Episode 23 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.

Sorry, sorry, 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!

Today sees auctioneers James Braxton

and Charlie Ross midway through their road trip.

-We've got the sun on our backs, we are going to do well today.

-Yeah.

I mean, look at this.

-English countryside...

-Sheep!

-Oh, sheep.

-Sheep!

-Sheep.

-Sheep!

He's rather excitable.

Charlie is as charming as ever.

-I'd quite like to go away with that.

-Yes.

-On holiday.

-Yeah.

-They're lovely.

-Would you come with me?

-Of course.

And James is a patriotic soul.

Well, I am very pleased with my Queen's shield.

I think I can be a loyal citizen.

They're navigating their road trip in a 1961 Ford Zephyr,

a car made before seatbelts were legally required.

-I think I put it into reverse.

-JAMES LAUGHS

Whoopsi-daisy!

Our Road Trip pals started off with £200 each.

After their second auction, Charlie is lagging somewhere behind James

with a kitty of £148.76 for the day ahead.

James is in pole position after the terrific result

with the two Doulton vases.

He has a stuffed wallet of £433.50 to spend today.

Their trip began 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

sets off from Shenton, in Leicestershire,

and will head to auction in the village

of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire.

I thought I'd wear a black tie in memory of my road trip,

which seems to have come to a rather premature end.

Don't you worry, it'll be all right.

Cheer up, Charlie, you can still catch up.

Both chaps are sharing a shop

in the very pretty Whitemoors Antiques and Crafts Centre.

Here we are.

I think you need to loosen off that tie at some point.

The black tie, the tie of mourning?

-Tie of mourning, I think that can go.

-Early defeat.

-I think that can go.

-Fair enough, but...

-You have been here before, haven't you?

-I have been here before.

-I bought a drum.

-You bought a drum?

-Yes.

-Did well with it?

# Banging on the big base drum

# What a picture What a picture

# Um, dilly-um, dum, dum, dum, dum

# Stick it in your family album. #

Right. Good.

And it made a lot. Carry on. Shall I go this way?

I'll go this way.

Blimey, what did Charlie have for breakfast?

There are 40 different dealers here.

-Aha! You look like the boss to me.

-I am the boss.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-I'm Charlie.

-Lovely to meet you, Charlie. Portia.

-Portia!

-That's a very racy name.

-Very racy.

Right. You've got work to do, Charlie.

Oh, vintage luggage.

Didn't they make luggage well?

Look at that.

An Edwardian piece of luggage.

It's got its original brass studs on the bottom.

There's quite a demand for vintage luggage these days.

Look at the stitching.

And it's got really rather a lovely patination.

And what I like is when they've got original labels on them.

It's £50.

I could see that making £40 or £50 at auction.

Portia!

The popularity of travel in the 1930s heralded

the use of the rather attractive gentleman's valise.

-Hello, my darling.

-Hi, you all right?

Yeah, I've seen something I quite like.

-I love old luggage.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-Oh, no, it's awful.

-SHE LAUGHS

-No, it's gorgeous!

-No, it is lovely. What chance have we got?

Have we got a ch...? I mean, I'll tell you, I'll be perfectly honest.

I think if it goes to auction, it will be estimated at £30 to £50.

I think it might make 40 or 50 quid. It is a good thing.

-I'd quite like to go away with that.

-Yes.

-On holiday.

-Yeah, they're lovely.

-Would you come with me?

-Of course, Charles.

A bit forward, that. Just a minute.

-I think I'll have to ring the tenant and see.

-Could you do that?

I will do that for you.

-Ring that tenant.

-One second.

-Tell him I'm a really nice chap.

-I will do.

Figures crossed, Charlie.

Portia's got some news.

-Charles, I've just spoken to the tenant.

-What have you done?

-Have you done better than 45?

-She'd be happy to take 27.

-27?!

-Yes.

What an odd figure.

I think that's well worth the money. I'm not even going to try

and beat her down to 25. I'm going to say £27 is really generous.

The charismatic Charlie has bought his first item,

the gentleman's valise for £27.

What about James?

With over £400 to spend,

is he going to go all out or exercise some prudence?

Mind your head.

-Good morning, James.

-Hello, hello.

-Welcome to Whitemoors.

-Hello, nice to meet you. And your name is?

-Robert.

-Robert.

What wonders can you spot in here then, James?

-So this is your emporium, is it?

-It is, James, yes.

So where did you gather all your goodies from?

-From auctions, from houses, from people bringing stuff in.

-Yeah.

-All over the place.

-This sort of leaps out at me here.

-That is a very '50s look.

-Isn't that great?

The retro thing is in at the moment.

I like the figurine. She is a very shapely lady, isn't she?

And it has that nice sort of pull,

that eggshell finish to the glaze, doesn't it? Where...?

-So, who's made this?

-It is West German.

-Made in West Germany.

And the pattern is called Jamaica.

-That's right.

-Just what we need, something exotic and warm, isn't it?

-On a cold day.

-THEY LAUGH

I definitely need it. That would... She would be a lovely tonic.

She'd lose your cold in a hurry, wouldn't she?

Crumbs!

West German pottery is a brand-new field of collecting

and is proving to be very popular at auction.

And very practical, you know. A couple of single stems.

Get your gladiolas in there, your camellias, whatever.

-With or without, it still stands good.

-It stands good, doesn't it?

I would definitely have that in my home.

Now, what could you do on that, Rob?

The absolute best to you, James...

-Don't...

-..because I want you to win.

Don't...don't put yourself down.

-I won't. £12.

-£12.

It is in good order. It is bright, it has been looked after.

It has been slightly treasured. I think that is very handsome.

What about eight on that, Rob?

-Oh...

-You know how these auctioneers work.

Oh, here we go.

Yeah, you know, they all start in ten, five and everything.

And, you know, if you're going to have a chance of it,

a little profit, you need...

-Ten.

-Ten?

-To give me a little bit.

Ten. I am liking your start. Rob, put it there.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-You're welcome.

A quick and efficient purchase from James.

£10 for the 1950s West German vase.

Charlie has journeyed east to the historic village of Kidworth.

Charlie is some way behind James in the profit stakes

so needs to uncover a hidden gem somewhere.

This large, family-owned antiques centre has over 60 dealers.

That's...early Victorian. It's...

Or even William IV rosewood over-mantle mirror.

Now, you can see that the mirror is not in great condition.

But frankly, when you look like me,

it's quite good having a mirror like that, to be perfectly honest.

He's hard on himself.

It's 150-plus years old.

160, 170 years old years old.

And I could get away with putting a new mirror in there.

And it's £25.

If that could be really cheap...

..I would buy it because it's a genuine antique.

Let's go and see what we can do.

Time to track down the lady in charge, the lovely Sally.

-Turn right. It used to be a mirror.

-Used to be a mirror.

Well, it looks like it. Can you see?

I have to say that the owner...

Can you hold that end?

-I can.

-Well done.

The owner does admit...

-Cos it says antique tarnished mirror.

-Very tarnished.

-It certainly is. Look at us in there.

-Absolutely.

You can't really see us.

-The fairest of them all.

-CHARLIE LAUGHS

But it is a rosewood frame

and it's about 1840, 1850,

so it's old.

And I like old things. It's knackered here and there.

Um, it's £25.

-And I want to give a tenner for it.

-SHE GASPS

-HE IMITATES HER GASP

-I can feel your heart

-miss a beat there.

-It's missing lots of beats.

-What do you think? Who is HH? It has got HH on it.

-HH...

-It's not Horrible Henry, is it?

-No, it's not Horrible Henry.

-Is it Happy Harry?

-It's Happy Henrietta.

Happy Henrietta!

If you told her that Charlie wants to give her a tenner for her

-mirror, would she still be Happy Henrietta?

-Maybe not.

-But we could try.

-What we can do, we can make a phone call.

-Would you mind?

-We can do that.

-That's sweet of you.

Tell her Charlie's desperate, would you?

And a bit of a chancer.

-Are you smiling?

-I am smiling a little bit.

I've spoken to the dealer,

she says that she is quite happy to come down to £15 for you.

-I can't ask for more than that, can I, really?

-No, not really.

-I was being very cheeky at ten. Put it there.

-OK.

-May I give you one of...those?

-Thank you.

That's really kind of you.

Charlie's second purchase is the 19th-century mirror for £15.

James, meanwhile, has travelled 24 miles to the city of Leicester.

James is sitting pretty with a large stack of cash.

So far, he has spent a tenner.

Come on, James, get spending.

-Hello. James.

-Hello, James. My name is Mark.

Hello, Mark. I'm after the elusive bargain.

The elusive bargain. Well, let's see if we can find you something.

-I am getting the lay of the land.

-Yeah.

What's that you've found?

Quite a crude tribal stool, this.

Not the finest carve,

but it's carved from the solid, from the trunk.

And they're useful.

They make great occasional tables.

They're just the right height for sitting beside a sofa or something.

And they have a look, don't they?

Would it've been a solid trunk of wood here?

And somebody has freed it.

As Michelangelo used to say,

you release the figure from the object, be it marble, be it wood.

And you chip away and you release it from its natural bindings.

If you say so.

What about the price?

I noticed this when I walked in, Mark.

-Yes.

-Not the finest one, but...

It's not the most detailed carving, but crudities can be sometimes...

-interesting.

-Yeah, naive charm, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So it's carved out of the solid.

I think it would've been one piece, definitely.

-You can't see any joins or anything.

-And does this come from...?

Where do you think it comes from?

Probably...African origin, somewhere around there.

What sort of money do you have on that, Mark?

Um, I've got 55 on that one.

55...

-I'm going to carry on looking, Mark.

-Yeah, certainly.

-Keep looking.

Scratching away.

After a good scratch around, James is ready to make a deal.

-Mark, the stool there with the antelope...

-Yeah.

-Is it...

Would it be too cheeky to say 25 on that?

-Could you make it 30?

-30?

-Mm-hm.

-You've gone and got yourself a deal, Mark.

-OK, lovely.

Thank you, I'll take that.

James is attracted to the exotic today.

The tribal stool for £30 is his second item.

Tribal art has always...

The Continent, especially the French,

have always loved tribal art.

This is a rather fun thing. Anyway, I'm pleased with it.

And I'm off with it. Thank you, bye-bye.

He doesn't hang about much.

Charlie has travelled south to the town of Northampton.

It's the home of British shoemaking

and even the local football team have the nickname The Cobblers.

And it's here, at Northampton Town Football Club,

that Charlie is heading to find out more about a pioneer

not just in sport but also in British history.

Charlie is meeting with author Phil Vasili.

-Charlie, hiya.

-Hello, Phil.

-How are you?

-Very well indeed, thank you.

Welcome to Northampton Football Club.

Walter Tull was one of the first black professional footballers

who played right here, at Northampton Town Football Club.

He was also the first black officer to lead troops into battle

in the First World War.

Phil is the biographer of Walter's sensational story.

This is very appropriate,

we are in the engine room of the Northampton Town FC.

We can see the pitch, we can see the stands.

And where better to start?

We've got this wonderful archive here.

Yeah, it's a great place to start

because Walter was very happy here, by all accounts.

Walter was born in Folkestone, at the end of the 19th century.

His father was a carpenter from Barbados and worked

as a ship's joiner until he settled in England in 1876

and married a local girl.

Tragically, by the age of nine,

Walter had lost both his parents to ill health and was sent,

along with his brother, to an orphanage and Bethnal Green.

-When he went to the orphanage, they had a football team.

-Right.

And they played in a... They played competitive games.

And somebody spotted him

-round about this time as being particularly talented.

-Yeah.

Well, you could see in the photo, Charlie, that he's in the middle

-and he's got the ball at his feet.

-He has.

Which usually signifies that he has got respect

and he's one of the better players.

In 1908, Walter was signed by amateur club Clapton FC.

Within the year, he turned professional

when he was signed by Tottenham Hotspur.

It was here that Walter experienced a horrible display

of spectator racism.

Spurs, for him, wasn't a great source of happiness, was it?

-It was wonderful that Spurs signed him.

-Yes.

And, you know, to be signed as a black player

is unusual at the time.

And Spurs have to be commended for that.

However, Walter got a lot of abuse when he was playing.

And in one particular match,

in September of 1909 at Bristol,

it was so bad that one of the newspapers headlined

the abuse that Walter got.

And in the report,

the journalist said that Walter was a model for all white men who

playful football because of the way he withstood the abuse.

I think that was the strength of Walter, that he

-did his talking as a footballer, with his feet.

-Yeah.

A year later, Northampton Town

was thrilled to snap up the talented Walter.

But soon, the dark clouds of war loomed, in 1914.

Walter was one of the first to enlist in the British Army.

It wasn't until November 1915

that Walter went to France,

his battalion went to France.

-Hm.

-And they saw action almost immediately

in around the Festubert-Givenchy region.

Walter's cool-headed leadership ensured that he rose through

the ranks quickly.

So he saw action -

and I think I'm right in saying - was he recommended for an MC?

As far as we know, Walter was the first black officer to lead

white troops into battle in the Army.

And he was commended for his bravery

and commended for bringing back his party without injury.

That's when he was recommended for the Military Cross,

which he never actually received.

He embodied a legal contradiction.

As a black soldier, he shouldn't have been an officer

according to the manual of military law.

So if they gave him his Military Cross, it was almost like

they were admitting that they'd created

-this illegal precedent.

-Yeah.

-They were giving a rubber stamp to breaking the law, really.

-Yeah.

Sadly, tragedy struck.

On 25 March 1918, Second Lieutenant Tull

was killed in action at the German spring offensive on the Somme.

He was 29 years old.

He was certainly a very remarkable black Britton

who achieved a great deal in his short life.

I mean, we are here at a club that's...

-The road that leads into the stadium is called Walter Tull Way.

-Yeah.

We've got the memorial stone detailing his achievements.

I think it has been absolutely fascinating -

an extraordinary tale of a remarkable man.

Thank you, Charlie.

The odds were stacked against Walter, but he succeeded

as a star on the football field and a hero on the battlefield.

It's the end of a long day, so time for a bit of a rest. Nighty-night.

Cor, it's absolutely tipping it down this morning.

This weather, very good for the leather upper, I would say.

You need a leather upper.

A good brogue is always the best option.

Anyway, here is a rundown of their shopping so far.

Charlie has snapped up two items - the leather valise

and the 19th-century mirror, giving him a meagre £106.76 for today.

I love you!

-Good morning, James.

-Hello.

James also bought two items - the 1960s West German vase

and the tribal stool.

He's swimming in money with £393.50 for the day ahead.

James is in Northampton to have a go at spending some of his money.

Although he's rich in profits, he's only spent £40 so far.

Oh, nice hat!

-Hello. James.

-Hello, I'm Sonia.

-Hello, Sonia. Very nice to meet you.

You're a very nice little haven amongst a... Foul out there today.

-Well, I hope we've got something for you.

-I'm sure you will.

Maybe Sonia will persuade James

to part with some cash.

There's some nice things amongst here. I love this!

This is very theatrical, isn't it?

Great for a sort of baronial hall, isn't it?

It is.

Baron Braxton has a certain ring to it.

Really good.

Love that.

Right, like that.

So, the shield...

It's on the list.

The shield is priced up at £40

and could have been made for the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

I like this. A modest woodcut.

But what I like about this is it's very much in its contemporary frame.

It has a good look. Does it have a date on it?

It's evocative of a period, isn't it? 1920s.

The Untidy Corner.

It's got a personal inscription on it. And it is a woodblock print.

Very much used early illustrations for newspapers

and book illustrations. Artists really loved it.

I like that. It's got style.

Another one on the list.

The woodblock print has a ticket price of £10.

Now, to find Sonia to talk money.

These are my two items, Sonia.

I love this shield. Isn't that fun?

So that's the shield.

-Do you know much about that?

-Not really.

It was something to do with Andy's family.

He bought it because he liked it and it was his family's initials.

Andy is the owner of the shield.

-I see, I see.

-I think it was his father.

-I see.

It also happens to be the Queen's.

True.

-THEY LAUGH

-True.

-So I like that one.

-OK.

-And I like the woodblock print.

-Ah.

You don't have to do me a special price on the woodblock print.

-I'm very happy to pay your ticket price.

-OK.

-But could I get a price on the shield?

-What have we got on that?

I think... What have we got? We've got £40.

-What price did you have in mind?

-Oh!

-See if we can meet in the middle.

Oh, if you're going to meet in the middle, 20 quid.

SHE LAUGHS

-SHE SIGHS

-25?

25, you've got yourself a deal, Sonia.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Lovely.

I am very pleased with my Queen's shield.

I think I can be a loyal citizen.

-You'll have to find a sword now to go with it.

-I will!

Not spending big, is he?

The decorative shield for £25 and the woodblock print for ten.

Charlie is also in Northampton.

This looks interesting, Charlie.

Our man is having a look around The Old Bakehouse Antiques.

-Hello there.

-Hello.

-Steve, is it?

-Yeah.

-Charlie.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Nice to see you.

-And you.

-What a wonderful establishment you've got.

-Thank you very much.

-Did you ever see Doctor Who out the front?

-Oh, he is in there.

-He is in the record room.

-CHARLIE LAUGHS

That's a wonderful thing! Where did you get that from?

-He's popping in all the time.

-CHARLIE LAUGHS

There are over 60 dealers here.

Blimey, he's like a dog let off the lead.

Look at that old projector.

With its original box.

"Specto film projector.

"Wood box and accessories. Bulb not working."

Well, you can get a bulb these days for something like that.

In the mid-1930s,

the British company Specto were renowned for their cine projectors.

During the Second World War,

the British government used the projectors to review intelligence

captured by British aircraft flying over occupied Europe.

£110.

HE SIGHS

I'm not going to spend £110 on that.

But I would buy it at a price.

Good to hear, Charlie.

Oh, what is that you've found?

Joy!

Look at that.

A vintage bamboo child's push chair.

That is fantastic!

Original wheels.

It's got two little wheels at the front here, just to stabilise it.

The bamboo's in good condition. It is a really unusual object.

And I'm always looking for something quirky and unusual.

It's got age, it's got quality in a certain sort of way,

it's got originality.

It is £68.

I don't think that's untoward.

That is as charming and historically interesting as that projector.

Projector, seat, what have I got? £106.76.

-HE CHUCKLES

-I hope Steve is a nice bloke.

Let's leave Charlie to ruminate over the lightness of his purse.

We'll catch up with him later.

James is

15 miles away in the village of Harrington.

He's visiting Harrington Aviation Museum.

During the Second World War, the Office of Strategic Services,

the precursor to the CIA, sent battalions of the US Army

to build this airfield and set up clandestine warfare operations.

James is meeting with the museum's chairman, Clive Bassett.

-Hello. Must be Clive.

-Hi and welcome, James.

Welcome to RAF Harrington.

Top-secret missions would fly deep into the heart of occupied

Europe, dropping supplies to the pockets of partisan fighters

who would become known as the Resistance.

The codename for the covert missions was Operation Carpetbagger.

This codename, what did Carpetbaggers do?

The Carpetbaggers, really,

were the American Air Arm of the Office of Strategic Services,

the American side of things, and their missions were to take

supplies and agents over to occupied Europe.

And the Americans initially were using British aircraft.

And there came a point in time where they felt they were getting

slightly compromised in some of their own missions.

They wanted to run them themselves.

So they then decided to set up their own airfield, which is

-why we are here at Harrington.

-Ah!

In the months of July 1944, four squadrons at Harrington

supplied resistance forces with the 69 agents

and over 5,000 containers filled

with items such as weaponry and food.

The dangerous ones, the really dangerous missions,

even more so, were the blind drops where an agent would

just parachute into occupied Europe, it could be anywhere,

without any local knowledge. They may have a contact to make.

But that was very dangerous.

The daredevil agents would fly on moonlit nights

and would land with some rather unusual supplies.

The idea was an agent would parachute down

in a special container made for it.

And when he got on the ground, he'd just open the container,

fire it up. A little bike - 98cc engine, centrifugal clutch -

push it along, hop on and off you go.

The problem is, I think people suddenly realised

that you couldn't really have a motorbike running around

the early hours of the morning

-in the moonlight period with some strange person on it.

-Yeah, right.

Especially a strange bike, yeah.

Very much so. So they sort of abandoned the idea.

But the bikes continued to be made.

And they made over 3,500 during World War II,

different formats of them.

This is the actual size of the bike used.

-It is a fabulous piece of design, isn't it?

-It is, really clever.

Obviously, the saddle raises up, the handlebars raise up.

You can get on this within a minute or so of landing on the ground.

The most ambitious covert project that took place here was

Operation Jedburgh.

A creation of the British and Americans,

the clandestine units were designed to operate behind enemy lines.

It ran from 1944 until the end of the war.

Recruited and trained in total secrecy,

the units would be made up

of three men from Britain, France and America.

Their job was to coordinate resistance groups

and help supply, arm and train them.

Brit Harry Verlander was one of the agents.

Harry Verlander was a Jedburgh wireless operator.

And these are all his various artefacts

and bits of memorabilia from his wartime service.

It's quite a unique exhibit, I think, of one person

and his different things from his service initially with

the Home Guard, the King's Own Royal Rifles...

-Trophies of war.

-Very much so, yes.

Harry dodged many dangers,

but one story demonstrated his particular style of ingenuity.

The story related to you, it was the time

when he was going to be taken by some Germans.

He knew this trick, apparently - if you pee or urinate at the bottom

of a tree, it will stop dogs from finding you or chasing you.

So he peed at the bottom of the tree, climbed up it

and the Germans missed him.

-Really?

-So he was... Yeah. Clearly, it worked cos he wasn't captured.

-Perfect.

-A very brave man. As they all were.

It's been absolutely fascinating, Clive. And I am amazed...

Just shows you what training do. I'm amazed how successful they were.

Nearly 7,000 men were involved in the covert operations

that took place here.

Without question, the work done by everyone

involved in resistance groups helped ensure victory for the Allies.

I go away a wiser and humbler man.

-It was a pleasure to meet you, James.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Talking of brave and courageous men,

let's see how Charlie is getting on in The Old Bakehouse Antiques.

Aha!

Churchill, bulldog spirit.

That's up as Beswick model there, Toby jug of Churchill.

And it's got one of his great speeches on the scroll here.

"We shall fight on the beaches, the landing grounds,

"in the fields, in the streets and on the hills.

"We shall never surrender."

1940.

They've paraphrased what he said there a little bit

in order to get it onto their scroll.

Beswick Pottery began in the 19th century and produced

a lot of commemorative and advertising wares like this one.

The price tag on the jug is £60.

Still quite collectible.

It'll probably come off the boil a bit. I don't think it's...

unrealistically priced. Not a bad likeness.

You could not mistake that for Churchill.

There he is, the great man.

£60.

I think that is...

..more or less worth the money. I've seen a projector.

I've seen that, I think, fabulous child's bamboo push chair.

The sum total of these objects is comfortably over £200.

I've got £106.76 in total.

There is no need to fib to Steve.

You just never know in life.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Time to strike a deal. Where is Steve?

Well, I think you've got a fantastic mix here.

I've got three things I've completely fallen in love with.

-There is a projector upstairs with its original box.

-Yeah.

There is a real talking point, which is that bamboo push chair.

The other thing, completely differently,

is Mr Bulldog Spirit here, Winston Churchill,

simply because I need a bit of that bulldog spirit

to beat old Bingo.

And some extra cash.

I'm not going to beat around the bush, I mean,

I like those three things.

I don't suppose I'd be able to buy those three things,

but I'll tell you what I've got. I've got £106.76.

I can't add to it because that's all I've got.

-I mean, you're adding up to 230-odd quid. I mean, that's...

-Yeah.

-It depends on what these things have cost.

-Yeah.

If I can't buy the three things...

-No, I think we can...

-Do you think you could?

The projector's sat around for a while, so I'd like to get it gone.

-Has it?

-You know, cos you're only taking dust.

You take the dust with you, don't you?

I'll take the dust, I'll clean it, I'll do your washing up...

That's good. Oh, yeah, if you're doing the washing up as well...

Would you take all I've got for those three? Are you sure?

I don't want you...

When I walk out of that door, I don't want you to think,

"Mr Ross, honestly!"

No, I'll just phone the police. "I've just been robbed."

-You are the best dealer I've ever met in my life!

-Thanks.

-Shake me by the hand. You sure?

-Oh, yeah...

Yeah, let me have it, please.

Please. And the change.

Well done, Charlie.

He has blown the last of his cash on three items -

the cine projector for £40,

the push chair for 30

and Churchill jug for £36.76.

That plucky display of buying

and big discounts wraps up our shopping trip.

Charlie has bought a total of five items -

the 1930s leather valise,

the antique mirror,

the cine projector,

the Edwardian push chair and the Beswick Churchill jug.

His purse is empty. £148.76 gone!

James has four items - the 1960s West German vase,

the African tribal stool,

the decorative shield

and the 1920s woodblock print.

He is reluctant to let go of his profits

and has been very thrifty, spending a total of just £75.

But what do they think of one another's buys?

You give him over £400 and he spends 75 on, frankly...

-WHISPERS:

-a load of nonsense!

-IMPERSONATES CHURCHILL:

-'I shall fight him on the beaches.'

A ghastly vase for £10.

The over mantle mirror.

OK, the plate has gone.

There is very little silvering.

So you've got a sort of calcified piece of glass there.

I think all of those things might make a profit simply

because he's been so stingy!

Would I swap my lots for his? No.

OK.

Charlie and James are travelling south to Bourne End,

in Buckinghamshire.

-MIMICS CHURCHILL:

-'We shall fight in the Zephyr,

-'we'll fight in the salerooms.'

-Yeah.

'We shall fight in the shops!

-'We shall never surrender.'

-Yes.

-'This shall be our finest hour.'

-CHARLIE LAUGHS

Was that Churchill? Ha!

Bourne End Auctions is where we're headed.

We're here. Bourne End Auction Rooms.

This, remember this, Bingo.

-Because this is when it turned round.

-Really?

This is where your frugal behaviour comes back to bite you.

Ah-ha-ha!

Taking to the rostrum today is auctioneer Simon Brown.

What does he think of the gaggle of goodies from James and Charlie?

The 1920s block print, I think you might struggle with that.

The 1950s projector, I think, will be the winner today.

I can see that making 80 to 120.

Sounds promising.

All quiet then, the auction is about to begin.

First to go is Charlie with his leather valise.

Start me at £30, please, for this lot.

-20 then to start. 20, anybody interested?

-Ten.

-20?

-Ten.

-20? Nobody interested?

Ten to start. Ten I'm bid. Got you at ten.

-You got a bidder.

-I recognise that lady.

Never mind the lady, Charlie.

-Are we all done at ten on my left?

-JAMES LAUGHS

That buyer has got a great deal there.

-Estimate - 40 to 60.

-Excellent!

James's West German vase is next.

£10. Ten I'm bid. Yours at ten.

-Bingo, you are already in at ten.

-12.

-14.

16. 18. 20. 20. 22.

25.

25. 22 on my right.

Selling at 22. Are we all done at 22?

Got you at 22 on my right now.

22.

There we are.

All smiles for James as he starts off with a profit.

It is Charlie's rosewood mirror next.

Start me at £30, please, for this lot. 30. Anybody interested at 30?

Nobody interested at 30? 20 then start.

20, anybody interested? Nobody interested? No?

I am moving on.

-Lot 36 is...

-JAMES LAUGHS

What do you mean "moving on"?

He's moving on.

Uh-oh. This no sale means it will be added into your next leg's auction.

-Moving on.

-Do you think he might not sell any of my items?

Surely not.

It's James's tribal stool next.

Who will start me at 20, please, for this lot? 20 I'm bid.

22. 25. 27. 30. 32.

35. 37. 40. 42. 45. 47.

50. 55. 60. 65. 60 in the corner.

Selling at 60. Yours at 60. Are we all done at 60?

On my right. Selling at 60 now.

Marvellous!

Absolutely. Thank the good people of Bourne.

Well done, James, another great outfit.

James is in the lead.

Can Charlie ramp up his profits with the cine projector?

Who will start me at £30, please, for this?

-30 I'm bid. Yours at 30.

-What?

-Are we all done at 30?

Maiden bid. Selling at 30 on my left. Yours at 30.

With William, are we all done at £30 now?

Marvellous, that's only a small loss there.

At least you got a bid on that.

Yeah, but not a profit.

Maybe blowing the whole budget was a bit hasty.

Don't dwell on the figures, Charlie.

I've got to because I've got to go shopping again, Bingo.

And at this rate, I won't even be able to buy a West German vase.

-Oh, you spent...?

-I spent all my money!

-JAMES LAUGHS

-So...

Oops, Charlie!

James's turn now with the big decorative shield.

Who will start me at £50, please, for this lot? 40 then to start.

40 anybody interested? 40 I'm bid.

With Martin at 40. Yours at 40. 42. 45. 45 with Martin.

Selling at 45. Are we all done at 45? Got you at 45 on my left now.

That'll do me.

JAMES LAUGHS

So far, James is enjoying profits on every item.

In round terms,

-it's the biggest ever thrashing...

-Really, why?

-..in Road Trip history.

Profit, loss. Profit, not even a bid.

Profit, loss.

Are we setting a trend here now?

For your sake, Charlie, let's hope not.

It's your Edwardian push chair next.

Who will start me at £50, please, for this lot? Interesting lot at 50.

Anybody interested? 40 then to start. 40, nobody interested?

40 I'm bid. Selling at 40. Yours at 40. 42.

45. 42 in front.

Selling at 42. Are we all done at 42?

On my left now, got you at 42.

Well done.

A profit, hurrah! But sadly, not enough to catch up with James.

-Well done.

-Keep the hanky in reserve.

Well, that goes into the kitty.

It's James's last item of the day - a woodblock print.

Who will start me at £20, please, for this lot?

20, anybody interested? At 20.

Ten then to start. £10. Ten I'm bid. Selling at ten.

-Ten?

-Are we all done?

Maiden bid, got you at ten. Selling at £10 just in front now.

First loss of the day, though, for you, James.

And you are still way ahead of Charlie.

-MIMICS CHURCHILL:

-'We shall fight them on the beaches.

'We shall fight them on their soft furnishings.'

Enough of the Churchill impressions!

It's all or nothing with Charlie's last lot of the day -

the Churchill jug.

Wouldn't it be fun if he got to my character jug and said,

"I have four commission bids."

-Yeah.

-"And I'm going to start at 320."

It would be fun.

Unbelievable, but fun.

It would be.

-MIMICS CHURCHILL:

-'My last chance...

'for profit.'

100, I'm bid. 110. 120.

130. 140. 150.

160. 170. 180. 190.

180 standing. Selling at 180. Are we all done at 180?

Yours at 180.

Winston's has come good.

-'We did fight them on the beaches.'

-We did.

Unbelievable! Saved by Winston at the 11th hour, Charlie.

Excellent stuff.

-That is a surprise.

-COCKILY:

-Well, I don't think so...

JAMES LAUGHS

Has Charlie done enough to get back into the game?

James started the third leg with £433.50.

His frugality made him a profit

of £37.34 after auction house costs.

James has a total of £470.84 for the next leg.

Charlie began this leg with £148.76.

Astounding success with the Churchill jug means that

Charlie wins this leg with a profit of £66.08 after costs.

He now has £214.84 to take forwards.

Until next time, chaps!

Next time on Antiques Road Trip,

Charlie reminisces...

It's back-to-school!

..while James offers household tips.

Always good to introduce into a home

-a dusting nightmare, isn't it?

-DEALER LAUGHS