Detling 26 Bargain Hunt

Sorry we're late, Charlie.

Oh, about time.

RECORD SCRATCH What on earth?

Sorry, Charlie, we're only five minutes late.

No, no, no. I mean, what do you look like?

Well, Christmas dinner. Like you said.

Oh, for goodness' sake.

I told you to come for Christmas dinner, not as Christmas dinner!

See, I told you. We just look ridiculous now.

I don't know. I think we look rather fetching.

Oh! We've got to eat up this fabulous feast before we go off to

the antiques fair. Are you ready for a banquet of bargains?

Well, let's do it. Let's go Bargain Hunting!

Merry Christmas, one and all.

And welcome to this special festive edition of the show,

coming to you from Detling in Kent.

'Tis the season, our teams are jolly

It's time for them to make some lolly.

Now, let's check out what's coming up.

The Reds lose their expert.

Oi, expert!

Come here!

And the Blues lose direction.

Oh, look, it's only got one pedal.

Oh, dear. Look, you'll be going round in circles.

At the auction, there's excitement all around.

-Oh!

-Shh! Now, steady, darling. Steady.

But will it last?

May I suggest that you two don't open an antique shop?

And I discover the meaning of the traditional Christmas dinner.

It started in Victoria's royal household and it was her who put

the silver coin into the pudding.

Well, that's all coming up later. Now, let's meet the teams.

Today, we have two glorious, happy married couples.

And for the Reds, we have Pat and John.

-Hello, Charles.

-And for the Blues, we have Frances and Brian.

Merry Christmas, one and all.

-ALL:

-Merry Christmas!

-Oh, that fills me with good cheer.

Now, Pat, tell me about your unusual job.

I have two, actually. One, I'm a writer.

-Yeah.

-And I'm also a medium.

And what exactly is a medium?

We come between the spirit world and the earth plane.

-Yeah.

-And we give proof to people...

-Yes.

-..that life doesn't end, it continues.

It's a different kind of life, but it does continue.

That rather fills me full of hope.

Now, John, you're retired now, aren't you?

-Absolutely.

-But you were an electrician.

Yes, yes. I worked for the same company for 50 years.

Now, you've also got a little confession to make,

-haven't you?

-Oh, dear.

Are we talking about Birdie Cheep Cheep?

I think we might be talking something about birds.

Well, we brought the Birdie Song back from Germany because they

play it all the time over there at carnival time.

And we brought it back to our local club.

We played it, the DJ played it.

And then it went local radio and main radio and then countrywide.

And everybody's cursed us since.

I think they have! I remember dancing to it.

And it was in the Christmas charts, wasn't it?

-Yes, it was.

-It was.

-Yeah. Believe it or not.

Hang on.

MUSIC: The Birdie Song by The Tweet

Cut, cut. I don't think we need any more of that.

-Yep.

-We need to get shopping.

Now, Brian and Frances, how did you two meet?

We were neighbours.

We lived...

17 years before we got together.

-We were neighbours.

-You lived next door to each other for 17 years?

-Next door but three.

-And it took that long?

Well, she was otherwise engaged, you see.

And I was...I was focused deeply on my work, you see.

-Oh, were you?

-Oh, yes.

-Now, Brian,

you had really quite an interesting career.

I did chemical research for three years.

-Yeah.

-Working on pharmaceutical drugs.

Then I decided that I needed a higher degree

to stay in the industry.

-Yeah.

-So, I went to Imperial College.

The subject was nuclear technology

and reactor technology and I stayed for 34 years.

-Did you?

-I still haven't got that degree.

Now, Frances, you've got some really interesting hobbies, haven't you?

Amongst them I've got scuba diving, I've got a horse, so horse riding.

-Yeah.

-And my hobby as well,

it was my profession, which was a saddler.

-A saddler?

-I love doing saddlery and leather-work.

I love good leather-work, good stitching on leather-work.

Oh, I could provide you with that.

So, what do you really like about Christmas?

The love that surrounds you and I love singing Christmas carols and

it's just the atmosphere.

Christmas Day, yes, after lunch...

-having a good kip.

-THEY LAUGH

What about Pat and John? What do you like about Christmas?

I love Midnight Mass, a glass of port afterwards.

-Ooh.

-And putting everything in the oven,

getting it prepared for Christmas Day.

-What about you, John?

-I think it's the change in people over Christmas.

People who never speak to each other all through the year

and all of a sudden they make this change and they start

chatting to each other, and the atmosphere.

Now, it's shopping time, everyone. If you look on your tree,

you will find a box.

And with any luck, it will have £300 in it.

Oh, wow.

Full of Christmas, festive spirit.

Off you go and have a wonderful Christmas shopping spree.

It's just a bit different, isn't it?

We've got singing birdies and a nuclear scientist.

We've lined up two wise men for our teams today.

Hoping to decorate the halls with plenty of profit,

it's Nick Hall for the Reds.

And a guiding star for the Blues,

it's John Cameron.

-Merry Christmas. Are you feeling festive?

-Absolutely.

We love Christmas. My favourite time of the year.

What are we going to be putting on our Christmas list today?

Anything that I like the look of.

-A garden gnome.

-A garden gnome?

-And Austrian glass.

I'm looking for something sort of semi-scientific.

I like microscopes and telescopes.

-Toys would be good.

-For Christmas, sounds like a plan to me.

Right, teams, your 60 minutes start now.

And let's hope it won't be all downhill from here.

Let's go Bargain Hunting.

Let's go Christmas shopping. Come on!

Merry Bargain Hunting.

The teams are in festive mood.

Loving the outfits.

And it all kicks off with a box.

This is a box of sorts, isn't it? Bit of treen.

-That is rather nice, isn't it? Nicely worked.

-Some holes.

It's got a bit of a crack in it here, actually.

-Do you like it?

-I love the carving and the work that's gone into it.

-Do you think it's English?

-Good question, actually.

But it's a nice thing, actually, a nice bit of patination.

Keep your eye on it. Do you like it?

I do like it. Can we put that one by for a possible?

The Reds are just as focused.

Keep them peeled, gang.

-There's plenty here.

-Can I just go and have a look at that horse?

You can look at anything you like, of course.

-Happy Christmas.

-Merry Christmas.

What is it about this that draws you to it?

-The colours.

-Nice and bright.

I love colours.

And what do you think?

-I suspect it's probably off a carousel, isn't it?

-Oh, right, OK.

Thank you very much and have a happy New Year.

-How much was it?

-275.

Ouch! A bit too dear.

The Blues may have put the treen pot to one side,

but it's not long before another item catches their eye.

How old do you think the propeller is, John?

Well, I'd say this is probably the first half of the 20th century.

Bear in mind, early flights, early part of the century.

But they were still using wooden prop planes at the beginning

of the Second World War for training purposes.

What do you think that will make in the saleroom?

-I could see that making £50 and upwards.

-Really?

-Absolutely.

It's a nice thing. They don't turn up every day.

Do you want to find out what they are asking for?

-Yes. OK.

-Hi, there.

-Can I ask you, how much is your prop here?

-35 quid.

-£35.

It has probably crashed because there's some chipping on one end,

but other than that, it's in quite good condition.

What is your best price on this?

-30.

-25?

-Oh, she's a tough one.

I couldn't go as low as that, but I will chuck in the box for 30.

Would you?

I don't think we can be any fairer than that, can we?

-Think we'll be all right on those?

-I don't think we'll do too badly.

I like that. Would you like to shake the gentleman's hand?

-It's a deal.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Do you know, I like that? And I think at auction...

that could really take off.

THEY LAUGH

Only four minutes into their shop

and the Blues are off to a flying start.

£30 for the propeller and an extra stocking filler thrown in for free.

It must be Christmas.

Is that...?

My little Santa's helpers, what have you found?

Some Japanese ceramics?

What have you got there, John? This, again, is Japanese.

Satsuma pottery, 1890-1900 in date.

-Quite a nice thing, actually.

-That's unusual.

I've seen quite a lot of Satsuma ware and some of it is really poor

and some of it is the finest quality I've ever seen.

This, for me, is somewhere between the two.

How much is the...?

About 60 on that.

Any movement?

Just bear in mind we have spotted

a little bit of a firing crack around there.

There is and that's why it is the price that it is

because if it didn't have that damage,

we'd be looking at about 110.

-We could do 45.

-I was thinking that.

Do you like it enough to spend your first buy on this? £45?

-Yes.

-Good, we've got a deal.

You, my friend, have sold your vase.

£45, thank you very much.

Well done, that's brilliant.

Happy Christmas and a happy New Year.

So, first purchase for the Reds,

the Satsuma vase wrapped up for £45

and within eight minutes.

The Blues place their bets on a horse,

but it needs a bit of sprucing up.

She's getting very excited. Look, she's chomping at the bit.

So, do you like that, Frances?

Oh, look, it's only got one pedal.

Oh, dear, look, you'd be going around in circles!

Shall we have a look around? I'm sure there are other horses.

OK, we'll have to look and see if I can find something in the same vein.

Get your lasso out, I'm sure we'll get one.

I did see a lovely horse on the way in.

It's very colourful and it was over that way somewhere.

Let's go and have a look.

Better get a gallop on, then.

Now, the Reds may have found a cracker.

What on earth is that?

It looks like it's from a church or something.

No, it's an Art Deco hall stand, wrought iron.

Cool thing, really cool.

It's going to be out of our budget I'm sure, but...wow.

Definitely not out of our budget.

-Really?

-150?

Are you sure?

What is the history of it?

Where did it come from? Out of a big Art Deco house?

As far as we know, it was on a big chateau that was being demolished

in the south-west of France, around the Charente area.

And as it was being demolished,

a chap salvaged it and put it in his garage,

and it just rested there for many a year.

He put it to a brocante and we salvaged it out of there

and thought it would be good for the English market because...

I'm so pleased that you did save it.

Right, what I'm going to do then, right, 135?

150 is definitely the death.

-What do you think?

-I think you should go for it.

-Thumbs up?

-Yeah.

Thumbs up, 150 quid.

-Well done.

-Happy Christmas.

'So, it's hall stand for Mr Hall and his team.'

That is the sort of thing that could really fly at auction.

That's the sort of thing that you get when you are not looking for

-something specific.

-Is that right?

Words of wisdom. Come on, my Christmas elves,

-let's do a little bit more shopping.

-Christmas elves!

The Reds have bagged their second item for £150.

Plenty to cheer about. Well done, Reds.

I am so enthusiastic and ecstatic about this shop.

I love... I can't tell you how much I love

that Art Deco wrought iron hall stand.

So what, 20-odd minutes in, £195.

I think what I better do is find something they like as much as I do.

But great shop, great couple. And ho-ho-ho, here we go.

Now, what are those Blues looking at?

This one.

Well, it's been painted. Do you know what?

I like that. It has been painted up, hasn't it?

-How strong is he?

-I think structurally he's quite good.

Let's have a look at him for age and things.

-That's new.

-That is a repair.

-That's new.

-Yeah, that bit's new.

That's a repair.

-What are you thinking?

-I love him.

-Do you like him?

-I do.

-What is the price?

They've got £80 on there.

-I'd be quite willing to pay £80.

-Sssh!

Don't be too keen, Frances. You're hunting for bargains, remember.

This young lady here likes your horse.

She's a very equestrian lady. She makes saddles

and I tried to dissuade her but she likes the horse.

Oh, dear.

-Over to you.

-What would your best price be for it?

I'll do 65.

Really?

-Yeah?

-You're the boss.

-Can we? What do you think?

-60?

65 is a jolly good price.

-She looks happy.

-I love him.

We better take him home.

I think you want to shake his hand, don't you?

Well done, thank you very much.

And you are off your rocker!

THEY LAUGH

Frances' wish has been granted.

The horse is hers for £65.

Frances and Brian are great.

They know their minds, they are nice and snappy and we've made

two purchases in half an hour.

Frances absolutely loved the horse.

I think at auction,

at Christmas time, everyone is going to want to take it home.

So, both teams have found two items in their first half hour.

Well done. Now, let's leave the teams shopping while I go

and give you some food for thought.

Just down the road in Leeds Castle,

I discover the true meaning behind the traditional Christmas dinner.

I'm guessing that come December 25th, most of you will be sitting

down and tucking into a turkey with all the Christmas trimmings.

But it hasn't always been that way.

And I'm joined by food writer and chef Angela Gray to find out more.

-Hello, Angela.

-Hello, Charlie.

Angela, when did the Christmas dinner tradition start?

Well, it was round about the 6th century that we got into the swing

of things, but things really took hold during the Medieval times.

It became really a celebrated and important holiday.

Later, we had the Tudors, who really embraced Christmas,

but also in the mid-16th century the Puritans banned it.

They deemed it immoral to be celebrating and being so

over-the-top on a religious day.

And going back to the traditions,

this wonderful chap wasn't always there, was he?

No, he wasn't. In fact,

it was in the days of the great explorers when all kinds of exotica

were arriving in Britain and along came the turkey from South America.

He was only available to the great houses and to royalty

because obviously it was so expensive.

-It must have been hugely expensive.

-Yes, it was.

And also at that time you would find other fare taking centrepiece

in the great houses, so anything from a boar's head,

a peacock and, with the King's permission, a swan.

But the poorer communities would have had to make do with leftovers.

Sometimes venison and beef were also eaten,

so they would be offered maybe the leftovers.

But even frugal food like rabbit, that would be caught locally,

that would be their Christmas dinner.

Now, what about dessert, Angela?

Surely this wonderful pud has always been on the menu?

Well, it has, but it has had quite an amazing evolution because right

in front of you is what it probably started out like.

This is frumenty from the 14th century

and it basically is a mix of grains and meat and dried fruit,

usually currants. So, mutton or beef mixed in with that.

I know you are screwing your face up,

but back in the day we would have clinked a glass and enjoyed that.

-Would you?

-But thank heavens things moved on.

They got more palatable as the arrival of prunes, so dried plums,

hence plum pudding.

Also, eggs and breadcrumbs would have been added, which gave the

pudding more form and obviously made it more palatable and the little

addition of some spirit or stout wouldn't have gone amiss either.

So, where did the tradition start of putting items into the pudding?

It started in Victoria's royal household and it was her who put

a silver coin into the pudding.

So obviously we followed suit, but it could be any manner of trinkets.

We've got several examples here.

There's a little silver bell which meant betrothal,

a bachelor's button which brings a man good luck.

A little wishbone - obviously, you could make a wish.

A little horseshoe for good luck, and then a thimble for thrift.

Obviously, on the end is a little sixpence. This year, we've got a

commemorative coin from the Royal Mint to celebrate stir-up Sunday

which is the traditional day

when the Christmas pudding, the Christmas cakes, are made.

Basically, all these ingredients,

and there would be 13 of them traditionally,

to represent Christ and the 12 Apostles,

these would all be put in a big basin and stirred from east to west

to symbolise the journey of the Magi - the three wise men.

And you stir your wishes into them.

So this coin would then be popped into the pudding.

I think it's wonderful they brought this out

and so tradition goes on. Isn't that lovely?

Splendid, isn't it?

Thank you so much, Angela, it has been absolutely fascinating.

I'm looking forward to my Christmas dinner.

Well, that was a real treat.

Now, how are our teams getting on with their Christmas shopping?

180 on that one.

-That's lovely.

-We've got 105 left.

I've no idea what that is at all.

Both teams have 30 minutes left to find their third item.

Hang on, the Reds have lost their wise man.

Where is my expert?

Nicholas? Oh, Saint Nicholas.

Where is he?

Nick! Oi!

That's right, Pat, keep him on his toes.

Expert!

Come here.

Blimey. You called.

If you were expecting a lady, you didn't get, you got me.

-Expert away. How can I help?

-What do you think of that?

-Not a lot.

-Oh, sorry.

Oh, well, never mind. Keep looking, Reds.

Meanwhile, look at what the Blues have spotted.

A lot of these are coming over from the Continent, France, Belgium,

-that sort of place.

-That looks Continental.

It does, doesn't it? A great little thing.

You can just imagine the coals in there.

Here's your little oven here,

you've got your range on the top for the pots.

-It's beautiful.

-Nice thing, isn't it? £160, though.

At auction, I don't know if we'd get a deal on that.

It's a nice thing.

We'd better keep looking.

Talking of cooking,

John has feasted his eyes on an item with all the trimmings.

We are carving the turkey already, are we?

We are carving the turkey for Christmas.

There's quite a bit of age to it, I think.

-Love the handles on it.

-Funnily enough, I do know a turkey.

He's leading the Blues.

THEY LAUGH

-Yeah, we could hold him with that.

-We could pin him down.

You thought you were going to carve a profit out of that, didn't you?

-I did.

-Hey, it's Christmas, come on.

With only an item each to find and still 20 minutes on the clock,

what are the Reds looking for?

A little bit of jewellery. It's not normally what I'd go for,

but for some reason, something is clicking in my mind.

But taking the way we have gone so far,

we'll probably see something entirely different.

# Simply having a wonderful Christmas-time... #

And what about the Blues?

Ideally, I'd like another rocking horse.

I would like to see something scientific, in my sphere.

The pressure is on, then.

Possibly some interesting things over here, Brian. Jars.

Natr salicylic - that is sodium salicylate.

And what's that, Brian?

That is used for...

It used to be used instead of aspirin and things like that.

He's a clever boy, isn't he?

I can see why you fell for him, Frances.

I like the look of them

because they could be in my lab, and that takes me back, you know?

You said a good word there, you liked the look of them.

At the moment, with things like this, it is about the look.

It is about the look, that's good.

-OK, do you want me to find out how much?

-Yes, I think so.

You stay here, have a look. I'll go and ask.

Meanwhile, the Reds are hoping for a sprinkling of fairy dust

to make their final purchase.

-Merry Christmas.

-Merry Christmas.

-Ho-ho-ho.

Happy New Year.

-Got any bargains?

-Well, they're all bargains here.

Are they?

Everything is a bargain, I like the sound of this.

While the Reds hunt out a bargain,

what's the latest on the bottles, Blues?

Right, guys.

Good news.

Yes, he was asking 42 for that one.

We can have the three for £80.

What do you think about the profit they might make?

I think he's given us a chance.

I think he's given us a chance with the three of them.

I think that's quite acceptable.

-Do you want to go with that? Are you happy?

-I am happy with that.

Is Frances happy with that?

-Are you happy?

-Listen, I'm happy if you guys are happy.

You got your horse, we've got our prop and you want these.

-I've got these.

-£80, we've got our third buy.

Well done.

Brian's bottles finish the Blues' Christmas shopping.

Phew.

-Happy?

-I am very happy.

-Ecstatic.

-Right, what we need to do now is ho-ho-hope for some profit.

Oh, no!

While the Blues take it easy,

the Reds are still looking for their last item.

There is 15 minutes left on the clock, found anything?

-What do you think?

-Art Deco, isn't it?

I love that sort of peach-coloured glass.

What sort of money is that?

I had 55 on it, but I'm always open to sensible offers.

-OK, a tenner.

-Sensible is the operative word.

I thought you said it was full of bargains in here.

-It is!

-You've dragged me in under false pretences, madam.

I think not, young man.

OK, so you want 55.

-I mean, do you two like this?

-I do.

I know you said you liked your Austrian Art Nouveau,

this is slightly later English Art Deco.

Well, let's not be mean, let's say 30.

Let's say 40.

-35?

-Yeah, meet you in the middle.

38 and that's it.

That is the very...

That is it.

I have got to make a little bit.

I think cleaned up, hung up,

you might get a bit of a margin on it and it would sit well with

the other Art Deco thing we've got.

So, don't be Ebenezer on me, 35.

-35. Look in my eyes, 35.

-It's the season of goodwill, go on.

-If anyone has some mistletoe!

-Oh, thank you, darling.

-Have we got a deal? Honestly? Seriously?

-Yeah.

-35 quid.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Have a healthy life, sweetheart.

-Well done. Happy Christmas.

-My favourite dealer of the day.

-Thank you.

-I'm sure I am!

-£35.

-I bet you say that to all the girls.

-Only the lovely ones. Thanks.

Right, teams, your time is up.

-Let's get in our sleigh, let's head back.

-Head back.

And I think if we hit the bar it's your round.

-Come on.

-Absolutely. Absolutely.

Now, let's check out what the Red team have bought.

John spotted this Satsuma vase and wrapped up a deal for £45.

Nick was hooked on a wrought-iron hall stand.

They paid £150.

And will they hit the ceiling prices

with this 1930s frosted glass lampshade? £35 paid.

So, Pat and John, how was your Christmas shopping?

-Fantastic.

-Great.

-Was it exciting?

-It was fun.

-Well, you've got three wonderful items, it sounds like.

Which one's going to make the biggest profit?

-Lampshade.

-I think probably the wrought iron.

Wrought iron. Lampshade.

And which do you like best?

-The Japanese vase.

-The Japanese vase.

-And you, Pat?

-I liked the lampshade.

You like the lampshade. Well, well, well.

Well, you spent £230.

-We did.

-Which leaves 70.

-It does.

-Now, I want that 70 because I am merely a conduit.

-It is Christmas.

-It is Christmas.

Christmas money. What are you going to buy?

I'm going to buy something seasonal.

Something with a bit of glitz, glamour. But an antique.

So, while Nick goes off to buy a genuine antique,

we'll check out what the Blue team have bought.

The Blues are hoping that this duo will propel them into profit.

£30 paid for the mahogany propeller with a treen box thrown in for free.

And, gee up, they paid £65 for a 20th-century painted rocking horse.

And finally, they're rooting for

these three amber-tinted glass apothecary bottles, having paid £80.

Frances and Brian, good Christmassy shopping, wasn't it?

-Wonderful.

-Now, what's your favourite lot?

-My rocking horse.

-Your rocking horse.

-Lovely.

-Yeah.

-I want it.

-And what do you think?

-I think I like my propeller, really.

So propeller and a rocking horse.

What will make the biggest profit, though?

-Rocking horse.

-Come on.

-I think I might say the rocking horse as well,

simply because it's Christmas and that is what it's all about, really.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

-Now, you spent £175.

Not a bad spend on Bargain Hunt, but it does leave you £125.

Hand it over. I'm not holding it for long because it's going over to the

great man there who is going to spend wisely on a Christmas treat,

no doubt. What are you going to do with it, John?

I don't know. There's so much here. There's some wonderful things.

I can't wait to get back over amongst those stalls.

While John goes delving back into the stalls,

we're off to the auction in Canterbury.

# So here it is, Merry Christmas

# Everybody's having fun... #

Well, just a short sleigh ride down the road is

the Canterbury Auction Galleries.

-And I'm here with the auctioneer, Cliona. Hello.

-Hello.

-Very nice to see you.

-Now, what do you think of our Red purchases?

They started off with this Satsuma vase.

Yeah. It's, erm, a very typical Japanese Satsuma vase.

-Yeah.

-Probably coming into the early part of the 20th century.

-Mm-hm.

-But one minor issue is that that neck has been off and put back

again, and the crack is apparent around the base of the neck where it

joins the body. However,

we'll keep our fingers crossed with an estimate of £10-£15.

10-15. Well, I think that just takes into consideration the damage.

They paid £45 for it.

Certainly, it would be worth a good bit more without that damage.

Yeah. Now, Nick fell in love with this hall stand.

Big, yes. Saleable?

Well, when I first saw it, it just struck me that it might work in a

-garden somewhere as a garden feature.

-Yes, of course.

Adapting it in that manner.

Fingers crossed, it's sort of £50-£70, we might get it away.

Yeah, yeah. Well, that would only halve their money.

That would be quite good. They paid £150.

Well, we have to work hard, then.

Now, what about the light fitting?

Yeah, I like the light fitting.

It's a very typical Art Deco ceiling light.

It's all going on with the opaque glass, wavy pattern,

or shell pattern, shade and the chrome metal mounts.

We've put £20-£30 on it.

Well, they paid 35, so top end of your estimate.

-Hopefully, it will light up on the day.

-Indeed, I hope so.

But if it doesn't light up on the day,

they might well need their bonus buy. Let's have a look at it.

Pat and John, you did some good spending, didn't you?

-Oh, yes.

-So you didn't leave him a massive amount of money.

What have you done with it, boss?

Well, I've spent it. Not all of it, you'll be pleased to know,

but some of it, on this wonderful little glitzy

Christmas gift to you both.

There we go, open it and see what you think.

-Now, what about that?

-Oh, yes!

Is that floating your boat?

Oh, I like that.

It is silver. It is hallmarked British standard assayed silver,

but what a perfect thing for the Christmas dinner table,

don't you think, with your sauces in there?

-How much did you pay for it?

-I paid £45.

Now, that was made in London in 1798...

-Gosh.

-How about that for age?

..by the wonderful Bateman family.

How much do you reckon it's going to make?

Er, I mean on a good day,

it should make somewhere between £50 and £80.

So there should be profit. There should be a little bit of

Christmas spirit left in there for you both.

Well, it looks like you like it

but you don't have to make a decision now.

Wait until we're in the heat of the moment in the auction.

Then make your decision.

Now, what will the auctioneer think of this saucy purchase?

Would this work with the bread sauce in it, do you think?

I think so. The bread sauce, or the cream,

or it would just look lovely on the Christmas table.

It's a good maker. The Bateman family, 1798,

an attractive little sauce boat, small proportions,

I think it's a nice buy

that we've put £25-£35 on.

Nick, who bought this, went in at £45.

Could we get there, do you think?

I think there's every chance we can get there, yes.

Now, kicking off with the Blues, Frances and Brian,

we've got the first lot there

which is a propeller boss and it comes with

that little box, so a couple of items of treen,

although that's possibly pushing the description of treen,

-the propeller boss.

-Well, it's wood, isn't it?

So the propeller boss is interesting.

We have sold bosses like this before.

-Yes.

-Sometimes with a clock or a barometer fitted into them.

-Yeah.

-So I think it's kind of fun. Then, as you say, keeping into the

theme of the treen with the little circular box and cover.

It's got a little bit of a crack on it but it makes for a nice little

-case, yes.

-So what about an estimate on that?

Yes, we've put 25-35 on it.

Well, £30 paid.

-OK.

-There could be a profit in that.

-Yes.

Now, what about this rocking horse?

That's probably not from the best of stables, this one.

It is quite crudely made but look at the decoration,

what child wouldn't like that?

At £20 to £30, you can't go far wrong.

Do you get many under ten-year-olds bidding in your saleroom?

Accompanied by an adult, of course.

They paid £65 for it.

Did they? Oh, that's a...top price.

I won't make you guilty if you can't get them a profit.

The apothecary jars, they are an unusual size, aren't they?

They are quite large, yes.

And with the sort of brown glass,

personally I prefer other colours when it comes to these.

-Crystal blue.

-The crystal blue or green or something but they are a

good size and the labels are reasonably well intact on them.

-Yes.

-So we've put 20-30 on those.

Have you? They paid £80.

-Right. OK.

-You think that's a bit steep, don't you?

Sadly, yes, I do.

Well, it looks like we might be needing a bonus buy.

Let's have a look at it.

Frances and Brian, are you getting excited about what's in that box?

-Very.

-Very much so.

-I'm not surprised.

-John, what have you got us?

-Well,

I have a rather nice Russian 19th-century silver and niello work

-snuff box, tobacco box.

-That looks interesting.

How much did that cost you?

I paid the princely sum of £125, so everything you left over, Brian,

I spent, I'm afraid,

but I did haggle it down to £125 from about 180.

How much do you think it will make?

Well, it's a nice thing.

It's got a maker's name on there - Ivan Saltykov -

late 19th-century Russian. It's in niello work,

which is a form of engraving with enamelling flooding

into the engraved lines, and it's got a really charming little hunting

scene, a shooting scene.

My only criticism is it's a little bit knocked about.

But it's a nice thing, I like it, but it's your decision.

Genuine antique and Russian, Russian is quite interesting at the moment.

-Is it?

-Yes. Lots of buyers.

But you don't have to make up your mind now.

Leave it until the auction then pounce with a yes or no.

I wonder what the auctioneer thinks of this Russian box.

Frances and Brian sent John off with £125 and he came back with that.

What do you think?

Well, I like this little Russian box.

It's a typical 19th-century Russian snuffbox.

It's fully marked from Moscow, 1885, the maker's mark in there as well.

It's had a good life, it's a little bit dented around the edges.

So for that reason, I've just been a little bit cautious

and put 60-80 on it.

Well, they sent him off as I say with £125 and he spent £125.

-Right.

-He left them with no change whatsoever.

-OK.

-You'll be taking the sale?

-I will.

-Good, well, I'm looking forward to it and

I hope there will be lots of people online bidding for all our items.

We shall see.

Have you been to an auction before?

-No.

-No?

Never in your lives. What do you think of it all?

-Is it exciting?

-Yes.

You start off with the Satsuma vase.

-Now, John, this was your choice really, wasn't it?

-It was.

Here it comes.

We have a bid of £10 now, looking for 15.

Any interest in the room at £15?

-Oh, dear.

-'For the piece of Satsuma.

'£10 we have then, are we all done?

'At £10, no further bid,

'I will sell then at £10'

if we are all done.

-Oh.

-Sorry.

-There's a French expression for that, quel dommage.

Never mind. Never mind.

Now the hall stand. What do you reckon?

It's got a lot of potential if the right buyers are here.

-Yes.

-If Deco furniture dealers with a bit of vision are here,

-we could be all right, but if they're not, it's scrap metal.

-Oh, dear.

'Let's start the bidding at £10, then.

-'Lot 151.'

-Noooo!

-'Come on, we need the bids, lot 151.'

-Steady.

There we go, £10 we are bid at the back. India is coming in.

Do you want to bid £15?

£15 I'm looking for, there we go,

15, 20, 25.

I will sell at £25, all the way over to India. At 25.

Oh, dear. Well, that's £125 loss on the hall stand.

Add that to the starting loss of £35, it's £160,

so you're down 160 but never fear,

you've got a ceiling light still to come.

Lot number 152, £20 I'm bid, looking for 25 now, who's in at 25?

25, 30, 35, 40.

45, 50.

50, 55.

Looking for £60, it's at £55 here.

60, I've got two bidders online now.

UK bidder in at 60, now looking for 65.

'With the UK bidder online,'

anybody else bidding? If not, I will sell at £60, then,

if we are all done.

SHE CHEERS

Now steady, darling, steady. LAUGHTER

All that purchasing, you've lost £135.

Now, you have got the potential of Nick's sauce boat.

-Oh, we're going to go for it.

-We're definitely going for it.

Do you want to know the auctioneer's estimate?

Do you promise not to squeal if I tell you?

25-35. Which I think...

-Come-and-buy-me.

-Yeah, it's a come-and-buy-me estimate.

Here it is.

'Looking for £25. 25 I'm bid. 30.'

35, 40, 45,

50, 55, 60,

65, 70.

'75, 80, 85, 90.

'Anybody at 90?

'Who's in at 90?

'90, 95, 100.

'Anybody on 100?'

Any interest at 100?

100. 110. 120.

'120 for someone? £110, it is here on my left now,'

any further offer,

if not I will sell at £110, then. Are we are all done at 110?

I do apologise, madam, she gets a little excited.

Now, you've made a profit of £65 on that.

You're only down £70.

You may have won. You may have lost.

You may have won by miles.

Anyway, not a word to the Blue team and we'll find out later.

Now, Brian, you must have been to a saleroom before.

-I have indeed. Yes.

-Frances?

-Never been to one, no.

Really, has he never taken you to a saleroom?

Oh, that was long before we met.

Oh.

Now, coming up first, of course, is the propeller boss

and you've got a little free box with it, didn't you?

Treen in a box.

£30 paid.

Yes.

Be fine, won't it? Here it comes.

'OK, let's get the bidding going at £10.

'Who's in at ten? Any interest at £10?'

-Oh, dear.

-'Anybody in the room'

at £10, or elsewhere?

£10 I'm bid, thank you, who's in at 15?

Any bid of £15?

'£10 I have here.

'Are we going to sell at this maiden bid of £10, then?'

All we all done?

15 we have. 20, sir?

20 I'm bid. 25, anybody at 25?

Right at the front of the room here at £20. Are we all done at £20?

You've only lost a tenner.

-Go on.

-I wanted a golden gavel.

You wanted a golden gavel. Well, let me tell you, Frances,

you haven't got one. Frances, you chose the rocking horse, didn't you?

Someone is going to absolutely love it, Frances, and here it comes.

'£10 for the rocking horse, 10 I'm bid, looking for 15 now.

'Who's in at 15? Any interest'

at £15, for the rocking horse?

'10 I'm bid, looking for 15.

'15 we have online.

'20.'

25 online.

'25, 30, 35 now I'm looking for.'

Bidder's on my left at £30 then if we are all done.

You only lost £35 on that.

You're only 45 quid down.

-Now, Brian, you bought these jars.

-I bought the jars.

-Memories?

Memories of my chemistry days.

Yes, memories of the laboratory.

-The laboratory, yes.

-Let's see how they go. Here they come.

'20 we have on the internet, anybody at 25?'

Any bid of 25 in the room or elsewhere? £20 it is.

'Anybody else bidding? Come on, bidders, anybody coming in?'

-INDISTINCT CHATTER

-'£20 I'm bid.'

Selling at £20, if we are all done, to the invaluable platform at £20.

-Oh deary me.

-Oh, dear.

Minus 60, added to the £45 hitherto is minus £105.

May I suggest that you two don't open an antiques shop?

Three out of three losses.

You have a chance to complete

the full set with a bonus buy, of course.

-Go for it.

-I like the spirit.

'Who'll start me at £50? £50, someone, for the silver...

'Thank you, 50 I'm bid.'

55, 60.

65, 70, 75.

80.

-'85, 90, 95.'

-Come on.

-'100.'

Anybody at 100?

100, fresh bid.

110, 120. 130, anybody at 130?

The bid is at £120, right at the back, £130 now.

140, in the middle at £140 now, any further offer?

150, 160, now on my right.

Well done. Any further bid?

Looking for £160 but I will sell at 150, if we are all done?

160, 170.

180? Are you sure?

£170 on my right now, looking for 180, keeping my eye on you.

£170 it is then. Selling at 170.

Do you know, you've made £45 profit on that, so you're only down £60.

You may well have won with a loss of £60.

Anyway, don't discuss it with the Reds.

-Promise.

-And all will be revealed later.

Well, of course the idea on Bargain Hunt is to make a profit

and the person with the biggest profit is the winner.

In this case, nobody made anything at all.

You both lost money but there was still only a tenner in it.

And I have to say, the runners up today,

by only losing £70, are the Red team.

GROANING

Wonderful. It was a pretty disastrous affair.

The vase you forgot was broken, that lost £35,

the rather splendid hall stand lost £125.

Fortunately, your wonderful ceiling light made £25,

then, of course, Nick came into his own with that wonderful sauce boat.

What a profit.

Thank goodness he made £65 profit on that because you've only lost 70.

And frankly, you have got nothing smug to look at that at all.

You managed to lose £60 and frankly,

if it hadn't been for the great John there, you'd have lost £105.

Minus 10, minus 30, we won't go into it all, it wasn't really very good, was it?

-But never mind, you've enjoyed it.

-Absolutely.

-Wonderful.

-Splendid.

-Splendid. Have you enjoyed it?

-Fantastic.

It's amazing how much fun you can have losing money, isn't it?

Quite extraordinary. Anyway,

don't forget to have a look at our website and to follow us on Twitter.

Most importantly,

have a Happy Christmas and join us soon for more Bargain Hunting.

-Yes? ALL:

-Yes.