Episode 22 Antiques Road Trip

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

-I don't know what to do.

-HONK

..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 is no mean feat.

-Back in the game.

-HE LAUGHS

-Charlie.

-There will be worthy winners and valiant losers.

SHE GASPS So, will it be the high road to glory

or the slow road to disaster?

Oh!

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

Today is the second helping of our Road Trip escapade

with auctioneers Mark Stacey and Thomas Plant.

-I don't think I'm a Superman.

-No, no.

I think you are more like an overweight Lois Lane.

HE CHUCKLES

That is so harsh.

If I'm an overweight Lois Lane,

-God only knows what that makes you.

-Oh, don't. Don't.

Oh, they love one another really.

Mark is having a go at a spot of clairvoyance.

If only I could say, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall,

"who's going to make the greatest profit of them all?"

Thomas dazzles us with his encyclopaedic knowledge of antiques.

This looks like, almost like, a female bottom.

Do you know, he's right.

And they are putting their foot down in this racy little number,

the 1978 MGB GT. I had one of those.

Well, I have to say, Tom, she's doing all right at the moment,

-isn't she, the car?

-Yes, and you...

-It's a she, is it, in your world?

-Well, as all cars should be.

Well, some of them are men, some of them are boys,

but I don't know what to call her, actually.

-Beauty. A black beauty.

-A black beauty.

Glad we cleared that up.

Our Road Trip buddies started off with £200,

but their first auction saw Mark make a big loss on the dreaded cannonball.

This leaves him with £107.50 for the second leg.

HAMMER KNOCKS

But Thomas has edged ahead with a much smaller loss,

so has a lovely wodge of £194.30.

Mark and Thomas will be making a trip of over 500 miles

from Sittingbourne, Kent

and will wind all the way along the South East and East Anglia

through Norwich and finally land

in Oakham in the East Midlands.

Today's journey begins in the village of Otford, in Kent,

and the auction will take place

in Paddock Wood, also in Kent.

And get this, Otford boasts quite possibly the only roundabout

in Britain to have its very own duck pond.

Ha!

Ducky.

-Well done. I could get used to this.

-Could you, what?

-You driving me around.

-I'm not going to drive you.

I might offer you a job as a driver, Tom.

I'm not going to be your driver, not on that money you've got to spend.

-Oh, don't, Thomas.

-I mean, you know...

THOMAS CHUCKLES Don't rub it in, Thomas.

Our Road Trip pals are sticking together for the first

-shop of the day.

-After you.

-Oh, no. Age before beauty.

-Oh, thank you.

-Did you just say what I thought you said?

-I did. I did.

Well, you know, I've always been told.

-Hello!

-Hello.

This is my colleague, Thomas, who is competing against me.

-So, we mustn't be too nice to him because he's leading.

-OK.

We're going to have a look around and then we'll come back

and have a word. Is that all right?

-Yeah, that's fine. Lovely.

-Thank you.

Right, Mark, you got bit of catching up to do today.

Got any ideas, mate?

I've got to think of some sort of a plan, so I'm going to try and find

interesting objects at, maybe, ten pounds

that might sell for £30 or £40.

So, even after commissions and things, there's a sizable profit.

Just to start getting me back in the rhythm.

And of course, the one thing I'm completely going to avoid...

is cannonballs.

Hm, don't worry. I don't think you'll find any in there.

If only I could say, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall,

"who is going to make the greatest profit of them all?"

It won't answer me, of course.

And if it did, it'd probably say, "Thomas Plant."

Oh, dear. Feeling a bit sorry for yourself?

This is rather attractive, actually.

There's only one period, date this could have been made.

Probably around about 1900, 1905,

but I love these sinuous lines

with the lily pads

and these sort of stylised berries

and lis here.

Art Nouveau is one of the first modern styles of the 20th century

and takes inspiration from the natural world.

The ticket price is £28. That seems cheap.

Do know what? I think I might be a bit cheeky. I'll go and find Jackie.

Jackie?

-Time to talk money, eh?

-Oh, Jackie.

I'm doing very well. I've been in here five minutes

-and I've already found this dish.

-Right.

I'm in a real predicament, Jackie. I'll explain to you

and this is no word of a lie.

-So, put on your caring face for me.

-I will. I'll try.

-Thank you. Try.

I've had my first auction

-and I shot myself in the foot with a cannonball.

-Yes.

So, I'm going to be terribly mean to start off with

-and she's going to tell me to get out of the shop.

-Yes, give me a

-price. Probably will.

-I would love to buy it for ten pounds.

-Ooh!

Um...

Oh.

Ask her what she would be comfortable with. Thank you.

All right, then.

What are you doing, Mark?

Dealer Wendy is just downstairs.

-Mark wants the best price on this.

-Best price on this.

He's made an offer, which I daren't tell you at the moment,

but he is offering ten.

-Oh, no.

-THEY LAUGH

Um, 15?

-18.

-Right. I'll go and see what he says and that really is...?

-It is really.

-It's got to have 18.

-Oh, Jackie, hello.

-You're not going to be happy.

Oh, I'm not? No.

-18.

-18. Oh, gosh.

-And I tried. I really tried.

She's been really generous, isn't she? I mean, look...

-HE WHISPERS:

-..it's not a lot of money, is it, really?

And she has been very kind to me, actually.

-Jackie, thank you.

-OK.

-Let's call that sold, all right?

-OK. That's lovely.

And I'll carry on browsing.

-I'll take it downstairs for you.

-Thanks so much. I do appreciate it.

Well, as you can see, I'm firmly sticking to my ten-pound challenge.

And I've now spent on my first item £18,

so I'm already 80% over what I said I wouldn't pay.

It's going very, very well(!)

Still, a good discount from the original £28 ticket price, Mark.

Now, what about Thomas?

-Right, Mark.

-Oh, my gosh, Thomas!

-Like Thor.

In your mind, Thomas.

Well, I was going to smash some of your profits.

-Oh, well, you've already done that.

-HE LAUGHS

Well, that's kind of true, actually.

Time to get delving, Thomas!

Well, this is wonderful.

In a real kitsch sort of way.

It's got "foreign" on the base.

"Foreign" was placed on quite a lot of Japanese-based goods

because after the war,

they didn't think that their products would be bought

and therefore by putting "foreign" on,

it would come from a foreign country

and they wouldn't necessarily know where.

It is an antique and it is collectible,

but is simply dreadful.

Hm. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

What do you think that looks like?

-Erm...

-A bottom.

-Yes.

And it is called a coco de mer.

The sea pod from the Seychelles.

It's almost like a female bottom, if you can imagine.

They are quite sensual.

There's the bottom and the legs, etc.

You get them in different sizes.

This one has been made into a tray, a cutlery tray with a handle here.

It would have all been covered.

And it's been designed... And it's a tourist piece.

This is the largest seed in the plant kingdom and due to its rarity,

the Seychelles native has been protected by law since 2010.

And it's just a lovely piece of natural sculpture.

Could be my first purchase of this leg.

Thomas is sure this piece is late 19th or early 20th century.

Ticket price is £65.

-Hi, Berryl?

-Yes.

-I found this.

Let me see who it belongs to.

I just worked out what your necklace is.

It's a fox, isn't it, or something?

-It's a hedgehog.

-A little hedgehog. It's sweet, isn't it?

-It's looking at you.

-Oh, it's wonderful.

Looks like the coco de mer is working its lovey-dovey magic.

I'd like to ask if it's possible to buy it for 40.

because of the cracks. If it wasn't cracked,

-I haven't got a problem.

-Yeah, so you are talking about...

-40 quid.

-40.

After a quick call to the dealer, Berryl has a price for Thomas.

What do you think you can do?

-Shall I just go and ask him?

-Yes.

Would you meet them at 50?

-45.

-What about 45?

-Go on, then.

-Is that all right?

Thank you, Barry. Thank you.

-Cheerio.

-Love you, Barry.

-45.

-Brilliant.

What a charmer! The first purchase of leg two for Thomas.

-There's 45.

-Thank you. Thanks for coming.

-Thank you very much.

-The fascinating coco de mer polished nut.

Great.

Mark is 15 miles away in the village of Wateringbury,

near Maidstone, in Kent.

Where Memories Meet is Mark's second shop of the day.

Joseph is the proprietor here.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-I'm Mark.

-Hi, I'm Joseph. How are you?

-Nice to meet you, Joseph.

-Nice to meet you.

I thought I was going to an antique shop. It looks more like a cafe.

Yeah, we try to mix it all up, really.

I'm not sure whether to order a cream tea

or try and look for some china.

I'm...I'm confused. Utterly confused.

What's new?

The antiques are downstairs, Mark.

But at least you got a guaranteed cuppa, though.

-Got you a cup of tea here.

-Thank you so much.

I'm looking forward to this.

Oh, tea-time. No cake, I noticed.

Come on! Get to work. Ha!

This is an extending book rack,

so you can have your books there,

but then as your collection of books expands,

you can stretch this out. It is a good, decorative thing.

I love the carving and I quite like Indian items.

I'm not even going to look at the price of that.

I'm going to put that as a possibility.

Cos I think maybe Joseph might want to get rid of that

cos there will be some more room for cups and saucers there then,

which he probably sells more of than sliding book slides.

It just goes to show

there are purchases to be made amongst the cakes and pots of tea.

And look! He has found something else.

But it's like a sort of pedestal comport.

You got sort of metal base with a dolphin

and then a sort of domed pedestal.

Little flower head inside.

A comport is simply a footed bowl or plate.

And it has taken Mark's fancy.

If that was illustrated and catalogued nicely,

somebody looking round online will think, "Oh, that looks rather nice.

"I'd quite like that for the centre of my table."

And they might pay a reasonable sum for it.

So actually, that might be a possibility.

Sounds like it's about time to talk money to me.

Oh! Joseph.

Oh.

Wow. Can see you found a couple of pieces.

Well, I have and I've had a jolly good look round.

-You've got some fascinating objects.

-Wow, fantastic.

-I'm going to tell you what I'm going to try to achieve.

-OK.

OK. I had a very difficult first auction.

I lost quite a lot of money.

FEIGNS CRYING: I've heard this story before.

But I have found two items, but I've got to be terribly mean with you.

-Mm-hm.

-I haven't looked at the prices,

so I don't know what they are.

-They could we thousands for all I know.

-Doubt it.

But I need to buy the two of them for £20...

for me to get a profit at auction.

The original price on the book slide is £25

and the comport is £26.

Do you think you are going to win?

I...I would like to think so, yes.

And I think these might help me achieve that.

Well, if you think you are going to win,

I'm happy to sell them to you at that price.

Joseph, you are a star.

Certainly in a generous mood. Huh!

Two items at less than half price, should help you out there, Mark.

-Thank you very much for supporting us.

-Perfect! Perfect.

£20 for the book slide and the comport!

-Thank you, Joseph. Good luck.

-Yeah. Perfect.

Ha! Well done, Mark. You now have three lovely lots.

Thomas travelled 14 1/2 miles south for a taste of old England

in the glorious village of Penshurst, in Sevenoaks.

Thomas is stepping back in time to visit Penshurst Place.

This medieval manor house is steeped in royal history.

Literally fit for a king, Henry VIII used the estate as a hunting lodge.

But for the last 460 years,

it's been in the continuous ownership of the Sidney family.

But there is one Sidney that holds a dazzling torch in the family history.

Thomas is meeting Philip Sidney, the second Viscount De L'Isle,

to find out more.

-Hello, Lord De L'Isle.

-Good afternoon.

-How nice to see you, Thomas.

-So, tell me

where actually are we in Penshurst Place?

We are standing in the oldest part of the house,

which was built in 1341.

And when did your family move here?

Well, we were given it, luckily, by Edward VI.

Philip's namesake, Sir Philip Sidney,

was a great figure of the English Renaissance, a romantic poet,

a charismatic Elizabethan courtier and a heroic soldier.

He was a big hit with the medieval crowds

and would give many of today's A-list celebs a run for their money.

-Here we are.

-Gosh!

This is the state dining room.

These are all sort of the early portraits.

This one here is Sir Philip Sidney

but it's actually an 18th-century picture.

Philip was born at Penshurst in 1554.

He showed great intelligence from an early age

and at 17 he began a four-year tour of Europe

that would shape the rest of his life.

When he returned to England, he entered court

as the leading advisor to the Queen on international relations.

He was just 21.

Why was he so important?

He just was the Renaissance man.

He even... In the 1950s, someone wrote about him,

"Even at this distance, Sidney is dazzling."

You bet. Not just a statesman, Philip was also a prolific writer

and worked to raise the standards of literature in England.

His writing is said to have inspired Charles Dickens

and been likened to the great Bard.

Shakespeare, obviously, is famous,

but if you go and talk to academics,

they all bring him up as being one of the leading lights.

He was known for being quite irascible,

but he always managed to charm, particularly the Queen,

to get back in her good books.

This charismatic gentleman blessed with dashing good looks

rose through Elizabeth's court becoming an ambassador at 22,

an MP at 27 and was knighted at just 29.

Because he was, you know, a poet and quite good-looking,

he'd always sort of known the Queen held a candle for him.

He went off to take ship

with Sir Francis Drake, a mate, to go to the Americas.

To Virginia.

He got down to the port

and the Queen sent a messenger to get him back.

She wanted him around.

Despite the Queen preventing him putting himself in danger,

Sir Philip aspired to be a soldier.

During the Eighty Years' War in Europe, he picked up arms

and, fighting for Elizabeth's Protestant cause

against the Spanish, paid the ultimate price.

Fighting against the Spanish, he met a sticky end, didn't he?

His great friend, Fulke Greville,

turned up without his side arm on his legs

and so Sir Philip said that it was a chivalrous act.

"If you haven't got yours on, I won't have mine on."

Silly boy.

And he got a musket ball in the leg.

He died six weeks later.

But what a brave man to take off his armour.

Well, I think it was foolhardy.

Oh, probably, yes, but we all think... And how old was he?

32 when he died.

Oh, that's no age, is it? 32 and he had achieved so much.

Upon Sir Philip's tragic death,

his great champion, Elizabeth I decreed

that he be given a state funeral.

The first commoner to be graced with such an honour.

Ever.

So, this is what I was going to show you.

It's Sir Philip's funeral helm.

It looks big.

It is larger than life-size.

And it was probably made at the armoury at Greenwich.

He was granted a state funeral.

The first commoner to have a state funeral and the next one was Nelson.

It must have been a vast expense.

Most imagine that it would have run into millions of pounds...

-In today's money.

-..in today's money.

A fitting end for a noble statesman,

a valiant soldier and one of the greatest Elizabethan writers.

Talking of sparking luminaries,

our lovable duo are reunited once again.

Time for a rest before they get going again tomorrow.

So, nighty night, chaps.

The heavens have descended, but it isn't dampening the spirits

of our Mark and Thomas. Oh, no.

I have not bought a cannonball.

HE LAUGHS

You're going to have to buy something spherical.

-But I'm with you. You're slightly spherical.

-Mark...

THEY LAUGH

I am not at all slightly spherical.

Ha-ha! No, you are a fine figure of a man!

Let's remind ourselves of their shopping trip so far.

Mark didn't have the biggest budget,

but still acquired three items.

He bought the Art Nouveau silver-plated fruit dish,

the carved book slide

and the porcelain and gilt comport.

He still has £69.50 to spend today.

Thomas needs to put his foot down

cos he has only bought one item -

the rather fascinating coco de mer, polished tray, shell, nutty thing,

which means he's got £149.30 for the day ahead.

Thomas and Mark are starting their morning

in the village of Chart Sutton, in Kent.

I'm looking forward to our shared shop.

I do like a shared shop. I like annoying you in the shop.

-I like you annoying me, Thomas.

-THOMAS CHUCKLES

Fortunately, you are one of those people I can just rise above.

And...

-Am I just white noise?

-THOMAS LAUGHS

Kind of, yes.

Charming.

They are both shopping in Chart Sutton Antiques.

I do hope they behave themselves.

Fat chance!

-Oh! What are you doing?!

-Oh, hello.

Handbrake! Oh, God.

I tell you, you're never driving again!

-Look at you!

-Oh, stop moaning and get in!

They should come with a health and safety warning, those two.

-Hello. I'm Mark.

-How nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you too.

-Hello, I'm Thomas.

-Hello, Thomas. I'm Trevor.

-Hi, Trevor.

-Nice to meet you both.

-So, you're looking for some bargains?

-I am looking for some

-bargains.

-Well, you won't find them in here.

No. Let's go, then. Let's go.

Off to a good start, chaps.

Now, if they could just get along in such close quarters, we'll be fine.

-I'm watching you.

-I can hear you.

-I'm watching you, Thomas.

-I'm watching you.

Just like children.

There's a lot to choose from here and Mark has spotted something.

This is charming,

but this is really nice cos it's modelled as a lady's shoe.

At least it's not another lady's bottom. Ha!

But sadly, the end of the foot is missing there,

which is a real shame, actually. Priced up at £20.

-I mean, that's quite cheap.

-Lovely. Ooh!

Look, he is onto something else now.

This is a...what I would call a cigarette box,

but I like the inscription.

"Presented to Lieut. FC Rogers by his brother officers

"on the occasion of his marriage, July 18, 1934."

That is priced up at £48, which is quite a lot of money.

But I mean, it is a nice presentational piece

and I like that, actually.

I might have to go over the ten-pound challenge

with this, mightn't I?

Trevor is on hand to assist and luckily Robin,

the owner of the cigarette box, is also here.

I think it is beautifully done and I love the presentation.

It is a piece of history.

Maybe we should take advantage of the owner being present

if we're going to negotiate a price.

-The owner is heading to his local pub, so...

-Oh, is he?

Yes. Better make this quick then, Mark.

I had the most disastrous first auction.

Oh, here we go again.

I think this could be quite interesting.

Of course, I don't want to push you.

-Not much.

-Not much anyway.

But I really could do with a little bit of a leg up, if I can.

Do you want me to give you some money to take it away?

-Would you mind?

-LAUGHTER

You're very good.

Look, I'm going to be terribly mean

and then you can come back to me, all right?

What about 20 quid?

-No way, sir!

-Oh, come on.

-No, no, no.

-What do you think?

-I'll go down to £40.

Oh, no, I can't do it for £40.

Could we possibly do it for £30? And I will shake the hand.

I think you'd take my hand off as well if we did that.

I wouldn't ask if I wasn't so desperate.

-THOMAS:

-Don't do it!

-Shut up.

Don't do it. Stay true.

Thomas, concern yourself with your own shopping, please.

£32. And you have really, really done well in that.

-£32. Thank you, it's very nice of you.

-Good luck to you.

With an original ticket price of £48,

Mark has got another generous deal for the very stylish cigarette box.

Now, what about that little fruit knife?

Can that be terribly, terribly, terribly cheap?

It depends what terribly cheap is, really, doesn't it?

Starting point I'm going to suggest to you is a fiver.

-THEY LAUGH

-£12.

-£12...

I think if we can say ten pound, I'll have it.

Because then I think it might make £20 at auction.

-Can we split the difference and do £11?

-No, we cannot. Over a pound.

-HE LAUGHS

-For goodness' sake.

-I mean, I know times is 'ard, but...

-Times IS 'ard!

..you know, it is much 'arder for me.

-Oh, go on, say a tenner.

-Tenner.

-Are you sure?

-It's yours.

-Happy?

-Happy.

-Thank you very much.

-No problems at all.

Cor, more generous deals for Mark.

The cigarette box and the little knife

now give him a total of five items.

But how is that Thomas getting on?

It's very off-putting listening to him rabbiting on,

trying to do a deal.

Oh, he's done it.

-Finally.

-Yeah.

Despite the distractions, Thomas soon sniffed something out.

That looks quite fun. That is 19th-century.

I bet you that is a vest case.

So, a match strike. It's just really unusual.

Wouldn't mind looking at that.

Trevor's services are required once more.

It is just this creel here.

It is quite sweet that, isn't it?

This little vesta box dates from the 19th century

and is priced at eight pounds.

-If that's going to be a fiver, that would be fabulous.

-OK.

Well, we could...I'm sure we could do something, Thomas.

I'm sure we can do something.

That creel is more Mark's budget. But it's dead sweet.

You've got the actual...

It's well-modelled, it's in brass, it's 19th-century.

It appeals to two different types of collectors.

And fishing is the most popular pastime in this country.

Online, it would look brilliant if they photograph it well.

-This could be a winner, Thomas.

-Can I talk about that creel?

-Yes, of course.

-Do you think it could be...

-It can be five pounds.

-Can it?

-Yes, it can.

-That is a definitely buy.

-Good.

-Thank you very much.

-Lovely.

-I'll give you a fiver, if that's all right.

-OK.

-OK. Thank you.

-That was quick.

Although, with two items,

Thomas is still lagging behind his rival on the buying stakes.

Mark, meanwhile,

has finished shopping

and is heading for two miles north

to the historic town of Rochester.

I am so looking forward to seeing the castle.

I believe it is quite historical.

It is. Mark is visiting Rochester Castle,

one of the best preserved Norman fortifications in Europe.

It is here that the most famous siege in Medieval history took place,

a battle that would ultimately decide

whether the Crown of England would stand or fall.

Mark is meeting with education officer Jeremy Clarke

to find out more about this bloodthirsty tale.

-Hello.

-Hello, Mark. I'm Jeremy.

-Nice to meet you, Jeremy.

-Welcome to Rochester Castle.

-Shall we go in?

-Let's go in.

-Why not?

In 1215, this castle was central to King John's struggle

to retain power in the country.

He was famously unpopular for raising taxes

and harshly exploiting his feudal rights.

This bred deep discontent with the ruling barons.

They decided to take action.

Jeremy, why have we arrived at this part of the castle?

This is the best place for us to pick up the story of 1215,

the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta.

The Magna Carta was first drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury

in 1215 to make peace between King John and the rebel barons.

Amongst the many conditions, it promised access to swift justice.

Neither side stood by their commitments.

Battle preparations began immediately.

Anyone who's heading for the interior of Britain

is probably going to end up going through Rochester

-and across Rochester Bridge.

-Gosh.

So, the barons tried to anticipate what is going to happen

by holding the bridge, holding the castle

and preventing John getting anywhere near London.

King John was determined to hang onto his land and his crown.

-John moves very quickly and he is at Rochester within three days.

-Gosh.

And sieges were complicated in the Middle Ages,

but a large part of them was negotiation.

You didn't want to lose men yourself.

You wanted, if possible, to gain your objectives

-without any bloodshed...

-Yes.

-..or as little as possible.

But John turns up and he attacks. Straightaway? Straightaway.

A bloody civil war began with the barons holed up inside

and King John and his men outside trying to blast the walls down.

He seems to have been initially successful

in bringing down the outer walls,

but his siege engines failed to make any impression on this keep.

So, he changes his plan.

They attempt to undermine a corner of the tower.

Very quickly, King John's men chipped away at the keep,

pickaxing their way deeper and deeper

and replacing stones with wooden pit props.

-John sent a writ, an order, for the fat of 40 pigs...

-Gosh.

..of the sort...the least good for eating.

So, that is the fattiest of fatty pigs.

The soldiers would then get hold of the pork fat

and push it into the hole, round the pit props, grease everywhere

so that when they set fire to it, it burned really fiercely,

which would crack and collapse the pit props,

and this entire quarter of Rochester Castle keep

came crashing to the ground.

Uh! With the King's men inside,

the barons retreated behind the safety of a second thick wall.

But the siege soon came to an end when all provisions ran out.

John does actually have to starve them out.

-They're reduced to eating their horses.

-Ugh.

After two months of stallion and chips, the barons surrendered.

King John's advisers dissuaded him from killing all the survivors,

who were instead imprisoned.

Gosh.

-What a very splendid view up here, Jeremy.

-It is wonderful, isn't it?

So...King John has won Rochester Castle back.

Things go badly for him after that.

Um...he loses the Crown Jewels

attempting to cross The Wash in East Anglia,

contracts dysentery and dies soon after.

But curiously, the tide turns back in favour of the Crown.

With the tyrant king now dead

and the crown handed to John's nine-year-old son,

the Magna Carta was reinstated by the rebel barons in 1217.

It became the foundation for future government and, as such,

remains a powerful symbol of liberty around the world.

Thomas has travelled 15 miles north to the town of Strood

and he has still got a bit to buy.

Cottage Style Antiques is Thomas's last shop,

and he has got just over £144 to spend.

-Hello, Bill.

-Hello, Thomas.

-Nice to see you.

-And you.

-God, you've got a lot of stuff in here.

-I know. It's loaded.

-HE LAUGHS

-It is loaded, isn't it?!

There is certainly a lot to choose from here.

Two little Poole pots, hand-painted.

These are very Deco, with this dash design to the rim.

They are definitely a possible purchase.

These little Poole pottery salts date from the 1930s and are a fiver each.

Look at this.

You may hate it, you may love it,

but this is real West German Pottery.

Looks like lava dripping down a column.

Hm, I'm feeling sick.

The Fat Lava style of West German Pottery

is still very much in its infancy as a collectable,

but some pieces can command hundreds, even thousands of pounds.

This one, though, has a ticket price of £20.

Being German, it has got to be efficient.

Now, on here is the number 26.

Cos it's German, that 26 means it's 26cm high.

No word of a lie, every bit of West German Pottery

has its size on it, so you don't have to do it.

So, that definitely could be a purchase.

And these two little salts.

And they're different sizes, but I think if I bought them,

I think it would quite annoy Mark.

Which I'd quite enjoy.

I just hope it doesn't end in tears.

So, this is a walking cane. I think it is probably horn from a goat.

In the 19th century, these sticks were sometimes used

as sort of rent sticks, and that means over 100 years ago,

you'd knock on your tenant's door - knock, knock, knock -

and got your rent and if they got angry with you or if you got...

Yes, they were used as sort of persuaders, I would say, to pay up.

Yeah. Rent sticks were often used in the 18th and 19th centuries

by tyrant landlords as weapons against tardy tenants.

I think this is certainly one which would be good.

It is of beautiful shape and form.

It has got a ticket price of £48, so let the haggling commence.

-What could it be?

-£38.

£38. Can it be £28?

-I'll let you have it for £30. How's that?

-£30.

-So, that would be...

-That's ever so fair.

-That IS ever so fair, isn't it?

-Ever so fair.

What about the Poole salts and the West German vase?

-They've got £30 on them, haven't they?

-Yeah.

And I suppose you want them for next to nothing.

Not necessarily, but I want to give you something for them.

That is good of you, Thomas. Gosh.

-What about £20?

-Perfect. OK.

-£50 for the lot, you've got a deal.

-Yep.

-Yeah?

Well, that completes Thomas's shopping.

He has a total of five items, including the coco de mer tray,

the vesta fishing creel, the Fat Lava vase,

the pair of Poole pottery salts and the 19th-century rent stick.

Thomas was thrifty with his cash, spending just £100,

but what a variety of stuff.

Mark worked with extreme caution. He also bought five items.

The silver-plated dish, the book slide,

the continental comport, the fruit knife

and the silver cigarette box, spending a cautious £80.

But what do they think of each other's bag of treasures?

I love that coco de mer basket.

I think it is wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

They can make serious money, so that's really, first of all,

got me worried, because he only paid £45 for it.

He's bought a lovely Art Nouveau tray for £18.

I think that is a great-looking thing and I really, really like it.

He's lost half his money.

He really needs to do well this time,

so if he beats me and he does well, I don't mind.

I think he's going to walk away with another auction here,

and I'm not happy.

No, you're not!

Our Road Trip rascals are heading to

their second auction 19 miles away

in the rural town of Paddock Wood

near Tonbridge in Kent.

So, Mark, you bought quite differently this time

than you did...

Yes. Well, there was one decision I made quite firmly, Tom,

and that's not to buy another cannonball.

-Strange that, isn't it?

-That is strange, isn't it?

-Did you see any, though, to buy?

-No, no.

When you were in the castle, did they mention cannonballs?

-No, they didn't.

-THOMAS CHUCKLES

Oh, you cheeky scamp, Thomas.

The auction is being held at Hop Farm Auctions,

a rather beautiful setting, fellas.

-Watch the plant pots!

-I'm watching the plant pot.

I thought you'd be used to that plant.

Great, come on, hurry up. Turn the engine off.

-HORN BEEPS

-Oh! Hello.

-Are you announcing yourself?

-I've announced that I'm here.

It is all fun and games for now. Huh!

Our auctioneer today is Alexander Jenkins.

What does he think of Mark and Thomas's lots?

The coco de mer tray is lovely, but personally,

I would rather see it as a whole item and not carved.

There is a little bit of damage there.

The items that I'd like to see do well are the fruit knife,

and the vesta I think will catch people.

I think people will just like that.

But I think the pear knife, the smallest item of the lot,

I think that is the little winner of the lot.

All quiet. The auction is about to begin.

First up is Thomas's Fat Lava vase.

Ten pounds anywhere? Ten pounds?

Five. Five pounds, surely.

Six behind you, seven. Eight, nine, ten.

Nine pounds there, ten.

12, 14, 16...

-Ooh, you're in profit.

-..18.

Go on.

-18 is there. 20.

-20.

-22.

Have another one. 20 is here. 22 anywhere?

£22 in the room.

And selling at 22.

-I take my hat off to you. You made a profit.

-Well, I knew it would.

Oh, did you? Of course, you did, Thomas.

Of course, he did! Good profit to start us off with, though.

Next up is Thomas's fascinating carved coco de mer tray.

44, 46, 48, 50.

50 is there. 52 anywhere?

Oh, the hands fly up. 52...

Let's just call 60. £60, 70.

-80, 90...

-Told you.

..110, 120. 120 anywhere?

110 I have got here. 120, 130.

-140, 150...

-I told you.

-160.

Come on, now, stop pursing your lips. Get that bid out. 160?

160 is there. 170?

-Well done.

-170's there.

170, it is going. Last chance.

170 it is.

-Well done.

-Thank you. Yeah, it's pulled well.

I'm not even sure

-I want to stay for my lots now...

-THOMAS LAUGHS

TIM CHUCKLES Excellent result.

Thomas has quite the lead now.

It is Mark's first lot of the day, the carved book slide.

Start it off at 30.

£30 for it, £30 for the book slide. Quite right too.

-£30 has tripled my money, anyway.

-That's brilliant.

£32 anywhere? 32, 34, 36,

38, 40, 42,

44, 46.

Go on! 48, 50.

£48 here. £48...

-That is really good, isn't it?

-I'm pleased with that.

-48.

-Do you know, that is not a bad price.

Thank you so much, Joseph. I am so pleased I went to that cafe.

At last, all smiles from Mark.

Good return under on your ten-pound spend.

Back to Thomas. It is the 19th-century rent stick next.

£20 for it. Come along, 20.

£20 anywhere? 20 I've got, thank you.

22 anywhere. Should be. 22 anywhere?

-£20 in front.

-That's a shame.

At 20 I sell, then.

-That's your first loss.

-It is, isn't it?

-£20, lost ten pounds on it.

-And a bit more.

Thomas's first loss. But he is still out in front.

Next up, it is Mark's continental comport,

another one of his tenner buys.

Starts off here with me at £20.

-Do I see 22?

-Oh, my God. You've doubled your money.

£22 anywhere? 22? £20 I have. 22?

Come along. 22 anywhere?

-I know you shouldn't complain...

-Come on.

-£20.

-I doubled my money, Thomas.

Congratulations.

He's happy with that. Your tenner tactic is working so far.

Now Mark again,

with the slightly dearer £18 silver-plated Art Nouveau tray.

And we have auctioneer Paul at the rostrum now.

Start me at 20. £20.

Oh, no. Come on.

Ten pounds, then. Silver plate.

Ten I'm bid at the back, 12 I'm bid, 14.

16, 18 at the back, 20 online if you want.

Come on, 20. 22.

22, 24 online.

-That's a little bit of a shame.

-£22 is a shame.

-It should be £30, shouldn't it?

-Yeah.

Oh, that is disappointing.

-I am...feel a bit let down.

-I thought that might do a bit better.

Hey, it is still a profit, Mark.

Next up are Thomas's Poole pottery salts.

Eight pounds. Anyone at eight pounds?

Start me at five pounds, I'm bid. Six anywhere else? Five pounds.

One bid takes it at five pounds.

Seven pounds I'm bid on my left.

Last time, 1090.

All done at seven pounds.

That's really good, Tom. It was well worth spending a fiver.

-It is well worth doing that, isn't it?

-Really tactical.

Well done. It paid off.

A small profit for Thomas there.

Can Mark's elegant little fruit knife help him catch his rival?

£20 for the fruit knife. Got to have 20.

-Come on.

-20 pounds.

-Go on.

Ten pounds is there, 12.

12, 14, 16, 18, 20.

-Oh, there you are.

-At £20.

£20 online.

Small, incy-wincy profit. Those low punches, back in the ring again.

-Back in the ring.

-You're dancing around.

But still not getting anywhere.

Come on, Mark! You've doubled your money with that little knife.

It's Thomas's fishing creel vesta box next.

Another nice little thing.

£30. 30 online, is there 32?

32. I knew you were waiting, sir.

34. Online if you want.

36. 36 I'm bid. 36, 38?

38, 40 online if you want.

40, 42. 42 I'm bid, 44?

-Oh, it's good.

-That's good.

-Yeah.

At £42. One more, 1040, if you want.

-44, 46.

-44.

-That is a good price.

-That is a good price.

-And it's worth that.

-Oh, it's lovely.

-That's a beautiful vase.

-Yeah.

At £44, last time at 44.

-Brilliant.

-I think that is brilliant.

-It deserved to make that money.

-Yeah.

-It did.

-And a bit more. I wouldn't have been surprised.

-If it made...

-50 quid.

-Yes. He tried 50.

-So, well done.

You bet. Amazing profit

built on a five-pound stake.

It is the last item, a last chance for Mark -

the elegant silver cigarette box.

£100 for the silver box. Anyone at £100?

-£80, anyone at 80?

-Oh, come on.

Silver box there for £80.

£80.

Start me at 50, then. Anyone at £50?

I'm bid. 55, 60, 65.

70 anywhere? At 65.

-Well, there we are, Thomas. That was my last chance.

-Doubled your money.

Well, I made £33 on it, which is good.

Thank goodness for that. Great profit.

Who will be the jubilant winner of the second leg?

Let's work out the maths.

Mark started this leg with £107.50.

After auction costs are deducted, he has totted up a profit of £63.50,

so Mark's grand total for next time is £171.

Thomas began with £194.30 and, after auction costs,

made an excellent profit of £150.66,

so he is the triumphant winner of today's leg,

carrying £309.96 into the next leg.

Well done, boy.

Well, you have done it again, Mr Plant. Well done.

-Thank you, Mark.

-But I've crept up a little,

-so I'm quite pleased.

-You have, haven't you?

Are you going to drive?

I will drive you because you've been successful, as well as I have.

-Oh, you are...

-I feel you need your energy.

I do need my energy.

I need more than that, I need a drink.

Bye-bye, chaps. See you next time.

Next time on Antiques Road Trip, Mark turns on the charm...

This has always been my problem. I am too generous.

..while Thomas changes his tactics. BLOWS WHISTLE

Yeah, that works, so maybe I'll be able to call Mark.