Builth Wells 3 Bargain Hunt

We're keeping it simple today, Bargain Hunters.

Meet Jan and Jan, and Dave and Dave.

Two teams of Bargain Hunters.

And, of course, me.

Now, introductions are over.

Let's go bargain hunting.

We're in the Royal Welsh Showground, in the heart of Wales.

But our teams won't have time to enjoy the scenery.

WELSH MALE VOICE CHOIR SINGS

Oh, no. They've got to go shopping.

Coming up on today's show:

The Blues try some hard bargaining.

-45.

-No!

The Reds try hard to trust their expert.

Smell like me.

What a load of rubbish!

And I head north to the Lady Lever Art Gallery in the village of Port Sunlight.

But first, let's chat to our teams.

Well, we're not going to forget anybody's names today, are we,

because we've got Jan, Jan and Dave, Dave.

-Jan, Jan, Dave, Dave, hi.

-Hi, Tim.

-Lovely to see you.

-Now, Jan, you have been great friends with Jan here, haven't you, Jan, for 11 years?

-Yep.

-How did you first meet?

-She was my boss and we've stayed friends ever since.

I hope! Until today, maybe.

No, you'll be fine after today, I can tell.

What did you do for your boss?

-Where did you work?

-I was a part-time housekeeper.

-Hotel business?

-Yeah.

-Lovely.

-Have you always been in the hotel business, Jan?

-No.

-How did you start?

I started in around about 1984 when I bought a large house and turned it into a nine-bedroom B&B.

And then I bought a hotel.

-And then I sold out and bought another hotel.

-You're a bit of an entrepreneur then.

-So you know how to turn a bit of money into money, then?

-I hope so.

Well, let's hope those talents will extend to antiques.

You're also rather a fine arrows player.

Well, I try to be. I've been at it for a long time.

-Chucking the old darts.

-Yes.

So, how good are you at darts?

Average, very average, but we go on - it's a bit like this programme - good competition, In It To Win It.

-But you've got an eye for a bargain, haven't you?

-I had one really good buy, yeah.

My £2-odd box of jewellery turned me into £250 for one item.

-Did it really?

-I was pleased with that.

I should think you were. It's no wonder you chose her as your team mate.

Do you think you're going to work well together today as a team?

-I think so.

-I think so. Well, we won't fall out, that's for sure.

Well, I've heard that before, actually. Very good luck.

Now for the Blues. Dave, Dave.

-Hi, Tim.

-You've been friends for 25 years.

-Indeed.

-But didn't you start off as rivals?

We had teams that competed against each other, in a boat handling competition.

Oh, right. This is sea cadets.

That's right. And then I went on to become one of the national judges

and was fortunate enough to be judging his team.

-Ha-ha!

-But they were very good.

-So did you pay him back, then?

No, I didn't. They were very good.

-They did win.

-Now, Dave, once upon a time you really were one of the boys in blue, weren't you?

I was a policeman in Greater Manchester.

So how come you're not still a copper?

I came out after 12 years, after a bit of an incident in Yorkshire,

which is not in Greater Manchester.

It involved a man with a firearm.

He drew his gun and I drew my truncheon, and he lost.

Well, that was a moment, wasn't it?

Actually, you're very modest,

because you got the Queen's Commendation for bravery. That's right, yes.

-Dave, you've inherited a spectacular collection from your son.

-Yeah.

My son, when he was in Cubs, decided to get his collector's badge and go for spoons, for some unknown reason.

And we've now got a collection of about a thousand.

People go all over the world and it's become a bit of a joke.

People bring back all manner of things. But it's really quite quaint.

-So what do they do, nick them from the hotels?

-I don't ask them that.

Whatever they give me is all in good faith.

So, what are your plans for tactics today? What tactics have you got?

-We thought we'd buy something nautical...

-Surprise, surprise.

-..and maybe a bit of silver as well.

Right, fine. Right, well there's your ambition, good luck with it.

Now, the money moment. Here is your £300. £300 apiece.

You know the rules, your experts await.

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

Well, you know what they say about sailors.

Let's meet our experts.

Jonathan Pratt is taking a punt on the Reds.

And Kate Bliss is betting the farm on the Blues.

So, Jan and Jan.

-What is it you're looking for today?

-Silver, some silver.

-Something quirky.

-Different.

-Nautical.

-A good theme.

-The theme of the sea.

-Seafaring, marine, perhaps?

-That sounds good.

Well, that sounds pretty laid back to me. I like the sound of that.

Well, we'll start outside and then we'll go inside.

Let's have a little browse around.

Shall we start in here? There's a lot to go at. Yeah?

This is more you, is it not?

Look at that.

-Nautical theme.

-I know, it's a nice boat. I was looking at that.

But a little bit out of our budget, unfortunately. Nice ship, though.

Ah-harrrrr, it's plain sailing so far for Team Dave, but Jan-Jan are all at sea.

They've even lost Jonathan already.

Come on, Jonathan. Our hour's going.

Come on!

Move it.

Blues are heading for their first port of call.

Dave, do you like the boat up here?

-On the plate?

-Not really. It looks dead cheap to me.

-It looks what?

-It looks dead cheap.

-Looks dead cheap?

-I quite like it. Do you?

-He quite likes it.

Well, let's just go with the flow.

Can you tell us a little bit about it?

-It's Royal Doulton.

-Is it? What kind of age though?

-1930s-'40s.

-It is a '30s one?

Lovely.

There's a series of them.

Thank you. They're called chargers.

Let's have a look, shall we? HMS Victory, here we go.

It's a good-sized plate, isn't it?

Or charger. It's really made for decorative purposes, obviously.

Not made to be used as a plate.

As well as being glazed, depicting the ship, it's got that moulded feel to it as well,

so the design comes out in relief at you.

-What about this here?

-That is actually done in the manufacture of the pottery.

That was done in the firing of the piece.

If we turn it over though, you can see quite clearly the Royal Doulton mark.

Registered in Australia, it says there, quite interestingly.

So this may well have been made for export purposes.

And it's in the Famous Ships series, and this one being the Victory, the flagship of Nelson,

is a particularly nice one, I think.

-Let's have a look at the price, shall we, before we go any further?

-88.

He's quick off the ball.

88, you're absolutely right.

-It caught your eye.

-It caught my eye.

-I quite liked it. I didn't notice it being Victory at first, but that's got some significance with us.

-Mmm.

-That could be our nautical piece.

-It could be your nautical piece.

-What about the price though?

-At auction I would say it's probably going to be nearer the £50 mark.

£50-70, I'd probably say. I think £88 is pushing it.

For retail purposes, that's a fair price. But not at auction.

-Good. So we need to do a bit of negotiating.

-Let's go and have a chat.

That is the name of the game, Dave.

1900s. That's really early.

Cos it's deco style. The deco style starts very, very early.

That's very bold. FGHI, would be about 1908.

It says circa 1900.

I'd say it's probably more like 1910. But even so.

It still very early. It is Liberty's. The marks are up though.

It's not something you look at as the weight of the silver.

It's all about the fact that it's Liberty's and it's a strong design.

The price on there is 225, but there's a good buying public for this sort of thing.

If you're going to be bold and you're going to go, right, we're going to go for it.

-Something like that will do it.

-Yeah.

But if it's going to go for about £150 at auction, we'd have to get it lower than that.

No, because the lady wouldn't go as low as that.

An auctioneer would always try and get away with what is seen to be a tempting estimate.

So if it's £150-£200, it would hopefully generate interest on it.

-Yeah.

-I quite like that, actually.

-Well, we know where it is.

Well, we'll leave you to work on them, Jonathan.

Now, how are the Blues getting on?

£60 is the bottom line.

£60? What do you think, Kate?

I think that's fair. What do you think, H?

Well, taking your advice of course, and this lady needs to

fill the plate, yeah, go on, let's give it a whirl.

-£60?

-It's our nautical one, then.

-Yep.

-Let's go for that. Let's do it.

I like it. Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you so much.

One down, team Dave, well done.

Now, how's Jonathan getting on at persuading those Jans?

What would be your lowest price on that?

Well, I possibly could stretch it to the £150 for you. Do you think? 150?

You've picked it up, you like it. You've picked it up and you've realised its Liberty.

-That's two good factors.

-Yeah.

And I think the price is fair on it.

-I think it is too.

-Yeah.

-We'll go with it, then. Let's go.

-Right. Can we have it, please?

Team Jan is finally off the starting blocks. Thank goodness for that.

And I have found something interesting too.

You might think that me wandering around with this thing had something to do with sheep.

Cos the glorious hills of Wales, of course, are stuffed with sheep,

and a shepherd would have a stick like this.

Actually, this thing has nothing to do with sheep.

Because this thing, and millions like it, would have been found in haberdashers' shops.

And if you're a shop assistant, and not terribly tall, you would reach for one of these things

and stretch up above you and remove an object from one of those shelves.

And it worked like this. This is a piece of bamboo, hollow up the middle.

Down this end, we've got some bronze jaws with hatcheted sections here

to enable you to get a firm grip.

Down the other end, we've got this handle arrangement,

and if I squeeze the handle, hey presto, the jaws shut.

So, say my hat is way up there on the top shelf,

and I want to get it off the top shelf, what the girl would do is,

she'd reach up like that with this thing, which is called a long arm,

she'd then grip it very, very tight up there, she'd get it off the shelf

and she'd then remove it and present it to the potential customer and say, "Does the hat fit, sir?"

Well, actually, the hat does fit, and this is a most interesting piece of kit. What did it cost?

It's yours for £60 off a stall down the way.

That's pretty good, isn't it?

I've seen perhaps a dozen of these sell over the last 10 years

and I would guess the average price at auction in London would be around £300-£400.

So, how does that grab you? Ooh!

Where's Jonathan?

He's wandered off again.

We've lost Jonathan again. Where is he?

-Well, he's obviously looking at something interesting.

-Jonathan!

Oh, Jonathan, do stick with your team, old fruit.

-Sorry.

-Come on!

-How much is the platter?

-You tell him, Jan. Hit him with your crutch.

-Do you like the hip flask?

That's quite nice. That's a glass and silver one combined.

Let's have a little look at that.

That's great. So you could use the bottom, the silver a bit, as your little cup.

So, all very neatly done.

The class is in good condition. And this one is really nice quality,

you can see how the glass has been faceted and cut around the top.

It's not just a bog-standard moulded glass flask.

And this has been gilded inside to protect the silver, really, from the liquor.

As well as for decorative purposes.

Have a little look, see what you think of that.

-That feels light. Is that...Is that not silver?

-It's marked on the side.

Yes, it should be hallmarked on the top and on the cup, on the base.

There we go. That's right.

So, what age are we talking, Clive?

Let's look at the hallmark. Yes.

It is London 1907.

So it's George V, so it's over 100 years old.

-Do you like that?

-I do.

-It's quite handy.

-What about the price?

-It's 195.

-195.

A bit of room for manoeuvre there, surely?

Would you do 150?

-Now.

-Now, this very moment?

-Immediately.

-Yes, go on.

We'll do 150.

You're a good man. Thank you very much.

-Oh, we've got a deal! Have we got a deal?

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Happy days.

-Well done. There's no messing with you lot, is there?

No messing indeed.

And Kate seems very happy with her Daves.

I think it's going really well.

I don't think I've been with such decisive contestants for quite a long time.

They know what they want and they are getting good prices. I've got no complaints.

The Jans are less decisive. I think I'd better have a quick word.

-Listen, you're halfway through and you've only bought one thing.

-We've got to hurry up.

You have. You've got to what they call buck up.

I hope that's done the trick.

How much are your daguerreotypes?

I've got one of those in my family album.

£28 is on that one. £28. This is really early photographs.

Yes. And basically it's like printed onto the back of the glass.

This is like cut velvet. This is how they would have done a very early photograph.

This would be the alternative to having a portrait miniature.

You're talking 1860s-1870s.

Is this collectible? What would you do with it otherwise?

You know, an ordinary person wouldn't buy it, would they?

They do. Dealers buy them. People collect them.

-It's quite damaged though, isn't it?

-But the price is quite good on it.

It's a novelty item in that respect. You don't often see it on Bargain Hunt. Would you accept £20 for it?

I could do 20 on that one, yeah.

-£20? Do you think so?

-Yes.

-It's a bit of history.

-Well, you said it like that to me now, Jonathan.

You've put doubt in my mind.

I always like to have that little come out and the end and say, it's your decision.

Of our budget, it's not much spent.

That means we've got some more to play with on the last object and it leaves me a nice sum.

-A princely sum!

-A fiver.

-We'll go with the daguerreotype. Thanks very much.

-It's a bit of a mish-mash.

-Come back to it.

-It's been converted to a lighter.

-What do you reckon?

I'd leave it as it is.

Let's go down a bit.

I think we'll wander round here then maybe try the next shed.

Team Dave...!

Team Dave! You've lost focus.

What about the bottle?

Wow.

That would take a while, wouldn't it, to get through that?

There's a lot of splash-ons.

Let's ask the lady.

It's the factice, which is the shop display dummy,

and then after the initial display, they were sent back and they were smashed.

-SMASH

-Like that?

-Like that!

Don't say it again, please.

So if you turn it round, on the other side it's got the fact it's a factice, a shop display dummy.

So what would be your best price on this?

How much have you got left?

We've got £130. So if it was £125, it would give me a fiver.

But we have to leave him some money

-to go and buy another present.

-A tenner sounds great. £120.

£120? I've got no idea if that's good or bad, to be honest with you.

I mean, it's a big bottle of perfume, nonetheless.

It's collectible. You know.

You're ladies - your choice.

Go on. I've pushed it for the daguerreotype. Your choice now.

I mean, it's modern collectible.

I can imagine Tim sitting there with the auctioneer now and saying,

"What on earth have they bought this for?!

"What a load of rubbish!"

-It's not cheap tat.

-What do you want to do?

-Go on.

-Her decision.

She said yes. Right, we're done.

Thank you very much. Job done.

Dying minutes for the Blues. What can Kate pull out of the bag?

I think we've got seven minutes, guys. What do you think?

-Picked you up some nice stuff.

-Yeah? Shall we have a look?

-They've got the original bits in them.

-Yes. What can you do on the salts for us?

£60?

-Do you like those, guys?

-They are attractive.

Little boat-shaped salts.

They've got their blue glass liners, which is quite nice.

-And there's a pair.

-They're a pair.

Hallmarked on the side. Quite nice, clear hallmarks.

Have a look. You have that one.

-£60.

-I think we need to go for it. We are at the end.

-Let's do it.

We haven't got much time, have we?

I think they'd polish up a bit better, actually. I like the feet.

-They're identical.

-Will you do 50 for us?

At a push? Can you do 50?

I'll meet you halfway.

£55 I'll do.

That gives you a good chance.

-I like the fact they've got their liners too.

-I think we'll go for it.

Go for it. Let's do the deal.

-We're done.

-It's a deal. Thank you very much indeed.

Salty cellars for some salty sea dogs.

Well done, Kate.

Right, that's it. Time's up.

Let me out of here!

Time's not up for our experts though because they need to spend the leftover lolly on a bonus buy.

Will our teams choose to use them at auction?

Well, we'll have to wait and see, won't we?

But before all that, let's remind ourselves what the Reds bought.

They started off with this Art Deco silver bowl.

Then Jonathan persuaded them the daguerreotype was a bargain at £20.

And finally, they took a punt on the Hugo Boss perfume bottle.

listen, you lot, I think you did very well. What did you finish up spending?

£290.

£290? That is such a good total out of £300.

-That means there's only £10 left for JP to go off.

-Yes.

-Where is the £10, please? Lovely.

Now, listen, which piece is going to bring the biggest profit then, Jan-Jan?

Oh, definitely the aftershave.

Aftershave? You agree with that, Jan, don't you?

-No, I don't.

-Oh, lovely.

-I still think the dish is going to.

It's got the Liberty mark on it and that'll go.

-You've had a run around today, haven't you, Jonathan?

-Oh, yes.

I'm going to present you with a whole £10 note, right?

That's your pocket money to go and spend and find something really stellar for us.

-Thank you very much.

-And I have a horrible feeling we're going to need it!

Good luck, girls. Why don't we check out what the Blues bought, eh?

Bradders spied the decorative HMS Victory charger.

They all felt the silver and glass hipflask was worth the £150 price tag.

And with time running out, Kate found them a pair of silver salts.

-How did you get on then, chaps?

-I think we did really well. Got some good stuff.

-What's your favourite bit?

-A little hip-flask.

-Hip-flask.

That's typical that, isn't it?

Senior Service, all the rest of it, they've got to have a nip. Got to have your tot of rum.

That's right. It was empty, though.

Not for long! What's your favourite bit?

Can't disagree with him.

-It's a really lovely piece.

-Is it?

Right, that's your favourite. And how much did you spend overall?

-£265.

-£265. I want £35 of leftover lolly, please.

-Oh, you've got it there. £35.

-Thank you very much.

-Got anything in mind though? Have you spotted something already?

-No, I haven't.

We won't tell them then. Good luck, chaps.

Thank you. For me though, and you, and all the rest of the world,

we're about to head off to the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight. How special is that?

Port Sunlight in the Wirral is a model village that was built in 1888 by a soap tycoon.

Lord Leverhulme was an avid collector of fine art and furniture.

He wanted to share his enthusiasms with his workforce,

so in 1922 he built this magnificent gallery,

slap-bang in the middle of the workers' model village.

He was born in 1851, the son of a grocer,

and made his fortune selling soap.

But his taste in paintings was not exactly squeaky clean.

If we take this canvas,

it's by far not the largest in the collection, nor the most important,

but it does sum up that Victorian industrialist's taste in art.

What we've got here is a girl that's lying on a marble slab

with absolutely nothing on.

She is as naked as a jaybird.

At first glance, you just have to admire the technical skill

of the artist, Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

She's just come from the Roman baths, where she's got jolly hot,

and she's come to the tepidarium,

which is what this picture is entitled.

She's come to the room to cool down, having had her bath and sauna.

Now the artist, Lawrence Alma-Tadema,

in this High Victorian period of art,

produced works that specifically harked back to life in Roman times.

And on the basis of Victorian prudery,

where everything, including furniture legs, is covered up,

all of that prudery is thrown to the winds to the altar of art.

And in artistic terms you're able to bare all

without causing offence to the audience,

because this is fine art.

And Alma-Tadema, producing pictures of this ilk,

became the most prolific and highly paid Victorian artist of all time.

But Alma-Tadema isn't the only one with an eye for the ladies.

This is a Pre-Raphaelite painting,

one of several in the collection here at the Lady Lever.

And it's by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Now, the early Pre-Raphaelites

included Rossetti, Holman Hunt and Millais,

and in 1848 they set up something called

the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was set up as a reaction to the stuffy formality

of the artistic authorities, principally the Royal Academy,

and by harking back to an earlier period of art, ie before Raphael,

they felt that the early medieval period of art

was the true, honest and proper root of artistic endeavour.They created a stir at the time,

principally because of the bright colours that they employed

and the sensuous way in which they displayed their womenfolk.

This picture is entitled The Blessed Damozel,

which is appropriate for Rossetti,

because not only did he compose a poem to this subject,

but it harks back to the mythical figure of Damozel,

a creature who had died

and from heaven wistfully looks down onto Earth,

at her lover, longing for him to join her in the afterlife.

Now, this is particularly poignant for Rossetti.

His wife, his model, his muse, Elizabeth Siddal,

had died of a drug overdose in 1862

and her characteristics, principally,

were her bright red hair, delicious eyes and sensuous red lips.

So this is surely her sitting as Damozel would have done in heaven,

looking down at Rossetti gazing wistfully to the sky,

waiting to join her.

What a lovely, romantic notion.

The big question is today, of course,

will our auctioneer be falling in love with the team's lots?

How lovely to find ourselves on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury

at Halls' saleroom with Jeremy Lamond.

-Welcome.

-Thank you.

So first off, JJ, that's Jan and Jan to you and me.

We've got the Art Deco bowl.

Interesting little bowl, very Art Deco handles.

Silver, but the marks are rubbed, which is a problem for the market.

Marked "L Ltd,"

which is not Liberty, it's Lanson in this case.

-Not Liberty?

-Not Liberty. I don't know what they paid for it, but...

-They paid a lot of money.

-..£30 to £50.

-What?

-It's not Liberty.

-It's not Liberty.

-They paid £150. They thought it was Liberty.

-No, it's Lanson.

-Oh, dear.

-So that's a blow.

-Could be.

Right, what about the daguerreotype?

Good-looking fellow.

Yeah, must be after 1840, when it was invented.

-There's lots of them about and it's not in a union case...

-No, quite.

..which is what the collectors want.

So I think £10 or £20.

-They paid £20. So that's about the right price, perhaps, to pay.

-Yeah.

So, if we're going to really splash out, though,

this is the object to do it with.

This lovely large sample of Boss fragrance.

How do you rate that? When do you think it was made?

Well, it can't have been made before 1985, because Hugo Boss didn't make fragrance before 1985.

-Did he not?

-So that dates it.

Well, it says on the back here "dummy".

-So presumably it's not got anything smelly in it.

-It has. Vinegar.

-Vinegar? Really?

-Yes.

-Gosh.

-It's a shop display, isn't it?

-I've rather gone off it.

And what's it worth?

Well, what do you pay for a press-moulded glass empty bottle?

-Hmm, tricky, isn't it?

-Tricky one, that.

-£5 to £10.

You reckon? You wouldn't splash out and spent 10 to 20, would you?

-Could do.

-Yeah. Lovely.

They paid 120.

Right.

Lovely. They've got a huge dark hole opening up

underneath their arrangements today, and they're going to need the bonus buy,

so let's go and have a look at it.

OK, Jan-Jan, you gave Jonathan £10 of leftover lolly.

-We did. We were generous, weren't we?

-You certainly were.

-Ouch!

So the poor chap's gone off with a £10 note and bought you a bonus buy. What is it, Jonathan?

Are we ready for this?

Oh, lovely!

-There we go.

-I like owls.

-A little glass owl.

-It's moulded glass, as you'd expect, really, for under a tenner.

-For £10!

-UNDER a tenner?

-Ooh, yes, I'm giving it away, aren't I?

-You are.

-Under a tenner. But it's quite a decorative little object.

There's two little defects, a chip there and one on the base,

but otherwise I think it's a rather pretty object.

I paid £8 for it. It's an early-20th-century thing, I'd say.

Do you like owls, Jan?

I do.

It's about the same as the rest of the rubbish we've bought!

-About a tenth of the cost, though!

-Yes!

-No, I think it's very nice.

-Oh, well... That's good, then. Lovely.

Jonathan's relieved by that, because you spent...how much did you say?

-£8.

-£8 on this Lalique-lookalike paperweight.

-Yes, exactly.

You could use it for a paperweight.

It was the sort of thing... Lalique did their car mascots, and it's the same sort of size as one of those.

Same sort of size, same sort of idea. Anyway, enough of that.

For the viewers at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Jonathan's little owl.

-There we go, wise old owl for you.

-Well, it's a frosted glass owl.

It's not Lalique, it's not Sabino...

it's probably not old.

-Is it Woolworths?

-It could be.

-Late Woolworths?

-Eastern European or Polish, but possibly not a wise buy.

The man only had £10, in fairness.

Leftover lolly was only £10.

He had to go and buy something so he paid eight for this.

Well, he might get his money back because...owl collectors

and paperweight collectors, that's cross-fertilisation.

All right, lovely, thank you.

That is it for our Reds. Forecasting a bloodbath here.

And now for the Blues.

Their first investment is in the form of HMS Victory.

Yeah, Royal Doulton Series Ware, moulded plate, probably 1930s.

Very popular old England theme.

Good subject, and it's in good condition.

-So what might it be worth, then, on a good day, with the wind up its tail?

-I think £40 to £60.

£60 paid, so they're in the frame there. Jolly good. Well done, Blues.

-Next is the little silver-mounted flask.

-Right.

-How do you rate that, Jay?

-Silver, obviously, cut-glass.

Elegantly done. 80 to 120.

Right...

-Is that good?

-No.

-No.

-'Fraid not.

Have to try harder. £150 they paid.

Well, they might get that at the end of the day.

It's not damaged, it's not particularly worn.

And it's quite fragrant.

Do you think it's more for fragrance than something that goes down the cakehole?

I think it could be fragrance rather than hunting or hip-flask,

because you have to unscrew the top and it's got no cover,

and it's a bit inconvenient to take into the field.

Anyway, the estimate's 80 to 120, they paid £150.

That is not all that hopeful.

What about those squat tiny little salts?

Cauldron-shaped salts like that are very common indeed.

So if the teams are searching for something unusual that might take off

this is not they.

-No. Bog-standard, isn't it?

-Pretty much.

-Mm.

-So what's your estimate on the silver salts?

-30 to 50.

Our team paid £55 for them, actually. So they're on a bit of a hiding there.

-They might get away with it.

-They might do.

-But the prospect of making a PROFIT is very small.

Therefore they're going to need their bonus buy, so let's have a look.

Right, Dave and Dave, you spent £265, you gave the lovely Kate Bliss £35. What did she spend it on?

Well, I scoured the fair and I must have been thinking subconsciously

-that Dave was a spoon collector, so I came up with these.

-Wow.

Now, they're not perhaps the most exciting bonus buy under the sun

but the reason I bought them

was to have the best chance of making a profit, which of course is the name of the game.

So have a little look at them. They're in their original case.

They are English silver, they date from 1938

and they're all hallmarked on the reverse,

as you'd expect for Sheffield, 1938.

And they're what's known as Hanoverian pattern,

so the very tips of the handles just tip up a little bit,

which is known as Hanoverian pattern. Quite a commercial little set really.

-So what would you expect to make on it?

-I think we might make £10 profit on a good day.

Do we know what you paid?

-I paid £20.

-£20.

And you think they might make £30?

-I think they might.

-Yes. £5 a spoon.

-What do you think about it, Dave-Dave?

-Yeah, they might have a bit of profit in them.

-You think?

-We'll...consider it.

-Well, six solid silver spoons, in a case, for £20.

I would say there's a lot of places you'd go

and you'd get six plated spoons in a case for £20, but solid silver ones?

I think we have to consider this quite carefully, Dave-Dave.

-We'll see.

-You're looking rather down in the mouth, mate.

-No, we'll see.

-Dave's the spoon man.

-No, they look good, they look good.

-It depends on our other products, doesn't it?

-Well, it certainly does.

You have to sell the first three objects, then you make

your decision as to whether you're even going to go with this £20 risk.

Now, for the audience at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Kate's spoons.

There you go. Just what every auctioneer loves to receive.

-There we are.

-Half a dozen silver teaspoons in their case.

1938, silver teaspoons, cased.

Good presentation case. Obviously someone was terribly excited at tea,

-there's a bit of a tea stain here.

-Nasty stain.

-But we think £20 to £30.

-Do you?

-Yes.

-Perfect.

Kate Bliss paid £20 for it and she has every chance of a huge success.

-We shall try very hard for her.

-As usual.

-Are you taking the auction today?

-I am.

-Super. Should be a riot.

OK, Jan-Jan, we're at the edge now, how are you feeling?

Fine, fine. Yes, we're going to make lots of profits.

That's lovely. Is she always like this?

Most of the time, yes!

-Just as well you're good friends.

-Sometimes she behaves!

OK, the Hugo Boss aftershave bottle, which you paid £120 for, he's estimated at £5-10.

-He doesn't know what he's talking about.

-It's a typo.

-A typing error!

-He says it's full of vinegar or a similar straw-coloured liquid.

-Rubbish.

-Rubbish.

-For display purposes.

And it dates from after 1986.

-He's had the benefit of looking all this stuff up.

-Yes.

I'm only reporting it, right? Don't shoot the messenger.

-OK, we'll try not to.

-There we go.

So there is a bit of a problem, frankly.

-Yes, quite a big problem.

-And you've spent the 290, which is lovely, and I love it when you spend up,

and I really hope that Hugo Boss does the business for you.

-Yes.

-First up is your silver Art Deco bowl, and here it comes.

The silver two-handled Art Deco bowl

by Lanson Ltd, Birmingham, circa 1930.

Again, various commissions here.

-20, 25, 35. At 35 to start it. At 35, 40.

-Come on, keep going.

-Here it comes.

45, commission bid.

At £45.

-It will keep going, don't worry.

-£50 now, new place at £50.

Internet is out, at £50 now, at 50?

-He'll come back in.

-Lady in the room at £50. Selling?

-No!

-Oh, dear. £50, that's £100 down the doo-doo.

-For goodness' sake.

Lot 139 is the daguerreotype of a gentlemen, Victorian.

What about that? £10, bid me? £10 to start it. Little one, £10?

Who's got 10? 10 at the back. 10 at the back of the room now, 12 now.

£12, 15. 18. At £18. Lady here.

Go for 20, go for 20.

-Come on.

-Bid is in the room. £18.

-22 against you, 25.

-A bit of profit.

-£28, still with you at 28. Your bid.

-We might get back that £100!

Selling at 28...

That's brilliant, girls. That's plus £8. Well done, Jan.

The shop-display Hugo Boss.

Please bear in mind the contents are not original.

Do not splash it all over, or anything. £10, who's got 10?

-£10? £5? Oh, internet, 10. £10.

-More than that.

-Paid £120.

Not original contents, internet, please note. £10 I've got.

At 10? £10 on the internet, then.

We're selling it for 10 only?

-Dear, oh dear. There's a smell about.

-Yeah.

-Minus 110.

-Should have done more than that, just for the bottle.

-I'm quite amazed actually.

I make that minus 202.

-Minus 202, OK?

-Yes.

-Not so brilliant, really.

-No, not a very good score, that.

You spent 290 and 202 down the drain.

Anyway, we had the £8 left over for the bonus buy.

-What will you do about that?

-We'll go with it.

-On that happy note, we're going with the bonus buy?

-Yes. We're going to have our owl.

The fishy owl. OK, here it comes.

The opaque glass owl's head, paperweight, showing for you there.

What about it? £5, start me.

Fiver bid immediately, at £5.

At five, here in the front row.

Who'll have a go? At £5?

-Come on.

-At five, any more? £5 for the paperweight?

-It's your bid. 10 on the internet. You're out.

-Yes!

-There we go.

-Someone with taste!

-£12, with you. Internet is out.

-At £12. It's in the room, a live bid in the room.

-We've got profits!

At £12, you've got it, looks like.

£12, that's brilliant, Jonathan.

-I'm spent.

-Plus four.

-Well done.

You're four pounds up on that, which means overall you're minus £198, which is not so brilliant.

It's under 200.

Exactly, under 200. Don't tell the Blues a thing, right?

-No chance!

-Good. Thank you.

Now, Dave-Dave. Do you know how Jan-Jan got on?

Not at all. They've not told us.

We didn't want you to find out either. Now, how do you rate your chances, Dave?

I think we'll make on the salts.

I'm not too sure about the hip-flask thing, and I really don't know about the plate.

-Right, so you've got two doubtfuls. What about you, Dave?

-I'm keen on the plate and the salts.

-And if the worst comes to the worst you've got the spoons to go back on, right?

-That's right. Maybe.

-Don't look at me like that!

-Maybe.

Anyway, first up is the Victory decorative plate and here it comes.

-The Royal Doulton HMS Victory plate, the famous ship series.

-Oh, Dave.

Lot 160, commissions here at £35, £40, £45.

At 45.

We want more, come on.

The ship series plate at 45.

Any more? At £45, selling at 45.

-On, no.

-Come on, behave.

£15 off, bad luck, lads.

45, minus 15.

-Here we go.

-Now your flask.

Silver-mounted cut-glass flask, Percy Whitehouse, London, 1907.

Lot 161, and again, interest here at £70, £80, £90.

At £90, on commission at £90.

-Give it some.

-At 90 it is.

At £90, all done at 90?

Selling it, then, for £90.

Oh, this is... 90, minus 60 on that.

-Can't believe that, can you, Kate?

-That's a lot.

Now, here come the salts.

Birmingham 1918, lot 162.

Bid me £20 to start. £20, where's 20?

-At 22, 25. 28, 30. 32, 35.

-Come on.

35 against you, sir. 38, 40.

42, 42 still with you, sir, at £42.

Second row, at £42.

He's selling at £42, that's minus £13.

Minus 13, 60, 73, 83, 88.

Minus £88, chaps.

-Minus 88.

-Oh, guys.

-Shouldn't laugh really, should you?

But it could be a lot worse, I tell you. This could be a winning score.

-What are you going to do about the spoons? Go for it.

-We've got to go for it.

-You're going to go for it?

I think we're all in agreement, aren't we, that six spoons,

solid silver in a case, for £20 is a pretty good find for Kate.

-Absolutely.

-So you're going to chance it, yes?

-Yep.

-Yep.

-All right, we're going to go with the bonus buy. Here it comes.

The cased set of six Hanoverian-pattern silver spoons.

Here we go, Kate. All on you now, girl.

-No pressure(!)

-No, none at all!

Sheffield, lot 166. At 15, £16 I'm bid. At 16, 18 now?

At £18. Front row at 18.

Who else wants a go, at 18?

-Front row.

-Oh, come on. Oh, come on!

20, just in time. £20, you're out.

At £20, front row? Yes? 22.

At 22, at 22, you're out now, sir. At £22. Front row, then.

The bid at 22...

-Just out of trouble, Kate. Well done.

-Amazing.

-Well...

Overall, you're minus 86.

You're minus £86. Don't tell the Reds a scrap, because this could be a winning score.

It will be.

-Well, teams. Been chatting, have we?

-No.

-No.

Not about results?

-Not about results.

-You have no idea?

-Everything else but not results.

There are some similarities between our teams today. Both have made substantial losses.

That should come as no surprise.

Both teams made a profit with their experts' bonus buys.

-Well done.

-So both of our experts are feeling very pleased with themselves, I hope.

But one team, sadly, made nearly double the losses of the other,

and the running-up team that managed to have that amazing feat

-were the Reds.

-Oh, dear.

Minus £198 you are, Jan-Jans.

Are you sure you've added that up right?

No, but that's the score that we're running with, minus 198.

I do not propose to go through the whole humiliating total for you.

-Thank you for that.

-Doesn't matter a scrap.

You've been great fun, it just wasn't your day today in the auction room, quite frankly.

-No.

-But you had a nice time?

-Fantastic.

-Yes.

I can reassure you that it wasn't really the day for the Blue team

in the auction room either, except that they only managed to lose £86.

-So, there you have it.

-Well done.

-That nice little profit on your set of spoons, Kate...

-LITTLE profit.

£2, of course, helped tremendously.

-Have you had a nice time, chaps?

-Fantastic. Met some wonderful people.

-Yes, it's lovely, isn't it?

The team spirits on this programme are quite extraordinary. Anyway, we've had a great time.

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

-ALL: Yes!

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