Episode 1 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 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!

Welcome to a brand-new Road Trip around Northern Ireland

with a couple of swells.

Have we got a picnic in the back?

Champagne and quails eggs, of course.

Oh, you're stylish, you are, Paul!

Not 'arf!

Our rovers of the Emerald Isle are none other than Catherine Southon

and Paul Laidlaw.

Smell that. Whatever he's doing is essentially farm cutting of grass.

-Isn't that gorgeous?

-That is gorgeous.

Surrey's own Catherine is an auctioneer and a Road Trip regular...

Do I buy the brooch?

I DO buy the brooch!

..but she's particularly pumped up about this one.

Hello! He was nice.

Shall we turn round?

Catherine!

Auctioneer Paul from Carlisle, via Scotland,

is another tripper with many miles on the clock...

Mmmm, I LOVE this stuff.

Although the two have never been paired up before,

Mr Laidlaw's reputation precedes him.

You have this amazing ability to go in

and just Hoover up amazing things,

and you will see something that nobody else sees,

and everybody else will walk past.

And then it turns to gold.

Their Morris Minor's more custard than gold

and dates from a time before seatbelts were mandatory.

With £200 each and the sun shining down, let joy be your guide.

I think we're going to be happy here. Woo-hoo! We are on our way!

Our journey begins in Portrush, County Antrim, and after exploring

Northern Ireland, crosses the sea towards Scotland

before arriving several hundred miles later in Aberdeen.

Today we kick off on the coast at Portrush

and then make our way south towards an auction in Omagh.

Look at that.

A proper seaside resort with three splendid beaches and a harbour.

Portrush made it on to the tourist map

when the railway arrived here back in 1855.

-That looks tasty.

-I'll swap.

-No!

-Oh, Catherine.

-No.

-Oh, please!

-I'm going to come back with armfuls.

ARMFULS of goodies!

-See you later.

-Have a good 'un. See you later.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-What have we here?

Quite a lot by the looks of it.

-Sorry, you are?

-John.

-Hello, John. I'm Catherine.

-Nice to meet you.

-Yeah.

-Charmed, I'm sure.

Now, like it says outside, John's shop is very vintage.

Plenty of genuine antiques in here too,

perhaps reflecting the personality of the proprietor.

-I like your tie.

-Do you? Original 1970.

-You look fabulous in it, John.

-Thank you.

Flattery aside, maybe that's the way to go.

There's a lot of retro and there's a lot of vintage.

Of course, a lot of it comes down to really knowing the market,

knowing what people around here want to buy.

-Or I could just take a punt.

-That's the spirit, girl.

That is amazing.

-Can I try it on?

-Of course you can.

-Colourful.

-I feel like I could do anything.

-John remains tight-lipped.

-Oh, my goodness.

I just really, really, really want to buy that.

Unbelievably, there's a choice.

Yay, baby!

I feel like I should be on a children's TV programme.

Yikes! But will these things actually sell?

-Actually, it's an evening auction that we're going to.

-Yeah.

-Turn down the light.

-Yeah.

-Put a bit of disco music on.

Sounds fab. This £70 has the most flare though(!)

I will charge you...£25.

I've got to have that.

I've GOT to have it.

John, we are good friends here. I'm enjoying this.

Yeah, man. Groovy deal.

Now, what about our other man in tweed elsewhere in Portrush?

-Good morning.

-Good morning, Paul. Great to have you here.

-Great to be here. You're Ernie?

-I'm Ernie, yes.

My grandfaither was an Ernie. Another Irishman.

Well, who knew?

I wonder what bargains his heritage might bring forth?

You happy to do a bit of haggling?

Oh, aye, yeah. I've done it before.

Much more of a traditional antiques shop, this one, which,

considering Paul's tastes, could be a good thing.

-Why is that open locket sitting on its own?

-This?

-Yeah.

That could pay £35.

It's nine carat.

It's going to be a late 19th, maybe early 20th century affair.

You've got those double bevel-edged oval plates,

and how on earth do you get your photograph in there?

You just unscrew that little terminal there and we're in.

-Two little photographs in there.

-That's right.

I think it's rather nice, but there's not a lot of gold in it.

Just 20 quid's worth.

-£28.

-28?

I'll come right back at you with 22.

-No.

-It's inevitable where we end up, isn't it?

Surely you're ahead of me here.

-Think about that at 25. I'm going to put it there.

-Did you say 25?

I did, aye. It's no done yet, but I think we both know it is.

HE LAUGHS

Er, to clarify, I think they've come down from 59 to £25. Now, moving on.

What's that?

I don't know.

It's £7.50, that's what it is.

Well, we know its date.

That's going to date to the '30s, isn't it, with that aesthetic?

Do me a deal.

Mystery object and that, and if you do me the right deal,

I'll tell you what it is.

That's one way of doing it!

-£32.

-32? 32?

Uh-huh.

It's 30 quid's worth, isn't it?

-No, we'll split the two.

-Are we?

You said I was mean - a quid?!

-Aye, but a quid's a quid.

-Quid IS a quid.

Ernie, you're a gentleman.

Ernie, you know what it is?

I think that's the funkiest sugar caster I've ever seen.

Sweet!

Strawberries. "Pass me the sugar, darling."

- "Oh, yes. What's this?"

- "Oh, it's my latest. Have you not seen it? Do press the top, darling."

I think that's fantastic, isn't it?

£30. Bear with me a second.

-Ernie, what a pleasure.

-Thank you.

PAUL LAUGHS

He looks chuffed. What about Catherine?

-This is for washing?

-No.

-No?

-This would have been for mashing.

-Oh, no, it's not a dolly.

Mashing potatoes.

-Feel the weight.

-How old is this, by the way?

Around about 1920s, 1930s.

-What is on this anyway?

-65.

I'll do you 25.

Everything's 25 in your shop.

I'm going to go outside and I'm going to rename this shop.

It's not Vintage any more, it's "Everything £25".

-It's cos I like your smile.

-Oh, thank you.

It looks like, after a vintage start, she's hedging her bets a bit.

This is pokerwork, so we've got a frame.

This was probably going to be used as a mirror or something

once upon a time and then this pattern has been created with

a hot poker, but, against what I've just bought,

that just looks so dull, doesn't it?

Good solid antique, though.

What do you think about this? Do people buy this sort of thing?

Do they like this here in Northern Ireland?

Yes, it's fabulous to put a mirror in or make a fuller frame,

or a toilet seat.

That's a very strange toilet seat.

What sort of toilets do you have here in Northern Ireland?

Fancy ones, I guess.

-I'll do you 25.

-Would you?

-As usual.

-Can I put this to one side, John?

-Yeah.

She's piling them up.

What is that? A little brooch with a bird on?

-That looks a bit arts and craftsy.

-Yeah.

-What would you say that is?

-A bird.

-No, but what type?

-I don't know.

-Even I know it's a bird.

-He's more of a tie man, really.

And you're going to ask me how much, aren't you?

Well, it's the million dollar question.

-We'd really be looking at 20.

-That just really jumped out at me.

I want to buy another two items from you.

That's 25, that's 25 and that is not 25.

Could that be 15?

-18.

-18. I'm definitely going to go for this.

-Really?

I'm going to do 25. And I'm done.

-Three items.

-And I will still keep my tie.

You will keep your tie, although if you're feeling generous,

-you could always throw that in.

-Catherine!

50... £68, I owe you.

20, 40,

60, 80.

-It's been wonderful. Wow, even the notes are different here!

-Oh, yeah.

Look at that.

That's JB Dunlop, the tyre chap, by the way.

So, after that little buying frenzy, let's now follow Paul and the Minor

moving towards Londonderry, or Derry as it's also known.

The home town of The Undertones and, in 2013,

the inaugural UK City of Culture,

Derry is one of the finest walled cities in Europe.

But Paul's come to the Tower Museum to find out about

the huge role the city played during World War II.

-Hi, is it Margaret?

-It is indeed, Paul. Welcome to the museum.

Thanks very much. I am more than delighted to be here.

In the Battle of the Atlantic, the conflict's longest military campaign,

the port on the River Foyle assumed huge strategic importance.

For almost the entire war, supply convoys from North America

and the Allied forces trying to protect them,

were pursued by the U-boats and warships of the German navy,

but it was the invasion of France that brought the battle here.

To protect the shipping, the Allies needed a port and Derry then,

after the fall of France,

became a really vital port in defence of those ships.

-OK. Was it a big port before then?

-No, not really.

It was a fairly small port

and quite a small little town in its own right.

The war thrust Derry into the limelight.

Because the Allies needed this most westerly port,

Derry then became very significant, not only just for the British,

but also for the other Allied forces.

I just can't imagine what it was like in Derry at that time

cos it was a small backwater, and now, all of a sudden,

all these different voices and nationalities.

Those troops were stationed at a port blessed with a stretch of deep

water wide enough to accommodate up to 130 ships at any one time.

There are some interesting photographs in the archive

showing the sheer scale of the ships lined up alongside one another.

People have often commented in the past that you could

walk from ship to ship to ship from one side of the river to the other.

I don't know how true that is.

The city, which miraculously escaped destruction by the Luftwaffe,

became the front line in the battle against the U-boats.

By the time victory was won, over 100,000 lives had been lost

and, once again, the port of Derry made the headlines.

When the U-boats surrendered back in 1945, they had to surrender to their

nearest port, and it's interesting because Derry continues to play that

role of being significant

-because the official surrender of the U-boat is taken here.

-Is it?

Yes, the Admiral, Commander of the Fleet

of the Western Approaches, Sir Max Horton,

he comes in person to the city to accept the official surrender.

So U-boats sail up the Foyle into the harbour?

Yes, to formally surrender.

I think the first instance there are about eight

and they're escorted up the river by ships from each of the

Allied forces, the Americans, the British and the Canadians.

Over the next number of months,

upwards of 60 odd U-boats come into the city and surrendered here.

Then most are taken out and scuttled, but, because they were

here for a while, some of the things were obviously

taken from the U-boats and kept as souvenirs.

I recognise some but not all of these.

In front of us, and this is iconic, a Kriegsmarine bulkhead clock

-from a U-boat.

-From a U-boat, yes.

Probably is one of our prized items within this collection.

I get that and I get the Iron Crosses, War Merit Crosses

and Schirmmutze and ratings caps,

but why is there a stock pot or whatever?

-What is that?

-We see it as a cooking pot.

We think it was used for cooking food onboard.

-U1108 struck on the side of it. Is that a U-boat reference?

-Yes.

Oh, my word.

You can imagine how cramped the conditions were onboard

the U-boats and how they had little space to do everyday tasks

like making some food.

In the Atlantic, in all the weather that that can generate,

-you and 30-odd of your comrades, this brings it home.

-It does.

Those POWs on their way to Belfast may once have been

our bitter enemies, but they were also brave men.

The U-boat crews suffered a frightening death toll of over 82%.

The Kriegsmarine U-boat personnel referred to them commonly,

-I believe, as "Iron Coffins".

-Yes, they did.

They were the enemy, but, again, it's a human story.

I can't imagine what it would have been like to witness those

guys coming off the U-boats as they surrendered here.

Obviously, it's the end of the war for them

but, luckily as well, they probably think,

"Thank goodness I've survived."

Elsewhere in the walled city,

Catherine's on the lookout for her next shop.

-Hello, there. Hi. I'm Catherine.

-Simon.

-Hello, Simon. Nice to meet you.

-You're very welcome today.

Thank you very much.

You only need to look up to see what this shop specialises in.

-I really love your lights.

-A huge variety too,

although Simon may take a dim view of your budget.

-What's that up there, the "Chemist"? Is it a light?

-Yeah.

-For putting outside a chemist shop?

-Outside a chemist shop, yeah.

-I like that. What sort of price have you got on that?

-There's 225 on it.

Hmm, OK.

Just out of interest,

is that something that you could do a very good deal on or not?

I have to tell you that I started this Road Trip with £200

and I've spend £68.

I don't think we're going to be able to meet on that one, no.

Fair enough. I shall carry on looking.

Never mind. There's lots more.

It's got a good ring to it.

-Quirky enough to sell.

-I know. It's just not doing it for me.

-Well, at least we've moved on from you-know-what.

-That's quite nice.

It's got 48 on that. What's the price on that?

Can that be very cheap? It looks like it's been here a while.

-That's a very old sticker.

-Like myself.

Do it for 40 quid.

-Can you do, like, 20?

-35 will be the very best on it.

-And what is the price you would put on that?

-The gong, I can do for 35.

What are people going to be interested in more? I don't know.

-It's a worry.

-Personally, I like the mirror.

The mirror's quirky. I think this is also...

At an auction I think that will sell.

-We find around here gongs sell well.

-Best take a closer look at it then.

This is horn.

I mean, this isn't silver,

but we've got this sort of plated part at the top, mounts here

and they're quite nicely engraved and you've got this

nice plaque at the bottom where you could put a name on.

-Do people like having these in the home?

-Around here, yes.

Gives them a sense of authority, does it,

when they're trying to get their loved ones down to dinner?

I prefer this.

I know it's only faux tortoiseshell, but it just feels good.

There's a bit of ding in it here.

So, it's between a ding and a dong.

Can you make it easier for me and come down to 30 on that?

I can go down to 30 on that one.

I know what I bought that for so I have a bit more room on that.

He's definitely pro-gong.

And you think that's going to make some money?

I think so. Around here, yes.

I came in wanting a light and I leave with a gong.

Thank you very much.

-OMG!

-Thank you so much.

-That's oh, my gong, by the way.

Thanks a lot, Simon, bye-bye.

GONG CLANGS

And on that note...

-I have ancestry here.

-Ah!

My grandfather came from the north.

My grandmother came from Donegal, which is just that way.

So this place is full of Laidlaws, basically. I've lost already.

Don't forget, we still have Scotland to look forward to.

Nighty night.

Next morning, nobody's letting the weather dampen their spirits.

Why have we never done this before?

-Why have we never road-tripped before?

-I don't know.

We're having so much fun. This is madness.

Yesterday, Catherine plumped for a brooch, a gong, a psychedelic suit

-and a pokerwork frame.

-One oversized necklace.

Those set her back £98, leaving her just over 100 to spend today.

While Paul managed only a miserly £31 on a locket

and a mysterious sugar sifter...

Do press the top, darling.

..meaning he has almost £170 remaining in his wallet.

I'm not giving up yet.

This is our first road trip together and I'm not giving up yet.

I'm in it for the battle. I'm going to give it everything.

Is it getting hot in this car?

Later they'll be making for their first

auction of the week at Omagh,

but our next stop is Sandholes, County Tyrone.

Having dropped off Catherine,

it's Paul's first shop of the day, somewhere.

-Hello, there. Is it Stanley?

-Yes.

-Welcome, Paul.

-Good to see you.

Holy Moses!

-If you told me this was a museum, I'd pay you an admission fee.

-Good.

I'm glad to hear it.

You'd never have guessed it standing in the farmyard.

Well, can I just have a wee rummage, a wee mooch?

You look away to your heart's content.

I hope you've brought plenty of money with you.

Now, that could be a problem(!)

THEY LAUGH

The biggest problem is going to be dragging Paul out of here.

I don't want to miss anything.

This is an antiques maze for me, and how does one crack a maze?

Keep turning left and that's what I do. Clockwise, follow the walls.

See, see, you thought I was just crazy.

Never!

And you have your uses.

This is a combination rushnip and candle-holder.

This is early rustic domestic lighting.

The candle that went in here was not a wax candle as you know it.

It was a tallow candle, animal fat and so on. Foul things!

Apparently when they burned,

they gave off a kind of stench you can imagine.

But, what's this?

Rushes, an alternative form of lighting, I believe dried rushes,

soaked or treated in some way, could be clenched in here.

Picture a straw. There you go, look.

Set in this, just like a wee set of pliers. In it goes.

Light it and it will slowly burn down.

Picture the cottage furnished with period joined oak,

nice Wainscot chairs.

This is the adornment.

This is the little object that finishes the look.

If I said to you that's £25, you'd go, "Yeah, seems about right."

Well, no, no, no, no, no. Never going to happen.

Price on that, 229

and not expensive at that. Love it.

Fascinating stuff,

but hopefully he'll soon find something nearer his budget.

-Give me a bargain price on that then.

-£10.

That was quick. What is it exactly, Paul?

A little Victorian gilt tooled burgundy leather case.

You open it up and this was expensive in its day, was it not?

-It would have been.

-A lovely little lady's manicure set.

What does one need to tidy one's nails?

Well, you need a pair of scissors and, if you're affluent enough,

you buy them with silver handles and that's what they have.

And you may also require a little cuticle pusher and a nail file.

I think it's a rich little object and the price is spot on

and I'm delighted.

Yeah, the ticket price was £19.

Any other underappreciated gems in here, Paul?

These are unusual. Very competently turned shoulder baluster there.

That is a good eye and a skilful hand at work, but what drew me

to them are the bases, wherein the bark has been preserved.

Now, the label says two rosewood candlesticks.

That's not rosewood. That's olivewood.

These come from what was Palestine, when these were made,

or the Holy Lands, as they'd have been referred to.

Do you know what,

I can prove that because there are little marks there.

That's Hebrew script.

These are tourist souvenirs brought back by some

late Victorian traveller who visited Jerusalem.

The ticket price on those is £18.

-Stanley?

-Yeah.

-You're not going to sell them quickly.

I think they're hard work, but you've got me.

-COUGHS:

-Cheap! Cheap!

£10. You couldn't get much cheaper than that.

I'd be daft not to take a punt on that. You've done it.

-I'll settle my debts. It's an easy £20.

-Thanks a million.

Absolutely fantastic.

I'll shake your hand and I'll follow you out the door

and grab my goodies as I go.

While Paul makes off with the booty,

Catherine's ended up in a different farmyard,

having taken our route towards the village of Castletown

to learn about the Ulster roots of an American millionaire.

-Hi, there. Very nice to meet you.

-Hello. You're very welcome.

Catherine Southon, hello.

-Welcome to the Ulster American Folk Park...

-Thank you.

..and the home of Thomas Mellon.

This humble farmhouse is the centrepiece of a museum

dedicated to the story of Irish emigration.

As curator Pat can relate,

they are inside the childhood home of Thomas Mellon,

the entrepreneur who bankrolled the USA's rise to become the most

powerful industrial nation on earth.

Thomas was born here in 1813.

He lived here with his father, Andrew, and mother, Rebecca.

At this stage, Thomas' father and mother hadn't really any plans

to leave this area.

They were kind of well settled here on their 23 acres.

So what was the main reason for leaving?

Letters back home from America had a huge influence and once the

relatives got settled, they would write back and say, you know,

"Things are very good here. Why don't you join us?"

They would sit around this fire of an evening

and Thomas remembers them reading through letters from other

neighbours and relatives and them weighing up the decision, could

they make a living here or would the opportunities be better in America?

Young Thomas was just five when their long journey began.

Their ship, a bit like this reconstruction,

set sail from Londonderry in 1818

and they docked about three months later at Baltimore.

-This is amazing, isn't it?

-It is amazing.

Then they travelled over land to the outskirts of the city of Pittsburgh,

where Thomas' grandfather had arrived two years before.

They planned to stay with family

until they could acquire land of their own, which they did.

And on that land was what Thomas described as a dilapidated cottage,

but it didn't take them long to fix it up and this is

the type of building then that they would have lived in for a few years.

Thomas works very hard on this farm right from an early age.

Even when he's only nine,

he walks 20 miles into Pittsburgh on an errand for them.

That was the first time he got an impression of a big city...

Right.

..and it sort of planted a seed in his head -

"Look at this grand houses.

"There's no reason why I couldn't have something like that as well."

-The determination.

-Yes.

Thomas persuaded his father to let him study and after university

he took up the law,

eventually becoming a prominent Pittsburgh judge,

whilst always investing his wages wisely.

He started to buy up land and sub-divide it and sell it off

and this influenced him into managing money and he thought,

"Well, you know, there's nothing really much to this.

"Why don't I try my hand at this?"

The Ulster Park features a reconstruction of the Pittsburgh bank

Thomas started in January 1870.

After a few lean years,

his investments in the American industries that prospered

after the Civil War soon began to pay dividends.

The Mellons were really establishing themselves at this stage,

not only Thomas, his two sons, and they had their finger in every pie.

In many ways, he's quite ruthless, but I think what endears us to him,

he is such a family man.

He is devoted to his children.

In the 1880s, Thomas handed over the reins to his sons,

returning to Ulster to visit his County Tyrone birthplace

and busying himself with his autobiography,

while the business he founded became the country's largest bank outside

New York and nurtured many of the household names of the 20th century.

It leaves them with one task.

It's their duty to make more money than the previous generation

and that really is something that the Mellons have carried on because

one of the sons Andrew is involved in all sorts of enterprises.

They end up in General Motors.

They end up financing Heinz.

It's a tremendous incredible story.

They're up there with the Rockefellers.

-They end up the third richest people in America...

-Amazing.

..and the story continues.

And so does ours, but on a slightly more modest scale.

With our two trusty experts reunited,

it's time to manoeuvre the Morris towards the village of Moy,

known to locals as THE Moy.

-You got much to buy?

-I'm buying all that. I'm buying the lot.

Shared shops can be a bit of a trial, of course.

Try to avoid each other's toes, eh?

Looks like Paul's already noticed something. Cagey!

But, with this much room, what could possibly go wrong?

There is one thing I have seen and it happens to be in this cabinet.

Does it have a doggy theme?

Would you please remove yourself from this cabinet?

-Oh, dear.

-What is it? What have you seen?

-I'm not telling.

-Get out!

-Is it the spoon with the dog head terminal at £12,

and the christening spoon in the case at £12?

Oh, yes, nice things.

I've already had a look at it. It's bagsied.

PAUL LAUGHS

That's so unfair because...

I'm not playing any more.

-Is the expression "first dibs"?

-I'm not playing.

Well, we did see him spot them.

-And I want that.

-Is it the dog?

I want that. I saw that and I really wanted that.

Will Catherine graciously accept defeat?

Right, I'm going to sulk.

I am gutted.

PAUL LAUGHS

I thought you were my friend, Paul.

-What? What do you want me to do?

-No, go on, have it.

No! No! It'll be jinxed now.

That is the one thing I wanted to have.

-The honeymoon's not even started.

-No, it's divorce already. I'm sorry.

-Oh, no!

-It's divorce.

-Well, I want the dog.

HE LAUGHS

Oh, Paul!

I feel a bit defeated now. Deflated as well.

Can't believe that he bought that under my nose.

Looks like our gentleman's not having any second thoughts then.

-Dermot, how you doing?

-Not too bad, Paul. How are you?

Two wee cheapies. Not badly priced either, in all honesty...

Fair price, yeah.

..but a hard man like myself is looking for a discount, of course.

Let me see. 24. Say three at £8.

£16 for the two, same price?

You're a gentleman, Dermot.

No clowning about with you or I, is there? Wonderful.

Now, where's Catherine off to?

-Can I buy your donkey?

-Yeah.

-How much is he?

-£300.

£300?!

The only one thing about it, if you buy the donkey,

you have to take me along with it.

-That's all right. I don't mind.

-Is that all right?

So, a combined lot.

It would certainly stand out at an auction.

-What's his name?

-He's called Donny.

Donegal Donny.

Lovely. Of course, they did used to have a horse fair here.

Ooh, my goodness, we don't get these in London!

Meanwhile, Paul has monkey business.

If post-silver-spoon debacle, I look like the cat that got the cream,

how about, as an antidote, the monkey that got the apple?

Aye, it's a wee belter, I don't mind telling you.

English, mid-20th century. Late '30s-1940s.

It does have a back stamp which I cannot read.

-I think that is just a lovely little model.

-Sounds promising.

I've spoken to Dermot and this can be bought today for all of £15,

and I think you're not looking at a monkey.

You're looking at a peace offering from me to Catherine.

-Wise move.

-You've got to do some serious schmoozing.

-I'm trying.

-A monkey's not going to do it, my friend.

-It SHOULD.

I think that's a wee belter.

It's 15 quid if you want it.

You buy it and I'll have the spoon.

HE LAUGHS

You buy that and I'll have the spoon.

Remind me never to play poker with you. You're all want.

-Do you want it?

-No, thank you.

Worth a try. Maybe flowers would have been more appropriate.

-How you doing?

-Hi, Paul.

-I'm back.

-Good.

-£15 you said.

-I said, yeah.

-It's a deal.

-Lordy!

-Catherine doesn't want my poor wee monkey.

-He's a good guy, this.

-He's all right, isn't he?

-Yeah, he's different, isn't he?

Well, he's different and he's coming home with me.

This really could end in tears.

Ah, now Catherine's grabbed Dermot. Prepare for some arm-twisting.

There's a plate here. Can you tell me anything about this?

It probably came from a house clearance, you know.

-Part of a job lot.

-It's got a massive crack, hasn't it?

It's quite interesting, quite decorative, isn't it?

-What price is on that?

-30 quid.

When I see a silver spoon like that for £12

-and then I see a cracked plate for £30...

-It's a more substantial item.

It's bigger, that's the thing.

-You wouldn't do it for 10 or something?

-I'll let it go at 15.

-OK, I'll think about that one.

-That didn't quite do it.

Now, Dermot's had a rummage in his special cupboard.

Ah!

-So these are Victorian?

-These are Victorian handcuffs.

They were known as Irish Eights, cos they're in the shape of an eight.

Where's the key number? There it is.

Matching numbers, so they still work.

They're great, aren't they? So these are Irish?

These would have been made in England

but only used in Ireland by the RIC, which was the Irish police.

-What are you asking for?

-Well...

Please be kind to me. I've had a BAD afternoon with that ladle.

Online, these would make 120 quid.

Now, for you, I'll take the money back.

-What was your money?

-50 quid.

-Sounds like a good price.

-Can I give you a bit less than that?

-Blimey!

-What were you thinking of?

Ideally, honestly, I would like about 30. What could you do?

40 quid. I'm taking a loss of a tenner on it.

You're a star. I think I've got a chance with those.

Take a chance. Those will make money.

With the golden handcuffs in the bag,

let's have a look at what they've got.

Paul parted with £82 for THOSE spoons, a sugar sifter,

some candlesticks, a locket, a manicure set

and, of course, a monkey figurine.

While Catherine spent £138 on a gong, a frame, a brooch,

some handcuffs and that very colourful suit.

So, what did they make of each other's buys?

Don't get me started on the costume, OK. It's fancy dress.

And, of course, I'm very upset about Spoongate,

so we're best not to mention the spoon.

The monkey that Catherine could have had for £15,

which I have now identified as early Beswick and rather rare.

I have got a feeling that that monkey is going to turn

into something very special,

and I'm going to really regret not taking it off him.

If it doesn't make a profit, the joke's on me, but I think it will.

After setting off from Portrush,

our experts are now making for an

auction closer to the border, in Omagh.

I'm just so happy to be here.

I think it's wonderful and I do like the idea of an evening auction.

They come out, they relax, their hands are going up,

hopefully for my items and not yours.

-It's a tonic. You know what you are? You're a tonic.

-Am I?

There won't be any optimism

and enthusiasm once that monkey makes £100, I can tell you that(!)

They're fairly used to livestock sales at Viewback Auctions,

although monkeys are, of course, rare.

Welcome to the world of Irish auctions, Catherine.

Good luck, my friend, good luck.

You say that with menace!

I wonder what auctioneer Geoffrey Simpson thinks will fly.

There are a few people who still engage in gracious dining

and require a gong to summon their family to the table,

so it should go well.

The Beswick monkey should make £45-50.

It's an attractive little thing

and somebody will like it for the novelty value.

The picture frame, I think is Belfast Arts and Crafts.

A little bit more attractive than the average pokerwork.

As it is an unusual piece, I would see it making, you know, £45-50.

Crikey, where did they all come from?

-This is packed.

-Bums on seats.

-This is good. I've got a good feeling.

I told you.

She did, indeed. Let's see what they make of Paul's candlesticks.

-There's a twitching going on here. There's a nervous twitch.

-There is.

£50. 40. 30. 20. 10. Starting at a fiver.

Fiver bid. At five, at five, at five.

Anybody going to give me seven? £7. £9 down the back. At nine.

-At 11. At 11, at 11.

-We're in profit.

At 11. 13. 13, gentleman in the middle.

At 13. At 13. 15 to the lady. Is everybody happy at £15?

-Not ecstatic, but better than nought. I'm happy.

-Well done.

Yep, a modest start.

Calling all fine diners, it's Catherine's first lot.

-Wait a minute. This is your lot.

-This is my gong.

Do keep up.

At £30. Any advance on 30?

I'm going to sell at £35 if we can't get more money.

-Oh, no, more.

-At £35. 40. At 40. And again at 40.

At 40, at 40, at 40, at £40.

At £40 it is once. £40 it is twice.

Is everybody happy at £40?

This bodes well. One profit each.

Oi-oi, it's the monkey. Was Catherine right to reject him?

You stared a gift horse in the mouth.

You didn't give it to me properly. If you... I was cross.

-If you'd have given that to me...

-Were you?

-Yes, I was.

-It's designed by...

-Oh, OK.

It has a printed and impressed marque.

With a build-up like that,

who's going to give me £75 to start the bidding?

-60.

-No.

-50. 30.

£30 bid. At £30. At 30. At 35.

£40 at the back on the phone.

-Genius.

-On the phone?

-£40.

-Could have had that.

I'm going to sell it at £40 if I can't get more money.

At £40, it is once. At £40 twice.

All finished and done at... New blood. At 45. At 45.

At 45 here at the front. At 45 once. Twice.

All finished, all done at 45. Lady at the front at 45.

It's not peanuts.

It's hotting up. I can feel it.

How will Catherine's arresting purchase fair?

-Who's going to give me £100?

-Oh, yes, please.

75. Start me at 50. £50 bid. At £50.

Any advance on 50? At £50. £60 on my right.

He's got 60 quid.

70. At £70.

Did he say 70? You wish you'd have bought these, don't you?

All finished, all done at £70. You got them at 70.

That'll ease the monkey regrets.

I knew I loved Northern Ireland. This is great.

Paul's manicure set next.

Do you manicure?

Well, no.

Who's going to give me £50?

40. 30. 20. £20 bid. At £20.

-That's all right.

-That's fine.

25 over here. £30 in the back. At £30. At 30, at 30, at 30.

35 in the middle. £35. At 35.

-At 40. At 40, at 40, at 40.

-40?

At £40 it is. 45. New blood.

God bless you. Come again.

At 50 down here. At £50. Any advance on 50?

All finished, all done at £50. Lady at the front at 50.

That was a hit.

I mean they were nice. They weren't that nice.

Never mind nice, they were spectacular.

50 quid spectacular, woman!

Catherine's pokerwork frame. No losses yet.

The most stylish object in tonight's sale.

Did he say it was the most stylish object in the sale?

That's what I said about it.

I rate this rather highly as an object.

You listening to this?

£200. 150.

Start me at £100.

Start me at £50.

40? £40 bid.

At £40. At 40, at 40, at 40.

Straight in, no? He thinks 200.

45. 50 on the phone. At 50 on the phone.

On the phone? Did he say on the phone?

55 seated. At 55 seated. Any advance on 55?

55. At 55. At 60, new blood.

They are queueing up to buy the mirror.

They've all come tonight to buy the mirror.

I see looks of pleasure,

almost ecstasy on the faces of our celebrities.

All finished and done at £60? Lady's bid on my extreme right at £60.

-I'm pleased with that.

-Pleased?

This is a very nice auction indeed.

Time for Paul's controversial spoons and his caster.

Start me at £50. 40. 30.

£30 bid. At the very back at £30.

Straight in, come on, keep it going.

30. At 35. At 35 with me.

That's enough.

£40. Any advance on 40? Who's going to give me 45?

-I never liked that spoon anyway.

-You like it a lot less now.

At £40 it is twice.

All finished, all done at £40.

Will the profits never cease?

Catherine's bird brooch is next.

Start me off at £20. 15.

10 anywhere to begin the bidding. £10 bid down here.

-£10?

-I paid 18.

-Oh, right.

At £10 in the middle there. At £10 and I'm going to sell it.

At £10 if we can't get more money.

All finished, all done at the back there at £10.

£10 more than it's worth.

Don't be so rude.

Don't listen to him, Catherine.

Paul's locket is up now.

Start me off at £100. £70.

-I like his optimism.

-No.

40. £40 bid. At 40, at 40, at 40. At 50. At £50.

Any advance on 50?

-50, that's amazing.

-Not bad.

£50 it is once.

-That's good, Paul.

-I'll take it.

All finished, all done at £50. That's £50.

Well done. That is good.

Doubled up. Just one lot to go.

My work here is done. Good luck with fancy dress.

Now that is rude. I'm rooting for you, Catherine.

A vintage, retro 1970s jacket.

Hey!

That's the way to sell it, Bridget.

Wahey!

All you get is the...

Doesn't she look fabulous?

The star of the show, Bridget.

It actually fit really well.

£50. 40. 30. 20.

-£20 bid. At 25.

-At 30 by a gentleman.

Oh, my goodness!

50 back there. At 50.

What?

At 50. At 60 at the back. At £60.

At £60, it is once. £60, it is twice.

All finished and done at £60. Well done, sir.

Well done!

You did a great job.

She certainly did. Another mighty profit.

Well, I don't know about you but I am ready for my bed.

-Are we going to get our slippers?

-Absolutely. We need slippers.

That really was auction night fever.

Catherine started out with £200

and made, after paying auction costs, a profit of £58.80.

Paul began with the same sum and, after paying auction costs,

he's produced a profit of £82 and a slim lead.

-Now, the lights might be an issue.

-We need lights.

-We need a torch.

-That's lights.

Woo-hoo! We are out of here.

Profits all the way

at 12 o'clock at night.

THEY LAUGH

Next time on Antiques Road Trip, Catherine's all pumped up...

Are you ready for this? Are you ready?

..while Paul waxes lyrical.

These are good.