Episode 18 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.

-Sorry!

-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 third leg of our trip with delightful experts

James Braxton and Raj Bisram.

They're gobbling up the miles in Somerset

in their 1968 Renault Caravelle.

Delicious.

What is your favourite cake?

-I really liked treacle tart.

-With custard.

-With home-made custard, you can't beat it.

-Oh!

You're a bit of a bakery as well, aren't you?

I am very much an amateur baker, but I seem

to have hit success with focaccia.

Focaccia fanatic, ardent antiquer

and Jack Nicholson lookalike,

James is quite the dapper chap.

While Road Trip companion Raj

is a man with his eye firmly on the prize.

Somerset is lovely. Beautiful.

It's got everything, really. And cheese.

We keep talking about food and drink,

-I'm getting really hungry, James.

-Stop it, you two.

Ha! Both our experts started the trip with £200.

James now has a promising £309.40 to play with.

GAVEL BANGS

Whilst his nemesis, Raj, has nudged his total up to £241.76.

So, two legs down, anyone changing their approach?

You were saying to me, "Oh, Raj, spend, spend, spend,".

And then there's you, "Oh, £5 here, £10 there,".

-Tight.

-Yeah, very tight.

If I see something I really like, I'm going to buy it.

-You're going to have it.

-I know I'm going to have it.

-And even if it makes a loss...

-At any price, Raj, haven't you?

-Well, not at ANY price.

-Go on. I know you have.

No, don't start that again.

We've not heard the last of this, have we?

After starting off in Bath, our experts have been roving

around a fair chunk of southern England.

Later, they'll zip up to the Midlands before heading back

to Somerset at Binegar.

Starting at Somerton, in Somerset,

they'll wrap-up this third leg at an auction in Woking, in Surrey.

The gorgeous town of Somerton was once home to Saxon kings,

don't you know?

-I love the stonework.

-It's really, really pretty, isn't it?

It really is. Absolutely. Well done.

-Well, thank you, James.

-Pleasure.

-Good luck.

-On you go.

Have a great day. Well done, well done.

He hasn't done anything yet.

But he's about to. As James and the Caravelle depart,

Raj is kicking things off

at Market Cross Antiques, which is by the Market Cross.

There's some really unusual things here.

Very, very nice. I wonder how comfy it is.

-Yeah, it's comfy as well.

-Yeah, take your time, Raj.

Well, here's an interesting pamphlet.

-It's the facts of life.

-Blimey.

I'll need that seat in a minute.

While Raj continues to rummage,

James is winding his way through the Somerset countryside.

I don't know what Mr Bisram is up to.

I think he took the last auction to heart a little.

He wasn't expecting to be thoroughly trounced, so I think

he is going to use every little trick in his book to secure

some good items at low, low, low prices.

Time to find out.

Raj has his eye on something.

Now, this is a really unusual piece.

This is actually a piece of William Moorcroft.

Moorcroft is a really big name, and there are

a lot of collectors out there, but of course they all want

the designs, lots of flower designs,

but this is an experimental piece.

Now, to me, the collectors of Moorcroft...

This should be a really unusual piece.

I've never seen anything like it.

Is it experimental or chipped?

Either way, there's a sizeable £125 price tag.

Better get dealer Pete in. Pete!

-Yes, Raj.

-Pete.

-That's it, Pete.

I would not have known, OK, that this was a piece of Moorcroft.

Well, obviously, when I turned it over, yes.

They did a few of these glazes in orange and blues and greens.

I quite like it because it's different,

and I love different things.

I shouldn't be taking risks at the moment, but...

what about £20?

-Erm...

-£20.

OK, I tell you what, think about it, OK?

Because I've seen something else that you've got.

Just think about it for a second, OK? You've got a set of four pens.

-Oh, yeah.

-Oh, yeah. He's not hanging about now.

There's £30 on the four pens, and Raj seems keen.

They're OK. They're not in great condition, OK?

I mean, you've got two Parker ones,

which is those two, which, you know...

14 carat nibs.

14 carat nibs. This already sounds expensive. OK.

THEY LAUGH

I don't know. It's a nice little lot.

-I tell you what, Peter.

-Yeah?

The Moorcroft and the pens, 25 quid.

-Oh, no, I couldn't do that.

-You couldn't?

No, no. £35 is the very best I can do.

30.

-30? Split it?

-Go on, then. £30.

-30, yes?

-Yeah, £30.

-Got a deal?

-Yeah, we've got a deal.

-Lovely, thank you, Peter.

Raj is taking a leaf from Braxton's book of thrift.

That's a Moorcroft vase for £25 and a group of fountain pens

for a fiver. That's not much, and he's not done yet.

Time to call over another dealer.

-Andrew.

-Raj. Do you know who owns this cabinet?

Yeah, I can do any deal you're interested in talking about there, yeah.

I'll tell you what I was thinking of doing.

OK, I've noticed on this shelf here. There's a little bosun's whistle,

and then you've got the telescope and the cigarette cards,

so it's kind of like a little naval thing.

-A nice little naval trio.

-Yet, navel-gazing.

Nice. But a combined ticket price of £111.

Planning on splashing out, Bisram?

If I could buy the three items...

I could do you a really good deal on them.

They came in a massive job lot, so I've got quite a bit of room to...

OK, well, can I start making you an offer?

Yeah, come on, make me an offer. I've got very thick skin.

You don't mind if it's a low one, OK, because I'm just, you know...

-No, I'm very thick-skinned, you won't insult me.

-What about £20?

-That is low, isn't it?

-It is low.

Well, I did say I was going to start low, OK?

-I know we can go up a bit.

-I could do them for 25.

You could do them for 25?

I could do those three for 25 for you, yeah.

-I'm going to shake your hand straightaway.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much, Andrew.

-Good luck.

Andrew's generous discount means Raj leaves his first shop

with a couple of full carrier bags.

Well done, boy.

In the meantime, James has headed to the idyllic village of Hambridge,

and he seems to be dreaming of England's

green and pleasant land, methinks.

It's all sort of roast beef, puddings,

gooseberries, and here we are.

Here we are, at The Lamb and Lion.

Now, how quintessentially English is that?

This is more gooseberries than avocados.

How very Mr Braxton.

He's come to hear how one man saved the precious traditions

of this land for all posterity.

Music teacher Cecil Sharp was visiting Hambridge

in 1903 when he heard local folk music for the first time.

He set about discovering as many songs as he could with an

ambition to allow future generations to plunder and enjoy his collection.

But it wasn't just the local music that fascinated him.

James is meeting Morris dancer Adam Garland to hear more.

He travelled everywhere on his bicycle, as you can see.

-Lovely. And pipe.

-With his pipe.

-Very vital for a cyclist.

Absolutely. And he collected songs, tunes and dances.

Isn't that funny?

In his pocket, you can see the outline of a journal there,

-can't you?

-Yeah.

-What a clever fellow. And so why did he do it?

It was on the back of the Victorian Arts & Crafts movement.

There was a huge amount of passion out there for heritage

and tradition in the country.

For generations, older Morris men taught young lads how to dance,

but very little was ever committed to paper.

By the end of the 19th century, as fashions changed,

many musical traditions were on the brink of being lost forever.

One man was on a mission to save them.

Step forward Cecil Sharp with pen and journal.

One of his first tours was here in Somerset, where

he spoke to hundreds of performers and collected 1,600 different

-songs and tunes and things and...

-1,600?

-Absolutely.

And he produced a book specifically of

the Somerset folk tradition.

And so it was his passion of wanting to retain this folk heritage

and bring it back to the people, and therefore keep it going

and making sure that it lived on, into the future.

As well as his books,

Sharp toured the country sharing his passion at lectures,

where a wide audience could discover

England's cultural heritage in detail,

from the melody of every tune to the steps and costume

behind Morris dancing.

The bells are hugely important.

Originally, you can see on the badge,

the bells were there as a sign of warding off evil spirits.

Morris dancing has always been street entertainment.

So, some people say it's part...

Pagan fertility and this sort of thing.

I'm not sure it ever was.

We may never know the exact origins of customs like Morris dancing,

but thanks to Cecil Sharp,

those English traditions remain alive and well today,

a fact about to be experienced by James.

Bob Cross from the Chalice Morris Men is here to make sure

he's suitably kitted out. Look out.

You'll have to keep the braces on in case there's a disaster.

-Yeah, yeah.

-But this goes over the head.

-Yeah.

The baldric that goes over the top shows the team's colours,

while the hankies simply accentuate the dancer's movements,

exactly what James will be looking for.

-BOTH:

-One, two, three, four.

-You have done this before.

-He's a natural.

Ladies and gentlemen, keeping 600 years of tradition alive,

Mr James Braxton!

MUSIC PLAYS

JAMES WHISTLES

Corners.

Not one I did on Strictly.

Sharp's collection has inspired countless musicians over the

last century, and various forms of traditional Morris dancers

remain a vibrant part of many communities.

I'm free styling.

All testament to Sharp's great legacy.

-Hoy!

-Hoy!

Even if James is a few beats behind.

Well done, team.

Ha-ha! Just over ten miles south, in Crewkerne, Raj's dancing to his

own tune as he heads to Antiques Bazaar,

his final shop of the day.

He has a little over £186 left to shop.

-Afternoon.

-Hi, I'm Raj.

How do you do? Good to meet you, Raj. I'm Anthony.

-Lovely to meet you, too.

-Welcome to our centre.

This seems like a very big place in here.

-Yeah, we've got 100 traders renting cabinets and space here.

-100?

-Yeah.

-Sounds like there's plenty to keep you occupied.

-Look at these.

These double scented bottles.

These are beautiful.

These are 19th-century ones, very highly collectable now.

I mean, these are top end of the range.

Hmm. Sounds expensive.

Toy cars. These are not going to go up in value.

Don't throw your toys out of the pram, Raj.

But you're about to get some company in the playpen.

Hmm, very good.

You know how people collect shoes? This is quite a cool thing, look.

You can look at your shoes.

Yes, James, it's called a mirror.

HE LAUGHS

Quite a fun thing to have in somebody's dressing room,

-wouldn't it?

-And the ticket says £70.

I want to try and make a profit on something,

there's no point paying top money, is there?

True to form, Braxton is keeping his purse strings tight.

But what about Raj?

I'm sure that some of you already know,

but what this is, is a boot scraper.

This goes into the ground,

put your boots on there, get the mud off,

and into the house you go. And this is quite a nice one.

And I believe it's got some age.

Definitely Victorian, but it could be earlier.

And there's £28 on the ticket.

Time for dealer Anthony.

You've got this boot scraper.

-Blacksmith-made, Victorian boot scraper.

-Yeah.

I mean, it's got a bit of a nick in it.

Obviously somebody's bent it slightly.

But I still think that could be OK.

I mean, I'd want to pay about £15 for it.

-I was fearful that's what you'd say.

-Yeah.

Is £20 any good, do you think?

Can we split the difference at £17?

-Yeah, that should be OK.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah, yeah.

In that case, I'm going to shake your hand.

-Lovely.

-Thank you very much, Anthony.

That £8 discount bags Raj one final item for the day.

Well done. OK, James, what have you got?

Slightly unusual, isn't it? Look at these ones with...

They're on sofas.

So these are these funny Victorian Staffordshire flatbacks.

And this is presumably Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

But nice being on bits of furniture. Apart from two arms,

they're not bad, are they?

-You know, what's a couple of arms?

-Sounds 'armless to me. Ha!

Flatback figures emerged in the late 1830s.

Without projections behind, they could sit flush against the

chimney breast on your Victorian mantelpiece.

"Pair of Staff figures, 19 quid."

So what's that one say?

That says "45 AF".

If they were £19, they're worth having a go at.

Let's see if dealer Tina can help clear things up.

-We've got these two Staffordshire figures.

-Yes.

-Both damaged.

I don't know whether she wants 45 for the pair, or 19.

-While Tina calls the vendor...

-Thank you.

..James ponders some more pottery.

These are quite fun, this is Staffordshire.

These used to be really popular in Victorian times.

There would be a little thing,

maybe sandalwood or something like that, like a cone of incense.

You'd light it, put it in here

and the smoke would come through the chimney.

So it was a rather fun sort of miniature thing.

Hold on, here's trouble.

-Hello!

-Raj. Do you remember these?

-Burners, little burners.

Little burners, and smoke used to come through the chimney.

Yeah, no, with Staffordshire these days, what you've got to be

looking for is the unusual pieces, pairs if you can find them.

-Funny you should say that.

-No, no, no.

-Tina, come in here.

-Raj...

-Phone calls, this is serious.

Raj has been telling me about... Pairs are very important.

-Oh, you've got a pair.

-One, two.

-Aha.

-Have you ever seen a pair with seats like that?

-No.

-No, nor have I.

-No. I haven't.

-Unusual, very unusual.

-She said the very best on the pair would be 15.

-15.

-No!

-15.

-Sorry, hang on a minute.

-I'll buy them. Thank you.

-I don't believe it.

-What is it with you?

-Should I wrap them for you?

-What is it with you?

Go and wrap them, gift wrap them, please.

Everywhere we go, they seem to give it to you.

-I know.

-Poor old Raj needs a bit of a lie down.

Young James here seals the deal on the Staffordshire flatbacks

for £15, and that concludes shopping for today. Well, almost.

-Here we go, look at what I've got you.

-Hey, look at that. Very smart.

-Ideal for us being by the sea.

-It is perfect.

Perfect sun shade. Where does that go?

-At the back there.

-Yes?

-Brilliant.

-Yeah?

-Look at us.

-A couple of Charlies, eh?

-RAJ LAUGHS

All right, shipmates, you're still a few miles from the sea,

-but a trip to the coast beckons tomorrow.

-Let's go!

-Let's go.

Time to dream of sandcastles. Nighty night.

Morning, everyone, and welcome to Dorset.

Dorset is glorious, isn't it? It's a lovely sort of rural county.

The county of Thomas Hardy, the great writer.

General Baden-Powell with Brownsea Island,

where the Scouts first went.

-The Jurassic Coast. There's lots of fossils.

-Lyme Regis...

Lyme Regis is where

-the very first fossil shop was opened.

-Really?

-Yeah.

You're never far from a fact with Raj.

So far, Mr Bisram has bought himself a group of four fountain pens,

a Moorcroft vase, a collection of naval items

and a Victorian boot scraper.

Get the mud off, and into the house you go.

His canny spending leaves him with £169.76 to spend.

James has had a more leisurely start,

bagging just a pair of Staffordshire flatbacks.

Apart from the two arms, they're not bad, are they?

Leaving him with £294.40.

Today is the last opportunity to shop before that Surrey auction.

So, are you going to spend a lot of money today, James?

I am going to dig deep. Do you think Surrey

has a lust for rural bygones?

-I have a feeling that Surrey is going to be bling.

-Shiny.

Shiny, shiny, shiny.

So, it's all about the bling, but before all that,

our experts are heading for the Dorset market town of Wareham,

where James is being dropped off at The Vintage Shack.

Spend lots and lots of money. Spend, spend, spend.

-Bye.

-Cheerio. All the best.

-Hello, James.

-Morning. Jane.

-Hello, Jane. Good to see you.

-This is rather fun, isn't it?

-Delightful.

Now, think Surrey, think shiny, apparently.

Oh, they've got two applications, isn't it? Icing or medical.

-Not much difference there, then.

-Quite well engineered, isn't it?

Slightly overengineered for icing. That's medical.

-I hate to think where that goes.

-Yeah, brings tears to your eyes.

Toasting fork, or back scratcher?

Look at the claws.

Oh!

Oh, that is lovely.

In your own time, James.

This is interesting.

Is that something somebody might have in a smart Surrey kitchen?

Or will they see that as merely another thing to dust?

You know, you can't put this in a dishwasher, after all, can you?

Perhaps not, but the food scoop has £26 on its ticket. Tasty!

Anyway, food for thought, isn't it?

See, here's a nice item - a hull profile.

You'd shape this,

and often hull profiles were given to the owner after a boat was built.

-Quite a humble boat, though, isn't it?

-Ticket price is £18.

-Brine runs through my veins, you see.

-Sounds uncomfortable.

I come from a long line of east coast ship's captains,

from Scarborough.

-Briny Braxton.

-Ooh-ar!

What's bartering Bisram pondering as he travels west?

There's no doubt about it that since the last auction,

James' confidence has gone up.

There's no doubt about that, but is he going to be too confident?

-We shall see.

-We shall indeed.

How is he getting on?

A very sort of Catholic image here.

This would be a huge convent.

Look at the proportion of that fireplace,

so it's double the size of that nun.

Now, William Russell Flint was a very well-known artist,

and he did a lot of work in Spain.

Mainly famous for lots of topless beauties,

but I like this because it's known as an artist's proof,

so it's a mechanical processed print, but the artist has signed it.

So, he would be given this big ream of prints,

and anything he didn't like,

that hadn't reflected his picture correctly, he wouldn't sign

and probably thrown away, but if he signed it, he had approved it.

So, although it's the print, it has the hand of the artist.

(Definitely a buy at 15.)

(Why are we whispering?)

(I'll be aiming for £8 or £9.)

(Well, we don't want you hitting double figures, do we, James?)

-Jane, I quite like this. Quite a nice Spanish scene, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-What could you do it for?

-I could do that for...

-£8.

-£8, Jane - put it there. Thank you very much indeed.

I knew I'd find something.

So I've got that one, £8, in the bag.

Well, she must have heard you, James, even if you WERE whispering.

Jane, I don't know, I want to buy another thing from you.

I'm slightly undecided - I don't know whether to go for the hull

or this strange scoop.

-What could you do that for?

-That one's not been in so long, this one.

-I could do...

-Don't kill yourself.

-..20 on that one.

-20 on that one.

Could that be dramatically changed?

-Yeah, I could do £10 on that one, which is a bargain.

-£10.

I think it's the hull for me, Jane. Thank you. £10. Very kind.

Nicely done - £18 spent, and two more items to call your very own.

Meanwhile, Raj has made his way to Bovington, to learn about a feat of

British engineering that helped turn the fortunes of the First World War.

-Hello there.

-Hi there.

-Hi, I'm Raj.

-Welcome to the Tank Museum.

I'm David, I'm the curator here.

It's quite important for me this. Quite emotional, in fact.

I spent a short career in the army,

but I never got to go in a tank, and so I can't wait to look around.

-Shall we go and have a look at some tanks, then?

-Good idea. Let's go.

At the peak of the Great War,

trenches stretched for hundreds and hundreds of miles,

and around 7,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded every day.

In an attempt to break the stalemate,

the First Lord of the Admiralty,

a rather youthful-looking Winston Churchill,

formed a committee which he tasked with coming up with

a solution to help protect allied troops.

This is the tank we made the most of in Britain in the First World War.

Over 1,000 of these were made, and it's your classic

rhomboid-shaped First World War tank.

Very distinctive when you look at it.

They're used to go forward from the front line,

crush down the barbed wire,

and hopefully let our infantry get across that First World War

battlefield, the no-man's land in between, and follow up,

get in the German trenches, without getting held up and massacred.

It's actually an invention that's there

to save British soldiers' lives.

The name "tank" came from a British attempt to ensure secrecy.

Plans were under the guise of water tanks to confuse the Germans,

and the early machines included rudimentary bridges ready to

be rolled over enemy territory to aid soldiers' advance.

But the first tanks didn't come as a surprise to just the Germans.

How did they choose who to drive?

They actually put adverts in things like the motorcycle magazine,

to try and find people who have got mechanical ability,

and some of these chaps are actually volunteering, and they

don't know what they're going into,

because the tanks literally haven't been built in quantities yet.

This photograph shows the first group of tank volunteers.

It was their tanks that rolled across no-man's land for the first

time on the 15th of September 1916 as part of the Somme offensive.

But weighing 28 tonnes, they moved at a snail's pace,

and were prone to breakdown, so much so that while 49 tanks

were deployed, only 15 made it to the battlefield.

For the eight-man crews who did see action,

conditions inside the new invention were horrendous.

Gee whiz.

-So, yeah, fairly tight and compact.

-It certainly is, isn't it?

You need four men just to drive the tank,

two other guys up the front,

the commander and the driver together, and then another two

on each of the guns on the side, so this is pre-health and safety.

When this engine had run for half an hour,

-the exhaust stacks going up the middle glowed red hot.

-Ooh-la-la.

So you're pumping out that.

They also, quite often, with early engines,

they come away - the manifold separates from the engine,

so you're pumping carbon monoxide into the space,

you're firing the guns, so you've got cordite fumes,

-all of that as well, before the enemy are firing back at you.

-Yeah.

You can see everything seemed designed to whack you or whatever,

but actually, the guys inside still thought

they were better off than the men outside.

Despite their drawbacks, the tanks were able to break through

the enemy lines, and after three days of fighting,

allied troops had advanced two kilometres.

Our troops had these tanks, but did the enemy have any?

In the First World War, they actually only made 20 of their own

tanks, something called an A7V that was not very successful.

What they did manage to do was capture lots of our tanks

that had broken down, and they used more of those back against us,

so you'll see tanks just like this one, rhomboid shape,

but a German cross painted on the side.

The impact of that initial wave of attack did enough to impress.

The production of 1,000 more tanks were ordered.

As production increased and reliability improved, they were used

in greater numbers, and made a major contribution in ending World War I.

They're part of something that perhaps we overlook -

that Britain in the First World War uses its mechanical and

engineering and industrial genius to help us win that war,

that's really a war of attrition.

Now, the tank alone doesn't win us that war,

but it's part of a combination of things that, by 1918,

it's the British army that is defeating that

very professional German army in the field.

Meanwhile, James has meandered his way to Bournemouth,

home to Molly's Den Antiques. He has £276.40 left to spend,

and there's plenty of options here, by the look of it.

Goodness, this place is enormous!

I don't think it comes in my size, fortunately.

Lot of stalls. I think I'm going to need a hand here.

Hopefully, there's somebody on the counter.

Thankfully, there is. James, meet Steve.

Steve, I want to pick your brains, really.

-So, you know what goes in and out.

-Sure.

-So where are you taking me to?

-Just over here.

-This is the sort of stall I like.

-Sure, yeah.

-Like a jumbly one.

-Meant very nicely, that.

-Well, how else could you take "jumbly"?

While James continues his treasure hunt, Raj is looking to put

the finishing touches to his shopping, in Dorchester.

He has a little over £169 to play with,

but what are the chances he splashes the cash at De Danann Antiques?

-Hello there!

-Hello.

-I'm Raj.

-I'm John. Pleased to meet you.

Pleased to meet you.

-May I have a wander?

-Yeah, yeah, have a wander round.

-Thank you.

There's always something somewhere, hidden away.

Well, that's what you're hoping.

Ah. Ah.

I see what I'm going to buy. I haven't even seen a price tag on it,

but where I've just been, the Tank Museum,

this is wartime memorabilia.

There's a passage here, lines written in no-man's land,

and it's dated 1917.

And with it, there's a picture of a nurse.

And then there's a hat here, and on it, it says,

"Bavarian cap given by wounded soldier to Sister Schofield."

I mean, this is military memorabilia.

I mean, look at this.

Talk about worn - that's from the First World War!

Look at that.

That is fantastic.

The picture and hat, he's got at £45.

This is history. Going to have a go.

-Er, John.

-Yeah?

-I've had a look round.

You've got some nice, unusual bits.

I have to say that what really grabs me is this.

-What would be the best on that?

-Erm, 25.

25. That's not bad. I have to say, that's not bad.

Can I push you a bit more? What about 15?

20?

At £20, John, I'm not going to quibble.

-I'm going to shake your hand.

-OK, thank you.

-£20?

-Yeah.

Thank you very much indeed. That's lovely.

Excellent. Raj is all smiles, and his shopping for the day is done.

But James still seems tormented by the agony of choice.

I quite like that rather interesting monocle there,

but it's just rather bashed.

Or we've got the cufflinks, haven't we?

South African coins, 1896.

-Need a jolly good clean, don't they?

-They would, wouldn't they?

They're held by unusual chain, this one.

And then you've got this heavy pair of silver ones that are just plain,

so you've got plain one side, and then the engine turning the other.

I'm always amazed by chain link cufflinks, how long they last.

Tempted by the shiny objects, James?

Or the £12 ticket price on each pair?

Wait! There's more.

-What have we got there?

-Little St Christopher.

Do you think they've got any age to them?

-Yeah, they've got a bit of age.

-Yeah.

-Nine carat gold.

-Quite sweet.

-Yeah, it is, yeah.

-14 carat gold, that one.

-Getting better.

-That's quite a nice thing to have, isn't it?

-It is.

That's a combined ticket price of £19 for the two St Christophers.

With those and the cufflinks in contention,

Steve is off to call the vendor.

I said to Raj, "If I'm going to take something to Surrey,

"I want something shiny."

And all they need is a jolly good clean.

So just wondering, as a lot, if you could do us a deal on those, please.

-£30.

-£30 the lot? I'm very happy with that.

-Yeah, James is very happy with that. £30.

-I'll take that.

-It is, yeah.

-That's lovely.

-That's really kind. Thank you.

-OK.

-We'll just say £15 each.

-Perfect.

-Thank you.

Good deal.

A generous deal means our very own thrifty magpie

has wrapped up shopping for the leg.

James adds his two pairs of silver cufflinks and his two gold

St Christophers to the ship's hull profile,

the William Russell Flint Print, and the pair of Staffordshire Flatbacks,

having spent a less-than-whopping £63 on the lot. Ha!

Raj was comparatively lavish with is cash,

splashing £92 on a collection of fountain pens,

a Moorcroft vase, a Victorian boot scraper,

a collection of naval items, and First World War memorabilia.

But what do they make of each other's buys? Stand by.

I think James has done extremely well.

He bought a Sir William Russell Flint print, signed - £8.

£8! I can't believe it!

The bit I would buy from Raj is the boot scraper.

It's got a great country house look to it. It's very nice.

Not that they have mud in Surrey.

Would I change anything of his for mine? Absolutely no way.

Almost compliments all round.

After circling the southwest in search of antiques,

our chaps are looking to see if their items will come up trumps

at an auction in Woking, in Surrey.

James, you only spend about £5 on each item.

-Do you mean I can spend more?

-You can, yeah.

-Really?

-And you can also buy antiques as well.

-I... Excuse me!

Excuse me! I can buy antiques for a fiver, and I've proven it.

Maybe so, but is there a profit to be had?

Time to find out,

as the chaps pull up to their third auction of the trip.

-Age before beauty.

-You old charmer.

Ewbank's is a family-run auction house,

with over 25 years' experience, but what does auctioneer

Andrew Ewbank think of our pair's offerings?

The William Russell Flint print - less desirable than they were

ten to 15 years ago, and prices really have fallen.

That said, I hope we might achieve somewhere in the region

of £50-60 for it, and on a good day, maybe beyond that.

The German infantryman's hat is an interesting piece of

First World War memorabilia.

A great piece of history, it's unique,

and that's certainly going to work in its favour.

We've had lots of interest, and I expect that to do very well.

Possibly over £150.

So, lots to look forward to, and with bidders in the room,

on the phone, and online, what more could they ask for?

Let the competition begin.

Raj seems all fired up,

so let's get things started with his Victorian boot scraper.

Lots of bids online, have we?

-30, but I have to go in at £45 on commission.

-45.

-With the absentee bidder, on commission at 45?

-Nice item.

50, and it's online now at £50, with the bidder.

Online at 50 it is, and 55. Fighting over it online now. £55.

Final warning, then. Last chance - we'll sell at 55.

Ping! Well done.

Yes, the ping of the internet bids is music to Raj's ears.

That's a great start.

-Remember - it's war out there.

-Yeah!

Well, James, what else could you go into battle with

but a pair of Staffordshire Flatbacks?

Armless.

I have to start on commission at £15. With me at 15.

-Oh!

-Do I have 20 anywhere?

Do I have 20? 20 in the room. I see a room bidder at 20, and 25 now.

Looking for 30, sir.

At £25, are you all done?

Last chance, then. Will sell at £25.

-£25, I think...

-That's a profit. It's a profit.

-Is it?

Yes, it is, James. Do pay attention.

-Do you think it's a good sign?

-Yeah, I'd be very happy with £15 profit.

-Without a doubt.

-£10 profit, did you say?

-£10 profit.

Leave the maths to me, chaps.

It's a profit apiece, and next up is Raj's military memorabilia.

Really nice lot, this. Lots of interest.

I can see bids online, but I have to go in higher than that, at £110.

-Wow! Raj! That is good.

-At 110, on commission.

120, 130 with me. 140. 150 with me.

At £150, in front of me. Looking for 160 anywhere.

All done, final warning, at £150...

-Well done. Very good.

-That's a nice lot.

-That's a good profit, eh?

A very nice profit. Raj takes a storming lead.

-Now THAT's a profit.

-Yeah. That's a profit.

Let's see if you can make up some ground, James.

It's your ship's hull profile next.

-We've got bids on the boat, but a low one at £5. Just £5.

-Oh, God.

-Come on.

-£10 anywhere?

£5 is with me. £10 is online now, at £10.

At £10, online, then. Last chance. With you... £15 now.

A new bidder online at £15. Looking for 20. At £20 now.

-£20, ooh, that's good.

-They've gone crazy.

-It's kicked off, hasn't it?

At £20. With you, and selling online at 20...

-You doubled up. That's not bad.

-No, it's...

But it's only a tenner in the pot.

It's still a double up, James. Come on, now.

Yes, doubling your money is nothing to sniff at,

but its still leaves Raj well out in front.

At least your boat sailed away into a profit.

All right, Raj, let's see if your collection of fountain pens

can keep this run of profit going.

15, on commission at £15, with me, with the absentee bidder.

And 20 now behind. And I've got 22. 25, sir?

25, and I'm out, and it's in the room, gentleman by the pillar.

At £25, and behind now at £30. In the room at 30.

Lat chance, final warning, we'll sell the lot at £30.

The man's an alchemist.

Turning pens into profit! Who writes this stuff?

Another great result for Raj.

I'd better shape up. I need a result!

Well, it's now time to test the theory that Surrey likes shiny,

-with James' cufflinks.

-With me on commission at 20.

Looking for 25 anywhere.

-25.

-25, and I'm out, and the gentleman standing, at 25.

-Ping!

-In the room at £25.

-Ping!

-Room bidder has it.

30. In a new place now, at £30.

-Looking for 35.

-This is more like it.

-Gentleman seated, at 30.

In the room, it is. Final warning.

Last chance, we'll sell the lot at £30.

The profits keep rolling, as James doubles up again.

Doubling up on ten, and 15 isn't really doubling, is it?

Well, it is doubling, but it's small beer.

Time to see if the bidders take to Raj's Moorcroft vase.

With me at 25. On commission at 25. Looking for 30 anywhere.

-It was so cheap.

-You'll be lucky.

30, and I'm out, and it's online at £30.

-Bit more.

-Bidder on the internet at 35. Bid's coming in at £35.

And £40 online.

-Looking for 45.

-Ping, ping!

-At £40. At £40 it is. Online at 40.

-Ping!

-Last chance. Final warning on this one. Will sell to the bidder.

Thank you, was that a bid in the room? Sorry, I missed you.

I can't see you, but it's yours at £45. Yours, madam, at 45.

-At £45, last chance.

-Come on, put it down!

-Goodness sake, talk about spinning it out.

-At 45...

Good buy! What a good buy that was.

With some gentle encouragement, that's yet another profit for Raj.

-That's not bad for a chipped vase, is it?

-It's not chipped!

It's not chipped! Will you be quiet?

I'm with you, James.

Next, it's Mr Braxton's two gold St Christophers.

Fingers crossed. Travel safe.

On commission at £25, with the absentee bidder.

30, and I'm out now, and it's online. 35 at the back of the room.

-35.

-At 40 now, online. And 45. In the room at £45. 50 online.

-Come on!

-£50 on the internet.

-Come on.

At 150. Last chance, then, final warning, we'll sell the lot.

-50.

-At £50.

-Are you sure?

-That is a good profit.

-That's a good profit, isn't it?

That is a really good profit.

Certainly is a good profit,

but James is still trailing as we come to Raj's last lot.

Braxton's play. I'm in the ring.

Fighting for Raj's corner is the collection of naval items.

-At £65, on commission at 65.

-Wow. Well done.

-70 anywhere?

£65, my top commission bidder at 65. 70 anywhere?

Last chance, then.

Final warning, will sell this lot, straight to the book.

At £65...

A maiden bid, but a lovely profit.

-I'm really happy with that.

-I would be.

-That's not a bad profit at all, is it?

-That's a great profit!

Yeah, a great day for Raj,

but can James steal the show with his William Russell Flint print?

At £55, I start on commission at 55. Looking for 60 anywhere.

Here you go. We've got people in the room.

It's the lady now at £60, on my left, in the room at £60.

In the room, on my left at 70. And 75. 80, madam?

£80. In the room at £80.

80 we have, but 85 online now.

And 90 now. On my left at £90.

Room bidder has it at £90. 95, they're back online.

-And 100 now, with the lady seated.

-Broken that barrier!

-You may...

-Broken that barrier.

110, they're back online at £110. 120, thank you.

£120 with the lady at 120.

Looking for 130. We've got 130 back online.

-Online, on the auction room it is, at £130.

-Go on, madam. Go on, madam.

-Last chance. Final warning, then. Last chance.

-One more.

-One more!

-140.

-Oh! You sneaky devil.

-Thank you, 140. They're back online at 150 now. At £150.

-Oh, madam!

It's online, on the auction room, and selling at £150...

-Thank you. 150.

-Top estimate!

-That is a good profit.

-Come on.

-Put it there.

-That's worth a shake of the hand. Well done, James.

Yeah, that's a great result for the print, and it's profits all round,

but who will be crowned king of the low spenders today?

-Shall we go?

-Shall we go?

-Yeah, let's go.

-Let's go.

-Yeah.

-Go on, then.

James started with £309.40.

A sterling effort saw him bag a profit of £162.50 after costs,

pushing his total up to an impressive £471.90.

Raj started the leg behind James, with just under £242.

A stunning auction today saw him collect

a profit of £190.90 after costs, so although

he trails James by around £40, Raj is crowned today's winner.

Well done, that man!

So we're just under £500 each, are we?

I think so, roughly, yeah.

-That's not bad going.

-Not bad, is it?

-No.

-Here we go.

-Here we go.

Onwards and upwards!

Cheerio, then.

On the next Antiques Road Trip, our boys meet more new friends...

-Hello.

-Hello, Daisy. Want to say hello to James?

..and make a break for victory.