Builth Wells 9 Bargain Hunt

# ..To be my girl

# You don't have to be cool to rule... #

Now, ladies, what are you doing?

-BOTH: Getting ready, Tim.

-What for?

BOTH: You!

Ooh! This can only mean one thing!

Let's go bargain-hunting!

Today, we're on Welsh soil,

at the International Antiques And Collectors' Fair at Builth Wells.

Our teams are prepped and raring to go, so let's get on with it!

And this is how it works.

I give two teams £300, and an expert with a vast amount of knowledge

and a keen eye for a bargain,

an hour to go and rummage around and find three items,

which they sell on later at auction,

and if they make a profit, they get to keep it! How good's that?

Today, we have two teams of sizzling sisters.

We have daredevil Dawn, and her big sister, Jeanette, for the Blues.

We have action-woman Marie, and her little sister, Claire, for the Reds.

Welcome, ladies! Now, Marie, what do you do for a job, darling?

I'm a primary school teacher.

You're also a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Tell us about that.

I've got my own private pilot's licence,

and I can take friends and family up -

we go around the Pembrokeshire coastline, which is absolutely gorgeous,

-and often been further afield, as well.

-Have you?

-Yes.

What do you do, Claire?

I'm a clerical officer and I work for the NHS.

What do you collect?

The only thing I collect is Portmeirion porcelain - the jugs.

I visited Portmeirion about 15 years ago and it's such a magical place -

-I fell in love with it -

-Pretty stuff, isn't it?

-They're nice.

Are you going to try and buy a bit on Bargain Hunt to make a profit?

-I might.

-You might!

-Yeah.

-Very coy!

Thank you very much. That's that two sisters, now this two sisters!

Dawn, what do you do, darling?

I'm communications manager for the North Wales NHS trust,

-and I'm also a magistrate.

-Oh, are you?

You're also a bit of a thrill-seeker, though, aren't you?

Yes, I suppose I am, really.

For my 40th birthday, I did a skydive in Florida,

and I've also done white-water rafting in the Rocky Mountains in Canada,

Now, I should welcome your sister as...

Madam Mayor Jeanette Chamberlain Jones.

-Is that right?

-That's right.

Shouldn't you actually be in red?

Yes, as a Labour county councillor, I should be in red!

You like to keep yourself busy with your own party business.

Yes, I've had an events... party...events organising...

organisation for ten years,

and that's great fun.

I know you're keen on collecting, but you had a burglary,

didn't you? Which was a blow.

Yes, we had a break-in at the house,

and all my Brambly Hedge figurines were taken,

-and quite a lot of other things.

-Oh, dear.

And it's taken me quite a few years to purchase them back,

as I see them at places like this.

Yes, quite.

But teddy bears is what I like most.

You going to buy one for making a profit on the programme today?

If I see a good teddy, I'll be in there like a shot.

You're going to be good! It's the money moment.

Here's your £300. £300 apiece. You know the rules.

Your experts await, and off you go, and very, very good luck!

As ever, each team has an expert to help and guide them.

Steering the Reds in the right direction

is David Barby.

And keeping a watchful eye over the Blues

is Jonathan Pratt.

And stone the crows - they'll have their work cut out

as they help not one but two lots of teams today.

Oh, look at this one, Marie.

This is quite nice.

Oh, I don't recognise that,

but I do like the shape of it. It's a really nice colour.

-Hey!

-It's got no cracks or...

-That is stunning.

-Do you know what it is?

-No.

It's a good example of pottery produced at the beginning

-of the 20th century.

-Right.

It's got that unusual shape.

It's not a thing that you would actually use,

-but it's an object you'd look at and admire.

-Yeah.

Now, if you look, it's got two layers of clay.

A smooth one, and then where it's been almost chiselled out.

And we call this sgraffito.

Now, if I turn it upside down, what do you see?

-It's got "Baron"...

-Mmm.

-..and then "Barnstaple".

Baron was an employee of a company called Charles Brannam,

based at Barnstaple,

and he produced almost identical wares.

In 1898, Baron moved away from the main company,

and set up his own company.

That is what you've got.

Now, what's the price?

£120.

-I can see people paying that, but you'll have to negotiate.

-Yes.

£120 - you need to negotiate.

-Yes.

-The dealer's round there. Let's go have a word with him.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Keep your fingers crossed.

Between the three of them, they negotiated the price down to £87.

What are you up to you, ladies? I heard a vile din.

It isn't the Proms, you know!

-What have you got there?

-A Stradivarius.

A Stradivarius? Shall we have a look?

In some respects, you're quite right. Stradivarius, it is.

It's the shape that a lot of violins were based on.

18th-century master of violin-making.

From that point, people copied those designs.

If you look inside,

actually, it says, "Copie de Atonius Stradivarius."

-Does that mean that it is, or isn't?

-It's a copy.

-Oh, it's a copy.

-A copy.

But the condition of this is not too bad.

There's no obvious damage to it,

We've got a few bits missing, a broken string... Was that you?

I managed to play it, though! I got a tune out of it.

It's in a case. Let's have a look. You have in here, normally,

spare strings and the replacement fittings there for the strings.

And bows themselves are important, as well.

They're made from a piece which is bowed,

then they straighten it with the tension of the horsehair.

And often there's a maker's stamp on the side, which,

in this case, there isn't. You can see it's a bit tired.

But again, can easily be tidied up.

What are they asking?

-There's no price ticket on it.

-No price at all.

-No.

At auction, £20 to £30, I reckon, so if you can get it for less than 20,

-we stand a chance that we can get some money.

-OK.

Off you go.

-See what you can do.

-OK.

Cor, those ladies are a force to be reckoned with!

They paid a meagre £2. Ha!

I thought you'd like it.

Yeah. It's so different, isn't it?

I've never seen anything like this.

You've come back to this, have you? Now, what's the appeal?

-I've never seen anything like it before.

-You keep saying that!

-BOTH: Yeah.

-And Claire loves her dogs.

So, what's the name of the breed?

I'd say it's a terrier-type dog.

-A Westie terrier...

-A Westie.

-I'm not sure, yeah.

-That's good, because if people have Westies,

-or terriers, that'll have great appeal.

-Yeah.

Look at the back, there's the standard mark,

Clarice Cliff.

I have not seen a Clarice Cliff dog mask before.

So how old would you say this is?

Well, I think it's late 1930s.

It's good. What's the price?

It is going for £225.

Dare I suggest you've got to get it half price?

-OK.

-Otherwise, we're not going to profit - forget it.

-Judging the time - you haven't got much left.

-No.

-No.

-OK?

-OK.

-Do your best.

-We'll try.

-Thank you.

The Reds negotiated a brilliant discount,

but the dog still cost them a massive £110.

Woof, woof! Oooh.

Oh, look at this!

An umbrella stand in the shape of an umbrella.

-In a puddle!

-It's horrible.

Great for our British weather, look.

Every home should have one.

Certainly, it's a stand in the shape of an umbrella,

-with wirework painted black - a fun thing, really.

-It's unique.

And I would have it in my house, in the porch.

Yeah. It's fun, you can have walking sticks and stuff in there -

it's got lots of space for it,

and people will comment when they see it.

It shows signs of having some age.

It's been painted before, it's worn away.

You've got brass finials around the top, bit of detail in it.

I reckon we'd probably get about £30 for it at auction,

because it's got a novelty value to it. What are they asking for it?

-I think it was £49.

-£49...

£49?!

-For that?!

-Well, we've only bought one item so far,

-and you like it.

-I like it.

-Well, let's see how much it is, then.

Under £40 would be good.

Make sure we get it under 40.

-Off you go, ladies, and see how you can do!

-OK!

Dawn didn't back down, and bought the brolly stand for £35.

-Let me check.

-What make?

-Yeah, it's Royal Worcester.

-That's what you were looking for, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's really unusual, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-You've got it!

-I have indeed!

-At long last, you've found a piece of Worcester!

-Yeah.

-OK.

-It's quite attractive.

Now, why did you go for this?

It's quite an unusual shape.

The pattern on it is... is rather nice.

It's different to the other patterns I've seen.

-It's got four roses, not just the flowers.

-That's right.

It's all hand-painted, and it has a sort of full-blown rose

-in the manner of an artist called Kitty Blake.

-OK.

So, you've got these wiped-out leaves

which are very good.

The only thing is, I couldn't see a signature.

Would a signature command a higher price, then?

If it has a signature, if you had Kitty Blake on it,

-£300, £400, if not more.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Yes.

But a signature does make a world of difference on Worcester.

See all these symbols on the bottom?

That's the pattern number, 307,

and then you've got the batch and the kiln number underneath,

and that's the standard mark for Worcester.

It's a very, very good choice.

Now, just tell me, what's the price?

I think they're asking £85.

I think you've got to get it down.

The advantage is you're going to Malvern for the sale,

which is close to Worcester, and you've got Worcester collectors.

-You stand a very good chance of selling at a profit...

-That'd be good.

-..providing you can get it down slightly on price.

-Yes.

Determined to buy some Royal Worcester, she struck a deal at £67.

Well, what do you think this is, then? What is it?

Well, I'm not 100% sure, to be honest, but I mean, I love this wood.

It's a Victorian, walnut, extendable, expanding book stand.

The ends come out so you can fit more books in.

Personally, I would put it on my desk and use it for files

and my diary, and things like that.

This shape on the end here,

what would you say it looks like? What does it remind you of?

-Does that have a particular style?

-Church.

-Exactly.

It's very Gothic, isn't it?

Exactly. Very much like a church.

You've got this ebonised base at the bottom, typically...

Funnily enough, it's a memento that comes in after Albert's death.

-Helps you date it.

-It reflected it.

-Middle part of the Victorian period.

The nice thing is you've got a maker's name there.

It says Mills & Son of Southsea.

It's good quality. Walnut, brass mounting, a little name plaque -

it gives it a bit more of an edge to it.

Go on then, you're convincing me now.

-How much are they asking?

-65, I think, is on the ticket.

-65, OK.

I think, probably, at auction, we'd put them in at £40 to £60,

so if we get around the £40 mark, that'd be fair.

-All right.

-Have a go?

-Yeah.

That Jeanette took some persuading!

£40 paid.

It's not long, 60 minutes, you know.

Our teams have been out there foraging for their finds,

but right now they're clean out of time.

Let's remind ourselves what the Red team bought.

Both Marie and Claire were really taken by the green jug.

It set them back £87.

Claire is barking mad about dogs,

so just had to have this Clarice Cliff wall plaque,

even though it cost them a stomping £110.

The Reds made a tactical decision buying the Royal Worcester vase,

which should do well,

considering they'll be selling it in that neck of the woods. £67 paid.

Now, you naughty girls, did you enjoy your shopping?

-Yes, very much so.

-Thoroughly.

-Which is your favourite piece, Claire?

-The Barnstaple pottery, it's a green jug.

-My home town.

Very good. What about you, Marie?

-I like the Royal Worcester.

-Which is going to bring the biggest profit?

I think, maybe, the Clarice Cliff.

-OK.

-But the Barnstaple piece of pottery, that's quite unique.

-You've got high hopes for it?

-It would be nice, yes.

-Oh, lovely. Anyway, you spend £264, which is great!

-Yes!

-That means only £36 of leftover lolly.

-There you are.

£36 of leftover lolly goes to David Barby. Not so much, David.

-Shine a light! It's not, is it?

-No.

-No.

-Yeah, but you're very skilled at this.

What, £36? What can it bring me?

I don't know. A lot of pleasure, I hope, spending it!

I shall do my very best.

Let's remind ourselves of what the Blues bought.

The tuneful Blues were in harmony over the violin and negotiated

a cracking deal at only £2.

But the umbrella stand caused a few problems.

Jeanette hated it and Dawn loved it.

Eventually, Jeanette gave in, but only because Dawn got it for £35.

And, once again, Jeanette took a bit of convincing,

or was it Dawn that got her own way?

Either way, they spent £40 on the book rack.

-So, you two, did you have fun?

-Great fun, yes! Brilliant.

-Which is your favourite piece?

-The violin.

-Your old fiddle!

-The old fiddle.

-Do you agree with that, Dawn patrol?

No, I liked the umbrella stand.

I thought it was quirky, practical and I could see that in my porch.

Well, that's a very good reason for buying it. Which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-Definitely the violin!

-The violin, yes?

It's got to be the bargain of the century, the violin!

I cannot understand how you've got away with only spending £77.

Anyway, £223 worth of leftover lolly. There we go, look!

-What have you got in mind, then, JP?

-I don't want to give too much away.

-But you've got some inspiration?

-I'm inspired, yes, absolutely.

Inspired. Well, thus expiring, do foretell of him!

Off you go. Have a good time!

Well, we've come all the way to Malvern,

to Malvern's leading sale room.

-Malvern's ONLY sale room!

-Oh, right! Thank you very much, Philip!

-With Philip Serrell, a legend. How are you?

-Tim, good to see you.

-Very nice to be here.

-Good to have you.

Claire and Marie, their first item

is this Barum-ware piece of pottery.

-A bit of fun, isn't it?

-It is.

It's one of those lots, 20 years ago you'd have walked past.

-Yeah.

-What did they pay for it, Tim?

They paid £87.

I think it's probably going to make £50 to £80.

Next up for them is this Clarice Cliff plaque.

A wirehaired terrier, Scottie dog, whatever it might be.

Well, Clarice Cliff is the name, isn't it?

Not sort of typical of her work.

What's your estimate on the Clarice Cliff?

£60 to £90, perhaps a bit mean. I think it'll do all right.

They paid 110. I bet you're confident about this Worcester pot.

There's no better place for selling Worcester than this place.

Well, that's kind. That's a Royal Worcester vase

made in 1919, from the date code on the bottom.

It's also got on the bottom "H307".

The 307 is the shape number.

The H refers to the fact that it came from the Hadley factory,

And I think that £50 to £80 is probably the mark for that.

-£67 they paid. We live in hope.

-We live in hope.

In case hope doesn't spring eternal, we've always got

the opportunity of the bonus buy, so let's go and have a look at it!

-Are you ready for it?

-Come on, David.

-Oh!

-Oh!

-Oh?

-Interesting.

Well, this is an Arts and Crafts -

that's the beginning of the 20th century - hall lantern.

What's missing is a sort of parchment interior here.

But the electric light connection can go through the top.

-And it's solid copper, isn't it?

-Oh, solid copper, yeah.

Could have had a glass shade inside, do you think?

There's some little connections here that you would probably

slip something into, but to get glass up there would be difficult.

-There is a question that you need to ask him, Marie.

-Yes, there is.

-How much did I pay for it?

-Yes.

-£30, that's all.

-Oh!

-Oh!

-£30 for solid copper!

And it's quite distinctive.

It is, actually. And it is, I must say, growing on me.

-She wants to grab it back!

-Yes!

-Well, there you go.

You don't have to decide right now, girls. But for the audience at home,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about David's lamp.

-Well, nicely made, isn't it?

-I think it's quite sweet

-and it's functional. Someone can use it.

-What do you think it's worth?

-£20 to £40.

-Barby paid £30.

-He's all right.

-So he stands a good chance of making a profit.

That's a charming thing.

That's it for the Reds, now for the Blues, Dawn and Jeanette,

the violin and bow.

-Goodness me!

-If I gave you a pound for every violin you'd ever seen

that said Stradivarius in it,

-you'd be a rich man!

-Yeah, a lot of them around.

What will it bring in the auction?

-I think it'll make between £15 and £30.

-Do you, really?

-What did you pay?

-They paid £2 for it.

-That is profit, isn't it?

-That is profit.

Moving on neatly to the umbrella stand. It's a bit of fun, isn't it?

It is. I can see somebody paying £20 to £40 for that.

-Great. £35 they paid.

-That's OK.

Lastly, they've got their book slide.

-I like that.

-I thought you would. Why do you like it so much?

There's a great bit of burr walnut in there.

It's got a maker's mark on it. But the thing with it is, a little bit,

-it's yesterday's antiques, isn't it?

-Slightly.

-What have we put on that?

£30 to £50? You know, three years ago, you'd have been paying...

-£120 for it every day, wouldn't you?

-Yeah, absolutely right.

At least they paid the right money. £40 is not too bad.

-We're in with a shout.

-I would say, fairly confidently, that this team

are going to be OK today,

but just in case, we'd better go and have a look at their bonus buy.

Da-da!

Oh...a mushroom!

£35 I paid for them. A pair of miniature staddle stones.

I thought they were quite sweet and quite charming.

This is a miniature of the little sort of mushrooms

that old grain barns used to stand on in farms.

Make a nice garden ornament.

It's the sort of thing that people buy for the garden.

They look very old. Are they?

No, they're quite new. But it doesn't matter about that.

-Do you think there's a profit in them, Jonathan?

-You have got a pair.

£35 for the pair. Is there a profit in it?

It's whether two private clients are really interested in them.

So, there we have it. Girls, you don't decide right now,

but for the viewers at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Jonathan's magic mushrooms!

Reconstituted.

-Does that mean concrete?

-Well, yes.

So, concrete covered in a bit of green slime.

I would think they're going to make between £15 and £30.

£35 Jonathan paid for those, and he's really expecting a big profit.

Anyway, good luck, Phil!

-So, girls, are you excited?

-Very much. Yes. Looking forward to it.

-How excited are you on a scale of 1 to 10?

-10! This is brilliant!

-The same for you, Claire?

-Yeah.

-What about you, David?

-Oh, yes, absolutely!

You're such an old hand, though.

First up is the Barum ware jug vase, and here it comes.

Lot number 266.

Barum Barnstable art nouveau pottery jug. There you are.

Bid me for that, someone. Start me off. £50 to start me. 50?

£20, someone, quickly. £20?

20 I'm bid at the back, at 20. £20 bid. At 20. Who's got five?

At 20. 20 bid. And five. 25. 25.

You're looking the wrong way.

At 25 bid. At £25 only. At 30?

30 bid. And five now. One more?

At £30 at the back. At 30. 30 bid.

-At £30 only.

-Oh, dear.

Is there any more at all? At £30 and I sell then at 30 and done.

£30!

That's minus £57.

Lot number 267 is the Clarice Cliff pottery wall plaque.

And I'm bid for that. £50. Bid at 50.

50 bid. At 50. 60. 70. 70 bid.

At 70. 70 bid.

80. 90. 90 bid. 100 with me here.

At 100 on the book. At £100 only.

100. 100. 100. And 10. And 20.

At £120. You're out.

At £120, commission bid. At £120.

And I sell then at £120 and done. Thank you.

Well, that's great! 120 is plus £10.

It's the Royal Worcester vase.

As you see it catalogued, the Royal Worcester vase.

I'm bid £40 for that. 50. 50 bid.

At 50. 60. 70. 80 with me here.

80, commission bid. At £80 only. Is there any more in the room?

At £80 only. At £80 and I'll sell them at £80 and done.

£80. You are £13 up on the...

You are minus £34, OK?

-Minus £34.

-It's been worse.

There's no shame in that, no shame in that. Two profits you've made.

What are you going to do about the bonus buy?

-We're going to have a go.

-Go for it.

-We like it.

-Have a go.

-It's something different.

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

Lot number 272 is this rather nice Arts & Crafts lantern.

Bid me for that. £20 to start straight in.

20. Who's got a tenner? Quickly.

10 I'm bid. At 10. 10 bid. £10. £10.

At 15.

At 15. One more?

20 there. At 20. 20 bid. Five? 25.

One more, sir?

30 now? The bid is right at the back at £25.

30 is it, sir?

30. 30 bid. At £30.

Go again! Go again!

-Come on! Just a bit more.

-Is there any more at all?

At £30 seated and I sell then at 30 and done.

No shame in that, £30. Wiped the slate clean. Wiped it's face.

What's the problem? No profit, no loss. That's OK.

-No, that's fine.

-£30 paid. That's all right, isn't it?

Overall, we therefore have minus £34 is your score, OK?

-That could very easily be a winning score.

-Not too bad.

-Don't despair.

-You're not going home with cash, but don't tell the Blues a thing, OK?

-No.

-No.

-Keep this quiet.

-I promise.

Keep it between us, the family!

Do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

-You've got no idea?

-No idea.

-We don't want you to.

-Locked in a cupboard.

-No, no. Quite.

What about that violin, then? Are we rating that violin, Jeanette?

-Oh, it's a bargain.

-You found it for £2.

His estimate is £15 to £30, which is brilliant.

It's the first lot up, and here it comes!

Lot number 288, the violin.

Put it in, someone. £20 to get it gone. Quickly. £20.

Surely? 20 I'm bid, thank you. At £20 only. At 20. 20 bid.

At £20 only for the violin.

At 20. Is there any more?

At £20, be quick.

At £20. All done at 20. And done!

Well done, girls!

£20 is £18 profit. Super duper.

Now the wrought iron umbrella stand.

Bid me for that lot. £20 to start me.

20? Wherever you like. £10 to go, someone. Quickly.

10 I'm bid. 10. 15. 20. 5?

25 behind you with the glasses.

At 25. The lady's bid. Can we have one more? Go on.

30. 30 bid. One more, madam? 30 bid.

-At 30. At £30 only. At 30.

-Oh, dear.

-Is there any more?

-Dawn?

-At £30, then.

And I sell then at 30 and done.

£30 sold. You've just lost £5.

Lot 290 is the book slide.

And I have two bids on the book.

-I start at £70 only.

-70!

70!

At 70. 80 may I, anywhere?

At £70, only. Short and sweet.

At £70 it's had its time and done then at 70. And done, thank you.

70! Thank YOU! Look at that!

You made £30 on that. Plus £30, plus your 13, is you are plus 43.

You have £43 profit. What are you going to do about this bonus buy? Go with the bonus buy?

BOTH: No way!

Bad luck, Jonathan! We're not going with the bonus buy. But why don't we sell them anyway? Here they come.

294, the miniature concrete staddle stones. Bid me for those.

Concrete staddle stones. Put them in the bidding, someone.

Put them in, I don't know... Give me £40 for them.

20?

Oh, Lord. £10. 10 I'm bid.

At £10 for the staddle stones.

At 10 I'm only bid. 10. 10 bid. £10.

15. 15. 20, sir?

20. 20 bid. 5 now? At £20.

It could surprise us, yet.

At £20, only. At 20. Any more?

At £20, the gentleman's bid.

And done then at 20.

Well, he sold them for £20. That is minus £15.

-We knew there was no way.

-Minus £15,

but it doesn't apply because you didn't go with it. You have £43

which will be coming into your hot little pocket in a minute.

-Meanwhile, don't say a word to the Reds.

-No.

So it's a blistering win for the Blues running up a profit of £43.

Remember - the Reds made a loss of -34.

Coming up, two more teams go bargain-hunting,

but first I'm off somewhere grand.

Capesthorne Hall, just outside Macclesfield in Cheshire,

is a stunning, partly 18th-century mansion house

set in a 5,000-acre estate.

But it's not just the grounds which are super-sized.

Just look at the scale of this building!

To put it in context, if you took 45 three-bedroomed modern houses,

they would fit inside Capesthorne Hall.

Now, that's an interesting fact, innit?

But what's it got to do with Capesthorne, I hear you ask.

Well, traditionally in a house,

a boxroom is the smallest room in which you have stored

all those irritating things that you can't find a home for elsewhere.

But here at Capesthorne, the boxroom isn't called the boxroom because of its small size,

it's called the boxroom because of what it's got stored in it, innit?

Just look at this!

The boxroom full of boxes!

Boxes which have survived through the various generations

of the family that have lived here

and have simply not been thrown away.

Look at this fellow! It looks a bit like a Second World War bomb.

That's because it's got a Japan tin cover.

If you look at the brass plaque on the top, it says,

"WH Bromley Davenport, Grenadier Guards,"

the current owner Bill's father.

And if I open it up, you can see, beautifully preserved inside,

his bearskin hat.

What a wonderful thing that is!

Next door, something completely different.

A nice inlaid rosewood square box, containing...

Look at that! An unusual early form of mechanical music.

This thing is called a polython.

This is the equivalent of your record except, being made of tin,

this is pierced with little holes and each of those little holes

when it revolves over this bar,

which is connected to the little teeth, will produce a note.

POLYTHON PLAYS MELODY OF "ABIDE WITH ME"

TIM SINGS ALONG TO THE TUNE

# ..La, la-dah, dee, da-dah Da-dah, with me. #

That's fun, isn't it?

Here we've got boxes which contained stationery.

Boxes which take letters.

And this rather amusing and beautifully made box.

Open the hinged front and, sure enough,

it's an apothecary's cabinet,

Here we've got a variety of drugs contained in these little bottles,

and in this one... Look at that.

That's laudanum.

This is a most popular Victorian opiate, derived from the poppy,

taken to ease all sorts of pains.

And strictly very, very addictive. So we'll put that back in its box!

The big question is today,

of course, are our teams going to box clever over at the auction?

But our next lot of Reds and Blues are ready to enter the arena.

But will this bunch of gastronomes find some tasty bargains?

For the Reds, we've got dinner lady Judith and her fruit and veg husband

Philip and for the Blues we've got top chef Harry and his wife, Katie the cake decorator. How about that?

Now, Judith, how long were you dinner lady for?

13 wonderful years.

What sort of things do you like collecting?

I collect teddy bears but I also collect paperweights

-and crystals and teapots but I've gone off them, because I don't really drink tea.

-Don't drink tea.

-No.

-What do you have, Scotch?

-Maybe.

-Maybe.

-Maybe.

-Brilliant.

You're also a very keen traveller.

-I love travelling.

-Yes.

-Yes, we've been to Florida this year.

I've also been to Holland and China

You've got an interesting nickname, tell us.

-Yes, Bananas.

-Bananas.

Bananas. Because I used to work for a firm selling fruit and veg.

-What do you collect then?

-I collect pocket watches and medals.

It says here you've got 70 or 80 pocket watches.

-70 or 80 pocket watches.

-So you're an expert pocket watch collector.

I won't say expert but I know a bit about them.

-And did you have a good time in China too?

-Excellent. Marvellous.

-What was the best bit of China?

-Bartering with the stall holders.

-Right.

-Because you don't pay the proper price in China for anything.

-You're going to rather enjoy bargain hunting today.

-Yes, I am.

Very good luck. Now for the Blues.

Katie, or should I call you Cakie?

Because you're not just any ordinary cake decorator, are you?

You're a champion cake decorator.

Yes, I have won some awards.

Well, I'd like to reveal a little something that Cakie has made for us.

Now, Katie, you're not taking the mickey here at all, are you?

-No, I'm not. It's a present for you, Tim.

-Oh, isn't that lovely!

Let's go bargain hunting.

That is so lovely and you've even got a lot number on my hat.

-I think you'll find it's a £20 note.

-Cheeky one, honestly.

-Harry, what are you looking forward to most out of today's programme?

-Spending somebody else's money.

Ah, is that what is going to get you going?

-Yes.

-You're a bit of dab hand in the kitchen too.

-52 years...

-In the catering trade.

-Really? As what?

When I retired at 55 I was the deputy catering manager of the Royal College of Nursing.

Found out the pension wasn't enough so I had to go back to work

and the last job I had was working for the South Wales Fire Service in one of their fire stations.

As a cook? Oh, right. Anyway, this is the money moment,

£300 apiece, £300 apiece, you know the rules, your experts await and off you go and very, very good luck.

-Is this your choice?

-Yes.

-Philip, what do you think about it?

I like it. I like the decorative work around the edging of it.

That is very good and that is the essential ingredient.

It's what we term as a standish.

In other words, you rest your pen across here, your pencils, and this rather like a curling stone,

can you see that, you lift it up and there inside

is the receptacle for ink and that is the original glass liner.

Rare do you find them with their original liners, they've always been replaced.

-What I love is this brass inlay into what looks like a burr wood.

-Yeah.

Can you see that underneath there?

And when this is all polished up it would look absolutely stunning.

Maybe central European, possibly France, but it would have been on a desk of an important gentleman.

When I look at this, I think in terms of the secessionist movement.

This is where a group of people from Vienna decided they'd rather tired

of the Art Nouveau movement which dominated European taste round about the turn of the century.

-Mmm.

-Do you want to go for it?

-I think we will.

-Yeah.

-OK, and what's the price?

120.

-£120. That's a lot of money.

-I'm sure we can get him down.

Well, you've got to get this well under £100.

And it's your job to get the price reduced. OK, the dealer's over there.

I think they call that passing the buck, David,

but with Philip bagging the standish for £72.50 it's a good call.

Oh, that's very sweet, isn't it? So tell me first of all why you picked it up?

-Well, I'm guessing it's silver.

-Yeah.

-And enamelled...

-Mmm-hmm.

But I like it because it's little.

I'll look underneath, I want to see if there's

any silver marks on it, because that's a good tell-tale sign.

-Yeah.

-We've got these marks at the bottom here and we've got...

Ah, it says "sterling, J Tostrup of Norway"

It's not hallmarked as English standard but it says sterling

which means it still carries the same purity.

-OK.

-A nice little round bowl and with this sort of cherry red enamel inside.

-The important thing is the enamel's in really good condition.

-It looked good to me.

Would it be unusual to have enamelling on the inside like that?

I don't think I've ever seen that.

Well, if you look at it from here, what can you see?

-The inside.

-Yeah, so if you enamelled the outside it would be lost, wouldn't it?

-Yeah, sure.

-I mean, do you like it, Harry?

I quite like it, yes.

Well, don't tell him you like it too much.

How much is he asking for it?

He's asking 32.

-£32.

-Yeah.

You know, it's a collector's item, 20th century, it's modern,

-there are people who collect this sort of thing.

-Yeah.

-It may have some room in it.

-Right.

-It's up to you.

-OK, I'll go and see him.

Enamoured with the enamelled silver, Katie bowls the price down to £22.

But what have Judith and Philip turned up for David to have a look at?

You've held it long enough, what do you think of it?

Well, we think it's very nice. We both like it but we don't really know what it is.

I know it's treen...

It's good, yes, anything to do with wood is called treen.

This is a beautiful example, it's early 19th century

and this would have been on a desk for wrapping parcels

and then sealing it with a wax.

-Oh.

-So in here...

..we've got the little bobbin that would have had cord round there...

-Oh, right.

-Then it would have passed through here.

So you pulled the cord out through there.

-Yeah, yeah.

-So it's a little miniature samovar.

-It's so tidy, because can you see that there?

-Yes.

-Do you see it?

-Oh, yeah.

-It's a blade. You see, you pull the string out and then cut it.

-Well.

-You can imagine it on that desk, with someone wrapping a parcel.

-It's lovely.

-Lighting the candle, melting the wax.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

That's the original paper on the bottom so that would stop it scratching the surface.

-It is quality, isn't it?

-Yes.

-I like it and we both liked it straightaway.

-Oh, good.

-What's the price?

-Well, they're asking 95.

95.

Well, I can see that in some posh shop,

if not more, 120 plus,

because this type of treen is rare.

-I've never seen one like this before. Shall we have a go?

-Yep.

-Come on then.

-We're off to see the wizard...

Tying up the treen string dispenser for £80 means

the Reds have £147.50 left for their last item.

Stop messing around, guys. What are you up to?

-We're supposed to be looking for antiques.

-No, we want this.

-What about this then?

-Well, OK, if you like.

It's a good present.

-We've got a Scalextric XR3i racing game, a bit of an '80s boy racer car, really.

-Yes.

The box is in shocking condition but it gives us the information that we need to know.

This sort of thing really is a toy which

the people who were playing with this in the '80s are now

grown up and it's now their turn to buy it again.

We need to see how much there is here, how complete it is.

We've got to make sure we've got

the other bits that go with it, the curves and stuff.

We did ask the gentleman and he did say everything was all here and it does work.

OK, what's he asking for it?

-40, he said.

-£40 he said.

-But...

-But...

-Sounds like quite a lot.

What do you reckon it would fetch in the auction?

-You've got to look at the spendable income of the average punter.

-About 20 quid.

-£20 would be fine, yeah.

-Right, we'll ask.

OK, go on then. Off you go.

They did get it down to half price but will they drive away with a profit on their £20?

-Phil, are you OK?

-Yes, thank you.

-What's with the walking stick?

Well, it's not a walking stick, actually, it's my next buy, I hope.

-What, this?

-Yes.

-What's so special about it?

It's an instrument for measuring the height of horses.

Right, OK, show me.

You put it like that then measure the old grey mare like that.

-Judith, that's rather unkind, isn't it?

-It's not very nice, is it?

No. This is so clever, isn't it?

Look how it sinks back into the brass.

That's brilliant. How old do you think it is?

-Round the 1900s.

-About 1900s.

-Yeah.

Have you actually used these in your life?

-I have used one, yes.

-Really?

Yes, I measured the wife just now and I've measured one before.

-What, another wife?

-No, a horse, I used to own a horse myself.

-OK. Well, the cane is bamboo, OK.

-Yeah.

And if you look at it it's got some good indication of wear.

Now what's the price?

-They're asking 95.

-95.

Seems a lot to me but you know the subject.

I'm going to be guided by you, Phil. So how much would it go at auction in your opinion?

Between 70 and 90.

You've got to get a reduction on it to make a profit.

-Yes.

-Well, look, I know nothing about these, I know nothing about horses,

in other words I'm going to negate my responsibility - go for it.

I think it's an unusual object so we could stand a chance. Well done.

Philip thinks he's found a bargain at £80 but the Blues seem to have lost their expert.

Do you want to check the inside, make sure it's all right?

-Yeah, let's have a look.

-Oh, hi, guys.

Oh, crikey, I was just having a quick look at the inside there.

-Well?

-I spotted this box. What do you think of it?

-We saw it, we quite like it.

-Not too bad.

Well, um, it's essentially a pitched pine tool box, 19th century.

It's built for function so it did have originally some sort of

-fittings inside, sort of slots which would have very likely had planes, saws, tools like that.

-Right, OK.

-And then a layer on top and then they build up on that so it's a carpenter's tool box.

-Right.

-Superb carrying handles on the side.

-What about this here?

Obviously, that's going to affect it a little bit, because wood seasons and it shrinks

-and it shrinks with the grain.

-Yeah.

-So that the bit that goes.

It doesn't shrink lengthways but widthways. That's the two bits coming apart.

It's a nice sign because it just gives that little bit extra of showing the age.

-This is all history, isn't it?

-Yeah, exactly, yeah.

-It's a lot of money.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-110.

-£110. I'd expect this probably at auction to get 60 to 80, £80, something like that.

If you can get him down then that's really good.

-OK, fine.

-I'll go and ask him, shall I?

-Go on then.

-Girly charm.

Girly charm, go on, try your best.

Katie's feminine wiles help the Blues carry the pine box away for only £50.

Cor, don't those 60 minutes just fly by?

Let's remind ourselves of what delicacies the Red team have bought.

Philip's bartering skills landed the secessionist inkwell for £72.50.

David thinks the wooden string dispenser could bring a profit

at £80, let's hope he's right.

£80 also bought the bamboo horse measuring stick

but will it gallop out of the auction or stall at the gate?

-Did you have a good shop?

-Wonderful, lovely day.

-Oh, was it wonderful?

-Yeah.

-I love your Welsh accent, it's so dreamy.

-Now tell me, which is your favourite piece, Ju-Ju?

-I think the treen.

-Phil?

-The piece of treen.

-The piece of treen.

-Which is going to bring the biggest profit?

-Again, the treen.

-Would you agree with that?

-Yes.

-Very sensible to always agree, Phil, if you possibly can.

-Yes.

-Lovely.

-£232.50 you spent, which is magnificent,

£67.50 of leftover lolly goes to David Barby.

-I'll need a hand to spend this.

-I don't think you will at all.

You've never needed a hand and you've always clever with purchases.

-Thank you for your faith.

-Not at all. Oh, ye of little faith. Good luck.

Let's have a reminder of what the Blues bought.

The Blues think size should not reflect profit on their £22 enamelled silver bowl.

They hope to leave the competition in the dust with the Scalextric set.

And finally, at £50,

will the pine tool box contain a profit rather than an expert?

Katie and Harry, what a duo, eh?

-Which is your favourite piece?

-The little silver bowl.

-What about you, Harry?

-I agree, the silver bowl.

-Great.

Which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-Possibly the big box.

-The big box?

-Yes.

-What do you think, Harry?

-The silver bowl.

-You're still obsessed with that, aren't you?

-Yes.

-Very good.

-You only spent £92.

-Yeah.

-Which is very disappointing.

-Sorry.

-Anyway, £92, thank you very much,

-I'll have £208 leftover lolly.

-Excellent.

-Have you got anything in mind though?

-Maybe...

I have, I have got something in mind.

I can't think of anything to say...

-No clues coming?

-It might give it away.

-Normally you're inspired with these clues.

-Is it big and brown?

-Well...

-They'll have to watch back, I've given some clues.

-OK, fine.

-Oh, have you?

-Yes! And they're all looking.

You are a cunning monkey. Go on, off you go, Jonathan, and very good luck.

I think we're going to have a brilliant day today,

here in Malvern with Philip Serrell in your saleroom, Philip.

-Morning, sir.

-Thank you for having us.

-A pleasure.

Judith and Philip, their first item is this secessionist little inkwell.

-Nice thing?

-I quite like it. I don't know who their expert is, but that's got Barby written all over it.

-Funnily enough, it's David Barby.

-Well, there is a shock(!)

-Yes.

We've sold similar items through the saleroom in the past,

we put £30 to £50 on it, and I think it'll do OK.

£72.50 paid.

The Regency cane-effect horse-measuring stick,

now there is a beautiful thing, isn't it?

-It's a good thing.

-It's a wonderful thing to behold.

Do you know, I did Bargain Hunt up in Harrogate three years back,

and I bought one of those, and it made, I think, the thick end of £200.

Well, these guys paid £80 for this, what's your estimate?

-We put 50 to 80 on it.

-You tease!

Well, you know how it is, Tim!

-If we can hit two stick collectors, they're home and hosed.

-They are.

Cos that could make £150, couldn't it?

-Quite easily.

-Good. Well, that's exciting.

And what about this string dispenser?

You love a bit of treen, don't you?

It's just fun, isn't it? And you've got the original cutter,

so you pull your string out and just cut it off, but, um, no, it's a sweet thing.

-£80 paid.

-£50 to £80.

-So they might just get there.

-It'll be a close call, but they'll be all right.

-Doesn't really matter

-if it's a close call, because they've always got the bonus buy to fall back on.

-Yes.

Let's have a look at it.

Well...

Oh...! We knew what that was straightaway!

-Did you?

-We did look at that.

-Well, it's pointing at you now.

-The hand of faith!

This is a bronze-finish desk weight in the form of a hand.

I paid £60 for it.

I think we're probably going to be quite close to that figure.

I do like it, it's different.

Yes. As they used to say, I like it, but I wouldn't buy it.

-No, I wouldn't buy it.

-No, no, quite.

-But I like it.

Is this after Rodin, or is it after ET?

-I think he's trying to phone home.

-It's not a great look, is it?

-No.

-Yes.

-It's meant to be bronze, but I think it's BRONZED,

-with a "duh" on the end.

-Which is a bit of a difference, isn't it?

I mean for these bronze lookalikes, it's a question of resin

and then they patinate it and shove it on a very heavy base,

which fools you into thinking the thing is right.

I think I've been very generous on a 30 to 50 estimate here.

-£30 to £50 could mean it makes a £20 note, doesn't it?

-Absolutely.

£60, Barby paid for that.

That's it for the Reds, now for the Blues.

-What about the Scalextric set?

-I've got to admit, rather sadly, to being a huge Scalextric fan.

I have to say, that I've never chased the Ford Escort XR3i that much.

-No, but it's the whole case set, isn't it?

-Yes.

And just as you've explained, this is such a little emotive toy.

-Catching your youth.

-Yeah. This gives you a buzz and you think, "It's brilliant".

-£20 to £40.

-£20 paid, so it's a natural, isn't, it for a bit of a profit?

-Yeah.

-Which is really good.

What about that little Norwegian enamelled drinking bowl?

Would you have a bit of spirit in there and chuck it down the cakehole?

-If you had a set of eight.

-Oh, yes.

-That's what they would have had on a dining table.

-And they'd look wonderful.

-To take their liqueur after dinner.

-What's it worth?

-£15 to £30.

-Brilliant. £22 paid.

-Good.

-Now, this pitch-pine trunk,

is it worth anything, Phil, do you think?

We put £30 to £50 on it, and you're almost tempted to think

that it would be a great kids toy box until you look at the lid and realise

-that if they dropped that, they'd end up with no fingers.

-Yes, quite.

-It is for a shed, isn't it, with a precious collection of, um, tools?

-Tools.

£50 paid. I mean, it might just scrape there.

-Yeah.

-Good. On that basis, they might need their bonus buy, so let's go and have a look at it.

Oh, a fist! THEY LAUGH

-Oh, wow!

-A pair of gold cuff links.

Little oval panel ends, with a bit of grave-line decoration.

-Very straightforward.

-Are they old?

-They're reasonably modern.

They're...last 40 years,

but the condition of the panels is very good,

nice, and ready to go and £42 spent,

-which is marginally above the gold value of the day.

-Oh, OK.

-Good buy, I thought.

How much profit do you think is in them?

We could get, hm... £10 or £15 out of it.

You don't decide now, you decide after the sale, but for you at home,

let's see what the auctioneer thinks about Jonathan's links.

They're nice, and they're not engraved, which is a bit of a bonus.

£30 to £50. I want to encourage more people to wear cufflinks.

-Yes. Let this be the start of your campaign.

-Absolutely right.

£42 was paid by Jonathan for these.

-What would a new pair of cufflinks cost you?

-Those would cost you,

in a smart London retailers, about £220.

-So, 30 to 50 quid, they ought to be a bargain.

-Yeah.

Well, it's down to you, Phil, you'll be up there on that rostrum, pontificating any minute now.

Now, Judith and Philip, we are on the cusp of the auction, are you excited?

-Very.

-Are you excited, Phil?

-Very.

-Yeah, it's good fun, isn't it?

-Very good.

-Great crowd in the room, good prices are being had left, right and centre,

so we're very optimistic about your lots.

The ink stand which David found, you paid £72.50 for that,

-the auctioneer's estimate is £30 to £50.

-Oh.

Hopefully there'll be people here interested in Art Nouveau.

Secessionist-style ink stand, and I am bid £30 on the book, 30 bid.

At £30 only, at 30, 30 bid.

At 30, 40, 40 bid. At 40,

50, 60, 70 bid here, at 70. 70 bid, 80.

80 bid, at £80, the bid's here.

At £80 only, is there any more?

-Come on, come on.

-Oh, behave, Barby.

At £80 only, is there any more at all?

At £80, the bid's with me, and I sell, then, at 80, and, done.

-£80, you've made £7.50.

-Oh, good!

Lot 311 is the Edwardian bamboo horse-measuring stick,

and I am bid, on the book, £80 started, at 80 bid,

90, 100, 110, any more?

At £110, it's your bid, sir. Is there any more?

At £110, right at the back, and I sell, then, at £110.

-Well done.

-£30. 110. £30.

-You're £37.50.

-Lot 312...

is this string dispenser, and I am bid on the book for that

£30 bid, at 30,

30 bid. At £30 only, at 30,

-40, 40 bid.

-Come on, come on.

-Come on, a bit more, a bit more.

-50, 60 on the book, at 60, 60 bid.

-At 60. 70, 70 bid.

-Oh, yes, yes.

-80's with me.

At £80 only, you're out now, at £80 only. Is there any more?

At £80, and I sell, then, at 80, and done. Thank you.

£80! David, you wiped your face, that's lovely.

Thank goodness for that, absolutely. £37.50 profit.

-Oh! Golly!

-Now what are you going to do about this hand?

-Ah, no.

-No.

-I don't think so.

-Why? You don't like it?

-Sorry, David.

-Don't worry, don't worry.

Well, we're going to sell it anyway and here it comes.

There we are, the bronzed model of the hand and I am bid £10

on the book. Bid at ten. Ten bid. £10.

£10. 20. 30 now? 30. 30 bid.

At £30 only. At 30.

Is there any more? Any more at all?

-At £30 and I sell then at £30. Done.

-Oh, dear.

-Bad luck, David.

-You were so right.

-At £30.

Minus £30 on that.

You didn't go with the Bonus Buy so you've preserved your profit of £37.50.

-Brilliant.

-Well done for that and that could be a winning score so don't say a thing to the Blues.

-No.

-No.

-Not a word.

-Not a word.

-Congratulations.

-Very good.

-Thank you.

-Katie and Harry.

-Yes.

-Have you been talking to those Reds?

-No.

-So you don't know how they've got on.

-No.

Well, that's good because we don't want you to.

-But how are you feeling, are you feeling confident?

-Yes.

-Pretty bouncy?

-Yeah, reasonable.

-What do you mean reasonable?

-Well, I'm a pessimist.

-Are you, Harry?

-Yes, always look on the dark side.

-Yes,

we've had talk like that before.

First up, the Scalextric set

and here we go.

Now this is it for you boy racers, the Ford Escort XR3i

racing set. What will you bid me for that someone? Start me off.

£30. 20, someone quickly.

Oh, dear.

There's a whole sea of people looking at their shoes.

Who's got a tenner? Help them out, these people need it.

Thank you. Ten, I'm bid at ten. At £10 only. At ten. Ten bid. £10.

20 may I? At £10 only. Is there any more?

-Oh, dear.

-Lord help us.

At £10 right at the back and I sell then at £10 and done.

Bad luck.

Got that one wrong.

It isn't quite a classic car yet.

Norwegian silver drinking cup really,

I suppose. There we are, bid me for that.

And I am bid £10 for that. At ten. Ten bid. At ten.

-20. 30. 40 with me.

-Yes.

-50, sir? At 50.

Your bid at 50. At £50 only. At 50. Is there any more?

-It's your bid seated at £50.

-Come on.

-Is there any more at all?

At £50 then. And I sell at 50 and done.

£50, well done. That is plus £28. You are plus 18. Now...

A very commodious item, the pine box. £20, someone, straight in.

20?

Who's got a tenner someone, quickly.

Ten. I'm bid at ten. Ten bid. £10. This is not looking good.

At £10 only. At ten. Ten bid.

20 surely anywhere?

At £10. I'll take five off someone. 15. 15.

Your turn, sir.

20? It's only money.

-At £15. And I sell at 15 and done.

-15.

It's minus £35 that. You are minus £17.

-Oh, dear.

-Oh, dear.

-Minus £17. What are you going to do about these cuff links?

-Trust him.

-You don't have to go with them.

-Definitely going with the bonus buy.

-We trust you, Jonathan.

-Decision made, we'll go with it.

-OK. Here come the cuff links.

Nice lot, bid me for those. 20 I've got here.

25. 30? 30 bid.

Have another fiver.

At £30 here. At 30. Is there any more?

At £30 and I...Are you bidding? 35.

-Yes, yes, yes.

-Come on.

And I sell then at 35 and done.

£35 is minus £7 which means you are minus £24.

-But anyway, minus £24 could be a winning score.

-Could be a winner.

-Don't tell the Reds a thing and we will reveal all in a moment.

-OK.

I have to reveal who are the runners-up today and they are sadly the Blues.

-Oh.

-How sad is that?

And you were quite confident, weren't you,

because your score is only minus 24 which, on Bargain Hunt,

can very easily be a winning score by a long chalk.

-You made your profit, £28, on that Norwegian little pot.

-Yes.

-That was really good, Katie, wasn't it?

-Yes.

-And you had a great day?

-Fabulous.

-Fabulous.

-We've loved having you. Thank you. But the victors are the Reds.

-Yes!

David Barby never looks happier than when he's on the winning team

and, um, quite rightly so because £37.50 is a tidy sum of winnings.

-Are you happy about this, Ju-Ju?

-Wonderful, thank you.

-You look very happy about it. Congratulations.

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

-ALL: Yes!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd.