Winding Wheel venue for Flog It!

Published by webmaster for Chesterfield Borough Council in Communities

North Derbyshire residents are being given the chance to have their heirlooms valued - and take part in a top-rated BBC2 television programme.

Flog It! is being filmed at Chesterfield Borough Council's Winding Wheel conference centre in Holywell Street, Chesterfield on Sunday, September 10.

Anyone - except traders - can take their items along for a free valuation and antiques that catch the experts' eye will be entered in an auction sale at Bamfords saleroom at The Old Picture Palace, Dale Road, Matlock on Friday, October 6. The programme, featuring shots from the sale and the valuation day, will be broadcast as part of the fifth series later in the year.

Flog It! is the major BBC2 antiques series, presented by Paul Martin, and regularly gets an audience of two million viewers each weekday, around 25% of the television audience.

The Winding Wheel will be hosting the Flog It! Valuation Day from 9.30am to 4pm. 

Rather like a treasure hunt, members of the public are invited to bring along the antiques and collectables they might be interested in selling. Once valued, the owner and team of experts decide whether it should go forward for auction.  If the item is chosen it is sold a few weeks later - often with the owner making a tidy sum.  Everyone who goes along to the Valuation Day will receive a valuation - even if their antiques are not chosen to go forward for auction.

Previous programmes have seen a small cream jug sold at auction for £1,300; a ceramic bowl, bought for £4 at a car boot sale, achieving £1,500; and a lady in Aberdeen sold a Shelley tea set for a huge £3,400!

On one of this week's programme, some Clarice Cliff pottery astonished the experts by selling for well over £2,000!

So if you've ever wondered how much those boot sale bargains or clutter in the loft might be worth, now is your chance to find out.

Auctioneer at the October sale will be James Lewis of Bamfords, a well-known face in Chesterfield where he has held a number of antique valuation sessions including one which proved a popular attraction at the last Chesterfield Festival - and he is booked again for this year's Festival in October.

James said: "I would like to encourage as many people as possible to come along to the Winding Wheel. Let's really put Chesterfield on the map!"

END

Press release issued August 18th 2006