Episode 14 Antiques Road Trip

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

I love that!

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

Yippee!

Sometimes a man is in need.

The aim? To make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers!

Knobbly knick-knacks!

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

It landed on the rug!

This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

Jostling for pole position on this road trip

are intrepid master antiquarians Charles Hanson and Charlie Ross.

Worldly-wise Charlie Ross is a record-breaking auctioneer,

with over 25 years' experience.

He knows what he wants when he sees it.

I want that! I want that! I want that!

While the hungry young pretender Charles Hanson is an auctioneer

and valuer that will do almost anything to seal a deal.

The car! The car needs washing. I'll wash the car, anything else?

Both Charles and Charlie started on £200, and after the first leg,

Charlie has £226.30 to splash on more goodies.

Charles, however, is sliding backwards,

and starts this leg on only £172.20.

So, he'll be hoping for success today to get him back in the game.

Charles and Charlie are cruising in a 1971 Triumph TR6.

But it hasn't always been plain sailing.

I can't get it into gear.

Let's hope it's more reliable on this leg of the trip, eh?

Charles and Charlie are travelling around 500 miles

through the glorious heartlands of England -

from Tarporley in Cheshire

to Itchen Stoke, near Winchester, in Hampshire.

On this leg of the trip, they begin in Chesterfield,

and end up 50 miles away at an auction in Grantham.

-This is your county!

-Absolutely!

-Derbyshire is a great cricketing county.

-Yeah!

We're also heading to a wonderful, wonderful town with a wonky spire.

The wonky spire is an iconic landmark

in the town of Chesterfield, which is the chaps' first stop.

It's time for Charlie's bargain-buying blitz to begin.

And Charles wants him to look for real antiques today,

and steer away from his usual knobbly knick-knacks.

-Stop it! Give me my hat!

-Get inside!

Give me my hat! Give me my hat!

Dear, oh, dear! What on earth is Charlie wearing?!

-See you later! Be big and be bold.

-Natty(!)

-I'll be big and bold.

Marlene and I - we're going to hit it off.

Best foot forward!

CHARLIE HUMS

-You must be Marlene.

-I am that. And you must be Charlie.

-I am indeed.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you.

-You can have a browse, do what you want.

-I'll have a good look.

Charlie's spotted a miniature portrait in a fake ivory frame,

with a ticket price of £38.

I'm just looking at a little thing here which is of no great age -

-although it might be Edwardian.

-Yeah.

It's probably as late as 1950s.

But, so what, because it's a charming object,

and I think we can safely say this is ivorine, or something.

Yes, I'd have thought so.

If I bought that, Charles would get frightfully cross with me

for buying something that isn't antique,

but, you know, who's winning the competition, Charles?

Yes, indeed. Good point, Charlie. Well made.

But what kind of deal can Marlene come up with?

How hard can you try on that?

-25.

-Can you...?!

That's trying quite hard, isn't it? So, I'm going to have that, if I may.

Right. I'm going into the deep depths behind.

Mind the step there, old boy.

Rummage, rummage!

Oh, what have you got here?!

-Hey!

-I know.

What do I like?

Knobbly knick-knack alert!

Charlie is fanatical about cricket,

and he's just spotted a Victorian cricket print.

Without a ticket price.

What do I love in life? Cricket!

Well, that explains the outfit.

"Whinger-worth Cricket Club Team..."

-"Winger-worth".

-Oh, I beg your pardon. Oh, what a fab thing!

I LOVE the image of it all!

-Is it ever so cheap?

-I can't price everything...

-This is priceless!

-You can imagine! You tell me how cheap.

-A fiver.

I'll pay a fiver for it.

If you want that for a fiver, you can have it for a fiver.

Are you sure? It's not everybody's cup of tea, is it, frankly?

But...it's wonderful!

I want that! I want that! I want that!

-Well, you have it, Charles.

-I want that. Fab.

Among the many items in Marlene's shop

is this Edwardian nursing chair with marquetry inlay.

That's caught Charlie's attention.

That would have been, originally, part of a nine-piece salon suite,

-I think, don't you?

-Yes.

-Look at all that workmanship.

-Yeah.

The ticket price on the chair is £30,

and Marlene is offering it for 15.

No, 15 quid. I'm not mincing around any more - 15 quid.

Deal done.

-I've got three bits, they'll all make a profit.

-Have a nice day!

Thank you so much for looking after me.

One shop down, and he's bought three items already,

which only cost him £45.

Meanwhile, it's Charles's turn to get shopping,

and his first shop is Bolsover Antique Centre,

where he's meeting Carol.

-I'm Charles.

-Pleased to meet you. My name's Carol.

-Hi. Great centre!

OK, time to unearth some real gems and get back in the game, Charles.

Peculiar coin.

"Walking stick penny, dated 1912."

-And stamped "RMS Titanic". Carol?

-Yes?

This little walking stick penny here...

Do you know who the owner is, at all?

Just ask him, was it stamped recently

or has it got some possible pedigree?

-I'll check on that.

-Thanks, Carol.

The Titanic coin has a ticket price of only £8.

But if it's genuine, it could be worth a lot more.

If that penny had been on board Titanic,

it's worth £1,000.

And the interesting thing is,

it's sitting in a cabinet that's full of real history.

So, who knows?

Carol has rung the dealer, who believes the coin to be genuine,

but Charles just isn't sure.

-I'll give it some thought.

-OK, that's fine.

-Thanks ever so much.

Thanks, Carol. Thanks.

Maybe I ought to go for a really rare carving,

or something that I have a passion for.

And with that in mind, young Charles has spotted not one,

but two rare Far Eastern carvings.

-I mean, this here has the old label that's come from a museum.

-Yeah.

An antiquities department.

The ticket price on this Indian goddess figure is a big 150.

I'm really tempted to go all Oriental, and speculate a bit.

Because life's too short.

This Chinese seated immortal figure is also £150.

And as both the carvings and the Titanic penny

are owned by the same dealer,

Charles wants to speak to him direct.

Hi, Ray.

Ray, if I bought all three items, being a Derbyshire man,

you'd want to meet me somewhere between 150 and 120, would you?

Ray, call it 140 and you've got a deal.

Are you sure, Ray? Go for it, he says.

Derbyshire man says go for it, I'll go for it.

Thanks, Ray. Going, going, gone. Sold. Thanks, Ray.

I'll take them all.

So, with that bumper deal done,

Charles has spent a huge £140 of his £172.20

on two tatty-looking Far Eastern carvings and the dubious penny.

Let's hope the gamble pays off, eh?

Meanwhile, Charlie Ross has travelled on

to the old spa town of Matlock,

where his search for knobbly knick-knacks

continues in Matlock Antiques.

-Hello, how are you doing?

-Hello, my dear. Are you the boss?

-Yeah, well, stand-in boss today.

-Lots of bosses. Are you all bosses?

-Boss, boss and boss, yeah.

-I'm Charlie, and you are?

-Lynne.

-Lynne.

-And Judy.

-And I'm Judy.

-Judy.

-And Margaret.

-LJM!

If you stay in that order, I'll remember.

Oh, lordy, Charlie, stop chatting up the ladies

and get down to the business of buying!

That really is unusually large, isn't it?

There's an amber cigarette holder down here with cheroot holder,

which appears to have a gold rim round it.

Ticket price on the cheroot holder is £8.50.

In its original box as well?

-Probably be a fiver, couldn't it?

-Probably could.

-Probably could.

Could you put that on one side, my dear?

That'll be another knobbly knick-knack, Charles, I'm afraid.

It's time, old boy, to start buying some real antiques.

Maybe Steve, who's a dealer here, can help.

Yeah, that might interest you, that one at the bottom.

Creamware jug.

Isn't that so primitive and delightful?

That ribbon, paintwork round the top, it's so crude, isn't it?

I mean, it's a real naive charm.

"When this you see, remember me

"And keep me in your mind

"Let all the world say what they will

"Speak of me as you find."

I think that's glorious.

Is that delightfully cheap in its horrible bashed state, or is it...?

20 quid, sir.

Do you know, at last today, I'm going to buy something that Charles Hanson,

my oppo, will REALLY like.

And if he doesn't like that, I'm going to pick it up and smack it over his head.

That's not exactly cricket, old bean.

Finally, Charles has found something he is really happy with.

He's off downstairs to retrieve the item Lynne has put aside for him.

I really would like that.

Well, the gold. You can have the other bit(!)

-HE LAUGHS

-Right, thank you!

-Right.

-I have only got a tenner. Would you give me a fiver?

-Fiver?

-Yeah, £5 is fine.

-That seems a very reasonable deal.

-Been lovely to meet you, ladies.

-Lovely to meet you, yes. Come and see us again.

-Bye-bye.

It's the end of Charlie's Matlock bargain-buying bonanza. Oh, lordy!

The chaps are heading from Derbyshire

across the border into Nottinghamshire.

They're on their way to the bustling old market town of Mansfield.

Robin Hood's legendary Sherwood Forest lies just to the east.

-So, this is my stop, Charlie.

-It is.

-This is where we depart.

-Good luck, keep in touch.

-Good luck.

Charlie's first stop is a little shop owned by Jonathan Selby.

That's quite stylish.

This is interesting. What are these two cupboards down here all about?

Charles has spotted the set of watch restorer's cabinets,

in pine and mahogany, that came from a house clearance.

We've got drawers full of...

Goodness me, look at that!

Old straps in here.

Look. Any old strap.

You've got a really good mix of all sorts of clock parts

in the two cabinets.

There's a ticket price of £40 on each cabinet but, oh, dear,

Charles has only got £32.20 left in his back pocket.

What's the best price on the two together, mate?

JONATHAN SIGHS

-70.

-Really?

They could be quite good for auction, because they tell a story.

-What's the absolutely best price?

-To you, 65.

-Oh, no!

That's the very best?

He's not giving up, is he?

-£60.

-Oh, don't say that! I've got to walk away.

£30 each.

-I could buy one, but it would be nice to keep the two together.

-OK.

Because they come from one home.

But my entire money is £32.20.

Would you do me a deal?

-For one?

-For two.

-For two? No, I can't do two.

-Aww!

I couldn't do a job for you?

-No, I think I've got everything covered.

-Oh, come on!

Oh, come on, Jonathan. Just look at his little face!

Not wishing to give up yet,

Charles has even asked the rest of Jonathan's family for suggestions.

The car, the car needs washing! I'll wash the car. Anything else?

Got a falconry aviary, you can clean it.

You can clean the falconry aviary out!

Clean the aviary out? Are you serious? Where do you keep a falcon?

Jonathan's son keeps a falcon in the back garden.

Oh, Charles, what are you letting yourself into - guano?

Put it there. That's a job done. I've got to worry about this falcon.

There's no going back now, Charles.

Let's hope the bird's not in a bad mood, hey?

Wow. He looks like a gladiator.

-What's his name?

-Maximus.

-He is a gladiator.

-Yeah.

-And the cages...

-Oh, man!

-Yuck!

Oh, there's flies in here as well.

I told you - guano.

-Smells as well.

-Oh, dear.

-Oh, dear! OK.

-Charles...

-And this is just one night's mess?

-That's just one night's mess.

-It really smells, doesn't it?

-Oh, lordy!

Thanks, Jonathan. I really hope now that my lot makes a small profit.

Now go and wash your hands, Charles.

He's certainly game, isn't he, our boy?

So, with the deal done, he's walked away with two

watch restorer's cabinets for £32.20 and a clean birdcage.

Meanwhile, Charlie, or is that Billy Bunter,

has travelled southeast to Southwell,

a beautiful conservation town where Lord Byron once lived.

And with £156.30 still burning a hole in his pocket,

he is heading for a part of town called the Bull Yard,

to meet up with shopkeeper Julia.

-Knock, knock. Hello.

-Hello.

-I'm Charlie.

-Hello, nice to meet you.

Nice to see you. Thank you for letting me into your lovely shop.

-What a lovely town!

-It's fantastic, yeah.

-May I have a look around?

Yes, of course. Feel free.

He's rather...

I was going to say he's jolly. He is anything but jolly, isn't he?

A Spanish peasant from Valencia.

Now, that's a name on there, isn't there?

-I mean, this is what, 1880? 1860, 1880 date?

-I think so, yes.

-Yeah.

A watercolour, on paper. But it's got a good image.

I just wish he was smiling a bit more.

The 19th-century framed watercolour, by an artist called Luke Price,

has sparked Charlie's interest, but it has no ticket price attached.

I notice that he is priceless.

I was thinking something in the region of 65.

-Quite a teaser, that one, quite a teaser, that one!

-I'm open to offers.

Quite a teaser.

Canny Charlie is mulling that one over,

while he sees what else is on offer.

That's rather splendid.

Oh, that's wonderful!

What a great idea to go by my bed.

Clock and lamp. Or on my desk.

How brilliant! God, that's a great bit of Deco, isn't it?

The Art Deco brass-cased desk timepiece and lamp

have lit Charlie up, but at £245, it's way out of his budget.

What if I halve it - 120?

HE SIGHS

Am I tempting you?

I'd rather do a deal and you buy something

than you walk out with nothing.

If I gave you £100 cash, is that too mean?

The cheeky devil is still trying for a bigger discount!

120 on that, and I will throw in that picture as well.

-120, and you'll throw in the picture?

-Yes.

-Mwah!

-120 for that and that?

-Yes.

-Yeah?

-Yippee!

-Deal.

-Oh, you've made an old man very happy.

-Good.

-I love that.

What a terrific deal! Two items for less than half the original price.

-That is just fab!

-You're very welcome.

-Yum.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

And, Hanson, if you call these knobbly knick-knacks,

I'll have your guts for garters.

So, with those final purchases in the bag,

the old boy is done with shopping.

Time for Charlie to hop back in the Triumph TR6

and motor east to Newark, to the home of an intriguing collector.

-How are you?

-I'm very well, thank you.

-How lovely to see you.

John Mollins, also known as the Iron Man,

has made it his life's work to preserve one of Britain's

most enduring domestic appliances - the iron.

He has a collection of around 800.

Good grief!

# Oh, any old iron Any old iron

# Any, any, any old iron... #

And 240 of these make up the world's largest collection

of British gas irons.

What made you buy your first iron?

In my house, we had a stone fireplace, and I thought,

"What's missing is a few oil lamps or heating to go by the bed."

And when I saw an iron, I thought, "That'll look nice on the hearth."

In the near 40 years that John has been collecting,

he's gathered examples of all types of irons from throughout history.

When was the first traditional what I would call an iron?

And they all seem to be more or less the same shape.

It was called a sad iron.

-S-A-D?

-Yeah, S-A-D, or flat iron.

-Why sad?

Because it looks like a lump of...nothing.

The sad, or flat, iron was heated on an open fire or stove.

After that came the charcoal iron...

-Blimey, that looks an extraordinary piece of kit.

-Yeah.

..which was heated by filling it with embers from the fire.

That looks extraordinary. It looks like a dreadnought.

These look quite interesting contraptions.

-The ones with the holes in the side.

-Spirit irons.

The spirit iron works by burning paraffin or methylated spirits to heat the sole.

And if ironing with a container full of highly-flammable liquid

wasn't dangerous enough, then how about the gas iron,

-invented around 1859?

-And they all work on the same principle -

a flexible hose from the mains gas, connected to the iron.

The gas is lit as it comes in?

Yeah, it would have been a box-of-matches job, and a big bang.

-Quite a dangerous thing, isn't it?

-Very dangerous.

-Must have blown up!

By the 1930s, housewives not only wanted the iron to function well,

but also to look pretty.

And multicoloured gas irons came on the market for those who could afford them.

-The standard was mottled grey.

-Yes.

-You paid a little bit more for a bit...

-For a flash colour.

-For a flash colour.

-What's the most you've ever paid for an iron?

Come on, I'm asking you the question!

£1,000.

Crikey!

This one. Very rare iron.

-That's one of the gems.

-Well done.

So, why do you collect irons?

I just like the way they are manufactured,

and the beautiful casting.

I just like to maintain something in history.

Well, it's an amazing collection. And presumably, you aren't finished?

-There are still one or two gems out there.

-Yeah.

Now, I take it that you are an expert ironer yourself?

Not very good at all.

I seem to end with more creases than I started with.

HE LAUGHS

I mean, you are interested in the manufacture of them,

where they come from and how rare they are.

You're not interested in how well they iron?

-Couldn't care less if they iron or not.

-CHARLIE LAUGHS

On that note, I think I will go home and do some ironing.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you for coming.

-Absolutely wonderful.

With all the shopping completed,

it's time for a quick reminder of how our experts splashed their cash.

Charlie Ross started this leg with £226.30,

and has spent £190 to make up six lots.

He invested in a Victorian cricket print, an Edwardian nursing chair,

a gold cheroot holder paired with a framed portrait,

an Art Deco lamp and a desk clock,

a Valencian peasant watercolour

and, finally, a 300-year-old creamware jug.

Meanwhile, Charles Hanson started with a mere £172.20.

He spent the lot and cleaned out a birdcage to buy his four lots -

a Titanic coin, a pair of watch cabinets,

a Chinese lacquered Immortal and a carving of a mythical goddess.

But what do they really think, eh?

He's bought a wonderful lamp, the more I looked at it,

the more it shined a spark of a profit,

and nearly everything he's bought

I'm unnerved by.

I can't believe he bought a bit of Titanic frippery.

And for Charles to say, "Do you think they gave them to everybody

"as they were going on board?,"

yes, Charles, I think they did, just in case it sank(!)

I love the Indian figure.

Do I know what it's worth? I haven't got a clue,

and full marks to him for having a go.

And Charles is all about having a go.

And now, it's onwards to the auction.

On their road trip, these two proper Charlies have travelled from

Chesterfield in Derbyshire to Grantham in Lincolnshire.

Golding Young of Grantham have over a century's worth of auctioneering

experience, but they move with the times,

and today's lots will also be bid for online.

Colin Young is today's auctioneer, with his hand firmly on the gavel.

First up, it's Charlie's Victorian cricket print.

But will it bowl the auction crowd over?

Start me at six. Six, six bid. At six bid, let's get on, then.

-Well done!

-At six bid. Eight anywhere else? Surely.

-Get it sold!

-Eight bid, ten bid, 12 bid.

-Oh, it's flying!

-15. 18 now. 18 bid?

-At £15 bid...

-Well done, Charlie.

-15 at the back of the room.

At 15, we're done, we're finished, and we'll sell this time at £15.

-Marvellous!

-Well done, Charlie. Well done.

-Congratulations.

Well, that knocked them for six. Good start, Charlie.

And he is up again,

with the Edwardian nursing chair with marquetry inlay.

So, if everyone is sitting comfortably,

let the bidding commence.

20 to go, then, surely. £20, anybody? 20?

Ten if we must. £10 to go, surely?

£10, it's only £2.50 a leg.

Ten, 12, 15, 15, 18, 18, 20, £20 a bid.

-Two bid, five, no?

-Ooh, madam!

-22 bid.

Well done, bean.

At 22, the last call now. 25, 28, now 28 bid.

-30 do I see now?

-Well done, Charlie.

-Last call at £28...

Another small profit, increasing Charlie's lead.

You're flying. And I commend you.

And now it's Charles's turn, with his coin stamped "RMS Titanic".

Will his treasure sink or swim?

Who's going to start me at £100?

-Rare thing.

-100, 100?

-Rare thing.

-50 to go, then. 50.

-Come on.

30, then.

30. £10 bid, ten. 12 anywhere else now?

£10 a bid, 12 do I see now? £12 a bid. 12 do I see now?

12 bid, 15 bid, 15 bid, 18 bid, 20 bid. Two now. 22.

25 bid. 28, 28, bid 30.

-30 bid, 32, 35, 38...

-Come on!

£35 a bid. 38 now, surely? At £35 a bid. 36, 38.

At 38 bid. At 38 bid, do I see 40? 40 bid.

-Oh!

-42 now. Any more? No?

At £40, we're done and finished, and selling this time at £40.

-Great!

-I think my road trip has hit an iceberg.

-Thank you very much.

Your ship's come in with that tidy profit, Charles.

You're back in the game.

Charlie's turn now, with his amber and gold cheroot holder,

and a portrait framed in fake ivory.

30 to go then, surely. £30, anyone? 30. Come on. 30 on the net.

At 30 bid. 32 anywhere else now, surely?

At 32, 35... 35 in the room. Any more now?

At 35, last call, selling at £35.

A small profit, but a profit nonetheless.

But Charles is still in the lead.

-Look at me.

-I have looked at you quite enough today.

It's Charlie again, with the Art Deco lamp and desk timepiece.

Start me at 100 for it. 100, 100? 80 to go then, surely. £80, anybody?

I'll take 50 if we have to, but that really will be giving it away.

50, 50 bid. Five anywhere else now? £50 a bid. Five, surely?

-Well done.

-Now do I see 55? I've got five, 55.

Bid 60. 60, 65.

70, 70 bid.

-I've got 75.

-Well done, Charlie.

-80 in the room.

-That's better.

80, no more here. £80 bid. Five anywhere else now? £80 in the room.

Five is the last call, then. Are we all done?

Selling this time at the back of the room at £80.

A stinging blow for Charlie there. He'd hoped for more than that.

Up next are Charles's watch cabinets that cost him

an afternoon cleaning a falcon's cage.

Will they fly for him today?

-Who's going to start me on this lot? £40, 40.

-Come on.

-£40, anybody? 40.

£40 bid straight in.

-Ooh!

-£40 a bid, at £40 bid, anyone else now?

Is anybody else going to join in? 42. 45, 48. Bid 50. And five?

-I'll ask you for two, if you like.

-One more!

52? No, £50 bid, anywhere else?

Last call, done and finished, selling down here at £50.

-Well done!

-Good man. I'm happy.

Charles is happy, and so was the falcon.

Next is Charlie's Valencian peasant watercolour, by Luke Price.

Could the price be right today?

50 to go, then, surely. £50, anyone? 50?

Let's get everybody excited. Start me at £20.

£10?

£10? I thought you were going to bid on your own item for a minute!

At 10... 12 bid. 15 do I see now? At 12 bid.

15 bid. 15. At 18 bid.

-At 18, it's on the internet.

-On the internet?

-It is.

-It's going to the National Gallery!

Yes. Or the National Asylum.

-LAUGHTER

-18 bid. 20 or up now, then.

Selling at £18.

I can do no more for you, gentlemen.

The auctioneer did his best there,

but that's another disappointment for Charlie.

£18. Look at me.

How will Charles's gamble on his carvings go?

First under the hammer is the Chinese lacquered Immortal.

£50, anybody? 50?

-30 to go, then, surely.

-I don't believe it.

20 to go, then, surely. £20.

-I'm going down.

-Faith!

At 22 bid. 25, 28.

28, bid 30.

32, 35, 38.

It's worth a gamble. It's worth a gamble.

42, 45, 48. Bid 50.

50, do I see? 50. 55?

At 50, last call in the room, selling at £50.

Shame.

Oh, dear, the gamble failed, and that's knocked his profit.

There's not much between the two now.

It's the turn of Charlie's oldest antique -

the 300-year-old creamware jug.

Who's going to start me at, what, £50 for it? £50, anybody? 50?

-50?

-It's a real bargain.

-30? 20 to go, then, surely.

£20, we'll give it away at 20. £20, who's going to join in? 20 bid.

At 20... 25.

25. 28 now. At 25 bid.

28 on the internet. 30 on the net.

32 in the room. 32 in the room.

35. 38 now. 38 bid.

Going this time at 38 in the front row.

-Well done, sir.

-Well done, sir.

Not what he had hoped for, but these two are neck-and-neck.

It all rides on Charles's final lot, his mythological goddess.

Let's start at £100 for it, 100. Bit of an unknown quantity.

-It is, absolutely.

-Certainly is.

-Let's gamble.

-100? 80 to go.

-Rare thing.

-50 to go, then, surely.

OK, start at £20 for something that's, what, 350 years old?

-Absolutely.

-Thank you.

£20 a bid. At £20, two do I see now? 22, 25, five bid?

28, 28, 30, 32, 35, five bid, 38.

40, at £40 a bid. 45, 45, 48, 48, 50.

£50 a bid. 50, 55, 60...

Come on, sir, one more!

-Look, it's his money, not yours!

-One for the road.

He might buy you a cup of coffee, you never know your luck!

60 on the net. At 60. 65, no? 60, it's on the net, then.

Two if it's going to help you out.

Last bid is on the internet, selling at £60.

-You never know how far that online bidder may have gone.

-Probably 62.

Charles's speculation on the mythological goddess

didn't win out on this occasion, but has it put him off trying?

After all that verbiage, you're back where you started.

Charlie, my plan won't change. I will continue my art of speculation.

-Or just wishy-washy along in the middle.

-No.

-One day, I will get it right, and I will make our fortune.

-OUR fortune?

-Our fortune.

-Well done, old bean.

Charles Hanson started this leg with £172.20, and after auction costs

has lost £8.20, leaving him with £164 for the next leg.

Charlie Ross, meanwhile, began this leg with £226.30.

After costs, he's lost £14.52,

giving him £211.78 going forward.

Funny old game, isn't it?

-All that work, and we're back where we started.

-I know.

-But, Charlie, you've got to keep speculating.

-I will!

You know, I am determined to either be the victor at over £1,000,

or take myself back to zero.

Cometh the man, cometh the hour, cometh to Walsall.

Walsall... HORN TOOTS

-..here we come.

-Exactly.

And on to the next leg, boys.

-You know what they say, don't you?

-What?

The sun shines on the righteous.

Why it's shining on you, I don't know.

Oh, do behave!

Oh this road trip, Charles

and Charlie will travel around 500 miles

through England's green and pleasant lands,

from Tarporley in Cheshire

to Itchen Stoke,

near Winchester, in Hampshire.

Today, they are beginning their shopping in Cannock,

in Staffordshire,

aiming for their auction in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

They are just approaching Cannock,

where Charlie is dropping Charles off at his first shop,

with £164 burning a hole in his pocket.

Near here in 2009, a magnificent hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold

and silver was unearthed.

Let's hope Charles discovers similar treasures at Peppermill Antiques.

Lovely name!

-Enjoy Lichfield, OK? See you later.

-Bye.

Wow. This really is antiques on an industrial scale.

He's meeting owner Scott.

-Mr Scott Humphries.

-Charles Hanson.

Now, I am on the hunt, you know, maybe for the Hanson hoard.

I think you are going to have to have a look round.

Look at that interior. Beautiful.

Feel like I'm in a bedroom here.

Something hidden in the corner has caught Charles's eagle eye.

Not very well displayed is what we call a decoupage screen.

Decoupage is the craft of decorating objects with scraps of glued

and varnished paper.

This screen, dating from the late 1800s,

is a nice example of a style then popular,

but it bears some serious damage.

Charles is off to ask Scott about it.

Ticket price is a whopping £595.

Four-fold screen, what is the best price on that?

I can do that for 100.

Crikey, Moses!

I know it has got a bit of damage, that's why

it's priced quite reasonable.

It's... I mean, £100 is very reasonable,

but having lost this money so far,

I just think maybe the condition almost outweighs its potential.

Is 100 your best price?

I could do it at 85.

-That is your very best?

-£80.

-£80.

I might leave here and regret it

if I don't find anything else really to come up to that quality.

I might call you later.

Your best price, Scott, is?

70 to take it away today.

-Can I hold it?

-You can.

-Lovely.

Charles is at his most indecisive today.

He is not buying it now, but the scrap screen is held in reserve,

and Charles is off to his next shop.

Charlie Ross, meanwhile,

has headed for the cathedral city of Lichfield, Staffordshire

with £211.78 to play with.

Lichfield's heyday was in the 18th century,

when it was home to many great thinkers, including Samuel Johnson,

the learned author of the first authoritative English dictionary.

Let's hope Charlie can summon up some of that nous

as he heads into James A Jordan Antiques,

where he is meeting up with the eponymous James,

who, it turns out, is a friend of a friend...of a friend.

-Charlie Ross.

-Lovely to meet you, Charlie.

-I've heard a lot about you.

-Thank you very much.

From my opposition.

That Mr Charles Hanson.

-Charles passed on a little tip to me.

-Yeah.

He said, "When you go to see my good friend,"

he said, "Just ask him if he has got anything in the back."

Mmm.

Mmm. Are you sure Charles said that, Charlie?

Have you got anything in the back?

I'll have a look, see if there is anything there.

-What have you got there?

-Victorian silver pocket watch.

-Lovely.

-Swiss.

Swiss movement, English case.

-Continental silver?

-It is.

-We haven't met, hello.

-Hello, Yvette.

-Lovely to meet you.

-And you.

Key wind. Is it in working order or is that pushing it?

It is working, actually, yes.

Oh, look, it is ticking away beautifully.

-So, the date of that would be?

-That is about 1890 to 1900.

-Yeah.

-Lovely. How much is that, sir?

-I can do that for £30.

Can you really?

Because I was going to make you a pathetic offer of 15.

SHE SQUEALS

Did you hear that squeal? Would you like a seat, madam?

Hang on. Oh, dear.

Tell me what your best is and I'll see if I can match it.

20.

Marvellous.

Despite Yvette's shock at his cheeky offer,

Charles gets a great deal on the watch.

But it is not long before something else attracts his attention.

Here we have a taste of the Orient.

And how! A very large Imari charger.

Imari porcelain hails from the Japanese town of Arita.

A charger is a large decorative plate that can be used for display

or just to brighten up table settings.

-James, I am quite liking your enormous Imari charger.

-Yes.

I really like the colours.

Did it come right, as they say,

or did you have to get into a war to buy it?

-It came reasonable.

-Reasonable?

HE LAUGHS

-Hedging your bets there, are you?

-Yes.

The very best on that I could do is 50.

Oh, that is pretty competitive.

-Mmm-hmm.

-Oh, crumbs!

It would be insulting to offer 40, would it?

-Would you show me the door?

-Would you meet me halfway, 45?

Shake me by the hand, sir. That is really, really kind of you.

His first two buys, served up on a plate.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-A pleasure.

With any luck, we'll sink that old Hanson.

Charlie is still in a buying mood,

so he's heading just down the road to the Lichfield Antiques Centre.

It looks like he has uncovered an interesting

if controversial item - a smoking gun, if you will.

A-ha!

Richard Nixon advertising cigarettes.

So, these were done to promote

Richard Nixon's presidential campaign in 1972.

Richard Nixon was a two-term president of the USA.

The Watergate political scandal of the early 1970s resulted

in his resignation from the White House.

And to think that they actually produced king-sized filter

cigarettes to advertise his campaign.

Can you imagine anything worse today?

And they are...

£10. I think that is a great statement of history!

We don't like smoking, but we love historical statements.

Charlie is going to ask dealer Madeleine about them.

Ah, Madeleine! Madeleine, I'm here!

-I'm here.

-There you are.

-Could you show me something?

-Mmm-hmm.

Horrible habit, but a great, great statement of history.

They are priced up at £10.

I wouldn't be able to tell you whether they were expensive or cheap.

I think they are a bargain price, myself.

HE LAUGHS

Do you think whoever owns those would take a fiver for them or not?

What do you think?

-Cash!

-Go on.

I have never bought a second-hand pair of cigarettes before.

Well, I should think not.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for Charles.

He has just arrived at the same shop

and seems he is meeting another old friend.

He has got so many friends, that boy.

Good morning. How are you? Nice seeing you again.

Hello, Madeleine. I know this lady.

You seem to know everyone, Charles.

Look sharp, though, Carlos,

there is one more of your old acquaintances around.

-What are you doing here?

-How are you? Get on with it. And good luck.

Good luck to you, too. Go on, get out of here.

Get out of here.

This shop seems to have put Charles in an oddly esoteric mood.

I want to go mystical. I have a desire to go magical.

As luck would have it, Madeleine might have found just the thing.

What about the dwarf?

OK. Oh, I never saw him behind there.

That is quite novel. That is quite sweet.

It's a small novelty inkwell, including a gnome at a forge.

Ticket price, £68.

That is quite good. He hasn't been repainted. Can you see on his nose?

-He's... You can see the real wear, can't you?

-Yeah.

I'd have thought the material... Is it a pewter?

Some sort of base metal pewter? What is the best on that?

For you, Charles, if I said 20, would that help?

Maddie, you know what? Cometh the man, cometh the hour.

Sometimes, a man is in need, OK?

And when the man is in need, you meet a Madeleine.

Thanks, Madeleine. Thank you very, very much.

A magical first buy for Charles.

Time's running out, and he's getting himself into a bit of tizz.

Running, as usual.

I'm not sure where. Hello.

As he can't find any open antique shops,

Charles is concocting a rather unlikely plan.

There's actually a firm of lawyers I know down here.

They may have something in their offices for sale.

You never know.

Mmm.

You really have gone off book today, haven't you?

Luckily, Associate Solicitor Shelly

agrees to humour this crackpot enquiry.

-We've got something in here.

-Not the bookcase?

Not the bookcase, no, don't get excited.

-This box here?

-Yeah.

-May I take it out?

-Yeah. It is a bit heavy.

Oh, my goodness me!

What is it?

It is a company seal.

A company seal was used to mark official documents.

Crikey me!

Oh, that is wonderful, Shelly, that is really nice.

That is really nice. Wow!

It is a Cannock Colliery business seal.

-Wow, OK.

-But I don't know much more about it than that.

-I suppose date to 1890, 1900?

-Right.

-So it would work almost by placing a piece of paper into here?

-Yeah.

-Can we try it?

-That's fine, yeah.

OK, so you would obviously spin...

Oh, wonderful.

And there you've got the seal...

inscribed, "Cannock Colliery Company Limited."

It's a nice item and it is in good condition, as well.

Shelly, if I said to you I'd probably like to...

make an offer of £30?

-40.

-Look at me, I'm a man in need!

-I'm a man in need.

-OK, I will meet you in the middle, then.

-I am going to say yes.

-35?

-£35, you've got a deal.

-Deal.

-Thanks, Shelly.

Well, with a strikingly strange strategy,

Charles has managed to secure himself another buy.

Do you need a hand there, Carlos? That looks a bit lumpy.

The boys are heading to Walsall in the West Midlands.

Charles still needs more buys.

After wandering the streets for some time,

he spots a sign that looks promising.

Hello, sir. How are you?

I'm on a hunt, OK? I'm on a hunt.

Purely by chance, I've come down this street

and I can see on the wall there it says LP Antiques.

-Tell me, have you got antiques?

-We have got antiques, yeah.

Have you really? Can I come and have a look?

-Yes.

-Is that all right? Can I have a quick peek upstairs now?

This unit sells mainly reproduction furniture,

but Charles seems determined to gamble on this road trip,

so he has talked his way in for a look anyway.

Something might jump out at me.

Young upholsterer Rob has been dragooned into showing him around.

There is very little antique stock in the building,

as they no longer trade in it,

but Charles is determined to spy something.

They are quite nice, aren't they?

A pair of Parisian field glasses, which are quite neat.

They are quite good. They're probably First World War.

Maybe 1910, 1920.

These... Look, these belonged to a man from Lincolnshire.

Rob will need to ask his boss what they can be sold for.

Find out how much they are for the two together.

Yeah, for the two together.

And Charles has spotted a pair of wooden bowls, as you do.

£15 each. Or two for 25.

Two for 25?

I wonder, do you reckon she might throw me a couple of bowls in?

Just say, "For poor old Hans..."

Just tell her poor Hanson wonders,

could you throw in two wooden bowls as well?

Give her a call. Thanks, mate.

Young Rob might come back and I might get lucky.

But then again, if you don't ask, you don't get. Hold on, hold on.

-Yeah.

-Rob, this is a biggie.

-Hit me.

-Yep, the two.

-Yes! She said yes?

-Yeah.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-That's awesome. All the best.

Thanks, Rob. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

Awesome, he gets the lot for £25.

Once again, in the most unlikely of fashions,

Charles has managed to secure a bargain.

Well done, that man.

Charles now has three lots, but he wants one more.

He has decided to take the interesting

but damaged decoupage screen he saw back in Cannock.

Time for a call to dealer Scott.

What's the best price?

£70? Thanks ever so much. And I'll take it.

Deal done and Charles has got his lots for auction...just.

Charlie Ross, meanwhile,

has driven on to the West Midlands town of Halesowen.

He is strolling off into the shop Yesterday's World,

where dealers Jean and Ivan are in control.

-Hello.

-Good morning.

-You must be Jean.

-I am.

-I'm Charlie.

-Nice to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you, too.

Charlie has spotted a group of items that hint at the brave

and eventful life of their owner.

May I look at your First World War medals?

-Thanks, Jean, lovely.

-Thank you.

-And that is named to T Warner.

-That is the one.

The Royal Artillery. Gunner T Warner.

Now, that is interesting.

We have got a First World War to T Warner.

-And a Second.

-And two Second World Wars to T Warner.

-Yes.

-Crikey!

-Royal Artillery, it has got to be the same man.

-Same man.

-Blimey!

-You wouldn't think he'd have to go through it all again, would you?

-No.

The World War II medals are for service and defence.

Ivan is the military man, what could he let them go for?

50 for the three. Best deal.

If I bought them, for example, for £40...

I think if I could buy the three for £40,

I think I might make a tenner or something.

-I couldn't do better than 40.

-No. Could you do 40?

-Yeah.

I'm happy with that.

-Are you?

-Are you sure?

-Yes, we will go with that.

-I suspect that the lady takes the money.

-I do indeed.

You do the negotiating and you take the money.

-How's that?

-That's lovely.

And a gold star to Charlie, who has got another buy.

Charles Hanson, meanwhile, has travelled into central Birmingham.

He has finished his shopping,

so he is headed for the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter,

where he is going to learn about the history

of one of Birmingham's most important traditional industries.

He's meeting the head of the community museum, Christopher.

-Hello.

-Hi, Charles.

-I'm Charles Hanson.

Welcome to the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.

Birmingham has a centuries-long history of producing jewellery,

and this area was the powerhouse of the bauble business.

This museum tells the story of the industry

and preserves the factory of one manufacturer,

Smith and Pepper, as it then was,

for most of the 20th century.

The Smith and Pepper factory opened in 1899 and closed in 1981.

It was a family business run by only two generations of the Smith family,

and manufactured gold and silver jewellery.

When the factory closed,

it was left entirely as it had been on the last day of operation.

The museum was built around it.

First, Christopher is taking Charles into the office space.

-Come on in.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

Well, I mean, you know, if you look at this space,

-it could be a 1930s office.

-Absolutely.

-That's what it was.

This was the sort of nerve centre of the firm.

It was Miss Olive's territory

because the partners were Olive, Tom and Eric.

-Yes.

-A family business. And she ran the office.

-Yes.

And you can see the boxes on the wall there

where the stuff would be sent around the world,

the various things made at Smith and Pepper.

-Yes.

-And then as you look around the office,

you can see the dumbwaiter over there,

where orders were sent down to the factory floor

and the finished goods came back up.

Miss Olive also ran a tight ship.

There were various standards that had to be kept to.

And one of the key ones was that the workers stayed downstairs

and office staff stayed upstairs.

And there's a great story that when it first opened as a museum,

in 1992,

there was a grand opening and the men from the workshop

came up to the office and it was the first time

they'd ever been upstairs in the factory.

Christopher is going to take Charles downstairs

to the manufacturing floor,

which has also been preserved in working order.

We are now stepping into the 1899 factory.

It is just incredible.

It almost looks as though nothing has happened.

The various different machines created the components of jewellery

from gold or silver bullion, which were then soldered together.

Clive there is working at the jeweller's bench.

And the job of the jeweller in this particular factory

was mainly soldering.

It was literally connecting the various components

that had been produced through the other machinery.

It is skilled work. You would have been a man to do this.

And you would have had lots of training.

So, at the moment, it's Clive.

Clive looks as though he is smoking a pipe.

Yeah. He is using a blow pipe.

This is the traditional method

of controlling the temperature of the flame.

Don't burn yourself, Clive. That's a big flame.

It wouldn't be the first time.

THEY LAUGH

Careful!

I'll take you over now

-to look at another piece of technological wonderment.

-Yes.

-Which is our drop stamp pit.

-Wonderful.

It sounds very interesting.

The drop stamp literally stamps a decorative design

into a piece of metal.

-Can we see it in action?

-Yeah, we'll ask Clive to demonstrate.

-A basic piece of metal.

-Yes.

And the stamp will actually create the design on it

through sheer force.

-Is it going to just drop?

-Yep.

Crikey!

Oh, I say! Then, obviously, by that stamp,

you create this wonderful, what I was suppose you would call

-repousse work or embossed relief.

-Yeah, yeah.

Well, that certainly made an impression on Charles.

With that, it is time for him to hit the road.

It has been invigorating, so thanks, Chris, really good.

-Is it this way out?

-Yes.

-Thank you.

Elsewhere, Charlie Ross has travelled on to Ironbridge

in Shropshire.

Completed in 1779, the bridge which gives the town its name

was the first arched bridge in the world to be made from cast iron.

Today, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Charlie is heading into the Curio Centre.

-Hello.

-Mr Ross.

-How very formal.

-Charlie.

-How are you?

-Hello.

What a super thing!

Oh, now, there is something that takes my eye.

See that little whisky noggin?

It's a small jug for an individual measure of whisky.

In a smart Scottish country house, if you had a dinner party,

20 people round, every single person would have one of those.

That's right, yeah.

Charlie does seem smitten with the noggin, but the ticket price

is £175, well over his current budget

of £101.78.

What can Simon do for trade?

You're probably looking at around 140.

-Oh! I'm getting closer.

-I know you are.

These aren't mine, unfortunately, these are somebody else's.

-Bother! I love that...

-It's a shame.

-...with a passion.

-It comes with the little silver label, as well.

-Yes, it does.

Now look at that. That is for putting your whisky in.

Charlie loves the whisky noggin so much

that he might be willing to sell one of his other items to Simon

to make the cash he needs to buy it.

He is thinking of sacrificing the pocket watch he bought earlier.

Well, I never did!

I am willing to trade with you.

If the price is right.

I'm loving this! I'm loving the way this is going.

-I can show it to you.

-I'd like to see it, yeah, definitely.

-Look at this exceptional object, sir.

-OK, blow me away.

It is all nicely hallmarked around the top.

I mean, obviously, it is a bit of a basic sort of model.

That's £39.22 you need?

-£38.22 to you, sir.

-OK, yes, we'll buy this off you for that.

That's fine. I'm happy with that.

Charlie's clever trading means he has only paid £121.78

for the whisky noggin.

That is £101.78 in cash and the £20 he got the watch for.

Job done.

Time for a quick recap to see who bought what, and for how much.

Charlie Ross started this leg with £211.78.

He has spent everything on four lots.

A whiskey noggin, a selection of war medals, an Imari charger

and some Nixon campaign cigarettes.

Charles Hanson, meanwhile, started out with £164.

He spent £150 and has four lots to show for it.

He bought a novelty gnome inkwell, a colliery company stamp,

binoculars paired with a couple of bowls, and a decoupage screen.

As you do.

But what do they really think about each other's buys?

Charles, I can tell from the table, had a very hard time of it,

but he saved himself with this.

Charlie, goodness me, you bought a big slap-up plate for £45?

Overly priced. You bought an amusing noggin with a label.

Being a gambling man, I would go for Hanson. Who is he? That's me.

Well, well, the gloves are off.

This promises to be a heavyweight showdown.

Today, our princely pair have wandered over 200 miles

through the dreaming byways of England

from Cannock in Staffordshire

to end up at their auction in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Stroud is a terribly well appointed Cotswolds town

with a proud tradition

of textile manufacture stretching back through the centuries.

Let's hope Charles and Charlie

have cut their cloth to fit today's saleroom.

They are heading for Stroud Auction Rooms,

which holds monthly antiques and specialists sales.

You know, they are hungry for antiques, Charlie, hungry.

Shame we didn't buy any.

Cheeky.

No manners.

With his gavel poised is today's auctioneer, James Taylor.

First up, we have Charlie's lovely little glass whisky noggin.

Will the punters be tempted to take a nip?

Lot of commission interest means I'm straight in at £130,

looking for 140.

At £130 with me now. Looking for 140.

140. 150. Still with me. Is there 160?

-At £150 on commission now.

-Thank you, Stroud!

-At £150.

I am selling to the book now at 150...

I'm thrilled!

What a start! Chin-chin, old chap.

Another for Charlie Ross now.

It's his war medals going under the hammer.

Bids straight in with me at £38.

-Brilliant.

-They are geniuses here!

With me, 50. I'm out at 50. Now, is there five?

At £50, they are off the book, in the room, looking for five.

-These auctioneers are geniuses.

-In the room now at 50...

Well, Charlie has won that battle, but will he win the war?

Well battled.

Now, Charles Hanson's colliery company stamp,

acquired from some local legal eagles.

A fair amount of commission interest means I'm straight in at £50.

At £50, the bid is with me, now looking for five.

-55. 60, still with me. Is there five?

-Slowed down.

-At £60, it is still with me now.

-It could still go higher. Oh, God.

At £70, still on commission now,

looking for five. At £70, it is on the book now, looking for five.

-75.

-Oh, stop, no higher, please.

At £75, it's off the book, in the room. Looking for 80.

At £75, I'm selling to the room now at 75...

I have to say, if I was the lawyer, I'd be hot on your heels.

But he bought it fair and square, Charlie.

That ruling is in Charles's favour.

And with that, the young pretender steals the lead.

Next up is Charlie's Imari charger.

Might it find favour with the crowd?

And the bid's straight in with me at £50 now. Is there five?

-Well done!

-At £50. The bid's on commission now. Looking for five.

At £50, selling now, maiden bid on the book.

55. 60 is with me. And five, sir?

65 takes me out. In the room now, it's at 70.

At £65, it is off the book and in the room, looking for 70.

At £65, I'm selling to the room now at 65...

-Well done.

-It doesn't quite charge away, but a success nevertheless.

But not quite enough to catch up with Charles.

The gnomish inkwell is up next. Can it magic up a profit?

-And the bid is straight in with me at £55.

-Got it!

At £55 it's on commission now, looking for 60. At 55. 60.

Five, still with me. Is there 70?

At £65, it is still with me now, looking for 70.

70 and five. Still with me. Is there 80? At £75.

That's good, Charlie.

At £75, selling on the book at 75...

-80 takes me out on the internet.

-£80! Oh, yes! Good man.

There, there, Charlie.

At £80, I'm selling it away to the net now at 80.

-Premier place to come for a sale.

-Marvellous result.

Oh, you are a good sport, Charlie.

And an almost supernatural result on the inkwell.

The young buck solidifies his lead.

Bids from everywhere.

Next, Charlie's naughty Nixon campaign cigarettes.

There it is, bid straight in with me at £30.

At £30 on commission now, looking for two.

At £30. It's on the book now, looking for two. 32. 35 is me.

38, sir? At £35, it is still on commission, now looking for eight.

At £35. I'm selling on the book now for 35...

A fabulous profit. No whitewash needed here.

But Charles still has the upper hand with two lots to go.

The job lot of field glasses and bowls next.

-And I have commission straight in at £40.

-Get out of here!

-It's on commission now, looking for two.

-Come on!

-At £40, I'm selling it away. On the book at 40...

-Sensational!

-That's good.

-That is a sensational result. I take my hat off to you.

Charles was all of a flap when he bought them, but the lot has flown.

And lastly, Charles's great hope, the decoupage screen.

There it is.

And I have commission interest straight in at £65.

-Come on!

-At £65, the bid is with me now, looking for 70.

-70. 75 with me. 80. I'm out at 80. In the room now.

-Come on, one more.

At £80, it's in the room now, looking for five.

-At £80, off the book and in the room now, looking for five.

-Told you.

At £80, I'm selling to the room now at 80...

It is a topsy-turvy day.

The screen they both rated highly barely scrapes by,

but Charles is in such fine fettle that it scarcely matters.

I'm happy, Charlie.

-Come on, old man, let's go.

-Bye.

-Are you coming?

-No.

-Put your hand up, then. Give me your hand.

Ready? Three, two, one.

Charlie Ross started this leg with £211.78.

After auction costs, he made a profit of £34.22,

giving him £246 to carry forward.

Well done, old bean.

But Charles Hanson, meanwhile,

started with a diminished £164.

He won this leg, though, with a handsome profit of £75.50,

meaning that he is now nipping at Charlie's heels with £239.50

to carry forwards.

Oh, dear! Sounds like we've got a shotgun on board.

MOTOR REVS

-Goodbye, Stroud.

-Goodbye, Stroud.