Episode 21 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.

HE LAUGHS

-There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

-Sorry!

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 first leg of a brand-new road trip

and this week, it's the return of old partners in crime,

James Braxton and Charlie Ross.

# Another opening, another show

# In Philly, Boston or Baltimo'

# Another chance for the folks to show

# Another opening of another show. #

How's that?

Sounds all right to me, Charlie.

They are travelling in a 1961 Ford Zephyr, manufactured

before seatbelts were mandatory, and spirits are high on day one.

-The sun is out.

-The sun is out.

I'm in the hands of an expert driver.

-Yes.

-In a luxury car.

On the last outing those two took together,

Charlie smashed a road trip record.

He paid just £8 for a Staffordshire elephant,

and sold it for an astonishing £2,700.

You're hearing this?

For the last time, £2,700...

APPLAUSE

-Take a bow.

-Take a bow.

James took his defeat on the chin.

I'm leaving. I think my road trip is over.

LAUGHTER

But this time round, he's going to new lengths to try

to gain the upper hand.

Since I last saw you, since our Scottish trip,

I bring a new thing in my life, which is yoga.

Don't tell me you're into yoga?!

Both mentally prepared and physically prepared.

You are taking on the athlete of antiques.

Could have fooled me!

Our experts have £200 to spend.

Their trip starts in the Lincolnshire town of Boston

and meanders through Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, up to Leicestershire

before heading south and finishing in the Surrey town of Cobham.

Today's leg starts off from Boston

and heads to auction in the rural Norfolk town of Fakenham.

Charlie's first shop is an old railway station office.

Look at this. Oh!

All my shopping will be over in a twinkling of an eyelash.

-Go forward and multiply.

-Multiply.

-Multiply.

-200 quid! Bingo!

Crikey, he's in a hurry!

-Jack, I'm running to meet you.

-I don't blame you.

It's always such a pleasure to be here. Can I have a look round?

-Yeah, have a look round.

-Wonderful.

They bill themselves here as dealers in nostalgia, and that may be true,

but it's outside that looks rather interesting.

Good Lord, you've got a camel! Was that here last time I came?

-No, no, that's recent.

-Can I go and sit on him?

-Yeah, you go sit on him.

-I've never bought a camel.

-No.

-I'm going to fall over this damn thing.

-Mind how you go, Charlie.

-Oh, gosh!

-The stepladder is not very strong.

I feel like Lawrence of Arabia already.

You look a bit like Peter O'Toole.

SINGS THEME TO LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

Haven't got any white robes, have you, Jack?

This is not a camel for a hernia problem, is it?

-How much is your camel, Jack?

-He can be 275 to you.

-What a steal, Jack.

-It's for nothing, isn't it?

-It is.

A steal, but, sadly, too rich for your blood, Charlie.

Time to get inside and see

if there's anything in your price range here.

-It's a bit more modern, that, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's '50s, isn't it?

Got a plastic head. He's quite fun, though.

We're getting almost buyable.

-Can that be 30 quid?

-No.

Jack, I thought I'd ask.

There's never any harm in asking, Jack.

-£70.

-55?

£60, I'll have a deal with you.

-He's coming down. Jack's coming my way.

-£60.

-Jack's coming to meet me.

Oh, hang on.

-That's ghastly, isn't it?

-What's that?

You must agree with me -

-that's the most awful cruet I've ever seen in my life.

-Yeah.

But... Chromium plated,

-19...

-It's got to be '50s.

-..60-something, I'd say.

Salt and pepper in the form of a rather...

-£35, Charlie.

-35.

Now we're going, now we're going. We're really motoring now.

Could spend all my £200 here today and then go to the seaside.

Bingo would be so jealous.

So would I.

With the model car and the salt-and-pepper cruet

under consideration, he is making progress.

-Charlie...

-Yeah.

-..what about this globe here? That's quite nice.

Very 1960s, isn't it?

-That's nice, isn't it?

-Is that a 30-quid globe?

-No, it's not. 75.

-75.

-But it's just nice.

-Lovely globe. It's in super condition.

We'll talk prices.

I've seen three things there I might well be able to get...

Come round, Jack. Let's get to the nitty-gritty of this.

HE EXHALES

I quite like your globe. I love your toy.

The cruet I think is ghastly, but is saleable at a price.

-Not going to take 100 quid for those three, are you?

-No.

Or are you? Cash.

Give me another 20 and you've got a deal.

-120 for the three?

-Yeah.

-110?

-No, 120.

-That's it, isn't it?

-Yeah, that's the lot.

-And not a penny less.

-No.

I'm not going to knock you any more

because I think you've been very fair to me.

Charlie's off on a flyer.

He's got the globe for £50, the 1960s battery-operated car,

also for £50,

and the chromium-plated cruet in the form of an aeroplane for £20.

Got it? Good.

-Lovely to see you, Jack.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-See you again.

-Bye-bye.

-Yeah, bye-bye.

Meanwhile, James is heading to the centre of Boston.

This charming little antiques and collectables emporium

is his first shop,

and if the paint looks fresh, well, that's because it only just opened.

-Hello, James.

-Welcome to the Magpie's Nest.

-Hello.

-What are you called?

-Des.

-Des, very nice to meet you.

-We've only been open for one week now.

-One week?

-One week.

So there's no point in me saying fresh goods here. They're all fresh.

-All fresh goods.

-Lead on. Lead on, Des.

This way into one of the first rooms.

The shop may be new and the stock may be fresh,

but nothing's got James hooked just yet.

We're not finding you a sale yet?

No, don't worry. I just like to drink it all in.

Drink it all in.

And he won't miss a thing.

Look at this tall fellow. He is handsome.

I always like something that's a little tall. What is this for?

-I think that's for gladioli.

-Gladioli.

Dame Edna Everage's great, great thing.

I love the way she used to throw it at the end of the thing.

She used to throw these things out.

Gladioli is like being hit by a bit of bamboo, isn't it?

THEY LAUGH

I think it's made for a '60s, '70s market, isn't it?

-So very light, isn't it?

-What have you got on it?

-£22 on it.

-You chancer, Des, eh?

-What about 15?

What about 15? What about 10, mate?

-£12 and it's yours.

-12, you say?

-12.

-12, put it there.

-Thank you very much.

-Very kind. Thank you, Des.

Well, possums, the Dame-Edna-inspired gladioli vase,

which had a ticket price for £22,

has been snapped up by James for £12.

Charlie has travelled to the Lincolnshire town of Spalding.

With three items already under his belt, he's on a roll.

-Ah, this must be the boss?

-This is the boss.

-Hello, boss.

-Hello, Charlie. Nice to see you.

-Your name is?

-John.

John, lovely to be here, John. Now, may I have a quick look round?

You have a look round with pleasure.

It's not every antique shop which can boast its very own

oil painting of Chas and Dave, so what other gems are there in here?

On my way in here, out of the corner of my eye,

I caught a glimpse of an extremely exciting item.

Now, what would that be?

Well, I tell you what, what do fish have on the outside?

-They have scales.

-Scales?

-They do.

-What's outside?

-A set of scales.

THEY LAUGH

-Can we go and have a look at them?

-Yes, let's have a look.

-Thank you.

-After you.

-Here they are. Look at that.

-Yes.

-Avery of Birmingham.

-That's right.

-Victorian.

Hang your weights on there, I suppose, don't you,

-and there's the fine tuning for your pounds.

-That's right.

On the scale of things, these look very nice.

I'll be perfectly honest with you.

-I think they'll probably sell for 35 quid at auction.

-What about...

rock bottom...

£30 notes?

Charlie's going to think about that one.

He's also spotted a flash little number

that might just suit his personality.

Ooh, you've got a racing car, a Ferrari, no less.

-I think it is a Ferrari.

-It is a Ferrari.

I can tell you it's a Ferrari. Look at that.

-Wonderful. I've sold a real one of these.

-I know you have.

Do you know how much it made? 16 million.

I think this is probably a little less.

This is a very good model, actually. It's even got the old...

Well, that's terribly expensive.

-It's a tenner.

-Is it a tenner?

-It's a tenner.

-What, a Ferrari for a tenner?

-A Ferrari for a tenner.

You're in Spalding.

THEY LAUGH

I love that line.

"A Ferrari for a tenner. You're in Spalding!"

-I'm getting very excited...

-Really?

..by your Ferrari and your Victorian scales.

We might be able to do a little package, do you think?

The scales have a ticket price of £40, and the car £10,

but can Charlie strike a deal for the two?

Now, you don't want to take £20 for your scales, do you?

-I'm trying hard.

-I'll take £30 for the scales.

The scales I want to buy because I think I might make a profit.

This I want to buy cos I don't think it will make a profit,

but it's me, isn't it?

-I'll give you 30 quid for your scales, John.

-OK.

I'm sorry I haggled so hard. That was a bit naughty of me, really.

No, it wasn't. It was most enjoyable.

But you stuck your ground and I'm happy to give you £30.

Well, that's very kind of you. You ought to have the Ferrari.

I should have a Ferrari, shouldn't I? It's silly not to buy a Ferrari.

-That's right.

-£30 for your scales.

-Thank you very much indeed.

I shall be able to go out this evening now.

Yeah, I'm going to have your bloomin' Ferrari.

-I can't resist it.

-I can go out tomorrow night as well.

You can go out for the rest of the week, sir.

-John, it's been a pleasure.

-I enjoyed it.

Thank you very much indeed.

So, Charlie walks away with the scales for £30

and a rather sentimental purchase of the model Ferrari Testarossa

for £10, bringing his total spend to £160.

Bingo, who would have thought it?

I've come to Spalding and what have I found?

A Ferrari Testarossa!

While Charlie's been spending, James is heading to King's Lynn.

During the early part of World War I,

this historic Norfolk town was literally struck with tragedy.

It was one of the first places in Britain to be

bombed from the air by the Germans.

To make matters worse, King's Lynn wasn't even the intended target.

James has come to the Lynn Museum,

where curator Dana Woolbright can tell him more.

-Hello.

-Hello. James Braxton.

-Welcome to Lynn Museum.

-Hello.

-Would you like to follow me?

-Yes, lead on.

In January 1915, two massive German Zeppelin airships came

floating over the Norfolk skies.

Many people in Britain had heard of these, but nobody would ever

have expected to see them flying overhead,

leave alone what was about to come.

King's Lynn was actually one of the first places

to be bombed by a Zeppelin.

On the night of 19th January 1915,

two Zeppelins flew over from Germany, both carrying bombs.

When the L4 Zeppelin came over King's Lynn,

it dropped a total of eight bombs.

Some of them didn't explode, others did.

Several people were injured and buildings were destroyed,

and there was two casualties, unfortunately, on that night.

This is actually a piece of the Zeppelin bomb

which came down in a very small village outside of King's Lynn.

-So is this just the tip of it?

-It's just the tip of it.

-And that's a real weight, isn't it?

-It really is, yeah.

The bombing of King's Lynn and the deaths of two locals inspired

the community to become more involved with the war effort.

Engineers, in particular, had valuable expertise to bring to the

table and local firm Savage's turned their business towards the fight.

Frederick Savage was a fantastic engineer and entrepreneur.

He started off his business in farming and agricultural equipment

before he then branched off into fairground rides.

In the Victorian era, no fairground would be complete without

one of the Savage's carousels.

So, from a carousel, from a sort of tractor-maker to carousel-maker,

which avenue did he go down for the war effort?

By the time the First World War started,

Frederick Savage had unfortunately died,

but his sons were running the business instead

and they managed to secure the manufacturing rights

to the Voisin LA biplane,

which they made in their factory here in King's Lynn.

The skills of working with canvas and wire, engineering equipment

was easily transferable into working with these planes.

From flying horses to flying planes,

Savage's produced a number of these aircraft for the British war effort,

and the King's Lynn engineering expertise didn't stop there.

A local inventor by the name of Thomas Cooper

revolutionised how we bombed the enemy.

This is a Thomas Cooper bomb, which were made in King's Lynn,

and they were one of the first small aerial bombs to be

used during the First World War.

They were fitted with a safety device, which meant that they

wouldn't explode until they'd been dropped out of the aeroplane.

That's a very wise idea.

And this great wheel thing going on in the front?

Yeah, that's part of the safety device,

-so this little propeller would have fitted on the front there.

-Yeah.

That would have been spinning as it went out

and once it had spun enough times, you get your explosion.

Interesting that in King's Lynn, we've got Savage's,

we've got Cooper's and this probably was replicated all over the country,

everybody migrating their existing skills

to help with the mighty war effort.

This collective invention and spirit played an important role,

and its impact on helping win the First World War

cannot be underestimated.

Right now, it's time for the chaps to have some well-earned rest

so, nighty-night.

It's a brand-new day and the boys are back on the hunt

for antiques, with Charlie taking on chauffeuring duties.

-Is everything all right in the back, sir?

-Lovely, thank you.

Yesterday, Charlie was a big spender,

splashing £160 on five lots.

A 1960s vintage battery-operated car,

a cruet in the form of an aeroplane,

a globe,

a set of Victorian baker's scales, and a model car.

That leaves him with just £40 to spend today.

James had far less fruitful day,

spending only £12 on a gladioli vase.

His pockets are pretty full, with £188 left to spend.

The fellows are still in King's Lynn this morning

and heading to James's first shop.

-Lovely.

-Will that do for you, sir?

-Lovely, thank you.

-Splendid.

I'll be around, sir, don't worry.

HE LAUGHS

-Ah, thank you. Thank you.

-Pleasure, sir.

-Are you going shopping this morning, sir?

-Yes, shopping.

-Marvellous.

-Just freshen you up a little, sir.

-There we are.

-Marvellous.

-Have a good day, sir.

-Same to you, Ross.

-See you later.

-Bye.

How sweet.

James still has plenty of money burning a hole in his pocket

and with only one item to show for yesterday,

he'd best not dilly-dally today.

-Hello.

-Good morning.

-Hello. James.

-Hello, James. I'm Maggie.

-Hello, Maggie. Nice to see you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Now, how long have you had this lovely place for?

-Two-and-a-half years.

-Two-and-a-half years? Good. Going strong.

OK, well, I'll just have a good old rootle around.

Chop chop. You're lagging behind here.

Crikey, he's an acquired taste!

Maggie, can I look in this cabinet down here?

Lovely piece of wood.

"The Beaver Talbot tie press."

-I'd like the nameplate.

-Would that have been...

..something, yeah,

that a gentleman would have simply

put in his wardrobe with the tie in?

Yeah, I think so. He would have left it overnight,

-rather like putting trousers in a trouser-press.

-Yeah.

Or maybe at rest, when he was reading his newspaper.

You just recline in your armchair,

there we are, doing two jobs at once.

SHE LAUGHS

A man should look his best at all times.

With James's tie now nice and straight, and the tie-presser

a definite contender, are there any other items on his radar?

It's a stand, it's a tazza.

The rather nice thing is, it has a little

pictorial thing here,

and I think it's probably Windsor Castle.

This is rather fun so, a paper knife,

wholly appropriate it should have a terminal here, the Penny Black.

This was the mighty stamp.

This is the stamp that made the world slightly smaller,

introduced in the early part of the 1840s.

Incredibly successful.

This was an invention that introduced a new item.

-It's like the internet revolution, isn't it?

-Yeah, absolutely.

An amazing take-up.

Maggie is off to chat with colleague Ian to see what price they'll

be able to do on the tazza and the paper knife.

We could do...maybe 40 would probably be the best, I think.

So that's sort of looking at about £20 each, isn't it?

What about if I bought the strange beaver fellow, what could that be?

-Four.

-That could be four, could it?

How about the whole lot for 40?

-Erm, yeah, OK.

-That's very kind of you.

Thank you very much indeed, Maggie.

So that's a deal done for £40 for all three items.

£18 for the tazza,

£18 for the paper knife

and the tie press thrown in for £4.

-£40. Very kind of you.

-Lovely.

Is that you done in here now, James?

-Maggie, I did notice one more thing. Can I show you?

-Yes, certainly.

It's sort of winking at me.

My eye suddenly alighted on this rather magnificent pheasant.

-Ah, yes.

-The mighty cock bird.

And I just wondered, I've had a look at the price tag,

and I was sort of tempted...

Could it be bought for 45?

The ticket price is a very specific £92.52p,

so Maggie's off for another tete-a-tete with Ian,

armed with James's £45 offer.

What's the result, Maggie?

-What is the result?

-He says yes.

He says yes, the man from Del Monte says yes!

-45, let's not fiddle around.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much indeed.

I've had a lovely morning with you

and I am now offski.

Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

So that last-minute purchase of the pheasant brings James's total spend

to £97, with one more shop to go.

King's Lynn is steeped in maritime tradition.

For centuries, it was one of the country's most vital river ports,

providing easy access for trade with mainland Europe,

so it's perhaps not surprising that two of the town's

most celebrated sons are a pair of sailors

who made their mark on the world stage.

George Vancouver and Samuel Gurney Cresswell were both born in the town

and were both instrumental in some crucial geographic discoveries.

Charlie's come to meet Doreen Leventhall

from the King's Lynn Preservation Trust to find out more.

Doreen, what a splendid sea breeze there is today.

I've been to King's Lynn before,

but I've never really realised its historical importance.

It was a very important port,

and from earliest times, grew up on the side of the River Great Ouse

and by the early 13th century,

it was one of the four most important ports in England.

The port was the hub for trade with Europe for centuries, and buildings

like the old custom house were right at the heart of the business.

Not far from here is a tribute

to our first King's Lynn maritime hero, George Vancouver.

Born in the town in 1757, he joined the Navy at just 13.

At the end of the 18th century, there was

a race to discover a faster trade route between Europe and Asia.

Vancouver was sent to explore.

-Here he is.

-Here he is.

Captain George Vancouver.

He made his career in the Navy

and in 1791, he was given the commission of charting

the west coast of America.

They made this massive journey from California right up to Alaska.

All the little inlets, they went in on small boats, charting them

and keeping the records, and his maps were

so good that they were still used until relatively recent times.

After the longest surveying expedition in history,

which lasted four-and-a-half years,

Vancouver didn't find the elusive Northwest Passage but he made all

sorts of other discoveries, and even had a Canadian city named after him.

When he got back here, he didn't make old bones, did he?

-You're right about the old bones. He was only 39.

-Gosh.

He died of illness, but this seems to be quite common with sailors.

I think it was just a very tough life at sea.

That didn't stop another of King's Lynn's finest taking up the mantle.

Samuel Gurney Cresswell was born in 1827

and was to become another King's Lynn naval legend.

Cresswell was born into a banking family

in these opulent surroundings.

So this is a bank house. It's really rather splendid.

And this was where Samuel Gurney Cresswell was born.

We know from his mother's letters that he was always a restless child,

so it was suggested by a family friend, who was in the Navy,

that perhaps a naval life would be better for young Samuel.

Young Cresswell loved Navy life,

ao much so, that he signed up for an Arctic voyage in 1849,

hoping to discover the Northwest Passage that had eluded

fellow King's Lynn sailor, Vancouver.

Cresswell was on a ship that was captained by a man called McClure

and he was absolutely determined to be the first man

-to find the Northwest Passage.

-Yeah.

So he pressed on in when the other ship that was with them

actually turned back because they thought it was too dangerous.

And that's how we know that they made it into the Arctic

but, of course, they got stuck in the ice.

Cresswell's ship, HMS Investigator,

was trapped in the ice for over two years.

The crew, faced with starvation, were eventually rescued.

Cresswell, who was still in good health, volunteered to lead

a group overland for 300 miles to meet a rescue ship.

This journey was the first documented evidence

of the Northwest Passage.

Cresswell arrived back in England as living proof of the discovery

of this long-sought-after route.

All the people of King's Lynn turned out and gave him a hero's welcome.

-The church bells were rung...

-Oh, my goodness.

-..and flags were waved.

-He'd never have got that if he'd been a banker, would he?

-No.

And so he was home and he was safe.

King's Lynn may not be a thriving port today, but, thanks to

its two naval heroes, it holds a special place in maritime history.

James's final shop is in the seaside town of Hunstanton.

Le Strange Old Barns is located only 200 yards from the beach

and while we do like to be beside the seaside,

James still has some shopping to do.

-James Braxton.

-Hello, James.

-Patrick.

-Hello. Nice to meet you, Patrick.

-You too.

James still has just over £100 to play with.

On such a sunny day, his thoughts are turning to the outdoors

and this funny-looking little old chap.

-Well, he's a humorous old fellow, isn't he?

-He's a little planter.

He's a planter, is he? Very smart.

A smart gnome's hat, hasn't he?

He's rather funny. What sort of price is he, Patrick?

£35 on him.

-35?

-You could make an offer.

The only thing that is steering me towards the gnome is to hear

Charlie... my competitor's reaction to it.

Patrick, would a tenner buy that?

-Yes, it will.

-You had me worried there for a moment.

-£10.

I thought you'd held your breath and you were going to faint on me.

-I'm sure he'll go to a good home, definitely.

-I think he's rather fun.

-Antiques should have a little humour.

-Of course.

Will there be a profit in humour, though? That remains to be seen.

Let's go to your till.

So, for £10 down from a ticket price of £35,

the gnome is off to auction, and James's shopping is complete.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Charlie's final shop is in the Norfolk village of Snettisham.

The Old Granary is packed to the gunwales,

but with only £40 left, Charlie will have to be resourceful.

No better fellow for resource.

-A-ha, are you Sarah, by any chance?

-I am.

-Marvellous. I'm Charlie.

-Hello, Charlie.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Am I allowed to do that?

-You are.

-We've only just met!

-Can I have a look round...

-Of course you can.

-..and I'll scream for you if I see the bid of my dreams?

-OK, thank you.

Ooh, look at this. Columbia grafonola number 202 portable.

What amazing condition! I don't think anybody's ever used it.

Price, £85. Problem. I don't have £85.

Not even half that, in fact.

-Sarah...

-Hello.

-..I need you.

-You need me?

-I need you.

-Wonderful.

-This is fab. Does it play?

-It does.

RECORD PLAYS

I think I'm falling in love. Hang on.

-Would you dance?

-I would.

Ah, this is romance! Dim the lights!

You old charmer, Charlie.

-I could give you a few lessons, if you like?

-That's fab.

It's portable, so you could take it on a picnic.

I'll be quite frank with you,

-I don't think I'm going to be able to buy this...

-Right.

-..because I went shopping yesterday.

-Could we run to 50?

I haven't got 50. I have not got £50.

-I can tell you, I've got 40 quid.

-Do you have rubber gloves?

-Do I have rubber gloves?

-Yes.

-No, why? Odd question.

You could do some washing up downstairs, I'm sure, earn £40.

-I'll tell you what, I've got a better idea.

-All right.

-Would you like a ride in my car?

-I'd love a ride in your car.

If I gave you a ride in my car,

would I still have to do the washing up?

OK, we'll forget the washing up.

Forget the washing up and have a ride in my car.

Oh, I'm not quite sure this is within the rules

but Sarah seems quite happy.

-So where are we going?

-Right, we're going...

..to Paradise Island.

Good work, Charlie.

The grafonola is yours for £40 and a spin round the block

and you even got out of doing those dishes, you old rogue!

So, with the shopping complete,

Charlie Ross has spent all of his £200 picking up six lots -

the set of scales, two very different model cars,

a globe,

a chromium-plated cruet and the grafonola.

James Braxton was a lot more frugal, only spending £107 on his six lots -

the gladioli vase, the tie-press, the brass tazza,

the silver paper knife, the stuffed pheasant

and, topping it all off,

the gnome guarding naturally over Mother Earth.

But what do they make of each other's items?

I'm most worried about the Avery scales,

the globe and the Testarossa.

Well, amongst James's sea of mediocrity, he bought a tie-press.

Well, Bingo and I are the only two people in the world that wear ties

so although it was £4, it's probably worth 5.

Charlie and James are travelling to the auction in the Norfolk

town of Fakenham, and thoughts are turning to the competition.

Bingo, are you pleased with your purchases?

Cos I was quite amused by some of them, to be perfectly honest.

I was delighted with them.

I thought, when in Norfolk, what do you think about Norfolk?

You think about pheasants, you think about wildlife. OK, mine's stuffed.

I will declare my hand.

I am not confident, and looking at your purchases

and the fact that you've only spent half your money

and mine, I'm expecting defeat.

Oh, yeah, that's the spirit, Charlie.

Today's auction is taking place at the local racecourse.

Look at this.

-What time is the first race?

-The first race will be 2.30, won't it?

-Or 1.30.

-I'll put on a tenner.

I stand a better chance with that than my lots, I think.

But does auctioneer David James think there's an odds-on favourite?

Well, I think the teams have chosen an interesting range of items.

Not so sure about the garden gnome,

but it does look a bit aged, so it might sit well in somebody's garden.

I'm not sure that stuffed pheasants in Norfolk will be a prize-winner,

cos we've all got them in the garden all the time,

and the rest, well, we'll just have to see how it goes.

We will indeed. Time for the auction.

First up, James's gladioli vase.

And I have been given bids to start at £15.

-You're into a profit.

-15, I have.

20 in the room. 20, I have.

In the room at 20. Five, do I hear?

-That's not bad.

-Are we all sure? At £20, it is.

First, second, last time at £20.

A promising start there.

Next up, Charlie's baker's scales.

-My bid starts at £20 only.

-Well, £20.

That's a big price.

£30 bid. 40 do I hear?

At £30, at 30, £40, I have.

-Oh.

-50 will do.

£40 I am bid. At 40.

Go on, go 50. At 40.

At £40, are we done with them?

-At £40.

-A working profit.

-Yeah.

Another profit. So, it's still a close contest.

Well done, well done.

-Very nip and tuck, isn't it?

-It is.

It's very tight.

James's tie-press is next to go.

Tenner then, come on. Start me at a tenner.

-Surely a tenner.

-£8 I am bid.

Ten, do I hear? Eight, I have.

Ten do I hear for the tie-press?

-At £8 only.

-Eight?

-Eight only.

A working profit, James.

At eight I'll sell. £10 on the net, saved by the net.

At £10 on the net. Internet bid at 10.

12 anywhere? At £10, first, second, last time at 10...

A small profit for the tie-press.

Up now is the grafonola record player.

This is my coup de grace.

-This is the grafonola?

-Yeah.

I have all my eggs in this basket.

I'm delighted to say that the bidding starts at £70.

Five, do I hear? 70 I have.

Five do I hear?

£70 bid. 75 bid.

£80. £80 bid.

At £80 and selling, are we all sure? At £80...

First, second, last time at 80...

That was marvellous.

That puts Charlie in the lead.

Wow! Can James's Victorian tazza help him catch up?

-I think your tazza's got a bit of money there. Honestly.

-Do you?

-Quite collectable, these are.

-They are.

-They are.

Not very valuable, but quite collectable.

Not saleable.

-Start me 10.

-Sounds a little low.

10, I have. £10 I'm bid. 12 I'll take.

£10 I'm bid. £10 I'm bid.

£12 on the net. 15 do I hear?

-£15 against the bar.

-On the net.

-15 bid. 18 do I hear?

-Keep going.

Are we all done with it? At £15 it is, then.

First, second, last time at 15.

-Oh, dear.

-Sold to the butler.

-Oh, dear.

-Roger the butler.

First loss of the day for James, which puts him further behind.

Charlie's tinplate car is next to go.

You see, he's an expert in his field

and he's put 20 to 30 on my toy.

And how much did you pay for it?

-It cost 50.

-Excellent.

£10 I'm bid.

£12, madam. £12 to the lady.

15 against the bar. £16 to the lady.

18 at the bar. 18 at the bar.

-Come on.

-£20 on the net. 22 on the net.

-25 on the internet.

-Ah, the internet.

30, do I hear? 25 I'm bid.

28 do I hear? £28 to the lady.

-Well done.

-Come on.

Still making a substantial loss, of course.

£28. Are we all done at £28?

-227.

-Thank you, madam.

That helps James catch up a bit.

Things are a lot tighter now.

How will James's gnome fair?

I think he's going to be your surprise thumping profit of the day.

I'm rather hoping anything north of 30 and I'll be delighted.

Who's in at 10? 10 at the back. 10.

12 against the bar. 15 to the lady.

-Good Lord!

-£18 standing at the back.

£20 there seated.

22 seated to the lady. 25 bid here.

£28 to the lady. £30 bid.

At 32, bid reluctantly.

35 bid. My God.

LAUGHTER

-There's no accounting for taste, sir, is there?

-Or a lack of it.

-35 bid.

-Quirky and ugly.

38. £40. At £40 standing here.

All done with it at 40.

-Well played, sir.

-Well done.

Sensational.

-Marvellous. What an auctioneer.

-Yes, marvellous.

Well, that's a turn-up for the books and puts James narrowly in the lead.

Your in-depth knowledge of antiques is second to none.

It's marvellous, isn't it?

Now for Charlie's cruet.

10 I have, thank you. £10 bid.

-12 do I hear?

-It's a bit tight.

16 on the net. 18 do we hear?

18 on the net. £18 on the net.

20 do we hear? £20 in the room.

-£20 in the room.

-You're in profit.

-No, it's what it cost.

-At 20.

First, second, last time at £20...

-Oh, dear.

-Oh, dear. What's going on?

Crumbs!

Oh, dear.

After commission, it's a small loss, I'm afraid.

-I'm going down the pan.

-No, you're not.

-You're pulling away.

-Am I pulling away?

-Two lots each.

You've got a paper knife, which is going to

make you a thumping great profit.

Will the paper knife do as well as they think?

We'll make a start at £30 to start. 40 do I hear? £40 bid.

50 do I hear? £40 bid. 50 do I hear?

At £40, seated in the room.

-45 bid, fresh bid.

-45!

-Well done.

At £45. 50 do I hear? At £45.

Standing there at 45.

All done with it? £45.

-I'm up against a master here.

-£45, you see.

-Yeah.

Just steady work, steady work.

That's another good bit of business for James. Charlie's globe now.

He had high hopes for this one.

So start me off at £30, then.

-Oh, dear, is that all?

-Start me off at 20. Come on. 15 I'm bid.

-£20 standing at the back.

-20.

-This is... Come on.

25 standing here. £30 at the back.

It's bouncing around.

This needs to be £60.

£40 at the bar.

At 40. 45 standing.

We need a bit more, don't we?

-It's coming on, coming on.

-At £50.

-55 standing. At 55.

-Almost a profit.

-At £55.

In the room and standing at £55, are we all done?

For the second and last time at £55...

Another small profit in the old bag.

We're down to one item each and it's still all to play for.

It's basically all boiling down to a pheasant versus a Ferrari.

-A stuffed pheasant.

-Yeah.

James's pheasant is last up for him.

Start me 10, then, come on.

£10 I have. £10 bid. 15 bid.

£18 I have.

-James...

-Well done.

-£20 I'm bid. £20 I'm bid. At the bar, £25 on the net.

-Well done.

-Oh, yes!

-At £25 for the pheasant...

Coming home to Norfolk, 467.

How stuffed is that?

If the Ferrari can come up trumps for Charlie, he will win the day.

-I'm very nervous.

-Start me at 10, then.

It's got to be worth more than that.

£10 to start. £10 to start.

-£10 to start. Where are we?

-Don't they like Ferraris here?

-10 I have.

12 do we here? £12 internet bid.

-15 do we hear?

-Oh, on the internet.

£12 only on the net. At £12 only, are we... 15 standing at the back.

-15 at the back.

-One more, sir.

We take our time in Norfolk.

-15 at the back. 18.

-You need a Ferrari.

-15 at the back. 18.

16 on the net. £18. Got there.

-18 bid.

-Oh!

-20 do we hear?

18 bid in the room. At £18 and selling. Are we done with it at 18?

It's a close one, but let's see who's coming out on top.

Charlie started this first leg with £200.

After auction costs, he's made a small loss of £2.38,

leaving him with £197.62 to spend next time.

James has emerged victorious today.

He also started off with £200.

After auction costs, he's made a profit of £20.10,

meaning he takes £220.10 on to the next leg.

Pleasure to be thrashed by you, sir.

As always! Where to, sir?

-I think the station.

-The station, sir.

-The station, thank you.

Cheerio, chaps.

Next time on Antiques Road Trip,

Charlie's doing all he can to balance his budget...

I feel like the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

..and James is on electrifying form.

I'll be buzzy, I'll be singing arias. Ahhh!