Peterborough 30 Bargain Hunt

Welcome to Bargain Hunt.

I'm in Peterborough today,

taking a step back in time.

Peterborough's Art Deco lido was built in 1936

in the heyday of outdoor swimming pools.

Lido is an Italian word for beach,

and they became fashionable in the 1930s,

aimed at attracting more summer visitors to British towns.

Before I head off to the antiques fair down the road,

I've got time for a quick dip.

Oh, it's empty.

Pass me the hosepipe, please.

This might take a while.

In the meantime, let's go Bargain Hunting.

With nearly 2,000 stalls to choose from,

our teams have plenty of choice,

but will they splash all the cash?

They each have £300, and an hour to buy three items to take to auction.

But will there be profits all round in Peterborough?

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

The Reds are finding it difficult to part with their cash...

Hugh doesn't like spending money, so we might be in the wrong place.

..while the Blues are going for a bit of class.

This is the Rolls-Royce of toilet seats.

But will it all go down the pan at auction?

But that's all coming up later.

First of all, it's time to meet our teams. For the Reds today,

we have brothers-in-law, Hugh and John,

and for the Blues, best of friends, Philip and Louise.

-Hello, everyone. ALL:

-Hello!

Thank you for joining us today.

Now, Hugh, tell me, whose sister brought you two friends together?

It was my sister, about 35 years ago.

I was just in my parents' kitchen, having my breakfast,

and this strange man walked through the hall door.

I didn't know if he was a burglar or meant to be there.

I'm still not quite sure.

Well, he stole your sister's heart, and now you are brothers-in-law.

-Yes, that's right. He's all right, he is.

-He's all right?

Are you going to take that?

Cos I believe you like to wind him up a bit.

Well, he is a bit grumpy at times, yeah.

I'm not grumpy at all.

I'd like to say this, it's the company I keep that makes me grumpy.

I think there's going to be some good banter here today

on the Red team.

So, tell me, Hugh, what you do from day to day?

I'm a farmer. Small farmer from Wainfleet, near Lincolnshire,

growing wheat and beans and barley, things like that.

Now, tell me, John, you're not a burglar, so...

No, I wasn't a burglar at all.

What is it that you do?

I'm a farmer, like Hugh is, a small farmer in Lincolnshire.

Big on machinery. I love machinery.

I'm a real tractor-head.

I can play all day long with my toys and it's great fun, really.

So, between the two of you, is there a keen interest in antiques?

I like small shiny things, not too expensive.

And what about you, John?

I like big expensive things.

Hugh is famously tight, throughout Lincolnshire!

-The whole county knows?

-Everyone knows of his tightness.

So, to get him to part with any money, it's going to be hard.

And I love spending it, so we'll see how we get on on that one.

Well, Reds, I can see that it's going to be fun today, for sure!

So let's turn to your competition,

-the Blues, Louise and Philip.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Philip, tell me, how did you two meet?

Me and Louise met around ten years ago,

basically through a circle of friends,

socialising. One of the main things we love doing together is our music

festivals, Reading Festival is one of the big ones we go to.

Tell me about this strange tradition that you've developed,

involving Christmas.

Because me and Louise are quite busy over the December period

with everything that we do, we've got this tradition

where we actually celebrate Christmas twice a year.

So what we do is, in July, just for the one day,

-decorate the house, get a turkey...

-Play Christmas songs.

..play Christmas songs,

God knows what the neighbours must think, and party away.

Sounds cool, Christmas in July.

-That's it.

-Everyone should be doing it.

Now, you have said you're busy at Christmas-time with work,

-so tell me, what do you do?

-I'm a housing director.

I basically work with housing companies

in terms of their lettings, managing properties,

and I'm currently working with a business at the moment where we're

looking to build some eco-homes to help poverty in Birmingham.

Oh, sounds like a great cause.

Now, Louise, you have an interesting and really varied job,

-so tell me more about it.

-Yeah, I do venue management for events

and live music and festivals around Birmingham.

I also co-host a radio show, called Made in Brum.

So we give local bands a platform to showcase their music and get them

out there, really, give them a bit of a push.

You could be described as a bit of a daredevil. Tell me why that is.

A little bit. Well, I've tried my hand at bungee jumping, skydiving,

wing walking, er, more recently,

me and my brother have tried amateur wrestling.

You're obviously great mates and you've travelled a lot together,

but have you been to antiques fairs together?

-How do you think you're going to do?

-We've been to car boots.

We've been to car boots, yeah, on a Sunday. Louise is a bit of a charmer

when she's trying to get a bargain as well.

-OK, cool.

-He's the haggler, he's the tight one.

That's going to be our tactic today.

Well, I tell you what, that might stand you in good stead.

And another thing that's going to help you,

and it will help you too, Reds,

is some money, so you both get £300. Hugh, that's for you, the Reds.

-Louise.

-Thank you.

-£300 for the Blues.

Your experts can't wait to meet you,

I'll wish you the best of luck and send you on your merry way.

Well, today it's family versus friends.

Let's see who comes out on top.

Time for them all to meet their experts.

He's a big fan of the Reds, it's Ben Cooper.

And striking a pose with the Blues, it's Gary Pe.

So, have you got an idea of what you'd like to buy?

Something with sleek lines, sort of Scandinavian style, maybe glass,

or a little pot bowl.

I want something wacky, like a really old crazy toy.

Arts and Crafts, something.

A nice desk lamp.

I'm looking for a piece of art.

-Something for the wall?

-Something for the garden.

Right, teams, it's all kicking off. Your time starts now. WHISTLE BLOWS

Let's head off and see what we can buy.

-Let's do it.

-Let's go.

I see something here. The hour will whizz by.

It certainly will, and talking of whizzing by...

-I love this.

-I used to have one of these.

-Really?

-Yeah, I'm dating myself now.

-LAUGHTER

Cos this is from the 1950s.

I mean, it's a bit rusted,

-so there's a bit of a condition issue with this.

-Yeah.

-But...

-I mean, people would buy it

as a collectable, though, wouldn't they?

Absolutely, yeah. No, it can't be used any more, not really.

-I'm not really a fan of this, Lou.

-You're not?

-No.

-Why? Why not?

-It's just rusty. I just think... I don't see...

-Rust is good.

-It means it's old.

-It's been welded in the corner as well.

Oh, it has been welded... OK, we'll leave this for now.

All right, OK.

The old banger, then, is left on the shelf.

In the meantime, the Reds have spotted some sticks.

-A strange thing.

-Sticks any good?

-The answer is, that's a yardstick.

Condition is paramount. If you've got a swagger stick,

you do want to see silver, you want to see it hallmarked.

-You've got to find something which will have a profit in it.

-Mm-hm.

-Yeah.

-And that's obviously been, clearly, well used and well loved.

-Right, let's move on.

-Good advice, Ben.

-Stunned silence to my left.

-Yes.

-Yes.

Both in a state of fear and panic.

-Yes.

-I think that's about right.

No need to worry, Reds, you're in safe hands with our Ben.

The blues are on the hunt for some militaria.

-Looks very old.

-It is old.

This looks like a case, to me.

It's a campaign case, used during the war,

it would have contained a lot of things to do with the...

Any guns?

Well, possibly. It would have many compartments inside.

-Excuse me?

-Hello, there.

-Are we allowed to open this case up?

-You certainly can, by all means.

-Thank you. I'll let you do it.

-Is it a campaign case?

-Yeah.

-It is a campaign case?

-It is a campaign case.

-This will date from what?

-I'd say round about 1930.

So...interwar, as they would call it.

-Military issue.

-Yep. And made of...

-It's made of Cascamite. So you've got a steel frame.

-Yep.

It's quite... it's harder than leather.

I like the fact it's military, it's from before World War II.

-How much is it?

-Yes, that's the big question, isn't it?

-It doesn't sound much, £65.

-65.

Oh. I'd like to see this around the 40 mark,

if that's at all possible.

-Can't do that.

-Can't?

-50's the very best.

If it's valued at 40-60 at auction...

-Then we won't really...

-Nah. Should we leave it?

-Yeah, we'll leave it.

-For now?

-Definitely one we'll come back to.

-Cheers. Thank you.

-Thank you.

One to remember, then, Blues.

Could the Reds be about to shake things up?

-What do you think, Ben?

-That's quite nice.

It's quite a nice thing, but it's plated,

-you can see a lot of the plate is rubbed.

-Worn.

And it's a very...it's your classic,

bog-standard shape of a cocktail shaker.

This is slightly more handsome.

The top is totally stuck on,

but, just by banging with a bit of hot water, it'll come apart.

But you can see this deep sort of almost gunmetal-type colour,

that is just the tarnish.

You've got, you know, cardinal plate,

so it's probably come out of Sheffield, somewhere like that.

What would it fetch in auction as it is,

with its missing bung, do you think?

I'd say it'd be somewhere in the region of £20 to £30.

So it's not far off. I mean, what do you think, gents?

-Well, I should think everyone likes a cocktail.

-We do.

It'd be nice if it did have its stopper,

but I'm sure it's not the end-all, and £35...

I was thinking £10 to £20, really, with this missing bit,

and we can't get the top off, but...

And it's banged on the bottom as well.

There's a bit of a ding. It's been used.

-So, what's your best on that?

-What is it, £35?

-£35, yeah.

-25 quid.

-I think it's £20, really, if you give us a chance.

-£20? Yeah, go on.

-Lovely.

-That was nice and easy.

-Thank you.

These gentlemen aren't hanging about -

their first buy in under ten minutes.

Now, are the Blues struck on anything yet?

-Oh, I like that.

-That is really cool.

-It's brilliant, isn't it?

A true piece of Art Deco, made out of sort of veneered wood,

-with chrome detailing...

-Mm-hm.

-..which is a style that was invented in France in the 1920s.

-Wow.

Art Deco meaning "arts decoratif".

So it started in France in the early 1920s,

and it gave rise to this kind of style, which remains

very popular to this day.

-How much do you think that's worth?

-Around £50.

-So, if you could get it for less than that, then great.

-OK.

-Shall we find out?

-Yes, let's find out.

Well, it's priced at £60, so Louise has her work cut out.

It's still going as well.

It's missing the original pendulum, but that's nothing.

The important thing is it works.

-Oh, she's back!

-The best I could do, guys, was £50.

-You did it.

-£50. Hmm.

-How much did you say we'd get for auction?

-£40 to £60.

-Can we do it for 40?

-No, we can do it for 50.

-42, and we'll shake on it.

-45.

-42.

-All right, 42.

-Great, we've got a deal.

-Yay!

-Our first buy!

I'd do that jig, but I'm carrying this!

LAUGHTER

You've struck lucky, team. The clock is yours for £42,

and well within 20 minutes.

In the meantime, are the Reds ready

to go deeper into their pockets this time?

Having just bought a bit of plate, this is real silver.

Hugh doesn't like spending money, so we might be in the wrong place.

Is there anything which is taking your fancy?

I quite like the look of that one. Oh, it's very light, though,

I'm afraid. But it's quite pretty, but it's very light.

It's Continental Silver, it's got an import mark.

He's got 35 on it, so it's not a lot of money,

but it's not a lot of weight either.

No, it's very light, isn't it?

-What about the little mustard pot here?

-This little chap?

-Yeah.

-Has it got a glass in it?

-He does.

-It's missing a spoon, but...

-Well, it is quite nice. It's green,

there's a little chip to the glass, but it's still there.

It's Birmingham. Do you know your hallmarks?

I know Birmingham Silver, and that's about the lot!

So what is the symbol for Birmingham?

An anchor, because it's in the middle of the country.

Absolutely. The Crown & Anchor pub, so they say,

-is between Sheffield and Birmingham.

-Oh, right.

And they were sitting in the Crown & Anchor pub,

trying to work out what symbols they have,

and so Birmingham randomly ended up with an anchor.

So, you've got your lion patent...

-Yeah.

-..and then you've got your date letter.

I would have thought it's around about 1910.

So it's got over 1,000 years of life in it. Do you like it?

I quite like it, but how many people eat mustard?

-I eat mustard.

-I do!

Hmm, me too! Nothing better with your beef dinner.

Now, it's priced up at £25, so get ready to negotiate.

What would be your very best on that?

-I'd take £20 for it.

-There's quite a pretty one there,

-could we have a look at that one, please?

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

And that's £30.

Lovely, thank you very much.

Oh, no liner in this one, then.

-It's got no liner, but it has a spoon.

-It's got a spoon.

-So it's...

-It's swings and roundabouts.

I'd prefer to have a liner, because it's usable with a liner.

-Yeah.

-How much you want for your spoon?

Take the spoon out of that one, pop it in there?

-Ooh, great idea, Hugh.

-What do you think, John?

-I think that's...

-Thank you very much.

-Shake the lady's hand.

-I think she's been very generous...

-LAUGHTER

-..and good-humoured.

-And very... very good.

A silver mustard pot with a liner and a spoon, and all for £20.

Great work, gents.

These guys haven't exactly followed their initial plans,

but they have managed to buy two things.

I think there is a good chance of a profit in both of them.

Let's see if we can find something Arts and Crafts.

So, while the teams continue shopping,

I'm off to hear about a true local legend of the 1960s and '70s.

Walter Cornelius was one of Peterborough's biggest characters.

He was a strong man, who became a bit of a local legend,

thanks to his crazy stunts that he did to raise money

for local charities.

Now, with me is local press photographer David Lowndes,

who snapped him many times over the years.

So, David, tell me, who was Walter Cornelius?

Walter Cornelius was a young man who, at the age of 14, left his

home in Latvia and rode 400 miles

across the Baltic to actually get to Peterborough.

I remember Walter as a lifeguard at the Lido,

and he spent lots and lots of time teaching local children how to swim.

He was a legend and he lived for publicity.

He started his strongman act and stunts, as he called them,

and in the end he broke quite a lot of world records.

So, tell me about these world records,

you must have snapped a few in your time.

-How did it all begin?

-Well, I think it began with Walter

winning this body-building Maxalding trophy, in 1963.

Once he realised he had his success there,

then the natural progression was to move on to strongman stunts.

Now, not all of these stunts involved strength,

some of them were strange endurance tests, were they not?

There was such a myriad of various things that he did.

I mean, I remember actually photographing him

when he pushed a pea for three miles with his nose.

He changed the pea to a cannonball,

and then pushed that with his nose for some miles as well.

He was quite famous for breaking a concrete slab over his head.

Now, some of these stunts were quite dangerous, were they not?

They were indeed, yes. I mean,

I remember him having a motorcycle

driven across his chest.

He used to do fire-eating at the Lido,

that was quite dangerous.

But his most famous moment, which I believe was seen worldwide,

was his attempt to fly.

It certainly was, yeah. Walter had decided

that he was going to make an attempt to leap across the Nene,

and he wasn't the best engineer in the world,

he did actually make his own wings.

It was something slightly harder than cardboard.

He was watched by hundreds and hundreds of people.

He raised quite a lot of money for charity,

and it was undoubtedly his greatest stunt.

So, tell me, what happened, in the end, to this local legend?

Well, sadly, Walter died in 1983, at the age of 60.

He was penniless, you know, he lived on his own, in a van,

at the back of the bingo parlour in Peterborough.

Very few possessions. I should think the possessions he had are sitting

on this table at the moment.

He was buried in an unmarked grave.

Eventually, after ten years,

local people raised enough money to have a proper headstone for him.

And just a year ago,

there was a weather vane of Walter flying across the Nene,

installed at the Lido,

which, of course, was a fitting tribute to Walter's life.

Well, it's a bittersweet ending to a truly fascinating story.

So, David, thank you very much.

Back to the shopping, and at close to the halfway mark, the Blues have

only bought one item, but the Reds have two, for a total of £40.

You haven't spent much money.

-It's a fortune!

-You have a fortune left - £260 to be precise!

It's a dangerous thing for me, this is - all this money left.

The Blues have money burning a hole in their pocket, too.

Is that what they call a Faberge egg?

-LAUGHTER

-No...

-Is that...what do they call it?

-Faberge.

-Faberge.

No,, no, no, sadly. It's an egg, but it comes from the Medina factory

-in Malta.

-OK.

Shame, a Faberge egg might have made you a million or more!

How about that lovely green pottery over there, John?

Not today, I'm not in a green mood today.

-You're not in a green mood?

-No.

-Right, OK, green's off.

Well, green or not, you need to be in a mood to buy, Reds.

The Blues, however, are feeling a little flush.

-What do you think of the toilet seat?

-Well, well...

-It wasn't on the list, was it? Toilet seat?

-No.

-Let's keep to our list.

-Well, it's wacky.

You want to try it out?

-Give it a go.

-Why not?

-Do you like it?

-Um...

-Um...

-I mean, if it's marble, that's unusual in itself, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-My goodness, it is.

-I've never seen a marble toilet seat before.

-No.

-It's obviously...

-It's heavy.

-A very...

-It's square, it's fancy.

It's a very expensive item, obviously.

-I like it.

-I like it.

-Really?

As far as toilet seats go,

I think this is by far my favourite toilet seat I've ever seen!

Well, this is the Rolls-Royce of toilet seats.

-You could use it as a plant pot, as well, really, in a garden.

-Yeah...

I don't know what else you could use it for. Turn it into a frame...

-A hat.

-Do you think it's been used much?

I hope not, because I'm holding it!

-Shall we see how much it is?

-Yeah.

That marble toilet seat.

25 quid. It's a bargain.

-15.

-I think it's quite reasonable at 25, really, so...

..I'll do it at 22.

Shake my hand, £20.

-You know you want to.

-Yay! We've got our second buy.

-You're welcome.

-Second item.

-And it's unique.

I'm speechless.

Indeed - a second purchase for the Blues,

you're on a roll now.

I've never seen a marble toilet seat before -

I don't know, might have belonged to some duke or something,

so, hey, 20 quid,

there is a profit there.

Hm, I wish I had your confidence, Gary.

Now then, Reds, still searching for your third buy?

What about these lights, Ben?

Some of these Anglepoises look quite nice.

Architectural industrial look is really popular at the moment...

and they do do well at auction.

There's a magnifying one, John, you could use that for reading.

Thank you, Hugh.

On this table - I mean, there's quite a lot of lights I like here.

Which one do you think...?

I like this grey one...

..and I like that one.

I like that one.

Probably 1930s, that one.

-Is it heavy?

-Not quite as heavy as I thought it would be,

-but it's a good weight.

-Let's have a look.

For them to be able to be sold on the open market,

they have to have their Pat test.

There's the certificate on the bottom.

You can see, here, there's the S, which means it's Siemens.

Great name - hence why it's got this nice line.

Really good line. It's got a bit of elegance to it

and it would have been for a factory or an office.

I mean, there's no fine materials used.

It is a lamp to do the job.

What about value, where do you think we want to be on that?

Somewhere in the region of 60, 80 quid, somewhere like that.

-It's got 130 on it.

-Yeah.

Um, '30s - it's very in vogue at the moment.

I think it's a really nice retro-looking light,

but I'm not sure, putting it into auction...

What's your very best on this?

-Um...90?

-What you think?

-Yeah, I'm a little bit on the cusp, truthfully.

-OK.

The Reds, unsurprisingly,

are a bit cautious about spending too much money,

but, guys, remember, there isn't much time left.

-15 minutes.

-15 minutes! God, better get a move on.

-What do you think?

-I'm thinking maybe that green case.

-The green case?

-Yeah, do you remember the green case?

How do you feel about it now?

-We'll give ourselves ten minutes.

-Right.

-If not, we'll go for the green case.

-OK.

-OK.

The Blues have a plan - I like it -

but, clearly, they like the colour green.

Oh, this looks interesting.

Is it a fridge?

Or a safe? Is it a safe?

-Where's Gary?

-Oh...!

Let me show you.

Gary to the rescue!

-You've got this...

-OK.

-..mechanism here.

-There you go.

-Ooh!

Something to store all your valuables.

-How's that?

-What do you think the price is?

I would say it's over 100, certainly.

-Shall we ask?

-I like the colour.

-How'd you get it home? It's massive.

-Do you want to go and find out how much it is?

-OK.

-Go on.

Well, you have £238 left.

The price is 260.

-Oh.

-Sorry, guys.

-Over the price, ain't it?

-Out of our price range, I'm afraid.

-Well, you know, it's... Yeah.

Still on the lamp stall,

the Reds are on the lookout

for anything else that grabs their attention.

I can't help noticing this British military telescope.

Sighting mark one.

It looks like a 1942, to me, I think, John.

I think it is a 1942 model as well.

Because it clearly says it.

1942!

I would have thought it would be a sight to go on a big gun.

I'm not 100% sure, but probably something like a 48-pounder.

You know, one of the big guns from the war

and obviously, it's the original rubber, but that's perishing.

You know, to get your sight eye in.

It's obviously all there. I mean, it's been polished up.

What you really do with it...

-Will there be collectors?

-There's always military collectors.

Can you see a profit through there, Ben?

What's the best price on this one?

I've got it at 150. We can go down to 120.

-Does that help?

-Would it make money at auction? This is the thing.

-I think you're more likely to make money on the lamp than on this.

-Mm.

I'd rather spend 90 on that one if we had to buy a light.

What do you think, Hugh?

I think perhaps if we could maybe get it down for...

a little bit more, give us a bit better chance.

You can ask. The gentleman might be able to do it,

he might not be able to do it.

On the lamp, can you do any better than 90 on it?

Yeah, let's do 85.

Take another fiver off it.

Can we go to 80, just to give us a little bit of a chance,

or is that being a bit too mean to you?

I suppose we could do it for that.

Yeah, I think we shake the hands on that.

-Yes.

-I think you're being very fair to us.

Thank you. Well done, guys.

-Good luck.

-Fingers crossed.

-Thank you very much.

Job done, Reds, fantastic.

Come on, let's go and find a cuppa.

In the meantime, the Blues have headed back to the green case.

It's all there. That's the nice thing about it.

Well-used, the colour is in fantastic order.

So, what was the best price we was given earlier for this?

Best I can do is 50, but I'll throw you a Porsche in.

Oh, that sounds like a really super deal!

A real Porsche, or are we talking these ones here?

No, the Porsche out the back. 911.

How about...keep the Porsche, 43?

Keep the Porsche, 48.

Keep the Porsche, 45.

-Done.

-Brilliant.

-Yes!

I'd rather keep the Porsche!

I'm with you, girl.

Case closed. All three items bought.

That's it.

Your time's up.

ALL CHEER

Let's remind ourselves what the Red team bought.

They shook things up with their first item -

a silver-plated cocktail shaker for £20.

Next, they paid another £20 for a silver mustard pot.

And, finally, will this vintage desk lamp shine at the auction?

£80 paid.

It's overwhelming, this size of fair, isn't it?

-It's huge.

-Any regrets about what you've bought?

-Three.

-Three.

That's all right! Three items, three regrets.

I like it. Now, tell me, Hugh,

which of the three regrets do you regret buying least?

-Which is your favourite?

-I least regret buying the cocktail shaker.

Ah, it's beautiful.

OK, and which do you think is going to bring the biggest profit?

I think it will make the least loss.

OK. I've got you there.

So your money's on the cocktail shaker.

John, are you in agreement?

-No, believe it or not.

-I do believe that!

-So which was your favourite?

-I like the little mustard pot.

Do you think it's going to bring the biggest profit?

Yes, I think it might.

OK. Now, you spent £120.

Well done, gents. I'll take 180 from whoever has it.

180. Thank you.

I'll take it and I'll pass it straight over to Ben,

who presumably has a master plan.

What are you going to do with it, Ben?

Well, the gents clearly wanted to buy something Scandinavian

or Arts and Crafts, which clearly they failed.

So now I'm going to go away with that in mind and will probably fail.

But I'm going to spend a good dollar.

That's the plan.

So, while Ben tries not to fail,

let's remind ourselves what the Blue team bought.

First up, they struck a deal on this Art Deco-style mantel clock.

£42 paid.

Next, they spent more than a penny on this toilet seat.

£20 exactly.

And, finally, they bagged this vintage green case for £45.

Well, contrary to how we thought it was going to play out, Philip,

you took the lead.

-You were chief haggler. Well done.

-Thank you.

Are you quite chuffed with your work?

I think Gary's quite happy with my work today.

Now, there is something we need to talk about. The toilet seat.

What on earth came over you guys?

Of all the items here!

Now, I've got to ask, is it your favourite item?

It is my favourite item, actually.

I really like the clock. That's something I'd have

in my own apartment, but the toilet seat has got to be

top of the crop, yeah. That's my favourite item.

So do you think it's going to bring the biggest profit?

-I think it will, yeah.

-OK, OK.

-Because it's marble.

-I think between the toilet seat and the suitcase.

-For profit?

-Yes.

OK, but which is your favourite?

It's going to have to be the toilet seat. Of all things!

-Oh, Gary Pe!

-Such a classy man.

I'll never live this down.

You spent £107 in total.

So I'll take it, whoever's got it.

Thank you very much.

£193, Gary. What are you thinking with all that cash?

Well, my reputation's blown, thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

-You're welcome.

So I might as well just continue on with the wacky theme.

The wacky theme. Fantastic.

So while Gary goes in search of the weird and wonderful,

let's head straight to the auction.

Well, we've arrived in Lichfield at Winterton's Auction House.

And I'm with Richard Winterton himself.

Thank you for having us along today, Richard.

It's a pleasure, delighted to have you.

So we'll start with our brothers-in-law,

Hugh and John, the Red team.

And they like to start with cocktails, by the looks of things.

What do you make of their shaker-cum-pourer?

It's a good, fun thing. Usable, so it's saleable.

It's not in the world's best nick,

but someone could bring that back to its former glory.

-Yeah, definitely.

-And it's Cardinal plate, as well.

So there's a name there.

-But is there value in it?

-10 to 15.

£10 to £15. Well, they weren't far off at £20 paid.

-That's not too bad, is it?

-Not too bad.

-No, no.

-It might not be the strongest start,

but we move from silver plate

to hallmarked silver with our little mustard pot,

complete with liner and spoon.

Completely different to the cocktail shaker.

What do you do with it, apart from the mustard in it.

Put mustard in it!

But it's missing its other friends that would normally go with it,

a condiment set, so we've put 15 to 20 on it because of that.

Well, don't look too despondent,

because the gentleman managed to only pay £20 for it.

-Oh, he's done well.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

And they managed to wangle themselves that spoon,

because that was with another mustard pot.

So they've brought the complete thing to you for £20.

-Not too bad?

-Not too bad at all.

But from hallmarked silver, 1910, 1919, to a vintage desk lamp.

Now, which do you prefer?

-Lovely.

-You like this lamp?

-I do, yeah.

Would that be befitting an auctioneer's desk?

Just a fab-looking thing.

And it's in at the moment, isn't it, that kind of industrial look?

What do you think your buyers are going to pay for this?

I think we've gone a bit low.

We've gone 30 to 40.

But I think we're going to do quite a lot better than that.

OK, well, that would be good,

because this was Ben's choice and he convinced the gents

-to pay £80 for it.

-I'm happy with that.

-OK.

-I think we've got half a chance.

Because it is iconic.

So we think it's going to be all right,

but they might just need their bonus buy.

So let's find out what Ben bought.

Well, Hugh, John, this is it.

Bonus buy time.

You left Ben £180 and, Ben, you wanted to go Scandinavian.

Did you manage it?

-Well, I didn't go Scandinavian.

-OK.

But you also talked about Arts and Crafts and something with a bit

of design. So I went for...

-Oh, wow.

-A jug, yes.

-Very nice.

-It's not a jug, it's a vase.

It's made by the factory WMF.

Silver-plated vase. Lovely clear mark on the base there.

What do you think I paid for it?

-£28.

-No.

-No?

No. I would say that's £80.

I actually paid 120.

Oh. Oh.

-Ouch.

-It's very nice, I mean, it's quite a lot of money, though.

Have you heard of WMF before?

We have, yes, but can't pronounce it.

No, neither can I.

-Then?

-I think it's Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik.

Very good. Yes.

Wow! Extra ten points to Ben there.

Is it 1920s, 1910s?

-About 1910.

-I'm with you. I think it is quite a lot

for a silver-plated vase.

It's nicer than what we bought,

it has to be said.

-Yes.

-Do you think we're going to get a profit out of it?

I think it should.

We'll see.

But you worked hard for us and I appreciate it.

-Thank you.

-You don't need to make your mind up now.

So, for us, it's time to find out what Richard, our auctioneer,

thinks of the WMF vase.

Well, in keeping with their first two buys,

Ben has bought the Reds a silver-plated WMF twin-handled vase.

What do you think, does this float your boat?

It's a good name and if someone said to me

they're bringing in a WMF vase,

I'd go, "Yes, quickly, bring it in, let's have a look."

But, you know, there's lots of caution when you're buying these,

because they do differ in price hugely.

We've only put 20-30 on it.

OK, well, they go in and out of fashion.

-Yeah.

-So here's hoping that today they are very much in fashion

because Ben spent £120 of the leftover money on this vase.

-Oh, oh.

-Oh, it could be, as they say, all the money.

Well, never say never. You never know what's going to happen.

So let's move on to the Blues,

Philip and Louise.

Great friends who were convinced by Gary Pe

that this Art Deco clock was a move in the right direction.

Do you agree with Gary?

Well, it's got the look, hasn't it?

Does it bear close inspection?

No. You don't look at it too much.

But the chrome's nice, isn't it?

Nice bit of chrome.

-It is.

-I'm trying to be really positive.

I am. We've gone 20-30.

Well, Gary was happy that the team paid £42 for it.

-OK.

-But we'll see what happens.

It's only their first item, so it could be upwards from there.

Or it could be down.

I don't know.

We could be flushing it down the toilet.

Here we have our toilet seat.

Now the team were convinced that this was a marble toilet seat,

but thou art not so convinced, are you?

No. It's reconstituted granite.

-Yeah.

-It's a fun thing to find at the fair,

but the material's not so special, is it?

-Cold. They're cold.

-Cold in the winter.

-Very cold in the winter.

-What do you think?

-10 to 15.

-10 to 15.

Well, you'll be pleased to hear the team only paid £20 for it.

So, hopefully, hopefully, they'll get something from it.

Now here's something a bit more typical for the auction house,

this case here.

It's painted wood and metal.

This is more standard auction fare, isn't it?

-Yeah, I love it.

-You love it?

-Oh, good.

-It's just got everything about it.

It's just a, you know, a good seller in the saleroom.

Do you think it's the colour that helps it to stand out

-from the crowd?

-I do. It's just the colour,

the whole thing about it, it's beautifully made.

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

Ah, here we go, then. We've gone 50 to 70.

-Should make all that.

-Fantastic. They only paid 45.

-Very good. Good, happy. Yeah.

-They will be so chuffed.

So, will they need their bonus buy?

Who knows? But, just in case,

let's find out what Gary did buy for the Blues.

Well, Philip and Louise, you played a dangerous game.

You left Gary Pe £193.

Gary, you said you were looking for something wacky.

-Did you find it?

-Well, after that toilet seat,

I thought I'd up the ante a little bit.

So, voila!

That's better than the toilet seat.

They are Avery scales.

This would have been probably in a factory or a butcher's shop.

So how old is it?

Could be from the '30s to about the '50s.

The good thing about this is I paid all of £30.

-Oh, wow.

-How much do you think it will make at auction?

I would estimate this between 30 to 60.

First impressions. Is this, for example,

something you'd have in your house?

I don't think I'd have it in my home, personally.

-No.

-No.

-Where do you think you could see it?

Next to the toilet seat.

So you'll decide once your other three items

have gone under the hammer. You can weigh up your options just then.

But, for now, it's time to find out if Richard, our auctioneer,

is impressed by these large scales.

Well, I have to say these are rather impressive.

Gary has bought the biggest he could find.

What do you think of the scales?

-I love them.

-Yeah. They're cool.

-Yeah, they are cool.

-I love the red.

-Where can you see them ending up, though?

It's a trendy kind of flat, couldn't you?

Sitting there, you know, with the brick wall.

People have all sorts in their houses now, so I can just see that.

-I think it's a cool thing.

-You sound excited.

-What's the estimate? It's going to be huge!

-We've gone 30 to 40.

Oh, exciting, because Gary only paid 30.

-Very good.

-So it is good.

OK, I wish you the best of luck on the rostrum, Richard.

Let's head straight to the sale.

Right, Hugh and John, this is it.

The auction. It's all been working towards this.

-So, how are you feeling?

-Well, this is the moment of truth.

And the truth is I don't think we're going to get the golden gavel.

-John?

-I'm on Hugh's side on this one for once.

Really? Well, starting us off is the cocktail shaker.

And you only paid £20 for it, so prepare to be amazed, gents.

Here it comes.

The good old cocktail shaker.

Every house needs one.

£2 bid. £2 bid.

£2. £4 I'm bid. £6 I'm bid.

-That hurts. That hurts.

-£8 I'm bid.

£10 I'm bid.

£15, the internet. £20.

Yes!

Five, the internet.

Internet's at 25. All done.

-£25.

-Gentlemen, compose yourselves!

You made a profit... You made a profit of a fiver.

-That was John's lot.

-It was, yes.

The cocktail shaker. Hugh, here comes your mustard pot.

The little silver mustard pot.

Green liner, got a spoon that goes with it.

Commissions are on the book.

-£15. £18. £20. 2.

-Another profit!

-Golden gavel!

-Not yet.

Not yet, relax.

32, 35. 35 with me.

I tell you what paid off, that spoon.

The spoon, the spoon.

I told him it was a good lot.

Sold at £38.

-On the front row.

-£38!

Well done. So you have made,

Hugh, £18.

You've added that to the pot.

-So 23 in total.

-That's more profit than this year!

Here comes Ben's pick.

It's the desk lamp.

£80 paid.

The iconic vintage desk lamp.

Five bids on the book.

£50 straight in.

£50 straight in. £60, the internet.

-£70.

-We're nearly there!

£70, the book.

£70, the book. I'm in here at £70.

I'll take 75.

At £70.

Oh, we were so close!

70. It's a wee loss, minus ten.

Which means, gents,

you're still in profit.

£13 you have made on Bargain Hunt after three items.

Alas, there is a fourth.

Now, what are you thinking about the bonus buy?

-The jug.

-The WMF. Ben paid 120 for it.

You've got that £13 profit.

I personally would like to leave it alone.

Sorry, Ben.

Yeah? I think, you know,

the fact that you called it a jug when it's a vase, immediately,

alarm bells did go off that you didn't warm to it.

So, you're definitely saying no to the bonus buy?

-Not for us today.

-OK.

Whatever happens, you're going home with £13.

Unlucky for some, but not you.

So let's find out. Did you make the right decision?

Here comes the vase.

Twin-handled vase. Where are we going to be?

£20 I'm bid. £20 I'm bid.

At £20. 25, the internet.

25, the internet.

It's flying!

You are all looking at me cold-faced. Hammer's up, then,

25. All done. All finished. Internet's got it.

He tried, he tried for you, Ben.

Gents, I ought to have the fleece on and you should have the jacket.

We'll swap jobs!

£25. It's made a loss of 95.

Don't worry about it, Ben, because you didn't dent

the gentlemen's overall profit. So £13, as small as it is,

could be a winning profit.

So say nothing to the Blues.

Fingers crossed.

OK.

Do you feel positive about your lots?

-Yes.

-Yeah. I'm not sure about the toilet seat.

Still not sure about that toilet seat!

Gary's idea.

I dressed for this one.

Gary's thinking, "Please let that toilet seat make a profit.

"Please!" Well, hopefully everything's going to make a profit.

Your first lot is the Art Deco style mantel clock.

Perhaps a bit younger than it looks.

Auctioneer reckons £20 to £30.

And you paid 42, so I wish you the best of luck.

Here it comes.

An Art Deco clock there.

Lovely bit of chrome supports to it.

Where are you going to be? Nothing on my book.

£5 to start. £5 I'm bid.

£6 I'm bid. £8 I'm bid.

£10 I'm bid. 15 I'm bid.

-15. Down here at 15.

-We need more.

-£20, the internet.

25. I'm bid. 25.

30. 35? £30, the room.

-You look terrified.

-At £30. At 35. 35.

-Sold at 35.

-OK.

£35, we've started off with a tiny wee loss of £7.

But don't worry, because guess what's next?

The toilet seat. £20 you paid.

This is it, the moment of truth.

The toilet seat.

Everyone wants one.

I'm in your hands on this one.

Not literally.

Where are we going to start?

£2. £2 to start me.

£2 bid.

-£2 I've got.

-Is that it?

-£2 I have got.

No.

All done? £2.

Oh. There we go.

Well, shall we just move on swiftly from that?

It lost £18, which means, overall, you're minus 25.

So, here we go.

The wooden case.

The case, there we go. Bit of interest.

-£20 I'm bid. Five. 30. Five. 40. Five. 50. Five. 55.

-Look at that.

-Yeah.

-£60 I'm bid.

£70 I'm bid.

-At 70.

-That feels better, doesn't it?

£70. All done?

Sold at 70.

Right! £70.

You paid 45, so you've just made £25, so, hold on a minute,

you've just broken even.

You're on zero.

Minus 25, plus 25, back to square one.

So there is a very important question I have to ask you.

-Are you going to go...?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-All right. OK.

I don't even have to ask you the question.

You're going to go, 100%, with the bonus buy?

-Yes.

-Even though you can say you didn't lose any money,

you're back to zero? You're still going to risk it?

We're going to go for the risk. We're risk-takers.

Are you ready?

-Ready.

-Here it comes.

The scales, now.

Trendy thing. Beautiful red colour.

25 I'm bid on the book. At 25.

-Come on.

-At 25. 30 in the room.

-30 in the room.

-Still on zero.

30 in the room.

Internet's going. Nothing at all.

£30 is bid in the room.

Selling...£30.

Can you believe it? Overall, on your first three items...

-We didn't lose, though?

-You lost nothing and made nothing.

And now Gary's £30 scales have made £30.

So, Blues, you've made no profit, you've made no loss.

But zero can be a winning score,

so say nothing to the Reds at all.

-Promise?

-Promise.

Well, teams, we had the full gamut today.

We had profits, we had losses, we had people breaking even.

You name it, we had it.

Unusually, whilst £13 is unlucky for some,

it was £13 profit for the Reds and, I'm sorry...

it was no profit, no loss for the Blues.

You've not got anything to take home with you, but Gary, especially,

has something to take home with him -

the memory of that toilet seat going under the hammer.

It's one you'll remember for a while, Gary.

-For ever.

-Well done, Blues.

-You had a good time?

-Yes.

-Thank you.

-Excellent.

But, nothing to show for it, unlike our Reds, who go away with £13.

And I'm just going to give it straight to you,

because I think you're itching for it.

-That's it.

-Put it in my pocket.

It's safe for ever.

You were brilliant contestants.

What enthusiasm you showed in the auction

and such a shame to just miss out on the golden gavel.

We were robbed on that.

Question is, how are you going to split £13?

We're not.

OK. Cool!

That's true, as well.

Well done, Reds, and well done to you too, Blues.

And if you want to join in on all this Bargain Hunt fun and nonsense,

then do have a look at our website

and catch up with our latest chat, too,

on our Twitter...

..but the best thing to do is to tune in and join us again

for some more bargain hunting. Yes?

-ALL:

-Yes!