Hungerford 25 Bargain Hunt

I wonder if either of today's young teams will uncover an ancient antique?

An aged collectable

or even an old master!

Less of the "old", thank you very much.

Let's go Bargain Hunting!

Today we're in the market town of Hungerford in Berkshire.

Both our teams are young and enthusiastic

but will this be a help or a hindrance?

Well, we'll soon find out! Coming up today...

..James Lewis gets a bit greedy with the blues.

I wish you'd go and buy some silver, then I can buy this for me!

Colin Young's bonus buy has the reds worried.

Do you think it's going to be striking?

-Oh, no, it is what I think it is!

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-It is.

And there's more than money at stake over at the auction.

We have to take home a win. We have to. For my mum, and for the good of Dorset.

The people of Dorset need a win.

-And here they are. Hello, everyone!

-Hello!

For the reds, we have the A to Z of teams.

-Alexa to Zeb. How are you, guys?

-Good, thanks.

-Fine, thank you.

Alexa, you're starting university. Tell us about that.

For the second time. I went last September, decided to do law.

But went to my first lecture, sat there, and thought, "No, don't think so!"

-You gave it up?

-I did, yes. I've taken another year out to save for a flat.

-I think I'm going to do accountancy this time.

-Are you?

-How's your maths?

-Yeah, I can add up!

-You can. Zeb,

Alexa is obviously a passion of yours.

-But you've also discovered another, hopefully not another woman!

-No!

Scuba diving. I started that in the middle of last year.

I guess you're looking forward to doing it somewhere warm?

Yeah, it's quite cold in the seas round Britain.

-Especially.

-You'll have to whip off to the Caribbean. Take Alexa away for a special trip.

-Thailand would be nice.

-Take her to Thailand. Take me, too!

-What are your tactics today?

-I've always thought spend big, earn big.

-Good.

-I don't like to spend very much.

-Alexa's completely opposite.

-I wonder who'll win in this battle of wills?

-It'll be me.

-It's generally Lexy that wins.

There we go. You're beginning to learn your place in life! Lovely.

Very good luck. Now for the blues.

Clare and Ben. Clare, tell us about your love of birds, darling.

It's all animals, really. I started a degree in animal behaviour.

I've worked at an animal sanctuary and looked after all kinds of animals.

-Snakes, American bald eagle, panthers.

-Really?

-The lot.

-Gosh.

Would you get up close and personal with the bald eagle and the snakes?

I didn't get too close, but close enough.

-They can be a bit narky, those.

-Yes.

-Ben, you have a couple of jobs.

-Yeah, I'm a painter and decorator, for the last ten years.

And on the side of that, I'm DJ-ing. I've DJ'd all round the world.

I have a night that specialises in the music from the alcohol prohibition period.

-So all the '20s, through to the late '30s.

-Oh?

We run a night called Speakeasy.

-Sounds fantastic.

-It's a good night. You should get down there!

Get down where? Where do I get myself down to?

-Bournemouth.

-Ah, Bournemouth! That's where it's happening, is it?

-It's the centre of the world.

-So it's a bit of music and a bit of emulsion.

-A lot of music and a lot of emulsion. Very emulsional!

"Emulsional"!

So we're going for retro for you, and a bit of vinyl for you if you can find it.

-It would be nice. But I think gold and silver for me.

-Oh, yeah?

-It's a winner every time.

-Traditional heavy metal!

Now the money moment. Here you go. £300 apiece. £300. Got that?

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

Very good luck.

Gosh, we're going to have fun today!

So, they're off!

And all of Hungerford is their oyster.

OK, team, what are the key items you want in the shopping basket?

-Pottery.

-Pottery.

-Silver.

-Let's go get some!

Anything that has a book price,

like Beswick, Clarice Cliff, Moorcroft, you're very unlikely to find a bargain.

-Go for the quirky. Go for the things that nobody has a book to look it up in.

-OK.

They've got firm plans and good advice, so no excuses!

-There's some Chinese. More a case of minger than Ming, I think.

-£34.

-What is it?

-HMAS Australia. Ashtray.

That's interesting, that.

A man sticking his fingers down his throat! That's a Sunday morning feeling!

"I feel terrible!"

Charming(!)

A hip flask just there?

It's reasonably cheap if you could get a bit off that.

But is that real silver?

It's not real silver, hence the price. But it looks quite a decent item.

It has got a stamp on the bottom.

It's got a maker's mark, JD&S, which is James Dixon & Sons.

Sheffield. The retailer is Thomas Goode & Co, London.

A decent little lot.

-What's the price?

-It's £35 at the moment. Do you think we could get it a bit cheaper?

I would hope so. I would think at auction you'd get 30 to £40 for it.

-There's a bit of a margin for you.

-Does everything work on it OK?

All looks good. A cork liner in there so you don't spill your spoils of the day!

-Right.

-I'd go for 25 first, and then...

-Yeah.

-No, go for lower.

-Cheap deal.

-20, I reckon.

That is pretty cheap. Still, don't ask, don't get.

Something that's got a real bling factor. That has a look about it.

It's French in style.

Occasionally what you find is a nice early vase that's been converted

with modern lamp pieces and modern wiring.

Unfortunately, that's modern all the way through.

We prefer antiques on this programme, thank you!

Now, how are you getting on with that hip flask, Zeb?

-Hello, again. The very best she could do is £25.

-What do you think?

-I like it for £25.

-If it's going to make 30.

-It's not silver. Good item.

I'll trust you. I'll go with that.

Ooh, you've piled on the pressure there, Alexa!

I think it's fine. It's going to be a profit. Only a short one in it.

-But you like it.

-A profit's a profit.

-Yeah.

And a loss is a loss, Alexa! Still, you can always blame Zeb!

Now, good work, chaps. The red team are off.

What have we here?

I hope...

We've got a Georgian caddy spoon.

Now, tea caddy spoons have been used from the start of tea, for obvious reasons.

Um, now, this one...

..is an 18th-century one.

We've got the little marks there. See the duty mark?

That mark is there to say the tax has been paid on the silver.

It's the head of King George III.

And on the front we've got quite a smart armorial.

£28. Well, it's very light.

Really light.

But it's a Georgian one.

A genuine 18th-century bit of silver.

Let's find out what it can be.

What's the best on that?

We want to make some money!

That's the idea, Ben!

I can certainly do 25 on it for you.

That's not much! Three quid! That wasn't worth the word coming out of my mouth to ask for a discount!

23, to take a fiver off as it is, then.

-It's only a fiver off.

-Well, I think we can do that.

-Do you want it?

-I like that.

-Deal!

-Thank you!

Well done, blues. Ben's diplomacy skills might just pay off there!

That's one item apiece. Can the reds up the ante?

Ah, I may have found your Chinese item.

-Oh, no!

-Has it got a crack?

-It's got a crack in it! That is a great shame.

Maybe not?

I think I spy a bargain.

No larking about. Get on with it.

-Excellent spot.

-Right.

-It's very nice.

The condition is a little bit worn, it has to be said.

That's a bit painful underneath.

Manufactured by Dunhill. Very famous for lighters.

They do sell exceedingly well.

Once you get to this sort of size, at about ten centimetres,

you're on to table lighters rather than pocket lighters,

unless you've got big pockets!

The reality is, you need a big pocket to acquire this!

It's priced at 250.

-Yeah.

-It's a good item. We'd like to spend a lot of money, but it would be foolish to spend too much.

-Yes.

-Leave it as a maybe.

-Let's try it later.

Not sure their pockets are big enough for that price, Colin!

Are you keeping a close eye on the budget, blues?

£49.50.

Brass bound oak games box.

Might be games, might be cigars.

I thought cigars initially.

-But it's rather swish.

-It's nice.

Flush handles at the side. And a vacant cartouche on the top, where the owners would put their initials.

But the thing of real quality is that. The Bramah lock.

Bramah was the lock-maker to Victoria.

Royal lock-maker.

-50 quid, though.

-50 quid is a lot of money.

We need that considerably less than 50 quid if there's to be a chance.

I quite like it. I like the fact someone can still engrave on there.

-But you're not sure.

-It's a bit confusing.

-Is it a games box or a cigar box? It might put people off.

-I agree with you.

We need to find something to bung in it.

Put a pack of cards in there, some dice, and other bits and bobs.

-We've got a little bit more time. We could come back.

-Have a think.

-Stick it on the chair.

-Hope it doesn't get poached.

-Hide it.

-That hides it from the reds!

-Good one!

-That's very cute!

-Isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

Is this original or has it been redone?

It's definitely been restrung at some stage.

-It's a sweet little chair, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is nice.

Probably around 1870, 1880. A nice country-made piece of furniture.

I must admit, that's what drew me to it!

Priced at that sort of money. I don't think that's too bad.

-Do they come as a pair or more, or are they single?

-Single side chairs.

There was a variety of manufacturers across the country doing these in towns.

-Right.

-To designs. There's a bit of nibbling on here,

but overall, the condition is pretty good.

And I love the depth. Somebody, unfortunately,

has had a scraping here trying to clean it down

and gave up when it was hard work!

But it's got a lot of good history behind it. I love things like this.

Is it all original or has some of it been repaired?

Well, I can't find anything wrong with it, to be honest.

It looks a fairly tight chair, so if it has been repaired or stuck together again,

it was a very long time ago.

-The seat is the newest thing that's been on it.

-Right.

Great news is I've had a word with the dealer.

Managed to negotiate a bit of a discount on this one.

-We've gone from £33 to £22.

-Brilliant.

-Really good.

-What do you reckon?

-That's good.

-I'd buy that chair for £22.

-Yeah.

-Got to be worth a gamble at that.

It's a good deal on the little chair.

Now, I've found a little gem of my own.

Are you a bird lover?

If you are, you're certainly going to love this item.

Just look at these sweet little partridge!

These are the British grey partridge

and they've got the distinctive orange faces.

What I like about them is

that they've been cast in the most incredible detail in bronze

and then coloured realistically.

Miracle of miracles,

even though they were made between about 1920 and 1940,

they've suffered no damage whatsoever.

They're as crisp and as clean as the day that they were made in Austria.

And, of course, these coal-painted Austrian bronzes

are fanatically collected.

I reckon if you split them up, took them off the Algerian onyx plinth

and put them on separate plinths, they would be worth between 200 and £300 each.

So what would the two, together, on this plinth, cost you in the antiques centre?

This little covey could be yours for £100.

What do you think about that, girls?

Perfick!

Top that, teams!

The reds have slinked off to a rather swanky emporium.

I'd be surprised if they found a bargain amongst such high-end furniture,

but what has Zeb found?

-This one?

-I suppose the acid test as ever is...

Ooh, it's a bit of a dull ring.

-That means we've got a bit of damage in there.

-Yeah.

You can see the two cracks in there.

Definitely a 19th-century thing.

I can't really see any restoration on it.

Although...

-That's a bowl that would easily be 300 to £400 in perfect order.

-Yeah.

-But it isn't, so it won't be. It'll be a fraction of it.

-Right.

-It's got a price tag on it. £95.

-Right.

-It's not going to race away and make you lots of money.

-No.

But it still could do quite well.

How can you help us?

I could do it for... Let's see.

-£86 for you.

-86.

-We were thinking, cos there's quite a bit of damage.

-There's a hair crack there.

There's a couple of them. We were thinking the 65, 70 region.

-No, I'm sorry.

-A bit too painful for you.

-A bit too painful, yes.

Would it help if I mention - cos I've only just seen it, actually -

there is actually some restoration around there as well.

-It's been repainted.

-Yes.

-Will that help things along a little bit?

I'll tell you what. The best price would be £80 and I'd have to stick at that.

Right.

-Chinese porcelain is doing well at the moment.

-It is.

The best pieces are racing on and perhaps we might just ride our luck off the back of it.

So would you like to put this down for now, spend our last 15 minutes, we'll only be next door,

and if it's last minute, we know this is here at £80

for us to go for.

Don't leave it too late! We're strict on the rules here, you know!

With his eye on the clock, James has done some haggling on the price of the box.

But he needs a decision from his team.

-The box.

-Yes?

-35. The very best.

-Not bad.

-I like the box.

-I like it too.

-It's got a good history with the Bramah lock.

-We need to make a buy.

-Let's get the box.

Let's get it.

What is it?

This is absolutely revolting - sorry, revolving!

-It is horrible.

-They sell well at auction.

-No.

-Not your sort of thing. OK, let's move on.

Alexa has spoken. Move on.

Move on.

Guys.

Show us what you've got, James.

-Now, do you still like it?

-We like it.

-Yeah.

-It sounds a bit more promising!

-There's something in there.

-Definitely.

-Now how do you like it?

-It looks like a games box now.

-Doesn't it?

-That's a bit more interesting.

-Much better.

-Same stand. Dominoes, not a complete set.

Some chess pieces. Again some alterations there.

That's not a lot of money. And a pack of pretty modern cards.

-I like that.

-That, now, when you look at that...

It's a gaming box.

You can stick that in the boot, going on a picnic, and have some fun.

It's got its original key. I agreed to pay her an extra £5. Is that all right?

-That's good.

-Yeah.

It brings it together. Makes it a piece.

-£40.

-£40.

-Number two.

-We can do it!

-Here we go.

We're rocking now. Let's go for number three.

Let's hope that's enough to convince the buyers it's not just a cigar box.

-Ten minutes.

-I say we go for an expensive item.

-Something quite in your face.

-How much do you want to spend?

-100 to 150.

-100 to 150.

-100 to 150.

Now, Colin's refereeing for the red team. My money's on Alexa.

-I like the bowl. You've already had the hip flask, so it's my turn. And I say the bowl.

-Fair enough.

-Yeah.

-We've tried to get that extra little bit out.

-If you can get that extra bit.

-I'll smile. I'll try.

Use all your charms.

We thought we'd come back for the bowl cos we really like it.

What's the best, best price you could do for us?

-I quoted £80 last time, didn't I?

-75?

-ZEB:

-Could you knock another five off?

I wouldn't normally do it, but I'll let you have it for 75.

-Thank you.

-I hope you do well on it.

Thank you.

That was cutting it fine, you lot!

All three purchases in the bag. Well done, reds.

Now, minutes to go. Come on, blues. You're lagging behind.

Guys.

-Yep?

-OK.

-Ooh.

Now, I might be heart ruling head here.

Anybody who knows me on Bargain Hunt knows I have a passion for one thing.

Snuff boxes.

-We like snuff boxes.

-We talked about those.

-That, for me...

-Stunning, isn't it?

-It's an absolutely beautiful example.

-Lovely.

Very nice.

We're looking at a piece of French maple,

steamed, pressed, and hand-detailed afterwards.

-Amazing detail.

-Stunning.

-We have here

a big four-mast man of war off the Bay of Naples.

You can see these guys pulling on the ropes to pull him in.

I've seen these snuff boxes for 280, £300.

-OK.

-How much is that?

-I'm going to say about 100.

-About 100.

You are absolutely spot on, my friend.

-It's £100.

-I like it.

-We've got to take it.

-It feels good, as well.

-It's got a good feel.

-Lovely colour.

-Really well made.

It's lined with tortoiseshell.

It's got a tiny chip. That's fine. Absolutely fine.

-It's a lovely little thing.

-I really like it.

To be honest, from the off I'm going to say yeah because I like it.

-And you do too.

-I love it.

Do you know what I wish you would do?

I wish you'd go and buy some silver, then I could buy this for me!

I knew you'd want it!

No time for that, James, because that's it.

Both teams have finished their shopping.

But how much leftover lolly is going to be passed to their experts

to go and find that bonus buy?

First up, the reds.

The electroplated flask by James Dixon & Son

is down to Zeb, at £25.

For £22, let's hope the child's chair makes an adult's sized profit.

And putting her foot down, Alexa picked the Chinese porcelain bowl

for £75. It's a cracker! Literally.

OK, A to Z, how did you get on?

-I think we did well. We didn't spend that much money.

-What makes you think you're going to do well?

I liked my Chinese dish. It was very nice.

-Was that your favourite?

-Yes, cos I picked it.

-What about you?

-I think the Chinese bowl is nice. But I think we've got a safe bet on the chair.

-What did you spend overall?

-£122.

-That's not so much.

-So I would like, please, £178. Who's got the 178?

-Me.

The future accountant is coming up with the cash. I understand that.

-How was this team for you, Colin?

-They were fantastic.

-They knew exactly what they wanted and stuck with a bit of a plan, really.

-That's great.

What are you going to do with the cash? Will you blow the lot?

That's a possibility. It's both ends of the spectrum. No half measure with this one.

He's such a tease. Get on with it.

Good luck, you kids. Meanwhile,

why don't we remind ourselves what the blues bought?

Anyone for a brew? The George III tea caddy spoon cost £23.

With a few additions, the oak box was transformed into a games box.

And finally, for £100, James coveted the naval-themed snuff box.

Hands off, Lewis!

Hey, what's it like back out in the fresh air?

It's nice. Beautiful. My eyes!

My eyes! You're such a star. How did you get on? Finished up OK?

-Yeah.

-We did.

-How much did you spend overall?

-£163.

-That's kind of average. 163. So I want £137, please.

-I've got the leftover lolly.

-You've got it.

Thank you very much. Which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-I think the snuff box.

-I'm not sure. I think the games box now.

-I think the games box will marginally get it.

-We worked hard on that games box! We really did!

It's quite fun, the idea of having a bit of a combo.

It's exactly what you can do in the business, so why not?

-Why not?

-It's exciting.

-It is exciting.

Well done. James Lewis, the maestro.

You've had a good poke around. Got some ideas on what to spend that on?

I have absolutely no idea at all.

-The instructions are to buy something old! So they've left it wide open!

-We want profits,

-James Lewis!

-Old and profit.

-Old and profit!

Anyway, good man for the job.

Well done, team. Meanwhile, we're shoving off to Snowshill Manor.

Have you heard of it? It's in Gloucestershire and it's fab!

This lovely manor in Gloucestershire

was home to the collector Charles Paget Wade.

As a boy, his grandmother would let him peek into her Chinese cabinet

and so grew a fascination of all things Oriental.

But upstairs, the Orient becomes a bit more intimidating.

Meet the Samurai!

So who were these Samurai?

Strictly speaking, if you look at early Japanese history,

they were, of course, the mercenary warrior class.

But in Japan from about 1603 to about 1858

they had a long peace.

So these warriors weren't technically required to go into battle at all.

But the ancient traditions, the ancient ceremonies of the Samurai

continued as of old.

And the most notorious of these traditions

was Harakiri, the ritual suicide expected of those who flouted the code of honour.

They certainly had a flair for the grand gesture

and that's obvious in their spectacular battle dress.

I mean, we're talking about intimidating the enemy here,

before about 1600.

One of the most scary of these characters, I reckon,

is this fellow. The helmet has been decorated

with this extraordinary bat

with sticking-out ears

and then growing out of his head are deer-like antlers

with some fuzzy white hair stuck in behind.

That's just the head-piece.

Imagine that cantering towards you!

To protect the face,

the armour has similarly been moulded to look as terrifying as possible.

And the rest of the armour is similarly elaborate.

The arms have been protected by sections which are hinged together,

protecting the sides of the upper arm.

And on the forearm, we've got long lengths which are strung together.

If I squeeze that, you can see that the whole thing moves.

It's all flexible.

You'd think this would be a metal suit of armour, wouldn't you?

Well, you'd be wrong.

Because apart from the peak of that helmet,

not one piece of this armour is made of iron or bronze.

All of these sections that look like metal strung together,

are, in fact, wood covered with lacquer.

The whole thing is for show.

If a Samurai, dressed in this lot, went into battle, and it happened to be raining,

most of his armour would fall off about his person!

So how many suits of this elaborate Samurai armour are there at Snowshill?

36!

How come? Well, apparently, the majority of them were bought in the 1940s

when Japanese things just weren't the most popular things to go out and buy.

The big question today is, of course,

how many of our teams will need to jump on their swords

and commit Harakiri today over at the auction?

We've come a pretty convoluted route from Hungerford to Stratford-upon-Avon

where it is a treat to be at Bigwood's auctioneers in Stratford

-with Christopher Ironmonger. Good morning.

-Morning, Tim.

Nice to see you. Zeb and Alexa are excited. Their first item is the electroplated hip flask.

Yes. Plate sells moderately well, but not as well as silver.

Silver's shot ahead recently.

But it's in good condition. A useful little item.

We've estimated it at ten to 20. It's a good maker for plate.

-Might it make 25?

-It might do, yes. The right person will go a bit further.

So there is a little hope. Fair enough. Next is the beech-framed child's chair.

-A bit of rustic charm.

-Indeed. Those chairs sell well when we have a toy sale.

We've got dolls to put on them and so on. It is obviously a child's.

It's had a bit of a hard life.

We've perhaps been a bit mean on the estimate at five to ten,

but it's in those parameters.

-£22 paid.

-We might just get through.

-Right.

That's two potential struggles to get what they've paid.

What about the Chinese porcelain bowl? Chinese is the flavour of the moment.

Yes. Unfortunately, it does have some hairline cracks.

Not that obvious, but there are a couple there, which affects its value.

We've said 30 to 40. It could do a little bit better, but I'm a little bit nervous on that one.

£75 paid. I fancy we've got three struggles here,

which equals a requirement to go with the bonus buy, so let's have a look at it.

Now. You spent £122. You gave Colin Young £178.

-Colin, did you blow the lot?

-Course I did!

-Did you really?

-Every penny.

-All 178 of it?

-I did, yeah.

-Gosh!

-Is it the item we think?

-Do you think it's going to be striking?

-Oh, no. It is what I think it is!

-Definitely.

-Yes!

-Yeah.

-It is what you thought. But I loved it and had to go back.

-This is by the iconic firm, Dunhill's, right?

-Indeed.

-It's petrol fired?

-It is petrol fired.

-It's 1925, 1940. So it's bang on that Art Deco period.

-Yeah.

-You're both looking a bit nervous over this one.

-Yeah.

178 is a little bit more than we wanted to pay.

I really would be amazed if that doesn't make a profit at that sort of purchase price.

Well, whatever. 178 is the price.

The expert reckons you'll get a profit out of it.

Treasure those thoughts!

For the audience at home, let's see what the auctioneer thinks of Col's lighter.

Well, there we go, Christopher. Strike a light.

It's a very nice piece indeed.

I must admit when I saw this I got quite excited.

The chagrined work, et cetera. Obviously it's Dunhill as well.

Good mechanism. A little bit of distress here and there.

But I think it could sell quite well.

-We've said 150 to 200.

-That's not too bad.

That is spot in the middle of what Colin paid, £178.

I think that was fair.

The big question is, will the team go with Colin's choice?

That's it for the reds. Now for the blues.

-The caddy spoon. 1806.

-Yes, it's a pretty little item.

It's slightly mis-shapen a little bit,

but it's London 1806. Silver is selling very well.

-We've estimated 30 to 40.

-£23 paid.

-A collectable item.

-They paid the right price.

It's a decent estimate. They should make a small profit, which would be great.

-What about this brass-bound oak box? Pretty good quality, isn't it?

-It is.

I think the contents of it really are not related at all.

We see it as being... It's got a Bramah lock on.

It's got the key with the lock, which is quite unusual.

Probably had some little pistols in it, I would think.

-It's a considerably well-made box, isn't it?

-It is.

The brass banding. The most prestigious and best-quality lock

of the 1840s period is the Bramah lock.

To have all that combined in this oak box is pretty special.

-We've estimated it 60 to 80.

-Good.

-And frankly, it might even do better than that.

Particularly if you sow the seed that it might be used for pistols.

-Yes, we will.

-£40 was paid. They look set to perhaps double their money there.

And the last item, which James found,

is this pressed fruitwood French snuff box

which is absolutely divine.

It is. It's very intricate work on the lid.

Bit of damage inside, but that's of not great consequence.

-25 to 35.

-Is that all?!

Well, I think we've probably been a bit unkind to it. But...

-Which does happen sometimes!

-James will have a view about that! He paid £100.

-I'm not quite sure if we'll get to that, but we might do.

-Yes.

We're predicting the caddy spoon and the pistol box doing pretty well,

and let's hope it doesn't get dragged down by the French box.

-We hope not!

-If it does, they're going to need their bonus buy.

Let's go and have a look at it anyway.

OK, you two. What do you suppose James Lewis spent your £137 on?

-There we go.

-Wow.

-Do you love him or hate him or totally indifferent?

-At the moment, I'm not so sure.

-I don't know what it is.

It's Chinese. That's the great part about it.

-Anything Chinese at the moment is doing well.

-How much was he?

How much do you think he's worth?

-I had a lot of money to spend on it.

-You did. 130.

To be honest, I'd probably pay around 30 to £40 for that.

OK. What would you pay?

-Probably a bit more. Maybe 50 to 60?

-That's great.

-Because he was 25.

-Really?

You are such a tease, James!

I know. It's a brush pot. You'd have a bit of water or ink in there.

-He's a sweet little thing.

-How old is he?

-He's not early.

I wish he was. I wish I could say he was Ming, but he's not.

He's got a bit of wax on the back which is maybe an export seal or something.

Seeing that makes me think it's got a bit of age, but he's only 19th century.

OK. How much do you think it's going to bring us, though?

I think there's a profit in it.

-I think it'll make 50 quid.

-OK.

Anyway, don't pick it now. Wait until the sale of your three items.

But for viewers at home, let's see what the auctioneer thinks of Jimmy's little pot!

There we go, look.

One wee brush-washer.

Well, it's an attractive piece, but we weren't too convinced about the age of it.

We've described it as 20th-century.

It doesn't appear to us to be perhaps as old

as it might be purporting to be. That's the answer.

Looking at the underside, it doesn't look very natural.

That black colouring does look artificially induced, I agree.

But I mean the whole dating of early Chinese pottery

-is a nightmare!

-Absolutely so.

I think that's why we've erred on the cautious side.

-Yes. And your estimate?

-I think something like eight to 12. We've perhaps been harsh!

But I don't see it being high figures.

He paid £25 for it, so he clearly rates it.

So eight to £12 won't please him. On the other hand,

-maybe the team won't go with it.

-They might. They might.

-Are you taking the sale today?

-I will be.

-We're in safe hands!

-Alexa and Zeb, how do you feel?

-Excited.

-Yeah, really excited.

Are you at all nervous, Alexa?

-On some items. I'm not that hopeful about my bowl, now.

-Really.

But it is Chinese and it's a very nice palette. Mandarin palette.

Lots of bright colours, there. If all else fails,

you've got Colin's very nice Dunhill lighter to fall back on.

First lot up is your hip flask. Here it comes.

The ENPS spirit flask. T.Goode & Co stamped to the base.

£20? 15 to start.

-Come on!

-15?

Tenner? Ten I'm bid. The bid's there at ten.

It seems no money. At £10 only. At ten. Is it 12 now?

At £10. One and only bid. I'm going to have to sell it.

12. 12, seated. 14.

16, sir? Going at 14. Are you finished at £14?

-All done.

-That's not expensive.

-It was expensive to us!

-It was!

19th-century mixed wood vernacular chair.

Child's chair. I'm bid £10 on the book. Is it 12 in the room?

12. 14. 16. 18. 20. Two, is it?

At 22. 24? £22 only. At 22. Four now.

At £22. Are we all done at 22?

Wiped its face. £22. Better than a loss, though.

-It's down to my bowl.

-Down to the bowl.

Attractive little bowl, this. Who's got £30 to get me going?

20. 25, is it?

-At 20. The bid's here at 20. 25. 30?

-It's painful!

35? 35. 40? 40. 45? 45.

50? 50 to you, sir.

45. Foot of the stairs at 45. 50 if you want to carry on.

Last chance at £45.

-£45 is minus £30.

-I thought that would do it!

Which means you're minus £41.

-Definitely go for the lighter, now.

-The lighter?

-Definitely!

-We're losing.

-May as well.

-Go for it.

-Go for it.

-Can't lose any more.

A to Z are determined. Going with the bonus buy. Here comes the giant lighter.

The very nice Dunhill plated brass lighter.

What am I bid for this? £100 for this? Ought to be. Nice piece. 50 to get me going.

50?

40, then?

This is a really nice quality piece. £30 to get me going. 30 I'm bid.

There's a long way to go!

At 30. 40, is it? 40. 50, sir?

50? 50. 60?

60 behind. 60.

70? Don't be afraid. This is a very reasonable lot.

£60. It's going to go.

-At £60.

-£60 it's going for!

I'm going to burst into tears. £60.

Minus 118!

That's a disaster!

Overall, minus 159.

-That's all right!

-It could still be a winning score!

Oh, you have got such a lovely optimistic winning streak!

-The big thing is, don't say a word to the blues, all right?

-OK, fine.

How are you feeling about stuff? Confident?

I'm excited. I am confident, yeah. We'll be all right.

-He's not so confident about them.

-No.

-I'm confident.

-The thing is the confusion over the pistol box or the games box.

We've whacked chess pieces in there, so I'm not overly convinced

that that was the best move!

-But I like the caddy spoon. It's a lovely piece.

-That's the first lot up.

Here it comes.

George III silver tea caddy spoon. London 1806.

About nine grams there. Who's got £20 to get me going?

20 I'm bid. 20 and five?

25 there. 25.

30? 30. 35?

We're in. We're in.

35. 40 behind.

40. 45? 45.

50? 50. Five?

50 it is at the table. Any further advances on £50?

Finished and done at 50.

-We're liking this!

-That is plus 27.

-Good times.

-Very good, James. Well spotted.

Now, the pistol box.

It's got the Bramah lock and we have the Bramah key in the office.

It's quite an interesting lot.

I can open the bidding at £30 on my book. 30. 35. 40. 50.

- 50, 60, is it? - We're moving.

60. 70. 80? 80. 90, sir?

-90. 100?

-Come on!

100 for you. 100. 110?

Gentleman here at 100.

110 if you want to carry on. £100. It's going. Are we done and finished?

Yes, that's a cracker!

-Plus £60. That's very good.

-Good times!

-Good work.

Come on, now. This is the biggy.

A very attractive 19th-century French simulated walnut souvenir seal or snuff box.

I've got multiple bids on the book.

I can start this on my book at 50. At 50. 60 in the room?

At 50 with me on the book. 55.

60. 65. I've got 70.

75? 70 with me on the book. 70.

-Oh, no!

-Last chance.

-No!

- Give it a push! - 75. 80, is it?

£75. Are we all done at 75?

-Lost 25.

-That's minus 25. Well, I feel for you, James.

There we go. It's sold.

You are plus 62. What are you going to do about the old ink brush pot?

It's £25 you're putting at risk.

-We're up anyway. We can either go for it...

-We have to take home a win.

We have to. For my mum and for the good of Dorset!

-The people of Dorset need a win.

-We promised we'd win.

-Are you going to bank it?

-Yeah, we're banking.

We're going to sell the bonus buy anyway. Here it comes.

20th-century Chinese earthenware pen dipper.

A greeny-brown glaze to it. Interesting little item here.

Start me at £20 for it.

£20? Five I'm bid. Five.

I'm bid at five. At five.

At ten now? At five. I'll take six if it helps you.

Five pounds only. Take six pounds. Eight pounds. Ten?

Ten. 12. 14?

12 at the front here. It's going to be sold at 12.

Last chance at £12.

Are we done and finished?

Well, it would have been minus 13.

But the fact is you are plus 62.

You've ring-fenced your profits.

-Just don't say a word to the reds.

-We won't.

Well, you don't know that one team has done very well

and the other team hasn't done so well!

The team that hasn't done so well are the reds.

In short, minus £159 is not so swift!

-OK.

-But I don't see any point in dwelling on any detail.

It just hasn't been your day, has it?

-No.

-Definitely not.

I think you've all taken it like true Britishers!

But the victors today, who are going home with 62 smackers,

which is folding money - there's the 60 - here's a couple.

You didn't go with the bonus buy. You preserved your status.

Splendido! I'm proud of the three of you.

-Had a lovely time?

-A brilliant time, yeah.

I'll tell you, to take home money from this programme is a great achievement.

I congratulate you. We've had a fantastic time.

So much fun that you ought to join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

Yes!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd