Horncastle 28 Bargain Hunt

Today, we're in Horncastle,

which has to be the antiques capital of Lincolnshire.

So, it'll be a great place... to go bargain hunting! Just look at that!

And that! And that! And that!

Horncastle gets its name from the Anglo-Saxon word, Hyrnecastre,

which apparently means "fort in the corner".

We've not come here today to defend any corners,

but more to deplete this place of some of its many riches.

But first, let's have a butcher's at what's coming up on today's show.

-The Reds let Charles take charge.

-Come over here. Let's buy it.

-Let's go for a jog down the road.

-Yes.

Whilst the Blues show their decisive side.

-Everybody's got to love a stag.

-Yes, OK.

-Do you want to?

-Yes.

-Deal.

Ah, there you are. You lot ought to know the rules by now.

Each team gets one hour, £300,

and have to find three items. And the team wins,

later over at the auction, that makes the biggest profit or the smallest loss.

Give us a kiss, darling!

Maybe not! Let's go and meet the teams, shall we?

WOLF WHISTLE

Today, we've got girls versus boys.

For the Reds, we've got Matt and Alfie.

And for the Blues, we've got Hannah and Imogen. Hello, everyone.

Lovely to see you. Now, Matt, you both met at university.

Yes, me and Alfie met at the University of Warwick,

-where we studied philosophy, of all things.

-Did you?

-Yes. And one day...

-Why?

-Why, it's a good question.

I don't know now, and I've finished the degree!

-Alfie, you are the more physical one, right?

-You could say that.

-What do you get into?

-I work as a kayaking instructor.

So I'm often out on the water, teaching people how to control their boats.

-What a lovely job.

-Yes. You could say that.

-Where do you do that?

-In London. like a water rat!

How do you reckon you're going to get on on this bargain-hunting lark?

We're no experts, we'll admit that.

We're just going to try and spend most of the money.

That's the only strategy we've got!

-Would you say you know nothing about antiques?

-Absolutely nothing.

-Very, very little.

-That's marvellous.

You'll do terribly well on the programme!

That's a dead cert. Brilliant. Good luck with that.

Now, Hannah, you met in rather an unusual way, I believe?

That's right. I met Imogen after my husband fell in love with her.

-It was before he met me.

-Oh, right.

-Obviously.

And the odd thing was,

I was best friends with a man called James, who is now Imogen's husband.

-No!

-Yes!

-Hannah, is it true you've got a sticker phobia?

I'm not sure if you'd call that a phobia. But I am scared of stickers.

-Are you?

-I think it came from when I visited the dentist.

I had a traumatic experience,

-and they offered me a sticker for being a good girl.

-Oh, I see!

And I just hate them.

I hate the peeling off of them and the sticking on them.

-No, it's just not for me.

-Imogen, what do you do, darling?

It's not overly exciting.

I'm an executive assistant to the founder of a software company.

It says here that you've got a fascination with all things vintage.

Yes. I guess I just really like old things!

Are you going to buy retro stuff today to sell on Bargain Hunt?

I'd like to look, especially for some furniture,

because vintage and retro furniture, I think we're going to look at that, aren't we?

Is that your strategy then?

I think our strategy is to buy cheap, to buy things that we'd like,

for our home. Not necessarily that we think are going to make a lot of money.

But things that we like.

With your incredibly good taste, it's going to pull through?

-Hopefully.

-We're hoping if we like it,

-someone else will like it as well.

-OK. Brilliant.

Well, I hope so too. now the money moment. £300 apiece.

there you go, £300. You know the rules. Your experts await.

And off you go. And very, very, very good luck!

I never liked stickers much either.

Our experts today are a couple of gents that don't half

know their stuff. Able to branch out in any field, Charles Hanson.

And a man who is definitely no dummy, it's Jonathan Pratt.

OK, so here we are in Horncastle. What are you after?

Well, we both like retro and vintage stuff. Not necessarily antiques.

We're looking for maybe upcycling furniture and things like that.

I'm quite into '50s furniture. So something like that would be great.

-Alfie, Matt.

-That's right.

-What's the plan, guys?

-What are we looking for today?

-We've not really got a plan, to be honest!

So, furniture, furniture, furniture. And accessories, maybe. Let's have a look, shall we?

You guys have travelled, haven't you, coast-to-coast,

you've lived the dream. Now, live your second dream! OK?

They're on Bargain Hunt though, Charles, the dream is reality!

-Oh, yes. I love that Ercol-style side table.

-What's that?

Ercol, you know all the names!

Your job is going to be an easy one today, JP!

-We both like 1950s, '60s, Ercol-style furniture.

-Yes.

-It's useful.

It's retro.

My Nana has a 1950s Italian sideboard and ten years ago,

you couldn't get a penny for them. Now they've become more fashionable.

All the retro, what goes around comes around.

OK, well, with things like this, often a name,

if it has got a name on it,

and it could be just like the department store that retailed it,

would be inside a drawer, on the inside of a drawer,

or perhaps on the back.

So it's always worth having a look to see. OK.

There's nothing on here. But it is teak or something, isn't it?

-Oh, it's 1970s.

-Is that not old enough?

-No, it's nice.

-I just thought it looked a bit older.

-It's only £20, though.

-OK, shall we think about it?

-Yes.

We'll leave you to reflect on that one, Blues.

Right, have a look. Use your culture. Use your enthusiasm, OK?

-Whatever you see, talk to me. Over here, Matt.

-Oh!

All breakages must be paid for, Alfie!

We're men about town, you see!

Men and shopping is an interesting combination. But we're here.

-All right, boys. that's quite a good little silver Victorian photo frame. Can you see it?

-Yes.

And it says, a silver frame, somewhere, London, 1899.

-Now, who was Queen of England then?

-Queen Victoria.

-Correct.

-Because she died in what year?

-She died in 1901.

-Correct.

Well done, Matt!

It's Victorian. Of course, the definition of an antique, Alfie, is?

-100 years old?

-Correct.

-These boys are on fire!

Anything really post 1912 is what we call a collectable.

-So we're all collectables.

-Is it hallmarked?

You have got some hallmarks which are clear, just down there.

What's up with it, Alfie, I'll test you?

-The back is a bit tattered, I suppose.

-Yeah.

-Also at the front, there's some cracks here.

-Exactly.

Because it's a sheet silver pressed metal, to create this

repousse ornament, we have got someone who's really rubbed it hard.

And they've made a wish, and they've made a hole in it as well.

it's priced at... what's it priced at?

-78, I think.

-78. Shame. I think it's a bit too much.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Especially damaged as well.

-Exactly.

So it's a no to the silver-plated frame. Keep going though, Reds.

Now, how are the Blues getting on with their furniture?

As the auctioneer, looking at that piece there, which I totally agree with you,

style-wise and value for money, perfect.

But standing to the left of it, you've got this little chair here.

I did see that out of the corner of my eye.

Why that draws me to it, is at auction you'd probably say it was like 80-120, 100-150.

It's a mid 19th century chair and it's what you call a metamorphic chair. OK?

And I'll explain to you why. You can probably work it out.

And I like it. It's all about getting the price right of course, with these things.

-But you tip it over...

-Ah!

-It's a step ladder.

-..Into a little set of steps.

-Clever chappies, those Victorians.

-Oh, I like that. How much is it?

-Yeah.

-At the moment, the price is £150. But, they can do rather well.

I mean, not more than a couple of hundred,

but you can get that sort of money at auction for them.

-I like it, do you?

-I do.

-But you don't like the price?

-No.

-Would that always generally fetch over £100?

-normally they do, yes.

That's something to think about, if we could get it under 100.

-If we could haggle it down, the price, a little bit.

-Under 100.

Two pretty girls, you've probably got more chance than me

-of getting a discount.

-Oh, don't do yourself down, JP!

-Good luck!

-OK, I'm going to go. I'm going to do some haggling.

-Go on, Hannah.

See if you can transform the price as well as the chair.

-The little stool that changes into a set of ladders.

-Yes.

-What your best offer is?

-The best would be 100.

-Really no further than that. OK?

-95?

-98. 98, to make you feel happier.

It's under three figures.

I don't want to influence you, but that's quite, you know,

-it's better than I expected.

-Yeah,

-OK. Do you want to?

-Yes. Deal.

-Cool!

-Thank you very much. Cheers.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-First buy!

-We've got one in the bag already!

Spin again, go on!

# Wonder Woman! Wonder Woman! #

Wonder-ful!

-Do you like pigs?

-I suppose so, yes.

-Good man.

-That's enough!

-Good lad.

What it is, I think, it's a pen wipe.

So if you had a desk, in the Victorian times,

you'd wipe your nib on top of that pig.

-Looks like a sort of pig-hedgehog hybrid.

-It's a really novel item.

Can you see the patination, how it's darkened in the crevices?

That's a good sign of it being Edwardian, Victorian. 1,900.

-A weighty pig, Matt, isn't it?

-It is, it's heavy.

It's got a lot of weight to it. I do like him, yes. I like it.

-His eyes are a bit...

-Squat face, yes.

-Squat little face.

-Yeah.

-What's on it?

-98.

-He's not going to market yet.

OK, Charles, but you'd better guide our boys to their first purchase soon.

-I quite like novelty dogs.

-Oh, really?

-Our teams are animal crackers!

-So, with this sort of vintage and retro.

-Kitsch.

-Is the pottery dogs, you know, like the pottery Staffordshire dogs?

-I have a lot of Silvac.

-Oh, have you?

-Yeah, a lot of the cats.

Well, they need to get cracking, don't they? It's Blues one, Reds, nil.

Come on, hunters. 15 minutes gone!

I think let's go for a jog down the road. All right, let's do it.

-Let's go.

-Jog on, then, Reds.

-Let's have a sense of urgency though, please!

-This is our next shop, OK?

Through here, OK? come on!

Sometimes in an antiques centre, you can find a vitrine

that's full of specialist goods from a specialist dealer.

Like all the pieces of treen that sit in this vitrine.

Treen being small pieces of turned wood, or carved wood,

about which we're going to see a lot more later on in the programme.

If you're a bargain hunter, the trick is to go and find,

from a non-specialist dealer, a specialist object.

Now, this is a piece of treen that I found elsewhere.

And it is a perfect and peachy piece.

It's made out of solid block of sycamore,

it's been turned on the lathe.

And it's in the form of a slightly tapering barrel.

The cover fits snugly, because this thing has a practical purpose.

In the old days, little pots like this were filled with salted butter.

The butter is rammed completely inside, leaving no space for air.

The snug cover then goes on and these two lugs had a piece

of cord tied tightly across them to make the thing completely airtight.

Because what you didn't want to do, with no refrigeration,

is to allow your butter to go rancid.

And this little pot dates from that period. Between 1,800 and 1840.

If we look inside the cabinet, the specialist dealer also has

a perfect little peach of a piece of treen,

this time in the form of a bottle.

It's actually made of rosewood and if I undo it, you can see

it's exquisitely made and inside,

contains a roughed up piece of metal.

That's a grater. It's a grater for nutmeg.

Nutmeg that you would use to flavour your drinks and food.

But it's rare, it's in a perfect state,

And the price he's asking for it, let me see, is £325.

Now, I've told you this is as rare,

I've told you it is a peach of a piece of treen. So what's it worth?

Well, the non-specialist dealer is asking for this, £30.

What might it make in a specialist vitrine like this? £300.

So that's how you make money out of antiques.

Our menagerie tour has moved on to stags.

I love them because they are practical.

And we both kind of love stags and country things like that.

-Yes, especially Hannah.

-Everybody's got to love a stag, I think.

I can tell you're in marketing! "Everyone loves a stag!"

What you've got to try to ascertain is how much you'd have to pay

somewhere else for them. If you found them somewhere else, how much would they be.

-I'd probably pay £40, £50 for them. in a shop.

-For the three?

-Yes.

And they're going for, combined, £80.

You've got 49 for the two and then that chap there is 29.

-So it's 49, 50, 60, 70, £68. Is it? Something like that.

-About that.

-What's your name?

-David.

-Hello, David.

-Hello.

We might be needing you quite a lot, David!

Are you interested in all three? or are you looking at two or one?

It depends what price.

For instance, I wouldn't pay more than £40, £50, for the whole lot.

-If I went to a shop.

-Wouldn't you?

-Really.

-And she's an avid stag collector.

-I'm an avid stag collector,

-It would be like giving it to someone who loved it.

-Really?!

-Hannah's doing your job for you, JP!

-It's not just about making money.

-It's bringing joy to the world.

-Yeah, don't push it though, girl!

Were you to have these, you could have them for 35. The pair.

-And were you to have this, I'd go to 20.

-£55. You're getting close.

-OK?

-Would you do it for 50? Please.

She may cry.

-I think HE may cry soon!

-I think you might as well!

-You can have them for 50.

-Thank you!

-Are you happy now?

-Yes!

Don't get too dizzy, Blues. You haven't triumphed yet!

-That's lovely. Thank you.

-OK, well that's it, then. So it's two down!

Two down, one to go!

They're pretty amazing in that they know what they want,

and they're not afraid just to commit and buy things.

-It's brilliant. It's quite refreshing.

-JP's good. Great advice.

-Yeah, I like him a lot.

-Good waistcoat.

-He's funny, as well.

Very informative. He's given us a lot to think about.

And hopefully he's right. Hopefully our products do make money.

Or we'll have to get angry with him.

Oh, dear! Did you hear that, JP? Don't make them angry!

But in the Red camp, they finally seem to be feeling a sense of urgency.

And as they're over the halfway mark, it's about time, too!

Time is of the essence. Let's just have that look in here, what there is.

-Silver, Charles.

-So, in here, that's quite nice. Scottish.

-Silver brooch.

-OK.

-It is hallmarked silver there, look.

So you've got a very nice Glaswegian silver brooch

in the shape of an Anglo-Saxon type of bracelet.

Or torque, I think is what you call them.

It's 1952, it's in the Arts and Crafts style. And that's quite nice.

-That's £44.

-What do you think of the price?

-Come in, Mark.

We quite like this little silver brooch.

-You know, we are men about town.

-Yes.

-Hunting a bargain.

-We are men!

Big men. They're struggling, all right!

What's the best price on this nice brooch?

-Well, he's got 44, I'll take four off. So, 40.

-Yeah.

-And that's the very best?

-What about 30?

-No, no.

I mean, the best, it's basically five pounds for my pocket. £35.

Basically, you'd put it on, guys, like that. So that's how it's worn.

Nicely modelled, Charles,

but we really don't have time to dress up, old boy!

What do I think?

I mean, if you think it's got some mileage in it, 35,

-I'm happy to go with that.

-35. Alfie?

-Yeah, I'm confident.

-We've come a long way, here.

-We have.

-40 minutes has already elapsed.

-And we've bought absolutely nothing. And I reckon...

-Let's buy it.

-We're not being fleeced.

-No, it's a really good object.

-It's got great style. It can be worn, it's novel, we'll take it.

-Yes.

-We'll take it.

-Great.

-Good man, we'll take it. Shake his hand.

Good work, boys.

And finally, well done,

the stag brooch will lock horns with the stag cruets at the auction.

Keep going, though, your stag hasn't led you out of the woods yet!

You want something impressive.

Well, when Queen Victoria came on the throne, in what year?

-They studied philosophy, not history, Charles!

-1854?

-Have a guess.

-What year? When did your great Queen Victoria come on...?

1860, I'll go for.

No, well you're warmer, because she came on the throne in 1837.

And this gorgeous box was made in that year.

And it's inscribed,

"Presented to Humble Taylor by his friends as a token of respect."

Isn't that gorgeous? And that's a stunning little snuffbox.

-You know, you want to go big, don't you?

-Yeah.

-You want to go big.

Mr Wonnacott would rather see you spend and buy quality

rather than just wince into a nominal buy that's worth £20.

I can't argue with that! Or with that ticking clock.

-15 minutes to go, you lot.

-Here we are. 1837.

Stunning, early Victorian, silver rectangular snuffbox.

-What's your best price?

-280.

-We actually can't afford it at this juncture.

-Well, the best is really 250, to be fair.

-That leaves us what, 15?

Yes, £15. I think at auction, if that came into my sale room,

I'd say to a client, it's worth between 150 and 250. All right.

And the best price is?

-235.

-Oh!

-235.

-Oh! It is tough.

-I think we'll have to go for it.

-Would you go one more?

Would you go one more? And give us a firing chance of a profit.

-You're saying 235. We're saying...

-230, I suppose.

-230.

-Deal!

-Oh, he's saying deal, now! Deal.

-Is that done?

Good man. What a nice chap.

We'll see later on if they get a sniff of profit at the auction.

Thank you very much.

But no time to dwell on it, Reds,

we're heading quickly towards that 60 minutes deadline.

-Very typical, Granny's mantelpiece.

-Yes.

We literally have such little time, we've got to move.

What do you think of those binoculars?

I like them, but I'm not sold on them.

Looks like she's gone off them!

It's pseudo-croc skin, but it's leather on the cover.

That's rather sweet. they're not in bad condition.

There's one or two knocks, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The case is in nice condition and it says Jockey Club on it, so it's got

a few things that make it a bit different from average.

-Mm-hmm.

-Over to you.

-It's £36.

-£36...

-So, would you be willing to accept £10?

-Erm...!

That's...!

-Yes, I would!

-Oh, really?

-You would?

Yeah... Yes, I would.

That's it, we're finished...!

Phew! I thought she was onto a loser there!

If you don't ask, you don't get.

Three items done, Blues, but where's your little spin?

Over on Team Red, it's Charles' head that's spinning.

Three minutes to go!

Three minutes. Just, whatever you see, just

look at, and if you think it appeals to you...

In fact, he looks a little shaken.

..you know, pick it up, and when you pick it up, you might fancy...

-Ha-ha! ..a cocktail!

-And it looks silverish.

-What a surprise!

-How much is that?

-It is...

I mean, you boys like your drink, don't you? You're the beer man,

-you're the wine...?

-Whatever's going.

Ha-ha-ha! That's a really good cocktail shaker.

On a more serious note, that's probably

1950... We'll ask the owner behind us in a second.

Probably 1950s, could be earlier, in the Art Deco style...

-It's been used, there's little... a little nu...

-Dinks in it.

Little dink there. But if you're a cocktail man, doing all of that,

you know, in the '50s, you may have dropped it a few times.

The lid's there, you've got the screw centre for your ice -

that's all there as well. And these are

really popular things at auction. And it says that on it...

-Oh, hey... OK!

-I'm going to ask the lady. Hello, madam.

-Oh, hello.

-Is it your cocktail shaker?

-It is.

We're admiring it very highly, aren't we, guys?

-Yeah, I'm a big fan.

-What's the best price on it?

-Fiver, I think I can do?

-Really? for a fiver?

-Done, yeah...

-That's £3 off, and to me...

-Done deal!

..that's done. Which means we've bought three items

with a minute to go! We've done it!

-Shake her hand, guys.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks ever so much.

For £5, to me, that's a real bargain, so well done, chaps.

That's it, we're done - thanks to you, madam.

So, with item number three bagged, it's time for

-a little celebration snifter...

-Have a shaker.

-Stirred!

-Shake on it!

Time's ticking on all around the world, but right now,

for our teams, time's up! They must stop shopping.

The Reds started their shining performance

with this stag's head brooch.

Their silver theme continued with this Victorian snuff box,

bought for a hefty £230.

And at the last possible minute, they bought

this silver-plated cocktail shaker for a stirring £5.

-What about that?

-I mean it!

Who DOESN'T like a cocktail shaker, I ask you!

I love a Bloody Mary, me! Now, tell me,

Matt - how did you get on?

Erm, it was great fun, yeah. All silver -

we went on a theme, and I think we got some very nice things.

And you spent how much, all told?

-Er, 270, was it?

-I think it was 270, yeah.

-£270 is a

-magnificent total, you know that, don't you?

-Yeah, we went for it!

That's what they call a pukka amount of money. So,

-£30 of leftover lolly, please.

-I think you've got that.

-Thank you, Alfie, that's marvellous. There's your 30.

-Check that!

-Check, check, check. Over to you, Carlos.

-Thanks, Tim. Pleasure.

Well, these men, they've travelled extensively,

they've been to the Far East, there's something...exotic,

-oriental...

-Foreign! Good luck, chaps!

Meanwhile, we're going to check out

what the Blue Team bought, aren't we?

The Blues kicked off with this Victorian metamorphic oak

library chair.

They then had their own stag do - ha!

These cruets cost them £50.

And they got a run for their money with these racing glasses

in a leather-bound case - a tenner paid.

-Yes.

-All done. Wonderful stuff.

Oh, you look marvellous out in the sunshine, you trio.

-It's great to be out and about, isn't it?

-It is.

-Now, was that good for you, Imo?

-Yeah, it was great. It was good fun.

-Lovely. Did you enjoy it, Hannah?

-I did, yes.

You certainly seemed to - hard negotiating there!

-Now, how much did you spend overall?

-£158.

158 - I'd like 142 of leftover lolly, please.

-It is here.

-Thank you very much, Imo. Good.

-This is quite a lot of money, JP...

-I might be frugal,

I might blow the lot - who knows?

-I've seen a few things.

-That's what's called

-being enigmatic.

-Yes.

-And good on you.

Have a nice relax, kids. Meanwhile, we're heading off to Birmingham,

to a very, very, very fine museum.

I've come to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

to look at something called the Pinto Collection -

a collection donated by a couple

to the museum. They were obsessed by wood -

6,000 pieces of it.

Edward and Eva Pinto's collection of what they called

"wooden bygones" is one of the most comprehensive ever made.

For them, this was about collecting wooden reminders of the past -

everything from a pedestrian wooden leg - ha! -

to the most exquisite 17th and 18th century carvings.

It's a stroke of luck that the collection is here

in the first place,

because when the Pintos decided that they were going to donate

their entire 6,000-piece collection,

they invited a number of museums

to write in and make their bid.

Unfortunately, there was a postal strike,

but Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery were sensible enough

to telephone the Pintos - and they thought that was so marvellous,

they decided to let them have the lot.

It's been incredibly difficult making a selection of

just a few items from this enormous collection.

But why don't we try this one on for size,

as a kick-off?

This is something called a wassail bowl.

It's a form of ceremonial drinking vessel,

made, probably, around 1620-1640.

So, we've got a turned cover, which encloses a small bowl,

that was supposed to contain spices.

If I carefully take the top off,

you can see that the depth of this bowl is enormous!

This is turned from one piece of wood,

and the wood that's been used is lignum vitae,

which is incredibly hard and heavy

and difficult to turn at the best of times,

and quite how you do it with such thin walls

for such a big lump, I just don't know. But it is

magnificent. The drink that it would contain

would be a mixture of strong ale,

whipped cream, partly caudled,

probably something to sweeten it - maybe honey -

and of course lots of spices.

And the whole lot would be frothed up, so that it gets

a kind of agitated surface,

sometimes called a mare's tail.

The drink itself would be presented like this.

You'd take a sip and pass it on to your next-door neighbour.

The relevance of using lignum vitae is of course

that it had certain medicinal qualities,

which were thought to include protection from venereal disease.

Next-door to that, we go from the large to the very, very small -

at least, small in detail.

Because what you have to do is to get your mind around

the amount of detail that's been lavished

on this small, ornamental object, which was made on a lathe.

No ordinary lathe, this, but an ornamental lathe.

Look at that central stem. It looks

like 20 washers piled up side-on-side,

but it's not - it's turned out of a single piece of wood.

And to do that on a lathe, you'd probably need

16 or 18 different chucks,

adjusted to the blade, to go in and out

as the thing rotates on the lathe most precisely and accurately.

And that's just the stem - look at the cutting required

in the bowl, and indeed throughout this thing,

and it's enough to take your breath away.

Next-door to that, we've got something incredibly early -

one of the earliest nutcrackers anywhere in the world.

It's dated 1570,

and was probably made in France or Italy.

It's in the form of Hercules, opening the jaws

of the Nemean lion -

except, of course, the jaws of the lion are being opened by Hercules

to receive a little nut.

Pop your little hazelnut in there,

and then squeeze the arm from behind, and...

The big question today is over at the auction -

will our teams be able to carve out a profit for themselves?

Batemans saleroom in Stamford is where we're at,

and our auctioneer is David Palmer. Feeling strong?

-Yes.

-You'll need all your strength today, I can tell you.

Matthew and Alfie, led bravely by Charles Hanson,

firstly acquired the Celtic pin...

It's quite pleasant, but not wildly exciting.

-A long way from Scotland here.

-It is.

-So, how much?

-£20-£30.

-OK. £35 paid.

Now, the snuffbox I think is just superb.

-It is.

-Mainly because of its inscription.

-Yes - given to Mr Humble Taylor!

-I know!

-What a magnificent name - straight out of a Dickens novel.

-Yeah.

Perfect. What do you think it's going to bring in in your sale?

We've estimated it at 80-120.

Oh, dear! £230 it cost our lads.

-Ooh!

-That's a pinch and a half, isn't it?

-It is a bit.

-OK, well, we might make it up perhaps with a drink -

-a nice, shaken-but-not-stirred drink.

-Right,

-a dry Martini.

-A dry Martini.

But what a poor and paltry shaker that is, isn't it?

-It's as bad as you can get.

-What's your estimate?

-I've got to say 5-10.

-Because it's your lowest estimate?

-Kind of, yes!

-They paid £5, so, not a lot of money...

-No.

..which is fair enough, but my gosh, they've got some losses to make up,

and they're going to need their bonus buy, so let's have a look!

Now, Matt, Alfie,

£30 you gave him - what did you spend it on, Charles?

Well, team, I spent £25 with something that's a bit of a voyage

of history, and it's full of sentiment.

It's an old little Edwardian album of postcards

and all sorts, from the George V period,

from 1900 to about 1925-30 - what do you think?

Erm, I think it's fascinating, to be honest.

Erm, genuinely historical record, which is nice to have.

Exactly what you want in an antique, really, isn't it?

Will it make a profit? I would happily guide this to fetch

-between £30 and £40.

-No, great, cheers.

-That's nice, Charles.

-Thanks for that!

-It's good fun, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Let's hope that the audience today in the saleroom

will agree, but right now, let's find out

what the auctioneer thinks about Charles's scrapbook.

-OK, David Palmer, here's a little test for you...

-Right.

-These are always exciting before you open them.

-It's a period piece,

-isn't it?

-It is.

-So, how much, do you think, for that?

-£30-£50.

-Charles only paid £25.

Anyway, that's it for the Reds. Now for the Blues. First up

for them is the so-called metamorphic chair,

-which is useful, isn't it...?

-It is.

-..in a modern house.

-I like these.

-They're very useable chairs, in a home.

-Wants a bit of a tickle-up,

-but how much as is?

-I think

-60-100...?

-OK. £98 paid.

-So, they paid on the cusp.

-That's obtainable.

-Mmm.

-I sold one recently, it made 160 quid.

All right, well, there might be an upside. What about the cruet?

Yes, I mean, this is so naff, it's good.

On that basis, how much?

-30-50.

-OK, £50 paid, it's a bit of fun, isn't it?

-Yes.

And whilst you might like to take these glasses with you

up on the moor, it would be the wrong place to take them,

-because they're really opera glasses, aren't they?

-They are.

They've got the Jockey Club Paris on the inside,

but that's fairly standard for this type.

-The bonus is, you've got the case in good order.

-So, how much?

-£20-£30.

-£10 paid, so that could be a good purchase.

-Yeah.

On that basis, they haven't lost that much, I don't think,

nor have they made that much, so they may need their bonus buy,

so let's go and have a look.

Imo, Hannah, you spent the 152,

£148 of leftover lolly went to JP - what did you spend it on, JP?

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

-A little

Victorian overmantel mirror. What drew my eye to this,

I mean, this would date to about, erm,

-1870, I suppose, that sort of date.

-OK.

It's ebonised - not everyone likes the black colour.

Lacquer frame, not too big, so it will fit on most overmantels.

And in the way that fashion is moving now, people are moving into

a sort of more eclectic interior, and...

-not a lot of money.

-How much are we talking?

-I paid £30.

-Is that all?

-That is good.

-I like the stencilling round the outside.

I didn't want to sort of... It wasn't the most exciting of objects.

Obviously I wanted to see a smile on your face, so there we go.

-Well, you've been successful there.

-We're smiling!

-Successful in stereo, I'd say. Happy with that?

-Yep, fine.

Let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about JP's mirror.

Well, for a change, there's the bonus buy.

So, erm, how much do you think for that?

I think £20 or £30.

Oh. £30 paid.

That's it, £30 paid by Jonathan Pratt - are the teams

going to take it anyway? We'll find out in a minute, won't we?

Thank you very much, David.

Now, Matthew, Alfred, how are you?

-Fine.

-Very good.

-Yeah?

-A bit nervous...

-Not feeling shifty at all?

Erm, no.

-Slight nerves.

-So, first up is going to be the Celtic brooch.

-Good luck, chaps.

-Thank you very much.

-Good luck, this is it.

-AUCTIONEER:

-Lot 192 is a silver Celtic brooch -

let's start at £20 for it - 20 quid...?

-£20? Tenner, then. 12...

-He's got great style. Come on.

Do it again - 15, 18, 20,

22, 25,

-28...

-Come on, one more.

-28 with the lady seated.

At 28 now, who have I missed? 30.

And two, 32. At 32. 35?

At 32, I sell with the lady at 32. You're out on the stairs, sir.

Come on, let's get one more.

-With the lady, at 32...

-Come on!

-One more!

-I'll take a five. Try the five, 35...

-Yes!

-Yes!

-At 35, 38?

38. At 38.

-At 38...

-That is the way to sell it!

-That's how to auctioneer.

-Absolutely, Tim.

-Good work!

At 38 - now go 40...!

At 38. I sell down here then at 38. The lady at £38,

no-one else at 38...?

-GAVEL FALLS

-He held it...

-and he twisted it and he took it on. You are plus three.

-£3 profit.

Yes. Now, can he do the same thing with the snuff box?

-Oh, come on!

-Oh, god, here we go. Awful!

Let's say £100 to start. Straight in at 100...

-Got to be worth £100.

-Oh, come on.

50 quid?!

-Silver. 50 I'm bid over there.

-This is mortifying.

60. 60, 70,

80, 90,

100, 110,

120, 130...

-One more, come on!

-130, 140...

At 140 on the Net. The Net at 140.

150. At 150 now.

-BABY CRIES OUT

-At 150. In the room at 150.

-Come on.

-Let that child bid if it wants to.

-LAUGHTER

At 150. I sell in the room at 150 - the Net is out.

-GAVEL FALLS

-Loss, £70.

-That is...

It was such a gamble.

-I'm up for a drink, me.

-I think we need it after that.

Tenner for it, £10, silver-plated one, cocktail shaker. 10...

Just needs a bit of a clean, that's all. Fiver...

Five, six, seven, eight, nine,

10, 12...

-One more.

-..15. 15.

Only two hardened alcoholics today, then. 15 I sell there.

-18 off you. 15. Net, are you in?

-One more.

£15. Sell to standing at 15. Is that it?

At 15. Doorway at £15...

That is £10 profit, which means you're minus 67.

So, not so bad, yeah? Are you going to go with the bonus buy or not?

-I think we'll have to.

-Almost definitely, yeah. Charles?

I think it has a great chance of making a profit.

How much I don't know.

-Here comes your bonus buy, Charles.

-Lot 198

is the Edwardian album, containing photographs, postcards,

theatre programmes... £30 for it. 30?

£30?

-Anyone? 30? 20?

-Come on.

Tenner?

£10?

10 I'm bid. Net at 10. Take two.

-Goes, then, at £10.

-Oh, come on...

-A little etching in there,

signed by the artist. 12.

On the Net then at 12 now.

-15 on the Net.

-Come on, Matty!

-It's all online, guys.

-Goes, then...

-There's no-one bidding, it's all online.

Any more, then? At 15 - the Net at 15.

Who have I missed here in the room? 18 on the Net.

At 18 now.

Sell on the Net at £18. Is that it?

All done at 18. You're out in front at 18.

-Shame, though.

-No-one else at £18...

-It's painful.

It's really painful....

-GAVEL FALLS

-Uh-oh.

-And it's gone.

-Sorry, guys.

-No worries.

-Minus £7.

-Sorry!

-Yeah, well, there we go.

That takes you up to minus 74.

-Anyway, there we go.

-Great!

-It's not as bad as we thought!

-No point in bursting into tears, is there?

-No.

and today, minus 74 could be a winning score,

-so don't say a word to those girls, all right?

-We won't.

Now, Hannah, Imo, do you know anything about anything?

-Probably not, no.

-Do you know anything about their score?

-Do you know how those Reds got on, those naughty boys?

-No!

I think they did poorly, I'll be honest!

-Well, you're optimistic, aren't you?

-No confidence in them!

First up, though, girls, is your metamorphic chair,

and here comes the stool steps chair.

-AUCTIONEER:

-Should start at £100 for this.

Should be in at 100. Start me at 50.

£50 for the metamorphic chair

being juggled by my colleague on the side here.

50 I'm bid. At 50 now, and I sell

at 50 - take a five...

This is for nothing! At £50. And I sell it at 50...

-No!

-He won't sell it.

-55, 60,

-65, 70...

-70.

-Oh, look.

-At 70, 80, 85,

90.

-At 90. Try a five.

-Come on!

At 90. Look, there's some young ladies down there!

-One more!

-95...

-Everyone needs ladders.

-We're in profit.

-You're in profit.

£2. £2 profit.

-Two young women dressed in blue in with this.

-Over here!

-Anything!

£100 in the middle. At 100...

Well done, you are plus £2.

By the skin of your teeth!

I mean, these are so seriously cool...

-Yeah.

-They really are. Everyone needs them.

..cutting edge designer, these are. 30 quid the lot.

£30. Got to go at 30 quid.

-£10 a stag.

-Yeah, £10 a stag, there you are.

-That's the maths on this.

-That's my method!

-What's the point?!

Tenner the lot, then. £10 I'm bid down here.

The cheapskate again at 10, 12 on the Net, 15,

18, 20,

22, 25...

Come on!

At 25 - in the room at 28, they're back at 28.

32 now. Here at 32. Here, then,

at 35,

-38...

-You see, they're going on.

And I sell at 38. All done

at £38...

Goes then on the Net at £38...

-Bad luck. Bad luck, chicks.

-He's got his wife sitting next to him.

-That's really disappointing.

-Minus £12. So, overall,

-you're minus 10.

-A pair of French racing glasses,

the Jockey Club of Paris. 20 quid for them.

They're real binoculars. 20 quid for them. Anybody, 20?

10, then?!

10, the lady at 10. I'll take a two now.

Sell then at £10... 12,

the Net at 12, 15... 15.

-I sell at 15.

-So cheap.

Is that it at £15? No-one else?

Net, you're nowhere. Far side at 15...

I'm loving it. That's £5 profit, but overall,

-you're minus £5, right...?

-Shall we go for it?

-..which is, I mean,

this is such a helter-skelter, isn't it?

You girls have really been through the mangle.

I'm so sorry. But anyway, at the end of that, you are minus £5.

-It could be worse.

-You are so right.

-You could have been with Charles.

Now, listen... Stop it!

-Listen, what about the mirror?

-Yeah, we're going to go for it.

-Yeah, let's just go for it.

-Definitely?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-And here it comes.

-Lot 220 is a Victorian ebonised,

arch-framed overmantel mirror.

£50 for that. 50 quid, the mirror. Anyone, 50?

-Come on.

-£50.

£20? £10?

-Oh, no! JB!

-Goodness me!

-That's just embarrassing.

10 I'm bid on the Net. At 10.

Internet at 10,

-and I sell, with the Net, then, at £10...

-No!

-Boo!

Boo!

Anyone in the room? 12?

-I sell at £10, on the Internet, at 10...

-Oh, well.

I can't bear it.

-Never mind. I'm so sorry.

-Everything's bleeding.

I may cry tonight, and it's your fault!

And it's minus 25.

It could have been very... But you never know, girls.

-Minus 25 could be a winning score today.

-I think it will be.

Probably is, yeah!

Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh dear!

Some days is good days, some days bad days,

but for both teams, sadly today is not such a good day.

But one team with the mega losses department just happens to be

-the Reds!

-Oh!

-Minus £74...

-Yeah.

-..is not a good number, is it, really?

-Shocking.

-But frankly,

it's bad luck, because you had two profits, you were cruising nicely,

and that wretched silver box took you down by £80,

and that's impossible to recover from.

-But have you had a nice time, Alfie?

-It's been fantastic.

-And Matt?

It's been wonderful, really good.

Well, we've loved having you on the show,

you've been really sporting about all of this.

And girls, you're therefore the victors -

you've managed to win today by only losing £25.

-Hmm.

-We still won!

You happy about that, Imo?

It would be better with a profit!

-You wanted to go home with money, didn't you, Imo?

-Yes.

-Never mind, Hannah, eh?

-Never mind.

-You had a nice time?

-It's been lovely, thank you.

-Good. Well, we've loved having you two.

A couple of losses there, a couple of profits.

It's the general scheme of the day and it just didn't go your way.

-But anyway, we've had fun. Yes?

-Yes, we have.

Join us soon for some more Bargain Hunting, yes?

ALL: Yes! THEY LAUGH

I know - you're sitting there, thinking,

"I could've 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