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00:02It's a truth universally acknowledged that no one does antiques quite like the British.
00:10And nowhere in Britain does antiques quite like the English Riviera.
00:15It is the antique capital of the UK.
00:18In this sunny corner of the world that sparkles with opportunity.
00:23Who knows what could be in here?
00:27Where trading in treasure makes the world go round.
00:30That's fantastic.
00:32Attracting customers from far and wide.
00:34Wow, look at that. That's pretty cool.
00:37Whether buying.
00:38I'm happy at 500.
00:41Or selling.
00:42If the price is right, everything's for sale.
00:45There's a dealer for every type of antique here.
00:48Wouldn't it be marvellous if it was a real Picasso?
00:51Some do it for love.
00:52If anyone ever asks me what my job title is, I'm actually a treasure hunter.
00:55£14.
00:56Really?
00:57Others for the money.
00:58If we were in the region of say five to six thousand.
01:00I would have thought it should go for more than that.
01:02It's more than just a job.
01:03There's a little bit of me in the shop and there's a little bit of everything.
01:06It's a way of life.
01:08A state of mind.
01:11Welcome to the Antiques Riviera.
01:25Like bees to a honeypot, the Antiques Riviera attracts hunters and sellers from across these hallowed isles.
01:32Do you think that's Wixom over there?
01:35Looks like we're getting close.
01:37Absolutely stunning.
01:40It's where dealers gather.
01:42I would say 300.
01:46300 will have them.
01:48And collectors congregate.
01:49Oh, Mr Bond.
01:51What?
01:51I've been expecting you.
01:53Or looking for those unique pieces of history.
01:56That's fantastic.
01:57I've never seen that before.
02:00At the right price.
02:02Best price on the box is a 90.
02:05What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
02:09What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
02:11What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
02:14Steeped in maritime history.
02:19And home to former QE2 steward and nautical specialist, Bob.
02:23I retired in 2014 and I decided that I didn't want to sit at home.
02:29So I thought I'd try a little antique shop.
02:32Or should that be cafe?
02:38I've always been very keen on antiques, especially marine antiques.
02:44And it developed into this.
02:46I wanted to create something that's unique.
02:49I wanted to create something where people could come and view
02:52and look around and the wow factor.
02:56This is my favourite piece.
02:58The blanket is from the Olympic, which is a sister ship to the Titanic.
03:02I wanted to be able to let them use the antiques.
03:06Some of the china we use and some of our specialist afternoon teas is antique.
03:11It's over 120 years old.
03:13Persis rum, made in Tortoa in the Caribbean.
03:16It was made for the Royal Navy primarily.
03:19Do you love rum?
03:21I love it.
03:23Personally.
03:24Cheers.
03:25Bottoms up, Bob.
03:28Fresh arrivals to the Riviera are landlubbers Amy and Laura, and they have treasure to sell.
03:34Look at the pirate boat.
03:36That's interesting.
03:37I don't know what's on that.
03:38Pirates?
03:39Yeah.
03:41Or drunken sailors perhaps.
03:45I wonder if it's down here, do you think?
03:47Oh no, that's a tea room.
03:49Oh no, it is.
03:50There's antiques as well.
03:52It's all about antiquing in style on the Riviera.
03:56Hello.
03:56Good morning.
03:57Good morning.
03:57Good morning.
03:58Table for two?
03:59We've got some antiques we'd like to sell.
04:01You'd like to see the owner?
04:03Yes.
04:04Would you like to come with me?
04:06Laura and Amy are two sisters from Froome in Somerset.
04:10They're making the 200 mile round trip to the Riviera in honour of their dad.
04:15I think when I was a baby, he used to manage our local football team.
04:20The deal was that he was allowed to carry on doing that, but he had to take me.
04:24So I think at six months old, I used to be propped in the kit bag.
04:27Or like being, you know, those massive old prams.
04:30I'd be in one of them.
04:31He'd be like managing and one of the subs would have to run me up and down the line if
04:34I was crying.
04:41Laura and Amy lost their father during the Covid pandemic and found that he'd left them an intriguing slice of
04:47family history.
04:50We had two weeks to clear out the flat.
04:53And like, as we were going through all of the stuff, we found like a plastic box and we kind
04:57of opened it up.
04:59We were like, oh!
05:03When we tell our friends we've got it, they can't believe it.
05:06I think someone that would want to buy our item, someone that's probably a royalist and like, you know, has
05:12royal memorabilia already.
05:14Yeah.
05:14I think that would be the type of person that would probably, it would mean something to them, because it
05:19is a piece of history, really.
05:21Well, if it's a dealer with a penchant for pomp and ceremony you're after, Bob's Coffee Shop and Antiques Emporium
05:27looks like a grand place to start.
05:29Hi, I'm Bob.
05:30Amy.
05:31Nice to meet you.
05:31Hi, Amy.
05:32Hi, Laura.
05:33Nice to meet you.
05:33How are you doing?
05:34I'm all right.
05:35So, what have you got for me then?
05:37We think we've got something quite interesting for you today.
05:39OK.
05:40We love interesting.
05:42It's quite unusual, isn't it?
05:44Yeah.
05:44Very unique.
05:45Has it got a nautical flavour?
05:46Yeah, what is in that bag?
05:49Oh, you brought your lunch?
05:50Yeah.
05:51I'm not sure I'd want to eat it.
05:53What on earth is this?
05:55Buckingham Palace.
05:57Oh, I know what this is.
06:01You're brave.
06:04Inside the lunchbox are three slices of royal wedding cake, but are they Bob's cup of tea?
06:09Oh, look at that.
06:11That is amazing.
06:12Look at the condition.
06:13The smell.
06:14That's superb.
06:16Well, I've never had cake as old as this in the cafe before, and it smelled like old socks.
06:23But it's piqued my interest because it's the royal family, and I love anything to do with the royal family.
06:34Yeah, we've got three different slices.
06:36Wow.
06:36From different weddings.
06:37Yeah.
06:38Three slices.
06:39Oh, you are blessed.
06:43First out of the box is Princess Anne and Mark Phillips' 1973 wedding cake.
06:48She's eaten a bit.
06:51That's like Anne.
06:52Yes, I can imagine she would.
06:54Followed by...
06:55A and S.
06:56Yeah.
06:56Andrew and Sarah.
06:57So can you guess whose wedding that one was?
06:59Charles and Diana.
07:00C and D.
07:01Who is that?
07:02Charles and Diana.
07:03Yeah.
07:04Charles and Diana had over 20 wedding cakes, but the one served at their reception at Buckingham Palace was a
07:10traditional fruit cake with a naval twist.
07:14As a nod to the then Prince of Wales time in the forces, it was created by the Royal Navy's
07:19Chief Petty Officer, David Avery.
07:22It was a super yacht of a cake.
07:25Standing at five feet tall, the five tiers tipped the scales at 130 kilos, roughly the weight of a ship's
07:31piano.
07:34Now, what's the...
07:35That's all about it.
07:37I was rather hoping you got one from Wallis Simpson's wedding.
07:41Now, that would have been really megabucks.
07:44But more likely to be found on the French Riviera than this one.
07:51The Antiques Riviera stretches along 22 miles of sunny Devonshire coastline and nestles up into the shadows of Dartmoor, where
08:00you'll find the market town of Ashburton.
08:10Lydia owns In A Nutshell on the High Street.
08:13She's often out and about buying antiques for her carefully curated shop.
08:18When I'm in the workshop or out buying or delivering, my mum Lorraine covers the shop for me.
08:26She has been working with me for about three or four years now, and it's brilliant.
08:33Oh, she'll be here any minute. She'll be here any minute. She will walk in the door as glamorous as
08:38ever.
08:39She does not come from a sales background, but she absolutely loves talking to people.
08:45She could talk the hind legs off a donkey, and that is fantastic.
08:50Do you remember that time you swam with Newfoundlands?
08:52I do.
08:53You had to pretend to be drowning so that a Newfoundland could save you.
08:57Yeah.
08:57You and your little pirate T-shirt.
09:00Oh.
09:01You look so cute.
09:02This is why they say don't employ your mother.
09:04I know.
09:04Mums know all the secrets and have very long memories.
09:14Wending their way into the Riviera are another glamorous mother and daughter duo, Anne and Kerry.
09:20It's absolutely stunning.
09:22Oh.
09:23That's why they call it the Riviera.
09:26Yeah.
09:26Gosh.
09:28They have a car full of heirlooms to sell and hope they hold more than just sentimental value.
09:39Gosh, what's that noise?
09:42I hope it's not the plates in the back.
09:44I don't know when I look at the little smash.
09:48Are we trying to sell a mosaic?
09:50No.
09:50Not plates.
09:52Anne and Kerry need to turn their treasure into cash and are looking for a dealer who will
09:57offer them a good price for their items.
09:59But will anyone want to buy what they have in their boot?
10:02I love them and I know a bit about them, but they're not something I'd buy.
10:16Hey, you all right?
10:17Hello.
10:18How you doing?
10:23Antique enthusiasts travel near and far to try their luck in the Antiques Riviera.
10:27So what do you think then?
10:29It's an interesting collection.
10:38Making their way with a boot full of heirlooms to sell are mother and daughter Anne and Kerry.
10:44We finally arrived.
10:47And it's sunny and that's the day.
10:49Beautiful day, yeah.
10:49It's great.
10:51After a long journey from South Wales, they're refuelling before they hit the Antiques Trail.
10:56You can't come to Devon and not have a cream to you.
10:59Jam first.
11:00I prefer the jam first.
11:01But I'm not telling anybody here because we're in Devon.
11:04You're in good company.
11:06The late Queen took her scones jam first too.
11:09I can't wait now to hit the antique shops.
11:12I think we've exhausted the ones in Wales.
11:15Both ladies were encouraged in their antiquing habit by Anne's husband, Paul.
11:18We used to like to go to antique fairs, hence the collection of antiques I've got.
11:23The pair spent 30 years building their collection and life together.
11:28There was just one thing they felt was missing.
11:30We decided to get married at Christmas and it was magical, wasn't it?
11:35One of the best days of my life, apart from you being born, my dear.
11:38But nine years later, as the couple were planning a second honeymoon, tragedy struck.
11:47Well, it's not been easy, as you know, losing Paul.
11:52I am sorry.
11:56You sink or swim and you get knocked down, you get up again.
12:01And this is what we'd like to do now, is to try and make some money to do that trip
12:07in memory of Paul.
12:10Anne's grand plan is to take Kerry and her husband, Geraint, on a no-expense-spared cruise to celebrate Paul's
12:16life.
12:17I wonder how much we need to raise, really, for this cruise.
12:21Quite a lot.
12:21I would think about 8,000.
12:25That much.
12:26Fingers crossed the Antiques Riviera will deliver.
12:38You never know what your day is going to hold being an antique dealer.
12:42It's the surprise of not knowing who you're going to meet, what you're going to see.
12:50Ashburton is home to a dozen antique shops, eight of them nestled shoulder-to-shoulder along the High Street.
13:01Just lovely, isn't it?
13:03That looks a lovely antique shop.
13:05Our Welsh mother-daughter duo have plenty to choose from.
13:09Every shop in Ashburton is different.
13:11You won't walk into two shops that look the same.
13:13We all have our different interests, our different styles.
13:17I think it boils down to the fact we all buy what we like.
13:21And we all like different things.
13:24Lydia's antique shop has caught our seller's eye.
13:28Hello.
13:29Good morning.
13:30Hi there, I'm Lydia.
13:31And I'm Anne.
13:32Nice to meet you Anne.
13:32This is my daughter Kerry.
13:34Hi Kerry.
13:34Hello, and I'm Lorraine.
13:35In a nutshell, Antiques is a big shop in the centre of Ashburton, specialising in furniture, lighting, paintings, some smaller
13:45pieces as well, like ceramics and silver.
13:48It's varied, and there's nothing I'd say I wouldn't buy.
13:52But will Lydia buy all of Anne and Kerry's booty today?
13:57These are beautiful.
14:00Proper...
14:00It's a Welsh tapestry.
14:01Yeah, proper Welsh blanket all the way from Wales.
14:04Yeah.
14:05You don't see these very often, actually, outside of Wales.
14:08No, you don't.
14:08So it's lovely.
14:09Are they pieces you've had a long time?
14:11Are they from my son-in-law's family?
14:14Yeah.
14:14Is that your husband's side of the family?
14:16My husband's side, yes.
14:16His grandmother and possibly great-grandmother.
14:19Oh, fantastic.
14:20Being passed down through the generations.
14:25Welch blankets, or caffini, to give them their proper name, date back to the Middle Ages.
14:30They're also known as tapestry because of their thick, double-layered weave, and would adorn marriage beds, swaddle babies, and
14:38be passed down from generation to generation, just like Kerry's were.
14:43They look in lovely condition as well, you've looked after them.
14:47Kim, this one looks big as well.
14:49It is quite big.
14:51Everybody loves a blanket, everybody needs a blanket, and you couldn't get better ones than this.
14:57They are all handmade, they're all 100% wool, some have got their original labels in.
15:03I've heard of some really rare, really early blankets fetching six, seven hundred pounds.
15:09They would be very, very special ones.
15:12It's got to have the age, the rarity, and the colours.
15:16Kerry's blankets are mid-century, so won't come on quite that much, but are highly sought after nonetheless.
15:22The blankets are fantastic.
15:24I really like those, and it would be nice to be able to sell a little bit of whales down
15:29here in Devon.
15:30I think people are going to really like them.
15:32I've put prices on each of the blankets, and the total for the collection came to 1,200.
15:39Right.
15:41Did Lydia's shop just turn very chilly?
15:45Ooh, chuck me a blanket.
15:5420 miles away, as the gull flies, is the fishing town of Brixham.
15:58For 300 years, its distinctive cottages have been a beacon to weary trollermen.
16:03Now they welcome in the tourists, as four and a half million pass through the Riviera each year.
16:12Laura and Amy have made their way here from Froome in Somerset to Bob's Antique Shop, hoping to sell some
16:17pieces of royal wedding cake left to them by their father.
16:21This is a good collection.
16:23Yeah.
16:24And, you know, tell me why you wanted to part with it.
16:26When our dad passed away, it was, not much was left, you know, that we could cherish and keep hold
16:33of for myself, my sister and our daughter.
16:35So we're more of a memory type of family. We like to make memories.
16:41The funnest time for me growing up was our family holidays in Spain.
16:45My mum and dad are both quite silly and fun.
16:48So, you know, that's probably where we get it from.
16:50But it's like, you know, that's get three weeks with your fun parents kind of thing.
16:55Yeah.
16:56But sadly, not all their memories of their father are quite as joyful.
17:00So the last few years in my dad's life were pretty tough.
17:03Yeah.
17:04He struggled with addiction and mental health problems.
17:06He wasn't the person we grew up with.
17:08Yeah.
17:08When he died, we'd already lost the man that he was, basically.
17:13We'd already grieved.
17:14Unfortunately, the last memories sort of overclouded sometimes, the beginning memories.
17:20Yeah.
17:25So we were hoping to use the money that we get from this to take my daughter to Disneyland
17:30and make a memory to be for my dad.
17:32Present from granddad.
17:33Yeah, exactly.
17:34Well, I've got to be honest, I'm fascinated by this and I love it.
17:39And it would, you know, I would love, as a collector and a collector of royal memorabilia,
17:43I would love it at home.
17:45But from your point of view, I think you would probably be better maybe take it into one of the
17:52antique dealers in Ashburton.
17:54And although we do love the royal family, and I do like cake.
17:59Don't we all?
18:00I'm not going to make you an offer today.
18:02I must admit, it's the most expensive piece of cake I've seen.
18:06And smelly it.
18:07Yeah.
18:11If Amy and Laura had brought the cake in and said, this is a wedding cake made aboard the
18:19royal yacht, my eyes would open and I would say, yes, I'm interested in this.
18:24But I can't get too eclectic with my collection.
18:29So I turned them down.
18:31But yes, I was very tempted.
18:33Oh, just had a thought.
18:35Before you go, we're doing a royal yacht afternoon tea and we would love you to come.
18:41How would you like that?
18:42Oh, it sounds lovely.
18:43Yeah.
18:44You needn't bring cake.
18:46Okay?
18:47Yeah, brilliant.
18:48Bye.
18:48I'll send you an invitation.
18:50Yeah.
18:54With the cake safely back in their boxes, the sisters are taking the antiques trail half
18:58an hour inland.
19:04And in anticipation for Amy and Laura's return for high tea, Bob's checking his service is
19:09ship shape and Bristol fashion.
19:15This set is absolutely magnificent.
19:18It's beautiful.
19:19It's going to look fantastic with our Royal Yacht afternoon tea.
19:25The latest offering we've got in the chart room is the Royal Yacht Britannia Deluxe High Tea.
19:33This is going to be the pinnacle of our high teas.
19:36We wanted to do something that we could incorporate genuine antiques.
19:42So this particular tea will be the tea that you might expect if you were royalty.
19:47And we will be pulling out all the stops, the opulence and splendour of early steamship
19:53travel and all our antiques coming together to create a special event for a special occasion.
20:04Over in Ashburton, Anne and Kerry are still unpacking their vast collection from Wales.
20:12I've got some willow pattern plates.
20:15OK.
20:15They're Georgian.
20:16Yeah.
20:17They are Welsh pottery.
20:19I'm bringing all the Welsh things here today.
20:21Excellent.
20:21That's good.
20:21It's Dillwyn, China, from the Swansea pottery.
20:26Fantastic.
20:27Oh, I'd love to see that.
20:28Yeah.
20:30They belonged to Anne's globetrotting great-great-grandparents, who took the plates with them to America
20:36in the 1830s, then brought them back again.
20:41Oh, yeah, they're lovely.
20:42They're in the traditional willow pattern.
20:44Oh, yes.
20:45Willow was so popular, often people mistake them for Chinese plates.
20:50That's right.
20:50But very much English, or Welsh in this case.
20:53Yes, yes.
20:53And there was such an influence of Chinese sort of culture in the 18th, 19th centuries, that
20:59then the British potteries started to make, copy the designs.
21:04They're in excellent condition.
21:06Anne had the plates valued a while ago, and has high hopes for a tidy sum.
21:10Fantastic as a set.
21:14It's not the most valuable thing in the world.
21:17Oh, dear.
21:18Yeah.
21:18It might potentially hold more sort of almost sentimental family value to you with the sort
21:24of history behind it.
21:26I'd be offering you £80 for the set on those plates.
21:31I was offered £80 for a pair.
21:34Wow.
21:35Yeah.
21:35Do you think there's a better market potentially in Wales for the Swansea Pottery maybe?
21:40I don't really know.
21:41It can be difficult sometimes to say to someone, actually, something's not worth a great deal
21:47of money, when you know to them it means a lot.
21:50We deal with a lot of emotions, and you have got to be careful.
22:04Oh, wow.
22:05Look at all these antique shops there.
22:08So many.
22:09With Lydia navigating tricky offers in her shop, Laura and Amy are exploring the other
22:15end of the high street in the hopes of finding a buyer for their royal wedding cakes.
22:22This looks like a good one.
22:25Hi.
22:25How are you doing?
22:26I'm Laura.
22:27Oh, hi.
22:27Nice to meet you.
22:28Amy.
22:29Amy, nice to meet you.
22:29I'm Jordan.
22:30This is my shop.
22:32Jordan is one of the newest dealers in the Antiques Riviera.
22:35I've had the shop for a little over a year now.
22:39And in that year, it has grown and it has changed so much.
22:43It was a pet shop before.
22:44There was a slight odour of treats, shall we say.
22:49And the neighbourhood dogs still walk past and try to pull their owners in.
22:55But today, it's the whiff of opportunity drawing Laura and Amy in.
23:02Huh?
23:02When you, like, first open the box...
23:04It's like a mist.
23:05It is, yeah.
23:07Yeah, like a funky old garage, I would say.
23:09Do you know what I mean?
23:10Like when you...
23:11Yeah.
23:11Yeah.
23:14The sisters' smelly slices of royal wedding cake are accompanied by programmes from the
23:18ceremonies, as well as precious photographs of their parents with step-grandfather Frank.
23:24We inherited them from my dad, who actually inherited them from his mum.
23:29Yep.
23:29And his step-dad was a yeoman guard for the Queen.
23:31Oh, wonderful.
23:32You can't get better provenance than that.
23:34Yeah.
23:35Other than Charles walking in here and saying, I found this in the freezer.
23:39Yeah.
23:40So that one, yeah.
23:41Oh, fantastic.
23:41So that's Frank there, with our mum and our dad.
23:45Oh, wow.
23:45Wow.
23:46And then we've got an older one there.
23:48Frank there.
23:49I myself spent some time in the Guards, so I...
23:52Oh, wow.
23:53Yeah.
23:53Well, I've met Charles, I'm a bit too young to meet Diana.
23:57Oh, wow.
23:58Yeah.
23:59Looking at Frank's rack of medals, he's been on quite a few campaigns.
24:03Yeah.
24:03Oh, right, yeah.
24:04He's had quite a long career in history there.
24:07Yeah.
24:08Got Second World War campaign medals.
24:10Yeah.
24:10So being in the Guards and having the campaign medals, he probably saw something
24:15some really pivotal bits of history in the war, and you might be shocked to find he's
24:22probably a little bit of a war hero, not just a nutcracker as he would appear.
24:30The King's bodyguard of the Yeoman of the Guard, to give them their full title, began as
24:35the monarch's personal protection A-Team.
24:38The unit was created by Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, when the Tudor
24:43dynasty began.
24:45It's been running ever since, making it the oldest military corps in Britain.
24:52Yeah.
24:52That's really amazing to find out, really, isn't it, for us?
24:55Because we don't have known any of that.
24:56Yeah.
24:56This is kind of the history that we have for it, so to know more.
25:00Yeah.
25:00Yeah, it's really interesting.
25:01There's always a bigger picture to what's going on.
25:03Yeah, yeah.
25:03Yeah.
25:04You know, zooming out from a commercial point of view is probably an alright time to
25:09kind of sell and buy these sort of things.
25:10Yeah.
25:11And I think to have the opportunity to own it is a privilege someone will pay for.
25:15Yeah.
25:17Erm...
25:17I feel a but coming.
25:20It's going to be a hard one for me to sell.
25:22There it is.
25:23I would try and sell them myself at 500 each.
25:26Yeah.
25:27So I would try and offer you 300 apiece.
25:30Whereas I would recommend put these out on the open market in a good auction house,
25:35strong reserve, and see what they do, you know?
25:38Okay, great.
25:39Yeah.
25:40I think...
25:40I think £900 for all three slices is a fair, strong offer for today, as it's a very niche
25:46item.
25:47I have a connection with previously being a guardsman myself, but I've always got to
25:52remember this is a business at the end of the day, and I'm doing this to make a profit.
25:55You know, if I can help someone along the way as part of that, it's always going to be a
26:00bonus.
26:01Fascinating to learn about Frank's medals, because that's nothing that we knew about.
26:06Not just the cakes, the history of Frank was amazing to learn.
26:09Yeah.
26:09So, I mean, it was quite interesting that Jordan made us an offer of, like, £300 each.
26:14Yeah, and it wasn't a bad offer either, I wouldn't have said.
26:16However, I think it was really helpful that he was honest and auction was our best way forward.
26:21Yeah.
26:21When an opportunity gets given to you to have a look at an item like this, even just to see
26:27it, it's always a pleasure, and it's a piece of history you can put in your pocket.
26:32Maybe not a pocket, actually, let's rephrase that.
26:35Eh, eh, eh, eh!
26:39That was really good!
26:41It's really good for you to have to be a big part of it.
26:41Bye, bye.
26:41Bye!
26:42Bye!
26:42Bye!
26:42Bye!
26:42Bye!
26:46Bye!
26:47Bye!
26:48Bye!
26:49Bye!
26:51Bye!
26:53Bye!
26:56Bye!
27:05invented the holiday. Set back from the russet sands of Paynton seafront lies a
27:11slightly less picturesque warehouse. But don't judge this book by its cover.
27:17If anyone ever asks me what my job title is, I'm actually a treasure hunter.
27:21Dan runs NLB auctions in Paynton. It's just like I don't dig holes and look for
27:27the, you know, the big red X on the floor. Quite often the treasure is just
27:30heading in a drawer in a house somewhere. Dan and his team specialise in
27:34contemporary treasures and are often called upon to unearth the valuable in
27:38house clearances. We've recently just sold a first edition, first impression Harry
27:46Potter book that basically came out of someone's bin. We found it in a job and
27:50that was like £22,000 that we basically extracted out of the bin before we left the job.
27:57Here we are. Auctions. Yeah. I'm excited to see you. Yeah, yeah.
28:06Hello there. You alright? Hi. How you doing? How you doing? How you doing? Daniel, how can I help?
28:10Amy and Laura are hoping Dan's unconventional methods might be just what they need to sell
28:15their royal wedding cakes. Did you try any? No. That's the first. They do smell a little funky.
28:25Maybe a little too unconventional, Dan.
28:28These are the wedding programs. Oh, the programs. Yeah. So they come with the wedding programs themselves.
28:34Yeah, this will be, this is like the hymn book and the song book for while you're like in the
28:37church. Yeah.
28:38And this one is the order of events for the day. Did he attend all of the weddings?
28:43I'd imagine he would have done and Frank because, yeah, he was the bodyguard around these times.
28:49But my mum did say they were told that if you do anything, Frank will even kill his own family
28:55to save the Queen. It's like, there's no second question about it. Yeah, yeah, his job is to protect the
29:02royal family.
29:03Friend, family or foe? Yeah, yeah. Frank is going to get you. Yeah.
29:07The Yeoman Guard was created to be an impenetrable force protecting the monarchy,
29:11but Dan's keen to break down some of the mystery around our star soldier.
29:16Let's find out something about Frank. Yeah, yeah. Let's see if we can find out why he's this guy.
29:21Let's do it to Prince Philip. Digging into the history surrounding the items helps Dan check the facts
29:27and confirm their provenance. A strong backstory could really help market these quirky slices of royal memorabilia.
29:35So, I'm hoping that this gentleman was, er, Frank Pickford? Yeah! Yeah?
29:42Wow! Well, Frank Pickford is actually introducing a gentleman called Staff Sergeant Artie Millmore.
29:47This is 1953, and, er, yeah, he's actually personally introducing him to, er, to Prince Philip.
29:52But, er, yeah, he must have been a gentleman of some serious importance,
29:55cos, er, he's within, let's say, three feet... Wow! ..of the Duke Edinburgh.
29:59Uh, and, er, well, he's introducing people to him, so... Yeah.
30:04That's pretty exciting! Yeah, really exciting! Yeah, really exciting!
30:06I think having the, er, the provenance with the cakes, er, the photographs,
30:11I think the story, er, will give them traction in the auction house.
30:16Er, so those that are really into, er, royal heritage, er, and royal collectibles
30:21will be interested that they've come from, from a figure that was so close to the royal family.
30:26Er, so they will, it will help in terms of, er, drawing attention.
30:29I'm not sure if it will affect the value massively, but, er, it's still interesting nevertheless.
30:39Antique shops come in all shapes and sizes on the Riviera,
30:41where there's a place to sell every type of treasure.
30:48In Ashburton, even more heirlooms have appeared from the boot of Anne's car.
30:53Might this lead to an offer she and daughter Kerry are happy with?
30:56Let's have a look. I've got some hatch pins, silver hatch pins.
30:59Oh, excellent! Oh, wow, quite a collection.
31:03I love the, er, the pin cushion as well.
31:06Great, let's have a look.
31:10Hat pins are so nice. They're, they're from such a different era, aren't they?
31:15I couldn't imagine, sort of, wearing them now, but they were really commonplace.
31:20They were nice to collect because they don't take a lot of room up in the house.
31:23Yeah. Oh, that's great, there's a pig!
31:26It's my favourite.
31:27You can see a hallmark on him as well. I'm fairly sure that he's nine carat.
31:30Yes, but he's got little diamond eyes.
31:32Oh, fantastic.
31:34So that's going to appeal to a lot of people, hat pin collectors,
31:37but also there's lots of, um, people who collect animals and pigs.
31:41Yeah. So that's super.
31:43That's a gold. Another little gold one.
31:46Just a little gold one. Yeah, a lob on the top.
31:49Really nice collection.
31:52So far, Anne and Kerry have offered blankets, plates and antique hat pins,
31:56but there's more to come.
31:58Have we gone through everything in the, in the bags?
32:01I've got, no. Anything left?
32:01Anything left? Oh, go on.
32:03I've got, never ended. It's like a magician's hat.
32:08And Anne is conjuring quite the horde,
32:11from boating and riding hats, to a clock,
32:14cranberry glassware and silver miniatures.
32:18There's certainly lots of pieces that I'm interested in buying,
32:21so it just comes down to price on things now.
32:25Lydia has already offered £1,200 for Kerry's Welsh blankets
32:29and is now totting up Anne's vast collection.
32:32Um, so the silver, that little group there, I priced up at £200.
32:36OK.
32:37All of the hat pins and the little pin cushion came out at 270.
32:45Then we've got a couple of other bits.
32:47I came to £1,960.
32:49That's for everything?
32:51Yes.
32:51But the plates then were...
32:53Plates.
32:53...80.
32:54Yes.
32:54That's the best you can do on the plates.
32:56I knew she was going to haggle.
32:58I've got £1,960.
33:00Well, look, how about if I round it up to around £2,000?
33:04Yes.
33:05Nice and easy to remember.
33:06Yeah.
33:06Um, there are of course other shops in Ashburton,
33:09lots of dealers here on the sort of antiques trail.
33:12If you want to have a chat with any of them, you're very welcome to.
33:15I'd love you to come back.
33:16I'd love to buy it all.
33:17But yeah, take your time and have a think.
33:21I was quite happy to offer Kerry and Anne a price for the whole lot.
33:26There are some bits in there that I am more keen on than others.
33:32Particularly, I'd like to get the blankets and some of the hat pins.
33:36But it's nice to be able to give them the option
33:38to be able to sell everything together.
33:40Really nice and easy.
33:41I like hat pins though.
33:42Didn't the suffragettes use them as weapons?
33:44Yes, they did.
33:45I love that.
33:46They're so sharp, aren't they?
33:47You can see.
33:48Good old suffragettes.
33:49Yeah.
33:50Amazing.
33:52Good old suffragettes indeed.
33:54Emmeline Pankhurst once had to claim sanctuary in a Riviera sweet shop
33:58whilst fleeing an angry anti-suffrage mob.
34:01A hat pin or two would have been quite handy.
34:11At Dan's auction house in Paynton, Amy and Laura are discovering more about their step-grandfather,
34:17Frank.
34:18There you go.
34:19Would you like another photo of him?
34:20Yeah.
34:21There you go.
34:24He enlisted at 18 years old, so he'd been in World War II when he was 23, 24, so 25
34:30years,
34:31discharged in 1957 from the Coldstream Guards. He joined the Bodyguard. Five years later,
34:37he couldn't keep himself away, could he?
34:38He did nearly 50 years, 49 years of service.
34:41So the information we're finding out here, could this potentially increase the price of the cake?
34:46Erm, possibly.
34:47The more history we can get on Frank, the better the story becomes.
34:52Got his service number as well.
34:53And it's interesting that actually his history helps sell the cake,
34:58because we just thought, oh, we've got this cake, that'll be it.
35:01Valuing these unique slices of history can be tricky, because no two stories are the same.
35:07But tech-savvy Dan's not just any old expert. He's tapping into a vast digital arsenal.
35:13This here is 450 auction houses in the UK.
35:18And this is 10 years of data, and I've just literally ordered it by highest price.
35:23Yeah, yeah.
35:23And highest is 380, 340, 340. I think for Diana Cake, 250 to 400 quid is pretty reasonable.
35:29Yeah. And you probably don't want to see the price of the Andrew one, but I'll show you anyway.
35:32Yeah.
35:33Prince Andrew's cake makes 40 quid.
35:35Oh, wow.
35:37That doesn't surprise me, though.
35:39Sorry, well, that's it. We'll eat that one.
35:41Yeah, yeah.
35:43We'll eat the Andrew cake.
35:45There's better news for the rest of the collection,
35:47thanks to the memorabilia Frank saved alongside the slices.
35:51And this is where you may have some benefit, because you've got programmes.
35:55Yeah.
35:55You've got history.
35:56Yeah.
35:56That's where prices start to change, really, like, potentially drastically.
36:00Um, so if I look at these, there you go, there's 1,300 quid.
36:04Maybe.
36:04It's a bit of Charles and Diana Cake there.
36:06There's Buckingham Palace letters in there.
36:08Okay, so how much do you think they'd go as an item, then?
36:10Uh, I think as a group, uh, with the history,
36:13if we split it up into a couple of lots,
36:15you're going to be looking at somewhere between £600 and £800.
36:17Okay.
36:17I mean, we didn't really have any idea, did we?
36:21When we've come into this, we have no expectations of how little,
36:24how much we could get, so.
36:26I mean, if you want to have a think about it, then we can, you know,
36:28kind of get from there.
36:29Yeah.
36:29Awesome.
36:31If they decide to take the Royal Wedding Cakes to auction,
36:34the sisters will have to factor in selling fees of up to 9.5%.
36:39It's risk of the unknown versus the immediate reward
36:42of dealer Jordan's earlier offer.
36:45Um, I'm feeling like auction is our best option,
36:49because although Jordan offered us £900...
36:52Yeah.
36:53..and this is maybe starting slightly lower,
36:56we've got more chance that it possibly could go a bit higher,
36:59even including the fees... Yeah. ..that he's going to allow.
37:02Yeah, yeah, I think we take the risk.
37:04Yeah. Because it kind of is not that far apart... No.
37:06..in terms of a lower end.
37:08Yeah.
37:08..and we might get more, yeah.
37:11OK, so the decision made that we're going to go to auction?
37:13Yeah.
37:14It's a bold move, turning down a guaranteed £900 in the pocket,
37:18but they do say fortune favours the brave.
37:21Let's go.
37:23LAUGHTER
37:40It's midsummer on the Riviera, where tourists flock in search of antique treasures.
37:47Oh, this is unique.
37:50Different kind of shop to the other, isn't it?
37:53And where, whether they're buying or selling, they're sure of a warm welcome and a fresh scone, or two.
38:02This is the exciting bit. I haven't seen it laid out yet.
38:07In Brixham, dealer slash cafe owner Bob is planning his latest venture.
38:13The Royal Yacht Britannia afternoon tea, this will be an opportunity for passengers,
38:20customers, to join us and to experience what life was like for the Royal Family during an afternoon tea on
38:30board the Royal Yacht.
38:32He's press-ganged waitress Sue into helping him plan the perfect table setting.
38:37OK, so we've got, we'll start with the, these are Ainslie Georgian Cobalt, and these are acid gold.
38:47It's sort of almost, almost a blue, but they...
38:51Oh, in certain light, it's blue.
38:52Yeah. Oh, yeah.
38:55But it's very regal.
38:57There you go.
38:59Well, when I joined the Navy in 1971, I then realised quickly that I really wanted to see the world,
39:08and I wanted to travel on the big ships, and I was fortunate enough to get a job working on
39:14board the QE2.
39:15And I immediately started to work in the first-class area.
39:19The celebrities and the politicians and the opulence and the splendour,
39:25and all of the lovely food, and it was just something that was purely for the elite at the time.
39:33So, Bob's recreating the experience for us mere commoners with genuine antique tableware.
39:39Well, that looks perfect so far. Lovely.
39:41And a touch of silver screen glamour.
39:44Right, what goes out next?
39:46Well, this is from the set of Death on the Nile.
39:50We bought this from Pinewood Studios.
39:53And isn't the crew at set the same?
39:55Yep.
39:56Last used by Poirot himself.
39:59Well, there you go.
40:00That's more or less how it's going to look on the day.
40:02So, does it make you feel royal?
40:04Do you feel like a princess?
40:06Oh, no, I feel like the queen.
40:07As well you should.
40:10Over in Ashburton, our princesses of Wales, Anne and Kerry,
40:14are hoping to sell their car boot full of heirlooms.
40:18Didn't grandma have a coffee set like that one?
40:20She did have got it in the kitchen, in the cupboard.
40:22They want to raise as much money as they can towards an £8,000 cruise of a lifetime.
40:27Oh, hello there.
40:28You all right?
40:29Yes, I'm here. We're just having a look.
40:31You're very welcome.
40:32It's very different and usual shop.
40:35A lot of different pieces here.
40:36Well, it's a real antique shop.
40:37It is, isn't it?
40:38Yeah.
40:39It looks it.
40:39I like the name.
40:41Den of Antiquity.
40:41Den of Antiquity.
40:42Yes.
40:42Yeah, a guy came in once and said,
40:43it's the right den of iniquity.
40:45Yeah, exactly.
40:45And I said to him, I said, come in and I'll explain the shop to you.
40:48Yeah.
40:49And afterwards he said, I'm wrong, it's a den of antiquity.
40:52Yeah, it's a good name.
40:53It's a good name, yeah.
40:55Well, I suppose it's defined by what other people think of it.
40:59I mean, it's a very impactful shop.
41:01I mean, people come in and if you get it, you get it.
41:06It's like Aladdin's cave.
41:09Good gracious me.
41:10Gosh, I don't know where to look at this.
41:12I'd quite like to pass away in the shop, really, and someone lock the door and come back in a
41:18thousand years and think, my God, who was this pharaoh surrounded by his grave goods?
41:22Well, pharaoh, Anne's got a few offerings for you in the back of her car.
41:27Ah, how fantastic.
41:29It's a collection of hat pins.
41:32Ah, hat pins.
41:33They're just fashion-y hat pins, but these are silver ones.
41:39Let's have a look.
41:40Anne's had an offer on these from Lydia, but she's hoping she might get a better price with Tom.
41:45Now, that's nice, isn't it?
41:47Have you ever seen another one of those for sale?
41:48I've never seen that one before.
41:51That one I've seen, but the Welsh hat is fantastic.
41:54Is that one marked, you know?
41:55Yeah, it's marked.
41:56So, Charles Horner produced a lot of stuff.
42:00Yorkshireman, Halifax, opened his business in the 1860s, I think.
42:08At the turn of the 19th century, when hair was big and hat pins were even bigger business,
42:14Charles Horner in Halifax cornered the market.
42:16Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, their new factory was able to mass-produce hat pins to meet demand.
42:24So, they're my kind of thing. I particularly like the Welsh hat.
42:27Yeah.
42:28I will offer £350 for those. I don't know how that sits with the...
42:32It sits quite well with me.
42:34So that sits well?
42:34It does, yeah.
42:36Yeah.
42:36The blankets, plates and other household goods don't hold any interest for Tom,
42:40but just as he's about to close the boot...
42:43What have we got in here?
42:44..and silver miniatures catch his eye.
42:47The best things there for me are these.
42:49Little frames.
42:49Little frames.
42:50They're so small, aren't they?
42:51Very small.
42:53It's original photographs.
42:54They're either 1911 for the coronation,
42:57or there was a big celebration in 1935, which I think was the Silver Jubilee.
43:02So, they look a bit more 1935, but their coronation, yeah.
43:07But those are really sweet, and they would appeal to Doll's House Collector,
43:11or just a miniature silver collector.
43:14Yeah.
43:14So, looking at these bits, I'm very happy to pay £2.20 for that.
43:18Right, yes.
43:19OK, and I'm very happy to pay...
43:20What did I say on those?
43:21£3.50.
43:22£3.50.
43:23So, £2.20 and £3.50 is £5.70.
43:25Yeah.
43:25So, if you'd like £5.70 for them, I think that's a good...
43:28Good both ways.
43:29Yes, I do.
43:30I think it's a good price.
43:30Yeah.
43:31OK.
43:31I'm willing to, too.
43:32Are you?
43:32You're happy with that?
43:33I'm happy with that.
43:33Yeah, I am.
43:34All right.
43:35Thank you very much.
43:35It's been a pleasure to see all those things.
43:37And you've been very kind and informative.
43:39Well, the silver, I buy and sell a lot of silver, and I can always fit some more in.
43:44I offered them a very good price for the silver.
43:47Because I'll tell you why, because they were nice, genuine, honest people, and I really liked them.
43:50He was a really nice gentleman, wasn't he? I thought he was very informative.
43:56Lovely shop. I loved it in there.
43:57And he gave me a good price, and I was happy with that.
44:00I think they've gone to a good home.
44:04Now, all that's left for them is to return to Lydia's with their remaining items.
44:08But as the deal was for a bundle, will Lydia consider buying what's left after Tom's had his pick?
44:14Hi, Lydia.
44:15Hi, ladies.
44:17How are you?
44:18All right, thank you.
44:19Good, good. How's your day been?
44:22Good, tiring, but we've had a lovely day. It's lovely to look around Ashburton, yeah.
44:28Did you make a decision?
44:29Yes, we've had a chat. We've made a decision.
44:32Yeah.
44:33I'd like to take your offer up with a blanket, if that's okay with you.
44:37Yeah, I'm really pleased, thrilled. I really like those.
44:40I think I might actually have one of them at home.
44:41Oh, that would be fantastic. Going to a good home.
44:44Yeah, absolutely.
44:45Lovely, thank you.
44:46Yeah.
44:47That was the easy bit.
44:49Kerry sold her seven March blankets for £1,200.
44:52Now, Anne needs to convince Lydia her assortment of heirlooms is worth buying
44:56without the silver as a sweetener.
44:59I'm sorry to say, I did have a better offer on the silver.
45:02Okay.
45:03So, I've taken that, but I'm prepared to sell the rest,
45:05and I've got the little gold pin that you wanted.
45:07It's a clever move.
45:09But my favourite, yeah.
45:10Yeah, no doubt.
45:11Thank you very much.
45:12Yeah.
45:12And that's how you seal yourself a deal.
45:14Anne sold the rest of the items to Lydia for £370.
45:19You must both be pleased.
45:20Be very pleased.
45:21Good.
45:22We're a step nearer to our holiday.
45:24Absolutely, yeah.
45:25You can start booking that now, can't you?
45:29Anne and Kerry are heading back to Wales with an empty boot and a full purse.
45:33They've raised a total of £2,140 towards their cruise of a lifetime.
45:47As the Riviera shuts up shop for the day, Amy and Laura's box full of royal wedding cakes
45:52are being safely tucked away by Dan ahead of their auction.
45:59But as the auction day dawns...
46:01I have the ladies in the room with me here that they belong to.
46:04Will the sisters regret gambling on the gavel?
46:07Princess Diana cake here.
46:08I do have a bid with me.
46:11And will they be celebrating or drowning their sorrows at Bob's Royal High Tea?
46:16You are on the maiden voyage.
46:18Wow.
46:19Sounds exciting.
46:26I am together.
46:27I am together.
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