Bangor Flog It!

Welcome to "Flog It!", the show that values your unwanted antiques and whisks them off to auction.

Today, we're in the beautiful north-west corner of Wales, in Bangor.

Bangor occupies a unique location in the UK.

Situated between the mountains and the sea, it boasts 10 national nature reserves, a National Park,

two designated areas of outstanding beauty, and 83 sites of special scientific interest.

All within 15 miles of the city.

And now there's another special site of interest to add.

As for one day only, "Flog It!" is at Bangor University.

And if you look closely, you might be able to see

a lesser-spotted expert casting his eyes

over some antiques and collectibles.

And rustling through the shrubbery today, we have experts Mark Stacey and Adam Partridge.

This lady said I was her favourite valuer, so that's quite rare, isn't it?

Adam's passion for antiques started when he was studying at Oxford University.

But it was in his early days as a porter that he learnt most of his valuable lessons.

And I ran to pick up a jug like that...

The jug fell off. And I was left holding the handle.

So I never hold anything by the handle.

Mark is a proper grown-up valuer, but he still says he has the most fun doing "Flog It!".

-Do you want to do that?

-No, I'll do the car.

-I want to do the car.

-Oh, it's like that now, is it?

-Yes.

Both experts will be leading a team of valuers as we try to find out the best items to take off to auction.

Coming up, we've got a show full of surprises.

-Did you have any high expectations?

-Well, no, because I was always told it was a piece of costume jewellery.

So, what do you think that's worth, then?

I've no idea. Not very much, I suspect.

Look at this.

That's scary.

Art Nouveau, silver mirror.

-What do you think about that?

-Well, I'm amazed.

-A bit shocked?

-Yes.

-I think we are a bit taken back as well.

Well, everybody is now safely seated.

Inside, there's hundreds of people which means

plenty of antiques for our experts to get their teeth stuck in to.

And it looks like Adam is first at the tables.

And he's with Patricia who's got high hopes for her fishy item.

-Welcome.

-Thank you.

-And what a curious item.

I really like this little thing here. What can you tell me yourself?

It's been in the family for a few generations. As far as I know, it belonged to my great grandmother.

Your great-grandmother? So, that's 19th century, then, isn't it?

Yes.

-Do you like it?

-I love it.

-It's great fun, isn't it?

-Yes. So unusual.

It's fully articulated, isn't it, along the end.

And you've got little ruby eyes.

-And then the head pulls off, doesn't it?

-Yes.

Just give it a tug. There we are.

-And that unscrews.

-And this unscrews.

And then, in there, we've got this sort of internal division there, haven't we?

What do you think it's for?

I was told a few years ago that it was for the use of opium.

For the use of opium? I wouldn't know anything about that.

I wouldn't. Somebody told me.

It's certainly not English.

It's not hallmarked, there's no marks on it at all.

It will be silver, it feels like silver.

The use of the ruby in the eyes perhaps indicates it could be Indian.

Then another of my colleagues said it's Chinese.

So, we've all had a look at this and we're not 100% sure...

..what it is or where it comes from.

But I've seen similar things that come on the market.

Let's call it an Eastern white-metal container. In the form of a fish.

And we probably can't be more specific than that.

Why do you want to sell it?

It's a shame it sitting there

and not a lot of people see it. It's beautiful.

-It is a lovely thing.

-It's interesting.

Estimate wise, similar objects seem to make £60-£80, maybe £100, that sort of thing. Does that fit in

-with your expectations.

-Fine.

I think we should put a reserve of 60 there.

And if it doesn't make that, you'll have it back. But I think it'll go swimmingly.

-So do I. I hope so.

-Thank you very much for bringing it.

-And we'll see what happens at the auction.

-Look forward to it.

Patricia's not the only one who's brought in an interesting item today.

Do you know, it's surprising what you find.

In all these bags and boxes, there's something different wherever you go in any part of the UK

-and there's something I'll show you in this bag, if I can just pick it up. What's your name?

-Diane.

Can I borrow this for a second?

Are you ready for this?

It's a little Chihuahua.

Not for sale!

-What's her name?

-Ebony.

-Ebony. Look.

There's Ebony. Look at Ebony.

Ah!

Well, Ebony might not be for sale but Generys and Meryl have two dogs that definitely are.

Tell me where you got these wonderful greyhounds from.

They were my mother's, she must have had them 50 years.

And when she passed away, I had them.

-And where do they live at home?

-In the cupboard.

A display cabinet?

-No.

-No? Locked away?

Don't see the light of day? What a shame.

Why have you brought them along today?

Well, they're no use to me at all.

Do you like them, Meryl?

-They'd be stuck in my cupboard as well.

-And your children?

They would sell them. They would take them out of my cupboard to sell them.

That's the trouble with brass and copper these days. It does need a lot of cleaning.

The reason I like them is because they're a pair of greyhounds.

And they're named. They're obviously champions.

And, in their day, they would have been well known, which is why these have been made of them.

They would have gone in a hearth or on a mantelpiece.

Have you done any research on them?

Well, we saw on the internet...

-Oh, the internet!

-19th Century.

-I think they are because if you look at them,

they've that lovely warm colour that shows you they've got some age to them.

Brass does go that sort of mellow colour after a number of years and you can't really fake that.

Collectors of period furniture and pewter, and things like that, they like pieces like this to go

on dressers, or around fireplaces because they just help create that 19th century look in a home.

And I think that's who they would appeal to.

In terms of value, what do you think?

-Have you any ideas?

-No idea whatsoever.

-£10?

A bit more than that.

-You have got an idea.

-150? I don't know.

I think that might be the top end.

If I was valuing them honestly, I'd probably say

£100-£150, with a reserve, at say, 100 with 10% discretion.

But, I would hope they would make the higher end of that.

How do you feel about that?

-You just want to get rid of them, don't you?

-Yeah.

Well, then, let's do it, shall we?

Well, let's hope Generys and Meryl's greyhounds will make a dash for cash later in the auction.

Now, Adam has spotted a nice collection brought in by Jean.

-Now, were these yours?

-Yes, they were.

So, they aren't that old, really.

-No, very nice of you.

-I presume you didn't play with them.

I did. I put them back in their boxes after I played with them.

Well, that's very diligent.

I still put everything back in its box. I still do.

A good thing, nice and neat and tidy.

I don't have a very tidy home, but, I like things inside things.

-I like things stored, you know?

-Right.

-In boxes.

-Yes, you like a bit of order and correctness.

-I like boxes.

I often think when I see toys in their original boxes that they didn't get played with.

This one's the tattiest because I played with that one the most because that's a car that we had.

-Is that a Morris Marina?

-No, it's a Cortina, I think. Isn't it?

We had that at the time so I would have that one.

So, you've got your Dinky Cortina there, you've got a McLaren there,

the racing type, you've got your Spectrum Patrol Car which I think is quite a nice one there.

-And, of course, you've got your boxed helicopter, the Sea King helicopter.

-With the lunar module.

-The Apollo module.

-That dates itself, doesn't it?

The Apollo module. And it's still got the winch.

-They're in very nice condition, aren't they?

-Yes.

So, can you give us an indication of what sort of year you got these?

-It would be in the 60s some time, I would think. Early 60s.

-That's right.

I presume you've got no need for them now?

No, I don't think so. I think I'm a bit old to play with them now.

-No family, so...

-Where were they before you brought them down today?

They were in storage at Mum's. They were in an old record case at Mum's.

-She'll be glad of more space.

-Yeah.

-They're not going to make a great deal.

No, but they make more than Mum would by throwing them in the bin.

-Oh, yes.

-Which is what she wants to do.

She's a thrower.

-And you're the opposite?

-Yes.

-A thrower meets a hoarder.

-Yes.

-I'm going to estimate £30-£50 on the lot.

-Right.

I think we let them make their own price.

-Yep.

-Is that all right?

-Yes, that's fine.

-People always like Dinkys.

-Yes.

-And they always make what they should.

-That's fine.

-We'll leave it to that, then.

-Lovely.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Those are our first item was ready to go off to auction which today

is at Rogers, Jones and Co in Colwyn Bay with auctioneer David Rogers.

But before we start selling, I want to show you a piece of furniture.

It's a chest of drawers. It's sort of early 19th century circa 1810-1820.

Lot number 41. It says £70-£100,

for restoration.

Now, top's mahogany, the face side is fruitwood and the general carcass...

..is pine which is what you'd expect. It's got its original locks.

The handles have been changed.

It's easy to see if the handles have been changed because you just pull the drawer out,

they're the nuts and bolts for the back plate,

but, look, there's another hole there.

So, throughout its lifetime, this has been updated

and you can forgive the handles for been changed in a piece like this.

I mean, we all do it to our kitchens, we all change the doors or change the little knobs.

It's a lovely chest of drawers, it's beautifully made.

The drawers are cock-beaded, that's a sign of quality.

That a nice architectural finish so you don't see the end grain.

If I can show you this one here, look, that's just dead flat.

That's not very nice at all. That does just say classic brown to me.

I wouldn't touch that one. But this one is worth buying because it's going to last another 200 years.

You don't have to do a thing to it.

Just give it a polish and it's just lovely. It's a good size.

It'll fit in a cottage, fit in a bedroom, it'll fit in a hallway.

And you always need storage. And for 100 quid, you can't go wrong.

Now is such a good time to buy something like this.

There are nearly 500 lots going under the hammer today,

amongst them the first three items

our experts picked out at the valuation day.

There's Patricia's beautiful articulated silver fish.

The unloved brass greyhounds brought in by Generys and Meryl.

And finally, Gillian's childhood collection of Dinky toys.

First to be sold is Patricia's unusual fish.

Why are you selling this? It's beautiful.

-It's not a lot of money, you should keep it.

-I don't know, I should really.

-Yeah.

-I think it deserves a better home.

-But it's such a novelty, it really is.

-It is a novelty.

-Because you get a little surprise, you can sort of pull the fish apart.

I've already had it for years in the family, and we didn't know that the head came off.

We were quite surprised when I found out that it did.

Gutted, I bet!

You're scaling the depths here.

If this was English silver, it would do a lot of money.

-It'd be a few hundred pounds, wouldn't it?

-Yes. Good luck, both of you.

Now it's going to go under the hammer. Let's find out what the bidders think.

The very nice silver fish. We think a little needle holder.

It is openable, I think you take his head off or something or other.

It's a very nice silver fish. Bid me £80?

It's all there, with the stopper and everything. 80 I'm bid.

-He's reeling them in.

-It's a little beauty.

At 80, 80 I'm bid. 90 anywhere?

At 80, 80 bid. Is there 90?

Come on, anybody who collects, erm...

Fish. Bits of small silver, this is the piece for you.

At £80 only. Nine if you like?

90 if you like? Come on. £80.

All finished? 90. I'd like to make level money, 100.

I have done. 100 bid.

And again, sir?

100, final call. All done now?

Well done, £100. Well done, Adam. That's good. There is commission to pay.

-I'm going to take the family out on that, for a meal.

-Are you?

-Fish and chips.

A good result for Patricia, and there's plenty of money left over for a slap-up fish supper.

Next up it's that pair of unwanted greyhounds.

I've just been joined by Gen and Meryl,

and we're about to put the brass greyhounds to the test. We need £150-odd.

Why are you selling the greyhounds?

-I don't really want them.

-You don't want to clean brass anymore, do you?

-I have never cleaned them.

-Never has!

Never have?!

These should do around about £100?

They're something for the traditionalist.

They're named, which is rather nice. They're a lovely colour. They should make that.

Very decorative item. Good luck.

You don't want to see them going home, do you? No, let's get rid of them. Here we go.

These are nice quality, these fireside greyhounds.

What's nice is, they're both each individually modelled.

Colworths Fullerton and the other, Farndon Ferry, £120?

80 I'm bid. 80 bid, at 80.

First to 100. At 80, 80 bid. These are quality.

At 80, is there 100?

At £80 only. 100 anywhere?

At £80, come on, come on.

I'll split with you, go 90.

At £80, is there 90?

At £80 only,

in which case we have to leave them.

Can we sell them at 80? Yes, sell them.

Sell them at 80? OK, in your hands.

£80 is a book bid. 90 now?

At £80, a book bid. All finished?

You see what happened there, the auctioneer asked us if we were

happy to sell at £80, and we kind of went, "Yeah".

We gave him the nod, didn't we?

Cos it was a bit more than a 10% discretion, but you didn't want to take them home.

So they're gone, £80.

The price was close to the reserve, so the auctioneer did the right thing

in checking with us to see if we were happy to let the greyhounds go.

And Generys and Meryl were more than happy to be going home with the money.

Now it's Gillian's box-set toy collection.

Boys and their toys. But in this case, it's girls. It's Gillian's!

-And they're boxed.

-Yes.

You obviously said, "Dad, buy me some cars."

I loved cars, yes.

I couldn't decide whether I was a boy or a girl, I think!

I liked boys' toys as well as girls'.

They are very collectable, especially with the boxes, that's sometimes 30% of the value.

-I'd always put them back in the boxes.

-What a diligent girl she was.

I used to take mine out of the box and chuck the box.

Yeah, well, I don't even know if I've got any.

I still put things back in boxes, I'm terrible for it.

-Look, we've pitched for around about £40-50.

-30-50 estimate.

-It might make a bit more than that.

-They should do.

-What's your prediction? 60?

-Yes, £60.

Hopefully a little bit more, but 60 is a good starting point.

It depends how many toy collectors there are here, because there's not many toys here.

-No.

-There's one other lot, so it won't encourage...

-That's the danger.

-Yes. It won't encourage too many collectors to come here.

-But it is online.

-Yep.

-And everything gets found, it seems.

Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

Here we go, this is it.

Three boxed Dinky cars. McLaren patrol car, Dinky 164.

Nice, and there's a Sea King helicopter as well.

467, a nice selection. £100?

100? Give me 80.

50?

50 I am bid at 50. 50 bid.

-At 50.

-Straight in, 50, good.

50 bid, 60 anywhere?

At 50, 50 bid. Is there 60?

£50 only.

Online, the bid. At £50.

Is there 60? At £50 only.

I think that's about their money.

I haven't got a reserve, but it's a poor price. 60 bid.

60, have another go.

At 60, £60. Is there 70? 70 bid. 80.

80 bid. 80. And again now.

£80. 90?

-Yes.

-90 I'm bid.

It's a little bit better.

He's teasing the bids out of these people online.

Level money would be nice. At £90 only.

Online. 90 is online. Can you give me 100?

Yes. £100.

The collectors are sitting at home, pushing a few buttons.

I can imagine the toy collectors.

Surrounded by toys around the computer.

-£100 online.

-And 10.

110, 110 bid.

And again?

£110, final call.

110.

-Gillian, happy?

-I'm very happy cos I forgot I'd got them

and I nearly didn't get them out at the valuation day.

And we got the top end of the estimate.

-We did, we got over, £110 was good.

-Very good.

-Thank you very much.

What a fantastic result for Gillian.

Collectors just love items that are fresh to the market,

and if they're up for auction, or on the internet, they'll be uncovered.

Now I'm off to uncover some rich sounds of Wales's musical past.

Wales is known as the land of the song.

Male voice choirs boom out across the valleys, and music is considered

to be the cement of the Welsh identity.

All through history music has been of huge importance to the Welsh.

In fact, back in medieval times, music was so important

that musicians, or bards, occupied a privileged position in Welsh society.

They used poetry and music to celebrate victory in battle, or to

add expression to national or religious sentiments.

They had a high status in life.

You could say they had a good gig because they didn't pay any

taxes, and they were also exempt from military service.

The Welsh bards generally played one of three instruments -

The harp, the pipe and a third which not many people have heard of.

It's called the crwth.

The earliest known reference to a crwth goes back around to the 11th century.

And that was played throughout Europe, but it survived the longest

in Wales, going right through to the 19th century.

However, once the versatile and more powerful fiddle came along,

the crwth was increasingly seen as old-fashioned.

By the end of the 18th century, nobody was playing it.

So complete was the abandonment of the instrument, that only three are known to have survived.

And those, thank goodness, are in various Welsh museums.

But a resurgence of interest in traditional Welsh folk music has

inspired a few musicians to try and unravel the mysteries of the crwth, using modern reproductions.

And I've come to meet one of them, Cass Meurig, who released the

world's first CD of crwth music in 2004.

Lovely. There was so much going on there, so many subtleties.

If you weren't looking, it sounded like three or four people playing.

It's got a lot of volume to it.

Well you have to be quite loud, because in the Middle Ages, you didn't have amplification.

And they would have played for dancing as well as for listening.

And probably accompanied singers.

How many people are playing this today, do you think, in Wales?

Well, there are crwth players and crwth owners.

OK!

There are probably at least 20 people in Wales that own a crwth.

There are lots of people in America that own crwths, because they e-mail me quite a lot.

-It's very popular in the States?

-Well, it's not popular, but there

are a handful of nutters that are having a go at it!

And there are probably about three of us that really take it seriously.

Of whom, two of us do it professionally, I suppose, so not very many.

It's a wonderful tradition. Show me how you achieve some of those sounds.

They've actually got names, the strings, in Welsh.

These are the crasdannau, or the sharp string.

These are the cyweirdannau, or the key string. And these are the llorfdannau,

or the crowd string. The one that makes the racket.

Wow. There's a straight bridge there, unlike a violin or a cello. Why is that straight?

So that you can play six strings at once.

-All at once?

-That's the really unusual feature of the crwth.

-Just play two strings for me and then play six. Let's hear the difference.

-Well, here's one.

Here's two.

And here's all six.

Before taking up the crwth, Cass was an accomplished fiddle player,

but it still took five hard years to master this medieval instrument.

That's because the techniques of crwth playing, and the music,

were not written down, but passed orally from one musician to the next.

But one thing we can be sure about is that the repertoire for the crwth was very distinctive.

The crwth only plays crwth music, you can't persuade it really to play anything it doesn't want to play.

It has a certain range, it has a certain range of noises it makes.

It has a certain range of things it's happy to do.

So I think, as a fiddle player, that's the first thing you have to learn, forget

all the things you would like to do on it, and learn what the crwth would like you to do.

That's lovely. It really is.

You can see they've used a lot of wood in the construction.

This was all one piece of sycamore originally. And it's actually hollowed out of that one piece.

There's quite a wastage of wood.

-Yes there is.

-Beautifully shaped at the back.

And then a spruce belly laid on top, and a holly fingerboard.

There's a poem in Welsh describes the crwth, and one line of it is...

SHE SPEAKS WELSH

..which means that its neck is like an old man that's bent forward.

Which is a great description.

Are many people in Wales curious about this?

Do they come up to you and talk to you about this?

Yes. A lot of people are actually aware of the crwth.

It's got a certain iconic status, in the same way that the harp has, in the history of Welsh music making.

And people are still aware of the word crwth, and that it was part of Welsh history, really.

So, a lot of people have been quite intrigued by it.

And they're usually quite surprised by what it sounds like.

Because they look at it, I suppose, and expect it to sound a bit like a violin.

It doesn't. It belongs to a medieval sound-world that's quite unfamiliar to people now.

Cass, thank you for talking to me today and

enlightening me on something which I never knew anything about.

It's a wonderful instrument and I guess the best way to hear it

is with your fellow musicians, who are getting ready down there.

-Do you want to join them and play us out?

-Thank you.

MUSIC PLAYS

Hearing instruments like the crwth brings the past alive.

And without the passion and commitment of people like Cass,

their haunting medieval sound would be lost forever.

At our valuation day at Bangor University, people are still queuing, hoping to hear the

music of the sale room and the bang of the gavel when their items go to auction.

Cerys has brought in a delicate little necklace for Mark to look at.

Where did you get such a charming necklace?

I inherited it from my grandmother. I think before that it came from my great-aunt.

-So, yes, that goes back a little while.

-Quite a long time.

A hundred years or so. Have you worn it yourself? Do you like wearing it?

I wore it once for my wedding day. And that's about it.

It's quite delicate, isn't it? It's not a robust piece of jewellery.

-Because I got long hair, it just gets tangled up.

-Exactly.

There's one thing that tells us

immediately where it comes from and what style it comes from.

And that's the Art Nouveau period.

Because you've got these very naturalistic swirls here.

And the use of the stones, the semi-precious stone of peridot, which actually is a

charming colour, that tells us it's going to be made round about 1905.

You've got to think, at that period, Edwardian ladies wore very fitted clothes.

They were very slim, they were still quite corseted so the necklaces hang

very well on these high-waisted shirts they wore.

The other interesting thing about this colour combination, Cerys, is that green and white,

when worn in the Edwardian period by ladies, is subliminal for the Suffragette Movement.

They wore green-and-white and purple-and-white.

So, it could be a hidden message in there. Votes for women.

And it's 15-carat gold which again is a very Victorian standard of gold.

We don't get it these days.

We have nine then we jump immediately up to 18 carat.

So most of these that I see are nine-carat gold which is actually quite a low grade of gold, really.

But the 15 just makes it slightly mellower.

So you've had it all these years.

Why have you decided to sell it today?

I knew Flog It! was coming to Bangor.

-Fantastic.

-I've got no-one to leave it to because there are no female relatives in the family at all.

-So I thought, well...

-Bring it along, see what it's worth.

Did you have any high expectations?

No, because I was always told it was rolled gold, it wasn't real gold at all.

Oh, so it's nice to find out it's actually 15 carat?

Yes. I think my mother would be quite shocked because she's always told me,

oh, it's just a piece of costume jewellery.

It obviously does have a value.

And I think it'll appeal to people who like the Art Nouveau

period as much as it will to somebody who specialises in dealing in antique jewellery.

I would probably say a sensible estimate is round about £150-200.

-That's nice.

-Would you be happy with that?

-Very happy with that.

-And we'll put the reserve on it.

I do think we ought to reserve it rather than let it go for £50.

At 150, with 10% discretion on the day.

-But, hopefully, we might get 200 plus.

-Smashing.

-Does that please you?

-Very much so.

-You're happy to flog it?

-For a piece of costume jewellery.

-A piece of rolled gold jewellery.

Well, we'll see you at the auction and let's hope it sparkles as much as it does here.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-That just goes to show,

if you've got a piece of old costume jewellery you're not sure of, it might pay to get it checked out.

Identifying what people bring in is what our experts are best at.

And I've spotted a painting that needs a bit of detective work as well.

What a lovely bluebell wood, look at that!

I've got bluebell woods near me in Marlborough,

in Wiltshire, and it's beautiful looking through them.

-Where's this, do you know?

-Kew.

Is it? Can I come and join you?

-So, who's the artist?

-It says, "Bluebells at Kew".

-Who's the artist?

-George Cockram.

-Do you know anything about him?

-Nothing at all.

Any artist that's sold in auction before

will be in here, and we can find out what sort of form he's got, where he worked, things like that.

Right. Here we go.

Cockburn, Cockburn, Cockburn...

George Cockram. 1861-1950.

OK, look, he's sold...

a good dozen here.

He's painted on the Anglesey coast, which is where we are! I wonder if he spent time up here.

Well, there's an address here for him.

-George Cockram...

-Rhosneigr, Anglesey.

So, he lived up here for a little while.

So, what do you think that's worth, then?

I've no idea. Not very much, I suspect.

Where's it been? Looks like it's been in a damp house.

-Your damp house?

-Afraid so.

Gosh.

-How do you keep yourself warm?!

-It's a bit better now!

There's a lot of foxing, you've got to look after that.

-Because it's starting to devalue it.

-Right.

There's half a dozen pictures here that he did while based in Anglesey.

Now, this one, that sold in auction for £2,250.

-That's scary!

-That sold on 7th November 2001, at Halls auction room in Shrewsbury.

-So, what are you going to do with that now?

-I don't know.

Put it back in the damp house? Put it on the wall, look after it.

I'll put it on the wall. Yes, maybe get it...

-Get it insured.

-Gosh, yes.

Look after it, because it's worth a couple of thousand.

-OK, right.

-Obviously...

-Staggering.

..it needs a little conservation.

Yes, yes. OK. And a new frame!

Yeah!

OK, thanks. Wow!

She's keeping her painting, so it won't be going off to auction.

But at least she knows its true value.

Margaret and Colin have brought a couple of delicate figures that

look like they've been looked after rather well over the years.

Thanks for coming. I think these are great fun, aren't they?

Well, we've enjoyed them.

Caricature figures of aristocrats, I suppose?

-Yes, there are, really.

-Where did you get them from?

Handed down from my mother. She gave them to me about ten years ago.

So, you remember them from childhood?

They were in a box, and I don't, really.

That's probably why they've lasted in such good condition.

They're quite vulnerable things, because they're wobbly and they've got very thin arms.

So, you have them on display now?

I do now, yes.

-And do you like them?

-I like them.

-What about you, Colin?

-No, not really.

She looks as if she's sat on something sharp, doesn't she?!

She reminds me of an operatic lady, and he's the huntsman, of course.

So, why are you selling them?

I've got other things that I want to display now.

And I don't want to keep them in a box like my mum did.

So I think, you know, it would be nice for them to be on display somewhere else.

-And Colin's not keen anyway.

-No. Not keen.

-Get rid?

-Get rid, I suppose.

-Yeah.

-Well, they're quite unusual, because they're bisque porcelain made in the '20s in Germany.

Loads of figures were churned out

from Germany and France in the '20s, but not many were like this.

They were more your traditional shepherds, shepherdesses.

So I think that's what gives them a good look.

-She's really weird, isn't she?

-Very much.

-Would they be part of a set, would they?

-Do you know, I haven't seen these before.

They've got numbers on the back. There's a reference number, 7979, and 7912.

So presumably that indicated they were part of other series of humorous figures.

But they must be quite rare now, because I handle thousands

of items every year, and I can't remember seeing these before.

-Doesn't necessarily mean they're valuable.

-No.

I'd estimate them at 40 to 60.

-Shall we say £40 to 60?

-Yeah.

-Reserve of 40?

-Yes, that'll be good.

-10% leeway, so if it makes 35, we let them go.

-Sound all right?

-Yes.

-That's for the pair?

Yeah, for the pair. Good try, Colin!

-Always the optimist!

-I think, you know, they should do a little better.

Great fun. They're really interesting things, so thanks for bringing them, and we'll see.

It would be nice to be proved wrong and make hundreds.

-Wouldn't it just?!

-It does happen sometimes!

-Sometimes, yes.

-But not very often!

-No!

Well, we'll just see what happens later.

Anything can happen at auction.

Now, Pamela and Glyn have brought in a silver mirror for Mark to reflect on.

Where did you get such a lovely mirror?

Well, it was left to my mother-in-law by a friend of hers in the late '60s.

And that's as much as we know about it.

Wow. So you don't know the date or the age of it or anything like that?

Only that it's probably early 20th century.

I think you're absolutely right.

There's an indication in the design

that leads you straightaway to think it's early 20th century.

It's got this rather nice Art Nouveau design on it.

And it's also hallmarked, which is a good clue.

But I've looked the hallmark up.

It's Birmingham, 1904.

It has a maker's mark, A, J and Z, which is A&J Zimmerman and Co.

Quite a prolific silversmith of that period.

The mirror is quite interesting - this is just a small piece of sheet silver.

This would have been made in a press,

and then applied to the wooden carcass, and then you've got this lovely velvet background,

which has faded, but there's still signs it would have been

a very vibrant sort of bluey-purple colour.

And it's a charming little object.

Sometimes, they're photograph frames, of course.

In this instance, a rather nice mirror, with a bevelled edge on it.

And altogether, a very appealing little item.

You've obviously had it as an inherited piece for a number of years.

Why have you decided to sell it today?

We just thought we'd come along and see what it was worth.

And we didn't know if you'd like it or not.

Oh, no, I love this period.

I very much like what's generally referred to today as decorative art.

The Art Nouveau period, the Art Deco period.

That's the kind of collective area.

It's just a charming piece. Have you ever thought about the value?

-No.

-Not really.

I mean, we think possibly about 150 maybe? That sort of...

In terms of value, I would probably suggest something like £200 to 300.

With a reserve of 200, with a 10% discretion on the day.

But I would hope, actually, it would see its way quite clearly

past the £200 mark, cos it's a really nice piece.

There's no damage on it, it's not over-cleaned.

That's what we want with an item coming into auction.

People think it's just come from a deceased house.

And altogether, a very nice commercial object.

Are you happy to put it in for 200 to 300?

-Yes.

-Wonderful. I look forward to seeing you at the auction.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

That's our last set of items ready to take off to the auction. And the auctioneer wants

to take a closer look in the mirror.

We're about to find out if £200 to 300 is a true reflection on the price of this Art Nouveau mirror.

It's absolutely stunning.

It is. It's a super mirror. Quality right from start to finish.

Untouched, super quality.

If it doesn't fly through, we'll all go home!

The thing is, it's so practical and so useful, but also exceptionally beautiful.

Yeah. I'm loath to say it, Paul, but I suppose it would be even more attractive as a photo frame.

Slightly more practical in this day and age.

-A nice photograph.

-Family photographs, this sort of thing.

-But let's not knock it.

-It's not been out of that backing, so...

It would be a shame for anybody to fiddle about with it. It's a super, super piece.

Praise indeed, but will the bidders agree?

We'll find out a bit later.

Also up for sale are the quirky bisque figures brought in by Margaret and Colin.

And the beautiful gold necklace Cerys thought was a piece of costume jewellery.

And it's Cerys' necklace which is first under the hammer.

This has been in the family for about three generations?

-A long time.

-A long, long, long time?!

-Why are you selling this?

-Well, I've got no-one to leave it to.

I'm the last of the female line of our family.

There's only boys, and they don't want it.

It's very dressy, very.

And so nice, being 15 carats.

I wore it when I got married, something old. It's had its day.

That's nice. Something special.

We've got £150 to 200 on this.

Let's hope we get the top end. It's going under the hammer now.

Very, very nice, 15-carat gold,

Art Nouveau peridot and sea-pearl scroll pendant

with a fine, fine necklace.

376, bid me 150.

150. 120 I am bid. 120. Lot 376.

-120. 30, 40, 50, 60.

-We've sold it.

70, 80.

-They love it, they love it.

-My bid, 190. 190 in the room.

At 190.

Final call at 190. 200 I'll take.

190. Everybody done at £190? Anybody else coming in?

At £190.

All done at 190.

-£190!

-That's a result, isn't it?!

Very good. You've got to be happy with that?

I am very pleased with it.

-Top end of the estimate.

-Yep.

-What a fabulous result.

That was well spotted by our experts at the valuation day.

Next, the bisque figures brought along by Margaret.

We've got the figures, but we don't have Margaret. But we do have her best friend for 60 years. Elwen?

-Did I get that right?

-Yes.

-That's a good Welsh name.

-And you speak fluent Welsh?

-I do.

So, "Welcome to Flog It!, everybody," in fluent Welsh. Go on.

SHE SPEAKS WELSH

What do you think about that?

Well, I knew that, but I don't know any more!

Did you ever see these figures?

-I did.

-And do you like them?

-I do.

Are you going to have a bid?

-No!

-Not that much!

Good luck, everybody. Here we go.

Very interesting humorous pair of continental figures.

A gentleman jockey and a lady singer.

Bid me 50.

Two interesting lots there. Gentleman jockey, lady singer.

25, I'm bid at 25. 30 anywhere?

At 25. 25 bid. Is there 30?

-At 25. 28, 30.

-We're getting there.

Five again now.

£30 only. Is there five?

Nice pair of humorous figurines, these, at £30. Have you five?

At £30 only. Is everybody done?

Five I'll take. All finished now. On we march.

No. He didn't put the hammer down.

We had £30. We've got a £40 discretionary reserve.

I really think they should have made that.

So do I. So do I.

-Have you seen anything like that before?

-No.

I thought they'd do the top end. I was thinking the top end.

You're going to have to tell her the bad news, aren't you?

-She won't mind.

-Let's say it was fate, meant to happen. She was meant to hang on to them.

Well, auctions are unpredictable,

but the auctioneer did the right thing there by not letting them go for £30,

because they're definitely worth more than that.

Now, would the bidders be more interested in Pamela and Glyn's mirror? I wouldn't be selling this.

This is what's known as a keeper in the trade, for me.

It isn't of any sentimental value to us, and it's just stuck in a cupboard.

-If I had it out, it would have to be cleaned, and then that devalues it, doesn't it, by cleaning it?

-Yes.

I don't like silver looking dirty.

Well, it's just a stunning, stunning mirror.

I had a chat the auctioneer before the sale started,

and we both agreed, top end of the valuation.

Yes, I think I was a little bit "come and get me"

on this with £200, because it is nice, fresh to the market, and they love that, don't they?

-It just has so much style.

-It has been in a cupboard for about 50 years.

-And it will suit any interior.

-Absolutely.

And it's a practical, useful thing. Not only decorative - very practical and useful.

And that was one of William Morris' philosophies.

Absolutely. Decorative and very practical.

And it's going to find a new home, and we're going to see right now.

An extremely fine Art Nouveau silver easel mirror.

You do not get quality like this every day of the week,

in all honesty.

Art Nouveau style. It belts it out, doesn't it?

Birmingham, 1904.

Hold on to your whatevers. Lot 332 starts at 540. 540 bid.

-Ooh!

-Straight in at 540!

You do have to pay for quality.

560. 600. 600 bid. At 600. 625.

At 625. 650 anywhere? At 625.

Everybody done?

625 on the telephone.

£625!

You don't get chances like this every day for this sort of quality.

625 on the phone.

Everybody done?

Final call at 625.

£625. Bang!

And that's a sold sound. What do you think about that?

-Well, amazed.

-A bit shocked?

-Yes.

We are a bit taken aback as well.

-Very happy with that one.

-Gosh.

What will you put the money towards?

We'll put half of it towards the Prostate Cancer Fund,

and half towards

taking the family out for a nice day out.

And Glyn's going to buy something later on.

-Something for you?

-Something for him.

Well, something for us!

-Wonderful result.

-Thank you very much.

Pleasure, and thank you for bringing such a wonderful item.

We always say quality sells and that mirror proved it, going for more than double Mark's top estimate.

If you've got any unwanted antiques and collectibles you'd like to sell,

bring them along to one of our valuation days.

This is where it all starts.

You can check the details in your local press, or you can log on to

bbc.co.uk/programmes, and then find F for Flog It!, follow the links,

and hopefully, fingers crossed, we're at a town very near you soon.

And we would love to see you.

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