0:00:02 > 0:00:05From art... ...to antiques,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07ceramics to signs...
0:00:07 > 0:00:09...taxidermy... ...to toys.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13From the common... ...to the curious...
0:00:13 > 0:00:16...we are a nation of collectors.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Follow me, Mel Giedroyc...
0:00:18 > 0:00:22...and me, antiques expert and lifelong collector Mark Hill...
0:00:22 > 0:00:24...as we go behind closed doors
0:00:24 > 0:00:27to uncover Britain's secret collections...
0:00:27 > 0:00:30...and reveal what they're really worth,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32with surprising results.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Collecting and curating... ...selling and displaying.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39For collectaholics everywhere... ...we're here to help.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52'On Collectaholics,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55'we'll be delving into the extraordinary collections
0:00:55 > 0:00:57'that have taken over people's lives...'
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I've never seen so many signs!
0:01:00 > 0:01:04'..swallowing up their space and using up their income...'
0:01:04 > 0:01:06What's the most expensive piece you've bought?
0:01:06 > 0:01:07Sort of ?8,000 to ?10,000.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10'..and pushing their relationships to the very edge.'
0:01:10 > 0:01:12It's this room and that's it.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15'I'll be helping our collectors deal with their collections in crisis.'
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Could I possibly call it an obsession?
0:01:17 > 0:01:19I don't think obsession's a bad word.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23'And I'll be finding out what drives them to buy and buy and buy.'
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Do you think this is what your collection is all about,
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Shirley, that one original doll?
0:01:27 > 0:01:30'This week, three very different collections,
0:01:30 > 0:01:31'all embracing British nostalgia.'
0:01:33 > 0:01:35But these look the same to me.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37'The collector with over 7,000 beer cans...'
0:01:37 > 0:01:38When are you going to stop?
0:01:38 > 0:01:40I cannot see a time when I would stop.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43'..and the wife who's had to move home for them.'
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I don't know how I got persuaded into this madness!
0:01:46 > 0:01:50'The man so obsessed with the past, he's taken on the lifestyle, too...'
0:01:50 > 0:01:53My collection isn't really complete.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55'..but still needs one elusive item.'
0:01:55 > 0:01:58THEY LAUGH
0:01:58 > 0:02:01'And the biggest collection we've ever seen...'
0:02:01 > 0:02:04It's a whole street of shops. Unbelievable!
0:02:04 > 0:02:05There's just too much of it.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07'..with a price tag to match.'
0:02:07 > 0:02:09That's surprised me. Wow!
0:02:12 > 0:02:14'We've come to the south-east coast
0:02:14 > 0:02:18'to meet 59-year-old railway enthusiast Stuart.'
0:02:18 > 0:02:19Oh, look at this!
0:02:19 > 0:02:22'But he's no ordinary enthusiast.'
0:02:24 > 0:02:26'Stuart is so crazy about the railways,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28'his collection hasn't just taken over his house,
0:02:28 > 0:02:33'he's actually built a life-size railway station from the 1950s...
0:02:33 > 0:02:35'in his back garden.'
0:02:37 > 0:02:40People think I'm a bit eccentric, I think.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44But I don't care really. It really pleases me.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48'But if more than 300 station signs wasn't enough...
0:02:48 > 0:02:51'there's also an underground station in the shed,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53'with more than 200 tube signs,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55'dating all the way back to the Victorian era.'
0:02:56 > 0:02:59'And there's no escape in the house either.'
0:03:00 > 0:03:02'But the collection is now so big,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04'it's threatening to ruin his life's work.'
0:03:04 > 0:03:07The collection has reached crisis point
0:03:07 > 0:03:09because there's just too much of it.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11It really does get frustrating.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14'So we've come to help get it back on track.'
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Hi, Stuart. Hello.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Hello, I'm Mel. Hello, Mel. This is Mark.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21'I'm dying to see what awaits us in the garden.'
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Oh, my goodness, I nearly fell over! Oh, dear.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32That is brilliant. There we go then!
0:03:33 > 0:03:35I didn't expect it to reach the scale it is now.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37You know, the first time we moved into our house,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39it sort of filled it up
0:03:39 > 0:03:41and it's just escalated from there.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42Stuart, I am loving this.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46This is a real, life-sized platform.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Oh, hello. Hello.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49Hi there. Hi, Dawn.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Wow! I'm slightly...
0:03:52 > 0:03:55spellbound, I think is the word. Yes.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I've got a big grin plastered on my face.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59I'm loving this!
0:04:01 > 0:04:03'Stuart's love affair with the railways
0:04:03 > 0:04:06'began when he was a young boy in the early '60s.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08'It was the time of the Government's Beeching report,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11'which saw thousands of lines closed down.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14'With the dismantling of hundreds of stations,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17'countless old railway signs and objects were liberated.'
0:04:18 > 0:04:20The first time I got interested in it
0:04:20 > 0:04:22was when my parents took me to the Bluebell Railway
0:04:22 > 0:04:24when I was probably about nine.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27I got my first enamel sign from the back of the school.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31So off I went to the headmaster, said, "I've found this sign."
0:04:31 > 0:04:34He looked at me as if I was nuts and said, "Well, take it home then."
0:04:35 > 0:04:38'That one sign led to more than 1,000.'
0:04:38 > 0:04:41'Not to mention the 55 signalling instruments...'
0:04:41 > 0:04:43'...17 lanterns...'
0:04:43 > 0:04:45'...and ticket booth paraphernalia.'
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Powder room this ain't!
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Oh, my gosh. I've never seen...
0:04:53 > 0:04:55so many signs!
0:04:55 > 0:04:57'This is quite overwhelming.'
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Oh! Oh, look, look, look! Oh, my goodness.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04We're off to Strawberry Hill. That...!
0:05:04 > 0:05:07'With so much stuff, I feel like a kid in a playground.'
0:05:07 > 0:05:08Hounslow.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11I bought that one straight off the railway for ?10.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Sorry, for ?10? Oh, goodness. For ?10, yeah.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17All the tickets for all the stations.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21'From a young age, Stuart's passion fuelled his every waking moment.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24'So much so, aged 18 he got a job on the railways
0:05:24 > 0:05:27'and worked for 21 years as a signalman.'
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Stuart, this is an incredible collection.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31And this is all original, isn't it? Oh, it is, yes.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33It's all totally original.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Yeah, some of this stuff, I used to work with!
0:05:35 > 0:05:38'When the railways were nationalised in 1948,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41'the country was split into six different regions.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43'Each was given its own colour code,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47'from pale blue for Scotland to brown for the West.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49'The colour of the enamelled metal station signs
0:05:49 > 0:05:53'indicated what part of the country you were in.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56'And the wonderful bright green of many of Stuart's signs
0:05:56 > 0:05:58'represent the Southern Region,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00'where he's lived all his life.'
0:06:01 > 0:06:04I thought I'd stop when I was 50.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08But now I'm 59, I'm still buying bits.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09If people like him didn't save these things
0:06:09 > 0:06:12then they'd just be thrown away, you'd never see them again.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16And they wouldn't be there for, you know, generations to enjoy.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19'But where once this was a beautifully crafted display
0:06:19 > 0:06:22'in authentic setting...'
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Oh, hello.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26There is a lot of signage in here.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31'..Stuart's 45 year compulsion has now left this surreal world
0:06:31 > 0:06:34'under threat from increasing piles of signs.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Some of the things I've had so long,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38if I got rid of them it would be like cutting my arm off, really,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40cos they're like old friends.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43He'll say, "Oh, I've just bought this," or, "Got that."
0:06:43 > 0:06:44And I think, "Oh, no, not more!"
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Because, you know, we haven't got the room!
0:06:46 > 0:06:48"Chucked in" is it, really.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51You've done such a great job of displaying things... That's right.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52And fitting them on the wall.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Here, it's more of a heap.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56To collect on this scale,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59what is it that made you do that, do you think?
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I think it was just a passion for it, really.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05You just start off with one small item and it just sort of...
0:07:05 > 0:07:07You come across something else
0:07:07 > 0:07:09and then you come across something else,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12and that's how it goes. Are you worried about space, though?
0:07:12 > 0:07:15It's disappointing when you can't put something up
0:07:15 > 0:07:16where it can be appreciated.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20But you've got too much of it... I have. ..possibly!
0:07:20 > 0:07:21'But Stuart's collection
0:07:21 > 0:07:24'doesn't just stop with a 1950s booking office.'
0:07:24 > 0:07:25It goes on!
0:07:27 > 0:07:28We're now underground.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31There's actually a real tube station down here.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32This is just amazing!
0:07:33 > 0:07:36'Stuart has built everything himself.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38'The smallest of details are thought of
0:07:38 > 0:07:39'to bring his displays to life,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42'from the ticket booth to the curved walls.'
0:07:42 > 0:07:44The attention to detail is incredible.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46It's like set design, really.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Yeah, I like to see everything in its proper location.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52'Stuart's creation is quite breathtaking
0:07:52 > 0:07:56'but the stacks of signs everywhere are ruining all his hard work.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59'And nowhere is that more evident than the station buffet.'
0:07:59 > 0:08:01So...
0:08:01 > 0:08:04this is where you're supposed to go sit down,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07have a nice relaxing cup of tea, pork pie...
0:08:07 > 0:08:09except... It's full up.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12'This is such a shame.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14'I can see the potential for this collection,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16'but it's clear where it's going wrong.'
0:08:16 > 0:08:19'And just when I thought my senses couldn't take any more,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21'eagle-eyed Mark spotted
0:08:21 > 0:08:23'something else at the end of the garden.'
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Now, Hawk-eye Hill...
0:08:26 > 0:08:28..what do you make of that?
0:08:28 > 0:08:31That is a whole other collection, Stuart.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32It is. And do you know what?
0:08:32 > 0:08:35I see quite a lot of money in there, as well.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36Is this petrol stationiana?
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Petroliana. Petroliana. Is that what it's called? Stuart,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41are you hiding any other collections that we need to know about?
0:08:41 > 0:08:43China dogiana?
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Oh, you've got all sorts of other things to see. Crochetiana?
0:08:46 > 0:08:49It goes on and on and on! Unbelievable.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51'If two collections weren't enough,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54'there's yet another one upstairs in the house.'
0:08:54 > 0:08:56It's a whole street of shops, basically.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59'His three collections have got so out of hand
0:08:59 > 0:09:02'it's hard to grasp exactly what Stuart's passion is.'
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Mark, have you ever seen anything like this?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06I have to say, I haven't.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I mean, every single inch...
0:09:09 > 0:09:11is filled with something, isn't it?
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Unbelievable.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15But I've got to ask you, what's it all for?
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Why do you do this?
0:09:17 > 0:09:19It's stuff I remember as a child
0:09:19 > 0:09:21and it just seemed like everyone was throwing it away.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24And I think it all goes back to the railway signs
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and then I found the enamel advertising signs.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28Then I had to have the packet
0:09:28 > 0:09:31that goes with the enamel advertising sign, and so on.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33And that's how it built up and built up.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35'That compulsion to keep on buying
0:09:35 > 0:09:38'has left Stuart with a buffet full of junk
0:09:38 > 0:09:40'and a waiting room that's just a storage facility.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42'Something's got to give.'
0:09:42 > 0:09:44It's quite a few different collections.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46I mean, for me it seems that there's one
0:09:46 > 0:09:49that's really strongly personal to you, isn't there?
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Yes. That's the railwayana. That's the railwayana.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54I think followed closely by this.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Shops, shoppiana? So petroliana is somewhere further down?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Yes, it's further down the scale. If somebody said to me,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02"Right, I want you to sell all the railway signs,"
0:10:02 > 0:10:04I'd say, "Oh, I don't think so." No. I can't see it.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06"Over my dead body" type thing. That's right!
0:10:06 > 0:10:09But the petroliana is something we could consider?
0:10:09 > 0:10:10Yes, some of it, yes.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12'It's a drastic solution
0:10:12 > 0:10:15'but I think Stuart needs to streamline the collections
0:10:15 > 0:10:19'and get rid of one entirely so the others can thrive.'
0:10:19 > 0:10:20'He's no stranger to buying
0:10:20 > 0:10:23'but will Stuart be willing to sell anything?'
0:10:28 > 0:10:33Our next stop in Somerset and an even more unusual collection.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Unusual? It's downright strange.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Hello. Hi, are you Nick? Nice to meet you, yes.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Hi, I'm Mel. Hello. Hello, I'm Mark, nice to meet you. Come on in.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46'This large Victorian, five-bedroom property
0:10:46 > 0:10:50'hides a collection most people would class as rubbish,
0:10:50 > 0:10:51'quite literally.'
0:10:51 > 0:10:53It's 37 years since I started collecting.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54I've got to love beer cans.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Everyday, I do something that's beer can related.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00If I walk into a supermarket and I see a new can,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I still get that slight buzz and a sense of excitement.
0:11:05 > 0:11:0854-year-old assistant marketing manager Nick
0:11:08 > 0:11:09has dedicated his life
0:11:09 > 0:11:12to hunting down every British beer can ever made.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16And he now owns 7,185.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Nick is obsessed about beer cans, without a doubt.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23I think he must spend many hours every day thinking of beer cans.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I do dream about beer cans on a regular basis.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Hi, Deborah. Hello.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33'Wife Deborah has tolerated Nick's passion for 38 years,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36'but has laid down one strict ground rule.'
0:11:36 > 0:11:39How much of the house is taken up with...?
0:11:39 > 0:11:43One-bedroom only has the beer cans in.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46And that is the one room that the beer cans are staying in.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50OK. They're not allowed out in the hall! No way!
0:11:50 > 0:11:53And is this the biggest bedroom in the house, basically?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Yeah, part of the deal when we moved to the house
0:11:56 > 0:11:59was that the beer cans could have the biggest bedroom
0:11:59 > 0:12:00but that was their only room.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02So you moved here pretty much specifically
0:12:02 > 0:12:05to house the collection? We did.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Can we go to the beer can bedroom? Yeah, by all means.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10The only thing is, it's quite a tight squeeze
0:12:10 > 0:12:12so if you wouldn't mind taking your coats off,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14just in case you knock them off the shelves?
0:12:14 > 0:12:16After you. Oh, good Lord.
0:12:16 > 0:12:17Oh, good Lord!
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I'm absolutely gobsmacked.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26They're everywhere. It's like wall...
0:12:26 > 0:12:27It's like wallpaper, isn't it?
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Very good wallpaper, I hope.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32But Nick, a lot of these look the same to me.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Is each one different? No, no, they're all different.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I think any collector, you have to have an eye for detail.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40One year might say, you know, 59p a can
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and then the next year, with inflation, it goes up to 65p.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45To me, those are two different cans.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50If I get a new Heineken can, obviously it has to go in there.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53So that means moving all of these round
0:12:53 > 0:12:54and finding a home.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57So I can spend an hour in here just shunting the cans around,
0:12:57 > 0:12:58just to put in you can on the shelf.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Are these cans actually full of beer?
0:13:02 > 0:13:04No, they're all empty. Every single one is empty? Yeah.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07With all my cans, I open them at the bottom,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09to give the impression of being full.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13So the idea is you pierce it, pour it into a glass, wash it out
0:13:13 > 0:13:15and then you find the right place on the shelf for it.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Nick's extremely particular about how he stores his cans,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21with humidity levels controlled
0:13:21 > 0:13:25and the curtains remaining shut at all times to avoid light damage.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28They go on and on, Nick, don't they? They do.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29Un-be-lievable.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32There are over 7,185 different cans. Hello!
0:13:32 > 0:13:347,000...? Yeah, 185.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39But with more than 10,000 British beer cans produced,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42and new ones hitting the supermarkets every week,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Nick's collection is only going to grow and grow
0:13:45 > 0:13:47and that's a big problem.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49I notice there is a bit of overspill, Nick.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53I've just spotted there's boxes over there. Oh, gosh.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Do those contain more cans? Yes, unfortunately I've...
0:13:55 > 0:13:57As you can see, the room's pretty much full.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Every time I get a new one, it either goes on the shelf
0:13:59 > 0:14:03and one from the shelf goes in the box... That must be torture.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04It is a bit, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Cos I know for a fact there's some really nice cans in there.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Understandably, Deborah is adamant
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Nick's cans don't invade the rest of the house.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Just having to keep the curtains shut
0:14:14 > 0:14:16would be enough to drive anyone mad.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20I must be the most long-suffering wife of all time
0:14:20 > 0:14:23to put up with that beer can collection.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26That means Nick's cans now have nowhere to go
0:14:26 > 0:14:27but into boxes.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30As far as Deborah's concerned, it's out of sight out of mind.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32She rarely comes into the room.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34I wouldn't say she's necessarily supportive
0:14:34 > 0:14:36but she's sort of begrudgingly got used to it.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Well, Deborah's had 38 years to get used to it,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42as Nick was already a collector before they met.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Do you still have the very first one?
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Yeah, it was this half pint Heineken can,
0:14:47 > 0:14:4813th of July 1975.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50When I met my wife Deborah, I was 16 years old
0:14:50 > 0:14:53and I'd already been collecting for a few months.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55She invited me to a house party at her house.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58He went around with a carrier bag and was putting cans in them!
0:14:58 > 0:15:00So I just thought he was a bit weird!
0:15:00 > 0:15:02On the Monday, I gave her the bag back
0:15:02 > 0:15:04and that was sort of the...you know,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07the start of a long and happy romance.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10It seems to me to keep that romance on track,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12this collection needs to downsize.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14But that's not an option for Nick.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16I can see why you'd have a few,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20but it's that kind of... why you have to have them all?
0:15:20 > 0:15:21It's just wanting more and more and more
0:15:21 > 0:15:24and trying to get every one of a particular brand
0:15:24 > 0:15:26or every one that's ever existed.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29It's the hunt, yes. The thrill of the chase.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31There are some with pictures of girls on!
0:15:31 > 0:15:33I notice those are on the top shelf, Nick!
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Are they a bit naughty, those ones with the girls?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Obviously the older ones were slightly more tame
0:15:38 > 0:15:39and then late '80s/'90s,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42they get slightly more risque as they go round. Oh!
0:15:42 > 0:15:45'Every can in here is different
0:15:45 > 0:15:47'and the collection spans the entire history
0:15:47 > 0:15:48'of beer can production,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52'from rare commemoratives ones to modern supermarket own brands.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:54This one is the first ever British beer can,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57dating back to December 1935.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00'Beer cans first came on the market in the US,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03'two years after the end of prohibition in 1933.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07'Tinned foods had been around since the beginning of the 19th century
0:16:07 > 0:16:09'but canning beer was only possible
0:16:09 > 0:16:12'thanks to developments in the interior lining.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14'Either a waxy or plastic coating was added
0:16:14 > 0:16:17'to help stop the flavour being ruined
0:16:17 > 0:16:19'by a chemical reaction with the metal.'
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Can I pick it up? Yeah. Oh, it's full. It is still full, yes.
0:16:22 > 0:16:23And the Felinfoel Brewery,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27they were the first outside the US to produce beer in cans.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28That's correct.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30'Initially, these cone tops didn't take off
0:16:30 > 0:16:33'as they resembled the shape of traditional metal polish -
0:16:33 > 0:16:34'not something you'd want to mistake
0:16:34 > 0:16:36'at the end of a heavy drinking session!'
0:16:36 > 0:16:40This is an extremely scarce and sought-after thing.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42I don't know what you paid for it
0:16:42 > 0:16:45but I'm going to guess sort of in excess of ?800 or so?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48It was slightly more than that, unfortunately.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50More than ?800? More than ?800, yeah.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53A lot more or...? Erm, 50% more.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54Good Lord.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57It's the first one of its kind.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00The advantage of the can was it could be discarded after use,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02unlike its predecessor, the bottle,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04in which a deposit was paid to the shop
0:17:04 > 0:17:06and refunded on return of the empties.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11'There's something strangely appealing about this room.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14'It feels like an art installation
0:17:14 > 0:17:17'but it's on a scale that's hard to comprehend.'
0:17:17 > 0:17:18When are you going to stop?
0:17:18 > 0:17:21I cannot see a time when I would stop.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23The problem now is there's so many of them.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26He spends every night virtually, when we're at home,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28he will do something with the beer cans.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30She dislikes the fact
0:17:30 > 0:17:32that I do devote quite a lot of time to the collection.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Could I possibly call it an obsession?
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Do you think you are obsessed? I'm happy with the word obsession.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39I don't think obsession is a bad word.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41But this is Nick's passion, not Deborah's
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and she's had to sacrifice a lot.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46I liked our last house.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50It was perfect for a small family.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52But there we are. So we moved here.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56You essentially moved here for the collection. Oh, definitely.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59There was no other reason. We wouldn't have moved otherwise.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01I would be unhappy to stay here for a long time.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05It is a big house so, surely, when we retire,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09he will have to look at what he wants to do with the beer cans.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I'm like an ostrich, I'm sticking my head in the sand
0:18:12 > 0:18:14and sort of trying not to think about too long-term...
0:18:14 > 0:18:17about what's going to happen on that dreadful day
0:18:17 > 0:18:19when she says, "Right, you know, this is getting ridiculous,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21"there's two of us living in a five-bedroom house
0:18:21 > 0:18:23"and, you know, we've got to move on."
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Well, there's two of you and 7,500 of something else.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rapidly expanding.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I guess it's like that Prince Charles thing,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34where there's 7,187 of us in this marriage.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37So how's it going to work out when you retire, then? No idea.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I don't know what he's going to do.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42And I don't think he knows what he's going to do either.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44It would really break my heart to, obviously,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47have to dispose of a large chunk of the collection.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Both Nick and Deborah seem resigned to the fact
0:18:49 > 0:18:51that there is no solution.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Maybe we can help find a way to get them out of this stalemate.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59BELL TOLLS
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Our next collection isn't just ruling the home,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04it's become the home.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06I would say my collection started as a hobby.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09I would say now it's... it's a lifestyle choice.
0:19:11 > 0:19:1333-year-old Ben works as an airline steward
0:19:13 > 0:19:16but, when his feet are back on the ground,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19he spends his time taking his cottage back to another era.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Ben's turned his home into a shrine to the 1930s and 1940s.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28# Don't sit under the apple tree... #
0:19:28 > 0:19:31My dream is for people to walk in and not to be able to tell
0:19:31 > 0:19:34the difference between my house and a living museum.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36This is how they used to live.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Ben's built up his time capsule of the past on a shoestring budget.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43And he's saved up for his most extravagant purchase to date -
0:19:43 > 0:19:48a coal-fired cooking range typical of an un-modernised wartime home.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50But, with funds depleted,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53he can't afford to have this finishing touch to his kitchen put in
0:19:53 > 0:19:57and his '40s dream home is frustratingly incomplete.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59I want to put the Victorian range in.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Little cottages like mine always had a Victorian stove.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06And they always used to sit by the fire, like my Nan in the old days.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08I'm turning into an old granny! HE LAUGHS
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Maybe we're just the couple of '40s throwbacks
0:20:11 > 0:20:14to help Ben continue living in the past.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19Well, I must say, Mark, you're every inch the Humphrey Bogart.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21HE LAUGHS Well, here's looking at you, kid.
0:20:21 > 0:20:22Hello there! Hello, Ben.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Oh, look! Oh, my goodness, we're actually matching.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Nice to meet you. Aren't we just?
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Oh, look!
0:20:30 > 0:20:33That's amazing. I mean, even the light switches, everything.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Literally... And look at this beautiful suite.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39I feel quite, sort of, well-behaved, quite demure. Yes. Absolutely.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42It's lovely. I mean, you're in the front parlour.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45I mean, this was just used for Sundays and Christmas, really.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48It's taken Ben four years to decorate every room in his home
0:20:48 > 0:20:51and he's meticulous when it comes to detail.
0:20:52 > 0:20:563D wallpaper! Yes, the Art Deco style.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Of course, the height of fashion in the late '30s. Absolutely.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01There shouldn't be anything out of character,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04down to the cloth-covered wiring of the '30s style.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Wow. And the Bakelite light switches.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10I was about to say, that's Bakelite. That's the material of 1,000 uses.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13# Pardon me boy
0:21:13 > 0:21:15# Is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo? #
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Ben started collecting at the tender age of 14,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21turning his garden shed into a 1940s-style living room
0:21:21 > 0:21:23and hasn't stopped since.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Everything here looks the part
0:21:25 > 0:21:29but I want to know just how authentic Ben's collection is.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Can I delve inside your cupboards? Oh, absolutely.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Thank you very much. He always does that. Check his pockets.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Very of its day. Of course, the name... Yes.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38BOTH: ..Clarice Cliff.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40I thought it was a toast rack!
0:21:40 > 0:21:42'No, Mel, this is pure ornament.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45'Clarice Cliff was one of the most prolific ceramics designers
0:21:45 > 0:21:47'of the early 20th Century.'
0:21:47 > 0:21:50When I think of the '40s, I think of literally, you know,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53sort of reconstituted egg and... No!
0:21:53 > 0:21:54This, of course, came before -
0:21:54 > 0:21:56the excitement of the Art Deco age of the '20s and '30s.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Bright colours, jazz, speed, cocktails.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01That's what it was all about.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04'The marks on these pieces indicate they're reproductions.'
0:22:04 > 0:22:06The originals are incredibly scarce,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08would cost many thousands of pounds if found.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12'In fact, in 2003, an original Clarice Cliff charger
0:22:12 > 0:22:15'sold at auction for a staggering ?40,000.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18'So it's understandable that his Clarice Cliff ceramics,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20'like a large portion of his collection,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22'are affordable reproductions
0:22:22 > 0:22:24'intended to give the feel of the period.'
0:22:24 > 0:22:28I would love originals but they just give a flavour of the era
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and just kind of pick up on the sort of Art Deco theme.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32'But there's one room for Ben
0:22:32 > 0:22:35'that needs to have a genuine '40s flavour.'
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Well, welcome to the 1940s kitchen.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Or back living room as they used to call them in those days.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43Look at this!
0:22:43 > 0:22:45It's a blue one because it was made with plain chocolate
0:22:45 > 0:22:47cos no milk was available cos of the rationing, so...
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Oh, of course. ..blue to distinguish the different flavour. How amazing.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Where'd you get all these things from?
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Oh, lots of antique-y kind of fairs and stuff and, yeah... Right.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Well, they're much more affordable.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01You can find some really good lookers for literally a couple of pounds.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Yeah, they are not too bad actually. Oh, really?
0:23:03 > 0:23:05I mean, some of them get a bit more pricey.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08I did pay ?20 for my dried, powdered milk.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11But the condition of the label on that is brilliant.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14'For Ben, there's one kitchen essential
0:23:14 > 0:23:16'that's just not authentic enough.'
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Now, I'm looking at your cooker. Yes. Your cooker, Ben.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21This is where we get let down a little bit.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24You're hiding, standing in front of it, ashamed of it almost.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25I am afraid so.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28I have just bought a range but, unfortunately,
0:23:28 > 0:23:29I haven't got enough money to put it in
0:23:29 > 0:23:32because the chimney needs doing and the flue.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34So this is going to go and I shall be sitting
0:23:34 > 0:23:37in front of the fire in the nice old Windsor armchair.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39What's a Windsor armchair when it's at home?
0:23:39 > 0:23:40A very comfortable wooden chair.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Yeah, bit like this, with the arms. Yeah, with cushions, all cosy.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45'Ben's not going to get cosy any time soon
0:23:45 > 0:23:49'because the range is currently out in the cold, in his back scullery.'
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Oh, look! And here is the range. How does it run? What do you put inside?
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Is it wood or coal...? Wood or coal, yes.. Oh, both.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58You can either put them in through the hob at the top there
0:23:58 > 0:24:00or use the little door at the side.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05'Ben spent ?1,000 on a reproduction of a Victorian-era range.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08'A world away from the wipe-clean mod cons of today,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10'to look after cookers like these
0:24:10 > 0:24:13'the house-proud '40s family would have to black the lead,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17'a polishing process that took hours of elbow grease.'
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Come on, gang. Come on.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21'Ben's blown his budget on buying this cooker
0:24:21 > 0:24:23'and now can't afford to have it installed.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26'And that's where we can help.'
0:24:28 > 0:24:30'It's going to be difficult to raise enough money
0:24:30 > 0:24:35'without ruining the fantastic look Ben's already created.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37'The good news is the past few years
0:24:37 > 0:24:40'have seen a seismic rise of the vintage market.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43'And it's characterised by a new breed of collector
0:24:43 > 0:24:47'who, just like Ben, collect as part of their look and lifestyle,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49'rather than build up vast collections
0:24:49 > 0:24:51'confined to cabinets or shelves.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54'The challenge for us is to find the pieces Ben can live without
0:24:54 > 0:24:57'but will sell for the funds he desperately needs.'
0:24:57 > 0:24:59A lot of the pieces we're looking at,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01and you'll well know because you bought them,
0:25:01 > 0:25:02won't have enormous value. Yes.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06So I think, for me, it's quantity. We need quite a lot of it. Exactly.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09There's something very relaxing about this house, isn't there?
0:25:09 > 0:25:11It's decluttered. Suddenly, the computer's gone,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15the television's gone, the telephone doesn't ring that often.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17All of these things that a lot of clutter up our lives
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and clutter up our brains... Yeah.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21..they're all gone and it's placid and gentle.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22'Don't speak too soon, Mark.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26'Ben's still a 21st-century boy deep down.'
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Ooh, you sneaky devil! Oh, my goodness me.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30That's hilarious!
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Actually, it's jarring, put it away! I know.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35It's a strange thing, I've got quite used to all of this. I know.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Ben's only willing to sell unwanted smaller items
0:25:40 > 0:25:42that he's picked up for pennies.
0:25:42 > 0:25:43If I'm going to help him
0:25:43 > 0:25:46pull up his Windsor chair to a fully fitted cooking range,
0:25:46 > 0:25:50I'll have to work pretty hard getting a good price for this lot.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Ben, Nick and Stuart's collections all have a common theme.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00They celebrate British nostalgia and feed into our memories
0:26:00 > 0:26:04and connections with the past. They might have started out
0:26:04 > 0:26:07as practical items to be disposed of after use,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09but the food packaging and beer cans
0:26:09 > 0:26:11tell us so much about our heritage.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17'I've come to the Museum Of Brands to meet director Robert Opie
0:26:17 > 0:26:20'to find out how branding has changed
0:26:20 > 0:26:23'and what it says about how we used to live.'
0:26:23 > 0:26:25So, Robert, this is the Victorian packaging.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Yes, this is like the springboard
0:26:27 > 0:26:30of our consumer revolution which is now happening.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33This is the kind of fulfilment of a new wave of brands
0:26:33 > 0:26:35and promotion material.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39'It was in the Victorian era that how we shopped began to change.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42'Where once you would have ordered your goods loose and by weight,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45'manufacturers began wrapping their products
0:26:45 > 0:26:46'and dictating the quantities,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49and that packaging could sell the brand.'
0:26:49 > 0:26:52These new brands were very kind of personalised.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55So the families you see are the very gentrified families,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59a bit upmarket because these things were...relatively expensive.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03A 2lbs jam pot.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06This kind of a product was being sold mainly to the middle classes
0:27:06 > 0:27:09because the well-to-do could afford servants
0:27:09 > 0:27:11to make their jams and that was much better,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14so this type of product was a bit frowned upon.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17As the new, vibrant, colourful packs were coming in,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19they really attract your attention.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Now, suddenly, Robert, these look less colourful.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25We're in that moment of the '40s -
0:27:25 > 0:27:27you know, there's a world war going on,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30everybody has to be rationed.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34They actually halve the size of the label to save on paper.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36So the whole effect is very austere.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39I've seen there the Heinz vegetable soup.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Sold originally at Fortnum Mason's in 1887,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45and the keystone design - that's what is known as -
0:27:45 > 0:27:47was part of that emblem then.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50And it's familiar, so you feel comfortable with it.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52You can feel the warmth coming out.
0:27:52 > 0:27:53Oh, let's crack it open!
0:27:58 > 0:28:01'But it was in the 1950s that things really started to change,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04'with the introduction of the supermarket.'
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Wow. Suddenly...
0:28:06 > 0:28:08big!
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Bright!
0:28:10 > 0:28:11Exciting! Powerful!
0:28:11 > 0:28:14The self-service store had arrived.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17New brands, something like Tide, arrived in 1950,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19and they were shouting from the shelves, saying,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21"Come over here, I'm here!"
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'This packaging just says pure pop art to me,
0:28:24 > 0:28:26'with the Lichtenstein-style dots,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28'colours and slanted, comic book lettering.'
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Were artists actually involved? Very much so.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34You go back over the last 100, 200 years
0:28:34 > 0:28:37and there have been a wealth, an army of these commercial artists.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Particularly when you look at them in quantity -
0:28:40 > 0:28:42a little bit like the Andy Warhol kind of theme -
0:28:42 > 0:28:44they have a real power.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47'By the '60s, iconic and recognisable characters
0:28:47 > 0:28:50'were becoming a more prominent way of cementing the brand
0:28:50 > 0:28:51'in the public's eye.'
0:28:51 > 0:28:55That could be on our breakfast table in 2013, couldn't it?
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Yes. It hasn't changed.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59A lot of people actually still think it is
0:28:59 > 0:29:01because when we engage with these brands,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03that image becomes part of us.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06It's more than assault on the eyes,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08isn't it, the 60s packaging?
0:29:08 > 0:29:10It makes it look a bit...
0:29:11 > 0:29:13..tackier, somehow?
0:29:13 > 0:29:15Less arty and more...commercial, I suppose.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18They're starting to use actual photographs, aren't they,
0:29:18 > 0:29:19with the Kipling cakes here?
0:29:19 > 0:29:22This, for me, is a very sad moment,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25when the photographer takes over from the artist. Yeah.
0:29:25 > 0:29:26And I think that's very sad,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29and what I celebrate is that amazing artwork.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34'It's amazing that we think of so much of this stuff as rubbish.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37'It chronicles home life in the 20th Century
0:29:37 > 0:29:40'and how branding and packaging helped change the way we shop.'
0:29:41 > 0:29:46'And, stepping into the '70s, I'm taken right back to my childhood.'
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Oh, Tooty Minties! I remember those.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51They were the slightly bleaker end of the Tooty Frooty.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55Oh, the Ready Brek! With the glow all round them.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57This is like a sort of comfort...
0:29:57 > 0:29:59It's my comfort zone.
0:29:59 > 0:30:00I love this cabinet, Robert.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02OK, I think we've lost Mel.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10In Somerset, Nick's the can man who can't.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14He can't display any more cans because he's run out of room.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17And, having moved home just for the collection,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19wife Deborah is no happier.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23I don't know how I got persuaded into this madness.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26But there we are. He loves his beer cans.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29If Nick was to downsize the beer can collection,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32he could free up space and create spare money.
0:30:32 > 0:30:33But how do you put a value on things
0:30:33 > 0:30:36that many people would consider plain old rubbish?
0:30:43 > 0:30:47'Nick's archive certainly charts the changing face of beer cans,
0:30:47 > 0:30:50'with 70% of the estimated 10,000 beer cans
0:30:50 > 0:30:52'ever produced in Britain.'
0:30:58 > 0:31:00'And he's not a snob, either.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03'Whilst some cans don't have monetary value,
0:31:03 > 0:31:05'they do capture a moment in time.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08'The high prices lie in Nick's early cone-tops.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10'Not just because they're older
0:31:10 > 0:31:13'but also because they were a shorter-lived format.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15'And their high values reflect their rarity.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19'After all, the vast majority were squashed long ago.'
0:31:20 > 0:31:24'We'll be finding out later what the entire collection is worth.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26'But, for now, I'm giving nothing away.'
0:31:27 > 0:31:29'Downsizing isn't the only answer.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32'We've wrought Nick and Deborah to Shrewsbury
0:31:32 > 0:31:35'to see a different way of housing the collection.'
0:31:35 > 0:31:37'But it's not what's inside the house that's important,
0:31:37 > 0:31:40'it's what's outside, in the garden.'
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Come on in.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Wow.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Wow. This is something completely different, isn't it?
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Yeah, one way of using your collection.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Yeah. Not enough cans for my liking. Oh, I'm sorry, Nick.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Hello. Now, Nick and Deborah, this is John and Cheryl.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02'This is the brainchild of collector John.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05'He started collecting beer bottles two and a half years ago
0:32:05 > 0:32:07'and has more than 600.'
0:32:07 > 0:32:08Cheryl, you're quite adamant
0:32:08 > 0:32:12that you don't want the beer bottle collection in your house. No.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15John's theory is what goes on in the shed is his business
0:32:15 > 0:32:18and what goes on in the house is up to me.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21And the good thing is that if I'm down here, she knows where I am.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Yeah. If I've had a couple of beers, I don't need a taxi home.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26THEY LAUGH
0:32:26 > 0:32:28And I'm your lady if he needs a taxi! Exactly.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32So, Nick and Deborah, how would it float your boat -
0:32:32 > 0:32:34a smaller house, bigger space out the back,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37and a purpose-built chic chalet/shed?
0:32:37 > 0:32:39A chic chalet/shed?
0:32:39 > 0:32:42I do like the idea of a purpose-built construction. Yes.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44'This could be the perfect solution.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47'If Deborah doesn't want it in the house, put it in the garden.'
0:32:47 > 0:32:50How big a space do you think you'd need, Nick, compared to this,
0:32:50 > 0:32:52to house your beer cans?
0:32:52 > 0:32:57If this is 600-plus bottles and I've got 7,000 cans, ten times this size.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59That's a large shed! It's a big shed.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01'Oh, Nick. Time to divide and conquer.'
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I think we were both a bit worried about coming here.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06Are you convinced now that you've seen it?
0:33:06 > 0:33:09I think he still might have to downsize the collection
0:33:09 > 0:33:12because you would have to have a very large bunker
0:33:12 > 0:33:13to put them all in!
0:33:13 > 0:33:16Unfortunately, cans are much more fragile than bottles.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18They are much more susceptible to the elements.
0:33:18 > 0:33:19For example, they rust.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21There's different ways we can look at it.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23Yeah, but you have to choose one soon, Nick.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25You've got to do something, haven't you?
0:33:25 > 0:33:29Can you see Nick being willing to make this kind of compromise?
0:33:29 > 0:33:34If he knew it was something he could have more purpose-built,
0:33:34 > 0:33:36so you don't have to have the five-bedroom house
0:33:36 > 0:33:39to house your collection. Exactly.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42This is good. It's given me ideas and obviously look to different...
0:33:42 > 0:33:43you know, things that can be done.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Does it give you hope?
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Yes, I think it probably does give me a bit of hope.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49I'm quite excited for you. Yeah.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51'That's the first time I've heard either of them
0:33:51 > 0:33:54'sound like they can find common ground.'
0:33:54 > 0:33:57'I wonder if the valuation will stir things up a bit?'
0:34:01 > 0:34:04Over 45 years of collecting, Stuart has created
0:34:04 > 0:34:08a mad and magical world in his back garden.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12But with three enormous and competing collections,
0:34:12 > 0:34:16his carefully and beautifully created settings are under threat
0:34:16 > 0:34:20from ever-increasing piles of signs and memorabilia.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22To help him work out what to do,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26I want to delve deeper into his first love, the railwayana.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29A lot of the places, they mean something to me.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32I've either worked there or had some connection.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34It's just a real passion.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39Known as totems, Stuart's enamel station signs are hugely popular.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Like Ben's 1940s collection,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44they can appeal to a younger, metropolitan crowd
0:34:44 > 0:34:47looking for something unique for their homes.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Amongst all these items,
0:34:51 > 0:34:55there's heritage, history and financial value.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58If you look at any of the old railway films from the '50s,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01it's just so...a different era.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05Items like these signal box instruments are a niche market,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08likely to appeal only to specialist collectors
0:35:08 > 0:35:09looking for heritage pieces.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13But their age and rarity push up their value.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15'Stuart's amassed so much,
0:35:15 > 0:35:18'he's had to find inventive ways to display it all.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20'It's even in the bathroom.'
0:35:20 > 0:35:24It's a shame it's not Waterloo. Well, yes. It would be apt, yes.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27But you did get Shepherd's Bush in, which is good. Yeah.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30There's a lot of fun that's gone into this, though, isn't there?
0:35:30 > 0:35:31Yes, there is.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33Sometimes, it gets a bit on top of me,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36sometimes I think, "Oh, no, not more!" But it's...
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Once it's up, it... You know, you can appreciate it.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42'Dawn's hit the nail on the head.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46'This collection is incredible but it needs more room to expand.'
0:35:46 > 0:35:49So do you feel a bit sad when you see certain rooms,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53where the collection is, where it's just all in piles? Yes, I do. Yes.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55It's such a shame he hasn't got the wall space
0:35:55 > 0:35:57to, you know, put them all up. Yeah. You know, enjoy them all.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59But it's just not possible.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03'Not least because I keep finding extraordinary things hidden away
0:36:03 > 0:36:06'which really should be on display with the main collection.'
0:36:06 > 0:36:09This is something I'm extremely excited about.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Oh, hello, is it cutlery? Oh, my Bexhill poster.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14I have never seen one in the paper, so to speak.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17And it's only been framed for about four months,
0:36:17 > 0:36:19so it's been in the cupboard since 1974.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21Just, what, folded up? Really? Yeah.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23How much did you pay for it, then?
0:36:23 > 0:36:26I bought 14 posters for a pound each.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28If you were to offer it at auction,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30I think you would get somewhere around ?1,500, I suppose.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Ooh, that'd be nice, yes.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36'Items like this shouldn't be buried in the back annexe.'
0:36:36 > 0:36:38It doesn't look like the south coast of England, does it?
0:36:38 > 0:36:41It looks unbelievably glamorous. Like the Mediterranean.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43Don't you want to go there? I want to be there.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46That is part of the magic of marketing.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Great. Take me back there. Straight away, please.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53'Sorry, Mel, it's a first-class ticket for one, I'm afraid.
0:36:55 > 0:37:00'Our railways are amazing and tell the story of a changing society.'
0:37:00 > 0:37:03By the dawn of the 20th Century, many more of us
0:37:03 > 0:37:07were able to travel the length and breadth of the country at speed.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11'The late 1920s brought glamour to the railways.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14'Almost entirely run by four big companies,
0:37:14 > 0:37:16'competition was fierce
0:37:16 > 0:37:20'and advertisers wanted to entice high society on to the trains.'
0:37:21 > 0:37:23'This was the golden age of steam and it was largely
0:37:23 > 0:37:25'the brightly-coloured,
0:37:25 > 0:37:26'iconic poster designs
0:37:26 > 0:37:28'produced during this period
0:37:28 > 0:37:30'that enticed us to jump on board.'
0:37:35 > 0:37:38TRAIN WHISTLE SOUNDS
0:37:41 > 0:37:44The railway companies sold their services with flair,
0:37:44 > 0:37:46fashion and fabulous colour.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50They employed great artists and emerging new talent
0:37:50 > 0:37:53to channel popular artistic movements of the day,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56such as Art Deco and avant-garde modernism.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Advertising luxurious destinations,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04they conjured up a glamorous image of railway travel
0:38:04 > 0:38:07and had literally one or two seconds to plant that seed
0:38:07 > 0:38:09and make you think, "I want to go there."
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Tom Purvis designed
0:38:12 > 0:38:16this fantastic poster advertising Bridlington in 1932.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18And who couldn't resist?
0:38:18 > 0:38:22Glorious saturated colours, totally unrealistic
0:38:22 > 0:38:24but incredibly sensational.
0:38:24 > 0:38:25But where's the steam train?
0:38:25 > 0:38:27The grimy engine itself isn't here,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30and in fact that's part of the message -
0:38:30 > 0:38:33the railways will allow you to escape from the dirty,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35grinding daily life of city work
0:38:35 > 0:38:38to this fantastic paradise in the sun.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41Posters like this today are incredibly popular
0:38:41 > 0:38:46and something like this could fetch around ?2,000 at auction.
0:38:46 > 0:38:47A sensational piece.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57The war years stifled creativity somewhat.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Freight services boomed as holidays took a back seat
0:39:00 > 0:39:04to the transport of fuel, weapons, soldiers and food.
0:39:06 > 0:39:07In 1948,
0:39:07 > 0:39:10the rail service was nationalised
0:39:10 > 0:39:12and the big four merged to become British Railways.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18'Once again, advertising promoted the delights of holidays at home,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21'emphasising a return to pre-war standards.'
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Posters of the 1950s and '60s offered the same lifestyle,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27but one that was an alternative to the increasing
0:39:27 > 0:39:30numbers of package holidays and foreign holidays
0:39:30 > 0:39:33that were available at the time, thanks of course to the jet age.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Just look at this 1952 poster designed by Harry Riley.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41It's just like the French Riviera, but here, in Britain.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45And this fantastically jaunty poster from 1956, designed by the varied
0:39:45 > 0:39:49and talented Tom Eckersley, is so very typical of its period.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59The 1960s saw the railways refocused and reorganised.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Hundreds of stations and lines were closed.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05Diesel and electric trains replaced steam.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08And the changing railways, and indeed changing society,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11was reflected in the poster design of the day.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15Now it was all about work, speed and efficiency.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18The railways had to entice customers away from their cars
0:40:18 > 0:40:20as the preferred form of transport.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23These were factual posters that gave information,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27in stark contrast to their rather fictional predecessors.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32But it's those striking images
0:40:32 > 0:40:34produced all those years ago
0:40:34 > 0:40:36that remain immensely popular.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39In 2011, an incredibly rare poster,
0:40:39 > 0:40:43The Night Scotsman by Russian-born artist Alexandre Alexeieff,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46fetched nearly ?35,000 at Christie's.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51These historic posters show us a snapshot of Britain
0:40:51 > 0:40:53when a railway system opened up
0:40:53 > 0:40:55the country to everyone.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57With rose-tinted spectacles,
0:40:57 > 0:40:58they take us back to a time
0:40:58 > 0:41:03when railway travel was glamorous and Britain was our playground.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06They were pioneers in the art of marketing
0:41:06 > 0:41:08and what they were selling was Great Britain.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Stuart's sold me on the idea of railwayana.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31What he's created is truly exceptional.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33The great news is, with a little nudge from us,
0:41:33 > 0:41:36he's taking action to sort out his buffet.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38I started it years ago
0:41:38 > 0:41:43and before I actually got in there it's full of clutter again.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46So it's full steam ahead as he and Dawn get to work.
0:41:47 > 0:41:52I really need to change the floor levels and make it slightly bigger.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Stuart's funded the renovations
0:41:54 > 0:41:56by reluctantly selling one or two items.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59If you get friends come down, you can take 'em out to the buffet
0:41:59 > 0:42:01for a cup of tea and a curly sandwich.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03It's progress, but not nearly enough.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07The waiting room is still a storage dump and there are piles of signs
0:42:07 > 0:42:10stacked up in the underground and garage that should be on display.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15For me, the solution is to sell the petroliana collection.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19But that won't come easy to the man who can't stop buying.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21So in a bid to convince Stuart
0:42:21 > 0:42:24I've called in expert Toby Wilson from Bonhams
0:42:24 > 0:42:27to help me value this surplus collection.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30I've seen similar collections to this in size
0:42:30 > 0:42:34but never lived in by a private collector.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36He's got some beautiful stuff in here.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39And the market's still quite strong for automobilia, isn't it?
0:42:39 > 0:42:43The market's very strong for cars, so veteran, vintage cars still
0:42:43 > 0:42:46very strong, automobilia's caught on in the flow of that.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50What's caught your eye? Well, erm, I really like that.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53There's a lot of money in the racing world.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56And that means there's a lot of money in a sign
0:42:56 > 0:42:58that depicts a horse and jockey.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00I think that that sign should be worth
0:43:00 > 0:43:02somewhere between about ?1,500 and ?2,000.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Good heavens above. Yeah.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09'Toby's spotted plenty of signs that have cross-market appeal.'
0:43:09 > 0:43:11The rarity of this is the fact that
0:43:11 > 0:43:13it says "motor cycle specialist" on it.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17'And inherently that brings more buyers and higher prices.'
0:43:17 > 0:43:19?500 to ?700.
0:43:19 > 0:43:20Good heavens above. Yep.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23'Just like everything else in Stuart's home,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26'the petroliana collection is simply massive
0:43:26 > 0:43:28'and overflows into another garage.'
0:43:28 > 0:43:30The globes are quite stunning.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34There's an amazing collection of seven post-war Shell globes
0:43:34 > 0:43:38and the Shellmex there is probably worth about 120.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42But the piece de resistance in that collection is the Super Shell
0:43:42 > 0:43:43is a very rare globe,
0:43:43 > 0:43:46Shell Economy upwards of ?300, ?400.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50With more than 30 oil cans...
0:43:53 > 0:43:56..43 globes,
0:43:56 > 0:44:00and 240 signs, there's money to be made.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04And, if it all goes, plenty of room for the railwayana to expand.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09But will a valuation convince Stuart to sell?
0:44:09 > 0:44:12And will I get that pork pie in the buffet?
0:44:15 > 0:44:18We're on a mission to help 1940s collector Ben raise the money
0:44:18 > 0:44:21he needs to plumb in that Victorian stove.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28And he's going to need Mark's best bartering skills.
0:44:28 > 0:44:33'Quite rightly, Ben couldn't bear to part with his most precious items.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36'Which leaves me with the hard task of trying to raise money
0:44:36 > 0:44:39'with items Ben thinks aren't worth very much.'
0:44:39 > 0:44:41A lot of collecting is driven by nostalgia.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43I think it would be very, very hard
0:44:43 > 0:44:45to feel nostalgic about this gas mask.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49'But in my view there's one star item.'
0:44:49 > 0:44:52It's this that I'm most excited about.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55This is a Dansette, and this would have been the dream object,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59the must-have, for any teenager in the 1950s and '60s.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04'This was the birth of rock'n'roll and the birth of the teenager,
0:45:04 > 0:45:06'and it was even portable.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09'Yesteryear's version of an MP3 player, perhaps.'
0:45:09 > 0:45:11And condition is absolutely vital.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14This one has a little bit of fading on the top here
0:45:14 > 0:45:18and what I like to think about that is it's a sort of rough square shape,
0:45:18 > 0:45:21so I can imagine a pile of records piled on top,
0:45:21 > 0:45:24which just really sums up that era for me.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Erm, I think we'll do very well with this
0:45:26 > 0:45:28and I'm certainly going to go for ?100.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32If we get any more than that I'll be really very happy indeed.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34'While Mark's working hard to sell Ben's wares...'
0:45:34 > 0:45:38Now, who would like some tea? Vera, do you want some tea? Please. Yeah.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41'..I'm doing something much more civilised.'
0:45:41 > 0:45:45And I think we're pouring this out of an original '40s pot. Indeed.
0:45:45 > 0:45:50'Local resident 95-year-old Vera has popped by for a cuppa
0:45:50 > 0:45:52'and to share some memories.'
0:45:52 > 0:45:55Do you remember Liquid Stocking?
0:45:55 > 0:46:01No... Ooh, you should put the line up the back of the legs! Yeah! Yeah!
0:46:01 > 0:46:03'Vera's lived in the area her whole life
0:46:03 > 0:46:06'and grew up in a house just like Ben's.'
0:46:06 > 0:46:11Looking around, would you say for definite that Ben has got it right?
0:46:11 > 0:46:14Do you feel like you're stepping back in time? Yes, definitely.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17Definitely. Do you? Absolutely. What's he got wrong?
0:46:18 > 0:46:22Well, those taps are bit modern. They're going!
0:46:22 > 0:46:24And did you have the range? Yeah.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27Yeah. Cos Ben's going to get... Not as posh as that.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31No, that's too posh, innit, Vera? The old ones come in black lead.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33I'm slightly obsessed, Vera,
0:46:33 > 0:46:36with this whole idea of the black lead on the cooker.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39What did you have to do exactly? Well, they called it a Zebra.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42You had two brushes, one to put the polish on
0:46:42 > 0:46:44and then one to shine it.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47And then you used a cloth and you could see your face in it.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50My mum used to do that every morning.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52Every morning? Every morning.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Oh, every morning, gosh. Every morning, it was brilliant.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58So, Ben, when you get your top-of-the-range range in...
0:46:58 > 0:47:01I'm going to be busy! ..you're going to have to do black lead every day.
0:47:01 > 0:47:06Well, yes, I thought maybe it was once a month, but Vera was there, so...
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Yeah, every morning. Oh, my goodness. Every day! Yes.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15'I've targeted east London to try and get Ben the best prices.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19'It has a thriving young urban community that loves vintage.'
0:47:19 > 0:47:21Lovely to meet you. Thank you very much.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25So I hear you run theatre productions using original props. Yes, we do.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28They'll talk into it like that so you get the nice echo effect,
0:47:28 > 0:47:32or they're stuck in a cave... that could work.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35This I love, this I love. Oh, yeah, for our blowpipe!
0:47:35 > 0:47:38I'm seeing these in a whole new light now.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40'The boys got a good deal
0:47:40 > 0:47:43'and we're a step closer to getting that stove plumbed in.'
0:47:43 > 0:47:46Thank you very much indeed.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50It does sound, I have to say, like the 1940s was quite hard work.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54It was, very hard. Would you go back to those times, Vera? No way!
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Really? No way! So what you think of Ben here,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00who's so desperate to go back to the '40s?
0:48:00 > 0:48:02Do you think he's barking up the wrong tree, Vera?
0:48:02 > 0:48:05Do you know what, I've got a lovely flat, gorgeous. All the mod cons.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08I'll be honest, I'd rather have my flat than this.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10THEY LAUGH
0:48:11 > 0:48:14What you think, Ben? I'm going to cry!
0:48:14 > 0:48:18Vera might be feeling nostalgic, but I think I've found
0:48:18 > 0:48:22a vintage-loving local who's going to be bowled over by Ben's star item.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30This is surely a must-have. There we go. An original 1960s Dansette.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33That's beautiful. That's in really good condition.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36This is the Dansette, I mean, this is a landmark,
0:48:36 > 0:48:39iconic object from the 1950s and '60s.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41And look at that inside,
0:48:41 > 0:48:44the colour is as fresh as the day it was bought. It's amazing.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47That's beautiful. You're clearly in love with it.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50Have we got a deal? Yes!
0:48:50 > 0:48:53'Deal done. All that remains is to break the news to Ben.'
0:48:53 > 0:48:56Good afternoon. Hello, Mark. Good to see you again. And you.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58What sum of money would make you happy?
0:48:58 > 0:49:00I think anything up to ?100 would be fantastic.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03I want to buy one of those fireside chairs I was talking about,
0:49:03 > 0:49:06so to put the new range in would be fantastic.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08I managed to get ?431.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11Four... How much?!
0:49:11 > 0:49:16Wow, my goodness! That would, er, buy more than a chair.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19That would pay to put the range in, I reckon. My God!
0:49:19 > 0:49:24Well, the little gem amongst all the items you gave me was the Dansette.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26They're a really very collectable item,
0:49:26 > 0:49:30and we managed to find somebody who paid ?180 for that.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32And do you know, that was one item I was just going to give to
0:49:32 > 0:49:35a charity shop. They'd have been a very lucky charity shop.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38'But I've got one more surprise up my sleeve.'
0:49:38 > 0:49:42If you were to give me, out of your newly gained wad of cash,
0:49:42 > 0:49:46?150...I would give you this.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48Oh, my God, that's perfect!
0:49:48 > 0:49:51It's a really nice, late 19th century... It's original, is it?
0:49:51 > 0:49:54Absolutely. Solid oak chair. Perfect.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Oh, fit for a king. Comfy? Yeah, really comfy.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01I'm going to be thinking about the things
0:50:01 > 0:50:04I've got in my cupboards a bit more seriously in future!
0:50:04 > 0:50:09Ben's a step closer to his perfect home, but are Nick and Deborah?
0:50:10 > 0:50:13'The chic chalet shed has certainly got them thinking,
0:50:13 > 0:50:17'but the other option is to downsize the collection.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19'When Nick bought the majority of his cans
0:50:19 > 0:50:21'the value was in its contents.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24'Now they're empty packages, are they worth anything today?'
0:50:24 > 0:50:28You've had the collection valued. Mark knows, I don't.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31And, Deborah, how much do you think Nick spent on it?
0:50:31 > 0:50:33Well, I suppose, over all this period of time,
0:50:33 > 0:50:35must be at least ?10,000.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38How much do you think you've spent on it, Nick?
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Erm, I would say probably no more than a couple of grand, actually.
0:50:41 > 0:50:42Really? Yeah(!)
0:50:42 > 0:50:45That's in your world! Perhaps that's just wishful thinking.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47Look at the amount of beer cans around here.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50But it's certainly seven years' hard drinking, so...
0:50:51 > 0:50:54I'd be intrigued to see what figure you come up with.
0:50:54 > 0:50:58We feel that if it was sold in an auction house in Britain,
0:50:58 > 0:51:02on the open market, your entire collection would fetch
0:51:02 > 0:51:05somewhere in the region of ?10,000 to ?15,000.
0:51:05 > 0:51:06Right.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08As a complete collection, yeah? Mm.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10What about the idea that
0:51:10 > 0:51:13if you broke it down and sold individual pieces,
0:51:13 > 0:51:16say, via the internet to a global audience,
0:51:16 > 0:51:18would that increase the value?
0:51:18 > 0:51:21As with anything, you get winner's curse. Right.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24So you have naturally paid the top price
0:51:24 > 0:51:27out of everybody who collects these things in the world.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29If you were to resell it,
0:51:29 > 0:51:32you're probably going to get a little bit less, perhaps.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35It's probably slightly higher than I was expecting.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39I'm relatively surprised that it was as much as this.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41'Personally I'm astounded.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44'?15,000 for essentially... (rubbish!)'
0:51:44 > 0:51:46'This isn't rubbish, it's history.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49'Take this cone top, brewed for the royal cruise to Australia
0:51:49 > 0:51:54'and New Zealand in 1949, which would appeal to royal memorabilia hunters
0:51:54 > 0:51:56'as well as beer-can enthusiasts.'
0:51:56 > 0:52:00What did you pay for this? Couple of hundred pounds? Yeah. Yeah, it was.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02We feel this would fetch in the region of ?300,
0:52:02 > 0:52:05but it's primarily due to the fact that it's a cone top
0:52:05 > 0:52:06and cross-market interest.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08If you've not sort of levelled,
0:52:08 > 0:52:11you've probably made a little bit of money there.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13'For me the real value in this collection
0:52:13 > 0:52:17'lies in the documentation of 80 years of a single industry.'
0:52:17 > 0:52:20One of the things I particularly love are cans like this.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24Who would have thought to save it?
0:52:24 > 0:52:26Me! You. Me. Thank goodness.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30This is probably the only one that's like this in this condition.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33'But the big question remains - are Nick and Deborah ready
0:52:33 > 0:52:35'to confront the fact they're living in a house
0:52:35 > 0:52:37'which doesn't suit Deborah or the cans?'
0:52:37 > 0:52:40Is anything going to change? I...
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Not for the foreseeable future, but obviously, you know,
0:52:43 > 0:52:46things can't carry on as they are forever,
0:52:46 > 0:52:48so at some point we're going to have to sit down
0:52:48 > 0:52:50and have that chat that I've been putting off.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53I guess when I retire that's probably going to be the catalyst.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55'Nick might be sticking to his guns
0:52:55 > 0:52:57'but at least now he's prepared to address the problem.'
0:52:57 > 0:52:59I think now there is a chance
0:52:59 > 0:53:02that we could downsize
0:53:02 > 0:53:05and he would be happy where he could put his beer cans,
0:53:05 > 0:53:08so definitely, I think he'd definitely do it now.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12In my heart of hearts I know that that decision isn't that
0:53:12 > 0:53:18far away, it's probably, you know, three, four' years time. So...
0:53:18 > 0:53:21I would counter it by saying that I was collecting cans before
0:53:21 > 0:53:24I met Deborah, so to a certain extent the cans came first,
0:53:24 > 0:53:28although obviously in our marriage and our future life together
0:53:28 > 0:53:31we're going to have to compromise and it can't all be about the cans.
0:53:31 > 0:53:32'Progress from Nick,
0:53:32 > 0:53:35'but there's still no love for the cans from Deborah.'
0:53:35 > 0:53:38Who's going to pay ?15,000 for it?
0:53:38 > 0:53:40What would they do with it?
0:53:40 > 0:53:43I mean, I can't see why anyone else
0:53:43 > 0:53:45would pay that to have this collection.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48No. I just personally can't see it.
0:53:53 > 0:53:58Having sold a few items, railway enthusiast Stuart and wife Dawn
0:53:58 > 0:54:02have been working hard renovating his once junk-filled buffet.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06Hi, Stuart! Hello! Still waiting for the 9.14?
0:54:06 > 0:54:07Yes, hasn't turned up yet.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09'But he's still got way too much stuff,
0:54:09 > 0:54:13'so we've come back to reveal what his surplus petroliana collection
0:54:13 > 0:54:16'is worth, in the hope he might think of selling it.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20'But first I'm ready for my pork pie and curly sandwich.'
0:54:20 > 0:54:24MEL GASPS I'm sensing a fresh lick of paint.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28Hello! Ohh, Dawn!
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Oh, my goodness me. There's a bar! Dawn, hello! Hello!
0:54:32 > 0:54:37Nice to see you. This is incredible. Oh, it's gorgeous. It's so cute.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41A proper sort of glass cabinet. Wagon Wheels. Child of the '70s!
0:54:41 > 0:54:45And a cash register, too. It looks like it's been here forever.
0:54:45 > 0:54:46It does, yeah.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53'The buffet is a stunning contrast to the clutter-filled junk room.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56'Stuart's usual keen eye for detail is evident everywhere
0:54:56 > 0:54:58'and there's even a pork pie for me.'
0:54:58 > 0:55:00Pork pies are fresh, though.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03Are they? They haven't been here for ages. That's a first.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07Doesn't it feel nice to have created a new space?
0:55:07 > 0:55:10It's taken us four weeks to do. And, Dawn, what do you think?
0:55:10 > 0:55:12I think it's absolutely marvellous.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15We've worked hard on it and it's as we want it.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17You know, all the painting and setting it up,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20I'm really made up with it. It's a labour of love.
0:55:20 > 0:55:21Oh, yes, and it's got to look right.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23You keep coming back to things,
0:55:23 > 0:55:25oh, do that bit better, and a bit more paint.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28And it's remarkable to think, as well, the very few pieces
0:55:28 > 0:55:31that you've sold at auction have paid for all of this. That's right.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33This has made us really do the job.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36If you both decide to part with the petroliana,
0:55:36 > 0:55:38just think what you could do.
0:55:38 > 0:55:39DING
0:55:39 > 0:55:42'It's a fantastic transformation,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45'funded by the sale of just a few items, and I think we're close to
0:55:45 > 0:55:49'getting Stuart act on track with his amazing vision.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52'So it's time to reveal the petroliana valuation.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56'Is Stuart ready to go one step further and sell a whole lot more?'
0:55:57 > 0:56:01If I were to deliver you good news... Right.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03Would it make a difference to you selling the collection?
0:56:03 > 0:56:06I probably wouldn't. Why not, Stuart?
0:56:07 > 0:56:12Where do I put the money next? Into railwayana. I could do.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16If we were to offer your collection at auction,
0:56:16 > 0:56:18we believe your collection would fetch...
0:56:20 > 0:56:24..somewhere in the region of ?50,000 to ?70,000.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28Good gracious! That's really... I don't... Can't believe it!
0:56:28 > 0:56:30That's surprised me. Wow!
0:56:30 > 0:56:31That's just for the petroliana.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34That's not including the railwayana stuff. Crikey!
0:56:34 > 0:56:35Wow!
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Stuart, I have to say, you're an amazing collector.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41Crikey, yeah, I didn't think it would be anything like that.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44Dawn, you're really shocked, aren't you? I am! I can't believe it!
0:56:44 > 0:56:48It's amazing. That is incredible! Oh, wow!
0:56:48 > 0:56:51'Stuart's been making some fabulous purchases,
0:56:51 > 0:56:53'like his Goodwood racing sign.'
0:56:53 > 0:56:56That sign, complete with the plates you have,
0:56:56 > 0:56:58they fetch around ?1,000 to ?1,500 at auction.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01Ooh, crikey. What did you pay for that? 350.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05'And it's easy to see how that huge valuation builds,
0:57:05 > 0:57:07'as item after item would be expected to fetch
0:57:07 > 0:57:10'far more than Stuart paid for them.'
0:57:10 > 0:57:13The sign just behind you, you bought that for...
0:57:13 > 0:57:16Er, I bought that for about ?70.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20It's an exceptionally rare sign, one of the only known examples.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24?700 to ?900. Good Lord. Wow.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27This is all amazingly exciting but you must promise me,
0:57:27 > 0:57:31please, keep the buffet area sacrosanct. Yes, definitely.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35Please don't fill it with more signs. No, that will stay as it is.
0:57:35 > 0:57:36I just can't believe it.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38It's incredible that it's worth that much.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42You know, he's got such a keen eye for everything. Just amazing.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46'So, is Stuart ready to sell off the surplus stuff?'
0:57:46 > 0:57:48I think I would sell most of the petroliana.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52It does give me a window of opportunity to either
0:57:52 > 0:57:58buy better things for the other collections or extend the buildings.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00'It's great news.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03'There's light at the end of the tunnel for all that railwayana.'
0:58:03 > 0:58:05'All he needs now is the train.'
0:58:06 > 0:58:10Shall we get the coach? Mm. Come on. Sounds good.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12You bring the trunk. Oh, charming!
0:58:13 > 0:58:17Next week, the man who shares his house with over 500 animals.
0:58:17 > 0:58:21Never imagined that we'd end up with all this lot.
0:58:21 > 0:58:24Two collectors under one roof struggling for supremacy.
0:58:24 > 0:58:26My collection's the highbrow collection
0:58:26 > 0:58:28and Francis's is the lowbrow!
0:58:28 > 0:58:31And the thousand-piece pottery collection that's crashed in value.
0:58:31 > 0:58:35Absolutely gutted. That's not selling them, it's giving them away.