Oswestry 7 Bargain Hunt

Today, Bargain Hunt comes from Oswestry,

a borderland town in Shropshire, steeped in history, myth and legend.

The name itself comes from King Oswald of Northumbria,

who died in 641.

When he died, he was nailed to a tree, hence the name -

Oswald's Tree.

Now, legend has it that a passing eagle saw him on the tree,

swooped in and plucked a limb and where the eagle dropped that limb,

a spring burst forth.

It really is amazing stuff.

Now, let's hope that today's purchases don't cost our Reds

or our Blues an arm and a leg.

Let's go Bargain Hunting.

I have it on good authority

that many a fine bargain has been discovered here

at Oswestry's antique and collectables fair.

Our teams have long dreamt of victory,

of making the biggest profit at auction

and of holding that fabled trophy -

the golden gavel.

So, let's take a look at what's coming up.

The Reds let fate decide.

Let's just flip a coin.

And even that doesn't go to plan.

Oh.

The Blues have a smashing time...

-GLASSWARE CLATTERS

-I'm wrecking your place.

There's excitement at the auction for the Reds.

And for the Blues.

Made a profit, £35.

I reveal what a wheelbarrow and a former prime minister

had in common, but first let's meet our teams.

Well, it's all very friendly here,

because we've got two teams of chums. On today's Reds,

we have Janet and Pippa. And for our Blues,

we have Sue and Jenny. Welcome, all.

-Hello.

-Hello!

-Hi, ladies. Let's start with you, Janet and Pippa.

Now, Janet, tell us, what is it that you do for a living?

I'm a deputy head teacher

of a large infant and nursery school in Shropshire.

You must unwind on an evening. And in your spare time,

you do like a wee bit of a tipple, don't you?

-JANET SQUEALS

-Yes.

I do like wine tasting, I must admit.

I really enjoy going to different countries

and tasting different wines.

Now, do you have a favourite region?

-Probably the Noir...

-The wine aisle.

Yeah, the wine aisle.

Aisle three is favourite, yeah.

-I like French wine.

-French wine.

Now, it was alcohol that sort of brought you together,

not that we're sticking to theme here or anything,

but it was alcohol that brought you two together.

-You met in a pub, is that correct?

-Yes, we did. We met 18 years ago

in a pub in Chester when my husband and I moved up.

Now, Pippa, you are the MD of a good digital agency,

but in your spare time, you like to get quite creative, do you not?

Yes, I like bidding on internet auctions,

finding good bargains, mostly furniture, so...

I'm, like, repurposing it

and trying to squeeze it into our office somewhere.

-Great, so little bit of upcycling?

-Yes, a little bit. Yes.

-Never goes amiss.

-No, it's always good to repurpose.

Now, Pippa, you're not always popular with your husband,

if I'm correct, because it's teaware, dinnerware, flatware,

sort of, all go with that.

There's lots of reasons why I am not popular, that's one of them. Yeah.

We don't really have any more room for tea sets and dinner sets, so...

Now, you don't think you're going to have a problem with buying today.

Do you have any sort of tactics?

No, I think we're pretty...I mean, we know each other so well.

We've got different tastes, but we're quite consultative, aren't we?

-We should be good in terms of...

-Yeah, work together.

Buy stuff we like.

Big smile, big, cheeky smile and, "Go on, what's the best price?"

-And some.

-I think that's a brilliant tactic.

Let's head over to our other set of friends - Sue and Jenny.

Now, you're very good friends. How is it that you know one another?

We met at college about 25 years ago,

doing an NNEB, which is a teaching assistant course now.

And we've worked in the same school together for 23 years.

-23 years, that's a long time.

-It's an amazing school, yeah.

But you've really helped mix things up there,

cos you've not just been doing the teacher assisting,

you've done all sorts of creative things.

Tell us about the initiatives that you've set up.

A few of us set up a toy library...

well, initially for the school

but then we opened it up to the local community,

cos there are children without toys and books

and it was a good success, yes.

It's such a lovely idea.

And also educating them about food and where their food comes from.

Yes, we actually grow our own vegetables and strawberries.

The children love to walk round picking up their own strawberries,

-Yeah.

-Not many make it to the...

-No, they don't.

Now, Julie, tell us about yourself, because obviously you taught

in the same school, but you have a little bit

of a sort of a salsa addiction too? Tell us about that.

Yes. My husband runs his own dance company.

So, he found dance about 20 years ago and persuaded me

to stop throwing a few shapes and doing a little bit

of partner dancing with him.

-It's really good fun.

-Obviously, you get on a treat.

Do you reckon Bargain Hunt will create a rift between you?

-Absolutely not.

-Definitely not.

-Nothing.

-Or will you still be as thick as thieves?

Any tactics apart from your, of course, discounted dance lessons?

Good bit of bartering, I think. She's a hard bargain driver, so...

OK, well, great. I think you're all going to be fine.

Now, you can't do any shopping without money,

so I'm going to give you £300 each and send you off on your shops.

Off you trot and I wish you very good luck.

Now, we're surrounded by teachers, but we'll soon find out -

did they do their Bargain Hunt homework?

So, who'll be guiding our teams today?

I spy an expert for the Reds, it's...

It's time to face the music, for the Blues, it's...

So, have you got a plan?

Do you know what you want to buy today?

No, we kind of talked about it, said shiny, pretty,

stuff that grabs us, maybe practical.

So, girls, what are we going to be looking for today?

Oh, bit of bling.

Definitely practical, more zany, more unusual,

perhaps something that would appeal to somebody online.

-And Sue?

-Something different, something unusual, we like to be

-different, don't we?

-We do indeed.

Right, teams, your 60 minutes start now.

Come on then, ladies, let's go and buy some stuff.

So, who's in charge?

-We're a dynamic duo, I think.

-Team.

-Teamwork.

-Well, as long as I don't end up in detention.

-Oh, could do.

Sue's leading the way.

Follow me.

And Pippa's doing a bit of bird spotting.

-These are quite unusual, am I OK to pick them up?

-Yeah.

I have no idea, but there's a pair of them

and I've never seen one before.

They actually look like they're pottery or something

but they're metal and you can see some of the metal shining through,

I think, in one or two places.

They're spelter, made to look like bronze.

-And how old, do you think?

-The 20th century.

-I mean, you know, 50 years old, maybe, a bit more.

-It's unusual.

-But, you know...

-Not sure of the audience.

Is that a racing pigeon? It's not sleek enough, is it?

Why would you have a couple of pigeons as ornaments?

What was the best price?

-It's got to be £45, that would be the best price.

-£45.

It's the first stall we've really looked at,

so shall we shoot inside and then...?

-Yeah, we could do.

-And have a think about them.

-OK.

-We've got these on the back burner.

-Thank you.

-See you later.

Hm, so the pigeons are going to be staying in the coop

for the time being.

-Oh, shiny, twinkly things in here.

-Oh.

Meanwhile, what have the Blues spotted?

All right, let's have a look at this then.

Something different.

I don't think there's a huge amount of age to that,

but I really like that.

It's impact, it's something decorative.

-Would you give this house room, either of you?

-I would.

-Yes.

Definitely. Yeah, definitely.

Well, that is a good rule of thumb, ask yourself that, "If I like it,

"if it really has impact,

"chances are other people are going to like it too."

Now, they've got £40 on this. What are your negotiating skills like?

-I reckon we can drive them down somewhat.

-20.

Go on, ladies, work your magic.

How are you today?

Wondered what you could possibly do on that?

We can do it for 35 here.

We need to make a profit on it and it's not old,

-do you think you could do it for 20 and a dance lesson?

-Sorry, not 20.

-We've got to come in at another angle.

-OK.

-25?

-We'll do it for 30.

28?

-Can we do 28?

-Yes.

What a lovely lady.

-Thank you.

-28.

-Let's have a kiss. Thank you.

-Thank you so much.

-GLASSWARE CLATTERS

-Oh, I'm wrecking your place. Sorry.

-'Oops!'

Well, with less than five minutes gone,

that's your first buy bagged, aren't you a clever pair?

Now, how are those Reds getting on?

Do scent bottles generally go well? Because they're very pretty,

aren't they? You love a scent bottle, don't you?

-I love a scent bottle.

-They do.

-They're quite collectable...

Basically, if you're going to buy things, you know,

silver or decorative objects, if you can display them

and some people put them in cabinets or on the dressing table

and the lady holds the purse strings,

-then, yeah, it's normally going to sell, isn't it?

-OK, fair enough.

So, yeah, it's got to be what you like,

it's got to be at the right price. It needs to be in good condition.

It's better off with some age and some style.

-Yes, yes.

-Which none of those...

Well, no, they are. Bit of Deco feeling about them.

-I like the Deco feeling of that one.

-It's very nice.

-Do you like it enough to go for it?

-What's the price?

-Well, it says 65 on them.

-No, I don't like it enough for the price.

-It says it's 35. It says 35.

-Does it?

-Yeah.

-Oh, it says 35.

-It's now half the price already. We're winning.

I'd like it for 20.

It says it's got a replacement stopper.

The stopper we actually had made in Stourbridge

by a glass specialist to match the rest of the item.

Gosh, that's some trouble to go to, isn't it?

That is some trouble to go to. Now he's told us that story,

we're going to feel guilty trying to knock it down, aren't we?

No, we're not, no we're not.

He didn't tell you it was his brother that did it.

That's rather cool.

Young man, what is your very best price you could do that on?

-28.

-28.

Couldn't get it down a little bit more,

so it was just slightly under 25, could you?

-Final offer - 25.

-Yeah, why not, why not?

-OK.

-Let's do it.

-Cool.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

-That's all right, it's a pleasure.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Numero uno.

-OK.

-Number one done.

-Well done, ladies.

Well done, Reds, that's your first purchase.

Let's hope it brings a sweet smell of success.

Just two more items to go.

Back with our Blues and Sue's got her eye on another eccentric item.

-I like that.

-And, again, it's not antique,

but it's so unusual.

Look, he's got feet.

It's not old, but that would catch your eye

-when you walk into any room.

-Kids would love this.

Whether it's been handmade or machine made, I don't know.

Nevertheless, £75, that doesn't sound dear to me.

Maybe you should try before you buy, girls.

-After you.

-Come on, Jenny.

One, two, three. Oh, that's really comfy.

-What do you think?

-Oh, it rocks.

-That's called a cantilever action.

That's something that was developed at the Bauhaus in the 1920s

and look at it, it's fantastic.

Shall we see if the stallholder is willing

-to come down a bit on that price?

-Let's hope so, yes.

-Hello.

-She looks like she has a very smiley face.

Hello. A lovely, smiley lady.

Right, the girls like your chair, but...

We'd like to do some serious negotiating with you.

Well, I don't know about that. THEY LAUGH

I actually brought it back from America

about 12 years ago,

I called it Boris, so this is Boris the bar stool.

And it's something really different, isn't it?

They were individually made.

And it did cost me a fortune.

And then the import tax and everything else, so...

'It's a nice story,

'but I think you need to do a bit of bargaining for Boris.'

-65?

-VENDOR SIGHS

I'd like 70, really. He is worth a lot of money.

He's unusual, he's quite current.

-Yes.

-What do you think?

-And he's sparkly.

-He is sparkly.

-I think so.

-Yes, we'll take the deal. Thank you so much.

You are racing ahead, ladies.

-SUE SQUEALS

-One more to go!

We're not even halfway through the shop yet

and you've got two items.

The Reds, meanwhile, don't seem to have moved very far.

Can I ask a question?

Don't shoot me down in flames, but I kind of like the giraffe things,

cos they're weird again.

Are they awful from an antiques point of view?

No, they're not awful.

-Again, with these, you see..

-Are they sort of '20s, '30s, '40s?

Exactly, they would be '20s, '30s or '40s. So...

PIPPA LAUGHS

Style-wise they are...you'd probably say they're late Deco.

They just make me smile, they're funny.

-They should make you smile.

-What are they made of though?

It's very difficult to say, because they are so clean.

METALLIC CLANK

Bronze has a slightly higher ring, rings a little bit better,

spelter's a duller metal.

The other thing is, cos it's on a heavy marble base,

-you just can't tell the weight of them...

-Yeah.

-No.

..cos it's overdone by this.

But they're fun, they are good fun.

'They're £38.

'Are you going to stick your neck out for them, ladies?'

What would you value them at though?

Who knows? They might make £20, they could make £50.

You know, decorative objects,

they're worth one thing to one person and one to another.

There's a little bit of a gamble in it.

-30 is the lowest I can go.

-That's not bad.

-That's not bad.

-That is good.

-You've let me choose one.

Do you want to choose one?

Or do you want to think about it and come back?

Shall we think about it for five more minutes?

cos we're not in any desperate rush, are we?

-We'll do a little circuit.

-Yeah.

-Thank you very much.

-Doing well though, doing well.

-Good, good.

Another item you're going to think about?

You might want to pick up the pace a little bit, team.

With only one item left to buy, the Blues are still top of the class.

Perhaps a watch would help you, Reds.

It's a pocket watch and that's a pocket watch stand.

Oh, so it literally comes out?

So, it'll unhinge, like us all...anyway, in there, you know,

you sit the pocket watch in there.

-Could we have a quick peek?

-That one there, yeah.

Here we go.

Where are the marks?

There we are. Down the bottom.

OK, so, Birmingham hallmark, 1908. Dial is OK.

The price there says £175.

-160 is the best.

-160 is the best.

-That's a lot of our budget.

-It's lot of your budget.

-I think we'll think about it.

-High risk?

I would say as an investment, it's a lot, actually.

-Oh, well, it's very pretty.

-That is lovely, thank you very much.

With time ticking, you can't keep saving items for later.

-John, what about that?

-What about this?

-It's quirky.

I like that, I don't know why, I just really love it.

-You see, chairs like this today are really not selling at all well.

-No?

But what you've got to do with them is upholster them with something

really, really contemporary and then they look funky.

Something like that, you know, with a real, sort of bold,

-fake leopard skin or fake, you know zebra skin...

-Cushion.

..would just totally transform it.

-And it brings them into the now.

-It's not Boris though, is it,

-our chair?

-It's not Boris, is it?

-Let's carry on.

-Yeah.

Back with the Reds and Pippa's spotted a pretty jug and sifter set.

I would like to know about the little sifter.

VENDOR: It's cream and sugar for your strawberries.

OK. that's quite cool, isn't it?

Yeah.

This is late Victorian, so this is about 1880 in date.

Engraved glass body is nice.

You always look in these things

to make sure there's no cracks or anything on the glass

on the inside in there.

-That's all right. You know.

-What's the price on it?

-£70.

-55.

You haven't even asked, he's come down, gosh, look at that.

55. Shall we wait a bit longer, he might...

-Can we think about it?

-How many things are we thinking about at the moment?

I can't even think how many things we're thinking of.

Come on, Reds, your time is running out.

-We need to make a decision, though, don't we?

-We do.

That's your final offer, is it? That's your final offer?

-54.

-Oh, you're a lovely man.

'That extra pound off made all the difference.'

Two down, one to go. Brilliant.

There are 20 minutes left to get that last item.

Meanwhile, the girls in blue have led John to another quirky stall.

-So we've got blings and hats on one stall.

-Yeah.

Anything that takes your fancy on there?

Probably won't fit on my head.

-I look like her.

-What is it?

-Tommy Cooper.

Just like that, just like that.

All right, that's enough clowning around.

'Anyway, wasn't it bling you were after, girls?'

I'm very impressed with the floral thing at the end

-with the bright, gaudy colours.

-It's a 1980s piece.

-Do you actually like that piece?

-I do.

-Yeah?

Oh, it's got like Perspex underneath.

-Very bling-y.

-It's so sparkly.

-Unusual.

-Would you like to try it on?

-I don't know, what do you think?

-What sort of price is it?

-25 on that.

I love that.

What do you think? You like that?

Is there a maker on it at all?

I haven't found a maker, but it's very, very much

Butler and Wilson style.

I think, her face, the decision's made, I think.

So, Jenny, what are you thinking? Your thoughts?

It's definitely bling-y enough for Jenny,

but I think we need to have it a bit cheaper, because I don't think...

-What are we thinking?

-We need to make some profit on it.

We've got to win, you see, this is a big competition.

-So, what are we thinking?

-15?

Oh, I can't go quite as low as that.

No, we went odd numbers before, my husband's topped it.

-What about 18, how's that?

-18.

-18, all right.

-Fantastic.

-We've got a deal?

-18 it is.

-Excellent.

Thank you very, very...

-So, I think it's time for a cup of tea and well earned.

-Let's go.

Well done, Blues, you're all done.

The poor Reds are still struggling.

We've got ten minutes left.

-Shall we go outside and then we can always run back?

-Let's be quick.

Keep going, Reds, you can do it.

While the Blues head off for their cuppa,

-things are getting tense for the Red team.

-You've got four minutes left.

OK, I think we need to make a decision, don't we?

Yes, you do.

Maybe you need to go back to one of the items you saw earlier.

But which one?

-Pigeon. Giraffe.

-Giraffe.

-Pigeon, pigeon, giraffe, I'm confused.

Don't let me decide, don't let me decide.

Just flip a coin, have you got a coin?

Yeah, that's the only way we're going to get a decision.

-Tails giraffe, heads pigeon?

-And then we'll know

-if we're upset with the decision.

-Four legs, two legs.

-Four legs, two legs.

-Oh.

It's tails.

We'll go for the giraffe.

Have you still got those lovely giraffes?

-Hello, young man, we are back.

-That's brilliant, thank you.

30. Thank you very much.

-Shake my hand, we're done.

-That's lovely. Thank you.

'Well, you got there in the end, Reds,

'with just a couple of minutes left on the clock.

'That's your final item sorted.'

PHONE RINGS Oh, OK, I'll pass that on.

Right, teams, your time is up.

All three items bought, down to the wire.

Three items, I'm very pleased, I'm very pleased,

-you should be pleased too. Come on, let's go.

-Thank you.

-Bye.

Let's remind ourselves what the Red team bought.

Janet loved this Art Deco perfume bottle with stopper

and the team did a deal at £25.

Next up was this Victorian silver plate mounted glass jug

and sifter spoon - bought for £54.

With time running out,

the team ran back for these bronze effect giraffe statues.

Price paid - £30.

Janet and Pippa, I bet you wish you had longer than an hour.

-Definitely.

-That absolutely flew in, what happened?

Couldn't make our minds up, could we?

No, we sort of had a game plan and that went completely out the window.

It just flies by.

Janet, tell me, what was your favourite item bought today?

My favourite item was the first one I spotted

which was the Art Deco perfume bottle, yes.

-And do you reckon that's going to bring the biggest profit?

-No.

No. So, what do you reckon will bring the biggest profit?

Whatever Jonathan's decided to buy.

-So you're holding out for the bonus buy?

-Yes.

Pippa, tell me, what was your favourite item?

The strawberries and cream jug and sugar sifter.

Yeah, it's really nice.

But I'm not sure it's going to make a huge profit.

And which do you think will bring the biggest profit?

-Jonathan.

-Well, I hope so.

-No pressure, JP.

Talking of bonus buys, how much did you spend altogether?

-£109.

-That's not a lot, ladies. Which leaves Jonathan with 191.

If I could please take that from you, Janet.

-Let's hand it straight over to you, JP.

-Thank you, very much.

What are you thinking of buying with all that money?

I know exactly what one of them would like and I have spotted

something and it could well eat up quite a lot of this.

-OK, well, intriguing.

-Intriguing indeed.

JP sounds to me like a man with a plan.

So, let's go check out what the Blue team bought.

First up, Sue spotted this bronzed, metal mannequin

and the team paid £28 for it.

They both loved Boris the novelty bar stool

and did a deal at £70.

Last up was the bling they were after.

This Perspex and paste necklace cost them £18.

-That was a barrel of laughs, wasn't it?

-It was.

-Absolutely.

-Did you have good fun, ladies?

-We had a great time, thank you.

-Excellent.

Now, Sue, tell me, what is your favourite item purchased today?

-Boris the bar stool, he's amazing.

-He sounds amazing.

-I want to keep him.

-Well, you can't, Sue, you can't.

Jenny, do you agree with Boris as your favourite item?

For me it was the bling, all the way.

I really didn't expect we'd actually get some, but we got it.

But you did. Now, importantly, I'm going to see

if you disagree here cos you got along so swimmingly.

What do you think is going to bring the biggest profit?

Boris.

You're all about Boris, Boris for the Blues. What about you?

I have to agree, I think he's...as John said,

unusual and apparently that's what's going at the moment, so, yeah.

Fantastic. Well, John would know.

Now, ladies, you didn't spend a lot, did you? How much in total?

-We didn't.

-We did quite well.

-116.

-116.

-116, leaves you 184.

-Well done.

-She's quick.

-Top of the class.

That means a lot coming from you, thank you.

If I could please take that from you. 180, plus four, fantastic.

-Straight over to John.

-Thank you.

Now, what on earth are you going to buy with all that money?

Well, it's a bit too much money,

I have got my eye on something that I think would suit these two.

It's definitely in the spirit of them, put it that way.

Well, while John's off doing his thing,

let's head off somewhere rather special.

I am in Hawarden, in North Wales.

And today, I'm walking in the footsteps of perhaps

the greatest statesman that Britain has ever produced.

The grand old man himself - William Gladstone.

For much of the 19th century,

William Gladstone was a titan on the political stage.

He was Prime Minister four times,

he spent 13 years as Chancellor of the Exchequer

and was an MP for 62 years.

And, boy, did he love his books!

So, "Why the wheelbarrow?" you may ask.

Well, this is exactly what Gladstone did, in his 80s,

when he decided to establish his own public library.

He transported his private collection of 33,000 books

one mile up the road from his house to the centre of town.

That's hundreds, no, thousands of journeys like this.

And I don't know how he did it!

The library started life in 1889 as a corrugated iron building

known as the Tin Tabernacle.

Following Gladstone's death in 1898, a public appeal was launched

to fund a permanent building to house the collection.

And so the national memorial to Gladstone was built.

And it's a bit more impressive than a tin shed now.

The library is an elegant Victorian building which was

designed by architect John Douglas. It was considered his masterpiece

and is as beautiful inside as out.

Peter Francis, warden of the library,

has worked here for 19 years.

Well, Peter, this really is an astounding place.

Please, tell me some more about it.

Well, it's unique, I think.

Firstly, it is Britain's only prime ministerial library.

The Americans have presidential libraries,

but this is the only prime ministerial.

And it's also unique in being a residential library.

We have 250,000 books at this end and 26 bedrooms at the other.

And people come and stay and read books, write books and so on.

Fantastic. And it was so important to Gladstone,

such a book lover, to have this library.

-It became his obsession in his last few years.

-Hm.

He wanted to bring together books that had no readers

with readers that had no books.

And he always thought that reading was the vital spark,

the thing that could make a difference,

that could elevate you from your positions and better you.

And he read up to five books a week.

That's right. About a book a day.

And if you tot them up in his diary, where he always listed

what he read each day, it comes to 22,000,

which is phenomenal. People who met him in London said that

if he was walking along the street with you, sometimes he had

a book in his hand and was reading it as he walked and talked with you.

He annotated quite a lot of the books,

wrote little sort of marks in their margin.

In this book, there's a perfectly good index,

-but he would write his own little index at the back...

-Oh, wow.

..of the things that had struck him.

Wonderful for a student here to open up a book and not know

perhaps it's annotated by Gladstone. To come across...

That's right. And to come across it.

And sometimes, if it is a very obscure subject,

-a letter will fall out of it or something.

-Oh, wow.

And we have a sort of pot of letters that have fallen out

-of books.

-So something maybe you've not discovered before.

-Exactly.

I suppose there are so many of them, how could you keep up?

No, you can't possibly read them all.

-We're not Gladstone, after all.

-SHE LAUGHS

So, here you have everything that was in the Tin Tabernacle

brought together to this one place.

Oh, so these are the books that were wheeled up.

These are the books that were wheeled.

You can see really a slice of his mind if you browse in this bit.

So you're telling me, Peter, that William Gladstone, in his 80s,

transported all of the books that we see here via wheelbarrow?

That's right. He wanted to do it cos books were important to him.

They sort of were friends, almost.

You know, it was really important that they were looked after

properly. He wouldn't trust anyone else, so do it yourself.

Quite rightly.

That you so much for shedding so much light on the subject.

Well, now it's on to a new chapter, as it is time to find out

if our teams make a profit

as we head to the auction.

We've travelled north from Oswestry,

and here we are at Whitchurch, in Shropshire,

with the delightful Christina Trevanion.

Christina, thank you so much for having us.

-It's an absolute delight.

-We are going to start with Pippa and Janet.

Now, let's start with this gorgeous Art Deco perfume bottle.

-We think it is period, right?

-I love it.

I particularly love that they've highlighted these details here,

these triangles, with black. It makes that wonderful contrast

that was what the Art Deco period was obviously all about.

Your estimate, what are you thinking?

-We've put £30 to £50 on it.

-Brilliant. Oh, they will be pleased.

-They paid £25.

-Oh, brilliant.

OK then, possibly a good profit there for them.

Move on to item number two.

We've got the Victorian silver-plated and etched glass jug.

And it comes along with a wee silver-plated sifter.

What do you reckon?

My problem with this lot is that both pieces now are slightly

-redundant, aren't they?

-Yes. Well, the jug is just so small, isn't it?

It's so small. I mean, it might be quite nice on a bar for topping up

water in your whisky.

I was thinking more cream jug, that speaks more about us

than it does about that.

Yes, don't read too much into that.

Water for your whisky, I thought, was quite sweet.

But the sifter, what on earth would use that for today?

What's your estimate?

I've put £20 to £30 on them.

-Well, they paid £54, believe it or not, for the two.

-Wow.

OK, all right. Well, you never know.

Well, let's move on to a nice pair here. These are quirky and fun.

-They're great, aren't they?

-These little statuettes.

I mean, what do you reckon the purpose was?

-Because we're not thinking bookends here, are we?

-No.

I think, personally,

they're probably two parts of a three-piece clock garniture,

were you'd have a clock in the middle.

We've put £20 to £30 on them.

Well, they paid the top end of your estimate. They paid £30.

So they may or may not need their bonus buy.

But let's find out what it is nonetheless.

-It doesn't look very big, does it?

-I know!

-I really ought to go down on one knee. Look at that.

-Ooh!

Is it I do or I don't?

And so what I've bought here is a gold cabochon opal and with little

sort of faceted diamond chips in the points between the cabochon.

Five of them there in a carved half-hoop ring. Really nicely done.

-What do you think?

-Yes, it's really nice.

-For me, it's how much you would pay for it at auction.

-Good question.

It's definitely between £100 and £200.

You know, maybe 150 to 250, that's kind of where I'm thinking.

And I paid...£150 for it.

-OK.

-OK, midway.

There's only one person who can do the convincing for the punters,

and that's our auctioneer.

So let's find out what she thinks of JP's lovely bonus buy.

Now, the Reds have a bonus buy from Jonathan Pratt,

-should they wish to take it.

-Look at that. It's lovely.

I mean, it's very sweet.

You've obviously got this very typical Victorian setting.

I would have no doubt in saying it's gold.

Obviously, legally, we can't say it's gold because it's not marked.

So we say yellow metal, but it will be probably 18 karat gold.

Lovely thing.

We're looking at probably 60 to 100, maybe 80 to 120 on a good day.

But not massive bucks. Oh, dear, look at that face.

Well, JP actually exceeded the top end of your estimate. He went 150.

Mm. It doesn't surprise me.

In a retail environment, that's a fair price.

With you on the rostrum, I'm sure we'll get plenty of competition.

-No pressure.

-Thanks(!)

So let's move on to the Blues because Sue and Jenny went

down a very different route to what we normally see on Bargain Hunt.

-Didn't they just.

-They have gone modern, modern, modern.

This mannequin-cum-sculpture-cum-whatsit

to your left. What on earth could that have been used for?

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure, to be perfectly honest.

-I was quite surprised when it turned up.

-I bet you were!

No, I mean, you do see these around antiques fairs a lot

and, you know, people use them as shop fittings.

-Maybe for a bedroom or something, for a boudoir.

-Yeah.

-A walk-in wardrobe.

-Yeah, well done.

-Tell me what you think it's worth.

I've put £10 to £20 on it.

-OK.

-And I'm hoping that it will make that.

-Well...

The ladies paid £28 for it.

Now, why not go for a huge novelty coated metal

bar stool in the form of a sort of slouching stick figure?

-I mean, you've got one of those at home, right?

-Hasn't everybody(?)

I know I do. I was hoping you'd say that

cos I thought we could talk about it later.

-What on earth is going on with that

-bar stool? I have no idea!

Have those ladies ever watched Bargain Hunt before?

-Do you know what?

-Seriously, it's very divisive. I absolutely...

-I mean, I just hate it.

-OK. Well, tell us what you really think.

I don't think it's attractive at all.

My husband, on the other hand, says he wants it.

He thinks it's the most amazing thing he's ever seen in his life.

I think between those two kind of very polar opposites,

-there hopefully will be a happy medium.

-And at what price?

I'm thinking £20 to £30, maybe.

Well, both Sue and Jenny think this will bring the biggest profit.

Oh, OK. Well, you never know, we've got the internet.

But they did pay £70 for it, Christina.

-Oh.

-70 of all those pounds that we gave them.

-Yeah.

Let's move on to item number three. Is it your style?

Is that your buyers' style?

It's bling, isn't it? I mean, it's pure, unadulterated bling.

It doesn't have any kind of precious metal content that

-I can value it at.

-None.

It doesn't have any gemstone value that I can value it at

because it's effectively...

Well, it's plastic, isn't it?

Perspex is, I believe,

the word you've gone for in the catalogue description.

Yeah! I mean, it's fun.

To be perfectly honest, I've put £5 to £10 on it.

-It's a come-and-get-me estimate.

-The ladies paid £18 for it.

-Right.

But your estimate has got to get a few hands going up.

Well, I wish them well, I really do.

Yes, I wish them well too,

because I think they might need a bit of luck.

And as well as luck, they might actually need their bonus buy.

So let's go and find out what they got.

Sue and Jenny, you are so excited, I can tell,

because it is bonus buy time.

-Let's see what you've got.

-Ah!

Well, keeping with the spirit of things, I went for this.

-ALL:

-Aaah!

A tantalus. It's locked in its cradle.

You can see it, but you can't take them out.

It comes from the Greek figure Tantalus, who...

He upset the gods by divulging their secrets to mortals.

And his punishment was everlasting thirst and hunger.

-Ooh!

-So from that, you get tantalise, and this is a tantalus.

So it's got a key there.

Your housekeeper or your kids can't get it.

Now, what do you make of it, ladies? First impression. Go on, Sue.

-Very pretty.

-It's shiny.

-Ah, it's sh...

Trust you, trust you.

-So, how much did you pay for it?

-I paid £70 for this.

That's not bad.

Well, the last one I sold, I'm pretty sure it made about 160.

It was a three-bottle cradle,

-but I still think there's room for profit there.

-It's very pretty.

Well, I think that you're quite sold on this, but you absolutely

do not have to decide now, that comes later.

In the meantime, let's see

if our auctioneer is tempted by John's tantalus.

-Oh, I'm going to heave this onto the table.

-Come on, muscles!

John has done well to find this gorgeous thing, hasn't he?

-Oh, he really has.

-We've got the correct labels.

We've got scotch and brandy, everyone's favourite.

We've got the right stoppers, we've got the right decanters.

And, Christina, doesn't it have the right look?

Oh, it just to me oozes gorgeousness.

It really, really does.

It is absolutely ready to go, I love it.

Now, what do you reckon this is worth?

Well, I've put £60 to £100 on it,

but I wouldn't be surprised if it sort of exceeded those expectations.

John will be pleased because, believe it or not,

he managed to get this for £70.

-Oh, good. Yeah.

-How good is that?

-Very, very good.

Well, in your hands, Christina, I reckon it's going to be very safe.

-You'll be taking the auction?

-Yes, indeed.

Oh, fantastic. I can't wait to see you in action.

5. 80. 5. 130.

So, Janet, this is your first auction.

-Pippa, you've been to one before.

-Mm, plenty, yeah.

-Yeah.

-JP, thousands and thousands.

-It's exciting.

-Yeah! It's exciting.

You're in really capable hands.

Our first lot is that gorgeous Art Deco scent bottle.

Hold your horses cos here it comes.

Lot 142 is the Art Deco perfume bottle and stopper.

There it is. Lovely little black enamel base there.

I've got interest here with me at £35.

-Yeah!

-Straight in. £10 profit already.

It's with me, internet, at £35. Your next bit is 40.

At £35. 40 online.

I'm out. At 40. Internet bidder. Where's 5?

At 40. If you're all done then, internet wins at £40.

Ladies, £40! Well done.

You are £15 in profit. Let's keep it up.

We're moving on to our Victorian jug with the silver-plated mount

and the sifter thrown in for good measure. Here it comes.

Bid me £20 for them.

£20 for the two.

20 is bid straightaway online.

At £20. 25 with you, madam. Thank you.

At 25. 30. Go 5? 35.

Where's 40? 40 is bid.

-'And

-5.' We'll get there. We'll get there.

50 is bid. And 5? 55. I'm out.

-Yes, yes!

-'£55.'

At £55 with my lady seated. At £55.

-Amazing!

-Ladies!

55.

You are £16 in front. Everything now rests on our little

giraffes, so here they come. Let's see if they can keep us in front.

Lot 144 is the pair of little giraffe statues there.

And I've got interest here with me at 20, 22,

£25 with me on commission.

There we are. We need one more bid to wipe our face.

They're looking for 30.

At 25. Looking for 30 now. Go on!

Bid me 30, someone. 30 is bid!

-THEY CHEER

-£30. All done.

You've wiped your face.

At £30. But that means that overall, for those three items,

you've come out £16 in front. Woohoo! Brilliant.

So now for the big question, how much do you trust JP

and his bonus buy? We want to hear what you think.

Tell us, are you going to go for it or not?

-I would all day long, but I think...

-No, I think it's...

-..he paid too much.

-He paid too much for it.

-Oh, thank you(!)

-I'm sorry.

You said you promised you wouldn't be offended if we didn't go with it.

You lied.

Well, Reds, you are definitely not going with the bonus buy.

But of course, we are going to sell it anyway,

so let's see how it does.

Lot 149 is a late-19th, early-20th-century

opal and diamond ring.

Bid me £60 for it.

Very beautiful thing. 60 is bid. Thank you, sir. At £60, standing.

'Where's 5? At £60, I have.'

65. 70. 5. 80. 5.

-It's going up quickly.

-JP was expecting it to climb.

110. 120. 130, madam?

130. 140.

Thank you anyway.

At 140, standing with you, sir. At £140.

-If you're all done at 140...

-GAVEL BANGS

Oh, ladies, you made the right decision.

-Tenner off.

-You would have lost a tenner.

-So close!

-Can you believe it?

Look how excited you are.

As it stands, you've come out in front, under the care of JP.

£16 could well be a winning score, so do me a favour,

keep your excitement to yourself, not a word to the Blues.

-Promise?

-Yep.

-Promise.

Ladies, ladies, you are bringing real bling to the auction room.

-Is this your first auction?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-It is, both of you.

So how are you feeling about the environment, Sue?

Yeah, it's great, I love it.

There's a bit of a buzz about the place. Jenny, it's a bit mad.

-I'm so excited!

-That would appeal to you, though. It's a bit bonkers.

-Yes.

-We're going to start off with that mannequin.

Let's see how it goes. Hold tight. It's coming up.

Bronze metal female mannequin, lot 165.

I've got two bids. I've got a bid of £15 and £20.

-Wow.

-'I'll take the £20 bid. £20 here. Looking for 5.'

Internet, it's against you. I've got 20 here. 25 online.

-We need one more for profit.

-'Net bidder at 25.'

Looking for 30 now.

At £25. 30 against you.

Yes! £2 profit.

35 online. 40, sir?

'Thank you very much.' Go on!

-At £35, internet bidder, then. At £35...

-There we go.

Ladies, your first lot has made a profit. £35.

You have made 7 quid. Now, your second lot

is our very controversial bar stool. He's bonkers. I love him!

You love him. You paid £70 for him.

-Christina only estimated it at 20 to 30, so fingers crossed.

-Oh, no!

Here it comes.

Believe it or not, we have a telephone bidder on this lot.

I've got bids as well!

She's got bids.

'I've got bids here of'

£20, £35, £40.

And there's a phone bidder. Phone bidder.

I'm looking for 45 now. It's with my commission bidder at £40.

'45 with you, madam. That clears all my bids.'

At £45 with the lady.

-At 50?

-AUCTION WORKER:

-Yes.

'At £50 against you, madam. At 50. You sure?'

Go 5. Go on. At £50.

'On the phone then at 50.'

If you're all done, it's against you all on the phone, at £50.

Ladies, £50 means that you've lost 20 on that,

means that overall you're minus 13.

So let's see if our third lot can bring us out of loss.

And you know what it is.

It's our Perspex necklace.

Look at that.

Oof! Bit of bling there.

Bid me... Bid me a tenner on it. Go on, it's fabulous, isn't it?

Come on! It's got to be worth that.

Bid me £10 for this necklace here.

10 is bid. Thank you, madam. At £10. Where's 12?

Come on, girls, surely. It's gorgeous.

At £10.

12 is bid. Thank you, madam.

15? 15. 18.

'20? Go on.'

It's lovely. At £18.

-'With the lady standing. I'm looking...'

-Oh, I can't take it!

We're all done at £18.

Oh, ladies, you've broken even.

But you paid the right price. £18.

You've made nothing on your final lot,

so overall you are in the red, you are minus 13.

This is the time to decide. Are you going with John's bonus buy?

-Absolutely.

-Good.

-We love it.

-Yeah, now, just to be clear, 100%, going with the bonus buy?

-Yes.

-100%.

Are you ready?

Here it comes.

Very good-looking thing, this.

Lot 172, there it is.

And I've got interest here, with me, on commission.

-'£60 straight in.'

-Yes!

-'At 60.'

Where's 5? 65 online. 70 with me.

At £70 with my commission bid.

I have 75 online.

'80 with me. At £80, my commission bidder.'

5 clears my commission bid.

At £85. Online then at £85.

You're back in profit! £2 up.

'At £85... Looking for 90 now.'

-If not, I'll sell online at 85.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Ladies, John took you back into the black. BOTH:

-Thank you!

-You are plus

-2. Thank you for having faith in the item.

-Absolutely.

-I tell you what, we've got no more chances

to make money, but you have made some - two quid.

It's tiny, but...it is money.

-Poor John, he doesn't get anything.

-Oh.

-£2 could be a winning score.

We've all seen it before.

So please, take a deep breath, look glum,

and don't say a word to the Reds.

I don't know about you, but I'm excited. This is the big reveal.

Today... There is always a runner-up.

And let me tell you, it was the Blues.

You are our runners-up today.

That means our Reds were victorious. Well done indeed.

But look, still smiling.

And you had so much fun because you still came away with the profit.

-We did!

-You did very well.

And in the end, they came away with a £2 coin.

But £2 is a brilliant result because it means that you go

away from Bargain Hunt with actual money, which is brilliant.

And so to the Reds.

-JENNY:

-Good job!

Actual money. And so close to the gavel.

-Your hearts were in your mouths.

-£1 away.

-£1 away.

That left you £16 in front.

Can you believe it, £16?!

Some here to Janet. And let me just finish it off,

round it up with that extra pound.

-Did you have a lovely time?

-Really enjoyed it.

-Great fun. Giggled all the time.

-Giggled all the time! Brilliant.

We like to have a giggle here on Bargain Hunt, don't we?

If you want to join in with the giggles,

then why not visit the Bargain Hunt website?

And of course, you can follow us on Twitter.

But better than that, why not join us next time for some

-more Bargain Hunting, yes? ALL:

-Yes!