Peterborough 27 Bargain Hunt

This bargain hunting lark just looks like a piece of cake, doesn't it?

But, actually, there's far more to it than meets the eye.

Our teams are going to need loads of skill, they're going to need cunning,

and above all, they're going to need speed.

Yeah.

Well, come on then. What are you doing back there?

Let's go bargain hunting.

Hello. And a very warm welcome to you all.

I'm at the East of England showground in Peterborough

and can't wait to show you what's in store.

Just take a squiz at this.

The Reds can't decide.

25% off everything on that table.

-Jen, we've got some money to spend.

-We have.

-We have.

The Blues can't disagree.

-You want to go for it?

-Yeah.

-You like that?

-Definitely.

-Brilliant. We'll go with that.

And I can't move for dogs. Don't you think he's sweet?

Hang on a sec, though.

We need to meet the teams. Welcome, girls.

Now we've got good friends, Jennifer and Lydia, for the Reds.

And good friends, Christie and Abbey, for the Blues.

Now, you two became friends in the swinging '60s. Is that right?

-Yes. We did.

-And you're both very busy, aren't you?

-Yes.

-OK. Tell us what you get up to then, Jennifer.

Golf and tennis and bridge and...

-Lunch?

-..eating. Eating.

Lots of eating.

Mostly outdoor sports, really.

So you want to not only exercise your brains but also...

Our bodies.

I thought you were going to say that.

-Lovely. Now, Lydia, you're a hairdresser.

-Yes.

-And did hairdressing bring you to Britain?

-Yes. It did.

-Where did you come from?

-Austria.

-And you came to learn English.

-Yes, I did.

You came over to learn your English. Then what happened?

I came to learn to go back home again, home Austria, and then I met my husband and stayed.

So how confident are you two girls about your performance today?

-Very confident.

-Are you?

-Yes.

Well, we'll do all we can to assist you in that aim.

What lovely girls. Now, over to the Blues.

-You're great friends. Yes?

-Yes.

-From university.

When you've finished at university, you're keen to travel.

Yeah. Well, I think so. I don't really know exactly what I want to do, but I'd like to go to China.

-To do what?

-Maybe to like care for animals or teach English.

Is there any particular animal that you'd like to look after in China?

Pandas are the obvious one for China, because they're endangered.

-Lucky old panda, I say.

-That's right.

-Now, Abbey, golf is your big thing, right?

I'd like to pretend it is, although I did have lessons for two years

and never played a round of golf. I wasn't confident enough.

-What, never the whole 18 holes?

-No.

How are you on the subject of antiques and collectables?

Are you going to beat these Reds?

We both do history and I think because we read it so much in books,

the reason why we wanted to come on Bargain Hunt was to see it in objects as well.

And there is no better way of telling the historical story,

quite frankly, than grabbing a lump of something, that's really a bit of living history.

Anyway, now the lovely dosh moment.

£300 apiece. £300. There you go. £300.

You know the rules. Your experts await. And off you go.

And very good luck. Don't forget, girls, we want a nice clean fight.

Talking tactics with the Red team is shrewd shopper David Barby.

And the Blue team are being warmed up by Mr Motivator himself,

Thomas Plant.

And the rules are each team gets £300 and 60 minutes to shop for three items.

And we're going to be watching the clock.

So, let's get cracking, eh.

Look, here we are. Here's the entrance.

It looks crowded out. Keep close.

-Scan the stalls as you go along but don't look at every single thing.

-All right.

Sound advice, David.

-Oh, that's nice. Look how intricate that is. Is that ivory?

-It is ivory.

How much is the ivory brooch?

The very best is 130.

-130. Did you want to think about it? We've just started shopping.

-Yeah. We will have a think about it.

We don't want to buy something too expensive at the start.

-We'll leave it.

-That's a very good plan.

Here on this still is 18th century porcelain.

-Yes.

-And you know about that, don't you?

Come and have a look. Whether in fact it interests you or not,

you see, you're talking in terms of £250.

It's really more than we would possibly want to spend.

-Yes.

-Yes. Yes. It is indeed. It is indeed. Some very nice pieces.

It's a bit expensive though, isn't it?

-Do you think?

-I don't know.

-How much is it?

-195.

Well, I don't think you'll get your money on that somehow.

I don't think so. What do I like?

Lydia, Winston Churchill.

-I don't know.

-How much is it?

-Well, it's a bit expensive. £25.

-It's not expensive for what it is.

But you've got to think in terms of if it goes up for auction...

-I just like his face.

-..whether we're going to make a profit or not.

This is going to be a battle, David.

These toys, toys have such a nostalgia with people.

-Definitely.

-People love them.

-They're collectables.

It's a huge collecting area.

-Wow. Look at that.

-What do you like about that?

When we were younger there was like the huge plastic

little kitchen thing, so it's quite nice to see that they had that toy then.

It's tinplate. And you've got these nice printed panels on here.

-These look like plastic handles.

-It's in good condition.

-It is in good condition.

-They're lovely, aren't they?

-Yeah. Really good.

-Oh, there we are.

-It's a Swiss make, Sigg of Switzerland.

-You can image them melting the chocolate in the pans.

Do you think things like that would sell?

Absolutely. You've got a big paella dish. Yeah.

I think it's a good, novelty, interesting item, isn't it? A toy point of view.

-I just think I would prefer to see at least £10 off that.

-Yeah.

Maybe a little bit more. Do you want me to go and have a chat?

-Yes.

-Or do you want to go and do it?

-What do you want to do, girls?

-You can do it.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-You do the first one and then we'll...

-Chickens.

Hello. What's your very best on that?

-35.

-Brilliant. So, guys, £35. What do you think?

-That's really good.

-You want to go for it?

-Yeah.

-You like that?

-Definitely.

-Brilliant. We'll go with that.

-That's really good.

-It's a novelty item.

-Even though we said we weren't going to go for that, but I like it.

-I do.

So, onwards and upwards. We've got our first item.

-Yeah.

-Good.

-Let's find another two.

-Yes. Let's go.

-Come on.

Cor, you're cooking with gas, Blues.

Now that, actually, I like it.

-Oh, good.

-I do.

-Let's have a look.

-I like that.

-I wonder if we can get...

-We'll have to ask.

-Like the shape of it?

-Yes. I like that.

It's very... the simplicity of it.

-Would I pay £45 for it?

-No. We wouldn't. We wouldn't.

The gentleman may negotiate a price.

-What's the best on the spoon, sir?

-38.

Can't do quite 38.

Have to do a bit better than that.

We will.

I know we have to buy things.

Yes. That is the point of the game, Lydia.

OK. Can I just check with my boss?

-My boss?

-What do you think?

-How much is it?

-32.

-Would he come down to 30 on it?

-Yeah. We'd have it for 30.

-Go on. I'll do 30 then.

-We'll do 30.

-Right.

This is quite a nice little spoon.

When I look at this, I think of the arts and crafts movement although it was made round about 1946.

It's a two to one thing here.

-You don't like it, obviously.

-I don't dislike it, but I just feel

would I pay £30 for something of that nature or even more?

-It is solid silver.

-Do you think 30 is OK?

I think £30 is a reasonable figure.

-And do you think it'll make a profit?

-It is handmade.

-Yes.

-So I've been told, but I liked the look of it straightaway.

-So do I. Yes.

-Well, there we are. We've made our first purchase and I do think we ought to get on.

You tell them, Lydia.

The next choice will be yours, Jennifer.

SHE LAUGHS

We might be waiting a long time for that then.

-That is nice, isn't it?

-Yeah. I mean, it's £6.

I think you want to look for something... You've got a bit more money than £6 to spend.

What about that jug up there?

-This one?

-Yeah. Do you like that?

-Yeah. I like the blue inside.

Yeah. Look at the base.

-What does it say?

-"Clarice Cliff."

Your grandma recommended that, didn't she?

My grandma told me to get Clarice Cliff.

-Oh, right.

-Or Troika.

-Naturally, they're two good subjects.

I knew it was Clarice, as soon as I saw it, because of this handle here.

It's a sort of later Clarice Cliff design.

-Would it be a water jug?

-Yeah. Water jug or lemonade, certainly.

You can even put flowers in it if you wanted. It is pretty.

Do what you want, really. Absolutely.

It would be quite nice. I love the colours.

-The handle's really nice.

-It's quite modern looking.

-Yeah.

-How old is it then?

-60 years?

-I don't know any Clarice.

Think a bit earlier. A bit earlier.

-80 years?

-Absolutely. It's about 1930s. What do you think about that price there?

I think we could knock it down a bit. Maybe to like 70 or something.

I'd go for 65.

Why don't you go, do you want to go and have a chat?

Why don't you go and bargain this time?

Go and see her and Christie and I will have a look round and see what else is here? Is that all right?

Yes. Perfect. Wish me luck.

-Go and have a chat. Go on.

-Good luck.

So while Abbey goes walkies, come and have a look at this.

Have you noticed that there's not the most phenomenal number of dogs at these antique fairs?

Well, it's hardly surprising then that actually, dog collectables are incredibly collectable.

So what do you think about this little joker?

What sort of breed is it? The clue is about its body, look.

It's got this vaguely squashed-in face and a curly type of tail.

And I reckon it's a pug dog.

This thing was made of cast bronze between 1780 and 1820,

so it's really got some age.

This gold chain is supposed to be attached to that collar,

which in turn is attached to this slab of marble,

and I really like this slab of marble, because it's Siena marble

and that's been applied onto some plain white Carrara marble.

And these two slabs of marble, one on top of the other, I think are incredibly smart.

And it looks a bit, to me, like William Hogarth's Trump.

If you trot down to the Tate, there's a splendid portrait

of William Hogarth with his dog, Trump,

which you see in lots of portraits of the man.

The other famous person that owned one of these was the Emperor Li Po.

He so loved his pug dogs that he gave them the status of his wives.

Of course, the British, when they sacked Peking in 1860,

they found loads of pug dogs in the Imperial palace and they imported them en masse back to Britain.

So, you see, there's a lot that's very special about pugs,

which I reckon will make this thing highly desirable

were it to be resold.

What's it worth? Well, you could buy it in a sale like this for £60.

Were you to sell it to a pug fanatic though,

I reckon you'd get a cool 400.

Woof woof.

Abbey, how did you get on with the bargaining?

Prefer one with a shade on top.

But you always choose your own shade though, don't you?

-Yeah, I suppose.

-You always do your own shade.

Guys, I think I've got good news.

-Oh, yeah. What is it?

-65.

-That is good.

-Let's put this down.

-Looking at things. Let's have a look at that.

-I think it's worth it.

-I definitely do. I really like it.

-Do you want to go for it?

-Yep.

-Well done. I think we should get it.

-We'll dedicate that one to your grandma.

-Definitely.

-Brilliant.

Swift work. Two down, one to go.

You'd better start making some quick decisions, Jen and Lydia, if you want to catch the Blue team up.

Could I just interrupt? Are you interested in Art Deco?

-Am I? Yes.

-I am.

-Any interest in ceramics?

-Yes.

-OK. Can we walk quickly?

-Yes.

-OK. Right. Follow me.

Barby's getting all masterful.

-So you've got one other thing to buy. Is that right?

-Yep. We have.

And are they good?

They're receptive. They're interested.

-They're young, bright.

-They're young, bright.

-Like you and me.

-Absolutely.

-Mirror image really, I'd say. Anyway, good luck.

-Thank you.

-Right. What do you think?

-What, the plates?

They're actually stands for table.

-If you had a hot terrine, you'd place it on the top so you wouldn't harm the table.

-Yes.

But they're bold colours, typical of the 1920s.

They look nice. I like them.

That's good. Good.

A bit expensive, aren't they? Are they 44 or is it my eyesight?

They are 44. They're £22 each. Very good mark there. James Kent.

So many factories producing it, you look at this and think of Clarice Cliff.

-Do I?

-Jennifer, where have you been the last 40 years?

Where have I been? Clarice Cliff. Yes.

And it's that sort of palate, that sort of decoration, stylised flowers. So I think it's quite good.

I had a quick word with the dealer and he's prepared to take £30 for the two.

Would you say that was good?

-It's £15 each.

-Yes.

Can we do a bit more off with the dealer? Can we ask a bit more?

He's come down 44 to 30.

-All right then.

-What do you think?

-Yeah. I think they're nice.

-Yes.

-Hold one, Jennifer.

Hold the other one, Lydia.

Because I think they're quite attractive. I like these.

-Yes. We'll have those.

-Yes.

-My prayer's been answered.

-Hallelujah.

Can we have a look at something just round the corner?

-Yes. Of course.

-Right.

-Right. Shall we settle on these?

-Yes.

I'm so delighted.

You know you guys are thinking about, you know, something useful.

-Yeah.

-I mean, why don't we look at something like a walking stick?

-Yeah.

-That is useful.

-I know it's not very feminine at all.

-We don't mind about that.

But do people buy walking sticks at auctions?

-Huge collectorship appeal for them.

-Really?

The plain ones, people aren't so excited about.

But it's the white metal ones they quite like.

-I quite like that one.

-This here.

-Who's that man?

Well, you are historians, aren't you?

So what happened in 1848?

-Unification.

-Yeah. And who was sort of in charge of Germany?

-Bismarck?

-Yeah, Bismarck, but who was their sort of king?

I'm sorry. I'm an English historian.

-Kaiser Bell.

-Wilhelm.

Yeah. Yeah. So, Kaiser Wilhelm.

-And then this is obviously...

-Oh, that one.

Kaiser Bell being under the thumb.

-Oooh!

-That's really clever.

-You like that.

-I like that.

That's quite witty!

-I do.

-It's quite funny, isn't it?

Yeah. It's in good condition as well.

It is. Quite a heavy gauge of white metal.

It is not marked anywhere if it's silver or not. It's good fun though, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-I do like that it's a bit of history as well.

-Me, too.

-It's not just old. It's got history behind it.

Shall I ask how much it is? It could be quite expensive.

-Yeah, ask how much it is. Check it out.

-Shall I?

-Yeah.

-Do it.

-Right. What do you think we would get it at?

I don't know how much it would be.

Maybe...180.

-I'll do 140 and that is rock bottom.

-OK. So what do you think?

£140 I've got it down from.

It was 180. And I've got it to 140.

We've spent 100, haven't we?

-So we'll have 60 left.

-60 for me.

-Yeah. I like it.

-I like it.

-I like the joke behind it.

-Me, too.

-You want to go for it?

-Definitely.

-Yeah, I think so.

Well, that's brilliant. Third item. 45 minute shop.

-That's really good.

-15 minutes left for a cup of tea.

Yep. Definitely. Or two.

Let's go and have that cup of tea then. Come on.

-Thank you.

-Easy peasy.

Blues done. Hurry up, Reds.

Right, Jennifer. It's your buy now.

It is my buy.

I want something bigger for my money.

-Small is beautiful.

-Is it?

-So I'm told.

Let's have a quick wander down here.

Please do not pick up every little thing.

-No. No. No. No.

-Right.

25% off everything on that table.

Jen, we've got some money to spend.

-We have.

-We have.

-Nude ladies always sell quite well, don't they?

Do what, nude ladies?

We've got 15 minutes to spare.

Have you seen anything, Jennifer? It's your choice.

I might have seen something on this stall round here.

-OK. Lead on MacDuff.

-Right.

I'm quite happy with either of those items. I quite like that one really.

-That's a bit small.

-It's small? It's huge.

-It's small for our purposes but it does look attractive.

-It does look attractive.

-It reminds me of Victoriana, whereas, the one up there reminds me of the 1950s.

-Does it?

Yeah. Do you not think so?

-1950s?

-I don't mind either. I like them both.

-It's Bohemian glass.

And they are wonderful glass manufacturers.

They were in the 19th century and before.

But I think it was made yesterday.

-Do you?

-Yes. But that doesn't matter. It's got quality.

1950s, all the rage.

Flat furniture, G-Plan. It's all coming back,

and this is very much capturing that particular style.

I like it. Did you want to have a word with the gentleman?

I will. What do you think?

I'll do it for 70. >

-Not 65?

-I'll meet you halfway.

-I'll go 68.

-I'll see what he says.

He'll do it for 68 but that wouldn't make us much, would it?

No-one would go to 68 for that, would they?

The point is we're running out of time.

-Yes.

-I want to hold it.

-Go on then. It's new, isn't it?

-Course it's new.

-Yeah.

-And it's not that heavy if you're considering lead crystal.

What I do like about it is that it's handcrafted and this has been spun whilst it's still a molten shape

and then it's been pulled in at its corners there whilst it's still molten.

It's what we term as case glass. So you can see the clear glass there.

-And then you've got the dark glass with the gold inclusions encased within the clear.

-What do you think?

-Do you want to have another quick glance or do you want to decide on that?

-No. I'll be going on forever.

But I don't know if it would make a profit at 68.

-Well, it's your choice.

-I know.

-It's the only thing that's brought us a sort of positive reaction.

-It is.

-Isn't it?

-Yes.

-And you can see, when it sells, that I have no taste.

-Oh, it'll sell.

It'll sell. Don't worry about that.

Go and clinch the deal and we'll go and have a cup of tea.

More tea. Mine's black. No sugar.

Hello. What's that, you say?

-Time's up.

-Time's up.

Cor, doesn't time fly when you're enjoying yourself?

The hour might be over, but our experts still have to find a bonus buy with the leftover lolly.

The team can take it or leave it at auction,

but it could make the difference between victory and defeat.

But that's all for later. Right now, though, let's remind everybody what the Reds are pinning their hopes on.

The Reds ladled out £30 for a silver arts and crafts spoon.

They spent the same amount on David's Art Deco plate stands.

And Jennifer was taken by the flamboyant glass vase.

-I'm so pleased that's over and done with now.

-What a relief.

-What a relief.

-Absolutely.

I think everybody's relieved, quite frankly. We're all relieved.

You have not agreed on one single little thing, have you?

-Not really.

-No. What do you mean, not really?

-Not really. Well, we semi-agreed...

-Semi-agreed.

..that my taste was rubbish.

Well, of course, the proof with all this,

which is what so exciting on Bargain Hunt, is in the pudding.

So how much exactly have you spent, Lyd?

I think £128.

You're, of course, not happy with that, are you?

-Well, I think we should have spent more.

-Yes. I quite agree.

-I do.

-But anyway, you spent 128.

I would like £172 of leftover lolly.

You want some change, do you? There's your leftover lolly.

Leftover housekeeping. I'm going to hand this over to the long-suffering David Barby.

-So right.

-He's our hero actually.

-He definitely is.

You've got all that dosh and you've got to go off and buy

the bonus buy but at least nobody's going to tell you what to do, David.

Absolutely. They've got such diverse tastes.

So this time, Tim, I'm going to buy something that I like.

Buy something that you like that's going to make a big profit. And good luck with that.

Why don't we check out what the Blue team bought, eh?

They really got cooking with the toy kitchen range.

And all agreed, £65 was the right price for the Clarice Cliff vase.

Finally, they just strolled off with a commemorative walking stick.

-Now for that cup of tea.

-Yeah. Cup of tea.

Well done, girls. I think you've done rather well.

-What's all this? You finished?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-That's a result, isn't it?

-Do you want to join us for a cup of tea?

I'd rather do the leftover lolly really. How much did you spend?

-£240.

-Yeah.

Yes. That's a good number is £240.

-Not cheap, these girls, are they?

-Not cheap but it's good fun.

Good fun. £240. So there's 60 notes left over.

-You've got the 60 notes?

-Yeah.

-You got that crispy?

-Yes.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks, Tim.

-OK, Timbo. What's this then?

-This is our last item.

It's your last item. This is rather good, isn't it?

Do you know what I'm going to do with this? I'm going to give you the stick, Thomas.

Going to knight you, Sir Bargain Hunt. Arise.

Anyway, I'm not giving an opinion on that. Thank you very much.

-Here's £60 anyway.

-Thank you.

You like that. See, straightaway, he snatched it.

What are you going to do with it? It's not for you, you know.

I've seen something very stylish.

Have you? Good. Well, you'd better hobble off and find it then.

Anyway, good luck, girls. But for us though, while Tom goes off

and weaves his magic wand, we're going off somewhere magical too.

We're going to Canons Ashby in Northamptonshire. Ooh ahh.

Canons Ashby, home to the Dryden family since the 1550s

and let me tell you, there's more to this manor house than meets the eye.

In 1708, Edward Dryden was running his own successful London business.

He was married to a wealthy well-connected wife and on top of all of that, he inherited this.

The family pile.

Lucky chap, what.

Edward was a dedicated follower of fashion and couldn't resist making a few changes here and there.

In the dining room alone, Edward lowered the floor so as to improve the proportions of the room.

He added costly Wainscot panelling, so that it was warmer.

And, of course, he added the must-have early 1700s feature, which is sash windows,

so that you could enjoy the recently landscaped gardens more easily.

Edward and Elizabeth sure did understand about the finer things in life.

And here, in the dining room, we've got a very rare survival of their time.

A solid silver tea kettle, which was commissioned by them in 1712.

It was made by Thomas Sadler, a famous silversmith in London.

And it remains nigh on 300 years later still in the house for which it was made.

These things are extraordinary objects, aren't they?

The scale of the tea kettle and the gauge of the metal in it exude quality.

It's polyagonal, not round.

It's got these chamfered sides.

It's got a handsome and imposing swing overhead handle,

all thoroughly worked out for your convenience.

This section being in turned mahogany, so that when it gets hot you don't hurt your hand.

And, of course, it's got another heat-proof knob on the top.

The lower part forms an elaborate stand with these C and S scrolls making up the legs.

And the centre section is the part that would have held a reservoir of methylated spirits and the cover

encloses a hole through which the wick would have extended.

And when the tea kettle was delivered to the dining room,

it would be lit and the flame would literally heat

the bottom of the kettle and keep the water warm.

Now you might think that you'd then shove some tea into the kettle and brew it.

Well, you wouldn't, because there would be a separate teapot

within which you'd do the brewing. This thing is simply for the water.

Of course, tea was fantastically expensive.

A pound of tea apparently in the early part of the 18th century

cost five bob and that's the equivalent of £400 today.

Wow. The big question today is, of course, are our teams going to need

tea and sympathy over at the auction?

We've travelled to the outskirts of Derby to be with Charles Hanson at Hansons Auctioneers.

-Charles, how are you?

-It's been a while.

It's been a while. Missing you already.

Now, Jennifer and Lydia have got this little whacky group here,

including this spoon, which looks as if it should be 1907,

but in fact it's 1946.

It's charming. It's rustic.

-You mean it's made by hand.

-Correct.

-Thanks, Charles. What's it worth?

-Well, £15-£20.

-OK. £30 paid.

-Right.

-Now, these teapot stand jobbies. Bright and breezy.

-Yes.

-Trying to be Clarice Cliff, but not.

-They are.

What does a poor man's Clarice Cliff in the way of a teapot stand make these days?

Condition is everything.

They're in good condition. The enamelling hasn't flaked.

James Kent. OK. Mediocre name, but from that wonderful period of the mid to late '30s.

-Between £25 and £35.

-Perfect. £30 paid.

-Good.

-So that's bang in the middle.

-OK.

-David Barby at his best.

-And Jennifer has gone with this, well, what shall we call it, a vase?

-A centrepiece. A table centrepiece.

-Yes.

-Come vase.

-It would be Murano?

-I think so.

-Yes.

-And its value is decorative.

-What I quite like about it, it's rather like a cornucopia at the bottom.

-Indeed.

You've got this curly Q scroll. Up it comes to a trumpet, but for me,

it completely loses it from that moment on,

because we then come up to this outpouring of glass here on the top.

So do you rate it at all, Charles?

I think its value will be fought between £20 and £35.

-£68 paid.

-Right.

Well, that's enough to send anybody into a tailspin, so they're quite likely to need their bonus buy.

Let's go and have a look at it.

Now, you girls, you gave David Barby £172 of leftover lolly,

which is a small fortune. What we want to know is has he blown the lot?

I didn't blow the lot. And this is what I bought.

A little French beaker. Date-wise, probably middle of the 19th century.

Beautifully engraved all the way round with this initialled cartouche.

-What do you think?

-Can I?

Well, I agree with you.

I think it's very nice.

I can't quite see all the cartouche.

Have a go at these, look.

Try that on and see whether you can see something with those.

-Those are plus two and a half.

-Plus two and a half.

-Oh, that's much better.

-There you go, you see.

Can I borrow them?

-Lydia, do you think that's good?

-Yes. I do.

I hope this bit will make some money because I don't think ours will.

Jennifer, you have a handle. Do you need two and a halfs, or one and a halfs?

-Can I be of assistance?

-Well, I may as well.

-You may as well. What do you think about that?

-Yes.

Good. Well that's been a great success, David.

-Are we allowed to ask how much you paid for it?

-I bought it for £55.

-OK.

-Jennifer, what do you think? Would you have bought that for 55?

-What, me?

-Yes. For £55.

-Could I say no?

-You wouldn't have done.

-No, Jennifer wouldn't.

-I feel as though I'm in a magistrates court.

-Yes!

Well, I'm going to pronounce you guilty anyway.

And for the viewers at home,

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

-So, Charles, over to you.

-Thank you.

-You're our beaker expert.

-Yes.

-Plain, isn't it?

It is plain. It's simple. It's restrained.

I would have guessed it's going to be around 1830, 1850.

-It's got this curious etched design on it, hasn't it?

-Yes. It has.

I think 1830, 1840's fine for that.

Also the gauge of silver's a lot thinner here, so we know that an earlier mark has been erased out.

-Right.

-Just maybe, just from the feel of it.

-It could be, couldn't it?

-The gauge is slightly slimmer.

-Where are we coming from?

-Well, I would evaluate it today between £30 and £50.

-£55 paid.

-Right.

-David Barby rates it.

The proof will be in the pudding and who knows,

the lovely Reds may not go with their expert. Anyway, that's it for them.

Now for the Blues. And what whacky things they've got.

-Charles, you don't play with toys much these days, do you?

-I'm past that, sadly.

Yes, but you could easily have had a set like this in your toy box.

-It's kitsch, isn't it?

-It is kitsch.

It's got such a charming look about it.

In your kitchen you could have this little range set up

-and thoroughly enjoy looking at it as a decorative piece.

-Yes.

I think it's absolutely charming.

It's complete. It's fairly comprehensive.

-I don't think any of these pots are later editions.

-Yes.

And our guide price would be between £20 and £30.

OK. £35 paid.

Next is the handled Clarice Cliff jug. How do you rate that?

If it was a tennis pattern in that great Art Deco gaudy design it would be a jug worth £2,000 or £3,000.

It isn't. It's at the other scale, where we are at that more...

-Boring really.

-Boring. It's in good condition.

A whacky handle. But that's really it.

OK. It's got a whacky handle and it's boring. What's it worth?

Well, my guide price is between £30 and £40.

-£65 paid.

-OK.

-That could be a bit of a struggle.

-Yes, it could.

But they are absolutely pinning their hopes on this walking stick. How do you see it, Charles?

Well, when I first picked it up it felt heavy,

which sent alarm bells ringing, because I suspect

rather than being 1900, 1920, I think it might be more...

-1962.

-Exactly, '70s.

-Or even '80s.

-Exactly.

This is absolutely crucial when coming up with the valuation, because your liability

as an auctioneer, if you sell this as being around 1900

-and it turns out to be a later fake, then you're in trouble, aren't you?

-Indeed.

You're describing it as a later copy, are you?

I am describing it as a later copy, Tim.

I'm happy it's a decorative but later commemorative cane.

Fine. But it's going to torpedo the £140 they paid, isn't it?

Between £30 and £50.

-Is your realistic estimate.

-Yes. It is.

-For a copy.

I think you're absolutely sound there, Charles.

If we're right, they're going to need their bonus buy.

Let's go and have a look at it.

Now, Christie and Abbey, you spent £240. You gave Tom £60.

What did he spend it on?

A very nice Art Deco lamp base.

It's in glass on an octagonal base.

-I like it.

-It's quite cool, isn't it?

When was it made?

Probably made 1930s I would say.

I mean, it's a real Thomas Plant special.

-Lovely.

-£30. I see a profit in it.

-You may have convinced me.

-It's a good thing. It's a really good-looking object.

You can imagine that in a living room.

-And quite young for a younger audience?

-I suppose. Yeah.

-It looks quite '70s to me.

-It is growing on me.

-It looks '70s.

That's interesting because a lot of derivative design in the '70s is from the '30s so that's very smart.

-No. I like it.

-Anyway, you watched his lips. Right.

You heard him say it's going to make, £40, £60, £80 even.

If you need to, you can choose it later, but right now, for the audience at home,

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

-OK, Carlos.

-Thank you, Tim.

-There's something a bit special for you.

-First of all, the weight of it.

It's heavy for the right reasons.

And chrome-mounted, it's obviously glass rather than being anything else like Bakelite.

-I think it's period.

-Good.

-Having said all that, Charles, what's it worth?

-Between £30 and £40.

Great. Planter only paid £35, so he's spot on in the middle.

With any luck, there's some potential for making a bit more.

-I think so.

-I think so too.

All done? Gone.

What do you do if you really, really love somebody and you want to give them a present?

Well, you find something special, don't you?

If we look at this object, it doesn't look particularly special.

In fact, it looks exactly like a tin of paint with a detachable lid

and hey presto, it has no paint in it.

What is special about it though is the fact that it's solid silver.

Here's the London hallmark, look, for 1906.

But if I turn it round,

you get to understand the personal mystery of this particular tin.

And it says, "Rubio. 1908.

"To Jack, from Bronuwski." So there you have it. Lucky old Jack,

in 1908, was presented with this special tin.

So where does this Rubio come in to it?

Well, if you look it up, Rubio is Spanish.

And it means blonde or light. And the idiomatic use of that word

is used to describe blonde tobacco or Virginia tobacco.

Hey presto, this is no paint tin.

It's a very special solid silver Edwardian tobacco tin

that's been presented to Jack, presumably he's a pipe smoker,

and he would have had his tin of tobacco on his desk,

lovingly inscribed by his Bronuwski. And there you have it.

A very special object that you could use today on your desk

for practically anything.

It's priced up in the auction at £30 to £50.

And at that, I have to tell you, it is something of a snip.

18. 22.

-So, Jennifer, so Lydia, this is exciting, isn't it?

-It is. Yes.

-We hope it is.

-First up is your spoon, Lydia. And here it comes.

A very nice arts and crafts style silver spoon, shaped bulb,

pierced terminal, London, 1946.

I'm only bid £12.

Do I see 15? 15. 18. 20. Two. Five.

I'm out. Do I see eight now? Eight.

30. Two. Five. Eight. 40. Two.

Five. One more, sir.

Isn't that lovely?

-That's a surprise.

-At £42. All done.

We say sell and standing at £42.

-Fantastic!

-What a surprise.

-Well done, Lydia.

-Ye of little faith.

Plus 12. You're £12 up. Here we go.

These James Kent, circular dish stands, each very richly enamelled,

with colourful flowers and leaves on a yellow ground.

I am bid £20 here. Do I see two now?

Look at them. £20. Two. Five. Eight.

30. And two, sir.

-Come on. Come on.

-I'm out. Where's five? Come on.

At £32, do I see five now, surely?

At £32, surely five. Come on.

One more. Fair warning that we are selling at £32 to you, sir.

£32. Plus £2. Well done, David.

A profit.

Oh, dear. Now the vase.

A very, very fine 1950s glass vase.

Could be Italian. There we are.

Well, I'm bid £10 for it. Do I see 12 now? Just look at it for £10.

At ten. Where's 12? And 15.

18. 18. 20, madam.

Two. Come on. £20. Where's two?

Quickly. Quickly. Quickly. 20. Once.

Twice. One more, madam. Two. Five.

-One more. At £25.

-Look at that.

-30.

You can't lose it now, surely. One more, ma'am. 30. Two. Five.

-We're getting so near. One more.

-Look at this, Jennifer.

-He's so good trying.

-One more, ma'am. 35. 38. 40.

You're in, sir, at £38.

Fair warning, all done. Take 40.

At £38, the gavel falls to you.

You're minus £30 on that, which means overall you're minus £16,

which is not bad.

-It could be a winning score, minus 16.

-I don't think so.

-You don't think it will be.

-A winning score?

-Could be.

-Most definitely not.

-Why not, if the Blues don't do very well.

My instinct tells me there's going to be some good things.

-OK.

-Are we going for the beaker?

Can we go for your beaker?

-It's entirely your hands, not me.

-Yes. We will.

Silver beaker. Engraved with floral scrolls.

Initialled AP, we believe it to be around 1830, 1840.

I am bid £20.

Five and 30. I'll take two now.

30. I'll take two for it. Come on.

-30 I'm bid. Where's two? Come on. 30.

-I want to put my hand up.

30. I'll take two. Five. Eight, sir. One more. 38.

And I've got 40. And two.

I'm out. I'll take five now.

At £42. Fair warning. All done.

We say sale at £42.

Bad luck, David. 42. That's minus 13.

That's not right. Minus £29. Could be a winning score.

Just don't tell the Blues a thing.

Five. 55.

Come on, sir. One more. It's yours.

Next up is the paint tin.

Here it comes. Estimate £30 to £50.

Isn't it wonderful? Silver syrup tin, Edwardian, London 1906.

Lots and lots of interest. I'm in at double the estimate at £100 now. Do I see 110?

110. 120. 130. 140. 150. 160. 170.

I'm out. Do I see 180 now? At 170.

Do I see 180, surely? At 170. Fair warning. All down to you, sir.

We say sold at £170. I'm out and you're in, sir.

Well, that's not bad, is it? Six times the low estimate.

Rubio, eh. Lovely.

Five. Eight, sir.

Now, Christie and Abbey, do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

-No idea.

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

Abbey, your doll's kitchen set I think is divine.

You paid £35 for it.

He's estimated £20 to £30, but surely, someone somewhere

-must just fall in love with it as it's a great object.

-It's lovely.

So you should get away with at least a wiped face, all right.

-And here it comes.

-It's a 1950s miniature tinplate cooker range

with 14 various cooking utensils. There we are. I've got no bids.

Ohhh!

But do I see £10?

All these hands going up. Ten. 15. 20. Five. 30. Five. 40.

In green. One more. 40. Five. Are you sure?

45. 50. No, she says.

At 45, the lady. I'll take 50 now.

That's very good, Abbey.

Well done. Well done, you two.

At £45. The gavel is falling.

Well done, ladies. That's lovely.

-Brilliant.

-That's £10. You must be pleased.

-We are. Very.

-1930s Clarice Cliff My Garden pattern jug. There it is.

A handle of turquoise berries. In good condition. I'm only bid £20.

Do I see two now? 20. I'll take two.

And come on. Look at it. Two. Five. Eight. 30 I've got.

Two and I'm out. Where's five?

I'll take five now, surely. Five. 40. Five down here. 45. 50. Five.

-One more. Go on.

-Come on.

I'll take five. One more, sir.

50. I'll take five. Once, twice and three times. We're selling.

At £50, the gavel falls.

-Minus 15, which means overall you're minus five.

-Minus five.

Now, the wretched walking stick.

Interesting cane. This commemorative white metal mounted walking stick

with a wonderful commemoration for Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria,

but we believe to be later.

Why do you believe it to be later?

Perhaps 30 or so years on, but ever so interesting. I will start at £40.

Do I see five now? 45. 50. Five.

I've got 65. 70. Five.

I've got 70 on my book.

Do I see five now? 70. I'll take five.

Come on, sir. One more, it's yours. No, he says, five and I'm out. £75.

Do I see 80 now?

At £75. Fair warning.

All done. We are selling...

80. Five. One more, sir. Come on.

One more. Only five.

No, he says. You're in, sir. 80. I'll take five if it helps you. No.

-85. 90.

-Yes.

-Thank you.

£85. Fair warning before I sell. All done.

Minus 55, which means overall you're minus 60. Minus £60 overall.

-What do you want to do?

-Go for it.

-Go for it.

Minus 60. We might as well.

-Go for that then.

-Yeah. Definitely.

-Yeah. You sure?

-Yep.

-Yeah?

-Yeah. We're minus 60.

-It can't really get that much worse.

-Could be a winning score. Minus 60.

-We'll try.

-I've got faith in this table lamp.

-Here it comes.

-An interesting and very stylish Art Deco slate

and clear glass lamp base. There it is. Lots of interest here.

-Smart thing.

-Lots of interest here.

And I'm going ten. 20. 30. 40. 50.

-£60.

-Yes!

-Do I see five now?

-I'm vindicated.

Five. 60. I'll take five.

70. Takes my under bid. Do I see five now?

-Go on!

-70. I'll take five. Come on.

-Go on. Bid against him.

-£70. Where's five now? Once. Twice.

We're selling at £70. Yes, we are.

Well done, Tom.

That's absolutely marvellous. You've doubled your money.

That is plus £35, all right.

That's really good, which drags your score back to minus £25.

It could be a winning score.

Well, there you are. It could be a winning score.

We're just going to have to find out in a minute.

All these hands going up. Five. 40.

-So, girls, you've been chatting?

-No.

-No little chat?

Oh, yes. Oh, yes.

-Been talking about it?

-Of course we have.

-The score?

-Oh, no, no, no, no!

-Oh, no, no, no!

-Not between us.

-No, no, no.

-Between us.

Oh, between us. Well, anyway, who would believe it that after all

these losses all round, there is only £4 between the teams.

£4 only.

But I have to tell you that the margin has turned against the Reds.

-Oh, dear. Not again.

-We're desolated.

-Well done.

-Your total is minus 29, which is nothing to be ashamed of.

-No. Not at all.

-And I hope you had a lovely time.

-We have.

-But the victors today.

This is amazing, isn't it? You're minus 25, OK,

largely helped by Thomas Plant's bonus buy with a profit of £35.

Thank you very much, Tim.

And you two were so sniffy about that lamp.

-I liked it.

-"I liked it."

-I did!

She said, "I liked it." You liked it after it made £35 profit.

-I liked it more.

-You liked it more. You've been great fun.

-I hope you had a nice time.

-We did.

-Very much so.

We've loved having you on the show. It's been fantastic.

-Join us soon for some more bargain hunting. Yes?

-Yes!

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