Exeter 23 Bargain Hunt

Today, two teams of good friends go head-to-head

in the ultimate game of bagging bargains.

No doubt there will be lots of twists and turns,

so let's go Bargain Hunting! Yeah!

Today we're at the Devon County Showground

where there's a vast assortment of antiques and collectables.

But here is a snippet of what's coming up.

The reds employ desperate tactics.

You wouldn't take 50? No. Not 52? No, 55.

Not 52 and a half? No, 55.

Not even if... No, you're trying. Not even if I did a tap dance?

To match, the blues go all-out for a bargain.

32? No, 35.

33? 35.

34? 35!

But will all that effort produce a profit at auction?

But that's all still to come. First, let me remind you of the rules.

Each team gets £300 and an hour to shop for three items

which they sell later at auction.

The team that wins is the team that makes the most profit.

Let's meet the teams.

On Bargain Hunt today we have two teams of friends.

For the reds, Gerry and Keith.

And for the blues, Emma and Soph. Hi, guys. Hello!

Lovely to see you. Gerry, how did you two become friends?

We met 11 years ago. I was in a band and we needed a drummer.

And Keith fitted the bill, so to speak.

We've been friends ever since.

We're not in the band any more, but we remained friends.

Do you still like to sing? I love to. That's what I do for a job.

I sing all the time. What do you like to sing?

Anything from Nat King Cole, ZZ Top and, of course, Adele. Very popular.

You're also a world record holder? I was. Don't be modest!

A long time ago, five years ago, a group of 12 of us

did a VersaClimber challenge over a 24-hour period.

We climbed 210,886 feet in 24 hours.

But it was beaten, so I'm not a world record holder any more.

So are you going up a wall, then, rather than Mount Everest?

It's a piece of equipment which is a long pole and you've got two pedals.

And two handles.

And you get on and you go... Thank you!

We go like that. You don't actually go anywhere, you keep... You stay where you are but make an elevation.

And you go as fast as you can and as far as you can.

You must be terribly fit? I was.

I've put on a few pounds since then! I don't know. Looks OK to me!

Keith, you're quite a serious music fan, then?

A professional. A professional session drummer.

This is my 45th year. I started when I was 15 and I'm 60 now.

Gosh. And it's inspired a collecting hobby for you, too.

Yes, I've got a collection of 14 drum kits.

Are you looking forward to today? Yes, it'll be a good competition. We'll have a good time.

We look forward to the results. Good luck with that.

Now, girls.

Emma, what do you do for a living? Weekdays I work in a fashion shop.

On Saturdays I work in a BMX and skateboarding shop.

Can you do this BMX biking yourself? No!

What about skateboarding? No.

This is going rather well! How did your interest in antiques come about?

When me and my twin sister were young, about six or seven,

my grandma and granddad used to hide the coins granddad collected under various rugs in the house.

We used to go with a metal detector and find them! Really? What fun! Yes.

It became a bit tedious for my grandparents, though!

You wanted to do it every ten minutes!

Finding cash. Soph, what do you do for a living?

I've just graduated from university. I currently work in an after-school club.

Tell me about your middle name. My made-up middle name!

When I was in school, I was jealous because all my friends had middle names.

So lied and said it was Apricot and my granddad was an apricot farmer.

Then the name stuck since. I've just kept it.

Are you Sophie Apricot or Apricot Sophie? Sophie Apricot.

Do you ever get Apricot on its own? No. It's a nice name. It's cute.

Sophie, how do you think you'll get on today?

I don't know. What we don't have in knowledge, we might make up in enthusiasm!

That's a very good answer. Thank you.

Anyway,

the money moment. £300 apiece. There. You know the rules.

Your experts await. Off you go, and very, very good luck!

Hmm. Timothy Apricot Wonnacott.

Doesn't really do it, does it?

Escorting our bargain hunters today,

distinguished expert Philip Serrell with the reds.

And sassy Catherine Southon will guide the blues.

Let's see how they get on.

OK, girls, this is it. £300, one hour.

Sorry, I can't stop laughing!

Tell you what, the best plan is to have no plan.

Open mind. We're with you on that one. I've got an open mind.

It's got nothing in it! I'm with you all the way there.

One hour, £300.

Three things to buy. Are you excited? Yes, very.

Do you know what you're going to buy? Something odd. Something odd.

OK.

Right. Let's get started. I think we should go that way. OK.

So, two bubbly blondes versus a rock drummer and a record breaker.

Who would you put your money on?

Ah. Phil Serrell's spotted some of his favourite porcelain.

Billy Powell was the best Worcester painter of birds.

He was fantastic. There was a Walter Powell and a Billy Powell.

Both signed their works W.Powell. No-one's sure which is which.

If that came into my sale room, I'd put 80 to £120 as an estimate on it.

So in my eyes, you'd need to buy that for around the £80 mark

to show you a cast-iron profit.

I think that's lovely. Do you like it?

I can tell from the forest of enthusiasm behind me

that it's time to swiftly walk on. I don't like it. It's beautifully made.

I can take rejection. Honestly... I can take it.

No, I'm not attracted to that at all.

Sorry. There are some things you can't hide from the camera.

I'll see you later. Thank you very much. Sorry. It's a no deal!

I'd say... I love that dog! Which dog? I love that dog.

Which dog? That dog! It's so cute!

Let's see how much it is.

What date is the dog?

Sweetest thing you've ever seen.

I think that's nice. Oh. The horse.

Does that say £1,900? No, no, that's the date!

Oh! That's the date! Right.

1900, dear!

A-hem! Important not to confuse dates and prices, dearie!

145. Do you love it, Soph? I don't love it... OK.

I think that's quite dinky. But it's a lot of money at 145.

It would need to be about 60. Yeah.

No, I don't think we can haggle that much.

I like that. Is it 1,400?

A child's rustic wooden toy priced at £1,900. That would be worth seeing!

These little Vesta cases have come up massively in value.

Silver, five years ago, was three quid an ounce.

Scrap silver is now like £20-odd an ounce.

So all of a sudden, things like this that used to be 20 quid are now 60 and £70.

These are lovely. That's not overly dear. Personally,

I'd leave that alone for auction. Right. There we go.

You've been told, Keith. I've been told.

Any of those that you really like?

I really like that one.

I really like that. Quite novel.

It's different, it's smart. It would appeal to more people.

I think that really is... You say it's 1906? Yep.

It's a continental piece of silver and it's priced at how much?

We've got 125 on it. Can we get it under 100?

We could do 105.

Would you put that by for us for an hour, if we come back? We can.

The lady's nodding. Can't guarantee we'll buy it.

Thank you very much. We've got to be fair. See you later on.

Come on. Let's go.

Come on.

Now, can Sophie and Emma find something to appeal?

I like this. Can you see that?

Owls are my favourite things in the whole world!

We're looking out for owls. I love them. Why do you love owls? They're cute.

What do you think about the object? It's a tape measure, so you pull it out.

Yeah. I like his eyes.

It's really cute. How much?

I love the feather detail. Yeah. Very pretty.

I love the feather detail. Yeah. Very pretty.

What would be your lowest on this, please?

Do cute owl eyes!

"Try your cute owl eyes"?

It would be 35.

Oh. I don't think so.

Could we come back? You can do anything you like.

Would that be OK if we have a potter around?

Thank you. I do really like it.

Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Shall we head down there? Definitely.

OK. Both sides have something to think about.

But I've been browsing, too.

No Bargain Hunt would be complete without the discovery of a spectacular little box. Like this.

Don't you think that's beautiful? And very unusual.

This thing, basically, is made out of a South Sea island shell.

Now, I'm no conchologist and can't identify precisely which shell this is.

But originally, its outer surface would have been smooth

and it would have had lots of brown and pink flecks.

A bit like a tiger shell.

Except the box maker that made this

has very carefully and cunningly

cut the surface with a series of vertical cuts

making this radiating series of bands

which rise from the bottom.

Indeed, if I open it up, you can see the smooth shell inside

and it's even more shiny.

But it's when you come to the foot rim

that you see something really unusual.

Instead of that being a solid piece of silver,

the silversmith has pierced this with an arabesque,

a complicated series of piercings

which go to make up meandering foliage.

It's very unusual.

So when does it date from?

At earliest, it might be about 1840 or so. What's it worth?

Well, here in the fair, it could be yours for £40.

What might it make elsewhere,

properly identified and decently catalogued?

Well, shall we say about 400?

Now, can our teams find something with equal potential?

Is it an ashtray? No, it's not. This is quite cool, actually.

It's a nutcracker. Oh!

It's in the form of a ship's wheel.

This is not the sort of thing you'd normally go for.

I think we've realised maybe cute but functional as well.

Like the tape measure wasn't just an ornament.

Problem is, I'm not sure it's of the highest quality.

Seeing that owl tape measure,

I'm not going to like anything else as much!

Oh, I'm sure you will, Emma. Keep at it, girl.

I love this stuff. It's absolutely fantastic.

I think it's a sure-fire way to lose money at auction! Yes, I'm not keen.

I think you could spend 150 quid on something here

and you could lose serious money.

It's about cutting down the risks, this bargain hunting.

We've got to cut down the risks. Yeah.

So I think we should move on a bit.

I love this here, Brian Wilshire. That's nice. Yes.

I sold some Brian Wilshire not long ago and got between 300 and £600 for it. Really?

It's different. Well, it is.

To be truthful, when it first came in, I thought it was somebody's A level project!

Emma and Sophie have come back to something that could measure up.

I think we're going to have the owl.

Shake the chap's hand. What did you say? 30? 32.

Are you happy with that? Yes, I really like it.

32? That's fine. Thank you.

So, finally, the blues are off the mark.

But will their owl tape measure fly at auction?

The reds have bought nothing. Phil, you have to get them up to speed!

I think we need to have a bit of a plan and walk a bit quicker! OK! My legs are old!

Three-quarters of the shopping time has gone and only a single purchase so far.

But the girls have their eyes on a fancy pen and letter opener.

What do you think of that? I like it. It doesn't excite me. No.

It's nice quality and in the original case.

I'm just thinking about the time.

What's your best price on that one?

90?

It looks continental, so probably French.

This is silver.

And ivory.

And enamel.

The thing I would say is there's quite a bit of wear. Yeah.

But it's just unusual to have a nice set like that. I do like it.

We've got 15 minutes and... Yeah.

We'll go with it? Can we shake your hand and say yes to 90?

Oh, she's going for it. I'm worried about the time.

Do you not want to? It's entirely up to you. It's your call.

You're passing the blame! What do you think, Emma?

Can we just think about it for two minutes? Yes.

We can think about it for two minutes, at £90.

OK. Is that all right? Thank you. But we need to hurry up.

Like you said, the condition.

Yes, blues, you DO need to hurry up!

But that's nothing compared to the reds. After 50 minutes, they have nothing to show for it.

I think this fantastic.

This is from the time of the Napoleonic Wars. It's made from straw on wood.

You can see the design of it.

This is a French prisoner of war straw-work box.

It's got there somewhere between 1790 and 1815.

Now, I spoke with the man earlier.

His ticket price is £75. Yes.

The best price he'll do it for is £60.

What do you think? Um...

I can feel enthusiasm waving over me! I like it. Yeah.

You like it? I like it because of the history.

I like this one, actually, Phil. You like that one.

OK. I can sense a solution coming on here.

You like this one? Why? It's the inlay and just the feel of it.

You prefer this? Yes. This one is priced at £75.

That's the ticket price. He may give you a bit off. You can buy both. See who's right!

Oh, no! Oh, yes!

Yeah! Oh, no! Yeah. Thank you, Phil.

Basically, Gerry loves this. Keith loves this.

So I suggested if they buy both, they can see who's right and who's wrong.

He needs to talk to you on ticket price. I'm out of this.

VENDOR: It's got 75 on it, but I'LL do it for 55.

55. My very best on that.

You wouldn't take 50? No. Not 52?

No. 55. Not even 52 and a half?

No, 55.

Not even if... No, you're trying, Keith.

Not even if I did a tap dance? I hate tap dance! And your best price on this one was?

That one's 60. 60. I just wanted to test you.

If you buy both, I'll take an extra fiver off.

So I've got mine to 55. Then it's a totally even battle.

We'll make a deal there. OK. Thank you. Thank you very much.

So suddenly the reds have two items.

And have set up a mini contest between themselves.

We're going to get the pen. OK. Go and get the pen.

While the blues run back for the pen set.

My very best on this is £90.

I can't do any less than that.

OK. We will buy it, yes? Yeah. 90. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Are you happy? Yeah. Good. Happy? Yes.

We've still got one more thing to buy, ladies. We've got to run off.

Only minutes left, and Gerry's doing a sprint finish!

Hello. Hello.

Hello. You haven't sold that silver match stick holder?

I'd like to buy it from you if I may, please.

No, we haven't. Good. I'm out of breath now!

Brilliant. OK. Well, could I have it please? The price was?

105. OK. We'll shake on that.

Yes. Thank you very much. We'll wrap it for you. Thanks.

Well done, reds. Home and dry.

But look at the blues.

No time to dither, girls!

We are looking for our last piece. We want the most beautiful piece of silver at a beautiful price.

Spoons? Enamelled spoons?

I like them. Can they be really especially cheap?

Please? Please.

Please, please, please?

We've got 85. Birmingham. 1919.

Blues. Yes. Blue for the blue team.

Yes, in a little presentation case.

The thing is these aren't the easiest things to sell

unless this lovely chap will give us a reasonable price on them.

The condition is very good. Yes. I can do the very best at £45.

Could you do 30? Please? Please?

Say please, breeze.

Can we agree on 35?

32. No, 35.

33. 35.

34. 35.

35 it is.

Are you happy? I have to be. You tried hard.

Yeah, that's fine. We haven't got any time anyway, so yeah.

I'm not worried. Happy? Yeah. Happy.

Happy. As long as we're happy.

So, in the nick of time, the blues agreed on their third purchase.

Phew!

Right, that's it. No more time left to shop.

But before we give the experts the leftover lolly,

let's check out what the red team have bought.

Gerry sang the praises of a prisoner of war straw-work box at £55.

Keith drummed up enthusiasm for a marquetry box at the same price.

And the reds sprinted home with a silver box shaped like a shirt

at 105. Let's hope they don't lose theirs!

Has that reached resolution with those boxes? Who's going to win?

I'll definitely win. I'll win, Phil. No, I've got history in mine. No, but...

Is there an argument here? Mine's bigger! I beg your pardon?

Listen, how much did you spend all round?

£215. 215. Who's got the £85?

I have. £85. Thank you very much, Keith.

Which is your favourite piece? I like the silver match holder.

Do you? Yes. And you, Gerry? Same. I really like that. What are you arguing about?

The boxes, Tim. It's the size of them. I want to win.

And yours is bigger. It is. I see. OK.

But mine is older. Yours is older. More history.

So you think yours will bring a profit. I hope so. We'll see.

We will. That's the lovely thing about going to auction.

I'm keeping well away from the boxing match. Very sensible. Spend your £85 wisely!

Good luck. Meanwhile, let's check out what the blue team bought.

Emma pulled out a 1930s tape measure

with owl eyes for £32.

Sophie drew up a 1920s cased French pen and paper-knife set for £90.

And the girls completed their trio with six silver teaspoons

that cost them 35.

Emma and Sophie, are you happy, girls? Yes. A bit frantic.

I mean three beauties all together. Amazing, isn't it?

Which is your favourite piece?

The owl tape measure. Do you agree, Sophie? Yes, it's cute and weird.

Will it bring the biggest profit? I don't think so, but maybe.

Life's like that, isn't it? Yeah.

How much did you spend all round?

£157. 157.

Then I would like, please, £143 of leftover lolly.

Thank you. There you go, Catherine. What are you going to spend it on?

I'm going to buy something beautiful and stylish like these lovely ladies.

Ooh, you're such a one, you are!

Anyway, good luck. Good luck, girls.

Do you know, I feel a bit of a castle coming on!

Sherborne Castle, actually.

It was built originally by Sir Walter Raleigh in the late 16th century.

It houses an assortment of treasures and some breathtaking furniture

including pieces created from a fascinating catalogue,

a craftsman's bible.

By the middle of the 18th century, the firm Ince and Mayhew

were set to rival the great Thomas Chippendale.

Because in 1762, they brought out their own design book

and here we've got an original 1762 edition of that.

It was called The Universal System of Household Furniture.

Look how beautifully a firm like Ince and Mayhew went about advertising their wares.

If I flip through the design book itself, you can see

the sheer variety of these 300 designs.

All manner of objects could be produced by Ince and Mayhew themselves

or, if you were an aristocratic property owner,

and you fancied one of these pieces and didn't want to use Ince and Mayhew,

you'd simply buy the design book and give it to your local cabinet maker

and say, "Make me one like this."

If I flip to this particular page,

there's a piece of furniture that's of particular interest to us today at Sherborne Castle.

What we have here is a ladies' dressing table,

two varieties of that type of dressing table.

They each have a hinged folding top

and the one on the right has a rising rectangular mirror.

Just take a look at that a bit closer.

Yes, you're right, we have got in the house

the almost matching ladies' dressing table.

I say almost matching, because there are a few differences

from Ince and Mayhew's drawing.

This one doesn't have the fancy decoration on the legs

that the drawing book shows.

Nor has it got the elaborate pierced gallery

going around the platform.

But it has got identical rectangular hinged flaps.

It has got the fitted pigeon holes and compartments

that ladies would have used for their powder and rouge.

And it has got, of course, the all-important hinged central mirror,

so vital to a dressing table.

What I love is the way that these hinged sides neatly fold in together

to give you a useful rectangular work surface as well.

But how do you tell in a market or sale room

that you've come across a piece of Ince and Mayhew furniture

if you haven't actually got the drawing book with you?

Well, there are some signature elements to Ince and Mayhew.

Apart from the normally very high quality to the cabinet work itself,

it's the veneered surfaces which are important.

If you look at this veneered frieze running round the outside,

you see it's got all this vertical grain,

almost in sticks,

which is a bit odd-ball.

It's repeated again in the top.

And the timber that Ince and Mayhew seemed to favour

is yew wood.

The big question today is, over at the auction,

rather than Ince and Mayhew, is it going to be instant mayhem?

I'm looking forward to today's auction, bargain hunters.

But first, let's get the auctioneer's opinion on our teams' lots.

At 120 it is. Do I see 130 anywhere?

At £120. All done.

We've trotted from Exeter in Devon to Bridgwater in Somerset,

to be at Tamlyn's Auction House with Claire Rawle. Good morning!

Good morning! Lovely to see you. First up,

a novelty silver box cast with a shirt,

apparently from 1906.

But unfortunately from 1965!

It's not 1906? No, it's got a modern mark on it.

Oh. Hmm. What's it, as a reproduction, worth?

30 to £40. Uh-oh! It's quite heavy. Yes.

Quite decorative. Yes. But no age.

But not £105?

No. No. No. Right.

That's not so good. What about the Napoleonic straw work box and cover?

Well, it's lost its colour. It's a fairly standard design. Nothing very unusual on it.

When they're in good nick,

all those straws are coloured very brightly. Wonderful colours.

Greens and reds, and all the different yellows and oranges.

They did the most intricate designs on them, beautiful designs.

That's a more standard vase of flowers. Oh, dear!

How much for that? 30 to 50. Not too bad.

They paid 55. Oh, well. Not bad. Getting closer!

Now, this is rather a magnificent little box, isn't it?

It's very attractive. It's beautifully worked. I like it.

But the only problem I felt was if you look at the lid rather carefully,

it looks as if somebody's been drawing on top of it. It's gouged.

Yes, it's got quite deep marks in it.

I think it will put people off. It put me off. What a pity!

Otherwise, it's very fine. How much? 20 to 40.

OK. £55 paid. Overall,

what with the silver box and all,

they'll need their bonus buy. Let's go and have a look.

Now, Gerry, Keith. Are you looking forward to this? Yes, Tim.

If you had a guess, just looking at that rag, what P.Serrell spent your £85 on?

He's such a tease, Philip. Here it comes. Here we go.

Yes.

Bet you didn't guess it was that! No. I think it's really nice.

It's very nice. It is. Very nice. What is it?

"It's nice, but what is it?"!

What is it? I love that, Gerry.

It's a little 19th-century gilt figure of, the guy said, the harbourmaster or postmaster.

He's a nice little figure.

It was only 14 quid. £14. £14. It's got a bit of weight. Is it heavy?

Got a bit of weight, there. Has it got a hole on its bottom?

Yes, it has got a hole. What did it do? Where's it come from?

Has it been stuck on something?

How long have we got?

She's quite full-on, isn't she? But there is a hole. I've no idea what it's off or where it's from.

But I thought it was really sweet. I do like it. Good.

He's very smart. I'm not overly fond of it. You're not?

But we've been against each other all the time so it's no surprise that you don't like it and I do!

One out of two is a result! I do.

Thank you. Well, you've heard the prediction.

For you at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about it.

Isn't that nicely cast?

It's actually very decorative and got some good colouring to it.

I think it might be more commercial if it was a pretty lady. Yes.

I see your point there.

Could be sort of 1830s, 1840s, couldn't it?

Yes, I think it has got age to it.

Fortunately, it hasn't been polished or stripped. It's still got all its natural colours.

How much? 15 to 25.

OK. That cunning monkey Philip Serrell only paid £14, so that's good. Now,

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

Their first item is the tape measure that has the look of Woolworths about it, to me!

It is a little cheaply made. But it has got an owl on it!

Owls are quite popular. That's a saving grace.

And it's a tape measure, a collectable item.

But no great quality in the making of it.

How much?

Ten to 20. £32. OK.

Emma loved it. She'll have to dream up an excuse if it only makes a fiver!

OK. Next is the lilac enamelled pen set.

It's a very attractive item.

It would have been more attractive had it not been damaged.

Unfortunately, the enamel on the paper knife... That front edge.

Yes, quite a bit of damage to it.

And there isn't a lot you can do about that. OK.

The pen's nice, though.

Is the pen worth £90 on its own? No. No.

What do you think the combo's worth?

Thirty to fifty. OK. Well, they paid 90.

So that could be a bit nasty.

And the six spoons.

Their saving grace is they've got some enamel on them.

Yes, they have, but unfortunately, same thing applies,

there is damage to those as well. I thought at first the enamel was graded in colour.

But if you look closer to the bowl of the spoon, the enamel's come out.

What are they worth? £35 to 50.

OK. 35 to 50 is a nice estimate

because they only paid £35.

So that's our only ray of hope, really.

But whether it's enough to help them out on the pen set is another matter.

So let's go and have a look at the bonus buy.

Now, Soph, Emms, you gave the girl £143 of leftover lolly.

What has she blown it on? Catherine?

Well, I have bought you two girls...

..an hors d'oeuvres dish.

Wow. What is it?

An hors d'oeuvres dish for putting your nuts and bits in. It's sweet.

It is quite sweet. It's pretty.

Have a feel. And it's rather nice quality.

It's chrome, frosted-glass, Bakelite.

I like it. Yeah. How much did you spend?

Ooh, about a hundred and...

£17, I spent, in total.

£117?! £17 in total.

£17.

Are all these bits of glass in good nick? Absolutely.

All individual dishes. Look at that.

Look at them. Love them. I think they're beautiful.

Like it, Emma? I really like it. I like it.

You don't love it! I don't LOVE it.

You don't love it? No. You don't.

I... But, yeah.

You feel that. That's beautifully made. It's glass. None of this plastic nonsense.

What sort of period are we talking? Are we talking 1930s, Catherine?

I would say so. 1930s.

For £17, I think that is a bargain.

That should definitely make a profit.

OK. Happy, girls? Yes, very. Any other information you'd like?

How much do you think it'll make? Hopefully. You're putting me on the spot!

Good for you. Good for you.

Profit-wise, it should make £10.

OK. We trust you. Do you?

So sweet! For the audience at home, let's see what the auctioneer thinks about Catherine's Deco dish.

Would you like a little nut?

Oh, that's terribly kind of you!

Not at all. Or a gherkin or a pickled onion?

That's all there, isn't it? Yes. Yes, indeed.

Very useful if you wanted to put out your hors d'oeuvres.

I don't think it's seen a lot of use.

It's the only thing that might deter people from buying it. I'm not sure people would use them.

Oh, right. You could put it on your desk with paper clips in!

You could. In between eating your nuts! You could.

I don't know. It's got some style to it anyway. I like the Deco feel to it.

Do you reckon it'll sell all right?

I did put five to ten on it. How much?

Five to ten. Is that all? Yes, I was a bit mean with it.

You might have been a bit mean with that.

Catherine paid £17 and she really rates it. Yeah.

It might make 20 or 30. Yes, it might catch someone's eye.

Yes, let's hope so.

Indeed. Yes, indeed!

So, Gerry, Keith. Excited?

Yes. Look at it. Crowded out, this room.

It's got a lovely buzz. It's nice.

Are you nervous at all, Keith? No.

Good. You, Gerry? I know we've done well.

You're going to do well. Yeah. Lovely.

What about you, Gerry? I'm excited, but I'm a little worried.

Are you? Worried, Philip. Anything you're particularly worried about?

I'm worried that my box won't make more than Keith's box.

If his box makes more than mine, I'll never hear the end of it.

I'm more bullish, to be frank, about your box than yours, Gerry.

Thank you, Tim! But we do have a problem with the match case.

£105. Because she's found the hallmark isn't 1906, it's 1965.

Anyway, her estimate is 30 to £40.

The first lot up is that silver box, and here it comes.

Lot 138 is this little silver hinged box in the form of a shirt.

There we are. Import marks on it. Lot 138.

And I start straight in.

I have got £40 on it. At £40. Do I see five anywhere?

Bid's with me at 40. At £40. Now five.

45. £50. Now five?

No. At 50, the bid's with me.

At £50, then. All done? Selling here with me at £50.

£50. Minus 55.

Ouch! Now, here comes the straw-work box.

Lot 139 is the Napoleonic prisoner of war straw-work box.

Straw box. Start me away this time. What can I say?

£20 anywhere for it, please.

Napoleonic box. £20.

All the straw-work. £20?

Nobody?

£10, then. Ten I have here. At £10. Do I see 12 anywhere?

Bid's at ten. At £10.

12.

15. 18. 20.

No?

Are you sure? At £20. At 20 here, then.

At £20. Now two.

At £20 it's going to sell.

Are you all done? Selling then at 20.

Bad luck, sweet pea. Minus £35.

Lot 140 is this very decorative continental marquetry box.

Lot 140. Start me away this time at £20, please.

£20. Nice marquetry box. £20?

£20? Anyone, £20?

Thank you. 20 I have.

At £20. Jokesville! £20. Five anywhere?

Bid's there at 20. At £20. Now five.

At £20 it is, then. All done? It's going to a maiden bid of £20.

Both exactly the same!

Minus 35! Well, it's fair.

There's no shame. You're not walking.

Nobody is carping on in the car with you lot! No.

An identical score on your boxes. Brilliant for that.

Just sadly it's a minus number. So that's 70. That means minus 125.

What are you going to do, pray, about the bonus buy?

£14 bonus buy. I don't think we've got any option. No.

Thanks, Philip, we'll go with this.

I doubt it'll make 120 quid or whatever it is! Thank you.

You're going with it. I don't blame you.

Have a punt. You're a great team. Here's Phil's standing figure.

Lot 144. This mid-19th century cast and gilded figure.

Possibly of a harbourmaster or postmaster.

A bearded gentleman in a tail coat.

What can I say for this one, then? £10 anywhere?

Ten I have. At £10. At ten.

£10 it is. Do I see 12 now anywhere?

12. 15.

No. Took 15 in the alcove. At £15.

18 anywhere?

At 15 it's going to be. All done. Selling at 15.

All done. Wa-hey! Woo!

Plus one pound. That's great.

Which reduces the overall problem to £124.

I'm going to give up, I think.

I feel like George Osborne trying to reduce the deficit here!

But there we go.

£125. Equals minus 124.

All right? Which could be a winning score.

So, girls, have you been chatting to the reds?

No. So you don't know how well they've done? No.

Or how badly they've done! OK. Hopefully!

So first up is the owl tape measure. Here it comes.

160 is the little tape measure.

With the face of an owl on one side. Lot 160.

I have to start this one at £20.

20. 22. 25.

28. In the alcove at 28. 30, anywhere?

At £28 it is, then. At 28.

All sure? Selling, then, at £28.

To-wit, to-woo!

That's minus £4.

That's not so bad. Better than we thought!

Lot 161.

The little cased lilac enamelled paper-knife and matching pencil.

Lot 161.

And I start this one away. I've got £55. At 55.

Do I see 60 in the room? The bid's with me at 55.

Oh, no. At 55. 55 it's going to be, then.

All sure in the room? It's going to my bidder at £55.

I don't believe it. £55. That is just terrible.

55. Such a shame! So it's minus 35.

OK. Now the teaspoons.

Lot 162. The set of six silver teaspoons in a case.

Birmingham 1919.

Start me away this time, please.

£20 anywhere for the teaspoons? 20 I have. At £20.

22. 25. 28. 30.

32. No.

Back of the room at £32. At 32. Now five anywhere?

All done. Selling then at 32. So close!

At £32. You're minus three pounds on that.

38 and four is 42. Minus 42.

That's just the pits. I could burst into tears. But let's not cry.

Let's decide whether to go with the bonus buy or not. Yes. Yeah.

You're going to do it for £17.

That's a decision. Yeah. OK, fine.

I think it's a brilliant dish.

I think Catherine is very clever to find that for £17.

We trust Catherine. Another day, another place, I see that 40 to £50, no trouble.

What's going to happen today, though, is anybody's bet!

You've made your decision. We shall find out. Here's the hors d'oeuvre dish.

Lot 166 is the Art Deco hors d'oeuvre dish.

A nice little chrome, glass and Bakelite one.

Lot 166. Start me away. What can I say for it?

£10 anywhere? Stylish little thing.

£10? £10 anywhere?

They're a mean lot, aren't they?

£5, then?

Five at the back of the room. £5. Do I see eight anywhere? At five.

At £5 now. Eight?

At £5 it is, then. All done?

Selling at the back at five.

That was very quick. £5.

Well, got to keep the record up.

Minus 12. That means you are minus £54.

But that might be a winning score.

It could be a winning score. Don't despair. Don't talk to the reds.

Not a word.

Well, well, well, well, well.

When things go badly, they sure go badly, don't they?

Teams, have you been chatting to one another? No. Just as well.

We've got monumental losses.

One team has made nearly twice as many losses as the other.

And that team is the reds!

Yay! Your end score is minus 124.

Which is pretty hot stuff, I have to say.

You were, however, redeemed by your expert and his bonus buy

because that made a profit... It did! ..of one pound!

Thank you, Philip. You can walk away from this feeling great!

But minus 125 was the score before the pound came along so you're minus 124.

Had a good time? I've had a lovely time, thank you. Had a great time.

Don't give up the day job.

The blues have won by losing £54.

Yay! Yay! Yeah.

Who says that youth versus experience doesn't sometimes win out?

That's what's happened. We're shocked. Can't believe we won!

That's rather lovely, then.

So what's been the high moment for you?

The actual auction. Yeah, I liked the auction. Never been to one before. It's fun.

Well, they're not all as bad as this when it comes to the end result!

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

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd