Episode 4 Del Boys and Dealers

It's a game, innit? And the buzz you get.

It's better than sex, I tell you.

All over Britain, a unique breed of entrepreneur is on the make.

It's just become 100 years old, so it has just become an antique.

HORN HONKS

The flames are beautiful. This will be so easy to sell.

For these real life Del Boys, everything and anything is for sale.

Think of that? You know who it is, don't you?

For fresh stock they head to a very particular type of auction house.

Mickey Mouse.

Three, four, four.

Anybody else want a bag of earmuffs for six quid?

Sifting through the junk in search of buried treasure.

If that's a genuine Rolex watch...

He's bought a Porsche, ain't he?

-It's moody, innit? I can tell by your face.

-Yeah.

But will any of these dealers discover the lot that will

make them millionaires?

-If it was authentic, you know...

-£200,000.

HE LAUGHS

I hope I find a nice something that's worth millions of pounds

and I can never work again.

In South London,

Toni and her mum June are regulars at their local auction house.

Toni started trading in low-value costume jewellery two years ago.

Now she's able to bid on the auction's most expensive lots.

The item I like is a nine-carat white gold chain

with an 18-carat white gold,

16 diamonds cross.

520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570,

590, 610, 610.

SHE GIGGLES

Toni shares a home with her mum,

which doubles as her business headquarters.

I trade now in gold and silver.

I still have a little bit of costume jewellery but, no,

it's all gold and silver.

I buy and I sell.

These are all silver rings.

There's 170 in there.

These are all gold rings.

This one is designer.

You've got Tiffany, Gucci, Calvin Klein.

I've only been doing this for two years and two months now

and I've gone from, what was it,

£387 my mum lent me in Majorca.

We went on holiday, I bought some jewellery over there,

and that was two years and two months ago.

And now look at me.

Toni took up trading to keep herself busy after an attack of meningitis

six years ago left her with permanent disabilities.

On a daily basis,

I never know from day to day what I'm going to be like.

I'm in continual pain

in my left shoulder part.

I've now got emphysema, which is to do with my breathing,

but, hey ho, life's a bitch,

you've got to carry on, you know.

Toni can only sell her wares within the range of her mobility scooter.

At weekends, she heads to Wimbledon, her local car-boot sale.

Just knackers me.

Everyone gets dealt bad hands at one point in their life, right?

You've got two type of people.

The people that mope, moan and end up dying miserable old sods, right?

Or you've got people that say,

"Right, that's the hand I've been dealt,

"I've got to make the most of it."

-All the details are on there.

-Oh, right.

'I want to go a step further, get myself a driver

'and build my business up.'

Right, it cost me 60.

Oh, go on, I'll do it for the price I paid.

-There you go, darling.

-Thank you.

-Thank you. Yep.

You've got an Amiga there.

I'll have to have a look at that.

Before every auction,

Toni scours the online catalogue looking for bargains.

-Oh, look, they've got Durex.

-Pardon?

They've got a bag of Durex!

You get to my age, they're a memory.

Long past as well.

92, that's that one.

This week there's a sale of a huge collection of pocket watches

whose owner has recently died.

-Look, Mum, that's not the light, is it?

-No, that's a goldy tone.

Yeah, you got it.

That does LOOK gold.

Well, gold or brass.

I do like that,

but it'll still be a matter of waiting

and seeing who's got the money and who ain't.

In Lancashire, Danny's been wheeling and dealing for the past ten years.

He's a well-known figure at local auctions.

It's all about sort of standing out a little bit.

People say, "Looking for quite a tall black guy, got a big afro,

"gold teeth, cravat on his neck" you know.

"I know just the guy!"

Moving on to lot 171.

Two vintage record players.

20, 22, 24,

26, 28.

I've been going to auctions for years.

There's always a big adrenaline, you know, a big pounding going on.

Quite a nice buzz really.

36, 38, 40.

Guaranteed. Is this one working or have you not tested it?

I've tested it, Pete. It all fires up...

-Yeah.

-..but it doesn't go round.

I'll give you £65 for the lot.

Can you give us 70, Pete, and I'll put you at the top of the list

when I get any more audio equipment, and that's a promise?

I'm really struggling to be...

Well, go on, because I know you, all right, buddy.

40.

'I feel that I'm quite a good trader, you know, in whatever commodity.'

I like the whole shebang, to be honest, you know, the buying,

the selling, the bartering.

I probably like the sound of my own voice.

-Done.

-Yeah. I have been done again, yeah.

Doubled my money. Easy money.

Get a bit of cash in my pocket and I can roll on.

You know, in this game, my tools is money. That's my tools.

My tools is money.

I can't go to an auction house and say,

"I'll pay you next week when I sell it."

They're not interested. They want cash. They want money.

They want paying.

In the ten years since he's started trading,

Danny's buying has outstripped his selling...

..and his late mother's home in Northamptonshire

has become his warehouse.

The place is chockablock with gear, you know.

This is like my office-cum-store,

cum, you know...

It's to the ceiling, you know what I mean? It's to the bloody ceiling!

Well, I've got a sort of a bit of a weird idea

of having like a house auction, you know?

Pretty much advertise it, lot everything up in here

and sell it.

They do it in America

and I truly believe that people will come from down in London

and, you know, and surrounding areas, to come and buy it.

And who's going to be the auctioneer?

Me. I'll be the auctioneer. Don't worry about that.

I'll be the auctioneer. I'll be a lot better than

a lot of them professional auctioneers out there.

It's not just experienced dealers who can let their buying

outpace their selling.

In Yorkshire, Vicky's only been trading two years,

but her garage is already overflowing with stock.

A Fisher Price house.

A coal model, entirely made of coal.

Laundry...posser.

Do you know, I just don't even know really what that is.

To be honest, I'll be honest, a laundry posser and a posser head.

I mean, people just love bedpans. Why is that?

I did sell one to a chap and he did say he was going to use it.

It's grown.

It's grown too much, really,

so we've had to have a garage built just to accommodate it.

I mean, look at it.

All this stock, it's got to be worth thousands, hasn't it, really?

I mean it's... Yeah, it will be, it will be worth thousands.

We haven't got thousands from it because it's all sitting in a box,

but it's probably worth £5,000, I would think, at least.

-Coffee?

-Yeah, please.

Vicky has two sons and lives on a farm with her husband, Rod.

Thanks.

Vicky's quite good at buying, yes, yes, fair bit of buying, yeah.

You never know quite what's going to come through the door

when she gets back from these events.

Hello, little sheepies, baa!

I really like the sheep - they're such a calming influence.

Hello! Oh, no, don't run away.

I'm really just a housewife, to be honest, that's what I am.

That's what I do.

You know, I've had children and so far that's all I've done.

I haven't had a job since I had Thomas 20 years ago,

and I feel terrible saying that. That makes me

look like a real lazy person, but actually you know I have been bored,

I've been incredibly bored trying to find things to do

because I can't stand just being in a house and cleaning it.

I have a massive desire to get a bargain, it's just something

that if I don't, I tend to be a bit difficult to live with, actually,

and it is a bit of a case of a bargain a day that keeps me going.

It is a hobby and it's just turned into a nightmare, really, isn't it?

It's a hobby gone mad.

-Morning.

-Hello.

Vicky's a regular at Sude Hill Auctions,

a magnet for local bargain-hunters.

AUCTIONEER INDISTINCT IN BACKGROUND

-AUCTIONEER:

-Barbie dolls, handmade,

one, one, one, one, one, one, one,

two bid, two bid,

two bid, three. £1, two bid, two bid, nobody interested?

£1, £1, £1. £1, £1, two.

Two plates, 3.61...

Whilst Vicky's at home buying at auction...

Titanic Boat sank.

Titanic picture.

..she's not yet found a place

where she's as comfortable selling her wares.

'I know people seem to make money at car boots but I never have.'

I get people, "Oh will you take 50p for this, love?"

You know, that's what they say to me.

'You know, like I spend my life wasting my time buying stuff'

just to sell it for 50p.

You know, I'm really not interested in that.

That is one thing I would like to be - more of a businesswoman

and not just somebody that's playing with it.

In South London, Toni is on her way to the auction viewing day.

Here!

In this week's sale, there's a collection of pocket watches...

-I'll come over and have a look at the watches with you.

-Yes.

..so Toni's called in Charles,

her watch restorer, to give them the once-over.

You might want to look at this one.

You've got a back which is probably one of the nicest

I've seen for some time.

Oh, my God.

That, that's a nice watch. I would value that at least at £100.

I think it's a lovely watch.

And this is what I was saying about keeping quiet,

because even they haven't noticed.

I'm glad my watch man turned up and he's found some gems in there,

but he should have kept his voice down.

But never mind, he'll learn.

Lot 80, various old gold-plated and other yellow metal pocket watches.

30, 30 I have, 32, 34, 36, 38...

When the lot comes up, Toni's not the only one interested.

115, 120, 125, 130, 135.

She finds herself up against Jamie,

another of the auction's heavyweights.

190, 195, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240,

250, 260, 270, 270.

Still in the front at £270.

Over the course of the sale, Toni wins several lots...

..and comes away with a haul of 25 timepieces.

Thank you.

You can see the engine turning work on the plates, which is

an indication of the quality of the movement itself.

I'd be disappointed if we couldn't get 80 to 100 for it.

We paid just under £550, cost. 25 pocket watches there.

I think we can more than double our outlay,

if not treble it or even more, potentially.

-What?

-Potentially.

Polished and serviced, the watches soon start paying for themselves.

Yes, of course, open it up, sir. Help yourself.

All fully working.

How much are you selling them for?

A lot more than we paid for them.

That's 1803, that is.

That one is £250, my love.

Over the next few weeks, the pocket watches are a big earner for Toni,

generating plenty of profit to reinvest at the next auction.

# I'm a love man

# Call me the love man

# That's what they call me I'm a love man... #

Danny's bringing his long-term girlfriend Jo to Wellingborough

to help plan his house auction.

# Six feet one, weight 210... #

Tell you what, this bloody song is made for me. Go on, Otis.

SONG CONTINUES

So, Jo, what I'm thinking is really, downstairs, you know, door

wide open, you know, the door's wide open, they can come straight in.

That one there will be lot number one. You know,

put a bit of a sticker, one, two, these things here will have three,

that will have four, that will have five, that will have six,

that will have number seven, you know, and then they can just...

You know, basically all they'll do

is walk through and just see constant lots.

'He told me about his house auction dream years ago, you know.'

He's always writing things down.

"What do you think of this, Jo? What do you think of that?"

You know, and I'll say, "Yeah, it sounds good, get on with it."

I think I'd want to be around here, somewhere just here.

Right, so you're going to have all the people...

So that the people are in front of me there.

You know, because you've got to take risks.

If you don't take risks, then, you know, you'll never know,

and he doesn't want to be one of them people who just says,

"Oh, I should have done that, I should have done this."

It is in him to do it.

AUCTIONEER ON VIDEO SPEAKS RAPIDLY

Bloody good he is. It's worldwide auctioneer championships.

AUCTIONEER ON VIDEO SPEAKS RAPIDLY

I wouldn't mind doing that,

that whole tongue...tongue roller twister.

I wouldn't mind getting to that, I tell you.

HE MIMICS VIDEO

I tell you what, it's flipping hard.

If people are more happy, sort of quite like the atmosphere,

then they're going to feel a lot more at home.

If they're going to feel more at home

they might put their hand in their pocket more, you know.

AUCTIONEERS ON VIDEO SPEAK RAPIDLY

I think they're flipping brilliant.

Oh, I'll get my gloves out.

In Yorkshire, Vicky is off to auction again.

Not massively clean. Don't look.

We purchased the van because the amount of stuff that

I have acquired is a practical impossibility to get into the car.

We used to get it in the 4x4,

but then we used to have to do two car journeys.

I don't think we'd ever have imagined owning a van

in our entire lives, until now.

As part of her strategy to sell more stock,

Vicky's booked a stall at a prestigious vintage fair.

To mark the event, she's in search of yet more fresh stock.

We've got a suitcase here with a tin hat.

These are very desirable.

And we've also got... I daren't pull the trigger,

but anyway... Perhaps we shouldn't do that.

Lot number seven.

-AUCTIONEER:

-There we go, lot seven,

a suitcase and the contents, all sorts of stuff in there.

Blimey, Dad's Army, there we go. Where do you want to be?

There it is. You can play at Dad's Army at the weekend with this one.

£3 for it, three, three bid, four bid, five bid.

Mr Mainwaring, thank you.

Five, six anywhere? Six, thank you. Seven? Seven, thank you. Eight?

£8. Nine, thank you. A tenner...?

The bidding starts low, but it's a popular lot

and the price starts to climb.

22, 24, 26, 28, at lady's bid at 26.

All done at £26 and done.

Thank you very much indeed. Commiserations to the under-bidder.

I paid more than my comfort zone for that, but I'm feeling excited

so it must have something good. I feel it's got something good in it.

There you go. Over the top!

Look at this.

Oh, God, yeah. That's quite impressive, isn't it?

That's got to be authentic, hasn't it, from the point of view of age.

Definitely. And look, it's got straps, it's got the lot.

Yes. It's got a date. 1939. There you are then, yeah.

-That's World War II, isn't it?

-It's got to be, yeah.

I'm quite chuffed with that.

Yeah, it's good.

-That's not a real one, you know.

-It's not a real one?

No. I think some parent or whatever

has taken a lot of trouble to make that.

Look, we have also, shooting flask.

Yeah, they're nice, aren't they? Yeah.

And then you've got this.

MUSIC BOX PLAYS

Isn't that nice?

Blimey. "Old vintage antique collectable military helmet

"with no liner, 125."

Everything I'm finding that's similar to this is over 100.

This one's 229. That is getting quite exciting, actually.

I might have to price that at a little bit more

just to test it, actually, because it is an antique helmet. I think it is.

A year ago I wouldn't have dared to

take my stuff to an antiques fair.

That was just something you watch on the telly, to be honest,

but now I think, well, I know I can do it.

With so much stock to choose from,

selecting the right items for an event is crucial.

That's definitely going. That's going. That's going.

Yeah, that's got to go.

Right, OK, those are yesses, these are noes, this is my no pile.

-Maybe, maybe no, maybe not, what do you think?

-Yeah.

We'd take an enormous amount.

It takes an enormous amount of effort of packing.

Putting it all out, we'd never sell half of it,

if we take the whole lot, so it means even more work

packing it all up and bringing it all back again.

I like it to be really full, actually, I really do.

That is half-full, that's no good at all.

That's for when you're doing three different fairs in one trip,

-but we're not.

-We've got loads more.

Let's get it all in. You haven't put any of the tea tables in.

There's just absolutely loads more space in there, isn't there?

-Better get labelling, I think.

-You'll find something, I'm sure.

Oh, I will. Oh, I definitely will.

Oh, you've forgotten the tablecloths.

At Wimbledon car boot,

Toni's taken a big step in expanding her business.

This is my new partner.

I advertised for a driver and Debbie decided to come in as a partnership.

Yeah, this is all new to me, so I'm learning from the best.

Hello, how are you?

So she's teaching me as we go along,

because obviously I know some designer watches,

but not all of them.

I most probably can do it cheaper, but I'd have to have a look.

Yeah, it's going well.

I've now got a car, I've got a driver and yeah, I'm enjoying it now.

Now I can relax a bit.

It's better to have a little bit of time, isn't it, than...

Oh, this is luxury. This is luxury, babe.

Toni's brought Debbie to her first auction

to teach her some of the tricks of the trade.

In today's sale there's a sizeable consignment of yet more watches.

They're grouped as single lots in sealed bags.

I'd say it's not real.

That is not worth it. You can just scrap it.

If you can, turn that one over.

Right, if you can... because I think that one is genuine.

There are some good ones, good names.

You've got your copies in there.

There's quite a few Rolex ones there, aren't there, yeah?

Yeah. They're not Rolexes.

But there was one in one of the bags.

You actually mentioned it, that it looked like a Rolex. Yeah?

Well, it had all the names at the bottom

and that's a good 'un, I think.

Now you know why I said to you, right...

You thought I wasn't interested.

Nah, I was just like, "pass it on" because people watch you looking.

They're thinking, "Oh, yeah, what's all this about?"

You don't let on nothing.

Right.

It's two weeks before his house auction

and Danny still hasn't decided what's for sale.

As well as the house, he's got two other buildings

full of potential lots.

It's drawing near now

and there's still quite a bit of work left to do.

So I'm slightly worried, you know.

I want it to be the best that it can be.

I don't want to be putting in a lot of crap in the auction,

you know. It's got to look interesting and desirable,

where people think, "Ooh, every lot's a winner."

Definitely a lot more work than what I... But I think that's

a bit of me all over really - sort of jump in and then

worry about it once the sharks are chasing you type.

Any further on 20 for the nest of tables?

18, 20 at the back there, any further on 20?

To kick off his publicity campaign

Danny's giving out leaflets at a local auction.

House auction on Saturday, mate. House auction Saturday.

Give one to your mate. House auction Saturday.

Bring plenty of money with you.

Saturday, down by the train station. Straight down Midland Road,

before you get to the train station, you bust a right.

I've got to get the word out, so just keep spreading it.

-When's that, today?

-Saturday.

Danny's decided his auction needs an eye-catching centrepiece.

Just fancied something a little bit quirky to have in the sale,

bit of a talking piece, really.

Maybe generate some interest or attraction, you know.

Not working 100%, but the bloke seems quite genuine.

You know, he sort of said, well he's had in his barn for years

and when he put it in the barn it were working.

Well, oldest trick in the book, that one.

That'll be all right. Instead of charging 20p for a ride,

just charge them 10p to sit in it.

-How much did you pay for it, Danny?

-100 quid.

-Think you can make a profit on that?

-I hope so. I believe so.

I better had do.

The main part is getting punters there.

Once you've got punters there, then you're cooking with gas.

I think if I get the right clientele down on the day

I've got no worries in making big bucks.

Get me in dizzy dream world, you know what I mean?

I'll be saying I want five grand.

Yeah, well, today we're doing a Britain Does Vintage event.

It's the first time we've done it, it's a very big vintage event,

very popular I hope.

At 10am, the doors open to the public.

Still haven't unpacked yet. There's about four boxes not touched yet.

Oh, my God.

All this stuff needs to go to good homes.

Not back to mine.

The top-priced items on the stall are Vicky's most recent purchases.

Yeah I'm putting the steel helmet on for £50,

and if I get £50 for it I will be really pleased.

I think eight for that and ten for that.

I think I had seven, but I'd let it go for six, that. Six.

-Thank you very much.

-That's lovely, thank you. There you go.

-Enjoy, see you later.

-Thank you.

-Bye.

-Could do make it cheaper?

I tell you what, I'll do it for 18 for the lot, that is my cheapest.

How about 15?

15?

16, I'll do it 16, that is my absolute last. 16.

-15.

-16.

Please. Please.

I really like it, I will take it to China, back home.

-Really?

-Really. I like it very much.

I want to give it to my mum as a present.

-Go on, then.

-Thank you.

Because you're going to take it to China.

I think I either paid £1 or £2, I can't remember, no more than two,

and I sold it for 15, so that's quite good, isn't it, really?

We do have a box with that, actually.

It's several hours before Vicky's army helmet

finally attracts interest.

So is £50 the bottom line on this?

What were you thinking of?

I was thinking, I was thinking of 30.

I'll do 40, that is the absolute lowest.

Yeah, OK. Yeah, 40, yeah.

-OK.

-Okey-dokey.

It's not the price she hoped for, but it's still a clear £14 profit.

Thank you. Bag, please, bag, please.

I'm happy with that. 1939, important date, so that's good.

Yeah, I'm happy, yeah. Most of the paint still on it.

There we go. Are you going to wear it?

I'm not, no. Thanks a lot, cheers.

I'm here to sell, so if I make a sale and I'm making a profit,

that's a good thing, that's what I want to do.

I don't want to just sit on something.

It gives me the money to go and buy another one.

That's how I'm thinking of it.

After seven hours it's almost the end of the fair.

It might not actually look like I've sold a great deal

because my table is completely crammed,

but actually we've sold quite a lot because I'm always replacing.

Every time I sell something I replace it

because I have hundreds of millions of things under the table,

so I reckon we've probably... we're looking at about £300,

maybe a bit more, so it spurs me on to go shopping again, really.

Two hours after closing time, Vicky is still packing up.

Packing all that stuff away is utterly demoralising,

but it is a million times better when you have had a good day

and I have had a great day.

I have sold, I have bought stuff

and I've sold it to people who love it, and that's fantastic.

I'd love to have a pop-up shop, really.

That's where I'd love to be,

and events like this help me to do that,

they help to push me forward that step.

Yeah, look at that.

Yeah, "We have short-term lets available

"for this property, please call."

Who knows? Who knows what the future holds?

Ooh!

In Sheerness, Kent, Alan's been trading for more than 30 years.

But he has an unusual way of buying.

Hello.

Forget research, it's all about gut instinct.

I could be walking around an auction for an hour,

not find anything, and all of a sudden

I see something and there it is.

It's this very strong feeling that I get

and it's almost like an alarm bell going off in my head which is saying

"Buy that item." And, you know, it's got me...

it has got me in trouble a few times.

That's nice, isn't it? Don't you think?

A nice big lump.

82.

Alan doesn't just buy at auctions. If he gets wind of a bit

of treasure, his instincts take over and he'll buy from anywhere.

He's just bought a job lot of movie memorabilia, sight unseen,

from a man in a car park.

Right.

Size of them!

Yeah, I like 'em.

Clean 'em up a bit.

For £400, he's got two life-size models of Laurel and Hardy...

That's a nice one.

..and 80 smaller figures.

Is that 400 quid well spent?

I think I'm going to be all right, yeah. Yeah, I think so.

But it's never over, is it, not until the lady sings.

I can't help getting excited, you know, because I am a chancer,

and I know it's only fibreglass but I think in the right place

I might get 600 quid for them.

So, happy days.

'When the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway,

'the smallest public railway in the world, recently celebrated

'its 21st birthday, Messrs Laurel and Hardy were invited to the party.'

After some internet research,

Alan thinks he's discovered a potential buyer.

Laurel and Hardy have a historic connection

with a railway station in Kent.

'One of their jobs was to reopen the section from Romney to Dungeness.'

So Alan's ringing the station manager

to see if he wants to buy them.

They're about six foot. They're resin.

I'm not sure exactly how old they are

but they wasn't made yesterday, you know.

They're in good condition, they're in good condition.

I was thinking about 500.

22, 24...

In South London, it's auction day.

Toni and Debbie are waiting for the lot with the Rolex in it.

I wouldn't call it hidden treasure,

but you do have items that slip through

that are worth an awful lot more than what you've paid for it.

Lot 94, six various ladies' wristwatches.

£20?

15?

15, thank you.

16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30...

Still in the front at £30.

Along with commission, the lot costs Toni £36.

We're very happy.

I'm pleased with my first go, so yeah, first experience.

Well, yeah, it was a good day.

So we're going to go home now, have a cup of tea and have a look.

How's it going?

Well, it's working. Fully working.

Well, that's the first time I've seen that.

On the...round the centre there,

you've actually got writing engraved around the edge.

You don't normally get that on copies.

You've got the serial numbers on the arms of here.

I don't think this is a dud.

Let's feel the weight, because they say it's quite weighty

because they use...

-Yeah, you feel it.

-Oh, yeah.

-It's heavy.

Is it looking good, Tone?

It is.

The forgeries that you get, right,

they're so good, some of them now, right,

you need to see the movement,

but Rolexes, they have pressurised backs.

I wouldn't touch that.

Toni will have to visit her jeweller to find out

if she's hit the jackpot.

I'd best be gentle with that one, then.

If that is real, that is one and a half grand.

Wow. You can't, you know, sniff at that, can you? Yes!

Ray. I need you, Ray.

In Wellingborough, it's the day before the auction.

Pull it, Ray, pull it, Ray.

Quick as you can, Ray, come on.

I've got a viewing day in about, supposedly at, like, 12 o'clock,

12 o'clock, midday, look at the state of the place.

I'm still in a tizzle, still in a mess.

A crucial job is yet to be done.

Danny still hasn't numbered the lots going into the sale.

Right, lot number one. Lot number one.

One, two, three, four pictures.

One, one, one.

Lot number two is one picture, Paris.

36, taxidermy.

Jo, I need you.

-What number are we on?

-65.

-65.

Danny and Jo have brought their five-year-old daughter Kyona along

to give her a first taste of an auction.

65.

Figureform, to keep your figure in form!

SHE LAUGHS

It's good! Do you want to have a go?

At 12 o'clock, the lots are available for viewing.

But it's a disappointing turnout.

110, two times African busts.

You should have started this last week. Who's your auctioneer, you?

You could tell!

And down, and down, and down.

As well, as everything else, Danny's still got to prepare his star lot.

Watch the thing...

Quite cool, isn't it?

Does it work?

No, well, there's a bit of...

I don't think there's a lock.

Do you want me to hold it?

Yes, Danny, you plug it in because if you get a shock

no-one will be able to tell.

-Well!

-SHE LAUGHS

AAAAGH!

HE GRUNTS

-Not too many wires.

-Well, there's one here.

You'll probably struggle to keep kids out of it tomorrow.

Working or not, if they've sat on it it's a pound.

Viewing day is over, but only a handful of people turned up.

Little bit...a tiny little bit disappointed, really.

I thought I'd get more people come here today, to be quite honest.

I thought there might be more people

coming here today to, you know, to view.

In a last-minute attempt to drum up some interest,

Danny's got an interview on local radio.

He's come to the headquarters of Radio Northants.

-All right?

-Hi, Peter. Thank you.

-I'm Julie.

-Hiya, Julie.

This is Radio Northants and we are with Danny Sebastian.

So, what is the concept of your house auction?

Well, my house is packed with gear and you know, and I thought,

well, it'd be quite nice to sort of have an auction in a house.

Right, should the like of Christie's

-and South...Sotheby's? Sotheby's...

-Sotheby's?

..Sotheby's be worried?

They've got to be a little bit worried. They've got to be,

because if this goes well, and I sort of carry it on,

-then...

-You hope they will be.

Yeah, I'll be heading for them big boys, you know.

I'll be saying, "Hold on, leave a bit of room up the top

"because I'm coming up!"

Right. Ooh, what if nobody turns up?

I think you probably mean "What if you get very,

"very few customers, not enough?"

Well, they'll be getting cheap lots.

I'll be sulking a little bit

because I'll be going, "Where do we start this? At £1? £1?"

I mean, somebody puts their hand up,

no-one's bidding against them, Jesus Christ.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you, Julie. Thank you, Pete.

-It's been an absolute pleasure.

-Thank you.

-Cheers.

-Have a good journey back.

-I will do, thank you, bye-bye.

Alan is taking Stan and Ollie to see their prospective buyer

at a railway station.

I've got a feeling he's going to see them and then he's going to think,

"Yeah, they're brilliant." Especially at that price.

I think he's going to snap them up.

I'm happy for him to get them cheap

but I'm not going to sell them for less than 500.

I can't come down on the price, I'm afraid.

No. So you're looking for?

500.

Which is...it seems fairly cheap,

you know, I mean a few people said to me maybe £500 each,

but I'm not after a big profit, to be honest with you.

No, no.

I'm really more at the £300 mark, to be honest.

I can authorise that amount myself, and we could do that today

and we could pretty much shake on cash at that amount.

I could do 4, but that's it, that is my best.

-I'm really sorry about that.

-No, no, no.

-I didn't mean to waste your time.

Deal not done, Alan and the boys are escorted from the premises.

Shot himself in the foot, I think he has.

Just for a measly 100 quid, you know what I mean?

20 anywhere now? Anybody at 20?

There at 22...

15, 18...

Setbacks don't keep Alan away from the auctions for very long.

He's gone on a spending spree

and he's found what he thinks is a money-making gem.

It's an 18th-century violin.

It was in a box with a load of other bits and pieces.

The neck, this piece here, the neck was separate, it snapped off.

I've glued that back on, and I have noticed that inside there is

something in there, it looks like the date in pencil of 1715.

That was £45 and I just don't know what it's worth

but it could be £1,000, it could be £20,000,

you just don't know, you know.

What's that one?

Now look at the price of that one, look, 11,500, yeah.

There is always that chance.

I mean, this, for all I know, this could be, you know,

my boat coming in.

Hoping he's got his hands on a rare 18th-century violin,

Alan's brought it to London to get it valued.

Do you think he's going to spot your bodge job?

No.

I don't think he is.

Because it does look like... It doesn't look like it's been touched.

So...and hopefully I haven't...

I mean, obviously if it's damaged it, if I have ruined it, say,

by doing that, then he's going to know straightaway.

Well, it's unusual to see an instrument not in its case.

Where did you find this?

I picked it up at a local auction.

-OK.

-There's actually a date inside.

Oh, I haven't seen that yet. Where is that?

It's written in pencil.

You only get the last three numbers, which is 715.

Oh, yes.

I don't think it has any bearing on the date of the instrument.

The numbers could be almost anything.

It is a reproduction-style instrument

and it probably is about 100 years old, not 200 years old.

Somebody perhaps has really loved this violin in the past.

It's been involved in some kind of an accident and they've repaired it.

That's actually quite a nice quality repair, it works very well.

What would you like to know? Is it worth anything?

-Is it worth anything?

-OK. It is worth something.

I think you could probably just put it back

into a slightly more carefully chosen auction, you know,

certainly get a couple of hundred pounds for it.

Yeah, yeah, that's very interesting.

£200, I mean, for a day at the auction,

£150 profit, that's good for me, you know, I'm happy with that,

and I've made a very professional repair there, you see?

So...you know, there's another sort of string to my bow there.

So to speak.

So to speak, yeah.

Toni's got an appointment at a local jeweller to verify the Rolex.

I've never seen one like this

and I've dealt with a lot of copy Rolexes.

You can see them straight away, but this one I can't tell.

If it's real, you're talking about...it's a ladies' one,

the minimum £1,500.

Keep your fingers crossed.

I've never seen one with the marks on the back plate before.

I've seen loads of copies.

Well, I think if this proved to be genuine, a real Rolex watch,

then you're looking at roughly about £5,000.

Five! I thought it would have been about 1,500.

No, these bi-colour ones in Rolex watches are roughly about £5,000

and so if you think that's a genuine one, if you get it checked

then obviously you've won a little mini-lottery, I would say.

To a layman this looks like a good-quality Rolex watch.

Yeah.

But I can tell by the look of it that it's not real.

As a copy, I would say roughly £20, £25, but I would not pay

any more than that, because you can get similar ones like this for £20.

Well, it cost £5.90, so even if it was £20, I'm not losing.

Yeah, I am disappointed that it's not a real one,

but I'm not going to lose.

He said £20, £25, as a copy.

I know I can get £40 for that watch.

So I've doubled what he said.

Do you have a dream about the future?

Everyone has ambitions.

I know exactly the spot where I'd like to be -

on the beach in Majorca, and that is the truth.

Thing is, though, I don't do the Lottery,

so it's a question of, I've got to find that little gem, haven't I?

In Sheerness, Alan sold his £45 violin online.

To begin with I started it off at £19.99.

Friday morning I looked at it and it'd gone up to 500.

And I was, like... I had to look at it twice

because I thought, you know, "Am I seeing things?"

Well pleased, I am well pleased.

Spurred on by success, Alan thinks selling online

may also be the best way to get rid of Stan and Ollie.

45 watchers, that's quite a lot of watchers.

Yeah, we're at £155 and we've got 30 minutes to go.

There's two people there that definitely want it,

it's just how much they're prepared to pay.

Nine minutes.

155.

Oh, still not moving.

Maybe I was being greedy, maybe I should have took his 300.

It's getting frightening now, it's getting close.

Last minute now.

And it still hasn't moved.

Nope, still not.

Oh, it's gone up a little bit - a fiver, it's gone up a fiver.

Someone's put in a bid.

Oh, there you go, £206.

Oh, well.

It's... In hindsight I should have took his 300 quid.

But you've got to just brush it off.

Today I might have lost some money, I took a chance,

I lost out, but tomorrow I might take a chance and be quids in.

This time next year I could be...

I mean, I don't like to say it but I could be a millionaire.

HE CHUCKLES

Where do we want to be? Somebody bid me now, somebody start me off.

Where shall we start? It's a lovely piece of ivory.

£40? That seems like a reasonable bid.

40, 40 bid.

40 bid, 42.

42 bid. At 42 I've got. 45, 45.

Right, go on, right, come on.

It's 10am, and Danny's auction is due to start in an hour's time.

It's just the last-minute chaos, I suppose.

We still need things photocopying, bidding sheets

and things like... It's just all bonkers.

I'm getting a bit worried now.

If the people come, he's cracked it,

but I'm just a little bit nervous about the numbers.

There are 230 lots in the auction.

It's a new concept, you know. I think it's got ground, really.

If this is successful there'll be another one in three months.

I'll be straight on it. Just hope it works.

Nice, isn't it?

Morning, everybody. Thank you very much for coming today.

So we're going to go with lot number one.

-Where's the lot?

-Is that number one?

Jo, I'm waiting.

I don't even know what lot number one is. I can't even find it now.

Lot number one, Jo.

Lot number one, where is it?

Please.

Here we go, here we go, lot number one.

I've got a nice retro picture here.

In fact we've got four. Where shall we start the bidding?

-£20? Come on.

-£1.

-£1.

£1 we'll go, then. £1, £1. A pound we're starting at.

-somebody bid me £2.

-£2.

-£2 I've got. Where's three?

-Come on.

-Go on, D.

£4 bid I've got now.

-Six, six, six, six.

-£6 I've got. £6. Come on.

I know he's a bit of a dreamer,

but this were his dream, and he's doing it now,

so his little dream's come true, so, you know, great.

Any more bids? Come on, I'm going to sell it.

Sold, £6.

-Lot number 36.

-We're coming.

-In the hallway.

Nice little bit of taxidermy, this. 60 quid.

This taxidermy is mustard at the minute, it's red-hot.

Come on, somebody bid me 20. £10 bid, where are you?

Come on, somebody give me a fiver. Come on, where are you?

£10 bid. Where's 12?

Come on, it's worth that all day. Come on, come on, come on.

She's got that.

Danny's getting through the lots, but at knock-down prices.

Seven.

I'll say, folks, this concept we're trying to put on here,

I mean, it can only work if I get a bit of a profit.

I'm not asking for too much, but I do want something.

People factor is not good.

Considering all the leaflets he put out,

with his... you know, 3,000 leaflets, it is quite slow.

Right, next lot is the aeroplane. This is a lovely lot, come on.

Not many of you left now, is there?

Come on, where do you want to be now? Where do you want to be?

-100? Where do you want to be?

-Does it work?

No, it doesn't work, it needs a bit of TLC,

but I'll tell you something,

I bought it off a chap and the chap had it in his shed

for about six years, but when he put it in the shed, it were perfect.

Come on, somebody bid me. Cost me 95 quid.

Anybody want to bid me 50 quid?

I'm willing to take a loss. Shall we leave it?

OK, we'll leave it, we can come back to it.

After 150 lots, Danny takes a short lunch break.

You know, it's a learning curve, it's a learning curve

and I'm definitely doing some of that.

You know, the second half of the sale, the afternoon part,

I'm going to move around the items

rather than sort of stand on the rostrum away from it.

Try and generate a little bit more interest, type thing.

Where's all my buyers at? Where's all my buyers at?

Right, are we ready?

Let's start again. Come on, be quick, be quick.

Right, Figureform, hey.

This does the trick.

£12 bid, £12. At £14, £14, £14.

£14, 16. £16, £16, £16.

Come on, bid me up, now. £18, 20. £20 bid, £20 bid, £20 bid,

£20 bid, £20 bid, £20 bid.

It's a good lot, this, nice impressive lot.

112. Sold.

Come on, don't be shy now. 25, 25, 25, 25.

-26.

-26, 26 bid, 26 bid, 26 bid.

Don't be shy.

At five o'clock, Danny finally reaches the end of the catalogue.

Come on, I'm going to sell it. Sold.

I must say thank you very much to everyone for attending.

Appreciate it. Please see you in three months.

Well done, well done.

Let's have a look.

-1,400 quid.

-Ooh!

GIRL GIGGLES

Are you happy with that?

-Get out of it! 1,400?

-Yeah.

There's a bit more coming in now.

£1,400 will do me.

-Do you, won't it?

-Yeah.

-I want to count it.

-Get out of it!

I want to smell it!

Mm! We like the smell of money, don't we? I want to smell it, eh?

With the final payments in, Danny's done even better than he thought.

Closer to £2,000.

I'll definitely do another one, without a shadow of a doubt.

I'll definitely be doing another one.

It is a lot of time, a lot of effort, it's a lot of hard work,

but I tell you what, I enjoyed it.

I did enjoy it, you know.

And whatever you do, you've got to enjoy it.

Cheers!

CHEERING