Lincoln 2 Bargain Hunt

Today, we've headed east to Lincoln,

a city with a corking castle and a cracking cathedral. Ho!

But we're not here for a history lesson or to admire

the splendid architecture, we're here to do some deals.

So, let's go bargain hunting, yeah!

Here at the Lincolnshire Showground, we are really spoiled for choice.

There are literally thousands of stalls

and dealers come here from far and wide.

So, teams, it's time to clock in and get weaving with the bargains

and here's a quick squint at what's coming up.

-The Reds' expert gets the hump...

-Can we, for 15, please?

-Go on.

Thank you so much.

-..and the Blues are all high-fiving.

-High-five, yes!

And in the auction, the Reds are keeping everything crossed...

Let's cross our legs now. Everybody cross their legs. Here we go.

-..whilst there's excitement in the Blue camp.

-Go, go, go, go!

Let's meets today's teams.

Well, we've got some top teams on the show today. We have friends,

students, for the Reds, Catherine and Maddie and for the Blues

we've also got some friends

but of the matrimonial type, Gemma and Andrew.

-Hello, everyone.

-Hi.

-Now, Catherine, tell us about how you met Maddie.

Er, I met Maddie on my first day of university.

We lived in the same flat together, didn't we? In halls.

She was the first person I met and we've been friends ever since.

-Isn't that lovely?

-Yes.

-And you're now in which year?

-Third year now.

-Third year. Now, you're very sporty.

-Tell us about your sports.

-I am, I've played tennis since I was five.

And how are you getting on with your tennis?

Do you play for the university?

-Yeah, I'm ladies' tennis captain.

-Are you?

-So, there we go.

-Quite a serious business.

-Yeah.

-Do you like playing singles or doubles?

-Doubles, for sure.

-Yeah.

It's better to have someone else on the court with you.

-Now, Maddie, you're doing biomedical science.

-I am.

Last year we did a full human dissection, which was

-the highlight of my degree so far.

-Gosh.

-How do you get a volunteer for a human dissection?

-Do you know what?

-I didn't get a chance to ask them.

-No, quite.

Now, what about antiques? Do you know anything about antiques,

-either of you?

-Absolutely nothing, no.

Then I'd say you'll do terribly well on Bargain Hunt.

Now, Gem, how did you two lovebirds meet?

We met at secondary school and then got engaged at 18 and married at 21.

-You're now a teacher yourself.

-Yes, I am indeed.

-I teach secondary school students, 11 to 16-year-olds.

-Brave you.

Not really, they're much better than primary-school children.

When they go to secondary school, you can just have a bit more of a joke

with them and, yeah, they're much more open to debate.

Now, Andrew, you are, or were, in the IT business.

Yes, I fell into it after school.

After ten years, we'd just had our son and I was looking at him

and his little limbs thinking all the potential he's got

and why can't I do something different?

And I decided to go to uni so sent off for a prospective,

closed my eyes, picked a page, picked a course, job done.

What did you get?

-So I'm training to be a surveyor.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Well, that's what I did.

Qualified as a chartered surveyor and I've never regretted it.

It's a good qualification to get, actually.

-Very flexible.

-Yeah, good for you.

And what are your tactics going to be today taking on the Reds?

I think we're just going to go crazy and spend all of the money.

-That is a message that is music to my ears.

-She's good at spending.

Well, talking about spending, I need to give you some cash.

Here's the £300, £300 apiece. There's your £300.

Thank you very much.

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

and very, very, very good luck.

Biomedical science, eh?

Cutting edge.

Let's see who's helping the teams.

Keeping the Reds under control, today's expert Mark Stacey.

Making sure the Blues don't sink is Natasha Raskin.

-Catherine, Maddie, are you excited?

-Very.

I've got high hopes for you because you've got youth on your side,

you'll be enthusiastic.

I can see you're going to be decisive, is that right?

-No.

-Absolutely not.

-Oh, please don't.

So today I'm in the presence of a teacher and a student.

I have no idea what that makes me but I think I know who's in charge.

Gemma, are you taking action today?

Er, of course not, no.

-Any thoughts on strategy?

-Absolutely none at all.

-Spend low, I always think spend low.

-Oh, no.

-No?

We have an hour and that's all we have and it's like someone saying,

"Do all your Christmas shopping in an hour."

It's impossible but we can do it, right?

Right, teams, let battle commence. Your 60 minutes starts now.

HORN BLOWS

Have you got any things in mind that you're looking for?

-Gemma likes shiny things.

-Anything shiny.

Well, there are shiny things over here, so forward ho, forward ho.

-Maddie likes cats.

-I do, I'm a cat person.

Oh, well, that's a good thing to know,

so maybe we should look out for some pussies.

You're saying you've never been here before.

The thing about these fairs is that you have no idea

-what you're going to find.

-Crikey.

-This is silver plate, I think.

-OK. What would you have used it for?

Well, it's like a table centrepiece.

I mean, you could put fruit in there or sugared almonds or

-something like that.

-Yeah.

The Victorians loved decorating their tables.

I think this is probably going to be Continental, French or German.

And the date is going to probably be about 1900 or so,

so it's an antique.

Oh, right. So would people be interested in something like that?

I think they would, people like cherubs

-and they're quite cheeky, aren't they?

-Yeah. Cheeky faces.

-Shall we ask how much it is? Do you like it, first of all?

-Yeah.

-Quite like that, yeah.

-It's quite quirky, isn't it?

-Definitely.

-There's no price, does it mean it's free?

-No, my...

I get so much stuff in...

-175.

-Oh...

You don't like it quite as much now, then, do you, girls?

-We might have to think about that.

-I think so too.

-Cos you didn't want to spend big, did you?

-No.

OK, moving on.

Now, let's see what the Blues have clocked.

Any watches in particular that you like?

There's two Omega ones in there, do you reckon they'd do us

a deal for two?

Two watches?

First of all, when you're talking Omega watch,

you're talking a serious brand, right?

We're talking a world-renowned brand that anyone

walking into an auction house knows what Omega is.

Two would be probably too much because when someone comes in

to look for a watch in an auction, they see a watch that they want.

But when we're talking brands at a fair, we're talking prices,

so you're going to see three figures on an Omega watch

and, it depends on the watch,

-but we're probably not going to make the retail back at auction.

-OK.

-I quite like the face of that one.

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

Very classic and that's what's very popular at the moment

and what you've got there is the baton dials, so you don't have

the numerals, you've actually just got the nice chic, sleek batons.

Very popular. You saw when your wife had expensive taste, £220.

I'm going to look over here.

See if you can coax your wife into buying something...

that's less expensive.

Well, they did say that they wanted to go crazy

and spend the lot, Natasha.

Have the Reds spotted something BOARing?

-She is rather fine, isn't she?

-Yeah, I like his little face.

And it's got boar written there, so it's a male pig.

The thing with this is that it's not hugely old

-but it is a lovely subject.

-Yeah.

-And it's made in Rye Pottery, do you know where Rye is?

-No, I don't.

-Well, it's a small Cinque Port on the Sussex coast.

-Oh, right.

And they had a small factory there producing a lot of items, so I don't

-think that's particularly old but he is a lovely subject, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Shall I go and have a word with the dealer and see?

-Yeah.

-But I'll come back and report first and you can carry on looking.

-OK.

All right?

I don't know about you guys, I've sort of begun to

lose feeling in my fingers and toes. You don't even have gloves on!

-No gloves.

-I'm freezing.

There is a huge indoor area, shall we hop in there?

We've still got plenty of time, about ten minutes gone.

Shall we hop in and see how we get on there?

Sounds like a good plan.

Mark's back, this looks promising.

Well, look, I'll tell you what, I think you're going

-to be very pleased with me.

-OK.

-The dealer's just said I can have it for £10.

-Brilliant.

-Excellent.

-I think we should go for it.

-Yes?

-Good one.

-That's our first buy then.

-£10.

-Excellent.

That's one item for the Reds in 12 minutes. What about the Blues?

Immediately drawn to something just to your right, Gemma.

-Oh, yeah.

-Love that.

What do you think of that enamelled little frog? Love or loathe?

-Erm...

-Somewhere in between.

-Somewhere in between?

I think he's absolutely gorgeous.

-Not sure they like it as much as you do, Natasha.

-Opens up, right?

So it's a little sort of pillbox or patch box or something like that.

It's lovely, it's enamelled on the inside and the outside.

What we're hoping for is a little bit of hallmarked silver

or marked silver because, without the silver element,

these are really just, you know, decorative.

But if we can find something here then we are in luck.

Yup, there we are. So, silver. So it's marked silver.

It's not hallmarked silver, it's enamelled, it's quirky.

A frog is fun.

It's not enamelled, you know, just with a foliate design,

which might be a little bit more commercial,

but a frog takes it, maybe, to novelty territory.

-It stands out from everything else.

-It does, it's unusual.

I think it's got a nice appeal to it. What do you think of it?

How much do think it will make at auction?

I think it's a sort of £30-to-£50 lot.

Enamelled silver is always popular, be it spoons,

be it vanity mirrors but I think the size of this

works in its favour, the shape and the design. I love it.

I think it's different and I like the enamel

and it's something shiny for you.

Aw, he's a smoothie, isn't he?

So it looks like the Blues might have been persuaded.

Meanwhile, Maddie has found something purrfect.

Oh! Oh, there's a cat!

There's the Siamese cat. Oh!

-She is obsessed with cats.

-She does love them.

-Go on, then, have a look.

-Oh, it's Beswick.

HE SIGHS

-Absolutely ghastly.

-Say what you think, eh, Mark?

-She's adorable.

-But they are well-made and people still collect them.

-Yeah.

-Look at his little face!

-Yes, look at it.

Yeah, let's hop back to Natasha and the Blues,

do they have a price for that frog, yet?

I have spoken with the lovely dealer who's given us a real go at £40.

-Oh, fantastic.

-What do you reckon?

-Let's do it.

-Go for it. High-five. Yes!

We've got one down.

Ribbit-ing stuff.

Now, let's get back to find out the price on the cat.

-Maddie's in disgrace because she is obsessed with cats...

-Right.

-..and I'm not.

-Yes, Mark, you've made that quite clear.

I'm a dog man.

-Right.

-And she really likes this.

What is the absolute best price on your adorable little Siamese cat?

-£18.

-18?

-Oh.

-Hmm.

-Would you do it for £15?

-Oh, go on, then.

-Can we? For 15, please?

-Go on.

-Oh, stop being catty, Mark.

# You and your pussycat nose

# What's new, pussycat?

# Whoa... #

So, what have the Blues spotted?

-It's really heavy.

-Is it quite a lump?

-It's really heavy.

The Japanese look. Blue and white's always popular.

The thing is, when you have good ceramics,

we want to see the condition of it.

So before we make any sort of deal, we want to examine it.

We want to see if we can get a little bit of info about the age

because ageing East Asian items is very difficult.

Yeah, no, I appreciate that.

We want to look for marks, we want to look for crazing across it,

that's the sort of cracking you see across the glaze,

-if you know what I mean?

-Yup.

-And we want to get it at the best price.

That's the name of the game, Natasha,

and the ticket price on this is £180.

OK, so show us the bottom.

-No markings, is there?

-Very simple. Show us the side.

So what can we say about it?

It's not a transfer print, it's actually painted by hand,

which is why there's a certain cachet attached to it

and why there's a certain value on it.

Would you like to ask the lady

-and see what we can get off it?

-Yeah, sure.

I think you'll be lucky to get much off that.

Guys, I'm afraid there's no budget on this item.

I mean, it is beautiful, I understand why.

180 - the lady feels she'd be letting it go for anything less.

-I appreciate that.

-But now we know your taste, maybe,

-if we can find something on a smaller scale...

-Yes.

-..perhaps we'd have a better chance.

-Off you go then, Blues.

Time's ticking.

Ah, what have the Reds found? This looks more like it.

-A Royal Worcester figure.

-We need an antique, don't we, really?

-Yeah.

-An elegant Chinese lady looking in her mirror.

-How much is this?

-The best on that would be 65. That would be...

-No.

-Shall be put them together?

-Yeah.

-Oh, there's two of them.

-Because it is the same artist.

I've never heard of them, I'm afraid.

The nice thing about them, in some ways, is that they are white.

If you've got a nice alcove either side of a fireplace,

one on each shelf.

-One on each side.

-It looks rather nice, you know.

How much would both of them be, then?

I'd do 110 for the pair, but that is as low as I could go

-and I think that's a bargain.

-Yeah.

They've got to be estimated at least at £80 to £120 for the pair.

I don't suppose we could be terribly mean and squeeze you down to 100?

100?

Go on.

-I think we've got to, then.

-OK, yeah.

-£100 for the pair. -It's a deal.

Thank you. Lovely.

Fantastic, we've just bought two beautiful ladies

for two beautiful ladies.

30 minutes and all items bought, that must be a record.

Time for a sit down, methinks.

This is rather weird, isn't it?

To be in a field in the middle of Lincolnshire

looking at a set of four rather curious black side chairs.

These chairs are made out of solid, Ceylonese ebony.

One of the characteristics of the island of Ceylon is that

it once contained forests of very valuable timber, including ebony.

And most of the Ceylonese ebony now has been worked out,

it's been felled, it's been made into exotic

and valuable pieces of furniture.

It's dense, it's hard,

it's one of the few woods that doesn't float in water

because it is so heavy and so hard

and it's extremely difficult to work.

Forearmed with that knowledge, just look at how complicated

and how beautifully made these chairs are.

Very loosely, the style of the arcaded back on each of these chairs

follows a 17th-century model.

Look how slender the bottom of the baluster is.

This is a craftsperson in Ceylon who has put these on a lathe,

spun them, turned them

and cut them with an extremely sharp instrument

so that each of them is a perfectly-formed spindle.

If we look at the underside, the same technique has been used

but with substantially larger chunks of ebony.

And it's all united by a rail,

the rail goes all the way round

making the bottom of the chair extremely sturdy

so that it won't split at all

and those rails have all been pegged into place using ebony pegs.

That goes to make a very strong form of construction.

This timber is not going to shrink, it's not going to warp,

it's not going to wear no matter how many centuries you throw at it.

Mostly, this type of chair can be described

as a Catherine de Braganza chair,

relating to the glorious moment when Charles, King of England,

in the 17th-century,

married Catherine of Braganza, who came from Portugal.

Part of Catherine's dowry included Portuguese possessions in India

and that is the link to these chairs

and, as a result of trade in the 17th and 18th centuries,

objects are imported into Britain of this type.

The dealer that's selling them wants £1,600 for them.

What do I think they might be worth in a specialist sale somewhere else?

I guess somewhere between say £6-9,000.

Is that a good enough reason to get excited?

I think it is.

Back to the shopping and the Blues still have two items to find.

Meanwhile, the Reds have bought all three in 30 minutes.

That's good going, girls.

-Absolutely amazing.

-We're speedy shoppers.

-We are.

You're speedy shoppers. Let's hope we don't repent at leisure.

Come on, Blues. Only five minutes left.

-Have you had a handle of it?

-Yes.

-You have.

OK, do you mind if I do, terribly?

Right, OK, so, it's a burnt walnut, isn't it?

It's absolutely lovely and inlaid with what looks to be like a maple

or something lighter. All this around here

and the figures all comes under one term

and it's marquetry. It's beautifully done, the marquetry.

What do you think that would make at auction?

It's a tricky one.

At auction, it's going to be a 40-60 lot.

I mean, there's no way it's going to go in at something higher than that.

-Have you asked what's the best price on that?

-Oh, no.

We were waiting for you to come and have a look

-and tell us what you think.

-I mean, it's a lovely thing.

Shall we ask? There's no harm in asking.

-What would be your best price on this?

-Oh, hello again.

Taking what you said with estimate, you would say 40-60,

the closest I could get to that is 65.

-Out of interest, she's also got a Chinese vase.

-Whoa!

-That's a serious vase!

-Yeah.

And I didn't know whether you wanted to have a look at it

and maybe we could do a lot and do a deal and just tick them all off

-all at once.

-We are running out of time

so, certainly, the idea of bulk buying is attractive at this point.

Looks more like panic buying to me.

So, what you have there is a serious lump of Satsuma ware.

Straight over from China, made in the East

to be exported back to the West. It's a souvenir

but it's certainly not a souvenir like, you know, a donkey from Spain.

It's a serious thing.

It's for decoration, it's got that fabulous finial at the top,

nicely executed, nicely produced,

probably got a nice ticket price on it

but everything about it screams good quality.

Yes, it's 20th-century, but it's exactly the sort of thing

that the East Asian dealers are buying

to perhaps take back over to the East.

-What are you thinking?

-What are you thinking?

Well, obviously, the question is if we've got enough money.

I like it with the tray. I think it's worth a look.

You've got three or four minutes left,

the vase and the tray together, 65 plus 220 would make 285.

What if we said 250 the lot?

I'll say 235.

So, this is exciting. The final offer is 235.

If we break it down into 45 for our tray,

40-60 at auction, I reckon.

190 for that stonking vase

which no auctioneer is going to put less than 150-250, are they?

-I think we've got a real shot.

-Bargain.

-And a deal. Shall we do it?

WHISTLE BLOWS

That's it. Time's up.

Yay! Thank you so much. High-fives all round.

This is great. We did it just in the nick of time.

Let's remind ourselves what the Red Team bought, eh?

First up, Catherine and Maddy spent £10

on this Rye Pottery saddleback boar.

Then Maddy thought her Beswick Siamese cat was purr-fect for £15.

And, finally, £100 was paid for these two Royal Worcester figures.

-So, children, how did it go for you?

-Good.

-Excellent.

-Which is your favourite piece?

-The pig.

-The pig.

-Yeah, it was cute.

Piggy wig, and which is your favourite piece?

-Oh, definitely the cat.

-And how much did you spend?

-£125.

-£125.

I'd like £175 of leftover lolly, please.

Thank you. You know what happens with this? It goes to the Maestro.

-Thank you.

-What's your plan, Mark?

-Something small and something saucy, too, I think.

-Really?

You sussed them out so soon.

Anyway, good luck with that.

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

They hopped in with this decorative enamelled hinged box

and jumped at the price of £40.

And, in the nick of time, they spent £45

on this Sorrento marquetry oval tray.

And £190 on this impressive Japanese Satsuma ware vase.

-Did you have a good shop?

-Yes. It was very good.

-Was it?

-Yes.

-We went all out to spend all of our money.

-How much did you spend?

-£275.

Aren't they amazing? I'll have £25 of leftover lolly, please.

Thank very much.

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

-We bought a Chinese vase that cost nearly all our money.

-Did it?

-But you loved it.

-Yes.

-He definitely didn't.

-Is it going to bring the biggest profit?

-I hope so.

-It was my favourite item.

-Is it?

Both of you, it's your favourite,

and both of you agree that it's going to bring the biggest profit,

because it has too, right? Otherwise you are in serious shtoom.

Well, here's a paltry offering for you, Natasha.

What are you going to spend it on, darling?

I don't know what I'm going to spend it on

but one thing I would say is I'm going to take your lead

and just have the attitude of, "Go for it, buy it,

-"if you like it, go for it."

-Very exciting stuff.

And very exciting it is that we'll be trotting off very shortly

to the auction.

Well, it's lovely to be in the East Riding of Yorkshire

at Beverley Racecourse at Hawleys Auctions with the boss,

-Caroline Hawley herself.

-Hello, Tim.

-Thank you.

How nice to be here. Now, we've got a load of old China here, OK?

-Rye Pottery, brand-new pig.

-He's great. He's a saddleback pig

and he's marked boar on the front

and I think he would make a fabulous present

for lots of people I can think of.

Who are boring.

I have to say, I find him pretty boring.

I mean, it's a pig, fine, but you know...

-Lots of people collect pigs, though.

-I know they do.

-It's a modern pig and I think he's missing his sow.

-Probably.

-You would, wouldn't you?

-Yes!

I think probably they would have come as a pair.

-Nothing to snuggle up to.

-No.

-I think he might attract somebody's attention.

-OK, fine.

-Well, it's just cheap stuff. How much?

-£10-20.

-OK, £10 paid.

-Next, we've got the Siamese cat.

-Well, it is as it is.

It's fairly common and fairly modern,

but there's still a following.

There's a lot of people collect cats,

a lot of people collect Beswick.

-It's not a great favourite of mine, I have to say.

-No.

-And I've put 10-20 on it.

-You're absolutely right. They paid £15.

So two remarkably uninteresting and undistinguished pieces of ceramics,

followed, I have to say, by two rather stunning pieces.

-The pair of Worcester figures.

-Yes, they are lovely.

Blonde sheen in the Chinese manner.

I think they're really rather lovely

and they'd fit in to any interior, wouldn't they?

I've checked all the way round, there's no damage at all.

-I think they're great.

-OK, how great?

-Well, I've put 100-150 on them.

-OK, well, they paid £100.

So they were quite brave to spend £100, actually,

and they may well get them out of trouble because, if they don't,

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

So, you spent £125 only.

You gave Mark £175 and, Mark, did you blow the lot?

I didn't, Tim,

-but I did buy something saucy for two very saucy girls.

-Oh, wow!

It's a shoehorn. I just thought that's a really good bit of fun

and it's got a bit of age to it.

I think it's probably early 20th-century or something.

But I just thought it was lovely

and the market likes quirky items these days.

-So how much did you pay for it?

-I paid a very modest, I think, £25.

So how much do you think it's going to make at auction?

Well, I think, you know,

-it might do £40 or £50, on a good day.

-Hmm.

-Cos it's not that collector's look about it.

-Yeah.

It's lovely and small.

It's got a nice, warm feel to the brass, so it can go, again,

-on a little sidetable, or in a collector's cabinet.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I see that.

-I quite like it, you know.

-It's different.

It's definitely different.

Wait until you see how you got on with the first three items, and then

decide whether you're going to risk a further £25 on Mark's little leg,

cos right now, for the audience at home, let's find out

what SHE thinks about IT.

OK, Caroline, what do you think about this?

I think that this is great.

For the gentleman that's got everything,

-what about this saucy lady's leg shoehorn?

-Yeah.

Complete with bloomer, a little garter...

I think that's really quite sexy.

-About 1880, 1890, something like that?

-Yeah, I would think so,

and I've put a fairly hefty £60-£80 on it.

I don't blame you, really, because, find another one,

I don't think I've ever seen a so-called shoehorn

-look quite like that...

-No.

-..and it's good fun, isn't it?

Yeah, I can see that going to the man that's got everything.

That'd be a nice present, wouldn't it?

-"Mantique", is the expression, is it?

-A mantique.

Well, anyway, it's come from Mark Stacey,

who's definitely into his mantiques.

-He paid £25, so Mark paid a pretty keen price.

-Yeah.

And if the team go with it, they could make, perhaps,

a tidy profit on that.

OK, that's it, now, for the Reds. Moving onto the Blues...

you've got the little silver hinged box.

It's got a suspension loop,

so I guess it was designed to go on a chain.

-Unless that's been added later.

-It'd be unlikely, wouldn't it?

-Is it a little pill box?

-I mean, it's not very old, is it?

-It's marked silver.

-Yeah.

-I would imagine its Continental. The enamel's good.

-It's colourful.

-Yeah.

-And it's cheap...

-Yes.

-..ish.

-How cheap?

-I think £20-£40 on a good day.

-Do you?

-Mm-hmm.

-OK, £40 is what they paid.

-Right.

-And I can see it making £40.

I hope so, but, yeah, I hope so.

To the discriminating folk of Beverley, anything could happen.

Yes.

Next is the piece of tourist ware, the Sorrento tray,

-which they paid £45 for.

-Yes.

But that was meant to go on a dressing table, wasn't it?

Yes, I'm sure, and somebody's hung it up

so it would make a picture on the wall.

-Exactly.

-It's beautifully inlaid,

I mean, these things are made still in Sorrento.

-This, I would say, is about 1920s-30s.

-Mm-hmm.

It's a good-quality thing. It's been made for the tourist market

but it's a nice, attractive piece,

and there's been a bit of interest in it.

-Yes, oh, good.

-So I've put 40 to 60.

-Fair enough, £40 paid.

-OK.

So, you know, at 40, 60, 80, really, up to £100, it's cheap, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is.

-For the amount of work that's in it.

-Incredibly cheap.

-And it's in great condition.

-Yeah.

Which I have to say, largely applies to the large Satsuma pot and cover.

-Isn't it fantastic?

-Well, it's an impressive thing.

-Yeah.

There's a lot of pot for your money, there,

and it's in great condition, no damage at all,

and that would make a great, sort of, statement piece.

-I think that's a good thing, and I would say 80 to 120.

-Would you?

-I would.

-£190, they paid.

-Right.

-And they've really risked it for a biscuit.

-They have.

-Well, I hope they get out of it.

-So do I.

-It'll be very interesting to see...

-It will.

-..cos it could

so easily make £250 with people after it.

-Oh, it could, and more, yeah.

-Yeah.

A lot of people, they're not bothered that it's not 18th-century,

they'd rather have a big chunk of late 19th, early 20th,

-and pay less money for it.

-Exactly.

If it all goes wrong, they're going to need their bonus buy,

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

Gemma, Andrew, you spent £275... so brave.

And you gave £25 to Natasha. What did you spend it on?

First of all, I must say, Tim, you must be very proud of them

-spending all that money, come on.

-I am.

But do you remember that you were after a watch, at one point?

-Yes.

-Oh, yes.

-Yes, well, I couldn't quite find a wristwatch...

-Oh, wow.

-But I found quite a nice,

potentially military-issue pocket watch.

-It's a nice thing, have a look at it.

-Oh, I like it a lot.

When I say "nice", it could be nicer.

It's not in silver, it's in a sort of tinny metal,

and the face is not covered in glass, it's covered in plastic.

And the face itself, is a sort of standard early 20th-century face,

but I really liked it.

I know it's only £25, but it's rubbed,

my gut tells me it is military-issue,

I don't see an arrow on it.

There are, sort of, weird Xs on the back that might...

Someone might have mocked those up and put them on

at a later date, I don't know.

But it can't talk to us, all we can do is go with what we see.

I think it's very stylish, rust comes for free,

it's Swiss-made,

and I think that at 25 quid, it's a bit of a goer.

-How much do you think it'll make?

-Well, I spent 25,

-and my feeling is that its hammer price will be probably 25 or so.

-OK.

The estimate will probably be 20 to 30, something like that.

OK, and we've spent all our money now,

-which is good, every penny.

-Yeah.

-Happy with that?

-Wonderful.

-It's nice, it's got character.

-Excellent.

-Yes.

-Well, on that happy note, let's find out

whether the auctioneer thinks it's got character.

-OK, Caroline, take a deep breath.

-Thank you.

Chromium-plated, all the chrome's rubbed off the back.

I'm not so sure about the military.

Plastic replacement glass... There's a few issues with that.

Well, there are a few issues,

-and one is it's a World War II military-issue pocket watch.

-Is it?

But it's in very bad condition, it's got a lot of wear, here,

at the back, the serial numbers have worn off.

It's, as you say, it does have a replacement "glass",

in inverted commas, to the front.

It is a piece of military,

of which there's a great following for these sort of things

-but the condition is so against it.

-Yes.

Well, you see, the thing is, Natasha, poor old love,

-only had the £25 left.

-Right, OK.

So she's under pressure, she's got £25 burning a hole in her sporran...

-Yeah, yeah.

-And what's she going to do with it?

-Buy a military pocket watch.

-That's clearly what she had a...

-had an ambition to do...

-Right.

..and £25 doesn't buy you much in the way of a military watch,

-does it?

-No, but I think she might just get out of it,

I've put 30 to 50 on it.

-Did you really?

-Mmm, I did.

-Are you feeling OK?

Yeah, I think so, yes.

-Really?

-Yes.

-You don't see it making a £5 note?

-No, I don't think so.

-Why's it military-issue, though?

-Tell me that.

-It's... Well, it's got these crosses on the back, here.

-Yes, it has.

-I'm not so sure, actually.

It is very unlikely to be military,

because military watches, shiny, in a brilliant whatnot,

you take your military watch out, it shines of the chromium plate,

what happens? A German shoots you through the head.

-Yeah.

-Because it sends a little message.

Anything reflective doesn't exist in the military,

-so that's the first thing that makes me feel a bit queer.

-Oh, no...

I don't believe it's military, but for me, it's not,

it doesn't take my military box.

-Right, I'm not a militaria expert by any means, at all.

-All right.

I think it's a bit of a, what they call a DOG.

Talk about dogs, what do you think about the watch?

Oh, he loves it, don't you, darling?

-"Yes, I do."

-Lick it if you don't think it's military.

Anyway, there we go... So, anything could happen, couldn't it, really?

-Yes.

-Are you looking forward to the auction, today, Caroline?

-Very much so, can't wait to get up there.

-We can't wait, either.

110, 120, 130, 140.

Number nine.

-Catherine, Maddie - this is really cool, isn't it?

-Yeah!

-You're pleased about this, aren't you, Catherine?

-Nervous!

-Anything you wish you hadn't bought?

-The cat.

-Don't be mean about the cat!

-I'm sorry!

-The auctioneer's estimate is £10-£20 on the cat.

-That's the second item, so...

-A possible profit, then.

Well, you know, Beswick is sought after stuff,

it's on the internet, I bet you'll be perfectly all right.

Anyway, the first item is the old boar - or the not so old boar -

and here it comes.

What's this worth? £10.

Oh, straight in, madam - you know a bore, don't you? £10!

All done at... 12... All over, lots of them!

10, 12, 14, 16, 18...

Keep going! 20! 22,

24, 26, 28,

30, 32, 34...

32 with you, sir.

-Are we done...?

-£32, I don't believe it!

-Good Lord!

-40.

42, 44.

Are we done at 42? Yes, we are.

Plus £32!

Nothing boring about that!

-So who was responsible?

-Me!

-"Me!"

-I'm taking that one!

-Now, next!

Beswick, here we come.

What's this worth?

Let's start it - £20 to start.

£20. I thought cats would be more popular than pigs.

-£10 for the recumbent cat.

-Come on.

£10 anywhere, surely - speak now.

£10. 12 anywhere?

12 on the net, 14 anywhere?

Come on.

£14, are we done at £14?

CHILD SHOUTS OUT

Definitely! Another shriek! Minus one pound.

-You're still +31.

-Not too bad.

-Yeah.

-OK. +31.

-That's OK.

-Now I'm happy.

Now, white Worcester figures.

Great quality items. £100 to start.

£100, come along, don't be shy.

£100. 80, was that a bid, sir?

Thank you, sir. £80. 85 anywhere?

85. Speak to me.

Are we done at £80?

£80 is £-20, which means you're still £11 up.

Plus £11.

-We're going to argue now!

-Are you?

-What, about this shoehorn?

-Yeah!

-You don't like it?

-I want to go for it.

-Maddie doesn't?

-Maddie wants to end in profit.

-I do.

You don't think that shoehorn will bring more than £25?

-I'm becoming more and more convinced.

-That it won't or it will?

It will. It's endearing itself to me.

Well, what we want is terms of endearment.

No, seriously - YOU want to go with it - what do you think, Maddie?

-I'll go with it, go on, then.

-We're going with the Bonus Buy.

That's brilliant.

Now you've decided to go with the Bonus Buy,

I can tell you the auctioneer's estimate, which is

£60-£80.

She thinks it's worth 60 to 80, so we're going to cross our legs,

more than anything else.

Let's cross our legs now. Here we go.

What's this worth? £30 to go.

Yes. £30 on the net, straight in.

35 anywhere? 35. You like it too, sir. I can see that.

He does!

-He's nobody's fool.

-He's grinning.

50, 55, 60.

Well done, Mark.

-You genius.

-70. 75.

No, he's shaking his head.

Go on, you're allowed. 75?

No? Go on! No?

75 on the net - you missed out, 75.

80 anywhere?

£75 on the net, it's not a lot for a lot of sauce!

75, all done, at 75.

Well done! Now, we can uncross our legs,

that's perfect. That's +50, OK?

You are +61. Now, that is, girls, just super. Well done, Mark.

-Well done.

-But the thing is, will it be a winning score?

-Hope so!

Well! We'll find out in a minute, won't we?

Don't say a word to the Blues, all right? So, congratulations.

-Thank you!

-Very, very good result.

-Now, Gemma, Andrew. Do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

Would you like to know how they got on?

-They gave us evil looks when they walked past.

-Evil looks?

-Those girls wouldn't give you evil looks!

-Oh, they did!

-Did they?!

Now listen, the hinged box

-with the frog... £40 you paid for that.

-Yes.

-The auctioneer has estimated that at £20-£40.

-OK.

-Here it comes.

It's a lovely little thing, £20?

That's straight in, Sir - thank you. 20. 22 anywhere?

22, 24, 26, 28,

30, 32, 34...

You're shaking your head the wrong way.

32 at the back. 34 anywhere?

£32, are we done at 32?

No, no, no!

Yes, we are.

-Just shy.

-We can do that, we can do that! That's fine.

--8.

It's a minor loss. A minor loss. A temporary aberration.

Lot 103 is this gorgeous Sorrento marquetry oval tray -

what's this worth? £40?

20 to go? Thank you, straight in. 22 anywhere?

Thank you.

All over - 22, 24, 26, 28, 30,

32, 34, 36, 38, 40,

42, 44, 46, 48, 50,

55, 60, 60?

65. 65 on my left,

all done at £65...?

-How about that?!

-Plus £20!

-Peaks and troughs!

-That's £20. You are plus £12, kids. Now the big one.

-Can we go home now?

-No! Now the big one.

It's a very, very impressive Japanese Satsuma ware vase

and lid with a with a dog and Fo finial to the top -

now, what's this worth?

-£100 to go.

-Come on!

£100. 80 to go.

£80, thank you on the internet.

£85 in the room. 90 anywhere?

-Dear, oh, dear.

-Come on!

-95. 100.

-Yep, 110. 120.

-They're still going.

110 in the room, 120 anywhere?

Come on, come on.

110 in the room, don't be shy,

-120 anywhere?

-Go on!

-Are we done?

She's delaying and delaying! Was that a bid, sir?

Just adjusting your hat. Very wise!

110, 120 on the net. 130 anywhere?

-Come on, Japan!

-Come on.

-Are we done at £120?

-Oh, Lordy.

-All done at 120...

-I can't bear it.

GAVEL BANGS

£120 - you tried so hard.

-70. That means you are -58.

-Scary.

-That's OK.

That doesn't sound too bad when you say it quickly.

That is a dirty shame, you know.

It's a dirty shame. Anyway...

Let's park that.

-What are we going to do about the pocket watch?

-We really like it.

-You're going to do it? £25, have a go at that?

-Yeah.

-OK, fine.

Now you've made your decision, you're going to go with it,

-she liked it, too. She put £30-£50 on it.

-That's great!

-The estimate is good, here it comes.

-What's this worth?

20 to go for the pocket watch.

£20 - come along, it's for nowt.

£10 for the pocket watch.

Thank you, Sir - very wise. £10,

12 anywhere?

12. 14, 16, 18... No?

16 at the back. 18. 20.

22, 24... No.

22 on my left...

24 anywhere?

-We need two more!

-£22.

-No, come on!

24, 26...

-Yes!

-Anything we do now...!

26 in the room, are we done at 26...

-28, from the net.

-Oh!

30, 32.

32, hurry up, internet.

30 in the room, are we done at £30?

Plonk!

£30, there you go.

Minus £53, very brave.

Anyway, could be a winning score.

You never know your luck!

Well, what a happy programme we've had today, haven't we?

It's been great.

But how can there be such a chasm of difference

when it comes to results between teams shopping in the same

place and selling in the same saleroom?

And the team that are behind by a big wallop today...

The runners-up are the Blues.

Minus 53, OK?

-Which is a big number, isn't it, really?

-It is bad.

You made £20 on that lovely Sorrento tray, which is

a good result, which is absolutely marvellous,

and that wretched Japanese pot let you down with the -70.

I mean, I loved it, actually,

-I can't understand why it made such a miserable amount.

-I loved it, too.

You went with the Bonus Buy, which was the wise move.

Natasha came up with a fiver on that, even though

I was extremely rude about it! What do I know?!

Nothing. That's great.

-Well, it's not so great, really!

-But thank you!

-It was a glorious defeat.

-What's great is that you came on the show.

-It's been fun.

-And you've had a nice time.

-It's been great.

Could have gone either way.

You took your risk and sadly,

-Japanese Satsuma was not your friend.

-Out in a blaze of fire.

Blaze being the operative word,

because the Reds are going home with £61 - how cool is that?

So how can they lose over 50 and you get to take home 61 smackers,

Catherine?

Mainly because your boar did so well,

which I was very rude about, plus £32 on that.

And then, Mark Stacey coming through with the saucy bit

of Victorian girl's leg,

which made a profit of £50 - that helped, too, didn't it?

-A real roller-coaster, just the best.

-Yes, really good.

-Good.

-Are you going to take up antique-dealing, you two?

-Definitely!

-I think that would be a risk!

-You think it would be a risk?!

-SHE should, maybe!

-Well, there you go! We've had a lovely day.

In fact, why don't you join us soon for some more bargain-hunting, yes?

ALL: Yes!