Collectaholics

Episode 2 (1x2)

: 19, 2014

Mel and Mark meet Nigel, the animal lover with a penchant for all things stuffed. His boyhood dream of owning animals preserved by taxidermy has now extended to more than 500 pieces, and he has everything from fish and foxes to polar bears and lions. But now he's on the hunt for a very special piece to top off his collection. Much to wife Janice's horror, Nigel wants a giraffe, or at least all 9ft of its head and neck. As well as getting his entire collection valued, Mark and Mel are on a mission to sell off his excess items to raise the funds needed. Opening a stall on Spitalfields market, they're determined to show Nigel how popular taxidermy has become with a younger crowd and there is a surprise when they reveal just what Nigel's life's work is worth. Twice-divorced Bob has had to downsize his life into a three-bedroom caravan, but he's bought with him his extraordinary 1,000+ piece collection of Mason's pottery. Every surface, every ledge and even the ceiling has been utilised to house it all, but he still has boxes and boxes stored under his home. But now Bob's struggling to sell the items that won't fit in his caravan because the Mason's market has crashed in value in the last decade. With the help of Mark and Mel, he's on a mission to start a Mason's revival and find a new market for his beloved treasures. Finally, Mark and Mel visit the house with not one, but two collectors. David and Francis have two competing, and very different collections. Whilst David has an all-consuming love of ceramics, artwork and furniture from the highly regarded Bloomsbury Group all over the house, Francis has a collection of more than 2,000 different salt and pepper shakers that is confined to two cupboards. Can Mark and Mel help bring balance to this household, and what surprises does the valuation have for these two competing collectors?