Builth Wells 1 Bargain Hunt

Builth Wells nestles in Powys,

the largest county in Wales,

astride the River Wye.

Why are we here today?

Well, let's find out.

Let's go Bargain Hunting, yeah.

Here we are at the Royal Welsh Showground, surrounded by hundreds

and hundreds of stalls.

Spoilt for choice, you might say.

Well, here's a snippet as to what's coming up.

Reds get their wires crossed...

He's hung up on you! He's hung up on you!

He's hung up on you!

..Blues have a confession...

I'm not very good with antiques, whereas I think something just

-looks nice.

-Then why are you on an antiques programme?

-I don't know!

Quite! ..and there are ups and downs at the auction.

£20, and down here, I'm bid.

On Bargain Hunt today, it's all about the sisterhood.

For the Reds, we have very, very, very best friends,

Ruby and Evie,

and for the Blues, we have the sisters Jackie and Elaine.

-Hello, everyone!

-Hello.

-Hello.

Now, Ruby, you graduated last year,

but you love university so much, you haven't been able to leave?

Yeah. Basically, I got elected into one of the seven sabbatical officer

positions we have at Warwick,

and I'm the sports officer.

Are you? So, what did you have to do to get elected?

-A week of very hard campaigning.

-Was it?

24/7. Literally the best week, but the hardest week of my life.

And then the result on the Friday night was obviously brilliant.

Well, great fun. It says here you like to collect. What do you collect?

I've always been a bit of a collector. Even when

I was a young kid, I used to love Pokemon cards which

isn't very girlie, and then some different trading cards as I got

older. So, yeah, I've always had an interest in little things, mainly.

So, you're going to love our £300 today...

-Yeah!

-..and heading out?

-Yes.

Now, Evie, it says here that you are a very safe pair of hands.

Is that right?

You could say that, yes.

I've played women's rugby for a few years now.

-I play for Bristol Ladies at the moment...

-Good for you!

..and also for Newport Gwent Dragons.

But your new professional path is opening up in front of you.

Tell us about that.

So, I started a midwifery degree, last September.

Gosh! What got you going with midwifery, then?

Well, I've always been a bit obsessed with babies

and pregnancy, to which Ruby can...

-Attest?

-..attest, yes.

And it's nice to just do something where you're helping people.

What's the best bit so far? Have you been to many births?

-I've delivered two babies now...

-Really?

-..which is amazing.

-It was incredible.

-Did you cry?

No. I was expecting that I would be in floods of tears

and find it really emotional. I don't know, I was just...

-Quite cool about it?

-..quite serene.

-Are you looking forward to this Bargain Hunting business?

-I am.

-Can't wait.

-OK, great. Nor can we. And very good luck.

-Now, girls. Jackie.

-Hello.

It says here you are very sporty. Is that right?

Yes. I absolutely adore sport.

Always have, although I didn't play rugby.

I've done over 100 marathons.

-You never have!

-Long-distance runner.

I did ultra marathons and running in Conways in

South Africa, when I was as a sister in theatres, working in Africa.

-What are your knees like?

-They're good.

-Are they?

Isn't that marvellous?

-Do all those marathons and still have good knees!

-At the moment!

So, what greatness did you achieve in your running career?

I did run with the elite women in the London Marathon,

and I actually won the Weston-super-Mare Marathon.

Were you wearing a tutu at the time?

-No.

-Brilliant!

And Elaine, you share your sister's love of sport?

No, sorry. I'm not sporty at all.

-You're not?

-No.

-You do a bit of dancing, though, don't you?

-Well, that was quite some while back.

-OK.

I won't give you any of my moves!

-Why not? Let's just have one move.

-No!

-OK.

-I used to do disco dancing.

-Yes.

-And I've got medals for that.

-Have you got your own glitter ball?

Not at the moment, no. I might find one in the fair!

Well, you might do, mightn't you? I did the other day. Yeah, great.

Now, the money moment. Look, girls. 300 smackers. There you go.

You're looking forward to this. You know

the rules. Your experts await and off you go.

Very, very, very good luck. Gosh!

Rugby players...

long-distance runners.

Whatever next?

Cracking teams! But what about those experts?

BAND-ing together with the Reds... it's Philip Serrell.

Ahoy there, shipmates. Blues have Ben Cooper.

So, have you two got a plan?

Not really.

I'm quite excitable and Evie calms me down.

Have you got any idea what you want to buy today?

Well, first and foremost,

I'd like to buy windscreen wipers for my glasses.

We both quite like maps

and globes, and that kind of thing.

-I'd like to buy something for the kitchen.

-The kitchen?

-Yeah.

-Something nice and old.

-Right.

Right, then, teams. Your time starts now.

Let's go Bargain Hunting.

Hey! You get your own catchphrase.

They are dangerous with those things.

Head in out of the rain and get stuck in, girls.

-Do you like the wheelbarrow?

-I'm not a fan. No.

-They make great loo roll holders.

-WOMEN LAUGH

I just think they're a bit plain, not very exciting.

Yeah, I think you can find me more exciting things,

-something a bit quirky.

-Yes.

-OK.

-A ballot box?

-A ballot box.

-Parliamentary election.

-County of Lancaster.

That's all very well, but we are going to be selling in Shrewsbury.

-Hmm.

-The nays have it.

What about that sort of Staffordshire pottery,

-that one there, that's quite nice.

-The Lorna Bailey.

-Lorna Bailey, is that...?

-Yeah, Lorna Bailey, it's modern.

I mean, it is... I think she's stopped producing now.

It started off really as

an affordable way to buy an Art Deco look,

but now a lot of the prices are certainly way up there

because certain designs were only produced for a very short time.

-What do you think, Elaine?

-I quite like that.

-Out of those, I like that.

-I like that one best.

As you can see, it's very clean.

Lorna Bailey doesn't claim to be old,

it's not trying to be a fake

and when you look at it, you see it's £80.

-What is the lowest you would do on this, please?

-DEALER:

-I'd do it 70.

At auction, I think it could be difficult to get the money back,

but at the same time, it is very difficult to get hold of, so...

Will they put it on hold? That might be our last-minute run back.

Might well be.

Well, if anyone can do any running, it's you, Jackie.

Now it seems Phil has taken his girls into a world of boys' toys.

-That's wicked!

-What is it?

That's a beam engine. But it is also £650.

Remember, they only have £300, Phil.

-You like the cars and the buses and things, yeah?

-Yeah.

-I like the bus and I like the Morgan.

-I like the Morgan too.

Is that a Morgan? Well, it's a lovely old car, isn't it?

I think that might be a bit out of our price range,

-but shall be have a look and see?

-Yeah.

How much is your...whatever it is, good sir, please?

-DEALER:

-£1,200.

See, I thought we needed to start saving, didn't we?

It's a very rare item, it's the only car

-that was ever produced in the '30s with a female driver.

-Wow!

-That's lovely, isn't it? And very apt for us.

-I like that, yeah.

-But just a touch out of our price range.

-Ever so slightly.

-Is the bottom shelf more in our price range?

-Yes.

So, how much would that be?

-950.

-Right. And that?

-50.

-OK. What about the petrol pumps?

-A tenner each.

-Do you like the petrol pumps?

-Yeah, they're quite cute.

-Do you like them?

-Yeah, I think they're a bit different.

See, I'm thinking that if we bought one, two, three...

-Could we have three for 20?

-DEALER:

-Yeah.

-Do you like those three for 20 quid?

-Yeah, I think they're cute.

I like the red, blue, green.

Yeah, and we've got three different brands of petroleum.

Yeah, I like that. What date are they from, then?

I would think these are perhaps '30s, are they, or later?

-DEALER:

-They are more likely '50s.

'50s, just post-war. And that was in the days when petrol was probably...

It was sold by the octane, not the star, and I bet it was probably...

I don't know, sixpence a gallon or something.

-Ah, the good old days!

-And they are £20, yeah?

-Yeah, I'm happy with that.

-OK. You're a lovely, lovely man.

-Thank you very much.

-DEALER:

-What I'll do is...

-We can keep the box?

-That's ever so kind, thank you very much.

-I think he's done us proud, don't you?

-Yes.

Well done, Reds. First buy in 15 minutes.

Time you weighed up your options, eh, Blues?

-I actually like this a lot.

-You like this a lot?

Yes, very much, but what do you think?

-I like it.

-I think it's great. When you look down here...

And we are obviously pre-decimalisation...

I'm amazed that glass is there.

It's so clean I thought the glass had gone!

-It's the first thing that goes, is the glass.

-Yeah, that's right.

And the other thing, because it is enamelled,

is that very often, you know, you get chips.

This would have been sitting in a shop somewhere

and it would have been bashed and bished,

which is quite a miracle really.

And Avery, one of the biggest scale manufacturers.

What sort of price would you charge us on that, please?

-Well, it's 55 on it. I could do...

-Could we get really, really low now?

We desperately want to win this!

-I can do it for 40.

-You can do 40?

-That's the very best.

-I think that is being very generous.

-Yes, I think so too.

What do you think? Go for it?

-Time is running on.

-I think we should go for it as well.

-There we go, that was nice and easy.

-Thank you kindly.

Thank you very much.

Great! That's balanced things up. One item apiece.

I really like that skeleton painting up there, that's cool.

-I think that's cool.

-Painting, poster?

-Do you?

-Yeah.

This sort of medical stuff is actually quite sought-after.

I think that would do reasonably well at auction.

Why, I don't know, but it's quite a cool thing, isn't it?

Yeah, I like it. I can see it in some trendy...

The only thing we need to look at is how old it is

and, actually, I tell you what, it's brand new. 2003.

-Yeah.

-We've...

-Doesn't it pay to look?

-Doesn't it?

-Doesn't it pay to look?

So, all of these clearly haven't got that much age, have they?

-No, which is a shame because they're nice, but...

-Absolutely.

That's the thing with antiques fairs,

they are often filled with modern stuff masquerading as old staff.

THEME MUSIC: Steptoe And Son

-Oh, that's unusual. What is it? Is it meant to be...?

-Faces, isn't it?

Well, there we go. It's Oriental, obviously.

There's a Chinese mark. I wouldn't say he's got great age to him.

He's wanting to be old.

When we don't know what something is,

we refer to it as being a spurious mark.

It's an archaic Chinese script,

which is probably trying to say

that it's from the Ming Dynasty.

It clearly is not.

I just like it cos it's quirky. Is that the hear no evil, see no evil?

-It's not that thing, is it?

-It's got four.

-Four faces, so it's not.

And no monkeys.

THEY LAUGH

Just as well you're here, then, Ben, isn't it?

Right, teams, 25 minutes gone, 35 minutes to go.

See, I really like...

I really, really like these. Do you like them?

Yeah, but they haven't got a bottom.

No, that would be called a house.

No, I just think they'd be quite cool in the garden.

Yeah, but you can't put flowers in them

because they haven't got a bottom.

Yeah, but if you put them on the ground,

they wouldn't need a bottom, would they?

Yeah, but you couldn't move them.

-We don't like them.

-We don't like them.

Do you ever get the feeling that you're outvoted here?

Go on, off you go.

Always pays to know when you're beaten, Phil.

Ben, how are you feeling with your girls?

-What about the cat?

-Right, they're Poole.

Pretty expensive, aren't they, for both of them?

Well, the thing is, again, it's down...

Like we had with the Lorna Bailey earlier

is that with the collectable names,

then they are going to be...

They are what people want, so they are going to be more money.

What sort of money could we get off of those, possibly?

I'd do 30.

I'm not feeling the love.

LAUGHTER

-I don't really like cats.

-Well, if you don't really like cats...

So, Elaine doesn't like cats

but Evie has spotted something on their wish list.

-A globe!

-That would be out of our price range, I think.

-75.

-75?!

I really...

I like this bit around the edge, it's really pretty.

-This is a little bit damaged.

-Is that star signs?

This has got no age at all.

These are called table globes

and what I love about things like this is that, in the 18th century,

Richard Cary who was a map-maker to King George III,

he made table globes and you get terrestrial and celestial globes.

Terrestrial are of the Earth

and celestial are of the sky.

And what I think is just great about globes is,

let's just say Tasmania isn't discovered,

so you buy your globe,

then through the post you get a bit of paper with Tasmania on it

-with instructions as to where to stick it.

-Really?

-That's cool!

Yeah, I just love all that sort of stuff.

It's not too old, is it?

-No, but it's...

-It's got a look, hasn't it?

-It's got a look about it.

-Yeah.

-And what's the best price you could do that for, my dear?

I've got it at 75. Erm...

I could do it for 60?

-Shall we have a think about it?

-Yeah, we'll have a think.

Yeah, I wouldn't think for too long, though, team.

Just over 25 minutes left. Did you hear that, Blues?

-Are you throwing a curveball at me and looking at glass?

-Yes.

-I actually like those ones there.

-The cranberry?

-Right.

There we go. So that's Royal Scot cranberry glass.

It's obviously not particularly old,

it's not a Victorian piece of cranberry -

they didn't have stickers back then.

-THEY LAUGH

-But it's not a lot of money at £10.

-What do you think, Elaine?

-Do you think that that's a pair?

Well, they're both from the same... from the same factory.

And so...

Yes, I mean, you could... With the money in them,

you could buy them as a pair and put them together as one lot.

-Decisions, decisions, girls.

-Elaine, what do you think of that?

-I really like that.

-I prefer that as well.

Let's get that one out. Right.

-You can see it's moulded glass.

-I like that.

-It's very pretty.

-It's French, it's very pretty,

it's useful as well, it's something which...

Often with things now, people like to buy things that they can use

-and when they're not being used, they look nice.

-Yes.

-And £25 is not a lot of money.

-No. It is a bit much.

-How much...?

-What's your best?

-DEALER:

-22.

-You can do 22.

-Can we ask for a little bit more on that? 15?

-I'll do 20 and that's it.

20. Well, the lady has given more than 10%, I think that's very fair.

-I think that's very fair.

-Are you happy with it?

-Yes, happy with that.

-Thanks, Ben. Will we say yes?

-Lovely, thank you.

Thank you kindly.

Well done, Blues. Second buy from a camera-shy dealer.

-What else grabs your fancy?

-Those phones are really cool.

I like the bright coloured ones. That purple one is really cool.

-I quite like the clear-through one.

-Very '90s.

-Which one do you like?

-Do you want to buy a phone?

-Maybe. I like how they've got places on them.

-I didn't realise that was a thing.

-Where's Ellon, then?

-I've no idea.

Let me help you. It's in north-east Scotland.

So you like that one, you like that one

and I like that one.

How is this going to work, then? One each?

PHONE RINGS

Oh!

-So, what's your best price?

-Is that Sid?

-It's Sid.

-He's saying £40.

-£40.

-What do you reckon?

-Not too bad.

If you smile at him nicely, he'll do £35.

He's hung up on you! He's hung up on you! He's hung up on you!

MUSIC: Hung Up by Madonna

Now, my knowledge of telephones is somewhat limited.

Which of these is going to sell better at auction?

I think I'd probably say the orange one.

-I've an orange one the side of my bed like that.

-Really?

-But I've got a purple one in the kitchen.

-Really?

-Yeah.

I think we need to buy one and leave very quickly.

-Let's go with the orange.

-Yeah, orange.

We'll have the orange one, thank you very much.

-And thank you for looking after us.

-Thank you, yeah.

-Thanks.

So, with just over ten minutes left, the Reds ENGAGE their second buy. Ha!

I quite like that microscope. Do you like that sort of thing?

They are a very specialist thing

and so if you are going into an auction,

if you've got a specialist auction for scientific instruments,

then, yes, the buyers are going to be there

and what I do know with things like microscopes,

it's all down to the manufacturer. I've got to confess,

my knowledge on microscope manufacturers is not at the top.

OK, we'll move on.

-Now, what has Phil spotted?

-I love all this stuff.

There's great bits of social history. That's a wool bowl.

When the lady of the house sat knitting,

you put your ball of wool in there and however much you yank it,

the wool ball just spins round and round

and she can pull her wool ball.

That is a thing called a finger carrot.

You take the top off, put talcum powder in it

and then you could put it down the finger of the lady's glove,

shake the talcum powder out and she can pull it on.

They are not convinced, Phil.

There's so many things, I've just lost it now.

-Your brain is beginning to melt.

-Yeah, I'm getting overload.

-Getting overload.

-And I'm not very good with antiques,

whereas I think if something just looks nice...

-Then why are you on an antiques programme?!

-I don't know!

-Meanwhile...

-This is a sewing clamp,

so that would clamp on to your table.

That's a spice tower over there.

Is there anything on the table that you really would

-like to have a go at? You don't like the...?

-Hmm.

Right, OK, thank you very much, good sir, thank you.

It was worth a go, Phil.

And with six minutes left, have the Blues found their final item?

-I like the lamp.

-The miner's lamp. It is an unusual...

-That's what you were saying.

-..an unusual model.

There we go, so it's got all the right bits we want to see.

CEAG lamp, whatever that means.

-It's a British patent, it's got its trademark.

-I like that.

-You like that?

-Yeah, I really do like that.

It's obviously been cleaned up because it would have been used.

A lot have been reproduced. I don't believe this is in any way.

Now, this is obviously somebody's number,

where it was D/72/B.

And it's been cleaned back.

You can't actually fake that kind of look.

It's all part of that wonderful word we use in the trade - patination.

And this is obviously...

It's a battery one by the feel of things. There we go.

-Oh, wow!

-Yeah, but could you use it now?

You can! There are specialist firms

who do create the batteries for them.

-I mean, it's not sporty.

-No, or silver.

-Or silver.

But it's local to Wales. It's a miner's lamp and that means a lot.

Check out the price.

I'll ask them what sort of price it is, if we can get a bit of a deal.

-What can you do on it? You've got 48.

-What's your best price?

35 would be the very best.

-35.

-What do you think on that?

-Well, that is a very generous discount.

-It is a generous discount.

-Can we shake hands, say thank you so much?

-Well done. Third and final buy.

-And we can go now and drink coffee.

-Drink coffee! Marvellous! Warm up. Right.

-Excellent.

OK, Reds, one item left and three minutes to go!

-I'm getting a bit nervous.

-Yeah, so am I.

-We're chatting quite a lot.

-So am I.

-You've got the globe here at 60.

-I like that.

We said we wanted a globe, didn't we?

Yeah, we said we wanted a globe, we saw a globe,

we should probably get the globe.

I know it's not very old but I do think it is quite nice.

-It's nice and decorative.

-Globe it is, then.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

See what we can do.

You'll need to be quick, girls.

To give you a chance, I'll do it for 50.

-Oh, that would be amazing.

-Yeah?

-Shall we go for it?

Yeah, I think so, I really like that. Yeah, we'll take that, please.

-Thank you.

-Thank you. Thank you.

HORN BLOWS Right.

That's it, time's up.

-So you got it, then?

-Yes.

-£60?

-50.

-Skilful girls.

-Yeah?

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

They raced off with the set of three die-cast model petrol pumps for £20.

They dialled up £40 for the bright orange rotary telephone.

Finally, they bought the terrestrial table globe for £50.

-Well, girls, that seemed like fun. Was it?

-Yeah, it was great fun.

What did you finish up by spending in total in the end?

-We spent 110 in the end.

-Did you?

-Yup.

OK, £110. I'd like £190 of leftover lolly, please.

-There you are.

-Thank you, but before I give it to

Philip Serrell, Roobs, I want to know, what's your favourite piece?

Well, I'm really fond of the phone that we bought, I really like that.

-And, Evie, do you agree?

-Yeah, I like the phone.

But I do really like the globe, that is definitely my favourite.

These are just personal favourites.

Which is going to bring the biggest profit?

-I think the little petrol pumps.

-Yeah.

-The petrol pumps?

OK, lovely predictions. Anyway, my friend, £190.

Have you any idea what you're going to do now?

No, but I'll get the bottom of something.

Ah, there could be a hint there.

Anyway, happy days.

Right now, though, why don't we check out what the Blue team bought, eh?

After weighing up the Avery shop scales, it cost them £40.

They dished out £20 for the modern glass bowl.

Lastly, the battery-powered miner's safety lamp was unearthed for £35.

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

-It is. It's great.

Somebody told me that your expenses were paltry, is that right?

It was, but we've bought some wonderful items so cheaply

so as we can get the golden gavel.

Here we go, it's all strategy with you, Jackie, isn't it?

-Anyway, Elaine, which is your favourite piece?

-The scales.

-And do you agree, the scales?

-No, definitely not.

It's the miner's lamp.

Are your scales going to weigh in a profit?

-They're going to bring in a huge profit.

-Are they? Do you agree?

-No.

No. Not as much as the lamp.

Please may I have £205 of leftover lolly, please?

-Thank you, 205. Over to our man.

-Thank you very much.

-You could buy half of that fair out there with £205.

-I could try.

I do hope you're going to spend a lot.

I'll see what I can do but I can't promise it.

-OK.

-I'm going to find something which will,

I don't know, maybe show the quirk of the girls, possibly.

That covers a very, very, very, very broad brush.

Anyway, good luck with that.

Meanwhile, we're heading off somewhere absolutely splendido.

From Builth Wells, it's a quick jaunt

across the Welsh border into Shropshire.

Although nature has softened the landscape over time,

it's still somewhat incredible that such a beautiful county can

lay claim to being the very birthplace

of the Industrial Revolution.

At the start of the 18th century, the first large-scale production

of cast iron was perfected by Abraham Darby the first,

and that led to this -

the world's first iron bridge, constructed in 1779 and it stands

today as a lasting testament to the enterprise and vision of the time.

Darby perfected the secret of smelting iron with cheap

and plentiful coal instead of the more laborious and expensive

charcoal, a development that was about to change the world ever.

To find out more, I'm here at the Museum of Iron to talk to

Tamsin Bapty, the curator of library and archives.

So how did the bridge come to be built here specifically?

Well, very simply. Broseley, on the south side of the river

and Madeley, on the north side, were very busy industrial centres

but there was no link between them.

You had to go two-and-a-half miles down the road to cross the river

and that made transporting raw materials very difficult.

Having a bridge across the river made it much easier to

transport carriages and heavy loads like limestone and iron ore.

-So how was the bridge paid for, Tamsin?

-Well, Tim,

the bridge was actually paid for by a consortium of subscribers.

These included local landowners and local business owners.

Right, and they somehow cobbled together a design, did they?

No, Tim. Actually, in 1773,

the Shrewsbury architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard

actually put forward three designs for the iron bridge.

-And these are they, are they?

-And these are those, yes.

And, as you can see, three very different designs.

How do you possibly pick one or other of those?

It had to be a single-span bridge, for a start, to let

the Severn trows, the barges, get underneath it.

So, effectively, Pritchard based his designs on existing

masonry bridges and carpentry bridges as well.

But what was eventually built?

Well, Tim, actually what we ended up with was a bridge which really used

elements from all three of Pritchard's design.

So we can see the roundels here, which were

featuring in the second design, and the sort of jigsaw effect

on the castings here, which is very similar to the third design.

But it's much lighter and airier and more spindly, somehow, isn't it?

That's right, yes. I mean,

cast iron is actually very brittle under tension, so basically they had

to join together about 800 separate parts to make this bridge strong.

Gosh, it's a marvellous thing.

And, of course, it's stood the test of time, Tamsin, hasn't it?

Indeed, Tim, yes.

In fact, not long after it was built, there was a great storm,

a great flood in Ironbridge and many of the bridges

across the Severn were swept away

but it was said that the iron bridge actually

raised its head above the torrent and stood firm against the storm.

TIM CHUCKLES Well, that's marvellous, isn't it?

Thank you very much for explaining for us a little more, Tamsin.

I think right now, though, we should shove off to the auction

and find out who is going to raise their head with pride

and - who knows? - even make a profit.

If you were a crow and you were in Builth Wells,

you'd fly about 60 miles

and eventually you would come across Shrewsbury, which is what we've done.

How lovely to come to Halls' marvellous saleroom

on the outskirts of Shrewsbury to be with Jeremy Lamond.

-Jeremy, good morning.

-Welcome, Tim, nice to see you.

Yup, I'm a worn-out crow. Anyway, here we go.

Ruby and Evie, our lovely youngsters,

they went, or were rather steered by Philip Serrell, into the petrol

pumps in an incomplete box that has nothing to do with the petrol pumps.

They look a bit play-worn

but I suppose there are collectors for these, are there?

Yeah, there are. I mean, it would be nice to be in the right box,

which they aren't, of course, they're in a Frog aeroplane box.

-They're a little bit chipped but...

-Aren't we all?

-..they're fine.

-For how much?

-10 to 20.

-OK, £20 paid, so that's in the frame.

Now, do you remember telephones like this when you were a kid?

Only in a creamy yellow, not in that two-colour way.

I mean, that looks like a 1970s orange, doesn't it?

Yeah, we're getting towards the psychedelic colours here, aren't we?

-Yeah, we are.

-Uranium orange and magnolia, an unusual combo.

But on trend today, what?

Well, now it would be called mid-century modern.

When I was a kid it was called a telephone, so...

Anyway, moving on, how much is it worth?

I think 10 to 20, possibly more

-because of the two-colour effect of it.

-OK. £40 paid.

Now, the last thing is this table globe and half of me

wants to open this up and discover a small cocktail cabinet inside

because that's the sort of period of this thing, isn't it?

Well, I mean, it's really got a late '70s, early '80s look to it.

It's in pretty poor condition, really.

Well, anyway, the contestants really wanted a globe

and they were pushed and they didn't think it was very old, so...

That does affect the value,

though, cos the early ones make lots of money, don't they?

Very much so. Several years ago, we did sell one for about 12,000

but this isn't in that bracket, shall we say.

-Moving on quickly, what's it worth?

-10 to 20.

-OK, fine, £50 paid.

So that could be their comeuppance and, if it is, they're going to

need their bonus buy, so let's go and have a look at it.

-Well, girls, this is exciting, isn't it?

-Yes.

What did the silver fox Philip Serrell go out

with £190 of your leftover lolly and finally pick?

Do you ever get that sense of deja vu?

Oh!

That be a chimney pot, that be.

Yeah, well, it be one of four and you've seen these clearly

and I knew that you were so overwhelmed -

or was it underwhelmed? - with them. They're great things.

£110 for four, make great garden plant...

You're just not impressed, are you? You're really, really not impressed.

-I'm glad you got four.

-Yeah.

-I think that's nice.

-Yeah.

All four, I thought they'd just make funky garden planters, you know.

Out on the patio, that sort of thing.

Period-wise, Phil, when do they come from?

I would think these are about 1880-1890, perhaps a little later.

I think they're going to make between 100 and 150 quid,

that's what I think.

Yeah, I think they're a clever buy

if the right person's in the room, but you never know, do you?

-We'll read the room, I think.

-Yeah.

-PHIL AND TIM:

-"Read the room!"

THEY LAUGH

Anyway, super duper. Well done, girls.

Right now, though, for the audience at home,

let's find out whether our auctioneer can read the room.

Well, I know you're potty about pots

-because ceramics is your favourite subject, Jeremy.

-Absolutely.

But I guess chimney pots are not the thing that ignites you.

I think we see too many of them for me to be ignited by a chimney pot.

Erm...

They will sell for £30-50. You've got four of them.

I hope their profit doesn't go up in smoke.

Hmm. £110 was paid by Philip Serrell.

I think I'm going to have to be forcing the bids today.

When has life ever changed, J?

With any luck, the team won't go with the bonus buy and they'll be OK.

Now, Jackie and Elaine.

Passionate about kitchenalia, they went with the Avery scales.

Well, the thing about the Avery scales is the condition.

A lot of these are heavy use items. The enamel is chipped.

This one isn't.

The only problem with it, if there is one, is it's huge.

Imagine where you'd put it in a kitchen.

It's more of a retailer's set of scales than anything else.

-No grams on it so that's not good for the metric youngster.

-That suits me!

-OK, so what's it worth, then?

-20-30.

-OK.

£40 paid so that could be a problem.

Erm, the glass bowl in the Lalique style. Any good?

Yeah, I think Lalique would be

spinning in his grave to know that this is in his style.

I think it's a long way south of his style, really.

-£10 or £20, really.

-Oh, dear, that bad? They only paid £20.

They thought it was practical and that's what it is.

And lastly, we've got

this wee lamp which I know is the sort of thing that you adore.

Well, it's a safety lamp, isn't it?

Because it covers the flame and so, of course, in the old days

they had naked lamps and you could run into the gas in a tunnel

and blow the place up, so they eventually covered them

and that's why it's called a safety lamp.

This one was designed in 1912 following a government competition

-for a new safety lamp by CEAG of Barnsley.

-Oh, right.

They won £600 making this and by 1919,

-they'd made half a million of them.

-Gosh.

So that will tell you that it's not a rare safety lamp, sadly,

but collectable perhaps.

-So what's it worth, then?

-£10 or £20.

-OK. £35 paid.

There are a number of dark holes in this team's items

and I think almost certainly they're going to need their bonus buy,

so let's go and have a look.

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

-It is.

-Great. Now, £95 is all you spent.

Miserable! But you gave £205 to big Ben. What did you buy, Ben?

Well, I was hunting for something quirky.

Went back to some of the things you looked at and they'd sold.

But then I had a little urge to actually buy something real

and antique, so I found...

a pearlware teapot.

With no lid.

LAUGHTER

Gosh, you're a sharp girl!

But what do you think I paid for it?

Fiver?

I think you're being a bit rude.

I tried to spend more money, but I actually got it for £20.

But bearing in mind that this teapot dates from around 1810-1820,

so it's knocking on a bit.

And it's got lovely decoration all the way round

and now a lot of people use them

decoratively as vases for flowers and things like that.

So how much do you think it'll make in the auction?

Well, I would hope that it should make somewhere...

30 to 40-ish, something like that.

Anyway, that's it for now because you pick later, but for our audience

at home, let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Ben's pot.

OK, J. Give us your worst on that. Is it pearlware?

Well, it is pearlware,

in that pearlware is a finish on a light earthenware.

The potters, thinking that they were making Chinese porcelain,

put a drop of cobalt in the glaze

to make it look like Chinese blue and white.

That's why it's got this little blue-ish tinge.

I would say that this is about 1800-1820.

What's nice about it, even though it's got no lid,

is that it is bordered with this blue border here,

so I personally could live without a lid cos I've got a border instead.

It's maybe...

Well, it certainly is a teapot

because it's got a grill inside and it's quite decorative.

You could live with that on a high shelf.

-We've got £20-30 on it.

-£20-30.

Well, that's fine because Ben bought it as a bonus buy.

He invested £20 and if you can get £30 or £40 on it,

frankly, you've doubled his money and that's very respectable for the team.

-Well, we'll have a go.

-That's lovely.

Anyway, good luck on the rostrum.

I'm bid £20 already.

30, five, 40, five.

50, five.

Selling at the back of the room at 150.

-Now how are you feeling, girls?

-Excited.

-Are you?

-Nervous.

-Why are you nervous, Evie?

I don't know. I don't think we're going to make much money!

Don't be nervous, Evie.

Just enjoy the experience.

Thank you. First up are your petrol pumps and here they come.

55, the set of three die-cast model petrol pumps - BP, Shell and Esso.

Who's got a tenner for them?

£10? 10 bid at the back of the room. At £10.

At 10. 15, where?

At £10, I'm selling. At £10.

At the very back of the room at £10.

-Is that all?

-Any more? Last chance.

At £10.

Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.

Phil, that's not good. £10. Minus £10.

OK, now, stand by for the phone.

The British model 706 type rotary-dial

telephone in vermillion and cream colourway

is lot 56. Have we any phone bids on this lot?

TIM GUFFAWS

Worth a go, wasn't it? Erm, what about that? Bid me £20 for it. 20?

£20 is bid on the internet. £25 in the room here.

25, 30. At £30.

-35 on the internet. 40, I'll take.

-Oh!

And £35 it is.

40 now, just in time.

In the room at £40. Internet, be quick.

At £40.

OK, £40. It wiped its face.

No shame, no gain.

All right, kids, now the globe.

Cross your legs.

Lot 57,

the oak-framed terrestrial table globe.

What about that? £20 for it?

20 I'm bid. At 20. £20 here on commission.

Commission, that's good.

At £20 it is. At 20. Where's five?

At £20. I'm selling then at £20. All done at £20?

Oh, dear. It didn't go global.

£20.

Minus £30, which means overall, you're minus £40.

It might have been considerably worse.

-It could be worse.

-It might be yet!

-But what it gives you a chance to do is to test our Phil, right?

-Yes.

If you decide that you want to go with the pots.

Well, I'm reading the room.

-And I think we go for it.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

We're going with the bonus buy and here it comes!

OK, 61, the set of four Edwardian terracotta chimney pots.

I'm bid £30.

£30 is bid for these. At 30.

Five, front row. At 35 now.

40 on the internet.

45.

That's cheap. That is cheap.

Selling at 45.

-At £45...

-Phil, you killed us!

-..that's 55. That's minus 65.

-I'm so sorry, girls.

Which equals minus 105, all right?

But I tell you, four pots for £45. I mean, I can't bear it really.

It's all gone up in smoke.

Anyway, you're gorgeous. Thank you very much, both of you.

-Don't say a word to the Blues and we'll crack on, yes?

-Yes.

-Yes!

Now just tell me, how are you feeling?

Erm, well... like as if...we're going to win.

-Oh, you're confident?

-Yeah, that's confidence.

Jackie, that is what I love about you, darling.

You have that innate sense of being here and it's going to be OK, right.

I love it.

Anyway, first lot up is the Avery scales and here they come.

The early-mid 20th century Avery retail scales.

At £20 I'm bid already.

At 20, where's five? At £20. At 20 it is.

25. 30.

Against you. Five. Commission's out.

£35, front row.

Go on, one more.

At £35. Anyone else weighing them up?

At £35. Selling at 35.

Minus £5. It could have been a lot worse.

-Minus £5.

-Went above his estimate as well, though.

Yes. Exactly right. Now here comes your bowl.

77, the modern decorative glass bowl. Here it is, lot 77.

Who's got a tenner for it?

£10? Who's feeling fruity? £10 for it?

-Come on!

-10? It's got to be worth a tenner.

£10? If not, bid me a fiver.

Uh-oh.

£5 for a fruit bowl? Five, go for it.

£5.

-Oh, dear.

-Anybody else? At £5. Selling at £5.

£5 is minus £15 which means you're minus 20.

We might need our bonus buy.

Hang on a minute, here comes the safety lamp.

Lot 78, the British battery-powered miner's safety lamp

by CEAG of Barnsley.

Lot 78, there it is.

Who wants to mine that one for a tenner?

10 at the very back of the room. At £10. At 10. 15 on the net.

20 at the back of the room. At £20.

Selling it, then, £20.

25, just in time on the net.

At £25. Internet bid at 25.

-25.

-25.

25 is minus £10.

You are, girls, overall only minus 30 as a result of that.

-Well, we may go with your bonus buy.

-Yes.

-To try and recover.

Either recover or just sink into oblivion.

-Yeah.

-We've lost anyway, so...

-So that's your decision, is it?

-It is indeed.

-You're happy with that? Yeah. OK.

So we're going to go with the £20 teapot.

Here we go. Here it comes.

82, the pearlware teapot.

Who's going to start me? For £10 only.

10? £10, start me for a tenner.

At £10, the pearlware teapot.

Oh...

It's got to be worth a tenner. £10, the internet thinks so.

At £10. 15, where?

Oh, please!

At £10 it is. At 10. First bid, then, at £10.

Anybody else? Be quick.

£10.

SOBS: I can't believe it!

£10 is minus £10.

-At least everything sold.

-Yes.

It was consistent!

Yeah, everything sold for less than we paid for it.

Never mind. It's minus £40, all right? Oh, well.

But we know, girls, that on another day in another place,

these things could all make a different price.

It's just that today is not your day, all right?

-So don't despair about it.

-We won't.

-Who knows?

Minus £40 could be a winning score.

Say not a word to the Reds and all will be revealed in a moment.

I think you're so brave, girls!

Well, well, well, what fun.

Everybody's smiling, that's the main thing,

-so that means you've not been discussing the scores, yeah?

-No.

Well, there are some remarkable similarities between today's teams.

No team is going home with any money. No team has made a profit on any lot.

None of the bonus buys have done brilliantly,

but apart from that, we've had the most fantastic show, haven't we?

Who cares about cash?

It's so passe, winning with real money, isn't it?

Just a question of the scale of the losses today

and the team with the whopper loss today are the Reds.

-Oh.

-All right?

-Hey!

-But like I said, girls, this is not your fault. It's...

-It's his.

LAUGHTER No, it's not!

Don't be beastly now.

What was the best bit for you? Meeting Phil Serrell?

Well, that, of course.

The phone, which broke even,

because Phil said it wasn't going to do well.

-Yeah.

-I'm a bit smug that it did OK.

Anyway, thank you very much, Phil, for taking part.

-Thanks for looking after our girls.

-Pleasure to work with them.

LAUGHTER

Don't be like that.

Anyway, the victors today, who win by only losing £40.

Which is pretty cool, isn't it? What was the best bit for you, Jackie?

-I think the fact that it wasn't our money.

-Oh, really?

-OK.

-And actually, working with Ben.

-Ah.

-Ben the best.

-Thank you, girls.

OK. Well, we've loved having you on the show.

In fact, apart from looking at our website, you should join us

soon for some more bargain hunting.

Yes? Yes!