Oswestry 6 Bargain Hunt

Today we're in Oswestry, on the Welsh/English borders.

This place in the 7th century was the site of a famous battle -

today, we have just two teams battling it out,

so let's go bargain hunting!

Today, the sun is shining on us, they've got the flags out

and there are hundreds of stalls.

What more could we want?

Coming up today, we have the beauties versus the beasts -

sorry, chaps, nothing personal.

Our glamorous Reds hope the feminine touch will win the day.

What appeals? Cos they're pink?

Yeah, I've got a car that's the same colour as that.

-No! You haven't got a car this colour?

-I have.

I don't believe you!

The Blues are two earthy chaps

who are rather bullish about their chances of winning.

We've got to beat those women!

Well, all of that's still to come.

First, let me remind you of today's rules.

Each team gets £300 and are allowed to shop for three items

which they sell later at auction.

The team wins that makes the most profit.

So, let's go and meet today's teams.

Well, today is a family show and for the Reds,

we've got mother and daughter, Gill and Rebecca - hello, girls.

-Hi, Tim.

-Hello, Tim.

-And for the Blues, we've got father and son, Peter and Gavin.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Lovely to see you. So, Gill - is this beautiful daughter your only beautiful daughter?

No, I have another beautiful daughter, her name's Lucy

and she also works as cabin crew, as Rebecca does.

-Gosh, a double whammy!

-A double whammy.

-..Of air hostesses.

-Exactly.

And what do you work at?

At the moment, I'm a doctor's receptionist, but years ago,

I did work for Peter Wilson's,

the auction house that we're going to be selling our items at.

-Well, that's amazing, isn't it?

-Yes. It was 33 years ago though, Tim!

Well, you don't need to do the maths!

-Just cos you started working when you were 14!

-That's very kind!

No, seriously.

Do you think you'll get some unfair advantage going back to

the auction house to sell your Bargain Hunt lots?

I don't think so - I was in the back office, on the sales invoices.

OK. Now, Rebecca, you're a high-flyer.

-Have you always wanted to work with the airline industry?

-Well, no, Tim.

I finished my A levels and thought I'd take a gap year.

Turns out I joined the airlines and here I am,

seven years later, still on my gap year!

Make us all really jealous - tell us about the places you've visited.

Some of my favourite places...

I do really like Las Vegas, Japan is another really nice place to go to.

But we fly all over, we go to Africa and Australia, so it's a good mix.

I'm feeling terribly sorry for you(!)

So what's your strategy, girls?

Considering we've never actually bought or sold anything

at auction before, that's going to be quite a big hurdle.

Yeah. We're just going to trust our instincts.

If it's something we like,

there could be the chance that somebody else might like it too.

-Going to go with your heart.

-We are.

-Yes.

I like the thought of that.

Very good luck. Now, boys, what do you think about the opposition?

Very attractive!

No, no, I'm talking about their buying and selling skills!

Well, time will tell. We're fairly confident this side of the border.

You're very competitive, you and your boy,

but you don't necessarily see eye-to-eye, do you?

Never! No, we have a lot of arguments I'm afraid.

-We're as different as chalk and cheese.

-Are you?

What are the differences between you?

Well, Gavin, he's very laid back, you can see that.

-He's a bit like a hippy, I'd say.

-Yes?

Whereas I'm a self-employed agricultural engineer

and I have to work a little bit harder than him.

So tell us about the agricultural business, then - what do you specialise in?

Quad bikes.

I'm a local business and 80% of our business is buying, selling

and repairing quad bikes.

-Gavin, are you interested in farm machinery?

-Not at all, really.

No. What do you hope to do eventually?

I've looked into doing teaching.

I did an English degree at Aberystwyth University.

Yeah, primary school teaching for the future, maybe.

Are you going to be able to beat these lovely girls today?

Well, according to women, men still rule the world,

and we're going to win!

-Ooh!

-We're confident!

-I think on that happy note,

I'll give you the money and I'd better separate each team!

Here's your £300, you know the rules, your experts await

and off you go and very, very, very good luck!

Just don't argue with him, eh?

So, who ARE today's experts?

He's flying high - he's roaring with enthusiasm.

And he's trotting along like a horse,

Thomas Plant is leading our ladies in red.

For the boys in blue, we have the old stager,

our wise man of antiques, David Barby.

No time to hang about - they are off!

I think we need to go the area where nobody else has been.

-We need to buy things which reflect you.

-Let's have a look.

They're searching high and low, outdoors and indoors.

And what a surprise - the girls have gone straight for something pink.

They're quite cute, aren't they?

-They're very sweet. They're coffee cans.

-OK.

They're Shelley china, which is a very good make.

The thing about Shelley is one has to check the condition.

Shelley has a tendency to have a hairline round the bottom.

So you're just checking that it's absolutely perfect.

-Now, what appeals? Cos they're pink?

-BOTH: Yeah.

-I've got a car the same colour as that.

-No!

-You haven't got a car this colour?

-I have!

-I don't believe you!

-It's true.

-Yep.

What's your very best on those?

What have we got there?

The silver's by Adie Brothers, incidentally.

So it's all top makers. 1926.

Um...

I can take the 30 off that, make it 100.

So that would make it a nice, round figure.

Would it be possible to make it two figures?

-Three sounds better to me.

-How much do you like them?

-I actually really like them, I think they're cute.

-Go for it.

Even at that figure, I don't know if there's a profit there,

and that's what we're here to make.

OK, OK.

Would you do them at 90?

He'll do them at 90.

-I think...

-Come on, look at these two!

-I think we'll go for it, then - do you think so?

-Yep, go for it.

-Yes, we'll have them.

-Even though I've told you that we're here to make a profit?

We've got two, possibly three other things to make a profit on.

Even if these make a small, little profit, we'll go for it.

Thank you very much indeed and I hope you do very well with them.

BOTH: Thank you very much.

There's no point praying, Thomas.

I don't think the great man upstairs is going to help you get these girls under control.

I think the pink coffee cans are extraordinary.

I would never have bought them, but if they believe that they're

going to make a profit, I'm with them all the way.

Well, you're supposed to be advising them, Thomas!

The Blues, and Barby's trying to tempt the savage beasts

with something rather pretty.

What is interesting about this,

it falls into a category of Oriental, maybe Japanese influence,

that came in towards the end of the 19th century.

We call that Arts and Crafts, or Aesthetic Movement.

There were a number of companies producing.

This major did these very attractive glazes.

There's no mark on the bottom,

no mark. What does that say, that symbol there?

Nine shillings.

Nine shillings in about 1890. What would it be now?

-I dunno!

-A lot of money, I should think!

-About £100 or something.

-Easily.

-So, it was highly regarded.

What I like about this is all this decoration -

I like the way the glaze runs and gathers in certain areas.

Can you see that?

It's not a named pot.

Let's have a look - how much are they asking?

-55.

-Ooh, dear. 55. That's a lot of money.

The very best would be 25.

-Your very, very best?

-Very, VERY best, 25.

-You wouldn't take 20, would you?

-No, it'd have to be 25.

Could we split the difference at 22?

Oh, go on then. Yes.

-At £22?

-Yeah, that's fine.

-Condition's very good.

It is nice.

It's a shame that there's no manufacturing mark.

-I think this is a good piece of art.

-I think it's well worth buying.

I think we're going to make money on it.

And we've got to beat those women! That's the main thing!

-They'll buy things that are pink.

-Barby, have you been spying on them?

I think that's very nice. At £22, I think it's a must-buy.

I think so, as well.

It screams, "Buy me!"

-Shall we shake on that?

-Thank you very much, sir.

Thank you very much, it's very kind of you.

Well, that bright yellow is screaming at me, too.

But, Barby, if you think there's a profit, I won't criticise.

Let's just wait and see, eh?

Our girls are staying all girly and looking now for bling,

and it looks like Thomas is in tune with them.

So I've found something Rebecca, which is just up your street.

This is what you should have in your handbag while on the planes,

just as a travelling piece.

So it's a cut-glass bottle, made by Mappin & Webb, I think...

Yeah, looks like Mappin & Webb, but just in case you're caught short,

-a toothbrush...

-Toothbrush for a horse, maybe!

And a brush!

-Look at this.

-You don't need any more than that to travel, do you?

That's all you need, isn't it?

-Look at that, isn't that just something else?

-That's cute.

It's in bone, it's 19...

Oh, probably quite early, probably 1920s.

But what an amazing thing.

-Do you think that could make any money?

-Yes.

-What a fun thing.

-How much are they asking?

-I don't know.

-< Terry!

-How much is this?

< 24.

-Do you think there's profit in that one?

-I can't come any lower.

-Oh, yes you can! For me!

-I'm very, very sorry.

-Go on, make it...

You could round it down to 20, at least.

I'm sorry, no. I'll do it for 22 and that's me best.

-22, what do you think?

-What do you reckon?

-Yeah.

-Shall we go for it?

-Yeah, I think so. We'll go for it. 22, we'll go with that.

-OK, thank you.

-That's OK.

£22, eh? I fear they may get the brush-off at the auction!

Anyway, I've been combing the fair for something really hair-raising myself.

"What's this wooden plaque got to do with the French Revolution?" I hear you ask.

Did I hear you ask that? Anyway, I've asked the question.

And the answer is that in 1792,

Louis XVI was holed up in the Tuileries Palace in Paris

and the revolutionaries were determined to take him.

He was guarded by a detachment of Swiss Guards

and in the fracas, all the Swiss were slaughtered.

Around 700 Swiss mercenaries lost their life

and that was a terrible thing for the Swiss.

By 1818, they'd raised some cash to form a memorial in Lucerne

and this thing is now known as the Lucerne lion.

It is the memorial

designed by the famous Danish neoclassical sculptor, Thorvaldsen,

and it's carved into an enormous cliff face in Lucerne.

This thing is at least 40 or 50 feet long in the flesh.

We have a representation of the pride

and heroism of Switzerland which is in the form of this lion,

lying, dying on the ground with the remnants of a spear

puncturing its back with a bit of blood dribbling out.

It's dying on top of a shield,

a shield that's carved with the emblem of the French royal family,

a fleur de lys, and sitting up in the background

is another shield showing the Swiss flag, the Red Cross.

What's it doing here in Oswestry? Well, that's a very good question.

Because this thing has been carved out of a solid lump of lime wood

and it's been carved most beautifully

as a representation for the tourists to take home as a gift.

What's a little thing like this worth? Well, it's a beautiful piece of carving.

You could buy it here for £40, but in Switzerland,

to one of those Swiss burghers, I reckon it's worth nigh-on £250.

How's that?

Any other questions?

No? Good!

Well then, on with the bargain hunting.

Woof! The Blues are about to be dogged by trouble.

-I was looking at this dog for 90. Is that...?

-90?!

-Do you like that, Gavin?

-Um... You're not so keen?

Well, I think the plaque has been put on later.

-Yeah.

-What's your very best on that?

Your very, very best, please.

I could do it for you for 70.

You like it?

Not THAT much!

-THEY LAUGH

-I think we should move on.

Gavin's trying to move on but Peter's still sniffing around.

Well, what about... You'd do it at 60 for this young lad?

What's going on here? I thought you blokes didn't like it?

-Please? Thank you very much.

-I think we should move on.

Your father's shaken on it.

-OK.

-Oh, my goodness. Peter's gone and bought it.

Peter, that was very spontaneous, actually.

Before Gavin actually agreed! It's his choice!

-He didn't shake hands on it...

-We'd be a week!

-I'm going to put another thing into the equation.

-OK.

Out of the corner of my eye, whilst you were shaking hands,

I looked at this little piece here,

which is gilded bronze.

This is 19th century,

and that's priced at 75.

Which one do you like, out of the two?

Gavin?

I can see that this dog is clearly more weighty than this one.

-So I'm guessing this one has got more quality to it.

-It has.

If I go back on the deal, will I have to have my hand cut off,

-is that how it works?!

-No, no, no!

-If THEY don't cut your hand off,

-I

-will! Good lord.

I think as long as this young lady secures a sale, she'll be happy.

So either this or this.

Now, what do you think about this one?

It's... We love dogs.

Oh, well...!

Why didn't you TELL me that?!

We love dogs and this is, I can see, a quality item.

How much would you value it?

I think that's the nicer piece, actually.

How much do you think this would go at auction?

Well, I think possibly more than that.

I love the way that the sculptor's created the hair.

That's superb detail, isn't it?

And if you look on the bottom, these are the old square section screws,

so this is a piece that dates from the 19th century.

What's the best you can do on this object, please?

I've got 75 on, what about 65?

-No...

-Make me an offer.

I'm going to make an offer 45.

I'll meet you in the middle - 55, and that's the lowest.

I would suggest that I have made a big error

and I think we should go with this.

-Gavin?

-I think I prefer this piece.

-I think you're right.

-I think we should go for this one.

-Hallelujah!

-Right, shake hands on this, it's your choice.

-Thank you.

Hallelujah! Right, we've got so little time!

On the purchase of the dog, Gavin was hesitant,

and not wanting to commit himself and he walked away from the dog -

he didn't want to buy it, then Peter shook hands

and said, "we'll have it!" For heaven's sake, what do you do?!

I thought it was hideous. I didn't say that to the stall holder.

Um, but we rescued it with that little ormolu dog

which I thought was brilliant.

Detail on it very good and I don't think we paid too much.

Barby might have a hang-dog expression,

but let's hope that mutt's not a howler.

Thomas had decided to abandon the girly fun items

and go all-out for something he knows about.

-Now these make a lot of money.

-OK.

Pens, OK?

Now, a whole collection here of pens.

That one is 20, that one is 25.

This one here is 25. That makes 70.

So I've asked about these - we could get the whole lot for £100.

Would they make a profit at auction? Let's see - yeah, they would.

You've got good money here, at £100 you've got a profit -

you'd make £60 profit.

-And they'd sell them as a group, you reckon?

-Yes, you'd sell them as a lot of pens.

Definitely, as a lot.

I mean, that's my advice. There's profit here.

It's not glitzy, it's not what you're about,

-but you're here to make a profit.

-Well, yeah.

-Yeah.

-I think we should take the advice.

-Yeah. And I like writing.

-Do you like writing?

-I love it. I love a good list!

Getting a good list going.

I think we'll go with that.

-I'm just thinking that they're a good purchase.

-Yeah.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, I think so.

-I know you're panicking.

-No, we're not panicking!

-It's offering you a solution.

No, I think we'll go with your advice.

Yeah? 100?

-100.

-Thank you very much.

BOTH: Thank you.

Well done, girls.

OK, have we done OK?

I know I pushed you into these, and these aren't you, but well done.

-And you've got ten minutes to spare!

-Brilliant!

-I think we've done well, haven't we?

-Shall we have tea?

-Definitely!

-Let's have a brew!

-Leave those there, we'll come back for them.

In the nick of time,

Thomas hopes he's clocked a profitable item for the girls.

Now, where on Earth are the Blues?

I think it's a French one.

Little fuchsias.

But it does need the triangular stand at the back...

..replacing. It had a very fine piece of wire in it, to hang,

but I think it needs a stand, really.

That needs a bit of silver soldering on, doesn't it?

-It does.

-Right. Very Art Nouveau.

Very, very Art Nouveau.

-It's a real cabinet piece, isn't it?

-Isn't it nice? Yes. Like that?

I do, yeah. I was thinking of something quite stylish like that.

Now, you've got 35 for damaged goods.

-Damaged goods!

-25 to you, David.

-Is it plated silver or solid silver?

-No, it's solid silver.

Just look at that.

That falls into your category of wanting something Art Nouveau.

Would you do it for 22? For this young man?

-I would do that. 22. Just for you.

-I think that's a good price.

-You like that?

-Yeah, I do like it.

-Do you know Gavin?

-It's amazing!

-Just cos the sun's shining!

-Oh, I'm very pleased.

Wow! Father and son in harmony - at last!

And with five minutes to go, excellent.

Thank you very much indeed. That's lovely of you.

-Thank you, kind of you.

-Thank you.

And that's it. All stop and let's review what the teams bought.

Our girlies in Red loved those pink coffee cans, £90 paid.

And they brushed up a travelling set for £22.

And all those pens for £100 -

will they be something to write home about, though?

We'll find out at the auction.

OK, you blooming beauties.

-You had one heck of a shop, didn't you, Thomas?

-Heck of a shop!

-Am I included in the beauty comment?

-Course you are.

You're in charge of the beauty parade. Had a good time with Thomas?

We've had a fantastic time, really enjoyed ourselves.

He's a great expert. Now, tell me, which is your favourite?

I'd have to pick the little cups, the pink and silver cups that we bought.

-They're your favourite?

-They're very girly.

And what did you spend, all told? In total, Tim, we spent £212.

That is such a mature amount of money. Lovely. I'd like the £88 please - have you got that, Gill?

-There you go, Tim.

-Thank you.

88, which goes straight over to the maestro -

this is your favourite moment, finding something to buy.

I love spending it all.

OK, well, buy sensibly, my friend.

Anyway, girls, go and sit down and have a well-earned break.

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

Our boys in Blue started on a colourful note

with the brilliant yellow pot for £22.

They paid £55 for the gilt dog - are they barking mad?

And the silver photo frame looks as pretty as a picture at £22.

Well, we only had about three minutes left...

-That's good going, isn't it?

-Very good.

Very, very good going. And I understand that you two got on

seamlessly throughout the shopping expedition.

Not quite!

Not really? Tell me, Peter, which is your favourite piece?

-The dog.

-The dog is your favourite piece.

-Yep.

-Which is your favourite piece, boy?

-The picture frame.

-Lovely - which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-The dog.

-Biggest profit?

-The pot.

OK, great. See, this is going rather well, isn't it?

-How much did you spend, all round?

-We spent £99.

Please may I have £201?

-There you are, sir.

-£200.

-There's one.

-Well, you like a tidy sum.

-I hope you're going to blow the lot.

-No, I'm not.

I'm so delighted that there was a reconciliation

between father and son on the very last buy, but I'm now perturbed,

because I've chosen one thing maybe, but I'm not certain about the other one,

and I'm really emulating what went on with the shopping.

-Does that mean you're going to find a Bonus Buy?

-Yes!

-That's all right!

Anyway, stand down, chaps. Good luck, have a cup of tea,

meanwhile we're off to Croft Castle, which is absolutely scrummy.

Rural North Herefordshire is home to Croft Castle.

Built in the 17th century, it's an early example of Gothic Revival -

a return to medieval building styles.

However, it's not just the outside that looks back to the Middle Ages for inspiration.

In the 1760s, many of the principle rooms

were remodelled in the then newly-fashionable Gothic Rococo style

by the architect Thomas Farnells Pritchard.

There's one room in particular I'm interested in today.

This room is called the Blue Room, rather appropriately, as it's painted blue.

But originally, when this panelling was moved in by local architect

Thomas Farnells Pritchard in the 1760s,

the panelling, which is Jacobean, and came from an earlier house, would have been brown.

But he decided that the blue colour scheme was rather fetching

and most of the original paintwork you can still see today.

The painted detail in the centre

is extremely unusual.

What Pritchard has achieved here is an optical illusion

called a trompe l'oeil.

He makes this flat painted surface come alive

and appear to have a 3D quality.

Each of the roundels is a carved boss called a rosace,

but the trick in the eye is to paint a shadow

on the shadow side of the boss, so that when you look at all these bosses,

and there are literally hundreds of them

painted all around this room, you get the delicious effect.

Now, the second thing that is arresting in this room

is the particularly fine quality of the fire surround.

What is extraordinary about the fire surround is that Pritchard

the architect has used it as a canvas to show off a smart picture

and what smarter picture could you have

than Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of Lady Croft?

But the real skill in this rests with the local craftsperson,

in Shrewsbury,

who carved out of lime wood,

every piece of the detail on this elaborate fire surround.

On this side, on that delicious tapering pilaster,

an axe, representing martial objects, or war,

and on the other side, musical instruments.

Down below, the architect has created another frame.

This time, to enhance the flickering fire and next door to that,

two more pilasters. This one, look, with a coiled snake -

probably representing wisdom.

The big question today is of course for our teams

over at the auction - will they be representing much wisdom?

Well, we've come to Peter Wilson's auction room in South Cheshire to sell our goods,

and our auctioneer of the moment is Robert Stones.

-Very nice to see you.

-And you.

Lovely to be back. Now, first up are the two Shelley coffee cups.

Yes, these are often, or were originally sold in case boxes,

so maybe half a dozen or so of them in the case,

and we've just got two of them.

Silver frames on them, the Shelley was manufactured up until 1925,

but I don't think the spoons relate to them at all, because they're a much later date mark on those.

-Yes.

-They're very decorative, they're pleasant enough.

-So how much for just two?

-40-60 for the those.

-Yeah, £90 paid.

The team have gone completely bonkers.

I think Rebecca went mad for them and they're going to suffer.

-Too much.

-Yes. The Mappin & Webb brushes and the dressing table pot.

-Yes.

-Nice combo?

-Well...

I know they were stored, at least the brushes were inside the bottle,

but I'm not so sure they were like that originally.

I think this is just some accessories that have come out

of a rather fine travelling case.

The giveaway is it's got Mappin & Webb on the toothbrush.

Well, they're top makers,

so it must have been a very fine piece of luggage, I suspect.

Yeah. I quite agree.

-So what's this remaining three lumps worth?

-We're saying 30-40 on those.

-Oh, brilliant, £22 our lot paid.

-Oh, very good.

-That's fine.

-So Thomas found that, he liked it. That's very good.

Thomas also went very strongly with this collection of pens.

Well, I know fountain pens are very collectible, but they've got

to be a bit more special, and this is a fairly ordinary group of pens.

They made masses of Parker pens,

there were thousands of them produced.

-What sort of estimate have you put on them?

-40-50 on those.

-They paid £100.

-Did they?

-Yeah.

Well, if you're right, they'll be £50 light on these.

These could be the dark hole into which they plunge,

in which case they'll need their Bonus Buy,

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

-Now, Gill and Bec, you OK?

-Yes, thank you!

-Do you want to know what the leftover lolly got spent on?

-We do!

-We're excited!

-All £88 of it.

Come on, Thomas, show us your wares.

-Oh!

-This is an Art Nouveau lamp base.

It's in spelter and has been bronzed to make it look like it's bronze.

Very organic in style. Imagine that with a good light fitting,

lovely shade in a living room - it's very, very stylish.

I didn't spend all your money. Have a look at it.

-How much DID you spend?

-What do you think I spent on that?

-A fiver?!

Oh, no! No, no, no!

-45.

-A bit less, £40.

-Oh, right.

And you think this is period, Tom? You think it's 1900-ish?

I think it's probably 1920s.

As late as that?

I think it's that...

It COULD be pre-WWI, but I think it's got a bit of age, definitely,

with this boned wire collar.

Big question, though - is it going to make any profit?

Um...in the past, lamps have always served me well,

so hopefully this is going to shine bright for me,

but of course that doesn't always happen.

Um, so can we have a prediction please, Tom?

£60-80, you know - I think it's a good thing.

OK, what do you think of it?

Well, I didn't like it when it was first revealed,

but now I'm thinking of a nice shade on it, I can see the possibilities.

-I think we'll definitely think about it.

-That's the spirit.

That's what I love about you.

Meanwhile, for the audience at home,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Tom's old lamp.

Here you go, Robert - something to light up your life.

Thank you very much indeed! Tim - a little lamp - isn't that a sweetie?

I think this is rather fine, don't you?

-All this casting here - we rather like it.

-What's your estimate?

-We've put on this one 50-70.

-Perfect.

Because our Thomas paid £40 and I think that's a fair price to pay.

-I'd agree.

-Right, Roberto...

That's it for the Reds, now for the Blues,

and first up is this Chinese-style pot - lovely colour, isn't it?

-It's a great colour, a commercial colour. People like that, it's a great shape.

-What's your estimate?

-We put 40-60 on it.

-Excellent. £22 paid.

-Well done.

-That should be a dead-cert profit.

-Yep.

-Lovely.

Now, Gavin went off and found this little dog which is a pointer?

Yes - French, bronze, gilded,

great quality. It's a good thing. I rate it.

-How much?

-We're saying 60-80.

-Excellent, £55 paid. That's another certain profit.

-They'll do well.

-Lastly, what about the little so-called silver frame.

-Yes, well,

we're back to the age-old story- it hasn't got a hallmark,

and if it hasn't got a hallmark, we only call it white metal -

that is a legal requirement in our catalogue, so...

-OK.

-We're looking at a frame here that's got no hallmark,

but it's pretty and it's well made.

-How much?

-We put 30-40 on it.

-Excellent - £22 paid.

-Profit again!

So we have three predicted profits - very good, Robert.

Thank you - that doesn't happen very often.

So clearly, Gavin, Peter and David Barby have been extremely cunning

in the way in which they've spent their cash.

They probably won't need the Bonus Buy, but we're going to go and have a look at it anyway.

-Now, Gavin and Peter, you've spent a miserable £99...

-Yep.

And D Barby had £201 - a phenomenal amount - what did you find, David?

Something I simply adore.

This is a girandole, a mirror with the provision for candles,

so you get three candles here which would reflect in the mirror

and conduct light round the room.

The date of this is, I'd say, the third quarter of the 19th century,

and this falls in line with the Arts and Crafts Movement

and it has an influence of Dutch.

-I really like that.

-You really like this?

-Yeah, I do like that, yeah.

-Is it silver?

-I wish it were!

No, this is silver plate.

This is mounted onto a rather faded green panel

-and this would've been hung on the wall.

-And how much was that?

It was very expensive - I nearly spent the whole lot...

on another object, and I bought this for 40!

£40? Is that all?

It was black. So I had to do a little bit of polish on it.

Did you? I never knew you brought your Brasso with you!

-Borrowed it from the hotel!

-Did you?

-Yes!

Well, how much love does an expert have for his subject to do a bit of polishing?!

-I want to win!

-And he's competitive!

No, seriously, so there we go. That's a good object, then.

Do we agree? Everybody happy with that?

You're a lucky old team. Anyway, you don't have to pick it now,

you may pick it after the sale of your first three items,

but let's find out what our auctioneer thinks about David's rather clever buy.

Well, this is elaborate, Robert, isn't it?

Yes, I like it, Tim, I think it's a really nice thing.

A Girandole, we've got the embossed EPNS frame here.

These are actually hinged, the candle sockets,

a bevelled glass mirror. And the velvet frame.

I think this is a really nice decorative thing.

-So, how much?

-60-80.

-Brilliant.

-That cunning fox David Barby paid £40.

-Did he? That's a good buy.

To pay £40 trade, in a fair, I think is excellent.

Anyway, the next challenge is over to you.

-Are you taking the sale today?

-I am.

-We're in safe hands!

£30 I'm bid, at £30, five, 35, 35, your bid...

40 anywhere? At £35, then. At £35, and will be sold at £35...

Just look at these girls! Are you excited, Gill, or what?

We're very excited, aren't we, Becs?

Anyway, so how do you think you're going to do today?

I think we're going to do brilliant, we've got every faith in what we bought.

So we've got an exciting moment - a room absolutely crammed

with people - half of Cheshire has turned out for this auction today.

Shelley china coffee cans with silver frames,

ladies and gentlemen, £30 to start them off at £30.

Rather nice. At 30. At 30, I'm bid straight away. And 35,

40 now, 40 bid, 45, 50 now.

50 bid, 55, 60 now, 55 in the doorway, 55,

60 anywhere now? 55 in the doorway, £55, 60 anywhere else?

At £55, at £55. Will be sold at £55 only, then...

-Oh!

-£55...

is minus £35.

That's not good.

-Not a good start.

-We'll make it up.

-Come on.

This delightful silver-topped bottle with the toothbrush and nailbrush in there.

What will we say for it? Give me a starter - £30 it's got to be.

£30 for this? At £30, 30 bid straight away.

Five now, do I hear?

At £30, 35 anywhere now, do I hear?

-The bid's there.

-I don't see it, do you?

At £30, don't move a muscle, anyone,

cos I'll take a bid off you!

-At £30.

-DO move a muscle!

At £30, all finished and done.

£30, that is plus eight pounds.

At least it's a profit.

-That's good.

-Now, for the pens.

'The girls are sinking fast. Can Thomas's pens save the day?'

A really good collecting thing these days - fountain pens - a lovely lot.

£30 to start them off.

At £30, start me off at 30.

Bid, £30, straight away.

£35, 40 now, at 40 bid, and five now.

At 40, the bid's there. Five anywhere else?

At 40, the bid's in the doorway,

at £40. 45 anywhere? At 40, the bid's there.

At 40, last chance, at £40 then, being sold...

-at 40.

-£40.

That's minus 60, which overall is minus 87.

That's quite a sting that, isn't it?

-That's a big sting.

-That's a big old sting.

-That is all one's worst dreams come true.

-It is, isn't it?

What are we going to do about the lamp base, girls?

I think we'll go for it.

-You're going to go for it?

-Can't get any worse, can it, to be fair?

It's not been brilliant. It's not been your lucky day, I tell you.

Anyway, we're going with the Bonus Buy - here it comes. Good luck.

Lot number 60, ladies and gentlemen, now I like this.

This is a really nice Art Nouveau table lamp base - a lovely thing.

£40 to start it off,

that's no money at all for this, ladies and gents, start me off.

£40 anywhere now? Two hands at once.

45, 50, 50 bid. 55, 60 now,

you can't go wrong. £60. 65, 60 is your bid at £60.

65 anywhere else? At 60 and five now, do I hear? At £60 only.

At 60 now...

Well done, Thomas - that's a profit of £20,

which means overall you are minus £67.

Listen, that could be a winning score, all right, girls?

Very easily, if things go on the way they're going!

So don't say a word to the Blues, OK? Well done. Good sports, eh?

-Gavin, Peter, do you know how the Reds got on?

-BOTH: No.

-Good.

We don't want you to. Peter, how are you feeling?

-I'm feeling very confident.

-Are you?

But I still think that men rule the world and we're going to win!

Oh, dear!

Well, you stand by for the hate mail! David and I will step back!

Anyway, first lot up, Peter, is your pot and here it comes.

Arts and Crafts type vase,

that's the one, very decorative, we like it a lot,

-£40 I'm bid straight away, at 40.

-Straight in at 40.

£40 on commission, 45 is over there, 50 is it now?

45 your bid, at 45, 50 is it now?

45, the bid's there, 45, at 45.

50 anywhere? At £45, bid's there, at 45, going to be sold, at 45.

£23 up, I love it. £23, you've doubled your money.

Oh, this is beautiful, lovely.

Here's your dog.

19th century French ormolu,

that's a bronze, it's gilded, lovely thing.

Nice thing. £60 is cheap.

So who's going to bid? There should be a sea of hands up at £60.

Start me off at £60, anywhere now.

65 is on the internet, it's outbid anybody in the room!

At 65, it's on the internet. At 65, 70 is it now? 70 bid.

75 on the internet? 75.

80? 85 now.

85 is it now?

85. At £80, it's in the room.

This is for nothing, I promise you.

It is nothing.

At £80 bid in the room. 85 anywhere else?

At £80 only, at £80 and it will be sold...

at 80 only then...

That's plus £25. It could have made more, but it made a profit.

That's the main thing.

Lot number 78, ladies and gentlemen, the lovely little frame here.

£20 I'm bid, at 20 and five anywhere now?

25, 30, five, 40,

40 bid. 45, 50...

No - 45, your bid at 45.

50 anywhere else? At £45, bid's there at £45.

All finished and done, at 45.

That's plus £23.

-You have 23, 23 and 25 pounds.

-Gosh, that's good, isn't it it?

Overall, that is plus £71. So, are you going with the Bonus Buy?

Yes, we're going to go with it.

Well done. That's excellent. Going with the Bonus Buy. Here it comes.

The Arts and Crafts design, girandole, lovely thing,

great quality, £50 to start it off.

£50 anywhere now, do I hear? £50 surely, at 50,

who's with me now, at £50?

-Come along now, at £50.

-I can't believe this!

-At 50, surely?

At £50 now, at 50 do I hear...?

You shouldn't be hesitating at this, it's a quality thing here.

50 I'm bid, and five now do I hear?

We got 50.

Five now, at £50 only,

-that is all. At £50 only.

-I can't believe this, Tim.

Are we all finished at £50 only then?

£50, but it's a profit.

-Yeah, that's all right.

-I know...

It is plus £10, but he wants to see the plus 50 or £80,

which is what it ought to have done. Anyway, there we are.

We got what we got, can't be greedy, you got a profit on all items,

you got a profit on your Bonus Buy, that means you are £81 up.

-That's awesome.

-That's great.

-Just don't say a word to the Reds, no point in spoiling their day!

-No.

Well, what a lovely day we've had, haven't we, teams?

-Lovely!

-I mean, we've had glamour

and we've had hard-headedness today!

And who do you suppose is ahead? Have you been chatting at all?

-ALL: No!

-You haven't. Well, I'm terribly sorry to tell you,

but glamour has lost out today, big time.

Minus £67 overall score,

-it was not going your way today, was it?

-BOTH: No!

-Have you had a good time?

-We've had a lovely time.

I've loved meeting you, too.

-Thanks, Tim.

-Rebecca, been all right for you?

It's been wonderful, had a great day.

And you've been really good sports.

Thank you very much for coming and jollying up our day.

But these ugly brutes over here...they're the victors,

by making a profit on every single item,

so all three items that you bought made a profit,

David Barby's Bonus Buy made a profit,

so everybody's incredibly happy on this side of the trench.

In fact, you're going home with £81 profit in your pocket.

There's the £80, there's the £1,

and bearing in mind you only spent £99 to start off with,

that is pretty good going!

Anyway, because you have made a profit

on all three of your items, you're admitted to the ancient

and venerable order of Golden Gavellers -

here's your Golden Gavel...

We don't have golden gavels any more, so we lob out these tie pins

on the rare occasions where somebody does make a profit on all three items.

Anyway, we've had a great time, join us soon

-for some more Bargain Hunting, yes?

-ALL: Yes!

I know, you're sitting there thinking,

"I could have done better than that!"

Well, what's stopping you?

If you think you can spot a bargain, go to our BBC website and apply -

it'll be splendid to see you!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected].