Newark 28 Bargain Hunt

Oranges, oranges, oranges!

I've got lovely oranges, fresh oranges, juicy...

Hello, today we're in Newark, in Nottinghamshire.

Once an important centre of the woollen cloth trade,

there's been a market on this square since the 12th century.

Madam, oranges!

I've got the most beautiful oranges!

They're cheap, they're juicy!

But just over there are a couple of antique centres

waiting for our dealers.

So, let's go bargain-hunting!

Well, our teams have £300 and just one hour in which to buy

three items to take off to auction.

But the big question is, will they make a profit?

Let's have a look at what's coming up.

The Reds are obsessed with tea.

-We need something tea-related now.

-OK.

-Tea, tea, tea.

And the Blues are uncovering some real treasures.

A real bargain if it is what I think it is.

And over at the auction, there are plenty of highs.

You've done it, you've got it!

-And plenty of lows.

-Oh, no.

And I'm going deep underground.

There are more caves in Nottingham than anywhere else in the UK.

Really?

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

And today, we have two teams of mums and daughters.

And for the Reds, we have Janet and Helen.

And for the Blues, Deborah and Grace.

-Hello, everyone. ALL:

-Hello!

Lovely to see you, lovely to see those hats.

So, steampunking. Well, we've had steampunking on the show before.

Tell me a bit more about it.

How I see it is, a group of sort of friends all getting together,

it's all very splendid.

-Yes.

-It's all about the costumes.

-Yes.

-It's Victoriana but with a bit of a twist.

So think HG Wells, mechanical clockwork.

Now, when you're not steampunking, what do you do?

I work part time in a shop,

but other than that, I've got a jewellery business,

I've been making jewellery for about 20 years,

but recently I've obviously gotten into the steampunk jewellery.

-Yes.

-So I do lots of markets, craft fairs, I go all over the place.

-Yeah.

-It's all very good fun.

Janet, you're retired now?

Yes, I did retire for approximately two weeks.

-Oh, right.

-I do really like my job.

-And what's your job?

-I've been a rheumatology specialist nurse

since 1991.

-Really?

-I now work three days a week.

-Yeah.

-And the other two days a week we spend together, don't we?

Steampunking!

Now, what else do you do in your spare time?

I do singing.

Now, you've done some fairly serious singing, haven't you?

Yes, when I used to live in Cambridge,

we had a combined NHS choir,

and we sang with Jesus College choir,

-and that was fantastic.

-How wonderful.

-It was a wonderful experience.

-What an experience, yeah.

And I think you're very keen to get a Golden Gavel, aren't you?

-Oh, yes!

-That's our aim.

Well, I'd just like to give you a little bit of a preview.

-They look nice.

-There it is, that's what they look like.

Yeah, well, have a great shop.

Well done, the Reds. Now for the Blues, Deborah and Grace.

Deborah, you've been in the civil service a long time, haven't you?

Yes, 34 years.

34 years.

But you have other strings to your bow, don't you?

Yes, I once had a reflexology treatment

and I enjoyed it so much I decided to train as a reflexologist.

-Yes.

-That led on to training in aromatherapy massage.

-Yeah.

-It's just something that I enjoy doing.

Yes. You're a great traveller, aren't you?

-Yes.

-Been to America?

Yes, we've been lucky enough to go to America a few times,

East Coast and West Coast.

-Yeah.

-We saw the sunset over the Grand Canyon, which was beautiful.

What a life!

Now, Grace, you're also quite keen on travelling, aren't you?

Yes, I am. So,

last summer I spent three weeks travelling around Thailand

-and Malaysia.

-Yeah.

And as a student, you get a bit of time off, of course.

Yeah, so the timetable is quite flexible.

-And what are you reading?

-I'm studying law

at the University of Nottingham. I've only got about nine weeks left.

Bit of aromatherapy needed here, I think.

-Yes, I think so.

-Yeah.

Now, you love music and dancing as well, don't you?

Yes, I've danced since the age of three years old

with my dance school,

and we actually performed at the Royal Albert Hall.

-Really?

-Which was very impressive.

-A pro.

-So that was really good fun.

I'm surrounded by musicians, this is very exciting.

Now, you're also very keen to get a Golden Gavel, aren't you?

-Yes.

-Yes, we are very competitive and, having watched the show

for quite a while now, that's definitely our one aim

that we'd like to achieve today.

OK, Blues, here we have it, your £300.

-Thank you.

-And, Reds, £300.

Have a great shop and off you go.

-Thank you.

-Well, there we have it,

steampunk versus the Royal Albert Hall.

But will there be harmony in the shopping?

So, let's meet today's experts.

Aiming to strike the right chord for the Reds, it's Phil Serrell.

And trying to cash in for the Blues, it's Charles Hanson.

So, Deborah and Grace, the sun is shining, what's our plan?

I think I'd like some jewellery, something small, delicate, pretty.

Quirky, it's going to be sellable.

Like some silver and maybe some antique glass.

Pretty, small, quirky, like us.

-That rules me out.

-THEY LAUGH

Right, teams, your time starts now.

Come on.

Come on.

So, there's no shortage of items on today's shopping list.

In you go. Let's get going.

-In you go.

-Lovely.

It's straight into the shops for our teams, and holding

the purse strings today are Simon and Julie,

from two local antique centres.

-Shall we take it block by block?

-Sounds good, Mum?

-I think, yes.

-Yeah? OK.

-Focused and decisive.

-I think.

-Yes, Mum. Yes, Mum.

So the Blues mean business,

while the Reds take a more relaxed approach.

What sort of things do you like?

Anything tea-related.

-There's a teapot.

-That Cantonese teapot.

Fairly, fairly common, really.

OK, common.

Don't want common.

That's the attitude!

Moving on, team. So, what have the Blues spotted?

Let's have a look at that plaque.

-Do you like it, ladies?

-Yes, it's pretty.

-There's some writing on the back.

-I like this.

That lovely old inscription on the back... Now, do you read French?

-That's French.

-Oh, is it French?

Yeah, yeah. Dear sister.

I thought "cher" was "dog", no?

-No, "cher" is "dear".

-"Chien" is "dog".

-Oh, sorry, "chien" is "dog",

-sorry.

-"Cher" is "dear".

Fine, but what a lovely plaque.

And the quality is very, very nice.

Simon, the best price, 165, to a humble man and my humble Blues.

-Some lovely ladies.

-And my lovely ladies.

140 on that one.

-Is there any wiggle room on that at all?

-No.

-Or is that the bottom?

Then I think we just make a quick decision.

I think we can keep it and it's one we've got in the bank, just in case.

-Yeah.

-Put it back and move on.

One for the back burner. You don't mess about.

Meanwhile, are the Reds boxing clever?

-Box.

-Oh, that's a nice box.

-We like boxes.

-Oh, yes, we like boxes.

-What sort of box is this?

-A wooden one. Put trinkets in?

Well, it's a tea caddy.

-Oh, wow!

-Tea.

-Tea. Have your tea.

-Right.

-Yes.

-Has it got all the bits?

-Well,

there's a mixing bowl that should fit in here.

Because you'd have India tea, China tea,

mix it in the bowl and then...

The interior...

These are probably new lids, all this is new.

-Right.

-This is mahogany.

Priced at...

..£75. With this interior, it's worth £35, £45.

-So, should we put that back?

-Put it back.

-Yes.

-Put it back.

At least we found a tea caddy, didn't we?

We have found a tea caddy.

Glad to see you're embracing the tea theme, Phil.

Now, has Charles discovered a little gem for the Blues?

And now, what I noticed, ladies,

just in the cabinet of jewellery here,

-is that little cherub looking all lost and alone.

-Oh, yes.

-Do you like him?

-I do. No, you don't?

-No.

I quite like him.

It says it's Victorian, I think it's 18th century.

So rather than being like 1850s, more like 1770.

And I think it may be made in a neighbouring town to Newark.

-OK.

-A town I come from. Heard of Derby?

-Yes.

-I think it's Derby.

I think it's a Derby porcelain cherub, about 1780.

OK, well, then...

And it's only priced at £9, it's crazy.

Could be a real bargain if it is what I think it is.

So may I just call the dealer?

-Yes.

-100%.

-Yes.

-Do you like it, though?

-I like it.

-Do you like it more now?

-I like it more now.

-May I look at this cabinet here?

It's got these very sort of...very clear patch marks,

which would say to me it is Derby, it is probably 18th century,

rather than being Victorian.

-And you know, yes, he's got a broken arm.

-I was going to say...

His arm's been off, but, you know, I suppose over the years we do have

breakages. A flower-gatherer in fact he is,

with a little bowl of flowers.

The best price on this figure?

I'll do it for eight.

I mean, actually, he could be a little find,

and I think might be worth, on a fairly safe day, £25 to £35.

-I'm happy.

-You're happy with that?

-Even with the damage?

-Even with the damage, this little cherub...

-£8.

-OK.

-..will hopefully fly away in Nottingham.

And, Grace, if I can...

Sorry. Grace, I like your style.

-Is that OK, Mum, with you?

-Yes, that is fine.

Are you sure? Look at this cherub, is he nodding in approval?

I think it is. Thank you.

-OK.

-That's really kind, sir, thank you.

£8, very grateful.

What a great start!

The Blues have their first item in just under 15 minutes.

And the Reds are playing catch-up.

Oh, look, there's a tea caddy.

Then again, it's got bits missing.

I'm beginning to have a proper panic here.

Yep, you need to get a move on, Phil.

Meanwhile, have the Blues found that pretty item they were after?

Quite like this brooch here, the silver brooch.

I can just see under there, it says, "Art Nouveau buckle."

Oh, it's not a brooch.

-Oh, no, no.

-It's a buckle for your waist.

-Right, OK.

-Ah.

-No.

-Do you need a buckle at all, or are you OK?

-No, no, we can move on.

-OK.

-Come on.

-Yeah.

-Well, that's another no, then.

Now, is Phil any closer to finding the first item for the Reds?

-Do you like any of these pots?

-I do quite like them, actually.

I like the middle one. I like the green one.

-I like the pots.

-I like more the glazed ones.

-Yes.

-Yeah. Let's just have a look at the price, shall we?

£17.

I mean, I think that's quite decorative.

It's the shabby side of shabby chic, isn't it?

-It's still usable, yes.

-What do you think? Do you like that?

-Not like it?

-Yeah, I like that.

-I do like it.

So, you all seem to like it.

Time to find out if Julie can get a good price.

-Hello.

-Hi, Julie.

-Had a word with the dealer, and he said he can do it

for £8,

or if you want the two, he could do the two for 15.

-Oh, OK.

-Let's just have a look, shall we?

-What do you think of the other one?

-I think we should spend two of them,

-don't you?

-I think so. I think we should go for them both, yes.

-Would that be, then, one...?

-One lot.

-That would be one lot.

-That's one lot, yeah.

-One lot. I think so.

Done and dusted. Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

-Phew!

And with 25 minutes on the clock,

the Reds finally have their first item.

Well done!

It's all square with our teams.

Now, what has Grace spotted?

The thing that attracted me was "the magic",

and it just looks old and rustic

-and...

-Oh, well done. Isn't that amazing?

The Magic Of Science.

If it was The Magic Of Magic,

it's got a real sort of wow-ee,

blow the cobwebs off it, it's really quite exciting,

but, to me, it's probably just a bit of scientific...

Although, it's a book that you're quite right to look at.

-Mm-hm.

-And for £8, it might not even sell.

-It's a shame.

-OK.

-But interesting.

-Cool.

-Good spot.

-OK.

Another decisive no, then.

Never mind. Just remember, time is ticking.

Now, it doesn't look like the Reds have gone very far.

There's a pole screen there.

Now, a pole screen, you basically put them...

In the 19th century, lady of the house, make-up.

If the complexion was a little bit awry,

they almost filled their faces with a wax-like sort of foundation

and the pole screen kept the heat off their faces,

so their faces sort of kind of didn't melt.

-Right.

-Julie, how much is that pole screen?

It's 70.

OK, you stay there, I'll go and bring it over to us.

-OK.

-So...

That is in mahogany.

It probably dates to about 1865, something like that.

-Wow.

-Tapestry screen here.

So, these screens, what happens to them is this part of the screen gets

taken off and sold.

Very often these get broken, or they get cut off here,

so actual pole screens that haven't been touched are quite rare.

I quite like this. Ten or 15 years ago,

this would have been worth probably £300.

This, at auction today, it's perhaps £40 to £60.

-OK.

-Mm!

-Which is no money at all, really, for what it is, is it?

What we need to do is find out from Julie what she can do it for,

which hopefully is going to have a four in front of it.

I could do 40 on that.

I think that...

I'd prefer to have a three in front of it.

Yeah, about 30.

What about if we split the difference and do 35?

Well, I think, at £35, I think that's an absolute snip.

-You think we should go for it, then?

-Shake her hand quickly,

before she changes her mind. Thank you.

-OK.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you, you're a star, thank you.

So, it's 2-1 up to the Reds and just over 30 minutes gone.

Things are brewing up nicely.

-We need something tea-related now.

-Oh, OK.

-Tea, tea.

-Tea.

-Back with the Blues, who are starting to feel the pressure.

We've got to get going, don't we?

-I mean, is this...?

-That's pretty, I like that.

-I don't want to touch it.

-There is a young boy on the mantelpiece,

but there should be a young girl facing him over there,

and they've got divorced. We could inquire...

No, I think...

-Shall we inquire?

-No.

-We need to move on.

-OK.

OK.

But has Phil finally found something

-that is Janet and Helen's cup of tea?

-What about...?

There's a tea tray down there, look.

It's got the word "tea" in it.

You see, it's got nothing to do with tea,

but I did slip the word "tea" into it...

It's just a tray, isn't it?

..on the grounds that I thought it might just help us out.

-Do you like that tray or not?

-Do many people use a tray nowadays?

Right, OK, let's move on, then.

Well, at least you tried, Phil!

But how are things going for the Blues?

It's getting a bit dicey, isn't it?

-Mm!

-It is getting a bit tight for time.

Yes, teams, you are well past the halfway mark now.

But the Reds don't seem too worried.

Oh, look at the hat.

-Hat.

-For the goggles.

-Oh, there.

I do feel a bit underdressed, really.

I feel like I should have a hat.

I don't know whether that will fit on his head.

Oh, that's nice, isn't it?

And as you are now part of our team...

-Yeah.

-..we do have for you...

-What's this?

-..a limited edition Bargain Hunt goggles.

-Only three sets ever made.

-Really?

-Wow.

-There you go.

-You look lovely.

-You look lovely.

I think it will take more than those to make me look lovely!

But we're not buying the hat.

So... Well, I'll tell you what I will do, I'll let you hold those

and I will put me... What do you call this stuff?

-Goggles.

-No, I know that!

-Steampunk.

-Steampunk.

-Steampunk?

-There we go, that's gorgeous.

Well, that's clearly a matter of opinion!

Now, what's taken Grace's fancy?

What do you think about this?

That's nice, yeah. Rosenthal vase designed by Bjorn Wiinblad,

it's called the Magic Flute vase.

-Do you like it?

-I do, yeah.

-Yeah.

No, that's quite nice.

-I think it's worthy of a look, yeah.

-Good piece.

Thank you, Simon. OK, Grace.

-I don't know.

-Sell it to me.

Beautiful Magic Flute vase.

A good price.

-I like that.

-Condition good?

-Yeah.

-I think so.

-Rim OK?

-It feels OK.

-It says Germany on the bottom.

But there's no... I can't see a date mark.

What do you think, Simon?

Can you give us a fighting chance?

Just this once...

I can do 30 on it.

If I was to take you to, say, 27.50?

-28.

-28?

-28, I think... I'm happy with that.

I think we'll go with that.

Shall we...? Do you think?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I'd say, yeah. It's worthy of a roll.

-OK.

-Thank you. Thank you, Simon.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

What a relief!

With less than 20 minutes left,

the Blues have finally bagged their second item.

And how are things going for you, Phil?

I feel like I'm a fully fledged steampunker.

I'm thinking of changing me name to Phil Vicious or even Sid Serrell,

or something like that.

Well, I did think you'd have your work cut out with these two!

But it's time to step up your game, Reds.

I think all the blood is being restricted from me head.

It's affecting me antiques-spotting technique, I think.

Oh, you are good, Phil.

Nice try. Only ten minutes left and both teams have still to find their

-final item.

-These little salts here with the...

Is that... Would that be silver round the rim?

Do you know, they are really nice. I love their feet as well.

-Yes.

-I'd even say they've got an Arts & Crafts look...

-Arts and... Oh!

-Yeah.

..in that sort of heavy four-legged flat foot.

I think they're really quite stylish.

How much do you think they might make at auction?

Between £40 and £60.

Well, they are 38.

So if we can get money off that...

-Well, let's see what we can get off it.

-OK, OK.

I would try and hang out at 30.

-OK.

-OK.

-Cool.

-I'll go and find Simon.

Go on, Mum, do your stuff.

-Simon?

-Give me a hand up.

I'm getting old. There we go.

-Thank you.

-Could we have a look at these salts down here, please?

Yeah. These?

-Yes, please.

-There you go, Mum.

Have a handle of both.

OK.

Oh! OK.

Give me a check, first of all, Deborah. Condition?

-Feel those feet, any chips?

-I can't feel any chips.

-Any nibbles?

-I can't feel any.

What's the silver like, clear hallmarks?

-Yes.

-Can you see a date letter, a lion...?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-An anchor?

-Yes.

-And that's for Birmingham?

-For Birmingham.

What would be your best price, Simon?

It's 38, there's 38 on them.

I'll do it for 30, but...

SHE INHALES SHARPLY

Take £1 off that and I'll be your best friend for ever.

Could you do them for 29 for us, please?

-OK, I'll do them for 29.

-Thank you very much!

-OK.

-Thank you, Simon, that's great.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Oh, that's it?

-All right.

-Yeah, you're done.

-Your hand came out to mine!

-Yeah.

Hopefully, they'll be a bittersweet success.

High-five, we've done it.

Three down. Come on, let's get a cup of tea.

-Follow me.

-Thanks.

Well done, Blues. You've clinched your final deal.

Now, come on, Reds.

Only minutes to spare!

-Spirit kettle tea set.

-Yes, we like...

Yeah, tea sets are good, aren't they?

They are all plated, by the looks of things.

-I like this.

-That's a spirit kettle on a stand.

-I like this.

-Do you?

I would have that in my cabinet.

I've got a cabinet full of teapots.

-And cups and saucers.

-I wonder why that doesn't surprise me.

So, this is a spirit kettle on a stand.

It's plated.

That will...

normally be...

You'll have a hinge on there so these tip forward.

-OK.

-You've got a burner on there,

which is complete, that's quite nice.

And that just sits on there.

I mean, if this was silver...

..it would be £300.

So it is priced up at £48.

I think you've got to try and buy it for £30, £35.

-OK.

-If you can.

-OK.

-OK.

-All right?

-Let's see what we can do.

-Do you want to have a word with Julie?

Julie, we quite like that.

-Right.

-But we're thinking at auction it might be £30-plus.

-OK.

-So we were hoping that we could kind of buy it for,

what, 20, 25 quid?

Very best on that is 30.

-What do you suggest?

-I don't think we've got any option, have we?

-Just go for it?

-Yeah, I would, yeah.

-We have to go for it.

-Right.

-OK.

-30? Yeah?

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you. You can have a finger.

A finger!

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much, thank you.

Phew! And the Reds have done it in the nick of time.

WHISTLE BLOWS Checkmate.

Right, teams, your time is up.

-Tea!

-Tea!

-Yes, yes.

-Tea(!)

Let's check out what the Red team have bought.

First, they pored over these green jars, costing them £15.

Next, a Victorian mahogany pole screen took their fancy

for just £35.

And finally, will this electro-plated spirit kettle

turn up the heat at auction?

Price paid, £30.

Helen and Janet, what have you done with this man?

Have you turned him into a steampunker?

-Yes!

-We have.

-How was your shop?

-Good, yeah.

-It was very good.

-We enjoyed it.

-We enjoyed it.

So which is going to make the biggest profit?

-The pots.

-The pots.

-The pots.

-You are unanimous about that!

-The pots.

-Yes.

-Which do you like the most?

-The spirit kettle.

-I like the screen because it's the only antique we

-bought.

-Yes.

Anyway, I think you only spent £80, didn't you?

-We did.

-We did.

-£80! Which means you've got 220.

Hand it over. Don't look at each other!

You hand it over.

Come on, Mum.

Cough it up. That's it.

There we are. All right, Phil.

What are you going to be doing with that?

I'm tempted to buy 20 pairs of these. But...

A little bit of a china and a tea theme developing,

-so I'm going to explore that, I think.

-Marvellous.

So while Phil goes off to explore China,

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

This Derby figurine cost them just £8,

but will it turn heads at the auction?

Next up, this pretty porcelain vase set them back £28.

And finally, they settled on a pair of silver-mounted glass salts.

Price paid, £29.

Debbie and Grace, that was a very focused shop, wasn't it?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Fun.

-It was good fun.

You wanted and you went for it.

What's your favourite lot?

For me, it's the white vase that I managed to spot.

-That really caught my eye.

-That was your item, wasn't it?

Will it make the biggest profit, do you think?

I don't know. I think the cherub might make the biggest profit...

-Do you?

-..because that was our lowest-priced item.

Yeah. Debbie, what about you, what do you think?

My favourite was the salts

but, like Grace, I think that

-the cherub might make the most money.

-Yes.

You spent £65?

-Yes.

-65.

That's not a lot, is it?

So you've got £235 left over.

-Yes.

-May I have it? You know what I'm going to do with it, don't you?

-Yes.

-Yes, I'm going to give it to this man.

What are you going to do with it?

Charlie, I intend to make a really big splash.

-Oh, dear.

-And I intend to make a dream that won't be a nightmare,

and will get a big return.

So, while Charles goes off to splash the cash,

I'm going off to explore a little bit of local history.

Here, right under my feet on this cobbled street,

lies a piece of Nottingham's hidden history,

and I'm going underground to find out more.

The city is home to a secret labyrinth of caves

dating back to the Dark Ages,

and I'm here to meet archaeologist Paul Flintoft,

who is using state-of-the-art 3-D mapping technology

to shed light on this mysterious underground world.

What can you tell me about them?

Well, there are 700 caves that we know of so far.

There are more caves in Nottingham than anywhere else in the UK.

-I suspect there is probably closer to 1,000 altogether.

-Really?

I'm quite intrigued, as a layman, really,

to think that they built a shopping centre on something like this,

and obviously it's structurally sound enough.

They must have done a lot of surveys on whether it would hold the weight.

They didn't even know these caves

-were here when they were building the shopping centre.

-What?!

This was all discovered during

-the build of the shopping centre.

-Good grief!

As new developments are taking place across the city,

new caves are being found all the time,

sometimes purely by chance.

What was the most recent cave you found?

The most recent cave we found is not far from here,

-Parliament Street.

-Yeah.

-We didn't know that was there. That was part of a development.

-Yeah.

And it turns out that that cave was probably 12th century

and it was used perhaps constantly until the 19th century,

when it was used as a pub cellar.

Extraordinary.

And cutting-edge technology is now helping Paul's team to survey and

assess the archaeological importance of Nottingham's caves.

It's a 3-D laser scanner, so it basically rotates around,

it shoots lasers out and it takes images three dimensionally.

-Yeah.

-If you really want to see it working, you need pitch-black

because then you can see the laser array getting shot

-out of it.

-Oh, wonderful. Let's turn the lights off.

When the lasers bounce back,

it gives you an idea about what the distance is,

and we can use that data to create

a complete three-dimensional image.

So if anything ever happens to these caves, you've got that for ever,

-haven't you?

-Absolutely. Yeah.

-Yeah.

Nottingham's caves have always played an important part

in the region, dating back to medieval times,

and as the city grew above ground,

so did the cave system beneath it.

These are all obviously excavated by hand.

I mean, what a task!

Chiselling away at this lot.

Yeah. So, I mean, everything done by hand,

just using picks, chisels, hammers,

hand tools. I mean, you can feel how soft it is yourself to actually get

-through.

-Oh, that's extraordinary!

I mean, a nail goes right into it.

Yeah. So it still remains structurally sound,

we are at no risk of it collapsing.

-And it's sandstone, is it?

-It's Triassic sandstone.

-Yeah.

-So 240 million years, give or take a few million years.

But to actually carve through it by hand, as you can see,

-it may be a little easier than you'd expect.

-Yeah, yeah.

As a result, people have worked and lived in Nottingham's caves for over

1,000 years, using them as cellars, as well as other local trades.

So this is a tanning area?

-Yeah. This was a tannery in the 16th century...

-Was it?

-..until the early mid-17th century, yeah.

-Yeah.

And you can imagine how bad it would have smelled down here.

All the different parts of processing,

it would have been quite unpleasant.

The caves continued to be used as slum dwellings

until the 20th century,

and became vital again during the Second World War.

And then, this area here would've been used as an area of shelter

during the Second World War.

-They were quite lucky to have it.

-Very lucky, yeah.

So thousands of people would've been able to fit in here. A cram!

I was going to say, the conditions wouldn't have been a great,

but probably a lot better than being above ground!

-Absolutely, yeah.

-Who would have ever known all these caves existed

under Nottingham? Quite an extraordinary story.

Paul, thank you very much.

-No problem, Charlie.

-Meanwhile,

it's time for me to resurface and get back to the auction.

I am now in Mellors & Kirk saleroom and I am with the boss, Nigel Kirk.

-Welcome.

-Well, thank you, great to be here.

Now, Helen and Janet started off with a couple of jars.

-There is one of them. The other one, we have in the back there.

-Yes.

Probably Southeast Asian,

and they've got this sort of ash-green glaze.

They look old, but I'm fairly certain they are of 20th century.

I agree with you entirely. What about a value on them?

I suggested £40 to £60.

-They only paid £15.

-Oh, good.

-That's great.

-That's fine, isn't it?

-Now, the next thing is more traditional.

-Yes.

-The pole screen.

-It's a good example of its type.

-It's something which is terribly out of fashion.

-Yeah.

And, of course, there should be a pair, and there's only one.

Mm...

-But it's got its original Berlin woolwork banner...

-Yeah.

And it's a little bit scruffy.

-Needs a clean.

-Yeah.

-But it's not bad.

No. Still saleable, then, in this day and age?

I think if we give a sensible estimate of 40 to 60,

it should get away.

Good. Well, they did well to buy it for £35, I think, didn't they?

-Absolutely.

-Yeah. Now the kettle on stand.

It's a good-looking object,

but how saleable is that?

Um... Not all that saleable.

It's made of Britannia metal,

which is basically electroplated pewter...

-Yeah.

-..as opposed to an electroplated nickel silver.

It was a cheaper option at the time,

-and the date of that is going to be early 20th century.

-Yes.

It survived in reasonable condition.

There are a few bumps and knocks, but it's going to make £20 or £30.

-Well, they paid 30.

-They might get out of trouble with it.

They might do, but it does sound as if they might need a bonus buy.

Now let's have a look at it.

Helen and Janet, now that man there promised he was going to keep up

that theme. What was the theme?

-Tea.

-Tea!

-And china.

-And china!

-China and tea. Have you done it?

-Well, I'll tell you what I've done.

-There's a bit of china.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-And there's an 18th-century tea bowl.

-Oh, it's tea!

-Oh, tea!

That is an 18th-century piece of Worcester, Flight and Barr,

and this is a pearl-ware chestnut basket,

transfer-printed blue and white, nice thing.

The two... I mean, this is how stupid this game is.

Hang on. Don't say the price.

I want these girls to guess.

-Come on, girls, what are they worth?

-£40?

I paid £25 for the two, and I think they'll make between...

£50 and £80, hopefully.

-Yes, that's a bargain, isn't it?

-Yeah.

It's not just that. They are genuine antiques.

This is 1790.

And this is turn of the century.

Well... Yeah, 1820s, something like that.

We were dreading that you'd buy that horrible tray, weren't we?

Oh, dear!

Well, while Phil goes off in a sulk,

let's see what the auctioneer thinks of his tea-related items.

Phil loves a real antique,

and in fact, he's bought a collective lot here.

He's bought the tea bowl and saucer and the basket.

What do you think?

-Well, they are both very attractive examples of their ilk.

-Yes.

The tea bowl and saucer is writhen fluted semi-hard paste porcelain.

-I think it's possibly Worcester.

-Yep.

Undoubtedly dates from the 1790s.

But it's in quite good condition, nicely gilded.

-And the basket?

-The basket is, of its type, equally good.

-It's slightly later, about 1820 or so.

-Right.

But all that pierced work is very cleverly done.

It's all done entirely by hand with a knife

when the clay is sort of cheese hard.

-Very great skill involved.

-Beautifully done.

-Beautifully done!

-What sort of value to put on those two?

Well, I've only put £40 to £60 on them,

which I think is, for what they are, too low,

but it reflects the current market value.

Yeah, yeah. Well, he did really well, Phil.

-He paid £25 for the two.

-That's a brilliant buy.

-He stole them, really, didn't he?

-He's very clever.

Yeah. Now, Deborah and Grace hit off with a bit of Derby.

I can only assume that Charles led them into that.

Well, yes. It's a very common type of late-18th-century Derby figure.

But of course at that period, on figures like this,

they very seldom have marks.

Although this particular piece has the characteristic of the Derby

factory. These little three unglazed patches,

which is as good as any mark and proves undoubtedly

that this little boy holding a basket and wearing a chaplet

of flowers is Derby.

Can't be anything else.

Brilliant. And value?

It's not worth a great deal.

There is a slight bit of damage to the arm there.

25, 35, something like that.

25 to 35, yeah.

He's a clever chap. He's bought that for £8.

-He did very well.

-Now, on to the second lot,

the Rosenthal vase.

It's beautiful quality.

-Yeah.

-And it's the sort of modern, limited-edition pieces of porcelain

which would be very, very expensive when it was new.

But it's something which is unlikely to attract much bidding.

No. What sort of level?

-£20, £30.

-Yeah. Paid 28.

-Not bad, is it?

-Not extortionate, is it?

-No.

And we've got to the pair of salt cellars.

-Edwardian in date, early 20th century.

-Yes.

They are still only £20 or £30.

Yeah. Paid rather an odd sum, £29.

That's a strange figure.

-Must have been a bit of haggling there, I think.

-Must have been.

-Yes.

-Well, they might need their bonus buy.

What did Charles end up with?

Charles, over to you.

Sometimes you need a presence in a saleroom. OK?

In a saleroom, it's all about theatre, drama and romance,

and I think this object has that in abundance.

Are you ready? OK. There he is.

-Oh, my God!

-He's wonderful!

He's life-size. What you think of him, seriously?

OK, he's too big for your bed.

Yeah, but he looks a bit dirty and...

I mean, who's going to want to buy it?

-Where is his clothes?

-Well, you know what?

That's part of his charm. He needs looking after.

You know, this is no ordinary teddy bear.

It's a Merrythought bear.

It was a very important Ironbridge, Shropshire, firm who began

to make teddies in the 1930s.

I think this bear probably is 1980s, late '80s,

but importantly,

I think he was made for maybe a wonderful toy shop,

-for an exhibition many years ago.

-What do you think he's worth?

-I've got to ask you the question.

-I think £40.

Yeah, like £50.

£40 to £50, that's probably about right, isn't it?

-Charles?

-Sometimes you make a memory in life,

and this bear has got legs,

I think, to run.

And to run... If the right toy shop or the right collector falls in love

with him... I have.

-How much did you pay, Charles?

-Stop...

-Charles?

-£100...plus 75.

-£175?!

-Yes, it is.

How much do you think someone is actually going to pay for that?

I think, on a really...in the right market,

he is worth £300, and I mean that.

He wants a new home.

Just look here, look.

You know, he's got the six-pack.

-Aw!

-Wonderful.

-Give him a kiss.

-THEY LAUGH

It's fairly obvious to me that the girls don't really like this

teddy bear, but will the auctioneer love it?

Charles Hanson occasionally does some very strange things.

-Yes.

-And sometimes they involve purchasing odd objects.

What about valuing it? It's not an easy thing to value, is it?

It isn't, really, is it?

We'll just have to appeal to somebody's better nature.

-What sort of money?

-£40, maybe 60.

£40 to £60.

You can't possibly believe what Charles Hanson paid for this.

-How much?

-£175.

Perhaps he knows something I don't.

Well, we'll find out.

You'll be taking the sale?

I hope so, yes.

-Well, good luck.

-Thank you.

Let's see how Nigel gets on with the teddy bear

amongst the antiques.

Right, Helen and Janet, are you excited in your lovely hats?

-Yes!

-As excited as this man?

-Have you been to a saleroom before?

-No.

-Never?

I've only done charity auctions, that's it.

-What do you think?

-I think it's really exciting.

Charlie, I've got to be part of the team here.

Sorry, yes, carry on.

These are rubbish. I can't see a thing.

Look, here are your jars. You can't see your jars. Look.

£20 for two of them.

£10. 10, I'm bid at £10.

Come on, they cost 15.

15 online.

20? At £15.

-An online bid.

-Oh, not 15! Come on.

£15, and I shall sell at £15.

-Ohh...

-Well, we didn't lose.

Well, it's not bad. You didn't make a profit, you didn't lose money.

I like a good old-fashioned antique, the pole screen.

And it's a good example.

And it cost £35. Here it comes under the hammer.

Victorian carved and gilded mahogany pole screen.

£30, I'm bid. 35, £40.

-You're making profit!

-40 it is, 45 for it?

-£40, the bid.

-You're into a profit.

-45 anywhere?

At £40, hammer's up, selling for 40, online bidder.

There you are.

You've made a £5 profit.

Well done, girls!

Now your spirit kettle on stand cost £30.

Being sold now.

236. Electroplated spirit kettle and a lamp stand.

And £15. 15, 20, 25.

25, 30.

-At 25. 30 to you, madam?

-One more.

£30. 35?

35. 40?

You are making a profit on this!

£40. In the centre of the room, selling for £40.

Plus a tenner!

You've made £15, you haven't lost money on anything at all.

Now, are you going to go with the tea bowl and the basket?

-Let's go for it.

-Go for it.

They live on the edge here, don't they, Phil?

I've never seen two people get so excited about 25 quid.

Here we go, here we are!

Lot 242.

The reticulated and blue-printed pearl-ware basket

and the late-18th-century

white and gilded tea bowl and saucer.

£20, I'm bid at 20.

Commission bidder at 20. 25 for it?

25 online. 30? 30.

Another bidder online at 30. 35?

There you are, you've made a profit.

What a good decision that was, girls.

£40. 45? At £40.

Selling to the internet at £40...

Well done. You've doubled your profit to £30.

Well done!

Now, that might be a winner, it might be a loser,

but it's a jolly good effort.

So not a word to the Blues, and good luck.

Are you old hands at the saleroom,

-or is it your first time?

-No, first time.

-Never been before.

First up is your Derby figure.

-Only cost £8.

-Lovely little cherub.

Oh! Here it comes.

Lot 258

is the late-18th-century Derby figure of a child.

And £20. I am bid at 20.

25, 30, 35, 40, 40 for it?

-Charles!

-40 for it? At £35 only, bid.

40 anywhere?

Selling at £35.

-That's very good.

-Good start. Off and running.

That's very good. You've made £27 profit.

Now here is your Rosenthal vase.

Cost £28.

We love this, it's so modern.

£20 for it? 20, I'm bid. 25.

30, 30, 35. Up £30. 35 for it?

£30 it is, selling to a commission bidder at £30.

-Plus two.

-Right. The Golden Gavel...

You're up.

£29 overall so far,

and here come the salts, and they cost £29.

£20 for the salts, please.

20? Silver-rimmed salt cellars, £20.

£10. 10, I'm bid at 10.

15, 20. 20, 25.

At £20. 25 for them?

-Oh, no.

-Sure?

-Please.

-Oh, no.

-£20.

And I sell... 25, 30.

-Go on!

-30, 35.

-You've done it. You've done it!

You got it! Your Golden Gavel!

-£30 it is.

-Golden Gavel!

-Over here, selling for 30.

-122.

-You've done it!

Do you know, girls,

I couldn't have been more excited by anything in my life.

Look at them, Charles.

We've done it, we've done it!

That £1 profit got you the Golden Gavel.

The escape to victory, we did it.

You've made £30.

Now, here is the big moment of your life.

Are you going to go with this teddy bear?

-No.

-Definitely not, right.

Would you like to know the auctioneer's estimate?

-200 to 300.

-No!

I am lying.

-The auctioneer's estimate was £40 to £60.

-Thank goodness for that!

But it could make that, you never know.

Yes, Charles. Here it comes.

266 is this giant Merrythought teddy bear.

£40 for it?

£40, £30.

30, I'm bid at 30. 35 anywhere?

-It's a long way from 175, girls.

-Hold tight.

-There's a long way to go.

-At 35, only bid.

40 for it? £40.

-45? 45. 50 for it anywhere else?

-Come on, room!

£50. 60 for you.

That's £50, the room bidder.

60 I'll take on the net. At £50.

-£50 it's making.

-I sell at £50.

Jolly good

because that one lot, in one easy move,

lost £125.

Charles, you are looking disappointed.

I think, Charlie, what they say in this business

is right place, right time.

This was wrong place, wrong time.

-It doesn't matter.

-You've still got a Golden Gavel.

-Yes!

-And when you've got your Golden Gavels

firmly pinned on your chest,

-you can think, "Thank goodness we didn't go with that bear!"

-Yes.

Seldom can there have been a more exciting competition.

Nowhere.

I can reveal that you've both made money!

-ALL:

-Whoo!

Isn't that superb?

You, Red team, miserable little profits here and there,

but they all add up, don't they?

And, Blue team, miserable little profits here and there,

but they all add up!

And, of course, the wisest thing was that the Blues didn't go with their

bonus buy.

You of course made a little bit of money on your bonus buy.

The upshot of all this is that we have two teams

that have made exactly the same profit.

Wow! Well done.

Isn't that astonishing? You have both made £30.

Presumably, you throw in the bonus buy as a decider?

No, no, I have another way of deciding, Philip.

Get back in your place.

I'm, first of all, going to dish out £30 for you.

Well done. £30 for you, girls.

Now, there is a way of deciding this

because the Blues have won...

-..Golden Gavels!

-Yes!

-Well done!

Look at that!

Pull out your Golden Gavels.

-Well done.

-Well done, girls.

-Wonderful.

-You were only a squeak away, weren't you?

If only I could give you one as well, but never mind.

-Have you had a good time?

-We have.

-Wonderful.

-Fabulous.

-Have you had a lot of fun?

-Brilliant, yeah.

Well, don't forget to have a look at our website and to follow us on

Twitter. In the meantime, join us for more bargain-hunting.

-Yes? ALL:

-Yes!