Episode 12 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.

Going, going, gone!

Yes!

How do I look?

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction,

but it's no mean feat.

Yes!

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

I'm going to become a bin man.

So, will it be the high road to glory

or the slow road to disaster?

I like it when you're chasing me.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

Jostling for pole position on the second leg of this week's road trip

are intrepid master antiquarians Mark Stacey

and Will Axon.

I had a horrible nightmare last night.

-Oh, what?

-I dreamt that we went to an auction

with lots of treasure

and we bombed.

We were robbed and came home with nothing.

That wasn't a nightmare, Will. It happened.

I was afraid you were going to say that!

With over 25 years' experience in the antiques trade

and a veteran of the trip,

Mark Stacey still hasn't quite got the hang of the show.

I've seen a fridge freezer I quite like.

While Newmarket-born auctioneer Will Axon

does not want to suffer a repeat of the first auction debacle,

so has arranged some extra protection.

How do I look?

Both Mark and Will started the week on £200

and bombed at the first auction.

Mark lost £82.50,

so starts today's trolley dash for treasure

with £117.50.

Will's losses amounted to a budget-slashing £101.60,

so he starts today's antique adventure

with only £98.40.

Mark and Will are kings of the road in this little white pearl -

it's a 1963 Triumph TR4,

but last time it was a little less than reliable.

Hang on, hang on - I'm going to try and coast it into this space.

Let's hope she behaves herself today.

Come on, please make it.

Go on!

Otherwise you'll have to get out and push, Will.

Our travelling antiquarians

are cruising through no less than five counties.

They started the week in East Sussex

and will visit Kent, Essex, Suffolk

and Hertfordshire,

before ending up at an auction in the London suburb of Ruislip.

On this leg, they'll start in Bilsington

and end up at an auction not far away in Sandwich,

but clocking up some 80-odd miles in between.

I'm going to change my tactics, I think.

I've been a bit soft.

-Have you?

-On the dealers, I think.

I thought it was just you didn't buy very nice things.

They are deep in the countryside in Kent,

near a little village called Bilsington

and Mark's dropping Will off at the first shop.

It's time for Will to put his new tough-guy tactic into play,

as he kicks off his bargain blitz at the Barn at Bilsington.

Watch out, Gabrielle - he means business.

I'm going to get straight to the point

and say my budget is even more limited

-than it was in the first instance.

-Right.

Well, give me an idea as to what your budget is.

Maybe I'll point you in a direction.

I was looking to maybe buy a couple of items for £50.

Crikey! That went down like a lead balloon.

Gabrielle specialises in French country furniture,

though you could be mistaken for thinking

you were in her lavishly decorated home,

complete with a fire in the hearth to get you warmed up

and in the buying mood.

But anyway, there's business to be done. Let's have a rummage.

See? It works a treat.

That's quite nice, isn't it?

Bone rather than ivory.

And you've got this sort of penwork.

It's almost got a sort of...

Indian feel about it.

Gabrielle's glasses in there, and a little nail file.

That's what they're used for - handy little box for knick-knacks.

No price ticket on it.

That might be one to mention.

These decorative little boxes are just the kind of thing

that could fly at auction.

Hmm.

Nice Chinese blue and white vase.

Got a mark underneath.

Always be slightly suspicious of the Chinese marks.

I believe that's the Kangxi mark.

This pretty blue and white painted vase

is 19th century Kangxi.

The production of Kangxi ended in 1722,

but the style was copied into the 1800s.

It's got what I would call a sort of star crack

to the body,

and that has spread

somewhat.

Well, it's no Ming dynasty,

so can Will stick to his new macho technique

and get it within budget?

-I found this upstairs.

-Yes.

-Which is interesting.

-Mm-hm.

But quite badly damaged.

Can you see that nasty crack?

-It's got age to it.

-It has.

Um...

Going to have met with some problems in its life.

Haven't we all, dear?

Can we say £40?

And 5.

Well, if I find something else and round it up to 50?

-You've got quite a sweet little box next door.

-Yes.

That's more. That's got to be 25.

So, £45 for the vase

and £25 for the box is £70.

But how much does Will dare to offer?

Could I have both for 60?

That seems fair.

To who? To you or to me?

-To both of us!

-Fair enough.

-Can we do that?

-Yes.

I'm thrilled. Thanks very much.

Good. A pleasure.

Ding-ding! Round one to Will.

He's struck a good bargain, but £60 is over half his starting budget,

so he only has £38.40

for the rest of this leg. Pretty risky, this.

Meanwhile, Mark's put his pedal to the metal

and gone nearly eight miles southeast

to a place called Appledore.

Not in Devon.

It's a village known to generations of children

as the setting for AA Milne's famous poem

The Knight Whose Armour Didn't Squeak.

DOOR SQUEAKS

Mark's festival of fun is about to commence at the Old Forge,

where he's already forging an alliance with storekeeper Jenny.

Look out, Jenny!

Jenny, I've a good feeling we're going to do some business today.

You have, and I've got you a cup of tea,

because you must be frozen.

I'm frozen. I know we're going to get on.

You old charmer, you.

-Thank you, Jenny.

-It's a pleasure.

This is the sort of thing I think might sell quite well.

I'll lift it up. It's quite heavy, I should imagine.

Yes, it is.

I mean, how would you describe that?

Cheap? Concrete? Doorstep?

I could go on.

I think these are quite cheeky.

Painted in a nicer colour, I think that could be quite a fun item.

It's a bit much at the moment - £22.

And it just says "Doggy"!

But I think she's rather sweet.

Look, there's a little bow. You can see a little bow.

I think you're barking up the wrong tree here.

It's rough, rough, rough!

Like a moth to a flame,

Mark's alighted on an outrageous vintage 1970s lamp

that is, frankly, camper than knickers.

I think it's green and brown onyx.

I suppose it is, yes.

With these sort of gilt metal or brass mounts,

with sort of caryatids on the base there.

And this outrageous shade!

Everybody comments on it, I have to say.

You could almost get away with it at Ascot, at Ladies Day.

But I think, to me,

it sort of screams the 1970s. I don't know about you.

-I think it probably is.

-Abigail's Party and all that.

There's no ticket price on the lamp,

so let the tussle begin.

What would be your bargain price? Because you've got to get rid of it.

It doesn't fit in with your theme at all here.

What - retro chic?

-Um...35.

-MARK GASPS

Oh, lordy!

What were you thinking?

I might have to have a sit-down.

Um...

Oh, dear!

The old ticker's going now - palpitations.

Am-dram, eat your heart out!

But if I could get that

for somewhere near £20, or in between 20 and 30...

What about 25?

Oh, Jenny, I've got to have it for £25.

At the end of the day, the shade's worth that.

Yeah.

So, first deal of the day in the bag.

But what about that concrete terrier?

MUSIC: # How much is that doggy in the window? #

Graham, the little doggy's owner, has arrived.

So now they can have a pet talk.

What could you do it for? It's marked as 22.

-Well, we would really like you to win.

-Oh!

So let's say...

um...

-15. How's that, Mark?

-MARK GASPS

Ideally, I'd like to get it for a tenner or so.

Cheaper, Mark? You don't say.

-If it's not possible...

-Go 12.

Go 12 and we've got... we're there then.

We'd like you to come back.

And maybe spend a little more money!

I would like to come back as well. I would like to spend more

and I would like to win, which is why I need it for ten.

I'll let you have it for ten if it'll help.

Thank you so much, Graham. You are a star.

You're very welcome.

Mark's pleased at himself for scoring

a couple of tasty treasures

and is now scooting over to Hythe, around 17 miles eastwards.

He's visiting St Leonard's church.

At first glance, St Leonard's is like any other church,

but below, there's a crypt with a rather gruesome secret.

This kind of history is really not for the faint-hearted

and some viewers may be shocked

by what you're about to see.

Mike Pearson is the man in the know.

So this is the entrance to the crypt,

which is underneath the chancel, the main chancel of the church.

I'm not sure I'm ready for this!

Well, it is quite frightening when you first open it.

-It gives you the heebie-jeebies, Mike, doesn't it?

-It does.

It's very frightening to start off with,

but then, you can see what's here

and how impressive it is,

with the skulls and the bones, particularly in this main stack.

The remains of about 2,000 bodies are collected here,

but no-one knows exactly why.

Past historians argued bones were placed in the crypt

after removal from the graveyard

when the church chancel was extended in the 13th century.

And, as other cemeteries nearby became full,

remains were dug up and placed here

to make way for new graves.

This practice in itself was not unusual in England,

but the bones were usually dispersed,

making this a rare collection.

It's quite staggering. It looks... I don't know. It's weird,

-seeing all these human beings piled up like this.

-Yes.

The bones were stacked this way in the early 20th century

to preserve them.

Do you think they all died peacefully?

Um, well, the original theories were they were warriors slain in battle.

But because researchers recently have studied the skulls,

they found that there were slightly more females than males.

And there was an absence of wounds generally,

so they're not warriors at all.

Although the skulls and bones belong to people long since passed away,

they still tell a story of the lifestyle that they lived.

They did have a hard life.

For example, in terms of the teeth,

here's an example of teeth where the teeth are very worn.

That's because of the coarse diet.

But they do not have holes,

so that shows that there was an absence of sugar,

but it does explain

how hard... Although it's a hard life,

the teeth were preserved, compared with modern-day teeth.

Researchers have been studying and cataloguing the remains

and, alas, not everyone died peacefully of natural causes.

That's called sharp-force trauma.

-That looks pretty bad.

-Yes.

So, in actual fact, a sharp implement

has been driven through the skull.

Whether that was in warfare or just a fight, we don't know.

And this probably would have killed...

This probably would have killed.

Although the way that has healed,

means that he lived for a little bit afterwards,

which must have been horrendous.

-It must have been so painful.

-Very painful.

-Gosh!

-It's very macabre, isn't it?

-Yes.

Cause of death? Diet and disease

are some of the many things

that have been discovered from recent research,

but the question of why they were all collected here

is still an open case.

-It's so strange, Mike. It's very uncomfortable.

-Yes.

Holding a skull from a dead person.

It is when you first do it.

-I think you do get used to it.

-I'm sure you do.

I can well understand how you feel.

-It was a person.

-Yes, it is.

-They lived a life.

-And we have to recognise

-everyone in this room was a person.

-Exactly.

-But it's fascinating. It tells us so much...

-Yes.

-..about the past, doesn't it?

-It does.

So that we can have glimpses of how they lived

and what they suffered from.

Thank you, Mike. I wasn't expecting to be holding a skull today,

but it's been absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much.

It's a pleasure. Thank you very much.

Gosh! Keeping his mind firmly on the competition is Will,

who's made his own way ten miles northeast

from the Barn in Bilsington

to another barn in Bethersden.

His crusade for curiosities continues.

-Hello there!

-Hello there.

-You must be Tony.

-That's me.

-Nice to meet you. I'm Will.

-And you.

Will's spotted a couple of decorative vases

he wants to take a closer look at.

I like those, in a way.

And being damaged doesn't put me off that much,

because I've already bought a damaged item today,

so that might be my theme!

Oh, lordy! Not another theme.

They've got a Whitefriars look about them, haven't they?

Textured sort of bark finish, I would say.

No marks. Ground pontil.

Whitefriars were Britain's longest running

and most productive glass house.

Their glass always reflected the fashion of the day,

but these are looky-likies.

How much have you got on the ticket there?

Nine. £9 for two vases.

That's well within my budget.

I tell you what...

Can I put those to one side for the moment?

He's interested, but he's browsing on.

And he's drawn to another set of vases just along the way.

That's quite interesting.

Old shell cases.

First or Second World War.

They've been tooled or worked

into a pair of vases.

Generally called trench art.

For obvious reasons.

What interests me is that there's no price ticket on them.

I shall go and ask Tony.

To be honest, I think they'll be out of my budget,

but let's ask him anyway.

Yeah, let's! And remember, you're a lean, mean negotiating machine.

Can they be...

very affordable?

-I'll try my best. Deborah, they're yours.

-As I flutter my eyelids.

Are they? Oh, Deborah, face-to-face.

Ah, the boyish charm offensive.

You can tell me where to stick 'em...

-Go for it.

-..but would I be able to buy those for a tenner?

That would really help me out.

-OK.

-Yeah?

It's working, it's working!

Blimey! It is, too!

I'm going to have those

and I think I'm going to go for those two glass vases

-at nine quid.

-Fine.

And I'm not even going to knock you down on the nine quid. How's that?

Wonderful.

How very kind of you, Will.

And with that, Will's bagged himself a veritable feast of vases

and it's time to pack up and ship out.

Another dazzling day of dealing is at an end.

Time to rest up for the night.

Sleep well.

What-ho, men! A brave new dawn on this leg of the trip.

Time to get up and at 'em.

I'm admiring you. You're taking this...

with determination and British spirit.

Exactly. Stiff upper lip in the face of adversity.

Well, we are in adversity at the moment.

Well, actually, we're in Kent.

THEY LAUGH

So far on this leg, happy shopper Will has spent £79

on not one, not two, or three, but FIVE vases.

Oh, and a bone box.

He only has £19.40 left to splurge.

Whereas Mark collected only two items of treasure -

a camp-tastic lamp and a concrete terrier,

totalling £35,

and so he has £82.50 to squander appropriately.

The chaps are heading from Kent back into East Sussex.

They're on their way back to historic Hastings.

There was a battle here once, dontcha know?

1066 was another battle.

-It's not as big as our battle, though.

-Not quite as epic.

No.

Hastings is one of the Confederations of Cinque Ports,

a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex,

originally formed for the purposes

of the military and trade.

They're in King's Road, where Mark's continuing his treasure hunt.

-Good luck.

-See you later.

-Take it easy - don't spend it all!

-I will.

Good work, Mark, good work.

-Hi.

-Hi. I'm Mark.

-I'm Charles.

-Charles, nice to meet you.

Oh, stop horsing around and get on with it, Mark!

This is a little Chinese export ware bowl and cover.

Decorated with these little Chinese mons. You've got a dragon,

an eagle, and these little peonies and flowers.

Painted in what's generally referred to as Imari colours -

these iron reds, golds and blues.

This early 20th century Imari bowl and cover

have a ticket price of £25.

Having had a thorough look round,

he's hatched a new plan.

I've made an executive decision.

I'm going to go off-piste.

Quelle surprise!

Mark's off to explore the rest of King's Road

and is leaving the Chinese bowl with Charles for safekeeping.

If you can have a little think about the very best price,

and I don't want to in any way influence you,

but about ten would be lovely.

-And I'll be back later to have a word with you.

-Excellent.

Subtle as a brick.

A couple of doors down,

and Mark's already drawn to a cheeky turquoise vase.

I really like this. The dealer's got it out of the cabinet for me.

It's Chinese.

I love the colour - that bright turquoise glaze.

But I mean, this immortal sitting on this water bottle or wine bottle

or sake bottle.

He looks as if he's actually drunk the contents!

I think you may be right there.

Sake is Japanese, not Chinese, Mark.

He has a rather lovely expression on his face.

There's no ticket on this jug, but Andy the dealer

is offering it for a knockdown price of £15,

which Mark cannot refuse.

I think I'm going to have it for 15.

Thanks very much, Andy.

I love it. I think it's great.

It's making me smile.

And with that natty little purchase,

it's time to hot-foot it back to King's Road Antiques,

where Charles is waiting expectantly to complete the deal.

-Charles, hello.

-Hi.

I'm back again.

Like a bad penny.

The Chinese bowl had a ticket price of £25,

but Mark wants it for a tenner,

and he's not ready to settle.

-You're going to squeeze me, aren't you?

-I am. I'm sorry.

I've got to, because I'm so short of cash.

I'll do anything...within reason.

Well, a good squeeze sounds about right.

-Could you?

-I think we could do a tenner.

-Are you happy with that?

-I'm not squeezing you too much?

-No.

-Gentle enough.

-Shake my hand then. Thanks very much, Charles.

Mission accomplished. Two more items for auction

for the princely sum of £25. Is there no stopping this man?

This is Will's final opportunity to load up on swag,

so he's snuck into Hastings Antiques Centre,

where he's about to regale Rob with his tale of woe.

As the viewers at home know, I got wiped out at the first auction.

-I'm on, like, half my money.

-Right.

-Bought a few things yesterday.

I'm going to tell you straight out

-that I've got just under 20 quid in my pocket.

-Is that all you've got?

That is all I've got. That is all the money I've got.

-That's not good news.

-It isn't good news.

He's taken that well. Not.

I've bought a couple of glass vases that I think are Whitefriars type.

I'm thinking maybe another bit of coloured glass

or art glass.

I've got some Whitefriars if you want some more Whitefriars.

For that sort of money?

Not likely!

There's a couple of Whitefriars pieces here.

Look at this - we're straight into business.

And this is nice, because it's got the original label on it.

That is nice.

That's a nice thing.

Very nice!

They would be nice for 30.

And you'd get a profit.

He's only got £19.40, Rob.

-I'm appealing to your good nature, Rob.

-I know.

-What do you reckon?

-You know,

I'm going to let you have them for £19.40.

-Both of them?

-Yeah.

Oh, man!

Today is just getting better and better!

-Rob, you're a star, man!

-That's all right.

What a jammy so-and-so.

Another handsome deal struck, and he's all spent out.

While Will's been blowing his budget,

Mark's popped off on his own to Rye,

also one of the Confederations of Cinque Ports,

12 miles northeast.

It's his final push for plunder,

as he drops into Wish Barn Antiques,

where all your dreams come true.

Well, maybe.

Hello. I'm Mark.

Mark, I'm Robert. How do you do? Nice to meet you.

Very small on the outside, but it goes back forever.

-It's like the TARDIS.

-It is.

Perhaps you'll find something to EXTERMINATE your competition!

Will keeps saying he's going to spend all his money,

so I feel obligated to try and match him.

Because if I don't, it looks like I'm game-playing.

And I don't like game-playing.

I'm just an ordinary boy from the Valleys, really.

Oh, here he goes!

Mark's homed in on a pair

of Victorian papier-mache folding shelves with a ticket price of £28.

They're hand-painted

with these sort of ship scenes,

and this is little shell,

sort of shell motifs.

And then they hang on the wall like that.

I think those are rather fine, actually.

But I like them because they're that marine subject.

And I keep thinking

that the saleroom is on the coast.

Mark's putting the shelves aside with Robert

while he takes his time finding something else to float his boat.

Mark's so drawn to highly decorative little pieces

and today is no different.

Isn't this charming? It's a little chamber stick.

This is something you'd have used in Georgian and Victorian times.

And you would have had a little candle in here,

so it would have sat on your bedside cabinet.

And obviously, the drips would have fallen into the little leaf design.

It's Staffordshire porcelain

and priced at £16.

The ticket says circa 1900,

but I think it's a little bit earlier,

so this could be a bargain worth keeping an eye on.

They've even moulded some little berries there

and hand-painted them again in the reds and the greens.

He's hooked, so it's time to do some business.

The papier-mache shelves and chamber stick

have a combined ticket price of £44.

Is Robert in the mood for a deal?

He's being ably assisted by his daughter, Frances.

What if I said £35 for the two?

That's not bad, is it?

It's a substantial reduction, I would say, yes.

Substantial. Well...

-We are in a very tight economy here, Robert.

-We are.

I'm sure you'll see a substantial return on your investment.

I want that in writing!

I think I'm going to have to go with that, Robert.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you.

Ker-ching!

A pretty hefty discount, I think we can all agree.

Job's a good 'un, Mark.

That concludes his splash of cash for this leg.

Will too has made it to Rye to visit a remarkable old building.

Ypres Tower,

or Wipers Tower, as it's known locally,

was originally built for defence

against invasion from the French,

who burnt Rye to the ground on several occasions.

The tower was one of the few buildings left standing,

and its history spans over 750 years.

Will's dropping in for a chat with Jo,

who has all the info.

The tower looks much as it would have when it was built,

and has served the town as a fort, private dwelling,

court hall, mortuary and prison. Wow!

1249, it was built as a castle.

By 1262, we know it was actually being used as a prison,

because we had two couples here charged with murder,

in the King's Prison at Rye,

-which I think is really quite nice.

-Yes.

Ooh, lovely!

The castle became a private house in 1430,

when a man called John de Ypres bought it - hence the name.

Around 60 years later,

it once again became a prison,

and remained so until 1892.

Among the prisoners who languished in Wipers Tower,

awaiting punishment, were smugglers.

Smuggling in the area began in the 13th century,

when Edward I introduced a tax on wool exports.

This was a huge wool-producing area,

so he would tax wool and the money was used to raise his armies.

So, as soon as you put a tax on something,

somebody wants to avoid it, so they started to smuggle wool out.

In 1661, the export of wool was forbidden

and smuggling became rampant.

Wool would go out and luxuries would come in.

Smugglers became large, highly organised groups.

-What's this fascinating object?

-Well, that's very rare.

It's a smuggler's lantern,

and if you can imagine you had an oil lamp in that end

and this would be pointing out to sea,

and the only light could come out of here

to your ship that was coming across from France.

So if any Nosy Parker was down the shore from you...

They couldn't see anything at all.

If captured, smugglers could find themselves in Wipers Tower

awaiting trial or punishment by burning.

Men, women and children were imprisoned together.

So this is one of the cells?

Yes. It wouldn't have been very pleasant.

I'm sure there were quite a lot of creatures in the straw.

-Oh, don't!

-And several people, and also of course...one pot.

-Oh, for doing the business?

-Yes.

And how many people would have been in a cell like this?

-I would think probably maximum six or seven.

-Six or seven?!

Of course, no prison is complete

without its own infamous inmate story.

John Breads, he was a butcher,

and he'd been accused by the townsfolk

-of giving short measure in his meat.

-Oh!

So he went to court and was fined by the mayor.

He bore a grudge

and eventually decided he would get his own back.

He stabbed who he thought was the mayor,

-but it turned out to be the deputy mayor instead.

-Oh, no!

So he killed the wrong man.

He was arrested and brought in here.

He was tried, and who should be chairman of the bench

but the man who was the intended victim, James Lamb.

I think the cards were stacked against him somewhat.

So he was convicted and sentenced to death.

Once dead, his body was placed in a cage

and swung above the marshes for 70 years.

Women of Rye stole his bones, boiled them

and drank the infusion to aid rheumatism.

Yuck!

What's left of his skull still resides in Rye.

And with that happy tale told,

it's time for Will to take his leave.

The spending extravaganza is completed

and it's time for the grand unveiling.

-Ready?

-Yes.

-You're going to like these.

-Am I?

Oh!

Wait for it, wait for it!

Well, William!

Is that the first time you've been speechless?

I'm not speechless. I've got plenty to say.

Well, talk me through it.

Two Whitefriars vases - one with original paper label.

Yes, which is nice. Nice shape.

-They're good, aren't they?

-Very good.

And very nice.

They were £19.40.

-So you spent everything?

-I spent out again.

And the shells, I'm not terribly keen on.

-Bit of trench art.

-Well, they say trench art, but there we are.

And...?

-Two Whitefriars-type vases.

-Type?

Yes, I'm glad you added the word "type".

Lovely textured bark finish.

-Well, if you say so.

-How much do you think they were?

-No idea.

-£9.

-For the pair?

-Yes.

-Well, do you know, I think your best buy is this.

-Do you?

I think that's absolutely wonderful.

Not all doom and gloom, then.

-Now, do you want to see mine?

-Yes, I do.

I'm dying to see what you've bought.

-Look...

-I'm loving the dog.

Hey, look, you've done all right! And a bit of oriental as well.

Well, because I fell in love with it and I thought...

He's actually really nicely modelled.

-I think it's quite nice. And people love dogs.

-Yeah.

And the garden's coming up.

-So I thought that was OK.

-I like him.

-This is very you.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

Well, the dealer...got it wrong, I think,

because he said it was circa 1900,

and I think it's nearer 1840.

I think it's a bit earlier.

That's right. Staffordshire, hand-painted.

-Perfect condition.

-£10.

-Good work.

-It's all right.

These I like, because I thought, we're going near the coast.

Nicely painted.

With a little candle on those, they'd burn rather nicely.

Perfect. Good decorator's lot.

That's my other lot.

-The lamp in...?

-Yes.

I spotted that as we came in - I thought it was part of the decor!

Ah! Well, I'm tricky, you see. This is my fifth lot.

Because I thought it was so OTT.

-And it's nice quality.

-Well, I thought, you know,

this sort of stuff is coming back, this retro stuff.

-How much?

-25 quid.

-That's nothing.

-It's not, is it?

-It's nothing.

No, it is something - it's £25!

I don't know what's going to happen, Will.

We're at the mercy of the auction again.

I can't go worse than last time, can I?

Well, the only thing I'm bringing to the auction with me

is a packet of tissues.

It could all end in tears, but whose?

Well, this is all very civilised,

but now it's time to spill the beans.

I am a little worried, actually,

because when you look at my little selection,

it's all a bit tame, isn't it?

He's gone for it, you know.

He's gone out and bought things he likes.

He did go a bit quiet, didn't he, when I revealed my lots,

which might be a good thing.

Maybe got him running scared a bit.

I think my dog might surprise us.

The dog... I mean, that's a bit of a garden centre lot, really.

But did you see his face when he saw my lamp?

Surprised him with that!

The chaps are hungry for a fight,

and they're going to just the right place -

the auction is in Sandwich.

On the second leg of their road trip,

these two daredevils have done a round trip from Kent,

popping into East Sussex, then back to Kent,

starting in Bilsington, ending in Sandwich for the auction.

What a cat's cradle!

Sandwich, with its many medieval buildings,

landed the first captive elephant in 1255,

which was taken on foot to London Tower Zoo

as a gift from the French king to Henry VI.

-How's that, Will?

-Perfect, Mark.

Here we are - sunny Sandwich.

Sunny sandwich. Are you hungry?

I am a bit peckish, actually.

Oh, come on, chaps!

You're making a meal of that joke.

Pettmans Sandwich Auction has been established for over 50 years.

Originally selling cattle and furniture,

it now specialises in fine art, antiques and collector's items.

The man at the helm of today's auction is the lovely Kevin Hall.

Will seems to have done really well.

He's bought an Indian bone pen box,

which looks really nice, so that should do well.

Then we've got the gilt and onyx standard lamp,

and it's the sort of thing that'll either do really badly

or just take off.

Mark Stacey set out on this leg

with £117.50

and forked out £95

on six items for his five lots.

Our William Axon began this leg with a lowly £98.40,

but made every penny count on eight items

that comprise five lots.

Time for the gladiators of antiquity to enter the ring.

-It's a good crowd here.

-Yes, it is.

I like a general sale with plenty of people.

Absolutely.

Can Mark's folding shelves with marine scenes

make waves with today's crowd?

£10 I have. Any advance on 10? Looking for 12.

12. 14. 16. 18.

20. 22. 24. 26.

28. 30. 32.

32 with you.

Any advance on £32?

-It needs to be a bit more.

-Fresh bidder.

34 with you. Any advance on £34?

Selling for £34.

Oh, well, there's a profit, but not much.

Profit nonetheless.

But this is how their first auction started, so let's hope it picks up.

Now Mark with a couple of crackers.

His turquoise jug and the Imari bowl,

which he's combined as one lot.

-£10 I have. Any advance on 10?

-Oh, come on!

12. 14. 16. 18.

20. 22. 24.

26. 28. 30.

32. 34. 36.

38? 36 with you.

Any advance on £36, now?

Selling for £36.

Not the perfect pairing, but not a loss.

MARK SIGHS

Oh, well.

-I tried.

-I'm feeling for you, Mark.

Will's first lot. Hopefully, someone will shell out plenty

for this pair of trench art vases.

£10 I have. Any advance on 10?

Looking for 12. 14.

There's profit.

20? 18 at the back.

Any advance on 18? 20.

22. 24. 26.

28. 30.

28 with you.

-I would like to get 30.

-It's a profit, though.

Selling for £28.

-That's a good profit, Will.

-Thank you, Mark.

Well, those hit the spot!

And Will is off and running.

-I think that's good.

-Thank you.

I'm really pleased for you(!)

WILL CHUCKLES

Sincere as always, Mark.

Can Will's luck hold out

with his Chinese vase?

£40 I have.

Oh, he's got 40.

42. 44. 46.

48. 50. 55.

60. £60 with you.

Any advance on £60 now?

Selling for £60.

-50% profit.

-Yeah, good. Thank you.

Two lots each, and Will's in the lead.

Can Mark's '70s lamp

light up a profit for him?

£40 I have.

Oh, £40!

42. 44.

46. 48. 50.

Come on, Mark Stacey!

65. 70.

75?

70 with you. Any advance on £70?

Are you all done at £70? Selling at £70.

I can't believe it - £70!

He's cashing in on the kitsch.

Mark now takes the lead.

Oh!

I don't feel so bad now.

Let's hope that there are some fans of Whitefriars glass in the crowd.

First up are Will's genuine pair.

£10 I have. Any advance on 10? Looking for 12.

Are you all done at 10? 12.

14. 16?

£14 with you.

16. 18. 20.

22. 22?

20 with you. Any advance on £20 now?

Selling for £20.

60p?! It cost more in petrol to get them here.

Doesn't bode well for the other pair coming up later.

It's the reconstituted stone dog next.

Will it fetch Mark any cash?

£10 I have. Any advance on 10? Looking for 12.

-Are you all done at 10?

-Oh, no!

£12 with you. Any advance on £12?

Are you all done at £12?

Selling for £12.

Oh, that's so disappointing!

At least he's gone to a good home.

I can't say I'm surprised.

Still, Mark remains ahead.

My poor little dog! If I'd have known

-he was only going to make that, I would have kept him.

-Aw!

Will's Whitefriars-style vases are next.

Can they do better than the real McCoy?

-Bit of damage on one.

-Oh, there's a bit of damage?

-Shh!

£10 I have. Any advance on 10? Looking for 12.

12. 14. 16. 18.

20. 2. 24.

-24 with you.

-Doing well.

26. 28?

26 with you. Any advance on £26 now?

Selling for £26.

-I mean, that's good, Will.

-It's profit.

That's a big profit on £9.

Crikey! Even better than the real thing.

Will's catching up on Mark.

At this rate, by Friday, we might have all our money back.

This is his final lot -

the carved bone box. Can his good fortune continue?

£10 I have. Any advance on 10? Looking for 12.

12. 14. 16. 18.

20. 22. 24. 26.

28. 30. 32.

34. 36. 38.

38 with you. Any advance on £38 now?

Selling for... 40.

-42?

-Don't lose it now, madam!

44?

Selling for £42.

That's carved him another tiny profit

and put him back in the lead. But there's not much in it.

-You should be pleased with that.

-I'm very pleased today.

-You've more than doubled your money there.

-Yeah.

Could there be light at the end of the tunnel for Mark

with his Victorian chamber stick?

-Here we go.

-This is it.

-£50 I have. Any advance on 50?

-Oh!

Looking for 55.

-£50 I have.

-The master strikes again!

Selling for £50.

Oh, I'm happy with that, Will!

I tell you, Will, we're back up there.

I'm still chasing you!

I like that. I like it when you're chasing me.

BOTH CHORTLE

A tremendous tussle from the two titans of treasure

and another win for Mr Stacey.

-Thank you, Sandwich!

-Come on, then.

Will Axon leapt forth on this leg with £98.40 and spent the lot.

After auction costs, he made £45.92

and starts next time with £144.32.

Springing into shopping mode,

Mark spent £95 of his £117.50 starting budget,

and after costs, made £70.64,

giving him £188.14 to play with on the next leg.

Will, are you smiling?

Yeah, I think so, Mark, but you've done it again, mate.

That last lot of the day...

We crept up. I'm just under 200 now, Will.

I think I'm just under 150.

Listen, we're on a roll.

We can do this, you know. We can end the week where we started.

Come on! Brothers unite!

THEY LAUGH

Best foot forward, chaps.

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip...

new boy Will Axon has plenty to cheer...

I think we may have hit a minor jackpot here!

..Mark Stacey considers a new career...

I'm going to become a bin man.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd