Cheltenham 28 Bargain Hunt

Welcome to Cheltenham Racecourse.

It's not the bookies today who are hoping to make a fortune, it's our teams.

So let's go bargain hunting!

Do you reckon you could go out and spend £300,

buy three antiques to make a profit later at auction?

Yes. That's what they all say!

Today, it's a team of friends against partners,

in a battle to buy the best bargains

and make the most profit down at the auction,

where Christopher Ironmonger is ready to sell, sell, sell.

And I get to pop ten miles down the road to Snowshill Manor.

Let's meet the teams.

Today for the Red Team, we have good friends Eve and Mary.

You've been friends, Eve, for 20 years. How did you meet?

We met on the paediatric unit in Hereford.

We were doing a child course

and we had to drive up to Birmingham and back.

We went with each other and supported each other,

-and that was over 20 years ago.

-Was it?

-I hear you're about to get some exciting recognition for all your hard work.

-Yes.

Yes. I've been nominated by Hereford Trust

to, er, go to the Queen's Garden Party.

Gosh!

-And I'm taking Mary with me as my guest.

-Isn't that lovely?

-And are you looking forward to it?

-I am, yes.

-They're quite an affair, I can tell you.

-Are they?

-Yes, you get delicious eats.

-Don't eat all week, if I were you.

-Sounds good!

Well deserved. I hope the weather's nice, too.

Mary, tell me about your plans about taking your nursing skills abroad.

I'm planning on going to Tanzania.

There's a hospital there that has a link with a county hospital in Hereford.

We would hope to see what we could do about what we can send,

so that it isn't wasted.

Your idea of collecting is an unusual one, isn't it?

Yes, an obsession with cups and saucers.

I do have some teapots, as well.

But I seem to like cups and saucers. Unfortunately, I don't like tea.

-Ahh.

-I drink coffee only. I don't know why, I just like cups and saucers!

-And are you going to have fun today?

-Oh, definitely.

Well, we're going to be fascinated to see what you acquire.

-Now for the Blues, we have partners, Jason and Melissa.

-Hi, Tim.

How did you two get together?

Jason and I met online about 18 months ago.

-Winked at each other over the internet.

-Is that what happens?

-Oh, yes.

-Is it?

-You send a little wink across the ether!

We met up and hit it off so well, and haven't stopped laughing since.

Well, all must be going well, because your first child is due fairly soon.

Are you getting any time to put your feet up?

Yes, we're trying to relax really well at the moment.

It's not been an easy pregnancy, so we're putting our feet up as much as we can.

-And what sort of bargain gets your attention, Melissa?

-I like shiny.

-Do you?

-I like sparkly things, silver, diamonds.

-Expensive stuff.

-Yes.

-Is that what you're going for?

Not too expensive. But I'll be keeping an eye out for something nice and shiny.

Jason, it's been a bit of a roller-coaster year for you.

It has a bit. It's been up and down.

I lost my job,

so it's a case of trying to find something I enjoy doing.

-What did you do before?

-I started out in engineering as a pattern maker.

So I used to make allsorts of nice little detailed patterns.

But my recent experience has been as a retail manager.

-It's an exciting time, with the baby coming.

-Yes.

-You want to be getting on with it.

-Definitely.

-Good luck with that.

What cunning tactics have you got on Bargain Hunt, you two?

We're going to buy as cheap as we can and sell it for as much as we can!

-It's like your retail experience!

-Exactly, yes!

It's exactly the same as running one of your shops!

Anyway, we shall see. Now the money moment.

-£300 apiece. Here you go, £300. There you go.

-Thank you.

-£300.

-Thank you.

-You know the rules. Your experts await. Off you go! Very, very good luck.

What fun!

'Taking the reigns for the Red Team today is expert Colin Young.

'While James Lewis will be steering the Blue Team to the finish line.

'No pressure, then, gents!'

'On your marks, get set, go! And they're off.'

-Is there anything that you really want to be buying?

-Erm...

Maybe big vases, porcelain.

-You can either start out here or start inside.

-Start out here, I think.

As long as we get it cheap and cheerful, or as reasonable as we can.

Stay cheerful, we'll just make sure we get it cheap!

'Good plan, Reds.'

-What's this?

-It's a stamp press.

That's cool. I quite like that!

Have you seen what's on it? "Boston Golf Club".

-How does the Boston Golf Club grab you?

-Boston Golf Club...

That's what it says on the stamp.

-How much is that?

-No price on it at the moment.

-35.

-35.

OK, you've got to think who'd like it.

-Golfers.

-Yes.

-People who are into stamps.

-Yes!

-That's about it really!

-Yes.

-It's a bit limited.

-It's a very acquired taste.

-We'll bear it in mind.

-You've got something in the...

..the back of your mind when we get desperate.

'Yep, stamp-collecting golfers might be a bit of a niche market.

'But don't worry, plenty of time to find something with more general appeal.'

-They make me laugh.

-They probably came free with a packet of tea!

-You don't really like them?

-I think they're great.

Those are nice, those vases, but they're quite expensive.

There's an ugly parrot!

What about this? This is rather nice. I like this.

-Great little thing, isn't it?

-It's not too bad a price.

I must admit, that is the sort of thing that does sell well.

-I like it.

-If you stand a chance, that's something to be going for.

-It's quite quirky, isn't it?

-It is.

Good Art Deco, chromium plated, good style-icon piece.

-'Go on, Mary!'

-What is your best price that you could give us on this 1930s lamp?

-£110 would be the very best.

-Right.

It's all been rewired and PAT tested and earthed.

'But wait a minute. Aren't you forgetting something?'

-Are you not going to try and haggle him down to 105?

-Yes.

-You never know.

-Do you want to haggle?

-Yes, please.

-It would be nice!

-What do you want to haggle to?

-105.

-All right, then.

-Lovely.

-Thank you very much.

-You're very welcome.

'That was suspiciously easy. But have they got a bargain buy?'

'Meanwhile, Jason and Melissa are determined

'not to make a pig's ear of their first buy!'

Have they all got the NatWest stoppers in?

-It's all the originals.

-They've got the original stoppers.

-How much do you think they would go for?

-They used to make 120 for a set.

They're now making about 65, 70.

Just wondering how much you're doing on the NatWest pigs.

It's 110 for the set.

-110?

-Yes.

-OK.

They are all...

-One's got the stamp, the original stoppers.

-I've seen the stoppers, as well.

What's the best you can do on them?

-I'd do 100.

-You couldn't go any lower than 100?

-Not really.

-I'm not making a lot out of them.

-We'll have a think about that.

-OK.

'At £100, it looks like these little piggies

'might be destined to stay at the market.

'Farm animals are all the rage today.'

-Look at the horse's head.

-Oh, yes.

-You follow him and I'll have a look at the horse's head.

-OK.

-..Not for us. We haven't got enough budget.

-What about the horse's head?

-Sorry?

-The horse's head.

-I like this, but it's too much.

-Can I show you the horse's head?

-THEY CHATTER

'You might have to shout to get their attention, Mary.'

What about the horse's head, being as we're at Cheltenham Racecourse?

-But we're not selling here, are we?

-'Good point, Eve.

'Knowing your market is key.'

I like that.

-What's the best you can do on the robot?

-80.

-80.

-Could you do it for 70?

-75.

HE GROANS I like that. Let's go for that.

Can I just say something?

Are we going to an antiques sale or a toy sale?

-It's a collectable sale, as well.

-OK.

-Go that way, then.

-Let's go this way.

'Oo-ar! Divisions in the ranks already.

'The Reds are having no such problems.'

-What do you think to that?

-That's pretty.

-It's three ounces.

-Yes, I love it.

-Yes?

-It's rather pretty, isn't it?

It's very pretty. How old do you think it is?

Fortunately, it's dated for us. They've looked at the hallmark, Chester Assay Office.

It dates from 1903. So a good Edwardian piece.

Very much stylised of the period, with this mixture of Rococo scrolling decoration in there

and Baroque areas of cartouches.

Nice piercework, as well.

Very pretty, isn't it?

It's priced at £115.

Is that really your best price?

-Call it 75, then.

-Wonderful!

-Do you want to buy it?

-Yes. I'd have that in my home.

-Right! There we go.

-OK.

-That sounds like a deal done!

-We're there at 75. Lovely.

-ALL: Thank you very much.

'Well done, Reds. Time to chill. Take it easy.'

45 minutes left, £120, one more item to buy.

-Let's just relax and find something at a leisurely pace.

-Yes.

Aww! Poor bird.

'The Blues passed on the pottery pigs, but James is sticking with the wildlife theme.'

It's in good nick. There's no woodworm or anything.

What do you think to a stuffed seagull?

-It's different!

-It is.

-It's definitely quirky.

-Yes.

£60.

-I'm not sure it's for us, but we'll keep it in mind.

-OK.

-Do you think there's a lot of market for stuffed seagulls?

-No.

-THEY LAUGH

-Do I like it? No.

Do I approve of it? No.

'Should you buy it? No.'

That's a size and a half!

What about a chair?

-I like the book rack. That's rather nice.

-The book rack.

-Let's go and see what it is, then.

-Come on, Eve. Stop sitting in the chair.

That's lovely. Too pricey.

-I can do 120.

-120.

-How much have we got left?

-You've got to leave me some for a swap!

-We've only got 120 left.

-Yes.

-It's a great item. We can come back.

-I think it's beautiful.

-Leave it for a moment.

-Calm down, Mary!

-I'll go slow.

-That would be a record time of 16 minutes purchasing if we do that!

See what else there is.

'I don't think Colin's ever had to work so hard

'to stop a team spending their money straight away.

'No pigs, no birds, but the Blues have still got the wildlife bug.'

Would you do the set of the bees?

-There's a group.

-Yes, we can always do something.

What I would say is, it's difficult buying from somebody who's such a specialist

-and then putting them into a general auction...

-Mm.

-..and trying to make a profit.

How much are they, just for...?

-£100.

-It's a lot of money.

-That's with a good discount.

-Massive swallow!

-Yes.

-That's a big one.

-We can keep looking.

Nil desperandum!

They should cost more.

-I mean, to me, I can see those making £20 at a general auction.

-OK.

-Still not going with the seagull.

-OK! If you don't want to make a profit, not my problem.

'Ah, come on, Blues. Try teamwork. You haven't bought anything yet.'

'While Mary's already trying to buy the Reds' final item!'

..She wants to do this.

-It's Art Nouvelle.

-Yes.

Just to remind you, we've still got 35 minutes of shopping left.

-Can you walk round a bit more, then?

-Once you've bought your third item, we're done.

-Do you want to have another look round?

-Definitely.

-We'll go and have a walk round.

'Good advice, Colin.

'Spend your time wisely and you'll spend you money wisely.

-'Just don't panic, Mary!'

-We've got loads of time, so calm down. We've got loads of time.

Nice condition inside. And a little compartment inside that pulls down, for love letters.

It's a sweet little box. It's got a good colour.

The sort of thing that a private buyer would buy, for obvious reasons. It's practical.

It's quite late. It's probably 1860, 1870.

-And at that period, you expect to have a bit more mother-of-pearl inlay.

-OK.

-If you're going to be spending getting on towards £100...

-OK.

..for me, I would want to see a little more decoration on the cover.

-Could we take it down any further than the 85?

-75 would be my very best.

-75.

-Couldn't squeeze it down to 70?

'James doesn't look convinced.'

-Go on, then, £70.

-Do you think 70 will be good for that?

What I want you to think about is, look at it and think, "Is that going to make a profit?"

-Not, "Do I like it."

-OK.

-All right?

If you think, "I've a gut reaction that that's going to make a profit," go for it!

What do you think?

I think we need to come back on that one.

'Half an hour gone and nothing bought.

'What's happening with those Blues?'

They have very set views on what they like or don't like.

It's always difficult to try and say to somebody,

"It's irrelevant if you like it, it's whether it'll make a profit."

Today, that mindset of, "I don't like it"

is totally overtaking whether it's a potential profit.

-I'm having a hot flush!

-Are you really?

'Come on, James, time to lead from the front.'

-What's that ladle?

-It's...

-Not that one! That little one there.

-Which? That one?

It's Perth. It's Scottish provincial silver.

-Right.

-Which is, theoretically, like gold dust.

A bit of a misshapen bowl.

-But it's early.

-I know that silver sells very well. I like silver.

Something that you need to look at here - we've got an IP and an IP.

In this case, the "I" is in fact a "J", for John Pringle.

And this is a make that was basically based out of Perth.

So you've got a bit of Scottish provincial silver.

-If that had been London, it would be worth £30.

-OK.

If it was Chester, it would be worth maybe £50.

-But the fact that it's Perth, it's got the potential of being £200.

-OK.

-And how much is that?

-145.

-Theoretically...

-It's very light.

I'm not selling it for scrap!

THEY LAUGH

I think we need to buy something.

'Yes, that is the idea!'

Well, I think it's steep at that.

'Oh, dear. Still no purchases.'

'If the Blues don't get a move on, they might not buy a thing.'

-What do you think to that?

-I don't like it.

-Ugly.

-Do you know who he is?

-BOTH: No.

-Duke of Wellington?

-He's the Duke of Wellington.

And what have we got coming up?

-OK... Abba. Eurovision Song Contest.

-Waterloo!

And where are we, we're a couple of years away from the Battle of Waterloo bicentenary.

Anyone with any common sense is buying Napoleonic, Wellington memorabilia.

-I still think we'd be better off with the ladle.

-You can have both.

What would you sell them both to us for?

Just to get rid of you, £150!

-That and the ladle for...£150, did you say?

-I said £150!

145 - deal.

-OK!

-Deal. Well done. Brilliant.

My goodness! Phew!

'That was painful. Two items with one handshake.

'Nearly there, Blues.'

-What's the best price that you can...?

-I could do it for 110.

For us, just a little bit more?

Er, the very best I could do would be 105.

-OK.

-Happy with that?

-Deal.

-He's even got a red T-shirt!

-BOTH: Yes!

He's definitely on our side!

'The Reds are over the line.

'Come on, Blues. Only seven minutes left.'

I quite like that.

What do you think of this little painting...painter's box?

-Again, a bit quirky.

-Oh, look!

-What would be the best on that? 48?

-48...

-38.

-I think it's interesting.

-It is.

-It's a bit different.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Too quirky, though?

-Well, that's us, isn't it?

What do you think it would make at auction?

I think it'd probably go for 40, 45.

I think it might scrape 50.

It'll struggle, but I think it'll get there.

-35.

-35.

-Shall we do that?

-I quite like 35 for that.

-Yes?

It's a very good deal.

-Yes, 35.

-OK. Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

'Uh-oh. James isn't happy!'

'She is, though.

'Let's remind ourselves what the teams bought.

'Eve and Mary raced out of the blocks with the Art Deco table lamp

'at £105. But will it be a shining example?

'They jumped at the bonbon dish at £75

'and took a few laps of the circuit before coming back to the book rack

'at £105. Wow.'

-Did you enjoy that, team?

-We did, very much.

-Did you?

-What about you, Mary?

-Loved it. Love spending other people's money.

How much did you spend?

-It was £285.

-That is a proper job, isn't it?

-It is.

-Have you got £15 for me?

-Mary has.

-I can squeeze it out.

Good. Thank you very much. Lovely.

-£15.

-Thank you very much.

-It's not much, is it?

-It's not. Nice change.

But I suppose that just increases the pressure now.

-It's a bit of a risk factor.

-It is.

It's always fun to find out what he buys with the bonus buy.

-I'll be interested.

-We all will be!

Anyway, very good luck. Meanwhile, why don't we check out what the Blue Team bought?

'Jason and Melissa were slow to start,

'but they picked up speed with two buys in one,

'the Scottish silver ladle for 120

'and the ormolu bust of the Duke of Wellington at £25.

'And they crossed the finish line carrying the artist's travelling box

'for £35.

'In fact, they were quite made up!'

How much did you spend all round, Jase?

-180.

-£180 you spent. I'd like £120 of leftover lolly, please.

Is that all of it? I don't need to count it, do I? No.

-Course not!

-£120 goes straight over to J Lewis.

-Thank you.

An authority on bonus buys, if I remember correctly, James?

I'm going to look for something that I can set a fire in.

Something to burn our third purchase in.

Because I hate it so much!

Good luck, James. Good luck, team.

Meanwhile, we're heading off to the depths of Gloucestershire to lovely Snowshill Manor.

Set in the Cotswold countryside,

Snowshill Manor is constructed of the yellow stone so typical to this area.

But inside this house, it is a little unusual.

Until 1951, the avid collector, Charles Paget Wade,

who'd inherited a fortune from his father,

filled it with eccentric and unique items.

Everything from bicycles,

to impressively intricate furniture.

If there's one type of furniture that Charles Wade was very, very keen on,

that was cabinets.

There are lots of them crammed into several of the rooms here.

My pick, though, is this piece of furniture.

If you were unaware,

you would, at first glance at a piece of furniture like this,

get incredibly excited.

Because it would appear to be a Renaissance cabinet,

made in Italy around 1550 to 1580.

If we look at the central door, you can see that it's veneered in tortoiseshell,

literally shells stripped from the back of a tortoise

and applied onto the carcass wood.

The tortoiseshell has then been cut with a series of lines

that have been filled with polished pewter,

that originally would've been bright and sparkling.

At the end of all those fronds of pewter

are a number of flower heads and devices,

and each of those are in different polychrome stones -

bright blue lapis lazuli,

Cornelian coral, malachite.

That polished stone is reflected in these freestanding pillars outside.

And if you look at the end one, you can see where a piece has just chipped away,

and you can see how wafer-thin

the stone in the veneering actually is.

This piece is likely to have been made by a man called GB Gatti.

He was a specialist in Renaissance Revival furniture,

replicating the earlier pieces for the 19th century Great Exhibitions,

from which this may have been originally bought.

Gatti might've made this,

not in Florence but probably in Milan,

between, say, 1840 and 1880.

What's wonderful about Snowshill, though, is that they've got all Wade's documents.

You can trace back where most of the items he bought came from.

On this receipt, we see that in August 1927,

negotiations were under way

to acquire this piece from an antique dealer in Taunton.

By October, 1927, the deal had been done,

but the antique dealer is asking him,

"How do you want to send it from Taunton to London?'

"Of course, we could send it off at once by a special van, which would cost about £6."

The dealer goes on to say,

"In the light of it being, of course, such a bargain

in regard of the cost of it to you,

would you agree to our doing this

or shall we still wait awhile in the hope of sharing a van?"

What did the cabinet cost in the first place?

All of £60.

1927 was a very good time to be buying quality pieces of furniture.

The big question today is, of course,

how will our teams' bargains be faring

over at the auction?

'It's the moment of truth.'

We've come 30.9 miles

from Cheltenham to Stratford-Upon-Avon,

and very, very nice it is, too, to be at Bigwood's sale room with Christopher Ironmonger.

-Christopher.

-Good morning.

-Good morning. Lovely to be back.

First up is this Art Deco table lamp-cum-smoker's compendium.

Which I personally think is absolutely hideous!

How do you rate it?

I suppose it's a novelty,

bit of a fashion statement item,

which some people do like.

If you want something different

in the smoking accoutrement department, that's the ultimate, I suppose.

-But it's so badly made!

-It is a little bit tinny.

-Anyway, what's it worth?

-30 to 50.

Quite right. £105 paid. So that's not so hot.

Next is the Edwardian silver bonbon dish.

-Difficult to get that wrong, isn't it?

-It is, yes.

Pretty little item, that one. Silver, as you know, selling well at the moment.

-80 to 120, I think.

-£75 paid. So that's OK.

That might claw them something back.

-Last up is this book trough.

-Right.

Well, it's functional. People with books do quite like those.

But they'll only spend a certain amount, so we've said 25 to 35.

Well, we're only about £100 out. They paid £105 for it!

-Oh, dear.

-Dear, oh, dear. This is going to be a struggle! It's going to be a bloodbath!

We're going to need the bonus buy big time!

Now, Eve and Mary, the bonus buy moment...

You spent £285, you gave Colin Young £15 to buy your item. What did you buy, Colin?

Because things were going to be bleak,

I thought we'd better have... some Belleek.

BOTH: Oh!

Belleek porcelain. Irish.

Fairly modern, though. One is 2007,

because it commemorates 150 years of the Belleek porcelain factory.

The other one has a green mark. Certainly no more than 40 or 50 years old.

The only comment I can make is, what do you expect for £15?

-Do you think we gave him too much to spend?

-I think so.

It took me longer to spend that £15 than it did take us

that 37-minutes shopping extravaganza we did for the other three items!

We've got the shamrocks on there. All we can hope for is the luck of the Irish!

You've certainly kissed the Blarney Stone there. Treasure those moments, girls.

Meanwhile, why don't we find out for the audience at home

what the auctioneer thinks about the two Belleek vases?

-Bit of Emerald Isle for you.

-Hm.

-Do you like those?

Well, I suppose sweet is the word, aren't they?

I mean, you know, they're modern Belleek. One can't say a lot more.

But exactly the same look as you would've found in a piece made in 1890.

-They stuck to their traditions.

-They have, yes, definitely.

I suppose if you're into Belleek and aren't concerned about the age, they're a good little purchase.

-£10 to £20 we've said.

-Perfectly all right.

£15 Colin paid for these as a bonus buy,

and I think that's perfectly fair.

That's it for the Reds. Now for the Blues.

First up is the provincial Scottish ladle.

It's not in the best condition. The bowl is a little misshapen, which just takes the edge off.

But it is Scottish silver. We've called it a chocolate ladle,

-which perhaps sounds a bit more fun...

-Doesn't that sound nice?

But rare Scottish silver does sell well

and it's going to attract the collectors.

The condition won't help, but we've said 150 to 200.

Very good, £120 paid.

So they've got a real hope of making a chunk of money on that.

What about the iron duke? Except he's made of cast bronze.

It's well cast. The detail on it is good.

We've said £10 to £20.

£25 paid. Nice thing. Should make its money.

Last up is this so-called artist's travelling box.

Yes, it quite possibly could be a makeup box.

It's quite a nice item. 30 to 50 is our estimate.

They only paid £35, so that's pretty fair.

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

Now, Melissa and Jase, you spent £180,

you gave James Lewis £120.

James, show us what you spent the £120 on, please.

-What could this be? What could it be?

-I have no idea!

I just know that of all the Bargain Hunts I've ever done, you two are going to love this

-more than anybody's ever loved anything!

-Really?

-Go on, then.

-There we go.

Yes, it's a dead seagull in a box.

I tried to persuade you to buy it on the day

and you were so determined you weren't going to have it!

There was a reason for that!

-And how much did you pay for this disaster?

-Disaster?!

-The poor thing!

-It's diseased!

-If I paid £80, would you be pleased?

-BOTH: No.

What do you think I paid?

-Because we looked at it for such a long time.

-Yes.

-About 60?

-I'd be impressed if you got it for 40.

-How about 47?

-Really?

-Yes.

-That's quite impressive.

Now, you see, I'm swaying you! I'm winning you over!

-I think it'll make a profit.

-How much do you think it will make?

I think we'll get £15 or £20 profit.

If you need the £15 or £20 predicted profit, go with it after the sale of your first three items.

But let's find out from the auctioneer what he thinks about James's dead seagull.

We've heard about flogging a dead horse.

How are you on flogging dead seagulls?

Well, we've had our moments! But it's a typical taxidermy piece.

It's not one that's going to attract the real collectors of taxidermy.

We've said 40 to 60. It'll be a novice collector, I think.

£47 was paid by James Lewis. It's a bonus buy.

-We'll have to hope for the best, won't we?

-We hope.

Before we see how the teams' items sell, have a quick look at this.

Well, this is a whopper, isn't it?

One large Chinese pot.

Now, the colour on this vase is called celadon green,

and celadon green is a colour in Chinese ceramics

that dates way, way back to the 10th and 11th centuries.

This pot, however, dates from the middle of the 19th century.

It's catalogued as being Modern

and standing on an older gilt-metal Rococo base.

But if I give this a bit of a tweak, and it's fairly heavy...

..so that we can have a look at the two parts.

If I turn that upside down,

you can see the underside has got a whole lot of tarry stuff

which is glued to the inner surface.

If we look on the underside of this pot,

you can see the remnants of all this tarry stuff underneath this.

That's because when the Chinese pot was joined with the metal mount,

the red-hot bitumen would've been heated up and used as a glue

to secure this to that.

Now, when might that have happened?

Well, the date of the metalwork is probably about 1850,

and I'm imagining that this pot was put with that base at that time.

Now, apart from the celadon colour scheme,

you've also got cut highlights here

with a whole lot of interesting detail.

At the top, we've got butterflies, followed by bamboo,

followed by peaches.

The important official in the middle of this panel

is being fanned by a rather sour-looking woman with a fan.

And I suppose these people are supplicants,

standing with their scrolls of paper,

waiting for a signature from the official.

What's it worth? The auction estimate is £400 to £600.

Is that expensive? Well, look at the size of it.

Look at the popularity of Chinese porcelain.

I reckon that the ormolu base itself is worth £400.

So £400 to £600 practically gives you the pot for free.

How much more is it going to bring? You'll have to wait and see in a moment in the auction.

'First up, though, time to see if the Reds leave

'with any profit in their pocket.'

Your first item is going to be the Art Deco table lamp.

You paid £105 for that.

The auctioneer's estimate is 30 to 50.

-Wow.

-THEY LAUGH

And here it comes.

There we go. I can start the bidding here at £30.

On my book at 35. At 40. £40.

-Only at 40...

-Come on.

At £40 and it will be sold, make no mistake.

They've got no taste!

£40. Are we done and finished?

-Minus £65, I'm afraid, on that.

-No!

-Now the bonbon dish.

Chester 1903. Weight 95 grams. Who's got £80 for this?

£50, then? Come on now.

-BOTH: Come on!

-Come on, 50.

40, then.

-40?

-40. I'm bid 40. 50. 60 is in.

£50 and this is cheap. At £50. Five if you like.

All done at £50.

-Minus £25.

-We're doing quite well!

-I'm afraid that means you're minus

£90 so far.

Next is the book trough.

Who's going to give me £30 to get me going?

25 to start me.

-My goodness.

-Come on!

-Haven't they got any books?

£20 to get me going. 20 in two places.

25, madam. 30. 35? 30, the gentleman's bid at £30.

Is it five now? And it's going to be sold at 30... 35.

40? 35 with the lady, at £35. Are we done at 35?

£35, I'm afraid, is minus £70,

which means, overall, you're minus £160.

So, are you going to go with the Belleek pots for £15?

-We do need a bit of Irish luck.

-Yes, we do.

-A little bit of Irish luck.

-Yes.

-Are you going to go with them?

-BOTH: Yes.

Going with the Belleek pots. Here they come.

Very attractive, in the weave and the shamrock decoration there.

Who's got £20 for them? £20.

Tenner to start me, then. I'm bid 10. 12 if you like.

12 behind. 14, sir. 14. 16, is it?

14 at the table. Is it 16 now?

£14. Sold at £14.

-That's minus £1.

-They've got no taste.

You went with... That is minus £161.

Don't say a word to the Blues. That could be a winning score!

-It's bound to be!

-Hooray!

Next up is the spectacular celadon floor vase.

Estimated at £400 to £600.

I fancy it'll make, what, between two and three thousand? Let's see.

I've got commission bids and phone bids.

I'll start the bidding on the commission bids at £2,000.

Two-two. Two-four.

-Two-six. Two-eight. 3,000?

-Yes, sir.

-Three-two. Three-four.

-We could be here for some time.

-Three-nine I've got. Four? 4,000.

-Here we go.

Is it four-two? Four-two at the top. Four-four? Four-four.

Four-six?

Four-eight. 5,000? 5,000.

Five-two? Five-two.

Five-four? Five-four. Five-six?

Five-eight? 6,000?

Six-five. Six-eight?

Six-eight. 7,000.

Seven-two. £7,000.

-It will be sold... Are you all sure?

-MAN: Yes.

-£7,000! How about that?

-LIGHT APPLAUSE

Even a round of applause.

Just think about it. The estimate's £400 to £600.

There's a little old lady somewhere in Stratford-On-Avon who's very, very pleased!

'Everyone went potty for the Chinese vase.

'Will they go crazy, though, for the Blues' buys?'

-Melissa, any idea how the Reds got on?

-I have no idea.

-You haven't been chatting?

-No.

-Do you think they looked depressed or jolly?

-They looked a bit miffed!

-A bit miffed!

I can't imagine why! It's going to be different now.

The Scottish provincial ladle. You paid £120 for it.

He liked it. He's put £150 to £200 on it.

A late Georgian fiddle pattern silver Scottish chocolate ladle.

There we go. It's 33 grams. Double maker's mark.

What am I bid for this? 100 to get me going. 100 to start.

Low start, but let's get started. 80, then.

-Come on! Come on.

-80.

-Oh, dear.

-Stony silence.

Bids here at 50, 60, 70. 70. 80. 90. 100.

100. 110? 100 in the front row here. It should go at £100 if you're done.

110, would you like? At £100...

That's minus £20. Bad luck. Nowhere near its estimate.

Now, the iron duke. The Duke of Wellington.

15 I'm bid. I've got 16 here. 18?

16 on the book here, at 16. 18? 18. 18. 20 is it?

At £18, are we done at 18? All finished at £18.

-20. 22? 22. 24?

-Come on!

22 it is. Here at 22.

Minus £3 on that. That's bad luck.

Now, the travelling artist's box.

Probably originally a theatrical makeup case, I would think,

given the maker's name on it.

It's a very nice piece. £30 for it?

£30. There must be some theatricals here that see it as a collectable.

-25, then?

-Put your hands up if you haven't got an artist's box!

Come on! There we are - 25.

I'm bid 25. Eight if you like. At 25, the maiden bid of 25.

I'll take eight to carry on. At £25...

This seems no money at all.

28. Thank you. 30, madam. Don't give up, have another one.

£28. The bid's here at 28. 30 surely? Can't I tempt you?

£28. Are we done and finished?

Minus £7 on that. Which is, again, bad luck.

Seven, ten... You're minus £30.

What are you going to do about the bonus buy? Are you going to go with the dead bird?

Can I just say, before you make up your mind,

I have seen more bidding in a morgue than this auction room.

-So, please, don't go for it.

-OK!

I do not want the blame for that seagull!

There doesn't seem to be anybody here that might want a dead bird! I think we'll leave it.

You're not going with it. We're selling the old bird anyway.

Very nice specimen example here. £50 for it.

Start me at 40, then.

Come on, it ought to be £40 of anybody's money.

£40?

For the gull in the case. £30, then. £30?

BLUE TEAM GIGGLE

Give me £20. Come on!

Come on, all you sporting fanatics. Come on, £20.

-Bury it!

-£20 over there. £20 I've got. Is it five?

At £20 only, Is it five now?

At £20 only. At £20. Are we done at £20? Are you sure?

Last chance at 20.

-20 is minus 27.

-Dear God! £20!

I said if you got it for 20, it'd be all right!

-Overall, you are minus £30. Which could be a winning score.

-Could be.

-So don't go chatting to the Reds.

-Definitely not!

Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear!

Well, as they say in auction terms,

some days is good days and some days is bad days,

and today has been a uniquely very bad day at auction.

It's a question of scale of losses, and I'm afraid, by quite a large chalk,

the runners-up today are the Reds.

Minus 161 is not a good number.

-And it's made up by some pretty big numbers, so I think we'll move on.

-I think so!

The victors today, who win by only losing £30,

are you two lucky souls.

I have to say, very good luck with your babe,

-which is due when?

-In a few months.

-Good luck.

-Have you enjoyed yourself?

-Yes.

-It's always nice to be marginally ahead, though.

-Yes.

To be victorious.

Anyway, as I say, some pretty shocking results,

but we've had incredible fun!

-Join us soon for some more bargain hunting. Yes?

-ALL: Yes!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]