The work behind the scenes in Flog It, the television antiques show, were among the anecdotes of David Fletcher, the Fine Art valuer and auctioneer, when he spoke to members of Dunstable and District Local History Society at their October meeting.

David was one of the experts on the programme, drawing on his expertise gathered during over 40 years in the antiques business.

He described his earliest jobs, including auctioning a field of growing brussel sprouts. He graduated to running the Cambridge office of the the famous firm of Bonham’s and working with the well-known personality Charlie Ross, of Bargain Hunt fame, at his Woburn salerooms.

David described how television had changed the salesroom industry, starting from the Going For A Song programme in 1965 with Arthur Negus, and how valuations fluctuate over the years (currently antique furniture is Down and gold is Up).

That led to history society members being asked to guess the values of an assortment of items ranging from a tool for serving asparagus, a Chinese-style porcelain tea bowl and a car radiator cap comprised of the figure of Old Bill, a First World War cartoon hero.

The history society’s next meeting is at 7.45 on Tuesday, November 11, in the Dunstable Methodist Church Hall. On a date appropriately close to Fireworks Night, historian Jean Yates will talk about some local aspects of the 1605 plot to blow up Parliament.