Westpoint 31 Bargain Hunt

Hello, there! I bet you weren't expecting me.

Well, I'm thrilled to tell you that today

I'm presenting the show from Exeter.

This wall has seen a lot of battles,

but no battle like the battle we're going to see today

between the Reds and the Blues.

Why?

Because we're going bargain-hunting!

Welcome to the Westpoint Centre.

Now, there are over 400 stalls here

to rummage through.

There's bound to be a bargain or two.

Let's have a sneaky peek at what's coming up next, yeah?

On today's show, our experts are put under pressure...

I'm not quite sure why I'm here today cos that's two things

that we've looked at that both of you know far more than I do.

..and the Blues show off their fountain of knowledge.

What do you think, Geoff, is that more to your taste?

I think it's a bit lightweight, actually, and a bit short.

-It's not quite right, is it?

-Uh-huh.

-I really do think that we ought to get something decorative.

-OK.

But how will they fare over at the auction?

Couldn't have happened to a nicer pair of girls.

What a start!

Geoff, you're a genius.

'But before all that, let's meet the teams.'

We've got a great bunch of buddies on the show today.

For the Reds, Laura and Charlotte

and for the Blues we have Geoff and Andy.

Hello, everyone!

-ALL:

-Hello.

Now, Charlotte, how did you two meet?

Well, we met at school. We've known each other for...30 years.

-And you still get on?

-Sometimes, you know.

-Most of the time.

-Most times.

-Well, I hope you get on well today!

-No, we do! Yes.

And what do you do with yourself?

Well, information assistant but most people call that librarians.

-Librarian?

-I'm a librarian.

-Yep.

But I also write for a vintage fashion magazine,

-I do all the vintage stuff.

-Oh, do you?

And what about pastimes, when you're not working?

I've got a lovely daughter who I...

-That, you know, she's ten so she takes a lot of attention.

-Yeah.

-And lots of shopping.

-I can see you like make-up and hair.

-You're looking absolutely fantastic.

-Thank you.

Laura, you've done lots of things over the years, haven't you?

-I have.

-Give me a little sample.

Well, after I left school I was a chef for a while,

then I worked in a cinema and I was a trainee projectionist.

-Don't you sing, as well?

-Yes, I do.

-In a band?

-Yes, I do.

-What's the band called?

-It's called Mazura.

-And you do the singing in the band?

-I do part of the singing

-and I play the guitar.

-Do you?

-You're multi-talented.

-Many talents.

-They're very good.

And what about today, what about the tactics?

I'm actually slightly psychic, so...

-Slightly psychic.

-Just slightly.

-Not fully psychic.

No, I wouldn't like to stack the deck against myself,

but what I'm going to try and do is lay my hands on various objects

and see if I can get a vibe from them.

Can I just say? She's going to do that.

I'm going to take no notice of that

and I'm just going to see if I can, you know, if anything looks good.

I'm sure you'll get the prices down.

Now, Geoff and Andy, you've know each other a long time?

We have, we were apprentice engineers in the Navy

-a ridiculously long time ago.

-Were you doing the same thing?

Well, I was a marine engineer of the mechanical side

and Andy did the electrical side.

So, where you down below or up on deck?

-I was down below working, he was upstairs...

-With clean fingernails.

Yep. Clean fingernails and a pillow attached to his head.

Were you one of those chaps, at the end of that tube, you know,

where they go, "Full steam ahead, engine room, full steam ahead"?

Could have been if I'd have been a few years earlier, but...

-Oh, so they don't do that any more?

-Not quite the same, no.

When did you leave the services?

-I left in '96.

-So quite a while ago.

-Yeah, yeah.

And what have you been doing since?

-I worked for a company that restored watermills and windmills.

-Really?

-And then took on a pub.

-How exciting. So, it's late nights?

Not really late nights, I tend to run it as an old-fashioned pub.

Yeah. Andy, are you one of the ones that Geoff kicks out of the pub?

-I frequently am.

-When you're not in the pub, what are you doing?

I'm now restoring a kit car, which has been being rebuilt

-for six years and is still not on the road.

-Why is it taking so long?

It's a labour of love.

Every nut and bolt is now stainless steel and polished...

-Gosh!

-..and when it's finished it will be lovely.

-Wonderful.

And what about your plan of action today?

Basically, try and get things as cheap as...

-Get quality stuff as cheap as possible.

-Yeah.

Well, good luck, chaps. All the best. And girls.

Now, I've got some money for you.

300 smackers and make sure you spend lots of it.

Don't you come back having spent a fiver.

Off you go, have a good time.

Singing vs the Royal Navy.

Anyone's guess.

Now, of course, our two tremendous teams need two terrific tutors.

Hoping to get ahead with the Reds, it's Colin Young.

Never one to sit on the fence, it's Kate Bliss for the Blues.

What are you going to be looking for?

Have you got any strong feelings about what you're going to buy?

-I think...small items. Attractive items.

-Mm-hm?

-I love little things.

-You like little things?

-Love little things.

-Charlotte has a think for minutiae.

-And jewellery.

-Well-made, quality.

-Of course, engineers, you see.

You like the way things are made. Attention to detail.

Quality and worth money.

We can do this.

-Laura's psychic abilities, apparently.

-Really?

-Yes, I am slightly psychic.

-You're slightly psychic?

Well, I have the psychic thought that somewhere

there's a stopwatch that's about to be clicked.

Not quite a stopwatch, Colin.

Teams, your 60 minutes start now!

-Let's go!

-Let's go.

-Let's get out to the fair and get some bargains.

-OK.

Do we have a battle on our hands today, then?

Both teams are on the lookout for quality smalls

that are easy on the pocket.

Good luck!

I thought we could fend off the opposition.

THEY LAUGH

Hey, I do the jokes around here.

Blimey, the Reds aren't hanging about.

-Spotted this from about there.

-You spotted that, as well.

-Isn't it lovely?

-You like it?

-Lovely.

-Very, very much.

-What do you think, Laura?

-Definitely my cup of tea.

-Go for that?

-Yeah.

Well, I feel very good about cases.

There's a lot of interest in vintage travel

and related items in the salerooms so, subject-wise,

you can't go wrong unless the price is wrong,

that's the only thing that can make it happen.

You would think it's going to be a hatbox, purely because of the shape.

Just a bit unconventional it not being round,

but before we start having a look at it in detail

is that something that you would like to buy as an item?

-What do you think?

-Possibly.

-I have a soft spot for them. I think it just looks gorgeous.

-There we go.

-If you'd like to hold that one.

-Andes.

-Andes. There we go.

As you can see, it definitely is Andes

because it's on the end of my armies.

Your jokes are as bad as Kate's, Colin.

That's actually a nice interior, isn't it?

-Beautiful, it's lovely and clean.

-It is, nice.

So, I'll just pop that one down on the deck, now.

And what have we got next?

-I do like this one.

-It says, "Hats," so we were right.

-And how much is on them?

-That's £52.

-That's £52, it is a bit...

Do you think that's too much?

Out of the two, I think I'd put that one back.

That one's my personal favourite out of the two,

-I don't know how you feel about it.

-No, it's lovely.

And it goes so nicely with your outfit.

-Ohh, 35.

-35, could we get that down?

-Well, we could always ask the question.

-What you think?

Hello, there. We've got a price on here of £35.

We would really like to put the Blues back in their own box.

Oh, bit of fighting talk, Colin.

What's the very best that you could do that for?

-I could do 30 for you.

-30.

-I would pay 30 for that, I have to say.

-You'd pay 30 for it?

I'd pay 30 for myself, yeah.

So, on that basis, if we've got to make a profit, can we do it at 28?

No, I'm sorry, it's got to stick to 30.

Thank you very much, thank you.

Deal done, case closed.

Well done, Reds, one item down in seven minutes.

Aye, aye, the seafaring Blue Team have spotted something.

What do you think of that little basket? What do you think, Andy?

Geoff will like that cos it's blue glass with silver

-and it looks very, sort of, Arts and Crafts.

-Do you like that?

-Yeah.

You seem to know each other's taste quite well.

-Well, we've been around together for a while.

-Yeah.

Could we have a little look at that, please? Lovely, great, thanks.

Well, Andy, you have a look.

Is this something you would naturally pick up?

No, it's not for me but this is a different kettle of fish,

-this is buying to sell on and make a profit.

-Mm-hm.

-So it really depends what the bottom line is.

-Yeah, what you think, Geoff?

-I think...

-It's plate.

It is, it's plated, well done, you can see the brass showing through.

-It's matched but...

-Tell me what you're thinking.

I think it's had a bash at some time. It's not quite right, is it?

-Has he done this before?

-This should be deeper.

I'm very impressed, Geoff.

I think that's a later addition.

But it looks very pretty in there, doesn't it?

There's a little mark on the handle. Have a little look.

-Cos I know this is this sort of thing you like, isn't it?

-WMF.

Yeah, you're absolutely right.

You've got three little letters there -

WMF - which stands for Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik.

-It's quite a mouthful.

-Glad you said that.

-And it's still very collectable.

-I don't know.

-Yeah, I mean...

Actually, not from me.

-Oh, OK.

-Ooh.

-It's not perfect.

I was going to say, it depends what price we could get it for.

Well, I was just thinking the same, Andy.

We've got 45 on the price tag. What could you do for us?

The very best would be £35.

I still don't think there'd be a profit in that at £35. No.

-We'll have to move on, we're stuck for time.

-OK.

-No worries.

-ANDY: Thank you anyway.

-Thank you for your help.

Oh, you look a bit disappointed, Kate.

These boys aren't messing about. Onwards and upwards, fellas.

That's not bad going at all, is it?

First purchase down after seven minutes.

-It's going to be a breeze, isn't it?

-I'm very good at shopping.

That's right. At this rate we should burn through 300 quid, no problem.

That's what I like to hear, girls.

The boys, however, seem to be playing it safe today.

I don't think 35 is too bad for that.

Oh, we could always come back.

We can always come back cos it is a piece of WMF,

so I think we should bear that in mind.

-Right, OK, then, so we'll see how time goes.

-Yep.

If we're getting a bit close, whistle back here

and hopefully it hasn't gone.

Hopefully.

I think our Kate likes the look of that little piece of silver plate.

Meanwhile, Colin's cracking the whip.

I sense Colin is moving us on.

I'm moving you on, yes.

There can't be any slacking or resting on laurels here.

Oh, beehive.

Beehive? 295.

THEY GROAN

That is a bit out of budget.

Way too much money, honey, ha!

Now, back to our very own queen bee, Miss Bliss.

-What do you think to that one?

-Well, I like that

-because I think it would be good for a cane for a walker.

-Mm-hm.

-Or even a dog collector. And very pretty eyes, Kate.

-Yes.

-No, you, not the cane.

-Oh!

Why, thank you.

Oh, Andy, you charmer, you.

What do you think, Geoff? Is that more to your taste?

I think it's a bit lightweight, actually, and a bit short.

A cane, not a walking stick.

Yeah, it's a decorative item rather than a functional item, I think.

-Well.

-For a collector, you've got two paths here, haven't you?

You've got people who collect things with dogs

and people who collect canes. It looks like it's got some age to it.

Well, it's a lovely bamboo shaft here, which is really nice,

and then this is beautifully carved.

The nice thing about it is the quality of the carving.

I mean, it's a very realistic. I guess it's a greyhound,

looks like a greyhound, doesn't it?

But you've got a lovely patina on it at, as well,

where it's been handled which is really nice.

I think the value is in this nice head.

We've got 95 there, but shall we see what the gentleman can do?

-Would 65 quid be a good help to you?

-Ooh, now.

-GEOFF:

-What do you think?

I think that's reasonable, thank you very much.

-OK, thank you very much.

-No, thank you.

Brilliant, thank you so much for your help.

Well done, chaps, you're off the mark.

Both teams are level pegging with one item apiece.

Oh! Charlotte's spotted something right up her street -

a vintage handbag.

I think 45 is too much for this. What do you think?

I'm going to submit and say that I'm perhaps not the expert here,

you're probably more likely to be the person in charge.

Well, I buy to keep, that's the thing, that's the difference.

I buy to use.

But remember, you're not buying it for yourself, Charlotte.

-It's very beautiful.

-If you work on the basis that for buying to keep

and you've just said that it would be too much for you to buy

to keep, that tells us it's going to be too much if we go to auction.

Sound advice, Mr Young.

Now, the boys have returned to their first stall that they visited,

not for the WMF basket but something else has caught their eye.

Thank you very much. Is it Loetz, do you know?

TRADER: I think, actually, it's Kralik.

It Kralik, OK.

The selling point is the shape and the colour.

But would it be a feature in someone's room,

perhaps not big enough, is it?

Now, I'm quite impressed, you know.

You strapping gentleman picking something quite delicate.

I would have seen them better as a pair.

I liked the pair and I don't think they're a complete pair,

so I don't like them quite as much now.

-OK, you're going off this rapidly, aren't you?

-Yep.

-OK, let's move on.

I like you, boys, no messing about.

-Well, it's priced at £30.

-I'd say that's a very fair price.

-Do you think we could make a profit?

-No.

I'm not quite sure why I'm here today because that's two things

that we've looked at that both of you know far more than I do.

We just seem to have hit on the two things we know -

guitar and handbags.

Now, don't fret, Colin.

I have a feeling these girls may be putting your expertise to good use.

How are the Navy boys getting on?

Andy, am I right in thinking Geoff's looking at handbags?

I hope so.

HE LAUGHS

What are you doing? What are you doing?

Are you looking at handbags...? Oh, no, he's not, look.

-What have you got there?

-I just like the look of it.

-Do you know what Sabino is?

-No.

Sabino is very much in the style of what Lalique was doing.

-Have you heard of Lalique?

-Very much so.

-And opalescent glass.

I think, if it was Lalique it might stand a chance,

but Sabino is not quite as prized and I think £150 at auction

-we're going to struggle.

-OK.

-Right.

-Let's go with you, Kate, you're the expert.

-All right.

-So you didn't like the handbags, then?

-Not my colour.

See, I was thinking that just went with your eyes.

Ah, good bit of banter with the boys there, Kate.

Full steam ahead, then, chaps.

Teams, you both have two items left to find. Time for a regroup, Reds.

I just like weirdness, actually. I find myself attracted to the weird.

-OK.

-So, if I can find anything particularly weird.

Oh, yeah, we love curios.

Oh, is the challenge now then for the rest of the time

-whoever can find the weirdest item?

-Oh, right.

OK, so some wonderfully wacky weirdness for the Weds.

However, something quite fitting for the military boys.

What you got?

I think Andy is quite happy with this one.

This pair of medals really did catch my eye

cos they're nicely mounted and a Croix de Guerre is quite unusual.

That's right. Here we've got a Bronze Star medal, First World War

-and they're French, aren't they?

-I like them.

-I like the look.

And not only for what they are but for the decorative.

I like the frame,

I like the way they're set out on black velvet to show them off.

-Hallelujah.

-I think we could do something with these.

-We like these.

We actually agree.

I agree. They're beautifully presented, aren't they?

What is it about the militaria that you love about it?

It's not what they are it's how it is, for me. Decoratively.

It's typically French, actually, the whole thing is very French.

I think that's a very old frame, as well.

I would put it a little bit later, actually.

It's a lovely burr walnut frame, by the look of things,

possibly First World War period, 1920s maybe.

I think we ought to ask our stallholder a little bit about them

-and what he can do for us.

-Sure.

-Oh, here he is.

-Hello, sir.

-Charles.

Charles, hi, nice to meet you.

We really like these medals.

Can you tell me a little bit more about them, how rare are they?

Initially they're not that rare, but because so many World War I medals

were discarded, even the English World War I medals were discarded,

they've now become quite rare.

So, what could you do for us on that price?

Well, as you can see, I've put them up at £79

and I would be quite happy to let them go for 60.

-How do you feel, guys?

-I'm happy with that.

-That was the figure I had in mind.

-That's kind of you.

- A pleasure. - We'll shake your hand.

-- Thank you very much.

-We have a sale.

Item two in the bag. Well done. Now, how's the quest for curios going?

This is the stall the Blues were at earlier but they missed this.

Are you looking at what I'm looking at? The weird cat.

Hey, it's got my trousers on.

Does he move?

-Oh!

-Oh, look, his little feet go round.

-Fully working, as well.

-That's so strange.

-That is totally up our street.

-Is it?

-Oh, yes.

-Let's have a look at him, then.

He looks as though he's had his face squashed.

-Perhaps cycled into a brick wall.

-LAUGHTER

Or two brick walls, into a thin alley!

And how much is he? Ooh, 85.

-I'd pay that!

-You'd pay that, would you?

-That's amazing!

-He's a bit pricey for a scary cat.

-Well...

-He is, for a scary cat, isn't he?

I really like it. It's just the price that's the bit that I don't.

I mean, how old is it? I'm not really sure, to be honest.

I mean, it could be a sort of '60s, '70s toy.

At auction, if it made 30 or £40, it would be a travesty

but it's not going to race onto masses more than that.

-But it's a bit of fun, isn't it?

-LAUGHTER

-It's worth it!

-Yeah, it is. It's good fun.

-Hi, there, how are you?

-Hi.

-You all right?

What's the very best you can do for him

because obviously he has no fashion sense, so...?

No, no. He looks like you.

Yeah, that's the problem!

So what's the very best price that you can do on this?

I think 50 is the very best.

See, I'd pay 85, so 50 is good.

'But you're not, Charlotte!'

-But that's if you were keeping it yourself!

-I just love it.

'I'm not sure about your haggling skills, Charlotte!'

I think I'd be tempted if it was perhaps 45.

-OK, 45.

-You'd do a deal at 45?

-Oh, yay, thank you.

-Thank you very much, that's great.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you very, very much.

-You happy with that, ladies?

-Yeah.

A pedalling, Pentel pussycat.

Ha! You can't get much weirder than that!

Now then, a while back,

I came across something that stirred things up a bit.

Yes...

It's a spoon. What sort of spoon?

It's a caddy spoon.

Now, in the good old days, we had tea in tea caddies

and, invariably, you had a tea caddy with two or three compartments

and you would use your ladle to spoon into a mixing bowl

and blend the mix to your taste.

A charming thing. We don't have time to do that any more, do we?

It's a really lovely object.

The trouble is it's a fake.

It's not right.

Now, it is silver but it's incorrectly hallmarked.

Now, any piece of silver has to have a correct hallmark.

You can buy a very simple book of hallmarks,

you can look up hallmarks online,

so you can date it to the nearest year

because it has to have the correct hallmark on it

from whichever assay office.

If it has a leopard's head, it's from London.

An anchor, Birmingham.

Now, this is a piece of Irish silver.

It's got a maker's mark on it, WO.

The only WO I can find was making silver in the early 19th century

and this has a capital A, which should date it to 1797,

so it can't have been made by a WO.

It has the lion passant.

Tells you it's silver, all right.

It has the crowned harp for Ireland,

but there is no Britannia mark

and there should be a Britannia mark on Irish silver from Dublin.

So, whoever was faking this

was really not doing his homework properly.

Having said that, they fooled me all those years ago when I bought it.

I paid, I think, £72 for this.

It's now illegal to sell it because the marks are wrong

and therefore I can't put it into an auction,

so what I thought was buy of the year turned out to be

mistake of the decade.

I've made a huge, huge mistake.

Make sure you don't fall into the same trap.

Hopefully our teams aren't getting caught out.

With 25 minutes to go, they each have two items apiece.

It's still anyone's game.

Now, we've done a bit of that! LAUGHTER

Do you think we've got a sporting chance with that?

Oh, we could have a sporting chance. We could try, anyway.

-Are you a rugby man?

-We both are.

-We both are.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

What do we think to this?

Oh, come on, chaps. It might be worth a try.

-Moving on, now.

-Not like?

-No.

-ANDY SIGHS

-No?

I really do think that we ought to get something decorative.

-Let's get back to the WMF.

-Hmm.

-Yes, cos if it has gone, we've got a problem.

-Yeah.

So if we can get back there, if we can find out where it is!

-You think that's our best bet?

-Yes.

-I think so.

-All right. Let's do it.

-Yes, we'll do that.

-All right.

Well remembered, chaps.

That little basket was the first item you looked at.

Time to head back to the stall and see if it's still there.

-Look at the lovely clocks, Laura.

-Some lovely clocks.

-I'm particularly attracted to this one.

-You like that one, yeah?

-I love it.

-Or do you prefer the colour of that one?

Time's ticking, girls.

-Actually, that's a beautiful colour, yeah.

-I think it's beautiful.

You'd go for that one as well, out of the group that are on here?

-Yes.

-OK.

Could you just give us a bit of guidance

on price on that one over there, please?

TRADER: I can do it... Best price I can do on that is 120.

-OK, well...

-If you think. Do you think we would...?

Well, that's a mixed response we've got here.

There's a "hmm" from here and a "ah!" from here.

Now I'm going to just throw in my expert's eye on this.

I think the best clock is that one. I think that's great.

What sort of money is that going to be, sir?

TRADER: It's Kienzle, German, perfect condition.

-That's got to be 95.

-Hmm...

That's a real Art Deco. It's not been mucked about.

-The chrome is the original chrome. It's not been re-chromed.

-Yeah.

Again, it's just knowing what the buyers,

the collectors are all looking for when they're going to be

going to the auction, so I think there will be a lot more competition

for that because of the look than there will be for the others.

It's your call.

Would you consider going any lower? Would you consider going to 85?

-I'll split the difference. I'll do 90.

-Do you want to go for that?

-There are other things I have my eye on.

-Is there?

-Yeah.

Right, well, let's have this as a definite that we will come

-back to if you don't find something within that...

-If it hasn't gone.

-You see, that's the other element!

-See? That's my problem.

There's two kinds of people - the quick and the disappointed.

-Yes, that's right!

-The man has a point!

-I'm going to go for it now.

-Really?

-I trust you.

-OK.

Are we going to go for that?

-Yeah.

-We're going to go for it.

-Brilliant. We have a deal.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much indeed.

- Thank you very much. - I think you've made a good choice.

Decisive decision-making, team. That's you done.

All three items bought.

With time in mind, you boys have ten minutes left.

Now, is that WMF basket still there?

-It's still here, guys, look!

-Well, that's a good thing.

Phew!

-Do you want to have another look?

-Yep, we'll have one last look.

-Could we have another look, please? Thank you.

-Not that we're desperate.

We've still got plenty of time!

Crikey, we don't hear that very often!

It stuck in our heads. I'm a bit concerned about the thickness of the plate.

There's a little bit of pitting there,

but you've got to remember this is almost 100 years old.

Yep, the mark is very definite on it, isn't it?

Absolutely. I mean, there's no disputing that, that WMF mark.

-Yeah.

-All right.

Sorry, refresh my memory. What was the price?

TRADER: I said the very best was £35.

Are you happy with 30 for that?

-35?

-35.

-Oh, I think...

-Was that a slip of the tongue?

I've got 30 in my head, it just keeps coming in!

Yeah, yeah, nice try, Geoff.

I would say you've got a chance with that.

-We're done.

-OK. Thank you very much.

-TRADER: Thank you very much.

-Great! Three items! We're all done!

-That's it, then.

-We're finished.

-And a wee bit of time to spare.

-Time to spare.

-Cup of tea?

-That sounds like a great idea.

-That would be lovely.

Well done, Blues. A well-earned cuppa.

Unusually, both teams have finished with time in hand today.

Let's just remind ourselves what the Red Team have bought.

The first item was the vintage travel case. They paid £30.

Next up was the toy cat on a tricycle.

A purr-fect deal was done at £45.

Finally, with time to spare,

the Art Deco alarm clock set them back £90.

What do you think of their taste, Colin?

-Brilliant.

-Really?

Absolutely brilliant. Absolutely loved the shop.

We did it with speed, precision

and we executed all three things in what, 40 minutes?

BOTH: 40 minutes.

-Oh, my goodness, and what's your favourite lot?

-Weird cat.

-Yes, we brought a weird cat.

-Do you like the cat?

-I must admit, I did like it!

-Did you?

Well, you're all three, unanimous about this. That's wonderful.

Now, how much money did you spend?

£165.

Which must leave £135.

-Hand it over.

-OK.

I shall quickly recycle it and hand it over to our good man, there...

-Thank you very much.

-..who's going to spend it on...?

I haven't got a clue. It was such a whirlwind going around the shop.

Well, you need to get focused.

Meanwhile, let's go and see what the Blue Team have bought.

First up, it was the dog's head walking cane. £65 paid.

Next, it was some militaria that caught Andy's eye.

The medals cost them £60.

And finally, they sealed a deal

on the WMF silver-plated basket for £35.

Well, guys, did that military training come in handy?

-I think we got away with it.

-I think we've found some good pieces today.

Have you? Was it easy?

BOTH: No! LAUGHTER

How were they to be with?

They were very good at getting the best price.

I have to say Geoff particularly but, you know,

quite a bit of knowledge coming out here.

-Oh. I like that, a bit of...

-Interesting.

Can be, as Churchill once said,

"Knowledge can be a dangerous thing."

-Yeah.

-In this case, probably, yeah.

LAUGHTER

-Oh, dear. What was your favourite lot?

-I think the medals.

-I think the medals.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-We bought a pair of medals.

Good collectors for that sort of thing.

Nicely mounted, they're going to look really...

-Nice decorative piece as well.

-Wonderful. How much did you spend?

We spent £160.

-So you're going to give me 140.

-I am.

-You're a good man.

-Great.

And what Kate can't do with £140 isn't worth thinking about.

-Lovely.

-Take it away, Kate.

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

Meanwhile, we're going off to the auction.

Well, it's not very far from the Westpoint Antiques Centre

at the County Showground to the centre of Exeter,

and that's where we've come to, to Bearnes Hampton and Littlewood,

and we have Brian Goodison-Blanks,

who will be passing comment on our lovely objects.

-Hello, Brian.

-Hello, there.

Now, Laura and Charlotte have been shopping with Colin Young

and this is their first exhibit.

Well, it's not quite Louis Vuitton, is it?

Had it been, I think we would have been looking

at something quite spectacular

but it's very, very late in the blue,

probably cardboard underneath or pressed board.

-It's got a couple of labels on.

-Yep.

-It would have been earlier

-if we'd had some nice P and O or Orient Line labels on.

-Ah, yes.

That would have made it a little bit different.

But this is very, very late, probably 1960s, low-end market.

-But there are people who do use these sorts of things.

-What for?!

Well, there's a company in London that actually make them

-into speakers.

-Really?

-Yes.

-But apart from that, it's really, sort of, £5 to £10.

-Yep. £30 paid.

-Right.

-But it is what it is

and they haven't risked a huge amount of money on it.

They've gone from that to the toy cat.

Yes, he looks a little bit sad, doesn't he?

Very play-worn and I think it's probably a little bit later

than they've said. They said, sort of, 1950s but he's more in keeping

-with the 1960s, 1970s.

-Yep.

Shame it's not an earlier, sort of, 1950s tin-plate,

-battery-operated toy.

-But it isn't, Brian!

-No!

So I'm afraid we can't really make much more than it is but, for cat

collectors, they might be prepared to pay, sort of, £10 to £15 for it.

I think it might creep on a little bit because it's quite a fun thing.

£45 paid, which is a trifle above your estimate,

but we'll see what happens.

Now, they bought something of more value here,

the Deco-style table alarm clock.

-Well, it's, like, the German company Kienzle, isn't it?

-Right.

So very, very well-known clock manufacturers.

It's got the hint of the Art Deco about it,

but I think it's out of period again.

I don't think it's quite 1920s, 1930s, but more 1950s, 1960s.

It's got the look.

It's got the look but really only, sort of, £20 to £30.

-I think they paid Deco money for it, really.

-Hmm.

-£90.

-Yes, so they probably thought it was a little bit earlier.

-Yeah.

Anyway, perhaps two will be OK and one might be a bit dodgy,

so they might need their bonus buy.

Let's have the butcher's at it.

Laura, Charlotte, good shopping?

-Great shopping.

-Very good.

Fun shopping?

-Fun shopping.

-Oh, yes.

Successful shopping?

-Let's hope so.

-We'll see.

-Good, good, good.

-Well, you left our young man here with £135 left to spend.

-Mm-hm.

Let's have a look.

-Not weird this time. Something very sensible.

-Ooh!

-But isn't that glorious?

-It's like a Japanese pot.

-It's very beautiful.

It's Japanese Satsuma earthenware. Quite a heavy pot.

As you can see, the decoration on it is a multicolour of enamels.

You've got lovely peony designs, you've got a geisha on there,

moulded handles. What's quite nice about this is the colour.

You see a lot of this in the, sort of, browns and more,

sort of, dull colours. This has got a little bit of brightness to it,

having that pink ground.

So how much would you spend on it?

I can't, I really...

What you need to do is hold that and just think about...

Oh, I'm getting something.

-Maybe 200?

-That would be great.

Oh, you think we could make...?

-No. But that would be great!

-LAUGHTER

It would be a miracle.

-Put it this way, all I spent was a measly £30 of your money.

-OK.

Well, I have to say, at your valuation of £200,

this is getting really exciting.

Let's see if that auctioneer agrees with you.

-What about that?

-It's quite a colour, isn't it?

LAUGHTER

It's very typical early 20th-century Satsuma.

This one, I think, is souvenir market from the 1920s, 1930s.

It's, sort of, factory-made cos it's almost spray pink

but, as you can see from the glazes on there, sprayed very quickly

and very cheaply, so really only about £10 to £20

because it's that low-end, sort of, souvenir market.

Well, it might do OK. Colin paid £30, so it's not far off.

-It's only a couple of goes at your gavel, isn't it?

-It is.

-And suddenly you're there.

-It is. So we'll give it a good go.

Well, that's the vase. Let's have a look at the Blue Team.

I think Geoff and Andy, who went shopping with Kate, have been

a little more understated and we start with the walking cane.

Quite collectable, I would have thought.

They are collectable and it's nice with the dog's head

and the inset eyes to it as well, so very, very typical Victorian.

It's a little bit crudely carved

-because we do see some with some finer decoration to them.

-Yes.

But also, there's a certain element of wear to the head of it as well.

-Do you like the wear or not?

-I don't mind the patternation.

-It gives that sense of age...

-Yes.

-..and it's that nice feeling,

so we know it's not a reproduction

cos we do see some reproduction canes. But this one has been carved.

It's original, sort of, boxwood and a nice piece of bamboo, there.

-Not the, sort of, top-end...

-No.

-..so perhaps only 20 to 30.

£65 paid, so you're going to have to work your magic with that one,

-aren't you?

-I think so.

Then the medals.

I do like medals,

only insomuch that you do feel the history with them, don't you?

They are, they're very interesting, aren't they?

And these, you have the Croix de Guerre and the Medaille Militaire.

Nicely framed. They are very, very popular at the moment.

It's a shame we don't have any details about the recipient

because that would really help,

because these are French medals that were given to English troops

-who fought in France during 1914 and 1918...

-Yep.

-..so it's very poignant

and medal collectors would like them for their collection anyway.

-So with these, we're probably saying about 40 to 60.

-Yeah.

Well, 40 to 60, they paid £60,

-so they're pretty well on the money there, aren't they?

-I think so, yes.

Then we finish off with a bit of WMF - the Wurttemberg Factory.

Yes, what is it, Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik?

I like the way you did the whole thing, there! Fabriken, isn't it?

-Fabriken, yes. But WMF to all of us, isn't it, really?

-Yes.

A very well-known factory, again,

very well-known for their Art-Nouveau period pieces.

It's early 20th century, probably, sort of, 1930s.

Blue glass liner, probably part of a set, really.

-Useful for sugar on the table today, isn't it?

-Yep.

-But realistically, only about, sort of, £10 to £20.

-Right.

£35 paid and they sent Kate off with £140,

and let's see what she bought with it.

-Enjoyed the shopping?

-Yep, yeah. Enjoyed Kate's company.

-Good.

-A lot of people do, strangely!

-Don't sound so surprised!

LAUGHTER

-Well, you spent £160...

-We did.

..and you gave her £140,

and lurking under that blue cloth is the magic.

-Let's have a look.

-You were very thorough in your approach,

but we didn't get anything with any Royal Navy connections...

Oh, my goodness!

..which I thought was quite important for you two,

so we have a pair of meat skewers, but they have these lovely finials

with anchors on, which obviously allude to a naval connection.

And the other thing is

that they are made by a very well-known factory

that was founded in Paris in about 1830.

The factory's called Christofle

and it's still manufacturing lovely designed pieces today.

Now these are actually silver-plated,

but they're quite commercial

because of the designs. Have a little look.

-They are pretty.

-You like?

Spookily enough, that's the symbol we wear on our T-shirts in the pub.

-Is it?

-Yeah, that's our logo.

-Well, that's got to be an omen.

-This is getting better!

The question would be, they're very nice,

but how much did you pay for them?

I paid £65.

-Total silence!

-And they're plated.

-They are plated.

-And you paid £65.

I did. If I was to put an auction estimate on them,

I would probably say £40 to £60.

I have to say, I think I probably paid the top-end.

Have they got any sort of age to them?

Somewhere between 1919 and 1920, so yes, definitely got some age.

I would agree with that.

Now, you haven't got to make a decision now, chaps.

You can cogitate and then we'll see how the auction goes.

But meanwhile, why don't we have a look

and see what the auctioneer thinks of these skewers?

Right, well, Kate spent some money

and I'll tell you how much in a minute, Brian, on these two items.

Right, well, they're perfect for the southwest, really, aren't they?

Cos we're a nice, coastal region and a good naval history to them.

-Yeah.

-They're French, obviously, with the silver-plated,

but the anchor entwined, rope-entwined anchor

and the laurel wreath

goes with Dartmouth Naval College, down here in the southwest.

-Yep.

-And a very strong history, obviously, with Plymouth.

So it should do reasonably well cos we've got a lot

of people who are interested in nautical and maritime antiques.

They're probably going to be more practical as letter openers

than meat skewers nowadays. It would just be very useful.

-Yes, on a naval desk.

-Exactly.

As I say, we have a lot of cadets passing out of Dartmouth,

-so they would be perfect.

-Yeah, yeah.

They could do, sort of, £30-£40, I think.

Paid 65. And difficult to date, I think, aren't they?

Cos Christofle are still going, aren't they?

They are, so difficult to date,

-but the quality is reasonable for them, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

I shall be really interested to see how those fare at your sale, Brian.

-You'll be taking the sale, won't you?

-Yes, I will.

We'll be in safe hands.

'OK, Brian, saleroom looks busy. Time to do your thing.'

Right, girls, it's all coming up shortly. Are you that excited?

-Extremely.

-Laura! Marvellous!

Now, who chose this travel case? It was you, wasn't it, Charlotte?

What did you like about it?

I just love cases.

-It just looked beautiful and I've got a thing about cases.

-Have you?

-What do you put in them?

-Erm, I carry around my hats.

Your current hat would go in a pocket though, wouldn't it?

-LAUGHTER I could scrunch that up!

-Here we go.

The vintage travel case in blue. Pack up your troubles in this, then.

What am I to say, £10?

You should have put something in it, girls! £2?

-Oh, no!

-£2 and you can carry your bargains in it.

I'll have it for £2!

£2. 3, anybody else?

At £2 only for the blue, vintage case. You're quite sure?

-I'm selling at 2.

-Christmas holiday.

-Ugh!

3, thank you, sir! 4, now! We've got a battle. No?

Thought we did. At £3 only, then. 3!

Any advance on 3?

-Oh, no! I can't...

-He was doing it just to humour us!

I think he probably was.

You know, to think that somebody bid £2 and refused to go to 4.

-It's sad.

-It's my cat!

-Here we go.

1950s toy cat on tricycle and what am I to say for that?

£15?

-Come on!

-Meow!

-£5, then?

-Me-ow!

You don't have to feed it! £2.

HE HOWLS Oh, come on!

2 on the internet! The internet comes to our rescue.

- Oh, that's all right, then!

- At £2, then. Bid is online with the internet at £2.

Selling...

Oh, my goodness, that's minus 43...

You've only lost 70 quid, girls!

Lot 434, then,

is the German Art Deco-style table alarm clock by Kienzle.

What am I to say for that? £30? 20, then?

-20.

-It's got an alarm. Start at 10?

10 I have, thank you, sir. At £10.

12, then? At the opening bid of £10, do I see 12 at all?

12 on the internet.

15, sir, 15.

18, internet. At £15 in the room.

18, internet, are you in? Nope.

At 15 and it's in the room, then, and I'll sell in the room at £15.

Do I see 18 at all?

18, seated, thank you. 20, standing.

-22, 25, 28...

-Oh, hang on!

25, thank you, sir. 25, standing.

Original bidder at 25, then.

Oh, my goodness, me.

A £65 loss, there, just to add to 70,

which means you're £135 down

and it couldn't have happened to a nicer pair of girls!

LAUGHTER

Now, it's not for me to advise you,

but it looks like there's only one way to go with that bit of Satsuma.

-I'm going for it, I'm going for it. It couldn't get worse!

-I like it.

Here we go.

Kyoto Satsuma earthenware vase, baluster form, elephant mask

and ring-handled decoration, and what am I to say for that?

A piece of Satsuma, there? £20?

-Start at 10, if you will.

-No.

-- No!

-- Start me at 10, somebody.

-Please.

-10 on the internet.

-Oh, 10 on the internet?

-15, now, or 12 if you will.

At 15, to one internet bidder at £10. 12, I have.

There's two of you now. 15. 18, Internet bidders.

At 15 and selling online, then.

Quite sure I'm finished at £15...

No!

18, I can see you.

At 18, it's yours, sir. 20 now, internet.

You're back in at 20. 22, sir?

Oh, my goodness.

No change of heart, then? It's online at £20.

Selling at 20...

Minus 135 and minus 10 is minus 145.

It's not all bad.

-No?

-People have won with that score before...

-Hopefully!

..and will do again!

So don't mention anything to the Blues and we'll just wait

and see what happens.

12, 15...

Don't think this is...

-Now, you two, you haven't been talking to those Reds, have you?

-No.

No, we haven't.

You don't know what a huge profit or a massive loss they made?

-No.

-Ah.

-No, no, no.

-No clues?

No clues at all...just the way it should be.

Right, here we go, team. Walking cane to the fold.

The 19th-century dog's head walking cane,

inset with the glass eyes, there.

And interest at 40, 5, 50, 5,

60, 5, £70 is bid.

-Wow!

-What a start!

-Geoff, you're a genius!

At £70, then. Five at all? Commission has it, then.

At £70 and 5 I'm looking for.

Quite sure? Commission has it at 70.

-Bravo!

-Well done, well done!

That was short and sweet but thank you very much.

-But five quid, straight in!

-Yes!

-Marvellous.

Medals.

The pair of French World War I medals, the Croix du Guerre

and the Medaille Militaire,

and what am I to say for those, for the medals?

-£40?

-Really attractive.

Bid me 40.

Bid me 20, then.

20 I have here. 22, 25, 28...

All that bravery that went into these.

25 here, front row, 25.

28, fresh place.

30, 2?

35. 38, 40, 2.

-At 40 here, then. At 40 and 2 at all?

-It's going.

At 40, then, front row at 40...

THEY MOAN

-Minus 20.

-Oh, chaps.

Minus 20, so we're minus 15 in total at the moment.

It could be worse. Now WMF.

So the plated basket with blue glass liner, stamped WMF.

£20?

-10? Come on.

-- Come on!

- 5, I have here at 5. And 8 now, I'm looking for.

-8 on the internet. 10, sir.

-He we go, internet bidders.

Come on, ride it.

At £10, seated in the room. 12, Internet, are you in?

Nope, the internet's out.

A bit of WMF for £10?!

12 at all, any advance? At 10.

-That was hard work, that one.

-Aw, that's a real shame.

You're minus a cool 40 quid.

In view of what's gone on before,

what do you want to do with those game skewers?

I think things are going cheaply today,

-so how about giving them a miss, eh?

-They are lovely.

-They're just too much money.

-Yeah, I think so as well. I agree.

I think that's the right decision.

Here we go.

Christofle silver-plated game skewers with foul anchor

and wreath stamped as per title there.

What am I to say? £10 to start.

10, internet, are you in?

5, then.

5, I have, front row, here.

-£5 for the pair of these?

-Internet, in there?

Saw you flashing. 8 is in. 10.

My goodness. Oh, they've started now.

-Nope, £10, front row again, this time at £10 only.

-£10. Oh...

-Anyone would have thought it was Christmas.

-That's ridiculous.

You made the right decision, guys.

That's £5 each. That is bizarre.

That is bizarre and, frankly,

-you've saved yourselves 55 smackers there...

-Yes.

So, in fact, because of that incredibly wise decision,

you have only lost £40.

-Only £40?

-Yes.

-Marvellous!

-I think that's a result. Well done, chaps.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done, Kate.

-Shall we go to the pub?

-Yes, please!

-Yeah, thanks very much.

-Off you go to the pub, go on!

12, 15...

Some people think buying and selling antiques is a doddle.

You buy it here, you make a profit and you move on,

and you make a thumping great living.

May I say how thrilled I am that none of you tried to make

a living out of buying and selling antiques

-because today hasn't been a day of profit, has it?

-No, not yet.

-You've lost a shedload, Blue, haven't you?

-Ha-ha, yeah!

-You've lost a lot of money, haven't you?

-A little bit of money.

It's rather sad, isn't it, that the Blues have lost so much money?

But frankly, Reds, you've lost so much more.

LAUGHTER

In fact, your losses are astronomical.

£145.

They deserve a round of applause, though. Congratulations.

Anyway, you don't want to get too smug, you two boys.

But, in relative terms today, minus £40 is rather successful, isn't it?

It's rather reasonable.

Yes, you can feel proud of yourselves

when you sit in the pub having a pint. But never mind.

-It's been good fun?

-Yep, great.

-Fantastic.

-You've had a lovely day?

-Oh, yes.

-We have, yes.

Oh, it sounded a little bit muted but don't worry, darling,

because why don't you join us for more bargain hunting, yes?

ALL: Yes!