Episode 4 Antiques Road Trip

-It's the nation's favourite antiques experts!

-All right, viewers?

With £200 each, a classic car

and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

On fire! Yes!

Sold!

The aim, to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat!

50p!

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

You've had it a while!

So, will it be the high road to glory

or the slow road to disaster?

Ooh!

Oh, no!

This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

On this road trip, we're journeying with two antiques maestros,

who are eagle of eye and quick to the punch.

When I got out of bed this morning,

I felt as if I'd been through a round with Mike Tyson!

-Why was that?

-I went through round one with you!

Anita Manning is a flamboyant Scot

who owns her own saleroom

and who's always proud to showcase her unique sense of style.

Here we go.

Too exotic.

While James Lewis is a Derbyshire auctioneer

who has an eye for quality

and is never afraid of making a cheeky offer.

Both our jolly chums began this epic road trip with £200.

Anita stormed ahead on the first leg

and now has a whopping £321.60

burning a hole in her sporran. Do girls wear sporrans?

But James also made consistent profits.

He boasts a budget of £293.50.

I don't know what he's moaning about, really. But he will moan!

Not quite out for the count,

but you certainly won the round hands down!

This top-trading twosome

are driving a sweet little '60s chick - the 1969 Volkswagen Beetle.

The whole road trip will see them sally forth

through the glories of southern England,

from Oxfordshire and the South East,

then west, and then back to hopeful triumph in our nation's capital.

In this leg they begin in the leafy London district of Wimbledon,

heading for auction near the town of Alresford in Hampshire.

MUSIC: "The Wombling Song" by The Wombles

We're on Wimbledon Common!

-Yep.

-Is that where the Wombles came from?

What do you mean, "came" from?

-Are Wombles real things, James?

-Of course they are!

They're as real as your haggis!

Good point.

# Underground, overground, Wombling free... #

They've arrived in the centre of lovely Wimbledon,

where James will begin his search - for antiques, hopefully!

He's heading into his first shop of the day,

the haltingly named Just Pause...

..where, ready to greet him, is proprietor Maria. Hi, Maria!

-Hi, I'm James. Nice to see you.

-Nice to see you.

And he's shortly spotted something that appeals.

How much is the decanter box?

-Negotiable.

-OK.

-There's a lot of damage, isn't there?

-Yeah.

It's a portable mahogany liqueur casket,

probably dating from around the 1830s,

containing six glass decanters.

A smart way of transporting one's grog when one's travelling.

There's no ticket price on it

and it sounds like Marie's open to a haggle.

With an auction estimate of 40 to 60, would you consider 40?

-How about 45?

-That should be worth that.

-It is!

-You're...

That's a great, great bargain.

James is tempted, but he's going to think on that and browse further.

There's a large item in the basement

that seems to have caught his beady eye.

Gosh.

Cor blimey!

Cor blimey, guv'nor!

A big lump of Chinese. Um...

Got a bit of age to it. You've had it a while, haven't you?

Well, it's Chinese blue and white, ticket price £85.

But neither James nor Marie are sure of its age.

James is optimistic

in hoping that it might just turn out to be an antique piece,

dating from the 19th or even 18th century.

But if it is the latter, it could be seriously valuable.

Still, it's a gamble, isn't it?

Or is it?

It's either worth thousands or nothing!

Well, I hope it's thousands for you!

Well, the fact that it's been here all these months,

probably means it's not!

What would you like to offer?

You are bubbly, Marie!

Well, it's been reduced three times. You've had it ages.

How about a cheeky 30 quid?

OK.

-Sure?

-Done!

I was thinking you were going to say 50!

I was, but then I thought we'd do a deal.

I'll give you - this is a rare thing for me - I'm going to give you 40.

-Thank you!

-40.

Highly maverick move, I'd say, for the Road Trip.

He's voluntarily raised his own offer.

Let's hope that bit of good karma sees James right with the vase

at the auction.

But this pair are getting on swimmingly

and James has soon found something else nearby.

Oh, they've both had their ears off.

Do you know, a long time ago,

I really desperately wanted one of these.

-Aw!

-They're carved out of a block of serpentine. They're from Florence.

It's a pair of figures of dogs.

Indeed modelled from the dark green mineral serpentine

and dating from the Victorian period.

Perhaps brought home from some lucky traveller's Grand Tour of Europe.

Marie has got £90 on the pair.

I like the dogs, but I think they're too much money because of the ears.

-The dogs could be cheaper.

-Could they?

-Yes.

-30?

-40?

35.

-OK.

-Deal!

-Done!

But what about the portable liqueur casket he also liked?

Marie last offered a price of £45 on that.

And 45 on that. You've got a deal.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant. Well, that's three.

Three items indeed. Good start, James.

Meanwhile, Anita has driven on to the London district of Battersea,

otherwise known as "Battercia"!

Ha!

The area's most famous disused power station

is often likened to an upturned table.

This well-heeled postcode seems a good place to start her morning.

She's strolling off into her first shop of the day,

the sizeable Northcote Antiques Market.

Best get hunting, girl.

And she's soon spotted a glittering little bauble.

I always think that silver and crystal is a lovely combination.

This is a little dish that would possibly belong to a lady.

This possibly could have been an ashtray.

It bears silver hallmarks, though, dating it to 1909.

Though the marks have been slightly damaged by over-polishing.

Ticket price is £58.

This would have belonged to a rather racy type of female, you know!

Much like yourself, Anita.

Dealer Donald doesn't know what he's in for. Stand by, boy!

It's had a bit of a knock.

And also the hallmark has been rubbed.

-You know what's coming, don't you?

-I know exactly what's coming!

-Can I tell you what I'd like to pay for that?

-Sure.

I would like to pay £20 for it.

OK...

-You haven't fallen down.

-I haven't fallen down.

He hasn't agreed to the offer, either!

Less than half price is quite a discount.

I'd be tempted to offer it to you for about 30.

Um, could you come to 25?

That might give me a wee bit of a chance.

-OK.

-Will we do that?

-Only cos we like you!

-Oh, thank you so much, Donald!

Anita's charm does her proud yet again.

And she's got the racy little number for £25.

But she's really on fire this morning

and she's soon found something else.

I'm quite interested in this item here.

It's a bronzed censer.

I think that it's Oriental.

Yes. A censer is a vessel for burning incense.

The ticket price on this one is £35.

Diana will call Peter, the dealer who owns it. Great phone!

All right. Here she is.

Hello, Peter. It's Anita from the Antiques Road Trip.

Can you come to, say, 22?

OK. Let's go for 25, Peter.

Smashing.

Peter knocks a tenner off the asking,

and Anita's got both ashtray and censer for a nice round £50.

Anita's jumped in the Beetle and is having a great day.

London! I love it!

Marvellous.

She's en route to Eccles Road Antiques.

Time for a truffle about.

I quite like these.

These are what we call firedogs.

They would sit on either side of the hearth

and you would lay your poker,

the shovel and the brush there.

So that your fire tools would lie across these.

These are very nice. They're quality, they're ornate,

they're possibly French.

Ticket price is £75.

But Anita's hoping that Helen might be able to do a deal.

-Helen?

-Yes?

I was having a wee look at these firedogs.

I think possibly 19th century?

They are French. Definitely French, the French Empire.

So, mid-19th century.

I'd like to buy them. Can I offer a price?

Can I make an offer and you can tell me if I'm...

-I can tell you to leave the shop?

-You can do that if you want!

I would like to be paying around the 50 mark for these.

Can we do sort of 55?

-Yeah.

-Will you do 55?

-55 and I'll shake your hand.

-Thank you very much.

A nice deal done, very amicably.

Helen's recommended that Anita take a look in the basement

where there's a lot of stock that's been in the shop for some time

and on which a good deal might be struck.

Helen just said, "Good luck. You may be some time!"

Maybe she thinks that a giant spider will capture me!

Well, let's hope not!

But something has captured Anita's heart.

That's quite a nice wee thing.

It's from the 1920s

and it's a child's sliding, folding chair.

Isn't it just so cute

to see something like that in the miniature?

Ticket price was £195 before it was confined to the gloom below stairs.

You know, I thought that wee child's chair

is just absolutely lovely.

-It's charming, isn't it?

-Have you had that for a long time?

Yes, since God was a boy, basically!

If this has been here since God was a boy,

this chair is costing you money.

Yes, I take your point.

So you're going to make me an offer, aren't you?

Do. Make me an offer and I'll see...

Do I need to be sitting?

Yes! Can I buy it for 40 quid?

Yes.

Crikey - that's £150 off!

What a buy, eh?

And they're on the road again, this time for Molesey in Surrey.

On the banks of Old Father Thames,

Molesey is a south-western suburb of central London.

Anita's jumping out of the car at a stunning local landmark,

Hampton Court Palace.

That looks absolutely fantastic.

We'll come back to you in due course, Anita.

James is driving to Hampton Court Emporium.

He's soon spotted an unusual little item, though.

What's this funny little ewer in here?

A ewer is a type of pitcher, or jug -

this one modelled from gilt metal in a neo-classical style.

The ticket price is £95.

Oh!

French inkwell. Ah, now that's taken you by surprise!

The top of the jug hinges to reveal this gilt-metal socle.

And then inside is a clear glass inkwell.

So it's a bit of a novelty.

What would you think?

I'd put 30 to 50 on that at auction.

-Really.

-Hmm.

Hoping it might make a bit more.

So it would need to be heavily discounted.

Lesley will call the dealer who owns it.

He's got a price in mind. Could the dealer match it?

Can we push you down just a wee bit further?

He has got a price in mind which he's written on his hand.

What is your very, very...?

Obviously we don't want you to lose money on it.

Right, James.

£45. That's...

Snap!

-Fantastic!

-Shake!

Brilliant.

So, James's rather unusual haggling method

lands him a price that both he and the dealer are happy with.

Put her there, then!

Anita, meanwhile, is over in the rarefied environs

of Hampton Court Palace...

..where she's meeting exhibition curator Sebastian Edwards.

-Hi, I'm Anita.

-Hello, Anita. Welcome to Hampton Court.

Oh, what a splendid and wonderful building!

The palace has been shaped most notably by Cardinal Wolsey

during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century

and later under William III

from 1689 to 1702.

I really can't wait to get inside.

Today, Anita's here to see a specific exhibition

that Sebastian curates.

And it's one with a rather lively premise.

"The Secrets of the Royal Bedchamber"!

We have a special exhibition, just for you!

This sounds very interesting!

Come and have a look.

I say!

The exhibition largely looks at the 17th and 18th centuries,

a time when monarchs' bedrooms became almost public spaces

into which the great and good of the kingdom would vie to be invited.

The bedchamber of the king, or even queen, became the place

where some of the nation's biggest intrigues were played out.

And the monarch received members of the court

actually lying in the royal bunk.

It was a real privilege to meet the king in his bedroom.

He was off his guard, he was relaxed, and in theory, informal,

and that's where everybody at court wanted to be.

Anita's particularly interested in seeing a bed

that belonged to Mary of Medina,

the wife of King James II.

It's the bed in which Mary gave birth in a very public fashion.

Poor old love!

There were 70 witnesses around it,

which included many important men of the kingdom.

-Let's have a look at that.

-Come and see.

James and Mary's son was born in this bed in 1688.

The nation in this period was Protestant

but James and Mary were Catholic,

and the prospect of a Catholic heir to the throne

caused a political crisis.

Many in Government were keen to deny

that the royal baby was a legitimate heir,

so the King planned to crowd the birthing room

with 70 important witnesses

immediately after his son was born.

This includes ministers of state,

the Archbishop of Canterbury, ambassadors,

he wants everybody to know that this is an absolutely regular birth

and that it's his child.

So, it was very important that this child was seen to be the king's son.

But unfortunately, it didn't work in this case.

Despite the King's efforts, a lurid rumour spread

that threw the parentage of the baby into public doubt.

The bed has a special name, the warming pan bed,

because there was a great story at the time

that the baby was not hers, that the baby had died or there was no baby.

And that a changeling, somebody's else's child, had been bought

and slipped into the palace in a warming pan,

which is one of these great metal dishes on a stick

that you put hot coals in to warm the bed,

as a suitable container to hide the baby in.

Of course the story wasn't true,

but the suspicion surrounding the royal birth

paved the way to a revolution.

In 1688, the forces of James' son-in-law,

the Protestant William of Orange, invaded,

and he became King William III alongside his wife.

James and Mary, though, fled to France, where they lived in exile.

And it all started in that bed?

It all started in this bed.

So the course of this nation's history changed in this bed.

Indeed it did.

Anita's had a dizzying romp through 17th-century history this morning

but it's time for her to be on her way.

Do you know, Sebastian, it's enough to make me want a wee lie down!

But thank you for those stories. Bye-bye!

But James is still back in East Molesey proper,

and wandering into Palace Antiques.

James is looking for a final item.

Perhaps this little brass box for tapers or matches.

It's about 1850.

Embossed brass. Provincial.

Could even be Dutch, something like that.

It was just to hang next to the fireplace.

It's 150 years old and it's seven quid.

So there'll be a bit of trade on that.

But...

..that's the sort of thing that...

..might make 20 quid at auction.

Ash, can I borrow you for a second?

I know "last of the big spenders", and all,

would four quid be all right?!

Just seven on it.

Yeah... Actually, five pounds, James, would be just right.

OK. I'll take it. Thanks very much.

He certainly seems to have overcome his indecisiveness. Look at this!

Now, Anita's only a short stroll away

and heading into Bridge Road Antiques.

She doesn't give up, does she?

And, quick as you like, she's collared dealer David.

Look out, David.

So I had a look at this old tennis racket here.

Yes, this is a very old-fashioned racket. Beautiful, eh?

It is indeed a mid-20th-century tennis racket

fitted with a square, wooden press to protect it. Ticket price is £10.

Worth a whack, eh?

Could we take that off?

-Could we maybe...test it?

-We could. I'm sure we could.

Lordy! I hope this shop is well-insured!

Thankfully, they can't find a ball, so they're using a faux fur hat.

Naturalement!

We're just doing a wee bit of bat and ball.

-I've got a better one.

-Bat and hat.

-OK.

-That was good.

-That was good. I think that was very good.

He would say that. Careful with that hat, Anita.

If you break it, you have to buy it.

Speaking of which, are you planning to make any purchases

or just have another game with your best friend?

Would you like something else as well with it, perhaps?

-You know, to sort of...

-Is there any other tennis-y things?

-What about this?

-There was a photograph you were interested in.

That's quite nice, isn't it?

Look at that. The Surbiton championships.

-1904.

-So it's sort of Edwardian.

It's a set of photographs depicting players at Surbiton tennis club,

dating from 1909.

Ticket price on that is £20.

Now, what could good old sport David do

on the prices of the racket and the photos?

-I'd like to buy that for about a fiver.

-Would you?

-Uh-huh.

-Mm-hm.

-Cos it's not going to make any money!

It's not going to make any money in auction,

-but it's good for a bit of fun.

-It's good for a bit of fun, it is.

Deal done, then, at five pounds on the racket.

-Oh, thank you.

-Thank you, Anita.

And the photos?

How about ten pounds for them? Would that do it for you?

A fiver would do it.

All right, then, we'll do that for you, as well.

Will you? The two of them for a tenner?

All bought, then.

Give us a kiss!

Shopping over, let's remind ourselves

what our experts have bought.

James began the second leg with £293.50,

and spent £170 on five auction lots.

The Florentine dogs...

the bronze spill box...

the novelty inkwell...

the liquor casket...

and a huge Chinese vase.

Anita started with £321.60

and spent £155 also on five auction lots -

the silver and crystal ashtray...

the bronze censer...

the miniature chair...

the tennis racket and photographs...

and the French firedogs.

On this show, Anita and James

have toured west London

before leaving the smoke to head for their auction in nearby Alresford

in Hampshire.

The attractive small town of Alresford

hosts a yearly watercress festival

to celebrate local production of the peppery leaf.

Let's hope Anita and James can be as fresh and sprightly today

as they head for Andrew Smith & Son's auctioneers.

-Oh!

-There we go!

Are you ready, darling?

Yeah, doesn't it look good?

Best get inside, then.

Today's gavel-basher is Nick Jarrett.

The sale is about to begin.

First up is Anita's silver and crystal ashtray, or dish.

£10. Ten I have. 12 can I say?

12, 14, 16, 18, £20 and two.

25. 25, new bidder. 28.

£30. And two.

At £30.

£30 I have. At £30. Have you done?

-Yes! I'm happy.

-Well done.

It ekes out a £5 profit.

Not a bad start for her.

But she will have to pay auction costs on that.

Next is James's pair of Florentine dogs.

Will the buyers be straining at the leash?

Bid on the book at £30.

-32. I'm out at £32.

-Come on!

Anyone else here? 35. 38.

40. Two. 45. 48. £50. He's back in.

Was cheap, wasn't it? 55.

60? At £55, then, with the gentleman. All done?

Selling at 55.

-Dear me.

-I know. Those two missing ears were worth another £45!

It's a decent profit, but not what he'd hoped for.

Ruff!

Now, it's Anita's Oriental censer.

Does she scent a winner?

£30. Take five on that.

35. At £35. 40 can I say now?

All done at 35. Have you done?

-Last chance.

-Ohh...

Again, not the flyer she wanted.

But a profit's not to be sniffed at.

-Still, no losses so far.

-No loss.

Now, it's James' bargain little bronze taper holder.

I'm going to start you here at £32.

35 can I say now?

At £32. Anybody else in at 32?

At £32. Have you done?

What can you say about that?

It strikes right with someone

and earns James a very nice mark-up.

One for Anita, now, as her 1920s child's chair is up.

£50. 50, surely? 30, then?

30, I have. 32. 35. 38. 40.

And two. 45.

48. 50. And five. 60.

And five. 70?

65, gentleman's bid, yes?

£65. Selling at 65.

Another very nice profit for Anita. Well done.

Profit in the furniture section? That isn't easy to do. Well done.

Now, it's James's novelty inkwell,

modelled as an Etruscan jug.

£30 for it, can I say? £30?

-20?

-Oh, no!

You're right!

-Ten?

-Oh, no!

-Can I have... 12. 15.

18. 20. They're in, now.

James!

-It's running away.

-Are you in at 28?

-£30. £35.

-It's still a loss!

38, new bidder. And 40. Two.

The lady's bid at 45. All done.

There you are.

It climbs up to what he paid for it.

But that'll mean a loss after auction costs.

Now it's Anita's tennis-themed lot.

Five pounds? Five pounds.

A pound if you like.

-One pound I have.

-Boo!

-One pound. Two, three.

-Thank you, darling!

Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. £10.

Yes!

At £10, all done. A tenner.

Yes!

Thanks to the charming lady to Anita's right,

that barely breaks even.

I think you owe her a glass of something.

Maybe "deuce"? Hah!

Now, it's James's portable liqueur casket.

Will the punters be tempted to take a swig?

50 I have, thank you. I'll take a fiver on that.

At £50, gentleman's bid.

55 just in front. 60 and five.

70. Five. 80. Five.

90. Five. 100. And ten.

120. 130. 140.

150? 140. All done?

At 140.

-Yeah!

-Well done, you.

-Good result.

-Happy now?

-That's a brilliant result.

A terrific result for James.

And he's definitely in the lead.

It's nice to see a wee smile on your face.

Now, can Anita repeat the trick

with her set of bronze firedogs?

£42. 45, can I say?

45, now. Lady's bid. 48?

-At £45.

-That's cheap.

At £45. Are you sure at 45?

-Come on!

-At £45, then.

No!

Oh, you poor thing!

What a shame. They didn't set the saleroom alight.

It's the excitement of the auction!

There, there, Anita.

Lastly, it's James's great hope.

His Chinese blue and white vase.

We have got a phone bid, which is good.

And I can start you here at £400.

-Yes!

-420, can I say? 420.

Blimey!

450. 470.

500. Thank you. And 20.

520. 550.

570. 600?

570, then. At £570 have you done?

At 570. All done.

Wow!

An enormous profit on the vase that sat unloved on a shelf for months.

What a spot, James!

Give him a wee clap!

Thank you!

Anita started this leg with £321.60.

After paying auction costs,

she made a small loss of £3.30

and finishes today with £318.30.

Whilst James began with £293.50.

After costs, he made a profit of - drum roll, please...

£520.44,

giving him £813.94 to carry forwards.

Although it does seem to have rather gone to his head!

-I'm going in the back, not the front.

-OK.

There you are.

HE GRUNTS

-OK, darling?

-Come on, then.

You could always make him walk, Anita.

Ah, well, maybe not -

because they're off on the third leg of their road trip.

Beginning near Lacock in Wiltshire,

heading for auction in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

They're supposed to be on their way to a shop.

Car boot sale.

Oh, hang on.

Let's go and have a look there.

That's where the bargains will be had. Look! Let's do it, yes?

In the usual haphazard fashion they're making an unplanned stop

at Lacock car boot sale,

which is about four miles from the centre of Chippenham.

This bustling car boot runs in the summer months, weather permitting.

ANITA LAUGHS

Nice to see you.

James has a whopping £813.94 to spend.

There we go.

A pair of true firedogs.

Ah, firedogs again, eh?

Unlike Anita's fancy bronze ones,

these firedogs or andirons are more utilitarian,

and would stand in a hearth to support a large log.

Stallholder Oliver has priced the pair at £40.

These are French provincial. They're about 1860/1870.

True to form, James is going to try a cheeky offer.

I'll give you 14 quid for them.

Gosh.

I think they might make 20 at the auction, that's why.

16 and we've dealt. See? We've dealt. Dead easy. There you go.

16, there you go.

-Right...

-And he's spotted something else at Oliver's stall.

One of my biggest soft spots is for snuffboxes

and this little chap is about 1850/1860.

It's turned wood, and therefore treen.

It's not worth very much money at all, but it's just quite sweet.

-Will another cheeky offer fly?

-I will give you two quid for that box.

-It's cracked and it's lost its top.

-It's lovely.

-Go on.

-No.

-Three.

-Certainly not.

-Three.

Four. I came down tons on that one.

-Four.

-Thank you very much.

Careful, sir.

Oliver sticks to his guns but £4 is enough to buy the box, eh.

Anita meanwhile is, as usual, trying on some headgear.

STAR WARS THEME PLAYS

I'm not sure that dealer's impressed, Anita.

Lordy.

James is at least looking at antiques.

These are interesting. Only two of them, though, which is a real shame.

An early 19th century fire shovel and a pair of tongs.

Sadly, now separated from the poker that would have completed the set.

And he's also found a toasting fork.

Probably dating from a little earlier.

There's no ticket price on them.

He's thinking of incorporating all three into a lot with

the fire dogs he's already bought.

That makes a more respectable lot for an auction.

What would buy those?

-£4.

-I'm going to be a mean git and offer you two.

-Go on, then.

-Is that all right? There you go.

You've got yourself a deal.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

-Hello, darling. How did you get on?

-Not too bad.

Anita hasn't found anything here so they're going to get back on track.

Let's roll.

They're finally back on the road and aiming for Bath.

What better place for them to continue their day?

Here we go.

James, isn't this absolutely wonderful?

Beautiful, isn't it?

James, I've got to go shopping. I've got lots to do.

Indeed you do, Anita.

She's strolling off into Old Bank Antiques Centre,

and she's got £318.30 to spend.

Go, girl.

And soon, something on the walls put a gleam in her eye.

My eye was drawn to this mirror.

By this wonderful horse.

And horseman, he's quite good looking too.

What we have in the top is an engraving and underneath a mirror.

But this image is so splendid and so beautiful and he has the best

and proudest of steed.

It probably dates from the early 19th century. Ticket price is £85.

That's too steep.

So Alex will have to be consulted.

-Alex!

-Hello.

-I was quite taken by this mirror here.

Do you know anything about this print?

Do you know who the character is? To me it looks like...

Looks a little bit like the Duke of Wellington.

With that nose.

So, what could Alex do on the price?

Could you do 40 on that?

-Yes, go on.

-We'll go for that.

-OK.

Yeah. OK, that's fine.

-Thank you very much, Alex.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Marvellous.

A super, less than half-price deal on the mirror.

But Anita's got her eye on another celebratory item.

This is really just a bit of fun.

This crazy ice bucket and...

-A bottle.

-..is there any champagne in there?

-No.

Thankfully.

It's a modern plastic ice bucket in the shape of a top hat

along with a display bottle, sans champagne.

Not exactly antique, is it, Anita? But festive.

What could it be bought for, £8?

-Yes,

-go on, then. For fun.

-Why not?

Done. She's got her two lots in this shop and she's charging on.

Now, James is less than a mile away

and about to wander off into his first shop proper.

Brian and Caroline Craik Ltd.

-Welcome, David....

-Hello there.

-..to my emporium.

-Nice to see you.

James has soon espied something that attracts him.

That's an interesting bit of furniture.

It's a Chinese occasional table fashioned from rosewood

-and dating from around 1900.

-This is lovely.

The quality of this little hook here and the lovely line of the leg...

is exactly what people are looking for in this Chinese furniture.

Caroline had a price of £225 in mind for the table but, of course,

James is keen to negotiate. Stand by.

-Is there much movement there?

-Well, 175?

How about 130, and I'm pretty much there?

If you say 150, OK, I'll let it go.

James is tempted.

-You got a deal.

-Woo!

Deal done at £150. It's not like James to splash his cash.

Let's hope the gavel pays off.

Now, Anita has travelled about 14 miles onwards

to the town of Frome in Somerset.

And she's wasting no time meeting dealer Alan.

-Hi, Anita. How are you?

-I'm good thank you.

-Nice to see you.

What about this wee guy here? Tell me about him.

I think this wee guy is great fun.

It's a teddy bear, knitting.

-Is he working?

-Oh, yeah, it works.

SHE CHUCKLES

MUSIC: "O Fortuna"

He's pretty scary.

He's very...arresting.

Certainly something about him.

You can say that again.

Let's see if we've got a little maker's mark here.

This is a Japanese one.

It is indeed a Japanese automaton toy bear with light up eyes

dating from the 1950s.

Ticket price is £65.

Anita seems keen on it, but will need to seek a substantial discount.

I think my best price would be 35.

-Well, it's...

-That's a good price.

-It's... Uh-huh.

Would £25 buy him?

Can we go anywhere in that sort of region?

-OK, I'll do it for 25.

-We can do it for 25.

That's absolutely wonderful. Thank you, very much.

I'm hoping that he will do well and somebody will fall in love with him.

James, meanwhile is still back in Bath.

He's heading for the Herschel Museum of Astronomy which tells the story

of one of 18th-century Bath resident's stellar achievements.

He's meeting museum volunteer and astrophysicist Rebekah Lusher.

-Rebekah, hi.

-Hi, James.

-Nice to see you.

-Welcome to the Herschel Museum.

-Thank you.

-Let's go inside.

-Lovely.

William Herschel was a German-born musician who moved to Bath

in 1766 and indeed into this very house.

Herschel was to go on to become the first astronomer

to discover a planet in our solar system since ancient times.

But it was his outstanding talent in music

that first brought him to Bath.

He was appointed the music director at the newly built

-Octagon Chapel for the high society of Bath.

-OK.

William soon settled into his new role and his place in Bath society.

But this intelligent and determined man

also embarked on a varied programme of self-education.

William taught himself English and then he taught himself mathematics.

-OK.

-He studied optics and became quite interested in astronomy.

Astronomy was very popular with society.

It was the fashionable thing to do.

At a dinner party you get out a telescope

and have a look for things.

So he took it up as a hobby originally

and borrowed some telescopes.

Tried to find some things.

And decided he was quite disappointed with them

and thought, "I can do better than this."

And that's really where he started,

-because his telescopes are the best in the world.

-Really?

Remarkably, Herschel crafted these sophisticated telescopes

right here in this very house - and using skills he taught himself.

He had the talents to do it, and he did. All from scratch.

He turned this house, basically, into a workshop.

Every room was full of speculum metals, polishing mirrors, lathes.

-Lovely. And you've still got workshops here?

-Yes, we do.

Love to see. Yeah? Come on.

Oh, golly. Right, so what's all this?

These are the tools he used to make his mirrors for his own telescopes.

This is the speculum metal they use for the mirrors.

An alloy of copper and tin.

These precisely-shaped mirrors

were the secret to Herschel's powerful, home-made telescopes.

Using them, he made his most famous discovery.

They are heading outside to see the spot where it happened.

This is Herschel's garden where he used to bring his telescopes.

And we think this is the area of the garden where

he first discovered a new planet.

When he first observed the new celestial body,

Herschel thought it might be a comet.

However, further observation by Herschel

and others revealed it to be Uranus.

The first new planet found in our solar system

since at least the ancient Greeks.

It brought him world fame.

And his telescopes, which suddenly became well-known over the world,

were ordered by many of the best astronomers.

Herschel went on to make many more contributions to science,

including the discovery of infrared radiation,

and was appointed the King's astronomer by George III.

Time now for James to link up with Anita.

They're driving to the town of Marlborough in Wiltshire.

First shop of the day is the Marlborough Parade Antiques Centre.

-James, this looks wonderful.

-Looks nice, doesn't it?

Aw, this looks great.

Best get browsing, you two.

And Anita's the first to spy something.

She's found a pair of Art Nouveau metal earrings set with seed pearls.

Ticket price is £49.

Of course, Anita wants to negotiate,

but Gary is being quite strict about the shop's policy

of discounting no more than 10% for trade.

Do you think the dealer would give us a wee bit more than 10%?

She won't do much more than that,

because they're reasonable, aren't they?

-They're nice. How low would she go?

-42.

Gary's sticking at that price.

She's tempted and she's spotted another two

pieces of jewellery in another cabinet, as well.

Mind the dog.

-We've got these big sort of big...

-Rare rocks.

They're like Cairngorms but they're big bits of show.

1950s, they've got that sort of '50s look about them.

It's two brooches inset with large gemstones

which look similar to the Cairngorm quartz

native to Anita's Caledonian homeland.

Combined ticket price on the two is £19

and it doesn't sound like Gary's open to negotiation.

-Don't even try it.

-Oh, right.

You're a mean beastie.

So can I have them for 19, surely you'd take your 10% off.

Not on those. Anything under 20.

-Is that your rule?

-Madam, that is our rule.

OK, darling. We'll see what happens. It's worth taking a chance on.

But Anita will take the pair for £19,

as well as the earrings for £42.

Anita's all bought up and on her way.

Meanwhile, James has wandered outside

and has found an item of his own.

It's a carpenter's trunk.

These things were popular in the 19th century.

In fact, right the way through into the 1920s.

And carpenters would have a trunk like this

that would be full of their little tools.

It's fashioned of pine and probably dates from the late 1800s.

It was marked up at a hefty £150, but since it's been sitting outside,

dealer Robert seems to be in a generous mood.

-Give me £50.

-30 quid.

-I can't. Honestly can't.

-Can't you?

-I wish I could.

-35?

-£40 and we have a deal.

-You've got a deal. 40 quid.

-Well... It's worth a bash at that.

-It is!

Another lot in the bag and James does seem to be in luck today

as he's shortly enlisted Gary's help in finding another bargain.

Just found that in the back room.

At least it's an original.

-It's a pastel, is it?

-Pastel, yeah.

-It's a pastel.

# The tears of a clown

# When there's no-one around. #

It is indeed a fairly modern pastel drawing of a clown.

Gary's willing to kick off the negotiation at £15.

But James is ever ready to go lower.

Fiver.

-Are you trying to rob me?

-No.

-Trying to rob me, bankrupt me?

12.50 and that hurt.

-How about 7.50?

-Ooh!

-Straight into the soft underbelly.

You're crippling me.

Tenner and it's yours.

-Eight.

-Tenner.

-Tenner!

-Thank you very much.

-Ten quid.

Terrific. But he's not finished yet.

He's travelling on to Hungerford in Berkshire.

He's sauntering into Hungerford Arcade,

where he's meeting dealer Adrian, who's an old pal.

-Hello, there.

-Hello, James. Good to see you.

-Good to see you.

James is assembling a job lot of small items

around the little treen snuffbox he bought yesterday.

So, he'll need to scour this sizeable antiques centre.

He's soon found a candidate for his job lot - a bijouterie.

It's a novelty pincushion shaped like a lady's shoe.

Ticket price is £6.

Would three quid be any good for that?

I will try.

Adrian will call the person who owns it.

-Can you please do £3? Yes.

-Brilliant. That's great.

That's in the bag for £3, then.

In the meanwhile, he's found something else.

-Oh, crikey, that's fun.

-He should have a matchbox on his back there.

It's another novelty item.

A Victorian pewter smoker's stand or matchbox holder.

25, would you ask her?

With pleasure.

James is in luck. The dealer will accept £25 for that.

And he's now got something else at a price that suits him.

I just found this cast iron font-like creature

that would hold matches

and I thought, "Whoopee! That's not expensive."

"Small cast iron urn, no lid - £1."

Even James isn't barefaced enough to haggle on that.

So he's got the smoker's stand, pincushion and urn for £29,

and Adrian's going to throw in a few antique coins

that might slot into the missing recess in the snuffbox

for one extra pound. That's nice.

-£30 - spot on.

-Yes. And thank you so much.

-It's been lovely.

-Thanks.

-Really enjoyed it.

Thank you very much.

Shopping done,

let's remind ourselves what our experts have bought.

Anita started this leg with £318.13, and spent £134 on five auction lots.

The champers ice bucket and bottle...

..the 19th century mirror...

the automaton bear...

the brooches...

and the earrings.

James began with £813.94, and spent £252 on five auction lots.

The firedogs and tools...

the carpenter's chest...

his job lot of small items...

the portrait of a clown...

and the Chinese table.

But it's time now to get back on the road to auction.

They're driving to Cirencester

in Gloucestershire.

The market town of Cirencester

has origins dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain.

They're pulling up at the saleroom

of auctioneers Moore Allen and Innocent.

Here we are, James.

Here we go.

This looks interesting.

Best dive right in, then.

Presiding today will be auctioneer Philip Allwood.

The auction's about to begin.

First up, it's James's pair of 19th century firedogs,

accompanied by fire tools.

They didn't light Anita's fire.

Will they set the saleroom ablaze?

I can start you on the book at 30.

At £30, got it here. Five, if you like, now.

That's a start.

Five, 50. At 50...five.

60, five. 70.

At £70 here. Five anywhere? Five. 80.

At £80, back with me at £80. Anyone?

At £80, you all sure?

At £80, five on the net.

At £85 here, the book's out.

85, you all sure...?

Blimey - that certainly did burn a hot streak.

-I am thrilled with that.

-Well done!

I bet you are.

Now it's Anita's mirror, appended to a portrait

that may be the Duke of Wellington - or may be somebody else entirely.

20? Ten, to get on, going to be a tenner.

£10 for the glass?

A fiver?

Oh, dear - this isn't going in the right direction.

-Nobody? A fiver?

-Go on!

-At £5 over here.

-James, I'm going to burst into floods of tears!

At £5, on my right here at £5.

A fiver. At £5. At £5...

I'll need another 50 more!

At £5.

That's trotted off to a disaster.

Bad luck, Anita.

Now another try for James, with his pine carpenter's chest.

Will it carve out a profit?

Who'll start me at 100?

100?

Good pine chest there. 100?

-50, to get on. £50.

-He's trying...

-30, then.

-Oh, what?

-£30?

£30, a bid there at 30. Got to be cheap, at £30.

Five, anyone? At £30, five. 40. Five.

At £45 in the room now.

£45 - 50, if you like?

At £45, it's selling right in front of me here.

At £45 - 50. At 55.

At 55. 60, now.

At £55 in front of me, now. At 55, it's selling.

60. Five. At £65, right in front of me in the room here.

At £65, you're out on the net.

At £65, you all sure?

Selling here, then. At 65, you all done...?

So, it does nail a decent profit in the end.

-He did his best there.

-Not bad.

-He did his best.

Now, will there be cause for celebration

on Anita's ice bucket and display bottle of champers?

Ten to get on. £10, a bid there.

-Yeah, yeah!

-£10, I have.

At £10, 12, going to say now.

At £10. 12, on the net.

At 12, the book's out at £12. £15, if you like, now?

At 12, 15. 18, over there.

Oh! Go on, go, go on!

I'm getting all excited here, James!

£18, a bid here. At £18 - 20, now.

Fill it up. At £18, it's selling on the net, here.

You're all out in front of me. At £18...

-18, it is.

-Aw!

Corks popped all round, then.

At least it's back on the right road.

Next, it's James's job lot of bijouterie -

will the little items serve up a big profit?

At £50.

30, to get on.

At £20 a bid - at £20, five, now.

At £20 - five. 30. Five.

At £35, got to be cheap at 35. 40.

Five. 50. Five.

60, if you like, madam? At 55...60.

Five. 70? There's 65, here.

At £65 - it's on the left.

They like it, James. They like it.

You all done?

A sizable win for James.

-Ah...

-There's a profit, there. That's good.

-You're doing all right.

Time now for Anita's automaton bear.

Who'll start me, 50? £50?

Go on, go on...

£30?

20, to get on. Got to be £20.

-Yes, £20, a bid there.

-Go on! We've started.

30. At £30, I have £30. Anyone else?

At £30, it's in the room, now. At £30. Five, anyone?

At £30 - it's got to be cheap, at £30.

Look at him!

It's only one eye that's on.

Oh, dear, that's not going to help...Cyclops.

It's selling in the room, here. You all done at 30?

Grr!

The uncooperative bear picks a terrible time to break down,

but at least it scrapes a profit.

It wasn't just one eye when we had it!

Now it's James' modern pastel portrait of a Pierrot.

Will it be smiles or tears after this lot?

£20 for the Pierrot, there.

The bidders have been scared off.

-A tenner?

-No!

Dear me - £10, it's no laughing matter.

£10. Nobody? A fiver?

Oh, what?

Yes? Really? £5, a bid. At £5, at £5, there.

-Anybody?

-Wow...

-I can't believe who's bidding.

-That is mad.

At £5, it's selling here for a fiver.

At £5 - the frame would cost you that.

-At £5, you all sure?

-He's trying...

-You all done at a fiver?

Tears, as it turns out.

That is just insane.

One more for Anita, as her pair of Cairngorm-style brooches are up.

£10.

A fiver?

THEY GROAN

£5, a bid at five. Eight.

Ten. At 12, do you mean, madam?

At £10 here. At £10. 12 - thank you, madam.

At the back at 12. 15, if you like?

15. 18. At £18 at the back, there.

20, if you like, now?

£18, you all sure?

Go on, go on!

What a shame.

Oh...it could have been a LOT worse.

Now it's James's great hope - the Chinese table.

I can start you on the book at...

At 180. At 180, we've started. At 180.

190, now. At £180, I have. 180...190.

Looking good...

220. 240. 260. 280.

At £280 - 300, if you like. 280 I have.

At £280. £300, on the phone, if you like?

At £280 here. At £280, you all sure now?

At 280...

James's instincts were right.

That lot was full of Eastern Promise.

Well done. Well done, well done.

And finally, Anita's up with her Art Nouveau earrings

set with seed pearls.

£50, to get on. £50 a bid - thank you, madam. At £50.

At 50, look cheap at £50. Five, anyone?

Five on the net. 60. Five. 70. At 75...

80. Five. 90. At £90...five.

100...

It's a flier.

120. 130. 140 to me madam.

At 130, 140 on the net.

150, if you like, on the phone?

At 140. 150.

At 150. 160, if you like, on the phone?

At 150, I have. 150. It's on the net here at 150.

160.

At 160, someone else...170, now.

It's at 160. It's on the phone now, the net's out.

-At 160. 170, back in.

-Back in!

At 170. 180 if you like, now.

180. At 190. 200, fill it up, now.

200.

-Crikey!

-This is running and running.

240 now. At 220. 240.

At 240. It's on the phone now at 240. 260, now.

At £240 - it's on the phone, now, at 240.

An absolutely smashing profit

proves Anita really does

have an eye for style.

-Yes!

-Yes! Well done!

Anita started this leg with £318.30.

After paying auction costs, she made a profit of £121.02

and ends today with £439.32.

Well done.

But heavyweight James beat her to the punch once more.

He began with £813.94

and after costs, made a profit of £158 today,

giving him £971.94 to carry onwards.

-Well, James, that was SO exciting!

-He did his best, didn't he?

-Uh-huh.

-Got every last pound out of them.

Indeed, he did.

To the Beetle, and away to the next leg.

-Here we go!

-Aye, here we go.