Buying & Selling Antiques in auction with David Harper (BBC Bargain Hunt, Antiques Roadtrip)

Hi everybody, David Harper here and welcome to episode two of Beat the Expert. And if you watched episode one, you would have realised it's not difficult to beat the expert. I did really quite badly. So I'm going to try an awful lot harder here at Duggleby Stevenson's here in York, where I'm going to show you three fascinating objects about to be sold in auction. I'll give you the descriptions, the auctioneers, etc. I'll make my expert prediction as to how much the pieces will sell for and it's over to you. You put your prediction on it. And if you get closer to the final hammer price than my prediction, then you beat me. So three things. First object is going to be this original painting by Mabel Gear. Now you will recognise Mabel Gear's work because she is responsible for this. Yes, black and white whiskey. The two dogs there. Mabel was known as a dog painter, animals in particular, but dogs in particular. So there we have an original estimated at four to six hundred pounds. I'll show you how you can tell it's an original. We'll get our teeth into it. Then we'll watch that sell. Second item is going to be something that's going to blow your mind. Give me a second. Very heavy case here containing an original collection. Get this, a Viking female high status jewellery in bronze. Try and get your mind around this. One thousand to fourteen hundred years old. I'll give you more information in a minute. Estimated at one thousand eight hundred to two thousand five hundred. Let me now show you. I want to keep this quiet the last lot because I'm going to bid on these two chairs. Let me tell you briefly about them. Hang on. Let me put this valuable jewellery away somewhere. I don't want to break anything, otherwise I'll have to pay for it. Right, a pair of deep buttoned Victorian leather armchairs. Just drop dead gorgeous. Estimated at one hundred to one hundred and fifty. I'll tell you all about them. I want them desperately. I'm going to bid four hundred pounds for these chairs. There's 30% commission to take into account and transportation. But even with all that added on, I'll make cracking money. So let's delve a little more into each item and then watch them sell. We'll start with Mabel Gear. So here she is. An original on board, obviously, three big great Danes. Very regal looking creatures. Look at their eyes. You just know that they're all looking at the same object. She's captured the lifelike look and the personality, I think, of these dogs beautifully. And Mabel Gear was known for that, particularly her animal portraits. And if you're a dog lover, you're going to just naturally fall in love with this picture. So it's an oil on board and it's original. Now, how can you tell it's an original? Well, you've got to use all of your senses in this business. And in this case, obviously, your eyes. But touch is absolutely vital. You can see the crazing in the oil paint. So there's the eyes doing what the eyes do best. Now just rub your fingers over the top surface of the picture itself. Nice and gently. It's almost like reading Braille. You can feel the lumps and the bumps of the oil paint. It's really quite lovely. It's the closest you will ever get to meeting Mabel Gear, who was born in 1898 and died in 1987. So you're never going to meet her in reality. But this is the closest you're going to get to meeting her. So it's on board. Board is good. It's a safer material to paint on as, you know, for a collector and owner as opposed to canvas, which, of course, can be damaged very easily. So let's turn it over to the back. Now, the back of anything will tell you as much as the front. And I've got to tell you, this is where for me, the painting loses it. I don't like the back because it's not original. Back to the front again. You can see that that frame is much later than the picture, which was probably painted, let's say, circa 1950. So it's been reframed back to the back and we can't see what's on the back of that board because that is not the board it was painted on. That is a back board. You'd have to open this painting up to see what the back board was like. I like to see original back boards. Now let's think about condition. It looks good as a couple of little flaky bits of paint here and there, but nothing that you wouldn't expect from a picture that was around 50 years old. So it's going to be very commercial, this thing. Estimated at four to six hundred pounds in auction, plus 30% commission. So what do you think? See if you can beat me. We're going to watch it sell in a minute and I'm going to predict that this painting will make £550. £550 is my prediction. The cheapest Mabel gear you'll buy would be about £80 for a watercolour. The most expensive I can find in auction made around two grand. I'm going £550. Over to you. If you get closer to the final hammer price, you beat me. Let's see how it goes. On to lot 280. Mabel gear, who are a trio of dogs. We should be able to discern a lot of interest coming in now. £280, £300, £320. £320 pounds now. Any advance at £320 now. £340 still climbing. £340, £360. £360 I've got now. £360, £380 you in. £380 I've got. £400 if you want it. Bid at £400. £420, £420, £440, £440 now. At £440 with you at £440. £460 fresh bids coming in at £460. £480, £500 I've got. £500, £550 if you're in. Very interesting. We've now got a telephone bidder. £600, £600. £600 pound a bid now at £600. The bid is £600. £600, £650 now. £650, £650, £700. £700 pounds now, bid at £700. £700 pounds, £750. £750 pounds now, £800. £800 pounds now, bid at £800. £800, £850, thank you, at £850. £900 now, it's bid at £900. At £900 I've got now, £900. £950, thank you, at £950. £950 pounds bid now. £950, £1,000 now. £1,000, £1,000 pounds. £1,100 is it? £1,100. £1,100 pounds. Right, well that's already double what I said it was going to make. £1,200 pounds now, £1,200. £1,300. £1,300 pounds a bid now. £1,300 pounds. When you have them signed, £1,300. £1,300 now, £1,400. £1,400 pounds a bid now, £1,400. £1,500. £1,500 pounds now, £1,500. £1,500 pounds. And out on the stock, £1,500, all done. Bone bid now, £1,500. £1,600 is next, £1,500 I'm selling. All done, £1,500 I'm selling. Well, what do you think about that then? This is the power of dogs. I did absolutely rubbish. How did you do? Did you beat me? Now let's move on to something totally different. Well, would you take a look at that collection? Have you ever seen a collection of real Viking jewellery in your life before? Outside of the museum? Well, you probably haven't. The closest you will get to handling something like this would be in a museum. And when did you last get an opportunity to buy genuine Viking jewellery? I bet you haven't. This is a fascinating, mind-boggling little collection here. You've got necklaces, you've got torques. The weight in this bronze is astonishing. You've got brooches, what possibly could be earrings, thick rings and lots of bangles. So by all accounts, the collection once belonged, we believe, to a female of high status 1,400 years ago. The problem is, even though we know it's absolutely genuine Viking, we don't know where it came from. You've seen the film The Dig, great film and there's something to find. That came with all the provenance that you could wish for. It was just perfect. Higher status than this, admittedly, a lot of that was gold. But nevertheless, the provenance and the history make such a difference. We don't know what country this came from. We don't know where it was found. No doubt dug up from a burial chamber. That's normal. But just try and get your head around the date of these things. So just picture in your mind the Battle of Hastings. And more relevantly, really, the Battle of Stamford Bridge, which took place only a few miles away from where we are today, where the English beat the Vikings before they marched south and were defeated by the Normans in 1066. This jewellery was here on earth at the time of the Battle of Hastings. It possibly may well have been a couple of hundred years old at that time. This collection is positively dripping in history. The frustration is, yet again, we don't know what the history is. So that's going to affect the price. Estimated at £1,800 to £2,500 here in auction. Now, age, I've got to tell you, has nothing to do with value. As fascinating as this collection is, you can buy Roman brooches, Anglo-Saxon brooches, a little earlier than this. For 50 quid, it's £100. So my thoughts are it's too much. I think it's a bit punchy in its estimate. £1,800 to £2,500. We're going to watch it sell in a moment. So my prediction is this. My prediction is this collection won't make its bottom estimate and will go unsold. What about you? Would you pay two and a half grand plus for this? Don't forget the 30% commission on top. Put your prediction. My head is on the block. I'm supposed to be an expert. Did you see episode one? I did very badly. So my prediction, it won't sell. What's yours? If you get closer to the final hammer price than I do, you beat me. Here we go. £1,900 now. The set of Viking items there in the glazed frame there. Very nice item, this. Plenty of interest starting £1,000, £1,100, £1,200, £1,300, £1,400, £1,500 now. £1,500, £1,600 do I see. At £1,500, then £1,600, £1,600, £1,700 to move it forward now. So £1,600 selling away at £1,600, so £1,600. Okay, I don't care what you say. I'm giving myself half a point for that because I said it wouldn't make its estimate of £1,800, but I did say it wouldn't sell. It did sell for £1,600, so half a point to me. How did you do? Did you beat me? Now let's move on to my favourite lot of the day. The leather chairs. I'm going to try and buy them. And here we are, my favourite items. A pair of late Victorian black deep buttoned armchairs. Really big proportions. I haven't even sat in them properly yet, but I know they're going to be amazingly comfortable. A pair of chairs dating to about 1890. Upholstered for comfort. You could spend all day long in these things. And upholstered with great expertise. Stuffed with horsehair, wadding. You've got hessian. You've got hand-tied coil-free. I can feel them on the underside. They're nice and tight. To make chairs to this standard today in leather, there are companies that do it. There's a company called George Smith. Fantastic company. You would pay, guess what? £4,000 each for a chair like this. Brand new to this quality. Because you've got to remember, it's the quality. These things were made in a time when nobody had come up with the idea that stuff should be thrown away after a couple of years. These things were supposed to last for generations, which of course they have. They've been upholstered at some point later in this black leather. This is not original, but it doesn't matter. It's good. They're nicely worn. They haven't been treated, I can tell, for years. And that's one of the reasons why I adore them. Because all you need to do here is wax them to within an inch of their lives. And you would transform them into something altogether different. Very valuable little beasties. It would take about 15 minutes per chair. I am desperate to buy them. Because I reckon I could sell each one of these chairs easily. Cleaned up and restored for around £800 each. Yes, I kid you not. £100 to £150 in auction. My prediction is this. I'm going to bid £500 for these chairs. That's how much I want them. Plus I'm going to have to pay 30% commission. And freeze there for a second. You might have noticed that earlier on I said I was going to pay £400 for these chairs. Well, I'm getting excited. I'm now upping my bid to £500. Although I might waver in a second. If I get them for that, I'm still going to make really good money. What's your prediction? How much do you think they're going to make? I'm thinking, do I want to pay £500 for them? And freeze there just for a moment again. Yes, a slight wobble. Do I really want to pay £500 for these? And yes, I do. That's the bid. I'm leaving £500 because these things are going to make my prediction an awful lot more than £100 to £150. But more importantly, what do you think? I'm supposed to be the expert. I'm putting my head on the block here. What do you say? Let's go and see how much they sell for. If you get closer to the final figure, you beat me. On to lot 651. Here are the pair of 19th century armchairs. There are lot 651 in the button back leather. There are, they're super to see a pair then. There they are. Which we need to scroll back. Plenty of interest. The bids are weighed out. What? 700? I've just been outbid immediately. Oh my goodness me, it's getting worse. I'm miles out. Picked. That's one way of putting it. Well, what a result. You've got to give it to them. Well done, auctioneers. And you know, it just goes to show that the profit you make in this business is in the buying. You've got to buy them at the right price. And I was well and truly outbid. Well, that's it. End of episode two of Beat the Expert. Did you beat me? Let me know. Leave some comments down below. Get in touch. Don't forget. Subscribe and like this video and come back to see me here on YouTube sometime soon. I'm David Harper. Great to see you. See you next time. Cheerio.