Episode 15 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!

-I can see better with those.

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

There will be worthy winners and valiant losers.

I've had a row.

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

He's just about killed that, hasn't he?

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

It's the final leg of our road trip and experts James Lewis and James Braxton

are hunting high and low for hidden treasures

in their 1983 Beetle convertible in custard yellow.

-Chilly today. New day, new dawn.

-Yes. New dawn, new day.

-New cold!

-It's beginning to rain. We've got no roof.

-Where is the roof?

-We are roofless!

-Roofless or ruthless?!

James Lewis is a seasoned auctioneer and is highly competitive.

-He loves a bit of toilet humour, though.

-That is turtle poo.

And can be a bit of a cheeky monkey.

James Braxton has 20 years of experience in auctioneering

and loves the rough-and-tumble of the competition.

Back off, Lewis. Back off.

And isn't going down without a fight.

Maybe. God bless you.

He's had a difficult run, but managed to turn his fortunes round at the last auction.

From his initial £200,

old Brackers has now got £306.16 to spend on today's shopping.

James Lewis has been growing and growing and growing his £200,

winning every auction so far.

Which means he starts today with a whopping £1,022.34. Bravo!

The route for the week takes our bold boys

from Ampthill in Bedfordshire to Jersey,

and back on to their final destination in Leamington Spa,

covering almost 1,000 miles.

Crikey!

Today's trip begins in St Albans before ending up at the auction showdown in Leamington Spa.

22 miles north of central London lies the historic town of St Albans,

better known by school kids up and down the country as Verulamium, the largest town in Roman Britain.

Scally Dog's, we're after.

Why would an antique shop name itself Scally Dog?

-Unless they're a dog fan.

-They could be a dog fan, couldn't they?

But before they can start shopping, there is the slight problem

of the Beetle's missing roof and the turn in the weather.

A spring in his step. Let's get this out.

There we are. No expense spared, is there, with these Beetles?

If you've got a little toggle...

Here we are. Just bend them over. OK.

I think we've got it the wrong way round.

Talk about making a meal of it. Dear oh dear!

-Good luck with your shopping. I'm going over there.

-Have fun.

With the car almost watertight, James Lewis's first shop of the day

is Scally Dogs Emporium, run by Trev Bradbury and his four-legged friend.

-Hello.

-Hello, James, I'm Trev.

-Nice to see you. And this must be Scally.

-This is Scally. It's his shop.

-Hello, Scully. Aren't you lovely?

Yes, he is. Now, man up, James, and get shopping.

Have a good old sniff of that.

Not the fossilised poo routine again.

-Recognise it?

-Of course I do.

-What's the shape like? What do you think?

Brown. Turtle poo, I reckon.

That is a fossilised turtle turd.

There you are, told you so.

Now, put your faecal fixation to one side and get shopping. And wash your hands!

How much is that sovereign case?

It's got to be really cheap with no insides. Really cheap.

-Give me a tenner.

-Let's have a look at it.

From the late 17th century all the way through until about the 1920s and 1930s,

any gentleman of standing would carry a pocket watch.

Sometimes, in the middle of the chain where it sat,

you would have a little case like that for carrying your sovereigns and half sovereigns.

This one is bottom-rung quality.

It's chrome, but the interesting thing about it, it's actually made

as a novelty half-hunter pocketwatch and that's what makes it unusual.

I'll take that with me.

With a price tag of £10, it's hardly going to break the bank, James!

Come along, you've got the cash, man. Think bigger!

Now I'm starting to get really worried.

This shop is really full of retro things.

There's got to be something, though, somewhere.

He's right, you know. There has to be something in here.

Something extraordinary, something dramatic,

something like a carriage fire extinguisher.

What do you think, James?

I think it's just bonkers.

It's one of the wow pieces in here that people come in to see.

The fire extinguisher would have been a two-man operation

to manoeuvre and control a jet of highly pressurised water.

In spite of its size, James's interest hasn't been dampened. Here we go.

What could you do it for? It would need to be...

What will you offer me for it?

I think that is £150 at auction.

I was going to say 250. I'll split the difference and let it go for two.

I think that's a £50 loss. I'm going to make you a cheeky offer.

For the 150, will you throw in the sovereign case and my poo?

I'll throw in the sovereign case. The poo is not mine to sell.

-So I'm going to have to stand on...

-You are going to stand on the poo!

I'll stand on the poo for five pounds.

155. You've got a deal. Thank you very much.

Just down the road, James Braxton has made his way to Fleetville Vintage Emporium.

But the only thing he's picked up so far is a full-blown cold. Poor lamb.

HE SNEEZES

Bless you!

I'll have a really hot curry tonight and that will get rid of my cold.

I'd love to know, actually, how much they want for this.

Best ask the manager, Ricardo Belo.

I'm James. Nice to meet you.

I'm quite interested in these.

You probably know a lot more about Moorcroft than I do.

-Asking about 320 for it.

-320, yes.

Moorcroft continues to be collected and collected and collected, doesn't it?

-Very popular.

-Very popular. And this fellow?

-Similar price.

-Similar price.

-Similar age.

Very nice, isn't it?

Although I'm almost there, I'm not quite there.

We'll leave those for another day.

What he really means is that he can't afford them.

Come on, Brackers, it's not just ceramics.

There is a wealth of vintage clothing to choose from.

Maybe Ricardo's wife, Dee,

can help you out with a highly collectable headscarf.

It's very nice. The great Paris maker.

-Hermes are now very famous for their bags, aren't they?

-Yes.

And equally famous for their scarves.

Hermes began producing scarves in 1937 by spinning raw silk into yarn before weaving it into fabric.

That way, they produced more durable scarves than anyone else.

It's a lovely scarf. Very smart. What do you want, Dee? Come on.

Make it low.

-I think, £60.

-£60.

-You wouldn't take 45 for it, would you?

-I'll take 45.

-Will you?

-Yes.

I'll take it. That's really kind of you. Thank you very much indeed.

With three lots under his belt already,

look who's just turned up to join his buying buddy.

-Hello.

-Hello, how are you?

-What are you hiding? Anything exciting?

-No.

-Nothing you'd be interested in.

-Really?

-How have you done?

Here we go.

-I've bought the most stupid thing.

-Excellent.

-In fact, two really stupid things.

-Profit?

-No and no, I would say.

-Have a look around here. They've got 50 stalls.

-Lots of clothing. Even stocking your size, I think.

-Really?

-Yes.

XXXXL!

Big fun, by the sounds of it.

With the whole shop to choose from, what are the chances of James Lewis

buying the Moorcroft pottery that his rival was lusting after earlier?

Fancy that!

This is the well-known pomegranate pattern

and the thing that characterises Moorcroft is this tube lining.

It's almost decorated in the way you would ice a cake.

You'd fill the icing bag equivalent with slip or pipe clay

and you would outline the decoration first

and then you would almost colour it in.

That is 1930s. It's a good early date.

Another preserve pot.

Silver plated.

And again, very pretty. Walker and Hall mounts.

It's a good seller, but it's not cheap.

There are eight pieces of Moorcroft here with a total value of £1,200.

I wonder which piece he's going to go for?

Time to negotiate with the dealer, Georgina Konstantinov.

How much do you want for the collection?

What?! The whole lot?!

I would say, for the collection, 1,000.

That's almost his entire budget.

Who's going to go first, James? You or me?

-Go on.

-Seeing as it's you, James, 900?

Seven.

750.

-The hand's out.

-750.

-I can't take the pressure!

-750, James.

What's going on? He's up to monkey business.

I wonder if he's after that Moorcroft I had a look at?

720 and it's shaken.

725.

You've got my hand now!

That is the most money I've ever spent on the Road Trip, ever.

That is a heck of a gamble.

Old Brackers, if he plays a winner, and my Moorcroft dies,

he can win it on the last leg.

Wow!

Wow, indeed.

If it all goes wrong, it could put Brackers back in the game.

I'm in with a chance.

From St Albans, our boys are back in the Beetle and driving on to Welwyn,

where James Braxton is quite literally heading for an early bath.

James has come along to meet archaeologist Tony Rook,

the man who uncovered the remains of the Welwyn Roman Baths back in 1960.

-Hello. Very nice to meet you.

-Hello, James.

Tony has dedicated his life to preserving this historic site

at a time when it could all have been lost for ever.

What an amazing space.

Dating back to 240 AD, the baths would have been part

of a much larger complex known as the Dicket Mead Villa.

-How on earth did you find this?

-In earth, really!

-In earth, yes!

The story started 52 years ago.

We found Roman tiles sticking out of the riverbank.

-So that was your clue?

-Yes.

Then we got permission to dig from the local school.

It was the football field of the school.

We got permission to dig and we were allowed to dig outside the football field

so we dug along the side of the river.

It started like that.

And their excavations unearthed clues on how the Romans bathed.

How would I go about these baths, if I was a Roman?

There was a slave's corridor at that side

and there was a master's corridor here.

So the masters, the bosses, the Romans, would come in here

and there would be a door here.

So imagine this door opening.

In comes the Roman. So this is a warm room and you get acclimatised.

And your slave puts oil on you from a bottle. So you get well oiled.

Then you are slightly sweaty and well-oiled

and then you get scraped clean.

-Scraped?

-Yes.

There is a thing called a strigil,

a bit like a mudguard on a pram or something. It fits very nicely.

It scrapes all the fat off and the oil.

It is a lovely way of getting clean. The Romans didn't have any soap.

Bathing was very much part of their entertainment and life, wasn't it?

Yes. I always say they probably came here every afternoon, all the afternoon.

-Really?

-Yes.

Open to the general public, the baths have been

preserved in a concrete and steel vault - but there's the catch.

They may have been dug up, but they're still 30 feet underground.

Tony spent ten years uncovering the baths

but shortly after the excavation was completed,

the Ministry of Transport announced the route of the new A1M, straight over the top.

-The centre line of the motorway goes through here. Approximately.

-Yes.

And we are about 30 feet underneath the motorway.

-Really?

-Yes. That was pure coincidence, you see.

By that time, I had managed to grab plans and things

from the Ministry or whatever they called themselves in those days

and they realised there was room to put something inside the motorway

and we were right bang in the centre of it.

An emergency plan was put into place to cover the site with a steel vault

which would allow the road to go directly over this Roman treasure.

You talk about somebody having a vision - I had a vision, and this was it.

I had this vision and this is what I've got.

As it was buried, the top went up

and then it came back down again to the design level.

It had to be very carefully loaded, otherwise it would buckle.

It's a great thing you've got preserved here, isn't it?

The villa and baths were deserted at the end of the third century

when the Romans shoved off.

But it wasn't the only thing they left behind.

Are these the items that came from the site or not?

Not all from this site. If you want the whole pot, you go to a cemetery.

Because they buried more or less whole pots with their dead.

Sort of offerings of holy oils and things like that?

We don't really know.

It would be nice if you could say that, wouldn't it?

James is coming up with a rash generalisation!

-That is a baby's feeding bottle, we think.

-Right.

-I love the glass with the canes.

-Millefiori.

-That bit of millefiori actually came from this site.

-Really?

Still very exotic today.

What it must have been like 2,000 years ago is remarkable.

If it wasn't for tenacious Tony's digging and foresight,

this incredible glimpse into our past would now be lost

underneath one of Britain's busiest motorways.

-You've really made it come alive.

-Thank you.

-It's very kind.

-A fabulous life's work, isn't it?

-Thank you.

And with that, James is off to his hotel for hot curry to shift that cold

and a long soak in a bath of his own. Night-night.

After a good night's rest, our boys wake up to a somewhat miserable day

and to make matters worse, they are still using that piece of plastic sheeting.

The old fella is holding up, isn't it?

I cannot believe that is still on there.

It's not just this roof that's leaking.

Yesterday, my wallet was leaking as well. Leaking cash! Everywhere!

You can say that again.

So far, James Lewis has spent a whopping £880 on a giant fire extinguisher,

the sovereign coin holder, the turtle poo

and a risky job lot of Moorcroft pottery.

Leaving him with £142.34 to spend.

James Braxton, meanwhile, has spent just £45 on one lot.

The vintage Hermes scarf in its original box.

Leaving him with £261.16 to make a splash.

Travelling on from Welwyn, our experts are off

to Hemel Hempstead to continue their shopping.

After World War II, Hemel, as the locals call it,

was developed as a new town designed to house

some of the population displaced by the London Blitz,

although it's been around actually since the eighth century.

James Braxton's first stop of the day is Bushwood Antiques

where he's not the only one that's a little hoarse!

This 25,000 square foot store is run by Tony Bush and Julie Collins.

-Hello.

-Hi, James.

-Hello, Julie.

-How are you?

-It's chilly today, isn't it?

-Very chilly. Do you mind if I keep my hat on in here?

-Absolutely not.

It's one of those days, I think. You need a bit of warmth.

-It has the space of a stadium in here, doesn't it?

-It does.

-And a chilly floor.

-And what was this?

Before, it was an indoor equestrian centre. A long, long time ago.

It has that feel.

When it comes to shopping, though,

especially in such a large space, James uses some very wise logic.

Anything that's got a good layer of dust on

probably hasn't had a lot of public access for a long time.

I'll make a note of the items

that I think might be able to make me a profit.

And I'll buy one or two of them upon price only.

Just down the road,

James Lewis has found Cherry Antiques, run by Scott Cullen.

He's also got a number of items in his sights,

including a pair of Felix the Cat figures at £10.

-Never seen those before.

-I haven't either.

They came in yesterday with the little lead figures.

Next on his shopping list is a copper and brass oval snuffbox at seven pounds.

He does love a snuffbox, James.

-Will you take a fiver for him?

-OK, James.

-OK, I'll take that.

And finally, an Edwardian novelty pin cushion in the shape of an elephant. Five pounds.

Fiver.

Would you do the snuffbox, the elephant and the cats for 15?

-OK.

-You've got a deal. Brilliant. Thank you.

He doesn't hang about, does he? How are you getting on old Brackers?

I've whittled my options down to these two.

We've got this fabulous bottle vase. It's Cantonese, Chinese.

It has got a slightly shattered

and now repaired with these metal studs neck.

But it would make a very nice lamp base for somebody, I would have thought.

And then this. We've got an elongated octagonal plate.

It's a very nice palette. Blue and white.

It is a lovely solid bit of porcelain, this. A great bit of porcelain.

Time to call in Julie and Tony to see

if there is a deal to be done, especially on that £220 vase.

I quite like this Cantonese fellow.

I'm only going to buy one of these, really, on price.

What is the lowest you could do?

I could probably do better on this one than I can on that one, just based on what they cost.

-But they both need a good clean and wash up, don't they?

-They do.

-Could you do 50 on that?

-50? How much did you ask?

-Shall we say 100 quid?

-Can we say a bit lower, Tony?

-80. Can we do it for 80?

-All right, you've got a deal.

-Thank you, Tony.

-I'm not that hard, am I?

-No. You're really kind. And thank you, Julie.

I don't want to give you a kiss because of my wretched cold.

Thank you. You've looked after us really well.

Having completed all his shopping, James Lewis is travelling

to Tring to visit a perfectly preserved Victorian exhibition.

The Natural History Museum at Tring has been part of its London namesake since 1937

when it was gifted by the wealthy conservationist, Lionel Walter Rothschild,

second Baron Rothschild of the famous banking dynasty.

-James is meeting the museum manager, Paul Kitching.

-Hello, James. Paul.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to see you as well.

I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see that.

No, this is quite an unusual collection, isn't it?

There are some crackers, like this giant ground sloth.

How many specimens altogether are here?

There are about 4,000 different species of animal on display in the museum,

ranging from dressed fleas to the giant ground sloth that we just looked at.

Following in the footsteps of Darwin,

this collection is the lifetime's work of Rothschild,

who moved to Tring Park with his family in 1872.

At a very young age, Walter, as he was known,

announced he was going to make a museum.

By the age of 10, his collection of insects

and butterflies in the garden shed was well under way.

He was always fascinated by the plants and animals living around him.

Given his family's trade connections,

I think he found it quite easy to acquire specimens from aunts and uncles.

There are certainly letters in the archive from his grandmother

saying, "I've sent you a nice green snake for your birthday."

And the museum grew and grew and grew.

Most people get the key of the door for their 21st birthday.

In 1889, Walter got the key of the door

and the rest of the building, gifted by his father,

which was to become the home of his extraordinary collection.

From a marketing point of view, we use images of Rothschild

with a zebra-drawn carriage or with his giant tortoises

and it is a spectacular museum collection here.

However, behind the scenes he and his two curators

worked 40-odd years, early until late.

They published 8,000 papers,

described somewhere in the region of 300 new species.

So these were guys that were staring down microscopes, day in day out,

looking at diversity, studying difference.

-So he was a genuine scientist?

-Yes. This was no kind of passing fashion.

There was a dedication there.

Certainly, 120 years ago a place like this was one of the few places

you could see this breadth of natural richness side-by-side.

How did they get the animal preserved and looking like that? Looking real?

We've got some classic examples. Shall we go and have a look at some?

-Love to. After you.

-Thank you.

Victorian visitors would have been amazed

by the strange and exotic animals in Walter's collection.

Even though London Zoo had been open since 1847,

there were creatures here beyond their wildest imagination.

-Goodness! The zebra collection.

-Yes.

You were asking about taxidermy and how these animals were put together.

Underneath the skin here,

you will have the skull of the animal to give the body its shape.

You may have some of the leg bones as well,

connected together with a wireframe

and then wrapped round with long strips of wood, like wood wool.

You can see on some of these animals the detailing is so fine.

If you look at the wrinkles around the underside of the zebra

you can see the little blood vessels or those effects within the skin.

They are usually the wood wool that's been shaped

and packed to give the model its appearance.

As well as preserving animals,

Walter also kept a large collection of living ones,

including cassowary birds and zebra,

which enabled him to study their behaviour.

His research was beneficial to the survival of many species,

including the Rothschild giraffe and the giant tortoise.

Walter's zoological collection remains one of the largest

of its kind and gives an insight into early natural curiosities.

I have a natural curiosity in my pocket

that I actually found in an antique shop the other day.

-Goodness!

-What do you make of that?

I would say... I would like it to be something like a pine cone

but I'm sure it's not!

I think it might be a fossilised animal dropping. A coprolite.

I'm very impressed.

I think that's perhaps one we are not keen to add to the collection this time out!

-Thanks very much! I thought it was rather special.

-It's very interesting.

It's been brilliant. Very, very interesting.

-Thank you very much for your time.

-No problem.

-I've learnt a lot.

And for me, that is a fantastic authentication.

Excellent. So James Lewis can now be certain

he's bought a genuine pile of old poop.

Back in the Beetle, his competitor has crossed the county border

from Hertfordshire to Buckinghamshire

for his last shop of the day in Aylesbury.

Aylesbury was a major market town in Anglo-Saxon times

and is famous as the burial place for St Osyth

who lost her head in 870. Careless!

Let's hope James doesn't lose his at the final shop,

Antiques at Wendover, managed by dealer Lizzie Osborne Wyn.

Come on, James. Chop-chop.

I quite like this. I don't know why. It's not the greatest.

It's just a cheap old box. Paper box.

But it's one of those funny things that auction people love.

They love scrabbling around. It's quite retro, isn't it?

No gold or silver in there? Have we missed anything?

I very much doubt it. Somebody's gone thoroughly through it.

That's sort of purporting to be a halfpenny, but it's not.

It's just a little lot of costume.

He might have kept his head, but has he lost his mind?

You've got £35 on that. But would £20 buy it?

-25.

-25. How about if we struck in the middle? Can we do 22?

22.50.

I'm not going to argue with you. Thank you very much indeed. £22.50 it is.

On your head be it, James. That's it then.

The shopping for this Road Trip is over, so time to show and tell.

-Only a small number of items this time.

-Oh, nice vase.

Some damage here, obviously. Some are old repairs.

The odd stud repair. But some quite nice scenes. Some nice panels.

-Some nice precious objects. Quite a lot of gilding.

-I like that.

-How much?

-£80.

-That's cheap.

-Is it?

-Yes, that's cheap.

That is a good thing. Excellent.

I mean, in good order, that is 600 or 700, isn't it?

Shame it's not in tiptop state then.

This is my Hermes in a very fashionable orange.

Stylish!

-Isn't that nice?

-Very you, James.

You should have bought that earlier on in the trip. You could have worn it in the car.

No, I can't really. It's a bit girly.

-No! Is it?

-Some girl would love this, wouldn't they?

-How much did you pay for that?

-£45.

-That's cheap in its box, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Profit in that.

Slightly embarrassed about this.

I'm not surprised!

-That looks grim.

-It is quite grim but it was cheap.

-What a horrible box.

-I know.

I had gone round an antiques centre twice, thrice, four times.

-What are these?

-They are plastic earrings.

-James!

-But if you were going to a '60s party...

-Don't try and justify it now.

..they would be essential.

-And what about that?

-Lovely, isn't it?

-It's disgusting.

-Early Quartz.

-James...

-It's pretty nasty.

-I prefer the top of the box.

-£22.50.

That's cheap enough anyway, isn't it?

-OK. Your turn.

-Could you give me a hand?

-Of course I can.

-Very careful.

Sorry. I am not deliberately sabotaging your items.

-I recognise some of the Moorcroft.

-Eight.

-Eight pieces.

Which he's broken down into four lots.

But it's £725.

You needed the purse to take the risk on.

I added it up and I thought the hammer price

would be somewhere between £1,000 and £1,200. The lot.

So if it was 1,000, less the commission, about 800.

-It's a hell of a risk.

-It's a heck of a risk.

Some of these smaller items, I wouldn't price as high.

There's a lot riding on that Moorcroft. It could either win or lose him the competition.

-So that's your lot, is it?

-No. One more.

-One more. Where?

You could hardly miss it, James.

-An early fire apparatus.

-Yes.

-Isn't that amazing?

-That's very interesting, isn't it?

-I've never seen one.

-I'm going to price that... I think you paid £121.50.

-£140.

-Really?

-I paid £140.

-I think the wheels are magnificent.

-I love the wheels.

-Really magnificent.

-Yes.

I might end up losing 300 or 400 this time. You never know.

-You just don't know.

-One can only hope!

-Thanks, James!

-Stay back.

-Well done. Best of luck.

-Have fun.

We'll see how we go.

OK, boys, kiss and tell, then. What did they really think?

When you spend a lot of money,

you may gain a lot of money or you may gain a little.

But on the downward slope, you can also lose a little or lose a lot.

My three little items look very cautious in comparison.

James has only bought three lots. I'm really surprised at that.

The vase is lovely. A really nice bit of Chinese porcelain. It is so fashionable at the moment.

That could do well, although it's damaged.

The costume jewellery. He's got to do something about that.

I'm not exactly proud of it but it may be a profit. I'm sure it's a profit.

There is only one way to find out. It's off to auction we go. How exciting!

From Aylesbury, our experts embark on the final 55 miles

to the saleroom in Leamington Spa.

And at last, the sun is shining,

which has helped shift James Braxton's cold.

HE SNEEZES

Shame about his sparring partner though!

-I blame you.

-My gift to you is my flu.

He is such a sharing soul, James. Oh dear.

Today, our experts will battle it out for the final time

on this Road Trip at Locke and England's auction house.

So let's see what lovely auctioneer Emmeline says about our boys' buys.

Moorcroft always sells, and the older the better

so I'm really confident that those lots should do very well.

The country estate fire extinguisher is an interesting lot.

We've not seen one before.

It would probably appeal to a rural collector or rural museum, something like that.

The box of costume jewellery, what do I say about this without being really rude?

Go on, be as rude as you like.

I think this would have been better in a general sale.

There are lots of buyers of that sort of thing.

So I'm not sure that will do the best and I'm thinking that

maybe that will be the one that sells for a fiver.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens with that.

I'm not holding out for that one.

I would've been a lot ruder about it.

James Braxton started this leg of the road trip with £306.60

and has spent £147.50 on three lots,

leaving him with a balance of £158.66.

James Lewis started with £1,022.34 and bought six lots costing £895,

leaving him with a balance of £127.34.

-96A.

-Here we go.

First up for James Lewis, it's the extinguisher on wheels.

But will it set the auction room on fire?

We'll start the bidding at 110. 120. 130. 140.

At 140 then. Is there 150?

At 140. 150. 160. 170.

170. 180. 190. 200.

It is certainly sparking some internet interest.

-240. 260.

-Yes.

-280. 300. 320.

I've got 340. Do you want to go to 350?

340. 350 I'm at. Is there 380? £350 then. Sold.

Well done. That's a great result. Phenomenal!

There he goes again.

James Lewis blazes into an early lead.

First up for James Braxton,

it's the vintage Hermes scarf in its original box.

Who will start me then at £15? 15? For £15? 15.

18 anywhere? 15.

-Is there 18?

-It's not going to make 100, is it?

-20. 22.

Who would like to buy a Hermes scarf for £22?

30. Five. 35 then.

Internet, do you want to come in at 35? 40. Thank you. Five. 50. £50.

Is there five? Do you want to come in on the internet?

£50. Is there five? £50.

Wiped its nose, as you would say.

Oh well, five pounds is five pounds.

But it's nowhere near enough to catch James Lewis.

Next up for James Lewis is a queer old lot.

Fossilised turtle poo, a sovereign case, a snuffbox,

an elephant pincushion, two Felix the cat figures

and a partridge in a pear tree.

Well, I've never sold turtle poo before so this is a first!

Can we try for £30? Can we try for £30? Every home should have one.

£30. How about 10? 10. 12.

15. 18. 20.

Is there a two? 22. Five.

Eight. 30.

30. Five. 35 in the room. At 35. 40 anywhere?

40. Five.

-50. Five. 55.

-Go on.

Have we got 60? £55. Selling at 55.

There we are. It's a small profit but I had a great deal of fun buying it.

It just shows you can sell anything!

It does indeed.

A pile of old doo-doo becomes a £25 profit for James Lewis.

Brackers will really struggle to catch him now.

I'd be surprised if his box of paste jewellery brings any sparkle

to this saleroom, but don't tell anyone.

What shall we say for that? £10? 10, thank you.

12 anywhere? 12. At 10.

Is there 12? 12. 15 in the room. 15.

Is there 18? 18. 18. Is there 22?

18 with you. Is there 20? At £18. Is there 20? At £18.

There was a bit of bidding there.

Oh, Lordy!

Unless there is a miracle, Brackers' chance of victory has bombed.

Next up for James Lewis, it's the first of his Moorcroft pieces.

The pomegranate baluster vase and circular pin-tray.

£200 for those. £200. 200. Looking for £200.

I'll take £100 to start me then. Is there 100? Looking for £100.

-100, I'm bid. Is there 110? £100. Is there 110?

-No way!

110. 120. 120. Is there 130?

-I'll have to sell them at £120.

-No way!

Selling then.

That is criminal.

That is absolutely criminal.

Oh, dear. His risky gamble has failed.

So could James Braxton actually be in with a winning chance?

That vase is worth 380 quid. Fact.

That's what you thought about your last lot too, James.

I wonder if the Moorcroft leaf and berries vase

and the preserve pot will fare any better?

£200. £200.

Looking for £200. I'll take £100 to start me. 100, thank you.

Is there a 110? 110. 120. 130. 140.

150. 160.

-170.

-It's going up.

-180.

In the room, 180. 190. 190 then. At 190. Is there 200? 190.

Is there 200? Are we all done in the room at 190? 200. 220?

-220, you're all right.

-240. £220.

Oh, Lordy. It's a disaster.

I want to go home.

I don't like this Road Trip any more.

You will sit here and take your medicine.

Cheer up, James. It's more Moorcroft.

Oh, God!

This time, a circular pewter mounted basket and a cylindrical vase.

I'm looking for £120. I'm looking for 120. I'm looking for 120.

I'm looking for £120.

I'm looking for 120. I'm looking for £120.

-The Liberty basket is worth more than that.

-It's a matter of opinion.

120, thank you. Is there 130? 130. 140.

140 in the room. Is there 150? 140. 150. 160.

If I didn't know better,

I'd say James Braxton is secretly enjoying this.

And why not?!

-190. 200.

-I don't think you've made too much money on this one.

At 200 in the room. Is there 20? £200. In the room at 200.

We are all done on the internet then. At £200.

-James, I spy a profit.

-I know.

Just when poor old Brackers was getting his hopes up,

James Lewis pulls it out of the bag. But will it be enough?

Time now for the last of James Braxton's items,

the cracked Chinese vase.

-Here we are.

-This is it.

-£150. 150. Looking for 150. Looking for £150.

Looking for 150. I'll take £100 to start me then. Is there 100?

I'm looking for £100. I'm looking for £100. 100, I'm bid.

Is there 110?

-At 100. Is there 110?

-Come on, bid.

-£100. Is there 110?

I'll sell it at £100.

At £100. Are you sure? £100. Selling at 100.

At £100.

-Oh, dear.

-It was a shame because it was the last lot.

Oh, well, that's the rough and tumble of auction.

Don't give up hope just yet, Brackers.

It all depends on James Lewis' last item and guess what,

it's more Moorcroft!

It's the leaf and berries match and cigar tray

and the pomegranate pattern pin-dish.

Hold onto your seats!

£100. Looking for £100. Looking for £100. £100. Looking for 100.

-Looking for 100.

-Oh, come on!

-I'll taken an 80 bid if you like.

Looking for 80. I'll take a 50 then. Looking for 50. 50. Is there a five?

At 50. Is there a five?

-At £50 then. I'll sell it for 50.

-That is bonkers.

-55, thank you. 60.

-Five. 70.

-It's worth so much more than that.

-At 70. Is there a five?

At £70.

Well, it's what I call haemorrhaging money.

Oh dear. The expensive gamble on the job lot of Moorcroft

just didn't pay off and it might just have cost him the final leg.

It's going to be close, isn't it?

James Braxton started this show with £306.16

and after auction costs, he's made a small loss of £9.74,

giving him a grand total for the trip of £296.42.

James Lewis, however, began with £1022.34,

but after costs, made a stinging loss of £62.70.

While that gives him a humongous £959.64 overall,

it's James Braxton who wins this leg because he made a smaller loss.

Yippee!

All the profits our experts make go to Children In Need.

-I feel physically drained.

-How was that for you?

-Emotional. Oh, no.

-Slightly by default, I took this last leg.

-Well done.

Congratulations. Well done. Brilliant.

-As a result...

-You're driving.

-I'm going to tee off.

-Great.

So finally, a victory for James Braxton.

But it's James Lewis who wins this Road Trip.

# I get around. #

After 1,000 miles of highs and lows,

over land and sea,

with more than a few laughs along the way.

A chauffeur's peak cap.

Stand down, soldier.

# My buddies and me are getting real well-known

# Yeah, the bad guys know us and they leave us alone. #

Ouch! I've stabbed myself with it.

You can see how people get into this, can't you??

Give me the horn.

Why can't we have a bloody Bentley like normal people?!

And with that, we wave goodbye to our two Jameses

as they buggy off into the sunset.

Next week on the Antiques Road Trip,

we are with a brand-new pair of experts.

Jonathan Pratt has a life-changing experience.

I am now the proud owner of a pair of chairs.

And Anita Manning needs all the help she can get.

-Thank you. Wish me luck.

-Yes, indeed.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd