An eye for a bargain? (Bargain Hunt)

Member Name: janna

Product:	Bargain Hunt
Date:	07/10/01 (146 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a watchable little programme

Disadvantages: none

Usually on weekday mornings I can be found in my workshop catching up with stock or customer orders (I am a jewellery designer) and listening to the radio or keeping an eye on the telly. Bargain Hunt can be found on BBC1 at 11.30am sandwiched between Trading Up and Wipeout from monday to friday.

I do not usually take too much notice of daytime television, but the mention of Newmarket Racecourse by the presenter David Dickinson immediately caught my attention. I have spent many happy hours at race meetings in Newmarket, but I must admit I have never attended an antiques fair on the racecourse.

Several years ago, I had an elderly neighbour (an older version of David Dickinson complete with suntan and light-coloured suits) who was a retired antiques dealer. I used to chauffeur him around to car boot sales, antique fairs, fleamarkets and auctions and learned a lot from him about what to purchase (and what not to purchase!). So Bargain Hunt reminded me of enjoyable times wandering around car boot sales etc.

David Dickinson introduces two teams usually a husband and wife/two work colleagues or friends clad in blue and red fleeces. Each team is given £200 to spend in one hour at an antiques fair/fleamarket. There is a different venue each day. An 'expert' accompanies each team usually a dealer or auctioneer in order to give his advice on possible purchases (with varying degrees of success I must add); and they are let loose around the fair to barter for their goods.

The idea of the programme is that each team should purchase items that will make a profit at an auction and any profit made is awarded to the team.

Prior to the auction, the auctioneer assesses each item giving his own estimate of the price each item will fetch.

David usually gives useful tips during the course of the programme and will often pick an item from the auction which he feels will make a good price.

How did our intrepid tea
ms do with their purchases from Newmarket?

The Blue Team purchased:

Bakers peel(which is a wooden shovel) for £20, which sold for £32
Edwardian washstand (modernised into a desk) for £170, which sold for £190

The Red Team purchased:

Engraving of Clitheroe Castle for £28, which sold for £48
Mahogany stool for £30, which sold for £40
Reproduction brass mirror for £120, which sold for £110

David therefore presented the Blue Team with their winnings of £32 and the Red Team with £20.

I recently attended a large local antiques fair. I gave myself an imaginary £200 to spend. Believe me, I would have found it very difficult to purchase items that would have subsequently made a profit at an auction. I know you can still pick up bargains from car boot sales (as long as you know what you are looking for); but nowadays, most antique dealers are knowledgeable about their own stock, so there is not much chance of finding a genuine bargain that will make a good profit at auction.

And would you like to know if I have made a profit (or otherwise) on items I have bought in the past? I would point out that I purchased these goods from a local auction and placed them in a fine arts auction.

Large Mason's Ironstone china plate for £15, which sold for £45
Bisque-headed jointed German doll (made around 1900) for £150, which sold for £350
Small old table made from yew for £120, which sold for £65


Oh well, you can't win them all, can you?





Janna

Summary: