Episode 16 Antiques Road Trip

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

I don't know what to do.

..with £200 each, a classic car,

and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

What a little diamond.

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

Back in the game! THEY LAUGH

Charlie!

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

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

Oh!

This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah.

It's a brand-new road trip,

and we are coasting along with a freshly minted twosome -

Philip Serrell and Natasha Raskin.

When I found out I was working with you, Phil, I was a bit nervous.

What, really?

Yes, because your reputation goes before you.

Ha! It does indeed!

Philip Serrell is an august auctioneer based in Worcester,

who brings his many years of experience to the game.

-How old are you?

-28.

-Great.

SHE LAUGHS How old are you?

Shut up.

Not to mention his sunny disposition.

Glaswegian Natasha Raskin is a relative newcomer to the Trip.

But this bright young auctioneer, specialising in contemporary

art, has already proved herself a very canny competitor.

This is my second only ever Road Trip.

I'm looking forward to it.

I'm really looking forward to it. It's lovely to work with you.

Our duo are driving a delightful 1957 Porsche 356 coupe.

Delish!

What do you think of our car?

I think this car is pretty great.

I genuinely thought I was going to be more Penelope Pitstop.

I don't know who I am right now. Mr Magoo.

But it's great.

Hmm. Eyes on the road, Natasha.

Both of our experts begin this journey with £200 in their pockets.

On this epic road trip,

Philip and Natasha will journey from Narberth in Pembrokeshire, Wales,

covering several hundred miles to end

up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.

On this leg, they are winding through the Welsh countryside,

heading for auction in Cross Hands, in Carmarthenshire.

Let's hope they are not sitting on their hands.

Pembrokeshire is just the best place.

-I love this part of the world.

-So beautiful.

-We are sort of slap bang in the middle, aren't we?

-Yeah.

-This is exciting.

-It's all of that.

-I just don't know what to expect.

Neither do I.

First stop this morning is the town of Narberth,

where our two part ways at the rugby club.

Have a lovely time.

-Oh!

-Be careful.

-There we go.

-Take care.

-Thank you so much. Take care.

-See you soon, lovely.

You won't find any items there, Phil.

Never seen him look so happy.

Oh, I don't know, maybe there is an antiques shop around.

Ah, there we are!

Dealer Peter awaits inside.

-High, you must be Peter.

-Good morning, Phil.

-Welcome to the Malthouse.

-Good to see you.

You've got some stuff in here, haven't you!

We are crammed with it, yes.

Certainly is. Full to bursting.

If I'm going to beat Natasha, or Tash,

who's suddenly become my new best friend because I think she's lovely,

I've got to box really clever here.

I've either got to think what's going to do well.

But the other thing I've got...

What was the other thing I could think of?

I don't know, Phil, what was it? Must be your age, dear.

My plan is, I've got to try and buy specifically for the auction.

That's really my plan.

Good, I'm so glad you've cleared that up, Phil.

Look out, he's onto something. Get the nurse, quick.

What on earth is that off? It's a measuring stick.

It's got on here, look - Bentley & Taylor, London.

So it's got to be quite a well-made thing.

Customs & Excise.

So this is actually...

It's got a brass cap down here.

This measuring stick, marked as being used by

Customs & Excise, is priced at £20.

Do you know what...?

I haven't got a clue what that is.

But I think that's quite fun.

So he's got the mystery measure in his sights and he's browsing on.

Hmm.

I don't think so, do you, Phil?

No, best not, but here is something more promising.

See, that's quite fun.

You know, this is a little miniature cricket bat.

Signed by the Australia cricket team 1956.

I mean, actually it's not signed

because these are all facsimile signatures. It's a transfer print.

That's a bit of fun, isn't it, you know?

15 quid. I've got a couple of cheapies I might be in for here.

Yeah, he has also spotted a ship's light,

probably dating from the early 20th century,

which is marked up at a hefty £95,

which, added to the measuring stick and bat, have a

combined ticket price of £130.

I think time for a sit down, Phil, don't you?

Your ship's light, has that been in long?

No. It came in two, three weeks ago.

What can you do on prices for me? What about the light?

The ship's light...

95 on...

I can treat you today and do it for 45.

-OK, would you mind getting the light for me?

-No, I'll do that for you.

I see no ships only hardships.

Let's hope it's not hardships for Phil.

What deal can they strike for all three items?

-I'm going to put these two in at a tenner each.

-OK.

-Ten, ten, 30. That's 50 quid.

-Yes.

-That all right?

-Yes, that seems reasonable to me.

-You are a gentleman, sir.

Thank you very much indeed. Thank you. Let me get some money out.

You better had. That's quite a deal.

All three items for a nice, clean £50.

Meanwhile, Natasha has driven on to the Pembrokeshire town

of Newport, where she is strolling off into the

Carningli Centre, a fine place to hunt for a special buy.

She's meeting dealer, Anne.

Hello?

-Hello.

-Oh, hello. Hi. I'm Natasha.

-Hello, I'm Anne.

-Lovely to meet you.

-What a lovely wee shop!

-Thank you.

And she is on the hunt.

Nice squirrels!

And she is finding out that this shop goes full steam

for one kind of item.

I don't have a clue what I'm looking for,

but I think that if I was looking for railwayana,

I think I know where we would find it.

Phil would go mad if he was in here.

He would be absolutely in his element.

I'm just trying to think what Phil would buy. What would Phil buy?

And I think the answer to that is stop thinking what Phil would buy

and maybe concentrate on what I should buy.

Have a look around.

Now there's an idea.

And she's soon spotted something that really fires up her interest.

These are just so lovely. They've got to be Arts & Crafts.

It's a pair of early 20th-century firedogs,

used in a hearth to support firewood.

They are in the Arts & Crafts style.

And like Natasha, possibly of Scottish origin.

They certainly seem to appeal to her.

Yeah, they are really nice. It's a sort of thin gauge of copper.

Hand beaten.

This lovely, typical Arts & Crafts motif in a kind of foliage style.

Then a bit of a sunset or something in the top. They are just lovely.

They are really, really nice. And they are only £30.

I'm getting the impression you quite like them.

I think I would like to have a punt at these.

Because they are really, really lovely.

Yes, time to talk to Anne then.

I suppose it's not really in my interest to say this, Anne,

but they are quite reasonably priced. I mean, £30 is the price.

Is there any movement on that?

-I could do them for 25.

-25.

Do you know what, Anne, I really think for the pair, 25 quid...

It's such a great deal. Can I please shake your hand on that?

-Lovely.

-I'm really, really grateful.

Deal done very decisively. And her first buy is in hand.

Now, Phil has travelled on to the village of Rhydowen,

a pretty pastoral little place, to continue the day's buying.

Oh, that's nice.

Phil is strolling off into Alltyrodyn Antiques,

where dealer Chris is on hand to help.

-Hi, how are you?

-Hi, good.

-I'm Philip.

-Hi, Philip, I'm Chris.

Chris. Is your phone box for sale?

-Could be.

-Right, how much is it?

Make me an offer.

This isn't the way it's supposed to work.

I don't know, is it worth £100?

No, it's worth rather more than that, my dear. 700, 800 quid.

Yeah, I think they are worth between £600 and £1,000, aren't they?

-Yeah, about that.

-I won't be buying that then, will I?

Nope, Philip, you will not. Chris certainly seems like a canny one.

You will need your wits about you in this shop.

Philip still has £150 to spend. So he had better get hunting.

This looks a bit more realistic.

This is fun, isn't it?

BELL RINGS

I quite like that.

An old wooden till with working key and bell.

It probably dates from the early 20th century. And is priced at £60.

And there is another surprising item as well.

This is interesting, isn't it, Chris?

Because to the outside world,

-that looks like a small chest of four drawers.

-Yeah.

-But you and I know that ain't a chest of four drawers.

-We do.

It is, in fact, a commode.

Handy. It's mahogany and probably dates from the late Georgian period.

Ticket price is £35.

Its inner fittings have been removed, perhaps thankfully. Ha!

It could make a handy little firewood store.

Or be made into firewood.

That is just wonderful quality mahogany, isn't it?

It's lovely, yeah.

And that is just the finest woodworm you see. Can you see that?

-Yeah, I wouldn't bang that too hard.

-No.

He likes the till and the commode. So I feel a haggle coming on.

Come into my office, please.

Have a seat, please.

First, the till.

Go on, how much is it?

-40 quid.

-Behave!

-I'll give you 40 quid for it...

-Yeah?

But you've got to throw in the commode.

-No!

-I'll give you 40 quid the two.

-45.

-No, honestly, 40 is the end for me. It is the end.

-Go on, then.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-You are an angel. Thank you very much indeed.

Let me get some money out.

Thanks to a very generous deal from Chris,

he's got another two items for £40.

The Silver Fox.

Now Natasha has jumped back in the car.

Her next stop is the town of Cardigan.

Cardigan Castle to be precise.

It's the site of the first Eisteddfod,

an ancient Welsh festival of music

and poetry that has been staged for hundreds of years

and has exported the unique culture of Wales all over the world.

Natasha is meeting historian Glen Johnson.

-Hello, hi, I'm Natasha. Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

The castle comprises buildings of many different eras,

including some dating back to the medieval period.

It's a reminder, really -

Cardigan Castle has a 900-year history.

And through that history, it's constantly been reinventing itself.

The first person to reinvent it was a man called Lord Rhys.

-Rhys ap Gruffydd.

-OK.

He changed it from being a wooden castle,

established by the Normans in 1110, to a stone castle.

He was the first Welshman ever to build a castle in stone.

It was completed in 1176.

He held an event here which was a house-warming

party for his new castle.

And the event was the pre-runner of the modern national Eisteddfod.

Lord Rhys was a prominent Welsh prince who use the castle to

improve relations with the English king.

His parties became the Eisteddfod, a festival in which the country's

greatest musicians and poets competed to win prizes.

A house-warming party has gone on to become a national event?

-How did that happen?

-Yes.

Rhys was clever enough to understand there was a very fragile

-peace at that time between himself and King Henry.

-OK.

What was becoming really popular in European courts

were big artistic events.

So he thought he would do something like that here.

He'd invite people from all over Britain

and probably from the Continent as well.

And he'd have contests in music and poetry.

And in doing so, he'd show the rest of Britain that, you know,

the Welsh are not barbarians, we are a cultured,

-civilised people with long musical and poetic traditions.

-Very nice.

And it was. It was a hugely successful event.

It probably secured the survival of Welsh culture.

Really, you think it is significant as that?

-I think so, yeah.

-Amazing.

The Eisteddfod continued but didn't emerge in its modern form

until many centuries later.

In 1792, a man who went by the bardic name of Iolo Morganwg...

-That's some name.

-It is. He held an event in London,

and that was the beginning of a major resurgence.

There is one item above all others that explains unique

part of the festival's traditions.

I think the first thing we have to talk about is this beautifully

-carved chair. I'm guessing it's of some importance.

-Yeah, well,

the chair has always been the great symbol of the Eisteddfod.

Going back to the very first one.

Lord Rhys had this idea.

Instead of giving a cash prize for the best bard or the best

musician, he'd set a chair for them.

-This may sound a bit odd nowadays...

-It does, yeah.

In those days, most ordinary people sat on benches or stools.

Chairs were reserved for really important people.

The bishop had a chair. The prince had chair. The king had a chair.

Ordinary people did not have a chair.

So the idea of almost enthroning the best bard, you know,

you were paying them a great honour by having a chair for them.

And this tradition has carried on.

In every Eisteddfod now, a carpenter will be asked to produce a

chair which will be his imagining of how an Eisteddfod chair should be.

So each chair is unique. And the winner gets a chair like this.

From the Victorian period onwards, the Eisteddfod

and its traditions became the most important celebration of Welsh arts.

It's become really,

if you like, the mark of national excellence really in Welsh culture.

So to have been a competitor in an Eisteddfod

-is regarded as, you know, kudos.

-Yeah.

And to have won your category in Eisteddfod, you know,

really is a sign that you've arrived as a representative of your art.

How has it changed?

Not only has it branched out across the UK but internationally.

There's Eisteddfodau all over the world.

The view from the battlements at the top of the castle

illustrates how the Eisteddfod took on the world.

Wow, this is quite the view!

-Yep, this is the outer defence of the castle itself.

-OK.

From here, you get a great view of the river.

And it's a reminder that in the early 19th century,

Cardigan was one of the biggest seaports in Wales.

One of the biggest seaports in the country.

Cardigan ships sailed all over the world.

And like other people stealing from other Welsh ports,

one of the things they took with them

to these different countries was the idea of the Eisteddfod.

All these Welsh emigrants going all over the world established

Eisteddfodau in all sorts of surprising places.

Canada, the United States, Australia, I've even

-heard of an Eisteddfod in Japan.

-Amazing!

And some of them

have become quite large annual events overseas as well.

-Yeah, I can imagine.

-The Eisteddfod has gone global.

The festival is still the most prominent symbol of Welsh

culture all around the world today.

Glen, I have to say,

it's been absolutely fascinating meeting with you today.

-What a great tale.

-Thank you very much.

With that, a jam-packed first day draws to a close.

Night-night, Road Trippers.

Nothing will keep our energetic pair off the trail for long.

And the morning finds them back in the Porsche

and gearing up for the competition ahead.

How many things have you bought?

Um, one.

Good thing?

-One good thing.

-One very good thing?

-Good to very good.

-Oh, no! No, no, no!

-In my humble opinion.

-Oh, no!

So far, Natasha has bought only one item -

the pair of Arts & Crafts firedogs for £25 -

meaning she still has £175 to her name.

Philip has been extravagant by comparison.

He's already bought five items - the measuring stick,

the souvenir cricket bat,

the ship's light,

the till

and the commode.

The one lot was a mistake, really. A real mistake.

Well, we'll find out on the day, won't we?

I'm guessing it's the woodworm playing on Phil's mind.

Is that right?

-I bought livestock.

-No, you didn't.

-I did, honestly.

I promise you, I bought livestock.

Woodworm. A whole herd of it.

Have you ever seen a herd of woodworm?

There is a thought.

This morning they are in Trecastle.

This historic village nestles on the border of the beautiful

Brecon Beacons National Park.

A lovely place to kick off the day.

Beautifully driven. Beautifully handled.

SHE LAUGHS

Right, OK.

Which way? Oh, thank you so much.

They are clearly getting on well.

We'll see how long that lasts when there's bargains to be fought over.

They are heading into Trecastle Antiques Centre

and meeting dealers Margaret and Louise.

-Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Tasha.

-I'm Margaret.

-Margaret, nice to meet you.

-I'm Louise.

-Louise, lovely to meet you.

Nice to meet you. We are all charm today.

Right, you two, time to get buying.

-Have you been emptying your local church?

-I wouldn't do such a thing!

There's pews everywhere.

Margaret would do nothing of the sort.

-Are they for sale or...?

-They are for sale.

Quite a collection of ladies' fans there.

-How much are these each?

-They are £15 each, Phil.

-That's beautiful, look.

-I know. I know.

Sounds keen. Looks like he's picked up his favourite from the bunch.

Something to keep in mind, no doubt.

-Yes, I will take care of them for you.

-Thank you very much.

Now keep browsing.

What's he got now?

Margaret, what's the national sport of Wales?

Rugby.

When in Wales...

It's a collection of 1970s Welsh rugby programmes.

-I was at that game.

-Were you?

-Yeah.

There is no ticket price on them. So what could Margaret do?

How much for the lot?

20 quid.

That's the bargain of the day.

It might be, but Phil is looking for an even better deal on these

and the ladies' fans.

In my eyes...

I honestly think those have got to be 30 and those have got to be five.

That's what I really think, if I had the two. What do you reckon?

-Go on. We've had such fun.

-You are an angel, thank you very much.

Thank you, my love.

Good on you, Margaret.

That will keep Phil happy for a while at least.

Meanwhile Natasha is around here somewhere.

Oh, careful!

Lordy, what is she up to now?

Oh, Phil. En garde!

I'm coming to get you. Oh, no!

How are you feeling about your rival, Natasha?

But no, Phil. Phil I'm suspicious of. Always.

SHE LAUGHS

Rightly so. Now, time to hunt some buys.

I don't know, this kind of section is quite good, actually,

because there is quite a lot going on.

There are really nice hand sickles down here as well.

A sickle is a hand-held tool for cutting a grain crops or grasses.

This set of three have a ticket price of £17.

And what's really nice is that Phil was telling me

in the car this morning that one of his items is riddled with woodworm.

And so is this one.

It says it has been treated but these too have woodworm.

Lovely.

So I don't know if maybe I just want to make Phil feel a little bit

more at home.

I'm not sure you're quite in the cut-throat spirit of this

competition yet, Natasha.

But the sickle's a definite possibility.

And on the rural theme...

I don't know why, but I really like this lawnmower.

And it does say on the label there that it is in working order.

I don't know if anyone would use it.

But for decorative purposes, it's great.

Yeah, have it in your lounge(!)

Why not? It dates from the late 20th century and the ticket price is £33.

Oh, something else now.

OK, this is a beautiful fireplace. That's really lovely.

Very nice indeed. Cast metal fireplace.

It's a late Victorian cast-iron fire surround,

complete with its original tiles.

It's £85.

It's £85.

In fact, the combined ticket price on the sickles, lawnmower

and fireplace is £135.

It's a little bit industrial, isn't it?

But I like it. No, I like it.

Time to speak to dealer Louise, then.

-If I make you an offer for the lot?

-Right.

I'm going to make you an offer of 100 quid,

-and if you think I've lost the plot, just tell me.

-OK.

-100.

Nice round number. Think of that. £100 in your hand. Today. Cash.

-Since it's you, we could probably squeeze to 100.

-Do you reckon?

-We could probably do that.

-You are acting on someone else's behalf,

so I don't want to get you in trouble.

-No, I think that would be OK.

-Do you think so?

-I think it would be OK.

-Lawnmower, fire surround,

three hand sickles filled with woodworm,

-treated mind you.

-Yeah, I'm sure they are.

They would be because anything coming in would be treated.

You reckon? Should we do it?

-Go on, then. We'll do. I'll do.

-OK. £100.

-£100.

I'm going to go get my cash. Louise, thank you so much!

Crikey, that sudden flurry of impulse buying means Natasha

has another three lots.

Philip meanwhile is back in the car.

Having already bought all his items,

he is driving into the lovely Brecon Beacons National Park.

Near the village of Abercraf is Dan-yr-Ogof -

the National Showcaves Centre for Wales.

An extraordinary wonder of the natural world that was discovered by

two very courageous local farmers, the Morgan brothers, in 1912.

He is meeting the curator of the centre, Ashford Price.

-Hello, Phil.

-Ashford, how are you?

Welcome to Dan-yr-Ogof caves.

The cave system the Morgan brothers found here is now known to

extend at least 11 miles into the Earth.

And it's so fast that the outer limits are not yet known.

When they first found the caves, the brothers were looking for the

source of a river that flowed from the mountain, termed a resurgence.

In June of 1912, they actually went into the resurgence.

Literally by going in there.

They only went in there about a couple of hundred yards.

Just with candles. And one of them

found a little passageway leading off from the main river. Followed it.

And lo and behold, he didn't find the source of the river,

but he found some of the best caves probably in Europe.

With a little bit of trepidation, is it time to retrace some steps?

Yeah, I think so.

If it's any consolation, I've never lost a tourist yet.

You are in good hands then, Phil.

The Morgan brothers had no experience at all of caving

and ventured in with minimal equipment.

They came in the cave as complete novices,

not knowing what they were going to see

and certainly had no idea how long they would be underground.

So they came in with their ordinary suits.

They had a handkerchief tucked in. They had a their gold watch chain.

And also, which is amazing today, all they had with them

was literally a candle. Can you imagine?

Would you like to walk round this place on your own basically

just with a candle? They were exceptionally brave.

Cos if anything had happened to them on that first day,

nobody would have guessed as to where they were.

And certainly they would have just died in the cave.

It would have been a pretty grim ending.

What they were doing to try and get out, which is

-equally as important as coming in...

-Too right!

They would put a little arrow marks on what was then the sandy floor.

This was their only way actually of coming in and out of the cave.

On the second day, though, they got a little bit wiser

and they brought in some balls of string that they used on the farm.

And they tied it to where they actually entered the cave

and they ran out the string behind them as they went further

and further into the mountain.

I would have been absolutely terrified as to what was

-round the next bend.

-Well, I think they were also frightened

because as they went farther into the cave, one of them

actually took in, according to his diaries, his old ex-army revolver.

Despite their complete lack of experience and equipment,

the brave Morgan brothers managed to explore an extensive area.

They even used a small boat called a coracle

to cross the underground lakes.

Well, Phil, what do you think of that then?

This whole chamber is known as the Coracle Chamber.

It's about 40 foot high. Imagine finding that in 1912.

The Morgan brothers were responsible for discovering this

wonderful underground landscape, and their descendants,

of whom Ashford is one, still run the complex today.

Over the decades, other cavers have made greater

and greater advances through the stunning rock formations that have

been hewn over millennia by water passing over the limestone rock.

Experienced cavers are still discovering new

areas of the cave system.

Even with modern technology,

exploring underground can be dangerous

as rising water levels can cut explorers off,

temporarily depriving them of an escape route.

Cavers have been overdue. We've had a few cave rescues.

What do you mean by overdue?

They've had to spend a few nights in here.

That's a sobering thought.

In 1953, members of the South Wales Caving Club finally

discovered the area many consider to be the jewel of the Dan-yr-Ogof,

known as Cathedral Cave.

I don't think you see that in many places probably in the world.

Both the waterfalls there are about 40 foot high.

They lead onto vast cave systems left and right there.

You can imagine, Phil,

the vast amount of water required to make a cave passageway like this.

Obviously, a lot of this water came from all the various ice ages,

when, obviously, the planet was frozen.

It then thawed and, obviously, you had vast amounts of rainwater

coming through this area.

It is truly magnificent.

It doesn't matter how often I see it, I'm still impressed by this.

Thanks to the courageous efforts of the Morgan brothers,

the caves here can now be enjoyed by visitors who don't even have

to bring their own candle.

It is quite a magical place.

I'm feeling like Indiana Jones in here, you know?

-Where is that bit of string?

-We'll find it now. Come on.

Natasha meanwhile has motored on to Brecon,

a very attractive market town that boasts its very own Norman castle.

With £75 still to spend, Natasha is heading into Brecon Antiques Centre,

where she is meeting dealer Linton.

-Hello, hi there.

-Hi.

-Hi, I'm Natasha.

-Pleased to meet you. Linton.

Linton, it's lovely to meet you!

-This looks like an absolute treasure trove.

-Yes, it's quite compact.

Which suits Natasha

as her thoughts are turning to the bijou this afternoon.

I'm just looking for something small.

I think that everything I've bought has been quite humphing, quite big.

Especially the cast-iron fire surround.

I think I need something more delicate.

And as if by magic...

40% off! You cannot resist. Let's have a wee look.

I mean, there is loads of stuff in here.

I don't know if there is a huge amount of age to all of it.

It's mostly glass items, by the look of things.

Even a few delicate pieces in there for you, Natasha.

And the promised discounts never hurts in this game.

I just, it's not something I ever buy, glass. But I'm just thinking...

I am thinking that if you are going to go kind of kitschy

and colourful, should you go the whole hog?

There are things like, you know,

a little bit of Murano glass there. It's nice.

It's not going to change anyone's life. It's a pretty thing.

But what I do think is a life-changing piece of glass

and, dare I say, art

is this very nice ankle boot.

Oh, careful.

Look at that.

Is that not the most hideous thing that you have ever seen?

Well, it's not my style, but I'm sure someone would like it.

I think that I have to buy it.

Mm. Sensible reasoning.

It's marked up at £39.

But the all-important 40% discount will have to be subtracted.

OK, my maths is really bad. It's £39.

Essentially call it 40.

4+4...

Good grief! After the discount, it's £23.40.

Best have a word with Linton.

-This has to be the best thing I've ever seen.

-The magic slipper.

And I tell you what's great, it was in a 40% off cabinet that I found.

-Never.

-That you were keeping from me. You didn't...

-Oh.

Yeah, thanks for that, Linton.

Another dealer owns the enchanting boot.

What deal could Linton strike on his behalf?

What do you think is the bare minimum?

18 to 20. But I think you might squeeze 18 out of him.

It has to be 18 quid for a Laguna glass boot vase.

It's the best thing I've ever seen. It's beautiful!

-OK, thank you so much. You are my prince.

-With pleasure.

And with that fairytale ending, they are all bought up.

Natasha bought the Arts & Crafts firedogs,

the three wooden hand sickles,

the mechanical lawnmower,

the cast-iron fireplace,

and the much-loved glass lady's boot.

She spent £143 exactly.

While Philip bought the Customs & Excise measuring stick,

the memento cricket bat,

the ship's light,

the till,

the commode,

the rugby programmes,

and the ladies' fans.

That little lot cost him £105.

So what do they think of each other's offerings?

I'm not quite sure what his till is going to do.

I think it's a really quirky thing. I really like it.

But is it the sort of thing that people would buy

apart from just decorative purpose?

Maybe they will. I don't know. I hope so.

I think the fire stand is really, really lovely.

If she's got two people at the auction who want that,

I can see it making three figures.

I think Phil has done brilliantly. I think he is an absolute star.

I think my favourite item has to be the commode,

purely because we are in it together with our woodworm,

and I think it's going to be the battle of the woodworm.

I like to think that, you know, my influence has worn off on her,

because with those three sickles, we've got

all the true Serrell traits of rust and woodworm.

And I expect them to go in a similar fashion to my commode.

In a skip somewhere.

On this leg, they've travelled from Narberth, Pembrokeshire,

to auction here in Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire.

Today the proof will be in the pudding, Mr Serrell.

I think my pudding may be a bit stodgy.

I think that probably goes for both of us.

That's the spirit!

It's a lovely day, isn't it?

It's beautiful.

It is indeed.

Let's hope fortune shines on our brave

pair as they head for the reckoning.

They are just arriving at Welsh Country Auctions, today's saleroom.

-Well, here we are. Are you ready?

-I'm ready. Are you ready?

Shall we go in arm and arm to our first auction?

That way, that way.

-This way.

-That way. Come on.

This bodes well.

Holding the gavel today is auctioneer Andrew Williams.

Before the off, what does he think of Natasha and Phil's lots?

The rugby programmes and the bat, they are quite nice things,

but we do tend to get a lot of rugby programmes in.

We get boxfuls in, sadly.

It's a job telling how old the glass boot is,

but we do have collectors of boots and shoes and quirky things.

It's a nice enough piece, so it should do OK.

The cast-iron fire surround,

different design with the domed top to it. Somebody will use it.

Could end up in a garden, could go back in a house.

The barrel measure is quite nice.

It's something unusual, something different.

And the till does make a nice sound when the drawer opens,

so it'll cause a little bit of interest.

Right, let's get on with it then. The auction is about to begin.

First up, it's Philip's souvenir cricket bat, which he's placed

in a job lot with his collection of 1970s Welsh rugby programmes.

Five. Five pounds. At five.

-Eight. Ten. 12. 13.

-Yes!

The programmes are signed.

18. At £18. 20 in the back.

Two. 25.

At 25.

Any more? At £25.

On my right at £25.

BANGS GAVEL

Philip Serrell.

A decent profit for Philip.

-Well done. That's great.

-It's a profit, isn't it?

That's our very first profit.

You have started this auction with a bang.

Firedogs are coming up next.

Are they going to be dogs or are they going to be all right?

I don't know.

I'm a little bit worried because they were my first buy.

I just sort of went with what I knew, Scottish Arts & Crafts.

But maybe I should have remembered that we were in Wales.

Natasha now with her Arts & Crafts firedogs.

Ten I'm bid. At ten pounds.

At ten for the pair.

At ten. Ten pounds. 15.

20. At 20.

Five. 30.

Five.

At 35 for the pair. I thought these would have made more.

-At £35.

-No!

-BANGS GAVEL

-35.

LAUGHING: They could have done better.

We just seem to be nerdling away at ten-pound notes here, don't we?

That strong start has Natasha now neck and neck with Phil.

Next, it's Philip's vintage till,

selling in a job lot with his Customs & Excise measuring stick.

-There you go, there is a lovely...

-BELL RINGS

-Listen to that sound.

-Come on. That's so good.

-Wonderful. And again.

BELL RINGS NATASHA CHEERS

What a good bit of kerching.

This is lot 139. Rostrum bid to start.

-At 20.

-He's got 20.

-Five.

-Yes!

30.

Two. 35.

At £35. Let's have another ding.

38. 40 in the back.

At 40. Two. 45.

50. At 50.

Is it going to be another tenner?

-BANGS GAVEL

-50.

THEY LAUGH

It's ten-pound profits all round today.

I saw a lady over there, and she'd only got one glass left boot on.

-So you never know. If it's the right size...

-I'm glad she came.

Mind you...

There was a pumpkin and some wild mice out the back as well.

-Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.

-Pardon?

SHE LAUGHS

You might have guessed. It's Natasha's glass boot now.

20 I'm bid. Rostrum bid to start.

-At £20. £20 bid.

-At 20. No, he doesn't.

-The glass boot at 20.

-He actually has that?

25.

30. At 30.

At 30.

-And five now? £30.

-I've made 12 quid thus far.

At 30.

-BANGS GAVEL

-30.

Someone does take to it. A surprise success for Natasha.

That was unbelievable. How did he...?

This is the best auction house in the land.

Now let's see if Phil's ship's light can illuminate proceedings.

-£20.

-That is sexy. £20 bid.

25. 30.

Five. 40.

Five. 50.

We're off to the races.

60.

Five. At £65.

-Hell yeah!

-65.

-Last call then at £65.

-Off the rocks anyway.

BANGS GAVEL

You are a legend.

Ha! Some might say.

And with that, Phil has now taken the lead.

So it's Natasha's mechanical mower next.

20, one of you?

Oh, go on! Why not?

Won't get a better cut than with a nice old push mower.

-At

-Two pounds. Two?

-It's got to be sold.

-Why are they laughing?

At two. Five. At five pounds. At five. That was a lucky escape.

-This is terrible. They are laughing.

-Eight.

Yes, it's not usually a good sign.

At ten pounds. At ten. Save on your electric as well.

-Oh, no.

-Ten pounds here.

-Oh, no.

-At the end of the row then.

BANGS GAVEL

Oh, Phil! Oh...

The saleroom doesn't take to it. Bad luck.

While Philip's ladies' fans fare any better?

Ten I'm bid. At ten. Ten pounds.

15 for the fans. 20.

Five. 30.

Five. 40.

Five. 50.

-And 60.

-Oh!

-I'm very surprised.

-70.

80. There's quite a few of them in there.

-We're back at £80.

-Yes.

-Once, twice.

All done at £80.

-How good is that?!

-That's a real result, isn't it?

SHE LAUGHS

Go and get one quick and fan me.

Blow me down! Philip is now a real contender.

In all honesty, I think, to the right man,

your fireplace is 150 quid.

-No. Stop it.

-I do, I do, I do.

It's Natasha's big chance to shine with her cast-iron fire surround.

-Pretty surround.

-At 20. Oh, no.

At five anywhere now?

-Oh, no.

-Going to sell it then. At £20.

25. Here comes the rush. 30.

35.

At 35. Lost you in the back now.

SHE GROANS

-Bids behind me.

-At £35.

BANGS GAVEL

-Oh, that's soul destroying.

-I think you were unlucky with that.

-Oh.

So sweet. An unlucky loss.

-You live, you learn.

-Yeah.

-I'm in Wales.

I'm learning how the Welsh do it now.

So what will the Welsh saleroom make of Philip's star buy,

the woodwormed commode?

Wherever you would like to start. A reasonable offer?

Reasonable offer of...

20 I'm bid. At 20.

Quick, before they change their mind.

A little Georgian commode. At 20. Five. At 25.

Don't tell him to put the hammer down, it's going up.

No, no. They might change their mind.

At £25. All done? No more?

Last call at 25.

BANGS GAVEL

You are schooling me today.

You are schooling me today.

25 quid for that.

Ha! A very respectable outcome for Philip.

How do you feel?

Uh, I feel lucky.

And so you should, Philip.

One final lot now - Natasha's hand sickles.

Perhaps there is a woodworm collector in the crowd.

I don't know how these are going to fare, but you know what,

has this not just been the nicest morning?

-It's been really good fun.

-Yeah.

-Aren't we lucky to do this?

-I know!

-Ten pounds for the three.

-Yes, come on!

Someone go ten.

Ten I'm bid. 12.

15.

18. At £18.

At 18 right down the centre.

-It's better than I thought.

-21 now?

-At £18 for all three. No more?

-BANGS GAVEL

-Yes.

-That's really good.

Very respectable.

I'm quite happy with that. I'm really pleased for you.

And I've really enjoyed our morning in Wales.

-It's been good fun, hasn't it?

-Yeah. Yeah.

Aw, aren't you two sweet?

So it's time to tot up the totals.

They both began this leg with £200.

Rather bad luck meant Natasha lost £38.04

after auction costs are deducted,

which means she has £161.96 to carry forward.

While Philip played a stormer,

making a profit of £75.90 after costs.

So he has £275.90 for the next leg.

-Thank you very much.

-Well...

-Very well done, Phil.

-Well, a bit of luck, but I tell you what, loser drives.

-Loser drives!

-I was going to say the winner drives away.

-No, the loser drives.

Loser drives. I'm up for it if you are.

Only fair. And so, on to the next leg.

On the next Antiques Road Trip, Natasha is full of compliments.

I cannot think of a better way to spend a day than

driving around Wales with a handsome man like you.

What a girl! What a girl!

And Phil is full of doubt.

I don't know what to do.