Episode 20 Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite antiques experts with £200 each...

I want something shiny.

..A classic car... CAR HORN TOOTS

..and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

-I like a rummage.

-I can't resist.

The aim, to make the biggest profit at auction. But it's no mean feat.

-Why do I always do this to myself?

-They'll be worthy winners...

-Give us a kiss.

-..and valiant losers.

-Come on, stick him up.

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

-Onwards and upwards.

..or the slow road to disaster?

-Take me home!

-This is Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

On this final leg of the trip,

we're in the lovely northwest of England...

..with two gros fromages of antiques trading,

Raj Bisram and James Braxton.

-We are in this lovely county of Cheshire.

-Cheshire cheese.

Cheshire cheese.

Football bling!

So far, the trip has been a titanic battle for the upper hand.

# If you like to gamble I'll tell you I'm your man

# You win some, lose some

# It's all the same to me. #

James won the second and third legs...

-£20.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Another.

But Raj played an ace at their last auction to emerge just

a hair in front.

-# The ace of spades... #

-Wiped your smile off your face.

It's a bit like a relay, isn't it?

You know, you always keep your best man for the end. The final leg.

The final leg.

We are now nearing the finish line, but right back at the start

of this relay race, our experts begin with £200.

James has now increased his cash pot to hold...

While Raj has...

So, there is less than £8 in it as they face this final tussle.

-It's fantastic.

-It is.

-It's great that it's that close.

This neck-and-neck battle has really covered some territory.

Behind the wheel of a 1968 Renault Caravelle,

this pair started off in Bath,

they've since roved widely

around the pastoral English

countryside on an epic traverse

of several hundred miles.

Today, they will begin in the Cheshire village of Sandiway

and fight their very last auction

in Binegar, Somerset.

Don't forget - spend, spend, spend.

THEY LAUGH

Sandiway is a pretty little place for Raj to start

his buying. He is striding with confidence into his first shop.

Gosh!

-Hello there.

-Hello.

-I'm Raj.

Welcome to Peggotty's Attic.

Duly welcomed, Raj is on the hunt.

This is an antiques centre with multiple dealings trading.

And in this particular corner...

-Hi, Raj. I'm David.

-Hi, David. Hi. This is your stand?

-It is, indeed.

-You've got some really nice things, I have to say.

-Thank you very much.

-I quite like these.

These are quite nice, you know?

They are a little bit unusual.

It's a pair of cast-iron posts, originally used for tethering horses

and probably dating from the mid-19th century.

-The provenance on them is that I live in Llandudno, North Wales.

-OK.

And I bought them from some Irish Travellers who do the fairs.

They are certainly unusual.

But David's price tag is £495.

That's...er...more money than Raj has in his pocket.

-Is there any way that we might be able to start negotiating?

-There is.

I do like them, they are a bit different.

But again, I've only got an X amount of budget. What about £150?

-I couldn't do them 150.

-160?

175, you got a deal.

175.

How about we shake hands on 170?

-OK.

-You sure?

-Yeah.

We have a deal.

Crikey Moses.

That's a very generous deal from David and

a bold first buy from Raj.

He's certainly off on the gallop.

-I'm going to shake your hand again.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-And good luck.

But he is not finished yet.

Fantastic, aren't they? Fantastic old crutches.

I love them.

And they are free. There's no price on them.

I doubt they are free, Raj.

But they are probably late Victorian or Edwardian.

The dealer Mike might be able to help.

Mike, I know these aren't the normal thing that I would buy,

but they are very, very different.

Well, this means that we'll have to contact the dealer.

-We'll have to ring him up, see what the best price is.

-OK.

Mike will make inquiries while Raj browses on.

Meanwhile James has travelled to the town of Northwich.

And he's strolling into

Northwich Auction Antiques & Collectables.

-Hello, James.

-Morning, I'm Lynn.

-Hello, Lynn. Good to see you.

-Lots of antique dealers here?

-Lots of dealers.

-Yeah.

-Lots of cabinets.

He'll need a map to get around this maze of a place.

Right, upstairs. I think my...

..my future...

Whatever...he says.

James does seem to be a little discombobulated this morning.

Ah, blessed is the copper. And, of course, I can kiss it.

You can almost lick it, really, because, of course,

copper is antibacterial.

There's no need to lick the stock, thanks.

Teddy, but elevate him onto a box...

..and look, you've got quite a...

You've elevated him.

Not only physically, but also commercially.

Yes.

He's preoccupied with higher thoughts today.

I think.

You know, what is art?

Perhaps while you ponder that, you might find something to buy.

Naughty.

But while James is all of a dither,

back in Sandiway, Raj is still on a buying streak.

I've seen something that...

every antique dealer, every home should have one.

It's a little magnifying glass, but it looks like it's got a silver handle.

I'm just going to get it out....of the cabinet.

You do that.

It's Sheffield, it's dated 1912, so it's got a bit of age to it.

It's over 100 years old. And...

..it's not in bad condition at all.

But, to be honest, I'm going to make a one-time offer on this.

It says £22 on the ticket and I'm going to be a bit cheeky

and offer a fiver for it.

That would be cheeky, but it's worth a punt.

Mike will go and ask the vendor who owns it.

I'll see whether they'll accept a fiver. OK?

Fingers crossed, eh, Raj?

-Oh, stand lively.

-Well, Raj, I've got some good news for you.

-Good.

-A fiver.

-Fantastic. I'll shake your hand.

-Thank the dealer very much, indeed.

-I will.

Another buy under his belt and now Mike also

has the vendor of the crutches on the blower.

Can the bold, bartering Bisram repeat the trick?

We'll see what happens. Watch and learn, as they say.

You are confident.

Hello, Andy.

Yeah, I'm good, thank you.

I know this is going to be a bit cheeky, but, you know,

these crutches, how about if I said to you -

would you take £20 in cash?

You sure?

OK, fantastic. We have a deal then, at £20.

OK. You're a nice man, I'm going to hand you back to Mike.

Thanks again.

Success yet again, eh?

-Yes!

-OK, Andy.

Lucky Raj is three lots to the good already,

thanks to his optimistic offers.

Well, you don't ask, you don't get. It's always worth trying.

You know, they can only say no.

-It seems to be a winning philosophy.

-Thank you very much indeed, Mike.

-All the best.

-All the best. Thank you.

-Cheerio.

Back in Northwich, James is still in his first shop and

he has some catching up to do.

Huh, what's this?

Now, this is a... This is a book I always, always wanted.

A lady who brought colour into pottery, Clarice Cliff,

a very famous name in the antiques world, in the pottery world.

Cliff's ceramics really shook up design of the inter-war

period and this book details them all.

And look at these jugs. Look at the colour.

You know, up until then, everything was a bit beigey,

and then this great sort of jazz age.

James is quite a fan, you know.

It's got £6 on it.

But this is worth so much to an auctioneer,

or anybody interested in ceramics.

I'm going to buy this.

But it's all about price. The cheaper I can get it, the better.

Then it's time for a word with the lovely Lynn.

-Lynn, I have found something.

-What have you found?

-A book. A book.

-Not my normal purchase.

-Clarice?

-Clarice.

But with £6 on the ticket, what sort of a deal with Lynn strike?

# So let me get right to the point... #

-Lynn, if I said to you, £2.50, what would you say?

-I'd say £3.

-You'd say £3. OK. I will buy it at £3, Lynn.

-Fine.

-Very kind.

-Thank you very much indeed. £3.

-£3!

-I never thought it would be a sort of...

-Absolute bargain!

-I've only got two! Come on.

-Oh!

Don't worry, Lynn. I will rustle up another pound for you.

# Hey, big spender... #

That last of the big spenders, James,

has his book on a jazz age marvel and he's trotting off.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-Goodbye.

-Bye.

Now, Raj has travelled on to the Cheshire town of Crewe.

He's taking a break from shopping to pay

a quick look at the local Bentley Motors factory,

where he's going to learn about some pioneering petrol heads of

the 1920s. He's meeting Bentley's Nigel Lofkin.

-Hello, Raj.

-Hello. Nigel, is it?

-Yes, it is. Welcome to Bentley.

Thank you. What a pleasure it is to be here.

Founded in 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley, the company reigned

supreme in the new and exciting motorsports of the jazz age.

This photograph here, this is very significant,

taken on the 15th of May, 1921.

Why it's significant is because it's the first Bentley to win a race.

The first Bentley to win a race.

At the Brooklands race track, in Weybridge in Surrey.

The man behind the wheel is Frank Clement,

one of the famous Bentley Boys.

The Boys were a glamorous motor racing team,

largely composed of wealthy thrill seekers.

They raced cars made by the fledgling motor company and

brought Bentley worldwide fame.

Their stunning race victories and rakish playboy antics were

widely covered in the press and enjoyed by a British public

happy for distraction after the hard years of the First World War.

Yes, they were a select group of individuals and they were the

playboys of the day.

It was in 1923 at the very first Le Mans 24-hour endurance race

in France that the Boys came into their own,

led by racers Frank Clement and John Duff.

Frank Clement and John Duff went to Le Mans in

a Werks-Bentley and through a rutted course and hailstone and

-breakdowns, they finished fourth.

-Fourth.

-They finished fourth.

-In 1924, the Bentley Boys returned and won.

-Wow!

This historic victory began a winning streak for the team

-with their iconic cars.

-Wow! Look at this lot!

Yeah, fantastic. Here we have some of the most famous Bentleys in the world in this

-room here today. And here you have the oldest surviving Bentley, Experimental Number Two.

-Fantastic!

Wow!

Very famous motorcar.

Priceless.

A very precious vehicle indeed.

But driving conditions in the early days of motorsport were tough.

-And I guess, well, it's an open top, so...

-Open top, that's right.

-So it was raining...

-Yes, you got wet.

-You got wet.

-With your leather helmet and your goggles on.

Yeah, that's what you did.

-Look at the windscreens.

-Yes, the little windscreens on there, yes.

Such is the importance of the Bentley Boys to the story of

British motorsport, the company maintains a room,

decorated in glittering '20s style,

that's stuffed full of keepsakes that celebrate their achievements.

We call this room the Living Room, so it's full of all

memorabilia about the famous glory days of the Bentley Boys.

And much of it pertains to perhaps the most famous

Bentley Boy, Woolf Barnato, the fabulously wealthy heir to

a diamond fortune and the quintessential 1920s playboy.

He was the most successful Bentley Le Mans driver, so his first attempt

was 1927 and after his victory, he drove the winning car into the Savoy

Hotel and the car was the guest of honour, it was old Number Seven.

He dined round the car.

That's an amazing thing, to take a Bentley into the Savoy, you know.

-Yeah.

-Well, these guys were wealthy, had influence, and they

-could almost do anything they wanted.

-They could and they did.

But Barnato was more than just a party animal.

He was a cricketer, he was a footballer, he was a boxer,

so he was an all-round sportsman, so a man of many talents.

It was again at Le Mans that Barnato made his mark.

He won in '27, '28, and '29.

That three year consecutive run has never been broken.

-Never been broken?

-Never been broken.

An incredible achievement. Nigel's got one more treat for Raj.

My goodness! Wow!

Wow!

-Hi, I'm Raj.

-Keith.

-Lovely to meet you, Keith.

This is the original 1929 Bentley Blower team car.

What a privilege to be taken for

a ride in this truly priceless machine.

Wow! This is something else! This really is exhilarating.

What a lovely experience!

Oh, boy! Would I love to use this for a road trip.

I doubt they'd let you borrow it, Raj, but you can always ask!

James, meanwhile, has travelled on to the town of Middlewich,

where his next shop beckons.

Oh, my goodness! You know, how many shopping days until Christmas?

Always too few, James. Always too few.

Let's hope you have a very merry time though in here.

-Hello. James.

-Hi. Richard.

-Richard, very good to see you.

Hello, Richard! But with pleasantries barely concluded...

-That's interesting. What's that?

-It's a travel chess set.

Travel chess set, and what are the chess pieces? What are they made of?

-They're die-cast.

-Oh, they're die-cast, like say Dinky toys.

The little metal chess pieces lend this vintage set a touch of quality.

Isn't that fun? I bet that's travelled around a bit.

-It's showing the rigours of use.

-It's had some use, yes.

-That could be a possibility. I rather like that.

-Yeah.

He'll set that aside and search on.

Oh, you've got a bit of Chinese... Chinese... What's happening here?

Oh, dear.

That's suffered more than the rigours of use, that one, hasn't it?

-Been in the wars.

-That has been in the wars!

This Cantonese punch bowl was broken long ago,

but repaired in the Victorian period.

They just drilled little holes and then they put these sort of lead...

Lead or brass studs and just stapled... Well, staples, really.

They just stapled it together.

-That is really...

-HE CHUCKLES

Despite the damage, James is keen.

What have you got on that?

-£30.

-Is that cheap? £30?

£30. Any leverage on that?

I'll always listen to an offer.

You'll always listen to an offer, will you?

Well, I don't want to be mean. What about 20?

Yeah, that's fine. Yeah.

Put it there, Richard. Let's buy that.

After a slow start this morning,

James is really upping his game with a foray into Chinese ceramics.

I'm betting that somebody might buy that,

repatriate it to China and get it restored properly.

I tell you what, if Raj is keen to win, I am keener to beat him, OK?

As I walked in, I noticed this.

This watering can.

What I loved about it is that is an

elephant's trunk spout, isn't it?

Isn't that fun?

What on earth is that?

What is it?

It's what we used to fill the baths with back in the Georgian times.

Really? So, why is it that early, do you think?

-It's marked underneath.

-It's marked underneath? So it's got GR on it.

The GR mark shows that this was made during the reign of one of

our six kings named George and might even date back to the

early 19th century Regency period.

That is a beautiful object, isn't it? It's rather fun.

But James still has his sights on that little chess set too,

which Richard has ticketed at £5.

I'm very happy to pay a fiver for that. But what could this be?

-Call it 40 for the both of them then.

-Put your hand there, Richard.

Very kind. Thank you.

Checkmate!

With a spirited rally to end the day, James has the chess set

for £5, the bath can for £35, as well as the Chinese bowl for £20.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thanks a lot, Richard.

-Thank you.

-Bye.

-Bye now.

And so the curtain falls on our first day. Nighty-night!

But the morning sun finds them back on the road and heading to

Birmingham, that storied centre of trade at industry.

This was the workshop of the empire, you know.

They said, even a fool can be a rich man when he left Birmingham.

Really? We should have moved here ages ago, James!

THEY LAUGH

Ha-ha, perhaps you should!

So far, Raj has three lots. The cast iron horse posts,

the pair of crutches, and the magnifying glass.

He still has £255.26 in his pocket.

While James has amassed four lots. The book on Clarice Cliff,

the little travel chess set, the repaired Chinese bowl,

and the Regency bath can. He still has £379.40 left to play with.

Four items, four cracking items, £63.

-That's all you've spent?

-Yes.

-James, that's terrible!

-Why is it terrible?

With all that money to spend!

Four items, £63?!

How can canniness and self restraint be regarded as...?

Playing it safe, I'd call it.

I would. I'd call it playing safe!

Raj has thrown down the gauntlet for some serious spending on

their last day of shopping.

This morning, they're aiming for the Birmingham suburb of Moseley,

where Raj's first shop awaits.

-Now, don't forget what I said, James. Spend your money.

-Good luck.

He's striding into Moseley Emporium and meeting dealer Maurice.

Hello there.

-Oh, hello, Raj. How are you?

-I'm good.

With his slim lead over James ever in mind,

Raj will scout for a real bargain.

I've spotted a chair over here. Now, this is a really early chair.

The oak side chair might date from as far back as the

late 17th century.

But it's had lots of replacements. If we turn it upside down,

you can see that some of the stretchers have been replaced.

But it's a very, very attractive chair.

CLUNK

Careful! Oh, Lord! It'll need even more repairs. Let's call Maurice.

Maurice?

-What are we after?

-Well, I'd like to ask you about this chair first of all.

-OK.

-OK?

-OK.

-I mean, it's had lots...

Yes, it's been messed with over the years.

Ticket price is £85, but what's the best, Maurice?

Tell you the lowest I'll go on that would be 35.

That's what...

I'm being truthful with you, it has been a while, 35's not dear.

-30 quid.

-I tell you what, how about split the difference then?

-You said 30, what about 25?

-It's got to be 30.

Every penny counts. I tell you what, let's split it again. £27.50.

-Are we going to shake hands on that?

-Yes, we are. You're a good man.

-You're a better barterer than me.

-He is good, isn't he?

A great deal from Maurice gives Raj

another chance to unseat his opponent.

Lovely!

Speaking of whom...

James has travelled on to central Birmingham's jewellery quarter,

where he's keen to visit the spiritual home of many of his

favourite antiques, the Assay Office, Birmingham.

He's meeting archivist Craig O'Donnell.

-Hello, Craig.

-Hello, James.

-Hello.

-Good to meet you.

-Good to meet you.

An assay office is responsible for assessing and hallmarking

objects made of precious metal, like gold and silver.

James is here to learn the fascinating story of how this office

contributed to a metalworking boom that made Birmingham the

workshop of the world.

Craig, what is this little sample here?

-This is a sample of Birmingham-made, what we call, toys.

-Toys.

-Not playthings.

-Yeah.

-But small metal objects for personal use.

Originally, the Birmingham manufacturers were making

-their toys in base metal.

-OK.

In the mid 18th century, it was a massive industry,

to the point in that just in terms of exports,

it was worth over half a million pound to the Exchequer.

Which is more than £42 million in today's money.

It's an interesting point with the base metal toy manufacturers,

that's where we actually get the term Brummie from because the

all-encompassing terms for base metal toys of the time was

called Brummagem ware.

Brummagem ware.

-And it was a bit of a disparaging term.

-OK.

-And it meant sort of shoddily made metal items.

-Like bodging, yeah.

-Yeah.

-And Brummagem was then sort of shortened to Brummies.

And one Brummie in particular was responsible for giving

Birmingham its own assay office.

Largely, it was due to Matthew Boulton.

He was a massive industrialist of the time.

A giant figure in the Industrial Revolution, Boulton owned

a factory near Birmingham which produced metal toys.

At its height, it employed 220 people. At that time, that was huge.

He was making silver and had to send it up to Chester to be hallmarked.

Now, that's 80 miles with the road conditions of the time and

-things like that...

-In winter, impassable.

Also, it was just a case of he was worried that his designs were

going to be stolen, due to the fact that the main thing you could

sell your silver on back then was the actual quality of the design.

I see.

As well as industrial espionage, Boulton also faced the risk

that his shipments of silver would be stolen en route by highwaymen.

Naturally, he was keen to have an assay service closer to home.

How do you go about setting up an assay office?

-Did he go down to London?

-He had to petition parliament.

At the same time as Birmingham wanted an assay office,

Sheffield also wanted an assay office.

So, representatives of both Sheffield and Birmingham met

in the Crown and Anchor pub in the Strand, in London.

Every assay office has a unique symbol,

which is stamped on to every item it authenticates.

This historic meeting in the Crown and Anchor pub gave

Sheffield and Birmingham theirs.

And so we ended up with the anchor and they ended up with the crown.

-How interesting!

-All down to the pub.

The anchor is still the assay symbol for Birmingham today, but

back in the 1700s, the new office was a boon to local businesses.

What did it do for all the manufacturers then?

Did it change their fortunes in Birmingham?

A lot of them went from making Brummagem,

suddenly because of the convenience, they could move over to

making things in precious metals, at that time, silver.

Birmingham soon became a world leader in producing jewellery

and metal work and today,

the office is still serving the city's busy precious metals trade.

One of the Assay Office's head honchos, Marion,

can bring James bang up-to-date with a tour.

Nowadays, sophisticated tools are used to test items,

but some objects are still hallmarked by hand,

as here, by specialist Fay.

-Silver ashtray here.

-OK.

And I'm going to put the customer's sponsor's mark on them.

And then put the 925, which is the sterling silver,

and then the anchor for Birmingham.

This is the sponsor's mark.

-OK, are you going to let me have a go?

-Not on this.

LAUGHTER

Not if it's a customer's product, sorry!

I should think not!

You can practise on a piece of spare aluminium, James.

-Hm.

-Oh, dear.

Oh, dear. Failed.

You've got to get it square, haven't you?

-Oh.

-Not bad.

Not... Not bad!

Really fascinating, really interesting.

And I can see hallmarking is probably not the avenue for me.

I'll leave it to you, Fay.

Probably wise, James.

And time to hit the road.

Meanwhile, Raj has scooted on to the town of Warwick, where this

sunny afternoon finds him strolling off into Warwick Antique Centre.

-Hello there.

-Oh, hello.

-Hi, I'm Raj.

-Oh, I'm Colin Waite.

Nice to meet you.

Raj is running out of chances to bag a killer item,

so he'll need to look sharp.

I think this shop is fantastic.

I mean, there's some really, really great things in here.

I think I've got to be a little bit careful cos I know what James

-is up to. I know what he's up to.

-Pish-posh.

James is a teddy bear,

but he'll certainly be trying to out-buy you too.

But what's this?

Chinese, as we know, is very, very in at the moment.

On the bottom shelf there,

it says it's an 18th to 19th century incense burner.

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Well, what's drawn me to it is the price.

I mean, there's only £10 on the ticket.

The thing is that they reproduce these things all the time at

the moment and I have seen these reproduction ones.

I actually, to be honest, I think this is an old one.

I think this is a 19th century.

I don't think it's 18th, I think it's a 19th century one, but the

problem is, will other people stay away from it because they

think it's a 20th century one, or won't they?

It's a risky one, but it's a risk I'm prepared to take.

Well, with that spirit in mind,

it's time to call the vendor who owns it for a little chat.

Thank you. Hello, Don. You've got some lovely things in

your cabinet, first of all, Don, I have to say.

But I noticed the incense burner.

With only £10 on the ticket, what deal can they strike?

I'll give you seven for it. I think it's a risk.

Because it may not be an old one.

£7?

Fantastic. OK, we have a deal then.

Another great deal.

Raj just needs his change and he'll be trotting off.

But just as he's leaving the shop, look who's here!

Jack Nicholson's lookalike!

James! James, what are you doing here?

-What have you got there?

-I wasn't expecting you so soon.

You're going to have to wait and see!

You're going to have to wait and see.

-It looked blue and white, it looked Oriental.

-You're not allowed to look at it.

-Really?

-But I tell you what, there's some great things in here.

You'll do really well. But you need to spend some money.

-OK.

-OK? See you.

-I've got a tenner on me.

-Cheers.

-Bye.

-Bye.

You've got around £380 actually, James!

As soon as he's through the door, he's straight to dealer Maggie's cabinet of trinkets.

-Hello. James.

-How do you do, James? Maggie.

-And this is all your stock, Maggie.

-It is.

-Yes.

-This is your stock. I'm interested in your cufflinks there.

-Oh.

-Can I have a...?

Certainly, you can.

Very good. Thank you.

-Lovely. Nice little case, pair of cufflinks here.

-Yes, original case.

Original case.

I'm fresh from Birmingham, from the Assay Office.

They probably ARE silver, but they don't have a hallmark,

which could make them a risky purchase.

They're quite nice, with the case.

-And they're always popular, aren't they?

-Absolutely.

Good presents, cufflinks.

Ticket price is £39.

-And so, the eternal question...

-What could they be?

To a poor... To a poor chap, taking them to auction?

-Oh...

-I know, woe is me.

Woe is me in my linen suit.

Manage to go down to 30 for those for you.

-Thank you, Maggie. That would be very kind. £30.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much, yes.

-Thank you. 30.

-Yes.

Very agreeably done.

Fifth and final item bought. I've spent under £100.

Raj will be absolutely furious, but the golden rule is -

never do what your opposition wants you to do.

-And with that fighting talk, both boys are all bought up.

-Bye!

So, as well as the cufflinks, James has the book on Clarice Cliff,

the travel chess set,

the repaired Chinese bowl, and the bath can.

He's spent a thrifty £93.

While Raj has a pair of cast iron horse posts, a magnifying glass,

the pair of crutches,

the 17th century chair and the Chinese incense burner.

He spent a more generous £229.50.

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

Once again, James has done it. He's definitely got me worried.

A 19th century Chinese Famille-Rose bowl.

It's a lovely bowl this, but it's very, very damaged.

But it's got the old staples in it. And it can be restored. £20?

What a price!

I'm going to say, I wouldn't swap my items.

I'm going to say, my items will win,

but as we all know from the last auction - who knows?

On this final trip, they began their buying in Sandiway, Cheshire,

and are now aiming for auction in Binegar, Somerset.

They're almost at today's battleground, Mendip Auction Rooms.

It's the final one, James. This is it.

May the best man win.

May the best man win.

Auctioneer Tom Killen will be presiding today and before

the off, what does he make of our lots?

The silver cufflinks from the 1930s,

what we're more interested in here actually is the case.

It's a very nice case to go with the cufflinks,

so that may have that added attraction.

The item with legs, which I'm really tempted to say will run away,

is the crutches, but it's not going to be.

It's going to be the tethering post, I think.

That's going to be the item which is going to attract most

interest and we're really hopeful for that one.

It's time for James and Raj's final showdown,

with online bidding and a lively crowd.

Very good. Full room, isn't it?

-It is a full room, yeah.

-Very good.

-Indeed.

First up, it's a lot for James.

His book on ceramic artist Clarice Cliff.

-At £5.

-In profit.

-Eight. At £8.

You're in profit. You've doubled up. You've quadrupled.

Oh, what a great start. He's going crazy.

At £18 and sold away then at £18. That goes to heaven. 501.

That's a good start, James.

Indeed, it is. A cracking profit on the Clarice Cliff tome.

You only invested £3, James.

Raj's first lot now, his biggest gamble,

the cast iron horse tethering posts.

50 is bid. 60. 70. 80.

90. 100. 110. 120.

-130. 140. 150.

-He's away.

160. 170. At 170. 180.

At 190. Fill her up. 200.

-At 220. At 220.

-Well done. Well done.

-240 now. 260.

At £260. Last call then.

-At £260.

-Well done, well done. Well done.

He certainly backed the right horse there!

I was hoping a little bit more. I was hoping it might make 300.

Don't be greedy.

Another for James now, as his little travel chess set comes in to play.

-Oh, £10 at the back of the room.

-He looked surprised.

Mate, you're in profit already. You've doubled your money.

12. 12 bid. 15? 15 bidder. At 18. 18 bid. At £18. Go 20 now?

Shaking the head, the wrong way.

You've only got £20 notes in your pocket.

19? 20?

Go on, 20 is bid. At £20. At £20.

At £20 and sold and away then at £20.

Another winner for James proves he's certainly more than

a pawn in this game.

You've quadrupled your money.

Raj will be hoping to spy more profit now with his little

magnifying glass.

-10's bid.

-He's keen.

At 12 now. 10. 12. At 12. 15.

18. 20. At £20.

At £20 and sold and away then at 20...

-Looking to the gods, looking for help.

-Oh, put it down.

At £20, in the front row, and sold and away then at £20.

THEY LAUGH

-He does linger with your lots, doesn't he?

-Linger with my lots!

-How can you say that?

-Terrible.

Perish the thought. Our auctioneer is as even as they come.

And that's actually added to Raj's profit.

I think there might have to be a steward's inquiry, formal.

Lingering. No lingering, please.

Oh, do pipe down!

A chance for James to make up some ground now with his repaired

-Chinese bowl.

-20 online. At £20.

-Internet at 20.

-25. It's running on on the internet.

-Of course it's going to run.

-At 30.

32. At 32. 35 is bid.

38. At 38. It's a good size. You can't see that at home.

-You're in profit.

-45. 48. At 48. At 50.

It's going to do it. It's going to make the £80.

-At 55.

-At least.

-60 is bid.

-Yep.

It's going to be sold at £60, online buyer and sold and away then.

At £60.

-Not half bad for a broken bowl, James.

-Going to be close then.

-I know.

-I think that was a... You know... Yeah?

-Yeah.

-All right?

-Yeah, very good.

The mood grows tense, as Raj's crutches hop up before the crowd.

£10, surely? 10 bid.

10 bid!

I've only got half the money so far.

At £10. 12. At £12. 15. 18.

-At 18. Go 20. 20 is bid.

-Put it down, sir.

-Come on.

Don't labour it.

-At 22.

-It's all over.

-At 25? Have one each.

-Come on.

£22 and sold and away then at £22.

-Well...

-Blimey!

-I thought you were going to make some money on those.

-So did I!

Those limp to a tiny profit.

I'm sort of worried for the sanity of this room, I must say!

Now, James hopes his bath can will really clean up.

18. At £18 at the back of the room. 20 bid. At 22.

-The internet's loving it. They're loving it.

-Yeah.

-The world is there.

-There's people in their bedrooms, going...

-Here we go.

35. At 35. 38. 38. At 38. 40 bid.

-At £40. 42. At 42. 45. 45's bid. 48 now. 50.

-He's got to hurry up.

-He's got to keep pace.

-At £50 and sold and away then at £50.

-£50.

-Not bad.

-It's a profit.

-It's a profit.

It certainly didn't take an early bath.

Though it wasn't the flier he'd hoped for.

But this game is still anyone's.

Another for Raj, as his 17th century chair is up next.

10. 12. 15. 18. 20.

I think you're all right. Don't worry.

25. 28. At 28. 30. 30? At £30. 32, fresh blood in.

32. 35. 35. 38. 38. 40.

At £40. Go two now. 42.

45. 48. 48. 50 now. 50's bid.

At £50. Five. At 55. 60.

At £60. At £60, in front. At £60.

Go on, put it down.

I just can't bear this lingering, can you?

At £60.

-It's yours.

-Well done.

-Ha-ha! Raj is sitting pretty again.

-Blimey! It's going to be close.

It's going to be close.

It certainly is, but James is in with another shot now,

with his set of unhallmarked silver cufflinks.

20 up in the gods. At £20. You're in.

I'm getting nervous now.

£20. 22. 25. 25. 28.

At 28. At 28. 30. At £30.

At £30. Have another go.

At £30. 32. At 32.

-35?

-Go on, madam.

35. One more, is it?

-At £35 upstairs. At £35 upstairs.

-Cheap!

At £35.

James adds another nice little win to his coffers.

-And you've got one more opportunity.

-One more opportunity.

-If this bombs..

-The very last lot of this whole road trip now.

It's Raj's incense burner, possibly dating from the 19th century.

Will his gamble pay off?

-30's bid, straight in.

-Well done.

-35. At 35. 38. At 38. 40 is bid. At 45. At 45.

-Well done.

At 48. At 48. 50. At £50. At £50. Five. At 55. 60.

65. At 65. 70. At £70.

-Certainly climbing!

-Look at him smiling!

-Well, you would, wouldn't you?

-At 80. At £80. 85. At 85. 90.

95. 100. 110. At 110.

Go 120. Just put one more in.

Just to see if he's at his limit.

120. 130. He wasn't. At 130. Go 140 now.

At 130. At 130. At 130 and sold and away then, at £130.

Blimey! He made over 18 times what he spent on that!

-What a way to end this trip!

-Put it there.

-I think that's done it, hasn't it?

-I think that's done it.

It is your road trip.

So, let's do the maths.

James began this leg with £442.40.

After auction costs, he made a profit of £57.06,

giving him a grand total of £499.46.

Just shy of 500.

Raj started with £450.26.

After costs, he made £173.94.

He ends this whole road trip victorious with £624.20.

Well done, Raj.

And all profits go to Children In Need.

Well, I never did!

-So, you're our clear winner. Well done.. Congratulations.

-Wow! Yes!

-JAMES LAUGHS

-Hey-hey! Fantastic!

-Go on, get in the car. Get in the car.

-You're not going to open the door then?

-Don't push it. Don't push it.

-Just thought I'd ask.

-Don't push it.

-Just thought I'd ask!

-Oh!

-I'm going to miss you, James.

-I will miss you too.

And we'll miss you, James and Raj, you superstars of the saleroom!

In the style of Mick Jagger...

-It's been a hard fought trip...

-We're moving in for the kill now.

-..with steely nerves...

-Remember, it's war out there.

Yeah!

-..and fancy footwork on both sides.

-Hello!

I'm freestyling!

Ho-ho, course you are, James(!)

Hoy!

That's brilliant!

-Do you like wooden boxes?

-As long as they're not coffins.

They battled down to the final lot...

You've come out, smelling of roses really, haven't you?

..but still ended up the best of pals.

THEY LAUGH

Toodle-oo, you two!