麻豆约拍

Antiques dealers James Gooch, Jacqui Harris and Adi Higham are on a buying trip to the south of France. Their base is a historic farmhouse in Provence - perfectly located close to some of the country鈥檚 best antiques markets. This time, the trio are heading to a covered market in a converted bus garage in Vauvert, where they compete to find two hidden treasures each to buy and sell online for the most profit.

The trio鈥檚 first challenge is to find something they know will appeal to their loyal customers and social media followers. Mechanical and militaria maven Jacqui is first to strike, picking up a Second World War trench shovel with a very reasonable asking price. As it was a tool common to troops on both sides of the conflict, she knows that, in the right condition, they鈥檙e very popular with collectors, so she鈥檚 confident she has the clients to move it quickly.

There鈥檚 no hiding Adi鈥檚 excitement when he alights on a pair of broken, and hastily repaired, Anduze pots. In better condition, they鈥檇 be well over his budget, but can he strike a deal over the phone with the absentee stallholder to ensure they go home with him? It鈥檚 an expensive risk, as the damage on the pots could put a serious dent in any potential profits.

However, damage is high-end decorative dealer James鈥檚 middle name. He鈥檚 always on the hunt for distressed pieces and finds one in a gilt mirror with foxed mercury plate glass. His lack of French-speaking skills makes haggling tricky though, so will he be able to get it for the right price?

The dealers don鈥檛 only have to contend with the language barrier and a short selling period. Each day, one of them gets the chance to turn up the pressure and set them all a challenge to shop to a specific brief. Today, it鈥檚 Adi鈥檚 turn, and he鈥檚 decided they need to scour Vauvert for something that could fit in the palm of your hand, so the search is on for tiny treasures.

With the battle on to secure a sale and make the most profit, which of our trio will come out on top?