Episode 26 Antiques Road Trip

The nations 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?

I love women that do deals!

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

There can only be one winner.

I shouldn't have got too excited.

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

-Don't faint, hold him, hold him.

-Where's the chair?

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Starting the road trip this week David Harper and Anita Manning.

Their classic car of choice, a 1971 Mark IV Triumph Spitfire.

I might need to just slam the brakes on every now and then, Anita, just to test them.

Well, warn me.

David Harper is the reigning champion.

A devil of an antiques dealer, he's champing at the bit to start afresh and give it his all.

-80 quid?

-80 quid? That is robbery.

-Robbery?

-Call the police I think.

Anita Manning wasn't so fortunate, she came fourth last series.

But as Scotland's first female auctioneer, she knows her stuff and is one to watch.

Throw me out the shop, throw me out the shop.

That is shocking, young lady.

Both experts begin with £200. At the end of each leg of their journey,

they'll face one another at auction as they fight to make a profit.

I'm happy, I'm happy.

This week's Road Trip, an eventful escapade east to west

across England's breathtaking south coast.

From Dover to Bideford in North Devon.

Today's leg begins in Dover,

ending up for their very first auction in Heathfield, East Sussex.

But before getting down to business,

David and Anita are taking in one Britain's most iconic views.

-Come on, madam.

-OK, darling.

-Whoa.

Wow, Look at that. Isn't that marvellous the White Cliffs of Dover.

I've never been to the White Cliffs of Dover.

-You must have been on the ferry at some point?

-I've never been stood underneath them.

-Business, David. 200 quid we are buying in the south of England, have you bought here before?

-On occasions.

-Right. It could be dear.

-It could be, because it is a bit touristy.

I'm desperate to get stuck into some antique dealing.

David's from North Yorkshire, while Anita's based in Glasgow.

So being this far south is well out their comfort Zone.

Down here, dealers are notoriously tough.

Well, have a lovely time.

OK. This is very interesting. And don't buy anything good!

Ho-ho! Yes.

-David's dropping Anita off in Dover as she's keen to do a bit of sight seeing.

-Cheerio.

-Bye-bye.

But David's not hanging about, he's motoring straight to his first shop.

It's a brisk eight mile journey north up the coast

to a little town called Deal,

where David will of course be looking to net a cracking deal.

-Hi there.

-Oh, hello there please to meet you I am Carol Yvonne.

Carol Yvonne that's a long one!

Something attracts David's interest super smartish.

Hallmarked, Birmingham Z, what's that 1924?

-They are nicely weighted. They are a pair aren't they?

-Yes, they are a pair.

Now they are very Art Nouveau, really, in shape,

although they are just trickling into the Art Deco period.

Art Nouveau or 'New Art' has been described as the first 20th century modern style.

It was the first design movement to stop looking backwards in history for ideas,

instead taking inspiration from the world around it.

Sinuous, elongated curvy lines, like the ones we see on these vases were a signature look.

Their price tag is £98.

-Is this husband.

-Yes.

-Nice to meet you.

-Hello, nice to meet you too.

Pair of trumpet vases what would the best trade be?

The absolute death is £40.

Forty quid trade.

Well they don't seem dear, do they?

-Carol I will have those.

-You will?

-I will. Thank you very much indeed. They are wonderful.

In Dover, Anita's indulging in some history.

This unassuming building holds one of Britain's key archaeological sites, which is 1,800 years old.

It's filled with ancient antiques, and on this road trip, that's not to be missed.

Ah, Brian, hello.

Anita, hello good to meet you.

Curator or the Roman House, Brian Philip, will show Anita the fruits of a painstaking excavation.

This began in 1971 after the site was first discovered

under the proposed location for a multi storey car park.

I can see a painted room here, isn't that wonderful?

Yes, you are looking down on the series of rooms of a major Roman hotel for official visitors.

It is going to be the emperor when he visits, crosses the channel, he is going to stay here.

Built in 200AD, this hotel was for the Roman top brass as they travelled to and from the continent.

The archaeological dig discovered six rooms where the inside walls had been covered

in brightly coloured paintings. It's their partial survival that makes this house remarkable.

They're the best preserved almost anywhere outside Rome or Pompeii.

I can still see these lovely rust or iron reds and I can see the shape

of the panels, almost window frame shape of these panels.

Why so much of these paintings survive is down to the fate of the hotel.

Plans for a Roman Fort in AD 270 led to it being partly demolished

and buried in the new structure's foundations.

Because of this elaborate decoration, it would have been a luxurious place to stay?

They were expecting Mediterranean standards here

in the quality of the building, the paintings and of the entertainment.

Well, I can just imagine myself in that luxury, perhaps invited along as a dancing girl.

You never know, Anita. Emperor Septimius Severus might have given you the thumbs up.

The archaeological teams also recreated the look of the house from their finds.

Tell me, do these motifs have any special significance?

They can all be related back to the god Bacchus, the Roman god of wine.

There is a bacchic wand, there are grape vines, the pair of fronds here

and the motifs tend to be replicated around the room.

There was another exciting discovery, an elaborate central heating system called a hypocaust.

Can you tell me how the central heating system would work?

It's a fairly simply firing technique, you just need a small fire placed in each of these arches.

It needs topping up every hour,

and the hot air is drawn in underneath the floors and then up inside the walls

to heat the whole building.

And keep everything nice and toasty.

Back in Deal, David's still very much on an art nouveau tangent.

This time, candlesticks.

Very flamboyant and very stylish,

but you can tell quite quickly that they are very new, but it doesn't really matter at £22.

They are an interior designers dream.

Original Art Nouveau candlesticks had pride of place in a well to do Victorian or Edwardian household.

Often as part of a dining table centrepiece.

Candles, oil and gas lamps were the only lighting available for most homes

until the arrival of electricity at the end of the first world war.

-They are quite modern aren't they?

-Yes, they are they are reproduction.

-They are absolute brand spankers?

-Yes, they are.

-Did you buy them as new ones?

-Yes.

-They might make a little cheeky lot in a saleroom.

They might do all right. They couldn't be a fiver, could they?

-I can do them for that.

-Do them for a fiver?

-Yeah, OK.

Go on then, another one. Thank you very much. Brilliant.

Might as well go home now I have done everything I have needed to do.

Meanwhile, someone else has arrived in Deal, all ready to start shopping.

I am not going to let myself get carried away, at least I will try not to let myself get carried away.

So be very careful, this is my first shop, first go at it, be careful, Anita.

That's my advice to myself.

Anita's chosen shop is a little left field.

Sam, oh, I love your shop.

Owner Sam Jacques is a vintage clothing specialist.

But he does have with a few antique gems thrown in here and there.

-I will say one thing.

-Yeah?

-Top hats go for a lot of money.

You look great.

# We're a couple of swells

# Make 'em laugh, make 'em laugh. #

When the first top hat was born in Britain in 1797, it caused a near riot.

Passers by panicked, women fainted and children screamed.

Despite this, it became the most sophisticated hat in fashion.

This top hat is French, which is rather apt as they invented the design.

I forgot to tell you, it's got its hat box as well.

-Oh, right.

-It's a mess but it has got the hat box.

Could I see the hat box down?

This box is as tatty as tatty. My French accent won't be very good.

But the shop was in the Place du Theatre.

I mean, I think that makes it fun with that.

Eight pounds?

-Eh.

-Sam, throw me out the shop, throw me out the shop.

-That is shocking, young lady.

-I know, throw me out.

I can't do it for eight, you know, it is very old and it is Victorian, and it is beautiful.

What about having the top hat and the bowler as well, the bowler box.

Let me see them down. He is trying to make a deal.

This box is lovely. And this bowler is in good condition.

The Bowler hat was an English invention.

It was first created in 1850 for a Sir William Cooke, as a hard hat for his game wardens.

But eventually it became the head gear of every professional British gent.

For the bowler and the top hat, Sam wants £35.

If you could come to £20, and £20 cash and I've got that and I've got a wee chance.

So between us we would not be doing too badly.

What do you think? 20 quid?

-20 quid?

-20 quid.

-22 and you have got a deal.

Let's go halfway, 21 is a lucky number.

-21.

-That's wonderful.

-Brilliant.

As the day draws to an end, it's time for David and Anita to meet up and head forth.

Still not letting me see what you have bought?

No, but I am going to have a peep in your bag when you are in the bar.

It's time for us to head to Margate.

I am looking forward to it.

If the sun is shining we'll have a pokey hat.

-A pokey hat what's a pokey hat?

-An ice cream cone.

-On we go!

-Rest well, you two.

There's still an awful lot of shopping to be done tomorrow.

A new day of buying beckons for our antiques aficionados.

I love these coast roads for driving classic cars, you can't beat them, they are all twisty and windy.

Out of their original pot of £200 each, both experts have bought two lots.

Anita has spent £21 while David has spent £45.

Our duo are going their separate ways to make the best of the shops.

David is motoring 22 miles along the coast to Herne Bay.

His chosen stop off point has a rich past.

It was an extremely popular seaside resort in the late Victorian era

with regular steam boats running here from London.

But no time for sightseeing, there's booty to be bought.

This place is massive, it's right up my street, really my...

HE TAPS PIANO

..cup of tea.

Flat!

David's chosen an emporium that used to be a cinema and is filled with collectables, toys and furniture.

And there's one thing that strikes a chord with David instantly.

Good style. It's a bit on the grimy side so it's a good auction piece,

it is the kind of thing that would looks like it's just come out of a house sale

and dealers and private buyers love to find things that have just come out of a private house,

but maybe haven't been on the market for very long.

A clock like this is known as a four glass mantle clock.

The mechanism needs winding once a week

and it should strike the hours and half hours. That's if it works, of course.

KNOCKING

Painful!

Not good.

Not great. But it would get better with a little bit of treatment

so again, it is a good auction piece made from brass enamel columns

pretending to be an 18th century piece but it isn't, it is more likely 1920s-1950s.

Priced at £75 it is not an expensive clock by any means.

Anita's quest will begin in Margate.

A short fifteen mile trip around the coast from Deal.

A busy seaside resort for 250 years, Margate had Londoners flocking here

in the 1700s, as sea bathing was seen as the best cure for tuberculosis.

But no seaside antics for Anita, she needs to bag some antiques.

I was looking for an Aladdin's Cave and I think I have found it.

Yep, there's plenty to see, both upstairs and down, with antiques galore.

I am going to go and find the owner of the shop

because I want him to open a couple of cabinets

and I think I should focus on the small things.

Shop owner Ronnie Scott - not the club owner - is the chap to see if Anita wants a deal.

But beware! He's very tough.

-He's lovely - what's his name? Henry?

-Yes.

-He's quite nice.

-What do you think? I think he is probably Spanish.

-And not terribly old, Ron.

-Not a million years old.

-Maybe not 20 years old?

I think maybe a bit older than that - maybe '50s or '60s.

-40 or 50 years.

-Yeah, uh-huh.

This leather horse is more likely to be English.

And I remember them as a child, around the pony club camp days.

You practice saddling up. He's yours for £30.

-Right, can we keep him out and have a wee think about him?

-Certainly.

Meanwhile, David's looking at a tilt-top table.

Charlie Hanson picked up one of these up in the first week of the competition,

and made a £30 profit on it, but they're very different.

For those of you who don't remember, tilt-top tables are useful

as they can be stowed away pretty swiftly.

And if you look on the inside you can see where for 200 years,

that top has been sitting on that base and that base has marked the top.

Had it been in absolutely original worn and beautifully patinated condition,

that's £200, £300, £400 worth of table.

Ten years ago it would have been double that.

But this one has been over-restored and it is...

Ridiculous! £20 - absolutely a bargain of a lifetime.

I'll put that on my list.

Something with a spot of sparkle has caught Anita's eye.

Tea service, comprising a teapot, a sugar and a cream.

These aren't terribly popular,

but this has got a wee sort of Arts and Crafts look about it which I quite like.

Pewter is a mix of tin, copper and lead.

This tea service is a pale imitation of designs

created for London's famous department store Liberty & Co,

founded in the late 19th century.

Pewter Arts and Crafts items are extremely sought-after,

if they have the Liberty name.

Unfortunately this one from the 1930s is mass-produced and priced at £35.

-Can I buy this for £10?

-You haven't got a chance in hell, I'm afraid.

-Have I not got a chance in hell?

-No. I'm really sorry, I don't want you to think I'm being rude to you here.

I'll give you the best trade price - £25 cash and carry.

Not just for this - that is for all three pieces. £25, it's peanuts.

It's too dear for me at that.

Well, I'm afraid you'll have to leave it, then.

Oh, dear, this isn't going well. Time to try a diversionary tactic.

Let's look at the horse.

I'll do a deal - the tea set and the horse, £45.

Bargain, can't go wrong.

15 on each. 30 quid?

Not possible. £40 quid, and I'll shake your hand.

Absolutely the last word.

£40? £35. Put your hand there -

£35. Go on, do it for us!

-£40 is the best I can do.

-£35.

I'll toss you for 35 or 40.

Heads 40, tails 35.

So it's heads 40, tails 35.

Uh-huh.

Heads 40!

Get your money out, girl.

-OK, we'll take a chance anyway.

-Good show.

-I'll tell you something - it has been great fun.

-Good good.

In Herne Bay, David's list of potential purchases is getting longer.

A pair of rather nice chandelier light fittings here

priced at 80 - a few loose bits of brass here and there.

Date-wise, it is not ancient -

I would probably think it is mid 20th century. But it doesn't really matter with lights.

These things new cost an absolute fortune, FORTUNE! Can be hundreds of pounds.

This is a different being altogether.

That's very grand, very kind of French-looking.

Looking at the fittings it is probably 1950s,

the glass is fabulously etched.

Ah, now there is a massive problem - big break in the side.

SIGHS

That new would be five, six or seven hundred pounds potentially.

It is very good quality. But that break could just kill the job.

Now private buyers would probably be put off.

A trade buyer like me or an interior designer could live with it.

For the money, even if that is eighty quid on it's own, that is a bargain.

So they are very, very good potentials.

Time for David, methinks, to get a price on his chiming clock,

Georgian tilt table and the two glass hanging lanterns.

Chris Ifield is the man in charge, so here's hoping he's in a generous mood.

Enamel clock, £75 quid on it - what is the trade on that?

If you're looking at buying a few things I'd do a deal with you but for the moment £70.

Oh, he is too hard, this one, isn't he?

Well, I will try you with a few more bits. What about that table there?

Yet again the price is for nothing, £20.

I'll maybe knock a fiver off that and knock a fiver off that. 15, 70. What's that, £85, innit?

-45, was it?

-No, no. No chance.

-Are you sure?

-No, 85 is where we are at the moment unless you find something else.

The more you buy the more I'll bring it down.

-I am going to have to buy the whole shop to get any sort of discount.

-If you can, it would really help us.

-These two here, Chris, 80 for the pair, is it?

-Right.

Along with the table and the clock, Chris is looking for £165.

-I'm going to be miles away. We're going to be miles away.

-That's all right, it don't hurt.

-You can offer.

-£80?

-£80, that is like robbery.

-Robbery?

I will call the police, I think!

I think, we come to £165, something like... I could come out to 140.

I can't do it, Chris.

What I'll do is £120 for the whole lot.

-And that is it. I am finished.

-Really, are you dead at that?

-£120, that is it for the whole lot.

That is absolute bargain for you, that is.

How about 100 or 120 on a spin of a coin, how is that?

Go on, then.

Careful, David, tossing a coin didn't work out so well for Anita.

-All right. Do you want to call?

-Tails never fails.

Heads.

Sorry mate, but it's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you very much indeed.

That's all right - no worries.

So that's £40 for the clock, £10 for the table and £25 each for the lanterns. Wow!

Whilst it's game, set and match in the shopping stakes for David,

Anita wants to take advantage of another buying session.

She's heading 17 miles west to the city of Canterbury.

It's most renowned for Geoffrey Chaucer's medieval Canterbury Tales.

But the only tale on the horizon here today is

about a glamorous lady from Glasgow and her quest for quality antiques.

What a beautiful, charming shop.

I can't wait to have a look round.

-Is it OK if I have a look round?

-Please do.

-Will I leave my bunnet here?

-We'll sell that for you.

Keith and Veronica Reeves's boutique is home to quite an upmarket range of jasperware,

porcelain, jewellery, silver and collectables, all of which may be a little rich for Anita's diet.

I can't afford the quality you have, quite frankly.

They are very beautiful things which I can't afford.

But maybe you can help me here - something that looks the part but maybe isn't quite?

-That's me!

-Oh, no!

-I look the part but I am not quite.

What could fit Anita's bill is a selection of Alfred Meakin dinnerware.

On your Alfred Meakin, you have £60 on that.

Alfred Meakin was a Stoke-on-Trent pottery company

producing pretty ironstone china and graniteware from the 1870s.

It even designed the china used on the Flying Scotsman train.

This 24-piece set is from the 1950s and is Art Deco in style.

But £60 isn't what Anita wants to pay, so she's about to get cheeky.

-Don't faint - hold him, hold him!

-Where is the chair?

Where's the chair? I would be looking to buy that in the region of £25.

-I know that's not dear.

-Yeah, go on.

-Thank you very much.

I am very pleased with that.

It is very nice. Lots of it. And I think I have got it at a price where fingers crossed I will make a profit.

David's back on the road. He's taking a little educational detour.

He's on a 17-mile trip from Herne Bay to Broadstairs.

David is visiting the Dickens House which commemorates Charles Dickens' association with Broadstairs.

Although some of his stories dealt with the gritty realism of life

in Victorian London, he adored the seaside beauty of this pretty town.

A large part of his legacy was written not far from this museum.

Curator Lee Ault has agreed to show him some of the novelist's prized possessions.

Now we have got pictures and we have got portraits all over the walls,

Lee, haven't we, obviously all relating to Dickens.

Well, these are some of the fill-in prints that were put in the bound first editions of the books

and they are by Hablot Knight Browne, or Phiz.

-Phiz! Yes, very famous.

-Yes, very famous. One of Dickens' favourite illustrators, I think.

The house originally belonged to Mary Pearson Strong, who Dickens would often take tea with.

He also based one of his most colourful characters on her, from David Copperfield.

This is the famous parlour which we know Dickens sat in

with Mary Pearson Strong, the lady that lived here

who he immortalised as Betsey Trotwood.

She used to get up mid-sentence and go outside and hit the donkey boys.

Which of course he witnessed and included.

-He said, you know, he just found it hilarious.

-Well, wouldn't you just?

Dickens lived and wrote in a house overlooking the shore for many years.

Summer holidays with the family were a favourite.

He even described the town as "our watering place".

Not surprisingly, many of his personal letters were from Broadstairs.

He used to write on average about 12-14 letters a day.

-Did he really? Who to?

-Friends, acquaintances...

Some of these are to his friend Beard,

but you will notice that the signatures on some of them vary,

some of them just have the plain CD.

Now, would that make a difference? Would that mean he was just an acquaintance of yours

or a very good friend, would that determine how he signed?

-CD was just a good friend.

-OK.

Lee has a special treat in store for furniture-lover David -

Charles Dickens' very own much-loved sideboard.

I love the handles, don't you just think?

Oh, they are wonderful handles.

He bought this and several other pieces of furniture, so the story goes,

just a few weeks before he married Catherine Hogarth.

And I just love the way he didn't take Catherine with him to choose the furniture.

Fantastic! I like the sound of him.

Dickens died in 1870, aged 58.

Although married to Catherine Hogarth, who bore him ten children,

his will of £93,000 - over four million in today's money -

was to be the subject of controversy.

Where did all the money go to?

Well, having spent 15 years keeping his mistress quiet

and never saying a word about Ellen Ternan,

the first person mentioned in the will is Ellen.

-The mistress.

-The mistress, who he leaves £1,000 to.

A lot of money. So it must have been a bit of a shock then,

at the reading of the will, when the mistress gets herself a grand.

Well, Catherine knew about the mistress,

because Dickens, not long after he had met Catherine,

had purchased a bracelet from Asprey's the jewellers.

-Very posh.

-Very posh.

And it was accidentally sent to Catherine.

Excellent! What a dreadful mistake.

Despite Dickens' turbulent love life,

novels such as Nicholas Nickleby, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations

are still as relevant as they were 140 years ago.

An incredible accolade for any writer.

There have been highs and lows for both our experts

as they've cashed in their bargaining chips in a hodge-podge of shops on the south coast.

-Heads.

-It's been an absolute pleasure.

Now it's show and tell time in Canterbury.

Are you ready? Can I reveal first?

-On you go.

-OK. My first purchase. Ready?

It's David's trumpet vases.

They have got a bit of an Art Nouveau flow to them. It's late for Art Nouveau.

-They are in good condition.

-Yes, a few little things here and there.

Yeah, that's smashing. These look interesting.

Now these, I know that you are going to know that they are not period.

They are not...of their time.

The style is absolutely gorgeous, bang on 1900.

-Tell me how much!

-Right, OK.

You want to get down to the dirty business. All right, OK.

The pair of trumpet vases in silver, £40.

Right. That's good.

And the pair of Art Nouveau style, absolutely a steal - a fiver.

-That's all right.

-'Next, the bowler and top hat combo.'

-Try it on.

-My head's much too big, I'm afraid.

-We're a couple of swells.

-We are a couple of something's, I am quite sure.

I bought them both for £21.

-It's not too bad.

-There we go.

-So you have bought a piece of furniture.

It's a Georgian table. Now, I valued that at a tenner.

-A tenner!

-Come on, Anita, that's got to make a profit.

You can't get much cheaper than that.

He is not Victorian but I think he is maybe 30, 40, 50 years old.

-His name is Henry.

-Really? That will help him!

And I am hoping he is Champion the wonder horse.

'David's not so sure, Anita.'

-I bought a tea set.

-Right.

And I know they are not popular but, coming form Glasgow,

I like the arts and crafts period and I ended up paying £40 for the two of them.

-Again, I am going to struggle.

-Now then, get ready for this little baby.

Oh, that's what I would call a big cracker.

It's a big lump of decoration, isn't it?

It's lovely but how much did you pay for it?

I paid for that...

You are not going to tell me another £10?

No. No. Four times - £40.

£40? That is an absolute bargain.

-Do you think so?

-'Now, Anita's Alfred Meakin ware for £25.'

I think that that's going to look absolutely lovely on a dinner table.

-I love that handle. That is screaming art deco.

-The handle's good.

-A couple of crackers.

-Oh, yes, those are good.

They are probably mid to late 20th century. They are going to have 20, 30, 40 years on them.

They have got the look.

And they have got the price, Anita.

Oh, no. How much?

-£25 each.

-Uh-huh! That's OK.

Well done. I'm not speaking to you.

Well, it's been a lovely experience, our first trip out.

-Great characters and a wonderful part of the world.

-It's been fun.

'That was all a bit sugary sweet.

'I bet there's more to it than meets the eye.'

After having a look at Anita's items, I think they are all kind of staple antique dealing stock.

The Meakin ware, there is nothing wrong with it, but these things don't sell so much these days.

I think David has made some wonderful buys.

I mean, that clock for £40 - how did he do that?

The thing I really disliked was that awful, terrible, leather horse. But bizarrely,

that is probably the only thing that she has a chance of making some good

money on because bonkers people sometimes buy bonkers items.

And that thing is just utterly, totally bonkers.

I think he has done very, very well.

My goodness!

So far, our dynamic duo have romped through the eastern corner of England's south coast.

It's the final leg of the journey

as David and Anita head for the auction showdown in Heathfield.

This is where Anita and David will first face each other at auction.

Heathfield is a handsome market town.

In Victorian times, there was a cottage industry of chicken fattening

to make them plumptious for the pot.

Today, the town is most famous for its annual agricultural show.

But for our two experts, the focus is antiques and profits.

-Here we go, David!

-Come on, you.

Watson's Auctioneers, in business since 1874, hold a weekly general sale.

There's a bit of everything but country furniture and collectables do well here.

Peter Hobden has 30 years experience as an auctioneer,

and there's one thing that really tickles his fancy.

David's clock is a very nice clock and we get a lot of people here who

buy clocks and are interested in clocks and I think it will sell very well. Probably £80 to £120.

David has splashed a considerable £145 on six lots.

The trumpet vases, the art nouveau reproduction candlesticks,

the Georgian tilt-top table, the fancy clock, and the two glass lanterns.

-Thank you very much.

-Cheers, mate, that's brilliant.

While Anita has gone "a wee bit canny," spending just £86 on five lots.

The top hat, the bowler, the Liberty-style pewter tea service,

-Henry the wonder horse, and the Alfred Meakin dinnerware.

-That's wonderful.

But as ever with an auction, it's completely unpredictable.

So eyes to the front. Time to begin.

-You are up first.

-Wish me luck, darling.

I don't. I mean, I do. Did I say that loud?

Making its mark first, Anita's top hat.

At £10, I am bid 10, 12, 14, 16,

18, 20, 22, 25, 25, 28.

-Oh, yes!

-£28, £30.

-Hey!

At £28...

Yes! I am happy. I am happy.

A cracking first lot, and an excellent start for Anita.

That's a very good start.

-That's a great start.

-It is.

Now for David's trumpet vases.

£40, 30, £30, 20 bid, thank you.

£20, 22, 25, 28, 30, 32, at 32, 35 on the book, 38, 40, 42.

-He's got bids on the book.

-Good.

48, 50, at £50...

Small profit.

OK. They've wiped their face.

Indeed they have, giving David a touch of profit before commission.

Well, they could have been my big disaster.

Enter Anita's bowler hat,

but does it have enough oomph to impress the crowd?

It's a nice bowler hat, there.

-Lovely!

-I like the box, I must say.

30 for this lot?

30, 20, 10... I've got only 10, 10,

-12, 14,

-Come on!

-16, 18, £18, 20, 22, at £22...

-Yes!

25, 25, 28, at £28 this time,

in the very centre, at £28...

Yes! I am happy.

So you should be, Anita,

I think the pretty box helped BOWL them over. Sorry!

I'm a mad hatter!

No.

Moving on, David's art nouveau style candlesticks.

Good-looking candlesticks, what do you say to those?

£30, 30, £20, somebody start me at 10 for them?

£10 I have got, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20,

-22, 25, 28, £28, 30, 32...

-Come on.

£30. In the hat, then, at £30...

That was a good buy.

Fantastic.

A stunning profit for a reproduction,

perhaps thanks to the persuasive auctioneer.

-I like him, don't you?

-Oh, yes. Well done, darling.

Thank you.

On display now, Anita's arts and crafts-style tea set.

-A pewter tea service.

-Come on.

-What do you say for that one?

30, £30, 20, anybody start me at 10, then? £10.

Oh, come on! Please, please...

£14, 16, 18, 20, £20. At £20...

-Oh, well, level pegging.

-There abouts.

Unfortunately, that will turn a small loss after commission.

I shouldn't have got too excited.

Next up, the simpler of David's glass lanterns.

And what do we say for that one?

Go on. Get in there.

20 I am bid. £20, 22, 25, 28, 30, 32, 35, 38, 40, 42,

at £42, lady's bid at £42. £45?

Last time at £42.

-Ouch.

-Are you happy enough?

-No.

-No, you are not happy with that one?

-I am not happy.

Oh, don't be like that.

It's still a profit and that's the name of the game.

-Not bad.

-It's all right.

Now for the elaborate brass and etched glass lantern.

A statement piece which could go either way.

-And what do we say for that one?

-£100.

£50, 30, 20 I am bid, £20,

22, 25, 28, 30, 32, 35, 38...

Keep it going.

45, at £45, 48, 50, 55, 60, 65,

70, 75, 80, £80, at £80, 85, 90...

-Come on.

-At £90, going to sell it, at £90...

Not bad.

Well done, David, well done.

That's a strong £65 profit before commission,

putting David way out in front.

Not bad, You are my good luck charm, I think.

I hope not!

Absolutely, Anita.

Here's hoping Henry can gallop homewards with a profit.

-Right, this could be the one for you.

-This is it. This is it.

And what do we say for this one? £40?

40, 30, £30, 20 I am bid, £20,

at £20, 22, 25, 28, £28, 30 now,

30, at £30, at 30, take two?

-Not too bad. Not too bad.

-I think you have done all right.

It's still a £10 profit, always better than a loss.

So you are not down, Anita, you are not losing money currently.

Furniture is popular at this saleroom,

but does David's Georgian tilt-top table have the oomph to clean up?

-80, 50.

-Get in there 50.

-£30, 30 I am bid, £30.

-Oh, come on.

You have done well. It doesn't deserve that.

32, 35, 38, 40, 42, 45, 48, 50, at £50, 55...

-Still cheap.

-60 on the book. At £60...

-That's excellent.

-Going to sell it on the book.

Selling away at £60...

That's excellent.

You're a good sport, Anita,

considering that's another strong profit for your enemy David.

£50 before commission, not bad.

I am very pleased that you have made all these profits because I

think that it might lead you into a false sense of security.

That's more like it. You tell him, Anita.

Here's hoping your art deco dinnerware

can increase your takings.

-Hold it up. Hold it up.

-Lovely pattern.

-Beautiful, beautiful.

£20 bid, at 20, 22, 25, at £25, at £25, lady's bid on the right...

-He is trying.

-He is. He is trying.

-£25...

-Oh.

OK. A little bit of commission off there. So a tiny loss.

Despite its pretty lines, it just didn't have what it takes.

-Never mind.

-But you are still into profit overall. Just.

-Just.

-You have done all right.

It is our first sale, we are kind of finding our feet.

-I know.

-That's easy for you to say, you're romping ahead.

The final lot is David's clock,

it's an interesting piece, but will it coin in the bids?

-Good luck, David.

-Thank you, you are very kind.

There we are, nice pretty clock there, what do we say for this one?

-£150.

-Go on.

-£100.

-Go on.

-£100, 50 I am bid, £50 bid,

-bid only at 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 110, 120.

-Come on, come on.

120, 130 now, last time at £130...

-£130. That is still good profit.

-I am delighted. I am delighted.

And no wonder, with £90 profit.

Well done, David.

-That's not bad.

-A profit, Anita.

Out of her original purse of £200, after paying commission, Anita has

made a profit of £21.92,

giving her a total of £221.92 to shop with from tomorrow.

But first past the post is David.

Out of his £200, after paying the auction costs,

he's made an amazing £186.16 profit.

Giving him a bumper £386.16

to start the proceedings on the next leg of the journey.

OK, David, are you pleased with today's auction?

I am. I am happy.

I am very happy. But it is one of many a long old journey.

-Are we ready to roll?

-I think we are ready to roll.

These seats are boiling. It's roasting my bum.

Too much information. Next time on the Antiques Road Trip,

our experts both fall fowl of the tough southern dealers.

How about 80 quid all in?

No. Can't be done.

He said, "I think we should end this conversation now."

And they both find time for a bit of R&R.

-Come on, let's be having you.

-Too cold!

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