Episode 3 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.

It's leg three of the road trip,

and two auctions down for antiques aficionados

Anita Manning and Raj Bisram.

So you didn't sleep, darling?

To be honest, when you get £3.59 down,

it's hard to sleep.

So far, Raj has resisted the temptation to play dirty.

I wonder if I could maybe put Anita in these.

Ha! And Anita has negotiated hard so far.

Could you come down even a wee bit more?

Their faithful friend for the week has been the 1978 Triumph Spitfire.

Well, Raj, we're in the lovely county of Essex.

-The sun's trying to get through the cloud.

-It is.

The rain has stopped...

..and we're happy again.

We certainly are.

Good-oh.

Our auctioneering duo started their road trip with £200 each,

and it's been nail-biting stuff ever since.

Raj now has £428.24 to spend

but Anita managed to swipe the lead with a tidy £431.48,

so there is less than £4 in it.

It's so close now, I'm not sure what to do,

whether to go all out for it

-or play...

-Play it cool.

-Play it cool.

-You, my friend, have to make your own mind up about that.

-I know.

I'm a risk taker.

-I know you are.

-THEY LAUGH

-That's what I'm counting on, Raj.

-RAJ LAUGHS

Us too.

After kicking off from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire,

they took in the sights of Norfolk,

and they're continuing through Essex and Suffolk,

from where they'll then head south to Kent, Surrey, and East Sussex,

before navigating north to Bolton in Lancashire for their final auction.

Gosh. Today's journey starts in Halstead, Essex,

and comes full circle back to auction in Rayleigh, also in Essex.

There's a town in Essex, which is the oldest town in Britain,

-which is Colchester.

-Oh, I didn't know that.

-Yeah.

That fella is a mine of information, but it is Halstead,

not Colchester, where the pair are heading to, first off.

Certainly looks like a big place.

Oh, there's going to be a lot of choice here.

-ANITA LAUGHS

-Well, wish me luck.

-Have fun, Raj.

-I will.

And remember - be dangerous.

I will be.

Have a good day.

Burning oil. Huh.

Halstead Antiques is situated in a former corn mill, hence the size,

and holds about 25,000 items over two floors.

Just a few things to choose from in here, then...

Motor memorabilia is really collectable.

If you can find original items, they're worth getting your hands on.

And this is actually an original Wayne petrol pump.

It's been completely restored.

I love it.

It's way out of my price range, but it's great.

At £650, it's staying right where it is.

This is a nice, decorative paddle.

A lot of people put these on their wall.

I'm always drawn to anything boating as well.

I quite like this, this is quite nice.

Got another one here, 18.

Well, then, what are you thinking?

They'd make quite a nice lot.

With ticket prices of £29 and £18,

Raj wants to see if he can get a deal for the two from owner, James.

There's not going to be a lot in it for these, but I quite like them.

-£25? 20, 25?

-Yes.

20? Can we shake hands?

-25.

-20?

-25 sounded a lot better to me.

I'll tell you what, what about splitting it down the middle?

-£22.50?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

You'll take that? Brilliant. We have a deal!

-Thank you very much, Raj.

-Thank you, James.

I know there's a saying that goes something like,

"Up..." What is it?

"Up the creek without a paddle"?

Up the creek without a paddle.

Well, I've got two paddles, I should be OK.

Here's hoping.

So that's £22.50 for the early 20th-century paddles.

Meanwhile, Anita has made her way a couple of miles west

to the village of Gosfield, home to Gosfield Antiques Village.

Ten years ago,

this former working farm was developed into a shopping mecca

and today, it's run by Glen.

Welcome, Anita.

-Hello.

-Welcome to Gosfield.

It's lovely to be here. I've had a walk through here.

It's wonderful.

So you've got this building here

and you've got the building across the road.

Across the courtyard. Lots of cabinets.

-Is that the cabinet?

-SHE GASPS

I'm a terrible girl for the cabinets.

Could I go across?

-Let's go this way.

-Thank you.

There are 168 cabinets, to be precise.

Anita's idea of heaven.

And they are stocked with all things small.

I'm spoiled for choice.

I've had a quick look around.

Now I'm going to be a wee bit more careful,

ask to look at things, examine them,

touch them and ask the price.

And she's got something in mind. Time to bring back Glen.

Found something?

I quite like this little ornament here,

the little antelope.

It's not a precious metal, it's not silver.

I think that's quite sweet,

and I love the malachite base.

I love those lovely, natural stones.

It looks as if it's just the malachite,

they've given it a knock and taken a chunk off of it,

so it is a wee, sort of, artisan piece.

It's got a ticket price of £38.

But something else has also caught Anita's eye.

This little silver snuff box there, it's £22.

It doesn't seem a lot of money.

It looks very pretty with the enamelling showing an exotic bird.

I'm looking for a hallmark here.

I can see a rather roughly stippled

"925."

It's as if it's been done by an amateur with a screwdriver.

There is some discolouration there,

so they've tested it.

I think it probably is silver.

The snuff box and the ornament, which I think is a ring holder,

would total £50, so Anita's hoping to strike a deal.

If I bought both of them,

I would be thinking in the region of...

..£25, £30.

-I think we could manage £30.

-You could manage 30, go for 30?

Let's do it, then.

Thank you very much, Glen.

That's £30 for the stylised ring holder and silver snuff box.

Good-oh.

Back with Raj in Halstead now.

He's found himself another option.

I really like this William Russell Flint.

He was a Scottish artist, an illustrator as well.

He had a great life.

He just painted beautiful women, and mostly naked.

I mean, this is quite unusual, because they've got clothes on.

Obviously, his originals are really what you want,

but this is a nice signed print.

I would be interested around the £50 mark region.

Like much of Russell Flint's work,

his watercolour brush technique is superb,

which is why his originals are coveted by collectors.

The ticket price is £115 and Raj wants it for 50,

so he's putting in a call to the off-site dealer.

Stand by.

Hello, Andrea, hello there.

Thank you so much indeed.

That's really kind.

Lovely, thank you very much indeed, Andrea.

Great! Fantastic.

She's agreed to that.

That's £50 for the 1950s William Russell Flint print.

Raj has one more item he'd like to have a go at.

This is a little bit different - it's turned into a bench,

this "Danger Electricity" sign.

I would want to pay £30 for it.

It would make a great garden seat.

It's priced at £85, so what's the best James can do?

50?

I'm prepared to split the difference and I'll pay 40 for it...

HE EXHALES

..which is slightly more than I wanted.

He might be pushing it.

-Yes.

-Yes?

-Yes.

We have a deal. Thank you very much, James.

Good man. Let's hope it sparks some interest at auction.

So that's £40 for the "Danger Electricity" bench,

£50 for the William Russell Flint print

and £22.50 for the pair of paddles, totalling £112.50.

Thank you very much indeed, James, it's been a pleasure to meet you,

and thank you for making me feel so welcome.

-And you.

-All the best.

While Raj has been spending, Anita's headed south to Braintree.

The town is responsible

for producing some of the finest textiles in British history,

favoured by the Royal family for over a century.

To tell Anita more is textile historian and author Mary Schoeser.

Mary, it's lovely to be here.

It's lovely to have you here, Anita.

I love textiles

and I can see all of these wonderful cloths round about me.

By the end of the 19th century,

Essex had become a hub for silk production.

Benjamin Warner, an entrepreneur with a background in textiles,

took over this Braintree mill in 1895.

At the time, it was one of Britain's largest mills for hand-woven silk.

The contents of these drawers reveal

over 100 years of ever-changing fashion and style,

showing the fabric of British history.

That's a lovely line.

These early silks are so exquisite

and they must have been so expensive to make.

Who were the people who were wearing these things?

Well, they were the wealthiest of all people

because silk is the most expensive fibre.

And so, of course, many of the clients were aristocrats

and members of the royalty.

Warners have dressed and furnished royal households for generations.

Samples of these priceless cloths make up just part of this collection

of 100,000 items.

Mary, isn't that the most magnificent piece of fabric?

That gold is glowing, it's so wonderful.

Well, it is very special indeed.

We know that the pattern was used at Queen Victoria's coronation

and this is cloth of gold,

woven for the coronation of Edward VII

and it is gold thread woven into the cloth.

That is amazing.

In 1911, Warners were called on again to weave their magic

for the coronation of King Edward's son and daughter-in-law,

who were to become King George V and Queen Mary.

This is one of two hand-woven, hand-brocaded cloths made in 1911

for Queen Mary's coronation trousseau.

There was a close relationship between Princess May,

as she was called, prior to being crowned.

Her wedding cloth, most famously, was woven by Warners.

I think of Princess May as the first People's Princess.

She was the first, as far as I know,

to actually come inside a factory and stand next to a worker

with his coat off, you know,

and witness real work.

That must have been a huge thing at that time,

-because royalty just didn't pop down to their local factory!

-No, no.

Princess Mary was a big supporter of British industry,

promoting the high-quality designs of English hand-woven silk,

a tradition that has continued through the Royal family to today.

This one is very special.

It's a hand-woven velvet.

Oh, so beautiful.

I can almost taste that.

What would this have been used for?

Well, this was used for the chairs of estate at the coronation

of George V and Queen Mary.

It is based on a 17th-century Genovese velvet design,

but this was one of the cloths that...

Warners, really, by this time,

were the only hand weavers who could produce it.

Very, very special. Very special.

-That is not just a piece of fabric, that is a work of art.

-It is.

It is. It's a piece of history.

The archive holds 25,000 swatches,

recording which weavers made them and when.

Even though the mill shut in 1971,

some of Warners' classic designs are back in production today.

And this is taken from the original from the 1930s.

Oh, that's fab.

And I thought you would love that.

-I think I'll try it on.

-I think you should.

-Shall I?

-I think you should.

-Oh, there we go.

-What do you think?

It really is perfect.

Warners' success not only lives on through this magnificent archive,

but their designs are still being used by high-end companies

across the world, showing that this great British business

will not be forgotten.

Raj, meanwhile, has got weaving his way north across the border

into Suffolk, to the magnificent medieval market town of Clare,

and to Market Hill Antiques, headed up by Robin.

-Hello, there.

-Good afternoon.

-Robin, isn't it?

-That's correct.

-I'm Raj.

-OK, Raj.

You've got some lovely little things I can see already.

My eyes are starting to sparkle.

-Have a good look.

-I will do.

Raj still has over £300 in his wallet.

So get it dusted off.

You very rarely go into a shop where you see a rare piece

of Royal Doulton, and this is a Columbine figurine,

which is a very rare piece.

It's hand-signed.

I can't see a price on it

but this is from 1931.

At £700, it's more than twice Raj's remaining budget.

So, he'd better get on looking.

The buttons - they're interesting.

I've got 175 on them.

That is probably a bit much for auction.

They've got ridged design on, which dates them to circa 1900.

They are silver. They've been tested.

But they're in the original retailers' box,

which is West & Sons of Dublin.

Not only are these a nice set of Art Nouveau silver buttons,

they're Irish, and they're in their original box.

There's got to be a profit in these.

I would pay you £50 for those.

You would pay that for them?

-They're yours then, Sir.

-Brilliant.

-We have a deal.

-Thank you.

A generous discount at £50 for the set of Art Nouveau buttons.

On that note, it's time to button up and call it a night.

So, nighty-night.

Good morning, Antiquers!

What a beautiful morning it is to take the Triumph Spitfire out

again for a spin.

Don't you think, Raj, it's just the joy of joys?

To be sitting in a wee, flashy convertible...

..in the sunshine, with a good pal?

I tell you, I couldn't ask for anything better, Anita.

Not sure where the sunshine is, though, Anita.

So far, Anita has found herself two items.

An enamel snuffbox and a stylised antelope -

a possible ring stand - leaving her with just over £400 still to spend.

Let's do it then. Thank you very much, Glen.

Raj has four lots in the old bag.

A pair of paddles,

a William Russell Flint print,

a "Danger Electricity" concrete bench

and a set of Art Nouveau buttons.

And he has just over £265 left to play with.

We have a deal.

You know, England is such a beautiful country,

with all these wonderful little villages and the changing landscape.

Anita, you can see why Kent is known as the Garden of England.

True, true.

This morning, they're heading to western Kent, to the town of Otford,

home to a former winner of Britain's best roundabout.

So, Raj, today, we're going to share a shop.

I don't want you following me around,

trying to buy a nicer wee brooch than I am!

Well, I'm afraid, Anita, all's fair in love and war.

And antiques. The shop in question

is Otford Antique and Collectors Centre.

Well, we've both got money,

-let's go shopping.

-RAJ CHUCKLES

Helping Anita and Raj today are Barry and Alan.

Here we are.

Hello, hello.

-Hi.

-Morning.

-How are you?

-How are you, all right?

I'm Raj, nice meet you.

Smashing place you've got.

I believe this is a skyscraper of an antique shop.

Well, we've got about 30 different dealers,

just over 30, I think, haven't we?

-35, I think.

-Upstairs, downstairs.

I'm going to go.

But, Anita, can you give me a 20-minute start?

-No.

-OK. Fair enough.

-See you later, good luck, Raj.

Raj heads upstairs while Anita tours the ground floor.

Raj soon finds something that's calling him.

These, um, old Bakelite telephones, the old black ones,

and the white ones as well,

have become very, very collectable now.

As you can see, this one is from a town just down the road,

in fact, Orpington.

This is a 1920s to 1940s one,

with a price ticket of £120,

so they have really gone up in value.

What's really interesting about these old phones, though,

is they can be converted.

One to think about, eh?

How's Anita getting on?

When you come into a big shop like this,

with lots and lots of dealers,

it can be a bit daunting at the beginning.

What I tend to do is to whizz round,

have a look at everything first of all,

and then I try to go round more carefully.

Meanwhile, Raj has been hitting the cabinets

and has roped in Alan to help.

I really like the look of this...

That's a lovely piece of glass.

Yeah, it's lovely.

It's absolutely lovely.

These kind of items sell really, really well

and there are a lot of collectors for them.

This is in really good condition.

Rene Lalique originally worked in jewellery but is now synonymous

worldwide with exquisite glass design,

which he began to do in the late 19th century.

This shell bowl dates from the 1930s.

Any idea what you think we could possibly get it for?

Er...

I've got 275.

It's on 10%.

I'd happily pay 150 for it.

I don't think he would take that.

But Alan's going to get the dealer on the phone for Raj

to see what he can do.

Hello, Andrew?

Uh-huh. I mean, for me, it's going to be about 150, 160.

Yes, I'm going to take a chance. Yes, I like it.

I like it, yeah. I will definitely take it for 165, yes.

Thank you very much indeed, Andrew.

He's come down to 165.

-Yeah, bye!

-There might be a small loss there, but I love it.

I love Rene Lalique's work, I love his glass.

-Lovely bowl.

-It's a lovely bowl

and it's actually quite a rare one, this one.

The shape and the design is slightly different to his normal ones.

So, that's £165 for the Lalique-signed shell bowl.

Back with Anita now and, after her initial whizz round,

she spotted a potential little gem in the window.

People say that brown furniture is not popular just now.

But small pieces of furniture are still popular.

And this is a lovely, wee, functional thing

that you can keep your favourite books in.

Victorian, mahogany,

and it has this rather nice carved detail here.

I like that, and I'm going to have a go at it.

Oh! So, Barry's putting it to one side

while Anita continues her search.

Hang on a minute. What's she doing now?

-MUSIC PLAYS

-Raj!

-Yes?

-Oh, no!

-Shall we dance?

Another one of my talents, I don't think.

-Why don't I put this on as well?

-You look so handsome.

-Let's go!

-Fred Astaire.

-SHE LAUGHS

I'm getting into this.

I'm not sure he'll get a ten from Len.

I'm afraid I still have some items to buy,

so I think I'll have to twirl off and I'll see you later.

Adios!

With Raj's shopping finished, but his dancing career starting,

Anita's searching high and low

to find something to wow the auction-goers of Essex.

There's some lovely 20th-century items in here.

Some lovely Whitefriars here, some Daum glass,

and a piece of Troika.

Troika pottery was only made for a short period and this wheel vase,

so-called as it's round,

looks to have been made by Louise Jinks,

who worked at Troika between 1976 and 1981.

I like it very, very much. I love the modernist design.

I love the fact that it was made by an artist.

It's priced at £145, and another option

to go with her miniature mahogany bookcase, perhaps.

Let's see what Barry can do.

I think that's a nice wee thing.

-It's priced at £38, Barry.

-OK.

-But there's a wee damage here.

A little bit of the moulding missing.

-Right.

-I was wondering if there was a possibility

of getting it nearer £20?

-Oh, my goodness!

-Is that too big a discount?

I would've thought it probably is.

So, Barry's going to let Anita talk to the dealer herself.

Hello, Jackie, it's Anita here.

Hi! Now, I've fancied that nice wee, um, kind of miniature bookcase.

I was wanting to pay round about £20 for it,

but, um, Barry was saying that was a wee bit too much.

25 would be absolutely wonderful.

Thank you, Jackie.

Right. Bye-bye.

-25, Barry.

-Lovely!

If you don't ask, you don't get and Anita's not done yet.

Barry's back on the phone to dealer Andrew,

who sold the Lalique bowl to Raj.

Let's see if he's still feeling generous.

Hello, Andrew.

I fancied the little wheel vase.

Now, you've got 145 on it.

SHE LAUGHS

I love you, too.

What's the very best that you can do, Andrew?

Aw, thank you so much. That's absolutely fabulous.

OK, bye-bye.

So, 90 for that. He's come down for us.

That's terrific.

So, that's £115 all in, including the mahogany bookcase.

Gosh!

-I love my lovely items.

-Well done!

-OK.

-Good luck with them.

-See you next time. Bye-bye!

-Thank you, bye-bye.

Meanwhile, Raj has headed north to Bexleyheath,

a town belonging to Kent until 1965,

when it became part of Greater London Boroughs.

Raj is here to find out about the birthplace of interior design

at the former home of an iconic British artist.

National Trust house and gardens manager, Robin Finney,

is here to tell Raj more.

Guess whose house it was, then? Go on.

-Hello, Robin.

-Hi, Raj.

-Welcome to Red House.

-Thank you much indeed.

Red House was built for William Morris in 1859

when he was just 25.

He went on to become one of the most influential designers

of the 19th century, inspiring the Arts and Crafts movement.

So, Robin, at the time, when he built this house,

it was quite a way from Central London.

It was about 12 miles, and this was all countryside.

Yeah, so the house was all surrounded by orchards at the time.

I mean, in Britain, we had the Industrial Revolution.

-Yes.

-How did that shape his thoughts?

He was very much looking for an antidote for that.

You see this movement out into the country,

and this medieval way of living is him pushing back on that

and that industrial way and brutalist way of life.

As the only property to have been commissioned,

created and lived in by Morris,

the Red House gives a unique insight into his world.

Morris enlisted his friend, architect Philip Webb,

to design a dream home amongst this rural idyll.

A palace of art where he and fellow guests could collaborate.

So, what did this house represent for him?

So Morris had actually just got married to Janey Burdon,

and this was really supposed to be their forever home,

so where they would grow old, their children would be born.

With that in mind, the garden also tied in with the style of the house,

both inside and out.

Many of the flowers planted here feature in Morris's famous designs.

But it's inside where you can see his work really come to life.

Having struggled to find furnishings beautiful enough for his new home,

he and architect Webb decided to make their own.

This is an incredible piece of furniture -

very typical of the Arts and Crafts movement.

-Is this something he would have made himself?

-Yes.

Everything in the house was either designed by Morris or his friends.

And this piece here was designed by Philip Webb and painted by Morris.

Everything had to be beautiful in its own right,

which everyone knows that famous quote by Morris -

"Have nothing in your houses you do not know to be beautiful

"or believe to be beautiful."

That's very much symbolises that.

Morris's palace of art dream came true

as the Red House became a creative hub of collaboration

and the foundations of interior design were formed.

His friends and fellow artists,

including Edward Burne-Jones and his wife,

added their touch to this rural retreat during their regular visits,

often staying for weeks at a time.

It led to, in 1861, to the founding of the firm

which we now know as Morris & Co.

So this group of friends decided that, actually, these things

they were creating were good enough to be sold to other people.

And a lot of things you'll see in Red House today

actually went into production for the firm.

The company produced a range of domestic furnishings,

aimed at making homes beautiful as well as practical.

Morris & Co was becoming really successful.

He was commuting from Bexleyheath every day into London,

which could be a struggle sometimes now,

but then was a much bigger journey.

Plans were drawn up to extend the house

and for the Burne-Joneses to move in.

But due to some sad personal circumstances of theirs,

that didn't happen and the decision was made to move.

Morris was completely heartbroken

and said he would never be able to return to the house,

cos it would just be too heartbreaking.

-Quite sad really, isn't it?

-A really sad end, yeah.

William Morris and his family moved out

just five years after it was built in 1865.

Morris is still regarded globally

as one of the greatest designers of all time,

who revolutionised the way people decorated their homes.

But this might not have been the case

without the artistic hotbed of creativity he set up here

that shaped both his life and work.

In the meantime, Anita's crossed the border into Surrey,

to the village of Godstone.

Its pretty pond was where horses were watered in ye olden days,

before being stabled in what's now

a different type of watering hole across the road.

Anita's here to try her luck at Godstone Emporium, run by Jacqui.

-Ooh!

-Hi, girls!

-Hi!

-I'm Anita.

-Lovely to meet you.

Oh, it's great to be here, it's great to be here.

-This looks lovely.

-There's lots of treasures here to be found.

That's what we like to hear. So, what will Anita hunt out first?

What a lovely wee gem I've found here!

It's a little Art Nouveau shelving unit.

Dates 1880-1910.

It's combining the curvilinear with the geometric,

and that can be quite typical of Art Nouveau style,

particularly Glasgow Art Nouveau style.

At £48.50, it's one to keep in mind.

-Scotch Corner!

-BAGPIPES ON SOUNDTRACK

I wonder if they knew I was coming.

There is a selection here.

And I think, today, I would like to buy some agate jewellery.

We have the wonderful autumn colours here.

But I like this one as well.

This is mounted in silver.

Let's have a look at the hallmark.

That's a Glasgow hallmark. I've got to buy that.

This central stone is called a Cairngorm.

And it has the colour and hues

of the peaty streams, or burns, of Scotland.

Around the outside, we have these citrines.

And the silver mount is engraved with leaves and flowers.

And it's quite a beautiful thing.

So, if I pick out another two of them...

..I might be able to get a deal with the dealer.

So, it's back to Jacqui, to see what she can do.

Jacqui...

-Hello.

-I've found three little brooches in that Scotch Corner

you've got round here.

-Right.

-They're absolutely lovely.

-What I thought I might do is, if I could buy three...

-Mm-hm.

..I could do a deal on the three.

Well, let's have a look at the prices.

58. 38.

And 55.

151.

The brooches belong to dealer Maria, who happens to be here today.

Could you come anywhere near £100 for the three of them?

-Not that low, no.

-Not that low? What's the best you can do, Maria?

-120.

-Is that the very, very, very best you can do on it?

-Yeah.

OK, let's go for that.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks very much.

She may be over 400 miles from home,

but Anita's bought three Scottish brooches for £120.

-OK, that's lovely. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Bye.

And with that, shopping's done.

Let's have a gander at their purchases.

Along with the three brooches, Anita found an enamel snuffbox,

a stylised antelope ring stand,

a miniature mahogany bookcase, and a Troika wheel vase,

all for £265.

Raj splashed £327.50 on two wooden paddles,

a William Russell Flint print, a "Danger Electricity" bench,

a set of Art Nouveau buttons, and a Lalique shell bowl.

Thoughts, anyone?

The Troika wheel vase. This is a really lovely item.

There are a lot of collectors of Troika.

It's going up in value all the time.

I love that Coquilles Lalique bowl. That was an item of quality.

Should make a profit.

The little metal antelope figurine, I'm not sure about this one.

I think I'd better say nothing.

But his electric chair.

Is that going to burn him out and stop him making huge profits?

Who knows?

Who knows, indeed!

After hitting the road from Halstead, Essex,

and two successful shopping days,

Anita and Raj are now on the approach to their third auction

back in Essex again - in Rayleigh.

Raj, I hate to say this,

but are we going round in circles, here?

To be honest, Anita, I'm the driver, you're the navigator.

OK? So, if we are, it's your fault.

Good point!

We've both won one auction each.

We've both had a reasonable amount of money to spend.

I wonder what's going to happen today.

We'll soon find out, as our experts' last stop of this leg

is at family-run Stacey's Auctioneers.

Here we are, Raj.

Well, here we go. I'm looking forward to this one.

You never know.

-Right, third auction.

-Here we are.

-OK.

-Are you confident, Raj?

-Absolutely!

Paul Stacey is in charge of the rostrum today.

The little silver snuffbox, very decorative,

but it hasn't got a hallmark, so a bit of a risk there.

The large concrete sign, "Danger Electric" -

limited market, I think.

Not particularly pretty, so I think that might struggle a little bit.

Um, star items for me -

the Lalique bowl, I think, will do very well,

because it's an early piece of Lalique.

Made during the '40s, so I think that'll do well.

The silver brooches, they're hallmarked, Scottish.

I think they're going to do quite well, they're in good condition.

Hang on to your hats, it's time to see what the Essex auction-goers

and phone and internet bidders think.

-RAJ LAUGHS

-Well, here we are.

-Yeah!

First up is Anita's enamel snuffbox.

Shall we say about £10 to start? Got to be worth that, surely?

10 is bid. 12 now, 14. Advance on 14, if you want it.

-And 16 I've got.

-In profit, in profit.

At £16 now. Any advances? 18. Thank you. 20.

22. 25 on the internet now.

-SHE GASPS, DROWNS HIM OUT

-Yes!

-You're out in the room.

An internet bid at £25, then,

-£25.

-Yes!

-Brilliant.

Brilliant. She starts as she'd like to go on, doubling her money.

-That's a very, very good start. Well done.

-Thank you, darling.

THEY LAUGH

Over to Raj now, with his two paddles.

Shall we say £10 to start?

-10 I've got, thank you, sir. 12 now is bid.

-Oh, no!

-Against you. 14. 16.

-These will probably go for about 100 quid!

£18, 20 now with you. 22. 25. 28 now we have.

Gentleman standing at 28 and we have now internet action.

-Oh, no!

-30.

There we go. 32 now. Back in the room.

35? No! At 35, £40 now, all on the internet. There we are.

Are we all done? I'm about to sell at £40, then.

GAVEL BANGS

And a decent profit to start for Raj.

-Just a small profit.

-Well done, darling.

I should start to get worried now.

We're back with Anita now, for the antelope ring stand thingamajig.

£20 to start, surely. £20 we've got, straight in. Thank you, sir.

20 is bid. 22. 25. 28.

-30.

-Yes!

-32, 35. 38.

At 38 now, 42 is bid online.

-You're out in the room.

-I'm in trouble.

-At 42, then.

An online bid at £42, then.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Yes!

-Brilliant. Well done.

Anita's made another healthy profit.

-Are you panicking?

-I am!

-Are you worried? Are you worried?

-Nah. Not me, not me, no.

-SHE LAUGHS

Well, we'll see if you should be

as it's Raj's turn now with the Art Nouveau buttons.

Shall we say about £30 to start, surely?

-30 I've got. 32. 35. 38. 40.

-Come on!

-Come on, come on!

45. 48. 50, 5. 60, 5.

-70,

-5. Oh, profit!

-80.

-Profit!

-85. 90...

-Yes!

-In a fresh place at the far back of the room now.

-Yeah.

Are you still with me? 95. Thank you.

-Yes!

-Come on!

-100, round it up.

110, if you like?

-110.

-Yes!

-No more.

-Yes!

£110 is now bid.

For the last time, the hammer's up, I'm selling at £110, then.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Yes.

-Yes!

-Aw, gimme a kiss!

Well played, sir. Raj has more than doubled his money.

My heart was beating, boom-boom, boom-boom! I should be worried!

He is catching up, but it's Anita's Troika vase next.

Commission bid at 55, advance on that if you want it.

-Oh, no!

-At 55. £60. 65. 70 in the room now with you, sir.

Commissions are out. Are we all done?

-For the last time, the hammer's up.

-Oh, no!

-I'm selling at £70.

GAVEL BANGS That's a blow for Anita. What a job.

-Aw!

-A little loss.

-Just a wee loss.

We're back with Raj now for the William Russell Flint print.

£60 anywhere?

-£60 I've got, on the telephone.

-Oh, no!

-65 online against you.

-ANITA LAUGHS

-£70.

75. 80. 85.

-90 now. On the telephone at £90. Any advance now?

-Bit more. Bit more.

-I'm about to sell at £90, then.

-GAVEL BANGS

Another great profit for Raj.

Next, it's Anita's priciest purchase,

the three Scottish brooches.

40 anywhere, nice brooches at 40, surely?

-40 I've got, thank you.

-Oh, yes!

40 is bid on the telephone. 42 online, against you.

45. 48.

50 on the telephone now.

-55, back online.

-Yes, come on!

60 on the telephone, thank you.

65.

70.

Back on the telephone.

75 online.

£80 now, still on the telephone, 85.

90 now, still on the telephone.

95.

-No.

-Aww.

-At 95 is bid.

At £95, then.

Ouch! That's a second loss for Anita.

Sell them in Scotland, girl.

That could have been a lot worse, darling.

Yeah!

Don't hold back.

Raj's "Danger Electricity" bench is up next.

Auctioneer Paul wasn't sure. Do the bidders agree?

£30 anywhere?

£20?

Ah, there we are, some internet activity!

-£20 is offered.

-Thank God for that!

-At £22.

25 now.

It's all online. 28. Here we go.

At 30, 32.

Last opportunity. We don't give free delivery for this, sorry.

£32. 32.

Last opportunity at 32, then.

Unfortunately, no-one was on Raj's wavelength with that one.

My heart BLEEDS for you.

Said with feeling, as well!

It's now Anita's final lot, the miniature mahogany bookcase.

Commission bids.

-Commission bids!

-Cleared at £50.

-Straight in, there you go!

-Come on!

55 is the bid.

Any advances now?

£60. 65.

-70.

-Yes, yes!

At 70, on the telephone, this bid.

A telephone bid at £70, then.

-Yes!

-£70.

-There you go.

Almost tripled her money. Go, girl!

Is that 300% profit?

Not quite, but not far off. It all comes down to Raj's final lot.

It's his gamble buy, will it pay off?

Quite a bit of interest in this, ladies and gentlemen.

-Good luck, darling.

-I must start the bidding here with me at £100, then.

Let's advance on 100.

-That's not right.

-At £100, 120.

All on the internet at the moment.

160 now.

170 is a commission bid.

Against you, 180.

-190 now, still with me.

-Come on, more!

200. 220 is bid.

230 now.

240, 250.

260 now is bid.

260!

At £260 is the bid, then,

last opportunity now.

I'm about to sell at £260, then.

-That was wonderful!

-260!

-Congratulations.

An amazing profit for Raj.

-Well, that's it all over.

-What an auction! WHAT an auction!

-I need a cup of tea.

-Come on, let's go.

Let's do the maths. Anita began this leg with £431.48.

After auction costs, she is down £17.36,

leaving her with £414.12.

Raj set off with £428.24

and, post costs,

he is up by a decent £108.74,

making him the midweek winner with £536.98.

So, congratulations, old bean.

Oh, Raj, that was so exciting!

-That was an exciting one, wasn't it?

-Well, listen,

living dangerously and spending big money obviously works for you.

-There you go! Please.

-Thank you, darling.

-Here we go!

-Hey!

See you again, folks.

Next time, our auctioneers head into battle for their fourth round.

-Let's get a suit of armour and go to battle!

-Yes!

Raj Bisram changes his approach.

As you can see, I'm working really hard.

And Anita Manning gets a shock at the auction.

-BOTH:

-Yes!