VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts.

This is beautiful.

That's the way to do this.

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

Joy.

Hello.

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

But it's no mean feat.

(LAUGHS) (GAVEL) VO: There will be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Sorry, sorry!

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

The handbrake's on.

VO: This is Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah.

It's the second leg of the Road Trip for James Braxton and Charlie Ross.

You're winning!

You've pulled away!

I am leading by canvas, one might say.

Just a canvas!

Just a canvas.

VO: In the last leg, Charlie went to a great deal of effort.

Ahh, oh!

VO: Oh!

VO: And we learned about James's secret weapon.

I bring a new thing in my life, which is yoga.

You are taking on the athlete of antiques.

VO: The boys are traveling in a 1961 Ford Zephyr, manufactured before fitting seat belts became mandatory.

Charlie's lagging a bit behind after the first leg, but it's early days in this battle between two Road Trip veterans.

I will spend every penny I have.

You like to spend up.

I like to spend up.

I like to have the jeopardy.

Do you feel, though, sometimes, that the sort of idea that you want to go full in... ..it lets in, you know, Mr Careless through the open door?

CR: Yes, yes.

JB: Could be, couldn't it?

You speak... words of wisdom.

Have you ever thought of being a house master?

JB: (LAUGHS) VO: Charlie began this trip with £200 but made a small loss at their first auction.

He kicks off today with £197.62.

VO: James has a narrow lead.

He also started with £200 and made a small profit, so he has £220.10 today.

VO: This road trip sees our boys traveling from Boston in Lincolnshire, heading through Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, onto Leicestershire, before finishing in the Surrey town of Cobham.

Today's leg sees the fellas start off in the Lincolnshire town of Stamford, then travel east around Norfolk before ending up at an auction in the Cambridgeshire market town of St Ives.

We're shopping together today.

Good.

In Stamford?

In Stamford.

It's a lovely county, isn't it?

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Lovely county.

Is Stamford in Lincolnshire or Rutland?

I haven't a clue.

Stamfordshire, isn't it?

No, there isn't a Stamfordshire!

Oh!

OK. VO: It's actually in Lincolnshire, James.

I'll do the geography, thanks.

First off, James and Charlie are going head to head in the same shop.

So stand by.

This doesn't look like an antiques shop to me.

It looks like an old barn.

It looks like an old courtyard.

Have you brought me to the right place?

Never judge a book by its cover.

VO: St Martin's Antiques Centre has been running since 1993, and has space for 70 dealers, so plenty for the chaps to get their teeth into.

DEALER: Oh!

JB: Hello.

Hello.

Lovely ladies!

Hello, I'm Charlie.

VO: Today Lucinda is Charlie's guide, and Lyn is James's.

Gosh, look at this gardening.

My wife would have an absolute field day here.

Oh, that's dangerous though, isn't it?

LUCINDA: Is it sharp?

It's sharp enough.

(PARPING) VO: Er, perhaps not, James.

Got this lovely pewter-lidded box here.

It's a box within a box.

We can take that out.

Suffered some damage here.

Engraved.

Definitely for tea.

This is for tea.

This is for housing tea.

And this is a mighty tea chest, isn't it?

This is on a big scale.

Tea is still valuable.

It's got a lot going for it, it's got a bit of damage there.

But I love it.

It's a great item, isn't it?

VO: This 19th-century Chinese tea caddy has a ticket price of £105.

Would 45 buy it, Martin?

I'd like closer to 60.

Well, how about 50?

Five?

50.

MARTIN: Five.

(THEY LAUGH) Oh, I'm a gambling man.

Well done, Martin.

That may be the first, Martin.

May be the first.

Look at that.

JB: We're loving that.

LYN: I think that's lovely.

I like that.

VO: James is off the mark, and with a generous discount too.

(PARPING) First purchase made!

Thank you.

VO: Good to see you're remaining graceful, James.

(RATTLING) What a fantastic noise!

And I thought that was for football matches, but it says here it's a bird scarer.

Ooh.

Hello.

Hello!

I can see an ebony parallel rule there.

LUCINDA: Let's open it.

Open up, Lucinda.

Show me the wares.

Let me just have a look.

I love this.

And I think...

They've put circa 1910.

I would beg to differ.

I actually think that's earlier.

It's ever so cheap, it's £14.

That would have come in a job lot for somebody, wouldn't it?

Do you think they'd sell me that for a fiver?

I like it.

It's got a bit of a crack in there, but... That would give me a chance.

What about eight?

CR: What do you think?

LUCINDA: Eight?

Oh, good, are you able to deal with this?

Well, I'm offering you eight.

CR: Are you sure?

LUCINDA: Yeah.

CR: We have... May I?

LUCINDA: You may.

Mwah!

..a deal!

£8.

Put it on one side.

VO: This 19th-century parallel rule, used by draftsmen to draw straight parallel lines, is Charlie's first purchase of the day for £8.

Ooh, some nice railway memorabilia in here.

Look at these lovely things.

"Leicester."

"Half barriers will be introduced."

"British Railways."

"Beware of trains."

I tell you what I do like - I like the 69 and a quarter.

"Extremely heavy."

That's a lovely Midland Railway mile post.

It's a fun object, isn't it?

Made of cast iron, mounted.

You know, who'd make a cast-iron sign today?

That's a lovely object, isn't it?

It is.

It's a very, very nice object.

A Midland Railway 69 and a quarter mile post.

That was obviously a great guide for the... Yeah.

For the train.

For the driver, wasn't it?

Yeah, absolutely.

Steaming along, full head of steam.

He wasn't going to miss that, was he?

Anyway, he's got £100 on it.

What sort of... You know, does he take cheeky offers?

50-60?

I could try.

I'm going to make a cheeky offer.

LYN: Yeah.

JB: 50.

LYN: OK, James.

I'll try.

JB: 50.

VO: A call to the dealer required, then.

Meanwhile, what's Charlie got his eye on?

Look at that.

That is beautiful.

"Marie Brizard & Roger."

Look, and there you can have four different liqueurs in one decanter.

How old is that?

Because those labels are in immaculate condition, aren't they?

DEALER: You'd think it was between the wars, probably.

CR: Yeah.

DEALER: Might be '50s, it could easily be '30s.

And only one problem.

DEALER: It's lost its label, as you see.

Yeah, and that's just lost one of its glass stoppers.

DEALER: Ah, yes.

CR: What a lovely object.

And if you put the different liqueurs in there, the colors of them - it's a clever thing, isn't it?

I don't suppose you're dying to see the back end of that, are you?

DEALER: I've had it in stock a long time.

CR: I love it.

I really love it.

Can I let it go for £30?

Would you manage that?

I would, I think it's fant...

I mean, that is a real problem, but what a wonderfully visual object.

If I was really rude and said would you take £25, what would you say?

Would you show me the door or would you sell it to me?

DEALER: No, I'll accept it.

CHARLIE: Are you sure?

I've had it in stock a long, long time, it'd be lovely to see it go and... ..see it live another life somewhere else.

I'm going to have that.

CR: I think it's a really... DEALER: Thank you very much.

..really lovely object.

It's got weight, it's got class, and the great thing for me - it's got the original labels.

VO: The decanter for £25, down from a rather hefty ticket price of 75.

But what of James's £50 offer on the railway post?

LYN: Right, James.

Lyn.

Hold on.

Do you have news for me?

I do have news for you.

Is it good news?

Yes, it is very good news.

Very good news!

LYN: Yeah, it's very good news.

JB: Yeah.

Fire away.

£55.

55?

He has a deal.

JB: Why not?

LYN: That's really Brilliant.

Thank you.

Thank you very much indeed.

LYN: Thank you, James.

Just throwing my money around!

VO: The post is James's for £55.

Now he's just got to get it out of the shop.

JB: Lift with the legs.

LYN: That's very heavy.

JB: Oh!

LYN: You want a trolley for that.

Don't hurt your back.

VO: Look at him go!

Successful first shop for James, picking up the Chinese tea caddy and the railway mile post for £110.

VO: But Charlie's still on the hunt.

CR: An old radio.

A 1920s radio.

There are serious collectors for that sort of thing.

Is it a battery-operated one or is it a plug-in job?

DEALER: I would never have thought it was, but yes, look.

It is!

Good grief!

DEALER: I would never have thought that.

And that came out... actually did come out of someone's attic not long ago.

CR: Did it?

And it didn't cost anything?

No.

It won't make much either, unfortunately.

No, it won't, but I'll give you a fiver for it, just for a laugh.

£10.

For 10 quid - piece of cake, this is.

I'm going to have your radio.

DEALER: OK, thank you.

CR: Purely on price.

I feel like the chancellor of the exchequer.

DEALER: Wrong color, but close.

Wrong color!

VO: Charlie's spent a total of £43 on the draughtsman's rule... ..the decanter and the vintage portable radio.

You'll have to try harder if you want to blow the lot, Charlie.

James's second shop is off the beaten track in the tiny Norfolk parish of Tottenhill.

Hello.

James.

Hello.

Arthur.

Hello, nice to meet you, Arthur.

It's a lovely lot of stock in here.

You've got silver, masses of furniture.

Shall I just have a rootle around?

Mm-hm.

VO: James has £110.10 left to spend.

It's a good straw hat, that.

DEALER: Mm-hm.

Ahh!

VO: Ooh - look at those Doulton vases!

Henry Doulton was one of those great Victorian entrepreneurs, and where there's muck, there's brass, and Henry Doulton put in all the sewage linings, salt glazed stoneware, for London.

Put in all these big pipes for sanitation, for water.

He made so much money, and he'd formed this union with the Lambeth School of Art, and so he took the brightest and best to work in his studios, and started doing art pottery.

Arthur, they're very nice, aren't they?

They are, they are.

And, what, so your price is... £50, that's the best I can do on them.

£50, I'll take it, Arthur, thank you very much indeed.

So that's good, we've started, off to a flying start.

VO: These two vases were produced by Hannah Barlow, a renowned designer for Doulton Lambeth.

They're potentially pretty valuable.

So, great spot, James.

He's on a roll now.

Look at him go!

Nice box.

Devices like this were all the rage in the 19th century.

It's "electro-therapy", and it dubiously promised to cure diseases and boost energy.

If you hold these in both hands, wind the handle frenetically, and it gives you an electrical charge, and I'll be buzzing, I'll be singing arias.

# Agh!

# And all this sort of thing any moment now.

And, you know...

But it's lovely, it's a beautifully made box.

The Victorians were beautifully mad.

Anything sort of to energize... You can imagine, this is all pre-television stuff, so you're sitting peacefully in your parlor, you've had your early supper - what do you do in the evening?

Well, you invent something that's supposed to give you a bit more energy.

They all took to their beds, didn't they, in the 19th century?

They had a touch of the vapors, took to your bed.

And what better way to get somebody out of the bed than a large electric shock?

How much have you got on this?

DEALER: 50.

JB: 30?

No... Well, yeah, 35 I'd do it for.

JB: 35.

DEALER: Yeah.

JB: I'll give you 35 for it.

DEALER: Right, fair enough.

Thank you, Arthur.

VO: So, James has spent a total of £85 on the Mahogany "medical instrument" and the fantastic two Doulton Lambeth vases.

He's doing a great job of spending his money today!

Been an absolute pleasure.

Cheers.

Thank you very much indeed.

Bye.

Bye.

VO: Ooh, mind your hand there, James.

Charlie's traveling to the Norfolk town of Wisbech.

He's come to the birthplace of 19th century social reformist Octavia Hill.

Hill was one of the founders of the National Trust.

She was also a driving force for the creation and provision of social housing and open spaces for the poor.

She strongly believed in a fairer, more inclusive society, and that natural beauty should be accessible to everyone.

Museum curator Peter Clayton is here to tell Charlie more about her life.

CR: Peter!

PETER: Charlie!

Hello.

Charlie.

Good to meet you.

Very nice to see you too.

Welcome to Octavia Hill's Birthplace House.

For 50 years, Octavia Hill tried to enable everybody PETER: to have happy homes... CR: Yep.

PETER: Open spaces.

CR: Yep.

The National Trust motto, which she founded in 1895, is "for ever, for everyone".

VO: Born into a family of social reformers, Octavia's values and beliefs were shaped from a young age, but another huge influence on her life was the famous art critic and philanthropist John Ruskin.

She had an association with Ruskin.

Oh, very much so.

No, Ruskin was the inspiration of her life.

Really?

He actually, as we'll see later, bankrolled her first excursions and the invention of social housing and the beginnings of modern social work all came from John Ruskin.

Many of the documents show just what an influence John Ruskin had on her.

CR: Right.

PETER: Hugely important, and Ruskin inherited all his father's money, and said to Octavia, "What would you do if you had all this money?"

and she said "I would do something to help "the housing of the poor people."

VO: Ruskin had such faith in his young protege that in 1864 he purchased three houses in London in an area known as "Little Hell" due to the appalling living conditions.

He handed over management of the properties and the tenants to Octavia, who at this time was only 26.

She ran things with social responsibility at the heart of it all.

An exhibit recreating one of these slums is on display at the museum.

She becomes the first social worker, so the man we see there, collecting the rent, who has no interest other than the money, is replaced by her women workers, and her initially showing the way how it could be done, and they're effectively the first actual social workers who'd come in.

Instead of just collecting the money, they'd say "How are you?

"Are the children going to school?"

CR: "And if you can't pay the rent, "let's see what we can do about it."

PETER: "Let's see if we can give you a little bit of work".

And it's a whole action plan.

The most extraordinary thing of all about her is her ability to lead, and other people had trust in her.

They would give her money, knowing she would use it very well.

But - and this is most important - she profiled it as not charity, not philanthropy, but business.

VO: Octavia Hill's other guiding principles were that people should have access to open space, and a community meeting place.

In 1887, this philosophy became a reality in south London, when she established Red Cross Hall, Cottage and Garden.

The museum houses a replica model of this pioneering social housing scheme.

CR: So what was the specific importance of this site?

PETER: This site in my view is of urban importance, because she's created a model here which was replicated and feeds into the whole history of modern town planning.

It's right near London Bridge, in Southwark, which was of course a very distressed area, 25 people per thousand dying each year of all the... Mostly from the appalling living conditions.

CR: Yeah.

And what we have here is happy homes, managed by Octavia Hill and her community, open spaces and a community hall.

Those are the three elements she had from day one.

CR: What a change for people!

PETER: Yes.

And the key thing is it was for everybody.

VO: Octavia Hill's tireless work continued and in 1895, along with fellow conservationists Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley, she co-founded the National Trust.

The trust now owns over 500 historic properties, and is dedicated to preserving Britain's heritage and open spaces for all to enjoy, for ever.

VO: It's been a busy old day.

So rest up, chaps.

And nighty night.

It's a brand-new day and the boys are back on the road in search of the Holy Grail.

You've got a bit of a smug look about you, to be perfectly honest.

I... Charlie, I think I bought a game changer yesterday.

You haven't.

Yeah.

Not just one but two.

Two game changers in one day!

Two game changers in one day.

It was one of those moments.

A golden moment?

A Road Trip moment.

Oh!

Is it your greatest Road Trip moment to date?

It could be.

The gods shone upon me.

VO: They were indeed because yesterday, James unearthed two potentially very valuable Doulton Lambeth vases, for £25 each.

He also bought a Chinese tea caddy for £55, a cast iron railway post, also for £55, and a Victorian medical instrument for 35.

That leaves him with £25.10 left for his final shop.

Charlie bought a draughtsman's rule for £8, a vintage battery radio for 10, and a liqueur decanter for £25.

He still has £154.62 left for the day ahead.

Charlie's heading to the Norfolk market town of Hingham.

Courtyard Antiques, run by John and his wife, is the first shop of the day.

And time to get spending, Charlie!

Hello?

Hello?

Knock.

Anyone in?

Ah!

Yes!

Charlie?

Hello, that's me!

That's you!

CR: And you are?

JOHN: John.

John, lovely to see you.

How nice to meet you.

God, you live in a lovely part of the world.

How long have you been here?

This shop, about a year.

It's my wife's shop and I just help out.

Where is she today?

Hiding?

She's hiding, she heard about your reputation.

Well, if I could have a look round.

Actually, something took my eye as I came in.

Really?

I have been shopping already on my trip - I bought one of these.

Well, when I say I bought it, I was very nearly given it, and it went off to auction and it did alright.

So I'm on a roll with these.

Oh well.

That's right up your street, then.

VO: On the last leg, Charlie snapped up a Grafonola record player for £40, although he had to use a bit of fancy footwork to seal the deal.

Does it work?

Oh, of course it works!

It's a splendid machine.

MUSIC: "In Apple Blossom Time" by the Andrews Sisters # ..be with you # In apple blossom time... # JOHN: Lovely.

Would you care to, er... Would you dance with me, John?

# I'll be with you... # CR: How beautifully you dance!

JOHN: Thank you so much!

CR: It's fantastic.

I wonder how I've lived without it all my life, really.

Try me with a price.

It's an incredible £85.

Oh.

I bought mine for 40 quid.

JOHN: Yeah.

And it did make 80 at auction.

Frighten me with a good price.

Well, it won't be a good price, but it'll certainly frighten you.

Yes?

It'd have to be rather like the last one, sort of 30 quid or something.

No, it can't be, I'm afraid.

I didn't think it could.

VO: Perhaps one to set aside for now then, Charlie, and just keep looking.

This three-piece clock set has a ticket price of £140.

CR: I love them.

I have to say, that is pure art deco.

JOHN: It's all there.

CR: If that isn't 1930... JOHN: It works and the key is there.

Does it tick?

Yes, it does.

Very loudly.

IGO.

In going order.

Or IWO.

JOHN: Well, you can make me a silly offer if you like.

I'm losing the competition at the moment.

I don't suppose this has any bearing on your feelings whatsoever, but James is beating me.

A little.

Does it?

A little?

I'll tell you what.

Why don't you... Yeah?

..take the clock for 50 quid.

Yeah, I'll give you 50 quid for your clock, sir.

Thank you very much.

It's not a great offer, and frankly, when the missus comes back in here, she'll say, "Thank goodness that clock set's gone".

No, no, she'll give me such a hard time.

CR: (LAUGHS) I'll be suffering for this.

So why don't you have both?

CR: Um... JOHN: 90 quid for the two.

VO: Lordy, it seems as though Charlie and record players are just meant to be on this trip.

So the clock, that could be 50 quid, and the record player could be 50 quid.

Yeah.

But you could have both of them for 90.

Oh!

As a bulk purchase offer?

Yes, why not?

Um... We want you to win, Charlie.

Oh, you are a wonderful man.

I'll have the two for 90, sir.

Good man.

Thank you very much indeed.

I'm thrilled I called in.

VO: So, after some generosity from John, Charlie's picked up the art-deco clock set for £50 and the wind-up gramophone for £40.

Wow!

Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you very much.

And thank your wife if she ever comes back.

JOHN: I doubt it.

CR: (LAUGHS) VO: James is traveling to the Norfolk town of Thetford.

In the mid 1800s, Norfolk became home to Maharajah Duleep Singh, an Indian prince with a fascinating story.

His connection to these parts is celebrated here at the Ancient House Museum of Thetford Life.

James is meeting curator Oliver Bone.

Hello, Oliver.

Ah, James.

Hello.

Welcome to the Ancient House Museum.

It is very beautiful.

Now, who would have lived here?

Who would have built it?

This is a wonderful building that is about 500 years old, and we think it was first built by some wealthy merchant of the town.

But these days, we have a fascinating connection with the Indian subcontinent through the story of Maharajah Duleep Singh, and I'd love to tell you that story.

A maharajah in Norfolk!

OLIVER: Exactly.

JB: Lead on!

Come through this way.

VO: Duleep Singh was the last maharajah of the Sikh empire, and was just a child when the British forcefully annexed the Punjab territory of India.

Not only his kingdom, but his property were taken by the British, including the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Once the largest diamond in the world, it is now part of the British crown jewels.

The young maharajah himself was uprooted from his home in India and adopted into a British aristocratic family.

Ah, is this our man?

And this is our man, the maharajah Duleep Singh.

He was great friends with the royal family, and the connections with the royal family go back to his boyhood when he was a boy king in the northern kingdom of the Punjab in India.

And we have here a copy of the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Isn't that a wonderful thing?

This comes from the Indian subcontinent and was owned by the maharajah's father, Ranjit Singh, and then it passed down to him as the last king of the Punjab.

JB: Dear old Brits, we annexed poor old... the Punjab.

And what did he get in return?

In exchange for his rights to his kingdom and his possessions, he was given a pension by the British.

VO: The pension he received from the government allowed him to purchase a 17,000-acre country estate.

Although he was able to live life as an English aristocrat, it was nothing in comparison to the Indian kingdom taken away from him, and he grew to resent this.

He was a great favorite of Queen Victoria, and when he came to Britain, he was invited to be with the queen, and I think she was rather enamored by him, and it was from this time that he made great friends with Edward and others in the royal family.

He was very much part of the court.

Was he a happy man here?

He was happy at first, I think, but as time developed, he felt that he had been mistreated by the British and his rebellious spirit perhaps came to the fore.

He decided that he wanted to go back to India, maybe reclaim his kingdom.

So he attempted to go back with his family.

They were stopped by the British at Aden, and the family came back to this country.

But he then went on to try and raise a rebellion against the British from Russia, from the north, but this sadly... Well, from his perspective, it came to nothing, and his health failed him and he died in Paris in 1893.

VO: This sad story is a stark example of the cost paid by many for British imperialism.

However, the maharajah's children, and in particular, his second son, Prince Frederick, or "Freddy", as he was known, embraced their lives as part of the British aristocracy.

Freddy was a major in the Norfolk Yeomanry, and was on active service in France in World War I.

He's also responsible for the establishment of the museum here in Thetford.

OLIVER: And here, James, we have a photograph of Prince Frederick.

JB: Ah!

OLIVER: Prince Frederick was the great benefactor of this museum.

Yeah.

So why did Freddie buy this building?

Well this building came up for sale in the 1920s and the Thetford Borough Council approached Prince Frederick.

They knew how fascinated he was in history and collecting and he was the perfect person to approach to set up a museum for the town.

Well, it's a really beautiful house and it's a lovely collection and um, yeah, a great story.

Thank you very much indeed, Oliver.

VO: The boys are en route to the town of Swaffham.

This old grammar school has been converted into an antiques shop and tea room.

It is the last chance for Charlie and James to add to their antiques haul on this leg.

Here we are.

Get your nose in.

Get my nose in here.

Oh yeah.

Oh look, how lovely.

Oh!

You got any money left?

£25.

How about you?

A little more.

Oh!

Would you like some pansies?

I don't...

I'm not sure I can afford them.

VO: With lots on offer here, it's up to owner Melanie to make sure James and Charlie play fair.

There's a lady at work here, Bingo.

Hello!

Hello!

CR: Is this your establishment?

DEALER: It certainly is.

CR: You must be Melanie, then.

DEALER: I am.

And this is my good friend James Braxton.

JB: Hello Melanie.

Hello.

DEALER: Hello.

Nice to meet you.

Very good to meet you.

Is there another room through there?

There's another two rooms through there.

CHARLIE: Two rooms!

JAMES: I will go to the far end.

OK. CR: I'll stay here with Melanie.

I'll leave you with Melanie, momentarily.

(THEY CHUCKLE) CR: We may be some time.

VO: How are we all feeling then, boys?

CR: He's obviously bought something seriously good.

I've bought some reasonable items.

I've got 60 quid left, but I haven't got a game changer and he used the words "game changer", didn't he, the rotter, and he's already ahead by a canvas and I think he said he was going to open up clear water between us.

I need Melanie like I've never needed anybody in my life before, frankly.

VO: James seems altogether more relaxed I'd say.

Understandably.

(STRAINED PARPING) Lovely tone.

Every time he sees a blooming bugle, he blows the thing.

The binoculars are fantastic.

CR: Aren't they beautiful?

DEALER: They are lovely.

28 quid?

Do they work?

DEALER: Yes.

They do!

Marvelous!

I can see a palm tree.

I'm not sure I am in Swaffham.

They're lovely.

They're beautiful.

Oh, blimey.

They're worth negotiating on, I think.

DEALER: OK. VO: One to think about.

James is off to check out a shop called Wiggle Room Stuff, a separate little unit based on the same site.

Hello.

James.

Hello.

Lovely to meet you.

Julie.

Hello, Julie.

How are you?

Very well, thank you.

Now Julie, I don't...

I don't come with a lot of money, so I've got a small amount of money, but I want to buy something spot on.

And they're useful, aren't they?

They're good.

They're gorgeous, they are.

They're just what I need to organize my filing.

So they're brass trimmed in and out files.

They're rather fun.

They're a pair.

Er... You know, this is organization on a better....

Put your post in here and then deal with it.

Deal with it the same day, preferably.

What would buy those, Julie?

Um...

Think small.

£18 to you.

You've got yourself a deal, Julie!

Thank you!

Go on.

Let me pay you.

VO: That little jaunt has been well worth it for James, picking up a pair of 1920s mahogany in and out trays for £18.

Thank you.

Great.

20.

Thank you.

Bye.

Bye.

VO: But will Charlie bid for the binoculars?

Owner Paul has come to discuss price.

Look out.

How much are your binoculars?

CR: I love those.

PAUL: 20.

CR: How much?

PAUL: 20.

CR: It's getting better.

(THEY LAUGH) No, that's it!

That's as far as it goes.

CR: "That's as far as it goes!"

Aren't they lovely though?

Are they First World War ones?

Yes.

And they're optically nice.

Are they?

He does the jokes.

You're right!

Melanie looks absolutely sensational through these!

Not that she doesn't anyway!

I'm going to buy your First World War... CR: ..binoculars for £20, sir.

PAUL: OK. VO: So £20 for the binoculars completes the shopping for this leg.

Charlie Ross has spent £153 on six lots.

He's picked up a 19th century draughtsman's rule, a wind up gramophone, an art-deco three piece clock set, a battery operated radio, a glass decanter and the pair of World War I binoculars.

VO: James Braxton spent £213 on his six lots.

The Chinese tea caddy, the railway mileage post, the two Doulton Lambeth vases, the mahogany cased Victorian medical instrument and the pair of in and out trays.

But what do they make of each other's purchases?

We all know Charlie's very musical.

He's got the gramophone, now he's added a radio at £10.

Now, that could do quite well.

I don't think he's got the style there to take me on this leg.

Let's face it, he's bought two Hannah Barlow vases, for £50.

£25 each.

He has blown me away.

Well done James!

VO: The boys are traveling to the auction in the Cambridgeshire town of St Ives.

I don't know how you've done it.

I was scrambling around in my shops, desperately trying to buy a little bit of this and that.

Yeah.

And then lo and behold, the old oppo comes up with two pieces of pure heaven.

You've sunk me!

Oh!

Without trace!

Ah... VO: All is not lost Charlie, funny things can happen at auctions.

Hyperion Auctions has been running for 20 years and holds sales of antiques, collectables and general household items every three weeks.

What does auctioneer Rod Best think of Charlie and James's purchases?

Oh, right, now.

The Barlow vases, Hannah Barlow, I mean, what a name.

Beautiful condition, the pair of them.

I'm expecting in excess of 200.

It...

It wouldn't surprise me if you go to 200 and it just rise, rise, rise, up to 400.

We'll see.

VO: Eyes down chaps, time for the auction to begin.

This could be very exciting.

VO: First up, it's James's rather large Chinese tea caddy.

It's enormous!

It is big, isn't it?

I've got several commissions, 40, 50...

I can start you at just £60.

JB: Oh!

CR: Just 60.

I'm looking at 65.

£60 is with me.

I will sell.

Fair warning on this.

I'm selling.

£60.

VO: A £5 profit before auction costs there, so a modest start for James.

VO: Next we have Charlie's art-deco clock set.

Let's try 30.

I've tried 30.

CR: (SIGHS AND SOBS) ROD: Oh!

20.

20, we started.

We started at 20.

22.

22.

25.

28.

30.

35.

JB: There's a bit of a rhythm.

ROD: 40.

Come on.

No, 40 Helen?

40.

New bidder in the room at £40, in the room.

I will sell.

Fair warning, new bidder, Helen, yours, £40.

I think it could have been a lot worse, couldn't it?

Bingo!

VO: Oh Charlie, that's not helping your cause.

VO: Next it's James's in and out trays.

With me at 30, on commission, I'm asking at 35.

30, with me...

I'm in the presence of a master.

..against the internet, against you.

With me at 30, I will sell to an internet bid at £30... ROD: 30.

VO: That's more like it.

That reasonable profit keeps James in the lead.

VO: Next for Charlie is his battery-operated radio.

What... What.... What age is this radio?

1958, '60, something like that?

Oh!

Oh, quite old!

Let's start at 10.

Low start.

10... 10... 10 we have.

CR: We're in!

ROD: 12 now.

It's a maiden bid at 10 and that's low for this.

It's a good... a good radio, at 10.

I will sell.

I will sell on £10 to a maiden bid, at £10.

Are we all done?

10.

VO: With auction costs, that will be a small loss.

VO: Perhaps he'll have more luck with the wind-up gramophone.

Did you do well on the last gramophone?

Cost 40, sold for 80.

Er...

I have £10.

That's it, tenner only.

CR: What?

ROD: I know, low start.

I'm looking for 12 now.

12.

15 anyone?

You've got a long way to go to get to 80.

Where's 15?

Must... 15 there.

18.

20.

CR: Come on.

JB: Come on.

18 there.

Looking for 20 now.

20.

Two.

Five.

Eight.

£25 and set, internet.

28.

30 anywhere?

We've got the internet, 28.

Behind the screen, £28.

I will sell, fair warning.

Auctioneer won't wait.

20...eight.

£28?

It's time to hoist the white flag.

Hoist the white flag.

VO: Not quite yet!

Ha!

No more gramophones though.

James's Victorian electro- therapy medical instrument now.

Stand by for a shock.

Quite a low start, £10.

10.

12.

15.

18.

20.

Two.

Five.

25.

It's in the room at 25.

I'm looking for 28 now.

28.

There aren't many medics in the room, are there?

30.

The front row at 30.

You're out, you're out and he's in.

We're done.

30.

BOTH: 30.

Well, again, it's a small working loss, isn't it?

It's a working loss again.

VO: Only a small loss, James.

VO: Time to see if Charlie's binoculars can help him out.

I just think that anything that survived the trenches deserves our bidding.

ROD: I don't think you'll be able to see further than about 10 feet with those, so I'm not...

The trenches weren't far apart, sir.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

ROD: Anyway.

He hasn't helped those much, has he?

No.

Got to be sold.

Five I've got.

Eight.

JB: (LAUGHS) ROD: 10 with you, sir.

Selling at £10... 15.

15.

It's 15 here.

18 anywhere?

18.

He's got one more!

20.

20 it is.

Oh yes!

Now we're going!

Come on.

ROD: 20, 22.

25.

CR: Yes!

22 is going.

Are we all done, fair warning on this?

At 22...

There we go!

When the auctioneer says, "I've now got a pair of binoculars "and you can't see anything through them," it doesn't help!

It doesn't, doesn't.

VO: Fair point well made there, Charlie.

Hopefully his draughtsman's rule will fare better.

Where were we?

Five?

Five.

Terry, well done.

That's five for Terry.

Looking for eight now... JB: Eight.

CR: Come on, Terry.

Against you all, front row.

Eight I've got.

10, Terry.

12, sir.

10's in the front row again.

12, new bidder.

15, Terry.

Aw!

12.

It's a profit!

I will sell.

We're all done?

Done!

Certainly have been.

VO: A profit's a profit, Charlie, and the competition's still close.

That's alright, isn't it?

VO: James's railway mileage post is next to go.

£10 to start.

Let's start at 10.

Low start at £10.

Looking for 12.

That's... 12 I've got.

15.

18.

CR: Now we're going.

JB: How about 30?

18, 20.

22.

25.

CR: Here we go.

ROD: 28.

On we go.

30.

Five.

30... 30 there.

30 to you, then, all done?

£30.

VO: That loss gives Charlie the narrowest of leads.

VO: Can his final lot, the glass decanter, come up trumps?

Fiver if you like.

It's got to be sold.

I can't believe this, Bingo.

Bingo, Bingo... 10.

12.

12 here now.

12 here.

15.

CR: Come on.

ROD: No.

It's 12.

15?

Yes, 15.

18?

Come on.

18?

18?

15 then behind you, at 15.

There it goes.

I'm selling at £15.

15.

Thank you.

And here my case rests.

JB: 15.

Oh dear, oh dear.

CR: I failed.

VO: Not the result Charlie was hoping for.

So it all comes down to James's much heralded Hannah Barlow Doulton Lambeth vases.

How will the first one do?

50 I have.

55 on the net.

60.

Five.

70, Five.

VO: It's still climbing!

80.

Five.

90 on the net.

100.

100 there.

110.

120.

Got a long way to go, Bingo.

130.

140.

150.

160.

ROD: 160.

180.

VO: Lordy!

James has blown Charlie out of the water with this lot.

170.

180.

170 to the net.

Last fair warning on this at £170.

All done?

170.

I have to say, well done.

VO: A very impressive result for James there.

It'll be interesting to see what the next one makes.

VO: Well, let's see, shall we, James?

80 I've got.

Give me 90 now, 90.

100.

110.

120.

130, 140.

140, I've got 140.

Looking for 150.

150.

160.

CHARLIE: This might make more.

ROD: In the room at 160.

CHARLIE: This is interesting.

ROD: Looking for 170 now.

170.

They're awake.

All awake.

180.

180.

It's against you.

Are deer more unusual than sheep?

CR: I suppose they are.

JB: They might be.

I've got 200.

220.

210, if it helps.

200 on the net.

Make no mistake in that.

It's against you all.

On the net at £200.

Dead.

Done!

VO: Fantastic result!

The Doulton Lambeth vases were indeed the game changer.

Which leaves their piggy banks like this... VO: Charlie started with £197.62.

After auction costs he lost £48.86, leaving him with £148.76.

James started the day with £220.10.

After auction costs, he made an amazing profit of £213.40, leaving him with £433.50 to spend next time.

Large profit, sir.

A large profit.

Thank you.

Carry on, sir!

Do get in!

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Where to, sir?

Um... central London, I think, Ross.

A nightclub, sir?

Night... (CHUCKLES) VO: So Bragging rights to Braxton, and Charlie's on chauffeuring duties... Cheerio chaps!

VO: Next time on the Antiques Road Trip... James shows off his artistic side.

As Michelangelo used to say, you release the figure.

VO: And Charlie is, well... Charlie.

CR: Ring that tenant.

DEALER: One second.

Tell him I'm a really nice chap!

I will do!

subtitling@stv.tv