Warwick Flog It!

This is one of the most complete medieval castles in the country.

Today, Flog It comes to you from the very majestic Warwick Castle.

Castles like Warwick are full of tales of wonder and excitement.

That's exactly what we want and hopefully all the people here,

all laden with antiques, are gonna provide it.

'Our team of experts are here in force,

'led by Anita Manning, whose interest in antiques started with her granny's furniture.

'She leaves no stone unturned.'

-You've got more stuff?

-No. That's my lunch.

'And Thomas Plant, another tenacious auctioneer with a keen eye.'

That's a Military Medal. This is a good group.

'Coming up, Thomas establishes the facts.'

-I take it you are not a make-up wearer.

-Not my shade.

'Anita never fails to astonish me.'

My mum thinks I should get a wee cat

so there will be somebody to talk to me when I come home from work.

'I find out what's been happening in Stratford-upon-Avon.'

My powers are at their height.

Yours are overthrown!

'Anita's first at the table, with Wendy and daughter Penny.'

I am a great fan of 20th-century glass.

This is a lovely piece of Whitefriars.

Where did you get it, Wendy?

I got it in a charity shop. Yes.

-How much did you pay for it?

-And I paid 75 pence.

-Oh, that's a good buy.

-But it was grubby when I bought it.

I had to wash it.

-Did you know it was Whitefriars?

-I thought it might be.

I wasn't absolutely certain.

Did you do your research on it?

-I washed it and had a look at the bottom.

-That's always important.

If we look at that lovely polished pontil,

that base part which is joined to the rod.

If that's polished we know that that's quality.

It's also got a nice weight.

-Whitefriars has been making glass for over 200 years.

-Oh.

One reason why they were successful

is because they adapted to the changing times.

And in the 1970s, they employed a wonderful designer

called Geoffrey Baxter.

He was responsible for a magnificent range of glass

which became all the fashion

and has retained its value.

Even in today's market, the younger people love it.

This vase is called Sunburst, for obvious reasons.

-Yes.

-It was made in the 1970s.

-Very, very popular just now. Penny, do you like it?

-I love it.

It's beautiful. It's really lovely.

-Why are you letting Mum sell it?

-BOTH LAUGH

Mum's very kindly said that I can have it

to raise some money for the Cats' Protection League.

I've started fostering cats.

-So this will make some money?

-Yeah.

-She's a nice mum.

-She's lovely! Yes.

It's a wonderful little vase.

Some Geoffrey Baxter ones make four figures.

This is a smaller, more common one.

I would like to put it into auction at £60 to £80.

We'll put a reserve of 60.

-Would you be happy, Wendy, at that?

-Yes.

-Penny?

-Fantastic.

-Would that help to foster a good few kittens?

-Absolutely.

-I love it. Thank you very much for bringing it along.

-Thank you.

'Let's hope the Whitefriars fans are at the auction. Talking of fans,

'guess who this is supposed to be.'

Elvis is in the building!

'Next, Thomas with Terrence, and an unusually feminine item.'

Thank you for bringing the compact.

I take it you are not a make-up wearer.

-Not my shade.

-Not your shade?

-No!

-Who did it belong to?

My mother and I don't think it was HER shade because she never used it.

-Really?

-It was kept in the box in the drawer.

It was probably a wedding present to her in the 1930s.

And, as I say, she never used it.

It's made by Innoxa. That's quite a stylish lettering.

-Have you looked into them?

-I looked them up on the internet.

Innoxa was founded by a French dermatologist,

Dr Frederick Debat in 1920.

And it was a hypoallergenic make.

Isn't that amazing? In the '20s and '30s, developing make-up like that.

-Your mother was married in 1930?

-1938, '39.

So it's about that sort of period.

You can see the design on this chrome, with this green enamel.

Very big bold colours and geometric design.

The Deco in the '20s was geometric but fine, but this really hits you.

Yes. It does.

The mirror.

It's still got the original powder. Your mother...

She never used it so it's the original powder.

This is the powder. You do that.

Shake it and it comes out.

It has a little sifter thing that you open and then you dab it in.

-Why did you bring it today?

-It's just in our drawer.

When my mother died, there were bits and pieces that we had.

It is a very attractive piece that someone, perhaps a collector,

might appreciate.

There are compact collectors. There are Deco collectors as well.

We're more appealing to the compact collector.

I've never seen this type of compact before.

What's good is we've got the original box.

Being an unloved shade,

it's definitely been preserved so well with its box, et cetera.

-It's not worth a king's ransom.

-I appreciate that.

I don't think over £50. I think 30 to 50 is a sensible estimate.

I thought about 30, I must admit, when I was asked.

I think £30 to £50, very sensible. I'd put the reserve at £20.

I wouldn't want it to go for less than £20.

I have a friend who's interested and I'd rather give it to her than give it away.

-Shall we set the reserve at 25?

-That'll be fine. Yeah.

OK, we'll set the reserve at 25, the estimate at 30 to 50.

It gives the opportunity for collectors to buy it

-and maybe compete against each other.

-Hopefully!

'I think the original box will make the difference to collectors.

'Looks like some of our owners are making the most of the day.'

PAUL LAUGHS

Have we found our owner that's going home with a lot of money?

Stay tuned and you'll find out later in the show. Cheers, everybody.

'It's time to join Anita, Peter and Susan and some family heirlooms.'

Peter, where did you get them?

I inherited them from an uncle in 1995, with other bits and pieces.

They've been doing nothing since then.

You haven't worn them to a function, a fancy function or whatever?

I'm afraid we haven't been to a suitable function.

I doubt whether I would have worn them anyway.

Susan, what do you think of these?

They're very pretty, but they just sit in a drawer.

They sat there for 15 years and our son's not interested.

-I'd rather somebody appreciated them.

-Pass them on.

Quite a nice wee collection.

This one I particularly like.

It's in its original fitted box and I like that.

What I like even more, and I had a look earlier on,

when I open this watch...

it's hallmarked for 18-carat gold.

That is very, very good.

This gold price is high just now so it's a good time to sell.

It's a nice clean watch in good condition.

It's been protected by the fact that it's been in this original box.

It has a porcelain face in good condition.

Roman numerals.

We have our second hand

and we can tell by the movement of the second hand

that it's still in working order.

So a good clean item.

-How old would that be?

-I would say this would be from about 1880.

This wouldn't be the everyday watch. This would be the Sunday watch.

-A very nice watch of nice quality.

-Would it be an American watch?

It's in an American box but it's not an American watch.

-This would have been exported, sent to America and sold there.

-Right.

When we look at your other two, we have fairly standard watches.

This bonnie little watch is rolled gold.

It's not gold, but it's Elgin, which is a fairly good make.

And we have a silver pocket watch, your everyday watch.

We can see that it is attached to a silver Albert.

Each of these links is individually hallmarked with a little lion.

I would put those two as one lot.

And I would put this as one lot.

I would like to put this in with an estimate of £300 to £500.

-Would you be happy at that?

-Yes, as long as there's a reserve.

We will put a reserve of £300, a firm reserve on that.

But I have a feeling that we will go higher than the bottom estimate.

I like to estimate conservatively.

-It makes the bidders hungry.

-Yes.

-That's what we want.

-We hope so!

This little lot, more ordinary. We'll put, perhaps, 40 to 60.

A firm reserve, again, of £40 on that wee lot. Do you feel...?

-Reasonably OK with that.

-Reasonably OK?

I want you to be happy. Your happiness is important to me!

-We'll chance it.

-We trust you.

Firm reserve £300.

-Firm reserve, £40.

-OK.

-It's been a delight to look at these items.

-And lovely to have you along.

-Nice to meet you, Anita.

People keep pouring in, laden with antiques and collectables.

It's thirsty work, so I'm not going anywhere without this.

Our experts have found the first items to take to the saleroom.

I'll leave you with a rundown of the items going under the hammer.

And I'm going off for a cup of tea.

'Wendy and Penny hope to sell their Whitefriars vase. I think they will.

'Terrence brought in his mother's powder compact.

'It's time to let the collectors have a chance at owning it.

'These watches have been sitting unloved in Peter and Susan's drawer.

'It's an opportunity to move them on.'

£40 down here. Anyone else...?

'It's always a good sign to see plenty of browsers at the auction.'

We're at Bigwood Auctioneers and Valuers in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Don't go away. I think somebody's going home with a lot of money.

'There's a buzz as the sale approaches.

'We have two auctioneers today selling our lots, Stephen Kaye

'and Christopher Ironmonger.

'We're kicking off with Stephen Kaye selling Wendy and Penny's lot.'

We've got a bit of Geoffrey Baxter. Guess what I'm going on about.

A bit of 20th-century modern, glass, Geoffrey Baxter designer.

You've got it! A bit of Whitefriars bought in a fair for 10p, 20p?

-Charity shop for 75 pence.

-75 pence!

It's a big outlay.

Hopefully, with Anita's valuation we'll get £50, £60.

-Have you got any cats?

-No.

My mum thinks that I should get a wee cat

so there will be somebody there to talk to when I come home from work.

LAUGHTER

-Mothers know best.

-She thinks I need a bit of company.

I'm sure you're not... There's so much male company you've got!

-You're auditioning for your fourth husband.

-That's right.

AUCTIONEER: The Geoffrey Baxter Whitefriars Sunburst vase.

I have a bid and I can start at £60. Anybody give me another five?

I'm on the book at 60 and I'm going to sell it.

65 at the back with the lady and I'm out. Anybody give me 70?

70. And five, madam?

70 with the gentleman. Was there a five down here?

70 with that gentleman at the back. All done?

£70! Geoffrey Baxter never lets us down.

Sold to that chap over there. That's a fair bit towards cat food.

-Brilliant.

-Good luck and keep up the brilliant work, cos there's too many stray cats and dogs.

'Anita has hit the nail on the head with her estimate,

'which is good news for the cats.

'Next, we have something that belonged to Terrence's mother.'

This is mint condition.

£30 to £50 is absolutely nothing for something from the 1930s.

-I know it caught your eye, Thomas.

-I am a lover of that Deco period.

We need a few ladies in to put their hands up and buy this one now.

The mid-20th century

card box and contents of the Innoxa powder and compact.

£20 for this lot? Interesting little collectable.

£20?

15, then? 15 I'm bid. 20. 25. 30, is it?

25 with the lady here. 30 if you want to carry on.

I'm going to sell it, make no mistake. £25 it's going to be sold.

Are we all done and finished at 25...?

-Yes. It's gone. We got it away at just under £30, at £25.

-Yeah.

-Relieved.

-Yes. It was a really nice thing.

-It went to a lady.

-It did. I noticed. Yes. A lady of taste!

'It did as expected and I'm sure the new owner will enjoy it.

'Now for Susan and Peter's pocket watches.

'Stephen Kaye is selling them as two lots.'

Time is up for Peter and Susan. We've got the fob watches going under the hammer. Great to see you.

These watches, the second of the lots, the gold one.

Beautifully presented, £300 to £500. But I like the other two.

Nice clean watches and we've got a silver Albert.

I might have been a wee bit conservative.

-I think you were. Just a little bit.

-I hope you were.

We'll have words afterwards.

Right, let's find out what the bidders think. It's down to them.

Two nice pocket watches.

An American Elgin one and another.

Would somebody like to start me at £40? 40 I have in the middle.

I'll take five. And 50. And five.

And 60. And five. 60 with the stripes.

And five. And 70. And five. 80. Five. 90.

Five. 100? And ten?

£100 in the stripes. Anyone else? 110. 120? 130?

140?

130 with you, sir. Anybody else?

All done at 130?

That's more like it! £130!

Here's the second lot. We're looking at £300 to £500 for the gold watch.

Another 18-carat gold pocket watch. Very nice thing. I've got some bids.

-I can start here at £300...

-Yes!

-Straight in.

..360. 380. 400. And 20. 440. 460. 480?

500. And 20? 540.

560?

All right. I'll go 560. Anybody give me 580?

570.

I'll go 575. Make it 580? I'm out. Anybody else?

At £580 with this gentleman here. Anyone else?

What a great result! Well over the top end.

-That is a grand total of £710.

-Wow.

Somebody tells me

-that's going towards a trip.

-Australia.

-Have you been there before?

-Yes, we've been three times.

-So we're going again.

-You're going again. Enjoy. That's one air ticket!

'That'll help pay for those flights. Good results all round.

'I'm off to find out about some major changes in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon.'

This is Stratford-upon-Avon.

I'm outside the house that William Shakespeare was born in, in 1564.

People from all over the world come here, almost on a pilgrimage.

You can understand why.

Shakespeare's possibly the most famous playwright in the world.

'But Stratford offers more to those interested in the works of Shakespeare.

'You can see the work performed by an organisation

'that has a unique and world class approach -

'the Royal Shakespeare Company.

'Working here is almost a rite of passage for British actors.

'Everyone from Sir Laurence Olivier to Dame Judi Dench

'has learned their craft here.'

Over the past few years there's been a transformation.

Michael Boyd took over as the Artistic Director in 2003,

and work began on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

The idea is for it to be the best modern playhouse in the world.

The thrust stage projects into the auditorium which seats 1,000 people.

It brings the audience closer to the actors and is going to be fabulously exciting.

It's nearly finished and a new chapter is soon to begin.

This takes the company back to some of its founding principles.

In 1875, local brewer Charles Flower launched a campaign

to build a theatre in the town of Shakespeare's birth.

His donation was the two-acre site the theatre sits on today.

His idea was an ensemble company,

where actors felt secure in their jobs

and received thorough instructions.

Behind here are the doors to the new theatre which, for the first time,

will open outwards towards the town.

That's not by accident. A lot of design has gone into both the inside and the outside.

Unfortunately, we can't get in there today because the building work is still going on.

All this doesn't mean that the Royal Shakespeare company has stopped performing.

This is the Courtyard Theatre, their temporary theatre until their new one opens.

I'm here to meet Struan Leslie, Head of Movement,

a post created to exploit the full potential of the thrust stage.

What are you working on and are there any new challenges for you?

Right now, we're working on the Morte D'Arthur, not Shakespeare.

It's the King Arthur stories so that, in itself, is a challenge.

'One of the sections of the piece is the end of Merlin.

'He's trying to seduce the Lady of the Lake.'

Yay, devil!

Ye would draw me into the circle and have my maidenhood.

Come, lady.

'He gets caught... She traps him under a stone.'

So we had to set up how he did that, him drawing her in,

'the idea of there being a spell between them.'

Head up. Open it out.

'They wind round each other.'

And then pull out from each other and she, again, knocks him over

'without actually hitting him, but it gets that feeling.

-'So there's energy.

-Energy but no actual blow.

'It is hard to do.'

My powers are at their height.

Yours are overthrown!

'A lot of the actors maybe would not have worked on a thrust stage.'

The thrust stage is rare. There's more theatres in the round in the UK than there are thrusts.

When we go back into the Royal Shakespeare Theatre,

it'll be one of the largest in the world.

The stage is about ten and a half metres deep.

The audience are kind of wrapped round you in a horseshoe.

-Great for them and the actor.

-Yeah. It feels like you get in at all the angles.

-Debs, can we try it so you don't come so far in?

-Yeah.

It's just so we get the distance.

-Then we get the rock, but also more of the auditorium.

-Yeah.

Then open up your back so you've got awareness of that whole bit.

OK.

Beneath this rock are concealed great wonders.

Yay, devil!

You would draw me into the circle and have my maidenhood!

'They have to be more mobile.'

-So it's really exciting because...

-A real challenge.

-A real challenge.

-There's no escaping the audience.

-Absolutely not!

That is truth...

'The audience will be, maximum, 15 metres from the stage.'

In the old theatre, the furthest seat, which I sat in as an 18-year-old in 1982,

was 27 metres from the stage.

It's almost half the distance, so it's really immediate.

What difference will the new theatre make?

It's not just in terms of performance.

It's also our relationship to the outside world in Stratford

and wider than that.

The way the building in 1932 was a landmark,

we're making a new landmark.

Technically, it allows us to do stuff that we've not been able to.

There's a seven-metre pit under the stage.

Imagine a four-metre tall tree coming up.

-Very nice!

-Magically.

And then flying away into the heavens above the stage.

So Juliet's balcony could be at the top of a tower coming up out of the stage!

-This will be the best theatre in the world.

-We're not blowing our trumpet too much but hopefully.

Farewell, Merlin.

Thou shall never crawl out from under this stone,

for all the witchcraft ye can do.

SHRIEKS

No!

Blackout. Go.

'Our experts are working through the crowds at Warwick Castle.

'Thomas, who specialises in toys,

'has found Sue, who shares his enthusiasm for cars.'

-Sue, what a fantastic collection of Dinky cars. Were they yours?

-Yes.

I had a lot more than that when I was a child.

-I collected quite a few over the years.

-I want to explore this.

-As a young girl, did you save your pocket money to buy the cars?

-Yes.

-One a week?

-Certainly, it was one at a time, I can't remember exactly.

Probably some were presents as well.

I had an older brother who collected them

and one follows what one's older brother does.

That got me interested.

You were... Do you mind me saying, were you more of a tomgirl?

I don't think really, but I certainly wasn't a dolls child, no.

-What happened to the rest?

-I gave some away many years ago.

I've still got some. Things like a fire engine, ambulance.

Why have you brought this selection today?

I just wanted to cut down a bit

and I picked out the ones I least wanted to keep.

-You were buying these as a girl just after the war.

-Yes.

-So, '46 onwards.

-Probably, yes.

-I think the Lagonda's beautiful.

-Everybody likes the Lagonda.

-It's wonderful, isn't it?

You've got the black solid base. The tyres look in good order.

There's a little bending

to one of the axles, which will affect value.

It's in remarkably good condition. You haven't repainted it?

-No.

-There is a slight bit of paint chipping.

But you forgive that for something which is 60 years old.

What's remarkable is the Cellophane window is still there.

Normally, this is missing.

These were toys which were meant to be played with.

You were a good girl!

-I think I probably was. Yes.

-None of my toys are like this!

Right, valuation. What are we going to put on this as a collection?

-They're all post-war. Pre-war Dinkys a lot more desirable.

-Yes.

I would have thought we are looking at

£30 for the Lagonda just on its own.

These two here are going to be worth about £30 each.

The transporter is quite rare. £30.

And I would have thought this is 30 to 40.

We're already at 150, so I would say an estimate for this lot is £150 to £250.

-Right. Oh, that's very good.

-How do you like that?

-Sounds fine.

I think selling it as a lot is a better idea.

I can imagine a toy collector or a dealer buying this

and moving it on to a collector.

The reserve, I would say, 100 fixed.

-That's very sensible.

-Right.

-How does that grab you?

-Excellent.

-You won't be sad?

-No, not really. As I say, I still have others.

-I've got a good feeling that they're going to do quite well.

-Lovely.

-We'll see you at the auction?

-Yes. Thank you.

'Sue sounds very happy with that.

'Anita spotted an unusual colourful plate belonging to Marcus.'

-Marcus, welcome to Flog It.

-Thank you, Anita.

I was drawn to this plate.

The vibrancy of the colour is beautiful. It's singing out to me.

-Where did you get it?

-It's been in the family for quite a long while.

It belonged to my wife's parents. We think it was a wedding present.

Back in the '30s.

-Do you have it on display, Marcus?

-No. It's tucked away in a cupboard.

It's not really valued at home.

-Is it not your taste? Do you like it?

-I like it.

It doesn't do too much for me, really.

-It doesn't turn you on?

-No. ANITA LAUGHS

Well, I love these singing blues. I love the pinks.

I love the purples and I love the subject.

We have an exotic bird and a background of flowers and leaves.

If we turn it round and look at it, there is no back stamp.

No. We don't know who it is.

-We don't know which factory it came from.

-There are some initials.

Somewhere.

There.

I found this interesting.

-In my opinion, it's from a Staffordshire factory.

-Yes.

But we have this name here and I believe it's Francis Dean.

I think it's from the 1930s.

It's faintly reminiscent of Moorcroft.

I think that it's not tube lining, the plate was moulded

and then hand-painted.

This was a technique that was often used by the French

and the French factories.

There were many Frenchmen working

in the English, and in particular Staffordshire, factories.

Late 19th early 20th century.

-I think it's absolutely lovely.

-Is it a rarish item, Anita?

-It's not, Marcus, a "fine" item.

-No.

It's not a fine item. It's a studio piece.

-For me, the attraction lies in the colour.

-Yes.

And the subject and the signature.

I would like to put it to auction with a conservative estimate.

I think that probably 30 to 50

-is the right estimate for it.

-Right.

-I don't think that it will go higher than the top estimate.

-I see.

-Shall we put a reserve price on it to protect it?

-I think so.

-The lower figure, £30?

-£30?

-Yes.

-With a wee bit of discretion.

-Why not?

If we get two people there who need it, it could go a bit higher?

That's the excitement of the auction, Marcus.

-We never know...

-No.

-..what the outcome is until the hammer falls.

I'm looking forward to the auction. I've never been so it's exciting.

-We will stand there and hold hands!

-Wonderful!

And I hope there will be a big smile on your face when the hammer falls.

You never know, do you?

'I'm glad we have the opportunity to introduce Marcus to the auctions.

'My choice next.

'Sue's brought in a lovely painting of an enigmatic lady.'

It's beautiful. Do you know much about her?

All I know is that she's reputed to be a lady of the court of Louis XIV.

It belonged to my mother-in-law, who inherited it from her aunt.

-You've had this on the wall, it's so beautiful?

-Yes.

-What a frame!

For me, it's in the style of Angelica Kauffmann, a Swiss artist.

She was born in 1741 and died around 1806 or 1807.

-She was accepted by the newly formed Royal Academy.

-Wow.

Her father was an artist.

He took her to all the museums.

-She was colouring-in his backgrounds on his works when she was six.

-Wow.

She was a child prodigy.

A well-respected artist. I say "in the manner of" cos it's not signed.

I did attempt to cut open the back and then I stopped,

in case you didn't want to sell it!

You can see that the frame was made in Paris.

This is a 19th-century frame on an 18th-century pastel.

It's not contemporary with the picture.

This may have been cut down or it may have been in an oval form.

I'm pretty sure the size was this all along.

There would have been a his and a hers.

-Along the line...

-They've got parted.

-So there's a mystery.

I'm pleased we've got this half, the female half.

-Women...

-I understood, because she didn't have much jewellery,

it was one of the lower ladies of the court, not the higher echelons.

-She must be quite pretty.

-You can be important and not wear jewellery.

You've got no jewellery on and I'm sure you're quite important.

-I've a feeling the frame is worth half the value.

-It is beautiful.

I don't know anything more, just the frame is quite pretty.

Now, I'd like to say this is worth

around £400 to £600, I don't know what you feel.

-I... Yes. That was the sort of figure I was expecting.

-Yeah?

-Let's do it, then. £400 to £600 with a fixed reserve at £400?

-OK, then.

Thank you so much for bringing this in.

'What a treat to find something so special.

'Let's have another look at our items before we head off to auction.

'Thomas really enjoyed looking at Sue's toy collection.

'I imagine that the bidders will also be very keen.

'Let's hope Marcus's coloured plate attracts the attention it deserves.

'And this 18th-century pastel in its 19th-century frame

'is quite simply delicious.

'What more can I say?

'Stephen Kaye is putting our first item under the hammer.'

So far, so good, and something to put you in the mood is Marcus.

-He is a swing band drummer.

-Hello, Paul.

-You're still playing?

-Absolutely.

Good luck with the wall plate. It's been in the family a long time.

-Not a lot of money, though. £30? £50?

-But it's very pretty.

There is a monogram.

We couldn't recognise it. I was hoping the auctioneer might.

-If not, someone out there.

-It's a "come and buy me".

-We might get a surprise.

-That's what auctions are all about.

It could end in a drum roll from Marcus. Here we go.

AUCTIONEER: This Staffordshire wall plate.

£20? Thank you, madam. Anybody going to give me 22?

-I've got 22. 25...?

-We want more than £22.

30. And two? Yes, at the back there.

35, madam?

32 with the young lady standing. Anybody else? All done at £32?

-Hm. £32.

-It's within estimate.

-Yes.

-It's gone.

-That's true. They've got a bargain.

-That's a few drumsticks!

I wish Marcus could have done better on his first trip to the saleroom.

'Before the sale of the charming pastel,

'I met Christopher Ironmonger to see what the auction house makes of it.'

I was curious to find out whether or not it had been signed

on the back or just out of sight on the frame.

We didn't really want to trust taking the pins out.

Once you start pulling things out of frames, they look as though they've been messed around with.

It can arouse suspicions that are totally unfounded.

-Frankly...

-Best left alone.

-It's best left alone.

We think it's got a presence. It's got grace and composition.

The vendor decided they wanted to up the reserve a little bit.

-We've got it in at 500.

-Mid-estimate.

-We're comfortable. It's not a great change.

-Fingers crossed it does more than the top end.

-We're optimistic.

We've had enquiries from the right sort of people.

-That's what we like. Lots of interest.

-We'll see on the day.

'It's up next. Sue has upped the lower estimate and reserve to £500.

'Let's see how it does.'

-I think this is the nicest thing in the saleroom.

-Good.

-I really do.

-If it doesn't do well, it's going home.

-Back on the wall.

Here it is. It's going under the hammer.

It's a head and shoulders,

lady purportedly from the court of Louis XIV.

I've got a lot of interest and I've got 450 on the book.

450 on the book here. 450. 450. 500, is it?

On the book here at 450 and you'll miss it. At 450.

Do you want to bid on the phone? 500.

500 and I'm clear.

At 500 on the phone.

Is it 50 now in the room? At 500 on that telephone.

£500. At 500. 50, surely?

At £500...

-He's sold it.

-She's not coming home.

-It went to a lady on the phone.

-Yes.

-You're a bit sad now, aren't you?

-Well, I am a little bit.

-But it's nice that it fetched 500.

-That's auctions for you.

You're the proud owner one minute, then that hammer's gone down and you don't own it any more.

-I really am pleased for you.

-Thank you.

'You know, I wouldn't have minded owning that myself.

'Now for Sue's brilliant collection of toy cars.

'She has slightly raised the reserve to £130.'

-I love the racing cars. Were they your favourite?

-No. I like lorries.

I've still got some, I'm afraid. An ambulance and fire engine.

-Does Thomas know? He'll be round playing with them.

-Don't be nasty.

-I'm not that mercenary.

-Cracking lot, though.

The early ones fetch good money. You put £150 to £250 on these.

Will we be in for a big surprise?

-The toy collectors are here.

-We might fall between 150, 250.

We might get the upper end.

-The collectors are definitely here. Good luck, Sue.

-Thank you.

-Wave goodbye.

We've got a selection of Dinky Toys. An interesting lot.

I can start straight off at £100. 110. 120, he says.

130? 120 it is over there. 130. 140.

150. 160. 170. 180.

190? 190.

200. 210. 220. 230. 240. 250.

-260. 270...

-Now we're talking serious money!

..I'll take 270.

260... 270.

280? 290...

-300, please!

-..300. 320?

£300 at the front here.

At 300. Are you sure you're all done? Last chance.

-I'm ever so pleased.

-How wonderful.

-The hammer went down. £300.

-You've got to be happy!

-I am. It's going to charity.

-Which one?

-It's two.

-Give them a plug.

One is Restore, which is bringing churches together,

a befriending service for refugees and asylum seekers.

-The other one is Pax Christi, a Catholic peace movement.

-Well done.

-So I'm very chuffed.

-Every penny helps.

It's all over for our owners but I have had a fabulous day in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Our owners have gone home happy, all credit to our experts.

It's not an exact science valuing antiques.

If you've got anything you want to sell, we want to see you. From Bigwood's, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd