10th Anniversary Special 2 Bargain Hunt

Ten years ago saw the dawning of a new millennium.

But bigger, much bigger than that,

was the launch of something phenomenal!

Yes, ten years ago saw the launch of Bargain Hunt.

And to mark the milestone, we're going to party all the way.

So, stand by, and let's go Bargain-Hunting!

It's party time on Bargain Hunt.

All this week we're celebrating a glorious decade

of bringing our programme to you, our faithful viewers.

Today's programme is going to be special.

The rules remain the same, but we've got special teams.

Experts versus experts.

What a hoot! And there are other party treats in store for you.

Just take a look at this lot.

Kate Bliss casts her mind back.

I can remember that wonderful horse racing game, and that flew.

At the fair, James Lewis is struggling with the idea of teamwork.

-You've got it without me?

-I just said "yes", it was automatic.

For the blues, we discover how Charles Hanson is a bit of a mover and shaker.

I do like to move.

And Mark Stacey's had enough at the auction.

-Let's be a team.

-No, I won't, you've let me down.

Also, I take a trip through ten years of archive, picking out some of my favourite bits.

But, what's it a picture of?

But before all that, let's meet the teams.

For the reds today, we have the ever charming Kate Bliss.

And the suave James Lewis.

And for the blues, a very smart pair.

-Charles Hanson, and... what's your name again?

-Mark Stacey.

Oh, yes, that's right, very good.

Now, Kate. Today, uniquely, you're going to have the pressure

of being your very own expert and contestant wrapped into one.

How is that going to be for you?

It's going to be interesting, actually.

Because we're guided by the contestants by and large.

So, doing it on our own might be quite tricky, actually.

I'm getting nervous.

Well, don't go doing that.

Now, over the years you've morphed your career slightly, haven't you?

By taking on these incredible examinations for the Gemmological Association.

-Tell us about that.

-That's right.

Well, I started off as a general valuer, as we all did, I think.

I wanted to develop a specialism.

And I was drawn particularly to silver and jewellery,

because the two often go together.

But in order to really develop an in-depth knowledge of jewellery, you've got to study gemstones.

So that's what I did. To become a Fellow of the Gemmological Association.

But that doesn't happen in five minutes, does it?

It takes a long time. How long did it take you?

-It took me about a year ½.

-Had you got the family at the same time?

-Not quite. On the way, though.

You were building up for it. That's brilliant.

-That's been the biggest challenge.

-Absolutely.

You've had your own little jewel. Or two.

James, give us some of the highlights of Bargain Hunt life for you.

I think the main one has to be some time in 2005,

probably around February.

-I actually made a profit on Bargain Hunt.

-Gosh.

I think it's about the only time ever.

You're winding me up, you rascal.

Have you ever been recognised anywhere, James, where you wouldn't expect to be recognised?

-Yes. Rather strangely, in the Red Chilli backpackers' hostel in Kigali, Rwanda.

-Never!

Yes. When I'm not Bargain Hunting, or doing auctioneering, I'm a bit of an animal freak, and an animal nut.

And I was out visiting the mountain gorillas,

and had come down from the mountainside, having been cold and wet for a few days,

and in this backpackers' hostel a woman suddenly said, "You. Bargain Hunt."

-Really?

-And I just said, "Yes."

-Where did she come from?

-Rwanda.

She'd never been out of Rwanda, she wasn't a tourist or anything like that. She was from Rwanda.

-It's amazing where this show gets to.

-Isn't that extraordinary?

Perhaps I should say "Hello" to all our viewers in Rwanda.

Are you confident, James, that you and Kate are going to be able to see off these rascals today?

-I don't know. Maybe just.

-We'll give it a go.

You're up for the challenge for certain. Anyway, very good luck.

Are you quaking in your boots, then?

-Absolutely.

-No.

-No, you're not, boys.

Now, Charles, you've been on the show for absolutely ages, right?

-Eight years.

-One might like to say that you've actually grown up on this programme, is that right?

I have, Tim. And I keep on growing, hopefully. I bought a new suit.

-Yes, you came in shorts to start off with!

-I did indeed.

This is my new three-piece suit for the show.

-Quite sharp that, actually.

-It is. It was very cheap, a bargain.

-So, more than happy.

-You're looking well in it, boy. That's wonderful.

How do you feel about being coupled with Mr Stacey today?

Well, I think, I'm very happy.

Mark, like myself, we love dancing.

Mark is a...he boogies hard.

I boogie hard as well. And I think we'll get on very well together.

What about you, Mark? What about having young Charles as your co-respondent?

Well, I dare say we'll be doing the military two-step around the auction room.

-If I can rein him in, that is.

-I know, cos he whizzes off so.

He does. Every time you try and work with him, he's gone.

He's like a child in a sweetshop.

-Yes.

-I'll have to be very fatherly to him, I think.

Now, I followed your progress over the years.

-We've known each other, Tim.

-We've known each other for quite a long time now, haven't we?

-You have a very wide interest in antiques.

-I do.

And what really gets you fired up today?

What lights your blue touch paper?

Gosh, there's so much. I love... Lalique glass at the moment.

I'm trying to build a collection of that, but it's rather expensive.

But my main passion years ago was blue and white transfer printed wares.

I did have a very large collection at one point.

-What happened to it?

-I sold it, Tim. It helped me buy my first flat.

Did you? Is that the way it worked?

And do you regret the things that you ever sell?

Not very often. You've got to keep moving on.

-Translate it into cash, and move on.

-Absolutely.

-Very good.

-So, you reckon you're up to the challenge of beating the reds, anyway?

-Of course, Tim.

-Yes. Is it going to be a piece of cake, or what?

-Yes, of course it is.

I'm going to let Charles choose everything, because I've seen what wonderful hokums he buys!

-Hey, we're together.

-You're going to leave it entirely to Charles? And you want to win?

Sorry, Charles. Right, the money moment. £300 apiece.

I think we'd better get out of this before we get into trouble.

You know the rules. Well, you ought to by now!

You've got no experts waiting, cos you're the experts.

And off you go. Very, very, very good luck.

I think we're in for big trouble today, don't you?

-So, what are we looking for? Have you got a plan?

-No. Have you?

-No.

First of all, let's put ourselves together.

-Because, knowing how we can meander away from each other...

-Well, you do.

I think we just, you know, go for it, and keep an open mind.

That's what I tell my contestants.

You're going to bully me, aren't you?

I'm worried that if I'm too close to you, I might get battered with the old...

Where shall we start? There's so much here.

Right. As the experts get their bearings, take a look at this.

Because, after ten years, we've pretty much got the hang of this show.

But, occasionally, things go wrong.

-My foot, on my foot, my foot!

-Gosh, sorry about that.

I'm so sorry about that.

'So, no harm done! Now, where was I?'

Well, it's our birthday show, so we ought to get back to the shopping, I suppose.

I think Kate and James have spotted something.

It's quite smart but I don't know how old it is.

He reckons it's 1900, it looks a lot later to me.

That's lovely quality, isn't it?

It is, isn't it? That's what attracted me to it.

They could be from anywhere, couldn't they? But it's really Adam stuff, isn't it?

Why would it have a hole in the bottom?

-I thought I could get it.

-A cruet set?

-It's a cruet base.

OK.

That's exactly it. There would have been a handle in the middle.

-And bottles.

-Well done.

-Clever. Come on.

-Keep going.

He's a sharp cookie, is James.

Just take in the ambience of the fair, first of all.

-The ambience of the fair?

-Objects will jump out at you.

But I've seen the type of objects that jump out at you, Charles.

This is going to be fun, isn't it?

Ooh, Kate.

-Ooh, they're dead toasty.

-They're not real, I'm glad to say.

There's some great vintage stuff here, you know.

Give me another hour and I could spend some serious money.

-What's that?

-That's very nice.

-Arts and crafts.

You're the arts and crafts king. What do you think of that?

To me it's free-flowing,

organic, mesmerising.

It's got that sort of Celtic knots feel about it.

-I think it's not quite the real McCoy.

-It is only 30 quid.

It's nice, but do we go for it?

-We've only just started, we should give it a moment because I like that as well.

-That's really pretty.

To me, I'm sure it's continental.

Yes, I think it is continental.

Probably French or German.

Yes, I think it's probably German.

What's it worth?

-£60-£80.

-70, 80?

Yes. At auction.

-I agree.

-But then you'd hope it would make maybe £100 on the day.

-Correct. What's on it?

-150.

-Right.

Thank you very much. We may very well be back.

Thank you for your help.

Well, the experts seem to be getting on all right.

And complying with the rules.

As well they ought to, because they've been doing it for ten years.

But just in case they need reminding, they each get £300 and an hour to shop for three items.

The team that makes the most profit at auction wins.

And all this week, that money will go to charity.

They'll also get a bonus buy, and who will hunt for that?

Well, me, of course. But more about that later.

There's some delightful Moorcroft.

-This is called Moorcroft over here.

-It is, yes. Tube lined.

Tube lined. This is about 1880 in date.

Is it French?

It could be French, yes.

-Did you know that?

-No. But thank you, Charles.

-That's OK.

-I feel I'm learning an awful lot from you, Charles.

-I love that.

-Yes, a good chunky one, isn't it?

Not exactly one for your pocket.

-How much is the big hip-flask?

-I've got 395.

It's 1899.

-Is it?

-It's lovely.

Can't afford it, come on.

-I want a bit of silver, Charles.

-Me too.

-I want a nice bit of silver,

-because I want to teach you about hallmarking.

-Let's move on.

Charles, where are you going? Come here.

-Doulton Toby jugs?

-No.

We see lots of them on the market, Doulton Toby jugs.

-This is Mark Stacey.

-This is Charles Hanson.

-Nice to meet you.

He's the one who always gets it wrong on television.

-That nice, Charles.

-That's lovely.

Really pretty.

I love the quality.

What I want to show you, Charles, and this is very interesting.

Listen to this. That's what we call a hallmark.

Those little marks there, if you look at them very carefully,

-there's a little symbol there. What can you see?

-A leopard.

-That means it's English.

-Birmingham?

-It's London.

-And that's where we are!

And then the date letter will tell you what date it is.

What's it worth? Talk to me.

Talk to you. If I was putting that into the sale, I'm going to

be honest about this, if I was putting that in a sale,

-I'd put a cheeky estimate on it...

-I'm going to guess...

-..of £50-£70.

-£70.

-But, I'd hope it would make a bit more, because it's good quality.

Is the actual hinged lid OK?

Is there a stopper inside? No stopper.

That doesn't matter, it's got the little cork.

I think these people want us to win. So, what's your very best price?

As it's you, £100.

That's very good, isn't it?

It very good, but I think, I'd love to try and tweak it a little bit if we can.

All right, 99.

It's going the right direction.

99p?

I think, if we could get that for, say, £80, cash, now.

-80 quid. Please.

-Squeeze it up to 90, and we've got a deal.

85, meet in the middle.

85, done.

-Are you happy with that, Charles?

-Yes.

Well, who'd have thought that those two jokers would get one in the bag first?

This competition is really heating up.

Nice. Have they gone a bit off the boil?

Ivory thermometer, but Ashford marble.

-From Derbyshire.

-And malachite.

-Yes.

£85.

-Shall we ask for the best?

-Let's have a look.

Jenkins, Torquay.

-So, what, 1890?

-Yes.

Not the most commercial thing, being a thermometer.

But, a lovely desk item.

-For a collector of Ashford marble...

-Exactly.

How do they go in your sale room at the moment?

That would make...

-£140.

-£120, I was going to say, minimum.

-Shall we ask?

-Yes.

-Let's ask.

-Hi.

-You've got £85 on that one.

-Have I?

That's really cheap, it must be a mistake.

The best I can do, is this what you're asking me?

-Please.

-Well, what do you think, David?

-I think £75.

-Really?

-What were you thinking?

It's got a bit of a chip on the back that's been filled badly.

Come on, then.

Less than that!

68.

-65 would be better, wouldn't it?

-65.

-65?

-65, then.

-Yes! Yes?

-Done.

-Done. Thank you very much.

That's our first purchase.

-Well done.

-Is this a different take on it?

Yes, it is, it's to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the programme.

-Right, OK.

-I've celebrated Bargain Hunt

by putting a stone on for every year that I've been doing it.

Well, I think we're all a bit plumper, James.

So, as they reminisce, let's discover a bit more about our Kate.

I've grown up with antiques. My parents had old things in the house,

and I grew up going to my father's sale room,

because at one point he was selling chattels and antiques

at his little auction house just down the road from where we lived.

I just had it in the blood, I suppose.

I came back to Herefordshire, after being at university,

for some work experience at the local saleroom,

and as soon as I started, I thought, "I've got to be doing this."

When I'm not doing Bargain Hunt, I'm a full-time mother, pretty much.

I do have my own business, as a fine art valuer, and broker and agent.

But I haven't really got a lot of time for that at the moment,

because I have two little ones.

Lily is three and Benjamin is 17 months.

And they're quite a handful, really, so they keep me fairly busy.

So sweet! Now, Kate's life seems pretty hectic,

but one of her opponents today, young Charlie Hanson,

is making some big mushy plans himself at the moment.

Well, believe it or not, Rebecca and I are getting married.

I'm very excited. Rebecca and I, we met not long ago.

About two ½ years ago.

And we clicked. Rebecca, I suppose, in many respects, understands me.

She knows my passions.

She likes antiques, which is wonderful.

She helps me now and again with my work.

Primarily, she's a radiographer and works in Nottingham.

In my spare time I enjoy playing golf, obviously walking the dogs.

We've got my parents' big dog, Bentley.

We've got the small dog,

which is a cross between a chihuahua and a terrier, and that's Oscar,

and he's great fun and very, very quick, almost as quick as I am.

I love the countryside.

The great rural district, the Peak District, so I'm very pleased to be slap-bang in the middle of England.

I'm known for my dancing in private circles.

And I do like to move, because when the music plays,

and you feel the rhythm, it takes you.

And I become alive.

Like my father, we seem to just love to jive and move, baby.

I'm a good mover, if I say so.

And I just ignore anyone around me.

And I just boogie hard. I love it.

Just shows, you never know what people get up to in private, behind closed doors.

However, all of them now will have to get moving to find two more items.

You've got to find the next item.

-Yes!

-Stop strutting.

This way, this way.

-What's that?

-A giant stick insect.

-Poor thing.

-Gosh, it's enormous.

Charles, where are you going?

Come on, Charles, we've got 35 minutes left.

-Let's go down here, then.

-OK.

-Ooh, look. Head rest.

-A head rest?

Yes, it's a tribal head rest. Kenya probably, isn't it?

What, a head rest as in..?

No, for sleeping.

-Really?

-Imagine you're a nomadic tribesman, walking through the bush.

You don't put your head down in the same place every night.

-How long is this story going to take?

-Not very long.

-What you'd do, you'd carry this with you over your shoulder.

-Right.

And you'd smear that in goat's grease, and you'd sleep with your head on there.

-I see, like that.

-And the goats grease stops all the nasty insects

coming up and landing up in your ears.

-You sound as if you speak from experience.

-I've used one.

Have you seriously?

Yes, I have. How much is that?

I've got 35 on it, I could do 30.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on. This isn't for us.

Do you not think that would be a fabulous thing for Chiswick?

No. Put it back. Come on.

Ooh! Kate is taking control!

-You like Royal Worcester don't you, Charles?

-Yes. Oh, I love them.

-They're lovely.

-They're stunning. They're signed, aren't they?

Royal Worcester mark.

-With three circles, what date are we talking?

-1920s, I think.

Correct. What concerns me a bit, the scenes are quite unusual.

-They're almost impressionistic, aren't they?

-Yes.

I don't know of any Worcester painter who really did that.

-But they are right, though, Charles.

-Do you think they are?

-Oh, I do. I think those are fine.

-Mine is signed, is yours signed?

-Yes. H...

-E-J-A-M-S. Never heard of that bloke, have you?

-No, but I know...

-A man who will?

-I know somebody, I might give him a ring.

-Forsell?

No, I know the chap who used to be the...

-Harry Frost?

-Yes.

-Yes, Harry Frost.

-You know Harry Frost?

-I know of Harry Frost.

-Shall we ring him?

Give him a quick call, yes.

Harry, listen, a really quick call.

I'm filming Bargain Hunt with Charlie Hanson.

We've found a pair of Royal Worcester plates.

They're signed, what are they signed, Charlie?.

-H, E...

-H, E.

-J.

-J.

-A.

-A.

-M.

-M.

-S.

-S.

-Impressionistic.

-Evans? H. Evans?

For a pair?

Lovely, thanks, Harry. I'll talk to you later. Bye.

He thinks they would be quite a good buy if we could negotiate on them.

-OK, fine.

-He said they should do reasonably well at auction.

-What price have we got?

-£85, the pair.

-75 for the two, because they cost quite a lot.

-We're really close.

-I think we need to think about it.

-Why?

-Could we hold for ten minutes?

-Is that OK with you?

-Would you mind holding it, just for ten minutes?

-That's really kind, thank you.

I hope the reds didn't see that.

Phoning a friend, eh? So much for fair play and sportsmanship.

-Who have you found?

-What do you think?

She's pretty. Where's my eyeglass?

Hang on a sec.

She's nice, isn't she?

Look, on the top of the frame.

Oooh. Hallmark.

That's nice, isn't it?

Silver gilt frame.

That's worth a bit in itself.

I don't think £125 is a lot anyway.

£125? Have you tried to negotiate?

I've already got her down to 100.

-Right, OK.

-I've said 80.

-80 would be good.

80 would be good, wouldn't it? She said no.

I think we might get there, £90, £95, something like that.

Mmm, I think that's worth a shout. She what she can do.

See what her rock bottom is. It is nice, though.

You tell 'em, girl! Let's see what he comes back to you with.

We only bought one thing, we've only spent 85.

Come on, you're not telling me anything here, Charles.

I like to just wander.

Have a good wander for 50 minutes and then we can go and acquire.

Charles. You and your wandering.

-Hi, there.

-Hello, you all right?

-You said 100.

-Right, yeah.

-I said 80.

Best we can do is 90.

-£85?

-No. 90.

On the dot. I am serious.

-OK. You sound it! That's a deal.

-Thank you very much. That's lovely.

-Brilliant. Will you wrap it for me?

-Yeah, sure.

-Thank you.

Well done, James. I do hope Kate approves.

I'm sure you were supposed to check with her first, though.

-It's really funky.

-How old is it?

-'70s?

-'70s.

-'70s. Wonder how much it is.

-Shall I call them over?

-Yes, you go over.

-He's a big guy, though, isn't he?

-Yeah.

-I'll ask him, OK?

-Hello, sir.

-Hi.

-Excuse me, we're just admiring this nice table down here.

And is it 1970s?

-No! It's 1930s.

-Oh, really? So it's quite expensive?

-It's £450.

-I think it's lovely, Charles.

-It's delightful.

There's no real negotiation in that figure?

-Uh...a little bit but probably not as much as you want.

-I like it!

We haven't got the budget for it, honestly. I love it.

Even half price is out of your budget.

-We couldn't.

-Thank you for your time.

-Thank you so much.

Have a good day.

-What's going on then?

-What would say if they said 90?

I'd say pretty good-ish.

-Phew!

-You got it!

-Yes, I got it!

-You got it without me?

I just said yes. It was just automatic and it was, you know...

-So much for teamwork.

-I'm sorry!

Let's go over here, come on!

-We've been over there, Charles. We've been down there.

-We haven't!

Yes we have. We came in down...

Oh, yes. Sorry, it's the restaurant over there.

-Are you enjoying it?

-It's an experience, Charles.

-How do you find the hunting experience?

-Ah...tiring.

Whenever I go to a fair or a centre on Bargain Hunt,

I try to find something that's interesting to talk to you about

and the production team calls these Tim's Finds.

Do you remember these?

Is that not the most extraordinary picture? What is it?

Well, it's an original watercolour

painted by this man, L R Cooke, in November, 1860.

But what's it a picture of?

Got it? Its an ovary.

This is a genuine watercolour.

It dates from that period and I think it's very rare.

If this picture was to be sold on, almost certainly, the collector,

at the end of the day, would be from the medical profession.

The other thing about it that is lovely is the price.

The thing could be yours on a stall down the road for £120.

Is that a lot of money? Not really.

So here's a little something that I've picked up,

something I've had my eye on for a bit.

It looks like a pretty boring, oval tin box.

Actually, when you come to open it up, there's this little gem inside.

Why ever what I want to buy a glass eye?

It reminds me at a time at the school.

We had a boy who had a glass eye, poor thing, and he used to put it

in a mug at the end of the wash hand basins.

I went to bed late one night.

I wanted a glass of water.

I went to the mug but I felt a rattle in the bottom.

I shone my torch inside the mug and there was this eye glaring back at me.

Well, happy days.

Somebody suggested that this eye is exactly the same colour as mine

but it's a bit less bloodshot.

People can be so unkind, can't they?

And keeping their eyes open for those elusive bargains are our experts.

It's important they pick well because any profits made this week are going to charity.

However, methinks tempers are starting to fray as the search continues.

-I'm quite relaxed.

-I'm not, Charles.

-If we flunk this, I'm putting it down to you.

-Oh, right. Thanks.

We haven't done that side at all.

I'm worried about time. We've only got 20 minutes left and keep going for things we can't afford.

Let's keep going, Mark.

I haven't gotten a chance to look at anything.

Right or left? Right.

Where's he gone? Charles!

Oi! Charles.

-I thought we were supposed to be together.

-Sorry! Look.

Stay together with me, OK?

-What are the WMF?

-Unusual.

I'm trying to keep up with you!

-How much we got?

-We got about quarter of an hour.

-Right.

-Not that long.

Charles. Charles!

-Will you look at this?

-Sorry.

We're going to lose our whole budget again! It's all your fault.

The love each other, really.

James has got bored and deserted me.

Charles, you're rushing but not looking.

-James, ten minutes.

-Fine.

If you try and keep up with me.

I'm trying but you're not looking at anything. You're just rushing in the middle.

James. James.

Nice glovebox, there.

Look at it. Don't look at this.

We've got to look at things! If we don't look, we don't know.

They're normally so calm and collected when they've got contestants.

-Here's a caddy.

-It's lost all its silver.

It has lost it's silver on the top.

-What's your best, madam?

-£140.

140. I still think it's too much.

-Let's keep looking.

-All right.

-We know it's there.

That's beautiful. That is stunning.

But it's not silver, is it?

-It looks like silver.

-It looks like it but it's £24.

-It can't be silver, Charles.

-No.

Look at the extremities here.

Charles, we have to make decisions.

Relax. Yes.

-Madam, could we maybe offer...

-15.

-£15?

-No, you can't. Honestly, it has to be £20. Sorry.

-Can you not meet us halfway?

-Let's get it.

-Are you sure?

-Should we think about it?

-Let's get it, Charles.

-Let's think about it.

-Let's get it.

-Sure?

-Positive. We'll take it, madam, £20.

-That was your item.

-No, you just bought it!

Yes but I'm, I'm... Time, Charles!

I think we need a time out as we hark back to less stressful times.

It's very difficult to pick out key moments

because it all is quite a blur but I can remember that wonderful horse racing game

that two great contestants spotted at the antiques fair at Hexham Racecourse.

It was very fitting that we should buy a horse racing game.

Manifesto, it's called, the new race game.

Isn't that super? It looks to be all complete.

-It's all lain.

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

-£140.

-That's a lot of our money, isn't it?

-He won't come down.

I can see somebody paying £150, £160 maybe?

That flew.

£150, £160, £170, £180, £190, £200.

I think it made well over £100 profit if not more.

I don't believe it.

-Hang on. He hasn't finished yet.

-£380.

Gentleman in the hat still at £380. Are we all done? I'll sell for £380.

-Absolutely magical!

-Brilliant!

'So, that was very exciting.'

Charles has bought some corkers, too. Well, kind of.

We've acquired all sorts of interesting, peculiar objects.

For example, the carnival glass punch bowl which was horrific.

-Look at that.

-Oh, no way.

Do you really like that?

It's wicked. Look at it, it's marvellous.

It's a punch bowl and it's a monstrous punch bowl.

It's completely disgusting.

It was horrendous.

I could not believe that myself, as an expert, could buy something as bad.

It's no earlier than 1950s, '60s.

The base perhaps a bit earlier.

At auction, next to nothing.

We've got to have it, haven't we?

We've got to have that in our auction.

-I can't believe it.

-It's called Harvest.

It's by the Indiana Glass Company in America. It's about 1960s.

I'll tell you one thing about it, it's in full working order.

-See, they're all there.

-All there, nothing's broken.

I'm lost for words. There's three against one here.

We did,

and even now, I can't believe that this awful object made a profit.

All we all finished on £85?

Do I see £90?

-£90. £95.

-Fantastic.

£95.

Story of my life.

Objects which often won't be valuable to me,

with my fairly narrow mind set about antiques,

to the audience and public in seller rooms, it can make a profit.

We all finished now at the back of the room at £100?

I don't believe it. Fancy a job?

So what do I know?

Oh, Charles, we've seen you pick some splendid pieces.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

This programme wouldn't be the same without you.

However, it's the final push at the fair and with only minutes left,

each team has one item to find.

Six minutes to go.

Six minutes to go, and we've bought two items, Charles.

It takes ten seconds to buy an item.

Yes, but it's taking us 55 minutes to find it.

Have we been up here? How much is your hip flask?

I have vision on both sides.

You have no vision.

Probably a bit too much, I'm afraid.

We've been up here. Have we been down this section here, Charles?

Four minutes?

James, four minutes. Four minutes.

Charles, you've got to find it because I'm doing all the finding here.

Hurry up, teams.

What about that, 1912?

I quite like that, as Vestas go.

They're cutting it fine.

-That's lovely, Charles.

-I bet it'll be 220.

-80. Isn't that lovely?

Oh, yes. I think this is great. A little desk centrepiece.

Inkwell and stand, 1900, 1910?

What would you put on it as an estimate?

-I think we could buy it for £60.

-I think we might get a tenner profit.

-Good object, that.

-What's the best on the best at?

-Can I see it?

50.

Would 48 be any good?

Not saying we'd have it, but just so we can...

Excuse me, we like...

We're running out of time.

Let me speak to him.

Quickly!

It's OK, he's my friend. We're very short of time.

We both like the inkstand very, very much, the desk centrepiece.

-Lovely quality, 1900.

-Get to the point, Charles!

-1910, look I want to try a last minute, OK?

-OK.

We like it very much, we're really short of time. How long now, eight seconds?

-Yes, 30 seconds maximum.

-What's your best price, sir?

You say you liked it very, very much, it's just gone up to 150.

I wanted to offer 50 cash. Please?

Give me 55, and it's yours.

We shall take it. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it.

Let's shake hands. Very kind of you.

-Which one are you going to go for?

-I think the dog's more commercial.

-Dog? Like it?

-No!

-No, nor me!

I think the dog, please.

We'll have it, thank you. God!

Where did all that time go?

-Well played, partner.

-Well done, Charles.

-Thank you, sir.

That's it, time's up. Let's remind ourselves what the Reds bought.

First up, Kate and James thought £65 for the desk thermometer

was a red hot deal.

Next, they paid £90 for a miniature portrait of a young lady.

And in the final seconds, they plumped for a George V Vesta case.

But were they barking, paying £48?

Our happy hunters.

I think you make a lovely couple anyway, which is lovely.

So you've pretty well spent up, yes?

We're spent up. What do we spend in the end? 200 and something.

-Three.

-203.

That's a good number to spend.

Ordinarily, I'd take your leftover lolly.

But I'm not going to cos I've already been given some money to find you something.

I've found something really rather sweet.

Anyway, I think you're wonderful, you two. Fantastic job.

But for the viewers, let's check out how the Blue team are getting on.

Mark and Charles must have imbibed a few

before paying £85 for the glass hip-flask.

Confusingly, they paid £20 for a silver-plated jewellery box.

Gosh. And in the nick of time, they handed over £55

for a glass inkwell on a brass-mounted stand.

You're looking happy, aren't you?

-Two boys that have just had a socking great bowl of cream, I'd say.

-Yes, I think we have.

We're very happy with our purchases.

Got slightly flaky towards the end when the time ran out, I thought.

I'm not sure about flaky, but try to keep up with him, Tim.

-He's waltzing off.

-Always sloping off.

-I know.

But it's a way to unearth things, you've got to go round quick.

Mark's a bit slow.

This business about phoning a friend,

I'm sorry to interrupt you rudely.

I'm not altogether sure that should be permitted on the programme.

What's the audience think?

Do you think it should be? You don't think it should be.

Anyway, you never bought the object,

but phoning a friend is really pushing the rules, we feel.

-Me and the audience.

-I've no phone on me.

-You've got no phone?

-I didn't think about that, Tim.

I thought, insider knowledge.

-It's who you know!

-I won't do it again.

No, no, no. Only joking, but it's an interesting one.

Anyway, good luck, you chaps. Brilliant.

On Bargain Hunt over the years, I've seen some brilliant houses, and I've seen some brilliant collections.

A lot of these are privately owned but I have to tell you,

occasionally we've visited national collections or museums

and some of the things there are just brilliant.

The V&A welcomes over two million visitors a year through its doors

and is arguably the world's greatest museum of art and design.

It houses over 17,500 sculptures and 10,500 oil paintings.

The question is, how do you fill all these corridors with all these exhibits?

The answer is, with generous bequests, in part,

from benefactors like Constantine Alexander Ionides.

This legacy, comprising 1,158 pictures, drawings, prints and old masters

came to the museum in 1901 and is the collection of one wealthy,

Anglo-Greek, art-loving, shipping family.

And what a stunning collection it is.

Ionides was specific as to how his bequest was to be treated.

He wanted it to stay altogether.

He didn't want any pieces to go out on loan,

and he would have particularly liked this two-tier arrangement of hanging the paintings,

because it was just like they would have looked in his home.

He also wanted these pictures to be enjoyed and available to students,

and, at the time, this picture was cutting edge British contemporary art.

This masterpiece is by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and, interestingly,

Ionides knew all four of the figures that you see in the picture.

In fact, his cousin, Mary, this girl on the left,

was having a passionate affair with Burne-Jones

at the time the picture was painted.

It's a Pre-Raphaelite picture, but what do you like about it?

What I rather like is the rather geometric forms of this mill building in the background.

Just look at the outline of those buildings.

That could Corbusier in the early part of the 20th century.

But, Burne-Jones didn't just do paintings,

he was truly a polymath of the applied arts, too.

He designed jewellery. He designed ceramics.

He designed textiles, including tapestries.

And, believe it or not, he would responsible for the decoration on this grand piano.

Amazing, isn't it?

You've got that salon, which is what the Ionides family had,

and they wanted just the decorated object to fit in.

And this is it.

We really do have some fantastic museums in Britain, don't we?

Now it's time to head to the saleroom, and see how our expert teams fared at the fair.

So, we've popped from Ally Pally to Chiswick Auctions in West London

to be with William Rice, our auctioneer today.

William, this is your first appearance this week on the Tuesday anniversary programme,

and you're going to be our auctioneer for the programme on Friday, too, is that right?

It is indeed, and very exciting.

Well, it is a different programme,

to have two pairs of experts fighting against one another.

And, for Kate and James, the first item they've come up with is this

charming little desk thermometer encrusted in polished stones.

It's said to be Ashford marble. What do you think about that?

It does say Torquay on the thermometer, and,

although that wouldn't necessarily be the place that it was made,

in this case I think it probably is,

because there is a well-known stone factory in Torquay.

The Torquay marble works.

So, made in Torquay, for the West Country tourists, and then retailed by this joker on the ivory plaque.

Isn't that interesting? It's in good nick, isn't it?

-Yes, it is.

-So, is it going to raise the temperature, do you think, in the saleroom?

I think we should see £100 for it easily, I'd put 80 to 120 on it.

-But it's definitely worth £100.

-Okay, well they paid £65.

-Well, that's good.

-And who knows? It might just go and do a little better.

Next up is the miniature, which is of a handsome woman,

-probably 19th century, do you think?

-Possibly sort of Jane Austen time.

Yes, she's got that kind of rather flowing look, if you know what I mean.

Yes. It's a lovely framed, though.

Although it is a little bit tarnished on the back,

it is silver gilt,

and there's a little silver mark at the very top here.

-Oh, yes, that's good, isn't it?

-Which suddenly puts it into a different league, I think.

If anything, the frame is the best part about it, really.

-And what do you think it's going to bring?

-It should be a good £70-100.

Well, they paid 90.

OK, well that might be a bit of a conservative estimate.

-And their third item is the Vesta case, which is in good nick.

-It is.

I have to say that we're slightly worried about this in that there are

plenty around of a similar sort which have added decoration to them.

So it could be that this dog, which is, after all,

quite attractive, is something which was put on afterwards.

Well, that is a possibility, isn't it?

I mean, an absolutely plain Vesta case with nothing on it is worth £20 or £30.

Shove one of these things on and it makes it worth a bit more.

How much do you think this is going to bring in the auction?

I think it's still a £40-60 lot.

Do you? Well, they only paid £48, you see.

So there you go. I mean, the big question is, how much is the Torquay marble thermometer going to bring?

If it does really well, they're out of trouble.

On the other hand, they might be in trouble, in which case they're going

to need their bonus buy, which of course has been found by me.

Okay, lads. This is the moment critique.

You managed to spend £203, which is pretty good.

Ordinarily there would be £97 worth of leftover lolly,

but I've been allowed £100 to buy you something super special

as your bonus buy, which we hope is going to turn out to be really fab.

-So, are you going to give it a yank?

-I'm itching.

-Good, give it a yank.

Oh! It's a baby's plate! I love these!

-Now listen, both of you have got babies, you are both in need of one of these.

-Teddy Tale?

Do you know anything about Teddy Tale, because, quite frankly,

until I bought this baby plate, if I'm being perfectly honest with you,

I knew nothing about Teddy Tale.

-I haven't got a clue.

-Teddy Tale was the first strip cartoon character, daily,

anywhere in the world, and he came onboard for the Daily Mail in 1915.

I thought it was really sweet.

You've got this lovely transfer printed thingummyjig in the middle of the baby's plate that says...

What does the verse say, James?

-"And use a baby plate."

-Well, there you go.

-As far as the money is concerned...

-Exactly!

I had my £100, and I hope you don't think I overpaid when I paid £90 for it.

Look at their faces!

Only joking, I paid 20, actually.

-Oh, good! Yes, that's fine.

-See what I mean?

See the reaction at 90! Yes, £20.

-Happy with that.

-Now, you don't have to take it.

But for the viewers at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about my little Teddy Tale.

-Over to you then, baby.

-It is a very nice plate.

-Not bad, is it?

-It's very decorative,

the cartoon is really good and from a well-known cartoonist,

so it seems to have everything going for it.

I don't imagine it was wildly expensive...

Yes, £20, actually. Do you think that's wildly expensive?

No, I think we can certainly do a bit better than that.

Well, that would be brilliant. So, what sort of money, then?

Are you putting £20-30 on it?

I think we've put, perhaps, £30 or £40 on it.

Well, that's lovely. That's it for the Reds, Kate and James.

Now for Mark and Charles, our dynamic blue duo.

We've got the silver and faceted glass hip flask, nicely engine turned,

and what they call "ready to go".

It's nice. And the critical thing is that it's in perfect condition. Like you say, it's ready to go.

Yes, I know. And I've always liked the flask

that has the detachable cup at the bottom.

I think that's such a civilised thing,

to be able to pour out your nip,

rather than swigging it like some...

-Practical.

-Yes, quite.

-How much do you think it is worth?

-£50-80?

-£85 they paid.

So, they are not going to get a wodge of money out of that,

but they should at least cover themselves.

Next is the plated and enamel inset box.

How do you find this sort of stuff goes?

Well, a silver one of these is a totally different kettle of fish, really. They are very sellable.

I am not sure that a silver-plated one has got quite the same appeal.

Yes, I can't remember the last time I saw a plated one, to be perfectly frank.

They are usually silver.

They are. What do you think it's worth?

-£20-30?

-OK, £20 paid. So they should be just about all right with that.

And their last item is this handsome oak and brass mounted inkwell.

It's really good. And actually, so often with these, the tips of these little oak bits have gone.

This is intact. I think it's a very attractive object.

Yes, good chunky thing, isn't it? What sort of amount is it worth?

I think I'd put an estimate on it of £70-100 on it.

Well, that's great, they paid £55.

So that's a really good buy, actually, at £55 retail, and then coming to auction.

So, we've got them covered on two items,

potentially making a reasonable profit on the other,

but let's not get cocky.

Let's go and have a look at the bonus buy.

So now, boys, your bonus buy moment, yes?

-Can't wait.

-You spent £160, and I trotted off to find your bonus buy.

Now, Charles, it's slightly awkward to hold, so do us a favour and ripped it off, will you?

Crikey, me. What a lady.

Well, is it?

What do you mean, "is it?"

Well, Tim. What can one say?

-I can tell you love it.

-She's a fine lady, Tim.

-Is she a pastel?

-She's a pastel, yes.

Well done with that, Charles.

-That's a very good start.

-Is she, what, around 1900?

She'd be about 1900, Charles, that's two points to Charles. Mark, zero.

-Comments?

-Well, it's in a gilt frame.

-Yes. That's one. 2-1.

That's the clincher. And it's oval, of course.

That's two-all! Yes, chaps, you are level pegging, that's so brilliant.

-Tim, who's the artist?

-Anna Nordgren.

-Right.

-Ooh, a known artist.

The Anna Nordgren.

This is, basically, a very nicely executed pastel.

And how much did you pay for this?

What's it worth, Mark? If you saw that at a fair, what would you pay for it?

In a good fair, that would be £300 or £400.

-I'd have to say, yes, £400.

-Well, if you've got the name attached to it.

But as it had no name attached to it, I bought it for £30.

-He's our man.

-I tell you what, I take it all back.

I think it's charming!

-There you are, you see.

-It's got great potential!

-You little rat, you!

-Well done.

-Seriously, £30, so a little bit of research.

You may not need to use this as a bonus buy, because you may be so ahead that you needn't be bothered

-with the bonus buy. Right?

-Quite right.

But, for the viewers at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Anna Nordgren.

So, Will, what do you make of her?

Well, the artist is Anna Nordgren, who's quite a well-known artist

from the turn of the last century from Sweden, working over here.

She's been well exhibited, as well.

It's a bit of a dark picture, but it has got a certain look.

Be nice to know who she is, and she remains anonymous, which is, again, not the best thing

from the point of view of selling it,

but, really good that she's exhibited and done all this stuff in the past.

-That does make a difference.

-Really helpful.

-Good, what's your estimate?

-I have put £80-120 on it.

That's brilliant. I mean, I paid 30.

Brilliant, you're going to be taking the sale in a minute.

-That's right.

-We're in safe hands. Thanks, Will.

Well, this is exciting, isn't it? Here we are on the edge of our anniversary auction,

and, I don't know about you, but this is a stuffed up room,

but are you getting a warm and comfortable feeling from this room?

-How's it going for you?

-I would say a cold and uncomfortable feeling, actually.

-Very definitely.

-It's funny, isn't it? But, there we go.

First up is the Ashford marble thermometer, and here it comes.

And what's it worth? Start me, nice lot this, £50 to go?

Surely for 50.

£50 I am bid, do you want 55?

Thank you. 60, 65, 70, 75.

In front of me here at £75. It would be nice to have a bit more.

Here at £75. Anybody else?

-At £75. Selling it then for £75...

-Not expensive.

A cheap lot for £75.

It's the £75, that is plus £10.

And, in this market, you've done amazingly well.

Well done. So, the miniature on ivory next. Here we go.

A Georgian portrait miniature

of a young women in a silver gilt oval frame.

A nice lot. I'm glad to say I've got some interest in it.

-I can start already straight off at £80.

-Oh, good.

With me at £80. 85, thank you. 90?

95, 100, 110,

120, 130, 140, 150, 160...

-£160, still with me...

-That's better.

-I like the smell of that!

-Anybody else? £160 then, going at £160.

-Well done, James.

-Good boy.

-Good boy, plus 70 on that. That is a good price.

That's a good price. In this market, it's a good price.

This, on the other hand, was not a good buy.

Well, you paid £48 for it, his estimate is 40-60.

So, you're right in the middle. If he's right with his estimate, you will be fine.

It's a silver Vesta. A little lot there, is it worth, start me at £40?

I'm bid 40. 45...

Look at this!

-50, 55, 60...

-Come on, chicken...

65. £65 anybody else?

In the doorway at £65.

That's a cracker.

£65.

That's 15 plus...

That's £17, 80... That's £97.

Plus £97.

-97!

-That is very nice. £97.

Now, are you going to risk £20 of your £97 on this baby plate?

-Going with it or not? Quickly, it's coming up. Yes, or not. Quick!

-BOTH: Yes.

We're going with it, here we go, a vote of confidence.

Showing for you upstairs, with the the cartoon on it, 124A.

Let's start this low.

Who will start me at £20 for it?

-20 I'm bid, thank you.

-ALL: Yes!

A maiden bid of 20.

22, thank you.

24, 26,

£26 in the doorway.

It doesn't seem very much money, £26 for that little plate.

At £26, are you all done?

£26 and going, then...

26.

£26, that's lovely. Plus £6, I'm not complaining.

It's a profit, thank you, Tim.

That is £103 profit.

That's well worth having.

Now, will the Blues perform as well?

We'll find out, but don't talk to them, all right? Not a word.

A great result there. But before we see how the Blues do, take a seat, I've got something to show you.

Well, not bad. Swedish, I'd say.

But an original or a reproduction?

At least you could sit on it if all else fails, unlike some of these chairs you find at auction.

If your house is already full with furniture and you want to continue collecting,

then why not think about one or two miniatures

like this delightful little lot that I've just found?

Here we've got five distinct styles of pieces of furniture,

all made out of solid silver, hallmarked in Birmingham in 1910.

Except there's an additional delightful feature.

This one is inscribed "Shakespeare", this one is inscribed "Tennyson",

this chap "Bulwer-Lytton", this chap "Dickens"

and this chap "Thackeray". So how's that?

Well, my theory is that the Birmingham maker of these chairs has selected the actual

chairs that these literary giants did their compositions and created their master works

and has simply reduced them into miniature in silver, as a collectible.

The other resonance they have is a cash call,

because the estimate is £125-£160 for all five of these,

and I have a funny feeling that they're worth nearly £100 each.

Start at 140 and we're looking for 150.

Silver chairs, 150.

150, 160. 170.

180 on commission. 190.

200. 210, £200 with me. Who's 210?

-Any more? 200 and selling.

-£200.

That's not so bad, is it? £200.

I hope the owner will be very happy.

Someone had a lucky find with that lot.

I wonder who it was?

Right now, though, let's find out whether Mark and Charles are going to be equally lucky.

-So, boys, do you know how the Reds got on?

-No, not at all.

-No idea.

You don't want to know, I tell you.

So, you guys. How are you feeling?

-Quite confident?

-Yeah, I think we bought some nice items.

On the face of it you're not too bad, and the first item up is that nice flask. Let's go for it.

Nice, engine-turned cup on it,

148 and we've got some interest in it as well.

-Oh, good.

-I've got a bid in straight off of £50.

55. 60. 65. 70. 75. 80. 85.

90. 95. 95. Anybody else, 95?

A hip flask at £95?

-That's a scorcher.

-£95, are you all done?

At £95, going for 95...

That's £10. That's very, very nice.

Mark Stacey. Thank you very much.

Now, Charles, here comes your plated jewellery box.

Is it worth £10? Little enamelled box, for £10 I'm bid £10.

£10. It can be sold for £10.

Oh, no, don't say that!

At £10, for £10...

Surely, anybody can have £10 I'm bid, on my far left.

-Oh, no.

-£10 and going.

-This is a disaster, Charles.

-You've just destroyed my profit.

-That's minus £10.

-We're united, we're together.

-Not after this.

-It doesn't matter.

-You had £10. You've just lost £10.

You're back to square one.

-Square one.

-Stick together, OK?

-I'm not working with you again.

-Oh, please.

Let's be a team.

-You've let me down.

-No bickering about it. Here it comes.

A Victorian Standish. There we go. A nice looking lot.

Is it worth £30?

I'm sure it is.

Again, we've got charity lot. £30? Silence in the room.

I can't believe it. Thank you. 30, and now it's all happening.

30, 35. 40. 45 there.

50. 55.

60. 65. 70.

-£70 there.

-Should be £100.

-Come on, a bit more.

Anyone else? £70 and gone.

-He's gone at £70.

-Yes, well, that's profit.

65, 75, plus £15, all right, £15.

That's all right. You have £15 at the end of your sale.

Now, that could be a winning score.

Are you going to preserve your £15, your hard sweated £15?

-What do you think?

-We're in.

-We're in.

-Well, thanks, lads, for that vote of confidence.

Personally, I'm feeling a bit gippy about it.

But then, for a change, I'm in a safer position then you are,

hopping from one foot to the other, and here it comes.

Nice portrait there, pastel.

Accomplished artist. What's it worth? Is it worth £40?

£40 for the portrait? Surely, for 40. £30 then, to go?

Thank you, £30. 35.

40. 45.

50. 55.

60. 65.

70. 75.

-80...

-Oh, Tim.

-£80 there.

It should make more than that.

-Come on.

-90. 95. 100. 110.

At £110. £110.

Should make 500, this. I'm disappointed.

110.

£110. £110, gives you guys 80 quid.

-Fantastic.

-Is that £80?

It is. £80, that gets you up to £95.

Now, listen, lads, £95 could be a winning score.

Just between us guys, it could be a winning score.

So don't say anything to those brutes, the Reds, all right?

-We're delighted, thank you.

-Very good. Lovely.

That's all right, isn't it? They're a couple of players, I tell you.

Well, what a smashing programme we've had today.

It's been so exciting, hasn't it?

I can't thank you contestants for driving this competition to such a

close finish, because there's only £8 between these characters.

-Now, have you been talking to one another?

-No.

You don't know where you're up to.

You both know, though, that you're substantially in profit, which is a considerable achievement

on Bargain Hunt, and the runners up, who have done incredibly well, I must say, are the Blues.

-£8 only. I mean, lovely profit on the flask, right?

-Yes, your find.

-Lovely profit on the desk stand.

-Our find.

-Lovely profit from me.

Seriously, £95 is absolutely splendido. There we go. 95.

-Thank you.

-I'll take that.

Which is for you not to keep because I'm going to take that back straight away. That's sorted out.

The good Lord gives with one hand and he takes away with it the other. Anyway, congratulations.

BUT the winners overall, by making a profit on every single item today,

which is just extraordinary, £103, here you go.

-£103 coming out.

-I won't even bother.

How does it feel to have it, Kate?

-Great.

-Not for long.

Anyway, thank you so much, congratulations all round.

Join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes? Yes!

What a cracking show, eh?

We've loads more tomorrow as Charles and Kate team up with different partners...

And Philip Sorrell reveals his past.

My real passions are sport, because I started life as a PE teacher.

And his feminine side.

What?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail: [email protected]