Episode 18 Antiques Road Trip

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

-That's cracking!

-..with £200 each...

-Wonderful.

..a classic car, and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

-That's exactly what I'm talking about!

-I'm all over a-shiver.

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

-No-brainer.

-Going, going, gone.

There'll be worthy winners, and valiant losers.

-So will it be the high road to glory...

-Push!

-..or the slow road to disaster?

-How awfully, awfully nice.

This is Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

Happy days are here again.

It's the third helping of our Road Trip spectacular,

with auctioneers Claire Rawle and Paul Laidlaw.

You take me to the best places, Claire!

Yes, yes, I was going to say,

is it you or me that's drawing this beautiful weather?

It's the righteousness in this car, that's what it is!

-CLAIRE LAUGHS

-Yeah, right.

-Blimey. Last time...

-Be still my beating heart.

..Paul reigned victorious with his superb World War II

reconnaissance photographs.

150...

Well done, you!

Despite Paul's last big win, it's all to play for.

-And you know what separates us, of course?

-Mm?

-Is one good buy, or one duff buy.

-Yeah...

-That's how close it is.

-It's always on a knife edge.

-No kidding, Paul.

From her original £200, Claire has £334 jangling around in her handbag.

Paul also began with £200,

but he's sneaked into the lead, with a big wodge of £434.80.

Cheer up, old boy!

The 1968 TVR Tuscan is their purring vehicle of choice.

It's just like being in the Mediterranean.

-Seriously, could easily be abroad.

-Yes, until you get out of the car!

-Yes!

-And the biting wind hits you.

-Never a truer word, Claire.

Paul and Claire set off from Wooler in Northumberland.

They began in the north-east of England,

and will traverse through South Yorkshire,

to finally land in the town of Stamford, in Lincolnshire.

Today we're at the seaside.

We begin in sunny Scarborough, in North Yorkshire, and will

auction in the town of Beverley, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Do you know what, I wouldn't mind a little piddle-paddle down there.

Fancy stopping, and I'll just take my shoes and socks off,

roll up the trousers and be a wee laddie again.

Piddle-paddle?!

Good chum that she is,

Claire is dropping Paul at his first shop of the day.

-That'll do me.

-That's it, here we are.

It's got my name written all over it.

Oh - didn't know your name was Antique & Collectors Centre!

Well, I should say, "Good shopping," but not TOO good!

I wouldn't believe you!

We'll return to Claire a little later.

Paul is in the lead by £100,

but he's not resting on his laurels, oh, no, sir!

I feel good. I'm ahead of the competition, but not by enough.

Seriously, there is no safety in that margin.

So I may be all chipper and upbeat,

but I'm also in Antiques Terminator mode!

There's work to be done here.

Crumbs.

And he's found something.

And, uh-oh, he's got that look on his face.

Whatever it is, it's got a ticket price of £15.

Brace yourself, Matt. The going could be rough.

I've never had this quandary before, in this position.

-When I'm road tripping, I am looking for objects for auction.

-Right.

-I want that for me.

-OK.

-And I can't have it, because I am on a mission.

It looks like a Dalek.

What you've got there is not a Dalek, this is an artillery shell.

And these studs here are not decorative.

The studs engaged with the rifling grooves, and that introduced

the spin that gives ballistic properties to the projectile.

-Keeps it straighter.

-I think Lord Armstrong's behind it.

Lord Armstrong was a Victorian armaments magnate,

who dedicated his life to the improvement of artillery.

This little beauty is a great example of his ingenuity.

Now, why on earth did somebody do that, make a watch fob?

Because that's what we've got there.

I'm interested in ordnance, I love watch fobs,

this is why this was making big eyes at me.

But more than that, rose-gold mount, and the mount is dated 1870.

-What would you take for that?

-£10.

-Spot on.

-Cheers.

-I am not joking, I love that.

-Good, good.

Do you know what, if I was in a romantic mood,

I would elope with it.

Steady!

One of the best things I've ever found road tripping, I kid you not.

Crikey Moses, that's some statement.

£10 for the bullet watch fob.

While Paul is in full attack mode, Claire is taking in the scenery.

Just such glorious weather, the sea here is fantastic.

Absolutely wonderful place, love it.

Back to Paul.

He's still mooching around the Antique & Collectors Centre.

-It's beautiful, I can't buy it - it's too cheap.

-£4, that IS cheap!

That's a carnival glass,

which is glass with a flashing of metallic lustre.

Very iridescent.

But people do collect it, could be late 19th century,

could be as late as the 1920s.

I think that's absolutely gorgeous. Picture your flapper dress, yeah?

With your fringes and so on - that's just going to work a treat,

is it not?

Yeah... Lovely combo.

If that makes £30 on a £4 purchase, you think I'm a superstar.

We do anyway, Paul!

I think that's just sold.

And I'm not haggling. I'm just going to stick that there,

we'll add that to the tab, will we?

That's another to add to his growing collection, then.

Meanwhile, Claire has travelled down the coast to the seaside

resort of Filey.

Now, Claire's got to pick up the pace and square up to the might

that is Paul Laidlaw.

He's nice.

With over 30 dealers selling their wares in here,

there should be lots of choice for Claire's £334.

She loves collectables,

and in particular is a great fan of all things railway.

Always just wanting something to jump out at you. Ooh, trains!

My favourite!

For my first birthday, my father bought me a train set,

so maybe that's what set me on the way, yeah.

Good old Dad.

There's some interesting bits of militaria here, nice little bits.

What a shame Paul isn't here.

Hang on...

Looks like she's thinking of stepping into

a certain someone's specialist area.

-Look out, Paul.

-OK, so what do we have here? OK.

Always looks vaguely military or official, doesn't it,

something painted that colour, in metal?

It's actually a gas mask, it says on the label,

so let's get the lid off and see what we have.

OK, and gas mask inside.

I won't take it out, because I'll never get it back in there again.

Civilian type, because everybody had to carry their gas masks,

World War II.

Should have had a strap, obviously.

We've just got some rather modern string on it now,

not quite so good.

-OK... I quite like that.

-Where's owner Neil, to talk cash?

-Neil.

-Hi, Claire.

-We've already got a...

-We have reduced it already, yes.

Would you come down to £10 for it?

I would, yes, yeah.

-Oh, OK. Thank you very much indeed.

-No problem.

-Thank you. Great.

-Gas mask - £10.

-Half-price discount for Claire's first buy, eh?

While she has another nose, how's Paul getting on?

He's still in Scarborough.

And has discovered owner Matt has another antique shop just

a few doors along.

So we think we've got there a mid-19th century novelty snuff,

in a glazed earthenware.

Modelled, of course, as a gentleman's shoe. Unmarked.

I think it's probably a reasonable assumption that our mount

here is silver and not electroplate.

That's a hell of a price tag - 125 quid?

It's a hell of an item.

-OK. I'll ask you a question first - you had it long?

-Six months.

Six months, that's an eternity.

I see where he's going with this one...

Cut to the chase then. 50 quid.

-Proper money.

-£60. And you can...

-£55.

-Go on, then!

-Oh! Brilliant.

Brilliant. I'll say it now, I love this as much as you.

Golly, a third buy, the little novelty snuffbox for £55.

That's not expensive.

Claire is still in her first shop,

and her beady eye has spotted something quite PLANE!

Ooh, that's nice.

It's a plane.

It's a type of moulding plane, quite a specialised one.

These are actually quite collectable because they're just

such attractive items.

Beautifully made, gorgeous patina to the wood here.

Lovely brass fittings on it.

And they've also got the original blade in it.

That's a nice item, I do like that. I'll just keep looking around.

Hey presto, hang on a minute. In amongst all the garden ornaments.

Got another one. Let's have a look.

That's nice as well. Not quite the colour of the other one but

very similar, just not so clean.

It's still got brass on it.

Let's see if there's any more.

Oh, OK, more woodworking tools.

That actually would make quite a nice group.

So quite nice with the earlier wood planes with the brass on and these.

The combined ticket price here is a total of £60.

And she's about to ply owner Neil with her chance. Look out, Neil.

-I've found some woodworking items.

-Yes.

There are two items there and there's some more behind me.

Now, I've totalled up what they'd all come to.

So I'm hoping you're going to be very generous to me because I like

them as a group, I think they're an interesting mix of things,

so I'm just wondering if I can sort of get you down quite a bit.

What are you thinking? I'm difficult to offend.

CLAIRE GIGGLES

TIM GIGGLES

-That's good. Because she chances her mitt.

-I was hoping for sort of £20.

20...

30, I think, would be a fair.

You wouldn't split the difference and try 25?

-Yes, I would.

-That's very good of you.

Let me relieve you of that one and shake you very warmly by the hand,

and thank you so much.

That was swift. £25 for the collection of wooden tools.

Guess what. Paul STILL hasn't finished shopping with owner Matt.

I've found a rich vein, and when a miner finds a rich vein,

he keeps tapping away until it's gone.

And between these two shops, I'm having a ball.

I think that's an understatement,

he's already found three items and he's unearthed another.

-Matt...

-Yes.

I've always liked things that are on floors,

behind other things, thick in dust.

Victorian writing box down there.

They're not flying out the door any more, are they?

-Not like they used to.

-60 quid on that one. Could that be cheap?

-Yeah, I don't see why not.

-Tempt me. 20 quid.

Half price, £30.

And it's only the quality of that inlay that's half-tempting me.

Could that be bought in the middle, for £25?

I don't see why not.

Blimey, that was a bit of a shop-athlon.

He spent a grand total of £94 on the bullet watch fob,

the Victorian cuff,

the little snuffbox

and the writing slope.

Wow.

Meanwhile, Claire's journeyed back north to the glorious

seaside town of Scarborough.

In the 1930s, this town on the Yorkshire coast became

a resort for the rich and famous. Why? The tunny.

Atlantic bluefin tuna began to show up in nearby waters,

attracting big-game fishermen hoping to catch one of the most

powerful fish in the world.

Over 80 years ago, game fishing was widely accepted,

and modern-day practice views it alongside conservation.

Back then, the hunting of the tunny fish was very much a sporting

thrill and, as such, the elite flocked to the town in their droves.

That's a big one.

Claire is meeting with local historian Jennifer Dunn,

to find out more.

In the late 1920s, early 1930s, the herring fishermen started

noticing tuna off the coast of Scarborough, and the tuna were

eating the herring, so they were following the fleet.

Weighing up to 900 pounds and measuring as much as nine feet long,

the tunny was one heck of a mighty fish.

A chap called Lorenzo Mitchell-Henry

caught his first tunny fish off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1914.

He was an English aristocrat, a bit of an eccentric and he started

the sport after catching that first tunny, and so he brought the sport

to Scarborough. And in the first season they started catching fish

in about 1930, and then that brought more and more people across to the town.

All the great and the good, so it was people that had the money and the means.

So we had military men, film stars like Errol Flynn and

John Wayne, and then aristocrats from all over the British Isles.

The real tragedy here is that the tunny was caught purely for sport

and sometimes methods used were barbaric.

As a result, the Tunny Club was founded in 1933.

So presumably because it was a special sort of game hunting,

there were rules, were there, to it?

Yes, so the British Tunny Club was founded as

a means of regulating the sport,

but the most simple ones were that it had to be two men in either

a rowing boat or a motor boat and it had to be caught by rod and reel.

Claire has another appointment,

this time with local fishermen Fred Normandale.

And they're meeting at the original Tunny Club, now a fish and chip shop.

That's rich!

So this new sport must have drawn people from all over the place?

There was big-game hunting on your doorstep - well, when I say on

your doorstep, people came from all over the world to do it.

But it was on our doorstep. It was unique.

Everyone wanted the thrill of the hunt and it was some hunt.

Quite spectacular.

You didn't have to travel to the middle of Africa with

a big gun and camp.

Gosh. Imagine being hooked into one of those.

So tell me, what are your memories of it all?

I was right on the last latter part.

I was six in 1954,

and this is me with my dad in his little rowing boat.

I can remember going into the tunny hut, and it cost tuppence,

old money, to see the tunny.

Because they didn't know what to do with them once they've caught them,

the sport was catching the fish.

They tried frying them, fish and chip shops, but most people

would rather have had haddock or cod.

Shoals of herring started to decline,

and as the tunny fish's main source of food,

they too started to disappear.

From about 1954 when they caught the last,

through to about 1965, I would think, '66...

I'm not sure when the last one was but they never caught a fish for many years.

They kept going and trying but they never found one.

The appearance of this powerful fish transformed this Yorkshire port

into the UK's game fishing capital in the 1930s, and illustrates

a snapshot into time when game fishing was highly applauded.

Paul, meanwhile, is continuing his shopping marathon -

he's journeyed to the town of Pickering,

situated on the edge of the North York moors.

With four lots under his belt,

he's off to find more goodies in JSC Collectables, owned by Caroline.

Hello, Caroline.

And - he's zoning in on something.

Do you a good deal on them.

What's a good deal...

on a strange-looking Victorian garniture,

that you're trying to stitch into me,

to free up that whole shelf

in one fell swoop?

-Am I close?

-I just want rid of it.

At least she's honest.

OK, give me a "Can't possibly walk by it" price, then.

45?

Oh... Pair of vases.

So what are we looking at?

1860-70, English and then this patent technique,

the finches in amongst the oak apples and acorns, which is

actually rather nicely done, but the patent will partly refer to

the fact that you've got the burnished gilt and the matt.

Right.

Fundamentally there is a lot of ingenuity in this.

And on the bottom, we've got Charles Barlow, Smithfield Works

at Hanley, Staffs, not everyone's cup of tea.

For my money, I think they're lovely, to be honest with you.

Charles Barlow was an esteemed late 19th-century china decorator

working in Hanley, one of the major Staffordshire pottery towns.

Give me the absolute bottom line, not a penny more,

not a penny less but you can have them for that,

is it 20 quid or something just to get rid of them?

-I'll do 20 quid for the vases.

-Done. Thank you very much. It was easy.

-You've got your shelf back.

-And you've got a pair of vases for £20.

Gosh, good work.

Seriously.

-Touch me, just for luck.

-Easy.

Because that's the kind of day I'm having.

I could be on a clean sweep today.

What a happy chappie.

Well, there we are, then. What a packed day.

And time for a rest for our two weary travellers. Night-night.

We're back on the road, and Paul's psyching out the competition.

So, have you waded in deep?

Have you hacked into your considerable budget with your two purchases?

Oh, well, no. I'll just keep that to myself.

Quite right, Claire.

Here's a refresher of what our lovely pair have bought so far.

Paul has had a shopping frenzy.

He's got five lots already.

The bullet watch fob.

The Victorian cuff.

The gentleman's shoe snuffbox.

The writing slope.

And the Charles Barlow vases.

Paul has £320.80 for the day ahead.

Claire is continuing in her cautious style.

She has two lots, comprising the World War II civilian gas mask

and the collection of woodworking tools.

Claire has a sizeable £299 for the day ahead.

Claire has got some serious shopping to do.

The village of Skirlaugh,

in the East Riding of Yorkshire,

is her next pin in the map.

-Look at that for an entrance.

-That's not bad.

-The lions await.

-They do indeed. Right...

-Have a good 'un.

-Yeah, and you.

Vintage Home Store is a huge emporium,

with 72 dealers all under one roof.

Claire has found the lady in charge, Steph,

to have a look at something that has caught her eye.

Sweet little case. Nicely marked on the lid.

And then we put the little pince-nez,

which just basically sit on your nose, pinch your nose.

Glasses cases are quite collectable.

Got a little dent in the back of it.

I think that's actually quite sweet. Nicely chased.

Has got initials on it, but I don't think it matters so much with

something like this, because it's really part of the decoration.

Ticket price is £69.

Is this something of yours, or is it...?

No, this belongs to one of our dealers.

Time to make a phone call.

-Ah.

-Spoken to the dealer. The best he can do on that is 60.

-No.

-No, I can't go anywhere near that. No. I'll leave that one, then.

-OK.

-Thank you for trying, though.

-All right. No problem.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Oh, well. You win some, you lose some.

I'm sure you can find something else.

BR Western Region.

Hence the W in brackets after the name stamped in on the neck there.

This is the rear light of a train. Good heavy thing.

Standard black paint.

Lid open, so there's like a little funnel inside,

for the fumes to come out.

It should have a burner inside it. Let's have a look.

This hasn't been opened for a while. And there it is.

Which slides in and out there. Not as nice as the earlier burners.

They would have been brass.

£55 on it, though, which is top-heavy really, for auction.

I wanted to get it a bit less than that.

Claire loves her railwayana. Can Steph come up trumps this time?

I don't know if you know the fellow or what he might take for it.

-I can certainly give him a ring and see what we can do on that.

-OK.

-See what his very, very, very best price is.

-OK. Will do.

-Make him feel kinder towards me.

-You're in Yorkshire, though.

-You do realise, don't you?

-Oh, but my father was a Yorkshireman.

-Does that make any difference?

-Oh, that's all right then.

She'll stop at nothing, that one.

-We can do 25 on that.

-That's not bad.

-OK?

-Oh, that's good of him. I'll shake your hand.

-Thank you.

Ah, a large lump of black metal with glass in it, but it's railway.

And there's more good news.

-The dealer with the pince-nez is actually in, Peter.

-Oh, is he?

-Go and talk to him.

-Oh, do you think it might be worth having a chat?

-You never know. Just flutter your eyelashes.

-Think that might work(?)

THEY CHUCKLE

One can but try.

Ah, Peter. Hello.

I saw something of yours in the cabinet just now.

They spoke to you and you were very mean.

-You didn't want to come down too far. The pince-nez case.

-Oh, yes.

-The silver case.

-With the monocles?

-Yeah, with the pince-nez. Yes.

-That was my wife. I was in town.

-Oh, right.

-Ooh, so we could start again?

-I was in transit.

-Give it your best go.

-I quite like them.

-You've got them marked up at 69.

-Yes.

But I am hoping for, you know, quite a bit of discount,

because I think they're pretty...

-How about £20 off, 45.

-Would you come down to 42?

-Yeah, that'll be fine.

-Excellent, Peter. You're a good man.

Thank you very much. Pleasure doing business. Thanks, thank you.

There we go.

The British Rail lamp for £25,

and the silver spectacle case and pince-nez for £42.

Paul, meanwhile, is all shopped out, and has an assignment to undertake

in the nearby village of Rise, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Let's step back in time to the summer of 1940.

Hitler's armies had quickly in succession conquered

Poland, Norway, Holland and Belgium.

And, with the British Army retreating from Dunkirk,

Churchill instructed the formation of a secret resistance network of

highly trained volunteers, in preparation for a German invasion.

They would become known as the GHQ auxiliary units -

small groups of men equipped for guerrilla warfare,

with a mission to cause chaos and havoc to the occupying enemy.

The Yorkshire coast was considered high risk for suspected

German attack.

And right here, somewhere in these woods, lies a secret bunker,

where the soldiers would be based.

Paul's meeting with amateur historian Ian Turton, to find out more.

As I understand it, we set up some sort of almost partisan

organisation in preparedness for invasion.

-Is that right?

-These men were picked from the Home Guard.

They were hand-picked from the Home Guard.

Gamekeepers, huntsmen and people that knew t'land.

-They were behind enemy lines to cause havoc.

-Right.

Blow up enemy trucks or any explosives,

things like that - sabotage.

-OK.

-That's what they were deemed to do.

So we're setting up saboteurs in resistance in advance of occupation?

Yeah, yeah. That's what the intentions were of Churchill to do.

After receiving training in explosives, sabotage and silent killing,

the men would be placed in secret units in the wilderness,

train to live underground by day and cause mayhem by night,

with surprise attacks on the enemy.

Thank goodness for the light.

Oh, what?

-Oh, my word!

-75 years old.

It's just like a Nissen hut, isn't it?

-And how many men would be down here, in theory?

-Eight.

-See, they've still left the bunks for us.

-Oh, my word!

So these guys, in theory, have left their families behind.

The Germans are at the town hall putting up declarations saying,

-"We are in charge now."

-Yeah.

And they're down here, they don't know what's going on out there...

The men that signed up to be a part of this secret organisation

were so fearless in their tasks that, if a German invasion had happened,

their life expectancy was just 12 days.

It's trying to put yourself into their boots,

which is impossible to do, but it's the thought that your family's out there,

and you don't know what they're subject to.

-No, no.

-And you know that you've got to do your utmost,

but it's going to end badly.

Some aren't recognised as soldiers -

they were fit to be soldiers...

-You're a coward.

-Cos the Guard doesn't count, really.

-So they can't say I'm...this...

-Oh, my word.

-That was it,

there were no recognition whatsoever.

In Britain's hour of need,

dedicated, fearless men signed up to die for King and Country.

Under the guise of the Home Guard,

they were not a group of tired, bumbling old men, but were

highly skilled soldiers, who will always remain heroes in our hearts.

Claire's made her way north,

to the seaside town of Bridlington on the east coast of Yorkshire.

This looks lovely in here. Claire's got just over £230 to spend.

There's a little miniature gardening set, just in the front there.

It's got a little spade. A little rake.

And a dibber for making holes, for planting things.

The nice thing is that it looks like ivory - it's not, it's bone.

Ivory will be a very clear, dense white.

Bone has blood vessels going through it,

so you get these little brown flecks in.

Things in miniature have always appealed

and I think we've got, combining there, sort of

something miniature and gardening.

Quite a good combination.

Jane's the lady in charge.

Now for a closer look.

I like these. I just love the way the rake's made.

I mean, isn't that a lovely curved head on it? Do you like it?

It's a delightful little thing. It's from a bygone era.

-We don't sort of get these miniatures any more.

-No.

-Of that quality.

-No.

-It's the quality, isn't it?

-It's the quality, yes.

-Cos there's good weight to them as well.

-Yes.

Now, then, the all-important thing. We have £78 on it.

Is this something that I can speak to you about

or is it for someone else?

Jane manages to get the dealer on the phone.

But is there a deal to be done?

Chris has said he could do 62 on it.

62. I'm going to have them.

The collection of miniature gardening tools at £62

concludes this leg's shopping bonanza.

Claire's spent £164 on five lots.

As well as the miniature gardening tools,

she has the World War II gas mask,

the collection of woodworking tools,

the British Rail lamp and the silver spectacle case and pince-nez.

Paul also has five lots.

The bullet watch fob...

The Victorian beaded cuff, writing slope,

the novelty snuffbox, and the Charles Barlow vases.

Paul has spent a total of £114.

Right, my old antiques lovers,

thoughts on one another's collections?

I like that little watch fob, that...

or it could just be a pendant.

I think that's quite fun, mounted in rose gold. He's paid £10 for it.

I thought he ought to make good money on that.

Then we get to the miniature implements.

Utterly, utterly charming,

and people are going to fall in love with them.

HOWEVER, £62 for absolutely useless but charming miniature

gardening implements in bone and brass...?

It hurts me to have to say this,

but I think he's made some good buys there.

Would I swap for my offering? Well, what do you think?

It's a no, folks.

He's confident. Let's get ready to sell.

Our road trippers are heading for their third auction at Beverley

in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

So, what about this fob of yours, Paul?

Who else would have recognised that as...? What is it, a Mills bomb?

I LOVE that. I mean, seriously.

But, will the bidders love it as much as you, Paul?

Situated today at Beverley Racecourse, Hawleys Auctioneers

is run by husband-and-wife team John and Caroline Hawley.

Caroline is in command of the room today,

so what does she think of our duo's lots?

The little, tiny shell, inlaid with rose gold and silver,

and I thought, "Oh, yeah, that's a Paul Laidlaw lot, straightaway."

The railway lamp, I have to say, it's not really my cup of tea,

but there's an awful lot of interest in railwayana.

Well, we'll soon see. Take your seats!

The auction is about to begin.

-Well!

-Auction number three!

-I know!

-I can't believe we're on our third auction.

-No!

Time flies when you're having fun.

Right, up first is Paul's Victorian beaded cuff.

£4, eh?

£10 to start. £5.

Don't look at me like that.

Thank you, sir. It'll suit you nicely! £5.

Six anywhere? Are we done at six on the net? Seven, sir?

-Seven, are you back in?

-Don't go up in pounds, don't go up in pounds.

-Never good when you go up in pounds.

-Ten on the net. 12 anywhere?

12 on the internet. 14 anywhere?

14 on the net. 16.

Do feel free to join us. 18. 18 on the internet.

-18 now!

-Are we done at £18?

20. You just snuck in, madam. 20 in the room.

22 anywhere? 20 in the room...

All done at £20...

-Yeah.

-Well done. Good start. Goodness sake!

A good return on your £4 there, Paul.

-500%.

-Oh, be quiet.

If I stick to that...

Well, I'll be walking out of here in a minute!

Keep the faith, Claire. It's your World War II gas mask next.

Start me cheap. £10 for the gas mask. That's straight in. Ten.

12 anywhere? 12. 14, 16, 18, 20, 22.

No? 20 at the back of the room.

22 anywhere? 22. Who said 22?

24, 26, 28, 30. 32, 34? No?

32 at the back of the room. 34 anywhere?

All done at £32...

Oh! That's OK. It's more than I thought.

A pleasant surprise, Claire.

Nice profit to launch you into lead position.

You are in the lead, Claire Rawle. I couldn't be happier for you.

Aw, this has started well, hasn't it?

It has, Paul. The Charles Barlow vases are next.

I've got bids on the sheets.

I have to start you at £60. 65 anywhere?

Oh, it's all on commission. It's all on commission! It's all on paper.

£60, surely? All done at 60...

65, just in time. 70 anywhere?

65 with John, 70 anywhere?

All done at 65...

-That was all right.

-I think that's fair enough.

Very nice, and you've taken the lead.

-Happy days!

-All right...

The woodworking tools bought by Claire are next.

Should be all right on that, shouldn't they?

Yeah, that's what worries me! It could be very all right!

A nice little lot, everything you need to set yourself up

with a joiner's workshop.

What's this worth?

£40? 20 to go. Come along. Who's going to give me...

Thank you, sir. £20. 22 anywhere? £20, surely.

22, 24, 26. 28, 30. 30.

32, 34, 36, 38. 38? Go on. 40. No?

38, with you, sir. 38 in the room. 40 anywhere?

Are we done at...?

40's back again. 42! Just one more. 42.

You're shaking your head the wrong way. No? £40, I have you...

All done at 40...

Not too bad, that could...

-HE GROANS

-You thought it...

Look at you couple of giggling Gerties!

Nice profit, though, there, Claire.

There's nothing in it.

-No, it's a bit neck and neck.

-I can just about touch you.

You're right, Paul.

It's anyone's game at the moment, and your writing slope is next.

-I've got to start you at £35, 40 anywhere?

-What a gift!

40. 45, 50, 55.

-60, 65.

-Smile, smile.

60 with you, Roy.

-65 anywhere?

-It's cheap.

-It is.

-It's a cheap box.

-It is.

-Are we done at £60?

It's a cheap lot. I have you. £60...

65. 70, Roy.

70, I have in the room.

-75 anywhere?

-Tell them how nice it is! Tell them how nice it is!

It's scratched, it's scratched! There's a huge scratch on it.

All done at 70...

Another chunk of a profit.

The quality inlay helped things along there.

By my reckoning, I'm up £790, but that's just roughly.

Hey, wildly wrong there, sunshine!

Yeah, your maths never was your strong point, was it?!

Claire's British Rail lamp is next.

Going to have to start you at £42.

-Bang on the money.

-Oh, OK.

-Bang on the money.

44. Thank you, 46?

46, 48. 50, 55, 60. 65, 70.

70, are you in? 70, 75.

£70 with you, madam.

All done at 70...

That's a corker of a profit. Well done, Claire.

It's Paul's favourite lot of the road trip next.

The bullet watch fob.

-£40. 45 anywhere?

-Ooh, excellent.

-It's worth...

All over. 45, 50. 55, 60. 65, 70.

70? 75. £70 with you, sir.

In the room, people know!

-£70 I have.

-People get it!

-75 anywhere?

-Oh, well...

All done at £70...

-Well done!

-Justice done!

Well done.

Well, the room appreciated the watch fob.

That's another large profit for Paul.

-I didn't think they'd know.

-Yeah.

-Wow.

-Well, yeah, there are...

This is a sophisticated crowd out here!

Certainly is. Come on, Claire.

Can your spectacle case help you catch up on Paul's lead?

Let's get into focus.

I'm hoping I'm not going to make a spectacle of myself out of this.

Oh, Claire!

Give me £20 to start. Thank you, all over. 20, 22, 24.

26, 28, 30. 32, 34, 36. 38, 40, 42.

£40 with you, sir. 42. 44.

-46, 48, 50. 55.

-You're in it now.

60, 65. 70. 75. Just one more?

You're nodding your head the wrong way. Go on!

You know you want them. 75!

80. 85.

85? No? £80 I have from you.

All done at 80... Thank you.

Excellent profit, Claire. You're inching closer to Paul.

-There's nothing in this with two items to go each.

-Two to go.

-And our biggest spends.

-There are...

Correct.

It's the novelty snuffbox from Paul now.

It's going to be neck and neck.

-A dead heat.

-Photo finish!

-Photo finish!

Straight in at £100.

-110 anywhere?

-Mmm!

-MAN: Yes.

-Thank you, John.

110 in the room. 120 on the internet.

120 on the internet, 130 anywhere?

-MAN: 122.

-122! He's bloomin' awkward again!

-Good on you!

-122, thank you so much, John. I'll see you later, 122...

What are you doing, sir? Are you waving, or...? 125. Thank you, sir.

125. 130, John. 125, I have in the room. 130 on the internet.

-No!

-135, I'll oblige. No?

All done at £130...

-Fair enough.

-Yeah, they spotted it.

-Yeah, yeah...

-They spotted it.

Hey, Paul certainly knows what he's doing.

An astounding result.

Just looking in my rear-view mirror...

No, I can't see you!

You wait, you wait!

Don't get too cocky there, Paul. Come on, Claire.

The miniature gardening tools are the last lot of the day.

-I'm going to have to start you at £25.

-That's a bit disappointing.

Straight in, 30. Thank you, sir.

35, 40, 45. 50. No?

-45 with the lady at the back.

-I think they might...

-I know! Come on!

50, 55. 60, 65. 70. 65 at the back.

Are we done at £65?

-Hang on... Oh. Bid, bid.

-It's a gorgeous little lot.

Hello. 70. 75, 80.

85. 90. 95. 100.

-110. 120. 130. 140.

-I don't know, it looks like smart trade.

-You're shaking your head the wrong way, sir.

-You've made good money.

Yes, 140, he's in.

-140.

-Oh, nice.

-150. No?

All done at £140...

Claire Rawle!

-A little blast at the finishing line there.

-Yeah.

Hey, a rocketing profit, Claire. Phenomenal work.

-Off to the weighing room?

-I'm with you, come on!

A close-run race there. Who on earth will clinch victory today?

Claire began leg three with £334, and after auction costs,

made an excellent profit of £132.84,

giving Claire a delicious £466.84 to begin the penultimate leg.

For the third leg,

Paul began with £434.80

and made a corker of a profit of £177.10.

The Laidlaw continues with his victorious streak.

He has £611.90 for the fourth leg.

Nice one, Cyril.

-What an auction!

-It was good, wasn't it?

-What?!

-Yeah!

-A clean sweep.

See you soon, road trippers.

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip...

..Paul and Claire get the giggles.

What's new?

HE LAUGHS IN A SINISTER MANNER

-LAUGHING:

-Yeah!

Crikey, Moses!