Norfolk 32 Bargain Hunt

Today we're visiting Norfolk,

which was the home of social reformer Elizabeth Fry.

There she is, Elizabeth Fry.

Cor, the things you learn on this show, eh?

What's that, you say?

Let's go bargain hunting!

Yeah!

Armed with a fistful of fivers totalling £300,

our teams, in an hour, have to find three items.

But, exactly how many of those notes will they spend?

And how much profit will they make?

Let's take a sneaky peek at what's coming up, eh?

Today's Reds are acting on impulse.

-I like it very much.

-Let's buy it.

And there's...

Yep.

-Yes, Mum!

-I want it! I just love it!

But you can't keep it.

No...

Whereas the Blues can't make up their minds.

-I would just flip a coin on this one.

-Do you?

Oh, no, I can't bear the tension.

Heads.

Yes!

Phew!

It all comes to a head at the auction.

60. 60.

Excitement.

And something happens that's a first for Bargain Hunt.

Let's meet the teams first, eh?

Well, we've got a family affair today for our teams,

because, for the Reds, it's mother and daughter Adrienne and Alexandra.

And for the Blues, it is the lovely Walter and his son Keir.

-Hello, everyone.

-ALL: Hello!

Lovely to see you.

Adrienne, your working life has revolved around the English language, hasn't it?

It has, yes.

I was trained as a journalist and in the last few years

I've been working as an English language teacher.

-But your journalistic career was eventful, wasn't it?

-It was, yes.

I remember being in the newsroom one day and my editor said to me,

"You like planes, don't you?" I went, "Yeah."

I thought he was going to say, "You can go on a holiday."

And he said, "Well, actually, the Royal Jordanian Falcon stunt team are in.

"I'd like you to go up with them."

And I had to spend half the day

flying loop the loops and going upside down in a small biplane.

How funny. What does the world look like from upside down?

-The sky was green for a moment.

-Yeah, very strange.

-And so was I!

-Yeah, I bet you were.

Now, you're serving a rather interesting apprenticeship, Alexandra.

-Tell us about that.

-Yes.

I'm doing a front-of-house apprenticeship

with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the moment,

which is very exciting.

-Are you in Stratford, then?

-Yes, Stratford-upon-Avon. It's beautiful.

It's so relaxed there. It's really lovely.

And what do you have to do?

Mainly sort of check people's tickets and things like that.

But it's lots of interaction with the general public,

which makes every day really different.

And in the past, before you took this course,

you had a life that rather resembled an Enid Blyton novel.

Yeah, I spent a lot of time with my friends

just going into teashops and, yeah, eating lots of cake

and trying lots of different types of tea.

And Norwich is actually quite good for that.

There's lots of unique little places in Norwich.

So, will you be going for a tea set today,

-when it comes down to the shopping, do you think?

-Oh, maybe.

Maybe something to do with tea.

What does the mother have to think about this?

I think practical. As long as it has a purpose and I could use it myself,

then I would buy it.

All right. Fine. Well, lovely to talk to you.

Now, chaps...

You two boys are of a very caring nature, aren't you, Walter?

I'd like to think we are.

I used to teach teenagers with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

And Keir works in the mental health field with older people.

-Now, tell me about your love of rugby.

-Oh, I've always loved rugby.

Used to play it when I was young. But, for the last 20-odd years, I've been coaching it.

And when you're not bashing around at the rugby field,

-you like to bash out a song or two?

-I sing in a band, yes, I do.

-Right, what sort of music?

-Oh, it's hard to describe, really.

It's kind of Clash meets Nirvana, if that means anything to you, Tim.

What fun.

What's it like having such a trendy dad, then,

that sings in rock bands and...?

I don't see him as trendy.

Do you not?

No. No.

You have your links to music, as well, though, don't you, Keir?

I do, yes.

Before I got into nursing, I was a roadie.

So, I used to go around with bands and set their equipment up

and roll it on and off the stage.

I roadied for the Rolling Stones,

Roger Waters, The Who...

Really?

-..Primal Scream. Bands like that, yeah.

-Gosh.

So you gave up the roadie job and went into nursing, is that right?

-I did, yes.

-And what's the best bit of the nursing job for you?

I think it's seeing people come into hospital really unwell

and working with them to an extent that they are well enough to leave again.

-Yes, exactly.

-And seeing people make such an improvement.

Well, very, very lucky they are to have you there to tend to them.

So, hats off for all of that.

What sort of things are you going to go for today, do you think, Walter?

The unusual. Something very different.

Erm...

Yeah, something that no-one's seen before.

Oh...

A man of mystery.

OK, now the money moment. £300 apiece.

-There's your £300.

-Thank you.

You know the rules. Your experts await.

And off you go! And very, very, very good luck.

Gosh, whatever's going to happen today?

That's the teams.

So, let's meet their experts.

Hoping to unlock the profit for the Reds, it's Paul Laidlaw.

And hitting the right note for the Blues, it's Catherine Southon.

So, what's on the shopping list today, teams?

-Maybe something a little bit delicate.

-OK.

Something like glass with a little bit of sparkle.

Oh, a little thing...

Now, we've got a wealth of items here in Norfolk today.

If you could buy one thing, what would it be?

Something for taking stones out of horses' hooves.

-Is he always like this?

-Yeah, he's an odd boy.

Well, it's going to be impulsive.

So, we don't have a shopping list. If we like it, we're going to buy it.

Or we're going to try and buy it, yeah?

-OK.

-Yes.

-Let's go, then.

This is it.

OK, so we're going odd today?

-We're going to be different, yes.

-We're going odd.

Let's go and find them. Come on, chaps.

Right, teams, your 60 minutes starts...

now!

Ha!

-Shall we look at little bits of jewellery?

-Of course.

What are you thinking, Walt?

I'm not thinking anything at the moment, to be honest with you.

Yeah, good to have an open mind at this stage, Walt.

But not an empty one.

Well...

Glass.

I've got to say, is it your taste, Alexandra?

No.

Do you, maybe, hate it?

Maybe a little bit.

The thing is, I don't dislike it. I...

Sorry, darling!

If you have a party, it's really unusual.

It's quite a conversation piece.

You can put lots of alcohol in it and drink it.

Maybe it would look better after a couple of drinks.

Oh, dear...

So, an agreement to disagree.

Could have your hands full today, Paul.

The same goes for Catherine, too.

I don't know what that's for. What's this for?

It's an auger, for drilling holes in oak.

-Your kind of thing?

-I like it.

-Yeah.

-You like it?

-I think it's random.

-I do like it.

-Well, I'll give you that. It's certainly random.

Start as we mean to go on.

So, if you're making holes in oak,

then you need to plane off the oak as well, don't you?

You do. Yes. Yep.

It's £12, that one.

I don't know what makes a good plane and what doesn't, to be perfectly honest with you.

One that flies!

Well, that would be good.

I think we should have a look round.

OK, well, we've only just started, but...

Yeah, we have just started.

But, thank you very much, sir. Thank you. Thank you.

That's a good, manly start, Blues.

Now, the Reds couldn't be more different.

Satsuma. Japan.

An earthenware body now. Early 20th century.

And the Japanese artisans are, at this stage,

producing high-quality wares,

frequently for Western consumption.

I adore it.

But it's £200.

Which is two-thirds of our budget.

I suspect we'll have an artisan's mark in that little tablet there.

-See?

-Oh, wow.

-The books have been written.

We can identify that as artisan. And what do we see depicted here?

-And this is hand-worked.

-Isn't it beautiful?

-Is it a peacock?

It is indeed.

It's beautiful.

It's really lovely.

The density of the decoration is exquisite.

That's a joyous object.

What can I say? But...

I really like it.

I like it.

150?

I don't...

I... I... I just don't know.

May we ask the question?

-Well, we could do that for 170.

-170...

From our point of view, it's a hasty purchase.

So, the Reds aren't quite ready to connect.

The Blues have their minds set on one thing, though.

-Odd-looking things.

-Right. Anything here for you?

-There's nothing that stands out to me.

-No.

-We're not looking for pretty, are we?

-No. No. No.

-No.

-No.

-You two are going to be hard to please, aren't you?

-Yeah.

Well, they want the unusual, Catherine.

Now, having remained at the same stall,

the unusual is what Paul is showing his team.

I'm drawn to the striking design of this mysterious object here.

I don't mind telling you, I'm not entirely sure what that is.

But...

Turn it under. Royal Dalton.

Flambe.

It's a late-'90s or maybe Edwardian piece, yeah?

It could be a specimen vase.

You could get buds in there.

I like the brand.

I like the aesthetic.

I also like...

..a £55 price tag.

Which is not a lot of money.

But, Adrienne's frowning.

Which is worrying the living daylights out of me.

It's because, if I were going to an auction and I saw that,

lovely as it is, I wouldn't know what to do with it.

Well, have we exhausted the ceramics of the world or...?

I think so.

-Move on?

-Yeah, let's move on.

-OK.

OK, good start, all.

But, while the Reds continue to find their feet,

the Blues are retracing their steps.

-We're back.

-Hello, we've come back to have a look at your tools, if you wouldn't mind.

We're in your hands here, sir.

Because we were thinking about maybe buying a couple.

Yeah.

I think they're quite keenly priced. I'll knock a little bit off but...

So, if we bought the spirit level, the plane...

What about these?

Don't you think they're great? What are they actually for?

Those are for inside a fireplace.

Catherine, what are you suggesting, then?

So, you'd either buy the drill, the plane and perhaps...

The spirit level.

..the level, if you wanted to.

And then, maybe...

Or maybe these pieces, these three?

-I like the tools.

-You like the tools?

-You like the tools?

-I like the tools.

-You're a tool man?

Right, we'll go with the tools for Keir, then.

-What's the best you can do on the tools?

-Three tools.

-£20 for the three.

-I'm not going to argue with that.

And you're bound to make a profit.

I won't argue with that. We'll take that.

So, the trio of tools for £20 marks the first deal of the day.

Well done, Blues. Now, how are you faring, Reds?

Where's this thing that we adore,

that we've fallen in love with and we believe others will likewise?

I suspect that's a modern reproduction.

Just over 20 minutes gone, so, by my reckoning,

we should have bought something by now.

-OK.

-But don't panic, don't panic.

I'm impressed.

One item bought in very, very good time.

And it's weird.

So, can't get much better than that.

What's also weird is that trivet and the stuff for the fireplace

that he's got on his stall.

You want to go back and have a look? That trivet was nice, actually.

Yes, I think we should go back and just see if we can sort something out with those three items.

So, what, the trivet...

The pot hanger

and the log tongs.

The tongs.

Let's go and do it.

Crikey, Blues, you can look at more than one stall, you know?

Mind you, there's a bit of toing and froing with the Reds,

who are back at the ceramics stall.

-And has as much merit.

-I like that.

This is good. Why?

Because it's pink.

Because it's the work in the glass.

It's just very eye-catching.

It's very different. It has a lovely flow to it.

It's iconic of Scottish glass by Monarch and Vasart.

What I like about it are the metallic inclusions

swirling throughout this pattern.

It's called aventurine.

And if we look...

Hand-worked.

And mid-20th century, we would hope.

There's your pointelle and it's a marked piece.

There you have Vasart.

-I like it very much.

-Let's buy it.

-And there's a...

Laidlaw, shut up and buy it!

-You had me at Vasart.

-Yeah, absolutely.

£65.

I don't think that's expensive. I think this is a fairly-priced stall.

-That said...

-We need to get it for 50?

Anything we can get off ups the likelihood of us

getting something out of this profit-wise.

How much would you be willing to go down?

May I just have a look?

Of course.

I can't remember the price on it.

-For you, we could do it for 50.

-Excellent. Wow, perfect.

We have a deal.

Thank you very much.

Blimey, Reds, when you make a decision,

you really make a decision.

Drawing level, just as the Blues close in on their second buy.

You guessed it, back where they started.

We've got a proposition. Or rather, Walter has.

The trivet,

the pot hanger

and the tongs

as a three-piece set.

Right. That should be 57 altogether.

What would you say is a reasonable price?

What would you pay for it?

I'd probably start by what we paid for the others, on about 20.

I think, from my point of view, the very best I could do on that is about £35.

You can make an executive decision and override.

So, you're not happy with these?

I... No. No.

But, if you want to make an executive decision, you can.

-It's your go. It's your choice, Walt.

-It's my choice.

35 is the best you could do, sir?

If I did 30, would that clinch a deal?

-Oh, that's jolly kind.

-That's jolly good.

I think, as he's been so good to us, we'll take them for 30.

We will scoop the lot for 30, sir.

-There we go.

-Happy with that?

-Happy with that, Catherine.

-Well done, Walter.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-That's done.

-Two done.

-Two done.

Two done. One to go.

Fantastic.

Well put, Catherine.

But Keir wasn't keen.

So, perhaps that early-morning harmony is waning.

Now, do you remember my megaphone from earlier?

So, what's so special about this?

It's made of vulcanised cardboard.

It's got plastic fittings.

And would you believe it,

a woman on a stall down there was on holiday in Florida,

she's a dealer, she saw it, she loved it

and she brought it back as hand luggage.

The interesting feature is, look up that reference number inside.

It's a stock number. And this megaphone dates from 1963.

The colour, it's green, because it's military.

The army in America were at war in Vietnam in 1963

and, who knows, this thing could have gone with the troops.

It's incredibly low-tech and it's incredibly cheap.

How much?

Well, to you, £30.

That's something to...shout about!

Back to it.

And after 30 minutes, the Reds have bought just one item.

Whilst the Blues have two.

And it seems they've decided what to spend on their third and final buy.

As much as we can.

So you could even leave me with 50p?

-You want that much of a challenge?

-Yeah! Bring it on!

-Right, let's go for it.

-Bring it on! I love a challenge!

This is all a big challenge.

OK, there's a change of tack by the Blues.

And over in the Red camp, Paul is having to take the lead.

Alexandra...

-I might have done it.

-Oh?

I don't know. I don't know.

-I have spotted this shockingly distressed little box.

-OK.

But, ignore that.

I'm terrified.

I feared that your mum's going to go, "I hate it!"

Here we go...

-Oh, wow!

-Ta-dah!

-OK.

That's lovely.

A lovely little George V

engine-turned, silver-mounted manicure set.

-That's very pretty.

-Do you like?

-Love it.

-Yes.

It's very pretty.

-We could say delicate. The word was used before.

-I think, yeah.

-And practical.

-So we're ticking boxes here.

Cuticle pushers.

Scissors.

Brushes. Powder and ointment pots and so on.

Nail buff.

-It's all there.

-Excellent.

We know the period. 1830s, '40s.

And it is English acid silver.

Now, the beauty of the price tag...

It says £69.

The lady has told me we can have it for £50.

I've got to be honest with you,

it's a pretty damn smart little assemblage,

albeit in a distressed box,

-for that kind of money.

-OK.

I think we've got to be in with a shout of squeezing something out of it. You like?

-Yes.

-Hopefully.

-Yes.

So, I'm just going to go and buy this, then.

-You like?

-We like.

-Yeah?

And it's helping with the timing issues.

I'm off. You keep looking.

Paul, you're a life-saver.

Now, with 20 minutes left,

one more emphatic decision like that is really needed, Reds.

The Blues seem fairly calm. Or is Keir feeling a little lost?

What would you really like to find here?

I have absolutely no idea.

You're in a territory that's not very familiar, aren't you?

Let's be honest here. Are you feeling like...?

-It's like shopping with my sisters.

-Oh, right!

Paul knows how you feel, Keir.

-These little things here.

-OK, we'll look at silver.

Well, I must admit, I do like that little silver whistle.

Do you?

-Have a look at it.

-I think...

-Is it expensive enough?

It's not quite up to your budget. It's only £75.

-I just don't like it at all.

-You don't like that?

-No.

-OK, well, I think...

-I don't like it.

I think we'll put it in reserve.

Oh, dear. All of a sudden, the Blues can't agree.

The Reds, meanwhile, have a rather left-field idea.

The little vase at the beginning. I know it's a gamble.

The Satsuma vase?

I'm going to make it absolutely clear, this is my hand revealed.

If you want to buy that, I am 100%,

200% behind you,

because it's gorgeous.

-Let's go and see if we can get it.

-And be ridiculous.

-Come on.

-Come on.

Yes, Adrienne, that's the spirit.

The same positivity is not evident with those boys, though.

-Do you like it, Keir?

-No.

-Right. OK.

Right, well... On that no-no, we'll move on, then.

No, I dislike it immensely.

You hate it? Right, OK.

-Right.

-Right.

After a cracking start, it looks like a slow finish for the Blues.

I like it. I don't like your price.

Finding anything, Keir?

-I don't know much about clocks.

-Which one do you like?

Well, that one looks like it's in our budget.

I'm getting worried about this big budget of yours.

We're trying to leave you with £1.

I'm getting flushes here.

It's a nice clock.

But, I mean, we're not going to make any money, though, that's the thing.

It's fine to spend that sort of money, if we can really see it...

OK.

Yeah.

Come on, Blues. Your desire to spend big might be your undoing.

Hello. We're back.

Could you do it for 150?

It's so lovely.

I'm not sure that she will, because she likes it too much.

Oh, we all like it, don't we?

Start crying. Start crying. Turn it on.

-I would say not. But it's up to you.

-Please...?

-We paid nearly that much for it.

-I will say, yes.

-Yes!

Oh, great! Thank you so much!

-Oh, can I hold it?

-But you can't keep it.

No, we can't keep it.

-It's very beautiful.

-It is lovely.

-This is as good as shopping gets, is it not?

-Yeah, it's lovely. Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-It's great.

-Bye!

-Yeah!

So, the Reds end where they started.

But, with five minutes left,

the Blues urgently need to close their account.

That's for 220, Catherine. Honestly, that is cheap.

I just think that's lovely, with the mother-of-pearl top to this.

And then this overlay figure of this cricketer.

I think it's, essentially, probably for snuff or something,

but it's expensive, though.

Shall we do it?

-What's...

-What's the very best you can do?

I say, Catherine, 220.

But you can have it for 200, OK?

Let me just tell you a little bit about it.

It's not English silver, first of all, OK?

There's markings on the back which are a little bit rubbed.

This has got a retailer's name, Grish.

It's the equivalent of sort of Harrods.

Harrods or, you know, Asprey's of England, you know?

Right.

From 1872 to 1947, during the height of the British Raj,

Grish Chunder Dutt was a leading silversmith working in Calcutta.

His customers were British bigwigs,

former viceroys and governors-general of India and the like.

But it's a punchy... It's a very, very punchy thing.

What do you think?

I do like it.

And it is weighty, isn't it?

So, how much was the travel clock?

The travel clock, I could do that for 240.

It's an eight-day movement.

I think I have dated it. It's probably 1930s.

Yeah, early '30s.

It certainly looks '30s, doesn't it?

So we've got this at two, you say? 200.

200, 240.

240.

What do you think, chaps?

Big, big, meaty pieces.

I like that. I like that.

If I had to choose, I'd go for that one.

-I think we should just flip a coin on this one.

-Do you?

Oh, no, I can't bear the tension.

-Heads for the box, tails for the clock.

-Yeah.

-I can't bear it.

-Heads.

Yes!

I'm pleased. I think we've got more of a chance with that one.

-Well done, chaps. Three items in the bag.

-Thank you.

-OK, thank you.

-We are done. Let's celebrate.

-There we go.

Right, that's it. Time's up.

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

Cor, that takes the biscuit!

First up, they bought the pink Vasart glass bowl for £50.

Next, thanks to Paul,

they picked up the silver manicure set,

also for £50.

And finally, they rushed back to buy the dainty Satsuma vase for £150.

Wow.

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

-It was.

-Now, Adrienne, how much did you spend, darling?

-We spent £250.

£250 is such a good number.

-It's a mature and round and rather lovely thing...

-Good.

-..to behold.

Now, tell me, Adrienne, which is your favourite piece?

-The Satsuma vase.

-Satsuma vase.

Do you agree with that, daughter?

-I do, yeah. I do.

-You love that?

-We're in love with that.

Oh, good. That's nice to be in love with it.

And which piece is going to bring the biggest profit, Alexandra?

I'm going to go for the Satsuma vase.

-I'm going to pick my favourite.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

What does your mother think?

I think maybe the Vasart dish,

the pink dish.

Oh, the Vasart dish is going to bring the biggest profit?

-I think that might.

-OK, we have a split decision. Very nice.

-And who's got the £50 of leftover lolly?

-I do.

Thank you very much.

-What are you going to do with the £50?

-Erm...

court controversy.

-Really?

-That's what I'm going to do.

OK, well, you always were enigmatic.

Anyway, that's it, girls.

You have to wait until a bit later on because, right now,

we're going to check out how the Blue team got on, aren't we?

They paid £20 for the group of three wooden tools.

Returning to the same dealer, they bought the iron trivet,

hook and tongs for £30.

And, lastly, on the toss of a coin,

they splurged £200 on the Indian silver pill box.

-Was that foul or was it fun?

-That was fun.

-I bet it was fun.

It looked like fun.

Now, you spent, how much was it, Walter?

-£250.

-£250.

That's a splendid amount. I'd like £50 of leftover lolly, please.

Thank you, Keir, that's marvellous.

Which is your favourite piece?

The wooden tools.

-Are they going to bring the biggest profit?

-Hopefully.

Right. OK.

What's your prediction?

My prediction is that the wood will make the most money.

-And which is your favourite piece?

-The metalwork.

You're digging in there, which is lovely.

-Anyway, £50 goes straight across to Catherine.

-Thank you, Tim.

Catherine, with your incredible talents, what do you think you're going to home in on?

Well, with these guys, I think it's got to be something slightly off the wall.

Really? OK, fine.

We've got the message there. Anything could happen here.

Well, you'd better look at it smartly,

because we're about to head off to the auction, aren't we?

Yes.

Well, well, well.

Charles Ashton is our auctioneer today at Cheffins in Cambridge.

-And it's lovely to be here, Charles.

-Thank you, Tim. And welcome.

We've got a mixture.

Some would say an amalgamation.

And the first piece for the Reds is this pink Vasart bowl.

-How do you rate that?

-It's really quite an attractive thing.

It's happily marked on the underside Vasart.

It was probably produced in the 1950s or early 1960s.

-Attractive, actually.

-Yeah, it's a pretty thing.

-In that sort of modernist way.

-Absolutely.

Estimate?

-We've said for that, £30-£40.

-OK. Well, they paid £50.

So, pretty well on the mark, actually.

What about the manicure set?

Is this not something that's really rather yesterday's antiques?

Well, it's certainly got the fact

that it's a complete set going for it.

I think the case is just a little bit down at heel,

if I can put it politely.

It's that kind of fake lizard skin, isn't it?

But this is all engine-turned, isn't it? It's all solid silver.

Absolutely. It all matches.

I think we looked at it and thought, well, between the wars, circa 1930.

-Yes.

-That sort of date.

-How much?

-We reckon £20-£40.

-OK, fine.

They paid 50.

-Lastly, we've got their extravagant purchase.

-Yes.

Which is this extremely well-decorated

Japanese Satsuma baluster pot.

It is a very fine thing, in its own way.

It's beautifully hand-painted.

You've got some lovely sort of gilt embellishment there going on as well.

We think it's probably 1920s, 1930s.

So just later than the classic Meiji period.

But, it's in good condition, it's a pretty object

and we hope that it sort of strikes a chord with Japanese collectors.

That is what the very best of Satsuma ought to be all about.

Yeah.

-But it's just a bit late, a bit out of period.

-Yeah, we think so.

-We think so, yes.

-OK, well, that'll have an effect on the value.

-What's your estimate, Charles?

-For that reason, we've said £50-£80.

-That's pretty well half-price.

-Is it?

-Because they paid £150.

It's their big gamble and if it fails, they're going to need their bonus buy.

So, let's go and have a look at it.

Well, girls, this is fun, isn't it?

You spent £250 and you only gave Paul Laidlaw £50 to spend.

Paul, what did you spend it on?

Have you ever seen anything quite as strange as that before?

You devil!

That's what we didn't buy. You wanted us to buy that!

I so wanted you to buy that.

But a period piece, and an early 20th-century piece,

a piece over 100 years old.

The modernity, the geometry of that piece blows me away.

I think that's fascinating.

And back to what's it for,

I still go with specimen vase.

Granted, it's lovely. It's beautifully made. I just...

I think it's just too modern for me.

-So, you didn't go with it first time round?

-No.

But, here we are, the Laidlaw is determined to let it...

He's determined, yeah.

He wants it to have its run through the auction

-because he rates it, clearly.

-Yeah, OK.

And any bit of flambe is going to be sought after by a Dalton person.

-It ought to be.

-How much did you manage to get it for in the end?

It was £30.

-Oh, no?! Really?

-I think it's a gift.

-It's a steal.

That's worth £120 of anyone's money.

Tell you what we'll do right now, for the audience at home,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Paul's flambe pot.

Well, well, well, look at that little gorgeous number.

It's a curious shape, isn't it, Tim?

The first thing to say about it

is it isn't something you're going to see every day.

And it's in this sort of, what we might say, a secessionist style.

So, it's that sort of transitional style between, I suppose,

the end of the Art Nouveau and the starting of the, maybe, the Art Deco period.

I suppose it's a flower vase. A bud vase. A specimen vase.

And very, very stylish.

I mean, for the purist who loves that late-1930, 20th-century ceramic, isn't it?

So, how much, then, do you think?

We haven't been too bold on it. We've said between £20 and £40.

OK, well, it just depends on who picks up on this.

Paul Laidlaw rated it. He paid £30.

Will the team decide to go with it?

And will it be picked up in the sale?

-That's the excitement, isn't it?

-Indeed it is.

Anyway, that's it for the Reds.

And now moving on to the Blues.

They've gone with a whole lot of old metal and ironwork.

How about the bench plane, the spirit level and the auger first?

Yes, it's a sort of very old-fashioned sort of DIY handyman toolkit, isn't it?

If the plane was marked with a maker's name,

-then it would add to the interest.

-Exactly.

A bit of brass on it, something to jolly it up.

-It's just a little bit rustic, possibly.

-Yes.

But an interesting lot for the collector of old-fashioned tools.

So, what will he pay, do you think?

-I think we reckon between £20 and £30.

-OK, well, Keir paid 20.

So that's all right.

Then we've got some more old iron.

The trivet, the log tongs and the crock holder.

How do you rate that lot?

Again, it's another sort of good-looking and eminently useful

lot of ironwork, metalware

for your inglenook fireplace, or wherever you want to put it.

I think the problem is just now

that some of these things are not as fashionable as they once were

and people want a more modern look to an interior

than they did a number of years ago.

So, we haven't been too brave on the estimate, I'm afraid. £20-£30.

That's fine. They only paid £30. So we're close enough.

Just a few pounds' profit on all of these, Charles, and they'll be jumping around.

-Yes, they will, won't they?

-Huge excitement.

The last object, though, may be very different,

because that's their big investment.

This is the silver and mother-of-pearl cricketer's box.

What have you been able to find out about this, Charles?

Well, it's an intriguing one

because the shape of the lid doesn't match the shape of the base.

It's the base that is marked and the lid isn't.

And just the little alarm bells slightly ring when one sees that.

You're thinking about a marriage in some way, shape or form, are you?

It is a possibility.

Because the top is spectacular in its own right

with the mother-of-pearl

and that very nicely-cast image of the cricketer.

Absolutely.

You're really caveating, in a way,

the fact that the top bit may not have originally started off with the bottom bit.

-Which is fair enough. That's what you have to do, don't you?

-Absolutely.

The team, however, had no such concerns.

They went pretty well gung-ho at this

and they went for the boundary and they paid £200.

Well, if it's deemed to be right in the auction, then it'll make it.

Maybe even a little bit more.

It is a rare object.

People love collecting snuff boxes, small boxes.

But we've been a little bit more cautious

and I think we've said 80 to 120.

-OK. Well, let the market decide.

-Absolutely. Absolutely.

-Brilliant.

And if it goes against them,

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

Now, you spent £250. Magnificent.

You gave Catherine £50. Catherine, what did you buy?

Well, carrying on with the tradition of slightly odd items,

I bought you this.

-Which doesn't look odd from the box.

-It doesn't.

It's a box.

But open it up.

-There we are.

-Oh...

Let me explain, before you go any further.

What we would do is we would put this up like this, hinge this up

and we would put what's called a goffering iron.

So, we put this across here, right?

We unscrew this.

And we'd put the metal part here.

And this would be for heating up.

A burner under here to heat the iron up.

-And it would be for curling your hair. Or your beard.

-Exactly.

-Brilliant!

-I like it.

-Yes.

-Do you?

I do. I do like it.

Before we go even further and talk about price?

-Oh, price doesn't matter. That's really nice.

-Is it?

-Yes.

Oh, yes. That's really nice, that is.

So we're talking about an Edwardian or late-Victorian

lady's dressing case

and using this quaint goffering iron.

-So, there you have it.

-Unusual.

I've never seen anything quite like that before.

-I suppose we really should ask, shouldn't we?

-You should.

-How much did you pay for it?

-I paid £50.

-Brilliant.

All the money you gave me. But it's an unusual item.

-It is.

-I like it.

-You get a lot of kit for £50.

-Well, I think so.

-Solid silver. Birmingham silver.

-Absolutely, on the outside.

And then all that gubbins inside is a piece of social history.

-It is a piece of history.

-What's your estimate, Catherine?

It could go either way. It's an unusual piece.

-Let's hope it makes £60, £70.

-Perfect.

-Perfect.

Well, for two hirsute gentlemen,

I can't think of anything more perfect to buy.

Right, now, though, let's check out with the auctioneer

what he thinks about Catherine's goffering iron set.

Isn't that, erm...extraordinary, Charles?

Yeah, what a pretty box, Tim. What a pretty box.

-No well-dressed Edwardian woman would be without one.

-No.

No, absolutely not.

We've got this wonderful sort of gilt interior

and a silver sort of embossed box framing for it.

Very unusual and a nice talking point.

-But, I would imagine, not terribly valuable.

-Erm...

Well, it doesn't have, really, any other use,

apart from heating up goffering tongs, does it?

But, still, it's a good thing in the hand.

£40-£60, possibly.

-Something like that.

-OK. Catherine paid £50.

-So, it might turn a slight profit.

-It might do, actually.

There we go. There are some very fashionable girls here in Cambridge.

We hope so.

-Anyway, good luck today, Charles.

-Thank you, Tim.

Thank you very much.

40. All done, then, at £40. I shall sell, then.

There's two methods on Bargain Hunt.

You either spend absolutely nothing and risk nothing

and hope that you make £3 or £4 or £20 or something like that.

Or you go big and you buy something which is really beautiful

and really very, very fine and take a chance.

And taking your chances is what you've done with the Japanese Satsuma.

-But you loved it, right?

-Yeah, we did.

I mean, it's just an exquisite object.

And if all else fails, you've got the flambe secessionist vase,

which we know all about, too.

There's a lot riding on this show, I think, today.

The first item, then, is the aventurine bowl all the way from Scotland.

There's the Vasart pink aventurine glass bowl

with the engraved mark to it. So the Vasart bowl.

Start me at £30 for that, the glass bowl. £30 for that.

Start me, surely, for the Vasart bowl. £30. £20 for the Vasart bowl.

The hand goes up at 20. I bet it's the bargain lot of the day.

20 I'm bid now for the Vasart bowl. At £20.

Take it or not. Sold, yes or no? At £20. Nobody else want it?

-And a marked example!

-Done, then, at £20.

-A gift!

Minus £30.

Oh...

Now, the manicure set.

Silver-cased manicure set with matching pieces. Rather nice there.

And I'm bid already at 30. I have now 30 bid. Split the estimate.

30 I have now. 35. 35 bid now.

Bids online now. At £35 now.

35 it is.

And 40 down here at the front. At 40 I'm bid now.

Fresh place. At 45.

Now bid 45. At £45.

The bid's online now at 45. Anybody else I've missed?

At £45 all done, then. Online the sale goes at £45. And at 45.

45. That's minus £5. Which means it's minus £35, girls.

Now, we've got to be brave here.

Pretty little Japanese hand-painted Satsuma vase. There we are.

£50 to start it. 50, surely? 50 I have to start it off.

50 I'm bid on the book now. 50 I have it now. 50. At 50.

And 60.

And 70.

70. Come again. Wave if you want to buy. 70. The bid's in the book.

At 70 bid now. 70 bid. 70. Out in the room. Anywhere else?

I shall sell, then, at £70. Done with it. Sold at £70.

Girls, that's minus 115.

That's a kicking.

I could burst into tears for you. You've been so good and so brave.

Now, what are we going to do about the flambe?

-I think we'll go with it.

-I think you're absolutely right.

-Are you going to consult me, Mum?

-Darling, would you like...?

-Oh, darling...

-Darling, what do you think?

-Let's go for it.

We're going to go with the bonus buy.

Well, now you're going with it, he's put a brilliant estimate,

which is £20-£40.

OK, right.

Personally, I would be very disappointed

if you don't get £150 for this pot.

And I really hope that you get £150 for it. All right?

-So, you've been brave.

-We've been brave.

-You've played the game.

We're going with the bonus buy. And here it comes.

Lot 157. How'd you value that?

Round about £40, I would have thought for that.

Start me at £40. Where are you? 40, you collectors.

30, then. The Royal Dalton flambe.

£20 for it, surely? 20 for the Royal Dalton flambe. £20. 20 I have.

20 I'm bid now. Anybody else now coming in?

For the Royal Dalton flambe piece at 20.

20 bid I have. At £20, then.

Nobody else want to bid for it? I can see your blank faces.

I'm sorry to say it. £20, then. Not for want of trying, though. 25 here.

25 there is a bid. At 25 bid now. 25 it is. Any more?

For any more or not? Shan't do anything further. At £25.

Selling, then, at £25.

OK. £25.

Is minus £5...

Well, if you're going to lose, lose big, that's what I always say.

So, overall, girls, I'm afraid that's minus £120. Which is, erm...

Shocking.

..shocking. But, you never know, it might be a winning score.

And on today's performance...

Anyway, you've been brave. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Walter, Keir, do you know how the Reds got on?

-I haven't a clue.

-Haven't a clue.

Good. You've got this Grish pillbox.

He paid the £200 for it. That's your big punt.

He has in his mind that, possibly, the top was added to the bottom.

It's a possibility. But it is an unusual design feature.

But the two, to my eyes, seem to go together really rather well.

And you've got the cricketing theme which, of course, is nice, too.

His estimate is 80 to 120, reflecting the doubt that he has.

But, if all else fails, you've got the goffering iron to fall back on.

-We have.

-You have.

Perfect. Anyway, good stuff.

First up, though, the three woodworking tools.

And here they come.

Lot 168 for you tool collectors here.

Bid me, say, round about £25 to start it off.

£25 put me in there, surely? £20, then, to get on. 25 is bid already.

-25. We're in profit.

-Yeah.

25 bid now. 25 now. 25 bid now for all the tools there.

Quality, vintage tool lot at 25. And I shall sell, then.

Done with it at £25. Thank you very much.

-That's £5.

-Cheap, but it's a profit.

Well done, Keir. Well spotted.

Various ancient and not-so-ancient ironwork here. Lot 169.

Say for all these, 25 again. Start me off. 25 for it, surely?

25, thank you, bid there. In the room at 25.

We're not quite there.

It's opening money. No more bids at all at £25? Can't tempt you again?

At 25, they go.

£25 is minus £5.

Which means you have nothing.

Now, the Grish box.

Pillbox or snuffbox with the cricketer to the lid,

sold as you see there.

Will you bid me £100 for it? Looking for 100 or so. £100.

70, then.

£50 to start it, surely. £50, start me. 50, surely?

50 I have to start it off. At 50 I'm bid now.

-That's terrible.

-At 50.

At 60. 70 on the book now. A commission bid's in.

At 70 bid now. The room is out. The commission is in at 70 now.

70. I thought it might do a little better. At £70.

Anybody else? For any more?

It should have done better than that.

Against the internet as well at £70, then.

£70 is minus £130.

-Oh, dear...

-You made a profit. You lost a profit.

You now made a socking great loss, so you're minus 130.

What are we going to do about the goffering irons?

-Oh, we've got to go for it.

-Yeah, goffering irons.

All right, fair enough. £50 paid.

Now, you've decided you're going with it,

I can tell you, the auctioneer's estimate is 40 to 60.

So, Catherine, you paid exactly in the middle.

Seems like a good buy to me.

Anyway, let's see what happens.

But there's a long way to go.

Lot 147. £30.

Hallmarked silver. £30.

I'm only bid 25 to get on with it. 25 bid. 25.

30. 35 bid now. £35. And 40.

At 40 bid now. 40. Hallmarked. 45 here. 45 bid now. £45.

At 45, against the room now.

I thought it might do a little bit better. At 45. And 50. And 60.

-60. 60.

-Excitement!

Come again. 60 is bid. 60. £60.

Is it away, then? Yes or no? Last chance, then.

I can see you hovering there, poised like a coiled spring. At £60.

But you won't bid. All done, then. At £60, then. Sold.

Well done, Catherine. £60 is plus £10.

Which takes you down to £120.

Which could make all the difference in today's competition

as to who's ahead and who's behind.

So, say not a word to the Reds.

-Oh, we won't.

-We could be in for a close finish. Well done, chaps.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks, Catherine.

Well, teams, this is fun, isn't it?

-Now, have you any idea what the scores are?

-No.

-You have no idea?

-No.

Well, it is my duty to reveal that both teams today

have done incredibly badly.

They have done so badly that it fair takes my breath away, actually.

All these minus scores

for both teams

reflect a performance which is,

well, as they say, extraordinary.

But, the other extraordinary event, a unique event,

nay, may I say, in my nearly 1,100 programmes

that I have made for Bargain Hunt,

is that neither team is ahead or behind.

Both teams are level-pegging in the losses stakes.

You are both, teams, minus £120.

There is a dead heat of dreadfulness

in terms of your achievement

that makes this unique!

CHEERING

So, I can congratulate you both on doing so terribly badly,

which is wonderful, isn't it?

And I've so enjoyed this moment that I've decided to go out

and commemorate it in a very special way.

We've legged it down to the local supermarket and have...

..a very, very special item for you to go home with.

Oh, thank you so much!

Congratulations. It's been great fun.

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

ALL: Yes!