Lincoln 5 Bargain Hunt

We are in Lincolnshire today,

the birthplace of the mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton.

In 1666,

the young Isaac was sitting in his garden

when an apple fell from the tree.

In a stroke of genius, he came up with his theory of gravity.

It's my theory that our teams

will be touched by a stroke of genius today.

So, what are we waiting for?

Let's get to the CORE of the matter.

Let's go Bargain Hunting!

Well, you don't need a mathematical formula

to work out where we are today.

We're at the Lincolnshire Antiques And Home Show.

Our teams have £300 and just one hour in which to buy three items

to take off to auction.

But which team will gravitate to a profit?

Let's see what's coming up.

The Reds lose their marbles.

There's one marble missing,

and I notice you've got a whole collection of marbles here.

Yes, I noticed that!

And the Blues can't add up.

So we've got 35...

-I think it's 35?

-No, it's not, it's 80.

-85. Oh, no, I thought it was 35!

I thought it was a bargain!

And there's plenty of excitement down at the auction.

That is astonishing!

But that's all for later. Now, let's meet today's teams,

and for the Red team today we have mum and daughter Louise and Alicia,

and for the Blues we have dad and daughter Glen and Lauren.

-Hello, everyone.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-Really good, thanks.

-Looking forward to it?

-Yes!

Good, good. Now, Louise, you're not only Mum, but you're boss as well,

-are you not?

-I am, yes,

I run a small residential lettings company in Leicestershire

and I employ Alicia and my best friend,

and we have some lovely tenants and lovely landlords.

Now, Mum, you have a passion for horses, don't you?

I do, I do, I have four horses.

And do you take them to events?

Yes, we do, we do show cross-country, team chasing.

So, Alicia, what about you, has this love of horses rubbed off on you?

Yes, I started having riding lessons when I was about eight

and then on my tenth birthday my mum bought me my first pony.

-Exciting!

-I did cry, and I know it's very spoiled,

but since then, it's been a dream and a passion.

-Wonderful.

-I've had a little girl,

so I'm hoping she'll probably follow in the footsteps as well,

we'll have to get her a pony!

Exciting, how old is she?

-She's 11 months.

-Is she well-behaved?

She can be!

She takes after me, so she's quite fiery.

Oh, yes, I have heard you can be outspoken.

-Oh, have you?

-Yes, would you like to say a bit more about that?

I did ask my grandma if she was around

when the world was black and white.

And I also said to her, "Grandma, when I'm older,

"will I have five bellies like you?"

-Oh, no!

-I know.

-That's awful, isn't it?

-Blimey!

Almost a sackable offence, isn't it?

It is, it is!

Now, what about tactics today?

Well, my mum's going to be in charge, as always.

Going to have to keep a tight rein on her, aren't you?

-Yes, I am, yes.

-Anyway, good luck with the shopping.

-Thank you.

-Well, that's the Reds, now let's go onto the Blues.

Lauren and Glen here. Lauren, you're the arty one, aren't you?

-I am indeed, yes.

-Tell me more about that.

Well, I'm a secondary school teacher

and I teach textiles, art and photography.

Now, that creativity is taken home as well,

-you are creative at home?

-Oh, yeah, definitely, all the family, yeah.

All the family are really, really creative,

I get it from my mum and dad,

and my brother's really creative as well, yes.

Brilliant. Now, Glen, you run a tiling company, don't you?

-That's right, yeah.

-You're also a fish vet?

We keep fish, we found out that through the winter months,

that's when all the fish suffer with the diseases,

so I ended up making, like, an operating theatre in my garage

where I could take fish out for 20 minutes and then operate on them.

So you can CURE a fish?!

Most fish, yeah!

You've also got an allotment, haven't you?

Well, we do a big charity event at Halloween every year.

I get all my seeds from America, giant pumpkin seeds,

grow them down on the allotment, we've had them up to 900 pounds.

900 pounds?! How big's that?

-About so big.

-Look at us two doing it!

Did you hear that, girls? It's a heck of a Halloween!

It is really good, so...

Now, when it comes to shopping, Lauren, you're the arty one,

-you will be looking for...

-Yes, indeed,

I quite like kitsch and vintage things.

-Do you?

-Yeah, so...

Might there be a little bit of a clash here, I sense?

-I think so, definitely, yes.

-You're more of a traditionalist, I think?

We've decided we're going to have one apiece

-and then we'll fight for the last one.

-We'll fight.

Sounds as if you know exactly what you're going to do.

What are you missing for going shopping?

-Money!

-Some money!

-Yeah!

They weren't slow with that, were they?!

I've got £300 for you.

Thank you very much.

I've got £300 for you.

-Thank you.

-Go and find your experts and have a wonderful time.

Off you go.

-Thank you!

-Well, we have a mum versus a dad,

but don't forget the daughters.

All our teams need now are their experts.

Mixing it up for the Reds, it's Raj Bisram.

Will it be handbags at dawn?

For the Blues, it's Kate Bliss.

So, girls, what are we looking for today?

I'm looking for something that I would buy,

that's probably got a bit of use to it and maybe horsey-related.

Lauren, you're in the pink!

-Indeed!

-Loving that! What are you going to be looking for?

Something really quirky, a bit kitsch, a bit vintage.

I fancy some old furniture, I think.

-Really?

-Yes.

Something unusual, something Arts and Crafts.

Ladies and gentlemen, your time starts now.

-Let's get going.

-Let's go.

Shall we have a little look outside first,

then if we get chilly we'll go for a warm-up inside?

Yes, definitely.

Best of luck, teams.

-I like a good walking stick.

-Yeah.

I love that.

Nice little food cupboard, isn't it?

Do you know what it was used for originally?

-No.

-Well, it was a meat safe.

Oh, gosh!

The grill on the front to keep away the mice and rats.

Victorian, I would say, looking at it.

Pine underneath all that chipped paint, probably.

Condition inside?

Good job we opened the door!

Always open the door!

There's definitely nothing in it, Kate.

Maybe not a profit, anyway.

The Reds, however, might have found something for Louise.

You said you like sticks.

Sticks, yes.

This, look,

it's a horse-measuring stick.

So it's measured in hands,

so this actually comes up so you can measure your horse,

and they are very, very saleable and at auction that would make...

..£100 at auction.

I'm going to leave it with you, I'm going to go and find the stallholder

-and find out what the best on it is, OK? Be back in a sec.

-Thank you.

Yeah, that is beautiful, isn't it?

-It appeals to our...

-OK, girls, the best on it is £130.

Now, I think it's a really nice thing,

and especially you love horses and so on, but I just don't think...

It's all the money, isn't it?

I think it's all the money, to be honest.

Best leave it, then, ladies. Move on.

Meanwhile, vegetable-grower Glen has his eye on something.

Oh, this one?

I was just looking at this majolica dish.

Asparagus dish. What do you think, Lauren?

I quite like it, it's quite quirky. It did catch my eye, yeah.

But I know there's different sorts of majolica

but the proper majolica isn't going to be £29, is it?

Well, there are lots of people that made majolica and really we're

talking about moulded ceramics with colourful glazes normally,

not to be confused by the Italian maiolica

which is spelt in a similar way but very different.

So majolica - moulded wares, very often novelty pieces,

and there were three leading firms or manufacturers

in Britain that did it.

Minton, Wedgwood, and George Jones, top-quality majolica.

Now I can tell you straightaway this isn't by one of those firms.

You're looking at the quality of the moulding,

you're looking at the colour of the glaze,

and did you see this is quite a pastel colour?

Well, the leading firms use quite striking, dense colours,

turquoise is a favourite colour.

And the Victorians loved it.

It started off really being fashionable in the Victorian period.

This is a much later piece, very much 20th century, maybe '50s.

If we turn it over you can just make out Portugal there.

If you like, it's the poor relation.

That's fine, there's a place for that in the market,

but it's got to be at the right price.

29 is on there, shall we ask the question?

Put a cheeky bid in.

-Just let me...

-Yeah, take that, take that with you.

Careful now! Is he accident-prone?

No! No, I am!

Oh, are you?!

-£12.

-12. Have you bought it?

No, I said it's up to you, we'd ask you.

-Oh.

-Yeah.

-£12.

-Cor, what a gent.

-I know!

Well, I think that's much more like an auction price.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Go for it, then.

-What do you think?

-I think we've got our first item, well done!

Great, so do you just want to go and confirm? Brilliant.

-How fantastic!

-This is brilliant!

Well done, Blues, you're first off the mark.

15 minutes in, and an asparagus dish is yours for £12.

Now, where are the Reds?

-A little solitaire board. Do you play solitaire?

-I don't, no.

No? You know, people like those, they're quite a decorative item,

and it can still be played with.

I think it's probably got one of the marbles missing,

but they can be replaced, no problem at all.

It's got £35 on it.

At auction, right,

that would be estimated, I guess, somewhere between 20 to £40,

and it probably would make,

I'd say it would make nearer to 30 at auction.

If you could get that within that price range, or, you know,

at the bottom end, we've got a chance.

-Do you like it?

-I wouldn't look at it and think,

"Oh, I'd want to buy that myself," but it's about making money.

Making some money, yeah.

What's your best price?

I would do it for 25 for you.

To be honest, I'm just -

I think if you got it for 20, we'd have a chance.

Could you do that for us?

Go on, then. I could, if you...yeah.

In that case, girls, I think we've got our first deal,

shake the lady's hand.

Thank you so much, sweetheart, thank you.

Thank you ever so much.

Fantastic. OK, girls, let's keep going. Thank you.

These Red ladies don't mess about, either.

17 minutes in, and they've spent £20 on their first buy.

Back to the Blues, Lauren thinks

she might have spotted a potential second purchase.

I really do like that trunk.

-Do you? This one, Lauren?

-Yeah, I really do.

I like the shape of it.

But let's have a little look. So you've got some wooden struts here.

Let's open it up.

Now, straightaway I can see the main clasp there isn't there.

It's seen a bit of life, hasn't it?

Yeah, definitely, yeah. I think it's a bit too far gone.

But if you like trunks, I think there's plenty around.

-Let's go and see if we can find some more.

-Brilliant. Thank you.

-Shall we head inside?

-Yep.

Meanwhile, Raj is on the case of the missing marble.

We've just got the solitaire board off you

and it's one marble missing,

and I notice you've got a whole collection of marbles here.

Yeah, but you were explaining about the marbles so nicely,

I didn't want to throw...

-But you will put one in there, won't you?

-I will do.

-Oh, you are so good, you are so good.

-Thank you.

So Raj's eagle eyes make this solitaire board an even better deal.

Now some printmaker's wood blocks have attracted arty Lauren.

Guys, I lost you, where did you go?

This is neat. This looks right up your street.

Yeah, yeah, definitely, because I've got some at home.

So, when you're teaching art at school,

do you do any printing with them, Lauren?

Yeah, we do a lot of printing at school.

We do a lot of lino printing, so it's kind of the same thing,

carving it out of the lino and then printing it.

What's the pattern on that one?

-A rose.

-Oh, lovely.

-A rose for a rose.

-A rose for a rose,

flattery will get you everywhere!

He's talking to me!

Don't tell them!

So which one do you like, guys?

Would these bring anything at auction?

Well, I've no clue what the price is.

What are we talking here, in terms of money?

Well, they're 55, the ticket, but 40 is the best on it.

-Is that for the two?

-No.

Oh.

It is a little bit of an niche market.

-Yeah.

-Not sure it'll bring us a profit.

Shall we keep it up our sleeves?

-Yes.

-What do you think?

-Yep. Definitely, yeah.

OK, you have one for later.

Now, how are the Reds getting on?

Oh, I quite like this.

I mean, that's quite nice, a little lady's trinket box.

-Yeah.

-You like that?

-Yeah, I do.

And that wouldn't affect it at all, in there?

To be honest, I don't think so, not at all, no,

and you could get that off if you really wanted it,

but that shows it's got some age to it.

-Silver-plated, yeah?

-Yeah, it's silver-plated,

and it's got a little shield as well there,

a little coat of arms, as well.

I guess it's probably continental.

-But you like it?

-I like it, yes.

It's priced up at £85.

That would be an estimate of 30 to 50, but if you like it,

I would go in at 25, OK?

And if she won't take the 25, maybe go up to 30, but that's it.

Let's go for it, shall we?

Yeah.

Get ready to negotiate, Alicia.

We really like it, but would you be able to do it for 25, at all?

Oh, no wonder he was whispering about it!

I couldn't quite do 25.

I could do 40, but that's about as low as I can do on it.

No? Can't do 30?

-No.

-Because we've got to try and make some money from it.

-I know.

-I'm desperate to get the Golden Gavel.

I-I think there is a compromise here somewhere.

I reckon we should go a bit over what I said.

-Maybe 32?

-32, spot on.

That's it. 32.

-Go on, then. Yeah?

-Let's shake hands, yeah.

-Brilliant.

-Only because she wants the Golden Gavel,

and hopefully you get it.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant, two items done, one to go,

now we can really relax.

MUSIC: Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Relax? Don't do it!

Complacency has sunk many a team.

With 30 minutes left, I hope the Blues are still as keen.

Now, Lauren, you know you really liked that trunk outside?

-Oh, yeah. Yeah.

-Well, I found you a smaller model,

but I think it might be a little bit more commercial.

-Yeah.

-What do you think, what do you think, Glen?

I was going to say, it's got more usage, hasn't it, than the big ones.

Yeah. Vintage luggage is really in at the moment.

This is a really cute size, I thought, actually,

but the good thing is, from one perspective,

it's not actually crocodile skin,

which is what it looks like. It's actually faux crocodile, it's mock.

Because if we open it up, inside,

you can see that it's actually thick card inside,

-it's not leather, it's not skin.

-Yeah.

But it's got that lovely look, hasn't it,

which of course in the 1930s, where this dates from,

-this was the height of fashion.

-Yeah.

You can also see - there's some little telltale signs - just where

the brown has worn, you can see it is card underneath.

You wouldn't get that on proper crocodile skin.

What would you be expecting at auction for that?

The price there is 28, which I don't think is too bad.

You've got the clasps that were once shiny chrome.

They're a little bit worn, but for me,

-that's part of its history.

-Yeah.

So I would put 20 to £30 on that at auction.

Want to try a cheeky offer?

-Yeah.

-Would you want to have a word, Lauren, because it's your thing.

-Yeah.

-Right, Lauren, go and see what the best price is.

Oh, hello, Beth, hi.

Hello, you all right?

Just wondering what your best price would be.

My very best price would be 15 on this.

Well, I'm going to stick my neck out

-and say I think there is profit in that.

-Yep.

-Done deal, then.

-Shall we do it?

-Yeah.

-We'll shake your hand, madam.

-Second item done.

-Brilliant, yeah.

Great.

Brilliant, Blues. The mock croc case snapped up, with 20 minutes left.

Now, while both teams look for their third item,

I'm off to take a closer look at the value of silver.

When did you last use a teapot?

For some of you, quite a while ago, I expect.

I've got a teapot here, nothing particularly special.

It is 1934, and made in Birmingham.

So, what's it worth?

Well, perhaps just as a teapot, as an object - £30, £50?

But, of course, what's its scrap value?

Now, scrap doesn't necessarily mean it's got holes in it,

or it's damaged, it's actually the value of the silver content.

I'm going to go outside and ask the people of Lincoln

what they think of my teapot - scrap it or keep it?

-Buongiorno!

-Buongiorno.

-How are you?

-Bene grande.

Oh, bene grazie.

Do you like my teapot?

Yes. It's not something that I would buy.

-It's silver.

-It's silver.

Very smart. It looks like it needs a little bit of a polish.

Would you keep it or would you scrap it?

I'd keep it.

I probably wouldn't keep it myself,

but I don't think I'd scrap it, that sounds a bit mean.

What do you think it's worth?

-Probably £45?

-£45.

£50?

110?

120?

About £120?

Well, there we have it, I think everybody liked my teapot,

and actually they wanted to keep the teapot,

but they were way out on the valuation.

The fact is, that this teapot weighs 14oz,

and the price of silver today is between £13 and £14 an ounce,

so you're getting onto a value of nearly £200,

that's in its scrap form.

Well, I've seen huge fluctuations in the price of silver in my lifetime.

In 1980, people called the Bunker Hunts

tried to corner the world market in silver.

It went zooming up, £3, £8, £10, to well over £20.

Then in 2011, on the back of the monetary crisis,

silver went whacking up again, and in both those periods,

we lost a lot of really lovely Georgian silver.

Anyway, my teapot, I quite like, and despite its value,

I'm going to keep it.

Back to the shopping.

With 15 minutes left, both teams are on a par,

looking for that elusive third purchase,

and the Blues are also silver-spotting.

Well, there is a great selection here, guys, loads of shiny stuff.

What is it that takes your fancy, Lauren?

-I quite like that little envelope.

-This here?

-That's quite cute, yeah.

Let's get it out and have a closer look.

-Now, what do you think?

-Oh, yeah.

-What is it, actually?

-Could you keep your stamps in it?

You have got it, she's on the ball, isn't she?

You got it in one.

If you open it up, can you see there's a little divider there?

-Yeah.

-If you look how slim it is, you'd pop your stamps in there.

You could even have one compartment for first class,

and the other compartment for second class, if you are clever.

The condition is lovely, and I have to tell you, it is English silver,

because we've got a little hallmark here on the lid,

and we also should have another hallmark on this piece.

So when you get little pieces of silver, this is a really good test,

they should be hallmarked on all the separate pieces,

and of course, this little hinge here

is a completely separate piece in the manufacturing process.

-Gosh.

-So both pieces, crucially, should be hallmarked, OK?

Now I think it dates to roughly,

possibly sort of George V period, which was sort of after 1910,

it could be '20s, '30s.

-Yeah.

-That hinge is so neat.

Yeah, it's lovely, yeah.

-Look at that for a piece of engineering.

-Yeah, it's brilliant.

-And what...

-Now, you're more the businessman, Glen,

what do you think about the price?

-I'd say half of that.

-So we've got 35...

-I think it's 35...

-Oh, no, it's not, it's 80.

-Is it 80 or 30?

-85.

-I thought it was 35, I thought it was a bargain!

-No.

-It's quite nice, because it's a double one,

and that is more unusual.

If I was being mean, I'd put an estimate of 40 to 60 on it,

but I think there's a good chance it could make more than that.

-Yeah.

-So let's find out what they want.

-You want me to do it?

-Go on, I'll let you go.

Go on, Glen, work your Yorkshire charm.

There isn't any chance of that at 40, is it, please?

While the ladies wait for Glen to work his charm,

the Reds are stepping it up.

It's quite unusual, but people really like them now.

-Yes, they do.

-These old steps.

-I've seen them painted, and people putting plant pots on them...

-Yeah.

..and they can be used.

If you can get a set of steps at the right price...

It's definitely worth an ask.

I just wondered how much your wooden steps were?

24 is the best on them.

-Yeah?

-Is that the very best?

It is. I have 28 on the...

We want to get these for around 15 each, OK, so if we bought two,

-maybe we could get a better price.

-Yeah.

If we were to buy...

-Two lots of steps.

-..two pairs of steps, what could you do them for?

40. I couldn't do them any less.

-OK. I think it's going to be close.

-OK...

-I mean...

-Because there's some more up there,

you can have the pick of the bunch.

-There's some big taller ones up there.

-OK.

They're quite nice, actually, I think, because I like the...

-You like that?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I like the string on those.

Yeah, the string on those, and then the...

It is going to be tight, I warn you,

-this is going to be a possibility of a profit on this one.

-Yeah.

How about 38?

-It's got to be 40.

-Yeah.

What do you think, girls?

-BOTH:

-Hmm!

The Reds hold their ground,

while the stallholder checks if she can lower the price any further.

In the meantime, Ken is back alongside the Blues

with news on the silver stamp case.

-Best price is £60.

-60.

-OK.

-They'll not go any lower than that.

-Well, you know, it's the top end of my mean estimate.

-Yeah.

Could we see if they'd put it away and just have another look?

We could. How are we doing for time?

-What we got?

-We haven't got an awful lot of time.

-Yeah.

We couldn't just hold it

-maybe for five minutes, could we?

-Course we could.

-Yeah.

-OK, let's do that.

-Is that OK?

-Yeah.

Hold it for five - but you're cutting it fine.

There's only ten minutes to go.

Now, has there been a climb-down on the price of the steps?

Hi, there. Any good news?

Yes, he says 38, because you're his favourite.

-Oh, how lovely!

-Aww.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant. Fantastic.

-That's so good. Thank you.

-That's OK!

You're going to have to decide which ones you want.

I'll let the girls do that. So, we've got two pairs at 38.

-Do you like those two?

-These were originally more expensive, anyway.

-Yeah.

-So, let's go for these two.

-We like those.

-These are the two we are going to have.

-Okey dokey.

Fantastic, thank you very much indeed.

Thank you very much.

That's our three items - let's go and get some fresh air, shall we?

-Bye!

-Thank you!

-Thank you.

So, the Reds are done and dusted.

But with only five minutes left,

the Blues are still scouring the stalls for that third item.

Hey, these would be good for the allotment.

What do you think, hey?

-What sort of money is your telephone, sir?

-250.

-250?

-Yeah? Forget that.

Thank you very much.

Hmm, maybe a little expensive.

What's that you have there?

It's a prune drier.

If you put plums on it, you put them into a kiln, it dries them.

-It's lovely.

-I think we need to move, don't we?

-It's nice, but...

-It's lovely -

-but maybe not in our auction in Grantham.

-That's right, yeah.

-OK.

Not many prune dryers in the Grantham area.

With just two minutes left,

panic brings them back to the silver stamp case.

-Was it down here?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yes.

OK. Right, I'll go and see if there's anything he can do.

OK, brilliant.

Go, Kate! You need to be quick.

Fingers crossed.

You're never going to believe this - it's your lucky day.

You know, the stallholder's come down another fiver.

-So, it's 55.

-Oh, that's brilliant!

-Oh, brilliant!

-Happy with that?

-Amazing, thank you so much.

-Definitely.

So, you've got your third piece.

You know what? I think that fiver will make all the difference.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Yeah. That's brilliant!

-Well done!

MORSE CODE BEEPS

I've got the message. Right, teams, your time is up!

-Brilliant.

-Come on, I need to lie down.

Definitely!

Now, let's remind ourselves what the Red team have bought.

First up, they made an early move on this solitaire board,

with handmade marbles, paying £20.

They paid £32 for a trinket box...

..and, finally, they stepped it up,

buying two wooden stepladders for £38.

Well, Louise and Alicia, that was pretty painless, wasn't it?

-Yes!

-Yes, it was wonderful.

-What's your favourite lot, Louise?

-Um...I think the trinket box.

-The trinket box?

-Yeah.

-You got a heck of a deal on that, didn't you?

-We did.

-My word!

-Yes, yes.

-What about you, Alicia?

-The same.

-The same?

Yeah, the trinket box.

What's going to make the biggest profit?

I'm hoping the trinket box will.

-Trinket box? Well, it's all trinket box, trinket box, trinket box.

-Yeah!

What does the maestro think?

Would you believe it, Charlie? I like the trinket box!

Well, that's marvellous.

You didn't spend a massive amount of money, did you?

-No, we didn't.

-No.

-No, no.

-No.

-£90.

-£90.

Well, it means... Oh, you've got it there.

210.

-Raj, £210?

-Ooh!

What are you going to do with it?

I'm going to buy something that will fit in the trinket box.

So, while Raj goes off to buy something really nice

that fits in the trinket box,

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

First up, for £12, they bought this asparagus dish.

They snapped up a faux crocodile skin suitcase for £15...

..and, finally, they made a last-minute dash

for this silver stamp case, paying £55.

Lauren and Glen, decisive shopping.

-Indeed. Indeed.

-Oh, yes!

-You know what you like, don't you?

-Yeah.

But you didn't spend a huge amount of money.

-No, we didn't, no.

-No.

What's your favourite lot?

-The little silver stamp...

-The bit of silver?

-Yeah, definitely.

Well, silver, you can't go too far wrong with silver.

-Yeah.

-That's right.

-Are you of the same opinion?

That and the trunk.

The little...crocodile case.

Fantastic. The only danger with all this, of course,

and not spending much money,

it does mean that Miss Bliss is going to have a fortune.

-So, I think I want £218 off you.

-Yeah, yeah.

That's quite a lot, isn't it, Kate?

It is a lot, look at that.

I'll get your change.

And the shrapnel, yes.

That's it. There you are.

-Lovely!

-What are you going to do with it?

Well, they've done so well,

I'm going to have to keep the standards up.

-Ooh, dear!

-It's a challenge.

So, while Kate goes off to keep the standards up,

we're off to the auction.

Today, we're in the lovely town of Grantham,

home of the magnificent St Wulfram's Church -

and the auction is just down the road...

..and I'm with the boss, Colin.

-Hello, Colin.

-Good to see you, Charlie.

The Red team, Alicia and Louise, what do you think of their objects?

What about the solitaire board?

Well, let's just hope when we go to auction

we do have more than one person playing.

-Ha, ha, ha! Very good.

-Mm!

What do you think about the marbles, though?

They are a bit all over the place, aren't they?

Mis-shapes, mistakes and misfits, really, aren't they?

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

-It adds intrigue, should we say?

-Yeah.

Will it add value? I've no idea.

Well, you'll find out - but the polished wood is rather good.

Is it yew wood? It looks like yew wood to me.

It does, it does have that sort of grain to it, doesn't it?

25-40 is the estimate we've put on it.

Well, they paid £20 for it.

OK, looks like there's a chance for them.

Keep you to your word, there.

What about the casket?

-Good mounts on it.

-Yeah.

It's a little bit sort of rudimentary in the base metal to it.

-You'd expect it to be better quality...

-Yeah.

..but I think it's decorative enough.

I have placed an estimate of 25-40 again.

-Well, that is just bracketing the cost of £32.

-OK.

Now, we've gone from these two items to something rather different.

What do you think of those stepladders?

I think it's for the man with two libraries.

Yes. That's right!

These sort of rustic things, when they come to auction,

there's usually plenty of people bidding for them.

Again, an estimate, to tease everyone,

-I've gone for the hat-trick.

-Have you?

-25-40 yet again.

They paid 38.

-So, if you could just...

-OK.

..ease it up to the top level, they may do well.

They may, however, need recourse to their bonus buy.

Let's have a look at it.

Alicia and Louise, were you really happy giving this man £210?

Er, yes.

You look slightly nervous.

-Well, let's see what you've done with it.

-Well, girls...

it's not chocolate...

-BOTH:

-Ooh!

How lovely.

They're little cameos, and they're...

I think they're off rings.

-So....

-Oh, yeah!

-..they've all been taken off,

and there's a nice little collection of 19th century cameos.

-Lovely.

-Oh, lovely.

-So, how much are we looking at?

-Yeah.

I spent £25.

-No!

-Yeah.

-It's got to be a profit, surely.

-Ooh!

I like your optimism.

They're beautiful.

They should be.

They should fetch £40-£60 all day long.

-You like them, girls?

-Yes.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Well, I'm so pleased you like them.

-Yes.

-Raj likes them.

-Yeah.

-I quite like them.

Does the auctioneer like them?

What do you think?

This looks to me like the last number of years

-when all the gold has been melted away from a number of rings.

-Yeah.

I think these are the leftovers from that melt

and somebody has made a really nice display of them...

-..and that's what you've got.

-Yeah.

It's the sort of thing you can place a fairly hefty estimate on them,

and that should hopefully drag them up by their bootstrings,

because...essentially, they're not great.

I've put an estimate of 40-60,

and hopefully that will bring people in to spend a few tens on them.

Can you get a £25?

I'll try my hardest.

-That's what Raj paid, £25.

-Right, OK. Yeah.

-A sort of 50-50 shot, isn't it?

-Mm.

Now, on to the Blues, Lauren and Glen.

We start off with something, we all know what it is, don't we?

-Yes, asparagus dish.

-Yeah.

It's got a type of majolica glaze to it.

-CHARLIE LAUGHS

-I think...

All right, I'm clutching at straws.

-No, no.

-It's a bit of pot.

I liked the way you haven't put the word majolica into the catalogue.

-You'd have people phoning up from everywhere, wouldn't you?

-Indeed.

It doesn't really have that exotic 15th century look about it, does it?

Not quite. What's it worth?

I suppose £15-30 is the sort of range for it.

-Well, they only paid 12.

-Did they?

-OK. Yeah.

-What about the suitcase?

A little bit worn around the edges, looks rustic.

-Yeah.

-Been well used.

It's a simulated skin, so no real problems there.

Again, it doesn't really inspire.

If you went on holiday, you wouldn't get a lot in there, would you?

-I suppose you could keep your small change in there.

-Yeah.

-That would match the estimate of 15-30.

-15-30?

-Paid 15.

-OK.

-Looking quite promising, this, isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

What about that little stamp holder?

Nice little piece of silver, there, in the form of an envelope.

-Beautifully crafted.

-Yes.

Very much a novelty item.

It's going to appeal, obviously, to the silver trinket collectors...

-Yeah.

-..but also, you should get people interested

-from the philately fraternity...

-Yes.

-..and maybe 40-60, I think.

-They paid good money for it.

-Right.

-£55, so...

-OK.

..it's there or thereabouts, isn't it?

-Doesn't seem too painful.

-Of course, after all that,

they might need their bonus buy.

Let's have a look at it.

Well, Lauren and Glen, Kate liked your purchases.

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

-When you sent her off with that massive £218, what did she say?

"I'm going to keep up the standard."

-Yeah!

-Have you, Kate?

Tough call - but, yeah, this is what I've come up with.

-LAUREN GASPS

-That's nice.

Oh, my gosh. I really like that.

-Do you?

-Yeah!

-Oh, my gosh!

-Quirky, that, in't it?

Here's me thinking you were going to say,

-"Oh, she's bought us a rusty old tin."

-Oh, no!

That is amazing.

-If you turn it over...

-Oh, yeah!

..you can see there's a little tab just here.

-Oh, yeah.

-Give that a pull. There you go.

-Oh, gosh!

-So, it's a biscuit tin...

-Oh, right!

-..but it's not just any old biscuit tin.

-Mm!

-Yeah.

-Because, in the 19th century...

-Yeah.

..the leaders in biscuit-making in England

-were a firm called Huntley & Palmers.

-Gosh.

They started making novelty tins,

-and this is one of the rarer versions.

-Oh!

-So, if you look, it's all about the titles of the books.

-Yeah!

-You've got The Pickwick Papers, you've got Robinson Crusoe...

-Yeah.

..and this is the most sought-after library set for collectors.

Yeah! How much did you pay for it?

£38.

-That's good.

-Oh!

What do you think it'll make in auction?

That's got to be £50 of anybody's money, certainly.

-Brilliant.

-Brilliant. Yeah.

-I would hope a little bit more.

-Yeah. Brilliant.

-Could be quite a profit there -

but you don't have to make up your mind now, wait until the auction.

Meanwhile, let's go and see what Colin Young, the auctioneer,

thinks of Kate's biscuit tin.

-There we are.

-I've seen these make anywhere between £100 and £200...

-Yeah.

-..but, the inevitable thing...

-I knew there was a "but" coming.

There's always a "but", isn't there?

-The but on this occasion is actually condition.

-Mm.

So, looking at other examples that have had this little bit of wear,

-little bit of tear, it's lived in, basically.

-Yeah, yeah.

So, I've put 40-60.

Is that painful, compared to purchase?

No, no, I think Kate bought it reasonably well. £38 paid.

-OK.

-So, you'll be taking the sale, Colin?

-Indeed I will.

-I look forward to it.

Be a pleasure.

Girls, have you been to an auction before?

-No.

-No.

-Never?

-Exciting.

-Are you excited by it?

-Yes.

-Now, starting off with the solitaire board.

-Confident?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-What about the marbles, Raj?

-They're various types.

-I've lost them.

More than once!

Very, very good.

Here we go, here it is.

19th-century polished wooden solitaire board.

10 is bid on the internet.

10, 12, now, do I see? It's your move now.

10 bid, 12, now, do I see? 10, are we all done?

Maiden bid has it, then.

At 10, are we all done now?

-It's the only bid, on the net.

-ALL GROAN

Look at what we're selling, ladies and gentlemen.

12 on the internet.

At 12, the excitement continues.

-It's taking off.

-12, 15, now, do I see?

12 bid, 15, now, do I see?

-Oh, dear.

-Are you sure now? Last call for everybody.

-Going, this time, then, at £12.

-Ohh...

What can you do? I'm afraid £12 gives you a loss of £8, doesn't it?

So we're down 8 -

but never fear. We have the domed jewellery casket coming up.

A domed top casket.

Nice scrollwork decoration on it.

Who's going to start me at £50 for it?

50 anybody? 50?

40 to go, then, 40?

40 - and 30, if you like?

£30? I'll take 20 to go, then, surely.

£20, anybody at £20?

20 is bid. At 22, now, do I see?

20 bid, 2, now, surely?

At 20 bid, lady's bid at 20.

22, 25. 25 bid.

28 bid, 28, 30 and 2.

2 is bid, 32, 35, 5 bid.

-38, 40.

-You're making a profit!

-40, madam?

40 bid. 42, sir?

No. At £40 bid.

2 for anybody else, now? £40, are we all done then?

Seated, centre, selling, then, at 40, and done at 40.

-Marvellous! £40 is a profit of £8.

-Yay!

-Having lost £8, you are now exactly where you started.

-We're even!

Yeah, we're evens now, we're evens.

-Now, all down to the lovely stepladders.

-Yes!

Rustic Elm folding stepladder.

And another associate, one to go with it, as well.

A nice pairing of these.

Start me at 50. £50, anybody?

40 to go then, surely? 40?

£40, I'll take 30 to go, surely?

30, 30 - 30 is bid.

2, 30 bid?

32, surely? The bid standing here.

The net is going to have to do 5 - 35.

35, 38 now? Do I see 38 bid?

38, 40? 40 bid, 42 bid.

45 now, 42 is bid and 5?

At 42. 5 for anybody else now, then?

45 on the internet, 48, 50 now.

50, do I see? My 48 is a seated bid at 48.

50 on the net.

55. 55 bid.

60? 60 bid, surely?

Quickly now. 60?

You know you want to. Last call in the room, then, lady's bid,

selling at 55.

That's marvellous!

-Do you know that's £17 profit?

-Yeah!

-And you were nought, up to that point.

-Yeah!

So you are now plus £17.

But now is the moment.

-Oh, yes.

-The cameos.

-What do you want to do?

-Definitely go with them.

-Yes.

-Love them.

-Are you sure?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

-Yes.

-They cost £25 - and here they come.

A collection of tiny cameos.

£50, anybody, 50?

Anybody £50?

50's bid on the net.

50, 5, now, surely?

50, 5, now, do I see?

50, and 5? £50 bid, five now for the room.

Quickly now, ladies and gentlemen.

At £50. Last call for everybody, and 5?

Maiden bid has it. Going, then, at £50.

-Yes!

-That was fantastic!

Well done, Raj.

Raj, you've given them £25 profit.

-Yeah!

-On top of their £17, by my mathematics, that's a £42 profit.

-Yay!

-Yay!

-Brilliant.

-Thank you.

Absolutely extraordinary, girls.

-It's profit.

-Not a word to The Blues.

Lauren and Glen - I get the impression you're quite excited.

Well, Lauren, particularly.

Very, very excited!

But you've got the steadying influence of Miss Bliss, here.

-I know!

-You'll be fine.

Are you confident about your lots?

-Yeah. I think so.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Your first lot is the asparagus dish.

-OK.

It's coming up now.

The Portuguese asparagus dish, together with its cover.

Start me at 10. £10, who's first in?

10? 10 is bid, 12 is bid, 15, 18.

18, 20, 20 bid. 2 bid, 5 bid.

28, 30. 30 bid.

2, now, at 30.

Back in the room, out on the net.

At 32, 32 is bid.

35? No. At 32 bid.

5, now, for anybody else?

32, last call.

The internet bidder has it.

Are we all done? Commission bids are out, sells at £32.

That is astonishing!

You have made £20 on an asparagus dish.

Oh, my gosh.

Now, steady, don't get carried away.

That's true.

Here comes the suitcase, coming up now.

20th century faux crocodile skin leather suitcase.

Start me at £30, and make it snappy.

£30. 30?

20 to go then, surely? £20, anyone?

20, 10, if you like, then?

10? It's going to be sold. £10, who's first in?

£10. 10 is bid, 12, now, do I see?

At 10 - 12 on the net.

12, 15 in the room. 15. 18 now?

15 is here. 18?

Ladies and gentlemen, look at what we're selling.

At 15 bid, 18, it's on the market at 15.

I'll offer you 16, if you like?

At 15, all done, finished, and going, then, 16 bid, 18 now.

-Ooh, wow!

-Yes!

-18 bid. 20 now?

£20 bid? 20, surely?

Last call, lady's bid, selling at £18 and done.

Oh, and it's...!

You are up £23.

Coming up now, the stamp case.

Late Victorian silver stamp case, then.

You can put whatever you like in it, as long as it's very small.

50. 50?

-40.

-Oh, dear.

-It's plunging down.

-30, then?

30 is bid. 32, now, do I see?

30 bid, 32, now, surely, at 2?

At 2 - bid at 2. 5, now, do I see five?

38, 40, 2, 5.

48, if you wish? 48, now, surely?

Do I have 48?

At 45, 48 is bid, 50 is bid.

-5, now?

-Come on!

-At £50.

-5, surely?

-Oh, yes!

-At £50, 55 at the back of the room.

At 55. Any more now?

60, surely? 55 bid.

I will offer you 8 if you wish.

At 55, a great little thing.

Envelope folding piece of silver.

-Good collectors' item. At £55.

-No, no!

-Selling at 55...

-Oh, my word!

-Crikey!

You were 50p from a golden gavel.

-I know.

-I know!

Oh! What do we now with the biscuit tin?

-Let's go for it.

-We both liked it.

-I really like it.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

Look at Kate!

Will Huntley & Palmers bring home the biscuit?

We'll find out.

Lot number 161 is the biscuit tin,

the Huntley & Palmers, in book form.

Start me at 50, I'll take it as read.

£50, anybody? 40 to go, then?

40? 30, then?

Plunging.

Thank you, £30 bid, at £30.

2, now, do I see? At £30, I'm bid, 2, now, 2 - 2 bid,

5, 38, 38, 40? At 40 bid, 42, 45.

48 bid.

50? At 50 bid, 50 bid.

5, now, 5.

At 55, 60?

65, there we go, on the internet.

At 65. At 65, now.

70 anywhere else, now, then, surely? At 65.

Last call, then, going on the net at £65.

Oh, my word!

Now, you've made £27 on your biscuit tin.

What happens if you add 23 to 27?

You've got a nifty - a nifty 50.

Come on!

I have to say, I'm in awe of you.

You were within a whisker of...

-I know!

-I know.

-But never mind. Don't think of that.

-Now, you may have won, you may have lost.

-Yeah.

Not a word to the Red team.

-Yeah.

-No, no.

-But good luck!

Well, what a battle, everyone.

Goodness me! But who has won?

Have you any idea at all?

-You haven't been talking, have you?

-No.

-No idea, no idea.

-Well, I can reveal to you that the winners are...

without doubt, the Blue team!

-Yeah!

-Come on!

My word. Hard luck, Reds. Hard luck.

Have you had a good time?

-It's been fantastic.

-Yeah.

-Marvellous.

-Really good.

-Yeah.

You've made £42.

Yes! That's brilliant.

-I've got it here for you.

-Thank you!

-There we go.

Mum going to get any?

She can have the £2!

-Oh, you're so generous(!)

-I know!

Well, well done, you Blues.

A fantastic performance.

£50, you've made.

Now, Kate's had to rush off,

but thanks to her, it boosted your profits, didn't it?

-Oh, yes, indeed.

-It did, yeah.

-So, between you, £50,

-is a serious success, isn't it?

-Yeah, that's true!

Have you enjoyed making £50?

-Brilliant.

-Yeah, brilliant. Loved it.

-We've loved having you on the show. There's your £50.

-Thank you so much!

It's been marvellous.

Now, don't forget to have a look at our website

and to follow us on Twitter.

In the meantime, do join us for more Bargain Hunting. Yes?

-ALL:

-Yes!