Epsom 2 Bargain Hunt

We wouldn't normally present Bargain Hunt mounted on a horse,

but today, I'm in the saddle and we're heading to the races.

We're at Epsom Racecourse at an antiques fair

and we're raring to go.

So, enough of this horsing around, let's go Bargain Hunting.

Come on, Chunky, off we go.

Now, there's no horse racing going on here,

but our teams have plenty of stalls to trot around.

And with 60 minutes on the clock, the big question is,

will it be the Reds or will it be the Blues

who are first past the post?

And will either of them romp home with big profits at auction?

So, place your bets and let's study the form

and take a look at what's coming up.

The Reds try their luck...

Getting that for 25.

That's not haggling, that's daylight robbery.

..and the Blues are our new experts.

-After that, the lid got more...

-Conical.

-Conical, yeah.

Brilliant, brilliant information, guys.

'At the auction, the Reds can't contain themselves...'

We're in profit. Come on, lads.

'..and the Blues go it alone.'

-I think we'll say no, thank you.

-You...

No, no, thank you, guys. Goodbye.

-All done.

-'That's all for later.'

Let's meet today's teams of Reds and Blues.

To my right, on the Red team,

we've got very good friends Mark and Vip

and to my left, for the Blue team,

we've got very good friends Simon and Steven.

-Welcome to you all. Hello. OTHERS:

-Hi. Hello.

Well, let's start with our Red team.

Mark, tell us about what you do a little bit.

You're into coding and the like, is that correct?

Yes, I'm a computer programmer.

It's anything from online movies to pension funds.

So seriously varied?

-Yes, I'll do anything.

-I'll do anything.

OK, so computer coding and programming is what you do

day-to-day, but you also have quite a social conscience, don't you?

Yes, I do some volunteering at Freightliners Farm in Islington.

It's just a great way

of locals being able to interact and learn on the farm.

It's run by some very hard-working, dedicated people

and I urge anyone in the area to take a visit.

Will do. Vip, tell us what you do, you also are a professional?

-Yes, that's right, I'm a doctor on the NHS.

-Oh, fantastic.

-Have been for 14 years.

-OK.

And had to travel the world with it and see a lot of things,

so I've enjoyed myself.

And, Vip, you've recently taken part in another challenge that,

similarly to Bargain Hunt, was against the clock, is that right?

Yeah, we got dragged into an event called Tough Mudder and it was over,

-I think, 12 miles of...

-At least.

-..muddy assault course...

-Yeah.

..barbed wire, electric shocks.

I think today's going to be slightly tougher than that...

-Do you reckon? Cleaner. Cleaner.

-Much cleaner.

Yeah, don't get any mud on these fleeces,

they're expensive, you know? So, what about tactics?

Do you reckon you're going to work well together as a team?

-No, not at all.

-No. No, we never have done to be fair.

I think we're going to argue quite a lot,

but I think that's why we'll do well, I think.

Vip's a good talker, I think we'll get good prices.

I think you two are going to get along much better today

than you make out and hopefully, it goes very well for you.

Now, these guys are the Tough Mudders,

but Simon and Steven, tell me about your love of mud.

That's right, it's called mudlarking. We go down...

-SHE LAUGHS

-It's called mudlarking.

We go down the River Thames and we search around in the mud

to try and find lost treasures from days gone by.

So, you'd find things from coins to buttons to pipes.

We'll eventually be forming a Thames museum,

in the way that we're going to contribute some of our finds

as well as some other members of the public.

-So, that's just actually got charity status at the moment as well.

-Wow.

So, that's going to go ahead

and they're going to put a museum up imminently.

-That's fantastic.

-So, watch this space.

Tell me about your most interesting find mudlarking.

It's got to be the dog tag that I found on the River Thames.

It had an engraved inscription of his name and his service number.

I got in contact with the local newspaper who put me in contact

with the grandson after a couple of weeks and I returned it to him

just as he was doing his family history.

What a wonderful thing. And what is it that you do for a living

when you're not larking around in the mud?

I'm a graphic designer. So, I design anything for print.

So, it can be banners, posters, brochures, leaflets,

that sort of thing.

Now, Steven, I believe you have to climb great heights

to get on with your day job?

I do, yes, it's not the most glamorous job in the world,

-but I'm a roofer and I have been for 20 years now.

-OK.

And I've found quite a few things underneath the eaves.

As you sort of strip the roof off,

roofers and builders, I suppose, in days gone by,

they just throw things in and then tile over it.

Have you found anything particularly interesting?

I have, yeah. I once found a 17th-century slating hammer

with someone's initials engraved onto it.

And just through research you managed to discover

that it was 17th-century?

Well, the last time that the place was roofed

-was in the 17th century, so...

-By the powers of deduction...

-By the powers of deduction...

-Brilliant.

So, a detective, a mudlarker, you guys are quite the team.

I hope that it's a great, great buy for you all today.

I think it's going to be quite competitive today.

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

so let me hand £300 to you, Mark and Vip.

Simon and Steven, £300 to you also.

Now, off you go, a very good luck to you both.

Listen, it's all about being macho and being muddy today,

so, let's see them get down and dirty.

So, all we need now are today's experts.

Who's this for the Reds?

Oh, it's Caroline Hawley.

And hopefully, bringing good karma for the Blues,

it's David Harper.

All right, mudlarkers, what are we going to be looking for, Simon?

Buried treasure. Early glass if we can find some.

I'd like to buy something relatively low in cost.

It's definitely early glass.

Something might just catch my eye.

I'm going to try and keep it low cost.

All right, teams, there are 60 minutes on the clock

and time starts now. BELL RINGS

OK, we've got one hour to go mudlarking with no mud.

-Ready for shopping?

-Yes.

-Yes, we are.

-Come on.

Right, where do you want to start?

We want to kind of see a few things cos we can...quickly and then...

-Yeah, OK. Lead the way.

-..just sort of stroll.

Hm, interesting tactics from the Reds.

Do the Blues have the same considered approach?

That is a bit of mudlarking treasure, is it not?

-It is indeed, yeah.

-Tell us what it is.

-I found one of these before.

It's a cased gin bottle.

So, these would've been part of a set of maybe 12 in a wooden case.

And is that because it's shaped like that?

It's designed so they can fit more in, and so they don't wobble over.

-That's why they're called cased gin?

-Yeah.

OK, what are we looking for to spot, you know, a genuine article?

-Bubbles, usually.

-Yeah.

Air bubbles in the way it's been free-blown.

-Yeah.

-So, you can hold it up to the light,

you might see, yeah, can see some bubbles in there. Yeah.

-Can see some creases.

-Can see the streaks.

Creases where it's been hand-blown.

I'm trying to read what the seal says.

That's definitely applied lip as well.

Now, what do you mean by applied lip?

The lip was applied after.

-And dating to 18th century.

-1820 because of the lip.

-They made them...

-Later, later then? 19th-century?

-No, no, pre-1820.

-Pre-1820, why?

Yeah, because of the lip, after that, the lip got more...

-Conical.

-Conical, yeah.

-Brilliant, brilliant information, guys.

I've got to say, this is fantastic.

This is feeding my soul. Are you happy it's genuine?

Yeah, I'm happy it's genuine.

All right, come on, guys, if you found this today in the Thames,

how much money are we looking at?

I would say if it didn't have a seal on, maybe sort of 50 to 80,

but as the seal might add value,

then we could be looking maybe over...maybe 100.

OK, well, let's see.

Can we have a chat to you about the price of the bottle?

It's up for 70, but I'll take 50.

-You'll take 50? OK.

-What about 40?

-48.

-Yeah, 48.

Well, honestly, haven't you just been steam-rolled?

-Have you bought it for 48?

-Yeah.

The first object we see, bizarrely, relates exactly to what you do

-as a passion and we buy it within a few minutes.

-Excellent.

Well done, Blues, you've got your early glassware.

These boys certainly know their stuff

and knowledge is power in this game.

David, you're going to have an easy ride today, but will Caroline?

Do you want to look down here?

Maybe go for them, the tea set.

-What? Do you have afternoon tea?

-Yeah, sometimes. I like to sit down

-with a nice china set if I'm going to.

-Do you?

When was the last time you had a cup of tea in the afternoon?

I invite you all the time, you never come.

-This looks like a nice little set here.

-Well, there's six of them.

Originally, I think that would have been part of 12-place setting.

The two sandwich plates, milk, a sugar

and sometimes a slop bowl, which was for slopping out the tea.

-I think it looks nice, very eye-catching.

-It's good colour.

-Yeah.

-You got to check, for a start, that it's perfect,

cos people do not want broken pots, usually.

And the million-dollar question is - how much is it?

We best ask our shy stall holder.

Hi, there. Yeah, just interested in the tea set.

How much are we looking at?

'I've got 39 on it, but I could let it go for 30.'

-OK, let me have a word with my friend over there.

-'OK.'

-OK, 30.

-What do you think?

We said we were going to haggle hard.

Yeah, we were going to haggle hard.

What would your lowest acceptable price be?

Harder than that, Vip.

24.95?

Forget your bedside manner, go for it!

-'I'll let it go for 25.'

-25.

-'25 is the best.'

I did haggle very hard and he does seem like a nice chap, so...

-CAROLINE:

-Are we having it?

-I think that's a sold.

-Yeah.

-Sold?

-Yeah, I'm happy with that.

-Excellent. Thank you, sir.

-'Thank you.'

-Thanks very much, cheers.

-'Cheers, thank you.'

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Hooray.

-Five minutes into the shop and you've bought.

-We're off the blocks.

-Yes.

-We should go for a cup of tea, shouldn't we?

No, not yet. Well spotted. Right, one down, two to go.

Well, the Reds aren't getting stuck in the mud

and the Blues aren't larking about either.

They're on the scent with their second item.

There's a bronze censer there, which I like the look of.

-I like the workmanship in that.

-You say a bronze censer,

you've been watching this show, haven't you?

I do watch it from time to time, it has to be said.

Cos he comes up with the technical terminology.

With it being a censer,

does that make it a Japanese item or a Chinese item?

Looking at it, I guess Chinese.

That's pretty good, cos strictly speaking, I think

if it was Japanese it would be called a koro.

OK. That's cool.

Mm. Do you know what it's used for?

-To burn smelly stuff?

-THEY LAUGH

You're dead right. Absolutely.

I couldn't think of a more technical term.

You know what, that's a perfect description. It burns smelly stuff.

You've got the holes in the top to allow the smoke to come out.

Thing I like about it you could use it today.

You could put potpourri in it right now

-and just leave it in there, let the aromas come out.

-Yeah.

Now, Steven, how old is it?

-I don't think there's a lot of age to it.

-You don't?

Because nothing is worn down.

I've actually found one in the Thames.

-I've got it in my front room.

-You haven't?

-I have.

-Have you really?

See, you two have got a natural eye here.

And it's developed with experience, cos you talk about patination.

You know instantly how to recognise real age. And you are right.

-That doesn't have any real age.

-How old do you think it is?

-Are we talking 20th century?

-I think so.

-What day is it today?

-OK, I think this was made last Tuesday.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

That recent? OK. Maybe we could see what she could come down to

and give us an idea of whether we want to go further.

Well, there you have. You've got two beautiful ladies over there.

-Do your best.

-How much would your bronze censer be, at best?

INDISTINCT SPEECH

Oh, hello. Hello, Mother.

I've got it up for...

55, was it?

Yeah.

-I can let you have it for 40.

-OK.

Um...maybe could we get it down to 30, is that possible?

35?

Almost there. Almost.

How about a couple of quid more? 33?

-OK.

-Yeah? You've got a deal.

-Cheers. I've done the deal, guys.

-You've done the deal? How much?

-33.

-33, great. A quick tip, don't call women "mother".

But she's her mother!

No, seriously, if you are going to charm them, it doesn't work.

-I've tried it all. That one doesn't work.

-Right.

Seriously, well done, guys.

It's smelling good, Blues. Two in the bag.

It must be the least muddy treasure hunt you've ever had.

Now, Reds, what's caught your eye?

-These...

-Little boxes, yeah. Look.

A lot of those are made in Limoges, in France.

-They are little pillboxes.

-We knew that.

-So they're modern.

-Yeah. They always look fairly modern to me.

-OK.

So, I'm thinking from that you would say not a great...

I would say it's a no from me.

-It's a no from you, OK, that's good.

-It's a no from me.

A definite no from Caroline. Carry on.

-We are well on track. Oh, hello, you.

-Hello!

-How good are you?! Two items in 15 minutes.

-We are not hanging around.

That's absolutely crazy. And, David, it's nice to have a

couple of experts to give you some advice.

It takes the pressure off, doesn't it?

Exactly. If it all goes wrong, whose fault is it? Ta-da!

THEY LAUGH

Well, you've got 45 minutes left. Best of luck. Keep it up.

-OK.

-Think you'll relax a little?

We never relax. We are like coiled springs.

See you.

Do these boxes, well, tick a box, Reds?

Shall I try for them?

-Yeah, I like them. I may not like the price.

-Right.

That one's only 85.

With your superior haggling skills, you're getting that for 25.

-Job done.

-Yeah.

-That's not haggling. That's daylight robbery.

-So, you like that one?

-Yeah. Excuse...

Could I ask how much the...

-Mother-of-pearl, yeah.

-..box.

What would your lowest price on that be?

It's got to be 70.

That's the best I can do.

-That's quite...

-It's a 20% discount.

-Yeah, which is a very good discount.

-It's a good discount.

-It is.

-I don't know, maybe take a gamble on the mother-of-pearl box.

I did say that maybe I'd get seduced by something a bit shiny.

-That is a bit shiny. There is some boxes on here.

-OK.

Do you want to look next door first and come back?

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Choosing a box appears to be tough going for the Reds.

Blues, are you using your knowledge to find your next item?

-Wow, look at those!

-Nice.

He doesn't mess about, does he?

-Straight in there.

-They are awesome, aren't they?

How would you describe these, Simon?

Uh, a mantique.

-Mantique.

-A mantique! You have been watching the show!

It is a mantique.

Fantastic!

What would you do with them, Steve?

-I don't think it's broadcastable.

-THEY LAUGH

-They are quite cool.

-Yeah.

It's something to think about, isn't it?

Simon says, "Hold fire." But we are heading towards the halfway mark.

So whilst the teams carry on with the shopping,

I'm heading to a land full of Eastern promise.

Now, you may or may not know that the East Asian market is

absolutely booming.

And this item in front of me is exactly the sort of thing

that you would expect to see at an Asian works of art auction near you.

Now, what on earth is it?

Well, let me tell you. It's an early 20th-century bronze Ruyi sceptre.

That's R-U-Y-I. From the early-20th century, to be exact.

And it's really a ceremonial sceptre,

not like the ones that we see, of course, which are ceremonial,

with their diamond-encrusted finial and long stick-like shape.

This is more of a serpent-like shape, and that's important

because this piece here is in the shape of a mythical dragon.

It's really quite a masculine example of a Ruyi sceptre,

if I'm honest.

Sometimes they can be very colourful, decorated with

cloisonne, enamel and jade, but this here is that dark bronze.

And there we see a strong dragon's head.

The mythical creature representing strength, authority, power.

And we move along this S-shape body covered with birds

and blossom, traditional Chinese markers.

And it curves up at the end to create the terminal.

And that is a lovely, leaf shape.

A sort of acanthus leaf at the end.

It really is a pretty item.

Now what would this cost you?

Well, you are looking to pay about £100-£200.

And this exact example went under the hammer recently at auction

and achieved £140.

Not too bad considering that similar pieces can make two, three,

even £400.

So my advice to you is, if you are wandering around a fair

and you see a Ruyi sceptre like this going for less than £200,

don't stand on ceremony, snap it up while you can.

Back to the shopping and it's two-one to the Blues.

How are we doing for time, Caroline?

We've got less than half of the time and we've only bought one item.

The pressure's on.

-So, are we ready to sh...

-OK.

-..decide? We're going to have to...

-Make some decisions, yeah.

-Jack it up a bit.

-OK.

-OK? No pressure.

-LAUGHING:

-OK.

-So we're still looking at boxes, yeah?

-Yeah.

Now, here's a silver-topped little box.

-Mm.

-1904. Cut glass. Silver.

That looks nice. What would it be used for?

I was going to say, "Is that ticking your boxes?"

It is. I said, "Mm." And so did Mark. That's two mms, yeah.

-I think two mms are good. What is the absolute death?

-30.

30, is it?

-I don't know...

-It's silver, cut glass.

-We're running out of time.

We maybe have to leave it, just for the moment, I think.

OK. We've got a few frontrunners now.

-So we'll think about it and...

-Thanks very much.

-Thanks very much.

Dr Vip's remaining calm.

But whatever you prescribe, remember, you are on the clock.

With that in mind, Blues, where are you up to with your final item?

-Great stall though, don't you think?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, awesome.

-How much money have we got left?

-Enough.

Come on, keep the momentum up, Blues.

How much is enough?

-We must have over 200, I think.

-Have we?

-Yeah.

-All right. OK.

Actually, you have a whopping £247.

Go and spend some money.

Now, Reds, are you boxing yourself into a corner?

I think the boxes are taking our liking and I think we just need to

make a decision on one of them.

And the first one we saw was quite nice.

-That's the mother-of-pearl one?

-The mother-of-pearl one.

So we might go back and see if we can wrestle the gentleman down.

What did it come down to, 70?

-Mm. Yeah.

-The other one, the silver one, has got a really lovely

Art Nouveau design. It's £30. I don't know, it's your call.

I've just completely changed my mind. I'd like the cheaper one.

You'd like the cheaper one? OK. Let's do it.

What made you change your mind?

I think, listening to you, the auctioneer, I can see him doing...

I'm not selling it though.

-I know you're not.

-I'm not selling it.

-You sold it to us.

You sold it to us though, I think. Yeah.

-Go and buy it then. See if you can sh-sh.

-OK.

I think that means go and get a wee bit of the price, Reds.

-Very best would be 28.

-28?

-OK, let me just confer.

-OK.

-Should we do it?

-OK.

-OK, great. Thank you very much.

-Absolute pleasure.

-Cheers.

Phew!

Yes!

-Well done.

-Two down.

-Excellent.

So the Reds finally have a box

and it's two-all with only 20 minutes left.

Now, what's lighting up the Blues' eyes?

What's your first impressions on

those two converted lamp vase things?

They look like they are Japanese. Have you had a look at them?

-We know how much they are.

-Oh, OK. Do you know how old they are?

-No, no idea.

-I think in auction they are 80 to 100 quid for a pair.

-She wants 60.

-60 for the pair?

-Yeah.

-Might be able to get her down another tenner.

-Do you like them?

No.

Crack on then, Blues. Caroline, how's it going?

All is well.

Not sure where they are going to go now or what they are going to do.

But it's fun. They are a great pair of guys. I love them.

So I think they are going to do really well

and they are going to get their third item shortly.

Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed indeed, Caroline. And the same goes for the Blues.

Speaking of the Blues,

they've spotted some 18th-century tobacco tins.

Are these the kind of things that you might find in the river?

I have found one. The one I found was Dutch, 18th century.

And I wouldn't be surprised if that was around the same sort of time.

-Where these things kept by sailors?

-Yeah. They all smoked tobacco.

-Everyone had a pipe and a their tobacco had to go somewhere.

-Yeah.

But the quality in those would have meant that it

would have been held by a more prestige member of the, you know...

Why is that? Because these are good quality, you think?

-Yeah. They are hand-engraved.

-Yeah.

-They are brass.

They weren't run-of-the-mill things otherwise

we would have found what more of them.

OK, and are these the kind of things that somebody would decorate

themselves, a bit like scrimshaw? The sailors carved whales...

Yeah, sometimes the sailors would, yeah.

-What would you expect to get for that?

-100, 150.

-As much is that?

-Depends on its rarity.

What's your opinion, what do you think about these?

-Do you think they're as much?

-30, 50. 50 to 70. Let's get a price.

-OK.

Hi there. Can we just get a quick price on that one?

-70 will buy it if you want it.

-70?

-70, OK.

-So, we are talking 70 quid.

-Yeah.

I mean, really, I'm going to have to bow to your expertise here.

We want you to take the rap for something if it all goes wrong.

I refuse! It's all down to you two.

-No, no, no.

-OK, I'll take the rap.

I think it's worth about 100, but would people see the beauty in that?

I think they would. What would make you feel happy?

-50, 60 quid?

-50, I'd be more than happy.

-Yeah.

Whilst the Blues negotiate a price, the Reds are going tea potty

and have returned to the tea service stall.

-We've got these two teapots.

-Yeah.

We're hearing good things about the one on the right,

but we're worried that it's a bit too damaged.

That's an 18th-century teapot. I mean, it's a good thing.

-Is that did OK despite the damage?

-Chinese...

The spout has been taken off and...

It's been taken off and it's been stabled back together,

which I think just the art

and the want to staple it

makes it something that somebody has loved.

But you are dead right, any damage knocks the price, enormously.

And you'd definitely prefer that one to the one on the left?

It's what you prefer. This is trying to be agateware.

But it's put on with a transfer.

That will be late 19th century, I would think.

-That's a century earlier.

-Yeah.

-How much is this one?

But this is going to be more of a gamble, isn't it?

It'll be a gamble at £49, definitely.

Yeah, that's too much at 49.

I think we all agree that £20 would be almost...

Almost a winner.

The stallholder won't budge from £28.

-Right, are you both agreed?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Good. Do the deal.

-Excellent.

-OK, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Well done, Reds. Job done. So, Blues, it's all down to you.

Can you get a good price for the tobacco tins?

-What would be your best for the two?

-140, but that's it.

It's a bit too much at the moment, but I appreciate you coming down.

David, any help? What do you think? I mean, it's...it's a gamble.

-This is the one I think is more interesting, personally.

-OK.

-So, decision time.

-Right, go for it.

-OK.

-Shake his hand.

-£70. Thank you.

-Cheers, young man.

-Thank you.

-Well done. Three fabulous items.

-Excellent.

-Fabulous.

-Five minutes left to spare.

-Let's have a coffee.

-Let's do it.

Tough Mudder or this, which is tougher?

I think I'm ready to change to Tough Mudder, yeah.

-Definitely.

-What about you?

-I'd take a 13-mile run in the mud now.

-Would you? Under the barbed wire?

-Absolutely.

-Electric fences?

-Yeah, yeah.

Right, teams, time is up!

So let's remind ourselves what the Red team bought.

First up, the Reds laid out £25 for this 19th-century tea service.

Next, £28 was paid for this silver trinket box.

And finally,

they are hoping a profit will be pouring in with this Chinese teapot.

Another £28 paid.

Well, lucky us. Here we are with our lovely Red team.

How did you enjoy that?

-Yes, it was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be.

-Really?

Then you ever expected?

Now, of all these tea-related items, and our other item, which is

your favourite, Vip?

-I quite like the silver trinket that we bought.

-Silver trinket, OK.

Mark, what do you reckon is your favourite item of the three?

-I liked the tea set we bought at the beginning.

-Mm-hmm.

But I'm quite interested in the teapot we bought the end.

Caroline convinced me. I'm quite interested and think

-that's got a chance.

-Fantastic, fantastic.

Which one do you think will make the most profit?

-I'm going to go with the teapot at the end, I think.

-Are you?

-Mm.

Mm, OK. So your money is on the teapot. Fantastic.

And talking of money, last of the big spenders.

-How much did you spend in total?

-A whopping £81.

I wouldn't say whopping. But it leaves us with a whopping 219.

-It does indeed.

-If I could please have that back. That's fantastic.

-Just like that. And straight over to you, Caroline.

-Thank you.

Any ideas what you will be buying?

-Nothing at all to do with tea.

-OK.

-In any shape or form.

-I've got a few ideas.

-OK.

Well, on that note, let's sit down and relax

and find out what the Blue team bought.

First up for the Blues, at £48,

will this gin bottle be the tonic?

Next up, this Chinese bronze censer

burnt a hole in their pocket.

£33 paid.

And finally, will this tobacco box be smoking hot?

Bought for £70.

What shall we call you?

The Blue team and David or three experts? I'm not sure.

I don't know. Two experts and a hanger on, I think.

That was some serious knowledge you guys displayed.

Did you enjoy doing that on Bargain Hunt?

-Yeah, it was really good.

-Yeah, yeah.

Which is your favourite item, Steven?

-Got to be the cased gin.

-It's got to be the gin.

-Yeah.

And which do you think will bring the biggest profit at auction?

-The gin.

-So you're sticking with that? Favourite and biggest profit.

And what about you, Simon? Do you agree?

Um...no. I like... My favourite item is the tobacco tin.

-For profit?

-I think... Probably the cased gin.

I probably have to agree with Steven on that.

I think the gin's got some legs, with a bit of luck.

I really hope so. Now, may I please ask you how much you spent?

£151.

-OK, so not hard to work out. You've got 149 left.

-Yeah.

If I could please have a back from you, that would be great.

Look, that's a big wodge.

-Mm.

-OK. And £4. OK. David.

-Lovely. Thank you.

-For you.

-That's a lot of money.

-That's a lot of money.

More money than I've seen in months.

LAUGHING: Years, I heard. So what are you going to spend it on?

I'm going to try and spend it on something that these two have

no knowledge of whatsoever.

Well, David, you'll have your work cut out there.

While he's looking for something for the Blues, let's pop from Surrey

over to the auction in West Sussex.

I find myself here at Bellmans auction house with

the veritably lovely Jonathan Pratt. How are you today, JP?

-Very good, thank you.

-Very good indeed. You should be excited

because I've brought you this Clifton's tea set from Mark and Vip.

What are your thoughts?

I think from a distance you can pretty much tell the age.

You know, that's late 19th, early 20th century, transfer decorated.

Sort of a hint of Imari red on it there.

There is a bit of that style about it.

But it's only six cups and saucers and a cake plate.

So I see it as not big enough and unfortunately,

the pattern isn't terribly commercial.

So my estimate on that would be £20-£40.

Well, finally, a positive remark because they only paid 25 for it.

That's what it'll make. It was never going to fly, that's the thing.

What could fly, I guess, is our hallmarked trinket box.

-What do you think of it?

-It's a nice maker. It's silver embossed.

It's got a lot of style about it

and, you know, it would be great to see it all in silver,

but the glass is in good condition and people buy objects to show off.

So, again, sticking on the same theme, £20-£40 I've said on this.

-You know, £28 paid against your 20 to 40, not too shabby at all.

-No.

Talking of shabby, shabby chic, shall we say?

We've got this 18th-century teapot.

Chinese, it is with a sort of Indian flower pattern.

Tell me your thoughts.

In really good order, it would be actually quite a desirable thing.

This pattern... It's quite a desirable design.

But, you know, it's not without fault - chips and breaks.

And what you then can buy academically is interesting

pieces of old pottery and porcelain on a slightly smaller budget.

Now, when you say on a smaller budget,

what's your estimate against the teapot?

-£30-£40.

-30 to 40? The boys think this will do quite well.

And no wonder, because they only paid £28 for it.

That's the benefit of having David Harper as your expert.

An East Asian specialist.

I reckon these boys have done pretty well with their items.

They may or may not need their bonus buy, but let's find out what

Caroline Hawley bought for them nonetheless.

Mark and Vip, this is particularly thrilling, this section.

And I'll tell you why. Because you left Caroline Hawley

£219 of leftover lolly.

And I tell you what, I'm desperate, I don't know about you,

to know what you blew it all on, Caroline.

Or did she? Please reveal your bonus buy.

Ooh, girlie.

A purse. Not just any old purse. Silver. Hallmarked. 1922.

Look at this chainmail.

Each single link is marked with a lion to say it's

British sterling silver.

And no breaks. You'd like this, wouldn't you, Natasha?

I would love it. I wish you had bought it for me.

Aw. It's gorgeous. Now this was bought for, do you want to guess?

-Five grand.

-THEY LAUGH

-No!

-Very generous, Mark. Very generous.

-150.

-And what do you think it will bring at auction?

I would think maybe just a little bit more than that. Maybe 160, 170.

-OK.

-What I love about this one is the condition.

It's in such good condition. It's 1922.

-It's definitely interesting.

-Yeah.

Lads, this should appeal to you because such a girlie shop.

-All that tea, china and trinket boxes.

-Yes.

Does this appeal to your feminine side, Vip?

It's not something that I would jump to.

-I know Mark knows his handbags, but I don't.

-Do you, Mark?

Um, but we're in your hands, I guess, Caroline.

Well, it could be in yours. Pass it over.

-Oh, it's quite heavy!

-Yeah.

Is this going to help us beat the Blue team?

Well, I think if two ladies fall in love with this,

it could be handbags at dawn.

Well, handbags at dawn indeed.

The boys don't seem too convinced by Caroline's bonus buy,

but for you at home, let's find out what our auctioneer

thinks of the silver mesh purse or handbag.

Sticking with the girlie theme,

these boys got awfully dainty things.

Caroline went out and bought them this lovely silver mesh purse.

-It's the right period. 1922.

-Yes.

-We've got the maker on it.

Will it make them some money, Jonathan?

A lot of work goes into making these things.

And its condition is very good. You sometimes get damage to the chain.

My estimate - £80-£120.

Caroline won't be pleased to hear that because she paid £150.

But it is girlie. The boys like girlie stuff.

They don't have to go for it. I reckon they will.

Anyway, that is our Red team. And let's see how our Blue team did.

Simon and Steven. These are our mudlarkers.

And I think that our first item really appealed to them.

It's got that aged look.

-It looks like something that was found floating around.

-Yeah.

They reckoned 18th century. You're not so sure.

Well, this mark on the top here, this seal mark.

It took a long time to work it out, but the bottom bit says Nolet.

And it's Blankenheym & Nolet.

They were gin makers, manufacturers, distillers,

in the mid-19th century in Holland, in Rotterdam.

You know, you can see the origins of 18th-century in style

and you'd want the big onion-shaped one.

And they are very, very valuable, those things.

Sadly, for this, you know,

it puts it smack in the middle of the 19th century.

-And the maker tells us that?

-Yeah.

But does it have spirit? Have you put a spirited estimate on it?

I think I have. I've put £10-£20 on it.

You're wild. They paid £48 for it.

I say we move swiftly on from the 19th into the 20th century.

Here we are with our Chinese bronze censer.

Well, it's what you call after the antique, really.

It's going back to sort of very much into the old antiques styles -

16th, 15th, 14th century.

It's a censer, so it would be like an incense burner.

You'd burn the stuff inside and it would come out through

-the little holes.

-Very dramatic.

-Yeah.

But the casting is really good. You know, it will sell.

OK, are they going to be proud of your estimate?

What have you popped on this?

-I've got £40-£60.

-Good. £33 for this and they went with it.

Pleased to hear that. Now, moving on. Another sort of mudlarky thing.

-It's a Dutch tobacco box, brass, copper.

-It's a little bit rubbed.

It's a tobacco box, it will get rubbed.

Picked up, worn, wearing away the brass.

You'll see the decoration start to disappear. That won't help it.

But it is 18th-century and there are collectors of these things.

They tend to be the people who buy oak and all that sort of stuff.

Yeah, I think it's a great find. Now, tell us your estimate.

-£40-£60 is what I've said.

-40 to 60. You know what, it's not too far.

-They paid £70.

-OK.

-There is hope there.

-Yeah.

-There is hope.

Well, JP thinks it's all a little bit touch-and-go here.

So they may or may not need their bonus buy.

But let's see if David Harper found them something extra special.

Well, Simon and Steven, after larking round at Epsom,

you left David Harper £149. What did you spend it on?

OK, boys, I think you are going to like this.

Particularly the condition of it,

-bearing in mind what you two do for a hobby.

-Ooh.

-Oh.

-Yep.

This looks like it's been dug up yesterday.

Exactly! You've nailed it.

Grab a hold of that. Look at the shape of the body. What is it?

-It looks like a bottle.

-Of course, it is.

-Yeah.

It's pub advertising. It's memorabilia.

-It's really fun.

-You want to see?

-It is in dreadful condition.

I don't think you are ever going to restore him.

And it's a great thing.

It would have stood on a bar, I don't know,

1930s, 1950s maybe, something like that.

Steven, are you not loving this?

Um...no.

Come on, Steven, if you'd dug that up in the mud near the Thames,

-you'd be delighted, wouldn't you?

-I'd throw it back.

I can't believe it!

Hand it over to this man, he's got much more style and sophistication.

-I like it. I like advertising. How much did you pay for it?

-55.

-Mm.

-And do you think that's going to make a profit?

-I don't know.

-It's a bit of a gamble, yeah?

-It's always a gamble.

I love buying things that are gambles.

What he's trying to say to you is, you've got to have bottle.

-That's what he's trying to say to you.

-Ah.

-Good one.

Now, you don't need to decide just now,

although I think Steven's already decided.

But let's find out what the auctioneer thinks

of David's advertising bottle.

David Harper went down an advertising and alcoholic route.

He went for the Whitbread Pale Ale advertising figure.

It says, "Good for him, good for you

"since seventeen hundred and forty-two."

And I want to know, is it good for the Blues?

Come on, JP, give us your best here.

I love the shape.

I think the body made of a bottle and the collar, it's a

really cool thing.

-Will they love your estimate?

-I put £15-£20 on it.

Oof! You don't have a lot of confidence in this, JP.

-David does.

-Does he? OK.

-He bought it for £55.

-Oh, OK.

-You look a bit worried.

-I know. I've got my work to do.

You're not worried about the auction in general, are you?

-No, not at all.

-No, because you're at the helm.

And I'm very excited about that, JP. Can't wait.

Five. 60. Five.

80. Five.

Right, lads, here we are. We're in the auction.

Tell me, how are you feeling?

Excited. It's not like I expected at all.

-Interesting.

-A bit more buzz than you expected?

-Yeah.

-Very busy auction room. Vip, how do you feel?

We are going to be making some money.

THEY LAUGH

-You feel positive then. You do.

-I know we are. Yeah.

Caroline, how do you feel?

Very excited, as always.

The auction room's full, so anything could happen.

Let's start at the top.

It's time to find out how the china goes under the hammer.

Late 19th-century Clifton china porcelain tea service. Complete.

Six cups and saucers, etc.

Bids with me starting at £10.

-Oh!

-£10. I'll take 12, though. Ten is bid. 12 is bid.

-15.

-OK.

-18.

-Watch it climb.

18 standing. 20.

25. 25? No, she says.

-£25...

-25.

-Looking for 30 now.

INDISTINCT SPEECH

-£25.

-I'll take 28 if it helps.

25 here.

£25 is getting it. Any more at £25?

Surely worth a little bit more?

£25. Selling. Fair warning at 25...

Can you believe it? You paid on the money.

£25 paid and it made £25.

Zero made, zero lost. Item number two is our trinket box.

Birmingham 1904.

This lovely little daisy flower on the top, embossed on the top.

With me, starting at 25. 25 I've got.

25. 30. 35.

-Yes!

-40. Who is going to go 40?

Come on! Come on, lads.

40. 42.

I need 45 now. It's 42 commission. They won't believe me. It's 42.

45, go on. One of you go 45. Go on, down the front here.

You really love it. I know you do.

£45.

-Watch JP go.

-No? 42. Thank you. Commission's out now at £45.

Looking for a 50.

£45.

Yes!

-Yes!

-Gentlemen, you just made £17.

-Very well done.

-It's party time.

Here comes our broken spout china teapot.

Nice antique piece, this.

Nice antique piece, this. I guess you've all seen it.

Straight in at £20.

Straight in at £20. I'll take five, though.

We met £20, who's got five for it?

-20.

-Come on.

On the net at 25. I'm out at 25.

-30 in the room now, come on.

-Come on.

25 on the net. 25 on the net. Looking for a 30 now.

Any bids in the room at 30?

-Surely worth another bid.

-Just come on!

-Come on.

-They know what they are looking at here. It's £25.

Any more?

Selling to the internet then at £25. Fair warning, everyone.

-Oh, I can't believe it!

-Oh, no!

It's lost just £3.

But it means that overall, you're plus 14.

Now it comes down to Caroline's item.

-What do you think?

-I don't know.

It would be really nice to finish with a profit, but it's boring,

isn't it, not going for the bag?

-OK, tell me, I need a definite answer.

-OK.

We'll go...no.

It's a no. 100% no. Caroline...

-There is no pressure on me now.

-It's 100% no from you.

You are not going to the bonus buy.

Let's see how it gets on.

A silver mesh purse. London, 1922.

Nice, good size, this one.

I've got £65 to start. £65.

70. And five. 80. And five.

-90. And five.

-It's going well.

-100. And ten.

-120.

-130.

We're nearly there. 120. One more bid, sir.

130. 130 on the net.

Come on, 140?

140 is bid. Against you, internet, 140.

Any more net?

150 on the net. No, he says.

150 internet bid now.

-£150, it is.

-Caroline knows her stuff.

Last chance. 150. All done?

I cannot believe it. It made £150. Exactly what Caroline paid for it.

So, in the end, it didn't really make a difference.

No profit, no loss.

So, it means that you have come away from Bargain Hunt with £14.

You will go away with folding money. Can you believe it?

But I need something from you.

I need you to promise me you won't say a word to the Blues.

-Promise.

-We won't.

-Promise? Thank you ever so much.

Caroline, I can't believe it.

£50. Who has got five?

Steven, Simon, David, all in a row and all looking pretty excited.

-How are you feeling?

-Yeah, all right, yeah.

Just can't wait for it to start now.

Are you quite relaxed about the whole thing?

-Yeah.

-Quite a cool character, I tell you. I hope it would rub off on me.

-How about you, Simon? How are you feeling?

-Yeah, excited.

Bit apprehensive as well cos I don't want to make a loss.

Even though you are in the care of THE David Harper.

-Thanks for the build-up. Here we go.

-How could you be apprehensive?

The next item under the hammer is your soda glass gin bottle.

The Blankenheym & Nolet green soda glass gin bottle.

Bids on the books. I've got £20.

£20. Who's got five?

25, but that's me out now at £25.

I've got to go for 30 now.

-Any more interest?

-THEY GROAN

Come in on the net now. It's £25.

-Interesting gin bottle.

-£25. Come on! Will them on.

-Come on.

Selling then at 25. Fair warning.

THEY GROAN

-For nothing!

-For nothing!

-Cheap.

Yeah. Well, that £25 hammer price means that you've lost 23.

I thought it would do better.

-Yeah, all right.

-Not the end of the world.

We can claw it back perhaps with our censer.

20th-century Chinese bronze censer.

After the antique.

Very nice quality. £30, I have.

£30, I have. Who's got five?

30. 35. I'm out now at £35.

-40 somewhere else then?

-Go on!

Come on, £40. It's 35 here.

It's worth more than this. Come on.

£35. Someone else go 40. Where are you? Come on.

-40. Yes!

-Yes!

Could be more. Give me more.

It's one at a time now.

-Counter bid. Counter bid.

-One more bid. 45.

£40, it is. Selling at 40. It's on the left at £40.

Fair warning.

-That's all right.

-£40. Plus seven.

You needed that profit.

It means that you are still under, you are minus-16.

But we could claw it all back with our tobacco tin.

Let's see what happens.

Bronze tobacco box. 18th-century Dutch.

Nicely decorated. Popular lot, this.

My estimate's gone, anyway.

-55. 75. 95.

-THEY CHEER

-£95!

-95.

-I have to start at 110.

-I knew it.

£110. 120. It is a nice example, this. It's £110 with me.

-Who wants to go? One more bid.

-Really happy. Really happy.

Internet is quiet now. Fair warning.

I'm selling at £110.

-110!

-110.

We've done it!

That means you've made a profit of £40 on the tobacco tin.

-Your favourite item.

-Yeah.

-And overall...

-And it's still cheap.

-Yeah. You now have a profit of £24.

-There we go.

-£24 overall.

-Marvellous.

I'm so pleased for you. But it doesn't stop there

because will you or will you not go with David's bonus buy?

It's up to you, Si.

It's up to me. Well, you don't like it.

I think it might be a bit rich for 55. I think we'll say no.

-Yeah.

-Thank you very much...

-No, no. Thank you, guy. Goodbye.

THEY LAUGH

Well, goodbye could be the word of the day cos it could be

a good buy or it could not.

Let's find out if you've made the right decision.

We have this painted metal Whitbread Pale Ale advertising figure

inscribed, "Good for him and good for you

"since seventeen hundred and forty-two."

£25. On the book at £25.

-25, OK.

-30. Waving on my right at 30. Now where is a fiver?

-Come on, one more bid.

-Go on.

-30 on my right.

-We need...several more bids.

Come on, £30.

Selling at 30. It's going on the right at £30.

Last chance and selling. All done?

-Good decision.

-Boys!

-Good decision.

-You made the right decision.

It made £30. It would have been a loss of 25.

And you would have been £1 under.

-There we go! Good decision.

-You are £24 over.

I tell you what, that was a rollercoaster.

-We did it. We got it.

-Very well done.

Finishing Bargain Hunt with folding money is no mean feat.

And, of course, it's not a lot of money,

but it could be a winning sum.

-Let's hope so.

-Please don't say anything to the Reds.

We are just about to find out who won and who lost.

Well, here we are, Reds and Blues, it's crunch time.

And was that not such good fun?

-Yeah.

-Pretty good.

-It really was.

I have some good news for both of you. Both teams are in profit.

-Oh!

-Oooh!

I feel a little bit of a competitive edge.

I wonder who came out in front. Let me tell you, there's a tenner in it.

No!

THEY LAUGH

And our runners up today...

are the Reds. CHEERING

Oh, no!

Look at these boys. Let's turn to you, Reds.

Don't. Don't.

Mark and Vip, look at this man.

You did really well. Come on.

You did enjoy yourselves cos you had great reactions during the auction.

Yeah, it was our first auction and actually, very, very tense

and exciting at the same time.

Yeah, that's the way to do it, in style, on Bargain Hunt.

Now, let me give you some money cos I've got a wee bit of folding.

-£10. Lovely.

-And then I have got four coins.

So, split down the middle that's seven quid. Couple of pints.

-Yeah.

-I suppose in London that's only one, isn't it?

-Yeah.

But very well done. Let's turn to our winners today.

-Simon and Steven.

-Yes!

-Very well done.

A tenner in it, as I said. And it's £24 profit.

Let me hand over your money, because here I've got two tens for you.

And then, just like the boys,

they just had slightly more folding stuff. Sorry about that.

-We've got, oh, there we are. Four coins.

-Excellent.

-So you had a great time?

-Lovely.

-Yeah, fantastic.

Really good fun. Me too.

And if you want to learn more about Bargain Hunt,

why not visit our website or follow us on Twitter.

All the information you need is on your screen now.

But better yet, join us next time for some more Bargain Hunting. Yes?

-ALL:

-Yes!