Today, we're in the county of Kent,
and we have the building blocks in place for another fantastic show.
And we're at a huge antiques fair.
We have some skilful Reds
and some determined Blues.
So will they make sky-high profits or fall to the ground in a heap?
Who knows? Let's go Bargain Hunting!
Oops!
We're here at the Detling Antique and Collectors Fair
and there's a rush to get hold of all the bargains!
Our teams have got £300
and just one hour in which to buy three items to
take off to auction and, with any luck, make a profit.
Let's check out what's coming up.
The Reds are acting up.
- Go for the jugs? - Absolutely! - I like them.
The Blues just want to lie down.
If you have an ottoman at the bottom of your bed,
do you want blankets in it?
No! What do you want in it?
BOTH: Wine!
'And, at the auction, there are celebrations...'
- Thank you, thank you! - Yes!
- AUCTIONEER: - Well done. - Well done.
'..and disappointments.'
Come on!
But never mind!
That's all for later. Now, let's meet today's cracking teams.
And, for the Red team, we have best of friends Ference and Jack
and, for the Blue team, we have mum and daughter Kath and Nicola.
- Hello! ALL: - Hello.
Oh, resounding noise! That's splendid!
You look most encouraging and enthusiastic!
Now, how do you know each other?
We met at the theatre that I started working at many years ago.
- Yeah. - Ference was a duty manager at the time, weren't you? - Indeed, yes.
- And I was a technician. - Do a bit of acting yourself?
A little bit, yes, yes. I do some amateur dramatics,
I'm a member of my local theatre group, Godalming Theatre Group,
and I've also done a bit of extra work
in a number of episodes of Midsomer Murders.
Now, Jack, you're a bit of a star too, aren't you?
Yes, I'm currently touring a one-man play on the life of Norman Wisdom.
- Norman Wisdom? - Maybe. - Even I remember Norman Wisdom!
- Goodness me! - I'd like to talk to Norman Wisdom. Speak to me, Norman!
LIKE NORMAN WISDOM: Would you? What here? Now?
All right then, go on!
LAUGHTER
It IS Norman Wisdom!
If we can't find any antiques, we can auction Ference!
- Ha-ha, ha-ha! - How dare you(!)
- That's enough. - I think that's more than enough!
What talent!
- Got to come and see it! - Absolutely. Wisdom of a Fool, it's called,
and it takes you through his whole life and career.
Now, Jack, what about your love of antiques?
Um, I've been collecting from quite a young age, so I've got puppets,
I've got magic lanterns, cinema posters.
So all sorts of things to do with entertainment, theatre and cinema.
Ference, where do your antique interests lie?
Well, I think Jack's more of an expert than me,
cos I'm more down the tacky fridge magnet route,
- which I'm not very proud of, I'm afraid. - Terrible business!
Will you spend big or small?
- Oh, big, I think. - Big, I think, yes. - Yeah. - Yeah, go for big. - Yeah.
Bold chaps! Anyway, good luck, Reds!
- Thank you very much for that. - Thank you. - Thank you.
Now, Kath and Nicola.
Now, Kath, you're retired now, aren't you?
- I am, yes. - Wonderful. What did you use to do?
I used to work in a school as a resources officer.
But now you've stopped that, and I think it's a bit of gardening,
- isn't it? - There is a bit of gardening involved now, yes.
There always was, but obviously more time is spent on the garden now.
- Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, I enjoy gardening, it's not a job, it's not work.
No. Nicola, this gardening bug has bitten you, hasn't it?
Yes, you could say that!
I mean, in more ways than one! It's now your business, isn't it?
It is, yes. After a long career in banking, I decided to have
a complete career change and try gardening as a living.
- Yeah? - And so far, so good.
- Do you do Mum's garden? - I help, yes. - KATH GASPS
You help? Ha-ha! There was a deep intake of breath there, Mum!
- Would you not let her in your garden? - I'd let her, yeah.
- Do you approve of her gardening techniques? - Not always.
Oh, dear! I think we'd better move on! What about antiques, Mum?
Well, I like antiques. I mean, I don't know much about them at all.
I don't really know anything much. But I just like old things.
- Do you? - Yes. - Well, good evening.
LAUGHTER
Now, what about you?
I like small, sparkly things.
- Do you? - I like glass. - Yeah. - Got a couple of Lalique pieces...
- Oh, have you? - ..that I'm very pleased about, yes. - Yeah! - So, yeah.
Well, if you can find a bit of Lalique within your budget today,
- that would be rather exciting, wouldn't it? - Wouldn't it just?
- Are you going to be spending a lot of money? - Ooh... - Yes.
- We... - Yes! LAUGHTER
Are you going to agree on anything at all?
- Not a lot! - Not a lot? - No, not a lot. - This could be a wonderful shop!
- Yes! - Now, what will you need, teams?
- Money! - Money! - Money would be nice! - Well spotted!
- Lolly! - Well done, Norman(!)
Sharp as a razor, Norman, isn't he?
Right, I've got 300 for you.
- Thank you very much. - And I've got 300 for you, Norman, steady with it!
- Thank you! - Well, off you go shopping and have a great time.
- Thank you. - Thank you. - Well, well, well.
Stage versus Sage! Who will win?
All our teams need now are their experts.
Studying hard for the Reds, it's Nick Hall.
And hoping to grow decent profits for the Blues, it's John Cameron.
Jack, Ference, here we are.
Nice early start. The mist descending!
- Feeling confident? - Very confident indeed.
- Fantastic! - What's the plan of attack?
Well, I'm in the market for something theatre, cinema related.
- Possibly a bit of Art Deco. - Like it!
What sort of things do you think we're going to be buying today?
- Oh, I don't know. But I think we'll know when we see it. - I like that!
Ference, my friend, what are you after today?
I don't know, something edgy, maybe something local,
- and things in good condition. - I like your tactic.
- JOHN: - And how about you, Nicola?
Small, shiny, perhaps collectables, I was thinking.
Right, teams, the pressure is on!
Your 60 minutes starts now! BELL RINGS
Let's go Bargain Hunting!
- Let's go and play! - Right! - Fantastic.
And they're off.
Best of luck, teams. Break a leg!
A leg and an arm.
That would probably cost an arm and a leg!
- BOOM TISH! - Hee-hee-hee!
- And the comedy duo have started already! - I'm here all week!
Right, girls, a few bits and pieces here. Do want to take a look here?
- Yes, please. - Yes. - Right, anything taken your eye?
We've got paperweights here.
Can you see that little cabinet there, little thing?
- That looks really nice. - OK, we can have a look at it if you like.
- Can we have a little look? - Yeah, if you want.
- With those little sort of faux ivory handles... - Yeah?
- ..it would date it to the 1920s and '30s. - Yeah.
It's not hugely decorative and I think that's probably like
- a little tool chest, isn't it? - Yeah.
You'd have some screws and things like that in it.
Right, OK. We'll give that a miss.
- Right, OK. - Keep looking. The stall holders are just waking up.
Wakey-wakey!
The Blues have money burning in their pockets.
Meanwhile, Nick has a light bulb moment.
A bit of Art Deco over there.
- Yes. - That ceiling light.
- Yes. - Is that the sort of thing you had in mind?
- Let's have a little look. - It's got a classic Art Deco look to it.
- Absolutely. - I know this is something you're passionate about? - Definitely.
- But it's a really classy-looking object. - That is nice.
I love all this original...
Is it original? I don't know.
- That might be a replacement piece. - Yeah?
- But either way, looks fabulous. - It's great, isn't it?
Once you've got a lamp in there, that's going to look great.
You're going to need to obviously hook that bit on there.
- Yeah. - Right. - It shines down.
And then, of course, you get that right up on the ceiling.
- Yeah. - You get the light coming through that beautiful peach glass.
- Looks like a flying saucer, almost. - It does. - Yeah, absolutely.
- Quite a stylish thing, isn't it? - Yeah, I like it. - I quite like that.
- £48. - What do you think about the price?
- Taking a chance at about 20, maybe. - Oh, you're harsh!
- I know! - I'm thinking 30. I'm thinking 30.
- Brutal! - Well, you never know.
- We could try. - If the price were in an area you were comfortable with...
- Yeah. - ..is it something you think you might want to buy?
I think so. If we can get it for 30.
- Shall we...? - Have a chat with the stallholder
- and see if you can work your magic. - OK. - Dazzle her! - Yes, where is she?
Absolutely.
- Madam. - Yes? - Hello.
Any chance of a quick word about your Art Deco light?
- Yes, of course. - Thank you. - We're really liking it.
- Yes. - But is there any movement on price?
Is there any chance we could go for 30?
30?
My goodness! That's...
I mean, the only reason we say that is, we do love the thing,
I'm a little concerned, I think... the ropes are replacement pieces.
- Yes. - And it just needs a little bit of work for the electrics... - Yes.
..to be usable again, we're going to go to auction with it,
we've got to bear all that in mind. Hence the offer.
Well, to give you a chance, I'll do 30.
- Oh, you're a star! Thank you so much. - That was easy, wasn't it?
- Brilliant. Nicely done. - I like you! What else have you got we can buy?
- You're brilliant! - Is that a deal, 30 quid?
- 30 quid. - I think so. - We're done! Yes! - Thank you.
Well, the razzle-dazzle worked! Good work, guys.
I think this is going to be an absolute breeze, isn't it?
I think this is going to work!
Gentleman, Act One is over.
- Huzzah! - Excellent! - Brilliant. - Let's move on to Act Two!
Indeed!
This theatrical duo are off the mark
with their first buy within seven minutes! Now, where are the Blues?
I leave you alone for two minutes and you wander off on me!
- What have you seen? - Sorry, sorry. Well, we like lots on here.
Do you like lots? What do you like?
- That. - You like these printing blocks? - Yes. - You do? - Indeed.
I just think it's very different.
- They do have a kind of almost fossil-like quality to them. - Yeah.
- I think they're wonderful. - You like them?
I've never sold them at auction...
- OK. - ..to sort of get a gauge of where are we on pricing and stuff.
- I do like them, they are very now, they have that look. - Yeah.
- Is there anything else on here that you like? - I like this box.
You like the box, do you? What's inside here?
- There's some little compartments in. - So it's fitted out inside.
I'm wondering if this would've been for cigarettes or something.
Well, when you've got compartments like that,
that do have some adjustment,
they're often for things like that which come in different sizes.
Right, yeah, I see.
- Possibly, it's quite a nice box, could be a sewing box. - Is it oak?
- It IS oak. - Yeah. - It is oak. And these little mounts on here,
- this has a kind of Japanese influence, I think, to that. - It is.
Quite practical, and it's got a key.
- Do you like the box? - I do like the box.
So would you like me to ask the stallholder about the box?
- Yes, please. - And Nicola wants to know about that.
- Right, I'm going to leave you. Don't get up to mischief, you two! - OK.
It's very much in vogue,
printing your own fabrics and things like that now, isn't it?
- Yeah, it is. - So I think they could be useful.
- What news, John? - Right, girls.
Starting with the printing blocks first. The stallholder informs me
he usually sells them to interior designers
who aren't looking to make a profit going to auction.
- OK. - He's very honest. - Yeah. - And so, you know, he said, look,
we might struggle, because he gets good money for them
and some of these are £100 each.
The box, 19th century probably, maybe early 20th.
Got that down to £60.
He was looking for around 80 for it.
So 60's the best price he'd do on that.
- Do you like it? - I do like it.
- I do like it. Would you be happy with that for 60? - I'm happy, yes.
As a sewing box, it's nice, it's not bad condition.
- And it is a useful item. - It is a useful item.
- Go for it? - Yes, we'll go for it.
- 60 quid. - Thank you. - Let's go pay the stallholder. - Fab! - First one done!
Yes, a crafty first purchase for the Blues.
£60 for the oak sewing box.
The Reds, however, are being drawn back to Theatreland.
Oh, he's nice, isn't he?
- Good condition as well. - Good condition. - Yeah.
I mean, this is right up your street.
- I used to collect Pelhams, growing up. - Mm-hm.
- And I've still got some at home and they're boxed. - Right.
And I know the boxed ones do go for quite good money.
I, as a valuer, see a lot of these around.
- Yes. - And it's only the rarer ones collectors will get excited about.
- Right. - But if you've got a nice collection and a lovely box
to display them in, it just makes it a little bit more interesting.
I think so. Depending on price, of course.
Absolutely. So, have we got a price?
- What does it say? - Um, "Pelham wolf puppet..." - We've got 65 on that.
- Just for the one puppet? - Just for the one. - You need to be
- buying the whole lot for that to get any profit on auction. - Yes.
- Absolutely. - Do you want me to go and have a conversation with the dealer
- and just see just how reasonable he can be and...? - Yes. - All right.
While Nick goes off to check, the Blues are still browsing.
Look at that lovely, look, look, kid's Penny Farthing there.
- Oh, yes! - Oh, yeah. - But I'm pretty sure it's out of our budget.
- Yeah, yeah. - OK. - Nice though, isn't it?
Look at this here, look. Some sheet metal here.
- It's just been cut out as a figure. - Yes! - This is what people are buying.
- All sorts! - They are, aren't they? Yeah. - It looks like a lavatory sign!
It does a bit!
Anybody feeling flush?! Both teams have plenty of cash to spend.
On that note, the Reds are getting ready to negotiate.
Pull those strings, chaps!
Let's talk money. So, we're looking at the Pelham puppets and
we thought, displayed in this box as well, for that to be thrown in.
- But it all depends on price. - What's the best you can do on those?
I would do them for 90, the lot.
Ouch! I mean, I think that's about what it might get near at auction.
- Yeah. - 50? - I would say 50. - I can't do 50.
- 60 quid? - 63, how about 63?
- I wouldn't go much more than that, really. - 65.
Moneywise...
you're pushing it.
- You're about on the cusp of what it might fetch. - Yeah. - Yeah.
But if you get two other enthusiasts, who knows?
- But it's up to you, really, guys. - I don't want to pay too much. - 60?
- 60? Can we do a deal at 60? - 60? - 60? Take the whole lot off your hands.
- Just think of the space it'll clear out for you! - Yeah!
Absolutely!
LAUGHTER
- If you don't tell the wife, I'll do it. - Yes! - Brilliant.
- Fantastic! - Our lips are sealed. - Absolutely.
- 60 quid for the whole shebang. - Done!
'Well done, chaps!'
- So, two down, one to go. - One to go. - The final act!
- Great. - Here we go, let's do it. - Come on, let's go singing and dancing!
- Hey! - A great negotiating performance from the Reds.
Four puppets in a box for £60.
Meanwhile, the Blues are on the scent of their second item.
Now, you wanted little, shiny, silver things.
- So feast your eyes, there's a whole host of things here. - Millions!
- So let's have a look. I try to work the cabinets a bit at a time. - Yeah.
- This is nice. - You like that?
- Do you know what it is? - No. - Double-ended?
Yeah, double-ended scent bottle.
- Oh, OK. - Ooh! - Yeah.
- This is Victorian. - Yeah. - It's ruby glass or cranberry glass.
Women would have carried them in their, you know, in the kind of
- muff there or pockets there. - Yeah. - And you had your scent on hand.
- Would you like to have a look at it? - Yes, please. - You would?
- STALLHOLDER: No problem at all. - Thank you. - Thank you. - Beautiful.
- It is nice. - Yeah. It's nice, isn't it? - I think it's absolutely lovely.
What have we got on the other end there?
- This one's a screw on! - That's funny! - That's quite nice. If it's silver,
then, obviously, it's... it's more desirable at the sale.
Yeah, there is a hallmark there, so it's silver.
- Is it? - Yeah, it's Birmingham, Birmingham hallmark.
Since this was your spot, Nicola, you have a closer look at it.
Thank you. I suppose, with collectors,
that'd be a silver collector, perfume bottle collector,
- cranberry glass collector? - It does have crossover.
- You're absolutely right. - How much is it?
- Because I can't see. - It's got 120 on it. - 120.
- Hi there. - Hi there. - Um...
- Got 120 on it. - Yeah. - Is there sort of much movement on that?
- Let me just check it for you. - She likes it cos it matches her hair!
LAUGHTER
I wasn't going to say anything at all about that! Um...
I could probably get that down to 95.
Could you do 90?
Um...
- Go on, I'll do 90, yes. - You can't be any fairer than that! - Thank you.
- So you'd better shake this lady's hand. - Yes, yes, please!
- Thank you very much indeed. - Thank you very much. - Thank you.
- Thank you very much. Thank you. - So you've got a purchase,
you've got a purchase, now there's one that we both need to agree on.
- That's right, yeah. - Brilliant.
Fab! A second buy for the sweet-smelling Blues.
Well within the halfway mark!
I'm going to leave the teams to it while I find out about
a collection combining two of my favourite things -
history and ale brewing.
One of the big breweries in Kent was the Fremlins' Brewery,
which was situated just down the road in Maidstone.
And it was founded in 1861 by Ralph Fremlin.
The Maidstone Museum still retains
a large number of artefacts from those brewing days.
And we're lucky enough today to have Rebecca Arnott,
the chief collections officer, with us.
Well, it's lovely to see you, Rebecca.
Now, tell me more about this brewery.
Who exactly was Ralph Fremlin?
So Ralph Fremlin, unusually for a brewer,
was part of the temperance movement.
He was a highly religious man and he was really opposed to public houses.
What?! A religious man?
Doesn't always go with brewing, does it?
It is odd, but he tried to pioneer bottled beers.
- Yeah. - For people to consume at home.
So that they didn't go out and get drunk in pubs.
- These are some later bottles that we have from the collection. - Yes.
- And you can clearly see in this one, it says "Brewed in Maidstone". - Yeah.
- Down there. - Sugar free, I see. - And almost sugar free, yeah!
- Gosh! - They were very ahead of their time.
In 1871, he set up the Earl Street, Havoc Lane site...
- Yes. - ..to specifically focus on pale ales. - Right.
- And he invited his brothers to join him and it was a huge success. - Yeah.
I suspect he was a huge employer in the area, wasn't he?
- And a good employer? - Yeah.
By the 1880s, they were employing about 100 workers.
They set up a benefits club to help their sick workers.
- And they had a reading room. - Gosh, that again was ahead of its time,
- wasn't it? - Yeah, they really were.
They even had an allowance for their male workers,
so you could have four pints a day, but you couldn't take them home.
So could you drink the beer on site?
- Yeah, you could. - No!
- What a fantastic job! - If you wanted to take them home, you had to pay
a duty, because, obviously, people could take them and sell them.
Now, what about the significance of the elephant?
The elephant was part of the Fremlins' logo.
It had been part of the family crest,
because they were involved in the East India Company.
East India Company, yeah.
This nodding elephant would have been a particularly well-known sight
- throughout off-licences and pubs. - How wonderful!
Now, he appears, doesn't he, on virtually all their products?
He does. So we've got a lot of different examples of their logo.
They were very good at branding.
And even down to matchbox holders.
Yeah. You see, it's quite a popular symbol, I think.
And it would have had a certain mystique, wouldn't it, certainly
in the early 20th century? How many people would have seen an elephant?
- Exactly. Apart from on the Fremlins' signs. - Yes, quite, quite.
Well, it's been absolutely fascinating.
- I love my beer and thank you very much indeed, Rebecca. - Thank you.
Back to it, and we're halfway through.
Both teams have two items.
Are they all on track?
I'm pleased, I've got my Deco beauty.
- Yeah, got Deco. - I'm happy with my Deco.
Got something theatrical as well.
- Yes. - Very pleased with that so far. - Yes. Onto the next! - Yes.
Well, exactly. Get on it! What about the Blues, though?
Right, girls, as you can see,
the gates have opened now and it's like Moses has parted the fog,
in have come the masses! All the bargains could start going.
- Yes. - So, we've got half an hour left, let's find that other item...
- Let's get the bargain. - ..then get ourselves back in
- for a nice cup of tea, shall we? - Yes, please.
- Let's go this way. - This way. - Right.
The Reds have spotted something red hot.
Really cool, bang on trend.
- Yeah. - 1970s West German ceramics.
And you see the way you get this fabulous thick glaze?
They call it fat lava.
- I was just going to say lava, yeah. - Because it looks exactly like that.
- Yeah. - I mean, this sort of stuff, years ago,
- you wouldn't get 50p, a pound a pot. - Yeah.
Now this stuff is bang on trend, they're writing books about it,
there's collections building up.
- Oh, right. - Yeah. - Commercially, that's where the money's at. - OK. - OK.
What do we think?
I'm totally with you on this one. I personally am not keen on this.
- I love some of the other ones. - OK. - And I love the colours in this.
- Yeah. - But I would trust your judgment on it. - Yeah.
What about if we get a few of them together and get a deal?
- Use your artistic skills. - Put some together.
OK. Well, I'm thinking let's get a smaller one.
- What about if you put that cylindrical one with it... - Right.
- ..just to create a look? - Yeah.
I mean, those three together would look really cool
- in an auctioneer's catalogue. - Mm-hm. - Yeah, in a catalogue, as you say.
That looks nice, doesn't it?
- So if we're going to buy these, we'll go for those three? - Yeah.
We might get a discount for buying bulk.
- Right. - I'll go and see what he says.
- Brilliant. thank you. - Fingers crossed. - Hurrah!
Do your best, Nick.
Meanwhile, do the Blues fancy a sit down?
It's nice, isn't it?
It looks like... It's got, it says here hospital chair.
- I can see why. - Yeah, yeah. - But it's a type of Sedan chair.
- It is, isn't it? - And looking at that there,
I'm wondering if that has been sort of let in afterwards.
- There's something about it, isn't there? - It is.
There's something nice about it.
Now I spotted on here... a maker's name,
"John Carter's patent literary machine".
- It's got a bit of worm in here as well, we can see. - Oh, yeah.
Doesn't look too bad. What are you thinking of it?
Well, I think it's nice. I mean, you liked it as well, didn't you?
- Yeah? - It is nice. - Is that 65? - £65 is the price on that.
The stallholder's quite a nice chap, actually, we might be able to do...
- And we liked the drink cabinet. - That caught your eye, didn't it, Nicola?
Do you want to look at that ottoman?
- Yes, please. - See, look, she's smiling. - Yes, yes. - Come on!
While the Blues go for a gander,
Nick is back with news on those fat lava vases.
Now, this one, the chap was telling me...
- He's really knowledgeable about this stuff, actually. - Yeah.
Normally retails that for 60 quid on its own.
- Yeah. - OK. - But if we bought all three, we could have them for 95.
Executive decision, Ference.
- Let's do it. - Shall we? - Yes!
- Go for the jugs? - Absolutely!
- Right, I like them. - Done. Let's do it. - Really? - Yeah.
- We'll go and pay him? - Absolutely. - Fabulous. Well done.
These guys have cracked it!
Final item in the bag with plenty of time left.
Well, that's it, guys, all done.
The final curtain!
Right!
- Take a bow, you've been brilliant! - Thank you very much. - Thank you.
- And £185 spent. - Great stuff. - I think we've done well.
- We're done, we're finished, let's go. - Great! - Come on. - OK.
Great team effort, Reds.
Now, Nicola has found something that's put a smile on her face.
Is it the ottoman or the wine?
So what do you think of this?
- I love this! - Her face is glowing, Mum!
- Love it. - Brilliant. Well, it's obviously -
what I was growing up - known as an ottoman.
My mum had one at the bottom of the bed, storing blankets in it.
But, you know, if you have an ottoman at the bottom of your bed,
- do you want blankets in it? - No. - No! What do you want in it?
- Wine! - Wine! So, look at that - this has been cleverly converted.
- They've put a zinc liner in there. - Mm-hm.
And that could possibly be watertight.
So you could probably have ice in there.
OK. So you could chill the wine?
- Yes. - A bit indulgent, and a lot of space for a lot of wine! - Yeah.
But it's a fun piece, isn't it?
- It is, it's nice. - Yeah. You like that, Nicola? - I love that, yes.
- Do you? - Yes. - Does this tell us anything about her, Mum?
Ooh... I don't want to say anything!
- LAUGHTER - Mum's the word, obviously!
- Definitely! - Shall we find out from the stallholder...? - Yes, please.
Right. These two young ladies are interested in
a couple of your items here. But interestingly, well, first of all,
we can't see a price on it, Les.
- This is 75. - 75 quid.
- Without the bottles. - What would be the death on that, Les?
- 60. - 60 quid.
And that one's got 65. What about that?
I could do that one for 50 for you.
50 and 60, girls.
So, what are you thinking?
- Now we know the price, Nicola? - Yes! - I'm still...
- She still likes it. - She likes that, doesn't she? - I really like that.
And we said the last piece we would try and agree on.
Exactly, yeah. No, I like both of them, so I'd be happy with that.
- This is also a chair! - It's also a chair.
- You could possibly lay down on there as well. - After! - After!
I think you've sold it, Les.
- There we are. £60. - Did we say 60? - £60.
Fantastic, ladies! You've boxed up your final item.
Right, teams, your time is up!
I think I need to get you two inside for a well-earned cup of tea.
Or perhaps something stronger!
Now, let's remind ourselves just what the Red team have bought.
First up, a peach Art Deco ceiling shade,
lighting up at £30.
They pulled some strings to buy a set of Pelham puppets for £60.
And finally, a show-stopping set of three fat lava vases,
£95 was paid.
Well, Ference and Jack, once in the theatre,
- always in the theatre! - Something like that! - Absolutely!
Ference, which item do you like best?
Um, I think the puppets.
- You think the puppets? - Yes, yeah. That's my favourite, definitely.
- And Jack? - I'll have to side with him on that. I used to collect them,
- so I've got a soft spot for the puppets. - Of course you did, yeah.
And what will make the biggest profit?
- Do you know, I think it's going to be that lava. - It has to be.
- It's going to be the lava. - You think the lava?
- I still think the puppets, actually. - OK. - Puppets, lava.
You spent 185, which is a pretty good spend.
- Yeah. - But it does leave 115. - It does.
- So if you'd like to hand that over. - A nice wad for you, sir.
- Ference, - I - need it.
- Oh, sorry. - I just need to pass it on with some words of wisdom.
- Right. - Spend wisely. On what?
Well, I'm going to find something with a bit of quality about it,
I think. We're going to Canterbury, so something with a tale, maybe.
- Oh! Wonderful! - I like it. I like it.
So, while Nick goes off to give us a bit of Chaucer,
we'll check out what the Blue team have bought.
Firstly, they sewed up a deal
on this 19th-century oak sewing box for £60.
This late Victorian double-ended ruby glass scent bottle
was theirs for £90.
And finally, this converted, upholstered ottoman
caught Nicola's eye. £60 was paid.
Kathy and Nicola, good disciplined performance, if I may say so!
- It was. It was. - Thank you very much. - Did you enjoy it?
- Very much so. - Very much, yeah. - Good! You spent plenty of money.
- We did. - What's your favourite lot?
I think they all are, really.
- They all are? - Yeah, yeah. - What a lovely, even choice.
- Cover everything. - The cellaret! - The cellaret? - Yes.
Well, it is a bit unusual, isn't it?
- Yes, very. - Very! - We normally put blankets in ottomans!
But you put bottles in there.
- What will make the biggest profit, do you think? - Oh...
I think probably that.
- You think that? - Yeah, I think it will fly.
Unanimity, marvellous.
Well, anything to do with bottles is likely to fly, isn't it, really?
- Yeah. I think so, yeah. - Now, you spent £210, didn't you?
- That's right, we did. - That's a good chunk, but it still leaves 90.
- Yes. - Hand it over. - There you go. - There we go.
- And you know what happens to this, don't you? - Yes.
- It goes to this man here. - Mm-hm! - £90 of the best.
What are you going to do with that?
Well, given their interest in gardening,
I thought something horticultural.
- Marvellous. - Wow. - Spot on.
So, while John goes off to buy some flowers, we're off to the auction!
Just down the road from Detling is the Canterbury Auction Galleries.
And I'm here with today's auctioneer Cliona.
- Hello. - Hello, very nice to see you. - Well, it's great to be here.
Now, what about these Reds, what do you think of their ceiling light,
which was their first purchase?
Not with the original chains.
It's not necessarily the 1930s in date, it's in that sort of style.
- Yeah. - But it's a nice decorative thing,
make a nice feature in any room. We've put £10-£15 on it.
Yeah. Well, they paid 30.
- That's all right. - So a couple of extra bids, and they'll be fine.
- Yeah. - Now, Pelham puppets, they sell, don't they?
They do. Um, especially some of the earlier ones.
- Yeah. - And that skeleton, he's in his original box...
- Yeah. - ..um, and probably dating to sort of around the 1950s.
He is in a bit of a tangle, so if you've got a few hours...
- THEY LAUGH - ..to untangle him!
Have you not done that for us!
So what about an estimate on these Pelham puppets?
For all of them, we put £40-£60.
Yeah. Well, they paid £60, so looks like they might be safe there.
Now, what about the cylindrical vases, the German vases, the lava?
- It's very of a period. - Yes. - Very sort of 1970s. - Yeah.
Whether it's going to be everybody's cup of tea is
a difficult one to say. I've only put £20-30 on them.
They just don't do anything for me.
But I have seen them make money.
Hopefully, there will be collectors out there, um,
and we'll get to the £20 at least.
I hope we get to the £20, because they paid 95!
- Oh, dear! - LAUGHTER
Well, never mind! Moving swiftly on!
After that pottery, I think we might need a bonus buy.
Let's have a look at it.
Well, Ference and Jack, you did a good bit of spending,
but you still left that man with quite a lot of money
and it looks like he's bought something absolutely enormous!
- I know! - Well, now, I did say, as we were coming into Canterbury,
I would buy you something with a tale.
And I would not let you down.
- How about that? - Wow! - Wow!
It's a leather pig, in the Liberty manner.
- Right. - Actually, they're footstools, is what they are, for the lounge.
- Oh, OK. - So, what do you think?
Well, as long as it brings home the bacon...
- GROANING - I am so sorry!
HE LAUGHS
- How much did you pay for it? - Er, the princely sum of £110.
- OK. - O...K. And what are you thinking at auction?
- Er, about 20! - LAUGHTER
- Right, that's done, then! - It's one of those home furnishing things.
- These are luxury goods. - I think he's fun, though, he's great.
- Yeah. - It's a fun item. - Yes!
The sort of thing a lot of people will be bidding on, hopefully,
to take home to furnish their lounge with, put their feet up.
Is it a pig or a dog?
It's actually one of those rare pig dog breeds!
- Ah, yes. - The lesser-known Canterbury pig dog(!)
You don't have to make up your mind now, chaps.
Leave it to the auction.
I just wonder what the auctioneer thinks of this pig dog?
So, Cliona, what do you think of Nick's pig?
- The pig with the long snout? - Yes, it is it a dog or is it a pig?
Um, well, I think we've just gone with pig.
- Yeah. - In that Liberty style.
- Yeah. - Now, the Libertys do make quite a bit of money.
So I think, as a fun, interior decorator's piece,
or to the younger generations, I think it could appeal.
We've put £40-£50 on him.
Nick did spend £110 on it!
Well!
Obviously, with the £40-£50, we're not quite up there...
- No! - ..but nothing would surprise me if he, um...
if he flies away and, er, takes us by surprise.
- A flying pig! - The flying pig!
Now, onto the Blues. Nicola and Kath.
They were with John. And they kicked off with this box, the oak box.
- Well, it's a plain panelled oak box. - Yeah. - Probably Victorian.
With plated mounts on it.
- It is what it is. - Yeah. - We've only put sort of £10-£15 on it.
They paid £60 for it.
- Right, OK. - It's quite a lot of money for an oak box, isn't it? - It is.
I mean, I suppose it could be used as a sewing box,
- a work box or something of that nature. - Yeah.
- We'll do our best to make the profit. - Splendid, I'm sure you will.
Now, Nicola chose the next lot.
- I like this scent bottle. - Yes. Yes, it's a very attractive
late-Victorian cranberry glass and silver mounted scent bottle.
- Yeah. - I rather fear I have been a bit mean.
I have been admonished by members here...
- Have you? - ..saying why was I so mean at £8-£10... - £8- £10!
I think that probably is a fair comment. It should exceed that.
Have you missed a nought off? 80-100.
Let's hope we do put a nought onto that estimate.
- Well, they paid £90, so they'll be very grateful if you could! - OK.
- I'm sure they would! - And you very kindly called their third item,
which is what I would describe as a wardrobe bottom, as an ottoman.
- Which I suppose it is. - Well, yes.
We're there to sell these things as best as we can!
Somebody, has cleverly converted it with the leather top on it.
- Yeah. - You know, maybe there is some potential in it,
with a slightly different covering and painting it and whatever.
But at £10-£15, that was the best I could come up with that.
Yeah, yeah. Well, they paid £60.
- Good luck! - Good luck.
I think they could be needing their bonus buy, tee-hee!
Let's have a look at it.
Well, Nicola and Kath, you left this very smart man with £90 to spend.
- Too much! - Too much, do you think? Well, what have you done, John?
WELL, following my love of wood and kitchenalia...
- I bought this! - Ooh! - This weird and wonderful thing.
Look at you both!
Even Charlie's thinking, "What is it?!"
- What is it? - Yeah, what is it? - Well, interestingly, the jury's out.
It was suggested that it's some form of juicer or I think...
I mean, that certainly is a good shout for me.
Put your fruit in there and give it a good sort of pummel there.
But I love carved wood, it's good, it's got some age to it.
- So how much did you pay for it? - I paid £40 for it.
£40? How much do you think it would make?
Well, I'm hoping it will make that and a little bit more, actually!
- Well, we hope that as well! - Yes!
Girls, you don't have to make up your mind now.
Leave it until the auction.
But I just wonder what the auctioneer thinks about this...
Juicer?
Well, I left John quite a lot of money - £90, I think -
and he went off and all that.
- Right. - Can you describe it for me?
Because I am at a bit of a loss here, Cliona.
Um, a wooden container, rectangular on the outside,
cylindrical on the inside, a few holes at the bottom...
- Two handles! - Well done!
THEY LAUGH
- What on earth was it used for? - Truly, I feel it was more
- for ornamental purposes than anything else. - Yeah.
I'm at a loss whether you put something that would drain away.
John thought it was a juicer.
I suppose you could ram the odd orange in there, couldn't you?
But you wouldn't particularly want
- to drink what came out of the bottom, would you? - Perhaps not.
Um, but a Near Eastern thing, I don't think it's terribly old.
- We've put £5-£10 on it. - Yeah. Yeah. You never know, of course.
He paid £40 for that.
So, what do you think?
- Well, it's a decorative piece, isn't it? - Yeah.
You know, you've got the nice carving on the handles.
- We'll do our best. - Yeah, I'm sure you will.
- So you'll be taking the sale? - Yes, I am. - Good, I'm looking forward to it.
They couldn't be in safer hands!
Straight in on the internet... Ten we have.
Now, Ference and Jack, are you regular visitors to an auction room?
- First time. - What do you make of it? - It's wonderful.
I love the atmosphere. It's very theatrical, actually, isn't it?
It is theatrical. Now, kicking off with that ceiling light, cost £30.
Confident?
- Not a lot of money for... - No. - It's a bit of Art Deco.
You think that'll be all right. Well, anyway, here it comes.
The pink tinted and frosted glass circular ceiling light.
Lot 194.
Who'll start me here at £10?
Let's open up the bid then at £5.
Let's get it going. £5 bid.
- Who's in at ten? - Oh, dear! - Any further bids? - Thank you.
Ten I'm bid. 15. 20.
25. 30.
- Come on! - Anybody else at £30?
It's at £25 now. We all done at £25?
You've only lost a fiver.
Not too bad.
- Now, Pelham puppets. - Mm-hm!
I think you got a lot for the money here.
- I think we've done really well. - Let's hope the punters agree.
Here it comes.
Lot number 195 is the Pelham puppets, the skeleton,
the wolf, the two witches and, of course, the white box.
We're opening up at £40, now we're looking for 50.
Who's in at 50? £40 I'm bid. I'm looking for 50.
Or 45, then, to get it going. 50 I have.
60? 70.
- 70! - The commission bid is here. - My word! - There we go. 70. 80.
£70 it is online now. Does the room want to come in at £80?
I'll take a £75 bid, if anybody wants to come in.
It's a £70 here, looking for £75 now, anybody in at £75?
At £70, on the internet now, I will sell, if we're all done at £70.
- Plus a tenner. - Plus ten.
- So you're now up £5. - OK. - All I can say to you now
- is fat lava! - No pressure, Nick, but this is all on you!
Lot number 196 is
the German fat lava cylindrical vase and two others.
Who'll start me here at £10?
- £10 from someone. 10 I'm bid. - Straight in at 10.
Who's in at 15? 15. 20.
25. 30.
- 35. - Oh, the cold sweat! - Anybody at 35?
It's seated in the room at £30 now. Any further offer?
Any further bid? If not, I will sell it £30, then,
if we're all done, at £30...
- Aw! - That is minus £65 on one lot. - Oh, no!
But you were up a fiver!
So it's not that bad! You're only down 60 overall.
Now, what do you want to with this pig dog, dog pig?
- We're going to have to just shove it in, aren't we? - Just go for it. - Yeah?
- You're going to go for it? - Yeah, we'll go for it.
Here it comes.
Lot number 200 is the leather pig stool in the Liberty's manner.
Straight in on the internet with a bid of £60.
Now looking for 70.
70 I'm bid. Now who's in at 80?
80. 90. 100. 110.
120. 130. 140. 150. 160.
170. 180. 190. 200. 210.
It's here at £210 now.
Anybody at 220?
220 online.
230. 240. 250. 260, back to you in the saleroom.
Thank you. 270. 280. 290. 300.
THEY GASP
It's at £300.
Here on the internet at £300, then, if we're all done.
At £300. Any further bid? If not, I'm selling at 300.
- Yes! - Woohoo! - That is unbelievable! - Brilliant! - Thank you, Canterbury!
- Yes! - Thank you!
£300 for a leather pig!
Well, not a word to the Blues, cos, frankly, if you did,
they wouldn't believe you! So there you go!
LAUGHTER
Nicola and Kath, something tells me about your demeanour,
that you've never been in an auction before?
- No. - Never.
- What do you think of it? - Well, it... - So far, it's quite exciting!
- You sound rather nervous, darling. - I am.
Anyway, the rectangular work box
- is a pretty thing, isn't it? - It's a lovely thing.
- You really like it, don't you? - I loved it. - Good, good.
Well, anyway, here it comes.
Lot number 216 is the oak and plated mounted rectangular work box.
Who will start me here are £10?
Ten we're bid, 15. 20, 25.
25. 30.
Anybody at 30?
25 it is in the room, looking for £30 now. Any further offer? 30.
35. The bid is at £30 here now.
Any further bids?
With the lady at £30. I will sell unless I get another bid.
Looking for 35, but I have it at 30, I will sell, at £30 then,
if we're all done at 30.
Aw! Well, you've lost £30, girls,
but never mind! Never fear! You have the wonderful scent bottle to come.
Smile, for goodness' sake! Here's the scent bottle.
Lot number 217 is the late-Victorian silver mounted and cranberry glass
double-ended scent bottle.
Going to open up at £35 now.
I'm looking for 40. Who's in at 40?
40, 50, 60, 70.
- Here we go! - 80. Anybody at £80?
The bid is at £70 standing now. Looking for £80.
It's at £70, then, are we all done?
80, you're back in. 90.
Go on, one more, £90.
- MAN: Go on. - £90 I'm bid. - LAUGHTER
- Oh, dear! - £90 it is, £90 and standing. Well done.
Well done, £90.
You've broken even, well done.
Phew!
So, actually, you're only minus 30. Here comes
the lot you so like, the ottoman.
Lot number 218 is the mahogany box ottoman cellaret.
Who'll start me here at £10?
£10 someone? 10 I'm bid.
Looking for 15 now.
10 is it here, looking for 15.
Any interest at 15?
At £10, then. Are we all done at £10?
There'll be a lot of "whining" if it doesn't make more money.
GAVEL BANGS
- Aw! - Oh! - £10, minus 50.
Dreadful! Well...
Well, you lost £30 on the work box
and £50 on the ottoman, which is £80.
You washed your face on the other. You are minus £80.
What do you want to do with John's extraordinary item?
- Yes, we're going to go for it. - You're going to go for it?
- Definitely. - Are you sure? - Yes, yes.
- It's here. - Oh! - Look, here it is. Doesn't it look splendid?
Lot number 222 is the Near Eastern carved wood rectangular container.
The two-handled container there.
Who'll start me here at £5?
£5 I'm looking for.
£5 I'm bid, thank you very much.
Who's in at 10 now? Any interest at £10?
- 10 we have. - 10!
- 20. - 20!
- No, you sure? - MAN: Quite sure.
25 for anybody else in the room?
- CHARLIE: Ha, "quite sure"! - Oh, 25 on the other platform.
25 we have, now looking for 30.
They seem to be out, £25. We'll give them a chance.
25 it is here in the saleroom. Anybody else in the room bidding?
Looking for £30, I do have the 25, I will sell.
If we're all done at £25?
If we're sure?
- Oh! - Minus 15.
Well...
the positive way of looking at that is that you've had a cracking time
and you haven't even lost £100.
- No, I think that's very good. - Just 95(!)
- Golden gavel's out, then? - Yes, you won't be getting a golden gavel.
We assume we're not getting one.
It may come as a shock to you, but, you know, three losses
and a break even doesn't, sadly, give you a golden gavel.
It gives you absolutely nothing other than huge satisfaction
- that you might have beaten the Red team. - Yeah. - Yes.
Cos they may have lost more than 95, so don't discuss it with them.
- No, not at all. - Later on, we'll find out.
It's a funny thing, Bargain Hunt, isn't it?
You know, both teams are given £300.
The idea is that they both spend wisely and make a good profit.
In this case, one of them has managed it wholeheartedly.
The other one has been, frankly, an abject disaster.
But, of course, we don't have losers, we have runners up.
And, by some absolutely enormous margin today,
the Blues are the runners up.
Because I'm afraid you lost £95.
It just went loss, loss, loss.
Anyway, you two haven't got much to be smug about, have you?
- LAUGHTER - Well...
You were masters of the loss yourselves!
In fact, you were £60 down, until it came to the great man there.
- Yes! - Absolutely! - What did he do? He bought a shiny leather pig.
- Yeah! - He paid £110 for a pig! Most people thought he was bonkers.
The auctioneer thought he was bonkers.
- £300! - Amazing. - So, I think that's just remarkable.
That's a profit of £190 on one pig.
Take off your miserable loss, of course...
LAUGHTER
..and it reduces your profit down to £130.
- Ah, thank you! - And there it is. - Thank you!
- Have you had a good time? - We've had a wonderful time.
We've had a great time, haven't we? And don't forget to have
a look at our website and to follow us on Twitter.
And join us soon for more Bargain Hunting, yes?
ALL: Yes!