Episode 12 Antiques Road Trip

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

This is beautiful!

That's the way to do this.

..with £200 each, a classic car and a goal - to scour for antiques.

Joy.

Hello!

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners...

-Sorry, sorry!

-..and valiant losers.

So, will it be the high road to glory

or the slow road to disaster?

The handbrake's on!

This is Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

SWING MUSIC PLAYS

On this road trip we're traversing the country in the company

of auctioneers Anita Manning and Phil Serrell. How lovely

Philip, did you put my coat and bag in the back?

I've been doing television for 16 years

and I've ended up as your lackey.

-Do you love it?

-Oh, it's great.

Philip Serrell and Anita Manning are both a little competitive.

Don't let that Anita Manning anywhere near them.

I wonder if I could give Phil Serrell a hammering with that.

They've had plenty of fun too so far this week,

pootling around the country in their beautiful 1970 Fiat 500.

Having started out on this road trip with £200 each,

Phil now has £191.80 to spend.

After two auctions,

Anita is storming out into the lead with £307.06.

All right, chaps, there's still a long way to go.

It certainly is an epic journey.

So far, our competitive experts

have been whizzing around the north of England.

They started their journey in Windermere in the Lake District

and will take a 1,200-mile tour around the north of England

and into Scotland before heading back south

to finish up in Crooklands in Cumbria.

Today's leg begins in Frodsham in Cheshire

and will end up at an auction in Easingwold in Yorkshire.

Golly gosh.

-Have a good day.

-Bye.

Time to get the shopping under way.

-Hi. Hello. How are you? I'm Phil.

-Morning. I'm fine.

-Good to see you.

-Jan.

-What have you got there?

It's just stuff that's just going out.

You don't hang about, do you, Phil?

That's a little silver-plated shoe.

With a tape measure.

-That's quite sweet, isn't it?

-Yep.

It's a little compass.

It's a little cauldron in ebony, but what on earth would you want...

-A compass.

-..a compass?

-You're not going to sort of pull it out of your pocket.

-No.

It's a collectible, isn't it?

-Just a sweet little thing.

-It's for show.

Hang on to those two and you think what you can do them for.

I mean, I think 30 to 50. They might do 50.

They might not.

Because I have to pay commission,

I've got to try and buy them for just under that if I can.

-So, have a think on and let me have a wander around.

-OK.

Crikey. Blink and you miss it this morning.

That's two items Phil has his eye on

that haven't even made it onto the shop floor.

While he checks out the rest of the shop,

Anita is meandering towards the Cheshire village of Sandiway

where her first shop awaits.

I think I look like one of those 1960s lamps.

Well, each to their own.

In here we've got some lovely Lalique items.

This one here has a lilac tinge which is very attractive,

and the other one is a clear-glass.

They're both female figures.

They're both slightly risque,

which is always a plus in the auction room.

Nice things.

Time to get Andy round for a closer inspection.

-These are both more modern pieces.

-They are.

-They are very beautiful.

-Mm-hm.

I like that one for the simplicity,

but I think I love this

because of the wonderful opalescent hue...

-Yeah, yeah.

-..that it has.

If I could be buying it round about for £80...

-I'll do my best.

-..could you have a try at that?

-Certainly, yes.

-Yeah.

-Yes, certainly.

-That's smashing.

With a ticket price of £130, your best may well be required, Andy.

All right, thank you. Bye-bye.

-£95...

-95?

..is she'll go to. Yeah.

-Let me see it.

-There you go.

-Let's go for it. 95.

-OK. All right.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks very much.

That's Anita off to a good start.

Now, how's Phil getting on?

This is quite a fun thing, isn't it? Let's just put it up here.

-It's blooming heavy, isn't it? Solid mahogany.

-It is solid.

If I had to bet a pound on this,

I would say that that's something that either the local undertaker

or a blacksmith or somebody has knocked up in the village.

-Yeah.

-And it's been designed like a shoebox or something like that.

What's the best you could do on that?

65 on it, isn't there?

-DOG BARKS

-Oh...

See? The dog's barking in approval.

The best we can do on that would be £35...

..which is a good price on that.

It's wooden, but it's not a bureau.

How's Anita feeling?

I'm feeling a little French, a little continental today.

I bought a lovely piece of French glass,

and I can see these Art Deco clocks.

There are two here, and they are probably French as well.

And we've got this one here,

a garniture which is a clock and two side ornaments.

It has this wonderful Art Deco geometric shape,

and it's only £35.

It's marked as a project piece

as on closer inspection it's in need of some serious TLC,

but Anita is keen, so Andy is back on the phone

to see if there's a deal to be done.

I always say to myself,

"Don't buy anything which is defective

"because it will struggle in the auction,"

and I've just maybe bought a clock which has glass missing,

a hand missing, a foot missing

and a couple of wee chips on the garniture.

I might've got carried away there.

That's not like you.

Hi, Anita. Yes, she'll take £25.

25, that's great. That's great. That's smashing.

That's a £10 discount and Anita has another item.

Anything else catch your eye, old girl?

This is a little Edwardian pendant

made between 1900 and 1910.

People were moving away from the elaborate decoration

of Victorian jewellery into something simpler,

and to this little pendant here, which is made of nine carat gold,

is studded with this lovely peridot -

this green stone -

and encrusted with tiny, tiny, delicate little sea pearls,

and the drop is a lovely luminous blister pearl.

With a ticket price of £140,

time to get onto the dealer.

Ali, it's Anita from the Antiques Road Trip

and I have absolutely fallen in love

with the little peridot and sea pearl pendant.

I mean, would 85 buy it?

Oh, that's great. Oh, that's great! Oh, I'm so happy.

Thank you very much on that. Bye-bye.

Well...

£85.

-Well done.

-Oh, thank you very much.

Straight out of the traps, Anita has three items for £205,

a figure Mr Serrell can only dream of.

But our Phil also has three things under his watchful gaze -

the ebony miniature compass,

the silver pincushion with wind-up tape measure

and the mahogany box.

Any chance of a deal on the lot maybe? Stand by.

Can I give you 60 quid for the three and I'll love you forever?

Just say it. The words you're looking for are, "Yes, Philip."

-HE MOCKINGLY SOBS

-Do you know what?

Just cos it's you, I will.

Oh, you're an angel. Thank you so much.

I better pay you, haven't I?

-I think you better.

-I better pay you and run before I get thrown out.

-You've got a really good deal there.

-You've given me a top deal.

Oh, yes, she has. Take it and run, Phil.

Anita has nipped north to Warrington where she's meeting Craig Sherwood

who is going to help her uncover the secret past

of some everyday items.

Behind each one is a history that not only entertained

but influenced cultures, principles and whole societies.

-Hi!

-Hello, Anita!

-I'm Anita.

-Pleased to meet you.

Board games have been around for at least 5,000 years.

The Romans and Vikings helped spread games of strategy

across Europe and beyond.

The game of chess developed in India

and later spread to Europe in the sixth century.

Such games were played mainly by adults.

They were games of skill that developed the mind

and were used to teach military strategy.

Some games were designed for children,

but even then their purpose was not as an idle pastime

but as part of their education.

Now, I remember snakes and ladders as a wee girl,

and it was a favourite game.

Surely, that's a fairly modern board game.

Not at all. Snakes and ladders is quite an ancient game.

We don't know exactly how old it is,

but we believe that snakes and ladders may actually go back

to the second century BC.

Mm-hm. And where did it come from?

It originally came from India,

and the original idea of the game was to teach people

Hindu ideas of karma and rebirth.

If you lived a good life, a good and virtuous life,

you were sent into the heavens on a ladder.

If you lived a life full of sin and depravity,

you slid down the snake back to the demons and the hells.

Now, one interesting thing about these early Indian sets

were there were always more snakes than ladders.

It was always harder to live a good and virtuous life

than it was to fall into sin and depravity.

Returning colonial families brought the game to Britain

in the latter half of the 19th century.

A flavour of its Indian roots remained in the artwork,

giving a sense of the exotic in a time of empire,

but the game itself was adapted to fit the Victorian lifestyle.

If you land on this one, which is 95 and stealing,

you will slide down this slippery slope to...prison.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Absolutely.

The Victorians replaced the Hindu ideas of karma and rebirth

with their own Christian moral virtues.

And interestingly, when it moved to Britain,

the number of snakes and ladders became balanced,

so it became 50-50 whether you ascended to heaven

or fell into depravity.

Advocating a virtuous life through games

has long been part of their history,

and as board games became a regular feature in households

at the turn of the 20th century, inventors continued the tradition

using games to promote their own principles.

Now, there's a game that's instantly recognisable - Monopoly.

Yes.

Do you know, it was never one of my favourites.

I always felt that Monopoly was about greed and acquisition

and getting things off of other people.

Well, it is now, but would you believe it

that it was originally designed to teach people

the principles of socialism?

In 1904, an American called Lizzie Magie

received the patent for The Landlord's Game.

Lizzie was a trailblazer.

At the turn of the century, a young, single woman,

she worked as a stenographer, was a published writer,

an outspoken feminist and believed in progressive economics.

She wanted to do something to ease what she saw

as great inequalities in society.

At the age of 26,

she decided that she could use a board game to open people's minds

to a more socialist way of thinking.

Her game, like the later versions,

featured money, deeds and properties, but it had some very different rules.

Her game promoted a theory that land should belong to everyone.

She hoped the game would demonstrate

that rent made property owners richer and their tenants poorer.

The original idea of the game was that all the players

would put money into the centre rather than pay one another,

the landlords, the rent,

and at various points during the game,

all the players would take money out from this community chest

and it was distributed for the common good.

That sounds much better than the game it is today.

How did it change into this sort of capitalist thing, then?

Well, 30 years later,

a gentleman by the name of Charles Darrow played the game.

Now, he liked the game,

but he didn't like the principles underlying it.

So, he rewrote the rules so it became

all about becoming as rich as possible

and bankrupting all the other players.

He changed the name to Monopoly

and it became one of the most popular games in the world.

The popularity of board games continues to grow,

and to this day, the simple items that have been

at the heart of family lives for so long

continue to sell in their millions.

Thank you very, very much, Craig.

It's been very interesting.

Thank you, Anita.

Now back to our own contest.

Phil is out and about in Barnton

in search of his next bargain

at Northwich Antiques Centre.

I quite like these old pub tables.

A lot of them, the value is in whose mark is here,

so you can get some with Queen Victoria,

you can get some with WG Grace,

and they're really, really collectible.

This one is fairly standard. They're pub tables.

You know, now they get used...

outside as garden tables.

What does David have to say about it?

-The pub table, I quite like that. It's an old one.

-It is, yeah.

-It's Victorian. Copper-topped.

-Yeah.

-Big iron base.

-We've got it up for 125...

-Right.

..but...willing to come down a little bit.

-It's not a little bit, David.

-Well, what you talking about?

Well, I've got to put this into auction,

so if I see that making £50 to £80,

I've got to try to buy it for 40 quid.

-40?

-Mm.

-Perhaps...

-Well, think about it. Let's just think about it.

Let's just have a look.

Not only is David very accommodating

in the face of your discount request, Phil,

but you've also got him doing all the carting, you cheeky beggar.

Are they both the same price, this one and that one there?

-Yes.

-Can I have a look at the...

Do you mind if we get it out and have a look?

-By all means.

-I'm sorry to be an absolute...

-That's OK.

-..pain.

Someone's painted a Britannia flag on this one, haven't they?

Sounds like he prefers the first table,

but will David take his £40 offer?

-That one, yeah?

-Blimey. That was a quick deal.

David generously accepts and Phil gets the table at an £85 discount.

-Tell you what, you've been really kind to me. Thank you.

-OK.

That's another item for Phil,

and it ends a very productive day all round.

Time for a well-deserved kip, you two.

Nighty-night.

The sun is shining and the roof is down

on our glamorous Italian icon.

You know what they say, Anita, don't you?

The sun always shines on the righteous.

The sun is shining on me this morning.

I know, but it's shining on me as well.

This morning, our lovely Anita is bound for the village of Sabden

in the scenic Ribble Valley.

-Bye!

-Bye.

She's visiting Pendle Antiques.

CLINKING

Careful, Anita.

Now, what's this she's found?

Now, this is an interesting set of chairs here.

These are in the style of Arne Jacobsen,

a Danish designer.

In the 1950s, he perfected the design of chairs

where the back of it was made of one piece of moulded plywood.

This was a ground-breaking design.

This 1980s plastic set is priced at £120.

Now, with just over 100 left in her pocket,

can she sweet-talk dealer Walter?

Hiya, Philip. I have a young lady here who would like a word with you.

OK, just a sec.

Hey, Philip. Did you hear Walter calling me a young lady?

SHE LAUGHS

Can I make you an offer of £70?

Oh, you're an absolute darling.

Thank you. Bye-bye.

£70.

Great. I'm happy.

Let me shake your hand.

Excellent work, Anita.

Reunited, our pair are headed for the city of Lancaster.

And they're sharing the next shop too.

It's up to father and son Alan and Jimmy to help our pair navigate.

Somewhere or other,

there's going to be an absolute steal of a bargain,

and all you've got to do is find it.

Ah-ha! And Phil finds fastest.

So, this is an old boot scraper.

It would've been outside someone's front door, wouldn't it?

-Well, yeah.

-You just put your foot on there and just do that.

Yes, that's for scraping.

But I think the curve underneath was to actually put your boot

underneath and help to loosen it.

Oh, right. Right.

So, it helped you get it off as well as scrape it clean.

You see, at auction, I think that's going to make £30 to £50.

I've got to try it for £20, £25.

That's where... Which is tough, but can we just...

-Let's put it back there.

-Yeah.

Tough indeed. Its ticket price is £68.

Now, any luck, Anita?

-Hi.

-Hi, Anita.

I had a look at this parasol here. Quite liked that.

-OK.

-It's small, it's dainty.

-Yeah.

And I think it just...

I think there's quite a bit of age to it as well, isn't there?

-Yeah.

-It's...

-What I do have, though, is damage there.

-Right. OK.

-And in textiles, damage is very important.

-Yeah.

And I think I've had a repair here.

In fact, I have had repair.

-There.

-Yeah.

Let me see if it suits you.

Probably not as well as you, to be honest.

-Aw!

-SHE LAUGHS

-So, it's priced at £44 at the moment.

-But it is damaged.

-Yeah, I'm taking on board exactly what you're saying.

-Mm-hm.

How's £25 sound?

Would 22 buy it?

Go on, then.

-Shall we do it?

-Yeah. Absolutely.

-OK.

-That's great.

-I'll be sad to see it go cos I like twirling it myself.

-SHE LAUGHS

-I saw it first!

That's half price for the parasol.

What has Phil found?

I quite like these. They're different, aren't they?

Yeah, very authentic.

-These would've been sat in an office.

-Correct.

I'm not actually sure that these drawers all match,

but I kind of think it doesn't matter.

They're that shabby side of shabby chic, aren't they?

Well, I don't know how much they are cos there's no price,

but, I mean, I think...

HE TAPS Easy, Phil.

I don't think that base has got anything to do with it, has it?

-It just does the job.

-It does the job, exactly.

-The stone wrought-iron step thing that we saw earlier...

-Yes.

..and these chests...

I've got to try and buy the two for 40.

How is that going to...?

Well, I think we could do 50, Phil.

45, would that squeeze you?

-45 is probably the right price.

-You're a gentlemen.

Thank you ever so, ever so much.

Now, where would we find Anita?

I'm just looking at a nice Victorian brooch.

Now, I wanted to spend all my money,

but I still have £10.06 left.

This brooch here, Victorian brooch...

It won't be gold. It will be pinchbeck or rolled gold

with a very nice citrine in the middle.

It's priced at £18.

What I'm going to do is I'm going to say to Jimmy,

"Can I buy that for £10.06?" and see what happens.

Only one way to find out.

-Can I have a wee look at that one?

-Absolutely.

It's been...

They've polished it and cleaned it up beautifully.

-Not gold. Rolled gold or pinchbeck.

-Yeah.

It's priced at £18.

That's the only thing.

I've got £10.06.

Can I buy this for £10.06?

As long as you add the six pence to the ten pounds, we've got a deal.

-Oh, that's great.

-Thank you.

I've spent every single penny, and that's what I wanted to do.

With that bold move from Anita, all our shopping is done.

Phil spent £145 on a silver-plated pincushion

and miniature compass,

a 19th-century mahogany box, a copper-topped pub table,

a wrought-iron boot scraper and a set of vintage drawers.

Anita cleared out every last penny of her £307.06,

picking up a Lalique figurine,

an Art Deco clock garniture,

a set of plastic chairs,

a Victorian parasol

and a gold pendant that she's now pairing with her yellow metal brooch.

What do they say about their opponent's finds?

If you're going to buy a piece of French glass, you buy Lalique.

It's the best, and Anita has done just that.

I hope for her sake the people of Yorkshire really appreciate it too.

Phil Serrell has bought well this time.

The boot scraper is just down his street,

and I think he could double his money on that.

So, with hope in their hearts, it's off to the auction.

After starting this leg in Frodsham,

our pair have zipped their way through Cheshire and Lancashire

and are ending up in Easingwold in North Yorkshire.

This should be fun, Philip.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Here we go again. Into the coliseum.

The lions are waiting for me. Look. Oh, no!

Summersgills Auctions are a family-run affair

and have been striking the gavel in Yorkshire since 1959.

Auctioneer Tim Summersgill is taking care of proceedings today.

First lot. Keep your fingers crossed.

Our first lot of the day is Anita's parasol.

Bit of interest straight in on this one at £20. £20 bid on this one.

22 there. 24. 26. 28. 28.

30 just in time. At £30 at the back.

A feeling of deja vu at the moment.

No-one else come in. We're selling. £30. 61.

Ha! A great profit to start us off.

Not a big profit.

-No, no, no.

-Fair. Fair.

-Just another little profit. Well done, you.

Next up is Phil's mahogany box.

Bids all over, so we're straight in at £90 for this one.

-Oh!

-£90 bid on this. 95 anywhere else?

On commission at £90.

All out in the room?

£90. You beauty.

Going for a maiden commission bid,

that great profit has sure floored Phil.

-I'll settle for that. That's really good, isn't it?

-That's fabulous.

Yeah.

Anita got carried away with the clock.

Let's hope the bidders do the same.

-Straight in at 25 on this one.

-25.

-25 bid on commission.

28 anywhere else?

28. 30 there. 32. 34 here.

34 on commission. 35 now on the internet.

-36. 45 now on the internet.

-The internet's interested.

50 anywhere else?

On the internet at 45.

There was no need to worry, as Anita lands another profit.

-I'm happy with that.

-Oh, yeah, yeah.

-Are you happy for me?

Oh, I'm over the moon. Absolutely over the moon.

Always good to see some friendly support, eh, Phil?

They caught his eye at the counter,

but will his compass and pincushion bring him a profit?

20 straight in. £20 bid on this. 25 anywhere else?

-25. 28 here.

-Good, good, good.

Just in time at 30. Right at the back at £30.

Your bid, sir, at £30.

Aw. No gain, no pain.

It's a small loss after costs,

but there's plenty of time to make that back.

Never mind. You're a mere man.

Sometimes you do make mistakes, you know. You can't help it.

Hey, let's hope there's no mistake

with your Danish-design-inspired chairs then, Anita.

Bids on these, straight in at 50 on these.

£50 bid. 55. 60 on these.

70 there. 75. 80. £80. 90, sir?

Your bid at £80. Last chance.

That's OK.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just another little profit, isn't it?

Certainly is. Another profit, then, for Anita.

It's just a tiny, tiny little profit.

-IMITATES HER:

-It's just a tiny little wee profit!

But there's time to catch up, Phil. Your boot scraper is next.

Three bids here, so we're straight in at 55 on this one.

-Get in.

-55 bid on it. 60 anywhere else?

£60 just in time. £60 here.

We're selling at £60. All out in the room? At 60 we sell.

That's a great profit for Phil.

-Well done.

-That'll do, won't it? That'll do.

It's one of Anita's big-money purchases.

Will it set pulses racing?

Straight in at £50 on this one. £50 on this.

Nice little lot at £50.

All done? 55. 60. Five. 70.

£70 there. All in at 70 to sell?

Last chance.

Uh-oh.

That's the first loss of the day for Anita

and opens the door for Phil.

It could've been a lot worse, Phil.

Now Phil's holding out hope for his vintage drawers! Yes.

I am like them - bang on trend.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Uh-huh.

Can tell that by the anoraks you wear.

91 is the Oriental light...

Bids again, so straight in at 45 bid on this.

-45. Well done.

-45. 48. 50.

Five. 60. Five. 70 at the back. 75. 80. 85.

-Oh, brilliant. Brilliant.

-90. 95. 100 for you, Sean.

All done at £100? All out?

Brilliant.

A fantastic 300% profit for Phil.

What's really mad about this business is that has just made

the same sort of money that a Victorian chest of drawers has made.

-Yeah.

-And that's madness, isn't it?

-Mm-hm.

Mad it may be, but it puts you right back in the running, Phil.

Anita's turn now with her pendant and brooch.

I mean, I wouldn't wish ill on you, Anita,

cos you're very dear and old friend of mine,

but it would be ever so nice if they paid 20 quid, wouldn't it?

Bids all over on these, so straight in at 90 again.

£90 on these. 95 anywhere else?

All done, then? £90.

Don't miss them for a fiver.

Last chance.

Someone picked them up without a fight and for a great price,

and it's more good news for Phil.

-I was glad I bought them.

-Fair play to you.

You spent every penny, and I don't think you've lost...

It's a dangerous strategy, that,

and I don't think you've actually lost that much money.

Phil's final lot is his pub table.

Straight in at £40 on this one. £40. 45. 50.

Five. 60. Five. 70.

Five. 80.

90. 100.

110. 110, then.

-110.

-I'm surprised.

-Yeah.

120. 130. 130.

140, is it? 140. 150.

150 right across that side.

Well, well done, anyway.

Yeah, I should say so.

Phil is stunned, and it's a cracking profit.

What a great way to round up today's auction.

You've done well. Congratulations.

Let's go.

So, what does that do to the totals?

Anita made the daring move of spending all of her £307.06.

After costs, she made a small loss of £48.76,

taking her total to £258.30.

Phil's in the pink after today's display.

Starting off with £191.80,

he made a fantastic £207.60 profit after costs,

giving him the win today and swinging him into

the overall lead with a total of £399.40.

Well done, Phil.

I'm not used to these dizzy heights.

You've romped ahead athletically.

-It's all just turned the tables, hasn't it?

-It certainly has.

Forward to the next leg, Phil.

Too right! We're off onto the fourth instalment with Anita and Phil.

Get out of it!

Do you not like being caressed by a beautiful Scottish girl, Philip?

-Your knees are irresistible!

-I know.

A lot of people have said that through the years. Nothing else.

-Just my knees.

-Quite.

Ha!

Today's journey begins in the village of Amble in Northumberland,

and we will auction in Carlisle in Cumbria.

Anita's playing catch-up now, and nestled here

in the village of Amble is her first shop of the day.

And they love a bit of vintage in here.

With eagle-eyed precision, Anita finds something.

Hey, snazzy shoes!

I think this is quite a sweet little thing.

It's a little three-legged milking stool,

but what I like about this is the illustration.

What's that all about?

It may well have been sold at Widecombe Fair,

but what I can tell you is the ticket price is £23.

Anything else(?)

I think that this has got bags of style.

It's a table lamp and a little cabinet.

You were getting away from heavy, clumsy furniture

into something which had what we call the New Look.

It's priced at £72. Time for a chat with Tony, eh?

I thought that this lamp-cabinet affair...

-Oh, OK.

-..was very good fun.

-Yes.

-On the ticket, it tells us that it needs rewired.

-Yes.

Is there a drop-dead price that you could sell that for?

Simply because of the rewiring issue.

Do you want to make me an offer?

-An offer that you can't refuse?

-Yes!

-THEY LAUGH

I would be looking to pay maybe round about £40 for it,

-but I don't know if you can come down that far...

-Yes, yes.

I could come down to probably about £50.

-50?

-How would you feel about that?

I know... I mean, to me it's certainly worth that,

-but I have to sell it in auction, you know?

-Yes, yes, of course.

-And that's the thing on it.

-Yes.

-Um...

How about 45? Would that...

45 sounds fine to me.

-Is that all right, are you sure?

-Yes, that's fine.

-Oh, thank you very much!

-Good luck with that.

What about the milking stool, then?

But there was something else that I liked the look of,

and it was this little novelty milking stool.

-Ah, yes.

-What's the best that you can do on that?

Well, we've got 23...

I could do a special price for, what, £12 for that?

Put it there! Lovely. £12, I'm delighted with that.

I think that it's just an absolutely fun thing.

Good work, Anita.

Phil is easing into this leg. He's journeyed northwards

to the coastal village of Bamburgh in Northumberland.

The area boasts one of the largest castles in the country.

Not just a magnificent landmark,

this castle was once the centre of a revolutionary social movement.

Before the NHS and the welfare state,

Bamburgh Castle played host to a utilitarian society,

providing health care, education

and the country's first lifeboat station.

Phil is meeting with curator Chris Calvert to find out more.

-Hi, I'm Philip.

-Hi, I'm Chris. How're you?

You know, I don't know this part of the world,

-but this is just absolutely stunning, isn't it?

-Beautiful.

In 1758, local man and vicar Dr John Sharp became the head

of the Crew Trust, set up by the owners

of the castle to manage affairs.

He was given full control of running the estate

and, as a great philanthropist, he set about creating

a much-needed life support for the people of Bamburgh.

-If that a windmill?

-It certainly was in its heyday, yes.

What's a castle doing with a windmill?

We go back to the Crew Trustees - when they owned the castle,

John Sharp realised that corn was getting very expensive,

and he got the Crew Trustees to agree to buy in corn

he could then sell to the poor people - corn at a reasonable cost.

And then from that came the windmills so that they could then

come up, and they could grind their own corn for free in the windmill.

Free education was next on his agenda.

A local school was set up within the castle,

teaching children who would have otherwise no access to learning.

They're the original schoolbooks, yeah, from the 1700s.

There are two schoolbooks here... Obviously mathematics was very big.

-Division and logarithms?

-I know, very complicated isn't it?

So we've got logarithm...

Well, this is all mathematical, really, isn't it?

What else did they teach here?

They taught reading, as well, and writing.

But they were taught practical skills as well, later on,

so they were taught sewing and they were taught spinning,

hence the spinning wheel that we have here.

So it was always an industry for life, wasn't it?

It is, it's giving them life skills. I mean real life skills.

And I can see, clearly, all our mathematical stuff here,

we've got the children's chairs and we've got the spinning wheel

that they worked on, but why have we got a sedan chair here?

Well, it's normally associated with the aristocrats and the gentry

for getting carried around town in,

but this one was actually used as an ambulance.

In 1772, Dr Sharp opened a surgery here,

providing free medical care and supplies.

By the end of the decade,

the surgery was treating over 1,500 patients a year.

The original surgery and dispensary hasn't survived,

but Dr John Sharp is still very much present.

The painting embodies everything he did here, really,

with his plans for the castle, the development of the castle,

the surgery, the dispensary...

The poor people there either

thanking him for the treatment they've received

or maybe beseeching him to take their children into the school.

And through the window over his shoulder there,

-you can see that there's a ship foundering.

-Oh, yeah.

Dr John Sharp was troubled by the shipwrecks

on the perilous Bamburgh coastline.

Determined to make the seas as safe as possible, he created a pioneering

coastguard system thought to be the first of its kind in the world.

So if there was a ship that was in distress...

..the coastguard, Sharp's coastguard saw it, and I mean

if it was sinking or whatever, did they help them, or what happened?

Yes, they had a system of signals using these guns here.

These are actually the guns used.

And they would signal to the villagers with the smaller gun

and then had a larger gun that was used to signal to the ships

-that help was on its way.

-And what sort of help would it have been?

Manpower, basically.

So any sailors that were injured or whatever,

what would have happened to them?

Well, they were treated here and any sailors that unfortunately drowned,

their funerals and their coffins

were paid for by the Crew Trustees here.

Where did all the money come from to fund this?

He put up a lot of it himself.

But the Crew Trustees did have quite extensive lands, as well.

The lifeboat station was successfully managed until the 1860s,

when it was taken over by the RNLI.

Not only did Dr Sharp begin the quest to make our seas safe,

but he also created a miniature welfare state

that lasted at Bamburgh for over 100 years.

Chris, it's been absolutely fantastic.

You'd better show me out, because this place is so big,

-I've got to go and find that dreadful little car.

-CHRIS LAUGHS

Anita's travelled south west, to the Northumbrian town of Corbridge,

where she's visiting Corbridge Antiques Centre.

With over 30 dealers here,

Anita should be able to snaffle up something.

We know how she loves to shop.

I've already seen something that I quite like.

Great!

Down here... It's made of pine,

and it's a little Art Deco doll's three-piece suite.

Alison is on hand, to get it out of the cabinet.

It's been quite simply made,

maybe by an amateur carpenter or maybe even by an apprentice.

But it's got that 1930s, 1940s Art Deco look about it,

which I think's quite charming.

-If that was life-sized, I wouldn't mind it myself.

-Yeah!

Me too, Anita. And it's a snip at £14.

Is there any movement on that, Ali?

-Could do the set for £12.

-£12?

-Yeah.

-I think I might take that.

-Yeah?

-Thank you very, very much.

£12 secures the little Art Deco-style three-piece suite.

As for Phil, he's journeyed south to the city of Newcastle.

And his first shop of the day is run by Giuseppe.

Giuseppe, what's that trunk underneath there, how much is that?

Er, we'll get it out. It's one of the cleanest ones...

..that I've ever had.

-All the original address there, come via Dieppe to Newhaven.

-Yeah.

Unusual to have the key.

-There we go.

-PHIL GASPS

140 quid.

Are you all right there, Phil?

Undecided on the trunk, he moves on.

-25, Scottish Masonic.

-That's quite nice.

No great age. How do you know it's Scottish?

Well, because it's shaped like a thistle.

And it's a firing glass.

-Right.

-So you would drink your toast

and then it would be... banged on the table.

And that is why it's got such a thick bottom,

if you'll pardon the expression.

-That might be a possibility.

-OK.

-That might well be a possibility.

Masonic items can be very sought-after at auction.

That could be a good choice, Phil.

-This is a Masonic jewel.

-Right.

It's no big deal, but it's just a nice little Masonic jewel.

It's priced at £18.

Well, I might be interested, perhaps, if I could...

-Do a deal on...?

-On the two, yeah.

Both belong to different concessions,

but I'm sure we could do something.

-That's your problem, my friend.

-GIUSEPPE LAUGHS

-Not mine.

-Mmm, charming!

The Masonic jewel is another possibility,

and Phil's got his eye on another big wooden trunk.

Uh-oh!

What's that one up there, then? How much is that one?

That one's cheap and cheerful. 40 quid.

Well - that's a good bit cheaper than his first trunk.

Go on, Nelly.

I'll give you 30 quid for it.

35.

You know those... That little bit of Masonic glass?

-And that little jewel thing?

-Yeah.

Could I buy...

-..the three bits off you for 60 quid?

-Which three?

The glass, the jewel and that trunk.

No.

Wasn't an ounce of emotion there, was there? Just nothing at all.

-I'll meet you in the middle.

-What's that, 65?

-65.

-Giuseppe, you've been as good as gold, mate.

-Thank you very much.

£65 the three, you're a gent. Thank you.

-No problem, best of luck.

-Bye-bye, now.

Phil now has two lots.

£30 for the Masonic firing glass and jewel,

and £35 for the wooden trunk.

This signals the end of a very busy day.

It's time for our weary duo to turn in and get some shut-eye.

Nighty-night.

It's a brand-new day. Now - where are we?

Do you know what?

We have traversed from one side of England to the other side.

-I don't know how that happened.

-And where are we now?

Bonnie Scotland!

Aye!

That's right, Anita. They've crossed the border,

and Phil is going for a shop in the town of Moffat in Dumfriesshire.

What will he uncover in here?

And he's off...!

I quite like that. That's just a company seal.

And one of the requirements, if you were an incorporated company,

was that... I think you had your business articles,

but you also had THE company seal.

That's a precursor of a publishing package on a computer.

That's priced at £79, which is a whole load of money.

But it's a bit of fun, isn't it?

That's a possibility, isn't it, you know?

Phil's seeks out the lovely Linda to find out more.

So that... I just thought that was quite nice.

I don't know what on earth you'd ever do with it.

It is nice. I mean, as you say, probably not a lot of practical use.

-No, but I just think it's sort of...

-It's very decorative.

Yeah, it is, isn't it?

I think at auction, that might be £40-£60 worth.

What would be the very best you could do that for?

Bottom line on it, 30.

OK.

-I think I'd like that.

-Certainly.

I think I'd like that, but I'm going to leave it there,

because there's a couple of other things

-I want to look at on the way out.

-OK.

-He sounds keen.

And Linda's treating him to a special part of the shop. Ooh-ah!

If you want to come through here, we'll go upstairs.

-So, Linda, this is sort of the hidden storage area?

-It is.

This is where all the old antiques go to die.

Blimey.

Lord above.

So this is basically where things just get brought up until...

either they go out or get sent auction.

I like the ladders, how much are they?

I think we actually use them, dare I say!

SHE LAUGHS

This is not a shop, it's a museum! Actually, it IS a museum, isn't it?

Well, the floor downstairs, yes.

So the ladders are definitely not for sale?

I think they're definitely still in use.

-Do you know, I don't think those confirm to health and safety rules.

-SHE LAUGHS

I think they're dangerous.

You don't want to be clambering up stuff like that.

I think Linda might see through that, Phil!

After a snoop about, he's just got one thing on his mind.

I've spoken to my husband, who's the one who uses the ladders,

and he said depending on what you're prepared to offer,

he might let you have them.

It'll be 30 quid, something like that.

30...

35?

So if I did 60 for the stamper thing and the ladders,

how would that grab you?

I suppose we could. Seeing as it's you.

You're an angel. You're an angel, thank you so much.

Success! £30 for the ladders, and £30 for the seal press.

Nice one, Phil!

Back together again, our pair remain in Dumfries & Galloway,

heading for the village of New Abbey.

-So we've got one last shop between us, haven't we?

-Yes.

-I know what you could buy.

-What?

-IN MOCK SCOTS ACCENT:

-A nice wee brooch!

Philip!

The mischief-makers are sharing their last shop of the day.

Bit of a tight squeeze there, Phil!

After you, my dear.

-Ah, thank you, darling! What a gentleman.

-After you.

Well, he can be, sometimes.

Anita's visited Admirable Antiques before.

-Hello, guys!

-Hello!

-It's lovely, lovely, lovely to see you!

I've brought my wee pal along today.

I've brought my wee pal along, as well.

SHE LAUGHS

Phil's got over £270 to play with.

On the way in, there was a curling stone.

I'm in Scotland, it would be a real shame not to buy something Scottish.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like it's got a handle with it,

but I'm going to go and have a word with the boss man.

Ian's the man.

-When I came in, you've got a curling stone out there...

-Oh, yes.

..that doesn't have a handle on it.

-You have another handle, have you?

-Unfortunately not.

You haven't got anything else like that? That's peculiarly Scottish.

-I've got a tiny one that you might be interested in.

-Can I have a look?

Blimey, that is a tiny one.

And there we are.

-And is that...

-An exact copy.

-Miniature.

-These are from Ailsa Craig, aren't they?

-Indeed, yes.

-Is it a granite?

It is a granite, yes.

From the mid-19th century, the island of Ailsa Craig

in the Firth of Clyde has been quarried for granite.

It's one of only two sources for the production of curling stones.

And what's your ticket price on that?

-65.

-Oooh-hoo!

-What's the best you can do on it?

-50.

That's just way too much money for me.

And how much is this stone without the candle in it?

75, but I could perhaps do you a package for the two.

-Honestly, I think 50 is my limit.

-Mm-hm.

-If you could do that, I'll have them.

-OK.

-OK.

-You're a gentleman, thank you very much indeed.

A little-and-large set of curling stones, for a generous deal of £50.

Phil might have finished shopping,

but Anita's on the prowl to spend her cash.

She's got just under £200 in her purse, and she looks determined.

In Victorian times, Staffordshire figures, or "flatbacks" as they're

called, would grace the mantelpiece of every Victorian kitchen.

Flatback figures are so-called because they're

generally flat on the back and are undecorated there.

There were often placed against a wall or chimneybreast

in a Victorian house to add some interest.

Now, Staffordshire figures would often command

high prices in the saleroom. But they have gone out of fashion.

That one's possible.

What's Anita got her eye on now?

So, the girls want their boyfriends out of their T-shirts,

out of the sloppy joes

and into a nice, crisp white shirt

with a lovely pair of stylish cufflinks.

So cufflinks are doing well, and I quite fancy these.

Time to talk money.

The combined ticket price for the two items is £52.99.

I've found two things really that I like.

What I would like to pay for the two is probably...

..in the region of 25-30.

32.

-£32 for the two?

-Two.

Let's go for that.

Thank you very, very much.

Yeah. Nice work, Anita.

£27 for the Staffordshire flatback and £5 for the dapper cufflinks.

That completes this late shopping trip.

And Anita has a total of five items.

As well as the last two she's just picked up,

there's the 1950s standard lamp and cabinet,

the milking stool,

and the little doll's house three-piece suite.

Anita was canny with her cash - she spent £101.

Phil had a tidy budget to play with, and also bought five items -

his Masonic lot, the wooden trunk,

the 19th-century seal press,

the set of ladders and the little-and-large curling stones.

Phil spent a total of £175.

Now for the juicy bit. Ha!

What do they think of each other's items?

I love the company seal!

I think it's fabulous.

It's a giant!

Got to make a profit on that.

The two bits that I really love

are the Uncle Tom Cobley Widecombe Fair stool

and that really little three-piece suite.

I think that's really cute.

Anita and Phil are crossing the border once more to auction

in the city of Carlisle in Cumbria.

I think a wee bit of sartorial might be the thing for you.

I'd like to see a nice white shirt, pair of cufflinks,

your hair combed, your face shaved...

I'm clean-shaven, this is like a baby's bottom!

SHE LAUGHS

Yeah. Give the fellow a chance, Anita.

Let's hope lovely Carlisle will give them lots and lots of profits.

H&H Auctions is their penultimate battleground.

Stand by.

Don't drive straight in! Stop!

SHE LAUGHS

What a carry-on, eh?

Dear me! I feel like I've been welded into that thing.

-Well...

-Penultimate auction!

-Yeah, I've got a lot to make up, Phil.

Can you do it?

Fingers crossed.

The best of luck to you both.

Our auctioneer today is Stephen Farthing.

Make yourself comfortable - the auction is about to begin.

First up are Anita's stylish cufflinks.

5, 8, 10 on the books.

10 bid, at 10 I'm bid, 10 for the pair.

-12 at the back.

-Yes!

-Right at the back, £12 bid.

At £12, at £12 bid, right at the back at £12.

HAMMER BANGS

Tidy little profit there, Anita. Great start.

-That's not bad.

-That was short and sharp.

-Yeah.

Next are Phil's curling stones.

Straight in at £10 on the books. 10 bid.

At £10 I'm bid, 10 on the books, 12, 12 bid,

at 15 bid, at 15, 18, 18, 20 bid,

at 22, 25, 28, 30...

It's climbing.

..30, at 32, 35, 38, 40.

It's getting there, Phil.

At £40 then? All done at £40...

Despite that series of bids, it's a loss, Phil.

Not too bad, though.

I'm not going to count my chickens and my sheep and my "cooows"...

Or your "dugs".

Next, Anita's three-piece suite for a doll's house.

A nice little lot then...

There we are, we are straight in at 5, 8, 10 on the books again,

10 bid, commission bid at 10, 12 at the back, 12 in, at £12,

right at the back at 12.

14, new bidder. At £14, 16.

Come on!

At £18 on my right, £18 in.

HAMMER BANGS

It's a miniature-sized profit, but it all adds up.

I'd sort of kind of settle for that, really.

-SHE CHUCKLES

-Yeah!

Back to Phil, and his big wooden trunk. Next!

Bit of interest in this one.

Lot 62, so we start the bidding, four bids,

we'll start the bidding at 20, 25-30 on the books. 30 bid.

At 35, 40, 45,

I'm out at 45.

Lady's bid 50.

-50!

-Thank you, Lord, thank you.

Front row, lady's bid. 65, then.

All done. 65...

That's more like it - good on you, Phil.

Big, hulking furniture scores well with this audience.

-Well done!

-Never any doubt, never any doubt in my mind at all.

I knew that would do well.

Phil's currently in the lead, Anita.

Can your Staffordshire flatback show him who's boss?

Commission bids at 20, 25, 30, 35...

-Yes!

-Well done, you!

-38, 40.

-Yes!

-42, 44.

-Yes!

At 44, then, all done at 44. Commission bid...

Well done, Anita.

Can Phil take the lead once more with his lot of Masonic items?

A bit of interest again.

5, 8, 10, 12, 15 on the book,

18, 20, 22, 24, 26, I'm out.

All done at £26, then?

-Ouch!

-Last chance, at 26 then...

Cor! Someone's got a good buy there.

It didn't double its money then.

I really thought it would. That was a nasty thing to say!

Next, Anita's milking stool.

We'll start the bidding at 2, 5, 8 bid, £8 bid.

10, I'm outbid 10. at £10.

-In the room at £10, in the room and £10...

-Aw, come on!

12 at the back, £12. 14, 16, 18.

All done at £18 then...

Another tiny profit, but you're still in the lead, Anita.

That's all right.

Well, it is, but it isn't, really,

-because I thought that was worth a lot more than that.

-I know.

Can Phil's shop-style ladders

help him bulk up his profits?

A bit of interest again.

We'll start the bidding at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 bid.

Yes!

70. At 70 bid, at 70 bid.

-I must admit, that's huge....

-Yes!

99, 100, 110, 120, 130, 130 bid,

lady's bid at 130.

I'm quite pleased with that.

Lady's bid at £130, then...

Amazing result, Phil.

That huge profit has catapulted you into the lead.

That's probably the stairway to success, isn't it, really?

SHE CHUCKLES

It's taken you a step up, hasn't it?

Oh! Enough of these terrible puns.

Now, Anita's 1950s standard lamp and cabinet combo.

We're straight in at 20, 30, 40, 50 on the books.

50 bid, at £50. 55, I'm outbid 55.

60. And 5, 70...

Lovely young blonde girl.

75, right in the corner at 75, then, at £75.

In the corner at 75, then... All done.

The 1950s look

is definitely in vogue with the Carlisle bidders.

For something that does resemble a three-humped camel...

I think you've done very well. No, it's a cool thing.

It's all a matter of taste, isn't it?

Certainly is, Anita.

Now their last item of the day, Phil's company seal press.

We're straight in at 20, 25, 30 on the books.

I'll take two, if it helps.

32, 35...

..38. I'm out at £38, it's in the room at £38.

All done at 38?

That's a good result, Phil.

Looks like the bidders like your style.

-Well done!

-I am quite pleased...

Let's get the sums done over a cup of tea.

Indeed we will, Anita.

Who will be the jubilant winner of this crucial leg?

Anita started out £258.30.

After auction costs, she made a profit of £35.94,

giving her a total of £294.24 for the final leg of the trip.

Phil started off with £399.40,

and takes the crown today.

After auction costs, he made a profit of £70.18,

giving him a handsome sum of £469.58 to carry forward.

Well, I tell you what, I think you're still driving.

-For sure. Chauffeur!

-SHE LAUGHS

Bye-bye, you two!