Episode 2 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 an old diamond.

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

Back in the game! 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!

Welcome to the second instalment

of the battle of our connoisseurs of collectables -

Trevanion and Laidlaw - that's auctioneers Paul and Christina.

Ah, this is the life, Paul Laidlaw.

This is like a heavenly dream, the sun shining, the daffodils are out.

-Is this what your world is like? The sun's always like that?

-Yeah!

Sounds about right.

Our delightful duo seem to be getting on swimmingly

in their shiny 1999 HMC Mark IV.

Yesterday you made money. You made money!

-A small measure.

-Well, pfft, better than I did!

-Well, yes.

This side of the fence ain't so rosy!

Oh, come on, you pair. There's still a long way to go.

I've moved nowhere, you moved nowhere

but albeit in the wrong direction. It could be a psychological blow.

All right, hang on a second. I think we can leave that there.

I'm at neutral. I'm not in reverse, I'm at neutral!

Our duo both set off with £200 and, after their first trip to auction,

Christina's small loss of £17.16 means she has £182.84 today.

Paul fared slightly better. His £40.24 profit edged him

in front, giving him £240.24 to splash.

If this was a parable, it would be the tortoise and the snail!

Slowly, slowly it may be, but our pair are making good progress.

On their trip this week, Paul and Christina will be

covering over 600 miles,

starting from Clare in Suffolk, through Worcestershire

the West Midlands and twisting up to Staffordshire, before finishing

up in Northwich in Cheshire.

Today, they kick off in Tetbury, in Gloucestershire

and head north towards the auction in Evesham in Worcestershire.

Welcome to Tetbury,

formerly a thriving market town central to the area's wool trade.

It's now marks its history with an annual race,

where participants charge up a local hill carrying sacks of wool.

-Right, come on then. We've got shopping to do.

-Deary me.

Gosh, they're keen this morning.

Top Banana, baby.

Our pair are headed for Top Banana Antiques,

which has items from over 50 dealers,

plenty to keep our experts occupied.

-Well, good luck.

-See you later. And you.

Miniature brass coal scuttle circa 1920.

These are really sweet. Useless for coal, obviously.

But, nonetheless, they're probably, sort of, little salts or

something like that in the shape of coal scuttles.

Rather large for salts, Christina.

What's Paul up to?

Welcome to my world. Step into my office. Oh, yes.

This, as you know, is what lights my fire. This floats my boat.

Honestly, that boy and militaria!

A bit like Christina and silver.

Game bird letter opener, WMF. WM?

Oh, that's interesting.

OK, WMF, so WMF was a German factory who, I think,

opened around 1852/1853

and originally opened as a sort of metalware repairing workshop.

But, by 1900, I think they were the largest producer of household metalwares.

Um, and that is really lovely.

She's taken by that letter opener. Ticket price is £25.

It's a nice thing. I'm going to need a basket soon, aren't I?

Better still, manager Dan.

Picked up those little scuttles there and that little letter knife.

So, what would be your very best price on a pair of miniature

-brass coal scuttles, Dan the man?

-Um.

Come on, Dan the man, I need to win, I'm losing!

We can do 28 for you on those.

-28 on those, and how much on my letter knife?

-Um.

-We can do 20 for you there.

-28 and 20, £48.

-Yes.

I'm not sure those are going to make me a profit

and I really need to think about profit at the moment.

But you could potentially do... If I said 15 on that,

would you hate me?

I wouldn't hate you, but I wouldn't agree with you either. How about 18?

-16?

-You're squeezing me for every penny, aren't you?

-17.

-17? Brilliant, I'm happy.

-Thank you very much, Dan. You're a star.

-Yes.

So, Christina gets a silver letter opener for £17.

Meanwhile, Paul has dragged himself away from the militaria

and cornered Julian for some advice on a corkscrew he's spotted.

This is one of the more ingenious but most common of the Georgian designs.

Thomason's screw.

It's a double action so that, with one action,

you will wind the worm into the cork

and then, when it's fully screwed in,

keep turning and it will withdraw the cork,

so none of this...

GRUNTING

Up here, a pleasingly turned bone handle

and this of course is for dusting the top of one's bottle.

It has been in the cellar for God knows how long.

It comes out and it's all rather dusty.

We don't want to taint our wine. Dust that off and away you go.

It's nice but the ticket says £168.

Tell me this guy has got some big margin in there

and he could discount that heavily.

135, just to get the day started.

Right, I don't think it's dear.

I think it's still too dangerous for me, to be honest with you.

-I'm going to leave a cheeky little bid on that.

-Right, OK.

It is cheeky.

I'll stick 80 quid into that, but I'm going to keep walking

and I'm not really holding out much hope.

-Give me a minute and we'll see what we can do.

-No hurry.

-Glad to see you're taking things easy, Paul.

-The bowels of the place!

But Christina's hot on your heels.

Antiques heaven for the Laidlaw but, for me, antiques hell.

Perhaps Julian can help with something a bit more Christina.

-What's that?

-That is actually fab.

That's a French silver, probably about 1890.

-It's got little French marks on the side, can you see?

-Oh, yes.

-It's literally is a snuff box.

-What can you do that for?

I actually have 280, so trade - 240.

-However, I wouldn't normally do this, but I would do 100 quid.

-£100?

-£100?

-£100.

That's pretty much most of all of the money I've got left.

Is there any way you could just nudge it under the 100?

Because three figures really scare me.

I never ever spend that sort of money. 90?

-£95 and you're mad if you don't buy it.

-£95?

-Yes, job done.

I think I love you! I'm just completely in love with this thing.

-It is smashing.

-£95, I've just spent £95.

Oh, I've just spent £95!

Indeed she has, leaving her with just £70

and a lot of shopping to do.

Oh, I'm a bit hot. I'm really hot!

That's what taking risks feels like.

But will parting with most of her money

in her bid to catch Paul pay off come the auction?

Only time will tell, Christina.

Meanwhile, Paul has clocked a rusty dress sword with a price of £120.

-Julian, how are you doing?

-Hi, Paul.

Sword hanging in your stairwell to the basement...

Is there attraction in that?

Tell me that's been sitting here for a while getting rustier

and it can be cheap?

Are we still talking about the corkscrew as well?

Oh, I like the way you think.

Different vendors but we could still, the more we spend,

-the more traction we've got?

-It just helps.

OK, I would be interested in buying both,

-but I'm only offering you 50 quid for the rusty little boys' sword.

-OK.

This happens to belong to my manager.

-If you can just give me a couple of seconds.

-Hell, yeah.

-I'll come back to me.

-A couple of minutes.

-You can do the business.

I'll leave that with you.

Fingers crossed. I would say the longer he is away, the better.

An immediate response is generally, "You're having a laugh!"

There's a chance Paul knows something about this sword

he's just not letting on.

Dan the man is saying 80 quid

-and you're saying 80 on the other, that's 160.

-That's 80 on that?

But obviously I have a bit of an uphill battle with the corkscrew.

Without messing around, 150 on the two.

-I think that's a good deal.

-Good man.

Paul's not messing about.

That's £150 for his two items in the first shop.

So, come on, tell us what you know about this sword then.

Well, this is called a levy blade - very slender dress piece.

If this was plain, we would be no further forward.

But, oh, no, it is etched.

We have a whole host of scrolls and battle honours

running all the way up that fuller,

terminating in the Royal cipher of King George V.

It is centred by a cartouche with the initials MHIJ

and those of the initials of the officer that wore this sword.

How many are unique to and identifiable to an individual?

I don't know. One in 100? That's a good thing.

Worth the money?

Remains to be seen. I think so.

After a successful first shop for all,

Christina is weaving her way through a quiet Cotswold Valley.

She's on her way to the site of a magnificent mansion.

It was the brainchild of affluent Victorian gentleman William Lee,

who was inspired by his newfound Catholic faith to build a mansion.

But a series of misfortunes meant his masterpiece remains incomplete

after 140 years.

-Hello.

-You must be Terry.

-Yes. Welcome to Woodchester, come in.

Thank you. Wow, I can't wait.

After inheriting his father's fortune at the age of 13,

Lee was educated at Eton and Oxford,

but it wasn't until after his conversion

into the Roman Catholic faith in his early 40s that he moved to

Gloucestershire to build Woodchester Mansion.

This wasn't just to be a family home and, as a staunch Catholic,

Lee began building work with a monastery and a church.

This is where the family would have been

expected to be several times a day.

And as a very devout family,

this would have been really the heart of the house.

Yes, and the religious orders would have been conducted by people

coming up from the monastery that he'd built at the bottom of the valley.

To capture the scale of his faith,

he turned to pre-eminent architect and fellow convert Augustus Pugin,

who was considered the leader of Gothic Revival -

a movement which expressed faith through the arts.

Although Pugin resigned the commission,

work continued in this manner, and it is understood the

final architect based his work largely on Pugin's designs.

This is a glorious bit of the building.

Victorian Gothic was about lifting your eyes to heaven,

and this is what you do in here.

And when you look up to heaven, you see these magnificent,

beautiful carved bosses up in the top

-and the carved top of the pillars.

-Gosh, yes.

Driven by his quest to expand Catholicism in Victorian England,

Leigh focused on the monastery and church,

waiting for their completion before starting on the mansion.

By this time, nearly ten years after he began on the estate,

signs of financial strain started to show.

So this would have been the family's dining room,

and this is a room in the house where we can really see

everything to do with how you build and make great big buildings that

the Victorians were building,

but it goes way back to the medieval period -

it's exactly the same engineering techniques.

Stonemasons were given space to create arches,

doorways and fireplaces on each of the levels,

before any of the floors were installed.

But, in Woodchester Mansion,

the day when those floors were laid never came,

leaving a unique view of the work behind the building.

It's very instructive because you understand how this works.

You can go into Canterbury, Gloucester, Westminster Abbey, any of the cathedrals,

and they're all working exactly the same way

because one of the geniuses that drove Victorian Gothic revival architecture

was to ape the glories of medieval lofty buildings.

The time and love lavished on the religious buildings

took their toll, and ultimately old age,

ill-health and a lack of funds hampered the final years of work,

and the building remained incomplete at William's death in 1873.

The entire estate passed to his son, Willie.

Well, shortly after his dad died, Willie Leigh did write to the architects

-and say, "Can you tell me what this is going to cost to complete?"

-Right.

And I'm afraid the answer he got was £8,000 to complete it,

£6,000 to pull it down and put you up a new one.

The next two generations of the family struggled with

financial strain, and the mansion was sold in the early 1920s.

Although he never realised his dream, a trust was created

in 1989 to preserve the house and ensure that it remains

a dramatic memorial to William Leigh's faith and vision.

Meanwhile, with two pieces under his belt already,

Paul is on his way to Stroud, with £90.24

burning a hole in his pocket.

The antique store is housed

in a former industrial building packed with two floors of antiques,

which certainly gives Paul a chance to stretch his legs.

But has he come up with anything that takes his fancy?

Victorian gentlemen's walking gear.

No. No, none of that.

Stop telling me lies, Paul.

It originated in South Africa.

This is, probably, what the Zulu would call ironwood.

These staffs were carried

almost as a badge of rank by Zulu chiefs.

And that's the common form of such - a shaft, a pommel -

and then this spiral decoration.

Sometimes the pommel modelled as a fist.

You get variations on the theme.

If you hold it up to the light you will see, primitively,

but charmingly, scratched into the pommel the date 1884

and the initials IY.

Ah, don't you just love this stuff?

Price on that, £40.

History. History for four £10 notes.

Well, that was a find.

Paul seems to be in the swing of it now and, believe it or not,

he seems to making a quick dash towards another

item of a military persuasion.

Check out my friend.

I like that, but I'm deeply frustrated by it.

Described as a 19th-century original watercolour,

I can't argue with that.

But it's way more than a 19th-century watercolour because that,

I think, is a not half bad portrait of an officer of the

British Army of the middle years of the 19th century.

1840-1850?

At the moment, all I can tell you is he's almost certainly

an infantry officer of about 1840-1850 and that's it.

My biggest issue is it's lost its integrity

insofar as that's in a new frame.

antiqued gild,

yes, but nevertheless new.

So, my issues - the later frame,

no further detail about the subject, and then a price of £85.

A few things to talk about then.

Perhaps time to involve assistant manager Andy.

-On the one hand, we've got this rustic cane.

-Yep.

On the other, we got the 19th-century portrait.

-How flexible can you guys be on price with these?

-40 at the moment.

-Yeah.

-I could go to 25 on that.

OK, I like the way you think.

This is the biggie.

Could that be cheap, or does that have to be a lot of money?

-I could do 60 on that.

-That's not going to cut it.

I thought you'd maybe go there.

-Can I make you an offer on that?

-Fire away.

Well, I think it's worth 30 to 60 quid under the hammer.

Is that dead in the water or is there any chance?

I'll do 40 on the paint.

Stick-in-hand, I'm going to try and beat you down some more.

20 quid and 35, and I'll buy the two things.

-OK. Yeah, we'll go with that.

-Good man.

-No problem at all.

-Two things out of nowhere. That's great. I'm delighted with them.

-Yes. Good, good.

Thanks to Andy's generous £70 discount,

Paul gets the Zulu staff for £20 and the portrait for £35.

Well, it's been a productive day.

Time for our chaps to get some rest.

Nighty night.

Next day, and curiosity is getting the better of Christina.

-Did I see you looking at that corkscrew?

-Mmm-hmm.

Did you get that?

Oh, my God. You would be so bad at poker.

Did you buy that?

No.

-Not at all. Definitely not.

-We really need to play cards.

Cor, Paul was busy yesterday as he grabbed a dress sword,

a 19th-century corkscrew, a portrait of a British Army officer

and a 19th century carved Zulu staff, for a total of £205,

leaving him with £35.24 left to spend.

Christina picked up a French silver snuffbox

and letter knife for a total £112,

so has £70.84 for the day ahead.

Oh, don't lie down, horse. Stand up.

-Seriously? Is that an omen or something?

-It's going to rain.

If the horses are lying... Oh, no, maybe that's cows.

Good weather or not, Christina is on her way to the gorgeous

Cotswolds town of Winchcombe.

Once home to a Benedictine abbey that was once

a site of pilgrimage and, in the 17th century, the town was

home to the first man to write a list of British birds.

Winchcombe Antiques Centre is housed in this Grade II listed building,

and Christina is being shown around by owner Richard.

I come to you with very empty pockets, Richard.

-Oh, that's not good.

-I know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry already.

There's nothing quite like laying your cards on the table to get

things off to good start.

Really beautiful.

-Again, it's got about three figures more than my budget, sadly.

-Yeah.

That's quite nice.

That's very nice.

Little brass and copper bucket.

OK, I'm a bit worried about this price tag already.

Ticket price of £69.

Well, at least you would have a pound or two left over.

Expensive for a bucket, isn't it? Has it got a hole in it?

-It's got a hole in it.

-Oh, come on, really?

-Yep, look.

Did you just put that in there?

-HE LAUGHS

-Well, it's meant to have coal in there,

-so no coal is going to get through that hole.

-Dust might.

-What could you do on that? That's quite smart.

-The very best death

on it is, I should think, £40.

I like that.

I mean, you can see it's obviously hand beaten, which is quite nice.

The rivets are lovely. OK, I'll carry my bucket around.

-Let's keep wandering.

-All right.

-Show me the rest of your wares, Richard.

Right, let's have a look in these cabinets.

I know I said I was going to steer clear...

-Do you mind if I put my bucket down?

-No, feel free.

-I'll pop it down just there.

That's pretty. The vesta case...

with a sort of little Ruskin plaque on it.

That looks like it was a silver plate at one point,

-but somebody's polished it off.

-Looks like it's just been heavily polished, yeah.

Christina's found a matchbox holder with a ticket price of £58.

These were popular, not to carry around,

but to conceal ugly matchboxes in a decorative sleeve.

So, it's time to strike a deal.

So, I would be looking at securing,

potentially, both of those for £40.

-Yeah, I can't do it, basically.

-What can you do?

-What can I do?

What can you do me for those two?

-Well, this one, as I say, I need to speak to the owner about that.

-Yep.

-And your bucket with a hole in it?

-And the most beautiful bucket.

-With a hole in it.

-30 is the absolute bottom.

-Well, see what you can get that for.

-OK.

After some discussion with the dealer on the phone,

Richard's willing to let the matchbox holder go for £49.

Let negotiations commence.

£50 for the two.

-Did we say that? What did we say?

-No, we didn't say that. No, no, no.

Me being nice, it's 60 for the two.

You know that's a good deal.

That's a £67 discount,

but would leave Christina with just over £10 with one shop still to go,

so she's playing hard to get.

-55.

-No, no, no. Come on, 60.

Because that is 49 and that's working out at £11.

58.

And I'll shake your hand now.

-Are you that desperate for the £2?

-Yes. Yes.

-Every penny counts. Thank you very much, Richard. Well done.

-No problem at all.

There you go, £2 for the hole.

So, a copper bucket and matchbox holder for £58

leaves Christina with just over £10.

Meanwhile, Paul is winding his way through the country roads

of Gloucestershire, en route to a grand and historic castle

with royal connections spanning over 1,000 years.

-Good morning.

-Is it Derek?

-It is.

-Good to see you.

That's as fine an entrance...

It's quite impressive, isn't it?

So welcome to Sudeley Castle.

Sudeley Castle is famous as it was the home of a

great number of kings and queens.

From Edward IV through to Charles I, there is an illustrious

list of monarchs, including Richard III and Henry VIII.

However, it is perhaps a lesser-known member of royalty

who can claim to have left the biggest legacy here Sudeley.

Tell me more.

Well, Catherine Parr is possibly our most famous inhabitant.

I see. As every schoolboy knows, she's the last of Henry's wives -

the one that survives Henry.

And that's how she's often dismissed,

but she is much, much more than that.

Born in 1512, Catherine Parr was widowed twice

before the age of 30 and became Henry's sixth wife in 1543.

She was regarded as an accomplished woman with

an intellect that the King clearly valued.

She ran the country when Henry was attacking the French,

she looked after the young Elizabeth,

later Elizabeth I, and Lady Jane Grey,

she was trusted with their upbringing.

She was an intellectual powerhouse,

very important religiously, and, for that time, unheard of,

she actually wrote and published books which we have copies of down here.

My word. You say, "Unheard of," do you mean literally unheard of?

-No woman was allowed to publish at that sort of time.

-Is that a fact?

And here we have a Queen of England writing her own books,

religious tracts and getting them published.

And we have three copies of different books that she wrote.

Catherine Parr was a ground-breaking individual of the age,

not only writing in her own name,

the religious nature of her text put her at odds with

the King on many occasions,

but Henry maintained his respect for her, making her regent when he left

to fight in France, and entrusting her to raise the future queen.

This isn't just another castle. When you paint this picture of

Parr bringing up her stepdaughter within these walls,

and then Parr the intellectual, the publisher,

it's inevitable that it's informative on Elizabeth.

Very much a strong, independent thinking woman.

Very much a strong, independent thinking woman,

but she had one unfortunate blind spot -

Thomas Seymour.

After the death of King Henry, Catherine was, within a month,

married to her old flame, who became the new owner of Sudeley Castle -

the notorious Thomas Seymour.

History remembers Seymour as a power hungry individual,

but letters from Parr to him show

the clear affection she had towards her fourth husband.

"I can say nothing, but as my Lady Sussex saith,

"'God is a marvellous man.'

"In her that is yours, to serve and obey during her life.

Catherine, the Queen."

Still signing herself Catherine the Queen,

even though she's technically not a queen any longer.

It moves me beyond belief to think that the

hand of Catherine Parr lent on that document as she wrote.

That's an astonishing document and yet you get

the sophistication in the prose,

as it were, and indeed the love.

Catherine fell pregnant aged 36 and gave birth to a daughter,

but Catherine died just seven days later.

She was buried at Sudeley and her service was the first time

Protestant funeral rites were said in English.

This first is perhaps fitting for a queen who wrote

so strongly on religious matters

and is a true testament to a pioneer, who deserves a reputation

far greater than simply being remembered as the last of Henry's wives.

Meanwhile, Christina is making her way to the historic

town of Brackley in Northamptonshire.

Brackley Antique Centre has been open for 15 years

and it seems Christina is making a welcome return to old ground.

I have been here before, I'm sure I have.

This is certainly jogging some memories.

And it's huge, so I better crack on.

She's not kidding.

There's over 30,000 square feet of shop floor here -

it's underneath a supermarket -

so lots to see and plenty that would catch the eye of a certain Mr Laidlaw.

I mean, his knowledge is quite amazing.

I mean, literally, he could pick up this piece of paper and go,

"I happen to know that that piece of paper was used by Nelson

"the night before the Battle of Trafalgar. And, oh, £1.50, £1.50.

"£1 it is. Fantastic."

Auction. 20, 30, £40,000 later.

Now, Christina,

you're starting to sound bitter, love.

SHE SIGHS He's got the Midas touch

and I do not have a good Scottish accent.

Blimey, that was supposed to be a Scottish accent?

HE LAUGHS

Perhaps you should stick to hunting out antiques, girl.

-Remind me what you have left to spend, Christina.

-Oh, £12.

Why did I only leave myself with £12?

Too late to worry about that now.

Time to look for a little help.

Thankfully, Penny is on hand. And you know what to say,

"Look after you pennies."

-HE LAUGHS

-Never mind.

I am looking at some lovely things,

and if you're thinking that it's nowhere near my price bracket,

and my price bracket is about £10, then just steer me away.

-OK.

-OK?

-All right?

-Will do.

-Ready? Ready to steer?

-Ready to steer.

-OK.

£34 on it. Is that a steer, or is that OK?

I think that's a steer, I'm afraid.

The other thing I saw was this little bamboo cabinet here.

Oh, yeah.

Are we thinking that might be a goer?

No, sadly. Sadly, another steer, I think, I'm afraid.

-Really?

-Yes, afraid so.

Oh, dear, I'm sensing a theme here, Christina.

What about something, like, would something like this be all right?

-What do you think on that?

-What's she actually got on it?

Yeah, let's take these off and have a little look.

Have a little look.

I mean, that would be really quite useful

for a sort of trader or a dealer.

That's like a tabletop cabinet, isn't it?

A tabletop one, that's where it needs to go, isn't it?

Yeah, like that.

And then you could stand here if you were, for example,

a jewellery dealer or with some small bits of silver,

you could open it up like that, couldn't you? And then...

-That's right, hand under, pick the item, couldn't you?

-Yes.

It's a good strong thing, isn't it?

Ticket price says £35. Will it be another steer?

I literally have £12 left.

Do you think she'd be open to, like, that sort of offer?

-Yes. I know the dealer, I know she'd...

-Do you think?

-Yeah, I'm sure she will.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Is she going to kill me?

-Hopefully not.

-Penny, I'm very grateful.

-You're welcome. £12. It's a deal.

£12 for the display cabinet and Christina's purchases are complete.

But the same cannot be said for Mr Laidlaw,

who has arrived in the Northern Cotswold town of Chipping Camden.

Stuart House Antiques has been around for 27 years and the shop,

including its vast selection of ceramics, is overseen by owner Jim.

-Good afternoon.

-Hi, Paul.

-Is it Jim?

-Yes, Jim.

-Good to see you, sir.

-I like your taste in jackets.

-Ah, yes, I like yours!

Sartorial elegance aside, Paul is off to the task of trying

to uncover something glamorous that he can sell at auction.

I know it's a daft question, sitting in there, is that cheapy, Jim?

-Is that cheapy?

-Yes.

-How cheap?

-A tenner.

Not cheap enough, Jim! Could it be a fiver?

Just a wee throwaway piece.

-Yeah.

-Good man. Thank you very much, Jim.

My word, that was a quick deal. Paul clearly couldn't wait.

So, what is it that made you so keen, Paul?

That's no ordinary bracelet strap...

..because it's marked with patent numbers and so on,

but also, the word army.

So, it ain't a granny watch strap after all.

It's actually a trench watch strap.

The First World War was largely responsible for wrist watches

becoming the time piece of choice, as it was easier for soldiers to

check in a hurry than a pocket watch.

And now, he is on to another military themed item to go with it.

Jim, how are you doing?

If I may, I'd like to buy the little watchstrap and that badge, there.

The LG and the wreath, a tenner the pair?

I'll do you deal on that, aye.

You're a good man, Jim.

I'll shake your hand. A gentleman.

Swift business. The military badge makes purchase number two here,

and Paul is planning to combine the two together into a single lot,

all for a total of £10.

As well as his military lot, Paul's picked up the dress sword,

corkscrew, 19th-century portrait and a Zulu staff,

spending a total of £215.

Christina's spent £182 on a letter opener,

silver snuff box,

copper bucket, matchbox holder and display cabinet.

So, let's see what our antiques aces think of each other's objects.

I think, in this instance, I think

we've both been complete creatures of habit.

Looking at what he's bought,

it's just got Paul Laidlaw written all over it.

In the round, interesting little group of purchases there.

Anything that's scaring the pants off me?

Nah! Me, on the other hand...

Yeah, I mean, militaria, and wine-related ephemera,

that is Paul Laidlaw, isn't it?

I think I've got the stronger hand here.

Well, we shall see.

After starting off in the Gloucestershire town of Tetbury,

this leg concludes at auction in Evesham in Worcestershire.

Right, here we go, the second auction.

-Yeah.

-I've got the nerves again.

-Have you?

The knee's not going yet, but it will be.

I love auctions, but I know that you have absolutely stuck

within your comfort zone,

you have only bought stuff that you know full well is going to

-make you a lot of money.

-No, no.

Today's battleground is Littleton Auctions.

Crikey, it's clear you two have been let loose in the countryside.

The car is now actually considerably heavier

than it was when we started out!

Did I do that, really? Did we do that?

Well, it's your navigation skills!

Before the off, auctioneer Martin Homer

has some thoughts on our experts' offerings.

The Thomason brass barrel

double action corkscrew is very collectable -

I think we'll see a lot of interest in that.

A nice little French snuffbox which, again, is very collectable.

Though, I think, of the ten lots we've got today,

I think we'll do quite well with them.

Our duelling duo are both presenting five lots.

So, if you're all quite settled in, let's get this show on the road.

£20 anywhere? Give me 10, then?

First up is Christina's letter opener.

Here we are, nice piece there, you can see that picture.

Bid me on that? Where shall we go? 20, and I'm bid.

Thank you, the room has it at 20.

I'll take two. At £20, are we done? 22, I've got. At 22.

-At 22, and five, sir? 25.

-Yes!

-At £25?

All done, at the back of the room? At 25, are we done then?

At £25. Fair warning at 25.

-Ooo, net! Net!

-25.

-Internet!

-27. £27, than you.

-Oh, thank God.

-Thank you.

Blimey, Christina, well spotted.

30 at the back. £30, the room has it at £30. All done?

£30 fair warning. At £30.

You took five years of that poor auctioneer's life!

You verbally assaulted him there! Internet, oi!

Well, always nice to get involved, isn't it?

Paul's double action corkscrew is up next.

Where shall we go with that?

£100? Looking for £100.

We'll go 50 for it then, come on. Surely, £50?

Internet straight in at £50.

There we go. Straight away. Go on.

At 50 I'll take five. 55.

60 on the net. Five.

At 65 in the room, looking for 70 now? The net has 75.

I've not even broken even yet.

£80 I've got. In the room at 80. And five. 90 on the net.

Net's now at 90.

-90. At £90. Looking for five. At £90.

-Come on!

Are we done then, at £90?

Fair warning, we're selling at £90.

Yep, cheap corkscrew! Cheap corkscrew!

Not what you were hoping for, but still a profit, Paul.

Christina fought hard to secure a good price for her

copper and brass bucket, was it worth it?

-We've got some interest on commission I can start off at £50.

-Ah!

-Bid's with me at 50.

-How much?

£50, I'm looking for 55 now.

At 50 the bid is here, 55, 60.

Five, 70. Five.

Oh, my God.

80. Are you out? At £80, the bid is still with me on the book at 80.

At £80, are we all done, ladies and gentlemen? I'm selling at £80.

-This never happens to me!

-£80.

-Did you just get 80 quid for that?

-Yeah!

You might not believe it, Christina,

but that holey bucket has done the business, with a £71 profit.

-Oh, my word!

-Is this what winning feels like?

Paul will be hoping to close the gap with his military lot.

-On commission, with me at 10.

-Commission £10.

-10, 12 I've got.

Back to me at 15, 17. Back to me at 20. Are you out at 20?

-Are we done then? I'm selling at £20.

-Double your money.

-Sold at £20.

-Well done, well done.

-It's all right, a small step.

Despite a 100% profit for Paul,

Christina is still out in the lead on today's auction

and it's her display cabinet up next.

£20. On the net at 20.

Are you joking?

20, 22. 25. At 27.

What's happening to me?

£30, £32, At 32, with you, sir.

Net comes in at 35, 37. At 37, 40 on the net.

45, sir? 45 in the room.

I was just trying to spend the money.

50 on the net. At £50, I'm selling at £50.

I'm really sorry.

It seems to be Christina's lucky day.

Paul is pinning his hopes of a comeback

on his 19th-century portrait.

I have some interest on this one

and I can start this at £100 on commission.

-£100?

-See, £100!

-I'm back in the game.

I'm looking for 110 now.

I'm looking for 110 as well!

110, 120.

At 130, 140. With me on the book at 140...

£100 clear profit.

-..£140.

-That's brilliant!

Well done.

That fantastic profit brings our experts almost neck and neck.

Next up is Christina's matchbox holder.

I've got commission interest.

I can go in at £35 on this.

Straight in. You're clear.

40, five, 50, same as the book, but you take preference.

It's in the room at 50. Fair warning at £50.

I'm afraid that's a loss after auction costs,

which leaves the door open for Paul and his Zulu staff.

At £30 start me then. Come on, surely? 30 I'm bid. Thank you, sir.

At £30, bid's in the room.

The net flashed. Internet bidders.

37, 40. The net's running with this.

The net IS running with it.

We'll sit and relax for a minute while the net...

LAUGHTER

55 on the internet, ladies and gentlemen. I'm looking for 60 now.

Are we done then? Fair warning at £55.

A new bidder in the room now.

Good God, bless you.

-Really? No.

-Come on net.

65 on the net, at 65, £70.

Back in the room at £70.

-Good man!

-Someone kick him!

I'm selling at 70.

Sold at £70.

Paul has turned it around and moves ahead.

But Christina has one item left - her silver snuff box.

What shall we say, £30 to start me then?

-Ah!

-Oh, no! Net's in! The net's off. The net's just taking off.

I can't watch!

50. On the internet at £50.

At 50, it comes back into the room, at 55.

Quite rightly so. It's a lovely thing.

55 in the room.

Are we all done, ladies and gentlemen, at £55?

Oh, my God, no!

-No!

-Sold 55.

Like a dagger through my heart.

That's a tough one to take...

..and Paul still has his dress sword to go.

I've got some interest on this on the book

and I can start this at £50.

No, you're joking. It's a country mile off,

this is what I'm telling you.

-The net is running now with this.

-80, 85, 90, 95(!)

100, 10...oh...I'm redundant!

The internet bidders have come alive.

170.

170, ladies and gentlemen, on the internet. At £170, are we done then?

Fair warning and I will sell at £170, all done?

Sold at £170.

Well done(!)

What a fantastic way to end the auction,

as Paul completes his comeback with his second

three-figure profit of the day.

Wow!

I'm done. I resign. Has anyone resigned after two days? Have they?

Here we go, that's me.

Christina started this leg with £182.84.

After auction costs are deducted, she has made £35.30 in profit.

Taking her total to £218.14

After auction costs, Paul made £186.80 profit, taking the day

with a total of £427.04. Wow!

-Goodness me!

-Look at that filthy car, where's ours?

I will drive because then I will take responsibility for the filthy car.

You'll drive because you're taking it to have it valeted!

Cheerio, 'till next time.

Next time, the pressure gets to our experts

as Christina gets overwhelmed...

Chocka-chocka-chocka-block, isn't it?

..and the badgering begins.

Christina, how long is this going to take? I'm done, come on!