This is the weekend for...Scouring the attic for treasure

Instead of hoping that the National Lottery balls might drop in your favour, take the matter into your own hands and clear out the attic.

This week a brother and sister sold an 18th-century Qianlong-era vase discovered in a suburban Middlesex house for a record £43m. Persuading the loft to part with its secrets is a good way to while away a chilly November afternoon.