Episode 12 Antiques Road Trip

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

-I want something shiny.

-..a classic car... CAR HORN

-..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!

Welcome to the second leg of our road trip, with delightful experts

Paul Laidlaw and Natasha Raskin,

who are revelling in each other's company.

I'm so pleased at how well we're getting on. It's lovely.

I thought I'd be terrified. I thought, because you were so

into militaria, it was going to be morning inspections...

-PAUL LAUGHS

-..rations for lunch...

I'll have you whipped into shape, Raskin!

Steady on!

Their snappy 1981 Mercedes is marching through the Cumbrian

countryside this morning, home turf for one of our antiquing pair.

How cool are you in the town? Is it, "There's Paul Laidlaw"?

Do people take photos of you in the street,

or do they tend to shy away from you and cross the street?

-They throw blossom...

-Oh, right!

-..in my path as I walk.

That's really nice, isn't it?

When he's not being adored by the local population,

-our Paul has been clocking up a tidy profit...

-Fantastic!

-..while Natasha has been indulging her passions.

-I can't resist.

Starting out with £200,

Natasha has managed to eke her total up by just £1.20

- ha! - while Paul, who started out with the same sum,

has racked up a staggering £447.72.

Again, well done.

You're Paul Laidlaw, I can't compete with that. It's just terrifying.

You're the PL. You're the portable Paul Laidlaw.

LAUGHTER

PL and NL started off their big journey south

in the Ayrshire town of Prestwick.

They're winding their way to auctions in Yorkshire,

Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, before wrapping up in Diss in Norfolk.

Paul's in charge of navigation today as they start in his home county

of Cumbria, in the village of High Hesket.

They're heading for a Yorkshire auction in Harrogate.

Ah, I'm trying to forget about the two items that you rolled over

into the next auction. But how can I? Because they are there

on the back seat, like two sweet little passengers

just following you around,

saying, "Paul, take it easy today!"

Hey, I was just getting to that.

A very strict policy on bone and ivory items at the last auction

means Paul has a set of Chinese scales and a Great War bone vase

tucked away for sale this leg.

Lucky boy!

I think I'll have this morning off. Yeah.

-Two boxes ticked, half-day today, I think!

-No slacking, Paul.

There was a discovery of Viking artefacts here in High Hesket.

We don't expect such riches today,

but the village is home to an antique shop, so you never know.

If there's any treasure...

please let me have it!

-I'm sure there'll be plenty for everyone.

-Oh, Paul, this is big!

-Big enough for both of us.

-Yeah. Which way are you going?

-Which way are YOU going?

-Towards the treasure?

-It's over there.

Like I said, I always do as you tell me.

-You can have that one.

-NATASHA LAUGHS

Nice stuff in here.

Mmm.

This is cool. How lovely is this?

So, first glance,

this looks like the bracelet of a wristwatch that has lost its watch.

But in fact, that's exactly what it is.

It is just the bracelet strap and the mount for your wrist,

but for a pocket watch.

Wristwatches came into their own around the First World War.

When you couldn't be frittering around with your pocket watch

in the trenches, you had to have a wristwatch to keep track of time.

And here are ladies still not quite convinced about wristwatches,

it's halfway between the two.

You've got your pocket watch, but if you like, you can place it

into this little retractable mount and wear it on your wrist.

It's £25.

Is it really worth that as a bit of base metal? No.

But does it have enough social history attached to it

to get some competition in the auction?

I think so.

Stand by, she's spotted something else!

This miniature here is of Beatrice Cenci,

16th-century daughter of a nobleman.

She looks perfectly innocent,

she's purposefully painted in white to appear even more innocent

than she was, because believe it or not, this beautiful young girl

was a murderer.

Yes, the image of this 16th-century tragic figure,

executed for killing her violent father,

has been replicated many times in various forms.

This one is painted on ivory,

which is far from everyone's ideal medium, but it was made long before

the 1947 Cites agreement, so it's legal to sell in the UK.

If we slide open the back, I'll bet she shines beautifully through.

Look at that. The mirror image is perhaps even more beautiful.

In fact, it looks like a halo illuminating this angelic figure.

But angelic she was not.

And she's not priced.

So while Natasha browses on, let's catch up with Paul. What's he found?

Oh!

I keep being tempted by furniture, arguably fatal.

But I can't resist.

Focus, Laidlaw.

Is Paul thinking about furniture? Not like him. Oh, no. Moving on.

How's about a bar of soap modelled as a bust of Lord Kitchener?

Oh, yeah! Get me that for Christmas. I'm going to love it.

Kitchener made his fame as a soldier in the late 19th century

and, of course, during the Great War.

You know the poster, "Your country needs you"?

Big moustache? That's Lord Kitchener, is it not?

Ah, this is the Paul we know and love,

finding militaria in a 100-year-old bar of soap. Ha!

That's a bar of soap, and that's got to be its original little carton,

albeit it's all very plain.

Rare soap.

I wish they hadn't spotted that it was so rare.

"Bust of Kitchener, circa 1914, £48."

Well, if I gave you £400, never mind 48, could you get me another?

-No, you could not!

-The soap bar challenge. Sounds like fun.

No time for that now, though,

-cos dealer Carol is here to talk money.

-So that's exactly your scene?

Yes, it's very much my thing. It explains why I smell so strange.

Isn't it amazing it's lasted?

Isn't it amazing?

Is there much room in your...?

-I don't think it's dear.

-What would you like to...?

-Er...

That's a good approach. I'd like...

-Well, I think at auction, I think it's a £30, £40 piece.

-Right.

So I'd need to pay £30 for it to give myself a chance.

Well, that's fine by me.

-You, madam, are wonderful.

-I know!

-THEY LAUGH

-You are good yourself.

-Thank you very much.

-OK.

Nicely done. That's £30 for an antique bar of soap.

So, while Paul heads for the hills, what's Natasha up to?

Look at this wee painting.

This is no great painting, I'm going to say,

but it harks back to a lovely era when ladies,

and I'll bet this was done by a lady, were obsessed,

for some reason, with painting kittens and puppies.

I'm thinking of Henrietta Knip from the Netherlands,

I'm thinking of Bessie Bamber from Victorian England.

And this unknown artist was following very much

in their female footsteps.

It's dated 1922. There is a monogram, which is kind of smudged.

But it's not about the monogram, it's not about the date.

It's about these two wee kittens,

desperate to get the scraps that little puppy here has left behind.

And I'll bet this is cheap because no-one really likes these any more.

But I do. What have we got?

£23.50.

Well, if I can haggle that down to about 12, 15 quid,

I reckon people would go for this in the auction.

Because there's not much like it out there.

Well, it's your lucky day, dearie.

Dealer Martin owns all three items under your watchful eye.

-Hello, you must be Martin.

-Hello.

-Hi, I'm Tasha.

I'm interested in a couple of things.

So I know the price of the pocket watch holder,

but I don't know the price of the miniature. I'm a bit afraid.

What's its current price?

Its current price is 120, but I think I'm negotiable to you.

That is music to your ears.

So all the items have a combined ticket price of £168.50.

Over to you, Natasha.

What about, if I asked you really kindly, like really nicely,

with my best manners,

please could we do it in two figures?

Even if it was just in two figures, like around £95 for the three?

-Really? Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-Oh, Martin. That's great! Are you sure?

-I am.

-95 for three?

-All three.

-That's so generous of you. Thank you so much.

-Oh, I'm excited now!

-I bet.

That's £25 for the watch wristlet,

£55 for the miniature

and 15 for the painting.

That is top-hole. Good work.

Meanwhile Paul is heading into the isolated hills

surrounding the village of Shap.

I should be missing Natasha, but up here...

-HE SNIFFS THE AIR

-..taking in those views and those smells,

do you know what, life is good, even on my own.

There's another treat in store for Paul.

He's here to discover the secrets of an unlikely camp

for German prisoners of war.

Manager of the Shap Wells Hotel Stephen Simpson is here to explain.

-Hello, Stephen.

-Hello.

-Lovely to see you.

Look, not my first time here,

but until now I did not realise it had a peculiar role during the war.

Yes. POW camp for German officers.

Around 400,000 prisoners of war were held on British soil

during the course of World War II,

but the German officers who were sent to Shap Wells

were treated to a certain degree of comfort.

If you're a lowly foot soldier, it's wooden barracks and barbed wire.

-Yep.

-But officer class...

-..you get reasonably good accommodation.

-My word!

-Yeah. Nothing much has survived, I'm afraid.

We have these, which is a camp newspaper from August 1943.

-What, prepared by the inmates themselves?

-Yep, yep.

-Oh, my word.

-It's an original document?

-That's an original document, yep.

-Wonderful.

And then we have photographs of them.

This is a group photograph of prisoners who were here

at that time. And it shows you the bars on the window.

-I see, all long gone now, of course.

-The bars are gone.

-That makes it very real. So there's barbed wire over there...

-Yep.

-..watchtowers...

-Watchtowers.

-..and bars on the windows?

And bars on the windows, yeah.

The hotel was chosen because of its remote location,

and that would help prevent an escape,

which meant the German officers here

could be granted a little bit of extra freedom.

-They were allowed to go for walks.

-Really?

They gave their honour that they wouldn't try and escape,

so they would take a couple of prisoners and maybe one guard.

-Really? For all this you're not going to leg it?

-Yep.

Over 200 prisoners were incarcerated here, in what could be considered

rather palatial surroundings.

Is this the kind of luxury that the prisoners lived in?

Well, to some extent.

They had the hotel bedrooms with the bed linen,

they used the dining room with all the hotel china and crockery

and the hotel cutlery, silver-plated.

The prisoners had a fairly luxurious existence.

Despite rations that were far better quality than those enjoyed

by the guards, the comfortable surroundings didn't stop

a few prisoners attempting daring escapes.

-We've got a number of escape attempts.

-There's not a tunnel?

We do have a tunnel, yes. They made a tunnel out of the kitchen.

Didn't get under the perimeter fence.

It came up in the boiler house,

because the ground here is very stony, and they lost their way.

A number of the German officers made a bid for freedom, with prisoners

producing false documents to aid their escape.

But ultimately, every attempt proved unsuccessful.

In December '43 it became a re-education camp.

Go on, tell me more.

All the German officers were classified according to their

moral and political views.

This was done by interviews, by secret listening.

And they were either black, white or grey,

blacks being people who were out-and-out Nazis,

greys being people who were indeterminate,

and whites being people

who had some political and moral views that the Allies thought

would be compatible with democracy

and the things they were fighting for.

And this became a camp for those prisoners.

The white prisoners?

The white prisoners, who were going to be re-educated

and effectively to run Germany after the war.

The camp at Shap Wells closed in 1947,

its lavish rooms once again open to paying guests,

and its vital role in Britain's war effort was consigned to history,

with much of the public unaware of the luxury enjoyed

by enemy soldiers.

Meanwhile, 30 miles away in the heart of the Lake District

is the bustling town of Keswick, where Natasha's hoping

to make use of her remaining £106.20.

-Hello.

-Hello, Natasha, are you all right?

Nice to meet you, yes, I'm very well, thank you.

-Thank you for welcoming me to Keswick.

-No problem.

-This is a sweet little town, and a sweet little shop.

-It really is.

But I don't think owner Mark will be falling for flattery.

There's just so much great turn-of-the-century

and Art Deco stuff, and it is just gorgeous.

I think I have to stop looking at things with three-figure price tags,

and maybe start looking at things like this.

-Hello to you, my little friend.

-Really?

He's a little bit of porcelain.

He's been precisely, I would say, hand-painted.

And do we have any marks on the bottom? Sure.

"Made in Japan."

So what you've got here is a little bit of fun export.

This is probably around the 1950s,

but it's got that early, quirky cartoonish style. I quite like it.

I might have to ask Mark about this, because there aren't

going to be two of these in any auction that we go to.

I think that's a safe bet, then. Ticket price is £34.

-Stand by, Mark.

-For some reason...

-It's robbery, isn't it?

..I'm quite surprised at £34 from our Japanese little friend.

I wasn't expecting a two-figure sum.

But I think I'd be willing to offer you as much as £10, Mark.

I know it's exciting, and I don't want you to faint or anything...

-No, it's a lot of money.

-It is a lot of money.

-A crisp little note in your hand.

-It is, isn't it?

-I THOUGHT you were going to say a tenner.

-Did you?

-Should I pop it in a bag for you?

-Oh, I don't know. I don't know.

-I'll be back in one sec.

-Go for it.

-Hold on.

-What IS she up to?

So, I spotted this little fellow earlier on. He isn't smiling.

He isn't sad.

He almost looks like he's crying out for someone to pick him up

and to love him. But look how cute he is!

His head just sort of lolls around.

He's very much on his last legs,

and his arm is very much on its last socket.

I'm going to talk to Mark about him.

He was very flexible with our Japanese little friend,

so let's see how he is with the teddy.

-And, Mark...

-Oh, let's have a look. What have you got here?

What have I got here? Surely the most exciting thing in the shop.

How could you put a little price on that face?

Well, you have put a price on it. You've put £45 on it.

What on earth inspired such a high ticket price?

Well, you'll hurt his feelings if you don't pay that, won't you?

He might be right.

Would someone want to give Ted a home,

or would they be more inclined to take wee cartoon lion home?

-It would be the Ted, wouldn't it?

-It would be the Ted? Bigger market?

Bigger market. He's not in the best condition, I have to admit, but...

That's not much of an admission. I clocked that myself.

-You may have noticed that.

-I did, I did.

I don't have time to repair it before it goes to auction.

-Would 20 quid do it for you?

-It still scares me, if I'm honest.

-No, I understand that. To me, he's worth 20 quid. Handshake?

-Ah...

Will I shake his hand at £20?

-Go on, Ted.

-Go on, then.

-20 quid, it's yours.

A great sales technique from the bear means he has a new home,

while the pincushion heads back to the shelves.

It's been a busy day for our pair. Time for a well-earned rest.

Nighty night.

-It's a new day, and we're back on the road.

-It's so gorgeous.

I mean, obviously right now it's pretty hedgey.

But behind these hedges, I'm sure there are beautiful views.

-You rest assured.

-Wait a minute, we're coming to the end of a hedge!

-It's glorious.

-Ta-da!

-It's glorious!

So far Natasha has secured herself a fine collection of items.

Her 20th-century painting, a painted miniature, a pocket watch wristlet

-and a cuddly toy, as you do.

-Look how cute he is!

All of that leaves her with £86.20 to spend today.

Bye!

Paul has bagged just one item,

an antique bar of soap in the form of Lord Kitchener, of course...

Could you get me another? No, you could not.

..which means he still has a whopping £417.72 as they continue

their Cumbrian adventure.

How long have I lived in Cumbria?

On and off for 30-odd years.

-And you're still a newcomer?

-Still a Scot.

Still a potential invader.

There's still a bylaw in Carlisle that Scots have to pay

-some sort of toll to get in!

-No, there's not!

And it's still pinned to the citadel. I kid you not.

Hopefully no tolls for our tartan twosome today.

Paul's next shopping stop is in Kendal. Lovely.

-How are you doing, Andrew?

-Hello, Paul. Nice to see you again.

-It's been a few years.

-About three years, I think, since you last...

-And here I am, tripping again!

-The road trip never stops for you, Paul.

This 17th-century building is packed to the period rafters

with all kind of collectables.

It's basically a playground for Paul.

It's good, this, isn't it?

Oh, what am I doing?

Some places you shouldn't try and get to.

Ordinarily, you will not see me picking up ashtrays.

However, I know the origins of this.

The clue is in the lead plaque,

because you know who that visage belongs to.

That's Winston Churchill himself.

And it's dated 1941.

This stone, this comes from the bombed Houses of Parliament.

Boom, what do you think of that revelation?

The Houses of Parliament were bombed during the Blitz.

A load of the stone was crafted into various objects,

match pots, paperweights,

and they all bear one common element,

and it's this cast lead seal. There's history, is it not?

A bit more than a stone ashtray, do you think?

Yep, I do, but there's no ticket price. Best to ask Andrew.

-That's not expensive.

-That's not expensive.

-This much I know.

-Is it a tenner?

-You could have it for 15.

I will have it for 15, Andrew. But I hope that's just a start.

A starter for 15.

You want to get some more money out of me than that, for goodness' sake.

I have no doubt Andrew will try. Providing you can get out of there!

Have you seen The Karate Kid? That's the move he does at the end.

Hoo!

Ah!

Like a tweed-clad ninja.

While Paul keeps looking,

Natasha seems to be enjoying the fresh air of the Lake District.

-Where are we, Kendal?

-It seems a bit rural. Are we lost?

I'm surprised this is the first time this has happened

on the trip thus far.

This is a wee bit hairy. This is good.

-This is putting my driving to the test.

-Yeah.

While Natasha continues to test her navigational skills,

Paul's been tempted by something shiny.

There's a little gold Tudor...

-You know, that...

-A Rolex... Yeah.

A nice subsidiary dial.

In the 1920s, Hans Wilsdorf, the man behind Rolex,

created a range of timepieces at a more modest price.

He named these watches Tudor.

That's either well looked after or well serviced recently.

It's the radial nature of the dial decoration that I like.

-That's very pleasing.

-That's a very beautiful little watch.

-That's got a good face on it as well.

-Mm.

-It's '60s again, isn't it?

-Late '50s?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

A £585 price tag is too steep for you, Paul.

I'm going to ignore that price tag and just ask you what

the bottom line is on that.

-How about £350 for you, which is a very sporting chance?

-Argh...

Is that the sound of Paul's wallet groaning?

Ha, generous offer, but he's spotted something else.

I like that.

That's a nice wee box, isn't it?

It is, it's a neat little box.

18th century, a wee piece of hardwood...

-HE TAPS THE BOX

-..walnut and mahogany,

chip carved.

Just charming!

-Something like that, what's that going to cost?

-£45.

It's not a lot of money.

So that's a snuffbox to consider, too. Hang on, there's more.

There's all sorts in here!

Now, that's a gentleman's pen.

-There we go.

-But maybe not 1760, more like 1960.

A Parker rolled-gold, bark-effect fountain pen.

-What's the price on something like that?

-Oh, £35. Not bad, is it?

You're starting to tempt me.

Right, Paul, you're piling up the options here. Wait!

Andrew's thought of something else.

Now, isn't that exquisite workmanship?

Rifle Brigade, early 20th century.

Rosy gold, pretty little thing.

Our rifleman or officer wore this as a watch fob.

You think he'd have it as a fob?

-I think it's a good-looking thing.

-Mm.

Not a lot of gold in there,

so that's not going to make it hugely expensive.

-What could that be?

-£85.

Are any of these buyable within my expectations,

or am I heading that way?

No, we can do you a deal on any of those pieces.

How many of those are you actually thinking about buying, Paul?

-If I buy a pen, a gold watch...

-Yes.

-..a gold fob and a snuffbox...

-Yes.

..what am I going to have to pay you?

You'd be looking in the region of 300, wouldn't you, at your prices?

We are looking at less than 300 at my prices.

So where would you be at your prices?

I'll bid you 250 quid as an opening offer.

Crumbs, bold move.

How about we met at 275,

and then you've got yourself a real good deal?

How about 260, and we have a deal?

We have a deal.

You've extracted a lot of money out of me. Not a lot of people do that.

-Wow.

-They certainly don't. Thanks to Andrew's amazing generosity,

Paul has bagged himself the Tudor watch for £190,

a snuffbox and Parker pen for £20 each,

and a rifleman's watch fob for £30.

Add in the Churchill ashtray for £15

and Paul is walking away with an armful of items.

Elsewhere, Natasha's found her bearings and is heading for Kendal

to discover how a legendary slab of sugary peppermint

made it all the way from this Cumbrian market town

to the top of the world.

Oh, this...

SHE SNIFFS THE AIR

..is weird!

How good it must be to work here.

SHE SNIFFS

I've definitely come to the right place.

She's visiting the factory of Romney's,

one of the oldest producers of Kendal Mint Cake,

to learn about the local delicacy from fourth-generation

mint-cake maker John Barron.

-Hello!

-Hello.

-You must be John.

-I am, yes.

-Tasha, lovely to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you.

There's a nice overall and hat for you.

OK, shall we start with the overall? OK. There we go. OK.

-Will you help me out?

-Yep, I will.

-OK.

-Pop that on. Whoop!

-Have I covered your head?

-Oh, this is cool! How do I look?

-Do I look like a Kendal cake maker?

-You look superb.

-Right, well, you're the boss, I'll follow you.

-OK, come with me.

-This way, yep.

-This is great!

Kendal Mint Cake is the archtypical walkers' companion.

It was created here in the Lake District, where hiking

is serious business, but legend has it that it was invented

almost 150 years ago completely by accident.

Joseph Wiper, the founder of Kendal Mint Cake,

-was basically trying to make a glacier mint.

-Oh.

When he was making that mint, it went a bit pear-shaped

and it didn't quite come out like he wanted it to.

So rather than tip the thing away, he poured it out,

and it came out to be Kendal Mint Cake.

We may never know how the first recipe came about,

but mint cake became a huge success.

Its high sugar content meant that some of the world's

greatest explorers have used it for energy.

Ernest Shackleton of Antarctic fame,

and for Edmund Hillary's successful summit of Mount Everest,

there was only one energy food on his mind.

So here we have a letter from the expedition

-asking if we could supply them with mint cake.

-Oh, look at this quote!

"Experience has shown this to be an excellent high-altitude food."

-That's it, yes.

-How good is that?

Oh, so it says here they need 38 pounds of Kendal Mint Cake.

It's not an insignificant order in 1952 terms.

It was very difficult, because the rations were on then,

-after the war.

-1952, still rationing?

-That's it, yeah.

So we were struggling to get the ingredients,

so kindly some of our staff did give their ration tickets up,

so we could get all the ingredients for this order, yeah.

That's amazing.

So would one of your family members have been working here in 1952?

Yeah, it was my grandfather and my father. They were both here.

My father helped pack the chest of mint cake for them.

-That must have been a really proud moment for them.

-Yes, definitely.

Very little has changed in the process of making

Kendal Mint Cake over the years.

The simple mixture of water, sugar and glucose

is still closely tended to by hand,

including the addition of some very strong peppermint.

-So this is it, this is the mint?

-This is the mint, yeah.

-Very strong mint, yep.

-Look at that.

Ah, it smells amazing.

Oh, oh!

-There's the hit.

-That's it, yep.

Oh, that's like eating a thousand mint cakes at once.

The mixture is ladled into moulds by hand, and as it cools it takes on

-its distinctive cloudy hue.

-Do I get to taste it here?

-You can have a taste, yep.

-Oh, it's still warm!

Mm. I've had it before. I forgot how much it melts.

That is so good. I'm going to be running around these antique shops

like a mad person, going, "Whoo!" full of sugar!

-That has been really wonderful. Thank you so much, John.

-No problem.

I tell you what, I'm off. And I'm taking this with me.

Thank you very much! Take care, bye.

While Natasha lets her blood sugar settle,

Paul's heading to Lancaster.

He already has six items,

plus another two carried over from the last leg.

-But with £90 in his pocket, he can't resist one last shop.

-Hello, Paul!

-Allan.

-Welcome to GB Antiques.

I'm lost! This place is cavernous.

With over 100 dealers on display,

it's big enough to petrify even the hardiest of antiquers.

For once, the fear isn't that I'll find nothing,

the fear is I'll find something!

-Yep, you do seem rather flush for items today.

-Oi, oi, oi...

It just keeps going on. It's huge!

Let's leave Paul to peruse and catch up with Natasha,

who's made a beeline for her final shop of the day

in Low Newton.

It's my last chance to buy something.

I might actually make some money.

There's an interesting and eclectic mix of collectables

spread throughout this converted barn. Plenty to get stuck into.

OK!

-This is not what I was expecting.

-Expect the unexpected, eh?

What does this look like to you on first glance?

It looks like, to me, a Cornish pasty.

But actually, inside it's really dainty.

Because look, it's got this lovely Art Deco manicure set inside.

Now, the earth is not being asked for this. £24 only.

But I just don't think it sits very well with me.

-I think on this occasion I'll go vegetarian.

-All right.

Anything else catching your eye?

Pfft, tools.

I've bought tools before, and I've never made a fortune on them.

And everyone else has bought tools before.

It's not Philip Serrell you're up against.

Surely your opponent today is considering something

much more refined?

What do you mean, why is he looking at tools?

-I'm a bloke, of course I'm looking at tools!

-Oh, Paul. Come on.

What are you up to?

Well, you'd be amazed the amount of military hardware

that ends up in toolboxes,

so I'm not actually looking for that rare, valuable Spiers of Ayr...

plane, I'm looking for the bit of military kit that's snuck in there

and been missed by our tools specialist.

You see?

That's more like the Paul we know.

Not today, though.

With no hidden gems amongst the wrenches,

and a boot full of booty already, Paul decides enough's enough.

But over in Low Newton, Natasha still has some work to do.

-Hello. Hi, there.

-Hello.

-I'm Tasha.

-Hello, I'm Chris.

-Nice to meet you, Chris. How are you?

-I'm very well, thank you.

Which is your stuff?

This is my corner here, which is mostly leather and antique luggage.

That's what I specialise in.

Walking round the corner there,

out of the corner of my eye I sort of glanced at these boots.

They're spectacular.

-They're actually beater's boots.

-OK.

Beaters being the people who would go and flush out the game

on a shoot. They look like waders, but they're not waterproof.

They're bracken proof, so it's to protect the legs of the beaters.

Yeah. I mean, they are lovely in their condition.

I take it, as leather is your game,

you've brought these up with the nice polish and looked after them?

-Yeah, everything is hunky-dory.

-OK.

-Because they're a size nine,

-they're eminently wearable.

-Have you tried them on?

-No, because I'm a ten.

-NATASHA LAUGHS

But a pair of boots that quality

-it's worth cutting your toes off for, you know.

-Blimey.

-That's a selling technique. How much?

-OK, 65.

And I think that's pretty competitively priced.

-But I WOULD say that, wouldn't I?

-Well, you would.

-Obviously, yeah.

I'd probably be looking for a bit of a better price, although I feel bad

saying that, because you already feel they're competitively priced.

Um... I could do 50.

-You could do them for 50?

-Yeah, that's really the best I can do.

Well, in that case, I say let's go for it,

because I absolutely love them.

Nicely done. That deal brings shopping to an end for this leg.

Natasha settles up for the extraordinarily long boots,

which she adds to the 20th-century painting, teddy bear,

miniature of Beatrice Cenci and pocket watch wristlet,

giving her five lots for auction.

Paul adds the two items carried over from the last leg

to his new purchases to make up six lots.

The rifleman's watch fob, prisoner of war bone vase

and Lord Kitchener soap make up a single World War I-inspired lot.

They go alongside the Chinese scales,

a Tudor wristwatch,

Churchill ashtray, Parker fountain pen

and 19th-century snuffbox.

Phew! Ha. But what do they make of each other's offerings?

Savvy Paul Laidlaw has made a whole World War lot out of his soap,

his bone vase and his medal. But I've got a plan.

A bucket of water and a bar of soap do not like one another,

so I might just drop Kitchener in it.

The bear. Well, it's shocking, isn't it?

But you know what else it is? It's charming.

And people, I fear, could fall in love with poor little Teddy.

But am I quaking in my boots? No.

After a busy couple of days antiquing,

our twosome have made their way from High Hesket in Cumbria

and are heading for the Yorkshire Moors

and an auction on the outskirts of the spa town of Harrogate. Oh, yes.

Do you think we have bought the quality of objects

that the discerning, affluent buyers of Harrogate

are looking for at auction?

Well, I mean, I'm trying to think outside the box here.

It is a spa town. Does that mean they like to wash?

-So maybe your soap will go down well?

-Yeah, won't it?

-I mean, that's a bit of a tenuous link.

-THEY LAUGH

I don't think we'll go for a wash at the spa, but a launderette...

Not like the public baths.

One takes the waters, darling, one takes the waters!

There will be plenty of time for that later.

For now, our pair have arrived at Thompson's Auctioneers.

Is it all downhill from here?

Oh, don't say that! Get in.

The man with the gavel today is auctioneer Lawrence Peet.

What does he think of our pair's lots?

The boots are incredible. I've never had a pair through like that before.

We're in a rural area.

I think they should do quite well. I think the estimate's about £30-£40.

I think they'll be fine.

The strongest lot, without a doubt, will be the Tudor Rolex watch.

It's a good name, and it always attracts a lot of interest.

Well, time will tell.

The saleroom is filling up as our pair take their seats

for the second auction of the trip.

Very busy.

Our first item is Paul's Chinese scales,

carried over from the first leg.

Surely £10? 10 to the hand at 10, at 10.

Any advance on £10? I can't believe it.

-At £10...

-I can't believe it! That's two of us can't believe it.

Any advance on 10? Hold on, maiden bid, selling at 10...

HAMMER

Ouch. Not a perfect start to the day.

-How does this feel?

-Wait, I get it. I'm dreaming, aren't I?

-I'm dreaming. I'm going to wake up.

-No, you're not.

That was definitely a pinch.

Let's see if Natasha's charming, but damaged, teddy bear can fare

-any better.

-Commission starts here with me just at £15.

I need 20 to move on. 20 has it, with the lady at £20.

Any advance on 20? 22, thank you.

-Oh!

-25, 28...

-He's after my baby.

-32? No, 30 with the lady.

-32, new bidder. 35.

-This is all right!

40, £42? 42, thank you.

45, he's back in at 45. 48. No?

45 here, at £45, at 45,

-all done at £45.

-Oh, my days!

-HAMMER

Great start for Natasha.

She's more than doubled her money, and Ted has a new home. Aw.

-That's all right!

-It's better than all right!

-There's hope for us yet.

Now, can Paul's combined lot of First World War items

get him back on track?

It starts here with me at £45. I need 50 to move on.

The bid is with me at 45. 50, 55, 60. I have to go 62, and 65.

65 takes it in the room now, £65. Are we all done?

-I shall sell at £65...

-In the spa town?

-HAMMER

-Oh, no! It's a loss.

It is, and losing on a militaria lot is a tough one to take

for Mr Laidlaw.

Oh, swallow it, swallow it!

It's sore!

-Use the pain, Paul, use the pain.

-Channel it, channel it!

A chance, then, for Natasha

to extend her lead with her hand-painted miniature.

£50, 50?

40? 40 has it,

at £40, at 40. It's no money at £40. Any advance on 40?

-That's got to make more. Come on.

-At £40, 42, 45,

48, 50, 52, 55, 58.

-Yes, yes.

-Are you sure?

-Yes, you are.

-55 here, at £55...

58, new bidder. 60. No?

58 in the middle here, at £50.

-Any advance on 58?

-That's so good!

-Are we all done?

I shall sell at £58...

HAMMER

Expectations were a little higher, but it's still a small profit.

I should have taken that home with me. It's so good!

With Paul still seeking his first profit of the day,

it's time for his Parker fountain pen.

Commission takes me in, really, straight at £90. 100 anywhere?

The bid is with me at 90, do I see 100? At £90, at 90?

On commission, all done, I shall sell at £90...

HAMMER

It's another maiden bid that wins it,

-but this time it's a superb profit for Paul.

-Wait a minute.

All of a sudden, you look a lot happier.

A couple of losses, forget about those.

Next is Natasha's painting of the kittens and puppy.

And commission starts here with me just at £20. 22, anywhere?

-Come on.

-It is with me at 20, it's no money. 22 in the room now, at 22.

Any advance on 22? It's a cheap picture at 22.

Any advance on 22? All done, selling at £22...

HAMMER

It's over in a flash, but there's another profit for Natasha.

-Relief, relief from this camp.

-Disappointment in this camp!

Next up, it's Paul's snuffbox.

And commission starts here with me just at £32.

35, anywhere? 35, thank you.

-38, 40. Nope, 38 still with me.

-Are you sure?

38, at 38. Are we all done?

-I shall sell at £38...

-HAMMER

Paul bags a second profit of the day. Relieved, old bean?

Well done.

Right, Natasha's early-20th-century pocket watch wristlet

-is next.

-£5 anywhere?

Surely, £5? £5, 5 in the middle. At 5, at 5?

Any more interest at £5?

I shall sell, maiden bid at 5... 8, thank you. 10?

12? Nope, 10 in the middle, at £10, at 10. Are we all done?

-I shall sell at £10...

-HAMMER

-Oh, that's a bit sad.

-That wasn't mine, though, was it?

-No.

Someone has got themselves a bargain,

but it's the first loss of the day for Natasha.

-There are odd bargains here, which is great for the punters.

-Yes.

Confound them!

Now, Paul had high hopes for his Houses of Parliament ashtray.

Time to find what the saleroom thinks.

-Commission starts here with me just at £5.

-What?!

-8 anywhere?

8 has it, at £8, at 8.

-10, 12, 15...

-Someone shrieked!

-22, 25...

-It could be me.

-25, 28.

-It's going, it's going.

-32, 35, 38,

40, 42. 40 the middle. 42, ladies.

-Are you sure? Go on! It's only money.

-Go on.

-It's only money!

-That's right.

-£42, seated here at £42...

Seated, all done. I shall sell at £42.

HAMMER

Paul's comeback continues with another great profit.

-Well done. That's so good, isn't it?

-Yeah, relief. Yeah, relief.

Natasha's final lot of the day is the pair of beater's boots.

-Commission starts here with me just at £40.

-No!

-42, 45, 48...

48, 50, and 5 to move on. Yeah?

55 has it at the back, at 55... Any advance on £55?

At the back, are we all done? I shall sell at £55...

HAMMER

It's pretty much what I paid for them, Paul. Sad.

It's a bit more than you paid, and it is, of course, a small profit.

I'm learning. I'm learning how to cope!

It's our final lot of the day, Paul's Tudor wristwatch.

We have two telephone bids on this one,

-and I can go straight in here with me at £160.

-Oh, come on, telephone.

-The bid is with me at 160. 170, 180 and 190.

-Come on, phones.

-£200, 210... Sorry, 210, 220.

-He doesn't know where to go.

-There's so many bidders.

-240... 250, 260.

270...280...290...300.

310... No, 300, here... 310, Mike?

310, 320. 330. No?

330 with Kate. At £330, are we all done?

I shall sell at £330...

-HAMMER

-20196.

-Thank you.

-You're a genius.

-That'll do.

-You're a genius!

That's another outstanding profit for Paul.

I'm going to see the therapist straight after this,

and she said everything's going to be OK. That was good fun.

-Therapy it is, then.

-Therapy.

-Let's go, shall we?

-You don't need any!

Come on.

Let's find out what all those highs and lows have done

to today's figures.

Natasha started this leg with £201.20.

Despite a number of promising profits, after auction costs,

she made a small loss of £9.20,

taking her total to £192.

Paul had a palatial £447.72 at the start of the leg,

and after costs, he's racked up a £114.50 profit,

which gives him a superb total of £562.22,

giving him a win today, and keeping him out in front after two legs.

-How good was that?

-Aye, it's a roller-coaster, though, is it not?

I think that I'm on the descent, and you're going up the way.

But there's a big bounce at the bottom,

and then the biggest height in European auction history.

-I like your positive attitude!

-Did you see that?

-Yes!

-I like the sound of your theme park.

-Get in!

-It sounds fictitious!

A fantasy! OK.

ENGINE REVS

Onwards and upwards.

Cheerio, chaps!

-Next on Antiques Road Trip, heavy metal...

-There's a weight in them.

-..soft toys...

-He's saying no-no.

You cannot catch up with Paul Laidlaw.

-..and the hard sell...

-Come on!

-Yeah!