BBC Bargain Hunt's biggest ever losses from 180 million-year-old buy to three-figure ‘tat'

Bargain Hunt brings joy to viewers and contestants alike each weekday afternoon. The BBC show sees players compete to bag the best bargains and remain hopeful on making a profit when their items are sold at auction.

Two teams – designated the "Reds" and the "Blues" – are given £300 in cash and a limited amount of time to explore antiques fairs and find items that they think will land them a profit. Each team is accompanied by an antiques trade expert, who use any remaining money to bag a Bonus Buy.

After the contestants have completed their purchases and presented them to the host, home viewers are shown a "what the auctioneer thinks" segment in which the auctioneer appraises the buys and gives the auction estimate. And then comes the auction, which helps to determine the winner of the episode.

The auction sale price is compared to the price originally paid by the team, with the difference being either subtracted from or added to the team's total. I f the final total shows a profit, the team receives that profit in cash; otherwise, the team receives nothing.

While the show has seen some large profits, they are fairly rare. However, it is not particularly unusual for contestants to take home a small profit. But an average, the majority of contestants' items tend to lose money - We take a look at some of the biggest and most memorable losses on the BBC show.

180million-year-old gemstone

A couple competing on BBC's Bargain Hunt made an unfortunate £121 loss at auction with four ill-fated items.

Nick, a joiner, and his partner Tena, a support worker, were the Red team in an episode from 2021. The team's haul included a stunning Whitby Jet memorial brooch, a Denby lamp base, and a 1940s vintage Triang trike.

The Whitby Jet memorial brooch seemed to be of particular interest as it boasted an 180million-year-old gemstone with the team hopeful that it would bring in big bucks.

However, when expert Natasha Raskin Sharp presented the piece to auctioneer Charles Hanson, he was sceptical that Nick and Tena would be able to make their money back, estimating a sale between £30-50.

But the brooch brought even more disappointment, as it crashed and burnt at auction - selling for a measley £25. As Tena looked around the room in shock, Natasha reassured the couple: "Oh no, that's a loss of £75... let's not dwell."

Three-figure ‘tat’ that caused expert to be embarrassed

Husband-and-wife duo Dave and Tina appeared on the blue team in an episode of the BBC show as they trusted expert Mark Stacey with the Bonus Buy.

But the competitors seemed disappointed from the get-go, with Tina’s initial reaction being: “Oh it’s a box!” The expert then went on to explain: “Well it’s not just a box. You open it up and it’s got this charming little bowl inside.

“It’s got a little stand with it as well. It’s called plique-a-jour enamel, so it’s very translucent, you can see right through it. It would be wonderful if it was an antique one, of course. This isn’t an antique. This was made in the last 20 or 30 years I’m going to say but I love the quality of it.”

When questioned how much he paid for it, Stacey replied £100 and when Tina asked how much he thought it could make, the expert laughed and said £20 to £30. It was then time for the bowl to go to auction and it was not off to a good start as Winterton stated to the room: “There is nothing on my book. At all.” Stacey exlaimed: “Oh!”, hiding his embarrassed face with his hand.

The bids went up to £15 but when Winterton asked if there was £20 in the room, someone from the audience shouted “No!”, causing everyone to burst out laughing.

The auctioneer was gearing up to put an end to the bidding with Stacey now hiding his red face with both palms as he stated: “Oh” yet again. Winterton said: “I’m really sorry”, when someone offered £20, much to their delight.

By the end of the afternoon, the bowl had made the blue team a £75 loss and that combined with the other items, meant that they made a three-figure loss of £120.

'Stylish' big spend

Barbara and Gabriel, a mother and son duo were joined by expert Caroline Hawley to uncover treasure in Derbyshire. Although the Red Team kicked off their auctions with a major profit, they failed to entice buyers with their “eye-catching” and “stylish” art nouveau vase.

For their big buy purchase, they were sold on the £180, “two-handled vase Belgium art pottery,” which the expert enthused was “the height of the period” from “1895 to 1905.”

Keen on the item, the team managed to hagglie the price down to £90 with hopes of it appealing at auction. However, they were stunned to discover the bidding for the vase would start at £20 and were left red-faced when none of the buyers were interested.

The pair laughed in shock as Gabriel joked: “I think its best we go.” As host Eric Knowles remarked: “Ouch, ouch, ouch in that order,” Barbara added: “I’m shocked, who wouldn’t want that on their sideboard?”