Episode 8 Antiques Road Trip

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

I want something shiny.

..a classic car and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

-I like a rummage.

-I can't resist.

The aim, to make the biggest profit at auction,

-but it's no mean feat.

-Why do I always do this to myself?

-There'll be worthy winners...

-Give us a kiss!

-..and valiant losers.

-Come on, stick 'em up!

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

-Onwards and upwards!

-..or the slow road to disaster?

-Take me home!

-This is Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

Excitement reigns once more with the return of dealer Mark Stacey and

auctioneer Christina Trevanion

and the third instalment of their road-tripping

spectacular. Oh, it's spooky this morning, though.

-It's quite scary, this mist.

-It's quite eerie, isn't it?

-It is very eerie. Let me see your teeth.

-What?

-Let me see your teeth.

-Why?

Ah, that's all right, your fangs aren't out yet.

Not yet! If I start going for your neck...

-Keep away from my neck.

-SHE SNARLS

Blimey, don't worry, dear viewers, Christina's not a vampire.

-# The hills are alive with the... #

-Not with THAT angelic voice.

# ..Sound of Music. #

Well, I'm afraid it would be a no from me.

What? What?!

-HE MIMICS BUZZER

-You're out!

-Next!

Surely it would be "fab-u-lous!"

No, darling, it would definite be that was GHASTLY!

-Oh, come on!

-It would be a ten from me.

Come on, Mark, you've got to win an auction now.

-I'm relying on you.

-Christina, don't worry about me.

-I like being the underdog.

-Really?

From his original £200, Mark has £273.90.

Christina also began with £200,

but she's sneaking into the lead with the sum of £330.90.

It's a close one.

And this 1977 Alfa Romeo Spider is their lovely little motor of choice.

At least you're concentrating on driving so well.

-It's these hills again, isn't it?

-She really doesn't like hills.

This does not bode well.

Christina and Mark began in West Sussex,

jollied their way north as far as Merseyside and have auctions in

Cheshire, Gloucestershire and Manchester to look forward to.

They will conclude their adventure in Bolton, in Greater Manchester.

This leg begins in the Staffordshire town of Leek.

And the auction will take place in the town of Wotton-under-Edge in

Gloucestershire. Lovely.

Oh, here we are, Odeon Antiques.

Oh, I'll drop you around the corner here.

Can you? Oh, that looks wonderful.

Now, there's a woman on a mission if ever I saw one.

-Oh, hello.

-Hello!

This fine establishment is owned by Steve, with four floors,

jam-packed with fine antiques.

This should be a good start for Christina.

There's plenty to look at.

Oh, Christina, loving the Gregory Pecks!

Are they new?

I love it when you walk in to somewhere

and people thought of things you don't necessarily think of before,

like, for example, they've turned amp metres, volt metres,

whatever they are, into lamps.

Love this shop. Oh, dear!

That means I'm in danger of spending far too much money.

Never worried you before, love!

What's this? Looks interesting.

I love this.

Oh!

A little model of Doncaster railway station.

What does that say? Waiting room.

So, all hand=painted, dining room...

Booking office. This has probably been from somebody's little model

railway they've built at home.

It would have been part of a much larger, whole massive track,

railway configuration.

Obviously we've only got the station there, but

I love the fact that it's been hand painted.

Somebody has lovingly made this for their own little railway set.

That's quite cool. One thing that's not cool is that there's no price.

It's a bit worrying. I'll have to go and get Steve.

OK.

But before that, anything else catch your fancy?

1950, 1960.

Now we're finding that at the moment these at auction are selling really

well. This is what we call a valet and they were used in a gentleman's

bedroom to put his jacket on and his various bits and bobs,

trousers over there. Last one I saw for £45.

That's marked up at £36.

So that potentially could be a good buy.

While Christina has a ponder, let's catch up with Mark.

I'm stuck because the moo-cows are coming.

Just have to sit and wait.

-CATTLE LOW

-Morning.

-Mornin'!

Hello! Oh, I'm not that frightening.

-Oh, I've frightened her.

-I don't blame her, you old bull.

"Moo-ving" on to pastures new,

Mark's travelled north-west into Cheshire

and the environs of Congleton.

Victoria Mill Antiques is located in one of the town's old mills and is

home to a number of dealers.

So, Mark can you find the antique that will give you

a Christina-crushing profit?

Oh, hello!

Hello. Who's this?

-Tinkerbell.

-Tinkerbell!

Are you a Tinkerbell? Are you?

Look at her. She's such an attention-seeker.

-Aren't you?

-Takes one to know one!

-Dear girl.

-Aw, she is lovely.

What's he sniffed out now?

I quite like portrait miniatures.

These were commissioned by

the fairly rich and affluent, by specialist

portrait miniaturists,

and they create these wonderful little works of art.

And often you'd find whole families of them,

husband and wife and sometimes generations of them.

Those are quite rare to find a series of them.

And it's marked up at £18.

Where's dealer Julia to chat cash?

-Julia.

-Yes.

-Hello.

-Hi.

I've found something very little, I'm afraid, but isn't she pretty?

-Very pretty.

-And it is a watercolour.

I am not convinced it's Georgian, myself, to be honest with you.

But I think it would look nice in a general sale.

-Very decorative.

-But do you think I can get a good price on that?

As it's you, £10.

Julia! I must have it.

-Now, will you keep it for me?

-Yes.

-And I'll keep looking.

-Absolutely.

-Thank you, Julia.

-Not a problem.

First purchase of this leg. Well done, Mark.

Back to Christina, and she's still in Leek.

MUSIC: Addams Family Theme

Er...and she's in a rather grisly corner of the shop.

-Ear, ear!

-Oh, my goodness.

Wow! It's all quite macabre.

(But I quite like it.)

That's cool.

Look at that, vintage, oversized dental human jaw model.

"Jaw further dissects to reveal the roots and nerves of the teeth."

Eurgh! Feel like I need to get plastic gloves on or something.

Latex, if you're not allergic.

I mean, I hate the dentist at the best of times,

but I find that really quite gruesomely fascinating

and it's really trendy at the moment,

and also you have to think,

a dentist might want this as a bit of a desk toy, maybe.

I'm not sure. But look at this!

Can you take that one out, or are they glued in?

It's amazing. It shows you all the bits and the veins.

-I love this!

-It might seem a bit gruesome,

but vintage medical items

are carving a real niche in the antiques market.

TIM LAUGHS

Time to have a jaw with dealer Steve.

This anatomical over-bite sports a price tag of £95.

85 on that. But I will just have to go and check.

She may knock a little bit more off, hopefully.

-Splendid.

-OK?

-OK. Let's have a look at the wish list.

Prepare yourself, Steve.

So, Steve, the other thing that I saw was this...

-Yes.

-..which isn't really its best side, this side.

-No.

-But it hasn't got a price on it.

No, I don't quite know what happened with that one.

It was £95, that one.

-Is this one yours?

-This one's mine.

I can do that for, erm, £60.

-OK.

-And Christina's third possible is the valet, marked up at £36.

Right, OK, 20 on that one.

-Yes.

-That was easy.

Now, all that's left to do is make

a quick call to the vendor of the model jaw.

I've said she can have it for 85. Is that the best you could do?

Right. OK. That's great.

Thanks very much. Thank you.

Bye-bye, bye-bye.

-65.

-Really?

-Really?

-Yeah. Is that OK?

-What was her name?

-Jan.

Jan? I think I love Jan!

-Seriously, I'm not going to haggle on that.

-She's very nice.

-£65.

Absolutely. Yes, that's good.

Oh, no, hang on a second.

Take that back because we've got exciting things, haven't we?

-We've got the jawbone at £65.

-Yep.

-The valet at 20?

-Yep.

So, 85.

I just think that railway station's charming.

-Right.

-What can you do that for me?

Don't make me haggle! Don't make me do it!

£50 would be the absolute best on that one.

-OK, so where did we get to, 85?

-Yep.

-So that will be 135.

-Yep.

Would you do 120 all in? And I haven't haggled.

-Erm... Yeah. That's fine.

-120?

-Yeah.

-You're a gentleman. Thank you so much.

-Thank you.

That breaks down to £65 for the anatomical oversized jawbone,

£20 for the gentleman's valet and £35 for the model railway station.

What a great haul, eh?

Back to Mark and he's still in Congleton

and still on the prowl, looking like a lumberjack.

Ooh, now this does look interesting.

I love these little table spirit barrels.

They come in all shapes and sizes and they're made from all sorts of

material. This is obviously modelled as a coopered beer barrel, really.

And it's made of light oak, but I do like this silver plating,

particularly on the feet.

Because it looks quite proud and expensive

and pleased to have been made.

Unfortunately, the stopper is missing,

but I don't think that's the end of the world.

The price is marked up at 47.

Now, Julia was quite nice to me with the miniature.

I wonder if she'll be as nice to me with this.

Well, she's very kindly called

the vendor for his very, very, very best price.

He's in a very good mood today,

and so, as it's you...

-£35 would be his very, very best.

-£35 would be his very best.

Well, I do like it.

-Yes.

-I think I'll go for it. Thank you very much.

The portrait miniature and the little spirit barrel

for a total of £45. That's a good start, Mark.

Meanwhile, Christina has happily

made her way to the spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire.

It's known as the Gateway to the Peak District, don't you know!

What a funny-looking bus.

Christina's visiting this lovely town to shop, right here.

Oh, he looks scary!

-Hello.

-Hi, there.

Hi. Christina.

-Julia.

-Julia, lovely to meet you.

-You too.

-Hi. My goodness, this is a treasure trove, isn't it?

-Mmm!

-Stuffed to the gunnels.

Do you mind if I have a quick squiz round?

-No. Help yourself.

-Is that all right?

-Yes, that's fine.

After that squiz around, what's Christina uncovered?

Phillip's popular mannequin. Tell me about this.

Right, this is in remarkable condition.

I've had several of these before, but

the contents have never been in such good condition.

-OK.

-So, here, this is what's usually in a bit of a state,

but this is in fantastic condition.

-Wow!

-So, for a medical student or something, it's quite something.

-Gosh, that's amazing, isn't it?

-All the lids open.

So you've got the muscular system.

You've got all the nervous system and then you've got all the organs.

Organs, you've got your intestines...

I think he might need to have his spleen out.

-Do you think?

-THEY LAUGH

In the late 19th century, publishers George Philip and Son

moved from printing maps to producing a

series of anatomical foldouts, such as this one.

What an intriguing item. We'll return to Christina later.

But now, let's catch up with Mark.

He's motored the Alfa Romeo to the town of Macclesfield.

Mark's visiting a building that was once at the centre of the town's

booming silk industry.

Two locals who know a lot about the silk history of Macclesfield are

museum director Sue Hughes and tour guide Derek Isherwood.

Welcome to Paradise Mill.

We're going to go in the lift to learn all about silk.

-That doesn't look like paradise.

-It IS paradise.

Is it? Come on then, show me.

Paradise Mill was built around 1860 and formed a major part of

Macclesfield's silk production.

How old is the lift?

-1930s.

-And you have to operate it by hand?

-You do, all the time.

-Don't tell me it breaks down!

-Never.

-I don't believe you!

-THEY LAUGH

-LIFT CLATTERS TO STOP

-Whoops!

HE PULLS LEVER

-Oh, no!

-SHE LAUGHS

-Crumbs! This is a bit of a pickle.

-Derek, please tell me you're joking!

I'm afraid it's the first time it's ever happened.

-Sue?

-No, it's the first time it's ever happened.

I can't believe it!

-We're stuck in a lift.

-We're stuck in a lift, in Macclesfield.

Only one thing for it.

-Go on!

-All right. Thank you.

-SIREN WAILS Crikey!

-It's an air raid shelter.

Was that an alarm or an air raid warning?

-An air raid!

-It's all happening.

Gosh! Stuck in a lift with Mark Stacey.

While they wait rescue,

let's zip back to Buxton and that anatomical foldout.

I really like that.

Tell me, has it got a fantastic price?

Well, in mint condition I've been told by the bookshop at the top of

the hill that it's about 120. But I've actually got 85 on it.

-You've got 85 on it?

-Yeah.

-What's your very best price?

So that I get a teeny, weenie smidgen of a profit,

£60.

Deal! £60.

-Fabulous! I'm a happy lady. What shall we call him?

-Anthony.

-Anthony.

Nowadays, Tony!

-Anthony. Anthony Philips.

-Anthony Philips. Yes!

£60. I'm very happy with that. It's brilliant.

Let's hope Anthony does make you a profit.

£60 for the Philips' Popular Manikin.

Interesting buy, that, Christina.

Right, back to the lift in Macclesfield.

Don't worry, dear viewers, they eventually managed to escape.

-So I'm a hero, really.

-You really are.

Flailing!

Spirits revived, we can now get down to business.

This Cheshire town was once a powerhouse of silk production

and has long been regarded as the end of the famous Silk Road,

the ancient trade route between the Far East and the West.

A once closely guarded secret of the Chinese,

the luxurious fabric made its way to these shores around the mid-17th

century when this northern town became renowned for exquisite silk

buttons. Silk production boomed,

with ground-breaking technology in the early 19th century.

Originally, they would have done it all by hand,

but in 1801 a new loom came in called the Jacquard loom.

That made intricate patterns a lot easier and cheaper.

How does that machine work?

So, it actually starts off with the pattern.

This is drawn onto squared paper.

That pattern is then transferred on to these cards,

which are called Jacquard cards or punch cards.

-So these simple cards create this wonderful design?

-They do.

If there's a hole in the card it means the needle can go through.

If there's no hole in the card it means the needle can't go through

and that's how you create those fantastic, elaborate patterns.

Amazing, isn't it?

It is, yeah. And this is the birth of computers, basically.

This is where it all came from.

This simple binary system was cutting-edge technology in its day.

In 19th-century Macclesfield there were 70 mills

producing silk clothing for royalty and the wealthy,

but during the Second World War the mills swapped exotic garments for

parachute silk.

And an important contribution particularly to the D-Day landings.

They were really important, but more important here were

actually making silk maps for the airmen

and in Macclesfield they developed a system where they could print on

both sides and of course it meant they couldn't get torn, or ripped,

or destroyed and they could be folded up to tiny little pieces

and sewn into their clothing...

-And hidden anywhere.

-Yeah, so they could take them with them.

Now, let's see the machines in action.

To produce approximately one inch of that woven silk would be 200 of

-these treadle movements...

-No!

-..and a good weaver,

on a good working week, could produce about 12-15 yards of silk.

-Good Lord.

-So would you like to try weaving, Mark?

I'd love to have a go, but I'll be very slow, Derek.

Don't you worry. Let me come this side.

This is when it goes horribly wrong.

Don't tempt fate, Mark, you already did that in the lift early year on.

-So, I push that back. Foot down.

-Bring it across.

That's it. You did it.

I did it. I think I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.

-Good idea!

-I think you would make a weaver, after all.

-Oh, thank you!

For four centuries, Macclesfield has been home to silk production and to

this very day still is home to companies continuing to make

thousands of kilometres of finished silk fabric every year.

It's been a busy day, and time for a rest, so nighty-night.

Morning has broken and Mark's getting a grand tour

of Christina's home turf.

Also, my friends, the Applebys, live here, so they produce cheese,

that's Hawkstone Abbey Farm.

And that is literally just behind Hawkstone Hall,

so they're big cheesemakers,

I think one of the last farm producers in the w...

-Oi!

-Oh, sorry, sorry.

-I'm so sorry. Were you saying something?

-Yes, I was!

-CHRISTINA:

-You are rude!

He's a cheeky blighter.

Let's refresh our memories with what our two luvvies have bought so far.

Christina's been very busy and has four lots.

The oversized jaw,

the gentleman's valet, the model railway station

and, of course, Anthony, or, to give him his proper name,

Philips' Popular Manikin.

Christina still has £150.90 for the day ahead.

Mark has two lots. The portrait miniature

and the late Victorian spirit barrel.

Mark has £228.90.

So he's got some catching up to do.

Our pair are headed for Christina's hometown of Whitchurch, Shropshire.

-MARK:

-Here we are.

-CHRISTINA:

-Here we are.

-I see you've already got your fans out.

-Ha-ha! Yes.

-Give them a cheery wave!

-Absolutely.

-Let's go!

Whitchurch Antiques Emporium's Simon and Linda are on hand to show our

twosome around.

BOTH: Hello!

How are you? Ooh, don't know which way round to go!

-Good.

-I'm dying to get inside. Aren't you?

-Go ahead.

Go for it. Right.

-Now, which way do we go, Christina? You know it.

-I'll go this way.

-Ah, I'll go this way, then, I guess.

-I'll go with you.

It's stuffed to the rafters in here and, with over two floors,

I'm sure these two can find something.

Oh, he's nice.

My eye is instantly drawn to this... What's this behind here?

There's a beautiful bed, and what's that?

Four-poster.

What's that?

That says Floating Bridge, Shirley.

-Am I allowed to sit on this?

-'No, you just did.'

This is Southampton!

It's believed to have been on a tram.

Royal Pier, Holyrood, Bassett Junction, Depot Only, Special,

East Street via St Mary's... I used to live in St Mary's.

-Well, there you go!

-Winn Road, Bitterne Park Triangle,

University Road...

Because I was at university in Southampton.

-Oh, right!

-So it would've been on the front of a tram or a bus,

wound up in a spool, and, as you went to the next junction, you'd...

Yes. The driver would change it, so people would know each destination.

Brilliant. That's really cool. So how much is that?

"Southampton...vintage bus route, £125."

-I really like that.

-'No hanging around.'

'Time to get the vendor on the blower.'

-Hi, Molly?

-'Hello, Christina.'

Hi, Molly, how are you? It's Christina Trevanion here.

Hello, my love. I'm just looking at your amazing bus route thingummy.

What sort of price could you do it for?

-'90 is the best I could do it for.'

-90 is your absolute death on that?

-'Absolutely.'

-Well, I'm happy at £90, I think it's brilliant.

Thanks, Molly, bye now, bye, love, bye.

Well, I think that's fantastic. I'm thrilled to bits with that.

I can't believe I found a bit of my university nostalgia in my hometown.

No, there you go. That's really good luck.

Will a Southampton bus route sell in a Cotswold auction?

We'll soon find out. Christina's all done.

How's Mark getting along?

Gosh.

Well, I've never seen one of those before.

Don't worry, I'm not armed and dangerous.

-'Not much(!)'

-This is apparently a dummy training Home Guard rifle.

£75. It's got the weight of a rifle, you know.

Simply made of a shaped piece of wood, and a solid barrel,

so you can't fire anything through this.

'I gathered that!'

I wonder if I could shoot a hole in Christina's profit with this.

Let's find out. Simon?

Hello.

I have no idea what this is.

According to the description it's a Home Guard training gun.

I imagine that's pretty accurate.

It's got a good weight, the weight of a rifle.

They had Lee-Enfield 303s back in the day.

-Oh!

-But they didn't have enough to give to the Home Guard,

so when they first came out, the Dad's Army movie,

they started off with the broomsticks.

Then they moved on to things like this - you are very

Captain Mainwaring.

Don't tell them your name, Mark! Hee-hee!

-He's going for a deal.

-I would like to pay £60 for it.

-£60...

-Because I think, I have no idea whether it worth 20 or 120.

And I think if I can get it for 60, it stands me with a better chance.

She's written on here, "Do not sell to Mark".

Has she?! That's Christina's handwriting!

I think, it is a one-off, though, it is a one-off.

Come on, Simon, shake hands at 60? As friends.

-Thank you.

-Go on, then.

-I just happen to have some money, there.

-£60.

-Let me check this. Oh!

Thank you, I'll let you go, I'll let you go.

Thank you again. Thank you.

The unusual World War II Home Guard practice rifle, for £60.

Meanwhile Christina is back in the trustee Alfa Romeo.

I think it's quite a girlie car, because the pedals are quite close together.

So, it's quite handy to drive in my heels.

Quite!

Christina's headed somewhere just outside Nantwich.

Amidst this rural area lies a once top-secret bunker.

One of 12 in the UK,

Hack Green was built in 1976

to house regional government in the event of nuclear war.

From the rise of the Berlin Wall to Glasnost in the late 1980s,

the world seemed on a permanent countdown to Armageddon.

The existence of the covert bunkers would have allowed Britain to make

plans to rebuild the country, should such an attack occur.

Christina is meeting with museum

director Lucy Siebert to find out just

how vital the bunker was to Britain's survival.

Hi, welcome to Hack Green secret bunker.

-Shall we take a look?

-Yeah, let's!

An abandoned radar site at Hack Green became the headquarters for

the local defence region.

In the event of an attack,

the Queen and the government would have been dissolved of power.

The Civil Defence network takes up control of the country.

And the 12 defence regions

the country is split into would be headed up

by regional commissioners and they would have been in control

of their particular region.

Ours is ten two, which takes a big piece out of Cheshire

and Manchester and Merseyside.

We were in charge of making sure

that everything happened when it needed to be

because the hardest thing to repair after any disaster,

whether it's natural or man-made, is the basic infrastructure.

Roads, supplies, water, communications,

basic things that people needed to continue.

At a cost of around £32 million - ha! -

the bunker was transformed into a vast underground complex that would

allow 135 civil servants

and military personnel to survive a nuclear attack.

In 1984 it became fully operational.

So, did this bunker provide communication?

We had communications for all sorts of different things -

including talking to the Queen herself.

-Really?

-Yes, I can show you one of such phones.

You had a hotline to the Queen?

They were for calling her to make sure she could give Royal Assent

to enact the Emergency Powers Act,

which puts us on the highest state of alert.

But just how protected was this bunker from a nuclear attack?

We can actually take everything up to a direct hit.

We can take one megaton up to 500 yards away.

One megaton is the size of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

While the bunker may have been secure,

what measures would have been taken to protect the British public in the

event of a nuclear attack?

So, there's a lot of machines around me here.

Who am I? Who would have sat here?

You were in charge of receiving and giving out the four-minute warning

which is how long you've got, at home, until the bombs actually hit.

OK.

SIREN SOUNDS

-Pick that phone up.

-OK.

-Say, "Attack warning red".

-Attack warning red, attack warning red!

Now, you are going to set the sirens off for the entire defence region

to let the people at home know there's an imminent attack.

So all of that area ten two?

Yeah, and we're going to put this one into attack mode.

Attack. OK.

So that's telling you that it's powering up the system,

it's sending the message, and pretty soon a siren should go off.

SIREN SOUNDS

There you go. And that's what you'd hear on the outside.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989,

the real threat of nuclear war began to fade.

Hack Green, though, serves as a reminder of how Britain prepared

itself for the worst possible outcome.

Back to Mark now,

and he's in the town of Market Drayton in North Yorkshire.

He's got £168.90 to spend.

Hello, I'm Mark.

-Hi, Mark.

-Nice to see you.

-Can I have a look?

-Please feel free.

-Lovely. Thank you.

John, I saw a pair of candles in the window.

-Can I have a look at them?

-Yeah, I'll just go and get them for you.

There you go.

Great, thank you. I love this style.

It's sort of Adams revival, isn't it? Classical 18th-century shape.

With that sort of spiral, fluted urn.

I guess these are sort of 1920s.

I like the shape.

They're very classical. It's nice to have a pair them.

And there's no price on those, are they free?!

I'm a bit naughty on that.

-£30.

-£30 for the pair?

-Yes.

-Those are quite nice, actually.

I like those.

I think I'm going to have those as a consideration.

-OK. I'll put them to one side.

-I'm going to put them down here.

So we have a possible on the oak candlesticks.

Anything else?

Oh, gosh.

Those are really heavy.

Think they might be lead, actually. Feels like lead.

How much are these? Lead doorstops, £15 each.

They are quite quirky. And dogs are quite popular.

They're quite crudely made, so I don't know when

they were manufactured.

Time for a chat with John.

I would like to try and buy the pair of candlesticks

-and the two charming little doggies.

-Right.

So you said 30 on those, and they're 15 each, so another 30.

-Yes.

-What about £30?

I'll do them for 40.

I think that seems very reasonable, actually.

-I think that's very fair.

-Lovely.

That's our shopping complete for this road trip.

Mark adds a pair of candlesticks and doggy doorstops to his haul of

goodies which include the portrait miniature,

the spirit barrel and the Home Guard practice rifle.

In total, Mark has notched up a spend of £145.

Christina has also bought a total of five lots.

The oversized jaw, the gentleman's valet, the model railway station,

Philips' Popular Manekin and the Southampton bus route indicator.

Christina has spent a total of £270.

Come on, you two, what do you think of each other's extraordinary buys?

I adore your anatomical jaw. It's wonderful.

The doorstops, hmm, they're all right, but for the price he paid,

-can't be bad.

-Your bus sign from Southampton I think is wonderful

but £90, Christina?

I think he's done very well, but I think he's also played it very,

very safe, because he hasn't spent a lot of money.

It's auction time,

and we're heading our way to the town of Wotton-under-Edge,

nestled in the Southern Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire.

And look, we've got a new car!

This updated version of the Alfa Romeo Spider

replaces a kaput original.

It's wonderful, though, isn't it?

It really is. And we can move our in our seats.

And it's leather. We've got leather upholstery.

Electric windows...

Electric windows. Oh, stop it, Christina!

Certainly looks very luxurious.

They're headed for Wotton Auction Rooms.

-Look at this, isn't it beautiful?

-It's an old chapel.

We could pray for profits.

Well, I think I might have to.

-Let's get in. Come on, dear.

-She's not your granny, Mark.

Philip Taubenheim is the gentleman wielding the gavel today.

What do you think of Christina and Mark's lots, Philip?

The spirit barrel, I think that was an ideal size for the rostrum!

I don't see why we can't have one there ourselves.

The jaw model, now, that's caused a bit of excitement here.

I think somebody will buy that for a bit of fun.

Today's auction is also live on the web.

Time to take your seats, please.

-Oh, gosh, here we are, Christina.

-Here we are.

-I've got squeaky shoes today.

-It's hot. I brought my own fan!

You've only got the one! How very diva.

Your little doggy doorstops are up next.

-Thank you.

-Oh, I know my place!

20, the two, 20, the two. And £20, I'm bid for the two doorstops.

30 online.

The room's coming back now, at £30, I'm bid, at £30.

At 35 at the back of the room...

35 at the back of the room. Come on, 40.

-Come on, internet!

-Back of the room. At 35. Anybody moving?

All happy with that? No mistake, then. £35.

Take them away.

-A howling success, my love. Howling!

-Woof, woof!

He's barking, you know!

Wonderful start there, Mark.

Oh, I'm relieved.

Good. I'm very nervous now.

Keep the faith, Christina.

It's your home-made, Doncaster railway station next.

At £20, four and £20 I'm bid.

At £20, here we go. At 20, I'm bid. At £20, I'm bid.

There it starts, and over there it stops.

Haven't left the station yet. At 25, I'm bid.

At 25, 30, I'm bid. At £30 I'm bid.

At £30. Against you now. At £30 I'm bid.

At £30. 35. £40.

-Oh!

-40.

-Ooh! Lord!

£40 it remains, then. At £40, I'm bid. Who moves it along at £40?

We're all out, then? You sure? £40 this time and at £40, then, 306.

Wow! It wasn't as bad as it could've been.

No, could have chugged out a lot slower than that.

-Precisely but remember, it's only your first lot.

-Never mind.

-Don't buy another Doncaster station, will you?

-I'll remember why!

-I'll know for next time.

-You will.

Onwards we go. Mark's spirit barrel is next.

£20 but better than that, isn't it at 20?

20, I'm bid. 25, I'm bid. 30, I'm bid.

35, I'm bid. 40, I'm bid.

-At £40, I'm bid.

-No, come on.

-Keep going, keep going, keep going.

-Where's the internet?

-At £40, I'm bid.

-Out?

-Are you sure? Happy enough with that? At £40.

-No mistake, then, at 40.

-All that for a fiver.

-Oh!

-It's just the way of the auction, Mark, but don't fret.

We've still got a way to go.

Hey, all hope is not lost.

No, it's not.

-Who is Hope, anyway?

-Where is she?

She might be outside enjoying the sun.

It's where we should be. I think she's just left in the car!

Never mind about Hope,

it's Christina's foldout Anthony next.

-I called him Tony.

-Tony? After whom?

-Anatomy.

Anato... anato-Tony!

20. 20 for the book. At £20, I'm bid. £20.

-Oh, 25.

-At £30, I'm bid, 35, I have.

-35.

-Yeah, right.

-£35, I'm bid. At £40, I'm bid.

On the internet, £40, I'm bid.

You're having another go. At £40, I'm bid.

Bid lies online at £40.

-Come on!

-No.

-Because it is great, actually.

-Really?

-No, I love it.

No, I do. Seriously.

-Down the hammer come.

-BOTH: Aw! Aw!

No, indeed.

What a shame. That's a real bargain for some lucky bidder.

Like a stake through my heart.

If I had a heart. I'll borrow his heart!

Onwards and upwards, eh? It's Mark's portrait miniature next.

£20, I'm bid. £20, I'm bid.

-Doubled your money already.

-We've got 20.

25 online. 25, I'm bid.

30 in the room. At £30, I'm bid.

-£30, I'm bid. £30, I have. The room holds it.

-Oh, no!

-Where's the internet?

-Anybody coming back out?

As 30, I'm bid. All out?

You're quite happy with that? At £30, and it's sold at £30, then.

Even though the portrait looks a bit glum, it's a sizeable profit.

Hey, that's not bad. £20 profit.

It's not bad, it's not bad, but I just thought, you know...

-Yeah.

-That might...

Takeoff. Yeah. I was hoping it might...

but must be grateful for a profit.

That's the spirit. Now, watch out.

It's the giant-sized jawbone next.

£30. £30 online.

Where would you get another? £30 I'm only bid.

Where would you get the pair? At £30, £40, I'm bid.

At £40, I'm bid. Bids online at £40, I'm bid.

At £40, I'm bid. 45 on commission.

It's not the kind of thing that the room would buy, though, is it?

It was 45 on commission...

Anybody want it now? It's cheaper, that!

How can you value it, really? £45, I'm bid.

-All done. You happy enough with that at 45?

-Oh.

-Oh!

-45, then.

Ouch! That's taken a bite out of Christina's profit.

-That was great, you know. I loved that.

-Well, me, too.

Sorry.

Dry your eyes, eh?

Mark's Home Guard practice rifle next.

It's great, because it's the right weight and I've never seen anything

-like it.

-50, I'll take.

£30, I'm bid. Thank you. 30, I'm bid. Oh, 30.

At £30 here on the commission book at 30, I'm bid.

35 on commission. 40 on commission. 45, I'm bid.

-50, I'm bid.

-Come on!

Five, 70. Five.

With you. 75, thank you.

-80, I'm bid.

-In a Home Guard museum, it would be brilliant.

80, I'm bid. At £80. Commission bid at £80.

-Oh, magic!

-At £80.

Anybody moving it along now, you sure?

At £80, it's sold at 80.

Great shot, Mark. Another profit.

-Well done.

-Well, know, I'm relieved.

There's not much profit in it, Christina,

but it sort of justifies why you bought it.

-Exactly.

-And somebody else appreciated it.

-Exactly.

-Next up, Christina's Southampton bus route indicator.

It would look great in a hallway, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

-Just on the wall.

-Oh, amazing.

Particularly if you lived near Bassett Junction.

Exactly, or if you lived, near, you know, near Special!

-Well!

-At £50, I'm bid.

Online at 50. And five in the room.

At 50, I'm bid. 55, I'm bid. 60, I'm bid. 65 in the room.

At 65, I'm bid.

A long way to go before I start make profit.

70, I'm bid. A £70 commission bid.

At £70. 75.

-Oh, in the room!

-And 80, I'm bid. £80, I'm bid. Shakes his head.

And five. 85.

-Oh!

-Oh!

-85, bid's there.

At £85 I'm bid. 90, anywhere? At £85 and it's sold.

-Buyer 72.

-Well...

-It could have been a lot worse.

It could have been a lot worse!

Yeah, it's not your day, Christina.

Sort of story of my life. Missed the bus!

It was a gamble, but a buy that didn't pay.

Next, Mark's Edwardian candlesticks.

20 for the two.

20, I'm bid. Thank you.

Well, we've got 20. I've got my money back.

Who wants them now at £20 I'm bid? 20, 25 I'm bid.

30, I'm bid. 35, I'm bid. At £35, I'm bid.

-At £35, I'm bid.

-That's all right, then.

-£35!

At £35, I'm bid.

You're out. You're sure? At £35 and they go.

Well, it's a profit.

That's a profit on every lot today for Mark.

You're an absolute golden boy today, aren't you?

He liked that, Christina. It's the last lot now.

Christina's gentleman's valet.

This could claw you back, because I know they are fashionable.

£20, the lot. £20.

-Come on.

-30. 35, 45.

-This is the internet.

-Aw, Lordy! Look!

-At £60 I'm bid.

-Oh! God, Christina!

-At 65, I can't believe it!

-65.

-£65!

At £65 I'm bid.

70, I'm bid. He goes on another five.

-Right, put the gavel down.

-Yeah!

£70, I'm bid.

And five again! At 75, I'm bid.

At £75, I'm bid.

80 anyway now? At £75, right, we're sure?

Hammer's up at £75, and it's sold.

-Well done, you!

-What a way to end, Christina!

It's the biggest profit of the day.

-Well, I'm blowed!

-Right, we'll do some sums?

Oh, do we have to? I was quite happy till now!

-Oh, really? Shall we just go and sit in the sun!

-Yeah.

Yeah! Let's find out who clinched victory today.

Christina began with £330.90.

And after auction costs, made a small loss of £36.30.

This gives Christina £294.60 to begin the penultimate leg.

Mark began with £273.90

and made a profit of £35.40,

so Mark wins today and now takes the lead

with a grand total of £309.30.

Christina!

You've got £15 ahead of me, I think.

So it's still all to play for?

It's all to play for, darling, into the next leg.

-All righty!

-Are you buckled up?

-I am and ready to get going again.

-Or should I say, belt up?

-Well, you do, regularly!

-Ready?

-Yeah.

-We're off.

Eh, cheerio, road trippers!

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip, Mark offers up a pearl of wisdom.

It could be worth thousands. It could be worth ten quid.

-Oh, my goodness!

-And Christina invests in the exotic.

-I just bought a dragon.

-As you do.