Leisure Treasures Flog It!

Welcome to Sherborne Castle in Dorset for a special edition of Flog It - Ten Of The Best

as we take a trip down Memory Lane on this sunny day.

This magnificent estate boasts over 11,000 acres

and has a deer park, a walled garden and a magnificent 50-acre lake

designed by Capability Brown in 1753.

And if you've got the space,

why not create a place to sit back and relax in and enjoy the countryside.

For today's theme on the programme,

I've been looking through the Flog It archives

looking for objects related to just that -

kicking back and relaxing.

First stop is Ashbourne, where in 2010,

Michael Baggott found an item to use on a nice sunny afternoon.

-Ooh!

-It's a bit stiff, actually.

-Wow!

That's an interior, isn't it? Let's unpack it.

We've got a kettle...

a teapot...

We've got the little water jug.

We delve in there

got a little caddy.

It goes on for ever, doesn't it?

-It does, actually!

-We've got a little milk jug

and we should finally have the sugar bowl.

And this lovely surface here to mount it all on with a little stand.

That's great!

The only thing I think we're lacking...

-It's the burner, yeah.

-The burner.

I didn't know whether that fitted into there.

That aperture there would have been for the burner.

-Oh, I see.

-So at some point, some little devil's played with that.

-And it's gone missing.

-Gone missing.

Have you got any idea when it was made, or how old it is?

It was my mother's. She was a housekeeper for a family in Derby.

-Right.

-The Prestyn-Jones. They used to go on a lot of cruises years ago

-and they'd take it with them.

-Marvellous!

Now you say that, we can make sense of the initials on the top.

We've got E.P.J. For Prestyn-Jones.

It's lovely to have history going back to the original owner.

We've got, as you've probably seen before,

the retailer's name, Asprey, which is a good name whenever you see it.

But I actually know that the design of this set started many years earlier

-and was produced initially by Hukin and Heath, to a design of Christopher Dresser.

-I see.

But it's a case of Aspreys looking at it, thinking, "This is popular, we'll make our own version."

The Christopher Dresser originals are about 1875.

Basically, you've got a travelling picnic set in electroplate,

-sadly rather than silver...

-Yeah.

-..dating to about 1900, 1910.

It's just so compact and so useful. So why have you decided to part with it?

I thought I'd like to realise what the value of it is.

I think because the burner's missing and there's a bit of distress to the case,

let's be cautious and say 120 to £200.

Let's put a fixed reserve of £100 on it

and it could go on from there.

Let's hope for two like-minded people at the auction.

I wouldn't mind a picnic with that classy set!

In Tavistock in 2008, Charlie Ross found something from a lost era of home entertainment.

I love the microscope.

I've never seen a microscope that is formed as part of the box it comes in.

Normally, you take it out, put it together, and it stands on the table.

And this, the base is formed by the box, isn't it?

-Has it got a name on it?

-Yes, Dom of Edinburgh.

-And it's got some slides with it as well.

-And various lenses as well.

-Different lenses. How did you get hold of it?

-Well, as far as I know,

it's been in the family as long as I can remember.

-And my mother used to go to auction sales and house clearances.

-Right.

Whether she bought it in a job lot. I don't think she'd have bought that.

-Have you tried using it?

-I have. It does work, but it's very fiddly!

-The slides are beautiful. They're ivory mounted.

-I think so.

-Specimens of, I don't know...

-There's flies' legs and flies' wings.

A bit of everything, really, yeah!

A beautiful thing for a collector.

60 to 80?

Up to 120?

These are fabulous. The real problem with these is the condition of them.

They're magic lantern slides, but they're early 19th century.

Most of the ones we see are 1880, 1890

and I think you can put these back another 50 years,

nearer 1800 than 1900.

And we've got all sorts of cartoons.

I've pulled out three examples.

One of which is mechanical.

-I'm sure you've seen this.

-It's lovely.

Wind the handle

and it gives the most wonderful patterns.

And here, we've got a boxing fight!

The trouble is, the arms are fixed at an angle to the body

so it's actually quite difficult to land a blow.

It's a lot of fun, but it's not wildly practical.

-It wouldn't keep children amused today.

-Not for long, with that.

-No.

It's a bit too simplistic.

Whether or not it looks better with a light shining through it,

projected onto the wall and they become life size.

-Then it becomes a lot more fun.

-Yes.

-And another one here

are some caricatures.

The thing about these early magic lantern slides, these are hand-painted.

You can feel the texture of the paint on the back of the glass. Smooth the other side.

Great fun, and something that people will collect.

But unfortunately we've got some bad condition with that

and that happens more with the hand-painted ones

than with the transfer-printed ones.

I think if you put the whole lot together,

-you're looking at 100 to £200-worth, which is not bad.

-Good.

-Yes.

-Would that be satisfactory?

-Yes, yes.

-Put a reserve of £80 on?

-That would be fine.

-Happy? We should put a reserve on.

It would be a shame to see them blown away for 20 to £30.

It's not going to be earth-changing, unless someone really gets stuck in.

Then you can go on a cruise, but I don't think it'll do that!

Wait and see if the bidders agreed with Charlie's estimate.

In Milton Keynes back in 2008,

Anita Manning was shipped back in time!

Steve, welcome to Flog It!

Now, I'm from Glasgow on the River Clyde

-and I love tug boats.

-Right.

-Tell me, where did you get this lovely little item?

-I got it from a local jumble sale.

-How much did you pay for it?

-No more than 50p.

-I think you've got a bargain!

-Hope so!

-What drew you to this little item?

-I thought it was unusual.

-Boats. I've got a small collection.

-Ah, I see!

So this would have been the jewel of your collection?

-One of them.

-If we look at the back stamp here,

we can see that it was made by Royal Doulton.

Royal Doulton is a good make

so you have a nice little quality item here.

Now, this stamp would date it

from the late 1800s, early 1900s.

-It's quite old.

-It's a good age.

-It's a stoneware item, not a fine porcelain.

-Yep.

It's this lovely sort of toffee colour.

And I think it may have been an advertising item

at one point.

Now, the little tug is called the George Livesey

and I believe that George Livesey was an industrialist

-at the turn of the century...

-Yes.

..who had some connection with Doulton.

If we look at these little funnels here...

..they can be detached and I think it's wonderful

-that they have lasted such a long time and not been separated...

-I agree.

..from the main body of the tug.

So, we've got a quality item.

-It's unusual. I haven't seen one of them before.

-Nor have I.

-You haven't seen one.

-No.

Let's hope the people at the auction haven't seen one!

Well, I would like to put an estimate of 80 to 120.

Good improvement!

-Now, are you happy to sell it at that?

-Fine, yeah.

-Why do you want to sell it?

-I have to declutter.

-Have you had your orders from your wife?

-Definitely!

-Get rid of that stuff.

-Get rid of the junk!

But that was a great little find.

So from one boat to another, when in Bognor Regis back in 2009,

I found a unique collection of cruising souvenirs.

My word!

It's a complete volume of postcards

and they're all P&O cruise liners.

Peninsular and Oriental. Colin, what's the fascination with the cruise liner?

Well, I used to work for P&O

and I've been retired now for ten years.

But when I worked for them, I just used to collect P&O postcards

-of just cruise liners.

-Just cruise liners because you worked on cruise liners.

-Yes.

-Where did you source all these from?

-From round the world, some of them.

Gosh. I think this is a stunning comprehensive collection.

They're getting very rare now to find, coloured ones like that.

Those particular ones with the logo on the side.

-Yeah.

-Because they're getting so old.

Were any of them sent to anybody? Was there writing on the back?

This was sent to somebody in St George in Bristol.

Arden Villa, Bristol. Packet boat. So it was sent off the ship.

-It's absolutely fascinating, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Fascinating.

Then we start on some of the more modern ones.

Have you thought of a value at all?

-I have had them roughly valued at about £400.

-Yeah.

I was going to actually pitch to you, I think the value is 300 to 400.

Obviously I'm hoping for the top end, so we're singing from the same hymn sheet.

But in order to get that top end,

-we've got to put it into auction at a competitive rate.

-Yes.

If you're willing to put this album into auction

at a 300 to £400 price guide, we might just achieve that.

A lot of the early Edwardian and late Victorian collections that have come in

-have fetched 400 to £600.

-Yes.

That's documenting civic pride from big bridges and buildings,

churches which are no longer here. They're very sought-after.

But I think this is more specific than that.

So our field is slightly smaller. But 300 to £400 I'd be happy with.

-Yes.

-And a reserve at 300?

-Yes.

-With a bit of discretion.

-Yes.

-That's OK?

-Certainly.

-Lots of memories for you?

-Yes, where I've bought certain postcards

I can relate to where I bought them in different parts of the world.

Fantastic collection. I hope it stays as a collection. See you at auction.

I was really excited about that collection. Find out soon how they did.

But first, a quick reminder of what else we took to auction.

Michael loved Nigel's travel picnic set,

and even with the burner missing, he was sure it was going to do well.

Charlie was really taken with Derek and Ruth's magic lantern slides and microscope.

Steve's little Royal Doulton tug boat put a smile on Anita's face.

And I knew Colin's large postcard album was a true collectors' item.

Coming up first, Nigel's charming picnic set which went under the hammer in Derbyshire.

-Good luck, Nigel.

-Thank you.

-All we need is somebody in this room

-with the initials P.J.

-Yes.

-Let's face it.

-There's a bit of history there. People actually used these.

-You want to play with them.

Take it out, look at it, put it back again. There's only so many times you can do that.

I've just thought of somebody who might buy it. From Dragons' Den, Peter Jones.

He needs to be in the sale room. He could afford it!

Anyway, let's see what the bidders think here in Derbyshire. Good luck.

A very, very fine picnic set.

Even better because it's Asprey. There we are.

-I will start this at £150.

-Good start!

We have 150. Do I see 160 in the room?

160. 180.

200. 220. 250.

-280.

-That's more like it!

-That's better. It's going up.

-..350.

380. 400.

-420. 450.

-This is keen bidding. Really keen.

-480.

£500. I'm bid at 500.

I wonder if it's Asprey's on the phone, buying it for stock?

At £500. You're out.

At £500. £500. You're... 520.

550. Out.

And out. At 550. All done. Selling at £550.

-How about that? We turned up the heat there. £550.

-Fantastic.

-Without the burner.

-Brilliant, that was.

Well done. Thanks for bringing that in. That was something

-from a bygone era, the golden years of travel.

-I'll be looking for one with a burner now!

I wonder if Michael ever did find one.

Now, Derek and Ruth's magic lantern slides and microscope.

We all hoped the specialist collectors would be at the sale in Plymouth.

This magic lantern was your mother's?

The slides were, yes. She probably bought them as a job lot.

I don't think she bought them intentionally. Probably something in the box she fancied.

-Let's hope we get the magic £200.

-There are some wonderful images there.

And some mechanical ones. There's a boxing one which is rather fun.

-Yes.

-And another kaleidoscopic one. That's rather fun. It should do all right.

-Good.

-They've ended up back in a general auction.

-What goes around, comes around!

-That's right!

-Let's put it under the hammer.

Lot 124. 12 magic lantern slides.

There they are. And a little brass microscope. Several bidders.

-I'm bid £120.

-Great. We'll get that 200.

-We'll get that.

150. 160.

170. 180. 190. 200.

-And 20. 240.

-What?

-Ooh! We must have missed something!

£340 here. At 340. Take ten.

All done, then, at £340. Quite sure at 340.

-Well done.

-£340!

-Lovely job. Proper job!

-Proper job! That's what they say!

-That's a fantastic result!

-Yes.

-Yes!

-You'd have settled for the 100 quid.

-Yes.

-We had 80 quid discretion.

-I wouldn't have minded 80!

They really did light up the sale room. That was a great result.

Next, Steve's Royal Doulton tug boat which went under the hammer in Woburn.

This next lot is bound to pull in the bidders.

It's got to. It's a tug boat. It belongs to Steven. But not for much longer!

You fell in love with it. It's Royal Doulton. So many people collect Royal Doulton.

They won't have this. It's rare, it's hot to trot

and it's worth possibly a lot more than 80 to £120.

-The market loves the unusual items.

-They're hard to put a price on.

So hard to put a price on. A lot more than 50p, though,

-cos this was bought at a jumble sale!

-Local jumble sale.

We had a chat to the auctioneer and he said there's been a lot of interest

and he hopes it'll make around £300.

-Very nice.

-I think it'll fly away, then.

-Sail away!

-Maybe sail away.

-I think that's the one, Anita! Sail away. Let's watch it go!

A really interesting lot. The Royal Doulton Lambeth model of a tug boat.

The George Livesey.

Showing there. And I can start at £100.

I'll take ten. At 100. Opening bid. Commission bid. 110.

-120. 130. 140. 150? At 140 with me.

-Come on, a bit more!

-Come on!

-150 now.

150. It's behind me! 150. 160.

-160. 170.

-It's like panto!

180. 190.

-200. 220.

-This is more like it.

220. 240 with the other telephone?

-260.

-We could be near that 300 mark.

280? 280. 300?

Yes!

300. 320?

320. 340?

-340. 360? 360. 380.

-It's pulling away at a rate of knots!

£360 now.

All finished at 360?

Telephone bid at 360.

-Yes!

-That was definitely a sold sound!

Charlie has a fantastic hammer action!

-It's very solid.

-All clear.

£360!

-You've got to treat the wife!

-I'll have to take her out!

That got us all excited. What a great return on 50 pence!

Now, I felt the pressure when we sold Colin's fabulous collection

of P&O postcards in Chichester.

Why do you want to sell them now?

Well, I cannot get any further with them.

I've got most of the postcards that were printed.

They weren't printed until 1898

and most of the ships I want now

were built and scrapped before postcards came out.

Well, I'm very excited about this one.

I have been looking forward to this day.

I just hope they fly away because they deserve it.

An album of postcards of ships. Very interesting album, this lot.

P&O liners. Over 100 years of history there in postcards.

A lot of interest in this lot. I have to start at £400.

We're in at 400, Colin. You've sold them.

420 I see. Thank you. 440. 460.

-480. 500.

-That chap wants them there, look.

540. 560. 580. 600.

-620.

-He's keen.

-640.

660. 680. 700.

720. 740. 760.

780. 800.

820 with me. 840.

At £840.

-At 840.

-£840!

-At £840, then.

Selling forever

at £840.

-Lovely!

-£840!

-Very nice.

-Congratulations. That's down to you.

-Thank you.

You put that together. You should be proud of yourself. See, it pays to collect over a period of time.

That will be a great investment when you come to sell it.

What are you going to do with all that money?

Can I say we're going on a P&O cruise?

-In November!

-You can't keep away, can you?

Those postcards were some of the best I have ever seen.

What a comprehensive collection.

Here at Sherborne Castle, boating has provided fun for the family for centuries.

What a lake to enjoy it on! Just look at that view.

We all like to relax in our own different ways.

For me, I like something a little more energetic and rather noisy!

Like playing the drums!

I usually escape the hustle and bustle of valuation days

to get some peace and quiet. But now I'm going to make a big noise, one dear to my heart,

because I grew up playing the drums.

Man has been banging the drum as far back as history records.

Some say around 6000 BC.

It's been used for communication, celebration and for the sheer joy of making music.

Nowadays, it's hard to imagine a rock band or pop band

without a drum beat in it.

It's the heart and soul of any music

and it's the foundation for the other musicians in the band to build on.

It's that pulse and energy and excitement which gets people on their feet and dancing.

Here in Stockport, two friends have set up a workshop making specialist drums for the pop industry.

Pete Salisbury, drummer of The Verve, and Keith Keough.

-Keith, hi, pleased to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

I'm like a kid in a sweet shop. You're a man after my own heart.

-You love drums and you love working in wood.

-Yes.

So how did all this take off for you?

Basically, I was working in a studio in Manchester

and I was really happy to create a drum kit that wasn't made by the more traditional method

of ply drums. It's always made out of maple, birch, and I wanted different sounds.

-You're a musician. You play the drums as well.

-I do, yes.

-You're a qualified craftsman because you work in wood.

-Yes.

So you combined the two. Let's look at the way traditional drums have been made, with laminates.

One of the most common ways, which is what all the major manufacturers do,

is you build a former, made out of MDF.

-And you get all your laminates.

-Which is about 1.5mm thick?

Normally 1.0mm to 1.5mm.

You put the ply in, glue the join,

put PVA glue all the way round. Then get the next piece,

offsetting the joins all the time.

-At opposite angles.

-At opposite angles so the next join will be there, the next one there.

You can build up as many ply as you want. For snare drums, it's eight to ten,

-for toms six and bass drums eight.

-Right. So what's the next stage?

The next stage after the shell, is mark it out so we can put the nut boxes on.

Basically, you drill into the shell and hold the skin on

-so you can tension the skin to get the tuning.

-Right.

-That's the end result.

-Look at that. That's absolutely stunning.

They're built traditionally. But you've come up with a new technique that's revolutionised drum-making.

These are selling like hot cakes. They're the antiques of the future.

-Can you talk me through these?

-Yep. A couple of years ago

I was playing with the idea of making drums out of different woods to give a signature sound.

Most manufacturers make them out of maple or birch, sometimes beech.

But I wanted to make them out of the likes of English oak,

English cherry, purple heart.

These are solid woods. This is what's so unique about them.

-They are solid wood, yes.

-How do you get solid wood on a drum?

Basically, you can't mould these out of ply, so you don't make them in ply.

So I had to toy about. "How do I make a cylinder out of solid wood?"

-They're obviously turned on a lathe.

-Yes.

-In blocks.

-Blocks of solid wood.

So I didn't want to bend anything. If you steam-bend et cetera,

it can spring out. It can warp in different climates of weather.

-Is the sound totally different on these?

-It is, yes.

In the traditional methods,

if you have eight plys, you have seven plys of glue as well

which dampen the diaphragm across the sound of the drum.

These shells have about 90% less glue

because the glue doesn't go all round, just in each single joint.

So in a way, it's taking it right back to its elementary roots thousands of years ago

-where a drum would have been hollowed out from a log.

-Yeah.

We've seen how the drums are made. Now let's see how they're played.

To demonstrate how important rhythm is in music, we've got top session drummer Che Beresford,

taking us through some rhythms from around the world. What's first, Che?

-Some New York swing.

-Take it away, man!

One, two, one!

-Whoa! That's fantastic! How about some reggae from Jamaica?

-OK!

One, two!

We'll play you out with some contemporary rock in a four/four pattern.

-Count us in.

-One, two, three!

Back to valuation day where David Barby found a table

designed for at least two leisurely pastimes.

-Ruth.

-Yes.

-This is in such a sorry state!

-No, it hasn't been loved at all.

-No, it's unloved. Unnurtured.

-I know.

-It's untouched and unpolished.

-I can't take all the credit for that!

-Where's it from?

-My father's parents brought it from Scotland in the '60s.

-Right.

-It's a bit wonky.

-Yes.

-The leg certainly needs regluing!

-Had better days!

-Just like mine! And also it's got worm.

-It has.

-But, saying all the faults first, you have got one or two saving graces.

-Yes.

Particularly if you look at the top, the chess board.

Beautifully inlaid, and nothing missing. Slight staining there.

Otherwise, it's beautifully done, with boxwood inlay there and ebony.

And round the edge, this Tunbridge ware. That's nicely done.

It's a useful piece of furniture.

First, as a chess or draft board. And then as a lady's sewing table.

Inside, we've got the original paper lining.

With some of the original covers, these pink, silk-lined ones.

Can you see that little centre-section there?

That is the original handle, which is rather nice to have.

Almost like a chrysanthemum.

So that is perfect. Just how a dealer or collector would wish to find it.

The date of it is round about 1870, 1880. It's very late.

We can tell this because of the shape of the box underneath,

which is solid, and this chip carving here.

But the other indication regards its date, see this acanthus-leaf carving?

-That's all done by machine. It's not hand done.

-OK.

So its date is the latter part of the Victorian era.

Price.

If this was in perfect condition,

and for sale in an antique shop,

-the price would be close on £500.

-Right.

-Maybe slightly over.

In this state, at auction,

-I think we'd be lucky to get 200.

-OK.

So I'm going to put a reserve of round about 130.

What do you think?

-Have you got the last say, or is it your parents?

-I haven't got the last say.

They've kind of given me the go-ahead.

So if we could possibly get 200 for it, they'd be happy.

-I would be happy as well. I'd be deliriously happy!

-Absolutely.

-It's taking up space, so...

-What are they going to do with the money?

-They're having the roof done!

-Oh, dear!

-How big is the roof?

-Towards the roofing.

-Right.

I was sure we'd get David's top estimate.

But before you find out, here's a selection of my favourite leisurely lots.

In 2006, Adam would have loved to have hit the right notes

with Rebecca's banjo.

Unfortunately, I can't really play much banjo.

Adam got the estimate just right. It sold for £110.

David Palmer thought he was the loudest at the valuation day,

then came Elaine with these wonderful Clarice Cliff clogs.

This pattern, I believe, is called the tennis pattern.

If we look at it, it becomes apparent.

-I had noticed that.

-I think 300 or £400.

Really?

Elaine was thrilled when they tripled David's estimate

and sold for £900!

And David Barby was chuffed to see a collection of Hornby trains in Plymouth, back in 2007.

He valued them at 120 to £160.

A Hornby train set, you might be given a passenger set like this.

You'd build it up until you had whacking great locomotives.

Later on, your father would have added one or two pieces.

Wendy was delighted when they steamed away at £255.

Next stop, Dover.

In 2009, Catherine Southon was drawn to Helen's classical child's toy.

Let's have a reveal. A nice little steam boat there.

-Powered by methylated spirits?

-Yes.

Tell me how it works. What do you do?

-You lift the top off here.

-Mm-hmm.

-And you put the methylated spirits in here.

-Right, OK. Yes.

Then you fill up the boiler with water.

Here.

-So then the steam...

-The steam forces the propeller to go round

-and it turns the propeller that way.

-Right.

-OK.

-Shall I put this back?

So this is made by Hobbies, you have the original box, which is lovely.

-Yes, but not the notes, sadly.

-No. Often the case.

Tell me about it in terms of where you got it from.

It belonged to my father, and he was born in 1917.

And it came to me when I was a teenager, I should think,

and it's never been used since.

-So it's something your father played with a lot.

-Yes.

-I've had it working, but not in water.

-You never played with it?

-No.

-Well, sadly, as you can probably tell,

-it's been repainted.

-Yes, that was father. Typical father.

-Naughty father, we should say!

This is actually fibreglass. It's painted on fibreglass.

We've seen other models like this where they're painted on tin plate.

Makers like Bing, Markalyn,

they're obviously a lot more collectible and making big money.

What is nice is that you have the original box

and on here, it's stamped, on either end, actually,

Hobbie's, the maker, Bowman Steamboat.

And the model name, which is Swallow.

So the boat's called Swallow.

It must be quite important to you as it belonged to your father?

Yes, I just feel it would be nice if it was appreciated by somebody who collects model boats

or steam engines, even.

I have known them to go for around the 100, £150 mark

in their original condition.

Bearing in mind it has been repainted,

it has got the box but without the lid,

-I think we should pitch it around the 60 to £80 mark.

-Right.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-Maybe with a £50 reserve.

-OK.

-I'll see you at the auction.

I'll show you later how that did. But now for my final item on today's show.

A musical instrument brought in by John back in 2009.

But I couldn't get him to play it!

-Can you play this concertina?

-When I was a teenager,

I had a go at trying to tinker out a tune. But without much success!

-Was it Dad's?

-It was my father's and possibly my grandfather's.

-Could well be. This dates to 1910, 1920.

-Really?

Oh. I didn't know it was that old.

-This is nice.

-Yes, it comes with the case.

-Original case.

It's not been used, it's always been locked away in the case.

Let's move that aside. I'm pleased you've got that with the maker's label.

Charles Wheatstone. Made in London.

They were the first to patent the free-reed vibrating bellows.

It was patented in 1844. But the company goes back further than that.

Charles Wheatstone Senior tinkered with the free-reed moving instrument

in the late 1700s

at a workshop based in Charing Cross.

-This is fantastic. It's an English standard 24-button.

-Yes.

By the 1850s, Charles Wheatstone took on a Swiss guy who was a screw-maker!

-Oh!

-And he was responsible for all the metalwork.

So it really did push the production on a lot further.

-But the bellows...

-They're in good shape.

-..are in very good shape.

I wondered when I got it from the loft, whether it would be in good shape.

It hasn't been looked at for the last 50-odd years.

-Wow!

-It's been in the attic.

-50 years since you clapped eyes on this.

-Right.

-Thank goodness for that case!

-Yes, it really does the job.

-You've not even polished it.

-I did rub a duster over it earlier!

-Did you?

-I did put a duster over it briefly.

There's the manufacturer's label, Charles Wheatstone.

-And you see it also on the strap.

-Very good, yes.

I have a feeling that if we put this into auction,

-with its case, you'll be looking at a price guide of 300 to £400.

-Really?

But I'm hoping, I'm really hoping, we'll top that.

-On a good day.

-On a good day.

As I say, it's been stuck in the loft for donkey's years

and we have seven grandchildren. If we made 350, it would be great.

-We could give them 50 quid each.

-Yes.

-I'd like it to go to a home where someone...

-A collector will want it.

-A collector will love this.

-Will he put it in a cupboard and not use it, or would he play it?

You know, that's a very good question.

Because...

I think a collector might just want to keep this and own it,

-enjoy looking...

-Look at it.

-Not play it!

But it is in such good condition,

you could still play that and knock out a really good tune.

The sound would be beautiful. The acoustics are second to none.

-We'll put a fixed reserve of £250 on this.

-Okey-doke.

-With a valuation of 250 to 350.

-Right. Yes.

-Fingers crossed!

-Yes.

I couldn't wait for that to go to auction.

But before I reveal whether this second lot of items marched off in the sale,

here's a quick reminder.

Ruth brought in her parents games and ladies' sewing table

and even with the damage, David thought it would do well.

Catherine thought Helen's steam boat was charming.

And I was blown away by the condition of John's concertina

and hoped the bidders loved it as much as I did.

So, to the Isle of Wight first, to see how Ruth's table went down with the bidders.

David has put £130 to £200 on this.

Why is Mum and Dad selling this?

It's taking up space. It may be small, but it takes up space.

It's a tiny occasional table. I wouldn't use it for games,

-I would put a plant or lamp on it.

-Yes.

-Or silver frames.

I'd stick it in the bathroom with the perfumes.

-You can use it anywhere.

-I'd like to see it set out with a chess set.

-It would look very good.

-Yes.

-In a recess it would look very good.

My reservation, I must point out, is it's got worm, which is live.

And also all three legs are splaying out and need restoration.

It's a dodgy repair. Looks like the glue was shot on with an air rifle!

But we'll find out right now what the bidders think of it.

A Victorian walnut games and lady's sewing table

with fitted interior and carved base.

120. 130 anywhere?

120 with the clerk. 130 anywhere?

-We're away.

-140 anywhere? 140. 150.

-160.

-Yeah.

-170. 180. 180 on the phone.

190. 200.

210.

220.

-230.

-Wow!

250. 260.

270. 280. 290?

-280 selling to the phone. 280.

-£280.

-£280.

Yes! 280 quid!

-Oh, that's good!

-That was more exciting than I expected!

That is going to be a great night out!

-That's wonderful.

-Ring your mum and dad and tell them.

-Absolutely.

-Well done!

-Thank you so much!

-Well done! David, top end.

I'm very pleased. It surprised me with the amount of damage.

-It's good.

-It goes to show there's money still left in that.

The trader will repair it and move it on.

-The other thing I forgot to mention is that the interior is original.

-Yes.

-The silk in the panel.

-Often it's replaced with velvet and it looks wrong.

-But that was original.

-It's what we call in the trade "crisp".

-I shall remember that term.

-Crisp!

-Crisp.

-So will I!

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Ruth's parents must have been pleased with that result.

So, back across the water to the Canterbury sale room

to see how Helen's steamboat fared.

I'm a big fan of this. I've been joined by Helen, the owner.

I think this little steamboat is incredible. It works on methylated spirits.

It's got the look of an early launch, known as The Swallow. In its original box.

-Fingers crossed.

-Definitely! Fingers crossed.

-Here we go.

The early 20th-century Hobbies Bowman steamboat, The Swallow.

-Lot 333.

-Lots of commission interest.

-Some interest in this. We'll start at...

-Start at 130.

-Starting at £130.

I'm looking for 140. Any interest at 140?

On my left at £130. Any interest at 140?

140. 150. 160?

-Yes.

-170? Anybody at 170? It's online at £160. All done?

Any further interest? If not I'm selling at £160 online.

-Told you, didn't I?

-Fantastic!

-Excellent.

-You didn't have any faith.

-I didn't. Well done.

-Well done, you!

It was a nice thing. A real gentleman's piece.

I was looking at that earlier. So many people were looking at it.

It brought back memories for them. Everybody buys into that.

-There's commission to pay.

-Yes.

-But you can treat yourself with that.

A lovely moment for Helen. She was shocked with that result!

Lastly, it's my turn. I was feeling quite hopeful for John's concertina

when it went under the hammer in Stamford.

You said as long as you get over 300 quid, you don't mind.

-We don't mind.

-We've seen them...

-350 would be better.

We've seen them on the show, 32 buttons, do over £2,000.

This has got a few less buttons. Might not quite get that

-or it might just.

-You never know.

-No.

-It just might.

-Fingers crossed.

-Yes.

It could be, as they say in musical terms, a crescendo in a moment.

You reckon!

It's going under the hammer.

The concertina. Couple of hundred to start? 200?

Got to be worth 200. At 200 I'm bid.

At 200 now. 210. 220.

230. 240. 250.

It's met its reserve.

At 250. Make no mistake. 260. 270.

280. 300. At 300. Take 20.

At £300. 320.

340. 360. 380.

At 380. At 380.

-400. 420.

-Ooh!

-At 420.

440 off any of you guys? 440. 450.

-480.

-Fighting it out, now, on the internet and telephone.

500. 520.

550. 580.

600. 620.

650. 650.

680.

700. 720.

750. 780.

800. 820.

850. 880.

-900.

-Let's get four figures, shall we?

I'd be happy with that.

-1,000. And 50.

-Here we go. You've just done it.

-1,100. 1,200.

-Unbelievable!

-This is more like it!

1,400. 1,500.

1,600.

-At one thousand six. Have you lost your man on the phone?

-Good result.

-At £1,600.

-There's your spending money.

-At 1,600.

Seven grandchildren to look after.

1,600.

-Yes!

-Well done! Brilliant.

-One thousand six hundred!

Just what you said. Well done. Great!

Good job you brought that in!

-That's all I can say!

-Right.

-Put it there.

-It was only done on the day.

What are you putting that money towards?

The grandchildren will have a share. We're going on holiday

and we want a new cover for the boat.

-That'll sort all of that out.

-We'll spread it around.

-Thanks for bringing it in.

Those concertinas always do well at auction.

At £1,600, that's just over £66 per button!

I hope you've enjoyed this trip down Memory Lane,

looking at some of my favourite items designed for times of leisure.

Do join me again soon as we look back through the Flog It archives.

Until then, from the grounds of Sherborne Castle, it's goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd