Episode 29 Antiques Road Trip

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.

50p!

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Be a good profit.

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

Yes!

This is the...

Yeah!

It's the fourth leg of the Road Trip for James Braxton

and fledgling Roadtripper Helen Hall. Nice hair.

-Lovely, sunny day.

-It is glorious, isn't it?

There's not been a single day where we've had to have the roof up,

-actually, has there?

-It's been so good.

Rock 'n' roll memorabilia expert Helen

has been making quite a noise on this trip.

Nice.

And James has been trying to spend as little as possible.

You said about 20 on that...

-I thought I said 30, actually.

-Did you say 30?

-I did.

They're cruising the countryside in the 1974 E-Type Jaguar.

So are you going to change anything about your approach this time?

I mean, I didn't make a healthy profit last time,

but I didn't make a loss, so...

Oh, yeah, come on, remind me of that big profit.

-£1.30, wahoo!

-Wahey!

That is a triumph.

It is.

In fact, Helen's been triumphant on two of the last three auctions.

All done at £50.

Well done.

But, thanks to the few shrewd buys, James is marginally ahead.

At home for £90.

You see, you can't keep a good man down, Helen.

James started the trip with £200

and, after the three auctions,

has seen his money wilt to just £194.68.

Helen started her Road Trip with the same amount,

but she too has watched her cash shrivel to £185.30,

meaning there's just £9.38 between them.

I'm just going to stick with what I'm doing.

I don't know what that is, but I'm going to stick with it.

You tell him, Helen.

Our friendly rivals are on a journey of over 500 miles

from Oswestry in Shropshire, through Wales and southern England,

before ending their Road Trip

in the county town of Lewes in East Sussex.

On this fourth leg of the Road Trip,

they begin in Wallingford in Oxfordshire,

before heading to auction in Wokingham in Berkshire.

There used to be a castle here that was built by William the Conqueror,

and was used as a royal residence

until it was destroyed following the Civil War.

Whilst the castle may be gone,

our duo will hope that the bargains are not.

-Here we are.

-Looks very good, doesn't it?

That's lovely - lovely building.

They're starting the new day shopping in the same place,

the Lamb Arcade Antiques Centre.

This looks very good, doesn't it?

-Yeah, I think we can find some things in here.

-Silver.

You stay down here, I'm going to go upstairs.

The place has goods from over 40 dealers for our pair to choose from.

So they should be spoiled for choice.

So, I made a £1.30 profit last time.

Megabucks. Mega!

Look, a modest profit, but a profit no less.

But James is determined to stay in front.

Sorry, you find me in sunglasses because I've been weepy.

Helen is really closing the gap

and if I don't pull something out of the bag, she's definitely going

to leapfrog me and Mrs Rock And Pop is going to take the day.

Sounds like he's feeling the pressure.

I wonder if he can find anything in this section, run by dealer David.

Can I have a rootle through here?

I think most of those are ladies', though.

There's no such thing these days, David, we're all metrosexual.

Oh, yeah, all right then. I'll take your word for it.

What are you going on about, James?

You've got some nice things in here.

It's a pencil, so it would have been held possibly on a fob,

a racing pencil, it might have been held on a chain here.

Sterling silver, "925," so 925 parts silver.

"M & Co." Now "M" might stand for Mordan & Company.

So the silversmith - Sampson Mordan.

It doesn't look much like a pencil,

because the part used for writing is missing.

The real value is in the silver. And the maker.

It's just an interesting thing, and produced in enormous quantity.

Luxury goods makers, late Victorian period, Edwardian period.

Lots of money around,

lots of luxury goods makers providing the wealthy with presents.

And it survived, you know, that's over 100 years old.

It's been bashed around, used again.

Essentially, the action's there. It just needs a clever fellow

just to reintroduce the pencil, and it'll be back in service.

Sounds like he quite likes that.

18, you chancer, eh?

See, smiling, you know it.

Could you do something like 10 or 12 on that?

-I think I could do 10 on it.

-10?

-Yeah.

-10, you've got yourself a deal, mate.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much indeed, David.

It's a confident opening buy for James.

I wonder if Helen's ready to buy something downstairs?

Look at this. What a great colour!

Very in vogue, this season, yellow, isn't it?

And they're asparagus plates.

So I guess the jug is for the butter.

Well, that's what I have with... Or hollandaise maybe?

So there's your asparagus plate,

put the sauce into the little dish there. They're lovely, I like those.

Age-wise, they're probably '50s or '60s, probably '50s.

Something like that. But I like those a lot. Only cos I like asparagus.

There are eight pieces in this Sarreguemines asparagus set,

but is it worth the £58 ticket price?

How many asparagus eaters will we have at auction? I don't know.

That sounds like quite a...niche market, Helen.

Are you sure about this?

I'll have a think about that one.

One to consider, maybe.

It seems Helen also has her eye on a piece of silver

in one of the cabinets.

Little silver matchbook holder and, you know,

the style of it is very Art Deco,

and I like that style, so that's why it appealed to me.

It looks like Continental silver and is priced at £58,

but with just a few pounds between her and James,

Helen will want a even better price from dealer Siobhan.

I mean, I'd like to start at an offer of 25.

-No. That's too low. Can't do that. Can't do that at all. I wish.

-OK.

-30?

-I can do 35.

35...

How about 32?

-I'll do 33.

-33.

OK, I'll think about that one then at 33.

I guess a pound could make all the difference at auction.

There was something else in your shop, though, that I really liked.

-The asparagus set.

-Oh, it's lovely.

I'd like to go in at what I went in on that, as well, at 25!

-But...

-Yeah.

-Let's start at 25.

I'll tell you what we'll do, I can do the same as the piece of silver.

-OK, at 33.

-Yeah.

-OK, all right.

-66.

-66, altogether. All right.

-Let's do it. 66 for the two.

-Brilliant.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

With Helen making her first purchase of the day,

has James found anything else upstairs he likes?

That's a nice bin, isn't it? Looks sort of '50s, isn't it?

How much have you got on there?

42. Somebody doing up a kitchen, would be quite a fun, retro look.

Depends how... Nice flour bin or something. For a baker.

Is something like that at auction going to make a tenner?

I don't know, any more.

I'm going through this sort of buying crisis.

Come on! Pull yourself together, James.

If David offered that for 15 or 20 quid, would it only make 15 or 20?

It's quite unusual, cos it's a large size.

David, what could be your best/worst on this? Best for you, worst for me.

I think the best I can do on that is 20...

-20?

-20, yeah.

Let the man finish, eh?!

That's less than half price, but James isn't finished there.

Look at that tin!

"Leading confectioners," that's a great tin, isn't it?

That is straight out of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

"Batger and Co Ltd, 44 South Side, Clapham Common, London."

-It's worth buying for the address, isn't it?

-Oh, yeah.

-What a beautiful tin that is.

-Brings back memories, that does.

-The old sweet shops.

-Jersey toffee, seven pounds of them.

-Yeah.

-God, that's half a stone.

-Even better, I can probably put that in with that.

-You wouldn't?

-Yeah.

-What, for the same price?

-For the same price.

You are a lovely man, David.

-Then you've got to be able to do something...

-Come on, I'll buy that.

I don't know what to buy any more,

so I'm just clutching at straws, anyway.

That is lovely, David, look at that.

That's just a visual treat, really, isn't it?

I think it's what you call a BOGOF, buy one, get one free,

spending £30 in total here on the two tins and the silver pencil.

And whilst James appears to be quite sure about what he's buying,

Helen seems a lot more confident.

The thing that's grabbing me is the lovely onyx and pearl brooch in here.

15 carat, onyx and pearl.

OK. I think it's really pretty.

-It looks like a mourning brooch.

-A mourning brooch.

Probably late Victorian, yes.

It certainly looks Victorian or Edwardian, at least, doesn't it?

I think it's lovely.

After the death of Prince Albert in 1861,

Queen Victoria wore black for the rest of her life.

It set in motion a trend whereby people marked the death

of a loved one by wearing a black piece of jewellery.

It reminds me a little bit of the jewellery designer Kenneth Jay Lane

-who does a lot of costume jewellery.

-Oh, right.

-And I like it.

And I have a cuff of his that would go rather nicely with this.

Are you shopping for yourself or auction?

-Now, the dealer's not here today.

-No, she never is.

-OK.

So you can do deals.

I mean, I'd like to make an offer of 30, and see where we get to.

-I don't think she'd even consider...

-Yeah, that was lowball.

You've got to try.

It's got a ticket price of £68.

I guess if you don't ask, you don't get.

She's wondering what your very best price would be? 55?

Would you do 50?

She can't do any better than 55.

OK, thanks, Pat. Bye.

That's £13 off. That's not a bad discount.

OK, I'll do it. I'll do it, I'll do it.

-55 it is, all right.

-OK, thank you very much.

Helen's on fire today, spending £121 in her first shop

on the asparagus set, the silver matchbox holder and the gold brooch.

Here's Johnny. Or is it James? Ha, naughty.

-Oh, it's Jack Nicholson.

-It is.

AKA James Braxton.

I'm just bringing out that scary Joker look.

Yeah, you need to be a bit more crazy with the hair.

I've whipped back from the Mediterranean especially to

do this shopping today, leaving the lovelies on the Riviera.

-I've brought you this.

-Oh, wow.

-They are super.

-Reputedly worn by Annie Lennox.

Oh, Lordy.

-Oh, wow. Yeah, I like those.

-They're very cool.

Do you think I'll look good in the Jag in these?

-Very good. I'll be the Jack.

-I'll be Annie. OK.

-Where are you off to?

-Off to Henley.

-Bizarrely, so am I.

Let's go together. Glasses on, James, come on.

-Glasses on. OK, off we hop.

-Right, let's go.

MUSIC: "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics

Our famous, or should I say infamous, duo's next stop

is Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

Henley-on-Thames is a world-renowned centre for rowing.

Like many towns built by a river, Henley's early prosperity

came from its ability to trade with London and further afield by river.

Whilst James heads into town to do some shopping,

Helen is at the River and Rowing Museum,

which tells the remarkable story of British rowing

from its very humble beginnings to Olympic gold medal success.

She's meeting Paul Manner from the museum to find out more.

-Hello, you must be Paul.

-Welcome to the River and Rowing Museum.

I'm Helen. Thank you for having us.

Henley is well-known as home to the regatta

and the Oxford versus Cambridge boat race,

but it's also home to the world's oldest boat race -

the Doggett's Coat and Badge.

Aha, what's this?

Well, this is a great story that goes right the way

back to the origins of rowing.

This is what's called the Doggett's Coat and Badge.

It's the oldest continually competed for race in the world.

-Starting in 1715, still rowed for today.

-Wow.

London Bridge to Chelsea. It goes back to the time of a Mr Doggett.

Mr Doggett was an actor.

Late at night, dispute, couldn't get someone to take him upriver.

Eventually somebody did.

They got talking and he put down the money for a wager that's

competed for still by half a dozen scullers on the Thames.

The Doggett is traditionally raced by apprentice watermen.

These were the people who transferred passengers across

and along the river.

The aim was to attract more trade for the newly qualified

watermen, in addition to winning the coveted waterman's red coat

with silver badge.

The oldest competitive sporting event in the world.

Continuously competed for.

Olympics took a break for a couple of thousand years.

This one hasn't.

After the Doggett, many other races followed, but none were more

famous than the illustrious Oxford versus Cambridge Boat Race.

Here is the boat from the very first boat race that was held

here in Henley in 1829.

-Oh, the first Oxford-Cambridge boat race.

-Absolutely.

-This is the Oxford boat that won the race.

-Wow. That is a big old boat.

-Yeah. Well, you think of the effort to pull that along.

-Wow.

The first boat. That's great.

-What a great thing for the museum to have. It's lovely.

-Absolutely.

I can see a hole in it, though. Am I allowed...

THEY LAUGH

There's a hole, little light coming through.

Oh, Helen. I don't think it's been on the water for quite a while.

It wasn't just at the boat race where British rowers were

making an impact, as Olympic success beckoned.

This is the Sydney four,

which Sir Steve won his fifth gold medal in Sydney.

Wow. That gives me goose bumps, actually.

Look at the difference between this boat

and that massive Oxford-Cambridge boat over there.

-Absolutely.

-Technology.

Two or three really big contrasts, the most obvious is that that

was a wooden boat and this is a modern boat using modern materials.

The River and Rowing Museum traces the story

of Olympic gold medal success back to a simple boat race,

which started 300 years ago.

It's a story which Helen seems quite inspired by,

perhaps a little too inspired.

Go, girl.

Helen takes gold.

I suspect it's a bit harder than that, Helen.

James has set sail for another shop.

He's over at Tudor House Antiques, and I'm sure he's been here before.

-Hello.

-Hey, how are you? I haven't seen you for ages.

-Five years ago.

-Five years ago.

-With Mr Stacey and my MG.

That's right. That's right, yes.

I must have made a profit, did I?

-I don't think so.

-Lost. Lost a fortune.

And you've been losing some of your fortune this time too.

Dealer Dave's shop is jam-packed with all manner of treasures.

Is James going to spend big to keep his lead over Helen?

Well, they say if you want to get ahead, get a hat.

-I see, one size fits all, does it, Dave?

-I reckon.

-Rather fun.

Maybe not.

Let's just stick to finding antiques, shall we?

This dear shop is the accumulation of lots of goodies, isn't it?

Everything in vast quantities.

We've got fireplaces, we've got architectural terracotta.

It's great stock.

I love these. This is real Victorian architectural terracotta.

What do we associate terracotta with? Terracotta flowerpots.

It's of that sort of clay, but it's incredibly strong.

This would have been a ridge tile, your roof ridge there.

And your roofs would go off either side.

You'd have probably had one at the end and one at the back.

What size is your house then, James?

It's a very splendid cultural item. Little snail.

Had we been in France,

that would have gone in the pot with a little dash of garlic and butter.

Everybody would have been very happy.

Yeah. Everyone except the snail.

I'd love to buy it for 30.

I bet you he's going to ask for 40-50, isn't he?

We might chance his arm at 100.

There's only one way to find out.

Dave, what are the prices of your...?

-They're sort of ridge tiles.

-Yes, they are.

But they're not just ridge tiles, they're fantastic.

They're beautiful ridge tiles, aren't they?

-I would like to get £50 each for those.

-Including the big one.

-Yeah.

-What about 30 quid for that one?

If looks could kill, eh?

What about 35? 35. It's spectacular.

-It is impressive, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I know, Dave, you got that for free.

DAVE LAUGHS

I had to climb 50 foot up a wall and take it off of a ridged roof.

Look at the man. Can you believe it, viewer?

Can you believe it?

I hope he got permission first.

You can't go wrong at 35 quid for that. Dave, £30 for that.

Come on, we all want to go home.

-It's all getting hot. The barbecue calls.

-Actually, you're right.

-It's nearly pub o'clock, isn't it?

-It is pub o'clock.

-All right, £30 for that.

-Thank you, Dave. You make life very easy.

-You're going to spend another £150 today, aren't you?

-Course I am.

-But not with you, Dave.

-Cheeky. Lucky he did the deal first.

£30 on the terracotta ridge tile.

Thank you, Dave.

As the shops close, it's time to sleep.

Perchance to dream, maybe of profits.

It's day two of the Road Trip in a noteworthy part of Surrey.

Very famous estate round here, isn't there? St George's Hill.

St George's Hill. Home of former Beatle John Lennon,

and Ringo Starr had a house on there as well at one point too.

How did you get on yesterday?

-Fine. I've got three items.

-OK.

-I've spent about 110 quid, actually.

-Really?

Actually, Helen spent an impressive £121 yesterday

on the silver matchbox holder, asparagus bowl and gold brooch,

leaving her £64.30 to spend today.

Megabucks. Mega.

James spent just £60 on the flour and toffee tins, silver pencil

and the terracotta tile, leaving him a juicy £134.60 today.

All right, Jack?

Thank you, Dave.

Helen's at the wheel as they head for Weybridge in Surrey.

But before the shopping begins,

Helen is dropping James off at Brooklands Museum.

It's home to a rather special aeroplane.

-Here you go, James. I'm so jealous.

-Look at that.

-That's not even funny.

It's like being on the set of some '70s Bond movie

arriving at this Concorde, James.

-This Bond is off. Bye, have a good day.

-Have a great day. Bye.

For over 30 years,

Concorde has represented the pinnacle of luxurious transport,

flying from London to New York in just three hours 20 minutes.

But in 2003, the aeroplanes flew for the last time.

James is meeting Mike Bannister,

a pilot who flew Concorde on her final day of service.

Captain Mike Bannister.

Morning, James. Welcome to the Brooklands Concorde.

Thank you.

Why is Concorde here in Brooklands?

Actually, every Concorde's been here in Brooklands,

because a third of every Concorde every built

were made here at Brooklands.

Even the ones that carried the French logo on the tail.

By the mid-20th century, jet-engine aeroplanes had overtaken

ocean liners as the fastest way to cross the Atlantic.

In the late '50s, Britain

and France decided to work together on a new form of supersonic travel.

It led to the birth of Concorde,

which dramatically reduced the crossing time.

The Americans and the Russians tried to build a supersonic air liner

and both of them failed, so the British and the French got it right

by working in close collaboration and pulling on the best

of both sets of scientists, technologists and designs.

This was all with the backdrop of the space race, presumably.

That was all going on.

In fact, I was lucky enough to spend some time with Neil Armstrong.

One of the things he said over dinner was,

"You really should realise that the technology behind the Concorde

programme is just the same

level as the technology behind the Apollo programme."

It was as difficult to put a man on the moon as it was to get 100

passengers flying at twice the speed of sound across the Atlantic.

Concorde had room for just 100 passengers,

and was considered the height of opulent travel.

The plane travelled so fast, it actually stretches between six

and ten inches due to the heat during flight.

Mike, had I been coming in here while the flight was in service,

-when would I have got my glass of champagne?

-As soon as you sat down.

-Really?

-Whenever you wanted.

At over £6,000 a ticket, Concorde was mainly used by politicians,

celebrities and leaders of business, such as Richard Branson.

Its most frequent flier was an oil executive,

who clocked up almost 70 round trips a year.

You could do in two days what would otherwise take three or four,

and you could do in three days what would otherwise take five

because you're travelling so quickly.

It's difficult to comprehend 1,350mph,

but it's twice the speed of sound, it's faster than the Earth rotates.

You take off and London at 11am and arrive in New York at 9.20,

and it felt like it. It felt like 9.20 in the morning.

You're on the edge of space where the sky got dark,

you could see the curvature of the Earth.

The designers really got it right.

It's an aeroplane that's full of superlatives.

The customers appreciated that.

James is in for a real treat,

because it's time to go up front and visit the flight deck.

Look at all those buttons.

Oh.

It's a bit of a struggle to get in, but once in, it's rather nice.

It's very comfy once you're in here.

The other thing that's unusual about the flight deck was that it's

all knobs and dials still.

Modern aeroplanes and modern cars, there's a lot of TV screens.

Yeah, you'd expect that to be electronic, wouldn't you?

The reason for that is that was the technology

available at the time of design in the '50s and '60s.

When we came into service, it worked.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

At the turn of the millennium,

passenger demand for Concorde began to fall, rising maintenance costs

made it uneconomical to run, and in 2003, she flew for the last time.

Absolutely fabulous. Mike, thank you. It's been an absolute delight.

Well, it's a great pleasure.

We here at Brooklands love showing off our toys.

It's been a fantastic visit for James,

and there's one more treat in store.

I bet you never thought you'd be hanging out of a Concorde

-drinking champagne.

-I didn't.

-I didn't.

-The only way to fly.

THEY LAUGH

Hold on tight, James.

Helen, meanwhile, is making a flying visit to a little shop called

Antiquado, to hopefully find her first bargain of the day.

-Hi, I'm Jason.

-Hiya. Nice to meet you, how are you?

-Cool, thanks.

-Nice shop you've got here.

This place has only been open a few months,

so there could be some hidden gems to be uncovered.

But they'll need to be at the right price to interest our Helen.

I actually spent quite a bit yesterday. Oops.

I've only got about £75 left.

No pressure, no pressure.

Do try and keep up, Helen. You've actually got £64.30.

Gramophone. This is actually a Morning Glory Horn.

This is the only thing I know about gramophones -

this is called a Morning Glory Horn

because of the shape of the horn, like the Morning Glory flower.

That's why.

Interesting item, but it seems like Helen's moved on to something else.

This Royal Doulton dish has caught my eye a little bit.

Royal Doulton is collectable, it's a decent name.

There's a lot of collectors out there for Doulton.

This is a slightly later piece, perhaps.

Perhaps not as skilled in the decoration as you

see in a lot of the Royal Doulton, but it's pretty.

He's got 40 quid on it.

I would want to pay a lot less than that of it, really.

If I was buying this at auction, I think

I would pay 10-20 quid for it, something like that.

OK, fair enough.

That means I need to buy it for no more than ten quid.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-11?

-11.

-Yeah.

-Go on, then.

-That's a nice number, isn't it?

-All right. 11 quid. Yeah.

All right, brilliant. 11 quid, there you go.

That was easy, wasn't it?

That's a stroke of luck - he must be in a good mood.

Quick, before he changes his mind.

James, meanwhile, has made his way down to Walton-on-Thames.

He seems to be looking for divine intervention in his efforts

to beat Helen at the next auction,

so he's popped into Antique Church Furnishings.

When does the next service start?

Hello. James Braxton.

Nice to meet you. Lawrence Skilling.

What a fascinating place you have here.

This place has all manner of interesting objects

salvaged from church clearances -

some from vicars who are looking to downsize or renovate their church.

Look at this. What is this interesting thing here?

I was afraid you might ask that.

The best I could come up with is that it's

an early 19th-century wafer box for holy wafers.

That's quite sweet, isn't it?

Interesting little box, really.

It's inscribed St George the Martyr, Southwark, 1834.

It also shows some signs of damage.

Anyway, that's £30. Polish up a treat, I'm sure.

What a shame - somebody's really scratched that.

It's a nice thing and it's got a good story. That's interesting.

Quite, James. It sounds like he's keen on that despite the damage.

Anything else take your fancy, boy?

A memorial plaque.

I've sold lots of these over the years where they've fetched

very little. £10-15.

These were awarded to people from the Great War, who

fell in the Great War.

Along with your medals that you posthumously received,

this was your death plaque.

How much could that be, Lawrence?

Well, it has to be more than £10 or £15.

-The plaque itself represents a lot of care and attention.

-30 quid?

I'd take 40.

-We've got this, you said about 20 on that.

-I thought I said 30, actually.

-Did you say 30?

-I did, yeah.

He did, James. Pay attention, now.

-That's far too much for that.

-Look at it. Look how old it is.

It's nearly 200 years old. It needs a bit of a polish.

40, 30.

-What about 55 for the two? Yeah, 55.

-All right, bish bosh.

Thank you very much indeed, Lawrence. That's really kind.

Might these two be the blessed miracle James needs

to catch up with Helen?

£55 spent on the wafer box and bronze plaque.

Helen, meanwhile, is still in Addlestone

and has popped along to Dane Court Antiques.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Are you Maureen?

-I am.

-Hi, Maureen. I'm Helen. How are you?

Nice to meet you.

I'm Tim. With four items purchased already,

might Helen find something else to complete her haul?

A joke arm.

We could put that at the back of the Jag, couldn't we?

It probably costs an arms and a leg.

Perhaps something else will wet your whistle.

What have we got in here?

These are fun. These are old air raid whistles.

So in London, where they had all the air raids

and all the sirens would go off,

you'd have wardens for the air raids who would go round with bells

and these really loud rattles and whistles just to get everyone down

into the tubes and everywhere else when there's an air raid going on.

They've got ARP written on them, which was Air Raid... What was it?

-Precautions.

-Air Raid Precautions.

Do you mind if I have a look at the whistles?

-Would you be able to open up the cabinet?

-Yeah, sure.

Is that all right? OK, brilliant. Thank you.

Mm, she seems to quite like those.

Yeah, so I'm... Mm, do I buy one or two? As a pair or not?

That's the question.

It's a very good question.

-I've got to take these to auction, Maureen.

-Right.

-So I've got to try and make a profit on them.

-Yes.

-Between us girls...

-I've got to earn a living.

Yeah, there is that as well.

Would you take eight quid for one?

I'd take ten.

You'd take ten.

Right, I haven't got much money left, you see, I overspent already,

so I've got to be a bit careful.

Careful?! You've got £53 left.

-That's what they always say when they come in.

-I know, I know.

Maureen's standing her ground, all right.

I'll take one. I'll take that one with the string at ten, then.

-All right.

-OK? I think it's a really fun thing.

I don't see them very often.

Brilliant. Thank you. Deal.

As the whistle blows at the end of another day's shopping,

it's time to reveal all.

-I'm ready for that drink, James. Nice cool drink.

-I know, it's lovely.

Again by the river. Isn't it fun?

I'm glad you've made an effort, but can we begin?

OK, I'm building it up, actually.

Look at this. Blimey, a glory.

This, Royal Doulton dish. I kind of like it.

Again, Art Deco, '30s design.

Almost looks like one of those shaving bowls, doesn't it?

It doest a bit, doesn't it? 11 quid for that.

-Royal Doulton.

-That's jolly good, isn't it?

This is my Air Raid whistle.

Isn't that lovely? A lovely braided thing.

-ARP.

-ARP - Air Raid Precautions.

So in London you have the air raid wardens with their bells

and their rattles and their whistles.

Shall I blow it?

We're in a pub, everyone's going to have a heart attack.

I won't blow it.

-It is very loud.

-Save it for later.

We might draw attention to ourselves. It is fun.

How much did that cost you, Helen?

Tenner.

I think that's very nice.

He seems impressed. But what will Helen think of James's items?

I've bought funny things. Things that I wouldn't normally buy.

My nice memorial plaque. Death plaque.

This is Great War, but rather nice.

They've given it this fabulous frame,

this poor fellow Frederick Walter.

King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

Well remembered. Well done.

Blimey. They didn't make it easy for them, did they?

That should make a good profit. That's not a bad price, 35.

I went to an ecclesiastical reclamation yard. It's a wafer box.

Oh, nice.

I quite like it because it's St George the Martyr, Southwark.

1834. It's beautifully engraved, except for some vandal scratched it.

That is nice. Very nice. Mm.

We've both enjoyed our time on the river.

I know you're going to take up the oar,

so fruit juice for us both only, now.

-Athletes.

-Cheers.

Before you start training for the next Olympics,

tell us what you really think.

I think he's not quite got over the shock of the last auction, you see.

He's just... He's clutching at straws.

After being summarily thrashed at the auction,

I seem to have lost my way in the wilderness of the antique world,

and I didn't know what to buy.

I'm feeling good. Feeling good about my things. Yeah, I'm quite happy.

Quite happy with my purchases.

Good, because it's time to head to the

town of Wokingham in Berkshire for today's auction.

In the 16th century,

Wokingham was well-known as a producer of quality silk.

Demand for labour was so high that a local bylaw stated that anyone

unemployed must take up work in the silk trade or face imprisonment.

Our silky-smooth operators have just arrived at the auction house.

-Get ready, James. I'm going to catch you.

-No, you're not.

I'm going to fend you off, Helen.

Look at that spring, eh?

Martin & Pole have been conducting auctions in Wokingham

for over 150 years.

Today's master of ceremonies is auctioneer Pascal McNamara.

What does he think of our experts' purchases?

What we like in auctions is to have something for everybody.

I think we certainly have that today.

The wafer box is very interesting.

We do have a price range on that of 30-50.

I think it make more 50 than 30.

The mourning brooch is very nice also.

It's very pretty, it's very sombre, of course.

Lovely craftsmanship on that. I think it will go quite well, also.

It should make the price on that.

It's the luck of the draw, really. So let's see.

James began this fourth leg of the Road Trip with £194.68,

and has gone on to spend £115 on five auction lots.

Go on, I'll buy that.

Helen started with £185.30,

and has parted with £142,

also for five lots.

Quick, before he changes his mind.

With less than a tenner between them,

it's time for the penultimate auction to begin.

Get ready, James.

First under the hammer is James's terracotta ridge tile.

£50 I'm bid. I'll take 55.

Lady's bid on my left.

OK.

60. 65. 70.

-(Oh, my God.)

-65, lady's bid on my left.

This doesn't happen to me.

What's going on?

£65, highest bid.

-GAVEL SOUNDS

-That's all right, isn't it?

Well done.

Well done, indeed. That's over 100% profit on James's first item.

It's rather nice to double your money.

All right, don't boast, James.

Can Helen do as well with her eight-piece asparagus set?

Start me at £20.

-Straight in there.

-15?

Don't give me a big, fat loss.

£15 I'm bid. I'll take 17.

17 in the centre.

20? 22. 25.

25, gentleman's bid on my right.

No further interest?

GAVEL SOUNDS

I paid too much for them, James.

Oh, that's a stinker of an opening loss for Helen.

-That is a bargain.

-That is a bargain.

Next, will James's opening luck continue with his wafer box?

50, I'll take 55.

£50 with me.

55 in the centre.

-Could be happening.

-Oh, my goodness, James.

£60 with me.

No further interest?

GAVEL SOUNDS

-60 quid. Tripled your money on that one.

-Tripled.

-Oh, you are on a roll.

It had to happen, Helen.

The wafer-thin gap between them has widened with that result.

Just been lulling me into a false sense of security.

No, I haven't. I haven't.

Trying desperately hard, but it just hasn't worked.

Will Helen catch up with her Royal Doulton serving dish?

£15, I'll take 17.

15. 17.

20, I'll take 22.

22, beats me. Gentleman's bid on my right.

No further interest at 22?

GAVEL SOUNDS

Very good. Well done.

The Doulton dish has served up a nice £11 profit for Helen.

You doubled your money.

Yeah, there you go.

Will James increase his lead with the flour and toffee tins?

Yum yum.

Starting myself at £15, I'll take 17.

£15 with me, 17 I have.

I'll take 20. Lady's bid at 20.

I'll take 22.

25. 27.

No further interest?

GAVEL SOUNDS

-27.

-27. It's a profit, James.

-A small profit.

A very sweet £7 profit, which will go down nicely.

Next up is Helen's matchbook holder.

Very attractive piece.

It's a very attractive piece.

Start me at £30.

20.

£15, surely.

I'll take 17. 17 in the centre.

-20. 22.

-That's silver, eh?

27, 30.

£30. Gentleman's bid on my left. No further interest?

GAVEL SOUNDS What did it go for?

I missed that. What did it go for?

It's probably best you missed it, Helen, actually,

cos it made a £3 loss.

Helen, some blue water is developing, I'm afraid.

Will James turn that blue water into an ocean

with his silver racing pencil?

Start me £10.

-5.

-Uh-oh.

Lots of fives. I've got 5 here.

-Oh, lots of fives. There you go.

-7.

10, 12.

15. 17. 20.

James...

I'll take 22.

25, 27.

You are on fire today, James. On fire.

32.

No further interest?

-I shouldn't crow, but that's not bad, is it?

-No, go on. Crow away.

So James is starting to stretch into the lead

with yet another impressive profit. Well done.

What is going on?

How very vulgar of me.

HELEN LAUGHS

What about the Second World War whistle?

Will it call time on James's extraordinary lead?

-Start me there at £15.

-Lovely piece, isn't it?

-10.

-I think they're going to go mad for it, aren't they?

£5, surely for the whistle. £5 I'm bid.

I'll take 7.

7 I have. 10.

12. 15.

-Profit.

-17.

£17, lady's bid in the centre.

No further interest?

GAVEL SOUNDS

-There you go. It's a profit.

-Well done.

Certainly all adds up,

but it's still possible for Helen to catch up.

I am...

Those numbers are just getting higher and higher, aren't they?

Welcome to the club, Helen. Welcome to the club.

James's last item is the bronze memorial plaque.

I've got 40, I'll take 42.

-42 over here.

-Here we go again. James Braxton on a roll.

47. 50. 52.

55, go on.

I've got a new bidder here, 55.

60. 65.

70.

£70 Gentleman's bid on my right.

80, I'll take 85.

-James.

-85 I have on my right, a gentleman's bid.

No further interest?

I think you should buy me cake after this for thrashing me so badly.

Well, well, that good fortune lasts to the end with

an impressive £50 profit on that.

I've got one lot left.

I don't think that it's going to take me

above the profit that you've made.

Unless there's people who are into mourning.

Well, you never know.

Helen's Victorian mourning brooch is next. Gloomy colour.

-Very attractive piece.

-Very attractive.

A lot of interest in this. Who can start me at £40?

HELEN GROANS

£40 here. I'll take 42.

Go on, he'll take 42. Go on.

No further interest?

-Oh. Well, you know, I am the newbie.

-I know.

I'm just the new girl on the block.

That's what you always say.

Anyway, the buyers weren't there,

ending a rather disastrous auction for Helen.

OK, that's it.

I think she knows what's coming as it's time to do the sums.

Helen started this leg of the trip with £185.30,

but after auction costs, made a loss of £32.12,

leaving her just £153.18.

Oh, dear.

James started with £194.68, and after costs,

has seen his fortunes skyrocket,

ringing up a hefty profit of £105.58,

thereby winning this leg with a barnstorming £300.26.

-Oh.

-I feel a bit browbeaten.

-Well, the results are in.

-They're not good, really.

Well, they're good for you.

-They're very good for me.

-Yeah, on know.

I made a large, almost vulgar amount of money.

There we go. We're in.

With two wins each and one more trip to go,

the decider will be a final auction showdown.

How exciting.

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip, James puts on a show.

JAMES GROANS

CLUCKING

And Helen might be in luck.

(50% off!)