Episode 20 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!

It's the final leg for auctioneers Christina Trevanion

and Thomas Plant.

So, it's been a total pleasure crossing these Celtic countries,

and it's your last chance to tell me how much you love me.

LAUGHTER

Christina was bowled over in Ireland.

The people are so friendly and so sweet.

And Thomas was wowed by Wales.

Some lovely things here.

Their 1962 Bedford van has done them proud so far,

especially as it was made before it was compulsory to fit seatbelts.

Both our experts started this trip with £200.

Despite triumphing at two out of four auctions so far,

Thomas has less than he started with, just £186.14.

Christina took an early lead and hung on to most of her winnings,

so has £269.07.

You are a tiny snifter away from me now.

You have held the lead all week.

I have held the lead all week, and I have a very sneaky feeling

you might just pip me to the post at the very last minute.

Their adventure began in Cashel, Tipperary.

After tootling around Ireland, they crossed into North Wales,

then over to England, where they'll be finishing up

over 700 miles later in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

Today's trip gets underway at Gwersyllt, Wrexham,

aiming for auction in Stoke-on-Trent.

I love your new jumper.

-I know you do!

-It's gorgeous.

Look, look!

Oh, we're matching. Slightly matching.

This former coal-mining village is snazzy dresser Thomas'

first stop this morning.

I'm feeling, you know, positively wealthy.

Well, I think you should spend it all.

-Well, you never know. I might do.

-Enjoy.

-Ow!

-Did you just hit your head?

-Yes!

-Bye!

-Bye!

Thomas has his work cut out on this leg.

He's settling in.

Time to meet the folks in charge.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Nice to see you, I'm Thomas.

-Hi, I'm Carol.

-Carol, nice to see you.

-And...

-This is my husband, Dennis.

-Hello.

-Nice to see you, Thomas.

The Prices run this place, full of bygone treasures.

This is a shop of shops.

If you can't find anything here, there's something wrong with you.

Sounds promising.

HE PLAYS GLOCKENSPIEL

That's so cool! You could just have that in your house

and play with it for hours and hours.

But at £250, it's slightly out of his price range.

There's a number of things in here.

I quite like the eclectic mix, what's going on.

What I have seen was this cup.

It says here, "unusual stone goblet, the Holy Grail."

SHE LAUGHS

Is this the Holy Grail of the Antiques Road Trip?

Look at that!

It's beautifully done.

-It's done in a soapstone.

-Yeah.

What's it got on there? £32.

I think that's brilliant, don't you?

-Oh, gosh.

-Yes, a bit of weight.

Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm super-strong, you see.

-1920s, I would say.

-Yes.

Probably from a church communion.

It's not the only thing he's spotted.

What a cool thing.

It's got this trademark here.

Crikey. Where did you get that from?!

That's better.

Westbourne Grove, London.

Put your teddy bear on there.

Little friend.

-It's £35. Carol?

-Yes?

-I found a chair.

-Oh, that's quaint.

So, there's a label on here which says £35.

-Really cheeky offer.

-OK?

Sort of like... A tenner?

While Carol calls the dealer, Thomas spies something else.

-HE GASPS

-Look at that!

Love those.

So what it is, it's a goblet,

and on the goblet are Masonic engraved designs.

50 quid on it, though.

It's a lot of money.

-Oh, Carol?

-I like this, because it's got a yellow to it.

So it sort of dates it, early 20th century, I would have thought.

He's got £50 on it.

Ooh! I'm sure Roy is open to offers.

So where are we with the other items?

OK, the chair, the answer is yes on that.

-What, for a tenner?

-Yes.

-Deal! Done. Yeah, yeah.

Carol's also managed to get the Masonic goblets' owner on the phone.

Hi, Roy? I want to make you a cheeky offer.

25 quid.

I'd love a two in front of it. Could we deal at 28?

-'If it helps you, yes.'

-It does. Oh, you're a star.

Thank you very much. Well, that's a buy.

That's a generous deal, as Masonic items often do well.

Now, what about the soapstone goblet?

-We have an answer.

-Oh, yes?

-The goblet.

-Yeah?

-25.

-£25?

-Yes.

-That's his best.

-Yeah, that's all right.

I think I'd be very happy with that.

It's just really unusual.

So, that's £63 for the 19th-century Masonic goblet,

the soapstone goblet,

and the Edwardian bamboo chair.

Meanwhile, rival Christina has travelled 20 minutes north to Mold,

in the stunning border county of Flintshire.

The Normans were the first to settle these parts,

and there's been a street market here since medieval times.

Christina's at her first shop of the day.

Oh, Lordy!

Hello!

-How are we?

-Hello! You must be Holly.

-I am. Nice to meet you.

-Hello, Holly. Lovely to meet you.

-Can you show me around?

-Absolutely. We'll start in the back room.

All right. I love a good backroom!

She's rather gorgeous, isn't she?

-She's elegant, isn't she?

-Isn't she fab?

Doesn't look like it's got a huge amount of age to it,

-but she's certainly got a look to her, hasn't she?

-Yeah, I mean,

with the Art Deco at the moment, there's just so much import,

and it's really hard to find, sort of to find the originals.

Sometimes, it's nice just to have a bit of modern.

Also, obviously, it's reflected in the price.

As an original Art Deco lamp, that'd be hundreds,

-if not thousands.

-And probably at home in my house!

She's got 64 on her now.

Is there a deal that can be done on that, Holly?

I can certainly consider it.

Ooh!

Let's not be too hasty.

You haven't been upstairs yet.

Oh, my goodness!

We like our weird and wonderful.

-That's a pair of stocks!

-It is indeed.

Is it a pair? Is it just...?

-I wouldn't want to share it.

-So if I don't pay...

-We'll leave you here.

-Gosh, there's a deterrent if ever I needed it.

These are fab!

We could get Thomas in there, and throw sponges at him.

-Sounds brilliant! I'll be front of the queue.

-Would you?!

THEY LAUGH

No, you'd have to beat me to the front of that queue!

Look out, Thomas!

That's caught my eye.

-The light?

-Yes.

-The light fitting.

It's cool. It is cool.

We've had it wired so that it can be run off a plug.

-It's built to be a pool table light.

-Yes.

But I'm thinking it could also be for over a kitchen island...

-Love that idea.

-It's got that kind of look.

-Is it very expensive?

-How does 60 sound?

-Expensive.

-Expensive.

Maybe so, but the ticket price is £78.

-What did we have on our lady downstairs?

-65.

I would want to pay £50 for the two.

-OK.

-How are you feeling about that?

-Rather faint!

-Well, there's a bed.

-Do you want to have a lie down?!

-THEY LAUGH

-OK.

-Tell me what you can do for me.

I mean, if you can't do that, then that's absolutely understandable.

I think if I can squeeze another £10 out of you, I'd be happy.

OK. So if we said £60 for that lamp

and our lady lamp downstairs, happy at that?

-Happy at that.

-It's a deal.

So, that £60 for the Art Deco style lamp and a snooker table light.

-There we go, darling. 20, 40, 60.

-Spot on.

That's what we agreed, isn't it? Brilliant. You're a star.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you so much.

-We'll see you again.

-Take care.

-Bye now.

Meanwhile, Thomas has travelled east,

just over the border into Cheshire, to the historic city of Chester.

It's not only famous for its medieval walls

and 1,000-year-old cathedral,

but it's also home to the oldest shopping facade in England.

These unique two-tiered black-and-white shopping galleries

were created over 700 years ago.

Thomas is here to check out a local gem.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-I'm Thomas.

-Hi, I'm Simon.

Simon, nice to meet you.

Simon specialises in antiques and decorative items

for the home and garden sourced from around the world.

That's a stylish thing, isn't it?

This is a hunting horn,

but what it really is is a cigar or cigarette lighter.

And it's by the famous maker, Dunhill.

This would be passed around as the table light.

You can see where it has been bashed a bit.

I think these evenings can get a little bit raucous.

(I think it's going to be quite expensive.)

It's going to be a lot of money. But what a cool thing!

-How much is it?

-It's going to be £200.

-Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

-Purely because of the name.

Oh, of course.

Oh, gosh.

I didn't even have £200 at the start of the day.

More like the start of the week!

Sweet pup. Awww.

What's this?

That is a model from a hat shop.

It's for a woman's milliner.

Actually, that could be a potential purchase.

It could be quite good fun.

I quite like the angular lines to her.

It's made from rubber,

and could have come from an old department store.

It's priced at £35.

Let's talk about the head. The model.

Do you think we could do something slightly on the price?

-I can help a little. I could do it for £30.

-£30.

I think I'm going to have to go for her. I'll give you £30 for her.

-Is that all right?

-That's fine.

-Thank you, thank you very much.

£30 for the rather odd rubber mannequin head.

I've got to think of a name for her.

If you come up with any bright ideas, give me a call.

You could always name her after my little pup.

-Ella.

-Ella! Done.

Christina's travelled west to Hawarden.

A charming village in Flintshire, and home to Gladstone's library,

which tells of the secret love of William Gladstone,

one of Britain's most revolutionary Prime Ministers.

Christina's come to meet warden Peter Francis.

Hello! You must be Peter.

Hello, Christina. Welcome to Gladstone's library.

Thank you so much. Lovely to meet you.

Born in 1809, William Ewart Gladstone was educated at Eton

and Oxford University before becoming a Conservative MP

at the tender age of 23. He rose through the ranks,

eventually becoming Prime Minister,

but outside politics, his passion was reading.

Throughout his life, he amassed a collection of over 30,000 books,

now on display, along with his papers.

People know about Gladstone because he was four times Prime Minister,

and what they don't know is he was a voracious reader.

He read about 22,000 books in his lifetime.

He always listed what he read every day in his diary,

and if you add them up, it comes to 22,000.

-That's about a book a day.

-A book a day!

And most of those have his annotations throughout.

These self-penned thoughts give later readers

a fascinating understanding of the great man.

Here is a book that's a life of William Wilberforce,

the great slavery reformer.

He wrote, "I breakfasted with Mr Wilberforce

"four days before his death.

"He asked for my father, 'And how is your sweet mother?'

"His conversation was cheerful, musical, and flowing,

"his prayer like that of one already released."

And signed by him.

At peace. Isn't that wonderful?

And here's one that's a biography of his great rival, Disraeli.

And it's quite heavily annotated throughout,

and Gladstone's written across the page,

"untrue, untrue, untrue."

I think that's wonderful. That tells you quite a lot

-about the man as well, doesn't it?

-Yes, it does.

Gladstone moved to liberalism,

and his radical views saw great reform in the Victorian era.

He championed free-trade, home rule for Ireland,

and introduced a secret ballot.

He brought about an education act

that gave numeracy and literacy to all children

at a time when it was predominantly the rich that were educated.

However, like many great reformers, Gladstone didn't please everyone,

and experienced a famously frosty relationship with the monarch.

This was a present from Queen Victoria to Gladstone.

-Oh, really?

-They didn't get on very well.

But she gave him a book.

The Right Honourable William Gladstone,

from Victoria Regina.

1868.

-Yes.

-Well, that's a pretty special book.

And what's this? Is this some sort of library security measure?

HE LAUGHS

No. I mean, it probably functions as that as well!

But actually, it's one of Gladstone's axes.

Gladstone was very struck when they were building the railway

in Hawarden by the dignity of human labour,

and he wondered what he could do.

And so, he began to cut down trees.

He thought that cutting some down

would help him enter into the spirit of this.

He seems like quite a diverse character.

Very diverse character.

Gladstone believed reading was key to people bettering themselves.

He helped set up libraries across the country,

and often lent out his own books.

When he retired from politics, aged 85,

he wanted to share his huge private collection with the wider public,

hoping to bring together readers who had no books

and books who had no readers.

Aged 85, he built a sort of corrugated iron hut.

He then packed up the 33,000 books in little piles

with string on the top, and he put them in a wheelbarrow,

and with the help of one of his daughters and a member of staff,

he wheeled the 33,000 books the mile from his house

-to the corrugated iron hut.

-Really?!

-Yeah.

When he died, it was thought a leaky, corrugated iron hut

-wasn't a suitable place for the great man's books.

-No, quite.

So this was built as a national memorial to him.

Gladstone died in 1898,

and this impressive building was erected soon after.

Gladstone's intention was to create a haven for students and readers,

a legacy that has stretched across the pond, too.

It was also the model for American presidential libraries.

-This library?

-This library was.

-Oh, wonderful.

And Gladstone's example of giving his books and papers to the public

and available to people was taken by Woodrow Wilson,

who was American president at the time of the First World War,

and then Roosevelt played on that a bit more and built his own library,

and every president since then has had their own library.

But this is the only Prime Ministerial library in the UK.

This truly unique library gives us

an extraordinary insight into this revolutionary man.

A befitting tribute to one of Britain's greatest statesmen.

And on that note, it's off to bed.

So nighty-night.

What a lovely morning.

Oh, this is beautiful, isn't it?

-I can't believe how well you're driving this van.

-I know.

-Oh, no, here we are, we're going up a hill now.

-I'm so impressed.

-Oh, OK, well...

-THEY LAUGH

But when we started out, you were hopeless.

Yesterday, Thomas picked up four items,

spending £33 on a soapstone goblet,

a Masonic goblet,

an Edwardian bamboo chair and a mannequin head.

He's now got just over £90 left.

Christina spent £60 on two items.

An Art Deco-style lamp

and a snooker table light,

so she still has just under £210.

And sadly, it's nearly the end of this road trip.

This is it! I cannot believe it! It's gone so quickly.

It really has gone quickly, hasn't it? Yeah.

And we seem to have covered an awful lot of miles together.

With the auction nearing in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire,

Christina starts her final buying day just outside Northwich

in the heart of Cheshire. This attractive market town

is known for its beautiful timber buildings and canal network.

Here we are. An antique shop.

-Looks lovely.

-I'll see you this afternoon.

Oh, my goodness.

Look at this. Ah, Lister.

So, we have got in here a butter churn.

So we would have stood here for about 10 hours,

churning and churning and churning.

It was the most thankless task, churning your butter.

It's quite fun, isn't it?

Owner Jan Gnatiuk has a passion for old furniture, amongst other things.

Hello! Nice to meet you.

-Hello! Who are you?

-I'm Jan.

-Jan, lovely to meet you.

-Thank you.

What will she spot in here, then?

You've got some interesting pictures here.

So, Marcel Pic, I think, was quite well-known for doing caricatures,

-I think, of sort of military themes.

-Yes.

He looks like he's sort of almost gone to select his horse,

and you've got his dear old horse over here,

which is propped up with crutches.

Looks like something from a pantomime!

SHE LAUGHS

What have you got on that?

-I can do it you for a tenner.

-That might be interesting.

You should be able to make some money on that.

It looks like an original,

because it's actually in pastel, and it's picked out in white.

It's got the pencil date mark on it as well, somewhere.

Signed and dated 1891.

OK, well, that could be a goer.

Cor, she works fast! You've only just arrived, Christina.

As I'm going to Stoke, I think I'd like to buy some pots.

I've got a dinner service which is going cheap.

-I've had it for a while.

-Have you?

It's in the bottom cupboard in the press.

-Have you got things stashed in drawers?!

-Yes.

-Have you?

-Always have things stashed in drawers.

-Have you?!

Oh, go on, show me your drawers, Jan.

Hey, he's not lying!

There are all sorts of things hidden away.

It's in the bottom drawer.

I think it's 1960s or 1950s, but it's complete.

Oh, my goodness! That's Denby, isn't it?

Yeah. It's got the pepper, tea, the butter...

I have sold one of these quite recently.

You can have the lot for a fiver.

-Really?!

-Yes.

Yeah, I'm being serious.

I need it out.

I mean, it has got that retro look about it,

-and its saving grace is, it's quite nice.

-And there's no damage.

But it'll take half an hour to wrap it all up!

The service for six is circa 1970,

and comes complete with dinner plates, side plates,

soup bowls, tureens, a teapot,

cups, saucers and condiment items to boot.

Let's think about this. What about the picture...

..and the dinner service, for a tenner?

-HE GASPS

-Go on.

-I'll twist you.

-Really?

-Yes.

-You're an angel.

-You're welcome.

-Do I have to wrap it up now?

-Yes!

I'm not wrapping it up! I hate wrapping up!

That's fair enough.

And Christina's managed to bag herself

two fabulous lots for just £10.

-Take care, see you again.

-Bye, thank you.

Meanwhile, Thomas has taken the Bedford van ten miles east

to just outside the old farming village of Goostrey in Cheshire.

He's come to Jodrell Bank observatory

to find out about a world-famous pioneer

whose ground-breaking inventions helped put our nation

among the front runners in the golden age of the space race.

Thomas is meeting astrophysicist Professor Tim O'Brien

-to hear more.

-Hello, I'm Thomas.

-Hello, I'm Tim.

That's not going to be confusing, is it?

No, no, that's very easy. Tim and Tom.

Ha-ha! Sir Bernard Lovell was born in 1913.

By the outbreak of the Second World War,

he led a team to develop new radar technology,

helping to significantly halt the Nazi campaign by sea.

Once the war ended, Lovell's career turned to astronomy.

So, what happened then after the war?

Lovell wanted to use radar,

that he had helped develop, to do some physics.

They were throwing away a lot of war-surplus equipment,

and the people here at Jodrell got a big army truck,

and they drove around the country,

piling electronics into the back of the truck,

-because it was being chucked down mineshafts.

-Yeah, yeah.

It was ripped apart, cannibalised, and built into...

-Other things.

-..this equipment,

-which was used to look at outer space.

-THOMAS LAUGHS

Components of these electronics

became vital to Lovell's future scientific pursuits.

He realised that larger equipment

would allow him to delve further into the unexplored universe.

So, in 1952, work began on a huge 250-foot telescope,

the largest steerable telescope in the world.

But despite its original intention,

it was soon called on for another purpose.

At the beginning of the space race,

when Russia launched their beachball-sized satellite

Sputnik 1 into space to orbit Earth,

Lovell and his telescope made history,

suddenly playing a key role in the Cold War.

He got a phone call from somebody in government, who said to him,

"Actually, you know, the thing that carried Sputnik into space,

"the rocket, is actually a missile,

"an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"Would you be able to use a radar transmitter on your telescope,

"not to track Sputnik itself, but to track the rocket?"

Because the next thing that might be launched by the Soviet Union

might be something rather more serious, a nuclear warhead.

In October 1957, Lovell's telescope tracked the rocket

that had launched the Russian satellite

as it too circled the Earth,

passing over the Lake District at five miles a second.

It was the only instrument in the world

capable of following such a missile,

technology that has since evolved into

the basis for our current missile defence systems.

Lovell and his team continued to track rockets

launched by Russia and America, and in 1966, they made headlines again.

What else has it been used for in that golden period of space race?

We actually tracked a Russian rocket onto the moon, that landed in 1966.

It took the very first pictures of the moon from the moon.

Developed the photograph, scanned it,

sent it back to Earth as a radio signal.

We eavesdropped on that signal, and actually...

-You couldn't help?

-Well, you would, wouldn't you?

One of the astronomers here recognised the sound of the signal,

and he said, "Do you know, it sounds like

"one of these newfangled fax machines."

Not very many people had them. They put out a call.

The Daily Express in London answered the call.

They drove up the road with an early facsimile receiver,

plugged it into the telescope,

and out came a picture of the surface of the moon,

the very first picture ever sent from the moon,

and they'd used fax technology, basically, to do it.

-Wow.

-We hacked into it and printed it on the front page

-of the Daily Express the next day.

-Gosh!

Britain published these pictures

before the Russians got a chance to release their own official images,

a major worldwide coup.

The telescope is now the third largest of its kind in the world,

and as technology evolves, it is upgraded,

keeping it at the forefront of cutting-edge science.

It's discovered distant galaxies powered by supermassive black holes,

and two-thirds of all known pulsars,

which are remnants of exploded stars.

Every day, we make a new discovery.

We are creeping our way forward,

but we also discover things we don't understand,

so the sort of boundary of our knowledge is ever-increasing,

but equally, there's stuff outside that boundary

that we're still yet to understand. That's what makes it so exciting.

Exciting. Sometimes frustrating.

Sir Bernard Lovell died in 2012,

but his passion for science and innovation

made him a visionary leader in his field.

His incredible inventions continue to assist

astronomic discoveries today,

and hopefully will do well into the future.

Just a few miles south, though,

Christina's made her way to Congleton.

The town's settlers date back to Neolithic times,

but it grew in the 18th century thanks to the textile industry.

Christina's come to a former ribbon mill.

I've been here before, and I made a friend last time I was here.

Is he there?

Eric? Hello, hello, my old friend!

-Hello.

-How are you? All right?

-Yes, fine.

Very nice to see you.

Now, last time I was here, you had some really interesting things.

So, have you got anything for me this time?

Oh, I love your Fry's chocolate sign.

-Mm-hm.

-That's fabulous.

-What have you got on that?

-185.

-Oh!

-Sorry!

-Thanks, but no thanks.

Christina's got just under £200 left,

but probably best not to risk that lead on one item.

-Those are nice, aren't they?

-That one's in good condition.

-This one's been a bit...

-That's been repainted.

-Yes, it was how I got them.

-Pair of vintage black coach lamps.

In your horse-drawn coach,

these would have gone on the side, wouldn't they?

They would have slot in so that you could light your way.

32. OK. All right.

-Worth thinking about.

-Yeah.

I quite like those.

They've certainly got some character to them as well.

There are two other floors to check out, Christina.

Right, what have we got in here? Ooh, this looks good.

Quite nice to have a look at a piece of something sparkly, anyway.

A Georgian caddy spoon.

So, that's really rather sweet.

-So, caddy spoons are eternally collectable.

-Mm-hm.

And this is quite a sweet one.

So you've got the duty mark there. George III, Q 1791.

So I think that's quite lovely.

This 18th-century silver tea caddy spoon has a ticket price of £28,

but Eric thinks the spoons' dealer might be able to do better.

-What did Kate say about a best price on our caddy spoon?

-17.

That is a good price, but I only really want to buy one more thing,

and I do like your lanterns downstairs.

-How much do you have on your lanterns?

-32.

-Can you do any better than that?

-Oh, yeah. I can do you them for 20.

With the damage on the glass and the fact they've been repainted,

I'd want to be getting them for £15 maximum.

-Is that something that you could do?

-Yeah, go on.

Generous of you, Eric.

Ooh, look! The centre even has a cafe.

That was my very last purchase of the week, so I owe you some money.

-Okey doke.

-There you are, my darling. Five, 10, 15. Cheers.

-Thank you very much.

-Cheers.

Look who it is.

Brace yourself, lads.

-Hello!

-Hello, hello.

-How are you?

-Very well.

-Can I join you?

-Yeah, do. Absolutely.

-I'm done.

-Five items?

-Five items. All done.

-Really?

-Yeah. How many have you got?

-One...

-One more to get?

-One more to get.

I'll see you back here for some cake. Go and do some shopping.

Oh, bossy! The pressure's on Thomas now.

He's got just under £90 left to spend.

See, I quite like a centre. I really do. There's loads of stuff.

And soon enough, Thomas spots something rather interesting.

In the First World War, when you were shot,

your family were sent a bronze penny

called a death penny or death plaque.

Arthur Preece, private, Royal Worcester Regiment,

died 7/9/16, aged 39.

God. So he was just a year younger than me.

Very nice. I mean, that is an amazing thing.

And it's only £55.

While Eric is sharing cake with Christina,

dealer Kate takes care of Thomas.

This death penny here.

Yes. I notice he's got 55 on it.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Do you think there'd be anything to be done on that?

It's pretty near the mark what he paid for it,

but I'm sure you could...

Give him a call.

While he waits to hear, Thomas is covering all bases.

Hang on a minute.

I've got a coffee, because I think I deserve one.

Well, a bit premature, perhaps,

but what about that £55 death penny, Thomas?

The death plaque is such an emotive thing.

And I think there's a profit in there, definitely.

But there's still no word from the dealer,

so Thomas is having a last look.

This is a Victorian jug.

It's made probably in Stoke-on-Trent.

It's quite good. Sounds OK.

There's a little bit of a hairline up there.

But what's so delightful about these hand-painted flowers is...

The token it says underneath it,

so this is something you'd give to your lover, "Forget Me Not".

Isn't that sweet?

(And for £27!)

Time to find Kate again.

-I've found this.

-Yeah.

Do you think we can do anything on that price?

Well, normally, that would be about £25.

-OK.

-But for you...

16?

Round 16?

Yeah, all right. I mean, you know, we could round it up and say 15.

-Go on, then.

-Yeah?

-15. 15 for that.

Or I have news on the death...

Oh, yes?

35 would be the very best.

Oh, my gosh!

So you have a choice.

-Oh.

-Or buy both!

That's a handsome £20 discount on the plaque.

Take your time, Thomas.

No need to rush!

-I've made a decision.

-Right.

I'm going to buy them both.

So, that's £50 for an early Victorian jug

and the First World War death plaque.

-Wish me luck! And thank you.

-Thank you.

That's shopping complete.

Along with the death plaque and jug,

Thomas bought an Edwardian bamboo chair,

a vintage mannequin head,

a 19th-century Masonic glass,

and a soapstone goblet for £143.

Christina spent £85 on a snooker table light,

an Art Deco-style lamp,

a Marcel Pic sketch,

a Denby dinner service, and a pair of Victorian carriage lanterns.

So, what do they think?

Thomas is so clever

to buy ceramics to bring to the homeland of the ceramics industry,

and that sentiment, "forget me not" -

I certainly won't forget him.

So, Christina's gone out and bought an Art Deco-style table lamp

in the form of a beautiful woman.

They're very decorative, and I think it's going to do quite well,

certainly where we're selling.

The Masonic goblet, again, very, very, very savvy buy.

There's going to be a good market for that.

All in all, I think Christina's got a chance to make a profit.

The only thing I think she's got a risk on

is the snooker table light.

Secretly, I'm a little bit nervous!

Christina and Thomas' last leg left from Gwersyllt in Wrexham,

with the final auction of the week

finishing up in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

Well, it's a lovely day, isn't it?

-It is a beautiful day.

-Gorgeous.

And I'm so happy. But I'm also sad.

That is exactly...

And the weather does not match my mood, Thomas,

because I feel like it should be matching the misery

I feel inside at leaving you.

-Are you crying inside?

-I am crying inside.

Bravely smiling on the outside!

No, I'm almost externally crying as well.

The city of Stoke-on-Trent, affectionately called The Potteries,

was formed in the early 20th century of six neighbouring towns.

Are we ready?

-I'm going to be very sad at the end of this.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-Oh, van.

I'm going to miss our van.

Right, let's go.

Sun shines on the righteous, Thomas.

12, 14...

Well, we'll see about that. Holding fort at the rostrum today

is auctioneer Lee Sherratt,

who's been running ASH Auctions for over 20 years.

We've had interest in quite a number of the items, to be honest.

Denby tea set, I think we've got a telephone bid coming through,

plus commission bids come in on that item.

The thing that most interests me, really, is the death plaque.

Usually those things go well.

My least favourite lot, really, is the jug.

I would think that one might struggle.

It's the final auction of the week.

On the phone, then...

First up is Christina's Denby dinner service.

Quite a lot of interest in this.

Quite a lot of interest!

We've got two or three commission bids.

We've also got a telephone bid.

And a phone bid! I don't believe it.

All the lot. Start the bidding.

-26.

-I've got £26 straight in.

-£26!

-On the phone at 28...

Phone bid straight in.

Four...

On the phone at 32 for the Denby.

Wonderful, Christina. Well done, you.

Sold at 32.

High-five!

A fantastic profit to start things off, Christina.

I sincerely hope we carry on in this vein,

although I very much doubt it.

Continuing the pottery theme,

Thomas' early Victorian jug is up next.

Nice jug there. Do I have a fiver?

-A fiver.

-Five commission bid.

I've got six, I've got seven, seven bid. Eight.

Eight bid now, nine, nine bid now, ten.

Ten bid now, 12.

Go on, go on, go on!

At £12. Commission winner, at £12, going.

Don't worry, it's early days, Thomas,

and only a small loss.

Forget you not. Forget the jug!

Let's hope Thomas does better with his Masonic glass.

I've got £30 bid. Straight onto commissions at 30 bid now.

Take five if you like. At 32, I'll take, then.

At £30. If not, I'm going to sell it to the commission buyer.

At £30, only bid at £30, and all done.

-Oh, no!

-Commission buyer gets it.

-£30.

-Thomas, I'm disappointed. It should have made more.

It made a £2 profit.

It all adds up.

Are you OK?

-HE FEIGNS CRYING

-Don't be glum on me.

Back with Christina and her pair of Victorian carriage lamps.

Can I see £50 to get on?

£50 to get on? £40.

No, no. Maybe?

For the two, this is. £20 for the two. Ten, then, somebody.

-Ten I'm bid, now.

-There we go.

12. Is that a bid?

On my right. 12. 12 bid.

14. 14. Here we go.

16, 18. 18, 20. 20, 22.

-Rightly so.

-Well, I think...

Can you imagine either side of the front door, or...

-They're very good, yeah.

-They're smart.

26. Where's eight? Now I'm going to sell.

At £26, and the hammer's up...

Anybody else?

Another decent profit for Christina.

I'm finding my feet now.

I think that's a brilliant result.

Well done, Christina.

Indeed.

Thomas has bundled together his vintage mannequin head

and Edwardian bamboo teddy's chair.

Bit random, but let's see how it goes.

£15 commission bid, straight in now at 15.

Looking for 16. If not, I'll sell.

Oh, dear.

..at 16, I'm going to sell it.

At £15, all done.

-That was pretty quick, wasn't it?

-It was jolly quick.

-Jolly quick.

He's still got two more items

to wow the auction-goers of Stoke with, though.

-If I hadn't bought the head, that would have been a profit.

-Yeah!

That's one way to look at it.

Can Christina make a third profit in a row

with her Art Deco-style lamp?

£20, bid me, somebody.

20 bid, straight in at 20.

At £20 bid, where? Two.

At 22, four? 24.

Well done, Christina.

Again, another profit.

Brilliant!

On the second row, you're all out now.

At 36 now. Eight.

-38 now!

-Really?!

Doubling money.

Right lot.

Being sold. I'm going to receive it at 40.

Go, Christina.

Another brilliant profit.

Another great success!

Can't believe this, Thomas.

Can this soapstone goblet make Thomas some money?

Put it in, somebody.

What's it worth? £20?

-Ooh!

-Nice piece, this is.

£20. £10, bid me, somebody?

Who's going to bid me? Ten, I'm bid on my right.

At ten bid, we're off now. At ten bid. Where's 12 short?

It's got to be worth more than this.

-What did you pay for this? 25?

-Yes.

£10 only. You got a chance.

You're going to lose it.

At £10...

Shame. But maybe he's saving his best for last.

It'll be fine, Thomas. It will be fine.

Please, Christina. If I'd have known,

if I'd have sort of got a flavour of the auction,

I think I would have bought slightly differently.

Too late for that now, Thomas.

We're back with Christina again for the snooker table light trio.

£40 for it.

40. £30.

£30, worth that, surely.

Not much we can do without lights. Come on. £30.

Not going to make any money.

35 now. Five. 25, 30.

-30 bidding now, five...

-It's not going to make any money.

-It's going to make it.

-No, it's not.

-It's going to make £40!

At £40. At £40. The hammer looking. £40...

It's a loss after auction costs,

but it gives Thomas a chance to catch up.

-Well done, Christina.

-Thanks.

Now it's Christina's final item,

the Marcel Pic charcoal sketch.

Open the bidding, somebody.

£20. 15 for it? Come on.

Give me ten. £10. £10?

Where are we? We've got a bid of ten.

I think people think it's a print, but it's not.

No, you said it's a sketch.

Well we've got a... Yeah, got a bid.

Right-hand side. 12.

12 bid. At 12, now 14.

14. 14, 16.

-For you...

-Is that the last item of our road trip?

-£14.

-Well, it's making a profit.

..at £14.

She's almost tripled her money on that last item. Great stuff.

-Thomas...

-HE LAUGHS

-Are you crying? Are you crying because this is it?

-So glad.

The first time on our road trip I'm glad

that you've got your pocket square.

But now, it's Thomas' World War I death plaque.

It's auctioneer Lee's pick,

and could be just what Thomas needs to take Christina's Road Trip crown.

We've got loads and loads of commission bids.

-See?

-£40.

£40 bid, straight in at £40.

-Brilliant! Instant profit.

-45.

-50.

-Five.

-55.

-60.

60, I'm bid. Five...

Thomas! This is brilliant!

70 bid now. 75...

75. We got £70 commission.

We haven't finished yet.

Go on, go on, go on!

75, 80. 85...

Go on.

-85, 90...

-I'm out.

All commission bids are now out.

In the room at £85.

Where's 90? I'm going to sell it.

Go on, one more.

£85. The hammer's up.

All finished.

Well done! £50 profit.

That's amazing.

What an incredible finish for Thomas.

Well done. Well done.

But has he done enough?

Thomas began this leg with £186.14.

Despite that great last profit,

he's down £18.36 after auction costs,

leaving him £167.78.

Christina kicked off with £269.07.

After a great auction, she's made £39.64.

She finishes with £308.71,

making her this week's queen of the Road Trip.

All profits, of course, go to Children In Need.

Blimey!

Christina...

Go on. Tell me.

-I need to drive you.

-Why?

Because you've again annihilated me.

-Did I win this auction?

-You did! You've done it.

-So does that mean I get chauffeured?

-You get chauffeured by moi.

Oh, my goodness! How spoilt!

-I know.

-How spoilt!

THEY LAUGH

That's it for these two, and what a week, eh?

Their trip took them from Ireland...

I don't want to go back to the United Kingdom.

..to Wales...

It comes with a free squeak.

How could a girl refuse(?)

..and England...

This could be my lucky day.

Luckily, Thomas' driving has improved.

Go on, go on, go on. You can do it! You can do it!

-Go on. Go on.

-Hooray!

-Third's easy. Third is easy.

Sadly, his singing hasn't.

# Why, why, why, Delilah... #

But they've had a blast.

Probably really ought to start doing some more shopping, hadn't I?

Next time: A brand-new pair hit the road.

Charlie Ross is doing everything he can to reach new heights.

Oh!

But James Braxton has a secret weapon up his sleeve.

I bring a new thing in my life,

which is yoga.