VOICEOVER (VO): The nation's favorite antiques experts, £200 each and one big challenge.

Cuz I'm going to declare war.

Why?

VO: Who can make the most money buying and selling antiques as they scour the UK?

15 quid!

No.

VO: The aim is to trade up and hope each antique turns a profit.

But it's not as easy as you might think, and things don't always go to plan.

Push!

VO: So will they race off with a huge profit or come to a grinding halt?

I'm gonna go for it.

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

VO: This week, Anita Manning, Mark Stacey and the little Morris Minor they call Bluebell are heading for Yorkshire, after setting off from bonnie Scotland.

ANITA: You've got to rrroll your RRRs.

MARK: Leave my Rs out of this!

VO: Anita, from Glasgow, was Scotland's first female auctioneer, and she certainly likes to keep prices low.

What've you got for 20 pence?

While Mark, a dealer from Brighton, is happy to enlist help from on high.

Please, please - huge profits!

VO: But unfortunately, there's been a cruel twist of fate - Anita and Mark's stately progress has been interrupted by a breakdown that's left Bluebell in the garage and Mark and Anita stranded in the northeast.

ANITA: Poor wee Bluebell.

The radiator's gone.

Do you know, when that water was spouting out of the grille, it looked as if she was crying.

I know.

The shop's just up the road, Mark.

We should walk up there.

I'll have a good think, and I'll have worked it out, what we're going to do, by the time we've done our shopping, cuz I can't wait to get started.

Come on.

OK, let's go.

VO: Mark and Anita began with £200 each, and have already added a handsome sum.

VO: Mark goes into today just ahead, with £496.16 to spend... VO: ..while Anita has £426.74.

VO: This week's journey travels from deep in the Cairngorms via the charming cities of Edinburgh and Durham, to Thirsk in North Yorkshire.

Today's show begins in St Helen Auckland, County Durham and heads, we hope, for a canny auction in Darlington.

MARK: This is exciting, Anita.

Another treasure trove.

ANITA: It's Aladdin's cave.

MARK: And you've got all those earrings to choose from!

You go in the back; I'll stay here.

And then we'll change over.

Yes, ma'am!

ANITA: Forward!

VO: Now, this shop is called Something Different - a Pythonesque pile, where bargains can be found amongst bric a brac... Oops!

But which, dear expert, is which?

What on Earth is that?

Well, it's a little brooch, believe it or not, which is made of a little paw of an animal.

Ah...I've no idea.

It's hideous but there probably is a profit in it.

That's the type of thing that Phil Serrell loves!

Dare I buy something like that?

I'll get emails of hate.

VO: Anita soon grabs Yvonne for a demonstration of the finest in low-fidelity.

This is obviously the home entertainment section here!

YVONNE: We wind it up from here, and eh... Just stop... ..stop and start!

Have you got some 78s?

What have you got there?

Let's have a look.

Oh, I don't believe... 'I Belong To Glasgow'.

I don't believe that!

I do not believe that!

Was this... #I belong to Glasgow, dear old Glasgow town.

#There's nothing the matter with #Glasgow, cuz it's going round and round!

#When I get a couple of pints on a Saturday, Glasgow belongs to me.# YVONNE: Hooray!

ANITA: And we've got a radio here as well.

YVONNE: That's a Bush one.

ANITA: Uh-huh.

Bakelite.

So is that working as well?

YVONNE: They always take a few minutes to warm up.

VO: The radio is priced at £58, and the gramophone at £45 but perhaps, if Anita promises not to start singing again, she might get that down.

ANITA: I could be interested in both of these things.

YVONNE: Right.

ANITA: For £35.

YVONNE: Hm... Is that possible?

Is it a wee bit... YVONNE: I don't think I can do that, Anita...em...

I mean, if you was to say to me 50 for the two... 50 for the two?

ANITA: Could you bring it to 40?

YVONNE: What about 45, and then we're like... Do you know what I mean?

We're, like, nearly there?

YVONNE: Yeah, yeah.

ANITA: See in this game?

ANITA: Every pound counts.

YVONNE: It does... ANITA: Every pound counts.

YVONNE: ..it really does.

Could we halve it again and maybe... And do 42... What, 50?

Could we go 42?

Can you go 42?

YVONNE: That'll be alright.

ANITA: Could we do that?

We'll do that.

Aw, that's so kind, that's great.

VO: Next door, Mark's got sporting goods in his sights.

MARK: Now, this is a sort of shoulder of mutton guncase.

So you obviously open it here... ..and then you put your shotgun and things in there, not that I know about these things, and I'm not a member of the hunting and shooting brigade.

But then you, I guess, sort of put it over your shoulder, something like that.

So when you go off hunting, it's out of your way, and when you're ready to shoot whatever it is you're gonna shoot, you can get your gun out.

I don't like the price - it's marked up at 60...£68.

MARK: We'll ask Yvonne, if we get a moment to see her.

VO: But whilst he's pondering that unusual target... Now, that's quite pretty.

VO: ..something a little more traditional hoves into view.

MARK: This is a Chinese vase.

It's called sort of cinnabar lacquer, which is the red lacquer, and then they've sort of cut out with this black design.

But it does actually give quite a dramatic effect.

It...looks in...em... perfect condition.

I'm looking, really, to see the delicacy of the carving.

It's quite a dramatic vase.

But, as we all know, the Chinese market is rather buoyant at the moment, and people are just buying anything that's Chinese, thinking there's a profit in it.

Am I falling into that trap?

Probably.

Yvonne, I like this vase.

Yes.

Now, I'm not convinced it's that old.

YVONNE: Right.

MARK: It's a shame it's not 19th century!

You've got 65 on it.

Yeah.

MARK: What sort of movement could you do on that?

YVONNE: I mean, I could 45 on it.

45.

That does help me a bit, it does help me a bit.

YVONNE: I could maybe do you a bit better price on the guncase.

MARK: Can you, on that?

YVONNE: If I got 45 for that, then you give me...40 for that, how does that sound?

MARK: It sounds reasonable-ish.

Can I be terribly cheeky, Yvonne, without offending you?

I never take offence.

Oh, thank you.

MARK: I just wonder...if we can do the pair for 75.

Yeah, alright, Mark.

MARK: Are you sure?

YVONNE: Yeah.

You've got to have a chance as well.

MARK: Are you sure?

Yeah, that's fine, Mark.

Gimme a big kiss.

Ah.

Thank you.

ANITA: This is a lovely little cloisonné buckle, and I love cloisonné ware.

The patterns are made by little wire sections, made up and filled with colored, glazed enamels.

And they make this wonderful pattern.

It's not a silver back, which I would love to see.

It's a brass back.

I mean, I like it just as an object, to look at it, but I worry slightly that it is not a useful object ...but really quite pretty.

VO: And after a quick shuffle through the cabinet... ANITA: I've found a little bronze, which I think is charming.

It's quite nicely modeled and I like the patina, which is the surface of the bronze.

I think it's probably from the 1930s, but...eh...

I'm not absolutely sure.

I do like it.

He's sweet, isn't he?

But I need to be getting him for about 30 quid.

VO: So £39 less than he's priced at, and the label on the buckle says £29.

ANITA: Yvonne...I'm thinking him round about 40.

On this one here, I'd be looking, say, in the region of £10...on the cloisonné.

YVONNE: I mean, that could be 40.

I'd probably need 20 for that.

ANITA: Can that cloisonné be 10?

Can't be 10?

I can't, Anita.

ANITA: Could you go 12 on that, 40 on that?

So that we're doing 52 on the two items?

Cash again.

Cash again!

I know, I know - money talks!

But you... That's right!

YVONNE: Money talks!

YVONNE: 12 on that... 40 on that.... 52.... Alright.

Shall we go for it?

We'll go for it.

I've loved...

I love these items.

I mean, that's what I do - I buy things that... That you like.

VO: Yeah.

VO: Anita seems to be making great strides today, and Mark's no slouch either, with yet another Oriental find.

Now, this is quite interesting.

This is not complete.

It should have a cover on it, and it has got a hair-crack to it, but it's a piece of Chinese porcelain.

It's typically decorated, in a palette that's known as Imari - the use of these iron reds and blues and a bit of gilding.

No great shakes, really.

But it is 18th century, and I was just thinking, it's priced up at £22...

I feel awful doing it, really, but I might ask Yvonne if she'll take a sneaky fiver for it.

And I'll actually put it in with the cinnabar lacquer.

They're both Chinese, so there's a link there.

And, you know, two birds are better than one.

No... What is that expression?

Two heads are better than one, but that doesn't fit, does it?

I'm getting all confused.

MARK: Yvonne, I was rather hoping you'd bought this as part of a very cheap house clearance, and I was going to make you a terribly cheeky offer on it.

Go on, Mark - I love cheeky offers!

MARK: Do you like cheeky offers?

I do, I do.

I'm going to offer you - you won't slap me, will you?

I've got to hear it first!

Go on!

MARK: A fiver.

YVONNE: Aaargh A fiver, and I'll put it in with the Chinese vase.

YVONNE: I think that's shocking, isn't it?

MARK: It is shocking.

Aren't I awful?

YVONNE: You are.

Let me examine this.

Let me have a look at this.

Oh... Where's this damage you was... You see?

Look.

Yes, it is, actually.

And it would've had a nice cover, with a dog of faux finial or something on it.

Well, d'you know what?

I'd never noticed that before.

MARK: I'm being very cheeky with you, Yvonne, and you have every right to slap me and say "Go away".

YVONNE: Oh, go on.

MARK: Are you sure?

Yeah.

MARK: Oh... YVONNE: We love our kisses.

MARK: We do love our kisses.

And I think that makes a nice addition to the lot.

VO: So while Mark's schmoozing threatens to nab him the entire stock... YVONNE: Thanks, Mark.

My change in my pot.

YVONNE: Good luck.

Thank you very much, Yvonne.

VO: ..Anita has sensibly called a minicab, to take her to the next shop... VO: .. and is traveling from St Helen Auckland to Cleadon.

ANITA: I'm very happy, having Peter driving me about.

Very comfortable.

VO: Oh!

VO: Anita soon finds herself amongst a mix of antiques and gifts, with a special emphasis on the animal kingdom.

ANITA: This is Griselda Hill.

Now, the Griselda Hill pottery bought over the name of Wemyss and the patterns of Wemyss.

And Wemyss was that wonderful Fife pottery of Robert Heron and Sons.

This is quite typical of Wemyss ware, with these wonderful, wonderful cabbage roses.

And if this was an early 20th century Wemyss cat, it would be worth thousands of pounds.

But it's very jolly, it's Griselda Hill and I love it to bits.

I might ask the price of that.

ANITA: And this is more local.

It's a wonderful piece of Maling which was made in Newcastle on Tyne.

Very, very popular, very colorful.

We can see this pattern here, which is called the Maling thumbprint.

The factory closed in 1960, which was a shame.

But people love it - and no wonder.

VO: But the Maling plate is £56 and the big Wemyss cat £195 - well outside her budget.

Time to get a move on, Anita.

VO: This is also Wemyss ware, and at £42, a bit more realistic.

ANITA: I'd love to buy a piece, but it's...I don't know if I can make a profit on it, but I would like to buy a piece.

DEALER: The profit's the thing.

ANITA: Because they're still being produced, they're not going to reach high prices in auction.

Would it be possible to buy that for, say, 20?

Go on then.

Will we do it?

Yes, go on.

VO: Mark, meanwhile, has also been forced to hail a cab, with boring things like air conditioning and power steering.

DRIVER: You look very familiar.

VO: They always say that.

Probably thinks I'm David Barby.

I wonder if I'll get away with saying "Is that your very lowest fare?"

VO: Cheeky!

I don't know!

VO: Mark's traveling from St Helen Auckland to Stanley, to visit Beamish.

VO: This open-air museum is a specially-created village, made up of authentic buildings, hand-picked from the surrounding area, to help tell the story of the northeast, from Georgian to Edwardian times.

VO: Look at that.

VO: The village is described as a "living" museum, that the public can experience first-hand.

And it's the original Beamish colliery which dominates the landscape.

Well, dressed like that, you have to be Richard.

RICHARD: Hello.

MARK: I'm Mark.

RICHARD: Hello, Mark.

MARK: Very nice to meet you.

Welcome to Beamish.

I'm very pleased to be here.

Now, I understand you're going to show me some items the public don't normally get a chance of looking at.

Absolutely.

We're going to go inside the Aladdin's cave that is our collection store.

MARK: Fantastic.

VO: Nice bowler.

Behind the scenes at Beamish is a vast archive of material which can't be displayed in the village, and Mark is here to find a few of the treasures they hold.

RICHARD: Well, what we've pulled out for you here is a really special collection, relating to a huge mining disaster, just a mile up the road, at Stanley.

RICHARD: This shows all the men and boys who died in the mine - 168 people lost their lives.

It was a huge explosion.

RICHARD: Between about 150 and 200,000 people turned up to the funeral in Stanley.

There were 15,000 people at the top of the mine while they were rescuing the people coming out, because it was this huge spectacle, huge disaster, and people waiting to hear the news of their brother, RICHARD: their son... MARK: And their loved ones.

And their children.

You know, there were children aged 13 down the mine that were killed.

VO: Neighboring Stanley has a fine memorial to those who died in 1909, but most other traces of the industry have now almost completely disappeared.

Well, Richard, I'm from South Wales, of course, another great mining area, and we've had our own shares of disasters in the past, and I'm from a family of miners.

My father and a lot of his brothers were miners.

And I remember as a child going up to the pit, and it was a very scary place, actually - very scary indeed, even in the 1970s.

And I remember my father telling me that his brother was killed in a mining accident, so it was very, very, very hard work.

Very hard work.

VO: Although mining was, without doubt, a grim business, there's a strong tradition of miners, in their spare time, creating works of art such as banners and other more unusual items.

This is miners' folk art?

Folk art, made by the range, at night.

Tell me about this, Richard, cuz this is really quite weird, isn't it?

Have you ever seen anything like it?

I've never seen anything... Are these wood in there?

RICHARD: Mm-hm.

MARK: Is it wood?

It's wood in there.

RICHARD: It's dropped in the shape of a cross.

It's called "God in a bottle".

God in a bottle?

And it would sit on the mantelpiece or in the corner of the room and was thought to have slightly mysterious, magical qualities.

MARK: It...it's something rather eerie about it, isn't it?

It's a bit like a sort of ship at the bottom of the ocean, the bits and pieces floating round.

Or, alternatively, you could maybe say it's a Damien Hirst.

A Damien Hirst?

A very early one!

A very early one!

MARK: I do love all this.

This is old Player's cigarette cards, and they've got all the faces going so neatly around there.

RICHARD: Yes, beautifully inlaid.

It must have taken them hours.

MARK: It really is a work of art, though, isn't it?

It really is a work of art.

I just think...

When I look at an item like that, I think of the person that made it and how they would smile and laugh if we were stood here now... MARK: Appreciating it.

RICHARD: In the middle of a museum.

And I can't imagine, actually, what they'd be calling that.

I think they'd be...

I think it'd be hilarious, wouldn't it?

VO: Now, for sheer authenticity, that cab beats everything.

But it may take some time to get back to the hotel.

Bye, Mark.

VO: Day two, and there's much anticipation in the hotel car park, as Mark and Anita await Bluebell's temporary replacement.

Where is this car?

I don't know but it's ticking on.

I'm dying to get spending, you know.

Yeah.

Well, I'm sure it'll be here shortly - they said it would be... Yeah.

Oh, Anita - look.

ANITA: Yeeeeessss!

MARK: Oh, Anita!

MARK: Oh, I like the... ANITA: I like the wheels.

Can you not help?

You're supposed to be a man.

With these hands?

Let me see.

Soft hands.

It sounds healthy.

Yeah.

Broom-broom-broom!

Broom-broom-broom!

MARK: I want to try it out.

Oh, it's... Oh, gosh!

ANITA: Can't get in!

Oh... Oh... Oh, gosh!

I can't get in!

ANITA: You like it?

MARK: I do love it.

Oh-ho-ho!

ANITA: Forward, Macduff!

Yes!

VO: Yesterday Mark bought three items for £80, including a leather guncase.

MARK: It's a manbag.

Keep a nice bottle of gin in there.

VO: Anita bought five items, at a cost of £114, and had a singalong.

#I belong to Glasgow, dear old Glasgow town.# VO: But has it made them happy?

ANITA: Smile, Mark!

MARK: Smile, Anita!

S-mile!

Smile, Mark!

S-mile, Anita!

VO: Yeah, averagely bonkers, I'd say!

VO: Today they make their way to an auction in Darlington, calling in first at Staindrop.

VO: Where Mark will deliver Anita to Raby Castle.

ANITA: Oh...a drawbridge!

MARK: Will they let you in?

MARK: The Scottish marauder!

ANITA: It's so beautiful, isn't it?

MARK: It's gorgeous, isn't it?

VO: Raby, the home of Lord Barnard, is one of Britain's finest medieval castles.

It was begun in the 12th century by the Nevill family, on land given to them by King Cnut.

Clare, it's so lovely to meet you.

Lovely to meet you.

Welcome to Raby Castle.

VO: The Nevills were one of the most powerful dynasties in the country, and Raby was - for several hundred years - their heavily fortified home... VO: ..until, as the Castle's curator, Clare Owen, explains, the family fell from grace.

Clare: Anita, I'm now taking you into the barons' hall, which is reputedly one of the largest rooms in a house in the north of England.

It's 132 feet long and they plotted the Rising of the North here, in 1569.

Clare: 700 knights met here to plot against Elizabeth I, in support of Mary, Queen of Scots.

And of course, that uprising failed and then the Nevills, who at that time owned the castle, they had to flee, and the castle became Crown property.

VO: All around the gigantic room where the plot was hatched, there are now reminders of the Vanes, who bought the place just over 50 years later, for just £18,000.

Since 1626, the Vane family have extensively remodeled the interior of the castle and added many fine works of art.

VO: Perhaps the most spectacular of their creations is the Gothic entrance hall.

The work was commissioned in the late 18th century by the second Earl of Darlington, to celebrate the coming-of-age of his son, who was returning from a grand tour of Europe.

Clare: And when he came back, young Barnie, in 1787, he could drive into the castle, like this, in his carriage, in one side and out the other.

Clare: Is that his carriage?

ANITA: That is his carriage!

Clare: That is his carriage.

VO: And near the corner of the entrance hall stands one of the castle's oldest residents.

Clare: It was first displayed in the Great Exhibition in 1851, and the Duke of Cleveland at the time saw this beautiful statue there, where it had actually been draped for the sake of modesty when Queen Victoria visited the exhibition.

From 1859, right up to two years ago, it'd had stood in Raby Castle, and actually, in 2008, the Tate Britain asked to borrow it.

It was a quite a star attraction there.

And while she was away, we took the opportunity to have her washed as well.

ANITA: She had a bath!

So now she looks really splendid, yes.

ANITA: Absolutely...beautiful.

VO: While Anita admires Raby's treasures, Mark has made his way to his first shop of the day.

Traveling from Staindrop to Willington.

DEALER: Hello there.

How are you doing?

MARK: Hello, I'm Mark.

DEALER: Morning.

MARK: Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

VO: Hagas Antiques is a little like the museum Mark visited yesterday; plenty of reminders of northeast life and plenty of quirky items too, like this brown glass object.

MARK: I like these sort of things, you know.

Because they are so ridiculous.

This is a piece of glass, and it's a walking cane.

I don't think I'll be buying it, but rather a nice item.

VO: Mark does, however, soon find something he is interested in.

But all that glitters isn't necessarily gold.

MARK: At first glance it looks like a sovereign or half sovereign.

If it is a sovereign, of course, it's probably going to be out of my budget, but you never know.

VO: At the back, there are the results of several house-clearances, with plenty more to rummage amongst.

I think this is a darning mushroom, and it's the sort of thing that a lady would have used to darn the socks in.

The sock would have gone over there and you can make repairs.

Of course, we throw them away these days, but normally these are very plain, they're just very plain wood, but actually this one is quite nice.

It's got all the sort of geometric inlay in it.

It has got a nasty crack, actually, but I mean, from the marquetry inlay I think it's probably gotta date to the Edwardian period.

It's got a very nice feel to it.

It's been well worn.

It shouldn't be really that expensive, and I don't want to be a meanie, but I might find something that will go with it.

VO: Now, what's this?

MARK: It does look rather like some sort of gourd shaped shell, but I just wonder whether maybe a whaler out on the sea for many months has found some sort of floating shell or something and has decided to use a bit of old brassware they found and make some sort of water vessel, a water carrying vessel.

I think that's rather intriguing.

I do like these two little items, so I'm going to see if I can actually secure a deal on them.

I mean, you've got £30 on the water carrier, or the liquid carrier.

Yes.

MARK: There's no price on this.

Well, we don't normally put prices on things that actually have got some damage to them.

So, I can get the two of them quite cheaply?

We might be able to do something there for you.

MARK: I was rather hoping we could maybe get the two of them for like, 15 quid.

Oh, £15.

Is that too cheeky?

15's a little bit too cheeky.

MARK: Is it?

Yes, I'm thinking...lowest for you would be 25.

MARK: 25.

DEALER: 25.

MARK: Could we do a round figure of 20?

DEALER: I think we could, yes.

MARK: Are you sure?

Yes, I think we could.

MARK: Then let me shake your hand.

DEALER: Smashing.

MARK: Actually, you know... MARK: ..as we're placed in front of the cabinet here, could I just have a look at the little coin in the envelope there?

DEALER: You certainly can, yes.

MARK: I think that's either a full sovereign or half sovereign, probably a full sovereign, but the weight just doesn't feel the right balance, to me, in my hand.

DEALER: Yeah.

MARK: It feels too thin.

VO: Mark's quite right.

Gold has a certain warmth and feel to it.

VO: Casting base metal to look like gold is quite easy if the plating on the outer surface is a thin layer of real gold.

I mean, it's meant to look like a sovereign, but I think it feels more like a token of some sort.

Yes, I mean, I've got to be honest with you, I couldn't be 100%.

It's about 18...1826?

1826, it's dated, the date's in the right place.

MARK: So, what price have you put on that?

Do you know?

DEALER: I wouldn't like to sell you that coin, to say that it was a gold coin.

No, I don't think it is gold, actually.

I honestly think that it's some sort of token.

Em...but I think you could probably have a nice little punt at that, because it would attract people who are interested in gold at the moment... MARK: That's right.

..and who might know a little bit more than I do.

Yes.

DEALER: Em...so, I think for you to have a little bit of fun with it, how about a £10 note?

MARK: Oh, gosh.

It's tempting isn't it?

MARK: It is tempting.

Do you know, I am going to do that.

DEALER: Yeah.

MARK: 10 quid.

Yeah, yeah, smashing, great.

I'm just going to have a bit of fun with it.

Best of luck with it.

VO: Now, Mark and Anita are together again and heading for their final shopping opportunity.

VO: Traveling from Willington to Barnard Castle.

MARK: Oh, it's a little draughty, I'll put the window up.

ANITA: Yeah.

VO: Take more than that!

VO: Barnard Castle in Teesdale isn't just a castle, but a whole town built around a fortification.

It was founded by the Normans and used to make a living from spinning and weaving.

VO: The castle's now an attractive ruin and there's the famous Bowes Museum nearby.

Or round by the Butter Market, some antique shops.

Hello.

VO: Mark has already had a full day, but he just can't resist just one more shop.

Let us hope that we might be able to find something I want to buy.

Hi.

VO: While across the street, Anita still has lots of cash and plenty to choose from.

Works perfect.

VO: And then, she's once more tempted by a picture.

ANITA: This is a chalk drawing of a charming little boy, I would imagine.

He's very sweet.

Well executed.

It's obviously a pair, and we do have an artist's signature on this one.

I like those.

VO: But she's not so keen on the price.

VO: This one is £88, but for the pair, the shopkeeper will accept £140.

I would put an estimate of £50-80 on the pair.

ANITA: I'm wondering if you were able to come anywhere near that price, for me to buy them?

Well, I could possibly come somewhere near it.

Uh-huh, yeah.

DEALER: Ah...I would have thought 120.

120?

DEALER: I couldn't sell them for less than £120.

ANITA: Could you come to the 80?

That's what... that would be my top.

I can't sell them for £80, pet.

I can't sell them for £80.

Could you come down a bit more?

Could you come down to 100?

If you could come down to 100 I feel that I might have a chance, and I would be willing to take that chance on it.

Go on then.

I think...I'll let yer off.

ANITA: Oh, thank you.

DEALER: I realize you've got strong competition.

VO: Speaking of which, how is Mark getting on?

MARK: Now, this is a little bottle cooler.

It's a nice little thing, actually, it's very crisply engraved.

What they've done here is, they've put a little hot glass on there and then they've teased it out with the tongs, to make that lovely little delicate scroll, but what I do like is the lovely engraving on the glass here.

Now, this is priced up at... £25, which is not a lot of money, but if I was putting it into sale I could put it in at £20-30.

It might be worth a risk.

I like the quality of it.

VO: Unfortunately the shopkeeper's a bit shy, so we'll just have to wait here and listen in.

MARK: Do you think 18 is the very least you would take?

Are you sure if I can't tweak you down just one more pound?

Maybe 17?

I love your stock, and I wish I had more money and more time to look at it properly.

DEALER: Go on, you've said all the right things.

Right.

After some hard negotiation and some sweet talking I've bought it for 17, and I've got my £3 change.

And I'm going to get out of here pretty sharpish.

VO: So, with a bargain struck with the mystery shopkeeper, they are now poised to reveal their purchases.

And my first item... Oh, Anita Manning.

Is a wonderful picnic gramophone.

ANITA: It's a Columbia, and Yvonne was kind enough to give me a couple of 78s, one of which is "I Belong to Glasgow".

And you certainly do, Anita.

And Glasgow is very lucky to have you.

ANITA: I'm going to put these two lots together, Mark, and I've bought a little Bakelite Bush radio.

MARK: Right.

How much did you pay, come on?

ANITA: Well, I paid for both of them £42.

£42?

ANITA: Uh-huh.

Not too bad, is it?

Eh... you might nudge a tune or two out of them.

MARK: I'm not what you call the hunting and shooting person.

You certainly are not.

ANITA: I find that these things are doing well in auction.

How much did you pay for it?

£30.

That's good.

ANITA: Now, I know you like cloisonné, Mark, and this is a little cloisonné buckle.

MARK: Very, very pretty, and very, very you, if I may say so, Anita.

What did you pay for it?

ANITA: £12.

Oh, well.

That's very you as well.

ANITA: It's not a bad buy at £12.

Not a bad buy.

VO: Next, Mark's Chinese lot.

But, there's been a hitch.

MARK: It's Cinnabar lacquer of course.

But I put it together with an 18th century Imari pot, but we can't find the pot.

You've lost your pot?

Well, I haven't lost it... ..but somebody's lost it, so we're hoping that we're going to be able to retrieve it.

VO: Actually, Mark, that 'somebody' should mean 'you' - but never fear... 'We' have found it in the drawer that 'you' left it in, and will get it to the auction.

My third item has a Scottish connection.

MARK: Unmistakably.

ANITA: Yeah.

It looks like a piece of late 19th, early 20th century Wemyss.

MARK: Is it not?

ANITA: No.

In actual fact it's a piece of Wemyss Griselda Hill.

MARK: I must admit, now you've pointed it out to me, I've learnt something.

I've never heard of Griselda Hill.

What did you pay for it?

£20.

Is that good?

I don't know.

I've never heard of her.

Well, we'll find out at the auction.

OK. ANITA: What's your next piece?

MARK: I fell in love with this little darning mushroom, because it's so colorful.

But the thing that really caught my eye, Anita, was a piece of maritime history, this wonderful water carrier.

ANITA: I think this is absolutely charming.

I love na ve art... MARK: Me too.

...I love na ve craft.

I knew you'd like it.

I paid £20 for the two.

Oh...

I mean, I think both of these could stand on their own, Mark, but it makes a very charming little lot.

ANITA: It's a wee cheeky chappie.

I paid £40 for him.

MARK: Oh, Anita.

£40 to me is a bargain.

Em...I would like to see this item, just for the charm of it, making £80-£100.

MARK: Well, my next item, Anita is a little late 19th century bottle cooler.

ANITA: Well, it's absolutely lovely, Mark, and I do love that engraving, it's so beautifully done.

MARK: So crisp isn't it?

ANITA: Uh-huh.

How much?

I paid £17 for it.

ANITA: Well done!

Oh, thank you.

You old charmer, you.

ANITA: I found this lovely pair of pastel portraits... ..of little children.

Oh, gosh!

ANITA: Not your type of thing.

MARK: Not... To be honest with you...Can I be honest with you?

Yes.

They are not at all.

I think they look like they've come from the Village of the Damned.

ANITA: I think that one looks a wee bit like you.

See if you twirl that wee piece of hair at the front, that wee blond piece, it would be a dead ringer for you.

MARK: Did you pay very much for them?

ANITA: £100!

Aw!

Hoh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!

I think that's not a bad buy...

I spent, I wanted to pay £50 for them.

I'm speechless.

It's a mad buy.

Well done (!)

ANITA: What's your last item?

MARK: My last item, Anita, is that.

ANITA: Alright... MARK: Have a look.

ANITA: How did you manage to buy a piece of gold when the price of gold is so high?

MARK: It's George IV, it's 1826 and a lot of sovereigns were dated 1826, it's one of the years I've seen frequently.

How much did you pay for that?

Well, it's...

It was a real punt, Anita.

£10.

I think it was a good punt.

Oh dear, my mascara's running.

Oooh!

God, she's horrid!

MARK: Those pair of paintings, are you scared?

I'm very scared.

Those eyes.

I've heard about following you round the room, but burning a flame into your spirit is something completely different isn't it?

Surely!

The coin I'm just not sure about.

He's not sure either, but he's taken a punt and for £10, well, it's not much of a punt.

I'm gonna call it a sovereign with a question mark and we'll let the auctioneer decide what he thinks.

VO: After starting out in St Helen Auckland, this fourth leg of our program will be decided at the auctioneer's Thomas Watson in Darlington.

MARK: Are you leading me astray again?

ANITA: I think I've gone up a no entry sign.

VO: And guess what?

Bluebell is back!

Still no Sat Nav, though.

VO: 'Darlo' folk have crowded in to soak up the lots, including Mark's misplaced vase.

But what does auctioneer Peter Robinson think about what Mark and Anita have entered?

And especially that coin?

AUCTIONEER: I'm not sure what it is, to be quite frank.

It's definitely a gold coin, and it is definitely of a period.

It's not a fake, we know that, but what it is exactly...don't know.

Today we're going to leave that to the bidders.

VO: Mark has spent £127 on five lots.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

VO: While Anita has spent £214, also on five lots.

DEALER: £1 change.

ANITA: £1 change?

Means everything!

VO: Time for the nerves to jangle.

I'm getting butterflies, you know.

VO: Mark's Chinese lot - together again.

AUCTIONEER: £15?

For the two pieces together.

MARK: Oh, no.

AUCTIONEER: £20?

Five, 30...five.

40...

It's going up.

£35, second row I have.

At £35.

40...five.

At 40, gentleman has it upstairs now.

£40, that's down 10, Anita.

VO: And down a bit more, after commission.

MARK: Well, I've got to now claw that back somehow.

VO: Next, Anita's bronze bust.

AUCTIONEER: At £20, at £20, £25 can I have, £25 I'm bid.

At 25, £30 for it?

Come on.

AUCTIONEER: At £25, the bid's on the net.

At £25, nobody in the room.

£30 I have, thank you.

At £30 bid, at £30.

35 anywhere for it?

At £30, going to the net at £30, being sold... 35.

Thank you.

At £35... ANITA: Well, nobody loved him.

MARK: Well, I loved him.

VO: Next, Mark's leather guncase.

AUCTIONEER: £30, at £30, at £30 for the guncase.

35.

The internet's into this one.

At £35, at £35 for the leather guncase, a nice furnishing item.

40 for it?

40, 45, 50, £45 back of the room.

Well, that's up 15, Anita, but disappointed.

VO: Not exactly a flying start for either of them.

We're onward and downward.

VO: I hope not.

VO: Next, Anita's Victorian enamel buckle.

AUCTIONEER: At £15, 20 can we say for the cloisonné buckle?

20 is bid.

20 I have, 25, 30, 35... 35 on the net.

AUCTIONEER: 40, sir?

£35, unusual lot, cloisonné buckle.

40 I have now, 45.

50, sir?

Come on, come on, come on.

AUCTIONEER: £50, bid's in the room.

£50.

MARK: That's good, Anita.

ANITA: That's a good result.

MARK: That's good.

ANITA: Yeah, I'm happy enough with that.

MARK: I think that was its money, actually... MARK: ..don't you, Anita?

ANITA: Yes, yes.

VO: Next, Mark's favorites - the darning mushroom and the maritime gourd.

AUCTIONEER: At £15 for the two together... MARK: Come on.

20 upstairs, five, 30...five?

£30 upstairs on the balcony for the two pieces together, £30 in the balcony at £30 for the two together.

Well, Anita... Well, it's still profit, still profit.

VO: But not much after commission.

I'm not terribly optimistic about the rest of it now, Anita, I'm afraid.

VO: Anita's cabbage rose jam pot.

AUCTIONEER: At £30, at £30.

35?

35.

£40.

45?

£50.

55?

£60?

At £55, the bid's on my right, beside me.

At £55, are we all finished now?

Being sold at £55.

All done?

Well, I'm happy enough.

You must be pleased with that?

I'm happy enough with that.

VO: The star of the show so far.

ANITA: There is quality in the decoration.

MARK: Right.

VO: Now, for Mark's sovereign-with-a-question-mark.

Is it, or isn't it?

It is slightly larger than a sovereign, but it is gold, 1826.

At £50, at £50, at 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.

£100, 150, 160, 170.

Yes!

AUCTIONEER: 180.

190!

200.

AUCTIONEER: The bid's on the net at £200, 220.

Being sold now at £220.

You're out in the room.

Bid's with the net at £220.

All done?

MARK: I'm staggered.

I'm absolutely staggered, Anita.

VO: Whatever it was, someone wanted it badly.

Oh, you are a jammy besom.

I wonder where I've learnt that from.

VO: I wonder!

VO: Now, who will adopt these two adorable scraps?

AUCTIONEER: Bid's here, and I have £40 to start the bid... AUCTIONEER: ..at £40.

ANITA: Good start.

At £45?

At £45.

At 50...five.

60...five.

70...five.

80...five.

90.

Lady in the balcony at £90 for the pair.

Are we all finished at £90?

All done?

Well, it could have been worse, Anita.

ANITA: Could have been worse.

VO: It sure could, but an even bigger loss, I'm afraid, after commission.

VO: Now, Mark's last buy - the Victorian wine-cooler.

£30?

At £30, 35?

40?

40.

45.

50...five.

At £50 in the far corner, under the balcony at £50 the wine glass cooler, being sold now at £50.

MARK: £50 The lot selling at £50.

All done?

ANITA: Well done.

MARK: Gosh, well, that's, that surprised me, Anita, actually.

VO: Now, anyone for a good old singalong?

£30 bid, at 35 now, at £35, 40...five.

50...five.

60, 60 at the back now, at £60.

All done?

65, 70.

£70 all finished now at £70 for the two together?

Yes!

That's good, Anita.

VO: Dare I say 'a sound return'?

Well, no, I'm happy enough with that.

That's a reasonable profit.

But it's not a record profit, though, is it?

VO: So, Darlington was especially kind to Mark Stacey.

VO: Mark began with £496.16 and made £188.70 after auction costs.

So he now has £684.86 to spend tomorrow.

VO: Anita started this round with £426.74 and made £32 after auction costs, leaving her with £458.74 to spend tomorrow.

ANITA: So, a good result for both of us, Mark, and a very good result for you.

Well, I'm very pleased.

I'm very confident now, Anita, 3-1.

ANITA: You just got lucky.

MARK: What, three times?

MARK: And off we go.

VO: Join us next time for answers to these important questions.

MARK: Anita, will you marry me?

VO: Will Anita's direct bargaining technique work out?

I mean, you've told me that they are rubbish.

VO: And will Mark's wish be granted?

Stuff the road trip, I want to head off.

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