Episode 2 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!

It's 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.

Oh, 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!

On this road trip, two fine gents battle for the heart of Yorkshire.

Thomas Plant is a Berkshire auctioneer who is determined that

nothing will put a damper on his cheery disposition.

Oh, I'm getting wet!

While Philip Serrell is a Worcestershire veteran of the trade,

who's approaching this road trip with all his usual sunny optimism.

Yeah, I think we're doomed.

Ha-ha! Thomas started the road trip with a nice, round £200.

On the first leg, he managed to grow his budget to a respectable £258.10.

Well done.

Philip also started with £200 and has nosed ahead of his rival,

beginning this leg with a total of £270.50.

Today, our pair are piloting a beautiful blue beast,

the 1975 Triumph Stag.

And they're feeling positive about many things.

I like chimneys.

Jolly good.

This whole road trip takes our boys from Samlesbury in Lancashire

over the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man, then south to

nautical Greenwich, an epic journey of almost 700 miles.

On this leg, they'll begin in the ancient city of York,

ending up at auction in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Ooh, aye,

They're just coming into York, as Thomas has noticed.

York side, York side, York side, York side!

Ha-ha. I'm glad to see someone's had their morning coffee.

Now, do calm down, chaps.

Founded by the Romans in 71 AD, the walled city of York

has seen more than a little triumph and tragedy in its two millennia.

Let's hope this morning brings more of the former for Thomas and Philip.

Oh, there's the Minster.

They're parking up next to York landmark Clifford's Tower,

and heading their separate ways.

You have a great one.

Philip's on his way to his first shop.

I've never, ever been to York before.

I've got no idea what to expect, so I think the best plan is no plan.

Fair enough, Phil.

But it's beginning to look as if you're just ambling about aimlessly.

Finally, Philip has managed to wander to his first shop,

the Red House Antiques Centre,

where he's meeting assistant manager Andy.

Good to see you. Is it all right to have a look round?

Yes, help yourself.

What do you think so far? "Rubbish."

Oh, cheer up, Philip.

Best plan for me is no plan at all.

So you keep saying, Phil.

But, planned or not, Philip has seen something that might just

strike the right note.

-Can I have a look at that?

-You certainly can.

That beastie there, please.

A wandering minstrel or musician,

or, of course, artist, would have had this.

It's a portable music stand, dating from the Victorian era.

Ticket price is £38.

Oh, here we go. So that goes...there.

Are you having trouble with that, Phil?

That goes there, like that.

Shall we take that as a possible? Can we put that on the counter?

The stand belongs to a dealer who rents cabinet space in the shop.

Andy's going to give him a ring

to see what his rock bottom price might be.

In your cabinet, you've got a nice little folding music stand.

It's going to be, yeah, 10%, isn't it? So it's going to be 34 quid.

Thanks a lot, sorry to bother you. Cheers now, bye-bye.

-You know when things don't go very well?

-We do, Andy.

The dealer isn't keen to budge much on the ticket price,

but the tireless Philip has decided to try negotiating

with the shop instead, who might be able to tweak

the price down a little by waiving their commission on the sale.

Stuart, also an assistant manager, might be able to help.

Let's make an executive decision. I'll give you 30 quid for it.

Is that done? Good man. Thank you very much, thank you.

Very reasonable.

-You want some money, don't you?

-Yes, please.

There we are. Thank you very much indeed.

-Lovely to see you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for your guided tour.

See you soon. Bye-bye.

First buy in the bag and Phillip's off to his next shop.

About five minutes' walk away,

Thomas is also enjoying York's ancient atmosphere.

He's keen to learn a bit more about the history of the city,

so he's heading to one of its newest attractions -

York's Chocolate Story. Delish!

Hello, I'm Thomas Plant.

Pleased to meet you, I'm Alex, I'm the chocolate historian for Nestle.

Why is it synonymous with chocolate and sweets here?

Well, York is chocolate city.

I never knew that. I never, ever knew that.

Well, listen and learn, Thomas.

For more than a century, York has been a confectionery capital,

and home to manufacturers such as Rowntree's, Craven's and Terry's.

As such, the city has brought sweet treats

to generations of grateful Brits.

Alex has a couple of tasty items to show Thomas, ha-ha,

which illustrate the early history of the industry in York.

This is one of the oldest tins of chocolate in the collection.

In case we touch the chocolate, we really do have do wear gloves

because it's just so fragile.

-That's got chocolate in it?

-Yes, it has.

This was a bar of chocolate sent by Queen Victoria as a New Year gift

to all of the soldiers fighting in the Boer War in 1900.

So it was made in 1899.

It says here, "I wish you a happy New Year"

-and it's signed by Victoria.

-Oh, brilliant.

-And here's the chocolate inside.

-It's still there in with the straw?

It does smell.

Mm, that's...novel.

Alex has another royal choccie tin,

this one dating from World War I and presented

to the troops by King George V, Victoria's grandson.

Not only did he send out chocolate, which we can see here,

this one's in very good condition,

but the unusual thing about this tin was they'd obviously

thought about what other things a soldier might want.

And so if we look at the back, there's a match striker

and then if we slide off this back here, we can see

a collection of postcards of York that were included in the tin.

So these would be sent back to your loved ones at home?

He's got it. And York's confectionery companies continued

to be important throughout the 20th century.

After the outbreak of World War II, many factories were set to work

making munitions for the war effort.

With many of the men at war, the work fell to the factories' women.

During the Second World War, when the ladies were making munitions,

they made sure that they had special, protective make-up

to protect their faces from the powder they were working with,

which, unfortunately, turned them bright yellow.

Really? All of them, bright yellow?

They were called canary girls because the ladies who worked in

the munitions factory, the powder was absorbed through their skin.

-So they were making munitions in the chocolate factory?

-Yes.

At the same time as making chocolate?

Yes. In some cases, they were making a little bit of plain chocolate

and they'd stop making Smarties,

and the Smarties block was used for munitions.

In the post-war era, the choccie business boomed

and continues to the present day.

In the centre's working chocolate kitchen,

the lovely Alison will show Thomas how chocs are still handmade here.

Look at that.

We're going to do some handrolled truffles,

just like they would have done in the factories.

-Do I get a hat?

-You get a hat.

-It's made for the smaller head.

-We're going to roll some truffles.

So you need to take a few into your left hand,

put a bit of chocolate on your right hand and roll them together.

Well, that doesn't seem too difficult.

What a mess, eh?

Have I got chocolate on my nose?

-No, not at the moment you haven't, anyway.

-I've got it everywhere.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

-Can I take some of these?

You can take all of them away with you, if you like.

Lucky you, Thomas.

I'd stick with the antiques, if I were you.

He's heading to meet his old macher Philip on the city walls.

But he still wearing... Oh, dear.

-You look like the Pillsbury Doughboy.

-The Pillsbury Doughboy!

You see, I had to wear the hat to make some chocolates.

Do you like it?

It's not a good look, I can't see it catching on at all, really.

Come on, you two, time to find your next shops.

-Have you any idea where we are?

-Yes. I promise you.

I think we should have turned left back there.

We will be turning left in a minute.

Excuse me, my love, do you know where Piccadilly is?

No, sorry. Don't know where anything is.

-You don't know where anything is?

-No, sorry.

Well, you have that in common.

We went round the wrong way.

Finally, they seem to have got their bearings.

-Look!

-This is it.

-There it is.

They're splitting up and Philip's heading off

towards Banana Warehouse, his next shop.

With the help of dealers David and young Warren,

let's see if he can "exterminate" the competition.

-How much is that?

-That, unfortunately, is not for sale.

It was made by primary school children and we hire it out.

What a shame. I would have loved to see you try to get it into the car.

Could I have a look at the cricket bat, please?

Philip's eyeballed a sporting item, which might give him a good innings.

It's a miniature cricket bat, bearing the facsimile signatures

of legendary cricketers of the mid-20th century.

It's got some great names on here, look. Rhodes, Tom Goddard,

Compton.

Ticket price is £30. Warren's going to phone the dealer who owns it.

I'll give him a ring and find out what offer he'd take on it.

If you could, that would be fantastic.

And I'll continue to have a look round.

-He says you can have that for 15. That's an absolute deal.

-OK.

That's on. Hang onto that, then. What should I be looking at?

It depends what your taste is, what you want.

Taste? Have you seen this programme? I haven't got any taste.

Well, you do always buy something different.

You're very tactful, Warren.

-What about that little mangle?

-Want me to get it down?

It's a child's toy mangle. On the ticket, £25.

How much does he say on this one?

He says he'll do you a favour and go for a tenner.

-It's worth a hell of a lot more.

-I like that, yeah. OK, put that with

the cricket bat and we're getting a bit of a parcel here, aren't we?

Phillip's decided to combine the toy mangle

and the miniature cricket bat into a job lot.

But he's still browsing on.

He's found a basket of antique legal documents.

These are just indentures that date back, but they're not that old.

That one's 1900.

Basically, they're like mortgage deeds for parcels of land.

One of them mentions the Duke of Westminster.

Ticket price for the two documents that Philip has

selected from the pile is £10.

Warren, could I put these with my little parcel?

So far, we've got a mangle, we've got those two,

-we got a cricket bat, haven't we?

-Yes.

We're getting there, we're getting there.

And there's yet another thing he spotted.

Better fetch the stepladder, young Warren.

There's a whisky barrel up there, I wouldn't mind having a look at that.

I don't know how old it is.

He's adding the 19th-century ceramic barrel to the reserve pile.

It says £30 on the ticket.

Right, I need to see about some prices, don't I?

With a veritable bundle of potential buys on the table,

it's time for Philip to get haggling.

Combined ticket price of all the items is £95. Let's see.

15 for that, and ten for that, so that's 25.

Fiver for those two and a tenner for that, is how I'm valuing them.

Yeah.

He gets a lot for a bargain £40.

Ten, here's 40, thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much, Warren.

-You're welcome.

And with that, he's off to wander the winding streets

of York once more.

Thomas, meanwhile, is hanging out

with some jolly, colourful characters.

# She is handsome, she is pretty She is the belle of Belfast city

# She is courting, one, two, three

# Please, won't you tell me Who is she? #

Come on, man. Enough choccies and busking,

time to get some shopping done.

-Hello.

-How do you do, sir?

-Good, this is exciting.

-I think so, yes.

-This is really exciting. I'm Thomas.

-Hello Thomas, Phil.

-Phil, nice to meet you.

-CJ.

-CJ. So, how does it all work?

If you don't know how a shop works, Thomas,

this is going to be a very long day.

You find something, you pay us lots of money.

Thank you, Phil.

If I'm not careful, I'm just going to be buying shiny things,

as I did the last leg. Shiny, shiny, and oh, more shiny.

And, as if by magic...

They look all right.

God, look at that colour in there.

George II candlesticks.

15 quid. Nothing for something, you know, 1720.

And there's something else in the cabinet.

And the Archimedes drill?

Thank God for Archimedes, it's a great invention.

That Archimedes drill is named, oddly enough,

after the ancient Greek genius, Archimedes,

who had a screw.

They're a very useful tool, you can use them nowadays.

The drill bit goes in there.

It's supposed to spin.

I really like it. OK.

I really do. What can that be?

-Ah...

-Really, you know?

-£18.

-£18. Well, that's not bad, is it?

And I've seen something else I quite like of yours, as well,

which I'm going to go get and ask about.

Ah, pair of candlesticks.

Yeah, I like them.

-Been polished within an inch of their lives, though.

-Of course.

What deal could Thomas strike on the candlesticks?

-Ten, ten, how does ten sound?

-Ten? And then the Archimedes drill?

We say we agreed on 18.

18, yeah, 18. So that makes...

-£38.

-£38.

Ten plus 18 makes 38, does it?

I think Phil might be having you on, Thomas.

-28. 28.

-I just thought I'd try it on, see if it worked, and it did.

I didn't even contemplate. My brain wasn't working.

Really?

-Can I make you an offer?

-You can make us an offer.

Can I buy this for 25?

-Yeah, I think we can do that.

-Is that all right?

That's fine by me.

Thomas is having a final browse around

but look who's arrived.

Oh, God!

Here he comes!

Thomas, how are you getting on?

Oh, brilliantly, Phil. What are you doing down here?

-I have absolutely bought some incredible items.

-Have you?

-Incredibly bad items, I think.

-No!

-Yeah, I think we're doomed.

-No, you're not doomed.

-Absolutely doomed.

That's the spirit, Philip.

He's going to have a browse with his customary optimism.

I don't know what's happening, really.

My life need to take a new direction.

Lordy.

I'm going to see how much a box of hats is.

Jolly good. Ticket price is £50.

Martin, these your hats?

I don't know how many's in there, I haven't counted them.

-20 quid and that's you.

-Done. There you are.

A buy from camera-shy dealer Martin's disembodied hand.

And look, there's his hand.

I just bought 20 quid's worth of ridiculous hats.

Why? I don't know.

Well, now you have, you better do the necessary.

SONG: "You Can Leave Your Hat On"

Glad to see they've cheered you up.

And with that needless tomfoolery,

it's the end of an action-packed first day.

So, good night, chaps.

But you can't keep this pair off the road for long.

They greet the morning back in the Stag and in fine spirits.

-It's a lovely day, Thomas.

-It could be a lovely day.

So far, Thomas has spent £25 on two lots - the Archimedes drill,

and the pair of Georgian brass candlesticks.

While Philip has been a busy bee, spending £90 on five lots -

the Victorian music stand and indentures,

the ceramic whisky barrel,

the toy cricket bat, a mangle,

and the basket of assorted hats.

I haven't got a clue where we are.

As usual. They're driving, actually, towards Cawthorne, South Yorkshire.

Just west of Barnsley,

Cawthorne is a friendly place to start the morning. Mornin'.

That's a lovely horse.

Thomas has dropped Philip off in the village.

Have a good time, matey.

And he's heading into his first shop of the day,

where he's meeting dealer Karen.

And not for the first time, it would seem.

-Hello.

-Morning,

-Morning, again.

-Lovely to meet you again.

-Thank you very much for having me back.

-My pleasure.

And, yeah, I'm going to enjoy myself.

-Great.

-It's always nice to come back to somewhere familiar.

Thomas visited the shop on a previous road trip.

And look, here's the evidence.

There I am. With the Laidlaw.

Let's hope Karen doesn't shove that in a drawer after this visit, eh?

Thomas hasn't bought much yet. How's he feeling about his prospects?

Open mind, have a look, get on with it.

Well, it's a plan of sorts, I suppose.

(And don't panic.)

Oh, no. Not more hats. Please.

That fits. A little bit.

That's more my look.

Oh, do behave.

But now he's dug up something that might just turn a profit, look.

I think that's for cutting silage.

Hay, yeah, fermented hay.

Or peat.

It's priced up at £29.

I like that. I love this weathered handle.

He likes the spade and he's taking it downstairs,

where he spies something else.

I like that little car.

The Jetex! The Jetex car.

That's great fun.

Jetex was a mid-20th century manufacturer of model vehicles,

which were powered by a miniature rocket motor. Ticket price is £25.

I like old toys. They bring back a real nostalgia to people.

-Karen will open the cabinet for him.

-It's the toy.

-I have to say...

-HE LAUGHS

..the box is in pretty poor state.

But it's a great fun thing.

And while the cabinet's open, something else has taken his fancy.

That is quite cool.

It's a piece of trench art -

a brass serviceman's cap made from an artillery shell.

It may have been crafted by a soldier serving during World War I.

On the ticket - £20.

-That's more unusual.

-I haven't seen one like that before.

-I've never seen that before.

-We'll ask about that, as well.

-Yeah.

Karen will phone the dealer who owns the toy car

and brass cap to see what sort of deal might be struck.

You've got 25 on the car and 20 on the cap.

-Thomas is asking, can you do 30?

-30, 30.

That's lovely, Richard. Thank you very much, love.

-What does he say?

-Yes, he'll do 30.

-Oh, great.

-Oh, and then the hay cutter?

-Yeah?

What can that be? He wouldn't do it for 20, would he? It's got 29 on it.

I think he probably would, yeah.

-I think I'm going to go for all three.

-Lovely.

Lovely! Deal done.

-I give you £50.

-That will be lovely.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you very much.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

Having already accumulated an array of items,

Philip is keen to learn a little more about the local area

and has wandered off to the Cawthorne Victoria Jubilee Museum.

He's meeting museum president Barry.

-Hi, I'm Philip.

-Hello, I'm Barry Jackson.

-Barry, how are you?

The museum was founded in the late 1800s by the village's vicar,

who rejoiced in the name of Charles Tiplady Pratt

and whose private store of fascinating objects

formed the beginnings of the collection we see today.

This place has everything

from natural wonders to complete mysteries.

-We're still growing. I mean, people are still donating things.

-Really?

You've got an eclectic mix of, like,

-everything from everywhere, haven't you?

-Yes.

-We've been called the Victorian hodgepodge before now.

-PHILIP LAUGHS

Ha-ha! The museum building was built by Pre-Raphaelite painter

John Roddam Spencer Stanhope and his brother, Sir Walter.

They supported the reverend in his mission

to allow the Cawthorne people access to the collection

in the noble name of self education.

-Is it all right if I have a look round?

-Yes, you may.

Hmm, Barry's taking Philip to see a particularly hair-raising item.

And what's that? Is that a telephone exchange or something?

-No, it's a hair perming machine.

-You what?

-For perming hair.

I've got to look at that.

The hair was rolled up and then put into these,

which were electrically heated.

Where would this have dated from?

Oh, 1930?

-And this is an English device?

-Yes, there's somebody using it there.

Let's have a look, then.

So this...? Oh, my word!

Well, that's a chap!

I tell you what, that to me looks like an absolutely evil device.

Don't mince your words there, Phil.

The curling contraption was donated by a local hairdresser

who was still using it in the 1960s, bless him!

Blimey, I bet the local girls looked a treat.

Ha-ha! But around the corner,

there's something that's much more to Philip's taste.

Barry, this is incredible, because this is such a barmy place.

You go from hair perming machines to William De Morgan, who was

one of the most iconic potters, designers of the 19th century.

Donations given to the museum

through Spencer Stanhope's glamorous connections

included items from the writer and critic John Ruskin

and these wonderful late Victorian ceramics by De Morgan.

William De Morgan was a real exponent of

-the Pre-Raphaelite movement, wasn't he, in terms of design?

-Yes, yes.

-And his pots are so sought after.

-Yeah.

-I think that's fantastic.

Let's go and have a look and see what else we can find. This is just the most amazing place, isn't it?

In this room, there's something a bit more playful.

-Now, that's knurr and spell, isn't it?

-Yes.

-I know what that is, because I read a book once.

Just the one, Philip?

-It struck me as being quite the most bizarre game. Can I touch it?

-Yes.

Hmm, this traditional game was popular in the North of England

in the 18th and 19th centuries.

-Fires the ball up in the air.

-And then you hit it.

-And then you stand there and whack it, don't you?

-Yeah.

-I've got a real favour to ask.

-Yes, we...

-Can I have a go?

-You can.

-So Barry's game!

-Let's take it outside.

Well, I'm not going until I hit one.

Well, we might be here for a while, then!

You ready for this?

-Oh,

-BLEEP!

You ready?

-Oh,

-BLEEP!

-I've lost me... Is it me knurr or me spell?

-Which is which?

-I've forgotten.

I'm going to hit one of these. Stand back.

Ready?

-# Hit me with your rhythm stick... #

-Did you see that?

-Very good.

Success! But now, Philip's getting cocky.

Watch out for that car.

-HE LAUGHS

-BLEEP!

I think I better hand you this back, Barry,

before I do some damage somewhere or other.

Let's take it back inside. Sorry about that.

We can't take you anywhere, Philip!

-You all right?

-Yeah.

-If you're quite finished causing mayhem,

it's time to get back on the road.

They're driving about 30 miles south to Harworth, Nottinghamshire.

Once a busy colliery town, Harworth is also home to one of Britain's

sporting greats - the post-war road racing cyclist Tom Simpson.

-Here we are, look.

-They're aiming for Harrison Antiques,

where they're meeting the charming Christine. Watch out, Christine!

Come on, Philip, get out!

-How are you?

-All right, thank you.

-I'm Thomas.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Philip.

-This is Philip.

-The boys are splitting up

and heading into two different retail units that Christine owns.

Obviously, this is where all the furniture and ceramics are.

-Brilliant. Can I have a good look around?

-Yes, have a good look round.

And before long, Thomas has something in his sights.

Ooh, ooh, can I have a look at something in this cabinet?

Thomas has a strategy. He's going to try to find militaria

and automotive items to combine into two job lots with the toy car

and a piece of trench art he's already bought.

Do you have any more sort of militaria things?

He's spotted some medals and a World War II range finder

that fit in with his military theme, and a vintage pendant

from the Le Mans sports car race that suits his motoring one.

What's that got to be? And that as well?

And there was no price on this.

-Er, right.

-The Le Mans sort of...

-The Le Mans, yeah.

-We'll get a price and come back to you on that.

-Thank you.

-Right, I can do all three for 35.

-Oh, brilliant! That's definitely...

-Can we put that aside while I look upstairs?

-Certainly.

With those items reserved,

he's unearthed something completely different.

-You know what this is?

-I don't, no.

You put a cartridge in there... and this goes in the ground.

-I think it goes in the field.

-Moles? But is it for moles?

It's a 19th-century device for frightening moles away.

Scary, if you're a mole.

-He's interested, but before he can make an offer...

-That's my car!

..the heavens have opened outside and there's no cover on the car.

-Uh-oh!

-Oh, I'm getting wet!

This is a bit of a case of bolting the stable door...

-once the horse has bolted.

-It never rains, but it pours.

Ee-up, old chap.

Where's Philip in all of this? Huh?

"Oh, TP will do it! Don't worry!"

-I give up.

-HE LAUGHS

Oh, dear.

I'm going to go upstairs.

You do that, then, Thomas.

Meanwhile, Philip is next door with dealer Roger

and he's dry, for the moment,

though he's spotted something that might just change all that.

-How much is that?

-The canoe?

-Yeah.

-It's £180.

What's the death on that, then?

-The death on the canoe?

-Yeah.

-It could be 150.

-I like that a lot.

-It is very good.

-How old is it?

It'll be in the 1930s, 1940s, around that time.

I've got to try and buy it, if I can, somewhere just below the 100 mark.

-Is that possible, do you think?

-I can't do it that well.

-All right.

We don't mind an offer, we don't like insults.

-I like that, can I use that?

-You can use that, yeah.

Haven't got copyright, have you? LAUGHTER

Can I have a look at it? Can we get it down?

-We can lift it down, yeah.

-So it's got these two paddles?

-Yeah.

You lift your bit down, then.

-Are you ready?

-I'm ready.

And while Roger's in his compromised position...

I'll tell you what, don't go any further.

Bloody hell, I'm coming off here!

I'll give you 120 quid for it, seen like this now.

-Done deal?

-Done deal.

-You're on.

-Let's put it back before we break something.

-Fantastic!

Hey, and you, Philip, are shameless.

Haggling with a man while he's got a boat above his head?

Come on, let me shake you by the hand. I'd better pay you, haven't I?

-Yeah, money, money.

-There we are, £120.

Next door, it seems that

even a good soaking can't dampen Thomas's spirits.

He's like a whirlwind and seems to be pursuing

the opposite strategy to the one-item Philip.

Oh, they've got loads of stuff up here. Toys!

He's bouncing along with his plan to assemble

two job lots themed around militaria and cars.

He's dug out an Egyptian military arm-wrestling trophy. Ha!

And a 1950s royal engineers plaque. Eclectic, eh?

There is method to my madness, I promise.

And he's found another piece of trench art,

-modelled from wartime detritus.

-A paper knife.

-And... Oh, no, something else!

-I saw the Schuco car.

Similar sort of age, 1950s, I think.

Made in US Germany, yeah, so the Schuco toy

-to go with that Le Mans thing.

-And another one.

I'm starting to think you're a shopaholic, Thomas.

Oh, I've got to have that. Racing cars.

And finally, a bag of buttons. Phew!

Now, none of the pile of items Thomas has found

has been priced up yet, so he's going to have

to keep his wits about him when he speaks to Christine.

He's already been offered a deal of £35 for the Le Mans pendant,

medals and rangefinder, but what can she offer for the rest?

So, if we say...25?

Can I offer you 50 for the lot?

Go on, then.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, I'll do that.

-£50?

-Yeah.

-50 knicker for the lot.

-Lovely.

-Thank you very much.

Terrific! He gets a deal of £50 for the - gasp! -

medals, pendant, rangefinder, toy car, trophy and plaque,

paper knife, tin and buttons. Phew!

But he's just remembered something.

There was one thing I saw and I forgot to buy.

The mole scarer!

Now, I was, I forgot...

That thing over there, how much is that?

-That one? Let's have a look.

-Can we just sort of throw that in?

-£10.

-Is it? It's a tenner, is it?

Could that be a fiver?

Well, seeing as it's you, and seeing as you've had to

stand in that rain putting that hood up, I'll do it for a fiver.

A fiver, right, OK, let's see if I've got a fiver kicking about.

Done! I'm exhausted just watching you.

-A fiver.

-Cheers, thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

Both of our boys have their lots for auction,

so they've repaired nearby to unveil their purchases.

Thomas is up first.

Ooh, ooh, ooh!

-Oh, look out, look out, look out!

-Carefully.

-Lightning reactions!

Yes, Mr Plant in the Library with the candlestick.

And who would he be killing, then, Philip?

-This is my plethora of goods.

-You've got some good things.

Isn't that a mole scarer?

-But what that does, then, is cause a vibration in that stick.

-Yeah.

-Moles don't like that.

-No, they hate vibrations.

-Do they?

-They don't really see, do they?

-Well, they don't get out much.

Unlike you two. Now, car-loving Phil has spotted the auto lot.

You've got my stuff over there.

-You've got some lovely toys.

-Look at the Schuco car.

Look at you, knowing about Schuco!

1950s, late '40s, early '50s.

-Fantastic.

-Sweet, isn't he?

-I love that.

I think that's your best bit by a country mile.

High praise indeed!

Georgian candlesticks, tenner!

The sad thing is, they're worth £100-150.

-They were once.

-But you won't get it. In today's market,

-they're Georgian sticks, they're 15 to 25 quid.

-Yeah, I paid a tenner.

So modest expectations but well received.

And now it's time for the venerable Philip to show Thomas his haul.

-So you've bought a collection of hats.

-Yeah.

OK. Just two, or...?

No, I've got a whole thingummy full, look!

Are they all this size? They do not fit.

Well, they don't fit you!

-They were £20, the lot.

-Brilliant!

This is my little travelling music stand.

Which cost me £30. But I bought these two with it

which are old and dentured.

Thomas is staying tight-lipped on that one!

And what about the big buy? Too big, in fact, to fit in the room.

Look at that.

Then you've bought a boat. You've bought a canoe!

-I don't know why I bought it, really.

-No, I can see why you bought it.

That is a boy's dream, isn't it? I like that a lot!

-Put that down.

-I'm very jealous.

But what do they say behind closed doors?

I think Thomas has done really well with his lots,

I love that bit of auto memorabilia he has put together.

They should do really well. So, you know, he could be up there with me.

It's all about Philip's boat, it's all about the canoe.

£120 paid, that's a lot of money for old Phil to spend on one single object.

The other great thing is the folding music stand, that's really very nice.

But at the end of the day, it's all about Philip's boat.

Today our intrepid pair began in York

and have wandered through the land of the White Rose

to end up at their auction in Rotherham.

Thurcroft in the metropolitan borough of Rotherham is another area with mining history.

Let's hope Thomas and Philip can dig deep as they head for Paul Beighton Auctioneers...

Here we are.

..where Jody Beighton will be wielding the gavel.

Thomas Plant started this day with £258.10.

He spent £127 exactly on five lots.

Philip Serrell began his leg with £270.50.

He spent £210 on the nose and also has five lots to show for it.

The auction is about to begin.

Gentlemen, starting positions, please.

First up is Thomas' Archimedes drill -

what can it screw out of the punters?

We start at £10.

-Ten!

-No.

Five, if you like. Five I'm bid.

Take six, any advance?

Maiden bid is at five. No further interest.

At £5, all done.

Hm, a disappointing first lot.

Let's hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

He's like a pickpocket just taking a tenner out of your pocket.

Now one for Philip. His whisky barrel. Hic!

Any interest at five?

We're away at £5, six at the back, eight, ten,

12. 14.

16, 18, at 16 down the front, 18 we're looking for.

Any advance? £16 then, here to sell.

They are unsaleable, aren't they. He's just swum the Channel with that.

Philip seemed puzzled at his own success.

But it reaps a modest reward.

-You have made a profit.

-Yeah.

Next, Thomas' job lot of auto memorabilia.

Will it race away?

Start us at £20, I'll take 25.

30, 5, 40, I'm out, 5.

50, 5.

-I said I'd give you 50 quid for it.

-You did.

-That's all right.

-Yeah.

It's better than all right, Thomas! You've doubled your money!

Now, Philip's combined lot of Victorian music stand

and indentures.

Ten to start.

10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 2.

You're fine. Speedy bidding.

Any advance now? 22, 24?

That's just been given away.

£22. All done and selling at 22.

Oh, crumbs. Another loss for Philip.

I don't think there are many travelling musicians around Rotherham.

Still, chin up - Thomas has another chance to light up the room

with his pair of Georgian candlesticks.

Ten, then, if you like. 12, 14, 16.

-18, 20. One more, sir?

-Go on!

At £18. 20, 22, 24,

26, 28. At 26 and away.

Another win for Thomas, great.

The candlesticks perform as predicted

and it's a respectable profit.

So far, Philip's on a bit of a sticky wicket.

Can the toy bat and mangle squeeze a needed profit from the crowd?

16 straight in. 18, 20, two, 24.

26 now elsewhere. Bid's at £24 in the seats.

Take 26, any advance. At £24 and selling...

Another small loss. He's down at but not out.

-Oh, dear.

-Would you mind not saying that with such a smile in your face?!

I do like your evil side, Thomas!

Thomas has a chance to widen his lead with this rustic spade

and mole scarer, as you do.

£30, 20.

Ten, let's crack on, ten I'm bid, take 12.

two items I'm bid at £10, looking for 12.

14, 16, 18, 20. 22, 24.

At 22, back of the room, any advance?

I'm bid £22, any further interest.

At £22, 24, in late there, 26.

28, it's got a second wind.

At 26 and done.

Looks like the only thing it scared away was bidders.

There are occasions on a Sunday morning when you get up and think,

I should have stopped in bed. I think this is one of them.

Philip badly needs a winner.

Will his hat prove he has a head for this game?

16 we're looking for.

There we are, 30. Profit.

50, 55.

Brilliant, you see?

55 we're looking for. Any advance? At £50, all done.

-You must be pleased.

-I am, but I'm so anxious about this.

But hats off, Philip, that was an astute buy.

-I'm really anxious about it.

-I have never seen you so anxious.

-I am, I could go and do 70 quid.

-Don't be ridiculous. You'll be fine.

Now, the second of Thomas's big job lots.

Will his militaria charge to victory?

40, 30. 20, let's get on.

Thank you, take 25.

Oh, dear, all that work.

26, 28, 30.

No. It's not got the legs.

40 with you. We're under estimate there.

Disappointing. At 35 and away.

-That's bad news.

-Sadly it's a big loss for a big lot.

He's in trouble if Philip's canoe doesn't sink.

That's a hideous loss.

Philip's canoe is up last. Can he paddle to victory?

50, somebody start me. 50, we're in.

60 we're looking for. Any advance?

-Told you 50.

-Any advance at all?

Looking for 60. It's at £50. Seems cheap.

I did tell you 50 quid, didn't I?

And he's up the creek without the proverbial. Bad luck.

What are we going to do now?

I tell you what I'm not going to do - I'm not going to buy any more canoes.

That's sensible.

Philip started this leg with £270.50.

After paying auction costs, he made a stinging loss of £77.16,

giving him a disappointing £193.34 to carry forward.

While Thomas started with £258.10,

he lost a comparatively modest £10.52,

giving him £247.54 to carry forward,

and making him the de facto winner of this ill-starred auction.

-Why are you looking so forlorn?

-That wasn't good.

We were doing all right until that canoe happened.

-I think the people of Rotherham are not quite ready for canoes.

-No.

Cheer up, chaps. And on to the next leg.

Thomas and Philip live life in the fast lane.

This is brilliant!

Well, most of the time!

We're auctioneers, not engineers.

We know that!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd