Lincoln 20 Bargain Hunt

HE PLAYS A LIGHT-HEARTED TUNE

They say all the world's a stage

and the men and women on it are merely players.

You'll see what I mean in a moment.

In the meanwhile, let's go bargain hunting!

We're incredibly generous on this programme.

We give the teams not only time but money - £300 and one hour.

And all we expect in return

are three quality items.

Simple, innit?

-PIANO STARTS PLAYING

-Oh!

'Our teams love a bit of drama.'

Lancaster bomber. The home of the Dambusters.

-Come on.

-Yeah, we're coming.

I've only got little legs! Wait for me!

'So we've got an all-action thriller

'from start to finish.'

-Hello, everyone.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Now, Ian and Steve, you're brothers,

-but, Ian, you're the thespian of the family.

-Yes, that's right, Tim.

With Lincoln Amateur Operatic Society,

Phoenix, Hagen Happenings, Rugby Players.

-These are all theatre groups.

-Yeah. I do a bit with each.

What's your most memorable performance?

I think that would have to be The Full Monty, Tim.

Really?

I actually stripped down every night

to a leopard-skin thong.

-Was it attractive?

-THEY thought so.

-I had knickers thrown at me one night.

-Did you?

-Oh, yes.

-Gosh!

Now, what do you do in the day job?

I'm a pastry chef at a local tea rooms, olde worlde tea rooms.

-Have you been a chef all your life?

-I've always been involved in catering in one way or another.

Brilliant.

Now, Steve, you go to help Ian with his hog roasts and all that.

Yes, that's right. Thoroughly enjoyable social events,

from weddings to birthday parties, any party, any venue,

me and him normally team up and we have a cracking good time.

-Will you two be as successful with buying antiques today, do you think?

-Oh, yes. Definitely.

-We're going to whup 'em, Tim.

-Whup 'em with one of your cakes.

-Whup 'em with a whoopie pie.

I think, between you, you'll do extremely well today. Very good luck.

Now for the Blues, Su and Carolyn,

friends and looking like movie stars in your dark glasses.

Su, you're also connected with this thespian lark.

-That's right.

-You belong to a theatre group.

I'm a founder member of Common Ground Theatre Company.

Ian also acts with us.

-Ah, so there's a connection!

-Oh, yes. Oh, yes.

Will all your theatrical talents help you with the shopping today?

I hope so. I spend quite a lot of time looking out for props

and things that look older than they are at quite a good price.

So we're hoping that will stand us in good stead today.

-What other things do you get up to in your spare time, Carolyn?

-Erm...

I like to help out at church when I can.

We have a large housing estate

which doesn't have a church near it and nowhere to hold a service.

So the local pub was very happy for us to have a service

there in the pub once a month on a Sunday.

It's a lovely, relaxed environment,

and afterwards in the bar they can have a drink and enjoy themselves.

And how many are there in the congregation on these days?

-I would think about...

-Several thousand?

-SHE LAUGHS

-We haven't quite got there yet!

-No, but you know what I mean.

-Yes.

-How many, though, seriously?

-Probably about 60 people come.

-I think that's an incredibly good idea.

-Yes.

-Well done with that.

Anyway, we're not going to give you any money for the collection plate,

-but we are going to give you some money, £300 apiece.

-Thank you.

You know the rules. Your experts await. Off you go!

And very very very good luck!

I'm going down to the pub for a quick prayer.

'Saying his own prayers for the Red team is David Harper.

'For the Blues, it's our high priest of shopping, James Lewis.'

What are we looking for today, chaps?

-I like silver.

-Good.

-And glass. Watches.

-Quirky? I like quirky.

-A bit off the wall, maybe.

-Brilliant.

Top of my list. Come on, then. Let's have a go.

-What is that?

-Let's have a look.

Yeah, it's been dropped.

Lancaster bomber. The home of the Dambusters.

-Hey, we're in the right area, are we not?

-We are.

-Oh, he's gorgeous!

-Oh, look. Isn't he lovely?

As a collector of Worcester or a specialist dealer in Worcester,

that wouldn't be an issue.

Listen to that. It rings like a bell.

-But you know what, chaps? I think it might be too good to put into a general sale.

-A general auction.

If we could choose to put that into a specialist sale,

maybe in Worcester, at the right time, you'd make money.

I think you've got a very good eye. Well spotted.

Beautiful stock. Thank you.

'You've got an eye for quality, boys.'

Ladies?

-No.

-HE LAUGHS

-That's horr... I don't like it.

-Don't you?

-No. Sorry.

It's a North of England glass dump.

-But remember, does it matter if you like it?

-No, it doesn't.

-Do I like it? No.

-You don't like it either?

-I think it's absolutely awful.

But it is a good saleable object and there are collectors for them.

-It's £30.

-£30?

-£30.

-Right.

-Is it heavy?

-It's got some scratches there.

-What's the very best you could do on it?

-The very best is £25.

-What do you think?

-Hmm...

-We're divided now.

-Totally up to you.

-Do you want to leave it?

-I'd rather leave it.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

If it was, say, £20...

Leave it for now. We'll remember where it is.

OK. Thank you very much.

'They're not hearing you, James.'

What do you think about this one, David?

Looks like some sort of... cooking implement.

-Do you know what it is?

-I'm not quite sure.

-Looks like that's a burner.

-Is it an egg warmer?

-Oh, very good.

It is an egg warmer. Or egg coddler they're sometimes referred to.

I suppose the clue is right on the top there.

We've got a lovely chicken just about to sit on its eggs.

If you take the lid off...

Ah, right. You can see there's nothing inside.

What should be there is a lid of some sort

with three cut-outs to accept eggs.

So what you do, you plonk the eggs in

and then just keep it warm on the base.

So, with it being incomplete, it's not really viable as such.

It's not a good seller.

What's on it? £24. It's not an expensive thing.

As an item, it's cheap, but will it make any profit in auction?

Let's try and get the price down a bit.

-What do you want to get it to?

-£18 realistic?

-We could try £15.

This is £24. Can you take £15?

-I'll do £17.

-£17?

-Meet halfway. £16 and we're done.

-No.

-Oh, go on! It's only a quid.

-No. £17.

-£17. Do you want it for £17?

-Yes, please. Thank you very much.

-£17 I think...

-Absolutely nothing wrong with that at all.

It's a quirky thing. Well spotted.

-Soldiers?

-That's it, mate.

-We'll do soldiers next.

-Yeah.

-We'll have an early breakfast. How's that?

-Nice to get one in.

'Well, one in before breakfast. Well done.'

Look at those.

They wouldn't be my choice, but if there was a profit in it, they might be.

They're not great quality, but they are a pair.

-What sort of age are they?

-They're solid bronze. They're Chinese.

-They're 1890 to 1920.

-As old as that?

And you've got the deity, the wise man riding the carp.

-You've got birds on the neck of it.

-They're cranes. Crowned cranes.

-They're a sign, I think, of good luck and fertility.

-Oh!

I'd better put it down, then. HE LAUGHS

-Cranes deliver babies, don't they?

-Yes. Well, storks.

-Storks. Well...

A crane is pretty similar.

-What would be your best on this?

-£40.

-£40.

I think he's being fair there.

-But do I think there's a profit? No.

-Right.

'Probably best not to buy them, then.'

-Let's risk it.

-'Hello.'

-Will you take £35? And you've got a deal.

-£38. Split the difference.

-£38. Yes?

-Yeah.

-First one in the bag, then.

-Takes the pressure off.

-It does.

-We can relax now.

-Thank you very much, sir.

'James, you need to get a grip of these two.'

-Bye.

-Bye-bye. Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

-James?

-What is it?

-Policeman's helmet.

-Did you call me James?

-Sorry. David.

-Do not call me James Lewis.

-THEY LAUGH

A surgeon's kit. That's quirky.

-Oh, yes.

-I quite like that.

-Omega Seamaster, a well-known design.

-Oh, yes. One of the better ones.

Didn't Lawrence of Arabia have an Omega?

That's the sort of thing we have for our wardrobe, for the plays.

-That's rather a nice top hat.

-It's a beauty.

-How much is that?

Now, I like that.

-I like to hear that.

-I like that.

'I think he likes that.'

-Is it a scent bottle?

-Yeah, it is. Birmingham, 1904.

Someone has gone to the expense and the trouble of making a silver lid for it. It's a good quality item.

So we've got a beautiful oriental lady painted on the front - is it painted?

Or probably transferred, maybe with a bit of hand-colouring in there.

So it's a gift for your loved one,

in 1904, three years after Queen Victoria died,

a different world altogether.

You're holding something in your hands

that was given from one lover to another.

-Not that I was giving it to you in that way.

-Very nice of you.

-What's the price on it, Ian?

-It's £79.

-What do you think?

I think we could get off a bit.

OK, let me try. I'll get the best trade price and come back to you.

Can you help us out in a big way on that one?

All right, chaps. OK. The absolute death trade is £68.

It's a delightful little thing.

Do you want it or don't you want it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-We'll go for that.

-I'll go and get it.

'They've found something they like,

'and I've found a bit of a puzzle.'

We do see some peculiar things on Bargain Hunt,

but I don't think I've ever had to film

quite such an oddball or enormous object as this.

What I need is a series producer to give me a hand.

-Morning, Kimberley.

-Good morning, Timothy.

If I unravel it a bit,

in this first section the map which unfolds

depicts Egypt, over here,

the Red Sea,

the Suez Canal,

which was opened in November 1869.

So this thing couldn't have been made before 1869,

but I'd guess it was produced just shortly thereafter.

This meandering of red trails that you see across the Sinai Peninsula

represents the trail of the Israelites

at various moments in the Old Testament.

If I continue unravelling this scroll,

we move from that part of the Middle East

into a scene which depicts a moment in the Old Testament

when there is an encampment.

And next door to that is a temple itself,

entitled The Glories Of The Cross and The Glories Of The Throne.

If we continue a little further, we've got another tented enclosure

before we get to a piece with one of those multi-armed candlesticks

and a figure in a white robe at an altar

and at the end a figure that I guess is probably Abraham.

At this moment, I am about 12 feet away from Kimberley.

-How are you doing, darling?

-I'm fine, thank you, Tim.

Now, I'm no great student of the Old Testament,

don't get me wrong,

but I find this thing absolutely fascinating.

But there's another side to it.

I've got to roll it up and it's very long.

Beautifully done, sir.

Now we'll change positions. So change around here. Good.

We do a little switch like that,

and - hey, presto - the operation continues.

Look at that. Isn't that extraordinary?

On the reverse side of the painted paper surface

we've got a further painting of a Jewish timeline

which takes us from Adam and Noah

through a series of dates and educative moments

in the Jewish faith.

In short, this enormous scroll, I guess, was produced

for some sort of Jewish Sunday school to teach children.

Amazing thing, isn't it?

What's an object like this worth?

Well, I'll have a quick think about this

while I reel in Kimberley.

There. I feel better for that.

What do you think this might be worth, Kimberley?

I've got absolutely no idea.

Do you know something? Nor have I.

All I know is that you could buy it for £100 over in the fair.

What might you get for it were you to sell it to a Jewish institution?

The Lord alone knows.

We've had 30 minutes, chaps, by the way.

Two items down. You're doing well, but I don't want you relaxing.

'Now, James, are the Blue team listening to you yet?'

In theory, after 32 minutes

we should have at least had two or three things in mind

even if we haven't bought them.

At the moment we've got that glass dump.

Didn't buy it because they didn't like it.

But, having said that, they didn't like the vases

but bought them because they were a bargain.

At the end of the day, this is Bargain Hunt.

'That's the idea.'

-How much is the stand, please?

-£100.

-We're finding all the expensive things.

-Yeah.

-A child's high chair.

-OK.

Which morphs into a table or something like that.

-Is that mahogany?

-It looks like mahogany.

It could be beech that's been polished to look like mahogany.

-Tell me how old it is.

-Beech is even better.

-No, mahogany's better.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Turn of the century?

-Turn of which century?

-Oh. 1910? 1915?

-Yeah. It's a good quality one. I like the cane seats.

-Yes.

That probably won't be original, but it doesn't matter.

It's there, and it sits well.

-How much is it?

-SELLER:

-£260.

All right, leave that one with us. Thanks.

-£260?

-Yeah.

-A bit much.

It's not children, either.

-What's that you've found, James?

-Have a look. See what you think.

It says "England", so I'm guessing it's English.

'Brilliant!'

It's Doulton.

It's 1890-1900

and it's silicon ware.

It isn't that popular, I have to be honest,

but it's a good name, it's a nice early period, the condition is OK.

-I like that.

-Yeah, it's nice.

-What sort of price is that?

-What sort of price would you think?

-£20?

-£30?

Between you, I think that's exactly what it's worth. £20 to £30.

-£5?

-Could be a deal, then.

-A fiver it is.

-Shall we splash out £5?

-I think so.

-Are you sure?

-We're running out of time.

-I'll blame you when Tim says you've only spent £43.

-I know.

-It'll leave more for you.

-THEY LAUGH

-I'm normally the tight one!

What about this one, David?

Tell me what it is.

Well... that looks like a bit of tortoiseshell to me.

-It's probably faux tortoiseshell.

-SELLER:

-It's Japanese lacquer, and it's a cigar case.

-Date-wise, it might be 1920s.

-Really?

That is a really lovely thing. And in good order, too.

£78. Is that a realistic price for it?

-It couldn't be £40, could it?

-No.

-I knew it couldn't. I was just asking.

It won't be £50 either. I'll do £60 for you. It's a good quality piece.

Halfway? £55?

£55 and you've got a deal.

-Good man.

-Thank you very much.

Good bit of negotiating there, boys. Thanks very much.

-Beautiful thing. Good eye.

-We like beautiful things.

-We do love beautiful things.

-That's lovely.

-We're here.

-That's it, then, bro.

'Come on, ladies! Time's nearly up!

-'Have you got any ideas at all, James?'

-Anything we should go back for?

MUSIC: "Air On A G String" by Johann Sebastian Bach

Hmm...

Follow me.

UPBEAT MUSIC

-Come on.

-Yeah, we're coming.

I've only got little legs! Wait for me!

-Hello, hello.

-We're running out of time.

-Are you? On a limit?

-Yes.

Pair of bronze figures of...

Africans.

What do you think?

-Are they to have candles?

-Yes.

-The great thing about these is they're a pair.

-Quite stylish.

-Yes.

-Bit of damage there. Look.

-There is a bit of wear.

They're solid bronze, they're 70 to 100 years old,

they're practical, they're decorative.

There should be a profit in them.

Now, is there anything else you'd like to show us?

-Only that.

-OK.

-I just think there's a bit of mileage in it.

Is it a corner shelf? Because it's lost its...

-It's got a few losses to it.

-Time.

Do you think... better punt on the bronzes?

Well...

Which do you prefer?

This.

I can't really decide, but I'll go with this.

-Let's see what the crew thinks.

-Yes.

-Which do you prefer?

-CREW:

-The figures.

-Figures.

-It's all the experience.

-Figures? Figures. 3-2 to the figures.

-Go with the figures.

-Grovel.

-Grovel time. Please...?

Real grovel, grovel, grovel.

-Look, they cost £45.

-50 quid and you've got a deal.

-As it's you...

-Brilliant! Thank you very much.

-Do you agree?

-Yes, yes.

The curtain has fallen. Time's up!

'Let's take a look at what the Reds bought.

'They kicked off the day by going to work on an egg warmer,

'which cost just £17.

'Must be a double-yolker.

'They got a loving feeling

'when they spotted the heart-shaped scent bottle. Mm!

'And slowly but surely

'they managed to find a faux tortoiseshell cigar case for £55.'

-So, chaps, how are you doing?

-Finished. All done.

-Really?

-And how much did you spend all round?

-£140, I think.

-£140.

-Everybody happy with £140?

-Yeah.

-Who's got the £160 left-over lolly?

-Steve's got it.

Have you got that, Steve?

-No, YOU'VE got it.

-You look a bit confused.

-Haven't you got it?

-No.

-I haven't got the money. You have.

Well done, Ian. Lovely.

This is what you call teamwork. £160. Super duper.

-That is going straight across to my friend, David Harper.

-Thank you, Tim.

-You're going off on the prowl.

-I'll do a bit of prowling and see you two later.

Very good luck with that. Very nice to see you.

-Has David done you well today?

-Oh, very well.

-Very well.

He's gone, so you can say what you like.

No, honestly, he's done well.

-Guided us.

-Put us in the right direction.

-That's all you need, isn't it?

Very good luck, chaps. We'll catch up with you later.

Right now, why don't we check out what the Blue team bought?

'Su and Carolyn threw caution to the wind

'and chose a pair of oriental vases they didn't like.

'But they loved the £5 price tag on the 19th century ewer,

'which was a sale bargain.

'And in the end they took James's advice

'and bought two Nubian figure candlesticks for £50. Nice!'

-Rumour has it that you didn't spend very much. What was the total?

-£93.

-£93. That is truly pathetic.

-Yes.

-We tried.

-Not hard enough, I'd say.

-Do we have £207 somewhere?

-We do. Would you like it?

-Yes, please.

-There we are.

-£205...

-And there's £2.

-There we go. Well, £207.

-Super.

-That's a huge amount to pass over.

I don't think I've given you quite so much for a bonus buy.

Are you going to blow it on one single object, I hope?

-Hamburger and chips, I think.

-THEY LAUGH

-I'm starving!

-Any idea, seriously?

-No. Well, yes.

I've seen one thing that I really like.

We'll stand by and see you later. Good luck, James. Good luck, girls.

We're going to head off now to a faraway place.

It's called Londinium.

To be precise,

I'm taking you to visit 18 Stafford Terrace in West Kensington.

This was the home of Edward Linley Sambourne,

a celebrated cartoonist who worked for the magazine Punch.

The Victorian interiors haven't changed

since Sambourne lived here 100 years ago.

Linley Sambourne started off his working life

as a draughtsman in an engineering company.

And It wasn't until his father died in 1866

his work was picked up by the Punch magazine,

which was a highly popular weekly satirical threepenny magazine.

If I flip through these pages,

you can see that it's densely illustrated with cartoons

that would have been produced by a tribe of house artists,

of which Sambourne became one.

If we look at this framed example of his early work from 1869,

you can see scattered through a year

some of the themes that he illustrated.

Political problems in the Far East are shown in a cartoon

with these characters sailing along in a china teapot.

Over here, we've got an argument about how big the navy should be,

and here's Mr Punch on an armoured float.

And over here, the usual battle going on in the Exchequer,

with expenditure battling it out with rising taxes,

all in the form of a multi-headed Hydra serpent.

All very good fun.

But some of Sambourne's cartoons later on in his career

were rather larger and more important,

like that one on the wall, which he produced to celebrate

the new millennium magazine at the very beginning of the 20th century.

Here we've got an old-man figure of time

ushering in the bright new century in the form of a young girl

holding a lamp illuminated by science

and accompanied, on a great pile of earlier Punch editions,

by Mr Punch himself dressed as a cherub.

Sambourne's talents were not just confined to the satirical.

In another bedroom is something altogether more charming.

There's one particular book which Linley Sambourne is associated with

and that's the Reverend Charles Kingsley's Water Babies,

a classic of children's literature which was written in the mid-1860s

and illustrated throughout by Linley Sambourne.

In fact, there are over 100 line engravings in the volume itself,

and in this room we've got a series of the original pen-and-ink works

done by Sambourne for the Water Babies editions.

If you look closely,

the density of fine pen-and-ink lines in the original work itself

is extraordinary.

It's great fun to find an original on the wall - for example, there -

and here, in the book itself.

The big question today is, of course,

is it going to be child's play over at the auction?

'Welcome to Golding Young auction rooms in Grantham.

'We're about to meet auctioneer Colin Young.

'But first I want to see what David Harper found for his bonus buy.'

-Now, Ian and Steve, you spent £140.

-Oh, we had fun doing that.

Yes, you certainly did, Ian.

And you gave the boy £160. What did he spend it on? David?

-Right. Are you ready, chaps?

-Go on, then.

-I think you might just like these.

-Oh!

-Tell me what you think.

-What are they?

-Masonic cufflinks?

-Yes.

-Are these silver?

-No, they're some kind of white metal.

What I liked about them is they're not brand-spankers.

-Are they enamelled?

-Yes, so they're not just painted on or printed on.

So they're anonymous, they're not silver,

-but they are enamel on nickel, probably.

-Or some kind of metal.

-Some sort of metal.

-Which means they were good quality.

I think they're circa mid-20th century, 1950s.

-Price-wise?

-Here we go.

-Straight into the money.

-Cheap. Eight quid.

-Oh!

-Eight quid?

-I think they were very very cheap.

-So nine quid, they'd make a profit.

-Absolutely. It won't take much to make a profit on these.

If someone spots them for what they are, very good quality, they might make 20 quid.

They're not going to set the world on fire,

but I thought they were good examples of what they are.

Brilliant. Well, we got it there. Thank you very much, David.

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

-A pair of cufflinks.

-Thank you.

Nice pair of cufflinks. Plenty of buyers will go for them.

-The estimate is £10 to £30.

-Is it?

£8 paid. There's going to be a profit.

But it's so strange having enamel on nickel rather than on silver.

Going through that process,

it wouldn't cost much more to put it onto silver,

so you'd have thought they would.

Well, for Ian and Steve, Steve went very strongly on this egg boiler,

except it hasn't got its burner or the divisions inside for the eggs.

-Apart from that...

-Apart from that, it's perfect, I suppose.

-Yes.

I did notice the negatives with it

and put an estimate of £30 to £50

-bearing that in mind.

-Really?

But now you've put it in an equally bad light, perhaps that's too high.

They paid £17, which is a pretty hard-boiled price.

Next is a much better object, I'm glad to say,

which is this sweet little scent flask.

Interesting printing technique on that, partly photographic.

It is. It's photographic based and then applied,

a fairly common technique that was used on pieces from 1870 onwards.

I would hope, estimate-wise, we're looking at £30 to £50.

The team paid £68, so based on your estimate they'll be disappointed.

What about this faux tortoiseshell, otherwise known as plastic, cigar case?

Yes... Not a lot is really what I think to it.

It's had some damage, which has been repaired.

The repair to the damage goes over the image.

There's not many positives that you can take from it.

So I've put a little punt of £10 to £30 as an estimate.

Oh, Lordy. £55 they paid.

That's it for the Reds. Now for the Blues, Su and Carolyn.

Their first item are these truly hideous Chinese vases.

-You don't like them much, do you?

-Not much, no.

I've seen them disastrously perform over the years on Bargain Hunt

and they would be the last thing I'd buy.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

-What's your estimate?

-I've put £50 to £80 on them.

-Perhaps I would buy them for £38.

-Right, OK.

-THEY CHUCKLE

But at £38. It's a very reasonable buy for £38.

Seriously, I don't like them, but for £38

they are bronze, they're not spelter, they're in reasonable nick.

Next is the little Doulton multi-coloured silicon ware,

-which is nice, isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

The sale has quite a bit of silicon ware in already

and the Doulton buyers will be here,

so it will perform to its market level.

And I wonder what that's going to be.

Well, will it be more than £5, do you think?

I would hope so. We've put an estimate of £10 to £30 on it.

Fair enough because they only paid a fiver and that's cheap enough.

James steered them towards the African candleholders.

That makes them interesting, the very African subject matter.

But they're very badly cast.

Yeah, not the finest quality, but subject matter-wise, excellent.

-There's going to be plenty of people wanting them.

-Lovely.

-Estimate?

-£50 to £80.

-Very good. £50 paid.

So, overall, they've paid very modest amounts,

they've got reasonable estimates on all three items,

so they should be in the pound seats.

They should be in the plus.

But in case not, let's go and have a look at their bonus buy.

Girls, you spent £93,

-one of the most notoriously miserable amounts on Bargain Hunt.

-THEY GIGGLE

-We tried.

-You gave him £207 to spend.

James, what did you blow it on?

OK.

-Oh, that's lovely!

-I like that!

-Brilliant.

-HE LAUGHS

-We were looking at things like this.

-We like pewter.

I knew you liked pewter and I knew you liked things like that

-because you were looking at them.

-It's gorgeous.

-Yes.

-Have a look.

The inkwells are loose.

-Everything's loose.

-Yeah.

-SU AND CAROLYN LAUGH

-Look - a parrot on the top!

-I think it's lovely.

-Isn't that super!

-A little parrot.

-I love the detail.

-Can we take it home?

-THEY LAUGH

How much did you pay?

We looked at inkstands and they were all quite expensive today.

What would you have expected that to be?

£50, £60, £70?

Ooh...

-£130?

-Yes, I'm liking that much more!

-I'm just mean.

-Well, it was £45.

-Really?

-£45? That's a bargain.

-I thought it was a bargain.

How much do you think it's going to make?

I'm hoping...

£80 to £100. That's what I'm hoping for.

-Yes.

-It's just gorgeous.

Anyway, for the audience at home,

let's find out whether James is indeed still top of the class.

Wow!

That's a substantial inkwell.

-Quite showy with the green.

-It is. Lovely emerald colour to them.

Contrasts very well with the base metal.

I suppose it's more of a pewter or Britannia metal base to it.

-Very nice item.

-What's the estimate?

Well, estimate-wise I've put on it £50 to £80.

I think that's going to have quite a bit of appeal.

James Lewis only paid £45. He's cunning.

With any luck, he'll make a profit on his bonus buy - if the team decide to go with it.

And that's where it gets exciting.

-Are you taking the sale today, Colin?

-I will indeed.

-We're in safe hands.

Sell at £440.

-Well, you half-brothers, how are you feeling?

-We're confident.

-Confident we might, maybe.

-Perhaps.

-Fairly confident, perhaps.

-First up is your egg boiler.

-Let's go to work on an egg.

There we go with the eagle mount. What shall we say? £50, anybody?

£30 to go? £30?

£30?

£20 then, surely? £20?

£20 I'm bid. £25 bid. £30 bid.

£35. £40? £40 bid.

£45. £50? £50 bid. £55? £55 bid.

£60? £60 bid? £60?

At £55 bid in the hat. At £55.

£55. Any more bids? £60. £65?

£60 bid. Two as a last call? At £60.

Are we done? We're selling in the second row at £60.

Yes! Go to work on an egg, mate.

The Japanese geisha on it.

It's Birmingham, 1904.

We start at bottom estimate, £30.

Bid at £30. £35? £35. Bid £40?

At £35. £40? Anywhere else now, £40?

£40 bid. £45. £50. £55.

£60. £65. £70?

At £70 at the back, a lady's bid.

At £70 bid. £75, surely?

At £70 bid. £75 now? £70, the lady's bid.

Two as a last call? Then we'll sell at the back at £70.

£72, fresh bidder.

At £72, standing bid. Then going at £72.

£72 is plus £4,

which means you are plus £47.

-One more profit and we get a pin.

-Yes.

-A pen?

-A pin.

You'd get the golden gavel - except we haven't got them any more.

A Japanese faux tortoiseshell pocket cigar case.

This time who is going to start me at £30?

£20 then, surely? £20, anyone?

£20?

£10? Oh, come on.

We're already in at £12. At £12 bid. £15 or not now?

£12 on the internet. This is very cheap for it.

I know there's more knacker than lacquer, but £12?

£15. The excitement continues. £15 bid.

£18 bid. £20, surely?

£20 now?

At £18 bid. £20 not? Then sells at £18.

-BOTH: Aww!

-£18 is two shy of £20,

which is £37.

Minus £37. You were plus £47, now you are plus £10.

What are you going to do about the cufflinks?

-Go for it.

-We'll go for it.

-You're into profit anyway, worst-case scenario.

-Yes.

What a roller coaster, eh?

-Are you going with the bonus buy?

-Definitely.

-Here are the cufflinks.

Twentieth-century enamel Masonic cufflinks.

This time I have multiple bids on the book

and I'll start at bottom estimate of £10.

At £10 bid. £12 anywhere else? £10 bid. £12, surely?

At £10 bid. £12? £12 bid. £15 bid. £18 bid. £20 bid.

£22. £25. £28.

-And £30? £30 bid. This is amazing.

-£35.

-COLIN:

-£35 on the book. £38 in the room.

At £38. £40 or not?

Can you fill my lottery in for this week?

At £38 bid. £40 or not? Sells then at £40.

And £42 bid?

And another one now? £42 bid.

£45 now? £45 bid?

-WHISPERS:

-At £48 we'll make 40 quid.

The lady's bid, then. We sell at £42.

£42 is very nice.

That is plus £34.

Plus the £10 you had before, you have plus £44 smackers there.

Oh! Very nice.

-So, girls, have you been talking to your friends, the boys?

-Absolutely not.

-Not at all, no.

You've had no theatrical discussions with them on their way out?

-No. No miming.

-No miming.

-No miming?

-Nothing at all.

-No lip-reading or anything like that?

-No.

-Body language is very good.

-Oh, I see. Very good.

First up are your Chinese vases. Here they come.

Who is going to start me at £50?

£30 to go, then, surely? £30, anybody?

£20 to go, then, surely? £20?

£20 I'm bid. £25 anywhere else?

Look at what we're selling here. At £20 bid.

And £22 do I see? £22, surely?

At £20 bid. £22 bid. £25?

£25. £28 on the net, if you're coming in again?

At £25. We sell then... £28.

At £28, last call. We sell then at £28.

£28. That's minus £10. That's bad luck. Dear, oh dear.

Now, silicon ware has got to do better.

Who is going to start me at £30?

£10 to go, then? £10, anybody, for the ewer?

£10 I'm bid. £12 anywhere else?

£10 bid. £12, surely?

At £10 at the back. Anybody else?

At £10 bid. Any more bids? I'll make it £11, then.

-At £10. Any more now?

-He's trying.

-£11 do I see?

At £10, maiden bid takes it, back of the room.

-He's trying hard.

-Yes.

-£10 is plus £5.

-Well, it's a profit.

So overall you're minus £5, girls.

Lot number 1237 is a pair of early-20th century bronze figures.

Who is going to start me at £100?

Quite an exciting lot, this. £100?

£80 to go?

£50 to go, then, surely?

£50? £30?

£30?

Oh, dear.

£10, anybody?

£10 bid. £12 bid. £15 now.

£18 now.

£20. And £22 now?

£22.

£22. £25 now?

At £22 bid. £25 anywhere else now?

At £22 bid. Going at £22.

-Oh, my goodness.

-£22 is...

minus £33.

-Pretty gloomy. Not a good result.

-That is dire.

-Not a right result.

-But anyway, there it is. It just depends on who's here.

-Yes.

What about the inkstand?

-It could seriously save your bacon.

-Go for it.

-We really like it.

-We trust the instincts and we'd go for it.

-You trust the instincts.

-It's your tummy that tells you, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

-Yes.

-We're going with it, yes?

-Yes.

-We're going with the bonus buy. Here comes the encrier.

-Go for it.

-COLIN:

-A 19th-century French rococo inkstand.

Good cast metal base with emerald-green glass wells.

Ought to be well over £100.

It should be well over £100.

£50? £30?

£30 to go? £30 I'm bid.

£35 anywhere else? £30 I'm bid. £35? £35? £35.

£40 I'm bid. £45 now?

At £40 bid. £45 now do I see? £45 in Spain. £50?

WHISPERING

£55 now do I see? £55?

No? £50 in the second row. At £50.

And £55 now, surely? At £50 bid. £55 do I see?

At £50 bid. Last call.

Second row has it, selling at £50.

£50 is a profit of £5.

Well done, James. That's perfectly respectable.

That means overall you are minus £28.

Minus £28 could be a winning score.

-Don't say a word to your friendly boys.

-Absolutely not.

-We'll stay mum about this.

-We will.

-Well done, girls.

Well, our band of happy strolling players, how are you? All right?

THEY ALL REPLY IN THE AFFIRMATIVE

-I know you're all great mates, but have you been chatting about the scores?

-No.

-No.

Not at all? That's great.

Actually, the scores are what they call in the trade poles apart.

I can hardly believe the chasm that has opened up between these two teams.

But, sadly for the Blues, not handy.

RED TEAM CHEERS

The overall score for the Blues is minus £28,

-which is a shame, isn't it?

-Yeah, it was.

I think, frankly, you was robbed.

-We was.

-We were. Absolutely robbed.

-But you're British, right?

-Yes.

-You can take it on the chin.

There's always another performance tomorrow, isn't there?

-Anyway, have you had a nice time?

-A fantastic time.

We've loved having you on the show.

-But I'm afraid, to your chagrin, I am going to give £44 out.

-Ooh!

That is the chasm between you.

£44. There's your £40, there's your £4, which is brilliant.

Well done, Dave.

-Have you had a good time?

-Smashing.

Join us soon for some more bargain hunting. Yes?

ALL: Yes!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]