Edinburgh 4 Bargain Hunt

Today we're in Edinburgh, a city renowned for its arts festivals.

But will today's teams be virtuoso performers?

It's time to find out. Let's go bargain hunting, yeah!

The city plays host to all sorts of international events,

ranging from the Edinburgh Festival

to the Fringe, but today it's home to an antiques fiesta.

Let's have a preview of the performances to come.

On today's show, the Reds get forceful.

I'm the stick-in-the-mud here.

You can stick in the mud all you like, I'm having this.

Ha! And the Blues resort to trickery.

Which hand is the ladybird in, madam?

Before all that, though, let's get acquainted with the teams.

Today on this show it's full of glow,

because we've got two teams of best mates.

Fiona and Alison for the Reds,

-and Nancy and Mary for the Blues. Hello, everyone.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Good to see you. Now, Fifi, how did you two meet?

I met Alison on our daughters' first day at school.

They had a staggered intake,

and Alison and I actually arrived a day early.

-That's staggering.

-Yes. At least we weren't a day late, I suppose.

-Yeah.

So we've been best friends ever since.

And, obviously, we used to always keep in touch to make sure

we'd got the right day for school days, assemblies and sports days.

It's a lovely way to become friends, and you kept it up, which is lovely.

-You're particular keen on photography, I'm told.

-Yes, I love taking photos.

Basically, black and white. I used to develop my own.

Mainly take photographs of trees and bicycles and broke fences.

-I bet they're beautiful - and fun to do.

-They are fun. Really enjoy it.

-And Alison,

you describe your job as "Christmas Day every day". What do you do?

It is. I work for Marie Curie, so I'm the person that goes through all the donations as they arrive.

-In the charity shop?

-In the charity shop.

-Gosh.

You never know what's going to arrive. Sometimes you get a big bin bag and you think,

-it's just old clothes, then there's lots of vases and objects wrapped up in old rags.

-Very exciting.

It is like Christmas every day. It's a super job.

-You must be a tremendous collector yourself if you work in the charity shop.

-I am a one in, one out person.

I will buy something and covet it for a while and then, unfortunately,

-I think, no, I need something else, and it goes back into the charity shop.

-Does it?

But what I do, all my summer clothes I put in the charity shop and then buy them all back.

-Because I use it as storage.

-You're a minimalist, are you?

-Very minimalist.

-I have one thing for a while, then trade it in for something else.

-What about you, Fifi?

-Are you a great collector?

-I'm the slight opposite.

I like to collect everything and hoard it, much to my children's disgust.

An interesting contrast, whatever's going to happen when you get out there.

-But lovely to meet you and good luck.

-Thank you.

-Now, girls, this is fun, isn't it?

-Yes.

How did you first meet, Nancy?

Well, I got a job with the railway in 1974,

at the office in Glasgow, and I met Mary, that's 40 years ago now,

and we just clicked. I don't have a sister, but if I did have one,

-well, she'd be my first choice.

-Ohh.

-Funny how it works out like that.

So you shared the same sort of jobs for a bit.

-At the beginning, yes.

-Yes.

What do you do now, in your retirement?

-Well, I've always played the drums and...

-You never?

I play in a samba band. Well, I play in two samba bands,

-which I really enjoy. We were in Britain's Got Talent.

-Mm-hm.

-How did you get on?

-Yes, we got through.

-We were in the show that Susan Boyle won.

-Oh, right.

-So, no competition there, but...

-HE LAUGHS

Everybody thought we were great,

-but Piers Morgan thought we made a racket.

-Did he?

-Never liked him.

-Got no taste, that's the trouble.

-Never liked him.

-No taste when it comes to percussion anyway.

-No.

-So, Mary, what do you do to make ends meet?

-When I worked alongside Nance in the railway,

I did ten years with British Rail,

and then I left there because my husband set up a little business.

-I went to work alongside him.

-Mm-hm.

-And, unfortunately, that resulted in me being fired.

-Oh dear.

-He fired me.

-Never.

-Because I talked too much.

-Did you get redundancy off him?

-No, no.

We reckoned it was a very fair dismissal.

-So you moved on to what?

-I went away, poles apart,

and became an auxiliary nurse in Western Infirmary in Glasgow.

And I work in the Orthopaedic Outpatients Department,

-and we just call it the fracture clinic.

-Yeah, they're all limping around.

So will you be looking for damaged goods today, seeing as how you're so good at broken stuff?

Maybe jewellery. And over the years we've just,

that's what we're drawn to. Magpies.

-Now tell us about this necklace. Is it Sixties?

-Yes, it is.

I just liked all the lovely colours

and I got it from a lady at the antique fair.

-What, here?

-Yes.

-You know your way around then, don't you?

-Oh, a regular.

-And Mary, what about yours?

-Mine is circa 2012.

-From York.

-Yes.

-But I did like it.

-Brilliant. Now, the money moment.

-Here you go, £300 apiece. There's your £300.

-Thank you.

You know the rules. Your experts await - and off you go.

And very, very, very good luck.

On the case for the Reds today...

And hoping he can get the maths right for the Blues, it's...

-I feel really secure.

-Good.

-I feel really robust

between two fine ladies.

Do you see a common ground with regards to taste and outlook here?

No, we have absolutely nothing in common.

Something will catch our eye, I hope, and make us lots and lots

-of money with your expertise.

-I like the sounds of that.

-At the moment we're in a garage but you're armed with your stick.

-I am indeed.

-So we can launch ourselves when the deal needs sealing?

-Definitely.

Whatever takes your fancy, you know, just zoom into.

Oh, wow.

-A crystal chandelier. You're looking at hard work there, frankly.

-OK.

-Oh, the Scottie dog, Mary. Look. Isn't that lovely?

-Are you dog lovers?

-Yes.

-Have you got dogs.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Just like that.

-Just like that.

-It is a brooch. It's only £9.

-Isn't that sweet.

It's almost like a Bakelite, or early plastic.

-Chrome plate. You know, you've got £300 to spend.

-I know.

You, to me, look big spenders. You know, you look big spenders.

He's right, Blues, so spend, spend, spend!

Let's go down here, I think.

And while the Reds get their hands dirty with the washboard...

£15?

I'm the stick-in-the-mud here.

You can stick in the mud all you like. We're having this, Fiona.

-Alison...

-Yes, we're having it.

-Let's have the conversation so we know...

-Let's listen to Paul.

It could be quite early. It could be a Victorian one.

It's certainly no later than early 20th century. It's a washboard.

A skiffle band ones are galvanised steel, aren't they,

this element here. This is a glass one. I think those are better by far.

And they're scrubbing boards for the younger generation.

You've got your, probably your dolly tub, your galvanised tub

with your dirty laundry.

You've got that sitting in the basin.

-It's one step up from beating them with stones in the river.

-Yes.

-How much do you think it would make?

-Everything crossed, you might get ten or 20 quid for it.

-And we're going to an auction in the city of the wash house.

-Glasgow. I suppose you've got a point.

-So I think...

-She's not taking no for an answer.

-We should pop over and speak to this chap.

-Go for it.

-If I pick one, you pick one, then we might agree on another one.

-OK.

-OK.

All in agreement, then? Can she be as persuasive with the vendor, though?

I have got us a bargain. £5. I know you'll be delighted with this.

Oh, my goodness.

It's great. Social history, a fiver, sounds all right to me.

-Perfect.

-I'd buy it.

-Well done. Well, you did.

-I did.

Never in doubt, was it? The first of three, and in double-quick time.

Now, will our bubbly Blues pop their corks over this next find?

-Do you want glitz?

-Yes.

-Do you want glamour?

-Yes.

-Look at those.

-They are champagne coolers. They are 1920s, German...

-Do you have to buy them as a pair?

There's three actually. There's one for you, one for Nancy and one for me.

-How much are they, sir?

-All three together?

-Yeah.

-Best price 900.

THEY GASP

So we can only afford one. That's no good, is it?

That will have to remain on ice for now.

It seems, though, the Reds have worked up a thirst too.

A retro coffee-maker.

-I love the shape and the style.

-It's a Cona.

-I suspect mid-20th century.

-Right.

-1940.

But short of it being an ornament for your retro kitchen,

I just don't think it's got a big audience.

-£50.

-It's £50. OK, thank you.

-It's a bit steep.

It's worth a park, maybe, at the moment.

Wise words, Paul. Plenty of time - and cash - left.

Back to the Blues, who've come across something with both form and function.

-That's pretty.

-Practical.

You could use that for letters.

"Art nouveau letter rack. £24."

-Is that silver, Charles?

-I wish it was silver.

-It looks it.

And so does he as well.

Silver-plate. If that were silver,

it'd be worth probably three or £400.

Yes, I thought it was cheap.

Because it's novel. It's almost a return to nature.

-It's a return to the foliate forms -

-Yes -

-of almost the Arts and Crafts.

And taking nature for what it is in design.

-You know what the next question's going to be?

-24, is that your best?

-No, I could do it for 20.

-£20?

If it came into auction I would love to really be starting off at £15.

-18.

-18 there.

18. 15?

-16.

-That's a great price.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-I think that's a great price.

-Shall we go for that?

So you can now, if you're both happy, seal the deal.

-Right.

-Yes.

-Happy, Nance?

-Happy.

-Yes, we're happy.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, thank you very much.

-Shake his hand.

-Thank you, sir.

-Sold.

Great work, teams. That's one item apiece. Time now to focus on the Reds.

-Ah, wow.

-A Bakelite camera.

-Yeah.

-You're a photographer.

I've got a camera like this in the house and a few box Brownies.

I collect old cameras. They don't go for much,

but it's more people like displaying them cos they look cool.

I love the fact it's Bakelite rather than another leather-clad one.

It was the first plastic camera produced by Kodak, don't you know?

-I'd have that as a decoration rather than using it.

-Yeah.

-I mean, do you want it?

-I don't know. What do you think, Alison?

It's horrible.

-THEY LAUGH

-Sorry.

-I just don't like -

-Get off that fence.

-I don't like it but I appreciate that...

-No -

-That you need to pick something that you really like.

-I like it.

-I've already picked something I really like.

-Can I ask what your best price would be on this?

-How much is it?

-£40.

Er... 25 to you.

Is there any way that could be a tenner?

Cos I think it's only worth ten or £20 at auction.

I tell you what. If you give me £15, I'll make £5 on it.

I think if it went for 15 we'd get something on it, do you not think?

-I'll get a fiver.

-You get a fiver. And we might get a fiver.

-If you made a fiver and we made a fiver, then -

-Have you just done a deal?

-Yes.

What do you think? God, we're not spending much money, are we?

Yeah, let's go for it.

A picture-perfect purchase. Item two done.

While our teams continue shopping,

let me show you something I discovered the last time I was here.

What do you know about gutta-percha?

Not so much? Well, it's a miracle rubbery substance

first introduced to Britain in the 19th century.

Think rubber tree in Malaysia, scratching the outside,

the milky-like fluid that is secreted is gathered in the little tin.

And when it's exposed to the air it coagulates.

Reheat it in hot water and you can then mould gutta-percha

into practically any shape.

And in 1848, the first golf ball was made

out of this miracle rubbery stuff.

Very swiftly these gutties, as they came to be known,

replaced the earlier feathery golf balls,

which were much more expensive to make,

and for the next 50 years golf was played with little balls like this.

If we scroll forward to 1860, there's a character called Hamlet Nicholson,

who's a cobbler in Oldham, who used previously gutta-percha

to sole shoes, he patented the first gutta-percha cricket ball,

of which this is an example.

What are they worth? Well, I reckon that an early golf ball collector

would pay between 40 and £60 for the golf ball,

and the cricket ball is a little rarer,

and maybe worth perhaps 50 to 100.

The total cost, £2.50.

How's that for a hole-in-one?

Now back to the shopping.

Are the blues pinning their hopes on these Lea Stein brooches?

-To me they're like boiled sweets.

-Wrong.

Always thinking with your stomach, Charles.

-Tell me about them.

-They're French, and I believe it's a process

they go through. They go way back.

So these really evocative, colourful pendants-come-brooches,

-I mean to me they capture the bold colours of the Eighties.

-Mm-hm.

But the frog, Charles. I'm partial to frogs.

Are you really? I could imagine that doing quite well in a sale room.

Just because it's going to be a talking point.

It's an unusual piece. I haven't seen a frog before, I must admit.

-But I do like that.

-It's, what, plastic?

-Yes, it's plastic.

-OK. And the designer is?

-Lea Stein.

-Based in?

-France.

-France, OK.

-It's £55.

-Mm.

But is that the best price?

-I can do it for 50.

-Ooh, 50.

Would you come down to 40?

I can't do 40. No, I'm sorry.

No? Will you do two for 80?

That's it, Nancy, use the old two-in-one tack.

-I like the ladybird.

-The ladybird's beautiful.

Not keen, Charles?

-The frog and the ladybird for 80.

-I can do 85.

85? Right.

If I said to you, guess which hand the ladybird is in,

and if you get it wrong it's 85. And if I get it right it's 80.

Hello. Carlos is up to his old tricks too.

-OK, are you ready?

-Good, Charles.

-Are you ready?

-Yep, yep.

-Let's hope the lady picks the wrong hand.

OK. Which hand is the ladybird in, madam?

-That one.

-And if you get it right we'll pay £85.

-Are you sure?

-Yes.

-Are you positive?

-Yes.

-You want to try again?

-Sorry, team. You've got it.

-THEY LAUGH

Nice try, Charlie. Mind you, £85 is not so bad for two sweet brooches.

If there's one lady who can sell them, it has to be Anita Manning.

So if you're gung-ho, I'm gung-ho.

With a burden of frog, I say let's go for it.

Beautifully modelled, Charles. Well, from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Wow. I would have that on my table, look.

You are holding rather a stunning cruet set and stand in silver.

That'll be pricey, I think.

Look at the quality of these cast elements here.

We've got wreaths and shelves and canvass scrolls.

-It's 365.

-We can't afford that. While I see the quality,

I don't know who'd buy that.

It's a shame how things fall out of favour, isn't it?

You're on the right lines, though, Reds.

One more item to find and we've got

the grand sum of time left of 15 minutes.

-Oh, no.

-That's a long time.

How cool are these Blues?

Also short on time but big on cash, it appears the Reds

have stopped for refreshment.

How old might it be?

I haven't a clue, to be honest. It's just got character.

-If I said that was 100 year old, would you be impressed?

-Very.

-It's not.

-How old is it?

-About 260 year old.

-Good...

The opaque twist, dated about 1750, 1760.

-Wow.

-And an incredibly clever technique.

-You have milk glass, white glass, rods or canes.

-Mm-hm.

-And you assemble them in a little bunch.

-Mm-hm.

And then you float those in molten clear glass

and make a clear rod with these other opaque rods

running through it.

You then soften it again and start to turn that and twist it.

And you will introduce a spiral, very complex process.

The glass itself is in three elements.

Cos you've got to make the stem, and I've told you how complex that is.

You then blow the bowl and unite the two, and then you make the foot.

This is gorgeous. I think we might have found our third item.

-Well, have you seen the price yet?

-No, I haven't.

You don't get this for nothing.

-£240.

-Is there any slack in your price there?

-Yes, there is.

-Are you with me...

What do you think the auction estimate is on it.

-150 to 250.

-Yes, that's all right.

Being sensible, I can do 180 on it.

I can see this taking a while.

So let's see what the Blues are doing with their time.

It's a lovely silver sheet metal embossed mantle clock.

-It's a bit damaged.

-Oh, dear, you're right.

-Mary, you're right. That's knocked it for me.

-What a shame.

-I know.

-What's the best price on it?

-My very best would be £40.

If that wasn't gone, to me that's 100 to £150.

-What a shame.

-And you just see the fall from grace when condition,

-sadly, takes priority over the object.

-Mm-hm.

Hurry up then, Blues. Time and Bargain Hunt waits for no-one.

So, how are the Reds getting on with that cordial glass?

The most I can give you for the glass, and I don't know what you paid for it or how long

you've had it, the most I can give you, here and now, is 150, not 180.

Another £10. You can have it at 160.

-155.

-Are we doing it?

-Yes.

-155?

They want to shake at 155.

-Oh, yes.

-Thank you very much.

-Just let me wipe the blood away first.

-THEY LAUGH

-Thank you.

-That's it.

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

Great bargaining, team, for your third and final buy.

-Hey!

-And spend some money. Get in.

-Super.

But what about our other cool and collected Celts?

What's that nice amethyst and seed pearl pendant?

-This one?

-Oh, that one?

-This one?

-Bring it round here, Nancy.

-Right you are.

-What do you think of this?

-Oh, I like all that.

Mary, do you like that? That's nice. Eye-catching.

So you've got a central amethyst

with some wonderful little seed pearls

on what I presume is nine carats.

-And you can use it as a brooch as well.

-Yes.

-Or a pendant.

-It's sinuous, it's organic, it's art nouveau,

it's neo-classical, it's ribbon-tied, it's feminine.

-Mm-hm.

-But it is 1910, it is Edwardian.

It's very pretty.

-I like jewellery.

-I love that. I do like it.

-175?

-It needs to be at a come-and-get-me price.

-Yes.

-Come and get me, madam.

That's it, my boy. Work your magic.

Offer a price that's more than what I paid for it.

-Yes.

-Exactly.

-Of course.

My best would be 150, or 149. I'll just go that pound under.

-You've got such style. I love the combination.

-I think you're charming.

HE LAUGHS

I believe you're blushing.

All the seed poles are there, it's stamped nine carat.

The amethyst is brilliant, it's a big, oval cavachon.

-Cut stone.

-I think you could sell snowballs to the Eskimos.

He certainly could.

-Go for it.

-Would you go for it?

-I like a gamble.

-Are you going to buy it?

-Yes, we are.

-We'll take it. 149. Thank you so much.

-Thank you.

-We'll take it.

That's it, time's up.

The final curtain. Let's check out what the Red team bought, eh?

They cleaned up with The Glass Queen washboard bought for only £5.

Next they snapped up the Bakelite folding camera.

And finally, at £155, the cordial glass became the toast of the town.

-How many bucks did you spend?

-175.

-Not too bad.

-£125 of leftover lolly. Thank you.

-There we go.

Any idea what you're going to spend it on?

Something that's going to turn 125 into more than 125.

-That is a relief - and so nice to hear.

-I like that.

Anyway, relax, girls. Meanwhile, we're going to check out what the Blue team bought, aren't we?

Not to be written off, they paid £16 for this Arts and Crafts letter rack.

They paid £85 for two plastic-fantastic animal brooches

by Lea Stein.

Finally they bought the amethyst and pearl pendant for a dazzling £149.

-Now how much did you spend?

-£250.

-That is a proper amount, isn't it?

OK, good. I'd like £50 of leftover lolly, please.

-Yes, thank you.

-I'd say, Charles, from the sound of this you've not had a look-in, mate.

No, Tim, it's been a hard one, Tim, a very hard one.

-Well, you can get your own back now with the £50.

-Thank you.

I think, to reflect my team, it's going to be something really spicy

-and something very sweet.

-Ohh!

Listen, lovely to chat. Anyway, good luck, girls. Meanwhile,

we're heading off to the home of one of Scotland's literary giants.

Abbotsford was Sir Walter Scott's dream home.

This elaborate neo-Gothic castle was built from the proceeds of

Scott's best-selling historical novels, which sold out

as soon as they hit the shelves.

Scott's love of writing stemmed from his passion for history,

and his nose for a good story.

But his interest wasn't confined to events of the past.

He kept a keen eye on history in the making, too.

In the early 19th century, the name of one man was on everyone's lips.

The deposed emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte.

A man who was regarded by some as a superhero,

and by others as a fiend.

As far as Scott was concerned, he became increasingly fascinated

and needed to lay his hands on

as many artefacts associated with Napoleon as he possibly could,

with a particular focus on the Battle of Waterloo.

The Battle of Waterloo ended 23 years of warfare between Britain and France,

which had cost millions of lives.

Scott was very patriotic and saw the French as a threat,

but like many members of the British public at the time,

he was attracted to Napoleon's charisma.

Napoleon had acquired a kind of celebrity cult status

as a great and powerful, but flawed, man.

You might have wondered quite how Sir Walter Scott,

a writer in the Scottish Borders,

hundreds of miles from the scene of the Battle of Waterloo,

came to acquire so many pieces.

Well, the truth of the matter is,

the moment he heard of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo,

he decided to set off for the battlefield.

He travelled to Belgium, his first trip abroad,

not only to see the battlefield but also to find out what was for sale.

When Scott arrived at Waterloo the battlefield was a shocking site,

littered with smoking debris and corpses.

He wrote of the ghastly remains of the carnage.

He was too late to pick up items himself,

as enterprising locals had already scooped up all the spoils.

However, Scott was able, via these locals,

to get his hands on some interesting pieces.

He acquired this cuirass and helmet,

the breastplate from some mounted armour,

and he recorded that he thought it had come from a noble French officer.

Next door is a pair of holsters

for flintlock pistols, to keep them dry and safe when, again,

mounted in the battle.

And next door to that is another cuirass and shako,

which are Polish, but they're here to demonstrate

within Scott's collection that bits of armour were

not necessarily that reliable, because in that breastplate

we can see a great hole created by a musket,

which would have done the wearer no good at all.

Hmm, great collection of a great Scot.

Talking of great Scots, let's join Anita Manning over at the auction.

-Anita, how are you?

-I'm very well, and welcome.

-It's a delight to have you back.

-Thank you very much.

First up, we've got the old washboard.

SHE LAUGHS I have to say, I haven't seen one of these things for years. Have you?

I think they're fabulous, but I'll tell you what amuses me.

-The marketing device in the top, The Glass Queen.

-Mm.

Now if you can imagine a woman washing the clothes

-with a washboard, which is very hard work, for her family.

-Yes.

But her husband has bought her the deluxe model

-and thinks of her as a glass queen.

-Yeah.

What a lot of bloomin' old rubbish.

But that's all they had then, wasn't it?

-That's all they had.

-It's lovely.

I think it's a great survival, really.

Anyway, very evocative. How much?

-15 to 20.

-Fair enough. £5 paid.

-That's what you call...

-That was a good five pounds' worth.

-A bargain.

Now the girls were determined to go with

-the Bakelite Kodak Hawkette camera.

-Uh-huh.

-Do you fancy this one?

-Yes, I do. I love it. Look at it.

A wonderful, wonderful shape.

-And the mottled Bakelite to look like the veneer of wood.

-Yes.

So it has so many elements, and I bet that's still working.

Yeah, I bet it is. Lots of nostalgia there. Is there any cash?

-40 to 60.

-Do you reckon?

-I hope so.

-The girls paid 15.

-Oh, well done.

That's pretty cool. And then the high roller, the big risk ticket.

-Yes.

-Is the cordial glass.

Well, this is the real McCoy.

It's an 18th century piece. It's in perfect condition.

And look at this wonderful taping work here. It's absolutely lovely.

The fact that it's a cordial glass rather than a wine glass

-will make it even more desirable.

-Mm.

-For the buyers.

OK, talking about desirable, how desirable?

-140 to 180.

-Fair enough.

-£155 paid.

-That's not bad.

-And it could take off, couldn't it?

But it is high-risk, it might fail at the fence, in which case

they'll need their bonus buy, so let's have a look at it.

Now, Fiona, Alison,

you gave your man £125.

Paul, what did you spend it on?

-I spent it on... these!

-Wow.

-I love these.

-Mm-hm.

-And I cannot tell you much more than that about them.

HE LAUGHS

-They're actually quite cute.

-They're cute. I adore them.

So, earthenware, barrel form vessels.

-They're modelled after pails.

-Right.

And they are domestic wares, be it salt, cream or something

I am unaware of. 19th century.

There'll be 100, 150 years to them I should think.

And given I bought them in Edinburgh, I think there's a fair chance they're Scottish in origin.

I just think they're lovely objects.

-Do you?

-No.

-Ohh!

-THEY LAUGH

-How much did you spend on these?

-I didn't wade in deep. They were £20.

-£20?

-You were robbed.

-I'm sorry.

-Time will tell.

-Time will tell.

-You think he was robbed at ten pounds each?

-Yes.

-Do you really?

-Really. We'll just have to wait and see.

-We'll wait and see how badly we do.

-Ask him how much...

-How much do you think it will go for?

-I think they've got to be worth 20 to £40.

A bit of a mystery with the handle - or as to what they might have been used for.

Anyway, let's find out, for the audience at home, just how Anita's going to feel about them.

I never thought I'd be handing you and an crock.

Anita, OK. Well, they're rather fun, aren't they?

Ah, yes. I like this. It's Scottish pottery, with the yellow and black colours.

It's good that they are a matching pair.

And the type of thing that would look absolutely terrific

-in a modern kitchen.

-Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

This is very weird, this bar across the top of the simulated barrel.

-It's obviously for carrying.

-Yes.

Oddball but very attractive.

And therefore probably quite unusual.

And therefore probably worth a pile of dough. Ha!

How do you rate them, Anita?

-25 to 35.

-Yeah, I bet they take off, these.

Anyway, thank you very much. That's it for the Reds. Now for the Blues.

And for them we have got the letter rack,

which looks particularly dull to me.

I think it's very sweet. I like the simplicity of it.

Little Arts and Crafts look about it,

hand-hammered, so it has lots of appealing features and, really,

the simplicity of it is something that makes it attractive to me.

To me it's a five pound note. Our lot paid £16.

-How do you rate it?

-25 to 40.

-Do you really? My gosh.

Next up is the Lea Stein brooches.

She was one of the most prestigious, I suppose,

designers of costume jewellery in the 20th century.

And she and her chemist husband produced this laminated plastic

and she designed the motifs and things.

And it had a bit of humour.

Frogs, ladybirds,

film stars and so on.

-So they're quite collectable now. She was looking back to the 1930s and the Art Deco time.

-Yes.

And people like her brooches. They're fun.

-How much, then?

-40 to 70.

-OK. £85 they paid.

OK, next is the pendant brooch. It goes from one extreme to the other, this, doesn't it?

-Because there's a high piece of late Victorian jewellery.

-Yes.

This little pendant has some quality,

and I like it. And they are becoming more popular in today's market.

-Isn't that nice to hear? OK, so how much, then?

-100 to 200.

That's OK, cos we sit at 149.

We're very happy, we're in a comfortable place,

relying on you, as ever.

In case it doesn't go well though, let's have a look at the bonus buy.

Girls, this is exciting, isn't it? You gave Charles £50. What did you spend it on?

I wanted to something sweet, something to remember my Scottish ladies by.

Romantic, and I found this.

-Ooh.

-Oh.

-It's a sugar sifter. It's got a wonderful silver chase top.

It's probably Birmingham 1910, but importantly, with a local interest,

it's inset with these nice Scottish hardstones. Very nice.

-It's lovely.

-Well, being Scottish, what did you pay for it?

-I like it. And it cost me £50.

-Good.

-I would guide it, God willing,

-between 50 and 80.

-That would do nicely.

-When was the last one you saw that had got Scottish stones in, made in Birmingham?

-Never.

-There you go.

-Not for a long time.

-I think that is quite a rare feature.

-So, does this get a thumbs up?

-Definitely.

-Yes, we trust him implicitly.

-I always knew you would come up trumps for us.

-I hope so.

-You don't have to take it.

-We will, though. We're a team. The Three Musketeers.

Charles, well done, you've infected your girls with enthusiasm.

Let's find out just how infected Anita Manning's going to be.

Right, then, here is Charles, buying strategically

with the Scottish element in it.

A Scottish item. Tim, don't you just love polished agates?

And what the agates have done is

that they have taken quite an ordinary item

and made it quite special.

Yeah. Hallmarked it up in Birmingham. So did you export

your Scottish stones into other silver-making centres?

Yes. What would happen is that these stones would be collected

in the burns and the seashores of the East Coast of Scotland.

They would be sent to Edinburgh to be polished,

and then sent down to Birmingham to be inset into silver items,

so it's got a wee bit of history there.

Yeah. And it makes a very attractive sugar sifter, I have to say.

Charles is pretty canny about this. How do you rate it, money-wise?

-I've estimated 70 to 100.

-Perfect. He paid £50.

He'll be rooting for it. We'll all be rooting for it.

-And you. Good luck, Anita.

-Thank you.

200, 210, 230.

220 at the back.

-Happy?

-Yes.

-First up then is the washboard, The Glass Queen, and here it comes.

-OK.

183, ladies and gentlemen,

is an early 20th century washboard

called The Glass Queen.

And you can imagine a husband buying it for his wife

to make the washing of the family's clothes more luxurious.

What can we say? 50?

50, 30, 20.

-£10 for The Glass Queen?

-Uh-oh.

Ten bid. With you, sir, at ten bid.

-Ten.

-There's another bid.

-20.

£20. On the floor at 20.

Is it for your wife? She'll hit you with it.

GENERAL LAUGHTER

With the gentleman at £20. All done at £20.

-£20.

-SHE BANGS GAVEL

-Very good. Plus £15, girls.

-Fantastic.

Plus 15. Next the Bakelite folding camera.

Now this is the first camera

that used Bakelite. The Hawkette.

So it's an important camera, an important collectable,

and it's in its original case.

Start me at 20 for the Hawkette.

£20. Ten, then.

Ten bid. Any advance on ten? 20. £20.

Any advance on £20? All done at £20.

£20.

-Plus £5. Nothing wrong with that.

-Better than nothing.

-Now, the cordial glass.

-Look out, girls.

-I know, I know.

185, the 18th century multi-series

twist cordial glass,

circa 1750.

Will you start me at £100?

Will you start me at 100?

100 on the books.

110. 120?

130,

140, 150...

-You're so close.

-£150. It's on the floor.

-So close.

-160 back there.

-Yes.

-160.

-You've made a fiver.

-170?

-You're going on.

-£170.

Any advance on 170? All done at 170.

-170.

-Tension. That's plus 15.

-So that's plus £15.

-A clean sweep.

That's 30. You've got plus 35. Isn't that marvellous?

A profit on all three items. £35 to go home with.

-What are you going to do about those miniature crocks? You loathed them, didn't you?

-Yes.

-Will you go with them now?

-Yes.

-THEY LAUGH

-Have you no shame, woman?

-Scottish pottery.

-We think they'll make money.

-She loathes them but she's going to go with them cos she sees a profit.

I think you're right. Anyway, we're going with the bonus buy, and here it comes.

189, a pair of Scottish pottery miniature salt crocks,

modelled as milk pails. Scottish pottery, ladies and gentlemen.

£50? 50, 40? Start me at £20.

-Start me at £20 for the crocks.

-£20.

-20, surely?

Scottish pottery, £20.

-20 bid.

-Yes.

-We start at 20.

Any advance on 20? Any advance on £20?

All done at £20. £20?

£20, wiped its face. You've got plus 35 still.

-So, no shame, no pain.

-No shame.

-That's great. Lovely.

-Now, Mary, how are you feeling, baby?

-A bit nervous.

-Are you?

-Nancy, do you know how the Reds got on?

-No, I don't.

-You don't?

-It's all very secret.

-Is it secret? Good, good. Well, that's good.

Now, first up then is the leaf-shaped letter rack.

This is of Swedish design, ladies and gentlemen,

and it's a sweet little thing. Arts and Crafts.

£40. £40, 30,

-start me at £20.

-Come on.

Any advance on 20.

-Well done.

-30.

-Over there.

-40? 50.

The lady at £50. 60, fresh bidder.

With the gentleman at 60.

Any advance on £60?

Any advance on £60? £60.

-Well done.

-£60.

That's four off 20.

Brilliant. Plus £44. Well done, girls.

206, the two Lea Stein brooches,

modelled as a frog and ladybird.

£150 for the Lea Stein.

-They're worth it.

-£100?

Start me at 50 - for the two.

-(Come on.)

-£50.

-(There's a bidder.)

-60, 60,

70, 80. £80?

90. 90 with the gentleman.

100. 110.

Any advance on 110?

All done at 110? 110.

-Five off 90.

-Yes.

-Plus 25.

40, 50, 69 you are.

Plus 69. So, now we've had the chromium plate,

now we've had the plastic, now we're going to have some gold.

Now this is of the best quality.

This is an Edwardian nine-carat,

hallmarked gold Edwardian pendant brooch,

and it's circa 1910.

Start me at £100.

Start me at £100.

100 bid.

110, 120,

-130.

-(Come on.)

-140.

I'll take five. 145?

-Oh, please?

-145.

Any advance on 145?

-150.

-Yes!

-Yes!

-150.

-We've got it.

Any advance on £150?

All done at 150. 150.

Yay!

-Well done, well done.

-You're pleased about that.

Plus one pound on that. That takes you from 69 to 70.

Yay, that's pretty good, isn't it?

-What are you going to do about the sifter? You love that sifter, don't you?

-We trust Charles implicitly.

You're going with the sifter? Super.

-£50 paid. OK? That decision is now made.

-Absolutely.

Definitely doing it. Well, now you've made the decision,

-I can tell you Anita has estimated 70 to £100.

-I knew it, Charles.

There's this sugar sifter, ladies and gentlemen.

Unusual in that it has these wonderful silver agates.

A Scottish piece, ladies and gentlemen. Can we say 150? 100?

-£50? £50. £30 there.

-Oh, no.

-£30.

-Oh, no.

30. 20? £20 bid. Any advance on 20?

30, 40. Any advance on £40?

-I don't like the look of this, Charles.

-Any advance?

-No.

All done at £50. £50?

It worked its face.

No pain, no shame there, Carlos.

So you are plus £70, girls. Nothing the matter with that.

That could be a winning score. Don't say a word to the Reds and

-we'll reveal everything in a moment.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Well, what a treat this is. Two extremely successful teams.

Two teams that are all going to get golden gavels cos they all made profits on all their lots. Ooh!

Anyway, there you go. It's exciting, isn't it?

It's just that one team has made one half of the profit of the other team,

and therefore are the runners-up today,

and that team is...

..the Red team. THEY CHEER

£35 is what you go home with, which is really good, isn't it?

Plus, you get your golden gavel. There's your three golden gavels.

Just nick it. Give it a yank.

-Nick it, give it a yank.

-Thank you.

-Nick it, give it a yank.

Well done. And, of course, the Blues get golden gavels too.

Nick that one. And I'm going to give you two loose ones from my pocket,

-which are there.

-Thank you very much.

-And there. Perfect.

You made 70 pounds-worth of profits overall.

And here comes your £70.

And two extremely happy and colourful-looking ladies you are too.

-And did you love it?

-Loved it, yes.

-Been great having you on the show. Join us soon for some more bargain hunting. Yes? Yes!

-Yes!

-Yes!

-Yes!

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