Gloucester 20 Bargain Hunt

# The weather outside is frightful

# And the fire is so delightful

# And since we've no place to go

# Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. #

I think we need to do something to warm up.

Let's go Bargain Hunting!!

Well, the weather is extremely changeable around these parts.

The teams today have the choice of shopping here in Gloucester Docks,

either at the antiques fair on the dock side or in the antiques centre,

where they'll beaver about to get their bargains.

For the Reds, the snowmen, we can introduce Darcy and Luke.

Welcome to Bargain Hunt. And Gary and Paul for the Blues. Welcome.

Darcy, tell us about this snow lark then.

I work for a company called Snow Business, and we make snow

for anybody who wants it, anywhere in the world, any kind of snow you want.

-Wet snow, dry snow, cold snow, warm snow.

-How many snows are there then?

168.

168 different types of snow?!

At the moment, they're growing daily.

So, how do you make all this snow then?

It depends on the type of material we're using, some are quite magical.

-This, we always tell people, is real snow, harvested at the North Pole by Eskimos.

-Yes.

And they flash fry it to get all the water out, leaving the snow powder.

-All we have to do to remake it into snow is add water.

-Dried Inuit, hey?

Ooh! God, look at that!

And by adding water, you end up...

Look at that!

How incredibly clever! And does it feel cold?

It feels lovely!

Oh, my God! Well, that is amazing!

-So, Luke, you work for Darcy, do you?

-I do.

What floats your boat then?

I love skiing, I love sailing.

-I've done a lot of sailing over the years.

-Big boats? Little boats?

Yachts, round this country and the Mediterranean as well.

That can be hairy, sailing here in a yacht.

Usually it's OK, I did skipper a boat back over the Channel

in a force nine once, which is a severe gale, which is a little bit hairy, but it was a lot of fun.

You survived. I'd stick to the snow if I were you. Anyway, this is going to be really weird.

OK, now, boys, Gary and Paul. Tell me, how did you two meet then, Gary?

I've known Paul for about seven years now, he joined my am-dram club when we were doing

Crazy For You, and so have been friends every since.

Right, so amateur dramatics, comedy, theatre.

-Yes, musicals.

-That's what really gets you going?

-Mm-hmm.

Anyway, so do you collect anything?

I collect coins and vinyl, vinyl records.

I have about 2,000 singles and a couple of hundred albums.

-Gosh! You're not obsessive at all, are you?

-No, not at all.

No, not at all. So, Paul, how long have you been treading the boards?

Oh, ever since my voice broke and I realised it was a good way of meeting girls.

And what are your qualifications for this Bargain Hunt malarkey?

Well, I quite like collecting mostly modern stuff, this is where Gary and I differ,

-but also my father used to take me to auctions when I was a child so I kind of got it into my blood then.

-Yes.

The only thing I remember then was my father saying, "Keep very still, don't buy anything".

-Yeah, don't put your hand up.

-So, I just sat there on my hands for about two and a half hours.

-You got rather bored with that?

-Yes.

But it won't be like it later on in our Bargain Hunt auction.

-I hope not.

-You can jump around.

-I hope not, yes.

-Yes, and we have great fun on Bargain Hunt.

In fact, you each get £300 and an hour to shop for three items,

which of course you'll sell on later at auction.

If you make a profit, you get to keep it, which is really rather brilliant.

So, next, the money moment.

£300 apiece, there you go, £300.

You know the rules, your experts await and off you go!

So, let's meet our experts.

Today they'll be helping not one but two lots of teams.

Dodging the snowballs for the Reds, it's Charles Hanson. Cheeky!

And getting in tune with the Blues, it's Mark Stacey.

Is that as old as it looks?

-That's nice.

-Yeah, how old is it, do you think? How do you date it?

Well, my grandparents had some stuff just like this,

it could be kind of early last century or it could be older.

I think you're right. That's older because look at the decoration,

it's painted rather than being printed, quite heavy as well, it's heavy paste of porcelain.

We turn it upside down and we can see, there we go, good, it's got the combed back or the unglazed finish.

It's combed back, it's typically, we know it to be Chien Lung,

or a period of Chinese history from 1735 to 1799.

So, it's going to be circa 1770.

This is a Willow pattern and really this charming pattern was devised and altered by Josiah Spode

in 1795, so the current modern Willow pattern you see on your

grandma's, or your current tableware today, was invented by Josiah Spode.

If it came to auction today, as a true antique, it's market auction guide would be between £50 and £80.

So, if we're going to buy it, we want to offer a price towards the low estimate

to give us a chance of a good profit at the end of the day.

-OK.

-We'll leave you to it, shall we?

-All right, cheers.

And left to it, Darcy smashed the price down to £65.

Mark, look what I've found! Look!

Oh, my Lord! What is it?

It's a Venetian glass mask, clearly,

and there's a little candle at the back there that you can light up,

so you get this kind of luminous...

-Glowing effect.

-Absolutely!

It could be something like a BAFTA.

I was going to say, the thing I like about it most is that this is probably

the closest I'm ever going to get to "Thank you to everyone who voted for me", all of those kind of things.

-So, what do you think of that?

-Well, quite honestly that was the worst performance I've ever seen.

-And what do you think of it, Gary? Do you like it?

-If I have to be honest, no!

It is signed, actually, down here and it was made in probably Murano,

one of the little islands off Venice.

This one, I guess, is sort of 1980s or something like that.

So, what I suppose we're hoping for here is that this will be a collectors' item in the future

and time will tell.

But I think it might appeal to a sort of young, contemporary market.

-Yes.

-That sort of minimalist look.

Good, well, I'm glad you said that, because I have to be honest with you, I actually already bought this.

-Oh, no!

-So, its list price was £120.

-Right.

But I actually got it for £85.

Which is not a bad discount, I have to say, is it, Gary?

-No, it's not bad.

-Do you think I could make a profit on that?

I'm not sure we'll go that far.

So, how much do you think it will go for, Mark?

Well, at a push £30 or £40, but that's just because the candle's there.

-That's not very bright!

-He gets on my wick!

They're big, they're decorative, sell them to me.

-They are! They're sixty quid for the pair.

-They are huge!

-Let me tell you why I think you should buy them.

-OK, salesman.

-I just think we've got an auction house in Cirencester, which is in the Cotswolds.

-Yeah.

I like them and I can see them in front

of a Cotswold stone cottage, I think somebody will buy them.

You're right, I love the acorn mock finials on them, I love this sort of

finished sort of loss of paint effect

-but we know from their weight, they are terracotta, aren't they?

-Yeah.

And probably made, what, a year ago?

-Yeah.

-Well, last week.

-Last week?

-Thanks for coming, last week?

-Which means they're fresh.

They're fresh to the market, quite literally.

And I think Cirencester will appreciate fresh.

-So, £60?

-Yeah.

-That's £30 apiece.

-Yeah.

-As a pair, that's even better, and I shall say yes, chaps,

I'm here with you and I should think their auction value ought to be between £60 and £100.

OK, and you've had your buy, you've had yours, now it's my turn. I'll see you later, OK?

That's two urns and a plate, what's next?

Another antique, hopefully.

-Hi, Paul.

-Hi, Mark.

I found these, I thought you might like them.

They just appealed to me.

-What attracts you to them?

-It's Royal, it's collectible, surely?

Not necessarily, you know.

Not everybody out there collects things to do with the Royal Family,

and these are actually by quite a small factory.

They're George VI and Queen Elizabeth, so they're Coronation plates from 193.

How much are they asking for them?

-I've already bought them.

-Oh, no! How much have you paid?

A hundred and... No, they were £27.

Oh, gosh, that's a bit of a relief!

They're only £20 overpaid.

-But gosh! What do you think?

-They're awful, Mark!

Well, look, you've bought them now so we've got our second item.

Let's go out and find a fantastic third item.

Luke. Darcy.

-How are you doing?

-Very well.

OK, good because...

It's another plate.

Well, it's not any old plate, OK? What we've got is a fine Royal Worcester plate

of circa 1925, beautifully enamelled, beautifully gilt with a landscape scene of this castle.

Look at the gilt decoration, this swagged foliage and these hanging ribbons and husks.

Turn it upside down.

There you go, puce mark, this puce mark. Royal Worcester was really

using this puce mark from 1900 to about 1925.

It cost £100.

No, I'm joking! It wasn't really! It was £50.

-£50?

-Yeah. Would you pay that for it?

Yeah, yeah.

Good, it's worth, in my opinion, between £50 and £70, £80.

-Good, well done, Charles.

-So we've got our third item and we've still got ten minutes to go.

Well, relax. Sit back, boys.

Darcy put those golden locks back on the chair, job's done.

Guys, guys.

-What have you got?

-Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

He's not into this, I'm afraid.

-I'm sorry, you've got this in its original box.

-Oh, good Lord!

-I had one as a child.

-What do you think, Mark?

-I love them, don't you?

-Yes, it is quite sweet.

It is lovely. God, I've forgotten how cute it is.

-It does look in remarkably good condition, doesn't it?

-Really nice.

You get wings out of the side, don't you, as well?

-Yep, you flip that one.

-Oh!

Oh, I love it!

I think it's great. It's a collector's piece really.

-I think it's a bit of a risk.

-Is it frightfully expensive?

Well, it was up for £150.

£150? It's a lot of money, isn't it?

And what could you get it for?

I can get it for £100.

-It still sounds a lot.

-Sounds a lot to me, too.

But it's got its box. And time is running out a bit. Shall we go with it?

-I think we're going to have to.

-Well, you never know, it might fly.

Gary sealed the deal and bought it for £100.

The snow has melted, so time's up!

Let's have a quick reminder of what the teams have bought.

£65 paid for the Chinese porcelain plates,

but will they be recognised as a true antique

and hold their worth at auction?

The guys pruned the price of the terracotta garden urns back

to a reasonable £60 for the pair.

The gilt enamelled Royal Worcester plate might have quality written

all over it, but will it fetch more than the £50 paid for it?

-So, was that good fun?

-It was great fun.

-It was fantastic!

Yeah, not a snowball in sight, I'm glad to say.

No, great fun going round with an expert.

Yes, absolutely. I've been looking for one of those for years!

Which piece will bring the biggest profit?

-What do you reckon?

-We think probably the two urns.

-Yeah.

Not a huge potential but we think it's the most likely to make a profit.

Ironic because they're the newest things of all.

Yes, absolutely, brand Harry spankers actually.

-Yeah. They come in a cardboard box.

-Still wet, still wet!

Brilliant! Anyway, £175 you spent, I want £125, it goes to Carlos.

-My goodness!

-My gosh!

-Profit is key.

How many years have you been doing this programme?

-About six years, Tim.

-About six years, lovely.

-I'm enjoying it.

-Profit, you've just discovered, is the key, is that right?

-Correct.

-Great! We have made our point.

Yes, absolutely right.

-Well, it's down to you, Charles, big responsibility.

-Yes.

-You're just going to have to trot off.

-I am.

-Off you trot!

Let's remind ourselves what the Blues bought.

After a stellar performance, Paul got the price down to £85

for the sculpted Venetian glass candlestick.

They paid £27 for the Coronation plates,

but will they make a right Royal profit at auction?

£100 paid for the Corgi boxed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang model,

but will the bidders have such fond memories?

-Well, team. How was it for you both?

-It was great!

-Really great fun.

You seemed to enjoy yourselves.

-Which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-I think the mask.

-What about you?

-As much as I hate to say it, yeah.

-You think the mask?

-Yeah.

-Just because it's mine.

Well, that's your prediction. You spent a very mature £212.

-We did.

-So very pleased about that.

We have £88 of left over lolly, there we go, £88 precisely.

-Thank you.

-What do you think about that?

-It's quite a decent amount, isn't it?

-It's a decent amount, you do love to spend.

I do like to spend, so I'll have a bit of a challenge there, but I'll find something.

En route to the auction house, Darcy and Luke's urns got into a spot of bother and one of them broke.

We replaced the broken urn with a new one, but it had a mishap again,

so we had to stick it back together.

Let's see what our auctioneer makes of them.

Today we're with Philip Allwood, who of course is the proprietor

of Moore, Allen and Innocent Auctioneers in Gloucestershire.

-Very, very nice to see you.

-And you.

First up I'm intrigued, Philip, to find out what your opinion is of these yoghurt-covered jobbies.

Well, they look the part, don't they?

And I would have ordinarily thought that £30 was pretty cheap.

I think they've got a bit of a design fault because,

if we look at this one, I suspect that that's a weakness

and the original vendors have actually re-done the bases.

Will they make £30 apiece in the auction?

-I wouldn't be surprised. They have that sort of look.

-Yes.

-Just don't move them around all that much, that's the secret, isn't it?

-Exactly.

Next they've got this little Chinese blue and white... It's a sort of chafing dish, isn't it?

-Yes, it's a nice little dish in good condition.

-How much?

-Put £40 to £60.

-£65 paid.

Next is the Worcester cabinet plate.

It's got a lot going for it. For my money I'd like to see more of the panel

and less of the green, but you can only sell what you've got.

-You're a fussy old pot when it comes to these.

-Very.

-£50 to £80, around there.

-Brilliant! £50 paid.

-Oh, right! Fair enough.

-Overall we've got a jolly nice Chinese plate,

we've got these fellows with a bit of a design problem that might just get £60,

and a projected, possible profit on the Worcester cabinet plate.

All in all, I would say the Red team have done extraordinarily well.

They may or may not need the bonus buy, but let's have a look anyway.

-Look at this for quality.

-Oh!

It's a wonderful Dutch silver caddy spoon, circa 1910.

Wonderful quality, in its original red Morocco case, what do you think?

-You sell it well.

-Well, thank you!

It's so original.

It's got a wonderful quality about it,

in its tired, yet not quite tatty, case.

-And it was how much?

-It was £60.

-£60.

-I like it.

-You like it?

I'm interested in how much it'll make at auction.

I think it's what the market wants and my guide price,

-I could see it hopefully making up towards £80, £90.

-OK.

Anyway, you guys don't have to decide right now, but for the audience at home,

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

Nice-looking piece, Berthold, Hermann Muller.

-Oh, yes.

-Who's a well-known, though a little prolific maker, and it's good enough quality.

How much?

I would have thought around the £50, £80 mark.

Great! £60 paid.

Anyway, that's it for the Red team, now for the Blues.

They went with this candlestick jobbie.

The one thing we know is Salviati stuff is expensive.

-Yes.

-This would be somewhere in the region of £185 new.

The problem is that with something like this,

the depreciation on it is about 95% in the first five seconds.

-Oh, is it?

-I think you'd be lucky to get £20, £30 for it.

Really? They paid £85 in the fair.

-Mm.

-We'd better move on quickly to the Coronation plate.

We're on safe territory here.

They are what they are.

-Plain blue.

-Yes.

-With this incredibly badly-moulded relief.

You can't even tell where the hooter finishes and the mouth begins.

No, absolutely. £20, £30, I don't know.

£27 paid, so we're in the frame.

-Oh, well, that's not too bad, is it?

-That's fair enough. How are you on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

Well, I love these old toys because they

-actually go back to my childhood, but the problem with this is...

-Yes.

Whilst you've got the original box,

-you're missing the actual interior which holds it in place.

-The guts?

In a box, with the guts of the box?

-Yep.

-With packaging.

-You'd be looking at somewhere around £100, £150.

-If it was all complete?

-Yes.

-Oh, right.

I think that interior missing

will drop it quite dramatically and put it down to £40 or £60.

£100 our team paid for it.

-I think they're going to need their bonus buy.

-Probably.

And I think we should go and have a look at it.

OK, now, Gary give him a hand and pull the cord, will you?

-There you go, it's like opening the... oh, my!

-Wow!

-Wow!

-This is a rather nice marine watercolour,

signed, and we throw in the frame as well.

It was only £75.

-Wow!

-£75.

-I like that!

-It's quite appealing actually.

-It's beautiful. I really like it.

-What's that? 1872.

-Yes, a nice Victorian one.

-So is it English?

It's signed Dugdale and that sounds like an English name to me.

It's got a little bit going on.

I wouldn't say it's the best artist in the world

but for £75, you can't get a print for that, can you?

-Quite marketable.

-I quite like it. Marine subjects are very popular.

The question is, is there profit in it?

I would like to see it make £100 or something, but we never know.

-OK.

-But it is quite nice.

-Yeah, it's nice.

Frankly, you don't have to really like it or hate it, it's the profit that you're after.

You'll decide after the sale of the first three items if you take it or not.

Now, for the audience at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about it.

It's probably by a chap called Dugdale, it's of the Firth of Forth

and it was probably done on or around the 20th December 1872.

-You're just reading that!

-I am. I can't read much else into it.

No. Is it a great work of art? That's the first question.

-No. I think it's by an enthusiastic amateur.

-Right.

What price would you put on it?

I think we'd be looking at somewhere around the £40 to £60, he said optimistically.

Ah! £75 paid by Mark Stacey and it's supposed to be a bonus buy.

-Is it?

-Perhaps we'd better hope that the teams don't take it.

-Yeah.

-Good luck anyway.

-We'll try.

-Thanks.

Darcy and Luke, how are you feeling?

-Slightly apprehensive.

-Are you apprehensive?

-What are you worried about?

-What's the worst that could happen?

You might lose, but hopefully you're going to make lots of profits.

Now, the terracotta urns, you found those, Darcy.

There were literally thousands of them at the fair

and unfortunately, in transit, the bottom fell off one of those vases.

We've had it glued back together so it doesn't look too bad on view,

but he will sell them as found, and if this happened in the real world,

if this happened and you'd taken an object really to the auction house,

they would make sure the carrier paid you compensation.

What we're proposing to do, to make this fair for you today,

you paid £60 for the vases, they were £30 each,

they're not rare because you could go and buy another 100 of them

if you wanted to at £30 each, we're going to give you a credit of £30,

all right, for the broken vase.

-OK.

-We think that's the fairest thing to do.

We'll sell the two together and whatever happens, we're topping you up by £30.

The first lot up, Darcy, is your old Chinese plate, and here it comes.

Lot number 235 is the 18th century Chinese blue and white meat plate,

for a small joint, partridge maybe.

Where are you going to be for that? Who'll start me? £50. £30 to get on.

-£20 then? Must be £20.

-Oh, come on.

-£20 I'm bid, thank you.

At £20 on my right here, £20, going to be cheap at £20, 5,

30, 5, at 35, 40 if you like, sir.

-40, 5, 50, at £50, 5 if you like seated.

-Go on!

Standing now then, at £50, 5 anywhere? 5.

-60 if you like, at 55 here.

-One more!

At 55, 60, at £60. Lady's bid at £60, 5 do you need, sir?

All done then at £60?

£60, minus £5.

The garden urns. Don't forget you get £30 anyway.

Lot 236, is the pair of

white painted terracotta classical style garden urns.

Please note that one has been broken and repaired.

-Thanks for that!

-Pair of terracotta classical-style garden urns.

And I can start you here on the book at £40.

-That's good.

-At £40 the pair.

At £40 still, at £40, 5 if you like now, 45, 50, 5, 60, 5.

-Yes!

-On the book now at 65, 70 now.

At £65, should be that apiece surely?

It's £65, it's on my left, selling at £65, you all done now.

£65.

-I told you!

-Plus £30 on that, that means you are plus £35. Well done!

Lot number 237 is the Royal Worcester cabinet plate.

Pretty little piece there, good looking work on that,

who will start me? £50?

£30 to get on, £30 I'm bid, thank you, madam. At £30.

I don't believe it! Come on, surely!

At £30, bit of Royal Worcester hand-painted ware there. At £30 only.

At £30, 5 can I say now?

On a maiden bid at £30.

-Oh!

-Oh, no!

£30, you're minus £20 on that.

You made a profit of £35, you had a previous loss, that's plus 30,

minus 20, you are plus £10. All right?

Plus £10. What are you going to do about the caddy spoon?

Will you go with the caddy spoon?

Yes. I'm confident!

You're going with the bonus buy, and here it comes.

Lot number 241 is the German caddy spoon there.

Good-looking piece, where will you be? £50?

£30 to get on.

-More, surely.

-£20 then.

At £20 I'm bid there, 5, 30, 5, 40, 5,

-at £45 here.

-Come on, one more.

At 50 can I say now? 50, at £50 in front of me now.

5 anywhere now? At £50, thought it might be a little more.

At £50, 5 anywhere now then? At £50, gentleman's bid then at £50.

£50 is minus £10,

which means you have no score, no profit and no loss.

It has wiped its face.

So, Paul and Gary, here we are.

-Do you know how the Reds got on?

-No, Tim.

-You don't know.

-They look confident but...

-They look confident, looks can be very deceptive, as you know.

So, first up it's going to be your candlestick and here it comes.

Lot number 261 then is the Salviati amber mast candlestick,

unusual piece this.

I can start you on the book here at £25, at £25,

I'll take 30 now, at £25.

30, 5, 40, 5, 50, 5, 60, 5,

-70 if you like.

-Go on!

-Go on!

At £70 on my left now, at £70 are you all sure now?

It's in the room here at £70.

Yes, £70. That's not so bad, old boy.

Only minus £15. God, it could have been worse!

Lot 262, the Coronation plates,

of course it's Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mum, God bless her.

Where will you be? Start you at £20

on the book here, at 20, 5,

30, at £30 a pair there, at £30, 5 anywhere now?

-Go on!

-At £30, 5 anywhere? At £30, you all sure at £30?

Well, don, Gary,

that is £3 profit. Brilliant!

Now, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Lot number 263 is the Corgi Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,

reminds me of my childhood.

I can start you here at £45 on the book here, at £45.

-At £45, 50 if you like now, 50, 5, 60, 5.

-Go on!

70, 5, at £75, it's on the book here at £75, 80 anywhere?

At £75, it's on the book at £75.

How exciting! £75, minus £25.

-Minus £25.

-It was too mean!

25, 35, 40, you are minus £37.

-Oh, my!

-Minus £37 chaps. So what about the estuary watercolour?

I think not.

Going to stick or are you going to go with Mark's buy?

We like it but the price is just a touch high.

OK, a decision is made, no bonus buy, but we're going to sell it anyway.

The Firth of Forth watercolour, signed Dugdale 1872.

Who'll start me? Is that £100? £50 to get on, £30.

Yes, £30 I'm bid there, thank you. At £30, at £30 in front of me now, at £30, I'll take 5 now.

-At £30, it's right in front of me at £30, 5 anyway?

-Uh-oh!

At £35, thank you. 40.

At £40, 5 if you like now.

-At 45, 50, at £50, 5.

-Oh, no!

60 if you like, sir. 60, at £60, at £60, are you all sure at £60?

-£60.

-That wasn't too bad.

Minus £15.

A wise decision, wasn't it?

-Phew! I think we escaped!

-No bonus buy.

-We didn't make it any worse.

-Your score is intact at minus £37.

-Fantastic.

Well done with that. Don't tell the Reds a thing, we'll give them a nasty surprise in a minute.

So, bad luck for the Blues, making a loss of £37, meaning Reds win,

as, remember, they managed to break even.

Coming up, two more teams go bargain hunting,

but first I'm off to the stupendous Sudeley Castle.

Welcome to Sudeley, a magnificent castle,

set in simply idyllic grounds in the Gloucestershire countryside.

Sudeley has gone through periods of neglect though.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, the castle was looted and left to rot.

Salvation arrived in Sudeley in the Victorian era in the form of two brothers, John and William Dent.

John and William had made a substantial fortune in the glove-making business.

In fact, their father John Dent had established the firm in Worcester in 1777

and it continued to flourish under the brothers' tutelage.

In fact, Dents continue to make high-quality gloves today

and I can assure you they're very comfortable.

The Dent brothers began an ambitious restoration of the castle and added to its collections along the way.

In the library, there are numerous examples of interesting textiles,

including this rare, early Sheldon tapestry

which the Dents bought in a local sale in 1848.

But the pieces that magnetise me were created entirely by the needle.

And can you believe that the decoration on this box is entirely done with that needle?

There are a number of techniques that have been employed,

including some interesting stuff called stumpwork.

This thing dates from around 1660

when there was an explosion of decorative arts as a result of the restoration of the monarchy.

If you look at that top surface, there are areas which are raised.

The top of the canopies, the clouds and the fruits are all in a 3-D effect.

Where you've got this raised area,

the needle person has carefully stuffed cotton or kapok to create a little pocket

and has then worked exquisitely with minute stitches around the outside

and then attached it to the base.

But they did have a practical purpose.

If I very carefully open this up,

because it's an incredibly precious object, you can see a fitted interior.

It has a function either as a writing box

with these wells and bottles containing either inks or scent,

but the well within is really interesting.

What's really rare about this box is at the bottom of the well is a hand-coloured print,

which from this side shows a mansion house which is upside down.

If I hinge the lid so that the mirror is illuminating the bottom,

the building is the right way up.

If you take your eyes down, you'll notice that the back and sides of this well are also lined in mirrors

and you create a series of visual effects

by looking in the mirrors and examining different aspects of the print that you're looking at.

These mirrored, visually deceitful objects are called dioramas.

This would have been an amusement for the owner and a treasure for the family to keep.

The Dents were smart enough to buy it.

The big question is, will our two new teams make some smart purchases back at Gloucester docks?

Time to meet our next lot of Reds and Blues.

Both teams today are brimful of confidence. They're determined that they'll both be victorious,

-For the Blues, we've got Becky and Laura who are students.

-Lara.

Lara. And they're also determined to get their names right! See what I mean? They're determined!

And the Reds, Lisa and Kay, are work colleagues. Welcome to Bargain Hunt.

-Now, Kay, you are a proven bargain hunter, aren't you?

-I am.

-How has that come about?

I used to go to boot sales and buy vintage clothes and bits and bobs.

And I would sell them on a well-known worldwide internet site.

-Which you did for fun?

-Yes, and then I turned it into a business.

But then I got fed up of every weekend going to the boot sales.

So I decided I'd go for a real job.

I saw the charity that I work for, CLIC Sargent, advertising for an internet person

-to sell things in an internet shop.

-So CLIC Sargent is a charity for what cause?

It's for children with cancer and leukaemia.

-Well, that's fascinating. Well done. So you went to work for Kay, did you?

-I did.

-Is she a bossy boss?

Not at all. We're great friends.

-Do you collect?

-I do. I'm a massive fan of Spider-Man.

-Who?

-Spider-Man! So I have a very big collection of Spider-Man items.

-How many pieces have you got? 20, 30 pieces?

-Hundreds of pieces.

-I think you'll do well today.

-Yes.

-Lovely to have you on the programme.

Now, Becky and LARA. Sorry to get your name wrong.

Now, will you be worthy opponents, Becky, for the Reds?

-Yes. We would've done anything to get on the programme.

-What do you mean, anything?

-Well...

-We promised your researchers that if we had to, we might do it naked.

-Do it naked?

-But you're students?

-Yes.

-Where?

-At the University of Gloucestershire.

-What degree are you reading?

-I'm doing print journalism.

-I did my degree in digital video production.

-You'll be interested in how we make the programme?

-Yes.

I hope you're not looking for my job, are you?

-So what's all this?

-We've got quite individual personalities, so we customised our fleeces.

-So it says, "Bargain Hunters."

-And we put a cheeky joke on the back.

"What do you call an old ant?"

"An ant-ique"!

-So you're keen on working in TV. Will you be giving us any directions today?

-Not in the television,

-but I hope to direct our team really well.

-I bet you will. Now, the money moment. £300. You know the rules.

Your expert... They've disappeared!

-Kay, Charles, what do you think of this?

-Oh, no!

-That's awful!

What do you think? I have a good feeling about it.

-Does it work?

-Yes.

-How much is it?

-I've had a word with them and they say 15?

-Was that 15 pence?

-£15.

-OK. Right. Oh, my goodness me.

Yeah. Nice. Decorative. If ever in the auction field, we want to let a client down, we say it's decorative.

And what's it worth? Obviously, on a good day, £15, £18, £20 maybe? Bad day, £5?

I'll stick my neck out cos this will easily get £50.

-So £15?

-Yes, to make an easy 50.

-OK. I'm behind you on that, OK?

-Let's go for it.

-Go for it.

-Yeah.

# Let's go, girls... #

-So, Becky, what do you reckon?

-It's the thing that we were looking for.

It's different to the things that you see for Chinese-themed items.

This very delicate pattern, which we refer to as famille rose, has got a lot of this pinky colour to it.

It's got Chinese children playing in a garden.

But it's been cracked in half at some point and then glued together.

You could restore that a bit better.

And there's the odd chip that's been restored around the rim.

-Will that devalue it?

-It will devalue it.

-Although the Chinese market is quite brisk at the moment.

-I think we should go for it.

-Yes.

-Let's do it.

They're keen and they snapped it up for 150.

Here we are, playing draughts. Look at this fine table, this great gaming table. I really like it.

Oval shape, ebonised and inlaid, so quite special.

Marquetry inlay in different timbers, sycamore, harewood.

And on this chess board, we've got beautiful rosewood and burl maple or some sort of timber in between.

-What about this crack here?

-I knew you'd see that.

-A-ha!

To me, looking around at the table,

even the shaped aprons are nice, it's in lovely condition.

English-made. What's it worth in the saleroom? Well, to me, today, the market is improving.

And realistically, my auction guide price would be between £100-£200.

-What do you think? Am I tempting you?

-I think we should go for it.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

So £125, signed, sealed, delivered, it goes to auction? Done.

-I really like this item.

-It's really cool.

-What do you like about it?

For one, I absolutely love Cinderella and Walt Disney films.

-Do you believe in fairytales?

-Absolutely. Yeah. Got to believe in something.

It is fun. We've got the three-piece tea set.

We've got the sugar bowl, the cream jug and the teapot.

What you have to look out for is that it's got the permission of Walt Disney on it,

so it's been licensed by them to do it.

There used to be a strong market and you've got all three pieces.

-But £95 is a bit steep, isn't it?

-Could we get it down at all?

-I think so. We could flutter our eyelids

-and see if we can get it cheaper.

-Yes.

-We've found our Cinderella.

-Shall we go and find our Prince?

-We've got our Prince here.

-Aw! Let's go to the ball.

The girls paid £75. I thought Mark was more of an Ugly Sister.

Interesting! BOTH: Sell it to us.

You girls are very retro. And a really important factor on the antiques market is novelty.

Here is a very, very fine, late Victorian, Empire, industrialised poker stand, with two fine ladies.

-It's more like an 18th-century pole dancer.

-Well...

Actually, in some respects, you're right. What we've got here is an original casting in cast iron

of two ladies, semi-clad, in their risque costume, pulling a pose.

It's 1880-1890 in period.

It's on at £36. That's what we can buy it for.

My guide price would be 30 to 50.

-And they're asking £36 for it.

-Yeah.

-Are you daring us?

-Yes, I am.

-Oh, well!

-Go on!

Go on, life's too short!

# I'm spinning around... #

Ooh! All that spinning has made me dizzy.

Girls, I don't want to worry you, but we've only got a few minutes left, and we need that third item.

-We're torn between two items. I like that cruet set.

-Even though he said 80, I reckon I could get him down.

-Are you confident?

-I am.

-I think she can work her charm.

-Really?

-I really wanted a piece of silverware.

Go on. I hope she gets it and then we can go and have a cup of tea, can't we?

-Guys, I got it for £70!

-I can't believe it. What did you do?

-I just worked my charm.

So we got a three-piece cruet set for £70.

I love the blue bit inside.

That is there to stop the salt and the mustard corroding the silver.

They're hallmarked silver. And they've got this rather nice little Art Nouveau design

up the side of the stylised tulips.

We've got our last item for 70 quid.

-We've got three good items.

-You've got three completely different items, which is nice.

I see no ships, but I do see time's up!

The girls were in tune with the challenge

and paid 15 quid for the radio.

Charles waxed lyrical about Kay's checkers table.

And they paid a game £125.

I got my poker face on for this lot.

Charles got carried away, paying £36.

Well, you naughty girls... See what I mean?

-How did you get on?

-Brilliant.

-Which is your favourite piece?

We liked the radio and we loved the table.

Now, after playing with his poker, we like the dancing ladies.

-I beg your pardon? It's a family programme! Which piece will bring the biggest profit then?

-The table.

-You think the table?

-Yes.

-You agree with the table?

-Yes.

-£176 you spent. I want £124 of leftover lolly.

-There we go, Charles.

-Thank you.

-So what was the best moment for you?

-I think it's probably seeing the ladies perform on the pole dancing. It was just great fun.

-Was it?

-I'll try and buy something which is a bit fanciful, frivolous, feminine and...

-That's all the "Fs"?

-It is.

-Frivolity or not, Charles, good luck.

-Thanks.

-And off you go.

Let's remind ourselves what the Blues bought.

The girls went a bit potty, spending a huge £150 straight away.

And were they wishing on a star with their Cinderella tea set?

I think their silver cruet set might be a bit more down to earth.

-So, girls, did you have a good time?

-Really good.

-We enjoyed spending other people's money.

That was the best moment. And spend you certainly did!

-Which is your favourite item?

-The cruet set because I managed to get a good bargain for our last item.

Which do you think is the favourite?

-I like the Cinderella teapot.

-The whole set. Which is going to bring the biggest profit?

I think that the vase and the little stand will.

I think the cruet set will get us lots of money.

We've got a split decision there. You spent a stupendous £295,

which is really cool, which you did deliberately,

just to make it as difficult as possible for you to find a bonus buy with a £5 note.

-Well, I don't know, Tim, maybe a gin and tonic?

-That's kind.

-We'll find something.

-Good luck.

Here we are in the depths of the countryside in Gloucestershire at Moore, Allen & Innocent's saleroom

with the supremo, Philip Allwood.

-How are you, Philip?

-Very well.

The Red Team, Lisa and Kay, first item is this truly ghastly table.

It's a fairly dull, boring and poor quality table

that's had a checkerboard top put in it and some suspicious-looking roundels to the side of it

that didn't start off life there.

-What's your estimate on this gem?

-We put £50 to £80.

Our team paid £125. Next up is the cream radio set. Do you like this?

Yeah, it's not bad. It's a better colour than brown.

-How much?

-£20 or £30.

-£15 paid, so they could be in for a profit on that.

-What do you make of that? That's the weirdest thing.

-It is a bit weird.

It's got that Victorian look, but is it quite that early?

-I think it's '20s.

-Yeah.

-1910, 1920.

-Exactly.

-What do you think it's worth?

£15, £20? £20, £30, that region?

£20 to £30? That'd be brilliant. They paid £36.

-They might get out of that.

-Yeah.

Overall, these guys, on account largely of their rickety old table, are going to need their bonus buy.

Look at that. Isn't it delightful?

Look at the verse. "Fairy folk with tiny wings, flying all over my plates and things."

It's Shelley, a really fine Staffordshire factory,

second quarter 20th century, producing these wonderful designs

after the illustrator, Mabel Lucie Attwell. And it's a baby's plate, 1925, 1930, thereabouts.

-What do you think?

-It's really sweet. We've got one on our desk.

It's got a little chip in it.

There's our mark as well, Shelley, retailed through Lawleys.

It cost me all of £20.

My auction guide price would be a good 20 to 30,

or a wide guide, 20 to 40, and let's send it off well.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

You decide after the sale of the first three items,

but let's find out what the auctioneer thinks.

Philip, you go in for these jokers. What do you make of these bowls?

This is a good one, Shelley, retailed by Lawleys.

-Nice, clear mark on the bottom there.

-Yes.

-It's a big bowl for a baby.

-I know.

-Where are you going estimate-wise?

-£20 to £30.

-£20 to £30. £20 was paid.

-Right.

Now for the Blues - three quite different items.

First, the Chinese ovoid pot. Any good?

It's actually not a bad pot.

The problem is you've got a poor quality stand which may or may not have started off life with it.

-But one thing that didn't start off life with it is the lid.

-Really?

It doesn't fit very well. You've got this lovely decoration here of trees

suddenly ending with this floral spray on the top.

If this had had the right top and the right stand, it would have been around the £300 to £500 mark.

-Really?

-But without that...

-Without it.

-..you're looking at £50 to £70, that sort of region.

£150 they paid.

-How are you getting on with Cinderella in green?

-It's quite fun.

Disney memorabilia is always a good selling piece.

You're looking around £30 to £50. It's a bit dull in the green, but it has all the right ingredients.

£75 they paid. Another big hole.

How about the three-piece silver cruet? That's at least period.

It is, 1907 hallmark on there.

It's not got the quality and design of people like Archibald Knox and others.

-How much?

-I would have thought in the £50 to £80 range.

That's not bad. They paid 70. But we have two dirty great holes with that pot and old Cinders,

so they'll need their bonus buy.

I got something gr-r-reat, these wonderful little light bulbs with tigers' heads on them.

I think they're marvellous. They're in their original box.

They're rather charming and they were only £5!

-Is that all you could find?

-Yes. Thank you for that(!)

-Do they work?

-I think they'll light up the saleroom.

-They're fabulous.

-The box is the most interesting thing.

-I like the box.

You're right. If they weren't in the box, you'd have no idea.

-When do you date them? 1930s?

-'20s, '30s, yes.

I'm glad you spent our £5 so wisely!

Now, teams, you decide after the sale of your first three items.

Let's see what the auctioneer thinks about the tiger's eye bulbs.

We've been very generous in our £1 to £2 estimate on it.

-How many lots do you catalogue here at £1 to £2? Not many, I guess?

-I can't remember one.

-This is a first.

-It's very good of you to even consider putting it in the sale, quite frankly.

-If it makes £1 or £2 or £5, he'll be delighted. It's just some fun.

-Yes.

We'll look forward to it. Thank you.

-Lisa and Kay, how are you feeling?

-Excited.

-Nervous.

-Why are you nervy?

-I'm just worried about the table.

-Is that your big worry?

-Yeah.

It was found by Charles. £125 was paid.

The auctioneer doesn't like it very much and he's estimated £50 to £80. Here it comes.

Lot number 289, the centre table with the checkerboard top.

Who'll start me? 100? 50 then?

At £30. At 30. At £30.

I'll take 5 now. 5.

40. At £40. At £40.

5. 50. 5.

At 55 with the lady. 60 now?

-Go on.

-At £55. 60 anywhere?

Selling at £55, are you all sure...?

-55.

-Whose was it now?

-I'm blaming Charles.

-Now the radio.

Lot number 290 is the Philips white Bakelite household radio.

Who'll start me at £30, £40?

20? At £10, a bid at 10.

At £10. At £10. 12.

At 12. 15. 18...

At £18. 20? 20, thank you, sir.

At £20. I'll take 2 now? At 20, are you all sure...?

Yes! Very good.

£5 profit, £5. Now the poker stand, Charles.

Unusual lot, this. Unusual lot.

Who'll start me? Start me, £30?

£20? 10 to get on? Got to be £10.

Yes, £10 bid. 12. 15.

18. 20. £20 bid. 2.

25. 28 if you like?

At 28. At £28 here. 30 if you like?

At 28...

-£28.

-Sorry, ladies. I'm sorry.

-Minus £8. That is overall... minus 73.

-Oh, no.

-Hey!

-Are you going to go with this bonus buy?

-Let's go for it.

Mabel Lucie Attwell baby's plate. Good size.

20 to get on? Good Shelley piece.

£20? A tenner? 10 I'm bid, thank you.

-Come on, surely!

-£10. It's selling at £10...

12. 15.

18. 20 if you like on my left?

At £18 on my right here. £18, are you all sure at 18...?

-Well done, Charles. £18, that's minus 2.

-It's been tough, hasn't it?

I'd say a chipped one is worth about £10!

Minus £2 on that, bad luck, girls. That means, overall, you're minus £75.

In this game, in this market, it could be quite a good score, a winning score.

-So don't tell the Blues.

-Our lips are sealed.

-Lara and Becky, do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

-Jolly good. We don't want you to know.

-Are you excited?

-Yeah.

-You've waited for this auction, you've been longing for it

-and you really want to win, don't you?

-Definitely.

Lot number 314 is the famille rose ovoid jar there.

Good-looking piece and I can start here on the book at 25.

At £25. 30 if you like now?

30. 5. 40.

5. 50. 5. 60.

5. 70. 5.

At £75. On the book at 75. Are you all done...?

-Oh, dear, 75.

-Dear, oh, dear.

-You are £75 down the loo. Minus 75.

The Cinderella three-piece tea set. Good-looking piece. 50?

£30?

20 then? A tenner? Must be £10.

10 I'm bid. 12. 15.

18. 20. 2. 25.

28. At £28. 30 now?

At £28 on my left. 30 now? 30.

5. 40. At 40, are you all sure...?

-Oh, dear.

-Not enough. £40, you're minus £35 on that.

-What's wrong with everybody?

-Now the cruet. It's all down to your cruet.

Lot number 316 is the silver cruet.

Start me, 50? I can start you at 20. At £20.

5 if you like now? At £20. 5. 30. 5. 40.

On the book at 45. 50 now? At 45 in front of me here. 50.

At £50 on my left. Are you all done at 50...?

Is that 5? 55. 60 if you like?

At £55. It's still here on my left at £55...

£55 is minus £15.

Overall, you are minus 125 smackers.

You're 125 smackers down.

This isn't brilliant, but it could be a winning score.

Are you going to go with the bonus buy, the old light bulbs?

-We might as well.

-For a £5 note, for the fun of it.

-Here they come.

-Lot number 320

is the box of 24 Tiger Lamp, 12-volt, 6-watt bulbs.

£20? 10?

-£5? At £5 bid.

-Hey!

-There you are.

7. 10. 12.

15. 18. 20.

At 22. At £22.

25 anywhere? Are you all sure at 22...?

Yes!

£22! You are plus £17 on that.

-So it just shows...

-We were wrong.

-It just shows what anybody knows about anything! £17 profit, super.

So, 125 less 17 means that you are...

minus 108. 108. OK?

Minus 108. That could be a winning score, girls. Don't despair.

We'll put the Reds out of their agony in a minute.

Sadly, on Bargain Hunt when we have two splendid teams, we can only ever have one team of winners.

-I have to reveal that the runners-up today are the Blue Team.

-Aw!

Bad luck, you girls. you are £108 minus.

-Don't let that get you down. You've been great. I hope you've had good fun.

-We have.

But for the Reds, look at these two girls...

Overall, you went with the bonus buy and you are minus £75.

-We've had a great show. Join us soon for more bargain hunting, yes?

-ALL: Yes!

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2008