Edinburgh 23 Bargain Hunt

Today, we're north of the border in Scotland.

Edinburgh, to be precise - the nation's capital.

It's home to just under half a million people

and attracts 5 million tourists every year.

But today, the visitors are flocking to the Royal Highland Centre

where there are over 300 dealers

for our teams to choose from.

As usual, they have an hour and £300

to find three items to sell on at auction.

So, with a canny eye, let's go Bargain Hunting. Yeah!

So, what will prove to be catch of the day for today's teams?

Here's a quick taste as to what's coming up.

With chips?

There's disharmony in the Red camp...

-Mum, you need to stick with me and the expert.

-Sorry.

-He's getting ratty with me now, my son.

-Is he?

-Yes.

-Good.

..whilst the Blues blow hot and cold.

-It's just too hot.

-It IS just too hot!

Still a bit steep just now, but we've still got some time left.

-We'll move on just now.

-OK.

-Let's meet today's teams.

Well, on Bargain Hunt today, we are keeping it all in the family

because, for the Reds,

we have mother and son, Katie and Callum,

and for the Blues, we have father and son,

Kevin and Ryan.

-Hello, everyone.

-ALL: Hello!

-Lovely to see you.

Now, Callum, when it comes to surprises,

you sure know how to spring them, don't you?

Well, I surprised Mum with the application for this

and the first she heard about it, she was at work when she got the call

so that was a bit of a surprise for her.

Are you a bit like that? Do you like to keep secrets and surprises?

Every now and again, I surprise her. It keeps me the favourite son so...

Oh, is that what it is?

-You plan to inherit the world?

-Exactly.

-Exactly right.

And what do you do for a living, Callum?

Well, I went straight to university after school,

but I left quite quickly, did a bit of tennis coaching

and I've ended up in the bank, so quite the change.

Now, Katie, you have spent a lifetime teaching.

-Tell us about that.

-Yes.

Well, I've been teaching for about 25 years now

and it's a real privilege to do that and to see children progress.

Well, I love to see the dedication, actually.

Have you got a little throat problem?

I have a little throat problem,

which I'm completely blaming on my son Callum.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-It's the company he keeps, right?

-He brought it into the...

-Did he?

Yeah, so, unfortunately, I'm kind of prone to losing my voice,

I think, because I'm a teacher.

So, if I have a cold, it kind of goes so...

What are your tactics going to be today between you?

-Not fall out and hopefully make some money.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Don't worry about the falling out cos it happens all the time.

-Very good luck with that.

-Thank you.

Kevin, you've been working for the fire brigade for over 30 years.

-Yes, I have, but I'm now retired, actually.

-Are you?

-I did 30 years in the fire service.

-Did you?

-I completed my 30 years.

-Well done.

-And I got out for good behaviour.

Well, you clearly started as a very young man

cos you're now technically retired, are you?

-I'm now technically retired, yes.

-Well, that's very nice too.

What do you get up to in your spare time?

Play rugby. I still play rugby, which is, for my son...

What position? I bet you're a hooker.

No, I'm not, unfortunately. I'm back row.

-Oh, you're back row.

-I'm back row.

And since I left the fire service,

I've sort of got into the music side of things.

I always played guitar at home

and two of my friends and I got together

and suddenly formed a band and instead of playing in the house,

we now play in pubs and things like that.

-And what do you play?

-I play bass guitar now.

-Would you not rather sing?

-You've not heard me sing!

BOTH LAUGH

OK, well, it sounds like fun too. Now, Ryan, you like your rugby.

I played rugby since I was about five years old.

I played week in, week out,

but unfortunately, I've had to give it up

because I've had numerous shoulder dislocations

and three operations now and that's it.

Oh, dear. What a shame!

So, your dad still plays and you, the strapping youngster,

have had to give it up?

-That's not right, is it?

-No, it's not quite fair.

-And career-wise, what do you do?

-I'm a bookie.

I've worked as a bookie for just about four years now.

So, how do you rate your chances today?

What's the odds on you making a profit, do you reckon?

No, I think we're at long odds today.

Have you got any expertise in the antique business?

I'm afraid not.

Win or lose, you're guaranteed to have some fun today.

Anyway, now the £300 moment. Here we go. £300.

There's your £300. You know the rules.

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

I'd give them 50-to-1.

Let's meet our experts.

Able to spot a bargain from afar, it's Jonathan Pratt for the Reds.

And striking the right note for the Blues is Caroline Hawley.

Are you collectors? What do you want to buy?

-I'm not really a collector, but I'd love something Scottish.

-OK.

-Maybe Scottish Arts and Crafts would be great.

-That's a good idea.

-So, what are you looking for?

-I think musical or bronzes.

-Something like that.

-Musical bronzes.

-What about you?

-Something you can actually use.

-Oh, we're going to disagree on that.

-Oh, right.

-I like decorative.

-Oh, we're disagreeing already.

This is a great start. Come on. Let's go.

What about you, Ryan?

-Something of use or function that's become decorative.

-OK.

-Just something interesting.

-Brilliant. Let's go hunting.

Let's go hunting.

Right, teams, your 60 minutes starts now.

WHISTLE BLOWS

Let's start as we mean to go on, shall we, chaps?

-Which way? Left? Right?

-We'll go left.

-Let's go left.

-Go left. Go left. Come on.

Looks like Katie wants to head off on her own.

-Where's your mum gone?

-I don't know. She was just there.

-Mum, you need to stick with me and the expert.

-Sorry.

You tell her, Callum!

Did you find anything?

I like Scottish quaichs, but I think they look quite modern.

OK.

I mean, you obviously weren't terribly taken by the cabinets.

-I turned round and you'd gone.

-Sorry.

-That's all right.

Yes, the aim is to stick together, Katie.

Still very close-knit, the Blues slide over to some curling stones.

Curling stones, Ryan.

Let's have a look at these. 200 pounds.

That sounds heavy.

-Oh, my goodness!

-Would you like Ryan to do it?

-Yes.

Ooh! Picked up like a pro.

-It's very nice, isn't it?

-What do you think?

-Should we look round and see if we can get another two items?

-Yeah.

We've got plenty of time.

-I think we'll look round and they'll probably still be here.

-OK.

-Are you OK?

-Nobody's going to run away with them.

They're not going to run away with them. Not fast, no. Come on.

OK, keep on looking, Blues.

Meanwhile, the Reds are homing in on something very typically Scottish.

-What about things like this?

-Mauchline ware.

-Mauchline ware.

-Very traditional.

-Yeah.

This chap's got a lot of it.

I mean, have a look in the cabinet here.

I rather like this because, actually, this is...

Yeah, has got Burns Cottage on it.

And it's the only thing I've seen

-that actually says 'Mauchline ware' on it.

-Yeah.

This is the sort of stuff I really like.

-Try to find out a price, then?

-Maybe we should find out a price.

How much is this piece here?

-SELLER:

-Letter opener - that's £150.

-£150?

-Yeah.

-It's a page-turner?

-It's a page-turner or a letter opener.

Yeah, so, you know, it's a good desk piece.

-KATIE:

-Yeah, and what would be your really best price?

-The really best would be £130.

-Would it?

-It's priced at £195.

It's a smart thing. I can't say if it's going to make more than £130.

Do you think it's likely to make less?

-I don't know.

-You don't know.

-I don't know, to be honest.

As the Reds deliberate over Mauchline ware,

the Blues turn up the heat as they eye up a fire hood.

Now, look at that.

-That is very Art Nouveau in style.

-It is.

-Do you like it?

-Aye, great.

Well, it fits my functional but decorative.

That would look really fantastic

on a late-Victorian, early-Edwardian fireplace.

-It might be worth finding out how much we can get.

-Yeah, I think so.

-I'd be happier if it was quite a bit less.

-Well...

-Shall we have a go and see?

-Yeah.

As the Blues wait on a price,

the Reds have been distracted by a Mauchline ware box.

That's a lot of money, isn't it?

Yeah, well, that is priced at £250 value.

I'd do that for £175.

You wanted something traditional Scottish.

I think we should get one of them.

I really like both of them, but obviously, what do you think?

-What do you think?

-Well, I'll be selling it to you.

Once again, remember I'm selling.

I know, but try and put yourself in the shoes.

But buying one, I would look at the piece that would be the cheapest

and then I would look at the piece that would have a bigger market collectability.

So, therefore, the piece that's in your hand.

-You think so?

-CALLUM: I think we should do that.

-£125?

-SELLER: Um, no.

SHE LAUGHS

-OK.

-Are you going to shake the man's hand or are we going to walk away?

-We'll shake the man's hand.

-Great, thank you.

-Thank you.

Well done, Reds.

That's a sizeable £130 spent and your first item in your bag.

Now, can the Blues catch them up with a bargain on that fire hood?

-What is the very best price?

-£48?

-Here's a deal for you.

-Good. I like deals.

-£30.

Oh, well, we'll just shake your hand there!

-Can we all shake your hand?

-Yes, you can.

Thank you. Thanks a lot.

-And handshaking is good.

-Thank you very much.

The Blues are on fire. That's their first purchase.

20 minutes gone and the Reds are racing on.

-Are you interested in watches?

-Not especially, but Callum, maybe.

-Not especially?

-Yeah, no, Callum maybe.

-This is something completely different.

-OK.

-Callum, do you want to have a look at that?

-What is it, then?

-It's a gambling watch.

-Oh, goodness me!

-CALLUM: That is quite me.

-It doesn't tell the time?

-No, its purpose is it's a game.

-It's a game.

Well, I suppose if you're with a group of people,

-you can take some money off them, I suppose.

-Certainly unusual.

CALLUM: So, the bigger the area for the horse...

And so the slices of the pie chart there

-gives them a greater odds or a lesser odds.

-Yeah.

That's quite fun. I've not seen one.

There's a hint of the '30s

about the way that the winding post is set like that.

Would you be able to do that for, like, a really good price?

-The very best would be £75.

-Really?

-OK.

-Well, have a look at it. Have a go. Have a go.

-The horse races.

You just twist the winder and the hands go round.

-What are you betting on, then?

-The reds would be the favourite.

-Oh!

-Good odds on that one.

-Good odds on that one.

If we bought this, that means we definitely can't buy the Mauchline...box.

Well...

SHE LAUGHS

-I like it.

-Any chance of £70?

-SELLER: Yeah, go on, then.

-Right.

-We'll do £70.

-We'll go for it.

-I think it's a fun thing.

-I've no idea what it's worth.

-Thanks a lot.

-Thank you.

Job done. Number two in the bag.

With a fiver off the £75 ticket price,

that's another buy nearer the finishing post.

Now, take a look at what I've found here.

Every so often on Bargain Hunt, I get really excited, right?

Well, I've got to a really excited moment

cos I want to share with you

something that I found down the road in today's fair

and the something I want to share is this fellow.

If I give it a revolution, I want you to take in

every nuance of the beauty of this piece of metalwork.

I can tell you, you will not find, anywhere in the world,

a more exquisite example of something made of steel.

I think it was made by a famous Spanish family firm of Zuloaga

and Zuloaga were making extremely expensive deluxe goods

from about 1840 till about 1880.

One of the great features of this famous family

is that they learnt how to damascene steel and iron

with solid gold and that's what we've got here.

Look at the lovely casting on his head.

And there's one missing element from this thing,

which should have slotted into the foliate base

because originally, sprouting from this bit of foliage, was a blade.

The blade that would have been used, not for stabbing somebody,

but as a paperknife.

Is it a big problem,

the fact that there is no paperknife to go with it?

Well, not really.

You could commission a silversmith to make you another silver blade.

It would simply cost you loads of money.

Unless you're lucky enough to be in Edinburgh

and to go down past another stall a few yards away

and find one of these.

What is it?

It's a silver paperknife

and this silver paperknife was made in Sheffield in 1902,

but it's solid silver.

It's got a wee hallmark

and if I offer up the socket with the blade,

they jolly nearly fit

and with a bit of tweaking from a silversmith,

that blade can be pinned securely and safely within the socket

and the paperknife is suddenly complete.

So, where are we at value-wise with this thing?

I can tell you that the paperknife cost a full price.

That paperknife cost £100,

which is a lot for a sliver of silver,

but a good deal less than having to get a silversmith

to make the whole thing.

The bargain is in the handle itself.

The cost here in Edinburgh is £180 for this thing,

but in a works of art sale, I don't doubt that it would bring,

at auction, between £1,500 and £2,000.

Now, that is what you call folding money.

And are our teams going to walk away with folding money today?

Buys-wise, it's 2-1 to the Reds and 30 minutes gone.

Ex-fireman Kevin can't leave his past behind,

as he and his team-mate home in on another fire-related item.

Art Deco-type sort of stuff.

Those are lovely and they are very, very stylised.

Art Nouveau again. This lovely beaten copperwork.

They're beautiful. And they're firedogs.

You would have them either side of the fireplace

to lie the irons across.

-How much are they?

-SELLER:

-£125. I can't go lower than that.

I love these, but I think £125,

-I don't think there's going to be a profit on them.

-It's just too hot.

It IS just too hot!

Says the fireman. Right, come on.

As the Blues start to walk away,

Caroline decides Kevin should have one last go and push on the price.

Here's your dad coming back. Hi, Kevin.

OK, with all my negotiating skills, the best she will do is £120.

I think that's still steep just now. We've still got some time left.

OK. Come on, then. Let's go.

Something to think about, Blues.

Now, should we say a little prayer for the Reds?

Is it a Book Of Common Prayer? Is that what it is?

-How much is that?

-SELLER: £45.

-Would you take a fiver off? You're saying £40, are you?

-Yeah.

-That's probably a bit much, is it?

-I don't know.

-Look, you know, it's not going to be worth much more than that.

-No.

-That's the thing. But it's an interesting object.

-OK.

Can we come back, yeah?

You can pop it down, yeah, cos we can always run back to here.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the scales,

life hangs in the balance for the Blues.

-We were just looking at the scales.

-Looking at the scales.

Now, what are they for?

-They're almost baby scales.

-SELLER: That's what they are.

-Are they baby scales?

-Yeah.

Pre-First World War German ones.

-Pre-First World War German ones?

-Yeah.

-Oh!

Because this gentleman has just had a baby four weeks ago.

Oh, congratulations.

And did the midwife come and weigh Rose in one of those?

Well, not one of those, but a modern one.

-So, how much are those baby scales?

-£65.

-£65.

-You're the expert. What do you think?

-Um, what do I think?

-I think it's quite an attractive item.

-Do you?

-Well, aye.

-OK.

-Oh, you're babied up, aren't you?

-Yes, I'm babied up.

-Oh, dear.

Well, I think £50...I think they need to be a bit less, really.

OK, we're going to take your advice and we'll move on just now.

Move on, Blues, but remember, time's ticking.

Only 20 minutes to go. The Reds only need one more buy.

Are they going to blow the lot on this piece of silver?

-Yeah, it's quite nice.

-Could that come down to £100 at all?

-I could do it for £100, yeah.

-It'd have to be...

-£99, it'd have to be.

-All right.

That's what we're going to leave Jonathan - £1.

You liked the idea of a quaich, didn't you?

You wanted something like a wine tasting bowl or something.

-Yes, I do like that, but...

-It is silver.

It's £99, which leaves that little jeopardy of,

"What do I buy for a quid?"

You love that challenge, JP.

Time now for a Blue team catch-up.

I think we should just go back and get those firedogs

because we both liked them.

They're a wee bit more than we'd like to pay for them,

-but we're running out of time.

-Right. Get those.

What about the baby scales?

I think we should be sensible, get the firedogs...

We'll get the firedogs and then spend eight minutes

and if nothing else jumps out at us, we'll get the baby scales.

-Excellent. That's the plan.

-That's the plan. Let's go back.

Right, Blues, you have a plan. Excellent. But what about the Reds?

The options available to us are...

-OK, so, we've got to go for one or the other.

-..Common Prayer.

No, we can walk on, but we have to come back here

and buy something if we can't find anything down there.

Book Of Common Prayer at £40.

-There's that, which you really like, at £99.

-Yeah.

Well, look, my advice is obviously to try and buy things that are...

-I like them both...

-..a bargain, you know.

..but I don't know if either of them are bargains.

Back at the firedog stall,

Caroline's been trying to negotiate a cast-iron deal.

-Guess what.

-What's the price?

-£115!

-Oh, well done.

-Is that a deal?

-BOTH: That's a deal.

-Excellent. Right, we'll buy them.

Well done, girl. £115 paid.

That's the Blues' second item,

but the Reds are finding the pressure of their final buy

is causing family ructions.

-He's getting ratty with me now, my son.

-Is he?

-Yes.

-Good.

She's come on and said she likes small, decorative items

and we've got loads and she hasn't said she's liked any yet.

Let's try and get away from our theme of fires.

Yeah, yeah, we do. We need to.

We're putting all our eggs in one basket right now.

Yeah, yeah, a fire basket.

True enough, Blues.

And talking about eggs in one basket,

are the Reds finally about to crack their last item?

-OK, four egg cups, yes?

-SELLER: That's right.

-And these are by Alan Caiger-Smith?

-That's correct, yes.

-He's an Aldermaston potter from Berkshire.

-OK.

-Well done.

-So, not Scottish?

Not Scottish, but there's a collectable market for him.

-That's correct.

-And how many for four of those?

-Well, we've got £60 on the set.

-£60 on the set?

I bought a piece of his before and I've got a couple of pieces at home as well.

As they're not signed, you know,

the confidence is going to be slightly less.

-SELLER:

-No, they are.

With time fast disappearing,

both teams need to make some decisions.

What are you thinking, Blues?

And if you really want to go with the baby scales, then...

-I think we go with the baby scales.

-They're interesting. We'll take a chance on them.

-Right. Come on. Where are they?

-They're back that way.

Right, quick! Let's go.

-Two minutes. Come on.

-We have to run.

-We've got one minute left.

-40 quid?

-I'll do that.

-£40 for them?

That's fine. Yes, let's go for them. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Well, that's your last purchase, Reds. Congratulations.

-How much could you do them for?

-We said, at the beginning, £65.

-Right, yeah.

-£52, I could do.

Could you do £50, as a very special treat?

-Cos you're so charming, 50 quid.

-Thank you so much.

-Deal.

-Thank you.

-Whoo!

-We have relied on your charms again.

-Oh!

Three items in the bag with just seconds to go.

-Didn't leave much time.

-We didn't leave much time.

Well done. So, with the shopping done,

here's a quick reminder of what the Reds bought.

A Mauchline ware page-turner was on the books for £130.

They raced away with this novelty racing pocket watch game for £70.

And finally, they were egged on to pay £40

for a set of four Aldermaston pottery egg cups.

So, it's the last of the big spenders, you two.

-How much was it again?

-£240.

-£240. I'd like £60 of leftover lolly.

You've got that, Callum? Thank you very much.

What was the best bit of the shopping for you, Callum?

-Well, the item I found was a kind of horse racing gambling game.

-OK.

So, that's your favourite.

And is that going to bring the biggest profit?

We have no idea. It's quite unusual, so, hopefully!

And what do you think, Mum?

I like the Mauchline ware that we got.

It's a sort of page-turner. It's really interesting.

And is that going to bring the biggest profit,

do you think, in your prediction?

I think like Callum. We just don't know, but, yeah.

Well, that's the fun of the game, isn't it? We don't know either.

-We like what we bought.

-That's the main thing.

Well, you take the £60, then, and give us a surprise, JP.

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

An Art Nouveau brass fireplace hood cost them £30.

They paid £115 for a pair of Arts and Crafts

hammered copper firedogs.

And they handed over a weighty £50

for a set of German midwife's scales.

-Well, that's exciting, isn't it?

-It was very exciting. Very good.

-Great fun.

-Lovely.

So, how do you rate your odds now? Pretty good?

-Probably worse.

-Really?

Things haven't improved by being with Caroline for a whole hour?

-She was great, but it was our decisions.

-Oh, right.

So, which is your favourite piece?

My favourite piece has to be the baby scales

-just because of my little girl.

-Exactly. OK.

And do you agree with that, Dad?

No, I think it's going to be the firedogs for me. I really like them.

-They're really nice.

-That's your favourite?

Which piece is going to bring the biggest profit?

-I think the fire hood.

-The fire hood.

-I'll agree with that.

I think that's our most profitable item.

-OK, fine. And you spent, in total, how much?

-£195.

-OK, I'd like £105 of leftover lolly.

-£105. There you go.

-Good. Lovely.

-And that goes straight to Caroline.

-Thank you.

-This is your excitable moment.

-It IS my excitable moment.

I've seen just the thing for you two guys.

So, whilst we leave Caroline to find her bonus buy,

I'm heading west to the wonderful city of Glasgow.

This is Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

The building houses one of Europe's great civic art collections

and includes many outstanding European works of art,

including one of the most important collections

of 19th-century French oils in the UK.

The gallery contains works by many notable European artists,

including Monet, Renoir and Pissarro.

But to tell us more about some of the other major exhibits here

is European art curator Pippa Stephenson.

-Good morning, Pippa. How nice to see you.

-Good morning.

Now, tell me, this painting by Van Gogh

looks a bit like Van Gogh himself. Is it?

It's often thought to be Van Gogh and indeed, until 1928,

it was thought to be a self-portrait, but, in fact, it's not.

It's Alexander Reid,

who was a Scottish dealer of French art at the end of the 1800s.

Van Gogh actually lived with Alexander Reid in Paris

for a short time in 1887 when this painting was made.

Well, that's amazing, isn't it? Cos it looks just like the artist, I have to say.

Yes, these green eyes and the flamy red beard is certainly very similar.

And, of course, this underscores the great connection

between Scotland and Impressionist art, doesn't it?

It does, yes.

Reid is often credited

as having brought French Impressionism to Scotland.

He had his finger very much on the pulse

of what was going on in France at the time

and he was buying things directly from Paris.

He was buying Pissarro, he was buying Monet

and he was almost kind of...

He was pushing them on to the Scottish collectors.

Next door, we've got something which is absolutely charming, don't we?

We do, yes. This is a beautiful painting.

It's by Mary Cassatt.

Mary Cassatt was one of the few female French impressionists of the time.

Mary was born in America, but she moved to France

and she exhibited with the French Impressionists

and made a name for herself.

Women didn't really paint very much at the time.

That makes it quite a rare painting, just for that reason.

She didn't have any children of her own,

but she painted the children of her friends and family

and what I think she's trying to say

is that their lives are kind of to come and unfinished.

She's reflecting that very much in the canvas

and in these brushstrokes and in the bare patch in the corner.

Now, Pippa, what other paintings have particular resonance

here in Scotland?

-Well, there's a wonderful painting which I'd like you to see over there.

-OK, off we go.

Gosh, Pippa! This is a big picture, isn't it?

It certainly is, yes.

This was painted by a French realist artist

called Jules Bastien-Lepage.

He was working at the end of the 1800s

and unlike other artists around the time,

he wasn't painting French royalty, he wasn't painting aristocracy.

He was painting real people in real places

and that was really important to Lepage.

So, with the large scale, he's not showing a grand subject.

He's showing something that's considered perhaps quite poor and rural,

but he's giving it a big stage for it to work on.

And what is its significance to Scotland, though?

Well, we know that this painting had a significance across Britain.

Lepage was exhibiting in London

and in 1909, this picture came across to the Royal Academy in London.

It was visited by numerous people, including DH Lawrence, the novelist,

and he wrote very strongly about the pinched face

that terrifies and scares me.

So, he was very much influenced by this.

But we also can see the influence very much

in the work of the Glasgow Boys at the time.

The Glasgow Boys were working around the end of the 1800s

and we can see the influence

on artists like Guthrie, Hornel, Raeburn.

They were creating barren landscapes

and they wanted to paint very much in the style of Lepage.

So, it's quite possible that they saw this painting

and others by Lepage when he exhibited them over the waters

here in the UK.

And isn't it incredible that the picture is now here in Glasgow?

It is and it's wonderful.

It's quite a treat to see this painting every day, I can tell you.

Absolutely.

-Well, thank you very much for talking to us about it, Pippa.

-It's a pleasure.

The big question today is, of course, for us,

are our teams in for such a treat over at the auction?

Whilst we're in Glasgow,

time to pop down the road to McTear's Auctioneers

and catch up with our auctioneer Natasha Raskin.

Are you sure you're done?

-Natasha.

-Hello, Tim.

-Hello.

Now, our Red team have got a weird lot of stuff, I can tell you.

First up is the Mauchline ware page-turner.

Yes, well, we see lots of Mauchline ware around these parts,

as you would expect.

These are no longer manufactured so there is a slight rarity there.

Fabulous condition so what's not to love?

-Maybe the price.

-£30-£50, we've put on it.

I knew I wasn't going to love this. £130, they paid.

Well, that's quite rich.

Now, the next item looks like a gentleman's watch, doesn't it?

-But it's not.

-It's not, no. It's good fun.

It's a novelty winding odds and evens sort of Wheel Of Fortune game.

-Racing game.

-A racing game.

We know that it is fun, we know it's novelty.

It might appeal to people looking to entertain the grandkids,

boys and their toys, that kind of thing.

-It's probably dating from the '50s or '60s.

-Yes.

It's part of a game. It's a bit of a novelty.

-Will it make a £10 note?

-Um, no.

It's in working order

and we think that is key so we've put it in at £40-£60.

-Did you really?

-We did.

-Gosh! Anyway, our team paid £70.

-Och, well, then.

-Anyway, moving on.

-Do you like an egg in the morning?

-I do.

Well, you can have four with this lot.

-Well, they're quite nice egg cups, these, aren't they?

-They are.

It's the Aldermaston pottery

and there's something about them that just screams, "Family!"

To have the egg cup attached to a concave base,

I think it's all quite sweet, actually.

It's all quite sweet and, of course, they're all hand thrown.

You can see that. All hand finished. Who doesn't love eggs?

And why not have these on your table first thing?

And are they worth £10 each?

-Um...not quite.

-They should be, shouldn't they?

Not quite. Well, I hope so. We've put them in at £20-£30.

Oh, you are such a tease, honestly. You know they're worth £10 each.

Come on. They're worth £40. Our team paid £40.

-It's a pretty basic price.

-Hopefully, we'll get that.

And if you fail, they're going to need the bonus buy

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

Now, JP, as you know, is a man who likes to blow the lot, right?

You gave him £60 of leftover lolly.

-JP, what did you blow it on?

-Well, what I bought here...

-Ooh!

-OK, couple of little medals.

This one here is for the Heather Club.

Now, the chap who sold it to me told me that the Heather Club

is a club for the patriotic Scots.

Anyone who loves what's best about Scotland - the mountains, the music.

I love the Scottish connection

because, yeah, I'm quite a through and through Scottish person

so I love that connection.

It's made of silver. It's got this red enamel on it.

The quality's there, but it's quite modern. It's a historic society.

And this little thing goes along with it, does it?

-This is a little miniature of it.

-OK.

-How much did you spend on it?

-Yeah.

-OK, shall we get down to the nitty-gritty here now?

-Yes. Yes.

-I spent the princely sum of £12.

-Oh, right, OK.

-How much?

-£12.

-Sounds good.

-Really? Is that all?

-Well, I don't think you can go wrong for £12.

-I don't think you can.

-Callum, what do you think?

-I don't think we can make much of a loss on it so that's a good start.

Well, there we go, JP. You've done very well with that.

Good. Well, we're liking that. Thank you very much, JP.

Right now, though, let's find out, for the audience at home,

what the auctioneer thinks about the brace of medals.

Right, here's a little award for you.

It's dated 1973 and the founding dates are 1823

so it's a commemorative medal for an ex-captain,

whose name we have on the back - Charles M Martin.

And he's received a lovely hallmarked silver medal

-and another for good measure.

-What's it worth?

-Well, we think a good £70-£100.

-How much?

-70-100 of your pounds.

-You're not joking, are you?

-I'm not joking.

-JP only paid £12.

-Oh, my goodness! How did he do that?

-With great skill and intelligence, I suspect.

-Seriously, that's a very good buy, isn't it, for £12?

-Absolutely.

I hope the contestants go with it because it can only make them money.

OK, well, there's a good prediction there.

Thank you very much, Natasha.

Now, moving on to something completely different

with Kevin and Ryan.

First up is the fireplace hood.

Would you honestly, Natasha, go out and buy a fireplace hood like that?

If I found it, then I would and I think it's fabulous.

It's so Scottish and I love it

and I love the brass apple trees that have been embossed from behind.

I think they are just fabulous. Very Glasgow Boys.

They painted lots of orchards and things so it's evocative of an era.

-How much?

-How much? £25-£35. Quite specific.

-You are absolutely right. £30 paid.

-Oh, good, good, good.

The andirons, on the other hand,

-could go in any Scottish fireplace, couldn't they?

-Yes.

-Yes.

And, of course, you don't need dimensions for these.

You just plonk them at the side and I think these are so divine.

I have to say, there's no competition between these two -

hand beaten copper or brass -

and you're going to go for copper every time.

How nice the detail is as well with the honesty leaf feat.

I just go wild for those and I think that our buyers will too

because we've seen these, this style of thing,

go very well in the saleroom, get into three figures

and of course, inspire competition and that's what it needs.

-Everyone has room for these.

-Oh, how lovely.

I mean, you've certainly puffed those up.

-So, it's, what - £100-£200?

-It's £50-£100.

-Oh, is it?

£115 paid, but you and I know

they could easily make £100-£200, don't we?

-Doddle.

-Doddle. Now, moving on, then.

You've got the layette basket on the top. That's nice, isn't it?

I really like it and I love the scales too

because they've got a bit of wear and tear.

-Lots of babies were weighed on this in Germany.

-Germany, yes.

I remain to be convinced.

I mean, I do admire it as a gadget, don't get me wrong.

And as a period survival, it is amazing.

-We went for a mid £30-£50.

-Did you?

-We did.

-OK, well, that's fair enough.

-Exactly.

-£50 was paid.

-OK.

It is a bit of a toss-up

as to what the weigh-in will be on those scales.

Of course, the big thing here

is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Let's go and check out the bonus buy.

OK, team, you spent £195 and you gave your girl £105.

And, Caroline, we'll take the cloth off and reveal.

Ooh, look at that! Isn't that splendid?

-To remain with the fire theme.

-To remain with the fire theme.

With the fire theme that we go through with our fireman.

This is an Art Nouveau, hand-embroidered, silk screen.

Oak framed.

I would say it's been framed in the 1920s-1930s.

-Beautiful work. Do you like it, guys?

-I actually do like it.

I'm definitely on the fence.

Are you? I would have thought you...

-So, how much did you pay?

-So, how much did you pay?

-I paid a very, very reasonable £20.

-I'm liking it more.

Now, Ryan, you know about these things.

What are the odds on that making a profit?

-Ooh, I think it's odds-on.

-Do you?

And he's a bookie so that's good, isn't it?

Lovely. Well, rest with those thoughts

cos right now, let's find out from the auctioneer

whether she thinks the fire screen is going to make a profit.

Well, there you've got it. Natasha, how do you rate it?

It's not the world's most exciting fire screen. It is what it is.

You know, I champion things coming into the auction saleroom

that private buyers can go home with today and use tomorrow.

So, it fits that bill.

-So, it is here today and gone tomorrow?

-Definitely.

-We'll sell this today, don't you worry at all.

-Good. For a £10 note?

No, for more than that, hopefully.

We've seen these make in the mid-tens.

-So, we've gone for £30-£50.

-OK.

Well, Caroline only paid £20 so that's good, isn't it?

It's good and it's got the silkwork poppies and all sorts.

I like it.

Great. Are you happy about all of this, Natasha?

Oh, absolutely.

You won't be able to tear me off of that rostrum. I'm ready to go.

That's what we like to hear.

£130 for this plaque. Last call. At £130.

-Callum, Katie...

-Yes.

-..this is on the edge, right?

-It is.

-Have you ever felt so excited?

-Never.

-Oh, never.

Lots of people in this saleroom. Excellent auctioneer. Here we go.

First up is the Mauchline page-turner-cum-paperknife

and here it comes.

-And for this page-turner, I can start at £55 straight in.

-No!

But I need more than that. £55. I need £60.

At £55, are we all done?

-Oh, my goodness!

-What about internet?

-We need £60 on this. It's £55.

At £55, are we sure we're done? I think we are done. Last call.

-At £55, we'll sell.

-£55.

-Nightmare.

-£55.

Now, here comes the novelty racing game. Here it comes.

-Who'll bid £40 on it, then? Go on, £40.

-This could be worse.

This could be worse.

NATASHA: Who's going to bid £40 on this? £20. I'll take £20.

Come on. Let's not go lower. £20 is bid. Thank you.

At £20 behind me. At £25. £30?

No! £25. £30 is online, though.

Thank you for bidding behind me. It's £30.

At £30. I'm looking for £35.

At £35 now. £35 - new bidder. Thank you.

-Go on!

-Looking for £40, if you're back in online.

It's £35 at the back of the room and it's going now at £35.

-£40 online.

-Ooh!

-£45?

-Go on!

Will you bid £45? No? Thank you for bidding nonetheless.

At £40. £40, it is.

-£40, it is. £40 is minus £30. Not so bad, Callum.

-Oh, no!

-Which means, overall, you're minus £105.

-OK.

-We need to get it below the £100.

-Now, let's go, egg cups!

Beautiful, designer egg cups. Let's get £30 at least on these.

Come on, now. £30 for a nice set.

-Where are you at £20?

-Come on. Internet will go £20.

-There we are. There's £20.

-£20 is bid. Thank you, online.

At £20. Come on, now.

We don't want to overegg it, but we want £25.

At £25. Thank you. At £25. I'm looking for £30.

It's the lady's bid. It looks like we're done.

At £25. Last call.

-That's £25. £25 is minus £15.

-We've a lot to get back on this one.

-We do, don't we?

-That's £105. It's minus £120, kids.

-We're losing less each time, though.

-Yes, exactly.

This bodes well for the last one.

This is a very, very good observation there, Callum.

Losing less each time. So, what are we going to do?

-Are we going to go with the medal?

-Oh, absolutely.

-Yes.

We're going with the bonus buy.

That should be the wisest decision of the day

because the auctioneer has estimated £70-£100...

-Oh, wow!

-..on the £12 medals.

I mean, how about that for folded money?

So, we're going with the bonus buy.

£70-£100 is the estimate. Here we go.

Who's bidding £20? Are you bidding? £20 online.

£20 online. Thank goodness for that.

Here's £20 online. I'm looking for £25.

-At £20.

-Oh, goodness me.

-Do I not see £25?

At £20. £25 is next. Come on, now.

£25. Thank you. At £25. I'm looking for £30.

At £25 and going now.

£25 is fair enough.

That is plus £13, which reduces your losses to £107.

-You've been very brave through this blood bath.

-We have.

And congratulations on making a profit, JP.

Yes, well done. Thank you.

And we'll have the final tally in a minute, all right?

-Yeah.

-Walk tall.

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

-It is.

-Do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

OK, I can tell you, though, that your brass fireplace hood

has an estimate of £25-£35.

You paid £30 for it so you should be in the money, all right?

And here it comes.

We're starting at £20. Make it £25. At £20, make it £25.

Come on, now. £25. £30.

Looking for £35. At £30 on commission.

At £30. £35. Where's £40?

-You're in profit.

-£40 now. At £40. Have you got £50 on this?

Well, £45, I'll take. At £40.

Go on, now. Apple trees. It's so delicious.

£45. Thank you. Yes.

-At £45 on the computer.

-More than I thought.

-Excuse me?

-At £45, are we all done? At £45.

One more bite of the apple? No? OK.

-At £45, going now.

-£45. Very good. That's plus £15.

Well done, Caroline. Lovely job. Congratulations.

Here come your old dogs.

ALL LAUGH

-We have an opening bid here of £95.

-Yes, that's it.

-£95 as an opening bid. Come on.

-Looking for £100. At £95. £100.

£110. £120? No? £110.

I'm looking for £120. Who's bidding?

-One more.

-At £110. Who's bidding? £120.

-£120. £130.

-Yes, this is good. This is good.

You're in profit. Well done, Kevin. You've got the eye.

At £130. Who's back in at £140? £140. £150.

And with me at £150.

£150 for these beautiful copper firedogs.

That's £35. £35, £45.

You are plus £50, you clever boys.

Now, you spent £50 on the scales

so let us hope that they wipe their face.

We've got a bid of £30 on commission. £30.

And £35. At £35 here. Who's baby will you be weighing?

At £35. £40. £45. Yes, £45.

-Dear me.

-At £45. I'm looking for £50.

-Go on.

-One more, please.

You're out online. It's £45 in the room.

At £45. Are we going now? At £45.

-Go on!

-Last call, last call. It's £45.

-Oh, go on!

OK, £45.

-Hard luck!

-£45 is minus £5...

-It could have been a lot worse.

..which means you are plus £45.

You just missed making a profit on each item.

OK, so, what are you going to do about the fire screen?

Are you going to have a go at that?

I think Caroline's been so nice to us...

You have to trust her, don't you?

-You're going to risk it, yes?

-Yes.

-You're going to risk it for a fire screen.

Now that you've decided, you two, I can tell you

that the auctioneer's estimate - she really likes it - she's put £30-£50 on it.

So, she rates your bonus buy. Well done, Caroline.

If she's right and you're right, everybody's going to be in clover.

Who's going to bid £30, then? Come on, now. Show me a hand at £30.

Show me a bid online. £30, yes. £30. I'm looking for £35.

At £35. £40. At £45. £50.

At £45. Looking for £50. At £45.

Are we all done? At £45.

That's why she's a genius.

At £45, are we sure we're done? Who's going for £50? Right, £45.

Put you out of your misery, online.

-Yes!

-£45.

-That is, overall, your score is plus £70.

-Oh, not bad!

Nothing wrong with that, is there? Congratulations, Caroline.

That's lovely. Don't say a word to the Reds

and everything will be revealed in a moment.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

-Today, we are what they call poles apart.

-Oh, no!

And I'm afraid, at the South Pole today,

well and truly, are the Reds.

Minus £107 is quite a stride down there...

-It is, yes, yes.

-..towards the South Pole, which is bad luck.

-It's quite an achievement.

-It is, really.

Not universal losses, though,

because JP came out with his profit on the medal.

So, well done for that. A nice little £13 profit.

But £107 south of the equator...

-Mm-hm. Mm-hm.

-..which is a fair old lump.

-Yeah.

-But it's been good, hasn't it?

-It's been really good fun.

I'm so pleased you feel like that

cos we've thoroughly enjoyed having you on the programme

and thank you for being such good sports.

But the victors today go home with £70.

The father and the son team.

This is going straight over here to the granddaughter.

Oh, for the granddaughter. Well, what could be nicer?

You nearly had a clean sweep.

You were just £5 off on the midwife's scales,

which, bearing in mind your new arrival,

was a miraculous result -

making only a £5 loss on that - I have to say.

-But the firedogs...

-Worked.

-..really nice at plus £35.

And jolly nice bonus buy for the silkscreen.

So, congratulations all round.

A huge success and I hope you've enjoyed it.

-We have.

-You have? Good. So have we!

So much so, why don't you join us soon for some more Bargain Hunting?

-Yes?

-ALL: Yes!