Kingston 15 Bargain Hunt

-Hello, you lot out there in the great...

-Pick 'n' mix.

-Today we're in London, believe it or not, with a...

-Right Ken Dodd bangers and mash.

-Yeah!

-Lovely jubbly.

So let's go bargain hunting! Yeah...

Actually, we're in Kingston upon Thames,

and the word comes from King's tun, or estate.

So, as usual, we're living up to a right royal reputation today.

Here we go.

'I'm joining the teams at the aptly named Kingston Antiques Centre.

'It's going to be a battle of nerves

'to see who can spend their £300 mostly wisely in just one hour.

'Coming up, the Reds take the competition a bit too seriously.'

She's like a Rottweiler, this girl.

'While the Blues...'

Suits you fine!

SING-SONG: David!

As long as it's not pink!

'Hah! But when they finally make decisions,

'will they be wise enough to get a good result at auction?'

Look at this! All gorgeous girl teams today. My favourite.

First up, for the Reds, we've got Pamela and Philippa.

-Welcome, girls.

-BOTH: Hi.

-How long have you two known each other?

We started university together and we've known each other since then.

I'm told that you two girls were fanatically hard workers.

-You never had any time off and never had fun. Is that right?

-Absolutely, Tim.

-What do you think we are, Philippa?

-THEY GIGGLE

-Come on, what's the truth?

-No, we did have a few wild nights,

driving around trying to find countryside raves, often got lost...

-Countryside what?

-Raves.

-Oh, rave!

I've never been to a rave. What happens?

-You should give it a go.

-LAUGHTER

I'm too old, dear!

No, give us the accurate low-down of a good countryside rave.

Well, it's usually in quite a spacious barn,

-nice big speakers...

-Very, very loud music.

-Lots of good people.

-Lots of good people.

-Are you going to be any good at bargain hunting today?

-I certainly hope so.

Hopefully I've got an eye for quality,

-and Pamela, with her Turkish background, brilliant haggler.

-Ah!

Shh! I might not be.

The secret weapon has yet to be unleashed.

Well, we'll look forward to that.

-Now, girls, mother and daughter Biddy and Kim.

-Hello.

-Hello.

And could I perhaps describe you as our pocket team, perhaps?

Yes. We like being in people's pockets.

Now, Biddy, how tall are you, darling?

Four foot nine.

-Are you?

-Mm.

But your husband is...?

-Six foot eight.

-He never is!

-Yes, he's that big.

Is he really?

And, Kim, you rather took your mother's genes, I would say.

No, I'm little and good, but she's not.

BIDDY HOWLS WITH LAUGHTER

She's not?! How can you say that about your mum?

-Biddy, what do you get up to with your time?

-My leisure time...

is my family, really - my grandchildren.

My husband and I belong to a bike club.

-A motorbike club?

-Yeah.

Once a year we have a rally, which is called the Rabbit Rally,

and my friend and myself dress up as bunnies and serve up breakfast.

Let's see whether you've got your tail on.

No, no tail today. Good.

You're just telling me a tall tail, aren't you?

Kim, what do you think of your mother dressing up as a rabbit?

Well... what can I say, really?

What can I say?

Anything to do with dressing up and having a laugh, she would do it.

-Nothing ever surprises me or fazes me any more.

-No?

But then I think some of that has brushed off on me

because I love dressing up and going to fancy-dresses.

I do like to have a little party.

Aren't they lovely, these two?

Absolutely welded from the hip, I would say. Look at that.

-GIGGLING

-We're going to have fun today.

We haven't even started and they're paralytic! No, I didn't say that.

Anyway, now the money moment. Here's your £300.

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

And very, very, very good luck.

Cor! We're going to have a right rave-up today.

'Our very own raver, Philip Serrell,

'hopes to have the Reds wound around his little finger.

'And helping the Blues find their way around is David Barby.

'The hour starts when the doors open.'

Welcome to heaven. The world's your oyster.

-Yay!

-Oh! Spoilt for choice, really.

-Don't know where to start!

-GIGGLING

-'Oh, Lord!

'This team looks like double trouble. What do you think, David?'

I don't know. I don't know.

They're wonderful to go round with, so enthusiastic about things.

GIGGLING

But there's so much here to look at and so short a time.

Oh, it's a pig! Oh, yes!

Oh, yes! I'm a pig-lover, you see.

But it's as modern as being made yesterday.

-Aw!

-Sorry about that, girls.

'Philip looks like he's having an easier time with the Reds.'

-Do you like globes?

-Yeah, I do.

-Priced at £25.

-OK. That's not bad.

-That's my sort of price range.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

I used to teach geography, and the trick of dating these things is...

Well, Sri Lanka is Sri Lanka and not Ceylon.

If it was old, it would be Ceylon and not Sri Lanka.

So there's a clue for us.

It says made in the German Democratic Republic, July 1985.

Oh!

I'm born on July 1985!

-See? You've got to buy it.

-You've got to buy that now.

-I'm not sure. What do you think?

-I like it but if you're not sure...

-It's the same age as you in the same month as you.

-Yeah.

-We'll still think about it.

-OK.

-She's cautious.

-She certainly is.

What you could do is ask this good lady if she'll put it by.

-Then we can always come back.

-Great idea.

-If you find anything else...

You do that and then we'll wander down this way.

Or up that way or some other way.

'Hedging your bets.

'It's a tried and tested technique for you, isn't it, Phil?

'David's trying to appeal to Biddy and Kim's femininity

'to get the first item in their bag.'

Ladies, what about this?

-That's good.

-This is solid silver.

-Do you use a compact today?

-Occasionally. I think every woman should have one.

So you've got the mirror there.

You'd have your little pat of face powder,

and you would use that to just powder your nose.

But the important element is this here,

the symbol for the Royal Artillery.

This means it was given by an officer to his lady friend

in the 1930s, maybe as an engagement gift.

People are very keen on militaria.

I rather like that, actually.

But I would hope that it would be round about £25, not £45.

-Shall we see what we can do?

-Yes.

Continue to look at these and if there's anything else,

-and I'll just nip to see the lady.

-Good luck!

GIGGLING

-I think David is pretty good.

-Yes.

-Well, we hope so.

-When he comes back after he barters...

-He barters for us.

..if he comes back with a good bargain, he's a good man.

-Please!

-Be with us today.

-Ladies.

-Well? Well?

£25.

Oh, you are brilliant!

LAUGHTER

-Excuse my daughter.

-Well done!

'That's our Mr Barby! A charmer and a top-notch negotiator.

'But he's not the only one.'

-We've got a pair of bowls.

-One of them is damaged.

-Right.

This one here.

They're out of our price range. £325 for the pair.

I asked whether we could have the non-damaged one for £70, so she's checking that out.

£75 is the best, because we're splitting the set.

-Are you sure you can't do £70?

-It was £325.

-Are you sure you can't do £70 at all?

-No.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-I'll tell you what, she is ferocious.

-SHE GIGGLES

I'm beginning to feel sorry for these people.

Come on, girls.

-'And Pamela doesn't stop there.'

-I like that plate.

-It's only £18.

I think that's nice.

If you can get it down a lot, an awful lot... You know.

I'd be happy with £5, I think, for that.

She's like a Rottweiler, this girl.

We're thinking about £5.

Thanks a lot. Bye.

It can be £10, that one.

'Time for a team chat, I think, Philip.'

This ferocious dealing technique of yours, we haven't actually bought anything yet.

-Oops.

-And...

I suppose that's a novel way. If you don't buy anything at all...

-You don't lose anything.

-So you might win.

Oh, hello.

Cor, you're not going to believe this.

I have just found this,

a utilitarian piece of kitchenalia.

Now, in the old days, Edwardian country house days,

you would have the home farm across the park, where there'd be a dairy,

and they would produce milk, butter and cheese for the big house.

Now, underneath it says "Cobble Stone".

That's the pattern of these cobbly-type stones.

Now, what got me excited about this

is that bits of kitchenalia in the way of ceramics

are extremely sought-after,

and there's only one man in the UK that I know

who handles this stuff regularly.

So what I've done is to take a snap of this.

He's looked at the photograph. This is what he says.

"Such scarce items of desirability

"can create the 'auction hype' all vendors desire."

£400 to £600 is his estimate.

What would it cost you here?

£12.

Now, that's what I call a buttery bargain.

Decisions, decisions!

Decisions, decisions! Oooh!

-That's a silver holder for artist crayons.

-Oh, right!

-Now, that is unusual and very, very quirky.

-Yeah.

I think at £95 that's rather a lot of money.

I'm going to check up on this.

Oh! Now, look at this.

-Do you know what that's for?

-BIDDY LAUGHS

-It's silver.

-Yeah?

It's a lady's dusting brush.

Oh! I'll have some.

SHE COOS

You don't know where this has been.

-Again, it's an unusual object. Quirky little object.

-It is.

You'd have seen this on a dressing table, used by a maidservant to brush down her mistress.

Yeah.

-You can imagine Upstairs, Downstairs...

-These big mansion houses.

-Yeah, that's my house.

-Yes.

-THEY LAUGH

In other words, it's for talc, love. I'll go and check on price.

-It looks a bit like a piggy there.

-You and your pigs!

Well, look! A piggy's head, going down to his little tail.

KIM LAUGHS

'It can be anything you want it to be, Biddy,

'as long as it makes a profit.

'The Blues are at least showing an interest in buying something,

'whereas the Reds haven't parted with any cash yet.'

-Do you like that?

-Hm... no.

OK. That's Serrell's attempted call done.

I think it's a bit plain.

-No, I don't think...

-Don't like it?

-No.

-OK.

-Do you like these?

-Yeah, I think they're nice.

-Sorry?

-I think they're quite nice.

-What, I pointed something out and you like it?

-Yeah.

-But I don't.

-Oh, right.

'Time to point them in the right direction, Phil.'

I've got a plan.

You choose something, you choose something,

and then I'll say to you, "I'd like you to buy that."

-All right?

-Yeah.

-Right, I'd like you to buy that globe.

We've now had 15 to 20 minutes and haven't bought a thing.

Done. Girls, go find your way home.

-Excellent.

-£15 that's cost.

-That's really good.

-That's guaranteed a profit. £15.

-Thanks.

OK, so that's one in the bag.

Oh, my life...!

'Brilliant. Well done, Reds.

'At just 15 smackers, the globe could turn out to be a bargain.'

Want a bit of a brush, Bid?

Ugh!

I tell you what, the cameraman could do with a bit of a brush.

-Yes, what are we up to?

-GIGGLING I'm sorry.

-We were wondering where to put the brush.

-Yeah. I'm sorry.

GIGGLING

-Quite interesting. Did you like it?

-We were coming up with new names for it.

-That's £10.

-Oh! Right.

-I like these.

-They'll come down to £70.

It's not that early. It's 1946.

I think it's going to be the brush. We need to make some profit.

-I'm a bit worried about the crayon holder.

-That's a wise decision.

That means we've only got one object to find

and we've got rather a lot of money to spend.

'£265, to be precise.'

-I would wear that.

-You would?

-What's going on here?

-We're just making a long-distance call.

-LAUGHTER

It's a trunk call.

No, it's not! It's a handbag! It's not a trunk call!

-Where does he get these old jokes?

-Terrible, isn't it?

-How many items have you bought?

-We bought the one.

-Just one?

-WE haven't bought one.

-Sorry. YOU'VE bought one.

-I've bought one.

-You've just got to buck up.

-I know.

Girls, what about this?

-Oh, yeah!

-Ooh! Sexy!

-Isn't that lovely?

-Suits you fine!

Biddy, I can see you in bed now, with your little face poking through.

'David! What would Mrs Barby say?

'It's good to see everyone's having such fun...'

Get out of here!

'..but I thought I told you lot to buck up!'

We've had the thick end of 40 minutes and I have bought my globe,

and you two are pontificating.

Oh, I like that teapot.

'At last they're listening to Phil. He is the expert, after all.'

There we go.

This is called Canton ware, or "famille rose" rather.

It's Cantonese. It dates from about 1880, 1890.

Modestly collectible.

So go on, have a good look at it.

Yeah, I would quite like to drink tea out of that.

-You would?

-Green tea or something.

Although I have spotted another one up there which looks quite nice.

'Yes. It's almost identical.'

There doesn't appear to be too much difference.

I'll put this back, shall I?

When you go shopping normally, is it a long, long day?

'Girls will be girls, Phil.'

Yeah, I think we'll go with that

and see if they can give it to us for £20?

-She's a hard bargainer, this girl. Here you go.

-Thanks.

-You go and do your best.

-OK.

'Originally the teapot was £89,

'but if anyone can get it for a bargain price, it's Pamela.'

-Yay! I got it for £20.

-Oh! Brilliant. Well done.

Hallelujah. Well done, my love.

I'll give you a hug, too.

'Don't get too excited yet, Reds.

'You've still got one item to go, and the clock's ticking.'

-What have you done with Kim?

-Erm... I've lost her.

-There she is!

-Hello, Kim.

-She's so little I can't find her.

-Found you underneath the chair, darling.

-LAUGHTER

-I'm standing.

-LAUGHTER

That's a really "meow" thing to say!

-Are you having a nice time?

-Yes.

-Are you having what they call a larf?

-Having a larf!

Well, you're with the maestro of laughs here.

If he can't tickle you up, I don't know who can.

-Oh, we've done that already.

-He's been tickling us.

-Oh, yes!

-Any old opportunity for Mr Barby.

-Now, you bought two items. Are you happy?

-Yes, we are.

-One more to find. What we need is a stunner, don't we?

-Yes.

-Like these two.

-Whoo!

-LAUGHTER

-I can be up for auction.

-Yes, yes!

-Like us three.

-They're just the size for you, David.

-Yeah, just the right size!

You've only got quarter of an hour left.

-Choose sensibly, girls. Good luck.

-All right. Bye!

No pressure. No pressure!

Right, let's move on.

I quite like that, but I don't know that you'll make a profit because of the damage.

But sometimes the damaged look makes it look nicer.

This sort of style here, it's very Persian, isn't it?

-My dad's Persian.

-Is he?

-Yeah.

My parents have some stuff like this at home.

We should go shopping in your parents' house.

'With only ten minutes left,

'it might be time for you Reds to start saying yes instead of no.'

Pamela and Philippa,

it's pee or get off the pot.

'Or even find yourselves another pot!'

'Just don't lose your expert, like the Blues have.'

SING-SONG: David!

-Yes?

-Whoo-hoo!

-As long as it's not pink!

-No, no, it's not pink!

Look! Mind your back.

-It's got pink in it, Kimber!

-It has!

God, I love it! I love it, I love it.

Do you love it?

It's Burmantoft. That's very good.

Burmantoft, one of the major artefactorists of the 19th century.

You can feel the texture of the petals.

This is wonderful. This is called slipware. Very good.

I also like this moulded decoration here, which is so clever,

very much in the manner of Arts and Crafts coming into Art Nouveau.

There is some damage here.

If that was in perfect condition,

£400 to £500, if not more.

So, Kim, what drew you to this?

It was standing there so grand,

the colour, and I was thinking it looks really pretty.

People collect walking sticks. Absolutely ideal. Brollies.

You can still use it today. That's a good choice.

I'll check on the price, see if I can get it slightly lower than £88.

Keep your fingers crossed.

-Ohhh...!

-Oh, hello!

-£50.

-Whoo!

Kim, very well spotted.

-Do I say £50 to her?

-BOTH: Yes.

OK, let me give it a caress. Mmm!

'Oh, dear. That's not hygienic.

'Well done, Blues. You can go and put your feet up now.

'For Pamela and Philippa, antiques they're keen on are like buses.

'There's none for ages, then two come along smartish.'

Right, Phil. We've got our prices.

This for £65,

and that for £40.

I'd buy that, definitely.

That probably isn't silver. There's no actual hallmark.

So that makes me think a bit.

This little penknife, I love the way that blade

is engraved to match the rest of it.

It's hallmarked silver. The hallmark's there.

You can just see the crown, which tells us it's Sheffield.

Definitely buy this. You've done really well.

-I'm happy.

-Great. It's that one, then. Brilliant.

Well done, well done, well done.

Time's up!

But who will win the wooden spoon, eh?

'The Reds, who found it incredibly difficult to part with their cash,

'paid just £15 for the student's globe.

'Pamela "famille rose" to the occasion

'when she discovered the £20 teapot.

'For their last item, they became a bit more generous

'with the silver penknife, parting with a massive £40.'

-Are you relieved?

-Hugely relieved!

Well, I'm relieved that you finished.

So we've had multiple relief all round.

-It's been an interesting hour, but we got there.

-In the end.

But they're girls, Phil. You know what the form is when it comes to shopping.

-Now, £225 of leftover lolly from somebody, please.

-OK.

I don't know how you can hand that over. It's such a huge amount!

I can book into a hotel for some R and R with part of this and buy something with the rest of it.

Quite frankly, you could go for a week with all that cash.

Well done, girls. Good luck, Phil.

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

'The compact and bijou Blues bought something just like themselves,

'for £25.

'They stayed on a silver theme

'and paid £10 for the Edwardian powder brush.

'Finally, £50 was spent on the walking-stick stand.'

-Are you pleased that's all over and done with?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Been great fun, hasn't it?

-It has.

-You have been amazing, you girls!

-This has been a giggle and a scream for one whole hour.

-Absolutely.

He'll be glad to go home. LAUGHTER

Go home for a lie-down.

So, tell us all which is your favourite bit, Kim?

-Mine is the brush.

-Is it?

I like the vase, but I think the brush is going to be best.

-You're mad about the brush.

-Yeah.

Mad as a brush. No, I didn't say that.

-And which is your favourite, Biddy?

-I liked the compact.

-Right.

-How much did you spend overall? Something pathetic, wasn't it?

-KIM LAUGHS

-How much?

-£85.

So £215 of leftover lolly to go straight up to David.

Thank you very much.

-What a lot to spend!

-Do you need help?

-Yes!

I shall try and find something jolly.

-What, jollier than these two?

-Well, if I can.

-I would say...

-That's an impossibility.

-Impossibility!

Anyway, good luck, kids. Good luck, David.

Meanwhile, we're heading off somewhere positively divine.

Which is Dyrham Park, near Bath.

All typically British, really,

but once upon a time its owner, William Blathwayt,

became inspired by the Dutch King of England, William of Orange.

Blathwayt went Dutch big time.

He learned the lingo, he moved to Holland,

he even took an apartment in a Dutch royal palace.

So it's not surprising that his country seat

has a certain Dutch flavour to it.

And boy, just look at this fellow!

Now, William Blathwayt, when in Holland,

would have got really excited by these.

It's simply a question of decorating boring old clay.

Which is exactly like drawing on blotting paper.

If you've ever done that, you know you only get one crack at it.

And these are extremely finely decorated

if you look at the detail

that the decorators were able to achieve.

This classical scene, extracted from an old master engraving,

with a perspective of buildings and so forth,

would be incredibly difficult to do.

Having decorated it, you put a lead glaze over the top and then fire it.

And that's how you create Dutch Delft.

This particular piece is a flower pyramid,

sometimes called tulip pyramids.

You build it up from the bottom, put the water inside,

put your four flowers, then proceed up this confection,

all to show off your specimens of floral art.

Incredible.

The big question today is, of course,

what will our teams have to show off about over at the auction?

401 is a guard's tunic by John Hammond & Co.

-In case you need to know, it's size 30.

-TITTERING

You never know when you might need one.

And £50, and it really is fair warning. At £50.

We've left Kingston and come to West Sussex

to Rupert Toovey's saleroom.

-How are you, boss?

-I'm well, thanks, Tim. Jolly nice to see you.

Now let's get down to it.

The Red team, first up, bought this German globe.

It is the most appalling quality globe I've ever seen.

Plastic bottom, plastic top, badly printed.

-20 quid?

-If you're lucky on a good day.

I think it came out of some low-grade East German school

and it's not worth two old Deutschmarks.

I mean, ten, five, eight, three...

-It'll make what it makes.

-I'm afraid it will, yes.

They paid £15 and thought it was, obviously, pretty good.

Now, Pamela went with this Canton cylindrical teapot,

which is very bright and breezy.

It is pretty, that Canton "famille rose" palette,

and very typically decorated with panels of figures and then flowers.

-I suppose it's about 1890 in date.

-Something like that.

So, what, £20 to £40?

-Very good. Well, £20 was paid.

-That sounds good.

Now, what do you think about this silver penknife?

I think it's lovely. Bright cut engraved.

-And such fun for a picnic. It would really cheer it up.

-Yes.

-Rather civilising.

-And if it happens to be in silver, what could be nicer?

Very nice indeed.

-So, £30 to £40.

-OK, £40 paid.

-It's a good thing.

When he says it's a good thing, it's a good thing.

They may not need their bonus buy, but let's have a look at it.

Pamela and Philippa,

you only spent £75.

Gave him £225.

Philip, what did you spend it on?

A really little sweet Royal Worcester rustic pot.

The most important thing is this little finch on the front.

If you look closely, there's a signature here - W Powell.

William Powell was the best painter of birds

at the Worcester factory in the 20th century, I think.

I'd estimate that at £100 to £150.

-And how much did you pay?

-I bought it for £50.

-Do you want to handle it, Philippa?

-Yeah.

-Don't drop, please!

And it's in perfect condition.

-I thought it looked kind of plastic.

-No, no, no.

But you're quite right.

That yellowish, thin stuff does look like a plastic beaker.

But you know as soon as you touch it, it's definitely fine porcelain.

-Pamela, what do you think, darling?

-I like it, yeah.

That's enough for me. That is enough.

Praise indeed!

Anyway, you don't have to decide now.

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

There we go. There's the birdie.

Isn't that lovely?

And painted by Powell.

He was a hunchbacked dwarf...

of very jolly disposition.

-Was he really?

-Yeah, and terribly well known for painting birds.

-Isn't that lovely?

-How much is it worth?

-I think £40 to £60.

-OK. Serrell paid £50.

-I think he's done well.

-I think he's done well.

I think it's absolutely beautifully painted.

You can see the little glint in that chaffinch's eye.

It's as if to say, "I'm going to make profits."

I do hope so, Tim.

Anyway, that's it for the Reds. Now for the Blues.

First up for them is the powder compact.

Nice to have the Royal Artillery emblem on it, and it's silver, which is good.

-But gals don't seem to use powder quite as much as they did.

-No?

I'm relying on you for cutting market evidence here.

I live in an all-girl household but I don't notice them using powder.

Not so fashionable from the using point of view.

-But people collect compacts.

-They do.

-How much?

-£20 to £30.

-£25 paid.

-Not bad.

Now, talking of powder, we've got this little brush.

It's a powder brush, I think,

not for putting it on but for clearing it up.

How much, then? Solid silver.

But a difficult thing to display or use these days, so £5 to £10.

-£10 paid.

-Not bad.

-I bet you it makes more than that.

And lastly is the Burmantofts drainpipe... I mean, stick stand.

You're quite right because they did make drains too.

Does that not look like a section of 2.5-inch drain?

It's certainly cylindrical.

But nice faience painting,

and I like the honeysuckle, the anthemion sprays around the rim.

But we have got a few running repairs.

-Is that why that's painted a different green?

-I think it is.

-That's come out of the shed to cover it up?

-Afraid so.

-What's your estimate.

-£40 to £60, Tim.

£50 paid, slap bang in the middle.

They might get away with it. If not, they'll need their bonus buy.

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

So, Biddy and Kim, two peas out of the same pod.

-How are you girls? All right?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

David Barby, what did you spend £215 on?

I wanted to buy something for two dolly birds,

-and this is what I bought.

-THEY GASP

1920s, silver, enamel, lovely cut crystal,

made in Birmingham,

and it's an atomiser.

In other words, it's to fill with your favourite perfume,

and you just tch, tch, tch, tch...

Give us a bit.

-THEY GIGGLE

-You can smell a little bit there.

But it's the Art Deco period.

I love this combination of yellow and enamel and silver.

What do you think? Handle it. It's one of these very tactile pieces.

-It's very heavy.

-Is it?

Yeah.

It is nice. It just needs a bit of a polish.

That's right. And it's quality. It's silver and crystal.

Would you use something like that, Biddy?

SHE GIGGLES I think she would.

I think I would like to see that on my dressing table. It's nice just to look at.

-And do you wear perfume?

-Yes.

-Yes.

DAVID LAUGHS She drowns in it. Drowns.

She does wear perfume.

Anyway, girls, your chance will come in a moment to pick or not.

Right now, let's find out for the audience at home

what the auctioneer thinks about David's perfume pot.

There. That's handsome.

Nice cut-glass base.

-It is, and silver top, too.

-Silver top. That's more like it.

-And pretty yellow enamelling.

-Yeah.

-So better than some, isn't it?

-It certainly is.

-Excellent. So what's your estimate?

-£30 to £50.

-£45 paid by David Barby.

-A bit steep but he might be lucky.

He might be. He is a lucky man, usually, with his bonus buys.

That's, of course, providing the team take it.

-Now, are you getting ready?

-I'm ready.

Good. We're in safe hands.

'Before we get going, I'd like to show you something I've taken a shine to.'

Marvellous.

We're always saying on this programme

how important novelty objects are,

and, quite frankly, the sky can be the limit.

What do you think about this little chap?

The body is clear glass.

Its back has been applied with a handle.

You've then got two cast feet,

but it's the head that's the most characterful part.

Look. Two glass eyes that look realistic.

But the parakeet cockatoo curl on the back of the plumage on its head

I think is just charming.

This is silversmithing at its very best.

And if you apply your thumb to the bottom of its hairdo,

lo and behold, the thing opens like that.

Isn't that delightful?

It's described in the catalogue as a "whisky tot decanter".

If you were drinking whisky rather than wine,

you'd simply pour yourself out a tot and add a bit of water

while the meal was going ahead.

So what's a little fellow like this worth?

The auction house has been encouraged to put the estimate

of £2,000 to £3,000 on this little twitter.

We shall see.

£26.

-Kids, how are you doing?

-Pretty good.

-I like the glasses.

-Thanks.

-What strength are they?

-Not very strong.

-Not strong enough for me.

Anyway, any piece you wish you hadn't bought?

-Hmm... I'm not too sure about the globe.

-The student's globe.

Listen, you only invested £15, right?

It is the worst-quality globe that anybody could ever see anywhere in the world.

So, first up is Phil's student globe. Achtung, here it comes.

Schnell, schnell. Donner und Blitzen.

A late 20th-century German student's globe

inscribed "Rath Political Globe".

It's 21 centimetres in diameter and it's on a Bakelite stand.

£20?

£10?

-£5?

-Uh-oh.

Not good.

OK, fine.

At £5 now. £7 can I see?

At £5 now. Any advance on £5?

It's the maiden bid of £5.

At £5, thank you, sir.

£5.

I'm afraid this is minus £10.

Slightly predicted, but there we are.

Now, the Canton pot.

Chinese Canton "famille rose".

Porcelain teapot and cover of cylindrical form.

It's a charming thing, and bits to match.

We're opening at £45.

-£45! He doubled your money already.

-Well done.

-Hey, look at that.

£48 it is. £50. And 5?

£50 here. At £50. Any advance? With the book at £50.

Fair warning. £50.

You are plus £30. How cool is that!

I told you it would do well.

Overall you're plus £20.

Now you've got your penknife.

An Edwardian silver folding pocketknife

with engraved foliate scroll decoration,

Sheffield 1902 by Walker & Hall.

-Charming thing. Just right for a picnic.

-Charming.

Again, conflicting bids. We're opening the bidding at £55.

-That's good.

-Yes!

£55. Is there any advance on £55?

Selling, then, at £55. £55.

£55. That's another plus £15.

Little ones, you are already plus £35.

You were worried about not making a profit, Pamela?

-How cool is that?

-That's good.

What are you going to do? You could risk it and go with the painted pot.

-What do you think?

-I kind of want to hang on to that £35.

-Me, too.

-I think we'll stick with the £35.

-We're not going to go for it.

-Are you sure?

-Sorry, Phil.

-After the globe, you're probably right.

The decision is not to go with the bonus buy. But we're selling it anyway.

397 is a Royal Worcester bone china pot, circa 1923, of coopered form,

painted with a chaffinch by Powell.

A beautiful thing.

We're opening this at £30. Can I see £32?

At £30 now. £32 can I see?

£32. £34. £36.

£38. £40.

£38 here with the book. £38.

-At £38. Is there any advance?

-That really is a gift.

At £38, then. Fair warning.

£38.

-£38. Minus £12.

-Well done.

Girls, you ring-fenced it. You are plus £35.

That could easily be, on today's performance, a winning score.

-Enough for the pub.

-So don't say a word... Enough for the pub?!

Hooray! At £20 and 4.

Can I see £26 now? Marvellous.

Next up is the whisky tot.

That parrot-topped whisky tot that I think is just the jolly business.

Very rich estimate on it. £2,000 to £3,000.

Is it going to take off or not?

The late-Victorian, silver-mounted and clear-glass novelty whisky tot

in the form of a parrot,

the hinged head with glass eyes and finely engraved decoration.

Charming thing. We're opening with the book at £1800.

£1,800. Can I see £1,900?

At £1,800, then, maiden bid.

£1,800. £1,800.

£1800. I think that's quite cheap.

At £10. Is there any advance on £10?

£20?

And £10 it is. £10.

-Now, Biddy and Kim, happy?

-Yes!

-Do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

-No, I don't want you to know.

Anyway, you only spent £85.

It seems to me, middle for diddle, you should be fine.

-Feeling OK?

-Yes.

-Not at all breathless?

-No, excited.

-Good.

If the worst comes to the worst, you can always go for the anti-smell device,

the scent atomiser, as your bonus buy.

Anyway, first up is the Royal Artillery compact. Here it comes.

I never knew a gunner who put on powder.

A George VI silver circular compact,

hinged lid with engine-turned decoration and enamelled Royal Artillery crest,

Birmingham 1937 by Adie Brothers.

What shall we say for this lot, please? £20?

£10, then. £10 I'm bid.

£10, £12, £15 and £18.

£20?

£18 with you, sir, seated. At £18.

At £18. Can I see the £20?

£18. Is there any advance on £18?

And £20. And 2.

£24?

£22 I have. And £24.

£26. £28. £30.

Just keep trying the girls.

At £28. Can I see the £30?

At £28. Are you all done at £28?

Fair warning. £28.

£28.

That is plus £3. Well done, David.

-Oh!

-That's marvellous.

Now, David found this little brush for a £10 note.

Brush with embossed foliate decoration, Birmingham 1904.

What shall we say for that lot, please? £20?

£10. £10 I'm bid.

We're off at £10. Can I see £12?

£10. Now £12 I'm bid. And £14.

£16. £18.

£20. And 2.

-Now at £22...

-£22. You've doubled your money.

£20. Is there any advance on £20?

At £20. Is there any advance on £20?

At £20. £20.

-That's good.

-That is plus £10.

-Well done. Isn't David Barby brilliant?

-You are brilliant.

Now, what about the stick stand?

A Burmantofts faience pottery stick stand, late 19th century,

with those lovely anthemion spray bands.

What shall we say for that lot, please? £40?

£30 then, please.

Oh, dear.

Does that make it my fault?

-This is Burmantofts!

-£20?

-£10?

-Oh, sh...

I'm bid at £10 now. £10. Opening at £10. At £10 now.

Can I see the £12?

At £10 now. £12 can I see?

At £10. Is there any advance on £10?

At £10, then. £10.

-Oh, no!

-Oh, that's ridiculous.

The family shame! £10!

The family shame!

That is minus £40 on that item.

You had £13 before, so you're now minus £27.

£27 down the proverbial.

What are you going to do about the atomiser? Will you go with that?

-I think we...

-We'll have to, won't we?

-Go for it, yes.

-You're going to go for it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

The girls are going for the atomiser, and here it comes.

412, an Art Deco cut-glass and silver atomiser of globular form,

the silver cap with yellow enamel border,

Birmingham 1925.

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

-It is handsome. It's gorgeous.

-£30 I'm bid. £32?

-Gorgeous.

At £30 now. £32 can I see?

-£30. Is there any advance?

-Come on!

It's lovely!

£30. And 2.

-£35.

-It's beautiful.

£32 with you, sir.

At £32 in the doorway.

£32. Is there any advance on £32?

And it's with you, sir. At £32 we're held.

-Oh, it's worth more than that.

-£32.

-HE BANGS GAVEL

-Oh, Lord.

£32. Bad luck, David.

That is minus £13.

All right. No shame in that. Minus £40 could be a winning score.

-Don't tell anybody anything, right?

-We promise we won't.

We'll do the walk of shame.

No, no need to do the walk of shame. Walk...

I was going to say, "Walk tall."

£46, and it's fair warning.

-Well, well, well. Have you been talking to each other?

-No.

Because, quite frankly, the results are extremely close...

numerically.

-Numerically?

-LAUGHTER

One team has a profit that almost equals the other team's loss...

Blues!

Yes, you know it's you.

-Minus £40, girls.

-Aw!

It started off so brilliantly. Plus £3, plus £10,

then that wretched Burmantofts pot came along

and lost you £40.

You were way ahead there and then it plunged you to minus £27.

Then you went with the bonus buy, and look at where you are now.

-Minus £40.

-GIGGLING

Listen to them giggling!

Even through adversity they're giggling.

You've been lovely. Thank you very much, Biddy and Kim. And thank you, David.

But the victors today are actually going to take home nearly £40.

-You're going to take £35, girls.

-Yes.

So don't talk to me about youth and inexperience

because these kids have cracked it.

Brilliant. You have done really, really well.

-Going to the pub?

-I think so.

-Exactly!

That is the right attitude to take, and I think you need to take Philip with you.

-We've had a great day.

-Yeah.

-I'm glad you've enjoyed it.

Join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

Yes!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]