Episode 6 Antiques Road Trip

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

This is beautiful!

That's the way to do this.

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

Joy.

Hello!

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners...

-Sorry, sorry!

-..and valiant losers.

So, will it be the high road to glory, or the slow road to disaster?

The handbrake's on!

This is Antiques Road Trip.

MUSIC: The Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy

Today heralds the start of a new road trip.

This week we're in the company of Charles Hanson and Margie Cooper.

That's going fast!

-Stop it.

-Get out of here!

There we go, Margie!

-It's going to be a wonderful week.

-It is.

I feel like I could be a Hollywood star.

-GEAR GRINDS

-I do!

I feel like I'm with a Bond girl.

JAMES BOND THEME

007 wouldn't crunch those gears.

Margie may never have been a Bond girl,

but by gosh, she was a model before starting out in the antiques biz -

and our Charles is an auctioneer who appreciates the finer things in life.

I look at you, Margie, and I think, "upmarket".

How am I going to get through this week with you?

But is that right?

Look at me!

You're gorgeous! Look at me!

I'm going red now, under my glasses.

They're in a very rare 1959 Elva Courier -

only 400 or so were made,

and this is believed to be the only one on British roads.

-This car, Margie...

-GEAR GRINDS

..it's quite racy, isn't it?

-How am going to cope with this car?

-Get out of here!

What if it rains?

You are in this wild canary yellow ground sports car, Margie!

It's not a sports car - it's a racing car.

This trip starts in the Leicestershire town

of Melton Mowbray, and meanders through Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire

and Lincolnshire, then dips into Norfolk

before arriving for the final sale in the city of Leicester.

Today's leg starts from the market town of Melton Mowbray

and heads to auction in the fine fair city of Nottingham.

All I will say, Margie,

is Leicestershire is in my neighbourhood.

I hope we're not going into shops where you know people...

-LAUGHS:

-Get out of here, Margie!

-..who are going to do you favours.

-Get out of here!

Our experts have £200 each to spend -

if they ever make it to the shops, that is. Oh, no...

-Margie!

-Yeah?

-I've found it.

-SHE LAUGHS

That's what's come off.

-Oh, crikey. You said you'd heard a thump.

-That's what's come off.

-Down...

-What is that?

I don't know.

-Hah!

-But it's something that came off the car.

-Hold it, I've got a plan.

-No, no!

-Trust me, hold on.

Oh, no, Charles.

-Marge, I'm no mechanic...

-SHE LAUGHS

-..but listen. Can you see that pipe there?

-Yes.

All of this brown liquid, which could be a coolant...

-Could I just say...?

-Yes.

Wash my hands of anything to do with you with that.

Quite right.

I'm going to my first shop. Bye!

See ya.

Marge!

Look at me!

Bye!

Well, fortunately, Margie hasn't got far to go -

just down the road is the third-oldest market town

in the country,

and the birthplace of pork pies, Melton Mowbray.

And in the centre of town, her first shop.

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-Morning.

Lovely shop!

-Thank you.

-Right, so, I'm Margie.

-I'm Sue.

-And you are the owner?

-I'm the owner, John.

-And you're John...?

-Bean.

-John Bean.

Introductions over, time to shop.

Oh, look at this!

-That's an old porter's...

-Yeah, for railway stations and such.

Yeah.

Yeah, 175 - yeah, that's a bit... That's nearly my budget.

But you're open to offers, aren't you?

We are, yes.

That's promising.

Right - more stuff.

Oh, and this African stool - they're hot at the moment, aren't they?

-They are.

-These things.

Margie's uncovered a West African tribal stool

which is probably Ashanti.

I'm not an expert in tribal stuff.

Early 20th century African.

That's it!

Yeah...it's not in great condition, is it?

No, it's cracked.

It's seen better days, and is priced at £140. Wow.

Right, I'm going to carry on a bit longer, and then all will be well.

SHE LAUGHS

Tribal, tribal, tribal.

Mm...

On an African theme,

Margie's found a late 19th century carved hardwood stick

ticketed at £35.

Go on, give it a poke.

Well, here you are - I'm going to get it pointing now!

How much can that be?

-Well, the stick could be £10 on its own...

-Yeah.

The headrest could be 80, so that'd be £90 for the pair, then.

Two possibilities for Margie to think about.

Meanwhile, with the car fixed,

Charles has motored 22 miles southwest

to the outskirts of Leicester.

His first shop is Hidden Treasures.

-It's Mark, isn't it?

-Hello, how are you?

Long time no see.

-It's been a while.

-I'll have to shake with your left, unfortunately.

There are goodies galore here.

-I shall go for a wander...

-Yep.

-..and cross my fingers...

-Help yourself.

-..that lurking in these murky antiques is a sleeper.

Something soon stirs Charles.

It looks a feast.

It's got some weight to it.

-Has it?

-Yeah.

Oh, good, it has.

-I believe it to be bronze.

-Yeah, I think you're right.

It's a lovely...

What we've got here is a big charger,

-a big circular display dish...

-Yeah.

..which you can see has been pierced for the purpose of hanging.

How old is this?

-1880?

-I would say around turn of the century, yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's a nice thing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's decorative.

-Yeah.

How much is it?

-Ooh, now, there's the...

-To an old mate.

-..there's the rub.

-To an old mate.

-To an old mate...

-A Derby lad.

-..who makes lots of money out of me.

-Get out of here!

It's a funny old game.

£30.

25?

Oh - to an old mate.

£25 for a really handsome bronze charger, I think, is really good.

-I'll leave it there for the time being, go for a wander...

-All right.

..and just see what else takes my fancy.

-Thanks a lot.

-OK.

Good price on a nice item.

Back in Melton Mowbray, Margie's getting excited.

Dealer John has new stock hidden behind his counter,

and it's silver - right up Margie's street.

So, have we got any sets of anything in there?

Er...a few of these are quite good.

Hm...

-Ah, you've got six.

-Got those.

-Yeah.

They look to me as though they're early 20th century.

I would think so.

But sadly they might end up melting - going in the pot.

But look how crisp they are. They have not been used, hardly.

They've got quite a bit of life in them.

To buy those new would be hundreds of pounds -

hundreds and hundreds of pounds to buy those new now.

Sadly, antique silver isn't reaching the money it once did,

so Margie is buying these at scrap value.

Handily enough, John has some scales.

-11 ounces. Yeah.

-Right. And you're telling me how much?

That would come to about £43.

Yeah. You don't want to round it off?

Call it 40?

So, does that soften that a bit?

Tell you what, 70 including the stick, then.

-70 and 40...

-Yeah.

-..is a hundred and...

-Ten.

-..ten.

Yeah.

JOHN LAUGHS

Deal - that's £60 for the African stool, the stick for £10,

and the silver weighed in at £40.

That's cheap.

-Thank you very much for your patience.

-No problems at all.

Three lots in the first shop - not bad at all.

I wonder if Charles is having any luck.

What I do quite like is...

-..this davenport here.

-OK.

A davenport is a small desk with a lifting lid -

named after Captain Davenport,

who commissioned the first design about 200 years ago.

This example in walnut dates from around 1870.

It's only been in about a week.

-Um... So, it's fresh.

-Fresh on the market, yeah.

-Yes.

-Yes. It's quite tired, isn't it?

-Yeah. Pretty much all there.

I think they're ingenious, because the cupboard door, here -

open it up, and these... delicious drawers, aren't they?

They are very nice, yeah.

And look at that original colour.

What I love is this drawer here -

and this drawer, in the heyday, if you were a Victorian lady,

-back in 1870, you'd have your pens in here, I presume...

-Yeah.

..or your quill pen, and it's just a charming object.

I do like it.

It's a nice little piece.

It's ticketed at £50, but as it's new in, is there any chance of a deal?

What's your rock bottom?

For you to still make a profit.

-Oh...

-And a small margin.

Very, very small profit - 35.

That's good.

That is a deal to write home about, hey, Charles?

If I'd been a Victorian gent, if I was writing a letter now,

and saying, "Margie Cooper - Margie, I could buy this davenport for £35,

"although it's so rickety," she'll say, "Buy it."

-Well, there we go.

-I'll take it.

-You're taking that?

-Thanks a lot.

-Lovely, thanks.

Crikey, a flying start for Charles, there. Two deals in his first shop.

The bronze charger for £25 and the Victorian davenport for 35.

-Thanks a lot, Mark!

-Thank you!

-It's been great.

-Thanks very much.

I hope they take a fortune.

-And you. Hope you do well.

-Cheers, Mark.

-Thank you.

-See you!

Just down the road from Bosworth Battlefield

is the medieval village of Shenton.

That is Margie's next shop - at Whitemoors Antiques Centre.

She has £90 left to spend.

Fine bowl.

IT CHIMES

Fine bowl.

It's got clarity, hasn't it?

It certainly has. Anything else?

Just looking at these...

A pair of uplighters for 50 quid.

Hm! Can you imagine those in a... cleaned up in a room?

They could be very nice, couldn't they?

They're all electrified.

-TUTS:

-But they could be trouble.

Yeah - time to speak to the top man.

Hi, Robert.

-Right, now, I've had a wander round...

-Yes, my dear.

..and as much as I like those two brass uplighters,

-I just think that they're trouble.

-OK.

-I mean, I love the bowl...

-Mm-hm.

-Your bowl?

-My bowl.

-Is it 15?

-I've... No, it wasn't!

I've got 30 on it.

And my absolute bottom, which I paid, was 20 -

and you can have it for what I paid for it.

Well, I shall stroll over and have a look at it.

It is - it's a magnificent thing, isn't it?

Oh, crikey - no, I'm not going to do that.

-Can you hand it...?

-Yes.

-Can you? You're a nice big strong man.

It's heavy.

Yeah, that's lovely.

IT CHIMES

-Yeah, I'm going to go for that.

-Deal done.

-Thank you.

£20 for that cut-glass bowl is a steal.

Cor, you could do well later.

Meanwhile, Charles is back on the open road.

ENGINE KNOCKS

Oh, lordy, that doesn't sound good.

Oh, no!

HE COUGHS

There we go.

I've got smoke coming out of the heater.

Charles! Not again!

It's a lovely, lovely car...

but it's not made for me.

I think what I'm going to do is...

Walk.

..let it cool down, and hopefully I'll cool down as well,

and my road trip can be up and running again.

Could take ages, this, Charles.

Dear, oh, dear.

While the car gets some TLC, Charles heads to Ashby-de-la-Zouch...

..a Leicestershire town with a very pretty name.

Here they celebrate a female pioneer of a dangerous sport

who could probably thrill the thousands

who flocked to see her death-defying stunt in the early 1900s.

Charles is meeting Ashby-de-la-Zouch museum trustee Ken to find out more.

-Oh, good afternoon, Charles.

-Is it Ken?

Good to see you - it is, yes. Welcome to Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

Ken, it's good to be here.

-Now, I'm here to learn about a lady.

-Yes.

-A lady by the name of...

-Dolly Shepherd. Come and have a look at what she's about.

-I can't wait.

-Go on through.

-Thanks, Ken.

In 1903, aged 17, Dolly Shepherd was working as a waitress.

A chance conversation with a diner

led to Dolly taking up one of the most dangerous sports of the day.

She was probably quite a young go-getter - 17 years old, she sat...

-She was a tomboy.

-She was a tomboy.

-An admitted tomboy.

The diner Dolly was serving was a balloonist.

He was looking for a pretty girl to help draw paying crowds

to witness his balloon show, and Dolly would soon become its star.

Here's a photograph of her

sitting for one of these Edwardian studio photographs -

and there is the Union Jack, which she used to float and fly.

And fly she did.

Dolly pioneered the sport of parachuting for women 110 years ago,

when it was as far from respectable as an Edwardian lady could get.

-So, to be ignorant, Ken...

-Yeah.

-She would have gone up on a balloon...?

Well, below the balloon -

-the parachute is attached to the balloon...

-OK.

-..she then holds on with a trapeze bar...

-How does she ascend?

-How will she ascend?

-She ascends simply by hanging on.

She had a very strong grip, apparently, and she comes down

holding on to a trapeze bar, and simply hangs on for the 2,000 feet.

Taking your life into your own hands and doing these fearless jumps -

was she well paid for it?

£2.50.

That's around £270 in today's money.

Dolly would tour the country,

but claimed Ashby-de-la-Zouch as her favourite place to jump.

Did she become a celebrity?

Absolutely - Dolly Shepherd the Parachute Queen.

After four years of jumps, Dolly - now 21 -

was becoming renowned for her dangerous act.

In 1908, she hit the headlines -

she agreed to accompany a young girl on her maiden jump.

But disaster struck.

The decision was made that Dolly and Louie would go up

under the same balloon and come down in two parachutes -

Louie first and then Dolly to follow her.

So they got up to the usual 2,500 feet

and Louie was told to jump by Dolly.

"It's OK, jump."

Nothing happened.

She pulled the cord, nothing happened.

You mean the parachute didn't open?

-Well, no. They couldn't get the parachute to pull away from the balloon.

-Oh, dear.

Well, Louie, this was her first jump remember, was terrified.

This is Dolly Shepherd's drawing, many years later,

showing what happened.

And essentially she got Louie to swing towards her,

to grasp her round the neck, Dolly round the neck,

and then they would cut the cord attaching her to the other parachute

and they'd come down together.

By the time the two girls were ready to jump,

the balloon had reached 12,000 feet.

Four times higher than usual.

They come down far too fast.

Dolly lands on her back, as she should do.

The problem is Louie then landed on Dolly.

This was the first ever mid-air rescue.

Although Louie was able to walk away,

the crash to earth in a remote field left Dolly severely injured.

She was carried to a nearby farm, and under strict doctor's orders,

remained there for a fortnight.

It was feared Dolly was paralysed.

The local doctor had this great idea after one or two weeks

to give her an electric shock.

She was put on her front, electrodes were pulled onto her back,

and she said it was like a double-decker bus or something hitting her,

because there was this huge electric volt went through her and bounced up.

This was not an accepted therapy - then or now.

But Dolly's luck came through.

The story goes the shock unlocked her paralysis.

She was told she was never going to walk again.

And would you believe it,

within eight weeks she was back in Ashby-de-la-Zouch going up again.

-She was almost a wonder woman.

-Yes, or mad.

Dolly became a national figure - the heroine who saved her friend.

After eight years of jumps, Dolly retired from parachuting.

Though this wasn't an end to her bravery.

In the First World War, Dolly served as a driver and mechanic in France.

And in World War II was an air raid warden in London's Lewisham during the Blitz.

She got to nearly 97.

She died in 1983 in September.

Not before, about a year and a bit earlier,

she had met up with the Red Devils and she went up with them

into the sky, and she said she wished she was young again.

So she was a marvellous woman and we're very proud of her in Ashby.

-So, Ken, in that firm grip of Dolly's. I've enjoyed it.

-Good seeing you.

Thanks so much, Ken.

It's been a great day, apart from for the car.

Time for some well-earned rest. Nighty-night, everyone.

It's a brand-new day. And good news, because the car is back up and running.

Margie's taking on the driving duties.

Watch these nettles. Crikey me.

So how did you get on yesterday?

Yesterday was OK, Margie.

I always say, "Never live a with a regret."

Because if you leave that object in that cabinet you never know.

It could be rags to riches.

-Do you think so?

-Yes.

Yesterday, Margie was the big spender, splashing £130 on four lots.

An African stool, an engraved stick,

six silver spoons

and a cut glass bowl.

That leaves her with just £70 to spend today.

Charles had a far less fruitful day,

spending only £60 on a bronze charger and a davenport desk.

His pockets are pretty full, with £140 left to spend today.

We're in Warwick this morning,

the most impressive local attraction here is the 1,100-year-old castle.

But, there's no opportunity for sightseeing.

Charles is here to shop.

Drive carefully. See you later. Bye.

Warwick Antique Centre is home to around 25 dealers,

covering a wide range of antiques and collectables.

Charles gets straight on the hunt.

I feel in the mood to really...

Well, find a bargain.

Any opinion on the competition, Charles?

I think Margie is maturer,

-Margie is a lady who has been around longer than me...

-Steady, Charles.

But she certainly knows the finer things in life.

I think she'd be a hard act to follow,

so I've got to impress her by not buying, shall we say,

nobly knick-knacks,

but very much buying the finer things for my friend Margie.

Back to the cabinets, Charles.

If only these objects could talk. Oh, wow!

They could be good. A group of three pieces of iron grape shot.

Gosh, they're interesting.

I might just have to get this cabinet open.

Grape shot consisted of small balls wrapped tightly in a canvas bag

and loaded with gunpowder into canon.

The dealer claims these were found in Nottinghamshire

and could have been fired in the battle between Cromwell

and King Charles I. Peter has the keys.

Those English civil war iron grape shots

could be quite expensive, I bet.

£70 the asking price.

-So these would have been fired in the 1640s?

-Indeed.

Isn't that wonderful?

And to handle this and to think what damage did they do?

What people did they knock? What buildings were destroyed?

What excites me, Peter, we're going to Nottinghamshire,

I want to obviously shoot Margery down,

and I just would hope that people of Nottinghamshire

might look at these balls and think,

"Goodness me. What great balls of history.

"We ought to really celebrate these and bring them home."

The gentleman's whose cabinet this is

-only deals in authentic antiquities.

-Good for him.

Every item is guaranteed and it comes with a certificate.

Sounds promising.

That could be a very good spot,

but is there any wiggle room on the price?

The very best would be 50.

I just think they're balls of fire

and for what they might ignite in terms of Nottinghamshire history,

they could do quite well in a local sale in Nottingham.

Sounds like you've settled on your next buy.

-So your bet is 50?

-It is.

-Look at me.

Afraid so.

Margie Cooper, you're in that bunker.

-Watch out, I'm coming to get you!

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Peter.

A piece of local history for £50, that could do very well at auction.

Thank you so much and I shall see how they fire in Nottinghamshire.

Meanwhile, Margie is headed to Baginton

on the outskirts of Coventry...

..not far from the birthplace of a man who changed the course of history,

the way we live and how we travel.

His invention has arguably had the greatest impact on the world

over the past 85 years.

Margie's meeting Midland Air Museum curator Barry.

-How are you?

-Welcome.

-Shall we go on?

-By all means.

Frank Whittle was born in 1907.

As a boy he was fascinated by the new flying machines taking to the sky.

There he is as a young lad with his first model aeroplane.

And basically as a young lad

that's how he got to sort of handle the planes of that period.

And there's an image here as him as a young lad

seeing an aeroplane taking off.

But this is very much his early days

and when he got to sort of be excitable the idea of flying.

Frank's dreams of flying came true when he joined the RAF

and his career soon took off.

-He was a trained pilot.

-He was a very well trained pilot.

And in fact, he was renowned for being a little bit...chancy.

-Oh!

-He took chances. He was overconfident.

-Daredevil.

Frank was a maverick and pushed planes to their limit.

His fighter pilot training taught him that flying higher and faster

gave you the upper hand in dogfights.

Frank knew if he wanted to increase altitude and speed

he needed a new type of thrust,

one better than a propeller attached to a piston engine.

So in 1928, fuelled by wild ambition,

he designed the turbo jet, a revolutionary form of propulsion.

He was coming out with something, a cutting edge of technology.

This was totally in a new field.

And this was something the people of the day

really didn't fully comprehend.

The RAF was unimpressed and rejected his idea.

Undeterred, Frank found funding to make a prototype in his spare time.

This is a Whittle engine.

Comes in at that end, comes through, fuel is put into here,

spark plugs ignite the fuel to give it burning

and then it goes back out that way.

Long before modern health and safety,

Frank and his colleagues ran a series of dangerous tests,

some of which Frank later helped to reconstruct

in this government information film.

MAN SHOUTS

LOUD BANG

He was very brave to stand there while it blew up.

There are other words you could use.

Despite the setbacks

he was determined to get his invention in the air.

A decade later, and as the Nazi threat grew,

the RAF put Frank on special duties to develop his jet engine.

He thought it was a war winner. This would give Britain the edge.

There was a race to get the first fighter into the air

as the Germans were developing their own jet engine.

But by 1944, British jets powered by Frank's engines

were taking to the skies.

This plane in front of us is a Meteor.

This was Britain's first operational jet fighter.

They went into operation in July, 1944

and they were largely used to take on the doodlebugs, the flying bombs.

Had the authorities listened to young Frank, Allied pilots might have been

flying jets rather than Spitfires sooner

and the Luftwaffe almost certainly would not have picked a fight.

History might have been very different.

These machines were operating at speeds

that were far in excess of anything like the Spitfires of the day.

-Yeah.

-So they took you another, 2-300 mile faster.

-Gosh!

-Double the speed almost.

When the public heard about the new jet engine,

Frank Whittle became a household name and the skies echoed to a new sound.

There's a Meteor!

Look!

That's a Vampire.

After the war, Britain led the way in jet propulsion.

Frank's invention revolutionised travel,

commercial jet liners permitted further,

faster more comfortable journeys.

Frank Whittle could have been a rich man,

but he was not motivated by money.

He was, however, recognised with a knighthood in 1948,

the year he retired from the RAF.

We are all beneficiaries of this modest,

British boffin who shrank the globe.

A genius responsible for a remarkable achievement.

Frank Whittle died in 1996.

The next stop for both experts is in Staffordshire

and the city of Lichfield.

Margie's a few miles behind,

so Charles will get the first picks at Lichfield Antiques Centre.

A Leslie Harradine. Beautiful figure. Royal Doulton. But 790.

Oh, that's gorgeous!

William Moorcroft. Pomegranate pattern vase.

550.

I've only got about £90 to spend, so very much think big, but think...

-Small?

-Cheap. More barato, in Spanish.

Come on, Charles. Put your back into it, lad.

I've only got £90, haven't I?

You have,

but maybe your local knowledge will get you out of this hole.

CHUCKLING

-Oh! Look who's here!

-Have you had a good day?

Not bad.

I'm going to get in. One more thing to buy.

-Over there, OK?

-Yeah, OK.

-See you later. Good luck.

-Bye.

I wonder where he's off to.

Maybe Margie will have better luck here with her remaining £70,

but the clock is ticking.

3:40pm now and I need to be buying something.

I don't really want to buy any silver.

Brand-new.

Leave that there.

Not finding anything at the moment.

Margie's now realised why Charles was headed in the other direction.

We're suppose to be in this shop together.

He's been in and he's disappeared. I think he's up to no good.

I really do.

You're right to be a little suspicious, my girl.

Charles, on his home patch, knows of another shop a short walk away.

James A Jordon Antiques.

Jim specialises in watches and clocks,

but Charles may well find a few things here for auction.

I like your teapot, Jim, in the window.

-Yes.

-The cockerel.

-Mm-hm.

-May I pick it up, Jim?

-Of course you can.

Are you a man for tea?

-I am.

-Isn't that a fine cockerel?

If you want that happy, good morning wake up call,

why not have a cockerel teapot?

And a real cup of tea.

And a real blend of the finest tea mixed up in this rooster teapot.

There's no maker's mark, but this pot dates to the 1930s.

It's priced at £45.

For a good Art Deco rooster teapot with a cover, Jim.

What's the best price on that?

-How does £25 sound?

-That's a good discount, from 45. Wow!

-I'll give it some thought.

-Right. Pleasure.

-I'll put him back.

Great discount. Is that home advantage paying off?

I think Margie thinks I know everybody, which I might do,

but at the same time that doesn't mean I'm going to get discounts.

And I always say, with Margie's charm, Margie's swagger

and smile, she's got one up on me.

Back with Margie, and with a bit of luck,

dealer Madeline has had an idea.

-There's that one there.

-Oh, yeah!

How creative is this?

Quite nice, that. That's nice.

And it says, Skinner and Rook.

Wine merchants. Nottingham.

For around 100 years,

Skinner and Rook wine merchants were a big business in Nottingham.

Closing in the 1950s.

The auction's taking place in Nottingham,

so Margie might be on to something here.

It's funny, isn't it?

The fact it's Nottingham makes it really good. Yeah, I like that.

Madeline has priced the crate at £28. Wow!

Could that be 15 quid?

-Go on, Margie.

-Thank you very much.

Well, that's Margie's fifth and final lot for auction.

-Bye.

-Bye.

Just around the corner, Charles has struck lucky.

Dealer Jim's found some old pocket watches.

Oh, great, Jim!

I don't know if there's anything there...

-Wow, Jim!

-..that interests you.

Amazing!

Jim has three late 19th century pocket watches.

This nice silver pocket watch, probably around 1900.

It's tired, but you've got the intrinsic worth of the silver.

And this one here, Jim?

-That's a Victorian...

-Is that continental?

-It is.

They're pretty, aren't they?

-And that's a sign with the top one.

-Oh, that's nice.

-That must be what? 1900 again?

-1900. 1890, 1900.

What could that job lot be in terms of price?

Make a tenner a piece. 30.

I'll be a fool to say no. Jim, I'll take them.

-Sold.

-Thanks so much. Tick-tock. Thanks.

-Charles isn't finished yet.

Jim, I'm back again.

-Right.

-With the teapot.

-It's humorous, isn't it?

-It is.

What would be your very best on the pot to an old mate?

You give me £20.

Going, going...

-gone. Thanks, Jim.

-Pleasure.

-I'll take those two lots.

Those two final lots add to Charles' booty.

Including a bronze charger, a Victorian davenport

and three pieces of civil war grape shot.

All that lot came to £160.

Margie parted with £145 for an African stool, a hardwood stick,

six silver dessert spoons, a cut glass bowl and a wine crate.

So what do they make of each other's buys?

Margie's objects are quite exotic.

I really like the headrest.

I like the tribal stick as well, that was a really good buy.

Charles Hanson, bless him, he's never straightforward.

He looks, he digs deep, he looks for the interesting.

Then there's some grape shot.

£50 he's paid for somebody who wants to have three lumps of iron.

Interesting, though. Interesting.

I think it really is game on and I think this first Road Trip auction

could be Cooper - 1, Hanson - 0.

After setting off from Melton Mowbray

our experts are now heading for auction in the city of Nottingham.

It's a good job I've got this roll bar to hang onto.

Margie, hold tight. It could be a ropey ride today in this auction.

I think you'll fly high today.

What excites me is the auctioneer thinks those are 18th century.

But they're not.

-They could be.

-I don't think they are.

Yeah, but believe. Half the battle is belief.

Business is brisk at Arthur Johnson and Sons,

with six saleroom auctions taking place today.

What an atmosphere, Margie. What a crowd.

-I have got to try and get out of here.

-There we go.

Come on. Here we go.

Morning.

What does auctioneer Phil Poyser make of our lots?

It's a mixed bunch of lots. The musket balls is an interesting lot.

I'm hoping for a bit of interest from a lot of local private buyers.

I like the dessert spoons, they're my favourite lot.

Nice Dutch silver, good maker, Johan van Kempen.

I'd estimate them at 80 to 120.

Sounds promising for Margie.

Come on, chaps, take your seats.

Here we are. Wow!

-Are you ready?

-Yeah, I'm ready.

Hold tight. This is going to be an exciting one.

First up, Charles teapot.

Hope it won't go cheap, cheap, cheap.

It will go cock-a-doodle-doo!

An ideal breakfast teapot.

Absolutely. Sorry!

£20. 20 I've got.

-5. 30. 5. 40.

-Thank you.

Are you sure? I'll take 42.

-One more.

-42.

-Thank you.

-45.

I'm selling at £45.

That's a good start.

-You've got ants in your pants.

-I twitch. I get nervous.

No need for nerves, Charlie.

That rooster has pocketed you a decent profit.

Next up, Margie's large cut glass bowl.

I've got two commission bids here. The lowest is 30. I'm going 35.

£35 bid. 40. 5.

-45 bid. 50. 55. 60.

-Go on.

65. Lady at the back at 65. 70.

-5. 75 bid.

-This is getting annoying now.

80 online.

-That's amazing.

-85. 90. Being sold, done at 90.

Well, you have surprised me.

Well done, Margie.

Racing ahead.

You are. A great return on an item bought for £20.

Next is Charles' bronze charger, or is it an electrotype?

-£40. 20.

-Oh, no!

-I really hate this.

-I've got 12 only bid with me. At 12. £12 bid.

15. 18. 20. I'm selling at £20.

I really hate that.

I like his style.

Bad luck. First loss of the day, but there's still time to make it up.

Margie's African stool is next.

-Help yourselves here. At £20. 5. 30. 5. 40.

-Going to run.

5. 50. 5? 55. On the back wall at 55.

-You're joking.

-Done at £55?

No, 60.

Bad luck. It's only a small loss, Margie.

Time now for Charles' pocket watches.

£30 to start. Bid. 30 I've got.

-Come on.

-35. 40. In the room at 40.

5. 45 bid. In France at 45.

In France!

-It's a French bid on the internet.

-Come on, France.

Online at 50. The three together go at £50.

That's a small profit.

Well done.

Sparking global interest too, Charles.

Margie hoped the Nottingham link would attract some bids. Let's see.

10 I've got. At 10. 12. 15 with me now.

18. 20. 5. 25. It's the lady at the back at 25.

-A bit more.

-It goes at 25.

A good profit for Margie.

Charles is still on catch up. Can his davenport turn a profit?

£100 to start me.

£50. Come one.

Well, I've got various commission bids,

-so I can start the bidding at 35.

-There you go.

At 35. 40. 5. 50. 50 in the room.

It's on the back wall at 50.

-I'm selling... 5. 55.

-Yes!

60. 60 still in the room.

Is there a fire?

65 online. 70 in the room.

Being sold at £70.

Done at 70.

-I'm over the moon.

-Doubled your money.

-Thanks, partner.

Well done, Charles.

Margie's carved hardwood stick is up next.

-10. Front row at

-10. Oh, no!

At 10. Help yourselves here.

12. 15. 18.

18 bid right at the back.

I'll take 20. At £18.

I'm selling. It goes. Done at £18.

Profit. Put it there, partner.

No, I'm miffed. I'm not doing it.

Chin up, Margie. You nearly doubled your money there.

And your silver dessert spoons are coming up.

My finale coming up. My Dutch spoons.

They look gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

-I've got 60 bid. 60 online.

-Wow!

-At 60.

-Well done.

-Put the hand down.

-Fantastic. Put it there.

-No!

Put your hand down.

-70.

-There you go. Put your hand down.

At £70.

I'm selling on commission at £70.

-Wonderful.

-Oh!

They made £70 and another great profit for Margie.

The final lot for our pair now. Charles' grape shot.

Will there be a whiff of interest?

They don't present very well, do they?

Margie, these are important balls.

These hopefully today will become balls of fire

in a frenzied competition ignites

like they did 400 years ago.

This will be very interesting.

I've got two commission bids.

-20 is only bid.

-No!

5. 30. 5. 40. 40 bid with me.

-5. 50. 5. 60.

-It's history.

60 bid.

-5. 70. 5. 80.

-Come on.

5. 90. 5. 100.

110. 120. It's all online now.

-130. 140. 150.

-This is history.

160. 170. 180. 190.

-200. 210.

-Crickey!

-220. 230.

-Oh, my goodness!

-240.

-Wonderful!

-250.

-History!

-250 bid.

-Oh!

At 250. £250 bid online. At 250.

Anybody else?

Being sold at 250.

Thank you very much.

Here we are in Nottinghamshire, and that's history.

Well done, Charles. What an amazing profit.

What a great way to end the first auction of this week's Road Trip.

We're going. Come on. Thank you, auctioneer.

Margie started out with £200.

After paying auction house costs she's made a respectable profit of

£66.56, leaving her with £266.56 to spend next time.

Charles also started with £200.

After fees were paid he made a remarkable profit of £196.70.

So he's the winner today and takes forward £396.70 for the next leg.

All I can say, musket balls.

Absolutely. Let's roll, OK?

See you. Bye. Give 'em a wave, Margie.

The handbrake's on!

-Bye!

-Cheerio, chaps.

Next time, our experts continue their epic road trip.

You are classy.

While Charles tries to shoe in some deals...

They suit me or not? Not really, do they?

..our Margie just gets blown away.

Oh!

SHE LAUGHS