Belfast 20 Bargain Hunt

Bargain Hunt is back in Belfast.

A wonderful city, but rich with history, art and culture

and home to some rather talented chaps.

There's Grammy Award-winning Van "The Man" Morrison,

world champion snooker player Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.

But the most prestigious has to be footballing legend George Best.

Let's hope our lot are inspired by his sporting prowess

and let's go bargain-hunting, yeah!

18 miles west of Belfast is Ballinderry Antiques,

the venue for today's fun and games.

Three floors of antiques and collectables

await our lucky contestants today

so, whether they go for a profitable piece of porcelain

or plump for some sterling silver, one thing's for certain,

they only get 60 minutes and £300 to spend.

Let's take a sneaky peek as to what's coming up.

The Blues are positively brimming with excitement.

-..Everything about it.

-Tell me, tell me, tell me! Let's go!

Diddly-dee, diddly-dee.

The Reds, on the other hand, just can't stop squabbling.

Angela, what do you think of that little pocket watch?

-Do you not like it?

-Not overly, no.

-At the auction, it's as unpredictable as ever.

-Yes!

Before all that, let's meet today's teams.

Well, on today's show we have two teams of friends.

For the Reds, we have Angela and Paul and for the Blues, Peter and Leslie.

-Hello, everyone. ALL:

-Hello, Tim!

Now, Angela, your friendship with Paul

has grown out of unusual circumstances.

Yes, indeed. Paul was refurbishing a Georgian house.

My husband and myself, we love old restored buildings

and we were quite keen to have a nosy and have a look around,

so we went to the viewing and within 20 minutes of meeting Paul,

-my husband and him had shook hands and the deal was done.

-Was it?

Mm-hm. Both Paul's wife and my husband, we all love antiques

and going out to shops and stuff and that's how it evolved.

Paul, the building business is your business, isn't it?

-It is, Tim.

-Have you been a builder all your life, Paul?

-More or less. The last 40-odd years.

-Well, that's pretty cool, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is.

-And what bit of the building business do you like most?

I like the old houses.

Well, even Victorian, Georgian, anything like that.

-So, you've done a few, have you?

-Hundreds.

-Hundreds?

-Hundreds.

How are you going to get on as a team, you two?

-Quite well, I think.

-Do you reckon?

-Yeah.

-What are your strengths and weaknesses then, Ange?

-Mm...

-Strengths?

-Me.

-There you go.

-Weaknesses?

-Me, probably.

-Angela.

-So says Paul.

-You're not supposed to say that.

-Anyway, we're going to have fun, right?

-Indeed, yes.

-We will.

You certainly will and good luck.

Now, Leslie, you've recently come out of retirement.

-I have...

-Very early retirement.

-..for the second time.

-Oh, for the second time?

-For the second time.

How many times have you been retired?

Well, the first time I retired, I came over from Scotland

-to Northern Ireland and ended up in a forestry cottage.

-Right.

-And I thought, "Do the garden, hens, the good life again."

-Yeah.

And the house next to us, or the building next to us,

was a builder's yard and he was selling it and I thought,

-"Oh, coffee shop, tea room, craft studio."

-Right.

-So, you came out of retirement?

-So, I came out of retirement, yes.

-Brilliant.

-I have over 12 crafters that show their wares and tears.

We have a studio at the back where we do demonstrations...

And you're also terribly keen on animals and birds.

Crazy about birds and for my 50th birthday

-I wanted peacocks, a hooded vulture and a penguin.

-Did you get them?

-No, I got peacocks.

-You got the peacocks?

I got Nosy and Parker and Lady Penelope.

-Are they lovely birds?

-Beautiful birds. I love them.

Peter, you're going to be very confident

in front of the cameras today

because you're a bit of an Am Dram wizard, right?

-Well, yes, I try to be, Tim.

-You do a bit of singing then?

-I do, yes.

Have you got a little song within you that you'd like

to have a trill right now?

-Well, maybe not now.

-Why not right now?

-I think right now, don't you?

-Yeah!

-We all think right now.

Let's go for it, then.

# A wandering minstrel, I

# A thing of shreds and patches. # And that's all you're getting.

Oh, come on. Well, very good of you. And very brave, I have to say.

And what is your relationship with Leslie?

I am her daughter's partner.

-Right, so really you're the son-in-law, so to speak.

-So to speak.

-I don't know what she would say about that.

-No, I don't know!

-Oh, I see. Oh, OK.

-He's got the seal of approval.

He's certainly got the gift of the gab. Anyway...

-Who has?

-Perfect. He has.

-Oh, has he?

-Well, you both have, actually.

Anyway, what are your tactics going to be?

Talk your way out of trouble today, I guess?

Well, yeah, I think maybe going for something colourful.

-Pete likes his colours.

-Right.

-I'll know what it is when I see it.

Oh, you're going to wait till that moment.

-Get you in the solar plexus, right?

-Yep.

-OK, fine.

Well, that's very handy. Anyway, now, the money moment and here we go.

There's your £300. £300 apiece. You know the rules.

-Your experts await and off you go!

-Off we go.

-Very good luck.

I've always fancied a peacock myself.

Helping the Red Team wrestle down prices is Jonathan Pratt,

and let's say hello to David Harper, assisting the Blues.

-What are you going to buy?

-Well, I would like to buy some silver.

I want three bargains.

Something that we can make a profit on at auction.

Are we going to find what you're looking for?

Well, I don't know what I want but I'll know it when I find it.

-Oh, I say, that's a good tactic.

-Yeah.

Right, teams, your 60 minutes starts now.

-Yeah, lead the way.

-Thank you. OK.

-Come on.

-Yes.

-Let's go.

So, what sort of things? What sort of things? What sort of things?

Gosh, this is a dead end down here.

That's the story of my life, a dead end!

We've got to just focus here.

-What about them, Jonathan?

-What are they?

They're 1930s, I would say.

They're like a Betty Boop type of thing, aren't they?

Are there any markings on them? No?

OK, so they're just little slip-moulded porcelain figures.

I think, to be honest, it's not of enough value

-for us to start looking at.

-OK.

A little bit more substance for the sale, I think.

Substance, yes. That's what we're looking for.

-There's SO much stuff.

-There is so much stuff.

I'm intrigued to see what you like, Leslie. I'm intrigued.

I haven't seen it. We need to move quicker.

-I... It's Border Fine Art.

-Right, OK.

-Quite a nice wee piece.

I went to an auction and bought a couple of bits of Border Fine Art

and I bought it for £10 apiece and I sold them for £22 apiece.

-Where did you sell them?

-I sold them in my shop.

-In your shop?

Well, I did, yes. I put a bit of memorabilia in the shop,

-in the craft studio.

-Oh, she's a bit of an expert.

-No, I'm not, I'm not!

I just know what I like. I've told you that.

-THEY LAUGH

-I just know what I like.

OK, so, have you found an object that you really like?

-I have but it's quite expensive.

-Well, look...

Again, the Scottish coming out of me. You're the expert at auction.

-What do you think?

-Well, it's Border Fine Art.

This is a company that's still trading.

They'll be trading for a very long time.

They make these things handmade and hand-painted

and you've got collectors all over the world

and they're pretty expensive new.

-Peter, what are your thoughts?

-Yeah, I like it. It's quirky.

It's got wee animals and rabbits. Are they rabbits or mice?

They're mice. They're actually what you call mice.

Mice. They're not rabbits at all, they're mice.

But the mushroom and... Yeah, it's quirky, I like it.

You've seen it, you've liked it. Will you make a profit on it?

At 28?

-No, I don't think so.

-What does it need to be?

I think it needs to be round about the 18 mark.

Are you any good at negotiating?

I'll give it a try or I think you would be better at the negotiating.

Aye? Yeah, I'll give it a go.

I tell you what, why don't you two stay here?

Peter, you talk about your rabbits

-and I'll go find the person and bring him back.

-OK. Excellente.

# Run rabbit Run rabbit

# Run, run, run... #

Meanwhile, the Reds have certainly found items of substance,

cabinets of the stuff.

You've got domestic items, you've got toast racks and sauce boats

and stuff like that in there.

Something that can go on a desk, on a dressing table,

something that can be used...

-Like frames? Picture frames? Or are they...?

-Yeah, things like that.

-What about those little egg cup holders?

-Who uses that?

-Who uses these now?

-I thought maybe more for decorative purposes than...

-Would you have that?

-No, I wouldn't have it.

-I wouldn't have it.

Paul changed his mind, didn't he?

-Let's hope the Blues are a little more decisive.

-Peter, this is Mark.

-Hi, Mark.

-This is Peter.

-How are you?

Peter would like to talk to you about some rabbits.

OK. What can I do for you?

-I was thinking something like 14.

-Unfortunately, no.

I couldn't do it for that. £20 would be a good price for that piece.

-What about 18?

-I think I'd have to stay at 20.

Well, we'll split the difference and say 19. How does that sound?

-Oh, go on, then.

-OK, done deal. Shake the man's hand.

-You two, we've got more money to spend.

-Yes.

-Right.

Good negotiating, Peter, and that's your first item bought.

Meanwhile, the Reds have only got one thing on their mind.

Silver gravy boats. And that wouldn't sell well?

They all sell well, but they have a certain price.

You've got to try and buy something that's going to appeal to the private client.

-It's a difficult game.

-It is very difficult.

We never said it was easy.

-Angela, what do you think of that little pocket watch?

-Is it silver?

-It says "silver-based pocket watch - £88."

-It's quite plain.

-Do you not like it?

-Not overly, no.

-Do these two ever agree on anything?

-I heard a pocket watch mentioned.

-That pocket watch.

On the left there? Silver-cased pocket watch.

It's worth having a look at. We've got to get something, haven't we?

-Yeah.

-Well, yeah. Time's running short here.

Yes, it is. You've already had 20 minutes.

OK, so let's have a quick look. Not bad condition, actually.

There's a little bit of a chip on the top up there.

This is a movement that falls out the front.

OK, it's not that straightforward. OK, so, a silver mark on the back.

Oh, gosh, it's a Chester mark. It's about 1900 in date. It's a Chester.

Pop that, lift that off.

All right. And you've got "Gibson Limited of Belfast."

-Well, we're going to Belfast, aren't we?

-We are.

What you have is you have a nice silver watch.

It's not without fault but it's a Belfast maker,

-so you're taking something back home, as it were.

-That's right.

-What do you think?

-Considering the damage that's on it...

And what the lady will give us it for.

It's 88.

-What do you think?

-£80.

Oh, my word, 10%. 10%.

-70. 70.

-70?

-You wouldn't do it for 65?

-No, sorry.

-Who are you looking over at there?

-SHE LAUGHS

We're looking at the man. £65 and you've got a deal, come on.

-Come over here, man, please.

-VENDOR:

-65.

-65.

-Yes, he says.

-OK, that was a nod. £65. Let's go for it.

-Deal.

-You're right. Thank you very much. Teamwork there.

-Thank you very much.

Phew. Talk about time.

Both teams have bought one item but the clock is ticking.

I just want to give you a bit of a time check here.

-This is a bit of a shocker.

-Oh, no.

-How long do you think you've had?

-I think about half an hour maybe.

-Leslie?

-Probably half an hour.

-Yeah, actually you're bang on. 27 minutes.

-Right.

-Oh, really?

-But we've bought one object.

-So, we've two more to buy.

-Speed it up.

-Right, OK.

-We need to speed it up.

-Speed it up, speed it up.

Meanwhile, will Reds Paul and Angela ever find common ground?

-Little cocktail glasses.

-Too modern.

-Too modern.

-Mm-hm.

-Do you see anything, Angela? Anything else?

-Walking sticks, no?

-No, I don't think so.

-You might need one soon.

HE LAUGHS

-Yes. Do you like that?

-Yeah, I think it's very cute.

-Yes, well...

It's a wee Royal Doulton Coronation...

Do you think we'd make any money on it?

-I don't know.

-Well, it's only £18.

-What made you stop and pick it up?

I just thought it was really cute.

It's very small and dinky and I just thought it was very cute.

Personally, I would go for something...

You think we'd make a profit on that

-if we get it at the right money?

-Yeah, absolutely.

There's lots of commemorative wares but it's early enough.

It's useful, a little jug like that, you can put cream in it and use it.

-Well, I'd leave it up to you, Angela.

-Well, I like it.

I got the pocket watch so...

I think we should see how much we can get it for.

-Yes, and we can lose money on that, that'll be great.

-Think positive.

-We'll not lose an awful lot.

-Think positive, Paul.

£18. What are you going to get for that? Will you get 60 quid for it?

Let's see how much profit or loss it makes compared to the watch.

Fighting talk, eh? The Blues are rather more passive

and are taking the time to learn a thing or two.

Described as a ginger jar.

It's missing its lid. It would have a lid.

-Yes, I was just going to ask you about that.

-Yeah, that goes on the top.

Do you know, that's where you get the saying, "pot luck" from?

-Oh, really?

-Whether you had the lid?

Yeah, it's the importation of massive amounts of ginger jars.

They would come in crates on their own

and there would be crates of lids

and you'd take 100 ginger jars and 100 lids

and it would be pot luck to see if that lid fitted that jar.

Brilliant, I didn't know that.

Quite interesting, isn't it? I've just made it up.

-You're very good!

-Thank you.

-I don't know how they get me for the money.

-Will we march on?

-Yep.

Oh, Harper, you are a tease.

Now, the jug was priced at £18 but what will Angela get it for?

-Afternoon.

-Hello.

-Your very best price?

-Very, very best price.

-£14.

-Ten?

-It couldn't be that, honestly.

-£13.

-12?

-God, brutal.

OK. You can do it at 12.

-Not ten?

-No, it doesn't work that way, I'm afraid.

It doesn't work that way.

-Offer and acceptance. I think that's contract law, isn't it?

-Indeed.

-£12.

-£12?

-OK, 12, deal.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Second item is in the jar.

Lordy. We got there in the end.

Now for something special I found in Ulster.

What we have here are two Arcadian visions.

Arcadia relates to Utopia,

and Utopia is an imaginary place full of plenty, peace, solitude

and pastoralism, and there is nothing more pastoral than these two scenes.

They've been painted en grisaille,

which means in varying shades of one colour,

and the greyish washes have then been picked over

by the artist in pen and ink.

Look at the way the little flecks have been used

to highlight the different elements of the foliage on that tree.

I imagine a mid-18th-century classical house in Ireland

that had a series of pictures like this

and these pictures would have been inserted into the panelling

in the wall and that is why they don't have glazed covers to them.

Who might these paintings have been painted by?

I'm no specialist in 18th-century British watercolours

but the artist that I fancy may have painted these

is a man called Paul Sandby,

and Paul Sandby is a celebrated painter,

who specialised in landscapes and views, who had a particular technique

when drawing his trees, which is just like we see in these two examples.

And, more importantly, he travelled everywhere in the British Isles

and I reckon that it was in Ireland that he was commissioned

to produce these two pictures.

Now, all of that needs confirmation but if I'm right

and if these pictures clean in the way

in which I think they will clean, at the end of the day,

they will look truly spectacular and will be worth quite a lot of money.

How much is quite a lot of money?

Well, I'd be disappointed if they were worth less than £3,000 each.

So, shall we say £6,000-£9,000? What would they cost you?

Here, in Ulster, they could be yours for 400 the pair.

So, dig deep.

Back at Ballinderry Antiques, the Reds have bought two items

but the Blues are lagging behind with one and there's only 15 minutes left.

-Leslie.

-We might have a live one here, Leslie.

-Where are you?

-What have we got now?

-We've got a glass decanter.

It's an unusual shape. It appears to be all together.

The stopper and the glass,

the decanter itself appear to be the same.

Well, I think that's something that's really important

when it comes to decanters.

You can see the shape is the same as the body.

Yeah. Give the stopper a bit of a twist. See if it locks in nicely.

-Does it feel locked?

-Yes.

-Yeah?

So, I think the stopper matches the decanter itself.

Is that a bit... What's going on in the bottom there?

That's just... It needs cleaning out.

This is the problem with old decanters.

-They're very difficult to keep clean.

-I think that's nice.

-You do like it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I do as well.

-Will we go for it?

-I like it.

-I do like it.

-OK.

-Will we try it?

-Do you like it?

-Yeah.

Can we just look for damage? Turn it over. Let's have a look at the base.

-OK. It's a nice base. Isn't that lovely?

-It's gorgeous.

This is where the pontil mark was. That's a blown piece.

-They've snapped it off.

-Right, we'll go for it, will we?

-Well, I don't know. Are you happy?

-I am happy actually. I like it.

-OK. Do you want me to go and get you a person?

-Yes, a person.

-OK, stay there.

-A real person.

For almost-in-laws, they make an awfully good team.

-Right, you two, this is David.

-Hi, David. We've found this...

..beautiful piece. It seems all intact and no damage to it.

What's the best you could do for us? I know the ticket says £38.

-What do you think?

-£30.

-Mm.

-Any better than that?

-Erm...

Could you do it for 25?

28. 28 would be honestly the best.

-OK!

-Yeah, I think so.

-Yes, yes. Great.

-Absolutely.

-Thank you so much.

-Good deal. Thank you very much.

Hooray! £10 off the ticket price and two items in the old bag.

Now, how are those bickering Reds getting on?

I quite like my wee piece.

I'm not so sure about your watch but I like mine.

No, I think yours is rubbish, to be quite honest.

I think we're going to lose a lot on that.

Guys, I don't want to have to panic you now,

but it's going to panic you, we have eight and a half minutes.

-Well, let's purchase something.

-Stop stalling. Come on, move.

-Let's get something. Quickly!

-Are you going downstairs?

You've wasted that much time on your little jug.

I'm in panic mode here.

You're not the only one.

-I'm a wee bit panicky.

-Don't panic. You've done very well.

-You know the fishy plate, what did you think is it?

-Where...?

You keep mentioning this fishy plate. I haven't seen a fishy plate.

-When we first came in.

-Oh, right, OK.

-There was a...

-Where was it?

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

-I think as we came in and it was just on the wall...

-Yes.

-Whenever we came in.

-Yes.

-Come on, then.

-Lead the way there.

Quick, quick, quick. Oh!

-OK, where's David?

-I don't know.

-Oh, here he comes.

-Have you got my fish plate?

-I don't know.

-Have you got my fish plate?

-Is that the fish plate?

-That's the fish plate.

-Wow!

-There's the fish plate. Where did you find it?

-On the...

-sideboard back there and I've spoken to David...

-Right.

-..so I know everything about it.

-Tell me, tell me, tell me!

Well, actually not very much. Nobody knows much about the fish plate.

-First of all, tell me why you love it.

-I love the colours, for a start.

-Yeah, the colours are lovely.

And round our way, people are fishing all the time.

-What kind of fish is it?

-I don't know.

-I think it's a carp.

-Is it a carp or a salmon?

-It's not a goldfish.

-It's not a goldfish.

Definitely not a goldfish!

I'd like it to be a carp personally but it's hand-painted,

-which is lovely. So, it's a little piece of art, isn't it?

-It is.

-Peter, what are your thoughts?

-I like it. Yeah. It's colourful.

-Pete loves his colours.

-Good man. A man after my own heart.

-I must say, I do like bright colours.

-Will we go for it?

-We're running out of time.

-You don't know how much it is.

-No, we don't know how much it is.

-You don't know who painted it...

-No.

-..when it was painted...

-No.

-..and where.

And David's going to have that information for us cos he's...

-Are you going to?

-Not really.

Because nobody seems to know but on the back we have initials AJB.

-He's obviously the artist.

-Obviously.

The people here don't know and I don't know

and it's dated '01 so it's incredibly modern.

-It's a piece of new artwork, isn't it?

-Yes.

We believe it might have come from America

because they've unloaded a house here recently where the guy

-had relocated from the States and it came from that house.

-Right.

So, it might be a modern piece. It's a bit chancy.

-I know how much it is.

-Yes.

-How much do you think it is?

Erm...

-20 quid?

-Mm-hm. Probably about that.

That's exactly what you can buy it for. Priced at 28.

You can have it for £20. Entirely up to you.

This is the fish plate that you saw that no-one else saw

-when we came in.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

It's 20 quid, it's hand-painted, we don't know the artist...

-It's a bit chancy.

-Oh, I don't know.

There's also a teapot over there that I quite like.

HE GROANS

Peter, help me.

I like it cos I was drawn to it on the wall when we came in, as well.

-OK, right. We'll do it, we'll do it, we'll do it.

-Yeah, let's do it.

Are we doing it? Let's do it? Quickly. Third item. Run!

-Let's do it.

-You left your ticket.

-It doesn't matter. They know how much it is! Come on!

-Quick!

-Let's go. Diddly-dee, diddly-dee.

-Diddly-dee, diddly-dee indeed.

And that's their three items bought and paid for.

There's something I saw in a cabinet

-and it will just have to do, all right?

-Right.

The Reds, however, have just minutes to go

-and they're feeling the pressure.

-I better not say anything, right?

It's silver. It's Continental silver, OK?

This probably was intended to be a decanter that has been broken

and someone's had it cut and engraved to make a little dish.

Oh, blimey!

Oh, my word, what's happened there? That's been made up. Oh, no!

That's been made up. Walk to the counter and get a price for that.

-Go, go.

-OK?

-Right.

-The problem we've got with it...

-Yeah, it's...

-£80.

Can you do any better? Can you do 75?

Go down. Let Jonathan say what he thinks about it.

-I'll let you have it at 75.

-Well, we don't have much choice.

Having looked at it now properly, there's a repair down there

and on the corner there so this whole thing's been done.

It's actually been enlarged to take that I think but there we are. Um...

-Shake the man's hand.

-60? Oh!

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

And you don't get much closer than that.

They did it in the nick of time

and this pocket watch was their first buy at £65.

A delicate commemorative jug next cost the Reds just £12...

..and the silver dish is far from perfect

but was bought with only seconds to spare at £75.

So, do you always leave it to the very last second?

Not always but today, unfortunately, yes.

-Well, I don't know, very exciting finish.

-It was.

Which is your favourite piece?

-The little jug, the commemorative jug.

-That's your favourite?

-Do you agree with that, Paul?

-No, I would prefer the pocket watch.

OK, that's your favourite. Is it going to bring the biggest profit?

-No.

-Yes.

-OK. Lovely.

Anyway, you've spent how much?

-£152.

-I'd like £148 of leftover lolly, please.

-145. 148.

-And some bits.

OK, JP, over to you, old fruit.

-Ooh. Well, um...

-There is a lot.

That's plenty of money. I've seen a lot of things.

-We've covered a lot of ground.

-We have.

-They were... I don't know.

I don't know what I'm going to do, actually.

-It's a jolly good place to do it in though, isn't it?

-It is.

I'll probably be here for another week or so.

Now, let's check out what the Blues bought.

Rabbits or mice?

This Border Fine Art piece set the Blues back £19.

They poured out 28 big ones for this elegant decanter.

And Jean was drawn to green

and happily forked out £20 for the modern fish dish.

-OK, guys, did you have a good time?

-We had a wonderful time.

-I've ticked the bucket list of one thing.

-Well, that's nice, isn't it?

Brilliant. It was a wonderful day.

-Good?

-Wonderful time.

-And how much did you spend?

-We spent £67.

-£67 on three items.

-Big spenders.

-Big spenders. It must be the Scottish in me.

-£67.

-You need £233 back.

-I do.

I need £233 and I shall have £233 with any luck.

-There we go. Nice 50s. Lovely.

-Phwoar.

That's a VERY small amount. What happened? What went wrong?

-Well, nothing went wrong.

-Oh, didn't it?

-No, no, no.

We bought the items that we saw that we liked

and hopefully they're going to make us a good profit at auction.

OK, brilliant. What's your favourite piece?

My favourite piece I think is the plate that we bought

-with the fish on it.

-OK, fishy plate.

-Fishy plate.

And what's your favourite, darling?

Well, I'm intrigued with the fishy plate. I don't know much about it

and it would be interesting to know how much it might get at auction.

-And therefore that's your favourite too, is it?

-Yes.

OK, well, we'll see, won't we, soon enough? Very good, David.

A tonne of money for you, my friend.

Gosh, I haven't seen a 50 like that for a very long time.

-Have we checked that it's real?

-I don't know?

I think they'll be checking it when I try and spend it, that's for sure.

-Well, you're the expert. No. Anyway, good luck with that.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much, and it will be interesting to see what he buys, won't it?

Right now though, we're going to get ready for heading off to the auction,

thank you very much.

Back to Belfast and in the city centre lies Ross's Auction House,

where our items are up for sale.

I caught up with Daniel Clarke to see what he thinks about the buys.

-Daniel, how are you?

-Good morning.

-Good morning. Lovely to be here.

Now, for the Reds,

first of all, they've got their silver key-wound pocket watch.

Is there much of an appetite in Central Belfast for this?

Well, it's not a madly exciting pocket watch.

Nice face, in good condition, nice weight.

I think £40-£60 probably.

OK, 40-60. They paid £65.

They might just be lucky enough to scrape home with that.

Next is the Coronation jug,

sweet little thing with a transfer of Alexandra on it.

I think the size is really nice.

I think the fact that it's just Alexandra of Denmark on her own

depicted on the front of it is rather nice.

£10-£20.

OK, £12 paid so they're in the money with that and then we've got this

so-called coaster, which I fancy is actually an ashtray or a pipe tray.

How do you make that thing out, Daniel?

It's an unusual piece. £30-£40.

£75 was paid by JP for this,

and if all goes pear-shaped,

it goes decanters up, then they've got the bonus buy to fall back on.

-Everything safely gathered in and collected?

-Yes.

-Indeed.

-Lovely.

Good cos you need to all your powers of concentration now

cos you gave JP £148.

JP, what did you spend it on?

-Oh, that's interesting.

-Pretty.

What we have here is a piece of Victorian jewellery.

It dates from about 1860, 1870.

It's in gold and in the centre you've got a cabochon garnet.

It's an almandine garnet and it's perfectly formed in there.

Obviously, that comes at a price,

-and that price was...

-And that price was?

-..the entire budget of £148. I spent the lot on it.

-The lot?

The stone is lovely, isn't it?

-Do you like it?

-Yeah, the light in the stone is beautiful.

It's old-fashioned in one way but it's got a contemporary feel

about it and, for me, what does it is that oval stone.

That's a fiery stone. It's a Red Team's stone.

So, do you like it, Angela?

-I do like it, yeah.

-Would you buy it?

-146?

-£148.

-148. Is that what we had left? All of it.

-Would you buy it, darling?

-Mm...

-No? Not quite your taste?

I don't know that I would wear it personally

but that doesn't mean to say it hasn't got commercial value

-obviously.

-So, we just think it through.

You decide a bit later on after the sale of your first three items

but right now, for the audience at home,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about JP's brooch.

Right, Daniel, nice piece of Victorian jewellery for you.

Yes, very, very typically Victorian.

It's got the pin in the back so it can be a brooch or a pendant.

The stone is lively,

-so perhaps £60-£80.

-Mm. £148.

Never mind. The team may not be so desperate

that they need to go with the garnet brooch.

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

I have to say, the resin group of field mice doesn't do it for me.

Does it do it for you?

Border Fine Arts. These things have a following.

Maybe someone will pay 10, £20 for it.

Perfect. £19 paid.

Not much of a target for you to go for there.

I think you'll be jolly lucky if you get there.

Next is the so-called whisky decanter.

You could actually put anything in that, couldn't you?

I think one of the nice things about this

is the stopper is quite clearly belonging to the decanter,

which is so often not the case.

Very nicely milled bottom to the stopper. It fits beautifully.

-£20-£30.

-OK, that's perfect.

They may just scrape home.

And then we've got this fantastic fishy dish.

It's very attractive and I could see people using that at the table.

£30-£40.

OK, £20 paid, so that stands a reasonable chance of making a profit.

They've only invested £67. This is strategy.

Spend as little as possible and give the expert the maximum amount

to go and spend, so let's go and find out what David Harper did buy.

-Everybody happy?

-Yeah.

-Yes, very happy. Yes.

-Well, I bet you are.

-I hope we are.

-Did you spend a lot, David?

I'm going to be such a disappointment, as ever,

to you, Tim, because I didn't,

but I'm going to hand you one of these each

and I bought these because of the local Northern Irish connection.

-Yes.

-Oh, right.

So, we have two medals. Don't get too excited.

-We've got a bronze there.

-What does that say?

-We have a horticultural medal.

-Horticultural, yes.

And then we have an agricultural silver medal here

-for moo cows and such.

-Wow.

-I don't know whether it's your sort of thing.

-They are a nice.

-I do like them, yeah. They're small.

-What did you pay for them?

-50 quid for the pair.

-For the pair?

-For the pair.

-And we'll sell them as a pair obviously.

-Excellent.

-So, there we go. All right?

-Yes.

There's the lowdown on that to think on and right now,

for the audience at home, let's find out

whether the auctioneer is similarly enthused.

Very, very Ulster these, aren't they?

-Yes, Royal Ulster Agricultural Society medals.

-Very local.

Are they likely to find ready buyers in your Belfast saleroom?

They're not in as good order as you normally see them,

which surprises me.

-Maybe 30, maybe £40.

-Brilliant.

Well, David Harper paid £50.

Hope springs eternal, as you know, in this business,

and we will continue to cross our legs until the hammer falls.

Thank you very much indeed, Daniel. We'll find out in a minute.

Enough of all that chat.

It's time to open the bidding as Daniel takes to the rostrum.

So, why are you so cool, then, Paul?

Well, I know we're going to have a great defeat

so there's not much point in getting worked up about it.

-You're that confident, are you?

-I'm that confident

-we're going to get hammered.

-We shall see what happens.

I feel an injection in the air. I feel the sunny uplands coming on.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-It's very exciting.

-Let's be confident.

-We are confident.

-Yes, we are. OK, fine, well, moving along then,

first lot up is going to be your pocket watch and here it comes.

The gent's silver pocket watch. Can we open the bidding, please, at £50?

I think we're going to have to bid on this.

-20 I'm bid. 5, 35...

-Oh, it's going!

-35 now. 40, thank you, madam.

-5.

-Keep going, keep going!

-45 again, Stuart?

48. Try 50.

-50 I'm bid. At £50, the bid's here. At £50 now any more?

-You tell him.

At £50 for the watch. All done at 50?

Selling at 50. Last call. At £50...

GAVEL BANGS £50 is minus 15 but it's not as bad

-as it might have been.

-No.

-It's not the bloodbath you predicted.

-I thought it was going to be a bloodbath.

-Yeah.

Now, commemorative jug.

Royal Doulton, rather nice. £20. 10 for it, please.

-5 I'm bid.

-Oh!

-£5 now for the jug at £5.

-Come on!

-At £5. £10, thank you. Bid's here at 10.

-15, new bidder.

-Yes!

-It's against you.

-15...

At £15 against you, sir. I'm selling at £15.

-All done? All finished?

-That's good.

-At £15.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Number 306, thank you.

-Plus £3...

-Yay!

-That's good.

-..which reduces the losses to minus 12.

-OK.

-Ah-ha.

-This is perfect.

It's going in the right trajectory.

Lot number 365.

We have a silver-mounted glass coaster.

Say £50, please, for it.

40? 30? Take 20.

20 with the lady. £20 I'm bid. Any more? At £20.

-Oh, come on.

-At £20 I have. The bid's here at 20. At £20.

-At £20.

-That's ridiculous.

-Yes!

-Take £5 somewhere.

5, thank you. At 25. 28 now.

-Oh, come on.

-At £28. Lady seated at 28.

-I can't bear it.

-JP:

-We bought that with 20 seconds to go and it was real panic.

-It was.

-It's at 28. It's SO cheap.

-I'm selling at £28.

GAVEL BANGS

You'd get another decanter to go on that easy.

-You could do, yes, cheap.

-Easy. There's loads of single decanters.

Anyway, £28 is two off 30. Do you know something, Paul?

You're absolutely right. This is a bloodbath.

He predicted it and he's right.

Now, moving on then we've got the brooch.

Are you going to ring-fence your losses at minus 59

or are you going to invest £148 in the brooch?

-What do you think, Angela?

-What do you think, Ange?

-I would prefer to ring-fence.

-Paul, you loved it, didn't you?

-Do you want to go with it?

-I thought it was magnificent.

Do you want to go with it or not? Quickly!

-Aye, we'll go with it!

-Do you want to go with it, or not?

-Oh, what the heck, yeah.

-Go with it.

-Go!

-You are going to go with it?

We're going with the bonus buy, and look! It's coming up now.

-Gosh, that was at the last minute.

-It's his fault.

-Look out.

60? £50? 40, thank you.

-At £40.

-You're a punter, Paul.

-At £40, the bid's here.

-At £40 for the brooch, at £40.

-Aw, come on!

-At £40. Any more?

At 50, thank you. At 5. Lady's bid at 55.

-Come on!

-At £55. At 60. At 5.

-60?

-I told him.

-At £65. Lady's bid at 65.

-At £65 all finished?

-Aw.

-At £65.

GAVEL BANGS 65, isn't it? 65 is five off 70.

That's 30. At 78. Plus the 3 is 83.

Normally that's worth... Whoever's bought that has made a fortune.

-Well, for £65 they have.

-Yeah.

-I know.

Minus 142, squadron.

-Minus 142.

-What a bloodbath.

It doesn't sound too bad if you say it quickly.

Well, look, if things go equally bad for the other team,

-minus 142 could be a winning score.

-Yay!

-I don't think so.

-Now, kids, do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

-No idea.

-You don't want to know, I tell you.

-No, don't want to know.

Good. Now, Leslie, first up, cross your legs,

is the Border resin product field mouse sculpture.

Try and say that quickly.

Border Fine Arts painted group - the "Field Mice".

I have £5.

-£10 here. 12, thank you.

-Oh, 12!

-At £12.

-13!

-13, OK.

-Go on!

-13. He's bidding against himself.

At £13. At £13. 14? 14 again?

-No, definitely not, Daniel.

-Go on!

-At £14. All finished at £14?

-Encourage him to go on!

-Yeah, go on.

GAVEL BANGS Well done. £14. Not enough.

-Not enough.

-Minus £5. Never mind, kids.

-Aah, well.

That's £10 more than I thought it would bring.

Here comes the decanter. Look, holding it up, look.

-Isn't that lovely?

-I'll take 10 to open. 10 I'm bid.

-£15, 20. At £20, the decanter.

-Come on!

-At £20.

At £20, the bid's here. Selling at £20.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Ooh!

-Minus 8.

Lot 387.

We have the craft pottery plate.

OK, I've done some research on the internet and found

that the plate was made by a potter in Devon called Adrian J Brough.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Well, that's very clever of you.

It may make the price go up a bit. Thanks.

-AJB, Adrian J Brough of Devon.

-THEY CHEER

Nice piece. Can we say £50, please? 40? £20, to open, please.

-Come on!

-£20. 20 I'm bid. At £20.

-We have 30.

-Come on, one more!

-At £30. I'm selling at 30.

-All done at £30?

-I can't bear it.

-All finished?

-At 40, yes?

-40! Yes!

-35.

30... £40.

GAVEL BANGS Yes! Look at that! Plus £20.

-You were minus 13. You're now plus 7.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-That's plus 7. That is so peachy.

-Yeah.

Now, OK, what are we going to do about the Agricultural Society stuff?

Are we going to park it or are we going to go with it?

-Mm. No.

-No, we're not going to go with it.

-You're not?

-You're not going to go with it?

-No. Sorry, David.

-No.

-Sorry.

-Well, there's a decision and the decision is made.

-We're not going with it and you're going to park it.

-Yes.

You have £7 in your back pocket and that could be a winning score so...

-Right.

-But we're going to have a bit of fun.

-Good.

We're going to sell them anyway and let's do the necessary.

We have a silver and a bronze medal.

Could we say £40? 30? 20?

Thank you, madam. I'm bid 10. 20, thank you, sir.

I have 20. 30 here. 40.

-60 I'm selling. Last call at £60.

-GAVEL BANGS

I can't believe it. That's £10 you didn't get your mitts on

-cos you didn't trust him.

-Exactly.

-Don't tell the Reds a thing.

-Not a word.

-Not a single word.

-And all will be revealed in a moment

cos it could be a winning score.

Well, well, well, well, well.

Are these two teams playing on the same planet, I ask myself?

Cos there is such a vast gap between them, I just can't contain myself.

Anyway, something went really, really badly wrong, I'm afraid,

-today for the Reds.

-Oh!

-Yay!

I mean, there's no denying it, almost across the board.

That Doulton Coronation jug, Angela, was magnificent.

-Thank you.

-Anyway, the rest of it, we'll just glaze over.

-Did you have a good time?

-Lovely, thank you.

Thank you very much for coming and making our day.

Thank you very much, JP. Better luck next time.

-Meanwhile, I am actually handing out £7 worth of profit.

-Yay!

-Yeah!

That's what I mean about "Are these teams playing on the same planet?"

Cos it's perfectly possible to make the profit and lose a whole bundle.

Now, anyway, £20 on that wall plaque,

I'm sure, thanks to your excellent researching there, Peter.

That was a good move, that. £20 on that. Anyway, thank you so much.

Take a quick bird's-eye at our website and join us soon

-for some more bargain-hunting, yes? ALL:

-Yes!