0:00:03 > 0:00:07I'm sure you'll all know the delightful story of the little girl
0:00:07 > 0:00:09who tumbled down a rabbit hole into Wonderland.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13What may surprise you is that Alice and all the other bizarre characters
0:00:13 > 0:00:16were born right here in the imagination of a mathematics lecturer.
0:00:16 > 0:00:22Today we're in the university city of Oxford. Yes, this is Flog It! and oh dear, oh dear, I'm late!
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I'm heading for the marvellous Sheldonian Theatre.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Well, I have made it just in time.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49Everybody's now safely seated inside.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52It's time for me to join our experts
0:00:52 > 0:00:56and delve through all of these bags and boxes that this wonderful crowd have brought in
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and who knows what wonderful mysteries we might uncover?
0:00:59 > 0:01:04'Later in the show, I get the chance to play the drums...'
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Wow.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08'.. and get some technical instruction
0:01:08 > 0:01:11'on a most unusual instrument.'
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Do you blow hard or medium?
0:01:13 > 0:01:16No, no, no. Blowing a raspberry. That's the deal.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17BLOWS A RASPBERRY, INSTRUMENT MAKES NO SOUND
0:01:20 > 0:01:23The two experts spearheading the team here in Oxford are...
0:01:23 > 0:01:28Tracy Martin, who works as a valuer at an auction house in Essex.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31She specialises in 20th-century antiques and collectibles.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Boys' toys, they love them. They're all buying them back, the men.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38The all want their childhood revisited.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41- They didn't really grow up half of them, did they?- They haven't!
0:01:41 > 0:01:46She's joined by our old favourite, Charlie Ross, who takes a more traditional line.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50- Bring it back in 100 years' time. I'll still be here.- I'll do that!
0:01:50 > 0:01:56He has gained his wide knowledge through the tried-and-tested route of being an auctioneer.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01- You've brought a child for me to value?- Yes.- I'm good at that, I have a grandchild now.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Charlie's first up with Diana, and she's brought in a trio of nice-looking rings.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Diana, it's nice to see you here, and you're visiting Oxford today?
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- Yes.- Where are you from? - We're from Sussex.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16So you've loaded up your rings, brought them along here -
0:02:16 > 0:02:19where did they start life, as far as you're concerned?
0:02:19 > 0:02:21My mother gave them to me.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23I don't think she'd ever worn them.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26They don't look very worn, it looks like
0:02:26 > 0:02:28the ruby cluster ring has been worn,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31it's a little bit worn, but they're in pretty good condition.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Yes and I know that my father had given them to her.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38- Right.- So they emanated from his side of the family.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Did they? Yes. Well, they date from early 20th century.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46- Right. - So they're virtually 100 years old.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51- Right.- They're all 18-carat gold, so good-quality gold.
0:02:51 > 0:02:59Doing perhaps the worst first, this ruby and diamond cluster is a synthetic ruby, so it's not
0:02:59 > 0:03:02- a real one, although it's a big whopper...- That would've been nice.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04I know, it would.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07But nevertheless, a very delicate setting
0:03:07 > 0:03:11and cast and chased shoulders, these are the shoulders here.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15So, a huge amount of work's gone into these.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20The next one we have is diamond and rubies, proper rubies, diamonds,
0:03:20 > 0:03:25- alternately inset, again into an 18-carat shank.- Right.
0:03:25 > 0:03:31And here, we have here the cultured pearls, you can see cultured pearls,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33they're all uniform size.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37- I see, yes.- With tiny little chip diamonds into the corner.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41- They're very ornate, but not everybody's cup of tea.- Right.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45- Do you wear them?- No, unfortunately I can't get them on my fingers.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- No.- I might think about it, but they're not really me.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54- Have you thought of making them bigger?- I did on one occasion, but I thought, "No."
0:03:54 > 0:03:59They're quite dated in style and I think they're not going to be the easiest things to sell.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03They're fabulous quality, but, to be honest, the average person today
0:04:03 > 0:04:08has a ring made for them quite often, or there's more of a tendency towards
0:04:08 > 0:04:11a straightforward diamond ring, single-stone, three-stone diamond ring,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14rather than clusters of stones.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18What about value? You've got them heavily insured, presumably?
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Oh, yes(!) THEY LAUGH
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Come on, have a guess.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26I was sort of thinking perhaps, I don't know, 200, 250,
0:04:26 > 0:04:27something like that.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31I think a bit more. I'm not sure about the synthetic one,
0:04:31 > 0:04:37- but they'd average out at over £100 each and I'd like to see an estimate of 300 to 500.- OK, that's good.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41300 to 500 with a discretionary reserve at the bottom end,
0:04:41 > 0:04:46so we reserve them at 300, if the top bid the auctioneer gets is 280,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50then you might as well sell them. I mean, you're expecting 250 to 300,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53but I think we'll pretty safe at £300.
0:04:53 > 0:04:59- If we do well, you can have a few more days in Oxford. - That would be great. I'll enjoy it.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Well, we all would, it's a fantastic place to visit.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Next, a Victorian desk stand caught my eye,
0:05:07 > 0:05:08belonging to Bruce and Joan.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11It might just be the thing that someone is looking for.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Is it yours?
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- Yes, it is. - How long have you had that?
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's been, well with me for over 30 years.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Where is it at home, Joan? What do you do with it?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- It's in the broom cupboard.- In the where?- In the broom cupboard.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- On a shelf, hopefully. - No, on the floor.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Is it really? Poor thing, poor thing.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34You obviously don't really want to keep it then,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- if it's in the broom cupboard.- No.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Obviously, this little lid comes off.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43To facilitate the ease of that, there would've been a little acorn
0:05:43 > 0:05:48screwed into there that you could lift this lid off with,
0:05:48 > 0:05:49but unfortunately that's missing,
0:05:49 > 0:05:55that's missing, because that's why you keep your nibbed pens. I'd say it's around about 1860, 1880.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59It's not the sort of Gothic revival Puginesque-type Victorian
0:05:59 > 0:06:04you'd expect on these big over-the-top office desks. They're the ones that fetch good money.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06This is very much plainer than that.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08It's typical of the Victorian period,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10it's still over-the-top again.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16But I guess this wouldn't be used by an academic but more likely
0:06:16 > 0:06:19a clerk or an accountant, somebody like that.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Somebody that did a lot of bookwork,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25because look at the size of the wells, they are big, aren't they?
0:06:25 > 0:06:29All mounted in brass. I like the fact that it's not polished,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32so I'm pleased it's been in the broom cupboard
0:06:32 > 0:06:36and that's quite nice, that's all wheel-cut, can you see that?
0:06:36 > 0:06:38That's called a hobnail pattern,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- like you get on the bottom of hobnail shoes.- Oh, right.- Yes?
0:06:41 > 0:06:45But it's all there, isn't it? The wells are lovely,
0:06:45 > 0:06:51it just needs a good clean. It's made of oak. I'd like it to do £80-£120 if we put it into auction.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55I've a feeling it needs a better starting point, though,
0:06:55 > 0:07:02and I think if I can get the valuation down to around about £60 to £100...
0:07:02 > 0:07:07A reserve of 60? And hopefully we'll get £120, if two people really want this.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I'd like to think so.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11And they fight over it in the saleroom.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15- You know what they say, the pen's mightier than the sword, don't they?- They do.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19- Let's give it a crack, shall we? - OK.- Yes, please.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22An exquisite-looking decorative Oriental bottle
0:07:22 > 0:07:25has grabbed Tracy's attention. But what's it for?
0:07:26 > 0:07:30What a beautiful little snuff bottle, Mark.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Obviously Oriental. Beautifully hand-painted.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38Do you collect Oriental, or is it something that's been passed down?
0:07:38 > 0:07:42I had no idea what it was originally. We were landscaping the garden
0:07:42 > 0:07:48and we came across a couple of bits and pieces and broken bottles and this was in there.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51This was in your garden?
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Completely filthy, covered in mud. Couldn't believe it at the time.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Oh, what a discovery!
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I gave it a clean, but never thought anything more of it.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04We had no idea what it was, so we tried to look it up.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08I thought maybe perfume or anything, I didn't know what it was for.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11You're very much along the right lines, really.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13It's a little snuff bottle here.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Oriental, Chinese, beautifully hand-painted.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21On the dragon, because we have a dragon here in this wonderful blue,
0:08:21 > 0:08:27he's got five claws. We know that because he's got five claws,
0:08:27 > 0:08:28he's an Imperial dragon.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31He's not any old ordinary, boring dragon.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35He's a special dragon, because he's got five claws.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39On the top here, if we just lift that out,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43what we have is the little snuffer.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- This is ivory, dyed ivory. - Dyed ivory.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51And here, we have this wonderful workmanship here.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54It's probably bronze, I would've thought
0:08:54 > 0:08:59it would be bronze because it's such a good-quality piece of porcelain.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03He looks a little bit like a frog, doesn't he? Actually, he's a lion.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07So a beautiful, beautiful piece. Have you got any idea how old it is,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11- or have you done any research? - I looked at the mark on the bottom.
0:09:11 > 0:09:18- Right.- The mark on the bottom, when I looked up the different dynasties, it worked out at about 1820 to 1850,
0:09:18 > 0:09:23but, I can't pronounce it, "du gwan", or something like that.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29You're pretty much spot-on, Mark, to be honest. It's very much early Victorian period.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32I'm not very good, I'm from Essex, you see?
0:09:32 > 0:09:39This is my problem, pronunciations are not my good things, so "dong-wong" sounds about right!
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Oriental is so hot at the moment.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Anything from snuff bottles
0:09:44 > 0:09:47to big, wonderful Satsuma vases,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49really, really hot market.
0:09:49 > 0:09:55I would be comfortable with putting a reserve of about £100 on this.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00So, 100 to 150. Because the Oriental market is pretty hot at the moment,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03I'm pretty sure that should do a little bit more.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Top-end estimate, maybe even exceed that,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09but obviously it's down to you and if you're really happy with that...
0:10:09 > 0:10:11No, no, here's hoping.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Hopefully we'll get loads of Oriental collectors
0:10:13 > 0:10:16desperate to own the thing that YOU dug out of the ground.
0:10:18 > 0:10:24Well, there you are. Tracy works as a valuer in an auction room, so she knows what's in demand.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29But will it be in demand at Watcombe Manor saleroom in Watlington,
0:10:29 > 0:10:34just outside of Oxford, where Jones & Jacob fine art auctioneers will be selling our lots.
0:10:34 > 0:10:40There will be two auctioneers on the rostrum today - Francis Ogley and then the owner, Simon Jones.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46I'm going to take the opportunity to speak to Simon to see what he thinks of the Oriental bottle.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50I like this. I like it a lot. It was dug up from the garden.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54- Believe it or not. - Unusual to find in a British garden.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Mid-19th-century Chinese, a bit of blue and white.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00We've got 100 to £150 on this.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05- You'll have no trouble at all. - Really?- Yes, because it's a little bit earlier.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06What would you put it at?
0:11:06 > 0:11:10I think that's Qianlong, and I think it's late-18th century,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13early-19th century, rather than mid-19th century.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17I like the Imperial dragon. I think that's a wonderful image,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21- that's where my money goes. - The five claws says it all.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24You're getting quite excited, but you're not giving much away.
0:11:24 > 0:11:25No, auctioneers never give anything away.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28No, you can't! You should be a politician.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30No, I don't want to be one of those!
0:11:30 > 0:11:34- So we're in the right ballpark figure.- You're OK, you're OK.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Yes. But hopefully it should fly away. Let's watch this one later on.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41That's what it's all about, the magic of the saleroom.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Before the auction starts, let's take another look at what we've put up for sale.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50We start with Diana's three handsome rings. They look splendid together,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53so they won't go unseen.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58Then I picked out the Victorian deskstand. It's not the most ornate one that I've come across,
0:11:58 > 0:12:03but there's no point in it just sitting in a broom cupboard.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06And Mark's amazing find, the Chinese snuff bottle.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11It didn't cost him anything, so he should get a good return.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Now for Diana's three splendid rings,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15with all those rubies,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18diamonds and pearls.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24- A lot of money riding on this one, could it be the jewel in the Flog It! crown?- Hopefully.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Three rings. Ooh, Charlie!
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Will we get that 500-plus?
0:12:28 > 0:12:32- 300-500. Don't get to excited! - I know, but can we get 500-plus?
0:12:32 > 0:12:34There's one particularly good ring,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37one with the synthetic stone which looks good but isn't valuable,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39and the pearl ring, which is quite pleasant.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43I think it was the best way of selling them. Put 'em all together.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47We're going to find out, cos this is quite exciting.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50I think this is a lot of money. £500, I would like.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52You always would!
0:12:52 > 0:12:57The 18-carat ring set, nine rubies and diamonds.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00As described there. £300?
0:13:00 > 0:13:02250, sell me.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- 250, 260.- Come on.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06260, 270.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11280. 290. 300. At £300.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16In the room at 300. Selling at 300. All done at 300?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Some more, please.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22£100 a ring. Well, they've gone.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Smile, Diana.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Not as much as I'd like, but...
0:13:27 > 0:13:29BOTH: No.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Charlie was right though, they were within estimate.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34- Yeah. - Don't be too cross with me, Diana.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- I'll try not to be.- Sorry about that.
0:13:37 > 0:13:43It just goes to show, auction houses are brilliant places to buy jewellery.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Next, it's my expertise under scrutiny.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50OK, it's my turn to be the expert.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Remember that lovely Victorian deskstand inkwell?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Well, it's out of the broom cupboard and into the auction room.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01Bruce, at the valuation day, you had your wife with you, Joan, didn't you?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04- She can't make it today, but your daughter Susan can. Hello.- Hi.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07He's flogging your family inheritance, isn't he?
0:14:07 > 0:14:11OK, it's not a lot of money, is it, really, but, it's a nice-looking thing.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16- It is, yes.- You just need a whopping great big desk in a big house.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20- Old Victorian house.- Yes, a great big vicarage, then it will look absolutely stunning.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23You never know what happens in an auction.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26We're going to find out, because ultimately it's down to
0:14:26 > 0:14:29this packed saleroom of bidders to put their hands up. Here we go.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Lot 214, the inkstand, with a nice lift-out tray.
0:14:35 > 0:14:3760, £70 for this?
0:14:37 > 0:14:3950 then, start me.
0:14:39 > 0:14:4350, I'm bid. 55 anywhere?
0:14:43 > 0:14:4555. 60.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49£65 now, at £65. All done at £65?
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Spot on, wasn't it, really? Straight in again. Very quick.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56What you expected, wasn't it, Dad?
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- Yeah.- Yes, I'm happy with that.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Yes, we're happy.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02So, out for lunch now?
0:15:02 > 0:15:06I should think so. I think you can stretch to that, can't you?
0:15:06 > 0:15:08You can't twist his arm for that, surely?
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Of course he's going to take her out for lunch.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Next, one of those marvellous stories,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Mark's Chinese snuff bottle.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Quite unbelievable and it's in perfect condition, and you loved it.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Absolutely love it and I've put a really conservative estimate on it,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29because oriental is such a minefield.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31It could really fly.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34The only thing I've ever dug up in my back garden is
0:15:34 > 0:15:36old broken bottles, but this is quite incredible.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39It's amazing what you hear on Flog It! with owners
0:15:39 > 0:15:41bringing in all these treasures in, literally dug up.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43What was it doing there?
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Who knows? But we're going to find out what it makes right now.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52A snuff bottle, stained ivory stopper.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Lovely thing, this. £100, start me for it?
0:15:56 > 0:15:59180, I'm bid. 190?
0:15:59 > 0:16:03£180 then. With Alan at £180.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08All done at 180, all finished?
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Well done. You were spot-on, actually.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Sorry it didn't fly, fly.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15But nevertheless, that's a good result.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- Yes. Well done, Mark. - Thank you very much.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Get digging. Find some more treasure.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26And if you find another treasure, remember to bring it into us.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31Later, we see an extraordinary bit of auction room drama.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33£70!
0:16:33 > 0:16:34That's incredible, isn't it?
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- 4,000. - I wonder when it's going to stop?
0:16:37 > 0:16:41- 5,000. - Don't you just love auction rooms?
0:16:48 > 0:16:51While I'm in Oxford, I've taken the opportunity to visit just part
0:16:51 > 0:16:56of this magnificent university, and as I come from a musical background and play the drums
0:16:56 > 0:16:59and a bit of piano and guitar, I've chosen the Faculty of Music.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I'm drawn here, not just because I'm passionate about music,
0:17:02 > 0:17:07but because I believe they've got one of the greatest collections ever assembled of musical instruments
0:17:07 > 0:17:11on Planet Earth, and some of them date back centuries.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14It's called the Bate Collection, after Phillip Bate,
0:17:14 > 0:17:18who was the musical director at the BBC for many years.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23He left his collection of over 300 early woodwind instruments
0:17:23 > 0:17:26to the Faculty of Music in 1963
0:17:26 > 0:17:30so the students could appreciate the sound of the original instruments.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34That turned out to be just the beginning, because it encouraged
0:17:34 > 0:17:38other collectors who shared his enthusiasm to follow suit.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41This amazing collection is still growing today.
0:17:41 > 0:17:47I'm here to meet its current curator, the enthusiastic Mr Andrew Lamb.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50I don't know where to look. How many instruments are there?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- Well, getting on for 2,000 now.- Gosh.
0:17:52 > 0:17:58I've got to say, the collection here doesn't have a stuffy feel like some museums do have.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- Is that down to you and your passion and enthusiasm?- Well...
0:18:01 > 0:18:03partly me, I'm just carrying on a long tradition.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07The original curator, Anthony Baines, set the ball rolling.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Those of us who've stepped into his shoes,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12we've got a class act to follow.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- I bet there's never a dull moment. - Absolutely not.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Have you played most of these instruments?
0:18:17 > 0:18:18I have to say, no.
0:18:18 > 0:18:24But what I have to do is learn to play them well enough to be able to demonstrate them.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28The ones that are playable, I can get a couple of notes out.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- OK. What are you holding there? - This is a lovely instrument, it's
0:18:32 > 0:18:35probably my favourite instrument in the collection.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Most people will be familiar with it - it's a recorder.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43But this is a recorder that was made at a time when these instruments were
0:18:43 > 0:18:45orchestral instruments in their own right.
0:18:45 > 0:18:51The thing about this is that it's in perfect proportion. It's in the golden section.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56We look at it and we kind of think, well, that's a very satisfying shape.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01And we're fooled into thinking it's a simple instrument but it's not, it's very successful.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05So much so that they have not improved on the design in 300 years.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- Is that a maple or is it an English boxwood?- It's in boxwood.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- Go on, go on, play.- Here we go.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13I'll see what I can do here.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- Very warm tone.- It is, it is.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29If you're a professional recorder player nowadays,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31the chances are you'll have a copy of THIS instrument.
0:19:31 > 0:19:37You're very lucky, aren't you? Wow. Did that ever catch on, a glass flute?
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Well, it's funny you should ask that.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41They're still making them.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44It's very much a French idea.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47There's a perception somehow that the material
0:19:47 > 0:19:52that the instrument is made of has a profound effect on the tonal quality.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55I don't think it has as profound an effect as people would like to think.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00I don't let people play these ones because the horror potential is just too high, frankly.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02- We won't get that one out, then. - No, no.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06I'm looking forward to having a play myself on something.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Something quite rare. What can I play?
0:20:08 > 0:20:13Well, you can't have a go on this, but I've got something lined up for you. Come with me.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Hard to know what to choose, isn't it?
0:20:15 > 0:20:18None of these. I've got something very special lined up.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28No wonder you were laughing.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31- That's a serpent, isn't it? - It certainly is.- Incredible.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36I've seen them before, obviously, in pictures and museums, but I've never held or played one.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- This is your chance.- It's covered in leather.- That's right.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43What they've done with these ones is they've glued the wood together
0:20:43 > 0:20:48in sections and bound them in copper wire and then they put the leather over the top.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49That's what you've got here.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51What date are we talking about?
0:20:51 > 0:20:53This one, we actually know all about it.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57It was used at the Battle of Waterloo, dated 1815.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00It was made by an English maker called Thomas Key & Sons.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04It was used by a musician from the Royal Welsh Fusiliers
0:21:04 > 0:21:06called Richard Bentinck.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- Gosh, what provenance. - I know, we know all about it.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Play it, please, play it. Does it sound like a tuba?
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- Not really.- French horn?
0:21:14 > 0:21:18- To be fair, it's got, got a tone all of its own.- Go on, then.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Right, here we go.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24DEEP, BREATHY TONE
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Oh, brilliant.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35That suits you.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37- That's me, is it? - That's very you, yes.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- Now it's your turn. - Do I need gloves?
0:21:40 > 0:21:43No, you can handle this one, it's quite reasonable.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Do you blow hard, or sort of medium?
0:21:45 > 0:21:49No, no, no, it's kind of blowing a raspberry, that's the deal.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03I'm sure if you were good on this, you would get the subtleties out of it.
0:22:03 > 0:22:09Funny you should say that, I've heard professional serpent players and I can't say I've noticed.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13It could sound like somebody in pain. Screaming away!
0:22:13 > 0:22:15What a beautiful instrument.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18They are beautiful, they're very cuddleable.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19Can I have a play on one of the drums?
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Yes, all right, then. Why ever not?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24We've got another instrument from Waterloo.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- OK, let's form a duet, then. - I'll just put this away.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38This particular instrument is our most recent acquisition.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41We did a lot of fundraising to acquire it and we think it's
0:22:41 > 0:22:43the instrument that was played by Joseph Haydn
0:22:43 > 0:22:48when he came to Oxford to receive his honorary doctoral award.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Wow. So when does this date back to?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53This is about 1792, this instrument.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58It's a harpsichord and it really is, in many ways, the last flick
0:22:58 > 0:23:01of the dinosaur's tail before everybody moved on to playing pianos.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- Double bank of keys?- Absolutely, what they called a double manual.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09- It's got a number of other features. - These open up, don't they?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Yes, I'll just show you, here we go, just a minute.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- Ah.- There we go, look at that, that's what they call
0:23:17 > 0:23:21- a Venetian swell.- How does that help the vibrating note more?
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Well, what you did, very, very simple, you get it to play louder.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29- That's all it is? - Absolutely all it is.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41So, this is from Waterloo?
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Yes, we think so. We don't know which regiment, but it's certainly the right period.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48It's certainly the right style.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Wonderful drum.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52The condition is superb, isn't it?
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- It is indeed.- Let's see what it sounds like... Dum, dum dum...
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Wow. Can you hear the overtone there? The way it resonates.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Can you imagine a marching row of let's say 15 or 12?
0:24:11 > 0:24:13The power and the volume!
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Absolutely, that is a real war sound, isn't it?
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Thank you so much, thank you so much, that's made my day.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Playing a drum from the Battle of Waterloo! What a sound!
0:24:25 > 0:24:29What an unbelievable experience, I'm so chuffed to have come here today.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32If you're passionate about music, you must visit.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37It is the complete encyclopaedia of musical instruments that have evolved over the centuries.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40You don't just get to study tuning techniques, you get to
0:24:40 > 0:24:42PLAY the things as well, and that's so important.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Today I've played a serpent and a drum from the Battle of Waterloo.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49What a date in history, and it's all here and it's free.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Now it's time to find out what other treasures
0:24:59 > 0:25:03the crowd in the Sheldonian have in store for our experts.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Charlie's found something which seems to be an unusual size.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13- Denise, a grandfather clock. - Yep.- But a bit smaller than the usual grandfather clocks.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- It's a miniature one. - It certainly is.
0:25:15 > 0:25:21- How did you get hold of it? - My Great-Uncle Joe gave it to me when he was 94.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- What a kind man.- Yep.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27He bought it in about 1930 from Stanton St John vicarage.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Did you always like it? Is that why you give it to you?
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Yeah, as a child I always cleaned it and dusted it.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39It would be fascinating for a child because it would be the right size
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- for a grandfather clock if you were very small.- Yeah, that's true.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47It's an interesting combination. There's no doubt that the case is English
0:25:47 > 0:25:49and the movement is French.
0:25:49 > 0:25:55And the date of this is very much late-Victorian, almost into the Edwardian times.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58So we're looking at 1880, 1890.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Its case is made of rosewood -
0:26:01 > 0:26:04a lovely, high-quality, dense wood -
0:26:04 > 0:26:07and it's inlaid with satinwood, which you can see.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10These fans, the very light wood here.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14And the green wood, which you can see, is olive wood.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20Lovely. You have a wonderful broken pediment on the top, and it's very much modelled on
0:26:20 > 0:26:28a longcase clock, other than it would be unusual to see such slender pillars down a clock of that period
0:26:28 > 0:26:31if it were a full grandfather clock.
0:26:31 > 0:26:32An enamel dial we have here,
0:26:32 > 0:26:36with very intricate brass filigree work in the middle of it.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41And then we're going to turn it round and have a look at the movement.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46And when I said a platform movement, this is the platform,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49screwed to the back of the clock here.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51The great thing about a platform movement,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54if it were a full-size longcase clock, you would have a pendulum.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58It would be stopping and you'd have to adjust it all the time.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02A carriage clock movement, that clock will work if you lay it flat,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06turn it upside down, turn it on its side...
0:27:06 > 0:27:12Hence carriage clocks - you could rattle along in your carriage and it would always carry on going.
0:27:12 > 0:27:18And I think the movement was made in France, imported into this country and then put into an English case.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22And beautifully done. And it's really in super condition, although I noticed when I wound it up
0:27:22 > 0:27:28that the hands went, "Whizzzz!" And we had to wait for it to stop.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31- Has it always been like that? - No, it hasn't.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34It wasn't me that did it, was it?
0:27:34 > 0:27:39No, it wasn't. I did take it somewhere but they didn't make a good job of it.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Ever had it valued?
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Well, I did for insurance purposes.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Did you? Well, that's quite interesting. And for insurance purposes?
0:27:46 > 0:27:48They said £1,200.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51- HE GASPS - Crumbs! How long ago was that?
0:27:51 > 0:27:53That was in 1999.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Did they charge you for that valuation?
0:27:56 > 0:27:59- Yeah, but that came along with the repair as well.- Did it?
0:27:59 > 0:28:05It shouldn't be for me to say this, but quite often you get people that repair things and they say,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08"I'll give you an insurance valuation," and it's quite inflated.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14- It may not come as a surprise, or it may do, that's a hugely inflated insurance.- Yes.
0:28:14 > 0:28:20- I think it's fabulous but I think it's worth, to sell, £200 to £300. - Right.- Still want to sell it?- Yes.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23You're very, very understanding and good.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27I hope that somebody that really likes it might tickle it above £300,
0:28:27 > 0:28:32- but I think we've got to realise it's not going to make £500 or £600. - Yeah.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34- Thank you for bringing it along. - Thank you.
0:28:35 > 0:28:41What a fascinating item. And it's true that insurance valuations do tend to be high.
0:28:41 > 0:28:48While talking to people in the room, my eye was drawn to the most interesting dagger.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50That's a beautiful dagger. May I have a look?
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Lovely rosewood handle. Isn't that lovely?
0:28:53 > 0:28:55- It is. - It's absolutely beautifully made.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57I've never seen one like it.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59This is all mounted in silver, isn't it?
0:28:59 > 0:29:04- That's what I thought. This is silver as well.- It looks like fish skin and alligator.- Yes.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08- How did you come by this? - It belongs to my son.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12He bought a cottage in Woodstock just before Christmas
0:29:12 > 0:29:13and he's renovating it.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17And he was taking all the lath and plaster off the walls
0:29:17 > 0:29:18and he found this embedded.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22- You're joking! In the wall, in the plaster and lath?- Yes, in the wall.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27- This is very sharp, actually. - The cottage backs onto Blenheim Palace Gardens.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32- Right, OK, the plot thickens. - The cottages originally belonged to the estate.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35- I would say it's 19th century, that's for sure.- Right.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Possibly around about 1830, 1850.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41- Really?- And my guess is it's Persian, just looking at the hilt
0:29:41 > 0:29:44and looking at the way that's put together.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47It'd be interesting to know how it got there, though.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51That's the most interesting part of the story, that really is.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54I told my son to look for the skeleton!
0:29:54 > 0:29:59- I think if you put this into auction, it would realise around £100 to £150.- Really?
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Yeah, but maybe it should be sold in Iran. That's where the market is.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08- I know that Persian artefacts fetch good money.- Do they? - They really do. Put it on the wall.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Behind glass, I think that would look really nice.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15It would look excellent, in fact.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17I think that's a great idea, Maureen.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21And what a fabulous story, too.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25Next, Tracy has found something familiar.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Well, I think it's Clarice Cliff.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29I think you're probably right.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31But lovely, lovely pieces.
0:30:31 > 0:30:36Are they something that you've inherited or you've bought or you've collected?
0:30:36 > 0:30:38I bought these in a jumble sale.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40- Right.- Over 30 years ago.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45OK. Can I ask you, did you pay much money for any of these items?
0:30:45 > 0:30:50This was 10p and these were five.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54- Pence?- Pence.- So you didn't pay a lot of money at all, really.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57- No.- Have you had them on display at home?
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Have you got pleasure out of them?
0:30:59 > 0:31:04My children used to play with them and they used to use these as Daleks.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08- Oh, really?- As the mother ship in one of the Dalek movies.- I love it!
0:31:08 > 0:31:11That's fantastic!
0:31:11 > 0:31:14Well, Wendy, because they've been used as Daleks,
0:31:14 > 0:31:18they've obviously been knocked about a bit, and we have got some damage here.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21Both these ends have been knocked off.
0:31:21 > 0:31:27- So I'm wondering if they were exterminating each other. - They could have been.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32On this little tiny conical shape, we've got a chip here as well.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35But I will say this particular pattern is the crocus pattern,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38and it's one of the most common.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42But this is a really lovely little size, which is great.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46- But what I love best is this. - Do you?!- I do, I love it.
0:31:46 > 0:31:47It's just so unusual.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50It's a Stamford shape,
0:31:50 > 0:31:55quite simplistic, really. We've got the typical Art Deco clean line.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59And if we just sort of turn it upside down,
0:31:59 > 0:32:03there we have the wonderful "Bizarre by Clarice Cliff" mark.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Pop that back. And that was 10p, you said?
0:32:06 > 0:32:12- So that was quite expensive, that one, wasn't it?- It was expensive. I had to think about that(!)
0:32:12 > 0:32:17- I think it makes a great mother ship.- Yes.- It's a whole new meaning on the word "ceramic".
0:32:17 > 0:32:22Because of the damage, really, the money's going to be in this one, to be honest.
0:32:22 > 0:32:29I'm thinking a pre-sale estimate of £100 to £150.
0:32:29 > 0:32:34- Now, bearing in mind you only spent 25p on the lot...- Yes. - ..I don't think that's a bad return.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37No, I think that's a fair price.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40And the children have had the great pleasure of playing Daleks.
0:32:40 > 0:32:45- They have.- It's going to fly away at auction.- Yes!
0:32:45 > 0:32:49£100 to £150 seems good value for that little collection.
0:32:49 > 0:32:56I always like meeting people at our valuation days and being introduced to the children.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00Your mum's just handed the phone, so she's having a good time.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02And I hope you're behaving well at home.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04HE LAUGHS
0:33:04 > 0:33:05OK, bye-bye.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Thank you!
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Charlie and Nigel are looking at a mysterious box.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15- Have you used the contents at all? - No, my father bought it second-hand
0:33:15 > 0:33:19in Portsmouth when I was a youngster, about eight years old.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21And he worked for the city architect's department.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25He may have used it early on in his career, but I suspect not later.
0:33:25 > 0:33:30- So we're going to find architectural instruments?- Yes, sorry, I should have told you.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32No, that's fine. So we open up there.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Gosh! It's absolutely complete, isn't it?
0:33:35 > 0:33:38- It's extraordinary, isn't it? - Amazing!
0:33:38 > 0:33:40What a meticulous person he must have been.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44If I'd owned something like this, half of them would be missing.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46I wish I had been as meticulous as my father.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50What really interested me here, have you noticed this writing here?
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Well, I hadn't actually paid much attention to it.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54- French.- Yeah, now I look at it.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01So we've certainly got a French box here.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05- Surely.- Rosewood. The French in the 19th century used a lot of rosewood,
0:34:05 > 0:34:09loved rosewood, as indeed the English did, but I think the French
0:34:09 > 0:34:16even more so, which obviously relates to the instruments in so much as the box was made in France.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20But "lines" and "circles" -
0:34:20 > 0:34:22I can say that these instruments were made in England.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24I think that's a fair conclusion.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27That would ring true, wouldn't it, with high-quality steel?
0:34:27 > 0:34:32- I would agree. - As an engineer you would agree with that.- I certainly would.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36So I think then shipped out to France where they put it in
0:34:36 > 0:34:39the box and presumably retailed in France, I would have thought.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43But alas, alack, despite the cost of making something
0:34:43 > 0:34:47like that, I would suggest that the value of the box probably
0:34:47 > 0:34:49exceeds the value of the contents.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51I think that's quite possible.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55I would think that I would hope for, say, something about £50,
0:34:55 > 0:34:56perhaps a bit better
0:34:56 > 0:34:59- if possible, on a good day, maybe. - I think I'm looking at
0:34:59 > 0:35:01an estimate of 40 to 60.
0:35:01 > 0:35:02I think you're pretty spot-on.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06I think the box is worth £30. These ought to be worth
0:35:06 > 0:35:08a couple of hundred pounds.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11It's no good me saying that that's what they're going to make.
0:35:11 > 0:35:17I think 40 to £60 is a sensible estimate, with a reserve at the
0:35:17 > 0:35:19bottom end and a little bit of discretion
0:35:19 > 0:35:20so that we don't give them away.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Still got the key.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24- Yes.- And it locks perfectly well?
0:35:24 > 0:35:27It does. It's a little counterintuitive, though.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30To lock it, let's see, I think you turn anticlockwise.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Anticlockwise. French, you see.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36Well, it's the other side of the road, isn't it?
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Well, that may not be the French view of it!
0:35:39 > 0:35:45There's just time to have another glimpse of what our experts have picked out to take off to auction.
0:35:45 > 0:35:52Charlie's right, I'm sure. Denise's miniature grandfather clock would appeal to children and adults alike.
0:35:52 > 0:35:59Wendy's Clarice Cliff has a little Dalek damage, but I suspect it will still do very well.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Nigel's late 19th-century rosewood box with architectural
0:36:02 > 0:36:06instruments would cost a fortune to make today,
0:36:06 > 0:36:10so the buyer will get a real bargain.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15It's up first, so let's see who wants it.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19They're going to go to a good home because we've got £40-£60 on these,
0:36:19 > 0:36:23and it's absolutely nothing for a complete set, is it? That's true.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26This is the right time to invest in antiques on things like this
0:36:26 > 0:36:30because it's something not many people want and the price is so low.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33People nowadays wouldn't use them, of course, would they?
0:36:33 > 0:36:36They've been overtaken, as you say, by computers.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40Let's hope there are some draftsmen or architects here.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Lot 136 is a set of drawing instruments
0:36:44 > 0:36:46in a rosewood and brass case.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48There we go, lovely set there.
0:36:48 > 0:36:4940 to £50 for it.
0:36:49 > 0:36:5140 I'm bid. 42.
0:36:51 > 0:36:5542, 44, 46, 48,
0:36:55 > 0:36:5850, 50, 55, 60?
0:36:58 > 0:37:00£55. 60 anywhere?
0:37:01 > 0:37:03For £55 beside me.
0:37:03 > 0:37:0560, 65, 70?
0:37:05 > 0:37:07- They do like it.- £65, then.
0:37:07 > 0:37:08Still beside me at £65.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10All done at 65.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13£65. I'm pleased.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15- Thank you very much indeed. - A pleasure.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18That's absolute quality, absolute quality.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Those are the kind of things you should really be investing in
0:37:21 > 0:37:24because £65 is absolutely nothing for that, is it, Nigel?
0:37:26 > 0:37:28I'm glad it went over the estimate.
0:37:28 > 0:37:34Next I want to show you something very rare and interesting that's coming up later on in the auction.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39Simon the auctioneer has given me a tip-off about a lot that is coming up in the sale. And this is it.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44It's a tiny little early 19th-century Japanese cloisonne vase.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49It came in through a probate sale. Somebody had died in the estate.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52The rest of the family don't particularly want to own it.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54They know it's worth possibly a few hundred pounds.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58That's what they're thinking. Simon has just informed me
0:37:58 > 0:38:03it could be worth around £4,000, so we're going to watch this one later on in the show.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07But look at the exquisite detail, because that is all enamel work.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10Can you see all the little flowers and the petals?
0:38:10 > 0:38:13That's little tiny wires that have been put onto
0:38:13 > 0:38:18the vessel to stop the coloured glass from running.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21It's exquisite. The detail is superb.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24That's what you're buying, really. It's a little ornament.
0:38:24 > 0:38:25It's lot number 144.
0:38:25 > 0:38:30If you've got something like this and you're thinking of selling it, don't just sell it to
0:38:30 > 0:38:35the first person, take advice from the professionals because it could be worth several thousand pounds.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43Back to our lots, and Denise's little grandfather clock is up next.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46£200 to £300 is riding on this.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49You've seen this as a little girl and you really liked it.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53It's been handed down through the family and now you're selling.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Yep. Well, I've got two boys and I can't...
0:38:56 > 0:38:58You can't split that up, can you, I guess?
0:38:58 > 0:39:01- But it's got to go. A nice thing. - Fabulous quality.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03A really, really nice thing.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06My uncle only had the best.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08- Had an eye for detail. - Yeah, definitely.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12Let's hope this packed saleroom knows what to look for. Good luck.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17A miniature longcase clock in the inlaid case there.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20A couple of hundred pounds for it. 190 I'm bid.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22200 anywhere before I go to the phones?
0:39:22 > 0:39:23Coming to you now, Pat, at 200.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25We're in at 200.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28200, 210, 220,
0:39:28 > 0:39:30230, 240,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32250, 260.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34They like it, they like it.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Coming to you now, 270, 270,
0:39:37 > 0:39:39280, 290.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44290 at the back, 300, 310,
0:39:44 > 0:39:48320, 330,
0:39:48 > 0:39:49340?
0:39:49 > 0:39:55330, then. Right at the back of the room at £330. All done at 330.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Yes, top end of the estimate and a bit more - £330.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- That's not bad. - You're happy, aren't you?
0:40:00 > 0:40:02I think Uncle would be pleased with that.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05His actual words were, "Flog it."
0:40:05 > 0:40:08So I think he'd be very pleased.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10- I think the boys will as well, won't they?- Yeah.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17Good result. Next, what I consider to be a classic Flog It! story.
0:40:18 > 0:40:24Right now, we're hoping to turn 15p into maybe £150, who knows, £200
0:40:24 > 0:40:27because Clarice Cliff never lets us down.
0:40:27 > 0:40:28- Hello, Wendy.- Hello.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Now, a lovely story, this, isn't it?
0:40:31 > 0:40:33This is brilliant.
0:40:33 > 0:40:3530-odd years ago you bought this
0:40:35 > 0:40:37- four-piece set of Clarice Cliff? - Yes.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39You've had great fun playing Daleks.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42- Yes, my children did. - Why are you selling today anyway?
0:40:42 > 0:40:47Well, my son and daughter are older, they don't play Daleks any more. They're grown up.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52You can never grow out of Dr Who, though, can you, really?
0:40:52 > 0:40:54No, they're still avid watchers, yes.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55Well, good luck, anyway.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59The Clarice Cliff Stamford tureen and cover
0:40:59 > 0:41:03and three condiment covers. £100 to start me for it.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06350's better. 350 I'm bid, 360?
0:41:06 > 0:41:08£350!
0:41:08 > 0:41:10That got them whistling in church. 350.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13- Am I hearing right?- 360 now, OK.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17- 360, 370.- 370, Wendy.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20370, 380.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23- Oh, they love it, don't they?- Yes!
0:41:23 > 0:41:25370 then, with Alan. At £370.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28All done at 370. With Alan.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31- £370!- Yes!
0:41:31 > 0:41:34That's incredible, isn't it? With all that damage as well.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38It just goes to show it doesn't put people off buying Clarice Cliff, does it?
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Or were they Dr Who fanatics?
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Hey, what are you going to spend the money on?
0:41:44 > 0:41:47- Well...- Don't forget there's 15% commission.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Yes. Share it between my grandchildren and a rescued greyhound called Mr Blue...
0:41:51 > 0:41:53- Oh, lovely.- ..that my son's got.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57- How smashing.- I'm so pleased.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00- Mr Blue!- Mr Blue. He's fabulous.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04It's always nice to hear the money's going to a good cause.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Now I'm sure you're curious to find out what happened to the little
0:42:08 > 0:42:12cloisonne vase that I showed you earlier on in the programme.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17It just happened to be made by Namikawa Yasuyuki around 1880,
0:42:17 > 0:42:22the top maker at the dawn of the golden age of cloisonne.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24This is exceptional, so keep watching.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- 5,000.- £5,000 is now being offered.
0:42:27 > 0:42:28- 5,100.- 5,100.
0:42:28 > 0:42:316,000. 7,000.
0:42:31 > 0:42:328,000.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34£8,000?!
0:42:34 > 0:42:36Don't you just love auction rooms?
0:42:36 > 0:42:40- I'm tingling now.- 8,900. 9,000.
0:42:40 > 0:42:4210,000.
0:42:42 > 0:42:43Ooh! £10,000.
0:42:43 > 0:42:4511,000.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47And it's all gone deadly quiet.
0:42:47 > 0:42:4912,000.
0:42:49 > 0:42:50£12,000.
0:42:50 > 0:42:5313,000. 14,000.
0:42:53 > 0:42:5414,200, 14,400.
0:42:54 > 0:42:55- £14,000.- 14,200.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57- 14,400.- Absolutely incredible.
0:42:57 > 0:42:5814,600.
0:42:58 > 0:43:0114,800. 15,000?
0:43:01 > 0:43:0514,800, then. At 14,800, all done.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07Here we go, the hammer's going down.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10£14,800.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12APPLAUSE
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Lucky owners. That is the excitement of the auction room.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19If you've got something like that, bring it along to one of our valuation days.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21We would love to sell that for you.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24You can check the details on our BBC website.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Just log on to bbc.co.uk/lifestyle
0:43:26 > 0:43:29Click F for Flog It!, follow the links, and hopefully there'll be
0:43:29 > 0:43:32a valuation day venue very near you soon. We'd love to see you.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35Bring along your unwanted antiques.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:48 > 0:43:54E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk