Newark 18 Bargain Hunt

MUSIC: Take My Breath Away by Berlin

'OK, Charlie. You're cleared for takeoff.'

Roger that.

Let's go Bargain Hunting!

Across the road from the Air Museum

is another amazing collection of antiques.

Well, it's chocks away for two teams of high-flyers

here today at the Newark Antiques Fair.

Just who's going to be top gun?

Here's a brief glimpse of what's coming up.

On today's show, the Reds are game for a laugh.

-How's the action?

-Let's have a look and see, is it going to score there?

-Oh!

-40! Yeah!

Whilst the Blues hit a bum note.

-Also known as...the bum nut.

-Ha-ha!

-Of course, yes!

-Because...

-When you turn it over.

-Look at them cheeks. Ha-ha!

'Down at the auction, the Reds get a surprise.'

Girls! Who'd have believed it?

'And the Blues make all the right choices.'

Oh! Oh!

-32!

-Ooh!

Aw!

But that's all for later.

Now for today's programme, we have two pairs of great friends.

For the Red team, we have Marianne and Pat.

And for the Blue team, we have Liz and Jane. Hello, all of you.

-ALL:

-Hello!

-Oh, my goodness gracious me, that was positively deafening.

-Now Pat, you're a retired teacher?

-Yes.

-What age group did you teach?

-Well, I taught every age group.

-I started off in the primary sector.

-Yeah?

I went on to teach teachers in IT

in the early days of IT.

I taught in secondary school as well.

Goodness gracious me. So, you really have an amazing CV, haven't you?

-Well, I don't know about that!

-Well, I do.

It sounds absolutely fascinating.

-Now, Marianne, you also taught as well, didn't you?

-I did, yes.

I went into teaching quite late on in life.

-Well, recently, I went to university when I was about 45.

-Did you?

-Yes.

-A mature student?

-A very mature student.

And I had some wonderful years training.

Now you're also something of an action girl, aren't you?

Well, I do like doing lots of things in the fresh air

and in the outdoors.

And, um...

After my husband died, I wanted to start doing things off my own bat.

-Yeah.

-And I decided that the first thing I would do would be

to cycle from John O'Groats to Land's End.

How long did it take you?

-It was about two weeks. I'm not a very fast cyclist.

-Two weeks?

I think that's phenomenal! SHE LAUGHS

Takes me two weeks to cycle to Bicester. I'm only two miles away.

-I don't believe you.

-You're a fit girl!

What do you do while she's doing all these ridiculous things?

Well, I'm an outdoor girl too

but not an outdoor action girl like Marianne.

Just sort of stand in the garden, do you?

Well, I do a little bit of it in the garden!

-And I've got an allotment, I grow all my own food.

-Yeah.

And I also oversee the running of a community allotment

in a local village near here at Screveton.

Well, you're as busy as Marianne, aren't you?

-In a slightly less active way, if I may say so?

-Yes.

Now when it comes to the nitty-gritty, to the shopping,

are you going to be spending enormous

-or just in miserable little bits?

-I'd like to think enormous.

I don't often get the opportunity to go and spend enormous like that.

Well, I'm going to be giving you a lot of money

and make sure you spend it.

Wonderful, girls.

Now, Elizabeth and Jane.

Now, Elizabeth, it was your husbands, I think,

that brought you together, wasn't it?

That's right, they both belong to the same running club.

So, we used to turn up to support, do a bit of coat holding.

Then they moved on to cycling so we trundled along to the cycling.

So we started having coffee and cake while they were out and...

-They did the running and cycling and you did the coffee and cake?

-Yeah.

-Sounds my sort of exercise.

-I think we got a better deal, yeah.

Now, Liz, you're not a cycling widow any more

because you cycle yourself, don't you?

Yeah, I ride the back half of a tandem.

That, of course, is the half to be on, really.

-Do you do any of the pedalling?

-Not a lot, no.

-If I can help it.

-HE LAUGHS

You're a wonderful one to have on a tandem.

Now, Jane, you're a school cook, aren't you?

Which must mean you're a busy girl.

I am. Every day, term time, I cook for about 500 children.

-500 children?

-Yes.

Goodness me, do they all eat their meals?

-They don't like their veg.

-Nothing changes.

-No.

And you also like a bit of kitchenalia, don't you? As well.

-Yeah, bits and pieces.

-Do you just collect them or do you use them?

No, I just like looking at them.

-Would you be looking for those sort of things today?

-Well, maybe.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Big copper pans?

-No.

-No?

You have to clean copper pans, Charlie.

Well, not for today, you don't.

-Once it's sold, you'll never see it again.

-Well, that's true.

-But you're going to have fun, aren't you?

-Of course we are!

-You're going to enjoy it, everyone?

-Indeed.

Now, there's a missing ingredient here, isn't there?

-What are you going to need?

-Some money.

Some money! Absolutely.

-Now, girls, I've got 300 of the best for you.

-Thank you.

-300 of the best for you.

-Oh, thank you.

-Off you go.

-Thank you!

These girls are going to have a lot of fun.

But before the fun begins, they'll need a couple of experts.

There'll be no stopping the Reds as they have go-getter Ben Cooper.

Hoping to get the Blues off the hook, it's Natasha Raskin.

Right, girls. We're here so have you got any idea what you'd like to buy?

I'd quite like something small and silver.

But truly, as long as we beat the Reds, I'm not really bothered.

I do like Victorian jewellery.

Well, if she's going small and silver,

-I'm going to go big and rusty.

-COW MOOS

Your 60 minutes starts straight away.

Shop! KLAXON HOOTS

Let's not waste any time. Let's go, let's go.

Let's head off and see what we can buy.

OK, Jane's straight in. No, she's not. She's out.

-Well, it's just...

-She's in, she's out.

Well, our girls are raring to go today.

Use your eyes and see what talks to you.

-Shame about the chandeliers!

-Oh!

-Got to think profit at auction.

-Yes.

That's the general idea, Ben.

Did you hear that, Blues?

These cabinets. Oh, yes.

-They'll be pretty expensive.

-Beyond our...?

-Yeah.

Beyond our wildest, are they?

Currently, for whatever reason,

quite popular at the moment in auction,

are these small specimen cabinets or specimen cabinets architect...

You know, those low cabinets that are really thin

for the architects' drawings.

As a result, at the fairs, we see really high prices.

So we just want to try and find something that maybe the dealer

has not cottoned onto this trend and we can get it a fair price.

Good advice, Natasha.

It's OK to spend big but there must be a profit in it.

-Two cabinets.

-Something that talked to me at this stall.

The bagatelle has caught my eye

and it's probably just childhood memories of playing it.

-Would you like to have a closer look?

-That would be lovely.

-Right.

So...now there we go.

-Yeah, it's quite good condition, isn't it?

-Yes, yes.

It's in lovely condition. And you slide back here.

-So you can sit there and...

-Yeah.

-How's the action?

-Right.

And there's a question!

Let's have a look and see. Is it going to score there?

-Oh! Yes!

-40! Yeah!

-HE LAUGHS

-Well done.

-Why don't we...?

-Can I feel?

-It's like a leather surface.

-Yeah, and it's...

obviously the original covering.

-Because of the way you've got the numbers on.

-Yeah.

-The one I used to play with was all wood.

-Yeah.

-Shall we ask the gent what he's got on it?

-Yes, please. Yes.

Hi there, can you tell us what have you got on it?

-£25.

-£25?

Now, what do you think, girls?

What's your best price?

Oh, I can do £20.

-What do you think?

-Well, put it this way.

-At £20, you're not going to lose an awful lot.

-Mm-hm.

-I wouldn't say you're going to make an awful lot.

-No.

But at the same time, it's quite nice you're both agreeing.

BOTH LAUGH

You end up with absolutely no agreement.

-It's up to you, girls.

-Yeah, go for it, shall we?

-Do you want to go with it?

-Yes, I'm very happy.

-You've got to shake the gent's hand, then.

-A really nice price.

-Thank you!

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you.

-And thank you!

That's all right. Thank you. Well, that was all a bit quick.

We're only a couple of minutes down, we've got at least 50 minutes to go.

We've got two more things to buy.

-We've got plenty of money to play with.

-Bye-bye!

Have they bagged a bargain with the bagatelle? Only time will tell.

Anyway, well done, Reds. That's your first buy.

What have you clocked?

-The big seed pod.

-Oh, the seed pod. Also known as...?

-No, it's a coco...

-Coco de mer. Also know as...?

-I don't know the other name for it.

-The bum nut.

-Ha-ha!

-Oh, of course, yes!

-Because...

-When you turn it over.

-Look at them cheeks!

-SHE LAUGHS

So good, is it not? I mean, it's a little bit naughty looking.

And they grow in the Seychelles.

That's the only place from which they originate.

They fall off the tree and they float on the water.

So, quite often, sailors would pluck these out of the water

and they would carve intricate tea caddies and all sorts out of them.

This one here has become a kind of basket of sorts, hasn't it?

With the handle. But still, it's been quite nicely worked.

-Now...

-There's no price.

There is no price on it and we need to find out what it's worth.

-£140.

-£140 and that's the absolute death?

-£140?

-Yeah.

I would say at auction,

because of the way it's been worked, probably...

It's not going to get that.

..we'll be talking about £80-120, £70-90, something like that.

-But £140...

-No.

-I don't know, do you want to splash that much cash?

-No.

-No?

-No.

Well, you certainly have an eye for finding quality, Blues.

Whilst the Reds have an eye for something else.

-BOTH LAUGH

-Calm down, calm down.

I don't want it but... It caught my eye!

Hmm, matron! Just move on, then.

You're moving awfully quickly. Are you going straight in?

-We're going to...

-Going straight to the back room.

-To the back?

-And work our way to the front?

-Yeah.

This is looking a bit more like it.

OK, Liz. You're in like Flynn. Show me what you're looking at.

I really like that little heart-shaped perfume bottle.

-I think it's really attractive.

-Very attractive, isn't it?

And what's handy is that our stall holder has put the date on it,

so we are literally turn of the century,

first year of the 20th century.

We're 1900, we're marked in Birmingham.

So, it's a big major assay office but it also has

-quite a hefty price tag.

-It does have a hefty price tag.

I've got expensive tastes!

Well, I'm sure you've been told that before.

'That's the third pricey item, girls, with no margin for profit!

'Time for a rethink, maybe?'

-Well, that brooch is quite nice.

-I like that.

-It's not a gold one.

-Oh, right.

And what is the cost of that then?

-Well, the best on that will be £90.

-Do you mind if I have a look?

-I do rather like that, Marianne.

-Yes, I do as well.

This is, I would have thought, is around about 1860, 1850 in date?

I agree.

What's useful with earlier jewellery like this,

you feel the weight of it.

-It actually is quite lightweight.

-Oh, yes!

-Which means it can be worn on modern fabrics.

-Yeah.

So it is a very wearable piece.

-So it could be worn either way, couldn't it?

-Yeah.

-And it also could be put onto a pendant, even.

-Yeah.

-Yeah...

I mean, I don't know...

I mean, are the stones...

They're just paste, are they? I would have thought.

This would look lovely on something dark, wouldn't it?

-I go to sort of things...

-And when it's...

-It looks nice on there.

-It looks very nice on you.

-It would look a bit odd. I mean, it does look...

-It suits you.

-Does it?

-It looks beautiful.

-It brings out my eyes?

-Yes, it does!

-I mean, the lady has already quoted us £90.

-Right.

She might be able to do a little bit more. We can have a...

I mean, is there any chance you can do any better for us?

We'll do it for £80. There is a ticket price of £100 and...

-£135 on it.

-Oh, I didn't see that.

-130, yes! Yes!

-Well, at £80, I think the lady is being...

-Very reasonable.

-Is being very fair.

-I can't...

-So what are you thinking, girls?

-So is it a yes?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Would you like to shake the lady's hand?

-Indeed! Thank you so much.

-Thank you so much.

Thank you for the information.

I say, ladies. That's two buys in 25 minutes.

Which is more than can be said for our Blues

who haven't bought a single thing.

So, they're talking tactics.

It's quite expensive in here. We should perhaps go back outside.

We'll give Natasha a call?

-Natasha?

-Yes.

-We're going back outside. We think it's a bit too much.

-Back outside?

-Too expensive?

-Yeah.

We all like a plan, especially a good one.

-The clock!

-Don't look at the boxes, they're too expensive.

Don't look at the boxes, get out. Thank you!

-They're worth it but they're too expensive.

-They're so cute.

Will you stop? Stop it!

Yes, focus, ladies.

You guys are going to fall out, are you?

They may not fall out but they may run out of time.

Lead the way, Natasha.

We don't even have one thing under our belt.

-We don't have anything!

-We don't have anything.

-Right.

Maybe we could appeal to the gentleman.

-Is there anything interesting that we're missing?

-The decanter.

The silver collar. It's pretty chic, isn't it?

OK, let's have a little look.

I mean, that's got a serious weight to it

so we're talking lead crystal here.

OK, not so scary.

I'm not so scared of your price tag. Do we have a hallmark on it?

-Oh, we do. Mappin & Webb.

-Oh, that's really...

So we have here a designer decanter. Do you know the date on it?

-I think it's on the tag.

-Oh, is it on the tag? 1937.

OK, so we are in that sort of mid-war period.

It's 1937, we've got a beautiful piece of cut glass here

which no doubt would have been on display on the mantelpiece

because this is not a piece to hide.

Mappin & Webb is a piece to display and to show your wealth.

-And it is lovely, isn't it? It's super attractive.

-It's beautiful.

-So, it's marked up at £95.

-£95. And the best you can do, sir, is?

I'll do it for 80.

Let me tell you, I reckon auction estimate for this

-is going to be 60 to 80, 50 to 70.

-Go on, then, Natasha.

-It's sort of all the money at £80.

-Yeah. We'll go for it.

-You're quite happy to go for it?

-We're happy!

Yeah, we'll go for it, we'll feel happier when we've got something

-under our belts.

-OK. It's risky but you're keen?

-Yeah, we'll risk it.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-We'll risk it for a Swisskit.

Well, I would say shake the gentleman's hand.

Thank you very much. So I'll put that back down there.

They'll keep it aside for us. And thank you ever so much, bye-bye.

Oh, at last! But that's only a first item with only a half an hour gone.

Well, buying two items in 25 minutes is doable

as the Reds have proved.

So shop on, teams.

Now I have something to show you.

I want to stand up for good old British brown furniture.

I'm fed up with people denigrating brown furniture.

Yes, I agree a lot of 19th-century furniture is bulbous and heavy.

But a really good piece of brown furniture can't be beaten.

That's why I've brought this example along. This is perfect.

It's about 1800 in date. Where things were delicate.

And here is the most wonderful example of a tilt-top tripod table.

And I'll work from the bottom up.

It has a tripod base, umbrella base,

shaped like an umbrella being opened out. A vase turned stem.

There you can see the vase at the bottom of the stem.

Come to the top and you have a mahogany oval top.

Let's tip it up and I'll tell you why I want to tip it up.

Because I want to see just how much of this table is original.

Let's look at the bottom. Look at the catch here. This is brass.

Now, had that broken off at some stage or been replaced,

you would see some other hole marks where the original one was.

That's been there for 200 years.

I want to check that the bearers, and here we have the bearers,

are original. How do I tell?

No other marks on the bottom here

where some other bearers might have been.

The block is original, fitted to the stem.

Close it up.

Now I bought this table recently for £200.

I was astonished to buy it for £200.

If this were retailed in a smart shop,

you could see a price tag of £895, £995 on it.

And I'm sure somebody would buy it.

So, pooh-pooh to people that don't like brown furniture!

Good brown furniture is perfect.

Right, back with our teams.

The Reds are looking very comfortable having bought two items.

The Blues, however, have just the one

and there's nothing else on the horizon with only 17 minutes left.

-43 minutes gone.

-No!

-No!

-Probably...

ALL LAUGH

Probably 44 by the end of that no!

It's all a little bit frantic though, isn't it?

-That's quite cool, isn't it? The baby's sort of pen.

-Yeah.

Does that... Do you hate that?

You hate that, OK.

Nice try though, Natasha.

At long last, the Blues have got their hands on something.

A tea caddy marked up at £42.

Here's a sarcophagus-shaped box.

Let's have a look inside.

We've got silk lining but we don't have any compartments.

Little bit of staining, French polish would sort that out.

Let's have a little look.

We've got nice cross-banding across the front.

We've got a nice clean brass escutcheon.

-That's all there, no problem. We've got bun feet.

-Four bun feet.

We've got four of them, they're all there. Yes!

It's veneered wood and you can see it's quite crudely done.

But I think that if we take this to our stallholder, plead with him

-and say...

-Greatly.

-"Kind sir, we want this for less than half price."

-Yes.

-"It's in a bad way and so are we."

-Yeah.

-"Give it to us for 20 quid, no more."

-Go for it, Jane!

-I was going £15?

-Go for it.

-Go for it, Jane!

Jane, take the lead.

Don't come back here without that box!

-How do you think she's going to get on?

-She's going to do it.

She's going to come out of that really well.

That's the spirit, Blues!

What kind of a face is that? You're hard to read, Jane.

-Your hard to read here.

-Sorry.

-The bad news, the lowest he'll take is £30.

-What do you think?

We're running out of time, missus!

Do we take it?

-You can do it and we'll go back to plan A.

-Oh, what's plan A?

That was to go up and ask for the cheapest thing on the next stall.

SHE LAUGHS

That's not a plan of which I was aware!

But I tell you what, at this stage, it's a plan I like.

Maybe it's a plan that could have been put to use earlier, girls.

Right, let's take it and run because listen, we've got ten minutes left.

We need to find one more item and we need to do it pronto.

-Couldn't have put it better myself, Natasha.

-Go, go, go.

-Go, go!

Choose your stall wisely.

Talking of final buys, our Reds seem to have slowed right down to.

We're down to our last ten minutes.

It was all going so well and we seem to have kind of lost time. So...

-Refocus.

-We need to refocus, look carefully

and we need to buy something.

-Marianne, what do you think about the glass?

-Yeah.

-I like them, you know, very much.

-What are they?

-They're dumps.

-Dumps?

-Called dumps.

-All right.

-They're paperweights.

-Right.

Condition's important.

So, some you can see and they're priced accordingly.

-Because they've been bruised And what have you.

-Right, yes.

Well, we're quite short on time.

Shall we see if the gentleman has got much movement in his prices?

-So, is the guy there?

-Yes. You all right there?

-Do you mind...?

-Yes, it's my stall.

-We're really very desperate.

-I shall help you out.

-Right.

-Good.

And these, sort of five or six years ago,

-were probably about £120.

-Yeah.

-They've come down a lot.

-Yes, but we're talking...

-It's all relative.

-Indeed.

-And what kind of movement have you got?

-Say for the large one?

-Uh, £55. Yes.

-£55.

-It's in lovely nick.

You know, it's in lovely nick. They use them as doorstops.

-You know, it's too damaged.

-Windowsills.

-I rather like that one there.

-You like this one?

-This one has got a bit of a bish...

-Oh, right. OK.

-..on it and bished on the side.

-Oh, even more so.

-What about that one there?

-Ooh.

-Whatever.

-He's actually...

-He's not bad.

-Not bad. What can that chap be?

-Uh, £40.

-£40.

-What do you reckon, Marianne?

-That is a definite.

-Are we short of time?

-We're short of time.

-So are we going to make a profit?

-I don't think we're going to...

I think they're going to be a bit of a break even.

I don't think there's going to be much to be made.

-But I think the gent's being very generous.

-Right.

I think it's about time you shake your hand before the big gong goes

-and we've failed.

-Done!

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much, sir. Cheers.

Well done, Reds. Now with just a few minutes to go,

panic well and truly kicks in with the Blues.

I don't know, I couldn't make a decision.

You'll have to make the decision.

Ladies, we haven't gone back to the coco de mer.

-The bum nut, we've abandoned the bum.

-We have.

-What do you think?

-Plan B for bum.

-Plan B for bum!

-And we're running.

-Go for it.

-OK, I'm following you, ladies.

-Let's go!

-Don't even know where it was!

-It wasn't on this row.

It wasn't on this row?

If they chuck us out, don't worry, I'll vouch for you.

Right.

-Oh, found it!

-Oh, she's found it. Right. There we go.

There she is! Ha, ha!

-Wielding a bottom. Normal. Here we are.

-Bum, bum!

We didn't meet you before, sir.

Hello, we are the Blue team, collectively,

it's how we're known.

And we like this lovely coco de mer.

-Ladies, take it away.

-What is your best price on this, please, sir?

Very best, I think that'd cost £140.

£130 would be the absolute best.

-Can we not just do a round £100?

-No.

-It's the end of the day.

End of the day.

-No, I've owned it a week.

-It may well be the end of the day

but that's the gentleman's best price. So we have to respect that.

So...three minutes left on the clock. What do you reckon?

-Yeah, three minutes. We can't take the strain!

-Can't take the strain?

-I say if that's as far as he's going, go for it.

-Take it.

-Why not?

Yes. £130, sir.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

Ah!

HORN BLOWS

Right, teams. Stop clowning around. Your time is up.

Hey! Oh, brilliant. Well done.

Let's see what the Red team have bought.

First, they picked up the bagatelle game for £20.

Their second buy came in the shape of a yellow metal

and red paste brooch for which they paid £80.

And lastly, they paid £40 for the glass dump paperweight.

Pat, Marianne. It was all plain sailing for you, wasn't it?

-Relatively so, I think.

-It was a piece of cake!

-Well, thanks to Ben.

-How were they, Ben?

-They were a delight.

-A delight?

-Aw!

-Did you rush at the end, girls?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-There was a little bit of a panic, wasn't there?

-Yes!

-Oh, dear.

-But you got there in the end?

-We did.

-And what's your favourite lot?

-For me, definitely the brooch, the Victorian brooch.

-The brooch, yes.

-I quite like the bagatelle.

-And you liked the bagatelle?

-Which is just going to bring you the biggest profit?

-I feel the brooch.

-You feel the brooch.

-I'm hoping the bagatelle.

You're hoping the bagatelle.

Well, how much did you spend?

-Uh, we spent...

-£140.

-£140, yes.

Of course, the dangerous thing here

is you're leaving this Ben with £160.

-We're relying on Ben.

-Do you trust him? Do you trust him with £160?

-Yes, of course.

-Definitely.

-Well, hand it over, then.

-Right, there we are.

-I will hand it straight over to Ben.

-Marvellous.

-Ben, that is a lot of money.

What are you going to do with it?

Well, I'm going to try and find something which the girls

will enjoy and make them think, "Ooh, he's thought about us!"

-That's the idea.

-That's very nice.

Well, while Ben goes off to buy something

the girls will really like...

let's see what the Blue team have bought.

They bought the Mappin & Webb silver collar glass decanter for £80.

And next, they somewhat panic-purchased the wooden box

for £30.

Finally, they splashed out £130 on the coco de mer.

Liz and Jane. Decision-making is not your forte, is it?

-No, definitely not.

-No, Mr Ross. It's not.

-But you got the things bought, didn't you?

-We did.

-What's your favourite item?

-Mine's the little crystal decanter.

-Yes.

-And yours?

-It's got to be my bum nut.

-Your bum nut.

And what's going to make the biggest profit?

-I'm hoping it's the decanter.

-You're hoping it's the decanter.

I think it could be the decanter.

Well, it looks like being the decanter, doesn't it?

-How much did you spend?

-£240.

-I'm impressed. That is a really good.

£240.

Hand over £60.

-That's all you've got, Natasha!

-Sorry, Natasha.

But frankly...I think that's more than enough for you.

I really wasn't expecting to be left with so little

because I thought we were just going to buy any old thing.

But we bought big so I'm going to try to get us something cheap

-but good, ladies. We need that.

-We definitely...

So while Natasha goes off to use her discretion,

we're off to the auction!

We've come about 50 miles down the road to Etwall in Derbyshire

-to Charles Hanson's sale room. Charles, hello.

-Charlie, welcome.

-How are you?

-Very well, thank you, Charlie.

-Lovely to see you.

-Good to see you here.

-And we start with the Red team.

-And Marianne chose this bagatelle board.

-Yes, yes.

Because it reminded her of her youth.

It's a bit alien today, bagatelle.

But from what I can see, it's in nice condition,

it's vintage and I think it's quite collectable.

-Have you ever played it?

-Never, Charlie.

-It's fantastic.

-This is a spring-loaded one.

-OK.

The one I had had a stick and you pushed the balls up.

-The balls are kept in a compartment at the bottom there.

-Yes.

What's it worth?

Charlie, we've put a guide price on it between £10 and £20.

-Well, if it can hit the top end, £20 is what we paid.

-Good, OK.

So moving on to the brooch. Now I'm not sure about the brooch.

It's chunky. It's what the market today likes.

It's really decorative.

It's a statement piece but it's not intrinsically of value.

-We feel it's worth between £40 and £60.

-Cost...£80.

-Right, OK.

-Yeah.

-Right.

-I wonder whether it was bought

-in the hope that it might have been gold.

-Correct, correct.

We'll see, we'll see. And what about the paperweight?

Of course, dumps we know were made from the leftover glass

in the great Stourbridge, West Midland glasshouses.

I love the interior. I love that...

It's a wonderful vase of flowers, isn't it?

-You wonder how they made...

-Cleverly done.

-I really rate it.

-That's good.

Then what's it worth?

-We've put a guide price on it between £20 and £30.

-Yeah.

It cost £40.

Will they need their bonus buy?

Let's have a look at it.

Marianne and Pat, this is the exciting moment.

What's under the cloth?

Shall we have a look?

-Ooh!

-Ooh, yes!

-SHE GIGGLES

-Ooh, you'll like that, Marianne?

-Well, yes, I do.

So, what do you think with £160,

-how much do you think I actually spent?

-Oh, my gosh.

-Well, I'm going to say about £60.

-No idea.

-I actually spent £30.

-Ooh!

-Well, that's why I'm...

-Now, it's a true antique. Three pieces.

They date to around about 1810, 1820.

Not 100% sure of the factory but it's very much after Worcester.

But each piece at only a tenner.

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

Well, I hope it should double its money.

-It might not.

-OTHERS LAUGH

But fingers crossed.

Anyway, that's what we think about it.

I wonder what the auctioneer thinks about it.

You are of course the porcelain man, aren't you?

Charlie, I just love English porcelain

because it takes you back to the great ceremony of taking tea.

And this of course is part of a larger tea set.

And it's very much typically of 1790.

So, we are in the 18th rather than the early 19th century?

-I think we are just in the 18th century.

-Just.

-About 1795.

-Right.

Hopefully, it will make, on a good day, between £25 and £35.

-Well, they paid right in the middle of that. £30.

-Good.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Charlie, with a push, it might make some money.

-Yeah.

-Well, shall we have a look at the Blue team?

-Yes.

And they kicked off with this decanter.

I have fairly strong views about this. What do you think?

-It's heavy.

-Yeah?

-It's well cut.

-Yes.

-It's hallmarked 1937.

-Yes.

It's a quality item with a good faceted mushroom stopper.

-Yes.

-And it's a great object, Charlie.

-I love it.

And I love the fact that it's got that silver neck.

And I simply don't understand why they don't make more money.

Do you know what you'd pay for that new today?

-Charlie, it's frightening.

-Hundreds of pounds with a silver neck.

For somebody, it's a really good buy.

-Value?

-My guide is between £40 and £60.

-Yes.

-I am hoping...

-Hmm.

-..it will double up.

-They would be very, very thrilled if you did that

-because they paid pretty good money for it. They paid £80.

-OK.

The other item is the caddy.

Great shape, isn't it? And it's wonderful mahogany

and it's strung beautifully in boxwood.

But it's got problems.

The interior has been obviously modernised

to create a jewellery box.

I don't mind that because a jewellery box

-is now very functional.

-But it's this, Charlie...

Maybe the original Empire lion mask style of handles have been lost.

Yeah, but having said that, what a pleasing object.

-And it's going to make?

-We've gone in between £20 and £30.

-It cost £30.

-Oh, good.

-So they're in with a chance.

That's good, Charlie. There's a chance there.

And then the object and they've spent some money here,

-on the coco de mer.

-Have they really?

-Lodoicea maldivica.

-What's that?

Well, that's the Latin name for it.

-OK, sorry, Charlie.

-Quite difficult.

-I never read Latin at school.

-Where do they come from?

-The Seychelles.

-The Seychelles.

-I think. Yeah.

-Well, I think just one particular island

-of the Seychelles.

-Yes.

-That rare?

I would love to go there and just see...

how they carve and create what is now an exquisite basket.

-Yes, it's fabulous.

-From this coco de mer shell.

I think it will do well because it will appeal to online global buyers.

Well, I hope you put a punchy estimate on this, Charles.

My guide is 100 to 150 but really I'll be quite wide

and say it might make 100 to £200.

-They weren't shy buying it, they paid £130.

-Did they really?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Good object, Charlie.

-Yes.

-One never knows until the gavel falls.

-No, no.

Well, if it falls just short, of course,

it's just possible they'll need their bonus buy.

-OK.

-Perhaps we ought to have a look at it.

-Elizabeth and Jane, you were spenders, weren't you?

-We did, yes.

Spend, spend, spend!

Leaving lovely Natasha with just £60.

Did she spend it all?

Well, I was tempted to spend it all

because it's not a huge sum of money.

But I thought to myself, we need an opportunity to claw back.

-Because what if it all just goes south.

-Downhill?

So, I played it a little safe but sparkly too.

-Ah!

-Lovely...

-OTHERS:

-Ooh!

-Barred brooch.

-Oh, I like it.

-And it's pretty, isn't it?

-Do you want to have a hold? So, what do you think?

-Gorgeous.

-Love it, love it, love it.

-Is it Victorian?

Well, probably slightly later than that. It's 20th century.

Hmm, little elegance of the Edwardian era.

That's what we can see.

I think for its age, it's in lovely condition.

What do you think it's worth, girls?

-Um, I think you probably spent about £30 for it.

-OK.

Yeah, I'll go with that.

Quite chuffed with that because I paid £25.

Oh! I love you, love you!

-And it's going to make 30, 35.

-Yeah?

-It's just I think it's so commercial.

-It is.

Now, you don't have to go with it.

-You can make a decision at the auction.

-Oh, I don't know.

Whether you go with it or whether you don't go with it...

I wonder what the auctioneer thinks of it.

Well, Natasha went off and purchased this item.

Oh, that's pretty, Charlie. That's pretty nice.

-It is nine-carat gold.

-Is it? You've tested it?

-It's rolled gold. We have indeed.

-Good.

I love the oval amethyst as well

and it's going to appeal to a marketplace.

And it's quite nice to have it in a box.

-And I suspect not a lot of money.

-Not really, Charlie.

I hope it will make anything from between let's say £20 and £50.

-That's a wide range.

-That's quite wide, Charlie.

-It sets me a challenge to climb.

-Well, keep climbing.

It cost £25 so they've given you every chance to show a profit.

Now when it comes to the excitement, you'll be on the rostrum, won't you?

Charlie, I thrive on selling

and I can't wait to hopefully sell these objects really well.

And I can't wait to see young Charles in action.

-Are you excited, girls?

-Yes, yes! Bit apprehensive.

Well, you look as if you're absolutely ecstatic!

Have you been to an auction before?

Many years ago when I was first married

and I've also been to car auctions.

Oh, have you? What about you, Pat?

-I've been to livestock auctions.

-Oh.

Well, first up today is the bagatelle board.

-Which I think you chose, Marianne, didn't you?

-I did, yes.

There you are, we like this.

There we are, it's a wonderful 1930s bagatelle board. And a nice frame.

Where do we start this?

I'm bid 5, 8, 10, 12, £15.

Bid 18 now. 18, I'm out.

18 bid, look at this object.

-18, 22.

-Yes!

-2, 5, 8.

Man with the dog. 8, 30.

-Girls!

-For our bagatelle!

The exotic excitement of your bagatelle!

£30? No. 35, madam?

You've come so far. Are you sure?

Bid me a fiver.

I sell to you, sir, your lady and the dog. All out at £32.

Going, going...sold!

Plus £12, girls.

Now hold on, don't get too excited because the brooch is coming up.

A really gorgeous, gorgeous brooch. And I'm bid £30.

Do I see £5 now? It's gorgeous. 35?

35, madam? 35. 40? 45?

Were it gold... They're doing better. It cost £80!

Are you sure, madam? It will suit you so much as well.

Just look at the brooch and look at me. No? Thank you.

-Halfway to paradise.

-Right at the back.

-Do I see 5 now? Or I sell it?

-Oh.

-£40, going, all out.

-Do you know...?

At £40 right at the back.

-Fair warning.

-Oh!

You've just demonstrated how to divide the price by two.

Minus £40.

So you're overall minus £28. But here comes your wonderful weight.

It's a very nice Victorian dump of circa 1880.

And I'm only bid for this great object, £12, I'm bid.

Do I see £15 now?

15, 18, 22, 5, 8. 25...

I've got 8 here, sir. 32, 5.

8, 40, I'm out. 40, I'm bid.

Do I see 2 now? I'll take 2.

40, I'm bid. Do I see 2 online?

-At £40. Come on!

-Which is better than a loss, girls.

-For the dump.

Do I see 2?

At £40 for the first, second, third time.

You've got the dump. It's yours!

Yeah, there we go. £40.

Plus and minus nought, so overall, minus £28.

-That's not too bad.

-That's quite good.

You'd probably settle for that when you went shopping, wouldn't you?

Now, the bonus buy. Do you want to go with it or not?

-What do you think?

-I think we should just go for it.

-I've got every faith in you.

-Well, thank you, girls.

-Do you know?

-Fingers crossed!

When I first met you girls, I thought,

"They are girls that are going to go for it."

And they're going for it.

And I can say that the auctioneer Charles Hanson

is a passionate porcelain lover.

He will do his utmost to get you a profit off this.

This late 18th-century porcelain

in a great neoclassical style.

Very interesting lot, this.

We like it. Where do we start this?

How many, bid? I've got 12, 15, £18 here.

I'm asking 20 now.

Circa 1790, where were you?

18, I'm bid. I'm asking...

It's phenomenal value for a true piece of English porcelain.

I'm asking at 20 now. 18, come on!

-Bid 20.

-Come on.

-It's got to go?

I'm asking 20. Fair warning.

You're all out. I shall sell it.

Are we sure? That's it, at £18.

Going...going...

Sold!

Sold at £18.

You've lost another juicy £12, which added to the £28,

makes a loss of £40.

It's a nice round number.

It's a lovely round number and remember, girls.

-Minus 40 is really, in the overall swing of things, not too bad.

-Oh.

-You may have won. But remember, not a mutter to the Blue team.

-OK.

Zippo! Thank you.

-Well, girls. Are we all excited?

-Nervous.

-Very, very.

-Very excited?

-Been to an auction before?

-No. Liz has.

-Yeah, I have.

-Have you?

-Do you like auctions?

-Yeah, they're all right.

-You just get a bit carried away sometimes.

-You can do.

-Don't get carried away today. Don't try buying your own things.

-No.

That could be fatal. Enjoy the moment because here is the decanter.

Showing it for you there,

a lovely decanter and stopper.

It's heavy, it's cut

and it's mighty fine.

116, where do we start this?

I'm only bid £20. It's silver.

22, 25, 28, 30, 5. I'm out.

I'm asking 40 now.

I can't believe this, girls. Come on!

-What did we pay for this, Charlie?

-£30? You paid £80.

-Oh!

-50.

-Ooh, ooh.

-Are you sure?

-He estimated 40 to 60.

-55. We've come so far.

-Yeah, come on!

-I'll take one more.

-Come on!

-Is that a yes?

-55, 60.

-Yes, come on!

Are you sure, madam?

I'm asking online, 60.

Fair warning, I sell to the lady.

Oh, no!

All out, we are at 55.

You're out, the lady here is in.

That's it, fair warning.

-What do you think, girls?

-Ah!

-Oh, £55.

-Minus £25.

-It wasn't as bad as we thought.

Girls, girls, girls. Here comes the caddy.

It's a magnificent, again, late George III.

Satinwood banded mahogany tea caddy.

It's not bad at all.

And it's got a lovely silk lining.

I'm only bid £20.

I'm asking 5 for it now.

-It's gorgeous.

-Oh!

-Shh!

-25, 35, ma'am. 35?

-Oh, oh!

I've got 30 here.

-I'll take

-2. Ooh...

I'm out.

2 I'm bid, takes my commission.

Do I see 5 now? Come on!

-£32, I'm bid. Surely a fiver?

-£32! £32!

Look at this caddy.

-5, 8, 40!

-£40? 5!

-Madam, you were so near.

-Aw!

£40 I'm bid.

Or I sell to you, lady. Thanks for coming.

All out at £40 today.

-Sold!

-Yes!

-Plus a tenner!

-Yes.

-You're only down £15.

-We've clawed some back.

-And here comes your...

Lodoicea maldivica!

Your coco de mer.

A most magnificent coco de mer,

Seychelles, carved as a basket.

I am bid £65.

I'm asking £70 for it now. Come on!

Bid £70?

Really good Seychelles basket carved from that coco de mer.

-70, 5, 80...

-Oh, here we go.

5, one more? 90. I'll be out.

85, I'm bid, 90.

-You're in? It's cheap.

-Gone very quiet.

90, I'm bid. Do I see 5 now?

-Go on!

-A rare object. £90?

Surely 5 online?

Or I shall sell to a lady. Bid 5?

-You're all out, to the lady.

-Uh-oh.

-That's it.

-That's it.

-At £90.

-And goodnight.

-Fair warning.

-Oh!

-Minus £40.

-That's minus £55.

-A valiant effort.

So, before we get too excited...

we have the little matter of the bonus buy.

We've got the bar brooch. It cost £25.

-I'm not going to lead you but what are you going to do?

-Yeah.

-We're going to go with it.

-Going to go with it?

Well, the estimate the auctioneer's put on this is £20-£50.

-Oh!

-OK.

So, either you could nibble away at your loss here.

A bar brooch set with oval facet-cut amethyst

in its lovely brown Morocco box.

I'm only bid for this...

12, 15, 18, 20, 22, 5, 8, 30.

It's so attractive! 30, madam.

No, 28 down here, 30. 2.

It's really attractive, come on!

-£32,

-5, 8. Ooh!

-8, madam?

Either of you? 8, 40. 45.

Now we're going!

Good object, this. 45, 50.

-A lovely, lovely bar brooch.

-Yes.

45 I am bid, madam. 50 on the front row?

No more? 45, the lady standing.

Bid 50 out online.

-And we sell to a lady.

-No!

Good morning. So, at £45...

-it's yours.

-£45!

-£45!

So, plus £20.

-You lost £55 so you're only down 35 smackers.

-Oh, way down!

THEY LAUGH

But we bought big so that's all right.

You've done really well.

You spent a lot of money, you've had an absolute ball and frankly,

-at £35, have you ever had such value for money?

-No.

-Entertainment for 35 quid.

-Absolutely.

-Anyway, not a word to the Reds.

-No.

-Because you never know, you may well have won.

-Ooh!

Sometimes on Bargain Hunt, girls and boys, there is a massive gulf.

This time, the difference is wafer thin.

-Did you think you'd done well?

-No.

-Did you think you'd done well?

-No!

Well, I can tell you you're both right.

ALL LAUGH

Neither of you did well. But one team...

did slightly worse than the other one. And they are...

the Red team. OTHERS YELP

Extraordinary. You started so well, girls.

You went off out of the blocks like the clappers.

Plus £12.

Then the brooch.

And then you broke even with that weight, the dumpy weight. Yeah.

And then you decided to go with Ben's,

and I have to say it was lovely, cup, the saucer and the plate

and you lost £12.

-Have you enjoyed it, Reds?

-Enormously.

-Yes.

-Enormously?

-Immensely.

-Oh, that's charming.

-Thank you.

-Well, Blues. Well done.

-Thank you.

-You were down £55 and you were losing.

-Until...

-Natasha!

Over the brow of the hill with the cavalry came Miss Natasha Raskin.

-Who bought that wonderful brooch, which you both liked?

-We did, yes.

-Sensibly went with it.

-Loved it.

-It cost £25 and it made £45!

£45! Whoo! High-five.

So that 20 quid did it for you. So, well done.

-I have to say that my pockets are empty.

-Ah!

No money to dish out but never mind. Lovely having you on board.

Both teams have been absolute stars.

And don't forget to have a look at our website

or indeed follow us on Twitter.

But of course most importantly, join us for more Bargain Hunting, yes?

-ALL:

-Yes!