Stamford 11 Bargain Hunt

This gallows structure is said to have been erected in Stamford

as a warning to highwaymen.

Well, we've not got time to hang around today.

Let's go bargain hunting!

Our antiques fair at Stamford Meadows is small

but perfectly formed, if a little damp.

So our teams are going to have to remain well and truly in focus...

if they're going to stand any chance of finding any bargains.

And we don't make it easy.

Our teams will need all their skill and intuition

to find three bargains in one hour.

-It's not shouting at me, sorry.

-It's not shouting at you?

I think I will be soon.

Yes. Brilliant.

I've never seen anyone so excited about buying their first item.

-Run! Come on!

-They'd better choose wisely

if they're going to make a profit in the sale room.

So, let's meet our lovely girls. Hi, girls.

-Hello.

-Hi, Tim.

-Hi!

Good. Now, Jill, how did you first meet Josephine?

Josephine and I used to work together

and we've known each other about 20 years.

And you're a strong believer in reincarnation.

I honestly believe that in a former life,

I was a scullery maid.

-Really?

-Hence my desire to buy a suit of armour

because I believe

that I used to clean a suit of armour in a former life.

-Ah, well.

-And my husband let me go out and buy a set,

which we have in the hallway and we call Arthur.

-The suit of armour?

-That's right. Not my husband.

-What's he called?

-Trevor.

Lovely. There's two men in your life, then. Arthur and Trevor.

Yes. One protects me when the other's away.

Yes, now, Jojo.

You also have psychic abilities, don't you?

Well, I'm not easily spooked

but, yeah, on occasions,

I have had a bit of a second sense about things.

-You once had a pregnant friend.

-Yes, she was pregnant

-and I knew before anybody else knew.

-Did you?

-I sensed it, yeah.

-Have a rest.

-Told her to rest and she went home and had a baby.

Just like that. What do you do as a job of work?

I work on a very busy dental reception.

-That is a stressful job.

-It can be, yes, it can be,

but handled with a lot of laughter,

it tends to calm the patients' nerves.

So, Mystic Jo, can you put your powers to work

and tell us what the prediction is for today's profit?

-Oh, I should think at least...

-200.

-I would have thought so.

-200.

-200.

-200?

-Yes.

-Well, we watched your lips there, all right.

They both said 200, sort of simultaneously,

and we'll hold you to that.

Christine, you two know a lot about collecting, don't you?

We've done a fair bit in our time, yes, Tim.

I started with Victoriana

and I've now got a passion for Art Deco and 1960s.

-You're moving along, then.

-I am.

-Lovely.

-And have you two known each other for a long time?

-A good 20 years.

Lin interviewed me for a job and said how wonderful I was

and employed me and we've been friends ever since.

-Lovely. It says here you like dogs.

-Yes, I've got a retired greyhound.

-Lin, what's yours?

-Bull terrier.

-Bull terrier. I keep forgetting.

-So, Linda, you used to show dogs?

-I did.

-What were your breeds?

We had Dobermans to start with and then we moved to Schnauzers.

-And were they always well behaved?

-Oh, no.

The Schnauzer bitch, who was a champion, was going to Crufts

and she broke into the garage

and ripped open a 28 kilo bag of biscuits,

-which she ate.

-Did she?

I lost lots of weight, running around the fields to try and lose some weight

-but she didn't win that day.

-I bet she didn't.

-Looked like a tub.

-Belly on the ground.

-Anyway, here's the £300. There's your £300.

-Thank you.

You know the rules, your experts await and off you go

and very, very, very good luck.

Now, I'm no psychic but I sense that our experts

have got their work cut out with this lot.

It's cosmic Catherine Southon for the Reds...

and mystic Nick Hall with the Blues.

OK, ladies, £300. What are we going to do?

We are going to win.

What are you interested in? What are you after?

We're going to think small and profit big.

-I love Art Deco.

-Silver, maybe. Little teeny silver things.

There's a profit out there, I know there's a profit out there

-and we're going to find it.

-We will.

-Fantastic. Let's go bargain hunting.

Yay!

We're under the clock now. We're off and running.

We just thought about starting fairly small.

-How low is low?

-There you go, Lin.

-I like that.

-Hello!

-It's a punch one, isn't it?

-You put the...

-It's like a punch card system.

-That's not small.

-No, it's not small.

-It's not. I did like it.

I love those perfume bottles.

-They're Art Deco style but brand spanking new.

-Yeah.

Oh, my goodness, what's that?

-It's some sort of...

-Body.

-..resuscitation dummy.

-You can't do the compressions.

-So you just do...

-Just the mouth-to-mouth thing.

-You like unusual things, don't you?

-I do like unusual things.

-Is anyone going to get excited about that at the auction?

-Possibly not.

You like your '60s retro. What about that funny looking brown vase

underneath the radio, there? That absolutely screams retro to me.

-But how much is it, Nick?

-Is it perfect?

-Yeah.

Mm. Not sure.

I was hoping it was going to say West Germany under there.

-It's of a type of pottery known as fat lava.

-I've heard of it, yeah.

The West German fat lava stuff is currently doing quite well.

It's the sort of thing that used to be thrown away in skips not that long ago.

There's a real interest now in this. What do you think? Have a look.

-And it's quite a neutral colour that would go with a lot of home decor, wouldn't it?

-Yeah.

-It depends how much.

-Definitely.

We need to find the stallholder and find out how much it is.

-See the old Tri-ang train.

-My Tri-ang one had a rubber...

-That's been repainted.

-Has it?

-You can see it on the side there.

-No, no, fine.

-No. Mine had a rubber funnel.

-OK.

-I'm not keen on it but then it's not me, is it? It's selling it.

I think you can tell that I'm not keen on that at all.

-Right.

-How much?

-How much? If it's a tenner...

-I've tracked the stallholder down... Say that again.

-If it's a tenner...

Is she telepathic? They were asking 15 for it but they'd take a tenner.

-Go on, then. You can have it for that.

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

-I'm happy with that.

-Yeah, go on, then, we'll have it.

-Shall I go and get the deal done?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-A Mini Moke that would be good, Jill.

-A what?

-A Mini Moke in a box.

-What's a Mini Moke?

-In The Prisoner. # Da-da-der! #

In The Prisoner it drove round him. They're very collectable.

-Where?

-There's none in there but if there was, it would be great.

-But there's not.

-It would be great to find a piece of Faberge but there's not one in there.

You're not wrong!

-One down.

-We were looking at the clock.

-We've only had 11 minutes.

-I know.

-We've got plenty of time.

-Are we being timed now?

-Yeah.

-Did you not think we were being timed?

-No.

-Have you not understood the programme at all?

-Yes.

-We understand now.

-Three items...

-I know, I know, I know.

-Come on. Keep up, Jill.

-What's copper doing these days?

Practical things like this, you can stick it in your inglenook, put logs in it.

I don't know how much they want for it.

You wouldn't get many logs in it.

12 quid.

I'm being incredibly cheap, aren't I?

Do you think he'd throw the kettle in as well?

-How tight are you?

-You're a shocker, aren't you?

But that's got to be profit all day long, really.

-Remember that and we'll come back.

-Yeah.

-Let's go spend some money.

Come on, Reds. It's time to take the plunge.

-This looks great.

-Oh, look.

I really like that.

-I like the fact that you've got the name.

-So do I.

-I do.

It would have been full of all different medicines.

What kind of person would buy something like that?

-Now you're going to buy it purely for...

-Decoration.

-Yeah.

For a simple box, we want that at £30.

-Hello, sir.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Erm, what would be your bottom price on that?

-For the Red Team.

-The scarlet women.

-60.

No, we need to come down a bit more on that.

-50. 50 at a push.

-50. I still think...

I see that at auction with an estimate of £40-£60.

Right.

-I love it.

-I do.

-I think it's too dear.

-Is it in good condition?

-Yes.

-Apart from that.

I'll just have a look underneath. Is there any cracks?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-It is cracked.

-Is it split right across?

-Yes.

I mean, it's got a nice age to it. It's early Victorian but...

-Can you come down any more for us?

-For Bargain Hunt, 40.

-£40.

-I think so.

-Yes!

-Yes!

-Sold.

-Yes! Yes!

-Yes?

-£40.

-We've got our first item.

-We've got our first buy.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, thank you.

I've never seen anyone so excited about buying their first item.

I just know Tim's going to say, "Well, here's a split box for 40 quid."

-Ooh!

-Blimey, what have we got here?

-Ooh, they look nice.

Tell you what, wouldn't we look smart at the sale day?

-What do you think?

-That's definitely your colour.

-Chestnut roaster?

-Come on, you're wasting time.

-Come on!

-Oh!

-Did you find anything?

-Erm, no, not really.

-No.

The slope's nice. Do you like that? It's quite a nice example.

What's the price on the writing slope?

-175.

-175.

-It's a campaign one.

-Yeah.

This would have been owned by a military officer,

who would have taken it on campaigns.

He would have sat in his tent in the evening

and drawn letters up.

-So you've got...

-What's the little book?

-It looks like a notebook.

-A diary or something.

Wouldn't it be nice if we found his diary?

I don't think, actually, that this relates to it.

I'm not sure.

"English Composition by L Goodyear."

I don't know. But it's a nice box. It's in good condition.

You've obviously got a secret drawer

because this little latch there would release it.

So if we spin that round, pop that up,

then the little drawer should open.

And you'd keep precious things in there you could lock.

It's a good thing.

There's a secret drawer on the inside on that one as well.

-Ooh, two secret drawers. Bang for your bucks.

-In the top?

-Press the back of the inkwell box.

-Here?

Press it downwards.

-Oh!

-As if by magic, hey presto.

-That's clever.

-It's copper plate for making...

-There's a snippet of paper in here

with the same name on it as the little journal.

So, again, there, it all ties up.

What we're doing is we're building up a story.

It's not just an antique, it's someone's life and their history.

What would you estimate it to if you were putting it in a sale?

It's got to be around 100, 150 quid, I'd have thought.

I mean, it's going to boil down to you two chipping the price a bit

but it's a nice object.

He looks like a hard man.

He looks like a fair man.

What would be your best on it?

-160.

-160 quid.

-Yeah, let's go for it.

-Shall we?

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

Well done. You've got a deal, there. Thank you very much.

That's what I like to see - decisive action.

-White Star Line.

-That's quite interesting.

White Star Line stopped in what, the '20s?

-Topical, isn't it?

-It is topical.

White Star Line built, obviously, the Titanic.

-It would be nice if it came from the Titanic.

-Wouldn't it?

-Can I look?

What's the very best you'd go to on that?

-Can you tell me what I have on it?

-Oh, sorry. 19.

-Well, for you, as a very special deal...

-We like special.

-..13.

-13?

-Mm.

-I think it's a gamble but it's a low kind of price, isn't it?

-Shall we have...? We'll come back.

-We'll come back.

-And hope it's still there.

Oh, stop dithering, girls!

-Oh, look! Mr Wonnacott's.

-Oh, yeah!

-We're not saying anything!

-Oh, Jill, what do you think?

-Oh, look at her!

She's like me.

-She's red.

-She's a scarlet woman.

-She can join the team.

-She's quite heavy.

Tell us about her.

"1930s lady's head wall plaque."

-Do you like that?

-There's something about it.

-How much is she?

-She's 38.

-£38.

-£38.

-Jo, how do you feel about her?

-You saw her?

-No.

I'm kind of a bit speechless, really.

-LAUGHTER

-So's she.

I mean, I like the turban and I can see the 1930s idea coming through

but she doesn't really do an awful lot for me.

We've got to think realistically. Who is going to pay £40?

-No.

-No, I don't think so, Jill. I think move on.

-They might.

-Move on.

-We can always come back.

That's two items we've seen that we can come back to.

-What, the White Star Line...?

-The White Star Line and her.

Yeah but you've got to make a decision sometime.

-These are just so elegantly Art Deco, aren't they?

-Yeah, gorgeous.

-I love them.

-I used to draw like this at art college,

when you do dress designing and you sketch it.

-She's very clever, you know.

-You've done fashion design?

-Yes.

-It's just...

-You wouldn't think so.

In your designer fleece? Surely!

Not many of these about you know, love.

-You're not going to buy one of these?

-No, I love them but...

OK.

That's lovely, isn't it, the oil lamp?

-It's beautiful.

-It is, actually.

-Art Nouveau.

-Yes, it is nice.

How much do you want for that? Your best price.

I'll do you 75. That's the absolute best.

It's very good at that. Gladiator, Paris - it is a good make.

-Is it OK to pick it up?

-Yeah, pick it up from the marble.

Just below the marble, ideally. That's it.

-Is it heavy, Catherine?

-It's not as heavy as I'd expected.

I don't know. Step back and tell me what you think.

-It's lovely but is it a bit...?

-Is it a £70...?

-Yeah.

I just think at £70, it might be a bit punchy.

Do you want to have a think? We're thinking at so many things,

we're not going to have any time left.

-Let's just look at a couple more stalls.

-And then decision time.

-And then we must decide.

-Yeah.

-Must decide.

I'm getting a bit worried now. What do you think?

-I'm worried. Do I look worried?

-How much time have we got left?

-Not long.

-About 15, 20 minutes.

-OK.

You've got nothing to worry about.

We've bought one item. The White Star Line, we could go for that.

-I think we should go for that.

-£11.

-£11.

-Let's go with that.

-Yeah.

-Let's go with that.

-OK.

-Let's go and buy the White Star Line and then we need to really keep looking.

-OK.

You wanted Deco. There's some Deco over there.

Is that the sort of thing you had in mind?

-It's the geometric shapes...

-Those real angular pieces?

-Yes.

-Yeah. That's not shouting at me. Sorry.

-It's not shouting at you.

I think I will be, soon.

You do the deal on that and I'll carry on having a look.

We're back. We were hoping you might look favourable on us.

-We really like it.

-And we really like you.

HE LAUGHS

You can cut that out.

-Can we go on ten?

-Ten, go on.

-Hooray!

-£10.

-That's because I like you.

-That's fantastic.

-Thank you very much.

-£10.

-Catherine! £10.

-Because he likes us.

These things are seriously weird, don't you think?

Take a block of Perspex, freeze within that block of Perspex,

in this instance, a miniature starfish,

a spray of seaweed, opposed by two real crabs

and the whole lot sit on a scattering

of sand and further shells.

And then on the top of the block of Perspex,

you stick two of these things for holding Biros.

1960s kitsch, I hear you say. Well, in a way you're right.

1960s this certainly is but kitsch, well, I'm not so sure.

For the last few years, I've wandered around these fairs

and every time I see one of these frozen blocks,

which are usually inkstands,

I have to say I put my hand in my back pocket

and I've acquired them.

I've got a little collection now,

about 30 or 40 of these things.

I've never paid more than £10 for a block

and nobody has ever been able to tell me how they go about it.

Today has been rather a good day

because I've been able to find two of these jokers.

That one cost me £10 and that one cost me £3,

so these are not expensive things to buy.

But I really fancy them as a bit of an antique for the future.

Now exactly the same technique was used by Dunhill,

the lighter and cigarette people, in the 1960s

and they made a certain type of desk lighter

called an aquarium desk lighter

out of a block of Perspex,

within which they froze fish and shells and seaweed.

And do you know what every one of those Dunhill

aquarium plastic table lighters from the 1960s fetch at auction?

Never less than £2,000 and sometimes as much as £4,000.

Now, I know that's a different thing. It's a Dunhill product.

It's very collectable as a lighter.

But don't you tell me that it's an easy job

to create this thing out of this material

because it isn't

and I'm just longing to find out from one of you

how you freeze this lot in Perspex.

Meanwhile, the Reds are still hedging their bets.

-I'm so panicking now.

-Don't panic!

-I'm really panicking.

-I still like the lamp.

-Do you?

-£70.

That would be £120.

-I think the base has been...

-It looks a little bit damaged.

It's been touched up.

Are you starting to get as panicked as I am?

-No.

-No.

-We could still get it but, yeah, I'm not that happy about it.

-OK.

-We're so not panicked.

-We're too laid back.

Not panicked at all.

Run! Come on!

Four minutes, we've got.

-Shall we go for the head? It's something different.

-Yeah.

-Let's go for it.

-OK. Catherine?

-We're going to go for the head.

-We're going for the head.

-Aren't you going for the lamp?

-I like the lamp.

-Don't stop them now, Catherine!

Lamp, head, lamp, head.

Head.

Head.

-Head.

-Quite, quite sure?

-Head.

-OK. Head.

-Are you lagging behind?

-It's you, you wear me out.

-Deco! Deco!

-Any old Deco? Any old Deco?

We're back. Is it yours?

-I think it's the lady...

-Oh, the same lady who owns the lamp.

Is it? Let's go and ask.

-We have got two minutes, you know, ladies.

-We've got to do this.

Where are these mirrors you spotted?

Excuse me. Do you own the stall there with the head on, as well?

I think she's..

-Wow.

-I think that's pretty. I really like that.

-Yeah?

-It's really pretty. There's no chips.

-And there's another one.

-Hang onto that. Let's look at the other one.

-Hurry up!

-Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt.

-Do you own the stall with the lamp? Not the lamp, the head.

-Yes.

These ladies are interested in her.

Voila. Two.

-That one is worn.

-That's damaged.

I think we need to go and do some negotiations.

You're spot on. Grab hold of that.

-34?

-Yes.

-25?

-No.

-30.

-£30.

-Absolute best.

-We're running out of time, Jo.

-Yeah.

-Unless...

-Unless we can get the lamp down.

-Two ticks.

Sorry to interrupt.

-How much are you asking for these mirrors, please?

-This one's 55 at the very best.

That one can actually be 45.

Nick! Help!

Could you come down just to 60 on the lamp?

-I can't, sweetheart.

-Please!

-I'll do 65.

34 on the head or 65 on the lamp.

-Stick to just the one.

-Yeah.

We'll have this one. On my head be it and you can hit me later.

-We'll go on the lamp.

-I think the lamp.

-Are you sure?

-Yes.

-Lamp.

-The lamp. Thank you.

-You're welcome.

I like the lamp.

-'Phew!'

-Group hug!

-Hug!

-That was literally the last minute.

-Yeah, well.

-We take it to the edge, don't we?

-Yeah.

I just can't take any more excitement.

Let's see what they finished up with, Noddy.

The girls loved this Victorian veterinary medicine chest,

despite its bumps and bruises

and they splashed out a whole £10 on a White Star Line beaker.

Will it bring a flood of bidders to the auction

or just a sinking feeling?

The French Gladiator lamp might light up the sale room, we'll see.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Even though we left it to the last moment.

My favourite team, this. All girls. Girl expert, girl contestants.

-Scarlet women.

-All girls together.

-Yeah.

So, Jill and Jojo Not Tonight Josephine,

-how did you get on? All right?

-Fantastic.

-Yeah.

-How much did you spend overall, Jojo?

-£115.

So I would like £185, please.

You've got that hidden away.

Oh, that's nice and warm. Good. Going across then.

-What are you going to do with all that?

-Ooh, I've never had so much cash.

I'm going to buy something very special,

something fun because they are such fun girls.

I can tell that.

And trouble, big trouble.

Anyway, good fun.

Now, why don't we check out what the Blue Team bought, eh?

I can't see the fat lava vase creating a fat lot of interest

but you never know.

Both ladies were inspired by the mahogany writing slope

with its secret drawers.

And a mirror in a style they love - Art Deco.

-You look a bit fagged out, Nicholas.

-They have run me ragged.

-They're so competitive.

-Why are you so competitive, you two?

-We're sales people.

-Who knows? We need to win.

-You've got targets.

-Yeah.

-Somebody's forever chasing you, pushing you.

-Tenacious.

-Objectives have got to be met.

-Tenacious.

-All of that.

-All right.

-How much did you spend overall? Linda, how much was it?

-£225.

-OK, brilliant. Now, there you go.

-Thank you.

-£75.

-Enough to get your teeth into.

-Yeah, if I've got any energy left I can spend that for you.

-You know we have high expectations.

-I shall try my best.

-Very good.

-Bye.

-Good luck, girls, good luck, Nick.

Now, we're heading off to Cheshire.

Welcome to Arley Hall, a much-loved and carefully observed stately home

and no stranger to alterations by its various owners

over the centuries.

Luckily, Piers Egerton Warburton, who inherited Arley in 1891,

was not only a dab hand with the paint brush

but he was also a fan of architecture

and architectural features.

It was he who went in for exposing oak and brickwork

all round the estate.

Like me, he was fascinated by the construction

of these ancient buildings.

What do you think about the way in which I'm standing?

My legs are unnaturally far apart, you say?

Think about stability.

The weight of my torso is supported on my outstretched legs

and I'm at my most stable in this position,

effectively the weight is drawn up my legs, into my pelvis

and crutch.

What do you think about the stability of this building?

Isn't that amazing?

The shape and form of these supports,

these massive oak supports, are called crutch supports.

Architecturally, this form of construction is called a cruck barn.

Not crutch but cruck.

Because the two tree trunks reach to the sky

and are joined by a little collar beam at the top.

Look at the shape of these two elongated beams.

They're slightly curvy.

That's because in the medieval period,

they went down to the woods and they selected a tree

that was slightly leaning over.

Having felled it by hand, you'd then take that tree trunk

and you split it right down the middle,

creating two halves.

And it's those two halves which come together

so that they form a complementary pair,

tied together with the collar beam,

tied together very simply with these cross members,

Very little jointing involved in that.

All you need to do is to shove these dowels through,

so the entire weight is borne on these cruck beams

and the outer walls themselves aren't load-bearing at all.

They simply form the shelter for the enclosed space,

which in the medieval period would have been used

principally for the storage of crops.

This cruck barn at Arley was erected in 1469,

which is extraordinary, isn't it?

The beauty of the Arley cruck barn is

that essentially, with one or two exceptions,

it hasn't been changed in 600 years.

If we scroll forward a cool 130 years,

you find yourself in the adjoining Tudor barn,

today used as a restaurant.

But look at the construction. Look how things have come on

since the crutch barn.

We've got massive, thick masonry, these brick walls,

all of which are load-bearing

and up above, a truss that's not so very different

from the gang-nailed roof-type truss that we use in modern construction.

Of course, the big question today is,

will our teams over at the auction require the odd truss

or the odd cruck?

Well, it's very nice to be at Gilding's auction house in Market Harborough

and to be with the junior partner, Mark Gilding.

-Hello, Mark.

-Good morning, Tim.

Now, we kick off with the Reds with this veterinary box,

which would apparently tell you what to do

with any ill animal.

I think it's a bit of fun. I think it's a good-looking box.

-You think so?

-Yeah, it's got a nice bit of print on the front

with a good name.

-I suppose it does have a connection with vets.

-It does.

And we'll just have to hope there's a vet or two about

-in this agricultural community of yours.

-That's it, yes.

-What's your estimate?

-Well, out on a limb, 70 to 100.

-How much?

-70 to 100.

-Are you all right?

-Well, we'll just have to see what happens.

-They paid £40, actually.

-I think that's a good buy.

-You do?

-I do, yeah.

They'll be delighted if you get £100 for it, my gosh.

Next up is the wisteria pattern White Star Beaker.

-How do you rate that?

-Not a lot. 15 to 20.

-£10 paid.

-Oh, well. Yeah.

It couldn't have gone down, glug, glug, could it?

No, no. It's not a Titanic item.

Anyway, it still shows a slight profit, which is good.

And lastly is the Gladiator lamp,

which, sadly, has fallen apart in transit.

Now, I've had a good look at this, Mark,

and at the bottom of that marble shaft that went into this socket

is some brand new, still wet white mastic, right?

And this metal piece that should go up through the whole thing

and have a nut on the top has rotted away years ago.

All this mastic was the only thing that was holding this lamp together.

So I'm going to ask you the question,

what would this lamp have been worth

if it had come in in good and sound condition?

In good and sound condition, £60-£80.

OK. And if you had ever had some damage to it in the sale room,

what's your insurance policy?

What would you pay out to the owner of a £60-£80 lamp?

We would pay out a hammer price at the reserve.

-At the reserve?

-So the lower figure of the estimate.

Well, I think the only way of sorting this out is to treat this

as far as the team is concerned,

and I'll tell them that this has happened,

as if they had had a damage for insurance purposes

-and we'll treat it as if they got £60...

-Sure.

..which is what they would get were they insured in the transit arrangements.

We will, however, sell the damaged lamp in the auction

and if, by a miracle, it makes more than the insurance payment of £60,

they'll get the extra, too.

-Is that fair enough?

-Sounds fair.

On that basis, they may or may not need their bonus buy

but let's have a look anyway.

Now, Jill and Jojo, you spent the paltry, miserable, mean amount

of £115

and you gave Catherine £185 to blow.

Now, I'm going to give Catherine a hand here

by whipping off the cloth and revealing all.

Now, these ladies like lovely things,

so I bought these with you in mind.

Now, we have, it looks like a decanter set but it's probably a liqueur set from the 1930s.

Don't worry, it's not just one paltry glass. There are six glasses.

It's got this lovely little silver decoration on.

I think it's quite attractive, don't you?

-There's lots of deep thought going on.

-Lots of deep thought, yes.

I don't know that I've heard Jill and Jojo so quiet ever before.

I mean, the silence is deafening.

Seriously, tell us what you've spent, darling.

-I spent £40.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-There!

-So have you changed your mind now?

-Absolutely.

-We've changed our mind.

-I think they've bucked up.

-I'm impressed, I'm really impressed.

-Yes, I am.

You don't have to decide right now, you decide after the sale of your first three items

but for the audience, let's find out whether the auctioneer

is going to be similarly bowled out by Catherine's decanter set.

Well, Catherine's been weaving, look.

We've got a nice little decanter with that silver lustre

and six of these fellows.

OK, yeah. Little liqueur set.

-Perfectly clean, isn't it?

-It is, all in good order.

The decoration's nice, these Venetian scenes.

Good. What do you think the lot will bring?

Well, they're difficult sellers, actually. 20 to 30.

Catherine paid £40, actually, so your estimate's £20-£30.

Anyway, that's it for the Reds.

Now, for the Blues, Christine and Linda.

-Their first item is this fat lava vase.

-OK, yeah.

Now, you're an expert on fat lava, aren't you?

-Hardly.

-No, I think it's absolutely hideous stuff, for me.

-OK, how much?

-20 to 30.

-Very good estimate. £10 paid.

-OK.

-All right? They'll be happy with that.

Now, the brass-bound wee writing box.

-It's had a bit of a smack up that top, hasn't it?

-It has.

It's had a major repair along the top here.

Almost an amputation.

Yes, I think it was the brass that held it together.

Anyway, there we go, it's been bust,

so how much, then?

Well, condition is key. £60-£80.

-£160 they paid.

-Wow.

-So that could be their killer blow.

-I think so.

-Yes.

Anyway, lastly, they got this Art Deco mirror.

I can see that on the suburban wall. Vera Lynn's on the blower.

-Do you like it?

-No.

-Oh.

Again, we see all too many of these.

-So how much, then?

-20 to 30.

-Gosh. £55 paid.

-Yeah.

So we seem to have had a disaster moment with the box

and not a brilliant moment with the mirror.

They're going to need their bonus buy, so let's have a look at it.

Now, Linda and Christine,

you spent a magnificent £225 - so proud of you for doing that -

and you gave the man of the moment £75.

Nicholas, what did you spend it on?

Well, I think with this, Tim, we're going to sail to victory.

Oh, God.

-What do you think? Do you like it?

-I do, actually.

It's rather smart. It's not original.

It's in the style of an Edwardian pond yacht, a modern version,

-but for the paltry £45 I spent on it...

-45?

-£45.

-£45.

But do you think it will make a profit?

Should do. That's got to be £50, £60 of anyone's money, surely?

Linda, I want to know, darling, what do you think about this?

I think Nick's working on our tactics,

which is looking for the biggest loss.

That's not got much faith.

-I think I'm going to quit while we're ahead, Nick.

-Good.

Why don't the audience find out what the auctioneer thinks about Nick's yacht?

Here we go, Mark.

Market Harborough's a long way from the sea,

so how appropriate an object is this to bring to the sale room?

Good-looking thing. It's well made and nicely painted.

Yes. Anyway, Nick rates it. He paid £45.

-Do you think it will make a profit on 45?

-I do. I've said 50 to 70.

-That's your estimate?

-Yes. It could make something.

-We'll have to hope for the best.

-That's it.

-Thank you, Mark.

Now, Jill and Jojo, how are you feeling?

-Very confident.

-Excited.

-Very confident.

Not as excited as you're going to be when I tell you

about the disaster that's happened to your Gladiator lamp.

-Oh, no.

-What's happened?

-It fell apart.

-Oh, no.

-Oh!

It came apart in the transportation

-and we're going to treat it like an insurance claim.

-Right.

-They're guaranteeing you £60 on this.

-That's good.

-OK.

And that's the only fair way that we can get out of this shambles.

First up is the veterinary chest and here it comes.

The wooden stockbreeder's medicine chest

marked Dayson and Hewitt's, original.

-£100 do I see?

-£100?

£32, I'm bid, then. At 32, 35, 38, 40.

£40, I'm bid. At 40.

40 for the box. £40 I'm bid. Two I'll take. £40 bid.

The box selling, then, at £40.

Wiped its face. Here we go. Here comes the wisteria beaker.

-Bidding here, £5.

-Go on.

The beaker at £5. At 5?

The White Star beaker. I'm bid at £5. It must sold.

At £8, 10. At £10, I'm bid.

-At £12.

-Broke even, hasn't it?

-15 bid, internet.

-Go on!

-15 on the internet. Yes!

18 bid in the room. Internet, it's your turn.

-Come on!

-18, that's it. £20? I'm bid at 20.

-£20 with the internet this time.

-25, go on, 25.

-Yes!

-You doubled your money.

Plus £10 on that. So you've got one wiped face,

doubled your money, now the Gladiator.

-Victorian lamp.

-I just want to cry now.

-Shall we all cry?

-Don't cry.

Needs a bit of proper repair, this one.

LAUGHTER Just a bit.

£10, I'm bid.

£10, the lamp, I'm bid. £10, 12, 15.

15. Bid at 18.

£18 I'm bid then, at 18.

-Hang on.

-To the internet at £18.

-£18 in pieces.

Sold it for £18 but we're treating it as a sale at 60

on the old insurance arrangement, so that's minus £5,

which means overall, girls, you are plus £5.

-£5.

-Yes!

What's so funny about that?

-It's a profit, Tim.

-I know it is. It's a little miracle.

All I can say is thank goodness for the insurance claim.

OK, lovely. Now, the decision is,

are you going to go with Catherine's decanter set?

-No. We've made a profit, Jo.

-Yeah, we've made a profit.

-Sorry, Catherine.

-That's fine by me.

We're going to sell it anyway and here it comes.

20th century glass liqueur set

with silver decoration of Venetian scenes.

My opening bid here is £15.

-I thought he was going to say 50.

-15, I'm bid. At 18. 20.

22, 25, 28, 30.

£30. At 30 here. 32, new bidding.

-At 32, 35.

-They don't hate it.

-35. For all of £35...

-You've done the right thing.

-Yes!

-Yes!

Steady, girls.

-We made the right decision.

-Right decision.

Have you ever seen so much excitement over £5?

So overall, then, girls, you are still plus £5.

-We've done well.

-We're pleased.

If you can resist telling the Blues, that would be awfully nice.

We'll resist.

-The big question is, girls, have you been talking to the Reds?

-No.

-No.

-Not a word?

-No.

-Jolly good.

Well, we like it to be a bit shtoom, like.

You're looking pretty kind of confident and cool.

-Are you feeling that way, Christine?

-Full of confidence.

-Oh, yes. Yes.

-You, too, Linda?

-Yes.

-Here it comes, the fat lava.

German pottery vase. How collectable is this?

-£10 is my bid.

-Get your money back.

-£10 I'm bid for the vase here.

£10 I'm bid. 12, 15, 18.

20, 22.

25, 28.

-Look at this, girls.

-28, here then. At 28.

30 do I see?

The bid's seated, then, at 28. And away at £28.

-Whoa!

-£28 gives plus 18 just like that.

-Oh, clever.

-That's a very good start.

-Very good. Well found, Nick.

Now, here comes your old box.

Bidding here starts at 35, £45.

45 bid here. At 45. 55.

60. 60 I'm bid, then. At 60 here. 65, new bidding. 70.

75, 80.

85, 90.

-95, 100.

-Somebody likes it. Somebody likes it.

£100 on this side, then. 110 I'll take.

£100 bid and away at 100.

-Oh, dear.

-100 smackers is minus 60. Sorry, girls.

Here comes the wall mirror.

Bevelled edge and tinted panels. £10 bid.

£10 I'm bid. 12. 15.

18, 20,

22, 25, 28.

-30, 32, 35.

-Look out.

-40, 42.

-Yes, keep going.

-45.

-48, 50.

-Look at this. Look at this, girls.

-£50 I'm bid.

A surprise for me. £50 I'm bid and away at £50.

-Good lord. £50.

-Well done.

-Well done, you two.

-You see?

-You know more than the auctioneer and me.

-Yeah.

-Well done, you two.

That is only minus £5 on that, which means overall you are minus 47.

That's actually not that bad.

So what are you going to do about this pond yacht?

-We said we'd go with it if we were down.

-Yeah.

-You're going to go with it.

-Yes. OK.

-We're going with the pond yacht.

Here we go, then, the pond yacht in 161.

10, 15, £20 bid.

25, 30, five,

-40, five...

-Yes.

-Another one.

45 at the back. He's shaking his head. It's right at the back at 45.

-50 do I see? At 45 I will sell, then, at 45.

-Oh...

-£45. Wiped its face.

-Yes.

-Oh, well.

-No shame in that, I have to say.

-No shame at all.

-Overall, then, your score is minus £47.

-Oh, well.

We've ring-fenced it at minus £47. Don't say a word to the Reds, right?

-No, we won't.

-OK. We'll catch up with you in a minute.

Well, it's been a cracking programme, hasn't it?

I mean, helter skelter, a game of chance,

absolutely right.

-Have we all had fun?

-Oh, yes!

-I think so.

-And have we been talking to one another at all?

-No!

That's just as well because there is a world of difference

between the results, I'm afraid, for the teams today

and the team that has done substantially worse than the other

-is the Blues.

-Oh.

-I'm not really surprised.

You got that £18 profit off the fat lava

-and then it went downhill from there.

-Yeah.

Even the pond yacht wiped its face and didn't add to your profits.

But not to worry. Minus 47 is not a shameful score, I have to tell you.

-And you've been great sports.

-We had fun, didn't we?

-It's been lovely having you on the show.

-Thank you.

-Good.

But the Reds can walk away, walk tall, yes?

Just look at their faces.

Gosh.

I'm going to present you with your grand total of £5 profit.

THEY CHEER

I know you're going to feel so good about this, I'm doing it in coins.

-Are you all right with this, blue eyes?

-Oh, yes.

-Definitely.

Marvellous, marvellous. Brilliant expert, as well, I have to say.

There, you are absolutely truthful. Anyway, we've had a lovely show.

Join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

Yes!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]