The Bidding Room

Nigel Havers welcomes sellers of collectibles and curiosities to the Bidding Room's home in Edinburgh, where they ply their wares to five dealers. First through the doors is Chandler, hoping the dealers will rise to the bidding for his Hovis bakery signs, inherited from his grandmother. The 1920s signage may have had a more recent paint job, so it's down to Chandler to persuade the dealers that, despite that, the signs are the best thing since sliced bread. The next hopeful seller is Velda, ready to wrap the dealers up in the story of a family hand-me-down. Gifted to Velda by her aunt Maureen, the beautiful Welsh blanket just doesn't sit comfortably amongst Velda's interior style, but the history of the craft certainly excites the dealers, one of which is a Welsh blanket collector. Third to arrive at Edinburgh HQ is Jamie, with a piece that opened up the written word for the visually impaired. The 1950s brailler is in immaculate condition, so Jamie is hoping the dealers will bid big. Rachel is next with a little star of an item that should twinkle in the room. The antique cot was donated to her to raise money for her animal charity - can any of the dealers offer Rachel the right money to rest easy? Finally, it's Neil with a pair of glass paperweights inherited from his grandmother. The hand-blown glass weights were brought home from France after the First World War and have lived, precariously, amongst Neil's family for generations. Not willing to risk having the immaculate glass paperweights near his grandchildren, Neil wants to sell them on and share the money with the young relatives. But the dealers will need to come up with some big bids if they want to take the weights into their own care. The dealers today are Melissa, Viki, Jon, Jo and James.