Pottery Lottery Flog It!

Hello and welcome to Syon House, nestling on the River Thames, a few miles from Central London,

and to this special series of Flog It! Ten of the Best.

This estate is a living landscape that's simply teeming with history

from Prehistoric Times right up to the present day.

It was the site of an abbey, housing Britain's only Bridgettine Order.

But all that came to an abrupt end in 1539

when Henry VIII ordered its suppression,

transferring it to royal occupation.

But it's the antiques and artefacts that really bring the colourful past to life.

Every room you walk in there's a real sense of history,

from the classical marble columns to the stone statues,

the furniture by Thomas Chippendale, oil paintings,

wall mounts that date back to the 1500s.

It is just quite amazing,

a real sense of connection to the past.

Well, Flog It! wouldn't be Flog It!

without a lottery of pottery that comes bursting through our doors.

Over the years, I've seen it all, from Majolica to Moorcroft,

Clarice Cliff and my old favourite, Troika from Cornwall.

All of these clay treasures are a tribute to their time in production.

And of course, we've seen them make their owners a cracking fortune at auction.

So be prepared to be fired up

as we look back through the Flog It! archives at my top-prized pottery items.

I hope you enjoy them.

First, let me take you to Basingstoke, where, in 2008,

James Lewis was bowled over by Christine's Roman pottery.

You've brought in something that's probably the oldest thing in the room. Well done!

Tell me all about that.

Well, it's just a family friend, as usual, gave it to us,

and we've kept it around in a box really.

-Now and again, I get it out and have a feel, because it's so old.

-Yes.

And to imagine the people before you who'd used it is fantastic.

-And where did your friend find it?

-I don't know.

-I haven't any idea at all.

-Really?

-No.

It's just something that's cropped up.

Well, what we're looking at there is a wonderful piece of Roman pottery.

Known as Samian ware for this very shiny red glaze,

and this is the sort of pottery that was made throughout the Roman Empire

in the second, third and fourth century AD.

Something that I find really interesting is this mark across the centre of the dish.

"Priscuse". Strange really.

I wonder why they've put that across the centre of the bowl.

It reminds me of a Roman oil lamp that I brought back from Turkey.

I got so excited, brought it home,

and it had across the back "taklit".

I thought, "I wonder what that is. I wonder if it's a Roman site!"

I looked it up in my Turkish book and it said "Turkish word for fake".

I thought, "Oh, no!" I was so excited!

But I'm just hoping that this isn't!

I'm confident now that this is a really good early piece.

And this damage, all this surface damage here is exactly what you'd expect to see.

And these sort of chips that you get out of the glaze

are typical of the sorts of damage you find

when something's been in the ground a long time.

I am totally convinced that that's right.

Value... Roman stuff doesn't make a lot of money.

It should make so much more than it does.

I think it's greatly undervalued.

I think we ought to put an estimate of £60 to £100 on it.

Let's protect it with a reserve of 50.

If it doesn't make that, you might as well put your soap in it!

If it's not worth £50, it's not worth selling.

We'll see if that pottery made history at auction a little later.

Now it's over to Barrow-In-Furness,

where, in 2009, Bob and Melissa brought in a marvellous-looking

Parian-ware heirloom for me to value.

-Bob, Melissa, do you know what you've got here?

-It's a lion.

It's a naked lady riding a lion! It's a bit of Parian ware.

-Yes.

-It's a Victorian invention.

This was made at the Minton factory

and it was modelled by a guy called John Bell.

The reason it's called Parian is because

it's named after the pure, fine, white marble

that came from the island of Paros in Greece.

That's where it's quarried.

But this isn't white marble. This is a hard-paste porcelain.

This dates to round about 1860, 1870.

That's about the time my great, great grandfather moved to Haughton.

-Has this been in your family a long time?

-I remember it when I was a child of about four,

late '50s, early '60s, and it was on my grandparents' dresser.

-With two ladies, as well.

-Really?

-Which have disappeared. I think my dad sold them.

-Parian figures, as well?

-I think so.

And it is actually beautiful. And it's a good decorative height, not too small, not too big.

It'll go anywhere in the house, and that's what it was designed for back in the 1860s.

And it was a way of introducing the naked female figure into the household.

-She does look very cold.

-She does look very cold, doesn't she?

I can sit here and comfortably say we've seen a lot of Parian ware on the show before

and it varies from 150

all the way to six or £700.

Let's give this a fair chance.

I'll stick my neck out and say two to 300.

-OK? Can we put a reserve on this at £170?

-OK.

It'll protect it and make sure it sells nothing under 170.

-Otherwise, it means the buyers weren't there on the day.

-Right.

Keep it and put it in another auction on another day.

If I kept it and it was on the mantelpiece, something would happen.

It would get broken with four children about.

I'm very clumsy.

Well, I think she's beautiful. And it's so beautifully modelled,

it's going to find a new home.

It is realistic, isn't it? Very.

Absolutely gorgeous.

Now, I'm taking you back to 2003 to Bristol,

where Peter had some unwanted pottery items to show James Braxton.

Have you known these bits for a long time?

-50 years.

-50 years.

And who bought them originally?

Well, that I don't know for this one

because I think my mother had it before I was born.

This one I had when I was a little kid.

I remember eating marmalade out of it.

-It looks as though it's suffered a bit as a result!

-A little bit. It's not too bad.

-I think, regrettably, somebody's whacked the top off this one.

-I think so.

That's going to hold it back.

-Now, Clarice Cliff, highly entrepreneurial lady.

-Yes.

Did amazing things. Revolutionised pottery.

After the First World War, everything's a bit grim,

she suddenly came upon this idea

of producing highly decorative household ware

that was affordable.

She went, in fact, to the Paris Exhibition of 1925

and really fell in love, absorbed all the influences which were on show,

Cubism, Art Deco,

and launched the Bizarre range as a result in 1928.

-Now we have Bizarre. This one's apple-tree pattern.

-Yes.

There are the apples. It's a lovely conical sugar caster.

-But it's suffered. Somebody's given it a fair old bash.

-Yes, I think so.

But in spite of that, it doesn't really seem to put people off too much.

Turning to the preserve pot,

a lovely sort of apple, tomato shape. Squat little fellow.

Here we've got Bizarre Fantasque.

-It's very nice. But as you say, it's a bit chipped.

-Yes.

We've got to bear in mind the fact that they're damaged,

-and I'm going to say to you two, three hundred pounds.

-Oh!

-Would you be delighted?

-Yes.

-If we put two to three hundred, we'll have people flocking from all over.

-Yes.

-But I think we should protect it. £200 reserve?

-Yes.

It just wouldn't be Flog It! without Clarice Cliff.

I'll let you know how those charming pieces faired

when they went to auction in a minute.

I'm taking you to Llandudno now, where, in 2005,

David Barby thought he'd netted a real treasure

with Kate's aquarium design green vase.

Kate, my interest is in 19th and early 20th century ceramics

and this is a lovely, lovely example.

And I'm just trying to consider why on earth you want to sell it.

It belongs to my mother. She inherited it from a friend.

-I think she likes it, but declutterising...

-Really?

I think she's decided it's time to go.

That's a common reason why people want to sell objects.

-Declutter.

-And they're always in my age group, which is quite worrying!

Why I like 20th century ceramics

is because there were so many innovations coming in with pottery.

The different techniques, whether it was flambe or lustre,

or whether it was copying Chinese or Japanese glazes,

it all spans that period

of the late 19th coming into the 20th century.

It coincides with an art movement that we call Arts and Crafts,

Art Nouveau,

and this is all part and parcel of that movement.

This piece here is a lovely English piece.

This comes from the Pilkington Royal Lancastrian factory.

Dated after 1913, because the mark has changed.

So from having a "P" on the bottom with a "B",

which was the early mark for Pilkington's,

it changes to a rose for Royal Lancastrian.

The mark, you can see it's the rose that replaced the P and the B,

and if you look carefully, I'm just going to turn it round,

-can you see that lustre initial interlinked monogram?

-Yes.

So we've got the R and the J, Richard Joyce, who specialised in fish,

and this wonderful, almost encased or encapsulated, aquarium

with all these glazes and lustre finishes.

It's absolutely exquisite,

particularly with this rim all the way around here.

Although Pilkington's was set up at the end of the 19th century to produce tiles,

a brilliant chemist by the name of William Burton

introduced these lustre glazes.

Hence this wonderful subject that we have in front of us.

This is a beautiful piece. If it goes up for auction,

it should realise something in the region of,

dare I say, 250 to 350.

Maybe tucking on to about 400. That sort of price range.

I think we've got to box clever on the reserve...

-OK.

-..and not appear to be too avaricious.

I'd be inclined to put the reserve round about 200.

-That sounds good.

-Marvellous! I hope somebody loves it as much as I do.

But before I reveal whether that vase made waves when it went to auction,

let me just give you a quick recap.

Bob and Melissa's Minton ornament made a big impression on me

and I was convinced it would make a mint at auction.

James thought Peter's Clarice Cliff sugar bowl and pepper shaker were divine,

but did they score high when they went under the hammer?

David Barby couldn't believe Kate wanted to offload her exquisite fish-themed green vase,

and with an estimate of £250 to £350,

he was convinced it would hook a buyer.

And James Lewis thought Christine's Roman relic

would unearth a great price when it went up for sale.

That's the first under the hammer, but, sadly, James couldn't join Christine and I that day.

It's unbelievable really, Roman pottery and artefacts,

200 to 400 years Anno Domini

-and they're worth an awful lot less than antiques that are only 100 years old.

-I know.

-Can you imagine the people that have handled it?

-And the stories it could tell!

If only this little saucer could speak!

This is the Anglo-Roman bowl.

Start me at £60. £60 bid.

Thank you. And five. 65.

70. At £65. Any more? At £65, are you all done?

£65 with you, sir. 70 down here.

And five. 80? And five. 90.

And five? 100.

-And ten?

-Look at this!

-120. 130.

-This is more like it!

£120 seated. 130 at the back. 140.

They love it!

£130 with you, sir. £130.

Is there any more? Last time, then.

-Good! Wow!

-£130!

-Lovely.

-Isn't that incredible?

-It is, actually.

A solid result for Christine.

Now to Somerset to see if Peter's Clarice Cliff pieces

would deliver the business.

The auctioneer told me earlier that he's very optimistic

that this is going to do not just three, not just four,

but maybe five to six hundred.

-Really?

-Yes. So we're going to find out in a few seconds.

So don't go away, don't put the kettle on. Here we go.

We've got some Clarice Cliff. We've got the apple design sugar sifter,

which has been restored or repaired,

and a jam pot.

There we are. Two items there.

Considerable interest here.

-Considerable interest!

-£500. 550. £600.

650. 700.

750. 800. 850.

£900 with me. 950?

950. 1,000? 1,100?

1,100? 1,200 with me. 1,300 now?

£1,300?

£1,300? All done with me at £1,250, then.

£1,250!

-Jesus Christ!

-THEY LAUGH

£1,250.

If it pours down with rain tomorrow, what will you go out and spend money on?

Put it in the bank!

Good old Clarice Cliff! £1,250.

What a fantastic result.

Now to Kendal, where I joined Bob and Melissa

to see if their lion Parian ware would be a roaring success

when it went up for sale.

I hope I don't let you both down, do you know that?

I think we have to put our fingers together. Let's cross our fingers. Mel's already done it.

I have commission bids, so I'm going to have to start this one

and go at £320.

-Yes! Straight in at the top end.

-Fantastic.

-With me at 320.

340 anywhere? At £320 now, with the commission at 320.

Straight in at £320, Mel! What's the money going towards?

-Recarpeting my dad's house.

-He's doing his house up, is he?

Are you going to get any money? What would you like to do?

-I'd like to go to London.

-You'd like to go to London, would you?

Do you really want to go? You get stuck in traffic!

-I want to go sightseeing.

-Daddy will take you one day.

-At least it's not going shopping!

-Not shopping!

Let's hope with that £320,

Bob managed to give his daughter a great time in London.

Now I'm taking you to Colwyn Bay

to see whether Kate's vase made any bidders green with envy.

We're looking at, what, £250 for this, hopefully £300?

-That would be wonderful.

-That would be swimming along nicely! Let's hope we get 400.

There are other pieces that are quite interesting.

If the collectors are here, they'll push up the price. It's the collectors that are buying.

There's some heavy prices already achieved in this room.

-I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

-How exciting!

That's come from our very own Mr B, he's optimistic. It's under the hammer now.

Huge interest, as would be expected. It has to start at 480.

Straight in!

At 480? At 480?

500.

520. 550.

At £550. At 550. 580.

600.

-Do you need a seat?

-625.

650.

680.

-Oh, my God!

-700.

-It really is that special.

I'm jumping to £840. 840's on the book.

-You're shaking, aren't you?

-Yes.

-880.

880. 900.

-£900.

-I'm shaking now!

-925.

-Crikey, I've gone cold all over!

975.

£975.

£1,000.

And 25. We should be going 50s now. 50.

1,100 I'd like. £1,100.

What is so special about this?

-At £1,150.

-Why didn't you pick up on that in your valuation?

£1,200. Have you all done for the final call?

1,200 on the telephone.

The hammer's gone down. That is a sold sound.

That is £1,200.

Staggering. Absolutely unbelievable. Another brilliant Flog It! moment.

Kate, come on, speak, say something!

-You were shaking like a leaf.

-Absolutely shaking.

That is incredible.

There was nothing fishy about that vase. It smashed through David Barby's estimate.

The art of pottery making has changed over the years,

with new technology invented to remove all the hassles of production,

things like the potter's wheel, electronically-controlled kilns that are fan assisted.

But it's still no mean feat to make a prize-winning piece,

as I found out on a visit to the Moorcroft factory back in 2008,

when I decided to get my hands dirty.

To find out more about Moorcroft, I've come to the heart of the British pottery industry.

This area is so synonymous with the trade that it's referred to as the Potteries.

You may know it as Stoke-On-Trent.

Today, Staffordshire boasts some 350 potteries.

Renowned names like Clarice Cliff, Royal Doulton

and, of course, Moorcroft with its exquisitely vibrant style,

were all born and based here, producing everything from the little egg cup

to the most expensive, highly sought-after bowls and vases.

They may be all the rage with the collectors, but the industry has been around for centuries.

Pottery was established in the West Midlands in the early 1700s.

But it wasn't until 1897 that the world was introduced to a style legend.

Moorcroft caught the attention of a local pot manufacturer,

James Macintyre & Company,

and that moment marked the official birth of an artistic genius.

William had already gained an enviable reputation as a gifted painter,

even though he was just a recent graduate.

He started working for Macintyre's as a lead designer.

With his vibrant, colourful designs, inspired by nature, he soon captured a market.

He even boldly placed his signature on the bottom of every pot.

He was a visionary designer, and revolutionary in his approach to ceramic art.

Demand for William's work soon exceeded any other designer in the firm.

In 1912, aided by money from Liberty of London,

Moorcroft left Macintyre's,

taking with him 12 members of staff, to start up his own factory.

They marched the 500 metres from the old premises to Moorcroft's new factory,

taking with them sketches, designs, pot moulds and tools.

A new age of ceramics had dawned and the iconic Moorcroft was born.

Today, Moorcroft is a much loved worldwide brand.

Its delicate but intricate detail delights thousands upon thousands

and it's been a bit of a regular for us on Flog It!.

How about 150, 250?

-Yes!

-Definitely!

-They're not worth that.

-BOTH: Oh.

-They're worth three to 500.

-You are kidding?

It doesn't often disappoint us when it comes to selling on at auction.

2,050.

That is a great Flog It! moment. £2,050!

To find out why it's so sought after, I've come to the Moorcroft Visitor Centre

to meet MD Elise Adams

and take a look at their stunning collection.

What an incredible room.

Moorcroft is vying for my attention everywhere! I'm surrounded!

-What's this room called?

-This is the Moorcroft Museum,

it's part of the Moorcroft Heritage Visitor Centre in Burslem.

-Wow. How long have you been here?

-I've been at Moorcroft for 12 years and slowly worked my way up.

Every day is a new day, and that's the nice thing about living art pottery.

-We've got a few that you've pulled out.

-I have.

I've started with some early pieces.

This is where William started out at Macintyre's,

a local firm that was founded back in the 1830s.

He started with pieces like this. This is Aurelian ware.

It's flat to the touch, not like the Moorcroft that we then come to know,

-which have the raised...

-Tube linings.

-Where did he get his inspiration from?

-From his environment around him.

A lot of British flowers, forget-me-nots and daisies, things he would see day to day.

And these pieces lead on to other pieces that come forward.

He was very clever at this stage,

because he was signing his wares, although he worked for Macintyre.

-Yes, he was.

-How did he get away with that?

He was a very canny businessman. Macintyre's don't seem to have objected, from what we know.

Pieces like this, as I said, it's a Macintyre piece, it's got their stamp on it,

but quite clearly in green is William's signature.

He's branding his own name there,

he's setting himself up for when he goes it alone and sets up his own factory.

So people know these pieces as Moorcroft when, in fact, they're actually Macintyre.

-What's distinctive about this piece?

-This is the first range that William designed

when he moved to this new factory in 1913.

This follows the following year, in 1914. It's called Persian ware.

The shape was inspired by Middle Eastern culture.

William starts to work with Liberty and Co in London

and they start buying pieces of Macintyre ware,

and he starts designing specific ranges exclusively for them,

such as this powder blue ware, which they used in their tearooms.

-Flambe.

-Wonderful! From blue to red.

This was his technique, wasn't it? His little invention.

This was something that he held close to his heart.

He took the recipe with him to his deathbed

and only passed it on to his son, Walter, on his deathbed in 1945.

He didn't let anyone else fire or load the kilns. He was very protective over it.

-What period are we looking at?

-We're coming forward a little bit to more contemporary pieces,

pieces by Walter, who takes over the factory in 1945.

But as you can see, we start to get away from what Moorcroft's all about here.

There's very little tube lining,

which exactly the opposite to what William had advised.

Let's talk about the new designers. Do they have to have a good archive knowledge of previous designs?

They do. They're all very aware of pieces that have gone before.

They have access to the museum. You often find them in here looking at old shapes and designs,

but they're careful to always be moving forward.

But the process of Moorcroft has changed very little.

It's still tube-lined by hand, painted by hand, dipped by hand and so on.

So from that point of view, in 112 years, very little's changed.

I think that's great, to see some animals.

It's by Kerry Goodwin, one of the newest members of the design studio.

She works here on our factory and is here today.

-If you would like to come and meet her...

-I'd love to.

-..we can see how this piece is made.

-That'll be interesting.

The first stage of the process is mould making.

The craftsman hand-makes each mould with plaster of Paris.

Next, the piece is cast.

The mould is filled with liquid clay and then emptied,

leaving a wet shell.

When the clay has dried, the mould is removed, revealing the shape.

The vase is then placed in a damp room overnight to harden.

The dried vase needs to be smoothed. It's mounted on a lathe

and any seams removed by hand.

That's precision work.

Excess flakes of clay are removed with a sponge dipped in water,

and those familiar stamps are then pressed into the base.

The pattern is inked onto a clear sheet of paper

with a special ink mixed at the factory.

Then the wet design is pressed onto the pot,

with the tube liners to follow.

Once the pattern has been pressed onto the pot,

the famous Moorcroft tube lining can begin.

They follow the pattern precisely, laying it onto the pot.

It's a good job my work is being overseen

by the designer who created this piece, Kerry Goodwin.

My hands are so thick and clumsy, I'm worried I might break off what's already been done!

That's hard. That's very difficult.

-It's not going. It's not running.

-You're doing quite well.

Come the final glaze, that'll be very vibrant, like this.

Yes, the glaze is the main part,

because the colour soaks into the pot itself.

Once you put the glaze on, it turns into precious jewels.

All the colours come through, all the reds and the greens.

And then the whole thing just comes to life.

-Do you want to finish this?

-I think it'd take me two days, not three hours!

-Can you finish it off for me?

-Yes, I'll finish it off

-and send it through the kiln.

-Thank you!

Thanks, everybody. They've shown me Moorcroft's secrets.

It's well and truly alive and kicking!

But first, let me take you to Coventry.

In 2002, Alistair wet David Barby's lips

with his pristine condition 1930s Shelley's tea service.

I'm looking at this tea service, um, and it doesn't look as though it's ever been used.

I don't believe that is has. Not in my lifetime anyway.

-Does it belong to you?

-No, it belonged to my mother.

-It was something that she was given by her mother when she was in her early teens.

-Right.

I believe that she put it away in her bottom drawer for when she got married.

She may have used it once or twice, but the idea was that she would put it away for best

and, as far as I know, it's not been used, apart from the condiment set, with any kind of regularity.

-So, your mother must be aged, what, 85 to 90?

-She's 85.

Same generation as my mother. We have a "Sunday best" room.

I didn't dare go in that room!

-So, this is your Sunday best china?

-It would be.

-Do you know how I can tell it's Sunday best?

-No.

-We have this unusual piece here,

-the one with the pierced bottom.

-Yes?

And this was made for cress.

And you have the little shallow bowl which would catch drips of water.

You don't get them together very often, so that's nice to be part and parcel of this service.

The other thing to look at is, you've got not only a Sunday best,

but you've got a breakfast service, as well.

-So we have these extra-large cups and saucers.

-Yes.

This is a very attractive service. The pattern is called Melody.

It dates from about 1932, 1934.

It's not in its extreme Shelley design, but a Cubist pattern with angular-shaped handles.

This is a very accommodating middle-class pattern.

But the beauty is that you've got so many components to this service.

-The only thing that I can see is, there's a bit of damage on the condiment set.

-Yes.

-Was this used elsewhere?

-It was used fairly regularly during my childhood.

That was the one piece that she did want to get some use out of.

Well, it's very nice to handle. I would estimate, if this came up for auction,

that we should get between three and £400, if not more.

But I would want to accommodate with a reserve in the region of about £280.

-That's fine.

-That sort of price. Would you be happy with that?

-Yes.

-I'm sure the auctioneers will be happy to sell that.

-I look forward to the auction.

-Good!

Stay tuned to see how it did when it went up for auction.

But first, here are three memorable pottery items

that I just have to show you again.

Here's one I didn't make earlier,

a fabulous example of Moorcroft design,

which was spotted in Nantwich back in 2009.

Has it been cherished by you?

I've got to be honest, when I first inherited it, we used it as an umbrella stand.

You are joking?

It made owner Alan a whopping £960.

David Barby thought this unusual 18th century heirloom of Bob and Peggy's

would drum up a great price in Melksham.

To all intents and purposes, it's a working miniature longcase clock.

And it didn't disappoint,

making £800.

And Anthony got to savour some serious success

when his Majolica strawberry bowl went under the hammer in Norwich back in 2003.

At £950, that was definitely a fruitful result.

I'm taking you to Milton Keynes now where we join Nigel Smith,

who was simply lusting after Andrew's Lancastrian lustre vase.

Andrew, you've brought quite an interesting little pot here, something I particularly like.

-Tell me what you know about it.

-I know it's my great-grandmother's

and it's passed down from my granny, then to my mum.

It's stayed with my mum, but I've loved it every time I've gone home.

-You've inherited it?

-Yes.

Is it something you particularly like?

Oh, yes! Yes, I do.

But I've got little children, so I'm always petrified they'll break it,

so I thought, "Well, I could do something with the money."

-What would you do with the money?

-I'd like to send my parents on a cruise, as it's theirs.

That's a nice idea, but you'll probably have to put a bit to it!

I'll put some money towards it, as well!

Not unless it's really valuable, a Ming or whatever!

It is quite well marked on the underside.

If we turn it over, it's got a date code in Roman numerals.

-XII, so 1912.

-Oh, right.

This is made by the Lancastrian Art and Tile Pottery.

-That's her maiden name, Lancaster.

-Is it?

-Yes!

-So, do your family come from that part of the world?

-Yes, Formby.

-Right.

There's an artist's monogram. It's badly worn.

Again, in lustre. It's a sort of wheel mark.

If we look there, we can see that it's a cipher for Gordon Forsyth.

The downside to this is the fact that it's misfired.

If we turn it round, it's pale on one side and towards the bottom.

I thought it had faded!

-It doesn't actually fade.

-Oh, right.

-This is a firing fault.

But it's beautifully decorated, with rampant lions all the way round

and then these scrolly leaves,

and then this lovely border, this sort of, er,

lappet border going all the way round.

It's a beautiful thing. The market is strong for this type of pottery.

That's good.

-Have you got an inkling about its value?

-I have no idea at all.

-Very cautiously, we could estimate two to £300.

-Oh, gosh!

-You'd be happy with that, would you?

-Definitely.

I think it'll make that and more. It should make more.

-Your parents might have a cruise!

-Yes.

-A small one.

Let's hope it doesn't misfire at auction.

Next, I'm heading to Northampton,

where, in 2004, James Lewis hunted down a real find

in Janet and Alan's Beswick figurines.

We see a lot of Beswick on the Flog It! show,

but I haven't seen a collection this good for a while.

-What can you tell me about it?

-Originally, they were my father's.

-Dad was a Grafton Hunt supporter.

-Ah, OK.

And so he was very much into all this sort of thing.

-Do you follow the hunt?

-We don't.

-No.

-No, nor me.

It's a good set. And we've got some good figures there, as well.

Some are rarer than others. Also, we've got different backstamps.

We've got the post-war backstamp on all of them,

but this one is different to this.

If you turn her over,

-this mark is a more modern mark.

-Right.

-OK?

So she's slightly more recent.

And looking at him, he's got a tiny chip to his ear.

So they're not perfect as a set and they're made in different dates,

but they're still a good set.

Now, when it comes to the children on horseback,

there's one pony and rider that's incredibly rare.

I can't remember which one it is.

I think it might be that one.

Before the auction, we need to do some research and confirm it for you.

But as a whole, there's quite a lot of value there.

Have you ever thought about value?

Well, having visited the Doulton factory...

Oh, OK!

..we did see some actually being made, some figures,

and we've also got a few books, and friends with books...

-OK.

-..so we think, possibly,

-we're talking about £100 for the big ones.

-Those two.

-This is our estimate.

-That one's more modern, though.

-And he's got a chip to his ear.

-Yes.

-That does make a difference.

But they are good figures. I think if you average it out,

I reckon you're going to get three to £500 for them.

Something like that.

-On that basis, are you happy to go ahead?

-Yes.

-Yes, we'll go ahead with that.

-Yes?

-Fine.

But did they deliver a good price? We'll find out in just a minute.

First, let me refresh your memory with a quick summary.

David was humming with excitement for Alistair's Shelley "Melody" tea service in Coventry.

But did the bidders agree?

Janet and Alan's Beswick hunting set made a big impression on James.

He was convinced that they'd snare a good price when they went under the hammer.

Andrew was terrified his kids would break his beautiful Lancastrian heirloom.

Was it a smash in the sale room?

Let's find out, as it goes under the hammer first in Woburn, with Charlie Ross.

This is the first auction room you've been to,

you're selling something, hopefully, and you're going to buy something if you get lucky.

I know. I'm nervous, though. It's going to be good.

-That's half the fun, though!

-Yes.

-Hopefully, it will start a love affair in antiques.

-This is your lot now.

-Right.

I can start at £100 exactly. Ten I will take. 20.

130. 140. 150.

160. 170. Your bid.

170, back of the room. 180. 190.

-200. 210?

-This is good.

-20. 30.

240. 250. 260.

270. 280. No?

270. At £270. 280 behind you.

290, sir? 300, madam? I'll take 20. 340.

360. 380. 400.

420. 440.

460. 480.

500. 520.

540. No. 520.

The gentleman's bid, then. £520.

He's all at sea now!

I can buy more stuff now!

-How brilliant was that?

-That's excellent! That's nearly double the estimate.

Back to the drawing board for me!

Well, yes! Gosh, that was really amazing.

I can't believe it's gone for so much.

A good result. Andrew looked extremely pleased.

Time for tea now, as we head off to Wolverhampton

to find out how that wonderful Shelley set went down with the bidders.

Alistair, you look really smart. Turned out well for the auction.

I've never been on TV before, so...!

The set is now complete because you found the little toast rack.

-Let's hope it increases the value.

-I'm hoping.

-You can have breakfast with it now.

-There's just one little chip on one of the condiments.

-Yes.

-Because they've been using it.

-That was my fault.

-Antiques are supposed to be used!

There we go. Super set.

280. In the room at 280. 290.

300. 310.

320. 330.

-340.

-Excellent.

-This is good.

360. 370.

380. 390.

400.

And 20, sir? 420.

-440. 460.

-It's top money for this, isn't it?

-Very good.

540. 560. 580. 600.

-620.

-620!

-660. 680. 700.

-That's unbelievable.

-And 20.

-There's two keen buyers bidding against each other.

-This is what we want.

-They're actually bidding against each other.

-800!

-They're going to fight for it.

£860.

-That went bonkers!

-All done at 860.

-860!

-Gosh! Wow!

THEY LAUGH

It's done at 900.

-900?

-Congratulations.

-I'm absolutely staggered!

-Get on the phone to your mother!

-That is fantastic!

-It is.

-That's amazing.

-That's a world record for a bit of Shelley.

Would you have sold it had it not been for Flog It!?

-Possibly not, no.

-Brilliant.

-There you go.

And it caused a real stir, delivering a fantastic triple estimate result.

Back to Woburn now to 2004.

Let's see how Janet and Alan's hunting set got on.

James's valuation ended with a reserve of 300.

Since then, you've had a chat with Charlie. You wanted 800.

Charlie's talked you into 600. We've gone up, down, up, down.

-Are you happy with that?

-BOTH: Yes.

You're adamant they'll do well, aren't you?

-Absolutely.

-Oh, yes.

-I think they're going to do well.

-James?

-They're going to fly. The market is so buoyant for them.

What will they do, James? He hates me doing this!

OK, let's say... I'll say 1,100.

-I agree.

-Do you really?

-Yes.

-OK, well, that's not fixed!

-Well done.

-We hope so!

I'll get punched in t'face if they don't sell!

-HE MIMICS FANFARE

-I can start here at £600.

I'll take 20. 620.

-There we go.

-640. 660. 680. 700.

20. 740. 760. 780.

800. 20.

840. 850. 860.

880. Your bid. 900.

-20. 940.

-Tally-ho!

I'll come to you at the back in a minute! 960. Have a rest!

980? No. Now 980!

-980.

-Please get the 1,100!

-1,000. And 50. 1,100.

And 50. 1,200.

1,150. The middle of the room, 1,200. Fresh bidding.

1,250. You're both out now. 1,200.

All done, then, at 1,200...

-Brilliant, Janet!

-That's wonderful!

-£1,200!

-I can't believe that!

-Wonderful.

-They are so collectable.

I don't understand it, I don't like them, but there you go!

-You don't have to, do you?

-£1,200! No, I don't have to!

-James, you were right.

-So were you!

-Yes!

Thank you!

-It's wonderful.

-Now, there's a holiday, isn't there?

-There is. Where are you off to?

-BOTH: South Africa.

-Have you been before?

-No.

-Trip of a lifetime.

-Absolutely.

Fantastic! That's what Flog It! is all about!

Get rid of the stuff you don't like and go on a trip!

-Thank you very much. Enjoy it.

-BOTH: Thank you.

-My daughter's crying like anything.

-Where is she?

-Over there!

-Oh, yes!

That was an incredible result!

It certainly brought tears to Janet and Alan's daughter's eyes.

Well, that's all the glorious glazes we have time for today, sadly.

I hope you've enjoyed the show

and I hope you join me again for another trip through the archives.

Until then, it's goodbye from Syon House.

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