Episode 7 Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite antiques experts, £200 each,

and one big challenge - who can make the most money buying and selling antiques as they scour the UK?

Decisions, decisions.

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

But it's not as easy as it sounds.

It's cracked.

There can only be one winner, so will it be the highway to success or the B road to bankruptcy?

This is The Antiques Road Trip.

We're on the road with this week's antiques aficionados Charlie Ross and Mark Stacey.

Charlie Ross is an expert on antique furniture who ran his own auction house

for over 25 years, and seems to be running something of a charm school.

Mwah! Mwah! A tenner.

Rival Mark Stacey was third last series.

He has 25 years in the trade as a valuer, dealer and auctioneer,

and he's a ceramic expert with a passion for porcelain.

Come on, you know you want to at 75.

Each expert started their road trip with £200.

There has been tension for Charlie.

-He's suffering two crippling losses.

-Oh, Charlie.

-Devastated.

But he's managed to stay in profit,

taking his original £200 up to £220.63, all ready to spend.

And Mark has kept his hand firmly on the tiller with the objects he's bought, even getting one for free.

From his £200, those steady profits now give him £247.09.

I think it's perfectly fair, don't you?

Mark and Charlie are on the second leg of their trip.

They began in the West Midlands

and will have a final destination of Chippenham in Wiltshire.

On today's show they're leaving Stoke on Trent

for Cheshire with an auction showdown in Wrexham in North Wales.

But first it's a beeline for the historic town of Nantwich.

There was the Battle of Nantwich in the Civil War, and I can't tell you who won.

-It was the Royalists.

-Actually, the Parliamentarians won.

Nantwich is a picture-skew market town sitting on the River Weaver.

It's famous for centuries of salt production and boasts some stunning Tudor buildings.

But no time for sightseeing just yet.

I'm going to take the Mark Stacey view on life today.

Keep my purchasing to below £10 and free wherever possible.

But you can't do that, Charlie.

That's my stroke of genius.

There's an antiques fair on at the civic hall.

-Would you like me to drop you off there?

-I'd love you to.

-Delivery service there.

-Thank you very much.

-A great pleasure. I'd like you to get out, spend, spend, spend.

-And I will.

Come back with a bargain.

I love these antique fairs because there's a sense of you're

never quite sure what you're going to find on each stall.

So, what's the strategy, Stacey?

I'm still going to keep to my plan and buy wisely, hopefully, and as cheaply as possible.

But who knows.

You might struggle. Some of this is way out of your price range.

This is an early 19th century sarcophagus shaped tea caddy.

There's two little boxes in there for mixing the tea, in mahogany of course.

Tea first came from China in the 17th century.

A tea caddy was part of the upper class ritual of drinking tea.

Although a small box, it had a lock to stop the servants pinching any of this luxury commodity.

These have all been replaced, this lining is all a bit too new.

The asking price is 95.

It's all a bit tired, really. Just like me.

Oh, I don't know.

Meanwhile, Charlie is on the road to a nearby antique centre.

It's given him time for some retail reflection.

I've got to try and be a bit more selective than I was on my first day.

I need to be harder.

When I offer somebody £20 for something and they say, "no, 30",

I'll say, "20 it is or I'm going."

Good plan, Charlie.

This is Dagsfield Antiques Emporium.

Here there are wares from over 200 dealers.

Plenty to choose from, but finding that perfect gem might be tricky.

A cricket bat signed by the Worcestershire county team.

I quite like that bat, but it's £46.

And look from the label how long it's been here.

This has been handled by hundreds and hundreds of people.

Possibly overpriced?

Charlie is a cricket fan but I don't think he's going to stump up for it.

I've recently sold a bat and it made £20, which I think is about where that is.

Well, if it's not for you, it's not for you.

Why not find a dealer and see if they can help, Charlie?

Let me have a look round. You're not going to hit me if I'm rude, are you?

Now, back to Mark.

I think this is quite an appealing piece because it fits in with modern-day living.

You can use it as a storage trunk in the bedroom, as a decorative piece.

They've described it as a 19th century school trunk with tray and key.

It's more likely to be 1920s but may have been modelled in the style of a

19th century Saratoga trunk, revered for their separate compartments

for hats, shirts, documents and coins.

This would have been perfect for any young scholar off to boarding school.

The only thing I don't like is the price. It's £58.

I wouldn't want to pay that much.

But will the camera-shy dealer be in the mood for Mark's haggling?

-What's your very, very best price?

-Well, I can come to 50.

Oh, come on, surely you must be able to go a bit lower than that.

-Could we get it nearer 30, do you think?

-No. Absolutely not.

-35?

-No.

-40?

I'll do 40 and that's it.

Not a little bit under - 38?

-For cash?

-40 and that's it.

-39.

Shake my hand at 39.

You've got a deal.

Look at that. They've come down from £40 to £28.

These are Beswick ware vases.

The company is most famous for Beatrix Potter figurines and highly collectible At Deco figures.

-Sadly these aren't Art Deco. They're 1950s and therefore worth a lot less.

-A fiver?

Yes.

Ooh! I should have said two.

But I can't believe that I could go wrong.

My dear...

Purchase of the day.

Hold on. 40 down to 28, then straight to a fiver?

Is there something you're missing here, Charlie?

You don't want to sell me a Royal Crown Derby pheasant for a tenner, do you?

You're mean. The price tag is £60.

These paperweights are more collectibles than antique, being relatively modern.

Each should have a stopper with a date and a stamp on it, which adds to their value.

Unfortunately, this one has a plastic replacement bung.

I'll still give you a tenner for it, even without a stopper.

Cash in your back pocket.

-12.

-15.

-It cost you 15, didn't it?

Go on, I'll have that as well. Go on.

Now, what's Mark up to?

I've just discovered this.

I don't know usually do books, but I love Punch and Judy and here we've

got Punch's Library of Humour, so these would have been taken from the Punch magazine.

This is 1907, apparently, a first edition.

If we flip through, we see all these different little jokes and

things about sportsmen, and the lady cricketer's guide.

I know Charlie loves cricket.

The Useful Cricketer - I think he'd love it.

-I think that if I bought this...

-A present.

Oh, aren't you nice, Mark?

There's something appealing me to this.

Yes, getting one over Charlie.

It's priced at £10 and belongs to the camera-shy chap Mark bought the trunk from.

Come on, that's a bit much, isn't it?

-You can have it for what I paid for it.

-And how much was that?

-Three pounds.

-Three pounds?

It's a deal, sir. Three quid.

Things aren't going quite so well for Charlie.

I've spent £5 on two pieces of cracked Beswick ware.

But did I see the cracks?

No wonder she took a fiver.

I'd try and get your money back.

I'm as blind as a bat.

What have I bought? Two cracked vases.

Yes, he has.

I'm a prune.

-Don't have them, then.

-Oh, you can't do that to me.

-I can, yeah.

Am I allowed to come out with them?

-Yes.

-You're such a honey.

That was lucky. But he's not learnt his lesson.

Charlie is back at the Beswick, a basket priced at £28.

-You're not going to sell me that for a fiver, are you?

-No.

Tenner any good?

-Last offer.

-Yes, OK.

-I'll have that for a tenner because you let me off the others.

You're an absolute angel.

First shopping of the day...

Not entirely successful.

A bit of Crown Derby for 15, Beswick vase for 10...

But because the lady took pity on me after I'd spotted the first two vases

were cracked, she's thrown them in for nothing.

So, Mr Stacey, you're not the only one to get something for nothing.

It's not just something, Charlie. Mark is always after a freebie.

They're marmosets or something like that.

They're looking very mischievous, and actually, you know, I think they look a bit like Charlie and me.

He's going to try and charm this dealer into giving him the piccy as a Mark's Memento. You watch!

And yes, that means for free. Not the done thing.

I've this deal with myself on each leg of the road trip since I've been started that if I find something

that fits in with the theme of that particular leg that I try and get it as a Mark's Memento.

I know you've got 18 on it but is there any chance you can take part in my Mark's Memento trip?

-You can, with pleasure.

-There must be something in the water.

Mark has got it for nothing.

He's a monkey!

What an exciting start to day one.

I got three items, but most of all I like this Victorian print.

I really do think those two marmosets

look like Charlie and I on our road trip, a pair of cheeky chappies.

You said it, Mark.

Charlie is still keen to bag another buy, so he's sidling into a second warehouse filled with gear.

There are some tinplate...

Where? Oh, look.

These tinplate toys date from the late 1800s.

Illustrations were printed straight on to sheets of plate which were then stamped out.

These clockwork ones are West German, from just after the Second World War.

We've got a key?

I've got some but I haven't got them here.

Oh, dear. No key. Is this another question of damaged goods?

They do actually work. I wouldn't put them on if they didn't work.

Of course you wouldn't, Ron. It wouldn't be worth your while, would it?

My other name is Honest Ron.

Straight.

Now, don't get wound up, Charlie. Remember your tactic -

go in low, especially with a price of £24 for one and 28 for the other.

-Did these come for nothing?

-No, they did not.

-Did they not?

-It's not often you get these now. That's a cheap price, actually.

What, a tenner?

-I've got a cracking sense of humour, you know.

-I can see that.

-I'll do it you for 14. And that's giving it you.

-It's not giving it to me.

It'll sell like nobody's business.

-Could I give you a £20 note for the two?

-Go on.

Thank you very much, sir. I can go and get me dinner.

For the princely sum of an extra pound, Honest Ron has agreed to

supply Charlie with a key in time for the auction.

So that's a purchase of £21.

Now, our antiques road trippers need to hit the road... Jack.

About time! Where have you been?

We've got some buying to do.

I've been spending. Lavishly.

They're off to Sandbach, 25 miles away.

Contrary to popular belief, Sandbach isn't just a service station on the M6.

It's actually a market town once famed for its silk and shoe industries.

-I think I'm getting off here.

-You certainly are.

-Thank you for a very smooth ride.

Mark will explore another antiques shop

while furniture lover Charlie is off for an afternoon of pure indulgence.

He's visiting the Palladian mansion of Tabley House.

Designed by John Carr and completed in 1769, it's based on the Venetian architecture of Andrea Palladio

and has a portico of four impressive Doric sandstone columns.

The house was built for Sir Peter Byrne Leicester, but it's his son who's most remembered.

Sir John Fleming Leicester became the first great patron and collector of British paintings.

His collection was so impressive that it was offered to the British

government as the basis of the National Gallery.

-Lovely to meet, you.

-Lovely to meet you, too.

-This is magnificent.

-Chairman of Tabley House Claire Pye will show Charlie some of the key pieces,

including a painting by JMW Turner that was painted here at the house.

We'll go straight ahead because I recognise that artist, don't I?

Yes, you do.

Windy Day shows boats on the estate lake battling stormy conditions.

This is a copy, as the original is currently on loan to an exhibition in Japan.

Turner said that that painting was to be hung there,

partly because you can see it from the other end of the house, right the way through, and

also because when you stand there and then you turn and look out through the window,

you see the tower in the middle of the lake and you're looking on the back site of the picture.

Then you turn yourself around... You can see us there! That's right!

Yes, it works beautifully.

Now, what have you got for me here? Gracious!

-This is enormous.

-Quite. It's one of the grandest rooms in Cheshire.

Sir John wanted a gallery here.

I think he also wanted a room that was posh enough to entertain the Prince Regent if he ever called.

-And did he call?

-No, he didn't.

We've got a bit of fun there, haven't we?

-Yes, we have.

-An exercise horse?

Yes. And in very good nick.

Absolutely immaculate nick.

It was the fitness fad at the end of 1810s.

What you do is you sit on it,

you hold on there and imitate the action of the horse.

As you bounce up and down...

-You lose weight.

-Supposedly. It's supposed to invigorate the liver.

More like give anyone watching you a jolly good laugh.

Meanwhile, someone else has been surrounding himself with beautiful objects.

Lead on, Macduff, as they say.

Mark has met up with dealer John Jones.

Good Lord!

John has agreed to help Mark pick out a few items.

From these he'll choose what to buy.

This is quite a fun little thing.

It it's got no price on it, does that mean it's free?

Stop it, Mark!

It's new stock that has just come in.

Which means it'll be expensive.

Table centrepieces like this one were a key part of the dining table

decoration in any Victorian household.

At eye level they were dazzling, holding anything from flowers or candles to sweetmeats and fruits.

What sort of price would that be, do you think?

If we cleaned it up and put it out, it would probably go out at 150.

As it's for you, £60.

That's quite reasonable, isn't it?

Is certainly is. That's a drop of £90, Mark.

This is going back, I'd say, to the '30s or the '50s, isn't it?

I'd put it at the '30s, and again, price wise, it's not expensive.

This brushed aluminium tea ware was manufactured using the trade name

Picquot, and was enormously popular in the post Second World War era.

A lot of it has survived in surprisingly good condition.

And what sort of price are we looking at for that?

I would be giving that to you for 50.

I've got 85 on it. So I always leave myself...

A little bit.

I think it might be a possibility, certainly.

Mark is at his most comfortable with ceramics when it comes to picking items for auction,

but John is about to take him right out of his comfort zone.

-It's not signed, is it, John, as far as I can tell?

-It is.

Oh, it is signed, is it?

Yep, signed on the back. We've got details. Painted by...

James Christie Bruce, painted in 1910 on canvas.

The thing that's going for that is that it's big and decorative, and presumably extraordinarily cheap.

75.

What would Charlie Ross think about that, I wonder?

Let's go on, John. I'm enjoying this.

It's up to the top floor with Mark's selections. Time to make a choice.

I've got to now try and narrow this down to

two items.

I've already got a couple of items and a freebie.

Will Mark go for broke or save some shopping until tomorrow?

I'm just worried that frame might be a little bit too shabby and not enough chic.

Do you know what I mean?

I love this as a decorative piece and as a decorative arts piece.

I'm a little bit concerned in a general sale that it might not be picked up and it'll be overlooked.

So it's a no to the tea set and a maybe for the painting.

What about the table centrepiece?

Again, that's something I'm really drawn to, actually, when I was downstairs.

What I've got to do now I think, John, is decide

which of the pieces I'm going to go for.

Decisions, decisions. I want to try and make a cheeky offer.

I would love to pay 30 quid for that.

On the painting, because of the condition of the frame, and I don't

know the artist, ideally I'd love to get that for about 40 or 50 quid.

So I'd love to get the two of them, if I could,

with your kind generosity, for around 70 quid.

Any chance?

-Cash, of course.

-Call it 90 for the two.

75.

Come on, you know you want to at 75.

Go on.

If only to help you beat your opponent.

John, you're a star.

Mark is feeling so confident about his purchases he's decided to stop for a glass of wine.

Of course, he's not driving.

What are you doing there?

-I'm having a drink.

-You're supposed to be working.

How you expect to win this competition sitting outside restaurants getting drunk...

Have you seen my competition?

-That's how I expect to win it.

-Strap up and we'll be off.

It's time for a well earned rest.

Tomorrow is another day on the road trip.

Early morning in the heart of a wet and windy Cheshire, and Charlie

-is throwing himself straight into shopping.

-My name is Jan.

-Hello, Jan, lovely to see you.

-Thank you very much, sir.

-And you've got furniture here.

-Yes.

Mark has dropped Charlie in nearby Northwich, just 12 miles down the road from Sandbach.

It's another market town famous for centuries of salt production.

So far Charlie has only snaffled two lots for auction.

He needs more killer deals, and has £174.63 to spare.

I can feel my money itching in my pocket.

However, Mark has bagged five items.

He's decided that's plenty for the auction, leaving him with £130.09.

I'm very pleased with the items I bought, actually. I negotiated quite well.

I think that's the way of getting cheap prices.

Mark is a free agent today so he's off for a spot of relaxation.

He's venturing 28 miles north east to Stockport, to visit one of its most well known museums.

The Hat Works is dedicated to the hatting industry,

once huge in Stockport in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

It's home to a display of over 300 different hats. Crikey!

Hello, you must be Hannah.

-Hello.

-The curator.

-That's right.

-How lovely to meet you.

Curator Hannah Williamson will reveal to Mark the fascinating world of le chapeau.

-I think I'll show you a Stetson.

-A Stetson!

Oh, come on, you can't tell me that a Stetson, such a Texas hat, has got any connection with Stockport.

A lot of Stetsons were manufactured here under licence to the Stetson company.

-No.

-They were. And many have been exported back to the United States.

-No!

-So, cowboy hats made here in Stockport.

Not a lot of people know that.

Now, what about something bigger?

This is a Denton hat made by the company Wolfenden's, a big hatting firm.

And when they'd their 100th birthday they thought they would celebrate it

by making what they claim to be the tallest hat in the world.

Is it wearable? Doesn't it just fall off?

Obviously I wouldn't know because my museum ethics forbid me

-from ever putting the hat on.

-Perish the thought.

That's you told.

The hatting industry's heyday was the 19th century, but fashions changed and the demand dwindled.

Companies had to come up with clever ways to entice new customers.

-Tell me, are these little hats for little people here?

-In the late

1940s, these tiny hats were promoted as three-dimensional gift tokens.

You'd buy one for your man, he could take it to the hat shop

and exchange it for a Battersby hat in his size.

How amazing!

While it's back on the road for Mark, Charlie is eyeing up something

a little different - a lamp masquerading as a model lighthouse.

-When was that made, 1920s?

-Got to be.

-I love that.

Kinnaird Head is in Fraserburgh in Scotland and was home to Kinnaird Castle and lighthouse.

The original light, switched on in 1787, was the most powerful of its time.

This model looks like it was made by an amateur enthusiast, perhaps even the lighthouse keeper himself.

Will it be something that wrecks Charlie's chances?

You put something like that into auction, you've just got to pray that two people want it.

To you and me it looks like 200 or 300 quid's worth.

Yeah, but when you like it up, that lights up.

Do all the little windows light up, too?

Yes. You can either have a red bulb in there so it's all shining red, and the white one on the top.

It's time for me to be ruthless.

I'll do that for you for 65.

Do you know, I was going to offer you 30 quid for it.

Well, no.

-Jan.

-I tell you what, 50 and it's yours.

40 quid, two £20 notes, sir.

You are an absolute gentleman.

That's another dynamite deal for Charlie, but he's not finished just yet.

He's heading into the nearby village of Frodsham.

It's a pretty place that sits below a range of sandstone hills

and has Delamere Forest right on its doorstep.

Charlie still wants to pick up a couple of winning items, so he's

hoping he's stumbled on a treasure trove and almost immediately, something catches his eye.

A 19th century writing slope.

In walnut.

Cracking bit of Victorian workmanship.

It needs a new leather on the top there.

And under there,

the secret drawers.

Done up, £65 to £85.

Trade, in that condition, be quite nice to buy it for a tenner.

Why not go and find those dealers for a spot of negotiating?

They'll be over by that mahogany TV cabinet.

Originally it was about 85.

I reckon retail, re-leathered with brass and done up with a

key and everything, it's probably today 65, 75 quid.

But you could spend 60 quid on doing it up and that's the trouble, I'm not going to do it up.

So what are you saying?

Well, I said a fiver.

-SHE LAUGHS

-We were looking for about 45.

-As it is.

-As it is, yes.

I tell you what I will do, I'll give you a tenner for it and if you come

to the auction and it makes more than 20 quid, the drinks are on me.

-Right, champagne, of course.

-I wouldn't have expected anything else.

Have we got a deal?

-Go on, yes.

-A deal, go on.

A tenner.

Here's hoping they don't hold you to that bubbly.

It's not long before Charlie's spotted something else, to put in your muffin in...Madam.

-That's very deco.

-This carried toasted English muffins, a popular delicacy on the afternoon tea menu.

It's got a bit of age.

-Tenner?

-Yes.

-Done?

-Yes.

I'll show you the label now, you don't want to add on it? Eight quid.

-Yes, I know. 39.

-39. Oh, come on.

It's not as bad as all that.

So, Charlie's delighted with his buys, while Mark's all relaxed, thanks to a day off.

But it could all turn to stress because it's time to reveal their wares to each other.

-Is that the lot? Is that the sum of your two-day accomplishment?

-That be gold nuggets in there.

They might be nuggets, more like chicken nuggets.

This is my first purchase, Charlie.

You must have found it very difficult not to keep this.

-Well, I think it's lovely, actually. It's very decorative.

-It's fabulous.

It's very interior design, it's very public, I think.

That will make...£45.

Well, I'd be quite pleased with that, I mean, not very

pleased with it, because I actually paid a £39 for it.

Oh, it needs to make more then?

Charlie, my drink's drying up here, get on with it.

First up for Charlie, the Beswick ware vases that have seen better days.

The palm tree design is not the more sought-after

and they are quite hideous. But, kitsch is in.

I paid a fiver for them.

-Well, that's a bargain.

-But hold on, then I noticed they were damaged.

-Oh, no.

-They're both cracked.

-Oh.

So I bought that for £10.

So what are you going to do with these? I did a bit of a Stacey, because she said, they're damaged

I can't sell them any more, do you want them with it? So I got a treat.

I shall be watching you, Charlie because now you've just copied me, you see.

Charlie will combine his £15 pheasant

to the vases in one single auction lot. However, Mark's concerned the pheasant might be imperfect.

The only thing I'd be careful about, I don't know whether some of these are seconds.

They're seconds if they've got a little mark through the middle.

So you do know something about porcelain, so you've been lying?

My next purchase, I think it's a marriage.

I can't believe that they started like that.

I said as a marriage, it's a marriage but it was only £30

-and I thought there might be profit in that.

-Can't go wrong.

Next up, playtime with Charlie's toys.

-That's rather fun.

-It is.

-What did you pay for this?

-I paid a tenner each, 20 quid for the two.

Well, that's not too bad, is it?

-I'd have thought there was a profit in there.

-Slim profit.

-Slim.

-A working profit.

-Now my third item, I think

you're going to love this, because it's just so you, it's the Punch Library of Humour, Book of Sports.

-First edition.

-1907.

He let me have it for what he paid for it, which was £3.

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

If I saw that in a sale, I would pay 15, 20 quid.

I thought it might take up to about 20 quid.

I thought you'd like this.

Oh, I do like it.

-I thought of you.

-I like that.

-I love that.

-Really stylish. I can see that going quite well.

-So it was all right for a tenner?

-Yes, it was.

Now for the etching of the naughty monkeys Mark's so fond of.

The marmosets look like you and I, cheeky chappies.

I'd like to know which is which.

I love the faces. The faces are fantastic.

Fantastic, aren't they? That was my freebie.

So, I'm really rather pleased.

-You really are a player.

-So what's your next piece?

It's a predictable walnut writing slope.

But it has its original well.

It's of course got its...

Secret little drawers, which is good.

And at auction it'll make 30, 35 quid?

-I'd have thought so, maybe a bit more.

-Cost a tenner.

-Well, it's fine.

-Which is fine.

But this is my last purchase.

On the back, it's says it's by a Scottish artist called Bruce.

It says 1910, but it looks late 1910 to me.

-Looks a bit earlier than that.

-I think so. What would you put on it?

-So difficult.

-Without researching the artist?

40 quid.

-Ooh, that's a bit low, I think, Charlie.

-Is that a bit low?

Yes, I think that's a bit low. I paid 45 for it, so I'm happy with what I paid, I think £40 is too low.

-I think it'll make 100 quid.

-Another good one. Want to see my last lot?

-Oh, I thought there might be more.

-It's a lamp.

Charlie's final piece is his highly collectible lighthouse for £40.

-Oh that's nice, Charlie.

-You think that's quite fun?

-It's great fun.

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

No, I think that will really appeal to the market.

Unusual things like that always do well at auction.

I think that could well double its money or a bit more, actually.

-I hope so.

-Quite easily.

Congratulations.

It's all lovey-dovey now, but what do they really think of each other's wares?

I'm a little bit worried about the painting.

It's got a bit of a potboiler feel about it.

The Beswick pieces, the two are damaged, the vase,

it's not great, they are 1950s, I hate the Crown Derby thing. You see them everywhere.

I think the trunk is good. I can see the trunk in the King's Road at £165.

If I had to choose a favourite or his best item, certainly, without a

shadow of a doubt, it's that novelty lighthouse. It's a real corker.

I think we're moving back towards a more level playing field.

-All too play for.

-On this, the second leg of their week-long journey,

rivals Mark and Charlie have manoeuvred their way around

the antiques emporium to deepest, darkest Cheshire.

They began in Nantwich, then veered on to Sandbach, Northwich and Frodsham.

Now, it's straight off to Wrexham in Wales,

where it's auction day.

Here, they'll battle to make the most cash out of each of their hauls.

This is the largest town in North Wales.

In the 18th century, it had a thriving leather industry.

It was also famed for creating buttons and combs out of the horns of local cattle.

Wingetts Auctioneers have been here for 50 years.

Today is a general sale, with everything from collectibles to antique furniture.

Are you feeling confident?

-Absolutely.

-Oh, I'm here to thrash you, Charlie, come on.

Let's see what's happening.

Today's auctioneer is Richard Hughes, who knows his own mind when it comes to saleable objects.

The lighthouse seems to be the more interesting thing.

They've got an estimate of about 40 to £60.

I could certainly see it'll do all of that and hopefully top it off a bit, I would have thought.

But he's not so keen on Mark's painting.

I think probably the Victorian Highland oil painting might be a bit of a struggle.

They're not the most fashionable things people want hanging on the wall these days.

With five lots each, Mark has spent £117, while Charlie's forked out slightly less. £106 in total.

Let the games commence.

-The tension's mounting.

-I'm getting very excited.

First lot, Charlie's Beswick ware vases,

two of which are damaged, along with the Crown Derby pheasant.

-£10, I'm only bid to start. 12, bid. 15, 18, 20, two...

-Oh.

Come along.

25, 28, 30, two, 35, 38.

I've made a profit, suddenly.

This is absolutely silly.

..45, either of you, both out. Lady's bid at 42, dead centre.

Are you finished?

-Thank you.

-Not a lot.

-It's the better of the lot.

That's a £17 profit, despite the cracks. Wow.

Got to keep an eye on these old ones, you see,

they think they can get away with murder.

Can Charlie increase his takings with the Art Deco silver-plated muffin dish?

Should be 20, £30 for that one.

-The home of the muffin.

-£5.

-£5?!

...Six in the room. Six, I'm bid by me. Eight, sir, 10.

-12, 15, 18.

-We're struggling.

£15, standing right by me.

Oh dear. I'm disappointed with that.

-Your bid, sir.

-You're probably thrilled.

No, I'm not, actually. I think that should have made more, I rather liked that.

That's still a £5 profit before commission, not bad.

Don't you dare. I saw that sly look.

-No, I didn't. What sly look?

-£2 then.

Will that cheeky look get wiped straight off Mark's face with his shabby chic oil painting?

-Lot 52, give me 30, £40 for that one.

-Come on.

Start me then.

£20. James Bruce.

-Low.

-Hang on, it's not sold yet.

20, madam. Two.

-£20.

-Gosh.

Standing on my left at £20. 22, 25.

-Do you want to be to bid?

-No. It would be nice if you did.

It's coming up nicely now.

38, 40.

And two. 45.

48. 50.

If you like, madam. 50, bid. Two.

All done, standing at 50.

-It's a small loss.

-Small loss, but not much.

-It's a small loss.

It's a £5 profit but after commission to the auction house, this will turn out a small loss.

Bad luck, Mark.

It's a shame, really, it should have done a bit better.

But can Mark's first edition Punch Book of Sports hit a desperately-needed home run?

This is the book, Charlie.

This is where I've got to really claw some of the losses back, hopefully.

It's in nice condition, that one.

Ought to be, what? Good 10, £15 for it?

-£5.

-Oh, gosh. come on.

-It's all right. Profit.

Eight bid, 10, madam. 12. £10.

Come on.

15. 18. 20.

£18 in the centre with you, madam.

Serious investment.

22, 25. 28, 30. 28 with you, madam.

All done?

-A lot better.

-That's a healthy £25 profit.

-I think I've probably clawed back any losses on the painting.

-I think you have.

-Well done, Claude.

-Now for Charlie's 19th century writing slope.

I've got £20 bid with me, straight in at 22, 25, 28, sir?

30 and two. £30, the bid's with me.

Fresh bidder, 35. 38, madam.

-Wow.

-£38, lady's bid, I'm out now at 38 in the room.

40 at the back...

Bid standing with you sir, at £40.

-Remarkable.

-No, it's about right.

42 in front. 45, sir? 48, 50.

Oh this is steep!

-48 in front.

-I think they're mad.

Actually, a madly strong profit of £38.

Well, I'm amazed.

There's no justice in the world.

Mark's behind Charlie in the profit stakes.

So can his decorative boarding-school trunk turn things around?

Lot 121. Ought to be 50, £60 for that one.

£30, all right, I've got to start.

Five. 40. Five. 50. Five. 60.

Out at £55. The bid stands at £60, a fresh bidder. Five. 70.

-There's a lady waiting to bid in the front row.

-80.

Five, either of you? £80.

Lady's bid in front now.

I'll take five. You're all out.

That's not too bad.

Sold at £80.

A fantastic £41 profit before commission. Mark's back in the game.

I'm pleased with that.

I think that's the highest price of anything in the sale today.

But will his Victorian centrepiece bomb or fly?

I'll take 20 to start then. Must be that, surely? £10.

-Gosh...

-Hang on, don't worry.

Some of these people like to start low.

-Cheap enough, that, at £10.

-This is ridiculous.

-12, bid.

-That's better.

-15, if you like, sir. £12.

-Oh, no.

-Is there 15?

Sold at £12.

-That was cheap, wasn't it?

-I simply don't understand that.

That's a disappointing loss for Mark.

That's auctions for you, Charlie. That's auctions, I'm down 18.

And I can't recover now, Charlie.

Well, you never know, Mark.

Let's see what Charlie's novelty lighthouse can do.

It's the auctioneer's favourite, but will it win out with the bidders?

-103.

-See that distinguished gentleman at the front there? He is a

-lighthouse collector.

-Is he?

-Yes.

-Is he? Is he really?

-Oh, yes.

-Do you know him?

-No.

Mark, he's winding you up!

How would you know he's a lighthouse collector?

-Oh, you're making it up?

-Oh, really?

Finally!

Start me then. 20. £20, I've got.

-Come on. It must be worth more than that.

-Bid 30.

Five. 35 if you like, madam. 40.

You can't sell this for £35.

-45, madam.

-Come on.

-£40, your bid sir, standing at 40.

I'll take five.

Sold for £40.

-I'm heartbroken.

-190, thank you.

I'm really surprised with that, Charlie. Honestly.

That's exactly what Charlie paid for it, so once the commission is taken off, that's a loss.

-Of course, you've lost a little bit.

-Yes.

-Isn't that awful?

Perhaps Charlie's tin plate toys will wipe the smile off

his opponent's face, particularly as Honest Ron's wind-up key did arrive as promised.

I've got the key with those now, in very nice addition, give me 20, £30, the two.

Start me then, £10. For the two of them.

£5 I've got, right on the back standing with you, sir at five.

Do you think my judgment is impaired?

-No.

-15.

18. 18, sir?

Bid's by the door. 18, back in, 20.

£18 with you, sir, right on the back standing on 18.

Your bid.

On the back.

I get the impression Wrexham and I don't get on.

-That's an unfortunate £3 loss, before commission.

-Could be worse.

-Could be worse.

-Very true.

Time for the final lot and it's Mark's mischievous monkeys.

It cost him nothing but will anybody want it?

This is it, it's all down to my marmosets.

Lot 170. Little 19th century black and white etching.

-It is lovely, isn't it?

-Stop it.

I'll take 20 for it.

Better not.

-£5 then.

-Oh, come on.

-Five at the back with you, sir.

-Is that all?

-What do you mean, is that all? It costs you nothing.

I know but it's...

Bring that hammer down.

-Oh, no.

-10. 12, 15, 18, 18, madam?

18, sir. 20.

18, standing at the back with you, sir.

-Oh, come on. A bit more.

-All done?

Well, 18 quid.

For nothing. You're a master.

That's a fantastic profit, considering Mark got it for nowt.

-I'm not impressed.

-Are you not?

-Well, I am secretly.

It's been a tense auction, with profits and losses for both our boys.

Charlie started today's show with £220.63.

He's made a working profit of £28.28, giving him £248.91 to play with.

But once again, it's Mark who's first past the post.

He began this leg with £247.09.

Despite two losses, he still made a profit of £37.88.

He starts the next show with £284.97.

So, it's Mark who's firmly in the driving seat to start the new leg of the journey.

Well, another successful day for us.

For you!

Well I think you'll probably be up over all, you know.

Ooh, I'm not sure.

Oh come on, yes you will.

Next time, our duo delve deeper into Wales and Mark goes all out to maximise those profits.

Is there any chance I can be cheeky with you?

But there's trouble ahead for Charlie.

Another bit's dropped off it.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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