0:47:50 > 0:47:57.
0:48:02 > 0:48:08- Our favourite antiques experts, £200 each and one big challenge. - Do I buy you?
0:48:08 > 0:48:12Who can make the most money buying and selling antiques across the UK?
0:48:12 > 0:48:17- The aim is to trade up and hope each antique turns a profit.- Oh!
0:48:17 > 0:48:22- But it's not as easy as it looks and dreams can end in tatters. - 60.- Get out of here!
0:48:22 > 0:48:29- So will it be the fast lane to success or the slow road to bankruptcy?- I want to go cry!
0:48:29 > 0:48:31This is the Antiques Road Trip!
0:48:33 > 0:48:35Yeah!
0:48:38 > 0:48:42We're on the road again in a cool 1965 Triumph TR4
0:48:42 > 0:48:48with a fine pair of auctioneers - Philip Serrell and Jonathan Pratt.
0:48:48 > 0:48:55Philip Serrell is an old hand at this antiques road tripping. He won't mind me saying that.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59A man who's never afraid to say it like it is.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04- I'd like to give you 10 quid for that. 70 for the two.- How much?!
0:49:04 > 0:49:11Ha ha! But Philip doesn't like to travel alone, so he's brought his best man with him,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14bright young spark Jonathan Pratt.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17You're mad! Absolutely mad.
0:49:17 > 0:49:22Oh, dear. But sadly Jonathan has not shined on the auction field.
0:49:22 > 0:49:27- In fact, he's lost lots and lots of money.- 20.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30Not going well, JP, is it?
0:49:31 > 0:49:32Oh, Philip.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35I want to go and cry!
0:49:35 > 0:49:38I don't quite know what to say, JP.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42And from his original £200,
0:49:42 > 0:49:49Jonathan has a mere £126.72 to stage a fightback with.
0:49:51 > 0:49:56Philip, meanwhile, has fared rather better.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01Selling at £60.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05At £150...
0:50:07 > 0:50:10# I'm walking on sunshine... #
0:50:10 > 0:50:14So, in finer fettle, Philip has home-grown his £200
0:50:14 > 0:50:20to a blossoming £366.62 to take out on the road once more.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24Well, JP, how do you reckon it's gone so far?
0:50:24 > 0:50:30- Do you really want me to answer that question honestly?- No. Some things in life don't need asking.
0:50:30 > 0:50:36This week our chaps are journeying all the way from Cockermouth to Wilmslow.
0:50:36 > 0:50:43On this leg, they're sadly leaving gorgeous Donny, heading to a crunch auction in Lincoln.
0:50:43 > 0:50:49Pretty, painterly Gainsborough is the first pin in our map.
0:50:49 > 0:50:54- Is there a plan?- Oh... - There's got to be a masterplan.
0:50:55 > 0:51:03Gainsborough's been here for a bit, with a market held every Tuesday for about 800 years or so,
0:51:03 > 0:51:05give or take a century.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09- Is this it?- Squeeze in. - That looks fabulous.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11We could have some fun in here.
0:51:11 > 0:51:19Not sure you've got time for any fun, Jonathan. Remember all that money you don't currently have?
0:51:19 > 0:51:26- Almost got very excited then. - I did.- But that's been the story of my life for a long while.
0:51:26 > 0:51:32Cheer up. You lucky chaps have safely landed in Gainsborough's wonderful Pilgrim Antiques
0:51:32 > 0:51:36with Michael and...Michael here to help.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40- If there's no price, does it mean it's free?- It does.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44So these would have been produced round about what?
0:51:44 > 0:51:48- 18...80? 1890? - I would think so, yes.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50They're Chinese and on rice paper.
0:51:52 > 0:52:00- That is such a good subject. I know it's macabre.- Macabre they are, but fascinating for it.
0:52:00 > 0:52:07Possibly from the Chinese Boxer Rebellion at the turn of the 20th century.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11- £75 the lot. - Are your prices negotiable at all?
0:52:11 > 0:52:16- Within reason.- OK. - Michael, you're about to live to regret those words, old fruit.
0:52:16 > 0:52:21I think that's fantastic. I'm going to take a closer look.
0:52:21 > 0:52:26Oh, lord. I've kicked the stand out of the way now.
0:52:26 > 0:52:31- How much is that? The ticket price? - 50 quid.- 50 quid?- Yeah.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35- It's a bargain! - It's got a name on it.
0:52:36 > 0:52:42It's a French one, isn't it? My geography's never been that special, but it says Toulouse.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44I think we'll find that's in France.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Oui. C'est vrai, Philip.
0:52:47 > 0:52:53This handsome instrument dates from the late 19th or early 20th century, but is it a euphonium,
0:52:53 > 0:52:56a tuba or a vase?
0:52:56 > 0:53:01I'm interested in that and the macabre Chinese things.
0:53:01 > 0:53:07- Is it one deal for the two? - No, no. Two separate deals. - How's that going to work?
0:53:07 > 0:53:13- Well, try us.- Really? Right, you ready for this, then?
0:53:13 > 0:53:17- OK, that's the barter table, that is.- Yes.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Would that buy each of them?
0:53:19 > 0:53:26- No.- He's not said no yet. - I certainly will. - Oh, he's just said no.
0:53:26 > 0:53:31- Well, there we are, then. How's that? 30 quid apiece. - Nearly there. Better keep going.
0:53:31 > 0:53:37- Forty quid apiece. That's the best I can do.- That's OK for that.
0:53:37 > 0:53:43- Because it's a special event and we don't see you very often... - You don't want to, either!
0:53:43 > 0:53:46A double-headed triumph for Philip.
0:53:46 > 0:53:53£40 for the torture pictures and another £40 for the big brass... instrument.
0:53:53 > 0:53:59Jonathan must be wondering what he's missed. Time, though, for him to make his own sweet music.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06It's a little engraving from the early part of the 20th century.
0:54:06 > 0:54:11Pencil signed, You can see the plate mark here. Nice and original.
0:54:11 > 0:54:17It's quite a skill to do this. It looks like an east coast harbour. Kind of touristy.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20And it's only £7.50. Nice and cheap.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24Certainly an attractive, reasonably-priced picture.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28And you need all the inexpensive help you can get today.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34I was going past the engraving to get to this little chap.
0:54:34 > 0:54:41It's quite fun. A sort of 1930s watercolour of a cartoon character
0:54:41 > 0:54:45who's... I forget the name of the dog, but it's a character you see.
0:54:45 > 0:54:52It's Bonzo! Dreamt up in the 1920s by British artist George E Studdy.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57He's listening to an old valve radio, singing his little heart out.
0:54:57 > 0:55:03They're only asking a tenner for that. I'm going to try to get them both, I think.
0:55:03 > 0:55:08But en route to the counter, Jonathan spots something dishy.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14It's majolica. Late 19th century.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18But that mark there, which is that little patch,
0:55:18 > 0:55:23I believe is...is, um... What's his name?
0:55:23 > 0:55:28- His name is...- George Jones? - Oh, blimey. I've forgotten it.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32Yes, yes...it's George Jones!
0:55:33 > 0:55:40George Jones and Sons were famous Stoke-on-Trent potters from the 1860s to the 1950s.
0:55:40 > 0:55:46And this unusual dish has a ticket price of £75, but possibly something missing.
0:55:46 > 0:55:51- Out of interest, how much is this? - It's... Well, it has problems.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54- Yeah.- Yes.- But don't we all?
0:55:54 > 0:55:59- That's true.- So it would have had a rack or something inside it?
0:55:59 > 0:56:04- Handles.- Handles there. So they've gone. What's the best price on it?
0:56:04 > 0:56:08- 65? - Not something you'd do for 40.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11- No.- Am I close?- No.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13LAUGHTER
0:56:13 > 0:56:18Interesting new tactic here - pretending to browse.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21- I like it.- 45?
0:56:21 > 0:56:25- You're closer. - Closer to 65, yeah!
0:56:25 > 0:56:28- £55?- Yeah, go on.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30Go on, yes.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34- I'll say thank you on that one. - Right. You're welcome.
0:56:34 > 0:56:40There's two other things. In the cabinet just on the left, there's an engraving.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45- That little chap there. Could you take a fiver for it? - No problem.- Brilliant.
0:56:45 > 0:56:50- No problem.- Wow. He should have tried £3! Still, it's colourful.
0:56:50 > 0:56:56- Would you take a fiver for the other one?- How much is on it? - Slightly cheeky.- You are.
0:56:56 > 0:57:01- You're asking a tenner.- Seven. - I'm going to take that as well.
0:57:01 > 0:57:08JP, you are a buying machine this morning. Shame you're nearly out of money.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12And now, well, the road ahead beckons.
0:57:14 > 0:57:19I'm pilot, you're navigator. Have you got us lost again?
0:57:19 > 0:57:25- I can't even see out the windscreen. - That sort of spreads rather than wipes.
0:57:25 > 0:57:31Our red-blooded rummagers have been stuck in the same car and shops all week. They've got cabin fever.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35So a bit of "me time" is on today's agenda.
0:57:38 > 0:57:44Opened in the 1980s, the Astra Antiques Centre became one of the largest in Europe.
0:57:44 > 0:57:51However, its former life was RAF Bomber Command in WWII, home to the massive Lancaster Bombers,
0:57:51 > 0:57:57hence the size. Today with the many, many dealers stationed here,
0:57:57 > 0:58:00heroic Barry is on hand to help.
0:58:04 > 0:58:09So...we've got an artist's little easel. That's fantastic.
0:58:09 > 0:58:13And this would have been an oil paint box. It is old.
0:58:13 > 0:58:19- Just old.- I'm old.- 1900, 1920. - Yeah, and this is... You have little compartments here
0:58:19 > 0:58:24for all your different paints. Winsor and Newton label, which I love.
0:58:24 > 0:58:29Winsor and Newton have made artists' materials since 1832,
0:58:29 > 0:58:35even during the Second World War when many paint colours were requisitioned by the RAF
0:58:35 > 0:58:42for map and reconnaissance work. This set is much earlier with a current asking price of just £28.
0:58:44 > 0:58:47I could become Pablo Serrell, couldn't I?
0:58:47 > 0:58:52- What'll you paint? - I can do walls and ceilings.
0:58:56 > 0:59:01- This is a powder compact.- It is. - I could do with some of that.
0:59:01 > 0:59:06Well, you could blush when your eye catches the £95 price tag.
0:59:07 > 0:59:12Fortunately, today tortoiseshell trading is regulated by international treaty,
0:59:12 > 0:59:19but it's been used for veneering all sorts of objects for over 400 years.
0:59:19 > 0:59:24- We've got the hallmarks there. Where would that be? 1920s?- '20s.
0:59:24 > 0:59:29- We've got a whomping great crack there.- There it is.
0:59:29 > 0:59:36- In my eyes, I'd like to buy the two for 30, 35 quid.- We're not going to get that low I don't think.- No?
0:59:36 > 0:59:40Bold offer, Phil, but maybe try something else, eh?
0:59:40 > 0:59:46- Let me see what happens. There's 30 quid. How does that look? - Well, keep them coming...- What?!
0:59:46 > 0:59:49- ..and we'll get somewhere near! - Let's both have a day out.
0:59:49 > 0:59:53- 45 quid.- Go on. - You're a gentleman.
0:59:53 > 0:59:59Another fine pair of items skilfully secured by Squadron Leader Serrell
0:59:59 > 1:00:03as he heads heroically on to his next mission.
1:00:06 > 1:00:12Private Pratt, meanwhile, is heading for a revival of his fortunes.
1:00:12 > 1:00:17For once, I'm feeling... Well, I feel optimistic for a good reason.
1:00:17 > 1:00:23Well, we'll soon see about that. Jonathan has left Gainsborough far behind,
1:00:23 > 1:00:28taking the road trip a precise 13.7 miles north to Epworth.
1:00:32 > 1:00:37And lying in wait is Epworth's old rectory,
1:00:37 > 1:00:41birthplace of the Wesley brothers, John and Charles,
1:00:41 > 1:00:47founders of the revolutionary revivalist Christian movement known as Methodism.
1:00:51 > 1:00:54- Hello, there.- Hello. Come on in.
1:00:55 > 1:01:03Development Manager Claire Potter welcomes us into this former home of the Wesley brothers' parents,
1:01:03 > 1:01:07Samuel and Susannah. She was a devout home educator,
1:01:07 > 1:01:11providing John and Charles with knowledge, discipline and method.
1:01:13 > 1:01:17This remarkable woman really had this very regimented system
1:01:17 > 1:01:24and she expected them to learn their alphabet in 24 hours. She was upset as one took a day and a half.
1:01:24 > 1:01:28Sitting here you've got maybe a two-year-old,
1:01:28 > 1:01:33- but she's probably still learning her alphabet.- Yeah.
1:01:33 > 1:01:38And the mother sitting there and the eldest sitting next to her reading Greek.
1:01:38 > 1:01:44Samuel would have been involved a bit, but it was mainly Susannah's school. This was the early bit.
1:01:44 > 1:01:48They were learning to read and write, learning their faith.
1:01:48 > 1:01:53- The father had his duties.- Yes, and he was away a lot in London
1:01:53 > 1:01:57and often left the house and the family in some difficulty.
1:01:57 > 1:02:03In 1709 it completely burnt down in the middle of the night. They were all in it.
1:02:03 > 1:02:09They all got out - a daughter raised the alarm - apart from John. He was five and a half.
1:02:09 > 1:02:16Legend has it that John Wesley was the last child left in the burning rectory and nearly lost his life
1:02:16 > 1:02:20until local people formed a human ladder up to his window.
1:02:22 > 1:02:27John was pulled out by the locals just as the roof fell in and the house was destroyed,
1:02:27 > 1:02:33but Susannah called John "a brand plucked from the burning", which is a biblical quotation,
1:02:33 > 1:02:37to symbolise he was destined for something special.
1:02:37 > 1:02:41I think he spent the rest of his life believing it.
1:02:41 > 1:02:48Not surprisingly, John grew up to become a bold man with a burning sense of purpose.
1:02:48 > 1:02:53We've got a portrait of Charles and John as young men. Interestingly,
1:02:53 > 1:03:00John without a wig and Charles with one. John was, I suppose, the more radical of the two.
1:03:00 > 1:03:06He was very concerned to save as much money as possible, so he could give as much as possible.
1:03:06 > 1:03:12If you had a wig, it cost money because you had to have a licence to powder it with arsenic.
1:03:12 > 1:03:18- A licence for the wig?!- Yes. So he decided to wear his own hair. You can see the difference there.
1:03:18 > 1:03:24Charles may have been more flamboyant, but he made his own harmonious contribution
1:03:24 > 1:03:27to religious life in Britain.
1:03:27 > 1:03:33Charles wrote over 6,000 hymns in his lifetime. The Royal Wedding was the most famous occasion
1:03:33 > 1:03:39- when one of them was sung. Love Divine is one of his. - Oh, is it? That's a nice tune.- Yes.
1:03:48 > 1:03:53Charles's other number one hit was Hark, The Herald Angels Sing.
1:03:53 > 1:03:57The young Wesley brothers both studied to become ministers
1:03:57 > 1:04:05and found like minds at Oxford to form their pivotal, though not always popular, Holy Club.
1:04:05 > 1:04:08Really the Holy Club was a term of abuse from other students.
1:04:08 > 1:04:14The word Methodist came along soon after, also as a term of abuse. They were methodical.
1:04:14 > 1:04:20They set out these rules that they would live by and accounted for every hour of the day.
1:04:20 > 1:04:23They would not waste time in idle chatter or frivolity.
1:04:23 > 1:04:31Methodism departed the established and sometimes snobby Church of England with its idea
1:04:31 > 1:04:35that Christianity was for everyone at every level of society.
1:04:35 > 1:04:41He wasn't constrained by church buildings. He would go into markets, where ordinary people gathered -
1:04:41 > 1:04:48farmers and peasants and people who didn't really have access to the established church.
1:04:48 > 1:04:52He was prepared to go outside his comfort zone, with Charles's hymns,
1:04:52 > 1:04:56which people learnt from those open-air gatherings.
1:04:56 > 1:05:04I can see that as a great way of passing on a message. A catchy tune just keeps on going.
1:05:04 > 1:05:11This new emerging branch of Christianity sought to unite and include everyone,
1:05:11 > 1:05:18using more than just words and music to engender feelings of fellowship.
1:05:18 > 1:05:25Here we have a loving cup, a double-handed cup, which they would use just to share water.
1:05:25 > 1:05:30But just as a symbol of their fellowship, drinking from the same cup.
1:05:30 > 1:05:37Methodist tradition became a means to self-improvement by helping others and living a good life,
1:05:37 > 1:05:44something to bear in mind as Jonathan returns to the harsh, hard-haggling world of antiques.
1:05:44 > 1:05:46God bless.
1:05:46 > 1:05:48Thank you very much.
1:05:49 > 1:05:54Another good and noble day's shopping draws to an end.
1:05:54 > 1:06:00Now the kindness of North Lincolnshire is called upon to give our boys shelter for the night.
1:06:06 > 1:06:14What a tremendous morning! A call to arms for our boys - roof down and straight back on the road.
1:06:15 > 1:06:20So far, Phil Serrell has made good with a double, double, double, double deal,
1:06:20 > 1:06:24spending £125 on four items -
1:06:24 > 1:06:27the Chinese torture paintings,
1:06:27 > 1:06:33the euphonium, the silver powder box and the artist's palette.
1:06:33 > 1:06:37Philip has £241.62 left
1:06:37 > 1:06:40to make sweet music with. Ah.
1:06:42 > 1:06:48Meanwhile, Jonathan Pratt nervously opened his withered wallet to spend just £67 on three items.
1:06:48 > 1:06:55The tourist engraving, the Bonzo dog portrait and the majolica strawberry dish.
1:06:55 > 1:07:00Jonathan has just £59.72 left to back a winner.
1:07:02 > 1:07:07Look in there. Always worth looking at a gift horse in the mouth.
1:07:07 > 1:07:10- It's amazingly flat round here. - It is.
1:07:10 > 1:07:15Yeah. A bit like your jokes, Jonathan.
1:07:15 > 1:07:20Moving swiftly on, Philip and Jonathan have dearly departed from Epworth
1:07:20 > 1:07:26heading a bold 52 miles to the important market town of Grantham.
1:07:27 > 1:07:32- #- Here we are again Happy as can be...- #
1:07:33 > 1:07:35Oi! Oi!
1:07:35 > 1:07:40Indeed! Watch out for falling fruit and bombs overhead.
1:07:40 > 1:07:46Grantham provided schooling for the young Sir Isaac Newton, the bloke with the apple and gravitas,
1:07:46 > 1:07:52and later housed the Bomber Command centre for those rather famous Dambuster raids during WWII.
1:07:55 > 1:07:58Thank you, Philip. Nicely driven.
1:07:58 > 1:08:04But the only thing being dropped off today is Jonathan Pratt outside the fine Belvoir Antiques.
1:08:04 > 1:08:06As I say, Philip,
1:08:06 > 1:08:10I'm here... I'm in it to win it.
1:08:10 > 1:08:13- Morning!- Morning!
1:08:14 > 1:08:21Morning! The lovely, lovely Jessica is just longing to hear JP's sad, sad story. This could be love.
1:08:21 > 1:08:24I've had a little bit of bad luck
1:08:24 > 1:08:30- and I'm now sitting down with nearly half of what I started, which is not very good.- OK.
1:08:30 > 1:08:35- But it does mean I have to be shrewd.- I'm sure we'll be able to find something.- Good.
1:08:35 > 1:08:41If there's anyone who can sell something to Jonathan Pratt today, it's Jessica.
1:08:41 > 1:08:45That's quite a good chest. Quite a nice bow front.
1:08:45 > 1:08:50I know it's out of my budget, but it's always nice to admire!
1:08:50 > 1:08:53Bow-front chest indeed! Cheeky!
1:08:53 > 1:08:56- What about a tea set?- A tea service.
1:08:56 > 1:08:58Yes!
1:08:58 > 1:09:04Perhaps Jonathan could turn his attention to the modernist silver-plated five-piece tea set,
1:09:04 > 1:09:10made by Viners of Sheffield with a ticket price of £45. It looks more or less 1930s.
1:09:10 > 1:09:13And shiny.
1:09:13 > 1:09:19I know it's exactly 1930s because that little finial there, that sort of step shape,
1:09:19 > 1:09:25is Art Deco. If you had a strong Art Deco tea service, it would be worth £1,000 in silver plate.
1:09:25 > 1:09:30But this is just a nice little pretty border on the top.
1:09:30 > 1:09:37- How much is the tea service? - Well, as a really special deal I could do it for £25.
1:09:39 > 1:09:41But that's just for you.
1:09:41 > 1:09:45Well, that's an offer that's hard to resist. Right, Jonathan?
1:09:45 > 1:09:51- So this is a five-piece? Is there a sugar bowl?- Yes.- I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth!
1:09:51 > 1:09:54Thank you very much! £25.
1:09:54 > 1:09:58- Is the tray with it?- Yes. - Yay! That's great.
1:09:58 > 1:10:04Well, that's tres, tres bon! Good work, Jonathan. Keep talking and you might get her phone number.
1:10:06 > 1:10:08DOG BARKS
1:10:09 > 1:10:16But despite his good fortune, Jonathan looks a bit, well... lonely without Phil.
1:10:20 > 1:10:22HORN BEEPS
1:10:22 > 1:10:28- What time do you call this, eh?! - It's WET time, that's what! I'm getting soaked!
1:10:28 > 1:10:31This thing's got its own foot spa.
1:10:31 > 1:10:36Do you know, sometimes it's just nicer to shop together, isn't it?
1:10:37 > 1:10:41You take the low road, I'll take the high road.
1:10:41 > 1:10:46The Notions Antiques Centre plays host to their final frantic search,
1:10:46 > 1:10:52with Sharon on hand to help with antiques and soft furnishings and things.
1:10:53 > 1:10:59- What would you use this for? A very posh picnic. - A bedspread or a nice throw.
1:10:59 > 1:11:01I like this, Sharon.
1:11:01 > 1:11:08- So tell me about crewelwork. - Crewelwork is a type of chunky, decorative wool embroidery,
1:11:08 > 1:11:11dating back centuries.
1:11:11 > 1:11:17It was extremely popular in the 17th century and revived in the late 1960s.
1:11:17 > 1:11:22- It's the stitch used on the Bayeux tapestry. - It gives you a decoration.
1:11:22 > 1:11:29- My guess is there's not much age to this. 30, 40 years?- Yeah.- But it's trying to look 19th century.- Yeah.
1:11:29 > 1:11:31It's very decorative.
1:11:31 > 1:11:37- You've got £2.40 on here.- I have not!- Oh, £24. Sorry, my mistake.
1:11:37 > 1:11:43- Very reasonably priced.- It is. I'm going to make you one offer and that's it, my love.
1:11:43 > 1:11:51- Do you want to sit down? - Oh, is it that bad?- No, it's fair. I'd like to give you 15 quid.
1:11:51 > 1:11:56- Go on, then.- You're an angel. I think that's really nice.- Yeah.
1:11:56 > 1:11:59An unusual purchase for Philip. Quite girly.
1:11:59 > 1:12:04He never ceases to surprise us. But whilst Phil bags a blanket,
1:12:04 > 1:12:08could someone be about to throw in the towel?
1:12:08 > 1:12:14Maybe I'm just going to keep it to the four objects I've got. I've got four good objects.
1:12:16 > 1:12:23The shops are closing and today's window of haggling opportunity has slammed firmly shut.
1:12:24 > 1:12:30However, Philip has now got the feeling that he deserves a little trip to the boozer.
1:12:30 > 1:12:33Well, get in!
1:12:41 > 1:12:46Veteran collector Richard is waiting to share his unusual enthusiasm -
1:12:46 > 1:12:52over 1,500 dearly owned vintage beer trays
1:12:52 > 1:12:58from the 1870s to the 1970s and sourced over the last 28 years. Sorry, Philip -
1:12:58 > 1:13:01this isn't actually a pub.
1:13:01 > 1:13:08- How many Richards are there in Britain?- Officially, on tray collecting, there's only two people
1:13:08 > 1:13:13who collect purely trays. There's a lot of breweriana collectors,
1:13:13 > 1:13:18so they collect jugs and show cards and match strikers and mirrors,
1:13:18 > 1:13:25but I was the first person to specifically collect trays. Lots of people collect beer bottles.
1:13:25 > 1:13:29For them, it's their passion, the greatest thing on God's earth,
1:13:29 > 1:13:35but for me, beer bottles, you can't actually see the colouring and the beauty. With trays,
1:13:35 > 1:13:42- you can see the splendid colours. - When did they start making beer trays?- The earliest beer trays,
1:13:42 > 1:13:48in my opinion, are probably around 1870. So these are all the oldest, the old enamel trays, brass, copper.
1:13:48 > 1:13:54You think now of all the television advertising and newspaper advertising.
1:13:54 > 1:14:00I suppose in the heyday of these trays, this was the only source of advertising your wares.
1:14:00 > 1:14:07Indeed it was. And the same design flair went into designing beer trays as into packaging and sign making.
1:14:07 > 1:14:14Breweries large and small employed design teams, taking inspiration from Art Nouveau
1:14:14 > 1:14:21and propaganda posters to persuade us Brits to drink more beer, as if we needed any persuading.
1:14:21 > 1:14:27They're officially called waiter trays. You'd order your beer and they'd take your tray with the beer
1:14:27 > 1:14:32to you as a customer, and you'd take your beer off and there it was.
1:14:32 > 1:14:40- Is that like an ashtray?- No, actually it's the only tray that I have with a little change tray
1:14:40 > 1:14:44actually on the tray. If there's any change, they put it in here.
1:14:44 > 1:14:51These handsome examples of great British design heritage are, sadly, today hard to come by
1:14:51 > 1:14:56so Richard's fine, rare collection has been hard won in time and money.
1:14:56 > 1:15:02If that one came on the market today and it was one I hadn't got, I'd probably pay 500 quid.
1:15:02 > 1:15:07- £500 for a beer tray. - £500. But that's exceptional. - Holy shamola!
1:15:07 > 1:15:10Holy shamola, indeed!
1:15:10 > 1:15:16Something like that from Blackford, near Perth in Scotland, about 1920.
1:15:16 > 1:15:21- Very small brewery.- Nearly 100 years old.- Extremely rare.
1:15:21 > 1:15:27- So how many pubs might they have had?- I'd say a handful, at most. - What interests me, then, is
1:15:27 > 1:15:33why would they go to the trouble? These trays must cost more than the beer cost to make.
1:15:33 > 1:15:37I think it was just the pride of having some advertising.
1:15:37 > 1:15:39If the big boys do it, you do it.
1:15:39 > 1:15:44Amazingly, there used to be thousands of independent breweries,
1:15:44 > 1:15:50some supplying a mere handful of pubs. Most went out of business in the 1950s and '60s,
1:15:50 > 1:15:55either closed or engulfed by the big, corporate brewers.
1:15:55 > 1:16:01But these promotional trays once played an important role in keeping bespoke beers popular,
1:16:01 > 1:16:07hence the one-upmanship in design and beauty. No wonder passionate collectors can't resist them.
1:16:07 > 1:16:10Could you?
1:16:10 > 1:16:16- What's the most recent tray you've bought?- Well, I tell you, that's an amazing question.
1:16:16 > 1:16:20I've been after a local brewery in Grantham for 20-odd years.
1:16:20 > 1:16:27I've written newspaper articles, magazine articles and never come across the tray, but this week
1:16:27 > 1:16:33- I've managed to purchase a tray that I've been looking for. This one here.- This is Mowbray's.
1:16:33 > 1:16:39Yeah. Mowbray's went out in 1952, so this is a pre-war tray,
1:16:39 > 1:16:42about 1938, '39.
1:16:48 > 1:16:52- I've had a fabulous time. Thanks very much.- Cheers.
1:16:56 > 1:16:59No time for a pint, sadly,
1:16:59 > 1:17:04because our brave boys must regroup to reveal their wares.
1:17:04 > 1:17:09And now Philip's been carrying more than just a tune.
1:17:09 > 1:17:12A real surprise.
1:17:12 > 1:17:14Assuming that it is a euphonium.
1:17:14 > 1:17:18I don't know if it's a euphonium or a tuba.
1:17:18 > 1:17:23- You wouldn't get a tune out of it. - No. £40. I think at auction
1:17:23 > 1:17:28that should make £50 on a bad day. On a good day, it might make 80.
1:17:28 > 1:17:32What I like about it is that it's quality majolica.
1:17:32 > 1:17:37You see some real rubbish. There is a downside - it's lacking handles.
1:17:37 > 1:17:44- As a decorative thing, what did you pay?- 55. I think... Well, you tell me what you think!
1:17:44 > 1:17:50I don't see how it can sell for less than 50 quid. I don't see how it can be less.
1:17:50 > 1:17:53And if you have some luck,
1:17:53 > 1:17:55I think it will be...
1:17:55 > 1:18:00- £100, £150.- Luck is just what Jonathan needs this week. Oh, boy.
1:18:00 > 1:18:06- My word.- It's silver. Tortoiseshell. Tortoiseshell.
1:18:08 > 1:18:13That isn't tortoiseshell. It's plastic.
1:18:13 > 1:18:16Whoops! Well, moving swiftly on...
1:18:16 > 1:18:19Back on the print game again.
1:18:19 > 1:18:26- Really?- Bearing in mind I don't have a lot of cash, I thought I would steer clear of any big investments.
1:18:27 > 1:18:33- I like that.- £5.- Yeah. And I think that's what it's worth. - Thank you(!)
1:18:33 > 1:18:38- But I do. These things are horribly undervalued in the current market. - Whoops!
1:18:38 > 1:18:41Well, moving swiftly on, again...
1:18:41 > 1:18:46I bought this. What I bought this for was this, look.
1:18:46 > 1:18:50- I just think that's lovely. - That's cool, isn't it?
1:18:50 > 1:18:56Why wouldn't someone buy this to use in the field anyway? It's a perfectly useful box.
1:18:56 > 1:18:59- It's £20. - I paid 15 quid for it.
1:19:01 > 1:19:03He's fun.
1:19:03 > 1:19:08It's a watercolour of Bonzo the dog, singing his little furry socks off.
1:19:08 > 1:19:12I think that's really sweet. Great thing for a child's bedroom.
1:19:12 > 1:19:17If I told you I paid £15 for it, I'd be lying. I paid £7.
1:19:17 > 1:19:21- Is there a profit, Philip? Tell me. - That will make...
1:19:21 > 1:19:27- between 20 and 40 quid. - Not bad for a sweet picture for a sweet child's bedroom.
1:19:27 > 1:19:33These probably aren't ideal for a children's bedroom. Chinese torture scenes.
1:19:33 > 1:19:37- This chap's been hung.- Oh, dear. - But I think they're quite fun.
1:19:37 > 1:19:43Fun ain't the word I'd use. More sort of cruel!
1:19:44 > 1:19:47- That's crewel.- It is, isn't it?
1:19:47 > 1:19:51It was priced up at 24 quid and I gave her 15 quid for it.
1:19:51 > 1:19:54I just think it's a profit, really.
1:19:54 > 1:19:59- I think on a bad day, it's get your money back.- You can't lose, really.
1:20:01 > 1:20:05You didn't pinch that from the hotel reception, did you?
1:20:05 > 1:20:09- Here we go. - You'd better take it back.
1:20:09 > 1:20:14It looks quality. Real quality. You think, "This is hundreds of pounds of kit here!"
1:20:14 > 1:20:19- Is that what you think? - No! That's what you're implying.
1:20:19 > 1:20:22Fine, but what do you really think?
1:20:22 > 1:20:26I think his silver tea set is probably later than he thinks it is.
1:20:26 > 1:20:30But he's so right because it's surely got to make him a profit.
1:20:30 > 1:20:36If that's the case, I'm moving back to £200, where my reputation is hanging by a thin thread.
1:20:36 > 1:20:40It certainly is, Jonathan. So let's get you to auction,
1:20:40 > 1:20:44without hesitation, repetition or deviation.
1:20:44 > 1:20:48Anyone, none of this idle chit-chat. We've got work to do.
1:20:48 > 1:20:52The road trip gets moving once more, leading our chaps away
1:20:52 > 1:20:57with Gainsborough, Epworth and Grantham far behind us.
1:20:57 > 1:20:59Next stop is big, handsome Lincoln.
1:21:03 > 1:21:05One false move and we're all dead!
1:21:05 > 1:21:08That's cheered me up no end.
1:21:08 > 1:21:14They call Lincoln the uphill, downhill town, built as it is in a gap in the Lincoln Cliff,
1:21:14 > 1:21:21all centred on magnificent Lincoln cathedral, first built in 1092, don't you know?
1:21:22 > 1:21:27Today is, you guessed it, auction day.
1:21:27 > 1:21:32Our would-be winners arrive feeling fresh and frisky. Well, fresh at least.
1:21:35 > 1:21:36Well, Philip...
1:21:37 > 1:21:41Well, I wish us both the best, JP.
1:21:42 > 1:21:49Lincoln's Unique Auctions has been selling antiques and all sorts here since 2006.
1:21:49 > 1:21:55Today's gavel-basher, Terry Woodcock, has kindly offered some thoughts on our bag
1:21:55 > 1:21:58of auction dreams.
1:21:58 > 1:22:05The silver compact. Not a very good buy. It isn't tortoiseshell, as first thought.
1:22:05 > 1:22:11The scrap value, which is really about what it's worth, is £20-£30.
1:22:11 > 1:22:15The silver-plated tea service with the oval tray,
1:22:15 > 1:22:19very bad news. It always cracks up, so it's not usable,
1:22:19 > 1:22:22it's only good for display.
1:22:22 > 1:22:26So a bright, optimistic outlook for the sale ahead.
1:22:26 > 1:22:28Not.
1:22:28 > 1:22:34Philip started today's show with £366.62 and spent £140 on five auction lots.
1:22:38 > 1:22:42Jonathan looked at his meagre £126.72
1:22:42 > 1:22:47and spent a thoroughly heroic £92 on four auction lots.
1:22:51 > 1:22:57So we can safely say that Jonathan really needs his items to fly this day.
1:22:57 > 1:22:59Time to sit uncomfortably.
1:22:59 > 1:23:02The auction is about to begin.
1:23:02 > 1:23:06First to face the bidders is Philip's artist's palette.
1:23:06 > 1:23:11Wonderfully displayed here by a fine Manchurian gentleman.
1:23:11 > 1:23:14Who'll start me at £20? 10, then.
1:23:14 > 1:23:17Thank you. 10 I've got there.
1:23:17 > 1:23:1912. 14. At 16.
1:23:19 > 1:23:21And 18. Fresh bid there.
1:23:21 > 1:23:24And 20. And 2.
1:23:24 > 1:23:28No at 22. I can come to you now. 24.
1:23:28 > 1:23:3026. 28. And 30.
1:23:30 > 1:23:35No? Shakes the head. At £30. And I'm selling it at £30.
1:23:35 > 1:23:38- That's a good result!- Staggered.
1:23:38 > 1:23:43Don't act so surprised. It's a very nice item.
1:23:43 > 1:23:49Now Jonathan's first hopeful. His fishing port engraving awaits the bidders.
1:23:49 > 1:23:54£8. Low figure. I'm looking for 10. 10. And 12. At 12.
1:23:54 > 1:23:59And 14. At £14. 16, fresh bid. At 18. At £18.
1:23:59 > 1:24:03- And 20. At £20. - Go on, go on, go on.
1:24:03 > 1:24:07Who's shouting at me? It's yours at 20. At 20, it's yours.
1:24:09 > 1:24:12And from high five to low quality.
1:24:12 > 1:24:20Philip's unfortunate powder box is up next. Let's hope nobody notices it's not tortoiseshell.
1:24:20 > 1:24:24It's in the catalogue as tortoiseshell, but it's not.
1:24:24 > 1:24:28- Oh, dear.- Celluloid? - And it's cracked. £10 there.
1:24:28 > 1:24:3112. 14. 16.
1:24:31 > 1:24:3418. 20.
1:24:34 > 1:24:3622. No, at 22 I've got there.
1:24:36 > 1:24:4022 it is. Have you all done? 22.
1:24:40 > 1:24:45A rather sad loss for Philip, but let's move swiftly on.
1:24:45 > 1:24:49Jonathan's striking strawberry dish is just waiting to bear fruit.
1:24:49 > 1:24:53Let's hope no one spots the missing handles.
1:24:53 > 1:24:57Lacking the handles. Not really noticeable, though.
1:24:57 > 1:24:59Thank you. There it is.
1:24:59 > 1:25:04And I've got to start it with me at a low start of £20.
1:25:04 > 1:25:08- Ouch.- At 20. I'm looking for 22. At £20.
1:25:08 > 1:25:1022. 24. 26.
1:25:10 > 1:25:1328. And 30. And 2.
1:25:13 > 1:25:1732, he shakes his head. At 32. 34, fresh bid.
1:25:17 > 1:25:2136. 38. And 40. And 2.
1:25:21 > 1:25:2544. 46. 46, standing in the doorway.
1:25:25 > 1:25:31- I thought it would make a little more.- So did I!- Me, too, actually.
1:25:31 > 1:25:36- At £46. Sold at 46. - I do think you're unlucky there.
1:25:36 > 1:25:38I do.
1:25:39 > 1:25:44Jonathan's just speechless after that, but how about Philip?
1:25:44 > 1:25:46TRUMPET NOISE
1:25:46 > 1:25:50Next is Philip's euphonium. Or is it?
1:25:50 > 1:25:54Ah, we've got the tuba now! There it is.
1:25:54 > 1:25:59We checked the French manufacturer and they were one of the best.
1:25:59 > 1:26:03- You buy it, then. - It's a tuba.
1:26:03 > 1:26:07- Is it?- Not a euphonium. Who'll start me at £30?
1:26:07 > 1:26:11Thank you. £30. I'm looking for 35.
1:26:11 > 1:26:14And 5 at the back. And 40.
1:26:14 > 1:26:16And 5. No?
1:26:16 > 1:26:21- At 45 I've got at the back there. I thought it'd make a lot more. - I hoped it would!
1:26:21 > 1:26:24At £45, going in the back corner. 45 it is.
1:26:24 > 1:26:28- At least we know it's a tuba now! - That's the spirit.
1:26:28 > 1:26:35Now let's try Jonathan's Art Deco tea service, the one that splits in the heat. Good luck!
1:26:35 > 1:26:38Start me at 20. Thank you. 20.
1:26:38 > 1:26:42At 20. I'm looking for 22. 22, thank you. 24. 26.
1:26:42 > 1:26:4528. And 30. And 2.
1:26:45 > 1:26:49- Don't stop.- 34.- Thank you.
1:26:49 > 1:26:5236, fresh bid. At 36. 38.
1:26:52 > 1:26:56And 40.
1:26:56 > 1:27:00- Are you sure?- One more. Go on, one more.
1:27:00 > 1:27:04I'll take it. 41. 42.
1:27:04 > 1:27:08And for your cheek, I'll take 43 now. 43, thank you.
1:27:08 > 1:27:1344. I'll give you the pound if you go 45.
1:27:13 > 1:27:18I've got 44 at the back. Back in at 45. I won't give YOU the pound!
1:27:18 > 1:27:25- He's working the room now.- 46. - I've never been so gripped by such tiny increments.
1:27:25 > 1:27:29- Will it go above £46? - 47, thank you.
1:27:29 > 1:27:33- Yes!- 48 I've got, right at the back. And selling at 48.
1:27:33 > 1:27:38- Yours at 48. - Thank you very much.
1:27:38 > 1:27:41Whose was it?
1:27:42 > 1:27:47Well done, Jonathan. Now let's get all cosy, eh?
1:27:48 > 1:27:53Nice crewel throw. I'm starting it with me at £25.
1:27:53 > 1:27:58I'm hoping it makes a lot more. At £25 I have. 25. 30.
1:27:58 > 1:28:005. 40.
1:28:00 > 1:28:045. No, it's still 45 with my commission buyer.
1:28:04 > 1:28:08At 45. Have you all done? It's going at 45. All out. 45.
1:28:08 > 1:28:12- Very good, Philip. - Very good, indeed.
1:28:12 > 1:28:17Now let's see what Bonzo can do for Jonathan.
1:28:17 > 1:28:1922. 24. 26.
1:28:19 > 1:28:21What do you mean, no?
1:28:21 > 1:28:26- What do you mean, no?- All right, settle down.- 28, fresh bid.
1:28:26 > 1:28:31And 30. At 30. Have you all done at £30? And selling.
1:28:32 > 1:28:34The boy is back.
1:28:34 > 1:28:41He certainly is. And how nice, finally, this week to see Jonathan actually making some profits.
1:28:43 > 1:28:47So as today's final lot is offered,
1:28:47 > 1:28:52who will be victorious and who's for the chop...chop?
1:28:52 > 1:28:56There they are. Very unusual. They could be worth quite a lot.
1:28:56 > 1:29:01Who'll start me at £100? 30 to get on, surely. 30 I have.
1:29:01 > 1:29:06At £30. No, I'm looking for 5. 35. 40.
1:29:06 > 1:29:10At £40. That's not £10 each. At £40.
1:29:10 > 1:29:1542, thank you. At £42. I think they should be a lot more money than this.
1:29:15 > 1:29:18Fresh bid. 44.
1:29:18 > 1:29:206.
1:29:20 > 1:29:24- 48, back in. - Oh, God.- At 48. At 48.
1:29:24 > 1:29:28Have you all finished? At the back at 48. A bargain of the day.
1:29:28 > 1:29:31At £48.
1:29:31 > 1:29:36A paltry profit for Philip, but how is that sitting with Jonathan?
1:29:36 > 1:29:42- I've won an auction! Yes! - And you heard it first here, folks. - I think so.
1:29:42 > 1:29:45No, really. Really, you have.
1:29:45 > 1:29:53After paying auction costs, Philip's stake of £366.62
1:29:53 > 1:29:56made a profit of £15.80.
1:29:56 > 1:30:00And so his wallet has further inflated
1:30:00 > 1:30:07to a big, bouncy, bulging total of £382.42. Keep smiling, Phil.
1:30:08 > 1:30:13Jonathan began with a sow's ear of £126.72,
1:30:13 > 1:30:17but he made a fine silk purse of his day -
1:30:17 > 1:30:20a princely profit of £26.08.
1:30:20 > 1:30:26Jonathan faces the world refreshed with £152.80.
1:30:29 > 1:30:34- Yes!- And, better still, he wins the day.
1:30:34 > 1:30:40- #- I'm in the money!- #- I'm on the up, Phil.- We've done 140 miles, spent 40 hours shopping,
1:30:40 > 1:30:46- and between us we've made about 40 quid. It's a pound an hour. - You ain't seen nothing yet.
1:30:46 > 1:30:49Ha ha! And that's fighting talk.
1:30:51 > 1:30:58Next time on Antiques Road Trip, the chaps head for their final, decisive auction in Wilmslow.
1:30:58 > 1:31:00Philip goes for broke.
1:31:00 > 1:31:02WHEEZY NOTE
1:31:04 > 1:31:09- Jonathan goes on a date. - You've got beautiful eyes.
1:31:09 > 1:31:12And they both get going up the road.
1:31:26 > 1:31:30Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd