Peterborough 28 Bargain Hunt

Today we've travelled to the Far East

to the land of potential prosperity where the language is cold hard cash

and the potential...

Well, what we'd like is a large portion of profit.

We're in Peterborough. Let's go bargain hunting, yeah!

Twice a year, the East of England Showground hosts

its very own festival of antiques and with 2,000 stalls

and only 60 minutes to get around,

our teams today are seriously going to have to pull themselves together.

So, let's have a sneaky preview as to what's coming up.

There's a dilemma for the Reds.

It's a very risky one, isn't it?

-Oh, it's so risky it's unbelievable.

-It's a risk.

-Yeah.

-Which makes it exciting.

-I like the risk, though.

-Five, 40...

-And the Blues get excited at the saleroom.

Thank you, sir.

Let's all get acquainted, shall we?

So, we have a combo of couples from heaven today on our programme.

For the Reds, we've got Abby and Callum

and for the Blues, we've got Emily and Ash.

-Hello, everyone.

-ALL: Hello!

Lovely to see you.

Now, Abby, there was a fair amount of horsing around

when you two first met, right?

Me and Callum, around about two and a half years ago,

we and some of our mutual friends went camping in Dartmoor

and we got chased down by a pony.

-Did you?

-We did, indeed. A quite angry Dartmoor pony.

Callum had to push me out of the way and then the rest is history.

It's so nice to have a beefy, brawny man about, right,

to protect you in these circumstances.

-Um, you could say that.

-Yeah.

But you've got a bit of a thick skin thanks to your job,

though, haven't you?

Well, I work as a complaint handler for a major bank,

-so it's obviously quite a busy and stressful job, but...

-Poor you!

It's not quite as bad as it sounds.

Like, basically, something goes wrong, someone shouts at me.

I tried to sort it out to the best I can and then we go to the pub

and have a team drink.

So, it's not too bad.

Some people on the telephone, I guess,

can be really rude, can't they?

-Very rude.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, you wouldn't believe it.

-It's a difficult job to do.

-It is difficult.

But quite satisfying when it all goes right

and you've sorted a problem out.

It is certainly a good feeling and then so is the team trip

-to the pub afterwards. So, yes.

-Exactly right.

So, Callum, are you planning to win big today and if you do,

-what are you going to do with that?

-Well, I hope so.

Well, we'd like to put it towards our big travelling trip

-that we're starting in July.

-Right. Where are you going?

We're basically trying to go to Australia without flying.

-So, everywhere in between.

-That's a great ambition, isn't it?

-That's the plan.

-And how many years are you planning to be away?

-Until we run out of money.

-Oh, I see!

Well, if you're hoping to save the cash out of your earnings today,

you've got to have some sort of strategy today.

And what's your strategy?

-Use our charm. Just to be very nice and try and be cheeky.

-Really?

-Youthful charm and cheek, eh?

-Yeah.

-Could be a combo.

-We'll have to see.

Well, anyway, good luck with it.

So, Emily, when you first met Ash,

it was a bit of pipe dream, wasn't it?

-Yeah, I was an apprentice plumber and Ash was my tutor.

-Right.

He played a couple of tricks on me to start off with.

I was undoing a downpipe and then I got drenched with stagnant water.

Oh, friendly!

And what was your first vision of Ash when you first encountered him?

I first met him when he was bending over a washing machine.

So, essentially, I just saw his bum first.

Did you? Anyway, things went along perfectly nicely

cos you're now in business together.

-Yeah, we're based in Leicestershire.

-Is that successful?

Yes, we've been doing quite well.

We've only been running just since last July,

but, yeah, it's picked up really quickly, actually.

So, if Emily is the brains in the business,

then I guess you're going to be the brawn, is that right, Ash?

-Oh, I don't know.

-It says here that you are a fitness fanatic.

I do like my martial arts. I do a lot of jiujutsu.

-That's too fingers death at 100 yards, isn't it?

-No, not quite.

-Not quite.

-Not quite. Too many films.

Now, listen, you've got a passion for all things historical.

Tell us about that.

It started when I was at primary school

and from there, really, I've just loved history.

-War of the Roses and medieval times.

-Have you got a strategy today?

What are you going to buy?

-I collect Whitefriars stuff.

-Oh, do you?

-Yeah.

It'd be great to find something like that.

And for you, Ash, what are you going to go for?

-Sports memorabilia.

-Right.

Well, all very interesting.

Anyway, the money moment is the £300 moment. Here you go.

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

And very, very, very good luck.

I'm always looking out for a good plumber.

And of course our two experts are ready to lend a hand today.

David Harper is 'wheelie' up for helping out Reds.

And Kate Bliss is hoping to drum up a profit for the Blues.

Hey, you two! How are you doing? You ready to rock 'n roll?

-We are.

-Yes.

-Yeah?

-What are we looking for?

-Something musical.

-Oh! OK and...?

I'm thinking maybe something exotic.

Wha...hey, baby, exotic!

-Who's good at doing the better deal?

-Oh...

-Well, most of the time it's me.

-Yeah.

-Should we go and find a bit of exotic?

-Yeah!

-Let's go get exotic.

Come on then. 60 minutes of exotic hunting.

Well, those trousers are certainly exotic, David.

Are we already for a bit of a hoot?

-OWL HOOTS

-Start the clock.

-I have spotted something exotic.

-OK.

-OK.

-Have you not... Come on!

Your exotic hunters. Point it out to me.

-Are we going for this item here?

-Do you like it?

I certainly do, actually. Yeah, but what is it?

THEY LAUGH

-It's a tray.

-It's a tray. OK, then. And how old is it?

Oh, I would say it's from the Raj period, probably 1900, 1910, 1920.

And you would have had your G and Ts served of an evening

on this tray.

-I certainly like G and Ts.

-You do? You like G and Ts?

Well, there's your perfect tray. All made out of one slab of hard wood.

-All hand-carved, that is exotic, is it not?

-That is certainly exotic.

-I think it's what we are looking for.

-Yeah, I think so.

Well, let's get a price. Let's ask this gentleman.

-What have we got on this?

-I can do 25.

25... OK. Have a feel of that.

-Give it a rub.

-Yeah.

-It's not perfectly smooth.

-It isn't.

Now, that's a good sign, isn't it?

Because if it was perfectly smooth,

-it would have been made by a machine.

-Ah, I see.

You can just feel the winky wonkiness of that.

That is hand-cut, hand-sanded, hand-carved.

That has never seen machinery. It's only seen a man with a chisel.

I think in auction, it's probably £10 to £20 less than this, isn't it?

-I'd have thought.

-I like it.

-Yeah. Should we take it?

-Well, hang on.

-We need to think about the price.

-But no, no, hang on one second.

They are rubbish at this. They really are really bad.

-I was going to...I was going to bargain.

-Go on, then.

I was going to say, "We'll take it now for 15."

-I'll do 20. Meet you in the middle.

-Um...

-It's a good colour.

-Where were you going with that?

-17.

-I'll do 18.

-Oh! He's a hard man, this one. Are we going to go 18?

-Yeah.

-OK, 18.

-Make your first purchase.

-Deal.

-Well done. Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks for that. Really good of you. Cheers.

Right. Well done, you. Very quick as well.

Only within a few minutes. Fantastic.

Tres bon, Reds, tres bon.

And the Blues aren't messing about either.

Oh, this one? So, Emily, you like Whitefriars Glass, don't you?

Yeah, I love it. I've not got anything like that. But then...

I like the colour. The colour's awesome.

Well, I like that one because it is more of an unusual shape

and of course its shape and size affect the price as well as colour.

-Oh, the colour's willow...

-It's willow.

-..the gentleman says.

Thank you for that.

The pattern is a pyramid pattern.

-And I see you've got 160 on the bottom there.

-110 is absolute.

-110? OK.

-Which is cheap for that shape.

-Sure.

We've got to put it into auction, so we're looking for a...

really rock-bottom price.

-Yeah.

-You couldn't do a flat hundred for us?

I'll do it for 100 quid.

What do you think?

-I think that was very nice of you.

-I think...

I think it will give you a chance.

I think it's got... I mean, I probably estimate it

at sort of 70 to 100,

but the pyramid might well draw a collector,

who hasn't got the shape.

Now, I know this is your thing, Emily,

but, Ash, what do you reckon to this?

I'm unsure. I think it's 60 to 80 at auction.

-That's your gut feeling.

-That's my gut feeling.

What do you think, guys? It's our first thing

we've looked at properly. Do you want to take the plunge?

Eh... I mean, you know more about it than I do.

I really do like Whitefriars.

-Let's do it.

-Do you want to do it or do you want to have a little think?

-We'll do it.

-The lady gets the choice.

-Yeah. I won't...

I won't say anything else now. You can pick the others.

-THEY LAUGH

-All right. I think you got yourself a deal.

Thank you very much.

-Give a shake.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

Only a few minutes down and both teams have one apiece.

So, from Whitefriars to some White Stripes.

That's a popular rock band, don't you know?

See if I can get a sound. Um...

HE PLAYS "Seven Nation Army"

There you go.

It's a guitar with three strings.

With musical instruments, that might tell me

it was used by some wild, funky musician.

I mean, this might be a serious bit of kit.

What's it worth because you are the guitar man?

Cos I genuinely don't know very much about electric guitars.

Yeah. I'd probably say it's about a tenner, but there is...

Are you saying that we are not going to with the electric...?

-I think we'll leave it, but, you know...

-It was good to find.

-Well, well done. Well done.

-And I found it!

-A life lesson.

I've learned something.

Every day's a school day on Bargain Hunt, David.

Aye, aye. Ash has clocked something.

-That clock.

-You like the clock?

-Yeah.

-Well, it's £65.

-It's very Victorian.

-It's slate.

Exactly it's made of slate, so it's incredibly heavy.

It's a brilliant example of Victoriana.

They liked very dark things

and, of course, it was the age of mourning when Prince Albert died.

-Yeah.

-Very elaborate.

Completely out of fashion at the moment, unfortunately,

hence the cheap price cos it's a lovely-looking clock.

Got a few chips on it as well as the bottom.

But just at auction that's not going to sell very well, unfortunately.

-It's fashion.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Speaking of fashion, where on earth did you buy those trousers, David?

Ho-oh! I just know what you two are going for. I know it!

It's the blinking...monster in the middle, isn't it?

It is the monster in the middle, yeah. Oh, yeah. Look at that.

-It's crazy.

-Oh, my gosh, that is...exotic.

Tell me why you love it.

Um, just cos it's interesting.

I mean, like, it jumped out at me from the road.

OK, so, it's a totem pole of some sort, isn't it?

Well, let's have a look in.

Can I just lean over and let's see if we can...

Wow! Whoa! Blimey! He really is heavy. What's he like on the back?

Oh, OK. He's got a big old metal bar at the back there

to keep him together. Have a look at the screw heads.

Now, screw heads can tell you an awful lot.

-So we've got a Phillips screw there, haven't we?

-Yeah.

-Phillips comes in well into the 20th century.

-Yeah.

-I think it's 1950s or '60s.

-Right.

-Film proppy.

-Maybe an American diner or something like that.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah, I can see that.

-Yeah.

We could market it strong for wild, wacky.

-I really like it.

-Display pieces, yeah.

-I'd have it in my bedroom.

-I'd certainly have it in my bedroom, yeah.

-Yeah.

-This thing could make any amount of money.

-Depends on...

-He's saying it's priceless.

-Yeah...

-Well, it's funny.

I wouldn't describe him as priceless, actually.

I think he has a price.

-Shall I go find out what that is?

-Yeah, let's find out.

You keep chatting.

The asking price is £220,

but the store holder is a bit camera shy,

so let's leave David to work his magic.

I've got a price. I've got the death price. There's no more negotiating.

-He is 180. And that's it.

-180.

180.

So, you could blow 100 in a nanosecond

or you might be mega-lucky and he might creep up to 300-ish.

That would be my guess.

-Up to 300?

-Well, on a very good day, I think he could.

-It's a very risky one, isn't it?

-Oh, it's so risky it's unbelievable...

-It's a risk.

-..but it makes it exciting.

-I like a risk, though.

-Yeah.

-I like a bit of excitement, so I think we should go for risk.

-Yeah, why not. Let's do it.

-You are brilliant.

You really are brilliant and that is exotic.

When we saw it, we'll say we had to have it, so...

You know, we can't exactly say we're going to buy exotic things

and not buy something like this.

-OK, you keep on chatting, I'll go and do the deal.

-Thank you.

Perfect. I love it! SHE GIGGLES

But how well will the totem pole do under the gavel?

Remember, it's a dog-eat-dog world at the auction.

Ah, loads of dogs here, Ash. Let's have a look. Which one?

Ooh, that looks good.

Oh, there he is.

-So, that's got the Doulton mark on it.

-Yep.

-How much is it?

-It's 120.

-120.

I think that is going to be quite expensive to put it into auction.

-So, I don't think we'll get any profit from it.

-No.

Emily's not very keen.

Why don't we put him back and have another look for something doggie?

-OK.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

Good idea. Go see another man about a dog, Kate.

So, how do you fancy your chances against the opposition today, David?

No idea how the other team is getting on, but you know what?

I don't care because my team are absolutely sent from heaven.

What do they want? They want something exotic.

Immediately, within a few feet, they buy something exotic.

We walk across the fair, hardly any browsing at all,

something else exotic.

Now, all we need is a musical instrument and we've nailed it.

Positive vibes from the Red camp. We're halfway through.

Are the Blues as confident?

So, Emily and Ash, time wise we are about halfway through.

We've got one really good, solid purchase

and I think we really need to step up our game.

-Yeah.

-Let's motor.

-Let's go!

Full speed ahead, then, Blues.

But could the Reds be nearing the finishing line already?

Only that musical instrument to find now, Callum.

-Ooh, what's this?

-This is a sitar.

Oh, gosh. I'll tell you what, I don't know anything about sitars,

but I love that as an object.

It's very pretty, isn't it? They sound amazing when you play them.

Let's have a look at it. Pick it up and let's see what you look like with it.

-Cos I reckon you might suit a sitar.

-I think it'd suit him.

It's a little bit weird, a little bit crazy.

-It's definitely a bit Callum.

-Well, I wasn't going to say that.

It's very out of tune and it would take a long time to tune.

Do we have all the strings?

Um, the short answer is no cos there should be more out here,

so we are missing a lot of strings.

Now then I don't know the history of the sitar,

but its origins, I believe, are purely Indian, aren't they?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, they are. Classical Indian music.

Let's look at this as a piece, then. The base here, that's a natural nut.

-Yeah.

-Then we've got the fretboard.

It's probably in tee, but what I love about this is the decoration.

I mean, look at that.

We've got marquetry inlaid with bone,

ebony and then coloured, stained wood in red.

It's absolutely gorgeous and it's very contemporary looking.

In the right environment, it would just look a fantastic piece.

Date wise... That's very difficult, isn't it?

Cos they've been making these things for hundreds of years.

I think this is probably well into the 20th century.

Might be a '60s thing.

It may be, you know, dating from that kind of Beatles era,

-but it's been used, hasn't it?

-Yeah, absolutely.

Certainly been used. Certainly been played lots.

Should we get a price for it?

The ticket price is £90.

A sporting chance for you would be 45 is the best.

45 quid. Abby, what do you think?

I like it as I said. It meets all of our criteria of exotic and musical...

-Yeah, yeah, I think so.

-So I think it's a bit of a steal, really.

-So I think we should.

-Yeah, yeah, I'll definitely take that.

It's definitely better than that guitar we saw earlier.

So, is this our third and final object?

-I think it's our third and final object.

-I think so, yeah.

-OK, guys.

-We'll go for this.

-Decision's made.

-Well done. We've cracked it.

-Thank you very much.

You came, you saw and you conquered, Reds. Well done!

Meanwhile, Kate's playing it straight with the Blues.

That clock is still ticking.

Well, we've got ten minutes left

and actually I think they're really feeling at sea.

They're really struggling.

So, I'm going to step in, try and give them a little bit of help,

pick out some items for them,

which is either going to go brilliantly

and they're going to love me

or I'm going to come out with egg all over my face.

Drastic measures now, Kate.

I think they're going to need your help and fast.

Five minutes left, Blues. What's the score, Kate?

So, guys, this is how it is. We're tight for time.

I found you two objects. Let's look at the teeny, teeny one first.

I'm just going to put that down.

This is a dog for you, Ash. It's tiny, weeny.

It's actually a little gold charm.

And it is in the form of an Alsatian dog, OK?

-Now, I know you love animals, don't you?

-Yeah.

Its price is determined really on the weight of the gold,

-I have to tell you.

-OK.

It's nicely cast. She's come down to about 38 on that.

And that's probably going to give you a very, very small profit

at auction if you're lucky.

-So, what do you think of it?

-I love it. I like German shepherds.

They're my favourite dogs, so I would buy that myself.

-If you wore charms.

-If I wore charms.

It's all quite clearly hallmarked for nine carats.

-What do you think, Emily?

-Well, you know, it's a nice little piece.

We are running out of time, so I'd say, "Go for it."

Well, hold that thought because the second item...

You hold on to that, Emily.

The second item is this, which is...

if you like, a bit of an old-fashioned item.

It's an inkwell. What do you think of that?

-It looks quite big for an inkwell.

-Hm.

This is actually cut into the glass

in what's known as an intaglio method.

So, you can see this lovely leafage around here. This little frieze.

It's cut in to give it almost three-dimensional effects,

which is quite nice in the heavy cut glass.

It's got its well in here.

This is where you put the ink and the top is silver.

So, you've got a silver mounted top.

It is a traditional antique.

It's probably George V in date

and she's come right down for us to £70 on that.

So, a bit of silver, a bit of heavy glass.

I think, she's been ever so good,

if we offered a flat 100 for the two, it would be fantastic,

but having done a bit of legwork for you, I'm going to leave that to you.

-OK.

-Got on, then, you're the negotiator.

-Would you negotiate?

-Yeah. Shall I do it? Then I'll do it.

-Go on, then, Ash.

-Get in the fight.

-Do your bargaining.

So, is he any good at haggling, Emily?

-Better than me.

-He's better than you?

-Hello there.

-We like the items.

-Good.

-Could you do them for £100?

-Does that tell me anything?

-No. To be fair, I am rubbish.

-If I felt...

-Please.

I know it's a very nice 'please', but I'm really sorry.

I'm going to have to stick to where we are with that,

which I think is 108 from memory, isn't it?

-38 and 70.

-Could you do it for 105?

No, sir. I'm going to be really awkward for you

and I don't mean to be nasty, but it's going to be 108.

OK, we'll go for it.

-TIM:

-'Oh, Ash, you best stick to plumbing.'

What's the verdict, Ash?

Um... £108, I'm afraid, guys. I tried my best.

-Well, that didn't work, did it? Sack him.

-Shall I have a go?

-So, do you have a deal?

-£108, it's a deal.

-OK.

-Three items!

-Yeah!

-We got there.

Well done, Kate. You saved the day.

This pussy is definitely stuffed rather like our teams cos time's up.

Let's check out what the Red team bought, eh?

Meow!

Their first buy was the twin-handled drinks tray.

They carried it away for £18.

They danced off with the decorative totem pole for a £180.

And finally, they hit the high note with the sitar. £45 paid.

-Abby, Callum, was it good fun?

-Yeah, definitely.

-It was brilliant.

Was it? How lovely to be with David Harper for a whole hour.

Abby, which is your favourite piece?

My favourite piece was definitely the totem pole.

The totem pole is your favourite piece. And why?

It was the most crazy, funny thing we saw all day, so we had to buy it.

-OK and you agree with that, Callum?

-Yeah, I think so.

So, we love the totem pole,

but which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

I'd say the sitar cos we managed to get it for half price

for what he initially set. So, we hope that will be a winner.

That's pretty steaming, isn't it? How much did you spend?

£243.

You spent £243? That's such a mature amount of money.

I'm so proud of you. I would like £57 of leftover lolly, please.

-Of course.

-There we go.

That's going to go straight over to be trousered by David Harper.

Now, how many 'louche' comments have you had today about your trousers?

-Not enough, Tim.

-Really?

-But plenty.

-Well, don't worry...

I can't get enough of it.

What are you going to spend the £57 on, my friend?

It can only be one type of thing and what does it have to be, Abby?

-Exotic.

-Exotic. I'm going for the exotic, Tim.

Well, I'm sure you'll find something suitable.

Anyway, very good luck with that.

Meanwhile, why don't we check out with the Blue team bought, eh?

It was the Whitefriars first up. They sealed the deal for £100.

They retrieved their second buy, the dog pendant for £38.

The final item was the cube inkwell. They settled for a price of £70.

-Now, Emily, Ash, that looked like fun.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Was it good fun?

Lovely. Ash, which is your favourite piece?

It's got to be the dog.

Very nice. Do you agree with that, Em? No.

-No, I like my Whitefriars.

-Your Whitefriars is your favourite piece?

-Yeah.

-Is that going to bring the biggest profit?

-No.

-No.

OK. So which bid is?

-Um... I think the inkwell is going to do the best.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, the inkwell.

-You both agree the inkwell is going to bring the biggest profit?

-Yeah.

-We think so.

-Cos Kate picked it out.

THEY LAUGH

Well, that's full of confidence in your girl.

And how much did you spend?

-208.

-It was £208.

-208. I'd like £92. Thank you very much.

-There you go, sir.

-The £92, which goes straight to KB.

-Wonderful.

-Very good.

Now, on this breezy and rather chilly day,

how do you think you're going to get on with your bonus buy shopping?

Well, I think it's fair to say, guys,

stress levels were fairly high.

-So I'm just going to go and have a nice leisurely stroll.

-Are you?

-Well, enjoy that and good luck.

-Thank you.

Meanwhile, we're about to go

and have a look at something absolutely fab!

Before the auction, I'm nipping off to Lichfield

to pay a visit to this magnificent Grade 1 listed building.

Built back in 1707,

this was to become the birthplace of author Samuel Johnson,

best known for his book A Dictionary Of The English Language.

This publication set the standard for the English dictionary

we know today.

This was not only the Johnson family home,

but it was also Samuel Johnson's father's bookshop,

which is still in business 300 years later.

Let's go and have a little shufti, shall we?

And it was in this very room that the young Johnson

could be found beavering away helping his father, re-stitching,

repairing and binding books.

The beginning of a career that ultimately would make him

one of the greatest celebrities of his age.

Spread over five floors, this splendid museum is now home

to some of Dr Johnson's personal artefacts.

To find out more about this famous man, I'm joining Joanne Wilson,

who's the heritage officer at the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum.

So, Jo, tell me more about this extraordinary man.

We know that he read avidly as a child,

reluctantly helped in the family bookshop,

-much more interested in reading the books then selling them.

-Really?

But he would have had a formal education as well.

He learned his Latin and Greek and literature in grammar school.

And then went up to Pembroke College Oxford for a short while.

He didn't finish his degree.

He was definitely more of a genius scholar than a diligent student.

-Ha! Well, he sounds very, very human, anyway.

-Absolutely.

But this volume here isn't connected to him in any way

apart from the inscriptions. Is that right?

Yes, the inscriptions tell us that Johnson owned it.

What's nice about it is it's a Latin dictionary

showing his skills in the Classics and his interest in dictionaries.

But what's most interesting about this is that it's in a right state.

He was a man who didn't really look after his books.

He scribbled all over them

and we know that his friends wouldn't lend him their volumes

because they didn't know what sort of state they'd get them back in.

Really? And ultimately, how did he get his big break?

So, his big break came from this kind of growing reputation

that with his knowledge of literature,

he was said to know more books than any other man.

He built the dictionary using examples from the greatest authors,

so a group of printers and publishers got together,

decided to share the risk of the enterprise,

gave him 1,500 guineas and set him on his way.

How long did he think it was going to take him

to produce the dictionary?

He said it would take him three years,

but he did recognise it was a very big task

and three years wasn't quite enough time.

And it eventually took him nine.

Oh! He produces this dictionary of which we have a first edition here.

Yes, indeed. We've got 42,773 words in the dictionary

and each one has at least one or two examples of usage

from the leading authors of the day.

No wonder it took him nine years. And did he have any help?

He did. He had a team of about nine assistants,

who were in fact all Scottish.

It's something that's often referred to

because there's a wonderful joke definition in the dictionary,

which is his definition for the word 'oats'.

Johnson defines it as a grain,

which in England is generally given to horses,

but in Scotland, supports the people.

He's trying to wind them up, we think, late at night.

Now, Jo, we can see that the dictionary itself

is traditionally organised in alphabetic form.

But of all these words, are there any of any particular interest?

On this particular page,

there's quite a nice one here that I rather like,

which is 'skimbleskamble' - wandering or wild.

So a nice example of a word that we no longer use,

but that Johnson captured as one of the words of his time.

Now, did he prosper as a result of producing the dictionary?

He became very well-known, but he wasn't particularly wealthy.

That only happened in 1762, when he was given a pension by the King

and then he was able to live a comfortable life.

And he eventually died in 1784

and was buried in Westminster Abbey in Poets Corner.

So, he was given national recognition.

-He achieved the ultimate celebrity that he deserved.

-Absolutely.

Brilliant. Anyway, thank you very much, Jo.

The big question today is, of course,

over at the auction in Lichfield,

are any of our teams about to achieve celebrity?

Well, we winged it from Peterborough all the way to Lichfield

to be with Richard Winterton at Winterton Auctions.

-Richard, how are you?

-I'm fab. Absolutely brilliant.

-Are you?

-Yep. Really good.

-Thank you very much for having us.

Now, Abby and Callum will be grateful

because their first item is a drinks tray,

which, I have to say, is a pretty ordinary drinks tray.

Where do you think that came from, Damascus?

-Yeah, it's got to be that way, isn't it?

-Yes. How much?

-I think...

Now I'm looking at it, I think I probably overcooked it.

I bid of 30 to 40, but...

Oh! So, you're going to reduce the estimate, then?

No, we'll...we'll stick to it,

but if we get to 30, I'll be well chuffed.

Well, you don't need to strain yourself because they only paid £18.

-That's about right.

-It's neither here nor there, frankly,

because their big-moneyed number is the totem pole, which is...

-weird?

-Yes. What would you do with it?

Do you know what, Richard, I think this is fairground art.

I think the totem pole was made to go on a showman's...

bit of entertainment, may be dodgems or Noah's Ark. Something like that.

-What do you think?

-That's a good shout, that.

-You'll have to announce it from the rostrum.

-Hm.

-Make more that way round, maybe.

-Oh, we hope so.

-OK. What's your estimate?

-We've gone 60 to 80.

Try £180 on.

OK...

We'll see if I'm skilled in the auctioneering business, won't you?

And another object from east of Lichfield.

-Yep.

-The sitar.

-It's nicely made.

I think it's a decorative sort of item, isn't it?

It's got a bit of something going for it. I think it's nice.

-Light and fresh.

-What do you think it might be worth?

We've got £50-£80.

That is fantastic because they only paid £45.

And quite frankly, I think at £45 it is a snip.

Really pleased. Really pleased.

OK, well, anyway, if the totem doesn't prove to be a winner

they're going to need the bonus buy, so let's go and have a look at it.

-Well, this is exciting, isn't it? Yes?

-Yes.

The Red Team had £243 spent.

£57 went to David Harper. What did you spend it on, David?

Something exotic. Because I think we've got a theme here.

-Absolutely.

-Travel. Far off, distant lands.

You bought a boulder!

HE LAUGHS

-It started off its life as a boulder, Tim.

-Yeah.

But it was very skilfully

and craftily made into an animal of some sort.

-Really?

-Is it like a feline?

THEY LAUGH

It has a feline look, doesn't it? But it's Zimbabwean.

-Ah!

-Yes, it's from the Shona people.

And I know these very well

because I did some of my schooling in Zimbabwe, so I lived there.

And I used to ride to school on my motorbike,

past these guys making these things by the side of the road.

They are fantastic. Made out of soapstone.

It could be the Zimbabwe bird.

-It could be. But it looks more like a cat.

-She's a big cat lover.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-It's a cat.

-How much did it cost?

How much do you think? Hand carved and signed.

-50 quid?

-It would be worth 50 quid all day long. I paid 20.

-Wow!

-You paid 20?

-Yes. And every single one is completely unique.

-Obviously.

-Well, I like it. How much would it make at the auction?

In auction, as an individual one, 20 to 50 to 80. It's that kind of feel.

-So there's a potential profit there.

-Well, you don't decide right now.

You decide after the sale of the first three items.

But right now, for the audience at home, let's find out what the

auctioneer thinks about David's little feline precious.

-OK, Richard, this is a nice doorstop for you.

-Oh, look at that!

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

-I think you are spot on with your doorstop.

-Yeah. And it came from Zimbabwe.

-Did it?

-Apparently.

-OK.

-It's a lot of work in that, isn't it?

-There you go.

Oh, dear. I'm going to pop it down over here, quick.

-So, how much?

-20-30.

-OK. Great. David Harper has invested £20.

-OK.

-So that's pretty good, isn't it?

-Yeah, that'll be OK.

-They should turn a profit for that.

Which is great. Now, moving on to the Blues.

We've got the Whitefriars Baxter-designed vase.

Oh, I like these. These are good sellers. For the modern taste.

This is the sort of colour they like. It's got a good look to it.

OK, so, good looking, how much?

-We've gone 80-120.

-OK. £100 paid. So that's fair enough.

Then you've got the German Shepherd charm.

Again, that's a good, interesting item.

-In 9 Karat gold. How much?

-50-80 on that one.

Good. £38 paid.

-Again, good.

-Now the glass cube inkwell.

Incredibly well carved that, isn't it?

And collectable at the moment, these inkwell or pens.

It's had a real buzz lately. They are always sought-after.

-OK, super. How much then?

-We've gone 70-90.

-Good man! £70 paid.

And personally, I can see that making £120 or £150.

-On a good day.

-No pressure then.

Well, depending on how the pressure goes,

they may or may not need their bonus buy.

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

Isn't this fun, team. You spent £208. You gave Kate £92.

Kate, what did you spend it on? And let me help you!

-Ta-da!

-Oh!

I do feel like a little bit of a waitress standing here.

You can see, that's rather apt considering what I'm offering you.

Now, I was quite chuffed with this, actually, as a bonus buy.

It's known as Picquot Ware. And there's a really interesting story

behind the manufacture of this.

Because Picquot Ware is a by-product from a factory that sold

-vacuum cleaners.

-Really?

And the vacuum cleaners had a component in them

which was made of an aluminium alloy.

And the aluminium alloy came from a foundry that was so successful,

the manufacturers thought, we've got to find something else to make,

and so, they started teaware.

And this is what you've got.

And the most distinctive characteristics are the fact

that the teapots, jugs, sugar bowls were cast out of one piece.

You've got sycamore handles, and I think it's very stylish.

-Cool. Big question then, Kate...

-Hmm?

How much did you pay for it?

I paid £25.

-SHE GASPS

-Is that all?

-Really?

-For the whole shebang.

-OK. And then how much in auction then?

Well, I've seen these go for £40-£60.

You've got the tray as well, which is rather nice,

cos very often you only see a couple of pieces together.

-So, I've got...

-Can I have a look?

Grab a piece. That's it, Emily.

Have a little touchy feel. You can feel the weight of it.

It is a cast metal...

And we are talking to a pair of contestants here

who know their metals, right?

THEY LAUGH

-You know about alloys and...you know?

-We know our scrap.

We know our scrap.

-I quite like that.

-Very nice, yeah.

-Right.

So, we know it costs £25. We have the prediction

as to what Kate thinks it might bring in the auction.

Why don't we, right now, find out what the auctioneer

thinks about Kate's tea set?

One lump or two, vicar?

Ah. We see a few of these, you know?

You'd think there weren't so many Picquot tea services about,

but actually, there's thousands, aren't there?

-We would have one a sale.

-One a sale.

-Yeah.

-They must have made a lot of money making them

cos they were very popular.

What's one in vaguely-used condition like that worth?

A few years ago, it would have been...70-80.

We're at about 30-40 now, because, like you,

I didn't expect to be that many out there but they keep popping up.

OK, fine.

Well, Kate Bliss, I'm glad to say, only paid £25.

That's about what to expect.

-So, we just need you to scrape home, Richard.

-Yeah.

-That would be really kind.

-It would.

-Thank you very much.

-My pleasure.

Time for Richard to rally up the room and take to the rostrum.

35. 45. 50.

£50 down there. At £50 I'm bid...

So, Abby, how excited are you, sweetie?

-Pretty excited. A little bit nervous.

-Are you?

Yeah.

-What about you, Callum?

-Yeah, likewise.

But I got a good feeling about this.

Have you? It's certainly a crowded saleroom, isn't it, Dave?

-Great saleroom.

-You know, it's stuffed up with people.

-Let's hope it all translates into profits.

-Fingers crossed.

First up then, is your carved drinks tray, and here it comes.

Here we go now. The oval, carved twin-handled drinks tray.

£10 to start. You start me anywhere.

Five and a bit. Five and a bit only.

£5 I'm bid. £6.

-£8.

-Eight.

-£10 in the room.

Internet, you're out. At £10.

At £10 I'm bid.

At £10. The drinks tray at £10.

HE MOCK CRIES

Up for £10. Anyone else?

We're going to sell it.

-Sold at £10.

-Ooh.

£10 is -8. Bad luck.

-Not to worry.

-Not the best start.

-Yeah.

-Here's the totem pole.

What's going to happen with this?

Totem pole. Bidding now.

Start me at £30.

£30 I'm bid. 35. £40.

45. £50.

At £50.

-£60 internet's come in.

-Come on.

£60, the internet.

At £60. At £60.

Selling then. Internet bid.

Sold at £60.

-£60.

-Ouch.

-It's -120.

-Oh, dear.

-The sitar's going to have to do quite well.

-It certainly is going to have to hit the right note.

-Hmm.

Ah, we go now this time.

£20 I'm bid.

25. £30.

35. 35 I'm bid.

£35 I'm bid. £40.

45. £50.

-Yes.

-£60. £70.

-That's £70 I'm bid. At £70.

-CALLUM:

-Go on!

-At £70.

-What do you think about that?

Room is out. Internet, you are out.

Sold then, at £70.

So, that's 5 short of 50.

So that is...plus £25.

You were -£128,

which means you're now -103.

-Yay.

-Is that record breaking?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

It's the totem pole what did it in for you.

So, what will you do about the boulder?

Are you going to go with it?

BOTH: I think we're going to have to, yeah.

Well, why not? It's £20.

-It's a nice thing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So, it should be at least £10 to £20 profit.

The sculpture there. Nothing on my book again. £5 to start me.

£5 I'm bid. 5 I'm bid. The sculpture.

At 5, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20.

£20 I'm bid centre room.

-Almost a profit.

-At £20 I'm bid.

-22.

-Yes.

-Almost.

-25? 25 I'm bid.

-Come on!

-£25.

Middle room at 25. All in and sold.

-Yes!

-£98.

-Victory!

-Results.

-Absolutely.

-It's amazing and you've convinced yourselves.

-We're winners!

We've got high hopes.

Great success by only losing £98. No, anyway.

-Now, seriously, that could be a winning score, right?

-Yeah.

-Could be.

-I think so.

-Don't say a word to the Blues.

-Oh, no, no. We'll keep our mouths... tightly shut.

-Tightly shut.

-Won't give up hope.

-Thank you very much. Good fun.

-Now, Em, Ash, how are you feeling?

-Nervous.

-Do you know how the Reds got on?

-No, no.

-Not a clue.

-Not a clue.

Right. Here we go, then.

First up it's the Whitefriars vase and here comes.

The pyramid vase. Commission bids all over the book on this lot.

Starting at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, £100.

100 bid. 100.

100 room's is out now. At £100. At £100.

Paid £100.

Internet, you're out. On the book and sold at 100.

I can't bear it. £100. You wiped your face.

-No profit, no loss, no pain, no gain.

-Well done!

Now, the little German Shepherd pendant charm, nine carats.

Interest on the book again. £20 bid. £20 I'm bid. The little pendant.

22, 25, 28, £30, 32. £32 I'm bid. 35 with me.

Come on!

-35 on the book, £40. Got you in at £40, sir.

-Yes!

£40 right away. At £40. 45.

Oh, yes! That's good. That's good.

-£50... £60. Lady at £60.

-Oh, God, I'm not...

At £60. Sold at 60.

-Yeah!

-That is plus £22.

-That's the way to do it. Well done.

-Good taste.

Now, the inkwell. Let's see what happens with this.

Beautifully engraved. £20. 5, 30, 5, 40,

50, 60. £60 right away. 70, 80.

-£80 right away.

-You're in profit.

At £80 in the room. At £80. At £80.

Everyone, house out. Internet out.

In the room, sold at £80. Thank you, sir.

£80 is good. It's plus £10.

That is plus £32. That's very good. £32.

So, what are you going to do about the tea set, then?

-Are you going to bank your £32?

-What do you reckon?

-We'll leave it.

-You don't look...

-Leave it.

-Leave it cos we're in profit.

-We'll leave it. We're in profit.

I mean, you know that's a bit of a meal, isn't it?

On the other hand,

what happens if that Picquot set makes £40 or £50, eh?

Then we'll say sorry to Kate.

OK, we're not going with the bonus buy,

but we're going to sell it anyway and here it comes.

Nothing on my book again.

Where are we starting now? 30, 20, £10 to start me.

£10 I've got you, sir. £10 I'm bid. £10 I'm bid. £12.

£12, 15 Internet, 20 in the room. 20 I'm bid. 25 in the room.

Internet, you're out again. 25 on my left. 30 Internet bid.

We are in profit.

-£30. 35 in the room.

-35 in the room.

-35 in the room.

£35, sold.

-Well done, Kate. £35 plus £10...

-At least it wasn't 50.

-Anyway, overall you are plus £32.

-We are still in profit.

There's no shame in that, all right. And that's fair enough.

So, it could be a winning score. Say not a word to the Reds.

And we'll reveal all in a minute. Thank you very much.

Well, teams, this has been fun, hasn't it?

ALL: Yes.

You've been chatting, you Reds and Blues?

-Ish.

-Ish.

-THEY LAUGH

-But not about the score, we hope.

-No.

-No.

Well, it is my duty to reveal, as usual.

We have a winner on this programme.

We don't have losers any more.

We simply have a runner-up. And the runners-up today are...

The Reds.

ALL: Oh!

The Reds have managed to run up by losing £98.

Yeah!

And that sitar nearly did it for you, didn't it, Callum?

-Yeah, it did.

-Yeah.

-That was our best one.

-It was your best one.

-Anyway. You had a good time?

-Brilliant time.

We loved having you on the show,

but the victors today are actually going home with money.

-Ooh!

-Yes! They're going home with £32.

That is a deep shock across the nation.

THEY LAUGH

£32 has actually been scored genuinely and above the board.

And it could have been £42 if you had gone with the bonus buy,

-which, of course, genius Kate came up with.

-Sorry.

-Anyway, there we are. Well done.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I'd give up the day plumbing job

and I'd take up antiques straightaway.

-Had a good time?

-Yeah. It's been great.

-Absolutely.

We loved having you on the programme.

In fact, join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

ALL: Yes!