Episode 20 Antiques Road Trip

It's the nation's favourite antiques experts...

What about that?

..with £200 each, a classic car

and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Can I buy everything here?

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction but it's no mean feat.

Feeling a little SAW.

This is going to be an epic battle.

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

So will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

-The honeymoon is over.

-I'm sorry.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah.

On this road trip, we're on the very last leg of our journey

with auctioneers and awfully good pals Paul Laidlaw and Anita Manning.

-Oh, Paul, it's been such a great time with you.

-It's been a giggle.

Anita's a glorious Glasgow girl with an eye for finery

and a talent for turning a profit.

I've just laughed all the way to the bank.

Ever the professionals, you and I.

While Paul's a gimlet-eyed Carlisle chappy,

whose vast knowledge and passion for militaria marks him as one of the trip's toughest contenders.

We can't be too unhappy with the items that we bought,

-we fell in love with all these things.

-Yeah.

We made a couple of bob on them.

So far in this trip, they've each won two legs...

-Are you happy?

-I am happy.

..meaning that this final auction could be anyone's.

They both started with £200.

Paul's now traded up to a healthy budget of £344.99

while Anita's still a hair ahead of him holding £389.20 cash -

that's less than £50 in it and everything to play for.

I think we've acquitted ourselves well enough, have we not?

Today, they're driving a delightful little

1957 Morris Minor 1000 Traveller.

The car was manufactured before seat belts were mandatory

so it's legal to drive without.

We've got one more batch of shops to do.

Indeed you have. On this grand road trip, they've clocked up

more than 1,000 miles from Ford in Northumberland

criss-crossing England's ancient shires

to end in Stamford in Lincolnshire.

On this final leg, they'll begin in Norwich -

indeed, aiming for auction at Stamford.

And look, the sun's coming out, Paul.

How lovely.

They're just arriving in Norwich, a city with a proud

and ancient history - as their first stop of the morning attests.

St Andrew's and Blackfriar's Hall is thought to be

the most complete surviving medieval friary complex in England.

Nowadays, it's an event venue

and today host to Norwich Antiques Market.

-Paul, this looks fabulous.

-What a venue, eh?

-We're going to have fun.

-You reckon?

-But who's going to have the most fun?

-I'll race you.

I can't wait to find out.

This is a busy, regular antiques fair

which attracts more than 100 dealers.

-Paul, this is a busy old place.

-It's mobbed.

Yeah, we're going to have to fight for bargains.

-You go that way, I'll go this way.

-Good luck!

And they're off.

Paul is really in his element this morning.

Welcome to my geek world.

I'm glad you're enjoying yourself.

Looks like he's found something.

May I see the watch chain, please?

Ah, look at that. That is massive and it looks really substantial.

It looks like you could kill somebody with it in all honesty.

But you won't, will you?

It's a Victorian silver chain for a fob watch.

He's also found another Victorian gentleman's item -

an ornate, white metal buckle for a shoe or belt.

So, watch chain and buckle - can I squeeze you any more?

It's more than I want to pay.

You're going to try and squeeze a bit, Paul.

-£48, how's that?

-Oh, small steps, small steps.

-I want to shake your hand...

-Yeah?

..but it wants to be 40 quid, I'm afraid.

Make it 45 and that's it.

-You're a good man.

-Cheers.

-Deal's done, thank you.

-Bye-bye.

I'll give you some money.

Have we got money?

Yes, you have. There it is.

Meanwhile, true to form,

Anita's glad-handing her way through the crowds.

-Nice to see you.

-How lovely to meet you.

-Everything looks so lovely.

Ah, thank you very much, thank you.

If you've quite finished greeting your public, Anita.

Oh, what's she spotted?

This is a lovely thing, is this silver?

I think it's Italian, continental.

-Is that expensive?

-It's 120.

-Uh-huh. Not dear, is it?

-Not really, it's not, no.

What's the very best that dealer John could do?

-It's not 95...

-105.

-105.

-Could you do 100 on it? For an immediate sale.

-Yes.

-Right, OK, that's lovely. Thank you very much.

-OK, that's great.

Well, she's spent big on her first lot -

bravely done when one buy can make or break this game -

and she's rummaging on through this fair's many stalls.

Meanwhile, Paul's like a proverbial child in the sweetshop in here

and he's soon spied something else he likes.

In this tiny little strip-sealed bag is a compass.

-You see that?

-Only just.

North, clearly - that-a-way.

Home.

The tiny compass is a World War II item, probably issued to RAF airmen.

This is escape and evasion equipment.

If we end up bailing out, shot down over enemy territory, captured -

we've got something that we could maybe conceal,

we've got a little tool that might just get us back to Blighty safely.

Good story, yeah? I love this stuff.

It really taps into Paul's love of militaria.

Ticket price is £20 -

best have a word with the friendly dealer, I reckon.

-How are you doing?

-Very well, thank you, sir.

Can you work wonders on that or not?

16?

I'm going to offer you a tenner expecting you not to take it

but hoping that 16 is not going to be where we end up.

Give me 12 quid, real 12 quid.

-14 and we've got a deal.

-OK, good man.

Another deal struck at £14.

Now he's got the scent of wartime items in his nostrils.

Here we have an ashtray. Now, I'm not generally drawn to ashtrays.

However, very - I'm familiar with this piece -

very nicely decorated here.

It's another Second World War piece,

commemorating the units of the Allied Tactical Air Force.

And it's a commemorative piece,

bearing the insignia of the various units.

There's an RAF roundel in there, for example, American Air Force

insignia - the units that made up the Tactical Air Force.

If you own an RAF escape compass

and you're trying to sex it up with something else

to stick into auction, then it might be of interest to you as well.

Indeed it might.

Paul's keen to add it to his compass to build a job lot,

so dealer Owen can expect a visit.

-Hello there, how're you doing? This is yours, is it?

-It is.

-Yeah.

-All right.

-But I'm hoping to God

you can do something on that price.

I'll do a very special price of a tenner.

Oh, good, you're a good man. And at a tenner, you've got a deal.

-Thank you very much.

-Easy-peasy.

Another item bagged and he's also remembered another aviation-related

trinket he saw earlier that he might add to the lot. Back to the

same dealer from which he bought the chain and buckle he goes.

-I'm back.

-Back again.

-You're an antiques magnet for me.

-You had sweetheart brooches, an RAF one.

-Yep.

-There you go.

-There we go.

It's a little sweetheart brooch that would have been worn for luck

by the lady friend of an RAF pilot during the Second World War.

-Not expensive, I would hope?

-Nope, five pound.

I'll take it, good man.

He takes the sweetheart brooch for £5, giving him three items

in a job lot of World War II-related Air Force objects -

as well as his watch chain and buckle in a separate lot.

He's spent £74 so far - wow.

Now, what's Anita been up to?

Hello, tell me a bit about these, these are fabulous.

She's happened upon some necklaces dating from the 1920s.

But what I like about it is the age and the style.

We don't have precious jewels but what we have is a bit of style

and I was wondering if I maybe got a wee group together...

-Yeah, no worries.

-..you could give me a deal on that?

Yeah, yeah, no worries.

She's assembled a group of three of the costume jewellery necklaces

but what will she offer dealer Mark?

In auction I'd be putting them in at...

that group at 15-20, 15-25.

-Yeah.

-That's what I would be putting them in at.

Could I be buying these in that region?

-16 the lot.

-16 the lot?

-That's good, thank you very much.

-OK, cool.

That's fine, that's OK. Good luck.

Spiffing - a generous deal from Mark means she's bagged

the jazz-age baubles as well and spent £116 so far.

Now, after his epic buying spree this morning Paul's hopped

back in the car and is motoring towards the environs of

the Norfolk village of Forncett St Peter.

He's heading for the Norfolk Tank Museum,

an independent museum that showcases the incredible collection

amassed by a man who might be even more heavily into military history

than Paul - crikey. Now that takes some doing.

Who on Earth has a collection of tanks, I ask you?

Why, owner Stephen MacHaye does, Paul.

-Is it Stephen?

-Yes, it is.

-Good to see you.

Tanks were first widely used on the battlefield in World War I

and armoured fighting vehicles like these -

designed for the harsh rigours of frontline combat -

were instrumental in changing the nature of warfare

throughout the 20th century.

Stephen's extraordinary personal collection of tanks,

armoured vehicles and heavy artillery is on display here,

at his home - a farm that's been in his family since the 1950s.

Wow. How many do you have?

There's about 20 on site now, going from full, main battle tank

down to small armoured cars.

Wow.

Stephen's built up his collection by restoring retired tanks

to working order by himself.

You're an engineer, clearly - cos you say you restore these.

No, I'm all self-taught.

Yep, just a love of history, love of engineering and just tinkering.

Wow. Well I always say about antiques and the things that I love

-that they transport you...

-Yes, absolutely.

..but your toys actually do transport!

They certainly do.

And then what do you do with them, drive round the garden or what?

Have done in the past, took 'em to shopping, Tesco's.

PAUL LAUGHS Parking might be easy -

well, difficult or easy depending how brutal you're prepared to be.

Easy.

Stephen's private collection opened as a museum for the general public

a few years ago but Stephen's love of tanks and heavy artillery

was originally sparked by hearing tales

of his grandfather's wartime service - not in the Second World War, but the First.

Then when the tanks appeared on the battlefield,

he must have had a love of engineering like myself,

he saw these massive beasts coming across the battlefield

and thought, "That's where I want to go."

Ended up driving the First World War tanks.

This love of tanks has certainly passed down the generations.

-What's the first one you bought?

-First tank was this one.

-This is it?

Yes, it is, yes.

Yeah, bought this 20-odd years ago, not in this condition.

Spent 18 months, lovingly restored it,

now the pride of a prized collection.

It's a Saladin Armoured Scout Car which was owned by the British Army.

The Saladin was widely used around the globe

and manufactured from 1958 until the late 1970s.

This is one of the very earliest produced.

-British Army, 1959 this particular vehicle was built.

-Right.

Served up until the early '80s.

It saw service in many of the British Army's areas of operation.

-She's been to Aden, she's been to Cyprus...

-Yeah.

..done the Middle East tour, she's done Northern Ireland...

-Fantastic vehicle.

-Yeah.

They're just fascinating, there's nothing out there built like them.

Stephen's collection also extends to heavy artillery.

Oh, absolutely, yeah. German artillery pieces, Second World War.

-You're kidding - seriously?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Show me some artillery.

Paul's luck really is in today.

Stephen - what, aside from the obvious, is that?

It's a German FH 15 150mm Howitzer.

The Howitzer's an artillery piece

-designed for lobbing shells at the enemy.

-OK. And a towable piece,

-a manoeuvrable piece from battlefield to battlefield.

-Yes, yeah.

This example dates from the period just before the Second World War.

They were actually produced around about 1934,

-when Hitler first come to power.

-Right.

And he was trying to disguise what he was producing

by making them look like First World War artillery pieces.

Agreements forged at the end of the First World War

prohibited Germany from rebuilding its national arms

so the Fuhrer had these new guns designed this way

so that they could be disguised as existing weaponry.

They were pressed into service when war broke out.

These particular guns were actually on the Eastern Front,

fighting against Russia, captured by the Russians

and then used against the Germans for the rest of the war.

My word, so where did this turn up?

It came over from Russia in the mid-'80s.

-Oh, so it stayed in Russia...

-Yep.

-..till someone brought it back?

-Yep.

Astonishing.

It's a real piece of military history

but Stephen's got one last surprise for Paul

and I think he's going to be delighted.

There's somebody in there.

I know, this is Richard. He's going to give us a ride around in the vehicle.

They're going for a spin in the Saladin.

Wa-hey. Whoa - it's a big drop in there.

-RICHARD:

-It is. Are you OK to climb in?

Yeah, I'll give it a go.

Right then. Richard.

-It does feel a bit good, doesn't it?

-Oh, yeah.

-It's just got to be done.

-I think it has.

I've never seen him so delighted.

How big a telescope have you got?

-It's Manning I'm looking for.

-Sorry?

Somewhere in the region of Norwich, I'm looking for Anita Manning.

-Yes.

-We're - how powerful's the gun sight on this?

Onwards!

I can see you're going to be in there for a while.

We'll leave you to it.

Meanwhile, Anita's still back in Norwich and well out of range -

thankfully.

She's heading for Treasure Chest Antiques

where dealer Pasquale is ready to greet her.

-Hello.

-Hello, I'm Anita.

-How are you? Pleased to meet you, Anita.

-Oh, it's absolutely...

-Welcome to the Treasure Chest.

Anita's up to her old tricks.

I've already bought some jewellery

and I shouldn't really be poring over the jewellery cabinets

but I can't help it.

I've still got quite a lot of money to spend but I'm going to

have a good look, take my time and just go with the flow.

Groovy, Anita.

SHE ROARS

It never takes her long.

-Pasquale?

-Yes.

-What can I do, Anita?

-I love this little cabinet.

Oh, you like this one, do you, yes?

-Well I love the things in it.

-Oh.

-Yeah.

-I'll get the key for you.

I know this is a bit obvious

but guess the thing that I like in there.

-How did you know?

-That one?

-Yeah, that's such a sweet wee thing.

I know your taste.

It's a child's sporran,

a traditional part of Scottish Highland dress.

It's probably made of cowhide and has a ticket price of £55.

It's the thing that he would wear on his kilt to keep his, er,

thruppence and sixpence in.

-Sixpences, yes?

-Yeah, and it's a nice wee thing.

-Quite nice condition, too.

-I think that's quite sweet.

I don't think it's a Victorian one.

-Right.

-I think that it's later.

-Later, yes.

-Yeah, a wee bit later.

But it's still quite nice.

Dealer Sally owns it and will be summonsed.

Sally?

Oh, hi, Sally.

Selling it in auction and looking to buy it for round about...

£20-25. Are we -

is it possible to, to be...

-Yeah, I think we could do that.

-We could do that?

We can have a deal on that. 25?

-Ah, let's go for it, let's go for it.

-Yeah.

-Thank you very much, that's smashing.

-Thank you.

I reckon you're on a winner there.

A better-than-half-price deal, thanks to Sally -

but Anita's magpie eyes soon alight on another trinket

with just a little bit of Caledonian flavour,

this one belonging to dealer Jules.

-Excuse me. Oh, hi.

-Hello, I'm Anita.

-Hi, Anita.

The thing that took my eye was this little brooch here

and it's a wee golfing bag and of course I come from Scotland

and Scotland is the home of golf.

Ticket price on the golfing-themed brooch is £65.

-I'm not sure of the age of it, Jules, but I do like it.

-OK.

-I'd like to have a go at it...

-Mm-hmm.

..but I don't want to take a chance on it at a very big price.

Is there a rock-bottom price that you could...

I tell you what.

Being as it's you, I will let you have it for what I paid for it -

how's that?

It depends on what you paid for it!

-SCOTTISH ACCENT: 30.

-Oh, 30.

£30, yes.

Have you been practising that?

You've gone a bit Scottish, Jules. It's catching.

OK, let's go at it for £30, thank you very much.

That's lovely, it's a pleasure. Thank you.

Deal done and she's bagged another two items for a total of £55.

And with that they've reached the end

of an incredibly industrious first day so, nighty-night.

The morning greets them, as is traditional,

back in the car and bounding onwards towards more bargains.

The skies are a wee bit grey but there is -

-we're happy, we've got a couple of quid to spend.

-Yeah.

So far Paul's bought the silver fob watch chain

and Victorian white metal buckle

and the job lot of Air Force items.

He's spent £74, leaving him £270.99 for the day ahead.

While Anita's picked up the continental silver bowl,

the three 1920s necklaces,

the brooch on a golfing theme

and the child's sporran.

She's spent £171, leaving her £218.20 in her purse this morning.

Hey, this is it. This is our last shopping day.

-This is our last shopping day.

-Oof.

It is indeed.

They're still in Norwich this morning

and Anita's dropping Paul off.

-Well.

-Good luck, darling.

-Enjoy yourself.

-Yeah.

And... I don't know when I'll see you! Look after yourself.

He's heading off into Looses Emporium

where he's promised a jolly good morning's browse.

Afore long, he's come across a very sizeable item

he'd like to discuss with dealer, Vince.

Just utterly charming if you've got the right room to pack that in.

-Fantastic.

-It is rather amazing, isn't it?

It's a travelling trunk, bound in cowskin with brass studs

and containing two oak stands that it would sit on.

-Oh, I see.

-Sits on them.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Just raised off the ground.

-Not unattractive, really.

Ticket price is £120.

But it's a long way off for me.

Well, it depends how long is a long, long way.

I'll tell you what, if you want it here and now,

80 quid.

It' a good price. You must be tempted, Paul.

Age wise, I would date this

to the first half of the 19th century.

That's 150-200 years old.

Ta-dah! Quite good, yeah.

Sounds like you're talking yourself round.

-I'm back.

-You're back?

-The...travelling trunk.

-Yes.

-Got a deal?

-£80. Really happy with that.

-Thank you.

-He strikes that deal at £80.

A bold buy when he and Anita are vying so closely for victory.

Let's hope it pays off.

Now, Paul's trunk may have some venerable age to it,

but today Anita is going to see some objects

which are a little older than that.

She's heading for Norwich Castle Museum where she is going to explore

their extraordinary collection of ancient Egyptian treasures,

some more than 4,000 years old

and still yielding their secrets today.

She's meeting curator of the Egyptian gallery, Faye Kalloniatis.

-Hi, I'm Anita.

-Hello, lovely to meet you.

I'm so excited to be at Norwich Castle.

Well, I'm excited to have you here, so welcome to the castle.

Norwich might not be the place you would expect to find

the treasures of the Nile, but the museum here at Norwich Castle

holds an enviable collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts

from funerary objects to the remains of the Egyptians themselves.

The backbone of the collection is here thanks to the efforts

of Victorian travellers who amassed Egyptian objects

and later donated them to the museum.

They show how 19th-century Britain was gripped by a fascination

with ancient Egypt,

even going so far as to stage public unwrappings of mummies.

This phenomenon became known as Egyptomania.

And "mania" is a really good word to describe it

because people just love the thought of Egypt.

It was something that was exotic, it was unknown,

and one of the outcomes of that

was that there were people who travelled to Egypt.

If you travelled in Egypt,

generally that meant you had a deep pocket,

which meant that you would buy artefacts.

They brought artefacts and then just brought them back here to Britain.

So there would be little collections built-up throughout the country?

One of these wealthy collectors was Jeremiah Colman,

head of the prominent Norfolk family that owned Colman's Mustard.

Fay's taking Anita to learn a bit more about Colman

and the extraordinary objects he gifted to the museum.

Jeremiah Colman travel to Egypt because his son Alan

had consumption and had been advised to go there for the arid climate.

Jeremiah, together with his daughters, went to Egypt

in order to be with their son and eventually they got to Luxor

and it was at that time that all the objects which Jeremiah bought

were bought, there in Luxor.

Sadly, Alan died of consumption in Egypt,

but while in the country,

his father Jeremiah amassed a large number of ancient artefacts.

The whole collection, their Egypt collection,

was bought within a very short period of time.

Absolutely. There were over 250 objects

and they bought them within a week.

He did have the whole collection catalogued and you can see it here.

He had this specially bound leather book

and it's a catalogue of all of the objects that he bought in Egypt.

And you can see here, it says "Curios from Egypt."

So here, all the objects have been numbered

and the very first object is the ancient Egyptian granary

and in fact we have this ancient Egyptian granary

and here it is here.

It's what's called a model granary,

but what it meant by that is that it was made specifically

to be buried with the dead.

Extraordinarily, the model granary is around 4,000 years old.

According to Egyptian religious law,

burying it with the dead would allow the deceased

plentiful access to grain in the afterlife.

It meant that you had a grain...you had a store of grain

and grain of course was for bread,

but even more importantly for beer.

And I see that there's some wonderful painting,

original painting.

So here is the tomb owner relaxing.

That's him in his afterlife.

-This is a wonderful piece.

-It is.

And in fact it's a very rare piece

because normally these models were made out of wood.

Colman's collection includes something even more extraordinary.

This one is about 3,500 years old.

Tell me about this thing.

Well, the other thing that Jeremiah collected

was a shoe box with, er,

crumpled linen inside it.

And it wasn't until a few years ago that we had this conserved

and in conserving it, it's opened up to this.

And it's turned out to be a rare Egyptian shroud.

It is only one of about 30 known worldwide,

so it is a very rare piece indeed.

And we have all these hieroglyphs here.

I can see a wee scarab beetle there.

They were just verses or spells

which came from the Book Of The Dead.

The Book Of The Dead was a series of prayers, incantations,

instructions and so on in order to help the deceased.

It was really kind of a passport, if you like, to the afterlife.

This truly is a priceless item.

It is interesting that these things should be housed

in this museum in Norfolk.

We're very lucky that 19th-century travellers made these travels

and bought these objects and then finally, also,

donated them to museums.

Indeed we are.

Faye, it has been an absolutely fascinating journey back to

Egypt with you.

-Thank you very, very much.

-It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

Now, Paul's still on the hunt for bargains in Norwich Lanes.

He's heading into St Gregory's Antiques And Collectables,

a large antique centre attractively housed

within a 14th century former church.

Paul's nose for military items is twitching once again.

Well, you can imagine

how many sets of spurs there are in the world.

These are 1918-dated

and British cavalry issue.

That's evocative, is it not?

It is indeed.

A set of British Army cavalry spurs

dating from the First World War. And Paul's quite taken with them.

On the ticket is £28.

Dealer Graham is on hand today

and will call the person who owns spurs for their best price.

Giddy-up!

-20 is going to be the best.

-20 is it? 20 it is then.

-Magic.

Thank you very much.

Another deal clinched. And he's wandering on.

Meanwhile, Anita's in the car and heading to the town of Wymondham.

Wymondham is a historic Norfolk market town of note

as its handsome 17th-century market cross shows.

Anita's strolling off into the aptly named Market Cross Antiques,

where dealer David's ready to greet her.

-I'm Anita.

-David.

-Oh, what a lovely shop!

-Thank you.

It's like walking into another world.

Better scour this new world for bargains then, Anita.

Ah, she's onto something already.

Quite an interesting wee lot that I've found tucked under

this piece of furniture.

It's a quantity of music rolls.

Now these would have been used for a piano.

The late 19th and early 20th century,

you didn't have television, you didn't have a radio

and people got together in their sitting rooms

with their old joanna.

The rolls would play in a Pianola or self-playing piano.

There's no ticket price on them.

But they would put on these rolls,

wind it up and the piano would play a tune by itself.

I think that's a wee find.

That is one potential buy.

And elsewhere...

I quite like this wee cabinet. It's a sweet little thing.

It's made of pine, so it's not a fine piece of furniture,

but what I like about it is, as well as a simplicity of the design,

it's decorated with these straps of copper

which are in the Art Nouveau style.

Always a fan of anything in the sinuous Art Nouveau style,

Anita's keen on that and the Pianola rolls.

Time to buttonhole dealer David.

David, it's so hard to make a choice in here.

It's hard to make a choice.

I've seen a couple of things that I like.

What could David do on the Pianola rolls?

How does £15 sound for the whole lot?

For the whole lot? I'm happy with that, that's great.

What's the best you can do on the cabinet?

Absolute best? Well, if we said 18.

Can you go to 15 on that?

-15?

-Yeah, go on.

-All right!

That's a deal on both of them. Thank you very much, David.

You're welcome.

£30 total for the lot. Smashing!

Now, Paul has moved on to the town of Watton

where he's heading for one last shop.

RetroRecyclers and dealer Barney.

-You look like a welcoming party.

-Hello, Paul.

-How you doing. Is it Barney?

-Barney, yes.

-Good to see you. Is there treasure in here for me?

-Lots of it.

There certainly is in this vast antique centre.

Paul's combing over the stock in his usual thorough fashion.

And his diligence looks to pay off.

OK, good!

Not trying overly hard to sell this.

I've always been interested in antique and vintage technology

and domestic bygones.

What you reckon that is?

That is the forerunner...

..of your electric vacuum cleaner.

This is, um, just a whopping great syringe,

to be honest with you.

This is Reeves Pneumatic Broom.

The Reeves Vacuum Cleaner Co made it.

They were based Victoria street, London.

And the patent was granted for this technology

July 29, 1913. 1913!

Although a patent was issued for the first electric vacuum cleaner

in the USA in 1908,

these costly machines didn't pass into common usage here

until later decades.

Ticket price on the pneumatic broom is £25.

This price is really, really reasonable.

But I do consider it only a starting point because,

frankly, it was buried next to the skirting board, underneath a shelf!

I think we go in and make an offer.

It will be the only one in the sale room.

Of that, we can be sure.

Oh, you've found something then, have you?

Would you believe it?

-But what could Barney do on the price?

-What about 18?

It's going in the right direction. What about a tenner?

How about 15?

-Do it 12?

-OK, I'll do it for 12.

12 it is. You're a good man, Barney.

A staccato haggle and Paul's cleaned up on his last lot.

Ha-ha.

And so, they're all brought up.

Paul bought the fob watch chain and white metal buckle,

the job lot of Air Force items,

the cowskin trunk,

the cavalry spurs and the pneumatic broom.

He spent £186 exactly.

Anita picked up the Continental Silver bowl,

the three 1920s necklaces,

which she's putting in a job lot with the golfing brooch,

then the child's sporran,

the Pianola rolls

and the Art Nouveau cabinet.

She spent £201 on the nose.

Now that they're all spent up,

what do they make of each other's buys?

Oh, this is it.

I'm up against Anita's final offering.

Sporran's a sweetie,

um, not a lot of money, only £25 paid.

There's a little cabinet

and the Pianola rolls.

Well, frankly, at the money, how can she go wrong?

Seriously, I needn't comment on the object,

because she paid nothing for them!

Hats off, good purchases.

So, I think she's in safe territory,

she's going to be difficult to beat.

And Anita?

Paul has been very canny

in buying that little Royal Air Force group.

I like the ceramic,

I like the colour in it

and, of course, I love sweetheart brooches.

I love that big calfskin trunk, isn't that gorgeous?

It's blond and it's beautiful.

I can see that doing over £100.

Dash it! Let the battle commence!

Indeed.

On this last leg of their road trip, they began in Norwich

and are now nearly at auction in Stamford, Lincolnshire.

Its storeyed streets make an ideal place for their final showdown,

taking place at Batemans Auctions.

This is it. The last...

-The last auction.

-That is the finishing post.

-Oh! Not quite yet.

Auctioneer David Michael Palmer rules the rostrum today.

But before the off, what does he make of our pair's lots?

The lot with the ashtray and I absolutely love the ashtray,

nice and bright, very much of the period.

The child's sporran is fun.

I mean it looks like a load of gerbils that have been killed

and put on a chain.

No gerbils have been harmed in the making of that sporran.

Let the auction commence!

First up, Anita's embossed bowl of Continental Silver.

Goes on at £20.

The main bid at 20. 22, at 22, 25, 28.

At 28, 30, 32. That side at 32, 35, 38, at 38, 40.

At 40, goes then at 40 and I sell then at £40.

-The bid is here at... 45.

-Yes!

At 50, 55 on the net, 60 in the room,

65, 70, 75 on the net.

80, back in the room at 80 now, in the room at 80.

Goes at 80, no-one else at 80...

I think I got away lightly.

Some good work from our auctioneer

means it doesn't lose too badly.

But Paul's definitely catching up.

-Oh, I don't know if I can take this.

-This could be...

Now it's Paul's silver fob watch chain

along with the Victorian white metal buckle.

£20 then? Come in at 20.

OK, a tenner?

10, 10, 12, 15, 18,

20, 22, 25, 28,

-30? 30, 32, 35, 38...

-Just keep moving...

38 here, doorway at 38.

I sell with you at £38, no-one else at 38?

That last-minute rally means the loss isn't too stinging.

-Bad luck there, darling.

-C'est la vie.

It's Anita's job lot of 20s necklaces

and golf-themed brooch next.

£10 for the beads and the brooches,

5 I'm bid, down here at 5,

with the lady at 5, I'll take 6 as the next bid.

Nope? Are you bidding 6?

6 on there, 7, 8, 9,

10, 12, on the stairs at 12,

stick with it, madam.

15, go 15! At 12, with the gentleman at 12,

each of these items was hand selected.

By me!

At 15, I sell standing at £15. You're both on here.

Standing then at 15, new money at £15.

-182.

-He...he...

-He tried it.

-He flogged it.

Our auctioneer is putting the hours in indeed.

Hard luck, Anita.

Anita Manning, where's this going?

Selling on the net at £6.

Don't speak too soon.

This game could still be anyone's.

Can Paul's job lot of Air Force items see him flying high?

20 quid?

Anyone 20? 10 then?

£10 for this little lot.

10 I'm bid here. 10, 12, at 12 now, goes at 12.

-15, 18, against it at 18...

-That's it.

20, the net at 20.

At 22, underbidder, have another go, 25,

is that it, all done?

At 25 I sell the net, then, at 25.

Sadly, it's not a flyer.

But there's still everything to play for.

Today's auctioneer liked Anita's little child's sporran.

Will the crowd?

The sporran, 20 quid. Anyone 20?

-Yes, go on!

-It's got to be worth 20.

22, 25, it's with the net at 25.

Anyone else in the room?

It's your sort of thing, sir! It really is your sort of thing.

At 25, I'm selling here on the net at 25. No-one else?

Done and finished then at 25.

Ah, well.

That's the best result of the day so far, isn't it?

We're keeping in to break even.

It breaks even indeed.

Now it is Paul's sizeable cowskin trunk.

Will a big item mean a big profit?

Come in at 50 quid. 50 I'm bid,

-50, 55, 60, 65...

-It's running.

-70, 75, 80...

-It should.

85, at 85 now, down then at 85,

90, 95, 100 I've got.

-Hey, Paul, you're going...

-110...

At £110 now.

Is that it? I sell at 110.

At £110, no-one else?

All done at 110. Net, nothing on you.

Excellent. A nice profit for Paul.

-How the hell did I get a profit?

-Well done.

-Take it.

-Well done.

That was a good spend.

Anita's cabinet in the Art Nouveau style is up next.

10 I'm bid, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20,

down here at £20, seated at 20,

in the middle of the seats at 20, 22, 25,

in the room at 25 now.

At 25, 28, 30 off you. Oh, come on!

-30, the lady at 30,

-Yes. His wife said yes.

Sold the lady at 30. Take 2 again, 32, 35.

35, 35, the lady at 35.

With the lady at 35, 38, 40, madam.

Yes.

40, at 40, back at 40, take the 5? No, you are out.

-At 40, do you want to bid against her, sir?

-LAUGHTER

At 40, sell then at £40.

-Yes!

-Well done.

Another healthy profit and this race is nearly neck and neck.

Now we're back on the boil, Anita Manning.

So can Paul's spurs...spur him to further success?

Anyone 10? 10 here. 10?

Is that it? At 10? Take 2?

12, 15, here at 15.

This side at £15.

All done at £15.

Goes at £15.

Oh! He's done really well there, no luck.

That's sore.

An unfortunate loss, but again a small one.

Now it's Anita's last lot.

Any self-playing piano enthusiasts out there?

Pound apiece. 17 quid, come in at £17?

Anyone 17? Tenner then?

£10? Has anyone got a Pianola at home?

Could you put your hand up, please, and identify yourself?

-And we'll take your bid.

-That old trick.

Fiver then?

5 on the net, the net at 5. And I sell at £5.

Is that it at a fiver? 6 net. Who's at 6?

Sell then at 6.

Done then at 6, all done at 6.

-7, at 7 now.

-£7!

At 8. I'm selling at 8 then.

Done at £8, no-one else?

All done at 8, goes at 8.

Oh, Anita Manning!

This is going to be pretty close.

We've sold 50 lots in five auctions.

There's nothing in it and it is hanging on Reeves Pneumatic Broom!

This is indeed the situation in which we find ourselves, Paul.

The bid's at 5, 5, 6,

is that it at 6?

All done at 6?

-Oh!

-7, the net at 7, 8, at 8 now,

9, 10...

we're in at 10. At £10.

Cheap! It's cheap!

At 10... It is cheap, I agree, it's cheap.

This would make an ideal Christmas present for somebody.

-There could be...

-If they want a divorce.

-..power cuts!

Sell at a tenner. Finished and done at £10. No-one else?

All done at ten. Is that it?

Done and finished then at £10.

Hysteria all-round in the sale room,

but it's a photo finish to see who's won.

I think that's it.

£2 in it.

Anita Manning, this has been some trip.

I don't believe this.

I don't believe it.

Paul started this leg with £344.99.

After auction costs,

he made a loss of £23.64

so ends this trip with £321.35.

While Anita began with £389.20.

After costs, she made a loss of £63.24.

So although she loses this battle, she still wins the war,

ending with £325.96

and besting Paul by a mere £4.61.

Wow! All profits go to Children In Need.

That was the most exciting end.

It was fabulous.

What a wonderful end to the most sweet trip.

Thanks of the companionship and the journey.

MUSIC: It's Got To Be Perfect by Fairground Attraction

What a lovely pair you do make.

# To play silly games. #

This really has been a near-perfect partnership,

full of the fun, frolics and fancy goods the road trip can offer.

# I won't do that again.

# It's got to be

-# Perfect. #

-They've compared notes...

-Does my bum look big in this hat?

# It's got to be

-# Worth it... #

-..shared jokes.

LOUDSPEAKER SQUEAKS Jimi Hendrix has entered the building.

# Too many people take second best... #

Yeah, perfect working order.

And really had a grand old time on the road.

# Yeah

# Perfect. #

Goodbye, you two.

Don't forget to write.