Cornwall 8 Bargain Hunt

We're looking for style, for quality, for bargains,

but will our teams have what it takes to make a profit?

Let's go bargain hunting, yeah!

When the clock starts, our teams have one hour

to bag their three bargains with £300.

Millions of folks will be watching,

scrutinising their every move until we get to the auction

when we'll get the truth as to how good their choices are.

Ha! No pressure then.

-'Coming up on today's show...'

-We need to spend more money.

-Why?

-It is stunning, absolutely beautiful.

-No, I don't like it.

-I like it. Do you?

-If you like it, I love it.

It is quite sweet and quirky, actually.

If you were pretending to have a half-price sale...

Aw! Thank you very much.

And today, we've got for the Reds good friends Anna and Becky. Good morning, girls.

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-Lovely to see you. Anna, how did you two meet?

Becky joined the North Devon Journal, the local newspaper we work for, three years ago.

We became good friends when my husband had to pull her car out of a ditch in a local car boot sale.

-Ah!

-Got stuck in the mud.

You were all present and correct, your husband was the hero of the moment?

He's a policeman, so he had the skills.

Do you go round getting stuck in these places, looking for good-looking policemen

-to come and get you out of a ditch?

-No, I was mortified actually.

I've got an automatic car that was very heavy and after an hour and a half, my car had sunk rather badly.

-Oh, dear.

-I was really relieved to see Anna.

-Were you on your own?

I was with my sister that can't drive, but told me how to get out of the field

and my daughter gave me advice.

-Along they came and sorted you out?

-They did.

I now park outside the field instead of going in.

Quite right too. You've been able to turn a lifelong passion into a bit of a business.

That's right. I've recently started running a fancy dress-cum-vintage clothes shop.

-Where do you go to get your stock? In car boots and things?

-Yeah.

I get given things as well that people no longer want.

-Quite entrepreneurial you are then?

-Yeah.

-Anna, you're a bit of an old hand when it comes to this bargain hunting lark.

-Yes, I am.

I've been going to fairs with my mum since I was about ten years old.

I've collected Smurfs and more recently, Cornish Ware.

-So how many Smurfs have you got, Anna?

-About a thousand.

-A thousand Smurfs?!

-Yeah.

What is it about you and Smurfs then?

Um... SHE LAUGHS

-Just set her off!

-I've collected them for years and there's so many different ones you can collect.

One day, they'll probably be worth about £5,000 and I'll be the one smiling!

And what's this about police memorabilia?

Well, my husband in recent years...

I've only been married four years, five years.

We just started collecting old police torches, the old wooden truncheons.

I've picked up bits for him, so he gets involved.

That's a very coy answer. Are you going to be a great team?

-We hope so.

-We are.

-You reckon so. How lovely!

-For the Blues we have married couple Lisa and Mark.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Mark, it says here you're a high-flyer.

Probably more like a low-flyer. I fly helicopters.

I was in the navy for 19 years which is where I learnt to fly.

Obviously, I did a lot of travelling with them and left the navy about nine years ago

and presently up in the Shetlands.

-Are you working for the oil industry?

-At the moment, yes.

I'm flying all the guys backwards and forwards to the rigs.

-You've had a special commendation recently?

-Yeah, that was when I was doing search and rescue in the navy.

It was all to do with a Spanish fishing boat which had a guy on board with suspected appendicitis.

They needed to get him off, so away we went.

We had about 15 minutes to get the guy off.

It was quite high seas, so it involved a lot of teamwork front seat and back seat-wise.

-You must have done something very well to get your commendation. Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Have you collected things on your travels?

-I play a lot of sport.

I like sporting memorabilia and pieces like that.

-Clutter up the house with that?

-Yes, I've threatened Lisa that one day... They're all in boxes in the attic.

She says one day she'll let me have an "I love me" room

where I can put up all my bits of memorabilia that I've collected.

Maybe one day once the boys leave home.

Now, Lisa, how far does your interest in antiques go back?

Right to when I was a little girl.

My grandad used to take me to all the museums in London, to the V&A and the British Museum.

He took me to see the Tutankhamun exhibition.

Ever since then, I've been fascinated with old things and the story they've had to tell.

-What sort of things have you bought in the past?

-I started off with Wade Whimsies when I was about seven.

-Yes.

-With my pocket money.

-And did you keep them?

-I did.

You could put the Smurfs...

-The Smurfs and the Wade Whimsies could go together!

-We'd make a fortune!

Oh, look at that. We could have a whole fest!

I passed those on to my middle son, so he's got those tucked away in the attic.

-And how do you keep yourself out of mischief?

-I try and manage the three men at home.

-Crack the whip!

-That's it, keep them working.

Just general wifely duties, but also my ambition is to train to be a chocolatier.

I'd like to open a small artisan chocolate shop,

so if we win any money on Bargain Hunt, I'll pay for myself to go on a chocolate course.

-Very good luck. Now, the money moment. £300 apiece.

-Thank you.

You know the rules. Your experts await and off you go and very, very good luck. What interesting teams!

And we've got interesting experts to match.

Seasoned auctioneer Philip Serrell will be guiding the girls in red.

And the Blues will be accompanied by handsome, youthful Henry Meadows.

I tell you what. This is just massive, isn't it?

It is. It's huge.

-We've got an hour.

-I could have a field day here.

What items are we looking for today?

-I think we'll just go for something quirky.

-Quirky, yeah.

Unusual. Something that's interesting. I'd quite like a walking stick.

-There's a walking stick.

-That's lovely.

-It's a greyhound's head walking stick.

And it's £150!

-So you've obviously got expensive tastes.

-I could vouch for that.

-What do you think about the toothpaste tops?

-They're quite fun.

What I love about it is, today, all of our packaging is throwaway stuff.

-When you buy a tube of toothpaste today, would you think of keeping it?

-No.

-You bin it.

What I love about this one, look, is that's Plymouth.

Woods of Plymouth. They were the first advertisers of pot lids.

-Were they?

-Yeah, they started the advertising on pot lids.

And there's no price on them, so they must be free(!)

-They're a bargain.

-They're £5 each.

-Even with the chips?

-Even with the chips.

-They're fun, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-They're lovely.

-The fact that it's Plymouth is the bit that I like.

- They've been dug up from somewhere. - I dug 'em.

-Did you? That's all right.

-We know what they cost you then - nothing!

-Yeah, £5?

-We don't want that one because that one's damaged.

- It's too damaged. - You want to make some money.

- Yeah, we do. - Give me a couple of pounds each.

-You're an absolute gentleman. Really?

-You can enjoy your day out.

-That's really sweet.

-Thank you.

-I think he deserves a kiss for that.

Thank you very much. That's brilliant.

-If my wife sees this, she's going to...

-It's going to cost you more than £4!

-Thank you very much indeed.

-You're welcome.

It must be one of the cheapest items ever bought. They've got to make a profit on that.

-It's a novelty cigarette box.

-Oh, right, yeah.

It's a shame no-one's allowed to smoke any more!

-These are always nice.

-That's real fun, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-They were around when smoking wasn't bad for you. We all know different now.

-Yeah.

That's nice. I like that with... It's like a Viking boat on it.

-What do you think to this?

-What is it?

-Is it a snuff box?

-It is, yeah.

-Oh, OK.

-How old would that be?

-Late Victorian.

-And it's pewter?

-Yes, but shoes are always popular.

And it's a snuff box as well. You've got two markets there.

That sort of thing, cos it's a collectable, would generate interest.

It's quite well detailed. Looks like it's been worn.

-I mean, like it's been out in the field.

-It's lovely.

-Really nice.

I would like to get a little bit more off because we need to make the best...

If you were pretending to have a half-price sale...

-What have I got on it?

-You've got 38 on it.

- 38 on it. - 28 is the bottom price.

-25 sounds better, but...

-Can you go to 25 at all?

-28 is fine.

-We've got to respect the stallholder. We've got a deal.

-OK, we'll have that.

-Shake his hand.

Thank you very much.

OK, each team has their first item, but they're not big spenders so far.

-What about the White Star memorabilia?

-I think that's quite nice.

-They kitted out the Titanic, didn't they?

-You're good, you are! Yeah.

It's the White Star Line, so that's the SS Doric and SS Adriatic.

If it wasn't for the Titanic connection, I don't think these would be worth a shilling.

Yeah, that's right.

The Blues have found something they seem to know a lot about.

This little Derbyshire Blue John necklace...

-There's only one place in the world that it's mined.

-In Castleton.

-Yeah.

-It's absolutely indigenous.

It's so rare that the only people that can work on it are from Castleton.

Oh, look at the other side.

-That is beautiful.

-That is lovely.

It is stunning, absolutely beautiful, and the detail is just glorious.

It's very expensive.

The price reflects its beauty.

Yeah, indeed.

-It's £185!

-Yeah.

Well, they can afford it, but perhaps they don't see a profit in it.

-Do you like the samplers?

-Um...

That's a "no" then.

Are these postcards?

They're called Stevengraphs which is effectively like a silk postcard.

You've got Roberts here, then on this side, we've got Lord Kitchener.

It intrigues me. Why does a young girl like you pick up two grumpy old men with walrus moustaches...

-Because I like the Union Jack.

-Is that why?

-Yes.

-They look quite nice.

-It's a possibility.

So Becky's a fan of red, white and blue.

Meanwhile, the Blues seem to have been given their very own entrance.

-Why do you like that?

-Because it's quirky.

-It's a bit of Brannam's Pottery as well, which is...

-Where's Brannam?

-How far are we from Brannam?

-Barnstaple.

-That's where we live.

-How old is our little doggie?

-About 1930s. 1920s, 1930s. He's a later one, rather than an earlier one.

If we put that into auction in Cornwall, what do you think, seriously, that we might get for it?

To me, it looks like it's £30 or £40-worth.

I think you would get more than that.

That's a nice piece. It's strange, it's always women who pick that up.

-It's the headscarf.

-The dog's hurt itself. It's got a bow round its head.

-I know.

I'm beginning to know just how he feels.

-How much is he?

-65.

I'd do it for 50.

40? Will you do it for 40?

I'd do 45 for you, sweetheart.

-Do you like it? I'm not sure that you do.

-No, I don't like it.

-No.

Why don't you ask that gentleman if he'll put that by for you?

-Would you put it by for us, just for 40 minutes?

-Yeah, I'll do that.

Lisa's returned to walking sticks, but Mark doesn't seem convinced.

-It's a lady's hunting stick, London 1899.

-Right.

There's a lot of riders in Cornwall. It's big hunting country still.

It's got a nice silver ferrule on it. A variation in colour there.

I guess it probably would have been brown leather at some stage,

but it looks like a nice piece.

The hallmark's slightly rubbed,

but what's nice about this one is it's got a vacant cartouche.

It's not been engraved with initials. It's a positive. What do you think, Mark?

Not knowing anything about riding, it looks like quality to me.

-It's smooth, elegant.

-It looks stylish.

-Depends on the price.

-STALLHOLDER:

-What were you hoping to offer me?

-25.

-That's exactly what I was about to say.

Please!

Stabbed through the heart(!)

I'll be your friend for ever.

I...

I will come down £10 on it and let you have it for 30.

Meet you at 28?

-I've just come down a tenner.

-I know.

25 is almost 50% discount, isn't it?

28 isn't.

Erm...

-Go on then.

-Thank you very much.

-Shake the gentleman's hand.

-I'll kiss his hand.

-Cheers.

-I've got my stick.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you. Bye-bye.

Thank you!

So the Blues have got two items bagged, but Mark's doing a lot of hovering. Is he pulling his weight?

I'm just the muscle power. Lisa's the expert.

I'm the Sherpa to carry round the goods. She's got good taste, so I'm happy to go along with it.

Lovely. The pilot's happy to let Lisa take the controls in this game.

They say that size doesn't really matter.

If you believe that, you'll believe anything,

particularly when it comes to little chaps like this.

It's a tiny, little leather box.

And if we open up the little catch on the front and reveal what's inside,

surprise, surprise, it is a silver object,

but a sweet, little silver box.

Look at that.

It hinges open like that to reveal a pierced grille

and if I open up the pierced cover,

you can see that the thing actually is a little vinaigrette.

When this box was made in Birmingham in 1822,

it was made to hold a little sponge

and that sponge was soaked in vinegar

or some other strong-smelling substance

and the cover would then have been closed.

This little box would have gone with you about your person when wandering around

and if ever you came across a bad smell,

and they'd have had terrible sewage smells in the streets in 1822,

you'd simply whip this little box out of your pocket

and shove the pierced grille under your nose

and you'd inhale a nice smell, rather than a ghastly pong.

How much?

£122.

What might it be worth?

It could make as much as £300.

HE SNIFFS

Is there a smell about?

Yes, the smell of a profit.

-Is cranberry collectable?

-Very, very much so,

but that's priced beyond belief.

If we buy those, we've got nothing else to spend.

-No, not a penny, not a pound.

-Hellfire! That's spooky, isn't it?

It's a carousel for dispensing cigarettes perhaps. Yuck!

-We're getting to the point where we should lay claim to that dog.

-OK.

Quite right, Philip. We're halfway through and they've only spent £4. Ha!

-Hello. Hi.

-Hiya.

-Is there any chance you could do 40 for the dog and I'd take it from you now?

-How much?

-40.

40, 40, 40... All right then. You've got a bargain there, sweetheart.

Thank you very much.

OK, both teams have two items.

Who will complete their trio first?

-A Charlotte Rhead vase.

-How much is it?

-£210.

-It's a bit pricey.

-It's a nice piece, but the price puts me off.

-Yeah.

Right, time's going on.

-OK...

-Do you like those baby scales?

-I do.

-Aren't they nice?

-Well...

-You wouldn't get me in them!

It is quite sweet and quirky, actually, isn't it?

-We can do a very good deal on these.

-Can you? Is that because they don't sell?

-They're big and heavy.

-Yeah.

-How much is a very good deal?

-I could do them for 18.

-Shall we have a look at them?

-It is sweet. It is sweet.

The weights are clearly all wrong, aren't they?

-We've got a little bit of damage.

-I think that's quite sweet.

But is it going to make us money?

-That's the question.

-It is a bargain.

I think at auction it's going to make £10 to £20 and it might make 30 quid.

-Is 18 your best or can you do any better?

-15.

-12 for your very best, our last buy of the day?

-Go on then.

Let's not shake yet. We need to spend more money.

-Why? We need to make money, not spend it.

-Is it possible, though, out of £56-worth of buys?

-Can you do us a favour?

-Yes.

-Could you hang on to these?

I've got a horrible feeling that we'll come back and buy these!

So the Reds are going to weigh that up and time is running out fast.

-Card cases.

-Calling card cases are always popular.

-That one looks a bit ropey.

-A bit rickety.

-Yeah.

-Anything?

-These are just lovely things. That's Bernard Leach.

That caught my eye and then the price caught my eye as well!

Yeah. You've got £244 to play with.

Right, we'd better crack on then.

We are seriously under the cosh here. The girls seem very chilled.

Perhaps I should be more chilled about this, but I am beginning to panic.

Lisa wants another look at the Blue John, but hang on, the team has lost their pilot.

-Mark!

-Where's your helicopter? We need to get back.

Come on, Mark, this is an emergency!

I like the scales more than anything I've seen here.

-It's now time, whizz up, buy the scales, that's the end of it.

-Right.

Come on.

Agh!

-We'll have the scales.

-You will?

-Yes.

-Lovely.

So £12, yeah? Brilliant.

-Who's going to carry them?

-Phil.

The Blue John pendant is trading at 150. Is this a good investment?

It's a hefty price to pay and I'm not sure what kind of profit we will get, but it's a lovely piece.

-It is lovely. I like it. Do you like it?

-If you like it, I love it.

-We'll go for that.

-It's worth a chance.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-I feel emotionally and physically worn out.

-Well done.

-Welcome to my world.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much. It was great.

The hour is up. Gosh! I bet it went quickly for our teams.

Let's see how the Reds splashed their cash.

They committed four whole pounds to a pair of toothpaste pot lids.

£40 went on the Barnstaple dog.

Huh!

And the baby scales weighed in at £12.

-That was proper hard work.

-How much did you spend?

-£56.

-On all three items?

-Yes.

-Right, OK. Fine. Which is your favourite?

-Em, the scales, I think.

-The scales are your favourite.

-What about you?

-I like the dog in the headscarf.

-Lovely.

So £56. I want £244 leftover lolly, please.

I don't think I have ever handed over so much leftover lolly.

Meanwhile, why don't we remind ourselves what the Blue team bought.

The shoe snuff box took their fancy at £28.

The ebony riding crop was another £28-worth.

But the bulk of their cash was committed to the Blue John pendant at £150.

HE WHISTLES

-I say! Rather a good hat.

-Yes, it's my homage to Tim.

Is it? Well, very nice, too. Far too small for me, so I won't nick it.

-Now you've had a good shop?

-Lovely.

-How much did you spend?

-£206.

Thank goodness for that! A decent sum of money. £206.

-So who's got the remaining 94?

-I've been entrusted with it.

-Have you?

You're the Hon Treas. I'll have that. Which is your favourite piece?

-Eh, the riding crop.

-Is it going to make the biggest profit?

-I think so.

-OK. Do you agree with that?

-No. I think the profit will be in the snuff shoes.

Ha ha! Love the variety.

-Here we go. There's your money. Nearly £100.

-Smashing.

I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.

What a tease! Good luck, Henry.

Meanwhile, we're heading off somewhere really lovely - St Michael's Mount. How's that?

Rising spectacularly from the sea in Mount's Bay

is this handsome structure, accessible only at low tide across a causeway.

Legend has it that in 495AD St Michael appeared to warn ships off the rocks.

That's how it got its name.

St Michael clearly wasn't much in evidence here in 1692

when the then owner of the Mount, Colonel St Aubyn, was crossing the causeway

and an unexpected wave clean swept him and his horse off their feet.

And they were never seen again.

'But other St Aubyns remained to continue the family's ownership of the island and property here.

'The island is now in the hands of the National Trust, though a St Aubyn still lives here

'surrounded by artefacts from his family's past.'

And this room is always referred to as Sir John's room

and the Sir John that we see here in this portrait is Sir John St Aubyn,

who was born in 1758 and died in 1839.

What I like about this sort of family portrait is the amount of detail that you can take out of it

about the character of the man himself. He's sitting there looking resplendent,

hugging his hound, holding his expensive gold watch or comfort box.

But on the side here we've got a letter to him,

reminding us that this is Sir John St Aubyn, Bart.

In the time before postage stamps, which came in in 1840,

we've got the actual date of the letter here - 1834.

Now there's one thing that Sir John was renowned for - spending money.

He spent lots of it, leaving effectively massive debts for his eldest son.

He was also incredibly good at breeding,

producing no less than five illegitimate children

and ten further children

when he married a Miss Vinicombe, who we can see in this very pretty little miniature.

But what I'm interested in in this room is this splendid desk.

Look at that. What they call a double-sided library partners desk.

That means with this indented section. Two people can sit opposite one another.

And they're flanked on either side by an array of drawers.

Drawers that are graduated, the top one being a little narrower than the drawer underneath,

giving you a serried rank so as to speak.

And each of the drawers inlaid with three letters from the alphabet,

excluding the letters V and Z.

The purpose of this desk was for collecting rents and storing the rental agreements.

One big problem if your estate is on the mainland

and the desk is sitting in your stately home,

you'd have to cart it from one place to the other for all those quarter days.

That's why this desk is unique to this house.

The desk itself comes into three parts. The top lifts off and each of the pedestals is separate.

The design of the thing looks as if it's got a parade of drawers

running round the whole of the top part,

but this drawer comes out and if I offer it up here inside,

it is impossible for there to be a drawer where this one is shown.

That's because the clever old cabinet maker, in about 1750 or 1760,

when he made this for the family here,

made it with dummy drawers on the end, but they do have the handles of a real drawer

so you could use those handles to carry the top part of the desk down the Mount,

over the causeway and over to the mainland to collect the rent.

Ditto with the handles on the side of the pedestal.

Isn't that clever? Well, I think it's clever.

The big question today, of course, is how clever are our teams likely to be over at the auction?

'Well, we're clever enough to come to Jefferys Auction Rooms to get our lots assessed

'by Ian Morris.' From our Reds today, the first item is these two toothpaste lids.

-Pretty wacky, aren't they?

-Quite novel. A little bit of history, really.

-Probably better, in collecting terms, probably 10 or 20 years ago.

-Yes.

Pot lids were easier to sell then, but still there's people out there who will collect it.

A little bit of West Country interest with the Plymouth connection. How much?

-I've estimated £10-£20.

-That's brilliant. They only paid £4.

More West Country interest with the Brannam Pottery.

Isn't that the sweetest, rather funny piece of glazed pot,

this dog with his bandaged head?

I see a lot of Brannam pottery being next door to Devon.

It is usually pretty bog standard, you know. Plenty of bowls, vases, that type of thing.

It's the first dog I've seen. It's not particularly old, but I just like the look of it.

-How much do you think?

-I've put £70-£100, more as I like it. Possibly more than it's worth.

-I just think it's quirky.

-I shouldn't worry. £40 paid.

If you can double their money, they'll be jumping up and down. Lastly, the set of baby scales.

-Yes.

-I suppose you wouldn't have to weight babies, would you?

-No.

You'd see scales that size with lots of vegetables.

All you need is your metal tray or a metal basket instead of wicker and you'd be away.

-You could weigh the caulies.

-Yes.

-Put a few sprouts in there.

-Yes.

-Great for the winter.

-It's very good. Anyway, how much?

-I've estimated it at £20-£40.

-That's all right. They only paid £12.

I think this team have quietly done very nicely with their purchases.

They've got a reasonable shout.

On that basis, they won't need their Bonus Buy, but let's have a look anyway.

Anna and Becky, you spent the most pathetic £56.

For two women to have £300 and only spend £56 is unbelievable.

Anyway, you gave the boy £244. What did you spend it on, Phil?

This just makes me laugh, really.

-It made them laugh as well!

-Yeah!

What do you think? How much was that?

Well, it wasn't quite how much you spent. It was £35.

-I think it's fun.

-Yeah...

-So what we've got here is

coloured steel engraving and it just happens to say, "My ass in a band box".

How much do you think it'll bring?

I think it'll make £30-£50, solely because it'll make people laugh.

So there you go. Hold on to those memories. For the audience at home,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Phil's...picture.

It is quite a humorous subject, isn't it?

-And that's what'll sell it.

-Something to hang in the lavatory.

-Yes.

It's slightly foxed already, so it's got the discolouration.

But because it's a quirky cartoon and because of the inscription, I quite like it. I can sell it.

-How much?

-I've put a guide of £20-£30. I'm quite confident.

-Well, cheeky Philip Serrell, he paid £35 for it.

-That's not out of the way.

-He has an eye for the naughty.

-He's got his eye in with this one.

-I can see people going for it, for the humour.

So can I. Now for the Blues.

Henry took them straight to this snuff shoe. Do you rate that?

I do. It's a nice little small item that people like.

It would be ideal if it was in carved wood or silver. That would have flew away.

But I still think the quality is quite nice. I've got £20-£40 and that won't be too far out.

-Well, £28 was paid. So that's about the right price.

-Snap bang in the middle.

-What about this riding crop?

-Well, we looked at it and just catalogued it as a riding crop,

but it was pointed out to us that it was a bit longer than a normal one.

It could be a cut-down walking cane.

-It's got a walking cane handle.

-It has.

-How much?

-£20-£30.

-Fair enough. They paid £28.

Now, Henry reckons that the last item is their banker. His Blue John pendant.

-How do you rate that, Ian?

-Well, I have to say it's one thing that didn't really tickly my fancy.

-You don't like it?

-No, not too much.

-It's a quite heavy pendant Heavy pendants aren't that easy to sell.

-How old do you think it is?

-I would probably only think 20, 30 years old.

-Right, right.

It's very hard to tell, but it's just something that didn't tickle my fancy. I've put £15-£30 on it.

-How much?

-£15-£30.

-Hoo-hoo!

£150 Henry paid.

-£150!

-I hope he's right and I'm wrong!

Well, I hope he's right and you're wrong. We'll find out about that.

But if you're right and he's wrong, they're in deep, deep, schtuck and will need their bonus buy.

Let's go and have a look at it.

Now this is exciting. You spent £206, which is a thoroughly mature amount,

giving Henry only £94 to spend. Henry, what did you blow it on?

I'm quite partial to the odd tipple and I tried to buy something for the man who's got everything.

-And I went for this.

-Ah.

-I bet he hasn't got one of those.

-What do you think to that?

-I haven't seen one of those before.

-It's Danish silver. It's a bottle opener.

-Is Danish silver rare

-or desirable?

-It's desirable. They're popular things.

-How old is it?

I'd say 1960s or '70s.

-OK. But it's...quite weighty.

-It's got a nice feel about it.

It's just a nice thing, the feel of it. It's just a quality piece.

-And what did you pay for it?

-30.

-And what do you think it would make?

-Yeah...

-I don't think it'll make a huge amount. Maybe £40, £50.

-OK.

-Well, I like it.

-It's very unusual.

-If we have a drinker in the house...

Yes!

Think about that. £10 or £20 profit, depending on how alcoholic the bidders are here today.

Right now, let's find out from the auctioneer what he thinks about Henry's opener.

-There we go. Very handy for a picnic.

-Just what you need.

Open your bottle of beer. Danish design.

-Silver handle. What more could you want?

-You never have one near you when you have a bottle of beer!

-I must admit, back in my earlier days I always used to have a bottle opener on me.

-At all times?

-At all times.

-Just in case.

-For Saturday nights.

-So how do you rate that, then?

-I've put it at £30-£40.

Fine. £30 Henry paid. In the ballpark.

-Have you ever seen so many people?

-It's packed!

-I guess most of them are here to buy your lots.

-Let's hope so!

-All £56-worth(!)

Now, first up are the pot lids. Here they come.

Lot 346. A pottery pot lid. Cherry toothpaste

and a similar Woods toothpaste lid.

Lot 346. Can I say £10 away?

£5 to start me off. 5 I'm bid. At 5. At 6. At 7. At 8.

£8 the bid. At 9.

At 10. At 12? At 12, front row. At £12 I'm selling.

At £12.

-£12.

-That's all right.

-You cunning monkey.

-That's plus £8.

-Perfect.

Lot 347. The Brannam, Barnstaple, blue-streaked glazed figure of a seated dog.

Can I say £50 away? £30 to start me?

£30 I'm bid. At £30. I'll take 5.

35. £40. Is there 5? At £40.

At £40. 5 or not? Are we all done at £40?

I don't believe it. £40. You wiped its face.

No loss, though, no shame. Here comes the baby ware.

Lot 348. A white enamel baby's basket scales with wicker basket and graduated weights.

You could weigh your spuds in that. £20? £10 away? 5 I'm bid.

At £5. 6. 7. 8. At £8.

10. At £10. I'll take 12. At £10.

Are we done? Going at £10.

£10 is minus £2. Bad luck. But you are still plus £6, chickens,

which on Bargain Hunt is quite an achievement, I tell you.

What are you going to do with "My bottom in a band box"?

-Oh, we're going to have to, aren't we?

-Yes.

-You don't have to do anything.

Just ignore him. This is down to you chicks.

-Do you want to keep your six quid?

-I don't mind.

-Let's gamble.

-Yes or no?

-We're going to sell it now! You've got to decide.

-Yes.

-You're going with the bonus buy?

-Yes!

All right, here it comes. We're going to sell it.

Hand-coloured humorous engraving. "My ass in a band box". Had to say that very carefully.

£50 away? £30 away? £30 I'm bid. 35.

-£40. 45. £50. 55. £60.

-You're in profit. Watch his face.

£60. With me at £60. I'm selling, then, at £60.

-That's good!

-That is £25 profit.

-Well done!

-And to think you nearly didn't go for it!

-I know.

You are now very respectably plus £31. All right?

-Do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

-Not a clue.

-No idea? Good. We don't want you to know.

-We have a problem with the Blue John pendant.

-Yes.

-£150.

He doesn't rate it. He doesn't rate it. He's put £15-£30 on it.

-We're in the wrong area.

-Yeah.

-I think we discussed that.

-We thought we'd take a hammering.

-Well, on the basis of this estimate, you will.

-Yeah.

-But the sale is on the internet, there are collectors,

who love Blue John. Let's just hope one or two of them pick it up and run with it.

Anyway, first up is the pewter snuff box. Here it comes.

A Victorian novelty pewter snuff box in the form of a lady's shoe.

£30 away? £20 away? 10 I'm bid.

-At 10.

-It's worth more than that.

12. 15. 18 At £18. Take 20.

At £18. Are we all done? Going at £18.

-No...

-£18.

-£18.

-That's minus £10 on that.

OK, now we come with our riding crop.

A Victorian silver ebony riding crop.

£20 away?

10 I'm bid. At 10. I'll take 12 now.

At £10. 12. 14. 16?

16. 18? At £16.

Are we done?

-At £16.

-Dear, oh, dear.

-Dear, oh, dear.

-That's minus £12.

-Now the grand finale.

-The Blue John pendant.

Lot 372. The Blue John pendant, silver-mounted necklace. £80 away?

£50 away? £50 I've got. At £50.

5. 60. 5. 70.

- At £70. At £70... - Come on. 70...

-Going then at £70.

-£70...

-is minus £80.

-Ouch, indeed.

-Well...

-80...92...minus 102.

-I don't know why I'm smiling.

-If you're going to go, go out in style.

-What about the bottle opener?

-Definitely go for it!

-Definitely.

-Henry can join in the glory.

-Yes!

Well, the election is to go with the bonus buy, which is lovely. His estimate on it is £30-£40.

-He thinks it'll make a profit.

-He's obviously a drinker, too!

Lot 378. A Danish silver-handled bottle opener. Lot 378.

£30 away? £20 away?

£15 I'm bid. At 15. 18. 20. 22. At £22 I'm bid.

I'll take 5 now. At £22. 25.

More!

Are we all done? I'm selling at 25.

£25. I'm afraid, Henry, that's a minus 5 score,

which takes you to a very neat £107 down the old proverbial.

That could be a winning score!

-What a jolly programme today! Have you been communicating about the scores?

-No.

There is a world of difference today. It is extraordinary how, in the same saleroom,

things can go so brilliantly and things can go so badly.

They know who I'm talking about. It is bad luck, isn't it, Blues?

-Minus £107 is a thumper.

-It is.

-It is going for it.

-I'll take it on the chin.

-Well, you know, just one of those days. You've been brilliant.

We've loved having you on. But the victors today, who go home with £31, folding money,

congratulations about that. Here's your £1.

-You're clutching that very, very tightly.

-I'm shocked!

-It's lovely, though, isn't it?

To be going home with money isn't easy and you cracked it. How do you feel about that?

-Speechless!

-Chuffed to bits. We really enjoyed the auction.

You've been brilliant. Congratulations again.

-We've had such fun. Join us soon for some more bargain hunting. Yes?

-YES!

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2011

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