Episode 22 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.

I'm on fire! Yes!

Sold. Going, going, gone.

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction,

-but it's no mean feat.

-Oh!

-50p!

-There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Come on, now.

So will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

-Ooh!

-Come on, I've got to go to another shop.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

On this road trip, we've been hitching a ride with a right couple of charmers,

antiques experts Mark Stacey and Catherine Southon,

as they travel round bonnie Scotland.

At the moment, I like this temperature, and Glasgow is lovely, isn't it?

I tell you, Glasgow is fabulous in the summer.

-And everyone's so happy.

-I know.

With over 25 years' experience in the antiques trade,

Mark Stacey's had a very long and successful career

-in the antiques business.

-It just goes on forever, doesn't it?

Catherine Southon has also been at the top of the antiques game

for many years, and has lost none of her enthusiasm.

I'm on fire! Yes! Woo-hoo!

Our pair began their journey with £200 each,

but Mark has already surged into the lead

as we head into the second leg.

Catherine scraped a profit and no more at the first auction,

giving her just £205 to spend today.

Mark, on the other hand, has made a strong start

so he has a luscious £273.50 to play with.

Mark and Catherine are taking to the road

in this lean, green driving machine, a 1968 MG Midget,

which so far has been less than reliable.

-Can you do me a favour?

-Yeah.

-Can you try and spend a bit more money this time?

-No.

I shall buy the things that I think there's a profit in.

Has anybody noticed that smoke coming out of the back? Oh, dear.

Our travelling antiquarians are cruising the length of Scotland.

They started in the Borders, visiting Glasgow, Dundee

Aberdeen and Elgin, before ending up at an auction

in the beautiful capital of Edinburgh.

On this leg, they'll start in dear old Glasgow town

and end their voyage of discovery at auction in Dundee,

clocking up nearly 100 miles along the way.

Ever the competitor, Catherine's decided to set a challenge

with Mark for the rest of the road trip.

-We have to buy, in every leg, a dog. A dog!

-A dog?

A dog of some description.

But when you mean dog, you mean something of the canine variety?

-I do.

-Not something that's just very bad?

-No.

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland,

and was once known as the second city of the British Empire.

Standing on the mighty River Clyde, Glasgow was famous

for its illustrious shipbuilding past, and nowadays is recognised

as one of the most popular shopping destinations in the country,

which sounds like good news for our pair of antiques shoppers.

Catherine's dropping Mark off in the city's West End,

to find out some more about a place

which captures the spirit of Scotland.

-See you later. Have fun!

-Thank you. I'm going to.

-Pipe a few notes for me.

-I'm going to pipe for Scotland.

I'm going to be brave.

-PUTS ON SCOTTISH ACCENT:

-Scotland, the brave!

-Oh...

-Whoops, try again, Catherine.

-SHE LAUGHS

We'll catch up with Mark later, but first Catherine's heading out of town,

a few miles west to the Renfrewshire village of Kilbarchan,

to visit Gardner's Antiques.

This is lovely. We've got a lovely copper bowl,

and these nice pierced handles with a sort of Celtic design on them.

This two-handled drinking cup is known in Scotland as a "quaich",

and is most commonly made from silver or pewter.

This brass design has a ticket price of £140,

which has given Catherine a bit of a dilemma.

I would be foolish to put all my eggs in one basket, wouldn't I?

MUSIC: "Auld Lang Syne"

Hmm.

Right.

Mark said I was a ditherer and I'm really living up to that today.

I am dithering with a capital D.

So Catherine's decided to move on empty-handed,

but she's making a call to Steve, at the auction house in Dundee,

to find out exactly what sort of things sell well.

Clever girl.

Right, so - small, manageable, decorative, pretty. Right.

Meanwhile, back in Glasgow, Mark's visiting the College of Piping.

Established in 1944,

it is the international centre of world piping,

with more than 65 years' experience

in teaching Scotland's national instrument.

There's an old saying that it takes seven years to make a piper,

so it's good to start early like these young apprentices.

Though the Great Highlands bagpipe is recognised

internationally as belonging to the Scots,

shepherds up to 3,000 years ago found their goatskin water-carriers

could provide an air flow into reed pipes

to create that distinctive bellow.

Former principal Dugald MacNeill is on hand to tell us more.

Well, these are quite early ones. That's just been a goat,

and they've killed the goat, scraped the hair off

and that's a fixed drone.

Now, the drone doesn't change with the music.

The chanter, the music that has different notes.

Essentially, this is tuned to be in tune

with the main theme of the chanter.

-And this bit is a...?

-This is an air reservoir.

And so he blows it up, fills it and then gets it going.

-Without the bag, you can't make a very loud instrument.

-Right.

-Because you're...

-You're trying to use your own lung capacity.

That's right.

The Highlanders did not invent the bagpipe,

but they did develop it in three specific ways.

Making it more powerful, more presentable

and, most significantly, adjusted it to suit their fondness for Pibroch,

a music genre associated with the Great Highland bagpipe.

So they were really the first professional musicians

playing a bagpipe.

And they developed both the bagpipe and the music they played,

and very effectively, and made it really a wonderful instrument,

such that now it's virtually the only bagpipe

-that's played all through the world.

-Yes.

-Dugald, can I set you a bit of a challenge?

-Yes.

Do you think you could possibly teach me how to get a note out of a bagpipe?

-I'm sure I can.

-Really?

-Yes, let's go.

-Have a try, shall we?

Oh, no. Is this really a good idea?

Think of the neighbours!

-What's the first step that I do?

-Well, the first step

-is to learn how to finger the chanter.

-Right.

-For this, we use a practice chanter.

-This is a practice chanter?

-Yes. So there's no bag or anything.

-I'm holding it the right way?

And there's a reed in here, and if you blow it you'll hear...

-So I just blow?

-Just blow.

Excellent, lift the pinkie.

Next one.

Now put the pinkie down when you lift that other one.

-Oh, wow.

-Play this.

Gosh, you need a lot of puff, don't you?

Oh, that's not much puff. Wait till you try the bagpipe.

Oh, come on, Mark. You're always so full of hot air.

Don't talk, just blow.

Keep...no, keep the pressure on. Don't take it off.

Blow your arm out.

Gosh.

Now increase the pressure of it.

Bit more.

That's not at all bad. You're not getting the chanter to go though.

-Now, well, give me a chance!

-It's a bit harder to get.

Oh, I'm sorry, Dugald, I'm out of puff.

-Thank you for a wonderful visit.

-Not at all.

-I'm going to hang onto this now, I think I need more practice.

-OK.

So while Mark tries to find his puff,

Catherine's made her way back to Glasgow.

Having talked to the auction house,

she now has a good understanding of what should sell well at auction.

Next stop is the Ruthven Mews Arcade,

home to a host of antiques shops where Derek's on hand to help.

-Can I go have a look?

-Of course, you may.

-I'm going to find some goodies,

-aren't I?

-I hope you do. Have a good look around.

-I want to find lots here today.

-OK.

Well, that is the aim, after all, Catherine.

Remember, it's small and manageable pieces you're after.

-Oh, isn't that lovely?

-See, you press that down.

It's Arts and Crafts, is it? And you pick that up and then...

And then it picks up the cigarette.

-I love that.

-It's good, it's quite quirky, isn't it?

-Isn't that lovely?

Catherine's found a pewter cigarette dispenser

featuring a Ruskin-style roundel.

This turn-of-the-century piece was popular when smoking was the height

of fashion, but these days it's valued more

for its decorative qualities.

Priced at £95, Catherine needs to make a call to its owner, Brian...

Well, I would say to you that I would go around the £40 mark.

..but Brian's a tough cookie and isn't going to let this go cheaply.

Could we come down to 50?

£70 and we'll have a deal?

-OK. All right. Thank you very much.

-Oh, Catherine, £70.

First item bought but not at the price you were hoping for.

Meanwhile, Mark's arrived at his first shop

and, not to be outdone, he's also phoning the auction house

to find out what he should be setting his sights on.

Oh, well, it's always nice to have Scottish and provincial silver, isn't it?

Oh, fantastic.

That's really helpful, Steven, actually. Thank you very much.

It's given me food for thought.

-But before he's in the door, he might have hit a problem.

-Oh, no.

I might be out of luck with my challenge.

Fear not, Mark's no sooner inside the shop

than he's found a rather kitsch Italian poodle.

-Oh, crikey. Really?

-I mean, how horribly revolting is that?

You said it.

HE LAUGHS

But I think, you see, with a challenge like this,

you've got to really go with the flow, haven't you?

You know, you can't always take it seriously.

I mean, have you ever seen such a...

wonderfully outrageous piece of pottery?

Made in Italy. Well, it would have to be, wouldn't it?

I just love that. I mean, look at the face.

But before he gets overexcited,

Mark's having a look at what else is on offer.

I love this sort of work.

This was made, probably, around about 1890-1910, that sort of period.

You see all these little dents in the back there? That's pokerwork.

They use a hot poker to make that pattern.

You've got a doe and a fawn. Aren't they wonderfully moving?

I mean, look at the eye. They're really quite sentimentally done.

Priced at £30, Mark's summoned John to do a deal at £20.

Seeing as you're not everybody.

-That's a yes?

-Yes.

-Oh, John, you're a star. Thank you so much.

-Can you put that on the table?

-I certainly will.

And I'll carry on looking.

A-ha. Mark's got that glint in his eye again,

for a pair of late 19th-century duck egg glaze vases, priced at £100.

If I was putting those into auction,

I'd certainly put 100, 150 on them.

On a good day, with the wind behind it,

they might make a bit more.

Now we're going to a saleroom that's telling me to buy mid-20th century modern,

collectables and provincial silver.

That fits perfectly into none of those categories.

But I still like them. I still like them a lot, actually.

True to form, he's throwing caution to the wind,

by following his instinct rather than the auctioneer's suggestions.

-He's a brave soul.

-I want to go with things that appeal to me.

Whatever the auctioneer says, I want to go with things - I'm really happy with these.

I'll tell you what I'll do. Rather than get my violin out,

-I'll give you them for £80.

-£80?

-Yes.

I'm going to throw caution to the wind.

If you will let me have the two vases, the plaque

and that charming, rare,

high-quality poodle-cum-stray for 100 quid, I'll take them.

-Certainly will do, yes.

-Are you sure?

-Positive.

-John, you're a star.

-Pleasure.

-Thank you so much, it's been a pleasure meeting you.

So quick as a flash, Mark has bought three items.

An Edwardian pokerwork shield for £20, the vases for £75

and the campest pottery poodle you ever laid eyes on for £5.

What can you say, eh?

Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear, Miss Southon.

Three items in my first shop. The pressure's off for me. I hope it is for you too. Honest.

Well, not quite. Catherine's still pondering away.

This time, over a glass hatpin jar with ivory top, priced at £30.

-It's a rather nice top on that.

-That's a lovely top on that.

There are lots of the glass about like this

-but they usually lose their top, or they get broken.

-They do.

-That's a really nice top, actually, on that.

-That's quite a nice top.

Ivory is not to everyone's taste, but this can still be traded

because it was made before 1947.

But once again, the item's owner is not in the shop,

so Catherine gives Bob a call to discuss a deal.

Thanks, Bob. Bye.

Aw, he's so nice.

She's managed to get it for half-price at £15.

-Lovely.

-That's fine, so it's 15, isn't it?

-Yep.

-That's fine. OK?

Catherine's finally getting into the swing of this buying lark.

So while she's on a roll, she heads along the lane to Relics,

where she's showing interest in Stephen's thermometer,

priced at £50.

I quite like your Black Forest bear. Is it Black Forest?

-It looks like it...

-It looks like it, yes

It's quite nice to have the thermometer on that.

A little bit different.

Black Forest is a term used to describe the elaborate wood-carvings

that were traditionally made in the Black Forest region of Bavaria in Germany.

However, research since has proved that the carvings were actually

done in Switzerland. Well, some of them.

-What do you think?

-35?

I'd give you 30.

-Just because it's you, I'll do it.

-Aw, is it just because...?

-It is.

-Aw, you're nice.

-Yes, I am.

-That is lovely.

Wow, what a busy day of shopping that's been.

Three items each. Well done, chaps.

Off you go.

It's time to get your heads down.

Nighty-night.

Morning, sunshine. We're on the road again

and all is sweetness and light.

Well, sort of.

-Oh, you are such an old moan-bag.

-I'm not a moan-bag!

-You are!

Oh, dear. They're at it again.

So far, Catherine has visited four shops and spent £115 on three pieces.

An Edwardian glass hatpin jar,

a Black Forest bear thermometer and a cigarette dispenser.

She has £90 still to part with.

Mark has also splashed the cash on his three pieces of bounty.

He bought an Edwardian pokerwork shield,

a pair of late 19th-century vases and a kitsch 1950s poodle for £100.

So he still has £173.50 to spend accordingly.

Mark and Catherine are leaving city life behind for a while,

and are heading north into Stirlingshire

to the town of Falkirk.

-Well, this is very big.

-Very grand. Very me. I will be so at home here.

-Really?

-It's wonderful.

-Just like your place, isn't it?

-Very much like my house.

It's lovely. Gosh, I'm rather envious of you.

Good, so you should be.

Mark's dropping Catherine off at Callendar House so she can learn

how to cook up a treat, Georgian style.

-Have a good day.

-Bye-bye, darling.

-Have fun.

-See ya!

-Bye.

Callendar House dates from the 14th century.

Though its present form, in the style of a French Renaissance

chateau, has only existed since the 19th century.

It houses what is believed to be one of the oldest working kitchens

in Scotland, dating back to 1825,

and is the centrepiece of a visit here.

Isabel is on hand to show Catherine round the magnificent

-Georgian cookhouse.

-Wow, the heat just...

-It just hits you, yeah.

This is beautiful.

The fire, at that time, was used purely for spit-roasting.

-It served no other purpose.

-So is this is the original...? This is the original fireplace?

Part of it has been restored but the bits above, that's original.

-Oh, is it?

-The canopy, the spit, the doors are original. Above, there.

So what was behind the doors?

Now it's a mechanical device called a smokejack that actually

turns the spit.

And that's positioned behind the black doors, at the top there.

Dating back to the 17th century, a smokejack is a fan

positioned in the narrowest point of the chimney, which would start

the spit turning as all the heat and smoke rushed up from the huge fire.

Like many homes of this size,

the kitchen would have been at the heart of it all,

with scullery maids as young as 13 providing lavish meals for the rich

copper merchant, William Forbes,

and his descendants who lived here for over 200 years.

I'm very intrigued to know what this is, because that's

-a beautiful shape, isn't it?

-Yep.

-That implement.

OK, this is called a bannocks spurtle.

-Bannocks...

-Spurtle.

-Spurtle.

-Best Scottish accent!

Bannocks spurtle. What's a bannocks spurtle?

-Basically, it's like a fish slice.

-Ah, OK.

It was used to turn bannocks and oatcakes.

Bannock - what's bannocks?

-A bannock's very much like an oatcake. It's made with oats.

-Oh.

And who would want their bannocks to burn?

Ha-ha.

And then, of course, we have our old recipe book here.

-Can I have a look?

-Yup.

-This is fabulous. So is this a recipe book

-from - is this a local one?

-It's local, yes.

-Isn't that lovely?

-Calves' feet jelly.

-Yeah.

-That sounds nice.

-That was a very popular recipe.

-I bet it was.

How wonderful. A jugged hare.

Lovely. Oh gosh, some of them.

But it's just - it's wonderful, great

-to have these authentic recipes, isn't it?

-It is, indeed.

To pot a cow's head.

Gosh, it makes your stomach go over, doesn't it? Just looking at these.

It's put me right off lunch.

SHE CHUCKLES

An interesting selection of recipes indeed,

and another of the delicacies eaten at that time was ice cream.

Catherine will be learning how to make a rather interesting version.

Ice cream was invented in China over 2,000 years ago,

but this rare luxury was first served in Britain in 1672

to King Charles II at Windsor Castle.

Thanks to stately homes like Callendar House,

where entertaining was the order of the day,

new ways of cooking spread quickly across the country.

-So what have we got here?

-Right, OK. First of all, we've got cream.

Very, very expensive. We've got a jug of cream

-and we have sugar.

-Right.

-Which, perhaps, you want to add to the cream. Lemon juice.

-Lovely.

Now the special ingredient that we have...Parmesan.

Oh, do you know what, I did smell something funny.

Parmesan? Oh, no. You can't do that.

-So add that to the mixture.

-Why would you put Parmesan in?

It's just a flavour that they had.

They had very diverse flavours of ice cream at that time.

Blimey, sounds very Heston Blumenthal.

So now we have to add the ice to the ice cream maker

-and then put the mixture into the middle of the canister.

-Right.

So here we've got our bowl of ice and we put salt in with the ice.

-Salt in it?

-Before the invention of the freezer,

ice cream had to be made by mixing ice and salt,

which reacted to drop the temperature of the container's contents.

At this time, ice from frozen winter lakes would have been

stored in buildings or underground chambers,

and would remain frozen for many months by being packed in straw.

The ice cream needs to be churned for several hours,

so Isabel has left Catherine to get on with it.

Et voila!

I was hoping we'd have a nice vanilla

or a nice chocolate or something.

Parmesan ice cream. I'm not even going to smell it.

-The texture...

-I'm just going to go in...

Oh!

Oh, crikey. I think it's safe to say Catherine won't be asking for a copy of that recipe.

It's been fascinating.

-It's been a pleasure.

-I've really, really enjoyed myself.

-Good.

-It's been brilliant.

So as Catherine recovers from that cheesy visit to Callendar House,

Mark has made his way 29 miles north

to the small town of Callander,

often referred to as the gateway to the Highlands.

It achieved prominence as the setting of the fictional

town of Tannochbrae, in the original TV series, Doctor Finlay's Casebook.

Do you remember that one?

Ooh, nice shorts, Mark.

You'll give old George Thomson at Lady Kentmore's Antiques

a run for his money in the style stakes.

-Hello.

-Hi, Mark.

-George.

-How are you doing?

-I'm very well.

-You're looking rather dapper.

-You look very summery.

And with the compliments out of the way, Mark gets down to

the serious business of finding his next lot.

There's a little bargain.

Pure Scottish silver brooch, £19.

-It's quite fun, isn't it, it's a little brooch.

-Silver.

-Yes.

Mm, sounds like a perfect piece for the auction, Mark. Or is it?

It's a shame it's not hallmarked in Scotland. It just says silver.

But it's got that lovely Celtic design, hasn't it?

It's a bargain at half the price.

Well, it would be a bargain at half the price, yes.

We haven't started yet, John.

With just £19 on the ticket, it sounds like Mark

really is after a bargain.

But he's still looking for one more lot.

And he may have found it with these early 20th-century vases marked at £49.

-George, I'd like to talk to you about these.

-Yup.

I mean, you call them single-stemmed vases and they are Eastern,

certainly, white metal.

It's quite nice to get a little pair.

Do you think they're Indian or Burmese or somewhere?

-Yeah, they come from...

-That part of the world.

Yeah, obviously, because they've got the Buddha figures around the top.

-They're just fun little bits.

-No, they are.

You see, I think they're quite nice.

Well, Mark, what price does your silver-tongue

suggest for the brooch and vases?

I, really, for a profit, I need to get them for about 30.

-I tell you what...

-Oh, no, don't.

..I'm thinking 35. Let's toss a coin. 30 or 35.

-Don't make my life any more...

-Be a gambling man.

-I can't.

-I hate gambling. Tails.

-Tails?

-Must be tails, please be tails.

-Heads. I told you, I never win.

-See? 35, deal done.

-I need to go home.

-Now smile.

That's how you do it, you know, Mark.

Yeah. I bet it was two heads on that.

Sour grapes then, Mark, eh? So having lost the toss, he's paid £25

for the vases and a tenner for the brooch, but considering he finished

shopping with over half his budget still warming his pockets,

I'd say he's not had a bad deal.

Meanwhile, having got over her ice cream nightmare,

Catherine's made the trip 22 miles north to Doune.

The town of Doune is dominated by the late 14th-century castle,

and was one of the settings for the 1975 film,

Monty Python And The Holy Grail.

Do you remember that one?

Searching for her Holy Grail of profit-making collectables,

Catherine is wasting no time

searching the cabinets of the Scottish Antiques and Art Centre.

Informed of her dog challenge, manager Anne

has kindly offered her a suggestion.

Well, that's nice, isn't it?

A little brass candle box.

It's quite cute. It's probably Edwardian.

Importantly, it has a little dog on it.

-And I think it's a little Scottie, isn't it?

-Yep.

Flanked by the thistles.

Just check that it has got some age to it. That it's not brand-new.

Smells like it has.

Huh! Catherine, always one to sniff out a bargain.

The ticket price is £24, but what would you like to pay for that?

You couldn't take that down to 20? That would be a nice round number.

-OK, I can do 20 on that one.

-OK.

-Yep.

Nice work on that, Catherine. That's your dog lot sorted.

Oh, God, this place goes on forever.

But with time running out, it looks like you'll be making do with four lots at auction.

I don't really like them but there's a pair of binoculars

there, in the original case, for 28 quid, which is very cheap.

But I think they'll make some money. That's the name of the game.

-Binoculars.

-Yep.

Does anyone get the feeling this is an impulse buy?

So, can we do those at 25?

I'll do that 25, yeah.

Are they...not damaged?

They're French.

They're French and they're in quite a nice skin case.

They're a little bit damaged, a little bit dropped.

So that's £25 for the binoculars and £20 for the Edwardian candle box with a Scottie dog motif.

Finally, Catherine is all done with her shopping.

Time to rejoin Mark.

Our experts now have to reveal all to each other.

Well, almost all.

Don't get excited about this, Catherine, please.

-Isn't it wonderful? Isn't it absolutely wonderful?

-I love that.

-Awww!

-It's Italian, 1950s.

-It's beautiful.

-I just thought, it is so hideously kitsch.

-Don't you think?

-I really love that.

Well, the dog's a hit.

A plaque. I love the... And I was hoping it wasn't too dear.

Oh!

-What is it, exactly?

-It's a plaque.

It's a pokerwork plaque for the wall.

-Oh, it's pokerwork.

-Yes.

-Oh, lovely.

-I mean, but look at the lovely dear

-and the oak leaves.

-That's quite nicely done, actually.

It's beautifully done, and I think it's Scottish Baronial.

Oh, are you?

-No, that's actually quite nice. How much did that cost you?

-£20.

-That wasn't too dear.

-The dog was quite expensive.

-Oh, go on. Fiver?

Catherine, don't. How did you know?

And then I've got two lovely vases. Gilt metal-mounted. The dragons.

-They were quite a lot.

-Were they?

-Mm.

-How much?

-75.

-Oh, were they?

Mm. A pair of little colonial silver stem vases there.

Probably Burmese rather than Indian.

-25.

-Really cheap.

OK, time now for Mark to pass judgment.

I'm not very happy with anything.

Oh, Catherine, why are you unhappy with these? I love this.

How clever of you.

-It's quite nice, isn't it?

-I love it.

To get a Scottie dog and the thistles...

-Someone helped me with that.

-Not about how crude it is, it is lovely.

It is quite crude, but we've got Burns's house on the front.

-I love that.

-That's quite nice.

-This is fabulous.

The Art Deco cigarette case.

-It's not Art Deco, it's Arts and Crafts.

-Oh, is it?

-Do you not like it?

-I do, but how much did you pay? 18 quid?

-No...

I paid 70. That's a lot of money, isn't it?

It's a fair whack, you know.

And you went for the soppy Black Forrest...

Yeah, it's quite nice to have the thermometer, though.

This. £30.

-French racing binoculars.

-How much did you pay?

-£25.

-Hmmm. It's on the money, really, isn't it?

-It is.

I don't think that's going to be first past the post.

Anyway... I think you have the edge. You're going to beat me.

-Well, I don't know.

-I love your dog. It's great fun.

But, listen, come on... We've risen to the challenge, haven't we?

Come on. Come and buy me a gin and tonic.

They might well act all nicey-nicey, but what do they really think?

The cigarette box isn't quite there for me.

It's a mass produced Arts and Crafts piece

rather than a typical Glasgow School piece.

I think she's paid all the money, really.

My big downfall, my big, big sorry mistake,

is the dispenser.

I should've stuck to my guns.

I didn't want to pay any more than £50 and I paid 70.

That's my mistake and that's going to let me down.

He's going to win this one.

Oh, dear. Catherine's not looking forward to it.

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

On the second leg of their road trip,

our duo have shot their way through Glasgow, Stirlingshire

and into Perthshire, starting in Glasgow

and ending the second leg of our road trip in Dundee for the auction.

Are you going to buy me a bit of cake later on?

-I knew you were going to say that! Dundee cake.

-A bit of Dundee cake.

Dundee is the fourth largest city in Scotland.

It lies on the north bank of the Firth of Tay,

which feeds into the North Sea.

Oh, here we are. Now, don't tell me I don't bring you to the best places.

I'm even less confident than I was ten minutes ago.

The auction venue today is Curr and Dewar,

who have been in business since 1862,

so they know their market.

Let's find out what today's auctioneer, Steven Dewar,

thinks of our experts' items.

An interesting mix today. I do quite like the pair of vases.

I think they're a lovely colour, nice glazing on them,

so hopefully they should do quite well.

The cigarette dispenser - that's a quirky, unusual item.

I quite like the roundel on the front.

Hopefully, if it is Rusk, then it should do quite well,

but we'll find out on the day.

Mark Stacey set out on this leg with £273.50,

and forked out just £135 of that on his five lots.

Catherine Southon began this leg with a less impressive £205 and

was a little more conservative this time, spending £160 on five lots.

It seems our experts are going into battle as the best of friends.

-We rub along nicely, don't we?

-We do.

Let's see if Mark's decorative Edwardian panel

rubs the buyers up the right way.

Good luck, Mark, cos this is a nice thing.

Come on.

Interesting lot. We'll say £20? £10 for it?

-Surely, folks? £5 only.

-Oh, come on.

-£5 is the wave. At £5 it is, now.

-This should do 40.

-£5. £8 anywhere? Surely now?

-Oh, come on.

-£8 it is. £8.

On commission at £8. Any advance?

-At £8, then, on commission here at

-£8... What can I say, Catherine?

On commission, thank you.

Looks like Catherine's at a loss for words.

It's a loss to start with, Mark, and will be worse after auction costs.

That was one of my best lots. It's not looking hopeful, is it?

No. It's not.

Sticking with the Edwardian era,

it's Catherine's monogrammed glass hatpin jar up next.

We'll say £15. £10? Ivory top, remember.

-£5 only for the hatpin case?

-What?

-For £5... £5 is there.

At £5. Lady in the middle. £8 anywhere? At £5...

£8 is the wave. 10, 12...

15... £15. Right in the centre.

At £15. Any advance? At £15, folks...

Hmm, Dundee is not in love with Edwardian pieces today.

You may have broken even, Catherine,

but that's a loss after commission, darling.

It's time for Mark's big purchase now -

a pair of late 19th-century vases with gilt dragon mounts.

Interest starts me off on these at £25.

At 25, now, for the pair of vases.

At 28. 30, sir?

30. 32...

Sorry, sir? 35? 35.

38?

It's against you... 40? 40.

42.

42, lady's bid. At £42.

-45, new bidder.

-Oh, new bidder.

It's against you, Mrs Gannon. 48, 50...

55, 60, 65, 70...

-There you go.

-At £70 in the middle.

Lady's bid. At £70, we're all done?

Another loss.

Oops! Another loss to add to Mark's woes.

That's it. I've got no hope, cos those were my two best lots up first.

Will Catherine's 1950s French racing binoculars and case

give her a run for her money?

-And they're off!

-20?

-£10, start me off?

-£10? Oh, come on.

£10 is bid. At £10, any advance?

12... 15... 18...

£18...

20, the lady. £20 now. Any advance?

-I spy with my little eye...

-Something beginning with L.

Loss.

Ouch!

Well, that was a non-runner,

and I'm afraid to say it's yet another loss.

Wow, this is heavy going,

but can Mark's silver stemmed vases lift the gloom?

They're small and silver, after all.

-Bonny pair of vases there...

-Bonny?

-£30?

Or £20... £10, start me off.

10 is bid. At £10 it is now. £10 seated.

Anybody else? At £10... 12 here.

15... 18... 18 on commission.

At £18 now. Any advance?

On the commission book at £18, are you bidding?

Oh, crikey! Nothing seems to be going right for our experts today.

Thing is, I know that they're small, but...

they were perfectly formed.

It's Catherine's brass candle box,

featuring Burns Cottage and a Scottie dog.

It's got plenty of Scottish appeal, so surely this will do well.

Nice little box there. Burns Cottage and Scottie dogs. £10 only.

10 is bid. 12, the lady. 15...

Surely not? £15 in the middle here.

At £15, seated. £18, new bidder.

-£18 seated at the back.

-Come on.

-£20 in the middle.

-One more? 22.

-Yes.

-Oh, profit.

-25.

Surely? 28, the hand.

-No... at 28, the hand there.

-Almost a profit.

-Any advance?

At 28, it's your very last chance. Lady's bid at 28.

Finally, a profit. And the marker is set for Mark in the doggy challenge.

-The first profit of the day.

-I know.

-That's a pedigree profit, as well.

-Oh. Oh!

The buyers liked the Scottie dog,

but what will they make of Mark's kitsch 1950s poodle?

Interest on commission this time, starts me off at £22.

Oh, well done.

At £22 for the poodle. 25, 28, 30...

I told you 30!

-35, 38...

-Oh, this is silly.

45, 48. £48 on commission.

£48 now, any advance?

It's barking mad, Catherine, it's a hideous, little...

He's not hideous.

-It's barking mad. It's a kitsch, little...

-£48?!

-£43 profit!

You look stunned by that, Mark, but that profit's put you in the lead.

-Well done.

-I'm quite amazed at that.

Well done. That is good.

He did look so cute with his little pink bow.

Now, there are obviously some dog lovers in the room,

but how will they react

to Catherine's Black Forest bear/thermometer combo?

For the bear, what will we say? £20?

10 only. 10 is bid, 12, sir, 15, 18, 20,

-£20 front and centre.

-Come on, more than that.

At £20. Any advance on 20?

22, new bidder.

No, standing at 22.

-Standing at 22. Any advance?

-Come on!

-Shall we just cry?

-That was the bare necessity, though, wasn't it?

You're just cheese today, aren't you?

I think you're gloating, Mark, and it's not pretty.

Tough luck, though, Catherine,

another deficit puts you back in the red.

Now it's Mark's last lot of the day,

his silver brooch with Celtic motif.

Start me off, what? £20? 10?

Can't tempt anybody, then? 10 is the wave.

Straight ahead of me there at £10,

take 12. At £10, the only bid.

Take 12 anywhere?

At £10, your last chance,

12, sir, 15, 18,

£18 to my left.

You are so jammy.

18 now, all done.

That's "Jam" with a capital J.

A late flurry gives you a respectable profit there, Mark.

You're not going to be bitter, are you?

I'm never bitter.

You're often twisted, though.

Now, Catherine regretted it, Mark disliked it,

what will the bidders think of her big purchase,

the Arts and Crafts cigarette dispenser?

Only a really decent profit will save Catherine,

but the way things are going,

does she really stand a chance of winning?

£30? 30 is bid.

Interesting lot, bid at £30.

At £30. All done, for 30.

2. 5, 8,

40, 2, 5, 8,

50, 5, 60,

5, 70, 5,

80, 5, 90, 5,

100, 10, 120,

130, 140, 150,

160, 160 is bid.

160 on my right.

That told you, didn't it?

Are you all done?

£160, are you all done?

-Well done.

-I actually can't believe that.

-£160!

-I thought it was stopping at £30.

-What did you...?

-What did you pay for it?

-I can... I don't...

Well, I never. You won't regret paying £70 now.

You've just made a whopping profit of £90, so bravo.

Anyway, Catherine, I really think you've taken this auction.

-On that note, I'm leaving.

-Come on!

Move!

Mark started this leg with £273.50, and after auction costs,

made a small loss of £2.16, leaving him with £271.34 to take forward.

Oh, do cheer up.

Catherine bounced back in style.

After kicking off this leg with just £205,

thanks to her cigarette dispenser,

she's made a very respectable £40.90 after auction costs,

and starts with a bumper £245.90,

making her today's winner.

Well, well, well.

That was such a surprise.

I suppose I ought to say, Catherine, and I mean it sincerely,

-congratulations.

-Thank you, Mark.

My, my, we've got a real contest now.

Wahey!

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip...

Mark's got time on his hands.

Not.

While Catherine's spooked by some incy wincy spiders.

-Oh, David, look at those cobwebs.

-I know.