Episode 3 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! A good job I like you!

The aim? To make the biggest profit at auction. But it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

I'm getting wet!

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

How much did you make? About a couple of quid.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

Experts Philip Serrell and Thomas Plant are back on the open road for the final leg of an epic road trip,

whizzing along in their oh, so retro 1975 Triumph Stag,

as they reflect on their fortunes so far.

I've worked it out. I think I've earned about 4p an hour. I've done rather well(!)

Yeah, I've probably only gone up to 40p an hour, but we've ebbed and flowed, ebbed and flowed.

Sadly, Philip has ebbed a bit more than he's flowed. Even with almost 30 years' experience,

he can still make a boo-boo with a canoe.

I did tell you 50 quid? That's a big "ouch", isn't it? A big "ouch".

And who could forget his vaulting horse fiasco? ?30... No.

Ouch!

Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!

Not that our Thomas has done any better.

Ouch! Ouch!

From his initial ?200, Philip now has ?204.68 to spend on today's shopping.

Thomas has really grown his ?200 which means that he starts today with ?252.20.

Well done, boy. The route for the week takes our intrepid road trippers across land and sea

from Samlesbury in Lancashire to the Isle of Man

and back to the final destination of Greenwich, almost 700 miles away.

Wow! But today's trip begins in Risby before ending up at auction in Greenwich.

Founded around the 10th century, Risby is a picturesque Suffolk village,

home to St Giles' Church, a flint construction notable for its East Anglian round tower.

Rather conveniently, it's also home to the Risby Barn antiques centre.

Where do you want to go? I'll go over there.

I'll look in here. See you later. Worst of luck. Best of luck.

Isn't he sweet, Thomas? The centre has several antique emporiums.

Philip has bagged Risby Barn Antiques, housing 34 dealers and run by owner Richard Martin.

No, that's not him. That is.

Good to see you again.

I like that a lot.

You've got it down as a "sycamore powder container".

Do you know what it does? Powdering your wig?

No, it's called a finger carrot.

In the 19th century, ladies had long gloves.

You put talcum powder in there, then you put that down the finger of the glove

and you shake talcum powder into it,

then because they're very tight leather, the lady can pull the glove on easier.

It's a finger carrot. At auction, it's 40 to 60 quid, so I've got to get it for 35 quid or thereabouts.

Can we put that by? Yes. We'll see where we can go.

A finger carrot, eh? Gosh! At ?70, you'll need to dig deep for that one.

Don't stop there, Phil. What else have you found? Something nutty?

Those are 1750s, brass hazelnut crackers.

And when I started in this game, these would have been probably...

Fairly new?

Between ?100 and ?150.

And now you can't sell 'em. They're like 15 quid.

Yeah. And it's just... You've got ?28 on. It's just a complete nonsense, isn't it?

You've got these which are brass

and you've got those which are cut steel.

What can you do on the finger carrot? Can you do me 35 quid? I was hoping to squeeze you for 40 on it.

I think the auction estimate for that is ?40 to ?60. If it makes 40, I've got to pay commission.

The commission for that is seven quid. These things have got to be between ?5 and ?10 each.

OK, 35 on the finger...

I'd give you 40 quid for the two.

OK, special offer for today.

40 quid for the two, but I don't know which one I want.

Have a little think. I'll continue to look round. Thank you. You've been very good to me. No problem.

That is a lovely old thing.

But...

The hinge is broken. It's 85 quid.

That wants to be ?30.

This is like... It's not leather at all, is it? It's cardboard.

Yes, it's from the sort of 1920s when they started to move away from leather.

I see that as another 40-60 quid.

I was going to come out and say 50. Can I think about that as well? Yes, certainly.

Thomas, meanwhile, has been rooting round in one of the other nearby antiques shops, Past And Present.

It looks like it's got a few nicks.

Yeah, a few little nicks here from being dropped.

A stunning piece of glass.

The purity of the glass is just so good.

It's by Kosta Boda.

They had a coding system on the base of each vase.

LH and you've got 1444 over 2 something.

But the most important thing in all of that is the L and the H. That stands for Vicke Lindstrand.

Lindstrand was a seminal designer for Kosta Boda,

a company that has been producing glass in Sweden since 1742.

It's quite frankly the best glass in the world, if you want my honest opinion.

Good for you, Thomas. It looks like he's found his first item. Philip is going for the hat-trick.

I definitely want that because I love that

and out of these two little nutcrackers, I think those are the nicest.

Can you do...80 quid the lot?

OK, we'll go with that. You're a gentleman. I'll get some money out.

Dust your wallet off! Not a bad start for the day.

That's the finger carrot for ?35, the faux leather trunk for ?40 and the nutcrackers for a fiver.

It sounds really wrong what I'm about to say, but I fancy buying a bit of flesh today.

Grow up, Thomas! At ?165, she's a lady of class and distinction.

Really wrong, but a Deco figure, you know, a Deco figure.

"Depose" which is good, so it's period.

She's a nice figure. Hopefully, it can be a good price.

Time to call in proprietor Joe Aldridge to see

if there's a deal to be done on the Kosta Boda vase and the Art Deco figure.

I'll do you that at 120. No real damage which is unusual.

I like the Boda. What can the Boda be? I'll sell you that for ?40.

We can't sort of do 120 for the two?

That's painful. I know it's painful, but it's only a question. You can say "yay" or "nay".

That... I could do you the two for 150.

And you've got two quality items.

So, between 120 and 150, is there a figure we could meet at like 130?

Do me 140 then, but that's it.

135? 140.

Look, this started off at 165!

140, you've got a deal. Good man. You've been a really good man. That's brilliant.

That's the vase and the Art Deco figure in the bag. Let's hope they're well wrapped, baby.

Nearby, Philip has found the 2 Tinkers antique shop, run by dealer Karen Funston.

And it doesn't take too long for him to find his next purchase, a butcher's block, don't you know?

What do you reckon? I think they're lovely and I want to buy one off you. Which sells worst?

Well, I would say the small one.

Sells worst? Sells worst, yeah. Because you can make those into coffee tables? Yeah. Right.

OK... But I've got to be mean.

Nothing new there then!

I'll give you 15 quid for it.

25.

I'll give you 20 quid and that's me finished, honest.

OK. 20 quid? 20 quid. Deal. Oh, you're an angel. Thank you so much.

I'd better get some money out. Oh, Lord!

Thank you very much. Thank you very much indeed. What the hell am I going to do with that?

In order to continue their spending spree, our experts are heading west, to Cambridge.

Famous university town and administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire,

the city of Cambridge lies on the River Cam

and if our boys are taking a punt, there's no better place to do it.

Thomas's first shop is the Cambridge Antiques Centre run by Stephen Hunt

where it's straight down to business. These are fun. These are mother-of-pearl.

And they're gaming counters. They're Chinese.

They become really, really valuable.

Chinese gaming counters arrived in the UK in the 18th century.

They were used in a variety of card games, each design denoting a different value, like poker chips.

What have these gaming counters got to be?

On a wet and windy day, um, ?20?

Quite rich.

Going below ?10, is that going to be crucifying them?

I think so. Can we say 10?

I think I'd like to settle on 10.

It's a good start, but he's also got his beady eye on something else.

This is a leather telescope, possibly military, naval,

with the leather, this brown sort of leather.

And it does actually work. I can actually see the chimney pots over there, if not a bit dirty.

Aye-aye, Captain Thomas. If only you had the treasure map to go with it. Whoa! What do you know?

"Hanno explores the west coast of Africa.

"Eric the Red discovers Greenland in 984."

That's quite a nice travel map. It's rather lovely. Good fun.

Yeah.

I really like The Great Discoveries.

OK.

And I really like the telescope.

Right. They would go together nicely. They look really nice together. OK.

I was looking for about 35 on the telescope

and 25 on The Great Discoveries.

Yeah, I haven't got that, to be candid.

Really cheeky... Yeah. Can I give you 20 for the telescope and the picture?

That's really cheeky, Tom.

Yes, it'll save me cleaning it. ?30. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Elsewhere in Cambridge, Philip is still shopping, but why on earth is he going into an off-licence?

What's the old codger up to?

I'm Philip. I'm James. Good to see you.

I'd like a malt whisky. We've got about 350 whiskies.

What's the dearest? The dearest is about 215, but we have had them over 300, 400...

For a bottle of Scotch? Yeah.

I see where he's going with this. A good whisky can be an investment, often increasing in value with age.

Probably my favourite malt. Right.

They produce their standard 10-year-olds

in the smallest distillery on mainland Scotland in Pitlochry.

And in this case, it's spent time in a Sauternes cask, which is a sweet wine from Bordeaux.

Is it going to come to between 25 and 30 quid?

Probably not. I could see what I could do on it, but we're probably talking more around the 40 mark.

You can't do 32 quid? 35 would be the lowest I could go.

35 quid. 35 quid I can do.

At 12 years old, it's an antique of sorts. It's spiritual, warming, a liquid asset.

Thomas has also gone off-piste. He's in the Campkins Camera Centre. Oh, dear!

Thomas. Hi. Robin.

I've noticed you have quite a few vintage cameras.

What would you recommend? Lubitel. Lubitel. We have it modestly priced at ?80.

It's a piece of Cold War history.

It was far easier to just take something from the West, copy it. It was just cheaper.

What date is this? 1960s? Well, the first two digits would tell us the year. Right, OK.

Not always reliable, but '84, a good year.

The beauty of this is although it's very pretty to look at, it's something usable

because this takes a film called 120 which is actually an available film.

What can be done on that price? Anything?

Let's try ?70.

OK, ?70.

That's a good discount. That's a good 10%.

Would you be happy and meet me at 60?

65.

65...

You've got a deal. Excellent. It's a real pleasure. Thank you.

Let's hope he doesn't regret that snap decision. Ha!

With almost ?70 still to spend, Philip's next port of call is the Cambridge Antiques Centre

where Thomas bought the mother-of-pearl gaming counters.

I can't remember what's in there.

Glassware, you've got lots of glassware.

Isn't that just a bit of fun? Peter Pan. Yeah.

"The boy who never grew up."

Oh, yeah. That's nice.

That shape, I would say it's about 1820.

Really? I would think that's probably continental, hand-painted and not worth a great deal of money.

It rarely is when YOU'RE shopping.

It's like all this Wedgwood and Goss as well. Interesting.

That's really sweet.

It's not the pots that interest me. These. Oh, the little fish. I think they're quite fun.

That's exactly what Thomas thought. Great minds, eh?

I think the whole lot's worth a tenner. Oh, Philip.

What about ?15 the lot? I think they'll sell for 15-25 quid.

I think you'll get a bit more than that.

I'd like you to have that. Are you sure? And all of it for...?15.

Throw in the Peter Pan one for 15 quid. Done. You're a gent. Thank you very much indeed.

Have I been done? You haven't.

Thank you very much. You're welcome. See you soon. Bye!

The last shop of the day is The Hive, run by Bill Deadman. Thomas has just ?17.20 to spend.

That's quite decorative. A nice plant pot with enamel.

I don't know how old it is. Persian or Indian?

I'd have thought Indian. A lot of work has gone into that.

What can this one be? 22? I haven't got that.

How far apart on it are we, then? I'm looking at sort of half that.

And a bit more. Obviously... No, I can't. Not half as in 22, but as in 12.

I've only got a bit more than that. What is he gibbering on about?

How does 18 sound? 15 for this.

Go on, then. Deal done. A scholar. A star.

?15.

Thank you. I think I've got ?2 left.

What can I find you for ?2, then? HE LAUGHS

The nutcrackers. A nice pair. Same idea as Philip.

I've got ?2.20. You're not going to get nothing for 20p. So you'll give me a drink? I'll give you 20p.

Oh, he's all heart. One out, one in and Philip is on the lookout for another whisky-related item

to add a bit of vintage to that modern bottle of Scotch.

I have a very mean budget. Can I buy these for about a fiver?

That's the one I'd like. No, you're not going to buy that, I'm afraid.

That's got no trade on it as well, but...

I'll do it for six.

See those, that's just a pressed-out bit of plate, isn't it?

It is. How about ?4? I'll give you two quid. Three.

That's it. Go on. You're a gentleman.

And you're a bandit. Having finished his looting in Cambridge,

Philip is galloping off to Luton for a trip back in time. # Oh, the Deadwood stage... #

The Stockwood Discovery Centre is home to the Mossman carriage collection,

the largest private collection of horse-drawn vehicles in the UK. Philip meets Philippa Backer.

Nice to meet you. Welcome to the Mossman collection.

Born in 1908, George Mossman was a local man. A butcher by trade,

he collected, restored and constructed carriages for 50 years.

His incredible passion has provided a lasting legacy for all to see.

What we have here is a good variety of examples of horse-drawn vehicles

from your trade vehicles such as the baker's van,

right through to grand coaches.

How many carriages have you got? We've got about 60 on display.

And they were all his? About 54 came from George Mossman. We had a few already.

Mossman provided carriages for the Queen's Coronation procession

in 1953, but they weren't just for the nobility.

At the turn of the last century, carriages were commonplace.

That's for ladies. It dates from when? This is late 1800s.

Why is that for ladies and that for gentlemen? They're quite different.

If you have a look at this one, it has a low-slung body. I know how it feels!

It would be easier for a lady to get in and out of it in a graceful way.

It also had a lower centre of gravity so it was a safer ride.

Inside, there's plenty of room for the lady's voluminous dress, which she'd have worn.

So that's the lady's. And this is the gentleman's. It's more racy.

This is called the spider phaeton. This is a more speedy vehicle.

It was quite well-known for making sharp turns,

which meant it was more likely to tip up. It was quite dangerous. It had a reputation.

But that made it more attractive.

From the butcher, the baker and even the undertaker,

everyone relied on horsepower.

A case of only foals and hearses! TIM LAUGHS

And round here is a pushbike. Or the funereal equivalent.

If you really didn't have very much money at all... Pulled by hand. ..you had this bier.

I think you've got such a good job.

Me, too. I want your job.

No time for that now, Philip. It's back to your own day job.

With all shopping completed,

let's have a quick look at how their dosh was spent.

Thomas started this leg of the Road Trip with ?252.20

and has spent the lot - ha! - on six lots!

He splashed out on the Art Deco figure, the Kosta Boda glass vase,

the mother-of-pearl gaming counters,

which he's paired with the silver-plated nutcrackers,

the vintage Lubitel camera,

the brass telescope paired with the early explorer's map,

and an Indian brass and enamel bowl.

Philip, on the other hand, set out with ?204.68

and has also bought six lots costing a slightly more cautious ?153.

He speculated on a rectangular butcher's block,

a faux leather trunk, a 19th-century finger carrot,

which he's paired with some brass nutcrackers,

a 12-year-old whisky with the silver-plated label,

some mother-of-pearl gaming counters and a couple of coffee cups!

So, what do they make of that little lot, then?

He's done exactly what he said he wasn't going to do.

He's played it safe! It's brilliant! And I've gone and risked everything!

Tables reversed! Roles reversed!

The only difference is I want to make the profit.

This is going to be really, really interesting, because Thomas

has been and done the lot and he's put ?165 into his top two lots!

I think the worst that can happen to me is that I might break even

and, with a bit of luck, I might make ?50-?100,

but I can see this being a really, really tight one!

There's only one way to settle this and find out who will be victorious!

It's off to the auction we go.

From Luton, our experts embark on the final 40 miles to the saleroom

in Greenwich, south-east London, home of Greenwich Mean Time,

the Cutty Sark and Greenwich Auctions...

BELL RINGS

..where our experts will go head-to-head for one last time.

The auctioneer today is Rob Dodd and having had a look,

he's got some breaking news on Thomas's rare Art Deco lady.

When the courier brought the items in, we noticed the lady hadn't been particularly wrapped very well.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to put her under the hammer.

Look at her! Thomas is also in bits. The poor thing.

She's armless. That's probably the highest grade plaster of Paris I've ever seen!

Have you seen that? It was like a garden gnome!

And...? And...? It's an upmarket garden gnome.

Well, the rare Art Deco figure has just become a lot rarer.

Never mind, Thomas. She's covered by insurance. More about that later.

Come on, boys. It's time to get this sale underway with the very excitable auctioneer, Rob.

Oh, my! Doesn't he clatter that? He hits it down!

Philip has a lot at stake on the vintage butcher's block.

Start with a bid with me of ?25 on that. Oh, profit.

30 with me. Looking for 32. 32. 35. 38.

?40. 42 I need. Well, that's all right, Phil.

50. Take 52 if I have to.

52. 5 with me. Looking for 60. 5 with me.

Phil, what is going on?!

Are you all done? ?70 on the telephone. I'm out. Looking for 75.

Last time. On the telephone at ?70!

The butcher's block turns out to be a prime cut, delivering a meaty profit. I better just go now.

We're neck and neck now. Yeah, all right. Aren't we? All right! We are.

First up for Thomas is the mother-of-pearl gaming counters and silver-plated nutcrackers.

Stunning lot. What a great lot. Yeah. ?8.

They're worth a lot more. 10. 12.

I've got 12. Are we all done?

At ?12 only.

?12. 20p down from there. Are you? Oh, that's sad(!)

An unlucky roll of the dice on the gaming counters.

Next up for Philip is the faux leather trunk.

?30 only on that. Looking for 32.

5. 8. 40 with me. 42. I'm out.

Looking for 45 anywhere. 45. 48. 50 I want. ?50.

And 2. I'll take 52. 5 I need.

52 there. 55.

Looking for 58. Are we all done? At ?55 on that trunk.

Better than nothing. Where are we now? Who's winning?

You are winning. Really? Yes.

Packing a tidy profit, the trunk turns out to be not too shabby.

Another of Philip's items now is the finger carrot and the brass hazelnut crackers.

It's got to start with a bid with me at a paltry ?10. Ouch.

12. 15. 18. 22. I'm out.

Looking for 25 on these. 25. 28. ?30.

?30 there. Looking for 32.

Last time at ?30. That was an ouch.

That WAS an ouch. Ow. The sale room fails to go nuts for the crackers, resulting in a loss for Philip.

The Kosta Boda vase is up next for Thomas.

?15 only for the Boda vase. Looking for 18.

20 with me. Looking for 22. 25.

28. I'm out. 30 I want.

I've got 28. ?30 there. 32 I need, sir.

For the last time... Ouch. That's an ouch.

?30 on the vase. Ouch. Ouch indeed!

That's another loss for Thomas. I don't mind who wins or loses.

Really? No, it doesn't matter. It's all about the winning.

Talking of which, it's the straight from cask 12-year-old whisky and the silver-plated label next.

Got to start with me at a paltry ?15 only.

Looking for 18. 20. 2. 5. 30.

I'm out. 32 I need. 32.

34. Doing well. 38.

?40. 42 there. Looking for 44. Are we all done? 44 with the voice.

Looking for 46. DOG BARKS

The dog wants it now. Have they let my ex-wife in?

46. 48. ?50 I need.

?50 I've got.

Take 2. 52. 4 I want.

54.

No? ?54 at the back of the room. Looking for 56. Are we all done?

56. He's back. Looking for 58.

Yes! 58 down the back. Looking for 60. Are we all done?

At ?58.

Well done. That's a bit of a fluke result.

I'm pleased with it, though. Really pleased.

Cheers, Philip. And a dram fine profit.

Back to Thomas now, though, for his Lubitel camera. ?10 only.

Looking for 12. I'll be back. 12. 15. 18. I'm out.

?20. 22. You're coming in? 22.

Looking for 25. 5. Looking for 28. Looking for ?30.

?30. Looking for 32. I've got 30. Are we all done?

At only ?30 on the camera.

Ouch! What did that cost you? Go away.

A negative result on the camera and another loss for Thomas.

Now more mother-of-pearl gaming counters, this time for Philip.

Lot 115. Another really good, stunning lot.

Bid's with me at ?8. 8.

Looking for a tenner. 12.

15. I'm out. Looking for 18. I've got 15. Sorry, Thomas.

18 there in front. Are you sure they weren't mixed up?

At ?18. The luck... The luck of Philip.

That's made my week. I don't care what happens now.

It may be a small profit, but it's better than the loss Thomas made.

Arr! Shiver me timbers! Can he gain any ground with his early map and brass telescope?

Got to start with a bid with me of ?20 only.

Looking for 22. 22. 25. 8 I need.

You don't have to think about it. 28. ?30. 32 I want.

32. I'm out. Looking for 35. 35 there. 38 I need.

Are we all done at 35? 38, new place. ?40.

42 I need. Yes, 42. 45.

48 I want. I've got 45 in front.

At ?45!

That's made what it should. Definitely, definitely.

The competition could still go either way.

If I win by less than six quid, I'm going to gain no satisfaction from it at all. Oh, yeah.

Philip's final lot is the coffee can and the Peter Pan coffee cup. Will it need fairy dust to fly?

This is a really, really good lot.

I mean, this is exceptional.

They sniff these things out.

Someone is getting their leg pulled.

The bid's with me on these, seriously, at ?5.

I'll take 6. You know we can't do 50p in this auction room.

6. Here we go. This is more like it.

7. 8, madam? You can't pull out. You started it.

I'll take 9 there. You need to come back. 10. 11.

Go 12. Go 12. It's a pound.

?13 there. Looking for 14. 14 there. New place in the room.

With you, sir.

Very, very good. At 15... ?16 in time!

This is getting serious. 17 I need.

I've got 16. Are we all done? Are you sure?

I'd have bought more if I'd known!

Looking for 19. Are we all done? Are you sure? ?19! Looking for ?20.

Are we all done this time? How do you do it? At ?19 on two cups!

Give him a round of applause!

No justice. Clap your hands if you believe in Philip. Go on, Tinkerbell, give us a smile.

I'm going to go home. You should.

Thomas's last item is the brass and enamel-footed bowl.

?12 on this. Looking for 15. 18.

19 there. ?20 there. Looking for 21.

Are you sure? ..21 there! Looking for 22.

I've got ?21. Looking for 22.

Madam, great. 22 there. Looking for 23. Last time.

At ?22 with a smile!

Thomas makes a small comeback on his last lot, but what about his smashed figure?

I don't want to be picky here, but your insurance claim could swing this one way or the other.

No, it's not going to. I've lost money on my insurance claim.

I reckon it would have made ?200.

Sadly, Thomas, we'll never know.

The insurance pay out valued the figure at ?120, giving Thomas a final ?20 profit,

but will it be enough to tip the scales?

Thomas started the show with ?252.20.

After auction costs, he's made a loss of ?39.82,

giving him a grand total for this Road Trip of ?212.38.

Philip, however, began with ?204.68

and, after costs, he's made a profit of ?52,

taking his overall total to ?256.68, with all profits going to Children In Need.

Which means that, after a nail-biting last auction,

Philip wins the day and this Road Trip. Congratulations, old bean.

Philip... Don't feel bad about it. Feeling bad about what?

You lulled me into that false sense of security. You played it safe and you've beaten me by all of...

Do you know what I think it was? I've beaten you by... ?30? ..the cost of the camera. I know!

So it was that camera wot done it. Better luck next time.

And as we wave goodbye to Philip and Thomas...

Are we going the right way? Ha!

..we say hello to a couple of new experts -

Mark Stacey and Paul Laidlaw! Yeah!

Paul, this is the first time I've driven this car.

And it's a bit... It's a bit... What is this? I don't know, I'm not doing it, Paul!

Antiques expert Mark Stacey is very good at identifying antiques.

They lost the top or something. The top off a big one!

And auctioneer Paul Laidlaw always knows the most important things to ask...

Do you offer such a thing as a toilet?

Our gents about town begin their adventure with ?200 each and an open road in front of them.

Their automobile of choice is the 1967 Sunbeam Alpine.

She looks good and she drives like the wind. Well, sometimes.

It doesn't sound very good. That is misfiring horribly!

On this road trip, Mark and Paul travel over 300 miles

from Sabden in Lancashire to Bridgwater in Somerset.

But we begin our shopping mission in the village of Sabden,

with the auction in the market town of Burnley in Lancashire.

Sabden is a small village in the lush green Ribble Valley.

But before the boys get stuck into shopping, they take in the view.

Let's get on our way, Paul. I think we need to get shopping.

The clouds are ominous. Oh, no.

I don't know a lot about cars, Paul.

But when you turn a key, there's meant to be a noise, isn't there?

No, it's dead, isn't it?

I mean, I could ring the dealer, I suppose, couldn't I?

Oh, dear. Looks like we're not going to start as quickly as we thought.

And it's antiques dealer Phil to the rescue.

OK then, let's go.

Thank goodness for Good Samaritan Phil. Oh, don't worry, boys.

We'll take care of the car.

See you later, Phil. Take care, bye.

Finally, Paul makes his destination of Sabden.

This antiques tournament can now well and truly begin.

Paul's getting stuck into Ribble Valley Antiques.

With over three floors, he should be spoiled for choice.

That's quite sexy. Perfume as a hip flask. But it's silver.

The Victorian lady loved to carry her favourite perfume about her person.

Yeah, I'm liking what I see. I like what I see.

Can we just put that into the mix? Yeah. I'm interested.

Here we are. I like this. A vintage clay pigeon trap.

I think that's the term. So what do we have?

We have a sprung mechanism that will launch, discus-style, a skeet.

One of these. And that's your clay pigeon.

It gets, you know, loose, it gets propelled through the air.

And here we go. OK?

Like the condition. It looks like an original paint.

"Eley clay pigeon trap, late 19th century, ?160."

Let's get dealer Paul into the mix.

?80, it can be yours. In the back of the car.

Too much. Too much? It's too much.

70 quid it's yours.

Give me 15 minutes, yeah? No problem. Cheers, buddy.

Well, while Paul takes his 15 minutes,

let's find out how Mark's getting on.

Mark has travelled in antique dealer Phil's red van

to the village of Whalley, also in the Ribble Valley.

After being chauffeured around the countryside,

Mark can hopefully get on with buying some gems in Phil's shop.

Somebody brought this in. Oh, is it one of those mandolins? Exactly.

Oh, wow! Neapolitan.

Oh, they're all... Oh, God, that's beautiful quality, isn't it?

Yeah. Very nice. Rosewood. Lovely.

And this is tortoiseshell, is it? A bit of tortoiseshell, yeah.

Remember, tortoiseshell is acceptable to sell

only if it predates 1947.

God, it's beautifully done, isn't it?

What would you say that was, about 1900? Yeah.

Alfredo Albertini.

I'm sure that's a great deal of money, though, Phil? ?65.

Hang on, let me sit down. I thought I heard ?65 then.

Well. Actually it doesn't sound bad. It should be 165, really.

I might be interested in that, Phil, actually.

Mark knows the best way of finding some goodies

is getting to the heart of the dealer's collection.

So he's getting first dibs at Phil's as-yet-unpriced new stock.

This is entitled "Dad's pipe in three acts".

So, smoking the pipe, all right.

Smoking the pipe, possibly a little queasy.

Definitely ill here now. And a broken pipe on the floor.

Oh, it's rather fun, isn't it? What does it say on there?

"London, published 1897 by Cadbury."

Oh, that's it. Cadbury, yeah. Yeah, it's charming. Not dear.

How much is it? Oh, it's...

?30. Oh, really? ?10 per picture? Yeah.

Could you take 20 for it?

25.

Go on then, ?25. OK. Thank you very much.

Now, what about that mandolin?

Phil's knocked another fiver off the price.

You couldn't do the mandolin for any less than that? No.

That's 60. That's a definite no, isn't it?

OK. ?60. Thank you very much, Phil.

Thanks. I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time. Not at all.

But that's... I'm very happy with that.

I hope I'm going to make sweet music at the auction.

Excellent work, Mark. Interesting buys from your first shop of the day.

Dare we go back to Paul in Sabden? Let's hope he's made some decisions.

Look what we have here. We have a print.

Dating to probably about 1920.

We've got the Cenotaph.

And we've got an old man, a little bit bedraggled.

And he's paying respect on bended knee to The Glorious Dead,

the fallen of The Great War.

I actually know who this chap is.

That's Old Bill. He's the creation of Bruce Bairnsfather.

Bruce Bairnsfather was a prominent British humorist and cartoonist.

He's best known for his World War I character Old Bill.

This sketch is in the style of the artist.

Paul has now moved on to the store room.

As if three floors weren't enough, eh?

Pretty uninspiring plaster bust of Christ, yeah?

No. Marble.

Hand-worked in marble.

Religion, however, we know does not sell.

But there's no getting away from the fact that

that is a pleasingly-executed depiction.

I'm certainly asking about that.

Finally, could we be closing in for a bit of negotiation?

Well, I survived it. Um, I've got four things in the mix.

Trap, silver...

print and Christ, four things. Give me the price on the four.

150 for the job lot. 100 quid the lot.

110 and you've got a deal.

Cheers, big man.

Phew, thank goodness for that.

A big antique swoop for your first shop of the day, Paul.

Mark is still on the lookout for antiques

and is heading east to the village of Cross Hills in Keighley.

Mark's visiting Heathcote Antiques, owned by Simon Webster,

to try and add more to his antiques booty.

That's a bit of cricketing memorabilia here, I suppose.

July 2nd, 1935, WF Cooke, nine wickets for 30.

But this is probably the original ball that they used

and then somebody's just had that mounted on there.

Probably in silver plate, because there's no hallmarks.

And it's marked up at ?58.

Mark's found this curious object, priced at ?78.

This, I've never seen anything like it.

It's beautifully made, a nice turned handle, nice and solid in your hand.

And when you turn it upside down,

it says, a marine distance meter.

Now, I have no idea what you use this for.

Er, allow me.

I'm told this naval pipe meter is a measuring device,

with a small sighting telescope.

It was used by the Navy for range finding.

And actually, there's a little military arrow there,

which means it was used by the military for some reason.

Which adds a little bit of interest to it.

But I don't know what it's for.

Right, time's up.

Let's go and do the deed.

I mean, I like this.

I have no idea what it was used for.

I'm not even going to look at your price, Andrew.

Because I know what I want to pay for this.

Well, that's good.

But will he accept it? That'll be the question.

So, that I like,

because I think it's the sort of item somebody might just pick up.

This, I think, is quirky.

I think anything related to cricket has got a chance. Yes.

And it's got a nice date on this. It's probably not silver,

I think it's silver plate... I think it's unmarked silver.

Do you think so? There's no wear on it.

So those two, I think, are good for the sale.

CLOCK CHIMES

You don't want these in your cabinet.

?20.

HE EXHALES DEEPLY

Honestly. And the same for this.

And that gives me a really good sporting chance.

Give me another fiver and we'll have a deal. 45.

Yes. I can't argue with you. Thank you very much.

Are you happy with that, Simon? I'll have to be now.

And generous dealer, Simon, also throws in a vintage cricket cap

to go with the cricket ball! How's that?!

Reunited and back in the repaired jalopy, the boys have travelled

to the town of Skipton in North Yorkshire.

The gateway to the Yorkshire Dales, Skipton has an ancient castle,

dating from the 11th century.

Mark is in good spirits as he heads for Skipton Antique Centre.

And after a quick gander, he's found an interesting cabinet,

owned by the rather camera-shy Pauline.

It's a teddy bear. Ticket price, a hefty ?165.

Can I have a little look at it? Of course you can. Yes, no problem.

Because I do rather like old vintage teddy bears. Yes, I know you do.

You know I do. I do. I had one once, very successfully on a show. Yes.

But he's caught my eye, you know,

because he's the biggest in there, isn't he? Mmm.

Oh, he's so... It says he's a growler.

He's a growler with a little mishap in between.

SHE LAUGHS, TEDDY BEAR GROWLS QUIETLY

You see? Oh, hang on.

It's like he's burping. Burping.

THEY LAUGH

Oh, his head turns as well. And his arms.

Oh, yes, they swivel, and his legs turn. Yes, yes.

But I mean, he's got no maker's marks,

so we can't say if he's English or German. No, no.

I must admit... It's just such a nice cuddle.

I'm rather getting fond of him, actually, I must admit.

It's sort of... He's growing on me.

But I do think he looks lovely on the chair.

Yes, I don't mind the chair going with him. Look, Pauline... Mm-hm?

..ideally, I'd love to pay about 50 quid.

Right. Is that pushing you too hard, do you think, for the two?

It is, but because it's you and I want you to win...

Can we have a little bear hug to celebrate? Yes.

SHE LAUGHS

Ooh, Mark's very happy with his growling teddy.

But how is Paul faring? He's enjoying the sunshine,

as he takes a bracing walk to Wash House Antiques, also in Skipton.

Good morning. Isn't it a good morning? It's lovely.

I'm Paul. Samantha, pleased to meet you.

Pleased to meet you, thanks very much. This is rather interesting.

That's an interesting corona you've got there, is it not?

The one with the thistles?

Yes, yes. It is a really good strong...

I thought it was a really good interior piece, that one.

It is, yes, yes, yes.

Any age to it?

Well, to me, I thought it was a Victorian one. It's wrought iron.

Have you got high hopes for it, or not?

Well, I've got it in the shop at ?250. Yes.

Out of my league.

I am prepared to come down. That really is a starting price.

How low can you go? I would have to be brutal.

Much lower. Brutal. Right. We're at two figures for a start,

because that's how much money I've got. I mean... Right.

..I've got barely over ?100 left in my pocket.

If you can't do 100, 90, 90 has to be the bottom line for it.

80 quid and I'll buy it. I'll do it at 80.

Let me give you a big, sincere, warm handshake. Thanks very much.

What a display of excellent negotiating skills, Paul. Well done.

The boys are together again and Mark's behind the wheel this time.

Let's hope she works.

And hey presto.

ENGINE STARTS UP, PAUL LAUGHS

Mark is being a real gent and dropping Paul off

at his next destination in Saltaire, West Yorkshire.

Listen... See you later, buddy.

Enjoy your shop, even though you don't need it.

PAUL LAUGHS See you later. Take care. Bye.

We'll catch up with Paul later. But for now, we're off with Mark,

who looks just the part behind the wheel of the classic Sunbeam Alpine.

He's travelling the three miles to Baildon in West Yorkshire.

Mark is meeting another enthusiast

who's keeping old traditions alive in her home.

Diane West's passion is rag rugging. I'm Mark. Pleased to meet you.

This original thrift craft

flourished from the era of the Industrial Revolution.

Whilst Diane's rugs are decorative, back in their day,

they were purely functional. And it wasn't just women who made the rugs.

Men joined in too, both using scraps of unwanted fabrics

from around the house and from rags

discarded from the many local textile mills.

Diane was in search of an artistic hobby craft, when she came across

a local group reviving the tradition of rag rug making.

I couldn't believe the sort of work that they were doing,

all made out of scrap material, plastics, leather,

all sorts of stuff, and I got really excited about it,

and so I joined them.

And when I came home and I said to my mum,

"I've joined a rag rug making group,

"I never knew about rag rugs," she was absolutely horrified.

Wow. Because she remembered rugs when she was a child,

and they were a sign of poverty.

And I couldn't, sort of, reconcile this attitude with the wonderful,

creative things that I'd seen,

and once I started making rugs, she said to me,

"They're not like the ones we used to make."

She was obviously attributing them to the ones

where she was growing up, maybe. Yeah.

The life cycle of a rag rug would begin in the front room

beside the fire, then moving to the kitchen, and after

varying degrees of wear and tear

would finally end up as the doormat at the back door.

Now with the mills gone,

modern-day rag ruggers make do with using old family clothes.

The sky's made out of... It's hand-dyed nylon tights.

His beard is the cuffs of jumpers. Gosh.

His gown is made out of scraps of velvet and it's from a local mill.

They used to sell the scrap bags for a pound.

Diane's going to show Mark some of the traditional methods

rag ruggers use, starting with a hessian base.

There's two different techniques.

One's hooking and the other's prodding.

Hooking is where you pull the fabric up. OK.

And prodding is where you push it through. OK.

Would you like to have a go? No, not really!

SHE LAUGHS It's not that bad! But I will.

So I've got my little... You've got your hook. My hook.

What you need to do is put that underneath here.

Underneath here, following this line, roughly?

Yeah, and then put your hook through and try and wrap...

Anywhere through there? Yes. Oh, whoa! Well done. I've done it.

Put that down a bit, then I push it in again? Yes.

Then I've got it under. Hey... Marky, come on.

But sometimes it's easier if you tilt the hook.

Yes! See, I've got another one through. Yes, you're through, yes.

Yeah, three in a row. Thank you for letting me have a go.

Thank you for coming and having a go in my workshop.

It's lovely to have met you, and thank you so much again. You too.

Goodbye, Diane. Bye-bye.

As amateur rag rugger Mark downs tools, let's catch up with Paul.

He's back in Saltaire, a Victorian model village

and a designated world heritage site.

Paul is having a rummage in Carlton Fine Art and Antiques.

He's only got ?10 left, so his savvy plan is to beef up

one of his current lots with a value-adding partner.

Just there you have a little Victorian pocket knife

and a tiny little corkscrew.

That corkscrew ain't going to open any wine bottles.

It's for opening perfume bottles.

And what do we have in hand but our perfume?

There is also a little button hook for fastening up

the buttons on one's gloves, let's say.

But will dealer Malcolm be up for negotiating?

I'm just going to float this one. That's sitting at 11 and a half,

that's sitting at ?6, 17 and a half.

If the pair can be a tenner, which is my budget,

I'll go for it. If not, I've had a great afternoon

and I'll see you next time.

Any chance of that, do you think? We'll do a deal. Have I done one?

We've done a deal. Thanks, my friend. OK.

Skint!

And that's the last deal of the day.

Mark Stacey started this leg with his full allowance of ?200

and has spent a total of ?180 on five auction lots.

He's invested in a Sicilian mandolin,

an unusual naval pipe meter, a vintage teddy bear,

a cricket ball and cap,

and a selection of Victorian black-and-white prints.

His rival, Paul Laidlaw, also started with ?200

and has blown the lot - ha! - on five lots.

A clay pigeon trap, a religious bust, an Old Bill sketch,

an Arts and Crafts corona pendant light

and a Victorian trio of perfume bottle, penknife and button hook.

But what do our chaps make of each other's spoils?

Who's going to win?

I don't know. If you want my opinion, he might have an edge on me,

but you know what they say,

there's many a tune played on an old mandolin.

Truth of the matter is, for all the obvious reasons,

I'm not keen on the picture.

I can see why it was bought, but would I hang it?

Could I live with it? No. And I suspect I'm in the majority.

It's been a cracking first leg.

We began our journey in Sabden, travelling via Whalley,

Cross Hills, Skipton, Saltaire and Baildon,

finally arriving in Burnley in Lancashire.

Come on, let's get in. I'm dying for a cup of tea if nothing else.

It's auction day as the boys arrive in town.

Walton and Walton are a general auctioneers with

a long-established reputation.

Steven Parkinson is our auctioneer and the auction is about to begin!

Moment of truth. It is.

First up, it's Paul's bust of Christ. ?30.

?20 on the books starts it, then.

20, 22, now where? I've got ?20. Come on, that's little money.

22, 24, 26, 28, 30...

30, come on, you know you want to. 32, 34, are you sure now?

I know I want him to. 34, 36, 38.

Are we all sure now with my bid at 36?

GAVEL BANGS That's all right, isn't it?

Well, it didn't perform a miracle

but it's a good profit to start us off.

Five of those, you wouldnae grumble. No, no.

Let's see if Mark's teddy bear can give him

a nice, big wodge of profit.

I can start straight on the book, cos I've got bids all over.

I'm starting with ?50.

50's bid. 55, ?50, 55 now where?

Come on, it's cheap at half the price.

?50, all your hands should be up.

Are we sure? Going to sell to my bidder at ?50...

GAVEL BANGS Bids all over.

Oh, dear, Teddy, not the result Mark was looking for.

I've no idea what's going on in this place! No idea.

Next it's Paul's clay pigeon trap.

Will it launch him further into the lead?

20? 20 I've got. Thank you.

Got to do more than this. 25, 30, 35.

At the back? No, not you, David. 35, 40, 45, 50, 55?

60, 65, 70, 75, 80? No.

Are we all sure? Come on. We'll sell at ?75, make no mistake.

GAVEL BANGS No shame. It's close.

No shame in that at all.

Another small profit, Paul. Keep it up.

That could've been a disaster. Yeah, plugged the bath.

Unfortunately, it wasn't!

Mark's turn next with the Sicilian mandolin.

Starting on the book at 20. 20, 25, now where? 25, 30, 35, 35 with that?

40, are you sure now? 40, 45 back in. 45, 50?

50 I've got. All sure at ?50? GAVEL BANGS

Another loss is not music to Mark's ears, but it's still early days.

It can only get better. PAUL CHUCKLES

That's the spirit, Mark! Right, it's Paul's Old Bill sketch next.

20? Come on, all your hands should be at ?20 for this one.

20 I've got. 20, 25 now where? I've got ?20 to my right-hand side. 25!

25, 30. 30, 35? 35, 40. 40?

Are we all sure now, going at ?40? It's a good buy.

It's a wee profit.

It's a wee profit indeed, Paul. And they all add up.

It's a damn good result, that. Well done. Cheers, buddy.

Behave yourself, Mark!

It's your Victorian black-and-white prints next.

Got to be ?30, hasn't it? 20, then.

20 I've got then, 22, now where?

22, 24, 26, 28, 30, and two, 32.

32, 34, 36. It's flying. I've got 34 there.

Are we all sure now with a bid at 34?

Well done.

Thank goodness Mark's finally got a profit - however small!

Back to Paul, it's the Arts and Crafts corona pendant light next.

We'll have to come straight in with me at ?30. Hands up everywhere.

30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60. 60 there, then. 65, now where?

Are we all sure now with ?60? No, no, no!

Oh, what? MARK WHISTLES

Oh, dear, Paul. It's your first loss of the day. What a pity.

You bargained so well for that lot.

It's Mark's unusual naval pipe meter next.

Will it excite the bidders of Burnley?

I'm going to start the bidding with me on the book at ?14.

Oh, ?14! The heavy hitters out(!)

14, 16, 18, 20, 22,

22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32.

You're doing all right, man. ..32, 34, 36? No?

Are we all sure now, with a bid of ?34?

Well, someone's bought it, Mark, just not at the price you hoped for.

I'm clawing my way back to break even!

It's Mark again, with his final lot of the day.

The cricket ball and cap.

Where will you start me on this? Come on. 30? A tenner?

It's got to be sold - a tenner, I'm taking. 10, 15, 20.

25, 30, 35, 40? No, I have 35 sat down. Come on. A bit more.

We're going to let it go cheap. Oh, no. Come on. ?35 going...

GAVEL BANGS Oh...

Well, you didn't score a century with that one, Mark,

but it's better than a loss.

It's the last lot of the day, Paul's dainty little trio

of Victorian perfume bottle, buttonhook and penknife.

50?

15? Crikey, it's a bid, I've got to take it. ?15, have you heard?!

18, 20, 25, 30.

35, 40? No. 35, 38 if it's easier.

38 I've got then, 38 and 40.

40 I've got, 45, 50?

It's going a bit. Strong now. Are we all sure now with a bid of 45?

Well done. Well done.

Yet another small profit for Paul.

Let's go. I need lessons from you on dealing. Behave yourself!

Our chaps started with ?200 each.

It's been a mixed bag of results, but who is the winner?

After paying auction costs, Mark made a small loss of ?13.54,

giving him ?186.46 to carry forward.

Paul, meanwhile, is nudging ahead by a whisker with a profit

of ?9.92, making him today's winner,

with ?209.92 to start the next leg. Well done.

Well, Paul... And listen carefully, because I don't intend to say this very often.

PAUL GUFFAWS

As you are the victor on this occasion... Say that again? No!

On this occasion I will drive you, but just listen,

don't get used to it. Ho ho ho ho ho!