Yorkshire 19 Bargain Hunt

Welcome, everyone. Are you ready for an antiques fair,

£300 and just an hour to spend it in?

If you are, let's go bargain hunting!

Today, we're letting our teams loose at Wetherby Racecourse,

at the Jaguar Antiques Fair.

With over 400 stalls to choose from, they may be spoiled for choice.

But will they spend their funds wisely? Let's take a sneak preview.

The Reds prepare for action.

Bit of Dad's Army! It's more like Benny Hill!

Leaving the Blues running for cover.

And the tension builds for the Reds.

Your bid.

Let's meet the teams.

So, Ruth and Heather, how did you meet?

Well, about eight years ago, Heather moved up from Cornwall

to live opposite me on the same street.

We had a lot in common, we've been friends ever since.

You found your way to Yorkshire OK?

Yeah. And then we've got kids of a similar age.

They go to school together.

You know - kids help you with your social events, don't they?

-They're great mixers.

-They are.

-Children are the mixers.

-Yeah.

You do a bit of dressing up, I gather.

Just a bit. It's only a rumour, it's not too much.

We've got about over 100 costumes.

-And do you do this for fun, or charity, or what is it?

-Both.

-Both.

We enjoy it, and everything that we make from it, we give to charity.

So it's an all-round winner.

What about work? You don't work together?

-Sometimes, yes, we do.

-Oh, lordy!

-Yeah.

-So what sort of job have you got, then, Ruth?

I'm a supply teacher, so I used to work at different schools.

But since Heather worked for that school,

I wheedled myself in. So I'm working there now. It's a great school.

I'm expecting you to put up a fight today.

-Oh, definitely. Yep, definitely.

-That's a bit of a pose.

-Yeah.

-Why would that be, then?

-Well, we're boxing tutors.

-You're not!

-Not kick boxing.

-You don't do kick boxing?

These legs are not made for kicking.

You'd have to be close for them to make contact!

So tell me about the boxing, then. That's another talent.

-Yes, it is, yes.

-What got you into that, you two?

We went to a keep-fit class run by a boxer, which was good. We enjoyed it.

Heather got made redundant, so we thought, "See if we can make a business of it."

So we took our training, ran some classes for a while and had a good time.

My gosh! Well, God help the stall holders, that's all I can say!

-You take it gently with them.

-We will!

-Some of them aren't up for that!

That's amazing. There we go. Now, Mike and Karen.

-Are you scared?

-We're scared!

-Scared!

-I'm already scared!

So, Mike, how is it that a great, thumping Texan like you

got to get around a nice Yorkshire lass like Karen?

We met in London. A friend of mine was a hairdresser.

Karen went to get her hair done at his shop. She talked about...

-She was a nanny then.

-Yeah.

-A Yorkshire lass that was a nanny down in London.

And he talked about where she'd been,

and she said she'd been to America and to Florida.

I used to live in Florida. There was a connection.

And he said, "Well, why don't you give me your number,

"and my friend'll contact you?" And I sure did.

-Well, that was your lucky day.

-It was my luckiest day.

But what were you doing in Britain anyway?

Working for the US Navy. In London.

-And do you get to work together now?

-We do get to work together.

-Yeah?

Mike's very part-time.

We both manage a shop in Haworth. And he comes in at...

What sort of things do you sell?

We sell all sorts of beautiful bath products.

We make a lot of our own salves, and we make all our own bath salts.

-And soaps, and...

-Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy oils, and creams for all sorts of little ailments.

Lovely. I thought there was a nice smell coming from the Blue Team!

-Thank you.

-No, that's good fun.

So what are your tactics going to be to take on our boxing teachers on this team?

They're a tough team. This could be hard to beat.

-Yeah. But you know what? We're going to do it.

-Are you going to do it?

-We're going to do it.

-We're a fighting couple, we are determined.

-I love it!

Anyway, now the money moment. Here we go. Look, £300. £300 apiece.

You know the rules. You experts await, and off you go! And very, very, very good luck.

Where EVER do they get these teams from?

With all this fighting talk,

we need two experts prepared to slug it out.

In the ring for the Reds is Paul "The Hook" Laidlaw.

And punching above his weight for the Blues

is Thomas "Twinkle Toes" Plant.

Heather, Ruth, what sort of a mission are we on today, tell me?

Big bargains, baby!

Thinking what people at the auction will be looking for, what they might buy.

-We'll know it when we see it.

-It will slap us in the face.

-Are you ready?

-We are ready.

-Let's go.

-Let's go get slapped in the face with a bargain.

-Come on.

So in you go. In you go, have a good look.

Ooh, I'm liking this.

-What is this?

-I don't know what that is, looks like a gauge.

-Calendar.

I would have said it was some kind of calendar thing.

-No, I'm not really...

-No? Move on, it's early days.

We can come back.

Look for more stuff.

Look for more stuff, we've seen good things but carry on looking.

-Down at this end, keep on looking.

-OK.

-This is nice. Look at that!

-You like that, do you?

-That is neat.

Nice basket, good basket, basket and cover.

-A lot of work's gone into that, hasn't it?

-Where would that be from?

Um... It's probably African looking at all the other stuff.

-STALLHOLDER:

-It's East African. Kikuyu.

-Kikuyu.

-Kikuyu.

-It's interesting how they look very similar

-to the American Indian style.

-Absolutely.

-Is it priceless?

-Is it priceless? It is priceless.

That's a good thing, it is priceless.

-What's your best on that one?

-65.

60?

-Could you do any more? To help us on our way?

-We've got to resell it.

-To be the winning team.

-I'll do you 50, but I'm not going any lower.

-Do you want to go for our first item?

-I'll go for it.

45 and it's ours.

-She's shaking her head.

-She's shaking her head in disgust! 50, OK.

-WOMAN:

-It's still a good buy.

-Go on!

You'll get 45 then.

-Yeah.

-Go on, 45, then.

-Well done, sir.

-Thank you.

'At £45, it's one in the basket for the Blues, but what about the Reds?'

-Ooh, now.

-What do you think? With a matching jacket, eh, eh?

What you seeing?

-Useful and stylish.

-I'm loving the stylish.

-Yes.

Blue's your colour, apart from today. Red's the winning colour.

Let me have a look at what we're looking at.

As you know, Paul, we are a fan of costumes.

Well, I'm good with that and I understand military and so on.

-Voluntary Aid Detachment, OK?

-Yeah.

-Mm-hm.

They supported medical services during the war.

But they also did so in the 1950s.

If this blouse has a wartime label, it's a valuable, attractive thing.

-If it's a Cold War period piece, its day is yet to come.

-Right.

Blouse, civil defence, ARP pattern 57. 1958, too new.

Ah, it's post-war, isn't it?

The Mark Two steel helmet, that will be Second World War production,

no trouble with that.

It was originally finished in khaki for the army.

-Then overpainted white with this Red Cross.

-We love it.

-I like that, that's not a bad thing.

-I'm ex-military, I like these things.

Ex-military, eh? Just how tough are these girls?

-Hi there, how you doing?

-All right.

Your VAD blouse, is the helmet part of it?

-Yes, there's trousers as well.

-Ooh!

-38 on the group?

-On the whole lot, yeah.

But it could be...?

-30.

-Could it?

-Could it?

What about 28, my lover, seeing as the sun's shining so nice.

She's in like a whippet, what?

An ex-military lady. As an ex-RAF lady myself, I'm really liking this.

-28.

-You know you're a love.

-Do you think that's worth going for?

Well, you struck a deal.

It doesn't matter what I think now, you've got to thank the guy!

-That was a good buy. Thank you very much.

-Cheers, my love.

-Thank you very much.

Bit of Dad's Army. More like Benny Hill.

I'm not so sure we are a good idea - Heather, Ruth and I.

There's too much madness in that team.

It's borderline hilarity. That's great, I'm having a real ball.

And the spirit is just great, I'm loving it.

I like this. As a Chinese work of art, I think that's rather good.

-Enamel.

-Cloisonne, it's called.

-Oh, it IS Cloisonne?

-Yeah.

It's very fine bits of copper wire and the enamel

is laid in in the cells and it's fired and then polished.

What's nice about this is it's a jardiniere, which you put a plant pot in.

-But would it have had a top?

-No, it's for your aspidistra.

-OK.

Or your orchid or whatever you want to put in here,

you put your plant pot in there. And I love these roundels.

This is the Chinese myth of the dragon

and this is the flaming pearl of life.

And the dragon chases the pearl.

It's in good condition, this. It is in good condition.

It's something that's worth considering. Yes, the price is £110.

We'll have a conversation, but that is an £80 to £100 piece at auction.

-It's a good thing.

-Very appealing. It's pleasing to the eye.

It is, I love it. What's the best on this one?

-95.

-Yeah, so it's worth considering.

Just... Cos we've only started shopping

and you've already bought one item, I'm quite impressed.

That is something which I just wanted to point out to you.

Yes, it is nice.

If you like it, then why don't you buy it? Come on, Blues.

I can feel some indecision setting in.

I think that's a pretty little box but it's plain.

That cushion form, fair enough.

What's this little golf scratcher thing here?

That's not a bad spot, I missed that.

-It is a silver cocktail swizzler.

-We all need a swizzler.

Don't we just? We don't like too many bubbles in our shampoo.

Golfers are collectors of their memorabilia, aren't they?

That's what does this for me.

There's a lot of golfers near the auction.

-I should like to have a look at that. Shall we ask?

-Yes, let's ask.

-How are you doing? May we?

-Of course you can.

-A few wee bits and bobs.

-Help yourself.

You're a good man, thanks for that. See what happens?

Golf club terminal.

-Golf ball.

-Yeah, we like it.

-That's charming.

In a golfing sale, I think it could make £100.

But this ain't going to a golfing sale.

That would be all the money. 30-50.

Yeah, I'll see what he can do us for it.

It's a novelty. I would ask the price. Why don't you go for that?

Bat your eyelids, beg, cry, do what it takes.

'Scuse me, young man. You're looking very gorgeous today.

-Knocked a tenner off already.

-And I'm admiring your legs, as well!

-20!

-What's the price on this?

-45 on that.

-45.

-What you think on that, Paul? 45.

-I need half that, and some.

I could do it for 35, that'll be it.

(He can't really hear me. Get it for 30.)

-I was also admiring the way he stands.

-Everybody should be happy!

Go on, my son.

I couldn't do 30, cos I wouldn't make owt on it. I could do 33.

-What do you think?

-I think he's...

(I would stick to your guns.

(So will I!)

Whose gun's bigger, baby?

You seen the size of the man?!

Oh, I like a challenge!

You get him sorted. Lay into him.

-Did we tell you we're boxers?

-Let's go for the gentle touch.

I've got a black belt. 35.

-It's gone up! It's gone up!

-33.

-Oh, go on. Shall we have it?

-I think we should, Paul.

-You're done. Cheers, my lovely.

-Thanks for that.

Nice thing. Thank you!

I weren't lying, you've got a cracking pair of legs!

£33? Well done, girls.

A charm offensive. Shaken, not stirred.

I bet when you got up, you had a plan as to what you'd do today.

Well, the funny thing about this Bargain Hunt lark

is that you just can't plan what you're going to see

on a day out like this, shopping at the antiques fair.

Look what I've found.

What is it? Well, it's a kind of curlicue of mahogany.

Dense, solid, beautiful, at least mid-19th-century

block of mahogany that's been carved out of a single lump,

with this lovely, almost ammonite shape.

What might it have been used for?

Well, if I turn it and hold it this way round,

and I angle it like that,

and you have a look at this cut end, you begin to get the picture.

Because that surface is intended to be spliced

onto a long length of mahogany.

The angle would probably be something like that.

And yes, you've got it.

It's the end of a Victorian mahogany handrail.

The banisters and slats would sit underneath,

and the solid handrail would sit on the top.

It's a scrap. It's a bit of salvage.

But, for me, it's exciting.

Largely because the quality of the timber is so incredibly high,

and it's most beautifully carved.

What would it cost you?

Try £8 on for size.

Now THAT is what I call a bargain!

Meanwhile, it's round two of the shopping.

Let's see how our teams are doing.

So, we're halfway through now. We've already got one item.

I think it's a strong item. We've seen plenty of things.

-What do you guys feel?

-I think we're doing well so far.

-Yeah.

I think if we can get something in the next ten minutes,

we'll be really ahead of the game.

Then we settle down and relax for the third item.

-There's no relaxing, OK? Come on, in you go.

-All right - get in!

-Are we panicking yet?

-Not yet, no. You can't have your stool just yet.

No, we may give in at the end. We'll see how things go.

-The stool will be gone. You'll regret it!

-Paul! Onwards, upwards!

-You want them to be kind of...

-Ivory, silver?

Canes do quite well - unusual ones.

-That's a fairly common one.

-You're looking for tips, aren't you, too?

-Silver marks.

-Are you a bit of a cane collector?

-I've got a few.

I don't really collect, but I do have a few.

Between either of those.

-I like the face.

-You'd go with the face.

-I think he's sweet.

-OK.

-You know, I love that.

-Different and unique, yeah.

I think that's great. It's a lovely thing.

But I also like this one as a...

As also with the interest of that one.

So we can ask about them both.

-Yep, OK.

-Why is that all wobbly, et cetera.

-It's got weight to it, hasn't it?

-That would get you to bring in...

-Yeah.

What do you know about these two here?

This one is what's called a defensive stick.

It's pretty wobbly, isn't it?

It's the type of thing that a traditional rent collector

would have carried 100 years ago

for warding off people.

-It's not much good as a walking stick!

-No.

-If he was a rent collector...

-Yeah.

he would go and knock on the door, "Where's my rent?"

And if he said no, he could give them a good whack with this.

-SELLER LAUGHS

-This is not vertebrae?

No, it's leather washers with a steel rod down the centre.

It has quite a bit of weight to it, hasn't it?

That would have a spring and a whack to it, as well.

It's a bit like one of these modern policeman's batons, probably.

Same idea. What about this one here?

This is a little country piece

that somebody has made.

They've seen a bird's head in there and put eyes...

What sort of age would these be?

This one's about 100 years old, probably.

Um...I'm not sure about this.

This could be anywhere from

1900-1950, I would have thought.

OK. Now, what kind of price will be your best price?

£100.

£100 for two sticks?

-Oh.

-It's tempting.

Something to consider.

Have a look around the rest of the stand.

We are running out of time.

There are other things to look at.

-I really think one should have a good look.

-We'll keep lookin'.

Yeah, I think so.

The minutes tick by and you're making up your mind.

We got a lot more we'd like to see.

We thought we'd get through this much faster.

We've only got 15 minutes left, we've got one item.

We've seen plenty of things, there's plenty to go on...

but are they going to make the decision?

I mean, we've really got to get a wriggle on.

-I've seen something...

-Ooh!

-Argh...

-Not sure?

-It's a maybe.

Let's go and have a look and see if we can make a decision.

We're looking everywhere, and we're running out of time,

we'd better make a decision.

You've ran out of time!

-The canes, let's go for the canes.

-Let's do that.

Yeah, OK.

I think you're going to hate these, but I don't know.

They're looking like beer kegs.

Anything to do with beer, we're liking.

When they scrapped

the great battleships of the fleet...

You're talking military.

..they salvaged the teak from the decking.

-And they made souvenirs from them.

-Right.

Commonly, we get silly little things like match pots.

Less commonly we get more substantial pieces

like book ends.

Incorporating, I guess, match pots.

But...just to seal it,

it does what it says on the barrel.

From the teak of HMS Iron Duke - a dreadnought -

fabulous stuff.

Admiral Jellicoe, a commander for the Northern Fleet, I believe.

Jutland - the only encounter between the Royal Navy

and the German Imperial Navy

-during the First World War.

-Oh, I like it.

What kind of price is on that?

The best price on these is £25, ladies.

My opinion, they're enough money at £25.

-Yeah.

-What's your best price, my love?

I'll give you a bargain, £15.

What do we think? Shall we have it?

-I would say yes, but it's up to Paul.

-It's not up to me.

It's absolutely not up to me.

That's £7.50 apiece.

That's a bargain. Yeah.

-Sold!

-Thank you.

You're a star, thanks very much.

-Good luck in the auction.

-Thanks, my love. Brilliant.

Well done.

I'm going to collapse, what do you think of a lolly?

-Come on!

-Let's go for it.

It ends with book ends. And the Reds go off

to enjoy an nice ice lolly.

But it's panic stations for the indecisive Blues.

Minutes to go and two items to buy.

-Are you going to go and do the deal?

-Yep.

You're going to converse?

So, we've got...

Where are they, where are they?

-They're here.

-And that one there.

-Great. OK.

-Go, Mike.

-Go, Mike.

OK, we're running out of time so we are making a decision.

-Right.

-We're running out of money too.

Could you do both for £80 and we'll take them now?

-No.

-Oh!

I could do £90, but £80's coming down too much.

-OK.

-Done.

-Done.

-All right.

-Thank you, sir.

-That's brilliant news, well done, you!

-Yes!

-Very good!

-Well done, Mike, that's your second item.

-Now you've got five minutes to get your third.

-It's a long run!

We've run out of time so we'll go for that other one.

You're going to go for that other one?

The jardiniere.

Run! Let's hope it hasn't sold.

-As long as we're there!

-Don't worry.

OK.

OK, we've got this one.

-OK, we should have bought this...

-Earlier!

..40 minutes ago.

And we didn't. So, best price for this?

-Could you do £70?

-No.

Don't mention a figure! Ask.

What could you do?

There has to be a certain profit margin.

-Did we said £90, or £95 last time?

-KAREN: I thought you said £85.

-You said £85.

-Did we?

-Well, that's it then.

-OK.

£80, we'll take it.

£85, she says...

-Go on, give me £80!

-Two items, come on!

-Yes, we have got two!

-We got to win!

-You're going to argue for a fiver?

No, I won't argue for a fiver.

-£80, then.

-See, your husband...

He's too soft.

-He's not! We love him! Thank you.

-Cheers, mate.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you.

I am sweating here.

-Well done, with minutes to spare, seconds.

-Seconds.

Third item. Give that back to the nice guy.

-Let's go and get a cool drink.

-All the ice we can get.

-All the ice we can get.

-Let's go.

-Let's go.

Time's up. Well done, teams.

Let's see what the Red team chose.

The Reds backed up their fighting talk

with the civil defence outfit

and Red Cross steel helmet.

Let's hope they are on par with this golf-themed

novelty cocktail swizzle stick.

At £15, the military theme continues

with these souvenir naval, wooden book ends.

So, five minutes left, that's quite tight, isn't it?

Close to the wind, that's us.

Which is your favourite piece, Ruth?

I think probably the uniform because it's more fun

than the other items and we had a try of that and we liked that.

-Yeah, we really liked it.

-Is that your favourite too?

-Definitely, we zoomed in on that straightaway.

-Lovely.

That was it for us. We didn't even ask Paul if he liked it.

-You did look very fetching in it.

-I know that, my love.

-I saw the twinkle in your eye.

-You saw the twinkle.

-Rumour has it that you didn't spend very much.

-No.

We're a bargain hunters, we don't like to spend too much money.

-How much did you spend?

-BOTH: £76

-HE LAUGHS

-£76.

-For three items.

-On all three items.

Yeah. I bet you wish you had a wife like that, don't you?

I can imagine the auctioneer's face from here.

£224,

practically everything I gave you earlier.

Spend it wisely.

It's been a struggle for you today, hasn't it, Paul?

Strictly, today felt like day two of a two-day affair.

I don't think we were tripping over great things.

However...I think they did buy well.

They're tough, aren't they?

-Definitely.

-They've definitely got sharp eyes. Anyway, shrewd.

-Yes.

-Anyway, good luck, Paul. Good luck, girls.

-BOTH: Thank you.

Meanwhile, why don't we check out what the Blue team bought.

They paid £45 - wow -

for the early-20th-century Kenyan basket.

And they paid £90 for this pair of 19th-century walking sticks.

And at £80 they roared home

with this Chinese dragon-design jardiniere.

You two, you two indecisives.

What's all this perspiration going on here?

Perspiration, I detect.

-You two indecisives!

-Absolutely!

-We did a few laps.

You certainly did. How much did you spend all round?

£215.

That is a mature and thoroughly good amount of money.

That's what I thought.

So, can we have £85 from somewhere?

£85. That's brilliant.

Karen, tell me, which is your favourite piece?

My favourite piece is going to be the walking sticks.

That's your favourite?

-That's my favourite.

-What about you, Mike?

Ooh, I think the basket, the woven basket.

That really is... That is...

-Kikuyu.

-Kikuyu. That is really neat.

-Your Kikuyu basket...

-From Kenya.

A reasonable amount of money for even you, Thomas.

Get us something good.

I'm going to be as indecisive as these two.

-Please don't!

-Spend more than a fiver.

-Does that mean that you're going to take hours?

-Months!

Well, you guys go and relax, have a nice glass of cola.

Meanwhile, we're going to head off to North Yorkshire

to a stately home,

how grand is that?

This is Ormesby Hall in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire.

It was completed in the 1740s by James and Dorothy Pennyman,

who supervised every detail of its construction and finishing.

Indeed, the Pennyman family continued living here for centuries.

Ormesby Hall and estate were passed down

from one generation of Pennymans to the next.

Until in 1924, Colonel James Pennyman and his wife Ruth

were the last couple to live here.

It's only recently

that we're now able to explore

the interior of this 18th-century home.

The south bedroom appears to have been used

as the principal sleeping chamber

since the house was built in the 1740s.

Indeed,

it was occupied as a bedroom

right up to the very last incumbent of this house,

a Ruth Pennyman,

who used to sleep in here until her death in 1983.

The room contains a number of unusual objects,

including this four-poster bed, which on the face of it

looks like a pretty standard,

early-19th-century mahogany bed,

except that it has been covered in this red lacquer,

in imitation of red lacquer on Chinese furniture,

which was apparently done at a time

when the room was filled with furniture of that colour.

Her husband, James, also known as Jim Pennyman,

had a hand in the furnishing of this room

as we can see in the far corner.

So, what is the connection between Jim Pennyman

and these two pieces of furniture?

Well, the answer is charity.

He was acutely conscious

of the terrible unemployment in North Yorkshire, in the 1930s,

and set about to do something about it.

He established a carpentry business

that became known as Boosbeck Industries on the estate,

specifically with the intention of getting unemployed miners

working, doing something.

They were taught carpentry and cabinet-making skills.

I actually rather like

this polygonal laundry basket.

It does rather ooze 1930s to you, doesn't it?

And the green, lathe-back side chair,

is even marked with a Boosbeck stencil,

here underneath.

Look, BI for Boosbeck Industries.

But make note of it

because you might come across a piece in your travels

and it'll be quite rare,

only 400 items apparently having been made

in the four years that the factory was in production

between 1933 and 1937.

What's nice about these pieces

is that they're sturdy and robust.

And the big question today is, of course,

will our teams be likely to make

any robust profits over at the auction?

Today we're at Calder Valley Auctioneers with Ian Peace.

Hello, Tim, nice to see you.

Lovely to be here. First up, we've got this

wacky battledress blouse,

top job and the steel helmet.

How do you rate those?

I wasn't terribly impressed when it came in.

This isn't really what we normally sell.

But having said that, for fancy dress it's got some sort of function.

It'll interest the militaria people.

How much?

I put £40 to £60.

I might be optimistic on that, but I'm going to work at it.

-Good on you. £28 they paid.

-Oh, good.

-So it's not so expensive?

-No.

Next, is the golf-themed swizzle stick.

Yes, it's fairly recent,

but it's a golfing theme, which is always popular.

Mm-hm.

It's a nice little present for a golfer.

What's your estimate on the swizzle stick?

£30 to £45, I'd expect.

-That's no swizzle, is it?

-No.

-They paid £33, that's very good.

-Good.

Next are the book ends.

Made apparently from wood from HMS Iron Duke. Do you like them?

I don't like them,

the design is very Art Deco.

It's... But I don't like the finish on them,

but I like the historical...

attachment to that battle.

-Yes, Jutland, wasn't it?

-Yes.

What do you think they're worth?

I think they're worth between £30 and £40.

Great, they paid £15.

Brilliant.

I think this team will do well,

but we'll have a look at their bonus buy, anyway.

So, girls,

you gave Paul Laidlaw £224,

a small fortune by anybody's standards.

I hope you blew the lot. What did you get?

I bought, ladies,

-a proper antique.

-Ooh!

THE RED TEAM GASPS

BOTH: Oh!

Didn't expect such a strong reaction!

BOTH: We like it. Open it and show us inside.

What is it? Do we know what it is?

Don't know. I like it.

I adore this word, an etui,

E-T-U-I, an etui.

A necessaire,

a Georgian little holder

for those little objects

that we find useful through the day.

It reveals an interior fitted and containing...

Look at that little tool, there!

We have a little bone

or ivory notepad.

Ladies, do we like or not?

I'm liking that little pouch-type thing. I like it.

So what kind of price did you give for this, then?

I gave £120 for that.

You're as cheap as us!

-PAUL LAUGHS

-Not quite!

It's going to do all right.

We've got an admiration society going on here.

We do, I do like this. It's a really nice feel to it.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

Have a little ponder, you've had his advice.

Meanwhile, for those at home,

let's see what the auctioneer thinks about Paul's etui.

One etui.

I've always liked these.

Typically nice being in shagreen,

in green, it's a Georgian piece

so there's a lot of history there.

It's a jolly nice thing. It's just a shame it's not totally complete.

But it's a very, very lovely piece.

How much?

I think £90 to £120,

it would have been more like £125 to £175,

or up to £200 if it had been totally complete.

-£125 paid by Paul Laidlaw.

-Really? Yeah.

-Yes.

-It's got a chance.

-If the team decide to go with it.

Anyway, that's it for the Reds, now for the Blues, Mike and Karen,

and their first item

is the Kikuyu oval basket.

They're interesting, but there were a lot made.

They're Kenyan, they're a tribal item.

They were made for putting corn in, yams, whatever.

The thing looks clapped-out.

Look at this, it's fraying away here.

I don't know about this Kikuyu business,

but anyway, how much?

I think £20-£40.

Gosh, they paid £45 for it.

Next are the two walking sticks.

Do you rate these?

Not particularly, no.

I think that one reminds me of Emu.

IAN LAUGHS With a glass eye!

No, it's got character.

The other one's fairly common,

you know, bone handle design with a silver mount.

No, they're nice sticks.

-How much?

-Between £50 and £75.

Oh, lordy, they paid £90!

So that's going to be a bit tough.

Their last item is the Cloisonne jardiniere,

which to my eye looks a bit like yesterday's antique.

It's got a bit of age to it,

-but unfortunately, they're not good sellers.

-No.

Cloisonne's gone right off.

OK, well, £80 paid.

So, we've a bad seller in the Cloisonne,

not a particularly interesting pair of sticks

and a completely clapped-out basket.

This is not looking good!

They're going to need their bonus buy,

so let's go and have a look at it.

Mike and Karen,

here's your left-over lolly. You spent £215,

£85 went to the lovely Thomas Plant.

Thomas, what did you buy?

KAREN: Ooh!

A bit of beautiful Victorian jewellery.

Very, very reasonably priced, made out of Pinchbeck.

And what's nice about it, it's what we call having a box back,

to put either a lock of hair

or a photograph of your loved one in there.

But a tremendous survivor

from the Victorian era.

Watch the pin.

That's cool.

It's a lovely thing.

What kind of metal did you say?

Pinchbeck, so it's a simulant of gold.

How much do you think?

£60.

£40.

-Oh, nice!

-Are we going to make a profit on this?

You should make a profit on it, it's a good-looking object.

It's a brooch, though.

And it's jewellery, it seems to be going good?

Yes, jewellery's quite good, you know?

You don't pick now, you pick later

after the sale of your first three items.

Now let's find out what the auctioneer thinks

about Thomas's pin brooch.

There we go,

a little piece of jewellery from Mr Plant.

-Yeah...

-Would you like to handle it?

It's Pinchbeck, Victorian,

very typical Victorian.

A bit too over-fussy in my opinion,

all that chain business on the side.

Not for me.

-And it's in shocking state, isn't it?

-Yes.

Some of this gilt Pinchbeck looks pretty flashy,

that looks terribly dull.

What's it worth, a £10 note?

No, a bit more, probably £30 to £40.

Well, that's all right.

Thomas paid £40 for it

and rates it as a bonus buy.

-Personally, I rather hope the team don't go with it.

-Yeah.

I won't tell them that.

We'll see what happens in the auction, in a moment.

-You are full of confidence, aren't you?

-Yes.

-I'm not.

-Are you not, Ruth?

-No, I'm slightly nervous about the bonus item,

but I think we'll go for it anyway.

-You're nervous about...?

-The bonus item.

-Don't worry.

First up, is your civil defence blouse,

helmet and all the rest of it.

Here it comes.

What am I bid for this lot?

£15?

£5?

Five at the back there, it's a start.

Five, I'm bid.

Someone feeling sorry for us now.

Any advance on £5?

£7.50 behind you.

£10.

£12.50.

Anybody else now at £12.50?

-All done at £12.50.

-BOTH: No, no!

£15?

£15 bid there. At £15. £17.50.

Oh, come on!

£17.50 right at the back. At £17.50...

It's too nice a helmet. Come on!

CROWD LAUGHS

£17.50.

-You were robbed!

-They have got such a bargain.

-They don't appreciate quality in this town.

-Minus £10.50.

Here comes the swizzle.

Any golfers here? £30 shall we say?

£30, £20.

-Come on, golfers.

-£20 I'm bid.

£2.50 if you like.

I have £20.

Any further bids at £20? £22.50, the lady's bid.

£25, £27.50.

£30.

-What?!

-I've £30 sat down there.

Gentleman's bid of £30.

Have you all done? At £30, then...

£30 is minus £3.

Oh, no!

But he has estimated £30 to £45

on these book ends.

A bit of history there. Opening £15.

Thank you, £15.

£17.50, £20.

£22.50.

£25. I have £25 the lady's bid.

-Come on!

-£25, anybody else now?

Going, the lady there in the middle.

At £25, are you all done?

Yes! That is plus £10. Well done, you've broken the duck.

That mean s that you are £3.50, minus £3.50!

Now, listen, girls.

What will you do? You are minus £3.50. There is a decision to make.

-No decision.

-We'll go for it. Definitely go for it.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

We are not washing up at that curry house.

We are going to win big.

Paul, we are trusting you.

-In for a penny, out with an etui.

-Yes.

-Are you going to do it?

Paul, you can't let us down on this!

Or you're buying the curries!

We are going with the bonus buy and here it is.

Interesting lot here and I have two commission bids.

I need to start this at...

£120.

At £120.

-Come to daddy!

-At £120, £130, do I see?

Five, £125. £130.

-At £130.

-You're in profit.

PAUL COUGHS It's cheap!

At £130.

At £130.

Any further advances on £130?

£130, that is perfect,

because that gives you a profit of £5.

You were £3.50 down before,

so you are now, girls,

up plus £1.50 That...

-75p each, bonus(!)

-You have done the maths.

Plus £1.50 could be a winning score.

Seriously, the way things are going today, it could be a winning score.

-So don't say a word to the blues. Keep this sacred.

-We will.

-Been chatting to the Reds, those naughty girls?

-Not at all.

-So you don't know how they did?

-No.

-You don't want to know?

They probably did well.

You reckon? The serious first test is the Kikuyu basket

and here it comes.

Start me at ten, £10.

Oh, dear.

Oh dear, indeed.

Was that two fingers

or three fingers? Oh, it's five!

That's better. £5 I'm bid.

At £5, £7.50.

£7.50, lady at the back.

£7.50. Ten if you like. £10.

£10, 12.50.

£12.50.

At £12.50, are there any further bids at £12.50?

£15 in the middle.

-Keep going.

-£15. At £15.

£17.50.

£20, the lady in pink. At £20.

-(Come on, it's going up!)

-At £20.

£20, all finished now?

-We've been robbed.

-Minus £25.

Now, the two walking sticks.

Now, I seriously think

this should do more than £100.

£20 to start. £20 for two canes.

At £20.

-(No!)

-£20. £15 anywhere?

£15 I'm bid.

We are going in the right direction. £20 anywhere?

At £15, at £20.

At £20?

£25.

£25, then.

The first and last time.

-The same!

-That's minus £65.

-Uh-oh.

Well, I'm sorry, lads.

-A bigger loss!

-I'm really sorry about this but what can I say, really?

Here comes the jardiniere.

The Chinese Cloisonne jardiniere.

And we are connected to a phone bid, I believe, £40 to open.

£40, I have.

-Stolen it!

-And five. At £45. £50, do I see?

At £45,

£50 second row, £50.

-Come on!

-£55.

£60. £65.

At 65 on the phone.

And £70, fresh bid.

£75 on the phone.

-£80 at the back there. £80.

-Look out.

£85. £90.

£95. £100.

£105 on the phone. At £105, all done?

That, my darlings, is plus £25,

which wipes out the first minus £25,

-which leaves you, I'm afraid, with the middle minus £65.

-Oops.

What are you going to do with this Pinchbeck and paste oval brooch?

-Going for it.

-We're going for it!

-Taking the Pinchbeck.

-Go for it.

-Are you sure?

-Yes!

-Oh, absolutely.

We are going with the bonus buy and here it comes.

A Victorian oval Pinchbeck brooch.

£20?

£20, thank you very much. £20.

At £20 and five anywhere?

At £20. 25.

At £25 at the back row there.

At £25. Any further bids?

At £25, then.

That's minus £15. £65, £75, minus £80.

-It's a lovely round number, minus £80.

-Lovely!

It could be a winning score so just don't talk to the Reds.

Bad luck, chaps.

Well, that was fun, wasn't it? Have you been chatting at all, you lot?

-TEAMS: No!

-No? No hands across the ocean or anything like that?

-Nothing like that.

-OK.

Well, it is my duty, I'm afraid,

to dole out the bad news on occasion.

And the bad news today is for...

the Blues.

-Booo!

-Quite a bad slice of bad news, actually.

Don't be so happy over there.

Minus £80 worth of bad news.

LAUGHTER

I mean, how those sticks didn't do better, I do not know.

I'm still wincing after that.

You made a lovely profit on your jardiniere.

-I mean, that was manna from heaven, wasn't it?

-It was.

But otherwise, there's not much to report.

Except you've been great, you two.

-Thank you.

-For giving us this flavour

of internationalism in our programme.

We had fun.

-AMERICAN ACCENT:

-We sure had fun, too! That was just swell, buddy!

No, seriously, it was great fun,

thank you very much.

And you've been great sports, too, enduring this.

-But the Reds have scored a stunning victory.

-Oh, yes!

The Reds are going home with profit.

-Wait for it!

-The Reds are going home with £1.50!

CHEERING AND LAUGHTER

Does that mean a golden gavel?

No!

You don't even get a brass gavel.

-Here you go, baby.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

£1.50 after all this effort.

It's quite something, this programme, isn't it?

-Heather, you got yourself thoroughly excited today.

-Oh, I have!

-It doesn't take much!

-Well, there we are. We all know what it's like.

Anyway, join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes? Yes!

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