London 5 Bargain Hunt

Believe me, Bargain Hunters, there is nothing,

absolutely nothing as delightful as messing about in boats.

Today, I'm aboard the Richmond Royale on the River Thames,

12 miles south-west of central London.

But I can't mess about for too long because today's Reds and Blues

are eager to go shopping at Kingston's Antiques Centre.

Full steam ahead, Captain!

All aboard, let's go Bargain Hunting!

Thank you, lads.

Our teams, as usual, have £300

to buy three items within an hour, which, hopefully,

with a bit of luck, will make a profit at today's auction.

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

The Reds have questionable taste.

Oh, that's horrid.

-Isn't it?

-That's horrid.

I mean, that's horrid with a capital H.

The Blues are taken aback.

THEY GASP

-No.

-I didn't expect it to be that much.

But will the auction be filled with shocks and surprises for the Reds?

Oh...

And the Blues?

-No!

-No!

And I find out about the history of the changing of the guard.

But that's all for later.

Let's meet today's teams.

For the Reds, we have friends Tom and Ollie, and for the Blues,

we have a dad and daughter combo, Rob and Claudia.

Welcome, everybody, and hello.

-Hello.

-Hiya.

-So, how did you two guys meet?

Well, we're actually both professional rugby players.

Ended up signing for a team called Rotherham Titans,

and then, as I rocked up, Ollie's there.

Yeah, we both managed to sign for the same club.

-Yeah.

-And needed somewhere to live, so got in touch with each other,

and, yeah, spent the last year living together.

24/7, we're with each other,

so we're quite well known for our bromance.

-Yeah, massively.

-So, it's always been about rugby.

Was there any other sport?

Been taking up a bit of golf lately,

trying to teach Ollie how to swing a club.

-Is he any good?

-He's awful.

-Is he?

-It's a waste of time on my part.

Is there anything you could teach him?

Doubtful.

What do you know about antiques and collectables?

Knowledge is pretty rookie, I'd say.

But we've got a can-do attitude.

-Yeah.

-A massive can-do attitude.

My gran's been giving me a lot of tips.

-Oh, well, listen to your granny.

-Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.

Well, I have to, otherwise I'd be in a lot of trouble, but...

Yeah, she's given me a lot of tips, so collectable animals,

something along those lines.

Right. What are your tactics going to be?

Looking to spend some money today.

Right. You don't know very much, but you know that you've got to win.

-Yeah.

-Are you going to take that competitive spirit in?

Oh, massively, yeah, 100%.

We've already been psyching out our opponents, so...

Yeah!

They know we want to win.

They might want to win as well.

-Nah, they'll crumble.

-They'll crumble.

-Oh!

OK, boys, well, it'll be fun watching what you do,

but now over to our Blues, daughter and dad, Claudia and Rob.

Rob, is there a reason why you've picked Claudia

as your team-mate today?

As Claudia's probably going to tell you,

I am quite impulsive when it comes to spending money.

Are you a scatter cash?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I'll have to rein him in.

Rob, what do you do for a living?

I'm a stores manager for a compressed air company,

but I'm also a semi-professional musician.

-Ah!

-You could say I'm the original Wedding Singer.

How wonderful!

I do predominantly Italian-English weddings.

Right, so your forebears were Italian?

Yes, both my parents are Italian, yes.

Excellent. Claudia, you're still a wee youngster.

Have you entered the world of work yet?

I have, only just.

Just finished my A-levels, but I'm currently working full-time now

in a garden centre, selling outdoor furniture.

-Right, are you enjoying that?

-Yeah, it's rather good.

I don't think it'll be any furniture that we'll

-be seeing today.

-So what do you know about antiques?

Bit of an armchair expert, from watching the show, really.

So we've picked things up over the years.

So what are your tactics going to be today?

I reckon to do one buy each...

-Yeah.

-..and then the last buy, I think, to do a combined one,

hopefully a little bit more expensive than the smaller ones.

You're going to go shopping, you need some money.

£300 to you, my darling,

and £300 to you.

Your experts await, so off you go.

Fighting talk today!

I'm going to enjoy this one.

So who's going to lead our teams to victory today?

Aiming to unmask some profits for the Reds, it's Catherine Southon.

And setting sail with the Blues, it's Danny Sebastian.

OK, guys, what are we looking for today?

-Rob?

-I reckon, well, something musical, Danny, I reckon.

I'm thinking of sticking with my gran,

some sort of animal collectable.

Small, blingy, possibly some silver.

Maybe something shiny. Just something that grabs my attention.

Teams, your time starts now.

Let's go! Come on.

Let's go see what we can find.

There should be plenty in here to whet our teams' appetites.

That's looking antiques-ish.

-Three wood dolls.

-Three wooden dolls.

They're kind of creeping me out.

Yeah, they're a little bit creepy.

I thought you were tough rugby players, boys?!

Claudia, are you keeping a close eye on your dad?

Claudia, get the reins on him.

-I know, you all right?

-He's starting already.

-Come on!

Everything he sees, he likes. I've gathered that.

Well, he did say he likes to splash the cash.

It looks like the Reds have expensive tastes, too.

Omega watch.

That could be...

-That'll be worth too much.

-Remember our funds.

We have limited... You are guys with big...

You've got big ideas, which is good, which is good.

You just need to remember, you only have £300!

I think I need to get my eyes tuned in, actually, Danny.

-Ey up, the specs are coming out.

-The specs are coming out, yep.

Good idea, Rob. You don't want to miss anything at this stage.

I wanted a little bit of novelty silver, really.

-You like the old silver, don't you?

-I do, I do, I do.

There's quite a lot of silver here, though, isn't there?

There is, but it's sort of chains and that.

I'm looking for sort of something a little bit...

You want a big lump, don't you?

Well, you now only have 55 minutes to find it.

Reds, how are you doing?

It's quite hard to pick things, isn't it?

It is, in the time.

I like cufflinks, actually. I could be cufflinks man.

Sometimes I feel with cufflinks, if you're buying cufflinks,

-it's nice to get something a little bit different.

-Yeah.

Something a little novelty, do you know what I mean?

-Yeah, definitely.

-But if you want to look at them,

-as I say...

-They're not jazzy enough.

-..you can buy anything you want.

-They're not jazzy enough for us.

Not jazzy enough, OK.

Oh, dear. Well, keep hunting, Reds.

In the Blue corner, a silver cardholder has caught Claudia's eye.

That's the solid silver you're after as well.

We could see what price it was.

There is a couple of little dents and dinks in it.

I suppose it all depends on price.

I tell you what, I thought...

I thought you put them specs on to see

what you're doing. It looks like Claudia's got the eyes here.

I know, because I'm so used to being held back, Danny.

-I'm not allowed to spend money.

-Let yourself go, Rob.

-Let yourself go!

-Let yourself go!

Rob's just like a kid in a sweet shop,

but still no purchases.

What about an animal-themed collectable, Ollie?

Just as Granny ordered.

-Oh, there's a little squirrel jug.

-Where?

-Where?

That giant squirrel jug.

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

THEY LAUGH

I mean, that's horrid with a capital H.

Well, it's certainly different.

So, Blues, what's the price of that silver cardholder?

THEY GASP

-No.

-I didn't expect it to be that much.

Well, I thought... There's a lot of detail there,

there's a lot of work and craftsmanship gone into that.

-There is, there is, there is.

-That's what warrants that price of £120.

-Yeah.

-Lovely piece, just a little bit too rich for us.

-Yeah, yeah.

-OK.

Bad luck, Rob. The hunt goes on.

Catherine, those look funky.

-Oh.

-Do you like these chairs?

-We're going through that.

-I mean...

-It doesn't look a very supportive chair.

What do you mean, you sit on them and you...

-Yeah.

-..end up on the floor?

-Yeah.

That's got nothing to it.

You know, they've got a look.

It's like an orange fence on a work site, that is.

-Shall I take that as a no, you're not interested?

-Yeah.

-OK, OK.

These boys are proving hard to please and,

with 20 minutes on the clock,

both teams need to start spending.

Come on, Blues.

This is only £8, but...

Just, you've got to check for damage.

That's the only thing on these things.

There's no damage, I think, at all.

Damage is paramount.

It really is.

What makes you like it?

I just think the detail's just really pretty, really colourful.

It's quite unusual that it's a duck egg.

The duck egg refers to the wafer thin porcelain

on this Japanese eggshell ware.

-If you're happy with that, then...

-OK.

-Let's see if we can get something off that, as well.

-Yeah.

Let me see if I can find Dave.

-I'll leave that with you.

-Yes, lovely, thank you.

So whilst Danny goes off to track down David from the Antiques Centre,

will the Reds pour any money into this?

Oh, this is from Sheffield. That's us, mate.

-Sheffield silver.

-What is that?

-Sheffield silver.

-That's...

-What?

-That's a gravy boat thing, isn't it?

Yeah. Great bit of Sheffield silver's good,

nice to buy because quite often, that's really where it's assayed,

so where it's marked, it's stamped, you know.

Silver has hallmarks on the back of...

Well, not on the back, but it'll be on the side here.

-Is Sheffield good for silver?

-Sheffield's good for silver.

-They love their gravy as well, so...

-Do they?

-Oh.

Pie and gravy, that's the thing.

Pie and gravy? Are you pie and gravy lads?

Oh, I need some mushy peas with the pie and gravy.

-Maybe get that, yeah.

-I'm getting hungry.

-Exactly.

-OK, how much is on that?

It says £75.

Unless it's exceptionally heavy,

which I don't know until I handle it,

it's going to make £40.

It's not really going to...

You need to up your game!

Like rugby, it's a team effort, Ollie.

Back to the Blues and they're talking money.

-We found this.

-Uh-huh.

-The ticket says eight.

Do you think you could do it for five?

What's the best price you can do it for us?

What's the best price?

Yeah, we don't normally discount anything £10 or under.

But because you've got a lovely smile...

I'll let you have it for £5.

-Yeah.

-I think we should buy it.

-Definitely.

-Shake the man's hand.

-OK.

-David. Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Well done, Blues. One item down and, at just £5, it's a great start.

Reds, you've got some catching up to do.

Can you see down there on that shelf there?

Those sort of flat things?

Can you see those, like little fans?

-Little fans?

-Oh, yeah. What, those two...?

-Yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

-Without reading the ticket, do you know what they are?

-HE WHISPERS:

-Read the ticket!

I'm thinking they're like salt and pepper...

Oh, you read the ticket!

But isn't that great fun? They're Japanese silver.

-Yeah.

-Which is probably not such high quality.

I don't know the date of them.

-They're priced...

-If they're vintage,

I think they could be quite good fun.

They're priced at £110 up here.

Shall we buy them? We may as well buy something.

We haven't bought anything yet.

We could... Well, whilst we're kind of...

-If we get this cabinet open..

-Yeah.

-..once we get it open,

we might find other things.

Good idea, Catherine,

and Matthew from the Antiques Centre is on hand to help.

I'm really hoping they're not light.

-Yeah.

-Go on.

-I'll let you do the honours.

-Have a feel.

-I'll go for one.

-Oh, they're light.

-Really light.

-They're so light.

I think they're really, really unusual.

I'm just not sure on date on these.

Any ideas on those? Because I don't know if they're that old?

The dealer's told me that she knows where they came from...

-Right.

-..and they were dated to 1930s.

We've got an engraved design on the front here, but nothing on the back.

-And what's that one?

-Mine's got a little thing on the back.

It just says sterling, 90... 950.

So 950, so that will tell you how many parts of it,

950 parts of it are silver.

They're quite light.

And for 110 quid, what do you reckon's the best we can do?

We'd be able to do 90 on those for you.

No chance on 90.

-No, I don't think so.

-I don't think we could get much...

Maybe to help you out, we could do another ten, so say 80?

Do you want to go for it?

But it's still...

-Can we do 75?

-Yeah, OK, we'll do 75.

Go on, shake his hand.

-75, lovely, thank you.

-Job done.

-Thank you so much.

Right, so we have ticked shiny box.

We need to tick something Granny box.

-Yeah.

-Yeah? Shall we go and find some animals?

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

-Come on, then.

-There you go, Matthew.

So both teams have one item each and it seems Rob's still hoping

to find his own bit of silver.

German silver, pair of salts at the back, look.

That's only £38 for the pair.

What is it you really like about them?

I mean, it's not too expensive, and I think they're practical, you know,

people can use them these days.

Should they have a glass liner?

You know, that's kind of another thing I'm kind of

a little bit worried about, but one thing's for sure,

-they are cheap. Listen...

-They can be used, anyway. Come on, let's go.

-I'm going to get David.

-OK.

I'll be back in two minutes. I've just seen him, he won't be far.

OK, OK.

Go and grab him, Danny.

Reds, is this a purrfect buy?

-Do you like cats?

-I don't mind cats.

-I'm quite... I can...

-Yeah?

-Yeah, I like cats.

-It's a Winstanley cat.

£60.

Oh, it looks evil.

-I'm kind of speechless on this one. I don't really...

-It looks evil.

That cat looks so mean.

And it's really staring at you.

I know. It's freaking me out a little bit, actually.

-No.

-No.

-Move on.

It's proving difficult to follow Granny's instructions.

Blues, what's your verdict on the silver salts?

It's definitely got hallmarks, so, yeah, it's definitely silver.

-Has the spoon got hallmarks?

-Yeah, the spoon's got hallmarks as well.

Oh, yes. We've got a bit of German silver, 1930s.

Fair age to it. I thought it was brand-new, but...

it's marked up with a fair age to it.

-Oh, dear.

-Bit more numbers on the old ticket.

Yeah. I didn't see that.

The spoons are separate.

-Oh, OK.

-So the salts are £38 for the pair, and the spoons are 18.

It's like 56 for the pair.

Would you be able to see if they would do, as they are,

for 35?

-I'll ask the question.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Can I take the ticket?

-Thank you.

Good luck with that, Rob!

While the Blues hold their breath for that big reduction,

the boys are struggling for a second item.

Is that...? Is that a bust?

Yeah, I don't... Again, it's...

That's reproduced, mate.

Listen to him.

-That's reproduced.

-He knows, he knows.

-I'm just getting everything wrong.

-You settle down.

-I know.

Looks like Tom's getting the gist of this, but what about that

bumper discount the Blues wanted on the silver salts?

-You're in luck.

-OK.

-The dealer says yes to 35.

-With the spoons?

-Including the spoons.

-That's a deal.

-That's a sale.

-That's a deal breaker.

-You take that.

-I'll take that one.

-I'll hold that, and I'll shake your hand, David.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks very much, David.

Great, so 40 minutes in and Rob has got his silver,

thanks to a cracking deal,

but the team still have a whopping £260 in the bank.

They've only spent £40.

I tell you what, if they don't spend a lot of money

on the next buy, I'm going to spend the lot when it comes

to the leftover lolly.

So, Blues, is it time for a rethink?

We are going to go for a big purchase now.

-Yeah, now.

-You've got to let me spend money.

-Yeah, no, all right.

-You agree?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, OK.

OK, I'm going to spend some money.

So with Claudia promising to loosen the reins,

the Reds are under pressure to find a second item.

Could these polar bears by Dean's be the ticket?

Dean's, good maker.

He's up there. Dean's is a good maker, up there with cuddly toys.

I just think that's...

-You're the animal man.

-..interesting.

-You're the animal man, Ollie.

-But not for you?

You're a hard man to please, aren't you?

-I am a hard man to please.

-It's quite expensive, isn't it?

Is this yours, Matthew?

-Yeah.

-Can you just tell me a bit about this?

Yeah, they're commemorative for the birth of the baby...

He was the first baby polar bear born in captivity in London.

See, I quite like that.

-I like that story.

-Yeah.

-You like the story?

-That's...

I mean, how many of them were actually produced, do we know?

No, I don't know how many. I know they're quite rare.

There's not that many that have survived in good condition.

The price is the one thing holding us back at the moment.

Right.

-Erm...

-Obviously, we're on a budget.

The very best I could do on them would be 150.

140 and it's a deal, I'll shake your hand.

-I like that.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Go on, then.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Are you?

-Done.

-I like that, Ol.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

I like the back story of the first...

Yeah, it's really something.

We haven't even looked at them, held them,

-touched them, felt them, anything!

-Sometimes, when you know, you know.

You're big softies, really, aren't you?

I know, any excuse for a polar bear.

-You're a big softie.

-We are, we are.

Aw, and it's an animal collectable.

Tom's granny will be pleased.

So with ten minutes left,

Rob wants his big-ticket item, but what about this bull

in a china shop? Price, £200.

-Yeah.

-We said we wanted to spend a lot of money.

-I mean, that's...

-Yeah, that's quite...

-Yeah.

-We wanted to buy big, Danny, that is buying big.

Well, it's big money. It's not exactly, you know,

it's not that big, but it's big money.

Yeah. I'm thinking, at the right price, you know, I think...

I think it could go.

Time to call in David.

This dealer puts a trade price on his tickets

and the trade price is £15...

-Off the 200?

-Off the 200.

Wow.

-I can ring him...

-185.

..to see what he'll do, if he'll do anything else.

What were you thinking of?

Thinking about 120.

I'll try not to laugh.

Well, that's a cheeky offer, but let's see what David can do.

With a big-ticket item already under their belts,

the Reds are returning to a familiar theme.

I think they're RAF cufflinks, there.

-They look quite nice.

-I love them.

-They're nice, aren't they?

They are serious. They are the business.

They're really lovely because they're enamel as well.

-Enamel.

-So they're like Guilloche, like engine turned enamel.

-Yeah.

-And then they're probably on, I would have thought,

nine carat gold, maybe.

Yeah. It says there £95, though.

-What do you think?

-I think...

Well, I'd like, I'd prefer you to touch, because last time

you didn't touch, so now I'm telling you to touch.

-I'll have a little look, I'll have a little look.

-Have a little look.

The important thing is with enamel...

-Yeah.

-..we need to make sure there's no damage at all on this enamel.

It's a lovely... It's a beautiful blue colour.

Because once that's damaged...

-Yeah.

-..it's almost impossible to replace.

Is there much negotiation on these?

With this dealer, we can only do 10%, I'm afraid.

So there's not too much movement.

70 for them.

I can give him a ring and see whether we can do 70 for you.

-70 would be decent.

-OK.

-Yeah?

Fingers crossed.

Now, what about Rob's £120 offer for the bull?

His absolute bottom line is 150.

So it's probably worth having a closer look, just before we decide.

Shall we just have a little feel?

-Do you want me to get it out?

-Yeah, please, thank you.

I tell you what, it's a good job we've got Claudia here.

She doesn't half... She does the thinking for us, you know.

-She does.

-Someone needs to take the bull by the horns.

Oh! Wow.

-Is that heavy?

-Yeah, very heavy.

-Which I think...

-Yeah.

-..is why...

-You're right, Danny, it is very modern.

-..it's quite a lot

-of money.

-It doesn't sound like there's going to be a deal,

but the clock's ticking. Is there any better news for the Reds?

Well, I managed to get hold of him.

-Oh, gosh, that was quick.

-It was a quick call

-and he will do 75 for them.

-Oh!

-75?

-75.

What do you think? Ollie, 75?

-Ollie, 75?

-70, and it's a deal.

Come on, Matthew, pull through.

You're putting me under pressure, but OK, yes.

Oh, lovely. Shake his hand, quickly.

-Lovely, thank you very much.

-Deal done.

-Thank you, thank you.

That is cutting it fine.

I tell you what, you guys really know how to work

till the very, very last second.

They certainly do, but they're used to pressure on the pitch.

-I'm exhausted.

-So can the Blues nail a decision on the bull

with just two minutes left?

Is it to buy or not to buy?

-To buy.

-Pff...

-We're not going to...

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-I can see something else in there, that...

But it's at half the money.

-It's...

-What do you reckon?

-It's up to you.

One minute left? One minute left.

Yeah.

-David.

-Thank you very much.

-You've got a deal.

-Thank you.

-It looks like a yes.

-It looks like a yes.

That's it, teams. Time's up.

We're all done now, anyway.

We're all done up. We've bought our three pieces.

You've been absolutely fantastic.

Let's remind ourselves what the Reds bought.

Tom and Ollie are hoping someone at the auction will be a fan of these

salt and pepper shakers, £75 paid.

These burly rugby players are softies at heart

and paid £140 for these

polar bears. And, finally,

will these RAF cufflinks take off at the auction, purchased for £70?

Well, boys, you were focused.

You were organised.

And you are also a pair of big softies!

-Oh, stop!

-Did you have a good time?

-Yeah, really enjoyed it.

-Oh, loved it.

-Really enjoyed it.

-And what's your favourite item?

I'd say my favourite was the, erm, the cufflinks.

-The cufflinks?

-Yeah.

I think we worked quite hard for those, and, yeah,

-I think they look quite cool.

-Yeah.

Are they going to make the most profit, though?

-Hopefully.

-You're hedging your bets?

-Yeah. Yeah. They are. Yeah.

-Ollie,

what was your favourite item?

Oh, definitely the polar bear.

Is it going to make a big profit?

Most profit...profit Bargain Hunt's seen in a while, I think.

-What a statement!

-I mean...

You crazy kid.

-I stand by that.

-I like it.

Now, boys, you spent 285,

which leaves £15.

£15, please.

-There you go. Enjoy it.

-Oh, Catherine,

that's a wee tiny amount of money.

Have you got any idea what you're going to buy?

Well, it's not a lot of cash, but I shall wave my magic wand and turn it

into thousands.

-There you go.

-That's what we needed.

-That's what we want to hear.

While Catherine goes off to buy her bonus buy, let's remind

ourselves what the Blues bought.

First up, Claudia loved this mid-20th century eggshell ware cup

and saucer, bought for just £5.

Next, Rob was determined to buy some silver and bought these salts

and spoons for £35.

And finally, with time almost up,

they spent £150 on this decorative bull.

Claudia, your dad was very well-behaved.

You didn't have to rein him in today, did you?

No, he was quite good, actually. You were quite sensible.

Erm, I think we had quite a mutual decision on,

-I think, all three items.

-All three items, yeah.

Claudia, what was your favourite item?

I really liked the first one we bought.

Erm, it was a duck egg cup and saucer, which is really nice.

Erm, it had a lovely pattern on it as well, which was...

-Good.

-Yeah, it was.

-And you didn't pay a lot of money for it?

No, no, it was only £5, which

I'm guaranteed we're going to make a profit on that one.

Ah, is it going to make the most profit?

I believe so, yeah.

I think you're right. Yeah, I think so.

So what was your favourite item?

I preferred the bull, erm,

but I think the duck egg cup and saucer

is going to make the most profit.

You spent a goodly amount of money, £190.

-We did.

-Could I have 110, please?

-Yeah, of course.

-Thank you very much.

That will go straight over to Danny.

Danny, a goodly enough sum.

Do you know what you're going to buy?

-HE SIGHS

-I'm not quite sure yet.

We'll just leave it at that.

While Danny goes off to buy his bonus buy,

I'm going to visit some place rather interesting.

TRUMPETS SOUND

The changing of the guard is an institution that fascinates

people all over the world.

Each week here, in Central London,

thousands of people peer through these gates

to watch this most British of ceremonies.

I am at Wellington Barracks,

which is just next door to Buckingham Palace.

It's home to the five regiments of Foot Guards

who take it in turns to

protect the sovereign, Her Majesty the Queen.

Today, here in front of the barracks,

the Coldstream Guards are preparing to take over from the Irish Guards,

who have been protecting Buckingham Palace

and St James's Palace for the past 48 hours.

This routine has remained largely unchanged since 1837,

when Queen Victoria moved into Buckingham Palace.

Before that, the sovereign was based just at St James's Palace.

Soldiers have guarded the king or queen since the reign of Henry VII,

who made the royal bodyguard a permanent institution.

But it's important to remember that the Queen's guards,

as well as being first-class ceremonial soldiers,

are also world-class fighting soldiers

who have been involved in every major conflict,

from America to Afghanistan,

and from the Falkirk to the Falklands.

Wellington Barracks is also home to the Guards Museum,

which tells the fascinating story of the regiments

from the 17th century to

the present day and explains what being a soldier in the Guards is all

about. I've come to meet Andrew Wallace, the curator here,

to find out more.

Andrew, the guards' uniforms are wonderful.

Tell me a little bit about them.

Well, the story starts over here

with the senior regiment of Foot Guards,

the first, or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards,

formed in 1656 in Bruges,

in Flanders, to protect Charles II, who was in exile.

Being the senior regiment,

their buttons are singly spaced down the front of the jacket.

They have a grenade on their collar and a white plume on the left of the

-bearskin cap.

-Yes, I can see that, there.

Why is it on the left?

Well, in line of battle,

when all the regiments lined up ready to go into battle,

everything senior in the military goes to the right,

so being the senior regiment, they form up right off the line,

so all the other regiments are off to their left.

So for their plume to be seen,

it has to be on the left of the bearskin cap

so as the other regiments can

see it. Now, older than them by some six years are the Coldstream Guards.

You would think, being older, they would be senior,

but they unfortunately backed Oliver Cromwell

in the English Civil War, and when he lost,

-they lost...

-They were on the wrong side.

They lost their seniority.

Their buttons are grouped in twos down the front of the jacket.

They have the Garter star as their collar badge.

So they threw a bit of a hissy fit and they said,

"If we can't be in our rightful position, right of the line,

"we're going to go right to the other end and be left of the line."

So for their plume to be seen by the other regiments,

it's got to be on the right of the bearskin cap.

Next in line, we've got, erm, the Scots Guards.

In those days, there were only three regiments,

and if you weren't right of the line and you weren't left of the line...

-You were in the centre?

-You were in the centre.

No-one left to see your plume, so they don't have one.

In 1900, Queen Victoria introduced the Irish Regiment of Foot Guards.

In those days, a third of the British Army

was made up of Irishmen.

15 years after that, the Welsh Guards were formed

during the Great War.

As well as these uniforms,

the museum contains a range of artefacts

relating to the five regiments.

So, Anita, I know that Bargain Hunt has its very famous Golden Gavel.

It does indeed.

I thought you might be interested to see

our equivalent, which is the gold gun.

This is a prize for musketry which dates back to the late Victorian,

early Edwardian times.

And it's still shot for to this very day within the Grenadier Guards, and

the winner gets to wear the gold gun.

Not for very long, because it's then recovered to the safety of the

museum, but in the old days, you won it for a year.

And just behind us here,

we have the uniform of regimental Sergeant Major Gus Thomas,

a very famous, brilliant marksman in the Grenadiers,

and we are fortunate enough to have an oil painting with him actually

wearing it on his uniform for the year that he won it.

It was fiercely competed for?

-Absolutely.

-Just like our Golden Gavels.

Quite so.

Andrew, that was fascinating,

but now it's time for us to stand to attention and continue today's

Bargain Hunt battle as we head off to the auction.

Today, we're at London Auctions in Chiswick

with auctioneer Mark Longson.

Mark, it's lovely to be here.

Welcome to London Auctions.

Thank you. Now, Reds first.

Tom and Ollie.

Their first item was this pair of white metal condiment shakers.

What do you think of those?

Have you seen something like that before?

-Fan shaped?

-No, I haven't.

-I haven't.

-I think they are so attractive because of that.

-Unusual.

-Yes. I mean, it's going to appeal to somebody who likes

the Orient but also the silver element as well, you know.

We think that's probably around about 40, £60 worth.

They paid £75 for it.

-It could get there.

-Our next item was Ollie's favourites.

He's about 6'4", and he fell in love with this mum and baby polar bear.

I think he's going to get some stick down the rugby club.

I mean, there's plenty of history in those bears,

with the little cub being

the first actually produced in captivity at London Zoo.

Made by Dean's Rag.

We've gone for a 60 to 90.

They paid 140, so they absolutely fell in love with them.

Well, their third item is this pair of RAF blue enamelled cufflinks.

Good style, but it is only...

That narrows the field, doesn't it?

-It does.

-It will only appeal to someone who is in the RAF.

What's your estimate?

I think we've gone for about 50 to £80.

Yeah, well they paid 70, so we do have a chance of profit.

-We're in that bracket, then.

-Yes.

So it looks like they might need their bonus buy,

so let's go and have a look at it.

Ollie, there's someone missing here today.

Your team-mate, Tom.

-Where is he?

-He's gone to New Zealand to play rugby.

-Wow.

-He's only been there a week, but I think he's really enjoying

-himself.

-Is he having a good time?

-Yeah, he is, yeah.

-That's terrific.

-Anyway, you left Catherine with 15 poor little pounds.

-I know!

-I know.

-Catherine, can I see what you did?

-Wow!

-Have one of those.

-Thank you.

-Now, when you think of rugby players,

-what do you think of?

-Mugs.

No, not mugs, you think of beer.

-Tankards.

-Lovely.

-No, seriously,

I bought these because they are designed by Keith Murray,

and Keith Murray was a designer for Wedgwood.

It's a very simple design, but that's really what he was all about.

He was all about doing very simple,

plain ideas, and it's got this lovely little ribbing bit

at the bottom.

-How much did you pay?

-Well, for these two,

a mere £15, which was all I was left.

Blew the lot, blew the lot!

So what are they likely to make me?

I think they should make between 30 and £50.

-Ideal.

-Do you think Tom would like them, Ollie?

Well, he was a big beer drinker, so I think he'd love them, yeah.

-I think you've convinced Ollie, Catherine.

-I hope so.

But you can make your final decision after your other three items have

been sold, and in the meantime,

let's find out what the auctioneer thinks of Catherine's Keith Murray

tankards.

Well, Catherine bought this pair of tankards.

Well, Keith Murray is known for his simplicity,

and these are simple tankards,

and people these days are buying articles

that they are actually going to be using.

What's your estimate on the tankards?

We're looking at 30 to 50.

Catherine only paid £15.

-She did well.

-She did well on that.

-Brilliant, yes.

I think I smell a profit there.

Could be, could be in the nest.

Yeah. That's it for the Reds.

Now, daughter and dad team, Claudia and Rob.

Both thought this would make the most profit.

Their first item.

It's the little Oriental eggshell ware cabinet cup and saucer.

Does it have an eggshell? Has it got a face at the bottom?

No, there's no face at the bottom.

So definitely for the export market.

15 to 30 is the estimate that we've put on it.

Well, I'm sure they'll be happy with 15 to 30 because they only paid £5

for it.

The second item is the pair of 20th-century silver salts.

They are marked 800.

Tell me what you think of those.

Continental little salts with the spoons.

Yeah, ideal for the dinner party.

Estimate on that?

-40 to 60.

-Well they paid £35 for it, so it's not looking too bad so far.

-That's fine, that's fine.

-Their third item was

this contemporary cast of a bull.

It was Rob's favourite item.

Tell me, what do you think?

Is Rob a Taurus?

He may well be.

That might have influenced him.

60 to 90 we've gone for.

60 to 90. They paid £150 for it.

Well, it looks like they'll definitely need their bonus buy,

so let's go and have a look at it.

You gave Danny 110.

Danny, what did you buy?

Well, I did say I was going to shed a bit of light on the item.

Something you're probably not believing I've bought, but...

I don't like that face.

-That's all right. It's pretty.

-It's OK.

It's OK? Well, I mean, what we've got here is a 1960s,

1970s pendant light.

Brass in the centre with glass shades.

Quite in vogue nowadays.

I think everybody likes a bit of retro,

everybody wants a bit of retro.

How much did you pay?

I paid 48.

OK, OK.

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

Well, I think it's a big piece.

Lighting makes a room.

You know, this could go on to 60, 70, maybe even £80.

You're looking a wee bit underwhelmed.

What do you think of it, Rob?

I don't like it.

But if it's going to make money, then, you know,

I'll go with Danny's choice.

What about you, Claudia?

Yeah, I don't think it's too bad.

It's nice and pretty. I think if we can polish it up a little bit,

-it'll be all right.

-Yeah.

Well, you don't have to make up your mind at the moment.

Wait until your other three items have been sold, but in the meantime,

let's see what the auctioneer thinks about Danny's retro lamp.

Is it cool or is it kitsch?

-I think it is kitsch.

-You think it's kitsch.

-I think it is kitsch.

It just doesn't quite have that good style element.

There is something to it, yes, and people doing conversions,

loft conversions, there are plenty around here.

But 40 to £60 for us.

Well, he paid £48, so there's a possibility of a profit there.

-OK, OK, Yeah.

-Excellent, excellent.

Are you taking the sale today, Mark?

I will be up on that rostrum for you, trying my hardest.

I'm looking forward to it.

35. Going round, and once again.

35, 40.

5. 50? 5. 60.

It will go...

Now, tell me, have you been to an auction before?

I've never been, no.

-I'm a bit nervous to see how well we do.

-A wee bit nervous, yeah?

-I'm loving being part of it, yeah.

-Ah, excellent.

Well, your first item is the lovely

little pair of condiments,

and they're coming up right now.

White metal, they are. It's got the sterling stamp on it, in fact.

-£20.

-Oh, no!

20, the bid. 5, the bid.

30, the bid to the left-hand side.

-5 in front.

-It's started!

35. 40 at home.

And 5. At 45. I've not seen something like this.

At 45. 50, at home.

5 in front.

55. 60 at home.

Still taking those little fivers.

And 5 again. 65.

-Come on.

-70 at home.

Shake of the head in the room.

70. The interest is at home at the moment, at £70.

I give fair warning, we're out

-in the room...

-One more, one more!

-It's gone.

-£70.

That's -5, but it's not too bad.

Let's see how your second item does.

It's your polar bears.

It's going to be big. It's going to be really big.

£60. 60?

-Come on.

-Good little collector's items, these.

Make it £30, then. Chop that bottom estimate in two.

-£30.

-No!

-Oh, dear.

-I've seen them sell for 200!

-Don't worry.

-20 for the bears.

Sympathy vote down the middle, £20.

£20, do we have fives again?

Maiden bid'll take it.

Oh, dear.

-Oh, no.

-I'm so sorry.

-That was a loss of £120.

-Can't BEAR it.

Well, that takes you, after two items, to -125.

Our next item, the lovely RAF cufflinks.

£50 for this pair.

50 the bid, and 5 as well at home.

55 and 60.

In front at 60.

£60. 65. 65?

-At £65, we look as though we're selling online.

-Oh, no.

-Come on!

-Get ready.

Ah, we were nearly there with the cuff links.

-5 on that.

Which takes your overall score

to -130.

Are you going to take the bonus buy?

She's paid £15 for the pair of Keith Murray tankards.

-Are you going to take them?

-100%.

100%, well...

-There you go, you've got to...

-Yeah?

-..dig us out of this hole.

-OK.

Well, I don't know if I can totally dig you out of the hole,

-but I'll give it a go.

-Give it a go, and it's coming up now.

£30, for a pair of Keith Murray renowned tankards.

30 bid, 30 bid.

5? 40?

Against the room at 40.

£40. £40, the bid's here on the book at 40, and 5.

I've got 50.

Room's out. £50.

Be quick. Don't look away. Here we go, then.

£50, that's excellent.

That gives you a profit

of £35.

Which takes your overall score

to -£95.

-Could be a winning score, Ollie, could be a winning score.

-Could be.

But you have to promise me something.

-Yeah?

-Don't say a word to the Blues.

My lips are sealed.

Tell me, have you been to an auction before?

-BOTH:

-No, never.

-Never?

-No.

-Never? Well, you're all part of this excitement now.

Yep. Well, the first item to come up is Claudia's favourite.

It was that delightful little Oriental eggshell

cabinet cup and saucer.

-Good luck, guys!

-Thank you.

-MARK:

-£10 on the little cabinet piece there.

£10?

9, 8, 7, 6...

5?

£5. Yay, on the left-hand side!

At 5, at 5.

-ROB:

-We got our money back.

-MARK:

-Close in we go. £5 only. Hooray!

£5, well...

You haven't lost anything yet.

-You haven't lost anything.

-True, true.

So your second item is the little Continental salts,

-and we think they're Italian.

-Yep.

Let's hope we can make a profit with these.

£40.

Not over asking you for that.

All stamped up silver, £40.

20 note, then.

Chop it right in two.

20, 5.

30, close.

Come on.

£30, still take another fiver if you like, the little box set.

At £30.

Going in row two, down the right-hand channel.

Come on.

All finished then at 30.

-£30.

-No!

That's -5.

That takes your score,

after two items sold, to -5.

Third item is the bull, and this is the one that you're worried about.

60 we bid.

60 we bid at home.

£60, £60?

The internet's in, come along, the room. At £60.

-Come on!

-Come on!

"Come on," the cry in the back, but £60.

-Once ready, twice and shy, down we go, then.

-No!

£60...

-Ouch!

--90.

And overall, you're at -95.

You've got to make up your mind now.

Are going to take Danny's bonus buy, the retro lamp?

-Should we go for it?

-Yeah.

-Should we go for it?

-Go for it.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-Are you absolutely sure?

-We trust you.

Well, Danny paid £48 for it.

And I can tell you at this point that the auctioneer has estimated it

40-60, so there is a chance there.

-There is a chance.

-£40.

Bid at home, 40. 40, 40.

Want your little fivers.

£40. £40, the spray light setting. At £40.

-Come on.

-Somebody, come on, bid.

40 sold.

Aw, that was a bit tough, so that was -8

on that one.

Now, it takes your overall score to -103.

-But, but...

-That's terrible.

..that could be a winning score. You've got to promise me something.

-Yeah.

-Don't say a word to the Reds.

-Not a word.

-No.

-Not a word.

You were all wonderful sports,

and it was a close-run competition today.

But it was very, very close,

and today's runners up are...

..the Blues!

THEY LAUGH

Unfortunately, you made wee losses on everything, and unfortunately,

weren't rescued by Danny's bonus buy.

So, Ollie, you're the winner today.

I don't know how, but I think that's the proudest moment of my life.

-Aw, wonderful.

-Thank you. That's big.

Well, you made a wee loss on everything.

I know! I think I did nothing for the team,

but Catherine managed to save us, so...

On the Keith Murray tankards,

and that was the thing that made the difference at the end.

But will you be on the phone to Tom tonight,

to let him know the good news?

-Yes, I will.

-Excellent.

Well, we've all had a good time, haven't we?

-Yes.

-Uh-huh. If you'd like to find out more about the show,

check out our website or follow us on Twitter.

But, best of all, join us soon for more Bargain Hunting!

-Yes? ALL:

-Yes!