Hungerford 13 Bargain Hunt

Oh, I do love this town.

More antiques shops than you can shake a stick at.

Perfect! Let's go Bargain Hunting!

Yep, today we're in Hungerford in Berkshire,

where Team UK face Team USA.

So many shops, so little time.

-Introducing the Americans...

-I like the box.

-I like the box.

He likes the box.

-Yay!

-Ooh, I'm going completely doolally.

-Erm, yeah.

-But I'm not the only one.

Oh, dear, David.

Let's meet the teams.

So, Mary and Julie, welcome. Lovely to see you.

Mary, how did you two girls meet?

We both have sons that play rugby and I was on the sideline cheering

and she was on the sideline cheering

and we were the loudest ones cheering...

-You were cheering in American!

-Yes.

And we really didn't know what we were doing, so we were saying, "Go, go, go!"

And you've got this oval ball and they did something called a scrum.

-Yes.

-And you thought...

-"Just go, just go!"

"Just go! Trample on everybody."

-We realised that we both didn't know what we were talking about.

-No.

-We became instant friends.

-That's fun.

-Are you working here?

-I'm over here for Bargain Hunt.

-Of course.

You've flown in specially.

No, my husband's job brought us over here

and Julie's husband's job brought her over here.

How do you girls keep busy when you're not running round after your children?

We have a great group of friends that we go to lunch with and...

-You're ladies that lunch.

-Absolutely.

We have adventures all the time. Here we are.

And you're OK on the right side of the road and all that?

Never had a problem.

-No, only joking.

-Except when I go home.

And how do you think you're going to get on today?

Are you going to be scary or friendly?

-We'll be friendly.

-Oh, yeah.

-You'll be friendly. How lovely.

The Blues will be reassured to hear that.

We've got friendly Americans here today.

-It's lovely to see you, Lynette and Sally. How are you?

-Good, thank you.

-Isn't it nice to hear how the other half live, eh?

-We also lunch.

-You're very keen on that.

-We're good at lunching.

But you also like travelling, Lynette.

Well, since my marriage broke up I've been to...

Well, I came back last week from the Gambia,

-so that makes 21 countries.

-21 countries.

-Yeah.

-Gosh. It's worth getting divorced, isn't it...

-It was.

-..if it leads you to 21 countries?

What other passions have you got apart from travelling?

I love dancing

and I go to a ballet and jazz class a couple of times a week.

-Do you?

-And... Don't laugh.

No, no, no. I always think that's rather a romantic thing to do.

So, Sally, how did you and Lynette become friends?

-Gosh, it was years ago. We've been friends for years, haven't we?

-Yes.

Our husbands worked together and I think it was a Christmas party

and I was standing at the bar

and all I saw was Lynette coming out of the ladies

with her dress caught in her tights.

It's that awful moment when you think, "Do I tell her or do I just leave it?"

-You would hope that a friend would say...

-It was the right thing to do.

I had walked across the dance floor at this point.

And wondered why everyone was pointing at you.

Now, the money moment. £300 apiece. Here we go, girls.

£300. You know the rules. Your experts await and off you go

and very, very, very good luck.

Gosh, how cosmopolitan, hey?

The clock has started. Who are our experts?

David Barby - such a doll.

-I like always to buy quality.

-Yes.

-Yes, I agree, absolutely.

And Philip Serrell. What a guy!

The gals are feeling right at home.

It's really interesting. "German Americans for Reagan"?

Byelorussians for Ronald Reagan.

-How well are these going to go in Sussex? Come along.

-All right.

-That's very pretty.

-What have you got there, David?

There's the little coffee can with the repeated decoration inside.

-That's lovely.

-Can you feel, if you put your finger in?

Can you feel all the way round there?

-That is a Miles Mason pattern.

-We'll go for this, shall we?

-I think the decoration is absolutely exquisite.

-Yes.

It's all hand painted. They're asking £115

but we've got to sell at auction.

We need to buy it somewhere between £70 and £80.

That's a challenge.

Walking sticks?

Now listen, girls. We are not American tourists, all right?

-We are. We're tourists here today.

-No, you're living here.

-But we still feel like tourists, sometimes.

-Oh, dear.

Now, no pressure, Blue team, but Barby is watching you haggle.

What price can you give us on this?

-It's a Miles Mason.

-Yes, I know.

-Mid Victorian.

-Mm-hm.

I can understand why you like it.

115. What sort of price were you thinking of?

This sounds very cheeky but could you take 70?

-Sort of 85.

-Mm. Not really.

I think we're in danger of the price going up.

-It's lovely. We like it.

-Yes, we'll go for 80, then.

-We'll go for 80.

-Let me give you £1 back. It sounds better at 79.

-There's a deal!

Well done, girls. £115 down to 79.

Mr Barby will be pleased.

If we could get it down, would that be profitable? No?

LAUGHTER

-OK, let's just put that one away.

-Moving right along.

-We're looking at nice things we can't afford.

-Story of our lives.

It's always those quirky things that seem to make a profit.

-And that IS ridiculous.

-Wow!

Time to step in, Mr Serrell.

-Girls, what do you think of that?

-Oh, that's beautiful.

-Can you tell that date?

-He can.

Do you know the easiest way to tell the date? Look at the label.

LAUGHTER

And it says Sheffield, 1904.

-So that's just a little tip.

-I like that.

-And what is this here?

-That's the monogram...

I can't even read it.

The American education system is sadly lacking.

-This must be an S and W.

-WS.

If you're going to a teetotal do, you slip this into your handbag

and when no-one's looking, you have a quick gin, you know?

Don't let your teenager in sight of that.

It's £115.

-So you have got to go and use your very sweet...

-Her Southern charm.

-What, Cornwall?

-Atlanta, Georgia, in the South.

-Georgia.

-Yeah, Georgia!

-I love the way she says that.

-Go on, do your worst.

-OK.

That Southern charm got the hip flask down to £80.

Now, what have you found there, Lynette?

..instead of money...

Sally, David, what do you think of this?

-What have you got there?

-I love scent bottles.

-Yes.

It's a really, really vibrant blue, that.

-It's very much Upstairs, Downstairs, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It's very pretty.

It's not silver marked. The thing that worries me is that's not glass.

-That's a plastic drinking straw.

-And that would affect the price.

-Yes.

-I think it's very pretty.

-It's a sweet little bottle.

I'm just worried that if all the parts aren't original, it might affect the value.

I don't think any buyer's going to open it and look at it,

the plastic bit inside.

-It's £68.

-I'm not sure.

-You're interested in that one?

-I am, yes.

Right. That's got to be well under £50.

Get a price established on it and then say, "Oh, I'll come back to it." Let's part company.

Come on, Lynette.

-Hi, ladies.

-Hi.

-We've found something here.

I noticed that it doesn't have a silver mark on

and on the ticket it says silver and enamel perfume spray

and it has a plastic straw.

-Yes, that looks like a replacement.

-That would have been glass.

It's probably an Art Deco straw, you know.

Will they fall for it?

No!

-Could you take 40?

-35 to 40 because it's...

I think we might be in trouble with 40, girls.

-Let's come back.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

No sale. Better luck next time, girls.

Do you know anybody called Kelly?

I mean, do you know a girl called Kelly?

Because if you do, I have just found you

the ideal birthday present

for Kelly.

Here you go, look. It says, "Has anybody seen Kelly?"

Just look what's Kelly's doing.

This is a piece of bawdy pottery,

transfer printed and then hand-coloured later,

showing Kelly, well, what can I say?

Baring herself to nature.

And underneath, again in transfer print,

it says, "Kiss my..." dot, dot, dot.

So, Kelly, what would your loved one pay

for such a personalised, bawdy, saucy, seaside type of present?

Well, it would cost you £45.

Worth every penny I'd say. Cheeky.

Both teams have got item number one.

We've got 27 minutes left.

-Ah! Where's the Moorcroft?

-It's down here.

The race is on to find number two.

I'd like to buy something with an American influence.

-If it comes from Georgia, all the better.

-Hey.

-Yeah.

You may be in luck, dude.

-There's an ashtray. It's USS.

-It is.

That's off an American submarine, isn't it?

-Is it from a submarine? Hey!

-Why do we know that?

-I don't know that.

-Read the label.

You are learning, aren't you? She's learning, this girl.

-Do you like it?

-Yeah, I do.

-And it's an American thing.

-Beat him to death.

-You've got it marked for 35...

-Yeah.

-..and we think it's a nice piece.

Go for 15!

-You've just got to bend this one right round.

-This one?

-You can do it.

-17 and 50 shiny pennies.

-50p's no good, we can't do the graphics.

-I give up, you're too good.

-17.

-Well done.

-Hey, guys, what's happening?

-Hey, we've been busy.

-How many have you got?

-We got two pieces already.

We just bought a really wicked American submarine ashtray.

-Get away!

-Yes.

-Could they smoke on submarines?

I don't think so, do you?

It's really cool. All the American sailors want to buy ashtrays.

Well, I know what you're like about sailors.

Let's hope the submarine ashtray doesn't sink at auction.

Lynette and Sally are delightful.

They're quite positive. They don't want to buy anything damaged.

Let's just check there's no damage.

It's nice but I'm so nervous about anything damaged.

Listen, you and I are pretty damaged because we're old.

-That... I think the eyeball's missing.

-It did fall out, didn't it?

-I heard something.

-Yeah, it just...

-Here it is!

Yeah. I can't believe it's happening to me, today.

Look at that! Faulty goods! Leave them on the shelf.

-It's a nice shape.

-Yes. In carved wood.

Nice shape, shame about the face.

-How are you getting on with David Barby?

-He's really nice.

-I'm going to take him home.

-There's hardly anything left of him, though.

-I know! You've lost an awful lot of weight.

-Stop showing off, David.

I think it's called flashing, actually.

-How are you getting on with the girls, David?

-Delightful. They know what they want.

They've got prices in their heads.

They were determined right from the outset.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall Who's the fairest of us all?

It's not me. Pass it along.

There is some damage but they are carved-wood framed

and these have been screwed onto a wall.

They would have been on a pub wall like that.

-We're missing the top section here.

-Right.

We've lost a little bit of the carving at the top there.

This has also suffered the same damage.

-The price is 150.

-That's quite high.

-It is quite high.

I think it could either do really well

or if there's nobody there to buy them, do badly

-but I'm up for taking the risk.

-Right. No pressure!

The clock's ticking, ladies.

Girls, we've got 15 minutes left. We're three quarters of the way through.

-We've bought two bits but we need to try...

-All right.

-OK.

..put our foot on the loud pedal.

Now, how goes it with our Blue bombshells?

-They need to be under £100, really.

-Under?

They need a lot of restoration. The glass is broken.

They actually need quite a lot of work done on them.

-So...

-They're very beautiful but I do understand.

OK, I will ring.

Hello, Linda. It's Adrian here from the arcade.

I've got a nice couple in here looking at your lovely mirrors

with slight damage - a chip to the glass.

They're 150. 10% would be down to 135.

Can you do better, please?

We're running out of time, as well.

She will do the 100 but the very best is £100.

-Right.

-I'm OK about that.

-OK, right. We'll take them.

-Yes, we'll take them at 100.

-Thank you very much.

Lovely, great.

Yes! They bought the mirrors.

-Thank you very much.

-We have to move very quickly, here. Thank you.

-Thanks, bye.

-Can I just take you up the avenue.

-Follow you.

-£95? We're walking.

-It's got to be quality.

Look at these two. They are good.

Girls, you've got minutes to buy your last item.

They have some boxes? Do you like boxes or not?

No, I do like them

but I just think it will go and die a thousand deaths.

She's not listening to you, Phil.

Well, I love boxes. It looks like it has original inkwells in it.

-Well, I don't think that's original.

-How old is that?

1900-ish, I would think.

This is made out of pitch pine.

-Pitch pine, you've got the pine colour there...

-Mm-hm.

..but then you've got these very dark streaks down it

and that's pitch pine.

They made a lot of church pews out of pitch pine. I like that.

-Which is really sad.

-I love unusual things. It's just different.

-I love the paper.

-That's pretty.

If we can find out how much the best they can do on this is.

The price tag says £55.

Gloves off! Time to box.

We'd really like to buy the box but we need some help on the price.

Well, I'm sorry to say that I'm absolutely forbidden

to go below 48 for it.

-I've asked my boss and he said no. You could...

-He's looking that way.

-OK.

-Let's go talk to the boss.

-Let's talk to the boss.

Have you ever been subjected to Atlanta drawl?

Because you're about to be.

-The girls like this.

-We really do.

-We think it's a nice thing.

-It is a nice thing.

-I guess at 45 quid you'd have, would you?

Yeah. We'd take it for 45. That's what we thought when we saw it.

Are you going to bully me?

-We will. We're not going to leave.

-She's pretty good.

-I can see that.

-You really want it, don't you?

-Yes, we do.

-HE SIGHS

-OK. I'll use my managerial status and get into a lot of trouble

-and say yes.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much, sir.

Thanks. Great. Thank you.

I'll shake your hand as well.

-Thank you, that's lovely. Well done, girls.

-OK!

-OK.

-Tea time?

-Yes, ma'am.

The Reds are done. What did they buy?

An Edwardian silver and glass hip flask for £80.

Philip dived in and found this brass ashtray,

once aboard the USS submarine Dogfish, for £17.

Finally, Julie's seductive Southern drawl

got the pine writing box down to £45.

Eh, you chaps, you are amazing, aren't you? That was good shopping.

-We've done well.

-We've done very well.

-Which is your favourite piece?

-I like the box

-but I think that the ashtray will make the best profit.

-Yeah?

Now, where is the leftover...

-I think Mary has it.

-..lolly?

-I have it.

-Yes.

-Could you just say, "I like the box," again for me?

I just like the way you talk.

-Go on. Do it one more time.

-I like the box.

-I like the box.

-Brilliant, isn't it?

-He likes the box.

-We all like the box.

-Yay!

-Do you call it lolly in America?

-No.

-You don't.

-A lollipop.

-A sucker or a lollipop.

-This is a sucker or a lollipop?

-You can't suck on it.

-Yeah, you can.

You put it all in your mouth and suck on it.

If you've got a big enough mouth you can put the whole thing in.

Leftover lolly. How much did you spend altogether?

-£142.

-I'll trust you. Millions wouldn't.

There we go. £158.

So what are you going to spend that on, then, Philip Serrell?

I'm going to go and get them something quintessentially English.

-Oh, right.

-Sounds good.

-What, a replica of yourself?

-What a good idea.

-It is a good idea.

Five minutes to go. What have you got, David?

You know we were looking at that other scent bottle?

-I think this is identical.

-Yes, it's sweet.

-It's got nice decoration there. Pink.

-Yes.

-Pink is very much in vogue.

-Yes.

-Right.

I think that's quite nice.

It's got the original glass tube inside. The other one had a straw.

-OK. Have a look at that.

-Let's have a...

Can I just point out that, look, the puffer sticks.

We could put a bit of WD40 on that.

-Yes, I think the more use it gets it becomes...

-OK.

-75.

-Let's find out.

Excuse me. This is priced at 75. What's the very best?

I've spoken to Anne about it and she said she will come down to 45.

-45.

-OK.

-That's good.

-Whose choice is this going to be?

-It's yours.

-Your choice.

-Lynette, that's yours. Do you like that more than the blue?

-Er... yes.

-That's a done deal, then, isn't it?

-OK. Shall we go for it?

-Yes. OK.

-OK.

-Lovely.

-Thank you very much.

-Lovely. Thank you, David.

Oh, two. I feel such a relief.

-Great. OK. Good.

-No, that's pretty. So we've got three things.

-We've done it.

-Brilliant, brilliant. And you're happy with them?

-Yes.

Yes. I'm nervous about those mirrors. I'm going to have sleepless nights about those.

If they bomb, I'll just feel awful.

So what did the girls buy altogether?

A porcelain coffee can and saucer for £79.

Reflecting on their success, they bought a pair of gilt carved mirrors

for £100.

The damage is already giving Sally nightmares.

And finally, for £45, Lynette's dream came true

when David found her a perfect 1930s French atomiser.

Was it an interesting experience? Did it come up to your expectations?

Oh, it was great fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

-I've enjoyed it.

-What about the hour?

-That's a bit tough.

-'Ey up, kids.

-Hello.

-You've finished.

-We're done.

-Congratulations.

-Here you are, clutching your atomiser.

-Yes.

-So, which is your favourite piece, Sally?

-I think the pair of mirrors.

They're beautiful but I'm nervous about them.

-It's fingers crossed to see how they go.

-That's the thing. Nobody knows what's going to happen.

-Have you ever been able to count your chickens?

-Never. Never.

So many things I've bought, great expectations, they've bombed.

-What exactly have we got here?

-Let's have a look.

20, 40, 60, 70, six.

I nearly gave you a jelly bean, which I'm sure is a bit...

I like a hairy jelly bean.

This cash comes over to you. Quite a responsibility.

-Have you got anything in mind?

-Well, we've seen so much

but I'm getting some general idea of what the girls are interested in

-and it's got to be something of quality and unusual.

-Of course.

-These are top of the notch, these girls.

-Absolutely.

-You're right.

-Good luck with that, David.

-OK.

Meanwhile, we're heading off somewhere really rather spectacular.

One of the wonderful things about this house

is the way it just surprises you when you get first sight of it.

but it's not the only surprising view here at Dyrham Park.

The other is inside it.

From where you are, you're in a room with a view

but not everything is as it appears.

In fact, you're being deluded.

Or, dare I say it, conned.

Gotcha!

Isn't this the most extraordinarily clever piece of illusionist painting

you have ever seen?

It was painted by Samuel Van Hoogstraten in 1662

and you think, "Gosh, there's a Dutch interior

"at the end of that corridor."

But what's actually happening in this picture?

What we've got in this room is a young man standing outside,

looking in at this pretty little girl,

who's looking very tense.

And the elders, the parents,

are interviewing her about this incident.

The picture is dominated at the front by this birdcage.

A birdcage which, significantly, has the door open

with a parrot that's just about to fly out.

The symbolism of a birdcage with an open door

is that someone's lost their virginity.

But in this instance, the green parrot has not yet flitted out,

so perhaps, all is not lost.

What's the significance of that scrap of paper

at the bottom of the stairs?

Could that be a love note?

There is some tension in this building. The animals know it.

The cat with its arched back -

very sensitive creatures, about to hiss and spit.

And this sweet little King Charles puppy dog in the foreground

looks to me pretty scared.

Have we got an instance here of a young man

who's fallen in love with this young girl

and they've been, how can I put it?

Up to no good.

The picture is entitled The Loss Of Innocence

Of course the big question today is

are there any auction virgins in today's sale?

44 it is. And £46. Is there any advance?

At £46, then.

-One more.

-Indecision is a terrible thing.

£50 I have. It really is fair warning. At £50.

Well, isn't this lovely? To be in West Sussex,

in Washington at Rupert Toovey's sale room

with the great man Rupert himself.

-Rupert.

-Tim, how lovely to see you again.

-Very nice to see you.

For our Red Team, Mary and Julie, our first item is the silver and glass flask.

It's rather a handsome thing, isn't it?

-Nice to have some liquid anaesthetic in your pocket.

-Quite.

We can always do with a nip of that at any time of the day or night.

But it's been enjoyed, hasn't it? There's a bit of wear to the marks.

I think it's worth between 60 and 90 quid.

Fantastic. £80 they paid, right bang in the middle.

-It's got a good chance.

-It could make a small profit.

So we've got the USS Dogfish, here. Do you think it's worth anything?

It depends what happened to the USS Dogfish, really.

I don't know! What's the estimate?

£10-£20.

-OK. £17 rather amusingly spent.

-We'll see.

-We'll see.

And their third item is this rather rough and ready pine writing box.

It's nice, the pitch pine. It has a lovely colour to it.

-It has that kind of churchy feel about it.

-It certainly does!

-Do you fancy it?

-Erm, well, not really but...

I think that the age of the computer may have overtaken this.

I think it has, slightly. Would you like to make it for £45?

You couldn't but I fear it will only make 30 or 40.

Well, that's all right. As long as makes more than 45.

On that happy note, because I fancy they're going to need it, we'll look at this team's bonus buy.

Hang about.

-You spent, my darlings, £142.

-We did.

You gave 'Er Indoors £158. What did he spend it on?

-This is the moment, Serrell.

-Ready?

-Yes, we want to know.

-Are you ready?

-Yeah.

There you are, then.

-He is so naughty, isn't he?

-Just listen, right? Concentrate.

-What's so funny about this?

-Concentrate.

-OK.

This is an Edwardian rosewood centre table.

There's one of these brackets missing around here

but I bought this for £110

and it's going to be interesting to see what the auctioneer estimates it at and to see what it makes.

It wouldn't surprise me if it made £150

-and it wouldn't surprise me if it made £75.

-Right.

-What was it used for, originally?

-As a centre table in a parlour.

What would somebody use it for today?

A centre table in a parlour.

What I love about our girls is that they're really interested in everything.

You are smashing.

Now, you don't decide until after the sale of the first three items

but for the viewers, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about the table.

Well, Edwardian. Rosewood, a very glamorous timber.

But, Tim, is it going to earn its space in somebody's drawing room?

I don't know. It looks flashy but it's quite faded.

-It's a little play-worn, isn't it?

-Play-worn. Lovely, Rupert.

Serrell's invested his cash in it and he's a man of the timber.

-How much?

-30 to 50, Tim.

-Oh, dear. He'll be disappointed with that.

-£110 he paid.

-Oh, sorry, Philip.

-Maybe the team won't go with it.

That's exciting. Anyway, that's it for the Reds.

So, Blues. Miles Mason porcelain coffee can

-and there's only one of them.

-Which is a shame.

-It is.

-Because if you'd got six in a cabinet...

-It would be wonderful.

..it would be good but we've only got the one.

They're great value at the moment

and that means it will probably make £20-£40.

-They paid £79.

-Ah.

We're not predicting any profit on that.

-What about the pair of mirrors, Rupert?

-They're very sweet

but they've been regilded, I think.

I don't like it when you see that yellow poking through.

It's a slightly unusual decorative quality, isn't it?

I don't mind a bit of red but when it's yellow, I'm not so keen.

It doesn't reflect the light with quite the same quality

-that you'd have expected originally.

-No.

-50 to 70, I think.

-£100 they paid.

That's the second torpedo whacking into this hull.

So their last item - is this going to be a trio of disaster? -

is the atomiser.

Jolly difficult, isn't it, really, because this sort of vintage item

we don't display on dressing tables like we used to.

No. And, frankly, if it's silver, that's OK,

but if it's plate, you say how much?

15 to 25.

They paid £45.

We are uniquely estimating way underneath everything that they paid for these three items.

They're going to need their bonus buy. Let's go and have a look at it.

You spent £224, which is magnificent.

You only gave him £76. What did you spend it on, David?

I wanted to buy something of quality

-because everything you bought was of quality.

-Indeed. Led by you.

You are such a grub, sometimes.

-Well, I bought this.

-Oh!

-That's sweet.

It's a little cravat pin that would have been used

across a rather large tie.

If you were going out hunting, this would be rather nice to wear.

Also, it's a good luck symbol. 18 carat gold

and these are real pearls.

Yes, I think that's very sweet.

-What did you pay for it?

-I paid £55.

What sort of price would it go for?

It depends whether people are going to use it as a cravat pin.

-Do people use them these days?

-Well, I use one if I'm wearing a cravat.

-Yeah, but do PEOPLE use them?

-Am I not a person?

I mean, ask yourself, how many people do you see up the street

wearing a stock pin or tie pin?

-How many people do you see in the street dressed?

-I beg your pardon?

-Well, in my street...

-Smart, smart.

-I see, yes.

-Yes.

-No, if your friends are going out to dinner or to some kind of do,

-do you see them wearing stock pins and tie pins much?

-No.

-No.

You might decide, perhaps, not to risk it.

On the other hand, you might love it and trust the man and have a go.

Don't look at me like that!

Anyway, for the viewers, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks

about David's stick pin.

Right, Rupert, just what you need these days, a nice stick pin.

-But it is 18-carat gold, isn't it?

-Yes.

-And it is in the shape of a horseshoe.

-Yes.

-You don't think it might bring them a bit of luck?

-They need it.

Is it going to make them a fortune, do you think?

-I think it's about £40-£60.

-He paid £55, so about in the middle.

-It has a chance, though.

-It does.

-Are you on the rostrum?

-Yes.

-Good. We're in safe hands.

At £10. Is there any advance on £10?

20? Marvellous.

Here's a strange-looking object. What do you make of this?

The design of this particular gadget

looks as if it could have come from the 1960s

but to think that it was registered

in the third quarter of the 19th century

is truly remarkable.

But what would you use it for?

Well, in the 1870s, your dining or breakfast room

could be a cool mile and a half away from the kitchen

and what do you like for breakfast?

You like a freshly boiled egg, right?

We all like a freshly boiled egg.

And abracadabra, I just happen to have my egg here.

And then, using this very cunning ladle, shove it into the hot water.

If you wanted to give it three minutes,

if you like yours soft-boiled,

or four minutes, if you like the hard-boiled,

and then using the cunning ladle, you fish it out like that

and bung it in your egg cup.

Now, how clever is that? I think remarkably clever.

How collectable is this object? Extremely collectable.

Museums around the world just have to have

a Dr Christopher Dresser designed object in their collections

because he was so cutting edge.

If the competitive interest is out there amongst the buyers,

it could bring a couple of thousand pounds.

Now, that's quite hard-boiled.

There you are. Hours of endless fun.

And opening the bidding here at £18.

-So how are we doing, girls?

-Good.

-Good.

-Are feeling at all nervy?

-No, not at all.

-Not at all?

-No.

-Nerves of steel, you Yanks?

-Absolutely.

I think you're pretty cool, your team.

You've paid the right price, according to his estimates.

-Fingers crossed.

-You should come out of it all right.

It all else fails, you've got £110 of risk

-with P Serrell's rosewood table.

-OK.

-That's right.

-OK, girls?

-OK.

-Your moment has arrived and here we go.

An Edwardian silver and cut-glass hip flask,

the screw-hinged lid above a faceted cut-glass body and silver cup.

Sheffield, 1904. Lovely thing, there.

And we're opening at £40 with the book. Can I see...? Two.

45, 48 and 50 and five.

55 and 60. 65 I'm bid in the centre. Can I see the 70?

-At £65. Is there any advance?

-Is that it?

At 65 and it's fair warning. At £65...

-GAVEL BANGS

-Uh-oh. £65. That's not as predicted.

That is minus £15. Don't fret.

A 20th century brass ashtray from the USS Dogfish!

SS 350.

And it was a submarine, in case you didn't know.

So who'll start me at 20? Say ten, then, please.

£10 I'm bid. £10 now, £10 now.

£12, can I see? At £10 and it's the maiden bid at 10.

-Oh, no.

-Is there any advance on £10?

-It's not going so well, this, really.

-Come on.

-Oh, 12.

And 14 in the distance. Marvellous.

14 I have and 16's there. 18.

-And 20!

-Yes!

-Two!

-24...

-Ooh!

-26.

-Oh, no, she says. 24 it is, with you, sir, at the back.

-Go on.

24. Are we all done at £24?

24.

What about that? It's so good. £24. You just made plus £7,

which means you are only minus £8. Here we go.

-Now, the writing box.

-I like this, I like this.

-OK.

Two lidded compartments. Lovely original paper in that one.

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

30, then? 30 I'm bid. At 30 and two. 35, 38.

And 40? 38 I have with you, madam.

At £38. Can I see the 40?

-At £38. Is there any advance?

-Go on, go on.

-At £38. Are you all done?

-I can't bear it.

-40, now.

-Yes!

-And 42.

-Yes.

-45?

-Go on, bid again.

No? No more?

-42, I have with you, madam.

-Come on.

-At £42.

Are we all done? At £42.

Fair warning. 42.

I can't bear it. £42. That's a miserable £3 off.

-You are minus 11.

-That is bad, bad.

-Now, listen, that ain't bad.

-That ain't bad?

You said it. That ain't bad. I mean, that is darn good.

-Darn good!

-Darn good.

This is a drama now. What are you going to do about this bonus buy?

Minus 11 could be a winning score. I have to say that.

-We're just going to stick.

-You're going to stick?

Wise move. Sorry, it's nothing to do with me.

That's a definite decision. You are going to stick.

I'll breathe a sigh of relief.

You've made your decision, they're not going with the bonus buy.

I have to tell you that the auctioneer's estimate was £30-£50

-for this lot.

-Ooh.

I mean, no disrespect, Phil,

everything that you have said about that table

being clean, being collectable and inexpensive...

The girls are not going with it but let's see what happens, eh?

Here it comes.

An Edward rosewood octagonal centre table

with satinwood cross-banded borders and inlaid stringing.

It's a very handsome table and we've conflicting bids to match,

opening at £50.

At £50. Can I see the 55?

At £50 for the table. Conflicting bids here.

At £50. Is there any advance on 50?

It's £50.

Good move, girls. £50, £50. That would have been minus 60.

You didn't go with it. You are minus £11.

-OK.

-That's pretty good.

-You are some cute chicks, you are.

Now, listen, keep everything under your hat.

-Don't say a word to those Blues.

-Not a word.

Not a stinker to them, all right? Lovely.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Aw, shucks.

Hooray! At £20 and four. 26, sir?

26 I have. And 28.

Oh, no.

Next up is the Christopher Dresser egg boiler,

estimate £600-£1,000.

Let's see what happens.

The Christopher Dresser for Hukin and Heath plated warming pan,

ladle and heater, circa 1878.

Marvellous thing. A beautiful looking object.

I'm opening this lot with conflicting bids at £700. £750.

800, 850.

900, 950.

1,000. 1,100.

1,000 two. 1,000 three.

-1,400, William, with you.

-On the telephone.

1,000 six. 1,000 seven.

1,000 eight. 1,000 nine. 2,000 now.

-2,000 on the phone.

-£2,000, Tom, with you.

Fair warning, here. £2,000...

Well, there you go. Certainly not soft-boiled.

-Now, girls, feeling excited?

-Yes, I am.

-Yes.

It's a curious thing, isn't it?

You have to wait for the objects to come up and here we are at the edge of the precipice.

-Do you know how the Reds got on?

-No idea.

-Very good.

Do you think they looked confident?

-They did.

-They had a smile on their face.

-A bit American, cocky.

We're having a massive lack of confidence at the moment.

If the worst comes to the worst, you've got your good-luck horseshoe to fall back on.

-We might need it.

-You might need it.

-We might need it.

Well, it seems to me that you need the good luck straightaway,

-rather than later on.

-We could do with that going first.

-Not to worry. Nobody knows anything about anything until the hammer drops.

-Absolutely.

-Confident to the end.

-Fingers crossed.

First up is the porcelain coffee can and here it comes.

343 is a beautiful Miles Mason porcelain coffee can and saucer,

-circa 1815.

-Yes. Yes.

-Right.

-Beautifully enamelled.

And what shall we say for this lot? Shall we say £40?

Shall we say 20, then, please?

20 I'm bid. At £20. Now, 22 can I see?

At £20. 22 can I see?

-Is there any advance on £20?

-Oh, no.

-At £20.

-That's a disaster.

-Are we all done?

Lovely can. 20 it is, then.

£20 and fair warning at 20. £20.

-GAVEL BANGS

-A complete disaster.

-Oh, dear, David.

-I wanted to buy that.

-I would love to have bought that.

-£20. You're minus £59. Here we go.

A pair of Victorian gilt oval wall mirrors,

each moulded frame with applied foliate mouldings.

A pretty pair of mirrors, later gilded but charming.

What shall we say for that lot, please? £50?

40.

Say 30, then, please.

-30 I'm bid.

-Oh, bless that man.

-At £30. 32 can I see?

£30 now. 32 can I see? Maiden bid at 30.

At £30. Is there any advance on 30?

Can I see the two anywhere? £30.

-That's a bargain. That is minus £70.

-You've got bright red.

345 is an early 20th-century,

French, cut-glass and plate mounted atomiser...

-Here comes your atomiser.

-..with a charming pink enamelled cap.

What shall we say for that lot? £20?

Shall we say 10, then, please?

£10 anywhere?

£10 anywhere? 10 I have, thank you.

£10 to the lady there. At £10. 12 can I see?

At £10 now. 12 can I see? And 12 and 14?

-And 16.

-It's creeping up.

-18?

-It's not going to make up the loss we've made.

-Creeping is correct.

At £16. All done at £16?

Fair warning.

-That is £158 down the proverbial.

-Are we that much down?

-158 down out of a total expenditure of 224...

-Is that a record?

In percentage terms, this has to be on the bad end of Bargain Hunt.

-What about the bonus buy?

-We have to go with it.

-We can't not.

-Is what's they call good luck. Are you going to go with it?

-Yeah.

They're going with the bonus buy and here it comes.

Now, 349 is a charming Victorian 18-carat gold, pearl-set stick pin.

It's got to really fly.

And what shall we say for this lot, please? £40?

Shall we say 30, then, please?

20. 20 I have. At £20 now.

At £20 now. Can I see the 22?

£20. Is there any advance on 20? And two. 24. 26.

28 and 30. And two.

No? 30 it is with you, sir.

At £30. Are we all done at 30?

-At £30. Fair warning...

-That's 178.

That's minus £25. Nothing to laugh about here.

-The gold value is worth more than that.

-175...

-Minus 183.

-It's a record. I've never seen anything quite so low.

-Minus 183.

-Oh, I've seen it worse.

-Have you?

Yes. Well, not me personally. I've seen it worse.

-I'm really embarrassed.

-You never know,

-minus £183...

-Might be a winner!

-..might be a winning score.

Fair warning!

Well, teams, this is the moment to reveal all. Been chatting?

-No, no.

-You have no idea just how well or just how badly you have done.

-No.

-Because the difference fair takes the breath away,

I have to say,

and the team with the monster loss, I'm afraid, are the Blues.

I can't bear it.

Minus £183.

Don't give up the day job, that's all I'm saying.

-They only spent £224.

-Sh! Sh!

-How much?

Don't rub it in, Phil.

Minus £183 is considerable.

How the coffee can could lose 59, how the mirrors could lose 70

and how that wretched atomiser thing could lose 29 I don't know.

You went with the stick pin and that didn't do you any good either.

So there we go. What can I say?

You've been a great team, you've been very British,

you've been very sporting about it all

but today, the Americans take the prize.

-Yes!

-Yes!

-MUSIC: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

They're not taking home any money, though,

because the overall score is minus 11 but that is a very respectable score

in relation to everything else.

-And you did make your profit out of the USS...S Dogfish.

-We did.

Yes. Good for the Dogfish.

Anyway, there we are. You decided not to go with the bonus buy.

That was a smart move, therefore minus £11 is the winning score today.

Join us soon for some more Bargain Hunting, yes?

Yes!

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