-The prices are up.

Exactly. And it's a beautiful thing as well.

-It's a really gorgeous thing.

-Yes, I think so.

-I think I've been conservative again!

-Do you?

Oh. Is it a "come and buy me"?

-I hope so. I really do.

-Let's watch this.

-I hope so!

Let's have a nice surprise.

The three-piece silver tea service.

An Elkington one.

250 for that?

200 to start me.

At 200. 210. 220.

230. 240.

At 230. 240.

250. At 240.

All done at £240?

Selling at 240.

-Bottom of estimate. It's OK.

-It's OK.

-A good price.

-Yeah, it's OK.

It's what we said at the valuation day.

-Yeah.

-As long as you're happy.

-I'm happy with that.

Well, Tracy was spot-on with her reserve for the trio.

Now it's that exceptional Zulu shield and spear,

brought in by Nick.

I'm looking forward to this one!

It's great to meet Nicholas. I saw you at the valuation day

and I admired Charlie walking across the room

with this wonderful zebra skin shield,

and I thought, "Ooh, very nice!"

-Were you happy with the valuation, 100 to 200?

-I thought it was good.

I had a chat to the auctioneer and he said it could do a bit better.

-Oh!

-Really?

-A little bit.

-That would be pleasant.

-It would be.

-Yeah?

-If you make 14,000, I'll buy you lunch!

I don't think he hinted that much money, though!

No. I mean, Charlie, a brave move.

These things are so hard to put a price on.

Yes. You've seen one and you think you've seen them all,

but they're all different.

-They're handmade.

-It's beautifully made.

Why are you selling it? It's been part of the family for a long time.

I have a modern house and it's a bit small. I can't put it on the wall.

It's heart-rending to get rid of it, but...

Let's hope you get the top end of the estimate. £200.

What would you do with that?

We were going to buy our grandson a premium bond with some of the money.

-The rest will probably go to a lunch.

-Would it?

-Possibly.

-Did you hear that, Paul?

-What if you got £800 for this?

-Steady on!

-I know, but hang on, you never know!

Strange things happen in auction rooms.

-What would you do with £800?

-It would help towards a holiday.

OK. Let's hope you get a holiday.

It's lunch for you and me and a holiday for him!

I love auctions, I really do!

Let's find out what happens. It's now down to the bidders.

The zebra skin shield, a Zulu one.

What can we say for that? £200 to start me for it?

500 I'm bid. 550 anywhere?

-Splendid!

-£500. 550.

Six. 650.

Seven. 750.

Eight. 850? At £800, then.

Coming to you now, Pat, at 850.

£850!

I can't believe it!

850.

850? 900.

950.

1,000?

1,100 I'm bid.

1,150?

Oh, no!

£1,100, then, with Alan.

All done, then? It's with Alan at £1,100.

All done at £1,100? All finished?

Yes!

£1,100!

I told you something fabulous was going to happen!

Not 100 to 200, but 1,100!

How do you guys manage it?

-Well...

-Who do you pay?

Who are the BBC going to employ next, cos I've got the sack!

You were saying £800 would be a wonderful holiday.

You've got a lot more than 800. That's 1,100, Nicholas.

-Take my daughter with me.

-Oh, bless you.

A cracking end to a marvellous show.

I hope you enjoyed the surprise! Auction rooms are full of them.

Until the next time, from Oxfordshire, it's cheerio!