Episode 12 Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite antiques experts... £200 each and one big challenge.

Testing, testing!

Who can make the most money buying and selling antiques as they scour the UK?

Isn't that really odd?

The aim is to trade up and hope each antique turns a profit.

But it's not as easy as it sounds and there can only be one winner.

Oh, no!

So, will it be the highway to success or the B-road to bankruptcy?

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Oh, look James! Bluebells! Look at them!

This week, we're in stunning Scotland

and out on the antiques trail with Kate Bliss and James Lewis.

Wearing short trousers, James Lewis made his first auction bid at just six years old.

He's been honing his expertise ever since, but he still has an Achilles heel.

I can see lots of tribal art. I am going to stop myself, before I get carried away.

Kate comes from an arty family.

Her father was an auctioneer.

She's grown into a fine protege, but has occasional lapses of confidence.

There's got to be a profit in that, hasn't there?

# Oh, Flower of Scotland... #

Oh, please! That's quite enough of that, thank you.

James and Kate started their week in Helmsdale

and are taking the roads, both high and low, to the delights of Ayr.

Today, the road trip takes them from Buckie in Banffshire to a crunch auction in Dundee.

But first, the Love Bug arrives in Cullen,

where our experts can search within, before searching the town.

-Wow, look at this place.

-Looks good, doesn't it?

-Should get a good view from up here.

-We should.

Kate needs all the help she can get. The first auction was quite scary for her.

Kate did well in Buckie on yesterday's show,

increasing her fighting fund from its initial £200

to a proud £303.29 to start today's show.

But James did really well with his first crack of the auction whip.

Technically, Mr Lewis needs a right good smacking,

for using his business contacts to attract the right buyers.

But, boy, did it work!

-There you have it, then.

-Oh, my God. Fantastic!

James has rocketed into a whopping lead,

with a thoroughly intimidating £603.57 to spend today.

James' profits will all go to charity and whilst he won't share

his profitable success, he could at least share some tactics.

What I would certainly go for is things that you can't look up in a book. That's always my plan.

-OK.

-If it is something that has a set price and emotions aren't going to take over,

-then I think we have very little chance.

-I know what you mean.

You want something that's a one-off or something that,

"Oh, wow" - never seen one of those.

Even if it's stupid, like a horse's muzzle.

If that makes profit, anything will.

So, here's Cullen.

Soft, sandy beaches and sea water so clean it gets the OK from the EU year after year.

And if like me, you're a sucker for a handsome viaduct or two, then Cullen has some fantastic

19th-Century engineering bestriding its pretty streets and tempting antiques shops.

Could Kate find the killer items she needs to catch up with the mighty Mr Lewis?

James is starting off in Tom's Shop, full of strange, wonderful oddities from around the world.

Sometimes you have a feel when you walk in somewhere and your fingers

start to tingle, because there are interesting things everywhere.

It's good to hear James' hushed tones and proper respect for a well-maintained shop.

Testing! Testing! Oh, blimey.

Yep, it's definitely working! Tom's shop has just the right mixture of peculiar

and potentially profitable, to get James really excited.

Now this is a gadget.

-This is a quill cutter, so you take a quill from a goose or a swan.

-Swans were the best, weren't they?

-Not only were the swans the best, but the young male swan was called...a pen.

-Yeah, of course.

And that's why that's called a penknife.

-Ah!

-And you cut the quill at an angle and you put the end in there and then you press that down.

There's a crunching sound and what comes out is a pen nib,

with a slit in it.

I've made quite a few, actually. It's an incredible gadget.

That's 1820.

What a fascinating item, the genesis of the ink pen and the pen knife,

something the Swiss Army would salute.

-I mean, for me this is why the antiques business is so interesting.

-Of course, it is.

Because I have to say, anything like the Dalton figures or the Beswick dogs, they just leave me so cold.

It comes up for sale, you flick through the book, "Oh, yeah that's worth £30 pounds, I'll bid £20."

And there's no heart or passion in it, is there?

Following his heart, James finds something for his head. And it's African.

The African bush is not a great place to sleep.

Believe me, I've done it and you get some very strange things

crawling in places that you don't want them to crawl.

And the way of stopping nasty little bugs crawling into your ears is to have one of these.

And you would use this as a neck rest or a pillow and the technique

would be to smear goat fat or goat grease down the uprights.

This makes it sticky, it makes it slightly smelly, but it also prevents

any nasty little bugs crawling up it, because they get their feet stuck.

So, an interesting object. it's £35.

Most people haven't got a clue what they are, so in a general sale,

a difficult thing to sell but for me,

if I'm buying from the heart, this is what I'd go for.

I love it. I love it, but I just don't think it gives me a chance of a profit.

James is finding it hard to let go.

Has he found something for his head and his heart? And his wallet?

Across town, today's underdog contender is just limbering up.

This is a great place.

It really reminds me of my dad's sale room when I was really small,

cos he had a sale room in a church, just like this.

In fact, it's even got the same sort of churchy smell.

There's something special about Kate.

Some irrepressible charm she has, a certain way with antique sellers,

but I just can't quite put my finger on it.

# She's a lady

# Oh, whoa, who, she's a lady... #

That's a bit different, isn't it? Quite decorative, isn't it?

I like the fact that it's slightly misshapen, which shows that it's

hand blown and you've go the pontil mark on the base there. But no name.

Very pretty, Kate, but it is £65...

What could you do that for?

-45.

-45. Mmm.

It's very much in the Loetz style,

but without the name...

Johan Loetz began his Bohemian glassworks company in 1840,

producing world-renowned and beautiful pieces.

Along with Tiffany and Galle, Loetz showed at the Paris Exhibition

of 1889 - the hallowed birthplace of Art Nouveau.

But this piece is only a Loetz lookalike.

Can the lady get a good price in her own style?

Can I be really cheeky and say £20?

HE LAUGHS

25. Go on.

25?

I'd really like £20...if you can.

Wow, Kate. You're really holding fast at 20.

You're a hard, hard dealer.

Go on, then.

-£20.

-Yeah.

OK, lovely. Thank you very much, indeed.

Look at that. Kate's off to a flyer with her first purchase.

Can she turn a faux Loetz into real money?

Back with James, he's found a 19th-Century Japanese bonsai

watering can...of all things(!)

If it was really bargain basement, you want to get rid of it.

-15 quid.

-15 quid. OK.

That is a possibility.

After writing his own future, James finds a scroll holder. Also 19th century, also Japanese.

What an unusual thing.

The decoration is really interesting. That's 18. OK, hang on.

Suddenly, the £35 Ethiopian hardwood headrest is back in the picture too.

James clearly wants a repeat of his auction success on yesterday's show.

A global package, bought for £60, made a rather cool £340.

Who wouldn't want a sequel to that?

Plus, a tribal war mask from Mali added to the mix, at £88.

-What would be your best?

-£85 and that's the end.

85.

Argh.

Don't quibble, James. You've got over £600 to play with. Go wild!

All right. Pound off for luck. £84.

-£84.

-Thank you.

Not a rock bottom price, but this is an interesting global bundle and another high stakes bulk purchase.

If anyone's playing the game here, it's James.

-OK, I need to pay you some money.

-Jolly good.

-I've got it somewhere.

Here we go.

And just as the money is about to change hands, James' eye is drawn

to one of his usual suspects - a handsome snuff box, at £14.

-How much is that?

-Oh, well, let's see.

-It's £14.

-Do it for nine?

No, no, I couldn't do that.

You're crucifying me again, but I'll do it for ten, because I like you.

-There you go.

-Deal. Thank you. Have a good day.

Cheers. Bye.

Aware of the current vast profit chasm with James,

Kate has hurried on to another shop and another would-be profit turner.

It's interesting because some of the sheep are quietly nicely done,

but this one, I think, is quite amateurish.

He looks not very well, does he?

That one there.

Maybe they looked more like that 100 years ago.

-Maybe. Yeah, it's certainly a period canvas, isn't it?

-Oh, yeah.

-How much has that got to be, Harry?

-Well, I have £100 on it.

-Sharp intake of breath!

-Yeah, but...

-Ouch.

Can you feel it? I think Harry here is about to experience the Bliss effect -

part winning charm, part steely resolve, part highwaywoman!

How much does it have to be?

How much does it "have" to be?

How much does it HAVE to be?

-Well, let's say we could let it go at £75.

-Yeah.

I can't see it at that.

No? What do you see it at?

£30. Go on, Harry.

That's giving it to you!

Wow, even I think £30 is quite low.

Could there soon be some wanted posters of this highwaywoman around Cullen?

-55.

-30.

-55.

It's got to be £30, I think.

It's got to be £30?

Wow. Well, it's the worst £30 I've ever earned, but OK.

-OK!

-OK. It's a deal.

Thank you very much, indeed.

Well done, Kate, although I doubt poor Harry will be dining out tonight.

I don't know what to make of that I hope I've done the right thing.

£30 doesn't sound like a lot of money for a Victorian oil, even though it does need a bit

of a clean. It's a great Scottish subject, so I hope the people of Dundee like Scottish sheep.

James has also moved on to a new shop and a new object of interest.

Golly... What an odd thing.

Isn't that really odd?

But not so odd that you're putting it straight back down.

You can see a little bit of damage around his neck there, but he's a strange object, that one.

Priced at £45, the figurine is silver plated and looks a bit like

a St George and the Dragon, but then, it also looks like a lot of things.

It's what you call, 'interesting to look at'.

Made in Hungary, so it's not that early,

but certainly different.

I don't like the casting, I don't like the quality. I like the stones.

Nice mahogany base.

So there's a lot James doesn't like about this odd item,

but surely anything worthless wouldn't have a nice mahogany base?

I hate the fact that it says 'Made in Hungary' on the sword.

Methinks, Lewis doth protest too much!

Interestingly, the George and the Dragon myth

also exists in old Hungarian folklore.

Plus, this statue does have some possibly interesting encrustations.

Oh, I don't know.

Well, let's put it this way, after you've run it down,

if you don't buy it, I'll probably throw it away!

There are loads of things in its favour and I don't want to run it down.

I actually think it's really nice. No, I don't.

I think it's really saleable, although I don't know who to.

Oh, I don't know. 25 quid.

Do you want to sell it?

Ah, defamation, followed by a very low offer.

Nice tactic, James.

Meanwhile, the Love Bug is taking Kate on an important date.

# She's a lady Whoa, whoa, whoa, she's a lady... #

Kate is a qualified expert on jewellery and silver,

so she's backtracking on the road trip to Banff, in search of treasure.

Banff has a kooky mix of architectural styles.

Once a town of silversmithing,

which, in the 19th century, probably supplied the Highland Lairds

who would spend their winter in warmer Banff.

Hi. You must be David. How do you do?

-Welcome to Banff Museum.

-Great to be here. Lovely.

Curator David Bertie is here to show Kate the best of the Banff Museum.

Just behind the front door, the jewel in their collection is this silver teapot.

It's dated from around 1720, but the maker is unknown.

It's a bullet-shaped teapot.

-Is that right?

-That's correct.

And typical of that very early period, really early 18th century.

That's correct. If you look on the bottom of it, the mark for Banff

is very clear but unfortunately the maker's mark is very unclear.

Famous Banff silversmiths, like George Elder and John Keith,

were known as hammermen

because of the makers' marks they left on their wares.

John Keith is interesting because he used a fish

in addition to his initials, and B for Banff.

Oh, yes, I can see there.

B for Banff. And it's quite clearly a fish, isn't it?

And that was his symbol?

He used that symbol. It seems to be unique to him.

Kate's got an auction mountain to climb to beat her travelling partner

so a nice piece of Banff silverware could set her up nicely.

Too bad she can't afford any!

That teapot was acquired

about, um...25 years ago,

and at that time was £9,500.

£9,500. And I would have thought it would be significantly more now.

It would be very much more now.

Kate's still in love with this fabulous Scottish silver.

And the bizarre Hungarian silver is still troubling and exciting James.

Well, will you take 25 quid for it? What do you think?

-Up to you.

-£25, there you go. Deal.

Well, let's make it £28.

£28, yeah?

Raising your offer? James is more optimistic than he's letting on.

I don't know. It might make 25 quid, it might make 200 quid. I really don't know.

If it does do well, come and see me and I'll buy you lunch.

-We might take you up on that.

-If it makes 24 quid, don't bother!

We'll buy YOU lunch!

You can buy me lunch!

I mean, it's totally grotesque, isn't it?

You can say it now, I've bought it.

Yes, but one man's grotesque is another man's strangely attractive.

And James clearly sees potential for a profit.

And before we offend any more shopkeepers,

the day is drawing to an end, our experts need shelter.

And James needs to warm his cockles.

Hey, James!

-Brrrr!

-Oh, are you absolutely perished?

If it's like this in the summer, what's it like in the winter?

We'd better get you a cup of tea or something. Get you warmed up.

Next day, they leave the Highlands behind them

and our pair head further south on their antiques search.

-Lovely countryside, isn't it?

-Yeah. It's so different from the Highlands, isn't it?

They're admiring the Perthshire scenery

en route to the village of Dunkeld

with some auction booty in the boot to sell in Dundee.

So far Kate's spent £50 on two items -

the Art Nouveau glassware and the landscape oil painting.

She's got £253.29 to play with today.

James has gone wild again and spent £122 on three lots.

The global bundle, the handsome snuff box

and the interesting silver statue.

But he's got buckets of money left, with a whopping £481.57 at his disposal.

Cheers, bye.

The name Dunkeld comes from the Gaelic for "fort in the wood".

In the 9th century it was an important religious centre

for the early Celtic church, and today,

it's one of the most complete 18th century towns in Scotland

thanks to a vigorous restoration project

by the National Trust of Scotland in the 1950s and '60s.

It's a new town, and guess what?

-Kate's in an antique shop.

-Oh, the clocks are working.

David, the owner, sources his stock from around the world

but he also has some more familiar local items.

And this, in terms of tartan ware,

this really is a Rolls-Royce piece, isn't it?

Queen Victoria's fondness for all things Scottish helped establish

tartan ware as sought-after souvenirs in the 19th century.

Everyday items were tartan-ed up.

Sewing boxes, pen trays and in this case, a tea caddy.

Beautifully painted on the top.

Not transfer printed but actually hand-painted,

and the light in that landscape is just beautiful.

And then you've got the tartan,

which is... well, it was paper, wasn't it?

Put onto usually box wood and then lacquered to preserve it.

And then you've got the traces of the lead lining on the inside

which shows that it was for tea. I think they're absolutely lovely.

But how much are you charging for that, David?

-That is £2,200.

-Right.

How much?!

This won't be a souvenir for Kate to invest in,

but David kindly takes her to the bargain basement,

where antiques road trippers can usually be found.

I like that knocker. That's lovely, isn't it?

Polished steel with a lovely, um...

-You can have that for £30.

-£30 doesn't sound good to Kate.

-Here comes that ruthless charm. Just look at her look.

-15?

Yes! Well, you may as well steal something from me.

You're a good man. Thank you very much.

Great. We've got something lovely.

James, meanwhile, is a man on a mission.

I need to buy something rather quickly.

He's actually bought six separate items already,

but James clearly needs his daily shopping fix.

So he's backtracking slightly in search of an antique shop

nearby, but not in, the town of Blair Atholl.

This doesn't look good. We're in the middle of nowhere again,

we're certainly not in Blair Atholl any more.

Oh dear. The final buy might prove elusive.

Well, if it's not easy to find, let's hope nobody else has found it.

Chance would be a fine thing, James!

Oh, no!

Oh, my word.

This is American tourist heaven.

Oh, no!

That's rather snobby, James!

Just because it's not your idea of heaven,

doesn't mean it can't be fun for all our treasured visitors

to these inclusive Isles.

Tut tut!

-Hello there.

-Hi. Good morning.

-Nice to see you.

So this wasn't what I was expecting.

I was expecting some really highly polished,

lots of big fancy glitzy furniture.

Well, I'm sure Duncan here will be thrilled with your glowing endorsement, James!

That's very kind of you. I start at £5 and go up from there.

-No, it's a good mix.

-Thanks.

There's a little Sampson Mordan pencil,

without the pencil!

But it's, uh... You can get them to fit into those little slots.

But it's a nice example.

19th century silversmith Sampson Mordan is now highly collectible

so this letter opener-cum-pencil holder is worth a second glance.

75, I could do that for 45 if that's of any use?

-45.

-I'm sorry we don't have the pencil.

We need to find one of these little silver ones,

don't we, and put it in there! 45, OK.

James is not convinced, but back in Dunkeld, is Kate going for gold?

What could you do for me on that?

-£80.

-Hmm.

I'm sure there's a profit left in that.

It's nine carat gold, lovely citrine.

Citrine is a variety of smoky quartz.

Scottish citrine also goes by the name Cairngorm

as that's where it comes from.

And some even believe that the stone symbolises prosperity.

Here's hoping.

I think it's just slightly bent there.

Just a tiny bit of damage there.

Oh, yeah.

Hmm, really? Still, it's a good tactical ploy to point out the faults.

However small!

I'd really like 55.

I would really like 95!

Or in fact if I could, I'd really like 120 for it, but...

It is a nice piece, but I think it's 55 for me.

OK.

-Just for me?

-Go on, all right.

-55?

-Yeah. There you go, 55.

Thank you very much indeed. I think that will give me a chance.

I'm sure it'll give you a big chance. I'm certain.

We'll find out soon enough if the citrine will bring prosperity Kate's way.

And along the road, James has found something which really floats his boat.

How about the nef?

Now that is Dutch silver, it is a 20th century one.

God, if that was original! Gee!

I know. I had to buy it, it was just decoration.

Yeah, great object.

Original 18th century one like that, £20,000.

Even as a 20th century copy, the nef has a £2,200 price tag.

James probably needs to adjust his sights somewhat.

-How about some nice Scottish, Dundee, provincial silver.

-Aaah!

It's a classic Scottish silver teaspoon shape, isn't it?

-We are going to Dundee.

-Well...

We've got a bit of wear on that one

and obviously it's been redone but that one's lovely and crisp.

Still got its tip.

-Nice. The tip usually gets worn away.

-Yeah.

When I'm doing house clearances,

you often find one teaspoon in the kitchen drawer.

The lady's living on her own so she's put one in the kitchen drawer

and the other five are put away in the dining room and kept crisp.

She's got her favourite one...

-And I bet that was the kitchen drawer one!

-Probably.

The ticket price on the spoons is a solid £110.

It's not like James can't afford it.

He still has close to £500 to spend, should he so choose.

How much are they?

I can knock these down now for £90. There you are.

£90. Well, I have to say, it doesn't seem a lot.

Hang on. James has stopped haggling.

Is this an attack of conscience or a whole new tactic emerging?

The pencil holder and letter opener still has allure, but it is an incomplete item.

As it hasn't got a pencil in it at all...

-35.

-35. OK.

35...

Hmm. Is that going to be a killer without the pencil?

I think we're all waiting for negotiations to start,

but no sign from James yet.

What would you sell the whole little package for?

-The spoons and the pencil?

-Yeah.

110 and that's it. I can't do any better.

I'm not going to haggle. You've been very fair.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

No real negotiating. A sure sign James knows he's onto something.

Reunited, our keen antiques shoppers are now changing tack a little.

Better get some juice.

Some Beetle juice.

Beetle juice!

They're heading westward to the small village of Aberfeldy,

situated on the River Tay, a stone's throw from Loch Tay.

James is satisfied with his buys but Kate's not sure she has enough

in her shopping basket and is keen to check out one more opportunity.

Let's hope there's a fusty old antiques shop owner,

preferably male, for her to use her charms on.

Ah! It's Olivia. Good luck, Kate!

Now this is really unusual. What is this?

If you strike this down the side you'll get a spark,

and that will enable you to light whatever it is.

But this is the selling point, isn't it? It's beautifully enamelled

and of course, half-naked ladies do sell well.

She's the only one in the shop.

What could you do that for?

It's 24, but I could do it for 20.

I don't think we can go any lower than that

because it's rather special, isn't it?

20 pounds, that's what it's got to be?

-Yeah.

-OK.

Well, either Olivia has cut the wind from Kate's haggling sails,

or maybe Kate's conscience says that £20 is a fair price?

I'm going with option one, frankly.

Now the travelling companions must reveal the fruits of their days' searching.

It's show and tell time.

This is an awful lot. I really wish I hadn't...

Come on, get it out, I want to see... Oh, goodness.

Hey, I love the bamboo handles.

-I liked it, it was Japanese.

-Lovely bamboo.

-I thought it had a tactile feel. And...

-Don't tell me...

Now I know what this is.

-Head rest.

-Yeah.

-What do you think? How's the look?

Well, it's not my thing.

It's not my thing either! Oh, don't!

-What's this?

-Well, that's a little scroll holder.

That's nice. How much?

It was 84 pounds as a group.

Bought as a single lot, these four will be sold as one lot.

And from global artefacts to Art Nouveau.

Austrian glass. Yeah, I like that.

-Well, I think that would make 40 to 60 at auction.

-OK.

You paid like 20 or 25, didn't you?

-20.

-Did you? Well, that's a really good buy.

What will Kate's expert eye make of James' silver figurine?

-What do you think?

-I think it's lovely.

I do. I wasn't sure in the shop, and it's grown on me and grown on me.

It's very, very, highly decorative, isn't it?

And you can imagine that in a big Bond Street gallery

with some horrendously high price on it.

-How much?

-28 quid.

NO! That's a steal!

Really? Certainly this statue is interesting because it's so unusual.

And James did advise Kate to go for items you can't look up in a book!

I can see 100, 150.

It might be more.

Kate's oil painting is next to be scrutinised.

-What did you pay?

-I paid 30.

-Oh, that's fine.

-Do you think?

-You're not going to lose anything.

-Well, that's the one I was slightly worried about.

You think it's OK? I just was worried about this chap down here.

-I didn't think he looked very good.

-Well, put the lot number over him!

-Your go.

-Yes, OK. Now I know I'm predictable.

BOTH: A snuff box!

-You like your snuff boxes.

-I know I do.

-Let's have a look.

Well, I like the embossing.

It wasn't expensive. It was £14 reduced to a tenner.

Well, there we go, for a tenner...

This is a...19th century, steel,

-door knocker.

-No, I like it. How much?

-Well, it's a fun piece, it was £15 so I think...

-There's no loss there.

And now for James' letter opener-cum-pencil holder... minus the pencil.

Oh, I like that, that's really stylish with the initials and 1934.

I don't think it matters the pencil isn't there.

-Hopefully not.

-Oh, it is in there! It's wedged in. Yes, it's wedged in.

There, look!

-Oh, you brilliant thing!

-Well done!

Kate clearly has the keenest eyes on this road trip.

Shame she didn't go to James' shop instead.

I never noticed that. I said, "If only the pencil was in there,"

and he said "Yes, I've been looking for ages."

It's come out of its little holder. How much?

Well, now with the pencil, it seems really cheap.

I bought that... I was going to split them up...and these.

Effectively the pencil holder only cost him £35

because he paid £110 for that and the teaspoons.

And either selling these in Dundee is going to be a master stroke

or a complete failure.

And you bought them with this.

-110 for the two.

-For the two?!

If I make a profit I owe you one.

OK, what next?

Kate's potential prosperity brooch, that's what.

Scottish, citrine, in a gold little...

Tiny bit of damage here.

Well, if you don't spot a bargain, in gemstones then nobody will.

Whether it was a bargain at £55 remains to be seen.

Last to be revealed is Kate's enamelled topless lady lighter.

Everlasting match.

Is that what it's called?

So this strikes along here and there you have a match,

and this is soaked in something to make it strike?

Yeah, fuel's in there. It's been well worn, strike it there, bingo.

The everlasting match.

Now that's got a bit of potential.

-How much was it?

-20.

-Oooh!

-That's cheap.

-Well, they said quirky sells well.

And let's hope it does!

-I'm getting excited now.

-Let's pack up. I'm getting eaten.

Is it the midges?

Kate might be itching to get to auction

but how does she feel about James' buys?

I have to say I'm not a huge fan of his snuff box

or his tribal art, it's really not my thing.

But I am seriously worried about his St George and the Dragon,

I think it's a really chancey thing.

I don't know how old it is but I think it might do well.

Not surprised with that little citrine,

it's a lovely thing and if Kate says it's cheap then it is.

Um...me and jewellery, they don't go.

I wouldn't know a good citrine if it hit me between the eyes.

But that little everlasting match, I think that's her star buy.

And that could really do 50-80 pounds,

possibly even a bit more, so I think she's done well.

Today's finale is upon us,

so James and Kate head east, to the sweet city of Dundee.

Sometimes famous for its fruitcake,

Dundee is also the birthplace of Desperate Dan

from the world's longest-running comic, The Dandy.

Publishers DC Thomson are based here.

And back where she was built is Scott of the Antarctic's vessel, the RSS Discovery.

About to boldly step out in their own icy, uncertain future

are Kate and James, as the Love Bug arrives in town.

I suppose I have got expectations, if you ask me honestly.

I'm hoping secretly that I'm going to make a bit of profit

and I actually feel a bit more confident about these items

than I did about the first lot.

-I think we bought better things.

-I think we have too.

At the auction house, Curr and Dewar, what are auctioneer Stephen Dewar's hit picks?

There are collectors for Dundee silver.

You find once these collectors have them,

they keep hold of them, they are scarce and sell very well.

There's a small, striker lighter, that's a pretty thing, collectible item,

not desperately valuable, but a nice collectible piece.

Kate started today's show with £303.29

and boldly spent £140 on five auction lots.

James started with his full £603.57

and cautiously spent just £232, on five lots.

Up first is James' four-piece global menagerie.

Nice group lot.

Interest starts me at 25 pounds.

Not a good start.

45, 50, five, 60, five,

70, five, 80, five, 90, five.

-Nice profit, isn't it?

-No.

At 95, any advance? We will sell.

After the auction house takes commission, that's a loss for James.

I paid too much, simple as that.

The snuff box bought from the same dealer is up next.

At £15, opening commission at £15.

Wow, James really looks worried. That's a first!

Any advance on £30?

A gentlemanly profit there.

That wipes out the loss from lot one.

Will the Sampson Mordan pencil holder and letter opener

also cut a dash?

I think it ought to make 120.

That's exactly what I thought, 100, 110 something like that.

And a £60 start, £60 is bid.

70, 80, 90, 100, and ten.

In the room on my left-hand side at 110...

-Well done him.

-That you paid for that and the spoons!

To be fair, Kate deserves a finder's fee

for spotting the lead in that pencil.

Kate's first lot is the attractive everlasting match.

It's got flair, it's got style, it's got...

Well, look!

-I'm really nervous now.

-Come on, it's got to do well.

Interest starts me off on this one at £30.

35, sir? 40, five, 50, five,

£55 on the left.

For 55, your last chance.

Oh! Thank goodness for that.

A buxom profit for Kate.

And now it's her single French knocker.

£15 bid, at £15 it is for the door knocker,

at £15 is bid, 22, 25, 28.

-At £28.

-Come on!

-Any advance on £28?

It's your last chance at 28 now.

A small profit is still a profit,

but Kate really needs a miracle

to have any chance of catching up with James' strong lead.

The Hungarian figure is his next lot,

and James has just spotted the dealer who sold it to him.

She wished me luck beforehand, but now I really don't want it to make

too much money or I might feel guilty!

Interest on this one opens me up at £100.

At 100 it is, 120 sir, 140, 160, 180, 200 new bidder, 220,

at £220 now.

Fantastic. £200 profit!

192 to be precise, James.

Congratulations!

And it looks like you owe someone lunch - a big one!

Kate's Art Nouveau is next to take the stage.

Let's hope it brings the house down for her.

35 pounds it is, the iridescent vase at 35.

40, five, 50, five,

-60. At £60, are you all done?

-There's no swaying him.

A nice profit for Kate, but she needed more of a song there.

Three times what you paid for it, amazing.

Will James' silver spoons play the tune he wants to hear?

Dundee hallmarks. Interest starts me off at £150.

160, 180, 200, 220.

Wow, this is looking pretty good.

The bidders of Dundee clearly love their Dundee silver.

At £220 now.

Another roaring crowd-pleaser for James.

Surely his lead is untouchable now?

I've got to go to the shops you're going to, I think.

Kate's next hopeful is the citrine brooch.

Can this mystic stone bring fortune in abundance?

-A lowly start at £15.

-Ohh!

20, 22, 25, 30, 32.

This is really cheap.

Last chance.

A crushing result and an ill-timed loss.

Kate's hit a slump in every sense.

Can the oil painting bring her back to life?

It looks good from here, doesn't it?

Because you're not close up.

20 pounds is bid.

-At 20 now, any advance?

-Oh, come on.

22, 25. Are you sure? Go on!

-Go on...

-It's for nothing!

28, £28, any advance on £28 now?

Last chance... 30, sir, thank you.

At £30 on the left-hand side.

At £30 now, any advance?

Oh, Kate, once the commission comes off, that's another loss for you.

And today's been another massive success for mighty Mr Lewis.

James started this leg with a hefty £603.57 and made a great profit,

after commission, of £324.04.

He now has an eye-popping £927.61 to splash about tomorrow.

Kate began round two with £303.29

and made a shy, retiring profit of £28.86.

So she sets out tomorrow still lagging way behind with £332.15.

That's a third of James' budget.

is there any way back from here?

The thing is with this game, you can just find one object

that can transform the whole thing.

We're not even halfway through this road trip,

and I've got fighting spirit left in me.

In fact I haven't even started yet.

-Both in profit. That's the key.

-Both in profit. Onwards and upwards!

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip,

Kate and James head for round three at auction in Edinburgh.

Kate tries to make friends.

-20?!

-20.

James tries our patience.

I'm feeling very sorry for myself.

And they both try their best on the antiques trail.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd