Episode 23 Antiques Road Trip

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

-Cos I'm declaring war.

-Why?

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

-Nothing in here.

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

-Disappointing.

-But it's not as easy as you might think and things don't always go to plan.

-Push!

-Will they race off with a huge profit or come to a grinding halt?

-I'm nervous now.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

All this week, we're out on the road with gents about town James Braxton and Jonathan Pratt.

The cheeky James Braxton is a tough taskmaster when it comes to naming his price.

At the end of the day, I'll try and squeeze you on a price.

Jonathan, on the other hand, is feeling the pressure.

OK, £100. Oh, God, I'm so...so...

Despite an unsold coral necklace, James was the clear winner.

His Italian painting made more than £100 profit.

-Very well done, James.

-Thank you.

Meanwhile, Jonathan bought a novel collection of items, including a chipped pepper pot,

a chipped glass-bottomed mug and a silver-mounted glass bottle which was cracked.

Not surprisingly, he lost.

-What would you do for that?

-25.

I'll have it. I like it. I like it a lot.

From his original £200, new leader James has taken pole position

with a respectable £318.46 to play with.

Have the nerves got the better of our once triumphant Jonathan?

He's back to the beginning with a paltry £206.36.

James's trusty MG is the chariot of choice as they battle it out

in the third leg of this week's road trip.

This week, James and Jonathan are travelling over 300 miles

all the way from Altrincham to the warm southern shores of Lostwithiel in Cornwall.

On today's show, they're leaving Birmingham, heading for their next auction in Frome, Somerset.

First stop, though,

is Warwickshire's literary jewel in the crown - Stratford upon Avon.

This historic market town has more than 800 years of history

and is, of course, best known as the birthplace of the world-famous playwright William Shakespeare.

The boys haven't made a lot of money, so they'll be raring to go and getting lots of focus by...

going for a sail down the River Avon!

Right, that's enough sightseeing, chaps.

Let's get on with some shopping.

The first shop is Stratford Antiques Centre.

Let's begin with Jonathan. He's lagging behind. Last time, he didn't haggle, bought lots of cracked items

and well...

What's this he's looking at now? Oh, no.

I've got a thing for pepperettes at the moment. It's a little pepperette formed as an owl.

It's a lead body, would have been plated. Little glass eyes. It's not what he started off life as.

This wooden base is later

and you can see the glue it's been stuck on to it with.

But it's quite nicely made. Glass eyes which might have been replaced.

Pepperettes were extremely popular at the Victorian dining table,

a novel way of seasoning one's meat and two veg.

A pity his feet are missing!

How much is that? There's no ticket on it. Would you take...

I'm going to be mean. Would you take £15 for it?

Um... I'd take 20, I think.

-Owls and pigs are very popular.

-Yeah.

Yeah, it's just...

-I know it's been sort of...

-Yeah.

..in the wars a bit, hasn't it?

There's no denying its age. I'm thinking that it's a late Victorian novelty.

And the owl is wisdom. But I don't know why his feet have gone.

Meet me halfway - £17.50?

-That's OK.

-Brilliant. That's my first purchase. That'll do nicely. I'll hand that over.

A bit better on the price, Jonathan, but I did mention those missing feet, old fruit.

-There we go.

-Thank you very much. And your change.

-Thank you very much. Lovely. That's a good start.

On the other hand, MG lover James is like a coiled spring. He's spotted something already.

There are some little MG logos here, badges,

which I might have a look at.

And as quick as greased lightning, James finds antique dealer Tony.

-Tony, I'm fascinated.

-Yes.

-Can you tell me a bit...

-I have a nice MG TD.

-OK.

-My 1952...

-I was interested in this little fellow.

-This one here?

-Yeah.

The chap I bought it off, he wasn't quite sure how it was attached to the car.

And I've certainly never found anyone so far who was able to throw much light on it, you know...

-It's rather fun, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And it's sort of a cast alloy, isn't it?

-Yes, it is.

-Sometimes they had quite a nice badge at the back to go on the spare wheel.

-That's right.

If there was a locking... You know, on the earlier ones.

-I mean, it stands up. I thought some MG owner might want to just stand it on his desk.

-Yeah.

-It would make a nice weight, that.

-A paperweight, yes.

-To all intents and purposes, it's rather nice and bright, isn't it?

-Yes, it is.

-That would clean up very nicely.

-I'm sure it would, yes.

I'm a terrible instinctive buyer, though.

I look at something, I quite like it, and sort of tend to go for it.

-This is an expensive place, Stratford upon Avon.

-Yes, it is.

-But it's not so expensive as some.

-No, no.

I can do you a deal on it, anyway.

-Would you take a fiver for it, Tony?

-TONY LAUGHS

-No.

-No? No?

-No, no.

It's like a boxer. You like to get in that sharp jab at the beginning, don't you?

Well, you're at 5, I'm at 25. Will you meet me in the middle?

-No.

-LAUGHTER

As you flatly rejected my five, I'm flatly rejecting your middle.

-Can I just have a look and see?

-Yeah.

-I know. What does it say? You bought it for three?

-No.

It says to make a couple of quid, I've got to get ten for it.

-Ten?

-Yeah.

-I'm not going to argue with you, Tony.

-OK.

-Ten?

-Ten.

Thank you very much indeed. It's coming home to the right person.

Well, that's James sorted.

What about Jonathan?

That page turner with the leaf-type finial...

-That's 120.

-And it's got age? Is it late 19th century?

-It's 1930s.

1930s. And the Scottish one on the left?

-This one is an older one.

-A late 19th century one with the Cairngorms inset in the handle?

-Yes.

-And that matchbox strike. Is that silver and enamel?

-That is silver and enamel.

-And the box with the chevrons on?

-This one?

-The wooden box.

-Oh, this one.

-Is it fitted for anything?

-It's got some sewing bits and pieces.

A substantial amount of time later...

That's sitting in there. It hasn't moved out of there for ages.

It's got a "CLC" on it.

It's sort of like.. You know, it's a sort of otter hound or something.

I do like that.

-Even the lettering on it is nicely '30s.

-Mm-hm.

And EW is easy enough to... Anyone, Edward Wilson or something, you know?

A page turner. Now, what do you mean, you don't have one?

-You can have that for 100.

-OK.

These two would have to be 50 each.

They've got to be £50 each.

Instead of 100.

OK...

MUSIC: "Under Pressure", by Queen and David Bowie

Oh, damn it.

Oh, dear. Oh...

OK...

OK, £100. Oh, God, I'm so, so...

# Pressure pushing down on me

# Pressing down on you no man has more

# Under pressure... #

Is it worth committing to that?

I'm going to bite the bullet because I like it.

-I'll have that for £100.

-Mm-hm.

-Committed. I'm going to shake the hand now. There we go.

100 smackers on a page turner?!

I'm going to say "no" to the rest of them. I've done one bold move. I'm going to say "no" to the rest.

If there's anything else...

Oh, no. Quick, let's get out of here and leave him to it!

Buoyed up by his MG purchase, James is distracted by the annual River Festival.

But then he's easily distracted.

Everyone knows Stratford is renowned as the birthplace of Willie Shakespeare,

but the history of the canal boat reigns supreme here.

It started with the Victorians with their desire to escape the smoggy industrial towns.

-May I come on board?

-By all means.

-Mind your head.

-Mind the head.

Because in the boatman's cabin, there isn't a lot of room.

Oh! Especially, if like Braxton, you're partial to a full English.

Barge owner Brian has kindly allowed our James to step aboard. Well, clamber really.

-I love the decoration in here.

-Roses and castles, very classical.

-Really?

-I don't know whether they were a bit Romany or what their origins were.

-It does look Romany.

-This is where they ate.

-So this is the table?

-There's the table.

-I use it as a booze cupboard, as you can see.

-Very good.

Man should only live on whisky and biscuits. I see you do!

I do. Living proof that it works, yes!

And interestingly enough, directly under this, this drawer was called the crumb drawer.

-When they'd finished eating, when you tipped this up, all the crumbs went in the crumb drawer.

-Great idea.

-Ditch it outside.

-Feed the ducks.

A visit to a barge wouldn't be complete without having a gander at the engine room.

Russell Newbery Diesel Engines are the heart of several hundred canal boats in the UK

and were first manufactured in 1934.

Brian, you seem very well set up here. Do you live all year on this?

-Yes, I do.

-Really?

-I live on the boat all the year round.

-And do you have a mooring?

-No, I don't have a mooring.

I cruise continually on what they call a continual cruiser.

-A continual cruiser.

-But I do moor up at night.

Yes, naturally. While James is having a jolly and relaxed time,

what's going on with our panicky Jonathan?

Mr Pratt is travelling 50 miles south to the glorious town of Tetbury in the Cotswolds.

He's still deliberating over that pricey page turner.

I don't know. I really like it. I think it's a great object.

£100 is a lot of money and I didn't have a lot of money to start with.

And I've got to be so much more careful now. I am a bit nervous.

Stop fretting, Jonathan, and get stuck in to your next shop - Top Banana.

Stay away from cracked items, young man.

And while you're at it, try a bit of haggling.

It's quite nicely painted and this is tobacco staining, all this yellow, which adds to the age.

And I'd say it's probably painted in the '30s.

There's nothing on the back.

£38.

That'll clean up rather nicely, I think.

It might appeal to a fellow skier like myself.

A mountain man.

Hardly, with my back, anyway.

Antiques dealer Hugo opened for business over ten years ago.

He's spotted Jonathan having a good old rummage around and wants to make sure he hasn't nicked anything.

-It's not bad. I think it's oil on board.

-Yeah, yeah.

-I'd give you 30 quid for it.

-If you give me 35, you can have it.

There's no snow on the ground here. Every skier will look at it and say, "There's no snow on the ground.

-"I don't want to be reminded about a bad ski holiday!"

-It's romantic, though.

-It's the summer time!

-30?

-Go on then. Take it for 30.

-Go on then. Thank you.

-Deal.

After all that shopping, Jonathan, it's time to turn in.

Let's hope the doggy page turner doesn't give you nightmares.

The boys are up with the lark for another day's shopping.

James and Jonathan have travelled just over 30 miles

to the pretty Wiltshire village of Castle Combe.

So far, James has spent £10 on one lot -

the MG steering wheel boss,

leaving a whopping £308.46 for the day ahead.

Jonathan, meanwhile, has splashed the cash, spending £147.50 on three lots -

the owl pepperette that doesn't have any feet, the expensive doggy page turner

and the Swiss painting with no snow. This gives him a total of £58.86 for the second day of buying.

The sun has got its hat on. Let's join the chaps as they hunt down some bargains

at Castle Combe car boot sale.

The car boot sales here are some of the largest in the West Country.

With hundreds of stalls, there should be something to take the boys' fancy.

As usual, James is getting stuck in straight away.

It's a little maquette. It's made of terracotta, sort of, um...sculptor's clay.

It's a sort of preparatory thing before possibly casting it.

Most of these things were never cast in bronze,

but it was something they did in the studio.

He's marked on the back. I don't know who the devil he is.

DF, yeah, I don't know who he is.

-Might be worth a fortune.

-No, it won't be that size. It's just a maquette.

-Yeah.

-It's terracotta.

-Yes.

-Just a little fun. I'll give you a pound for it.

-No, you must be joking.

-Why?

-I'd rather put it on the wall.

-How much do you want?

-A tenner.

-A fiver and I'll do it.

-No, make it eight.

-No, I'll do five.

-Six.

-Five and it's yours.

-Go on.

-Five it is. It's all good fun, isn't it?

-There we are.

-There you go.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-And there's your five...

-That's very kind. Thanks a lot.

-Cheers.

And the full packaging service - gift-wrapped by the hubby!

I don't want to drop it, otherwise I'll lose money on it already.

Thank you. That's very kind of you. Bye!

Last of the big spenders there, James!

A brisk bit of business and that's another faceless, low-cost item in the bag.

There's a hell of a lot to see here and I don't know...

I don't know where to start, really. I don't know where to start.

This takes me back. I used to go round these things when I was a bit younger.

OK, dive in, I think.

-It looks like faience, really, isn't it?

-Yes.

Tin glaze. It's so precisely done. It's nicely, finely potted.

The decoration is really precise.

This little tankard was made by the Aldermaston Pottery in Berkshire.

It was founded in 1955 by Alan Caiger-Smith and Geoffrey Eastop.

The pottery is renowned for its tin-glazed wares.

It's nibbled on the back, isn't it?

Jonathan, what did I say about damaged items?

-How much is it?

-A couple of quid.

-OK...

-But I'll let you off. It's only £2 after all!

-I'll have to find some things to go with it.

-Oh, crikey!

James has found another item to pounce on.

When you have two handles, sometimes they call them loving cups, but it's very nicely waisted.

It is a nice item, isn't it?

Would you do it for a couple of pounds...? OK, I'll take it.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Good grief! Another item at £2. What a pair of spendthrifts!

Thanks a lot. I don't think I would have bought it if it had one handle.

It has two handles. It's a loving cup. It has nice symmetry.

It's got a maker's name, so somebody was pleased to manufacture it

and it's either got a pattern number or more likely, the date, 1879.

So it's got three nice elements that might lift it in an auction room.

That's a pound a handle! Time to leave Castle Combe and get the wheels rolling.

The chaps are heading to the town of Tetbury.

-I bought two items.

-I don't know how you did it. I struggled...

I know we like to reveal it all, but in all honesty, I struggled to find even one object.

Did you? Did money pass hands there?

It did, but I can tell you barely!

I could have bought a coffee for what I think I paid for it.

Old Brackers needs to catch up on the shopping. He's on his way to meet with George, owner of Artique.

George specialises in exotic wares from Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.

The shop is a Mecca of unique treasures, if you know what I mean.

My mission, George, is to try and find maybe a couple of items that I can put forward to auction.

It's an auction in Somerset, in Frome,

-and I want to have something that is slightly exotic.

-Sure.

I'd love it to be Indian, Pakistani, whatever, something that has a story

-and something that will communicate to people who go to an auction as well.

-Sure, sure.

So I might try and buy a slightly more expensive one and a cheap one,

but at the end of the day, I'm going to try and squeeze you on a price.

Of course. What's new?

Before James gets stuck into shopping, there's something outside that's definitely not for sale.

That's amazing. What's this? It almost looks like a Pacific island.

-What's this doing here?

-It's an incredibly rare thing.

This is a Kafiri house from Kafiristan.

The Kafir tribe are tall, blue-eyed warriors hailing from Afghanistan in the south of the Hindu Kush valleys.

Legend has it they are the lost tribe of Alexander the Great.

We found this at the top of a mountain

and it's the only known complete Kafiri building that has been found.

Anthropologists have looked at this and they think it's 600 years old.

-Yeah.

-It's sort of petrified. This one was in pieces. It had been abandoned many years before.

-Yeah.

We brought it down and reassembled it. There's the window.

And actually the front door is here.

-Really? So just slipping in.

-Slipping in, yeah.

Samovar there, sign of hospitality.

And these are ibex horns, a sign of family strength.

Obviously, this was the home of a warrior. This would depict him.

You can make out swords and things. You should get this behind glass.

-One day, I'd like to give it to a museum.

-Yeah.

We'll have to wait and see how poor I am when I die.

LAUGHTER

-You'll get a little room in the British Museum, George.

-Yes.

Come on, James. Better get back inside and spend some of that cash!

The coffee table, George? How much is that?

£45.

And this would be Indian as well?

This is Indian, probably sort of more like hill station.

Yeah.

-Up in the cool mountains.

-Up in the cool mountains, yes.

Yes, cool.

Interesting, but there's lots more inside.

-How much are your kilims, George?

-They vary enormously in size and age.

And things like that?

-Things like that would cost you...

-Sort of later.

-Yeah, sort of 1940.

-Yeah.

-But this is from Afghanistan.

-That's from Afghanistan?

I could show it to you if you want.

Kilims are flat, woven carpets or rugs produced from the Balkans to Pakistan.

The language of the kilim weaver can convey anything

-from hopes of marriage and good fortune to tribal allegiance.

-The carpet room...

This is Baluchi, as I say, probably 1940.

Nice, simple, nomadic, domestic kilim.

-Yeah, it's very nice.

-Suddenly, kilims are having a big revival.

-I can see how it would really work in a contemporary home, this.

-Yeah.

-It looks modern, doesn't it?

-It does look modern.

Yes, interesting, fascinating.

Now, George, I'm quite interested in possibly, maybe...

-..buying something like that.

-Yes.

And maybe the coffee table. I might just grab the coffee table and see what it looks like on it.

No, let the younger man take it, George.

I can manage this. It's a lovely weight, reassuring.

-It's always good for the buyer to feel the goods.

-Absolutely.

Now let's have a look. So we've got a teak coffee table.

And a rather nice kilim rug.

Rooney, come on. Off the carpet, boy.

-You love rugs.

-Yeah.

-He knows quality, this dog.

-Oh, I know. Now, George,

-what sort of special price could you do for the two?

-Here he goes.

Our warrior James is on the warpath.

-The absolute...bottom on it...

-Yeah?

..is £120 for the kilim.

And £45 for the table.

-£45 for the table...

-Which is incredibly cheap.

-Yeah.

Brackers is interested. Watch out. He's just about to pounce.

Both are very usable pieces of furniture in any environment. And it's a great look at the moment.

-Yeah, it's a good look, isn't it?

-Yes.

It's so difficult with these things. As soon as I buy these, I'm at the mercy of others.

-150 for the two?

-No, I can't.

-You can't?

-40...

OK.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-That is really cheap.

-Great price.

-Thank you.

-Phew! That was a bit of a struggle,

but finally he gets his way.

Meanwhile, Jonathan has finished shopping for the day

and is making his way to Chavenage.

He has an invitation

to the 16th-century Chavenage House,

reputed to be haunted. Let's hope Jonathan doesn't get goose pimples.

This magnificent Cotswold manor is a family home that has remained virtually unchanged for 400 years.

It's open for visitors from May to September.

The Lowsley-Williams are one of only two families that have ever owned the house.

Caroline Lowsley-Williams is the daughter of that household

and welcomes Jonathan into a world of grandeur and discovery.

We come into my favourite room, Oliver Cromwell's room.

-But...

-There he is.

-There he is, warts and all.

-Yeah, exactly.

-That's a contemporary copy of...

-Oh, is it?

-..Peter Lely's picture.

-OK.

-The original hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

-But it's here because...

-Yes.

..there's a great deal of importance with this building and Cromwell.

-Wasn't it used as a stronghold for part of the army?

-Absolutely. It was owned by Nathaniel Stevens

and he was one of the three MPs for Gloucestershire.

Being an MP, he sided with Cromwell rather than King Charles I.

So he offered Chavenage as a stronghold or staging post.

And then it was used after the end of the war

when King Charles was imprisoned. I think then Cromwell had to decide what to do with him next.

Cromwell came here, stayed in the house, while he tried to make sure that Stevens would vote

for the impeachment of the King.

That led to the legend of the house, which is that Stevens was persuaded, very much against his will,

to vote for the King's death

and subsequently he was cursed by his daughter and our ghost is the ghost of Charles I

coming for the traitor's soul.

In the early '70s, the house revealed a rather fascinating interior design discovery.

So we come to the room which I talk about as the library. I apologise for the tiger, but he was shot

by Great Uncle Pat.

In those days, they didn't know tigers were rare.

My parents inherited the house as a wedding present. They celebrated 53 years of being here

-and gave us the rare privilege of growing up in the house.

-Amazing.

So this was our playground and now it's a place of work.

My father tried to escape people by going to the attic to play with his trains.

On one of the playing and expansion schemes he discovered a portfolio of drawings.

-Didn't know what they were.

-Yes.

-And they were just left about until an expert from an auction house

identified them as the designs for the redecoration of Windsor Castle.

In it were about 120 designs. He rather lost interest when they weren't designs for this house

once they'd been identified.

This is one of the originals.

So these are original drawings for the redecoration of Windsor Castle in when...?

Well, it was for George IV. By Geoffrey Wyatt.

We were told that they were valuable and the Queen would like them back in the Royal Collection.

And we had a sale in 1970

and the Keeper of the Queen's Pictures, on her behalf, bought almost the entirety

-and the really nice part of it is that since the terrible fire, which was 1990...

-Early '90s.

..they say that it's now better than before because they went back to the original Georgian designs.

If your father had not been up into the attic and moving his train set,

they might not have been discovered for another 10 years and the fire would have gone by.

-It came at...

-An opportune moment.

And the lesson here - always have a look in the attic. You never know what could be hiding.

What I like about this is I drive up to the house and you've got this Elizabethan facade,

yet the history goes back 500 years, at least.

And there's something happening almost every decade ever since!

-A lived-in house is bound to have a history.

-I've had really good fun.

-You make it very entertaining! I'll have to come with my family.

-Absolutely!

-Thank you very much.

Right. Let's get this show back on the road.

Time for the boys to find out what they've spent their pennies on.

Where better than the lawn of Chavenage House?

-My first object is...

-That looks fun, doesn't it?

-Late '20s, continental silver page turner.

-Yeah.

It's a Bakelite blade, silver finial, modelled as a hunting dog, a hound.

-Yeah, yeah, Jonathan. Wait until James hears how much you paid.

-How much did you pay for it?

-Bearing in mind I started off with £206...

-Come on.

-I parted with £100 for it.

-You paid £100?

-I know. I couldn't believe it, either.

-I'm starting to feel it was a bit too much for it.

-This is my first purchase. This was bought in... I'll pass it over to you.

-There we go.

You just prised this off the front of the steering wheel!

The jury's slightly out. We don't know if it's a spare tyre dress cap

-or we think it might be the centre of the steering wheel.

-It's an ashtray.

-No, it isn't!

And you paid? £10. Fair enough. You'll get rid of it OK. £10.

-Let's see if we can improve on that. Oh, that's nice.

-A pepper pot.

-It's lead. His feet have been cut off, sadly.

-Yeah.

-I bought it as a novelty object.

-I didn't pay a lot for it. I did try to push him down to less.

-Yeah.

-I think I paid £17.50.

-Two words, Jonathan - damaged and footless.

-OK, old boy. Yours.

-And I'm off.

-I bought this little fellow. Maquette.

-That's rather sweet.

-It's almost like a Pan or something, isn't it?

-Yeah.

What I like about this is you can see it's hand-modelled.

It's all very, very... It's very tactile, isn't it?

And you paid...? The thing is with this, everything was either under a tenner

-or over, like, 60. I think you probably paid

-£10. 5.

-Very good, OK.

-Fire away.

-I bought three objects yesterday.

-Oh, right.

-This was from Top Banana.

My fascination with winter sports... It doesn't have winter sports in, but I just liked it.

-Oh, that's fun, isn't it?

-Probably painted around the first quarter of the 20th century.

They could clean this up themselves, using turpentine or whatever.

They could gently bring it back and hang it on the wall without paying a fortune.

-And how much did you pay?

-£30.

-I think that's a good buy.

-Thank you.

-The best buy today.

My next item...what is it? My third item...

-Isn't that smart?

-A loving cup.

-Isn't that smart?

-There we are.

This conjures up the Arts and Crafts of the late-19th century England. That's what you would hope.

You'd want to see on the bottom "Tudric" or something like that from from Liberty,

-which it doesn't have.

-Funnily enough, no.

-Nicely waisted body. Good handles on it.

-Are you talking about the cup or your taste in women, James?

-Knowing your tactic so far, you paid a fiver for it.

-I didn't. I paid

-£2. You little so-and-so. OK.

Well, there's a £3 profit for you.

-Royal Berkshire Hospital. A nice bit of pottery.

-It's Aldermaston Pottery.

-Oh, right.

-It's for the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The quality of the finishing is brilliant.

Nicely, finely potted. And then this little certificate saying it's 342 of 500 tankards, or something.

But there is a downside and the downside is that somebody took a nibble out of the back.

That was a real disappointment. It only cost £2.

Perfect. I think it's a nice item.

Smacks of quality. A real craft item.

So that's me done. I'm finito.

I won't even try to gloat about how much money I've got left over.

-Next one was quite a serious purchase for me.

-Oh, I like the sound of this!

In a North African stylee, I'm just going to throw it open.

-So it's a flat-weave carpet. It's a Baluchi.

-Or was.

-Afghanistan. Tribal people.

And it's got a rather contemporary design to it.

Oh! I didn't know you were an interior designer, James!

-How much did you pay for it, James?

-Quite a lot. £110.

-Very bold move.

-The boldest move you've ever made.

-I'm testing the water.

You're testing the water with your money!

-I'll see whether people buy it or not.

-Good.

-I'll set it off

-by putting my fifth purchase on it.

-Go on then.

Bought from the same shop, Tetbury again, it's this fella.

I remember you talking to me

-about coffee tables.

-Yes!

-And you said...

-We were driving along and I said,

-"In general sales, I seem to be selling quite a lot of coffee tables."

-Were you misleading me?

-No!

Jonathan? Misleading? Never!

What I thought I might do is I might form a little tableau within the auction room.

Carry on.

Here we are.

-You're sitting on your sofa and there's your coffee table. On your wooden floors.

-OK.

-I'm going for a contemporary look.

-I'm going to ask you a question.

-I want an honest answer. How much did you pay for it?

-£40.

-OK.

That's sort of in the middle there. If you'd paid any more, I would have gone skipping back to the car.

-Would you?

-Yeah. OK, great. I think I've enjoyed this one.

-Good luck!

Having seen each other's purchases, what do our chaps really think?

When I saw that carpet, I was very, very pleased. £110 is a lot.

It's never going to make that. It's the wrong type of carpet - it's not old, not antique.

The only thing threatening me is that picture.

It's a very nice picture, but...

Don't mention that paper knife.

Ha ha! It's been a tough third leg with the boys battling it out

from Stratford upon Avon via Castle Combe, Tetbury

and finally

to the town of Frome.

Frome in northeast Somerset sits on the Mendip Hills.

Let's hope our boys unearth some big-value profit at auction. Dore and Rees' auction house

is located in a converted chapel

and has been in the town since 1868.

Auctioneer Guy Taylor has a few thoughts to share about our chaps' offerings.

Personally, the little owl pepperette is a very sweet little thing.

The sort of thing you could see in a shop window and have a lot of people going for it.

That and the MG steering boss.

Jonathan Pratt started today with £206.36

and spent £149.50 on four auction lots,

leaving him with £56.86.

James Braxton began with £318.46

and has spent £167 on five lots,

leaving him with £151.46 in his pocket.

Remember, he also has the coral necklace from yesterday's auction.

Let the auction commence!

First up, Jonathan's trying to turn his luck

with an Aldermaston Pottery mug -

the one that's chipped.

We come to the limited edition Aldermaston Pottery tankard.

Associated with the Royal Berkshire Hospital. 10 I am bid.

12 I have. 14.

16. 18.

20, fresh place. 22 now? 22.

24 now?

24 now if you want it. The bid's at 22. Selling at £22.

-Well done.

-Get in there!

Crikey! Jonathan with a profit.

Next up, it's James's Indian table.

Here's hoping the bidders of Frome like a taste of the exotic.

We come to the teak hardwood Indian coffee table.

Got the nice distressed look to it.

10 I'm bid. 12 if you want it.

12 I have on the desk. 14 now. 14.

16. 18. 20.

-22. 24. 26 now?

-Stop.

-Go on!

-No, that's enough.

-Going to be sold at £24.

All done at £24?

-Oh, dear.

-Never mind.

-Never mind.

Apparently not.

It's the footless owl pepperette.

The cast metal pepperette. Modelled in the form of an owl.

Say for that one £10?

5 I'm bid here. 8 if you want it. 8 I have. 10 now?

10 I have. 12. 14.

16. 18. 20.

-Well done.

-22. 24.

26.

-Luck of the devil.

-28. 30.

32 now?

All done at 30? All done.

-Phew!

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Could this be the tide turning for Jonathan?

It's James's kilim carpet next.

Will it fare better than the coffee table?

The striped patterned kilim carpet.

That's the one displayed over the rail there.

Nice pattern to that one as well. £30?

-30 I'm bid. 35 now if you want it.

-Come on.

It's going to be sold on its maiden bid at £30. 35?

-Come on.

-Sell it!

-35 I have on the desk.

40 I have. 45 now? 45. 50 now? £50 I have.

55 now? Across the room at £50.

You were lucky there!

Lucky? Losing 60 quid?!

Ouch! That's just nasty. Let's move on quickly.

Paintings have been good choices for the boys. Will Jonathan's luck hold?

The alpine scene oil painting on board.

That's by the Austrian artist Peter Haller.

Say for that one, put me in, £50?

-50 I'm bid.

-Well done.

-55 I have on the desk. 60 I have.

-65 now?

-(Come on, come on.)

It's going to be sold at £60 to my right. 65 if you're interested.

-Come on.

-All done at £60? All done?

Doubled your money. That's all right. Well done.

Not bad. £30 profit.

Back to James with the £2 pewter mug.

It's got the Hampden stamp.

5 I'm bid. 8 now if you want it. 8 I have.

10. 12.

-14 now? 14 now if you want it.

-Go on!

14. She's back again. 16 now?

It's going to be sold at £14. Fierce competition. All done at 14?

-Very good. Well done. Well done, Frome.

-That's good.

-Happy with that.

Let's drink to that. Finally, a small profit.

Help! It's the pricey page turner. I don't know if I can look.

Continental silver, a nice little bloodhound decoration.

-All right, all right.

-£20?

20 I'm bid. 22 now if you want it. 22 I have on the desk.

24. 26. 28.

30. 32.

34. 36. 38 now?

-Selling at £36.

-No...

-Done.

-How much did you pay for it?

-100.

-100. Well, at least you didn't pay 110.

Disaster with a capital D. Let's move on swiftly.

Next up, it's the terracotta maquette. Bought for a snip.

We come to the studio terracotta maquette.

The wall mask of the boy's head.

Got the initials DF to that one. Nice little decorative piece there.

Say for that one, start me at £10? For the terracotta maquette there.

Start me away, £5 then? 5 I'm bid.

10 now if you want it. 10. 12.

-Go on.

-14. 16.

-Go on.

-18 now? It's going to be sold at 16.

All done at £16?

I thought that was worth more. £30, £40, at least.

-There you go.

-There we are.

-Moving in the right direction.

A small profit. Hey ho, better than nothing.

The MG steering wheel boss is next. Yet another bargain basement buy.

We've come to the MG... The MG steering wheel boss.

20 I'm bid. 22 now if you want it.

Turn your old car into a sports car.

It's going to be sold at £20 on its maiden bid. All done?

-You paid how much? A tenner?

-A tenner.

Another small profit.

But finally it's the turn of the unsold coral necklace.

£10? For the red coral necklace?

-Hello...

-Start me? 10 I'm bid.

12 now if you want it. Selling for £10?

12 if you want it. 12 I have.

14 now? 14.

16 nearest me? 16 I have.

18. 20.

22 now?

Bring the lady a glass of water. Have you got some? Keep going.

With the gentleman here at £20. Are we all done at £20?

-It could have been a lot worse.

-That's good.

It's a break even, which in fact means a loss.

The auction house take commission.

Again a poor show from the boys, with both making losses.

Pictures are the way forward. I haven't exposed myself to silver.

I'm going to buy silver on the next one. Silver, pictures, jewellery.

I've got to do small gains for another auction and see if I can get over 200.

And that's it. I'll have him.

Jonathan started today's show with £206.36.

And after paying auction costs, he made a loss of £28.14.

Jonathan is on a shaky peg here

with just £178.22 to carry forward to the next round.

James, meanwhile, started with £318.46

and although he made a greater loss, of £48.92,

James has a princely sum of £269.54 to take forward.

Hit the road!

Wales, here we come.

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip:

James and Jonathan head for Crewkerne. James is still cheeky.

-Could that be very cheap, then?

-I'm afraid not!

And Jonathan dresses up. Ah, so.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2011