Episode 15 Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite antique experts, £200 each, one big challenge.

Well, duck, do I buy you or don't I?

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

Look at the colour.

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

But it's not as easy as it looks and dreams of glory can end in tatters.

Thank you.

Will it be the fast lane to success, or the slow road to bankruptcy?

Bad luck for Thomas, £50 down.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

It's the fifth and final leg of this Road Trip

and Thomas Plant and Mark Hales are once more enjoying vintage motoring

in the 1967 Sunbeam Alpine.

Mark has just one thing on his mind,

and it's not antiques.

We are back in the car, so I am happy.

We've got a fresh, sunny...

-Oh, you are obsessed about this car!

-I love it.

She's reliable, she's never let us down.

It's a car!

-She's always been there for me. I love her.

-Is he all right?

Thomas is a veteran antiques valuer, auctioneer and Road Tripper,

but lately, he's been away with the fairies.

I love going to the mountains. I like skiing, but I just love the mountains.

They just do something to you, don't they?

And even when he seems to be with us, his mind is elsewhere.

If I was a porter, in a railway station,

I don't know if I would make a good one.

Auctioneer and ceramics expert Mark also finds it hard to stay focused

and prefers playtime instead.

-Can I have a go?

-Yes, go on, have a go.

-It would be fun, wouldn't it?

But when it comes to spotting a bargain, he's eagle-eyed.

It must be worth a go, it could be a sleeper.

£90 profit, come on, you must be...

I'm pleased, of course I'm pleased.

Our experts started the week each with £200 worth of dosh.

But after the fourth leg of this Road Trip,

they're in the final dash for the finishing line.

So far, new boy Mark has made steady profits,

giving him a respectable £330.07 to spend.

Enough to make you smile. Ooh, look at that.

Veteran Road Tripper Thomas started well,

but a series of auction losses has left him

only slightly ahead on £387.98,

and looking pensive.

I wish I could get those heady days back of Ireland again.

-Thomas, you are still in front, how is that a failure?

-Yeah.

You haven't failed. It's very exciting, it's down to the wire, isn't it?

It is down to the wire.

This week's Road Trip started in Portrush, Northern Ireland,

and has taken our boys through Wales,

ending in Pontrilas,

Herefordshire.

But before we get to that final auction, we kick off

the fifth day of this journey in Hay-on-Wye, on the Welsh border.

THEY BOTH SING: # We plough the fields and scatter

# The good seed on the land... #

So, in fine voice, our boys enter Hay-on-Wye,

famous for its number of bookshops, some 30 in all,

and its literary festival,

hence it's often dubbed the town of books.

But forget paperbacks,

it's antiques we're after.

Mark's heading up the hill to Bain and Murrin,

purveyors of the finest junk.

-Junk?

-Lederhosen.

Goodness me. Great fun.

You do this sort of knee slapping bit, don't you, and leap up and down?

It's not the weather, is it?

Not the weather for lederhosen.

-Ah, goodness me. Becky?

-Yes.

-Can I ask you, this magnificent dolls house...

-Yes.

-Late '50s, I would have thought.

-Late '50s?

I love the garage,

I love the tin windows.

Tudoresque style.

It's big, it's decorative, it's showy.

25 quid?

£25, it's tempting, isn't it?

Parquet floor.

That's a rather nice suburban, erm, detached.

Erm...

Two large double bedrooms, bathroom, two reception rooms,

and single detached garage.

Garden to the front and rear.

Does he think he's on Homes Under The Hammer?

-Becky?

-Yes.

-£15? Any good?

It clears it off your shelf, gives you a lot more space, doesn't it?

20?

Is that your very best? 18?

Go on, I'll buy it if it's under £20, I will buy it.

-It's very cheap for 18.

-Yeah, but it gives me a chance, doesn't it?

-You're on my side, you want me to beat Thomas, don't you?

-Do I?

Yeah, you do. You do.

-Erm, go on, then.

-Because I'm the new boy.

-Thank you, Becky.

-OK.

-Thank you very much indeed. £18. Yeah.

We'll have some fun with that, won't we?

Hmm.

At the other end of town, Thomas is at the chic-er Hay Antiques Market,

and with 17 rooms, there's bound to be a little treasure

just nestling.

HE LAUGHS

"Let them swing."

What a wonderful thing. "Bottoms up."

(Isn't that ghastly? Oh, isn't that horrible?

(I mean, isn't this absolutely, wonderfully kitsch?

(I've got to have it.)

Well, I think we're seeing another side to Thomas here.

A saucy Japanese mug for £10. Bottoms up!

-Glennydd?

-Yes.

-I've found something in your room...

-Right.

-..which has made me giggle. I think you probably know what it is.

-Yes.

And, erm, I've got to buy it.

-Right.

-But obviously, I know it's not very much.

But you want it at rock bottom, don't you?

Five?

-Five would be ideal, that's what I had in mind.

-Good.

-Is that all right?

-That's fine.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

Yeah, but not to everyone's taste.

Up the road, Mark's in Fleur De Lys,

and under the stewardship of Sally,

there's not a bit of kitsch in sight.

Lovely Georgian chair. Look how wide it is, look at the colour of it.

Got to stay away from chairs at the moment though,

it's not the flavour of the month.

Nice to find a shop with antiques in it.

Yeah, Sally, he's right.

Ah-ha, isn't that lovely? Look at the front of that.

Isn't that beautiful? Big and showy and beautiful colours.

Which are typical of Nove Ware,

a tin-glazed earthenware much like Delft,

which comes from the Italian town of Nove, near Venice.

Pieces can fetch around £1,500 at auction,

but because of the damage, this one's a snip at £28.

Unfortunately, the base has had a lot of restoration.

When something has been badly restored,

they tend to paint over everything.

If you took all that off, I think you might find,

if you look through here, a lot of the original base.

It's there. Oh, we're going to have to have a go at this, aren't we?

-Right, Sally, my darling, my bestest friend in the world.

-Oh!

I've got to sell this at Hereford.

Has it come in with something else, have you bought it well?

Because there's a lot of damage on it, and I want to buy it for under £20.

-It's one of my guest dealers.

-Is it?

It's not knocking off too much, is it? Do you think he'd do it?

Could you ask him for me?

£18, under £20 and I'll have a go.

So at £28, Sally gets a haggling

with the dealer on Mark's behalf.

And he's offering you 18... OK.

-20 is...

-20?

-Bottom line.

Well, for the sake of a couple of quid, to-ing and fro-ing

and telephoning and everything, I'll have that for 20.

-Right, thank you very much indeed.

-I just love it.

-I think you'll be all right with that.

-Do you like it?

-Yes, I do.

Well, she would say that, wouldn't she?

So that's two in the bag for Mark.

Now, back at the Hay Antiques Market, Thomas has gone all teachery

about a glass jug.

This is important, from a design point of view,

it's Koloman Moser or Josef Hoffmann and for Lutz.

Lutz is a glass manufacturers from Austria.

It's aged, it's about 1910.

And what a piece of design for a jug.

Glass manufacturers Lutz were known for championing

art nouveau and deco forms of design

from about 1890 into the 20th century.

You can imagine on a hot summer's day

-bouncing bits of ice.

-Mmm.

Lemonade jugs - alcoholic, I hope - and having a tremendous time.

Ticket price is 55. I'm going to go and negotiate on this.

That means a phone call to the dealer. Over to you, Glynis.

Oh, hello, Maggie, I wonder what would be Robin's best price

on your Lutz crackle-glaze jug?

55.

Yes, I suggested that, but I think he might want a little more.

35?

35? Yes, go on, she says.

-Really?

-Yes.

-She's obviously in a good humour today.

-Are you?

-She won't take any more off for good humour, then?

-I don't think so.

-You think I've reached the limit?

-I think, yes.

I think you'd be sort of chancing your arm after that.

Well, you know, nothing wrong with that. 35, OK. It's a deal.

-Thanks. Thanks, Maggie, goodbye.

-Thank you, Maggie.

Meanwhile, back at Fleur De Lys, Mark is also looking for another bold bargain,

but maybe one that's not so damaged.

This is rather nice. I like this.

Georgian mahogany cutlery box.

Lovely colour.

Been converted into a stationery box,

put your letters and things in there.

Pens, whatever. It's lovely.

But the price isn't so lovely, it's a whopping £235.

So owner Sylvia has arrived to manage the negotiations,

and she doesn't look as if she takes prisoners.

Supposing I said 160?

160.

-Would you do it for 150, because it's me?

-Because it's you.

Oh, you are a darling.

-Oh, we're going to have a go, aren't we, Sylvia?

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

You loose woman!

You'll get a kiss in a minute, if you're good.

He's not joking, you know.

Now, not to be outdone,

Thomas is also making hay up the road with Rhona, lucky girl.

It's very smart here in Hay, isn't it?

Oh, we're all ageing hippies,

or trying to be ageing hippies.

Smart isn't something we want to be.

Were you once a hippy?

I was, erm,

well, I wouldn't say I was a hippy,

I was experimenting with every form of lifestyle.

-Oh, right.

-Oh. I wonder what she means?

Well, moving on.

(I like that chalice.)

There's no price on it.

But an interesting object.

Chalices are drinking vessels considered sacred in Christian worship

and in literature, particularly,

this Holy Grail of objects is said to possess miraculous powers,

a thought not lost on Thomas.

Do you think, if I drank out of this, I'd live forever?

Is this the Holy Grail? Is this going to make me beat Mark?

You wish!

At £160, it looks as if it's not the only thing Thomas is eyeing up.

This is a toasting goblet.

It is 18th century, well, early 19th century.

Rummer.

Commemorative for the Duke of Wellington and his army,

at the Battle of Waterloo, for beating Bonaparte.

Of course, the man didn't know when to stop, really.

We'd had a good scrap with him at Trafalgar, on the sea,

and then he sort of, you know, his ugly head rose up again

and we had another one.

Now, your rummer, please?

What can be the best on that one, thank you?

Mmm, come on, Rhona. Ticket price £38, girl.

£30.

-That doesn't seem much, does it?

-No.

Could we... OK, that's fine.

-Ahh.

-Tell me about that, in your world?

Well, it's a piece of blanc de Chine, Chinese.

It's so fine and so beautiful, and we just, even in the 18th century,

had such trouble making porcelain that looked like that.

I've had it at home for a long time because I love it.

This beauty is, in fact,

a rhino horn-shaped libation cup, or drinking vessel.

But you'd have to love it for a whopping £185.

What's the very, very, very best on that, please?

This is parting with almost a relation.

-Well, yeah, I can see that.

-160.

That is a huge gamble.

What for all three?

£300 for the three items.

Come on, a little bit more!

-Now, this is taking all the pleasure out of your visit.

-Is it?

-It really is.

-Oh.

No, we can't bring everything down to money.

No matter how good your cause, we can't sort of negate the history

and the beauty of these objects

-by haggling over a couple of pounds.

-OK.

Oh, is Thomas about to take a big risk?

Go for it, man!

-Go on, then, I'll do it.

-OK.

-I'll pay £300.

-Right.

I can't believe I've done that.

I need to sit down.

It's a very dangerous game I've just played.

I've just played an absolute nightmare.

So let's see how this £300 nightmare works out.

Now, it's £150 for the libation cup,

£120 for the chalice,

and £30 for the glass rummer.

Cor, can't wait for the auction!

Well, after all that lot, it's surely time for a break.

Mark has also done with shopping.

He's heading south to Monmouth,

to learn more about Lord Nelson's scandalous private life.

Ooh!

The town's museum may be an odd place for a Nelson exhibition,

but it does in fact have a unique collection

of personal correspondence,

revealing intimate details of his torrid love life.

Ah, Nelson, one of our greatest men.

This has to be interesting, doesn't it?

There's an original thought.

Anyway, curator Andrew Helm is here to show Mark around.

-I'm Mark.

-I'm Andrew.

The story of Nelson's personal life

is just as riveting as his glorious naval one,

being marked by a marriage, an affair,

and an illegitimate daughter.

And the museum has been lucky enough to obtain hundreds of letters

spelling out just what Nelson felt about his wife, Frances,

and his lover, Lady Emma Hamilton.

One of the glories of the Monmouth collection, which was put together by Lady Llangattock,

was her purchase of letters.

She bought nearly 950 individual letters and logbooks

and all sorts of things that were on the market,

round about the time of the Trafalgar centenary in 1905.

Nelson met his wife Frances in the West Indies,

but documents show they only had

a mere five years of domestic bliss together

before the relationship began to founder.

They had a very intense relationship from the start,

but eventually, things happened, and he met Lady Hamilton,

and poor Fanny, as she was called - Frances Nelson - was pushed aside.

Divorce wasn't an option,

so effectively, he ended up abandoning his wife

and living with Lady Hamilton and their illegitimate daughter.

Nelson had met the married Lady Emma Hamilton in Naples,

where they formed an enduring bond,

one his wife simply couldn't compete with.

The contrast with Fanny was really quite marked.

In the letters we've got, she was always worried about Nelson

and his victories.

Lady Hamilton simply celebrated his victories.

She was exciting?

She was exciting, she was excited by the man and what he did.

-She rejuvenated him.

-She showed that.

Divorce was not an option for Frances, who,

as letters here show,

had to endure the humiliation of her husband's overtures

to his lover Emma.

This one was written in 1801.

It's after they've come back to Britain,

after the illegitimate daughter has been born.

Nelson is writing to Emma,

"My dearest Emma, your letter of yesterday called forth

"all those finer feelings of the soul,

"although I am not able to write so much

"and so forcibly mark my feelings as you can.

"Yet I am sure, and feel all the affection

"which is possible for man to feel towards woman,

"and such a woman."

And this was a relationship that was in the public eye!

It was a scandal of the day, but many people,

because of Nelson's status and what he had achieved,

were prepared to overlook his personal life.

Nelson was far too able and important to Britain's prospects,

in a naval war, to be completely dismissed, as it were.

So he was kept on and he got the appointments

that he needed to be able to fight the French, and eventually took the road to Trafalgar.

However, Frances had allies,

and not everyone tolerated Nelson's scandalous behaviour,

as a holiday trip to Wales in 1802 illustrates.

Two or three times, the social stigma of what they were doing

caught up with them and they had a couple of unfortunate incidents.

The Duke of Marlborough refused to meet them.

-He was not at home when they called a Blenheim Palace.

-Did he, indeed?

But he was there, and when they went to Carmarthen,

the vicar of Carmarthen played up a little bit, refused to meet Emma.

Nelson left the town saying, "There are no gentlemen in Carmarthen."

-So they were snubbed?

-They were snubbed, absolutely.

But Nelson dismissed his critics

as easily as he despised and dismissed his estranged wife's letters

pleading with him to return to her.

"Let everything be buried in oblivion, it will pass away like a dream.

"I can now only entreat you to believe I am most sincerely and affectionately your wife,

-"Frances Nelson."

-HE SIGHS

The killer piece of this, actually, is that he sent this letter back to her.

He did receive it and he had his secretary write

on the outside cover of the letter,

"Opened by mistake by Lord Nelson, but not read."

-That makes it worse, doesn't it?

-It's pretty awful, isn't it?

Do you know... Oh...

Gosh, with Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar

came the tragic end of his great love story.

Lady Hamilton died in poverty in Calais,

shunned by Nelson's family, while Frances remained devoted

to his memory for the remaining 26 years of her life.

Dear, oh, dear.

On a more cheery note though,

our boys have done good today,

so off they go to bed and a well-earned rest.

Oh, dear.

It's day two, it's a damp morning and Mark's baby,

the Sunbeam Alpine, is feeling a bit under the weather.

-What's that smell?

-That's burning.

It's over heating, it's an over-heating smell.

It's quite bad though, do you think the car's going to blow up?

-I hope so, I do like a drama, don't you?

-I don't like a drama.

So far, Thomas has played a risky game,

spending most of his money, £340, on five auction lots, bless him.

Mark, on the other hand, has parted with a more conservative £188

on three auction lots.

Our experts have left Monmouth

and are heading to Newport, in Gwent.

Thomas has called time on his shopping

and has set his sights on taunting Mark about the car.

I mean, I always imagined it to be a bit of a sort of chick magnet.

There's something rather coarse, Thomas,

about calling a 1967 Sunbeam Alpine,

a classic English sports car,

a chick magnet.

So here we are in Newport, a city on the River Usk, and across which

engineers built, in 1906,

the Newport transporter bridge.

It takes cars, pedestrians and bikes,

and is now one of only eight remaining in the world.

What a wonderful looking thing.

Meanwhile, Mark is hoping to find a similar rare antique

to get him to the finishing line in winning time.

-Hello, I'm Mark.

-Hello. Tony.

-Hello, Tony.

Your shop is an interesting mix of old and new.

Tony, do you know who this is? This is Thomas, after a bad night.

-After a bad night.

-Most certainly.

Or after spending £300 in one go. Ha!

Right, let's have a look.

I do quite like this. It caught my eye

because it's a sort of art glass.

-'50s,'60s?

-Yes.

-Yeah?

I think I have a little bit of information in there for you.

Yeah, 1950s seaweed glass, and it's pre-Baxter.

It's made by the famous Whitefriars Company

and plain pieces like this 1950s smoked glass vase

were their staple diet before Geoffrey Baxter joined in 1954

and created its celebrated textured glass range.

Ticket price on this, £55.

I won't haggle or be stupid, I just want a figure,

really as low as you possibly can.

Have a think about that. You mentioned a bit of Mauchline ware.

-I would like to see that.

-In this cabinet.

I like that, Tony, that's lovely.

Ooh, good subject, look,

St Paul's Cathedral, London.

And it says on the base, "Lucy, 1885." Goodness me.

Well, that's a little bit special, isn't it?

Oh, indeed!

That personal inscription makes this turret-shaped piece rare.

What's more, it's a money box,

but at £125, it's pricey.

It's a lovely piece, but I've just got to buy it very cheaply,

or I'm not going to make a profit.

How much? Because I won't haggle. Real bottom line.

65 quid.

And the vase?

The vase, that would probably be your bargain of the day.

I could actually do that for 45.

Yeah.

So, £110 for the two.

I'll tell you what, I didn't mean to haggle, and that's the truth,

but I'll say it anyway, if I bought two items,

if I bought that for 50 and that for 35, that's 85.

-Does that still give you a profit?

-A little bit of profit.

All right, well, let's have those.

-Thank you, Tony.

-Amazing what you can get for a no-haggle haggle, eh?

Meanwhile, Thomas is heading out of town,

but all isn't well with Mark's true love.

The car is making an extraordinary noise.

WHIRRING

I don't know what that noise is, the red button is on.

Erm... It's smoking.

So with the car out of action...

..Thomas is having to hitch a lift, because

he's on his way to Berkeley,

35 miles east of Newport,

in the county of Gloucestershire,

to investigate a case of a right Royal murder.

Berkeley is a town dominated by the castle,

home to the Berkeley family.

Indeed, they are only one of three families in England

who can trace their ancestry back to Saxon times.

The castle started life as a fortress nine centuries ago,

but is now a stately home,

brimming with stunning antiques and artefacts.

Charles Berkeley, who is heir to the castle

and spent his childhood here,

has some riveting stories for Thomas,

starting with the tale of a gruesome royal murder. Wah!

In 1327, Edward II met his death here,

on the orders of the Queen and her lover.

His dungeon still remains virtually untouched today.

Why do you think... Oh, my, that's horrific.

Fairly gloomy, isn't it?

I know the sun is shining in and it looks rustic and charming,

apart from the skull, which is quite scary.

Why was he murdered here?

The barons were furious with Edward because he had no strength or power

and had got rid of a lot of the noble families.

He was considered, at the time, a bit of a weak King,

and he was eventually put to death in this cell.

Killing the King, though, wasn't easy.

This is the dungeon, Thomas, that Edward...

They put rotting animal carcasses in here, piled them up in this dungeon.

It's the only surviving dungeon in the castle.

30 feet down to the courtyard level.

They hoped to asphyxiate him from the fumes

from these rotting carcasses in the cell next door.

But he survived that and they realised, after five months,

that they couldn't go keeping the King here,

and in the end, he was murdered with a red hot poker...

-Yes.

-..on his backside, so there was no mark on the outside of his body.

So everyone thought he'd died of natural causes.

-Was that the reason why?

-That's what we're led to believe.

His screams were heard, so they say, over the river.

Doesn't bear thinking about, really.

Despite that gruesome episode in its history,

the castle's links with royalty have had their benefits though.

This wall hanging here,

it's silk and cloth mixed together,

made locally. The thought was that the wall hangings

come from Henry VIII's bedchamber at Hampton Court.

When Henry VIII came with Anne Boleyn,

soon after he'd got married, and stayed at the castle a couple of times,

we believe it was a gift to the family.

It's unbelievable to think that this hanging is

actually 500 years old.

-And the colours are still so strong.

-Absolutely.

And it is in good condition.

It is in good condition, especially the higher up bits,

because I imagine as a child, you would like to pick.

My brother and I often did.

It's just lovely to have on this wall, it brightens it up.

And the royal association with Berkeley Castle didn't end there.

Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth I, made a fleeting visit

and went deer hunting. And in more recent times,

Princess Margaret and Prince Charles

have even passed over its illustrious threshold.

So with the day nearly over, it's time to get back to antiques,

and for our experts to reveal their items for the last time.

-I am ready.

-Are you ready, Thomas?

-There you go, Thomas.

-Ooh.

-Very nice.

-Whitefriars?

-Hmm, no.

-Smoked glass, Whitefriars.

I'm hoping very much it is Whitefriars.

-I think it's Whitefriars.

-I don't think it's Whitefriars.

-Do you not?

-Nope.

-It's got the quality.

No! I think it's Scandinavian.

-It's not a common one.

-No...

-I don't think it's Scandinavian.

-It's not fine enough to be Scandinavian.

-It's optic moulded...

Crumbs! We've hardly started and they're already bickering.

-So I'll match you with another piece of glass.

-Oh, my goodness me!

-This is my piece of glass.

-Crackle glaze.

-Yes, this is by Koloman Moser...

-Oh, that's good.

-..for Lutz.

-Moser.

And it's circa 1910. I think they're both very nice items of glass.

I do like yours very much.

Well, at least they can agree on something.

It's a really good thing, that.

You've got to have a look at this because it's something special.

"St Paul's Cathedral, London.

"Lucy, 1885."

That's the thing, it's in script,

it hasn't just been scribbled on there, it's in script.

-It's written in pencil.

-No, it's not pencil.

That's what I thought at first, then I looked further at it

and it's almost like copperplate.

It's too beautifully written to be written in pencil.

-Got an eraser?

-It would never erase.

Now, what will Mark make of this next item?

-That is so you, Thomas.

-Bottoms up!

-So you.

With a little sort of bottom which moves.

I couldn't live with that on my mantelpiece!

Oh, it's funny though, isn't it?

No, it's not funny, Thomas, it's grotesque, it's horrible.

It's so horrible, it's saleable.

You've done really well with broken bits of ceramic.

-All the way through, broken bits of ceramic have been your forte.

-Yes.

I think it's very decorative.

-Something I wouldn't have spotted or looked at.

-Beautiful bowl.

It is a good-looking thing.

Indeed, it is. But can Thomas trump it with his chalice?

Oh, my goodness!

-It's plate, is it?

-It's Sheffield.

But it's good quality plate, it certainly looks it.

It's very, very nice and I like that a lot. Well done, Thomas.

-Now...

-Gosh, they're all sweetness and light now.

I bought it because it's a proper Georgian cutlery box.

I think it's lovely. I love the shape, the shape is good, lovely colour.

I don't think you'll have too much of a problem.

Right, what do we have, Thomas? Ah!

That's very nice indeed.

That's a good 19th-century wine glass, barrel shaped,

but forget all that, it's the acid-etched inscription, isn't it?

Duke of Wellington and his army,

with the sabre and the dove.

-That's great fun, that...

-Yep, and a real antique.

Unlike the next one.

Oh, my goodness. I hope you've spotted the obvious.

-It's the rare version, with garage, Thomas.

-With garage.

They are lovely things, these. Did you steal it at £25?

I bought it at £18.

-18, I feel quite sick.

-£18. I've a keen eye, Thomas.

There's a profit there, isn't there?

-There's definitely a big profit there.

-Good.

-You've done really well.

So, to Thomas's final, but risky, item,

the libation cup.

-That's very nice.

-Obviously rhino-horn shaped.

Yeah. Let's have a look.

That is something for me to worry about.

I have to admit, I'd lose graciously if that ran and ran.

I really would, because...

-If you saw that, would you buy it?

-Yes, I would.

-At £150?

-Yes, as it's safe, you'll get your £150 back.

-Do you think so?

Oh, yes, definitely at the moment.

Hmm. Not if the bidders don't want it.

So with that deed done, have our experts really been upfront

with each other about their items?

I think he's done really well

and he's got a really good eye,

so I'm really impressed, actually.

I am very, very impressed with the way he's done things.

Who knows? Let's see what happens at the auction.

I thought Thomas was rather clever.

As always, he's not shy when it comes to spending money.

I loved his silver-plated chalice,

gorgeous classical shape, lovely quality.

Will he make a profit?

I do hope so, it deserves to.

Right, to the auction.

And thankfully, the Sunbeam is back in service, so it's full steam ahead!

Thomas and Mark started this Road Trip

in Hay-on-Wye, on the Welsh border,

and are finishing this fifth

and final leg at the auction

in Pontrilas, Herefordshire.

Our experts' destination for this final auction showdown

is Ward & Co, who sell everything from objets d'art to tools and machinery.

-Right, Thomas. Down to the wire, Thomas.

-Down to the wire.

This is it.

Come on, I'm ready for a thrashing.

Wielding the gavel today is auctioneer Nigel Ward,

who has cast his expert eye over our boys' lots

and has a few words to say about them.

The Nove bowl,

it's beautifully decorated, but has been repaired,

so that's going to affect its value.

The mug, it's obviously a conversation piece,

I think probably someone will buy it.

It certainly isn't going to be big money.

I think the libation cup could create quite a lot of interest.

Mark started this leg of the Road Trip

with £330.07,

and spent £273

on five auction lots.

Thomas, on the other hand, started ahead,

with £387.98,

and gambled most of it,

spending £340 also on five auction lots.

So with around £58 in it, can Mark make up the lost ground?

Here we go, folks, it's the final showdown!

We're kicking off with

that smoked glass vase.

The auctioneer has confirmed

it is Whitefriars.

£20 to get on, 20 I've got, 20,

25, 30, £30 here,

at 30, 35, do you want?

£30 only bid, 40, 45 there, £50 your turn,

55, £60, 60, 65.

At £60 in the front row,

going away at £60.

Goes at 60.

Ooh. Almost doubled your money.

I said to the chap in the shop,

it will either be a money back

or it will make 65 quid.

It's a good start for the boy in second place.

So can Thomas do as well

with his bit of glass?

25 is there, thank you, 25,

30, 35, 40, 45,

50, 55, 60, 65,

70, 75?

£80, 80? 85,

£90, 90, 95?

Isn't that the lady who bought Mark's Whitefriars?

100.

Well, I'm really excited about this.

Yeah, 105. 110?

£105.

-I think you've woken up now, Thomas.

-105.

You know, a part of me is delighted

and there's another part of me,

Thomas, that is not very happy.

All I can do is this...

£105?!

Indeed, and that puts Thomas firmly in the lead.

So can Mark's money box also spin a profit?

Start me away on this one, what do we want? Surely 50 for it... 30.

-Come on.

-£20, ten to get away, ten, I have ten, ten,

15, 20, 20, 30,

40, 50, £50.

£60, £70, 75.

At £70 nearest the door, there's a bid for £70.

Goes and away at £70.

I was quite lucky with that.

Oh, he's catching up, Thomas.

So will it be bottoms up,

or bottoms down,

for that quirky mug?

£10, £5, surely?

£5 I have by the door. Thank you, madam, at five.

I'm very glad you're here.

At £5, I'll take six now. Six, at six, at seven,

at £8, nine, at ten.

I've got ten. At ten. Take 11 now.

At £10, selling. 11 just in time,

at 11, 12 is there.

-This is getting ridiculous.

-Oh, shush.

15... At 16, madam?

-At 15, bid over here.

-Oh, it's funny.

-Goes away at 15.

-£15.

That's just ludicrous, isn't it?

Is this what I'm supposed to buy from now on? Novelty items.

Well, there's just no accounting for taste.

So anyone fancy a rare mock-Tudor doll's house

with parquet flooring and garage?

£50 then, at 50, take 60.

50, only bid. At 50.

At £50 it is then, goes in the front row at £50.

That's fair enough.

-You must be very pleased.

-That's fair enough.

It made what I said it'd make and I'm quite happy.

-£32 in profit.

-Yeah, £32.

Oh, come on, boys, let's have a bit more liveliness,

it's a profit, for goodness' sake!

Let's hope the Duke of Wellington

rummer will get a reaction.

£50 to get going, if you wish.

£50 I have, at 50, at 60, anyone?

Got to be sold. At £50.

First, second, third and last time at £50.

-There you are.

-Listen, I think you should be pleased with that.

-Why?

I think that's very respectable. That's OK, that.

Yeah, and he should be pleased,

because he is still leading in this race.

and Mark has work to do.

So is his cutlery box,

with that hefty £150 price tag,

going to be the answer?

£50 to get going, £50, who wants it £50?

60, 60, 70, 80, 90.

Ridiculous.

Slow, isn't it?

-I am worried now.

-She's bidding on it.

100, 120,

140, 140. In at 160,

160.

Well done. You've done really well.

And, Thomas, I said it was a money-back piece and I was right.

Yes, but you're not going to win that way,

unless Thomas has a disaster.

His chalice is next.

£20, 20, I have, at 20, 20 it is, at £20,

20 it is, 25, 30 on the stage,

30, 35, down here,

40, I have 40, 45 now.

Oh, dear, I sense trouble.

50, 55, 55, 60, at 60, 65.

At £65 first, second, third and last time, at £65.

£55 loss.

That's a heinous error.

More of a heinous blow, I'd say,

and it puts Mark in the lead.

But can he hold onto it with this?

It's rare, but it's damaged.

£50, are you interested at £50?

50, at 50, 50 bid,

60, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100,

110, 120, is it?

At 110, bid at 110.

It's still cheap, but it's got to go, and I sell it at £110.

Brilliant, well done, you.

You must be really pleased?

I'm pleased that I was vindicated.

But, Mark, it was so pretty.

Finally, a smile. Good grief!

Well, it's a cliff-hanger now.

Thomas needs to make more than £132 before costs

on his libation cup to win this leg.

Someone start me somewhere. £50, if you like. £50.

Is there a glimmer? £10.

Oh, no.

Ten, I got ten.

15, £20, at 20, 25 now,

25, £30, 35, 35,

I got 30. This is a bargain.

I'll say.

40, five, 50, five, 60, five,

60 here, at 60.

£60, going to the phone then.

For the first time at 60, for the second, third and last time at £60.

-Good for me, bad for you.

-Yeah, terrible.

-I think somebody just got a bargain.

-They did, they did.

That was a telephone bidder and nobody to bid against.

Oh, dear.

Well, that's auctions for you.

Well, Mark, well done.

You've thrashed me on this one.

You've done really well. Come on.

Good fun though.

Thomas started this final leg of the Road Trip with £387.98,

but after auction costs,

lost £98.10,

leaving him with £289.88

at the end of this week.

New boy Mark, however,

began with £330.07

and made a massive £96 profit after costs,

leaving him winning not just this final leg, but the week,

with £426.07.

And all that profit goes to Children in Need.

Come on, Mark. Well done.

Thank you, Thomas.

You must be very, very pleased with yourself.

-That was good fun, Thomas, that was good fun.

-Good fun for you.

-Where to now?

-I don't know, Mark, where to?

Onward and upward.

There's always another one, Thomas. Let's go and find one.

And that brings us to the end of Thomas and Mark's journey together,

and what a week it's been.

Our virgin Road Tripper made a new set of friends...

..and indulged his passion for pots...

I do like bowls.

I think they're a jolly good buy for the money.

-..and pets.

-Brilliant, look at that.

While Thomas played it tough...

40?

60?

..but had a soft spot for a shapely figure.

Even her bottom is rather delightful.

Oh, he is naughty!

Next week on the Road Trip,

we have a new couple, rivals

Philip Serrell

and Jonathan Pratt.

Between them, they have 55 years' experience in the antiques game,

so it's going to be competitive.

This is the hare against the tortoise.

You're the tortoise, then?

I rather saw myself as the hare.

Ha-ha! Until next time.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd