Episode 13 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!

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!

The Garden of England awaits on the third leg of their Road Trip

for our antiques experts Mark Stacey and Will Axon.

There is some nice countryside around, isn't there?

Yes. Let me know when you find it!

Road Trip veteran and antiques expert Mark knows exactly how to uncover a bargain.

And he has a great moral fibre, to boot.

I promise not to nick anything!

Newmarket newbie Will, though,

has been suffering from a bit of cabinet fever so far

and needs to get his head back in the game.

It's bad. I need to focus.

Both Mark and Will started the week with £200

and despite making a profit at the last auction,

they still find themselves in the red.

Let's do the biz.

Mark's opening losses were nearly offset by his second-leg profit.

But he still only has £188.14 to start this leg.

A disastrous beginning to Will's Road Trip means he'll need to get in gear

to improve on his budget of £144.32.

With such a poor start to their Road Trip,

it seems ironic that they're sitting pretty in a classic Triumph!

And this 1963 TR4 is certainly attracting some admiring attention.

Wa-hey!

What-ho, boys!

"What-ho, boys"?!

WILL LAUGHS

Our travelling treasure-hunters

are cruising through a whopping five counties.

They started the week in Hastings, East Sussex,

and will circumnavigate the south-east,

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

On this leg, they'll start in the coastal town of Deal

and end up at an auction in Chiswick,

clocking up nearly 130 miles along the way.

Well, Mr Stacey, we have arrived.

Well driven, I have to say. Can I make that absolutely clear?

I've thrown off the mantle of driver error!

Long may it continue, in my opinion.

But please, please, Will, tell me - where are we?

Allow me! Once the busiest port in England,

Deal is now a quiet seaside resort town

though its maritime history pervades the quaint surroundings.

The coast of France is approximately 25 miles away and is visible on a clear day.

-Mark, you're on that way.

-Am I? Good luck. Happy hunting.

-Happy hunting, mate.

-Don't find too much!

-See you later!

Thankfully, Mark's found an antiques shop, run by Mick,

and he's hoping it's flush with bargains that get him back in the black.

-Hello.

-Hello, there.

-I'm Mark.

-Mick. How do you do?

-Nice to meet you, Mick.

The shop seems well stocked with items to catch Mark's eye,

and even has a canine security system,

attack dog Jasper.

The wagging tail's a bit of a giveaway, though!

Heading for auction in Chiswick, the boys need to tailor their buys

to the demands of that fussy London market.

You've got to look for those quirky items that just might appeal there.

Found something quirky, have you, Mark?

It's a pottery garden seat.

These were used in the Victorian period as conservatory seats.

They're often made of majolica.

This has got a nice high-fired blue glaze on it

with bubbles on the top where the glaze has blistered.

It's a lovely octagonal shape,

in a sort of Chinese style.

It's priced up at £55. It needs to be a lot less than that.

So I might have a word with Mick.

And right on cue...

Go on, then. Make me an offer.

What about 20 quid, Mick? Cash.

-25.

-Oh, come on. You know you want me to win. You want me to win.

-OK.

-Shall we shake hands at 20, then?

-Done.

Thanks a lot. I'm really pleased with that.

Well, it looks like there's a good deal to be had in Deal! Eh, Mark?

Meanwhile, Will's arrived at Inside-Out Antiques.

I wonder if he can make a quick deal, too.

-Hello, there.

-Hiya.

-Hi. You must be Vince.

-I am.

-I'm Will. How do you do?

-What's that, a skull?

-Yes.

Would have been the lid of something or other?

-A poison bottle?

-I would say more of a walking stick.

-Cane handle.

-Cane handle. Very interesting.

-That is quite interesting. Quite quirky.

I've got 60 on that.

Let's have a look in there. Why can't we get in there?

Well, it's bronze.

A sort of memento mori.

Maybe to perhaps just remind you of your own mortality,

every morning as you take your cane out of the cane stand.

Yeah. I'm asking 75 for it.

I thought it was 60 a minute ago!

So did I!

Play that back! I want proof!

-I've got 60 on that.

-'I thought so!'

Who said antiques was a fair game?

Yeah. Might be.

What sort of age do you think it's got? Early 20th, late 19th?

Always difficult to tell on that type of thing. Very difficult to tell, in fact.

Got a bit of wear on the... the "pateena" there. The patina.

Potato, "potahto". Either way, looks like he's holding on to that one.

That's got something about it. Where did that come from?

China, I'd say.

20th century. Looks like a bronze censer case, or incense burner, as it's better known.

What's the ticket price?

No price on it?

-No.

-It must be cheap.

55.

SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH

What if I came in, really cheeky, and said I could have them both for 50 quid?

I'd say, "Bloomin' cheek!"

Can't do it. Can't do it.

75, you've got a deal.

70 quid.

70 quid, Vince. Go on. Five quid luck money.

-Luck money?

-For me. 70 quid.

Yeah! You're a man! You're a man! Good work.

Crikey Moses! £70. That's nearly half your remaining budget, Will.

Although they do say, "Go big or go home."

-Whoa! What are you doing here?

-Hello, Mark.

This is a fortuitous meeting.

-Are you my lift?

-Yeah. Why, are we done here?

-I think so, don't you?

-Yeah. Have any luck?

-Shall we go to Margate?

-Yeah, come on, then!

With items in their bag already,

the chaps are making the short trip 16 miles up the Kent coast

to Margate.

For the last 250 years,

the town of Margate has been a leading seaside resort in the UK,

drawing Londoners to its beaches.

But it's the antiques that have drawn our Mark here,

starting with Paraphernalia.

I suppose it's meant to look like a fan.

Often fans are framed in frames like this.

The frame is later, I think.

But it suits it quite well. There's a little bit of damage on the frame.

So I think it's a 19th-century engraving of an 18th-century scene.

But I just think that's rather fun.

If it was - how shall I put it delicately? - cheap.

Well, it's one to bear in mind.

But owner Andrew has a jasperware flask

that's caught Mark's eye.

Gosh, that's rather fun, isn't it? It's a Wedgwood-type thing.

Yes, it is. And it's got a silver top.

It's rather sweet, isn't it?

Sweet, but not antique. '70s, I'd say.

So it's really like a model of an 18th-century one?

-That's correct, yes.

-They obviously did a little series here.

"Jasperware perfume bottle collection."

-It's a nice collector's piece.

-I rather like that, Andrew.

Oh, dear! I've just seen the price!

Really. Do tell.

I'm disappointed cos it's got two figures.

I'll put that over there. Can we?

The two figures being 2 and 5.

But knowing you, Mark, you can get that price down.

Now, can we do a really good deal on those?

Um... OK.

I don't like the sound of that.

There was a long pause and a very, very non-committal response.

What kind of deal?

Oh, I hate doing this, cos I don't like asking for anything off.

What?!

Cos I find it very hard to negotiate.

Oh, here we go!

Where do you need it to be?

I need it to be £20, really.

And then I would pay 15 for that.

-OK. Let's do that.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Happy with that?

-And I can come back and visit you again?

-You can any time, and I can eat tonight.

-We've got a deal. Thank you, Andrew.

-You're welcome.

Nice work. That's two items bought for just £35.

Take note, Will.

He's popped along the road to try and uncover the mystery

surrounding one of Margate's top tourist attractions,

where something quite extraordinary exists

two metres under a garden.

Will's meeting up with Sarah for the guided tour.

Thanks very much. I'm really looking forward to this visit.

I've read and seen a lot about The Grotto.

-Nothing quite prepares you for the actual thing, though.

-I can imagine.

The story goes that in 1835,

James Newlove lowered his young son Joshua into a hole in the ground

that had appeared during the digging of a duck pond.

Joshua emerged describing tunnels adorned with shells.

He had discovered the Shell Grotto.

However he came upon it, James Newlove could see the commercial benefit of his find.

The Grotto, with its 4.6 million shells, opened its doors to the public in 1838

and came as something of a surprise to the people of Margate.

How do you bring four-point-whatever million shells

to a small garden or a small point,

without anyone knowing or noticing or...?

That's... That's a difficult question.

I just don't know the answer to that.

Maybe it was built long enough before the 1830s

-for it just to have been forgotten.

-Forgotten in local folklore.

-Yeah.

Or maybe it was built in secret. But that's difficult to imagine.

In modern times, grottoes have served as chapels or shrines.

But at first glance, the design here only adds to the confusion,

with cockles, whelks, mussels and oysters

creating an array of patterns.

Since the first paying customers descended the chalk stairway,

debate has raged about its origins,

whether as an ancient temple or a meeting place for a secret sect.

There's one theory that the grotto was meant to represent a journey through life and death.

So you crawl down your chalk passage, that represents birth.

-Yes.

-This rotunda, this circus, we're in a circular passage here,

this has got lots of flowering forms,

a couple of phallic symbols over there.

The panel that I'm standing in front of is generally referred to as a womb.

I can see it now, yes!

And as you go further down, the bottom room becomes much more geometrical

with suns and stars and moons.

So the theory is that you travel through life and death to the afterlife.

But people who think this was some kind of garden fancy or folly

just see patterns.

And with nearly 180 years' worth of embellishment,

there seems little chance of discovering the truth behind its mysterious beginnings.

For what it's worth,

it might have been dug out for smugglers to hoard their secret stash of contraband,

a practice rife for centuries along the south coast.

But whatever its origins, it's certainly a magical, mysterious place.

With three purchases already in the old bag,

Mark's still scouring the shops at Margate before they close, looking for more bargains.

Hello, Mark. Pleased to meet you. I'm Ron Scott. How are you?

Well, I'm so underdressed!

Nice hat! It's late in the day and it seems Mark has got his work cut out for him

if he's going to get round this place!

-How long have we got?

-We should have been closed half an hour ago, but I'll stick with it for you.

I think I'll still be here on Series 12!

Crikey! You'd best get looking, quick smart!

Oh, gosh!

It never ends! Look!

It just carries on and carries on.

Do you know, I'm beginning to absolutely hate antiques!

Pull yourself together, man.

There must be one item in here!

Ooh, looks like he's found one.

The smallest thing, possibly. A silver-topped dressing table jar.

Now, this is broken.

Probably beyond repair. But it is silver-topped, actually.

And nicely, it still has its stopper in it, which is unusual.

That's only priced at 15 quid.

You must admit that is realistically priced.

It is realistically priced, Ron.

But it is broken!

-Let's be honest.

-If 12 quid's good for you, it's good for me.

-I think we're going to do that. Are you happy with that?

-I am. Good man.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Ron.

-Thank you very much, Mark.

Finally! Thank goodness for that!

Thanks very much, Mark. Let me get the door for you!

-Thank you, Ron. See you again.

-Bye! Thanks very much.

Oh, I need a lie-down!

A spectacular day of seaside spending is at an end.

Time to rest those purse strings.

Nighty-night!

Morning has broken, and the boys are back on the road.

Scream if you want to go faster, Mark!

So far, Will has only visited one shop

and already he's offloaded half of his budget,

spending £70 on two pieces.

I'm sure he'd have bought the grotto, too, if he could have.

He has £74.32 to part with...

..whereas Mark's collected four pieces of bounty.

With a thrifty bit of business,

he got it all for just £67.

So he still has £121.14 to spend accordingly.

The boys are heading across Kent to the outskirts of the town of Westerham,

where Mark is visiting a rather important house.

When he wasn't in residence at Number 10, Downing Street,

Chartwell House was the family home of arguably Britain's greatest prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill.

Even at the height of World War II,

this retreat was to be his sanctuary,

living here between 1924 and the end of his life.

That entranceway looks grand.

Bit of a pile, isn't it?

Have fun. Behave yourself!

-Wish me luck.

-Good luck.

-And I hope at the end of this, I'll go like that!

Victory! Take care, Mark.

V is also for View,

which Alice is providing Mark with, on their guided tour starting on the pink terrace.

-This is an amazing view, isn't it?

-It is.

It's one of the prime reasons that Churchill bought this property in the first place.

I can understand. It looks out forever.

What are we looking at here?

We're looking over The Weald of Kent,

and it's a view that Churchill once remarked was worth fighting for, and I agree.

It represents England, doesn't it?

It really does. And we are in the Garden of England.

Inside, the rooms remain much as they were when he lived here,

the pictures, books and personal mementos

evoking the career and wide-ranging interests of a great statesman, writer and painter.

An accomplished artist, part of the house was set aside for his passion,

a creativity that yielded more than 500 pictures.

Mark's attention has been drawn to a portrait of the great man,

which hangs in Lady Churchill's sitting room.

That's by Oswald Birley. He's wearing his iconic siren suit that he's very well known for.

What I like about the portrait is that if you didn't know who it was,

which is impossible of course, but if you didn't,

that would just be a kindly grandfather, wouldn't it?

Don't you think? The eyes are so warm.

They are. It's a very nice portrait.

-It's one of the family's favourite of him, summing him up.

-It's lovely.

Churchill was also well known for his writing,

and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953.

Welcome to Sir Winston's study.

This is really the beating heart of the house.

This is where he would have written most of his works,

History of the Second World War, History of Marlborough,

and it was also a room that had to be quiet for him,

so children not allowed in here.

-If he was working, even Lady Churchill would slip notes under the door.

-Really?

And this is the desk he used? As you said, nothing has changed.

No. He would read at the desk

and perhaps open his correspondence,

-but he used to like working standing up.

-Really?

That's quite odd, isn't it?

Most writers, I would have thought, would prefer to be sitting down,

in these days of the laptop. Why did he like standing up?

He was a very natural orator,

and I think to really get into your stride, you have to be standing up.

The writing flows from that, I suppose, if you're standing up.

It's a wonderful room.

Alice, thank you so much for just a little glimpse of Chartwell.

-A pleasure.

-I hope some day I can come back and have a proper look round. Thank you.

We leave one great British hero

to join Will, another, who has made the short journey from Westerham to Brasted,

where he's checking out the wares at Courtyard Antiques.

That's quite interesting.

Stoneware. Blue and white. Obviously got a bit of age to it.

Probably mid-19th century.

Nicely decorated, and I love this sort of deep blue

contrasting with the lighter blue.

It gives a bit of depth to it.

You've got this almost stylised chinoiserie decoration,

and these have a slightly European slant on them, the flowers.

But it's sweet. Nice-shaped border.

And it looks in pretty... pretty good condition.

That's quite interesting.

It's obviously had a price on it.

He hasn't been able to sell it, so he's reduced it to 45,

which is kind of within my budget.

Well, only just.

Let's see what owner Barry has to say.

What really interested me was the fact that it looks like it's had a price on,

-it's been unsold.

-Yeah.

He's reduced it. It's still unsold.

So I was going to ask if I could make an offer for that of £20.

-I think I've got to make a phone call.

-That's fine.

Looks like Will's decided to have a one-to-one with the seller himself.

I was wondering if I might be able to take a punt on it as such

at sort of £20.

That's really kind of you. Thanks very much. I'll pass you back to Barry to say goodbye.

Cheers. Thank you. Bye!

Result!

Hello, Chris? Is that all right?

I wish I'd known you were that accommodating!

I'd have bought it myself a long time ago!

That man is making a move now! Too late, Barry, I'm having it! Thank you!

Well, I never! I'd pay up quick, if I were you!

Uh-oh. Something tells me he's not finished yet.

Elaine's the lady to talk to.

I've been looking at your canes. Some very nice ones there.

But yesterday, I bought a cane handle but without a cane.

You wouldn't happen to have in your workshop or knocking around anywhere

a cane without a handle?

-Actually, I do have an ebony one.

-Really?

-Any chance I could have a look at that?

-Actually, yes.

Elaine's gone off for a rummage.

But where's Will going?

Now what's he up to?

Come on, mate.

This is interesting.

Do you know what? I've got a good feeling about this.

-He seems to fit on there pretty well.

-Very nice. Yes.

What sort of money are you asking on the cane?

25.

£18.

-Then at least you know it's gone to...

-20.

20...

You shook my hand before I could even think about it.

Elaine, I'm not going to quibble over a couple of quid with you.

I think £20 is a fair price,

because together, they stand a chance.

Do you know, Will, I think you might be right.

And while you were attempting to blow your entire budget,

Mark's travelled the seven-mile journey ahead to Otford.

Located on the River Darent,

it was voted Village of the Year in 2006

and the sort of place where you can find a bargain on the street.

Otford Antiques.

These are quite funky.

As soon as you see this type of shape,

you're imagining the 1960s, '70s.

It's got that sort of '70s look about it.

When we look underneath,

yes, we've got a maker's name here.

"Uldum Mobelfabrik. Made in Denmark."

A lot of the value in this type of retro vintage furniture

is who the designer is.

If it's a really good designer,

then they can be worth quite a lot of money.

If it's just run-of-the-mill mass-produced, not so good.

If you're going to do these things, you've got to go on your own gut feeling.

But we'll go in and find out and see whether we can pick up four chairs.

-They belong to this place, do they?

-Yes, they belong to Jackie here.

-They're mine.

-Oh, Jackie is my favourite girl's name!

Oh, he's a smooth operator.

Jackie, how much do you really want for them?

-60 would be the price.

-If I could get them for about 50 quid...

-Can't do 60?

-I'd love them for 50, honestly.

That look tells me Elaine has an opinion on this, too.

If you add another £10 onto that, you can have them. That gives Jackie a little profit

and gives you a good chance of a profit as well.

-Ooh. We've got a businesslady here!

-It's like the Mafia!

We've got a "Donness", here, not a Don!

I can't believe this!

-I'm being... I'm... I'm...

-She's my friend!

I'm being mugged! What's the number for Crimewatch... Crime Fighters?

-Could we split in the middle?

-Tell you what... Yes.

So we'll say 55.

-Would you be happy at 55? Promise me, Jackie?

-Yes, fine.

-Cos I don't want to go away if you don't say...

-It's fine.

If you then say, "That horrible Mark Stacey was over"...

-If you do think I'm horrible, I'm James Lewis!

-I won't talk about you.

Or somebody like that!

Thank you very much. We'll call that a deal, but I'm going to keep on looking, if that's all right.

Look out! The opposition has arrived,

but with £34.32 left in his pocket,

he'll have to dig deep to find a bargain here.

Will's heading upstairs to see what Mark has overlooked.

What's this buried?

That's quite nice, you know.

Buried under the books, for good reason, is a book slide.

Hello.

I think we may have hit a minor jackpot here.

Make sure Mark's not around.

Look at this. This is a book slide, yeah?

Blimey, he's excited.

It's obvious what it does. You put your books, it can go left or right.

But what has got me quite excited about this,

it's cracking quality.

It's actually in coromandel wood,

which is a family of the rosewood.

It's similar to my cane, actually.

And this I have not seen very often.

It has got a cracking little label,

"Farthing & Thornhill, Makers. Cornhill", in London.

To put a maker's mark on a book slide,

you know this has got to be super quality.

And do you know the best bit?

It's 28 quid!

Whoo! And look at the dust!

It's been there for months, years, perhaps.

I'll tell you, it just goes to show.

Just dive in and have a look.

I couldn't see it because of the books,

but a little bit of effort, a little bit of searching,

and that, my friends, I think is a super little lot.

I'm not even going to guesstimate what it could make at auction,

but I've seen them make a lot more than £28 and they're nowhere near as good as this.

So, I don't think that's even a maybe. That's a definite.

Now, what's this Mark's got his eye on?

Looks like Denby pottery.

Denby's striking designs graced the 1970s with flair.

Although typically painted in browns and oranges, the bulb pattern is somewhat unusual.

Do you know, I'm rather taken with this vase.

But I don't know why, really...

..because I don't know anything about it.

And it's a heck of a lump, really, for... It's got £28 on it at the moment.

It goes... CLANGING

Careful!

Who did that?

It goes quite nicely with the chairs.

Yes, put it down!

It's time to do battle with our Jackie again. Stand by!

-Hello, Jackie. I don't know what it is, but I'm in a '70s mood today.

-Good! Retro.

I'm looking back. Looking back, you know.

-Of course, I wasn't around in the

-'70s(!) Of course not!

-What about 15?

-No, can't do 15.

-You're adamant!

-It's far too cheap.

-Adamant.

-Yes.

-What about 14?

-No. 18?

We're very close.

-We want to do a deal on this, don't we?

-We do.

How much did we say? 16?

No. 17.

-Are you going to be determined on 17?

-Mm.

-Really?

-Yes.

-It's a good price.

-Go on, then. 17. Thanks, Jackie.

£17.

If I can't make a profit on that...

..I'm going to become a bin man!

Oh, you do talk a lot of tosh!

But whilst Mark's tipping over the edge,

Will's on the slide.

-I found a little book slide upstairs.

-OK.

Buried under... Now,

28 that's got on it.

What's the absolute death on this?

A sliding book... We've got 28.

-20 quid?

-20? ..Yes.

OK. So that's a deal. That's a deal, £20.

He's still not finished, yet, don't you know?

Chinese rice paper paintings.

They're usually for export, and they show traditional Chinese customs,

traditional Chinese costumes,

and the really sought-after ones traditional Chinese tortures and crime punishment.

There's no...

no price on it...

..which might be a good thing.

That's worth an ask. I'm going to go and say, "Can that be 15 quid?"

I reckon that's worth a go.

Hey, Will! You do know you only have £14.32 left, don't you?

Beryl's calling the painting's owner, so fingers crossed.

OK. Thank you. Bye.

-All done. 14.

-Ooh, thank you very much!

-What did he say the price was on it, ten?

-15.

Was it?

Well, it's better to be lucky than good.

Will's finished shopping, with a whole 32p warming his pocket,

which wouldn't even buy a drink, but nevertheless, the boys have gone to the pub to reveal their lots.

-Shall I show you?

-Yeah.

Ta-da!

Ooh.

It's quite odd, isn't it? It's an odd selection.

It's an eclectic mix, Mark!

-I know. I think this is amazing.

-Let's have a look.

It's an engraving.

But it's actually framed as a fan and printed as a fan.

I like the frame as well.

-How much was that?

-20.

-Not a lot, is it?

-I thought it was quite sweet.

From the sweet to the swirly.

-You've gone a bit retro today.

-I love this. Don't you?

Denby Ware. Have you ever seen it?

-Not in that pattern.

-I love it.

And this was only 17 quid.

-That's not a lot, is it?

-It's not a lot of money, really.

-And Denby's on the way up, isn't it?

-It is.

I think it's quite collectable.

And these are Danish, with the maker's name underneath.

-It's a set of four.

-So two more. I could see those retailing for 80 quid.

If they retail for 80 quid, I'm going to lose money.

-How much did you pay?

-55.

You could make a small profit!

I've shown you mine. Now show me yours.

No funny faces to camera!

-You little fibber! You're jumping around inside!

-No, I'm not!

I'm just looking. Oh, this is nice.

-That is an absolute belter.

-That's lovely, isn't it?

Coromandel.

Oh, that's lovely, actually.

It's just the sort of thing I like.

-I mean, it was cheap, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

-It had 28 quid on the ticket.

-No money at all.

-I got it for £20.

-Oh, that's nothing.

There's got to be a profit in that.

-Got to be. A little Chinese rice paper painting.

-That's pretty.

-Sweet, isn't it?

-Of a little junk.

-You'd estimate that 20 to 30 quid whatever, wouldn't you?

-Would you?

-I would.

-I don't think you would. It would be a job lot.

-For crying out loud!

-These are very collectable if you have a set of them.

-Yes.

-A single one on its own is, I think, difficult to sell.

-We shall see.

A Chinese...

Oh, you and your Chinese! You're desperate to find something that will make a lot of money!

-I just like it!

-You are, Will!

-I just like it!

-Put it away.

-Thank you. That wasn't a lot of money.

-Jolly good.

Now, this...

-In one shop I bought the bronze head.

-Yes.

-Da-da-da!

-Oh, you've glued it?

-No!

-Is this allowed in the rules?

And in the other shop, the lady had a cane with no head.

Here's one I made earlier!

I stuck it together with double-sided sticky tape!

-But you don't think it's modern?

-Look at that.

-I do.

# There may be trouble ahead... #

It's like Fred and Ginger, isn't it?

So the total price of this?

55.

-It's a specky little lot. Someone might give me 60...

-"Specky little lot"?

-Ooh, gosh.

-It's the technical term.

-This time next year, we'll be millionaires!

We'll be millionaires, Mark!

-Listen, well done.

-Good work, mate.

I've enjoyed it again and I look forward to the auction.

-I'm looking forward to it. Thanks.

-Good work.

Listen, we're fun, and we're still friends.

They might well say that, but what do they really think?

Looking at the table on the reveal,

I was kind of more happy with my items than his.

The walking stick is genius. Absolute genius.

To marry a 19th-century cane

with what I think is a very modern cast skull is genius!

I'm fairly confident that this auction will be mine!

It's time to get back on the road and head to the den of antiquity, Chiswick Auctions.

On the third leg of their Road Trip, our doughty dealers

have crossed the breadth of Kent and into London,

starting in Deal and ending in Chiswick for the auction.

But the main thing is we are having fun.

We are having fun, and we're round and round the round-around!

I know. Or even the roundabout!

Around about the roundabout!

Don't worry, guys. I'll do the talking!

Chiswick, a well-to-do suburb of west London

and the birthplace of Dame Helen Mirren,

provides the end to the third leg of our Road Trip.

-This is it.

-Here we are, Mark.

Let's rock this saleroom!

Rock something, anyway! Come on.

Chiswick Auctions have been in business for only 15 years,

but have gained an excellent reputation,

and are frequently featured on TV.

They specialise in fine art, antiques and collectables.

The man at the helm of today's auction with his gavel at the ready is William Rouse.

We've got a set of four rosewood dining chairs

which is just the thing that's in vogue at the moment.

People like retro items.

There's also a very nice coromandel book slide.

It isn't always necessarily the most commercial of items in terms of practicality,

but it's a really nice-quality thing.

And quality tends to sell.

Quite right.

Mark Stacey set out on this leg with £188.14

and forked out 139 smackers on six items for his five lots.

Will Axon began this leg with a lowly £144.32

and once again spent all but a few pennies also on six items that comprise five lots.

-Are you fluttering?

-No.

-No?

-Confident.

Really?

Right, chaps, let battle commence.

First up is Will's chinoiserie platter, circa 1840.

I've got interest on this on the book,

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know. And I'm straight in at £15.

-Oh, well, that's good.

-£15.

18. 20. 22. 25.

25 is bid. 28 I'll take.

28. 30. 32.

In the doorway, then, at £32.

£32. Are you all done and finished at £32?

32.

Well done. I'm surprised at that.

A steady £12 profit for Will's platter. Good start.

It's Mark's garden seat next,

with pierced decoration.

-Interest in this on the book. I'm straight in at £35.

-That's good.

35. 40. 45.

45 is bid, then. At £45.

Anybody else, then? At £45 I'm going to sell it. 45.

A healthy £25 profit for Mark. This is going rather well!

45. I thought it might be more. They'd just started to bid then.

Then they realised what they were doing!

Now, now, boys!

It's time for Will's bronze censer case.

What's it worth? Start me. £30 for this lot.

-Speculative lot. I'm bid 30.

-This is worth 30.

35. 38. 40.

42. 45. 48.

50. £50.

£50 in the middle of the room. At 50.

Anybody else? All done and finished at £50. I'm going to sell.

At 50 it goes.

-You were lucky with that one.

-I was not!

I'm not sure about luck,

but I do know it's another profit for Will.

Told you we'd have a good day!

Cheer up, Mark. It's your fan-shaped engraving next.

What's it worth? Start me at £30.

£20, the lot to go for £20, surely?

For this framed fan, anybody?

-Oh, dear. £10 start me.

-Oh, no!

-Start me at ten here.

12. 14. 16.

18. 20. 22.

-£22 in front of me. Anybody else at £22?

-It's another shame.

25 there. 28. 30.

32. 35. 38.

40. 42. 45.

45 there. Away there at 45. Bit more respectable. £45.

-That was close!

-I hope you brought a change of trousers!

Fear not, Mark. You're on a roll.

Another £25 profit.

I thought that was going to struggle.

-You hoped it was going to struggle!

-I did not!

-Of course not, Will(!)

-45...

-Let the viewers make up their own mind.

That's you told, Will.

Handbags at the ready,

let's see if the auction room gets as excited about the book slide

as you did, Will.

Nice-quality object.

And I'm straight in at £60.

£60 I'm bid. 65. 70.

75. 80 is my last. 85 in the room.

-That's very good.

-Need someone to go with him, now.

At £85 in the room. Anybody else want to come in?

I can sell the lot. 85 it goes, then.

I think that's a jolly good price.

Well, how sporting of you, Mark.

A cracking result for Will there.

Do I smell a profit here?

It's Mark's scent flask and dressing table jar.

Must be worth £30. £15 each for them.

-30 I'm bid. 32.

-That's good.

-32 I'm bid.

At £32. Come along.

£32 is all I'm bid.

Seems so cheap. Can't believe it.

35. Thank you.

35 there. In the middle of the room.

38. It's amazing where they come from.

40. 42.

£42. Here we are.

At £42. Are you all done and finished?

£42.

I was very lucky with that one.

A £15 profit, Mark. But you'll need to do better to win this auction.

Eyes up. It's Will's pith painting next.

Somebody likes it. I've got a start-off bid of £30 with me.

-That's all right.

-I'm pleased with that.

-32 I'll take in the room.

It's with me, then, on a commission bid of 30.

Anybody else want to come in against commission?

With me, then, at £30. I'm going to sell it at 30. Sold.

A commission bid is a bid left by someone

who can't be at the auction.

How will the Chiswick bidders react to Mark's big purchase,

the Danish dining chairs?

Somebody offer me £20 to start me.

£20 for the four chairs.

That's absolutely... £10, then?

Uh-oh!

Bruno can't resist a bargain.

12. OK. Suddenly things are beginning to move.

Someone's had a go...

Too much. Dear, oh, dear. £12.

£14 in the blue.

16. £16 standing, then.

At £16. Oh, dear!

£16. I'm going to sell them.

Oh, dear, indeed. The dining chairs were a sitting duck.

That's a loss of £39.

Mark, you were unlucky with them.

Well, that's the way it goes. It's life.

Now, how will the bidding go on Will's last lot of the day,

his cleverly amalgamated skull and cane?

-This is a nice bit of fun.

-Yes, it is!

Somebody likes it. I'm straight in at £40. With me at £40.

I've got bids everywhere.

Leaping to bid on it. 45.

-50.

-They all want it.

-55. 60.

65. 70.

75. 80.

85. 90.

95. 100.

-110. 120.

-This is ridiculous!

-130.

-140.

-Go on!

-150.

160. 170. 180.

-190.

-Oh, it's a good thing, Mark.

-It's not a good thing!

-£200 there.

Thanks for the bid. At £200. Anybody else want to come in?

Unusual lot. £200. I'm going to sell it.

Ooh!

Now I know what it feels like!

I think it's brilliant, Will.

Say it like you mean it, Mark!

A stonking profit for Will. Bravo!

It's Mark's last chance to catch up.

But his Denby pottery vase will have to go some

for him to stand a chance of victory at today's auction.

-There we go. £20 for this. The Denby vase for 20.

-Come on!

20 I'm bid here.

22. 25. 28. 30 in front of me here.

At £30. Still at 30.

-It's a profit at least.

-£30. I'm going to sell it for 30.

Well, it's a profit, Will.

Little consolation there for Mark.

After auction costs, that's a small profit

and nowhere near enough to win today

as Will takes the spoils.

It's been a tremendous auction for our new boy of knick-knacks

against the Titan of treasure.

So, the tables have turned.

Mark started this leg with £188.14

and after costs made a disappointing £6.96 profit,

giving him £195.10 to play with on the next leg.

Will Axon, though, went forth and multiplied.

He kicked off this leg with £144.32

and after auction costs made a whopping £181.54

and starts next time with a bumper £325.86.

Well done!

What a contrast, William.

My first taste of victory, Mark!

It was quite a taste of victory as well, you know.

-But it's raining. Shall we go?

-Get in the car.

So, we've got a real contest now.

In your own time, Will!

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip...

..Mark Stacey can't refuse an "amuse-bouche".

Ooh, lovely! I'll come back here again!

Whilst Will Axon's just easily amused!

COW MOOS

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd