Detling 1 Bargain Hunt

It's not every day that somebody gives you £300 to go shopping with.

In fact, it can on the mean one thing... Let's go bargain hunting!

Welcome to the Kent Showground.

With all this choice about, I hope our teams have got their walking shoes on, and their eyes open.

Both the Reds and the Blues get the same deal. Each get an expert,

an hour, and £300 to find

the very best antiques they can find here, in Detling. It doesn't finish there.

Oh no, they have to sell their items on later at auction, where anything can happen.

The team that makes the most profits, wins.

Coming up, not two, but four teams battling to spend their £300.

Let's see if our first teams, two pairs of married couples,

make some harmonious purchases.

Today, both our girls are joined by their husbands.

For the Reds, we've got Max and John, welcome.

And Nick and Emma, for the Blues.

So, Max. What you do for a living?

I'm a part-time student at UCA in Canterbury.

-I'm doing a BA in fine art at the moment.

-And you're loving it?

I absolutely love it, yes.

What are you majoring in?

Really, my passion is for photography.

Nearly every time I go out, apart from today,

I've got a camera with me.

And do you collect anything?

I collect 20th century art glass.

I've been collecting that for about 10 years now.

Very good. John, what do you do?

I've been a consultant for about 25 years.

-But you're quite artistic too, aren't you?

-Yeah.

I paint abstracts.

We've got a studio that we both work in.

Saturday night is often a case of a few bottles of wine, working through

the night, and seeing what comes out Sunday morning.

I think we're going to have great fun with you today.

Now for the Blues. Welcome.

So, how did you meet Nick?

We met at university,

-three days into our historical studies course back in 1992.

-No!

-We did.

-Three days in.

We were at the library study skills orientation.

I was paying attention. Nick was eyeing up the talent.

Nick, you're a bit of a bookworm.

I am. I did a history degree, same as Emma.

I specialised in naval history.

I was fortunate enough to have my dissertation published.

You were recently on Steve Wright's BBC Two radio programme.

-Yes.

-How did that come about?

A friend of ours has a severely handicapped daughter,

and we organised a charity ball to raise money for her, to provide specialist care.

Steve Wright kindly donated a slot on his show.

It was a wonderful experience. Something I'd love to do again.

That's the good thing about charity auctions.

You can get carried away. And if you do, it doesn't really matter.

-You sometimes get something completely unique.

-Absolutely, and it's tax deductible!

Very sharp.

Well, it's the money moment now.

Here's your £300, which you have been waiting for.

You know the rules.

Your experts await. Off you go, and good luck.

So, will it be the arty team,

or the wordsmiths who gets the upper hand today?

Helping the Reds is James Braxton.

And searching for stalls with the Blues

is Kate Bliss.

Let's do it quite methodically.

Let's keep going up that way.

Emma's here to choose the item, I'm here to negotiate the price.

-What a team!

-That's the game plan.

I love the fox.

-A Lea Stein brooch.

-Why that one?

I absolutely love the colour green and I'm quite interested in foxes.

I've been photographing foxes and things for my artwork.

And you can see the mother of pearl.

The first layer was mother of pearl.

Then, I guess a transparent green was put over the top.

-How much is he?

-He's £38.

Is that your best price, do you think?

JAMES CHUCKLES

The very best would be about 36. The margins on these are so small.

-Would you do 35, is that possible?

-Um...

Yeah, go on.

You would?

-Thank you, very much.

-Do you want to get that?

-I think I would.

-Let's do that.

Fantastic.

I wondered how long it would be before she found an animal.

15 minutes, not bad.

Now, have those Blues bagged anything yet?

It's obviously English silver.

It's hallmarked here for Chester, which is one of the more unusual hallmarks.

With that date letter, it's 1902.

You've got this nice little fox mask.

The wishbone for good luck.

Have a little look yourself.

There's quite a bit of silver in it too.

It's not that light.

-What do you think, Emma?

-I like the fact it's got some age and it's been used.

It's an item that has had a purpose in its life.

It could have been a wedding gift or something.

And do we know what they're asking for it?

Well, the price tag here - let me just fish that out - is £68 on that.

We can certainly see what they can do.

Let's ask.

Bear with me just a minute.

You have a look and see if anything else catches your eye. I'll have a word.

There are a lot of interesting things in here. Are they sellable?

£40, guys? Which is quite a reduction.

-It is, yes.

-Is that something you would buy?

I probably would, actually.

You say you like little silver pieces.

-Let's buy it.

-Let's buy it.

I think you can talk about it too much, can't you?

-Let's go and do it.

-Great. Let's do it. Decision made.

Wise words. £40 paid. item number one in the bag.

How our teams getting on inside?

Hopefully, they'll have spent some more money.

That's a bizarre one, isn't it?

That's quite ecclesiastical, isn't it?

It needs a stack of Bibles or something in there, wouldn't you?

A couple of vicars at the sale and we'll be set.

Might resonate at Canterbury as well.

-It's a slidey thing.

-A slidey thing!

I don't know what the real term is.

Let's just...

Ow! You pinched my finger!

So, he wants £100 for it and his reasoning for that is,

it's a big fellow, it's undamaged, slightly unusual in that it's oak.

I think £100 seems an awful lot. I'd have thought about £75 or something.

Well, it's not going to go in a hurry. Let's put it back.

What about lighters?

Those are actually vesta cases, they're for matches.

This has a monogram on it.

Yes, that's engraved with initials, with a monogram and then all-over decoration.

Victorian, there we go, 1898.

And if you just open up the little lid like that, you can see

the matches fitted in there, and you would strike them on the base there.

-Wow.

-What's your rock-bottom, sir?

What have I got on it, 68?

55 gives you a chance in auction, possibly.

Did you say 50?

They're horrible, these people you bring to me.

I'm under pressure - these guys want to win.

Go on, then, 50.

Time's ticking, we've not got long.

Come on, then, £50, let's do it. Shake on it.

Just give me all that cash. All right, lovely.

Cor, that Nick drives a hard bargain!

Finding their third item is going to be a rush with just ten minutes left.

Time seems to be running away from the Reds.

Have they made any decisions yet?

I'll deal with the book slide, you go over and see Peter re the Whitefriars.

-OK.

-He had the Whitefriars.

It would be great if we could get it slightly lower.

Tactics, I love it!

Can we ask you a couple of questions about this swan?

Yes.

You've got him for £35 and I really like him.

You couldn't do him for 20, could you?

I can't do 20, but I'd do 25.

-That's not bad actually.

-Split the difference, 23?

OK, I'll split the difference, 23.

Yes, thank you.

At last! She's got a piece of glass.

Now, what are those Blues going to do with just a few minutes left, eh?

Let's go for the handbag... and be done.

-Do you think?

-Yeah.

You've got a good feeling?

So how did James get on with the book slide?

-Oh, there he is.

-Got another tenner off, so 90.

-Well done.

-OK.

It's going to the right place, Canterbury.

-Yes.

-As are we.

Oh, that's pretty.

-She's pretty, isn't she? She's probably 1920s.

-Yep.

Looking at the style of her dress.

No signature that I can see, but a lovely little watercolour.

Painted on ivory, as they often were.

Let me just see how much we can get her for.

-You have a look.

-What do you think of this? That's the original back?

I think that's attractive.

I think if we can get a good price, what did he say?

The ticket price was 95.

I've got him down to 60, which I think is pretty good.

-OK, OK.

-For a pretty girl.

-Let's do it, let's buy it.

-Go for it.

-Decision?

-Done!

-Well done!

-Excellent.

That was frantic!

Cor, doesn't that hour just fly by?

Let's check out what the Reds bought.

Neeeow!

Max was feeling foxy... Ha-ha!

..and went for the brooch.

She got the price down to £35.

Will the Whitefriars swan float or fly at auction? £23 paid.

The oak book slide was a strategic move,

so let's hope it pays off at £90.

-Was it good fun shopping?

-Oh, it was great, thanks!

You did really well. Which is your favourite piece?

-My favourite piece would be the little green brooch we've bought of the fox.

-What about you, John?

The blue swan, I think.

Which is gonna bring the biggest profit?

Well, I hope the book slide, because I can't see a profit on the other two.

At least I'm hoping, I'm a bit of a pessimist!

All right, fine. Well, you spent £148, I want £152 of leftover lolly.

-Thank you.

-That's a fortune, James, isn't it?

-It is.

-And you've got something in view to buy, have you?

-Definitely.

All right, well, good luck, James.

Let's remind ourselves of what the Blues bought.

Emma loved the silver letter opener, so decided to go for it at £40.

Will the vesta case light up the room?

Nick bought it for 50.

The portrait of a girl was a bit of a rush buy,

but Kate did her best and got it for £60.

Sometimes you need the pressure to make a decision, don't you?

If you'd said five seconds to go, I'd have thought, "rush buy".

Did you have a great time?

-We had a brilliant time.

-Fantastic time.

-Which is your favourite piece, Ems?

-Probably the silver letter opener.

-That's your favourite.

-I would have to say the silver vesta.

Right, Nick, the silver vesta.

Which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-I'm going to stick with the silver letter opener.

-Right.

-And I'm going to agree.

-Very sensible.

You spent 150, right down the middle,

-I'll have £150 of leftover lolly, which is a lot for Kate.

-Look at that.

What are you going to spend the £150 on, Kate?

I'm going to go for something traditional.

You're quite a traditional girl.

-Well, I am, really - old fashioned, I suppose.

-Anyway, good luck!

No more glorious city to visit than Canterbury,

and Canterbury Auction Galleries prove no exception to the rule

when it comes to great auction houses,

and it's very nice to be here with our auctioneer, Michael Roberts. Good morning.

-Good morning, sir.

-Now, John and Maxine, first item is this green plastic brooch.

-Yeah.

-So who is Lea Stein, then?

Well, Lea Stein is a Parisian jewellery maker from the '60s,

-but they're £58 new on the internet.

-Are they?

-Yeah.

-So what have you put on this green chap?

-15-20.

-OK, £35 paid.

-Hmm.

-Next is this so-called Whitefriars blue glass swan.

-Right.

-Whitefriars?

-I don't think so, I think it's more likely to be continental.

In this case, I think the quality is not good enough to be Whitefriars,

and really it's just a decorative ornament.

Who cares at £23? Cos that's what they paid.

-Really? OK, sure.

-I mean, it's not a lot of money, is it?

-No, no.

-What do you think? A tenner?

Well, I've estimated at £10-15.

-Not much of a loss there.

-No.

-What about this big joker, then?

Cos that is quite a size for a folding book trough.

It is, yeah, it's...ecclesiastical design, I suppose you would call it, with the crucifix ends.

-Yes, straight out of the rectory, isn't it?

-Quite.

To hold the Bibles, I suppose - quite a chunky, weighty thing.

Too big for the CDs.

Yes, indeed, indeed.

My estimate is £70-100.

-Well, that's OK, cos they paid 90.

-Fine.

And somebody may get swept away with the enthusiasm of the moment, mightn't they?

-Well, let's hope so.

-So not too many deep holes.

They may not need their bonus buy, but let's go and have a look at it.

Now, John and Max, you spent £148.

You left James Braxton with £152 to find you a bonus buy.

-What did James buy?

-Here we are.

Oh, wow. A cake stand.

Something rather bright and cheery, I thought.

It is, isn't it? Rather retro.

And do these flowers... are they transfer and then...

Just dabs of paint painted on.

-What do you think, Johnny?

-I like it, I like the colours.

-I wasn't expecting a cake stand, I have to admit.

-No, I wasn't either.

When I went out to Detling, nor was I expecting to buy a cake stand.

A nice three-tiered cake stand, James. You spent the lot?

-No, I bought it for £20, that's why I bought it.

-Oh, that's very good.

And what's your feeling for how much it would get at auction?

I thought it would make more, that's why I bought it!

Isn't that the idea?

I could see it going for £30, something like that.

-I think it could do 30.

-Well, that's a hit, James, well done for that.

For the viewers at home, let's find out now

what the auctioneer thinks about James's little cake stand.

Well...are you going to have a chocolate digestive?

Well, maybe a scone or something.

It's fine, '30s cake stand, one of the Staffordshire makers,

Parrott and Company, whoever they were.

-Parrott!

-Parrott, yeah, with a picture of a parrot on the base.

The chrome's not rusty, the plates aren't chipped.

It's absolutely a period piece.

It is, yes.

But useless.

That's the problem, that's the thing, isn't it?

-My estimate's £10-15.

-OK, £20 paid.

-Right.

-I don't fancy there'll be a huge loss there.

You never know, he might turn a profit.

-Well, let's hope so.

-Yeah, great.

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

Nick and Emma, their first item is the letter opener in silver.

Yes, bit of an interesting sort of life story to this.

It's actually two pieces that have been soldered together a bit crudely.

There's different hallmarks on here.

On the blade you have 1917, on the terminal you have 1900.

Both Chester marks. My estimate is £15-20.

OK, fine, well, they paid 40, so that may not be so brilliant.

Silver vesta case now, a little bright cut job.

Yeah, it's fine. It's in good condition, nicely marked, engraved with some chap's initials.

But yeah, it's a good example, but perhaps in the current climate it's pretty redundant.

But yeah, it's fine. 20 to £30.

-£50 they paid.

-Oh, dear.

-It's an awful lot of money, isn't it?

-It is a bit.

What about this half-length portrait?

Well, we've had it out of the frame, and it's on card.

-It looks like a print, doesn't it?

-It does, actually, at first glance.

Perhaps that's the glass. But I looked up the artist, McDermott.

I can't find in the thing on him.

Or her, for that matter. But an early 20th century picture,

mid-20th century.

It's nicely done, and we've had some pre-sale interest.

-How much?

-My estimate is 45 to £60.

They'll be delighted. They only paid £60. Super.

But far too much for the vesta, and we have a married letter opener.

A bit of damage on the blade.

So that's not so good. They are going to need their bonus buy, so let's go and have a look at it.

Now, you spent £150. Magnificent.

You gave £150 to Kate Bliss. What did she spend it on?

Well, I've gone for something quite traditional for you.

-I've got an early Victorian, might even be William IV, rosewood tea caddy.

-Right.

Sarcophagus shape is what it's called.

Quite a traditional form.

Open it up and we've got the original two little lids here.

And of course, tea in Victorian times you would mix, leaf tea,

and you would have two different sorts in two different little compartments.

The colour's slightly gone off the top, but I think a good polish would get that back.

A nice little thing.

And will we be opening the champagne at auction with it?

I paid £60, so I'm not going to tell you there's a huge amount of profit in that.

I'm not going to pretend there is.

I think if two people like it, it might make a fiver.

But right now, for the viewers at home, let's find out

what the auctioneer thinks about Kate Bliss' little box.

This is a good example.

Just because it's old doesn't mean it's any good. It's early Victorian.

It's got the interior, which makes a change, but not the greatest quality in the first place.

And now that tea is in bags, we don't need to pay much.

What's it worth?

My estimate's 35 to £50.

-Oh, Lordy. Kate paid 60.

-Oh, dear.

And she rates it as a bonus buy that's going to bring a profit.

The big question is, will the teams take it when they get to the auction?

5...90.

5...95, sir?

No?

-How are you feeling?

-A bit nervy?

-Nervy and girly?

-Yes!

-I'm not feeling girly!

-Are you feeling nervy, though, John?

No, I'm excited. It's packed, it's quite an atmosphere in here.

The first lot, though, coming up, is the fox brooch, and here it is.

Come on, foxy.

Who'll start me at £10? £10 where? Decorative brooch.

-It's a steal!

-Someone at £10?

10 I'm bid. Thank you. 12 where?

Who's 12 now. Any more? 12 in front.

14. 16. 18. 20. 2. 24.

£22 behind. Who's 24 now? Any more?

At £22 and selling.

-Oh, dear. £22.

-What's that?

That is minus £13.

Unlucky for some. Now your swan.

There he is. £10 again. Who's £10?

The swan pattern vase. A tenner?

£5, then. £5 I'm bid. Who's 10 now? 10 where? Anybody else interested?

If not, it's going at a fiver.

Sold for £5.

So that's not so brilliant, actually.

It is minus £18. Moving on to the book rack.

..of ecclesiastical design.

I have commission interest.

I'm going to start at £85.

-Yes! This is better!

-Who's 90 now?

Any more at £90?

A good-looking book slide. At the back, 90. With you.

And who's 5 now?

95 in front. 100? 110.

-120. No? 110 in front. Who's 120 now?

-Come on!

A nice book slide. 110 selling.

£110. Well, that's brilliant.

That's plus £20.

How lovely to have a good profit.

Well done. You were 31 before.

You are minus £11.

There's nothing in this. Right?

There's a sheet of Bronco in this.

There's nothing. What about the cake stand?

-We're going to go with the cake stand.

-You will go with it?

-It is Steph and my retirement.

-It is!

What could be nicer? Good.

So trusting James. And here it comes.

I have commission interest.

I'm going to start at £10.

And I'm looking for 12. A mighty sum! £12 where?

Who's 12 now? The cake stand?

£12 I'm bid. 14. 16.

18. 20? No? £18. 20 at the back.

2. 24. Well done, James. 26.

-28.

-You're in profit.

-30. 32. No?

-Oh, go on!

Any more?

£32. Selling at 30 on commission.

£30. Blast it!

That is plus £10, which means overall you're minus £1.

Shall I give it to you now?!

-Don't tell the Blues a thing.

-No.

Go out there looking really confident, as if you've got 100 in your bank. That's the technique.

-We'll do that.

-Yes.

So, guys, been talking to the Reds?

No, we haven't.

We don't want you to. How are you feeling? It's a bit different to the library, isn't it?

Yes. It's quite exciting, actually, but I'm a bit apprehensive.

The first lot up is the silver letter opener, and here it comes.

Silver bookmark paper knife with a fox mask and wishbone terminal.

Commission interest. Going to start at £30. Looking for 2.

32. 34. 36. 38. 40.

-Come on...

-42. 44. 42 with me.

Who's 44? 42 at the back. 44.

-46. 48. 50.

-Look at that!

5 here. 60? 55 with me. Who's £60?

At 55 and selling.

Is that 55? It was 55, wasn't it?

You are plus 15. Well done!

Now here comes the vesta.

I have commission interest. Going to start at £18.

Looking for 20. £20. 22. 24. 26. 28.

30 here. And 2. £32.

34. In several places.

I'm going to go with 4. 36. 38.

-40. 42. 44.

-Look at this!

44 behind.

46. 48.

No? 46 in front. 48. One more. 50?

Go on, sir.

-Go on!

-Only money! £50. 55? No?

£50. It's with you. Who's 5 now?

50 and selling.

£50! You wiped your face. Isn't that marvellous?

Who would have thought that?

Right, now this wee girl.

There she is, Lot 137, the young girl. I have commission interest.

Going to start at £30. Looking for 2. Who's 32 now?

Pretty watercolour, this. £32, someone? 32 where?

32. 34. 36. 38. 40.

Yes? 42. 44.

Come on... Yeah? 46. 48.

Yes? No? 48? 50. And 5. 60. And 5.

60 with me. Who's 5, now? Any more?

At £60 and selling on commission.

£60! You wiped your face again!

-That's not bad!

-You are plus £15. Well, I have to congratulate you.

-That's pretty good.

-These are three results, I have to say.

-Yeah.

-So, what about the rosewood tea caddy?

You've got £15 in the bank. It could be a winning score.

What are you going to do? Bank it?

I know we're a team,

but sometimes you have to sacrifice your team-mates.

-I think we're going to stay at 15.

-Yes, I think so.

You're sounding more and more like Anne Robinson as the days go by.

You're sacrificing team-mates left, right and centre.

Well, we'll sell it anyway. And here it comes.

Early Victorian rosewood sarcophagus-shape tea caddy.

There he is. 141. I have commission interest. Going to start at £20.

And I'm looking for 2. 22. 24. 26.

28. 30. 2. 34.

36 here. 38. Bids here at 38.

It's going up...! £40? 42. 44. 46.

48. £46 with the gentleman.

Who's £48? Any more? 48. 50. 5?

No. 50 standing. Who's 5?

£50 and selling.

Did he do it for 50?

He did it for 50. That is minus £10.

-You made the right decision.

-Well done, chaps.

I feel awful, though. I'm sorry.

-Don't feel awful! You made the right decision.

-You did make the right decision.

You've made right decisions throughout, which is brilliant.

-Anyway, don't tell the Reds a thing, all right?

-We won't.

All will be revealed later.

So, it's a winning profit of £15 for the Blues

because remember the Reds came in at a £1 loss.

In a moment our next pair of teams fight it out,

but first, do I hear the rumble of distant gunfire?

I've come to Quex House just outside Canterbury in Kent.

John Powell Powell built the Regency house that we see today that is Quex.

He was High Sheriff of Kent,

and when he wasn't busy building, he was a keen yachtsman.

He was also incredibly keen

on collecting things with naval connections.

He had the largest collection of cannon, for example, anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Impressive, hey?

Well, if you're impressed by that, you ain't seen nothing yet.

In the hallway of the house at Quex, we've got yet another cannon.

It's not as large or as impressive as the ones outside, but it is important, historically speaking.

This is a British military cannon that was made in 1797,

and it was captured by Napoleon in Egypt.

In 1801, the British recaptured this cannon at the Battle of Aboukir.

It's no wonder it's a star piece of Powell Powell's collection.

Now, we know that Powell Powell was incredibly keen on yachting,

and these are a rare survival

of what could be described as sailor's spectacles.

The frames are solid silver, being made in the 1820s,

and these side panels are designed to stop any spray or gusts of wind

going across the wearer's face making their eyes water.

What makes my eyes water, though, is this very rare survival.

This thing is made of solid silver.

It was made by Eames and Barnard and hallmarked in 1820.

But what is it, though?

Well, in the days of no radio telephones, and you wanted to

communicate with another vessel when at sea,

say half a mile away across the choppy water,

what the skipper would have done

is raise this to his lips and said, "Come in, number 37!"

Which is a bit of fun, isn't it?

Of course, the big question today is, are our teams' ships going to come in over at the auction?

Get me out of here!

Splice the mainbrace, it's round two

and back at Detling, we have two new teams ready to do battle.

For the Reds, we have Krista and Margaret,

whose husbands are cousins,

and for the Blues, we have brothers, Lech and Slav.

ALL: Hello, Tim!

How lovely! Now Krista, where were you originally from?

I'm from Germany.

-And why are you here?

-Well, I came to England to learn the language.

-Yes?

-And the second day I came here I met my husband

-and I've been with him ever since.

-Well, isn't that lovely!

-So, Margaret, you're retired?

-I am.

-But what did you do before you retired?

Oh, various things in my past.

I've worked in a bank, which was exceedingly interesting(!)

I've worked with my husband on the farm.

We ran a small business for a while. and latterly,

in the last few years I worked for the local county newspaper, the Kent Messenger.

Very good. What sort of items are you going to be looking out for today?

Well, I quite like cut glass or silver or something that catches my eye, really.

-I've nothing specific in mind.

-So you're quite a magpie!

-Ahh!

Anyway, very good luck! Now, for these rather tall boys.

Slav and Lech, they're unusual names. Where are you from originally, you chaps?

We're from Poland, second generation Polish stock.

And Slav, what do you get up to?

-I'm a student, doing a Masters in Chinese Studies.

-Are you?

It says here you're 26 years of age and still a student?

Gladly so, gladly so!

Now, Lech, you're also a student. What are you studying?

I'm doing Politics and International Relations at Manchester University,

the good one, not ManMet.

-HE LAUGHS

-I see!

Now when you're not working hard at university,

what do you like to get up to?

Well, I'm into sort of current affairs, fitness training and whenever possible, chess.

Especially for the chess when I was younger,

my school won a tournament, the National Tournament, the under-11s Bishop Challoner,

and that kind of developed into a more serious hobby.

-Tell us about the championship when you had a problem?

-A problem?

Oh, about two, three months ago, there was a tournament at the Manchester City Stadium.

They'd won four matches and I got disqualified because I made a move with my left hand,

but I pushed the stop clock with my right and that was against chess protocol,

so unfortunately, I lost the match.

There was a bit of a verbal exchange and, unfortunately, the adjudicator heard

and I think I'm the only person to be expelled from a chess tournament

for "intolerable behaviour".

Ahh. Now, you girls, do you think you're going to be able to teach these boys a trick or two, or not?

-Ooh, I don't know. We might.

-I think we might.

Now, the money moment,

the moment you've been waiting for. Your £300 a piece, here's your £300.

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

For one hour only, our experts will share their pearls of antiques wisdom

with their teams to help them find three of the best buys around.

-Probably not for us.

-Definitely not for us!

-James?

-Where's Lech gone?

Could the Blues have earmarked a potential item already?

Where's Lech?

May we see one of the bookmarks please, sir?

I've got my glass here. Thank you. Do you know what this is?

-Mini...

-For very small pieces of cake?

Well, it's actually a little bookmark that sits on the page.

On the back of here, we've got silver hallmarks.

-Sorry?

-It's 1876.

-1876?

so it's a nice Victorian one, OK, and the marks are still really clear on there.

-Do you think the handle was original?

-I would have thought so.

-See, I think that's really sweet.

You've got Victorian silver, with a lovely little sort of spiral-turned handle there.

-That's very nice, quite luxurious.

-Elegant.

It's quite a good thing to buy as a present for somebody.

It's a little, affordable piece of Victorian silver, if you like.

What can you do for us on that, sir?

I've got 45. I'll need 35 on that.

What do you think about that, guys?

-Yep.

-I'm sold.

26?

-28.

-28? That seems a fair price.

-Happy?

-Very.

-I'd be very happy with that.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

That was quick work, chaps.

OK, if you want to get a picture, we'll look for a picture.

With their first item in the bag and 50 minutes of looking time left,

it could be a cruise for the Blues.

What I was looking at is the amount of detail because these are founded,

you know, they're cast and then they have to be finished.

This is obviously the tattoos here and he's playing sort of football...

Football, yes.

But that's definitely got some age.

It's the figure itself I rather like.

-It's got some movement, hasn't it?

-Yes.

-It has movement, yes.

I think somebody has brought it back from their travels.

But would it go in England, do you think? Would it go here?

-Would we be able to sell it?

-Yeah. I think it's quite a bizarre thing.

There's a lot of people collect oriental art.

-What do you think?

-It's an attractive piece.

-Yeah.

Shall we go for this one?

-Let's see what he can do.

-See what we can get.

After some brief negotiations, they settled on £45.

Huh! Will the Blues stay ahead of the game or are the Reds about to lead the way?

-Inspiration, James.

-Don't worry.

-You wanted to buy a new picture?

-We did indeed!

-Absolutely!

-And I've found you one!

-Fantastic!

-This way!

-Let's check it out!

-Too much?

-Far too much, really.

-It's brand new.

-No use at all.

This is plastic.

It's bizarre. You'll find one stall that reflects what you really want to buy...

-That you like, yes.

-..and you'll buy two items from it.

What's caught Kate's eye is a picture by Italian-born artist Franco Matania.

-Wow!

-OK.

-Wow!

-What do you think of her?

-Does she tick the box?

-She is what we're looking for.

-Exactly!

-She is actually really nicely delineated.

-Yes.

He's got the anatomy beautifully, I think,

he's got her collar bones here really well.

He's got the breasts nicely, even a hint of her ribs under here.

-Very sensual.

-It is, isn't it?

-I like that. When I woke up today, I thought, "I hope I find one of those."

-Indeed.

What was the price for that? Did you enquire?

-Right, well, the price tag is... Have a little look. £140.

-OK.

Now I think at auction...

-I could see her making £100, certainly.

-Yes.

But the lower price we can get that's reasonable, the more chance we've got of making a profit,

so why don't we have a word with our stallholder?

Excuse me, madam, what's your best price on this?

-£100.

-100?

95 for cash?

-£100, well, 100 is fair enough. That's what the lady says.

-Good try!

What do you think, guys? Are you happy with that?

-Very, very happy.

-I think we could get lucky with this one.

I think it is a little bit of a gamble,

but I think with a little bit of luck, the right person might be there on the day. Are you happy?

-Let's do it.

-Let's do it.

-OK, let's do the deal. Thank you very much.

Well, that took long enough. Their searching seems to have paid off,

but with the minutes ticking, the Reds make a bee-line for a shiny stall.

You see you get something like that and this cake basket is plated.

It's got a nice shape to it, hasn't it?

Sort of slightly lobed, isn't it? Melony-shaped.

and what lifts it slightly is this crest,

so it was made for somebody semi-important.

It's a nicely made bit of plate

but plate isn't doing terribly well at the moment.

-No. No.

-I quite like those.

-Yes, they are nice.

-What about that?

-What have you found? We might be able to buy our two items on this stall.

The three bits of French silver you can have for 100.

So they're French silver, so they haven't got English hallmarks.

And they are very pretty. Very, very decorative.

I like the way that's got the stopper as well. It's still there.

-And let's see that one.

-That one.

-Very nice.

-They're lovely.

-So it just needs a stopper in there.

Could you do 95 on that and 45 on that?

I'm sorry, I can't do that.

-OK, that's the best, so what do you think?

-I think they're good.

-£100 for this?

-Yes.

-£50 for this?

-OK, yeah.

-Done.

-You don't want a horrible plated kettle for 20, do you?

-No, thank you.

Our James must be psychic!

Just like he predicted, the girls bought two items from one stall.

With just five minutes remaining, I think the Blues might need a hand.

Luck, bless your heart!

See, that's how the pros do it. Done!

-Thank you very much indeed.

-You're more than welcome.

I don't know much about it, but it's got Tim's backing. We're going to have to get in there!

You say you don't know much about it, right?

I don't know so much about it. All I know is that that is an icon.

-Is that not an icon? Off a belter of a car!

-You bet it is!

Now, before the War, if you could have possibly owned an American car,

you would have hit the golden load, right? You were an "it" person.

They were enormous, those Cadillacs, Pontiacs...

-Absolutely!

-From a great period.

It says "speed", but it also says "elegance", which we don't often have together these days, do we?

-We don't. Go and have a drill.

-Awesome!

What a great buy, even if I do say so myself!

I think, for 20 quid, that's a jolly good buy,

and I reckon we ought to reimburse Tim and say that's our third item.

-What do you think?

-100%.

This is... If you've got any masculine issues,

having this on your car

will certainly help attract the ladies, put it that way.

HE SPEAKS POLISH

HE SPEAKS GERMAN

Which for those of us who clearly don't speak Polish or German,

means "time's up". Let's recap on what the Reds bought.

The Reds kicked off to a steady start.

After 15 minutes they bought the Burmese bronze figure for £45.

With a large chunk of their time gone, the silver fruit basket

took a small bite out of their budget at £50.

And with pressure mounting, they went for a double whammy

and bought the French silver bottles from the same stall. They cost £100.

-Now, did you have a good time shopping?

-We certainly did.

-Wonderful!

-Very interesting.

-Now, Krista, which is your favourite piece?

-The silver bowl.

The silver bowl. What about you, Mags?

I think possibly the dressing table set.

Dressing table set. Which piece will bring the biggest profit?

-Yeah, the silver bowl.

-The silver bowl.

-That's your predictions.

So anyway, you spent a magnificent £195, that's great.

I'd like £105 of leftover lolly going straight to James Braxton for the bonus buy.

Have you got any idea what you'll spend your 105 on?

Yes. I think it will be something silvery.

There's a hint, girls. Off you go, James, and good luck.

Let's remind ourselves what the Blues bought.

The Victorian bookmark appealed to those studious boys,

and what a quick buy it was!

They agreed on £28.

The boys knew exactly what they were looking for

and after a furious 30 minutes of hunting, they found her.

The painting set them back £100.

With five minutes to go, and a helping hand from yours truly,

they got the chrome car mascot for a steal, at £20.

-Did you have a good time?

-Fantastic.

-Fantastic.

-You're right up there, aren't you?

-Tops.

-Which is your favourite piece?

Undoubtedly the mascot.

Our mascot!

-And which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-The mascot.

-Do you agree with that, Lech?

-100%.

Isn't it lovely having these two brothers welded from the hip!

Right, you spent £148, which is vaguely miserable.

and we'll have £152 of leftover lolly. There you go, Kate.

-Thank you.

-Did you have a good time with these boys?

We were under pressure, weren't we? It wasn't really a sedate gamble round the fair.

-But you succeeded, didn't you?

-I think we got it in the bag in the end.

Yes. What are you going to do with all that cash?

I'm going to buy something arty. I think these are arty fellows.

You trained as an accountant, but I think he has a strong arty streak.

Very good luck with that, Kate. Splendid.

So, we've moseyed south for half an hour from Detling to Canterbury,

to Canterbury Auction Galleries with our auctioneer today, Michael Roberts.

-How are you?

-Very well, thank you.

The Red Team, Margaret and Krista,

their first item is this Burmese footie fellow here.

-Yeah.

-So what do you make of him?

Well, it's a nicely-cast figure.

It's not football, it's actually a Buddhist game called chinlone.

-Chinlone?

-They play with a rattan ball, and they keep the ball

in the air and you're awarded on your skill and being able to keep the game going.

-It is a nicely cast bronze, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Well, well done for doing the research on that.

So what's this Burmese ritual dancer worth, then?

-We're going to try him at £70 to £100.

-70 to 100?

-Yeah.

-They only paid £45.

-That's all right, then.

-Now that is a really good estimate, Mike.

-Do you think?

-Yes!

Next is this fruit bowl in plate, not quite as exciting an object, I suspect?

Not really. It's an old item,

it's old-fashioned now in terms of people don't really use them much.

-So what do you think it's worth, Mike?

-£40 to £60.

-OK. Well, they only paid £50.

-Fine, just the job, yeah.

-What about these dressing table bottles?

-Well, the little one,

which is the lead item, the French one there, has a guarantee mark on the side

to say it is French. It's superb engraving cutting on the side,

but it probably would have come out of a dressing case.

It lacks its stopper and again, similar to the basket, it's a redundant-type item.

With the other couple, we've estimated them at £60 to £80.

-60 to 80 for the lot?

-Yeah.

-Well, they paid £100. Right...

So maybe the profit they're going to make on this Burmese bloke

is going to evaporate in the scent bottle!

Anyway, one way or the other, they could well need their bonus buy, so let's go and have a look at it.

Well, you girls, you spent £195.

You left James £105 of leftover lolly for the bonus buy.

What's the bonus buy, James?

-Here you are.

-Aah!

A lovely, luxury good.

An Asprey's box, white onyx,

nice malachite little thumb-piece there...

-How much did you pay for it?

-£80.

-Will we make money on it?

-Will it make us a profit?

-I don't know.

What would you put in it?

-Originally it was for cigarettes.

-Cigarettes?

But it's a lovely, beautifully-made item and it's...

-And Asprey's are quite well-known, aren't they?

-They are.

-I've seen stuff of theirs.

-I'm sure they'd love your comments!

They're well made. Everybody will buy this!

On that happy note, why don't we find out from the auctioneer what he thinks.

-Well, that's cute, isn't it? Very clean.

-It is.

-It's a lovely gent's accessory. It's by a fabulous maker, Asprey, or retailer, rather.

-Yeah, good.

It's a good, clean box, you don't have to be a smoker to use it,

you can put your studs, cufflinks in it.

-Anyway, James Braxton rates it. What's your estimate?

-£50 to £70.

-Really? He paid 80!

-Oh, dear.

Anyway, that's it for the Reds.

Now, the Blues, Lech and Slav. Their first item is this little bookmark,

which was picked by Kate.

I don't know if you've been able to decipher these tiny little hallmarks.

Indeed, Victorian marks, Birmingham 1876.

Oh, brilliant, brilliant!

But overall, it's kind of an insignificant thing, really.

Yeah, but, you know, size isn't everything, is it?

So what do we think it might be worth?

Well, I'm thinking between £15 and £20.

-OK, fine. £28 Kate paid.

-OK, fine.

I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't get between 30 and 40, frankly.

Yeah, I hope so, yeah.

So what about this... I suppose it is a woman, is it?

Well, it's by a well-known artist, a family of artists, Matania.

I suppose it's nicely done, perhaps to cater for all tastes, maybe.

Yes. So what's your estimate on it?

£80 to £120.

-80 to 120?

-Yep.

-Fine, well Kate fancied it, she paid £100.

-Good.

Next is the car mascot.

I have no idea which motor car it came off. Have you been able to find out anything about it?

-Apparently it's from a 1954 Chrysler Type I.

-Oh, great!

But yeah, it's very decorative sort of Art Deco styling...

-Menacing, don't you think?

-I suppose it could be.

-So what is it worth?

-Well, it is pitted.

-The chrome has bubbled and it's a bit damaged and...

-Period wear, I'd say!

Yes, but collectors are looking for something in good condition!

It's pitted! OK, you're right, it's pitted.

So as it is, I think we're looking at sort of £30 to £50, really.

-I'd be delighted if we get £30 to £50. We only paid £20 for it.

-OK.

So if old doo-dah up there, if that does well, and I quite fancy that bookmark,

this team might not need their bonus buy,

but just to be safe, perhaps we ought to go and have a look at it.

So, boys, you spent £148,

which means you gave Kate £152 to spend on her bonus buy.

What did she spend it on?

Now, I know that you like the female form in art,

so, what I've got you is a rather lovely sculpture, I think.

She is, of course, a lovely ballet dancer and she's done in resin.

This is by a chap called Josep Bofill, his name's down here.

He's Spanish. He was born in 1942,

so this is a contemporary piece, I would say probably '60s.

I spent £110, which is quite a lot for a bonus buy.

-I'm going to hand it over because my arm is falling off!

-Shall we take it off you?

-It's a very elegant pose.

-What do you think, Tim?

Don't ask me! My lips are sealed!

-It's elegant.

-We'll have a think about it, I think.

Yeah, definitely!

You don't have to decide right now, just think it through, all right?

You'll decide after the sale of your first three items,

but right now, for the viewers at home,

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

It's pretty horrible, isn't it?

Well, I suppose Josep Bofill thought it was rather good!

Anyway, he thought it was a nice thing to make in resin

with a lump of concrete. What does "resin" mean - plastic?

Pretty much, yeah. The chemical composition obviously varies

but, fundamentally, that's what it is.

The big question is, will this concrete and plastic jobby sell?

-Well, we've estimated it pretty lowly at sort of £20 to £30...

-Yes.

But it comes down to whether or not anyone fancies it.

-Kate paid £110 for this object!

-Ouch.

OK? With any luck, the team won't select it when it comes to the bonus buy moment.

So, Margaret and Krista, here we are on the edge of the auction.

-How exciting is this?

-Ooh it is!

-It is exciting!

-Wonderful!

-And have you seen such a crowd of people, it's jammed!

-That's amazing!

-Well, they've all come here to buy your items. How are you feeling, Krista, all right?

-Fine. Excited!

-What about you, Mags?

-Uncontrollably excited!

-Are you?

-Yes.

Control yourself slightly!

-What about you, James? Are you feeling uncontrollable?

-Well, always nervous.

A lot of responsibility on this one, but heartened -

like the good old days, a full room!

First up is the Burmese figure. Here it comes.

The Burmese bronze figure of a man playing chinlone.

Who will start me at £50?

-£50 I'm bid, thank you. And 5 where?

-It's 55 now, 55, 60, 5...

-Oh, yes!

-70, 5...

-Go on!

-No?

-70.

-At 70 and selling.

-£70.

-Still...

-Well done!

-Profit.

-£25. Plus £25.

Now, the cake basket.

Showing for you there, lot 26, I have commission interest.

I'm going to start at £30, looking for 32. Who's 32 now?

32, 34, 36, 38,

40, 42, 44, 46 here, 48.

-With you at 48. Who's £50?

-Go on!

Go on, come on, come on!

No? 48 and selling.

£48. You're £2 shy on that.

Look up, here come the dressing table pieces.

Lot 27 is the French-cut glass and triple scent bottles.

Lot 27, I have commission interest again.

We'll start at £50, looking for 55. Who's 55, now?

55 where? 55, 60 here, and 5?

With you at 65. Who's 70 now?

-Go on.

-Yes!

-5, 80...

-Come on!

5? Nope? At 80 behind, who's £85?

-80 and selling.

-Oh, no!

£80. You're minus 20 on that, which means overall you're plus £3.

-We can go out!

-You've got £3 on this, right?

What are you going to do about the Asprey's box?

I think we probably need to bank it, James.

OK, fine, we're not going with the bonus buy,

but we're going to sell it anyway.

Lot 31 is the white onyx square cigarette box,

retailed by Asprey, showing for you there.

Who'll start me at £30? Useful little box, this, £30 I'm bid.

Who's 32? 32 for someone? £32 where?

32, 34, 36, 38, 40, and 2?

44, 46, 48, 50, 5, 60, 5,

70, 5, 80...5, 90? No?

-85. Who's £90, any more?

-Oh!

-At 85 and selling.

-James!

-£85.

-Did you make a profit?

-Yeah. £5!

That is plus £5...

which, sadly... is not your £5 profit!

Aww, what a pity, but never mind, we're still...

Never mind. Well done. Great taste, James, as usual.

-Now, you have an overall profit of £3. Don't tell the Blue Team and we'll catch up later, OK?

-OK.

Lech and Slav, do you know how the Reds got on?

No, they didn't give anything away on the way past.

-We're pleased about that.

-Very good poker-faces!

-How are you feeling yourselves?

-I'm feeling absolutely great.

-Do you feel confident?

-I think we've got some interesting stuff.

But is it going to make a big profit?

-We want our Del-Boy moment.

-Del-Boy moment!

-We're gonna get it!

I like that! This is full of confidence.

Anyway, first lot up is the bookmark.

Victorian silver knife patterned bookmark.

I have commission interest. Start at £18. Looking for 20?

20 I'm bid, behind you. 22, 24,

26, 28, 30 here and 2. 34, sir?

-36, 38, 40?

-Keep going!

Yes, 42?

-Yes!

-44? Behind. 46, 48, 50, 55.

60? No? 55 behind. Who's £60? Any more?

At £55 and selling.

£55! That's brilliant, isn't it?

That's £27 up before you start.

Well done, Kate. Now, here comes the nude.

The lady there.

Reserve judgment. Lot 48, I have commission interest.

I'll start at £40. Who's 42 now?

£42 where? 42, 44, 46, 48,

50, 5, 60, 5, 70?

With you at £70. Who's five now? 75, 80.

5, 90, 5. 100? No?

-95 here. Who's £100? Any more?

-Come on!

-£95 and selling.

-Oh, bad luck.

£95, just shy by a fiver which is nothing!

You're still plus 22. Here we go with the car mascot.

Mascot from the 1954 Chrysler Type I.

Lot 49, who's £20?

£20, where? The car mascot? 20 I'm bid, thank you. 22 now?

Any more at 22? 22, 24, 26, yes?

28, 30, 2, 34,

36, 38, 40, 42, no?

40 at the back. Who's £42? Any more? 40 and selling.

-£40, double your money.

-Thanks to Tim.

-Plus £20 on that! Well, no!

All that research made all the difference!

Overall you are plus £42.

That is a very good position to be in.

Now, what are you going to do about the resin sculpture?

We're only on the show once, aren't we? £42 is nothing to be sniffed at.

-I think we should play it safe.

-Do you want to play it safe?

I think we'll play it safe.

-Are you going to play it safe?

-And watch from a distance!

-Are you quite sure?

-You do what you think is right.

-Here it comes.

-Lot 53, who'll start me at £20?

£20 where? 20 I'm bid, thank you.

22 where? Who's 22 now?

22, 24, 26, 28, 30, and 2?

34, 36, 38, 40, 42?

40 here, £42, anyone?

42, 44, 46, 48,

50, and 5, no?

50 at the back. Who's £55? Any more? We're going to sell at £50.

£50, he sold it for £50 very quickly there. That is minus £60.

Do you know something? I think you made the right decision!

Yeah, you could say that!

Minus £60. Well, bad luck, Kate!

It's a very strange thing, though, isn't it?

What would go well in one sale room or in another. It's terribly difficult.

It was a gamble, and you made the right decision! Well done, guys!

It was a very interesting punt,

but overall you are plus £42, so don't say a word to the Reds.

-We will reveal all in a moment.

-Right.

-Fantastic!

Well, what a happy tribe of people we've got today,

as we ought to because we've got two teams of winners.

-Have you had a good time, Reds?

-Yeah, wonderful!

-Blues?

RAPPING: Strolling around Looking for a bargain.

-Can't find nothing but second-hand jargon.

-It is...

-Plain to see

-We're the epitome of buying frenzy.

-So they'll be no limit to our profits gain.

Cos bid, or no bid BOTH: We're here to get paid!

Which, for a change, you are going to be paid today!

And that doesn't happen often on Bargain Hunt.

It's just a question of scale. Have you been talking to one another?

-Absolutely no!

-Not at all? Well, I'm glad to hear that!

The team with marginally less profits today are, of course,

-the Reds, but congratulations, girls, you managed to score £3.

-Wow!

-£3 of profit. I make that a pound each, don't you, James?

-Yup!

Brilliant!

But the victors today are the Blues, which is phenomenal, isn't it,

-to make these profits?

-Incredible!

-Absolutely!

-Consistent. £27 on your bookmark, Kate?

-Thank you, Kate.

-Lovely...

-Thank you.

-£20 on our car mascot.

-That was good, wasn't it?

-Nice.

And you didn't go with the bonus buy,

therefore you managed to ring-fence your profits of £42.

-Here you go, boys, £42 coming your way.

-Thanks, Tim.

-And you had a great time?

-Fantastic!

-And you can do the rap, too!

-Anyway, join us soon for some more Bargain Hunting, yes?

-Yes!

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