Builth Wells Bargain Hunt

The antiques are poised for perusing. The stallholders are standing by.

Our teams are chomping at the bit to get out there so let's go bargain hunting.

It is not unusual for our teams to find a bargain

and with over 1,000 stalls at the Royal Welsh Showground there is no excuse.

MUSIC: "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones

We give them a helping hand with their very own expert

and we chuck in £300 to boot.

All they have to do is to go and find their three items in one hour.

What could be easier than that?

Gosh, we have got some brainy contestants on our programme today.

Two teams of students.

For the Reds we have Jennifer and Lauren

and for the Blues we have David and Emily.

Welcome. That is absolutely fantastic.

Jennifer, you are terribly keen on shoes?

-Yes. I have about 300ish pairs. I think I have a couple more since then.

-300 pairs of shoes?

-Yes.

-Do you have a foot fetish?

-No. I don't know.

I just like... I was obsessed with getting loads of different colours of shoes.

I had one in every colour of the rainbow and I went mad from there.

-What do you collect?

-Sugar tongs.

-Sugar tongs?

-Honestly. I have over 120 pairs.

-You never have?

-Yes, I have all sorts.

-How did that start?

-My auntie got me a pair when I was christened

-and it's spiralled from there.

-Do you like one lump or two?

-Two.

-Two lumps.

The bigger the better.

Moving on - this is a daytime programme!

What are you going to do when you have graduated?

We both want to do a masters and then a PGC so we can teach.

Very good luck with that

-and on Bargain Hunt today.

-Thank you.

-Excellent. Now for the Blues.

-Emily, you and David are both music students.

-Yes we are.

We are both studying at the Royal Welsh College.

I am studying to be a classical singer.

What about a trill? Are you going to be able to give us a little phrase from your repertoire?

-Anything?

-Anything.

OK.

SHE SINGS IN GERMAN

-Oh, God!

-It' not "Oh, God"! It's great! A round of applause for that.

You have to be so brave to do that and such a beautiful voice. Well done.

How did you two meet?

-It was a freshers week toga party.

-It was.

We all had bedsheets on to customise, to look like a toga.

-It sounds a good old student excuse!

-It was.

The fire alarm went off and we were out in the pouring rain for about one hour and it went see-through.

-You had the wet bedsheet, competition?

-Yes.

David, you got to see more of Emily than you had reckoned on.

-You could say that.

-What are you studying?

-I study trombone

at the same college as Emily, The Royal Welsh College.

You may be a dab hand at music, but you are not so swift with the driving tests are you?

No. The first test I took I went the wrong way round a roundabout

which did not make my examiner particularly happy.

-Not terribly popular, that!

-No.

-You have got a secret collection.

I am a bit embarrassed to say about it,

but when I was a small child I collected British stamps.

-Why are you embarrassed about that?

-It is not particularly cool.

-It's not cool to be a stamp collector?

-No.

-I would not say that.

Anyway, what is cool is the £300. Do you like the idea of £300?

Look at her snatch that. You know the rules. The experts wait.

Off you go. Very good luck.

With all that youth and vitality will the experts have the energy to keep up?

And our two experts today to keep the reds ship-shape...

..it's Capt David Harper.

And racing round with the blues, it's the fiery Paul Laidlaw.

-So girls, what do you think of this?

-I love it.

-It is really cool. What is it?

You don't even know what it is. Have a feel of it.

-That's really solid.

-It's heavy.

-It is really nice.

It's a little cube made out of Rosewood with bone inlay. It's not ivory.

It's like a cowbell or something.

-Each little image tells a story.

-That's really cool.

-Do you know what it is?

-No idea.

I believe it is a fortune teller's cube.

They would roll it or throw it in the air

and depending upon which image is looking at you, like that, it tells a story.

So go on, throw it in the air. Let's see how lucky you are.

Don't drop it, for goodness sake. Aha!

How interesting. That tells you you are going to marry a very wealthy man,

super-duper looking, loads of children,

you will live to 120, and you will become a famous pop star.

-Wow!

-It's what you've always wanted.

-Dream come true.

-I bet you want to buy it, don't you?

-Yeah. How much is it?

45, he's asking for it. 40 is all I can get it for.

-But, you know, it's a chancy number. It's very interesting. I just love it.

-I really like it.

-It's cool.

-It's different. I really like horoscopes and things.

-Could it do well?

-It could.

It'll appeal to people who collect Oriental pieces of art.

You know, tactile little things and talking pieces. You know, it's got age.

It could be late 19th-century, more likely into the 20th century,

-so it has age enough to appeal to somebody who wants something antique-y.

-Yeah.

-Will we go for it.

-Yeah, cool.

And the Reds took a chance and rolled out £40 on the psychic die.

-What you think of this? It's a stylish object.

-It has a nice shape.

-Good form.

People are looking for objects which cry out, catch the eye. Nothing dull.

And it's certainly far from dull. What do we have?

A big pewter, goblet form.

We'll call it a vase, a footed ball.

With just a touch of the Arts and Crafts.

That is a movement that harks back to traditional hand manufacturing techniques.

You can see what look like rivets here.

Punched decoration mimicking earlier constructional methods.

-A planished finish here, that's a hammered finish.

-Right.

Other than it being pretty, it tells a story.

It says, engraved here, to Hugh and Vera, as a token of esteem

and appreciation from the following members of Champagne Time.

There you have it. Make mine a big one.

If you turn it round and look at the members of Champagne Time -

Mercedes, Ambrose, Gladys West -

it tells a story. I would love to know more about Champagne Time.

-Is it getting any better?

-Definitely. I noticed there was

-a bit of damage inside. Will that affect the value?

-Good question. Always a good question.

-What would you do with that?

-Put a plant in?

-Absolutely.

Somebody's put a pot in there, scratched the surface a little. It's of no consequence.

But pewter is soft and malleable and easily damaged.

If I'd seen cracks, big bruises, I'd say walk away.

It's a difficult medium to repair.

But we have got absolutely nothing to worry about there.

I think we should look at the price.

Which is...£34.

-That sounds all right at this stage.

-We can get that lower, I reckon.

-I like that!

-THEY LAUGH

Are you guys up for it? Do you want this?

-Let's have a bit of a haggle.

-I like your style.

The Blues popped £24 on the pewter champagne vessel.

This falls under the category of pearlware, OK?

Second quarter 19th century, English earthenware,

but the glaze - see where it's gathereed?

Just inside the rim. It's a wee bit thicker there than elsewhere.

And there's just a touch of that blue, and it gives just a pearly feel about it.

-OK?

-It has got a nice sheen.

-It has.

It's printed with this little doggerel verse here.

"Remember me when this you see."

A pretty little souvenir, a little tourist piece. And what is it?

Well, where I come from, I'd call this a chanter.

To you, it's a chamber pot.

Now , these things are reproduced, and you have to be careful when you're buying such.

For a piece that wants to be 160 years old, I'd want to see evidence of that age.

Such a piece would gather dust.

Just where that pretty little loop handle meets the body there,

there's a wee gathering of dust in there.

The gentleman was asking £28 for it. What do you think?

-I can bargain him down a bit. But I can imagine that in my house.

-Yeah.

-It's definitely...

-A nice piece on the mantelpiece.

-Yeah.

If you get that down a little more, we make a little profit.

Brilliant.

£25 was plop-plopped by the Blues on the chamber pot.

-What about this?

-That's nice.

-That's pretty, I think.

-I like that.

-That is pretty, actually, isn't it? Yeah.

It's a nice, big, fat vase, cloisonne, which is basically,

-it's not pottery, it's basically a metal vase.

-Oh, right.

Then covered in coloured enamel, and if you look closely,

you'll just see tiny bits of stringing in between each flower.

That would have taken a lot of effort, then.

A humungous amount of work. This is not a factory made piece.

It's made by hand by a real artist.

-So where do you think it's from?

-I don't know, it looks oriental.

It is. Absolutely oriental, yeah.

Well done. It's Japanese.

It's from the Meiji period, which is 1868 to 1912.

-How much is it?

-75.

The best we can get it for is £55.

-Yeah.

-That's...

-Yeah, let's go for it.

-Yeah.

-You really like this, don't you?

-Yeah, I really like it.

-There's a chance, isn't there?

-Yeah.

-Shall we have it, girls?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

And 55 smackers were laid out by the Reds for the Japanese vase.

If things get unbalanced - ha-ha! - at auction, our teams have got one last resort.

And that is that all the leftover lolly will be given to their experts to buy a bonus buy.

The big question is, will they trust the expert's choice?

What do you think, Paul?

Well, I like, first impression.

You tell me, what drew you to this?

-The colours.

-Yes.

-And the shape?

-Mm, it's nice.

There's a touch of Carter Stabler Adams Poole

and a mark would really elevate them at this stage.

-Can you see anything, guys?

-I can't see anything, no.

-No.

I don't think we missed it. But the price.

£75.

You put a name on them, 50 to 80, 80 to 120, who knows?

As a speculative purchase, non-attributed at this stage,

I've got to be honest, it's 30 to 50 is the right estimate at auction.

-What do you think?

-We could try and get the price down.

-Yeah.

-I think you'll have to.

And the DOE-eyed Blues got the bookends for £60.

Let's hope that's not too DEER.

David, Jen, come and look at this. I think it's fab. Look at that.

Let's have a look. It's almost so naff that it's, like, mega-trendy.

-Fab, yes, retro.

-It's exactly that.

Well, Poole Pottery. I should have known. Very good maker.

-How old do you think that is, then?

-'60s, '70s?

-Given the colours, I would have thought '70s.

-Hmmm.

You two could be interior designers. You've really got it, haven't you?

-We've done our homework!

-You're absolutely bang on.

It's more likely 1970s,

but that brown and that yellowy kind of mucky colour of the '70s.

-I love it.

-Yeah, you love it now, but 10, 15 years ago, they were so naff.

And now they've come back again.

Which makes this, I think, pretty desirable.

-Ah, £75.

-Yeah, I know.

-What do you think?

I've had a word with the stall-owner and I can get it for £58.

-You really love it, don't you?

-Yes, I love it.

-I want it!

-You're getting all excited! Stop it.

You've got to buy for profit, not take it home with you.

What about you, Jen?

-I like the colours. I don't really know about the print.

-It's fab.

-It's retro!

-It is retro, yeah.

I suppose it is a good make, so, you know, if you want it...

-Please can I? Go on, let me have it.

-Yeah, go on, then.

Groovy, baby!

The Reds settled on £58 for the retro vase.

Well, how time flies when you're having fun.

Well, the fun doesn't have to stop, but the shopping certainly does.

Let's find out what they bought.

The Reds are predicting a profit with the fortune teller's die,

costing £40. They've got to be joking, though.

The Japanese vase for £55.

A steal, or have the Reds been robbed?

Quite likely. And the retro vase cost £58.

The Reds will be hoping it doesn't get a retro price at auction.

Now, let's see what the Blues bought.

Will the £24 champagne bowl pop some corks or just fizzle out at auction?

£25 paid for the chamber pot.

Are they just splashing the porcelain here?

And the Blues will be hoping the £60 bookends will prop up their profits.

They're going to need it.

We're at the Victoria Auction Rooms in Mold with Anthony Parry,

our auctioneer of the day.

-How very nice to see you.

-Nice to see you again, Tim.

-The Chinese fortune teller dice. Any good?

-Brand-new.

-Brand-new?

-Yeah.

-That's my opinion.

-Estimate?

Estimate...£10 to £15. If we're lucky.

-Paid 40.

-Oh, dear!

-So it's not so good.

-The Meiji-period jardiniere.

-Yes.

-Any good?

This one is not the best.

This particular one, I suppose...£40 to £60.

They paid £55, so they might just get away with it on that one.

-The Poole Pottery vase.

-I suppose £35, £40.

-£58 they paid.

-Oh, dear!

They're going to need their bonus buy. Let's go and have a look at it.

-Lauren, Jennifer, how are you feeling?

-Not too bad, thanks.

You had a great shop up, didn't you?

-It was a treat to see.

-Thank you.

-Now, you spent £153.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

You gave David £147 and he's spent it on your bonus buy.

-Do you want to have a look at it?

-I'm regretting it already.

I don't think you two are going to like this at all.

-I absolutely love it.

-Oh.

I think I might have been right!

Beautiful quality, nicely carved, and I love that serpent.

Maybe it's more of a man's thing. What do you think?

-I think ladies like bellows, don't you, girls?

-It's all right, yeah.

-They actually work.

-Puff things up.

-It's a nice action.

-Nice action?

-Yes.

-Yeah, they're OK.

-A great talking piece.

-Are they going to sell?

-Who's going to buy them?

-Someone like me? Anyone with a nice

country cottage and a fireplace will want those bellows.

-A proper piece of working antique bit of kit.

-How much are they?

Well, I paid £60 for them.

-That's not bad.

-How much d'you think it would make?

Well, again... They might do 80.

-Well, now the shock has gone... Cos I wasn't expecting it at all.

-No.

But, yeah, they're quite nice.

So David reckons there may be £20 profit in those.

But for you, the audience at home,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about them.

-So, does that disturb your embers?

-No.

-No.

-No.

-Right.

They're decorative...carved. What shall we say? Estimate £30 to £40?

£60 David paid for those. And he rates them as a bonus buy.

-Probably thinks they're Black Forest.

-Where do you think they come from?

-Burmese.

-Well, Black Forest or Burmese,

you don't rate them as much as he does,

and that could be a problem as a bonus buy.

Anyway, enough of that for the Reds, and over to the Blues.

We've got the pewter footed bowl.

Does that light your fire, Tony?

Well, it is Arts and Crafts, and it's got an interesting inscription on it,

but I don't think it helps it at all,

and it's a little bit bent on its pedestal.

-So what's your estimate?

-Well, £10 to £15.

£24 they paid, so that could be a struggle.

-What about these Deco bookends?

-They don't inspire me at all.

£20 to £30.

-They paid £60 for those, that's not so brilliant.

-Oh, dear.

What about the little jerry, the little gazunder?

-I like that.

-Ah, good!

Interesting little item.

-And...I would think it's going to make...£25, £35.

-Great.

-They paid £25.

-Oh, a chance there.

So they should make a profit on that, which is lovely.

But I'd say they need their bonus buy, so let's have a look at it.

So, David, what's happened to Ems?

Emily's gone to a singing competition today, so she can't be with us.

Ah, that's sad. Cos I tell you, she'll win the competition.

-She sings like an angel, as we know.

-She's got a beautiful voice.

And not only is her voice beautiful.

Anyway, you managed to spend, between you, £109.

That left Paul Laidlaw with £191. What did he spend it on?

-Let's have a look at this.

-Ooh.

-Pretty little box!

-What would this contain, we wonder?

-Cigarettes or something like that?

Oh, nothing as un-PC as that. Something much more useful.

Sophisticated Victorian lady's or gentleman's visiting-card case.

This isn't your trade-card case, this isn't...

"I'm Joe Bloggs, plumbing, and this is my card, madam."

This is polite society, "We're calling for tea."

Mother-of-pearl-veneered, these lovely lozenges here,

and, rather importantly, in complete condition.

So there you have it. Could you live with that?

I wouldn't have it myself, but I can see someone buying it.

-Not much of a student object, is it, really?

-No.

I mean, visiting cards to say you're in town for a party...

I mean, it's nice, it's a nice thought, but not really studenty.

So how much do you think it's worth?

Well, it's, in its sleep, worth £30 to £50.

I paid 35, and the odds are on.

If it goes extremely well, of course, it was all to do with you,

and if it goes extremely badly it was all Emily's fault.

Anyway, you don't have to decide right now.

You decide after the sale of the first three items.

For the audience at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks.

-Well, there you go, Tony, that looks in good nick.

-Not too bad at all.

Little bit missing out of the corner there, but otherwise all complete.

It's a 19th-century one...and...

what, £30 to £40?

OK, £35, Paul's rating it at that,

-and he should get away with a profit, shouldn't he?

-Yeah.

-Anyway, you're taking the auction.

-I am, yeah.

-Well, we're in safe hands.

-This room is stuffed up with folk, all right? Your first lot up.

-Yep.

The roll of the dice is about to happen.

Here comes the fortune-telling dice.

94.

A Chinese fortune teller's dice.

Well, who looks into the future?

-£20?

-Go on.

A £10 note.

Hours of fun with this. A £10 note. £10. 10.

-12.

-Yes, go on.

-14, is it? £12.

-Keep it going.

-12.

-We're not getting much fortune here.

-Put your hands in your pocket!

-12.

-£12. All done at £12?

-He's going to sell it for £12.

-12!

-That is no fortune, that. £12. You're minus £28.

-That is horrible.

-Don't be depressed.

-We're still in the game.

A cloisonne enamelled jardiniere this time.

What shall we say for that? 50?

-Come on.

-Oh, dear. 20.

-Oh, for goodness sake.

-10, thank you.

-Oh, come on.

-£10.

10, 15, 20, 25.

-What can I say?

-Come on.

-Go on!

-Yeah, come on.

-Go on.

-£25.

30, £30? 30, 35, is there?

-£30? All done at £30?

-He's going to sell it for £30.

-I can't believe it.

-He's sold it for £30.

-Oh, girls.

-You're minus £25 down on that, all right?

You're minus 53 overall.

-What's going on?

-Minus 53? Come on.

-Come on, Poole.

Oh, yes, this is going to do it for us.

96, a studio pottery vase, another Poole vase there.

What shall we say for that one, £20?

-You paid 58.

-Right!

-£10.

-Oh, come on.

-Ten I've got, £10.

-I never liked that vase.

10. 12's where? 12? 14? 16?

-No?

-Yes!

-18?

-Stick your hand up, Tim.

-I daren't!

-£20.

22, is there? 22? 24. 26.

-Come on.

-26.

-Yes!

-It's going.

-Something's happening.

-Keep it going.

-28.

28, all done at £28?

GAVEL BANGS

-Devastating.

-£28, that is minus £30, you are minus £83 overall.

We was robbed. We was robbed!

-You only spent 153, right? And you lost 83.

-Good going.

What are you going to do with the bellows?

We'll have to go for it.

-Definitely?

-Yeah.

-You're a punter!

-We'll wipe his face.

What is the estimate, Tim?

I have to tell you, now you've made your decision, it's £30-£40.

-Oh.

-You could've said before.

-Honestly, I don't know.

I said to you, are you sure you want to do it?

You could've winked while saying it, you could've been more obvious!

Here it comes.

Lot 100, a set of carved wooden bellows.

-What shall we say for those, £50?

-That'd be nice.

-£30.

-Oh, dear.

-Dear me.

-£10.

-Oh, don't!

-Oh!

-10.

-10, 12, 14.

-Come on.

16, 18, 20.

£20. 20, 22. Four is it? £22.

-He's struggling at 22.

-That's terrible.

£24. £24? No. £24 is over here. At £24.

-Oh, girls!

-£24.

-Horrible.

That is minus 36.

I'm sorry to tell you that you are minus £119.

Winner. High five.

First lot up then is the pewter bowl and here it comes.

A hammered pewter two-handled footed bowl.

What shall we say for that one, £20? A 10 pound note then?

-It's nothing, is it?

-Tidy start.

Thank you. £10, I'm bid. 12, I'm bid.

14, 16, 18, 20.

-22.

-Ooh!

-24, 26.

-You're in profit.

-28.

-We're there.

-Well done, boy.

All done at £30, no more?

GAVEL BANGS

-Never mind.

-I expected more than that.

-It's a profit.

Plus £6. Now, the bookends.

117, a pair of ceramic bookends with the little fawns on.

10, 12, 14, 16, 18. 18, 20.

-22. 24. 26.

-It's going on.

-Go on!

-28, 30. £30. 30. 32, is there?

-£30, going at £30 then.

-I can't believe this.

-GAVEL BANGS

-£30. I'm afraid, David, that is minus 30 on that.

-You're minus 24 overall.

-Unlucky.

-Now, your chamber pot.

-We really need a result here.

118, this is an interesting little lot. A miniature chamber pot.

"Remember me when this you see..."

-Every time you...

-That's it!

You know the verse, don't you! £10, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20.

-Here it comes. It's going on.

-24, 26, 28.

-30.

-Well done.

-A long way to go.

-32.

32. 34, is it, £32, are we finished?

-GAVEL BANGS

-Yes.

-That's not too bad.

-£32, you get £7 on that, all right?

-Take seven off that, does that mean you're minus 17?

-Right.

-You are minus £17.

-We'd better go with the bonus buy. Definitely.

-You don't think you ought to ring a friend?

-No, we'll be fine.

-You don't need to phone a friend?

-No, I've already spoken to her.

-Have you?

-Yes. She says if we're in minus at this point,

go for the bonus buy.

£35 paid, the auctioneer's estimate is £30-40.

-OK.

-So you stand a reasonable chance.

-Yep.

-Here it is.

122, a card case.

Overall mother-of-pearl decoration. What shall we say for that one?

-Is it worth £50?

-Yes, please.

-30 then.

20?

Oh, dear. We've all gone very quiet. A £10 note?

-What's going on with this?

-10, I've got in front. 15? 20.

-Oh...

-Go on!

-20 is over there.

22.50 if you like. 22.50's at the back.

25? No?

-22.50, the gentleman then.

-I don't believe this.

£22.50. All done at £22.50 then?

-25, thank you for stepping forward.

-Yes, go on. Go on. Go on!

£27.50. 30? 27.50's this side.

-Go on!

-£27.50. Any more? All done at £27.50?

-He's going to sell it...

-GAVEL BANGS

-He HAS sold it. £27.50.

We don't get down to 50ps very often on Bargain Hunt,

I can tell you.

-Anyway, I make that £7.50, minus, right?

-Oh, dear.

-Which is bad luck, Paulus.

-Indeed.

Which means you are minus £24.50. £24.50.

What can I say, Davido? Bad luck, old fruit.

Don't tell the Reds though. That could be a winning score.

-Have you been talking to each other, you two teams.

-No.

-No?

So you've no idea who is up and who is down?

-Nope, not a clue.

-Well, I can tell you you're both down.

-HE SIGHS

-And...I have to tell you that runners up today are the Reds.

-Oh!

-I mean, pretty substantially really.

-What?

-What with £119 down.

-No way.

-Yeah.

-£119.

-I thought we had it in the bag.

-You've been good fun anyway,

thank you very much for joining us.

But the victor... Well, the VICTORS really.

-You'll be able to ring Emily with the good news...

-She'll be thrilled.

-By only losing £24.50.

-Oh.

-Which is...not so bad, is it?

-Not great either.

-Well, it's all right.

You did make a profit on a couple of items

-and you've won by only losing £24.50. How about that?

-Well done(!)

-Yes!

-£24.50, big margin.

-Anyway, join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

-ALL: Yes!