Episode 18 Antiques Road Trip

It's the nation's favourite antiques experts...

-What a job.

-..with £200 each...

-Are you with me?

-..a classic car...

-Buckle up.

-..and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

-Oh, sorry!

-Ha-ha.

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

-There'll be worthy winners...

-Yes!

-..and valiant losers.

So, will it be the high road to glory?

Or the slow road to disaster?

Have a good trip.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

Oh, don't you love the drone shots?

Hands up who knows where our road trippers are ploughing

their furrow today?

Mind the tractor, Raj.

Bossy.

Yes, we're back in the home of the tractor boys, sunny Suffolk,

with auctioneers Raj Bisram and Catherine Southon.

I must admit, you drive this car very well.

You're very relaxed, and it goes in and out of gear a lot easier.

These old-fashioned cars, though, you have to remember,

-I was probably around...

-When they invented the wheel!

Absolutely, absolutely.

Our MG BGT couple have had an eventful week already

and we're not even halfway through.

Raj has had his knockers.

-But they didn't do him much good.

-Another loss.

Because Catherine's so-so sewing paraphernalia was a runaway success.

-Good, yeah.

-That's good.

Yeah, it's good for you.

I got stitched up.

Like it, like it.

Well, it's nice to see they're still chums.

-Feeling good.

-I feel great.

Looking forward to... You should do.

I think it's all the money I've got in the boot.

We're going to need a van soon, aren't we, if you carry on like this.

Or a tractor, Raj.

From his original £200,

Raj now has £238 to spend today.

Catherine, meanwhile, has increased

her 200 pot to a whopping £390.14

and so starts this leg in the lead.

Don't worry, though, Raj, because I'm much better at playing catch-up.

I'm not very good at being out in the lead.

It's not a place I'm comfortable in cos it doesn't happen very often.

Sad but true.

Our road trip kicked off in Cambridge

and carries on around East Anglia

before winding both north and west

towards the Peak District,

then taking in the West Midlands to

finish up over 600 miles later in Bristol.

Today, we'll begin in the north-eastern corner of Suffolk,

in the small market town of Halesworth,

and end up at auction in Bourne, Lincolnshire.

First stop for Catherine is Blackdog Antiques. Sounds fun.

-See you later.

-You've got lots of money, have a great time.

-I haven't got that much.

-You have.

Well, Raj, compared to you, she has.

Look at that, the best of friends, at the moment.

-What an amazing building. I'm Catherine.

-Thank you. I'm Kate.

-Nice to meet you.

-It's fantastic.

-Have a look around.

We will, thank you.

This is a Grade II listed timber building, packed with antiques,

but will she be PINING for that elusive buy?

-Nice hat.

-Suits you, ma'am.

Think it looks much better on you.

Well, here we go. Has she spotted something else?

Oh, no, don't swig it.

That...is something that stands out.

I like that.

We've got a tin plate, probably Japanese,

1970s, very streamlined train.

I think... Yeah, looking at it,

it would've been part of a much bigger set.

There's loads of bits missing. I don't care, I like that.

I think that looks really good. Golden Falcon.

Ticket price is £22.

Do you think I'm mad? Maybe I am mad, but I like that.

Is that bird alive?

Let's leave her playing with her train

and catch up with her friendly rival.

He's driven six miles south to Yoxford.

Surrounded by beautiful parklands, the village boasts the much-deserved

title of the Garden of Suffolk.

But will Raj find a rare bloom or will it be forecourt flowers?

Oh, this is unusual.

I'm not going to pick it up because it is really, really heavy.

They've got it down as a cast-iron nameplate.

I think this is probably an 18th-century weight of some sort

and it's made by Saxby and Farmer.

More like 19th century, I should think.

They made railway signalling equipment.

It's got £30 on the ticket.

With the heavy metal playing on his mind,

he's come across something more refined.

Well, these are a little bit different.

Unusual. I've seen a lot of hatpins,

but these are very delicately decorated.

There is damage to them but, to be honest,

I've never seen a pair like these before.

I need to get the owner over here.

Yes, ticket price £50. Time to make plans with owner Nigel. Nigel!

These hatpins, do you know anything about them?

-Well, probably 19th-century.

-I would agree with that.

They are very ornate but they do have a little bit of damage to them.

Tiny bits from the micro-mosaic out there. But a proper antique.

-Definitely a proper antique.

-Which is nice to find.

-Absolutely.

What could you do them for?

You've picked something with my name on, haven't you?

-RAJ CHUCKLES

-Which means I can do you a deal.

-OK.

-OK.

They've been here a while, they've got a bit of damage to them.

I'm thinking 30.

Is that any good to you?

Well, I have to be honest,

I don't know a huge amount about hatpins,

but I do like them and they are a bit different.

How the damage is going to affect them selling, that I don't know.

-It is difficult.

-Micro-mosaic is expensive to repair.

What about...? I mean, I'll take a risk at 25.

-Yes, OK.

-Happy to do that for you.

-I can do that for you.

Brilliant. Thank you very much, Nigel. Thank you very much indeed. Fantastic.

So first deal under the belt.

Quite. That is Raj on a roll.

Plus Catherine has found something back in Halesworth.

But what, exactly?

These are quite interesting.

This is old lab equipment.

Or torture equipment.

So I guess we're talking prewar here.

This is something maybe like some medical apparatus

you would have had for maybe holding test tubes

or something like that. Interesting.

But saleable, I don't know? Are they commercial?

They've been here a long time, I know that

because they've got spiders' webs.

Nothing a quick dust down won't sort out.

How is Kate with creepy-crawlies?

-Right, something's slightly caught my eye, Kate.

-Yeah.

These apparatus. I think they're medical.

You've got £28 on them. Each.

-Right.

-Is there a good deal that can be done on three?

60, would that be any good?

I was thinking around, for the lot, sort of £25.

-I mean, they might come down and do 40.

-They're not yours?

-No, they're not mine.

-Oh, I see.

I can ring if you want, but I can't imagine them...

You can't see them going down.

-I mean, if you would not mind giving them a call.

-25 for the three?

Yes, or that sort of level. Thanks, Kate. Thank you.

That's almost a "buy one get two free" deal Catherine's pushing for.

Hang on, she's back.

Just spoken to the dealer.

He'll come down but he said, really, £10 each, so it is 30 for the three.

-Crikey, that's good.

-I don't think that's unreasonable at all,

-I really don't.

-I think it's a bargain.

-Enough dithering, then.

Remember, she's also keen on that tin-plate train.

OK, I've decided.

I do like these.

We said 30, the train you've got 22 on, what can you do on that?

We don't normally do much under the 20 mark.

-18?

-Right, OK.

I didn't see that. Has that always been there?

-Yes.

-I didn't see that.

Well, it's quite big.

That's quite nice, isn't it? I love the tripod base.

It's like Sputnik almost, isn't it?

It is, and I think that's where they've taken the influence from.

Let's take a peek at the price.

That's one's got 95 on it at the moment.

I like the "at the moment".

THEY LAUGH

Well, I'm assuming you want to deal.

65?

Could you do 100 for the whole lot?

-Yes, OK.

-Would that be all right?

-Yes, I think so.

-That's really kind.

-Excellent. Thank you.

-Thanks, Kate.

That breaks down to £15 for the train,

£30 for the scientific equipment, and the mannequin for £55.

-Well done, girl.

-Come on, darling. Raj is going to love you.

Well, depends on whether she makes a profit, I'd say.

I wonder what that old codger's up to.

There's a cast-iron nameplate,

I don't think it is a nameplate, actually.

I think it's some kind of weight for measuring.

-What's the name on it?

-It's got something and Farmer.

-Saxby and Farmer.

-That's the one. Saxby and Farmer.

Saxby and Farmer used to make items for railways.

-I think I already said that.

-Did they?

When we first saw it, we thought it was something agricultural.

-Right.

-But I think it's something of railway interest.

Possibly collectable by railway enthusiasts.

-OK.

-Which of course affects the price.

We don't know that for certain. Oh, dear. I don't like the sound of this already.

It's only got £30 on the ticket.

But I'm prepared to take a risk on that.

It's very heavy, you need to get rid of it.

-£15.

-Done.

-We've got a deal.

-Not a problem.

-Fantastic.

So £40 for the weight and the hatpins.

With Raj's first shop complete, it just remains for him to pack up.

Let's hope the MG's suspension is up to it.

22 miles up the road and we're back with Catherine,

who has found herself in the charming market town of Beccles,

nestled by the River Waveney.

She's come to hear about a Beccles woman who became one of Britain's

greatest scientists from former museum curator James Woodrow.

Hi, Catherine. Very nice to meet you.

-Jimmy Woodrow.

-Hi, Jimmy.

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin was a British chemist

whose pioneering work into the structure of penicillin

helped scientists around the world revolutionise the way we

develop drugs to treat life-threatening diseases.

From an early age, she was fascinated by science.

We're talking about the 1920s here.

Other little girls would probably be sitting there doing their embroidery

or sewing or playing shops or something like that,

-and she was fascinated by chemistry.

-Absolutely was.

When she was a little girl she used to cycle from Geldeston to Beccles,

buy all sorts of chemicals from the chemist, cycle back,

up into the loft of their house and make her experiments.

Young Dorothy came from a long line of local doctors, and her parents

encouraged her interests.

Her father had felt that she should go to a state school,

so he sent her to Beccles Grammar school.

At that time, of course, they had chemistry lessons but mostly for boys.

-Yes.

-However, Beccles Grammar School had a female science teacher

and she allowed Dorothy and her friend Norah Pusey

to join in the chemistry classes.

Obviously, being a female teacher, she nurtured these two girls.

In the late 1920s, Dorothy went on to study at Oxford and Cambridge.

So, enlighten me, what did Dorothy do next at Oxford?

Initially, she was interested in penicillin

and two scientists in America

were able to extract two crystals from penicillin,

which they sent to Dorothy.

She then set them up on her X-ray machine and took X-ray plates

through from different angles,

which she then had to interpret whatever type of atoms they were.

Dorothy studied a technique known as crystallography,

a method used to determine

the three-dimensional structure of molecules.

Among her most important finds

was confirmation of the structure of penicillin.

Forgive me, but when I think of penicillin,

I always think of Alexander Fleming.

So where does Dorothy come into this?

Alexander Fleming discovered the potential of penicillin,

which had to be extracted from various things,

the most prolific one was melons.

It was not easy taking penicillin out of it.

Dorothy tried to find out the actual atomic set-up of the penicillin.

Ah, OK. So she worked out the structure of the penicillin.

Yes, and having worked that out, other scientists could then make

variations of penicillin.

Right. Is that what this is here?

-Yes.

-All these little atoms of hydrogen and oxygen

and what have you, all together, that makes up penicillin.

And they have to be linked exactly in that format.

If you took this up, essentially,

-and muddled it all up and put it down again, it wouldn't...

-It'd make something else.

Her innovative technique enabled Dorothy to crack the formula

for many more things,

including vitamin B12, steroids and, eventually,

some 35 years later, insulin.

Nowadays, the protein database lists over 56,000 structures which were

solved using the technique she pioneered.

How on earth can you possibly come up with that?

-I mean, it's just fascinating, isn't it?

-Absolutely.

It's incredible.

She was doing it before electron microscopes.

Now you can see individual atoms, but she couldn't.

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin was twice commemorated on British postage

stamps and, in 1964, awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

She remains one of only four women to have ever won the prize.

We should be celebrating who she was. What an achievement.

Not only her achievements, it is the dedication,

the motivation and everything she put into it.

Thanks to Dorothy,

crystallography has become the very core of structural science, and her

work, ground-breaking at the time, continues to be relevant today.

Another genius who can drive.

I think my best buy was definitely the weight.

I only paid £15 for it so, with a bit of luck,

there could be a bit of catching up there.

But we'll have to WEIGHT and see.

Get that, WEIGHT and see? Sorry.

Yes, Raj, I think we got it.

Raj is headed to the small but perfectly formed village of

Thorpeness for his second shop of the day.

Developed by Scotsman Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie

into a private fantasyland,

the village is a quirky landmark on the Suffolk map,

and our lucky boy has the Thorpeness Emporium all to himself.

There are over 30 dealers in here, with lots of collectables,

but what exactly is Raj looking for?

If I can find some Clarice Cliff, Susie Cooper,

things like that where they're going to attract a lot of attention

online, it could do well.

It's all right if you've got the bottle for it. Ha!

I've just spotted this Susie Cooper vase.

I presume it's a Susie Cooper vase.

It is, it is signed clearly on the bottom.

Susie Cooper is very, very popular.

She is one of our great designers, this was probably made in the 1930s.

It is going to help me catch up with Catherine? Possibly.

There are Susie Cooper collectors out there.

This isn't a run-of-the-mill Susie Cooper, either.

In fact, at the bottom of the cabinet,

there is a plate, it's just got a fiver on it

and it is Susie Cooper as well.

But those are the designs that are quite common

and it's part of a dinner service as well.

This is unique cos it is a one-off piece.

It's got £120 on the ticket. I think that's quite high.

There's a little bit of damage here but a very little bit of damage.

I need to speak to the owner.

I wondered whose this is.

-This is John's, actually.

-It is yours, is it?

-Yes.

-John, I really like it.

I do like it. The only thing I don't really like about it is the price.

Surprise, surprise.

It actually has got a little bit of damage just there.

-Can you see that bit's missing there?

-Yes, yes.

-Just across there.

If I were to offer you £40 for it, would that be...?

How does that sound?

Low. 50?

What about splitting it in the middle and calling it 45?

-Yeah.

-Yes?

-All right.

-Thank you very much indeed, then.

Thank you, John. Brilliant. I bought something. Fantastic.

That is the point, Raj.

Every time I see a buddha, it reminds me of Anita.

I see absolutely no physical resemblance at all.

This, look at this, this stands out.

It's Portuguese.

Looks like a French copy to me.

I mean, it's not got any great age to it,

it's 20th century and it's only got £15 on it.

If I can get this for a fiver,

and even if it only sells for £20 to £30,

it's helping me catch Catherine.

It is good quality. Somebody else is going to see that.

I mean, that is good quality.

Well, you've convinced yourself, Raj.

Back to John and Julia, then.

It's Portuguese. I would say is probably '50s, maybe even '40s.

It could be a little bit earlier, I'm not sure.

But I do know one thing, it's good quality.

Yes, you did say that.

-£5.

-Ooh.

-What about ten?

-I will go up to eight.

-All right, then.

-Fantastic, then. £8 we have, then.

-OK.

Well, that was civilised, wasn't it?

That'll be two pots to add to his hatpins and the railway weight,

bringing today's shopping to a close.

We're going to Ipswich, I don't know what Ipswich is like.

-Party town.

-Is it?

I've no idea, but we'll make it a party town.

-We'll have our own little party.

-Absolutely.

I'd advise an early night for you two.

Nighty-night.

Good morning from sunny Suffolk.

It's the next day and our fresh-faced duo

are up and fully focused on the day ahead.

Little piggies.

Well, that didn't last long.

-Look at those lovely pigs.

-We've got to go and see them.

-They're not small pigs, though, are they?

-Massive.

Are there famous Suffolk pigs?

-I don't know.

-I know in some counties they have, like,

the black-spotted pig and the...

..curly tailed...

Goes wee, wee, wee all the way home.

..ugly pig, I'm not sure.

Best to ask the others.

I think they've spotted us, Catherine, come on, let's go.

-They know what we had for breakfast.

-Yeah, I think they do. Come on.

Come on. Right.

So far, Catherine has bought three lots -

the Japanese train, the clamp stands and the mannequin -

leaving her with £290.14.

Do you think I'm mad? Maybe I am mad, but I like that.

Not at all. Raj bought his 19th-century hatpins

and the Saxby and Farmer railway weight, plus the Susie Cooper

and Portuguese vases, giving him £198 left to spend.

And go on and on...

-That is good quality.

-..and on.

Catherine and Raj finally start their work in Snape.

Together, they'll be shopping

in Snape Antiques and Collectors Centre. How lovely.

Don't I just bring you to all the best places?

You do, don't you? What a lovely, lovely view this is.

It is absolutely gorgeous.

-Wow.

-It's almost a shame to shop.

-It is, really.

-Don't you feel like...?

-Skipping.

-Are we going to skip?

-I feel happy.

Just the sort of day I need to skip.

Quick, get inside, I think the sun might have got to them.

So, what do we think, day-trippers?

This place is oozing with gorgeous gems.

Now, I need a shopping basket to fill it up.

Gosh, who'd you think I am, Dale Winton?

I have to show you this.

This is one of the best things I have seen on the road trip.

This is, essentially, a propelling pencil.

People collect propelling pencils,

just the cylinder ones, just the straightforward ones.

But to have a novelty one like this, I think is absolutely beautiful.

I'm completely in love with this.

I think it's actually a flintlock pistol,

I think that's what it's trying to be.

The way that it has been made, the detail there, wonderful.

Date of this from the scrolling on the handle,

I would say is probably mid-Victorian.

And the icing on the cake, this is by Sampson and Mordan.

Sampson and Mordan basically co-invented the propelling pencil.

£110.

If there's any negotiation...

..I think it's mine.

Love it.

She may be smitten, but has Raj fallen for anything yet?

Ooh, look at this.

Ooh!

This takes me back. When I had hair.

I wonder if Catherine will recognise me!

Hang on a minute. I'm going to look for her.

# Boogie nights. #

Catherine.

What do you think?

This is me 30 years ago.

-What is it?

-I'm not sure. It's really soft, though, isn't it?

Any advice on something I can buy to beat you?

I think this is great, a great start.

-Good luck.

-You too.

-See you later.

-Bye.

Yes, Raj...enough with the dressing up.

You need to get back in the game.

This is quite nice.

It's a little antique silver blue-enamelled sword brooch,

which is quite pretty.

Ticket price £49.

That's lovely. Can you imagine a lady wearing this?

Husband does something wrong,

out with the sword. Kkk-kkk!

Oh, Raj, really.

I wonder what Peter can do that for.

-Peter, hi.

-Hi, Raj.

-I really quite like this.

This is a lovely little enamelled brooch.

It might appeal to a jewellery collector,

also to people who collect swords.

If that could be £20, I've got a chance.

The nearest I'm going to get to you is a long way off,

which is about 35.

What about if I went up to 25?

I'll split the difference with you, 30.

-£30?

-£30.

-I'll shake your hand.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much, Peter.

-Thank you.

So, Raj has his pin.

Has Catherine got any more teeny, tiny items?

-Hi, Sandra.

-Hello.

-Hi.

These are quite nice because they're tape measures which are in the form

of novelty things, which I always like.

They've done OK for me in the past, so I just couldn't resist them,

especially that one in the form of a coffee-grinder.

-Yes, it's nice.

-Gorgeous.

The handle on that one is slightly bent

and if you look at the champagne one, the actual tape measure itself,

the numbers have been redone.

-Yeah, yeah.

-So people who are collecting novelty tape measures

like them to be in good condition.

Yes.

Yep, we get the idea.

That one's got...

-46.

-46 on.

-And that one's got more on, 68.

-68.

My thought was, for those, to offer maybe around 70 for the two.

I don't know what they'll do on that, because that one's a lot less.

-Yeah, I would have to ring and ask her.

-OK.

This I think is charming, the little propelling pencil.

That is also hers.

Ah, right, OK.

-May I ask for 70 as well for the pistol?

-Yeah.

-OK, I'll see what I can do.

-That would be lovely.

So, what will she make of Catherine's offer of £140

for all three items?

160.

Could we split the difference and say 150?

Would you do 150, Anna?

Yeah? That's great, thank you, bye.

-Yes, she will.

-That's fantastic, thank you very much indeed.

They are large notes for small items,

at least there's no problem fitting them in the car.

Leaving Catherine to peruse her possessions in peace,

Raj has travelled ten miles south to Sink Farm in Hollesley for an

encounter with an altogether more equine companion,

in the shape of one of the great breeds of British work horse,

the Suffolk Punch.

I always thought it was a lawn mower.

-Hello there.

-Hello, Raj.

-Hello.

-Hello, I'm Philip Ryder-Davies...

Philip Ryder-Davies is the chairman of the Suffolk Punch Trust,

a charity dedicated to preserving the majestic but endangered breed.

Philip, these beautiful, beautiful horses.

What were they are actually bred for?

Well, these essentially did farm work, so ploughing, harvest,

you know, all the things related to growing crops, really.

Some worked in towns.

In fact, the Suffolk Punch's unique body shape

made it ideal for farm work.

They've got a very deep-set body on what looked like short legs,

but the legs are a bit of an optical illusion,

because the body is so deep. Now, the horse has no muscles in its legs.

All the muscles are in the body.

So when you look at these, if you look at the rear end of them,

for example, it's a massive rear end. That's the engine, really.

So the muscles in that mass,

that's where the power comes from, and they are seriously strong.

One of the oldest breeds of horses in Britain,

the Suffolk Punch played a key role in agriculture for centuries and

helped shape the rural landscape.

And what sort of qualities did these horses have

that made them so good at this work?

These horses could easily pull a tonne with no problem at all,

really, and of course they'll plough all day too.

In most parts of Great Britain,

horses worked and had a break in the middle of the day, but these horses

-would just keep going.

-But the industrialisation of farming and the

introduction of the tractor has meant their numbers have declined

so drastically that they are now

considered to be critically endangered.

I guess because of industrialisation,

the motor vehicle, you know,

they were being made redundant, really, weren't they?

Of course. Some of the big farms round here had 70 working Suffolks

on them and some of those went in a day.

And, of course, there was no market for them,

so they were all slaughtered.

With only 70 breeding mares left in the country and just 25 foals being

born this year, the numbers are cause for concern,

making the trust's role truly invaluable

if the Suffolk Punch is to survive.

Well, I'd certainly like to see a little bit of how they work.

And we'd be very pleased to show you.

-It's not dangerous or anything, is it?

-A little bit.

Good, let's go, then.

I do hope that jacket's going to be all right.

-Hello, I'm Emma.

-Don't let it go.

This is Oaken, he's 15, semi retired.

-He's done this for a good few years now.

-I'll say hello first.

So, we'll grab our reins.

Good lad, Oak.

We'll head towards the back of him.

-Good boy.

-Good idea, that.

Well, I haven't asked you yet, have I, bud?

There's four very basic commands that he knows,

so when I ask him to walk on, he should hopefully go.

Don't mention walk on.

And then it will be "Oakhen, whoa" to come to a stop.

We use "cup" for left and "whist" for right.

-Well, let's give it a go, then.

-There we go.

-Look out.

-So, when you're ready.

-Oakhen, walk on.

-Oaks, walk on. Walk on.

-Walk on.

-This is marvellous!

-Walk on, Oak.

-Give him a shove.

-Don't be naughty.

-Good boy, Oaken.

-Nice job, Raj.

It takes you right back.

Good. Oaken, cup, cup.

Cup, that's it, left.

-Good boy.

-Stop.

-Stop.

Oh, gosh, "stop" doesn't work.

-Good boy.

-Hang on.

-Oaken, whoa.

Whoa, whoa.

I'm a natural. What do you think, Emma?

Perfect. That is incredibly good for the first time

and he was perfectly behaved.

He was, and you are a brilliant teacher.

Thank you so much. I've had a fantastic time today.

What we call a walk-on part, that.

Meanwhile, Catherine has taken our route

to the charming town of Woodbridge,

once home to Saxon kings, and close to the most famous British UFO

sightings of the 20th century at RAF Woodbridge.

But will Catherine spot any unidentified foreign objects

in the local antiques centre?

She has £140.14 flying around somewhere in her purse.

-Hi there, hi, Catherine.

-Natalie. Lovely to meet you.

-Lovely shop.

Last time she said that, she splashed out £100.

I have come to buy probably something to add to something I've already bought.

Oh, no, not another mannequin?

Oh, that's interesting.

Not sewing at all, but what is it?

This is a novelty propelling pencil a bit like I've just bought.

Yep, just what you need, two novelty propelling pencils.

The thing is, about this one, it's not silver.

The one I bought before was silver. This is just brass.

This is £33.

If I buy this, it could actually detract from the pistol.

You wouldn't want to be detracted, would you?

No, it's not for me.

Well, keep your eyes peeled, then.

Ooh, thimble.

That's quite nice, with the little shield on.

Thimble, thimble on the wall.

Catherine's eyesight's 20-20.

If I could possibly buy that.

Is there anything else that you've got?

We've got some more sewing pieces in this one.

There's a couple of pin cushions here.

Maybe we could put them together if you were looking for a little lot?

That could be possible. That one's got 22 on.

-You've got 20 and 18.

-What kind of price were you thinking for the three?

Could you do 25 for all three?

-25?

-Yes, I think that's probably my limit, to be honest.

That's a bold offer.

-I think we can do that for you.

-Can you?

-Yes.

Oh, Natalie, you are lovely.

That's really kind of you, thank you.

Yes, Natalie, lovely.

So that's the thimble, two pin cushions,

which at full price would cost £60, all sewn up for just 25.

Nice work, you two.

-Thank you, Natalie, thank you.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.

They're all shopped out, time for a catch-up.

The thing is, it could all change now.

I mean, I'm just slightly ahead,

but now, in this auction, who knows?

-How much ahead are you?

-I don't know, it doesn't really matter.

What's a few pounds between friends?

Indeed, indeed.

Time for some shut-eye, methinks.

Morning, all. Today, our experts wind up in Lincolnshire.

After starting off near the coast in Halesworth,

Catherine and Raj have travelled over 100 miles west towards

an auction in beautiful Bourne.

Amongst its famous natives

is fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth,

born in 1825 and considered to be the father of haute couture.

And talking about style icons, here they are.

I've got a good feeling about today. I feel all positive.

Well, I do, too, but I've got to do some catching up, to be honest.

Oh, we'll be good.

Well, there's nothing like a bit of healthy competition.

Today's auction house is the family run

Golding, Young & Mawer.

Catherine purchased five items, shelling out £275.

Meanwhile, Raj has spent £123 on his five lots,

so that was quite a haul.

But what do our experts make of each other's purchases?

I think they are really cute.

I particularly like this little bottle, this little tape measure.

I think that is really, really dinky.

These hatpins are one of those things that you look at

from a distance and you think, "Wow, they are good,"

and then you pick them up...

..and then you look at them a bit closer.

They are silver, filigree

and they are all porcelain painted,

but they're not actually that fantastic quality.

Catherine told me she was going to take some risks.

And she really hasn't, because this is playing it safe for her.

But I love it. And it should do very well for her.

Do you know what I think the best thing is about this?

It's probably the box.

It's a really nice box.

As far as the objects go, I don't really like them that much.

Oh, Catherine. And Raj was playing so nicely, too.

In charge of proceedings today is auctioneer Colin Young.

Have any of our experts' lots caught his eye?

This wonderful little piece of Samson Morden.

It's got repousse, rococo finish to the stock,

and then the big surprise is that, for such a small item,

it will expand out and you've got this great pencil.

Susie Cooper, what a name to conjure with.

It's got period, it's likely to realise maybe £40, £60.

It tens rather than hundreds.

One of the more basic designs and also, there's a few sort of

interesting misses with the paintbrush on it as well,

so I wouldn't say it was first quality.

So, will those hatpins burst Raj's bubble and will anyone know what to

make of Catherine's prewar clamp stand?

It's seriously crazy here.

Have you seen how many people are here?

It's packed, absolutely packed, isn't it? Wow, it's fantastic.

Nice to see you blend in with the sofa, by the way.

Yes, well, I thought I'd wear red today

because red is my winning colour.

Or a sign for danger.

First up are Catherine's peculiar stands.

Ten? Thank you. Ten is bid, 12 is bid, 15, 18, 20. Two bid.

Five bid. 28. 30. Two. Five.

32 seated. Five now. Five. Fresh bidder. 38 now. 35.

-Ah.

-That's all right.

-That's all right.

-Blimey, that's brilliant.

-It's not that good, it's £5 profit.

-I don't believe it!

-At £40, I'm bid. Two now, surely.

-Keep going.

At £40. Two now, do I see? At 40 I'm bid.

£40, last call now. At 40 and done. 40.

That's all right.

Well done.

Good start. Someone must know what they're used for.

You paid 30 for them. I thought you might make a £29 loss.

Yeah, I thought I was going to make... A £20 loss!

Next, Raj's sword brooch in an old box.

-£20. £20, I'm bid. Two do I see now?

-Come on.

-At £20, second row has it. At £20.

-What?!

-This seems so cheap.

-It is so cheap.

-22. 25. 28. And 30. And two.

No. At £30 bid.

-No, come on.

-Oh, no.

I could see this making 50, £60, surely!

Second row, at £30, I'm done.

They look like the sort of people that would've liked that brooch as

well. Maybe they didn't see it properly.

-Well, it is quite small.

-I'd have bought that.

I would've bought that.

-Well, you did.

-I did. You're right, I did.

Let's see if Catherine's mannequin can pull in a decent figure.

-20 is bid. At 20. 25, 30, 35.

-It's going to go.

Look, they're starting to bid now. Here we go.

Five. 55, 60. And five. 65, 70. 75 bid. 80, for all the other bidders.

-Come on!

-75 is bid in the middle of the room. At £75, are we all done?

-What about the internet?

-75, last call.

Lady's bid, going at £75.

-Yeah.

-I'm happy at that.

-You've got to be happy with that.

-Whoo!

She's relieved to have got rid of that dummy!

-You can't take her out now. She's gone.

-She's gone.

Raj's quality vase is next.

Ten. Ten. What do you want to bid for it? £10. Ten is bid. 12 is bid.

-15 now. 15 bid. No?

-Oh, come on!

Any more now? We're at 12. 13. 13. 14.

-Oh, this is interesting.

-15. 16. 16.

-17 now. 16 I'm bid. No. 16 done. At 16...

-You have doubled your money.

No, it's not over yet. I tell you.

At 17. 18 and up now. And then at £17. No more?

-I doubled up.

-Yeah, you more than doubled up.

I can't complain at that.

You've got nothing to whine about there, then.

As they say, muy bueno.

-That's Spanish.

-I know! I don't know Portuguese.

Next, Catherine's Japanese toy train.

-£20 first in. 20, we've got a bid. 22 now.

-Oh.

-Do you want to bid at

-22?

-In profit already.

-Look at what we're selling. At £20 on the mark.

-Yeah.

-It's the maiden bid. Some action on the internet.

22. 25. No. At 22 bid. At 22.

Anyone going to bid five anywhere? Last call on the net, then,

selling it at £22.

Might have been a second-class ticket but...

Oh, goodness!

-Catherine's train just managed to avoid the buffers.

-Phew.

And talking of trains, how will Raj's bit of railway armour go down?

Let's start with £30. It'd probably scrap for that. £30. 30.

20 to go, then, surely. £20, who's going to be first to bid?

-20. £20.

-Oh.

-20. Ten, surely. £10.

-Oh, no.

-Ten?

-Only needs a few pounds.

-Needs more than a few pounds.

Five. Five! Five will do. Good stuff.

-Flipping hell.

-£6. £8. Ten, 12, 15, 18.

-20.

-There you go. Where did that come from?

It's all gone crazy all of a sudden.

-At £18. 20 now.

-Bit more, bit more. Little bit more.

-Get a profit.

-£18. 19, nobody at 19 now? 18, last call, then.

You are all out in the room? Commission bidder takes it.

Then sold at £18.

It's worth more than that in scrap. It was...

Don't worry, Raj.

Never mind, Raj, you're not on the scrapheap.

I just thought that was my...

..piece de resistance.

Will Catherine's sewing collection be hers?

-£100. 100. 50 if you like. £50, anybody?

-Oh, no.

-50. 30 to go, then, surely.

-Oh, no.

-30 then. 35.

-Finally.

-40, 45. 50, five, 60.

-Five, 70, five.

-It's still less than I paid.

-75 on the internet.

-Still going.

-80 and five.

£80, I'm bid. The bid is in the room at 80. 85.

-I need a bit more than that.

-85. Any more bids now?

-At 85 I'm bid. The bid's on the internet.

-Oh, come on.

At £85, the bid's on the net. 90. £90 bid. I'll offer you two again.

-£90 bid. Two now do I see?

-Come on.

At £90. You're all out in the room?

-Nearly there.

-Come on.

-90.

-Surely more.

-That's bid on the net.

-Sometimes less is more,

and I kept adding to the lot and buying more and more.

-I should have just stopped.

-Stuck with what you had, yeah.

"Less is more" is not something you often hear at auction.

Your judgment was right. They are good things to buy.

I'm going to start looking at sewing things like that.

I'm not sure they are, actually, after now.

Now, will Raj's Susie Cooper be super-duper?

Sort of muddy-ish colour.

-OK.

-Nice colours.

-If you like mud.

I'm getting a hint that you are trying to say something

nice about it.

50. 30? What do you want to bid for it? 30. £20? £20 bid.

-Uh-oh.

-There you go. She likes Susie Cooper.

-30 bid, 35.

40. Five. Add £40 bid. Any more now? 40.

I'll offer you two, sir. At £40. The lady's bid at 40. 42. 45 on the net.

-There you go.

-50 now.

-You've got profit.

-50 bid.

Five, five, 60. 50 quid bid.

-I can't...

-Quickly, quickly.

-Offer you two now.

Oh, dear. He called it colourful. I just love it.

At 62 bid. Five now is bid. 65. 68?

-No. At 65.

-How does that make that?

65, are we all done?

No more from the room, then. On the net selling at £65.

That's an amazing price.

Well, somebody loved it.

You called it muddy, didn't you? You called it muddy.

It's Catherine's last lot of the day,

the Victorian silver novelty pencil.

-Ooh, I'm nervous.

-This is my favourite lot of yours.

-Yeah!

-I love this.

-I'm really nervous about this pencil.

100 for it? 100? £50 to go, then.

50, everybody. Let's get off. 50? 50 is bid.

Five now. 60. 60, five, 70, five.

80 is bid. We have more than one bidder. 85. 90.

-We're back to normal now.

-Please.

-95, surely.

-My 90 is in the room.

-No.

-At £90.

I'll offer two for anybody else now then.

At £90. Keep your powder dry, come in at the end.

I really thought this would make so much more.

Last call, then, selling in the room at £90.

-It's a profit, isn't it?

-Yeah, but it's...

It's a profit. It's a profit.

It is, Raj, but some lucky bidder has got a bargain there.

I take that quite personally, actually, because I really...

-You mustn't.

-I liked that.

They may not be Catherine's cup of tea, but last up are Raj's hatpins.

You said, "I like the box."

Yeah, no, I do! I do like the box.

Where are we going to be for those? Who wants to start me at £80?

£80?! You're having a laugh.

-85, 90, 95.

-Are these mine?

-What?!

-What?

-Is he really saying 90? Surely 100 now.

-No!

£95. Last call for everybody. I will sell. Make no mistake.

The bid is on the internet and we sell at £95.

-They want the box.

-Was that my hairpin?

-Hang on, it's not over yet.

-It was up to 110.

110 before the hammer fell.

-At 110.

-He's opened it again.

-Good.

Going now at 110.

You are a genius.

It's not going to happen again.

I'm pleased for you, my friend.

Crikey! Well done.

You can certainly tip your hat to that.

Well, with a bit of luck, what would be nice is that we were very evens

-now.

-I think we might be very evens.

-Come on, you, let's go and do some maths.

-OK. Let's go.

That's hilarious.

Titter ye not. Time to do some sums.

Catherine started with £390

and although she made a loss of £15.06 after auction costs

today, she still has £385.08.

Raj began this leg with £238 and he made a tremendous profit of £73.18

after auction costs, thanks to those pins.

So he finishes with an impressive £311.80

and is declared today's winner. Bravo!

I think I can say I don't understand that.

I do not understand that. That was like...whoo.

-That was more than a roller-coaster.

-Well, I'm starting to get back, OK.

I am still behind, but I won this one. But it's all to play for.

-Oh, it is.

-Come on, let's go.

-Come on.

Next time, deepest Derbyshire...

The sign to Bakewell. Let's go there.

-..Raj gets distracted...

-I would love to have a Bakewell tart.

-..and while some like it hot...

-MM, Marilyn Monroe.

-..Raj's deal...

-I'm going to offer a fiver.

-..go down the pan.

-Isn't this something you pee in?

-It is.

But who will find antiques...

Scooping this up...

-..for auction glory?

-Ching-ching.