Episode 2 Antiques Road Trip

It's the nation's favourite antiques experts, with £200 each...

I want something shiny.

..a classic car... HORN TOOTS

and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

I like a rummage!

I can't resist.

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

Why do I always do this to myself?!

There'll be worthy winners.

Give us a kiss!

And valiant losers.

Come on, stick 'em up!

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

Onwards and upwards!

..or the slow road to disaster?

Take me home!

This is Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

On this third leg of the road trip,

we're in some Tudor towns in Warwickshire,

with the king and queen of the antiques trade,

Catherine Southon and Charles Hanson.

He's the king, she's the queen.

We are in Middle England.

Welcome to what I would call the home of heritage.

It is beautiful round here.

Catherine started her career at one of London's top auction houses,

and still deals with a straight-talking logic and acumen,

as you would expect.

-B&W.

-B&W?

-Black and white.

-Yeah?

Black and white timber-frame cottages.

I love the way, Charles, you talk in riddles,

you make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Quite!

While Charles runs a Derbyshire saleroom with his trademark passion

for all things antiquated and archaic.

And chaotic and really rather lovely.

This area is renowned for black and white timber-frame cottages,

Anne Hathaway's,

Shakespeare's...

Ah, to be or not to be.

With our bards of buying starting off with £200,

Catherine now has £207.30...

..while Charles has proved himself a true titan of trading,

having accumulated £660.98.

He learned everything from me.

Huh, modest!

They're driving this green goddess, a 1981 MGB GT.

And they're motoring that classic car around southern England

before wending their way up the country,

journeying several hundred miles.

They'll finally finish up in Congleton in Cheshire.

On this leg, they start off in the Warwickshire village of Long Marston

and aim for auction in Newport, Shropshire.

But what might be their dream buys on this leg, eh?

See, I don't have sweet dreams any more on the road trip,

-I have nightmares.

-Get out of here!

Wondering what else you're going to buy!

It's treasure hunting, it's like my hobby of metal detecting.

-You can't guarantee...

-You don't do metal detecting!

As a young boy, what got me into treasure hunting...

-SHE LAUGHS

-..was metal detecting,

I love it. What's so funny?!

SHE MIMICS DETECTOR BLEEPING

Let's hope they can both find something that glitters

as they head for their first shops,

and, having dropped Charles off,

Catherine's striding towards her first destination.

Ooh, hello!

-Good morning.

-Hi, I'm Catherine, very nice to meet you.

-I'm Laura.

Pleasantries over, time to shop.

Oh, now, that's cute, look at that!

It's in terrible condition.

Wow, I love that!

I love it!

It's a miniature model of a sedan chair,

a type of box in which a small seat or cabin

would be carried by servants or horses. Hm!

This one might have been used as a display case

and probably dates from the 19th century.

Dealer Laura owns this little curiosity.

Obviously, we've got a stain on the top.

What is your very, very best on that?

You've got 88 on it.

I could do it for 50.

I don't think I'd spend any more than 40, to be honest.

-Would you be willing to...

-You couldn't go to 45?

45...

45, yeah, that's a possibility, yeah.

-Can I put that on the back burner?

-Course you can.

Well, I wouldn't burn it, exactly.

Anything else?

This I'm kind of drawn towards.

A copper letter rack, yes. It does have a maker's mark on it.

This copper and brass letter rack also hails from France,

where Laura sources a lot of her stock.

The ticket price on that is £55.

I could do that one for...

30.

I think I'd want to be more around 20 on that, to be honest.

Could we meet in the middle, at 25?

Shall we see again?

Cos we've got this, with the sedan chair...

With two items reserved, time for a peek outside.

How much is the Belfast sink?

Oh, do you know, I can't remember, I think it's 40-something,

but that can be cheap.

Cheap, you say, Laura?

That's music to Road Trippers' ears!

Meanwhile, Charles has raced onwards

to the multi-storied town of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Here, Charles is aiming towards Stratford Antiques Centre,

and dealer Raymond.

And just as Charles has come through the door,

Raymondo already has a little item he's keen to show him.

Oh, lovely! So what we've got here, it appears to be, what...?

Madonna and child? It's a religious scene, isn't it?

Yes.

This little plaque appears to bear the mark of the German ceramics firm

Meissen, the very first European manufacturer to create porcelain

in 1708, a skill previously only held in East Asia.

But Charles thinks something about this is a bit suspicious,

and I think he's right.

It carries a mock Meissen mark.

-OK.

-So it's an imitation of Meissen.

And this was made in Germany, probably around 1880.

-OK.

-I like it, I like it a lot.

That will need further investigation,

but it's still an attractive 19th century lump.

What would be your best price?

-30 for you.

-30?

You wouldn't do a bit more at all, would you, no?

Because to me it's probably worth between £20 and £40.

OK.

25's rock-bottom.

For £25, I'm going to say, well, life is too short, I'll take it.

Deal done at £25.

Thank you, Raymondo!

And what's this he's stumbled upon?

An early footman.

A footman was used for keeping plates or food or wine warm

in front of a dining-room fire.

-Raymond?

-Hello, yeah?

What's your best price on this footman?

The price tag is 58.

-I can do... 38.

-Oh, you can't!

Oh, he can do anything.

I'm hoping this might just be late 18th-century,

because I say so... but I might be wrong!

He's keen, but what about the price?

Would you take 30 for it?

OK, 30, then.

Done, thank you very much, that's great.

Another deal in the bag. Thank you, Raymondo.

Back in Long Marston,

Catherine's been busy negotiating for the miniature sedan chair,

French letter rack,

and Belfast sink. What a mixture!

Dealer Laura's suggesting £85 for the three.

Catherine?!

Could we do 75 for the three, rather than 85?

No, but I could go to 80.

-OK, OK, shall we do that?

-Yeah.

-Are you happy with that?

-I am.

-We'll go on that.

-Thank you.

-Right.

Magnifique, eh?

Catherine has bagged the sedan chair for £35,

the letter rack for 30

and the sink for 15.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, too.

And carry on buying en francais.

-We will!

-Au revoir!

-Au revoir!

-Au revoir!

Now, Charles has travelled on to the town of Henley-in-Arden,

where he's about to trip off into Henley Vintage & Interiors.

Always on the run, Charles.

-Hi.

-Charles Hamilton.

-Hi, Christine.

-Hi, Christine. And?

-Julie.

Hi, Julie, good to see you. What a lovely shop.

What I can see in here already is a nice array of silver.

These are lovely, Christine.

Oh, God, they're really nice!

That's a set of four silver seasoning dishes, or salts,

bearing a Victorian hallmark,

and the monogram of their original owner, and they're very sweet.

Here we've got W Pound, Esquire,

and we've got the hallmarks on there for London.

It's a young sovereign head, so we know they're about 1884.

-Have they been here a while?

-No.

They're lovely. So, four of those.

-Yes.

-How much could they be?

£50 on them.

What's your offer, Charles?

Well, I was going to say to you, Christine,

whether I could buy them at £10 a piece, and go in at £40?

42?

I'll happily buy them...

-Lovely.

-..for £42.

Well done, Charles.

And with that, we're quite hit for six

at the end of a jam-packed first day on the trip, so...

..nighty-night, you two.

But the morning finds these two back in the MG

and getting along as swimmingly as ever.

You're a bit close for my liking.

Well, thanks a lot.

This morning, Catherine's beginning her buying

in the pretty Cotswold town of Chipping Campden.

She's got £127 left to spend.

You're an uptown girl in Chipping Campden.

-See you later.

-Mwah!

With coffee at hand, Catherine strolls into Stuart House Antiques

to meet dealer Rachel.

Welcome to Chipping Campden.

Thank you. And you are?

-I'm Rachel. Nice to meet you.

-Rachel, lovely to meet you.

Catherine will scour this jam-packed place for buys.

And she will, you know.

Our girl has hunted down one potential

in a collection of crockery.

-Rachel?

-Yeah?

Can I just ask you, you've got a lot more of this hunting,

the hunting china here...?

-Yes.

-Crown Staffordshire.

Crown Staffordshire was a ceramic maker

whose origins date back to the mid-1800s.

The set Catherine has alighted on hails from the 1930s,

decorated with hunting scenes. Rather jolly.

-It's quite fun, isn't it?

-It is quite fun. Yeah.

I wouldn't buy the whole lot.

But something like the sugar bowl and the jug...

-Yes.

-Would you sell those two?

Yes.

Combined ticket price on those is £66.

But what might Rachel accept?

I'd let you have it for...

..25.

-For the two?

-For the two.

Catherine also fancies adding a cup, saucer and tea plate

that have a combined ticket price of £38.

I'd be able to have one, two and three for £30.

RACHEL INHALES

What about 35?

I'm going to shake your hand...

-Good. Thanks, Catherine..

-..at 35, because I really like that.

And I hope you do really well on that, yes.

So, Catherine has her quarry.

And she's cantering off.

HORSE NEIGHS

MUSIC: Hound Dog by Elvis Presley

Meanwhile, Charles is heading for the environs of

the town of Moreton-in-Marsh.

This morning, dog-lover Charles has come here to learn

the fascinating story of some of the nation's favourite dog breeds.

He's meeting breeder Gay Robertson.

-Good morning.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, nice to meet you.

Good to see you, Gay. I'm Charles Hanson.

-And who's your friend beside you?

-This is Fickle.

-Hello, Fickle.

Good to see you, Fickle. Hello, I won't bite.

I should hope not, Charles.

Gay breeds, shows and races whippets like Fickle,

and is something of an authority on the fascinating history

of racing dogs like whippets and greyhounds.

These sighthounds were bred over centuries to chase small prey,

like hare, by sight rather than by smell,

as breeds like foxhounds and beagles.

Sighthounds have been raced in Britain for many centuries.

-Really, in this country...

-Yes.

-..we started with the Romans.

-Right.

-And the Romans, who used them for sport,

the sport entailed the dogs chasing the hare...

-Yes.

-..not to catch it, but to see which dog was the fastest.

-Yes.

-And that's been true ever since.

This sport was known as hare coursing,

and was popular in Britain down the ages.

It found particular favour with the aristocracy of the 16th century,

when Queen Elizabeth I took an interest.

The Duke of Norfolk was told by Queen Elizabeth I

to draw up a complete set of rules for the sport.

And it's because betting figured very, very heavily.

And you don't want somebody saying "S'not fair!" You know?

HE LAUGHS

No, you don't, do you?

It had to be...

..absolutely which dog can run fastest,

turn the hare most often, and score the most points.

This made for a great spectator sport,

popular for centuries,

and regularly drew large crowds to coursing events.

In the 19th century, the banks closed for the Waterloo Cup,

for instance.

Wow! Such was the popularity of greyhounds?

The whole thing was very popular.

Although today we might most associate the greyhound breed

with dog racing,

the similar but smaller whippet was also very popular,

particularly in working-class mining areas of the 19th century.

In the north, and also in Wales, as you know,

mining was a big thing.

And whippets were more user-friendly than greyhounds.

I mean, you can have a whippet or two in your house,

and there's room.

They did take great care of them

because to win a race with a whippet could earn you more

than you earned in a week.

Nowadays, of course,

dogs don't chase a live hare but rather a mechanised lure,

as all of Gay's whippets have been trained to do.

This taps in to the dog's instinct to pursue,

with no risks to wildlife.

I think the hooligan, he's the quickest, almost as quick as me.

THEY LAUGH

Come on!

So, so this activity's all part of their training?

It keeps them in good shape...?

It keeps them in good shape and it's...

They just love to do it.

BARKING

So, it's all about looking at antiques

and always look at the bottom shelf first, keep your head down,

just stay with the object, and then towards the finishing line,

if it's worth buying, get it bought,

and hit that finish line, OK?

BARKING

Frank! Pack it in.

Whoops!

Charles is down! Oh, Lord.

I was taken down by a whippet.

BARKING

MUSIC: Dog Days Are Over by Florence And The Machine

Look at 'em go!

Come on, Morgan.

Bring it home. Imagine that's Catherine Southon, OK?

Oh, Charles!

Get set. Go!

He's off! He's off!

-Well...

-Their speed's incredible.

It's like lightning across a field.

Come on. Ooh, I've lost my dog now.

Once Charles's catches up, it's time to hit the road.

I've been delighted to have been here, so thank you so much, Gay.

It's been such a revelation and I shall not forget today.

BARKING

In the meantime, Catherine's

moved on to the town of Burford,

where she is still on the hunt for another item

with her remaining £92.30.

My goodness.

1920s.

French grape pickers' bins.

So, this is going to come round, like this.

You put your grapes in there. That's incredible.

But this grape bin is ticketed at around £200,

more than double what Catherine has remaining.

There is an awful lot to see and there's some beautiful pieces,

but it's just not for me.

The prices are just way, way over what I have.

It's lovely stock, but for another day.

Meanwhile, Charles has trotted off to the town of Evesham,

and he's got nearly £594 to spend here.

Andy is the owner of this fine emporium.

With lightning speed, Hanson Hanson's found something.

Gosh, what a chair. Look at that for a chair.

But you'll see has this beautiful shaped apron back,

with these scrolls,

this beautiful tired rush back,

these wonderful arms,

and when you just rest your arms on these rests,

you almost close your eyes, and you're in a time warp...

..don't you?

Yep.

I'm fairly confident in saying... would date to around 1700.

Yep.

Ticket price on the armchair is a hefty £240.

Be careful, Charles.

Has it been here a long time?

Yes, it has. Er...

So, that's often a bad sign, isn't it?

So, your very, very best price would be...?

Yep.

100. I can't go any lower.

So, Charles will ponder that offer at a cool £100, and browse on.

Time to delve into the cabinets on the other side of the shop, eh?

Just...down here, what I'm looking at now

is just a very, very nice microscope.

This Victorian brass example was made by Bryson of Edinburgh,

a quality maker of clocks and instruments from the very heyday

of the gentleman scientist.

What's attractive is this microscope comes in its original fitted box.

There we are.

With its divisions... and original slides.

There's no ticket price on it,

but there is another smaller microscope here, too.

This one isn't so good.

Another fairly simple microscope.

Andy, how much could the two be together?

Make it 25 for the pair.

Golly.

I mean... Very tempting.

And his beloved ancient chair is still offered at around 100.

It's make your mind up time, Carlos.

I'm going to take it with me,

-and hopefully impress Catherine by what will be...

-Yes.

..the earliest item I've bought so far.

It's just a wonderful chair.

And the microscopes?

Anyway, I think for £25, I'll take them.

-Yep.

-Thanks a lot.

-Right.

-Andy, I'm delighted with those two purchases.

I really feel...

..I'm spent.

Spent out, or spent up?

We all are, Charles. We all are.

As well as the chair and the microscopes,

Charles has the porcelain plaque,

the polished steel footman

and the set of four salts.

He spent £222 exactly...

..while Catherine has the miniature sedan chair,

the French letter rack,

the Belfast sink

and the collection of Crown Staffordshire.

She spent a total of £115.

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

I do love that miniature sedan chair.

It's a really good object, Catherine.

I think for £35 it could make £100, so good job.

I cannot tell you how devastated I am

that Charles has bought those four salts

in the shape of pails for £42.

It pains me to even think about them.

They are amazing!

On this leg of the trip,

they began in Long Marston,

and are now aiming for auction in the Shropshire town of Newport.

But sad news.

Things have taken an unexpected turn this morning.

Unfortunately, Charles has been detained on urgent family business,

so he can't make the auction today.

So an old pal will step into the breach

to rally Charles's lots along.

Hello there, legendary Road Tripper.

It's Phil Serrell.

-Hello!

-Hello, how are you?

I'm good. Thank you for stepping in.

They wanted someone with Charlie's disposition, you know -

happy, smiley, effervescent, bubbly...

Here I am.

-LAUGHING:

-Come on!

-Come on. How are you?

Catherine and Philip are strolling into Brettells Auctioneers,

David Brettell is the man in command today.

Phil's got five minutes to take a nosey at Charles's items.

Well, your little plaque here...

And that's cost Charles Hanson £25.

That'll do really well.

Well, that's very promising, as the sale kicks off.

And with internet bidding as well.

First off, it's Charles...

and Philip's two microscopes.

Can they scope out some cash?

30 on the net, £30...

See, I'm into profit straightaway.

-Aren't I? Aren't I?

-Oh, all right. All right.

We've got 37 on the net, now.

37.

42 on the net.

Five on the net.

45 bid, 45. 48, 48.

Nobody in the room. I sell this time at 48.

GAVEL BANGS

That scores an enlarged profit for Team Charles and Phil.

He had no input on those. I bought those.

Hey! I'm sure you bought them in spirit, Philip.

Next, it's one for Catherine, as her Belfast sink meets the room.

We go ten, 12, 15, 18, £20 bid.

Two, five, eight, £30 bid.

-Yes.

-Ooh!

£30 bid, £30 got. 32...

-Keep going.

-Five, eight, £40 bid.

-Rubbish thing.

-I knew this would make money.

Didn't I say it all the time?

-"Make a good profit on this."

-Just shush.

Can't say I heard you, Philip.

Will be sold. Hammer's up. Anybody else going?

-Oooh...yes!

-At £40...

-GAVEL BANGS

No sinking feeling for Catherine, as that earns her a nice little bundle.

I learned from you.

I learned it all from you.

Oh-ho, I don't know about that.

Mwah.

Now it's Charles's big gamble,

the chair with some real age,

but needs a lot of restoration.

£10 on the net. 12, 15.

-15.

-20 bid.

22.

-22.

-22, got to be sold.

Hammer's up. Shout me now.

Charlie will be really upset.

Fair warning.

GAVEL BANGS

That's a stinging loss on a chair Charles loved.

Bad luck.

it's a much better chair than 20 quid.

Now it's another for Catherine,

as her collection of Crown Staffordshire

goes hunting for profit. Giddy up.

£10 here for the hunting.

-Come on.

-No, ten, 12, 15.

-This is ridiculously cheap, you know?

-It's ridiculously cheap.

Selling, then.

I'm not selling, I'm giving away now.

-He is giving it away.

-At 15...

-GAVEL BANGS

-That is really, really cheap.

Oh, chance of a profit gallops off there.

Oh, well.

There we go. What's next?

Glad you asked, Catherine.

It's Charles's set of four silver salts.

Can his seasoned stand-in Philip will them to a profit?

£50 for those?

They've got to make 100.

Well, 40, then? It's only a tenner each.

40, thank you, Bill.

£40 bid, £40 got.

£40 bid. 45.

50.

£50 bid, £50 got. Five?

-BIDDER: 60.

-60.

£60. Five? Hammer's up.

70. £70 sat there.

Five? 75?

No, he says. 75 bid...

-I think these are for nothing.

-Me, too.

Quickly round at 75.

It's a decent profit, but our experts hoped for more.

They should have made £100.

-They are really nice things!

-Yeah.

I agree.

Another chance to give Catherine a bit of a lift now,

as her miniature sedan chair is up.

60.

-Yes!

-Five in the room.

65 bid, 65, in the room...

This is my only chance.

70. Five.

Come on, this is a good thing.

I'm selling at 75. 80 on the net.

85. 85 bid.

85. 90...

Yes!

-100.

-Yes!

£100 in the room.

I'm selling, in the room at 100.

All done at 100?

I still don't think that was that dear.

-Just shush, I'm happy with that.

-I don't.

As well you might be, Catherine.

Another splendid profit, darling.

Thanks, you bring good luck.

You're like my little leprechaun.

We should get him a hat!

Another for Team Charles and Philip now,

as the 19th century polished steel footman

will try to ignite some interest.

Bid. £10, I'm bid,

10, 12, 15, 18, 20 on my left.

Sat down here, £20, you're out, £20 bid.

£20 got. £20 to you on the left...

-On the internet.

-25 on the net.

25 bid on the net, now 28 on the net.

Hammer's up then. All done, round we go, quickly round at 28.

GAVEL BANGS

-A little, a little loss.

-A smidge.

Sadly, that lights no fires for Charles.

I'm quite happy for you to come on again.

I'm just thinking, I could rent myself out

to all the other Road Trippers, couldn't I? You know,

if anybody is having a really bad day or a good day,

-get Phil in.

-Yeah.

Now it's the little French letter rack

that Catherine felt had some je ne sais quoi.

£50 on the net, £50 got.

No...

Five, 55 bid, 55 got.

55, lovely thing. 60...

60? Where did that come from?

A bidder, Catherine.

Five on, for Andrea, 65 bid.

We've got the two internets playing each other here.

70. At £70 bid.

£70, up to you.

-Five for UK Auctioneers...

-Ooh!

75 bid. 70, 80, back to sale room

at £80 bid...

-Yes.

-Ooh.

-85 bid, 85.

I wish Charles was here to see this,

cos I always lose money when I'm with Charles.

100 on the net. £100 bid, £100 got.

Ten. 110 bid, 110...

£110? Is he on the same lot?

120 bid.

120 got. 120 you're at, Andrea.

120 bid. No?

Selling at 120...

GAVEL BANGS

Yeeeeees!

Thank you so much.

That really was something to write home about.

I do really like you, Phil.

Now it's Charles and indeed Philip's very last shot at a profit.

The little porcelain plaque.

£100 for it. 100 bid on the net.

-£100 bid...

-£100!

110...

-# There may be trouble ahead... #

-Shush!

130, 40.

140 on the net...

Well, at least he's kind of making it up for the chair.

Nobody in the room. £140.

Anybody on the UK Auctioneer one?

At £140, hammer's up, going to be sold.

All done? Anybody else? 140...

-GAVEL BANGS

-He's done brilliantly.

-Yeah, I always knew that'd make money.

-He'll be happy.

-Yeah.

-And you would've bought that, wouldn't you?

-Yeah, yeah.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Well, that's a winner that's almost heaven sent

to help the absent Charles on his last lot.

Philip was right about that.

So, let's do the maths.

Charles, ably assisted by Philip, started this leg with £660.98.

He made a profit of £34.66,

meaning he has £695.64 to carry forward.

Catherine started with £207.30

and she's made a profit of £110.50.

So she has £317.80 in her coffers,

and is this leg's winner. Whoo!

And she's put a little bit of a dent in Charles's lead, so well done.

Talking of Charles, he's back for the penultimate leg

as we continue our Road Trip with our antique-hunting faves.

Bless 'em.

What is this armrest thing?

It's not an armrest...

Hey, look, careful!

-What is it?

-Listen, that is my link to history.

-It's my metal detector.

-DETECTOR BEEPS

That is the most ridiculous thing ever.

Harsh!

They will begin in Macclesfield, in Cheshire, God's country,

and will amble their way to an auction in Nottingham.

# Do the hokey cokey And you get out the car

-BOTH:

-# That's what it's all about! #

All together now!

Oh, very good - if only in tune.

Catherine's hopping out at her first shopping stop -

Sawmill Architectural Antiques.

Get out of here! See you.

She's got a little under £320.

Mm. Lots of salvage in here.

There is something to be found - my metal detector is going off,

I can feel it. Beep-beep-beep!

Watch out, dealer Jack.

I love...your sign.

It was one of those things that came in one of the factories we stripped.

You know, they had it laying about in there and...

So it was just lying about?

-Can I grab it?

-Yeah, course you can, yeah.

Cos this is how I feel at the moment,

I feel it's very much GO Team Catherine.

That's what I... That's what I want to say to Charles. Go Catherine.

And STOP, to Charles.

So what's on this, then?

-Er, £30.

-Right.

Can you do that for 20?

Go on, then, £20.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-I'm having that.

It's certainly a novel buy, Catherine.

It's a Road Trip first, certainly.

Meanwhile, Charles has pootled the MGB east

to the glorious spa town of Buxton -

home to his first shop, Circus Home and Salvage.

Not forgetting he has just under 700 smackers to spend.

-Good morning!

-Good morning.

-How are you?

-Very well, and you?

Nice to see you. Charles Hanson.

-Hi, I'm Lee.

-Good to see you, on this busy day.

It's lovely. What a gorgeous shop you've got.

I love this chest. Almost like a treasure chest, isn't it?

You've got these, erm...

..straps, probably in tin.

She's nice and light, and I love that handle on there,

and you'll see how over the years that handle has fallen.

On the inside...

Oh, what a shame, it's got a split just in the bottom there,

you can see the daylight through there.

But it is maybe 1830, maybe second quarter of the 19th century.

It's priced at 48, Leigh.

-Right.

-What could be the best price?

-Could be £30.

-Really? Mm.

-I'm going to mental-note that...

-OK.

-This, I quite like.

-That's why I hide it away,

cos generally it gets rattled a lot.

I think in Nottingham,

this could go down quite well because if you're a football fan,

or if you were a fan back in the...

I suppose, what, 1920s, '30s...?

-'20s, I think, yeah.

-1920s, '30s, rather than chant,

you may have done this.

RATTLING

Isn't that wonderful?

What could be the best price on your perhaps 1920s

football rattle, Lee?

-£24?

-Really? £24.

-Mm.

-I'll mental-note...

-OK.

-..and continue.

I hope you're remembering all of this, Charles.

Oh, hang on, there's more.

-That's interesting.

-Mm-hm.

A mother of pearl penknife.

I would have thought it was probably made in Birmingham, or Sheffield,

and would date to around...

what do we think, just pre-war?

Yeah. I'd say '30s.

It's got a bit of damage, a bit of wear.

-Yeah.

-How much could it be, Lee?

-15.

-What's that for?

Erm...

I think you're holding an ear cleaner.

SHE LAUGHS

-It's got a little scoop out of there. Oh, yes!

-Tiny thing there.

-Yeah, I'll put it back in, quick.

-Yeah. Probably.

-What's your best price?

-£12.

Circuit of tiny shop completed

and lots of possible - Charles, it's decision time.

I'll buy...

..the penknife and the box, please.

-Mm-hm.

-£42.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-That's deal one done.

OK? Sold. Thank you very much. OK?

The next thing is the...rattle.

Since you've already bought a couple of things, how about 20 quid?

-How much?

-20 quid.

-20 quid?

-Yeah.

I think it's fun. And I'd love to sort of...

-£18.

-Oh, don't say that!

-Please take it.

-For £18?

-Yeah.

-I'll take it. Thanks a lot.

That's great.

So, Charles kicks things off with three items bought,

and £60 spent.

Elsewhere, Catherine has made her way into the Peak District

and to the gorgeous village of Hartington.

Her final shop of the day has a fine line

in large 18th-century oak furniture.

Ohhh! You can't not touch this beautiful oak.

But they do have stock that's a little later, and smaller.

How cute is that?

It's got a bit of woodworm to it, but a Victorian...

little child's deckchair.

And I think that's an original canvas seat.

I like that. I think that's quite cute. It's quite a lot of woodworm.

Aww.

Woodworm and a ticket price of £80.

One to think about. Anything else?

A little silver purse.

Let's have a looky-look.

It's got a nice clear hallmark there.

It's Birmingham.

Now, a lady in the '20s

would have taken something like that to a dance.

She's not going to get an awful lot in there.

You're certainly not going to get any notes in there.

But you might get a little coin or two.

Very nice. Standby.

There's more.

This cigarette case, this is Art Deco.

So we've got a...

..Art Deco geometric design.

Then you open it up and again you've got a clear hallmark,

this time for Chester.

They don't light my fire, but I might just see if I can get those...

..for a good price.

There's no ticket price. Time to chat money with dealer Jan

about the little chair and the silver.

I would suggest for those, £20, and then I'd say for that chair,

I'd probably say 20 for that as well.

So 40 for the two.

-Is that all right?

-Fine. That's fine.

-OK.

-OK.

-Put it there, then. Thank you very much.

£40 spent and just like that,

shopping for the day is done.

Time for a well-earned rest. Nighty night!

Day is dawning over the Cheshire countryside.

Hang on. Is that Charles?

At least he's enjoying himself.

When you pick an object out the ground, you say,

"Hello, you're in the modern world.

-"Long time, no see."

-BEEPING

-Oh, hello.

-BEEPING SPEEDS UP

And that actually is a really good sound.

Has someone lost a bundle of gold sovereigns or gold guineas?

Hold tight. What is lurking under there?

And that's it. That is it.

What is that? It's certainly Victorian.

It is silver plate.

It could be bronze. Do you know, it's almost...

I'll tell you what that might be. a little spill holder.

And maybe you haven't seen that for a few...150 years, or so.

And that's history. Hello.

Hello, history. Your lift's here. SHE HONKS HORN

I've found real Antiques Road Trip treasure.

-You found something?

-Yes.

-Are you serious?

A real treasure. I'm going to give it to you.

There you are. That's just for you. Have a look at it.

-It's not a tractor part.

-No!

I'm fairly sure, romantically, it's a spill holder.

-Charles, that's rubbish.

-It's not rubbish!

Let's get moving while they're still friends, eh?

The first stop today is Walgherton in Cheshire.

And they're sharing a shop, so stand by.

Antiques that way.

I'm going to go this way.

What are you going that way for?

Look, it's everywhere.

Come on, follow me. Come on.

-Trust me. Trust me. Come on.

-I don't trust you.

That's the problem.

Perhaps it's best you split up, you two.

Dagfield Crafts And Antique Centre

is huge.

-So do stop horsing about.

-Sorry.

Catherine's got just under £260.

There's something here.

They've called it a large vintage dragonfly brooch.

It's either really, really horrible, or quite good fun.

No risk here, then. Sue owns the contents of this cabinet.

Hello, Sue.

-I think that's '50s.

-Mm.

I do like the way it's been made.

The sort of graduated pearls there.

The lovely almost seed pearls on the wings.

-You've got 38 on it.

-Yes.

What I'd like to offer you is 20.

-No, I couldn't do 20.

-No?

I'd knock ten off the ticket price.

-Can we say 25?

-Is that all right?

-26.

-26. Go on, then.

I'm not going to argue over a few pounds.

Top work. Just a few paces from the front door and Catherine has bagged

her first deal of the day.

It is rich pickings, as my Hanson would say.

Well, dealer Sam is here to help.

Isn't that interesting?

That is a brooch in the form of a perfume bottle.

What the lady would do is have that pinned to her dress,

or pinned to her jacket, and you would

take the little glass...

-..stopper out...

-Yes.

Isn't that lovely? Edwardian.

38.

There's so many lovely things here!

Ooh, I want to buy everything.

I love that!

I'm very excited here.

What is lovely about this,

-it is actually a baby's rattle and a teether as well.

-It's beautiful.

So...

But what is lovely is it is in the form of an owl's head

and owls are quite collectable. This is actually really nicely done.

Great spot, Catherine.

Amongst all this stock, that's two gems.

The 1920s owl rattle has a ticket price of £150.

I do like it so I might gamble on it.

Well, I can speak for Debbie.

I think she wouldn't take anything less than 100 for the rattle.

She would do the perfume bottle for 20.

Do I do it? What do you think?

-Oh, I'd be a devil.

-Be a devil?

-Be a devil.

-I like to be a devil.

-Do you?

-Lovely.

Catherine devilishly scoops up the rattle and teether for £100.

The scent bottle brooch for 20, and the dragonfly brooch for £26.

While she nips off, Charles is looking to spend his £635.

Go, Charles.

There's got to be something.

Minutes ago... I love this.

On a summer day, you often see summer fruits.

I love these because they are just gorgeous Crown Ducal,

probably by Charlotte Rhead.

And they are so Art Deco.

Look at the little beaded handles here.

They've got that almost skyscraper look.

There's a crack running down the rim here.

And they've been smashed.

But on that side they're OK.

Against a wall, you can't even see it.

Great pair of pots.

Made by Crown Ducal.

In around 1935.

Could be yours for £6.

Isn't that amazing?

Incredible!

Ignore the damage and they're gorgeous.

Charles is keen to chat to their vendor.

Can you do much on that for me at all?

£5. I will pay £5 and they're sold.

Thanks a lot. Great!

-I'll pay you £5.

-Pay the lady there.

£5 spent and off he goes.

Thanks ever so much. Have a good day.

Enjoy the sunshine.

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.

Meanwhile Catherine is 16 miles away in Stoke on Trent,

the world's capital of ceramics.

She's here to learn about one man

who played a particularly important role

in making the local potteries so renowned.

Paul Wood is here to tell Catherine the life of Stoke's Josiah Spode.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Wow.

-Lovely to meet you. Welcome to the Spode Museum Trust.

By the latter half of the 18th century,

Stoke was already a bustling centre for the pottery trade.

Amongst this hotbed of thriving industry, one man stood out

for his imaginative approach and for one type of pattern in particular.

I can't believe the amount of blue and white that you've got here.

This is a collection we've been putting together

for many, many years.

Spode's blue earthenware is instantly recognisable.

It used locally sourced clay which made it cheaper than porcelain.

In 1796 Spode made a significant development

that changed the course of the industry.

This is a piece of bone china.

So what makes this so special?

The main thing was the use of 50% bone ash in the recipe.

But this is the one where he actually got it right,

he cracked it, he got the right percentage of bone ash,

with English china clay,

some feldspar, and it just came out beautifully, white, translucent,

and really very stable to fire and make.

And you could put wonderful ranges of decorations on it.

Spode's recipe is still used today

by pottery manufacturers the world over,

and it made Spode a household name.

Bone china tended to be used in, shall we say,

the London townhouses of the rich.

One cup and saucer would be a month's wages

for an average workman.

You're talking about very, very expensive production.

But the earthenware was used in the big country homes.

Both of these things were continued in parallel production.

The bone china developed and grew, but so did the blue.

Spode's biggest challenge was meeting the demands of a public

who had grown used to importing china from China.

The taste in Europe was of course being met, but very slowly,

by ships bringing Chinese porcelain from the Far East,

which was considered very chic, very attractive.

And there was Spode.

He developed a way of engraving the pattern so it could be reproduced.

He'd get hold of a Chinese original,

make a fair copy as an engraving,

and of course that then meant that he could meet the demand that

couldn't really be met from the Far East quickly enough

for the local customers.

So that really upped the game

and became something that the English preferred

against imported porcelain from the Far East.

This early form of mass production was hugely successful

but still required a lot of skill.

Paul, one of the Museum trustees, is here to demonstrate.

Would you have had originally one person doing that?

Yes. There was always a team.

There was the printer,

a transferor, who was the most skilled person,

and then they had an apprentice who would rub the pattern down,

and there was a younger, usually girl, who'd cut the paper out first.

So a team of four.

And they were often a family.

The father was often the printer and the wife was the transferor.

Oil-based colour was applied to an engraving

and then on to transfer paper.

-Shall I be your apprentice, then, Paul?

-Yes, please.

The job of cutting out the pattern,

carried out by the young members of the families,

now falls to Catherine Southon.

Goodness me, I shall never, ever turn away

a willow-patterned transfer-printed plate again.

How many of these would they have produced,

how many plates, for example?

They would produce several hundred a day.

-Several hundred a day?!

-Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Well, they were on piece work, and that is what they were paid by,

so the pressure was on all the time.

Oh, my goodness. I can't believe they made so many of these.

Josiah died soon after making his pottery into a successful business,

but his son saw the potential in his father's inventions,

and in the 19th century,

Spode was one of the largest potteries in Staffordshire,

boasting 22 bottle ovens and employing around 1,000 locals.

The pioneering effort of Josiah Spode

makes his early bone china highly sought-after.

I'm really, really pleased with that.

-Brilliant.

-A plate produced from a 200-year-old engraving.

-There's your plate.

-Thank you very, very much indeed.

That is... I shall treasure that.

We'll leave Catherine to admire her handiwork.

Charles meanwhile has toddled down the road to Stafford.

Windmill Antiques,

owned by Ian, is his final shop of this leg.

Any star finds recently?

Well, I've got a nice little diamond and ruby leopard.

That's nice. The brooch.

Pretty, isn't it? Nine carat gold?

-Nine carat gold.

-What, 1970s, probably '80s?

-Yep.

-Expensive?

-Not really.

-How much?

-£100.

-Really?

That really is quite stylish.

-Good.

-I also just, away from the leopard, quite like that box there,

the rectangular white metal box.

-Is that silver?

-No, it isn't, but it's quite an unusual thing.

Yeah, it is. It's inscribed.

-It is.

-It's got a name on which reads

FW Hepford, or Hefford, of Tunstall.

It is of local interest.

And I can't quite work out what, Ian, you'd have used it for.

If we just pull it apart.

Gaming counters?

Toothpicks?

-But how peculiar.

-Very strange.

This box, I'm fairly sure, must be no later than,

let's say, 1800, 1810.

What's the best price on that?

The very best on that...

-To a humble man.

-To a humble man.

To a humble man from Derbyshire, not Tunstall.

-It would be £15.

-15?

-15.

That's not bad.

Certainly not.

So a nine carat gold brooch and a white metal box to consider.

Anything else, Charles?

There's such a richness of porcelain.

Hanson is on the scent all things 18th-century.

That's a Chinese porcelain coffee cup of circa 1770.

I love it because it's so noble.

It's so well painted.

It was clearly a coffee cup from a once upon a time very important set.

On this shelf here, there is one item which is 18th-century.

And that's a small Chinese Qianlong.

As is that. Emperor Qianlong ruled China from 1735 to '99

and that's the same period.

On the bottom shelf, the pewter plate is, again, I'm fairly sure...

Yeah, the touch marks are good, and that's 18th-century, circa 1770.

On this top here, that one there.

It's the 18th-century Chinese Qianlong tea bowl on the top deck.

This has a price. That's £20.

The others, I can't see any labels on, so maybe

they could be bought for nothing. Ian...!

What is Charles planning to buy?

I'm quite keen to do a deal.

What would be the best price, all-in, for the leopard brooch...

..for the inscribed Tunstall box

and these four bits of very old crockery and old plate?

£140.

That's actually not bad.

Hold on. So the leopard at 90, a tenner for the box,

and I think for the sake of history, Ian,

you know, how can one turn away

four 18th-century joys for £40?

-Which makes 100...

-£140.

Yeah, I'll take that.

Thanks, Ian. I'm really, really grateful.

Top work, old chap.

A handful of items to finish off with

and shopping for the day is done.

Charles will combine his 18th-century ceramics and plate

with the ribbed vases to make a single lot,

which he adds to the 18th-century white metal box,

the nine carat gold brooch,

his 1920s football rattle,

an oak carriage box

and the Edwardian penknife, all for a total of £205.

Catherine parted with £1 more,

spending £206 on a large stop and go sign,

a silver lady's purse,

an Art Deco cigarette case,

a Victorian child's chair,

a 1950s dragonfly brooch,

a 1920s teether and rattle,

and an Edwardian scent bottle brooch.

Cor! Busy shopping for our pair.

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

Charles, you make enough noise as it is.

Why did you buy a rattle as well for £18?

Please don't use that at the auction.

£18 for that, though, you've got yourself a bargain.

My favourite item of Catherine's, I think,

is the one that is the biggest speculator.

It's the owl-mounted teether .

It cost £100.

It could make 250, it could make 50.

Go, girl.

Go, indeed.

The fourth auction of this trip is upon us.

And Catherine and Charles are making their way

to the fair city of Nottingham,

heading for the auction house at Arthur Johnson and Sons.

And it's a fairly substantial and, well, complicated complex.

My goodness, how many auction rooms?

Our auction room is number two today.

-Shall I?

-Yes, after you.

-Right.

In charge of proceedings today is auctioneer Phil Poyser.

Tell us all about our pair's lots, then, Phil.

The panther brooch, it is gold.

I think it's going to be what a lot of people would be looking for.

I expect £60-£90 on that.

The brooch and scent bottle,

It's the sort of novelty piece that people like.

I would have thought that could be £30-£50.

So, here we go.

Live on the internet and a crowd gathering.

Good luck, you two.

-This is nice, isn't it?

-It's a very close atmosphere, isn't it?

First item to get your pulses racing is Catherine's stop and go sign.

Well, I've got three commission bids on it, and I can start it at 25.

-£25 bid.

-Oh.

-At 25, at 25.

-Come on, go, go, go.

-At 25.

-30.

-Stop, stop, stop.

-At 35.

40 online. 45 is with me.

-At £45, myself.

-It's doubled up.

-It's on commission and it's done at £45.

-Awww!

You can't grumble with that.

-No.

-It went a bit.

Catherine starts things off with a nice profit.

-Go.

-Stop.

-Go.

-Stop it.

-Go, Southon.

-Stop it. I hope it will stop. Stop.

Seriously, please stop.

Time for Charles's first item of the day, his Edwardian penknife.

At £10. 12 bid.

15. 15 bid.

I've got 15 in the room.

-Come on, net.

-18, 18 bid.

20. £20.

In the room, then, at £20.

-Right. Hammer down.

-One for the road.

-On we go.

At £20.

Charles is up and running and that's one profit apiece.

I'm happy, I'm happy.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

Let's hope the happiness continues

and see how things go with Catherine's dragonfly brooch.

-£20 I'm bid on this.

-Come on!

-25. 30.

35. 40. 45. 50. 55. 60.

Yes!

-65. 70.

-Yes.

-Amazing.

-£70 bid, with me.

-That's amazing.

-At £70.

-That's really good.

75, thank you. At 75, in the room now.

-Amazing.

-It is such a good thing.

-It goes at 75.

-Yes! Thank you!

That is amazing. Dare I say it, I'm buzzing like a bee.

Buzzing like a dragonfly doesn't have the same ring, does it?

Cracking profit either way.

It's a dragonfly. Sorry about that, but well done.

I like your style.

Right, Charles. What will the bidders make of

your 18th-century white metal box?

£30. At 30.

-Come on.

-35.

-It is a good thing.

-£35, bid of 35.

40 is online.

45 is in the room.

-Go on! Sorry.

-£45. At 45. At 45.

-It was a hiccup. It was a hiccup.

-At 45.

-You can tell who it belongs to, can't you?

-Sorry!

-£50 bid. 50. 55.

-Thank you!

-55 bid.

-At 55. And I sell in the room, we are done at 55.

-Very good!

55.

Charles causing a stir and bagging a profit.

Well done.

-To be honest I thought that would do even better.

-I'm very pleased.

Next up is Catherine's biggest spend,

the 1920s teether and rattle.

30, £30 bid.

-35. 35 is in the room.

-That's good.

At 35. Got you, madam. 40. 40 bid. 45.

50's in Ireland.

-Go on, Ireland.

-55 in the room.

-60 in Ireland.

65 bid. 70. 75 bid.

80. £80 bid.

One more?

-No? Are you sure?

-Come on.

Come on! It's a good thing.

Are you sure? Done at £80.

Plenty of interest but sadly that's the first loss for Catherine.

It made a bit of a loss.

-What's £20?

-It could have been a lot worse.

What's £20 between friends?

That leaves the door open for Charles.

It's time for his combined lot of the ribbed vases

and 18th-century ceramics and plate.

At £10. 12. 12 bid.

-15. 18. 20. 25.

-Come on.

25 bid on my left.

-I'm in trouble.

-At £25 bid, at 25.

-Stop!

-At £25.

-Stop bidding.

-Last call.

It goes, done at 25.

Well done, Charles.

What's £20 between friends, eh?

Don't even bother with that one. Let's just move on.

Yeah, probably best.

Here comes Catherine's Edwardian scent bottle brooch.

Bid 20, 20 I've got.

5, 25, bid.

30 bid, 5, 35 bid, 40.

5, 45, bid, 50.

50 bid, at five. 55, 60.

-Keep going.

-60 bid. On my right at 60. At £60.

It's against you online at 60, at £60.

Done at 60.

Another great profit for Catherine keeps her in the lead.

Puff your chest out, girl. Be proud.

I'm not going to do that.