Edinburgh 4 Bargain Hunt

Today we've come north of the border.

We're in Scotland! Ooh, goody!

Let's go bargain hunting! Ock aye!

Here at the Royal Highland Showground,

our teams have got a mission

and that is to find those hidden gems

that they can convert into a profit later at auction.

So, let's go and find them, shall we?

-'Leading those teams today, David Barby, with the steady Eddie Reds.'

-It doesn't quite fit.

'And Charles Hanson taking it to the wire with the Blues.'

Let's go, quick.

'And I head to East London to the home of designer William Morris.'

Jamie, how do you two boys know each other?

Well, we both go to the University of St Andrews.

We met on the first night that we were at the university.

We spent a lot of time making cocktails

-and ever since then...

-And every night since.

-Jamie, what are you studying?

-I study astrophysics.

-Ah.

-I'm in my third year.

That's brilliant. I know a heck of a lot about astrophysics. No, seriously, tell us about it.

Well, I spend a lot of time looking through a telescope.

I basically study physics but with stars and planets and everything attached with that.

-And have you ever discovered anything unbelievable in your stargazing?

-Sadly not.

-But there's always hope.

-There is.

-Jim, you're also a student at St Andrews.

-Yep.

-Do you stargaze, too?

-No, I read books. I'm a historian.

Oh, are you? I understand a bit about... What's your favourite period?

Probably the medieval period, cos everything's changing from the Roman period and it's not quite modern

and it's a lot more interesting, a lot more funny stories.

-And it's long enough ago to be able to discover some new material, too.

-Yep.

-Good.

-You want to be the next Michael Wood.

-That's the dream.

-I'd quite like to spread the glorious word of history.

-Yeah, why not? I have a dream.

Why not? Good for you.

And how are you both intending to beat the opposition?

Well, we've talked it over. I think we're going to buy a few smaller things, maybe one big buy.

-You are going to blow it all, though?

-Spend big to win big.

We'll see how you get on. Good luck.

Now, you two girls were destined to meet, is that right, Sarah?

That's one way of putting it. We knew each other on and off for years

and then when we started becoming friends,

we realised that we'd actually passed each other so many times

growing up at school with hockey matches or athletics meetings and we just didn't know it.

-But you were at different schools.

-Different schools, different circle of friends,

but we just met in passing.

You're in a pretty creative job, Sarah.

-Yes, I make costumes for theatre and film and I'm also a makeup artist.

-Are you?

-Yes.

And what sort of period of fabric design do you really like?

Arts & Crafts things or 20s?

In terms of costume and clothing, 30s and 40s couture I love. The craftsmanship.

It's got to have the label for you?

To be worth it, yeah, it kind of does.

-It's a disease, though. Everywhere you go...

-Oh, God, I know.

-Tracy, you're also an artist, aren't you?

-Yes.

I paint landscapes, mainly very moody skyscapes,

-but my work tends to be very large.

-Does it?

-Yeah.

What do you do when you're not painting to blow off steam?

-Erm, I used to practise karate, so I did that for 17 years.

-Did you?

-How did you get on with it?

-I absolutely loved it.

-Just addicted to it.

-What sort of level are you at?

-I got to a black belt.

-Black belt karate.

So you're not to be tangled with, are you?

-Well, I'm fit enough to run away really fast.

-THEY LAUGH

Yeah, well, that's fantastic.

What's your tactical game plan today? How are you going to beat the youthful boys?

-We thought we'd spend it all, really.

-Blow the lot.

-Blow the lot.

That sounds fun. Now the money moment. Here you go, girls and boys.

£300 a piece. You know the rules. Your experts await and off you go and very, very, very good luck.

Black belt karate, eh? No mucking about there.

'And no mucking about here, either. We're off.'

Tracy and Sarah, this is it, this is where dreams are made.

What are you going to seek out here?

Probably things like militaria cos they are to do with history so hopefully I know a bit about that.

-Possibly some jewellery.

-Yes.

-Silver-based jewellery.

Astrophysics, what's at an antique fair for you?

I'm quite interested in old measuring devices.

The clock is ticking!

Is that the sort of thing that'd get you excited?

-Don't be afraid to touch.

-OK.

-Don't be afraid to handle.

I quite like these bracelets.

-Here we go. The base comes out.

-OK.

-Good man. Presentation is everything.

-Absolutely!

-That is great quality.

That is lovely. It's pretty, it really is.

What's the weight like, Tracy? That's very important.

It's quite light. Very light.

-Why don't you try it on?

-I'll try it on.

-Do you wear gold?

Sometimes. I'm more of a silver girl, but I do sometimes wear gold.

Look at that. That is lovely.

What are the stones?

-Yeah, what are the stones?

-Are they sapphires?

-Yes, they're sapphires.

-I love this design. It's very much Greek filigree style of Neo-Renaissance.

It's what you'd perhaps see in Ancient Greece. It's gorgeous. The weight's quite nice.

-When was it made?

-I would've thought... How old is it, sir? 1910?

I would've said about 1900, 1905, something like that.

I think we'll have a quick look round, look around a bit more.

-Exactly.

-Tempting as it is, we can't just...

-We have the whole hour. We've only had ten minutes.

-Exactly.

-Right, OK.

-Life is too short.

-Let's keep going.

-Definitely.

'Onwards and upwards!'

-I like this, Jim.

-That painting?

-Yeah.

-What are you looking at?

-The painting.

-The painting down here is quite nice.

-Er...

-The still life.

-A still life.

Is this something that appeals?

Looks quite nice. It's not bad for 15 bob.

Er, £15, actually.

THEY LAUGH

-I think that's quite good.

-Does the name mean anything?

-Er...

-I assume not.

Freda Fisher.

-Never heard of her.

-What does this say?

It's the date here.

9/5/27.

It's quite an old piece.

-I don't think that's too bad.

-I don't think so. I think it's quite nice.

You go over there and have a look at it from a distance.

-I'd have that hanging up.

-Yeah.

We could get it for less than 15 quid, as well.

Yeah, we could see if we could knock it down.

-Tidy little profit on it, maybe.

-You both like it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-THEY LAUGH

-I think it's quite nice.

Right, let's see who the dealer is. Hold that for a second.

Hello! How are you? How nice to see you!

-If we can get it for less than 15...

-He'll take a fiver for it.

-That sounds like a good deal.

-Yes. £5.

-Yeah.

-OK?

-It can't be less than £5, can it?

'Good start, boys. One still life in the bag.'

I love your dog. Is the dog for sale at all?

-HE BLOWS MOUTHPIECE

-I think you've got to have the knack to play it.

Isn't that a sweet little toast rack? Look at that. Birmingham, 1941.

-£30. Isn't that sweet?

-It's just lovely.

-Isn't it? Really nice.

-What's the price on it?

-30.

-27?

-£27. I mean, that is so reasonable.

-There's not a great margin...

-I quite like that, actually. Nice and simple.

-It is.

I mean, it's not going to... This is more your thing, isn't it? A pencil.

-Hey-hey!

-Look at that. We have got a Birmingham pencil from 1915.

-It's really badly split.

-Oh, yes, it has.

I think they are really reasonable

and we might make on that toast rack, if it's £27, we might make 10.

-There's that bracelet.

-Exactly!

So that could always be the next buy from the bracelet, cos it's nice and reasonable.

-We still have money left.

-Exactly.

-Yes, OK. Thank you very much.

'So, two in theory equals none in practice.'

-Quite heavy.

-This is a carpet bowl.

-It's slightly like what you were going on about.

-Yeah.

-It is quite nice.

-What's the best you can do on that, sir?

-£35.

-Would you do 30 on it?

-Er, I'll take 30, yeah.

-30?

-How much do you think that would make?

-I think it's a fun piece, actually.

-It is.

It's quite decorative and it's 19th century.

-You could see it in a bowl.

-What do you think?

-Let's have a look.

It's quite cool. Quite fun. But what would someone use it for nowadays?

-Decorative.

-You would have a wooden bowl

-and you would have a collection of these, all different colours.

-It's quite nice.

And it's just the fact that it's Scottish pottery.

-I quite like that.

-£30 is quite good. You got him down £20.

Yeah, I'm happy to get that. Or do you want to come back? I'm not fussed.

-No, I quite like that.

-Let's take it. Let's be decisive.

Ohh!

'Not totally bowled over with that, boys.

'But come over here. I've found something that might appeal to Jamie.'

Do you like it? Well, what is it, for a kick off?

If you look, running around the top you can see the ends of individual staves.

And if I turn it upside down, there they are again, look. Rather easier to see.

Cos this thing is of coopered construction.

Exactly the same way that a cooper would make a barrel,

they also made this peculiar object.

But unlike a barrel, which is more or less the same diameter at the top and the bottom,

this fellow is a broad diameter at the bottom and narrow dimensions at the top.

What it is is a dry measure.

And this thing could've been used for measuring rice or peas or beans or flour.

You'd go to the grocer, he'd measure out a measure of your peas or beans in this

and then tip it into your shopping basket.

So it's quite a rare object.

What's it worth? Well, here on a stand it could be yours for £50.

What might it make somewhere else?

Oh, I could see it perhaps making £100 to £150.

So there's value still in this thing.

Anyway, I've got the measure of it.

I'd love to see my wife wearing this. It's really attractive.

-THEY LAUGH

-No, it is. Don't you like it?

-Erm...

-It's very feminine, isn't it?

-It's incredibly girly.

-Very feminine.

-It's lovely and soft.

-Beautifully soft.

-Yep.

-Right.

-We'll think about it.

I can't believe we've bought two objects and you're both in agreement.

So now, we've spent so little, we've got to spend mega-bucks.

'Don't worry too much, David. The girls haven't spent anything yet.'

It's very pretty with the lovely fiery opal. Probably nine-carat gold.

-Can we see the wee stick pin, please?

-It's here!

-Can we take it out?

Thanks.

That's pretty. What do you think?

What decade are we talking? I think we're talking... Have a guess.

I'd say the early 20th century.

Yeah, I would say 1890, 1910, that two-decade span.

-Yeah. I quite like that.

-It's pretty.

-I think it's very pretty.

-How much is the pin, please?

-£40.

-£40. There we go. What do you think, Sarah?

-I think it's really pretty.

-I think it's a very reasonable price, £40, for what it is.

-Yeah.

-It's a good price.

-Go and try and buy an opal for £40.

-He's quite right.

-What's that?

-If you try and buy that opal,

it would cost you £40. You've got gold with it, as well.

-We need a minute's confab.

-We're still thinking about the bracelet.

Yeah, we are. We're perhaps buying too many bits of jewellery,

we're not spreading our bets.

We like it very much so we'll think about it, OK?

-Think about it?

-Yep, that's fine.

-Thank you.

-Steer me away from the jewellery, it's all I'm looking at.

'Oh, stop thinking! Start spending!'

-OK, I think it's the bracelet, the pin and something for £20.

-Yes.

-I agree.

-Unless we can get the bracelet for a little bit less.

-Let's go, come on. Quick.

'Finally, a decision! And they're all on the run.'

Look at them running.

-It's still there.

-Yes, it's still there.

-Ah.

Hello again. We're back. May we look at the bracelet again, sir? We need to buy it, actually.

This could be your route to profit.

Now, sir, the absolute best was?

-230.

-It is 230.

-230.

-This is all our budget on one item.

-Yeah.

-Almost.

-We've got to do it. We've only got five minutes to go. We'll take it. Thanks.

-Thank you very much.

'Carlos - so masterful!'

Right, hold on just a mo.

You'll have to take it out, James.

-What does it say?

-Presented to Mr M McPherson

by his friend D Campbell, 1855.

That's rather nice, isn't it?

OK, it's Birmingham, 1847.

-It's rather a high price at 275.

-Mm.

Perhaps we can get him down. Hi, there.

-What's your best price on this?

-The best price on it...

I've got 275. The really, really best would be 225.

-225?

-Yeah, I can't come anywhere off that.

-Hm.

-What do you think?

I bought it at an auction and it was very expensive.

It wasn't expensive. It was a good auction house.

THEY LAUGH

I'd like to see it just tucked under the 200.

210 and that's final. Shake and it's sold.

-200.

-210.

I think it's touch and go but I think it's a very nice box.

-Not even a pound less?

-No way! I know you'll get a profit out of it.

-I think we should go for it.

-Do you think?

-Yeah.

-You're not enthusiastic.

I'm so enthusiastic! Yes! I'm enthusiastic.

How can you possibly make a living in this game? You're prepared to make no commitment.

We'll do a loop up here, come back this way

-and then we'll make some decisions, OK?

-OK.

-That's a plan.

'Oh! Now you have a plan!'

-Charles, Charles, over here!

-Hello.

-Don't ask me.

-Oh, fine, OK.

Well, it's just our luck. The stall holder isn't here. We could be in trouble!

-Can I have a word?

-Can you come back?

-Is that John?

Hello, John. It's Charles Hanson.

I'm just by your stick pin in the cabinet.

OK, thanks for your help. I'll pass you back. It is 40.

So I'll just see what my team say.

Sarah!

Tracy!

It's £40, take it or leave it.

It's £40. We've spend two thirds. That leaves us £30 left over.

-Yep. We need to get something for £20.

-Exactly.

So I think, you like the pin, we'll buy it for £40.

-OK? That's great.

-She'd have to give us this for £20.

-£20 for the rather beautiful...

-Yep.

It's lovely, it's worth between £25 and £35.

The size is very sweet. It could make 40, OK?

We have 60 seconds to go. 59.

-15. No, 25.

-25?

-25.

-40 seconds to go.

-All right?

-Yes, please, we'll take it.

-40 seconds to go.

-Thank you!

-Sorry for pressuring you.

Have you bought it?

'Girls, you were almost toast!'

-RADIO STATIC

-'This is the news from the BBC. Your time is up.'

'The Red Team bought a still life for a fiver.

'David kept the spending low with a Fife pottery ball.

'And finally, they went for broke with a £210 silver box.'

-No, maybe.

-Yes.

-That's just the question I'm going to ask.

-Which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-The painting.

-Painting.

-You reckon?

-Yes.

-For £5, you can't go wrong.

-Can't go wrong.

All right, fine. And which is your favourite piece?

Er, I'd say the painting. I do like it.

-Although the ball is quite interesting.

-I quite like the ball.

-And the silver box, obviously.

-You really are hedging your bets.

-THEY LAUGH

-How much did you spend?

-245.

-245.

-£55 of leftover lolly, please.

There we go. That's a reasonable amount, isn't it, £55?

-Money to play with.

-Jolly good. What do you know about astrophysics

-as a result of this encounter?

-Very little.

And after today's conversation, nowt.

-Thank you very much, David. Anyway, you've had a great time.

-Yes.

-Good luck.

Why don't we remind ourselves what the Blue Team bought, eh?

'The girls agonised for ages before making a mad dash

'for a gold bracelet.

'An opal and gold pin.

'And in the dying seconds, a £25 silver toast rack.'

It was a rollercoaster and I rode it well.

THEY LAUGH

-Listen, how much did you spend?

-In total, £295.

That is what you call a master, £295.

I'm so pleased about that!

-So, £5 of leftover lolly, please.

-Yes.

-Sarah's got it.

Thank you. Nice Scottish wee £5 note.

-Not much for you, is it?

-It's very hard to find things for £5 at antique fairs.

-You'll get a bag of sweets.

-There's sweets. I like sweets.

But I can't buy sweets. Something hopefully to tempt you, though.

Yeah. But they won't be expecting anything too much, Charles.

What I want to know, Tracy, is which is your favourite piece?

-Oh, it's the bracelet.

-The bracelet is your favourite.

-Uh-huh.

-Sarah, what's your favourite?

-It has to be the toast rack for cuteness value.

OK. Which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-The bracelet.

-The bracelet. Yes, the bracelet.

-Is it? OK, fine. We are of one mind.

-We are.

-Indeed.

-I'm glad you've had a nice time.

-It's been great fun.

-Very exciting shop.

I think you should go and have a quick lie down.

Meanwhile, we're heading off to somewhere really special.

Believe it or not, here in the middle of Walthamstow

is William Morris's house.

He, in concert with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones,

founded in 1861 the firm that was to become Morris & Co

that was to have, and continues to have to this day,

a lasting influence on our attitudes to interior decoration.

William Morris is probably best known today for his wallpaper designs

simply because those original designs are reproduced

and you can go and buy rolls and rolls of it yourself.

The techniques, however, have changed in the ensuing 100 to 150 years.

Here we've got an original Morris paper called Larkspur

and here we've got an original printing block.

The idea being that the flat surface on the top is inked

and then the block is picked up, turned over

and thumped on a piece of paper.

Imagine the number of times you have to print out the block

and thump it onto a continuous length of paper

to make up one single roll.

Then you think about the number of rolls you'd need to wallpaper a room

and you get to see the scale of this hand-blocked wallpaper operation.

But if you think this is an extraordinary and complicated process,

just come and have a look at this lot.

How gorgeous are these?

Here we have the genius of Morris applying himself to

an interest in tile production in the 1870s.

On the far side here, you can see the original Morris design.

You've got his rough sketch on paper of this organic design.

But this half have been watercoloured by him

with these bright colours as an indication of what he's trying to achieve

and then squared it up,

making a series of squares over the whole design

that is then transferred to the tile decorator.

Here we've got a production from William Morris's friend and business associate, William De Morgan.

De Morgan has taken Morris's design from the cartoon

and has translated it onto ceramic.

And having fired it in the kiln, a second firing with the lead glaze on the top,

and then framing it up, and hey presto, you've made yourself a magnificent work of art.

Having written various books and manuscripts himself,

it was not much of a leap for Morris to get involved in the printing process,

which he did in 1890 when he set up the Kelmscott Press in Hammersmith

with an ideal and that was to follow the tradition and methods

as closely as possible of medieval book printing.

Here we've got what is considered to be the epitome of perfection

from the Kelmscott Press, the 1896 edition

of Chaucer's works.

Described by some people as being the most beautiful book in the world.

But the big question today is, of course, will our teams over at the auction be brought to book or not?

Well, well, well, have we got a treat today!

Cos it's Great Western Auctions with Anita Manning.

-How exciting. Anita.

-Welcome, Tim.

-Thanks for having us.

Now, Jamie and Jim, their first item is this so-called Glasgow School wee oil on canvas. Any good?

Well, it does have a certain quality

and it's my belief that it was done by perhaps a young woman, Freda,

-at the Glasgow School of Art.

-You reckon?

-Has some talent.

So do you give her six out of ten? Is that what she would've got?

-Er, well, perhaps a wee bit more than that.

-Yeah. How much?

I would say somewhere between £25 and £40.

-I say, she's top of the class. They paid £5 for it.

-Oh, that was a good buy!

It was a good buy. So if you can get anything like that, they would be over the moon and jumping for joy!

Now, continuing our Scottish theme, we've got the carpet bowl,

that nice green and pink splodgy carpet bowl. Tell us about that.

It's 19th century. It's Fife Pottery, which went on to become the Wemyss Pottery

And we can see the greens which Wemyss used in this carpet bowl.

If we had a set of them, they'd be worth a lot of money.

-Yeah.

-We just have one. But people will like it because it is the Fife Pottery

and a little bit of history of east coast pottery.

-How much money-wise?

-£20, £30.

OK, £30 they paid, so they're not so far off.

Moving on, we've got this nice little snuff box. Engine-turned top.

It's the inscription that's interesting.

I found the inscription very interesting.

It was presented to someone who was going to work

or had a high position in McCorquodale's.

McCorquodale's was a firm of publishers and printers,

started in Liverpool but came to Glasgow in the mid-1850s.

They were big in Glasgow,

-so this has been a gift to someone of some prestige.

-We're in Glasgow

and you're going to sell it. That's all very fortunate, isn't it?

How much do you think it's worth?

I've estimated £120 to £180, but I would hope it would go towards the top estimate, if not more.

Well, it needs to do a tad more, because they paid 210. They may have overpaid a bit.

That may scupper their chances, in which case, they'll need their bonus buy so let's have a look at it.

Well, the viewing's started. Jamie, Jim, this is the bonus buy moment.

What did David Barby spend your £55 of leftover lolly on? David.

Well, nothing particularly masculine. Something quite small and very delicate,

but this is the beginning of the sort of 20th century Scottish school

and we have these Celtic knots all the way round, Hamilton & Inches, the maker,

and it is a Scottish piece of silver.

-Did you spend the whole 55 on it?

-No. £40.

-I think that's exquisite.

-Great.

-Yeah.

I mean, would it be something you'd go out and shop for, Jamie?

-Personally, no, but more silver, why not?

-THEY LAUGH

You don't pick it now, but for the audience at home,

let's find out what Anita thinks about David's little box.

-So, Anita, what about that? Isn't that pretty?

-It's a lovely little box

and it's made by a very good Scottish maker, Hamilton & Inches.

And I love this Celtic knot decoration here

-and this sweet little acorn.

-Yes. What do you think you might use it for?

Well, it's been brought in as a comfit box

for your sweeties, your tiny little sweeties.

I think you'd use it for odorising a room.

Put a little bit of solid perfume in it. Then it would come out through the pierced top.

-I can't think of anything else.

-It would be a sweet little addition to your dressing table set

-for little bits and pieces.

-It's a charming wee thing. How much?

-£40 to £60.

Brilliant. £40. It's a cunning buy from that cunning maestro David Barby.

That's it for the Reds. Now for the Blues, Tracy and Sarah.

Their first item is the so-called Greek revival wee bracelet.

A typical Victorian piece.

It's very, very nice with the little sapphires.

It's in perfect condition. I doubt that this little bracelet ever graced a lady's wrist

and I think that it might be a very nice addition to someone's collection of Victorian jewellery.

The box doesn't do it any favours at all.

-But it's a nice item.

-How much, then?

-£200 to £300.

-They paid £230 so they're spot on with that.

I don't know whether you're finding it, but there's a lot more interest in period jewellery these days.

-And I'm pleased to see that.

-Yeah. And anything with any style, and that is stylish. Excellent.

Now, Tracy went with the opal-mounted stick pin.

-Mm-hm.

-Any good?

-Quite a simple item

but when we're looking at opals, what we want to see is lots of fire, lots of colour in it.

And it's not too bad. Mounted in 9-carat gold.

In its original box. So quite a nice little item.

-How much?

-£30 to £50.

-£40 paid, so they're slap-bang in the middle. I think they'll get away with that.

What about that sweet little breakfast tray toast rack?

That's just one person sitting in bed, the maid brings in your breakfast on a tray

-and you've got your four slices.

-Yeah, I think it's sweet.

Anything miniature, of course it is appealing.

This little thing, silver, hallmarked, it's got everything going for it.

-How much?

-£25 to £40.

-£25 paid.

So, they seem to have paid the right price, more or less, on each of their items. That's a relief.

So, technically, they won't need their bonus buy,

but we're going to go and have a look at it anyway.

Now, Sarah and Tracy, you spent a magnificent £295.

You gave the boy £5 to find you a suitable bonus buy.

-Charles, what did you find?

-Tim, it was so hard. I was looking for a long, long time

-and they say small is beautiful. Are you ready?

-Yes.

-Here it is.

-OK.

-It's that small!

-What it is is this.

-Oh!

-Oh! THEY LAUGH

You are stylish, attractive ladies

and I thought, "Well, here it is".

It's 1960s, Parisian in style.

-How much did you spend, Charles?

-The full £5?

It cost me £5 and the key word, importantly, what's emerging all the time is vintage.

It's in really good condition, actually. It doesn't look like it's been worn a lot at all.

What's your prediction of profit, Charles?

I could see this dress doubling up.

-£10, that is.

-And on a really good day, a bit more.

-Maybe £20.

-We'll see how the Glasgow West End appreciate it, though.

-Yes.

Right. Well, hold that thought, girls. You don't decide right now.

But for the viewers at home, let's find out how our lady auctioneer feels about Charles's frock.

Well, this is a turn up, isn't it? Meet my friend.

I'm not quite sure when this bird was built. Was it 1950s?

1960s, 1970s.

-The thing about this dress is it was a designer dress.

-Yes.

It was made by Global who were a firm who had their designs made in Paris

but they were manufactured in Hong Kong

and they are reputed to have supplied dresses

for the tall and curvaceous figure.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Oh, I'll go along with that.

-SHE LAUGHS

-What's it worth?

-I've put £30 to £50 onto that dress.

I might have been a wee bit generous.

Well, Carlos Hanson, who I don't believe is a great frock fancier,

although you never know in the privacy of his own home,

-paid a £5 note for this.

-Oh, well, that's a good buy.

It's got to make a couple of quid at least profit, maybe more.

Thank you very much, Anita. All will be revealed in a moment. All right, darling?

-OK, Jamie, Jim, how are you feeling?

-Excited.

-Excited.

-Did you have your Weetabix this morning?

-Yeah, I did, actually.

-I had Rice Krispies.

-Oh.

It's quite a nervous moment. Are you feeling a bit nervous?

-Nervous excitement.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-How many sales have you been to in your life, Jamie?

-Not one.

So, first up is your painting. Here it comes.

It's an oil still life. Scottish School, ladies and gentlemen.

Start me at 20.

20 surely. 20 bid. With you, sir, at 20.

30. 30.

40. 50.

60. 70. £70.

£70. All done at £70? £70.

£70 is plus-65 and you've started.

Plus £65. That's pretty good, isn't it? Next up is the ball.

Start me at £20.

20 bid. Any advance on 20?

Any advance on £20?

-Look out, there.

-30.

30.

£30. With you, madam, at £30.

All done at £30? £30.

Well done, David, wiped its face.

-No shame in that.

-This is the big one.

-Just.

-Yes.

Start me at 200 for the Edward Smith snuff box.

Not a dicky bird.

100, then. 100 bid.

100 bid. 110. 120.

130. 140. 150. 160.

£160. 160.

170. 180.

190. 200.

£200. Any advance on 200?

-You're nearly there, boys.

-Any advance on 200?

All done at 200? 200.

Bad luck. Minus £10, but she tried really hard for you.

So you're minus £10. You're still plus £55, lads!

So what are we going to do about the Hamilton & Inches box?

Do you want to park your £55, which is a substantial profit,

and congratulations, or are you going to risk it?

I never thought we'd make a profit. I never thought in a million years we would.

-I kind of want to keep it safe.

-I reckon it could do quite well, though.

What would we prefer, 55 or... We'd still be in profit.

-He paid £40, David, on that box.

-OK, we'll go for it.

-It was a good box.

-Go for it.

-You've gone with the bonus buy.

Let's hope this is a no-brainer. Here it comes.

189 is the Edwardian Scottish silver comfit box.

Start me at 30. 30 bid.

30 bid. Any advance on 30?

40. 50.

60.

With you, madam, at £60.

70, fresh bidder. 70. 80.

-£80.

-Come on, one more go.

-With you, madam, at £80.

Any advance on £80? All done at £80? £80.

Well done, David.

You've doubled your money. Well done.

That is plus-40. Aren't you glad you went with it?

That gives you plus £95

-to take away and drink.

-THEY LAUGH

No, seriously, you've got £95. Great. Don't say a word to the Blues.

Now, Tracy and Sarah, you been chatting to the Reds at all?

-Those naughty boys?

-About everything except the auction.

-Aha! Good. So you don't know where they're up to?

-No. No idea.

And we don't want you to because if you knew what their score was,

it might affect whether you take the bonus buy or not.

That's the only reason we keep you separate

and don't like you chatting about where you stand on the scores.

And so first up, girls, is the Byzantine revival gold and sapphire-mounted bracelet.

Here it comes. Take it away, Anita!

And I can start the bidding at £180.

Yes. This is a good point to start.

220. 250.

-You're in profit.

-280.

-300.

-Girls!

-320.

340.

350 with me. The bid's on the books at 350.

360. I'm out.

£360.

Any advance on 360?

370, fresh bidder. 380.

380.

Any advance on 380? All done at 380? 380.

That is plus £150.

£150 up! £150 profit!

That's so cool!

Now, next up is the stick pin. Keep a straight face.

Start me at £20. £20. 20 bid.

20 with the lady. 20. 30.

-40.

-Yes, 40. We're even.

-£40.

It's with the lady at £40. Any advance on £40?

Any advance on £40? £40.

Wiped its face. That's OK.

-You've preserved your £150.

-Happy with that.

-Now your toast rack, Carlos.

-Yes.

Start me at £20. £20.

£20. 20 bid.

-30. 40.

-Well done.

-40 with you, sir.

With you, sir, at £40. Any advance on £40?

All done at £40? £40.

£40 is plus-15. Well done, Charles.

Which gives you £165, girls.

Well done, that's all I can say, Tracy. That is a magnificent achievement. Well done, Charles.

-So are we going with the frock for a fiver?

-Oh, God, yeah.

-Oh, yes!

-Hell, yes!

What can we say?

-£2,000?

-THEY LAUGH

£20?

£20. 20 bid.

30 on the phone. 35.

40. 45.

50. 55.

-There's a frenzy going on.

-60.

£60 on the phone.

There will be a tall, curvaceous lady

on the other end of that phone.

-Is it a man?

-THEY LAUGH

£60 on the phone. 60 on the phone.

All done at £60? £60.

-Well done, Anita!

-Well done!

-Fantastic!

I think we should have a round of applause for Anita.

APPLAUSE

Well done, Anita.

That's what you call quality auctioneering, isn't it?

Well done, girl. That is plus £55 on that.

5 and 5 is 10. Yes, that's 6, 7.

That is 100. £220, isn't it?

-220?

-220, it is.

-THEY LAUGH

220. It is plus-220.

-That's ridiculous!

-What do you mean it's ridiculous?

-I don't believe it!

-Are you pleased with that or not?

-No.

-No, not really.

-Could've made more.

-Oh, yes, could've made more

-That's a pretty good result.

-Not half! It's brilliant!

I make that 100 notes each that you will be walking away with.

The big thing now is, don't say a word to the Reds,

go out looking a bit serious and all will be revealed in a moment.

-What I want to know is, have you been chatting?

-ALL: No.

-Comparing profits or losses?

-Not at all.

Well, I can reveal that both teams are in profit today, which in itself is an extraordinary event,

so congratulations all and sundry.

And I regret to say that the team that has made a bit less profit

-happens to be the Reds.

-Aww!

-Yay!

But don't feel too badly about it. You are going home with £95

of folding money, which is quite a lot, isn't it?

-Mm.

-Happy with that.

-Mm! "Mm!" he says!

£65 off that Glasgow School picture which they paid £5 for!

A profit of £65 on £5 should be an inspiration to bargain hunters worldwide.

Very good performance and your £95 is well earned. Well done, chaps.

But you've got a long way to go to get the girls' profit of £220!

£220 these chickens are going to go wandering off with. How about that?

£220. £150 on the bracelet, which is quite a good hit, isn't it?

Then you got £55 profit on the £5 gold lame dress!

I don't believe it!

We've had so much fun with the frock, but it's been great. £220.

In fact, you're so close to this tremendous victory

that you do deserve the award of our golden gavel,

which is very rarely presented

and it goes to a team that has made a profit on all three of their items.

You made a profit on two items and had a wiped face, which is as close as you can get,

so you deserve this award, so there you are.

Please take our award with our love, wear it with pride.

They're worth a lot on the black market, there are very few about.

We've had a super show. Join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

ALL: Yes!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]

.