The beloved series sees two teams ago head-to-head as they buy antiques from fairs across the country.

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Whichever team makes the most profit when their items go to auction are declared the winners.

And during the latest episode the show came from Devon.

But presenter Charlie Ross left viewers at home and the crowd baffled when he asked them to guess what the day’s mystery object was.

Holding the piece, the 72-year-old showed how the object has hooks on each end.

“It certainly looks old and it’s made out of steel,” he said.

He continued: “It’s very plain, it hasn’t got any markings on it anywhere.

“It’s also quite shinny so I think it’s been well used.”

As the crowd tried to guess what the item could be, Charlie teased that it dates back to the Victorian era.

Some of the guesses from the public included it being a horse hoof pick, a dinning utensil or a tool for unlocking doors.

Eventually putting the viewers out of their misery, Charlie revealed what the item was.

“I can tell you that this nifty little object is a Victorian folding combined button hook and boot pull,” he said.

He added: “Victorians were great inventors and button hooks and boot pulls were just the thing they needed.

Designed to make the owner appear more refined, it also made life a lot simpler.

“The sophisticated Victorian gentleman could use it to do the buttons up on his spats, gators, boots or stiff collars.”

The presenter then demonstrated how exactly it would have been used all those years.

Bargain Hunt airs on BBC One and iPlayer.

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