Episode 23 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?

Lord above!

The hope is that each antique turns a profit.

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

What a dilemma.

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

If I wasn't in the same car as you, I'd let your tyres down.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Our two antiques experts this week are old friends, David Barby and Philip Serrell.

Just keep straight on this road.

I'm fearful every time your hands hit that wheel.

-Fearful?

-I'm more fearful when they're off the wheel.

-Pardon?

David Barby drives a hard bargain.

The very, very, very best is 120.

I have a wife and child to feed, sir. I have to make some profit.

Let's split the difference at 100.

And here we reveal the secret behind the infamous Barby stare.

Lots of practice!

DRAMATIC MUSIC

Philip Serrell had many jobs before becoming an auctioneer.

His first was clearing out sheep pens for the local livestock auctions.

Elementary, my dear Barby.

These days, he appreciates the finer things of life.

You've some interesting things in here. You've some nice things.

He's got some beautiful things in there.

Both experts started this week with £200.

David did fantastically well at yesterday's auction.

His £5 tray made a staggering £195 profit. Wow!

200 in the front, then. £200 and done then.

Oh, what a splendid day. I really have enjoyed it.

He starts this leg with a very handsome £426.92.

Philip, however, struggled to keep up with David and did rather less well.

At £12 and done then...

It's like the Wall Street crash.

He starts today with £196.71.

What are you going to buy, what are your tactics?

Because you haven't really got much option, have you?

Such a ratbag.

You really are a ratbag.

This week's Road Trip is a gentle meander

from the east to the west of England, from Lincoln to Wotton-Under-Edge.

Today's leg kicks off in Bury St Edmunds.

Then our two chaps visit Clare, Cavendish, and Sudbury,

before ending up in Campsea Ashe for auction.

First stop for both our experts is Risby Barn Antiques Centre.

It's a 15th-century converted barn, stuffed to the rafters with antiques

and collectibles from over 40 dealers.

So there should be something to tempt both Philip and David.

Where do you want to go? Do you fancy the barn?

I quite fancy the barn because it looks a bit car-y, doesn't it?

You're keen on automobiles, aren't you? Go on then, I'm going to the other one.

Past and present, that suits me. Best of luck.

I'm going to be very canny and careful today.

I think Philip has resolved to have a big blow-out!

No need to be personal!

It doesn't take long for our ceramics expert to sniff out something.

Those are immensely interesting.

This is Wedgewood cream ware.

And Wedgewood made his fortune from producing cream ware.

It was when Josiah Wedgewood gave Queen Charlotte a tea set in 1765 that his business really took off.

He instinctively knew that everyone would want the same cups and saucers as the Queen.

And this pierced decoration is typical of cream ware.

There is some damage but £245 for the pair for that little bolt of history. Wonderful.

Philip, however, seems to be missing his day job.

This would make a wonderful auctioneer's rostrum,

lot 47, pulpit, where do you start me?

1,000, 1,500, 2,000, ha-ha, would be brilliant, wouldn't it?

Some hopes.

Maybe he'll have more luck inside.

I do think this is very David Barby.

I can just see him in that on the Norfolk beaches.

Actually I'd rather not see him in that on the Norfolk beaches.

Do try and focus, Philip!

David, on the other hand, has seen something that intrigues him.

What's this, please?

That's for strawberries.

-A strawberry eater?

-Yes!

How old is that?

20, 30 years.

-That's quite quirky.

-Quirky, we do.

A strawberry holder.

It works by pushing the spike into the strawberry, then squeezing the sides, to remove the stalk.

It's called a huller.

So silly, isn't it, that you have one special thing for eating strawberries?

That's at £15.

I can't say I like the thing, or that I would use it, but it's such a novelty piece.

Can you put it on one side for me? I'll have a look at it later.

Thank you very much.

I like that ship's wheel. I think they're a quite good decorator's item.

They look quite nice with a piece of circular glass cut out and made into a coffee table.

Ships' wheels are bizarrely quite collectable.

But all of a sudden, you get loads and loads imported from the Far East.

But that's £65.

I would want to buy it for sort of half that.

On the other side of the shop, another piece of pottery catches David's eye.

This piece here is the last-but-one Prime Minister.

Tony Blair, with his traditional smile, slightly sticky-out ears.

And the beautiful handle is modelled as Mr Mandelson.

It's made by Bairstow Manor Pottery, in association with Carlton Ware.

It's priced at £48.

I don't like it...

..but I think it has a potential market if I can get it at the right price.

Ah yes, David. Those magic words, "the right price".

Jo?

Richard, can I borrow you for a second, do you think?

Can I have a look at that walking stick?

It's actually a stick for measuring horses.

And you pull a little thing out of a handle

and then this pulls out here.

And that would go on the shoulder of a horse and tells you how many hands high it is.

I like that, but I'd like to pay a whole lot less than the price on it.

Ah, why does that not surprise me?

He's more than £200 down and the pressure's beginning to tell.

Let me just tell you a story, this might take some time.

I'm in real trouble, cos at our last auction,

Barby completely paralysed me, he's got double the money I've got left, and I'm really up against it.

I've got to be really be brutal and try and pinch things off you. I'd like to give you £40 for that.

I'd have to have a word with the dealer and double check with him.

Oh, no! >

Your horse-measuring walking stick.

What's the very best you can do on it?

Righty-oh, then, OK, bye. Even though you are a poor auctioneer, he couldn't manage that sort of amount.

He would stretch to 50, special offer for you.

Well, I'm going to have to buy something else and net all this off, haven't I?

He needs a hand, poor Philip.

David, however, prepares for battle.

I try to choose things which are interesting, slightly quirky.

Do you think that Mr Blair would sell as a quirky object?

-Without doubt.

-What's the very best? I think the price is quite heavy.

-I'll do you that for £25.

-Is that the very best you can do?

-I'm trying very hard for you here, David.

-Yes, I know.

Where would you like to be?

-Under 20.

-I'll do it for £20.

Can you do under 20? Just tuck it under the 20.

-£18.

-18?

It gives me great satisfaction to buy Mr Blair for £18. It really does.

But he's not quite finished yet.

What I find so fascinating is that they actually produced in silver,

an object for eating strawberries.

It was for the ladies at the time, so they didn't get

their delicate little hands covered in strawberry juice.

I don't know how you can refuse it for £10.

Is that the best?

Why did I know you were going to say that? £8.

What about a fiver?

Yeah, go on. Two objects for £23.

Can you round them off at 20?

This is getting quite painful!

-Yeah, go on.

-Oi!

Joe, thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

-It's a pleasure.

No wonder you're smiling, David. The poor man didn't stand a chance.

I have enjoyed it.

Is Philip having as much success, I wonder?

Richard, this is the ship's wheel I was looking at.

It's priced at £65. I don't know why, I just think it's a bit of fun.

I'd like to buy it at £20, £25.

I was going to say 45 and come down to 40.

Philip's already agreed on £50 for the walking stick.

If he bought the wheel as well, they would cost £90.

I'll give you £80 for the two.

I might just encourage you a little bit, look.

-I'm going to meet you halfway at £85.

-Look, there's £80.

Barby stands there.

He looks at you and he goes, "Is that your very, very best?"

And I will do this and say yes.

-He just keeps a straight face.

-85.

-Go on then, all right.

So that's the measuring stick for £50, and the ship's wheel for £35.

I mean, the thing is, am I gonna look like a right Charlie Chaplin with this stick? I hope not.

His shopping for the day now over, Philip heads towards Moyse's Hall, in Bury St Edmunds.

It's a local history museum with a wonderfully eclectic collection, reflecting life in rural Suffolk.

His guide for the day is Alex McWhirter.

You must be Alex, good to see you.

Moyse's Hall was built in the 12th century.

It's been a tavern, a family home, and even a jail.

As a result, the museum is home to some of the grisliest exhibits.

Alex, this is something else, isn't it?

-Gibbet cage!

-Gibbet cage?

Probably the only bespoke suit this man had made for him.

A man called John Nichols, found guilty of murdering his daughter,

sentenced to be hanged, and then further to hang in irons.

Nichols was executed in 1794. They built this cage around his body

after they cut him down from the scaffold.

Then they hung his corpse in the gibbet cage from the crossroads.

Basically, the punishment was twofold.

On the one hand, it helps the authorities to illustrate to the rest of the community,

this is what you get if you plan to murder somebody.

Also, as a murderer, Nichols was denied the right to a burial in consecrated ground,

and his corpse was left to rot.

It wasn't until around 130 years later, that his remains

were discovered by American airmen just before the Second World War.

They found the gibbet cage buried in undergrowth, still containing the skeleton and boots of John Nichols.

Gee!

What's that?

That's a mortlock or mortsafe.

A mortsafe was a device made of wrought iron,

which was placed around a grave to prevent the body being stolen.

Effectively, that would have been used to stop the trade in body snatching.

Medical students in the 18th and 19th centuries learned anatomy

by attending dissections of corpses and there was a shortage of bodies.

So the medical profession, bless their souls, needed bodies

-to practice on, so people used to pinch bodies and this stopped them pinching bodies.

-That's right, yes.

If you go around churchyards today, you can still see them.

-Really?

-Yeah. Variants of.

While Philip sees the sights...

BELL TOLLS

..David leaves Bury St Edmunds and heads south to Clare

to continue shopping, not just for antiques!

-Gosh, I love the look of that jacket.

-Well, would you like to try it?

-Yeah!

# He is a dedicated follower of fashion... #

You don't do jackets up these days!

Oh, what fun. This is just too small.

Antiques, David, think antiques!

A wonderful set of spoons here by the leading silversmith...

of the pre-war years, called Omar Ramsden.

Ramsden marketed the idea that any of his clients could commission

a unique piece to his own specifications, no matter how humble.

As soon as you see a spoon by Omar Ramsden,

you'll never want to look at anything else.

They've got £350 each or £1,200 for the four.

I would dearly like to buy those but I haven't got enough money. Oh!

This is a lovely suitcase.

It is leather and leather suitcases are quite collectable.

I think that's quite smart.

It's the sort of thing I'd buy to put my gubbins in there.

And it looks impressive.

But can he buy at the right price?

I don't think there's any name on this one, is there?

I don't think so. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a key either.

No. This is a problem. It's a bit battered and well used.

It's really scuffed.

A bit like you. And that's another very effective bargaining ploy.

Pointing out all the faults before negotiating.

She's got £35. I can do £30.

What were you looking at?

-Well. I was hoping for a greater reduction actually.

-How much?

-I was looking for something in the region of about 20.

-Oh, my word!

-Can you just check how much she's prepared to accept?

-Sure, I'll give her a buzz for you, by all means.

OK, the very best she'll do is £28.

Sorry. She wouldn't go anywhere near £20.

-That's her very best, is it?

-It is.

I don't think I'm going to make a profit on that.

It looks as if the infamous Barby stare hasn't worked this time, David.

Both our chaps have bought two items apiece.

And there's another frenetic day's shopping ahead of them tomorrow.

Let's hope they have a restful evening. Ahhh...

It's the second leg of Philip and David's jaunt through East Anglia

and both our chaps can't wait to start shopping.

So far, Philip's spent the grand total of £85 on two items,

a horse-measuring walking stick and a 19th-century ship's wheel.

He's left with just £111.71 to spend.

David's been rather more cautious with his money,

and spent a trifling £20 on a Tony Blair character jug

and a silver strawberry-eater.

It's so silly, isn't it?

He's left with the commanding sum of £406.92 to spend.

This morning, David's still in Clare.

It's an old wool town and wool was one of the most important commodities in medieval England.

These days, however, Clare is better known as Suffolk Village of the Year, 2010.

Praise indeed.

David's first stop - Market Hill Antiques.

Morning. Hello! David Barby, very pleased to meet you.

-Roy, pleased to meet you.

-Right, I'm here to buy some antiques.

What have you got you can put me in touch with?

-Oh, I like that toy.

-That's quite nice.

-So what's it do?

It's an acrobat. Wind him up...

..and then you just give him a helping hand.

Gosh.

-He's made of celluloid.

-Celluloid, yeah.

The first celluloid toys were produced in Japan in the late 19th century.

These delicate toys were easily damaged.

One of the main reasons why they're so desirable today.

How much is that?

-I've got £110...

-Oh!

-£110 on it.

What's the very best you can do on that?

Probably get somewhere near 60.

40 would be better.

-Who for?

-Me!

Yeah. I'll do a deal at £40.

At 40, OK.

David, however, isn't finished dealing just yet.

I like those, but not at £220.

Obviously, I can do you a good deal on those.

-I'll do them for 140.

-That's too much.

You know they're not just an ordinary set of silver buttons.

They're stunning Nouveau buttons.

What's the very best you can do on those?

Very, very, very best and that will be 120.

I can't touch them. Could you do them at 90 please?

I really can't, the very, very, very best is 120.

I have a wife and child to feed, sir. I have to make some profit.

Let's split the difference at 100.

100 on the buttons.

Poor man, David. That's less than half the original price.

Philip is leaving Clare and heading towards Cavendish.

His next port of call is the Old Forge Shop.

Ideal for the old codger.

Hello.

Philip. Good to see you.

-Is it all right if I have a quick flick round?

-Please do.

You've got some nice things in here.

That's kind of you to say, thank you very much.

Well, I just think that's wonderful.

Yeah, a little glove box.

The thing about timber is that they talk about property and the most important thing about property

is location, location, location, and when they talk about timber, the most important thing is colour

and the second most important thing is colour and the third is colour.

Now when we talk about colour and patina, patina is the lines

on your hands and the wrinkles on your face and I've plenty of those.

That's got patina and that is just absolutely beautiful.

It's almost like chewed coffee and it's a bit sad to get that excited

about a bit of timber, isn't it? But I just think that's absolutely glorious.

But at £145, it's beyond Philip's reach,

who has only £111.71 left to spend.

Need a bank loan to buy that.

Back in Clare, something military catches David's eye.

These cards are by Bruce Bairnsfather...

Captain Bairnsfather was stationed in France until 1915, when he was hospitalised with shell shock.

He went on to become a household name

for his cartoons of life at the front.

This was almost propaganda

to alleviate the misery of the trenches.

So this made light of the circumstances.

There's a man's history on the back of them, sir.

"They call me jam, raspberry jam I am."

And this one here - "London's a better 'ole than it was a week ago" - so says T Holland.

They're £72.

Approximately £6 a card, isn't it?

- Yes. - Would £4 a card do any good?

I'd like those at £30 please.

35. So it's 165, then we can strike a deal on the three pieces.

- How much? - Pardon?

- Hundred and what? - 165 on that. What was we on this one?

100.

40.

- 175. - I'll go for the 165 you suggested.

170, we've got a deal then.

So you're doing those at 30 for me?

Thank you very much.

- Yeah, basically. - All right.

Thank you.

Can I count my fingers when we're finished just in case you've stolen one of them?!

Ha-ha-ha!

I don't think I have! Oh, I'm pleased actually that I've bought those.

Because it's good social history.

And that's £170 for the lot.

As David admires his purchases,

Philip glimpses something shiny - four napkin rings.

Ah, these are silver, and they were assayed in Birmingham.

There's been plenty of silver in this series with the Birmingham hallmark.

The city's Assay Office was founded in 1773, and is now the largest in the world.

It's where 12m articles of gold, silver and platinum are tested

every year to make sure they contain the legal amount of precious metal.

They match.

-But they're different hallmarks.

-Different dates.

-I don't think these have got any age at all.

-No.

-Because they look like mid-1950s.

-They've got no age...

-No, I agree.

-They're not a set.

The label says precisely that.

Absolutely. And what I think has happened to these, I'm sure before you got them,

is that someone's cleaned these with something really abrasive.

You can almost see that there are abrasive marks on each one of them.

-I would see these as having an auction estimate of between £25 and £35 for the four in auction.

-Right.

So I've got to buy them at the bottom end of that if I can.

-We can't go that low.

-What can you do?

Sorry. I mean, we've got a price tag there of 55 for the set.

Erm, bearing in mind your situation, and strapped for cash and everything else,

and all the sob stories you've given me already...

No, it is true, trust me, I tell you.

..I'm prepared to do those at 40.

If you'll meet me at £35, I'll have them.

Well, you're asking me to almost go by 40% trade.

Yep. And I'll have 'em for sure.

And I'll shake your hand and I'll buy you coffee, tea and send you Christmas cards, birthday cards...

Well, on that basis I'll give you my address and look forward to receiving Christmas cards.

Ha-ha-ha! You're a good man. Graham, thank you so much.

David has finished shopping in Clare, and is heading south

towards Sudbury, the birthplace of one of England's most famous artists.

Thomas Gainsborough was a firm favourite with British royalty,

and painted portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte.

And this is where it all began - Gainsborough's childhood home, where David's guide is Emma Dearing.

Thomas Gainsborough was born here in 1727,

and spent the first 13 years of his life in the surrounding areas.

Gainsborough was one of the great masters of 18th-century painting.

He was best known for his portraits, and painted about 800 of England's aristocrats.

This house displays more of the artist's work at any one time

than any other museum in the world.

This is the cabinet that he used to mix his paints.

-Now, do we lift it up?

-Yes, we do.

-Tell me about this.

-Well, we have a marble slate in the centre,

which is where Gainsborough would have mixed his pigments.

So these would have been, what, for brushes?

Er, yes, presumably for brushes or palettes.

When you see something like this and you actually pass your hands

over this, you really feel part and parcel of that period, don't you?

-Absolutely, yes.

-And also the artist. I think this is a wonderful piece.

And this is an example here of his early work?

Yes, an early group portrait known as a conversation piece.

Two of the gentlemen in this painting, we believe,

were school friends of Thomas Gainsborough.

-It always amazes me when I look at portraits of that period, they always look so arrogant and disdainful!

-Yes!

You know, they're looking out at you and saying, what are you interlopers here for?

You speak for yourself! When he was 32 and ambitious to win

more commissions, Gainsborough moved to the fashionable spa town of Bath.

He soon discovered there was a ready market for his portraits.

-I can see why this is your favourite picture.

-Yes, she's stunning.

Isn't she stunning?

This is a portrait of Harriet, Viscountess Tracy.

So she was watering at Bath, was she?

Yes.

She was one of many aristocratic visitors that would have spent

their time in Bath visiting pump houses and taking tours of the town.

From a distance, it looks exceptionally rich,

you've got the creases and the folds, the lace is wonderfully done.

Close up, you can see the spontaneity of the brush work, and it's quite rough.

Yes, yes. Gainsborough was quite particular, he would often write to his clients about the correct way

to view his portraits, and encourage them to stand further away

to truly appreciate the detail in the work.

Gainsborough claimed to prefer painting landscapes to portraits.

But it was his portraits which made him famous.

It's been an absolute pleasure to have you here.

Thank you very much indeed. Bye-bye.

Thank you. Bye-bye.

Now it's Philip's turn to pay a visit to dealer Robin Stone.

-Hi, how are you doing?

-Morning.

But can he bear the strain of another road-tripper, so soon after David's hard bargaining?

I like that car print, and it's quite apt since we're in a car, isn't it?

What is it, about 1920? 1930?

I think it's 1927, that one.

1926, October 1926. I haven't looked at the price yet.

I don't even want to look at the price, and I'm going to make you an offer for things.

-I've only got £45 on it to start with, sir.

-Oh, really?

See, I think that's £10 or £15 worth at auction.

Give me £15 and that's yours.

Well, I might do that in a minute. I'll tell you why I think that.

It's a page, can I just take it off here?

Yeah, just lift it down.

It's a page that's been cut out of a magazine.

And this here is very evocative of almost like an elite car mascot, isn't it?

I like that, but I'm conscious that I'm not buying a work

of art off you, I'm buying a page that's been cut out of a magazine.

A page cut out of a magazine in a period frame.

Very, very, very strong Art Deco influence.

Let me just tell you this, he is a lovely man, but he is something of a salesman.

I'll give you a tenner, and that's me finished. Truthfully.

-£10 cash.

-Yeah, yeah.

-I've just been done, I think here, quietly.

-And we have been suckered.

Yeah, absolutely right. Thank you ever so much.

Huh! Not bad, Philip, not bad at all.

That's a reduction of £35.

And he's not finished yet.

-What on earth is that?

-It's a Rolls-Royce tyre spreader.

-Oh, can I have a look at it, please?

-You can, sir.

This is literally a device which opens up a punctured tyre,

so that you can see what has caused the damage, and where to mend it.

That holds the tyre open.

I think that's quite a cool thing.

It's the sort of lunatic thing I'd like to buy.

-So the wall of the tyre sits there and there, with the tread over the top there.

-Yep.

So you've got it like that,

and then you spread it like that - what could you do that for?

I've got 18 on it. I'd be really and truly looking around 15.

-No, I couldn't do that.

-What have you got?

I don't know, I...

-For me it's like something between two and five quid...

-Oh, no.

Because I think if you put it in a general sale, which is my problem,

-I think 90% of the world...

-Wouldn't know what it was.

..wouldn't know what it was, but you're just gambling that two people there might take a shine to it.

I'll do it for £10.

-Got to be a fiver.

-What about eight?

No, it's got to be a fiver. It's got to be a fiver.

Make it six, come on. You've got to move a little bit.

You're a gentleman. Thank you ever so much, you're a star.

I feel quite pleased with that, actually.

And so you should be, Philip, given that you've bargained two-thirds off the price!

The day's shopping is now over, and it's time for our two chaps to show off their purchases.

But have they spent wisely?

-I'll go for starters. Are you ready for this?

-This is very exciting. I love this bit. Oh, it's a poster.

Well, it's a page out of, I suppose, the French equivalent to the London Illustrated News.

And it was cut out in 1926.

-Oh, I love the car. What did you pay, £15?

-No, 10 quid.

-Do you think it's all right?

-Oh, for heaven's sake, the frame's worth more than that! This is solid oak.

Next, David's character jug - what a character!

Oh, my life. Who is it?

Oh, come on, that big smile and sticky-out ears!

Well, it's not...

It's Tony Blair.

-You have bought a Tony Blair jug.

-A Tony Blair mug.

It's, er, Carlton ware,

and this is limited edition, there were 500 of these made, I paid 15 for it.

But look, I found this on the second shelf in a cupboard.

You could hardly see it.

I think that's probably the best place for it, Barbs.

-I'll let you disclose this one.

-Oh, come on!

-It's lovely!

-Well, there's no age to them, Barbs. In fact, they're the same age as me.

Gosh, made in 1920?

Oh, shut it, you! They're 1950s.

So you paid what, £40?

-I paid £35 for the four. So you think that's all right?

-I think that's marvellous.

Now for the strawberry eater - and Philip's confused.

-Silver, import mark...

-Yes.

-What's that for, is it...?

Do you do that with it?

You haven't got a "Barby" doll have you that I could just...?

Actually, it's creating a wax figure of Philip Serrell.

-What's it for, Barbs?

-And then you know, bang, bang, bang, bang!

-What's it for?

-This is a strawberry eater.

But it's such fun.

I paid a lot of money for it because it was so unusual.

-Yeah, so you paid a fiver.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

This is such a mystery object, Barby.

Right... This was made in about 1910.

-And when you bought your new Rolls-Royce Phantom...

-Yes.

..you went out in it and you might have had a puncture.

And you put the tread there and the wall there and you opened it up like that and you plugged the puncture.

I heard that the auction room like quirky things and I thought,

well, there's nothing comes quirkier than that. It was a very poorly octopus.

-How much?

-Six quid.

-Oh, well, you're going to make a profit on that.

Who knows?

Next up, the postcards.

They're certainly not saucy.

-Oh, I do like them, are they Bruce Bairnsfather?

-Yeah.

Yeah, no, I do like those, I think Bruce Bairnsfather is hugely collectible,

and I think he's also incredibly evocative, isn't he?

I think those are quite nice, actually.

-These were £30.

-Yeah, they're a fiver each aren't they?

-I'm very happy about that, because...

-You paid a tenner for them.

No, I've got six more.

-You're fine, aren't you?

-I paid £30 for the 12.

Yeah, no, they're fine, absolutely fine.

It's Philip's turn next with his horse-measuring stick.

Yes, oh, it's lovely.

Very, very nice.

-I bought it for £50.

-I think that stands a chance.

Oh, those are lovely.

Art Nouveau buttons. And how much were those, Barbs? Truthfully...

These were the most expensive item.

These were £100.

Well, I think you'll get out of those. Ready?

Yeah.

I think that's absolutely fabulous.

I paid £35 for that.

I think that's very good.

Next up, David's acrobat toy.

Oh, I like those, I've seen those.

There's something about that figure, Barbs, that I find very spooky!

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

It's wonderful! Look at it.

Well, that's eerie, that is.

Now look, you see, it looks like he's...

It's almost hypnotic, isn't it?

Oh, my god, did you see that?

Oooh!

How much did I pay for it? Come on.

-15 quid?

-No!

-30 quid?

-No.

Fiver?

I paid £40 for it.

Cor, Philip doesn't look impressed with David's toy.

But what do they really think about each other's purchases? Go on, dish the dirt.

I think the tyre-changer implement is fascinating.

And those buttons are just beautiful quality, he'll double his money and perhaps make 150/160.

The print I'm not so keen on, because it does look like a cutting from a newspaper.

Barby and Tony Blair - now there is two strange bedfellows.

But which of our two strange bedfellows will win this leg's auction?

It's been a splendid Road Trip so far.

Our two chaps started off in Bury St Edmunds, stopping off in Clare,

Cavendish and Sudbury along the way.

Today, they're heading into the picturesque little village

of Campsea Ashe for auction day.

I'm pretty sure they could do with a horse-measuring stick!

Well, we're quite early, there's hardly anybody here yet.

None of your namby pamby silver buttons!

Abbotts Auction Rooms have been holding weekly sales here since the early 1920s.

It still feels like a traditional rural market.

Every Monday morning, stallholders set up outside the rooms,

selling everything from seafood to slippers.

That's enough messing about, lads. Time to start work!

The weekly auction attracts everyone from the browser to the serious collector.

How does auctioneer, Geoffrey Barfoot, think our chaps will do?

The horse measuring stick...

We're in Suffolk, a lot of local horse breeders, so that may just take off.

The Japanese toy in its original box, I think that could do quite well.

We've got a few toy collectors here today.

The one lot I do have doubts about is the Art Deco framed advert,

which I think is really just a page out of a magazine.

The stand-out item is probably the case set of Edwardian silver Art Nouveau buttons.

And that's good news for David.

He started this leg ahead of Philip, with £426.92,

and spent just £190 on five items.

Philip started with a rather less impressive £196.71,

and spent £136, also on five items.

David's more than £200 ahead of him.

If he's to stay in the race, Philip needs to "wrench" out a profit.

Let's hope we don't "tyre" of these puns!

The tension is rising and here's our auctioneers.

Darling and Miliband lookalikes.

This is all building up a sense of drama now, a sense of theatre.

Yes, it is. My stomach is churning.

First up is Philip's Art Deco print.

David wasn't impressed, nor was the auctioneer.

-But what do the buyers think?

-At twenty pounds with me...

I'm absolutely staggered.

Are we all done then at 20? Five in the front row now.

Off the book and in the room at 25.

I'm absolutely staggered..

And I sell...

That's brilliant. That is brilliant.

And that's a great start for Philip, who's more than doubled his money.

Now, it's David's first item - his Tony Blair character jug.

But will it win over the bidders? As opposed to the voters.

I can tell you one thing, I bet the buyer's name won't be Gordon Brown!

There we are.

Could be an antique of the future.

10 with the lady. Down here at 10 only, 12 in the middle.

14, 16, 18, 20. And 2, 25.

25, I'm bid here and still cheap.

-It is cheap.

-In the middle of the room then, at 25 only.

-Still a cheap lot.

-That's a tenner profit, isn't it?

And it's not a vote of no confidence for David's first item.

Next up, it's the ship wheel.

Philip bought it for £35, but will it sink or swim?

£20 I'm bid in the middle. Bargain.

25. At 25, another bid at 30, seated.

35, 40.

Are we all done then at 40? In profit.

I thought it would have done a bit more.

A small profit, not enough to make a dent in David's lead.

Next item to go under the hammer is David's £5 strawberry huller.

There we are, something for you to take along to Wimbledon

and eat your own individual strawberries.

10, I'm bid. At 12 in the corner.

-14, 16, 18...

-That's a good price, Barbs, I think.

18 and I sell. Any other bids, then? 20 and 2.

24, 26... With the hat at 26, and I sell.

-Yes!

-That's a good price, isn't it?

And that's another sweet profit for David.

The auctioneer's never sold one like it before,

but what will the bidders think of Philip's £6 tyre clamp?

Anyone start me at 20? £20 with you.

At 25 there. 30, 5.

40, in the middle here at £40.

-Are we all done?

-That's a result!

-In the middle of the room at 40.

And the bids keep rolling on!

45. 50, 5. 60, 5.

70, 5. 80, £80.

I'm staggered. That's brilliant. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

Lucky, isn't it? Brilliant.

That's more like it. A £74 profit on a £6 item.

Next up, it's David's "spooky" Japanese toy.

Interest on the book and I open at £30. At £30 I'm bid.

You're home with this, Barbs!

Do I see 2 anywhere? 32, 35, 38, 40.

42, 45, 48, 50. 52, 55, 58.

Are we all done?

I think that's a good price, don't you?

It's a profit, but not as much as David had hoped, greedy guts!

Give me that, "Is that your very, very best?" Go on, do it for me.

Give me the look as well. I'm ready for it. OK, go.

Is that the very best you can do?

You see, and that is what wins, because you can't... That just has you.

And you've got to keep dropping the price when he does that to you. This is so unfair. I can't...

The art, which you won't be able to do, is to keep the mouth shut when you've said it.

Philip has high hopes for his horse-measuring walking stick here,

in deepest rural Suffolk.

Oh-arr!

30 I'm bid down here, at 30. 5. 40, 5. 50, 5.

60, down here at 60, any other bids?

All done then at 60.

And it's first past the post for Philip, with a profit of £10.

Next up, David's piece of social history

with his set of twelve comic postcards.

I open the bidding at £12. At £20 I'm bid. At 20, 2.

25, 28, 30. 2, 35, 40.

£40 in the corner now, any other bids?

-One more, please.

-40 in the corner then...

-Oh, no!

-And I sell at 40.

And that's another modest little profit.

Don't be childish, Philip.

I've told you!

Philip's last item for auction are his four matching napkin rings,

which he bought for £35.

I open the bidding at £30.

32, 35, 36, 38, 40. On the far right at 40, any other bids?

And I shall sell. Your bid, sir.

It's been a good auction for Philip, and he's gaining ground on David.

But there's still David's set of six Art Nouveau design buttons,

his final lot.

50 to go then. 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.

And 10. 120, 130, 140.

-On the far right at 140, any other bids?

-Oh, no.

140, then. 150, he's back in. 150.

Brand new bidder on the counter at 150, and selling away.

All buttoned up. And that £50 profit means that

you've now even with Philip.

You've each made £109 profit before commission. Well done.

-Well done, Barbs.

-Well done.

-It's been a good sale, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

But who's the overall winner?

Although both men did equally well at auction, David's still in the lead.

He started this leg with £426.92.

After paying auction costs and commission,

he made a profit of £56.30 and takes £483.22 forward to tomorrow's show.

Philip started this leg with £196.71.

As the items he bought cost less than David,

his profit after commission is £65.82.

He takes £262.53 forward to tomorrow's show.

Philip's back in the game!

-Well, that was a good sale, wasn't it? Happy now?

-Sort of relieved!

In tomorrow's show, Philip acts the goat...

He's quite fun, isn't he?

Can I make you a silly offer on it?

And David finds a treasure trove of silver...

I'm going to offer you £180 for the three.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media

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