Episode 6 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've got pieces that could fly.

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

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

-Hello ladies.

-So, will it be the high road to glory

or the slow road to disaster?

-But there's nobody bidding.

-This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

This week, we start a new chapter with the right couple of heroes,

Mark Stacey and Paul Laidlaw.

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

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

Antiques expert Mark Stacey is very good at identifying antiques.

-They lost the top or something.

-The top off a big one!

And of course he likes the finer things in life.

Champagne, anyone?

Auctioneer Paul Laidlaw always knows the most important things to ask.

Do you offer such a thing as a toilet?

And will do anything in his quest for antiques.

-If you hear a crashing noise, phone A&E, yeah?

-Yeah, yeah.

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

Their automobile of choice this week is the 1967 Sunbeam Alpine.

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

-It doesn't sound very good.

-That is misfiring horribly!

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

from Sabden in Lancashire to Bridgwater in Somerset.

But this is the first leg and we begin our shopping expedition in the village of Sabden,

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

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

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

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

-The clouds are ominous.

-Oh, no.

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

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

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

What are we going to do? I mean, my shop's quite close by.

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

Phone him up then, this is excellent news!

Shall I give him a ring, see if he'll come and pick us up?

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

And it's antiques dealer Phil to the rescue.

-Hello.

-How are you doing? Couldn't have a better view.

OK then, let's go.

Oh yes, can you drop Paul off first? I don't want him coming in your shop with me.

-We provide a taxi service, no problem.

-Thank you.

-Mind you, we haven't asked the fee yet!

-No need to discuss that.

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

We'll take care of the car.

-See you later, Phil.

-Take care, bye.

Finally, Paul makes his destination of Sabden.

This antiques tournament can now well and truly begin.

Paul's getting stuck into Ribble Valley Antiques.

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

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

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

Many scent bottles were designed to be worn in the same way as a piece of jewellery.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And here we go. OK?

Like the condition. It looks like an original paint.

"Eley clay pigeon trap, late 19th Century, £160."

It's a stand-out piece that, isn't it? I'm buying that for sure.

Let's get dealer Paul into the mix.

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

-Too much.

-Too much?

-It's too much.

70 quid it's yours.

-Give me 15 minutes, yeah?

-No problem.

-Cheers, buddy.

Well, while Paul takes his 15 minutes,

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

Mark has travelled in antique dealer Phil's red van

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

After being chauffeured around the countryside,

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

-Somebody brought this in.

-Oh, is it one of those mandolins?

-Exactly.

-Oh, wow!

-Neapolitan.

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

-Yeah.

-Very nice.

-Rosewood.

-Lovely.

-And this is tortoiseshell, is it?

-A bit of tortoiseshell, yeah.

Remember, tortoiseshell is acceptable to sell

only if it pre-dates 1947.

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

-What would you say that was, about 1900?

-Yeah.

-1910.

-There's a little label inside, actually.

-Yeah, I think it says Napoli.

-Alfredo Albertini.

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

-No.

It's, eh - oh, it's £65.

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

-Well. Actually it doesn't sound bad.

-It should be 165 really.

Actually, I might be interested in that, Phil, actually.

Mark knows the best way of finding some goodies

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

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

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

So, smoking the pipe, all right.

Smoking the pipe, possibly a little queasy.

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

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

"London, published 1897 by Cadbury."

Oh, that's it. Cadbury, yeah. Yeah, it's charming.

-It is charming.

-Original frame. Not dear.

Oh, it's...

-£30.

-Oh, really? £10 per picture?

-Yeah.

-Could you take 20 for it?

-25.

Go on then, £25. Thank you very much.

I think it's rather charming, actually.

Now, what about that mandolin?

Phil's knocked another fiver off the price.

-You couldn't do the mandolin for any less than that?

-No.

-That's 60.

-That's a definite no, isn't it?

OK. £60. Thank you very much, Phil.

-Thanks. I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time.

-Not at all.

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

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

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

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

Look what we have here. We have a print.

Dating to probably about 1920.

And it's... it's a cartoon, really.

We've got the Cenotaph.

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

He's out of uniform. He's in mufti.

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

the fallen of The Great War. I think that's deeply moving.

I actually know who this chap is.

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

Bruce Bairnsfather was a prominent British humorist and cartoonist.

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

This sketch is in the style of the artist.

But instead of asking the price,

Paul has now moved on to the store room.

As if three floors weren't enough, eh?

Pretty uninspiring plaster bust of Christ, yeah?

No. Marble.

Hand-worked in marble.

Religion, however, we know does not sell.

But there's no getting away from the fact that

that is a pleasingly executed depiction.

I'm certainly asking about that.

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

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

Trap, silver...

print, and Christ, four things.

Give me the price on the four.

150 for job lot.

100 quid, the lot. For the four pieces.

110, and you've got a deal.

Cheers, big man.

Phew, thank goodness for that.

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

Mark is still on the lookout for antiques

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

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

to try and add more to his antiques booty.

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

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

It's a shame it doesn't tell us which match it was.

But this is probably the original ball that they used

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

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

And it's marked up at £58.

Will that bowl Paul Laidlaw out of the match?

Who knows?

But it's rather fun, don't you think?

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

This, I've never seen anything like it.

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

And when you turn it upside down,

it says, a marine distance meter.

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

Er, allow me.

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

with a small sighting telescope.

It was used by the Navy for range finding.

But I do know that,

I mean, scientific instruments can make money in the sale room.

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

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

Which adds a little bit of interest to it.

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

Right, time's up.

Let's go and do the deed.

I mean, I like this.

I have no idea what it was used for.

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

Because I know what I want to pay for this.

Well, that's good.

But will he accept it? That be the question.

So, that I like,

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

This, I think is quirky.

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

-Yes.

And it's got a nice date on this.

It's probably not silver, I think it's silver plate...

-I...

-Or maybe it's unmarked silver.

-I think it's unmarked silver.

-Do you think so?

-There's no wear on it.

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

CLOCK CHIMES

You don't want these in your cabinet.

You know, you've got much better stock.

Don't look at the price, Simon, because it's faded,

it's been there for about a decade.

£20.

HE EXHALES DEEPLY

Honestly. And the same for this.

And that gives me a really good sporting chance, doesn't it?

-You're being a hard man.

-I know, but...

-Give me another fiver.

-No, come on, please.

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

-45.

-Yes.

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

-Are you happy with that, Simon?

-I'll have to be now.

THEY LAUGH

While Mark has been deliberating over which antique to buy,

Paul is back behind the wheel of the now repaired Sunbeam Alpine.

I think I've got pieces today that,

I'll tell you what, they could, I've got pieces that could fly.

And that's a good feeling.

Loving it!

He's travelling south-westerly, to just outside the town of Rawtenstall

to visit a wonderful collection of gramophones and photographs.

Mark Robinson has been collecting them for the last 20 years,

and has very kindly invited Paul to have a closer look.

Do you want to come in and have a look round?

I'd love to. Thanks very much. I've made it in one piece.

It all began when avid classical music fan Mark

decided to turn his spare room into a music room.

Thinking the space needed something special,

he decided a gramophone would be just the thing.

GRAMOPHONE PLAYS

OK, Paul. Welcome to the collection room.

Wow.

PAUL LAUGHS

My word.

They are icons. They are immediately recognisable.

Yes, they are.

We have two different developments in this room.

We have the Edison phonograph and we also have the disc machine,

which is the gramophone.

-That's the distinction. A phonograph...

-Phonograph...

-..plays from a cylinder.

-A cylinder, that's right.

-And a gramophone...

-Plays from the flat disc.

-The record that we know.

-That's right.

-I see.

Edison invented the cylinder phonograph in 1877.

And what you're looking at here now is an Edison cylinder phonograph.

This machine probably comes from about 1909.

-So, Mark, would it be possible to play one?

-Of course it is, yes.

CRACKLING

LOUD MUSIC

-Oh, they're loud!

-Yes, quite, very loud, yes.

MUSIC CONTINUES

-That must have been mind blowing in 1870.

-Yes.

Amiel Berliner made the transition from phonograph cylinders

to gramophone record.

He founded the Berliner Gramophone Company in 1895.

The machine that became the first proper disc machine

is the same model of gramophone

that you see on the HMV His Master's Voice logo.

This example is very rare, and dates from the late 1800s.

Now, Francis Barrard, who was a great painter of the day,

-painted that machine with a dog...

-Mm-hm.

-..and sold it to Amiel Berliner...

-Ah.

..for him to use as his logo for the gramophone company.

And that's the gramophone...

That's the same machine that you see over here.

Mark's love for gramophones has spilled into yet another room.

He has one last remarkable example to show Paul.

The horn on this model is a mighty three and a half feet wide.

-So, is this the jewel in the crown, by any chance?

-It is. Yes.

This is the EMG, they call it a Mark 10B machine,

which is the top of the range machine, er, from 1934.

Machines like this can fetch several thousand pounds.

OPERATIC MUSIC PLAYS

This disc is Enrico Caruso, the music is Vesti La Giubba,

which is from Pagliacci, by Leoncavallo.

And this dates from about 1904, I think.

And interestingly,

this disc was the very first disc that ever sold a million copies.

-Oh, my word.

-So, quite a historic record indeed.

I've had a wonderful experience, and a real treat, Mark.

It's been a pleasure.

-More so from me. Thank you very much.

-And please come again.

And after a packed day of excitement,

it's time for our experts to rest.

Nighty-night.

CHURCH BELLS RING

It's the start of a brand new sunny day, as the boys roll into town,

accompanied by church bells, of course.

So far, Mark has spent £130 on four items,

the Sicilian mandolin, the Victorian black-and-white prints,

the cricket ball, and the very unusual pipe meter.

Mark has £70 for the day ahead.

Paul has also been rather busy.

He's spent £110 on four items,

the clay pigeon trap, the small silver perfume bottle,

the bust of Christ and the Old Bill picture.

Paul has £90 for the day ahead.

The boys have travelled for 13 miles to the town of Skipton

in North Yorkshire.

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

dating from the 11th century.

And it was also the birthplace of Thomas Spencer,

co-founder of Marks & Spencer.

The boys are beginning the next instalment of their adventure here.

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

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

owned by the rather camera-shy Pauline.

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

-Can I have a little look at it?

-Of course you can. Yes, no problem.

-Because I do rather like old vintage teddy bears.

-Yes, I know you do.

-You know I do.

-I do.

-I had one once, very successfully on a show.

-Yes.

But he's caught my eye, you know,

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

-Mmm.

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

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

SHE LAUGHS

TEDDY BEAR GROWLS QUIETLY

-You see?

-Oh, hang on.

-It's like he's burping.

-Burping.

THEY LAUGH

Oh, he's so sweet.

-He's got such a sad face.

-I know, he's so sweet.

-He wants somebody to take him home with them, doesn't he?

-He does.

About what age, would you say, Pauline? Is this '50s?

I think, yes, I think he's around '50s.

-I mean, he's got, oh his head turns well.

-And his arms.

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

-Yes, yes.

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

-so we can't say if he's English or German.

-No, no.

-I must admit...

-It's just such a nice cuddle.

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

It's sort of, he's growing on me.

But I do think he looks lovely on the chair.

-Yes, I don't mind the chair going with him.

-Look, Pauline...

-Mm-hm?

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

-Right.

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

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

-Are you...

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

-I am, yes, I am.

-Can we have a little bear hug to celebrate?

-Yes.

SHE LAUGHS

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

But how is Paul faring?

He's enjoying the sunshine,

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

-Hi.

-Good morning.

-Isn't it a good morning?

-It's lovely.

-I'm Paul.

-Samantha, pleased to meet you.

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

Hmmm...

Looks as though you're having trouble finding anything, Paul.

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

The one with the thistles?

Yes, yes. It is a really good strong,

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

It is, yes, yes, yes.

Any age to it?

-Well, to me, I thought it was a Victorian one.

-It's wrought iron.

Yes, I can see, I can see the radial pins to secure a cut

-and a fringe, whatever.

-Yes.

-Er, interesting thing.

Have you got high hopes for it, or not?

-Well, I've got it in the shop at £250.

-Yes.

Out of my league.

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

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

-Much lower.

-Brutal.

-Right.

-We're at two figures for a start,

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

-Right.

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

So, for you it would have to come in at under 100?

Let me bid you 50 quid and see what you say to me.

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

80 quid and I'll buy it.

I'll do it at 80.

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

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

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

Let's hope she works.

And, hey presto.

ENGINE STARTS UP

PAUL LAUGHS

Mark is being a real gent, and dropping Paul off

at his next destination in Saltaire, West Yorkshire.

-Listen...

-See you later, buddy.

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

-PAUL LAUGHS

-See you later.

-Take care. Bye.

We'll catch up with Paul later.

But for now, we're off with Mark,

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

MUSIC

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

Mark is meeting another enthusiast,

who's keeping old traditions alive in her home.

-Diane West's passion is rag rugging.

-I'm Mark.

-Pleased to meet you.

This original thrift craft flourished from the era

of the Industrial Revolution.

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

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

Men joined in too, both using scraps of unwanted fabrics

from around the house, and from rags,

discarded from the many local textile mills.

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

a local group reviving the tradition of rag rug making.

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

all made out of scrap material, plastics, leather,

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

and so I joined them.

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

"I've joined a rag rug making group,

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

-Wow.

-Because, she remembered rugs when she was a child,

and they were a sign of poverty.

And she said to me,

"What on earth do you want to make those dirty old dust traps for?"

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

creative things that I'd seen

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

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

She was obviously attributing them to the ones

-where she was growing up, maybe.

-Yeah.

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

beside the fire, then moving to the kitchen and after

varying degrees of wear and tear

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

This region of West Yorkshire with its wool mills was

the natural habitat for this homespun craft.

But it wasn't limited to Yorkshire.

Lancashire, with its cotton mills, was also fertile ground

for rag-rugging but now with the mills gone,

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

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

-His beard is the cuffs of jumpers.

-Gosh.

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

They used to sell the scrap bags for a pound.

-Unfortunately the mill is no longer there.

-Closed.

-Yeah.

-This bag here is made out of my mum's old skirt.

-Really?

Yeah. So you can put all sorts of different fabrics in that have

got quite a lot of sentimental value.

Something you're working on at the moment...

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

rag-ruggers use, starting with a hessian base.

There's two different techniques.

One's hooking and the other's prodding.

-Hooking is where you pull the fabric up.

-OK.

-And prodding is where you push it through.

-OK.

-Would you like to have a go?

-No, not really!

-SHE LAUGHS

-It's not that bad!

-But I will.

-So I've got my little...

-You've got your hook.

-My hook.

What you need to do is put that underneath here.

Underneath here, following this line, roughly?

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

-Anywhere through there?

-Yes.

-Oh, whoa!

-Well done.

-I've done it.

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

-Yes.

-Then I've got it under.

-Hey...

-Marky, come on.

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

-Yes!

-See, I've got another one through.

-Yes, you're through, yes.

Yeah, three in a row.

Three in a row in about 30 minutes. So whatever I do...

-Not quite!

-..I'm going to actually...

-Oh, no, look.

-Four, you see.

-Come on, I'm getting the hang of this now.

-Just think.

-This could be record-breaking attempt.

With a bit of practice...

-With a bit of practice.

-You could make a carpet.

Thank you for letting me have a go.

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

-It's lovely to have met you and thank you so much again.

-You too.

-Goodbye, Diane.

-Bye-bye.

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

He's back in Saltaire, a Victorian model village

and a designated world heritage site.

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

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

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

Just there you have a little Victorian pocket knife

and a tiny little corkscrew.

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

It's for opening perfume bottles.

And what do we have in hand but our perfume?

There is also a little button hook for fastening up

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

But will dealer Malcolm be up for negotiating?

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

that's sitting at £6, 17 and a half.

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

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

and I'll see you next time.

-Any chance of that, do you think?

-We'll do a deal.

-Have I done one?

-We've done a deal.

-Thanks, my friend.

-OK.

Skint!

And that's the last deal of the day.

The boys are meeting up to give one another's treasures the once-over.

Some of this you're going to hate. Some of it I think you might like.

-I hope.

-Well, I say, I say, I say, I say.

-There's a couple of things down there

and you're not going to like those.

-But I'd like to be surprised.

-Oh, gosh! What on earth is it?

-Eley patent clay pigeon trap.

-Oh, my good Lord.

-Of course, so you stretch that down...

-Yep.

-..and fire it.

-It's like mediaeval siege artillery.

-I love it.

-"Loose!"

-I love it, Paul.

-You might not think it's great when I tell you what I paid for it.

-What?

-Stuck my neck out.

£70. I just don't know.

Can I just say, Paul, I've never seen one.

I've never particularly wanted to see one. But £70, I don't know.

-What's this all about?

-This is an original pen and ink.

-Is it really?

It is, and it's clearly an homage to Bairnsfather.

-People will flock to that. What did you pay for it?

-£10 spent.

-Oh...

-So I cannae go wrong.

-I'm not going to talk about it.

-That's a huge profit in that. There's a huge profit.

-Nowt.

No, that's very nice.

-You want the right interior designer, decorator, dealer to appreciate that.

-Yeah.

Your turn, Mark. Show Paul what you've got.

-This is a bit of Victorian sentimentality.

-Yeah, but...

I love the subject, you've got a little boy there

and it's titled in the bottom, "Dad's pipe in three acts."

-I think for £25, I think there's a profit there.

-Yeah.

The teddy bear I just adore.

-I don't... Do you understand these things?

-Nothing, absolutely nothing!

-It's a growler.

-OK.

I'm thinking it's '50s, it's mohair, it's got glass eyes.

Straw-filled, glass eyes, growler mechanism. Ticking a lot of boxes.

-I'm thinking '40s, '50s, that sort of thing.

-Yeah.

There's a little stool there with it as well.

-I just fell in love with it.

-Yeah. Others will too. That's a seller.

-The whole little package there cost me £50.

-Well, 80-120?

-It must be.

-Yeah.

-Must be. The other items, Paul... Look, I'm not a cricketer.

-Sporting?

-Sporting.

-Don't ask me.

-The cricket ball is titled.

-Oh, right.

-Silver little thing on there.

-Yeah.

-2nd July 1935 so it's got a nice age to it.

-Yeah.

And I didn't realise this, I bought this then the dealer contacted us

and said actually, he didn't realise where I'd bought it from,

-it went with the cap.

-Right.

-And he delivered the cap to us.

-So the cap's a bonus?

-Yes, I didn't know it was there.

-Get in.

-I don't think I paid a lot for it.

-What did you pay?

-£22.50.

I would estimate more than that.

-So this is the thing I think I've made a mistake on.

-Mandolin?

-Yes.

-I love it.

-Instruments are hot.

It's in very good condition,

-it's privately sourced again.

-Yeah, Italian?

-Sicilian.

-Yes.

-The name is in there. Alfredo Albertini.

-Not THE... No, it can't be by him.

-It is.

-The most famous mandolin maker of all time.

-I've never heard of him!

No, he is, actually. Seriously. I thought it's worth a punt.

-You're not telling you waded in deep?

-£60.

You didn't wade in deep. You've got to come out of that good.

-Fantastic start.

-It's going to be epic.

-It's going to be something!

BOTH LAUGH HEARTILY

Now get me out of here!

-So let's hear what our chaps really think.

-Who's going to win?

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

but you know what they say,

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

Truth of the matter is for all the obvious reasons,

I'm not keen on the picture.

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

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

It's been a cracking first leg.

We began our journey in Sabden travelling via Whalley,

Cross Hills, Rawtenstall, Skipton, Saltaire and Baildon,

finally arriving in Burnley in Lancashire.

During the Industrial Revolution the town was one of Lancashire's

most prominent mill towns

and Burnley featured in the first series of the '80s police drama,

-Juliet Bravo.

-MUSIC: "Juliet Bravo" Theme Tune

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

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

Walton and Walton are a general auctioneers with

a long-established reputation.

Steven Parkinson is today's auctioneer

and has few thoughts on Mark and Paul's lots.

I don't like the bust of what is depicting Christ

simply because there's no art to it.

There's no work involved, there's no detail. It's not the quality.

My favourite lot would be the cricket ball with the silver mount

and the cricket hat.

Mark Stacey started the day with his full allowance of £200

and spent a whopping £180 on five auction lots.

Paul Laidlaw took his £200 starter pack

and threw caution to the wind. He blew the lot on five auction lots.

And remember,

the auction house takes a commission of the selling price.

All quiet, please - the auction is about to begin.

-Moment of truth.

-It is.

-First up, it's Paul's bust of Christ.

-£30.

£20 on the books starts it then.

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

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

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

-I know I want him to.

-34, 36, 38.

No? How about 36, who wants this one for 38?

Are we all sure now with my bid at 36?

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

Well, it didn't perform a miracle

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

Five of those, you wouldnae grumble.

No, no, I wouldn't grumble at ONE of them!

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

a nice, big wodge of profit.

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

I'm starting with £50.

-50's bid.

-55, £50, 55 now where?

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

£50, all your hands should be up.

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

-GAVEL BANGS

-Bids all over.

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

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

Next it's Paul's clay pigeon trap.

Will it launch him further into the lead?

20? 20, I've got. Thank you.

-Got to do more than this.

-25, 30, 35.

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

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

-Are we all sure?

-Come on.

-We'll sell at £75, make no mistake.

-GAVEL BANGS

-No shame. It's close.

No shame in that at all.

Another small profit, Paul. Keep it up.

-That could've been a disaster.

-Yeah, plugged the bath.

Unfortunately, it wasn't!

Mark's turn next with the Sicilian mandolin.

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

40, are you sure now? 38 if it's easier. 35 at the back.

35, 40, 45 back in. 45, 50? 50, have I got 55?

No, £50 at the back.

-Oh, come on. A bit more.

-With £50...

-GAVEL BANGS

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

Oh, well. It can only get better.

PAUL CHUCKLES

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

Start me, where will we start with this one? 20?

Come on, all your hands should be at £20 for this one. 20, I've got.

20, 25 now where? I've got £20 to my right-hand side. 25, 30.

30, 35, 40.

45? No, I have £40 to my right hand side.

-Are we all sure now going at £40?

-It's a good buy.

-GAVEL BANGS

-It's a wee profit.

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

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

-Cheers, buddy.

Behave yourself, Mark!

It's your Victorian black and white prints next.

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

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

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

-32, 34, 36.

-It's flying.

-I've got 34 there.

Are we all sure now with a bid at 34?

-GAVEL BANGS

-Well done.

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

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

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

30, 35, 40, 45,

50, 55, 60, no?

What do you mean, no? You fool.

60, 65, no? 60 there then. 65, now where?

-Are we all sure now with £60?

-No, no, no!

-GAVEL BANGS

-Oh, what?

MARK WHISTLES

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

You bargained so well for that lot.

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

Will it excite the bidders of Burnley?

So what are they going to make of this?

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

-Oh, £14!

-The heavy hitters out(!)

14, 16, 18, 20, 22,

24, 26, 28, 30, 32.

-You're doing all right, man.

-34, 36?

No, I have £34 to my right-hand side.

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

GAVEL BANGS

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

I'm clawing my way back to break-even!

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

The cricket ball and cap.

-Where will you start me on this?

-Come on.

-30? A tenner?

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

-25, 30, 35, 40? No, I have 35 sat down.

-Come on. A bit more.

-We're going to let it go cheap.

-Oh, no. Come on.

-£35 going.

GAVEL BANGS Oh...

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

but it's better than a loss.

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

of Victorian perfume bottle, buttonhook and penknife.

Where will you start me, 30? 50?

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

18, 20, 25, 30.

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

38 I've got then, 38 and 40.

40 I've got, 45, 50?

-It's going a bit.

-Strong now.

-Are we all sure now with a bid of 45?

GAVEL BANGS Well done. Well done.

Yet another small profit for Paul.

-Come on, let's go. I need lessons from you on dealing.

-Behave yourself!

Our chaps started today's show with £200 each.

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

After paying auction costs,

Mark made a small loss of £13.54

giving him £186.46 to carry forward.

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

of £9.92 making him today's winner

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

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

PAUL GUFFAWS

-As you are the victor on this occasion...

-Say that again?

-No!

On this occasion I will drive you but just listen, don't get used to it.

Ho ho ho ho ho!

UPBEAT JAUNTY MUSIC

Next time on The Antiques Road Trip,

Mark and Paul head for the Yorkshire village of Holywell Green...

-MECHANISM SQUEAKS

-..where Mark shows us he is the Dr Dolittle of antiques.

That's saying, "Buy me, buy me, buy me."

And Paul demonstrates his sensitivity to ceramics.

I hate it, that would give me nightmares.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd