Ardingly Bargain Hunt

MUSIC: Theme From Star Wars

Well, really, chaps.

There is a rather more civilised way of sorting this out.

Let's try Bargain Hunting.

Welcome from Ardingly Antiques Fair at the South of England Showground.

There's plenty to look forward to on today's programme.

It's a race against the clock for the Blues...

Wait for me.

..while the Reds use their charms to bring the prices down.

I feel I must take them away from you!

But how will their items perform over at the auction?

Bargain Hunt is pretty straight-laced.

It's the Reds versus the Blues -

a bit like good versus evil.

But it's not entirely purgatory,

because the teams will be helped by their saintly expert,

whose job it is to guide them towards three items for £300

and the team that maketh the most profit

will not necessarily benefit in heaven.

Today we've got the gorgeous girls versus the lovable lads.

-For the Reds, we've got Becky and Georgina, sisters.

-Hiya.

-Yes. Hello.

-And Bramwell and Stuart, best mates, for the Blues.

-Indeed.

"Indeed," he says. Good. Now, Becky, you're a dancer.

What are the highlights of your career so far?

I'd say, probably, I've danced with the English Youth Ballet

when I was younger, so that was a good experience.

And probably getting my teaching qualifications so I'm able to teach dance to children.

-Tap?

-Yep. Ballet. Modern.

-The whole thing.

-Yep.

-And when you're not teaching others, what do you get up to?

I've just finished a part-time acting course, which was really good.

-We got to perform a play in central London.

-Yes.

-So that was really good.

-Will we have any dramatics from you today on Bargain Hunt?

-I don't think so.

-Oh, I don't know. That would be nice.

And are you interested in antiques?

Oh, yeah. We both love antiques, don't we?

-Always loved them.

-We're hopefully looking for some nice silver or something.

-A nice piece of jewellery or something.

-Gosh.

They've got their eye in already.

How brilliant. Georgina, what do you do, darling?

I'm still at college, studying childcare, so love children, love working with them.

So about to finish that and hopefully be a nanny when I'm older.

-You've got a bit of a travel bug too, haven't you?

-I have. I love travelling.

I love finding new places, so going to Australia this year.

-Yeah.

-Saving up.

-Trying to save.

-You're going with your sister.

-Yeah.

-Oh, it's a duo.

You really are a tight team, aren't you? I think these boys had better watch out.

-Now, Bramwell.

-Hi.

-Are you a collector of anything in particular, Bramwell?

-Yeah.

I'm a great big fan of Star Wars. It's my love.

I've loved it all my life. I used to collect when I was younger.

And unfortunately, a few years back, I sold it all off

and now I'm trying to rekindle my youth

and I buy Star Wars vintage figures,

send them off, get them authenticated and try and make a bit of money.

Oh, do you? So there's money to be made out of this.

How does your wife cope with your growing collection, then, Bramwell?

Well, she doesn't really get much choice because of the passion for Star Wars that I have.

-We even had a Star Wars wedding.

-So you went as Star Wars characters, did you?

-Yeah. Myself, I went as Han Solo.

-Oh, yeah.

-Dashing as he is.

-Yeah.

-And my wife went as Princess Leia.

-Naturally.

And we had 50 guests at the registry office.

-Everybody in full Star Wars regalia.

-What, the whole lot?

Yeah, including Nanny Joyce and Tamzin's granddad and grandma -

they came, 91, 92, but still made a great effort.

-Oh, how brilliant.

-Fantastic.

-So, Stuart, you're musical too?

You could say that. Yeah.

Myself and a few friends, we started a boy band back in the sort of late '90s,

which started off as a bit of a joke

but we ended up progressing and touring up and down the country.

-What was your band called?

-It was Four Sure.

Four Sure. That's a very good name.

Not Sure now, really!

You're not sure that it was Four Sure, but you did it anyway.

We had a great time.

We were out there touring for about two, three years, by the time we got out of the studio.

Really? I understand you also organise great parties.

Last year, myself and Bramwell decided to celebrate our 32nd and 33rd birthdays

with a big kids' party for us all, all of our friends, at one of my bars

and it was our take on what we used to do as young children, shall we say,

so we had musical chairs, musical statues, Simon says,

dancing competitions and everything.

We don't want you to be too grown-up today,

cos the grown-up moment now is the £300 moment.

-Ready, girls?

-Yeah.

-Look at these expectant faces here.

£300 apiece. There you go, boys.

You know the rules, your experts await and off you go. And very, very, very good luck.

Well, I wonder which team the force will be with today.

So, our teams have just one hour to find three items here at Ardingly.

They'll then sell these on at auction in Chiswick with the aim of making a profit.

This is a tall order so they're going to need some professional help. Cue the experts.

The Reds are in the capable hands of Anita Manning.

And keeping the Blues for you is Catherine Southon.

-Come on.

-Go.

Let's go.

Have you got any nice wee kind of quirky silver pieces here?

We have. What about a christening mug?

-40 quid.

-That's quite sweet.

I mean, that's a possibility, girls, but not at 40 quid. Maybe 20 quid.

The thing is, because of the price of scrap, which is £8 an ounce, you'll find...

..that that's four ounces.

The scrap is £32.

OK. Could you do it for 20?

Listen, I can do it for 35 quid.

And if you can't get a profit on it, I'll buy it back off you for 32.

-He's got the patter, hasn't he?

-Honestly, it does scrap at £32.

OK.

So you're paying £3 over scrap.

But if it's getting sold at auction, we've got to think of buyers' premium and passing on stuff.

See these girls - these girls are wonderful girls

and they've come hundreds of miles to be the winners of Bargain Hunt.

Their beauty overwhelms me.

I feel I must take them away from you! Pleased to meet you.

Can you not do it for 25 quid?

-After all that...

-Oh, go on. Girls. Girls.

-You have to now. Come on.

-25. 25.

I tell you what... £30, you bought it and that's a good deal.

-TIM:

-That was impressive, girls. First stall, first item and all in ten minutes.

Look at that set.

The price is 115.

Got no chance of profit.

No. We're not going to make a profit on that.

-Where's the lady?

-Beautiful quality.

Gorgeous, that is.

-I could do 90 for it.

-90.

-Yeah.

We really need to get it for about £50 or £60 cos it's our last buy.

Cheeky, Bramwell! You've just started shopping.

Cost you NEARLY that? So you need to make some money for some tea.

-Not a lot.

-How about we start at 50 and you knock me up to £60?

You can have it for 75.

-75.

-Yeah.

That's my best price.

Let me get involved in this as well. Come on.

I'm just... My thinking of this at auction...

-It's £60.

-Yeah.

I'm on the fence at that money, mate, to be honest.

-It is a risk. I think it's a gamble.

-I think it's a definite saver.

-Thank you very much for your time. You've been wonderful.

-Thank you.

Not happy with the price, they move on, but they don't appear to have gone very far.

A lovely big piece of tortoiseshell there with no cracks, no damage.

That is lovely. Nice initials there.

-What can it actually be used for?

-Put your rings in there.

Jewellery box. Necklaces and stuff.

Yeah. I think, probably, it would have had a necklace in there once.

-Hallmarked on the hinges.

-Auction estimate?

-Auction estimate 100-150.

-220 is too high. Let's keep looking.

-OK.

Keep looking.

Mmm. There's plenty of looking going on, but not a lot of buying.

Keep an eye on the clock, guys. Before you know it, you'll have run out of time.

Now, we like to add a little twist to the programme, and it is called the bonus buy.

What happens is, after the shopping, any leftover lolly, or cash,

is given to the expert to go and find that secret bonus buy,

which is revealed to the teams at the auction

and they decide whether to take it or not.

If the expert's done a decent job, it'll bring a handsome profit, which will be added to the team's total.

If he's done a lousy job, well, it could just be a dead loss.

Our teams only have half an hour left.

Surely by now the Blues have bought their first item?

-What is it about you guys and spoons?

-Where are we going?

Oh, I like this.

Now, this...that's unusual. It's supposed to be one of those...curling stones.

That's fantastic.

-It's a little inkwell.

-Yeah.

I like that. What about this, Bram?

-Yeah. I like it. It's unusual.

-Isn't it?

But I can see that at £30-£40 maybe doing quite well.

He wants 35 for it. I mean, I wouldn't say it's fantastically made, but it's an unusual piece.

-How many of those do you see?

-Never.

-How many spoons do you see?

-I'm tired of seeing spoons.

With the spoons again! I love them.

-I need you to try and get it down to around... I'm thinking £15, £20.

-OK.

-Can you do that?

-I know a man that can make that happen.

-I know a man who can.

-Let's go.

-Get in there, Brammy.

With Bramwell left to negotiate, they get the price down to £18.

Right, guys, pick up the pace.

Take my word for it - 25 minutes to find two items isn't long.

What is it? Just a pendant?

It's a locket and you would have been able to put a photograph of your loved one in there.

It can be worn. It's not over-extravagant.

-It's quite simple but it has the lovely detail of seed pearls.

-Yeah.

-And I like seed pearls, but that's a personal thing.

-Yeah.

Can you tell me what you think?

I mean, it's really pretty.

You're not going to see something like this anywhere.

I love the thought that you could put a picture in it.

I think that's really different.

-Yeah, cos you don't often see an open locket.

-No. I've never seen one.

-OK.

-I love lockets and that is a different locket.

-Yeah.

Yeah. OK, girls. This brooch here, how much is that one?

Actually, you can have that for a very good price cos I bought it very well.

I bought that this morning.

That can be 45. It's an oil painting.

It's Victorian.

Yes. It's very unusual.

What do you think about that one?

This is very different as well. An oil painting inside a brooch.

-I've never seen that before.

-No.

Obviously, the detail in that is amazing cos of how small it is.

-This is a little Victorian brooch.

-Lovely.

So it's a little earlier than that one.

So tell me, which one do you prefer?

-I'm more attracted to this one.

-I am, I think.

-You both like that.

-Yeah.

-I do. It's growing on me.

Growing or not, the girls said they wanted some jewellery and the pendant was theirs for £70.

So our Red team is sitting pretty with two items bagged and £200 left.

Now, I know what I'd spend MY money on.

This is an object made by rather a famous Victorian maker.

If we look on the back of this mount, you can see the initials SM.

SM stands for Sampson Mordan.

This object is a little bottle, a scent bottle, and it's got one or two unusual features.

The first thing is its colour.

This glass section is called cranberry glass

and it's a particularly sought-after colour when it comes to scent bottles.

If you look at the top, it's got a little button under the cover and if I press that...

oh, you can see it springs up.

There's no cork and you don't want to spill anything.

The secret is in Sampson Mordan's patented sprung cap.

See, it's got a sheet of glass inside and when I come to shut it,

the top sheet of glass closes extremely snugly against the glass

on the top of the scent bottle,

making it completely waterproof, which is extremely clever.

If you turn to the other end, there's a kind of boxlike structure.

It's got a hinged top.

If I hinge that open, it reveals a little pierced grill

and the well underneath was designed to take a little sponge.

That sponge would be soaked in vinegar

or a strong-smelling salt solution

and the whole thing is shut up like this.

And the idea of this box on the end of the perfume bottle was...seriously bad smell about,

open this up, stick the vinaigrette bit under your hooter and inhale

and that way, you'd inhale the smell on the sponge

rather than the terrible stink in the street.

Hmm! Good fun, hey?

And I found it for £280.

Is there a smell about?

I don't think so.

Let's see how those Blues are getting on.

With 20 minutes to go and a whopping £282 still to spend,

they should be buying rather than quibbling over a few pounds.

I love the handle of this magnifier.

That's all ivory. Isn't that lovely? Beautifully carved.

-Let's just have a look.

-And this is gilt?

Yeah. This is gilt metal.

-And this...different colour.

-I am a bit concerned. Yeah. Absolutely.

I don't think that those two are the same. It looks slightly made up.

Very high price.

-And your best?

-What's it marked at?

-55.

-75!

-That's a five, is it? 55.

Got your hands full today!

You've got to give it to him for trying!

-Come on. Best price. Best price.

-I'll give you a good deal on it.

-OK.

55. As you said, 55.

That's the price we were going to start at.

And you know I'm going to come up from about 35 to 40.

It is a nice thing.

-What auction price?

-I quite like that.

-I think that's quite nice quality.

-Yeah.

-But...

-We need to get the price down so we can sell at auction.

I like the sort of flowering head around.

He's not interested in the item. He doesn't care about anything.

All he wants to do is make a profit.

That might be the name of the game,

but Bramwell seems hell-bent on getting the biggest reductions possible.

With 15 minutes left on the clock and only one item bought,

the Blues have got some serious work to do.

Over in the Red camp, it looks like their work is almost done.

Well, it's all there. We have the teapot.

-Yeah.

-We have the sugar.

We have the cream and we have two little cups and saucers on a tray.

-Oh, it's lovely.

-It's really pretty.

-It is sweet.

-I think it is. The colours are good, too.

-Could we have a wee closer look at it?

-Yeah.

Now, we have these little scenes on here.

A young swain serenading his beautiful maiden.

But when we look at the back stamp here,

we see that it's made by Limoges, which was a good factory,

so we've got a wee bit of quality there, girls.

-That's good.

-A wee bit of quality.

Now, it's not early.

It's probably from the 1950s, '60s and it is a traditional thing,

-but that's not going to detract from its charm.

-Yeah. Definitely.

Tell me, what drew your eye to it first?

I wasn't sure what it was at first,

but obviously it's a toy thing, which I think makes it really sweet.

-Definitely.

-Like you said, it's got charm, hasn't it?

Are you in agreement with your sister?

Could the two of you sit and have a wee cup of tea?

-Shall we have a tea party?

-Yeah.

Whilst it's all smiles and jokes for the Reds,

it's tension and stress for the Blues.

With the pressure mounting, Bramwell makes a quick dash for the green enamel grooming set.

-Good price.

-Go. Go. Go.

Come on. Let's go and see if we can find something.

Let's go and have a wee cup of tea.

-I think we deserve it.

-Yes.

-Definitely.

Happy with the price at £15, the Reds are done and dusted.

But for the Blues, things are going from bad to worse.

-It's gone.

-You're joking.

And for more than we were going to pay.

Oh, no. I can't believe it.

If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

What did she say?

She just said, "I sold it, and for more than you were offering."

-Oh, no.

-Quality item. I knew we should have got it.

I can't believe it.

It was quality but then... but, but, but...

It wasn't a complete set, so come on, it's not the end of the day.

-We've still got time.

-OK.

-Shall we go back in?

-Yeah.

-Look at the other things she had?

As the Reds stroll back, it's panic stations for the Blues.

Catherine has really got her work cut out.

There's just ten minutes remaining and still two items to buy.

It's kind of vintage. I like the motif on the front and it's hallmarked inside.

-It looks in quite good quality.

-Is that engraved in?

No. We've got some interlaced initials, which has actually been put on to the top of the box.

I've got the lady down to 160.

She said she's paid more than that at auction for them.

We're running out of time.

-We're running out of time. Do you like it?

-I like it. I'm in.

-How much did you say?

-160.

160. I can see it in auction at sort of 100-150.

-OK. We're in trouble, then.

-I think it's got character.

-Right. Come on. Let's decide.

-I'm still soul-destroyed. Let's go.

-Yeah?

-160.

-OK.

-Have another go at her, Brammy. See what you can get.

A little bit more. A little bit more.

Cor, that Bramwell isn't one to give up.

He always has to get the price down just a little bit more, and he did.

He made a massive saving of one whole pound!

Do I sense some tension in the air here?

-Oh, you do.

-We've had a slight malfunction on our buying.

So, how many pieces have you bought?

-Two.

-Two. Two?!

-And we had one slip through our fingers.

Oh, no. That's bad luck.

-Came to try and do the deal. £65.

-He's distraught.

-On the brush set.

-Yeah?

Came back...gone, for more money than we were going to pay.

There's a lesson to be learned. Anyway, you've got two items. That's great.

-I think we've actually bought the better piece.

-I'm mortified.

But you know what? You've got six minutes left.

-I know.

-You've only got six minutes.

-Can you help us?

-What are you doing here, hanging about?

You're our Obi-Wan. We need you.

You need me? You need HER.

-That's what. You need somebody.

-We need help!

-We need help.

-Then you'd better get on with it.

Time is just running away from the Blues.

Their frantic searching doesn't appear to have been successful

and now they've just one minute to buy their last item.

What are they going to do?

We're going to go back and get the thingy.

To me and you, that's the magnifying glass.

Five.

Four.

-Three.

-Come on!

-Two.

-I'm worried. I'm really worried.

-One.

-What have you done?

-We've bought it for £47.50.

-It's a gamble.

-Let me just check, Bramwell.

-It works.

-Definitely a bargain in there, Bramwell.

-That's it. Time's up.

-Well done, anyway.

-Well done, guys.

-I really think we need a cup of tea.

-Yeah. Let's go and get one.

-Or something a little bit stronger, maybe.

Phew. That was frantic.

Talk about cutting it fine.

Let's recap on what the Reds bought.

With the stallholder mesmerised, they managed to get a tenner off.

£30 paid.

The locket caught their eye and so did the price at £70.

The Limoges tea set was right up their street, at £15.

-So, girls, was that good or was it good?

-Yeah.

-Great.

-We had great fun, didn't we?

Well, there we go. I'm glad you did.

Now, which is your favourite piece, Becky?

-I think the locket with the pearls.

-What about you, Georgina?

I'd say the silver christening cup. It's different and hopefully it'll make the most profit.

Will that make the most profit?

-I really hope it does.

-I think so, as well.

You're going to go with your sister?

I think so. Fingers crossed on that one.

You spent £115. Not a lot.

I'd like to have £185 of leftover lolly to Anita.

-So what was it like, Anita, operating with the young ones?

-We had a wonderful time.

We had a marvellous girlie day shopping and generally having a good old time to ourselves.

Well, that was lovely. So what are you going to do with all that money, then?

Well, I've got my eye on a little piece of bling which I think might

-bring an even bigger smile on the girls' faces.

-If that's possible.

Anyway, Anita, you're just a great big kid yourself, so off you go and good luck.

Let's remind ourselves what the Blues bought.

After half an hour of knocking stallholders down,

the Blues finally managed to agree on a price

and bought their first item, for £18.

After much deliberation, Catherine and Stuart overruled Bramwell

and bought the tortoiseshell case for £159.

Even with seconds to go, Bramwell was determined

to get the magnifying glass a little bit cheaper.

He ran out of time, though, and had to settle with paying £47.50.

Cor, what a scramble it is with you lot!

-We went pretty close to the wire.

-Half a second to go!

-This is ridiculous.

-We don't mess around.

You had a good time, that's the main thing.

So, Bram, which is your favourite piece?

I like the quirky granite inkwell.

Do you? That's your favourite. What about you, Stuart?

I like the tortoiseshell jewellery box. I thought it was the classiest item.

-So that's your favourite?

-Yeah.

-Which piece will bring the biggest profit, do you think?

-I think the...

-Tortoiseshell.

-It's going to fly out.

-The tortoiseshell?

-Yeah.

You're agreed on the tortoiseshell for your prediction of most profit.

OK. Fine. You spent £224.50 which is a magnificent effort, I have to say.

Oddball number but I'll have £75.50's worth of leftover lolly

-for Catherine to find a bonus buy.

-Thank you.

Are you still with us? Cos you must be exhausted after all that.

Well, these two are exhausting.

We've had a lot of fun, but I am really tired.

-Are you strong enough to find something?

-I don't think so, but I'll give it a go.

-Dig deep.

-Wish me luck.

-I will. Good luck, Catherine.

For me, I'm heading off somewhere fit for a king...or a queen.

Leeds Castle, here, is nowhere near Leeds.

It's actually quite close to Maidstone. And it was built in 1119.

Over the years, successive kings gave this bijou country pad to their respective queens

and it became known as the Lady's castle.

How appropriate, therefore, that the last owner just happened to be a Lady.

Look out.

GEESE HONK

Lady Bailey was a wealthy Anglo-American heiress who liked to party.

Looking for a swish country retreat to hold her weekend soirees, she stumbled across Leeds Castle,

fell in love with it and bought it, in 1926, for the then princely sum of £180,000.

She both gutted and rebuilt parts of the castle

with a view to creating spaces where she could practise the consummate art of hospitality.

She took tiny little servants' rooms and created them into gracious reception spaces.

She took large bedrooms and carved them up to create bathrooms in which her guests could luxuriously wallow.

Ha! And what a place to wallow.

We've got terribly blase these days about luxury bathrooms

but I tell you, in the 1920s, if you actually had a bathroom,

it was a considerable achievement

and the number of people who would've had a bathroom like this,

entirely lined with solid slabs of Russian striated onyx,

this lovely brown and cream stripey stone that goes all round this space,

the fact that you've got a semi-sunken bath with matching stone lip and surround,

and instead of having to scrabble around for the plughole,

this bath has got the waste fitting attached to a lever

which would open the waste and out would go the water.

And if you wanted to have your barnet sorted out, by the hairdresser or your personal maid,

she'd reach into this recess and get the old shower fitting out.

This would rinse her Ladyship's hair while she's bending over the wash hand basin.

You've got the mixer tap here, all in glorious chromium plate.

And having had your hair done, you come over to the castle window and look out.

How many bathrooms sit on a magnificent lake like that?

Not many, eh?

Right next door to the bathroom, we've got the ultimate feminine place

but stylistically, this room looks as if it's been transplanted from 18th-century France.

So what's the purpose of this space?

Why were all these high-quality French fittings fitted up here?

Well, these glazed doors do look rather like library bookcase doors, don't they?

Containing books? Oh, no.

Not a library for books, but a library for clothes and shoes.

Imelda Marcos, eat your heart out, because Lady Bailey was collecting shoes years before you.

Time now, I think, to put our best foot forward and shuffle off to the auction.

We've come to Chiswick Auctions in West London today.

It's a joy to be with our auctioneer, William Rice.

-Welcome, Tim.

-Thank you.

The teams, then, Becky and Georgina, the Reds,

first up, they've got this little christening mug,

which I think is suffering from what I call the Brillo Pad school of cleaning.

I mean, it's quite badly polished off, isn't it?

It isn't terribly well polished and it's a bit plain.

Sometimes they sort of have rib decoration round them

or just something to give it a bit of extra oomph.

It's silver and silver price is good at the moment.

Quite. And they only paid £30. What's your estimate on it?

I think we've put 40-60 on it, actually, so I'd be astounded if they didn't make a small profit on it.

Brilliant. OK. Well, that would be very nice to kick off with.

Next is the pendant locket.

Nine-carat gold hallmark. Real seed pearls.

I think it's quite sweet.

It's in good condition too, which is important.

-It's ready for something to go inside.

-Ready to go.

-Absolutely.

-How much, then, do you think?

-50 plus.

-50 plus. £70 was paid.

Gold and pearls together.

-What more could you want?

-Well, quite. What more could a girl want?

What about the little Limoges miniature set?

Well, it's not everybody's taste, it has to be said, but it's complete and that's pretty important.

Yes.

-So how much, then, do you think?

-Well, again, I think £50-£80.

Do you? £15 is all they paid for that.

Good. Well, we've done very well with some Limoges recently.

-Good.

-Maybe that will fly away.

-Well, that's marvellous.

-Potentially, there's a bit of profit...

-Should be.

..in all of these items, which is good.

But you never know, things can go wrong, so let's go and have a look at the bonus buy.

You girls, you spent £115, you sisters, right?

-Yeah.

-You gave Anita, therefore, £185.

Has she blown the lot on this wee thing?

I certainly haven't blown the lot.

I found this little wee object absolutely irresistible.

Aww!

The girls love jewellery and I was looking for a big bit of bling.

Do you like frogs, though?

-I like sparkly ones.

-Sparkly frogs, do you?

-How much was it?

-I paid £15.

-15?

-That's good. Yeah.

Look how they bucked up, the girls, on that.

I was expecting a bit more, so I think that's good.

-So, Georgina, what do you think?

-Yeah. I like it. It's sweet.

-It's different. You don't really see a brooch like that.

-No.

-I've never seen one like that!

-You don't have to decide now.

You'll decide after the sale of the first three items.

But for the viewers at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Anita's green brooch.

-So, William, something completely different.

-Certainly is.

I think it's rather fun.

It isn't gold, obviously, and there's nothing precious about it metal-wise,

but it's enamel and sort of little tiny chips of what look like diamonds.

How much, do you think?

-Well, I think with a following wind, £20, £30.

-OK. Fine. Well, Anita paid £15 and she's very canny.

-She should turn a profit on that.

-I think so.

Good. That's it for the Reds. Now for the Blues, Bramwell and Stuart.

Their first item is the little inkwell.

Not a very capacious inkwell.

It's got the tiniest little space for ink but, yeah, inkwell it certainly is.

Transfer decorated and it is what it is, really.

Yes. How much, though, do you think?

Well, I think I'd put about £30, £40 on it.

Well, that's brilliant. £18 paid.

That's not so bad. Excellent.

Next is the little tortoiseshell necklace box.

I think that's a very nice thing. It's in good condition.

Its silver-gilt hinges are hallmarked so we can date it.

It's got nice initials slap bang in the middle,

though I challenge anybody to work out what they actually are.

-It's a very complicated monogram, isn't it?

-It is.

-Yeah.

But it's just a really attractive box and tortoiseshell is always desirable,

-especially if it's in good condition.

-What do you think it's worth?

I think £200.

Do you? Well, £159 was paid with some trepidation. Let's hope it does well.

And lastly in their purchases, is this little magnifying glass.

Now, do you think that handle's ivory or what?

I don't think it is. No. I'm not quite sure what it is, actually, but ivory it isn't.

Sometimes they make them out of old knives or old bits of cutlery. I don't think this one has been.

I think it's always been a magnifying glass.

Well, they paid another pretty keen price for this. £47.50 was paid for that magnifying glass.

It ought to sell, I think,

with a sort of estimate around the £30 mark.

Round the £30 mark. Right.

-25-40.

-So they may not do quite so well on that.

I don't think anybody will go crazy about it.

No. Crazy. Good.

Well, just in case, let's go and have a look at the bonus buy.

Well, boys, you spent £224.50, which is great.

You gave Catherine £75.50. What did she spend it on?

-Are you ready for this, guys?

-No.

Here we are.

Look at these little beauties.

They're miniature Toby jugs.

-Really?

-A Mr and a Mrs.

-Which one am I?

-You're the Mrs.

-Of course.

-Definitely.

Does that work about right?

Let's have a closer look at these.

-Oh, yeah.

-Mine's got lipstick on there.

-Royal Worcester.

-I like them.

I paid £40 for them and I think we should make a bit of profit on these

cos the book price is about £50, £60 each.

I don't personally like them, but we might make a profit.

They're going to make money. That's the main thing.

That's the main thing. Absolutely.

-Nice jugs(!)

-They're nice.

On that note, I think we'll move on quickly

and find out what the auctioneer thinks about Catherine's little bits of pottery.

There you go. You can have Mrs.

What do you make of these little Worcester jokers?

I was worried about them at the beginning because I don't think they're terribly good quality

and Worcester is, after all, known for fundamentally really good things.

I know what you mean, because the underglaze transferred mark

is underneath a particularly odd-looking milky glaze.

It just doesn't hang together terribly well and with the poor painting on top,

it does make me slightly doubt them.

I think you're right to be suspicious.

But having said that, what are they worth?

-£40.

-Right.

-Something like that.

-Catherine paid £40.

So anything more than 40 will show them a profit.

-That's if they go with the bonus buy and nothing is certain in life.

-No.

Anyway, we'll find out in the auction.

-OK, girls, how are you feeling?

-Good. Excited.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-Quite nerve-racking, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-A bit.

Anyway, first lot up is the christening cup and here it comes.

Lot 92A. A little christening mug there. What's it worth? £30 for it.

£20 for a christening mug. 20.

22. 24. 26. 28. 30.

-32. 34.

-Yes!

40. 45. Do you want 45?

£45 nearer to me.

-At 45. It's £45 for the silver.

-50.

-45 it is, then.

-Well, done, girls. £45.

You are plus £15.

Straight out. Yeah.

Good start.

So, your locket, Anita.

Is it going to be so sweet on this?

Lot 93A is a nine-carat gold pendant locket.

Must be £30 of gold there. £20 to start me, then.

Surely, for the little gold locket, for 20. Dear, oh, dear.

£10, then. At 12.

14.

16. 18.

£18. In the distance at £18. That's all I'm bid, at 18.

20, fresh bidding.

22. 24.

26. 28. £28 to the lady. At 28.

Anybody else want to come in, at £28?

At 30, just in time. £30 to the gentleman, now. At £30.

Selling it for 30.

Bad luck, Anita. £30.

-That is so cheap.

-Minus £40.

-Which means, overall, you are minus £25.

-We'll make it up.

-Now, Limoges.

-Ooh, we could.

Cross everything. All right?

Everybody hold hands. Hold hands.

Lot 94A is the Limoges tea set. Where shall we start this? £20.

-20 for the tea set.

-Come on.

-£10 I'm bid.

At 10. 12. 14.

20. Selling, then, for £20 only.

At £20, that tea set.

-£20 it is, then.

-Bad luck, darling.

-£20 is still a £5 profit.

-Yeah.

But the estimate wasn't particularly accurate, was it?

-No. They got our hopes up.

-You are overall, darlings, I'm afraid, minus £20. OK?

-OK.

You're minus £20 which is not bad.

It could be a winning score. Are you going with the bonus buy?

-Going to go with the froggies?

-We are.

-Yeah.

-Risk £15?

-Yeah. Might as well.

-Yeah. Go on.

-Yeah. We're going to do it.

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

Lot 97A is the amusing yellow metal and green enamel brooch

in the form of four frogs.

Start me for £10 for the little brooch, then.

10, I'm bid.

Anybody else? At 10. 12.

They're appearing everywhere. At 12. 14. 16. 18. 20. 22.

24. 26. 28.

30. 32.

£32, there. 34, anybody else?

£32 in the bed. 34, there.

£34, fresh bidder.

At £34. Anybody else? The hammer's coming down.

34 it is, then. 34.

-Yes! Yes!

-£34!

£34 is plus £19.

-You're still minus £1.

-Oh, no!

The big thing now is not to reveal your big losses to the Blues.

-We won't. We won't.

-50p each.

Keep really quiet about that.

-We don't want them to know.

-No.

-But good fun, eh?

-Yeah.

-Loved it.

Now, Stu, Stu, Bram, Bram, do you know how the Red Reds got on?

-They did little eyes.

-Looked a bit smug.

A bit smug when they went past you?

Don't like little eyes. Very unnerving.

Is that what it is? Yeah.

Anyway, first up, then, is the curling stone paperweight inkwell and here it comes. Och, aye!

Lot 112A

is an amusing pottery inkwell in the form of a curling stone.

£20 to start me. £20 for it, surely.

£10 for it, somebody.

10. 10 all over the place. £10 there, sir.

12.

14. 16. £18, fresh bidding.

20. At £20, then.

I'm going to sell it for £20.

-Well, done, Catherine. £2 profit, Catherine.

-That's mean, isn't it?

-A pound each.

-A profit is a profit.

Thank you. Now, next is going to be this necklace case.

-All eyes on you.

-We're all very nervous.

-Tim looks worried.

-Dude.

-It's a dude?

113A is the tortoiseshell box.

Start me for 100.

£80 for the lot. 80 I'm bid. There, £80.

85. 90. 95. 100. 110, fresh bidding.

120. 130.

140. 150.

-Go on!

-160.

160, there. At £160. At 160.

Anybody else? 160 is the bid, then. 160.

Yes. Well, done.

You've made a profit of £1.

-Told you it'd fly.

-Super. Well, done.

Good lads. Good lads.

OK. So, here comes the magnifying glass.

114A is a little magnifying glass.

114A.

Again, I've got some interest in this.

I'm already bid £20. With me at £20. For the little magnifying glass. £20.

22. 24. 26. 28.

30. 32.

34. 36. Still with me at £36.

Fresh bidding, 38.

40. 45. 50.

55. 60. Still with me at £60.

Anybody else want to come in?

At £60, it's on a left bid of £60.

65.

70. I'm afraid it's still with me at £70. That's £70 the bid.

£70 is the bid, then. At 70.

That's good. 70! That is something else, isn't it?

-I do not understand that.

-That's plus £22.50, right?

Which means, overall, you are plus £25.50.

What are you going to do about this bonus buy? You're £25.50 up. Right.

You can park it or you can risk it.

£40 you're putting at risk.

Toby jugs.

-Are you with it or not?

-Yes. Yes.

We're going with the bonus buy.

-Link arms. Link arms.

-Link arms.

-£20 to start me.

Anybody? 20, I'm bid.

Straight in at £20. And two I'll take. At £20. 22.

24. 26. 28. 30. 32. 34.

36. 38.

40. 45.

45 with the lady. 50 now.

£50 with the gentleman.

At £50. Anybody else want to come in?

50. That's £50 with the gentleman in the distance. At £50.

I'm selling them, then. £50 they go.

-50.

-£50 plus £10. Easy, isn't it?

-Well, done.

-You are... Whoops!

..plus £35.50, overall. Right?

That is...remarkable.

Bargain Hunting at its best.

-£35.50. Yes?

-Yes.

-Don't tell the Reds a thing.

-I won't. I've got to calm down.

Well, what an exciting programme we've had today, haven't we?

-So have we Blues and Reds been communicating at all? No?

-No.

No conversation so you really don't know where you're up to.

-No.

-And you're standing on the edge, longing to know who the runner-up is and who the winners are.

-Yes?

-Yes.

Well, I have to tell you that sadly, the runners-up today are the Reds.

Tricked!

-You girls, we had such fun, didn't we?

-We did.

I mean, you were well and truly down the plughole and then clawed it back with your froggy brooch.

I'm afraid your overall score is only minus £1. I mean, how tough is that?

-To get to the breaking even, at least. But it was great fun, girls, wasn't it?

-Yes. It was.

And you've been a great team. But the victors, today - the Blues.

Profit on every single lot.

That's an achievement, a considerable achievement.

You went with the bonus buy. You got a tenner off the bonus buy too, so congratulations.

-It's down to our expert.

-And £35.50 is what you're going to walk off with.

-There's your £35. There's your 50.

-You get that.

Which is great. And quite a handful for you to handle, Catherine.

-What can I say?

-You have been fantastic. You have been fantastic.

-Worth it. Definitely worth it.

-You've made a profit on every single lot.

-Anyway, great show. Join us soon for some more Bargain Hunting. Yes?

-Yes!

For more information about Bargain Hunt, including how the programme was made, visit the website at bbc.co.uk

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]