Horncastle 17 Bargain Hunt

There are Horns all over the world.

There's a Horn in Queensland, Australia.

There's Horn Lake, Mississippi,

and, of course, the fearsome Cape Horn, to name but a few.

But if it's antiques that you're after,

as far as I'm concerned, there's only one Horn to head for

and that's right here - Horncastle.

Let's go bargain hunting, yeah!

So, our teams only have one hour to go hunting in Horncastle

for three items and here's a quick peek at what's coming up.

On today's show, there's excitement.

-That's "whoopty-doo"!

-Yeah.

-Not bad.

There's disagreement.

-Is that a small spend or a big spend?

-Big.

-Big.

-Small.

And there's the passing of bucks.

If you like it, then you go with it.

-I have it...

-If it loses money... LAUGHTER

Let's meet the teams.

-On today's show, we've got two pals versus a married couple. Hello, everyone.

-Hello, Tim.

-Hello.

Hayley, it says here that when you two first met, you were a FAIR WAY towards becoming friends.

-Is that right?

-Golfing, yes.

-Are you a mad keen golfer?

-Yes, I am. Yes.

I met Sam playing golf, although she drives me mental because she cannot putt for her life,

so she does push it to the boundaries of friendship.

-Have you been playing for years?

-No, I started when I was 35, so only for 12 years.

-But you've taken to it really well?

-I love it.

-Sam, you're a hairdresser and a beautician and a masseuse.

-Yeah.

-Tell us about all of those things.

I've been doing it for about five years or so.

When I started training for my sports massage qualification,

I was lucky enough to get my hands on some rugby players.

-So, you got these 15 men...

-Yes.

-Did you get them in one place at the same time or individually?

-It was all at the same time on several occasions.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Sports injury is your speciality?

-Sports massage, not injury.

-Are the two not connected?

-They can be, but I was mainly concentrating on after events,

so it's a rub-down to get rid of all the lactic acids and just help speed up recovery.

Now, I have to say that your size is petite,

but I gather you do Hell Runner, Tough Guy and the Three Peaks Challenge. How do you manage that?

Hell Runner was horrible. It was lots of hills, but all good fun.

-So, you're a fitness fanatic, really?

-I am, yes.

You'll find running around Horncastle today doing your shopping a piece of cake. Very good luck.

Now, for the Blues, Donna, I gather you met Shane when you were on holiday.

-Somewhere exotic like Barbados, Ceylon...?

-Skegness.

Skeggy, really?

-It's kind of exotic.

-Yeah, Skeggy's great.

Oh, so bracing! How did you meet then?

-I was on a family holiday. Shane were working there. I decided that Shane was going to be mine.

-Yes.

-And he is.

-Did you propose to him or did he propose to you?

-No, he proposed to me. I made him.

-Now, you're a cook by trade?

-I am.

-Tell me about that.

I work in a residential home cooking for residents. I'm also training, hopefully, to be a carer.

-Does that mean you'll do both?

-No, I hope to finish cooking because I hate cooking. I love the residents.

-You'd rather do caring than cooking?

-Yeah. I hate cooking.

-I don't know.

-Shane, you're a wheeler-dealer?

-Yeah, to put it mildly.

-What are your successes in dealing?

-Recently, I bought a promotional vinyl record from America.

I paid 35 dollars for it and I sold it a month ago to somebody in Belgium for 100 quid.

There's no stopping you. What about the vinyl records and cassettes?

We both listen to The Pet Shop Boys and what have you

and I got into them fairly late after they started.

-They're quite collectable.

-You make a good profit out of them?

I try not to because I'm trying to buy 'em cheap and saving 'em for my kids for a bit later

cos I've not got much else to leave them, so there's some money in them.

Isn't that nice? That's a good idea.

-I showed my youngest daughter one of the vinyl records and she said, "What's that?"

-Did she?

I said, "It's just a big CD."

Well, the technology of the moment now is handing over £300. Very easily done.

-There's your £300. Look at Hayley take that!

-Thank you.

-Jolly good.

£300 apiece. You know the rules. Your experts await and off you go!

And very, very, very good luck!

Before we get cracking, let's track down our experts -

Paul Laidlaw and Christina Trevanion.

Where are they? In the hotel bar, of course. They've only popped in for a pre-shop cuppa

and to remind us of the rules.

The teams have got one hour and £300 to find three items.

The winners are the ones with the greatest profit or smallest loss.

Say "cheese"!

Now get going and find your teams, you two!

A wee birdie tells me you might have a tactic here?

We want to spend as little as we can. We want to go for the record.

-# La-la-la... # Mr Wonnacott will punish you severely.

-I know.

-We're spending big.

-We're spending big. We're spending small?

-No, big.

-We've got a lot to get through. Look at all that behind us. We've only got a hour. Let's go.

-Come on.

And they're off.

The Reds are scouring this converted church for a heavenly first purchase.

-In the box there?

-Yes.

-I can see the price tag which is encouraging straight away.

-Yeah.

-£38.

Little, silver salt and pepper. Even if there's no great substance to them, they'll be worth £20 to £40.

Silver is selling well just now. You want a bargain, so not a bad start.

-OK.

-Anything else tickle your fancy there?

-I don't know.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Christina is sizing up the Blue Team's tastes.

What have we got here? Let's just close that.

-"Lovely silver-topped inkwell in the shape of a maple leaf." I suppose it is.

-Quite pretty, quite quirky.

-It is pretty.

-How much is it?

-165, it's got on it.

-That's spending big.

-Yeah, it's a lot of money for a little bit of silver.

-There's a lot of glass underneath.

-Quite.

-But it's different and it's in good condition.

-Yeah, but...

-I'm feeling like I'm going to have to be a marriage guidance counsellor here.

-For me, there's not a lot of silver for £165.

-How much do you think it can make?

-In all honesty?

-Yes.

If that came in to me, I would put £60 or £80 on it.

-He's not going to knock it down to that.

-Let's put it back.

-Yeah.

-Let's put it back and we'll crack on.

Quite right. At that price, you'd have to be mad to dip your nibs into that one.

-But the Reds can get their teeth into this.

-Is that a teething ring?

-That's lovely. Is it 36?

-36.

-It's a lot of money though.

-I know.

-What's a lot of money?

-£36.

-That's a lot of money?

-We were only aiming to spend £5 on each one.

Shall I? What's it like? Condition's going to be an issue.

-It's a rattle. It feels quite light.

-It will be.

-Yeah.

-I wouldn't worry about that.

-What do you think?

-The little rattle is a scallop shell.

-Yeah.

If it's a period piece and I suspect it will be... It's Victorian.

I'd like to see assay marks.

And there is - a full set of assay marks. That's all right.

-All right?

-That's a good thing with me.

-Oh, is that...?

-That's "whoopty-doo"!

-Yeah.

-Not bad.

High praise indeed, Paul. Don't go overboard.

To be honest with you, I'd estimate that at £30 to £50 because I know there are collectors out there.

It's not about budget. Treat yourself, a charming little cabinet piece.

Before you get carried away, are you sure both your team-mates are enamoured with this?

-Hayley's face doesn't say, "I'm loving this."

-If you like it, then you go with it.

-I have it...

-If it loses money... LAUGHTER

-..you're both in trouble!

-Do you want to do some pounds, shillings and pence with this man?

-Can do.

See what price you can get it for.

Time to call in the manager David.

-It is very light.

-Oh, you're good.

-It's got a few dirty marks on it.

-Dangerous.

- 32 is the best. - If you want it, that's your choice.

-No pressure, Samantha(!)

-You're going solo here.

-If we lose money, you'll hit me.

Probably! LAUGHTER

-What do you think?

-Yeah, I mean...

-How badly wrong can it go at £32?

-Anything up to £32, Paul, I'd say!

-Shall we go with that?

-Come on.

-This has taken us 50 minutes(!)

-Let's get it.

-We'll take it.

Shake, rattle and roll! That's item number one, Reds.

Across town, Shane is still searching for a vesta.

Christina, look at this and see what you think.

Silver vesta, Birmingham 1904, £135.

-OK, it definitely ticks the vesta box.

-Yeah.

-Price, though.

-It's quite a lot of money.

-It is.

-Have a look at what you think of this.

It's rather dinky. What's your thoughts about that?

It's unusual. It's different.

It's £58 and that would be a better buy, I believe, than...

-That one over there.

-Yeah. What's your thoughts?

-I don't like it, but...

-Oh, OK.

-But if you think it can make a profit, I'll go along with it.

-OK.

-It's my buy.

-Let's pop it back for now and we'll keep on looking.

Once again, our team members' tastes don't quite match.

And in this case, the vesta goes back on the shelf. It's Reds one, Blues nil.

-Back in the church...

-Anything that tickles your fancy?

-No, nothing.

That's an interesting chair, though, isn't it?

It's for a man with long arms.

LAUGHTER Have a sit in it, Sam.

Yeah, go on, Sam. Take a pew.

I've got to say, "Relax." You're taking this too seriously and stress is a killer(!)

LAUGHTER

-Yeah, just as well we're not against any time deadline, Sam(!)

-I had to put my feet up.

-That's no good then?

-We're not buying the chair.

-Back on your feet, Sam, and back to the hunt.

The Blue Team seems to be dead set on buying something small.

-Guys, what's your thoughts...

-Hello.

-Hello. What's your thoughts about this?

It's a little silver photo frame and it's quite weighty, so it's a paperweight as well.

Silver photo frames sell really well at auction because they're still very usable today.

It would be a good bet. It hasn't got a huge amount of silver, but it's plain and has a clear hallmark.

-Birmingham 1905, Edwardian silver.

-How much is it?

-It's got 85 quid on the label.

I think, at auction, you might be looking at 60 to 80 quid for that, so if we can get that price down...

-Yeah.

-Do you like it?

-Yeah, it's OK.

-Yeah?

-Don't go mad, Donna!

-It's in quite good condition, even though it only has a leather effect covering to it.

-You don't seem very passionate about it. Do you want it as a reserve piece?

-We need to buy something.

-Why don't you see what you can do?

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

Whilst Donna goes to have a haggle, Hayley's over in Horncastle's church-cum-antiques arcade

and has been drawn to an in-house promotion.

There's a cabinet round there with a plate in, I think it's a modernish plate,

but it's only £18 and it says "half-price" on it.

-Shall we go and have a look?

-I like the "half-price" bit.

-I do.

It all depends on how high the price was in the first place.

Speaking of prices, put us in the picture, Donna.

-65, best offer.

-Well, it could make it. It's not going to be a huge profit if there is a profit in it.

But it's a clean piece and it would appeal not only to trade buyers at the auction

because they could put it straight out and sell it, it would appeal to private buyers cos it's very usable.

-That's the main thing. People can use it now.

-Quite. £85 to £65 is a great discount.

-It's just whether it will make that at auction.

-I think we should buy it.

-I like a decisive woman! Great.

-First one bought. Is that a small spend or a big spend?

-Big.

-Small.

-Right, OK.

-We'll compromise. It could be a medium spend.

-Let's keep on looking and we'll try and spend a bit more.

-Good work, Christina. They're both happy.

For the moment. Now, what's all this about a half-price plate, Reds?

-I think these are half-price for a reason.

-No-one wants them?

-Yeah.

-Why wasn't that rattle in here then?

Don't throw it out of the pram, Hayley.

-What's your thoughts about sort of Art Deco?

-No.

Art Deco clock? Very in vogue at the moment.

Quite right, Donna. What does Christina know? She's only an expert(!)

-The Reds seem to have lost Paul though.

-Sam, what about that? I know Lladro is quite collectable.

It's like an advertising plaque... Paul will tell us.

-It's a shop window display piece and that is Don Quixote.

-Is it?

-Are you into Lladro?

I know that sometimes advertising plaques are probably more desirable. Am I wrong?

Hayley is clearly a marketeer's dream, drawn to every bit of advertising going.

That looks like it's there to advertise the display, but that's also for sale. What do you think?

Hayley, I'm a tad impressed. There's nothing I can add to that. You have nailed that one.

So, it is, as you say, a shop window centrepiece.

-Lladro.

-Spanish porcelain, very popular. This is all good.

But I love Don Quixote there. I think he's fantastic. A tad long in the limb.

-He'd fit in that chair!

-LAUGHTER

-Any problems with it, any chips?

-I can't see anything. What about the price?

-What is the price?

-£22.

-I think it's all right.

-It's a bit different. Those are very much the same.

-I know what you're saying.

That's what they do. It's another Lladro figurine, whereas this is the...

-What do you think? Shall I go and see what I can get this for? Yes? No?

-Yeah.

-It looks like unanimity.

You can't beat a bit of unanimity. I hope we're all agreed on that.

-It's all right.

-It's all right. It's not really a thing that I would...

-Maybe not.

-There has to be the punters in the audience.

-Exactly.

-Right...

-The wanderer returns.

That'll be just the £20 then, please.

-LAUGHTER

-Not £19.50?

-No.

Did you buy it or are we, um...?

-I think we're going with it.

-Sure.

-Two down. That's all I'm thinking. Get in!

So, the Lladro Don Quixote makes it el numero dos for the Red Team.

For the Blues, there's no time for a siesta, they're seeking a vesta.

-We've got some vestas in here. We've got a nice, plain one there.

-It's a bit boring.

-I thought you wanted "plain"?

-No, something nice and pretty that stands out.

-A vesta with bling?

-Yeah, but cheap.

-He doesn't ask for much, does he?

-He's impossible!

LAUGHTER

Shane wants a blingy vesta for no money. Good luck with that, Blues.

The Reds have moved on from the church and have just one more item to find.

They're buying stuff. We've got plenty time. Two things down. Let's see if we can grab the last one.

Now, Donna might want to spend big, but she's choosing small once more.

A little stamp box?

-Yes.

-That's rather lovely, quirky and unusual.

-I saw that earlier.

-He's going to claim it now.

-No.

-We've looked at a lot of silver.

-It's got a "1" in front of the number, so that's why he ignored it.

-Dismissed it.

-I walked away.

-I quite like that.

-Could we have a quick peek at the stamp box?

Thank you. That's great. OK, so what have we got?

A little stamp box here with a stamp inset in the top and you get a stamp in there as well.

That's really dinky. Let's have a look at the hallmark.

L & S, which is Levi & Salaman. Birmingham hallmark, lion and an "A", so we're looking at 1900.

-Great.

-I like that.

-With a nice Victorian stamp in the top.

-What do you think value-wise?

OK, so we've got 145 on it.

There's not a huge amount of silver content to it, but it would appeal to collectors.

-If we can get it for £120, it's not a bad buy.

-Go on. Let's see if we can stamp "sold" on item number two.

The Reds might have two items under their belts, but they've only spent £52. Feeble!

To keep Tim happy, strictly speaking, we now need to spend £200-plus on our last thing.

Come on, let's give it a go, yeah?

-No.

-No.

All right then, just find something.

Paul, it looks like you'll have a very big wad of cash for your bonus buy.

The Blues have turned to manager James to seal the deal on their stamp-holder.

-- 125. - 125?

-Go on, James, just a bit more.

-I'm afraid...

-Go on, go on.

No, I've asked the dealer and she said 125. Sorry about all that.

-Not 120?

-I can find out for you.

-Go on.

-That was the figure that we had in mind.

-Was it?

-Yes.

-I'll twist her arm.

-Thank you. Twist away.

After a quick chat with the camera-shy dealer...

Good news. The dealer will do it for 120.

-Hooray!

-Nice one.

Well done, Blues. At £120, Donna's achieved her big spend all right!

The Reds are following a different path.

-Oh, too dear!

-Too much for you.

-Yeah.

Shane's with you, Reds.

-It had better be cheap.

-LAUGHTER

-What are we looking at?

-The paperweight. You'll like the price. It's marked up at £39.

-That helps.

Is there a brand to it or a particular maker?

Let's have a look at it and see what we can see. OK.

It has got a little bit of age to it and it's got nice colours.

There are a few air bubbles in there. Collectors like them to be nice and clean.

The canes, which are the flowery bits, need to be in good condition and they're nice and clear.

The big names to look out for in paperweights are Clichy, Baccarat.

But they would have a ground-out pontil mark on the bottom.

-And is that where they've made it, where they've blown it or whatever?

-Yeah, exactly.

You would have had your rod on there to connect it and it would have been ground out in a good quality piece.

-It's not a big maker, but there may be some money in it. Who will take this one?

-Not me. I don't like it.

-No pressure(!)

-No pressure, Donna. It's yours.

So, you really like it then?

Thinking with my heart rather than... Thinking with my head, rather than my heart,

there could be some profit in it.

You're the expert. We'll go with your judgment.

-It's not one of the heavyweights, so will it be worth a punt?

-Hello. How did you get on?

-£30.

I don't think that's too bad. I know you're not sure about it.

-You're passionate about it. Donna likes it.

-I wouldn't say I was passionate about it.

-You like it.

-Yeah.

-Donna likes it. So, we'll go for it.

-That is fantastic. Three items ticked off the list. Well done.

-I'll make the deal.

-Go for it.

Good on you, Blues. That'll be a weight off.

-How are we doing?

-Found us anything?

-We're on the money, but we need to buy tout de suite.

-Can you say that in English?

-There was a bit of French and everything in there. Lowland Scots and French!

-Muffin the Mule.

-Do you want to look at this?

-I do. I keep playing with it.

-Do you know what it is, aside from the obvious?

-A puppet.

-By?

-Geppetto!

Pelham. And that's what they do.

And it's a mule. Well, you've already got a "Don-key-xote", Reds!

Pelham puppets are extremely popular. They're quite collectable.

This isn't in original state because I had one.

-Did you?

-That's how old she is!

-I told you I was an antique.

-How much is he?

-£20. I think he's worth £30, £40 all day long.

I think he needs to be about £18.

-Holy Moses, if £2 is going to swing it, I would do it.

-£2 is £2.

You'd better ask manager Lawrence.

And as if by magic, the gentleman appeared.

- He can be £18. - Yes, so we're done.

-You've done it.

-Yeah.

-Well done.

That mule is a rather apt item as our Reds have stubbornly stuck to their low spend throughout.

That's your three items bought. Let's have a quick recap of what you have acquired.

First they plumped for this baby's silver rattle for £32,

then they saw a profit in this Lladro Don Quixote plaque,

paying £20 for it.

Finally, they bought the Pelham puppet horse, £18 paid.

-I've been told you hardly spent anything. How much did you spend?

-£70.

-What, on all three?

-Absolutely.

-What's going on?

-£50 more than we wanted to.

-£50 more than we budgeted for.

-Listen, girls, are you tight or what?

-Absolutely.

-We squeak.

-You squeak.

-You spent this pathetic £70. Who's got the £230 then?

-I do.

-You do. You don't like handing that over.

-No.

-It goes straight over to our Scottish representative.

-Be extravagant.

-No!

-LAUGHTER

Whatever it is, it'll be exciting, I hope.

Why don't we check out what the Blue Team bought, eh?

The Blues stuck with the tiny stuff,

starting with this Edwardian silver photo frame for £65,

then they went for the silver stamp box, paying £120.

Finally, they chose the glass paperweight for £30.

-It was good, wasn't it?

-It was good, yeah.

-What was the best bit? Which piece do you like most, Donna?

-I like the stamp box.

-The stamp box is your favourite. Do you agree, Shane?

-Yeah, I concur with that.

It's best to agree with the other half.

-What did you spend all round?

-215.

That is a mature amount of money. I'm very pleased. £85 of leftover lolly, please!

-No worries. There you go.

-£85 goes straight over to Christina.

-What are you going to do with that?

-I'm hoping to find something that will match their expectations.

-We'll hang about for that. Thank you very much and good luck.

-Brilliant.

'A month later, I'm off to Lincoln for the auction,

'but before we take a look at our contestants' items, I want to show you something rather special.'

If you had something valuable and you wanted to protect it from the burglars in the good old days

and you happened to be an aristocrat, you might contemplate buying one of these.

Probably made in France between about 1600 and about 1750,

it's known in France as a "coffre-fort" or strongbox.

It's a massive construction.

There's a great, thick, oak, heavy frame inside this thing

that has been covered in exotic palissandre veneers.

That's these gorgeous, oval oysters that you can see.

Very, very thin veneers, but exotically covering the hardwood core.

Then to protect it further is the very elaborate, cast brass fittings.

But as decorative features, they also strengthen the surface.

It would be difficult to attack this thing with a hammer and get inside.

When this thing arrived in the saleroom, there was a bit of a problem.

It was locked and they had no key.

But a skilled, local Lincoln locksmith managed to get the thing undone

by lifting that flap and somehow he picked the lock,

so that we're able now to open it and reveal it in all its glory.

The interior is also veneered,

but you can see here the thick section of frame which goes to make this thing so incredibly solid.

There are two compartments here which are built into the thickness of the frame

and they contain secret drawers.

Here we've got a sliding compartment and inside that is another tray.

Put your precious bits of jewellery that you seriously want to tuck away into those secret compartments.

Some restorer has then got to work on this part which is covered in some rather hideous Dralon.

That Dralon continues into the well underneath,

but if you had a collection of jewellery or precious small objects

that needed a soft surface like this, it is ideal.

Down below, we've got a couple more drawers there. Again velvet-lined.

And the whole thing stands on a later base.

The travelling nature of this box is hinted at by the heavy brass handles

because, of course, the thing was designed to be carted around with you.

No bank safety deposits. You want to hang on to your precious objects and hence this thing had to be portable.

But it is a first-class example of its type.

But I guess it's the decorative nature of all this brasswork

that really makes it so incredibly attractive.

What's it worth? The auctioneer's estimate is £400 to £600.

What do I think it might bring?

Well, I'd be very surprised if it made any less than £2,000.

Shall we say 2,000 to 4,000?

Let's wait and see what happens.

We've come to Golding Young & Mawer's Saleroom in Lincoln to be with John Leatt.

-John, good morning.

-Welcome, Tim.

-The Reds have got an oddball group.

First, the baby's rattle. Sort of teething ring, that white thing?

Yeah, little teething ring, then you've got the rattle on the end.

-Baby didn't chew it much.

-It's in remarkably good condition.

-Are they collectable?

-Yeah, different models, different sizes. Plenty of people would buy it.

What sort of amount would they pay? A baby price or a grown-up price?

-That's a basic one, so we're talking between £15 and £25.

-That's a baby price. £32 they paid.

That's maybe not going to make them much of a profit.

This Lladro thing is something that's come from a shop, isn't it?

It's from a shop window or shop display, yeah.

-Is it going to bring anything as a shop display job?

-It's not the most decorative item.

-But there can't be that many made.

-No. How much?

-Between £15 and £20.

-£20 paid, so that's all right.

Lastly, it's the rather amusing piebald Pelham puppet.

-Try and say that quickly!

-LAUGHTER

Yeah, it's a good example of what it is. Made in Marlborough in Wiltshire, started by Bob Pelham

and carried on well into the 1970s.

It's amazing that so many have survived because most auctions have a Pelham puppet or two in them.

-They were very popular in their day.

-Remarkably. Lots of boxes as well.

-Yeah. What's it worth?

-£15 to £30.

-£18 paid.

Hooray! We may be in line for a bit of a profit perhaps for the Reds.

Otherwise, it looks like they're in desperate need of their bonus buy, so let's go and have a look at it.

Well, girls, this is exciting, isn't it?

Have you any idea what the genius Paul Laidlaw has been out and spent your £230 on?

-No.

-No? OK, Paul...

-If I tell you it's a cat...

-Miaow!

-And it is a plate stand.

It is a Georgian piece of turned mahogany

and the consensus is it's a cat because no matter which way it falls, it always lands on its feet.

Everything about it is wonderful, but this one is better than most

because most cats are centred on a common union.

But here we have offset tandem unions, knuckles, whatever.

Why? Because this is the de-luxe model.

It rotates.

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

-So we can sit this by the hearth with our plates either warming or the food being kept warm

-and it turns. It's a good feature.

-How much did you pay?

-It cost me £60.

-Oh!

-Just handle it, girls. Don't you love it, Hayley?

-I like it, but there's a little bit of damage on it, isn't there?

-Don't be picky!

Ask him how much it's going to make in the auction.

-How much will it make in the auction?

-I would estimate £80 to £120.

-And you paid 60?

-Paid 60.

We got the message there. Let's find out whether the auctioneer's got the message.

-That's a nice one, isn't it?

-Unusual example. It's what they call a cat or a bowl stand.

Most of the ones I've seen haven't got this rotating section in the middle. Lovely condition.

-Beautifully done in walnut or mahogany?

-I think mahogany.

-What's it worth?

-£30 to £50.

Is it? Well, the cunning Laidlaw rates it at £60, so we'll find out who's right in just a moment.

Now for the Blues, their little titchy pieces.

First is the photograph frame, Birmingham 1905.

-Always popular, photograph frames.

-Definitely. And this one's a good, decorative item.

But tiny. Tiny price?

-No, £30 to £40.

-That's a tiny price. They paid 65.

Next is the tiny stamp box, a little piece of silver,

but popular, I guess, with any stamp collector as well as novelty silver collectors.

Absolutely. Levi & Salaman have got a good following. Very good quality maker.

Stamp collectors would want it and Levi & Salaman collectors as well.

Yeah, and it looks like a little pig's trough,

that shaped underside with the spherical feet. Beautifully made.

-What's it worth?

-Between £30 and £50.

-How much?

-30 to 50.

-Really? £120 Shane went for with this.

-Right.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

OK, lastly, the millefiori paperweight. Has it got any age?

A bit of age, possibly '50s onwards. The condition's good and it's quite attractive.

Yeah. I think it's a miracle that you can, as a glass-blower,

combine all these coloured pieces and get the thing so perfectly finished.

-I couldn't begin to understand how I would do that wonderful thing.

-Yeah.

-So, no distinguished maker?

-No, we haven't on this one.

-It's just a decorative value?

-Yes.

-Which would be what?

-Between £15 and £30.

-£30 paid.

Again they seem to be well on the top side of everything they've bought

in which case they'll need their bonus buy, so let's go and have a look at it.

Donna, Shane, this is your moment. You spent 215.

You gave Christina £85. What did you spend it all on?

I told you that I wanted to match your expectations. What was the one thing you specifically wanted?

-Vesta case.

-And what did I buy you?

-Go on then.

Excellent. Brilliant.

I bought you a vesta case, so called after the Roman deity of fire and hearth - Vesta.

A little silver one. They did come in all sorts of different metals.

You could get them in tin and nickel and copper and funny shapes. There are collectors for the novelty ones.

This one is a silver one. It's got a nice hallmark.

The maker's mark there is Arthur Cook, Birmingham 1904.

It's a nice early one in the heyday of vesta cases, really.

You wanted something blingy. You didn't want it inscribed.

-You had a bit of a tough list for me to follow. I'm hoping I hit the nail on the head.

-I like that one.

-Good.

-How much did you pay for it?

-How much did you leave me with?

-85.

I paid £85 for it.

-Right.

-Hopefully, collectors will think, "That's slightly different to add to my collection."

-Exactly.

-It isn't badly rubbed or anything.

-Exactly.

-Shane, you should be very pleased with your expert.

-She's tried really hard to please you.

-She's brilliant.

-Aw!

-For the audience at home, let's find out whether the auctioneer is similarly pleased.

That's a nice quality, chunky one, but of a fairly standard Victorian type, isn't it?

Standard Victorian type, Gothic decoration, heavy, a good size.

It's larger than normal and it's faultless as far is condition is concerned.

-How much do you think?

-£25 to £40.

OK, fine. Christina has paid £85 for this and she rates the thing as having a profit in it.

-Good luck, John.

-Thank you.

-Hayley, Samantha, how are you feeling, kids?

-A little apprehensive.

-Are you?

-Hmm.

But you're such a confident couple. You know about stuff.

-You know you're going to do terribly well.

-Terribly!

-Don't you?

Which is your prediction as to the piece that's going to bring the biggest profit now, Hayley?

-After careful consideration, I think it has to be the teething ring.

-Right.

I'm afraid I've not got good news from the auctioneer. He's estimated it at £15 to £25 and you paid £32.

-I told you not to buy it.

-Sorry.

-And here we go.

The silver rattle. This one here. Who's going to start this one at £15?

- At £15, who'll start me? At £15? - Oh, no!

I've got 10 already with me. 12. 15.

18. 20. At 22. Yours at 22 at the back, sir.

I'm out at 22. Anybody else? At £22, I'll sell at 22.

Against you all at £22...

That is minus £10.

OK, now Don Quixote from lovely Lladro.

Don Quixote, Lladro presentation pack. A variety of bids on this.

I'll start it myself, rather than messing around. We'll start at £10.

With me at 10. At £10. 12. 15.

18. 20. At £20. Here with me at 20.

At £20. Anybody else at 20?

-On the commission at £20...

-That's OK. It's wiped its face.

Well done. No profit, no loss. No pain, no gain.

Now, puppet.

Pelham puppet, this one here, original box. Who'll start me at £15?

At £15, who'll start me? At £15, will you?

At £15. £15 on the internet.

Straight in at £15. 18 now.

-20 now. On the net at 20.

-You're in profit, girls.

-22. 25.

At £25 on the internet. 28. 30 now. At £30 on the net.

32 I'm looking for. At 32, I'll take... 35 now on the internet.

-How brilliant is that?

-35. 38. 40 now...

-£40!

-No?

-40!

At £40, it's slowing down. Against you all at £40 and selling at 40...

£22 profit on that. That is so good.

Overall, you are plus £12 which is brilliant.

-I congratulate you. Are you going to risk it with the bonus buy? Will you trust Paul?

-What do you think?

-Make a decision.

-No. If it's wrong, you'll kick me.

-Can we phone a friend?

-Quickly! What are we going to do?

-Sam?

-Yes, do it.

-Are we going to do it or not?

-Do it.

We're going with the bonus buy. We have no more time and here it comes.

Mahogany cat or dish stand. Turned wooden one.

-Who's going to start this one at...

-£2?

-..£30? £30, I'm looking for.

20 then? £20? Someone come in at 20?

-What was that noise you were going to make?

-£10? At £10.

At £10. In the room at 10. Anybody else? 12. 15.

-At £15. In the room at £15.

-No, it's not possible.

It's over there at 15. 18 now.

20 now. Thank you, sir. In the room at 20.

22. At £22. On the net at 22.

Anybody else? At 22. Against you all and selling at 22. At £22 then...

That cat has made you a loss of £38

which means overall you are minus 26,

-which could be a winning score very easily, so don't say a word to the Blues.

-OK.

-You are such good sports.

Next up is the coffre-fort, surely the most underestimated object in this sale at £300 to £400.

Let's hope it does really, really, really, really well. Stand by.

The late 17th, early 18th century coffre-fort or strongbox.

A bit of interest in this. I'll start it with me at £300. At £300 here with me.

320. 350. 380. 400.

420. 450. 480. 500.

-550. 600. 650.

-Here we go.

-700.

And 50. 800. And 50. 900. And 50.

1,000. At £1,000, here with me on commission. 1,100. 1,200. 1,300.

1,400. 1,500. 1,600.

1,650. 1,700. 1,750.

Yours at 1,750. Anybody else? In the room at 1,750.

£1,800 on the net. At 1,900.

2,000 here. Two-one.

At two-one. In the room at £2,100.

Two-two. Two-three.

-Two-four. Two-five.

-I told you it was a good one.

-Two-six.

Two-eight on the internet. Anybody else? At £2,800 on the net.

3,000. £3,000 on the internet.

-Three-one.

-Thank God for the internet!

-With you at three-one. Three-one in the room.

£3,100 with you, sir. At three-one in the room. Three-two.

£3,200 on the internet. Anybody else?

It's selling at 3,200... Three-three.

At three-three, sir. At three-three right in front. Yours at three-three.

Three-three in the room. All done at three-three... BANGS GAVEL

£3,300. That is an "oh la la" moment.

Let's see if the Blues can give us an "oh la la" performance.

-Donna, Shane, Christina, how are you feeling?

-Good.

-Good.

You're partners in crime, aren't you?

-Definitely.

-We are, yes.

OK, fine. Christina, you found the photograph frame with the stamp box

which you know is a rare novelty.

-Yes.

-And you punted £65 on it in the sure-fire knowledge that it's going to make a huge profit.

-Hoping.

-Hoping.

-Here's hoping. And...?

-He's estimated 30 to 40.

-Oh!

-And here it comes.

-It's an unusual, silver photograph frame.

Who's going to start me at £30? £30 to start it? 20 then?

At 20. I've got you straight in at 20.

22. 25. 28.

-Its starting place.

-32. At 32. 35.

At the back at 35. It's in the room at 35. Yours, sir, at 35.

Anybody else? All done at 35 then...?

£35 is minus £30.

OK, now let's get licking.

The stamp box, this one here. Levi & Salaman. Good maker.

A variety of bids on this and I'm going to start it straight in at £30.

At £30. With me at £30. 32. 35.

-38. 40. 42. 45.

-It's still moving. That's the main thing.

-48. 50.

Here with me at 50. Anybody else going to come in? At £50. 55.

60. At £60 with me against the internet. With me at £60.

At £60. Anybody else? Are you going to come in again?

-All done at £60...

-Cheap enough.

-Now selling at £60...

-It's half-price.

65 on the internet. At £65. On the internet at 65.

-It's going on.

-Come on, internet.

-At 65 and selling, all done...?

Minus £55.

Oh, team, I'm sorry!

-Minus 85 is where we're at.

-If we finish less than minus 100, I'll be happy.

Millefiori paperweight, the condition's all there.

Who's going to start this one at £15?

Who'll start me? Straight in, sir. Thank you.

-At £15 on my left. Anybody else?

-Somebody else...

-Already at £15.

-Come on!

-At £15. 18.

20. 22.

25. At £25 on my left.

Gentleman's bid at 25. At £25. Anybody else? At 25.

On my left at 25... No? At £25. All done and selling at £25 then...

Minus £5 which means, overall, you are minus 90 smackers.

-Only minus 90!

-You said as long we're not minus 100...

-OK, team, what are we going to do about this vesta case?

-We're going for it.

-No, we're not.

-Yes, we are.

-No, we're not.

-Shut up! Yes, we are.

-I've been hen-pecked the rest of the show. It's my turn. We're not going for it.

-Shaney's got the shout here?

-Shaney's decision?

-Yes, because we made the decision on the other three.

-OK, so you decided about the other three...

-Yes.

-You'll let Shane finally have his voice in this programme.

-Yeah.

-And his decision is "no more".

-Right?

-90's enough.

-No bonus buy.

But we'll sell it anyway and see what happens. Here it comes.

The large Edwardian, silver vesta case. Unusually large size, this one.

I'll start it straight in at £20.

At £20 on commission with me.

22. 25. 28. 30.

32. 35.

At 38. 40.

Here with me at £40. Anybody else? At 40. 42, madam. At 42 with you.

I've taken 42 in the room. 42 with the lady.

-45 now. At 45. 48.

-Going on.

At 48 with you, madam. In the room at 48.

50 now. £50 on the internet.

£50. Anybody else? At £50. All done and selling at £50 then...

Minus £35 for that, but you didn't go with it,

so your score is minus 90.

That could be a winning score, so say nothing to the Reds.

-Well done, team.

-Thank you.

Well, well, well, some days is good days and some days is not such good days

and today happens to be one of those not so good days because nobody is going home with any cash.

-Have you been discussing with one another the exact outcome?

-No.

Well, it is my sad duty to report that the runners-up today by a long chalk are the Blues.

-Oh, no.

-Yes.

Poor guys!

Minus £30, minus £55, minus £5 and minus £35

means in the ultimate total that it's minus 90.

-Aw!

-Which is quite a little tally of zero, zero, zero really!

-But that doesn't make any difference to you, Donna.

-No.

-Nor you, Shaney.

-Have you had a nice time?

-Fantastic.

-We've loved having you on the show. And thank you, Christina.

Meanwhile, moving on to the victors who managed to win by only losing £26, which is quite something.

-Thanks, Paul.

-Thanks, Paul.

-Had a nice time, Hayley?

-Fantastic.

-Been good, Sam?

-I'm always good.

Believe that and you'll believe anything! Glad to have you on the show and glad you've enjoyed it.

-In fact, why not join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

-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