Tales of the Unexpected Flog It!

Hello and welcome to Ten Of The Best from Flog It!

Today I'm at Sherborne Castle in the beautiful Dorset countryside

and this place has been home to the Digby family ever since 1617.

Now, this unassuming doorway leads to an 18th century fridge-freezer.

Well, actually, it's an 18th century ice house.

During the winter months, ice would be cut from the lake over there

and stored here until the summer months.

Then it would be taken up to the house and used to keep the food cool. I find that quite remarkable.

For today's theme, I've been looking through the Flog It! archives

and I've come up with something which I think you will also find remarkable.

It's things we all love, items that have been found or virtually bought for nothing,

and they always seem to do very well at auction.

'My first lucky discovery takes us back to Ely where in 2009

'Elizabeth Talbot found two beautiful paintings.'

We have a real family affair. We have Geri, Mary and Sophie

who have brought some beautiful paintings along.

I think there must be a story behind these. Is there?

My father was a builder-cum-firm director.

-Oh, right.

-And we used to buy up houses and redo them and do them up

and this was part of the contents of one of the houses we acquired.

-So he came back one day clutching two paintings?

-And some other things, yes.

-Do you remember them arriving at home?

-I do, yes. Yeah.

-I was little, very little.

-So now there are three of you. Who owns them at the moment?

When he died, one was left to my husband and one to Geri

so that both families got one of the paintings.

-But with small children around the house, it got to the point where they were going to get damaged.

-OK.

-So now you're contemplating selling them.

-Yes.

-OK.

Mummy's thinking of selling them, Sophie. What do you think? Do you like them?

I like the geese and the duck and the river.

-I quite like the river because it's got, like, two sections.

-Uh-huh.

I like that one better, I have to say.

Well, they are both helpfully signed AA Glendening.

It's helpful up to the point that it now tells us it's from the Glendening family.

The awkward thing is, there are two AA Glendenings.

One is Alfred Augustus Glendening

and his son, also Alfred Augustus Glendening.

-Helpful.

-But it is very difficult to be categoric as to who was painting which painting at what time,

if that makes sense. They could possibly do with a clean, but I like to see paintings look their age

and I think wherever you've had them hanging, they've been very happy, so that's good.

Original frames and nice, honest works straight onto the market.

Have you a hope about what you might realise from offering them for sale?

-We'd like enough to go on a decent holiday each.

-Yes.

-Not together.

-Not together!

-THEY LAUGH

This harmony will only last for a short time! Take the money and run.

But had you got a figure in mind at all?

We were hoping for four for the pair, 4,000 for the pair.

Cos we thought that way, there's enough to have a decent holiday and have the memory of having them

-and then selling them and having something good out of it.

-Something substantial.

Given the average value that seems to be achievable, I don't think 4,000 is unrealistic.

So if we place a reserve of £4,000, we'll try and satisfy your requirements.

Hopefully, we might get a bit more. But that will mean the auctioneer will then place an estimate

of perhaps £4,000 to £6,000.

We'll take them in, £4,000 reserve, and fingers crossed.

'What a find! I think it was right to keep those two paintings together.

'Now I'm taking you back to Yeovil in 2007 when James Lewis's day

'was brightened up by Adrian's wonderful bronze.'

-Adrian, what a great thing!

-It is.

-I love it.

-Where did you find it?

I found it in a charity shop in Shaftsbury

about two or three years ago. It was £18.

And the wife loves camels, so we had to have it.

I love camels, too, and this sort of thing, you go to Egypt...

This may well have been made around the time of the great excavations in Egypt

and the discovery of Tutankhamun and the tombs there.

What we're actually looking at, of course, is a table lamp.

-That's right.

-It's cast in bronze. We called it cold painted.

-Yeah.

-Decorated, here we are, with little bits of gilt and red.

And this huge trunk here of the palm tree

has two little lamps at the top.

-Now this, when it was made, I'm sure would've been gas.

-That's right.

And somebody's converted it. And you can see where the solder is attached there.

They've added two little electric light sockets to the end.

Whenever we're looking at this sort of cold painted bronze, the country we associate with that is Austria.

And there was one factory called Bergman

who was making an awful lot of this between 1880 and 1920.

And their mark is either a little bee in a vase stamped into the bronze,

or they often marked "Bergman" or sometimes "Namgreb" which is Bergman backwards.

Now, I have had a look all over this, I've had the figures off,

I can't see anything underneath, so I think it's in the Bergman style

but probably not by Bergman. But the quality is there.

-It's wonderful.

-It shines through, the quality.

-The detail on the camel alone is...

-Oh, it's great. I love the expression on his face.

You can even see his teeth. It's wonderful.

-Now we've got to come to some sort of idea of value.

-Yeah.

-If it had been a Bergman one, it would be of huge value.

-Yeah.

-It really would.

But the quality's there, so I think your £18 has certainly been a good investment.

-That's good to hear.

-Would you be pleased with £80 to £100?

Yeah, I think I'd be happy at that.

That's good, cos I'm going to put £200 to £300 on it.

-Oh, that's good!

-Is that better?

-That is much, much better!

-Good.

But I'm hoping that two people will think it's Bergman. Leave it up to them to decide.

And it'll do very well. But it's going to a good saleroom.

-That's good.

-So I'm sure it'll do well.

'I'll show you what the bidders thought a little bit later.

'Now, I was intrigued by Trevor's mysterious device

'that he brought along to Cowes in 2009.'

-Trevor, what can you tell me about this?

-I can't tell you too much.

Where did you get this level?

-I bought it at a boot sale about 25 years ago.

-On the island?

-On the island.

-And how much did you pay for it?

-About £2.50 I paid for it.

-Is that all?

-That's all.

-What do you do for a living?

-I used to be a roofer.

-Right, OK.

-So I bought this and thought I could use it on the roof.

-To find the angles.

-It's a little too precise, isn't it?

-Yeah, I couldn't use it

-so I put it up in the loft.

-I think you've picked up a bargain. I really do.

It is for a carpenter, but it's for a cabinet maker

-that would've worked on board ship.

-Yes.

You can see that was hanging up in a workshop somewhere, just with this little hole.

The second fix cabinet maker would've taken this on board vessel

with the pieces of furniture he's made in the workshop

to fit in the cabins.

Now, when he comes to fit the furniture, awkward-size cabins,

different ribs, different stations and bulkheads protruding in.

To find the angles, he would use this.

He would then set his level to find the horizontal.

Once he's got that gauge, he could turn this around

and then he knows, working off that same station line which he's found,

let's say a 45-degree angle, he knows where the horizontal is.

That's very interesting, cos I didn't know none of that.

That is such a precise gauge and tool. It really is.

I've not seen one like this.

-Well, it's the only one I've ever seen.

-It's a quality item.

-It really is.

-That's nice to hear.

-And I'm quite excited about this,

-because a lot of people collect levels and gauges.

-I never knew that.

There's a collectors' club and I think they're going to want to own it.

-Oh, that's nice to know.

-It's a nice Victorian piece, circa 1880, 1890,

-towards the end of the Victorian period.

-I didn't think it was that early.

-So, why do you want to sell?

Well, I lost my teeth last New Year

-and...

-Oh, yes!

-And I'm... HE LAUGHS

I've got to get some new ones.

-So you're going to pay for the teeth.

-It'll go towards it, yes.

-I'd like to put this into auction with a valuation of £100 to £150.

-That'd be very nice.

And hopefully get the top end. If you pardon the pun, it will find its own level around there.

-That'd be nice. That'd be very nice.

-We'll put a fixed reserve of £100, shall we?

-Yeah, fine.

'I loved it. It looked great and also had a purpose.

'I'm taking you to Oxford now, when in 2010

'Tracy Martin found a little gem brought in by Shirley.'

The minute I saw this, I absolutely fell in love with it, Shirley.

It's... It's just everything that I adore in jewellery.

The wonderful enamelling in blue here and the gold.

It's just gorgeous! Now, I'm hoping you're going to tell me

it's been passed down from generation to generation

-and it's a treasured item that's been in the family for ages.

-40p in a charity shop.

-Ohh! That's so unfair. Isn't it?

-Unbelievable.

-Have you ever found anything like that for 40p?

-No.

No, me neither. I've had a look at it, together with some of my colleagues.

It's not actually marked. We've been all over with a loop

and we can't find any markings anywhere.

Because of this beautiful blue enamelling work,

we're guessing that it is gold and we're going with nine-carat gold,

which is the lowest grade gold.

If we turn it over to start off with the back,

we have this kind of pocket at the back.

-You presumed it was a mourning piece.

-I did, yes.

-It's actually for keepsakes.

-Right.

-And when we turn it round like that,

we've got this beautiful scarab.

Did you know instantly or were you taking what we call in the business a punt?

Well, it glittered and it was just in a basket of bits and bobs, you know, bric-a-brac,

and obviously, it gleamed and I like Egyptian history,

-so 40p, couldn't go wrong.

-What a bargain.

-Yeah.

-You can't go wrong.

I don't think it's British. I think it's probably European,

but the whole obsession with the uncovering of the tombs in the late 19th century

and then on into the 1920s with Tutankhamun,

-I think this is older than 20th century, I think this more 19th century.

-Yeah.

-Have you worn it?

-Yes, on a boot lace round my neck.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Oh, fabulous! That's brilliant.

-I like a leather boot lace.

Nothing like a little bit of class, is there, Shirley?

Erm, I think personally I would like to put a reserve of £250 on it.

-Fine!

-Is that all right?

-Yeah!

-Good. Thank God for that.

-Fantastic!

With a pre-sale estimate of £250 to £350.

'I loved that little piece, but before I show you what happened in the saleroom,

'here's a quick recap of all our lucky finds.

'It was a family affair in Ely where Elizabeth discovered these beautiful oil paintings.

'£18 was all Adrian paid for our next lot,

'the cold painted bronze lamp base.

'I thought Trevor's marine level was fabulous.

'And 40p was all Helen paid for her stunning gold pendant.

'We're off to Stamford first, though, to see what happened to the family's two oil paintings.'

We're selling the two Glendening oils. Wonderful. I take it one of you owns one

and one owns the other. And Elizabeth, we've got £4,000 to £6,000 on this!

Sounds frightening in the cold light of day,

-but it's well worth the money for the artist.

-It is.

I'm quite excited, aren't you? I'm very excited!

It's going under the hammer now. This is it.

The Alfred Augustus Glendenings. The pair of these.

Straight in at £2,000. At 2,000.

2,100. 2,200. 2,300.

2,400. 2,500, new bidder. 2,600.

2,700. 2,800.

2,900. 3,000.

-3,500. 4,000.

-Yes.

-Ooh.

-At 4,000 now.

4,500. 5,000. 5,500.

6,000.

6,100. 6,200?

6,100. At 6,100. Is that it?

-Are you all out in front?

-£6,100.

-At 6,100.

-HAMMER BANGS

-Yes! £6,100!

Spot-on valuation, Elizabeth. There's your holidays.

You know there's commission to pay. But all credit to the man on the rostrum!

'That was marvellous! What an amazing find!

'It's Adrian's bargain find now, which went under the hammer in Exeter.'

-Why are you flogging this?

-Because basically it's surplus to our requirements.

We've got another baby coming and it's a bit of a heavy lump to have around.

-OK. And the money's going to come in handy.

-Dead handy.

-It'll be a new car seat.

-Why not?

-£200 to £300. We've seen these do a lot.

-A lot better, yeah.

We've seen them make a lot of money. Can't find a maker's mark on it.

If it had Bergman, put a 1 in front and more.

-Cold painted bronzes always sell.

-They do. Especially with camels.

-Animals. Animals sell.

-Yeah.

It's just about to go under the hammer. This is it. Good luck.

Austrian cold painted bronze table lamp

of an Arab on a camel.

Minor damage but it doesn't seem to have put you off.

I open the bidding here at £550.

-Yes. Straight in.

-£550.

80 will you? 580.

600. 620.

650. 680. 700.

And 20. That's the book out.

It's with you in the room, sir, at £720.

50 will you? No phones. The book's out.

I'm selling in the room, then, at £720.

-HAMMER BANGS

-Yes! We will take that!

-Do you know what? Job done. £720.

-Well done.

They are so decorative, no wonder.

I'm so happy. What are you going to do with £720?

-Buy a new car seat for the baby.

-And? Plus?

Plus, probably have a couple of bottles of champagne when the baby's born.

-HE LAUGHS

-You had a sneaky notion that would do well.

Yeah, I think they think it's Bergman.

And it's one of those things with the right feel, the right vibe,

-so fashionable, they do so well.

-Yeah.

-Great result. Made its money.

'Brilliant result. Adrian really enjoyed himself

'and got enough for a new car seat.

'It's my turn now, as I take you back to the Isle of Wight

'and I was sure Trevor was going to get a good return on his £2.50 purchase

'for that trip to the dentist.'

-Trevor, it's great to see you again. And you've brought your wife. What's your name?

-Elaine.

-He's a bit nervous today, isn't he?

-He is very nervous.

-It's his first auction.

-What do you think?

-Yeah, it's all right.

-Hopefully they're all here buying your spirit level.

-I hope so.

-That was a good find, wasn't it, Elaine?

-It was.

The only reason I brought it was cos Elaine told me to.

-Really?

-I did, yes.

-Well, good for you!

-I said it was quirky and he should bring it.

-Yeah.

-And I like what he's spending the money on.

-Yeah.

-THEY LAUGH

That's a first on Flog It!, isn't it?

I just hope we sell it. I don't want to let you down.

Late 19th century mahogany and brass marine level.

Nice calibrated brass scale there.

In at 70. 5 anywhere?

75. 80. 5. 90.

5. 100. 110.

120. 130.

140. 150.

140 here. 150 anywhere?

150. 160

170. 170. 180.

180, yes. 190? 180, then. It's 180.

190, he's back in. 200. 210, one more. 210.

220. 210, then. It's in the corner.

-At £210. Selling at 210. All done?

-HAMMER BANGS

Yes! It's all smiles over here!

-£210!

-That's brilliant!

Less commission, obviously, but that's fantastic, isn't it?

-You reckon I'll get my teeth fixed?

-Well, it's a good start, isn't it?

-Thank you very much!

-That smile will be beautiful!

-THEY LAUGH

'Fantastic! There were smiles all round.

'Now we're off to Oxford for the sale of Shirley's gold pendant. 40p was all she paid for it.'

Do you know something? I love this lot. I really do.

And I don't know why you're selling it. It cost you nothing.

Well, I've had it a long time and I haven't worn...

-How many years, ten?

-About ten, yes.

I wore it at the beginning on a leather strap

and then I put it away,

so I saw Flog It!, thought I'd give it a go.

-The rearing cobras.

-It's my favourite lot.

-It is not.

-I absolutely adore it.

-It is, it's stunning.

When you were waving at me across the valuation day floor and I came over and saw it,

it's absolutely gorgeous.

That cartouche of the scarab in blue enamel, stunning.

Things are going well. Hopefully this will. It's going under the hammer. Good luck.

The Victorian pendant, decorated two rearing cobra.

-560 I've got.

-No!

-SHE GASPS

560!

570 anywhere? 570.

580. 590.

-600. 610.

-I can't believe it.

-This is so beautiful.

-630.

640? At 630. Before I go to the phone.

-Come on!

-630. 640.

-There's someone on the phone behind us.

-650. 660.

660. 670.

680? 680.

-690. 700.

-I cannot believe this.

710. 730. 750.

-770.

-Gosh.

-My heart is pounding!

-790.

800. 820?

840. 860.

-PAUL LAUGHS

-880. 900.

-920.

-I don't believe it.

940. 960.

980. 1,000.

-1,000!

-And 50.

1,100. And 50.

1,200. 1,300.

1,400.

-1,500.

-Shirley, what is going on?

-I don't know.

1,600. 1,700. 1,800.

At 1,800. On the telephone at 1,800.

-All done at 1,800?

-Wow! HAMMER BANGS

-Yes!

-Yes! Well done, Shirley!

-APPLAUSE

-Well done!

-I don't believe it!

-£1,800! How much did it cost again?

-40p.

-40p! What can you buy for 40p?

-My estimate was a bit out, but I don't care!

-Thank you!

-There was something so special about it.

-There must have been. I don't know what it is.

-Wow, wow, wow!

-Hurray!

-I just can't believe this!

-What are you going to do with all that money?

-Well, a holiday.

-It's my son's 30th birthday next Friday.

-OK.

-So he'll have something special.

-Fantastic.

-Gosh.

-Oh, I'm so pleased for you.

That's auctions for you, isn't it? You just can't predict what's going to happen.

-I said somebody here today is going home with a lot of money. Well done.

-I am blown away!

What an incredible result! We couldn't believe how well that had done.

What a surprise for Shirley and for the rest of us.

You never know what's going to happen in an auction room.

Now, back in 2009 on a trip to Dover,

I was surprised to come across some incredible structures on the landscape.

I'd never heard of them before and I was surprised to learn about their place in history.

I've brought you here to Greatstone near Dungeness to show you these strange-looking concrete structures

that lie abandoned at the edge of a gravel pit here.

They look like early forms of abstract art, don't they? But they're not.

They played a significant part in the history of Britain's defence system.

'After the First World War, the biggest threat to Britain's security was from the air.

'What the country needed was an operational edge,

'a way of pinpointing incoming enemy bombers

'before they reached the English coast.

'The old system relied on sight, using spotters with binoculars.'

30 enemy aircraft over the Channel flying due west.

'But it wasn't effective at night or in bad weather conditions.

'The solution lay with one man, Lieutenant William Tucker.

'Tucker had spent much of the First World War in trenches

'using listening devices to search out enemy locations.'

By the 1920s, he decided to apply the same listening techniques to the skies.

The result was a series of concrete structures like these along the south coast.

They reflected the sound waves of incoming aircraft

onto carefully-places microphones.

'And various sound mirrors survive, dotted along the south coast.

'But this is the only place you can see all three designs side by side.

'To explain how they work, I've come to meet Owen Leyshon

'who's warden for the Dungeness National Nature Reserve.'

-Owen, hiya!

-Hello.

-Pleased to meet you. Good to see you.

-These are absolutely fabulous.

-They're brilliant.

-Massive!

-I love the location, as well.

-Yeah, very good.

-This is a 20-foot sound mirror.

-This is the smaller one.

-This is the smaller one, the first one.

-How does the technology actually work?

-Well, it's pointing out into the English Channel.

-Right.

It's collecting sound waves from the enemy aircraft

-or potential enemy aircraft.

-Yep.

-So you had a guy standing where I am

with a sound trumpet pointing back into the 20-foot dish,

so he's got his back to the sea, and he would have a stethoscope on

and he's moving that trumpet around, trying to get a bearing of where the aircraft is.

-And remember, with this one, it's very, very...

-It's quite vertical.

-It's vertical, indeed, so...

-It's almost picking up things that are low.

-That's right.

-Not way up there.

-So if the planes were coming in very high, they were in trouble.

So what they did then is they designed a 30-foot mirror...

-This one here.

-..where they tilted the dish higher up into the sky

to get the higher aircraft.

And also, they had a little room underneath

where the listener could manoeuvre the microphone or the trumpet in the dish

so he was out of the elements.

-Can I go and look at the big one?

-Yeah, let's go and have a look.

-It's amazing, isn't it? How big is that?

-That's 200 foot.

'All the information gathered here

'would be sent back to military HQ at Hythe by phone, where it would be plotted out on a map.

'That would then give the RAF a chance to send up planes to meet the enemy.'

-Incredible size when you get up to it, isn't it?

-Very impressive.

-200 feet.

-Indeed, yes.

Concave lengthways but also vertically, as well.

I can see that when you look at the edges. How does this one work, then?

Well, you've got a set of microphones in a big arc around the forecourt of this 200-foot mirror,

and you would've had a guy in the office, this window up here.

But you would've had several people, listeners, out on the front,

he would've been directing those listeners to get the bearings of where the aircraft are coming from.

-Right, so they've scaled up.

-They've gone big now.

-You could certainly say that.

-And was that accurate?

-Yes, it was more of an accurate system than the smaller mirrors.

But the length was still the same, 20, 25 miles.

And it's back to the same old issue, the aircraft got faster,

and so as an early warning system, it was becoming quite obvious that it was struggling.

-I'm so pleased they're still here.

-Yeah.

-What was the downside?

Well, the downside was that we're very close to the sea here,

and the housing development, all the pressures were creeping down the coast.

Remember, these were built in a very bare, hostile, quiet environment.

And also radar came along in the late 1930s.

So quickly the range that they could pick up the aircraft was much better than these sound mirrors,

and they became obsolete quite quickly.

-Impressive structures, though.

-Oh, they are, yeah.

Well, I'm pleased they're here today. I really am.

'So, noisy urban development in this once desolate area combined with faster planes

'meant that the sound mirrors were already struggling.

'But it was the advances in radar that produced the final nail in the coffin.

'It was all over for these sound mirrors and Tucker retired

'thinking all his efforts were in vain.'

But these structures do stand as a monument to a man

whose work was to have a profound effect on the outcome of World War II.

The communication systems that Tucker developed between his mirrors and HQ were so effective

that it was copied by the radar team and led directly to their success.

'Let's get back to the blue tables in Barnsley

'where Philip Serrell is talking to Barry.'

-Enjoy a drink?

-Oh, yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

-What, port, sherry and claret?

-All in one glass, yeah.

-Where did you get these from?

-Car boot sale.

-Car boot sale?

-Yeah.

-How much did you pay for them?

-Er, £6.

-You are a man of generosity, aren't you?

-He wanted eight, actually.

-And you beat him down.

-Yes. Aye.

That's the Yorkshireman in me.

-Do you have Horlicks to make you sleep at night, do you, like the advert?

-Don't need it. I've wife.

Did you buy them because you thought they were cheap or because they were nice?

-I liked them.

-You liked them.

-Yeah.

-Plus, I knew they were a giveaway at £6.

-They were at eight, as well.

-Where do you think they were made?

-I'd imagine Staffordshire.

I think so. There's something written on the back of this one that could well be Copeland,

-but they're certainly English. And what date do you reckon they are?

-1850s.

-Absolutely spot on.

And I think they're great and they would've be used in a wine merchants,

-possibly even in a big country house in the wine cellar.

-Yeah.

-Hanging on the barrels.

You can see the remains here, and it is very, very faded,

it would've had who the shipper was, the year, which vineyard it came from.

And these would have been annexed to each barrel. I think they're really collectable.

I think that we can put £40 to £60 estimate on them all day long.

-Yeah.

-I think we'll reserve them at £30.

-Yeah.

-That's a real "come buy me" estimate.

-It should be.

It's a real "come buy me" estimate and if you have a bit of luck, they might just go and make £100.

-Yeah, yeah.

-So would you be pleased with that?

-Definitely, yeah.

-I've a wife and eight kids so I need some money.

-Eight?

-Aye.

Don't need to ask what your hobby is, then. I tell you one thing,

-don't you get home and get confused as to what the difference between port, sherry and claret is.

-No.

'He certainly needs some money with that big brood.

'But before we find out how it did at auction,

'here's a quick selection of some of my other favourite surprises.

'At Kilmarnock in 2009, James Lewis had a shock

'when he discovered where this painting came from.'

-It was found in the skip...

-In a skip?

..where my husband was working.

-You don't often get an auctioneer that's speechless.

-I still don't think much of it.

-You still don't?

-No, it does nothing for me.

-I think it should be worth £600 to £1,000.

'It made £1,900 in the saleroom. Incredible!

'Another fabulous find next,

'which David Barby was very excited about in Worcester back in 2004.'

-You found these, I understand. Where?

-In a skip.

-In a skip?

-A skip.

-Do you go round looking in skips?

-Yes, I'm a skipper.

'They made £3,500.

'And these beautiful sketches spotted by Charlie Ross in King's Lynn

'were bought by Wendy for just £14.99.'

-14.99?

-Yes.

I bought it about six months ago in Cambridge.

I think you've got a cracking investment here. I rather think this is a bit special.

'Wendy was delighted when it sold for £260.

'To Cornwall now, my favourite county, where in 2005

'Kate Bliss found this little treat.'

I've seen lots of soft toy bears today, he's a little bit different.

-He is, yes.

-Where did he come from?

-He came from Weybridge at a car boot sale.

-Right. So who found him?

-Gary found him.

-I did, yeah.

-What do you like about him, then?

-It just was so cute

and we asked to have a look at him and I could see the arms moved and I presumed it was silver.

And we just loved it, I just loved it when I saw it.

The thing I like about him is, as you say, the fact that his limbs move.

And he's been made very carefully, so these are articulated.

And he is essentially a child's toy,

but a toy from the Edwardian period,

cos if we look at the hallmarks, quite clearly on his tummy

we can see he dates from 1908.

We've also got maker's initials, too, HVP & Co, which is the maker there.

And he's been made in two halves really, essentially,

which is why he's got that seam down the middle.

Almost like a soft toy bear would be made.

And he is marked on both sides with the same date.

And he's got this lovely textured finish to suggest the fur, which is rather nice.

He's a quality little piece. And, of course, we've got this teething ring...

-Very chewed teething ring.

-..which is attached to it. It is very chewed, yes,

but it is the original ring, which is great

because so often you see little silver rattles or toys attached to a much later ring.

And this is lovely because it shows all its character really,

it shows it's been used for what it was designed for.

And it is in fact mother-of-pearl.

You can see it's slightly iridescent in the light there.

But pretty damaged, as you can see.

He is hollow.

And really, he's survived very well, taking that into account.

He's just got a tiny little dent on his tummy.

Would he have had stones in the eyes or were they always just holes in there?

You're absolutely right. It was common for little silver novelties like this to have chip ruby eyes,

and he almost certainly would've had those and they've fallen out, sadly.

So that's going to bring the value down just a little bit. He's not in mint condition.

But he's also quite old. So what did you pay for him at this car boot?

-£20.

-£20. Well, I think at auction you might have a nice surprise.

I think that conservatively you're going to be looking at £50 to £80,

but he's such a nice little example, he may make a bit more on a good day. What do you think about that?

-That's excellent.

-It's a good return on £20.

'I need to get out to the car boot sales, I think.

'I'm finishing today's selection with something we don't see often.

'Charlie Ross fought me for it when it came in to our valuation day

'and I wasn't going to argue with him on this one.'

Nick, you look absolutely terrifying.

Fancy coming into the Sheldonian in Oxford with these! Tell me about them.

Well, my grandfather went to, I thought it was Sudan, in the 1880s, 1890s.

-Yeah.

-And we believe he brought them back.

-He wasn't in the services.

-Was he not?

-No.

-Well, it's from South Africa.

-Really?

-It's a Zulu shield.

And I think that dates from 1880, 1890,

which, of course, was the time pre-Boer War, the Zulu Wars.

It's an extraordinary part of history, really.

And in remarkable condition. This looks like zebra skin, I'm sure it is.

-But being 100 years old, we feel very happy to talk about it.

-Working tool.

Obviously if this was modern, we wouldn't want to know, for obvious reasons.

I'm intrigued by the lattice work of weaving more skin into it,

which also has a functional purpose, as well.

-It provides the handle, doesn't it? Which is really interesting.

-Yes.

Just leaving out a couple of notches forms a handle.

-It's incredibly hard, isn't it?

-It is.

All right, it wouldn't have stopped a bullet going through there,

but if you chucked a spear at it, it would have to be thrown pretty hard to go through that.

And they attacked by bashing the spears against that,

-and you imagine a few thousand people doing that, it's really a terrifying sound.

-Absolutely.

The spear is also Zulu.

Beautifully made, actually, and in pretty good condition.

Quite light. It's like a cane, isn't it?

But then we've got a leather strap here which is strengthening the join

between the metalwork and the shaft of the spear.

Look at the age on it. It's amazing, isn't it?

And it's become rock, rock solid, hard.

-Value. Any ideas?

-No.

-You hoped it was worth something when you brought it along.

-Of course.

-I think you've got a value here of between £100 and £200.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Well, that has surprised me.

If we're not talking about £100, it's not worth selling.

I'm sure the shield is of that order and the spear will add a bit to it.

So we're happy to put it into auction with an estimate of £100 to £200.

-Thank you.

-A reserve of £100.

-Brilliant.

Perhaps auctioneer's discretion if it got close. But I feel confident.

'What a treat to see something so unusual.

'I was really looking forward to that going under the hammer.

'But first here's a quick reminder of my final selection from the archives.

'The wine cellar labels owned by Barry were sure to be a great investment for him.

'Denise's small silver bear was a brilliant car boot find.

'And Nicholas's unusual Zulu spear and shield had us all waiting in anticipation.

'So first to Sheffield for the sale of Barry's wine labels, where I was feeling rather hopeful.'

We could be in for a little surprise right now.

Just been joined by Barry. I have Philip, our valuer.

£40 to £60 on these five wine labels

which you picked up for how much? Remind us all.

-£6.

-Six quid for the lot.

-A poorly octopus. "Sick squid."

-I think... Yes.

I think we could do £150 if there's two buyers that like these.

I think if you get two people who are interested in wine memorabilia and the like,

-let's just say we could have some spirited bidding.

-Yes.

And I think each little label could be worth £30 to £40, so add that up.

-Ching-ching.

-I think they'll do 100.

Hopefully. It's a good crowd here. A good crowd of people here.

-They'll make what they're worth.

-I'm hoping for £150. You know what Philip wants.

-We know what I want.

-We know what you want, yeah, the more the better.

Let's find out what this lot want. We have a packed auction room. Let's see some hands in the air.

Three earthenware wine cellar labels

together with two circular numbered bin discs.

Some nice 19th century pottery.

A lot of people like them. There's lots of interest on the commissions.

-Great.

-I'm forced to start at 140.

-Whoa!

-£140.

I'll take 150 from somebody in the room.

-150 is it? With me at 140.

-Come on.

150. I'm out. Looking for 160. Still cheap.

-Finally at 150.

-HAMMER BANGS

-Yes! Hammer's gone down. £150.

-You were right.

Well, you've got great eyes for spotting a bargain at a car boot.

Well, I went to Specsavers.

'I knew it. Barry got himself a real bargain with that lot.

'To Cornwall next for the sale of Denise's little toy bear.'

Kate and I have just been joined by Denise and Gary and we've got that lovely little silver Edwardian bear

just about to go under the hammer.

We had a chat to the auctioneer earlier.

Kate put £50 to £80 on this. I've got some good news for you.

It is good news cos it's going up and up and up. There's a lot of interest.

There's a couple of phone lines booked on this

and she is adamant it's going to do around £200 to £250.

-Brilliant.

-It is so unusual and it's so rare being articulated.

And that's what the collectors want. There's a lot of solid ones, hardly any articulated ones.

Let's do some battle right now in the saleroom. It's going under the hammer now.

Lot 521 there is a baby's teething ring bearing hallmarks 1908.

Pretty little bear. I've got two bids and I've got to start at £300.

-Good grief!

-Great!

At £300. At £300.

We done at £300? Going then, with me at £300.

Straight in and straight out. He had two bids on the book

-at 300 to start there.

-It's only that big!

Oh, my word, Denise. OK, first thing that springs to mind. What is it?

I'm just amazed that anyone... We paid £20 for him at a car boot sale.

-Well, good for you. You see, clearly...

-I just can't imagine it would be worth 300.

Collectors really wanted this little thing and if they get stuck in,

they're like pit bull terriers, they just fight away.

-What are you going to do with 300 quid?

-Buy some more art products.

'That shocked us all. We certainly didn't expect that much.

'And finally we head to Oxfordshire to see what the bidders thought of Nicholas's astonishing tribalware.

'But before the sale I had a chat with auctioneer Simon Jones to see what he thought.'

This is absolutely fabulous and fascinating.

Ethnic artefacts fly through the roof, don't they?

-They do. They really love them.

-Anything tribal.

-Yep.

And with a bit of history and something like this, which is unusual.

It's a rare skin because being a zebra skin it's not a standard weapon one.

It's not for fighting with, it's a special occasion. So it lifts it.

-Cowhide is your normal one. Plenty of those about for £300 or £400.

-Yes.

Has there been much interest?

Enough to get the old auctioneer quite excited.

-Really?

-Which is unusual for auctioneers.

Are you going to let me in on this and the viewers?

I might just do that. Let's say there's been interest from its homeland

-and the new world.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Someone's going home with a great deal of money.

'I'm glad Simon was as excited as we were. This was something really special.'

It's great to meet Nicholas. I saw you at the valuation day

and I admired Charlie walking across the room with this wonderful zebra-skin shield,

and I just thought, "Ooh, very nice."

-Were you happy with the valuation, 100 to 200?

-I thought it was pretty good, yes.

-Yeah.

-I had a chat to the auctioneer.

-Yeah.

-He said it could do a little bit better.

-Oh.

-Really?

-Just a little bit.

-That would be pleasant.

-Oh, that would be...

If it makes £14,000, I'll buy you lunch.

I don't think he hinted that much money, though.

No. I mean, Charlie, a brave move because these things are so hard to put a price on.

You see one and you think you've seen them all but they're all different, aren't they?

-Well, they are handmade, aren't they?

-It's beautifully made.

Why are you selling it? Because it's been part of the family for a long time.

Modern house, it's a bit small. Can't put it on the walls, et cetera.

So it's heart-wrenching to get rid of it.

I hope you get the top end of the estimate, £200. What would you put the money towards?

Well, we were going to buy our grandson probably a premium bond with some of the money.

-OK.

-The rest would probably go to a lunch or something.

-Lunch. Did you hear that, Paul?

What if you got £800 for this?

-Steady on!

-Hang on, you never know.

Strange things happen in auction rooms.

-What would you do with £800?

-That would help us towards a holiday.

-Well, let's hope you get a holiday.

-So that's lunch for us and a holiday for him.

I love auctions, I really do.

Let's find out what happened. It's now down to the bidders. Here we go.

The zebra-skin shield, the Zulu one. And what can we say for that?

A couple of hundred pounds to start me for it?

500 I'm bid. 550 anywhere?

£500. 550.

600. 650. 700. 750.

800. 850. At £800, then.

Coming to you now, Pat, at 850.

£850.

850. 900.

950.

1,000.

-1,100 I'm bid. 1,150.

-Oh, no.

All done, then? It's with Alan at £1,100. All done at £1,100?

-HAMMER BANGS

-Yes! £1,100!

I told you something fabulous was going to happen, today, didn't I?

'Astonishing! Charlie certainly wasn't expecting that sort of result. What a lovely moment.'

Well, I hope you've enjoyed looking back at some of my favourite moments

from the Flog It! archives over the last ten years.

If you've got anything you would like to sell, we would love to see you.

Bring them along to one of our valuation days

and you can find dates and venues on our BBC website.

Just log on to:

You never know, you could be the ones with the big surprise.

That's it for today. So until the next time, from Sherborne Castle, it's goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

.