Episode 1 Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite antiques experts,

one big challenge -

who will make the most profit buying and selling antiques

as they drive around the jolly old UK?

-Six pounds.

-Five pounds.

-Done!

Is that your very best you can do?

At the end of their trip they should have made some big money.

Yes!

But it's not as easy as it sounds.

And only one will be crowned champion

at the final auction in London.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Kicking off the competition

are antiques experts David Barby and Anita Manning and lucky them!

They're driving the back roads in a 50-year-old Austin Healey.

David's a freelance auctioneer and valuer

and has specialist knowledge of porcelain.

You can tell by the weight,

the glaze and the finish on the bottom,

that this is a copy.

Competing against him is Anita Manning.

Anita was Scotland's first ever female auctioneer and has run

one of the country's most successful auction houses for over 20 years.

I like these a lot but there's damage

and keep away from anything with damage.

Och aye!

Each expert has a budget of £200 to buy some killer antiques

to sell at auction at the end of each leg.

Whatever money they have after each leg

will be their budget for the next leg and so on

until they reach the end of their road trip.

By then they should have a lot more than £200,

but buying and selling antiques is a fickle old business.

I can carve your cows or sell your furniture, whichever suits you!

This week, Anita and David's road trip will take them

from the north-east of Scotland

to Leyburn in North Yorkshire.

The first leg of the competition starts in Aberdeen

and our experts are making their way to auction in St Andrews.

The Granite City. Aberdeen started off as a fishing settlement

but thrives on other riches of the seas today.

The North Sea oil and gas industries fuelled

its regeneration in the 1970s,

making Aberdeen Scotland's third largest city.

Ah, isn't this fabulous?

-So where are these antique shops?

-Well, let's have a look here.

-We have our A To Z.

-Anita...

-Good luck, darling.

-Best of luck. Should I have said that?

SHE LAUGHS

See you later.

Our two experts have agreed a game plan to shop separately.

Anita's got another more ticklish tactic up her velvet sleeve.

David loves porcelain.

I would like to buy a piece

just to annoy David Barby.

I really want to see what's available on the market.

That's going to be my plan of action.

Meet one or two dealers, see if they can advise me what to buy,

and we'll go from there.

Anita can't resist a bit of sparkle

and makes straight for the jewellery.

They say that diamonds are a girl's best friend

but I favour this lovely Scottish jewellery.

We have this selection of polished stones here

and we have the carnelians.

We have this nice banded agate here, where we have the black

and this lovely beige colouring and nice stripe there.

I would say that this bracelet is probably late Victorian,

early Edwardian, around about the 1900s.

-Yes, circa 1900.

-1900s.

I think it's very appealing. The price on it is £95.

-I can do a bit on it for you.

-Can you? That would be great.

-Just a little bit.

-Just a little bit. What could you take off?

-I can do it for 85 for you.

-85.

Interesting tactic.

Anita is prepared to blow nearly half her budget

in the first hour of shopping.

-I think we'll have that.

-Fantastic.

Oh, Anita, remember this is a competition

and you're meant to make a profit at the auction.

David's been busy too.

That brown paper parcel suggests he's bought something.

We'll find out what it is later.

Well, Mrs Beeton's Book Of Household Management - new edition.

This is quite good.

This dates from the beginning of the 20th century, 1906,

but it's a wonderful publication

and this was the Bible of chefs.

And the recipes are still used today.

But it's the illustrations all the way through,

of how things were presented on the Edwardian tables of the day,

late Victorian and Edwardian tables, like Dover sole and crab.

Isabella Beeton's famous book was first published in 1861

when she was just 24.

It contained over 900 recipes but amazingly,

Mrs Beeton herself couldn't cook!

Her masterstroke was to compile

a collection of recipes in one fat volume.

I like that immensely. I'm just going to check on the price. Hello.

-Hello.

-This wonderful book of Mrs Beeton.

It's a rather late edition, 1906.

What sort of price is this?

(Just check.)

I'm asking £40 for it

but I could do a little bit off that.

It's such a late edition.

What's the very best?

I could do it for 32.

BUSINESS OWNER LAUGHS

Is that your very best?

I think it's got to be tucked more towards...

-..25.

-Really?

-Yeah.

If you give me £26 I'd make a proud profit.

-At £26 I'll have it.

-Very good.

-Thank you very much.

Gosh, what have I done?

Bled this poor man dry?

That was an impulsive buy.

I was going to look at silver and jewellery and porcelain

and ended up with a book on cookery because I like cooking.

And hard bargaining! That's what this competition is all about.

So, the shopping is well underway

and they haven't even left Aberdeen yet.

Time to hit the road.

BLEEP.

Not literally, David.

And you'd better get a move on. The weather's closing in.

Where's the little catch down now? SHE LAUGHS

-David!

-What?

-Help me!

It's like The Generation Game.

Son and mother.

Done something wrong.

-Oh, there we are!

-Yeah, yeah.

Ooh, it's great having a man about the house.

With the roof finally up, David and Anita head west of Aberdeen.

David's steering them towards the village of Dinnet,

where he's heard there's a dealer worth visiting.

-Next stop, David?

-Well, this is my little outing, Anita.

David's getting out here with difficulty while Anita heads to the next village.

There we are. It's all yours, darling.

They're really off the beaten track here.

Dealer Dave Hendry is a compulsive collector

and it's a treasure trove inside.

What a fantastic collection!

-Do you think?

-It's so eclectic, isn't it?

You've got something of everything here. I love your Happy Hours clock.

-Probably around 1900.

-I would have thought about that.

The internal movements have been restored and everything.

-So it works.

-What's the price?

-What does it say on it?

-£1.50!

-God, that's cheap!

-I'll have it.

Nice try, David, but no-one's falling for that.

-How much?

-It says 150...

-Oh, sugars!

That's far too much money.

Now, I would have said that a special today's price - 40.

DAVID SIGHS

-I think he likes you.

-He does actually. He's smiling.

I am charmed by it, I must confess.

Let's look what else you've got.

It's clear that Dave has some unique stock,

but then Dave's quite a unique guy.

He brought a lot of his stuff over from France

where he used to live in a hut in the woods.

-It's a total shambles up here.

-Goodness me.

-So who comes up here?

-Well, nobody really.

-It's just a storeroom.

-A storeroom?

-I'm not very organised.

I buy something, I take it up, I find a space, I dump it down.

Then that goes in front of something and that goes in front of something.

-And then I forget all about it.

-And discover it years later.

Years and years later. I say, "Oh my God!"

That's the frame department.

-Isn't that interesting?

-Now that, I bought in auction in Elgin.

In actual fact, that's what's on the reverse.

I'll show you what's on the other side.

When the auctioneer held it up, he held it like that.

Then he moved round like that and that was behind it.

What a wonderful story.

I think it's Glasgow school.

But it's not just paintings.

Dave's attic is home to pretty much everything

from porcelain to pendulums.

Oh, look at that pendulum!

-Isn't it fabulous?

-Isn't that absolutely unbelievably fabulous?

Mother-of-pearl. Boxwood.

Cant believe this. What was the motivation?

To sell or to make a profit?

-I'm just an impulsive buyer.

-You're rather like me actually.

I like pictures, I like paintings.

Something comes up, I've just got to have it.

David, what's that up there?

That's my girlfriend!

Would you like to have a more intimate...?

Could I? I'd like to have a feel of the metal.

There you are.

Now, why I wanted to have a feel of the metal

was because of the nature of spelter.

It was one of these cheap man's bronze type figures.

You could feel all the bumps and the blemishes,

but this is very smooth.

-It is.

-Very, very smooth.

It's got an extra polish on the backside, hasn't it?

It's very strange, isn't it?

What I like about this is that it's the epitome of Art Deco.

Er, this almost nubile figure.

Very much in the manner of the later Nazi movement,

which was joy through health.

And we have this very iconic female figure

that you would find in Hollywood

and, in fact, right across the art world,

where the female figure was glorified in all its nudity.

This one might have held up a huge circular glass panel

with a light behind it.

But that fitment has gone. Where did it come from?

I just don't remember. I think I brought that back from France.

-You brought it back from France?

-I bought that in Brittany, yeah.

-I think it's probably German-French origin.

-Quite possibly, yeah.

-How much is this?

-Er...

I could let you have it for about £80.

I would normally ask for a lot more.

-But it hasn't got its fitment at the top.

-I know it hasn't.

-That does make a world of difference.

-I know, yeah.

It makes a world of difference. Is that your very best you can do?

-Well...

-She's crying for a new home. Heavens.

-Has she fallen in love with you?

-Yeah.

Well, 65.

-50.

-Hm.

-50.

-55.99.

We'll go for 52.50.

Done.

What have I done?

An incomplete object.

You were right to bargain hard, David. It's risky buying an incomplete or damaged object.

Hi!

Hi.

Oh!

-David, you haven't bought more stuff?

-I have!

-You're a shopaholic.

-Absolutely.

HE ROARS WITH LAUGHTER

-Come on, let's go.

-Let's go, then.

-I'll let you go up to 20 mph.

Come on! Come on!

But David's not the only one who's been buying things.

Anita has also made another purchase

but they won't be showing each other what they've bought

until they've finished all their shopping.

It's a beautiful, sunny morning in Angus

as our two experts set off from Edzell and head south-west to Perth.

They'll finish up in St Andrews for the auction

at the end of this particular leg. Anita still has

£95 left from her £200 starting budget,

while David's got £107.50.

Anita's great passion is Scottish glassware.

She especially loves Monart glass, which was made here in Perth,

and the museum has a fantastic collection.

This is what I wanted to see.

What a display.

The colour! I love Monart.

Ironically, this iconic Scottish glassware

was made by a flamboyant Spaniard - Salvador Ysart and his family.

They worked in Scotland between 1924 and 1961.

The finest pieces are highly collectable, fetching up to £4,000.

The only way Anita's going to get her mitts on them

is with protective gloves under the watchful eye of curator Sandra Martin.

Do you have a favourite?

I think I'm particularly fond

of the piece that's directly in front of me

just because there's quite a nice story that goes with that.

There are some silver flecks on the top of the piece here

and these are actually from a local Woolworths store.

It was only available around Christmas time

so I think that's a lovely story.

My favourite is this one here.

In this one I see the fire and the colour of Spain

into the wonderful green of Scotland.

That is telling me the story of Monart.

Yes, absolutely.

While Anita is indulging her passions,

David is heading for an antiques centre in the village of Rait.

With eight shops, he's confident he's going to bag himself a bargain.

Remember, David, you've got £107.50 to spend.

What a great place! What sort of price is this?

That is £785, which is great value for money.

-1,200.

-1,200? That's very good.

Come on, focus on your buyer. What would they really want?

This is a must-have, except probably it's a little bit too big!

Anita's been inspired by the Monart collection

and has gone in search of a piece she can afford.

This looks promising!

Could I see this little one, please?

It just is so typically Monart,

with the gold flecks.

And if we turn it over, we see this typical base of Monart,

where we have the polished rim and the polished pontil there.

I think it's quite a sweet little pin dish.

-It's a beautiful colour.

-Yes. How much, Helen?

-£30 for that piece.

That's not bad!

I mean, £30 for a piece of quality Scottish glass.

A piece of Monart.

-I think I'll have that.

-Good, sold to the lady.

-I've still got a wee bit of money left.

-Right.

Could I have a look at the pink one, please?

Ah, lovely. Now, let's have a look here.

It's Strathearn glass, which is, I suppose, the grandchild of Monart.

This piece is pre-Second World War and this is post-60s.

Again, I love it with these whirls and swirls

and little flashes of red and orange.

Dare I ask how much?

Well, that piece is £50.

£50. I can still do it! I'm going to have that as well.

I'll have both of them.

Well, you can afford them, Anita,

but I'm not sure there's a profit in them and THAT'S the name of this game.

Now, how's David getting on?

That light-blue glass, purple to blue,

-that's Monart glass.

-Monart, Perth. Yes.

-Could I have a look at that, please?

-Pleasure.

-Thank you.

Monart glass, eh, David?

Oh, it's beautiful.

I love the subtle change from blue into purple.

It's very nice.

-The pinks and oranges tend to be more popular.

-That's right.

The vibrant colours.

This isn't so common, not so popular, but...

-Hence your price of £40.

-That's right.

What I like is this inclusion here of these almost featherlike swirls.

That's right. If you get the light behind it,

it comes through beautifully.

That is exquisite. So what's the date of this? About 1948?

Yes. Late '40s, 1950.

What would be your best price on it?

I'm not going to pay £40 for it.

35.

I'm going to say 30.

Crisp new notes that you've made today?

-Absolutely.

-Go on, then. We'll have a deal.

Thank you very much indeed.

Let me settle up.

Cor, that's how to negotiate a bargain, David.

It's the end of the day. Anita's spent out,

and David doesn't want to spend any more.

So they're meeting up to show each other their purchases.

Hello. It's Christmas time again!

Now what have you got?

First item is a bracelet.

We have the carnelian in the centre.

-We have these polished moss agate.

-Yes.

And we have some striped agate here.

And these stones were found in the Highlands, round about here,

sent down to Edinburgh, polished and then mounted in silver.

-This type of thin is popular just now.

-Yup.

-And how much did you pay for that?

-£85.

-Oh, that's very reasonable.

-Yeah.

Are you sure?

Let's see your first item.

First item that I happened to find was a little engraving.

Of?

St Andrews.

Ah, David's brown paper package, eh?

It contains an item cleverly bought

with the auction location in mind - St Andrews.

-How much?

-£40.

David, I don't think that's bad at all. Well done!

Anita also bought a Copenhagen vase.

Scandinavian, 20th-century design.

High glaze, well hallmarked, with this rather pretty iris pattern.

-How much was this?

-£20.

-Oh!

I can't match it!

What will Anita think of David's antique cookery book?

It is a social history of culinary art.

Because there we have Mrs Beeton's Book Of Household Management

and this is the new edition, 1906.

-No home should be without one, David!

-This is true.

Tell me how much you paid for it.

-I paid £26 for this.

-Uh-huh.

Let's see your next piece.

Right, there we have a piece of Art Deco. I find this quite exciting.

The point is it was an electric light fitment at one stage.

Complete, I think it would be £150-£200.

He sold me this for £52.50.

I love the Art Deco period. It's where style met glamour.

-And, David...

-What?

-Sex always sells.

Oh, do you think she looks sexy?

-Your third item?

-This morning, David,

I visited the Perth Museum with their exhibition of...

-BOTH:

-Monart glass.

And I was so inspired

that I've found this little pin dish.

Oh, that is so sweet.

Typical of Monart with the gold aventurine,

the beautiful polished base.

It's such a sweet little thing and it's in the typical Monart green.

£30. What a buy, David!

Absolute bargain.

But I look down and lo and behold...

..I found another piece of Scottish glass.

-I paid £50 for it.

-Right.

-I couldn't resist it.

-You buy what you love.

-So you want to see my fourth object?

-Yes.

Well, I had to buy this. I fell in love with it.

Just as much as you like Monart glass, so do I.

Oh, David, that's absolutely beautiful.

And it's bigger than mine!

DAVID LAUGHS

How much did you pay for this?

-Tell me how much I should have paid for it.

-I think that piece is worth £180.

-How much did you pay?

-30.

-£30?

-Yes.

Did they know it was Monart?

Jealous, Anita?

Our steely antique hunters

have put their shopping behind them.

It's auction day in St Andrews, the home of golf.

St Andrews has been a magnet for hunter-gatherers for 8,000 years,

and today they still come in every shape and form.

Well, David, here we are.

-I've got my fingers crossed and everything else.

-Let's go.

MacGregor's holds a general auction every two weeks,

selling anything from porcelain to vacuum cleaners.

As for Anita and David's items,

auctioneer Ian Urie has some bad news.

The biggest disappointment is going to be

what you probably thought was the best,

-which is the blue and purple Monart glass vase.

-Yes?

Which I'm afraid is damaged.

-Damaged? In what context?

-At one time it's been bruised and cracked.

-So it's going to affect the price a great deal.

-Cracked?

Is there a crack in it.

Unspotted by David when he bought the vase,

the hairline crack could be a disaster at the auction,

so David wants proof.

-Is that it?

-That's a crack, yes.

-Hardly noticeable.

-Very tiny, uh-huh.

-Very, very tiny.

If this was perfect, what sort of price would it be? 180?

No, you might have got a little bit more for that.

-Probably over 300 if it had a proper label.

-300?

So what do you think it's going to go for?

£30 may be pushing it a little bit.

Crikey, Moses. The tiny crack could shatter its value.

It's enough to bring a grown man or doll, like Barby, to tears.

The auction's about to begin, there's no going back.

Anita's expensive bracelet is up first.

The bidding is with me at £8.

Nine, 10. 11, 12.

13, 14.

Och, that's a low start.

It looks like Anita could be in trouble here.

34, 36,

38. 42.

Any advance on £42?

-Oh, that's disappointing.

-How much have you lost?

-I've lost £43.

-£43.

Well, it's early days, Anita.

Next it's David's Mrs Beeton's book.

And the bid is with me at £18.

18, 19, 20. 22, 24, 28,

30.

36, 38.

Any advance on £38?

-That's a £10 profit.

-Well done, well done.

Actually, David, it's £12 profit. Just as well one of us is counting.

Next, it's Anita's Copenhagen vase.

The bid is with me at £6. Any advance on £6?

Seven, eight,

nine, 10.

Any advance on £10?

Bad luck. What she needs now is a winner.

But it's her Strathearn glass bowl next

and she's not hopeful of a profit.

And this is the one that I thought I'd go down on.

And the bid is with me at £12.

12!

13. 14.

Any advance on £14?

God!

Anita! How much did you pay for that?

50!

THEY LAUGH

I think I'm better on the other side of the rostrum.

Well, maybe.

She's now pinning everything on her little green pin dish.

But before that,

it's David's incomplete Art Deco figurine.

And the bid is with me at £48.

You've started well.

-54. 56.

-You're doing well!

-70.

That's a bit more like it.

98. 100.

-Yes!

-105. 110.

115.

Any advance on £115?

I'm not greedy but oh!

-That's good.

-You really are the master.

Well, I don't know about that.

Next, it's David's cracked Monart vase.

This could be his downfall.

Any advance on £24?

26.

30. 32.

34. 36.

60. 62.

Any advance on £62?

Oh, David!

-That was good!

-Lady Luck is smiling on you today!

She certainly is.

But it only takes one good or bad buy for everything to change,

so will Anita's Monart pin dish rescue her fortunes?

Mere pound for it. Pound I'm bid. Two. Three.

Four. Five.

Six. Seven.

Eight. Nine.

Ten. 11. 12.

13.

Any advance on £13?

That's very cheap.

-That's very cheap, David.

-£13.

Their first auction has been a disaster for Anita.

Four losses in a row.

David's picture of St Andrews,

bought with this sale in mind, is their last lot.

And the bid is with me at £24. 26.

Any advance on 26? 28...

Could this be David's first loss?

28. 30.

32, 34,

36, 38.

Any advance on £38?

One more go!

I've lost £2!

Oh, my heart bleeds for you(!)

Well, the only thing that I can say

is I'll be paying less commission than you!

That's something. So David goes straight into the lead.

David started with a budget of £200.

After he's paid the auctioneer's commission,

he's made a profit of £60.83.

So David has a new total of £260.83 for the next leg.

Anita, meanwhile, has made the most frightful bog of it.

From her £200,

she's now down to a paltry £80.37 to spend on the next leg.

I'm a bit disappointed, David, but I'm very pleased for you.

That's very nice.

I would like us both to have made some profit, quite honestly.

Next time, David, next time!

The pressure's on if Anita is to turn her fortunes around.

I'm thinking bargain basement price, perhaps.

And David's lead is under threat.

Last call at 70.

Oh!

It's not long before they'll be back on the road again

to sniff out a few antiques

that will hopefully make them a decent profit.

And will Anita be able to muster a fight back? We're about to find out.

Now for a quick reminder of where we are.

Former Warwickshire chorister David Barby is a buyer, seller,

collector and valuer. He's been weighing up the challenge.

The difficulty in buying antiques at the moment

is trying to judge what's going to be in fashion.

Natural born seller Anita Manning wields her auctioneer's hammer in Glasgow.

She's got to toughen up.

Bargaining is not in my nature.

I'm an auctioneer and I see everything as beautiful

and like it to be the best price possible,

so I've got to keep the price down.

Not good for the hair, though!

The next leg of their journey sees them travelling

from Aberdeen in north-east Scotland

to Leyburn in North Yorkshire.

Today, they're leaving St Andrews

and heading for their next auction, in Edinburgh.

Anstruther is their first stop.

After a cracking start, David's £200 fund has swollen,

giving him £260.83 to spend today.

But Anita had a disastrous first auction.

What did you pay for that?

She's now only got £80.37 to play with.

The only way is up, Anita!

David and Anita are driving through some of Fife's

most tantalising coastal towns,

hoping to find a magical crock of gold somewhere over the rainbow.

Or possibly in an antiques shop. Maybe in Anstruther?

I love that first glimpse of the sea.

It reminds me of when I was a child.

You were going away your holidays and you saw the sea there.

It was fabulous.

Anstruther is one of the best fishing ports in Scotland,

and fish curing remains important,

along with rope, sail and oilskin factories.

Now, Anita, what are we going to do,

bearing in mind the auction yesterday?

Yeah, that was pretty bad news for me, David.

-I mean, I brought really pretty things.

-Hmm.

And you bought, um...

You CAN say it.

An unrare book, a lamp that was incomplete and a broken vase.

And you made £100 profit and I made £100 loss!

-So how much have you got to spend now?

-£80.

-£80!

-I've got £260.83, and I'm so worried what I'm going to do with the 83p.

-Oh, I know!

My heart bleeds for you.

David heads off in search of some regional craftwork.

And Anita? Well, she needs to toughen up and stop being so nice.

Well, I've got to be very, very careful today, very careful.

I've only got £80 left.

Two pieces of advice to myself - number one, be cautious, Anita.

The other thing, don't let your heart rule your head.

A wee bit canny.

First up for the underdog, a trip to an Anstruther Aladdin's cave.

Anita must be hoping for a bit of magic.

You know, I was curious, how did the name Jean Genie come about?

Right. Well, when I took the shop on, I wasn't sure what to call it,

but I knew I wanted on the windows "for all things old and new",

so, I thought, "I'm Jean, my granny was Jeannie, so she's the old."

I thought, "I'll have my name and my granny's name, Jeannie."

Just roughly the same time, David Bowie came out with the record Jean Genie.

-So you knew it must have been right?

-It had to be that, yes.

It's one of those shops you've just got to really root around in.

What I'm looking for, Jeannie, is something with a rock bottom price,

because I haven't got a lot of money to spend.

It's a wee vesta box. Oh, it's a tape measure.

And you wind the tail.

-The tail winds it in.

-Oh, that's very, very good.

Yeah, it's just a novelty.

The thing is, in today's market, people are looking for...

It's a wee, odd and unusual thing, isn't it?

But at £30, I think it's too pricey for you, Anita.

Jeannie, could I have a wee look at that watch there?

It's got a wee look about it. It's never been a fine thing,

but it's got a wee look, you know?

I quite like that type of thing and I like that period.

I think it's got style.

The diamantes are good, but I like the green, round here.

It's got a nice kind of '50s stuff

and that's becoming a wee bit more popular now.

It's collectable.

-It has got one diamante missing.

-Yes.

My other problem is the price,

and it's the type of thing that I could buy

if it was totally and absolutely...

-..rock bottom.

-What would you offer?

-I mean, it's really...

-10? No?

If there's a possibility of it at a couple of pounds?

-But I don't want you to be unhappy.

-No, that's all right, no.

I don't want you to be unhappy. I really don't.

Blimey, that is tough negotiating, Anita!

It's what I can offer because I've got to try and sell it again.

What do you think you'd get for it?

-I'm hoping I would get maybe about 10, 12 for it.

-Right.

-And I'm a long, long way behind.

-Would you go five?

If it was in good condition.

It's chrome, it's not silver or white metal,

-so we know it's not a precious thing.

-No.

But we know that it's got a bit of style about it.

Is it doable, Jeannie? If it's not, say no.

Yes, I'll let you have it for two.

I don't believe it!

Well, Anita did very well there.

In fact she couldn't have got that watch any cheaper without...

Well, nicking it!

Meanwhile, David's in no hurry to spend his dosh.

Being a fan of porcelain figures, he's taken a detour

to the village of Ceres

to meet respected artisan Griselda Hill.

Griselda has revived a traditional craft

that was started locally in Fife in 1882.

-What a fabulous shop! David Barby.

-Very pleased to meet you.

-Griselda Hill.

-What's it like being a living legend?

Well, I don't think I'm quite a living legend!

You're so well-known with the Wemyss fraternity.

The world-famous Wemyss Ware was invented by a local pottery owner,

Robert Heron, together with Karel Nekola,

a gifted designer from the former Czechoslovakia.

The pottery in Kirkcaldy closed in 1957,

but Griselda bought the copyright for the designs,

prized for their free-flowing

and naturalistic hand-painted techniques.

Do you feel yourself as a revivalist or continuing a pottery tradition?

We certainly revived the pottery,

but I certainly feel that I'm allowed to do my own designs

within the umbrella of the Wemyss tradition.

I think these are lovely. When did you start putting...

-Are they glass eyes on the cats?

-Yes, yes.

-Where did you get those from?

-From a special company or something?

-Well, yes,

-a taxidermist, who we get some from.

-Is it?!

-Can we go and see how the potting is done?

-Of course you can, yes.

-Gosh, that's quite wet, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It really is.

-And it's very heavy.

-Yes, it is.

Well, that would be left to dry.

This is what it looks like once it's been fired. That's bisqueware.

Yes, and it's so much lighter

-because it's had all the moisture...

-That's right.

Here we've got the painting room.

This is where everything gets painted,

then it goes back to get fired in the kiln.

This is where it gets its identity for Wemyss, doesn't it?

It certainly does. This is very classic Wemyss.

The cabbage rose pattern

has a unique, three-dimensional effect,

and it takes the artist more than two years' training

to master the skill.

If an original pair of Wemyss cats came up for sale,

let's say this height, we would be talking, what, £2,500, £3,000?

-Yes. Per cat.

-They're as expensive as that, are they?

-Yes.

-What sort of price are yours?

-Well, this one is £180.

-That's a great differential, isn't it?

-Yes, it's a bargain!

Has David got the Wemyss bug now?

He's leading the contest by a mile, but Anita might have just bought

a nice little earner.

Following her quick getaway from Jean Genie,

Anita is continuing her search for good investments

and aiming to part with as little money as possible.

Make yourself at home, you could be here for hours.

We have everything apart from space in here.

That's the only thing that's at a premium.

Anita has found something.

It's a typical Victorian oil on canvas Highland landscape

with a little loch here.

There's a signature here, David Watts. Condition isn't good.

There's no date,

but I would put it late 19th, early 20th century.

Hm, interesting. We'll keep that in mind.

And there's a second canvas.

Same artist, David Watts.

That type of picture, not as popular as it was before,

a wee bit of damage on the canvas, unframed,

that's what I'm thinking. Bargain basement price, perhaps?

-Perhaps.

-Can I be absolutely straightforward?

-You can indeed.

I wouldn't expect you to be any other way.

-You can throw me out of the shop if you wish.

-He might!

Could I pay £15 for both?

You can pay £20 for both.

Can you pull it down to, say, 16?

You're a hard woman, Anita Manning!

I'm not, I'm a wee softy!

You can have them both for £16.

-Oh, that is wonderful.

-You're welcome.

I hope that I make a couple of bob out of these pictures.

-If I do, I'll come back and buy you a cup of coffee, or a wee half.

-That's a date.

Ooh, steady on, Anita!

But then, desperate times call for desperate measures.

And Anita's certainly fighting back with gusto.

David's now moved on to the pretty seaside town of Pittenweem.

What will he find in his first antique shop of the day?

The difficulty in buying antiques at the moment is trying to judge

what's going to be in fashion, and those items that are completely

out of fashion, but might come back, you can never tell.

This is quite interesting.

Because this is Scottish vernacular furniture in miniature.

This is a child's doll's cradle.

And what is so nice is the 19th-century decoration,

which is this scumble work.

Scumble work is a decorative painting technique

to make wooden items look more interesting.

It's often used on pine, which some people find a bit boring.

Oh, dear, poor little thing!

We only have the upper section of the doll.

That's why we have these heavy quilts in front of it.

But I like the cradle.

Bit old to be playing with dolls, aren't you, David?

-Right.

-She's a funny baby!

-Isn't she just? Yes.

They're called cradle dolls.

Because you never see the lower section. So how much is the cradle?

The cradle as such would be...

..90.

HE GASPS

-How much did you think? Much less?

-Oh, much less, yes.

-Dare I throw a figure at you?

-Mm-hmm.

-30.

-No. No, no way.

-Compromise, 35.

OK. And would you like this?

Oh, how kind of you.

Oh, you must have that inside.

What a cosy deal!

Does she sit nicely inside?

-There you are.

-Thank you very much indeed. That is so kind of you.

Well, that was a charming lady.

I almost feel guilty because this was such a very good buy.

Almost, David, but not quite, eh?

A busy day's hunting draws to an end, and it's time to relax.

-David, it's so nice to see you being mummy!

-Ha-ha!

I've been everything else today. So how did you get on?

-I had a wonderful day.

-And did you buy? That's the important thing.

Yes, I bought some modest items.

Really? With due respect, Anita,

you couldn't afford to buy anything else, could you?

Oh, you besom!

Ooh! So what will another day

hold in store for our two intrepid experts?

Will David's comfortable lead ease him to the finish line first?

Or will the underdog have her day?

Another beautiful day

and frontrunner David is still looking confident.

He's bought one item and still has £225.

Meanwhile, the pressure's on Anita to claw her way back,

and she's done some hard bargaining.

She started with £80, she bought a couple of items

and she's still got £62.

But it's old moneybags in the driving seat today.

David and Anita leave Cupar and enter Stirlingshire.

David's heading for Auchterarder after dropping Anita in Callander,

which lies in the heart of the Trossachs.

Close by is Loch Katrine, which was the setting

for Sir Walter Scott's famous poem The Lady Of The Lake.

As David's got more money to spend than Anita,

he can afford to be more choosy.

He's seen a shop in Auchterarder which deserves closer inspection.

There's a barometer over there. Not fashionable, with that rounded top,

but it's a good period one.

What I like about it is the mother-of-pearl and the rosewood.

Hello, there. What's the best on that?

The best price on that would be £100,

-that's really the best I can do.

-You can't tug it under?

-No, I'm sorry.

Cor, that's a lot of money! It's certainly a gamble

if David's right about barometers being unfashionable.

Meanwhile, the recent past beckons Anita

in a retro emporium in Callander.

It may not be big on traditional antiques,

but it's great for quirky collectables to invest in.

Look at what you've got here. That's great! Can I have a wee look round?

Have a look round, yes. There's quite a selection.

Owner George Johnson has some fun arcade machines,

which can be very revealing.

Here's 10p. I thought we could test out what your personality is like.

-I mean, the machine never lies.

-I'd love to know.

-Well, there you go.

Place your 10p in the slot, pull the handle

and we'll find out what your true nature is.

We've got spendthrift or tight!

I'd rather be red hot!

Now, pull the handle.

Amorous. Come here!

Not sure if this kind of personality is going to get Anita very far in George's shop, eh?

My word, this is an extensive showroom, isn't it?

I love those glass panels. Those are superb.

They're very pretty, very good quality.

Absolutely. Have you got any other stained glass?

There's another panel round here with an armorial.

-It's a Scottish lion rampant on it.

-I like that.

-What's the price of that?

-That's £120.

120. I notice there's some damage here.

That, I think, is quite difficult to have restored.

These pieces are quite easily done, the clear glass.

This piece, we'd have to repaint, have a new piece made.

-What's the very best on it?

-That piece I could do for £90.

For £90, I like that. I can see a profit margin in that.

What I was looking for here was the wow factor.

Something that I'd stand back and say, "Ah, that is superb!"

I've got it with the armorial device, I think that's very good.

The barometer, it doesn't necessarily have that wow factor,

but thinking in terms of Edinburgh, the type of housing there,

and it has that quality.

Very wise, David, thinking ahead to the type of buyers who might be at the Edinburgh auction.

-I'd love to buy that brooch.

-It's a beautiful brooch.

-But that's way beyond the...

-You might be surprised.

-£95. It's a 1920s costume piece.

-Right.

I am so tempted!

I am so tempted, but what I have left is not a lot of money.

Well, you've got £62.

And I'm going to say something really daft to you.

-And you can throw me out of this shop if you want.

-Go on.

I've got 20 quid to spend!

I'm sure I can find you something else for £20,

but it won't be that brooch.

Nice try, but George isn't falling for Anita's guile.

Meanwhile, it's all going swimmingly for David in Auchterarder.

I'd like the armorial window panel, at 90.

-All my worldly goods, I thee endow.

-Thank you very much.

David's thrown caution to the wind.

Looks like the stained-glass window wasn't the only purchase here.

That shapely package looks rather familiar.

But where can Anita go to catch up?

Well, given her teeny budget,

she's drawn to an unexpected opportunity back in Callander.

Looks like a wee car booty up there.

Oh, I might be in a bit of luck here! Let's go and have a look.

The situation that I'm in, this is great news.

Well, you never know what's going to turn up.

People are clearing out the garage or clearing out...

Just things they no longer use, so you can occasionally find something

which is just a nice wee absolutely wonderful piece.

Looks like she's found something

from a mystery stallholder who likes his privacy. Don't you, John?

-How much are they?

-£30.

-£30?

-Would you take 20?

-No.

I can get 24 in scrap.

Could you come down at all, John?

I'll give you a bargain.

-I'll give you them for £24, that's the scrap value.

-24.

-Can't knock that back, can I?

-It's a deal.

So you don't always need antique shops to find old treasures.

If those gold cufflinks turn out to be worth their weight in, well, gold,

then Anita's fortunes may be about to turn.

-Want a wee tune?

-OUT OF TUNE STRUM

Lovely. Not!

The hills are alive with the sound of, well, not exactly music...

MOOING

..but David and Anita certainly found their rhythm today

and both came away with rather interesting and diverse items.

Now it's time to show and tell.

Oh-ho-ho!

-I really want to see what you've got.

-I think this is super.

That's a sweet thing.

This is a little Scottish cradle, probably made in Fife,

and she's included in it.

And it's only the upper torso.

You big sissy!

THEY CHUCKLE

-Now what about yours?

-I was thinking about the Edinburgh young girls,

-wearing 1950s vintage clothes.

-Bling-bling!

Bling-bling. It's a diamante watch.

-How much did you pay for that?

-£2.

-Oh, that's ridiculous!

-That really is. There's a profit there.

-I hope so, David.

Oh, there's a profit there.

Is that a piece of stained glass?

-It is indeed. Once I get it out.

-Is it in good condition?

(No, it's not!) HE LAUGHS

So you've have bought a load of old broken junk again!

THEY LAUGH

So I think this is absolutely super. Look at the colour of the glass.

A little bit of damage here and there, but not excessively.

I bought two Scottish scenes,

a rather nice loch scene here,

with this silver birch, which is beautifully done,

and this sort of thundering sky,

with the loch and the hills in the background.

The artist is not a well-known artist.

-How much did you pay?

-£16 for the two.

16? That's ridiculous.

You must have smiled!

I smile all the time, David.

We were walking along the street and we found a car boot sale.

And I managed to find a pair of nine carat gold cufflinks.

-They could be from the 1930s, 1940s.

-Very good.

Price, what do you think on price?

-I would have thought you would pay about £40.

-24.

That's very good. That's very good.

David's turn to reveal the barometer he couldn't resist.

That's a very nice barometer, David.

The whole thing reeks of quality. Round about, I suppose, 1835, 1840.

-It's an earlier one. How much did you pay for it?

-£90.

Mm-hmm.

-I was looking for that wow factor.

-Yes. It doesn't have that!

Don't hold back, Anita!

I think she was looking at it from the auctioneer's eye point.

The barometer... Barometers are out.

The watch, I thought, was dreadful.

At £2, I'd be surprised if the auction house

put it in as a separate lot.

He's bought some nice items,

I can't tell you if they're going to make a profit or not.

I hope they don't! That's not nice, is it?

So the gloves are off and only the auctioneer's hammer will decide who is today's champion.

Our two experts finally arrive in Edinburgh.

It's auction day.

Scotland's stunning capital,

a jewel set amongst majestic hills,

home to some of the most beautiful public buildings in the world,

and also, the Scottish Parliament.

Well, David, here we are.

-Are you looking forward to it?

-Apprehensively.

-Let's go, David.

-There we are.

THEY CHUCKLE OK, keep your fingers crossed.

The Ramsay Cornish auction house

has regular sales in arts, antiquities and furniture.

It also features antique toy sales and is popular with collectors.

David started this leg with £260 and he spent £215.

He's as nervous as a baby.

How much is the barometer going to make?

Traditionally, barometers have always done well,

but at the moment, the market for clocks and barometers is a bit flatter.

I would estimate at somewhere between £80 and £120 at auction.

Anita's only spent £42 of her £80,

but she can't afford to lose any more.

What about the pictures? David Watts.

They're really nice. As you know, he was an RSA.

I've got someone who is quite interested in these, so fingers crossed.

-Excellent.

-We'll do quite well for you.

It's the moment of truth. Will Anita's hard bargaining pay off?

First lot is lot number one. And we have

a very nice 1950s diamante and white metal fob watch.

20 I'm bid. 20 I'm bid. 22, 24, 26, 28, 30.

32, 34.

£34, the nice diamante watch at £34. I'm only bid.

Last call and I'm selling it at £34, 34.

Carried at 34.

That was a good start.

Well done, Anita. Mind you, no sign

of any guilt at striking such a hard bargain for that watch.

Next, it's those car boot cufflinks that Anita

really did get from the back of a lorry!

20, I'm bid.

22, 24, 26, 28,

30, 32, 34, 36, 38.

Lady's bid, on my right, 40.

-Hey!

-Still a bargain. 42. At £42, at 42.

-To 26, thank you.

-Gosh, how much did they cost you?

Er, £24.

That is good! It's nice to see you smiling.

Now, will David's doll's cradle rock the saleroom?

50 for this, to start it off. 50 I'm bid.

For the doll's cradle etc, at £50. 55.

60, at £60. Nobody else going? At £60. At 60.

Not bad.

The pressure's on with David's unfashionable,

un-wow-factor barometer.

50, I'm bid.

55, 60, 65, 70.

At £70, at £70. For the barometer at £70.

Last call at 70.

Ouch! That's a bad loss.

It's giving Anita the chance to catch up.

Lot 50 is David Watts, a RSA,

showing here on the left-hand side.

50, I'm bid. 55, 60, five,

70, five, 80, five, 90,

five, 100, 110,

120. 120.

At £120, bidding on the left at 120. Last call.

You have it, 120. Thank you.

Anita sure knows her Scottish artists.

And that hard bargaining has really paid off.

Lot 51. A very nice stained-glass panel. 100, I'm bid.

£100, I'm bid. The stained-glass panel. 110, 120, 130,

140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190,

200, 210, 220.

At £220, 230, 240, 250,

260, 270, at £270.

Seated at £270 for the lot.

Mr Scott, 270, thank you.

Congratulations!

David started today's programme well ahead on £260.83.

He spent £215, the gamble paid off, and after auction fees,

he now has a fantastic £369.96.

Anita started this leg of the road trip with £80.37.

She spent £42 and made a stonking profit of £154.

After paying commission, she's on a whopping £197.18.

Who would have thought it? The underdog is back in the game.

I think we should both congratulate each other.

Yes, why don't we celebrate? Come on.

In the next episode, the road trip takes David and Anita from Edinburgh

to Anita's home patch in Glasgow, where she plays even tougher.

Could you go 25? You know this isn't like me!

And David gets carried away on a charger.

But here's the rub.

I've only got £233, so I'll negotiate.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd