Episode 30 Antiques Road Trip

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

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

-Yippee!

-Sometimes a man is in need.

The aim? To make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Knobbly nick-nacks.

So, will it be the high road to glory

or the slow road to disaster?

It landed on the rug!

This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

On this Road Trip, a couple of champagne Charlies

are vying to pop the cork of auction victory.

Charlie Ross is a silver smoothie

whose antiques skill is as burnished as his way with the girls.

I could blow her a kiss down the phone, if that helps.

Hope the missus isn't watching!

Yeah. Whose missus?

Whilst his young rival, Charles Hanson,

is a cheeky and chipper auctioneering prodigy,

but has some ground to catch up if he wants to better the silver fox.

All I can hear is the echo of Charlie Ross laughing.

That unnerves me!

Not the only one! After Charlie the elder cleaned up at their last auction,

the whole hangs on this final leg of the Road Trip.

How exciting!

Both our boys started with £200.

Charlie Ross has now traded up to a terribly healthy £410.00 exactly.

While Charles Hanson has accumulated a very respectable £302.20.

They're gliding over the great British highways and byways

in a curvy 1970s knockout,

the 1971 Triumph TR6.

This is absolutely glorious.

-This has got the heritage.

-It certainly has.

On this entire Road Trip, Charles and Charlie have cruised over 500 miles

through the English green and pleasant land

from Tarporley in Cheshire

to Itchen Stoke near Winchester in Hampshire.

On this final leg of their travels,

they begin in Hereford, oddly enough located in the county of Herefordshire,

heading for Hampshire's Itchen Stoke

for their final reckoning.

They've made it to Hereford, and Charlie's made friends with a local.

He's full of bull!

Charlie, you can't do that.

-What?

-Get down.

-Why?

-I think it's rude to mount on a huge Hereford bull.

-Have you ever ridden a bull?

-Is it bronze?

-It's bronze.

-Get down, get down.

-Ooh, God!

Come on!

-Quick!

-I think it's made a hole in my trousers!

Once you've finished assaulting the civic art,

first stop is Hereford Antiques Centre.

-Shall we go in together?

-Yep.

-Shopping together. I can't wait!

Charles, when you're in there,

-don't make too much noise.

-Please, likewise.

-Me?

-Yeah, you.

Yeah. A clean fight now, boys, please.

Nice shop.

-Shall I go through here?

-Anywhere you like.

-See you shortly.

Don't call me "Shortly".

Boom-boom.

-Richard. Hello.

-Hello.

Hello! Dealer Richard will assist with their search.

Now, Charles, the callow youth,

is trailing behind his competitor

as this last leg of their road trip kicks off.

Doe he have a strategy with which to beat his rival?

Come on, suave!

My tactics are to really go for it.

This is my last auction.

It's my last stand against Charlie, and here he comes.

OK, Charlie? Fine, are you going past me?

-I need the loo.

-Going to the loo? Fine.

-It's obviously pre-match nerves, Charlie!

-Ha!

He doesn't seem very nervous, Charles.

I've got a lot of money. Well, a lot more than Charles has!

Before long, Charlie's taken a shine to a collection of items in a silver cabinet.

There's quite a lot of watches in here, of varying sorts.

These are all damaged. They would need work to make them go.

But again, wonderful direction of decoration on that.

There might be a little job lot here which might be quite exciting.

Combined ticket price for all seven silver watches is £160.

I suppose I'd like to buy the whole lot for about 80 quid.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

It's worth a try.

Charlie's going to speak to Richard.

-What's the best you could do?

-90 would be.

-90 would be.

Gosh, I'm being rather pathetic and pernickety here.

You can't do them for 80, can you?

85 I'll do.

Put it there. I think that's great. Really thrilled.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

So, Charlie has his job lot of silver watches at a bargain price.

And now Charles has also found something he likes.

This I love. Isn't that wonderful?

It's a mahogany knife box dating from way back in the late 1700s.

Back in its heyday, you would have had some fabric lining

but over the years, it's just been completely lost.

The price on the ticket is a hefty £110.

But Charles is hoping that the damage on the box

might give him a significant leeway to negotiate.

-I quite like this knife box.

-Uh-huh.

What's the best price on that, Richard?

-This is £30.

-Really?

-Mm-hm.

-You said 30.

-Mm-hm.

It is tired. It is worn out.

-But it's history.

-Yeah.

I would like to offer £20 for it.

-Done with your approval?

-Go on, then. Done.

That's one buy. £20. Thank you, Richard.

Thank you! Charles gets the 18th-century knife box

and both our boys are storming onwards.

I'm saying nothing, Charlie.

-What did you buy?

-I'm saying nothing.

-What did you buy?

Hmm. They're driving the 15 miles to the environs of Ledbury, Herefordshire,

a very well-appointed market town, don't you know?

Charlie's dropping Charles off.

Thank you very much. Drive safely!

We'll come back to you shortly, Charles.

See you, Charlie. Bye!

Right now, Charlie's driving on to his next shop,

Posterity, which lies just outside of town.

# La la la. # Hello, doggie!

No need to talk to Mackintosh like that, Charlie.

He's the yard foreman.

Owner David is on hand to help.

Posterity specialise in architectural and garden antiques.

And on site is a giant collection of absolute monsters

which have caught Charlie's eye.

I love your olive jars!

They're absolutely magnificent!

-Where do they come from?

-They're Spanish.

Northern Spanish, just south of the Pyrenees, some from up the Pyrenees.

They're known out there as tinaja,

and they're all dated between about 1850 and 1920.

We've got a fine collection at the moment.

They were used for storing anything. Water, wine, if you were lucky.

That's the biggest one I've ever seen in my life.

The big ones might even make a good sort of eco home!

You could have an upstairs and downstairs in that thing!

You could put Philip Serrell in one of those. Best place for him, really!

I'd like to see you try!

Charlie's quite smitten with them,

and he's flashing his cash.

Have you got such a thing as a 300-pounder?

I love them!

This little chap here I'd be prepared to let you have at £300.

-Would you really?

-Well, seeing as it's you!

Huh. This example dates from around 1910.

It's losing a bit of its exterior.

I think that's absolutely fabulous. Marvellous!

I can't resist it!

300 quid, sir.

Good golly! Charlie lays £300 out on a single lot

and now only has £25 left of his previously generous budget.

That's a bold move, Charlie.

And how do you think you're going to get the beast to auction, eh?

Meanwhile, Charles is a couple of miles away

at Eastnor Castle, near Ledbury.

He's meeting head guide, Patricia. Look up!

-Charles Hanson.

-I'm Patricia.

Construction of this magnificent stately home began in 1810

and was commissioned by John Cox, First Earl Somers,

whose descendants still live here.

Oh, my goodness me!

Here we are in the Great Hall.

It was designed as a baronial hall,

so in John Somers' day, it was completely empty

with only these benches around the room.

-It was used for feasting and dancing.

-Goodness me!

The cost of building the castle was so great

that the interiors inevitably took a lower priority at first.

But later generations of the family each made their own mark,

leaving us with a glorious combination of Victorian design across the century.

Patricia is taking Charles on to see a room

that the second earl commissioned

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin to design in 1848.

Pugin was a 19th-century designer and architect

now chiefly remembered for his interiors at the Palace of Westminster.

Oh, golly!

When you walk in here, Patricia,

you just get a feeling of romance and drama.

I suppose that is what Pugin was about, wasn't he?

Pugin was about that, yes.

Pugin was a great proponent of the 19th-century Gothic revival

which sought to restore the medieval Gothic styles.

You've got the castle, and I suppose what Pugin did

was to romanticise it,

-was to give it that medieval, almost inspirations.

-That's right.

Which, when you walk in here, it is like a medieval fairytale.

You can't quite believe you're real

because it's just so whimsical.

It's just one big Gothic fantasy. Where are we going next?

-We're going Italian, now.

-Italian? Ooh, take me there!

-This way.

They're going to visit the Long Library

which was decorated by the third earl,

who was something of a lover of the dolce vita.

The third earl, Charles, loved Italy.

He visited Italy and we think he bought most of it and brought it home.

Looking above here as well, we have all these beautiful textiles, or hangings.

-We do. The Tapestries.

-Yes.

-Yes.

And they're all Flemish tapestries.

The tapestries were originally ordered by Catherine de Medici,

the Italian-born 16th-century Queen of France.

It was a complete set of 38, and we have about eight of them.

-Yes.

-They were bought by the third earl and fitted up here.

-Yes.

To decorate his library.

And the current owner, a descendant of the first earl,

has also made contemporary changes to the castle.

He's taken it from a very poor neglected state

because that's how he found it.

-Yes.

-And he's restored it.

And now he opens it to the public.

It seems that these stately environs have inspired Charles.

It's been a wonderful visit.

I'm pleased to see a real country house that's been lived in.

And to learn about the antiques that have been collected,

it really gives me a desire.

A desire to now move on, to go on,

and find those antiques to beat my friend, Charlie Ross.

-OK?

-I'm glad you've enjoyed it.

-It really has...

-It's certainly been my pleasure.

As Charles plots victory,

Charlie has driven on the eight miles to Malvern in Worcestershire.

This former spa town originally grew up around a medieval Benedictine monastery,

the remains of which make up the earliest parts of this,

the Grade I listed Great Malvern priory.

Charlie's aiming for his next shop, Foley House Antiques.

Careful there, old boy!

Mind the truss!

Here, dealers Tracey and Brigitte hold court.

Look out, girls!

What a lovely ting!

He's only got £25 left in his wallet,

but before long, he's spied something.

-Brigitte?

-Yes?

-Can you help me?

What is that?

There, with what looks like a Russian flag and a Union Jack on it.

I'll get the key.

It looks absolutely fascinating. It's got Russian writing round it.

I'd be intrigued to know what it's to do with.

Glad to oblige!

It's a plaque commemorating the 1962 joint British/Soviet mountaineering expedition

to the Pamir Mountains in what is now Tajikistan

and was then part of the Soviet Union.

It's a real piece of history, and Charlie's quite smitten by it.

He's a bit of a climber himself, you know. Socially.

How much can your Russian plaque be?

I can't resist your Russian plaque.

Well, I shouldn't say that. Could it be a tenner?

No!

-It couldn't, no?

-15?

I think 15 would be a good price.

Oh, Brigitte! Brigitte!

You could make quite a lot on it.

Does 12 sound any exciting? No?

-No, it would have to be 15.

-Have to be 15.

-Have to be.

Girls...

-A deal.

-Sold to the man in the corner!

Mwa! Thank you!

Da! All is glasnost in the shop

and Charlie has his coveted plaque.

And with that, our boys are back in the car

and celebrating the end of a super first day's buying.

Nighty-night, chaps!

But early next morning, they're up with the fresh scent of antiques in their nostrils.

And with the last auction fast approaching,

they're comparing their form in the competition so far.

I've only ever lost one series.

-Oh, no!

-Yep!

-Oh, no!

-Yep.

I've only ever won one series!

But this game isn't won until the last fall of the gavel.

So far on this leg, Charlie's certainly done the heavy lifting

in terms of spend.

He's splurged £400 exactly on three lots.

The enormous olive jar, the job lot of silver watches

and the plaque commemorating a mountaineering expedition.

He's only got £10 left to spend.

While Charles has been positively parsimonious by comparison,

spending only £20 on one lot, the 18th-century knife box.

He still has £282.20 to spend.

They're on their way to Lechlade- on-Thames, Gloucestershire.

-There we are.

-In Cirencester.

No, you're not. You're in Lechlade-on-Thames,

which, as the name suggests, sits on the banks of old Father Thames.

And this handsome town has put Charlie in the mood

for quoting some classic English poetry.

The church clock strikes three

and is there honey still for tea?

-That's not quite right.

-Really?

No, it's not.

-John Betjeman.

-OK.

No, it's Rupert Brooke.

CLOCK CHIMES

Cometh the hour, Charlie, cometh the man.

Come on, then!

-I'll race you, OK?

-This way, Charlie.

They're sprinting for Lechlade Antiques Arcade.

And who's winning?

Here we are, Charlie. Our first shop.

I'll go right. You go straight on.

Charles is heading upstairs. Come on, Charlie.

Get your breath!

While Rosco says hello...

-Greetings!

-Hello.

-How are you? I'm Charlie.

-Hi, Charlie.

-And you are?

-Tim.

-Tim.

-I'm Tim. This is Dom.

-Dominic.

-Tim and Dom.

-Yes.

-A double act!

What an amazing building!

Ooh, I might find a book.

It's the sort of thing that's likely to be within my grasp.

Not that one!

Oh, Lordy!

Music lover Charlie has spotted something that might hit the right note.

History of Music.

Look at the wonderful gilding on that volume.

It's a five-volume history of music

first published by Cassell & Co

in the late 19th century.

Ticket price is £22.50.

Is that all?

That's splendid. Books are so cheap.

Good books.

Something like this doesn't really go out of fashion.

It becomes no less relevant with age.

Aren't they beautiful?

Tim?

-Charlie.

-Ah. You are here!

-Have you found something?

The books belong to a dealer, Veen,

who isn't in the shop today.

Charlie wants to offer his last £10 for them.

-Is it worth a try? What do you think?

-I can ring her.

-Could you?

Could you tell her it's Charlie and he's ever such a nice chap.

-I could blow her a kiss down the phone, if that helps?

-We'll try that.

Hope the missus isn't watching!

Tim - great name - will call Veen.

But with so little to spend, will she tell Charlie to go whistle?

While Tim, great name, makes the call, Charlie browses on,

just in case his telephonic charms don't swing the deal.

Ooh. Ordnance Survey maps.

People like old Ordnance Survey maps. They collect them.

Since their auction is near Winchester,

he's wondering if he can find a map of local interest.

And he might be just in luck.

No.

"A one-inch map of Great Britain. Winchester"!

£2.50.

And how interesting to look at one which was published in 1959.

A-ha. Tim, great name, is back.

Was Veen seduced by Charlie's offer?

She will take a tenner.

-But could the £2.50 map be included?

-Sounds good to me.

So Charlie's charm got him the books and the map thrown in for a bargain £10.

That's cheeky.

Charles, meanwhile, is another part of the shop.

Young Carlos is feeling the pressure this morning.

We have no time today, OK? Time today is of the essence.

I'm £100 behind. £100 behind that great man Charlie Ross.

All I can hear is the echo of Charlie Ross laughing.

That unnerves me, because he quite clearly is show-boating.

He quite clearly thinks he's over the line.

Charlie, you're not there yet.

But Charles has spotted something which might just save him.

This is quite nice.

What we've got here,

surprisingly out on the side,

is a pretty tray.

It's an interesting table tray

beautifully embossed in the Rococo style.

It's solid silver and dates from the Edwardian period.

It's quite good.

And two more silvery beauties have caught his eye.

You've got these two very delicious silver dishes.

Just very indistinctly hallmarked just on the edge here of this one

there is a hallmark for Chester.

And this one as well is a companion.

It's a pair. They're quite quirky.

The tickets aren't marked with prices,

so Carlos is going to ask dealer Dominic

what the tray and pair of dishes might cost.

What can you do them for?

-I think all three, taken today...

-Taken today. Cash. Cash buyer.

-Cash buyer.

-For a man who's on the run today.

-A man on the run. Heard the song?

-Yes, definitely.

# Band on the run #

I think it's Band on the Run, Charles.

Man on the Run.

# Band on the run #

It's band!

But what can Dom do, eh?

I think £70 would be perfect.

-Golly.

-There's a good profit in there for you.

-You won't take 60?

-No, I think I'll have to do 70.

70. It's fairly tempting. We're so near. Very tempting.

To finish tempting you, 65.

For Queen and country, your very best price is...

It has to be 65, I'm afraid.

Hard man, but good man.

-Yeah, I'll take them. Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-I'll take them.

Sold. Done.

Marvellous. Thank you, Dom.

This business is also all about making friends. There's a...

CLATTERING

Are you OK, Dom?

By chance he is. Charles has now found another of Dom's items that he rather likes.

Tell me about that. Give me its pedigree.

Right. It's a little Edwardian candle set.

It's a piece of toleware,

or painted varnished tin

with gilt decoration,

comprising two candle snuffers and a pair of wick nips.

That would cut the wick, I think. Is that damaged there, Dom?

There's a small amount of damage on the handle.

What a shame.

It could be replaced. But as a cheap item...

Dom, what's the best price on that?

The very best on that, for you, would be £10.

And for Charles's next trick.

Dom, you gave me £5 back.

Put that £5 in your hand.

I'll close my eyes

and put back in my hand which one you'd rather I take away.

I'm going to be kind today.

Abracadabra!

-Very kind.

-Are you sure?

-Yes.

With that cunning sleight of hand,

Charles has accumulated another three lots

and both our lads are hitting the road.

-Thanks again. Bye!

-The sun's out!

That's a sign of things to come.

Let's hope so!

They're driving the 32 miles to Wheatley, Oxfordshire,

where, since he's now spent every last penny in his pocket,

Charlie has decided to take the blooming afternoon off...

..and pay a visit to Waterperry Gardens

and meet their museum curator, Gordon.

A-ha. You must be the boss, sir.

-Mr Ross.

-Gordon, is it?

-It is indeed.

This is absolutely remarkable.

Waterperry House is an elegant 17th-century mansion

which remains a private residence.

But the lovely historic gardens which surround it

and were once its estate, are now open to the public

and house a garden centre and Gordon's museum of rural objects.

The well-tended gardens here have their modern roots in the 1930s,

when horticulturalist, Beatrix Havergal established a ladies' agricultural school on the site.

-Beatrix...

-Havergal.

-What a splendid name!

As this footage from the mid-20th century shows,

the delightful young ladies of the school had a jolly time

learning all about aspects of horticulture.

It was a horticulture training college for young ladies only.

And they went away with some sort of diploma?

-They had the Waterperry diploma.

-Which was presumably very highly thought of.

Yes, they were well trained.

Today the gardens cover 80 acres.

And her legacy lives on, does it?

-Are things very much as they were in her day?

-Very much so, yes.

-The garden is renowned for its herbaceous border.

-Yes. Yes.

Now, Gordon's going to show Charlie some of his favourite items from the museum

which houses a vast collection of objects relating to horticulture and country life.

Hundreds and hundreds of objects, a lot of which I think I know something about,

but there are one or two, as I came through the door,

I saw a wonderful gun,

-but it didn't look like a normal sort of gun, to me.

-It's far from being normal!

It's a 19th-century gun which has been adapted to be triggered by trip wires,

designed to shoot poachers on country estates. Painful!

It's been adapted. It's the mechanism from a musket.

My goodness me. How fearsome!

It's been so arranged that this would be hidden, camouflaged, in the bushes.

-Yes.

-This rod has on the end of it, three rings.

-Yes.

-So you could have three trip-wires across one path.

-Why three?

You've got more chance of catching them than if you had two.

Good point, Gordon. In the mid-19th century,

such brutal devices were outlawed

and, of course, this one has now been rendered safely inoperative.

Gordon's taking Charlie on to see more of the museum's unusual objects.

These shoes, here. Are they shoes?

-Hmm.

-They look like shoes.

-Booties.

-Booties.

-What for?

-These two chaps, these were for sheep.

-Sheep?!

Sheep's wellies. Little sheep's wellies.

They were made by Dunlop in 1936.

They made five sizes. These are size three.

-And some had zips on.

-Zips?!

You zip your sheep into boots?! Was this for a fashion show?

-Was it to stop them getting rot of some sort?

-Yes, if they'd got foot rot.

A medicated paste to treat foot rot

was put into the boots before the sheep were fitted with them.

-What about these?

-These are very classy.

-They look beautifully hand-stitched.

-They are.

Size four. They're for goats. Regimental goats.

These spiffy little boots would have been worn by a goat

that was the mascot to a military regiment.

What an eclectic mix you have here! What's your favourite object?

-I'm always asked that, and it does change.

-Does it?

-Yes. I mean that could be...

-What's that?

It's a clockwork crow-scarer.

-A crow-scarer? May I look at it?

-Yes.

It was made in 1850.

-It is one of my...

-Crikey, as old as that?

-..one of my favourites.

-150 years old.

It's a clockwork device that fires blank cartridges at regular intervals

to scare away crows.

And it was firing a pin-fired cartridge.

A 16-bore cartridge every 15 minutes.

-I wouldn't mind one of those. If ever you see another one...

-Yes.

-Give me a call.

-It'll frighten birds, cats, dogs.

Neighbours, the lot.

-Wives!

-Yes.

What a terrifying insight into your home life, Charlie.

Now, Gordon's got one last thing to show you.

-Now, this is a part you've got to be introduced to.

-Right.

The orange tree house. It's played a very important part

-in the establishing of the school of horticulture.

-Really?

-Yes.

One orange tree.

The legend runs

that doughty Miss Havergal was unsure about her decision to start the horticultural school

until she caught the inspiring whiff of a freshly picked orange

and resolved to found Waterperry Gardens as a result.

Waterperry keeps this orange tree to remember Miss Havergal's good work to this day.

Looks like Charlie fancies one.

Careful, Charlie. Judging by that poacher gun,

they take a dim view of that sort of thing round here.

GUNSHOT

Only joking!

Charles, meanwhile, has driven on to Chilton, Oxfordshire.

That looks blowy, Charles!

Lucky I'm slim!

And long-legged.

And terrible at parking!

This is Country Markets Antiques & Collectables

and this is dealer, Julie. Hello, Jules.

Hello, madam.

-Hi, there.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, thank you.

-You look a very stylish lady.

-That lovely necklace.

-Yes. My favourite.

-Beautiful.

Have you been taking lessons at the Charlie Ross Charm School, Charles?

It's like Charlie and myself.

But he doesn't want any Mickey Mouse buys today.

He's seen something with real age.

I can spy four Roman and medieval rings.

That you can. And they're priced up at a bargain £10 each.

-That ring is like a gent's signet ring, almost.

-I'd say so.

Some sort of fleur-de-lys design.

But they all have been lived in, haven't they?

Ticket price for all four is £40

but Charles is going down on bended knee in the hope of a better deal.

So, Julie...

would you...

-I'd have to think about it.

-Yes.

Charles so loves the items in this cabinet,

that he's asked to call Frank, the dealer who owns them,

in the hope of acquiring an affordable job lot.

Frank, it turns out, is only 19 years old.

Even younger than Charles!

Frank, you've got these Roman coins

which are three pounds each.

Frankly, Frank, they're bronze Roman coins

mainly from the second to the fourth century AD.

Ticket price for all the coins and the rings combined is £82.

There's 14 Roman coins, Frank.

Now, can they strike a deal?

I know you're down with the kids, Charles.

Frank, mate.

What would be your best price?

Frankly, Frank's gone to calculate what deal he could do.

It's so important we see more youngsters like Frank

have their small cabinets.

And his passion to tell me about the objects was all there.

It really is... It makes me warm inside.

Now back to the real world,

trying to chip Frank down on the price.

Hand on heart, you've got to make some money

because you're a young man building this hobby into a career.

But I would probably want to pay about £40.

Exactly. Shall we meet in the middle,

at £42.50?

Are you sure?

Frank, I want to say thanks ever so much.

Keep collecting.

Keep your enthusiasm. It's really infectious. I wish you all the best.

Charles has his last lot

and it satisfies his love for all things ancient.

Sometimes in this great Antiques Road Trip, you need to buy with your heart.

How many times has he said that before?

Now our duelling duo have all their lots for auction.

So Charles has caught up with Charlie

and it's time for them to stage their last dramatic unveiling.

20 paces and fire. This is the final duel.

Charlie's first up.

My goodness. There's one lot I love, Charlie. The lot I really admire is your big silver ensemble here.

It clearly is silver. It looks market fresh

although we've got damage and loss and wear and tear.

-Damage, loss, wear and tear!

-I love it.

And what about the olive jar, too big to fit in the room!

Tell me, what's on that screen?

-It's an olive jar.

-It's not.

-Early 20th century. About 1910.

-Terracotta?

-Had to buy it.

-Terracotta.

-Goodness me. That, Charlie...

-It's huge.

That smacks of the opportunist

in that it could rise dramatically and make a fortune

to the right garden dweller in Winchester, or it could crash.

I bought that because it's of historical interest.

There's a Russian flag and a British flag.

Was it first to the South Pole or something?

It commemorates a Russian and British expedition.

-I like it.

-Isn't that extraordinary?

-I like it.

Charlie seems bulletproof, so far.

How will Charles fare?

There you go.

Oh! I saw that.

-It's got damage, hasn't it.

-I bought history.

No, I'm not complaining. Has it got the original interior?

Charlie, I just love it for the veneer...

Answer the question, Charles!

-Has it got the original interior?

-No.

-No interior at all.

It's fine. It's a piece of history.

-And two snuffers.

-Absolutely.

-In the tray.

-Absolutely.

-Are they broken?

-I'm not sure, Charlie.

-May I hold them?

-Of course you can.

You think that's the way they were made?

-You're talking complete nonsense.

-Put them down.

-They're broken.

-Put them down. I don't think they are.

Tell me about your coins.

We are talking River Thames finds in the main.

-Medieval, Roman rings. Even the ring of...

-You love these.

-I do.

To me, this really is hands-on history.

There's 14 coins there, ranging from AD2 to AD500.

-Winchester's the right place for that.

-I think so.

-Just right.

-Digging for history!

Oh, what a competition we have! Well done, old bean.

But do the gloves come off behind closed doors?

He's bought very well. He's speculated hugely with that pot.

The pot will either race away and be a saviour,

or it will be his nemesis and he'll lose his money.

Charles's things? Sheraton knife box. Nice thing, but it's completely and utterly had it.

His Roman coins? He always buys Roman coins and he does well with them.

They could make £100. The snuffers are, quite frankly, useless. They're broken.

Watch this space!

On this leg of their chummy Road Trip,

Charles and Charlie have travelled from Hereford

to their auction here in the village of Itchen Stoke,

near Winchester in Hampshire.

The pretty little village has a quintessentially English style,

just the place for our pair of dapper gents

to face their final showdown.

Where's my pot?

Charlie's managed to have the pot delivered

to the auction house in one piece!

Ooh! Off to the sale room.

Here at Andrew Smith & Son Auctions,

auctioneer Andrew Smith presides - surprise, surprise!

But before he raises his gavel, what does he think of their lots?

The Russian British plaque, I haven't seen one before.

That's quite interesting. The silver will do well.

As a pure quirkiness, it has to be the olive oil jar.

It's big, but it's quite fun.

Charlie Ross started this leg with £410 on the button.

He's spent every last coin he had on five lots.

Charles Hanson began with £302.20.

He spent £132.50 and also has five lots in today's sale.

This last great battle will determine which Charles is king!

Gentlemen, take your thrones.

First up is Charlie Ross with his locally relevant map of 1950s Winchester.

-I'll start the bidding at a fiver.

-Yes!

I won't tell you whose this is!

At five pounds. Seven.

-No!

-Ten. 12.

-No!

At £10 commission bid.

12. 15. 17.

20. 22. 25. 27?

£27. Commission bid there at 27 in the room. Is there 30?

At £27.

I've got mud on my face.

Amazing. Well done, Charlie. Well done.

A local lot for local people.

A stormer of a start for Charlie.

Charles now, with his 18th-century knife box.

Might it carve out a decent profit?

Start me at £40, now. £40? £40?

-30, then.

-Oh, no.

-£30.

-20, if you like. £20, surely?

-Oh, no!

Got to start somewhere. £10? Ten I have.

Well done. Is there 12?

At £10 on my left. We will sell. Make no mistake. At £10.

12. 15. 17?

-£15 I have. I'm selling.

-Oh, dear.

At £15. Are you sure? You're going to make somebody very unhappy!

At £15.

Made me very happy!

So it should. That cuts into Charles's chances!

-Chin up, old bean.

-Long way to go, bean.

-Long way to go. Absolutely.

Now Charlie's plaque commemorating a chilly expedition during the Cold War.

Five pounds, surely? Five pounds at the back. We're away.

Is there a seven? At £5 and selling.

Seven? At £5. Are you sure?

At five... Seven in the middle here. Ten. 12.

At £10 and selling, at the back. Is there 12?

At £10. Are you done? Any more? At £10. Last time.

-Profit?

-No.

-I thought it cost you a fiver?

-No, it cost me 15.

Now, might the bonny but broken set of candle accessories

be enough to let Charles snuff out the competition?

-£10.

-Five.

-£10.

-Five.

-Five?

-Oh, no!

-Too much.

Five I have. Is there seven?

At £5.

Seven. 10. 12.

15?

-At £12 in the middle here.

-Too much money.

-£12.

Still a good buy at £12. Any more?

-Far too much money.

-If we're all done, for the last time.

Despite Charlie's scorn,

they scored Charles a nice little profit.

Now another for Charlie,

as his lot of five books on music play out.

Start me at £20. £20?

-£20?

-Is this it?

-Yes.

£5? Five we have. Is there seven?

At five... Seven. Ten.

12. 15.

17?

£15 standing. Is there 17?

At £15 we are selling.

Are you all done at £15?

-Profit.

-You are on top form.

Indeed he is. Charlie's still comfortably in the lead.

Can Charles change his fortunes with his lot of medieval coins and rings?

-Start me at £50.

-Come on, sir. Come on.

£50? 40?

-£40?

-It's painful.

30 to get it going. £30.

£30. 20?

£20? Surely at £20?

-A tenner to start me.

-Oh, no!

-£10?

-Ten we have. 12?

-Come on!

-15?

Keep going!

I can't imagine whose these are!

17. 20.

At £17 seated. 20. 22?

-Keep going.

-£20 standing.

-Oh, no!

-At £20. Can we do any more? At £20, then.

-You make your own luck.

-Last time at £20.

Ancient they may be, but profit-making they ain't.

Another for the young pretender now

as his embossed tray is up.

Might this prove every cloud has a silver lining?

I'm going to go straight in at £100.

Is there ten in the room? At £100.

Two gentlemen getting very excited in front of me here.

At £100 we are selling. Is there ten?

At £100. Any more?

All done at £100. Commission bid, then. Very last time.

-Well done.

-That's the business.

We're rolling now to victory.

Rolling the victory V!

His fortunes have turned.

Carlos steals the lead.

If silver's high today,

might Charlie repeat the trick with his watches?

£60. Is there a five in the room?

At £60, commission bid.

65. Commission bid's out. 65 in the room.

Is there a 70? At 65...

70. And five? At £70. Is there a five?

£70, right at the back.

At £70. Is there a five?

All done at £70. We will be selling.

Get that gavel down quick!

Last time at £70.

This really is now game on.

Time ticks on, and Charlie badly needs a profit

if he's going to re-take the advantage.

Charles's matching pair of silver dishes now.

Might lightning strike twice?

£40 commission bid. Is there a two?

-Come on.

-42. 45. 47. 50.

And five. 60. And five.

-70?

-Come on! One more!

One more!

£65. At £65. Are you all done?

For the last time.

And how!

-Well done, Charles.

-Come and catch me! Come and catch me!

If Charlie is going to catch Charles,

it all rests on this.

The very last lot of their entire Road Trip.

The enormous olive pot.

He could still do it. Oh, the tension!

£150. 160.

Commission bid's out. 160 in the room. Is there 170?

He's desperate!

Desperate!

180? 180?

It's against you at 170. 180. Well done. 190.

200?

At £190 then in the door, there.

Oh, madam, I'll lend you a tenner!

You're making some people very happy in the corner here!

-At £190.

-I need more!

-200?

At £190, then. Are you all done?

-Last time.

-He's holding it, Charlie.

-Oh, no!

-Put it there, sir.

Oh, Charlie, a massive loss on a massive lot.

It's all gone to pot, eh?

That was a rollercoaster! But you've done me.

Charlie Ross began this leg with £410 exactly.

After auction costs, he made a disastrous loss

of £154.16,

meaning he's left with a total of £255.84.

Poor old fruit! Don't cry!

Charles Hanson, meanwhile, began with £302.20.

He managed to bag a profit of £41.34

and ends victorious

with £343.54.

Well done, boy, that's the spirit!

Good pals Charles and Charlie have danced through this Road Trip.

It's been an epic journey.

What you need is this!

Shop! I need a lady, please!

Do behave!

It's been a very close-run race.

-Going, going...

-Gone!

But our dear boys were made for this game.

I've really enjoyed our Road Trip. I really have.

Au revoir, then. Till next time, chaps!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd