0:00:02 > 0:00:04- From art... - To antiques.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Ceramics to signs.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08- Taxidermy...- To toys.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11- From the common... - To the curious.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14We're a nation of collectors.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Follow me, Mel Giedroyc...
0:00:17 > 0:00:21And me, antiques expert and lifelong collector, Mark Hill...
0:00:21 > 0:00:26..As we go behind closed doors to uncover Britain's secret collections.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31And reveal what they're really worth, with surprising results.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Collecting and curating.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Selling and displaying.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38- For collectaholics everywhere... - We're here to help.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51- Oh, good God!- 'On Collectaholics,
0:00:51 > 0:00:56'we'll be delving into the extraordinary collections that have taken over people's lives.'
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I've never seen so many signs.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02'Swallowing up their space and using up their income.'
0:01:02 > 0:01:06- What's the most expensive piece you've bought? - It'd be sort of £8,000 to £10,000.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'And pushing their relationships to the very edge.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:11I've threatened him with skips before.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'I'll be helping our collectors deal with their collections in crisis.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Could I possibly call it an obsession?
0:01:16 > 0:01:18It is bordering on that.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21'And I'll be finding out what drives them to buy and buy and buy.'
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Ah! It goes on forever!
0:01:26 > 0:01:28- 'This week...'- Ruff!- Ah!
0:01:28 > 0:01:32'..we meet the man who's stuffed his house with over 500 dead animals.'
0:01:32 > 0:01:35- It just goes on.- The scale of your collection is unbelievable.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37'And the wife who's trying to tame him.'
0:01:37 > 0:01:39I'd like to talk about the giraffe.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41No, we're not having one of those,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44but he just keeps smiling at me and he knows I'll give in.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46The thousand-piece antique pottery collection
0:01:46 > 0:01:49and the owner who fears it's crashed in value.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Absolutely gutted, that's not selling them,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53that's giving them away.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56And the competitive collectors vying for the spotlight.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59My collection is the highbrow collection and Francis's is the lowbrow.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03And there's a breathtaking revelation for one of them.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05No!
0:02:09 > 0:02:15We're in the heart of the British countryside to meet animal lovers Nigel and his wife Janice.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Gobble, gobble, gobble!
0:02:17 > 0:02:19But Nigel's passion isn't just for the living.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23TURKEYS GOBBLE
0:02:23 > 0:02:25I collect taxidermy and curios linked to natural history.
0:02:26 > 0:02:32As a result, his house is full to bursting with stuffed animals.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34I've always liked it, I don't know why, even when I was quite young.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I can remember distinctly, in a stately home somewhere,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41looking up and seeing all these huge deer heads and thinking, "I wonder
0:02:41 > 0:02:44"if I'll ever be able to live in a house that will be able to have any
0:02:44 > 0:02:48"of these on the wall," and I think that's really what fired it up.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55Estate agent Nigel's passion for taxidermy was reignited by a little bird.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01It was actually Jan who bought me a case many, many years ago with a hoopoe in it, which is a bird.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05It was around about Nigel's birthday and I saw him
0:03:05 > 0:03:06looking at this little bird and I said,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10"Have that if you want it for your birthday, I'll buy you that."
0:03:10 > 0:03:12And that really got me back into it in earnest
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and she quite often says it was the worst thing she ever did,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17and I always said it was the best thing she ever did.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19In an era of animal conservation,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Nigel's collection might seem offensive, but the majority
0:03:22 > 0:03:27of animals here died a long, long time ago, and are in fact antiques.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30What I try and do is make sure that everything that I've got here
0:03:30 > 0:03:33is either Victorian or died of natural causes.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37The only place Nigel hunts big game is on the internet
0:03:37 > 0:03:40and he deliberately avoids controversial items
0:03:40 > 0:03:44like rhino horn or turtle shells, instead going for fakes.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I'd always felt that these things unfortunately have to die to
0:03:47 > 0:03:50be stuffed, quite clearly, but once that's happened and I think it
0:03:50 > 0:03:54does need to be looked after and cherished for future generations to enjoy.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Nigel's looking after so many animals, he's converted
0:03:57 > 0:04:00the six-car garage into a trophy room,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03turned the swimming pool into a diorama,
0:04:03 > 0:04:08filled the bar, library and the billiard room.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11I never dreamt in our lifetime that we'd run out of space here
0:04:11 > 0:04:13because it looked so huge when we moved in.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Unbelievably, Nigel STILL wants more.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I trawl through auction catalogues, on the internet.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23I go to boot sales, a lot of antique fairs, flea markets.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25I never imagined that we'd end up with all this lot, no.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I swapped a dog head for a rhino foot the other day.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32People say I'm very tolerant.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35I say I don't know whether I'm tolerant or stupid!
0:04:35 > 0:04:37'With this home completely overrun,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39'and Nigel still on the hunt for more,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43'can we help this couple find a way to live at one with these animals?'
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Please, Mark, tell me that that is not a real rhino?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Definitely not. He looks like he's made of metal to me.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52But he's got a bit of an evil glint in his eye, I think, there.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'But first I have to get my head around dealing with dead creatures.'
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- Morning, hello, I'm Nigel.- Wow.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- Hello, I'm Mark. - Pleased to meet you.- Good lord, and who's that on top of you?
0:05:04 > 0:05:06- Is it a squirrel?- Yes, that beats your hat, doesn't it?
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- It certainly does.- You've only got one feather in yours.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- I don't know what to say. - Come on in.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Lovely to meet you, are you Janice?
0:05:13 > 0:05:14- You too. I am, yes. - Hello. I'm Mel.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- Hello, I'm Mark, good to meet you, Janice.- Hello.- It's a great... Wow!
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- But it's integrated.- They're all around us.- It's a cheetah,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23- a polar bear, along with a grandfather clock.- Exactly, yes.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- Can we explore, Nigel? - Yes, certainly, come on through
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- and then take you on a full tour. - We'll see you in a bit, Janice.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31'But the hallway is just the tip of the iceberg.'
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- OK.- There's a huge polar bear there.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Yep.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45I have to say congratulations. I mean, that is spectacular.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- Yep. They don't come better, I don't think, do they?- No. It's amazing.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Look at these, they're everywhere. Pig, bison, huge...
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- Tamworth...- Yep, Tamworth Red. - There's a spaniel!
0:05:54 > 0:05:57That's quite cute. The spaniel is quite cute. You must admit.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Look. Aww.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Nigel, this is extraordinary.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Dogs, ah! I don't like them. It's the eyes.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08You feel, they're ever so sharp, you feel the teeth.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10- What is it?- Ruff!- Ahh!
0:06:10 > 0:06:11THEY LAUGH
0:06:11 > 0:06:13That was pretty good.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15MARK LAUGHS
0:06:15 > 0:06:18It may seem unusual today, but during the mid to late 1800s,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21hunting was so popular that there was reputed to be
0:06:21 > 0:06:24a taxidermist in every town in Britain.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28I just want to ask what Nigel.. Why do you do it? Wouldn't you rather just visit a zoo?
0:06:28 > 0:06:33- You can't touchy-feely, can you? - No. Well, some - petting zoo?
0:06:33 > 0:06:36I don't know whether you can pet a polar bear or a tiger or a lion or a...
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Well, the little lambs and...
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- Oh, I've got one of those as well. - Stuffed?- Yeah.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Over the past two decades Nigel has managed to amass
0:06:46 > 0:06:50over 500 animals of every shape and size.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- Wow.- It just goes on. - I feel like I'm on safari. - He looks quite sozzled.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59Yes, he does. He's fallen off his plinth.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01In the collection are nine lions...
0:07:01 > 0:07:0213 bears.
0:07:02 > 0:07:0454 foxes.
0:07:04 > 0:07:0644 fish.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09And 264 birds.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Just go right... More big game.
0:07:12 > 0:07:18- Hairy, hairy. It just goes on. - The scale of your collection is unbelievable.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19The house just goes on and on and on.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23- You know that the animals are kind of creeping in. - They are, really, aren't they?
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Yeah, I do keep saying, "No, we're...
0:07:26 > 0:07:30"we're not having one of those," but he just keeps smiling at me and he knows I'll give in.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36That's because wily old Nigel's ambitions for his collection are reaching new heights.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40If you could do one thing to improve your collection, what would it be?
0:07:40 > 0:07:41I'd love a giraffe.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Not a full one, because they're a bit tall,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47but you can get very nice head, neck and shoulder mounts.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50And how does Jan feel about this?
0:07:50 > 0:07:53It's going to be a bit of a negotiation.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I'd like to talk about the giraffe.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Oh. I have got mixed feelings about that, because the only place
0:07:59 > 0:08:02it can go is in the hallway and its head on the landing will be
0:08:02 > 0:08:05the first thing I see when I get out of bed in the morning.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07I'm sure she'll warm up and come round a bit with a...
0:08:07 > 0:08:10you know, I might have to treat her to a few frocks or something.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14I'm not sure I'm keen on that, to be honest.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19Perhaps Janice will be happier knowing Nigel's prepared to do some horse-trading to get his giraffe.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21What needs to happen for you to...?
0:08:21 > 0:08:27We've probably got to raise £5,000, £6,000, £7,000.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32- Wow. By selling off...other bits. - Bits and pieces, yeah.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Nigel's prepared to spend thousands on a high quality giraffe head,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39because realism is priced above all else
0:08:39 > 0:08:41and with taxidermy, you get what you pay for.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44I'm quite intrigued by what they do with the internal
0:08:44 > 0:08:47bits like the tongue, and the eyes of course, what...?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50They're acrylic or...the older ones are glass, these are acrylic.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Early taxidermy techniques were quite crude.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57The animal was skinned and the hide preserved using salt or arsenic.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59The skin was then pulled over a wooden frame
0:08:59 > 0:09:03and stuffed with straw or fine wood shavings known as woodwool,
0:09:03 > 0:09:04before finally being sewn up.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08- And the nose. The nose is plastic? - The nose is real, probably, yeah. - The nose is real?
0:09:08 > 0:09:09Yeah, they can do that.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13By the mid to late 1800s, the best taxidermists were sculpting
0:09:13 > 0:09:18highly detailed clay manikins of the animal, which the skin would then be stretched over.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22This became known as mounting, as opposed to stuffing.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- The taxidermists are perfectionists, it's got to look exactly lifelike.- Absolutely.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29There's some good ones and bad ones probably still today,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31but in the olden days, there was quite a few poor ones,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33and if you look over by the fireplace
0:09:33 > 0:09:35there's a huge cape buffalo in the middle
0:09:35 > 0:09:39and then the two animals to either side are exactly the same animal.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- You wouldn't guess it, would you? - No.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44I see what he means.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Some of the animals here look less Life On Earth and a bit Basil Brush.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53These less impressive animals are the ones Nigel is willing to sell.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57When a run-of-the-mill fox head goes for around £80,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01you start to realise he'll have to sell quite a lot of smaller items to raise enough for a giraffe.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06At least Janice will be pleased.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07Do you think it's an addiction?
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I think of it... I think it's an illness.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Where do you draw the line?
0:10:11 > 0:10:13How big are you going to go?
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I'm hoping the giraffe will be the last big thing.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19We can kill two birds with one stone here.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Help Janice by thinning the collection
0:10:21 > 0:10:23and help Nigel get his giraffe.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28But to sell enough taxidermy, we're going to need a cunning plan.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Somebody who also needs their fortune transforming
0:10:39 > 0:10:44is retired bus driver Bob, who downsized his life to fit into this caravan.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Every room of his new home is packed floor to ceiling with
0:10:48 > 0:10:52antique Ironstone china made by British company Mason's.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Next to the dogs, it's probably the second most important thing in my life.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58I think when you collect Mason's Ironstone,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00you are not a collector, you are an addict.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03There's no halfway stage, I think, with Mason's,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06you either absolutely love it or you think it's horrible.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09It has really just sort of taken over my life.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Mason's were one of the pioneers of British ceramics.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16They created crockery with bold, oriental style patterns
0:11:16 > 0:11:21that were extremely popular with the burgeoning middle classes of the early 1800s,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24but the unmistakable style has divided opinion ever since.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27It's so beautiful that I wouldn't want to collect it
0:11:27 > 0:11:29if it had to be in a box underneath the caravan.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30It has to be displayed.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36But due to lack of space, that's sadly what Bob's been forced to do.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Underneath the caravan, he has ten boxes of his much-loved
0:11:39 > 0:11:44Mason's ceramics, some of which are more than 200 years old.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47There's no way I'm ever going to be able to display them
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and I don't want to just, you know, own them
0:11:49 > 0:11:52just to say, "I've got that", but I don't want it sitting in boxes under
0:11:52 > 0:11:56the caravan, I'd much rather sell it and let somebody else enjoy it.
0:11:56 > 0:12:02Maybe we can find a way to keep Mason's as the foundation of Bob's life and not his caravan.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- Hello, are you Bob? - Hello. I'm Bob, yes, please come in.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11- Hello, Bob, lovely to see you, how are you?- And you.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15- Every single flat surface.- Wow.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Look above, above our heads, literally, that is...
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Bob, this is extraordinary.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23How long have you been amassing this for, Bob?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Probably started in about '84.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Mother got into Mason's and I thought, "Ooh, lovely colours, lovely patterns,"
0:12:30 > 0:12:36and so it started off very slowly, probably didn't get serious until probably the late '80s.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- It's been a long time.- Yeah.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- And it's not just in this room, is it? It's in...- Every room.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45- Other areas.- There's more. - Every room.- Shall we? Go this way.- Please, yes.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Come through here.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Even more.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Do people sleep in here, Bob?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Well, they would have done before I put two Welsh dressers in, yes.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- I was going to say. - It did have two single beds in.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03You'd be scared of moving. I'm not going in any further, not with this coat on.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06No. They liked to decorate things didn't they, in those days?
0:13:06 > 0:13:08- Oh, yes.- It's quite....
0:13:08 > 0:13:13- Very busy.- It's busy, it's busy, it's not restful china, is it?
0:13:13 > 0:13:14- No.- It's busy old china.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20The decorative style of Mason's is definitely not everyone's cup of tea.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Its popularity has fluctuated over the decades
0:13:22 > 0:13:25until production ceased in 1998.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30My first wife wasn't keen on me collecting Mason's at all.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33She basically looked at it as a waste of money,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35because she didn't actually like it.
0:13:37 > 0:13:38Ah, the master bedroom.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41There's just so much to take in.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45- Bob, you sleep amongst your collection.- Oh, yes!
0:13:45 > 0:13:48My second wife had more of an adventurous nature
0:13:48 > 0:13:51and found some pieces that she liked and duly started collecting, and I
0:13:51 > 0:13:56think had we not split up, she would have probably been a serious rival.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Space wise, well, there's... there's this.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01HE LAUGHS
0:14:01 > 0:14:03So how many pieces do you have in total?
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- There are thousands, by the looks of it.- Thousands.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08No, probably down to a few hundred now.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- Sorry, sorry, down to a few hundred? - Mmm.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16- Have you sold off some?- I've sold probably about 10 or so boxes
0:14:16 > 0:14:20and I've probably got about another 10 or 12 underneath the van.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Do you worry about the collection being under the caravan?
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- It's locked, but we don't get any problems here anyway.- No.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30The only thing that I don't like is just having it doing nothing.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34To me, it's not owning it,
0:14:34 > 0:14:35you want to display it.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38You've got to put it on display, otherwise there's no point in having it.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40You can't have the memories that are associated with it too.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45I would rather sell it and let somebody else have the pleasure of being able to see it.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The market for antiques moves in cycles of popularity
0:14:49 > 0:14:56and unfortunately for Bob, the 1990s saw the start of a trend for modern, minimalist interiors.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59People were encouraged to chuck out their chintz, and
0:14:59 > 0:15:03since then much Mason's has become unfashionable and difficult to sell.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09And you've talked about collecting the Mason's as a sort of addiction.
0:15:09 > 0:15:16- Yes, yes.- How much are you spending in the height of your addiction?
0:15:16 > 0:15:21I could quite easily spend £5,000, £6,000, £7,000 a year,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24which meant an awful lot of overtime to pay for it all.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27- Oh, Bob.- But it was worth it. I don't regret it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31I mean, I used to work seven days a week to earn the money to
0:15:31 > 0:15:36pay off the overdraft and go to the next Newark Antique Fair and buy some more.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38But, you know, given the choice I would go back and do it again.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41So what's the most amount of money you've spent on a piece?
0:15:41 > 0:15:43I think that would be the bowpot there,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and I think from memory, that was about £1,700 or £1,800.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51The really bad news is just how much the market has collapsed.
0:15:53 > 0:15:5820 years ago, a soup terrine in good condition could have fetched around £2,000.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Today the value of the same item is likely to be half what it once was.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08The last auction I went to, I put some pieces in, had five cups and saucers,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13which I thought probably £20 a piece, and one lot sold for £5.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17- No reserve, and you think, "Well, that's not selling items, that's giving them away."- Yeah.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21But the pieces that we're standing on top of, there's very little point in that, is there?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23They really do need to be sold,
0:16:23 > 0:16:29but at the moment it's just a matter of getting a price that you're happy with for those items.
0:16:30 > 0:16:36'Sounds like it's tough to find anybody who's willing to pay Bob's asking price for his Mason's.'
0:16:36 > 0:16:40That's true, but this isn't the first time Mason's has gone in and out of popularity.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48To understand more about the turbulent 200 year history of Mason's, I'm heading back in time.
0:16:51 > 0:16:57This period house is kept as a recreation of a home at the turn of the 19th century.
0:16:57 > 0:17:03It was a time when owning the finest ceramics indicated wealth and status.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Miles Mason was a dealer in expensive and delicate Chinese porcelain,
0:17:09 > 0:17:14but seeing a gap in the market, he began producing his own British-made china.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19With his son Charles, he also experimented with different types of clay mixtures,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22in order to produce something more economical and durable.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25In 1813, Mason's cracked it,
0:17:25 > 0:17:30they patented a game-changing new ceramic and named it Ironstone china.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36Decorated with colours and patterns found on desirable oriental porcelains,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Mason's patent Ironstone china captured the public's imagination.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Ironstone china was refined enough to entertain the gentry
0:17:44 > 0:17:48and tough enough to be entrusted to clumsy servants.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50It sold by the bucket-load.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53But the good times didn't last.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Miles died in 1822 and Charles was over-eager to modernise
0:17:57 > 0:18:01the manufacturing process, but not the design.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Mason's flooded the market with products of an inferior quality.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Sales plummeted and in 1848 Charles Mason was declared bankrupt.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15He died a few years later, having lost all he and his father had worked for.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20A chain of different owners continued using the name Mason's
0:18:20 > 0:18:22until the company finally closed for good.
0:18:28 > 0:18:34For collectors like Bob, the Mason's ceramics made in those early years, between 1800 and 1825
0:18:34 > 0:18:37are the most valuable and sought after.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42But the problem is, while rare or desirable pieces in excellent condition
0:18:42 > 0:18:44are still doing well, in the current market,
0:18:44 > 0:18:49run-of-the-mill common items, like many of the cups and saucers and plates under the caravan,
0:18:49 > 0:18:50are hard to sell.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55As from last year, I've stopped putting anything in auction
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and hopefully the prices will pick up again.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Bob needs to sell, but it's going to take some radical thinking to buck
0:19:02 > 0:19:04the downward trend of the Mason's market.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Dealing with one collection is tough enough.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15But behind the door of this ordinary looking house is not one but two highly competitive collectors
0:19:15 > 0:19:17tussling for the same space.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I collect decorative art from
0:19:21 > 0:19:22the early part of the 20th century -
0:19:22 > 0:19:27ceramics, furniture, carpets, lamps, rugs, pictures.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29David had filled almost the whole house
0:19:29 > 0:19:32with work by the Bloomsbury Group,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35a historically significant collective of British artists
0:19:35 > 0:19:39and intellectuals who changed the face of British art and design.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40This is one of my favourite pieces
0:19:40 > 0:19:44and it's a chair that was designed in 1913 by a man called
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Roger Fry, and I love my collecting because it's about research
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and about searching for things and finding stuff.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53It's a search, it's a discovery, and I love that.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57David uses his research to spot bargains, and after nine years
0:19:57 > 0:20:01of collecting, he's eager to find out if his keen eye has paid off.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04I'd like a valuation, it might frighten me a bit,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07because I have no idea what things are worth.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10But I would like a valuation, yeah. Be interesting, very interesting.
0:20:10 > 0:20:16Tucked away in the corner of this room, there's another collection that belongs to David's partner, Francis.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18I collect salt and pepper shakers.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22I've been collecting them for well over 15 years.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It's a whole bunch of objects that make me very happy.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29People, animals, fruit, vegetables.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33When I'm really feeling low, I can look at my collection and it sort of brightens me up.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Despite having almost 2,000 sets of ceramic shakers,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40this collection is confined to just two cupboards in the house.
0:20:42 > 0:20:49My collection is small, manageable, easy to store, and David's is big.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53My collection is much more, um, decorative and eclectic
0:20:53 > 0:20:57and a whole mixture, but he just collects one thing, salt and peppers.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00You could put either one painting in the space or you could
0:21:00 > 0:21:04put 20 salt and pepper shakers in that space.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07So, Mark, something a little bit different today.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Have you ever lived with another collector?
0:21:09 > 0:21:12No. I'm not entirely sure I'd have the space.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- Oh, really? - The town ain't big enough.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Interesting.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17DOORBELL RINGS
0:21:19 > 0:21:20- Hello.- Hello.- Come on in.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23It's not Avon calling. Hello, good to see you.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27- Hello, I'm Mark, nice to meet you. - Hi, there. You must be Francis. - Welcome to our home.- This is Mark.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30- Hello, Francis. Thank you very much for having us.- Thank you.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- Oh, my goodness gracious me! - Whoa.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Well, you can't miss David's collection, it's everywhere you look.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42Wow!
0:21:42 > 0:21:46It's only when you look harder, you notice the second collection in here.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- Those are all salt and pepper shakers?- Yes.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- There's every single shape under the sun.- Oh, yes.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53But how does this work?
0:21:53 > 0:21:56You've got sort of art pottery from the 1920s and '30s,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59and 1910s even, and then salt and pepper shakers.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01It's an interesting combination.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02- Yeah.- They don't cross.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07Well, I would say, tongue-in-cheek, that my collection is the highbrow collection
0:22:07 > 0:22:09- and Francis's middle to lowbrow. - Ooh.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13- Which he hates, but he knows that, he knows that I kind of say that. - He's smiling, he's smiling.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17I wouldn't say mine is lowbrow in the sense it's... it's less important.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Mine is just as valuable and important,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21but the difference is mine is more accessible,
0:22:21 > 0:22:25and it's my role in life is to not make it just a country cousin.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31- I'm sensing there's quite a lot of competition going on between these two.- I agree.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34David's collection is dominating this house
0:22:34 > 0:22:38and maybe Francis has a bit of collection envy?
0:22:38 > 0:22:42We need to find out more about their individual passions, but where do we start?
0:22:43 > 0:22:45How about a nice cup of tea?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- Well, you sit there. - Ah, thank you. So elegant.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54'This house looks deceptively like it's just tastefully decorated,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57'but everything here is connected to the Bloomsbury Group.'
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Whilst authors Virginia Woolf and E M Forster are the most famous
0:23:01 > 0:23:06of the Bloomsbury Group, David is passionate about the art works of
0:23:06 > 0:23:11Duncan Grant, Roger Fry and Virginia Woolf's sister, Vanessa Bell.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15For them, any surface was a canvas for self-expression.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19This decorative style was channelled into bold new ceramics
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and furniture that defied the conventions of the time.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24It's incredible.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28I want to have a little weep, it's just, for me, beautiful objects.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- A good weep or a bad weep? - Oh, no, a good weep.- A good weep.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34- Tears of joy, without a doubt, it's stunning.- Oh, good.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38- The colours, just the feeling.- Yeah. - Don't you think?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Yeah, it's absolutely gorgeous.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45We're sitting on it... and even eating off it, too.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Is this very valuable? I feel bad now. Is this?
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Probably, and it's the funny thing about ceramics is that you can
0:23:53 > 0:23:56drop it and they're broken and it's gone and I love the thrill of it.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58It almost increases the thrill of use...
0:23:58 > 0:23:59the use, because it can just...
0:23:59 > 0:24:01- Because it could go so quickly. - ..be gone. Yeah.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04So, David, what is it you get out of your collection?
0:24:04 > 0:24:05It's the displaying of it.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09I love displaying it, that I live with the collection and that I use it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- And I also do open days for people, like, the Decorative Art Society come and...- Mm-hm.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16We'll do an open day and have tea in the garden. I love sharing my collection.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20The collection might have gained appreciation from Bloomsbury aficionados,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24but what David really wants to find out is, has it matured in value?
0:24:24 > 0:24:27I've been able to buy more pictures than I could hang on the wall,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30so they're upstairs in the attic, and as a justification
0:24:30 > 0:24:32for buying those paintings, I call it my pension fund.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36- Justification. I love it.- Yeah.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42I don't think David realises the potential value of what he's sitting on, so I've asked if I can take
0:24:42 > 0:24:44a closer look at his investment.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Right, this is my little office, the place where I sit and look things
0:24:49 > 0:24:52a while and decide where they're going to go, upstairs in the attic
0:24:52 > 0:24:55to my pension fund pile up there or whether I'm going to hang them...
0:24:55 > 0:24:58I notice, this is something I haven't seen before, a fan.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59No, I know. It's really incredible.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03This is almost sort of Matisse or Picasso-like in its strange...
0:25:03 > 0:25:05There's another one similar in the Victoria and Albert Museum,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07but they're the only two that I know of.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11So if there are only a couple of those known, that must be worth, what, £2,000 or £3,000?
0:25:11 > 0:25:13I should think so, something like that, yeah.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Although the Bloomsbury Group were named after their base in London, the best place to find out
0:25:19 > 0:25:23more about them is here, at their country retreat in Sussex.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27Wow.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31'Wendy Hitchmough is curator here at Charleston House.'
0:25:31 > 0:25:36There's so much art, isn't there? Everywhere you look there's a piece of art, whether it be a chair or a
0:25:36 > 0:25:41piece of ceramics or a lampshade or a cushion or a table or tiles or...
0:25:41 > 0:25:43It's amazing.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46As a conscientious objector to World War I, the artist
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Duncan Grant faced prison unless he was working on the land.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55So in 1916, he and Vanessa Bell moved to this farmhouse.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00It quickly became the place where the Bloomsbury Group pursued their unconventional lives.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03For lots of people it was a kind of... it was a retreat,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06it was a place where they could be themselves, let rip a bit.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09It was a place where they could come and focus on their work,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11and a great deal of work was produced at Charleston.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16After breakfast in the dining room, the writers would go back to their bedrooms and write
0:26:16 > 0:26:19and the artists would come to the studio and they would paint.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Influenced by the Post-Impressionist style of Cezanne, Van Gogh
0:26:22 > 0:26:28and Gauguin, Bloomsbury work also embraced more modern approaches, such as Cubism.
0:26:28 > 0:26:34For collectors like David, the story behind these artworks is part of the attraction too.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39I also spotted this little drawing down here. This is by who?
0:26:39 > 0:26:42It's by Duncan Grant, addressed to who at the time was his lover,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45called David Garnett.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50Who in turn ended up marrying Duncan's daughter,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52so it was quite an incestuous arrangement.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54But that's true of so much of the Bloomsbury Group themselves,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58everybody said there was complicated love triangles, they would say.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59Very complicated, and he did this in 1914.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03So he was presumably working with whatever he could find, and in this case...
0:27:03 > 0:27:04- Absolutely. - ..an envelope.- Yeah.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07And what did you pay for this?
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Not a great deal, amount, I don't think, about £300.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14But I think it's quite important and quite interesting, and I did loan it to an exhibition.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18And that sort of thing can help increase the value as well as research if it's shown publicly
0:27:18 > 0:27:20and put into catalogues, that's a good thing.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24- It was photographed and put on exhibition, so... - So this is part of the pension fund?
0:27:24 > 0:27:27That's part of the pension fund and I think the value's gone up because of that.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30It's quite a wonderful thing.
0:27:30 > 0:27:36Along with the paintings, David has eye-catching ceramics and furniture made in the Omega Workshops,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40a venture started by Bloomsbury artist Roger Fry in 1913.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46It's a wonderful Omega Workshops famous turquoise glazed bowl.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47It's an enormous piece of pottery.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50It's really enormous, and there's the Omega stamp on the bottom.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56The idea behind the workshops was to pay the most progressive
0:27:56 > 0:28:00young artists a day rate so that they could design for Omega
0:28:00 > 0:28:03and earn enough money to live on and then produce
0:28:03 > 0:28:06the sorts of paintings that they wanted to produce without
0:28:06 > 0:28:08having to worry about selling their paintings.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13The workshops designed furniture, textiles, everything for the home.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16And, Wendy, have a lot of the Omega pieces survived,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19or are they very rare and hard to find?
0:28:19 > 0:28:22No, they are very rare and hard to find, the Omega Workshops was
0:28:22 > 0:28:24only in existence for six years.
0:28:24 > 0:28:31That must make David's collection of Omega pieces really very extraordinary and pretty special.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Yes, David's collection and Charleston's collection are two
0:28:35 > 0:28:40of the best Omega collections in the world.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43'David's collection certainly has a pedigree,
0:28:43 > 0:28:47'but he wants to know if his choices have also been good investments.'
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Omega Workshops' pottery and furniture rarely comes onto the market.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56So to accumulate so much, David obviously knows a thing or two.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59The question is, will it all add up to more or less than
0:28:59 > 0:29:03the £60,000 that he estimates he's already spent on the collection?
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Having been dazzled by David's artworks, I think we've been
0:29:08 > 0:29:11neglecting the other collector in the house.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16I fear THAT might be something Francis feels quite often, and it needs to be rectified.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25For taxidermy-obsessed Nigel, there's one animal that will
0:29:25 > 0:29:28elevate his collection to new heights.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31I'd really like a giraffe neck and head,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35but, I mean, you're talking many, many thousands of pounds.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38But in order to fulfil his lofty ambitions, Nigel's going to
0:29:38 > 0:29:42have to sell quite a lot of his less impressive specimens.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46At least thinning out the collection will keep his wife Janice happy.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51The problem is just the space, that we're running out of space now, so.
0:29:51 > 0:29:56Improving his menagerie is a lifelong project for Nigel.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59It might be out of the ordinary today, but once upon a time,
0:29:59 > 0:30:03collecting taxidermy was considered a highly noble pursuit.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Quex Park in Kent was once home to one of the country's greatest
0:30:11 > 0:30:16collectors of taxidermy, and a man after Nigel's heart.
0:30:16 > 0:30:23Major Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton opened this museum in the grounds of Quex in 1896.
0:30:23 > 0:30:28But unlike Nigel, he acquired his animals directly from the wild.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30For those of means, taxidermy represented
0:30:30 > 0:30:34a thirst for knowledge and education, but it was also
0:30:34 > 0:30:40a status symbol that said, "Look how successful, rich and clever I am."
0:30:40 > 0:30:45Major Powell-Cotton collected more than 500 animals from Africa and Asia,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49including six specimens of Nigel's coveted giraffe.
0:30:50 > 0:30:56All his exhibits were created for the Major by the finest taxidermists of the period.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Taxidermy had come of age.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02The most realistic animals and dramatic settings were
0:31:02 > 0:31:06celebrated and prized, and their creators lauded as artists,
0:31:06 > 0:31:11sculptors and biologists, and of them none were more famous and successful
0:31:11 > 0:31:14than London's Rowland Ward.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Provincial taxidermists would invariably never see the animal
0:31:18 > 0:31:22they were recreating and often only had a preserved pelt to work with.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Ward ensured that hunters quickly and accurately measured
0:31:27 > 0:31:31the dimensions of the dead animal before skinning, allowing him
0:31:31 > 0:31:35to create taxidermy with precise physical realism.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38He developed a number of new and advanced techniques,
0:31:38 > 0:31:41one of which was the use of clay under the skin,
0:31:41 > 0:31:44in addition to the traditional woodwool stuffing.
0:31:44 > 0:31:49This allowed him to create accurate muscle definition and dramatic facial expressions.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56This ferocious lion attacked and mauled the Major in 1906.
0:31:56 > 0:32:02He commissioned Ward to immortalise the scene with the Major represented by the buffalo.
0:32:02 > 0:32:09Ward exceeded all expectation, creating something that was hailed as his greatest achievement.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13The display captured the deadly beast with such a sense of drama
0:32:13 > 0:32:17and accuracy that when it was exhibited in Ward's Piccadilly showroom,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20it reputedly brought London traffic to a standstill.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30After the Second World War, tastes changed -
0:32:30 > 0:32:33as hunting gave way to conservation, taxidermy became
0:32:33 > 0:32:37seen as an inappropriate way of treating our natural heritage.
0:32:37 > 0:32:44Museums began hiding and even discarding collections that had once taken pride of place.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48In one extreme example, Saffron Walden Museum spent three days
0:32:48 > 0:32:52burning an entire collection of antique animals.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Partly because many collections have been lost,
0:32:55 > 0:33:00Ward's work is now hugely sought after and fetches high prices.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04Today, one of these full size Ward giraffes would cost as much as
0:33:04 > 0:33:11£10,000, but something as unique as this could fetch more than £100,000.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Nigel might not have a collection to rival Major Powell-Cotton
0:33:21 > 0:33:25quite yet, but he does have some items of real interest.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Taxidermy is enjoying a revival, so the potential for it
0:33:30 > 0:33:34increasing in value is there, but only if he has bought wisely.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36Looking at how much it's all worth.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40Since I've started, I've probably spent £70,000 to £80,000 on the collection.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44If it is a little nest egg, then perhaps Janice will be more
0:33:44 > 0:33:48tolerant of Nigel's obsession with the animal afterlife.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52But for the time being she's more preoccupied with his quest for a giraffe.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56I have waved the white flag at giraffe in the hallway.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59- Fortunately, it's becoming hard to locate one. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:34:01 > 0:34:05At the house with two rival collections...
0:34:05 > 0:34:10We've already taken an in-depth look at David's museum calibre artworks.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15And now it's the turn of the overlooked salt and pepper collection belonging to Francis.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19- Wow, there's a lot of them. - And now many are in there?
0:34:19 > 0:34:21- It would be about 800. - But this is not the extent of it?
0:34:21 > 0:34:26- This is not the extent of my collection. The full collection is over 2,000 sets.- Good Lord!
0:34:26 > 0:34:30Francis has salt and pepper shakers from every decade, going back to the 1920s.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36Like these, by renowned German manufacturer Goebel.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39They're very sweet, the facial expressions.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41- They're very similar to Hummel figurines.- Yes, yes.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Which are very sought after,
0:34:43 > 0:34:46and they've just got that fantastic '20s and '30s look, haven't they?
0:34:46 > 0:34:49With that hair and those colours.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Salt and pepper shakers only really came to prominence in the early 20th century
0:34:53 > 0:34:59when the invention of iodised table salt meant free-flowing, fine grains that wouldn't clog.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02It's what we call in the salt and pepper world, is a holder.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05That is adorable, she's got two hatboxes.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07So she's holding two hatboxes and there's the bottom.
0:35:07 > 0:35:13- Oh! That is so cute.- The cork.
0:35:13 > 0:35:14She's also so much in the style of the day.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17You've got this stepped back, typical of the Art Deco movement.
0:35:17 > 0:35:22- Yes, Art Deco movement, yes. - And look at her hair and her hat and her clothes.- I love this.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27It was around the time of the Great Depression that novelty shakers took off globally.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Ceramics manufacturers spotted a hole in the market for small,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33affordable ornaments to brighten up the home.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37So, Francis, what is it that you actually get out of your collection?
0:35:37 > 0:35:42I enjoy the look and the feel and the sense of happiness.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46For example, this one here. Look at her.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48So how much would you say that was worth?
0:35:48 > 0:35:51Today it would be worth maybe £20.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54How much have you spent on the whole collection, do you think?
0:35:54 > 0:35:58There's quite a lot of £20, but I'm pretty sure that most of them are worth more than that.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00I would say maybe £4,000.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05I'm starting to understand that there's much more to salt and pepper shakers than I first thought.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07- That's... - Very happy bride and groom.
0:36:07 > 0:36:12'No wonder Francis is sensitive about David's take on his shakers.'
0:36:12 > 0:36:14The word "novelty" offends him
0:36:14 > 0:36:16when I say his salt and pepper shakers are novelties.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19He really wants them to be taken much more seriously than that.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22My ambition for my collection is to put it out in the open more,
0:36:22 > 0:36:25about that it's more than just an everyday, functional item.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29Perhaps by taking a closer look at the world of salt and pepper shakers,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32I can find a way to help Francis achieve his ambition.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37- My eye is drawn to the edible. - To the chocolates. Oh, yes.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Look at those little chocolates. So sweet, look at that.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43These chocolates might look good enough to eat,
0:36:43 > 0:36:46but they will never contain salt or pepper.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50I'm not allowed to use them, or the guests aren't allowed to use them,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54- they're just there for decorative purposes. - Why is that?- If only I knew.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58No, he won't have salt in them, as he sees salt as corrosive on them, yeah.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03- So they're strictly not to be used. Display only.- Display only.
0:37:03 > 0:37:09- This is a holder, so you have one who holds the other. - Holding the other.
0:37:09 > 0:37:10- And this one here...- Yes.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14Is what's called the hanger. You can touch it.
0:37:16 > 0:37:21I can't believe the amount of subsets in the salt and pepper shaker world.
0:37:21 > 0:37:27Yes, but that sort of hydrant and dog has been around for a long time, but that posture...
0:37:27 > 0:37:30So that is a subsection all of its own, the leg-lifter?
0:37:30 > 0:37:32That could be, yes, yes, the leg-lifter, yes.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36- Yeah. Now, this is a nestler.- A nestler, a hanger and a holder.- Yes.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40People, when they come to the house, are always drawn to his collection,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43cos they're funny and novel, but he's never actually...
0:37:43 > 0:37:46cos the salt and peppers have never been the centre of attention.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49I've loaned some of my pieces to museums and things for exhibitions
0:37:49 > 0:37:53and that's never happened to him, but I really secretly think that he'd like to do that, he'd love
0:37:53 > 0:37:57a museum to come along and borrow one of his salt and pepper shakers.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01I mean, when people go to museums now and see old Egyptian artefacts,
0:38:01 > 0:38:06then people find it fascinating, and why can't they find these things as fascinating?
0:38:06 > 0:38:09This is what you want to do, though, Francis, isn't it?
0:38:09 > 0:38:14- You want to spread the word of salt and pepper shakers to the outside world.- Yes, yes, hmm.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17'I don't know if we're going to get them in a museum, but we've got
0:38:17 > 0:38:22'to help Francis get the recognition that he craves for his collection.'
0:38:22 > 0:38:24I'll start racking my brains for a solution.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28- Can't stop looking at them, can you, Francis?- No, sorry.- That's OK.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35Getting recognition for his collection is also something that Bob would welcome.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40His 1,500 pieces of Mason's pottery have fallen out of fashion in recent years.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Getting in on the act, are you? Hmm?
0:38:43 > 0:38:46And Bob has struggled to get a good price for his excess of treasures
0:38:46 > 0:38:49that have been kept under his caravan home.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52I was absolutely gutted, I thought, you know,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55that's not selling them, that's giving them away.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Bob has given up hope of moving them on, but we think there's a way
0:38:58 > 0:39:02he can beat the trend and fight the cause for his collection.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05- Today's the day, Bob, I feel it. - Good.- I feel it in my bones.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08We have a plan, Bob, we have a plan, yes.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10A cunning plan, Bob.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13We're not just going to help Bob sell his crockery,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16we're on a mission to start a mini revival in Mason's that will
0:39:16 > 0:39:20hopefully help the long term prospects for Bob's lifelong love.
0:39:20 > 0:39:21Off we go, Bob.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29Mason's may be out of fashion, but vintage is very much in vogue.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34We've got a feeling that this might twist your melon, as they say.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38My goodness. What do you think?
0:39:38 > 0:39:40Oh, lovely. Oh, beautiful, yes.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45Bob's eyes are literally scouring... scouring...scouring the place. Bob, this is Vicky.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49- Hi, Vicky.- Hi, Bob, lovely to meet you.- And you.- Thank you.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Vicky rents out and sells vintage tableware,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55and this has became much more popular over the past few years.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59Really, really fashionable at the moment, very fashionable, especially with weddings, yeah.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Vicky and her vintage-loving customers are exactly
0:40:02 > 0:40:04the sort of people who could appreciate Mason's.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08I just love the colours.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12But she's never even so much as glanced at Mason's before.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Vicky, immediate reactions?
0:40:14 > 0:40:20Wow, absolutely beautiful. The colours are stunning, yeah. Great.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24- That's a new fan of Mason's to welcome to the fold... - Thank you.- Great.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26..and the possibility of some future business.
0:40:29 > 0:40:34Next, we're heading to an antiques centre to meet another potential Mason's convert.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38We've brought you to meet Sarah, who runs this rather marvellous cafe.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40- It is, yes. - Is it fair to call it a cafe?
0:40:40 > 0:40:44- Tea rooms.- Tea rooms. - Vintage. Vintage tea rooms.- Yeah.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47'Sarah's part of a growing trend in tea rooms where the big
0:40:47 > 0:40:51'selling point is that tea tastes better in vintage china.'
0:40:51 > 0:40:53Bob, that's something to bear in mind, your stuff will
0:40:53 > 0:40:57actually reach a new audience and also be used and enjoyed.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01And it's a shame for them to be in a box really, isn't it, not being appreciated.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04It is. Exactly. Exactly, yeah. I must admit, I never thought of that.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08- So, over 200 years of history.- Yeah. - Is it something that appeals to you?
0:41:08 > 0:41:11- Very much so, thank you.- This could be the start of something big.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14- Lots and lots of ceramics to sell. - That would be nice.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18Not only has Bob tapped into a new market, but his Mason's will be
0:41:18 > 0:41:20exposed to Sarah's vintage-loving customers too.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24We might not have sold all of Bob's boxes,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27but the comeback for Mason's starts here.
0:41:27 > 0:41:28So, how do you feel, Bob?
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Been a good day overall, I think.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35It's certainly opened my mind to the new possibilities you've come up with.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37I think it's a way forward, yeah.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43Last order of the day is to let Bob know what the collection is worth on today's market.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47- Home sweet home, Bob.- Yes, gorgeous.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- There they are, the dogs. - Ah, there, the doggies.- Hello, dogs.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54The majority of Bob's collection
0:41:54 > 0:41:58is from the desirable era of Mason's - 1800 to 1825.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03In years gone by, even restored items in a rare pattern could fetch
0:42:03 > 0:42:07a good price, but that's no longer the case.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11Now only rare and desirable patterns and shapes in pristine condition
0:42:11 > 0:42:14have kept their value, and in fact, some have increased.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21Now, Bob, in these four books, what have we got?
0:42:21 > 0:42:24All the information of my collection.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28- This is your Mason's life? - It is indeed, yes.- Amazing.- Yeah.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30But we counted through the number of pieces here
0:42:30 > 0:42:34and we know that you've got about 1,500 pieces in your collection.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38- Crikey.- Yep.- I would never have thought there was 1,500.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41What Bob hasn't logged is how much the collection has cost him,
0:42:41 > 0:42:46but he conservatively estimates he's spent around £40,000
0:42:46 > 0:42:48and he's preparing for the worst.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51As you know, we had a valuer work through your collection
0:42:51 > 0:42:55in detail, using your excellent record books as a source.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59His opinion was that the collection would fetch, at auction,
0:42:59 > 0:43:04somewhere in the region of £10,000 to £12,000.
0:43:04 > 0:43:10Mm. That doesn't surprise me, yeah. It doesn't surprise me.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14All is not lost.
0:43:14 > 0:43:18Fortunately for Bob, auction isn't the only way to sell.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22Our expect valuer found that Bob has collected some very rare items
0:43:22 > 0:43:26that are fetching much better prices elsewhere.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30Bob, we valued your collection at auction at around £10,000 to £12,000.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34If you were to sell it in a retail environment,
0:43:34 > 0:43:38we believe that it would fetch in the region of £28,000.
0:43:38 > 0:43:39Crikeys!
0:43:42 > 0:43:43That's a bit more like it.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Yes, that makes me feel much happier.
0:43:47 > 0:43:53Bob has invested in some stand-out items and his pride and joy is this incredibly rare bowpot.
0:43:54 > 0:43:58- You look very fondly upon it. - BOB LAUGHS
0:43:58 > 0:44:05Although he paid £1,800 for it, it's kept its value because only five are known to exist.
0:44:05 > 0:44:06I mean, that really is wonderful.
0:44:06 > 0:44:11'We leave Bob hopefully feeling more optimistic about the future for his Mason's.'
0:44:11 > 0:44:13- It's been a pleasure, Mel. - It's been so great.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15- Yeah, lovely to see you. - Yeah, and good luck with it.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18Thank you for my new-found appreciation of all things Mason's.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21- Thank you, Bob, I'll remember that. - Yeah.- Thank you, yes.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24I think Mark and Mel have helped with the lateral thinking.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28I would never have thought of going to those two places,
0:44:28 > 0:44:32thinking that they would be remotely interested in Mason's Ironstone.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36So, hopefully, they could well have opened up another little market for me.
0:44:41 > 0:44:48I'm heading back to the house with two rival collections in an attempt to restore harmony.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50I need to get David on board to help me make
0:44:50 > 0:44:54Francis's salt and pepper shakers the highlight of the house for once.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58It would be great if David would allow us
0:44:58 > 0:45:02to maybe pack away the pottery on the mantelpiece, if we could
0:45:02 > 0:45:05- maybe move the television, he said redesigning your living room.- Yep.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09David regularly organises an open house,
0:45:09 > 0:45:13inviting Bloomsbury Group aficionados to get a closer look
0:45:13 > 0:45:16at the collection that dominates every room.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20Oh, you're putting them outside, you're banishing them.
0:45:20 > 0:45:25Tonight I want the other collection in the house to have the same type of attention.
0:45:25 > 0:45:26We have space, Francis.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33Well, next is the extraction of the salt and pepper shakers.
0:45:33 > 0:45:39In order to increase the profile and value of Francis's collection, it's his turn to have an open house.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43Right, fruit and veg - over there by the dinner ware.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46I've invited a select group of antiques experts,
0:45:46 > 0:45:52food historians and ceramicists to take a look at the salt and peppers.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56Francis will get such a thrill out of having his pieces all over the house, but I just...
0:45:56 > 0:45:59I just wonder at the end whether he'll let me move them, put them back.
0:45:59 > 0:46:04So you think the salt and pepper shakers might be there to stay for some time?
0:46:04 > 0:46:06- I'm slightly worried, yeah. - How worried?- Slightly.
0:46:07 > 0:46:13For our guests to understand the importance of these everyday objects, they need to understand
0:46:13 > 0:46:16more about the historical significance.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18Can you see that little crown mark there?
0:46:18 > 0:46:22- Yes, yeah.- With the WG? That's early Goebel, so that's pre-war Goebel.
0:46:23 > 0:46:28The 20th century saw a global market emerge in salt and pepper shakers.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32Collectible manufacturers include German company Goebel,
0:46:32 > 0:46:36the intricate designs by '50s Australian potter Jean Darbyshire,
0:46:36 > 0:46:42and cutesy animals created by '60s American company Fitz and Floyd.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46They look like they're huggers, but they're not. The ones with their hands put out.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48- So they literally sort of interlock into each other?- Yeah.
0:46:48 > 0:46:54Popular culture dominated designs in the second half of the century, but these were often made unlicensed
0:46:54 > 0:46:58and as a result, many characters could look sometimes slightly odd.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04- Oh, it is good to see them back out again. - Yeah? You feel excited about this?
0:47:04 > 0:47:06Makes me feel very excited. Go on put it out.
0:47:07 > 0:47:12The finishing touch is our research, displayed to inform our guests about the stories
0:47:12 > 0:47:14behind these little works of art.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17- Brilliant. - How do you think it looks?
0:47:17 > 0:47:20I'm anxious about people coming over, because I'm afraid something might break.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23But I'm... That's all right, that's fine, I want people to touch it,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25I want people to handle it. Yes, that's fine.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31The salt and pepper shakers are out, finally, in their categories.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35I hope when people come look at it, it excites some interest.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43It's show time and our guests are beginning to arrive.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48These are the people who could influence the value and notoriety of Francis's collection.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53Welcome to Francis's collection.
0:47:53 > 0:47:59I must introduce you to Beth and Beverley, who are two of the most notable ceramics dealers in London
0:47:59 > 0:48:00and very good friends of mine.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04This is Helen Johannessen, who's a ceramics designer for Yoyo Ceramics.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08This is Madeleine Marsh, who's a food historian and antiques expert.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11How long has it taken to do this?
0:48:12 > 0:48:13About ten years, maybe.
0:48:14 > 0:48:20I'm really impressed that Francis is embracing this opportunity to show off his knowledge.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22This is the '30s, up until the '80s, '90s.
0:48:23 > 0:48:29The majority of these were made in Germany and Japan in the early and mid 20th century.
0:48:29 > 0:48:34We hope creative minds will be stimulated by the imaginative craftsmanship.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37So this is what's called a hanger because you have one that hangs on the other.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39In the last ten years of designing tableware,
0:48:39 > 0:48:41I haven't designed a salt and pepper shaker!
0:48:41 > 0:48:46I actually feel quite inspired to perhaps go and make something.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50But after a couple of hours, have they been won over?
0:48:50 > 0:48:53It's the best collection I've seen for a long, long time.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57This is such a fantastic collection. They've got such joie de vivre.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02You have a broad smile, Francis. Are you enjoying this evening?
0:49:02 > 0:49:05Very much so. It's just so fascinating to get feedback.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09- So do you think this will encourage you to do more with your collection? - Oh, yes, yes.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11I love the signs that say "The Francis Collection",
0:49:11 > 0:49:13cos I never thought of it like that before.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15I think... It's been great, it's fantastic.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17The house is transformed.
0:49:17 > 0:49:22- Do you think now that your collection is sort of more equal?- Equal.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25It's the fact no-one mentioned anything about David's collection to me.
0:49:25 > 0:49:31- We've changed it. - Yes, most definitely you've changed it. And thanks for that.
0:49:31 > 0:49:36The night has been a success, and although it might be a while before salt and pepper shakers
0:49:36 > 0:49:41are fetching record prices, there is some good news about their value.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45I think any collector would be lying if they didn't say that there's
0:49:45 > 0:49:49just a little bit of interest in the financial value in an item.
0:49:49 > 0:49:50- Absolutely.- Yes, mm-hm.
0:49:50 > 0:49:56Francis thinks he's paid around £4,000 in total for the whole collection.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59We believe that if it was sold in an online auction environment,
0:49:59 > 0:50:04it would fetch something in the region of £8,000 to £10,000.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10That's quite good. I never expected it would be that much.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14'Now it's the moment that art collector David has been waiting for.'
0:50:14 > 0:50:21The collection of Bloomsbury Group art pottery and furniture has cost David around £60,000.
0:50:21 > 0:50:26We've had two independent valuers look at the pension fund and they've come up with a price.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30We believe that your collection,
0:50:30 > 0:50:33if offered on the open market at auction,
0:50:33 > 0:50:36would fetch around £150,000.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39No, that...
0:50:39 > 0:50:42No. God.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44And our valuer has said the top end of the estimate,
0:50:44 > 0:50:48so if they sold absolutely at their best prices,
0:50:48 > 0:50:50you'd be looking at a value of £176,000.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54Can I swear?
0:50:54 > 0:50:56That's a real shock. That is a real shock.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59Oh. Yeah. I mean, it's brilliant.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02It's brilliant, but it is quite scary, isn't it?
0:51:02 > 0:51:04Well, collecting is great, isn't it?
0:51:04 > 0:51:07- Clearly.- I love it. I love it.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09I love it. It's fantastic.
0:51:09 > 0:51:16David has collected extremely rare items, like this Duncan Grant fan, which he says he paid £1,000 for.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Thought to be one of only two in the world, it could fetch up to £2,500.
0:51:21 > 0:51:27David paid £6,000 at auction for this set of Omega Workshop chairs that he uses every day.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31Now they're worth up to an astonishing £30,000.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34- Thank you very much, bye-bye. - Bye-bye.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36I think it's brought us closer as collectors somehow.
0:51:36 > 0:51:41I even understand my collection better, but I certainly understand yours as well.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45I can understand the value behind your collection. That's a trip to Italy.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47THEY LAUGH
0:51:47 > 0:51:49It's not.
0:51:51 > 0:51:57Taxidermy collector Nigel wants to crown his huge collection with a stuffed giraffe.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00But with a home bursting at the seams with deceased beasts
0:52:00 > 0:52:02and with wife Janice at the end of her tether,
0:52:02 > 0:52:06Nigel must sell before he buys.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09And the heat is on, because we now have a deadline.
0:52:09 > 0:52:10Have you found one?
0:52:10 > 0:52:14Yes, I have and it's reserved, subject to how well we do today.
0:52:14 > 0:52:15And is it the whole giraffe?
0:52:15 > 0:52:18No, it's shoulder, neck and head, because that's 9' 6" high.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20So, Janice, this is... this is good, isn't it?
0:52:20 > 0:52:24- I mean, this could thin out. - Well, yes, yes, it's going in the right direction.
0:52:24 > 0:52:25Well, we haven't sold it all yet.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28We might be lucky and take some home.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31- Busy day ahead. - Yes, hope so anyway.- We hope so.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37We need to sell £6,000 worth of taxidermy fast,
0:52:37 > 0:52:39and I think we're in the perfect place.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42We're here at Spitalfields Market, which I feel is
0:52:42 > 0:52:46a sort of fantastic area for selling to a new buyer for taxidermy, a sort
0:52:46 > 0:52:49of younger buyer in many instances, who are using these pieces..
0:52:49 > 0:52:51- Yeah, trendy. It is now, isn't it? Trendy.- That's it.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54I don't want to be trendy, I've never been trendy in my life.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56Nigel, you are the epicentre of trendy.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58- No, I'm not, no, no, no. - With that hat, come on.- No.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02HORN BLOWS
0:53:02 > 0:53:04- Open for business. Sale on. - BLOWS HORN
0:53:04 > 0:53:07The artistic types that frequent this part of town don't
0:53:07 > 0:53:11follow trends, they set them, and taxidermy is in vogue.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15I love the Bambi. Fell in love with it.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17And, it seems, not just for the home.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19You're going to sew it on the back of a coat?
0:53:19 > 0:53:24- Yeah, potentially, I don't know whether it's too heavy. - Today is a two-pronged attack.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27While Janice and I man the stall... £125.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31Nigel and I are off to the pub to see two men about a dog,
0:53:31 > 0:53:35a cockerel, a ram's head and a crocodile. Here we go. Hello.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38- Hello, hello.- Nice to see you. This is Nigel.- Hello.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42Kevin and Fraser are owners of this trendy gastropub.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44It's just one of a growing number that are using
0:53:44 > 0:53:47taxidermy as an eye-catching ploy to pull in the punters.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Wow, Nigel, this is pretty amazing, isn't it?
0:53:53 > 0:53:55Wow, I've got some competition.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59Can I just ask you, two lovely young chaps as you are...
0:53:59 > 0:54:01- Why, thank you. - What got you into taxidermy?
0:54:01 > 0:54:03It started off by picking up furniture for the pubs,
0:54:03 > 0:54:06because a lot of the furniture is relatively old.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08So we bought pieces
0:54:08 > 0:54:12and then the same people who sell that had the odd piece of taxidermy.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16- Yes, but it's interesting, isn't it, the aesthetic of a pub is sort of leather, wood...- Yeah.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19- And...and...- Yeah. - Fits in with the area, doesn't it?
0:54:19 > 0:54:21- Taxidermy seems to fit in with it, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24It's become a much more popular thing for pubs to do.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28Jays always come in pairs and I've got a jay.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30- So this would make up your pair. - Yeah.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32- Do they look like they might get on? - Maybe.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36- How much are they?- £125.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39- Look at that.- That's a head.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43Every single piece, of course, is unique.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46- Wow, they're real.- They're real, exactly, this is the real deal.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49- Last piece. Ram's head. - A ram's head.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51- Lovely.- Are they speaking to you?
0:54:51 > 0:54:54- They're staring at me. - Yeah, that one is!- Every single one.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57- Will you do them for £80? - So what are we looking at?
0:54:57 > 0:55:00The fighting cock I was hoping for sort of £600 to £650.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02Well, that about £500,
0:55:02 > 0:55:05that £295 and that, I think, is an absolute steal at £250.
0:55:05 > 0:55:09- £100.- OK. Yeah, fine.- Yeah? OK.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11If we said £1,500 for the lot?
0:55:11 > 0:55:15I think in this pocket I might only have about £1,250.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18What time does the pub open? Because we can wait for you to take some money.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21I want to take care of Bambino.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23- Excellent.- Great.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25- I'll shake hands at £1,450. - He's merciless.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28We haven't brought rubbish, we've brought good stuff.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31- Yeah, you have a deal. Thank you very much. - Thank you very much. Lovely.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34- £110 cash.- OK, that's brilliant. Thank you very much.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36- That's fine, all right. - £50 it is.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39- Thank you, I wish you all the best with the...- Excellent work.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43- Hope they keep your business going well.- I hope it keeps you nice and warm.- Yeah, I guess so.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45I'd like to see him when he's finished it.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48- Perhaps he'll send us a photograph. - Cutlass in hand.- Yes.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55We need to have a little tot-up. You two first.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59- £1,450.- £1,450 for the four. - Yeah.- OK, Janice, how did we do?
0:55:59 > 0:56:01We're up to £450.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03- So that's..- £1,900. - Just shy of two grand.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05- Good day out.- Come on.- Yeah.
0:56:05 > 0:56:09- That's a third of the giraffe. - Good day out.- It is, yeah. - That's legs, tail and left flank.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12- Yeah, that's right, yeah.- Other than that it's a head and shoulder mount.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15- That's pretty good though, isn't it? - It's brilliant.- That's exciting.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18- We had a good day out and we have taken some money.- Yeah.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24After a hard day selling, we might not have raised enough
0:56:24 > 0:56:27for Nigel's giraffe, but perhaps we can still give him
0:56:27 > 0:56:30some good news with the valuation of his collection.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33Can you remind us how much you paid for your collection?
0:56:33 > 0:56:35£100,000.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38- £100,000. £100,000?- Mm.
0:56:38 > 0:56:43Our valuers put a price on the head of each of his 500-plus animals
0:56:43 > 0:56:46and it's time to share the tally with Nigel.
0:56:46 > 0:56:51Your collection of taxidermy is worth around £175,000.
0:56:51 > 0:56:56- LAUGHS - Well done.- Lovely.- Brilliant stuff.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58There's more news than that.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00Our valuer feels that if you are able to sell them
0:57:00 > 0:57:06at the height of their market, the top end of the estimate range he gave us was just over £210,000.
0:57:07 > 0:57:08Oh, blimey!
0:57:11 > 0:57:15Amongst Nigel's collection are some ferociously good investments.
0:57:15 > 0:57:20This sought after Rowland Ward leopard posing on a branch was bought for £2,000.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24It's now worth up to £5,000.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28And Nigel's unforgettable centrepiece, one of only a handful in the country,
0:57:28 > 0:57:31the nine foot standing polar bear.
0:57:31 > 0:57:36It originally cost £6,000 but could now fetch a cool £15,000.
0:57:36 > 0:57:37I'm delighted with the result,
0:57:37 > 0:57:41but it's actually the future that's the most exciting aspect to me.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45These things are just beginning to be appreciated by a new audience.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49- Chosen well, Nigel, haven't you? - Hmm, it's been worthwhile then, hasn't it?- You've bought well.
0:57:49 > 0:57:55- Excellent.- So, Nigel, Janice, thank you so much for letting us loose on your collection.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00'Having left Dr Doolittle with less animals that do little,
0:58:00 > 0:58:03'we've also helped his wife Janice win back part of her home.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05'Not bad for a day's work.'
0:58:05 > 0:58:10- Mark. Do you realise you've got a skunk on your head?- Where?
0:58:12 > 0:58:18Next week, the man who's had to buy the house next door to house his collection, but still has no room.
0:58:18 > 0:58:20Not more than 2cm apart.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22- Ah, it goes on forever.- Where?
0:58:22 > 0:58:25The Star Wars fanatic with the 35,000 piece collection.
0:58:25 > 0:58:28- I've threatened him with skips before.- It has gotten out of hand.
0:58:28 > 0:58:31And the woman who will be blown away by the value.
0:58:31 > 0:58:32You're joking? Really?