Episode 14

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0:00:02 > 0:00:05It's the nation's favourite antiques experts, with £200 each...

0:00:05 > 0:00:07I love that!

0:00:07 > 0:00:10..a classic car and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

0:00:11 > 0:00:12Yippee!

0:00:12 > 0:00:14Sometimes a man is in need.

0:00:14 > 0:00:16The aim? To make the biggest profit at auction.

0:00:16 > 0:00:17But it's no mean feat.

0:00:17 > 0:00:20There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers!

0:00:22 > 0:00:23Knobbly knick-knacks!

0:00:23 > 0:00:27So, will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

0:00:27 > 0:00:29It landed on the rug!

0:00:29 > 0:00:34This is the Antiques Road Trip!

0:00:34 > 0:00:35Yeah!

0:00:37 > 0:00:40Jostling for pole position on this road trip

0:00:40 > 0:00:44are intrepid master antiquarians Charles Hanson and Charlie Ross.

0:00:46 > 0:00:50Worldly-wise Charlie Ross is a record-breaking auctioneer,

0:00:50 > 0:00:52with over 25 years' experience.

0:00:52 > 0:00:55He knows what he wants when he sees it.

0:00:55 > 0:00:57I want that! I want that! I want that!

0:00:57 > 0:01:00While the hungry young pretender Charles Hanson is an auctioneer

0:01:00 > 0:01:03and valuer that will do almost anything to seal a deal.

0:01:03 > 0:01:06The car! The car needs washing. I'll wash the car, anything else?

0:01:06 > 0:01:10Both Charles and Charlie started on £200, and after the first leg,

0:01:10 > 0:01:14Charlie has £226.30 to splash on more goodies.

0:01:16 > 0:01:19Charles, however, is sliding backwards,

0:01:19 > 0:01:22and starts this leg on only £172.20.

0:01:22 > 0:01:26So, he'll be hoping for success today to get him back in the game.

0:01:26 > 0:01:31Charles and Charlie are cruising in a 1971 Triumph TR6.

0:01:31 > 0:01:35But it hasn't always been plain sailing.

0:01:37 > 0:01:39I can't get it into gear.

0:01:39 > 0:01:43Let's hope it's more reliable on this leg of the trip, eh?

0:01:43 > 0:01:46Charles and Charlie are travelling around 500 miles

0:01:46 > 0:01:48through the glorious heartlands of England -

0:01:48 > 0:01:50from Tarporley in Cheshire

0:01:50 > 0:01:53to Itchen Stoke, near Winchester, in Hampshire.

0:01:53 > 0:01:56On this leg of the trip, they begin in Chesterfield,

0:01:56 > 0:01:59and end up 50 miles away at an auction in Grantham.

0:02:01 > 0:02:03- This is your county!- Absolutely!

0:02:03 > 0:02:05- Derbyshire is a great cricketing county.- Yeah!

0:02:05 > 0:02:11We're also heading to a wonderful, wonderful town with a wonky spire.

0:02:11 > 0:02:14The wonky spire is an iconic landmark

0:02:14 > 0:02:19in the town of Chesterfield, which is the chaps' first stop.

0:02:19 > 0:02:23It's time for Charlie's bargain-buying blitz to begin.

0:02:23 > 0:02:26And Charles wants him to look for real antiques today,

0:02:26 > 0:02:29and steer away from his usual knobbly knick-knacks.

0:02:29 > 0:02:31- Stop it! Give me my hat! - Get inside!

0:02:31 > 0:02:33Give me my hat! Give me my hat!

0:02:33 > 0:02:36Dear, oh, dear! What on earth is Charlie wearing?!

0:02:36 > 0:02:39- See you later! Be big and be bold. - Natty(!)- I'll be big and bold.

0:02:39 > 0:02:41Marlene and I - we're going to hit it off.

0:02:41 > 0:02:43Best foot forward!

0:02:43 > 0:02:44CHARLIE HUMS

0:02:47 > 0:02:49- You must be Marlene. - I am that. And you must be Charlie.

0:02:49 > 0:02:52- I am indeed.- Pleased to meet you. - Lovely to meet you.

0:02:52 > 0:02:56- You can have a browse, do what you want.- I'll have a good look.

0:02:59 > 0:03:03Charlie's spotted a miniature portrait in a fake ivory frame,

0:03:03 > 0:03:05with a ticket price of £38.

0:03:05 > 0:03:09I'm just looking at a little thing here which is of no great age -

0:03:09 > 0:03:11- although it might be Edwardian.- Yeah.

0:03:11 > 0:03:14It's probably as late as 1950s.

0:03:14 > 0:03:18But, so what, because it's a charming object,

0:03:18 > 0:03:22and I think we can safely say this is ivorine, or something.

0:03:22 > 0:03:24Yes, I'd have thought so.

0:03:24 > 0:03:27If I bought that, Charles would get frightfully cross with me

0:03:27 > 0:03:29for buying something that isn't antique,

0:03:29 > 0:03:33but, you know, who's winning the competition, Charles?

0:03:33 > 0:03:35Yes, indeed. Good point, Charlie. Well made.

0:03:35 > 0:03:39But what kind of deal can Marlene come up with?

0:03:39 > 0:03:41How hard can you try on that?

0:03:41 > 0:03:43- 25.- Can you...?!

0:03:43 > 0:03:48That's trying quite hard, isn't it? So, I'm going to have that, if I may.

0:03:48 > 0:03:53Right. I'm going into the deep depths behind.

0:03:53 > 0:03:55Mind the step there, old boy.

0:03:57 > 0:03:58Rummage, rummage!

0:03:58 > 0:03:59Oh, what have you got here?!

0:03:59 > 0:04:00- Hey!- I know.

0:04:00 > 0:04:02What do I like?

0:04:02 > 0:04:04Knobbly knick-knack alert!

0:04:04 > 0:04:06Charlie is fanatical about cricket,

0:04:06 > 0:04:09and he's just spotted a Victorian cricket print.

0:04:09 > 0:04:11Without a ticket price.

0:04:11 > 0:04:14What do I love in life? Cricket!

0:04:14 > 0:04:16Well, that explains the outfit.

0:04:16 > 0:04:18"Whinger-worth Cricket Club Team..."

0:04:18 > 0:04:21- "Winger-worth".- Oh, I beg your pardon. Oh, what a fab thing!

0:04:23 > 0:04:26I LOVE the image of it all!

0:04:26 > 0:04:31- Is it ever so cheap?- I can't price everything...- This is priceless!

0:04:31 > 0:04:33- You can imagine! You tell me how cheap.- A fiver.

0:04:33 > 0:04:35I'll pay a fiver for it.

0:04:35 > 0:04:39If you want that for a fiver, you can have it for a fiver.

0:04:39 > 0:04:42Are you sure? It's not everybody's cup of tea, is it, frankly?

0:04:42 > 0:04:45But...it's wonderful!

0:04:45 > 0:04:47I want that! I want that! I want that!

0:04:47 > 0:04:50- Well, you have it, Charles. - I want that. Fab.

0:04:50 > 0:04:53Among the many items in Marlene's shop

0:04:53 > 0:04:56is this Edwardian nursing chair with marquetry inlay.

0:04:56 > 0:04:58That's caught Charlie's attention.

0:04:58 > 0:05:02That would have been, originally, part of a nine-piece salon suite,

0:05:02 > 0:05:03- I think, don't you?- Yes.

0:05:03 > 0:05:06- Look at all that workmanship.- Yeah.

0:05:06 > 0:05:08The ticket price on the chair is £30,

0:05:08 > 0:05:10and Marlene is offering it for 15.

0:05:10 > 0:05:15No, 15 quid. I'm not mincing around any more - 15 quid.

0:05:15 > 0:05:16Deal done.

0:05:16 > 0:05:20- I've got three bits, they'll all make a profit.- Have a nice day!

0:05:20 > 0:05:22Thank you so much for looking after me.

0:05:22 > 0:05:25One shop down, and he's bought three items already,

0:05:25 > 0:05:27which only cost him £45.

0:05:29 > 0:05:31Meanwhile, it's Charles's turn to get shopping,

0:05:31 > 0:05:34and his first shop is Bolsover Antique Centre,

0:05:34 > 0:05:36where he's meeting Carol.

0:05:36 > 0:05:40- I'm Charles.- Pleased to meet you. My name's Carol.- Hi. Great centre!

0:05:40 > 0:05:43OK, time to unearth some real gems and get back in the game, Charles.

0:05:43 > 0:05:45Peculiar coin.

0:05:47 > 0:05:51"Walking stick penny, dated 1912."

0:05:51 > 0:05:54- And stamped "RMS Titanic". Carol? - Yes?

0:05:54 > 0:05:57This little walking stick penny here...

0:05:57 > 0:05:59Do you know who the owner is, at all?

0:05:59 > 0:06:01Just ask him, was it stamped recently

0:06:01 > 0:06:04or has it got some possible pedigree?

0:06:04 > 0:06:06- I'll check on that.- Thanks, Carol.

0:06:06 > 0:06:09The Titanic coin has a ticket price of only £8.

0:06:09 > 0:06:12But if it's genuine, it could be worth a lot more.

0:06:12 > 0:06:17If that penny had been on board Titanic,

0:06:17 > 0:06:18it's worth £1,000.

0:06:18 > 0:06:20And the interesting thing is,

0:06:20 > 0:06:25it's sitting in a cabinet that's full of real history.

0:06:25 > 0:06:27So, who knows?

0:06:27 > 0:06:30Carol has rung the dealer, who believes the coin to be genuine,

0:06:30 > 0:06:32but Charles just isn't sure.

0:06:33 > 0:06:36- I'll give it some thought.- OK, that's fine.- Thanks ever so much.

0:06:36 > 0:06:38Thanks, Carol. Thanks.

0:06:39 > 0:06:42Maybe I ought to go for a really rare carving,

0:06:42 > 0:06:44or something that I have a passion for.

0:06:44 > 0:06:48And with that in mind, young Charles has spotted not one,

0:06:48 > 0:06:51but two rare Far Eastern carvings.

0:06:51 > 0:06:55- I mean, this here has the old label that's come from a museum.- Yeah.

0:06:55 > 0:06:57An antiquities department.

0:06:57 > 0:07:01The ticket price on this Indian goddess figure is a big 150.

0:07:01 > 0:07:07I'm really tempted to go all Oriental, and speculate a bit.

0:07:07 > 0:07:09Because life's too short.

0:07:09 > 0:07:13This Chinese seated immortal figure is also £150.

0:07:13 > 0:07:16And as both the carvings and the Titanic penny

0:07:16 > 0:07:18are owned by the same dealer,

0:07:18 > 0:07:20Charles wants to speak to him direct.

0:07:20 > 0:07:21Hi, Ray.

0:07:22 > 0:07:25Ray, if I bought all three items, being a Derbyshire man,

0:07:25 > 0:07:28you'd want to meet me somewhere between 150 and 120, would you?

0:07:31 > 0:07:33Ray, call it 140 and you've got a deal.

0:07:34 > 0:07:36Are you sure, Ray? Go for it, he says.

0:07:36 > 0:07:39Derbyshire man says go for it, I'll go for it.

0:07:39 > 0:07:42Thanks, Ray. Going, going, gone. Sold. Thanks, Ray.

0:07:42 > 0:07:43I'll take them all.

0:07:43 > 0:07:45So, with that bumper deal done,

0:07:45 > 0:07:50Charles has spent a huge £140 of his £172.20

0:07:50 > 0:07:54on two tatty-looking Far Eastern carvings and the dubious penny.

0:07:54 > 0:07:58Let's hope the gamble pays off, eh?

0:07:58 > 0:08:00Meanwhile, Charlie Ross has travelled on

0:08:00 > 0:08:02to the old spa town of Matlock,

0:08:02 > 0:08:04where his search for knobbly knick-knacks

0:08:04 > 0:08:06continues in Matlock Antiques.

0:08:06 > 0:08:09- Hello, how are you doing? - Hello, my dear. Are you the boss?

0:08:09 > 0:08:12- Yeah, well, stand-in boss today. - Lots of bosses. Are you all bosses?

0:08:12 > 0:08:15- Boss, boss and boss, yeah. - I'm Charlie, and you are?- Lynne.

0:08:15 > 0:08:19- Lynne.- And Judy.- And I'm Judy. - Judy.- And Margaret.- LJM!

0:08:19 > 0:08:21If you stay in that order, I'll remember.

0:08:21 > 0:08:24Oh, lordy, Charlie, stop chatting up the ladies

0:08:24 > 0:08:26and get down to the business of buying!

0:08:28 > 0:08:30That really is unusually large, isn't it?

0:08:31 > 0:08:36There's an amber cigarette holder down here with cheroot holder,

0:08:36 > 0:08:41which appears to have a gold rim round it.

0:08:41 > 0:08:45Ticket price on the cheroot holder is £8.50.

0:08:46 > 0:08:48In its original box as well?

0:08:49 > 0:08:53- Probably be a fiver, couldn't it? - Probably could.- Probably could.

0:08:53 > 0:08:56Could you put that on one side, my dear?

0:08:56 > 0:08:59That'll be another knobbly knick-knack, Charles, I'm afraid.

0:08:59 > 0:09:02It's time, old boy, to start buying some real antiques.

0:09:02 > 0:09:06Maybe Steve, who's a dealer here, can help.

0:09:06 > 0:09:08Yeah, that might interest you, that one at the bottom.

0:09:08 > 0:09:10Creamware jug.

0:09:10 > 0:09:13Isn't that so primitive and delightful?

0:09:13 > 0:09:17That ribbon, paintwork round the top, it's so crude, isn't it?

0:09:17 > 0:09:18I mean, it's a real naive charm.

0:09:18 > 0:09:20"When this you see, remember me

0:09:20 > 0:09:22"And keep me in your mind

0:09:22 > 0:09:25"Let all the world say what they will

0:09:25 > 0:09:26"Speak of me as you find."

0:09:26 > 0:09:29I think that's glorious.

0:09:29 > 0:09:32Is that delightfully cheap in its horrible bashed state, or is it...?

0:09:32 > 0:09:3420 quid, sir.

0:09:34 > 0:09:38Do you know, at last today, I'm going to buy something that Charles Hanson,

0:09:38 > 0:09:40my oppo, will REALLY like.

0:09:40 > 0:09:44And if he doesn't like that, I'm going to pick it up and smack it over his head.

0:09:44 > 0:09:46That's not exactly cricket, old bean.

0:09:46 > 0:09:49Finally, Charles has found something he is really happy with.

0:09:49 > 0:09:54He's off downstairs to retrieve the item Lynne has put aside for him.

0:09:54 > 0:09:56I really would like that.

0:09:56 > 0:09:58Well, the gold. You can have the other bit(!)

0:09:58 > 0:10:00- HE LAUGHS - Right, thank you!- Right.

0:10:00 > 0:10:04- I have only got a tenner. Would you give me a fiver?- Fiver?

0:10:04 > 0:10:06- Yeah, £5 is fine. - That seems a very reasonable deal.

0:10:06 > 0:10:10- Been lovely to meet you, ladies. - Lovely to meet you, yes. Come and see us again.- Bye-bye.

0:10:10 > 0:10:15It's the end of Charlie's Matlock bargain-buying bonanza. Oh, lordy!

0:10:15 > 0:10:17The chaps are heading from Derbyshire

0:10:17 > 0:10:20across the border into Nottinghamshire.

0:10:20 > 0:10:24They're on their way to the bustling old market town of Mansfield.

0:10:25 > 0:10:31Robin Hood's legendary Sherwood Forest lies just to the east.

0:10:31 > 0:10:34- So, this is my stop, Charlie. - It is.- This is where we depart.

0:10:34 > 0:10:37- Good luck, keep in touch.- Good luck.

0:10:37 > 0:10:40Charlie's first stop is a little shop owned by Jonathan Selby.

0:10:42 > 0:10:43That's quite stylish.

0:10:47 > 0:10:51This is interesting. What are these two cupboards down here all about?

0:10:51 > 0:10:55Charles has spotted the set of watch restorer's cabinets,

0:10:55 > 0:10:58in pine and mahogany, that came from a house clearance.

0:10:58 > 0:10:59We've got drawers full of...

0:10:59 > 0:11:01Goodness me, look at that!

0:11:01 > 0:11:02Old straps in here.

0:11:02 > 0:11:04Look. Any old strap.

0:11:04 > 0:11:10You've got a really good mix of all sorts of clock parts

0:11:10 > 0:11:12in the two cabinets.

0:11:12 > 0:11:16There's a ticket price of £40 on each cabinet but, oh, dear,

0:11:16 > 0:11:20Charles has only got £32.20 left in his back pocket.

0:11:20 > 0:11:22What's the best price on the two together, mate?

0:11:22 > 0:11:23JONATHAN SIGHS

0:11:23 > 0:11:25- 70.- Really?

0:11:25 > 0:11:29They could be quite good for auction, because they tell a story.

0:11:29 > 0:11:33- What's the absolutely best price? - To you, 65.- Oh, no!

0:11:33 > 0:11:35That's the very best?

0:11:35 > 0:11:38He's not giving up, is he?

0:11:38 > 0:11:41- £60.- Oh, don't say that! I've got to walk away.

0:11:41 > 0:11:42£30 each.

0:11:42 > 0:11:46- I could buy one, but it would be nice to keep the two together.- OK.

0:11:46 > 0:11:49Because they come from one home.

0:11:49 > 0:11:53But my entire money is £32.20.

0:11:53 > 0:11:54Would you do me a deal?

0:11:54 > 0:11:58- For one?- For two.- For two? No, I can't do two.- Aww!

0:11:58 > 0:12:01I couldn't do a job for you?

0:12:01 > 0:12:04- No, I think I've got everything covered.- Oh, come on!

0:12:04 > 0:12:07Oh, come on, Jonathan. Just look at his little face!

0:12:07 > 0:12:09Not wishing to give up yet,

0:12:09 > 0:12:13Charles has even asked the rest of Jonathan's family for suggestions.

0:12:13 > 0:12:16The car, the car needs washing! I'll wash the car. Anything else?

0:12:16 > 0:12:18Got a falconry aviary, you can clean it.

0:12:18 > 0:12:20You can clean the falconry aviary out!

0:12:20 > 0:12:23Clean the aviary out? Are you serious? Where do you keep a falcon?

0:12:23 > 0:12:27Jonathan's son keeps a falcon in the back garden.

0:12:27 > 0:12:30Oh, Charles, what are you letting yourself into - guano?

0:12:30 > 0:12:34Put it there. That's a job done. I've got to worry about this falcon.

0:12:34 > 0:12:36There's no going back now, Charles.

0:12:36 > 0:12:40Let's hope the bird's not in a bad mood, hey?

0:12:40 > 0:12:42Wow. He looks like a gladiator.

0:12:43 > 0:12:45- What's his name?- Maximus.

0:12:45 > 0:12:47- He is a gladiator.- Yeah. - And the cages...

0:12:49 > 0:12:51- Oh, man!- Yuck!

0:12:51 > 0:12:53Oh, there's flies in here as well.

0:12:53 > 0:12:55I told you - guano.

0:12:55 > 0:12:57- Smells as well.- Oh, dear.

0:12:57 > 0:12:59- Oh, dear! OK.- Charles...

0:13:04 > 0:13:08- And this is just one night's mess? - That's just one night's mess.

0:13:08 > 0:13:11- It really smells, doesn't it? - Oh, lordy!

0:13:11 > 0:13:15Thanks, Jonathan. I really hope now that my lot makes a small profit.

0:13:15 > 0:13:16Now go and wash your hands, Charles.

0:13:16 > 0:13:18He's certainly game, isn't he, our boy?

0:13:18 > 0:13:21So, with the deal done, he's walked away with two

0:13:21 > 0:13:26watch restorer's cabinets for £32.20 and a clean birdcage.

0:13:26 > 0:13:28Meanwhile, Charlie, or is that Billy Bunter,

0:13:28 > 0:13:31has travelled southeast to Southwell,

0:13:31 > 0:13:35a beautiful conservation town where Lord Byron once lived.

0:13:38 > 0:13:41And with £156.30 still burning a hole in his pocket,

0:13:41 > 0:13:44he is heading for a part of town called the Bull Yard,

0:13:44 > 0:13:46to meet up with shopkeeper Julia.

0:13:46 > 0:13:49- Knock, knock. Hello.- Hello. - I'm Charlie.- Hello, nice to meet you.

0:13:49 > 0:13:52Nice to see you. Thank you for letting me into your lovely shop.

0:13:52 > 0:13:56- What a lovely town!- It's fantastic, yeah.- May I have a look around?

0:13:56 > 0:13:58Yes, of course. Feel free.

0:14:01 > 0:14:02He's rather...

0:14:02 > 0:14:05I was going to say he's jolly. He is anything but jolly, isn't he?

0:14:05 > 0:14:08A Spanish peasant from Valencia.

0:14:08 > 0:14:11Now, that's a name on there, isn't there?

0:14:11 > 0:14:16- I mean, this is what, 1880? 1860, 1880 date?- I think so, yes.- Yeah.

0:14:16 > 0:14:20A watercolour, on paper. But it's got a good image.

0:14:20 > 0:14:22I just wish he was smiling a bit more.

0:14:22 > 0:14:26The 19th-century framed watercolour, by an artist called Luke Price,

0:14:26 > 0:14:30has sparked Charlie's interest, but it has no ticket price attached.

0:14:31 > 0:14:33I notice that he is priceless.

0:14:33 > 0:14:36I was thinking something in the region of 65.

0:14:36 > 0:14:40- Quite a teaser, that one, quite a teaser, that one!- I'm open to offers.

0:14:40 > 0:14:42Quite a teaser.

0:14:42 > 0:14:45Canny Charlie is mulling that one over,

0:14:45 > 0:14:48while he sees what else is on offer.

0:14:48 > 0:14:50That's rather splendid.

0:14:50 > 0:14:51Oh, that's wonderful!

0:14:51 > 0:14:55What a great idea to go by my bed.

0:14:55 > 0:14:58Clock and lamp. Or on my desk.

0:14:58 > 0:15:02How brilliant! God, that's a great bit of Deco, isn't it?

0:15:02 > 0:15:06The Art Deco brass-cased desk timepiece and lamp

0:15:06 > 0:15:11have lit Charlie up, but at £245, it's way out of his budget.

0:15:11 > 0:15:13What if I halve it - 120?

0:15:15 > 0:15:16HE SIGHS

0:15:17 > 0:15:18Am I tempting you?

0:15:19 > 0:15:22I'd rather do a deal and you buy something

0:15:22 > 0:15:23than you walk out with nothing.

0:15:23 > 0:15:27If I gave you £100 cash, is that too mean?

0:15:27 > 0:15:30The cheeky devil is still trying for a bigger discount!

0:15:30 > 0:15:33120 on that, and I will throw in that picture as well.

0:15:33 > 0:15:36- 120, and you'll throw in the picture? - Yes.- Mwah!

0:15:36 > 0:15:38- 120 for that and that?- Yes.

0:15:38 > 0:15:40- Yeah?- Yippee!- Deal.

0:15:40 > 0:15:44- Oh, you've made an old man very happy.- Good.- I love that.

0:15:44 > 0:15:50What a terrific deal! Two items for less than half the original price.

0:15:50 > 0:15:53- That is just fab! - You're very welcome.

0:15:53 > 0:15:55- Yum.- Good luck.- Thank you.

0:15:55 > 0:15:58And, Hanson, if you call these knobbly knick-knacks,

0:15:58 > 0:16:00I'll have your guts for garters.

0:16:00 > 0:16:02So, with those final purchases in the bag,

0:16:02 > 0:16:04the old boy is done with shopping.

0:16:10 > 0:16:13Time for Charlie to hop back in the Triumph TR6

0:16:13 > 0:16:18and motor east to Newark, to the home of an intriguing collector.

0:16:18 > 0:16:21- How are you?- I'm very well, thank you.- How lovely to see you.

0:16:21 > 0:16:23John Mollins, also known as the Iron Man,

0:16:23 > 0:16:26has made it his life's work to preserve one of Britain's

0:16:26 > 0:16:29most enduring domestic appliances - the iron.

0:16:29 > 0:16:31He has a collection of around 800.

0:16:31 > 0:16:33Good grief!

0:16:33 > 0:16:35# Oh, any old iron Any old iron

0:16:35 > 0:16:36# Any, any, any old iron... #

0:16:36 > 0:16:40And 240 of these make up the world's largest collection

0:16:40 > 0:16:43of British gas irons.

0:16:44 > 0:16:47What made you buy your first iron?

0:16:47 > 0:16:49In my house, we had a stone fireplace, and I thought,

0:16:49 > 0:16:54"What's missing is a few oil lamps or heating to go by the bed."

0:16:54 > 0:16:58And when I saw an iron, I thought, "That'll look nice on the hearth."

0:16:58 > 0:17:01In the near 40 years that John has been collecting,

0:17:01 > 0:17:05he's gathered examples of all types of irons from throughout history.

0:17:05 > 0:17:09When was the first traditional what I would call an iron?

0:17:09 > 0:17:12And they all seem to be more or less the same shape.

0:17:12 > 0:17:14It was called a sad iron.

0:17:14 > 0:17:18- S-A-D?- Yeah, S-A-D, or flat iron. - Why sad?

0:17:18 > 0:17:22Because it looks like a lump of...nothing.

0:17:22 > 0:17:27The sad, or flat, iron was heated on an open fire or stove.

0:17:27 > 0:17:30After that came the charcoal iron...

0:17:30 > 0:17:33- Blimey, that looks an extraordinary piece of kit.- Yeah.

0:17:33 > 0:17:37..which was heated by filling it with embers from the fire.

0:17:37 > 0:17:40That looks extraordinary. It looks like a dreadnought.

0:17:40 > 0:17:42These look quite interesting contraptions.

0:17:42 > 0:17:44- The ones with the holes in the side. - Spirit irons.

0:17:44 > 0:17:50The spirit iron works by burning paraffin or methylated spirits to heat the sole.

0:17:50 > 0:17:52And if ironing with a container full of highly-flammable liquid

0:17:52 > 0:17:56wasn't dangerous enough, then how about the gas iron,

0:17:56 > 0:17:59- invented around 1859?- And they all work on the same principle -

0:17:59 > 0:18:04a flexible hose from the mains gas, connected to the iron.

0:18:04 > 0:18:05The gas is lit as it comes in?

0:18:05 > 0:18:08Yeah, it would have been a box-of-matches job, and a big bang.

0:18:08 > 0:18:11- Quite a dangerous thing, isn't it? - Very dangerous.- Must have blown up!

0:18:11 > 0:18:15By the 1930s, housewives not only wanted the iron to function well,

0:18:15 > 0:18:17but also to look pretty.

0:18:17 > 0:18:21And multicoloured gas irons came on the market for those who could afford them.

0:18:21 > 0:18:23- The standard was mottled grey.- Yes.

0:18:23 > 0:18:26- You paid a little bit more for a bit...- For a flash colour.

0:18:26 > 0:18:29- For a flash colour.- What's the most you've ever paid for an iron?

0:18:29 > 0:18:31Come on, I'm asking you the question!

0:18:31 > 0:18:33£1,000.

0:18:33 > 0:18:34Crikey!

0:18:34 > 0:18:37This one. Very rare iron.

0:18:37 > 0:18:39- That's one of the gems.- Well done.

0:18:39 > 0:18:41So, why do you collect irons?

0:18:41 > 0:18:43I just like the way they are manufactured,

0:18:43 > 0:18:45and the beautiful casting.

0:18:45 > 0:18:48I just like to maintain something in history.

0:18:48 > 0:18:51Well, it's an amazing collection. And presumably, you aren't finished?

0:18:51 > 0:18:53- There are still one or two gems out there.- Yeah.

0:18:53 > 0:18:57Now, I take it that you are an expert ironer yourself?

0:18:57 > 0:18:59Not very good at all.

0:18:59 > 0:19:02I seem to end with more creases than I started with.

0:19:02 > 0:19:04HE LAUGHS

0:19:04 > 0:19:07I mean, you are interested in the manufacture of them,

0:19:07 > 0:19:09where they come from and how rare they are.

0:19:09 > 0:19:11You're not interested in how well they iron?

0:19:11 > 0:19:14- Couldn't care less if they iron or not. - CHARLIE LAUGHS

0:19:14 > 0:19:17On that note, I think I will go home and do some ironing.

0:19:17 > 0:19:21- Thank you very much.- Thank you for coming.- Absolutely wonderful.

0:19:21 > 0:19:23With all the shopping completed,

0:19:23 > 0:19:27it's time for a quick reminder of how our experts splashed their cash.

0:19:27 > 0:19:32Charlie Ross started this leg with £226.30,

0:19:32 > 0:19:35and has spent £190 to make up six lots.

0:19:35 > 0:19:39He invested in a Victorian cricket print, an Edwardian nursing chair,

0:19:39 > 0:19:43a gold cheroot holder paired with a framed portrait,

0:19:43 > 0:19:46an Art Deco lamp and a desk clock,

0:19:46 > 0:19:48a Valencian peasant watercolour

0:19:48 > 0:19:51and, finally, a 300-year-old creamware jug.

0:19:51 > 0:19:56Meanwhile, Charles Hanson started with a mere £172.20.

0:19:56 > 0:20:00He spent the lot and cleaned out a birdcage to buy his four lots -

0:20:00 > 0:20:03a Titanic coin, a pair of watch cabinets,

0:20:03 > 0:20:08a Chinese lacquered Immortal and a carving of a mythical goddess.

0:20:08 > 0:20:11But what do they really think, eh?

0:20:11 > 0:20:14He's bought a wonderful lamp, the more I looked at it,

0:20:14 > 0:20:16the more it shined a spark of a profit,

0:20:16 > 0:20:18and nearly everything he's bought

0:20:18 > 0:20:21I'm unnerved by.

0:20:21 > 0:20:24I can't believe he bought a bit of Titanic frippery.

0:20:24 > 0:20:27And for Charles to say, "Do you think they gave them to everybody

0:20:27 > 0:20:29"as they were going on board?,"

0:20:29 > 0:20:31yes, Charles, I think they did, just in case it sank(!)

0:20:31 > 0:20:34I love the Indian figure.

0:20:34 > 0:20:37Do I know what it's worth? I haven't got a clue,

0:20:37 > 0:20:39and full marks to him for having a go.

0:20:39 > 0:20:42And Charles is all about having a go.

0:20:42 > 0:20:44And now, it's onwards to the auction.

0:20:44 > 0:20:48On their road trip, these two proper Charlies have travelled from

0:20:48 > 0:20:51Chesterfield in Derbyshire to Grantham in Lincolnshire.

0:20:51 > 0:20:56Golding Young of Grantham have over a century's worth of auctioneering

0:20:56 > 0:20:58experience, but they move with the times,

0:20:58 > 0:21:01and today's lots will also be bid for online.

0:21:01 > 0:21:05Colin Young is today's auctioneer, with his hand firmly on the gavel.

0:21:05 > 0:21:08First up, it's Charlie's Victorian cricket print.

0:21:08 > 0:21:11But will it bowl the auction crowd over?

0:21:11 > 0:21:14Start me at six. Six, six bid. At six bid, let's get on, then.

0:21:14 > 0:21:18- Well done!- At six bid. Eight anywhere else? Surely.- Get it sold!

0:21:18 > 0:21:22- Eight bid, ten bid, 12 bid. - Oh, it's flying!- 15. 18 now. 18 bid?

0:21:22 > 0:21:25- At £15 bid...- Well done, Charlie. - 15 at the back of the room.

0:21:25 > 0:21:30At 15, we're done, we're finished, and we'll sell this time at £15.

0:21:30 > 0:21:33- Marvellous!- Well done, Charlie. Well done.- Congratulations.

0:21:33 > 0:21:36Well, that knocked them for six. Good start, Charlie.

0:21:36 > 0:21:38And he is up again,

0:21:38 > 0:21:40with the Edwardian nursing chair with marquetry inlay.

0:21:40 > 0:21:42So, if everyone is sitting comfortably,

0:21:42 > 0:21:44let the bidding commence.

0:21:44 > 0:21:4720 to go, then, surely. £20, anybody? 20?

0:21:47 > 0:21:49Ten if we must. £10 to go, surely?

0:21:49 > 0:21:51£10, it's only £2.50 a leg.

0:21:51 > 0:21:54Ten, 12, 15, 15, 18, 18, 20, £20 a bid.

0:21:54 > 0:21:57- Two bid, five, no? - Ooh, madam!- 22 bid.

0:21:57 > 0:21:59Well done, bean.

0:21:59 > 0:22:02At 22, the last call now. 25, 28, now 28 bid.

0:22:02 > 0:22:06- 30 do I see now?- Well done, Charlie. - Last call at £28...

0:22:06 > 0:22:09Another small profit, increasing Charlie's lead.

0:22:09 > 0:22:11You're flying. And I commend you.

0:22:11 > 0:22:17And now it's Charles's turn, with his coin stamped "RMS Titanic".

0:22:17 > 0:22:19Will his treasure sink or swim?

0:22:19 > 0:22:21Who's going to start me at £100?

0:22:21 > 0:22:23- Rare thing.- 100, 100?- Rare thing.

0:22:23 > 0:22:25- 50 to go, then. 50.- Come on.

0:22:25 > 0:22:2730, then.

0:22:27 > 0:22:2930. £10 bid, ten. 12 anywhere else now?

0:22:29 > 0:22:32£10 a bid, 12 do I see now? £12 a bid. 12 do I see now?

0:22:32 > 0:22:3512 bid, 15 bid, 15 bid, 18 bid, 20 bid. Two now. 22.

0:22:35 > 0:22:3925 bid. 28, 28, bid 30.

0:22:39 > 0:22:41- 30 bid, 32, 35, 38...- Come on!

0:22:41 > 0:22:44£35 a bid. 38 now, surely? At £35 a bid. 36, 38.

0:22:44 > 0:22:48At 38 bid. At 38 bid, do I see 40? 40 bid.

0:22:48 > 0:22:51- Oh!- 42 now. Any more? No?

0:22:51 > 0:22:55At £40, we're done and finished, and selling this time at £40.

0:22:55 > 0:22:59- Great!- I think my road trip has hit an iceberg.- Thank you very much.

0:22:59 > 0:23:02Your ship's come in with that tidy profit, Charles.

0:23:02 > 0:23:04You're back in the game.

0:23:04 > 0:23:08Charlie's turn now, with his amber and gold cheroot holder,

0:23:08 > 0:23:10and a portrait framed in fake ivory.

0:23:10 > 0:23:1430 to go then, surely. £30, anyone? 30. Come on. 30 on the net.

0:23:14 > 0:23:16At 30 bid. 32 anywhere else now, surely?

0:23:16 > 0:23:20At 32, 35... 35 in the room. Any more now?

0:23:20 > 0:23:23At 35, last call, selling at £35.

0:23:24 > 0:23:27A small profit, but a profit nonetheless.

0:23:27 > 0:23:29But Charles is still in the lead.

0:23:29 > 0:23:32- Look at me.- I have looked at you quite enough today.

0:23:34 > 0:23:37It's Charlie again, with the Art Deco lamp and desk timepiece.

0:23:37 > 0:23:42Start me at 100 for it. 100, 100? 80 to go then, surely. £80, anybody?

0:23:42 > 0:23:45I'll take 50 if we have to, but that really will be giving it away.

0:23:45 > 0:23:4850, 50 bid. Five anywhere else now? £50 a bid. Five, surely?

0:23:48 > 0:23:51- Well done.- Now do I see 55? I've got five, 55.

0:23:51 > 0:23:54Bid 60. 60, 65.

0:23:54 > 0:23:5570, 70 bid.

0:23:55 > 0:23:58- I've got 75.- Well done, Charlie. - 80 in the room.- That's better.

0:23:58 > 0:24:0180, no more here. £80 bid. Five anywhere else now? £80 in the room.

0:24:01 > 0:24:03Five is the last call, then. Are we all done?

0:24:03 > 0:24:07Selling this time at the back of the room at £80.

0:24:07 > 0:24:12A stinging blow for Charlie there. He'd hoped for more than that.

0:24:12 > 0:24:15Up next are Charles's watch cabinets that cost him

0:24:15 > 0:24:18an afternoon cleaning a falcon's cage.

0:24:18 > 0:24:20Will they fly for him today?

0:24:20 > 0:24:24- Who's going to start me on this lot? £40, 40.- Come on.- £40, anybody? 40.

0:24:24 > 0:24:26£40 bid straight in.

0:24:26 > 0:24:28- Ooh!- £40 a bid, at £40 bid, anyone else now?

0:24:28 > 0:24:31Is anybody else going to join in? 42. 45, 48. Bid 50. And five?

0:24:32 > 0:24:34- I'll ask you for two, if you like.- One more!

0:24:34 > 0:24:3652? No, £50 bid, anywhere else?

0:24:36 > 0:24:39Last call, done and finished, selling down here at £50.

0:24:39 > 0:24:41- Well done!- Good man. I'm happy.

0:24:41 > 0:24:45Charles is happy, and so was the falcon.

0:24:45 > 0:24:49Next is Charlie's Valencian peasant watercolour, by Luke Price.

0:24:49 > 0:24:51Could the price be right today?

0:24:51 > 0:24:5450 to go, then, surely. £50, anyone? 50?

0:24:54 > 0:24:56Let's get everybody excited. Start me at £20.

0:24:58 > 0:24:59£10?

0:25:01 > 0:25:05£10? I thought you were going to bid on your own item for a minute!

0:25:05 > 0:25:07At 10... 12 bid. 15 do I see now? At 12 bid.

0:25:08 > 0:25:1015 bid. 15. At 18 bid.

0:25:10 > 0:25:13- At 18, it's on the internet. - On the internet?

0:25:13 > 0:25:16- It is.- It's going to the National Gallery!

0:25:16 > 0:25:18Yes. Or the National Asylum.

0:25:18 > 0:25:20- LAUGHTER - 18 bid. 20 or up now, then.

0:25:20 > 0:25:23Selling at £18.

0:25:23 > 0:25:24I can do no more for you, gentlemen.

0:25:24 > 0:25:27The auctioneer did his best there,

0:25:27 > 0:25:29but that's another disappointment for Charlie.

0:25:29 > 0:25:31£18. Look at me.

0:25:33 > 0:25:36How will Charles's gamble on his carvings go?

0:25:36 > 0:25:39First under the hammer is the Chinese lacquered Immortal.

0:25:39 > 0:25:40£50, anybody? 50?

0:25:41 > 0:25:44- 30 to go, then, surely. - I don't believe it.

0:25:44 > 0:25:4620 to go, then, surely. £20.

0:25:46 > 0:25:48- I'm going down.- Faith!

0:25:48 > 0:25:51At 22 bid. 25, 28.

0:25:51 > 0:25:5328, bid 30.

0:25:53 > 0:25:5532, 35, 38.

0:25:55 > 0:25:58It's worth a gamble. It's worth a gamble.

0:25:58 > 0:26:0142, 45, 48. Bid 50.

0:26:01 > 0:26:0350, do I see? 50. 55?

0:26:03 > 0:26:07At 50, last call in the room, selling at £50.

0:26:07 > 0:26:08Shame.

0:26:08 > 0:26:13Oh, dear, the gamble failed, and that's knocked his profit.

0:26:13 > 0:26:15There's not much between the two now.

0:26:15 > 0:26:18It's the turn of Charlie's oldest antique -

0:26:18 > 0:26:20the 300-year-old creamware jug.

0:26:20 > 0:26:23Who's going to start me at, what, £50 for it? £50, anybody? 50?

0:26:23 > 0:26:27- 50?- It's a real bargain. - 30? 20 to go, then, surely.

0:26:27 > 0:26:30£20, we'll give it away at 20. £20, who's going to join in? 20 bid.

0:26:30 > 0:26:32At 20... 25.

0:26:32 > 0:26:3425. 28 now. At 25 bid.

0:26:34 > 0:26:3728 on the internet. 30 on the net.

0:26:37 > 0:26:3832 in the room. 32 in the room.

0:26:38 > 0:26:4135. 38 now. 38 bid.

0:26:41 > 0:26:43Going this time at 38 in the front row.

0:26:43 > 0:26:44- Well done, sir.- Well done, sir.

0:26:44 > 0:26:48Not what he had hoped for, but these two are neck-and-neck.

0:26:48 > 0:26:53It all rides on Charles's final lot, his mythological goddess.

0:26:53 > 0:26:57Let's start at £100 for it, 100. Bit of an unknown quantity.

0:26:57 > 0:26:59- It is, absolutely.- Certainly is.

0:26:59 > 0:27:02- Let's gamble.- 100? 80 to go.

0:27:02 > 0:27:05- Rare thing.- 50 to go, then, surely.

0:27:05 > 0:27:08OK, start at £20 for something that's, what, 350 years old?

0:27:08 > 0:27:10- Absolutely.- Thank you.

0:27:10 > 0:27:13£20 a bid. At £20, two do I see now? 22, 25, five bid?

0:27:13 > 0:27:1628, 28, 30, 32, 35, five bid, 38.

0:27:16 > 0:27:2040, at £40 a bid. 45, 45, 48, 48, 50.

0:27:20 > 0:27:22£50 a bid. 50, 55, 60...

0:27:22 > 0:27:24Come on, sir, one more!

0:27:24 > 0:27:26- Look, it's his money, not yours! - One for the road.

0:27:26 > 0:27:29He might buy you a cup of coffee, you never know your luck!

0:27:29 > 0:27:3260 on the net. At 60. 65, no? 60, it's on the net, then.

0:27:32 > 0:27:34Two if it's going to help you out.

0:27:34 > 0:27:37Last bid is on the internet, selling at £60.

0:27:37 > 0:27:42- You never know how far that online bidder may have gone.- Probably 62.

0:27:42 > 0:27:45Charles's speculation on the mythological goddess

0:27:45 > 0:27:49didn't win out on this occasion, but has it put him off trying?

0:27:49 > 0:27:53After all that verbiage, you're back where you started.

0:27:53 > 0:27:57Charlie, my plan won't change. I will continue my art of speculation.

0:27:57 > 0:28:00- Or just wishy-washy along in the middle.- No.

0:28:00 > 0:28:05- One day, I will get it right, and I will make our fortune.- OUR fortune?

0:28:05 > 0:28:06- Our fortune.- Well done, old bean.

0:28:06 > 0:28:12Charles Hanson started this leg with £172.20, and after auction costs

0:28:12 > 0:28:18has lost £8.20, leaving him with £164 for the next leg.

0:28:18 > 0:28:23Charlie Ross, meanwhile, began this leg with £226.30.

0:28:23 > 0:28:27After costs, he's lost £14.52,

0:28:27 > 0:28:31giving him £211.78 going forward.

0:28:31 > 0:28:32Funny old game, isn't it?

0:28:32 > 0:28:37- All that work, and we're back where we started.- I know.

0:28:37 > 0:28:40- But, Charlie, you've got to keep speculating.- I will!

0:28:40 > 0:28:45You know, I am determined to either be the victor at over £1,000,

0:28:45 > 0:28:48or take myself back to zero.

0:28:48 > 0:28:51Cometh the man, cometh the hour, cometh to Walsall.

0:28:51 > 0:28:54Walsall... HORN TOOTS

0:28:54 > 0:28:56- ..here we come.- Exactly.

0:28:56 > 0:28:58And on to the next leg, boys.

0:28:58 > 0:29:00- You know what they say, don't you?- What?

0:29:00 > 0:29:03The sun shines on the righteous.

0:29:03 > 0:29:05Why it's shining on you, I don't know.

0:29:05 > 0:29:06Oh, do behave!

0:29:08 > 0:29:09Oh this road trip, Charles

0:29:09 > 0:29:12and Charlie will travel around 500 miles

0:29:12 > 0:29:14through England's green and pleasant lands,

0:29:14 > 0:29:16from Tarporley in Cheshire

0:29:16 > 0:29:18to Itchen Stoke,

0:29:18 > 0:29:19near Winchester, in Hampshire.

0:29:21 > 0:29:24Today, they are beginning their shopping in Cannock,

0:29:24 > 0:29:25in Staffordshire,

0:29:25 > 0:29:28aiming for their auction in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

0:29:30 > 0:29:32They are just approaching Cannock,

0:29:32 > 0:29:35where Charlie is dropping Charles off at his first shop,

0:29:35 > 0:29:38with £164 burning a hole in his pocket.

0:29:40 > 0:29:44Near here in 2009, a magnificent hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold

0:29:44 > 0:29:46and silver was unearthed.

0:29:46 > 0:29:50Let's hope Charles discovers similar treasures at Peppermill Antiques.

0:29:50 > 0:29:52Lovely name!

0:29:53 > 0:29:56- Enjoy Lichfield, OK? See you later.- Bye.

0:29:58 > 0:30:02Wow. This really is antiques on an industrial scale.

0:30:02 > 0:30:05He's meeting owner Scott.

0:30:05 > 0:30:07- Mr Scott Humphries.- Charles Hanson.

0:30:07 > 0:30:11Now, I am on the hunt, you know, maybe for the Hanson hoard.

0:30:11 > 0:30:14I think you are going to have to have a look round.

0:30:16 > 0:30:18Look at that interior. Beautiful.

0:30:19 > 0:30:21Feel like I'm in a bedroom here.

0:30:21 > 0:30:27Something hidden in the corner has caught Charles's eagle eye.

0:30:27 > 0:30:33Not very well displayed is what we call a decoupage screen.

0:30:33 > 0:30:39Decoupage is the craft of decorating objects with scraps of glued

0:30:39 > 0:30:42and varnished paper.

0:30:42 > 0:30:45This screen, dating from the late 1800s,

0:30:45 > 0:30:47is a nice example of a style then popular,

0:30:47 > 0:30:49but it bears some serious damage.

0:30:49 > 0:30:51Charles is off to ask Scott about it.

0:30:51 > 0:30:54Ticket price is a whopping £595.

0:30:56 > 0:30:59Four-fold screen, what is the best price on that?

0:30:59 > 0:31:00I can do that for 100.

0:31:00 > 0:31:02Crikey, Moses!

0:31:02 > 0:31:04I know it has got a bit of damage, that's why

0:31:04 > 0:31:05it's priced quite reasonable.

0:31:05 > 0:31:08It's... I mean, £100 is very reasonable,

0:31:08 > 0:31:10but having lost this money so far,

0:31:10 > 0:31:15I just think maybe the condition almost outweighs its potential.

0:31:15 > 0:31:17Is 100 your best price?

0:31:19 > 0:31:21I could do it at 85.

0:31:22 > 0:31:25- That is your very best?- £80.- £80.

0:31:25 > 0:31:27I might leave here and regret it

0:31:27 > 0:31:31if I don't find anything else really to come up to that quality.

0:31:31 > 0:31:33I might call you later.

0:31:33 > 0:31:36Your best price, Scott, is?

0:31:36 > 0:31:3870 to take it away today.

0:31:38 > 0:31:40- Can I hold it?- You can.- Lovely.

0:31:40 > 0:31:43Charles is at his most indecisive today.

0:31:43 > 0:31:47He is not buying it now, but the scrap screen is held in reserve,

0:31:47 > 0:31:48and Charles is off to his next shop.

0:31:50 > 0:31:52Charlie Ross, meanwhile,

0:31:52 > 0:31:58has headed for the cathedral city of Lichfield, Staffordshire

0:31:58 > 0:32:00with £211.78 to play with.

0:32:00 > 0:32:03Lichfield's heyday was in the 18th century,

0:32:03 > 0:32:07when it was home to many great thinkers, including Samuel Johnson,

0:32:07 > 0:32:12the learned author of the first authoritative English dictionary.

0:32:14 > 0:32:16Let's hope Charlie can summon up some of that nous

0:32:16 > 0:32:19as he heads into James A Jordan Antiques,

0:32:19 > 0:32:22where he is meeting up with the eponymous James,

0:32:22 > 0:32:26who, it turns out, is a friend of a friend...of a friend.

0:32:26 > 0:32:28- Charlie Ross. - Lovely to meet you, Charlie.

0:32:28 > 0:32:30- I've heard a lot about you. - Thank you very much.

0:32:30 > 0:32:32From my opposition.

0:32:32 > 0:32:33That Mr Charles Hanson.

0:32:33 > 0:32:36- Charles passed on a little tip to me.- Yeah.

0:32:36 > 0:32:39He said, "When you go to see my good friend,"

0:32:39 > 0:32:42he said, "Just ask him if he has got anything in the back."

0:32:42 > 0:32:44Mmm.

0:32:44 > 0:32:48Mmm. Are you sure Charles said that, Charlie?

0:32:48 > 0:32:49Have you got anything in the back?

0:32:49 > 0:32:52I'll have a look, see if there is anything there.

0:32:55 > 0:33:00- What have you got there?- Victorian silver pocket watch.- Lovely.- Swiss.

0:33:00 > 0:33:02Swiss movement, English case.

0:33:02 > 0:33:07- Continental silver?- It is. - We haven't met, hello.- Hello, Yvette.

0:33:07 > 0:33:09- Lovely to meet you.- And you.

0:33:09 > 0:33:12Key wind. Is it in working order or is that pushing it?

0:33:12 > 0:33:14It is working, actually, yes.

0:33:14 > 0:33:17Oh, look, it is ticking away beautifully.

0:33:17 > 0:33:22- So, the date of that would be? - That is about 1890 to 1900.- Yeah.

0:33:22 > 0:33:26- Lovely. How much is that, sir? - I can do that for £30.

0:33:26 > 0:33:28Can you really?

0:33:28 > 0:33:30Because I was going to make you a pathetic offer of 15.

0:33:30 > 0:33:33SHE SQUEALS

0:33:33 > 0:33:37Did you hear that squeal? Would you like a seat, madam?

0:33:37 > 0:33:39Hang on. Oh, dear.

0:33:39 > 0:33:43Tell me what your best is and I'll see if I can match it.

0:33:43 > 0:33:4420.

0:33:45 > 0:33:47Marvellous.

0:33:47 > 0:33:50Despite Yvette's shock at his cheeky offer,

0:33:50 > 0:33:53Charles gets a great deal on the watch.

0:33:53 > 0:33:57But it is not long before something else attracts his attention.

0:33:57 > 0:34:00Here we have a taste of the Orient.

0:34:00 > 0:34:05And how! A very large Imari charger.

0:34:05 > 0:34:10Imari porcelain hails from the Japanese town of Arita.

0:34:10 > 0:34:14A charger is a large decorative plate that can be used for display

0:34:14 > 0:34:16or just to brighten up table settings.

0:34:16 > 0:34:21- James, I am quite liking your enormous Imari charger.- Yes.

0:34:21 > 0:34:23I really like the colours.

0:34:23 > 0:34:25Did it come right, as they say,

0:34:25 > 0:34:28or did you have to get into a war to buy it?

0:34:28 > 0:34:30- It came reasonable.- Reasonable?

0:34:30 > 0:34:32HE LAUGHS

0:34:32 > 0:34:34- Hedging your bets there, are you? - Yes.

0:34:34 > 0:34:37The very best on that I could do is 50.

0:34:37 > 0:34:39Oh, that is pretty competitive.

0:34:39 > 0:34:41- Mmm-hmm.- Oh, crumbs!

0:34:41 > 0:34:44It would be insulting to offer 40, would it?

0:34:44 > 0:34:48- Would you show me the door? - Would you meet me halfway, 45?

0:34:48 > 0:34:53Shake me by the hand, sir. That is really, really kind of you.

0:34:53 > 0:34:56His first two buys, served up on a plate.

0:34:57 > 0:34:59- Thank you very much indeed. - A pleasure.

0:34:59 > 0:35:02With any luck, we'll sink that old Hanson.

0:35:07 > 0:35:09Charlie is still in a buying mood,

0:35:09 > 0:35:13so he's heading just down the road to the Lichfield Antiques Centre.

0:35:16 > 0:35:19It looks like he has uncovered an interesting

0:35:19 > 0:35:23if controversial item - a smoking gun, if you will.

0:35:23 > 0:35:25A-ha!

0:35:25 > 0:35:29Richard Nixon advertising cigarettes.

0:35:29 > 0:35:33So, these were done to promote

0:35:33 > 0:35:37Richard Nixon's presidential campaign in 1972.

0:35:37 > 0:35:41Richard Nixon was a two-term president of the USA.

0:35:41 > 0:35:45The Watergate political scandal of the early 1970s resulted

0:35:45 > 0:35:48in his resignation from the White House.

0:35:48 > 0:35:51And to think that they actually produced king-sized filter

0:35:51 > 0:35:54cigarettes to advertise his campaign.

0:35:54 > 0:35:56Can you imagine anything worse today?

0:35:56 > 0:35:57And they are...

0:35:57 > 0:36:01£10. I think that is a great statement of history!

0:36:01 > 0:36:06We don't like smoking, but we love historical statements.

0:36:06 > 0:36:10Charlie is going to ask dealer Madeleine about them.

0:36:10 > 0:36:12Ah, Madeleine! Madeleine, I'm here!

0:36:13 > 0:36:16- I'm here.- There you are. - Could you show me something?- Mmm-hmm.

0:36:16 > 0:36:20Horrible habit, but a great, great statement of history.

0:36:20 > 0:36:23They are priced up at £10.

0:36:23 > 0:36:27I wouldn't be able to tell you whether they were expensive or cheap.

0:36:27 > 0:36:29I think they are a bargain price, myself.

0:36:29 > 0:36:31HE LAUGHS

0:36:31 > 0:36:34Do you think whoever owns those would take a fiver for them or not?

0:36:34 > 0:36:37What do you think?

0:36:37 > 0:36:39- Cash!- Go on.

0:36:39 > 0:36:44I have never bought a second-hand pair of cigarettes before.

0:36:44 > 0:36:46Well, I should think not.

0:36:50 > 0:36:53Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for Charles.

0:36:53 > 0:36:55He has just arrived at the same shop

0:36:55 > 0:36:57and seems he is meeting another old friend.

0:36:57 > 0:37:00He has got so many friends, that boy.

0:37:00 > 0:37:03Good morning. How are you? Nice seeing you again.

0:37:03 > 0:37:05Hello, Madeleine. I know this lady.

0:37:05 > 0:37:08You seem to know everyone, Charles.

0:37:08 > 0:37:09Look sharp, though, Carlos,

0:37:09 > 0:37:12there is one more of your old acquaintances around.

0:37:15 > 0:37:18- What are you doing here?- How are you? Get on with it. And good luck.

0:37:18 > 0:37:20Good luck to you, too. Go on, get out of here.

0:37:20 > 0:37:22Get out of here.

0:37:22 > 0:37:26This shop seems to have put Charles in an oddly esoteric mood.

0:37:26 > 0:37:30I want to go mystical. I have a desire to go magical.

0:37:30 > 0:37:35As luck would have it, Madeleine might have found just the thing.

0:37:35 > 0:37:37What about the dwarf?

0:37:37 > 0:37:40OK. Oh, I never saw him behind there.

0:37:40 > 0:37:42That is quite novel. That is quite sweet.

0:37:42 > 0:37:48It's a small novelty inkwell, including a gnome at a forge.

0:37:48 > 0:37:50Ticket price, £68.

0:37:50 > 0:37:55That is quite good. He hasn't been repainted. Can you see on his nose?

0:37:55 > 0:37:58- He's... You can see the real wear, can't you?- Yeah.

0:37:58 > 0:38:01I'd have thought the material... Is it a pewter?

0:38:01 > 0:38:05Some sort of base metal pewter? What is the best on that?

0:38:05 > 0:38:08For you, Charles, if I said 20, would that help?

0:38:08 > 0:38:11Maddie, you know what? Cometh the man, cometh the hour.

0:38:11 > 0:38:13Sometimes, a man is in need, OK?

0:38:13 > 0:38:17And when the man is in need, you meet a Madeleine.

0:38:18 > 0:38:20Thanks, Madeleine. Thank you very, very much.

0:38:20 > 0:38:23A magical first buy for Charles.

0:38:24 > 0:38:28Time's running out, and he's getting himself into a bit of tizz.

0:38:28 > 0:38:29Running, as usual.

0:38:29 > 0:38:31I'm not sure where. Hello.

0:38:31 > 0:38:34As he can't find any open antique shops,

0:38:34 > 0:38:38Charles is concocting a rather unlikely plan.

0:38:38 > 0:38:41There's actually a firm of lawyers I know down here.

0:38:41 > 0:38:44They may have something in their offices for sale.

0:38:44 > 0:38:46You never know.

0:38:46 > 0:38:47Mmm.

0:38:47 > 0:38:51You really have gone off book today, haven't you?

0:38:51 > 0:38:53Luckily, Associate Solicitor Shelly

0:38:53 > 0:38:56agrees to humour this crackpot enquiry.

0:38:56 > 0:38:59- We've got something in here. - Not the bookcase?

0:38:59 > 0:39:02Not the bookcase, no, don't get excited.

0:39:02 > 0:39:06- This box here?- Yeah.- May I take it out?- Yeah. It is a bit heavy.

0:39:06 > 0:39:08Oh, my goodness me!

0:39:09 > 0:39:11What is it?

0:39:11 > 0:39:13It is a company seal.

0:39:13 > 0:39:17A company seal was used to mark official documents.

0:39:17 > 0:39:18Crikey me!

0:39:18 > 0:39:20Oh, that is wonderful, Shelly, that is really nice.

0:39:20 > 0:39:23That is really nice. Wow!

0:39:23 > 0:39:26It is a Cannock Colliery business seal.

0:39:26 > 0:39:30- Wow, OK.- But I don't know much more about it than that.

0:39:30 > 0:39:34- I suppose date to 1890, 1900? - Right.

0:39:34 > 0:39:38- So it would work almost by placing a piece of paper into here?- Yeah.

0:39:38 > 0:39:40- Can we try it?- That's fine, yeah.

0:39:42 > 0:39:45OK, so you would obviously spin...

0:39:46 > 0:39:48Oh, wonderful.

0:39:48 > 0:39:51And there you've got the seal...

0:39:51 > 0:39:55inscribed, "Cannock Colliery Company Limited."

0:39:55 > 0:39:58It's a nice item and it is in good condition, as well.

0:39:58 > 0:40:03Shelly, if I said to you I'd probably like to...

0:40:03 > 0:40:06make an offer of £30?

0:40:07 > 0:40:11- 40.- Look at me, I'm a man in need!

0:40:11 > 0:40:14- I'm a man in need.- OK, I will meet you in the middle, then.

0:40:14 > 0:40:17- I am going to say yes. - 35?- £35, you've got a deal.

0:40:17 > 0:40:18- Deal.- Thanks, Shelly.

0:40:18 > 0:40:22Well, with a strikingly strange strategy,

0:40:22 > 0:40:25Charles has managed to secure himself another buy.

0:40:25 > 0:40:28Do you need a hand there, Carlos? That looks a bit lumpy.

0:40:31 > 0:40:35The boys are heading to Walsall in the West Midlands.

0:40:36 > 0:40:37Charles still needs more buys.

0:40:37 > 0:40:40After wandering the streets for some time,

0:40:40 > 0:40:42he spots a sign that looks promising.

0:40:43 > 0:40:46Hello, sir. How are you?

0:40:46 > 0:40:48I'm on a hunt, OK? I'm on a hunt.

0:40:48 > 0:40:50Purely by chance, I've come down this street

0:40:50 > 0:40:52and I can see on the wall there it says LP Antiques.

0:40:52 > 0:40:55- Tell me, have you got antiques? - We have got antiques, yeah.

0:40:55 > 0:40:58Have you really? Can I come and have a look?

0:40:58 > 0:41:02- Yes.- Is that all right? Can I have a quick peek upstairs now?

0:41:02 > 0:41:05This unit sells mainly reproduction furniture,

0:41:05 > 0:41:08but Charles seems determined to gamble on this road trip,

0:41:08 > 0:41:11so he has talked his way in for a look anyway.

0:41:11 > 0:41:13Something might jump out at me.

0:41:13 > 0:41:17Young upholsterer Rob has been dragooned into showing him around.

0:41:17 > 0:41:20There is very little antique stock in the building,

0:41:20 > 0:41:22as they no longer trade in it,

0:41:22 > 0:41:25but Charles is determined to spy something.

0:41:26 > 0:41:28They are quite nice, aren't they?

0:41:28 > 0:41:33A pair of Parisian field glasses, which are quite neat.

0:41:33 > 0:41:36They are quite good. They're probably First World War.

0:41:36 > 0:41:38Maybe 1910, 1920.

0:41:38 > 0:41:42These... Look, these belonged to a man from Lincolnshire.

0:41:42 > 0:41:45Rob will need to ask his boss what they can be sold for.

0:41:45 > 0:41:47Find out how much they are for the two together.

0:41:47 > 0:41:49Yeah, for the two together.

0:41:50 > 0:41:53And Charles has spotted a pair of wooden bowls, as you do.

0:41:55 > 0:41:59£15 each. Or two for 25.

0:41:59 > 0:42:00Two for 25?

0:42:00 > 0:42:04I wonder, do you reckon she might throw me a couple of bowls in?

0:42:04 > 0:42:06Just say, "For poor old Hans..."

0:42:06 > 0:42:08Just tell her poor Hanson wonders,

0:42:08 > 0:42:10could you throw in two wooden bowls as well?

0:42:10 > 0:42:12Give her a call. Thanks, mate.

0:42:12 > 0:42:14Young Rob might come back and I might get lucky.

0:42:14 > 0:42:19But then again, if you don't ask, you don't get. Hold on, hold on.

0:42:19 > 0:42:22- Yeah.- Rob, this is a biggie.

0:42:22 > 0:42:26- Hit me.- Yep, the two. - Yes! She said yes?- Yeah.

0:42:26 > 0:42:29- Really?- Yeah.- That's awesome. All the best.

0:42:29 > 0:42:32Thanks, Rob. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

0:42:32 > 0:42:35Awesome, he gets the lot for £25.

0:42:35 > 0:42:37Once again, in the most unlikely of fashions,

0:42:37 > 0:42:39Charles has managed to secure a bargain.

0:42:39 > 0:42:41Well done, that man.

0:42:43 > 0:42:47Charles now has three lots, but he wants one more.

0:42:47 > 0:42:49He has decided to take the interesting

0:42:49 > 0:42:53but damaged decoupage screen he saw back in Cannock.

0:42:56 > 0:42:58Time for a call to dealer Scott.

0:42:58 > 0:42:59What's the best price?

0:43:00 > 0:43:04£70? Thanks ever so much. And I'll take it.

0:43:04 > 0:43:10Deal done and Charles has got his lots for auction...just.

0:43:10 > 0:43:12Charlie Ross, meanwhile,

0:43:12 > 0:43:16has driven on to the West Midlands town of Halesowen.

0:43:16 > 0:43:20He is strolling off into the shop Yesterday's World,

0:43:20 > 0:43:23where dealers Jean and Ivan are in control.

0:43:25 > 0:43:28- Hello.- Good morning. - You must be Jean.- I am.- I'm Charlie.

0:43:28 > 0:43:31- Nice to meet you. - Lovely to meet you, too.

0:43:34 > 0:43:38Charlie has spotted a group of items that hint at the brave

0:43:38 > 0:43:40and eventful life of their owner.

0:43:40 > 0:43:42May I look at your First World War medals?

0:43:42 > 0:43:44- Thanks, Jean, lovely.- Thank you.

0:43:44 > 0:43:48- And that is named to T Warner. - That is the one.

0:43:48 > 0:43:52The Royal Artillery. Gunner T Warner.

0:43:52 > 0:43:54Now, that is interesting.

0:43:54 > 0:43:57We have got a First World War to T Warner.

0:43:57 > 0:44:00- And a Second.- And two Second World Wars to T Warner.

0:44:00 > 0:44:03- Yes.- Crikey!

0:44:03 > 0:44:06- Royal Artillery, it has got to be the same man.- Same man.- Blimey!

0:44:06 > 0:44:10- You wouldn't think he'd have to go through it all again, would you?- No.

0:44:10 > 0:44:14The World War II medals are for service and defence.

0:44:14 > 0:44:17Ivan is the military man, what could he let them go for?

0:44:17 > 0:44:1950 for the three. Best deal.

0:44:19 > 0:44:23If I bought them, for example, for £40...

0:44:23 > 0:44:26I think if I could buy the three for £40,

0:44:26 > 0:44:29I think I might make a tenner or something.

0:44:29 > 0:44:32- I couldn't do better than 40. - No. Could you do 40?- Yeah.

0:44:32 > 0:44:33I'm happy with that.

0:44:33 > 0:44:35- Are you?- Are you sure? - Yes, we will go with that.

0:44:35 > 0:44:37- I suspect that the lady takes the money.- I do indeed.

0:44:37 > 0:44:40You do the negotiating and you take the money.

0:44:40 > 0:44:42- How's that?- That's lovely.

0:44:42 > 0:44:45And a gold star to Charlie, who has got another buy.

0:44:49 > 0:44:52Charles Hanson, meanwhile, has travelled into central Birmingham.

0:44:52 > 0:44:54He has finished his shopping,

0:44:54 > 0:44:57so he is headed for the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter,

0:44:57 > 0:44:59where he is going to learn about the history

0:44:59 > 0:45:03of one of Birmingham's most important traditional industries.

0:45:03 > 0:45:07He's meeting the head of the community museum, Christopher.

0:45:07 > 0:45:09- Hello.- Hi, Charles. - I'm Charles Hanson.

0:45:09 > 0:45:12Welcome to the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.

0:45:12 > 0:45:16Birmingham has a centuries-long history of producing jewellery,

0:45:16 > 0:45:20and this area was the powerhouse of the bauble business.

0:45:20 > 0:45:23This museum tells the story of the industry

0:45:23 > 0:45:26and preserves the factory of one manufacturer,

0:45:26 > 0:45:28Smith and Pepper, as it then was,

0:45:28 > 0:45:31for most of the 20th century.

0:45:33 > 0:45:38The Smith and Pepper factory opened in 1899 and closed in 1981.

0:45:38 > 0:45:43It was a family business run by only two generations of the Smith family,

0:45:43 > 0:45:45and manufactured gold and silver jewellery.

0:45:47 > 0:45:49When the factory closed,

0:45:49 > 0:45:54it was left entirely as it had been on the last day of operation.

0:45:54 > 0:45:57The museum was built around it.

0:45:57 > 0:46:01First, Christopher is taking Charles into the office space.

0:46:01 > 0:46:04- Come on in.- It's amazing, isn't it?

0:46:04 > 0:46:06Well, I mean, you know, if you look at this space,

0:46:06 > 0:46:09- it could be a 1930s office. - Absolutely.- That's what it was.

0:46:09 > 0:46:12This was the sort of nerve centre of the firm.

0:46:12 > 0:46:14It was Miss Olive's territory

0:46:14 > 0:46:17because the partners were Olive, Tom and Eric.

0:46:17 > 0:46:21- Yes.- A family business. And she ran the office.- Yes.

0:46:21 > 0:46:23And you can see the boxes on the wall there

0:46:23 > 0:46:25where the stuff would be sent around the world,

0:46:25 > 0:46:27the various things made at Smith and Pepper.

0:46:27 > 0:46:30- Yes.- And then as you look around the office,

0:46:30 > 0:46:32you can see the dumbwaiter over there,

0:46:32 > 0:46:35where orders were sent down to the factory floor

0:46:35 > 0:46:37and the finished goods came back up.

0:46:37 > 0:46:39Miss Olive also ran a tight ship.

0:46:39 > 0:46:42There were various standards that had to be kept to.

0:46:42 > 0:46:45And one of the key ones was that the workers stayed downstairs

0:46:45 > 0:46:47and office staff stayed upstairs.

0:46:47 > 0:46:50And there's a great story that when it first opened as a museum,

0:46:50 > 0:46:51in 1992,

0:46:51 > 0:46:54there was a grand opening and the men from the workshop

0:46:54 > 0:46:56came up to the office and it was the first time

0:46:56 > 0:46:59they'd ever been upstairs in the factory.

0:46:59 > 0:47:01Christopher is going to take Charles downstairs

0:47:01 > 0:47:03to the manufacturing floor,

0:47:03 > 0:47:06which has also been preserved in working order.

0:47:08 > 0:47:12We are now stepping into the 1899 factory.

0:47:12 > 0:47:14It is just incredible.

0:47:14 > 0:47:17It almost looks as though nothing has happened.

0:47:20 > 0:47:23The various different machines created the components of jewellery

0:47:23 > 0:47:27from gold or silver bullion, which were then soldered together.

0:47:27 > 0:47:29Clive there is working at the jeweller's bench.

0:47:29 > 0:47:32And the job of the jeweller in this particular factory

0:47:32 > 0:47:33was mainly soldering.

0:47:33 > 0:47:35It was literally connecting the various components

0:47:35 > 0:47:38that had been produced through the other machinery.

0:47:38 > 0:47:40It is skilled work. You would have been a man to do this.

0:47:40 > 0:47:42And you would have had lots of training.

0:47:42 > 0:47:44So, at the moment, it's Clive.

0:47:44 > 0:47:46Clive looks as though he is smoking a pipe.

0:47:46 > 0:47:48Yeah. He is using a blow pipe.

0:47:48 > 0:47:50This is the traditional method

0:47:50 > 0:47:53of controlling the temperature of the flame.

0:47:53 > 0:47:55Don't burn yourself, Clive. That's a big flame.

0:47:55 > 0:47:57It wouldn't be the first time.

0:47:57 > 0:47:58THEY LAUGH

0:47:58 > 0:48:00Careful!

0:48:00 > 0:48:01I'll take you over now

0:48:01 > 0:48:04- to look at another piece of technological wonderment.- Yes.

0:48:04 > 0:48:06- Which is our drop stamp pit. - Wonderful.

0:48:06 > 0:48:07It sounds very interesting.

0:48:07 > 0:48:11The drop stamp literally stamps a decorative design

0:48:11 > 0:48:12into a piece of metal.

0:48:12 > 0:48:17- Can we see it in action?- Yeah, we'll ask Clive to demonstrate.

0:48:17 > 0:48:19- A basic piece of metal.- Yes.

0:48:19 > 0:48:22And the stamp will actually create the design on it

0:48:22 > 0:48:24through sheer force.

0:48:24 > 0:48:25- Is it going to just drop?- Yep.

0:48:29 > 0:48:30Crikey!

0:48:32 > 0:48:34Oh, I say! Then, obviously, by that stamp,

0:48:34 > 0:48:37you create this wonderful, what I was suppose you would call

0:48:37 > 0:48:40- repousse work or embossed relief. - Yeah, yeah.

0:48:40 > 0:48:42Well, that certainly made an impression on Charles.

0:48:42 > 0:48:46With that, it is time for him to hit the road.

0:48:46 > 0:48:50It has been invigorating, so thanks, Chris, really good.

0:48:50 > 0:48:52- Is it this way out?- Yes.- Thank you.

0:48:58 > 0:49:00Elsewhere, Charlie Ross has travelled on to Ironbridge

0:49:00 > 0:49:03in Shropshire.

0:49:03 > 0:49:06Completed in 1779, the bridge which gives the town its name

0:49:06 > 0:49:12was the first arched bridge in the world to be made from cast iron.

0:49:12 > 0:49:16Today, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

0:49:16 > 0:49:20Charlie is heading into the Curio Centre.

0:49:22 > 0:49:25- Hello.- Mr Ross.- How very formal.

0:49:25 > 0:49:27- Charlie.- How are you?- Hello.

0:49:30 > 0:49:32What a super thing!

0:49:34 > 0:49:37Oh, now, there is something that takes my eye.

0:49:37 > 0:49:39See that little whisky noggin?

0:49:39 > 0:49:43It's a small jug for an individual measure of whisky.

0:49:43 > 0:49:46In a smart Scottish country house, if you had a dinner party,

0:49:46 > 0:49:4920 people round, every single person would have one of those.

0:49:49 > 0:49:51That's right, yeah.

0:49:51 > 0:49:55Charlie does seem smitten with the noggin, but the ticket price

0:49:55 > 0:49:58is £175, well over his current budget

0:49:58 > 0:50:01of £101.78.

0:50:01 > 0:50:04What can Simon do for trade?

0:50:04 > 0:50:06You're probably looking at around 140.

0:50:06 > 0:50:08- Oh! I'm getting closer. - I know you are.

0:50:08 > 0:50:11These aren't mine, unfortunately, these are somebody else's.

0:50:11 > 0:50:14- Bother! I love that... - It's a shame.- ...with a passion.

0:50:14 > 0:50:18- It comes with the little silver label, as well.- Yes, it does.

0:50:18 > 0:50:22Now look at that. That is for putting your whisky in.

0:50:22 > 0:50:24Charlie loves the whisky noggin so much

0:50:24 > 0:50:28that he might be willing to sell one of his other items to Simon

0:50:28 > 0:50:30to make the cash he needs to buy it.

0:50:30 > 0:50:33He is thinking of sacrificing the pocket watch he bought earlier.

0:50:33 > 0:50:35Well, I never did!

0:50:35 > 0:50:38I am willing to trade with you.

0:50:38 > 0:50:40If the price is right.

0:50:40 > 0:50:43I'm loving this! I'm loving the way this is going.

0:50:43 > 0:50:46- I can show it to you.- I'd like to see it, yeah, definitely.

0:50:46 > 0:50:51- Look at this exceptional object, sir. - OK, blow me away.

0:50:51 > 0:50:54It is all nicely hallmarked around the top.

0:50:54 > 0:50:58I mean, obviously, it is a bit of a basic sort of model.

0:50:58 > 0:51:00That's £39.22 you need?

0:51:00 > 0:51:03- £38.22 to you, sir.- OK, yes, we'll buy this off you for that.

0:51:03 > 0:51:05That's fine. I'm happy with that.

0:51:05 > 0:51:11Charlie's clever trading means he has only paid £121.78

0:51:11 > 0:51:13for the whisky noggin.

0:51:13 > 0:51:18That is £101.78 in cash and the £20 he got the watch for.

0:51:18 > 0:51:19Job done.

0:51:19 > 0:51:24Time for a quick recap to see who bought what, and for how much.

0:51:24 > 0:51:27Charlie Ross started this leg with £211.78.

0:51:27 > 0:51:30He has spent everything on four lots.

0:51:30 > 0:51:35A whiskey noggin, a selection of war medals, an Imari charger

0:51:35 > 0:51:38and some Nixon campaign cigarettes.

0:51:38 > 0:51:41Charles Hanson, meanwhile, started out with £164.

0:51:41 > 0:51:45He spent £150 and has four lots to show for it.

0:51:45 > 0:51:49He bought a novelty gnome inkwell, a colliery company stamp,

0:51:49 > 0:51:54binoculars paired with a couple of bowls, and a decoupage screen.

0:51:54 > 0:51:55As you do.

0:51:55 > 0:51:59But what do they really think about each other's buys?

0:51:59 > 0:52:03Charles, I can tell from the table, had a very hard time of it,

0:52:03 > 0:52:06but he saved himself with this.

0:52:06 > 0:52:10Charlie, goodness me, you bought a big slap-up plate for £45?

0:52:10 > 0:52:15Overly priced. You bought an amusing noggin with a label.

0:52:15 > 0:52:19Being a gambling man, I would go for Hanson. Who is he? That's me.

0:52:20 > 0:52:22Well, well, the gloves are off.

0:52:22 > 0:52:25This promises to be a heavyweight showdown.

0:52:26 > 0:52:28Today, our princely pair have wandered over 200 miles

0:52:28 > 0:52:31through the dreaming byways of England

0:52:31 > 0:52:33from Cannock in Staffordshire

0:52:33 > 0:52:36to end up at their auction in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

0:52:38 > 0:52:41Stroud is a terribly well appointed Cotswolds town

0:52:41 > 0:52:42with a proud tradition

0:52:42 > 0:52:46of textile manufacture stretching back through the centuries.

0:52:46 > 0:52:49Let's hope Charles and Charlie

0:52:49 > 0:52:51have cut their cloth to fit today's saleroom.

0:52:53 > 0:52:55They are heading for Stroud Auction Rooms,

0:52:55 > 0:52:58which holds monthly antiques and specialists sales.

0:53:01 > 0:53:04You know, they are hungry for antiques, Charlie, hungry.

0:53:04 > 0:53:06Shame we didn't buy any.

0:53:06 > 0:53:08Cheeky.

0:53:08 > 0:53:10No manners.

0:53:10 > 0:53:13With his gavel poised is today's auctioneer, James Taylor.

0:53:15 > 0:53:19First up, we have Charlie's lovely little glass whisky noggin.

0:53:19 > 0:53:22Will the punters be tempted to take a nip?

0:53:22 > 0:53:26Lot of commission interest means I'm straight in at £130,

0:53:26 > 0:53:27looking for 140.

0:53:27 > 0:53:30At £130 with me now. Looking for 140.

0:53:30 > 0:53:32140. 150. Still with me. Is there 160?

0:53:32 > 0:53:36- At £150 on commission now. - Thank you, Stroud!- At £150.

0:53:36 > 0:53:39I am selling to the book now at 150...

0:53:39 > 0:53:41I'm thrilled!

0:53:41 > 0:53:45What a start! Chin-chin, old chap.

0:53:45 > 0:53:47Another for Charlie Ross now.

0:53:47 > 0:53:50It's his war medals going under the hammer.

0:53:50 > 0:53:52Bids straight in with me at £38.

0:53:52 > 0:53:55- Brilliant.- They are geniuses here!

0:53:55 > 0:53:57With me, 50. I'm out at 50. Now, is there five?

0:53:57 > 0:54:00At £50, they are off the book, in the room, looking for five.

0:54:00 > 0:54:04- These auctioneers are geniuses. - In the room now at 50...

0:54:04 > 0:54:08Well, Charlie has won that battle, but will he win the war?

0:54:09 > 0:54:12Well battled.

0:54:12 > 0:54:15Now, Charles Hanson's colliery company stamp,

0:54:15 > 0:54:17acquired from some local legal eagles.

0:54:18 > 0:54:21A fair amount of commission interest means I'm straight in at £50.

0:54:21 > 0:54:24At £50, the bid is with me, now looking for five.

0:54:24 > 0:54:26- 55. 60, still with me. Is there five?- Slowed down.

0:54:26 > 0:54:29- At £60, it is still with me now. - It could still go higher. Oh, God.

0:54:29 > 0:54:31At £70, still on commission now,

0:54:31 > 0:54:34looking for five. At £70, it is on the book now, looking for five.

0:54:34 > 0:54:37- 75.- Oh, stop, no higher, please.

0:54:37 > 0:54:39At £75, it's off the book, in the room. Looking for 80.

0:54:39 > 0:54:41At £75, I'm selling to the room now at 75...

0:54:41 > 0:54:47I have to say, if I was the lawyer, I'd be hot on your heels.

0:54:47 > 0:54:50But he bought it fair and square, Charlie.

0:54:50 > 0:54:53That ruling is in Charles's favour.

0:54:53 > 0:54:56And with that, the young pretender steals the lead.

0:54:56 > 0:55:01Next up is Charlie's Imari charger.

0:55:01 > 0:55:04Might it find favour with the crowd?

0:55:04 > 0:55:07And the bid's straight in with me at £50 now. Is there five?

0:55:07 > 0:55:10- Well done!- At £50. The bid's on commission now. Looking for five.

0:55:10 > 0:55:12At £50, selling now, maiden bid on the book.

0:55:12 > 0:55:1355. 60 is with me. And five, sir?

0:55:13 > 0:55:1565 takes me out. In the room now, it's at 70.

0:55:15 > 0:55:18At £65, it is off the book and in the room, looking for 70.

0:55:18 > 0:55:23At £65, I'm selling to the room now at 65...

0:55:23 > 0:55:28- Well done.- It doesn't quite charge away, but a success nevertheless.

0:55:28 > 0:55:31But not quite enough to catch up with Charles.

0:55:31 > 0:55:36The gnomish inkwell is up next. Can it magic up a profit?

0:55:36 > 0:55:40- And the bid is straight in with me at £55.- Got it!

0:55:40 > 0:55:43At £55 it's on commission now, looking for 60. At 55. 60.

0:55:43 > 0:55:45Five, still with me. Is there 70?

0:55:45 > 0:55:47At £65, it is still with me now, looking for 70.

0:55:47 > 0:55:5070 and five. Still with me. Is there 80? At £75.

0:55:50 > 0:55:52That's good, Charlie.

0:55:52 > 0:55:55At £75, selling on the book at 75...

0:55:55 > 0:55:59- 80 takes me out on the internet. - £80! Oh, yes! Good man.

0:55:59 > 0:56:01There, there, Charlie.

0:56:01 > 0:56:03At £80, I'm selling it away to the net now at 80.

0:56:04 > 0:56:07- Premier place to come for a sale. - Marvellous result.

0:56:07 > 0:56:09Oh, you are a good sport, Charlie.

0:56:09 > 0:56:12And an almost supernatural result on the inkwell.

0:56:12 > 0:56:16The young buck solidifies his lead.

0:56:16 > 0:56:18Bids from everywhere.

0:56:18 > 0:56:22Next, Charlie's naughty Nixon campaign cigarettes.

0:56:22 > 0:56:25There it is, bid straight in with me at £30.

0:56:25 > 0:56:27At £30 on commission now, looking for two.

0:56:27 > 0:56:31At £30. It's on the book now, looking for two. 32. 35 is me.

0:56:31 > 0:56:3438, sir? At £35, it is still on commission, now looking for eight.

0:56:34 > 0:56:38At £35. I'm selling on the book now for 35...

0:56:38 > 0:56:42A fabulous profit. No whitewash needed here.

0:56:42 > 0:56:46But Charles still has the upper hand with two lots to go.

0:56:46 > 0:56:50The job lot of field glasses and bowls next.

0:56:50 > 0:56:54- And I have commission straight in at £40.- Get out of here!

0:56:54 > 0:56:58- It's on commission now, looking for two.- Come on!

0:56:58 > 0:57:02- At £40, I'm selling it away. On the book at 40...- Sensational!

0:57:02 > 0:57:05- That's good.- That is a sensational result. I take my hat off to you.

0:57:05 > 0:57:10Charles was all of a flap when he bought them, but the lot has flown.

0:57:10 > 0:57:15And lastly, Charles's great hope, the decoupage screen.

0:57:15 > 0:57:16There it is.

0:57:16 > 0:57:20And I have commission interest straight in at £65.

0:57:20 > 0:57:23- Come on!- At £65, the bid is with me now, looking for 70.

0:57:23 > 0:57:27- 70. 75 with me. 80. I'm out at 80. In the room now.- Come on, one more.

0:57:27 > 0:57:29At £80, it's in the room now, looking for five.

0:57:29 > 0:57:32- At £80, off the book and in the room now, looking for five.- Told you.

0:57:32 > 0:57:35At £80, I'm selling to the room now at 80...

0:57:35 > 0:57:38It is a topsy-turvy day.

0:57:38 > 0:57:41The screen they both rated highly barely scrapes by,

0:57:41 > 0:57:45but Charles is in such fine fettle that it scarcely matters.

0:57:45 > 0:57:47I'm happy, Charlie.

0:57:47 > 0:57:49- Come on, old man, let's go.- Bye.

0:57:49 > 0:57:54- Are you coming?- No.- Put your hand up, then. Give me your hand.

0:57:54 > 0:57:56Ready? Three, two, one.

0:57:56 > 0:58:01Charlie Ross started this leg with £211.78.

0:58:01 > 0:58:04After auction costs, he made a profit of £34.22,

0:58:04 > 0:58:08giving him £246 to carry forward.

0:58:08 > 0:58:10Well done, old bean.

0:58:10 > 0:58:12But Charles Hanson, meanwhile,

0:58:12 > 0:58:15started with a diminished £164.

0:58:15 > 0:58:19He won this leg, though, with a handsome profit of £75.50,

0:58:19 > 0:58:25meaning that he is now nipping at Charlie's heels with £239.50

0:58:25 > 0:58:26to carry forwards.

0:58:26 > 0:58:30Oh, dear! Sounds like we've got a shotgun on board.

0:58:30 > 0:58:33MOTOR REVS

0:58:33 > 0:58:35- Goodbye, Stroud.- Goodbye, Stroud.