Kent 23 Bargain Hunt

Today, I'm in Kent, front line of the Battle of Britain,

so chocks away, let's go bargain hunting. Yeah!

During the war, there were numerous air battles

across the skies of Kent,

but today, how many dogfights are there going to be

between our contestants as they scramble for all these bargains?

'Coming up, war breaks out on the Red Team.'

-Get your hands off my buttons.

-'What did she say?

'And the Blue Team sounds a call to arms.'

-TUNELESS SOUND

-'Well, sort of.'

The game goes something like this.

We have two teams, one hour and £300 with which they buy three items.

And the team wins that makes the biggest profit, so let's meet today's teams.

Well, our teams have cruised in from all over the place today.

-For the Reds, we've got Sarah and Matthew.

-Hi, Tim.

-Hi.

And for the Blues, we've got Chic and Beth.

-Sarah, how did you meet Matthew?

-I'm his landlord.

I'm the facilities manager for The Pantiles. He came in and said, "I'd like a shop." I said, "Here you go."

-You gave him the keys?

-Yeah, and off he went into the sunset.

-What do you get up to when you're not managing The Pantiles?

-I try and keep fit, so I do a lot of zumba.

-What's that?

-It's like dancing, but it's quite intense.

-It's to African music.

-You don't by any chance throw your leg up a bit?

-Like the cancan?

-Yeah, we do that on this programme, but at the other end.

OK, well, I might save it for that.

Absolutely. This programme is known for throwing its leg up at the end.

If you've been doing the zumba, you'll be well qualified for that.

Matthew, you're from America and you know Bill Clinton intimately?

Not intimately, but I did get to meet him twice when he was running for President.

I got to speak with him and encourage him on to avoid all the scandal-mongering that was going on.

I said it was like McCarthy and the witch hunts, only to find out later it was true.

-So how is the coffee business going?

-It's going well. It's been growing quite a bit.

It's unusual that you can drink coffee on the premises. We sell the whole bean as well as the ground.

So it's not just drinking it there?

-No, we have over 85 different coffees from all over the globe.

-How fascinating!

I bet the smell in your shop is just divine.

It's really good. Clearly, I smell like it most of the time. I don't even notice it any more.

They think you're a Nicaraguan bean.

That's right. They think, "Something smells good." I guess it's me.

Tell us about your shopping plans today. What strategy have you got?

-Any coffee-related items would be good for me.

-I've got a thing for buttons.

-Have you?

-Silver buttons.

-So buttons and coffee-related items might be the target for Detling Fair today.

-If we can.

-Possibly.

-I think we'll have fun with you two.

Thank you very much. Now, moving on to Chic and Beth...

Chic, that is quite an unusual name. Give me some origins.

Chic is a Scottish version of Charles and the American version is Chuck.

-Is that right?

-Yeah.

-Well, we're all learning something.

Absolutely. An education.

-Beth, you've got a history of cruising.

-Yes.

I worked on a cruise ship. I was a Saga representative.

I went on lots of trips and thoroughly enjoyed it,

but the very first one I went on, a total novice, never knew one end of the ship to the other...

-and I met my lovely man.

-Did you really?

-Yes.

-How lovely!

-We were both working there.

-Yeah.

You were the senior photographer. He was wonderful.

He used to run around the decks with his lovely white outfit, white trousers, white top.

-Yeah.

-Lovely. And he's been with me ever since.

Thank you.

I think I'm going to burst into tears!

-I know. I love it too.

-Chic, you've done a lot of other things, apart from taking snaps on cruise ships.

I have indeed. I've been a film editor, the photography, I've had my own art galleries in Scotland.

I've been an organiser for art fairs recently.

-A lovely, varied career.

-Yes.

You've had experience in collecting and dealing?

Mainly painting. I've bought and sold art for many years.

-Let's hope you find a painting or two today.

-That's what I'm hoping for.

-That would be nice.

Now, the money moment. Here you go, £300 apiece.

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

'Our experts today are primed and standing by.

'Dressing for the occasion, it's David Barby for the Red Team.

'And trying to get all ship-shape for the Blues, it's Philip Serrell.'

Here we are in Detling. We've now got one hour. Have you got a plan?

-What are you looking for?

-We did have a plan. We're not sure now.

-Coffee items would be good.

-Coffee pots?

-Coffee pots, coffee tins.

Really, we've got to crack on.

-Why buttons?

-I just like them.

-Go on.

-Come on.

Let's have a quick look round.

-This is interesting, David.

-What's that?

-This is a briki. It's used to make Greek or Turkish coffee.

I would have thought this was cafe au lait and we're missing the other pot, so you have two to pour.

-Oh, right.

-'What's this, David? Telling Matthew his own business?

'Well, Matthew's learnt something already today.

'Meanwhile, the Blues have found something rather unusual.'

-Chic...

-Yeah?

What do you reckon to all that balustrade over there?

-They're interesting.

-The look on your face is priceless. She just went, "Oh, my..."

-Goodness gracious!

-Is this yours?

-Yes.

-Ten of them, is there?

-How much are those balustrades, please?

-About £60 the lot.

-Ten of them, is there?

-Yeah.

-OK.

They're only cast concrete and they're quite fun things, aren't they?

-Is there any age on these at all?

-Only about 20 years on each of them.

-I'm older than them.

What are you going to do with these?

Well, they're four legs of a really cool table with a plate-glass top on it.

-Oh!

-You could use them for going down steps on a terrace. 101 different things.

There's no age to them. What are they going to make at auction?

I think they'll make probably 30 to 50, 40 to 60 quid.

-They'd do as dumbbells.

-Absolutely.

-If push came to shove, would 40 quid buy them?

-Certainly.

-I've got a feeling already about them.

-A bad one or a good one?

-No, good.

-I wouldn't have thought about them at all...

-Can you do us a real favour?

We've got to go and look round. If you said 30 quid now, we'd take 'em now.

-35?

-Pay the man.

-£35.

Thank you so much. You've got a nice face.

'Stone the crows, whatever next?'

Come on, we want some glamour.

-What do you think?

-It's impressive. I like it. It's in good condition, isn't it?

All the buttons are there.

-1963.

-Yeah.

So it's not an old one.

-Do you like it, Sarah?

-It's not something I would buy.

-I could wear it instead of the fleece.

-It pretty much matches our outfit, doesn't it?

-In reserve, OK.

-Did you not like that uniform?

-I'd have the buttons off it.

It's just that people like to have dummies and dress them up or even have a uniform framed...

I'm not sure I want to endorse those people!

-Do you know what that is?

-No idea.

You have that in your coat pocket and when you're as old as I am,

you take that with you when you're putting your wellingtons on, you put that on the floor like that

-and it pulls your welly off.

-We're not quite there yet.

-Speak for yourself, my love.

'Come on, Phil, OLD chap, you can do better than that.

'Now, where are the Reds off to?'

-Oh, look, buttons!

-Buttons!

-Do you want to have a look at them?

-Yes, please.

-Sir, could we have a look at those buttons? Thank you.

There you are. Hold them and see what you think of them.

-There are six. Six in the original box?

-Yes.

-I'll take one out.

Is it like a little naked cherub?

-Are they all hallmarked?

-Yes, there's the hallmark on the back.

And there's a little dancing cherub. How much are they?

They've got the maker's name, Nathan and Hayes. They should be Birmingham then. £85.

-Ooh!

-It's a bit much.

-It's more than we wanted to spend, isn't it?

-What's the very best you can do on these?

-70.

What about a kiss from Sarah?

LAUGHTER I've heard that one before. 70.

-70 is your very best price.

-They are silver.

-Yes.

-Which is good.

I'd like to say £10 per button.

Yeah. £60?

-I think that sounds like a fair price.

-Go on.

-65. How's that?

-Is that...? 65?

-It's our first purchase. I think we should.

-OK.

-65...

-65?

-Yeah, sure.

-65.

-OK.

I might have beaten him down to about 50.

-No, I can't...

-He was determined.

-I think we did well there.

That was so quick, actually. That's your choice, isn't it?

-That's my buttons.

-That's very nice.

-Get your hands off my buttons!

-I do like...

'Moving swiftly on... That's one in the bag for the Reds. Time to check out what the Blues are up to.'

How old do you think he is?

-I would say it's pre-1950s, actually.

-Would you?

-Yes.

If you look very closely, it's marked "West Germany"

-and the little elephant's crown on it is just there.

-Yeah, look.

-I see it, yeah.

-It is the original trademark.

-There are a lot of reproductions.

-I don't think this is repro, but let's see what happens if we...

-I like that.

-It is fully working.

-Yeah, unlike us.

-Yeah.

-Do you like that?

-I do.

-I like it too.

-Why? Who's going to buy that in an auction?

-It just appeals.

It just appeals to you and somebody else at an auction, it will appeal to them.

I think, at auction, that's going to make between £30 and £45,

so you've got to buy them at the bottom end if we can.

The lowest price on that would be 30. And I'm loath to let it go at 30.

-Yeah.

-I'll tell you what I think.

I think you should buy it.

At 30 quid, the worst that can happen is you lose a tenner

and the best that can happen is you make 20 quid.

-In Bargain Hunt terms, that's a result.

-Yes, it is.

-Or break even.

-Yeah, somewhere between the two. But I love it.

-I do as well.

-Go on then.

'That's two down, but will that buy get them in a spin at auction?'

-Matthew, Sarah, now look at those.

-Oh!

-What do you think? Just hold one.

-I like the feel of it.

-They're very tactile.

-They're nice to feel, but I'm not sure about...

-Is it silver?

No, that'll be silver plate.

-They're Doulton?

-They're Doulton.

All stamp marks here and there's the initials of the artist.

-Yeah, on both.

-In fact, they've named the artist as Bessie Newbury.

-£130.

£130 the pair. I think they've got to be much more reasonable. I'll just go and ask the stallholder.

-Is that the one with the price on the bottom?

-Yes, there you go.

You've done really well. The easiest thing is to relax and think, "We've got this made,"

then we panic-buy something for 100 quid.

-So I think we'll rein in the pretty one here.

-Oh, right, yeah.

-Two uglies and a pretty.

-Speak for yourself!

Right, he's prepared to come down from £130 to £90.

-For the pair?

-For the pair. The reason being that he's had these for some little while.

-OK.

-He wants to move them on.

So that's £45 each.

-You lot are doing rather well.

-We'd like to think so.

-What have we got here?

-Some Doulton pieces.

They are signed, initialled, silver plate. They're very reasonable at £90 for the pair.

Sarah's rather interested from the feminist point of view.

Yes, they employed women and paid them the same as the men.

-I didn't know that. You're frightfully mugged up on all of this.

-Mugged up?

-She's a mug.

-I'm definitely a mug!

-Tim, what do you think?

-I don't know, really.

-I get so nervous about Doulton at auction.

-Doulton, yes.

-It's not the kiss of death, don't get me wrong, but we've had so many...

-Failures.

Not because they're bad things. They're good things.

-It's not fashionable.

-They just don't seem to make money.

But these are younger designs.

They're '30s designs. I quite like that muddiness and they've got the silver mounts. What might they be?

-£90 the pair.

-£45 each.

-It's getting to the borderline of being bottom-clenchingly good.

-Yeah.

Are we quite at the borderline?

I mean, £80, you'd have a seamless clench, wouldn't you?

-This is it.

-I think we need to haggle a bit more.

-Maybe I need to go and...

-We need three clenches. We've just got to have these for £80.

-Shall we walk along like this?

LAUGHTER

Clench, love, clench.

Just settle down, kids. I'm going to leave you with that thought.

-I think you've got a great team here.

-I think so.

-Anyway, I'm offski. Bye-bye.

-Bye.

-Bye.

At the end of the day, it has to be your decision, madam.

-I think we need to come back.

-Come back.

-OK.

-'I fear I may have put them off. Hey-ho.'

-Practical.

PLAYS A FEW NOTES

I think he's blowing the retreat. Come on, off we go.

'Shake a leg, teams. Time's marching on.'

Is there anything here that you like?

I quite like this.

-'Ooh-ah, that's bright!'

-This one here?

-Hmm.

Well, this is by quite a well-known artist.

This is by Bjorn Wiinblad.

And he designed for various companies in the '60s, '70s and this one is for Rosenthal.

-A German company then?

-Very, very fine quality porcelain.

But I think the colours, you're quite right, are so startling. They're like jewels.

I love all this gilt. But I love the subject matter. It's the opera -

Der Rosenkavalier. This is a scene.

You've got a couple in bed there, a lot of activity going on here.

You've got another couple racing in front...

It's even got the full dressings for the curtains. It's lovely.

-This is wonderful.

-Would it have been hand-painted?

-This is all hand-painted. It's quality.

-It's flawless.

-It's quality, quality, quality.

-It goes with you two.

-Let's have it, have it, have it.

-We always wanted to buy quality. It's £59.

-I don't "£59" like it.

I think anything around the 50 mark... We want to keep that from the stallholder.

-Keep it down.

-Who's going to do the bargaining? David?

-Excuse me.

-Good morning.

-Good morning to you. You've got £59 on this Rosenthal plate.

-What's the very best price you can do on this, please?

-At 59, I was looking for 50.

-Oh, ouch!

-Is that your very, very best? Look at the pain on his face!

What about 30?

No, that's too cheeky, I'm afraid. Far too cheeky.

-Could you compromise?

-What were you wanting? What sort of price?

-40.

-40.

-40?

-Well, I'll go to 43 to be helpful. How does that sound?

-43...

-That's good.

-You've made a decision?

-We've made a decision.

-I think so. We've made a decision.

-Hallelujah!

-Do you need to have a lie-down?

-I do.

'I know I do. Smelling salts, anyone?

'Two in the bag for the Reds. Can the Blues top those lumps of concrete?'

Do you know what this is, Beth? What do you think that is?

Something to put a hot dish on? It's too ornate for that, isn't it? It's very pretty. I like it.

-It's a bronze mirror.

-Is it?

-Yeah, it's a Japanese mirror.

-Really?

-Yeah.

I think they should make a lot of money and these things at auction make 15 to 30 quid.

-My goodness!

-Nice things, though, aren't they?

-They are very nice.

'Could do with a polish!'

-Oh, I do like those.

-They're so impractical. They're pretty, but...

-Why does anything have to be practical?

-It doesn't, but if you compare these...

-We're in a society where things have to be...

-This is dented.

-Where's that?

-The lip has been...

-You've got a very good eye.

-Thank you.

-He really has.

-What about the wishbone?

-I do like the...

-The wishbone sugar tongs? They're both nice. They're cute.

-Yeah, they are cute.

-They're sweet, aren't they?

-The small one is 1905.

-It's a nice piece of silver.

-They don't meet, do they? These do.

They feel tighter as well. Those feel loose.

Those would be for coffee, taking sugar lumps from a coffee pot.

That would relate to your subject.

-Yeah, it would.

-Do you want them?

-I'm not sure.

-Do you want to think...?

I also like... How would you compare these to the vases?

That's entirely in your hands.

-You wanted something silver.

-We did.

-It's getting away from...

-We're running out of time as well.

This is tough. I do prefer the smaller ones.

-Don't you? What did she say it was?

-38.

Could you do it less than 38? Could you do it at 30?

-No.

-We just don't have much money left.

-32?

-I'll do 35.

What are you going to buy for £35?

A meal out? A cup of coffee in your establishment?

-That's true. Shall we go for the sugar tongs?

-OK.

-Or do you want to go for the vases?

'Make a decision, Reds!'

-We've got to have a quick plan. We've got five minutes and we've got to buy something.

-'Exactly!'

-Your call.

-It's a different price league.

-It is.

-Be decisive.

-90 versus the 30...

-I think those...

-We'll do that then.

-35?

-35. Thank you.

-'Hallelujah!'

-He takes ages to make a decision!

-I'm very indecisive.

-Really!

Nice, isn't it?

It's nice, but it's going to be plated. Put it down for a second.

If we come back to it, what's the very best we could do on that?

I'm looking for around about 60, each.

Thank you. Come on, I'm getting really fractious at the minute.

I cannot believe we've actually shopped for three items!

You're such a difficult customer! Let's go and get a coffee.

'No coffee for you, I'm afraid, Blues. Come along, chop-chop!'

Here's a quick question. We've got about 50 quid to spend and we need to buy...

I know, I know. And we'd like to buy a bit of silver if we can.

What's going to make us a profit at auction?

What, 1991?

Oh, this is a panic!

How much are those little napkin rings?

-They're 145.

-No. Unless you can do it for 50 quid!

'Focus, team. You've got a minute to go.'

-Can I shout at the gentleman opposite you?

-Please do.

-Can we have a look at your claret jug?

Can he pass it over? We've run out of time here.

Yeah, you're a star.

You don't have any option but to buy it. Thank you for your time.

-Thank you for acting as an intermediary.

-Can you take five off?

-'That's it, deal done. Hang on, wait.'

-I want 50, you want 45, so I'll do 47.50.

-OK, thank you.

'Right up to the wire.'

It might not bomb.

-Somebody might like it.

-Let's go and find a sheltered room somewhere.

-We'll have a rest.

'Time's up. There's just time for a quick reminder of what the Red Team bought.

'Sarah got her wish and snapped up this set

'of Victorian silver buttons for £65.

'I think David talked them into this colourful Rosenthal plate, dating from the 1970s.

'And purveyor of posh coffee Matthew was taken with these Edwardian silver tongs at £35.'

Don't let me interrupt here, but you had a good old shop.

-We did. We got some good items.

-I'm delighted. Which is your favourite piece?

-I think the decorative plate.

-What about you?

-I like the buttons.

-Will they bring the biggest profit?

-Probably not, because I chose them!

-Life's like that, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-So who's got the leftover lolly? How much did you spend?

-£143.

You spent £143. I want 157, then, do I?

Greta nails there. Lovely. Going over to you, David.

-Thank you.

-That's quite a lot.

-It is. What am I going to buy?

-A cracker.

-Something marvellous.

-Something to make us serious money.

-That's all we care about. It doesn't matter if they like it.

I'll do my best. I'll do my best.

Anyway, have a nice cup of tea, or should I say coffee, you guys?

Meanwhile, check out what the Blues bought, eh?

Well, it's different. 10 pieces of stone-effect balustrade.

That's concrete to you and me.

This German tin-plate clockwork merry-go-round caught their eye for £30.

And Beth drove a hard bargain to bag this Victorian claret jug for £47.50.

Will they drink to their success at the auction?

OK, you lovebirds, how was it?

-It was good.

-Very interesting.

-Which is your favourite piece?

-We've got a little tin roundabout

and it swirls around and it's very sweet and it reminds me very much of our youth.

-Which piece will bring the biggest profit?

-The concrete. I just love those.

I never thought I'd come to Bargain Hunt and buy concrete.

-I'll have dreams about that.

-What did you spend all round?

-£112 and 50p.

-Absolutely.

-So £187.50, please. Who's got that?

-I have.

-Thank you very much. £187.50.

Which is a wodge! What are you going to spend that on?

-I'm going to go and buy something I think will make an impression.

-That's enigmatic!

That's typically Philip Serrell. Very good luck with that. Have a nice cup of tea.

Meanwhile, we're heading off to a castle and it's very, very special.

Denys Eyre Bower was an unorthodox character

who had a passion for collecting

and using his charm and eloquence he converted that passion

into an antiques-dealing business.

In 1955, he persuaded the bank to lend him the money to buy Chiddingstone Castle,

a suitable place to house and display his many treasures.

'Among his treasures are items dating from the late-17th century Jacobite rebellion.

'Bonnie Prince Charlie, son of the deposed King James II,

'raised an army in the hope of returning his father, nicknamed the Old Pretender,

to the throne of England, thereby restoring the Catholic Stuart line.

Bower certainly displayed some eccentric qualities.

Indeed, he thought that he was the incarnation of Bonnie Prince Charlie himself.

Whether or not this claim was made in jest, I know not,

but he was incredibly fond

of the whole Jacobite story. Hence all this Jacobean art knocking about the house.

Deny Bower's collection overall includes some 5,000 pieces at Chiddingstone,

out of which about a thousand relate to Jacobitism and the Stuarts.

Nowadays, if you were a collector of these items, to have perhaps 10 or 20 pieces

would be something of a collection, so over 1,000 pieces is enormous.

The collection includes a variety of objects,

some of which are quite ghoulish.

Like this little silver locket,

which is in the shape of a heart.

And it relates to James II

and indeed is supposed to contain

a real piece of James II's heart.

Eugh!

This little box has a piece of script in the lid

that says, "Blood, hair and garter of King James II."

And the story is that at the end of the 18th century,

grave robbers disturbed James's remains in France,

and they were indeed put on display for the public to ogle.

And I guess some cunning dealer then used those body parts

to make reliquaries of which this little glazed box is an example.

It does contain a strand of hair.

It contains within that heart a blood-stained piece of cloth.

And the little bit of cloth on the right-hand side is supposed to be a section of James's garter.

Whether, in fact, those are true relics of James II would be open to debate.

One of the problems about supporting the Stuart cause in the early part of the 18th century

was that it was illegal.

So if you were at a meeting or at a table surrounded by friends,

you might pass around a snuff box of this type

with a perfectly plain oak oval top,

but if you open it up and take a pinch of snuff,

and turn the lid over,

inside is a portrait in oils of the Old Pretender.

So by taking a pinch of snuff,

you're condoning the return of the Stuarts.

Jacobitism continued well into the 18th century

and this glass is of a type that's called an air twist baluster knop cordial

and would have been made typically between about 1730 and 1760.

What makes it representative of the Jacobite cause, of course, is the decoration.

Here we've got engraving that includes the word "Fiat",

which in Latin means, "Let it happen". In other words, let the Stuarts return.

The big question for our teams today, of course, over at the auction is will it happen for them?

'We've come half an hour up the road from Chiddingstone to the historic city of Canterbury for the auction.'

Well, Canterbury Auction Galleries is our auction house today

-and Michael Roberts is our auctioneer. Morning.

-Morning, Tim.

Now first up we've got these lovely buttons. If you wanted a case set

of six cast silver buttons, you'd be pushed to find a better set.

Absolutely. A very good set.

-What are these worth?

-£30-£40.

-How much?

-£30-£40.

-That's not £8 a button!

-It's a buyer's market.

-Is it? Oh, dear. £65 was paid.

-Oh, dear.

-Sarah fell in love with them.

-Right.

-We'll see.

Brilliant. Next are the sugar tongs.

-We're wishing you'll make a profit on these.

-The wishbone pattern.

A fairly standard thing, but they're a bit of fun and quite nicely made.

-How much?

-£20-£30.

-£35 paid.

-Right, OK. Near enough.

-Now this Rosenthal plate. How do you rate that?

-We have sold decent-sized sets of them.

-A single plate is a limited market.

-So what might we get?

-Sadly, our estimate is £20-£30.

-£43 paid.

-Oh, dear.

-Pretty precise number. I have a funny feeling these will do rather better than the estimates.

I sincerely hope so, which is what it's all about.

Cross your legs and hope for the best. Right, my legs are crossed.

Now Sarah, Matthew, the bonus buy moment. What did the old rogue Barby spend your £157 on. David?

I had to buy two of something for this wonderful pair.

Whoa!

-Now these are 1868.

-Get away!

These are little pedestal salts. Hallmarked.

They're by Barnard Brothers. A very, very good make.

Lovely fluted sides. Parcel gilt interior, so there's no glass liners.

These are for serving salt,

mints, and also I thought of your business.

-You could have those chocolate coffee beans in there.

-Yeah.

-Do you serve them?

-We do.

-There you are!

-How low will you stoop?

-Sold!

-I'm ingratiating myself!

You've done that incredibly well.

I hope you're on the rostrum, David.

-Do they feel nice and heavy?

-I do like them.

-Solid silver?

-Yes.

-How much did you pay for them?

-Oh, no.

-£130.

-£130? For the pair.

-For the pair.

-Right...

It's not bad. I had to negotiate hard on these, really.

-How much will they make at auction?

-I'd like to say £20-£40 profit.

OK. Well done, David. I do actually really like them. They're very nice.

OK, we've got the happy note there. For the audience, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks.

-Now these are just delightful.

-Very nice.

Hallmarked 1868, solid silver.

And they're nice weight, good nick. I think David's done well. The big question is the price.

-Well, as a tempting estimate we've put £40-£60.

-Gosh. That's tempting. He paid 130.

-Right.

-No pressure here. You're taking our sale?

-I am.

I feel a quake coming on already!

That's it for the Reds. Now for the Blues. What an eclectic mix.

-Absolutely, yes.

-You've got these balustrades. How do you rate those?

Not a great deal of artistic or aesthetic interest or quality.

You could buy these at any garden centre.

£10-£15 is our estimate. I can't see them worth much more.

-Philip Serrell thought £35.

-Right.

-That's what he paid.

-Next is the German carousel little mechanical toy.

-Yes.

-It does work.

-Does it? Give us a whirl.

-Push the lever.

And away we go.

-Look at it go.

-So how do you rate that?

Not particularly highly. Our estimate is an impressive £2-£5.

That's good(!) They paid 30.

This is all going really rather well with the concrete and tin work(!)

-What about the claret jug?

-Again, fairly standard. Plated top, a bit worn.

The body is reasonably OK. It's late Victorian.

You see plenty of them. Our estimate is £30-£40.

-OK, fine. They paid £47.50.

-OK, near enough.

By the time you've twitched your magic gavel a couple of times,

you'll have got them to 55 and everybody will be delighted.

In case you don't, they'll need their bonus buy, so let's see it.

Now, Chic and Beth, you spent £112.50 - a bit of a whacky amount.

You gave Philip Serrell £187.50. Phil?

I couldn't spend it all, but I spent £30 on these.

-Oh!

-Look at the faces.

-What is it?

-They're embossing plates.

You'd put a very thin sheet of paper and then this would be sealed on top of there

to make an impression on it. I think they're a real bit of fun

and they should make 30-40 quid.

-I've never seen anything like that.

-Unusual, isn't it?

They've made something that enables you to manufacture a work of art by simply stamping it cheaply

on a piece of paper or velvet, but these are little works of art.

-I really think they're lovely.

-Happy?

I think it's really nice. It's a lot better than I thought.

-That's nice!

-Of course, you may have made such a splendid profit that you don't need to take these.

It's entirely optional. Let's find out what the auctioneer thinks of Phil's embossing plates.

-What do you make of these, Michael? Unusual.

-An interesting survival.

It's quite a fancy pattern. A courting couple in the country. Very specialist, very limited market.

-Yes, I'd rather agree with you. What's your guesstimate?

-It is. £20-£30.

Well, I think, you know, Philip guessed too and thought £30 wasn't expensive.

-You're in the same ballpark. Very interesting to see.

-It will be.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Now, Sarah, Matthew, excited?

-Yes.

-Very much.

-Nervous.

It's good fun, isn't it? Look how busy this sale room is.

-All wanting to buy our stuff.

-Exactly. Mainly your buttons.

-Mainly my buttons.

So stand by now for a bit of firecracking fun. Here it comes.

Nice examples, complete with case.

Now who's going to start me for these buttons at £30?

30, somebody? £30. A set of silver buttons here.

-Six of them. £30?

-Oh, dear.

40 on the internet. Even better. Anybody else at 50?

Two bidders online at 50. 60 now.

-Thank God for the internet.

-At 50 online. £60 where?

60 in the room, sir. Thank you. 70 on the internet?

-Come on.

-No? Any more? At 60 in the room. £70 where?

70 where? Any more?

£60 is minus 5. That is a lot better than £30-£40.

A pair of Edward VII wishbone-pattern silver sugar tongs here.

In good condition. Starting at 20 on commission. Looking for 30. £30?

Wishbone sugar tongs. 30.

-40. 50? At the back? No?

-Go on!

40 on commission. Looking for 50. Any more? Nothing wrong with them.

-40 and selling.

-OK, there we go.

That is plus £5. You have a wiped face. No profit, no loss.

-There's the plate.

-Here it comes.

The Rosenthal porcelain plate. Who'll start me at £10? £10 where?

-Ten!

-Anyone? Any interest?

-10. 20 where?

-I don't believe this.

Any more? Nothing more again. Right at the back, £20.

30, sir, in the doorway? 40, madam? No.

-Thank you, though. £30, looking for 40.

-This is pathetic.

-£30.

-It started off at 10.

-That is minus £13.

-I'm in shock.

-£10(!)

-What are we going to do now?

-I think we're going to go for it.

-Really?

-Don't you want to? In for a penny, in for £13!

£130, though... Oh, let's go for it.

-Calm down, calm down.

-If we're going to lose, lose big.

-It's up to you.

-I love this debate, but I have to butt in here. We need to make a decision.

-We're going to go for it.

-Definitely?

-Go for it.

-Here it comes!

Good quality things, these, by Barnard.

-Who'll start me at £40?

-£40!

-Good quality salts.

-40.

-They've got silver hallmarks.

50. 60. 70.

-80.

-Somebody recognises quality.

-80. 90.

-Go on!

-100?

90. £100?

- You are joking. - 100, back in. 110.

120? No, thank you. 110. And selling. All done?

110, which is minus 20.

If these horrible things go for more...

-Minus 33.

-Minus 33. Now listen, kids...

-You did your best.

-This could be a winning score the way things are going today, very easily.

-Don't say a word to the Blues. Minus £33 could be a winning score.

-It better be!

C and B, Chic and Beth, do you know how the Reds got on?

-No idea.

-We don't want you to.

You start off with 10 concrete blocks. Is there going to be anybody in this busy crowd

that wants to take home some natural-looking balustrades? It's a big question.

-Yes.

-Here we go, though.

10 concrete balustrades. Starting at £60 on commission.

TIM LAUGHS

-60 on commission!

-Who's 70 now? 70?

-Anyone at £70?

-That's better.

-60 on commission.

£60 and selling.

Plus £25. That is a huge shock, actually. Now the merry-go-round.

The West German tin-plate clockwork toy. It does work.

Starting at £20 on commission.

-Yes.

-Looking for 30.

£30 where? Tin-plate toy. £20. Any more?

At 20 and selling, then.

-Gosh. That's pretty sharp.

-That's pretty good.

-Minus £10.

You are plus 15. Now the claret jug.

Starting on commission at £50.

60. 70? 60 in the room here.

£70 where? Claret jug. Still cheap. 70. 80. 90?

No. 80 seated. £90 where?

Still a cheap claret jug. 80 and selling, then.

£32.50 profit on that. That's very good.

32.50...42.50...

You are plus £47.50 at this point.

-What are you going to do about the embossed plates?

-Decisions!

-Oh, my God!

-Do you want to win?

-Of course. We're here to win.

-Lovely.

-Yes.

So what do you want to do?

-We'll take a risk.

-All right. And here they come.

Elegant things. 136. Who will start me at £10? £10?

The plates here.

Pretty up some fabric at home. Anyone? He likes pretty things.

£20. Who's 30, then? Any further bids?

No. At £20. Any further offer?

-I will sell.

-Minus £10 on that.

You are plus £37.50, still,

-which is a good wodge of profit.

-Thank you.

-Could be a winning score.

-All will be revealed in a moment.

-Thank you.

-OK, teams. Happy?

-Yes!

-Lovely to be in this Canterbury park.

-Have you been chatting at all?

-No.

-Not about scores?

-No.

It's been an absolute disaster for one lot and not bad for the other.

-I'm afraid the disastrous lot are the Reds.

-Oh, no!

-No!

-Oh, no?

You knew it, really. Minus £33 was a bit of a bummer.

-It is, Tim.

-It's a slaughterfest.

-That Rosenthal thing, I'm still in uproar.

-I can't talk about that.

But time is a healing process.

-We'll be OK.

-You've been a great couple. We've loved having you.

-I hope you enjoyed it.

-Loved it!

It's been a gas. But the winners today are going home with cash.

-A Scotsman with cash!

-£37.50. There we go, look.

A fistful of dollars.

-£32.50 profit on the claret jug. That was pretty good.

-Yes!

-Overall, plus £37.50. So congratulations!

-Thank you!

That is brilliant. To make a profit is an achievement.

-You should join us again tomorrow for some more bargain hunting. Yes?

-ALL: Yes!

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2012