Voiceover (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts... What about that!

VO: ..with £200 each, a classic car, and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

Can I buy everything here?

VO: The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

Feeling a little saw!

This is going to be an epic battle.

VO: There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

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

The honeymoon is over.

I'm sorry!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

VO: We're back on the road with two of our favorite auctioneers - Mark Stacey and Charles Hanson.

They're halfway through their trip but so far their car has been causing nothing but grief.

CHARLES: Don't...don't... Is your foot on the brake?

I'm not on the brake.

It is... VO: Ha!

So we've swapped the Austin Nash Metropolitan for a 1973 convertible VW Beetle.

To begin with, we've got leather seats.

MARK: I like the color.

My legs feel nice and stretched out.

VO: We aim to please.

Auctioneer Mark Stacey is a sucker for ceramics and when he unearths a gem by gad he's gonna get it.

Give you a cuddle cuz that might mean...that might mean a bigger discount.

VO: And eccentric auctioneer Charles Hanson likes a good sing while he works.

# It's raining men.

# # We'll be coming round the corner... # # Riding along in my automobile.

# VO: Oh crikey.

Our two experts each kicked off with £200.

We're now two trips down and on today's third leg the gap is widening with over £95 between them.

Mark's scent bottle and rather random fruit and veg lot did well giving him £287.06 to spend today.

But the leader of the pack is Charles.

All of his items made big money, bagging him £382.30 for his next shopping spree.

We're rubbing along nicely, aren't we?

I think, I think the road trip, you know, it is very much... just the two of us... # Just the two of us... # It's you and I. VO: Here we go again!

Our two connoisseurs of the collectable have a mammoth mission to complete.

From the north of England, down through the east, then zigzagging down to the south, up to the West Midlands, down, up, down and then up again, ending in Flintshire in Wales.

Leg three begins in Leominster, in Herefordshire and winds up in Itchen Stoke near Winchester.

The traditional town of Leominster, dating back to the 7th century, is an antiques and curios dream.

This landscape to me is a magnet for unearthing fertile riches.

MARK: Charles, you've certainly unearthed a lot of riches.

You're £100 ahead of me.

CHARLES: You can happily find a good object, which can clear £100 and it could be game on again.

VO: How very true.

CHARLES: Just try and stay away from the knobbly, the knick-knack, you know.

Buy with a staceyesque.

Yeah.

Charles, I can tell you now, all your little pearls of wisdom are getting lodged up here, Charles.

VO: I'm not sure I believe him.

Both of the chaps are starting in Leominster today, but to spare Mark any more advice, they're splitting up.

Mark's first stop is Beech Antiques center in the heart of the town.

What I'm looking for really is something that I haven't seen before.

And might actually make a profit, you know.

VO: They focus on buying and selling 17th and 18th century oak furniture, so it might help Mark stay away from knobbly knick-knacks.

MARK: Good Lord, that's rather interesting.

VO: Or not.

MARK: Sort of carved pine, I think.

But you've got like a sort of cross and a mallet, and other implements, and even this little stepladder.

It says "made by Captain Hickman Flannelly... ..July 1897."

And it's signed on the cork.

I think I love it.

VO: It's certainly unusual.

It's perhaps South African with a mallet and ladder which could be mining tools.

Sally Hiams's been helping run the business here for six years, so she's the only one Mark will need to win over to get a good deal.

Sally, I've found this ridiculous thing.

Right.

And I think it's wonderful.

Could you let me have that at a really good price?

SALLY: What does the ticket say?

Well, it says a very modest 38.

But I... What would you like it to be?

Well, I'm gonna be very cheeky.

Go on, then.

As I often am.

I would love to get it for £10.

You bought it cheaply, didn't you?

Yes.

Oh, the eyes told it.

A little bit more than 10.

11.

12.

£12?

I can't... Come here, give me a hug.

I love it, I want it.

VO: So that's £12, less than two thirds of the asking price, for the late 19th century bottle containing carved wooden implements.

Let me give you some money.

And I hope you do well with it.

VO: I'm not sure he's taken Charles' advice on board, but that may not be a bad thing.

Meanwhile Charles is just round the corner at One Drapers Lane, run by Jayne Richards.

Good morning.

JAYNE: Good morning.

How are you?

Very well, thank you.

VO: Just two years old, the shop's eight dealers specialize in all things retro and vintage.

But Charles wants to ensure that any cash he splashes is going to pay off.

I'm going to call the auction house, find out what they're selling on the day we're going, to make sure what I buy is going to sell well.

My name's Charles and I'm just wondering, is it an antiques sale?

Could it be...

Yes it is.

It is, it's a two day fine art sale.

Oh, goodness me!

I suppose what you're saying to me, buy high brow, buy heavy weight WOMAN: Alright.

CHARLES: Thanks a lot.

OK, thank you.

Thanks for your time, bye bye.

Wow.

So we're buying for a big sale.

So I need to really buy big things and buy quite expensively.

VO: Clever move Mr Hanson, so big and expensive is the plan - perfect as he's got almost £400 to play with.

Jayne, this is quite interesting.

VO: Erm Charles, it's small print with a ticket price of £9.

It's quite early, isn't it?

JAYNE: By the board in the back, it's got to be pre 1900.

It's awfully stained, and you can see here it's... it's...it's essentially an engraving, isn't it?

It is, yes.

What's your very best on that, Jane?

I'll take £4.

It's just absolutely worn out, isn't it?

Would you take for it the princely sum of 300 pence?

Yes.

You can have it for 300 pence.

It sounds better, right.

I'm really chuffed, because it's a really early print.

I'll do some homework to determine how early this print is.

VO: It seems like Charles' plan is already out of the window, but he could be onto something with this early print, for a paltry £3.

Thanks a lot, Jayne.

I'm so grateful, thanks a lot.

Thanks very much.

VO: Next stop for Mark is just 14 miles south, in Hereford in the center of Herefordshire.

This gorgeous market town was once home to film director and voice of Yoda, Frank Oz.

Hopefully the force will be strong for Mark at his next shop, Hereford Antiques Centre.

And today Sandra Spratling is holding the fort.

Hello.

Hello, Mark.

How are you?

I'm fine, thank you.

VO: Mark's spent just £12 of his £287 budget so far.

So much to look at, I love it.

VO: And it looks as though he's now sticking to Charles' advice.

I found this little table.

It's mahogany, you've got the sort of demilune shape at the front, with this sort of carrying box attached.

It's actually a butler's table, and he puts the cutlery in here and he puts the plates on there and then he can carry it off to the kitchen.

The shape primarily is Georgian.

This is an Edwardian revival piece.

So, this was made around 1900-1910.

VO: It's priced up at £165 but Mark's already spotted something else.

It's a portrait of a sort of young gentleman.

Well, the first thing to say is it's an oil on board.

And that backing's later.

And it's probably about...

..I suppose 1850, 1860.

VO: With two potential options, both owned by dealer Richard, Mark needs to get on the phone for the best possible price.

Good afternoon, Richard.

There's a little sort of tray top table.

And also you've got an oil painting of a young gentleman.

Oh, lovely.

£90.

And the painting?

120.

Em...

I'm thinking about these Richard, but that's really generous of you.

VO: Mark takes one last look around, but his mind is made up.

Sandra, I think I'm ready to make a decision.

Is there any chance that I can do it for around 200?

VO: So it's another call to dealer Richard to try and get him down a bit further.

SANDRA: You had a word with Mark.

I think he was interested in a picture and the tray top tables, which comes to 210.

Can you do 200?

MARK: He's begging.

Please, please, please.

Please, please, please.

OK. Lovely, thank you.

Bye.

Yes, he will indeed.

Oh, that's wonderful.

Thank you so much, Sandra.

That's alright.

VO: He's bought both the 19th century oil portrait for £120 and the Edwardian butler's tray table for £80.

Just a few minutes away, Charles has reached the city's stunning center point, Hereford Cathedral.

It houses two of the most significant documents in British history.

One was responsible for mapping out our understanding of the globe at the time, and the other forming foundations of not only English law but legal systems around the world.

Charles is here to meet Canon Chris Pullin to learn more about these precious relics.

CRHIS: Hello there, Charles.

I'm Chris Pullin the chancellor of the Hereford Cathedral.

It's fantastic to be here.

You just feel and ooze the history, don't you, of this place.

Well, there's been a cathedral here since at least the eighth century and it's been demolished and rebuilt several times over the period.

What is standing from what era?

Principally really the 12th and 13th centuries.

That's the main bit that you'd be seeing.

It's wonderful.

It really is special isn't it?

VO: But even more special is what the Cathedral holds in its archives.

The Mappa Mundi, meaning cloth of the world, is a unique British work of art.

It's the largest surviving complete mediaeval map of Earth.

It not only records how 13th century scholars viewed the world in geographical terms, but also anthropologically and theologically.

Chris, there's some things I see which are really quite magical.

I think this object goes beyond that.

Please tell me about it.

It is made in about the year 1300, a single calfskin, the whole map revolves around Jerusalem.

It is a spiritual map as much as a geographical map.

The first thing to understand about it is that east is at the top.

The UK is down there.

It's twisting it that way round, isn't it?

VO: It's more of a pictorial encyclopedia than your typical world map and would have been mind blowing to the everyday man at the time.

Its 500 drawings show towns, biblical events, the natural world and people, all presided over by an image of Jesus Christ.

CHARLES: In the year 1300, what did this represent to mediaeval man?

CHRIS: It represented all kinds of things, it was a compendium of knowledge.

It is such a work of art, Chris, do we know who decorated it?

Well, it was made by at least four people, we can tell that from the way in which it has been brought together.

CHARLES: And the detail.

I can see Glastonbury, for example, and Lincoln...

Yes.

Looking at some of the castles and forts, hence why that is a reason you can date it so accurately?

It is, because it has on it Caernarvon and Conwy and we know that they were built in the 1280s...

Right.

And Berwick is the key, because Berwick, 1296...

Yes.

Edward I takes Berwick and makes a fortified town.

Very prominent on the map here.

Yes, yes.

Would it have been more vibrant in its day?

It would.

It would have been absolutely glowing with color.

The red of the Red Sea stands out, and the red lettering, that has survived better than any other color on the map.

It is a map which has it all really, isn't it?

It does.

Everything is there.

VO: Hereford Cathedral is also fortunate enough to possess another priceless artefact.

The Magna Carta, meaning 'The Great Charter', is one of the most momentous and celebrated documents, not just in British history but throughout the world.

This iconic text influenced both English common law and the American constitution.

I can't believe it.

We have gone back to 1300, and now we are going even further back, to the year 1217.

Well, this has been at Hereford Cathedral since it arrived in 1217.

Cathedrals were places that copies of Magna Carta were sent to because they were reckoned to be secure and neutral.

VO: The original 1215 Magna Carta was dismissed very quickly and was replaced in 1217 with this version, one of only four in existence.

This peace treaty, issued by royalty, set out the basis of our human rights.

What did it spell out to people?

Well, it meant all kinds of things that to us would be irrelevant today, but the really important things for us are that people were not to be denied justice, people couldn't be denied their liberty or have their goods seized or anything except by lawful judgement of their peers.

CHARLES: This to me, looking at it, for its age is in super condition.

Is it in good condition?

It is.

It's the best preserved 1217 Magna Carta.

CHARLES: I thrive on handling real history, and to come here today and see objects which go so far back but which are in such good condition still is really quite amazing.

I am just so grateful to have had this chance to come and see you.

It's been a real pleasure, Charles.

VO: Although laws have evolved, the Magna Carta is accepted as the beginning of our legal system with three clauses still in effect 800 years after they were written.

And its legacy, standing for the rights and freedom of individuals, can be seen across the world today.

On that note, with shopping done for the day, it's time to call it night night fellas!

VO: Good morning one and all and what a lovely morning for Mark to take over the controls of the VW Beetle.

# Always look on the bright side of life.

# (CHARLES WHISTLES) VO: Indeed!

The chaps are certainly in fine spirits this morning.

MARK: Any strategies for today, Charles?

If I don't go big and I don't play the game, I'd rather lose the whole lot...

Absolutely.

..because...it's our journey.

And I'd like you to lose the whole lot, so please do!

(LAUGHS) VO: Despite planning to buy big and expensive, Charles spent a miserly £3 on a 17th century hand engraved Apostles print, leaving him with almost £380 to lavish today.

Mark did the opposite, picking up a 19th century bottle, an Edwardian butler's tray table and a 19th century oil portrait for £212, giving him just over £75 left.

# The minute you walked in the joint... # # I could see you were a man of distinction, # A real big spender.

Good looking, so refined... # VO: Our experts have already done some distance.

After launching from Leominster, they're now in the suburbs of Birmingham, in Moseley.

Set over three floors, Moseley Antiques Emporium pride themselves on buying interesting stock, so it could be Charles' turn to spend big today.

Here we are, Charles.

Good luck.

Let's have a good day shopping.

Give me a high five.

Come on!

Let's go.

See you later.

See you later.

Bye.

VO: Owner Maurice Melding has been running the place for over 22 years.

Good morning!

How are you?

Alright.

Maurice.

Maurice?

M-A-U-R-I-C-E?

That's right.

Not as in Morris Minor.

VO: Good to clear that one up!

Now all Charles needs to do is spend, spend, spend.

What I do quite like is this novelty item here.

It's a playing card...something!

There we are.

And it's £25.

Maurice!

What's the best on that?

Novelty value.

Uh... £25... CHARLES: 15 quid?

Yeah, go on.

Thanks, chief.

£15.

It's novelty, it's neat... Just there is a hallmark that's marked Birmingham from the year 1916, 1918.

So, in fact, what it is is a George V silver and ebonized mounted playing game card counter, I presume.

£15 - I'm over the moon.

VO: Not exactly big and expensive, yet again.

CHARLES: That's a nice box, isn't it?

MAURICE: Yeah, lovely.

That's pretty.

No asking price.

How much?

I think there's one inside.

£49.

Yeah.

49.

What we've got here is a really attractive stationery, could have been a jewelry box.

It's in mahogany, with really rich color.

I think the interior, sadly, it's missing a shelf here, isn't it?

Yeah, yeah.

Hence the price.

It's decorative.

I think the quality's really good.

Could be 1880, could be 1890.

I've just caught, in the corner of my eye, together with this box... MAURICE: Which is...£29... Maurice, this box is wonderful, because this box was sent over in many a ten thousands to all our servicemen...

Troops.

..troops...during World War I, and at Christmas 1914, given by our great Queen Mary, of course wife to George V, was this tin.

And when it originally went over to the trenches or to the fields of France or Belgium, it would have had within...?

MAURICE: Cigarettes.

And chocolates.

If I said to you, Maurice, you've got to make money... £20?

Oh, no.

How much?

Rock, rock bottom... Yeah.

On both, it's gonna be 35.

On the two together?

On the two.

30?

Go on, I'll do you that.

CHARLES: Are you sure?

MAURICE: Yeah.

Look at me.

Look at me.

Happy?

Yes.

For £30 I've bought these two.

So thanks ever so much, Maurice.

Thank you.

VO: Looks like Charles has struck lucky here and he's still not done!

That's quite sweet, isn't it?

MAURICE: Yes.

What's that - Chinese?

Could be.

Persian, Iranian?

That's quite nice, just because it's quite well embossed.

That's quite nice as well.

Little caddy spoon?

Little caddy spoon, exactly.

Is it silver?

Yeah.

Wow.

VO: In the late 18th century, when tea was a luxury, the caddy spoon was a tea drinker's most important utensil.

It was used for measuring tea from the caddy into the pot.

At first the spoons' materials were rather pricey, but as tea became cheaper, so did its accessories.

And this caddy spoon is probably the same age as this little dish.

CHARLES: 1900?

MAURICE: Definitely, yeah.

Give me a one-stop price for the two together.

20 quid.

£20.

I'll take the two of them together.

VO: And finally Charles has finished, for now, anyway.

He's landed himself a George V games counter, a late 19th century desk box, a First World War Queen Mary box and a turn of the century caddy spoon and dish, all for just £65.

And that's me done.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you.

VO: Meanwhile Mark has made his way into Birmingham, its name meaning 'home of the people'.

But Birmingham also has been home to some of our most innovative inventions - from the first photocopier, to the standalone stove.

Today Mark's off to hear about the evolution of an everyday object which revolutionized writing around the world.

The pen nib opened up writing to the poorer classes.

Women were crucial to this pioneering industry which advanced education and literacy in society and guide at the Pen Room, Larry Hanks, is here to tell Mark more.

Good morning.

Larry, isn't it?

Yes.

Good morning, Mark.

How are you?

Nice to meet you.

VO: The earliest forms of writing date back to 3000BC when Ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians used reeds.

Around the 7th century they were replaced by goose or swan feathers called quills, which were popular until the 1800s.

I'm guessing actually the population at large wouldn't have been using a quill pen.

No, they couldn't.

They hadn't got the skills or they couldn't read or write.

But if you want to have a go, we've got a quill pen here and some ink.

Oh, gosh.

Now, writing with a quill, you've got to be very delicate, you don't have to put a lot of pressure on it.

Alright.

So you hold it... LARRY: Dip it in and have a practice.

I'll try my name first, shall I?

Gosh, it's like writing when I was a child.

It doesn't hold quite so much ink as an ordinary nib.

No.

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

I mean, that's pretty shocking.

VO: Quills had to be sharpened every few lines, so there was a need to create something easier to use.

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly who invented the pen nib and when, as various metal implements have been used throughout history, but the first time steel pen nibs were made in bulk was in Birmingham in the 1820s.

There must be one person who came up with this brilliant idea of a manufactured nib, is that right?

It was John Mitchell and William Mitchell and Joseph Gillott came down from Sheffield in the early 1800s and they all saw people were struggling to make pen nibs, and they being very clever mechanically, they worked out how they could do it on the hand presses.

MARK: Within a relatively short period of time there must have been quite a big business in these pen nibs.

Oh, yes.

I mean to say in Birmingham there was up to 7,000 people employed.

Good lord.

VO: The majority of the workers were female as they had nimble hands and were cheap labor.

Like Mark today, they used a number of hand presses, pushing and pulling them to cut, pierce, stamp, shape and slit the steel to form the nib.

Would a woman have started the process there and gone all the way down?

No.

They sat at their own press and you were paid by the lot.

A minimum amount that a woman had to do in a day, that varied from factory to factory.

It varied from 15,000 a day to 18,000 a day.

VO: In order to fulfil strict quotas, the factory enforced rules to ensure maximum production - no talking, no singing, no wasting materials and no tardiness - or pay was docked.

After a while they realized that women could multitask, which they can talk and work - so the workplace became a lot happier and after, because in early days they were fined if they were caught talking a ha'penny or a penny and when they were only earning - a top woman worker was only earning 120p a week, you could say that was quite severe.

Quite a lot of money, wasn't it?

Yeah.

VO: At its peak in the 19th century, there were more than 100 companies making pens in Birmingham, producing up to 70% of the world's pen nibs.

LARRY: There was a saying in Victorian times that wherever you were in the world if there was a group of people writing with steel nibs, three quarters of those people would be writing with one that was made in Birmingham.

Wow.

That is a great achievement for Birmingham.

VO: Ultimately sales of steel nib pens declined.

The final nail in the coffin came from the invention of the cheaper ballpoint pen by Hungarian Laszlo Biro in 1938.

But there are still some who prefer traditional pens, with calligraphers and animators favoring the more flexible, versatile steel nib.

Larry, thank you so much, I found it fascinating...

Thank you for coming.

VO: Charles meanwhile is bound for the village of Belbroughton, in northern Worcestershire.

It's home to the newly=opened Sims Vintage, and Charles is here to meet owner Phil Sims.

CHARLES: Hello.

PHIL: Hi, Charles.

How are you?

Good to see you.

Charles, it is Charles.

Hi Charles, I recognize you.

Get out of here.

And your name is?

Phil.

VO: And Phil has something in the back he thinks could warm Charles' cockles.

It's something a little bit different.

CHARLES: It's a queen's muff warmer.

It is.

We think of, obviously, the ladies who wore that... Is that right?

The muff was worn... To keep the hands warm.

So, it was like one long sleeve, wasn't it?

That's right.

You put your hands in like that?

Yeah.

And this was almost a hot water bottle for the muff.

I've never, ever, ever, ever seen a muff warmer.

No.

What is quite remarkable is the fact that it is in good condition.

And your price is...?

£75.

Yes.

VO: While Charles ponders the price, he wants to see if he can spy anything else.

CHARLES: These are nice.

What's caught my eye with these field glasses, binoculars, is the fact that the case is so attractive.

There's the case, slightly tired, ripped back strap.

That's good quality.

So, you hope within this really nice quality case will be a good pair of glasses and these are marked Archer of London.

My only concern is they don't fit in the case.

VO: Perhaps try them the other way round then Charles?!

Unless they go in that way.

VO: Attaboy!

The amazing thing is they're only £5.

VO: Phil specializes in antique photographs and postcards and has a collection Charles might be interested in for the auction just outside Winchester.

These are great.

We have got a Winchester entrance to the cathedral close.

The Winchester great hall.

These are wonderful, Phil.

What's your best price?

For 40 cards and the album... CHARLES: Yeah.

PHIL: £40.

Really?

That's got to be good, hasn't it?

£20.

£30.

Could do really good.

£25?

Go on, then.

I'll buy these, and if I said to you how much is your muff warmer?

Give me 45 and it could be yours.

You shouldn't say that to me.

Would you take 30 for it?

No, I couldn't.

No?

PHIL: You wouldn't do 35?

I'll take the muff warmer.

Thanks a lot.

£35.

I just think it is really interesting.

VO: Charles is notching up the purchases in this shop but before he bids farewell he has his eyes on one last item - the binoculars.

CHARLES: What's the best price on these?

It's £4.

£4 and that is your very very best?

I'll do £3.

Oh, don't say that.

They are a wonderful set.

CHARLES: Are you sure?

PHIL: Yes.

£3, I am going to say I am going, going gone, with my six lots for the auction.

Winchester here I come.

VO: Beware, Winchester!

Charles will be bringing an Edwardian muff warmer, the early 20th century binoculars and case and a set of Winchester postcards, costing £63 altogether.

Not exactly a spending lots of money as planned moment.

That's fantastic.

Thank you.

I am so delighted.

Thank you for your time today.

Thank you.

VO: Out on the open road Mark has made his way just a few miles north to Halesowen in the West Midlands.

Halesowen was traditionally a nail making town, making use of local coal resources.

Mark's heading into Yesterday's World on the hunt for his final items.

Well, this is cluttered with stuff, isn't it, so hopefully amongst all this there's something that I can take to auction, make a profit and finally be in the lead.

VO: That's the spirit!

And with owner Jean Dunn on hand to help Mark spend some of his £75, he wastes no time in seeking out potential options.

Can I look at those candlesticks?

We are going to Winchester, of course, and Winchester is quite an old town.

Now, these are a pair of, well they say bronze, and they have got quite a good weight to them.

They are mediaeval revival pieces I think, so if you look at the gentleman and lady they look very sort of 14th and 15th century, don't they?

When you look at them they are quite nicely carved, I mean, not the best in the world, but it is nice to have a pair of them.

VO: Indeed, Mark.

And after a bit more rummaging about, the candlesticks aren't the only thing to have caught his eye.

Now, to me, this is a letter opener, I think, isn't it, Jean?

Yes.

I would say it is a letter opener, so you would, in the period, you would put that into the end of the letter and slice it open cleanly.

VO: Knives have been a common desk accessory for cutting paper since the Regency period.

But it was only when envelopes came into use in the latter part of the 19th century that the letter opener was born.

What sort of price would you be looking for?

Well, I haven't looked to see if there are any hallmarks on it yet.

I don't think it'll be silver.

I think it is silver plate.

I don't think there are.

No.

So, usually I get about a fiver for those.

I think it is quite nice, actually, I mean, to me it has got all the hallmarks of the art nouveau period.

1890 to 1905, something like that.

Silver plate I think and there's a little bit of wear on it, but you know, if you'd been around 110 years you'd have some wear on it.

Well, I tell you what, Jean, I am really interested in this and maybe the candlesticks.

What is your lowest price on the candlesticks, Jean?

I'll do you 45.

That would be 50 for the two?

Yes.

If I had the letter opener?

£50 for the two.

I think we've got a deal, don't you?

VO: So for £50 Mark has bagged himself both the silver plated art nouveau letter opener and a pair of bronze candlesticks.

Thank you so much, it's lovely to meet you, and there is your £50.

Thank you.

VO: And that's Mark's shopping wrapped up with five fabulous lots.

As well as the silver plated letter opener and bronze candlesticks, Mark has the 19th century bottle, the oil on board portrait and the Edwardian revival butler's tray table - all for £262.

Charles spent just under a third of his budget, buying low cost and spreading the risk.

His £131 secured him six hearty lots made up of the Edwardian muff warmer, the Queen Mary box and binoculars, the games counter, silver caddy spoon and dish, the 17th century print, the desk box and a set of Winchester postcards.

So what do they think?

I love the flame mahogany box.

It's got a really good color and it's in untouched condition.

Another clever buy, actually was the black and white postcards of old Winchester.

I distinctly remember him saying "Mark I am not buying any of those cheaper lots, I am going big and bold".

Exactly how have you done that on these prices, Charles?

I really like the oil painting.

I think it is charming, it is Mark Stacey.

Good job, Mark.

Big spend, A for antique, hats off to you.

I love your Sheraton revival butler's stand.

I think it is superb.

It was expensive, cuz that could be a clanger and make about £40.

VO: Well all will soon be revealed!

Our two road trip rivals began their journey 236 miles ago in Leominster and now they're about to reach Itchen Stoke, near Winchester.

It's going to be an exciting day, Mark.

I think so.

Hand on heart, with this auction you have found the golden nuggets.

MARK: You have won the last two auctions and you have that Midas touch.

You are... # Goldfinger, the man with the Midas touch, a spider's touch.

# VO: The small village of Itchen Stoke is home of Andrew Smith & Son Auctioneers.

The family-run business dates back to 1793 and is now located in a Grade two listed barn.

Well, this looks lovely, Charles.

I'm quite, I'm quite impressed, Mark.

I am actually quite daunted.

And that sun is burning off the chill now.

Yeah, Mark.

I think it is a sign of quality, this saleroom.

Is it?

And you have bought quality.

And you've bought some items as well.

Yeah, but Mark I feel you are here to win.

I feel the comeback is now on.

Starts now.

VO: The guy with the gavel today is auctioneer Nicholas Jarrett, who has already appraised our experts' selection.

Slightly eclectic mix.

It is a good picture, I like the face.

I suppose my favorite is probably the table, actually, I think it is going to sell, it is a lovely piece.

Well, the Queen Mary box and the binoculars I think that is rather a good little sort of man's lot.

The 17th century print, I don't love it, I have to say.

VO: So as Charles predicted, his items could be rather hit and miss, giving Mark the chance to take the glory with some of auctioneer Nicholas' potential picks.

But Charles is getting things going with his muff warmer.

I am going to start you here, declared bids, at £12.

Oh, no.

12 I have, 15 can I say?

At £12.

15... 17...20?

At £20.

Well done, sir.

Good man.

Thanks a lot.

Good man!

22 now?

22.

25.

Come on!

25 I have now.

27, do you mean, sir?

At £27, it's the gentleman's bid at £27.

All done?

At £27...

Yes!

Here!

Sorry.

30 I have.

Sorry.

At £30, he came in last minute at 30.

Thanks a lot.

He's beaten all others at £30 if you're done...

Thank you, sir.

Thanks a lot.

I lost £5.

VO: A small loss for Charles.

Sometimes you buy the quirky and it goes wrong.

It does, Charles.

VO: But Charles' next item is one of auctioneer Nicholas's picks - the Queen Mary box and the cased binoculars.

I think the tin is worth £30 all day long.

I bought the tin and a World War I period pair of binoculars for £18.

Oh, that's cheap.

It is cheap.

There's a profit in that.

It is cheap.

10 I have.

12...15...17... 20?

At £20, have you done?

£2 profit, Charles.

VO: At least he's clawing a bit of money back.

I'm frightened.

Well, if you're frightened imagine what I feel like.

VO: They're taking this seriously!

Mark's first lot, the letter opener, only cost him a fiver, so definitely has profit potential.

£20 can I say for it?

20?

Oh, come on!

20 I have.

22 on the net.

25, new bidder.

27... Come on, it must make more than this.

Gonna fly.

At 30... 32.

It should make a lot more than this.

On the net at £32...

It's a good, positive start.

It's a good start.

VO: In fact it's a great start with a substantial profit.

Now it's back to Charles with his silver selection.

20 I have on the net, thank you.

At 20.

And two.

25...27...

Yes, 27?

30... No?

No... At £27, then, on the net.

30, new bidder.

Finished at 30.

VO: And that's another loss for Charles.

It was a preserves spoon, a dented card counter and an Indian dish, Charles.

VO: Charles isn't often stuck for words.

If Mark does well with his candlesticks, he could be on the road to victory!

In my saleroom I would put 80 to 120 on.

They could do really well.

These are decorative.

I hope they do well.

20 I have, thank you.

At £20.

22, is it?

At £20.

We have a bid at £20.

Is anybody else in at 20?

CHARLES: Is that a profit?

MARK: No.

At £20, then.

All done at £20...

There it goes, Charlie.

Any gain I've made so far, I've just lost.

VO: Don't be too smug Charles!

That's a £25 loss for Mark.

Next it's Charles' print.

He's since found out it's a 17th century hand engraved Apostles print, so at £3 it could be a steal even if auctioneer Nicholas wasn't keen!

Sometimes, for three quid... Oh, you can't go wrong for £3.

..it's great to buy history on a budget.

£10 somewhere, surely, for this.

Oh, I don't believe it!

12.

14?

15?

Alright.

It's cheap.

17...20?

It's so cheap!

22... 25... Charles!

27...30?

This is really cheap.

Pay £60 for it!

£32...

It's so cheap.

Have you done at £32...?

It's a hard game, isn't it?

VO: Well, it's certainly a funny old game and a great profit for Charles.

Well done.

£29 profit.

Can't complain.

VO: Next to go under the hammer is Mark's 19th century bottle.

I have, to start you, declared bids at £22.

25, can I say now?

No?

It's an unusual thing.

I thought it would do better than this.

At £22, then.

With me, at 22 and I'm selling, at £22... All done?

That's a bargain.

I tell you what, if I'd seen that for £22 I would have snapped it up.

Wouldn't you?

Ditto.

VO: It's another profit in the bank for Mark.

Now it's over to Charles again, with his late 19th century desk box.

£10 I have.

At £10.

Oh, no.

I'm in trouble.

That's a cheap box for a tenner.

It's a cheap box.

That too.

They're all in now.

12, 15, 18...

It's a cheap box, Mark.

It's so cheap.

20, 25, 27, 30...and two?

35.

One more.

37... 40?

And two?

No?

At £40, then.

Online at 40.

£40!

Charles.

At £40...

Thank you.

Very kind.

That's good.

Well done, Charles.

Put it there.

Give me a high five.

£25 profit.

Yeah, well done.

25 quid.

VO: And that could mean Charles is back in the game.

Mark took a risk on his next item.

He spent big so needs to win big to stay in the race.

Auctioneer Nicholas thinks it could be a winner.

I would actually estimate it at 2-300, but... 50, thank you.

At £50 I have.

It's going up.

At £50... No, it's not, Charles.

50 quid on the net.

That's cheap.

At 50 and five can I say now?

Yes, it's very cheap.

A good portrait there, for £50.

Got a good smile.

At £50.

£50, online at 50... VO: Disaster!

So I've just lost £70 on that.

I mean, what... No, it's really amusing.

VO: I don't think Mark's finding his loss very funny.

But he could be having the last laugh if Charles' final item, the Winchester postcards, bomb.

I have to start you here at £22.

Close already, Charles.

It's with me at £22.

25 can I say now?

Come on!

At £22.

25?

£22 I have here.

At £22.

Oh!

I say!

Clearly not.

At 22, going to sell.

Lost £3.

That is a surprise.

VO: And a third, albeit small, loss for Charles.

Last but not least it's Mark's star buy - the butler's tray table.

If it does as well as he and the auctioneer Nicholas think, Mark could finally beat Charles.

Can I just say one thing to you?

You deserve some luck.

Well, I deserve it, but I don't think I'm going to get it.

40, then!

Surely, £40 for this.

VO: It's not looking great for Mark.

Oh, don't be ridiculous!

£20 I have.

Is that as far as it's going?

22, 25, 28, 30... £28 here.

30...and two.

35...38.

35, then.

Lady's bid here at £35.

Is it all done at £35?

38 on the net.

40, do you mean?

And two.

45... £42, then.

I think this is cheap, but I am selling at £42.

That's cheap.

I know that's cheap.

I don't think it is.

All done?

At £42... VO: That's a whopping £38 loss.

A huge blow for Mark, but some of these auction goers snapped up some real bargains today!

Charles, you've done it again.

Well done.

I'm very pleased for you.

Let's get to Stratford.

Let's go.

VO: Mark began today's leg with £287.06.

After his three expensive lots lost money, as well as auction costs, he's now down £125.88, leaving him with £161.18 for the next stretch.

Charles was already ahead with £382.30.

He's had a mixed day, but after auction costs he's still made a profit of £11.68.

So Charles is the winner again with £393.98.

You've done it again, Charles.

You've done it again.

Well done.

I got lucky.

Well, I don't know what it was, Charles, but I'm so devastated.

I couldn't even possibly drive this car.

Come here.

Give me a hug.

VO: Aw, bless!

Next time, our experts get on like a house on fire.

But when it comes to shopping, Mark Stacey takes it very seriously.

Get up that... Ooh!

VO: And Charles Hanson psychs himself up for another auction battle.

You've got to be strong-armed in the auction.

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