Worthing Flog It!

Since the 1930s, rumour has it that where I am today

is the sunniest place in Great Britain.

I don't know if that's true, but the sun is coming out today.

Welcome to Flog It from Worthing on the south coast.

Somebody here in this queue could be going home with a lot of money.

Stay tuned and you'll find out. It might be you, madam!

They've come to the Pavilion Theatre on Worthing sea front

to attend our valuation day.

Who knows what treasures our experts will unearth from these bags and boxes?

When they ask that all-important question, "What's it worth?" what will they do?

ALL: Flog it!

We're at the end of the pleasure pier with a cast of experts ready to perform.

Topping the bill, David Fletcher, always a font of knowledge.

-It's 1930s, made from Bakelite.

-Yes.

-It's late Victorian.

-Oh?

It's not what it purports to be.

And the erudite Mr Michael Baggott.

I'll do a bit of work on that and hopefully it's worth £100,000.

-Thank you!

-Maybe not, maybe not!

Steady on, Michael!

Coming up: one of our owners astonishes Michael with a garden find.

It's amazing that you were able to dig something like this up so intact.

He's a whopper!

And we have smiles all round at the auction room.

Put it there! Give us a handshake. Wow!

And I enjoy a visit to De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea.

What a work space! What an office!

Yes, this is quite a spectacle, isn't it?

Christine and Steve are first to the table with a whole farmyard of animals!

Is there a field somewhere near Worthing devoid of animals?

-How did you come by these?

-I started when I was quite young, I suppose.

About the middle '40s, war time, I suppose.

The first one, that was given to me, was that little calf.

-Wonderful.

-And then slowly it's grown.

Chris, have you ever seen these all out?

-We got them out last night to clean them up.

-To wash them.

That's the first time I'd seen a lot of them, I must admit. They've been in the loft.

This, I should say, is a very small section

of an otherwise bagful of animals

-and assorted beasts.

-Yes.

-I think what's happened now is these really are not for children any more, sadly.

-No.

-They are purely for collectors.

-Yes.

And collectors who want to put together

-the original Britains - these are all Britains' toys.

-Yes.

The original Britains sets.

-We haven't had time to go through absolutely every figure.

-No.

But as with everything that's collectable,

-there are some that are rarer than others.

-Yes.

I imagine there are a great number of cows, probably not that many calves.

-No, not many calves.

-There's probably a lot of them standing,

-probably not that many with the foot up.

-No.

-Or seated.

-No.

All these factors will play. The other thing is, I'm glad you've done it, played with them as a boy.

-Oh, yes.

-So they have got knocks and scuffs and scratches

-and the paint's gone. So they're not in pristine condition.

-No.

But really, it's very sad when these things are!

-It's not what they were meant for!

-No, that's true.

-They're children's toys.

-They were.

-A collector will look at that

with a collector's eye and say, "If that was in pristine condition in its box

"it would be worth £20, £30. £40."

What you've got to do is take this whole collection and put it all together in one lot at auction.

You've got to let those collectors pick through it meticulously

and decide what they want and put their values on it.

-Yes.

-I think it's sensible, bearing in mind we have got a bag like this,

if we put a reserve on it and a reasonable estimate.

-I think if we say 200 to £300.

-OK.

-And possibly tuck the reserve slightly under that.

-Yes.

-Maybe £180.

-Right. Fine.

-Fixed reserve.

-Fine, fine.

Will you be sad, either of you, to see them go?

-In a way, yes.

-You will be.

-Yeah, in a way.

-But providing somebody enjoys them, adds to their collection.

-This is it.

-They'll be out of the loft.

-Out of the loft.

-Gathering dust.

Hopefully they'll be retouched and brought back to their former glory.

-Let's hope for a load of toy collectors at the sale, all bidding each other up!

-Hope so!

That's a great collection, full of nostalgia.

I'm on the prowl for the next interesting thing to take to auction.

Thing is, it's outside my area of expertise.

Jewellery. I don't know a thing about jewellery but I know someone who does,

Pippa Deeley, one of our off-screen experts.

We're in good company. We've got an expert to cover everything. Let's go and find her.

Hi, Paul!

-My font of knowledge! What do you think?

-What have we got?

This is where I learn so much, as well.

Anything that's caught your eye?

-I haven't really had a look, to tell the truth.

-OK.

-These are...

-Sea pearls?

-No, these are plastic, covered in a sort of pearl-type...

-Iridescence.

Made from fish scales. That's how they get that.

-So that's not worth very much at all!

-OK.

Here you've got three Victorian pieces of jewellery.

-Brooches aren't particularly popular.

-Old-fashioned.

-This pendant is nice.

They've used opals. The pendant is worth 60 to 100, depending on the market.

The brooches less so, probably £30 apiece.

Opals were popular towards the end of the 19th and early 20th century,

but there is a rumour that De Beers marketed the fact that they were unlucky!

So whereas they had been very popular in engagement rings,

because De Beers wanted to corner that market and produce this sort of thing,

they sent round a rumour, because they were a superstitious bunch, that opals were unlucky

-and wouldn't bless your marriage. They fell out of favour and diamonds became a girl's best friend.

-OK.

OK. Very, very... This is a very crude way of working out the carat weight.

This is an old-cut stone, made in around 1910, 1920.

So you've got a stone there worth around, in a carat of diamonds you've got 100 points.

I'd say this is between 50 and 60 points in size.

So just over half a carat. Very commercial, this ring. It's exactly what people are looking for.

They like the square setting, the older cut.

I'd say, at auction, that's probably going to make between 300 and £500.

-OK.

-OK.

I shall go and find the owner, and tell her the good news.

And maybe, just maybe, she might flog them.

Well, that was a lucky find.

Here are the owners. Right, what's your name?

-Alison.

-Alison and your daughter?

-Philippa. Pippa.

-Pippa.

OK. Your grandmother's jewellery.

No, it belongs to her, but it was a lady's who was a friend of the family.

-OK.

-So it does belong to her grandmother now.

The two earrings and the pendant have a value of around £150.

But the ring, with that lovely diamond in there,

is worth 300 to £500.

Is it? Oh, my goodness!

That's amazing.

Wow.

-Thank you.

-That's OK.

If you want to sell it, we'll take it in to auction.

OK, I'll go and find her. She's around somewhere.

-I'll speak to her.

-Gone for an ice cream?

Too hot in here for her. But lovely. Thank you very much. Nice to have met you.

Will Mum want to sell them? We'll have to wait and see.

David is next, looking at a pair of decorative vases.

-Hello, Carl.

-Hi.

-Thank you for bringing your vases in.

-At first sight, these look as if they're porcelain.

-They do, yeah.

But I've just examined them more closely

and I see they're glass. How did you come by them?

-I bought them in a charity shop in Waterlooville and paid £60.

-Did you?

About six months ago. They've been on the mantelpiece.

OK. I hope we're going to see you all right.

Hopefully. Might make a little bit.

But I bought them first and foremost because I like them. They're beautiful.

The golden rule is you must buy things above all else because you like them.

That's important.

Let's talk about the decoration for a moment. It's very high quality.

It's an enamelling decoration.

The enamel is a form of powdered glass

which is mixed with paints

and applied to the surface of the glass vase itself and then fired.

What particularly interests me is the nature of the decoration.

That'll help us date these.

They're very typical of the aesthetic movement type of decoration

which one associates with the 1870s, 1880s.

It's a form of decoration which originated in Japan.

As a result, Europeans started to decorate objects like this

in the Japanese taste.

So that enables us to date them fairly precisely

to 1870, possibly 1880.

So they're late Victorian.

I must say, the gilding has rubbed just a bit

slightly to their detriment.

But no chips and no cracks.

-I hope not.

-So that's really good.

You tell me that you paid £60 for them.

I'm not convinced we're going to get your money back.

-Now, if we were to treat this as a damage limitation operation...

-Right, OK.

..would you be happy if I suggested a reserve of below £60?

-Yeah, could do.

-OK. You're very philosophical. I can see you're not entirely happy.

I think it's the most sensible way of approaching it, really.

So let's go for a 40 to £60 estimate.

-OK, yes.

-So the top estimate is the price you paid.

-Yeah.

-And a reserve of £40.

-OK.

-All right?

So you might lose 20 quid

-or it might make 70 or £80 and you'll show a profit.

-There we go.

-You're a very understanding man.

-That's life, isn't it?

That's my motto, too!

Yes, there's no point over-egging things at auction.

We're now halfway through our day. I've escaped the mayhem of the pavilion

to get a bit of fresh air before we go over to the auction room.

Here's what we're taking with us.

Christine and Steve brought in a really enjoyable lot,

the extensive collection of farmyard animals,

some going back as far as the 1940s.

My lucky find, next.

Alison's mother, Sylvia, has decided to sell her diamond ring so we have a date at the auction.

David liked Carl's pair of 19th-century vases.

Let's hope the bidders feel the same.

Ready for a rollercoaster ride? Fasten those seatbelts, it's auction time.

This is where we put our valuations to the test,

Denham's auctioneers, a few miles outside Horsham.

On the rostrum is Simon Langton,

the man with the local knowledge. Fingers crossed for some surprises.

We're kicking off with that lovely farmyard collection of animals.

They belong to Christine and Steve, who are colour-co-ordinated!

This is this season's colour as well, orange.

-Did you dress Steve this morning?

-Of course!

-Of course she does!

-"You've got to wear this."

-You've got it!

-You've had this collection a long time.

-Yes.

-Why are you selling now?

-It's time to move on. They're sitting in the loft.

If you've got to have toys, you've got to have Britains'.

It's the best name. It can be bought by collectors or a dealer who will painstakingly spruce it all up,

sort it out and make £100 on it.

But I'm sure it's a really attractive lot.

-Time to say goodbye.

-Yes.

-Going under the hammer right now.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

270 is the very good collection of various Britains' figures there.

-Good subject matter, the farmyard.

-Especially in a rural area.

120. 130. 140. 150.

160. 170. 180.

Are we now 180? All done and selling at £180, then? 190.

200? With me at 190, then.

Are we all done and selling? 190.

-Happy?

-Yes.

-Fine, yes. Yes.

-Lots of memories there.

Oh, yes. Lots.

-Did you save one back for yourself?

-No.

-They all went.

They all went.

If you have one, you have to start collecting again!

-You have to get the herd.

-I was tempted.

-I would have kept the little calf.

-Probably I should have kept that.

-There we are. Too late!

-You've put your foot in it now.

Everyone's gone home happy!

Maybe sometimes it's better to keep quiet!

Now for a real sparkler.

I admit I did have some help with this one from our valuer Pippa,

who put the price on this gorgeous ring belonging to Alison and Pippa.

It's my mum's, but it was given to her by her elderly friend.

-OK. So it's been in the family a long time.

-Yeah.

-If it doesn't sell, are we going to look after it now?

-Yes.

-And Gran's over there.

-Yes.

-Hi!

Hello!

-Hopefully, we'll get the top end of Pippa's estimate.

-Lovely.

-What have you been doing since we saw you?

-We went on holiday to Tenerife.

So you've spent all the money, then!

You've spent it all.

We need more cash for the next one.

Let's see what the bidders think.

Lot 750. The ladies' 18-carat gold dress ring.

£200 for it, do you say?

Obviously not.

-Gosh.

-£100 to start?

-No-one wants it?

-75. 80. And five. 90.

And five. 100. And ten.

120. 130. 140.

150. Are we done at 150? Do I see 160?

All done at 150, then.

No. Nobody wanted jewellery today.

I'm ever so sorry.

-Never mind.

-Oh, dear. Good job you've already spent the...

Good job you went on holiday and spent the money.

-I'm ever so sorry! Look, Mum's over there.

-Mum's crying!

It's going home. That's good, it's going home.

That's the way it goes.

Oh, well, maybe young Pippa will inherit it after all.

I'm never quite sure whether Victoriana is coming back in fashion.

Let's see if the next lot gives us a clue.

Coming up now, a pair of glass vases which belong to Carl.

You bought them in a charity shop for £60.

Now, will we get you your money back?

David, our expert, has got 40 to 60. You're being cautious.

Carl might have to be prepared to take a loss here.

They're fairly standard, but very nicely decorated.

-I like the enamel on them.

-Yes, it's good quality.

Can we get your money back?

The pair of Victorian opaque vases.

Fair interest here. Starts us at 95. 110.

120. 130. 140.

150. 160. 170. 180.

I've underdone these!

Pairs always sell well, don't they?

240. 260.

280. 300.

(300!)

-That's good.

-He's got the eye.

At £300. All done and selling at £300 now.

£300!

Put it there. Give us a handshake! Wow!

£150 each!

Well done! What are you going to do? Re-invest it?

Re-invest, yeah. Possibly get some Poole pottery.

-Carl's a bit of a gambler! And that gamble came off.

-It did, didn't it?

-It goes to show you can still turn a profit.

-You can, yes.

It's good to see the enamel birds take off like that.

Now time for a trip along the Sussex coast.

Bexhill-on-Sea, the quintessentially respectable Edwardian seaside resort

on the East Sussex coast.

Some might say its complacency was slightly shattered

when the ninth Earl De La Warr was elected as mayor to this town in 1932.

He had this new vision of bringing economic regeneration

and accessible culture to Bexhill.

What he thought this charming little seaside town needed was a horizontal skyscraper!

The Earl was a man ahead of his time,

a socialist aristocrat who wanted to bring contemporary modernist architecture to this seaside town.

The council held a competition for designs,

the earl himself stipulating they should be simple, light in appearance and attractive

with large window spaces, terraces and canopies

and roofs that could be used as sitting-out terraces.

This fabulous building was the result of that competition.

When it opened in 1935, the De La Warr Pavilion was proclaimed as a modernist masterpiece

in the international style.

The pavilion used innovative building techniques, things like cantilevered walls,

welded steel framework and concrete as if it was a plastic material.

It could literally be moulded into any shape.

Just look at that. That is just fabulous!

This winning design is by Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff.

Mendelsohn was a renowned modernist architect who fled Nazi Germany

for a new life in Britain.

He set up practice with Chechen-born Chermayeff

who, thanks to his Harrow education and society contacts,

had already had commissions from the BBC amongst others.

Together, they designed the pavilion following the modernist ideal of function over decoration.

The building eventually cost around £70,000 and it took nine months to build.

It was opened on 12 December 1935 by the then Duke and Duchess of York,

the future King Edward VI.

It made worldwide news.

For all its original vision and technical innovation, the building has had a rollercoaster history

over the last 75 years.

Initially, it was celebrated in style. Then along came the Second World War.

It survived that, but not without incident.

A bomb exploded on the roof.

But then came the worst period of the building's life.

Years and years of prolonged neglect and underfunding

from 1945 right up the 1980s.

It's hard to believe that when you look around today

and you see how fabulous this place is.

Since 1990, the Pavilion's had a major programme of restoration

and redevelopment.

To fill me in on what's happening now, I'm meeting Sally Anne Lycett

who works for its charitable trust.

What effect do you think the building had on Bexhill when it first opened?

It must have been amazing because this kind of architecture

was the first to be seen in a big public building in this country.

Bexhill was a small seaside town.

It must have been like a UFO landing.

Nobody had seen this kind of thing before. Everything was new,

the design, the architecture, the construction was new.

It was quite revolutionary. People didn't know what to expect.

It's been a talking point ever since.

What does the building have to offer today?

It has to offer the same as it offered in 1935.

It provides culture and entertainment.

For the 21st century, it's all about the visual arts.

It's about contemporary art.

It has a fantastic roof space and we're beginning to have a programme of art up there.

But there's other things. You have music performances as well.

-We have a 1,000-seat auditorium.

-Which is incredible for this area.

This season we've got Kate Nash, Corinne Bailey Rae, Gloria Anderson from New York.

-Big names.

-Artists love to perform in this building because it's totally unique.

-Yes.

What exhibitions are on at the moment?

We put on exhibitions by contemporary artists.

In the gallery downstairs we have an exhibition by a Japanese artist called Timoko Takahashi.

Upstairs on our roof space for the first time

we've got an exhibition by the artist Antony Gormley.

-Fabulous! Can we take a look at that?

-Yes, let's do that.

I like seeing his work outside.

-It's titled Critical Mass.

-You're talking quantum physics, now! Density.

You're talking density, but also from a social point of view, a mass of people comes to a critical mass.

Therefore they can effect change. That was the idea behind it.

-Go on, curl up in that little shape!

-No, I'd rather you did it!

-Thank you so much, Sally, for showing me around.

-It's a pleasure.

-I envy you working here.

-What a work space! What an office!

-Yes, it's quite a spectacle.

-Yes.

Here we are, more or less 75 years after the Pavilion was first opened.

It seems that the 9th Earl De La Warr's vision has finally come to fruition.

It's marvellous to see it.

The drama is in full swing

at the Pavilion Theatre on the sea front in Worthing.

As usual, I'm hoping for a good rummage through people's bags and boxes.

Wow.

Michael's found an item which comes with a fabulous story.

Danielle, I saw this impressive gent in the queue and he almost jumped out at me!

Where did you get this wonderful thing from?

He was my dad's granddad's.

He dug him out of his back garden!

-What?!

-Yes. So he's quite old now!

-When did he dig him up?

-I don't actually know when he dug him up,

but I know my mum and dad have had him for at least 40 years.

-Good grief.

-At least 40 years.

It's amazing that you're able to dig something like this up so intact.

-Yes.

-We've got a bit of damage, but he's a whopper.

The reason why this is preserved in such wonderful condition

even though it's been buried, is because it's made of salt-glazed stoneware.

-Right. OK.

-It's a stoneware body

and when it's fired, you throw salt into the kiln

and it vitrifies. This is what all this gloss is.

It forms this layer.

And actually, it was used for waste pipes because it's non-reactive in the soil.

-Oh. Right. OK.

-As well as its use for waste pipes,

it was also found to be a very good container for alcohol.

So when you get the waste pipe business building up in domestic,

you also get these novelty bottles being made. The trouble is,

if we turn this fellow over,

where almost every bit of ceramic has got some sort of mark on it,

-the only mark this one's got is a bit of dirt.

-Yes.

-Have you any idea when it might have been made?

-No.

But my mum found this newspaper article.

This was cut out before my brother and I were born. 30 years old, that is.

This is the jug. That's absolutely marvellous.

-It says it's worth £1,000 there.

-Yes.

-Oh, dear!

-Oh, dear!

-Sometimes they make things up in newspapers!

I would imagine that this model, we don't know who this chap is,

he hasn't got any signifying markings and we have got the chips. That's the thing.

When you get to bottle collectors, you want everything in almost pristine condition.

Would you know how old he would be?

He, I think, dates to about 1840, 1850.

I don't think he's any later than that.

Value is very difficult when things are damaged.

You've got a lovely story with it, which helps immensely.

That will be of value on its own.

-So I think conservatively, if we said 60 to £100.

-Right. Yes.

Put a fixed reserve of £60 on it and I wouldn't be surprised if it made towards the 100, 120,

even allowing for the damage.

So if you're happy to put it into auction. Can I ask why you've decided to sell him?

I just got married last year and I'm looking to buy a house,

so my mum thought, "Let's see what we can get to help for the..."

-So it's a clear-out towards a deposit, I would imagine.

-Yes.

My husband found out about this yesterday and here we are.

When he saw it, didn't he fall in love with it and say, "No,

-"you mustn't sell that wonderful jug!"

-No, he was like, "Let's go! Let's go."

Salt-glazed stoneware can be an acquired taste,

-but I hope there'll be a few people at the auction that really love it.

-Yes.

-And get carried away. Thanks for bringing it.

-Thank you.

Well, I'd love to dig something up like that in the garden. Wouldn't you?

I like the shell.

-My father brought that back from the Bahamas in about 1921.

-Did he?

I believe they're collectable now because you can't buy them any more.

That's true. Very collectable, especially that size.

-There is a hole there.

-Conchology is what they call shell collecting.

-Is it?

-Conchology after the conch shell.

-Right, yes.

A lovely thing. Really nice.

It's hearing people's stories that makes Flog It so enjoyable.

David meets Rhoda next, who's brought in something which must have lots of memories for her.

You've brought along a concertina with you.

-Yes.

-I love these things.

-It was my grandfather's.

-Did he play it?

-Yes, he did, yes.

-Did you listen to him playing it?

Oh, yes, when I was about three.

I don't want to ask your age, but tell me when that would have been?

-1930s?

-'30. '31.

-People would have played these in pubs, of course.

-He didn't do that, no.

-He played it at home.

Yes.

This is late 19th-century.

It's actually by a firm called Jones. C. Jones.

The first manufacturers were George Jones.

I take it that George Jones would have been an ancestor of C. Jones.

They were popular instruments in the 19th century

but not thought of as being terribly sophisticated.

The case, or at least the ends, are made of rosewood

which is an exotic timber

imported to England from the East Indies.

And that is a sign of quality.

The buttons themselves are marine ivory.

Rather than being elephant tusks I think they're made of walrus tusks.

You can tell that by this slight striations they have in them.

-But most importantly of all, you've one, two, three, six, nine, 12, 15 on this end.

-Yes.

15 on the other end.

Plus this one here, so you've got 31 buttons.

And the more buttons you have,

in general terms, the better it is. Ever played it yourself?

-No, I haven't, no. I'm not really musical, myself!

-I'm exactly the same!

I'm sorry that the case is damaged.

Yes, I don't quite know how that got damaged.

-That does affect its value a bit.

-Yes.

But I'm sure it would be possible for someone to manufacture another case

or to replace those missing sections.

There are one or two problems with the instrument itself.

The bellows are a bit worn here.

And after time, that means that the air escapes

and distorts the noise it makes.

But most of them are OK. Just a tiny bit of damage.

Now, value.

I think it's got potential.

-I'm going to suggest a conservative estimate of 100 to 150.

-Right.

I would like a bit more than that, actually.

-It might make more. We'd all like a bit more, wouldn't we?

-That's right!

I think we'll get a bit more. But let's make the estimate realistic.

-100 to 150, with a reserve of £100.

-All right.

-OK?

-All right, then, fine.

-I understand you might not be able to come to the sale.

-I'm on holiday.

-Elect someone to come in your place.

-I'll check with my son.

-Have a chat with him.

-Yes.

I look forward to seeing him or whoever you choose to represent you.

Thank you for telling me about it.

Such a shame neither of them are musical. I'd like to have heard it being played.

Michael's final choice is something special brought along by Terry.

Don't take this the wrong way, but what's a gruff big-looking fellow like you

doing with a brooch and a pendant?

Well, to be honest, I found it

in a vanity box that I bought at auction.

There was a secret drawer.

-No!

-It couldn't be opened. I did get it open and found these bits in it.

At the auction, did you have an inkling that there was a chance something was in there?

Yes, cos it's happened to me before. I've found odd bits in secret drawers

that people haven't opened.

I know most techniques of opening drawers now!

The right sort of drawers!

Keep it clean, Terry, keep it clean!

Well, it's paid off, I think, this time.

Can I ask, before we get going, what did the box cost you?

The box cost me £100.

-Did you sell the box on?

-I sold the box on for £160.

-So these are...

-And other items have sold as well.

-So these are free.

-That's right. Exactly.

If you're ever buying anything at auction, it's advisable to buy the free lot!

Let's look at this piece first. A lovely brooch.

Lovely brooch. Not a precious material.

Only ivory. But look at the carving on that.

-Yes.

-It's all hand done. We've got this sheaf of wheat.

It's quite touching and sentimental for the time it was carved

-which would be about 1870, 1880.

-Really?

It's difficult to place these because obviously they're not marked and not signed.

-But one big centre for ivory carving at the end of the 19th century was Dieppe in France.

-Right.

So I would think that from the quality of that carving

that that is a French one.

And thankfully it's early ivory so we don't have to worry about the ban on ivory after 1947.

But that's a lovely thing.

It's not desperately valuable. Maybe 40 to £60.

But it stands you in at nothing, which is great.

Then this fellow, which is more interesting.

This would have been made in Italy.

It's what we call micro-mosaic.

-Ah.

-It's just like a normal mosaic, but on a micro scale.

This technique started in antiquity

but it was revived in the main in the late 18th century in Rome.

So you've got the Papal workshops producing presentation micro-mosaics,

table-tops like this of superb quality.

They're like oil paintings. From here, you wouldn't be able to tell there were stones in them at all.

They're magnificent.

And those are worth - don't get excited - those are worth half a million, even a million pounds.

Then you get onto late 19th-century jewellery.

They're still producing micro-mosaics but not quite of the same quality.

And it's a broader market.

Now, this dates to about 1850, so we're in the middle of that.

At this date, we're not using hard stones at all,

we're using small drawn glass rods which are cut into beads.

Normally on these crosses, the little pieces of mosaic are much larger.

This is really lovely quality. The work is absolutely stunning.

You have the little dove's eye,

which is a red piece of glass, a yellow piece of glass,

a black piece of glass smaller than a pin-head.

Yeah.

That's a tricky thing to value.

-I have seen later ones go for as little as 50 to £80.

-Right.

As I say, were it a table top, it would be half a million.

So we're between half a million and 50 to £80!

But I think what would be sensible is to put them together

because they're both jewellery.

This being very much the star lot.

-I think if we put them in at 150 to 250 for the two.

-Right.

You never know. There might be a battle over this on the day.

We might get above the top end of it. But you'll certainly make a profit on nothing!

-Are you happy for us to sell them?

-Definitely. I'd be very happy.

-If they do well, will you go out and look for more boxes?

-I'll buy you an ice cream!

They've got to do well now, Terry!

-Thank you so much for bringing them in.

-Thank you, Michael.

-Thank you.

Terry's done well. It's always worth looking through odd boxes at auctions.

Before our second trip to the auction, let's remind ourselves of what our experts picked out.

Danielle's head-shaped salt-glazed bottle is great fun.

The fact it was dug up from the garden only adds to its charm.

Rhoda is not musical, so she has the right idea,

passing the concertina on to someone who might be able to restore it.

Finally, Terry's two free items.

The Victorian ivory brooch and the superb Italian micro-mosaic cross. They can't fail to do well.

Before the sale started, I caught up with auctioneer Simon Langton

to see how he thought Rhoda's concertina would do.

We've seen a lot of concertinas on the show

and some have made such good money, over £1,000,

because they've got 24 buttons or more.

This one only has 15, but I still think it's good quality.

We've got 100 to £150 on this.

I have no fear we're going to get that and we might exceed that.

-There has been a little interest in this so far.

-Good.

It's a fabulous little concertina. Good maker, C. Jones, very well recorded. Lovely rosewood.

We'll have no trouble with that whatsoever.

He's off to the rostrum. Don't go away. Let's find a new home for this!

We'll have to wait and see because now Danielle and more of her family are up first.

-I've brought my mum and dad, Linda and David.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Hello, David.

-Hello.

-Nice bottle, this. It's been yours for a long time?

-No, it's ours.

-It was David's granddad's.

-OK.

-He dug it up.

-And why are you selling it?

-She needs the money!

I'm just here with them. I want the money for a house!

-You're saving up for a house?

-Yes.

-It's a start. You've got to start somewhere.

-Hopefully we'll get top estimate?

-Possibly.

-Pressure's on!

It's difficult because there's a chip. It's a lovely large size, but there's a chip.

It's very difficult to estimate what a collector will pay for something that's damaged.

Normally, we don't put chipped or broken things into sales.

But it's so quirky and the story of it being dug up is fantastic.

At £60, it's worth buying just for the story.

Otherwise, it'll have pride of place in your new house when you get it!

I don't know about that!

-Up in the loft!

-No, have it on display. It's lovely. I love salt glaze.

You must have seen this as a little boy?

Yeah, Nan used to have it out in the kitchen and that.

-Was it damaged when he dug it up?

-Yes, it was.

-Nice thing, though.

Let's see what the bidders think. Here we go.

Lot 420. 19th-century salt-glazed flagon.

And I'm bid 55. 60.

-We're in.

-65. 70. And five.

80.

And five. 90.

We're now at £90, then.

All done and selling at £90.

At 90, then.

-Well done. £90.

-I'm chuffed with that!

That's something, isn't it? That adds to the pot.

-The kitty. It must be hard to get on the property ladder for a first-time buyer.

-It is.

-The prices.

-Good luck.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-You've only got to dig up another 10,000 and you'll be OK!

-A few more bottles!

-That aren't damaged!

That's a great result for Danielle.

It looks like the bidders have been enjoying Rhoda's concertina, but will they be bidding?

We've got the concertina, but unfortunately not Rhoda. But here's her son, Colin.

-Hello.

-Next generation in the family.

This has been in the family for how many generations?

-Three generations.

-Three. Incredible.

Why don't you want this? Why's Mum flogging it?

-She just needs the money, really!

-Does she?

It's been in the loft since my grandmother died

-and she's kept it there, so...

-It's time to go.

-Time to go.

-We have David's valuation of £150.

The ones with 24 buttons and over tend to make an awful lot of money.

This one's only got about 15.

You're being cautious and I think you're right.

-Let's hope for the best.

-Yeah, top end plus a little bit more?

-Yes.

-£200-ish?

-"Ish" would be good.

-Let's make some music. It's going under the hammer right now.

Lot ten is the six-sided rosewood concertina.

There we are. Bids here start, of which there are several,

150, 160, 170, 180, 190.

200 and 20.

240. 260.

280. With me now at 280, then.

All done at 280, are we?

Yes, hit the high notes there!

-That's good!

-She'll be very pleased with that!

-Over the moon.

-Where is she? She's on holiday.

-On a cruise in the Mediterranean.

-Does she have a mobile?

-She does, and I'll contact her tonight.

-Brilliant.

-Well done.

-I'm thrilled for Rhoda. Delighted.

That's the business, David. Now we're in for some real fun.

-Good luck, Terry.

-Thank you.

-These are quality items.

Hopefully you remember that wonderful micro-mosaic cross, which is beautiful.

Sheer quality, and quality always sells.

-Also the ivory brooch.

-Yes, it's wonderful quality as well.

We put it in to make the lot more attractive. But the value is with the cross.

-It could be going back to Italy.

-We think so. Italians love to buy micro-mosaic back.

We've seen micro-mosaics on the show before and they always do us proud.

It's quality, and as we say, quality always sells.

Fingers crossed it'll do well today. Here we go.

Simon's obviously expecting an important phone bid.

Maybe it is someone in Italy.

-Somebody on the phone.

-Ooh, that's cheered me up!

But there seems to be a bit of a problem!

He can't get through, but it's a promising start!

The tension is mounting in the auction room. It's palpable.

You're through to reception?

The auction house obviously thinks the call is worth waiting for.

MOUTHS

I've been on hold for years!

"Your call is important to us."

-He's decided he doesn't want it any more.

-Yeah!

Right.

-We didn't get through. Never mind.

-'We're off, but not good news for Terry's lot.'

Lot 780, then.

What is there for it? £100 for it?

75 for it? Come along, now.

50, then? I'm bid £50. And five. 60.

And five. 70. And five. 80.

And five. 90. And five.

At £95, then. Do I see 100?

At £95. We can't sell it at 95.

It's going home at £95.

The late phone bid, there!

Very late!

-100?

-Yes.

-Oh, good!

And ten. 120.

130. Yes? 140.

150. 160.

160. At 160 on the phone.

Do I see 170? Never say die in this business!

At 160 on the telephone now.

All done and selling at £160.

Done with it. Bless you, 160!

-Well!

-Thank you, Michael!

Thanks, Paul.

-He put that hammer down with gusto!

-He was glad to see the back of it, with the phone bidding!

-Yeah.

-Oh, my word! Thanks, fellas!

-That's OK.

-That is tenterhooks. The definition of tenterhooks!

Coming in with a paddle and a phone at the last minute! He wants to bid! Amazing!

That is why auction rooms are such good fun. The unexpected!

It's all over for our owners. The auction has just finished as well.

The lucky buyers are wrapping up their goods to take home.

We've had a wonderful time, a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but that's auctions for you.

You cannot predict what's going to happen. So do join me again soon for more surprises.

But for now, from Sussex, it's goodbye!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd