Episode 19 Antiques Road Trip

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

-What a job.

-..with £200 each...

-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!

It's just over the midway point for our daring duo,

experts Catherine Southern...

-I'm your chauffeur.

-..and a specialist in scientific instruments, by the way.

And Raj Bisram, who runs a busy saleroom in Kent.

I can do the wipers.

You're just the co-pilot. Wipers on, dear.

Do you like being told what to do?

Ha! They're in deepest Derbyshire,

home to the Bakewell tart and inspiration for

Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice. The two are not connected, I think!

There's a stone, isn't there, that comes from Derbyshire?

A very famous stone.

-Oh, um...Blue John.

-That's it, Blue John.

-Blue John, that's what I'm going to buy.

-You see? I've given you another, ANOTHER heads up.

It's the penultimate road trip for our MGB-ers,

so is it time to splash the cash or play it safe?

Let's see.

All I ask is that you're going to spend a bit of money today.

I am, I am, definitely, I'm going to have a lovely lunch.

But...

He is naughty.

And likes to hold on to his pennies.

I would like you, by the end of today, to say to me,

"Catherine, I have spent £200 on one item."

-Really?

-Oh, that would make my day.

Yeah, I bet it would, I bet it would!

From his original £200,

Raj has increased his pot to a whopping £311.80.

While Catherine, who began with the same sum, now has £375.08.

As I'm shortly about to go into the lead,

I think I might buy you dinner.

Whoa, whoa! Don't count your chickens, Raj!

We are totting up the miles on this road trip,

which started off in Cambridge and carried on around East Anglia,

before heading both north and west, towards the Peak District.

The trip will continue through the West Midlands to finish up

over 600 miles later in Bristol.

Today, we begin in the Amber Valley,

in the town of Sandiacre,

and end at auction in Middle Littleton, in Worcestershire.

And Catherine, good egg that she is,

is dropping Raj off at his first shopping stop,

Sandiacre Antiques.

-Perfecto.

-Perfect. Wish me luck.

My first item, £65 profit.

Happy shopping. Be thrifty.

You don't need to tell him twice!

With just £60 or so separating our experts, it's game on!

Raj, what's the plan?

I'm not going to take too many risks this time.

I'm just going to buy things that maybe can make me 10, £20.

That's all I'm kind of looking for.

But, you never know,

you might find that one thing that can make you a lot of money.

These are really nice early tennis rackets,

this one is an actual Dunlop one, and it's got its brace with it,

which you don't often see.

The ones that you really want to collect

are the ones that have got fishtail handles,

the handle looks like a fishtail,

they can be worth somewhere between 50 to £100.

So, it's "out" for the tennis rackets,

but any pointers where Raj might serve up an ace?

Oh, now, that's helpful.

They are quite reasonably priced, they are commemorative plates,

but what's unusual about them is that they look

as if they are porcelain, or fine China.

But, actually, they are made of tin.

At least you won't break them.

-Look out.

-To be honest, they look better from a distance...

-Don't we all?

-..than they do close up. They are made by Portlandware,

this is Queen Elizabeth II, obviously, and Prince Philip there.

They are from the 1950s.

They're in good condition

and, hopefully, they should make at auction 10 to £15.

So cheap, Raj.

Are you sure that's not treason?

We'll leave Raj to ponder his tin plates and catch up with Catherine,

who's taken our route eight miles north to Heanor,

and Heanor Antiques Centre in the Amber Valley.

-Hello. Hi.

-Hi! Who might you be?

-Lovely to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you. You are?

-I'm Jane.

-Hello, Jane. I'm Catherine.

-And I'm Tim!

Catherine has four floors of antiques to explore here,

and around 200 dealers' stock to wade through.

Time to get a shifty on, eh? Look at all that lot.

Look what I found, now this is something that really floats my boat.

So this China was made for first-class passengers, the diners,

of the Olympic and the Titanic.

This one is not from the Titanic,

it's probably something that was made for diners of the Olympic.

A little butter pat.

And I think that's so lovely.

This turquoise and brown pattern is not particularly attractive in my

mind, but it's something that if you see it, pounce on it,

because it's something that is always worth buying.

However, this little butter pat, £225.

So, today, it is not for me.

-WHISPERING:

-But I love it.

Well, that is one gone down the river, then.

Fear not, Jane may have something Catherine could fancy.

What about this, Catherine?

-Oh, that's pretty.

-It's a Georgian pin brooch.

-Sea pearls.

-Sea pearls are natural pearls, measuring

less than two millimetres in diameter,

perfect for jewellery and chopping in half.

I think it's lovely, delightful, is it yours?

-Yes.

-What sort of price are you asking?

-70.

SHE GULPS

Was that a gulp, Catherine?

-I can probably negotiate a bit on it.

-Can you? I like it a lot...

But not anywhere near...

What about...50?

Shall we put that to one side as a possibility? I do like it,

let me just pop that in there.

-Thank you very much.

-I'll put it on the counter for you.

-Lovely.

Hm. Still plenty to rootle through, though. Look out, what's this?

What has caught my eye...

..is this.

First of all, you might think a very boring pair of binoculars.

And, yes, they are. They're French, they're towards the end of the 19th century,

and the actual barrels themselves are not decorated.

They're a sort of ivory, creamy colour and, quite frankly, boring.

But what is interesting is this delightful handle,

but I have never seen one like that, that's painted with a cherub.

Really unusual.

It might actually not be associated with this pair of binoculars,

it's a really nice handle.

Don't like the binoculars, love the handle.

£58.

Time to see Jane.

I found a pair of opera glasses with the handle, I'll be honest with you,

Jane, I really don't like the opera glasses at all.

-No.

-But I love the handle.

-Yes, it's lovely.

OK, this is marked up at 58,

I wondered if we could do a deal on the two.

I'll give you an offer, tell me what you think.

How does £40 on the two sound?

Sounds cheeky to me.

-On the two?

-Is that a bit too cheeky?

45, and you've got a deal.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Jane, that's fantastic.

-Well, that was unexpected.

So, that's £20 for the plain opera glasses with the decorative handle,

and 25 for the sea pearl brooch.

That is an excellent first shop.

-Thank you, lovely to see you.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

Let's see if Raj has found anything

other than tin plates back in Sandicare.

Well, we're going to the countryside.

This is quite a nice-looking walking stick.

Ticket price, £14.

I would be quite happy to walk around with this.

It's nice that it's got the horn handles on it,

it's even got a copper collar there as well.

And to be honest, I'm going back to my old ways,

I'm going to offer a fiver.

Oh, Raj!

Catherine said to be thrifty, not mean.

Is dealer Christina feeling generous? Stand by.

-Those two commemorative plates.

-Mm-hm.

They're not normally my kind of thing but what's so nice about them

is, cos I know they're tin, and they're really well done.

-Very unusual.

-They look like porcelain plates.

If I could buy those for a fiver...

OK.

-What you think?

-Yeah.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, happy with that.

OK. I think that the auction is in the country.

-Lots of people go walking, and I've seen a walking stick, which is quite nice.

-Uh-oh...

Gird your loins, girl.

Could you do the two items for £10?

OK...

Um...

For you, yes.

Are you sure? You're happy with that?

-Yes.

-In that case, I am going to shake your hand.

-OK.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

-I found something in the end.

-Good.

Raj has bagged himself two tin plates and a walking stick for a tenner.

That's cheap. Who knows what Catherine will have to say about that?

Taking a break from shopping, Catherine has made her

way to the southeastern edge of the Peak District,

and the National Tramway Museum, in the village of Crich.

She has come to learn about

the inspirational women who kept Britain moving during World War I,

and how their contribution to the war effort led

to the first-ever strike for equal pay for women.

Oh, I think that's my tram!

Hello.

I'm Catherine.

I'm Laura, I'm the curator here at the National Tramway Museum.

-Shall we go for a ride?

-Love to.

Trams like the Chesterfield would have been in use when the Great War

brought great change.

Especially for some women.

The tramways were very supportive of the war effort,

they released men to go fight,

they encouraged people to actually join up and enlist.

They were struggling to run the trams, therefore

you have this massive shift, for the first time,

women are actually on board the trams, crewing them.

Initially, the tramway managers were resistant to the idea of women

working on trams,

citing the physical work and even unruly passengers as too much for their

female sensibilities.

However, the need for trams to keep moving outweighed any objections.

You know, you get loads of cases where, actually,

you hear the women saying they are really enjoying the work.

I bet they did, though, cos such a change from their normal work.

Women proved that they were every bit as capable as the men they replaced.

One job was to switch the connector pole at the end of the line to allow

the tram to do a return trip and travel in the opposite direction.

-What do I do?

-If you want to grab hold of the end of the rope first of all, and take it out the loop.

Right.

Gosh, that's easier said than done.

If you want to pull it straight down off the line.

-And if you want to start walking round in quite a large circle.

-It's heavy!

How long would this normally take?

It varies from person to person.

I've got no circulation in my hands!

-There we go.

-There we are.

Right, there we go!

Easy-peasy.

Working on the trams might be physically hard work,

but in the early 1900s, modesty was paramount.

Right, OK, so this is something that they would wear?

It is, it is a very typical replica of what a uniform would have been

during the First World War,

obviously for the men and the general managers,

they had to have all these considerations about what would be

-"appropriate" at the time.

-Right, OK.

Which is why you have the length of the skirt down to the ankle.

Part of the uniform also coined their nickname, the clippy girls.

So that's where the nickname comes from, from the punch.

And we just happen to have one up here as well for you.

So it's an original one that would have been used on the tramways.

It's heavy, isn't it? This is from 1914?

Yes, so it's definitely one of the type

that would have been used during the war period.

So take the ticket, and you just pop it in the slot, like that.

-That's it.

-And then pushed down on the bottom part, and it should ring.

Fantastic.

-So I'm officially a clippy girl now.

-You are indeed, yes.

At the time, transport was the second biggest employer of women

next to the civil service.

And with the suffragette movement in the headlines,

talk of women's equality was rapidly gaining ground.

So this is our Rothesay Tramways Company ledger,

so it records what they were actually paid during the war period.

-So this...

-Goodness.

-..is the wage allocation sheet.

This is 1915.

A conductor, just here,

now he is getting paid 18 shillings and six for that week's work,

and then you've got the conductresses,

and she's actually being paid 13 shillings and six.

-Gosh.

-So quite a bit less.

-For doing exactly the same days?

-Yes.

-And they were well aware of this, the women.

Yes, very much so, which is where you get the strike action coming from.

In August 1918, a group of women tram workers went on strike over demands for equal pay.

The strike spread across the country and is considered to be

the first-ever unionised industrial action by

women in favour of equal pay.

And do you think it really shaped the way

-that women were paid in the future?

-I think so, yes,

you do have examples where the women did actually have success and they were being

paid equally, but on the other hand,

you did also have a few tramways who didn't.

So it is a bit of a mixed bag but it certainly in the longer term

had a benefit for women, and progressing forwards.

After the war, the clippy girls had to make way for the return of the

surviving men. However, thanks to their contribution to the tramways,

the advancement of equal female rights had begun.

Meanwhile, Raj is headed to Belper in the Amber Valley. So far,

he has barely made a dent in his £311 budget, spending just £10.

Maybe something pricey will catch his eye in Derwentshire Antiques.

-Hello, there.

-Hello. How are you?

-I'm Raj.

-Hello, Raj, I'm Colin.

Well, there's certainly plenty here.

That is a really quite nice, attractive stool.

-Look at that.

-Doesn't look very comfy.

Besides, there's no time for loafing, you've got a bag of cash to spend.

Perhaps dealer Andy can encourage you to part with it.

What about these pieces?

In somebody's conservatory,

with a little bit of planty, ferny things in.

Isn't this something you pee in?

It is.

Maybe something else?

A stone trough, that could be very cheap.

-Just a thought.

-It is. Do you know something, it might be a thought,

-if it was priced right.

-We can talk turkey.

Raj is fluent in that.

What could that be?

-That...

-Yeah?

-..could be £18.

-Today is my fiver-day.

-Oh, now, stop that. No.

When people say they gotta take their five a day,

what I mean is I've got to spend a five a day.

But I'm getting close. Now, what about,

what about if I offered you £10 for it?

Double my five a day.

-You sure?

-Come on.

-We have a deal.

-Just.

And you still have to carry it.

With that stone trough in the bag,

can Raj find something to help lighten the load?

I really like this ammonite.

-OK.

-That would be a no, then.

-I can only tell you that it came from

a very serious collector and he had quite a lot of fossils.

In fact, this cabinet was quite full at one time.

Got a rough age to it?

-Very old.

-Very old.

Is it possible that you maybe could phone him?

I just want an idea of how old it is.

-OK.

-Lovely, thanks.

-OK!

-And while you're there,

can you just ask him what the best price would be as well?

I can ask him that, yeah.

OK, cheers, OK, thanks.

Fossils are a limited market but that, to me, is not just a fossil,

it's a talking point, it's a centrepiece.

I think as far as fossil collectors are concerned,

this has got to be a standout piece.

Look out, Colin is back from the basement.

-He bought it off a fossil hunter.

-Right, OK.

At an auction. But he can't really tell you that much more about it.

OK, no, that's fair enough, that's fair enough.

It's going to come down to the price, Colin.

OK, well, we got it on sale at £135.

Right. What about then if I offered £70?

-I will offer £70.

-Probably have to

do a bit better than £70, wouldn't you?

80, I'll go to 80.

Go to 90, and if he shouts at me,

I shall bellow to you, from a distance.

Well, let's split the difference and go 85.

-Put your hand there.

-OK.

-Fantastic.

I'd better come down and sort out the money.

-OK.

-OK.

-Right.

-Let's go.

-Follow me.

Well, that's a great price, if it's the real thing.

The stone trough and the ammonite concludes today's shopping.

And Raj has finely spent some cash.

After a successful day of antique hunting,

our experts are back in the MGB and Catherine returns to her chauffeuring duties.

If I had one complaint...

-Oh, here we go.

-..it is that when we stop,

you don't really get round to open the door quick enough for me.

You can't get out quick enough!

Listen, you're lucky I'm driving around everywhere.

You both deserve a well-earned rest.

Nighty night.

It's a soggy start for day two for our duo,

but nothing can dampen their spirits when it comes to scouring the countryside for antiques.

Today I want to find something that I love,

something that I'm really, really happy about.

-Have you still got lots of money to spend?

-I've got a fair wodge. Why, do you need some?

No, I've got loads.

He certainly has.

Yesterday, Raj spent just a few pounds on the commemorative plates,

the horn-handled walking stick, the stone trough,

and he splashed out on the ammonite fossil, too.

He does still have £206.08 left to play with.

Isn't this something you pee in?

While Catherine bought just two lots, the Georgian seed pearl brooch,

and the 19th-century opera glasses...

Don't like the binoculars, love the handle.

..leaving her with £320 and that all-important 8p.

So we are right in the middle of the Peak District.

-Isn't it beautiful?

-I think it's absolutely gorgeous.

I mean, I have never been here before.

Do you know, one of the things I'm looking forward to today,

I really would love to have a Bakewell tart.

-Oh, you've got to, haven't you?

-Yes. I mean, here we are.

Bakewell, there's the sign!

There's the sign, to Bakewell.

Let's go there.

No time for that.

Antiques awake, please.

We'll leave Raj to his Bakewell tarts.

Catherine has some shopping to do, she's made her way to Chesterfield,

home to St Mary and All Saints and its world-famous crooked spire,

which draws many to this Derbyshire town.

But for Catherine, it's the stock of Chesterfield Antiques Centre.

There are 30 dealers over the three floors.

It's cavernous.

This is something more for me.

This is up my street.

This is a really nice early 20th century monocular microscope.

It's in really nice condition.

A microscope is right up Catherine's street.

This one is by A Franks,

a late 19th-century optician who had a keen interest in scientific instruments.

This is really nice because it's got all its

little bits and pieces with it, including this little specimen box here,

so what you do is you put your dead beetle or your spider or anything else

you want to find in this little box here and you slide it onto the stage here.

And what would be amazing is if I opened this drawer down the bottom

and it's full of slides.

It's empty! That's a disappointment.

What I was hoping to find is a whole rack of specimen slides there because

that's the real bee's knees.

Crikey, you would need a microscope to see bees' knees.

It's a lovely little microscope, though,

and the fact you've got some accessories with it

and it's in lovely condition, that's a good thing.

£125 - a little punchy.

If it was nearer £60 to £70 I would be scooping this up all day long.

That's one possible.

But there's still plenty more to see.

Ooh!

I like this.

M M - Marilyn Monroe!

This could have been hers,

although I think it's probably more of a gentleman's case.

This is lovely, what a good size!

It's in lovely condition.

Very nice. Nice array of bottles there.

I don't think they're silver topped, but how lovely to have it complete.

And then you've got another section there, for your briefs perhaps,

I don't know. But really nicely lined, all in lovely condition.

I think this is a possibility.

£140!

I think not.

-That's a shame.

-Moving on, then.

I did notice this earlier when I was browsing around.

Anything sort of connected with advertising, I mean,

this is connected with cigars and cigarettes, so not great.

The fact that we've got a display case with an advertising name

underneath, I think that could be interesting.

How much is on this? £20.

Well, it's got all its original lining.

The glass is all fine on top.

The name is nice and clear, not too much scratching there.

I think that should be bought for £20.

This is mine.

That was a fine display of decision-making.

Now, how about that earlier find?

I've got to come back to this microscope because I do like it.

It's one of the better things here.

Right, they're my items, where's Bob?

Bob?

How could Bob resist?

I was rather interested in this little display cabinet,

because we've got the brand underneath,

which is always quite nice from an advertising point of view.

It's got £20 on it. Can you negotiate on that?

-15?

-Yeah, I'll happily take that at 15.

-Yeah?

-OK.

-I'll shake on that one.

-Thank you.

-That was easy.

So I've gone from something vintage to something that's a real antique.

-Right.

-And I do like this.

The problem is with this, the handle, I'm looking at this now,

-is all taped up.

-Yeah.

-So it's obviously in bad condition.

And once upon a time,

that would have been lined with a really nice set of specimen slides.

Slides, yeah.

Do you think you could do 70?

Yeah, OK then, we'll do 70.

-Are you happy with that, Bob?

-Yeah.

-Put it there, Bob.

-OK. Right, thank you.

-Right.

Well done, Catherine, some handsome purchases there.

Raj, meanwhile, has made his way to Pike Hall Farm near Matlock to hear

the intriguing history of English cheese Stilton.

And to find out why it's not made in Stilton some 80 miles away,

he's got a date with the big cheese at the Hartington Creamery.

-Hello, there!

-Hi, Raj. Alan Salt, nice to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you, too.

But before any cheese secrets are revealed,

there's some hygiene to attend to.

-So, hairnet.

-Yeah.

-Hairnet? You've got to be joking!

-Like that.

-It's so flattering, isn't it?

-Let's try and make it look a bit better. This could be a new look for you.

Shoes off and then you sit on it and you swing over.

It's like a gymkhana!

There you are, you're in. Are you ready?

You look all shipshape, ready to go.

-Yeah.

-Let's go and have a look at the cheese.

-I'm with you.

Stilton begins life as a curd, careful how you say that,

which is poured into cylinders to form its familiar shape.

It's then turned daily for around a week before the binding process is

started, which gives the cheese its distinctive crust.

This same method dates back hundreds of years.

So what we're doing, we're sealing the cheese up and that will dry out and

form the Stilton crust.

-All done by hand?

-Yes.

-How long does it actually take?

Myrtle and Dawn can do one every five minutes.

-Are you going to have a go at this?

-Go on, Raj, you know you want to.

Brilliant.

And there you have it.

This is the fun bit, is you pick it up

like that...

..and then drop it back down again.

-Easy stuff for you, Raj.

-Put your hand like that.

-Like that?

Yeah. That's it, now flick it over quick.

That's it. Honestly, you're doing really well for a first attempt.

The most popular theory of the origins of Stilton begins in the 1800s when

the landlord of the Bell Inn on the Great North Road in the village of

Stilton decided to sell the unusual cheese.

As the inn was on the route connecting the North and the South,

travellers from all over Britain would buy the cheese

en route to take home and, at twice the price,

this unusual blue-veined delicacy was considered a rarefied luxury and

became known as the cheese from Stilton.

I mean, Stilton is known the world over.

Hasn't it got some sort of royal approval?

They got George V in the 1920s, Royal Appointment,

and that was because someone who had a share in the factory's brother

lived beside Sandringham estate...

-OK.

-..and invited George over for a snack and he served up some Stilton.

He liked it, so they actually sent him a cheese and he passed it back

that they could have the Royal Warrant.

-It still holds the Royal Warrant?

-No, no, no.

It only lasts while the King is alive, so, no.

-That's a bit of history.

-An intriguing part of the cheese's history is

that Stilton isn't made in Stilton and never has been.

Stilton's been made in Derbyshire,

Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire

for at least a couple of hundred years, 300 years.

And, to be honest, during that time, as far as I know,

no-one has ever tried to make Stilton in Stilton before.

So the three counties that we've talked about,

are they the only places in the world that you could actually make Stilton?

It's protected by some old trademarks from the 1920s.

And as Raj has got stuck in to making the cheese,

it only seems fair he gets to sample some.

I think I should try a little bit of this.

-I think you should try a little bit.

-I think I should try a little bit, yeah.

-Just to make sure it's up to par.

-Yeah.

God, that is delicious.

Well, I've had an amazing time here.

It's been absolutely fantastic.

-Thanks for coming.

-I'm hoping I can take a little bit with me.

Well, we'll see what we can do about that!

Meanwhile, Catherine's headed to Cromford.

Her last opportunity to shop for some goodies

is at Heritage Antique Centre.

She still has over £206 to play with.

Hang on, what's she up to?

I just picked something off a shelf,

which is a little penknife,

and I've dropped it and it's gone under the cabinet.

Oh, there we go! We got it!

OK, this is what I was interested in.

It's by Joseph Feist, Solingen.

Joseph Feist of Solingen, the German city of blades.

The reason I like it, it's a little penknife

and it's a sleeping lion and it is beautiful quality.

Look at that! Look at the little curls on the lion.

The mane is really stunning.

There's just something about this, it speaks to me.

I'm going to see what Sally thinks.

-Hiya.

-It didn't take me long.

I found something which I quite like, this little penknife.

I do like it, but of course it's not silver.

I think it's just a base metal.

-Yeah.

-But I think the decoration is delightful.

Can I make an offer on it?

Yeah, why not?

Would it be possible to get this for £20?

I'll do 25.

-22?

-25.

The way you looked at me, it had to be 25.

I'm scared!

Quite right! That's Catherine's buying done for this trip and Raj has arrived just

before closing time, but he's headed for a neighbouring shop,

the Cromford Mill. He'd better get a move on.

-Hello, there.

-Hello, Raj!

Hello. David, is it?

Yes! Pleased to meet you, Raj.

-You, too.

-This is Linda, my wife.

-Hello.

-Hello, pleased to meet you.

Roll your sleeves up, Raj, you've got antiques to find.

This is Clarice Cliff, it's quite a...

Well, it's not a plain design, it has no design!

But Clarice Cliff, as we all know, you know, she was extremely well-known,

one of the most famous designers this country's ever had.

This is not one of those collectable patterns.

I mean, everybody collects the bizarre, the real colourful jugs.

I mean, they make hundreds of pounds.

Thousands now.

It seems quite reasonable at 55. If I could get that sort of around

£25 to £30, there's got to be a profit in it.

Time to talk money. David!

I do like the Clarice Cliff, I think it's a bit plain.

I'll be honest, I think it's a little bit plain,

because you know the Clarice Cliff that everybody wants is the bizarre...

-Of course it is, yeah.

-The patterns, the rare patterns,

the nice colourful things, there's not a colour on that.

No, but it's very stylish!

Is that the word you use for plain?

Just give me a clue as to what kind of money that could be.

That could be around,

for you, 35, how about that?

How does that sound? That's cheap!

What about £25?

£25?!

-Yeah.

-What do you think, Linda?

Shall we go for that?

-It's a deal.

-It's a deal, Raj.

-We have a deal, thank you very much.

-25 quid.

-£25.

-You'll make a fortune on that!

Well, that deal was all very jovial,

and it brings shopping for this road trip to a close.

Cheers, guys, thanks again.

-Take care, bye.

-Time for our experts to regroup.

What did you ask for?

Oh, that looks like a Bakewell tart.

There you go, don't say I never get you anything.

That's very, very kind of you, thank you so much for that.

-It's been on a journey.

-I got you something as well.

-Wow!

-I got you a nice piece of Stilton.

-That's fantastic.

-Look at that.

I bet you'd rather have this than that.

-Come on, jump in.

-Let's go.

-Woohoo!

Off we go!

I'm guessing you're quite competitive,

so if you lose, which I don't think you will, but if you do lose,

are you a sore loser or are you just dust it all off?

-No, I will...

-Cry?

Cry and then probably not talk to you for a couple of years.

Win or lose, I have had absolutely great fun.

It has been good fun.

Yep, it's been a busy old day, and time now for some shut-eye.

After kicking off their trip in the Amber Valley,

our experts have arrived safely

at Littleton Auctions in the parish

of Middle Littleton in Worcestershire.

Let's hope we don't get any sauce from them!

Time for a musical interlude...

Dear, oh, dear.

What a welcome.

Raj bought five items for £130.

Catherine purchased five items, shelling out £155.

Deals were struck and bargains sought, but what do our experts make of each

other's purchases?

The word "why" springs to mind...

Raj, why did you buy these plates?

Big spend, again, I see, £5.

Well, you're really splashing the money out!

I have to say, good point on these, the condition is fantastic,

and they make great Frisbees.

Now, this is a nice little thing, well done, Catherine.

It's a little penknife, it's not silver, it's a white metal one.

It's in really good condition,

I just hope it doesn't cut into my profits.

In charge of proceedings today is auctioneer Martin Homer,

and there's news on Raj's ammonite.

If it is an ammonite,

people have come to look at it and don't think it is, but if it is right,

it could be worth a lot of money.

Opera glasses one of my favourite pieces,

with the very nice painted handle and signed by the artist,

so I think they'll be quite popular.

With bidders in the room and online, it's time to take a seat.

-This is good!

-Lovely atmosphere, lots of people.

-Happy?

-Yeah!

First up is Catherine's sea pearl brooch.

20? 20 I'm bid, thank you.

We're in the room at £20.

Ooh, dear, I paid 25.

-At 20...

-22 on the internet.

-I was going to say,

it's the sort of thing that the internet will probably buy.

£25, room at 25.

-At 20, for 27...

-27!

-Profit.

Profit, everything that makes a profit has got to be good.

We're in the room at £30, and 2?

At 32 on the internet, are we done, then?

-At 35, 35 is back in.

-Still going.

-At £35.

37 if you want?

37. At £37, fair warning, 37.

Nice start, eh? What a lovely start.

Not what you'd pinned your hopes on, Catherine,

but you're still in the game.

-That's a good start, well done. Well done.

-I really like you now.

Well, it's early days.

Next up, the first of Raj's big spends, his commemorative plates,

made of tin.

-Good Frisbees.

-Good Frisbees?!

15 for them?

10 for them, then?

£10? Help!

-Dear, oh, dear.

-Come on, guys, £10.

I've got to go then, five.

-Five I bid.

-Yay!

-Seven with you.

-£7, the bid's in the room at seven.

-They're worth 10.

£10, and I'm selling at £10...

-We're struggling.

-You've made some money!

-Sold at 10.

-Oh, well.

-Be happy.

-I am, I am, I am.

More like relieved. Raj's plates double their money.

-You have made a profit.

-Yeah, I've made a small profit.

-Yes.

Next is Catherine's Henri Wintermans display case.

I just think this is going to go up in smoke.

-I'm sorry!

-At £20, I'm looking for two now?

22 in the room.

-Ooh.

-22? It's gone bananas.

-At 22 in the room...

It's not gone bananas, it's £22.

-Ooh, she's bidding.

-25, new bidder.

At 25... 27, sir? 27. 30, at £30.

With gritted teeth there.

Are we all done, ladies and gentlemen? £30...

All I can say is that it must come with a free box of cigars.

That's not too bad at all.

It wasn't a great thing, I'm happy at that.

Will Raj's walking stick appeal to the countryside buyer?

Here we go, here we go, come on.

Where's all those ramblers?

£20 for it, come on?

Go 15 then.

-Over there.

-Yeah, 15 I'm bid, thank you, sir.

-We're in the room at £15.

-15?!

-At 15, are we sure?

17, new bidder at 17.

-You want 20, sir? £20.

-Yes, yes.

I'm going to buy things for £5.

All it's got to do is make 220 and I'm back in the game!

20 with you, sir? Are we all done? Fair warned then at £20...

-There you go.

-Your face!

-I'm happy.

That's a cracking profit.

-I'm happy.

-It doesn't take much, does it?

-No, no.

Next, Catherine's beloved penknife.

This knife is going to slice through my profits.

-Oh, dear!

-I know.

-Where do you get these jokes from?

-I don't know.

-Dreadful!

Some people wouldn't call them jokes.

30, at 32, 35 with me?

37, 40 with me... At £40.

-Bidder in the room at 45.

-Oh, no, higher.

It comes back to me. I've got to go with

-what I've been left, which is 47.

-47.50.

-Oh, better than I thought.

-At £50, looking for five...

55 I've got.

And 55, the net is winning.

At £55, any interest in the room?

At £55 on the net. Are we all done then? At £55...

Stabbed me in the heart, that one has.

Oh, Raj, that's so tragic!

No tragedy there for Catherine, that's a roaring success.

Well done, Catherine, well done indeed.

Yeah. Will great things grow in Raj's stone trough?

-Surely £20 for it.

-Yep, 20, come on.

-Easy.

-Yeah, yeah.

-On the internet at 20, is there two anywhere?

-Yeah, come on.

-At £20 on the net.

22 in the room now.

-Let's go.

-That was room first.

25 on the internet.

You out? You sure?

No, no.

-At £25, all done then?

-That's cheap.

-That's OK.

At 25, fair warned at 25...

It's money.

Well, it didn't make as much as we both thought.

You still planted a profit, though.

Everything, everything is making a profit, OK?

-It's good.

-That's not a very good handshake, is it?

-No.

No, I know, it's a bit feeble.

Next it's a biggie, and one

Catherine had high hopes for. Fingers crossed.

-Give me 30 to start me, then.

-It's worth £100!

Come on, surely, ladies and gentlemen. 30 I'm bid, thank you.

-Room first.

-There you go. It's going to be on the internet.

At £30, 32, 35 on the net now.

At 35, 37, sir? 37 in the room.

Oh, this is hugely disappointing.

The room has it at £37.

-Come on!

-Is there 40 anywhere?

At 37 only, and I'm selling at 37...

Good lord.

That is just unbelievable, that is hundred, hundred,

hundred pounds. I would have bought that.

Such a shame.

Such a lowly price for such a lovely thing.

Someone's got a bargain.

These things happen, they happen.

You've just got to shrug it off and move on.

Good advice. Time for tea.

Next, Raj's rather plain Clarice Cliff.

Surely £50.

Surely 50!

Yeah, straight in, straight in at 50.

At £50 on the internet.

55 in the room now.

60 on the net. 65, room.

-There you go.

-At last!

The room's currently winning at £65...

This is the last set, you mean.

Yeah, the rumours got round, the rumours got round, OK.

Are we done, ladies and gentlemen, at £75?

-80... Oh, 80!

-Ooh, 80!

-Keep going.

At 80, do you want 5, sir?

-£85, room at 85.

-This is all helping, this is all helping.

At 85 in the room. Are we all done at £85?

Going once, twice...

-Sold at £85.

-Yay!

Ching-ching.

Yeah!

Raj's cup runneth over.

-Well done, Raj.

-Smiley face, smiley face!

Last up for Catherine are her opera glasses.

Can they hit the right note?

Let's go 50 to start that one, ladies and gentlemen.

50 I've got on the internet, we're away at 50.

Wow, what a profit!

At 60, we're at £60 on the net.

-Fantastic.

-At £60, the net has it at 60.

Are we all finished here at £60?

-I'll take that and run very, very fast.

-That is a great profit.

Sold at £60.

Yay, I'm happy with that.

You should be, as well.

Don't look too pleased, Raj.

It was purely the handle.

Last but by no means least is Raj's ammonite.

£50, looking for £50...

Do I have any...

-I've got 50 on the internet.

-Ooh, on the internet.

At £50, five anywhere?

55 in the room now.

60 on the net. 65, room.

70, net. 75, room.

-At 80 on the net.

-You could cut the atmosphere with a knife.

85 in the room now, at 85 in the room... 90 on the net.

-£95.

-It's going to make hundreds.

-£100, sir?

At 100, the internet...

120 we're at.

People are thinking what I was... Yes.

At £120, ladies and gentlemen.

I've got to be pleased...

-You've got to be pleased with that.

-At £120, are we all done?

And I'm going to sell it at £120...

My heart was going, yours must have been racing!

Cor blimey!

Turned out all right for the ammonite.

We could be even-stevens.

I'm not sure, I don't think I've caught up that much.

I really, really don't know, shall we go do the maths?

-Definitely, let's go.

-Get the calculator out.

There were certainly ups and downs in Middle Littleton but I've done the sums.

Catherine started with £375.08, she made a profit of £24.58

after auction costs,

and she has £399.66 to spend next time.

Raj started this leg with £311.80 and made, after auction house fees,

a profit of £83.20.

He finishes with £395 exactly.

Despite winning today's auction,

Raj still trails Catherine, but now by only £4.

-Well, Catherine.

-Yes.

I think I may have caught you up.

I think you might have done, with your absolute rubbish that you bought!

Excuse me?!

No, no, no - it was interesting!

Next time on Antiques Road Trip, Catherine and Raj take a dip.

-Can you swim?

-There's some risky business.

-Is that better?

-That was a big mistake.

Oh, my God, I'm going to lose this dog!

Raj strikes a pose.

I'm supposed to be antique buying, and here I am looking at clothes.

Catherine gets packing.

I've left him!

The time has come, I've had enough, I'm off!

And we have one of the closest Road Trips ever.

I think there's literally that much in it.

This is going to be interesting, isn't it?

I can't wait for the next auction!