Oswestry 5 Bargain Hunt

Today's fair is at Oswestry in Shropshire.

Situated on the border of England and Wales,

it's had two sides fighting over territory for many years.

Once believed to be a Welsh settlement,

the area then became part of England.

The Welsh took it back for a bit in the 12th century,

until the Act of Union in 1536 put the town back in England,

where it still lies.

But the only battle that we're interested in today

is between the Reds and the Blues,

so let's go Bargain Hunting.

With stalls inside and out,

there are hundreds of items to choose from.

Both teams go into battle with £300

and just one hour on the clock

to buy three items to take to auction.

But who will come out on top?

Let's take a sneaky peek at what's coming up.

On today's show, the Reds hope to sniff out the bargains...

I smell a profit.

..while Thomas has a tough time with the Blues.

Now, come on.

Why are you laughing?

But over at the auction, the Reds are rejoicing.

Yes!

And the Blues are dancing.

# We're in the money! #

That's all for later.

So let's meet today's teams.

We have two happy couples.

For the Reds we have Pax and Helena.

And for the Blues, Charlotte and Ian.

Hello, everyone.

-ALL:

-Hello, Anita!

Wonderful, wonderful.

Now, Pax and Helena, tell me how you met.

Gosh, romantic story.

About 32 years ago, on 31 Squadron in Germany,

my husband was a bomber pilot on Tornadoes,

and I worked for his Wing Commander.

Oh, yeah, a romantic-looking guy.

-Oh, very.

-Did you go for him at the time?

Well, he more went for me.

But I resisted, and then a few years later, we met again.

You fell in love all over again.

Actually never stopped loving him.

Oh, that's lovely, that's lovely.

Now, Pax, I believe your real name is Tony.

Where did Pax come from?

Well, it's what, in the air force, we call a tactical call sign.

I don't know if you've seen the film Top Gun,

but they call themselves Maverick and Iceman.

Everyone had a nickname.

Yes, it's so that it's easier to talk to each other in the air

when you are in the middle of a fight.

I believe you also have got Helena into flying as well.

Well, I think she was always quite interested in it, but...

Not just the pilots!

THEY LAUGH

-No.

-Since we've been together,

Helena has done some flying training.

When we fly, she sits in the front of the aeroplane

and does quite a bit of the flying, as well.

So, guys, you like to fly high,

but what will your tactics be out there in the fair today?

Well, we are going to spend as much money as we can,

we want to go for quality, and we'll leave our expert

as little as we can.

-Give him a challenge.

-Ah, that's wonderful,

so you're going to give it a blast.

-Oh, we are, Anita.

-That's our Red team.

Now let's meet today's Blues.

It's engaged couple Charlotte and Ian.

Now, you guys are a new romance.

How did you meet?

Well, we just met in a bar in Liverpool and eyes kind of met,

bit of a cliche, just clicked.

And fell in love across a crowded room?

-Something along those kind of vague lines.

-Yes, not too far off.

Now, Charlotte, you've had quite a career path.

And you started off as a comedienne?

Well, not a very funny one.

THEY LAUGH

Yeah, I did a politics degree and then drama teacher,

and then I did a little bit of stand-up,

got told to get a proper job...

-Who by?

-Parents.

Oh, right. Parents are always like that, aren't they?

Stick in the mud, yeah. I'm a landlord now, so complete change.

Now, when you are not working,

I know that you're a very keen sailor.

Tell me about that. You have a love for boats.

I do. I've been sailing for quite a long time.

I sail on the River Mersey.

And Ian and I, we've, not long ago,

just bought our first big boat together.

-Oh, right, that's fabulous.

-Very excited.

So you're a keen sailor as well?

Yes, funnily enough, since not long after meeting Charlotte.

-Oh, right.

-I realised fairly early on

if I wanted to spend time with Charlotte,

it was something I had to get involved in.

-And they came as a pair?

-Yes.

So, you two guys are used to working very closely together on the boat.

But what are your tactics going to be today?

Well, spend, spend, spend.

They want to spend big as well!

Oh, this is fabulous.

Well, if you want to spend, spend, spend,

I think I'm going to have to give you some dosh to do that.

£300 for you, and £300 for you.

Your experts await, so off you go.

Thank you.

Masters of the air versus captains of the sea,

this should be an interesting competition.

And to help them out are today's experts.

For the Reds, passing on his knowledge, it's John Cameron.

And revving into action for the Blues, it's Thomas Plant.

Right, Helena, Pax, what are we going to be buying today?

Well, I'd be quite interested in some quality silver actually, John.

-Some small bits?

-Yeah.

Good, good, good.

I'm thinking big and bold, maybe orange, maybe something garish,

maybe something useful, maybe something completely useless.

-HELENA:

-I quite like decanters, tantalus, something like that.

Wine-related antiques?

-Absolutely.

-Oh, lady after my own heart.

I'm an engineer, I like things that are useful,

that people can get benefit from,

perhaps a little bit more than the ornamental things.

Right, teams, you've got 60 minutes.

Go!

-Let's go shopping.

-Yay!

Let's go!

Charlotte's quick to find her funny side.

-Oh, look at this.

-Yes, no?

-That's a no.

While the Reds are straight into the shopping.

-Is that a yoke? A wooden yoke?

-Yeah, yeah.

Is that something maybe you would put on a wall...?

It looks like there are some interesting things on here.

Shall we have a look around?

So, while the Reds scour their first stall,

have the Blues started looking seriously yet?

We are looking for orange, functional...

-Yes.

-..useless...

-And useless.

-Well, you know...

-But fabulous.

-But fabulous as well?

-Yeah.

That narrows it down, doesn't it?

-Anything around here?

-Well, I still wondered about that yoke.

-This is the sort of thing...

-Helena said the yoke, John.

Things like this are actually selling

and being used in the home now.

Meanwhile, what have the Blues found?

It's very nice, very Art Nouveau, isn't it?

-Hm-mm.

-It's functional.

We're looking at that being Edwardian, very British.

It's quite restrained Art Nouveau.

Yes. What sort of value would you think would be on that...

-Well...

-..at an auction?

At auction, that's got to be £40-£60, maybe 50 to 80.

So shall I go and ask the stallholder?

I think that would be useful, yes. See what we can do on it.

I suggest you take a closer look.

We'll do that.

-I think it's quite...

-It's got character.

Because it would just paint up, wouldn't it?

I don't know whether that goes with it?

That will be a Georgian footman.

They're not a pair, but it could work.

-Is it quite heavy?

-No, it's quite light.

-It's quite light.

Because they could paint up the same colour, maybe.

Right. I've spoken to the stallholder.

-OK.

-And after a bit of negotiation,

he said you could buy it for £45.

Really? And there's also that, which could potentially go with it.

Yes, it could go with it.

So maybe could we get the two for 45?

-Based on the fact...

-He started at 80, and I got him to 45.

You might have to pay a bit extra to get that, as well.

Could we... £50 for the two?

Oh, my gosh!

Charlotte, you are a hard person, aren't you?

Well, I was thinking 45 for two.

OK.

Don't ask, don't get.

Thomas, you've got your work cut out here.

Charlotte, you drive a hard bargain.

Ian, how do you put up with this?

-Every day.

-Right, £55 for the two.

-Marvellous.

-Marvellous?

-That's great.

-Yes, let's go for it.

I think it's lovely. It is really cute.

First item down.

And it's useful!

-Indeed.

-But it's not orange.

-True.

-It could be.

-Very black. Come on.

Well done, Blues, that's the first item bought in five minutes.

Meanwhile, Helena finally gets to look at the item

she spotted earlier.

-Do you like that?

-I do like it.

So, what do you like about it?

It's tactile, it's small, it looks nice, it has a use.

I think it may be a yoke of some sort.

Certainly looks like that, I can't think of any other use for it.

And with these leather straps here,

it definitely looks like

it's for something of an agricultural use,

doesn't it? Possibly around...maybe a goat, or maybe a donkey.

The shape and the size of it would suggest

something smaller than an ox, doesn't it?

It's to use an animal's strength to drag something along,

whether it be a plough or a cart or something like that.

What about the price?

Got £35 on there.

Well... Do you think we could get that for a little less?

Well, we can only ask.

He's very good at bartering.

Are you good at bartering, Pax?

Well, sometimes, yes.

Depends what it is.

THEY LAUGH

-Shall we find out?

-You do the words, and I'll smile.

-Let's go.

While the Reds are off to negotiate,

what's Thomas hanging his reputation on?

-What about this?

-Disastrous.

This is disastrous? £350 is on that.

Wow.

-Moving on.

-Move on.

Maybe if it was orange?

Now, Reds, how are the negotiations going?

So this is £35.

My wife has taken a shine for it.

We don't think we could make a profit on that,

so we wondered what you could do for us.

Somewhere down nearer 20, maybe?

My best, because I like Bargain Hunt, would be 25.

-25?

-25.

Could we make it just one below that, 24,

because the bidding tends to go up in fives, doesn't it?

If it'll help you, OK, then.

Lovely. Thank you very much.

£24.

Well done, there's your first purchase.

Excellent. We're off the mark.

-Yes.

-Excited?

-Yes, I am.

-Well-spotted.

Oh, thank you.

I think I'll go and get a cup of tea and leave you to it!

-You don't need me.

-Oh, we do.

So that's both teams off the mark in under ten minutes.

Have the Blues found their next item?

-No, nothing grabbing you here?

-Nothing singing out to me.

-No.

-OK.

-I think I'd like to move on.

-All right.

The Blues certainly know their mind.

What about the Reds?

Something, again, completely off our strategy

that has caught my eye, is a toy bus garage over here.

OK, like a diorama-type thing, yes?

-Shall we have a look at it?

-Yeah.

Dioramas are modelled depictions of a variety of scenes

and are still made by hobbyists to this day.

It's a nice thing, but...

It's nowhere near as nice as it looked from a distance.

So that's a no.

Now, what's caught Thomas's eye?

I rather like that.

It's Charlotte Rhead, it's blue.

I mean, I spotted it because I love this frieze around the inner rim.

Have you heard of Charlotte Rhead?

-Yes.

-Yeah, a great designer from the Art Deco period.

It's got that sort of vintage look, hasn't it?

Well, it's useful as well, isn't it?

-Yes.

-That's what I like about it.

-It's a nice size.

Is there a good market for these?

I think there is, it depends on...

You've got £40 on it.

What's the very best on this?

I could do it for 35 for you.

35, really?

Well, thank you for that. But I was really thinking about £25.

-Goodness.

-Sorry.

No, shall we settle for... Could we settle for 30?

I was still wanting the 20, so can I meet you halfway and say 28?

-OK.

-Are you sure? I'm sorry about that.

-No, no, we'll go for 28.

-Is that OK?

-Yes.

You might have agreed a price, Thomas,

but your team still needs persuading.

What do you think?

Yes, go on.

It's a nice bowl.

I like it. It's got a good look.

Functional. I don't think you would be afraid to put fruit in it,

-as well as it's decorative, yeah.

-It's got a really good look.

You think you've got some profit?

I think you have, because it's Charlotte Rhead, it's got a name.

The design is good.

-I like it.

-I think we should go for that.

-We are definitely going to buy it?

-Yes.

-28? Brilliant.

Second item down.

Loads of money left.

-Loads of money, let's go.

-OK.

So it's a blue bowl for the Blue team.

How's it going, Thomas?

They are doing really well.

I think their weakness is that they are actually quite clever.

I mean, they are super bright people.

And they're over-thinking quite a lot of objects.

So, you know, that impulse buy is like, "Oh, I want to do the impulse,

"but I don't want to do it

"because I want to think about it a bit longer."

I think follow your gut and see where it goes.

I think we are doing OK, actually, aren't we?

Yeah, now we've got the second item in place, yes.

I think we need to just home in on spending the rest of the lolly.

And we have some money to do it...

-We do, we've got loads.

-..which is great.

Good to see the Blues are confident.

Let's hope that continues.

Now, what have the Reds sniffed out?

What do you think of that, there?

You've spotted some silver, something shiny, haven't we?

Let's have a look.

It's a little silver-mounted perfume bottle.

-It's nicely etched as well, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I think it's got a fair bit of work gone into this.

Is there a mark on there?

It is not an English mark, and it's a bit rubbed.

Often you get these in sets that come inside a travelling case.

-Oh, I see.

-Sometimes they get separated.

How old do you think that is?

That looks to me to be Victorian.

I think it is foreign, I think it's continental, probably French.

So it's got £110 on it.

-You like the item?

-I do.

You think it will be popular at auction?

I think, yes, for the right buyer.

There is a market for perfume bottles, just perfume bottles.

And it may make a nice gift, as well.

-I'd like it.

-You'd like it, let's go over and ask.

Hello, there. The Red team here have taken

a little shine to the perfume bottle,

but we've got to take it to auction,

we've got to try and get a profit out of it.

So you know price is key.

-Yeah.

-Over to you, Helena.

Well, we were wondering...

..could you do 75 on that?

-I'd do 79, but that's the best I can do.

-79?

What are you thinking?

-I'd be happy with that.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-Pax? The boss likes it.

Well, the boss is in charge, of course.

I think we ought to follow the boss, don't you?

Yeah, absolutely.

£79, would you like to shake the lady's hand?

-We can always come back.

-Go on.

-Shake hands, then.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

£79, it's got a chance, it's got a fighting chance.

I smell a profit.

THEY LAUGH

Let's hope so.

So with half your shopping time left, what now?

We have a plan now, don't we?

-We do.

-Because we seem to have bought two things quite quickly,

so now we are going to look everywhere

and then make a decision....

We've done about 50 yards what's here,

and there's 300 yards over here, so we'll have to see how it goes.

The guys are flying,

they seemed rather confident in what they like and what they don't like.

It's a day out for me at the moment.

With both teams two items in hand,

it's a good time to have a break from shopping.

Just down the road from Oswestry is the birthplace of Wilfred Owen,

the great war poet,

so where better to talk about

a couple of panels which have a World War I connection?

This panel shows figures in a landscape,

and this panel shows deer grazing in a woodland scene.

Although these are charming, there is no great quality.

There is no great artistry.

In fact, the backboard started life off as an old tea chest.

But it is on the back...

..of the panel that the story begins to unfold

and make them much, much more interesting.

Inscribed in a handwritten text are the words,

"Made by prisoner of war at Stobs, 1916."

Stobs was one of the largest military camps in Britain.

And in 1914, it became a prisoner of war camp,

and home to some 6,000 prisoners over the next five years.

Life as a prisoner of war would be terrible.

At Stobs, prisoners were allowed to make trinkets from found materials,

that's really just anything that's lying around,

and sell them to prison officers,

visitors or members of the local population.

These panels are part of that craftwork.

They illustrate a human story in an inhuman time.

Now, if these were just decorative panels,

they would be worth under £20.

But with the markings on the back, and the Stobs connection,

in a specialist militaria sale, they could fetch over £100.

So, don't just look at an object on the face of it,

it could be the story BEHIND the object

that makes it more desirable and, therefore, worth more.

Back to the shopping, and with only 20 minutes left,

both teams still need to buy one item each.

It's tracted to that shelf unit.

It's quite a good-looking thing.

Charlotte's looking really disinterested.

-Does nothing.

-Really disinterested.

OK, come on, then.

So, Charlotte still knows what she DOESN'T like.

Meanwhile, Pax has spotted something he DOES like.

I've seen some silver spoons over there.

Silver spoons and sugar tongs...

-OK.

-..in a box.

They're not plated.

-OK.

-Can we have a look at those?

Why not, it's your money?

Come on, then.

Right, let's have a look at these that you've spotted, Pax.

They are quite nice. Well, they're a full set.

And they're not silver.

-They're not?

-No, they're not, they're actually plated.

-Oh, OK.

-They look like hallmarks, but they're not.

When you are looking for silver, if it's English silver,

the first thing you're looking for is the lion patent.

A sideways view of a lion.

But even if they were silver,

I wouldn't want to pay more than about £25 for them.

We'll leave those, then. It was my mistake.

-All right.

-Thank you.

We can all make mistakes.

As long as you don't make the same one twice.

Well, that's true.

Keep looking, Reds.

How are the Blues getting on?

Guys, we've done outside, and we could go inside to the stalls,

which might have items of...

..more expensive, but smaller, so my kind of jewellery and silver.

-Shall we do that?

-That sounds like a plan.

While the Blues head off inside, the Reds have found more spoons,

but this time, they ARE silver.

Well, it says silver handles, let's check them out.

They are hallmarks.

And that's that lion patent I was telling you about.

That shows you they're English.

The key thing, though, is condition and completeness.

So they are not bad, they're not bad.

What do you think, for a fruit salad or something like that?

-They've got £75 on them.

-What do you think?

I think they've got a good chance of making that sort of money.

Does it matter that the box is a bit tacky?

No, it's the original box.

It's the original box.

I would say, without looking at that hallmark,

I would say these probably date to the '30s.

Who is doing the bargaining here?

-45.

-So you looked at the wife.

You're a bit like me, aren't you?

We're supposed to be the men of the house, we look to the wife.

I spent my whole working life being in charge, so, you know...

You're submissive now, are you?

-Is this true?

-Oh, gosh, no.

-OK.

-I wouldn't have him if he was.

Right, well, actually, I do think Helena's bargaining skills

haven't let us down so far.

-Oh, right.

-So shall we find out?

See what you can get, Helena.

OK, you stand with me, though.

-THEY LAUGH

-OK.

While the Reds go off to find the dealer,

how is Thomas getting on?

I think what we need to do is look for something with a bit of pizzazz,

a bit of style to it. Yeah?

I'm thinking orange and maybe amber.

Good idea, good idea. Let's go and have a look.

So the Blues still have something colourful in mind.

Meanwhile, the Reds are about to start negotiating

for those silver spoons.

I need to get something off that.

-OK, what were you thinking?

-Well, I was thinking 48.

48?

Well, I was thinking about 50, so my bottom line was 50, so...

Would you go 49, do you think?

-Yeah, go on, 48, I'll do 48.

-Oh, you are kind.

Oh, what a gentleman.

Thank you very much.

He said his bottom line was 50, and he went to 48.

He's like me. There we are.

Take a leaf out of this woman's book here.

Job done, Reds.

Now with just 10 minutes left,

Thomas is driving the Blues to find the last item.

I'm just going to show you, I'll talk you through it,

it will have a story.

The carving on that is absolutely superb, I think.

So, what you've got is a Chinese coconut bowl, halved.

And this would have been made for our market,

as the sailors would have gone over there in the 19th century.

I'm talking, you know, 1850s and onwards.

You've got this lovely Chinese stamp here.

It's in remarkably good condition,

because very often the coconut will crack.

But this is in excellent condition.

I like that.

-Beautifully carved.

-Like the carving, lovely...

It's very fine, isn't it?

And the quality is lovely.

-And it's useful.

-It is useful.

Can I feel for the weight?

Have a feel of it.

Because coconut is very light.

-Tactile.

-Yes, it's tactile, isn't it?

What's your very best on that?

Well, I've got 150 on it.

135?

OK. Couldn't squeeze you to 120?

If we had 120, we might be able to do a deal, mightn't we?

Split it at 125.

125. It's a risk, but it's a good risk.

And I wouldn't be embarrassed about buying that.

It's a quality item.

-Yeah.

-DEALER:

-I think you've got a chance with this at 125.

I think we'd have a chance at 80, but we're never going to get there.

You may have a chance at 150.

-Shall we do it?

-Well, I think we're running out of time.

We are running out of time. We really are.

-This is it.

-I guess...

-Decision.

I think we'd probably better go with that one, hadn't we?

Let's do it, decision made.

It's very attractive.

So the Blues are all shopped-up too.

Teams, that's your hour, time's up.

Well, well done, you two. That's it, third and final item.

I don't know about you two, but I need a cup of tea.

Me, too. Let's go.

Let's remind ourselves what the Reds bought.

Their first buy was Helena's yoke, price paid, £24.

Next, their silver-mounted perfume bottle.

It cost them £79.

Finally, the silver spoons, bought for £48,

but will they scoop up a profit?

Well, did you guys have a good time?

-We did.

-We had a great time.

What was your favourite item?

The first item we bought, which was the yoke.

What's going to make the most profit?

The most profit, I would imagine to be the spoons.

Pax, what was your favourite?

My favourite was the set of spoons.

What do you think's going to make the most profit?

I think the most profit will be made from Helena's choice,

which was the perfume bottle.

How much money did you spend in total?

151.

I thought you guys were going to spend BIG!

-So did we.

-We tried.

Well, will you give me 149?

John, that's quite a lot of dosh.

Do you have something in mind?

I've got something I've spotted, yeah,

I just need to go back and see if I can get it

at a slightly better price.

While John goes off and tries to get a great deal,

let's remind ourselves what the Blues bought.

Will the bidding heat up for the fireplace and fender?

It cost £55.

Next was the Charlotte Rhead ceramic bowl.

Price paid, £28.

Finally, the silver and coconut bowl cost them £125.

Well, guys, did you have a good time?

-It's been great.

-We had a smashing day.

So, Charlotte,

you were very determined about what you did like

and what you didn't like.

Is she always like that?

-Of course.

-Is that one of the reasons you love her?

One of the many.

Charlotte, what was your favourite item?

I like the coconut bowl, I thought it was very nice.

I have to agree, I think for me, the way it was made.

Is it going to make the best profit, though?

We think maybe the fireplace...

-I'd agree.

-..might make the most...

So once again, in agreement.

-I think so, yes.

-What a couple!

They were a pleasure to shop with.

Remind me again how much money you spent?

We've spent £208.

Will you give me £92?

Not a bad sum of money, Thomas.

It's not a bad sum of money, and I plan to spend the lot.

-Great.

-Oh, marvellous.

So while Thomas goes off to try and spend the lot,

we're going to go off to the auction.

Today we're at

Trevanion and Dean Auctioneers and Valuers in Shropshire,

with auctioneer Christina Trevanion.

It is such a pleasure to have you here, Anita.

It's great to be here, Christina.

It's absolutely wonderful.

So, for the Reds, Tony and Helena,

we really have a table of two halves.

We have the sparkly,

and we have the not so sparkly.

Our first item is the yoke.

Does this old yoke make you smile, Christina?

It really does. I think it's just fabulous.

We are in the right place, we are in a rural county.

It's the kind of thing that you could put on your wall.

I've put £20 to £30 on it as a good decorative thing.

They've paid £24, so it's not a lot of money.

Now, what about this wee scent bottle?

Isn't this a pretty thing?

It is so sweet.

What I particularly like about it

is this lovely engraving around the glass.

Really sweet, they're eternally popular, good sellers.

And I think it's a nice thing, it's a commercial thing.

So, possibly French, with a little bit of je ne sais quoi.

A lot of je ne sais quoi.

THEY LAUGH

What's your estimate?

I have said £30 to £50 at auction.

Well, they paid 79,

so it's going to need an awful lot of je ne sais quoi...

-It really is.

-..to make a profit.

We might need a bit of ooh la la on that one.

And their third item was the cutlery.

Often when I see cased cutlery like this, my heart sinks.

Because when was the last time we used fish servers?

When was the last time we used cased flatware like that?

The thing it HAS got going for it is it's King's pattern.

King's pattern, obviously, we get Queen's pattern,

we get King's pattern, Albion pattern, Dheli pattern,

King's pattern is one of the most popular patterns.

And what's the estimate?

Well, I've put £40 to £60 on it.

They paid 48...

-Oh, that's great.

-..so I think that they have a chance of a profit...

-Agreed.

-..on that so that's excellent.

They may not need their bonus buy,

but we're going to go and have a look at it, anyway.

Pax, Helena, you gave John £149.

John, what did you buy with it?

Well, feast your eyes on these.

-Here we are.

-Oh, my goodness.

A set of six Art Nouveau silver buttons, dating from about 1901,

and people collect just buttons.

So a nice bit of crossover appeal there.

So how much of a dent in the 149 did it make?

Well, though they are buttons, they didn't cost buttons, they cost £70.

But I think that with the internet,

this is the sort of lot that gives us a chance.

What sort of profit might we make on that?

Well, they can make around that sort of money at auction.

I have checked, but you do see sets exactly the same make over £100.

Does that sound good to you?

-Yes.

-It does.

Do you like them?

-I do, actually.

-They are very pretty.

But you don't need to make up your mind just now,

wait until after your first three items have been sold.

But in the meantime,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks of John's set of buttons.

So, the bonus buy, Christina.

-Do you like these?

-I love them, and we do see them an awful lot.

And they are always beautiful and always sought-after.

Great that you've got a set of six.

So often we see a set of five,

that somebody has then found a different button,

put it in with a set.

Very beautiful, and I love them.

What's your estimate?

Well, at auction, I've put £60 to £100 on them.

They've got to be worth that, haven't they?

They are just beautiful, they really are.

-Well, John paid £70...

-OK.

..so there is definitely a chance of a profit there.

Let's hope so, yeah, I think so.

That's it for the Reds.

Now on to the Blues, Charlotte and Ian.

Now, again, quite a mixture of items.

-Eclectic.

-Pretty and...

well, functional.

Tell me what you think about it.

I think it would be great if it was complete, wouldn't it?

But it is a bit of a marriage,

and probably not a marriage made in heaven,

because you've got a rather lovely Victorian cast-iron fireplace

with a Georgian footman.

If it were complete, I'd be happy.

What's your estimate?

I've put £30 to £50 on it, I think I've probably been a bit mean,

but it just needs so much doing to it.

Well, they paid £55 on it, so they might nearly be there.

Their next lot was the Charlotte Rhead.

Now, this isn't typical of Charlotte Rhead.

It's an incredibly pretty bowl.

And I'm a huge admirer of the Rheads.

I think what's actually particularly nice about this example

is you can see the influence of her father, Frederick, who was so,

so incredibly talented at his pate-sur-pate.

And you can see that here.

Because pate-sur-pate, of course,

is the sort of layering of enamels

to create this wonderful sort of, almost translucent effect.

And I just think it's beautiful. I love it.

And for someone who collects Charlotte Rhead,

then that would be a perfect example of her early work.

Very pretty, what's your estimate?

Well, I've put £30 to £50 on it.

Well, that's wonderful because they've only paid £28.

-Oh, brilliant.

-So perhaps a profit...

-That's good.

-..for Charlotte Rhead.

Excellent, excellent.

Now their third item is this oriental bowl.

Coconut shell and silver.

The Oriental market is hot just now.

Yeah, it is, it really is.

What's really, really nice is the carving is so particularly lovely.

All these wonderful scholars, attributes, these wonderful mondes.

So often you see these and they're cracked.

And this is really in very good condition still,

and a nice mark on the bottom.

We've had quite a lot of interest in this, so I'm hoping,

hoping that you'll get two very competitive buyers with it.

Now, what's your estimate on that?

Well, I've put £60 to £100 on it.

I think it's a nice piece.

-What have they paid?

-£125.

That's not too bad, it could get there.

-It could get there.

-Yeah, and more, hopefully.

OK. They seem to be doing not too badly.

A bit of a rollercoaster, isn't it?

They may not need their bonus buy,

but we are going to go and have a look at it, anyway.

Charlotte, Ian.

Well, you spent £208 and gave Thomas £92.

-What did you buy?

-I said I'd spend a lot, and I bought you...

He's a little Black Forest carved inkwell.

Now, come on.

THEY LAUGH

Why are you laughing?

Ian, I want you to hold it, have a look at it.

It's continental, probably carved in

the Black Forest in southern Germany.

It's an unusual face.

Real expression, he's got these wonderful little glass eyes.

And it's an inkwell, so I've got double collectors there.

I've got inkwell collectors and Black Forest collectors.

How much did you pay for it?

-I told you, I spent the lot.

-Go on.

-£90.

-BOTH:

-No way.

Yes, 100%.

-Back of the net.

-OK.

It's unusual, it's strange.

It is, it certainly is, isn't it?

And you think it will make, how much?

Oh, it's going to make hundreds.

-OK.

-Hundreds of pounds.

-Ker-ching!

-I've never, ever seen another one.

-I can understand that.

-Honestly, you guys hate it that much?

I've never seen... He looks marvellous.

Now you don't seem too convinced on this one.

-No.

-But you don't need to make up your mind just now.

But in the meantime,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks of Thomas's scary inkwell.

Right, Christina.

Now, what do you think?

Do you want me to be honest?

SHE LAUGHS

Be honest, Christina.

Let's focus on the good things.

I mean, I think it's an interesting thing.

The market at the moment wants everything that's quirky,

unusual and well done.

And I think it ticks those boxes.

I have estimated it at £20 to £30, I really don't rate it hugely highly,

but I'm fully prepared to be wrong.

Thomas has paid £90 for this scary carving.

OK. A scary carving.

Shall I amend the catalogue description to say that?

THEY LAUGH

But it is an unusual item, and the market likes novelty items.

It certainly does, yes.

So I'm hoping it will treble my estimate, I hope so.

OK, are you our auctioneer today?

-I will be, yes.

-Well, I am looking forward to that, Christina.

Pax, Helena, the moment of truth, the auction is here.

-How do you feel?

-Excited.

-Excited.

-Nervous.

-Absolutely.

-Have you been to an auction before?

-Yes, I have.

-What about you, Pax?

Well, I used to help occasionally by holding up some of the lots,

that's the extent of my...

Right. OK, chaps, your yoke cost £24.

It's coming up now.

Lot 135 is the oak yoke.

I've got to start this at 35,

£40 with my commission bidder at £40 here.

I'm looking for five now.

At £40, are we going to stop there?

It's at £40.

If you are all done, then, selling to my bidder at £40.

Yes!

£40.

What a wonderful start!

That's plus £16.

Your second item is about to come up.

It's that beautiful, continental silver-mounted perfume bottle.

You paid 79, fingers crossed,

because it's coming up now.

Lot 137 is the

continental silver-mounted perfume bottle and stopper,

circa 1900.

Really pretty little example, this,

with the beautifully engraved body there, as well.

I've got a clear book here, so bid me £30, somebody.

Bid me 30. Straight away online at £30, I have.

Bid me 5. At £30, I have.

35 with you, madam, thank you.

At £35 seated, where are you online?

Come on, we need more.

At 35, I have, then.

If we are all done, I will sell, make no mistake, to the room at 35.

35!

So that is minus 44, which,

after your first two items,

is taking us to minus 28.

Oh, dear.

But never mind, we still have those wonderful spoons.

Fingers crossed for these.

Here they are.

Lot 139 now is the cased set of King's pattern handled

fruit salad servers and spoons.

I've got a fairly mean bid, I think, here of £32.

So that's where I will start.

Bid me 35, someone.

35 clears my bidder at £35 online.

Bid me 40. At 35, I have.

Bid me 40 now. These are silver handles.

Looking for 40.

At £35.

If you are all done, then, I will sell,

make no mistake, online, at £35.

35.

Oh, what a shame. We started off so well.

That is minus 13,

which takes us to a grand total of

minus 41.

But you still have the bonus buy, you have John's bonus buy.

Those lovely Art Nouveau buttons. He paid £70 for them.

Do you want to go with the bonus buy?

-We do.

-Well, they are coming up now.

Lot 145 is the set of six silver Art Nouveau buttons,

import mark for London, 1901.

Bid me £40 for them.

Bid me £40. 40 is bid.

65, I have straightaway online, sir.

70 in the room.

At £70 in the room, where is five?

It is with you then, sir, at £70.

Oh, £70.

£70.

Neither loss nor profit.

-No.

-So that means,

chaps, that you are at minus 41,

but don't be despondent because minus 41 could be...

..a winning number.

But you've got to promise me that you won't say a word to the Blues.

-No, we won't.

-But well done, anyway.

Thank you, Anita.

Charlotte, Ian, here we are.

-How do you feel?

-Can't wait.

-Are you excited?

-Totally.

-Completely.

Overwhelmed.

But tell me, have you been to an auction before?

-Once or twice.

-Once or twice.

Did you feel like this?

It didn't compare.

First item is the Victorian cast-iron fireplace.

You paid £55 for it.

So, let's hope we can make a profit on that, because it's coming up now.

Lot 160, now, is a Victorian cast-iron fireplace.

Interest here with me at £40.

Bid me 5. At £40, I have here.

Looking for 5 now.

At £40.

If there is no further interest...

45, 50. 45.

-Go on, one more.

-At £50, I have.

If we are all done, then, at £50...

£50.

Oh, minus 5, not too bad.

Your next item is coming up.

Charlotte Rhead, you only paid £28.

A great buy.

Let's hope we can make a profit on that.

Lot 162 is this rather lovely early

Charlotte Rhead for Bursley Ware bowl.

Bid me £20 for it.

At £20.

20 is bid. 25 here, madam.

Go 30? 30.

35.

Profit. Made our money back.

Made our money back.

At £45 with the lady seated.

At £45.

Looking for 50 now.

At £45 I have, looking for 50,

but I'll sell to the room at 45.

£45.

Well done,

that's absolutely brilliant.

You have just made a profit of £17.

Which takes your total to

plus 12.

We're still in profit.

Your next item is the Chinese silver and coconut bowl.

You liked that one, you paid £125, it's coming up.

Lot 164 is this rather interesting

Chinese silver and coconut-mounted bowl.

I've got to put you straight in at 70, 80.

At £80, Internet bid here at £80.

Bid me five. At £80, I have.

Online at £80, I'm looking for five now.

£80, fair warning, Internet, it's at £80.

I'm looking for five.

It's against you all, online at £80.

Ah. £80.

Oh, dear. That is minus 45

on that.

That takes your overall total to minus 33.

Don't lose hope.

Are you going to take the bonus buy that Thomas bought for £90?

-I'd say not.

-I'd say a big, fat no.

A big, fat no. I think we have a unanimous decision there.

The auctioneer's estimate was £20 to £30.

-Generous.

-Well, it might be a come-and-buy-me estimate.

He paid £90 for it, let's see how it does.

Lot 170 is the desk inkwell.

It is on commission at £45.

Here with me at 45.

Looking for 50 now.

50 is bid. 5 here.

At 55 with me.

Looking for 60.

£55, if you are all done...

60 is back.

Online. 60, online.

Looking for five. But it's against you all online at £60.

£60.

-Made the right decision.

-Good Lord!

£60.

It was a good item.

But it's still minus 30 on that.

So you made the right decision,

and it leaves your total at minus 33.

But don't, don't be sad...

We're definitely not sad.

..don't be sad because that could be a winning score.

It could be a winning score.

-It could.

-Could be a winning score.

The only thing is, don't say a word to the Reds.

Unfortunately, no teams have gone home with any money today.

-Aw!

-No.

We have winners and we have runners-up.

Today's runners-up, I'm afraid, are the Reds.

Aw.

You started off so well with that terrific profit.

Was it as exciting as flying?

Depends who your pilot is.

Ah, right.

In the end, it was minus 41.

That's not too bad in the grand scheme of things.

So our victors today, are our Blues with minus 33.

Result.

Just as well you didn't take the bonus buy.

That was a good decision with hindsight.

-I liked it.

-So did I.

Each to their own.

But you were all wonderful sports.

Tell me, did you all enjoy it?

-We did.

-Did you have a great time?

-Yes.

-So did we.

So did we. Well, don't forget to

check out our website,

details now on our screen.

Follow us on Twitter, but best of all,

join us soon for more Bargain Hunting!

-Yes? ALL:

-Yes!