Episode 9 Antiques Road Trip

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

-I don't know what to do.

-HORN TOOTS

..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...Charlie!

There'll 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.

It's day four of this week's adventure

and our expert auctioneers are revved up and raring to go.

-Charles, wake up, wake up.

-Sorry. Sorry!

Charles Hanson is an antiques expert

who loves nothing more than getting giddy at a great find.

Aren't we lucky to be living almost in a hazy dream

that's the Antiques Road Trip?

Good Lord. This week, he's on the road with Raj Bisram,

our top auctioneer from Kent.

-ENGINE REVS

-Sorry, sorry again.

Can you get in the back?

Raj made money on the last leg, which means he's got

an impressive £414.86 to spend.

GAVEL BANGS

Charles also bagged himself a profit,

which means he's currently in the lead with £464.64 to play with.

-It's about taking part that counts.

-Absolutely.

And that's what Mr Tim Wonnacott always believes in.

Buy with a passion, stay away from knobbly knick-knacks,

make a name for yourself and celebrate history.

-That's a road trip. Got it?

-Yeah, got it.

Glad to see you've been listening, Charles.

Our chaps' mammoth mission began in Corsham in Wiltshire

and takes in most of the south-west of England,

eventually finishing around 900 miles later

at Crewkerne in Somerset.

Today's trip kicks off in Hele in Devon

and will finish up at an auction in Exeter.

-Do you know what I'm looking forward to the most?

-Tell me.

I'm looking forward to a cream tea, a famous Devonshire cream tea.

Yeah, a Devonian cream tea.

And I reckon the man who knows a good cream tea is Mr Wonnacott -

-he comes from Devon.

-Does he?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Fantastic.

I think he likes the cream on first, before the jam.

Rubbish, Charles. You know it's the jam on and then the cream.

They're bonding up nicely, though, aren't they,

in the dashing Triumph Herald nicknamed Bella?

-It's been great, Raj, and Bella's been a joy.

-She has.

Yeah, I have to say, I wasn't too sure at the beginning,

-but I'm certainly getting used to her now.

-Yeah, yeah.

A bit like you.

I love a good bromance. First stop today is Fagins Antiques.

-Here we are. I would keep going. Keep going!

-Here we are!

-Today's a day...

-Fagins Antiques.

-Slow down there. Stop, stop, stop.

-What's going to happen today?

-Where's the entrance?

Yeah, but look at that! Thousands and thousands of square feet.

THEY LAUGH

-After you.

-After you.

-Go on, get in.

It should be big enough for both of them.

If I had a house one day big enough,

I'd love to buy a nice, big snooker table.

Uh, Charles, I think this is the moment to move on, old boy.

Sorry, back to business. Come on, Hanson. I'll let you carry on.

Raj, meanwhile, has enlisted owner Chris to help him hunt.

Well, I think it's made out of an old shell.

First World War, maybe, converted to a moneybox.

Some of the estimated one billion shells fired

during World War I were transformed into trench art,

but I think this is likely to be a later reproduction, don't you?

-There's a lot of people that collect that sort of thing.

-Yeah.

And what would that have to be?

-60.

-60?

-There's not going to be a profit in that, is there?

-There is...

-Not at 60.

-I'd say...

At auction, I reckon that's £40-£60.

Well, seeing as I've only just unearthed it,

-I can't remember what it cost me...which is terrible.

-£30.

I've got to have a chance at 30.

-40.

-35.

-All right.

-35?

-I should think you'll do well on that. That's a start.

OK, that's a start. OK. Thank you very much. Brilliant.

Right, Raj is off the mark. Charles?

It's always the most nerve-racking time on the first day of a shop

of a new county and you've got to start digging deep

because the hardest thing ever is to find the first purchase.

It's always that twitchy time where you're doing this.

Well, you might want to get a move on

as Raj has already found something else he fancies. Look at that.

Chris, I noticed this on the way in. It's a nice Georgian cheese coaster

and, of course, in Georgian times, this is how the cheese

would have been served on the tables but, as you can see,

it's a nice piece of mahogany. It does need repair.

This is all doable but it would have to be very cheap.

-The ticket price is £50.

-I could probably do that for 40 for you.

I think there's quite a good profit.

I mean, they usually go 300-plus, don't they?

Well, I've sold a few recently and I've got about £100-£150 for them,

-but they've been in good condition.

-Oh, right.

In that condition...30 quid.

-It's got to have the work.

-Yeah.

-OK, you can have it.

-Yep, £30?

-A deal on that.

-Fantastic.

A roaring start there for Raj, with two items bought for £65.

Charles, meanwhile, has decided to move on empty-handed

and is headed south to the pretty town of Topsham.

Perhaps he'll have better luck at Quay Antiques.

-Hello, sir.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-I'm well. I'm Albert.

-Albert, Charles Hanson.

-Nice to meet you.

-Is it your emporium?

-No, not mine.

-I can't afford anything like this.

-Get out of here.

You're in the bow tie. You look the part, sir.

Well, if you look the part, you can fool anybody.

Shh, don't tell anyone, Albert.

Surely there's something to tickle our Derby dandy in this place.

It's so exciting. It's like, "Land ahoy!" or "Antiques ahoy!"

They're everywhere.

One thing I do quite like is this lady here.

She's what we call a peg-jointed doll,

and with her wooden head...

and this tiny, squashed face

on that painted, enamelled wooden face,

she would be early Victorian - 1820, 1830.

What impresses me is I think she's in her original clothes.

I think it's a very nice object, which is certainly worth

-further inspection.

-Only one way to find out.

I like her original face - it hasn't been changed or altered.

My only concern with her is, Albert, she's missing a leg.

-So, although she's a peg-jointed doll...

-She's a peg leg.

I'll call her Peggy. Peggy is missing a leg, which is a shame.

Peggy is priced at £49.

If I could make an offer with your dealer,

what sort of figure do you think would be acceptable?

-She'd probably do it for 45.

-Yeah.

In the perfect world, I'll probably want to pay more like 35,

but you might say, "Look, Charles, that's just one bid below too far."

-Shall we find out?

-Could you, Albert? That'd be great.

I'll give her to you and, if Peggy is a goer, I hope she is.

-Right.

-Thanks a lot.

-Let's see what we can do.

With Peggy put aside for later, anything else grab you, Carlos?

I quite like the little goblet in here, you know,

which is quite decorative. I'll bring it out to you.

That's quite attractive, isn't it? What I like about it

is, if you turn it upside down,

you've got some nice wear on the base.

That's a good Bristol Blue goblet of probably around 1820.

Another item goes on the consideration list.

Are you actually going to buy anything, Charles?

What you hope to see is objects that jump out at you

-and they say, "Come on, Hanson, buy me."

-Yeah, quite.

Well, what does this desk calendar say to you, then, Charles?

What's nice is it's set on this nice oak plinth base,

which is mounted with the leather, but what's really nice

is the engine turning and the fact it's also hallmarked

just on the side here.

Hallmarked for Birmingham and the date code does coincide to 1930.

It's priced, Albert, at £75.

I quite like it. It's in good condition, hasn't been dropped

before. There's no indentations. There's not too much wear and tear.

With a ticket price of £75, Charles has some thinking to do.

Meanwhile, Raj is back on the road

and taking a trip to the highest town in Somerset - Chard.

Charles will be in some warm, hot shop now.

Here I am, driving around the beautiful Somerset-Devon countryside.

Chard is not only the birthplace of powered flight,

but it was also once home to James Gillingham, shoemaker and inventor,

who became a pioneer in artificial limbs.

Raj has come to the Chard Museum

to meet chairman of the trustees David Ricketts

to find out more.

James was born in 1838 into a family of boot makers in Chard.

And, at the age of 21,

he went up to London to be apprenticed into shoemaking.

When he returned after a few years,

he ran the business with his mother and he was very much an inventor.

We know him for inventing radiators, for example, and escape mechanisms.

The invention Gillingham would become most famous for

were his artificial limbs made from moulded leather.

The ground-breaking event occurred in 1863,

when the town was celebrating the wedding of the Prince of Wales

and they fired fireworks and a cannon, and Will Singleton,

who was a local gamekeeper, was tamping into a cannon,

preparing to fire it, and it exploded

and took his arm off at the shoulder.

And when, out of the blue, two years later, Will Singleton met

James Gillingham, James Gillingham immediately said,

"I can make you an arm and I'll do it for nothing."

And that's exactly what he did, using his shoemaking skills.

Heavy wooden prosthetics at that time required part of a limb to

attach to, but Gillingham invented a ground-breaking artificial arm

for Will Singleton, without which he would have lost his job

and faced destitution.

He devised a special secret process for softening the leather,

moulding it into shape around a last

and then when it cooled, it hardened and it, in fact,

was half the weight of the wood that would originally have been used

for such an artificial limb.

So this was really revolutionary?

Singleton's arm was taken up to London to demonstrate

to the medical profession and they were really impressed with this.

James Gillingham was asked then to make further limbs for people who,

up until that time, the medical profession had thought

were incurable as regards to fitting limbs.

He got so busy that he closed his shoe shop and opened up

his workshop behind the house, Prospect House, as he called it.

He was a very benevolent man.

He didn't charge for a lot of things that he might have charged for

because he didn't believe it was right, and the individual treatments

that he gave to the patients were of great benefit to them.

His son Sydney joined him and, by 1910, they had created

bespoke artificial limbs for 15,000 people.

The family business continued producing world-class prosthetics

for three generations, helping many war veterans along the way.

In early 1924, James Gillingham died.

His son and grandson continued to individually attend to customers

until selling the business in 1950.

Unable to compete with mass production,

the firm finally closed in the 1960s.

Well, there's no doubt about it from what you've told me today,

he revolutionised prosthetics around the world

and I've learnt so much today and it's been such an interesting visit,

I can't tell you. So, I thank you very much for your time, David.

It's been an absolute pleasure to meet you and to listen to your words.

Very pleased to have you here. That's lovely, thank you.

While Raj has been having an informative afternoon in Chard,

Charles is still shopping in Topsham. Look at him go, that boy.

Oh, look, he's on the scent, look.

What I like about this... This is a what appears to be

a Russian silver sifter spoon by Grigory Sbitnev of Moscow.

It's quite heavy. Feel the weight of that, Albert.

I love the trefid handle, I love the pierced silver gilded bowl

and it is Moscow. It would date to around 1890.

I quite like, Albert, this spoon as well, which is also Russian.

Monogrammed on the back, gilded bowl and again the hallmark

is just very indistinct, but within the bowl here, as well.

And this is Russian silver, hallmarked,

again probably around 1890.

I just wonder, Albert, in the very smart bow tie, mate...

..if you could do me a favour and just find out

-if the dealer would do a deal for the two together?

-OK.

-Is that OK?

-Yeah.

-That's really kind.

So, Charles has now shown interest in four lots,

but will he buy them?

Peggy's dealer has knocked £9 off the price tag,

making the damage for the doll £40.

I'm going to buy her because I fell in love with her

and with a passion, you buy what you like, so I'm going to say,

"At last, I've bought an object." Put it there...for £40.

Hooray! First lot bought, finally.

-The blue glass goblet...

-Yeah.

-Best price?

-15.

-£15, I'll take it. Sold. That's two things down.

I feel a lot better now. The day is warming up.

Now for those Russian spoons.

Desperate for a deal, plucky Charles is sweet-talking the dealer himself.

I was just wondering whether you could do the two together for £50?

No. So, your best price finally is 65?

-OK. Thanks a lot.

-You in or out, then, Charles?

Because my day has been so sparse, I think I'm going to buy them.

-Right.

-Because I've got a busy day tomorrow.

-Well, you can take it easy tomorrow.

-Oh, dear... Hanson, Hanson, Hanson.

-Go on, put it there. I'll take them.

-OK.

Clocking up the lots now, eh? What about the calendar?

-And your best price is...?

-£60.

-Yes. I brought these three for 120.

-So another £60.

I'll take it.

That flurry of activity has landed him four lots for £180.

40, 60... Am I happy?

I'm always happy cos life's too short.

Well said, that man. And so day one is done. Nighty-night, chaps.

-Morning has broken and the boys are back on the road.

-Beautiful.

Look at these buildings, Raj. I feel almost caught in time...

with you, my old mate.

-Yeah, less of the old, OK?

-I mean, look at this.

I'm your new mate.

-So far, Charles's new pal Raj...

-Go on, get in.

..has spent £65 on two items - the brass moneybox postbox

and the wooden cheese coaster -

which means he still has a huge £349.86 available to spend today.

While Charles forked out £180 for four items -

his peg doll, the blue glass goblet,

the Russian silver spoons

and his silver desk calendar - leaving £284.64 to play with today.

Our Roadtrippers have made their way to Paignton,

a gorgeous seaside town on the coast of Torbay.

-Look at this view.

-Fantastic.

-Oh, I'm looking forward to today.

-Don't make it choppy.

-No.

-OK.

-Keep calm.

-I'll get the good buys.

-Yeah, take care.

And put the "Bis" in "Ram", OK?

And go away and buy some great things.

Raj is playing catch up on the buying stakes,

so here's hoping he'll find some gems at his first stop of the day.

-Hello, there.

-Hello, Raj.

-Hello, Peter.

-Welcome.

-Nice to meet you.

-And you, too.

-What a lovely little shop you've got here.

Asking Peter for some pointers

leads Raj to some rather pretty pottery plates.

These are by Old Hall Pottery.

Christopher Dresser was one of their designers

and these are very much in his style.

They're very heavily gold-gilded and they're just quality pieces.

They are. I mean, if they were definitely connected

-to Christopher Dresser, these would be almost museum pieces...

-Yeah.

..because of his name. How much are these?

-They're £120 for the pair.

-And what would be the very best on these?

-I'd do them for 100.

-OK.

I'm going to put them to one side for the moment

and I may come back to those.

-Ooh...

-This is unusual.

-Hello.

You've labelled it as 18th-century.

-18th to 19th, thereabout.

-18th to 19th.

-Yeah.

But this is original gilding that we can see on here.

Oh, yeah. Difficult to date, this thing.

It could easily be 20th-century and possibly part of a larger piece.

It's a decorative item and Raj will need to get a lot off

the 275 price tag to make it worthwhile.

I would be looking to pay about £100 for it.

-Not even close.

-OK, well, give me an idea.

The best would be 180.

So it's now a battle between two very different lots.

It's a question of the plates or the mask.

I mean, they are quality. I can see that these plates are really quality,

but I'd have to attribute them to Christopher Dresser.

There's no hard evidence. I mean, the mask is...very different.

-I've never, ever seen one like it before.

-It's a unique piece.

I think it's going to have to be the mask. I know you've said 180.

I've only got a limited budget, as well, I think you know that.

-That's already over £100 off.

-A little bit more movement.

-175?

160 cash. Come on, that's not a bad price.

We'll split the difference at 170. I can't say further than that.

-We have a deal.

-All right.

-£170.

-Well done. You'll do very well.

-I hope so. I do like it.

-Thank you.

-Hang on. Looks like Raj isn't spent out yet.

I'm playing it a bit safe here, Peter.

You've got a pair of claret jugs, they're definitely 20th-century ones.

-There's not a lot of age to those.

-They're a good-looking pair, though.

They are a good-looking pair and, if I can get those cheap,

I'm definitely going to buy them.

I've noticed that you've got £24 on, I presume, each ticket. That's £48.

-These have got to be cheap. What's the best on these?

-Well...

Remembering I've already spent £170 with you.

-As it's your first trip, Raj...

-OK, here we go.

..you can have the pair for £24.

-We've got a deal. No arguing.

-Well done.

-I'll take them at 24.

-Fast work there, Raj.

Charles, meanwhile, has come to well-known landmark Oldway Mansion.

This Grade II listed building was built

by the super-rich American family the Singers,

who lavished hundreds of thousands of pounds

creating this impressive status symbol.

Chairman of the Friends of Oldway, Paul Hawthorne,

is here to tell Charles more.

-Good morning. Mr Hawthorne?

-Yep, Paul.

-Paul, I'm Charles.

Nice to meet you, Charles.

It's great to be on the French Riviera.

-I almost feel I'm outside Versailles.

-Yeah.

No, no. Welcome to Oldway Mansion, historic home of the Singer family,

a model on Versailles.

It was a recreation based on the Petit Trianon gardens in Versailles.

It's interesting, Paul, that in my day job we often handle Singer

sewing machines and of course it was that money which really built this.

Yeah, very much so. The first machine was put together in 1850,

patented 1851. The company was really starting to get up speed

and a lot of wealth by the time Isaac Singer came here in 1872.

When Isaac Singer left America,

not only was he one of the richest men alive,

he had also fathered 18 children with several different women,

a scandal which forced him to flee to Europe.

He soon settled in England with his new wife,

living in London before heading to the English Riviera.

He came here with his French wife and six young children.

He came down to recuperate from a heart condition,

recommended by his doctors to take the airs on the Riviera

and fell in love with the place. He'd taken a lease

on the house, the original villa behind here, called Little Oldway.

And this place, 100 feet exactly above sea level,

gave him a panoramic view right across the bay,

where he could build a great house to look out on the bay

but also, for Isaac Singer, being a showman,

everybody in the bay could stand anywhere and look up

and see his great house that he'd constructed watching over them.

Sadly, Isaac never got much time to fully enjoy his dream home

as, in the summer of 1875, his health worsened

and he passed away. Whilst Isaac Singer designed

the original mansion, it was one of his sons, Paris,

who remodelled the building on the design of the Palace of Versailles

and the real show stopper was his reproduction

of the lost Ambassadors' Staircase.

I almost feel as though I'm in a place of myth.

It's magical. It's like a fairytale.

We're in the space that was originally the father's theatre.

-When he made over the house outside, he did the same inside...

-Yes.

..and he recreated the legendary lost staircase,

Ambassadors' Staircase from the Palace of Versailles

that no longer existed and actually, to the day,

there are only two recreations of this staircase.

One is here at Oldway. The other is in one of the palaces

of the Bavarian kings, Ludwig.

It's just high society American decadence of what age?

What date are we talking, Paul? When was this put in?

This is probably about 1900, 1905 this was being done.

The big David painting he had the original of,

he acquired in about 1898 at auction in Paris

-and he introduced that into the design.

-Yes.

-But all the marble here

is all quarried from the same quarries the French kings

had used at Versailles.

They were opened up especially for Paris Singer,

-so no expense was spared on the materials.

-Yes.

It takes your breath away. Let's go, Paul.

Another impressive part of Oldway is the Rotunda.

Originally built by Isaac Singer as a horse-riding pavilion,

this stunning structure has morphed into many things over the years

from a swimming pool to a film studio,

and it was even used as a hospital ward during World War I.

Was this actually a place, the Rotunda, where we had beds?

Yeah, this was a ward. You'd have beds all around the circular walls

there and in the centre here. This was St George's Ward

and you had nursing stations at the back and another big ward.

The wards were sponsored by wealthy Americans.

It was The American Women's War Hospital,

so it was called St George after a wealthy American benefactor.

It was entirely funded by the American people.

Nothing from the UK Government went to pay

for the treatment of the 5,000 soldiers that came here.

After the First World War, what happened to Paris?

Was he here for a few more years?

Paris Singer... By the end of the First World War,

he'd moved on because of various personal problems and associations.

He started project building a castle in the south of France, Cap-Ferrat,

and he went over as well, convalescing from a heart condition,

and developed what's today Palm Beach, Florida. That was his resort.

Without Paris Singer, Palm Beach in Florida would be nothing but...

What was it the architect called it at the time?

"Without him, it would have been nothing but a sandspit."

After World War I, Paris's other projects saw him

spend more time away from Oldway, so his original plans to fully remodel

the mansion and demolish the Rotunda were put on hold.

Thanks to this, the Oldway we see today shows the unique vision

of both father and son. Amazing.

It has a romance, it has this lost American glamour,

which I really hope the public will rejoice at in years to come

-and be able to enjoy for what it represents.

-Oh, very much.

I think the history of the house and the Singer family has a lot

to give to the public, to the world, that hasn't yet been told.

I think it's so unspoilt. It's so sleepy and market-fresh,

and I'm sure one day it will sing again.

-Do you get it? Sing?

-I do. Very good.

-Which way is my way out, Paul? I'd better go.

-We go out this way.

I'll follow your lead. Thanks a lot.

Back together again, our boys have hit the road

and are travelling 30 miles west to Plymouth.

They've even made an ice cream pit stop en route.

-When it drips, just do a 360 with your tongue.

-OK.

-You sound experienced.

-Yeah.

-Oh, no!

-I'm sorry. Sorry, I'll give you... It just broke.

-It just broke?

-Yes, it did.

-"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!"

I hope you're not making a mess of that car, Charles.

Ice creams demolished...

-Keep going, you're fine.

-Oh, look out.

-Perfect, Raj.

-..it's time to shop.

-If I go to the little shop down below...

-And I'll go up above.

-Good luck.

-You, too.

-Stay lucky.

-Yep.

Raj is off to Parade Antiques, which is best-known for having

the largest selection of military antiques in south-west England.

Um, that's not very military-like. Ole.

Oh, this is really, really interesting.

I don't know who it actually belongs to but it's a matador's outfit.

It's obviously going to be of somebody very, very important

because the work that's gone into this costume is incredible.

Can dealer John shed any light?

-Hola.

-Hola.

-Hablas Espanol?

-Si.

John, this is obviously a matador's outfit.

Yes, I've stopped wearing it now, but...

Yes, no, it is. It's the bullfighter's suit.

They call it the suit of lights, traje de luces,

and it was worn by Joselito el Gallo.

El Gallo means cockerel because he was small.

And he was probably the most famous bullfighter that's ever lived.

He fought around the period of 1910 till 1920.

I've got to ask you, what are you asking for it?

-I think it's about 50,000.

-About 50,000?

-Yep.

It's slightly, just a little bit over my budget.

Maybe you could show me something for around my price range then?

-Right, OK.

-Yeah, very good idea.

John, I quite like this hat. Is this an original?

-No...

-It's a copy, is it?

-It's a copy. It's a good copy.

It's made by some London outfitters,

but it was made for the Sharpe series.

What do you think?

That you're not going to buy it, that's what I think. Move on.

-Here's another military uniform.

-That's nice.

I like that because it's a Hussars-type uniform,

but it's actually Horse Artillery.

-It looks quite small.

-People were small. It could have been a bugler,

in which case it would have been a youngish lad.

I guess it's going to date from the early 1900s.

I'm pretty sure the buttons are King's Crown...

Yeah, so I think there is a label in here.

If I remember right, it dates from about 1900-1906.

I really quite like that. What's the price on that?

The absolute death on that would be...

I'll do it for 60. How's that?

-That is not bad, John. That's not bad.

-It's VERY good.

-I mean, I couldn't offer you £50? It would be cash.

-No, no, you can't.

No, you can't. No, £60 would be the absolute best.

I tell you what, John, I'm going to show you something and if you think

it's worth knocking off the extra fiver to make it 55, we have a deal.

If not, I'll give you £65 instead. Are you prepared for that?

-OK, yeah, I'm happy to make 65.

-How's that?

-That's OK.

-And you've got to be honest, OK?

-This is taking haggling to a new level.

OK, watch carefully.

OK, you can see there's nothing in my hand there.

I'm going to take the silk hanky and I'm going to put it

into this hand here, right under your nose right there.

OK, you can see it. It's right there.

All I'm going to ask you to do is to just blow on my hands.

Right.

Gone. Completely and utterly disappeared.

Of course. I knew you were going to do that, but...

-Yeah, actually, that's good.

-It's not bad, is it?

-That's not bad.

-Is that worth £55?

-Go on, then.

-We have a deal. Thank you.

-I've been conned but I don't know how.

Neither do I. You're a man of many talents, Raj,

and with that little trick, you're all bought up.

If you do find my green silk hanky, please post it back to me, OK?

-I'm impressed actually.

-40, 60. Brilliant.

Thank you very much indeed.

Charles still has some spending to do with a final shop to browse.

It's quite an interesting shop. It's like a giftware shop.

There's also lots of other interesting objects, as well.

So, it's always quite nice when antiques are almost

off the radar a bit.

This group of old storehouses holds one of the biggest collections

-of antique traders in the South West.

-Hello there.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-I'm fine.

-And your name is?

-Anton.

-Anton, are you a local man?

-Yes.

-Anton is... Is it Polish or...? No.

-No, it's just trade name.

-And your real name is...?

-Tony.

-Tony.

Hello, Tony. I like your style.

Well, it's not HIS style you're here to buy. Any antiques grab you, boy?

What we've got here are a nice pair of his and hers...

I suppose, what you might call...

They're not really dressing table mirrors, they're more just ornaments

you may have had on your sideboard, in your hallway.

They are quite crude. Look at me.

-Do you agree?

-You're trying to get a bargain.

Isn't he always? Is there one here to be had?

-50 would be my absolute best.

-OK, OK.

I also like the Myatt tea set down here, as well.

I'll be very honest with you. Why that is so sensibly priced...

-Yes.

-..one of the cups has got a chip.

Because of that, I can negotiate much, much better.

What's the best price on those, with a broken cup?

I can go very good on that. I can actually half it for you.

With a ticket price of £49, that would be a pretty sweet deal

for the striking Art Deco Myatt tea set.

-You mentioned one chip, Anton, just show me.

-It's there.

-Oh, no.

-That one little chip.

-What a shame.

That's all that's wrong.

So, what we've got here is an 18-piece, 19-piece tea set.

-Hand-painted.

-Yeah, it is. The design is vivid.

Myatt & Sons made it in Staffordshire. I do like it.

I love this almost feathery orange-yellow banded brown glaze

and, in the auction house we're going to in Exeter,

there's going to be those young Art Deco fans

and I would guide it cautiously between 20 and 30.

So, I think £25 is a good mid-estimate and, for that,

it's worth a gamble.

I shall take your 19-piece tea set for £25

-and say, "Good day."

-Right.

Good day. Thanks a lot.

Like the hazy sun, it's going down to auction.

And, with that, both our intrepid auctioneers are all bought up.

Raj spent £314, bagging himself the brass postbox moneybox,

the Georgian cheese coaster, the unusual bronze mask,

the pair of 20th-century claret jugs

and the Royal Horse Artillery uniform.

My father was in the Royal Horse Artillery.

Charles spent £205 buying the George III blue glass goblet,

the pair of Russian silver spoons,

the Queen Anne-style painted wooden doll,

the mounted silver desk calendar

and the porcelain Art Deco tea set.

So, what do they make of each other's lots?

The heat is on and I feel like saying "hats off!" to Raj.

This bronze head has come out the ashes.

It cost him about £120. It could make 50, it could make £1,000.

So, it really is game on and what a thrill.

The items that Charles has bought,

I think the two that could fly are the doll and the calendar.

His other items, I love. I love the uniform, I love his cheese coaster,

so I think Raj ought to soar at auction.

If I was asked to swap anything with Charles, the answer would be "No."

After starting this leg in Hele,

our experts are now hurtling

towards the auction in Exeter.

Raj, if ever there was a day when the escape is on,

I think it's today.

I think we've both had a difficult buying session and I do feel,

if we can escape without too much harm,

without too much of a loss in Exeter,

let us head down to Penzance, hopefully with a bit leftover.

Managing expectations, eh, Charles?

-# The sun has got his hat on... #

-Here we are.

-# Hip, hip, hip hooray. #

-Here we are.

-The day awaits.

-Here we are.

-I think, Raj, it will be a hip, hip, hip hooray for you.

-Well, let's hope so.

-I think the mask, like the sun today,

-will smile on the fortunate one.

-We shall see. I wish you well.

So, the man wielding the gavel is Brian Goodison-Blanks.

Let's see what he makes of our lots.

The Russian silver spoons - I quite like these.

They're nice, they're period, by a very well-known Russian silversmith.

I think these will do quite well.

The bronze wall mask is decorative. We're maybe looking at £30-£40.

The one to watch would probably be the Royal Field Artillery uniform

cos militaria is a strong field at the moment and that will

certainly do very well with collectors.

Well, there's only one way to find out.

Get comfy as the auction's about to begin.

Right, here we go.

Charles, it's your Bristol Blue glass goblet first.

-Start me at 20, somebody.

-Come on.

-Start me at 10, somebody.

-Oh, it's painful.

-At 10, 12, 15?

-15. 18...

-Go on.

-..20, 22,

-25, 28? Are you sure, sir?

-One more.

At 25 here, then. Are we all done at 25? 8 now elsewhere?

-Last chance, then, at 25.

-GAVEL BANGS

-There we go. Happy with that.

-Fantastic.

First profit in the pocket. Raj is up next, with his brass moneybox.

£15. Save your pennies. You'll need them later.

-Oh, no.

-That's good!

-£10, madam.

-He's got 1,000 pence.

-12 now. 15?

-Here we go.

15. 18? No, at £15 in the middle to the lady.

15. 18, sure? At £18 on my left and standing at 18. And 20?

Are you quite sure then at 18?

GAVEL BANGS

It's almost been lost in the post, hasn't it?

Not sure now's the time for jokes, Charles.

That's a disappointing start for poor old Raj.

Now the pair of Russian silver spoons.

I'm hoping we can depart Exeter with some Russian love.

From Russia with love, via Exeter.

Various interests and commissions here.

With me here at 30, 5, 40, 5, 50. 50 is bid.

That's it. I'm out.

At 50 with my commission bid then. 55 in the room. I'm out then.

-At 55 here. Looking for 60 now.

-That's it. I'm down 10. Go on.

-55...

-GAVEL BANGS

-Boom. Boom.

-That's not bad at all.

-Russia has gone boom to bust.

Ah, hard luck, old chap.

Let's hope Raj fares a little bit better

with the Georgian cheese coaster.

-Come on, chief, hold tight.

-HE SNIFFS

-I can smell cheese.

-£50.

What will I say for that? Somebody's got to be brave to take this on.

-£20?

-Oh, God.

-£10, then. 10, I have, wave of the hand.

-And 12, 15, 18, 20...

-It's going to move. Hold tight.

-22, 25?

-Yes.

-£22, cheaper than firewood.

-Yes, 25.

-No, no.

-5 elsewhere. At 22...

GAVEL BANGS

-Aw.

-Was that two fat ducks?

-That was two very fat ducks.

This saleroom is not proving popular with Raj. Another loss there.

-That's quackers, isn't it? It's quackers.

-Boom, boom, Charles.

OK, Peggy's up next. Can this damaged dolly pull in a profit?

-Hold tight. Come on, doll.

-Various interests here.

At 25, 35, 40.

-£40 is bid. At 40. Can I see 5 elsewhere?

-Come on. Let's go.

-At £40. Bid me 5, somebody.

-Come on. Come on.

45, 50. And 5? No.

-My commission has it then.

-Good.

-At £50 and 5 now? Quite sure then?

-At £50 then. At 50!

-GAVEL BANGS

-Happy with that.

-50-80. Yeah, you can't complain with that.

A nice little earner there for Charles.

Next, it's the decorative bronze mask that Raj saw potential in

but the auctioneer wasn't so keen. So, how will it fare?

This mask is a massive gamble, but if I'd seen it in that shop

where you were, I would have bought it as well.

80 is commission bid here. Here at 80 with me.

Do I see 5 now in the room? 85. 90 now. 85. 90 at all?

85 with the lady. 90? 85, then, you're quite sure for the wall mask?

It's 19th-century. At 85, then. At 85...

GAVEL BANGS Well, I've got no chance now, have I?

That's a real shame but don't throw in the towel yet, Raj.

-We're only halfway through.

-I'm never coming to Exeter again.

Oh, dear. Anyway, hold tight.

Next up, it's Charles' silver-mounted desk calendar.

-So what will I say for that? Start me at £20.

-Oh, no.

-£20 I have.

-That's tough.

-22, 25 seated, 25, 28?

-That's tough.

25 seated then, looking for 28 then. 25 seated. 28 fresh place. 30, 2?

-Come on.

-Nope.

-Oh, no!

-30. Original bidder at 30.

If you're quite sure, are we all done at £30 then? At 30...

GAVEL BANGS

-That gives Raj a chance to catch up.

-The show goes on, don't forget that.

We fly the Road Trip flag for Queen and country. We will not...

We will not collapse.

Well, I think Raj might if he doesn't pull in a profit

with his pair of 20th-century claret jugs.

If these make a loss, I'm going to... I don't know.

I was going to say I was going to eat my underpants, but I'm not.

-Various interests here. 25, 30, 5, 40.

-Wow.

-£40 is bid.

-Brilliant.

-Brilliant.

-Well, that's about right.

-At £40 here. 5 at all?

At £40 only for the decanters then, are you quite sure?

I thought they'd make a little bit more. At £40. Are you quite sure?

-I'm selling at £40...

-GAVEL BANGS

-That's a result.

-That's a result.

-Put it there.

-No.

-Put it there.

-All the Ps, profit all-round.

-That's more like it.

Raj's first profit of the day.

Let's see if the winning streak can continue

-with Charles' Art Deco tea set.

-I'll start at 40.

-Come on.

-I'll start at 20 then.

-Oh!

20 I have, wave of the hand there.

-Go on, sir.

-At 20. 5 now, anybody else?

-Come on.

25, thank you, madam. 30, sir?

-30, 5? 40, 5? At 40 to the gentleman...

-One more. Go on.

..the provisional bidder. Looking for the 5 then.

-At 40, are you quite sure?

-Squeeze a smile?

-GAVEL BANGS?

-Thank you very much.

A result. Marvellous.

To have any chance of catching up, Raj will need a massive

profit on his last lot - the Royal Horse Artillery uniform.

-Attention!

-Various interests here.

Overlapping commission bids starting here at 25, 35, 45...

-Good.

-..55, 65, 75, 80.

-£80 here.

-Brilliant.

-At £80.

-I'm not...

-That's good.

5 now elsewhere? 85 I have. At 85.

I am out then at 85. 85 is now in the room.

90 now, somebody, for the uniform. Militaria is on the up.

At £85, then, looking for 90 now. You're quite sure then?

All in with 85. Right in the middle then and selling.

-GAVEL BANGS

-That's good.

-It's a profit, yeah.

-£30. That's fantastic.

-That it is!

As predicted, a pretty profit for the uniform.

On that march, one, two, after you. Come on.

Well done, chaps. But the big question is who came out on top?

Raj struggled with three lots, which meant,

after paying auction costs, he made a loss of £109,

but he's not out of the game yet as he's still got £305.86.

Don't step back.

Charles also made a loss, albeit a little less dramatic.

After costs, he lost £41.

This means our dapper dandy has £423.64 left

and is in the lead going into the final leg.

Well, it's goodbye, Exeter...

-Hello, Cornwall.

-Hello, Cornwall.

-Yes.

Here we go. I'm looking forward to some nice Cornish ice cream.

-Clotted cream...

-Yeah! THEY CHEER

And so, until next time, toodle-pip, Roadtrippers.

Next time on Antiques Road Trip, the end is nigh for Charles and Raj

as they head towards their final auction.

-Hello, Charles.

-But the big question is...

-CLUNKING

-What was that, Raj?

-..will they actually make it?

-Bail out!