Episode 14 Antiques Road Trip

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

I want something shiny.

..a classic car 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!

Today, we'll be exploring the expensive horizons of East Anglia

with North Norfolk Digital on the dial.

So, are you an Alan Partridge fan?

Isn't everyone an Alan Partridge fan?

There's a bit of Alan Partridge within everyone, isn't there?

-A-ha!

-A-ha-ha!

That's Natasha Raskin behind the wheel of the racy red Mercedes,

in the very good company of Paul Laidlaw. They like a laugh.

-You and I, how are we getting along? Quite well.

-Are we?

-Let's analyse our relationship.

-Lordy!

Amateur psychologist and professional auctioneer Natasha

-are from Glasgow.

-Stretchy.

Is he saying, "No, no, don't buy me. You probably can't afford me"?

Is up against a formidable foe

in fellow countryman and auctioneer Paul.

Wow!

Some shrewd buys have put him way out ahead

-and, despite flopping at their last auction...

-Ouch.

..he still has quite a cushion of cash.

See, I heard you were good for a tab.

PAUL LAUGHS

You'll be lucky!

The £200 that Natasha began with is shrinking fast,

down now to £168.72.

Whilst Paul's identical starting sum has headed in the opposite direction

and currently stands at £457.02.

I could spare some pennies, some shekels, and bail you out

-but, thinking about that, there is not a generous bone in my body.

-Oh.

-So, no.

-OK.

-OK, awkward silence.

After kicking off on the west coast of Scotland,

Paul and Natasha have mostly motored south,

tootling towards the eastern coast of England,

before arriving at a concluding auction in Norfolk at Diss.

Today, we'll be taking an East Anglian canter

towards the finishing line at a Newmarket auction,

but starting out in the Norfolk village of Northwold.

Nestled in the sugar beet belt

and with an old filling station now put to a very different use. Cute!

-See you later.

-See you soon.

Ooh. Would help if I put it into drive.

No novelty air fresheners or bunches of tired carnations here.

-Hello, there.

-Hello.

-I'm Paul.

-Pleased to meet you.

-You are?

-Mary.

-Mary, it's good to see you.

-So, all sorts of different sheds and barns full of treasure?

-Yeah.

-See you in a minute.

-I that might be a tad optimistic,

especially with your forensic approach, Paul.

That's a great thing.

That going to be late '50s, early '60s.

BOAC. I think that was the British Overseas Air Corporation.

"Speedbird routes across the world."

My word, that's evocative of the excitement of post-war air travel.

What a great thing! And do you know what?

There are collectors for these and I don't think they're fan collectors,

I think they're collectors of commercial airline memorabilia.

Isn't that seductive? It appears to be reduced to all of £12.

And frankly, if that's your bag, it's a gift.

But is it the profit that I need? No, so onwards!

He might well have bought it on day one though.

-Can you smell that?

-HE SNIFFS

-Smoky smell.

-No.

All that cash burning a hole in your pocket perhaps?

OK, it's in a locked cabinet, so trust me when I tell you

we have got a 1950s British design classic in there.

Homemaker cups and saucers,

monochrome printed, very stylish, very moderne,

retailed by Woolies, for what it's worth.

Six for £60, chips on one cup.

£10 for a Homemaker cup and saucer.

That's good value and do you know what?

It brings me back to...

..another classic that I rejected a few steps ago.

Heatmaster, we see, in the 1940s,

introducing these earthenware bodies,

your teapot, your egg coddler, your milk jug,

all distinctively clad in nickel or chrome-plated jackets.

These weren't purely decorative, they were meant to be insulating.

This keeps your tea hot for longer.

This is definitely cheap at £18 for the three pieces,

so if lotted these together at auction, similar periods,

similar style, iconic names and brands...

..I think that works.

Over to Mary for a closer look at those.

£60 for six, with the chipped one cup.

Frankly, I've seen worse than that, but it's too dear for me.

Now, teacups and saucers need a teapot.

And I like the blue Heatmaster.

Can there be any movement on the combined package?

-Is it the same vendor owns both?

-Yes.

But as he's uncontactable today, it's Mary's call.

-I'm going to say £48.

-For the Homemaker?

-Yeah.

-Can you make a decision about...?

-What was on that?

Not a lot, to be honest with you.

£18.

Mm, I'll say £15.

£48 and £15 is £63.

May I offer £55, another £8 off?

Yeah, I'll take it on my head.

-I bought something!

-So, with Paul having bagged the tea things...

-That's wonderful. Lovely seeing you.

-And you.

..it's time to learn where Natasha's taking the Merc.

Towards neighbouring Suffolk, actually,

and Mildenhall Woods, where she's about to discover

a highly unusual fortification.

-Good morning.

-Good morning and welcome to Mildenhall Warren Lodge.

There are only two of these buildings, standing,

left anywhere in the world.

As local historian Anne Mason knows,

this early 15th century construction was once at the centre

of a huge medieval rabbit farm, known as a warren,

where the little creatures were raised

for their meat and furry pelts.

Rabbits were high-class luxury items.

They were often on the menu, actually,

at important banquets and feasts.

And if you were a peasant,

you were not allowed to eat rabbit meat nor wear rabbit fur.

People tried to do it but, no, the penalties were severe.

So, who was allowed to wear this rabbit fur and eat rabbit meat?

Anyone who was of manorial rank and above.

And the higher up you were in the nobility,

you were then allowed to wear black rabbit fur

or the silver-grey fur, which was a little like ermine.

Bunny mania began in 1066,

although the Romans had brought rabbits to Britain first,

but it was our Norman conquerors who reintroduced them,

creating warrens to keep their treasured exotic creatures

safe from indigenous poachers.

They come from the Mediterranean and they like a dry, sandy soil

and they like a dry climate in winter,

which is why this part of East Anglia, known as the Brecks,

is suited to rabbits because it has

the closest to that Mediterranean climate of anywhere in this country.

So, how do you keep all these rabbits under control,

I mean, if they're just everywhere

and breeding, as we know, like rabbits?

Yes, each warren had perimeter banks around it

so, if you were to walk the half mile to the edge of this warren,

you would discover that there are banks delineating it,

and these banks, originally, would be up to 12 metres wide

and they'd be two metres high

and then they'd have a hedge of gorse planted on the top,

which acted as a barrier to the rabbits escaping,

but also helped to prevent predators,

including human poachers, from coming into the warren.

But the well-paid man in charge, known as the warrener,

was taking no chances.

-Would you like to go in first?

-I sure would, thank you.

Hence this sturdy building, recently restored,

which served as both family home and fortress.

The lodges are almost like miniature castle keeps

because they're defensive.

There's a single doorway and, if you see the square windows,

they are the medieval windows, so they're 600 years old,

and there's one on each of the walls,

so that the warrener could look out over the whole warren

and survey it and make sure everything was secure.

With very good reason.

We know that in the 1380s, the warrener on Brandon Warren hired

what we would call security guards

to protect him against "malefactors of the night".

That's unbelievable, isn't it?

And demand for rabbit meat and fur kept on growing,

with peak bunny, especially for this area,

reached during the Victorian era.

From the 1840s, once railways came to East Anglia,

-they were transported by train.

-Ah.

And there was actually a train that left Thetford station

that became known as the "bunny train",

because it took all the rabbits up to the London markets.

So, at this time, is rabbit fur and rabbit meat

still only available to the upper classes?

No, because in 1884,

Parliament passed something called the Ground Game Act

and that removed rabbits' exclusive protection,

so they could be eaten by anyone.

And then, of course, in the Second World War,

they were very much part of the staple diet, because by now,

they were wild in the countryside and people regarded them

as a way of getting their ration of meat.

That was fascinating, Anne. I've never been anywhere like it.

But now I'm going to make like a rabbit and hop off.

-Quite a tale, eh?

-Bye.

-Bye.

# Run, rabbit, run, run, run... #

But while Natasha's been rabbiting on,

Paul's been following the usual scent,

taking our route back north

to the Norfolk town of Swaffham...

..famous for the old English folk tale about a certain pedlar...

..and an antiquesmonger in this old schoolhouse.

-Hello, is it Mel?

-Yes, and you're Paul?

-Good to see you.

-And you.

-Wow, what a school this must have been!

-Absolutely.

-What a building!

Many an old boy has come back and they've had the cane in here.

-Oh, Lordy!

-Very good. Should I have come bearing an apple for Miss?

Definitely. As long as you've got full pockets, that's what we like.

I think Paul might well be top of the class here.

Do you like? I like!

Especially as the curriculum includes

one of his favourite subjects.

One would think that patina had to be right.

Looks like a belt buckle, eh? Price, £14.

Does Keith flex at all on price?

Um, 10%.

-So, a £14 badge is a £12 badge when I round up the £1.40 to £2?

-Yeah.

-Do you want to know what it is?

-Do tell.

This is Great War, perhaps even pre-First War Ottoman -

what would call Turkish - army officer's waist belt clasp.

And almost certainly, this is a souvenir of two campaigns.

Gallipoli - there's a possibility.

Or more likely, what was called then, Mesopotamia.

-You've seen Lawrence of Arabia.

-Of course.

-OK, and that, I think, is a souvenir of that campaign.

-Wow.

-I'll take that. Stick that in the Laidlaw pile.

-OK.

And I'll keep ferreting about in here.

I might have found a rich vein, you see.

-You never know.

-Are you cool with that?

There's some more military stuff in the scout hut as well.

-Oh, you're a temptress!

-I know, I know.

-Yes!

Ooh, Miss, someone likes your buckles!

What about Natasha?

Back down in Suffolk and off to Risby.

Nice thatch! On her way to the first shop of the day.

-Hello, good afternoon.

-Hello, there.

-I'm Tasha.

-I'm Richard.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you. What a roof!

It's an impressive roof and there's plenty of it.

Yes, they like them big round here.

Should suit all tastes then, Natasha.

Genuinely, I am obsessed with darts.

Can you imagine going to play a game of darts

and these were presented to you?

"Spalding's Special Wooden Darts."

Look at the flights on these! They imitate bird feathers.

They are so cool, honestly.

If I were buying for myself, I would buy these.

Unfortunately, there's one missing, which is such a shame.

There's only £5.50 on the ticket. Might have to pass.

The search for the star prize goes on. What's that?

It says on the label, "Rain measuring kit".

And then inside,

you've got this copper funnel for catching the rain, obviously.

Pop it in there and it actually fits really nicely

on top of the bottle, so chances are, this is the original.

And there's a beaker. Oh, look at that! So, there we are.

It's measured in millilitres, as you would expect,

but once you get to the top here,

that equates to half an inch of rain.

And the funnel seems to be original

and the case is definitely original,

because everything fits in an absolute treat.

I think Paul would quite like that, if I came back with a rain measure.

We did start in Scotland in the pouring rain,

so he might find it quite funny if I bring the rain to Norfolk.

Unlikely to be another one at the auction.

Back at school in Swaffham...

..Paul's in the fourth form, by the look of it.

Still in a good mood too.

So, I spy this vase in a sea of drab blue and white.

A standout vase in terms of modernity, of geometry.

A very distinctive cylindrical neck and a verted rim

on a diminutive truncated conical body.

Now, is that a circa 2010...

designer piece or something earlier?

So, what do you do? Turn it upside down, you fool.

AUL, something.

Ault. A-U-L-T.

And there is one name that we associate with the Ault manufactory

during the late 19th century

and that name is Dr Christopher Dresser.

This father of the Aesthetic Movement

is one of the most prolific and important designers

of the Victorian era.

That's a Christopher Dresser design, produced by Ault, late 19th century.

What's the price tag on this?

£20. Sold.

Another great find.

-Mel, I'm back.

-Hi.

-This pile is getting bigger slowly.

-Oh, please, keep going, keep going.

I'm not the biggest spender you're going to meet today,

-and that's got £20 on it, the vase.

-OK.

-Is there a wee bit...?

-10%.

-Sweet. Stick that in the pile. Wonderful.

-Perfect. Lovely.

So, £18 then. With his belt buckle, a total of just £30.

And now he's off to look at that militaria Mel mentioned.

John, have you tested your barometer? Does it work?

-I'm sure it does. They never go wrong.

-They do.

-They don't!

-They do!

-Give me two ticks.

-Hey, what's he up to?

I now have a laboratory. It's pretty straightforward stuff, this,

but what I can do now, assuming this is airtight,

is I can change the pressure inside there.

-See that? Increase in air pressure.

-It's working very well.

-It's working a treat.

-That is a top tip.

-Would you like my apparatus for free?

-That's for the next auction.

Thank you very much.

OK, so it works. Now, what's attracted you to it, Paul?

The fact that it's designated Mark II.

So, we're looking, clearly, at an instrument for use by technicians.

We've got a serial number, Oblique 45. That was made during the war.

-Could be... It's Met Office. MO.

-Good.

And the Met Office's role, as you know, during war, is key...

-Just a bit.

-..to feed the air forces and so on.

So, that is a wee piece of history, one way or another, and I love it.

-Yes.

-And so, onto the next bit.

You've got a £40 price tag on it.

Are you the kind of man I can haggle with or not?

Oh, well, everybody in this trade haggles a bit, don't they?

OK, you'll not accept it, but it won't frighten you.

-I'll offer you £20.

-I'll do that for what about £30?

-You know what I'm going to say now, don't you?

-Yes, I do.

-We all do.

-Are you going to accept £25?

-Yes.

-It's a deal, sir.

-Thank you very much.

-Paul's very pleased with his school prizes.

Thank you kindly. I shall grab said instrument...

-OK, Paul.

-..and bid you adieu.

And last time we checked, Natasha was keen on the rain measuring kit.

Anything else of note?

Old leather music case, circa 1950.

That's such quality. Their initials on the front.

NEW. How funny. It's something old and it spells "NEW".

It's been taken everywhere, by the looks of it.

But it's good quality leather and as a result, although it's worn,

it has lasted.

SHE INHALES

Oh, it smells of cigarettes and tobacco.

Gosh, what an interesting thing.

And there's a wee thing here -

"Noel E Wimperis, Small Heath, Birmingham."

And I just wonder, because it is such nice quality...

..I wonder if he was somebody.

How many times have you heard people talk about provenance?

The name is there, so why not look online? Cos you never know.

So, this is a forum that I've found, talking about cinema in Birmingham.

"The Warwick Cinema situated in Westley Road, Acocks Green...

"Originally opened as a silent cinema

"with Noel Wimperis and the Warwick orchestra playing music

"to accompany the films."

Hold on, there's a bit more. So, this is from the Tamworth Herald.

I'm getting all excited.

"In Birmingham, Noel (Eric) Wimperis,

"son of Tamworth's best-known bandmaster,

"was playing Ivor Novello's popular tunes in Tony's smart new ballroom."

And this is his music bag, and it's only listed at £18.

Provenance is key.

We have it, we have a cool item. I've got to bag it.

Hey, this is all very exciting.

With the bag plus that rain measurer under discussion, eh?

I'm interested in these two lots.

Obviously I want to do a bit of a haggle, Richard.

-Yes.

-So, what's the combined price?

-Your maths is probably better than mine.

-Not a great deal.

-£56?

-£56, as it stands at the moment.

-OK, what about...£30 the two?

Of course, you want to beat Paul, or at least catch up with him.

Yeah, I'd like to try.

-Special offer today, but today only then.

-Are you sure?

Yeah, we'll go with that.

Well, I'm chancing my arm and so I'll shake your hand.

-Thank you so much. That's really kind of you.

-OK.

-That was short and sweet.

-You're a very nice gentleman.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you so much. Take care.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

Now, has Mr Partridge got a drive-time show?

Nighty-night.

Next morning, the wind is most definitely from the East.

-Paul, maybe we could put the roof up.

-Is this about your hair again?

It's not about my hair, it's about the fact I'm a bit chilly.

-Also my hair.

-THEY LAUGH

Paul breezed through day one, acquiring a barometer,

a tea set and some cups and saucers,

a vase and a military belt buckle.

-Oh, you're a temptress.

-I know, I know.

-Yes!

Oh, yes. Leaving him with just under £350 for today's shopping.

While Natasha was no slouch either,

acquiring a music case with provenance...

I'm getting all excited.

..and a rain measuring kit - as you do -

thus reducing her float to less than £140.

Have you got a shopping trolley full of goodies?

Um, I've got a couple of things already.

One of them could be pertinent if the weather changes.

Is it a brolly owned by Fred Astaire?

Who told Paul?

THEY LAUGH

Later, they'll be heading to that auction at Newmarket,

but the first stop today

is just outside the Norfolk village of Panxworth...

..where there be dragons. Rrr.

This is such a cool place, Paul.

And you love reclamation stuff. You're big on that, aren't you?

I am, and I can give you this one for free.

-Pallets and bricks are so in at the moment.

-You're a legend, thank you.

And look at this Mustang!

Very nice! Want to swap cars?

Talk to the chaps in charge.

-How are you doing?

-I'm Frank. I'm the manager.

-I'm Paul.

Nice to meet you, Paul.

-I'm Tasha.

-I'm Daniel.

Look at that! Look over there! Look...

Calm down! There must be enough to go round.

What a building! What a space!

Even the smell! Old buildings, old timber.

If you bottle that, I'll dab it behind my ears of a morning happily.

Eau de antique, eh? Irresistible!

That's quite cool, isn't it? The candle holder there.

There are little sconces,

little candle holders missing from the second tier,

but it's one, two, three, four-tiered and weird candelabrum.

Yes.

OK, steady.

OK, so you pop your little candles in there

and then you have a lovely feature one at the top.

There would have been three here, increasing in number.

It's wrought iron, it's rusting a little bit,

but it's quite interesting.

And it doesn't have a price on it and it's covered in cobwebs.

And maybe Daniel and Frank hate this.

OK, I'll put it back over here.

-And I'll keep looking.

-Marching towards the sound of gunfire?

A Royal Enfield lightweight sports. It was a good bike in its day.

Sturmey-Archer hub gears.

HE CHUCKLES

A proper Brooks saddle. That's a good thing.

Very Paul.

That's the condition you want to find them these days -

unrestored, original, but not too far gone.

What's really desirable is this sleepy,

untouched, original condition.

Just oil it, wax it, conserve it and enjoy.

Meanwhile, at the back...

Ooh, I can't believe I can open that. Oh!

Oh, it's filled with water. Oh, it's horrible. It's all over my hands.

-Have another look.

-What is going on with this place?

Well, Paul's discovered the workshop for a start.

What's all that marble over there?

-Is that some sort of centre table being reconstructed?

-It's art deco.

-It's as art deco as it comes.

-What's the top like? Yeah, a single piece.

-Be impressive when it's done.

-Can we put it on just to show...?

Very stylish thing. Impossible to date.

You'd love that to be inter-war.

Far from pristine condition though.

-Is that buyable in this state?

-If I recall, it cost me £130.

You're tempting me.

That's got to be £180 before I break even and £200 makes me £20.

-It might make £200 but...I'm not sure.

-Me neither.

Maybe something a wee bit more classical, eh?

MUSIC: Symphony No 5 by Beethoven

-I think that's Beethoven.

-Well, the music's a clue.

Because I have sold a really beautiful etching of Beethoven

in the past and it was called Grumpy Beethoven

and he looked just like this, a really good likeness.

Classical music is a really big market -

music stands, beautiful instruments.

But he doesn't have a price

and I have a feeling that he might be quite expensive

because of his iconic status.

I think you might be right.

Cheer up, love.

That vellum case opens from the narrow end.

Is that a funky interior or is it just vacant?

That would be a surprise for you and me.

PAUL LAUGHS

Are you all right there, Paul? Yeah? Put it on here.

That'll do the trick.

-It's quite different.

-That IS quite different.

"Harrods Ltd."

Whoops, it may have just gone up.

That'll not be dear, will it?

20 quid.

50 quid!

Or maybe a bit of a job lot with that risky marble table he admired.

I said £130 but to make it nice, to juice it up,

I'll go £150 for the both.

Oh... Boom!

-You've just done that - sucker punch!

-Well...

I only wanted to buy one thing.

But I know when the right offer's being made.

-You're a gentleman.

-Cheers, mate. All done.

-Pleasure.

I'm going to grab my case and I'm going to scoot.

The table might just slow you down a bit though.

Now, what's Natasha found?

A vintage weird bulbous lamp thing.

-Nice description.

-It could actually have been a vase. This is brand-new.

Someone has glued this on rather crudely,

but I would definitely have this in my flat.

I think it is super gorgeous. I don't mind the crude bit at all.

I don't even really mind the price tag.

Which is £86.40, £72 before VAT.

Thank you so much. Come on, let me show you what I've found.

-Do you like this one?

-I do like it.

-What could be the best price on it, Daniel?

-So, I will take £40.

That's very generous of you.

I wonder if I could just make you a cheeky offer

and say, if you were to sell it to me for £30,

I'd take it away and you'd never have to see it again.

Do we have other stuff you're interested in?

-Well, there's the candelabrum.

-Let's say £120 for the both.

Oh, I can't do it for £120.

That's true.

She needs to make her £138.72 go a bit further.

-I could really only afford to offer you £80.

-£80?

-Um, that's what I was thinking, so we'll have that!

-Really?

-Are you sure?

-Yeah, go on, that'll do.

-That shocked her.

-Will you give me a hand carrying them out?

-Yeah, Frank?

SHE LAUGHS

Good work, Natasha. Now, wither Paul?

En route to the rivers and lakes

of the Norfolk Broads and Ludham,

for a voyage into the areas past.

Hello, Brian?

Hello, Paul, welcome to the Norfolk Wherry Trust

and the 118-year-old wherry Albion.

Black-sailed wherries were, for hundreds of years,

the iconic lorries of the Broads,

although the Albion is one of only two left.

They're not seaworthy. They're adapted entirely

to the rivers and the large lakes of the area.

They came, originally, from a keel design,

which is a step on from Viking longboats.

-When did they come about?

-Probably we're talking 300 or 400 years ago.

-Right.

-And the tradition was they were never built to plans.

The boat builders just knew...

If someone said, "I want a wherry that will carry 40 tonnes",

then they would build them one.

With their shallow draft and distinctive sail,

plus plenty of muscle, the wherries were able to carry goods

to all corners of the manmade Broads,

providing a vital commercial and social link.

-That's some tool you've got there, David.

-This is a quant.

-Right.

We launch it out there...

..into the bottom, put the button in your shoulder

and then lean down,

one hand on the boat.

How difficult can it be, eh?

I've been less daunted. OK, and then upright.

Like so.

Have I driven it in or is it just floating away? It's like a harpoon!

It's in now, I can feel that. Push.

-I can feel I'm doing some work.

-Oh, yeah? Thanks, Paul.

Now, look lively with that black sail,

the practical emblem of these traders.

Handles off and down.

Only several times a day you had to do this.

-Well worth it though.

-Why the black sail, Brian?

Originally, they were heavy canvas, which rotted, of course.

And so, they used to get fish oil

and smear it all over to help preserve the sail.

But then they found that the rats actually quite enjoyed that.

Pretty yummy for a rat,

and so they then put either tar or coal dust on the top.

Did you go home to your bed at night?

-You have the cabin at the back, which is called the cuddy.

-Right.

They would have slept in that some of the time.

And the stories of them being in the winter,

-frozen in for several days at a time.

-Oh, my word!

So, we have a good stove in the cuddy,

so they would have been as warm as toast in there.

-A crew of typically...?

-Two.

-Of two?!

-Often a man and a boy.

-Oh, my word!

Apparently, there's one record of a 14-year-old

who was a skipper and his younger brother was the mate.

It wasn't a soft life at all.

Once, the Broads would have been thick with these sails,

but the coming of the railways rendered the freighters obsolete.

There's another sail. That amazes me!

So that by the turn of the 20th century,

most of the wherries were either converted to pleasure craft

or else scrapped altogether.

So, do be careful with that tiller, Paul.

I've got a concentrating face on because I tell you, I am.

-If you go aground, you have to get it off.

-Oh!

-Ha-ha.

Aye-aye, Captain Ian.

HE PLAYS THE ACCORDION

Yep, all wherry nice!

But it's time to call a "Holt",

because that's where Natasha's taken our route off to -

the very Georgian market town in north Norfolk,

in search of one last shop.

-Hello, good afternoon.

-Hello.

-I'm Natasha.

Hello, I'm Anita. Nice to meet you.

As on the last few trips,

Natasha has faced a similar problem at about this time - lack of funds.

When you've got £58 in your purse and you're in a place

that's filled almost exclusively with just the good, cool stuff,

and all the rest has been filtered out.

I think I've got my work cut out.

You can do this, girl.

I'm going to go...this way.

Nothing too fancy though, OK?

It's a little easel and it's just so lovely.

Look how easy to transport that is.

Early 20th century is when it became so popular to paint en plein air,

which just means outside.

Something as simple and brown and sort of boring looking as this

could, perhaps, have such an amazing story behind it,

because, for all we know, it could have belonged to Pissarro

or, I don't know, anyone else.

She paints a picture, yeah?

Now, this is really cool, but I will confess to you,

when I was walking over here from a distance,

I thought it was a really decimated and sad dressing screen.

It's quite obviously a door and, in fact, if I'm right,

it's a door from a train.

So, here we are. "Railway carriage door,

"1930s, 1940s era, from the LNER."

That's the London and North Eastern Railway.

There it is. "LNER". I was on the Flying Scotsman the other day,

shovelling coal.

She was, too, in York.

But this train treen has had a hard life.

It's been left outside, hasn't it?

OK, so, it has rotted a little in areas and, of course,

no window to pull down and lean out of to kiss your lover goodbye,

in a sort of Brief Encounter moment.

-Really?

-£75.

I think it's already reflected in the price. But I don't have £75.

I have spotted "NT". That means "No trade".

They don't want to haggle, but maybe if I beg, they'll let me do it.

-Mind the doors, Anita.

-The LNER carriage door has caught my eye.

-Mm-hmm.

-But, although I like it and although I'd like to buy it,

-I don't actually have the ticket price in my purse.

-Right, OK.

-Would you be open to an offer of £50?

-Um, I'm not sure.

It's more than 10% discount

that we normally would like to offer for dealers.

OK, I tell you what I'll do.

Anita, I'm going to come clean.

I have got 20, 40, 55,

-a hair bobble, 58...

-Yeah.

-And 72 pence.

-What do you think?

-Well, we won't deprive you of your hair bobble,

but I think that's a good offer.

-Are you sure?

-We'll take that.

-That's really great, thank you so much!

-Thank you.

-I've never really wiped myself out before.

-It had to happen sometime.

Thank you so much. I'll take my bobble and I'll say thank you.

-Take care. Bye.

-Bye.

And that brief encounter concludes our spree.

So, let's have a look at what we have on board.

With Paul parting with £260 for a belt buckle,

a tea set plus six cups and saucers,

a barometer, a vase,

a suitcase and a marble table.

While Natasha lavished all of her £168.72 on a rain measuring kit,

a lamp stand, a music case,

a candelabrum and that train door.

So, first class or about to hit the buffers, eh?

I like Natasha's purchases. I like Natasha's purchases!

The vase is my favourite thing that Paul has bought.

It's so simple, so discreet. It's just how I'd describe Paul himself.

The triple gourd glass lamp - I love it.

I do not recognise that table from the salvage yard,

but it's pretty fabulous.

That's my gamble. £130 paid.

If you look at that and go,

"It's BEEN fabulous but it's beyond restoration", oh, deary me!

After setting off from Northwold in Norfolk,

our experts are now on their way to a Suffolk auction in Newmarket...

..where, at the historic epicentre of horse racing,

our couple of thoroughbreds are approaching the parade ring.

-Pretty impressive, Paul. Do you think they'll let us in?

-I doubt it!

But this is no day at the races

because Rowley's Auctioneers are here with internet bidding too.

So, is the contest going to be a classic?

Over to the gavel wielder, James Fuller.

The rain measuring kit - interesting lot.

Never sold one, to be honest with you.

Nice sunny day today, not sure how that's going to fare.

The Heatmaster and the Homemaker may struggle here today,

as we're a lot more of a traditional sale.

The LNER carriage door - someone with good vision and imagination

could turn that into something very interesting.

A profit would be lovely.

-Right.

-What a place!

-Quite the venue.

I feel like we're taking our seats at the theatre.

Curtain up on Paul's first offering,

the Ottoman belt buckle. Will it be a belter?

I'm going to start straight in here at 18. 20.

22. 24. 25, bid.

-I thought he said 80.

-I thought he said 80!

-30, thank you, internet.

-Wait, the internet's gone wild.

Where's 5? Internet bid, then, on this lot at £30.

-HE BANGS GAVEL

-Not enough.

-Wait a minute.

-You got it for thruppence.

-Bit more, but the point's well made.

At this point, we'd be doing a wee cartwheel

across the parading ring right here.

Now, Paul's admitted he rather admires Natasha's lamp. So do I.

Got to start in here with me at 22. £24 bid. 24 bid.

-26 where?

-Come on!

-Is this your lamp?

-I think so.

-My commission bid at £24.

-No!

-I think that was it.

Crikey, someone's got a bulbous lamp for a slim price.

That was my favourite thing as well. It was going to make money

to validate the fact that I have great taste.

Now, do we see a profit on Paul's tea gubbins?

Got to start those here with me at 22. 4. 26, I'm bid now.

-26, I have on commission.

-Come on.

-28 where? Come on.

Good name, Homemaker. Designer stuff, this.

-Where are we going with these? 26 with me.

-Good show.

-He's selling it at £24.

-Ooh.

34 against you. With me at only £34.

Internet's out. It's my commissions at £34.

-Ouch.

-Is that sore?

-Ooh.

He doesn't usually do losses.

I'm just going to have a little cry.

Cheer up. Natasha's rain measurer is next.

Where are we going with this? I'm going to start here with me

at 22. 24. £26 bid. £26 bid.

28 where? Good-looking lot. Nicely cased and lovely presented.

With me at £26.

A few precious drops of profit, Natasha.

The rain measuring gauge was half full.

Paul's posh luggage, anyone?

Wee bit shabby, isn't it? Or is it still looking all right?

-Are you dissing my case?

-To your face.

Oh, concentrate, you two!

I'm going to go on this one, here with me, at 25. 28. £30 bid.

And if it doesn't sell today,

you can always add it to your collection.

£30. Who's got 5?

-With me at £30.

-It's got initial on it. Oh, it's happening.

-Oh, how much did it sell for?

-I think it sold for £30.

Oh, thanks, sir.

At least someone was on the case. Ha!

Now, Paul, you need to stop messing around because that was YOUR lot.

Start taking this seriously.

Natasha's movie and music related luggage next.

You know they say a touch of celebrity adds value to a lot?

I wouldn't say that Noel Eric Wimperis... Did you know who he was?

THE Noel Eric Wimperis?

Pay attention, here it comes. Don't miss it.

-A couple of commission bids.

-Two commission bids.

-25.

30 and 2, I'm bid. 32 bid. 5 where?

Tripling your money, just about.

With me at £32. 5, will you?

This is cool. That's a wee profit.

What do you mean? That's magic!

Yes, are we looking at a happy ending?

Two commission bids.

And then the music kicks in. # De-de-de-de-de-de. #

Back to Earth, with Paul's little barometer.

It's been pressure tested and is in working order.

You can buy it with confidence. And I have commission bids on it.

Starting here, with me, at 22.

-24.

-Oh, now, what did you pay for it?

-£25.

-And 6, I'm bid. 38.

40, I'm bid. 50, internet.

-60 where?

-60, come on!

Internet bid of £50.

-Oh, yes!

-Doubled my money.

-Much more like it.

There's a wee dog, panting like a beast and I can't handle it.

I keep thinking it's you.

Now, any train door fanciers?

Good, interesting lot this.

Make a nice mirror or something of that nature.

He's selling it, he's selling it! That's my boy!

Start it here at 25.

-25?!

-35 bid. 40 where?

Come on, we need someone with some imagination

to make this into something interesting.

Or a railway carriage missing a door.

40 on the internet. 5, I have against you, internet.

-Come on, 50!

-Come on. Yes, £50 bid. And 5, I have.

-One more, one more!

-It's making a profit!

-£60 bid.

I shall to the internet at £60.

-How is that for a result?

-Do you reckon?

-Yes!

Abso-blimming-lutely. Gambled and got away with it.

You went with your heart and you made £1.28.

And then you lost more than that

on charges, but that's by the by. That's a result!

This, however, represents a much bigger gamble, Paul.

I'm starting straight in at £30 bid. 30 bid only.

-It's a long way off, this.

-Seems cheap.

-Yes, seems cheap!

-At only £30. 5, do I see anywhere?

-This is scary.

-I feel bad for you but, oh, no, I feel...

-35.

-Oh!

-What?

5, if you'd like.

-Oh!

-He must have a hoverer on the internet.

It's 45. Surely someone's going to round that up to 50.

-Seems very cheap.

-Surely someone's going to round that up to 150!

OK, and that's how you get to kiss off £100 in one lot!

-Oh, well, you can afford it.

-I actually feel sad for the antique,

if I'm personifying the antique here.

Never mind the antique! Me!

How does that make Natasha's candelabrum feel,

we wonder. Nervous?

With me at £30. Straight in at £30.

I need more, I need more, auctioneer.

Seems cheap at only £30. 5, internet, surely.

A lot of decorative metalwork for £30.

-Sad, sad.

-At only £30...

-Sad.

-Not a lot. But then she didn't have much to start off with.

I've just realised a trick that I missed is maybe for votive candles,

maybe I should have lit a few in advance of the sale.

When it reaches that what we really need in this auction

-is divine intervention, I think we're in trouble.

-Yeah.

Well, it felt like a small miracle

when this vase popped up, Paul. Your last lot.

Hang on a minute. I've just got one more thing I've got to do.

Starting in here at £18 bid.

-20, now I'm bid. 22.

-Oh, OK.

-24 where?

-My commission's at 22.

-That's got to be worth so much more than that.

-I would have hoped.

-Selling here with me at £22.

Oh, Paul. Technically it's a profit, a very, very small profit.

Count your blessings.

Let's go, let's go.

Paul began with £457.02

and after auction costs, he made a loss - ha! - of £86.98.

So, his current pile stands at £370.04.

While Natasha started out with £168.72,

and after auction costs, she made a much smaller loss of £27.68.

So, she wins today, but with just £141.04 left.

Do you know something? This is all going the wrong way.

It wasn't going to be on our greatest hits compilation.

Am I catching up? No!

I've a wee bit of buffer but the way things are going,

I'm counting no chickens.

And they're off.

Next, on the Antiques Road Trip...

If you see anything good, let me know.

-Just one left to go.

-It was a strike! How good is that?

-And then it's all over.

-Oh, my God.

-Bar the shouting. THROUGH LOUDSPEAKER:

-Is it cheap, Natasha?

Oh, what was that?