Episode 4 Antiques Road Trip

It's the nation's favourite antiques experts with £200 each,

a classic car and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

That hurts.

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

-There'll be worthy winners and the valiant losers.

-So much?!

So will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

SHE LAUGHS

This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

It's the fourth leg of our Antiques Road Trip

with the best of buddies David Barby and Margie Cooper

in their open-topped 1979 Mercedes 350 SL.

They've both done well so far, but with three victories in a row,

David has some words of comfort for his rival.

Oh, I thought you were going to be quite adventurous

now you've got some money to spend.

I'm going to keep trying, and I'm going to keep hopeful.

And I'm going to burst into tears in a minute!

David has a certain charm when it comes to buying...

That's the best bit!

..and he uses it to full advantage.

Margie, on the other hand, prefers to laugh her way to a bargain.

-SHE LAUGHS

-I always laugh, this is serious!

You're amazing, you know, absolutely amazing.

Over the last three auctions,

Margie has increased her spending power

to a considerable £373.80,

which is certainly not to be laughed at.

David, on the other hand,

has more than trebled his original £200 budget

to an impressive £623.44 to spend on today's road trip.

I could... I could afford to buy... five objects, £100 each!

The route for the week

takes our intrepid travellers from Alnwick in Northumberland

down the North East coast

and on to the final destination of Lincoln.

But today's trip begins in Sheffield

and finishes at auction in Nottingham.

Sheffield, home of the three esses - snooker, steel and...sunshine.

-Oh, this looks exciting!

-Look at this glorious day.

-Oh, there's the Emporium over there.

-I'm fancying that one.

-Which, the Emporium?

-Yeah.

Am I allowed, seeing as like I'm losing?

Well, lady's prerogative, isn't it, really? Best of luck.

See you later. Mwah!

Mwah! The first stop for David is the Sheffield Antiques Centre,

-where owner Danny is waiting.

-Hello, good morning, David.

My word! What a treasure trove!

Word soon spreads amongst the dealers that David Barby is in the building,

and he's in demand with the ladies,

but who can resist the charms of the old fraud?

-Hello!

-Hello.

-What have you got to show me, then?

Easy, tiger!

Vanity Fair prints. There's a set of three.

-I can do you a good price if you're interested.

-What's a good price?

Well, make me an offer.

-They're marked up for 68.

-Oh!

Where's the smelling salts?!

That's not too bad, they're good stuff.

They're all the Spy section.

Spy cartoons were drawn by portrait artist Sir Leslie Ward.

Between 1873 and 1911,

he caricatured over 1,300 popular public figures

for the Vanity Fair magazine.

They've got to be very, very, very, very reasonable.

I'll do half price, seeing it's you and you're good-looking.

You've spoken one truthful word, yes.

-Shameless!

-So...

I'll drop another tenner if you give us a kiss.

-Oh, you know you want to.

-So that brings it down to how much?

-What were we on? Say 60 is 35...

-That's 20.

-Probably about 25 now.

25... Two kisses would reduce it to...five.

Yeah, not that bloody good!

Right, so you're offering me these at about £18, aren't you?

I am, really, when you do the sums right, yes.

Go on, remember the kisses.

They're a bonus, by the way.

Not a punishment!

£15.

-Deal.

-Come on, then, pucker up.

Oh! Two, you said.

That's the best bit!

-Sealed with kisses, a deal done at £15.

-Oh, gosh, what have I done?

What have I done is what I'm worried about!

# Kiss me... #

OK, shall I continue looking whilst I'm here?

Cartoons and kisses under his belt, David is left wanting more.

Well, this is, erm... It purports to be a charcoal drawing.

And this is the sort of image

that you would have had drawn for Punch magazine

by Gunning King.

I'm interested in that one, I've bought the Spy prints,

-and I think that could go with the Spy prints.

-OK...

So I've got...I've got cartoons of round about the same period,

so that would have been Vanity Fair, and that's probably Punch

or some ecclesiastical magazine or something like that.

That's 23, it's a little on the top side.

It's no frame and it's badly stained. What's the best you'd do on that?

Is that with or without more kisses, David?

# Kiss me... #

£18 for you, sir.

-18?

-Yes.

OK, so that's £18 and 15 on those. Super, er... Can I settle up in a...

Do you want to take that down, and I'll settle up down there?

-Yes, certainly.

-Shall I settle up with you here now?

We've... Yes, I've got to give you the money.

Penny, are you going to take the money for me?

There's five, ten,

and that's £15.

-I think I ought to have those wrapped up, don't you?

-David, crisis!

-What?

-As we put them back down again, one of the frames broke.

-Sorry.

-Oh!

-I know... We were being so careful.

HE SIGHS HEAVILY

What do you think?

-Can you make some allowance, please?

-You've had kisses.

-I know. Can you let me have the three at tenner, then?

-Yeah, deal.

-Well, that's...

-Penny, money back. Give the gentleman £5 back.

Thank you very much indeed. OK, I do appreciate that, thank you.

Over at the Antiques Emporium, Margie isn't doing quite as well.

I haven't got a clue, it's not like going to the fish shop,

"Shall I have plaice or haddock?" is it?

No, you just don't know what's going to...

You can't say, "Oh, today I'm going to buy

"a silver cream jug, Georgian," because you might not find it!

So that's why it's so difficult.

Come on, Margie, David manages.

Oh, he manages!

I will! At the end of the day,

but this is a little bit sort of... a bit trinkety here, a bit trinket.

That's a nice piece of furniture - it's a Georgian corner cupboard,

very plain, very simple, probably around about 1760, 1780.

I think it's probably been altered as regards shelves,

because you can see one shelf has been removed, you see there?

So it has been altered in its time.

145 for that one.

-Well, he won't want to pay that! Anything else?

-Not bad.

-Oh, that's nice.

-Yes.

-Have you just done that up?

-Just brought that one in, yeah.

What's that? Eeh, it's been restored on that corner, hasn't it, there?

Yeah, it's been split and just...

And what's the price on that one?

-65...

-45 to you.

But David's noticed the table is a marriage,

where two pieces of different furniture have been combined.

-How much might did you say?

-45.

That's a marriage.

DANNY CHUCKLES

35.

-40.

-35.

Go on, then.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank YOU very much.

Thank you very much. Right! Oh!

Oh! I feel... I'm shaking all over.

What, at the thought of parting with some cash?!

Huh!

Right, let's have a look at these corner cupboards now.

I can do that one... I'll do that one for 75.

And that's your best on that?

That'd be 60. It's got to be worth 60.

Missing shelf inside.

-55. It's got to be about £55.

-It's got to be 50.

-It's got to be 55.

-50, sir.

I've already bought one object from you.

Oh...

Go on, then, because things are so bad, I'll take it, yeah!

Right, OK.

Thank you very much, so I owe you how much? Erm, 80...

-85.

-85, £85, right. Oh, well, that's good.

I've bought three objects at this establishment, so I'm quite happy.

Margie hasn't been quite so lucky.

Empty-handed, she's itching to get into the Antiques Centre.

I think there's something going on down there,

which means I can't go in the shop, because he's bought something

and they're trying to smuggle it out without me seeing.

Panic stations!

Oh, God...

Where is he, holding me up? How are you getting on?

-Hello, I'm fine!

-Now, what's been going on?

I have been held up, I haven't been able to come into this place.

-Why not?

-Because something is going on.

Ha-ha! No, I'm going on a visit now. Have a lovely lunch.

See? He's getting out of it. He's not telling me!

SHE LAUGHS

-See you later!

-Bye-bye, have fun!

-Bye!

That was a one-sided conversation, wasn't it?

He has no intention of telling me anything.

Lagging behind, Margie makes a beeline for what she knows best,

the silver.

Hatpins, I like hatpins.

Now then...

Ah...

Oh, that's a Charles Horner. They're nice, very collectable.

Charles Horner of Halifax

made his fortune making thimbles in the 19th century,

allowing him to invest in more decorative silverware,

such as hatpins.

-I've been having a long root in your cupboard.

-Right.

And you've got some very nice things.

So...the dreaded...chat.

-How much for that one?

-So if I bought all three...

-Yeah.

You've got £30 on each. Could you talk 70 for those?

I'm not making anything!

-Oh, dear.

-No, so 25 each is the bottom line, really.

-You're getting tough with me.

-Yeah.

-I don't blame you.

So we're saying £75, yes? For the three.

-Thank you very much, thank you.

-And I'm going to pay you.

So I'm going to put them down for a moment,

go into my pocket.

So here we go, 20.

Once she starts spending, there's no stopping her,

and it doesn't take long before something else catches her eye.

Oh, my goodness, what is that?

If that was refurbed, I could see that fetching really strong money.

-Really?

-I could, yeah.

-You do surprise me!

I think there's a definite future, as they say, in that one.

SHE LAUGHS

-It definitely looks antique.

-Yes.

-That's got a fantastic look about it.

-Yeah.

-I've just...

-How much is it?

-£25.

-SHE LAUGHS

£25, and I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised.

Oh, gosh... Well, I must admit, I quite like it.

SHE MOUTHS

Oh, God, I quite like those as well.

These are really interesting, actually.

-They were full of acetate diagrams of machinery.

-Yeah.

-And railway signage.

-They seem to be just boxes there.

-And they're just boxes.

-Right.

And I see those, I see the whole package at...

SHE LAUGHS

I always laugh, this is serious!

I see the whole package at 65.

I can't, I just can't do it, no.

£85 for the boxes and the fan.

While Margie splashes the cash,

David has jumped in the jalopy

and is heading 30 miles to Buxton.

It's unbelievable, we've just left Sheffield,

and yet we're almost in the Peak District!

Beautiful countryside, what a lovely spot, isn't it, really?

David has travelled to the Buxton Museum to meet curator Ros Westwood

to find out all about the Douglas Collection and the man behind it.

-Hello!

-Hello, I'm Ros.

-Hello, David Barby.

I've come to see something rather special.

-You've come to see something which isn't normally on show...

-Oh, right!

..and, er...which is very popular,

and we're the only museum, I think, in the country

-with Houdini material.

-Houdini material.

Hungarian-born but American-raised, Erik Weisz was a global phenomenon.

Better known as Harry Houdini,

he became the greatest illusionist of the 20th century.

And how did you get hold of this?

It comes to us from Randolph and Hetty Douglas.

Local lad Randolph Douglas loved locks.

Son of a silversmith, he had a fascination with

the mechanics of keys, padlocks and escapology.

His life was to change at the age of nine-years-old

after meeting Houdini at the Sheffield Empire in 1904.

Randolph Douglas went to the stage door

-and said, "I think I know how your trick worked."

-Oh, really?

And Houdini thought, "Hmm, better check this out,"

and he went round to the house for supper.

-Yes.

-And...

-He knew the trick.

-Randolph had worked out the trick.

-Goodness me!

And in honour of his hero, he called himself Randini.

It's said that if Houdini was playing in England,

Douglas was behind stage.

From that initial meeting, the pair became lifelong friends.

Houdini would send Douglas

postcards and artefacts from all over the world

which later formed his collection,

now preserved in the vaults of the museum.

-Is this Houdini or...?

-This is Houdini as a young man.

But you can see, "Best wishes, your friend, Houdini."

And dated, er...1920, that one is.

Oh, that is lovely.

-What an elegant guy.

-He was quite a stunner.

-Yeah.

Inspired by his handsome hero,

Douglas would practise great tricks of his own

under the guise of his alter ego, the Great Randini.

-This is Randini.

-Oh, that's...

-1913.

-That's him in a suitcase or box.

-Turn it over.

And try and read.

"Endurance test.

"Remained in steel trunk in upside-down position

"three hours and ten minutes.

"The only means of getting air, through the hinge gaps in the trunk."

Erm... "Rather cramped but no worse for my siege."

Imagine three hours ten minutes just doing nothing!

Oh, dear, I find that quite uncomfortable.

Not from the point of view of being in a trunk,

but, erm...being incarcerated in something like that, yeah.

Douglas designed many tricks of his own,

and whenever he met Houdini, they would exchange ideas.

But there was one in particular

Douglas created especially for the great illusionist.

On one occasion, Douglas invites Houdini back to the house

and demonstrates the hanging upside down

and getting out of a straitjacket trick.

Within two years, Houdini has perfected that

and is doing it on the bridges in America

to rave crowds watching it.

Oh, there he is, upside down.

And this is the upside-down trick on which...

-erm, which is based on Randini's designs.

-Ideas.

-Ideas.

Sadly, Douglas never made it as a performer,

but he lived his dream through Houdini

and his collection of press cuttings.

And so the pages go on until we get a whole pile of blank pages.

And the blank pages go on and on and on

until all of a sudden...

..you get the news, November 14th 1926,

and the death of Houdini.

And you sort of... just those empty pages,

you can feel Douglas getting a real hit in the stomach

with the loss of his friend.

But why the empty pages?

Probably because he had the cuttings

and he would have done it later.

But then, all of a sudden...

..the news comes through, and those have to be put in first.

And then he loses...

You know, his friend has gone, and you just sort of get so...

I always feel very sad when I get to this.

There are just four pages, and that's it.

Ros, I...I don't really know what to say,

because there's overwhelming sadness.

You show me two lives, intertwined.

Houdini and then his adoring fan, Randini, or Mr Douglas.

And they're so close,

and such a relationship developed between the two of them,

that I feel it's so poignant.

And what's wonderful about any museum and this in particular,

that people can come and study, look at the archives,

and this is the beauty of a museum, that it educates.

Thank you very much indeed. It's been absolutely fascinating.

Back on the road, Margie has made a quick escape of her own

to carry on shopping in Chesterfield.

Come on, Margie, last shop of the day!

Chop chop, girl!

Ooh!

-Hello.

-Yeah! Hi, I'm Margie.

-Hello, how are you?

-I'm very well indeed.

Right, it all looks very, very interesting.

Ah! Ah-ha-ha! What are these?

Ah...

These look nice.

Four...silver...salts.

Normally, you have a...a salt and a little salt spoon.

Everybody can have one, can't they?

Rather than keep... offering the salt pot around.

So they're 135, which is just a little bit...

which is too much for me.

-So what can you do for me?

-Well, I can do you those for 75.

Yeah, 75, right.

-Bearing in mind...

-To give you a chance.

Bearing in mind I've got to sell them at auction mighty quick.

-Yes, exactly, but...

-So a teeny bit more?

-Erm...70?

-I was thinking 65.

-OK, yeah. You got me.

-That's fantastic.

-Give you a chance.

-That gives me a chance, thank you very much.

-I'm going to pay you.

-Lovely. That's what I like to hear.

You'll be paid some money.

One, two, three...four - that's 80 and no change.

-So you want £15, right.

-I do, that makes all the difference to me.

That's, er... Thank you very much.

Oh, thank you, that's marvellous.

Terrific! Shake hands.

Bye, thank you!

So David said I'm good at buying silver.

That's what I've done. And I'm very pleased.

Let's hope she's still smiling when it gets to auction.

Night-night, you two.

The sun is shining as our experts head out in their classic car

for another day of vintage shopping.

So far, David has spent £113 on three lots.

A set of Vanity Fair prints and a Punch cartoon.

A George III oak table, sort of,

and a George III oak corner cupboard,

which leaves him with £510.44 left to spend.

Margie, meanwhile, has spent £225 on four items -

an early electric fan,

a set of storage boxes,

three Charles Horner hat pins

and a set of silver salt cellars, leaving her with £148.80 in hand.

It might be early in the day, but David is driving Margie to drink.

At the Yew Tree Inn in Cauldon,

one of the most unusual pubs in Staffordshire.

-OK, David?

-Shall I come in for a pint?

No you will not! This is my visit,

and you've got lots of shopping to do.

That's true. I must get my star buy.

Well, I'm sure you will.

What a lovely yew tree. Gorgeous!

-That's why it's called the Yew Tree Inn.

-Oh, yes!

Aww, goodness' sake!

This is a lively, traditional pub for the regulars, atmosphere

and, er, antiques.

Indeed, there are curios here of all shapes and sizes

belonging to landlord Alan East.

-Hello.

-Alan.

-Nice to meet you.

I'm Margie.

And I was told I was going to come to a pub with a bit of a difference.

-A big difference, I suppose.

-It is, isn't it?

It's through people's rubbish they threw out years ago.

And how long has all this been here?

Well, we've been here, in our 51st year.

Which is quite a long time for a publican nowadays.

The pub is a living museum with exhibits you can play,

touch and even sit on.

Alan's collection contains everything

from Queen Victoria's stockings to an antique dog carrier.

But he has a particular love of all things clockwork,

including a polyphon.

-So, what is a polyphon?

-Well, it is a disc machine.

They call them polyphons, but the second one is a Symphonion.

And what is the difference?

Not a lot. Just a different firm.

-They are works of art, aren't they?

-Yes. Made in Leipzig, Germany.

I'll drop you a coin in this one,

and give you an idea what they sound like.

-Still in working order?

-Yeah.

WARM, CHIMING TONES

At the end of the 19th century, these early jukeboxes

were often found in train stations and amusement parks.

But, they didn't last long

with the advent of the smaller and more portable gramophone.

Does that need a change of discs every now and then?.

Yes, yes, they are in the base. That is what the bins are for there.

Got a faster one?

And then, just one tune on one disc.

And it came with all these discs?

Yes, some of them are for other machines.

Amazing. It's amazing how they do that.

You see these at auction, don't you?

Yeah, that's true. Yes.

But you've got enough. Don't buy any more!

Yes, there's more than enough.

In fact, over 20 clocks, 30 music boxes and several gramophones.

But, if you prefer more modern music,

there's always one of Alan's four pianolas -

a self-playing piano, which runs on pedal power.

Go for it, Margie!

It's good exercise! It's good exercise for your feet.

Is it with my feet, or...?

Just put your feet on the pedals. Pedal away.

Right, get cracking.

JAUNTY RAGTIME TUNE PLAYS

Yeah!

APPLAUSE

As Margie stops for a swift half, David is off for a leak.

I mean, to Leek. It's his age, you know!

Isn't that a stunning view? It really is lovely.

Only joking! Following the Industrial Revolution,

Leek became a major producer of textiles and silk.

Now many of the town's mills have been converted into flats

and even antique shops. Like this one.

-Hi, David Barby.

-Hello David, how are you?

-I'm fine. Your name is?

-John.

-pleased to meet you, John.

Thanks, John. This emporium covers 40,000 square feet.

Wow! Better get a shift on, David.

Looking at that barometer, my colleague, Marge,

she had one that she bought very cheap, and everybody thought

it was going to make a profit, but it didn't, it failed.

Oh!

You've just lost £10. It's not much, but...

Shouldn't have bought it, really. I'm a bit sick, I must say.

But this is a nice barometer. This one here is a beauty.

In fact, there is a picture with that. I'll go and get it.

So despite Margie's disaster,

it seems David's warming to the barometer.

All right, David. Actually, this came from the same house.

I believe they came together.

I can see the association now. The sailors, and the anchor.

Yep, lovely, isn't it? Nice oval mount.

And what's the price on that?

If you would like to give me, say, £30 for the barometer,

-I'll throw the picture in, because I'd like to keep them together.

-£30.

I've just looked at the face and it's a paper face.

Oh, God.

25 for the two pieces. That's the best I can do.

Hmm.

You've twisted my arm.

You've broken mine!

THEY LAUGH

Oh, dear.

With the clock ticking, David still needs to find that star buy.

Could it be here?

Hello, it's David Barby. You're...?

-Robert.

-I have a limited time to find a bargain.

I'm sure you'll find one in there somewhere.

-Will you help me?

-I will, come on, then.

Hot on David's heels - look who's rolled into town.

Ah, what a massive place.

Tick-tock then, Margie. No time to hang about, darling.

This is quite an interesting piece of furniture.

Although it has been altered in its day.

It dates from probably the beginning of the 20th Century.

Round about sort of 1910, 1915, before the First World War.

And it smacks of the sort of style that we know as Vienna Secessionist.

And this was a group of artists

that broke away from the mainstream art style, which was Art Nouveau.

One thing that worries me very much

is that it's not in its original state.

You know, we've got one, two, three, four original sections missing,

haven't we? And they would have been projecting hooks there and there.

And probably larger ones, for hats. So that all is replacement.

Which would be for hats and coats and things.

It's wonderful what you can pick up in French flea markets for £20!

-HE LAUGHS

-Cheeky!

An old drain cover.

Looks like Margie's found the outdoor section.

Looks like, is that a genuine one?

That's a lot, 75 quid.

Oh, it weighs a ton.

It's got that nice little fleur-de-lis there.

Which has broken off, there.

These Victorian hoppers were part of the household guttering system.

I think I'll just have a word with that chap downstairs.

Both decorative and functional,

they would have funnelled rainwater into the down pipes.

Interesting, eh?

I just thought it was quite interesting.

That's lovely.

-Yeah, and a very faded ticket.

-Is it?

The faded owner says...£40.

£40. Is there a little bit more?

Does 38 sound better?

Shall we go for 35?

No.

THEY LAUGH

Oh, God. She's beating me up. I'll go to 35.

Fantastic! Thanks, mate, very much.

-How much is it?

-275.

-That your very best on that?

Your very best?

I'll strike a deal with you. If it'll help you, I'll do it at 225.

Let's have a look at it from a distance.

I'll pull it out.

It is a monster. Could you do it at 200? Give me a margin.

I'll go 210.

210.

£210.

We all have to take a gamble from time to time.

I know, I know.

All right, 210.

Oh, my God, what have I done?

£210.

Every time I make a big, big purchase, it goes backside uppers.

HE LAUGHS

Backside up is the polite way of putting it.

Absolutely. Oh, my God, he's smiling too much!

Rob, thank you very much indeed. Appreciate that.

David, thank you, sir.

OK, let me settle up with you. Dear, oh dear.

Crikey, so David gets his star buy,

but at £210, could it go "backside up"?

80, 200, and the ten, can I get some change?

I'm sure I can fix you up with some.

Dammit! HE LAUGHS

I'll go and get you a pen, shall I? Thank you very much, sir.

-And thank you.

-I'm sure you will do well with it.

What's up, David? Surely you haven't made a big Barby boo-boo!?

-Ah, look who's here!

-Have you done well, love?

-You'll never guess what I bought.

-Really?

-Did I miss something in there?

-I think you did, actually.

-What did you buy?

-You'll have to find out, won't you?

It's for me to know and you to find out!

All shopped out, David and Margie

finally get to see each other's items,

and with the sun splitting the sky, they're meeting up on the roof.

I hope you don't mind me wearing this, but it's so hot!

-And my little bonce is burning. It really hurts.

-Very trendy.

-Is it, really?

-It is, it's a new look.

Let's have a look, then.

OK. Are you ready?

Oh, how interesting.

Are the blocks what you bought?

These had acetate diagrams in them, rolled up, from old architecture.

Oh, I know, I know.

I just thought someone might want to put them in their house

and have them as sort of like a table or something like that.

They're clever. How much did you pay for those?

I paid £60, which I thought was quite a lot.

Right. You've got such unusual things.

What I have seen already, the Charles Horner hat pins.

-These are nice, aren't they?

-How much did you pay for those?

I paid £25 each.

-I think those are lovely.

-Thank you.

Why did you buy the hoppers? I love the one with the date on it.

Well, the chap was very nice.

I bought that, £35, noticed the damage,

he was a really nice chap, so, he threw another one in as well.

-I think that's most intriguing. Is it my time to reveal?

-It is.

You are going to scream, because you're going to see something there.

-Oh!

-SHE LAUGHS

HE LAUGHS

A barometer! You brave man!

-I know! I know! I know!

-Ahh... I love your table.

That is so sweet.

There are certain problems with it, really.

I think that block has been taken from another piece of furniture.

-But what I liked... It was so delicate.

-It is.

-And for £35...

-That's great.

-It's a nice little table that somebody can buy,

take it away, use it as a wine table...

-Nothing will fall over the edge.

-Good. Like it.

And talking of furniture, what's happened to David's Star Buy?

Follow me, follow me. Careful as you go.

-Right, stand here and look over there.

-What is it? A washstand?

-It's a hall stand.

-A hall stand!

-And how much?

-Hm, well, that's it.

-I paid 210 for it.

-Did you?

-Well, I hope it pays up for you, dear.

-Well, £210...

-Not too much!

Maybe £20 or so.

Come on, Margie. Spill the beans. Tell us what you really think.

I was really surprised at what he bought this time.

The table... It'll scrape a profit. And as for his hall stand,

that he's so excited about...?

Interesting item, but is that going to make the money?

And he spent over £200 on it. Bit of a worry for him, I think.

So, have I got a chance? Maybe. I've got some quirky items there.

I think she's chosen exceedingly well. And quite varied.

She bought those, what I thought rather uninteresting hatpins,

for £75, which was an absolute gift.

And I can see those going for over £100.

One of the things I'm worried about it is my biggest expenditure,

which is the Secessionist hall stand.

It was exciting to spend over £200.

Whether, in fact, I shall be excited at the auction, I don't know!

It's been a busy old trip from Sheffield

via Buxton, Chesterfield,

Cauldon and Leek,

and there's just one last jaunt -

on to the auction in Nottingham.

Do you realise this is our last but one, our penultimate auction?

And it's going to be your day, Margie.

Feeling a bit confident.

-Are you really?

-Yeah, I am.

-Oh, that's good.

Today our experts are doing battle at Mellors & Kirk.

Let's see if auctioneer Nigel Kirk

is as impressed with their items as they are.

It's a strange selection really. Hmm.

Not a lot one can say about them,

because they're rather depressing, I think.

My least favourite item is the electric fan,

which is really rather rusty and just...

horrid. I think it might only make £5 or £10.

The hall stand...

It sort of has the look but doesn't quite get there.

Although the workmanship is good,

it's probably worth under £100, I'm afraid.

I think it could be summed up with the words, "could do better".

Oh, dear!

Nigel's taking no prisoners, then. I've got a bad feeling about this.

David began today's road trip with a mighty £623.44

and has spent £348 on five lots,

leaving him with a cash stash of £275.44.

Margie started out with £373.80 and has also bought five lots

costing £260, leaving her with a reserve of £113.80.

-AUCTIONEER BANGS GAVEL

-Oh!

Kicking off the auction it's Margie's well-seasoned

Edwardian salt cellars.

At £50 for these, please?

30?

30 I am bid. Thank you. At 30. Five? Five. 40? 40.

45? 45. 50? £45.

(Oh, you are joking...!)

55. 60? £55 to sell?

Oh, golly gee. That is a shock.

Forget the table salt,

it's smelling salts that Margie needs after that loss!

Shall I lodge a complaint?

Ten pounds? Oh!

Can David do any better with his first item?

The George III corner cupboard.

20? 20 I am bid.

£20 and five? 30?

30. 35? £30.

I shall sell it for 35. 40? £35.

That is so stupid. Don't you think that that is ridiculous?

Oh, dear. A loss for David too.

-That is terrible.

-It is terrible!

-That's 15...

-Oh, God.

-Oh, dear, dear...!

Can Margie's silver hatpins hold it together?

I like these.

30 bid, thank you.

At 40. 50? 50. 60 for you?

60 in the corner. 70?

70 now. 80? 90?

8...£90. £80 rather! It's my bid.

Here at £80. You're quite sure at the back? At 80.

Well, at least they made a profit.

Hooray! The first profit - £5 for Margie.

So... shall we have an early lunch?

Don't worry. Mine's next.

Yep, the pressure's on, David.

It's his oak barometer and sailor picture, next.

£20 for it, please. 20 I am bid.

Thank you. At 20 and five. Five.

30? 30. 35? £30. Five anywhere?

£30 all done.

That's wiped out on the commission.

A small ray of sunshine and a small profit,

but not enough to get David out of the red.

-Well, you couldn't expect any more, could you?

-What was it - 35?

-No, 30.

-Oh, is that all?!

Next up for Margie, it's the pair of cast iron rain hoppers.

£30 for them, please?

30 I am bid. Here on the book at 30. 35. 40 for them?

40. 45. 50. 55.

60. £60, against the room.

With me the bid, and selling on the book at £60.

-That is good!

-Actually made a profit!

At last! She's broken the downward trend.

Hallelujah. The dinner's on me.

HE CHUCKLES

A bag of chips each?

David's prospects are looking sketchy.

But can he boost his piggy bank with the cartoon collection?

£30 for these please? 30? £20?

20 I am bid. Thank you, at 20.

25, madam. 30, sir? 30. 35?

£30 only bid.

I can't believe this... I can't believe this!

£40, 45, and 50? £45 all done.

All done at 45. 492.

-That was OK, wasn't it?

-At last, something for David to smile about.

Or maybe not.

That cartoon should have done 60 in its own right.

Margie's storage boxes are up next.

But will they prove to be a DRAWER in the quiet auction room?

£20 asked for them. 20. 30. 40? 40. 50 for them?

£40. £50? 60? £50. Back of the room. Selling. £50.

I've only lost a tenner.

Not as bad as you thought.

Oh, thank you so much!

What is going on? Another loss.

Perhaps the boxes should have been consigned to the archive!

-It's over for me now.

-You could still be the winner. Honestly.

Come on, David. You've got some catching up to do.

With a pretty little oak table.

£20 please? 20 I am bid. At 20.

Five, 30. 35. 40? 45.

Oops! Seems to have cleared the auction room.

Selling at £45.

-Should've done better than that.

-Yeah, should have done.

With such small profits and so many losses,

this auction could go either way for our experts.

-It's lean times today, isn't it?

-I do not have any hope.

Can Margie's vintage fan create a stir?

£20 for it, please? 20? 20 I am bid.

Thank you. At 20 and five?

30? 30. Five? £30, in the front row.

Any more?

£30. I shall sell it.

Another five. All we're capable of is fivers.

Oh, dear. A cool response to the electric fan. But every fiver helps!

It was hardly worth carrying it out of the shop!

It weighs a ton!

Now, David's Star Buy. The oak hall stand.

£50 for it, please?

£50, I am bid.

At 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.

110, 120, 130 140, 150 for it?

-£140!

-Oh, no!

Oh, no!

A gob-smacking loss on David's most expensive item

which can only mean one thing.

-Congratulations, you've won today.

-Sorry for your loss.

But I'm still in the lead.

-I know you are.

-Come on, I'll buy you a cup of tea.

I think you need to release all that tension, as well.

SHE LAUGHS

David started out with £623.44,

but after auction costs, he's made a loss of £106.10,

decreasing his stash of cash to £517.34.

Margie started with £373.80 and after auction costs,

she's also made a loss of £34.50,

decreasing her spending power to £339.30.

-Well, Margie, well done!

-Yep.

-You've won at auction!

-Yeah, great!

-How do you feel?

-It was a funny old day, wasn't it?

-It was.

But don't you feel elated?

She does! She does! Margie finally claims her first victory. Yippee!

But who will win at the final auction? Yikes.

Which is in Lincoln!

Right.

-Are you ready?

-Yeah.

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip

David lets the train take the strain...

That's the train leaving King's Cross.

TOOT! TOOT! Whoah...! There we are.

..and Margie aims for a big finish.

THEY LAUGH

I'm first!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd