Cotswolders raid their attics for TV’s Paul Martins

THE considerable charms of TV antiques expert Paul Martin encouraged many women, and the odd man, to rush to their cupboards and dig out their treasures when BBC’s Flog It called at Cirencester’s Corn Hall back in February.

Now some of those treasures will go under the hammer at the Cirencester saleroom of Moore Allen & Innocent on Friday, March 19.

Among the stand-out lots is a collection of diamond jewellery, including a pair of diamond earrings shaped as leaves, circa 1920, with an estimate of £700 - £1,000, a Victorian diamond dragonfly brooch with ruby eyes, aquamarine wings and gold clasp (£2,000 - £2,500), and a brooch with five large diamonds, dating from around 1920, with an estimate of £2,000 - £2,500.

From the 18th century comes a George III silver teapot and matching tea stand (est £700 - £1,000). The hallmarks reveal that both were designed by the silversmiths Peter and Ann Bateman in 1792 and 1793 respectively.

The Bateman empire was formed by Hester Bateman in 1761 and continued as a family business until 1845. The Batemans used the latest technology to produce their silverware as cheaply as possible, using machines to punch and pierce the thin gauge silver, and their work was favoured among the nouveau riche.

From the 19th century is a pepper pot by the Italian jeweller and goldsmith Carlo Giuliano, who was based in London from 1875 until his death in 1895, and was reputedly the favoured jeweler of Queen Victoria. The pot is fashioned from a gourd seed with silver mounts, and carries an estimate of £1,000 to £1,500.

A circa 1900 jardinière by Wemyss – purveyors of unique hand-painted Scottish pottery, and still producing today - standing at eight inches tall and decorated in a cabbage rose design, is guaranteed to attract interest at £400 to £600, as is a 41-piece Clarice Cliff dinner service featuring a deer prancing through the woods.

The dinner service is unusual in two respects: firstly that it is a first-edition run from 1934, and secondly because it features a naturalistic scene, rather than the colourful geometric shapes for which Cliff is renowned. An estimate of £2,000 to £3,000 has been put on the collection.

Finally, from the latter part of the 20th century, a Barbie in excellent condition and with original accessories – including three wigs of different colours and styles – should command a bid of between £80 and £120. This doll was made in 1962 when the brand was just three years old; she’s now a shade over 50.

A pepper pot by the Italian jeweller and goldsmith Carlo Giuliano	A George III silver teapot and matching tea stand by Peter and Ann Bateman
A circa 1900 jardinière by Wemyss	A 1962 Barbie in excellent condition and with original accessories – including three wigs of different colours and styles
A pair of diamond earrings shaped as leaves, circa 1920	A brooch with five large diamonds, dating from around 1920
A Victorian diamond dragonfly brooch with ruby eyes, aquamarine wings and gold clasp