Epsom 8 Bargain Hunt

Today our show comes from the Epsom Downs Racecourse,

where our teams are standing by to stir up, or should I say,

"stirrup", considerable excitement? But it won't last "fur-long".

Who writes this stuff? Because our teams are operating against the clock,

so, let's go bargain hunting, yeah!

And now the rules.

Each of our teams have £300 stake money.

They then have an hour to consider a punt on three items.

The team that makes the biggest profit romps home with the trophy.

Now, let's check out the runners.

Coming up, the Reds show their competitive streak.

It was like being mauled by a lamb.

Best bit of negotiating I've seen for years.

While the Blues just let their hearts rule their heads.

I'd be sad if I didn't at least find out how much it was.

-I reckon do it.

-OK.

-You'll regret it if we don't.

And there are some shocks at the auction.

I've got to sell. I wish I could do more. Can't make them pay.

Well, we have a great crowd on the show today.

For the Reds, we have friends Heather and Owen.

And for the Blues, we have Courtney and Rhodian, all the way from Australia.

-Hello, everyone.

-Hello.

-Good.

Heather, you guys met when you were in the United States of America.

-That's right.

-Tell me about that.

-We were in Washington DC in 2011, with

-the Washington Ireland programme.

-And what do you do when you get to Washington DC?

We intern, there's a lot of political placements on Capitol Hill,

with lobbying groups, so you learn a lot from the time you have away.

Professional development, it really sets you up well. I love it.

And would you say you are a good communicator, darling?

-Yes, I would.

-I'd say you are a very good communicator, because your

communication skills, the way you put that across, is just perfect, so

I congratulate you on that. Now, Owen, you love a bit of social enterprising, don't you?

Yes. I was very fortunate through university. I got involved with

a society called Enactus, set up projects, helped a lot of good people.

And when you're not socially enterprising, what sort of things do you get up to?

I play a lot of sport.

From very young, I was involved in football, did a lot of swimming,

still do a lot of running. I play a lot of golf.

-And what about the clog dancing?

-The Irish dancing, the clog dancing.

Again, started from a very young age, four, five years old.

I guess we still do it, just at weddings and parties and things now.

I suppose we stopped competing a couple years back.

The team and group we were in were very fortunate to win a couple of awards.

You won the world championship, actually, in 2012.

How about that? I've never stood next-door to a part of a group

that won the world championship in anything before, so

it's great to have you on Bargain Hunt. I think you're going to do very well.

Very good luck. Now, Courtney, welcome to the United Kingdom.

-Thank you.

-And do you watch Bargain Hunt a bit in Australia?

We do watch Bargain Hunt back home. It's on every afternoon.

-Do you make predictions as to who is going to win?

-We do, but I'm a bit worried because now that I'm here,

-I'm a bit nervous.

-Tell me, how did you two meet?

Rhodian came to one of my burlesque gigs in Melbourne.

We'd met briefly through a friend and I saw him afterwards, and he told me

he was just in the area, and it turned out he took two hours to come

to see my show. So it was very sweet. And then we ate ice cream, and I drove him to the train station.

Tell us about burlesque dancing, for those who don't know.

Burlesque is the art of striptease. It's also... There's a lot of satire.

It's a really cool art form. There's different branches, a lot of people can really do their own thing.

You'd think there was only one form for taking your kit off.

I know, but there's so many different ways to take your clothes off.

It's really quite extraordinary when you get down to it.

-Rhodian, I understand you have a passion for photography.

-Yes, I do.

-Tell us about that.

-In Australia, I'm a professional photographer.

I've been doing that for about ten years now.

I do, basically people photography is my thing.

So I do weddings, and portraits and a bit of fashion stuff as well.

You don't want to go up a mountain and get a cloud,

or anything like that? Park all that lot.

Get down there with the people, let's see what's going on.

And do you collect things connected with photography?

Not with photography, no.

You don't go in for moustache curlers, do you, by any chance,

-from the Victorian era?

-Not yet.

-But it could follow.

-Yes.

Good, we're very, very pleased to have you today on the show.

In fact, so pleased, we're going to give you £300. Just like that. £300.

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

and very, very good luck.

Well, we've got some great teams today.

Great teams need great experts, and we've got them.

Ready to make some snap decisions for the Reds, it's David Harper.

And nobody's dummy. For the Blues, it's Natasha Raskin.

Listen, you two, you are meant to wait for me.

This is not how it works.

Surely the most glamorous Bargain Hunt contestants ever.

But what about your style of buying antiques, how eclectic is that?

It's pretty eclectic. We're going to go for things that, I guess, maybe a little bit unusual.

I'm looking for something that sparkles, shiny, I like silver, gold.

-So a piece of jewellery.

-Yes, I have dealt with women like you in the past.

Things that stand out a bit more.

Let's go find things that stand out from the crowd.

-Let's do it.

-Let's go find something blingy.

Right, teams, you know what you are after,

so your 60 minutes start now.

WHISTLE BLOWS

-OK, what have we got there?

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, Liberty. Can I have a look at that?

-Wow.

-Instantly, I'm in love.

-Really, David.

-They're absolutely gorgeous.

Owen, you spotted them. Why did you like them?

-I liked them initially... So, silver, I assume, has good value.

-Yeah.

I liked the name in the original box,

although maybe they would be quite expensive. Have we got a price?

-What sort of price are they?

-The very least I can do them is 120.

120. OK.

Now, then. OK, silver spoons, just like that without the Liberty

connection, without a box, do you know what they are worth? £10, £20.

Oh, really.

But, we've got the Liberty connection,

which means they are uber quality.

-Date-wise, do we have a date on these things?

-Let's have a look.

One minute.

They are Birmingham Assay, the Liberty mark as well.

-And, er, I think the date is around 1935.

-OK.

So we've got the retail aspect, so we know exactly where

they were bought, in London, in that very shop, in 1935.

And these things were made by and for Liberty.

-So it's got everything going for it. It's great.

-I'm sold!

My gosh, it is fantastic. A fantastic set.

-You're really selling it.

-I love it, I love it.

-I like the stones.

-Yeah.

-The stones are great.

-And it caught your eye. I love it.

So, price, 120? Is that the very, very...

-110. I mean I'm not...

-OK.

-Right.

Shall we? Yeah, I'd like to get them.

-Could we do it for 100?

-It would make the difference.

I promise you, and we'd shake your hand right now.

-All right. Thank you so much.

-You're a good man.

-I wasn't expecting that.

-I'm sorry.

-Was that a bit rude?

-But actually, no, you did it perfectly well.

Well done. Guys, that was possibly almost a record.

That was within a couple of minutes.

-No point in wasting time!

-We're going home!

They're on fire.

-It was like being mauled by a lamb. It was absolutely perfect.

-Yes.

-Best bit of negotiating I've seen for years.

-Well done.

-Well done.

I wonder if the Blues are also in a go get 'em mood.

You've gone straight for sparkles.

-Anything particularly catching your eye?

-I really like this pin.

-It's really sweet, isn't it?

-Is that a coat of arms?

Not entirely sure what it's for, but certainly it has the inscription around it.

Shall we get it out, shall we have a look? Would you mind terribly if we had a look at one of your brooches?

Maybe even two.

We have the enamelled one with the crest

and then right next door, the horseshoe.

Turned upside down. Luck pours in, right?

OK, shall we look at the one you've got first? What does it say in Latin?

Um. Oh...

NATASHA LAUGHS

OK, so let's have a closer look.

Actually, it is Romantic, but it's French and it is,

"Honni soit qui mal y pense."

-So, "Shame on him who thinks evil of it."

-Even better.

Top of the class, Natasha.

What's absolutely lovely is the enamel is not chipped, and that's

what people are looking for. A real market for it but

they need it in perfect order.

We need to have a look at the mark, and it's clearly marked, a little bit rubbed,

and what sometimes makes it easier is just to blow on it.

So if we blow on that, we can see it is quite clearly marked "nine carat gold", so, hurrah!

If I pass that back to you, the one I like is this one here.

Now, it is Scottish. It is a hardstone bar brooch.

The auction house won't be able to catalogue this as gold

if they don't have a mark, so I'm looking, I'm looking.

I don't see anything, so maybe,

although this one for me has more of a commercial appeal, perhaps this

one has more of an appeal because we know it's marked "nine carat gold".

-What do you think, cos you haven't said anything?

-Is there a possibility that might be for a club,

-or a school, or something like that?

-Absolutely, absolutely.

Certainly, I'm sure we could find out with a little

bit of research. We could find out exactly whom it would be pertinent.

-I think I'd be sad if I didn't at least find out how much it was.

-Yeah.

-We don't want any tears.

-I won't cry.

-Shall we ask?

-Yeah.

Hello, hi there. How much is it for the wee enamel bar brooch?

-I could do that for 35 for you.

-£35. OK.

So, we've come back with a price of £35. I feel very good about that.

-I think it is in with a shout.

-Yeah.

-What do you think?

I'm a bit taken with it, but it's your call.

-Rhodian, you're awfully quiet.

-Try and get a cheaper price for it.

-Cheaper price?!

-Courtney, you can try your luck.

Is 35 the best you can do?

I'll do it for 30 for you, but I won't go no lower than that.

-I'm happy with 30. Are you?

-Yep.

-OK.

-Yay!

-First one down?

-Shall we go and shake on it?

-Yay!

Excellent! One down, two to go.

Good as gold, that's the Blues' first buy sorted - well done.

What a beautiful wee thing. I hope you're chuffed with that.

That was YOUR choice. Rhodian, you've now got to get a choice in.

-Yeah, pressure's on!

-We've just had a French lesson from Natasha.

Now, it's history from David.

-It's called a Davenport...

-Right.

..and it's designed for a Captain Davenport as a piece of

functioning kit, a desk that could travel with him,

going on campaign.

So you've got a writing slope here, the internal sections

are often loaded with drawers for pens and ink and that kind of thing.

This top section again, for letters,

stamps, spare parts.

And you've got drawers one side,

but have you noticed you've got no drawers this side?

-Yeah, faux.

-They're blank drawers. Just for aesthetics.

Owen, what are your thoughts?

So Heather, up to you - I'll be totally honest, I'm not big fan.

-Really?

-Not at all, it's too...

It seems very short. I don't know.

Let me just demonstrate how it works. So...

It's actually not, it's OK.

You have a small stool and don't forget,

it's made to be transported around.

So it has to be easy to carry and manoeuvre.

It's fine.

-You have a look. I'll come back to you with the price.

-OK.

What do you think? You like it?

I do like it, but I worry... It's so...

I don't know how...

For me, it would need to be 60.

-£60?

-Yeah.

-OK, best price?

OK, I'm going to test you.

-You've watched this programme hundreds of times.

-Yeah.

How much is it? The absolute best price?

Absolute best price you could get?

120.

Bang on.

-You've watched this show too many times!

-This girl is good.

You are a professional valuer, well done! £120.

For me, that is an absolute stonking bargain. It really is.

That doesn't mean it's going to make that in auction.

I think it's ridiculously cheap.

Have a word - I don't think you'll get it for any less.

But explain the situation to him.

-Shall we stay here while you go and...

-You love it.

Flash those eyelashes.

While Heather gets the price, what have the Blues got their eyes on?

I'm looking at the binoculars there.

-OK.

-Interesting.

-Do you go to the opera?

-Do you frequent?

-Not the opera.

We go to a few theatre shows.

Oh, right, OK - they'd be handy in the nosebleed seats!

-OK, I'll have a think about that one.

-So we're thinking ocular?

-Binocular?

-Possibly.

Aye-aye.

-She won't have got it any less.

-So...

I got five pounds off!

-You never did!

-Yeah!

You need to come and work for me! You really do.

You are a very good negotiator.

And you, David, are a smooth talker!

That's something to write home about -

the second deal is done for the Reds.

Now, what have the Blues spotted?

Do you know what that is in the little case?

Yes, little toilet jars, they're absolutely gorgeous, aren't they?

Do you want to have a look at those? They're really beautiful.

Thank you so much.

So, in this gorgeous...what must be the original case,

look at these fabulous little toilet jars.

So ladies who were travelling around,

just things that were in the lady's bathroom were

decanted into these toilet jars to make them easy for travel.

What you have on the top here is what we call guilloche enamel.

That's where you have these little lines running through the enamel.

It's a design that is set before the enamel was poured on, so it

looks like it's got a million focus points and it's really beautiful.

What do you think, what's your feel for those?

What do you think, because I pointed them out, but it was your turn!

I absolutely love small bottles in the old-style,

having glamorous things, not plastic.

-A bit more effort's gone into them.

-Exactly.

-I actually really like

that stuff and it's got a really nice case, too.

Yes, and in Bargain Hunt colours.

Surely, they're meant to be?

Would you pay for these if you saw these at a fair?

-I was thinking about 60. Would be my guess.

-OK. Excellent.

Do you want me to hold that for you?

OK, so... What we have is a price tag of £148.

I think if we were to go in excess of 90, 100,

we might be very much in gamble territory.

-OK. What do you think?

-I think we should make an offer, maybe.

Shall we try it?

It's up to you, you seem quite taken with them, Rhodian,

so I'm going to leave this in your hands, I think.

-Are you willing to budge with the price at all?

-I could say 125.

125?

-You couldn't do 100?

-I can't, I'm afraid. I really can't.

To find enamel in that good condition is very difficult.

So...

-115.

-115?

-That really would be my best.

-Are you a gambling man?

-Generally not!

I reckon do it. You'll regret it if we don't.

-I think we're going to take those.

-115?

-It's very exciting!

Now we need to find something for a fiver!

Now, if you're strapped for cash, I may just have a little tip for you.

A lot of people say to me, "What would you buy

"if you went to an antiques fair and you'd only got £50 in your pocket?"

Well, try this fellow on for size.

A buckle.

For the more substantial Edwardian woman,

who, as a fashion conscious creature

at a time when ladies' clothes

in smart society would be changed at least four times per day,

this sort of buckle cannot be beaten.

You only need one buckle,

you just need to ring the changes in the colours of the belts

that you thread through it, which is really rather clever.

It's a beautifully made object, made of heavy cast silver.

The other thing I like about it

very, very much, is the price.

Quite frankly, when the dealer said

to me that this could be mine

for £25,

the £25 came out of my pocket PDQ,

which stands for Pretty Darned Quick.

So that's £25 of our £50 well spent.

And continuing the theme, number two.

On a dealer's stand,

I spotted these two sparklers.

They're both oval and they both glitter and fascinate

as a result of being set with

nearly 100 stones in each buckle.

These stones resemble diamonds extremely closely,

but in fact they're individual bits of glass that have been especially

set into solid silver, but with a layer of foil behind them.

They're gentlemen's buckles

and they would have been applied to his shoes.

What would they cost you today?

Well, if you're canny and if you're lucky, you could find them for £15.

So there you have it.

For under £50, two glorious examples of collectables

in perfect condition and ready to go.

And if I was to be selling on these things, I think

the Edwardian silver buckle

would bring in excess of £100,

between 100 and 120, say,

and I think the Georgian gem-encrusted buckles

would bring the top end of £60. Say, 60 to 80.

So, there you are - they give you pleasure and they give you profit.

Both teams have one item to find

and I think the Reds may really be getting their teeth into something.

-Do you know how to test for genuine pearl?

-I don't.

Get that between your two top teeth

and very gently tell me what you feel.

100% smooth. Should it be gritty?

If it's a real one, you will sense the grit.

If it's a fake pearl,

it'll be completely smooth.

-Yes, there is grit.

-There is grit? Can you sense it?

-Is there?

-Yeah. You want to try?

-No!

How much is it?

85. We might be a bit far away,

-but we have professionally tested the pearl for you!

-Yeah!

-What's caught your eye?

-I think the glasses are pretty cool.

Yeah, the glasses here.

Ah, so you are going ocular again.

Oh, lovely!

-Cool!

-I've forgotten the name for those wee things.

-Lorgnettes.

Lorgnettes! That's it!

I was thinking, "What's the wee French word?"

So, what are you thinking about these lorgnettes?

-Again, good for the opera!

-Absolutely!

I tell you what, Rhodian, they go quite nicely with your look.

-That moustache!

-Honestly, that's quite a look.

-That's probably why I like them!

-OK,

so what do we know about these?

Why this big loop at the top here?

Because they are looped for suspension, aren't they?

They would be lovely with a big chain hanging down

-and that's exactly what you want them for.

-I would wear them.

Yeah, if I had an opportunity, I'd probably buy it for myself,

-so I really like them.

-Really? Shall we ask the price?

Yes, we should find out what the price is!

DEALER: I would do them for £80.

£80, OK.

Because they're so decorative, so pretty.

There's an element of ceremony about them, as well.

-"An element of ceremony!"

-Do you like that?

-Oh, my goodness!

That's the best sales pitch I've ever heard!

Goes back to what you were saying about the whole appearance thing.

What I always think about these kind of things is how trendy

are things on a long, gold chain - everyone is snapping up little

compasses, little owls, little pocket watches,

just to wear down here.

So at £80? Yikes, a little bit expensive?

-What would YOU think about paying?

-Um...

-Would you go as low as 60?

-I would do them for 75.

-Oh, 75!

-75?

-Mm.

-What about 70?

-70?

Go on, then, 70. I'll do them for 70.

COURTNEY: Just do it.

-Are you doing it?

-Yay!

-Oh, my goodness!

I think that your "element of ceremony" went a long way, there!

I could have just said trendy, like you!

Without further ceremony, that's the last buy for the Blues,

but the Reds are still shopping for their third item.

-It's an inkwell.

-I see.

-But it's a good looker, isn't it?

-Erm...yeah.

-Nice piece.

-Oh, that means no. Did you sense that?

-Yeah, it was a polite no.

Yes, yes. OK, we're not having that one, thank you very much.

Heather's written the inkwell off.

-How delighted are you?

-So happy.

-So happy.

-Aww, I'm chuffed.

That was just so good, but how good would a cup of tea be right now?

-A cup of tea would be amazing.

-Listen, it's on me, let's go.

-Oh, yeah, er, is it, it's not crystal?

-Yeah, it is.

-A wee crystal glass, yeah. Un-engraved...

-Yeah, hmm...

I'm getting to know when things are going down like a lead balloon.

-Well, she's subtle and to the point.

-Yeah.

-See? Just put it straight down.

Cor, that Heather's not going to be fobbed off

with anything she doesn't like.

Good on you, girl!

ALL: Cheers!

Ah, kick back and enjoy, our burlesque Blues,

hassle free, tassel free.

With only five minutes left, the Reds can't afford to be so chilled.

I kind of like this shoehorn, er, this hook for ladies, is it ladies?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Silver...

Silver handled.

-OK, let's just test whether we're going to get this or not.

-OK.

Heather, what do you think?

HEATHER LAUGHS

It's quite decorative, I like it, it's functional.

It's, erm, English steel?

-Does that say steel?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Hmm.

Has to be steel cos it's got to be really strong,

-but the handle is silver.

-Mm-hm.

And then you've got a little button hook to maybe do up a...

What would a lady do up?

-Corset?

-Oh, right, wow, yeah.

-Yes. And then a boot hook.

So this is for a long boot,

so she could bend down and pull the laces nice and tight.

-It's 1900, look at that, that is so Victorian.

-Mm-hm.

But you were drawn to it, Owen?

I was drawn to it purely because I'm thinking price-wise,

if it was half that...

-Yeah?

-..I definitely think it would do something at auction.

-OK.

-I've never been to an auction, I have no idea.

-Yeah.

Well, that's based on good experience then(!)

-But I think it will do something.

-OK.

-What do you think?

I think if you can get it for 20 quid,

-I think you've got to make a profit. Do you agree?

-Yeah, yeah.

-If we can get it for 20.

-OK. I think we need to employ the big gun here.

And you know who that is.

HEATHER LAUGHS

-OK, right, yeah.

-It is all on your shoulders, Heather.

-Huge pressure.

-Do what we have discovered you're very good at.

-Oh, gosh!

-OK?

-Pressure is on.

-It's massive pressure. OK.

-I'll invite a chap to come and see us. Hi there.

-OK, hello! So...

-Obviously you want to negotiate.

-We are interested, yes, absolutely.

-I heard the figure 20.

-You did?

-Wasn't mentioned by me!

And is that, yeah, yeah, that would be the ideal for us.

-20 quid.

-20 quid. Perfect, lovely, done deal, yes!

-And you two are officially done!

-Yes!

-Well done.

They're finished! Well, the shopping's over anyway.

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

Hardly stirring,

the Reds bought the Liberty spoons for £100.

Then they found the small but perfectly formed Davenport

and paid £115 for it.

And finally they were hooked on the set of shoehorn, boot pull

and button hook, which cost them £20.

Well, well, well, you're a bit of a rottweiler

when it comes to the negotiation.

Yeah, yeah, that was the strategy.

Yeah, but she doesn't bite to reveal blood,

it's a very strange negotiating technique.

It's a little nibble, Tim. You don't know you've been nibbled

until you've given away all your money.

OK, Heather, congratulations on that.

Your favourite piece is which?

It was the first piece that we got in three minutes, we purchased it,

beautiful Liberty silver spoons, set of six, precious stones

-on the end of them. Gorgeous.

-Perfect, perfect.

-OK, that's your favourite.

-Favourite.

-What's your favourite piece?

-Silver spoons as well.

-Silver spoons again.

Probably not the most profitable but I like them.

What's going to be most profitable?

I think the ladies' shoehorn, the button.

I think, we paid £20, surely it's bound to make more than that.

OK, fine. Do you agree with that, Heather?

Victorian, lovely silver handles, steel, lovely.

-She's got all the gab, hasn't she?

-I learned from the best!

THEY LAUGH

-How much do you have to pay her for that?

-No, no.

Anyway, talking about payo-payo, how much did you payo?

-So it was 235 we've spent, yeah.

-That is a mature amount of money.

-Lovely, I'm liking it.

-Yes.

-So can I have the £65 of leftover lolly?

-You can.

-Yep.

-Thank you.

You've given it to me and I hand it straight to him

and he goes straight off to spend the lot.

-It's always a good job to do.

-Anyway, leave it to you, Dave.

Right now, though, why don't we check out

what the Blue Team bought, eh?

They've pinned their hopes on the gold bar brooch which cost them £30.

They were smitten by the pretty bottles and handed over £115.

And finally, after a close look, they settled on the lorgnette,

which they bought for £70.

Courtney, Roger, how are you?

-Very good.

-Good.

-How was your shop?

-It was really good. It went pretty fast.

-I bet it did.

We had a lot of fun, though.

Well, you're not here with Speedy Gonzales for nothing.

Tell me, Courtney, which is your favourite piece?

I have a soft spot for the brooch.

It was the first thing I saw and it was really lovely.

Which is your favourite piece, Rhodian?

Probably the lorgnette glasses.

Go very nicely with your tache, wouldn't it?

-Yes, yeah, quite like them.

-Very much kind of in the burlesque style.

-Yeah.

-Super. So how much did you spend?

-We spent about 215.

-Very good.

215 English pounds.

I'd like 85 English pounds back, please.

85 English pounds going back to Natasha. There you go, Natasha.

What are you going to do with 85 smackers?

Well, I really enjoyed being in the company

of Courtney and Rhodian today.

And they have travelled a long way to be here,

so I'm going to have to come up

with something that represents your journey.

-You have a vision in your sights?

-I do.

-Which is marvellous.

-Anyway, good luck.

-Thank you.

You can have another cup of tea and another lie down

because, right now, we're heading off to the Smoke, to auction.

Well, here we are at High Road Auctions in Chiswick,

with Ross Mercer.

-Ross, good morning. How are you doing?

-Good morning, Tim. Very well.

-And yourself?

-Not too bad.

Cracking on with our lots, first up, is the Owen discovery,

which are these lovely Liberty tea or coffee spoons.

-Do you like those?

-I do like those.

They come with a great international collecting name, don't they?

The House of Liberty.

-You see bean-end spoons all the time, don't you?

-We do.

But how many bean-end spoons do you see

with polished semiprecious stones on?

I mean, they're lovely, aren't they?

They are a cut above the rest, aren't they, Tim?

Very, very nice set.

-Now, what's your estimate on those?

-Well, we've said £100-£150.

Bravo! Good for High Road Auctions, cos £100 was paid. That's great.

Well bought. Now, this little Davenport. Do you like it?

-I'm struggling, to be honest with you, Tim.

-Are you?

It's a little bit of a poor relation

within the furniture section of the sale.

What is your estimate, technically?

-Well, we said £120-£180.

-Well, that's very generous of you.

-It...

Mm, perhaps a little bit too generous.

I think I was in a good mood that day.

Well, they paid £115.

It'll be interesting to see exactly what the premium is

here in west London for that object.

Lastly is this particularly useless silver-mounted set.

I mean, I know NOBODY who uses a shoehorn

and certainly not a brace of button hooks.

No, it's a window into a more genteel time, isn't it, Tim?

You have such a lovely way of putting things.

-What's the estimate?

-We've said £20-£40.

-OK, £20 paid.

So they didn't pay too much, they paid the right price.

I predict that this team will have no problemo at all.

They will not need their bonus buy

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

Well, this is a jolly party, isn't it?

THEY ALL LAUGH

OK, Dave, now, you have had the unenviable task

of going off with £65 of leftover lolly for these chickens.

-Yeah.

-And would you mind showing us, please, what you bought?

-OK, something right up my street, I've got to tell you.

-Oh, wow!

-Hoping it might be up yours.

-What is it?

-Could you help us understand what it is?

-It's a boulder.

-A boulder?

-That's been very cleverly carved in China, into a brush washer.

-I see.

-Oh.

-Yes.

-OK.

-It's quite heavy.

-It is.

-It's a boulder!

-Yeah.

-Yeah, nice little etching there.

-Well, that's a signature.

-Oh, a signature?

-Yes, and that is carved into the stone.

-OK.

-It's a beautiful thing, carved with bats.

-Bats!

-Bats.

-That's long life and prosperity.

-Yes.

-OK.

-Oh, is that what it means?

-Yeah.

And so the big question I have is, how much did you pay?

Ah, a very good question. I think... Well, I think NOTHING - £50.

How much do you think it'll earn?

Well, it could be £30, it could be 300.

This could be terminally exciting.

Not only for you but for half the nation.

OK, for the viewers at home,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Dave's boulder.

Now, winging into you, then, Ross, is that bat-encrusted boulder carving.

Yes, it's a nice little brush washer,

I suspect probably early 20th century.

It bears a signature here, which is quite a nice thing,

and I could see that being used at a student's desk,

practising calligraphy perhaps.

-This is on the internet, isn't it?

-Oh, it is, yes.

So I think David Harper has been quite cunning here, actually.

I think this has got potential.

OK, Harper paid 50. What's your estimate?

-I bet you've got a low, teasy-type estimate on it.

-I have.

I'm tempting them in, Tim. I've said £30-£50.

-They won't be able to resist.

-They won't be able to resist. Super.

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

We've got the regimental sweetheart brooch.

A nice thing, because it is Canadian rather than English.

-Ones that we see a lot of are British ones.

-Is it?

-Yes.

Is it really?

For the Royal Corps of Canadian Ordinance,

around the First World War.

-Nice quality. I think quite collectable.

-Yeah.

Well, if it's Canadian and First World War period,

-it could be pretty rare.

-That's right.

OK, well, that's interesting. So £30 was paid by Courtney.

And I didn't have a problem saying £100-£150.

Well, clever old Courtney anyway.

Next, the little trio of scent bottles.

Um, Courtney found those.

She fell in love with them. What do you think?

Well, I think they're a bit of fun.

And I can't see many people using them today,

so I've been quite mean on those.

-How mean?

-Well, I said £30-£50.

-Oh, dear, Courtney won't love you for that. She paid £115.

-Oh, dear.

OK, fine. That has the beginnings of the smell of a disaster.

Now, the lorgnette.

Yes. Late Victorian, I suspect, last quarter of the 19th century.

-Nicely engraved.

-So how much for the lorngette, do you think?

We've said £40-£60.

OK, fine. £70 paid. So that's another body blow.

I reckon that most of the profit

that they'll get out of the sweetheart brooch

will be nicked by the losses on the other two items.

In which case, they'll need their bonus buy,

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

-Now, Rhodian, Courtney, this is great, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Because Natasha was given £85.

-Yes.

And Natasha could have blown the whole lot.

Show us what you bought.

Um, I...

Bear in mind that I always had you two in mind,

and I very much enjoyed your Australian presence

and I bought you a kookaburra corkscrew.

THEY LAUGH OK...

And you seem completely disappointed

but I think it's got real quirkiness to it.

It's made out of bovine horn, it is a corkscrew,

it wasn't made yesterday but it wasn't made in the 18th century.

It's from last century but you've got to love it.

-OK.

-What do you think?

-Actually, when you bought it out, I thought it was a squid!

-Oh...

-It looks like a fish.

-That's not going to work in our favour.

-I've never seen a kookaburra that looks like that.

-No.

-But that's OK.

How much was he?

He was...£10.

-Oh, OK. That's all right. OK.

-So how much do you reckon it'll sell for?

Um, probably what I paid for it!

No, I think that if you can't get £15, £20, you know, £25 for this,

-then, you know, it's a shame.

-OK, fine. Got the message?

It might make £10 if you're lucky, on a good day,

with the wind up its tail.

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

what he thinks about this...

novelty corkscrew.

OK, Ross, watch the birdie.

This is quite fun, isn't it, Tim? It's a novelty object.

Bovine horn. A stylised bird.

And, er... Well, I suppose it's a bit of folk art. And quite useful.

-Yeah. I mean, you can draw a cork with.

-Yes.

-How much?

We've said £10-£20.

-Fair enough. Natasha paid £10. Happy with that?

-Very.

Me too. Good luck on the rostrum.

And that's coming up right now.

We're straight in with the Reds.

Heather, Owen, David.

First lot up is your silver Liberty spoons and here they come.

The cased set of six silver coffee spoons by Liberty,

hallmarked there, 1936.

A lot of interest here.

-Bids starting against you all, £80.

-80.

-With me at 80.

Coming in at 5. 80, 5 with you, sir.

At 85, bid 90. 5 with you.

-100, 110, 120.

-(Yes!)

-120 now.

-Look at this.

120. In the room.

I'm going to sell, mind, at £120.

120 is still plus 20.

That's 20%. Well done, O. Now, chickens...

A Davenport desk. There it is.

Box with line inlaid, we say.

How do you value? It ought to be £80, come along.

60 then? £60.

5, 70. 5. 80, sir?

-£80 bid.

-No money.

-At 85, bid 90?

-Tim...

£90 in the seating at 90. £90.

-Come on!

-£90.

-Oh, come on!

-90.

-Last chance, I've got to sell.

-Oh, chickens!

I know, I wish I could do more.

I can't make them pay.

At £90, away at the back.

Last chance at 90.

TIM SOBS

And breaking Tim's heart at 90...

Darlings! How could this happen?!

Minus £25, which means, overall, you're minus £5 pounds.

-Oh, baby.

-It's OK.

-Rally the troops for the last one.

-Let's rally on the shoehorn.

Edwardian three-piece case set, button hook, etc. Lovely quality.

And, after saying all of that, £5.

£5 in. 5, I have.

8, 10.

12 with you, madam? £12. 14?

14, 16? 16...

18. At £18. Bid 20, madam?

-No? 20? £20 on the internet.

-20 on the internet!

-20. At £20?

-Is that all?

-I'm going to have to sell at £20 only.

-No!

-Sold.

-£20, wiped its face.

-Overall, you're minus £5.

-Oh!

-Oh, that wretched Davenport, I tell you.

-Oh, I'm sorry.

No, don't worry about it.

Listen, what are we going to do about the brush washer?

-Oh, yeah!

-Are you going to have a punt at that?

-Yeah, you only live once.

-We're going with the brush washer.

-I'm devastated.

-Fine. Now you've made your decision,

I can reveal that the auctioneer didn't like it much.

-What?!

-He put £30-£50 on it. He did.

Look out, here comes the brush washer.

20th century Chinese soapstone brush washer.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

There we are, the auspicious decoration of bats.

£10 I'm bid.

-£10?!

-15 now. 15.

Bear with me.

20. 5? 25 bid. 30.

-Yes.

-Feeling sick.

-5? 35. 40?

-£40.

-40.

-Left-hand side at £40. 45.

-Yes!

-45.

At £45, could be going back to Beijing. Who knows?

At £45. I'm going to sell, mind, at 45.

-It's not gone right here, David.

-It's all gone wrong, Tim.

-Sold.

£45! £45! Minus £5 on that.

-Minus 10.

-Which means, overall, minus £10.

-Oh!

-We don't know, we don't know.

-No, no, listen. The others could do terribly badly.

-Exactly.

Minus 10 could be the most dazzling score.

Say not a word to the Blues, all right?

-We can do that, yeah.

-As if you've not been on rocky ground at all.

THEY LAUGH

-You excited?

-Yeah!

-How excited?

-Well, I'm trying to keep calm and collected.

-Are you?

-But I think it's when it starts, it's going to hit us.

-Is it?

I'm a bit worried we might have to...keep me down.

-You've got the old adrenaline up?

-Yeah, getting excited.

-Yeah, it's a good point.

-You the same?

-Yeah, absolutely.

OK, great, cos you look like Mr Cool to me.

OK, now, the first item, this sweetheart brooch.

Hopefully helped by the internet, needs to make a load of money.

So here it comes.

-Bids start with me at £50.

-£50.

At 5, 55. Bid 60?

5. At 65. 70?

5, sir?

75. Bid 80.

At £80. Bid at 80.

-And behind you at 5.

-We'll so take that!

-At 95. 100.

-Look, 100.

100, 110. £110.

Last chance, with fair warning now, internet. At £110.

Look out, £110, could be Canada.

-110.

-£110. 110.

That, my dear, is a profit of £80. £80.

That's going to help us.

That's one heap of dollars.

Now, let's go with the three-bottle job.

Gosh, a lot of interest here on the books.

Bids start against you all, £45.

-At £45.

-Well, better than I thought.

-50, 55.

-60, madam.

-More than his estimate.

-He's got commission, he's got commission.

-70.

75, may I say? Still with me at £70 now.

-75 now on the internet puts me out.

-Good.

At £75. I'm going to sell, mind, at 75.

A lot more than he said. That's 25, 35... That's minus 40.

But you're still plus 40, sweet pea. OK, here we go.

A pair of Victorian goldplated lorgnettes.

Bids start at £35 on the books.

Ideal for dressing up at 35.

She looks pretty out of focus!

Gentleman's bid at £40.

He'd seen them at 40. At £40 only...

That was £40. That's minus £30, which means you're plus £10.

-That could be a winning score.

-What happened?

What are we going to do about old kookaburra face, then?

-No, we're going to leave it.

-We're going to stick with ten.

-You are going to go with the ten?

-Go with the ten.

-No, we're not going to do it.

-Are you?

-Love you. LOVE you.

OK, fine, there's the decision.

We're going to sell it anyway, so here comes kookaburra face.

Apparently a kookaburra, that's what Tim... That Tim tells me, anyway.

-Oh, yeah(!)

-who knows?

Lot 83, it's the stylised bird.

-I've got a bid here of £4.

-Ah, yes.

-Keep going!

£4, that's not even a bottle of wine. Come along.

-6!

-£6, God bless you.

-£6.

They're mainly screw-top people.

£8, fine. £10. At £10 now.

15, sir. At £15, make it 20?

Go on, one more. £20. At £20.

Discretion being the better part of valour there.

£20 I have in the room. At 20. Come along, internet.

I told you it's a good corkscrew!

Last chance. Done and selling at 20.

O ye of little faith.

HE CHUCKLES

I knew she was right from the outset.

Anyway, plus £10 on that.

-But, nevertheless, you finish up with plus £10.

-That's great.

Seriously, that could be one of the highest scores of the season.

Don't say a word. Don't say a word those Reds, all right?

Well, it's a great thrill to be here.

-Isn't that a thrill to be here?

-ALL: Yes!

-You been chatting, you lot, about the score?

-No.

-Trying not to.

Trying not to? And they're resisting everything.

Well, sadly, as usual, we have to have some runners-up

and the runners-up today, by a chunk,

are the Reds.

ALL: Oh!

Not much of a chunk. Minus £10 is your overall score.

-I mean, it started off so beautifully, didn't it?

-It did.

Plus £20 for the Liberty spoons.

I felt a warm and wonderful feeling for you.

I felt it flooding through my body.

Unfortunately, it drained very quickly, right?

-But you've been brilliant.

-Yeah.

You've taken it on the chin,

you showed just how British you are,

you've done all the coursework to prove it

and we're very, very proud of you. Thank you for joining us.

But the victors today are going home with folding money.

-This is enough to pay for about three minutes on your flight.

-Yeah.

-There's £10.

-Yay!

Ten proper pounds.

Now these kids started out

-by making a profit with £80 on the first item, yeah?

-Wow!

-Then it went right down the proverbial, didn't it?

-So well.

Went right down the dunny, actually.

-But, seriously, had a nice time, Courtney?

-Yeah, amazing.

-Brilliant.

It was so kind of you to come and join us,

fly all these thousands of miles just to be on the show.

-Yes, exactly.

-And it's been so worth it!

So worth it, in fact, that we're going to

hope you'll join us soon for some more bargain-hunting, yes?

ALL: YES!