Norfolk 27 Bargain Hunt

It's a breezy day. In fact, it's quite fresh.

What could be better for the scene of great battles?

Let's go bargain hunting!

Today, we're in the Royal Norfolk Showground, just outside Norwich.

Norfolk's a county that's been invaded lots of times,

by the Romans, by the Vikings, by the Normans,

and now by us!

Coming up - the Reds are bargaining hard.

Do we dare negotiate at a fiver?

While the Blues just can't make up their minds.

-And you like those?

-I like them all, yes.

But at the end of the day, it's all about keeping the ladies happy. Oh, yes!

-Ruth likes it. Let's do it.

-If it makes Sarah happy, then I'm happy.

Oh, you're so sweet, the pair of you.

So, two teams each with married couples today.

First up, Ruth and Doug. So how long actually have you been married?

We've been married about 25 years.

About?!

-Not counting.

-Oh, you're not counting any more?

-No.

-And how did you meet?

-We worked together. Well, actually Ruth worked for me for a while.

-Oh!

-So I was in charge, but not any more.

-What were you doing at that time?

Computing within the civil service for Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

And do you miss, now you're retired, not handling all that bumpf?

-No.

-No?

-No, no. I now have time to do the things I want to do,

rather than the things people paid me to do. We travel.

I work in a local museum. We go dancing. We do lots of things.

-Have you got any time left for antiques?

-Yes, we do have small collections.

I collect Wedgwood strawberry pattern.

And things like cutlery and we like ticking clocks, the old-fashioned clocks.

-So are you going to work together as a team today, you two?

-Yes.

-Oh, of course.

I mean, after "about" 25 years, you ought to know each other well enough.

-Absolutely.

-And you're going to be victorious?

-Of course!

-Oh, absolutely, yes.

-Are you? Well very good luck.

Now, Sarah and Mark. How long have you been married, Sarah?

-We've been married for eight years now.

-And where did you meet?

We met in a pub. It was a pub that we both frequented.

Mark says he saw me long before I saw him, but I was new to the area, so there were many new faces.

He'd obviously got his eye on you though.

Yeah. The first time I saw her,

I knew that this was the girl for me.

But she has no recollection of that moment at all.

And how did Sarah convince you, Mark, that the time was ripe to propose?

Well, we'd just moved into a new house.

And I sent Sarah to a local retro shop to get some curtains and a few other bits and pieces.

And she came back with curtains, lamp and a wedding dress.

Ah! That was the hint, was it?

She showed me the curtains and lamp. I said, "What's in the bag?"

And she said, "That's a dress for an event you haven't invited me to yet."

-Oh, how sweet! So that promoted you?

-I got the hint.

-Did you immediately drop to one knee?

-Not immediately at that moment but not long after.

After you put the curtains up, anyway. No, good.

Vintage wedding dress. Is that what you like? Do you like vintage clothes?

I really do.

I like anything from the 1930s right through to the '80s.

I really like little bags and clutch purses.

-Dresses... I just love fashion from those times.

-Are you going to make a great team today, you two?

-Hopefully.

-We always thought we'd come on the show and see if we could do better than other people.

-Do you sit at home and say, "I could do better than that."

-Of course!

Well, now you're going to get your comeuppance. Very interesting!

Now the Money Moment. £300 apiece. There's your £300. You know the rules.

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

Gosh! What's going to happen?

And guiding our teams today are our two Davids.

Advising the Reds is...

And browsing with the Blues is...

Dear old boy!

Well, there's nothing else better in the world than early morning -

-a bit chilly in the middle of a field with loads of antiques.

-Absolutely wonderful!

-What are you looking for?

-Well, I really don't know.

I like the idea of having an open mind and seeing what jumps out at me really.

-Something that's going to make money.

-Dream woman.

Arts and Crafts. Things that have been made by people's hands.

Go!

'You know the rules. They have one hour to buy three items,

'which they will attempt to sell for a profit at auction.'

-Does that look an interesting stall?

-It looks interesting to me.

'Better get stuck in, Reds!'

-Are you into toys?

-Yes.

-Really old, tin toys. That sort of thing.

-I think that's very good.

'I hope you find something to play with, Blues.'

-We're not really into nicky-nacky kind of stuff.

-Is that a technical term, Ruth?

It's as technical as I get.

'Technical nick-nacks aside, Mr Harper has already found something.'

-Do you like that?

-Oh, no!

-Do you know what it is?

-No.

It's Chinese. It's soapstone. So it's a stone. It's carved. But it's a brush pot.

-Oh, OK.

-What, for painting?

-For painting.

-Oh, right!

-You're an artist, Ruth.

-Yeah. Well...

-You're an amateur artist, aren't you? What do you paint, watercolour?

-Watercolour, yeah.

-OK. It's five quid.

-Oh, we must spend more than that!

Hey, listen. Don't knock it, baby.

-How old do you think that is?

-I would say early 20th century.

-Say up to about 1920s. But it is handmade.

-It is unusual.

It's not something I'd like, but we are not about buying things for ourselves.

I've just noticed, heads gone. Can you see?

-We've got two monkeys and he's missing his head.

-Yeah.

-Oh, that's such a shame.

I think he's wonderful for a fiver.

Could we ask them to keep it, maybe?

-I'm nervous about buying something like that as our first item.

-OK. Let's just leave it there.

'Less monkeying around, Reds. Start buying!'

The clouds are turning in on us. We need to go into the auditorium.

'The Blues are predicting rain, but for the Reds, the forecast is brighter!'

-It's a shame that it's damaged.

-Oh, that's nice, isn't it?

-Cos the spirit level inside is floating around.

-So why do you like that?

-Because of the quality.

It's a compass, complete with spirit level. And you can take a sighting through there.

It's a lovely, useful, practical thing. It's got a nice weight to it. It's a good, solid thing.

You don't want anything which is damaged.

You are right. Superbly constructed.

'You are on the right bearing, Doug. Steer clear of those damaged goods.'

An incense burner - a koro. This is, I think, a Japanese one.

The whole idea is absolutely magnificent.

You'd sit down and you'd meditate and you'd contemplate.

And you'd set light to your incense.

And the smoke that billowed out would represent the souls of your dead ancestors.

-A nice thought.

-It's a lovely thought. It's, again, a connection to the past.

-Peace and tranquillity, Doug. That's what we search for.

-Yes.

'That's very Zen of you, David, but it's a bargain we're searching for.'

-It's got a little dent there.

-Little dent.

-Yep.

-<

-I've got 50 on it.

-I'll do 30.

-It is shaped like a heart.

It's really quite beautiful. How did they make the flowers?

-Is that just pressed?

-Well, that's pressed.

-Yeah.

I wonder if you would possibly keep it just for a little while.

Would that be all right? Cos it is very pretty.

'Mm, while the Blues dither, the Reds are pushing for a deal.

'They are taking another look at that paint brush holder.'

-Do we dare negotiate at a fiver?

-£5.

-It's five quid or nothing?

I thought that might be the case.

-I think... Come on!

-Let's go for it.

He's missing his head, but we'll have that. Thank you very much.

'A fiver! That's pathetic, but it's a buy. Now, David Barby is homing in on the action.'

-Seems to be a lot of activity over there. Let's go and have a look.

-OK.

'What have they ploughed up here?'

-A Mettoy mechanical tractor set.

-Oh, wow!

-It's absolutely superb.

-It is very pricey.

-Did you have one of these as a child?

-No, not at all!

There was plastics by the time I was a child.

-1950, you say.

-It's almost perfect condition, isn't it?

I mean, there's a tiny bit of scratching on there.

-Yeah, I think that's in the paint finish, but all the trademarks are good.

-Yeah.

Made in Great Britain. This is tin plate.

-It's lovely.

-It's tin plate.

-That's just in the material I was hoping to find something in.

It's very pricey, but I can understand that it's in really nice condition.

-Look at how that works.

-It is beautiful.

The key is there and you're welcome to try it, cos it does work.

-Wow!

-And you get five little wagons and rakes and whatever.

-I love this.

-1950. It's the last of the British tin-plate toys.

-Yes.

-Really.

-What's the best price you can do on that, sir?

-160.

Can you do a reduction on 160, please, sir?

I'll go to 150. That would be it.

-MARK: How about 140?

-Could you, please?

-145 then. I'll split the difference.

-In the middle.

I think that's really fair. I think it's beautiful and I think you've been really kind.

-That sounds great.

-Yeah, I think that's lovely.

'So the Blues have sowed a deal and it's one apiece for our teams.'

'Now something shiny has caught David Harper's eye.'

-What's that?

-White metal.

-White metal.

-Oof! She's...

-£200?

-Read the back.

-Mm.

-"Lady Louise Luscom.

"This portrait was engraved by Mr Balaam.

"His charge was £45,

"which the lady refused to pay." Wonder why? She looks all right to me.

-It's signed by him.

-You say it's white metal.

So you're assuming it's silver. You see, if...

-But it's not hallmarked?

-No.

-That's the thing. If something isn't hallmarked -

as in British hallmarked, or even continental hallmarked -

-then you have to refer to it as white metal.

-Right.

But it could be. Do you think it is?

-It looks like silver.

-What sort of date?

-Early 20th century. Would you agree?

-Yeah.

-1900, 1920.

Yeah. What sort of money to us is that?

160, but not a penny less.

-Who is...?

-With this story, does that add to the value?

-Very much.

If we had the luxury of time and we could discover who she was, the back story behind this

-and the artist, then wonderful.

-What if it was cheaper?

-150, there we are.

If you're in the mood for taking risks, this is a big risk.

It could make 30 quid. Or it could make 300.

-Shall we go for it?

-Oh, my gosh! You, you!

-Good girl! Gambler!

->

-Absolutely.

-It's not my money!

I feel like a cat on a hot-tin roof, honestly.

Ruth likes it, let's do it.

-Oh, well, let's go for it.

-Oh, you're dreadful, you two.

-Good girl.

->

-Take a risk.

-Shake his hand. Once you've done it, you've done it.

-Well done. Thank you.

Thank you.

'Well done, Ruth, for taking a gamble. It's a risky business,

'but sometimes you can come up trumps.

'Take a look at this.'

Have you ever seen one of these before?

Well, they are pretty unusual objects, I have to say.

This is a lump of stone

and it's been carved in the shape of a shield.

And then within the shield, very faintly inscribed,

is a mask of a dragon with a curly "Q" tail.

That's the outside decoration. Now if I turn it round,

you can see that this solid lump of stone has been carved

so that it's got this loop on the back.

That's because this thing is something called a belt hanger.

And it's Chinese. And the Chinese, wearing their kimonos,

didn't have much opportunity for many pockets.

But what they did have, normally, was a sash or belt running around their middles.

So they'd feed the cloth sash through this belt hanger

and tie it with a knot at the front,

and then, off the belt hanger, they'd suspend all sorts of objects.

Anyway, quite an unusual object, I thought,

up the way there when I found it and invested £10.

Only to go around the corner and what do I discover on a completely different stand?

You've got it! Another belt hanger!

This one is much more elaborately carved though.

And the material that it's carved off is a slightly shinier, blacker stone.

So two stone-carved, Chinese belt hangers,

each of them costing £10.

But this is not my expert area. What I need is somebody who can advise me.

'And who should I bump into but a pair of Chinese antiques experts.'

..Very well, thank you. Do you watch Bargain Hunt?

-Yes, a lot.

-Oh, good. So you know the form?

-Yeah.

I've got these two belt hangers and I'd like to find out some more about them. First of all,

-how old do you think that fellow is?

-Oh, what do you think?

I do think he's 100 years old.

-I would think he's quite a young piece.

-OK.

-Compared to that one.

-What about this one?

-Much older.

-Do you like this?

-Yes. It's quite eye catching.

I think it's in the Han Dynasty, which is about 1,000 years ago.

-How many years?

-1,000.

-More than 1,000 years ago.

-1,000 years old!

-Yes.

-Oh! Well, that's marvellous.

-Yes.

If you'd found it and you took it back to China, what sort of price would you get in China for it?

-I'd say £1,000.

-Yeah, if it's a real piece, I'd say almost £1,000.

-£1,000.

-That's the bottom.

-The bottom is £1,000?

-Yes.

-If it's a real piece.

Well, that's extremely kind of you.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

-Really pleased to meet you.

'£10 that could become 1,000. Now that's a belter of a find!

'I wonder if our teams can beat that?'

Where shall we go? Let's go down here.

-Right, Sarah.

-Oh, yes.

It's your choice, isn't it? You wanted a pair of something.

So here we've got a pair of hallmarked silver candlesticks.

And these are, sort of, dressing table candlesticks, little "bonheur du jour" candlesticks.

Any sweet little piece of furniture that you wanted to decorate with silver candlesticks.

Now what's nice about these, they're in the sort of late 19th-, early 20th-century style,

although they were made in the 1950s.

-So there's no damage on these.

-They're in very nice condition.

There's no dents. There's no wearing through. They're in lovely condition and they're decorative.

The other thing you wanted to look for was little bonbon dishes.

And there we have an early 20th-century example, all pierced with a little swing handle.

-And that is £40.

-I really like both the candlesticks and the bonbon dish.

I don't know what... I like the work that's gone on to this,

but I'm not sure about the price.

-Well, bear in mind, it's light because it's pierced.

-Yes.

-Of course. And that's what attracts me to it, is the piercing.

-OK.

-And I like the swing handle as well.

-Yes, yes.

I'm just wondering whether, if you like the two objects...

-Right.

-..We could ask the dealer if he could do a special price,

if we're going to buy both the objects.

-We could do that. Would you be...

-It's your choice, darling.

-We could certainly ask him.

OK. £80 on that, he said, and 40 on that.

-If we buy the two, he might come back with a reasonable offer.

-OK.

-They are beautiful.

-Do your very best.

-I will.

'Good luck, Sarah.'

Late Regency, maybe 1830.

-Would you agree to that?

-I would.

-OK.

He's trying to hide... Get your hand out of there!

-A candlestick...

-No! This would have had a big column here, on both sides.

It would have held a big mirror. It's, effectively, a toilet mirror.

That would be nice, if the mirror was on it.

-Yeah.

-We would convert it into a writing desk.

Two nice finials, nice little inkwells.

-Do you know what that is?

-Recycling.

-Recycling.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-It's the best recycling in the world.

And where could you get that quality of workmanship?

-How much is it, £20 quid?

-20 quid.

-It's ridiculous.

-We've got 30 on it, but...

-I mean, the work...

-For you.

-For me, 40.

-For you, 40.

'Now what price did Sarah pay for that silver?'

-£105.

-That's 30 on that and 75 on that?

-Yes.

-And you like those?

-I like them all, yes. I think they're beautiful.

I think you could even have them both on your dressing table.

-Would you have those at home yourself?

-Well, I would like to.

-I don't... Yes!

-OK, well, that's a good thing.

-Mark, do we go with those?

-I think it's an absolutely superb idea.

-All right.

-If it makes Sarah happy, then I'm happy.

-Oh, you're so sweet, the pair of you.

-Not always.

-Ah!

DAVID LAUGHS

-OK, let's go for them.

-Lovely. Thank you.

'So the Blues are done.'

I can't believe we've shopped in 30 minutes.

-That's almost a record. Mwah! Thank you very much. Let's get some lunch.

-Absolutely.

-Let's go.

'Sarah made all the decisions and led the Blues to an early finish.

'Risky Ruth and Dangerous Doug have one more item to buy.

'What will they gamble on next?'

-What is that?

-This one, Ruth?

-Yes.

-OK.

That, I assume, is a card carrying case.

-The hinge has gone.

-It's broken.

But it's never been engraved, so if this was a gift for Ruth, you'd put Ruth's initials there.

It would be quite nice to use.

You wouldn't get very many business cards in there.

-It's gilded on the interior. Can you see the gold reflection?

-Yes.

-So it's gold plated on the interior.

-And that's solid silver?

Laid with gold. And then all that lovely detailed work.

-I mean, it's a delicious thing.

-We wouldn't normally go for something as fancy.

-Do you like it?

-But can you appreciate the work there?

-I can!

-I can appreciate the work that's in it.

-What's on that?

35. That's scrap silver.

-It couldn't be 25, could it?

-RUTH: 25 would be really helpful.

My wife will be very grateful.

And look at her. She's lovely. She's lovely.

Yeah. Yeah, I can do that on that, I think.

-Oh!

-Happy?

-Yep. Good, good.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Marvellous. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

'Everybody's happy. So shopping's over. Let's recap on what they bought.

'They hope to brush up a profit with this artist's pot

'at a bargain £5.

'A risky £150 was spent on this white metal plaque.

'Will it turn out to be silver?

'And they spent £25 on a card case.

'This one is definitely silver.'

-How much did you spend altogether?

-£180.

180. I'd like £120 of Leftover Lolly, please. Who's got that? Well done, Ruth.

You've got that. £120 then, David 'Arper!

-Thank you.

-What are you going to do with that, old fruit?

Well, I might just follow Ruth and take a big risk.

Because she's taught me a thing or two today.

-Has she?

-Yes. It's good to take a risk. She had me worried, I can tell you.

Who's to say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, eh?

-True.

-There we are, David. There's your challenge. Good luck, team.

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

'Will they harvest a profit with this toy tractor set for £145?

'Ooh-aagh!

'This pair of decorative candlesticks was bought for £75.

'They added this silver bonbon dish for £30. Sweet enough.

'Another kiss?'

-Was that a good shop or not, Sarah?

-It was great fun, yes. I think we did well.

-And how much did you spend all round?

-We spent £250.

That is a mature amount. Well done.

-Please may I have £50 of Leftover Lolly?

-You certainly may. That's here.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

-20, 50.

-Two 20s and a couple of fivers.

-There you go, David.

-Thank you very much. Lovely.

-Lovely fair this, isn't it?

Oh, it's super. I have instructions from Sarah.

I've got to buy something entirely different to what they've bought so far.

-Oh. There you go. Bit of scope.

-Thank you, please.

-Good luck with that!

Meanwhile, I'm heading off to the middle of Lincoln,

where you're in for a big surprise!

The Usher Gallery was a gift to the City of Lincoln

by local businessman and art collector James Ward Usher.

Over his lifetime, Usher collected a large range of art objects,

travelling many thousands of miles in pursuit of the most desirable pieces.

Before his death in 1921,

he left his entire collection, together with a substantial amount of money,

in order to build the art gallery.

In a statement that he made at the time, he said,

"I would like to indulge in the hope that my life has not been in vain

"and that I leave Lincoln in a better state than I found it."

So what do you do if you're about to endower your local town

with your extraordinary collection in your own extraordinary gallery?

Well, for a kickoff, it's a good idea to record exactly what's in the collection.

Which is just what Usher did. Except he went the whole hog.

He had privately printed 300 copies of this massive tome,

which he entitled, in gilt embossed into the outer cover,

"An Art Collector's Treasure".

And a treasure it is, indeed.

As you flip through it, you can see that there are colour illustrations

of selected items from the collection.

What's, I think, truly amazing is that each of these images

are watercolours, originally produced by Usher himself.

On this page, we've got an illustration of a vitrine.

And here, beside me, is exactly the self same piece of furniture.

Isn't that marvellous?

It's made of rosewood. It's inlaid with Renaissance-style cut ivory and boxwood,

which is typical of the celebrated cabinetmaking firm Collinson and Lock.

In the illustration in Usher's book, you can see,

arranged within the cabinet, a group of his objects.

And today, in the gallery, we can see a similar arrangement.

It is indeed an impressive array of porcelain.

But perhaps the most important piece, historically,

is the little group of muffineers and a saucer.

In the middle of the saucer dish you can see, very carefully laid out,

a meticulously detailed coat of arms,

the outer border of the dish being enamelled with oak leaves and acorns.

Oak leaves and acorns are a particular reference to the British Navy.

The wooden walls of England

made out of oak trees,

essentially the sailing navy from Nelson's time.

And what we have in the middle of this dish

is Nelson's coat of arms.

Because it's a surviving piece from the tea set

that was especially commissioned by the ladies of England.

So grateful were they for his stunning victory at Copenhagen

that they commissioned a tea service and gave it to him in 1802.

It came complete with a group of these fellows.

These charming little shakers, which if you look at the enamelling on these,

say, "Nelson. Baltic.

"2nd April", either side of a fouled anchor -

the naval emblem.

The idea with these shakers was that you'd fill them, probably, with nutmeg.

and, as muffineers, sprinkle the delicious nutmeg to savour it on top of your muffins

for afternoon tea.

The big question today is, of course, for our teams over at the auction,

will they need a bit of sweetening up themselves,

or are they just simply savoury?

Today, we're at Sworders saleroom in Stansted, Mountfitchet,

a brand-new saleroom purpose built for the job.

And it's a treat to be here with our auctioneer John Black.

-John, morning to you.

-Morning.

-Very nice to be in your saleroom built of straw bales.

-Mm-hm.

-Is that right?

-It is indeed.

-Is this a green saleroom then?

-Very environmentally friendly.

-Good.

Now what about our environmentally friendly piece of carved soapstone?

Well, it is going to be 1920 soapstone.

-We've only put £20-£30 on.

-Don't apologise.

-OK.

Because £5 was paid by David Harper. He really rated it.

And if you can get anything more than £5, he'll be thoroughly chuffed.

Next is this beautifully embossed and engraved plaque.

-I mean, that is a stunner, isn't it?

-It is. It's really good quality.

It's in a modern frame with modern glass.

We've had it out of the frame as well. It's not English hallmarked, but it does test silver.

-Oh, it is silver?

-It does.

-Oh, good.

-It's signed on the bottom left S. Balaam.

Obviously, the inscription on the back tells us a lot about who the sitter was as well.

So very, very pretty lot.

Pretty little lot and well done for testing it for silver, cos that's important.

-So what will it bring then, do you think?

-It should make 100-150.

OK. £150 paid. So they're about spot on with that.

And, lastly, out of their three, is this shaped visiting card case.

Completely useless today, but I suppose there are collectors for these little bits.

There are. It's a lovely little card case but the hinge is broken.

So that will deplete the value. So £20-£30.

OK. £25 they paid. I think that was taken in account.

-OK.

-So pretty well spot on, really.

Slightly depending on whether the embossed, silver plaque takes off though.

They could, or they could not, need their Bonus Buy, but let's go and have a look at it anyway.

Now, Ruth and Doug, you spent £180.

You gave David Harper £120. David, what did you do?

All right. You've heard the term Heath Robinson?

-A-ha!

-Yeah?

-Yes.

-Oh, yes!

-Applying to an eccentric, mad, bonkers

piece of machinery made out of all sorts of wild and crazy things.

Well, this is him. He was a cartoonist and illustrator.

Died during the Second World War, about 1944.

But really well-known for creating humorous sketches and this is one of a set of nine

that was commissioned by the Great Western Railway in 1935.

Heath Robinson was commissioned to create drawings and cartoons based on what was going on.

Tunnelling, laying of track, new trains. So it's all fun, humorous stuff.

-This is an original, not a print?

-Well, I don't know. They were introduced in 1935.

It's got a little bit of foxing. The frames are obviously much fresher. It's wonderful.

And there's nine of them. I can only carry one.

-So have a look.

-Oh, I see! You've bought all nine?

-I got nine!

-There's nine of them.

-I thought you could only afford one.

-That's brilliant.

-Give us the damage then.

Well, surprisingly, reasonable.

-20 quid for a set of nine.

-Really?

-That's for nothing.

-What, for all of them?

-For nine.

-Nine?!

-Nine, 20 quid.

-Nine like this?

-Nine like that. Some are a bit bigger.

I think they should be 100 quid. They might make £10 or £20 profit.

You don't have to pick 'em now.

You're choice will come after the sale of your first three items.

But for the viewers at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks

about the NINE Heath Robinson prints and their lovely frames.

Right then, John. We're got nine of these.

And very decorative they are, too, aren't they?

Just right for a toilet, but their modern, framed prints.

Probably out of a book and framed up nicely.

Saleable, all the same. I would have thought they are only going to be worth £20 or £30.

He's a marvellous cartoonist though, isn't he, Heath Robinson?

The inventive genius of the man. To have these characters underground,

ferreting away in such a humorous way.

-So, £20-£30 for the nine?

-That's right.

-David Harper thought he'd done very well,

spending £20 for the nine. They might take off and do a bit better than that, mightn't they?

Every one that's an original is worth £1,500 or £2,000.

So we shall see. Good. Thank you very much for that, John.

That's it for the Reds.

Now for the Blues. First up, is the brilliant Mettoy box of toys,

farmyard implements and a tractor.

-That's great, isn't it?

-It is a really good lot.

Good bit of tin plate in such good condition.

The box is a little bit tatty on the edges. But all the same, sort of £100, £150.

-That's the estimate, is it?

-It is.

-£145 they paid.

-Let's see whether we can get the top end of that.

-Next are the hallmarked dwarf candlesticks.

We've got these down as 1960s. They're hallmarked 1964,

rather than early 20th century.

The quality isn't as great as what it should be in the early 20th century.

I think he thought that they were Edwardian-type period.

Nevertheless, what do you think they're going to bring, John?

They should make between £50-£80.

Well, that's not bad. He paid £75, so he's pretty well spot on with the money,

even if he's got the period out a bit.

And, lastly, is the little bonbon dish.

Pretty little swing-handled bonbon dish.

-It's probably missing a little glass liner as well.

-Yes.

But pretty lot. 20-30.

-£30 paid.

-OK.

-So it's all a bit risky really, as far as the Blues are concerned today.

So they're likely to need their Bonus Buy. Let's go and have a look at it.

Well, Sarah and Mark, poor old David's been in the wars. David, tell us what happened.

Very simply, I tripped over a paving slab.

-It happened to be in the courtyard of a public house.

-Oh!

I hadn't been drinking. I was there for a meal whilst we were filming.

And I propelled myself forward on to a bench and it caught me there.

Oh, dear! You poor thing. It's given you a terrible whack.

I wanted to cry and go home, but I couldn't.

-And you've pitched up for us today, so that's very noble.

-Thank you.

£50 of Leftover Lolly you gave David.

-Did you spend the lot, David?

-No.

-No.

-Show us what you bought.

-I bought an object which I've never seen before.

-Ooop!

-Wow!

-What an earth is that? That's lovely.

It is lovely. It's Victorian. 1860, 1870, that sort of period.

And it is bamboo, and it's been decorated all the way down.

-It has a most peculiar action. It was sold to me as a flower plucker's plucker.

-Ah!

I think, possibly, it has something of a greater interest.

Maybe in a vineyard.

-For cutting grapes.

-Oh! I really like it.

-I like that, too.

-This was £30.

-£30!

-I think it's a steal!

-I was looking for something quirky and unusual. It fits the bill.

I don't believe it. £30 is all you paid, David.

-That is amazing.

-Anyway, so we're happy with that, team?

-Very.

-You don't pick it now, you pick it later if you want to.

But right now, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about David's flower picker's picker.

Now this is very unusual, John, isn't it? What a lovely thing.

Every Victorian gentlemen should have one of these.

It's down as a flower plucker.

But we think that it's probably going to be

-a grape or apple cutter.

-Yes!

Cos what we've got here is a very sharp edge to that. You could shave off that blade.

-You could.

-But nice shaft, isn't it?

-It is a nice shaft.

And it's nicely stamped on the end as well. "G. Harris.

-"Patent. Leicester."

-Yeah, there we go. How interesting.

-So what do you think it's worth?

-We've put £50-£100 on.

-Well, good for you. That's nice and brave.

-Good.

£30 was paid by David Barby and I think that was £30 that was very well spent.

If the team decide to go with it. It's exciting.

Now, Ruth and Doug, how are you feeling? Had your Weetabix?

-Nervous. Yes. Yes.

-Why are you nervous then?

Worried about one of our items.

-Are you? Which one?

-The lady in the frame.

-The auctioneer has tested it for silver.

-Has he?

-So that's good.

-It's silver.

-It is silver?

-It is silver.

So he's able to sell it as silver-coloured metal as opposed to being plate.

You paid £150. He's put £100-£150 on it, which is, I mean, quite a modest estimate

for something of that quality. It just depends on who's here.

Anyway, first up is the little bit of soapstone and here it comes.

Lot 180.

The 20th-century, Chinese, carved, soapstone brush pot.

Decorated with the monkeys.

£10 to bid. Any bids now?

-Go on!

-At £10.

-Oh! Yes, is there a bid?

Any interest now? At £10 only, who would like to bid?

-Go on!

-You only paid five.

-Yeah, it's brilliant.

-It's a lovely brush pot. And £5 is bid.

-Oh! Oh, no!

Any advance on £5? Eight. Ten.

-12.

-Yes!

-Brilliant!

-£12.

-Go on!

At £12 only and I'm going to sell. Make no mistake.

-Oh! Well...

-That's great.

-It's over 100%, isn't it?

Yes. You've got to look at it like that.

Lot 181. Delightful silver plaque of a lady, after Gainsborough.

Signed S. Balaam. It's a lovely, pretty plaque.

We'll start here - it's a low start - at £80.

Any advance on £80 now? I'll take five, if you wish, madam.

Ooh, come on!

At £80. Any advance now?

At £80.

-No!

-85.

-Oh, good!

-90.

Five. 95. Your bid, sir.

-Come on!

-£100, do I see?

-Yes!

-More, more.

At £95. Gentleman's bid.

-Aaaah!

-I'm going to sell now. 95. Any further interest?

Oh! Ruth, not to worry. Honestly, you were very brave. Seriously.

-Minus 55.

-It could have gone the other way.

-There we go.

-Well, I'm afraid that is minus 48.

-Yes.

-Now here comes the card case. Let's see what happens.

-OK.

There is a little bit of damage to the hinge, all the same...

Lot 182, we can start the bidding here at £10.

-Ten?

-Any advance on £10 now? 12. 15.

At £15. On commission. 18. 20.

-At £20. Lady's bid now.

-More than that.

-Go on!

-At £20.

-Your bid, madam. And I'm going to sell.

-No, no!

-£20.

Minus five. Which takes you back up, I'm afraid, to minus 53.

-So minus £53. What are you going to do about the Heath Robinson...?

-DOUG: Go with it.

-Definitely go with it.

-Going with those?

-Yeah. We like them.

-We all think they're pretty cheap.

-Yes.

-Nine of them. Yeah, you're going to do it?

-Yeah.

Well, you're minus £53. We're going to trust in Mr Heath Robinson and here it comes.

We have the set of nine William Heath Robinson

humorous railway prints. Modern, nicely framed.

Where shall we start the bidding? 20?

-Ten is bid.

-Ten!

-At £10. 12. 15.

18. 20. 22.

-Yes!

-25. 28. 30.

-30 in the green there.

-That's it. Come on!

32. 35. 38.

-Come on!

-Yes!

-38 here on my right.

£38. £38. I'm selling. Make no mistake.

-OK, £38 is still plus 18.

-Almost 100%.

-Thank you for that.

Plus 18. Well, that's very good.

So that's two short of 20. That would be 33. You're minus 35.

-It could have been more.

-You are minus £35. Well, it could.

-Without the bonus buy it could have been.

-Yes.

-The big thing is that minus £35 could easily be a winning score.

-Let's hope so.

-So don't say anything to the Blues.

-No, absolutely not.

-Good sport. Well done, Ruthy.

So what about the toy set? How do you think it's going to do?

-I'm not sure.

-I still think it will make a profit.

-Do you?

Well, the auctioneer's estimate is £100-£150. You paid £145.

So it falls within the estimate. I think he's pretty bullish about it.

On the basis of finding another one that's in quite such dazzling order, it would be difficult.

-It is beautiful.

-Unplayed condition.

Anyway, here it comes.

The 1950s, Mettoy, clockwork, model tractor in the original box.

It graces our lovely front of the catalogue as well today.

-Ah! That's a bonus!

-Lot 200.

£50 to bid. Any bids now at £50?

50 is bid. Any advance on 50?

Five. 60. Five. 70.

Five. 80. Five. 90.

Five. 100.

-£100 in the centre of the room.

-Come on, come on!

-At £100.

-Come on!

-Are we all done? I'm going to sell to you, sir.

At £100.

-£100.

-That was so disappointing.

-Really unfortunate.

-I still think it was lovely.

-So do I.

Next lot up is the delightful pair of silver repousse candlesticks.

Birmingham, 1964. We can start the bidding here at £20.

At £25. 30. Five.

40. Five. 50.

-At £50.

-More!

55. At £55. Your bid, sir. And I'll sell.

Blast it! Minus £20.

OK, let's not get depressed. Let's go with the bonbon dish.

Lot 202, the silver pierced and swing-handled bonbon dish.

Birmingham, 1910.

I will start the bidding here at £10.

At 10. 12 if you wish, madam.

12. 15. 18.

20. 22. 25.

28.

At £28.

Are we all done now? 30 anywhere now?

-30 right at the back!

-30!

-Wipes its face!

-£30.

I'm selling now at £30.

£30! It's wiped its face. Very good. Well done about that.

But, overall, I'm afraid it's minus £65,

-which is a body blow, really.

-Oh!

What are we going to do about the flower picker's plucker?

-Most definitely.

-Absolutely.

-I think they're beautiful.

-David was incredibly clever to find them. You're going to definitely go with them?

-Yes.

I can tell you what the auctioneer's estimate is, which is £50-£100.

It must make a profit on £30. Let's see what happens.

We have a mid-19th-century bamboo and metal squeeze grip.

It's not a flower plucker. It is a grape cutter. There we are.

Every gent or lady should have one in Stansted, Mountfitchet.

Start the bidding here at £35. 35.

40. Five. 50.

-Come on! Come on!

-At £50. An advance on 50?

-Sssh!

-All done?

£50. There must be someone else here

who's got some grapes to cut. At £50.

-I'm going to sale.

-I can't believe this!

-Is that all? At £50. Yes.

And I'm going to sell to you, sir. at 50.

£50 then. Fairly good. That is a profit of £20.

Thank you very much, David. £20 up, which is brilliant.

Not as much as we were hoping for. Nevertheless, it's reduced your losses... Well done, David Barby.

-..To minus £45, which could be a winning score. Just don't talk to the Reds.

-OK.

Well, the auction's still going on, but have we been chatting?

-No!

-No.

-No, not at all? Good.

Well, there were remarkable similarities in our teams today.

Neither of them have made any profits.

Oh!

Both teams went with the Bonus Buy.

Both teams made a substantial profit out of the Bonus Buy,

so bravo to both of our experts for guiding their teams so beautifully,

and for the teams making the right decision.

It's just a question of the scale of the losses.

Sadly, the runners up on the losses stakes are the Blues.

-Oooh!

-Aaah!

-I can't believe it!

-Minus £45.

-Right, kids?

-Yes.

The tractor and trailer set by Mettoy should have done a lot better than that.

The flower plucker's plucker did you very nicely and it was good result all round.

Not quite good enough to beat our Reds, who are minus £35.

-Oh!

-So there's only a tenner between you,

-which is nothing.

-Close!

-Nothing really.

-The silver plaque, minus £55, was really your nemesis, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

Well done for the Heath Robinson prints. We've had a great day. I hope you lot have enjoyed it.

-In fact, join us soon for some more bargain hunting. Yes?

-Yes!

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