Stafford 19 Bargain Hunt

Today we're at the Staffordshire County Showgrounds

with two teams dying to dive in and find their bargain -

well, three bargains each, hopefully -

out of the hundreds of stalls that we've got here.

You know the rules - so, let's go bargain hunting. Yeah!

Did you know that Staffordshire has more miles of canals in it,

than any other county in England?

Well, let's hope that our teams' waterworks are in perfect working condition

and that they come up with gushloads of profits later at the auction.

Let's have a wee peek...at what's coming up.

In today's programme, the Reds are planning a pub crawl.

-Here's a picture for the album - way-hey!

-Definitely.

While the Blues are feeling fruity. Or should that be flirty?

-Come and have a feel of my apple.

-LAUGHTER

So, it's time to meet the teams.

So, for the Reds today we have Jan and Marie,

-and for the Blues we have Joan and Diane. Hello, everyone.

-ALL:

-Hello.

Lovely to see you. So, Jan, how did you meet?

We met at a drama group in Stratford-upon-Avon called Second Thoughts

and we were in a Spanish play called The House Of Bernarda Alba,

and I was playing a 90-year-old, very crazy grandmother,

and Marie was a peasant.

-This was a play that took off, I take it.

-Yes, it's a Spanish classic.

-It's a classic?

-Yes, you do wonder.

Anyway, no, I'm not wondering about that.

I bow to the superior knowledge.

Now, Jan, you've got a knowledge of antiques. Where does that come from?

-Bargain Hunt.

-Is it?

-Yes.

Because 13 years ago I was registered blind

and found myself housebound somewhat and you turn to daytime TV.

Yes, nothing the matter with that. Daytime is the new prime time!

Well, yes!

And then Bargain Hunt came on the scene and you changed everything.

-Good.

-Now when I watch it, I say, "I wouldn't buy that, it's rubbish!"

Marie, you've got a love of antiques, too.

Yes, I was brought up in the '50s going up and down Portobello Road

-with my dad in the days before Portobello Road was trendy.

-Yes.

And he'd buy things that were black, take them home and clean them up

and they'd turn into Davy lamps and copper coal scuttles, and all the rest.

So, I learnt from him.

Now, you've also got an interest in history?

Yes, my degree was in medieval history

and my career until I retired was as an archivist.

So, essentially, I was a local historian, but being based in Stratford -

still am based in Stratford-upon-Avon - there's an element of Shakespeare as well.

-So, local history, Shakespeare...

-Yes.

-All that sort of stuff was my thing.

-To be or not...

-Or not to be. Indeed. Yes.

So, what will you be looking out for today?

-Ooh.

-Ooh.

-Oooh.

-Quirky?

-Yeah, for me, definitely quirky.

-Is it? Quirkier of the better?

-Yes.

-Yes. Definitely.

Will you stoop to any depths to get hold of your quirkiness?

Well, I've got no pride. No pride, Tim. I will stoop.

Do you know, I think you girls will do incredibly well on Bargain Hunt.

-Thank you.

-You've got ALL the best qualifications!

-Now, Diane, where did you two girls meet?

-We met in our local pub.

Because our husbands both like karaoke. They are karaoke freaks.

-Are they?

-Yes.

So how many nights a week do they go off doing the karaoke?

Well, both of them can go three times a week, can't they?

We only go once, Joan and I.

-To support them?

-Once is enough, yeah!

Well, there we go. Now, you've also got a love of antiques.

-I have, yeah. Victorian.

-Oh, you like Victorian?

We've got a Victorian, big, terraced house

and I would like to bring it back to Victorian.

-But it's not easy, and it's not cheap, is it?

-No.

-Now, Joan, you're no stranger to the cameras, are you?

-No, I'm not.

Tell us about your career.

In the '80s I appeared on a cookery programme called Farmhouse Kitchen.

-And I was the microwave expert.

-Oh, were you? Very modern!

-It was then!

Have you got any terrible stories about your souffle going flat, and all that?

No, but I did, on my first programme, make 13 breakfasts,

because the sound guys couldn't get the sound coinciding with the picture.

And I got fed up of saying this is going in for one and a half minutes.

-Yes, and do that 13 times.

-Yeah, you lose the sparkle.

And to stick it in 13 times. I can see are sound men all wincing.

They're shaking their heads - "It'd never happen on Bargain Hunt!"

-And was it good fun, though?

-Loved it.

Do people come up and ask you for your autograph?

-It has been known, yes.

-Isn't that sweet!

Now, what are you going to buy today when you go shopping on Bargain Hunt, you two?

-Something that makes a profit?

-Something that makes a profit.

-You're joking.

-Probably!

Now, there's your £300 apiece.

You know the rules, your experts await, off you go

and very, very, very good luck!

Fully focused and ready to snap up a bargain for the Reds, it's...

And ready to make a clean sweep for the Blues, it's...

And with experts like this, what could possibly go wrong?

-Well, let's find out.

-Marie and Jan, do you share a common taste?

-Will we be looking for similar things?

-Yes.

-I think so.

Yeah, I'd say so.

Joan, Diane, a little bargain Hunt birdie told me

you've had a little rehearsal. Now, what's all this about?

-We have got £300.

-Right.

-One-hour.

-Yeah.

-And three things to buy.

We had a little practice run, didn't we, Joan?

-We did.

-Maybe I should've tried it.

-It'd be a good idea!

-Your eyes and your well tuned sense of touch.

-Absolutely.

-We'll be a good team.

-Perfect team.

-Perfect team, yes.

-Magic!

-What happened? Tell me.

-Well, we bought five items...

-Five?!

-..in 60 minutes -

-..we timed ourselves and we agreed on everything.

-We did!

Rehearsals? That's not in the rules! Come along! Let's get cracking!

I'm looking at a strange object over there

and the lady is mouthing at me "I don't know what it is!"

-It is very odd.

-Could you possibly bring it round to us?

-Yes!

Thank you.

-So...

-Oh! Oh, I like that! What do you think, Marie?

It's absolutely... It looks like a wee safe to me.

-Oh, I'd love that!

-A copper box with a door...

and little latch, you can feel the wee turned wooden knob there.

-And then, that's a little vent.

-Oh, is it?

-What are these?

-These are inlet and outlet pipes.

-So what do they think it was for?

The lady has no idea, and I'm not so sure I'm going to change that.

There's a jacket... It could be an oven, or an autoclave.

I think it's great. I don't know what it is, but it's absolutely gorgeous.

-How much is it?

-£80.

-ALL: Oh.

-I think it's too big a punt at that.

-At that price, no.

-It's a strange object...

-I think we'll leave it.

-'No, go on!'

'Make an offer.'

-Are we sure we're doing the right thing, walking away?

-Um...

I'm going to make a silly bid. I'm going to offer her 25.

-Well, go for it.

-OK.

-Are you happy with that, Jan?

-What? What's that?

-I'll offer her 25.

-Go on, then.

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

-25?

-That's not enough for it.

When nobody knows what it is...

It might make a fortune at auction for you. You may treble your money.

-Ah... Don't know.

-You won't see another one.

-We'll go up to 35.

-35, yeah, OK.

-LAUGHTER

-Wonderful!

-Thank you.

I was determined to buy something quirky!

You've ticked that box!

But what is this intriguing little copper box?

Perhaps the auctioneer will know. Let's hope so.

That's quite fun.

A fruitwood turned apple tea caddy.

-Have a feel.

-It looks nice, doesn't it? What wood is it?

Joan, come and have a feel of my apple.

-'Cor, that Mark's feeling fruity.'

-Fruitwood?

-Fruitwood.

It means any tree that bears fruit. Don't ask me which trees.

-But I know it's not plums.

-I reckon it might be apple.

-Apple!

What gave you that idea?

-It's nice, that.

-Do you like it, Joan?

-Yeah.

-How much is it?

-£18.

-Look at that.

-Lovely grain inside.

-It's worth thinking about, I suppose.

-How much? Best price?

-We're not thinking, Joan. We need to buy.

It's not Think About Bargain Hunting!

-It says 18.

-I can do 15.

-Oh, we need it a bit cheaper than that. ten?

-No, I can't do 10. I'll do it 12 and that's the best price.

-12?

-Would you be happy with 12?

-Yes.

It's quite an expensive apple.

Don't start now!

I do think we should grab that.

Yeah, I do. 12, OK. OK, thank you.

-Our first buy.

-Our first buy.

Now, with nearly 20 minutes gone, it's level-pegging.

One buy each for each team.

I'm feeling all fruity now.

Don't get giddy!

So, back to the Reds, then.

Who are quite literally, feeling their way.

Now, you will find this a sensory delight, I should think.

-Oh, yes.

-How do they feel?

There's some very, very deep incise in here.

I can get my nice Bargain Hunt nail right in there.

Which I didn't realise.

Feel the rim and feel the foot and tell us if there are any chips.

-Any cracks?

-There's something there.

-Oh, let me... Sorry.

-No, no.

-There's been a chunk out of the foot.

-Someone's put it down too heavy, and it's popped. You felt that?

-Yeah.

-I think they are fatally flawed, to be honest with you.

-OK.

I think we've gone a long way down this route, and it was all positive,

-then at the final hurdle, we fell. Interesting things.

-Yeah, very interesting.

-Thank you very much for your time.

-Thank you.

-Wonderful.

-Thanks for that.

-Very good.

-All the best.

I am seriously impressed that Jan can feel the damage in a flash.

-You've got to think about what a general sale wants.

-Yeah.

It wants things that are going to be reasonable.

What's that box over there, Mark?

Could we have a look? Would you mind?

-This is probably a tea caddy.

-That's nice.

Do you want to open it up for me? It's probably a cigar box, actually.

-Yeah.

-Although the style, again, is very Victorian.

-Yes.

-With all this brasswork.

-I love that. I really, really like that.

-It's mahogany veneered, I think. How much is it?

-65.

-65.

-It's not unreasonable to ask £65 for that, actually.

-No.

Because it's quite a pretty... Do you like it, Joan?

-I do like it, yes.

-And it's got a key.

-Yeah. Don't always find the key.

-And it locks.

I like that. I really like that.

-Do you really like it, Joan?

-I like it. I think it's quite nice.

-Shall we see what we can get it for?

-I think it's a bit top-heavy.

May we ask what the best price would be?

-£45.

-£45.

-That's OK.

-Quite a nice discount.

-Yes, yes.

They're doing you a third.

-I really like that.

-OK. Agreed.

-Happy with 45?

-Yes. Yes.

-Shall we call that our second purchase?

-Yes.

-Call it our second purchase.

So, the Blues have shelled out only £57 on two items so far,

so why not make the third purchase a whopper, eh?

-He's looking at a picture.

-Ladies...

-What's that?

-Is it an original?

-This is an original. It's a great question. It's a print.

-Yeah!

-It's dated 1851.

-Right.

-Oh, The Great Exhibition.

-It is... It's a hunt meeting.

This is a mezzotint.

What mezzotint, as opposed to line engraving, introduces

are softness and gradation of tones.

Now, mid-19th century, 150-year-old, there are two of these.

-Is it on paper?

-It is printed on paper, laid on card.

-Right.

-The colour is all hand applied. It is hand-tinted.

-Oh!

-It's beautifully soft.

-Is it?

-Lovely soft shades.

-I can see it's soft shades.

And the horses particularly. That horse is lovely.

So, for a pair, what would I expect to pay? Probably...

£30, £40 each?

How's about £30 the pair?

-Really?

-That's amazing!

-Not a lot of money, is it?

-No.

But as a matter of principle, we have to offer less.

-I so love the way you think!

-'Liking your style, Reds.'

-20 for the pair?

-I can do 25 for the pair.

-25? 25? Yeah?

-Yeah, go on then.

-25 for the pair?

-25 offered.

-Yeah. I'm just a pushover now.

No, we'll take them at 25.

-We've done another deal. Thank you, my man.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Thank you, people.

Great. Thanks very much.

Now, viewers take note. The Reds just bought two pictures, did they not?

Well, therein lies a tale. Stay tuned to find out more.

They do say that good things can come in small packages.

Like this.

On the face of it, this is a pretty insignificant little stoneware pot.

Now this little pot, you'd walk by any day in a fair like this,

where there are hundreds of thousands of bits of pot,

and you wouldn't think twice about it.

Except, you should turn it upside down and see what it says on its little bottom.

And on its little bottom,

we've got scratched into the wet clay a signature,

which is RW Martin, London.

And that is a name to conjure with.

Because you may have heard of the Martin Brothers stoneware,

which is extremely collectable, and extremely valuable.

A big pot by the Martin Brothers of a bird, for example -

an eccentric bird with its head turning around -

something about yay high,

will sell at auction today for £50,000.

So on the face of it,

it's an insignificant miserable little thing.

Actually, it's an little bit of a treasure.

And it's an inspiration to all those folk

who come to antique fairs like this one at Stafford,

to poke about and pick stuff up.

Actually, the dealer here knew all about this pot.

And he is charging £100 for it.

But what might it make elsewhere,

in a specialist Martin Brothers Arts and Crafts sale?

Well, I reckon it could make the top end of £250.

So, there's a profit in it.

In fact, there's a profit in it for all of us.

If you take the trouble to pick it up and have a look.

20 minutes left on the clock

and the Blues are trying to sniff out their third and final buy.

-I like that.

-Yes.

-Yeah, you were both taken by that.

-Tell me why you like that, ladies.

-I like the colour, a nice blue.

-Very pretty, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And what is it?

-It's a scent bottle, isn't it?

-Scent bottle.

You're quite right. I like the faceted design.

-The faceted body with the flash.

-Do you want my spyglass?

-Oh!

Oh, do you know, she's a right show-off, I'll tell you!

'I like a woman who comes well equipped!'

Looks generally in good condition. A little nibble or two.

This one... It looks gilt, but it's marked sterling.

So, it might be American, if it's sterling.

-I knew that'd come in handy.

-Yeah.

-Told you.

What would you let us have both of them for?

-Bear in mind, we have to make a profit.

-130.

-130.

70, 60.

-I think there's still time.

-OK.

-I love them.

I do think they're nice quality. You pick very good items.

-OK, we'll have a think.

-We'll have a think, shall we, OK.

-Yes, thank you.

Make your minds up, Blues! Time's running out.

Meanwhile, it looks like the Reds are lining up for a lager.

This purports to be German...

-an Imperial German...

-Yeah.

-..military...

-Yeah.

..commemorative stein.

Beer tankard. Yeah?

We have got little soldiers here round a camp kettle.

Another chap here marching with his rifle.

We have the crest of Bavaria - the lion rampant.

We even personalise it with some hand-work here...

It's saying the 3rd Hessian regiment, Number 82, I think,

fourth company in Basel, 1894 to 1896.

There's another feature to this, and it's a lithophane base,

which I will explain in a moment.

I'm sorry, Jan's going to be so frustrating for you because it's a visual feature.

-Can't touch it? No.

-If we hold that up to the light...

Oh, I see. It's got a face.

-Kaiser Bill's up there...

-On the bottom.

..peering at you from the bottom of your pint pot.

-I've heard of things like that.

-German stein 65 quid.

Could be 50 quid, but that's the best it will do.

Guys, have a feel of that.

-Now you did say ceramics.

-It's heavy!

I may have steered you from the decorative to the historical.

Oh, no, I can... I can just see my lager in there.

HE LAUGHS

-You think I'm joking, don't you?

-She's not! Believe me, she's not!

Oh, let's go for it. Where's he gone?

He's disappeared. Oh, there he is.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello, hello.

-It's us again.

-Yes!

-50?

-50, yes. I can do 50.

-50, good?

-Shake his hand.

-'Bottoms up, Reds! Good work.'

Here's a picture for the album. Way-hey!

Meanwhile, the Blues are finally on the scent of their third buy.

Oh, that's pretty, isn't it? This is quite interesting.

There is a period known at the end of the Victorian period

-called the Aesthetic Movement...

-Right.

..where a lot of influence in the design came from Japan.

So you get a lot of natural foliage and animals, birds, moths, insects.

Have a little look at that, Joan.

-And if you smell it, it still smells of cologne in there.

-Can you?

Really? Does it unscrew or...

No, it just pours out.

-That's nice, isn't it?

-What do you think of that?

-I like it.

It's silver gilt inside, as well.

Well, you had those other scent bottles, do you remember?

-BOTH:

-Yes.

Well, one didn't have a silver top and one had a small silver top.

And this is all silver with a glass inside.

I mean, if I was being me, I might put 100 to 150 on it.

Do you want to ask the price, Joan?

I have just bought it and I would take a small profit from 175 on it.

DIANE: 175...

'A bit over Mark's estimate, then.'

You've got £200-odd left.

-This is well within your budget.

-BOTH: Yeah.

-And it's a really nice object.

-I think it's a nice one, too.

-I like it.

And it will be hallmarked inside.

Would you be kind, and take 170?

Because we do need to make a bit of a profit.

-Go on, then.

-Thank you!

VENDOR: It is a really nice piece.

Yeah. If you're happy with that, I'm happy with that.

-Yes, I'm happy with that.

-Are you sure, Joan?

-Yes, I'm sure.

-Well, it does make up for the two rather...

-Hey!

..charming items we've bought.

-Cheap. Cheap things.

-Did I get out of that all right?

-He's pushin' his luck!

-Did I get out of that?

-Yeah, you got out of that.

Whether you're charming or cheap, you chaps should be chuffed.

All three items bought and that's the shop shut for another day.

Well, our teams certainly have spent a penny or two, haven't they?

Let's check out what the Red team bought.

For this intriguing copper box, perhaps a bit of militaria

or even something to do with the railways, the Reds paid £35.

For the pair of hand-coloured pictures, they paid £25.

That was for two pictures, remember.

And for the German beer stein, they paid £50. Cheers!

-Here's some happy looking faces. Have you just finished?

-We have.

Lucky old you. And that's your final purchase and what did you pay for that?

-£50.

-£50.

-£50 for that.

-Is that your favourite piece?

-Which is your favourite piece?

-I know what mine is.

-What's yours?

Mine's this copper box that they didn't want me to buy.

-It's awesome.

-Is it?

-Oh, it is.

-Awesome! I love that!

-You wait till you see it. You'll think I've gone mad!

-Well, OK.

-She has, but never mind!

-I won't say a word. What about you, Maria?

I think mine are the two Mezzotints that we bought. The more I look at them, the more I see in them.

Now, how much did you spend in total?

-110, I think.

-Is that all?

-Yes.

-That's pretty miserable!

-OK, £190 of leftover lolly. Who's got that?

-I have.

-Have you?

-OK, lovely. I won't count it. I trust you.

-Good.

Going straight over to our stein-holding friend here.

Now, £190, what are you going to buy, Paul?

Well, I'm not going to buy a round of drinks, that's for sure!

-I won't say anything.

-Spoilsport.

-Seriously, have you got anything in mind? Bit of furniture?

I've been totally focused on this exercise. It's been such a riot.

I have no idea where I'm going after this. I'm in a tizz.

OK, the nation's waiting to find out what you go and buy.

Meanwhile, good luck, girls. I'm going to shove off and look at what the Blue team bought.

The Blues paid just £12 for the fruitwood tea caddy.

£45 for the late 19th century mahogany and brass box.

And finally, they gave £170

for the aesthetic period silver perfume flask.

Now, Diane, Joan, how was that shopping experience? Was it good?

It was very good. Really enjoyed it, yes.

-I bet you liked running around with Mark Stacey.

-It were lovely.

-I love that, don't you?

-Yeah.

-Now, Joan, tell me, which is your favourite piece?

-The silver perfume.

-And what about you?

-The box. Mine is the box, yes.

-OK, perfect.

-Which is going to bring the biggest profit?

-The box.

-The box?

-The box.

The box.

-It's all in the box, isn't it? How much did you spend?

-£227.

-I would like £73, please.

-There you go.

Thank you. There's £73. £73 goes straight to Mark Stacey.

What are you going to spend that on?

It's a decent sum of money, isn't it?

I think because they bought certain items,

I want to get a pair cos these two are a right pair.

-So I want to get a pair to match.

-Would they be a matching pair?

-They'd be matching!

-LAUGHTER

Anyway, there's enough of that. Now, why don't we go

and have a look at something that I found earlier today?

This very ordinary cardboard box contained all these slides.

Magic lantern slides,

the ultimate entertainment in the 19th century, before any movies.

So, you get your box of slides, slip one into the magic lantern,

which is an early form of projector, and hey presto, for people

who'd never viewed moving pictures before, this really was magical.

The problem with these things is sorting out what you've got

and if the dealer can't be bothered to do it,

all he does is to stick the lot in a cardboard box like that

and ask a price for it, then it's up to you to have a bit of a sort out.

Actually, I spotted on the top two quite rare magic lantern slides.

The first one is this, which is called a panorama slide.

And the idea with a panorama slide is that bit is shown

first on the screen through the projector

and as you tell the story, so you reveal more of the characters.

A man in a blue coat, a dog, a person in a red coat. Fun, isn't it?

Even more fun is this fellow. And these are called movement slides.

Imagine you've never seen a moving picture in your life

and all of a sudden, when the projectionist puts this slide up,

that mouse on the counterpane starts to move towards the geezer

who is in bed with his mouth open.

Lo and behold, the mouse finishes up by going down his throat.

Oh! Shock, horror!

And the movement slides are particularly avidly collected.

So why don't we have a little magic lantern slideshow?

This lot are fascinating.

Slides from all over the world.

The late Victorians were incredibly keen on travel

and set off on elaborate journeys across Europe.

If you were to take such a journey, why not purchase a group of slides

of the views along the railway journey that you'd be taking?

Tinted black and white slides,

but brought to life by this very professional shot.

If you were travelling further afield, perhaps to the Empire

in India, slides like this would be a memento of your trip.

Here we've got the snake charmer, squatting,

playing his little pipe, as a cobra comes out of the basket.

And also, whilst in India, why not go for a big game hunt?

There is the most enormous leopard I have ever seen.

Dead as a doornail.

Strung up on a pole

and with the surrounding crowd longing to have the cat

killed probably because the cat had been eating them up to that point.

So, we have an incredible variety of slides here.

An unusual cross-section of magic lantern slides, I would suggest.

What are they worth then? Well, you could easily have £350 worth here sitting on the table.

What would they cost you?

The lot in that tatty cardboard box could be yours for £40.

Now that IS magic.

Just like the magic we hope we're about to experience

over at the auction.

Well, we've trotted roughly 25 miles, roughly east,

from Stafford to the glorious town of Burton upon Trent to be

with Richard Winterton at Richard Winterton Auctioneers.

-Richard, good morning.

-Welcome!

-It's grand to be here.

-The first item is this copper box.

-We've had a good look at it.

Military, we're a bit unsure on.

I think we're not too far away from it in Derby where the trains

were built and a lot of machinery done over that way,

I think that's more railway, I think.

Yeah. It looks like a sort of portable oven.

And all these different ways in and out for something which is

-likely to be steam or water.

-Yeah, it's a nice looking thing.

-It's got some appeal.

-What's your estimate.

-We've gone 30 to 40.

-They paid £35.

-Yeah, we're fine on that.

-Good.

We've got a bit of a problem with the two pictures that they bought.

Sadly, one of them has gone AWOL. Don't know where it's gone.

-Hasn't disappeared from your saleroom.

-No.

It left the fair and it didn't arrive here.

So I can't explain it, but we only have the one

and we're going to sell the one. So, I have to ask you the question,

what is your estimate on this single print?

The colour's a bit dying on it really, when you look at it from here, but a lot going on

and we do have a good following for these hunting pictures.

We've put 20 to 30 on it and we should get that quite easily.

OK, that's for the single one. The team of course bought two,

so I think it's perfectly fair to pay them double what you get for one

-to put them in the same position as they were before they had the loss.

-Yeah.

OK, Richard. Thank you. Now, their last item is this most interesting porcelain stein.

-Isn't that fantastic?

-I think this is one of the most interesting things we've had for a bit.

-Do you?

-I love it. I do.

Well, for a kick-off, it's porcelain, not that stoneware stuff.

-So how do you rate that?

-We've gone a bit conservative.

-We've gone 40 to 60.

-Is that all?

-It is, but I think it's one of those that grows on you.

You look at it and you find a bit more on it every time.

-I can see us getting top end, towards the hundred.

-Really?

-It's got potential.

-Laidlaw found it. He paid £50.

-I think he's done the right thing.

-He's done very well.

And on that basis, they may not need their bonus buy, for a change.

But let's go and have a look at it anyway.

I love a leftover lolly moment, don't you? 110 miserable pounds you spent.

£190 went to your man. What did you spend it on, Paul?

I spent it on that strange beast.

-It's a candelabrum.

-It's a candle stick.

-It's a table one, not a wall one.

-It is.

It's a mad counterweighted copper and brass candlestick.

-Oh, it's heavy!

-That is attributable.

-We know who designed that.

-Really?

A chap by the name of Carl Deffner, who owned Metallwarenfabrik and

was a talented designer of modernist jugenstil, youth style, designs.

And this, for me, is his masterpiece.

-It's really funky!

-Isn't it?

-It's fabulous!

-So how much did you spend on it?

-I spent £55 on that.

You got a steal on that!

-What do you think it will get?

-Pairs of those at auction make 200-250.

And I think we can just do the maths and it's £100.

-It's a delight, isn't it?

-I think so.

-So well done, Paul.

Thanks for educating us. Now let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Paul's candlestick.

Lovely, look at that. Cor, isn't that lovely?

-I think that's another great piece.

-It sits well, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

Clever old Paul Laidlaw.

He has an eye for the unusual and he has an eye for design.

And this thing, where it's set up properly,

which should be on a mantelpiece, if this was on a mantelpiece,

the mantelpiece stops there, the thing sits like that.

All the weight's on the back end of it here.

You've got your candle set up there and they're extremely attractive.

-This team have got a good three.

-I think they've got a good expert.

That's the truth of the matter!

-Anyway, so how do you rate this thing?

-We've gone 40 to 60.

-I think it'll be top end of that.

-It needs to be cos Laidlaw paid £55.

Oh, yes. We'll get that.

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

-Now, we all know about fruitwood tea caddies.

-We certainly do.

People who can't afford the originals, they do buy these

and they are popular.

-It's going to make 10 or £20 all day long.

-£12 paid.

They should get away with that. What about that folding box, Rich?

This is great. Good quality all the way round.

-Been a bit scrubbed.

-You're going to be when you get on a bit.

You're going to get a bit scrubbed!

-All right. How much?

-We've put 30 to 40.

-£45 paid.

-Yeah, again, good.

Sort of on the money. Now their last item is the investment.

-£170 was paid for that scent bottle.

-Which has ruined it, for me.

-What do you mean "ruined it"?

-It's too expensive.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-What's your estimate?

-We've gone 50 to 80.

-As a bit of a tease.

-Might get a hundred.

-If we get 170, I think you might need the bargain...

-Do you reckon?

-Yeah.

Do you want to do this job then? Why don't you introduce the bonus buy?

Go on, you have a go.

We'll have the bonus buy because I think they'll need it.

Here you go!

-Diane, Joan, this is the moment. You spent a magnificent 227.

-We did.

And you gave the boy £73. Let's see, Mark. I'll help you with that.

-There we go. £73.

-Ooh!

-Right.

Now, I had a bit of a pair on the day, Tim.

-I thought I ought to really try and get a pair for you.

-Thank you.

-They're Royal Worcester porcelain.

They're 20th century, but they've been drilled as well,

so you can actually convert them into lamps.

-So, how much did you pay for them?

-I spent the entire £73.

-Did you?

Yeah, I've got nothing left.

-Really?

-Are you shocked?

-Yes.

-Yes, we are.

-They look classy though. They do look classy.

-They look classy.

I think you've hit it on the head there, Diane. I really do.

-They look classy.

-Yeah, they do.

-And that's cos they're Adam style.

So they've taken the Adam style and repeated it like 100 years after it

first came out and then here we are, 100 years later,

-looking at the same thing.

-I do like those.

-You like them?

Well, we've got a classy pair for a classy pair.

OK, it seems to be a great hit here, Mark.

Let's find out from the auctioneer whether he's

so struck by these candlesticks. Thank you.

Well, they don't come whiter than that, Rich!

These are great. 110, 115, 120 years old.

And they're as modern now as they were when they were made.

-Exactly.

-That's what they want now is that kind of modern look.

-Fantastic.

-What is your estimate?

-We've gone 50 to 80, make top end all day long.

Well, they need to cos Mark Stacey paid £73.

That's a good buy, that's fine.

-You'll get him a profit on that?

-I think they might need them.

-Yes.

-What we need next is you...

-Yeah. Looking forward to it.

..on the rostrum. Thank you very much, Richard.

Well, I can tell you this sale room's absolutely jam-packed with folk, which is a good sign.

Now, your first item, we don't really know what it is, if I'm being perfectly frank.

But some cunning monkey on our staff has found a similar

one on site in America,

which is described as being a bacteriological cabinet.

And it's an oddball thing.

With its jacket of hot water around it.

It's a mystery piece.

Anyway, you paid £35. His estimate is £30-£40.

He doesn't really know what it is either, so anything could happen.

Anyway, hand-tinted aquatint, sadly, one of which went AWOL.

Yes, we have a loss there.

His estimate is £20-£30 on one picture,

so what we're proposing to do is to sell that,

and double whatever it made.

And your last item is the porcelain stein.

Such interesting scenes, Paul.

Great thing, that. I love it.

Anyway, your first item

is the copper warmer, whatever it is, and here it comes.

Commissioned bids with me, I'm £20 bid.

And £25, £30, £35, £40,

£45, £50, 55, £60 in the room.

£60 in the room. 65.

They don't know what it is, but they want it.

-£70, sir?

-Look at that.

-Yep, £70.

On my left at £70.

Sold, at 70!

£70, you double your money. Plus £35.

Well done, Paul, that is so good.

Now, the surviving print.

A bit of interest on this. We're £5, £8,

£8 I'm bid, sitting on my own here at £8,

-needs a little commission at £8.

-No?

Anyone want to give me £10?

£10 in the room at the back. Back of the room at £10.

Are we all finished? It's sold.

Sold for £10, we're going to double it,

so we've sold it for £10, we pay the compensation.

That means you have sold for £20.

£20. You are minus £5.

Now, here comes the porcelain stein.

Quite a lot of interest is on the book. We start at £70.

70, 80, 90, 100, 10, 20, 30.

On my book at 130.

130, 130.

At £130, that means you are plus 80.

-You have £80 profit on the stein!

-That's amazing.

You are 115 less the five, you are £110 up.

And now, what about the candlestick? What are you going to do?

-We're going for it.

-You're going to do it?

£55 paid, yes? You happy for that?

You're going with it, and here it comes.

A lot of interest, again, on this lot.

We are in at £40.

£40, I'm bid. £40,

45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90,

£90, with me at 90.

-£90, on commission at £90.

-Look at that!

We are sold, then, at £90.

£90, that is brilliant, isn't it?

Plus £35 on that.

Plus £35 on that means you are plus £145, girls.

Oh, my God!

That is unbelievable, isn't it?

You are £145 up.

I think that man deserves a hug, don't you? I think he does.

-He does! Well done!

-Well done.

I tell you, this saleroom is humming today.

We want to hum along.

Well, it needs to hum along. Listen, anyway,

you paid £12 for your tea caddy.

He thinks it's very nice, about £10-£20,

so that's all right. You paid £45 for your cigar, cigarette box,

he reckons it's worth £30-£40, so you are in the frame, there,

and your perfume bottle, he doesn't think is worth anything like £170.

-Otherwise, you've got the Worcester candlesticks to fall back on, haven't you?

-Yes, sure.

Right, which would be painful! Anyway!

First up is the tea caddy. Here we go.

£2. Little tea caddy. Should be, all day long.

£2, £3, £4, £5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

£10 on my right. The lady at £10.

£12. At the very back.

Haven't got you in the middle, madam. At £12, I'm bid.

God, this is a struggle.

Right at the very back at £12, all done, sold, then, at £12.

Yes, wiped its face, that's perfect.

No profit, no loss, no pain, no shame. Now, here comes your box.

Commissioned bids on my book at £20.

£20 I'm bid, at £20 I'm bid, at 22.

24, 26, 28, £30,

35, 35 I'm bid, far right at 35. £40, come back again. At £40.

At £40, on my left at £40, sold, then, at 40.

Oh, bad luck. Just £5 light. Nothing! Barely a sheet of Bronco.

Anyway, £40. Minus five. Now, the perfume bottle.

It is engraved. 1882. Again, a bit of interest on the book.

We're in at £60. 60. 5. 70. 5.

80. 5. 90. 100.

At 100, at 100. At £100, all finished. We are sold, £100.

£100, that's minus 70. That means, girls, overall you're minus £75.

-What are you going to do? Are you going to go with these Worcester candlesticks?

-Yes.

You're going to risk it for a biscuit?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-I mean, you're already well down the Suwannee here.

-With this crowd, maybe, just maybe, you'll get lucky.

-Let's hope so.

Anyway, the die is cast, they're coming up now and here we go.

The pair now, the Royal Worcester lamp bases there.

Bit of interest on these. £20, I'm bid.

25. 30. 5. 40. 5. 50. 5.

60. 5. 70. 5. 80. 5.

Go on!

At £80, all done at £80.

-Well done.

-Yes. Well done, Mark.

-You made a profit of £7.

Well, it's nice to see a profit somewhere, isn't it?

-Anyway, you are minus £68.

-Oh, dear.

Minus 68 is quite a big number, but you never know,

-it might be a winning score. Don't say a word to the Reds, all right?

-We won't.

-Thank you very much.

Well, well, well.

How can two teams who've shopped in the same place with the same

amount of money be so poles apart?

Because the team that's running up by a mile today are the Blues.

-Oh!

-Oh!

Minus £68. I mean, that's a number, isn't it?

-It started out all right with a washed face.

-Yes.

I thought you stood an average chance until you got

to your perfume flask and then there was a serious smell about.

Anyway, overall, minus 68. It's not so hot.

-We thought that perfume would do well.

-I know. Well, it let you down.

-It did.

-But the thing is, have you had fun?

-We've had fun, yes.

We've had fun having you on the programme.

But today, I'm actually going to dosh out £145 of money.

-THEY ALL GASP

-£145!

There you go, Jan. £80 profit on that beer stein.

£35 profit on your temperature humidity testing

microbacteriological gadget, or whatever it was!

Bad luck about the picture, but I've already apologised about that.

And then you get another £35 profit out of Laidlaw on the bonus buy.

-I mean, it's been a dream ticket.

-It's been good.

-Fantastic.

-You enjoyed it?

-Absolutely.

Well, we've loved having you on the programme too.

Join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

ALL: Yes!

I know you're sitting there thinking,

"I could have done better than that!" Well, what's stopping you?

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

It'll be splendid to see you.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd