Episode 4 Antiques Road Trip

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The nation's favourite antique experts,

£200 each and 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?

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

but it is not as easy as it looks

and dreams of glory can end in tatters.

I'm a loser.

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

Oh, there's a mouse.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah.

It's the fourth day of our road trip and our duelling duo,

David Barby and Charles Hanson, are on the home straight

in their classic 1959 Hillman Minx. And Charles is feeling rather smug.

At the moment Hanson is challenging for the title, David,

what's going on?

I feel very much like something from the past, not really with it.

-You're the dinosaur and I'm the...

-New breed, yes.

-Are we in second gear or third?

-Second gear.

-Don't panic.

Throughout this week David,

an antiques valuer and lover of the quirky,

has developed some unique ways of sealing a deal...

Yeah. Two buys.

..but has also been laid low by a series of auction disasters.

Going at five.

I'll tell you what, it's been like a rollercoaster, a big dipper.

Charles, on the other hand,

is an auctioneer with a love of English porcelain and tight places.

-John, I'm stuck.

-Are you stuck?

-John.

He's always in a rush.

I've now realised, for the first time, there are four gears,

not just two.

Each of our experts began this week

with a whopping £200 in their pocket,

but after the third leg of this Antiques Road Trip,

Charles is winning by a nose.

So far he has made £269.46

and has a commanding lead of nearly 14 whole pounds over his rival.

Cheer up.

You've made a profit, I'm making losses, so don't grumble at that.

Yes, you tell him, David.

He's used to being in the front

and now has to make do with a more modest £255.48 to spend.

David, what are you looking for?

I'll tell you what, Charles, I wish I could find something startling...

Like the landscape?

..really startling.

But all is not lost.

This road trip is taking our experts from Lichfield down to Frome,

up to the Wirral peninsula and finally to Nottingham.

Today, though, they're getting into gear in Chester, in Cheshire,

before veering east to North Rode, near Congleton, for the auction.

The history of Chester dates back to Roman times

but you don't have to do an archaeological dig to find it.

Its city wall is one of the best preserved in the British Isles

and its stunning black-and-white 19th-century buildings,

modelled on the Jacobean style, are all too plain to see.

David, David, look at the heritage around you,

feel the fertile lands of this great city.

Charles, you should write a travel guide, really.

Oh, I don't know, his sense of direction is appalling.

Still, when it comes to finding an antique shop he has a sort of...

knack.

Antiques, hopefully antiques in here. There we are. I'm in.

And it doesn't take long before Hawkeye Hanson finds his prey,

which is unusual for him.

This is an interesting little work of art, I quite like this,

perhaps, Kelvin, it's a snuff box

but the interior is fully mirrored which makes me think, obviously,

it was more a box to cover up your pores,

to cover up your smallpox or boils.

Very glitzy, very glamorous, you can imagine a WAG today in Wilmslow

buying this and taking it off and showing Wayne Rooney, maybe.

-Do you agree, Kelvin?

-I do agree, entirely.

But it's Georgian, Charles, not diamante.

Now, anything else?

-I quite like this over here, Kelvin, as well.

-It's a money box.

What I like about it is it's a late Victorian seamed brass-cast money bank

for a young person in the Victorian era.

You have to unscrew the nut to take out your money.

I think it's charming.

I want to believe it, I want to believe, Kelvin, it's Victorian

and it's pucker but so many of these, over the years,

have been reproduced. I'm always so wary, Kelvin.

I agree, Charles, but I think that one is right.

It's got all the right age and polishing on it.

Have you got a little utensil?

There's all this old dirt in these mullioned windows, look at this.

You've got all this powdered polish and dirt coming out.

My penknife is now quite dirty, or Kelvin's is.

But I don't doubt that, Kelvin, I think it's all genuine.

Amazing what a bit of dirt can tell you.

So whilst Charles cogitates over his boxes, little and large,

David is down the road in the glamorous Bank Gallery Antiques

with Rachel, poor girl.

What's this strange little thing here?

It's a dressing table brush, it could be a gent's shaving brush.

Oh, no.

I think what this is for is for brushing off powder,

after ladies had put powder onto their faces,

because it's a gentle brush, they would just brush it off.

The thistle motif here was quite popular on hat pins.

-How much is it?

-£43.

-Ohh.

What's the very best you could do on that?

On that one, really because of the price of silver...

Oh, feel the weight, there's no silver there.

We could let that go for 32, and that's a good price.

Let's split the difference at 30. Stone's a bit chipped.

-I'll let it go for 30.

-We have a purchase.

-There you go.

-Thank you very much.

Your hands are cold. You should have a warm heart.

Oh, David, she has knocked £13 off the ticket price, you know.

Some people are never happy.

Right, what's Charles up to?

More to the point, has he bought anything yet? I suspect not.

Oh, they're interesting.

-Kelvin, where did the these come from?

-I think they are German.

When I bought them, originally, I thought they were transfer printed.

-Right.

-But when you look at them very closely,

they are actually handpainted.

Yes. They are delightful vignettes of

these courting couples, in a 1730s style but reproduced in the 1870s.

I think they're charming, they're decorative, but what would you do with them?

-You could put them in a four on the wall.

-Yes.

Or you could do them individually.

I mean, they're plaques rather than tiles, aren't they?

I've called them a tile but I think they are actually plaques.

I like the word tile, Kelvin, it makes them sound cheaper

and possibly more in my price range.

-Bathroom tiles, aren't they, really?

-Plaques, Charles.

Sorry, Kelvin, plaques. Or in the south they call them pla-agues.

Enough of your plaques and your pla-aques, young man.

You've eyed up the £40 patch box, the £88 money box

and those tiles marked at £100.

So what about a deal, Kelvin?

That's £50, Charles, that's £25, Charles.

-£75, yeah.

-If you buy those.

-Yes, yes.

Those can be £30.

-Between friends.

-The lot. They are £20 each.

Goodness me. HE GULPS

-Which makes a grand sum of £105, is that right?

-Yeah.

I feel we've got the chemistry, I feel we're like brothers.

Well, we are fairly close now, aren't we?

I'll buy the whole lot for 95 and it's done.

Sorry, Charles, can't do. No.

-I'll sell you that for £45, Charles.

-Yeah.

If you buy that for the £20.

So that's total then.

Which would mean 45 plus...

-20.

-..which is 65...

Yeah, and 30

..which makes 95.

Hang on, £95? But didn't Kelvin say...

Oh, well, never mind. He's not noticed.

I'm going, I'm happy.

Shake hands, quick.

-£95?

-Yes.

-We are done.

Unheard of for me, I've bought three items in my first shop,

what's going on? I'm hopefully having an explosion of self belief.

And about time, too.

Now, whilst Charles comes to terms with his significant achievement,

David is not resting on his laurels.

He's in a shop with an outdoor theme.

That's quite interesting.

These are edging for a garden path.

So you would create your garden path

and you would create it with cinder.

Then, you have your garden on that side

and this would be the division

between the cinder path and the garden.

These date probably from the middle of the Victorian period.

And for those of you wondering,

there's about a 15-foot run of edging tiles in that box

and they're £95 all in.

Miss Marple would have loved this. It's for spraying roses.

If they've got bugs.

You have two side sections here. So you've got a single jet there

and the other side you can change it round to a multijet

which you can unscrew and then put on the top there.

Careful.

That really is a fascinating object.

At £24 it's worth a squeeze.

Simon, I rather like the garden edging tiles

but they are little bit off-putting on the price.

-Right.

-And I like the garden syringe.

If I went for the tiles on their own, how much would they be?

I'll do the tiles for 65 and the sprayer for 18.

I reckon they are worth £45, those tiles.

You are being very hard on me today.

Oh, aah, oh.

We know that expression.

If I went for the edging tiles, at 45, and the sprayer at 18.

Go on then, you drive a hard bargain.

Oh, thank you very much indeed. That's very kind of you.

Right, I've got two quirky objects now.

Quirky? I'll say that, David.

Exhausted by his sudden flush of confidence earlier,

Charles is taking a rest from shopping.

He's left Chester behind for a lie down.

No, he hasn't, he's actually motoring,

as only Charles can, 15 miles north to the Wirral peninsula

and Port Sunlight, but will he find his way.

Oh, yes, he has.

This is a special return visit to this very pretty Victorian village

for the Antiques Road Trip.

Built by soap magnate William Hesketh Lever,

to house his factory workers,

Port Sunlight was hailed

as a modern antidote to austere Victorian living,

so much so it attracted the attention of royalty.

Previously, expert Mark Stacey looked at how Lever pioneered advertising,

but this time it's Charles who returns

to investigate that famous royal connection.

They don't call him Juan Carlos for nothing.

It looks so chocolate-boxy, everything is idyllic,

everything is so well manicured

from the brickwork to the plantations, it looks idyllic.

Charles' first port of call is the social club for a history lesson

from exhibitions officer Stuart Irwin,

who looks even younger than Charles.

This site looks impressive, how did it come about?

Well, originally it was a piece of marshland,

it was covered by tidal creeks that came from the River Mersey

-which at high tide would flood the whole piece.

-Yes.

Now, William Hesketh Lever, later the first Lord Leverhulme,

saw a lot of potential in it.

He had planning permission to build a factory there

and he knew he wanted to create a housing estate for his workers.

-And his factory produced...

-Soap.

-..soap.

..Sunlight soap.

And it was thanks to this simple domestic product,

that work could begin here in 1888

to house many of Lever's 7,000 factory workers.

You've got no old soap, have you, to show me?

-We've got a couple of blocks.

-Have you really? This is original soap.

Oh, my goodness me. So what age is this, Stuart?

I'd estimate this to be from around about the 1930s.

-Wowee, may I touch it?

-You may.

-So this is original?

It still smells.

Oops, on my nose.

By the mid-1890s the company was selling 40,000 tons of soap

and Lever wanted his workers to benefit from this prosperity.

When you think of these great industrial towns like Manchester,

Warrington and you think, you know,

the workhouse and life here must be like paradise to workers?

The average death rate was a lot lower

than elsewhere in the country, the birth rate was a lot higher.

Port Sunlight children were generally healthier, stronger

than their counterparts across the water in Liverpool.

In March 1914, the village was given the royal seal of approval.

King George V and Queen Mary visited the factory

and out came the bunting, the invitations and the dance cards.

There were eight dances held in the wake of the king and queen's visit.

One of them, you will notice there,

the ladies' waltz which I think was a particular favourite.

The girls would all line up on one side of the auditorium.

The male employees would line up on the other side

and on the signal the girls would rush across and pick their partner.

In 1930, the Lever factory became Unilever,

the company that survives today.

And while many of the houses are now privately owned,

the community spirit Lever helped build here still endures.

Meanwhile, back in Chester, David is hunting hard for something

that'll turn the tables on his young rival

and he's dropped in on our old friend Kelvin.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-David Barby.

-Kelvin.

David has spent the day buying quirky items

and something tells me it's not going to stop here.

There you go, David, just have a look in there.

Oh, that's for needles, what is it, it's pressed paper, isn't it?

I think the top is pressed paper and then felt underneath, isn't it?

Gosh, that is so unbelievably delicate.

This unusual pussy needlecase dates from the late 19th century

when embroidery was experiencing something of a revival

thanks to the arts and crafts movement.

I see, while you're stroking that, you're a lover of cats, David.

-It won't meow at you now.

-Oh, isn't that lovely?

He doesn't look a happy pussycat.

-Well, I tell you what will tie up nicely with it.

-What's that?

A little pair of Georgian scissors.

They are so fine, that when a lady had come to the end of her needlework

she would just cut the thread like that.

Oh, what a choice little object.

And at £18, I feel a sort of sewing job lot coming on.

-This, David, do you know what it is?

-Oh, it's a bodkin, is it?

-No, well, it's not a bodkin in such as.

-Oh.

What's the little scoop for?

-I'd hate to think it was for medicine.

-It's for wax, ear wax.

-Ooh.

-You take a bit of ear wax to put on your thread

so that your thread was supple.

No.

Yeah, honestly, so you could put it through that gap there

and bodkin it through.

-Urggh.

-Oh, it works, look.

Do you know, I think that's a wonderful thing.

Right, I've got three items there, haven't I?

So that could all go as one lot. I love the cat.

-There's £18.50 on the cat but it's £10 to you.

-OK.

£18 on that and it's also £10 for that.

There's £10 on that, so that's a £5 note.

So you've spent the vast total of £25.

That sounds fair to me.

Look out, it's the Barby stare.

And Kelvin's got one to match.

Who's going to crack first, then?

-You're still thinking?

-'You're still thinking, you're still thinking.'

Come on, David, part with your £25. Don't be mean.

-Can we split it at £22?

-I can't, honestly.

He's a hard man, Kelvin.

We've learnt that today.

I'm sorry, David, it's £25 for three nice items.

I'd like to sell you something more expensive

-but if you're only mean and got £25, I'll have to have your £25.

-Right.

-Thank you.

-It's a pleasure. And he's got a packet full of money.

So with the day done, David's chauffeur awaits.

-Lean right, lean right.

-Look, Charles...

-Lean, David.

Your driving is appalling. Christopher Columbus.

But onwards they press, today Chester, tomorrow the world.

Uh-oh.

I hope those storm clouds aren't a sign of things to come?

It's day two, and Charles has decided on a detour

via his home county, Derbyshire, great.

Oh, look at that, David, look at that view.

And while the views are to die for, it seems Charles is intent on

killing off the 50-year-old Hillman Minx,

or at least its gearbox.

HE CRASHES THE GEARS

I can't find the gear.

I can't work out whether it's in three or four.

Oh, sugars, I really think you should pull over, Charles.

I can smell something terrible.

I thought it was you, actually.

Charles' driving is so erratic, it's like his personality.

I'm not technically minded but I know exactly the problem.

He's been driving without putting the handbrake off.

Trying to get more power to move along

but it's restricted because of the handbrake.

Oh, the silly boy.

I've got a flat battery, David, seriously it won't start.

Charles, put it out of gear.

David, I'm out of gear.

Right. Hold on, hold on.

I'm going to push it. Shall I start it?

No, not yet, crikey.

-Now.

-Go on, David.

David, how did you do that?

Fantastic!

I thought it was completely dead.

Like Superman, flexed your muscles and got us going again.

Well, after that muscular performance it's no surprise

that David is in the fast lane on this leg of the road trip,

having spent £118 on four auction lots.

Charles traditionally is a slow starter.

He surprised us all, however, today by nabbing three auction lots

and spending £95.

So with much more to come,

if Charles would just improve the driving,

our boys leave Chester and head east to the market town of Macclesfield.

I used to live there, great place.

Once known world over for the manufacture of silk.

Indeed, many of the silk covered buttons and ties

worn in the late 18th century would have come from here

but that's the last thing on our experts' minds right now.

Charles, all I'm going to say to you is this,

I'm so pleased to be getting out of this car

because I think your ploy is to exhaust me,

both mentally and physically exhausted.

Come on, you're not exhausted, come on, David.

Oh, well, after that demanding morning with Charles,

David seeks some peace and quiet with Dawn patrol in her little shop,

an establishment about the size of a double bedroom.

-A little bit of silver here?

-Yeah.

-That's fairly late, isn't it?

-1902.

-Yes.

-I tell you what's very nice, this silver jug by Walker & Hall.

It's the name that sells the jug, isn't it?

Well, Walker & Hall was a good maker

and I like also this sort of ogee decoration all the way around,

which is quite nice,

and then you've got the triple pad foot at the bottom.

Walker & Hall were a well respected Sheffield company

specialising in silver and silver plate from the mid-1800s.

This pennant-shaped hallmark makes their work easy to spot.

Ticket price on the sauce boat, a hefty £75.

I like that and what I'm going to suggest is,

if I take that, how much will you take for the two?

Now, with the spoon at £18, that's a combined tot up price of £93.

Now, Dawn, what do you say?

£48 for the two?

How about £50 for the two?

Ooh. £48.

Yeah, that's fine.

There is somebody up there loves me. OK.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Oh.

-David.

-Charles, how nice to see you.

-What are you doing in there?

-Well, I've just bought something.

I'm in the money, I'm in the money. Best of luck.

I don't believe you.

Well, David's happy.

Could it be because he's abandoning Charles, and Macclesfield,

and heads three miles south to the village of Gawsworth

to see one of Cheshire's finest historic houses?

This grade one Tudor manor house is Gawsworth Hall,

comfortable home to the Richards family

but also much sought after back in 1712 when, legend has it,

Lord Mohun and the Duke of Hamilton fought over the estates

and both died in what was purported to be

the most famous duel in English history.

Today, the feuding is long over

and Rupert Richards is on hand to show David

some of the delights of living in a historic house.

-This is the family room?

-Yes, this is the library.

Many visitors ask us why there's a television in the corner there.

It's because my father likes watching his sports reports.

-Does he like watching antiques programmes?

-He...

Don't answer that.

As well as being crammed with knick-knacks

and mementoes of family achievements,

the house oozes centuries of history.

In the dining room,

the space is dominated by this enormous oak refectory table.

Datewise, it's probably what, 1570, 1580, that's the period?

Around 1580.

I love tables of this period

because they echo the Renaissance that was happening in Italy.

I was always told, rightly or wrongly,

that those very thick stretchers

were where gentlemen and ladies used to rest their legs,

for fear of vermin coming up from the straw.

That's probably apocryphal or something like that.

This table is a real treasure.

Well, we have got another treasure to show you which is just this way.

The design of the current chapel at Gawsworth Hall

is the work of Rupert's grandfather.

Central are these stunning stained glass windows

by arts and crafts champion William Morris.

That they survive at all is down to pure luck.

This is wonderful.

The glass came from a redundant church and, er...

My grandfather was very good at acquiring remnants

from derelict or disused churches.

He saw that they were about to be taken to the local tip

and thought he better rescue them.

I can't believe that, I can't believe that, when was this?

This would've been in the 1950s.

There was so much destruction of Victorian buildings

and churches at that time and, of course, windows were just dismissed,

they were torn out and kept for the lead only.

Well, heritage was very passe

and you were thought to be quite mad to collect anything like this,

or even live in a large house like Gawsworth.

Or be a devotee of anything Victorian.

They are a thing of beauty and, as a child growing up here,

the stained glass was something that caught your attention.

Thanks to the enterprising work through the centuries

and generations of occupants of Gawsworth Hall, the house,

although open to the public, is a cherished family home as well.

Back in Macclesfield,

Charles is also taking a turn in the little shop with Dawn.

First thing I have seen and what I like in Dawn's shop is this,

what you think is an apple and the apple you can bite in half

and there's your apple core on the inside.

It's Carlton ware from probably circa 1935.

Unmarked, but we've still got...

whoops, there's some pepper coming out. Dear me.

Sorry, they've obviously some pepper in? And salt? Yes, they have.

-Goodness me. It is salt, isn't it?

-They work, yeah.

They are in good condition and it's what the market likes,

a novel salt and pepper, which are full of marriage

and they're happy and clappy because they've always been together as one.

They sit like so and, you know, Dawn, I quite like that lot.

Out of interest, Dawn, what's the best price on that lot,

to a young man who is desperately trying to compete with Mr Barby?

-How about £15?

-And what's your very best price, Dawn?

That is my very best price.

OK, Dawn, I'll think about it.

Well, he may not be desperate but he's in no rush to leave.

A chance, maybe, for Dawn to show off more of her wares,

like this old ornamental sailing vessel.

Ah, look at that. Dawn, it's what we call filigree work, isn't it?

This sort of tiny, pierced ornamentation

of this great sailing vessel, with the flag up here

and all the rigging and the three mast sails.

-How old is it, '50s, '60s?

-I'd guess about the '60s, yes.

-And what's the best price, Dawn?

-25.

£25 is not a bad buy but it's not quite an antique, is it, Dawn?

-No, it's a collectable item.

-I'm quite taken by it.

-I'd like you to buy something.

-Great, that's a good sign.

Could be in luck here.

I think she means the antiques, Charles.

There's three sort of pencil implements here

which appear to be in silver.

This pencil here, for example, would go in like so

and then by pushing it up and down you find your pencilling size.

That's nice, OK.

Then we've got this interesting little...

-Whoops, goodness me.

-No, Charles.

It is a small shop.

-Nice little collection there, aren't they?

-It is.

Well, they were and at £90 they're also not cheap

but can Charles push his luck with Dawn.

This stylish pencil and that beautiful little Persian, or Indian,

or Far Eastern silver sailing ship, that would be one lot, in my opinion.

That would encourage, hopefully, silver collectors

and dealers to bid for it.

My other lot would be my apple salt and pepper novel pots.

What would they both cost me to buy, if I bought the whole lot?

-Dawn, for your local lad.

-£50.

-£50, £50.

You can do it.

Dawn, we're so close.

I know I can be a bit cheeky but you must be realistic with me,

and tell me to go away or give me a slap,

but my best offer, Dawn, I would go at 40.

-Go on, then.

-Are you sure?

-I think you'll do really well.

-Think so?

-Yeah.

-Hope so too. Thanks, Dawn, going, going, sold.

Thanks very, very much. All the best to you, bye.

Yes, he's too much for any warm-blooded woman to resist.

Time now for our experts to head for the auction.

Hello, any antiques for sale?

They're going, going, gone, David.

But before that, they must show each other their buys.

Instead of getting up close and personal they're having a row.

Like any old married couple.

David, I honestly don't know why you feel

you've got to sit in the back of the car, now.

I think it's ridiculous.

I feel safer in the back, Charles.

I can hold onto lots of things,

particularly when we go round corners.

OK. Fine.

Oh, dear. It's a right tiff.

Right, close your eyes. I want to tell you what you feel.

What I feel, David...

It's a ladies' dusting brush. It's 1903.

I think it's 1940s.

-Oh, Charles.

-No, I do, David.

-It's not 19...

The date doesn't matter. It comes down to price. We're a date.

-We're what?

-A date, together.

-I'm trying to make poetry between us and have fun.

-I'd rather you not.

He really doesn't want to play, Charles.

I've bought something, you can criticise it, you can go for it.

I love it. I'm just looking at the screw, actually.

-Ooh, I can't undo it.

-Just be careful because it all falls apart.

Oh, no.

Did he do that deliberately?

Oh, dear.

This is an accumulation of items, Charles.

I don't know what that is.

-It's for...

-Oh, I don't believe that for one minute.

..removing ear wax.

It's to wax the cotton thread so it will go through the hole.

Is that so?

-Next.

-A pair of needlework scissors.

Those are George III.

-Very, very nice.

-And this is very, very fragile

so I'll ask you not to take it out of its folder.

What is it?

It's a... What did I say? Do not take it out of its folder.

-That's fine.

-Charles.

The very fact cats were such a feature of Victorian homes,

so why wouldn't you have one as your needle retainer.

-I love it. You love porcelain, David.

-Yes.

So, we went to Germany, for you.

They probably are Dresden, they probably come from the 1880s.

Well, they are the sort of things I might see in a clock case.

Exactly, romantic, like you and I, courting our wares together.

-What is the matter with the boy?

-Are they romancing you?

-No.

-Are they turning you on?

-No.

-Really?

Yeah. Right.

Hey, be careful, what is that?

Early 20th century and it's a brass garden spray.

I reckon you paid between 35 and 45 for it.

-You're wrong.

-You paid more?

-You're wrong. £18.

-You didn't? That's a real bargain.

I think that's lovely, I think that's my quirkiest piece.

0K, this lot was my dodgy buy.

You might not like it.

As a souvenir, my only concern is that it's in such poor condition.

This has age. It cost me £20.

That's a good buy. I think it's interesting.

OK, David, your turn.

It's a condiment spoon.

You paid about £8 for it.

Silver, £8?

-How much?

-48.

-No, you didn't. £48?

-It did come with that.

-Oh, right, David Barby.

Oh, that's not fair.

That is lovely. Sorry, David. OK, are you ready?

-Silver pencils, three of them.

-Yes.

-Do you like?

-Yes, yes, I do.

-So, together with the silver pencils, I put this with it. Do you like it?

-No.

-No. OK.

-I wouldn't have bothered with that.

-Don't you think it gives it more pedigree?

-Pedigree?

You mean clout.

Clout.

-Right, my final lot is this, Charles.

-That's it?

-Yes.

You bought just one earthenware...?

No, there's 15 foot in the back.

I can see these in places like Congleton or Macclesfield gardens,

where people sort of kept their cabbages in certain areas.

-Flowers on another side.

-Absolutely.

-I think these are rather nice.

Are you ready?

My finale,

-I don't believe it, hold it, David, it's broken.

-What is it?

It's broken, David. It was a pepper and it was also salt.

It survived 60 years and then you and I get together and it breaks.

Well, you might get £10 just for half an apple.

He'll be lucky to get nibble on that.

So what do our experts really think of each other's lots,

as if we can't guess?

The little bronze money box, it looks brand spanking new

and I think he's probably not going to get his money back on that.

It's another varied mix from David. I do think he's overspent.

That little pump, I think that could be a bit of a dodgy buy.

Probably I'm a little bit too staid.

Probably am, really.

Oh, David, no, come back, don't be hurt.

-Charles, take me to the auction.

-David, are you ready?

-Now.

Christopher Columbus.

Time now for the big showdown.

Our boys began this road trip in Chester, in Cheshire,

and after a number of stop offs,

are heading North Rode, near Congleton,

for some nailbiting auction action.

Their destination, Adam Partridge, Auctioneer and Valuers

in an unassuming country abode, sell everything from textiles to silver.

-David, we are here.

-Oh, thank goodness for that.

I'm fairly convinced that today could be your day.

-Do you honestly think so?

-Yes, I do.

Today you could be the Queen Of Hearts, OK.

What, are you romancing again?

So inside, it's a flurry of activity already

and wielding the gavel today is Adam Partridge himself.

But before he gets going, a thought about our experts' lots, sir, please.

Charles seems to have been quite erratic, which isn't a surprise.

Don't rate those tiles.

He called them plaques, to make them sound more glamorous, they're tiles.

They are not good. But if I had put my money on any antiques expert making money

it would have to be David Barby.

But will Adam Partridge be right?

David started this leg on £255.48

and has spent a healthy £166, on five auction lots,

with an incredible amount of drama.

Charles, on the other hand, started slightly ahead on £269.46

and spent a very cautious £135,

also on five auction lots, and a lot of chatting up.

With Charles already a short nose ahead in this competition,

£14 actually,

but with one item in tatters,

can David trump his young rival?

Hold onto your seats, ladies and gents, here we go.

First up, Charles's Georgian snuffbox.

-Give me £20.

-Come on, auctioneer.

-Shut up, Hanson. £20.

Yes, shut up.

£20, snuff patch box. 20 bid, I'll take a fiver now.

And it's cheap at that.

25 on the Internet.

I'll take 30, 30 and five now.

-Hammer's up now at £30, it's on my left. At £30.

-One more.

-Thank you.

Good man, well played. I'm in business, David, I'm away.

-You do not get anything out of that rack.

-Why not?

Just put it back.

He's just like a naughty schoolboy, isn't he? Look at him go.

Right, moving on, David's sewing kit

with the ear wax scoop,

that's sure to be a crowd puller.

-Bid me £40, £30.

-No, no.

-I can't believe this.

£20. Bid me £20 on the bodkin.

20 bid, Internet. At £25. Don't look disgusted yet it's not over.

Where else can you find a Georgian ear wax scoop for £25?

-All done at £25?

-Yes.

It's cheap, it just shows what social pedigree you can unearth

and it's not appreciated.

Do you know you're the most irritating person

I absolutely have met?

Oh, well, that's a bit harsh.

May be true.

Now, can Charles cash in his Victorian money box for a profit?

-Are you nervous?

-Yes, I'm very nervous.

-I can tell because you are talking all the time.

-Stop it.

20 bid, five now. At £20, take a fiver then.

30, five, 40, 45, 50 and five, 65, you are out online.

-Keep going.

-65, are you all done?

-It's a gain.

-He just gets so excited.

You won't get rid of him that way, David.

Now, what about that garden spray pump thing of yours?

Working order.

I've got £10 in one place, take 15,

20, £20 the garden spray,

20, any more at 20?

-25.

-Oh.

-Oh, yeah.

There's a sympathy bid if ever I saw one.

£25, all done now? £25.

-Yes.

-That's really good.

-I feel quite emotional.

So do we, a £7 profit before costs.

Who bought it?

The lady with the blonde hair and the red top. The lady in red.

-I think I've fallen in love with that lady.

-Love, then it must be...

# Lady in red. #

Ahh.

Right, moving on, David's next lot,

that 15-foot run of Victorian garden tiles

are also sure to get the ladies swooning.

-I've got 40 on line, take five.

-There's not a murmur in the room.

On our estimate at £40. 50, £50,

I think you have an admirer. At £50.

Here we are, are you all done at £50? Thank you.

Well, there's one lady who's going to be doing

an awful lot of gardening.

It looks to me as if she's winking at us?

I think she's winking at me, actually.

I think she appreciates the more mature person,

in more ways than one.

So could David's new found fan

also be persuaded to buy his little brush?

£20 the dusting brush.

I can't believe this.

At £20. At £20 only.

It's silver.

-20, £25.

-That's a profit, isn't it?

-No.

-All done now?

Selling at 30.

Well, at least you broke even.

Now, spare a though for Charles' condiment set.

It's supposed to be in two pieces, not ten.

Unfortunately, or should I say fortunately,

it's been under the hammer already.

Thank you very much, sympathy, please.

-Five pounds.

-Come on.

£5, there really is one born every day. Any more, now?

-You're lucky I gave an insurance value of 15 quid on it.

-Cheap.

So, just to be clear, the hammer price was £5

but, because the apple was damaged in transit,

it's the £15 insurance price that stands. Got it?

Are they plaques? Or tiles?

Whatever they are, they're up next.

-I've got £40 with my bidder.

-Come on.

-65, 75, 80 bid, with me.

£80 on my book,

£90, on my books.

100 bid. At 100, 120 bid.

-I told you they would.

-Come on.

130 on the Internet, at 130.

-150 on the Internet, 150. Any more at 150?

-Taken for...

I wish you'd take them with you.

At 150, selling now at 150.

-Oh, that is marvellous, Charles, congratulations.

-Thanks, David.

Crumbs. A staggering £120 profit before costs.

So with Charles sailing firmly into the lead,

can his assorted vessel and pens bring him home another win?

-They might bomb.

-Of course they won't.

-They might do.

They won't, Charles.

30 bid, five, 40 bid, take five, at 45 at the back,

is there 50?

55, at the back of the room, 55.

-One more for good luck.

-All done then at £55?

-60, 65.

-One more.

Last chance to bid at £65.

We are selling online at £65.

Yes.

And with Charles's £195 lead, before costs,

can David's sauce boat and spoon dent the boy wonders armour?

I'm bid £50, take five, online 60 now, any more now at 65?

-70, five, 80, bid £80.

-Come on, David, this is great.

At £80, 80, would you like five anywhere? At 80 for the final time.

It's good, but not good enough to win.

Can Barby take defeat like a man?

You well and truly nailed me today, Charles. You really, really have.

The only point is, if you gloat in the car, on the way back,

I shall be furious.

I can see it welling up in you now.

It's tough, but someone has to be runner-up.

David started this fourth leg with £255.48

and, after auction costs, made a profit of £6.20.

Great.

Leaving him with £261.68 going into the final round.

Charles, meanwhile, started slightly ahead of his rival on £269.46

and, after costs, made a whopping £131.50 profit,

leaving him rolling in £400.96 going into the home stretch.

That is a real result for the young pretender.

-Wasn't it fantastic?

-Oh, dear, dear. I'm going to beat you next time.

-I'm going to be the comeback kid.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Sitting in the back again, Charles, I hope you don't mind?

-Oh, David.

Right, Charles, first gear, first gear.

Next time, it's the end of the Road Trip for David and Charles.

David puts the pressure on.

40?

You won't get rid of them?

Charles puts the kettle on.

I've never come across such a big copper kettle in my life.

And they both put their foot on the Road Trip pedal.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd