Todmorden Flog It!

Today we're in the busy market town of Todmorden in Yorkshire.

Not only is it market day, but it's also a valuation day.

Welcome to Flog It!.

Overlooked by the Pennines and located between three beautiful valleys,

the town of Todmorden is in Yorkshire, right on the border with Lancashire.

And I'm hoping for a jolly good turnout of local people

for today's Flog It!.

The market doesn't look that busy.

Why's that? Well, there's another special event going on,

and it's right here in this magnificent venue, the Town Hall.

Look at this! Hundreds of people queuing to see Flog It!.

They want the answer to the question "what's it worth?", and we're going to tell them.

We've got a great team of experts to value all the items

everyone has brought along, and leading the crew today

we've got Flog It! favourites Adam Partridge and Catherine Southon.

Adam runs his own auction house, and is used to valuing all sorts of antiques.

Looks like a German mark on it,

maybe the Sitzendorf factory. That's quite nice, isn't it?

Catherine is an antiques consultant with an eye for maritime items,

and always has a cheery word for our visitors.

-£50 or £60 then.

-Right.

-I wonder what it might be worth.

-It might be worth millions now!

-Nice!

-THEY LAUGH

You never can guess what we're going to unpack and discover

at our valuation days, and for me, that's the fun of it all!

So let's get down to business, shall we?

Coming up on today's show...

find out why Adam is looking a bit sheepish.

Right. Have you any idea what it might be worth?

Catherine looks into a bit of advertising history.

..a can of dog shampoo.

A bit quirky, and you've... Whoops! Sorry!

'And a bit of wood turns out to be a valuable and dangerous antique.'

And that seriously would do an awful lot of damage.

'With items of every shape and size coming through the doors,

'it's going to be a mixed lot making it to the valuation tables.

'So let's look at that rather modern item with Adam,

'brought in by Catherine.'

-Are you from Todmorden?

-No, I'm from Burnley.

-So you're Lancashire, not Yorkshire.

-Yes.

-I'm getting the grip of this.

I had my passport stamped at the border.

-It's really close, Todmorden. It's a border town.

-Yes.

-It is. Now, you've brought a sheep.

-No. He's a ram.

-He's a ram. How did you get him?

-Car-boot.

-Car-boot.

-Yeah.

-OK. Tell us a bit more.

He was bought as a joke for my daughter.

Right.

Since she was little, she's collected sheep.

-Your daughter collects sheep?

-Yes.

-How old's your daughter?

She's 16.

So you've got... How many sheep has she got, roughly?

She's got about 250, of varying sizes,

from tiny little ones up to huge humungous things.

We're not allowed to eat lamb in our house.

-That's how bad she is into her sheep.

-Right.

He was laid on the stall... laid down...

-Ahh!

-..like that.

-Like a dead ram.

-Like a dead ram.

So I picked him up. The girl asked... I said, "How much is it?"

She said, "50p." Gave her the 50p.

I thought that would be a good joke for her.

Put it in my bag, got back to the car with my husband,

and he said, "It's Steiff."

So if she'd have laid it that way round...

Yes. She'd have probably got a lot more for him.

-But he was my bargain of the day!

-You presented it to your daughter,

-who collected sheep, and she was delighted.

-And she hates him.

-Why?

-She hates him with vengeance.

-What's the matter with him?

-Because he's a ram and not a sheep.

-Ahh!

Well, for 100 years now, Steiff has been the leading name

and the most famous name in teddy bears, and consequently later years

in all sorts of stuffed toys and novelties.

This one isn't of great age, but it's got that great Steiff pedigree.

And it's very nicely made. Lovely quality.

You've not dropped on fortunes, but certainly on a profit.

Yeah. And we always watch this programme,

so it's, like, you learn so much!

So you can tell me what it's worth.

-I don't know.

-Come on. Let's have a prediction off you.

-£20.

-£20. Good idea. Good.

-I was going to say put 20 to 40.

-Yeah.

-Do you reckon?

-Yeah.

-No reserve?

-No reserve, no.

-Let him go?

-Let him go, yeah.

-If he's cost you 50p...

-50p's nothing.

-Are you going to keep the...

I know it's not a lot of money, but are you going to keep it?

It's going to more sheep. Yes, it's got to go to more sheep.

Excellent. Well, thanks for bringing him.

Oh, you're welcome!

More and more people... Where does the queue end?

-That looks heavy! Are you all right?

-It is, yes.

'And it's not only people coming in. I'm like Dr Dolittle today,

'with Flog It! attracting all the animals in town.

'Back in the hall, Catherine's with Sonia and her son Matthew,

'and some advertising memories.'

Sonia, welcome to Flog It!. And gorgeous little Matthew, as well.

Thank you for coming and bringing something out of the ordinary.

I always like to see something a little bit unusual,

and you've certainly delivered today with this lovely collection

of advertising memorabilia. Tell me about it. Where did you get it from?

My father worked in Odhams during the '30s and '40s,

and also in Fleet Street during that sort of time.

-So Odhams were...printers.

-Printers.

-It was based in Watford.

-Some of these are shop stands,

posters, all things that would have been used

to decorate the shops, advertise the products.

And they really epitomise, to me, the 1930s.

-Yes.

-Especially this wonderful lady here,

who looks so glamorous - she's got this wonderful hat,

and this lovely red lipstick. Very 1930s.

And she's holding a can of dog shampoo.

-Yes.

-It's wonderful!

And underneath, "Perfection is true of all Cooper Dog Remedies".

This is another one of my favourites here,

because it's really futuristic - this fantastic picture of a rocket

zooming out, and it's beautifully, beautifully drawn.

"You can 'rocket' your hosiery sales with Ballito heavenly nylons".

I mean, just... It's a wonderful image there,

and not something you would associate with your pair of tights.

No, not really. Not rockets.

It seems sad to sell something like this,

which was part of your father's life.

I've kept some pieces that I particularly like,

particularly want to keep, so this is what's left over, really.

Well, I think you should probably put them at auction

-with an estimate of £80 to £120.

-Right. OK.

But I can really see these taking off, actually.

I think people will really get excited about them.

So with that in mind, I want to put a fixed reserve on

-of, I think, £80...

-OK, that's fine.

-..so they don't sell below that.

-Are you happy with that?

-I think they're worth...

Or do you want to pitch it lower and just get rid of them?

-I think 80 is fine.

-80.

-They're probably worth 80.

I think they are. So if they don't go for £80,

I think you should probably keep them,

-and pass them on to your lovely son.

-Yes, who's ignoring everyone.

Thank you very much for bringing them along,

because I've really enjoyed looking at them,

and I'm sure they will at the auction, as well.

We can't always hang on to all our inherited items,

but a reserve protects their value.

'Lots of people from Tod are waiting in the queue

'for a valuation, but it seems Alan's elegant timepiece

'has particularly caught Adam's eye.'

I can see you've brought a very nice-looking chronometer.

-Are you a collector of watches?

-I've had a short collection,

and I bought a book on watches,

and on the front cover was an illustration of this watch.

And I went to a watch fair at Liverpool

-about five or six years ago...

-Oh, not that long!

I managed to find one,

so I was delighted to find what I was looking for.

So this is something you'd always wanted to get,

cos you'd seen it on the front cover of your book,

and it's the kind of, er, high point of a collection.

-Exactly.

-And you managed to find it.

-I did.

-Tell us about the watch.

-Well, it's known as a chronometer.

It does many things - day, month, year, even phases of the moon.

-Yes.

-This little implement I use...

There are tiny little buttons round the side

for altering the dials.

Right. So this is your way of getting to these little buttons

-to alter what the dials say.

-Exactly.

And you can see it's French because of the fact

that the months and the days of the week are in French.

Well, as you can see, time is passing by.

We've opened it up. It's a fairly standard movement.

-It is, yes.

-Sometimes you see these with jewels set in, as well,

jewelled movements. But for something that does quite a lot,

it's a fairly standard movement.

French case. A base-metal case - gunmetal case, of course,

not a silver case.

So in some ways it's quite a cheap object really,

in terms of its construction and movement,

-but very elaborate, beautiful dial.

-Beautiful dial, yes.

-Isn't it?

-I don't like things that have been damaged,

-and the dial is perfect on this one.

-This is often the problem

with the pocket-watch and chronometer market.

The enamel dials here... I'm getting used to this!

Can I keep it for future ones? A little pointer.

The enamel dials get cracked and chipped,

and this has come out really unscathed altogether.

-Crisp.

-Very crisp. That's right.

And the gilding on there's very crisp, as well.

And it's working. I like the fact it's got the moon phases, as well,

hasn't it? So, you bought it only about five years ago.

-About five years ago, yes.

-From a specialist watch fair?

-Yes.

-Right.

-Yes.

-Probably cost a bit?

Er, I think it was, er, 340.

340. Did you manage to get that down a bit?

-He was asking 375.

-So you had a bit of a deal on it.

Yes.

Well, I don't think that's a bad price for a watch market,

but I think, to get interest on it,

you're going to have to pitch it a bit lower for auction.

-Is that something you're prepared to do?

-That's fine, Adam.

I thought you might have an adverse reaction to that.

No. It's just recycling things, and I'll probably buy another antique.

Well, I would say 200 to 300 would be a sensible estimate

to get people interested in it, and it would be lovely

-to get your money back, or a small profit would be ideal.

-It would.

-Fix a reserve, then. 200 is what I'd suggest.

-Right.

You stand to lose a bit, but you're quite a cool customer, aren't you?

-It'll be good on the day.

-It will be good on the day.

And we know what you're going to do with the money,

-so thanks for coming.

-Thank you.

Right! We're halfway through a day,

and we're about to put our first valuations to the test.

This is where it gets exciting, because you never know what's going to happen.

That's the beauty of an auction room. Fingers crossed, we've got one or two surprises.

And here's a recap of what's going under the hammer.

Catherine's unwanted Steiff ram surely has to attract bidders,

as it has no reserve. Will there be any nostalgia fans

bidding on Sonia's advertising material?

And Alan paid £340 for his chronometer.

Will he make his money back?

Well, to find out, all of our items are being sold

at Calder Valley Auctioneers, not far from Todmorden,

in some beautiful countryside,

and the commission here is 15% plus VAT.

The Steiff ram is up next, and owner Catherine and daughter Hannah

are after funds for some real sheep, rather than the toy variety.

This is a lovely Steiff ram. I know you're into sheep.

-You've got a little smallholding.

-It's not me. It's her that's into sheep.

Ah! So Mum bought this for you. This is great,

because it only cost 50 pence, so it is classic recycling again.

-It doesn't get greener than antiques...

-No.

..because they keep going around and around.

-So, what's the money going towards?

-More sheep.

-More sheep.

-You didn't want a ram because all yours are ewes.

-Yes.

-Can't throw a ram in amongst all those ewes.

-You can't.

-Mayhem.

-It would be, wouldn't it?

Good luck. Let's find out what the bidders think. It's going under the hammer right now.

Large Steiff soft-toy ram in cream and beige.

Right. There it's being shown.

It's got the yellow label and the ear stud. 391 is the lot.

What am I starting at? 30?

Owe me at £20. £20. 20 I'm bid. And five anywhere?

-At 20.

-There you are!

-Any further bids?

-At £20. 25.

-Let's have another one.

30, sir. 30. 35.

-40.

-Come on, Flossie.

-45.

-This is nice.

-This is good.

At 50 in that corner. Anybody else now?

-At £50. Selling for £50...

-50 quid!

First and last time in the corner...

-It's yours.

-Yes!

-That's fabulous.

As Adam just said, 50 pence becomes £50.

It is all out there! You've just got to get there early,

to the charity shops and car-boots and little fairs to pick up these bargains. Well spotted, Mum.

-Yes.

-Well spotted.

-Two real sheep for that.

-Yes.

-Hopefully, yeah!

-Thanks for coming.

-Yeah. Thank you.

Two sheep on the shopping list! Now I've heard it all.

Time for a more conventional antique now - Alan's French chronometer.

Everybody's on the edge of their seats right now,

because it's not an exact science at auction. Anything can happen,

and it can go wrong, but thankfully we've got Adam with us.

We've got £200 to £300 on this, and I think you should get your money back.

I would hope so. I'm not sure it's going to make much more.

£300, fingers crossed. Let's get the top end.

It's a lovely lot, and it's going under the hammer right now.

Lot 310, the French chronograph.

What am I bid for this? A couple of hundred?

150? I'm opening this at £100.

£100. At £100. 110. 120.

At £120.

At 120. 130. 140. At 140.

-150. 160.

-He's got a commission.

-Are we quite finished at 160?

Any further bids? At £160.

At £160...

Passed on it.

I said it's not an exact science and things can go wrong.

It just depends on the day. You've got to have the buyers here.

-Nobody fancied a chronometer.

-No.

-OK. There's another day.

-I did have my concerns,

but it's better than Alan being disappointed.

I'll have to learn to tell the time. THEY LAUGH

-Thanks a lot, Alan.

-OK.

-Thanks for coming.

What a shame that didn't sell!

But hopefully Alan will recoup his investment at a later date.

Sonia and son Matthew have come along

to see their advertising collection go up for sale.

We got a classic 80 to 120 on this.

Yes, I know. It is a bit of a cliche estimate,

but these are lovely, and in their own right,

each item is a little work of art, really.

-Why are you selling?

-Um, they were my father's,

and they've just been stuck away in a drawer,

and I had nowhere to put them. I've taken the bits I like out

and I've got them framed, but I've got nowhere else for them.

-Makes sense, doesn't it?

-Perhaps someone else can appreciate them.

Look, he's hiding his face. Look!

PAUL LAUGHS

You're going to miss all the action! Which is just about to start now.

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

And then 480 is the collection of advertising memorabilia.

1930s up to '60s.

-And I've got a phone bid...

-Oh, yes!

The collectors are here and on the phone.

So I'm going to open this at...

£80. At £80 I'm bid. At £80. At 80.

I've 90. At £90. At 90. Do I have 100?

I have £90. At £90.

At 100 in the room. 110.

110. 120.

130 on the phone. At 130. Anybody else, now, for this lot?

£130. It's going for £130.

A few people were keen on that. 130, top end and a bit over.

-Yeah, that's great.

-Happy?

Yes, I am. I wasn't sure whether they were going to sell or not.

I think I know who's going to get the money,

-after commission's paid.

-Yes. We're going out to LEGOLAND.

I've got another, older boy, so that's where we'll be going.

-Yeah? Oh, well.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

-He's happy.

-Yeah.

At 40. 45.

While I've been filming up here, I took the opportunity

to go and explore the most magnificent house,

which is a real treasure. Take a look at this.

I've popped over the border from Yorkshire to Lancashire

to a place called Padiham, to show you a true architectural delight.

And that's all down to one family, who lived here for 400 years.

And believe me, it's quite a house. Welcome to Gawthorpe Hall.

The original structure, hiding underneath the house we see now, was square.

It was built way back in the 14th century

as a peel tower, and used as a lookout.

The tower and land were inherited by a wealthy man

called Sir Richard Shuttleworth back in 1596,

and he set about the radical transformation

of the original medieval tower into this impressive Elizabethan mansion.

Sadly, he didn't live to see the build begin.

Shuttleworth is believed to have enlisted the help

of an influential architect called Robert Smythson,

the man behind other great country houses -

Here at Gawthorpe, it's likely he made the most

of locally sourced materials. The wood in the panelling

almost certainly came from the nearby Mitton Wood,

and much of the stone from a nearby quarry.

The original Gawthorpe Hall took about five years to build,

and it's as immaculate on the outside as it is on the inside,

and that's down to the generations of Shuttleworths who lived here.

What you've got to remember about these big ancestral piles is,

they don't always look like they would have done originally.

That's because each later generation would have liked to have updated the property while they lived here,

and, of course, add their mark.

All through the life of this magnificent house,

marks have been left to remember the family who owned it.

These carved figures are of the original Sir Richard Shuttleworth,

who commissioned the house, and his wife.

And there are family monograms all over the place.

By 1850, the house was in need of repair and general updating,

so its then owner, Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth,

commissioned another illustrious architect

to transform this house back to its former Elizabethan glory.

And such a well-to-do family could only call upon the best.

The architect he commissioned was also responsible

for designing the Houses of Parliament.

Sir Charles Barry was one of the best practitioners

of the Victorian fashion for designing in a more historic style.

His most famous work was arguably the Palace of Westminster in London.

Barry used some very clever and quirky design innovations

here at Gawthorpe. Take, for instance, this magnificent fireplace.

Normally there should be a chimney breast above it with a flue,

so it would draw the smoke off the fire so it doesn't fill the room.

But look - he's put this wonderful great big window up there.

What he's cleverly done is angled the flue

so it runs underneath the window and then up parallel with it,

so it still does the same practical job of drawing the smoke out the room.

But he's introduced badly needed extra light

into this room, because it is rather dark,

due to the wonderful Elizabethan oak panelling.

What I find so fascinating about this house is,

obviously it's a place of historical interest,

but it feels like a family home, not a museum.

And that's down to the family who have loved it and cared for it,

and over the years they've added their innovations,

but kept true to the original Elizabethan design.

And to tell you the truth, it's the first time, today,

I've ever heard of it, so I feel like I've discovered a bit of our hidden heritage.

Gawthorpe ticks all the boxes for me. It's well worth the visit.

The Victorian town hall in Todmorden

is proving to be a good venue for Flog It!,

with lots of visitors.

Adam's over at the tables with a bit of bronze brought in by Barbara.

This is a handsome beast here, isn't it?

-He surely is.

-He surely is!

Where did you get him from, Barbara?

Well, he's my husband's grandmother's.

We're not quite sure how she got him.

She was given it, and she died at 96, 20 years ago.

-We live on a farm up above Todmorden.

-That explains a lot,

because farmers tend to love their bronzes and figures of animals,

-don't they?

-Yes. It's beautiful.

But we've had it for a long time, and I think it's time for it to...

-Find a new home.

-Find a new home, yeah.

Time for it to "moove" on. I can't believe I said that!

OK. So, he's magnificent.

You can tell... He's a good large size.

-He's a big, heavy lump, isn't he?

-Very heavy.

And, um, nicely modelled, really, isn't he?

-He is.

-Quite nice detail.

-The detail is tremendous.

The detail is very good. I think he's late-19th, turn of the century,

that sort of period. About where it was produced, I'm sure it's European.

-Yes.

-Something tells me Spanish about it.

-This bit here has this sort of...

-It has got a Spanish feel.

-You want it to be English.

-You do, and you want it to be signed

so that I can give you a really good, chunky price on it.

What expectations do you have? Have you got a figure in mind?

Well, I was hoping for around 500,

because of the weight and the intricate workmanship in it.

You'd like to think he should be worth that.

Would you be devastated if it made £200?

I'm not disappointed. It's worth what somebody's going to pay for it.

-This is the thing.

-Yeah.

So what would you suggest as a reserve?

I'm a straight-talking chap. You won't get any bull from me.

Oh, yes. Very good! SHE LAUGHS

-What price do you want for it?

-I was hoping 500.

You were saying 200. So shall we put a...

-Can we put a 250 reserve?

-Yes. We'll do that.

-Compromise?

-Life is full of compromise!

-It is, isn't it?

You're clearly a very reasonable lady.

I try to be. I don't know if my husband would agree with you!

I don't know.

-OK. Let's go for a 250 reserve.

-Fine.

-Estimate 250, 350.

Let's just hope there's two or three people wanting it

-and that it might go up.

-He's in a good area,

because there's agricultural interest round here.

There's a lot of hill farmers around.

What are farmers like when they get stuck in at an auction?

-They never know when to stop!

-Exactly!

-We always go too high.

So what we need is two farmers to go for that, and we'll get a huge price.

-There we go.

-Let's hope. Thanks.

Let's hope the bidders do get carried away, like Barbara suggested.

Now, I've spotted a bit of wood with a rather unusual purpose.

Right, Stewart and Eleanor, what have we got here?

I guess this is Dad's, isn't it? It wouldn't be yours.

-Tell me, what do you know about it?

-Er, not a lot, really.

It was given to my parents about 30 years ago

by an old sailor, and they've just had it on the wall.

About ten years ago, when my dad died,

we had it decorated. It went into the garage,

and it's been there ever since. My mum died last year.

We were clearing the garage, and that's on one of the shelves.

What's really nice is, this came from an old sailor,

so it's got great provenance. He brought this back from his travels.

-Do you know what this is?

-I haven't got a clue.

If I did this - bash, bash - have you got a clue now?

-Some sort of club.

-Yes. It's a Fijian gunstock war club.

I don't know what wood this is, but it's incredibly hard,

close-grained, dense wood.

And it's meant to do a lot of damage, as well.

With the weight, I would have expected so.

-Now I know it's a club, yeah!

-It's known as a gunstock war club.

You can see why. It looks like a gunstock.

You see this wonderful geometric carving on the handle?

That's known as cross-hatching, and it's virtually what you see

on the stock, on the handle of a gun.

-Right.

-It's just to give you extra grip.

And you do need a lot of grip. That's to be held with two hands.

And that, seriously, would do an awful lot of damage.

-Just about!

-Yeah.

You see this section here? That's been broken.

Maybe this actually terminated in a point at one stage,

like an arrowhead. Maybe just a sort of spear, as well.

-Now, that's obviously...

-The damaging bit.

We thought originally that it was a plough, a hand-plough,

-with it being that shape.

-Understandably.

That would be for tilling. No, it's not.

-That's a war club.

-I take it it's not ceremonial.

-No.

-It's probably been used?

-If this was ceremonial,

most of the handle would be decorated with geometric pattern.

-Right.

-Yeah.

So that's what it is. That's what's been in your garage

all of this time.

-Amazing.

-It's incredible, isn't it?

-It really is. This is 18th century.

-As old as that?

-Yes, it is. Yeah. Sort of circa 1790.

-Gosh!

-At the very latest, early 1900s.

-Fantastic.

And it's got that lovely patina to go with it.

The wood, over the years, gets tighter and tighter,

and holds the dirt and the grime and the wax,

and that's what you call patina. Any idea of value?

-Absolutely none at all.

-What would you be happy with?

-What would he take?

-Anything.

Would he? Is he going to treat you to something with the money?

-I hope so.

-Are you a student at the moment?

-Yes.

-Studying, yeah? OK.

-Well, the money will come in handy.

-I hope so.

Would you be happy with £300?

-Definitely, yes.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-I'd be more than happy with £300.

-Would you?

-Yeah!

-Will you be extra-happy at five?

-Just about, yes!

-Right.

I think to tempt these bidders in, we've got to show them that it's not a trade loss.

It's not done the rounds. It's from a private source,

-and you're prepared to let this go at £300 to £500.

-Right. OK.

-That's fantastic.

-That's auction psychology for you,

because you know what happens, don't you? It really is a tricky business.

We'll put a fixed reserve on at £300,

so if it doesn't go for over £300, it goes home with you.

This is where it gets exciting,

because you don't know what will happen at auction.

We're about to find out. Whatever you do, don't go away.

You two could be going home with a lot of money.

Not a bad prospect for something found hidden in a garage!

But now it's Catherine's turn.

She's found a retro-looking piece of pottery belonging to Cynthia.

-Cynthia, welcome to Flog It!.

-Thank you.

Thank you for bringing along this posy-holder.

As you look at it, it just looks like a rather ordinary posy-holder.

But as you turn it over, we're faced with the wonderful name of Dresser,

namely Christopher Dresser. Tell me about this.

Where did you get this from?

It came in a box of oddments from a relative of mine,

because she knew that I collected green glass,

and primarily green things, and so it came with a lot of bits and pieces,

and I must admit when I first saw it, I thought it was rather tacky,

because I thought it was something modern

-that we used to have in the '60s.

-It does look modern.

And then I had a book of Miller's Collectables.

It was illustrated in the book, and a passage about Christopher Dresser.

So then it took on an entirely different meaning.

-So then you quite liked it.

-Yeah.

-Well, I don't blame you.

I mean, you hit the nail on the head.

When you look at it, it does look quite modern,

and you probably would think more sort of '40s, '50s.

-But actually it dates from the late 19th century.

-Does it?

-1880s, 1890s.

-Really?

-So it is quite a bit older than one would think.

-Yes!

To look at it, you wouldn't think it is a piece of Christopher Dresser,

because it hasn't got his characteristics about it.

When you think of Dresser, you think of, really, metalwork,

and very iconic design, quite stylised and very stylish.

-Really, this doesn't say Dresser.

-It doesn't give you the wow factor.

It doesn't, and it's not until you turn it over

and you see that name on the bottom. But it is a lovely piece of pottery,

and I'm so glad that you didn't chuck it out,

which was probably one of your first thoughts.

-Do you have any idea on value?

-Not present value.

-Right.

-But I have had it valued previously,

-about ten to 12 years ago.

-Mm-hm?

-£40.

£40. Right. I would say it's gone up a little bit since then,

and I'd be happy to put a pre-sale estimate on of £60 to £80,

-with a 50 reserve. How does that sound to you?

-That sounds fine.

-Would you be happy to sell at that?

-Very happy, yes.

This town hall has been a marvellous venue for Flog It! today,

and now it's time to say a fond farewell to Todmorden.

We're making our way to the auction rooms, so let's...

And put everything under the hammer!

We're selling Barbara's bronze bull.

Will it appeal to any farmers at the auction?

Cynthia's green Christopher Dresser posy-holder,

and Stewart and Eleanor's wooden gunstock war club.

That's the one to watch!

At the auction, we've got a bull to sell now -

not livestock, but Barbara's bronze.

We've got a reserve of £250, but let's hope we get that top end of 400.

-Why are you selling this?

-Well, we've had it...

-It's a great thing to look at.

-I know.

We've had it in the family over 60-odd years,

and it sits in one of the lounges and just sits in front of the fire,

so the idea is that we'll sell it, perhaps put it into premium bonds.

Oh, really? Have a dabble with the premium bonds!

-The government can use it. They're in a terrible state!

-They are!

-Do you do the Lottery as well?

-Yes.

-Have you ever won a tenner?

Oh, yes. We've won some tens and we've won some 55s.

Have you? But right now, let's find out, shall we?

We digressed a bit. But let's get back to business. This is Flog It!

and we've got the bronze bull going under the hammer. Let's find out what the locals think.

Lot 350 is the 19th-century European bronze model of a bull

with saddle. Here it is. Lot 350. What am I bid for this?

A couple of hundred, may I say?

150. 150. Starting at 150.

150. Advance in tens. 160. 170. At £170.

Any advance on £170? At 170. 180. Thank you. 180.

-Come on, come on!

-190.

200. And ten.

£210. Any further bids at £210?

We're just short of reserve.

At £210. Anybody else, now,

at £210...

-HE BANGS HAMMER

-Unsold.

Couldn't find a buyer. I'm really sorry.

-It's fine. It can go home.

-Auctions can be a lottery too.

Yes, exactly. You never know what's going to happen.

I had had a few second thoughts, because we've had it for so long.

-Well over 60 years.

-Maybe it's meant to stay at home.

-I like the look of it.

-I think it's meant to stay on the farm.

-It's been there so long.

-That's where the bull belongs.

-It does.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

-That's OK.

Well, the bronze bull is heading out to pasture for now.

Let's hope Cynthia has more luck with her Christopher Dresser posy-holder.

Cynthia, good luck! That's all I can say.

Here's the posy-holder. Fingers crossed.

Hope you'll get the £60. What do you think?

-I don't know!

-Oh, dear, we're all worried now!

Let's find out what the bidders think. It's going under the hammer right now.

Lot 588 is this rather nice little 19th century posy-holder

by Christopher Dresser. It's well signed on the bottom.

Greeny runny glaze. Let's open this at, let's say, 40.

30, then. £30. £30. An affordable piece of Christopher Dresser here.

-£30 I have. Thank you. £30.

-Come on!

This is such a good name.

At £45. 50, do I see? I have 45.

And 50. 50, thank you. £50.

At 50. Any further bids at £50?

Are we all done at £50? 55, sir.

-55.

-He thinks, "55. A bit more."

Then, at 55, signed by Christopher Dresser,

at £55. Are you all done?

Are there any further bids?

55, then.

Yes! The hammer's gone down. We just did it, didn't we?

Had a reserve of 50.

-Just!

-Oh, that was nail-biting, wasn't it?

-It was!

-We don't want to be doing that too often.

Not really!

That just goes to show Catherine's valuation was pretty accurate,

but now I'm under pressure, as the gunstock war club is up for auction.

So you could be going to Barcelona for that photography trip!

So what's this all about, then, the trip?

It's for my graphics course. It's photography.

We're going to go and do some work over there,

and try and get a bit more in my portfolio.

Ooh! Because we were saying students haemorrhage money,

don't they, Dad? Eh? I just hope we get the top end

of the estimate. Whatever happens, that's still £500.

But you never know. We could be in for a real surprise.

We see it happen in auction rooms all the time.

-I just hope it happens now.

-Fingers crossed!

Fingers crossed, please! Don't go away. Watch this.

This is going under the hammer now. Let's see what it does.

Lot 417,

the hardwood tribal gunstock war club

with carved handle there.

Good-looking piece. Nice patina, lovely carving.

Lot 417.

What am I bid on this? £300?

250? 200 I have. Thank you. £200.

-Gosh, he's starting low, Eleanor.

-225. 250. 250.

275? 250. 275 in the room.

£300. At £300. £300.

-£300. I have 325. Do I see 325? 325.

-We've got a phone bid.

There's somebody on the phone.

350. 375 on the phone. At 400 in the room. £400.

Stewart, it's starting to get exciting.

450 in the room. 450.

475 on the phone. £500 in the room.

£500.

-Top end now.

-525 on the phone.

550, sir. 550.

575. At £600 in the room.

At £600.

-This is good.

-625 on the phone.

650 in the room.

-Barcelona, here we come.

-Barcelona, here we come!

675 on the phone.

I've 675 on the phone.

Any further bids? At 675, then...

-Yes! The hammer's gone down.

-Well done!

-£675.

-We're happy with that, aren't we? Well over the top end.

-Sure!

And to think this was in the garage!

Yes. And only two weeks before the valuation,

-the garage got broken into.

-What did they steal?

They went through everything, left that, and took a mountain bike!

SHE LAUGHS So thanks very much!

-It's enough for a new mountain bike!

-It's enough for a new mountain bike,

-and the air fare to Barcelona.

-Definitely.

-Yeah?

-Great!

-Congratulations, both of you. Thank you for bringing that in.

You've made my day and everybody else's here, as well.

I hope you've enjoyed watching the show.

Do join us again for many more surprises, but for now,

from the Calder Valley, it's goodbye from all of us.