Peterborough 31 Bargain Hunt

Well, this is no music festival,

although they call this a Festival of Antiques, here at Peterborough.

I've got no tent, no Wellington boots and there's no music

so why don't we just go Bargain Hunting?

Yeah.

Now, did you know that Holme Fen,

six miles south of Peterborough,

is the lowest point in Britain?

It's nine feet below sea level.

Now, on Bargain Hunt, we like all sorts of low things.

We like low cunning, we like lowbrow humour

and we like low prices.

Let's take a quick squint at what's coming up.

The Reds are ready for a fight...

-Is it WWF?

-WWF? Isn't that the wrestling?

It's the wrestling, isn't it? What am I trying to say, then?

..and the Blues have something to carp about.

Maybe we should just try and find you a fish.

So, let's meet the teams.

Well, well, well. On the show today, we have two teams of friends.

For the Reds, we've got Lisa and Karen

and for the Blues,

we've got a double dose of Sues - Sue and Sue.

Hello, everyone!

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Now, Lisa, tell me, how did you two become friends?

Well, I moved into a village called Oakley, in Bedfordshire.

I was a mere ten years old.

Whilst my parents were doing all the work in the house,

they said, "Go and make friends."

Walked up the road and this lady was the first lady I met

and we have been friends ever since.

-Isn't that nice?

-It's lovely.

Now, you work as a legal operative with the county council, don't you?

-Yes, I do, yes.

-Tell us about that work.

Well, that work is child services orientated.

I'm called an allocations officer.

It's a serious job and it must be quite stressful.

It is.

It's quite emotional sometimes,

-but then you get the good times as well so...

-Exactly.

And to compensate for this, you're a bit of an actress.

-Does it show? Yes, I am, yes.

-So, you do the am-drams, do you?

Yes, I have done since I was ten years old.

So, I've been in 45 musicals.

-Have you?

-Yeah. And I'm directing one right now.

-Now, Karen, you love a bit of performing too.

-I certainly do.

And what sort of things do you get up to?

I really started with amateur dramatics, like Lisa.

We were in the same group for a long, long while

and then I decided I'd like to have a go at being a pro.

So, off I went to be a singer in Ibiza

and I earned my Equity Card.

-Yes. Oh, did you?

-Yeah, and then I went on from there.

I'm now back with friends of mine and we do pantos

and I actually got to play an ugly sister.

-Oh, no, you didn't!

-Oh, yes, I did!

THEY LAUGH

You're not qualified for that. "Oh, yes, I am!" No, what fun.

-Now, do you know anything about antiques?

-No.

-No. No?

-Only what I've seen on Bargain Hunt.

-Oh, well, that'll be fine!

You'll make millions!

THEY LAUGH

-OK, girls. Now, Sue...

-Yes.

..you're going to tell us all about your flies, aren't you?

Yes, I'm a fly-fisher.

Tell us about fly-fishing, then. Your passion.

Yes, I've been fly-fishing for about, ooh, gosh, 12 years now, I think,

and got introduced to it by a friend when I had my breast cancer,

-my second lot.

-Oh!

Thought it would be very relaxing for me

and then from there, I wanted to get into the competitive element of it.

-Oh, right.

-I wanted to fish for England.

-Did you fish for England?

-Oh, I did, yes.

-Oh, how lovely.

-Oh, yeah. That's why I met Sue.

Sue was veteran of the England Ladies Fly-Fishing Team when I joined in 2002.

-So, fly-fishing brought you together?

-Yes.

It led us to set up an organisation called Casting For Recovery.

It offers women who've had breast cancer or have breast cancer

free weekend retreats, learn a new skill,

get together, have counselling.

-In a beautiful place.

-In a beautiful place, yeah.

How wonderful. I'd never heard of that charity.

-So, Sue...

-Yeah?

-..water plays a big part in your life,

apart from the fishing, doesn't it?

It certainly does, yes. It's actually my job.

I work for a water audit company.

We analyse water bills for companies -

large and small companies -

throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.

Thoroughly enjoy it.

And prior to that, I was working on a fly-fishing magazine as well for 13 years.

-Were you really?

-So, very much water-based.

-You're also a whizz in the kitchen.

-I love cooking and baking.

-Just really, really enjoy it.

-What do you like to cook, Sue?

-Favourite dish is leg of lamb in redcurrant jelly.

-Oh, yes.

-It's superb.

-Nice and pink, yes.

-It's absolutely lovely.

Well, on that happy note,

I think I better give you £300 as I'm feeling rather hungry.

Anyway, there we go. £300. You know the rules.

Your experts await and off you go! Very, very, very good luck.

Gosh, what great teams we've got today.

And our experts aren't too shabby either.

Making sure the Reds don't go overboard is David Harper...

..whilst the leading light for the Blues is Kate Bliss.

Cor blimey! He's got those trousers on again.

-So, you two have been friends all your lives.

-We have, yes.

I just hope you're going to be friends in one hour's time!

-Sue and Sue, how excited are you?

-I'm very excited.

I can't believe I'm here, actually!

-So, what are we going to look for?

-I like Art Nouveau stuff.

-Love it. OK.

-I like figurines.

OK, well, if we find an Art Nouveau figurine,

that would be absolutely fantastic.

-20th-century ceramics.

-Right.

-Glass, collectables.

There's nothing like being with people who do their homework.

Come on.

-Indoors, we go. Come on.

-Oh, lovely.

-Oh, come on.

Well, both teams know what they like.

Let's see if they can find it because the shopping starts now.

Straightaway, Kate's earning her stripes.

The blue is the most common colour for Cornishware.

You get it in green, you get it in yellow, but they chose blue.

It's so-called Cornishware, actually.

It's nothing to do with Cornwall, really,

but the name comes from the colour - the blue and white -

which makes you think of blue skies and blue sea.

But actually, it's not made in Cornwall at all.

It's by TG Green, which is Staffordshire.

-So, that's got to be '30s, '50s.

-It's kind of OK.

-It doesn't set the lights going.

-No, I can see.

Not yet. No, it's not.

-It's lovely.

-Yes.

I'd love it in my kitchen,

but whether or not it'd make a fortune, I don't know.

Sounds like we ought to put it back and have a little think.

Nice try, Kate, but I think these girls are looking for something a bit more up-market.

The Reds fancied something decorative

and already, their cup runneth over.

Here we have something that is Art Nouveau.

-So, Karen, have a grab of that.

-Looks like it's been hammered.

-Hammered as in broken?

-No, not as in it's hammered.

As in, for the Art Nouveau thing

-cos it's like Arts and Crafts, isn't it?

-Exactly.

Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau. It all sort of rolls into one, doesn't it?

Because it's Art Nouveau in its style,

with all the floral and kind of organic and...

Yeah, and the lady holding the wreath, yeah.

Yes, yeah, but it's Arts and Crafts in its manufacturing.

In other words, it's completely handmade.

Let's have a look. Who's it made by?

-Dutch.

-'83 Cheapside. Well, that's London, isn't it?

-Yeah, it was a London retailer.

-Retailer. OK.

But it might be from Holland.

-OK, so, it's...

-Oh, right.

So, it's retailed London, made in Holland?

It's a good looker. So, guess how much it is.

I'm going to find out.

You keep on guessing. Hang on.

While David prices up one vessel,

it looks like Kate and the Blues have sprung a Lalique.

Of course, Lalique, very well-known for his glass mascots,

but also bowls, little figures.

Quite like the little boat, to be honest.

Could we have a little look at this ship?

Let's have a look, Sue.

I'm just going to check that out.

Yeah, so, we've got 'Lalique France' in script.

-Actually, it's not particularly well done, well incised.

-Right.

-And at £75...

-Bit too recent?

-Too recent, too pricey

and if you said it's not been particularly well done either...

-Yeah, I think we could do better than that.

-Yes, OK, fine.

-We'll pop that back, then.

What would you pay for it?

-Retail - about £80, I think.

-OK, yeah.

Auction - I'd probably...

-I don't know. I'd want to pay about £40 for it at auction.

-OK.

-Ooh, you're a bit tight, aren't you?

-I am tight.

I was saying £80 as well. I was in absolute agreement with that.

OK, here's the dilemma for you, then. I've just spoken to the dealer

and the absolute bottom price is £65.

Take it or leave it.

-I want it.

-Well, then, we'll go for it.

I like it. I like the wanting. Karen, do you want it as well?

-I do want it, yeah, so let's do it.

-Lisa, you want it.

-I want it.

-65 quid - will you ever see another one?

-No.

-I don't think so.

-Well, then, buy it.

-That's it. Sorted.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you.

-Cheers. Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done.

First purchase and you've bought exactly what you set out to buy -

Art Nouveau and a figure.

-Hello!

-A figure.

-I know, it's got everything.

-Well done.

Two for the price of one. Well done, Reds.

Meanwhile, Kate's found something pretty in pink.

-That's quite sweet.

-That's known as a little cabinet cup.

Beautifully enamelled and wouldn't be made to be used.

-What do you think of that?

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

Yes, it's quite sweet.

-This is the very early part of the 19th century.

-Right.

Teaware - period teaware - is coming back into fashion

because there is a fashion for throwing some vintage tea parties.

-Right, OK.

-But I've just noticed, you've got some damage here.

-Do you see that little...? It's known as a rivet.

-Yes.

And there's a crack across the handle

-and somebody's done an old repair.

-Oh, I see.

I think it's quite nice cos it is an old repair.

That was done quite some time ago,

which is a real shame cos it's beautiful quality.

Do you think that it's a saleable item?

Collectors love this sort of thing

and looking at the quality of that painting,

a collector would go for that,

-but the price has got to reflect the fact that it's been repaired.

-Yes, of course.

That was going to be my next question, I think -

whether there's a deal there.

I notice you've got a little rivet repair.

-But it's a nice repair.

-It is a nice repair.

-I mean, it's a wonderful piece of porcelain.

-Mm.

Some jewelling on it so it probably is Minton.

-You think Minton? Yes.

-I think so, yes.

-It's got these little turquoise...

Little bits of jewelling.

-Oh, I didn't even spot those.

-I spotted those. Isn't that lovely?

-Very sweet.

We've got to put it into auction,

so what sort of thing could you do on the price for us?

-£35.

-£35?

The little jewels are wonderful quality.

I love it, personally.

Would you take £30 on it, please? Thank you.

-Yes, OK.

-Thank you.

-It's my wife's, so I can say yes.

ALL LAUGH

-Wonderful.

-It's a deal.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you very much.

-TIM:

-Well negotiated, Blues. Just don't tell the missus.

Now for something seriously old

and I'm not talking about David Harper.

-That's Song dynasty.

-Yeah.

-Qingbai.

-Yeah.

-I can do that for £80.

-OK, there you go.

So, Song dynasty and that is about 960 to 1200 in date.

So, 100 years before the Battle of Hastings, that was made.

-Hold it. Don't be afraid of it.

-Wow.

It's actually translucent as well, if you want to look up at the light.

SHE GASPS

Even though it's 1,000 years old, it's not the rarest thing in the world and that's why it's 80 quid.

-Shouldn't it be thousands of pounds if it's that old?

-Well, it should be.

This is going to a general sale and let's be honest,

-most people in that sale won't know that's 1,000 years old.

-No.

They'd never believe it.

The gentleman's right. It is Song dynasty.

Are you risk-takers? That's the question.

-You are, I'm not.

-Yeah, I am a bit of a risk-taker.

I love it, but if it's not the right sale...

Oh, I can absolutely...

I've got to tell you, it's not the right sale

and you will be taking a big chance

because if they don't understand it, it'll make 10 quid.

-Really? Oh, well...

-If they don't understand it.

-I would rather it went to the right person at the right sale.

-Yeah.

It's probably good advice.

-TIM:

-Good call, team. Now, what's the time?

Ooh, it's dinnertime!

If you're a keen collector of things connected to the dining table,

you might consider making a collection of these fellows.

This one is a classic.

It's got a castellated form of milling around the edge

and according to the label, it was made in Birmingham in 1926

and it would cost you £22,

which is not a lot of money for solid silver.

Now, the French had this cracked in spades

because they came up with little devices like that,

relatively cheaply made out of bent metal,

but with some teeth, look, that will grip the edge of a napkin

and you'd then introduce that into your buttonhole in your shirt

and that napkin is never going to shift.

And were you to want to add this

to your collection of napkin accessories,

that fellow would cost you £6.

But the prize for me is this serviette ring.

It's oval, look.

And if I take the napkin

and introduce it into that oval-shaped napkin holder,

you see, flat, it sits, perfectly neat and nicely.

Now, if I take it out, you'll spot, in the top, an unusual piercing

and if I hinge it like that,

it morphs from being an oval into a form of hook.

If you take your napkin

and you put one edge of it into the serrated bit

and give it a good yank so that it sits nice and snug,

spread out the serviette like that

and you can then hook it into the top of your waistcoat.

It's got stamped on the back 'Prov. Patent',

which stands for 'Provisional Patent'

and underneath that, we've got the numeral five.

That number five means that there were at least five or six

of these serviette rings

so that when you went to visit your great-aunt Agatha

and you were staying for two or three days,

she didn't want to have to give you a fresh serviette for every meal.

So, at the first meal, you'd have your serviette,

she'd give you a ring and she'd say, "Remember, you're number five."

Well, that's dining room etiquette for you circa 1910.

Were you to sell it to a serviette aficionado,

you'd find you could get maybe as much as £50-£70.

But here, in Peterborough, outside on one of the stalls,

milliseconds ago, it could have been yours for £6.

Yum, yum!

Now, let's cast our minds back to Kate and those Blues.

Tell me about your fishing, ladies,

cos I would have thought it'd be quite nice

to find something to do with your fishing interest

cos you're both amazing fly-fisherwomen, aren't you?

Yes, but there's a difficulty there

cos, of course, antique rods are lovely,

but not very collectable because, see, it's difficult to display them.

Reels are more collectable,

but you really have to know what you're doing

and fortunately, Sue and I haven't been around that long

that we would...that we would know!

Maybe we should just try and find you a fish.

Oh, a fish would be great.

-Let's find a fish.

-A fish would be good.

Yes, hurry up, Blues. Don't take too long to mull it over.

-Do you recognise that design there?

-Poole Pottery.

-Poole Pottery.

-You watch the show every day.

-I do!

THEY LAUGH

-Look at the vibrant colours.

-I know. I love it.

But it has a restrictive price. You've got to remember that.

It's never going to take off and make you a fortune.

-Do you see what I mean?

-OK.

-Cos we all know what it's worth.

So, for auction, it's best to try and find something

that no-one really can value.

Hang on a minute, the Blues are up to something fishy.

Ladies, look at this. This is just up your street.

-It is, isn't it?

-What sort of fish are they, do you think? Carp?

They've got no adipose fin so they're not...

What's an adipose fin?

It's an extra fin that game fish have so we know they're not game fish.

It looks a little bit more like a catfish.

-Yeah, maybe koi carp, though.

-Yeah, maybe.

-Do you think?

-Yeah.

Well, now I've learnt about the fish,

I can tell you about the silver

because this is absolutely beautiful quality.

-Yes.

-It is by Asprey's.

It's a ladies compact, but, I'm really sorry, ladies,

to dangle the carrot because this has a price tag of £495.

Oh, my goodness me.

Never mind, girls. It was the one that got away, eh?

And it looks like the Reds are getting all watery-eyed too.

It looks like it could be coral or something like that

-or something from under the sea.

-Oh, right. It does.

-It has that look, doesn't it, yeah? Lisa, what do you think?

-I like it.

And where do you think it comes from?

I would say it looks very Japanese to me.

-Well, it's definitely oriental, isn't it?

-Yes, definitely.

-There's no doubt about it.

-Well, I'm glad you picked it up.

Let's have a look. So, we've got depicting there...

-Are they cranes?

-They kind of look like cranes.

-They've got very long legs, haven't they?

-Yeah.

Then we've got deer on the base there.

Both quite important creatures

in particularly Chinese culture or mythology -

-the crane representing long life.

-Right.

Now, I don't need to scratch it, but if I scratch that base,

I'll be able to cut into it like soap.

-Oh!

-Yeah, so, it's soapstone.

-Oh, no.

-Amazing.

So, it's a soft stone, which is very, very easy to carve.

Dating probably to early 20th century.

-The kind of thing that we might have brought back from Hong Kong.

-Right.

-Right.

I think it's lovely. There's an awful lot going on there.

-What do you think?

-What's your trade price for us?

-I'll take £15 off, bring it down to £70.

-70 quid.

Oh, I can sense something coming here.

Could you do £60?

-I'll do £65 and then that's good.

-Yeah. Thank you.

-Pleasure.

-Blowing a kiss - does that mean we've done the deal?

-It does.

-TIM:

-The Reds are in perfect harmony.

Now, can Kate work her charm on those Blues?

What's that? Oh, it's quite scratched.

It is quite scratched.

It's quite nicely done, though,

when you look at it close up, but...tulips.

I'm looking for a manufacturer's mark, OK,

and I can't see anything at all.

Well, brilliant. Tell me about this.

It's Czechoslovakian Art Deco, obviously.

-Is it marked?

-No, it isn't, no.

-And its '30s?

-Yes, 1930s.

-Czechoslovakian?

-Yes.

-It's actually quite nice quality.

There's quite a lot of detail there, isn't there?

-What's the best you could do on that for us?

-About £80.

-Hmm.

-Not good?

-No.

I think we'd need it a little bit less than that.

I'm going to be really cheeky and feel free to say no,

-but I'm going to offer you £40.

-No.

THEY LAUGH

Sorry.

-What's your absolute...?

-Just let me find out.

All right, thank you.

What do you think, girls, while he goes and has a little think?

I quite like...

I'm worried about the scratching and the fact it's not marked.

I think if we can get it for the right price,

-then we stand a half-decent chance.

-Do you think it'll sell?

I do think it'll sell, yes. It's a lovely, decorative piece.

It's certainly that Art Nouveau sort of style.

£70.

We'd need it a little bit less than that, wouldn't we, girls?

-No, I'm not confident on £70.

-No. OK, right, thank you very much, sir.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-TIM:

-Not exactly bowled over, then, girls?

-Wow.

-OK. Well, come on, then.

-Art Nouveau.

-Yeah.

-Is it WWF?

-WWF? Isn't that the wrestling?

It's the wrestling, isn't it? What am I trying to say, then?

(I think she's trying to say WMF.)

-WMF.

-WMF.

-Yeah.

-Spin it over. Ooh! Ooh! Ooh, hello.

-Ooh!

-What does that say?

Have we got one there?

"World Wrestling Federation."

-You're right, yeah! She was right.

-No.

-Yeah.

It's another maker. Etain. Etain fin.

-Cos WMF are the famous German maker, aren't they?

-I know that, yeah.

I think the casting is OK, but it's not WMF quality.

Do we need to look at the price, see how much they're asking?

-I know the price.

-OK, how much is it?

-£138.

-£138.

That seems quite a bit, doesn't it?

-I haven't got a feeling about this.

-No, no. No gut reaction.

It is lovely, but we've got to win. We have to win.

-We're far too competitive not to win.

-OK, all right.

-Thank you.

Yes! That's the spirit!

But the clock is ticking, as Kate has noticed.

-A travel alarm clock.

-A little travelling clock, yes.

You can see it's got a winding mechanism on the back here

and quite clearly made in France.

Depose, which means 'made' in French.

It's a 30-hour movement so you do have to wind it up every 30 hours,

but it's, what I think, something really stylish.

The black enamelling is also in really good condition.

You haven't got any bad scratches or chips there.

It's very geometric in style.

It's very '30s, very Art Deco,

but it's got a little case here, which...

..it does fit quite snugly in there,

which would suggest it's the original case.

There. Look at that. And the case has obviously seen better days,

but in some ways, that's quite good.

It shows it's a period clock.

It's also protected the clock really well.

-I like it.

-Yeah, I like it.

-We disagree on a lot, but we like this.

-But you agree on this?

-We like this.

Maybe if we ask the stallholder if we take the dish as well -

the lovely opalescent dish with the tulips on -

whether he might do us a fantastic deal if we took the two.

-Yes.

-OK.

-It's got to be worth a shot, hasn't it? Yes?

Ooh, sneaky, Kate!

I'm just thinking if the gentleman could do a super deal...

Well, if you had both, we could do £120 for both.

-The plate and the clock?

-They're quite concerned about the scratching on the plate.

-Yes.

-The condition of it.

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

It is the scratching. It's the only bit that's worrying us.

What about a flat £100 cash and we'll take the two?

-Go on, then.

-Yes?

-I love both. Yes.

-Are you sure?

-Yes, absolutely fine with that.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Thank you very much.

-TIM:

-Double whammy! Well done, girls.

Now, those Reds have just one item still to buy

and there's still just five minutes left on the clock.

Time to start thinking outside the box.

-Look at the box.

-Oh, have a look at the box.

-Ooh, well, this is...

-Yes.

-..real territory.

-Yeah, it's got dovetails, look.

-Yeah, big, thick, chunky dovetails.

-Yeah, and it looks like a cast lock as well, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-Sloping front, what looks like the original hinges.

-I love it.

So, it's made from oak, yeah? And feel it.

-Rub your hand along there.

-I know.

-Can you feel the ridges?

-Yes.

-That's a hand-cut chunk of oak that's been hand-finished.

-Right.

Look at the hinges.

-Look how they're fixed...

-I know. It's lovely.

..onto the case, all with hand-forged clout nails.

-Can I...?

-Yeah, you have a look.

-It's that lock.

The inscription plate is much later than the box.

That is an 18th-century plate.

So, if that's much later than the box and that's 18th-century,

how old do you think the box is?

-17th century.

-17th century, yeah. Could be English Civil War period.

It was made to carry something quite specific.

-Bibles?

-Yes.

-Is that it?

-It's a Bible box.

-Oh!

-I'm sorry. I said it completely over-the-top.

-Brilliant.

That's fantastic, isn't it?

But it would carry one great, big Family Bible.

So, there you have it. That's the real thing.

That's a real antique. 200 quid.

-SELLER:

-I'll take £170.

It's worth it if you wanted to take it home,

but for an auction general, you might be in a loss situation.

You're twisting my arm to £160.

£160?

-Gut feeling - definite.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, definite.

-Shall we do it?

-Yeah, we'll do it.

-Yeah?

-We'll do it, yeah.

-OK, OK.

-Right. We're going to do it.

-So, you're going to leave me what?

-£10.

-£10.

-Thanks for that.

-Is that all right?

-Yeah, it's great.

THEY LAUGH

Taxi! Time's up! Let's check out what the Red team bought, eh?

Ooh, here's another.

They communally decided on an Art Nouveau chalice for £65.

Bless them.

Then they went all soft over a soapstone carving for £65.

Holy Moses!

And finally, they closed the deal on a 17th-century Bible box for £160.

Say your prayers!

-Now, girls...

-Yes.

-..how lovely was that?

-Awesome.

-Was it awesome?

-Brilliant fun.

-How much did you spend, you two?

-BOTH: £290.

-That's what I heard.

-That's a good number, isn't it? £290. Risk all.

-Oh, absolutely.

He who dares wins!

OK, fine. Now, you spent £290. We like the sound of that.

Which is your favourite piece, Lise?

-It's the Bible box.

-The Bible box is your favourite.

-You get something spiritual from it, right?

-We did, yeah.

-Yes.

-Which is your favourite bit?

-My favourite bit is also the box.

-Oh, that's nice. Boxing clever, you are today.

-And mine.

-And yours?

-Yeah. Well, we're a team, aren't we?

-You're not supposed to have a favourite.

-Aren't I?

-You're supposed to love me more than anybody else.

-You know I love you.

-Goes without saying.

-OK, now, that's your prediction.

Which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-It's got to be the goblet.

-The goblet.

-Do you agree with the goblet?

-The goblet.

-Do you agree with the goblet?

-I'm a team member.

-You're just...

-I'm with the goblet, yeah.

..you're just so agreeable.

THEY LAUGH

What a bunch of creeps. No!

THEY LAUGH

Anyway, super. So, that means I'd like £10 of leftover lolly, please.

-Yeah.

-Oh, OK.

-All right.

-What do you mean OK?

-There you are.

-There we go.

It's not so OK.

He's got to go and spend it profitably now.

-Yeah, thanks a lot!

-Sorry.

-That's all right.

-It's meant to be team play and I'm left with a tenner!

-Exactly.

Should be enough for a couple of pairs of trousers, anyway.

THEY LAUGH

How dare you!

Anyway, very good luck.

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

First, they were drawn to a hand-painted,

19th-century bone china coffee cup and a saucer for £30.

Cheers!

They scooped up an Art Deco moulded glass dish for £60...

..together with a French Art Deco travel clock for £40.

-Well, girls, that was great, wasn't it?

-Yes, it was. Good fun.

-Which is your favourite item?

-The clock. The travel clock.

-Would you agree with that?

-I'd agree with that. I really like the clock.

-It chimes for you, does it?

-Yes, it does, actually.

-Good.

-And is it going to bring the biggest profit?

-No.

-No?

I think the cabinet cup and saucer is going to bring the biggest profit.

-And you agree with that, Sue?

-Yeah, think it will do.

-Because of the price we got it at.

-And how much did you spend?

-£130.

-£130.

I'd like £170 of leftover lolly, please.

Thank you, Sue II. That's very nice.

That is a jolly nice sum of money to give to my old friend, my old mate, my old mucker.

-What are you going to spend it on?

-I have got a little inkling.

It could just depend on the price.

-Does it? As ever.

-As ever.

-Cautious Kate.

THEY LAUGH

Anyway, good luck, teams and good luck, Kate.

Now let's find out what our auctioneer makes of the teams' buys.

Can you imagine a bigger thrill

than popping from Peterborough to Lichfield

to be at Richard Winterton's with Richard Winterton himself?

Richard, good morning.

Good morning to you and it's beautiful here in Lichfield.

Isn't it just? And we've got some splendid objects,

which kicks off with a polished pewter chalice, I suppose.

-Do you like it?

-I personally don't,

but these chalices are starting up a bit of a following

and we've had quite a success with chalices lately.

-Doesn't do anything for me, but I can see...

-How much?

We've gone £70-£90.

-You are a marvellous man. £65 paid.

-OK.

That's absolutely splendido.

Then, next door, we've got the classic

in brand-new Chinese works of art.

This is a piece of white soapstone sitting on a green soapstone base.

-Churned out, yes?

-Yes.

-Container load came over, no doubt.

-Yeah.

So, how much for this particular lump?

£30-£40.

-£30-£40 - brilliant. £65 paid.

-OK.

And then we move from the ridiculous to the sublime,

which is this very nice, 17th-century oak Bible box.

I love it.

-We're rather more comfortable on this territory, aren't we?

-Yes, I love it.

Plank construction, but right as rain. Worth how much?

We've gone £120-£150 on it.

OK, £160 paid, which it could easily make.

It could. It could well do. They paid a lot of money for it.

I'm not surprised. I think it's fab.

I wish the younger generation or whatever start to collect this sort of thing.

They're more interested in the '70s sort of stuff at the moment,

-but I think that's beautiful.

-Good.

Well, with a bit of luck, they'll make a wee profit on that.

They'll make a wee profit on maybe all of it,

but in case not, let's have a look at their bonus buy.

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

-Yeah.

You naughtily spent £290.

-I'm so proud of you...

-Yes, we did.

-..and gave our man Dave £10.

-David...

-OK.

-..what did you spend it on?

I blew the lot.

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

Now, you ladies strike me as a pair of girls

who would like to participate in a little snuff every now and then.

SHE LAUGHS

-Steady!

-I don't know what you mean.

-Open the box.

-And have a look inside.

19th-century, 1880 - probably something like that.

More than likely for a lady.

It's papier-mache with lovely mother-of-pearl inlay there.

Quite possibly French.

It's a mass-produced thing, there's no doubt about it.

It isn't screaming quality, but it's fantastically charming.

I mean, it's badly rubbed, isn't it? But it's been loved.

-It's been used, Tim.

-It's called pre-owned, actually.

No, seriously, he spent £10. There is one question to ask him.

How much do you think that will go for?

£10-£20. Might make £25.

-So, we might get a coffee and a muffin with that?

-Yes, exactly.

You're not going on holiday with it.

Why don't we find out what the auctioneer thinks about Dave's snuffbox?

So, Richard, if you've only got £10 left

to go shopping for a bonus buy with, that is what you come up with.

-Right.

-Tatty?

A bit. It's got a bit of work to it. You know, people do like these.

-Character?

-It's got that.

It's a bit weak, as snuffboxes go and it's a bit scuffed.

We've gone with no guide so...

-That means it could make anything.

-Make anything.

-£5? £10?

-Could do.

-Could do.

OK, fine. Well, as only £10 were spent,

no great sweat there.

Anyway, thank you, Richard. That's it for the Reds.

Now for the Blues and their first item is this teacup and saucer.

Lovely pink Sevres-looking colour scheme.

-Is it a desirable object?

-This is perfect to the items

which are really not in favour at the moment.

You know, we've gone £20-£30 on it, but it would have been,

what, £80, £90, £100 give it sort of seven or eight years ago.

-Now, unless you've been left it by dear old...

-Gran.

..Gran, then you'd be wanting to keep it as special,

but I don't think people would go out and buy it these days.

Particularly if Gran had left you a house with it.

It'd be great, wouldn't it?

If she left you the house, you'd look after the teacup, wouldn't you?

But if all that came out of the will was,

"I do give and bequeath my pink teacup and saucer,"

you might not be so fast.

-You wouldn't be chuffed, would you?

-No. OK.

Anyway, £20-£30 is your estimate.

-£30 is what Kate paid, so we're not a million miles apart.

-OK.

Next up is the Lalique-looking

opalescent glass moulded dish with tulips.

-How did you rate that?

-It's the sort of thing that really would have been popular,

you know, a few years ago.

It's just a bit off the boil at the moment and that's a bit scratched.

-It's a bit tired-looking, isn't it?

-Mm.

Yeah, well, we've gone £50-£60 on it so...

-Don't worry. £60 was paid.

-OK.

-So that's not too bad.

-Yeah, OK.

And then moving on to the Art Deco travelling timepiece,

-how do you rate that?

-I like this.

These are always popular and in the saleroom,

-there's going to be quite a few hands going for this one.

-You reckon?

Yeah, I quite like that, yeah.

We've gone £30-£40 on it. It should make that.

-Good. £40 paid.

-Yeah, it's OK, yeah.

So, all-round, we should have a few wiped faces, shouldn't we?

-We should.

-But in case not, they'll need the bonus buy

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

So, Sue, Sue, £170 of leftover lolly was entrusted to Kate.

-Kate, what did you spend?

-Are you ready, ladies?

-Go on.

-This!

So, this is a pig pincushion.

It's Edwardian in date.

In fact, we've got a very clear silver hallmark

just on the side here.

So, it dates to 1906.

It's by quite a well-known maker - Adie & Lovekin -

who were known for making small little commercial silver pieces

and I think he's rather nice.

I think he's lovely. That's beautiful.

What do you think, Sue?

I like him, but I need to know how much he's going to cost.

OK, well, he cost me £160.

-Well, that's a lot of bacon.

-Sharp intake of breath.

I've seen these going for anything from £120 to towards £200.

-So, that is a pretty fair price.

-Yes, £160.

-Gosh!

-And what do we think? I don't know.

Well, you don't have to choose right now, girls.

What you do is to pick later after the sale of your first three items.

But right now, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks

about Kate's little piggy.

-OK, hold onto your trotters.

-OK. These are really popular.

As pincushions go, it's a good example.

It's great, it's a good bit of fun and they are collectable.

There are collectors out there so it should sell pretty good.

We've got £100-£120 on it. It should get to there.

OK, fine. Well, I'm afraid Kate's paid the full whack.

She's paid £160.

Does it stand any chance of making £160?

-I think we'll be struggling. I really do.

-OK, fine.

Well, in the end, the team won't go for it.

-Still, you're in good voice?

-Yes, looking forward to it.

So are we. Thank you, Richard.

£10, I'm bid.

£10 right away. At £10. £10, I'm bid.

Now, children - Lisa, Karen - how are you feeling?

-Nervous.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-Why?

-Cos I'm excited.

Is it rather like your first day at school

when you went off together as nine-year-olds

or whatever it was when your friendship started?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Aw.

So, you've got your Art Nouveau polished pewter chalice,

which you paid £65 for, which the auctioneer thinks is F-A-B

-and he has put £70-£90 on it.

-Very good. Excellent.

Your polished pewter chalice and here it comes.

We have the chalice now. £20, I'm bid.

At £25. £30. £35. £40. £45. £50.

£50, I'm bid on the book. At £50.

At £50. The room's out at £50. Internet out at £50.

-Come on!

-All done? Sold at £50.

-Oh, dear.

-Ouch!

-Bad luck.

-OK.

I sent up a prayer for that and it didn't work. Minus £15.

883, we go to. £20, I'm bid. £25.

-£30 bid.

-Go on.

-£30, I'm bid on the book.

At £30. At £30. At £30.

I'm bid at £30.

Internet's out, room is out. £30 here.

All done. Sold at £30.

-Ouch!

-Minus £35.

Sorry about that, team. Say your prayers for this.

The Bible box now. £90, I'm bid. At £90. £100.

-£110, madam?

-Go on.

-£110.

£120. £130. £140.

£140 by the door. £140. Everyone else out?

Sold at £140.

Dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.

That's minus £20, which means, overall, you're minus £70 for it.

-Well, you punted, didn't you? You spent the £290.

-Yes.

You were very brave. You spent nearly all your money.

Anyway, there we are. You're minus £70.

-What are you going to do? Go with the snuffbox?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

It's going to have to do terribly well to get you out of the...

-Miracle.

-..out of the poo-poo, frankly.

-I believe in miracles.

-# I believe in miracles! #

-Oh, no, maybe not. Anyway, are you happy with this?

-Yes.

You're not really, but aren't they sporting, our girls?

-They're brilliant.

-There we are.

-Come on.

-Don't let any adversity drive you down, right?

-No, never.

-You're not going to do that, are you, girls?

-No.

-No.

-You'll rise up above it, will you?

-Yeah.

-OK, fine. I love it.

OK, you're going with the bonus buy.

-Here it comes.

-Go on!

Little pocket snuffbox now. There it is. Nothing on my book.

Start me off, then.

£10. £10. £5. Start you off. Away you go.

-Go on!

-£2 to start me. £2. £3. £4.

-Go on!

-£5. £6.

-Go on!

-Go on!

-£7.

£7 right in there. £8. £10.

£12. £14. £16.

-David Harper...

-£18. £20.

-..that's why you're a legend.

£20. On my left at £20. Sold at £20.

£20 is plus £10. That's why he's called a legend.

Um, anyway, that reduces your losses to minus £60,

which could easily, on the scale of things, be a winning score today.

-Yeah.

-So, say not a word to the Blues.

-No.

-No.

Thank you very much, girls. Thank you, Dave.

-Now, Sue, Sue...

-Yes.

-..do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

-Good. We don't want you to know.

-The first - the coffee can and saucer.

-Yes.

It's beautifully painted and I love that pink, don't you?

-I do.

-It's lovely.

-It's a super pink, little jewels,

little blobs of enamel on the surface. It's a lovely thing.

His estimate is £20-£30. £30, you paid.

£30 is no money for it, really.

Not to a collector who wants a pretty little thing for a cabinet.

And here it comes. Look how pretty that is.

The coffee can and the saucer, then. £10 to start me.

£10. £10. Anyone to start me? £10? I've got you, madam, at £10. £12.

£15. £18. £20. £20.

You're out as well. At £20, I'm bid. £25 internet.

£30 in the room.

£30 in the room. At £30. It's out at £30. £30.

On the left at £30. All gone. Sold at £30.

-So, we broke even.

-We broke even.

-Wiped its face. No profit, no loss.

No, that's fine. Yeah.

The Art Deco. This giant glass dish there.

Moulded tulip design. £20, I'm bid. £25. £30. £40. £45. £50.

£50, I'm bid in the room. £50 in the room.

It's at £50. £60.

ALL CHEER

£70 in the back. At £70.

At the £70. Sold, then, at £70.

OK, good. That's £10. That's good.

The Art Deco French jazz travel timepiece.

Five bids on the book. £20, £30, £40, £50, £60. £60, I have.

£60, I'm bid. £60.

-Happy days!

-At £60. At £60. At £60. The room is out.

At £60. At £60. Internet's gone. All the bids.

The money is on the book at £60. Sold at £60.

Plus £20. Super, girls. So, overall, you are plus £30.

Now, the big decision is what to do next -

to go with the pig or not.

It's very nice to have cash in the bank, right,

which is what you've got.

£30 worth of profit - difficult enough to find.

Are you going to go with the £160 pig

or are you going to punt the pig and stick with your cash?

I've got a lot of faith in that porker.

I'm tempted to stay with the profit that we have.

Um...

-OK, well...

-It's such a difficult decision.

-It is a difficult one.

-That's a hard one.

Cos you love it, but on the other hand, you have got a little profit.

-Yes.

-OK, quickly, then. We need a decision.

Um, um, um, um, we're going to go for it.

-Yeah, we are.

-Are you sure?

-Yes!

I know you think it's high, but I think...

-You don't have to, you know.

-No. No, let's go for it.

-You can stick if you want to.

-No, we're going to go for it.

OK, well, there we go. The decision is made.

-You've had your chance.

-We're only here once.

-OK, fine.

OK, you're going with the bonus buy

and we're going to sell it right now. Here it comes.

We now go to the little silver pig pincushion.

£50. £60. £70. £70 a bid.

£70 a bid. Internet's coming out again.

£80 internet. £90 a bid. £90. £100, the internet. £110.

£120 internet. £120 with the internet.

At £120. £120. £130. £130 internet.

-At £130.

-Come on. Come on.

-£130.

£130 with the internet. At £130. The room is out. Internet's got it.

-Sold at £130.

-Oh, no, I can't bear it!

£130 is minus £30, which means you've got nothing.

ALL LAUGH

-I'm so sorry, ladies!

-We don't care.

-I'll go and shoot myself over here.

All this effort and we got absolutely nowhere.

-We were right on the plate and the clock.

-Oh, yes, you were right.

-Yes, we were right. Yes, we were.

-You still got absolutely nowhere.

Oh, dear, that is the peculiar thing about life, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

Anyway, so, it could be a winning score, having nothing.

ALL LAUGH

-On this programme, it could, anyway.

-How bad do I feel?

No, no, no. I mean, I tell you, it was just a tickle away. Come on.

All that bidding on the internet, nobody here in the room.

Very exciting, Kate.

OK, girls, well, that's fine, isn't it?

-Don't say a word to the Reds.

-No, we won't.

And all will be revealed in a moment.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Well, well, well, what fun we've had. Have we had fun?

-Oh, we have.

-I mean, it's been a gas, hasn't it?

-Absolutely.

-Yeah, absolutely.

All girl teams, with the exception of Dave...

ALL LAUGH

-Thanks for noticing.

-As if you hadn't noticed.

..which is marvellous.

So, how do we think we're doing?

-Have you been chatting at all, one to the other?

-A bit rubbish.

Well, that would be a prediction, Dave, I have to say.

-And, actually, the team that is running up today are the Reds.

-Oh!

Bad luck, Reds. Yeah, minus £60, you are, girls.

But for the Blues, we have a tremendous result

because they worked like dingo, they did extraordinarily well

and they finished up by not making any profit at all.

Right?

We have the ultimate wiped face here.

No profit, no loss. You had £30, you went with the bonus buy

and then you finished up with nothing.

ALL LAUGH

Still, it did turn out to be a bit of a swine, that pig, didn't it?

Absolutely.

OK, that's it. Join us soon for some more Bargain Hunting, yes?

ALL: Yes!