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00:00Behind the doors of our mansions, castles, and houses, lie piles upon piles of forgotten treasures.
00:14I've been looking for that for two years.
00:17I can't get away from them. They are simply everywhere.
00:20Am I a hoarder? Yes.
00:22But when tough times come knocking...
00:25When you're saying movement, what's it doing?
00:27Come and have a look.
00:28How much does this school cost?
00:29I'd try to think.
00:31Do they have a hidden gem that could be their salvation?
00:34Not sure what's in there. Could be anything.
00:37I'd love to think that there was a master painting in here.
00:41They will need the best in the business.
00:43People do call me Mr Miscellaneous. I just love all sorts of objects.
00:49It's all about creating a look. That's what really sells.
00:53Rock stars, A-listers, they're all in my little black book.
00:56Experts determined to track down valuable finds.
01:00The book alone would command an incredible amount of money.
01:04Oh, wow. Okay. Well, that's a big name.
01:07Ooh, this is a bit of money.
01:09And deliver life-changing sums.
01:11Solve.
01:12Oh, my goodness.
01:14This is the only copy anywhere in the world.
01:18That's unbelievable.
01:18Today, antiques experts Ronnie and Katie are joining forces
01:28to take on a hoard that's been building for 50 years.
01:33Here we are in Hertfordshire to seek our self-confessed hoarder.
01:38We've got a job on our hands.
01:41Well, I like lots. I like volume.
01:43I mean, volume means there's going to be something.
01:46That's what we're here for.
01:54My records are my most treasured items.
01:57We're looking at 50 years of collecting vinyl.
02:03There are 8,000 albums here.
02:05And sadly, yes, it's in alphabetical order.
02:09Student mentor Shane happily lives alongside his many collections.
02:14Am I a hoarder?
02:16Yes, I am.
02:18It's an obsession.
02:21It's a world his partner of five years,
02:23Vittoria, has recently been introduced to.
02:25I remember the first time I went to see his flat.
02:29It didn't seem like a hoarding thing or anything like that.
02:32Maybe a few months later,
02:34he went to get something out of the attic
02:35and I went up the ladder and thought,
02:38well, there's a lot of stuff.
02:41I just thought,
02:42I'll have to introduce her to my other items slowly
02:46because I figured if I showed her the extent of what I had,
02:50she'd run a mile.
02:52I don't smoke. You don't smoke.
02:54You've got a box full of light.
02:55I mean, I would love Shane to deal with it all.
02:59I would love to take it all to the charity shop.
03:01But, you know, it's Shane's thing.
03:04It's Shane's stuff.
03:07But Shane hasn't limited his collecting to the house only.
03:11I have over 70 bicycles.
03:14That's hoarding.
03:16Nor to one garage.
03:17So in this garage, I have antiques.
03:21I like shiny things.
03:23I've actually got a third garage.
03:28I have trainers.
03:29I have shoes, boxing equipment, martial arts gear, everything.
03:34So I knew at some point I would need a fourth garage.
03:37And before you know it,
03:39five garages are full to the brim.
03:40For me, looking at the items that I own,
03:44it's just a buzz.
03:45I'd probably buy another one of those to make myself happy.
03:53This massive collection had humble beginnings.
03:55I started buying records as a kid.
04:00I got my first record from my mom.
04:03And when I left home,
04:04I asked a friend of mine to look after my records for me.
04:08This dear friend of mine,
04:09he decided to sell them.
04:11And this seven-inch single,
04:14I could cry now,
04:16that my mother had bought me
04:17was a part of that record collection.
04:19So I was devastated.
04:21And I think that's what made me go on the rampage
04:23of really buying everything I could find
04:25to replace what I didn't have.
04:28And after a while,
04:29you start applying that same passion
04:32into other things.
04:34And I think that's what made me who I am today.
04:38Shane's hoarding means there's little savings
04:41in the bank when they're needed most.
04:45When we first saw the house,
04:47we kind of had a vision,
04:48be here forever.
04:49But welcome to the building site.
04:52This was completely clear for a while, wasn't it?
04:54And then Shane's been to the garages
04:55and brought a few bits and pieces back here.
04:58The garages are going to be the bait of my life.
05:02We just need to release some cash
05:04to do the extension and stuff that we need on the house.
05:08I'm going to man up.
05:09So I will let some items go.
05:12Because we need to raise $55,000, $60,000.
05:16It's a high figure to reach.
05:18But if I sell enough of my items,
05:20we might get there.
05:21But to find hidden value amongst Shane's collections
05:26and fund their forever home,
05:29they'll need some help.
05:32Antiques experts Ronnie and Katie
05:34have contrasting areas of expertise.
05:36When I started out collecting lighters,
05:41wristwatches, records,
05:43they were collectible,
05:45desirable and profitable.
05:48My passion is interiors
05:51and I know everyone in the trade.
05:54Together, they should have this covered.
05:56PHONE RINGS
06:01PHONE RINGS
06:01PHONE RINGS
06:02Hi!
06:05Hey!
06:06Hi, it must be Kati!
06:06Thank you!
06:07Hello!
06:08Hey, hi, Katie. Nice to meet you.
06:09Hello!
06:09So how did this all start?
06:13When did it start?
06:14Maybe 50 years ago.
06:15You don't look old enough.
06:17No.
06:17I am.
06:19Obviously, as the collection grew,
06:21I needed somewhere to store the items.
06:23Mm-hmm.
06:24So I rented a garage
06:25and then I realised that
06:27I probably needed two garages.
06:30How many are we at today?
06:34You keep...
06:34Really, how many?
06:37This is the on-riding thing.
06:38I thought I only had five.
06:40Ah.
06:40But then I actually realised I got six.
06:43Oh, wow!
06:45Did you know how many garages?
06:47No.
06:47I knew there were three.
06:49Oh, so they doubled in volume.
06:51Yes, pretty much.
06:52But that must cost an arm and a leg.
06:54How much are we talking?
06:57Around 900.
06:59900 pounds a month.
07:01OK.
07:02OK.
07:02Are you happy to part with some of the things
07:05you've got in those six garages?
07:07Uh...
07:08Yeah.
07:09Yes.
07:10Yes is the answer.
07:11Yeah, yeah.
07:12We'll see.
07:13We'll see.
07:14We've got to get on with this.
07:15We do.
07:15We do.
07:16There's so much to tackle.
07:17And I think we need to split up.
07:19I'm going to go that way.
07:21See you soon.
07:21We'll meet you on the other side.
07:23Thanks.
07:24Great.
07:24Thank you, too.
07:27Shane has agreed that Ronnie and Katie
07:29can freely roam around his many hordes.
07:32I'm really excited.
07:33I'm sure they will find something
07:35that I know nothing about.
07:37It would be great to have indication of it was worth my effort to store for these things.
07:43So, what's this?
07:46We're looking at part of a chandelier.
07:49French in style, but it's not French.
07:51Vintage rather than antique.
07:53Probably more 1960s, 70s.
07:56It's not particularly valuable.
07:58Crystal, in its essence, has had a real lull.
08:01This is a very large set of Perkinhammer porcelain.
08:07Looks art deco.
08:08They are very beautiful, and they're in immaculate condition.
08:11So, on a good day, we could be looking between £700 and £1,000, potentially.
08:17I think we're going to need to find something a little bit bigger.
08:19Hey, Ronnie, how you doing?
08:24I'm in heaven.
08:27As a lifelong vinyl collector, Ronnie's asked Shane to show him his impressive library.
08:33What do you have that you think might be collectible, sought after, rare?
08:39I've got Bobby Bird, Lonnie Lister-Smith I have.
08:42Obviously, I've got James Brown.
08:46There you go.
08:48That's a collectible album.
08:49Is that what you paid for it?
08:51Yeah, I paid the sale price of £50.
08:53I don't know what that's worth today, but probably about £100.
08:57Yeah.
08:58You don't want to sell that, do you?
08:59Nah.
08:59Nah.
09:00Nah.
09:01Sorry, that's not going to happen.
09:03A million pounds?
09:08That's tough.
09:09So, are you finding this difficult?
09:12Yeah.
09:13That you need to stop living in a building site, don't you?
09:16Well, yeah.
09:17I know you know what goes into buying a record, and then to contemplate maybe letting that album
09:24go as it's taking years to find it, it can be a little daunting, to be honest.
09:28It's obvious how much Shane loves his records, and he really doesn't want to give any of
09:36it up, and he's going to have to sell his whole collection to achieve the amount of money
09:42that he wants.
09:43So I'm going to see if there's anything else I can find.
09:46I can see that he's a hoarder because there's such a variety of things.
09:53It's like cigarette lighters.
10:00It's like cigarette lighters.
10:01Ooh.
10:02That's a Dunhill.
10:03Um.
10:04That one works.
10:05That's another Dunhill.
10:06You know, you've got these Ronson table lighters.
10:10Overall, there's a few hundred pounds worth in there, and it's not a huge amount, but you
10:15know, you can't expect miracles to start with.
10:17Ooh.
10:18Ooh.
10:19I like this.
10:24Mm.
10:27That's very interesting, that is.
10:31It feels quite light to hold, but it's a tough hardwood with a fine grain that can take
10:39the tension of this stringing.
10:42I would describe this without any research as School of Barbara Hepworth.
10:46The most famous modern sculptor.
10:50And a Hepworth of this quality and size would be hundreds of thousands.
10:57But I know it's not.
11:00This isn't her signature.
11:01But I was looking at this as though it was a W.
11:04I'm looking at the other way around.
11:06That could easily be an M. I mean, that actually, in this light, could be D-M.
11:13And if that is D-M, oh, dear me.
11:18I've got all funny.
11:20I've got all tingly.
11:25Because Dennis Mitchell was one of Barbara Hepworth's most famous assistants.
11:33And a sculptor in his own right.
11:35And his sculptures make tens of thousands.
11:39So if that's Dennis Mitchell, wow.
11:43This is the piece.
11:45I am just so excited.
11:47I can't believe it.
11:48I really must tell Shane.
11:50This is overwhelming.
12:04This is chaotic.
12:05In Hertfordshire, Katie and Ronnie are trying to raise £60,000 so Shane and Vittoria can complete their dream home.
12:14He really can't miss a bargain.
12:18I'm looking at this beautiful sculpture.
12:30Tell me where you got it.
12:33That was at an antiques fair.
12:35They didn't know much about it.
12:36They just said it's by an artist who works with Barbara Hepworth.
12:40And I just thought, okay, it sounds interesting.
12:43That's exactly what I thought.
12:46Wow.
12:47Did they give you any names?
12:49No.
12:50They just said his signature or it's on the bottom of it, HW.
12:54It's definitely not HW.
12:56Oh.
12:57That's the small letter.
12:58Yeah.
12:59Which looks like a D.
13:00Okay.
13:01And the next letter looks like an M.
13:04No idea who that is.
13:05One of her most famous assistants was a chap called Dennis Mitchell.
13:14And his sculptures make thousands, tens of thousands.
13:20Can you remember what you paid for this?
13:2380 something, 85 pounds.
13:25Oh, you are joking.
13:26You know, I thought it was expensive because I thought it was an unusual piece of sculpture
13:31tonight.
13:32Well, I don't want to get you too excited because we don't know for sure, but this is very like
13:37the work of Dennis Mitchell.
13:38I don't want to say.
13:40Nor do I.
13:42But would you be happy to part with this?
13:50Yeah.
13:51Yeah.
13:52I'm sure.
13:53For sure.
13:54That sounded like a very big yes to me.
13:56Yeah.
13:57Wow.
13:58I didn't expect that.
13:59That's for sure.
14:00Wow.
14:03Ronnie will need to investigate the sculpture if he's to prove it's by the hand of Dennis
14:08Mitchell.
14:11Meanwhile in Berkshire, Curio's expert Ed is on his way to meet a collector with a singular
14:18passion.
14:19So I came here today to look at a key collection.
14:22That's very unusual.
14:23You don't get many of them.
14:24It's going to be interesting to get in there and have a look.
14:29Knightsbridge sales assistant Luigi keeps his collection under lock and key.
14:35And here we are.
14:36My happy place.
14:37I'm a key hoarder.
14:38I can't stop buying them.
14:39I can't stop accumulating them.
14:40Last time I counted there was over 600 and I have spent well over a hundred thousand pounds
14:45in buying them.
14:46And it's just, I want to be buried with my keys.
14:47Like this is really, I want to take them to my grave.
14:54Luigi's fascination with keys began when he was a child.
14:55My earliest memory was in my grandfather's house where he had the habit of locking meticulously
15:01all his doors.
15:02I used to always look through the keyhole trying to see what secrets or treasures he was hiding.
15:08This memory left its mark and awakened in his adult life.
15:15I remember going to a car boot and almost by chance I found a very simple key.
15:22It didn't cost me much, but the joy I had in holding it, it was truly amazing.
15:27And I found a very simple key.
15:32It didn't cost me much, but the joy I had in holding it, it was truly amazing.
15:38And I found a very simple key.
15:41And I believe this is when I started finding them until today where I'm obsessed with them.
15:52This is the room where time doesn't exist and I just stay with my keys.
15:59I like researching them, restoring them, cleaning them and just looking at them.
16:06I particularly like keys with the history attached to them.
16:10It's like a window, a glimpse of that era that is now gone.
16:17So large is Luigi's key collection, he's finally decided to buy his first house.
16:22My flatmate can't wait for me to move because I leave keys everywhere.
16:27And he's planning to create a dedicated key room, but he needs to find money from his collection to fund it.
16:36And for that, he needs help.
16:39For Curio's expert Ed, this is the perfect job.
16:42It's all about digging deep, learning about an item and finding that provenance.
16:46That's what really makes it pay.
16:49If there's value to be found, he will seek it out.
16:52Ed.
16:53Luigi.
16:54Welcome.
16:55Well, Luigi, I can already see why I'm here, I think.
16:56There's keys everywhere.
16:57You've even got keys on your embedding.
16:58It's an obsession.
16:59So, why do you want to part with them?
17:00I will hate departing from any of these keys, but I have just purchased my new place and I'm in desperately need of £10,000 to £15,000 for the renovations of a few rooms.
17:14So, are these renovations, are they going to be renovations for your keys?
17:31Part of it, yes, is to allow my new key room to be fantastic and to do that I have to transform some of the keys into money.
17:41So, we need to go through some of your collection, I think.
17:44Yes, there's so much to look at, please give me a shout if you see anything.
17:48I'm sure I am going to see something.
17:50Thanks, Luigi.
17:52With at least £10,000 to raise, Ed has his work cut out.
17:58I love the way he's displayed his keys, so you've got magnets and they all stand, which is great.
18:05OK, so straight away, Roman artefacts always command a bit of money.
18:11You've got hundreds of pounds already.
18:13Then you've got medieval.
18:15You're also talking in the sort of hundreds of pounds for each key.
18:19But don't think Luigi's going to let me take a load of each one.
18:23So, it's probably taking one or two for the more higher value items.
18:27There is evidence that ancient civilisations were using wooden keys up to 6,000 years ago.
18:34The Romans adopted the idea and began making them in metals.
18:39In the 16th century, keys had become status symbols.
18:42They were ornate and worn to show power and wealth.
18:46In 2016, a rare locker key for the Titanic sold at auction for £85,000.
18:52Oh, these are superb.
18:55Oh, these are the ones I love.
18:57These early German keys are highly collectible.
19:01They're usually linked with Nuremberg steel in the 17th century.
19:05They were the craftsmen of keys, locks, strong boxes.
19:11I mean, this key is huge.
19:13And, I mean, size does matter, you know.
19:16So, this serpentine detail was all hand-done, hand-filed.
19:22And this could be a real winner.
19:24So, I'm definitely going to speak to Luigi about this one.
19:28Luigi, I've found something.
19:31Oh, my God, okay.
19:34No doubt why you have picked that, because it's one of the rarest.
19:38And the biggest.
19:39And the biggest.
19:40What it makes it so special is the colour of the patina, because it's untouched.
19:46It's just, to me, a perfect key.
19:49Is this something that you would let go of?
19:51Because I realise it's a centrepiece.
19:54That's why it was in the centre, yes.
19:56It's the most special I've got.
19:59Um, I purchased these for 1,800 euros about five years ago.
20:05And I believe, though, it's worth way more.
20:08So, yeah.
20:10For the project I have in mind, I need to let something go.
20:16With a tentative yes, Ed can resume the search.
20:20Wow, well, this one's even more full than the other one.
20:30Back in Hertfordshire, Katie's exploring Shane's hoard that he has spread across six garages.
20:37She's trying to find anything of value to help him raise £60,000.
20:42There's a cassette player there, there's lots of amps.
20:45I can see about 30 to 40 shoeboxes back there.
20:50But two garages in, it's not looking good.
20:53There's car parts, there's a home gym, there's old cameras, ornaments, putters.
21:02This is, like, find the needle in the haystack kind of situation going on here.
21:06Something new will always trigger my interest.
21:10At the moment, I quite often answer the door to the postman and it will be a very big box.
21:16And I'll be, OK, that's another bicycle.
21:20I mean, we must be looking at 30, 40 bikes in here.
21:24It's, it's rammed.
21:28These bikes can go for multiples of thousands.
21:30I mean, they don't need to be constructed.
21:32We can be selling parts, which is good because there are many.
21:35I mean, I can see already over here there's something incredibly unusual.
21:39These zip bikes can be up to £15,000.
21:43So this piece alone to the right buyer, this is where the money's at.
21:47We are well on our way to finding them their extension.
21:51Katie thinks she's hit the jackpot, but to get the sort of cash Shane needs, she must find someone willing to buy the lot.
22:01Meanwhile in Slough, Ed's found one key he thinks is worth investigating, but he's hoping there's more to uncover.
22:09This one I love and there's a little trick.
22:14There you go.
22:15So this one is a carriage key.
22:18You would have put that into the door of the carriage and opened it.
22:21But I'm also seeing some other very interesting ones.
22:26You've got vaults.
22:28You've got gate keys.
22:30I also love these catacomb ones.
22:33They all have something special about them.
22:35Another one here, this one.
22:37I could, I noticed this because you could see the Royal stamp on there.
22:42So it's Victoria and it's St. James's Park.
22:45And look at this.
22:47A Royal Heinen, Sir Princess Augusta.
22:49And Queen Victoria was actually a niece of Princess Augusta.
22:53She lived at Clarence House.
22:55She would have then used this key to visit the gardens at St. James's Park.
23:00To be a key that a princess would have used.
23:03It's just something special.
23:05This sort of key could be seriously valuable.
23:08And that could be a big lump to what Luigi needs.
23:12Luigi?
23:14Yes, sir.
23:16So, found this one.
23:20I just couldn't believe it when I started reading it.
23:22You know, with the Royal link.
23:25You know, St. James's Park.
23:27It's incredible and very, very special.
23:30Is it something that you're going to be looking to sell?
23:38I would love to explore the opportunity, but it will have to be significant for me to think about letting it go.
23:47Could a key with a royal connection unlock the money Luigi desperately needs?
23:53Antiques expert, Ronnie, is trying to help Shane raise £60,000 to finally finish his forever home.
24:11Today, he's following up on an intricate sculpture he discovered that he believes could be an incredible find.
24:17We've got a possible undiscovered Dennis Mitchell, assistant of Barbara Hepworth.
24:23And this is the Barbara Hepworth Wakefield.
24:26They have a lot of experience of looking at anything connected with Barbara Hepworth.
24:31And I'm dying to see what they think here about my opinion.
24:37Ronnie's meeting Eleanor Clayton, a specialist on Hepworth, to see if he can find out any more about Shane's sculpture.
24:44Hello, Eleanor. Lovely to meet you.
24:46I feel like a kid in a sweet shop here.
24:48I don't know where to look first as I'm walking through here with you.
24:51Look at all these things I've never seen before.
24:54Eleanor has agreed to take a closer look at the work to see if she can help credit it to Dennis Mitchell.
25:01There it is. There it is.
25:04It clearly isn't Hepworth.
25:07But is this my Dennis Mitchell?
25:09His forms are different from Hepworth in that they are more angular.
25:15But I don't know of any stringed works that Mitchell did.
25:20Even though there's no known sculptures by Dennis Mitchell with strings, I find it hard to believe he never tried it.
25:28And then we turn it over.
25:30Yes.
25:32And the initials look like DM, scratched into the wood.
25:37Don't you think the DMs are coincidence?
25:40I think the DM is a bit of a, yeah, it's a bit of a conundrum.
25:44Do you have any Dennis Mitchell in your collection here?
25:47We do actually have a Dennis Mitchell in the collection.
25:49And is it signed on the base?
25:51It is signed on the base.
25:52With a monogram?
25:53With a monogram.
25:54Wow.
25:55Would you like to see it?
25:56I'd love to.
25:57Dennis Mitchell moved to St. Ives in Cornwall in the 1930s and would become principal assistant to Barbara Hepworth.
26:06He went on to produce many important works of his own in wood and bronze.
26:12Today his sculptures can reach tens of thousands at auction.
26:16This is the sculpture in Wakefield's collection by Dennis Mitchell called Trevaric, which is named after a place in Cornwall.
26:23Can I show you the bottom?
26:25I'd love to see the bottom.
26:27Oh, look at that.
26:30Completely different.
26:32This D-A-M is the most common signature I've seen on his sculptures.
26:37Yeah.
26:38But interestingly, it's scratched in.
26:41Yes.
26:42It's not a stamp or...
26:43No.
26:44It doesn't put me off.
26:45No.
26:46Because it's actually reminded me of the work of Dennis Mitchell.
26:52There's a piece called The Oracle.
26:55You've got these pierced elements with the dome, and the oracle is tapered like that.
27:00Oracle was carved by Mitchell in 1955, and I do see what you mean about the forms.
27:06And the colour of the wood of oracle is very similar colour.
27:10Well, oracle was made from Garea wood, which is a Nigerian hardwood, which has likely been a gift from Hepworth.
27:18She, in St. Ives, was the only person who had this sort of massive shipment of Garea wood, so...
27:23If you were to find out that this was made from Garea wood, I think that makes it a lot more compelling.
27:30Ooh.
27:32More and more intriguing.
27:33That's exciting.
27:34It really is.
27:35To start with, it was like, no.
27:38Towards the end, it was, maybe.
27:40There are many compelling elements that point towards Dennis Mitchell.
27:45It's just a matter of concluding it, getting more.
27:49So, I'm really looking forward to finding out what the timber is that Shane's sculpture is made from.
27:57Over in Hertfordshire, Katie's launching her own plan to try and raise the money Shane needs.
28:09Since I've been here last, I've been putting my feelers out.
28:12I've been working out who we can talk to, to maybe get a deal done to shift this huge amount of bikes.
28:22Today, she's invited Josh Hobbs, the head of sales for a cycle retailer, to take a look.
28:27Although he can only offer trade prices, if he's interested in Shane's entire stock, it could be worth his while.
28:35Yeah.
28:36Hello.
28:37Hey.
28:38Hi.
28:39So, look.
28:40Bikes.
28:41Lots of bikes.
28:42There's a few bikes.
28:43Yeah.
28:44Where do we start?
28:45Have you spotted anything?
28:46I've spotted some pretty serious bits of kit.
28:48There's the three bikes in front of us here, which all of them have got electronic gears on them.
28:52That's the sort of stuff we can definitely resell.
28:56A promising start.
28:57And after a chance to look around, Josh is keen to talk money.
29:04Had a look.
29:05And there's probably around seven or eight bikes that we can potentially make an offer on.
29:10So, yeah, for the eight bikes, you're looking at £6,050.
29:18Thoughts?
29:20Hmm.
29:21Is that a little shy of where you wanted to be?
29:23Yeah.
29:24Sorry to say.
29:25Fair enough.
29:26No, it's not a problem.
29:27You know, I suppose this is it.
29:28We're talking about trade prices here, aren't we?
29:29Yeah, exactly.
29:30Yeah.
29:31So, obviously, you're looking to make your margin on things, which is...
29:33Exactly.
29:34Yeah.
29:35It does hit.
29:36Yeah.
29:37It makes sense.
29:38I appreciate that.
29:39But I just know I can sell them for more.
29:40Yeah.
29:41This is not the outcome I wanted.
29:42And this was always going to be the problem with selling to trade.
29:47So, the search isn't over yet.
29:50With Josh unwilling to buy in bulk, Katie will need to rethink her strategy.
30:00Over in Lincoln, Ed's trying to raise £10,000 for Luigi to fund the renovations to his first ever home.
30:07John.
30:08Ed!
30:09Meeting antique dealer and metalware specialist John Hansard to get a value on the two keys he selected.
30:14Now, I would guess that was what we would call a Nuremberg Strongbox key.
30:18Exactly what I said was Nuremberg Strongbox, yes.
30:20Pretty much given away with this lovely curved shape here designed to put a bar through to allow you to twist and turn it.
30:28And you've actually got a strong box, haven't you?
30:31I have. Here, I can show you through that one.
30:36Okay, let's have a look inside.
30:41Look at that.
30:42Just listen to the release on the spring on this.
30:45The tension is incredible. I mean, and that was locked in so many places.
30:49Yes, and once these have gone under the rim, there's no opening.
30:53But the box would probably be a lot bigger for this one, wouldn't it?
30:57They varied in size, absolutely.
30:59Is this the biggest one you've seen? Because it's the biggest one I've seen.
31:02Absolutely it is. It's enormous.
31:05I mean, as an object, it's fascinating, but what's it worth?
31:10I mean, a good armada chest, Nuremberg, that would have gone with that key.
31:17Wonderful examples make 20,000 or 30,000.
31:20So, to someone that's got a box as big as that, that may want to display a key with it,
31:25then it's worth thousands to the right person.
31:28I'll talk you through the next one, John, and this is definitely my favourite.
31:32Her Royal Highness, the Princess Augusta.
31:35It's a princess's key.
31:36Fabulous.
31:37It is a piece of history. It's fantastic.
31:40They went to the best locksmith in London to have their keys made.
31:44That one's really hard to value.
31:46I've seen park ones without the royal provenance make three to five hundred.
31:52Now, you put the royal connection with this one.
31:54I'm guessing to the right person, you can times that by ten.
31:57I mean, I think they're beautiful objects.
31:59I think they're too specialised for me to buy.
32:02But I think maybe in a specialist auction, it might be that it takes off and flies.
32:07Well, that's amazing, John. Thanks for helping me out with these.
32:10Oh, you're welcome. Very nice to see you again. Thanks, Ed.
32:20It's a beautiful, crisp morning here at Kew Gardens.
32:23And I'm over-brimming with excited anticipation.
32:29On his quest to find out if Shane has an authentic piece by Dennis Mitchell,
32:33Ronnie has sent the sculpture to be analysed by Kew Gardens,
32:36the world-leading plant science institute.
32:39And if it turns out to be the guaria wood, Hepworth gifted Dennis Mitchell.
32:46Boom. That's it. It's certainly a Dennis Mitchell.
32:56Hello. You must be Dr Peter Gasson.
33:00That's right, yes.
33:01Wood anatomist Peter Gasson regularly receives samples to identify,
33:05from customs and police to archaeologists and antique dealers.
33:10So when we look at unknown samples, we use a hand lens first of all.
33:15I've just gone out of my pocket.
33:17Oh, you could... Yeah.
33:18This is a times four.
33:19Yeah, this is a times ten.
33:20I've got a times ten as well in my pocket.
33:22And then you... you can look very closely.
33:26And you can clearly see there's a lot of growth rings.
33:32Yes, you can.
33:33So, um, you suggested it might be guaria.
33:37Yeah, I hoped it would be guaria.
33:39Well, it's definitely not guaria, because guaria doesn't have growth rings.
33:43Sorry about that.
33:44Mmm.
33:45It's disappointing news.
33:48But the wood could still be a material Mitchell worked with.
33:53And is that little speck there from the actual sculpture?
33:56Yeah.
33:57And Peter has identified a wood sample he thinks is a match.
34:02So if we put a reference slide under the microscope,
34:05you can compare what you have on your inquiry slides...
34:10Yeah.
34:11..and the reference slide.
34:13It's identical.
34:16It is.
34:17So, um, that particular species is native to Burma and India,
34:24like a lot of other hardwoods, but it's teak.
34:28Oh!
34:29Interesting.
34:30Very interesting.
34:31Because the sculptor, I think, made that, worked in teak.
34:38It's a shame that it wasn't guaria wood,
34:41which I hoped it would be,
34:43because that would have been almost the end of the research.
34:46It's just now we've prolonged the research.
34:49So, onwards and upwards.
34:54Ronnie isn't giving up.
34:56He has one final lead in his hunt to identify the mystery sculpture
34:59and raise the money Shane desperately needs.
35:09In Norfolk, Ed has the two keys he's hoping can help raise £10,000
35:14for Luigi to renovate his first home.
35:17Hi, Oliver.
35:18Hi, Ed.
35:19Nice to meet you.
35:20Good to meet you as well.
35:22Auctioneer Oliver Miller has been valuing antique metalware for over 20 years.
35:27I'm going to start with the biggest one.
35:30Wow.
35:31That's wonderful, that one, isn't it?
35:33Everyone knows the Nuremberg Strombox with these fabulous, intricate locks.
35:37And when you're making such a Strombox, you really need to shelf with your key,
35:40because what's the point of having a hidden lock if you can't shelf a little bit?
35:43So this is a wonderful, wonderful piece.
35:45Super decorative, probably an early 17th century piece.
35:49And big is obviously worth more money.
35:51Oh, definitely, in every case.
35:53So this is a royal one, and it's actually Princess Augusta.
35:59That is truly wonderful.
36:02And this one, for me, is the special one, because it's literally unique.
36:05Keys are very, very popular at auction.
36:08You get all these different bidders, key collectors, metalware collectors,
36:11and then you've got the royalty interest as well.
36:13So this falls into so many little categories.
36:16And then you get the people who just love history.
36:18I just want a princess key.
36:19It doesn't matter what it is, but I want that object
36:21that that princess has held.
36:23So I think he would do absolutely fine with offering some at auction.
36:25That's something I need to speak to Luigi about.
36:28Make sure that he's happy for you to take them and try and get the best price.
36:32Excellent.
36:37In Hertfordshire, Ronnie has been trying to help raise £60,000 for Shane's dream home
36:43by investigating a potential Dennis Mitchell piece.
36:47I've done so much research on his sculpture, and the more I look into it, the more I discover.
36:54Hi, Shane.
36:55Hey, how you doing?
36:56I'm good, thanks.
36:58Let's come to you.
36:59And he's ready to reveal his report.
37:02When I was at the Wakefield Hepworth Museum, they have one Dennis Mitchell sculpture there.
37:08And I thought, have a look and see how he signs.
37:12But we look underneath, and it's got a monogram.
37:15D-A-M.
37:17Completely straight, block capitals scratched into the bottom.
37:22So there's yours.
37:23You look at that and say, oh, that's not his signature.
37:26But I found loads of images online, and I find an M with curved sides.
37:32And that is that.
37:34Can you see?
37:36Yeah, you can.
37:37They look so similar, don't they?
37:40They do, they do.
37:42And then, when I looked at the monogram closely, can you see how A forms part of the M there?
37:49Yeah.
37:50Oh, wow.
37:51Dennis A. Mitchell.
37:53And also, it's a shape that Dennis Mitchell is known to do.
37:59These tapering forms, they're everywhere.
38:02There's another one.
38:03There's so many connections.
38:05And I'd love to submit it to the Dennis Mitchell Foundation to see if they agree.
38:13Yeah, yeah.
38:14Because once it's got their seal of approval, I really think in auction, I think this would
38:19be between three and four, maybe 5,000 pounds.
38:23But I actually think it could rise in the right auction to about 20,000 pounds.
38:30Sweetest.
38:3185,000 pounds, that's a big return.
38:34For me, it's one of my favourite discoveries of all time.
38:39No, really, it is, yeah.
38:40This is what I live for.
38:42To find things like this that have been lost to the world and bring them back to life.
38:47Wow.
38:49It could be a future windfall for Shane, but it will take time for the sculpture to be assessed.
38:55So, the challenge to find the money Shane needs right now is left to Katie.
39:01Back at the auction house, with Oliver impressed with the keys and keen to sell them, Ed needs to talk numbers.
39:09So, Luigi, the prices.
39:13We can explore that, yes.
39:15So, you've just got to think of that money at the end that's going to help with the...
39:18With my house renovation.
39:20Yes, and the move.
39:21Okay, we'll start with the German strong box.
39:24So, I would like 2,800 for that key.
39:28Okay, and then we've got the Princess Augusta one.
39:31That alone cost me 2,200 euros when I purchased it.
39:35And maybe, you know, if we find out that it's really worth an incredible amount, then maybe I would consider selling it.
39:43So, you're happy for me to go in there, have a word, see what sort of deal we can get, and then I'll get back to you with what I find out.
39:50Fantastic. Thank you so much.
39:52The decision for Luigi to go to auction will depend on these figures.
39:59Now, Ed needs to know what Oliver is thinking.
40:02So, for this big strong box key, what would you put as an estimate going into the auction?
40:08You'd probably put a low estimate on it, sort of £200 to £400.
40:12Okay.
40:13But I strongly suspect this will fly beyond the top end of the estimate.
40:17And I think this would probably make in the region of 700.
40:22Okay.
40:23Are you ready for what Luigi wants for?
40:26How much is he hoping?
40:282,800.
40:29Okay.
40:30He's hoping to get.
40:31I think that's probably pushing a bit much.
40:33It's just too high.
40:36Okay.
40:37Moving on to this Princess key.
40:39What would be a value for that, Oliver?
40:41So, I would say we're looking at £1,000 to £2,000 at auction.
40:45Okay.
40:46But I would like to think it would really take off.
40:51So, again, we're a little way off from what Luigi wants.
40:56Our job as auction is just try and maximise the price.
40:59If you go lower, you draw the crowds in, get the bidding going.
41:02Because once they've made that effort into attending or logging online,
41:06they're more likely to get carried away with themselves.
41:08And before they know it, they bid once, twice, three times.
41:11When you go really high, you may just get lucky with one bidder.
41:14And that's it.
41:15You're done.
41:16But you've got to be happy with the reserve price,
41:18because that's what we will sell it for.
41:19And if you're not happy, you don't put it in the auction.
41:21With the auction house and Luigi miles apart, Ed is meeting up with him to find out if he is prepared to proceed.
41:30Well, let's talk keys.
41:32They were a long way off what you, I think, wanted.
41:37It was more the sort of hundreds than the thousands.
41:42Yes.
41:45I understand that the low estimate is to encourage, you know, bidders.
41:49Well, that's it as well.
41:50As a buyer, it's good.
41:52As a seller, it's not so good.
41:54It is a bit of a gamble because you can see the value
41:58and it's finding another two or three people willing to pay that money as well.
42:02Be there at the right moment with the right money, ready to buy that.
42:06We need all the stars to align.
42:08Yes.
42:09Luigi, we need to really think about what we're going to do.
42:16I know there is a very niche market already, so it's difficult.
42:21I can't take that risk, to be honest, because I know really how much they cost me.
42:27But maybe I have to figure out a different way to make this money somehow, yes.
42:32Because you need this money for your house.
42:34Yes, I do.
42:35I can't do it.
42:36With no guarantee of the money he needs, for now, Luigi's key collection is staying together.
42:41I feel that I've let Luigi down a little bit.
42:45But the thing is, he works so hard to get these keys and to risk losing them for less money
42:51is something he's not willing to take.
42:53I've tried my hardest, but they mean a lot to him.
43:01Back in Hertfordshire, it's Katie's last chance to try and raise the £60,000 Shane needs to finish his dream home.
43:10She's worked all her contacts and brought together cycle enthusiast David Butterworth and auctioneer Adam Partridge, who've agreed to look at Shane's hoard.
43:20Over 80 bikes, 100 wheels and countless parts and accessories.
43:26I've got all my fingers crossed that they can raise the money for Shane.
43:30As long as Adam and David like what they see, Shane's entire collection could go in one big bespoke auction.
43:38Come on in. I mean, have you ever seen so many beautiful bikes in one place?
43:45No.
43:46Come on, look. Come and look.
43:48The plan today is to give an auction estimate, a figure Shane will need to be happy with.
43:53Swiss.
43:54I know that, yeah.
43:55Really excited. Really excited.
43:57I'm looking at six figures because some of the bikes are previously owned by professional cyclists.
44:02It'd be a nice surprise for them as well.
44:04Oh my God, that is even lighter. Much lighter than that.
44:08Where's your eye leading you?
44:10Well, I like this one.
44:12Yeah.
44:13Zip bikes are one of those things that have become iconic.
44:15Yeah.
44:16From an enthusiast point of view, this is very collectible.
44:19For something like this, you should be achieving £5,000, £6,000.
44:23Great.
44:24And if we get the right people, I think that's conservative.
44:27This is sounding really positive.
44:30They're making all the right noises.
44:33But let's see what they come up with in terms of a figure.
44:38Shane really does know what he's doing.
44:40Yes.
44:41So he also does know the value of the things he's got here.
44:44So he is going to be wanting to get the best prices.
44:47All right, Shane.
44:48Are you guys not too bad yourselves?
44:50Have an amazing job, yeah.
44:51I really have, yeah.
44:52Yeah.
44:53So have you got a figure in mind?
44:55Based on speaking to Adam, obviously he's an experienced auctioneer.
44:59I think at auction we'd be looking at raising in excess of £150,000.
45:04Yeah, that sounds about right.
45:06Is that a yes then?
45:10I really will.
45:11Deal.
45:12Deal.
45:14Didn't expect that.
45:15It really was a relief.
45:16And obviously the price off it is just brilliant.
45:19I'm actually getting back what I paid.
45:22So, yeah, relief for that.
45:24It wasn't money wasted.
45:26So I can half my carriage content, which is kind of like money in the pocket, really.
45:32So, win-win.
45:33It's great news, and there's one final surprise.
45:38I would like to buy a bike for the sun.
45:41Fantastic.
45:42So, if we can agree a price, we can probably sell the first one for you now, because I'll
45:46buy it.
45:47That would be nice.
45:48We'll walk away with it again.
45:50So I could potentially sell that bike for around the £4,000 mark.
45:53I was thinking more about two and a half.
45:57Three.
45:58Go on, let's do a deal at three.
46:00Oh, yes!
46:01Happy day!
46:04I'm just so excited.
46:05I've got tingles all over.
46:06I love being able to facilitate a deal.
46:09I mean, we even did a deal today.
46:11We've smashed the target we were set.
46:14What more can I ask for?
46:16Asking you, are you going to use the £150 to buy more bikes?
46:20Wait and see.
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46:43Next here on Channel 4 tonight, it's Celebrity Gogglebox.
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