Episode 17 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.

-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're enjoying the island life on the beautiful Isle of Wight,

in the company of castaways Raj Bisram and James Braxton!

Raj, this is such a lovely island, it's so lush, isn't it?

This green and pleasant land.

Positioned just five miles from the Hampshire coast,

and blessed with a mild climate, the island was beloved by

Queen Victoria and also played upon by Jimi Hendrix.

Another bonus for our fellows.

In the style of Mick Jagger...

Yep, auctioneer James from Sussex does love his rock.

He's also a bit of a wicker man!

Anatomically, it's beyond reproach, isn't it?

While his rival Raj, a keen competitor from Kent...

We're moving in for the kill now.

..is an auctioneer who's particularly fond of the

classic blues rock stylings of band Free.

-All right!

-Wow!

Free were here in the late '60s for a couple of the legendary

Isle of Wight Pop Festivals.

Raj and James only arrived on the island this morning and already

have had a good first auction to kick off this week's tour.

Not bad at all, not bad at all.

As well as muscling into the lead,

Raj has also made a crafty start to his next lot of shopping...

-Where's he gone?

-..picking up this old petrol can

over a pre-auction lunch.

Let's shake hands.

James began with £200, and has thus far increased it to...

Whilst Raj, who started out with the same sum,

has a little bit more at...

Now minus £5 for the fuel can, of course.

Lovely island, lovely people, lovely livestock!

Oh, and did I mention Cowes Week?

After kicking off in the West Country at Bath,

our experts are a-roving in their Renault Caravelle before tootling

up to the Midlands and then coming back home to Somerset at Binegar.

Fresh from the auction, we'll be starting in the village of

Wootton Bridge, and then doing all our shopping on the island,

then heading back to the mainland and an auction at Frome.

Wow!

Back in the summer of '69, I remember it well,

the fields around Wootton were the venue for the second

Isle Of Wight Festival, featuring Bob Dylan and The Band!

Ah, looks like our chaps have arrived!

James, I can't get out! Could you let me out? This door's stuck.

It's always... That's half the battle, isn't it?

Anyway, the early bird catches the worm, as they say.

-James?

-Raj, come on.

-James?

-I've got to get ahead, mate.

-That's not cricket!

-Bye!

-James!

I think he's panicking because they've only got time for

-this one shop today.

-Hello. James.

-Hello, my name's Andrew.

Hello, good to meet you, Andrew, and who's this young man?

-My name's Alan.

-Alan, very good. Now who's going to be looking after me?

-Me.

-Come away, Andrew, let's go.

-Better late, eh, Raj?

-Hello there.

I would have been here earlier, but, er, James locked me in the car.

-Show me to some bargains.

-Walk this way.

Housed in a rustic barn, this is a big old place.

Plenty of quirky collectables on offer.

Now, what's this Andrew's found for James?

-That's quite a useful thing, an egg separator, isn't it?

-Yeah.

How have I lived without an egg separator? Do not know.

Moving on...

-So is this your stand?

-Yes, this is me.

You did well to find a unicorn, didn't you?

Yeah, there's not many left now.

James is keeping Andrew close.

And as for Raj and Alan...

I like buying things that are unusual, a bit quirky...

..and cheap.

-OK.

-OK?

-That's very quirky, that trolley. Quite retro.

It reminds me of a medical trolley.

It does look quite medical cos it's white.

I mean, retro's in, definitely, retro is in,

but I've got a funny feeling that the medical look about it

isn't going to help it sell, so, anything else?

What about boxes?

-Do you like wooden boxes?

-As long as they're not coffins.

Ah, pokerwork!

That's quite a nice box.

It is quite nice, I have to say, it is quite nice.

Has a note inside explaining some of the work on the box.

This says about the coat of arms, between Spain and Austria...

Which are on the sides, if you look.

-I have to say, I do like it, it's a little bit different.

-Yes.

Yeah, no, it's lovely.

The ticket price, however, is £150.

Alan, I'm going to think about this. I do like it.

-What might be the best on it?

-I could go down to £90.

I kind of would want to pay £50 for it.

That's a bit too less for me, I can't let it go for 50, I'm afraid.

Negotiations are ongoing.

One bald man to another, right,

-I'm sure we can come up with a deal.

-I'm sure we can.

There must be that much testosterone in this room between us.

Yeah, let's not think about that.

Look, James has gone solo. And what has he unearthed here?

So this is quite a nice item. This, you know, commonly known as...

-It works well!

-..three tier sort of cake stand.

You know, it's quite fashionable these days to go out for tea,

isn't it? And this one is, you know, quite fun.

It's wrought iron and copper and often they were folding

so you can fold them and put them by the side because they would

normally have sort of porcelain plates.

These are unusual with copper.

Anyway, there you are. I'm not going to buy it.

So long, the cake tower. Now, what's Raj after?

-I've noticed that box. There's a military box there.

-OK.

A bit of militaria. There's always militaria collectors about.

It's got £24 on it but it's quite unusual and I was thinking of...

-..offering 15.

-OK.

-I'd have to ask the dealer if he'd accept 15 on that one.

-Would you?

Somebody can make a phone call for you and see if he'll accept.

-Very kind. Would you do that?

-Certainly.

And while you're going over there,

just give it a little bit of thought about your pokerware box.

He is busy. Come on, James. Get stuck in, mate.

-Can I look in this one?

-Certainly.

Look at these. I've always quite liked these.

-These funny go-to-beds, aren't they?

-Go-to-beds.

-Yeah.

So you keep the match in there, a load of matches in there.

Beautifully made. That's like a capstan isn't it? I suppose.

Like a ship's capstan. So it's got a nautical feel to it here.

Strike it on the base like that,

put it in the top and then off you walked upstairs.

That's rather fun, isn't it? 35 quid.

It's a bit damaged for me though. Can I look in here?

-Can I look at the vase?

-Yeah.

A specimen glass with a silver top.

-That's quite sweet.

-I think he likes it.

Look at that. Just tried it there, just to make sure it was all sound.

Has anybody told you you look quite similar to Elton John, Andrew?

-Has anybody told you that?

-They have, actually.

-Have they?

Yeah, like a pre-furnished Elton John.

What could that be? Is that, sort of...

I don't want to be rude but could that be eight quid?

-I could go with ten.

-Ten.

-Yeah.

-What about in the middle?

-Just under, you know, it's quite nice. Nine.

-OK then.

-Could you?

-Yep.

-Go on. There we are, well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done, Elton.

-You've done a very good job.

-They got the Dwight price!

-Any developments anywhere else?

-Have you managed to get hold of him?

Yes, I've spoken to him and he's agreed £15 is a fine price.

-I'm happy with £15. Can we shake on it?

-Definitely.

Fantastic. Thank you very much indeed.

Also, have you given it a little bit of thought about the pokerwork box?

Yes, I have. What did you offer me again?

I offered you 50, which is what I think it would make at auction.

Could you do £60 on it?

I tell you what, OK, you've got something else in there...

-OK.

-All right? Which you've only got £10 on it.

It's a bit quirky. The pulley dog.

You know, the little pulley dog you got a tenner on?

-The one on the wheels?

-OK, yeah.

-How about 60 quid for the two items?

-Done.

-We've got a deal.

-Definitely.

Fantastic. Thank you very much indeed.

-So that's £75 for two boxes and a vintage toy pooch.

-Fantastic.

And just £9 for James's vase.

-A full £10.

-Thank you very much.

-And change.

Oh, very kind of you. Thank you.

-It's been great fun. Thank you. Bye.

-Bye.

Time to hit the road.

And nighty-night.

It's day two of our trip to the holiday isle and thoughts are

already turning to their Somerset auction.

You want to be buying anything connected with cider and cheese.

-Raj, I'm not listening to you.

-Quite right!

Last time they bought nauticalia to the Isle of Wight,

and that proved a flop.

Fine to take an interest though.

The first-ever hovercraft was made on the island. Ah!

That's more like it.

They're motoring towards their first shop of the day

in the town of Shanklin.

A Victorian seaside resort with a lovely esplanade

and some "craaazy" golf.

Shanklin really is quite a spot...

-Good luck. Don't be too lucky.

-Yeah. Thank you.

-Au revoir.

..and still terribly popular with tourists.

-Today it's Raj's turn to play a visit.

-Nice to see you.

-To see you nice.

-Nice to see you.

-I'm Raj.

-John.

-John, nice to meet you.

-Hi, I'm Sally.

-Hi, Sally.

-I'm going to start off with one question.

-Right.

What is the most unusual thing you think you've got in your shop?

-I rather like my powder horn.

-A very safe place to keep your gunpowder.

No metal means there's no accidental sparks or destinations.

It's a marriage peace.

There is the couple and there we have 1792, William Rudd.

-Now, that is a gorgeous piece.

-Wow!

The ticket price is £2,500.

-Look at the condition of it.

-Absolutely.

The colour's still in the sails.

I mean, it's in fantastic condition, isn't it?

Oh, yes, all very nice but Raj

will definitely not be taking it to the Frome auction.

So what else has John got to tempt him?

I mean, there's lots of antiques here but what's really nice is

there's some beautiful Isle of Wight glass.

Now, I don't know a lot about Isle of Wight glass but I do know

that studio glass is going to be very, very collectable

in the future and there's some beautiful designs here.

But, look. Look over here. This is beautiful. Big name.

I've got to get this out. This is stunning. Royal Doulton.

Which most people wouldn't associate with Royal Doulton, but this is

what is called a flambe design

and it's a flambe-patterned bottleneck vase.

Everybody buys those figurines that you see.

Royal Doulton figurines, you see them in every antiques shop

around the country, and you also see the harvest ware, the brown glaze.

But this, I believe, is the thing to be buying.

It's priced extremely reasonably at the moment

and it's getting rarer and rarer to find.

Maybe so, but £195 puts that beyond him too.

So if we rule out local interest and cheese...

-I've noticed that you've got a lot of Meccano here.

-Yes.

-Expensive?

It won't be too bad actually. It's a massive collection I bought.

-Give me an idea, John, what you are looking for?

-I'd say about 70.

I'm no Meccano expert, I have to tell you that.

But I would be, you know...

My gut feeling tells me I'd be estimating the whole lot at £40-80.

I would happily give you the bottom end of my estimate, £40.

£40. Could you go 45?

What do you think?

I think with a smile like that

and such a lovely shop I'm not going to quibble over five pounds.

-We have a deal. Thank you very much indeed.

-Appreciate that.

-Thank you.

-Quite a lot for your money, Raj.

-One other thing.

I bought a box, a military box,

and I've noticed that you've got some medals down here

and it would be nice for me to throw some medals in the box.

-Is there anything you can do to help?

-Three for a tenner?

How many can you give me for a fiver?

-I'll give you three for a fiver as you've already spent 45.

-Fantastic.

-Another deal.

-Wonderful.

-Thank you.

-So, £50 for John.

-That's lovely. Thanks very much indeed.

Thank you very much.

And with that, Raj is off in search of his next shop.

Now, where has James motored to? He can't have gone far, it's an island!

Taking our route north towards the interior village of Arreton

to find out about the fascinating maritime history of the island.

-Hello, James.

-Hello, hello.

-Welcome to the Shipwreck Centre.

Professional diver Martin Woodward established this museum almost

40 years ago to exhibit some of the treasures

he's rescued from the deep.

Gold doubloons, pieces of eight...

-Have you discovered some?

-Yes, I have.

I've been very lucky in my career

that I've recovered pretty much everything.

Film star looks!

Aristotle described the diving bell, and this contraption,

the first fully enclosed suit, dates from 1710.

But it took some British brothers to provide the breakthrough.

The Dean brothers were the first helmet divers and they

developed it as a smoke helmet to actually go into farm buildings

to actually recover people.

-I see. So fire brigades.

-Yeah.

Going into barns and saving lives. So, going underwater.

In 1829, they did the first recovery of commercial cargo

off the Isle of Wight.

They recovered these copper ingots, called a plate ingot.

-You know, roughly cast.

-Yeah. Just roughly cast.

Bear in mind the ship was only just sunk below the surface

so he could put a ladder down and climb down there

and he made these wonderful diagrams.

That sounds like easy coal, doesn't it?

Of course, they were very popular with the East India Company

and whoever else wanted cargo recovered.

Now, copper ingots are all very well

but they don't really set the pulse racing.

The brothers pulled that off a few years later.

This is more valuable to me than a gold doubloon or a piece of eight

is this was actually recovered by John Dean

-in 1836 from the Mary Rose...

-Really?

Because some fishermen got their gear caught on this wreck,

John Dean went over to help them out and he recovered this piece of wood.

So it predates the Mary Rose actually being recovered in 1981.

But the sinking of 'Enry VIII's famous battleship in 1545

was merely one of the better-known wrecks

that have occurred around the island.

Am I right in saying that this southern isle

is also known as the Shipwreck Isle?

It is, it faces a vast expanse of water and we always talk

about lee shores, which is the shore where the ships got driven

onto by the prevailing wind, which was south-west.

If you go in a straight line from the south-west side of the

Isle of Wight the next thing you get is South America.

As a result of that, there's probably 1,000 wrecks

-in that one 14-mile section.

-Really?

-And 2,000 wrecks around the whole Isle of Wight.

-Goodness.

-You're in the right place, aren't you?

-Yeah.

Over the years, the Shipwreck Isle has also been the Smuggling Isle

and even the Pirate Isle, with the centre able to display

many recovered examples of their stock in trade.

-These are the classic pieces of eight.

-Pieces of eight.

A lot of people think pieces of eight are gold.

They're not. They're silver.

But as long as the weight was correct,

it didn't matter what shape it came out.

The South American mines, Mexico, Peru, Lima,

they were churning out millions of these.

The Spanish mined huge quantities of this

and shipped it back for international trade.

And besides all that diving for booty, there's also been an awful

lot of bravery displayed by the islanders over the years

as they've attempted to rescue the crews of those wrecked ships.

We've actually got the oldest surviving RNLI lifeboat,

-it was our Bembridge lifeboat from 1887 to 1902.

-Really?

Fantastic old boat, and they were always there,

prepared to help their fellow mariners.

And before lifeboats, how did you help a ship in peril?

Well, these people, the longshoremen in their small fishing boats,

went off and risked their own lives to help people who were on wrecks,

and there's endless stories back on the island

where there was acts of heroism regularly.

From 1860 onwards, they put a lifeboat there

to carry on that good work.

And this was all done with people with oars.

I've rowed those old lifeboats.

I have rowed that one we've got on the front here and every time I pull

one of those oars I think, "My God,

-"those guys were tough in those days."

-They were tough.

Fortunately, I knew some that rowed that very boat and they told me

stories about going out, soaking wet for hours, coming back exhausted.

Meanwhile, staying firmly on dry land,

although with a nice sea view,

Raj has made his way to the far west of the island and Freshwater,

noted for its cliffs,

the 1970 performance of this maestro and the fact that the poet laureate

Alfred Lord Tennyson also lived around here.

-Hello there.

-Hi.

-You must be Val.

-I certainly am.

-Hello, I'm Raj.

-Nice to meet you.

Lovely to meet you too.

Plenty tucked away in here with something of an eastern flavour,

as well as items from closer to home.

These are really lovely. They are quite unique to the Isle of Wight.

They do these sand pictures and sand sculptures.

What a lovely present to take back from the Isle of Wight,

these beautiful sand pictures. I mean, some of them are gorgeous.

Very sustainable too.

Although there's always the nautical option, of course.

I mean, this is great. These are a set of signal flags. Oh, man.

I should consider buying these. These are lovely.

I don't think I've seen a set before.

I mean, they have no great age to them,

they're not antique or anything but what a lovely thing to own!

I don't see him saluting it just yet, though.

Now, James, lest we forget,

has thus far parted with a mere £9 on the island

as he heads to the resort of Ventnor.

Famously sunny, although not today, sadly.

-Hello.

-Hello, James. Welcome to Ventnor.

-Hello.

Thank you very much indeed.

Jackie's shop seems to be a mix of traditional antiques,

local art and the odd curio.

This looks rather smart. What's this?

One of these funny mouthpieces or something?

"Edwardian speaking tube".

I'm not sure I've ever seen an Edwardian speaking tube.

As used in ships, offices and even posh cars.

-So you've got a whistle as well.

-WHISTLE SOUNDS

And then you just... Hello!

-God, it's a beautifully made object, isn't it?

-It is, yes. 1910.

-Almost snakelike.

-Interesting start.

What can Jackie recommend though?

-I can see something.

-There we are. You see?

-Daum of Nancy.

The Daum studio in the French city of Nancy

was one of the great names of Art Nouveau glass.

-Beautifully tactile.

-It is, yes.

-What could that be?

-I can do that for £45.

-£45.

Well, I think that is potentially...

I think I'd be all over that really because it is actually an antique.

It is, yes.

-Yep, brownie points for that.

-Lovely colour.

-You can imagine that somewhere. Well, that's interesting.

-Very.

I think he might be back.

Plus, there's apparently a bit of a bargain department here.

-This is more your house clearance side.

-This is the boys' shed.

We've got a sort of barometer here with a sliding scale.

Chromium plated.

It's an aneroid barometer so it works on a spring.

Hey, good news - set fair.

-How much have you got on it, Jackie?

-That can be £15.

-£15.

-That is... I'm definitely going to buy that.

-OK.

So, £15 for that and 45 for the Daum. I think my work is done here.

With barometer and bowl for a total of £60.

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

-Thank you. Well, thank you.

No, thank you. Thank you. James is now up to speed.

# If you go down to Freshwater today... #

The two teddies. Could I have a little look at them?

Of course you can.

What's happened to this one then? Poor little thing.

I don't know anything about them, just that they're sort of quite sad.

They are. I bought one of these,

about the same period, a little pull toy...

-He's right. Splendid fellow.

-..and these would go lovely with it.

-Yes, lovely. No price, though.

-Give me an idea.

How much do you want to pay?

-You shouldn't be asking me something like that.

-I know!

I was thinking about £30.

-Mm.

-Why the long pause, Val?

I've had them in the shop for ages and I've had, actually,

a couple of people wanting to buy them off me and I've always said no.

You're not going to say no to me, are you, Val?

Would you go to 40?

-Val, without a question of a doubt I will go to £40.

-OK.

-Let's shake hands on it. Thank you so much.

-Picnic, chaps?

-Come on, you babies.

-Nighty-night.

At least they've got a teddy each.

So, day three of our Isle of Wight mini break.

But they're not just here for the Ryde. Who writes it?

James, I think you need to go and do some shopping.

-I'm going to have to drop you off.

-Busy, busy, busy, eh?

Especially Raj, who started with that fuel can and hasn't stopped,

picking up some Meccano, a pokerwork box,

a military box and some medals,

plus a pull-along dog and two teddy bears...

You're not going to say no to me are you, though, Val?

..leaving him with just under £90.

While James has thus far plumped for a Daum bowl,

a barometer and a glass vase.

Has anybody told you you look quite similar to Elton John?

Leave his back alone!

Meanwhile, he still has over 150 left in his wallet.

I've got to dig deep. A little thought has got to go into this.

He's feeling the pressure.

Later they'll be rolling onto the ferry and heading off to an auction

in Somerset at Frome, but our first stop is in the village of Chale.

Well, that's - whoops-a-daisy! - where James is supposed to be headed

but it looks like this car-boot sale may have caught his eye.

Lordy, watch out, girls!

A glorious day but everybody's packing up now so I'll have to work

very quickly around this one and try and find a bargain.

Bless it, it's a Bambi. Look at that.

It must have kicked off hours ago. Better get a move on, James.

Hello. What's this? What's your log basket?

-It's a log basket.

-It's a log basket.

It's lovely. It's Dutch in style, isn't it? These boxes?

So you have them by the fire and these were all the sort of

tortuous things that you would have in the room.

These were the things that people had to polish, weren't they?

So it's made of brass so it's embossed brass with scenes

after the Dutch masters.

This is an inn scene here, and they require

-a lot of polishing and nobody really wants to polish now.

-Wet wipes.

-Is that the secret? Wet wipes?

-Wet wipes are the future.

You heard it here first.

These are all the things packed away, are they? Onward ho!

I think we could do without the barometer, couldn't we?

Looking at 20 quid, the lot.

-And if I didn't want the contents, how much would the box be?

-Tenner.

-Tenner.

-Sometimes it helps to be the last customer.

-What time did you get here this morning?

-Quarter past eight.

Quarter past eight, well done.

-Good day?

-Not too bad, thank you.

Even better if you get that for a tenner.

-How about five?

-Cheeky monkey!

-I am a cheeky monkey.

-How about 12?

Hold on, hold on. Reverse psychology.

I'll meet you in the middle. Eight.

-Eight pounds.

-Thank you. Thank you very much indeed.

And take all the clutter out, won't you?!

He is cheeky.

ALL LAUGH

Well, that was well worth an unofficial stopover -

and, while James sorts out the fine detail...

..Raj is behind the wheel...

Here we go, come on - up this hill.

..manfully coping with the topography.

Come on, baby, let's go.

I think he's talking to the car, on the way back to Freshwater

to find out about pioneering photographer

and island resident Julia Margaret Cameron.

-Hi, there. I'm Raj.

-Hi, Raj. I'm Rachel.

-Nice to meet you.

-Welcome to Julia Margaret Cameron's home.

-Can I show you around?

-You certainly can.

-Excellent.

So, when did she actually live here?

She first came to Freshwater in about 1860.

She was visiting her great friend Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the poet,

who lived just up the road at Farringford.

She liked it so much she bought a house,

and she lived here for about the next 15 years.

In 1863, at the age of 48, Cameron was given her first camera -

a bit like this one - by her daughter, to "keep her occupied"...

This is the first gallery we're going to look at.

..but she took her new hobby very seriously,

and, within a short time,

the highly unconventional photographs she created here

were making waves.

She has a...a definite... There's a feel about her work.

-You can see it, can't you? It stands out.

-Absolutely,

and she really does establish her own style of photography.

These really dramatically lit, heavily staged portraits

are not something that anyone else is doing at this time.

Although nowadays she is acknowledged as hugely influential,

Cameron's pictures were often criticised by contemporaries,

who insisted that photography

was for scientific documentation, and not art.

She's not bothered about the convention of being precise,

and people were not happy

about the way in which she was fine with it being out of focus,

that she was fine with there being sort of drips and fingerprints

and little bits of wrongness in the photograph.

So, everything didn't need to be perfect, in her eyes.

-Absolutely not.

-She almost wanted it to be like this.

Absolutely, and that's the thing. Perhaps the blurriness

-is really what makes it a great image.

-Yeah.

However, her portraits were very warmly received

by the painters of the Pre-Raphaelite movement,

and she responded by capturing many of their likenesses.

Also, of course, images of her famous neighbour and friend.

This is not just a portrait of Alfred Tennyson,

the great poet of the day,

it's a creative expression of his bohemian-ness,

as she perceived it to be and she was a huge fan of his.

Cameron shrewdly copyrighted her images,

and she was keen to see them exhibited.

There are some more pictures in the next gallery if you'd like to...

-Oh, I'd love to see them. Yes.

-Fantastic.

-After you.

Although her portraits include many significant historical figures,

like this image of Charles Darwin,

Cameron's work was about much more than Victorian celebrity.

She took many, many pictures of different kinds of people.

This one here, for example, is her maid, Mary Hillier,

and she's photographed Mary more than any other individual person.

She also took photographs of local children, local people,

anybody that she felt was interesting and could serve a role

in the creative image she was trying to make.

I think her legacy is really the case that she made

for photography to be considered an art form.

She's paved the way for every art photographer who's come since.

Meanwhile, further along the coast,

back at the village of Chale - as in kale -

James has finally turned up at his intended destination.

Not that it's obviously a shop.

-Hello, Nina.

-Hello.

-Hello. Who's this?

This is Buckley.

Buckley, Buckley. Cor, what a big a boy!

So, why Buckley?

-He was born on Christmas Day.

-Yeah.

We named him after Jeff Buckley, the Hallelujah tune.

The Hallelujah tune.

Down, boy! This collie's got a bone to bury.

After you.

So, it's just Nina and James to explore within,

where a good old nose could come in handy.

That's a light fitting and a half, isn't it?

Yeah. Bargain vision's what's required.

-I like that.

-Well, I got that the other day.

-Did you?

-Yeah.

-Ooh, fresh goods. That's what I like to see.

-Yeah, but it's not for sale.

-Why?

-Cos it's in the...

-Everything's for sale.

-..part of the display.

-Come on.

-How much for the carboy?

-It's not for sale.

Of course it is.

Relax, I'm sure there's plenty that is.

-What are the boards here?

-Oh, that is a great big long painting,

and it takes up the whole wall.

-And what is it of?

-London Bridge.

-So, it's a big...

-But it is magnificent when it's all...

-Big mural.

-Yeah.

-How much have you got on that?

-Is that for sale?

-That is for sale, but that's 600.

It's either can't buy or can't afford.

LID CLATTERS Ooh, stand lively.

-What is this funny thing?

-It's a little majolica. It's from Italy.

Made in Italy, Pisa, and it's just got a nice

sort of...sgraffito, that scratch, yeah. Very interesting, isn't it?

So, how much have you got on this?

-Best I can do on that is 35.

-35...

I don't think I'd make a profit on that.

Which is a shame.

Fair enough.

Is that sound, that pot?

Erm...yes, it is.

It's heavy, though. Oh, there we go.

Bread pan. Doulton.

It's like a dough bin.

You'd make your dough, and then you take bits off,

and then you put it in the oven progressively during the week.

And they would have a sort of a wooden top to it.

HE TAPS

Seems to ring all right, doesn't it?

Cor! Ugh!

Need to be a weightlifter for that!

Man up, James, come on.

Sir Henry Doulton made his fortune from the development of London.

He did all the sort of pipework for the sewers, and things like that.

Improved bread pan, made by Doulton, still in Lambeth in London.

-I was born in Lambeth.

-Oh, was you?

-Yeah.

It's the way he walks. Heh, heh!

-Nina, how about eight quid for that?

-Oh, no, I couldn't.

What can you let it go for?

-12?

-Definitely not. I'm thinking more on the 25 mark.

People are still into this kind of decorative.

Sorry, where are the crowds?

The hordes of people, Nina?

They're still into it, are they?

15, my final offer.

20...and we've done a deal.

I tell you what, difference, and I'll weight it in your favour, 18.

-Done.

-Come on. Put it there. Well done, Nina.

Now she just needs the dough.

-Right, let's go.

-Right. You all right with that?

Yeah, I'm all right. I'm all muscles.

That staggering deal...

-Ooh, blimey, that's a weight, isn't it?

-Watch your step, there.

-Thank you, Nina.

-Bye.

-Thanks a lot.

-Thanks very much.

..wraps up our shopping, and our time on the island...

FOGHORN

I think that's a ship's horn.

..but at least we have the snaps.

-What you think?

-That you!

-It's a great photo, isn't it?

That looks very good. What a handsome fellow.

1870s, here we come.

Shall we wave goodbye?

I think we should.

Now, let's take a look at what they've snapped up.

Hah!

James spent just £95 on a vase,

a barometer,

a Daum bowl,

a log box,

and that dough bin.

While Raj parted with £170 for a petrol tin,

some Meccano,

a pokerwork box,

a military box and medals,

two teddies and a doggy on wheels.

So, who's best in show, and who's been sold a pup?

I particularly like his pokerwork box.

It's got real craft about it,

it's got great design about it.

I'm not sure how saleable the brass log box is,

but, at £8, what a gift.

The one thing that I would swap for is the Meccano.

There's a boy within us all,

and I think Meccano always does well at auction.

After setting off from Wootton,

our seadogs will shortly be landlubbers once more

at the auction in Somerset at Frome.

I don't know about you, James, but I'm getting a little bit wet.

-Yeah...

-It's actually coming in.

There seem to be gaps in the canvas everywhere.

There's no such thing as bad weather. It's poor clothing.

I always like a travel run.

As long as you look after your knees,

the rest of your body will be all right.

Come rain or shine, Cooper & Tanner has been auctioneering

around here for over a century

so, while our two squeeze into a packed house,

let's have the sage thoughts of gavel-wielder Dennis Barnard.

The dough bin, it is Doulton, it's in very, very good condition,

and it's the sort of thing that a farmhouse kitchen

would look a lot better with.

That might be the most expensive item - £50-£60.

Meccano always sells well.

There's a lot of it, the box is there,

so I hope that will sell extremely well.

The log box, I think, it's, like me, rather old and jaded,

and I would be amazed if it fetches in excess of £15.

Wet wipes, Dennis. Haven't you heard?

-Got a room full of people.

-Yeah, it's good, isn't it?

-Yeah.

All clutching a tenner.

First under the hammer - or, should that be spanner?

Raj's Meccano set.

Start me at £20, somebody, on the Meccano.

£20?

£10 note to start, then. £10 note, we got.

15. 20. Five?

20 with you. It's a sharing, £20.

I would have thought this... Come on, keep going.

30? 30.

-Five?

-35.

-35.

-That's cheap. Oh, no!

-Eight, anywhere?

£35, then. It's going to be gone...

-Come on!

-..at £35...

Argh!

Painful start, Raj.

What we don't know is what he paid for it.

Only £150.

Mustn't tell lies, sir, this is a very reputable auction room.

Well said, Dennis. Still a loss, though. Early days.

I always find if you make a loss on the first one,

you know, it sets a trend.

All, does it? Fantastic. Thank you, James(!)

Let's now sample James' wares, the little vase.

It's gone quiet.

We need silence, complete silence for this item.

Who's going to start me at £20 on 488? £20.

20, we've got.

Going straight in at 20. Excellent, yeah.

25, 25. 30, 30.

And five? 35 and 40.

No? 35, on the left. At 35.

Lovely spreading bottom.

Caught me already, I knew it.

£35.

-You've gone a bit quiet...

-No! He's very happy with that.

-Very happy. Very happy.

-Are you?

He paid 95 for that.

Pay them no attention. Fibbers, both.

-That's a great start for you, isn't it?

-That's a great start. £35.

You've wiped out my lead just like that.

Time for Raj's joint lot of medals and box.

Who's going to start me at £10? 10?

Ten - the box is worth it.

12. 15. 18.

20 in the middle? 20.

22, 24.

26, 28, 30.

32, 34?

32, in the middle. 34 anywhere?

34. 36. 38, sir?

-Ooh, well done.

-Still cheap.

40, William? 40.

-42...

-You can put it down now, sir.

-44, 46.

48?

-46, with the red hat.

-Keep going, keep going! Lovely.

All done at £46.

-Fantastic!

-46!

-Well done, auctioneer.

LAUGHTER

Can you say that again, sir?

Nobody's ever said that before in my life.

Surely not, Dennis?

-Are you an auctioneer?

-Yes.

-Both?

-Yes.

How long have you been auctioneers?

-Er, I've been an auctioneer for 25 years.

-I've done 65.

-Really?

I started when I was 15.

-WOMAN:

-Liar!

Now everyone's being economical. Hah!

Now, that bargain barometer.

Where will it point, James? Storm?

Start me somebody, on the barometer, at £10.

£10 note we've got. 15.

20. Five?

30. Five?

Two? 32.

35. 38, sir?

38? 35, right at the back. Anybody else coming in?

-35.

-All done at 35.

Well done.

-Lucky it was sold, the bezel...

-Why, has she just dropped it?

-..the bezel's just come off!

-Oh, God!

Well, it's another fine profit, anyway.

-You can't complain at that.

-I can't complain.

-No, your profit, profit, profit.

-You're smiling, now.

-You thought it was going to make more.

-Yeah, I did.

Next, it's Raj's slightly pricey pokerwork box.

Remind me, how much did you pay?

(55.)

Start me at £20.

-£20? Surely £20?

-Come on!

-Ten, ten.

You've got 15.

You've got 20.

You've got 25, Dan?

-Keep it going.

-That's all right.

35, sir.

40. 45.

-45!

-45.

50. Five?

60?

55, right at the back at 55.

Oh, a bit more. It's worth more than that.

60, quickly?

Can't make it up, sir. I've got the bidding at £55.

At £55 with you, Dan.

I think he'll be relieved at that.

Now, all the way from Nancy, James' bowl.

Shall I start at £45?

Who's got 50?

£50 for this bowl.

£50. 50. 52.

52. 55. 60 on the book.

65 with you, madam. At 65.

Who's got 70?

70, now, quickly. It's all gone quiet.

65. I'm going to sell at 65. Are we all done at 65?

It's yours, madam, at £65.

She looks pleased and why not?

-Clean bill of health for me, so far.

-I know, I know.

Clean bill of health.

What can Raj's can do?

Perhaps the can-can. Heh!

They won't believe this -

I'm going to start off with a bid on the book at £6.

-BOTH:

-Wahey!

Let's go for it!

Who's got £8 for the petrol can?

Lovely - eight, eight. Right at the back at £8.

Eight. Who's got ten?

Ten, now. ten.

12.

15. 18.

That's all right, that was a fiver, wasn't it?

At £15. Are we all done?

18.

-18!

-Keep going!

-Keep winkling them out.

-Yeah!

£18. That's yours, £18.

Another fine profit for Raj

and James has had nothing but, so far.

-I'm a baker, myself.

-I know.

-I'm a bread baker.

Focaccia and I... Like that.

Everybody wants it, so I'm going to start at £12.

Wahey!

-15.

-Wow.

-18, 20.

-25.

-Well, it's going, it's going.

-30?

28? 28. 30.

32. 35.

38. 40.

Five? 50.

Five?

-50 with you, sir. At £50.

-What a lot of dough.

-It is a lot!

-RAJ CHORTLES

£50. All done at £50.

Dennis predicted as much.

Is that any good, chaps?

-Yes!

-Thank you, sir.

-Thank you.

-Is that all right?

-Very good.

Now, children, time for Raj's soft toys.

They don't look like bear lovers to me, this lot.

-Fiver? How much did you pay for the lot?

-45.

Oh, start all that again!

And I'm starting at £20.

Good luck.

22. 24. 26.

28. 30.

-32.

-34, keep going.

34?

No? 32 with the lady.

-At £32.

-Oh, no.

-34.

-34.

-36?

-34 with you, Stephen. 34.

-It's worth it, keep going!

-36 anywhere?

-Lovely teddy bears.

At £34.

-Another loss.

-34!

Another loss.

Hah, yes, but think of the happy smiling faces.

Now, James, if you got one weakness, this is it.

Sounds like wishful thinking, Raj.

My colleague says that brass and copper is coming back.

Oh, no!

Whether I shall live long enough to see that, I'm not absolutely sure.

Start me at £10.

£10 for the box, quickly.

£10? Five, then, if you must.

-Well done.

-Five.

-Well done, that man.

Eight, eight, eight. And ten? Ten.

12, now, sir? 12.

-15?

-You've done it. I can't believe it!

At £12. At 12, 12. 15.

-18 by the door.

-18 by the door!

It's a last rally!

18 over there, by the door. I can't see you, I can just see your hand.

-I don't believe it!

-20.

-£20.

-Oh, my goodness!

-By the door!

-24 by the door. 26. 28?

-26!

-26!

It's a late rally. It's like the markets - late rally. 30!

Go on, sir!

-By the door £30. At £30.

-That's it!

I'm off. I've had it.

Yep, for this auction, you have.

Looks very much like James' lucky day.

-Well done today.

-Well done.

-Fantastic.

Raj began with £257.60,

and he made a loss after auction costs of £15.84,

so, his current total is...

Whilst James started out with £228.10

and he made a profit after costs of £81.30,

so, he takes the lead with...

-What a lovely auctioneer he was.

-Oh, fantastic.

He was a lovely, lovely auctioneer.

I'm beginning to like Somerset.

Pip-pip, then!

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip...

Here's an interesting pamphlet.

It's The Facts Of Life.

..and James has a puzzle to solve...

I hate to think where that goes.

..but who will hit the top of the class?