VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts with £200 each, a classic car and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Going, going...gone.

Yes!

I'm loving that bird.

VO: They aim - to make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

Yes!

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

Don't I look handsome?

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

I am going now.

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah.

The sun has come out in Gloucestershire for antiques experts Charlie Ross and Thomas Plant.

Spirits are riding high for the start of the third leg of their road trip.

THOMAS: The cows are going nuts.

CHARLILE: Look at them, they are.

BOTH: (MIMIC COWS MOOING) VO: Cuddly Thomas has over 20 years auctioneering experience tucked under his belt and he's not afraid to use it.

For goodness sake, at 32 you're not going to ask for a discount DEALER: ..on that are you?

THOMAS: I am.

I am, come on!

VO: Rambunctious Charlie's even more of a veteran in the trade, and is blessed with dazzling powers of persuasion.

I'm going to ask you a straightforward question here, you can say yes, or no.

No!

VO: Huh, on we go.

Our valiant experts began the week with £200 each, but two auctions later, a rather large gap is appearing.

On the net now at 30.

Do you know, it's not pain Thomas, it's agony.

VO: Charlie suffered a few losses and kicks off this leg back near square one with £195.36.

Not happy.

VO: Thomas, on the other hand, has made some astute purchases more than doubling his money, giving him a magnificent £416.88 to play with.

Happy.

VO: Our chaps are nipping about in their natty, little 1971 Triumph Spitfire and isn't this just the weather for it?

This week's road trip is whisking us over 400 miles from Watchet in Somerset right up to Shropshire via North Wales, before looping back down to finish at an auction finale in Bedford, Bedfordshire.

Today, we're kicking off in Tewkesbury Gloucestershire then heading for delightful Worcestershire before motoring north for an auction showdown in Wrexham, North Wales.

VO: Sitting near the River Severn is the town of Tewkesbury, a little piece of the Middle Ages preserved in time, although some parts are better preserved than others.

Alongside its charming 12th century Abbey is one of the best black and white timbered medieval high streets in Britain, home to two antiques shops on opposite sides of the road - perfect!

CHARLIE: What a splendid establishment.

THOMAS: Oh, look at that!

Oh!

Good luck, old bean.

Good luck with you, I'm off, bye bye.

Find yourself a shop.

Be careful with your £400.

Shhhh!

VO: Look at him go!

Charlie's shop de jour is Coach House Antiques, an eclectic mix of traditional furniture, shabby chic and retro.

Talking of retro... (MIMICS TOMMY COOPER) I'm looking for some bargains.

Ha-ha, ha-ha!

VO: Oh, Lordy.

And after a good old sniff about...

I'm inexorably drawn back to this cabinet.

VO: ..which is owned by dealer, John, who luckily is here today.

These are fabulous pot lids, the Duke of Wellington's funeral.

Framed ready to go.

Yeah.

How much is that one?

JOHN: 195 CHARLIE: Yeah.

But it is quite a rare lid.

That's a rare lid.

That's such a wonderful thing, isn't it?

Yeah.

Blow your money on one thing, Rosco.

VO: Uh-oh!

In the mid-19th Century, new printing technology allowed multicolored transfers to be printed on pot lids and other everyday wares.

Pot lids like these are now highly sought after for their technical excellence, variety, and their value as social and historical records.

This one depicts the funeral of the Duke of Wellington and has a ticket price of £195.

Wonderful, I can remember Winston Churchill's funeral, erm, as if it was yesterday, 1965.

And that was a fabulous occasion.

How much is that, in terms of...?

To you?

To me.

It's worth £600 to me!

CHARLIE: (LAUGHS) I'll give that to you for 100.

Would you really?

That is a good buy.

I am going to ask one question, from a psychological point of view, not really a financial one, could it be £95?

Only in so much that it's psychologically better than 100.

JOHN: Yes.

CHARLIE: Are you sure?

Yes.

VO: That's just under half your entire budget, Charlie.

You are a brave man.

A wonderful man, sir, thank you.

I've bought... A round of applause.

A round of applause.

VO: Charlie's not finished yet.

There's something else tempting in John's cabinet, a very old looking bottle, possibly Roman.

It's in extraordinary condition, isn't it?

Yeah.

Riga Balsam.

That's quite a rare thing.

It is, yeah.

I don't know that it's Roman, so I'd be taking...

They are very hard to...

I'd be taking a complete gamble.

It's in extraordinary condition if it is Roman, isn't it?

It is, yeah.

VO: The ticket price on the bottle is £35.

Can John do another deal?

It can be yours for £20.

Could it really?

There's no downside is there at 20 quid?

No.

That's right.

Oh, what the heck.

I like this.

VO: No downside at all.

So Charlie's raid on John's cabinet has resulted in a Victorian pot lid and a possibly Roman bottle, both for £115.

I am a compulsive shopper, thank you very much indeed, sir.

JOHN: Thank you.

CHARLIE: Well done.

VO: Now, let's see if Thomas is as flash with his cash in Attica.

Hello, I'm Thomas.

Thomas, Mark.

What's your name?

Mark Turner.

Mark, nice to meet you.

VO: Get browsing, Thomas!

There's something about shells and purses with me, isn't there?

(CHUCKLES) I should have been a girl.

VO: No comment.

Ooh, I think something's caught his eye, with a ticket price of £20.

A solid pair of field glasses.

What's interesting about them is they've got the broad arrow mark for military issue.

11089, that's interesting.

So these probably First World War.

So those you've got 20 on.

What can be the best on the binoculars please?

15 15, OK cool.

Could I offer you 12?

MARK: (INHALES DEEPLY) Make it 14.

Make it 14.

Yeah.

THOMAS: And it's a deal.

MARK: Yeah.

Alright, OK, I'll have those.

First World War binoculars at 14, can't be bad.

I'll have those.

Thank you very much.

VO: Not bad at all.

In fact, quite an eye-opener.

Huh!

Is it me, or does our Thomas remind you of a teddy bear?

Now, here's something Winnie-the-Pooh would definitely like.

I do love that.

It's for drizzling honey.

Honey pourer drizzler, so the honey goes in there and you drizzle it out and you can see it's almost like a honeycomb, but the construction of that is just beautiful.

That's been made on a wheel.

I think it's incredibly stylish.

It is so stylish.

What can that be?

I wouldn't want to go lower than 12.

It's something quite quirky, quite unusual.

It's got a real charm about it.

It has got a charm.

It has got a charm.

West country sort of Bristolian charm.

Alright, alright, you're pressing my buttons, you know you are, Mark.

BOTH: (LAUGH) So, what's the best on that?

12 on that, I couldn't go any lower.

So that makes those two 26.

14 and 12 - 26.

Could we do the two for 25?

Erm, yes.

Keeps it safe... No, no, that's fine, I'm happy with that.

Thank you very much.

VO: Well done, Thomas, two items in the old bag.

VO: With his shopping for the morning completed, Charlie's heading 14 miles northwest to Malvern.

VO: For a man not only passionate about vintage cars, but who also auctions them off for a living, our Charlie is in for a treat.

VO: Malvern is the home of one of Britain's best known classic sports cars, the Morgan.

VO: Morgan roadsters and three-wheelers epitomize timeless glamor and outwardly they've changed little since they were first made over 100 years ago.

Charlie's going to be shown around, lucky dog, by the managing director, Steve.

Ah-ha.

Do I see the managing director?

Charlie Ross.

Good to meet you, Steve Morris.

Steve, hello.

VO: Morgans have been made here in Malvern since the early days of the motor car.

Back in 1909, 25-year-old Harry Morgan invented his first three-wheeler, a car so light and affordable, it was to bring motoring to the masses.

I can't help looking at this and thinking why three wheels, why not four?

It was cheaper to run, cheaper to manufacture.

Even back in the early 1900s, tax, I think tax played a part in the affordable part of motoring.

Gosh!

And it's got no steering wheel.

No, it's a tiller-style steering so you're steering off a handle.

Is that steering the back wheel, or the front wheel?

Front wheel steering so... Yeah.

Gosh!

VO: They may not seem fast by modern standards, but early Morgan three-wheelers were demons on the racing track, winning a string of trophies.

Ah, Brooklands.

This is HFS and Ruth Morgan in an early trial at Brooklands on the race track so possibly testing, it could have been speed trials, it could have been general testing.

Speed trials, no crash hats.

No, no.

A woolen bonnet!

Do you know, long before my time, but my father raced at Brooklands in a homemade car.

And I bet it wasn't as quick as a Morgan.

And knowing my father, it used to break down.

VO: By the '30s, Morgans evolved to meet demand for family cars, developing their first four-wheelers.

They've changed little on the outside ever since.

That I think is as attractive as any car you've ever made, really.

An early '60s car that.

It's what we call a drophead coupe.

And the actual car was Charles Morgan's mother's car.

Really?

Yes, it's got quite a lot of history with the car.

So why did they ditch the three wheels in the end and go for four wheels?

I think there was a requirement, the world had moved on and I think there was a requirement for family transport, for more travel, more distance, more comfort... And presumably you can put more power into four wheels, can't you?

Yeah.

If you put a V8 engine into that three-wheeler you'd be dead within the week, wouldn't you?

VO: Morgan's success has been to stick at what they're good at - making the quintessential British sports car, some of which even hark back to those early days.

What am I looking at straightaway?

A car from 1910?

No, it's very modern, the very latest Morgan three-wheeler.

You're making three-wheeled cars today?

We certainly are, we make 12 a week every week.

To me as a layman, it looks virtually the same.

Yeah, it was styled with the original three-wheeler in mind, but obviously with a modern twist to everything.

What sort of performance would a three-wheeler like this have?

It's phenomenal.

Really?

What, quick?

Yeah, you'll do 120mph.

CHARLIE: (GASPS) It's quoting 0 to 60 in the late five seconds.

Really?

Yeah, six seconds.

It's like flying a Spitfire.

They're very quick and of course you're so low, you're open to the elements, but you'll certainly get out of it with a smile on your face.

VO: Each one is hand crafted and made to order.

But if you're after one, there's a year's long waiting list and be prepared to fork out up to £135,000 for the pleasure!

It's more than most of us can afford, but for lucky Charlie, dreams do come true.

I've got one last wish here, Steve, you've been so good to me, can I drive one of your old cars?

You certainly can, I've got one outside you can drive now.

Come on.

It's a proper driving experience.

You can't actually drive a car like this without smiling.

I don't want to buy antiques any more, to hell with antiques, I just want to spend the rest of my life driving this car.

VO: Sorry, Charlie, you've got to get back to the Spitfire I'm afraid, although I wouldn't turn my nose up even at that!

While Charlie's having a spin, Thomas has traveled to the small town of Upton-upon-Severn for a spot more shopping.

Now what does this rather fetching establishment have in store?

Hello.

Hello, how are you?

I'm Thomas.

Hi, Thomas, I'm Lee.

THOMAS: Lee, nice to meet you.

LEE: You too.

VO: Everything in Croome Antiques has been chosen by owner Lee and there's all kinds of quirky things lurking about.

Oh, there's a teddy Thomas and is it real?

What's the dog called?

Gerry.

Gerry.

Hello.

Come and say hello.

Hello.

He's the complaints department.

Has never bitten anybody yet.

Oh, OK, OK. That's a warning.

VO: After him, Gerry!

And now, anyone for the races?

But there's more to this horse and rider than meets the eye.

This is a spelter table lighter.

And what you do, is there's meant to be a little...

This is the winning... Well, this is the post where the horse is tethered to the jockey, and there's meant to be a little striker in there.

And it's filled with a paraffin and you take it out and you can strike it on there and you can hand the lighter round your colleagues after supper to light one's cigars or cigarettes with.

So it's a deco table light.

I quite like that.

VO: It's missing its striker and there's some damage to the base, so the ticket price on this table lighter is £98.

One to think about.

What a fabulous, fabulous spirit kettle on stand.

Look at that!

Straight out of the art nouveau period.

By WMF.

Wow!

What a thing.

Oh... Look at that cane handle!

What a thing of beauty.

Oh!

Oh!

What a fabulous thing.

VO: I think he likes it.

Oh, and it's the early mark as well.

Oh!

Right, so this is a really early mark for WMF.

It's the ostrich in the diamond there.

Badly bashed.

VO: From its early days in the late 19th century, through to the First World War, German manufacturing company WMF became one of the most prolific producers of elegant designs formed in metal and glass.

This piece is stamped with the rare ostrich mark, which was replaced in 1907 by a simple WMF.

What a thing of absolute... ..beauty.

What a thing.

But it has seen slightly better days.

I like that.

I'm going to ask about that.

See what can be done.

VO: That's two items to consider, could this be a third?

That's lovely, isn't it?

It's art nouveau.

It's in pewter, you've got the two flower heads.

You've got this sinuous stem.

It would have been a drinks... Would have been a tray for drinks, but it is very attractive.

And that pewter look is good looking.

And it's so cheap.

£18.

I think that's quite a good thing.

I think that could make money.

VO: So there's the pewter plate, the WMF kettle and the jockey table lighter.

What can you do?

OK, well the horse, we've got 98 on, so we'll do that for 80.

THOMAS: OK. LEE: OK.

The WMF, erm...

..I haven't got a lot of maneuverability on that, I'll be honest with you.

We've got 110 on it.

You like it though, don't you?

I do, I love it.

Yeah, and I could hear all the noise and the commotion.

Yeah, it's very nice.

It's a nice thing.

Yeah, so £100.

Oh!

Yeah.

And the art nouveau tray is 18.

Yeah.

I'll do that for 15 of course.

Erm... Because that's damaged, I was thinking that should be... ..a bit less, 60.

VO: 60?!

I was hoping for... 70 for the kettle and stand.

Right.

And for the tray, I get it.

Yes.

That's fine.

How does those figures grab you?

60, 70, I get the tray.

OK, tray at 15.

That one, er...

I'll accept 60 on that.

OK.

But I will go to 90 on that, but no less.

I think that's a very good buy at 90.

Make it... ..150 for the lot and you've got a deal.

155.

Oh!

And that's a good price.

Oh, 155!

155!

So that's one, two, three.

OK. We're splitting hairs.

We are.

Come on, thank you very much.

Thank you, Thomas.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

VO: Lee's done you proud there, Thomas.

This is the most I've spent in a shop for ages.

VO: Yeah, well done you!

After that flurry of purchases, there's only one thing to be done.

Both experts deserve a little lie down, Sleep tight, chaps!

VO: It's day two and Charlie's fretting over yesterday's purchases.

It's all going horribly wrong.

Does it matter though?

We're here in the open top car.

This is the most beautiful county.

VO: That's the spirit, peckers up!

Charlie's spent £115 on two items - the pot lid depicting the Duke of Wellington's funeral and the Roman unguentaria bottle leaving him with £80.36 to play with.

I am a compulsive shopper.

VO: Thomas, meanwhile, has splashed out £180 on five items - a honey drizzler, a pair of WW1 binoculars, a pewter plate, a WMF spirit kettle and a table lighter.

Lordy!

And, that still leaves him with £236.88 to spend.

Flash Harry.

I'd better give you some money.

VO: Now, this should be interesting, our sparring partners have returned to Malvern and their shops are right nextdoor to one another.

Ha-ha!

Rosco?

Do your worst Planters.

Oh!

Come on Rosco, bounce out.

You're remarkably lifelike, aren't you, really?

I'm fit, aren't I?

VO: Fit for shopping I hope.

Thomas has bagged Foley House antiques center.

Hello, Thomas, I'm Bridget.

Bridget, very nice to meet you.

Well, I'll have a good look around if that's alright.

Please do.

Yeah, please do.

Thank you very much.

VO: Yesterday Thomas went on a shopping frenzy, snapping up five items in two shops.

Let's see if he's still on a roll!

I'll have a good scoot... VO: Uh-oh, has he run out of steam?

There's stuff everywhere, isn't there?

Bridget, there's stuff everywhere.

VO: Yes, Thomas, it's a shop don't you know.

Frustrating.

I haven't even looked in these cabinets here.

It's extraordinary.

Erm... VO: Oh, Bridget, I feel your pain.

It's a no.

It's a no.

God, I'm being a pain!

VO: I give up!

Quick let's go and look nextdoor.

VO: Charlie's making himself at home in Promenade Antiques, watched by friendly owner, Mark.

Anyway, may I have a look round?

You're more than welcome.

See what I can find.

VO: As long as you do more than just look, Charlie.

That is an enormous dinner service.

That's a gamble lot something like that is, isn't it?

If you went to buy that, it would cost you... £3,000.

Each plate's £30 to £40.

And there's 12 of those.

£50, is 12 at five, 12, 60...

I bet there's £3,000 worth of stuff there.

This has hardly been used.

A lot of these were bought as wedding presents, put away, never used.

That's a lot of dinner service.

I'm not sure I've got quite enough money for that.

VO: Yeah, the dinner service has £170 on the ticket.

Best aim for something more suited to your budget.

Like this.

I like your toffee hammer.

Memories of childhood.

Memories of childhood, isn't that, wonderful?

look at that, a toffee hammer.

You had a slab of toffee and the retailer would smash up the toffee and sell it in chunks.

That's a wonderful thing and it says "for toffee".

Isn't that delightful?

What a wonderful memory.

That's well worth considering, that is.

I might as well ask a question, erm... That's not something I would normally buy, that dinner service.

As you know, there's so much of it and what have you.

And it would be a complete gamble at auction, but, erm, I've got just under 100 quid.

It's not going to buy that, is it?

How much just under?

I started with £195 and I've got 80 quid left so I don't know whether... That's probably not going to do the trick, is it?

I did have some breakfast cups that went with it...

Yes.

..and I sold those yesterday to a lady.

To match her own service presumably?

And she gave me a good price for them.

Yeah.

So as that happened, in that case, I could do that for the money that you're offering.

Could you?

I think that's a phenomenal offer I have to say.

Heart over head, isn't it?

The thing I like the best of all is your toffee... Yeah.

It's good fun.

That's a great thing.

VO: So Charlie's hoping to snaffle up the toffee hammer and the dinner service for his remaining cash.

If I gave you £80.36, and that is my total wipeout, could I have that and the toffee hammer?

Seeing as you like the toffee hammer and appreciate it, yes, I'll do it.

Are you sure?

That's really kind of you.

VO: And, just like that, Charlie's spent up.

Now, how's Thomas getting on?

I've been perusing.

I've been perusing and because I have an art nouveau pewter plate... Mm-hm.

..it would fit quite nice with this mirror.

Oh, right.

Because that's arts and crafts as well.

Yes, yes.

Art nouveau, arts and crafts.

For goodness sake, for 32.

You're not going to ask for discount on that are you?

I am.

I am!

Come on.

Come on.

See they would fit well together.

You know, a plate and a mirror.

VO: Ah, so Thomas wants to put the mirror in the same lot as the pewter plate he bought yesterday.

Cunning.

It's quite cheap.

I know it's cheap!

So you don't need discount, do you?

I do, £20 would be buying it.

25... ..would be buying it.

20 and you've got a deal.

Go on then.

Go on.

Superb.

You're very sweet, thank you very much.

VO: Phew!

He's bought something at last, putting us all out of our misery.

Super.

A £20 note.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Our first sale of the day as well.

THOMAS: Is it?

BRIDGET: Well, of course.

VO: Shame it took all morning, eh?

The chaps are leaving Malvern behind and are heading 9.5 miles north to the city of Worcester.

Worcester is most famous for its well known sauce, er, I mean cathedral, the earliest parts of which date back to the 11th century.

CHARLIE: Look at the cathedral.

THOMAS: Oh, yes, look at that.

VO: It's also the place most associated with one of our national treasures, the composer, Sir Edward Elgar.

Glorious!

But it's not the music Thomas has come here to explore.

He has an appointment with something altogether more grisly.

He's heading to the George Marshall Medical Museum to meet curator Frank Crompton who's going to show him around.

So you've got some interesting things to show me?

Absolutely.

Lead on then, Frank.

VO: Most the artifacts in this museum were collected by one man, George Marshall.

He was a consultant surgeon at the Worcester Infirmary from the 1940s to the 1960s, and an enthusiastic collector of old medical and surgical equipment.

Over the course of 50 years, he amassed several thousand objects, each telling its own story of the history of medicine and some of them are rather macabre.

So, Frank, what are these here?

These are death masks of prisoners who were hanged at the jail in Worcester.

So as soon as the criminal was taken off the rope so to speak, they did a plaster cast of his face?

Yes, they weren't buried until they'd actually been used for dissection.

VO: In the 19th Century, death masks of criminals were taken because it was believed they could be used to predict criminal behavior.

I was going to say, what's wrong with this poor fellow?

He's a microcephalic, which means he's been born without the upper part of his brain.

And so he would have had the intellect of a four-year-old if he was lucky.

He was working as far, as we know, as a farm hand and he was brought before the court for setting fire to a hay rick.

Now normally the person in that circumstance would have been commuted to transportation to Australia, or somewhere else.

Yeah.

He was hanged.

VO: Whilst studying the workings of the mind was still in its infancy, so too was 19th century surgery.

I'll show you the operating chair here.

This was made between 1840 and 1850.

And basically, if you wanted to do an operation without anesthetics, they were actually strapped to this chair.

These little holes here, would take straps?

Leather straps, or webbing straps, we're not quite sure.

To strap the poor person down.

There were various techniques which we use to try and dull the pain.

Sometimes alcohol was used, so the person consumed some alcohol which would desensitize them, erm, but normally they were simply strapped in there and there would have been some fairly hefty people around to make sure they didn't squirm about too much.

Doesn't bear thinking about, does it?

VO: Eurgh!

The instruments used by surgeons were no less brutal.

It's actually a surgeon's kit.

Right.

It was in use in the Crimean War and we've got a number of items in here.

You've got the saw for going through bones.

The saw for going through bone, yes.

Is this a catheter here?

That's a catheter there.

Oh, my God, that fills me with utter horror.

Before that, you would actually use one of these, a flesh saw, flesh knives.

You actually cut through the flesh down to the bone before you actually took the saw out.

The saw would work much more efficiently.

That was the last thing wasn't it, the saw?

Yeah.

The saw was the last thing.

Somewhat horrific.

How far we are removed from it?

Absolutely.

And thank God.

VO: Amputations in the early 19th century were carried out without any anesthetic, but in 1847, chloroform was introduced for the first time.

This is showing an example of how an operation, THOMAS: ..and amputation... FRANK: Yes.

..would have gone on in 1860, 1870?

Yeah.

Looking at his apron, just imagining, it doesn't look, the most hygienic place in the world.

No, it wouldn't have been the most hygienic place in the world.

When we become aware that there is such a thing as a germ which is going to cause things, they began to try and do something about that by bringing in the use of an antiseptic spray.

So was it a sawdust floor?

Yeah, it would have been.

Like a butcher's so to speak.

It would have been like a butcher's.

You simply sweep up the mess that's caused by the operation.

Frank, I have to say that I'm very pleased I live now.

When people say to you, "Do you know what?

"I'd love to live in the 19th century," or the 18th, 19th century.

I wouldn't have want to have been born in the 1950s for God's sake.

I was born in the 1940s.

I wouldn't even want that!

It was still quite primitive.

God.

I'm going to go away feeling, erm... A little bit nauseous, but I think I'll survive.

But also I've had my knowledge increased.

Yeah.

It's been a pleasure.

VO: What a fascinating, albeit rather gruesome, visit for Thomas.

Now it's time to meet up with old Rosco, because it's the moment of truth when our experts reveal all to each other.

And where better than in the shade of the great Worcester Cathedral?

It's too wet for me to reveal my fine goods.

THOMAS: Is it?

CHARLIE: Yes.

Will they get damaged?

Oh, they're all papier mâché.

Are they?

VO: Come on, whip it off Charlie.

Dah, dah, dah, dah... Rosco, is that it?

What do you mean, "Is that it?"

There's quite a lot of it.

That's a Royal Doulton dinner service.

What have you done buying that?

Well... How much was it?

101 pieces, £80.

£80, right.

OK. A total gamble.

Mm.

VO: I'm not sure Thomas likes it, so what's next?

What have you done buying a pot lid?

I like pot lids.

Do you?

I still love pot lids.

I do and I've bought old Wellington's funeral.

I'm a great fan of Wellington.

It's got a pretty border.

Well, it's in very good condition.

It's almost as good a condition as you can get.

I don't like this frame but... How much was that?

£95.

I want to pick up this.

Have a look at that, please, I want you to tell me how old it is.

This is Roman.

It is Roman.

This is a Roman flask.

I thought it was a Roman flask.

Definitely Roman.

How much was that?

20 quid.

THOMAS: Really?

CHARLIE: Yeah.

That's rather wonderful.

It's a super thing.

I love your toffee mallet.

Do you like it?

I love your toffee mallet.

CHARLIE: It was 36p.

THOMAS: Oh, that's so sweet.

That could be proportionately, on this trip, the biggest profit.

It could.

VO: Thank goodness he liked something.

Now, time for Charlie to be the judge.

Wait for it... £400.

Didn't quite make 400.

Are they military?

Yes, yes they are.

Probably First World War.

Yeah.

Those are of a price and they probably cost between 15 and 20 quid.

£14.

CHARLIE: Good valuation.

THOMAS: £14.

That's rather charming.

I like that style and I think the spout is to die for.

Isn't it lovely?

Who made it?

WMF.

That's WMF?

It's very early.

That surprises me.

That's a pleasant surprise.

It's got the early ostrich mark on the base.

And you've got a table lighter there?

A slightly damaged table lighter.

Have you got the lighter bit?

No.

It's quite nicely modeled, isn't it?

A beautiful thing, isn't it?

Quite nicely modeled.

You've missed out the best thing on the table.

I haven't come to it yet.

It's a... For cocktails.

No, no, no.

Is it not for cocktails?

What are you dispensing with that?

Honey.

Honey!

A honey dispenser.

It's a honey drizzler.

Look at the shape of the cone.

I can feel it's honey, it's had honey in it.

It's lovely.

It's not that old, probably 1970s, 1960s.

And that cost?

11.

Yes, well that doesn't really matter.

It doesn't really matter, inconsequential.

Well, the whole thing is going to hinge on this...

Your dinner... ..ghastly dinner service.

No, it's not ghastly.

I don't like it.

Right, Rosco... Good, good.

Let's get out of the rain.

Keep hold of that brolly and take me away somewhere.

VO: So they were a bit cagey there, weren't they?

Let's hear what they really think.

The WMF, I thought it might have been Benson, or someone like that and not WMF, but it's very stylish, but who buys them nowadays?

That's the point.

Oh, God, do you know, it is awkward, isn't it?

Because I don't really like two of the items he's bought - the pot lid and the dinner service.

Oh, Rosco, please make some money.

Please, cuz I feel sorry for you.

Ah, it all comes down to the Doulton.

If the Doulton makes £200, £250, I'll catch up a bit.

If it doesn't...we'll have to go on to the next one.

VO: Crumbs!

Is that dinner service a gamble too far?

Will there be tears at tea-time?

Let's get to the auction and find out!

VO: Thomas and Charlie's third leg began in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, continued northwards into the lovely county of Worcestershire, and now they're finishing up at an auction in Wrexham, North Wales.

Blimey.

God, I never realized Wrexham was so busy.

It's because you're here, Thomas.

No, it's because you're here, Rosco!

No, after you.

VO: All our chaps' items will be going under the hammer here at Wingetts Auction House, an establishment which has been selling off goods for over 50 years.

In charge of today's proceedings is auctioneer Richard Hughes.

Well, I like the table lighter, a little bit of damage on the base, which is going to affect the price.

I was thinking, perfect, you know, £100 to £150.

As is probably more like £40 to £60.

Prattware pot lid in good condition, I can't see any major damage or faults with it, so I would be hoping for in excess of £100.

VO: Well, that would be nice.

So, Charlie started this leg with £195.36 and spent the whole lot on four auction lots.

Are you sure?

That's really kind of you.

VO: Thomas began with a whopping £416.88 and spent less than half, £200 to be precise, on five auction lots.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Thomas.

VO: As ever, it's anyone's game.

I think I'm in for a bad day.

You're in for a stormer.

VO: First up is Thomas's honey drizzler.

£10 to start then, got to be that surely?

£5.

I'm only bid standing with you sir now.

Bid eight in front if you want it.

At £5 I'm only bid, standing, eight, bid 10.

Nearly into a profit.

£8 the lady's bid in front, is there 10 in the room?

You're out.

Your bid, madam.

But the great thing about only spending £11, you haven't lost a lot.

No.

No.

VO: True, although it will be more than £1 once the auction house takes its well-earned commission.

Apiarists should stay at home and look after their bees.

VO: It's the first of Charlie's big purchases up next, his pot lid, bought for £95.

Give me £100 for it.

It's got to be that surely?

£50 to start then?

All gone quiet.

CHARLIE: (SIGHS) £20 bid by the door.

25.

THOMAS: It'll be fine.

It's OK. £25, the bid standing at the back of the room.

30 in front.

Five, sir?

40.

And five?

RICHARD: 50.

THOMAS: Half way.

And five.

60.

And five, sir?

70?

RICHARD: £65... THOMAS: Go on.

More.

Go on, it's worth more.

65 bid, standing.

Goes with you, sir.

CHARLIE: (WEEPS) Oh, shut up, Rosco.

VO: Ouch!

Charlie really needed to make a profit there.

Got any tissues, Thomas?

I'm crying.

VO: There's always the dinner service, but now it's time for Thomas's binoculars.

£5 to start then, £5 I am bid, eight.

Ten, sir?

The man next to me is bidding.

18?

20.

And two?

25.

28.

Oh... 30.

30, a fresh bidder, two?

£30 your bid, sir, in the room in the center.

30 bid.

32 lady's bid.

35, sir?

If you like... Sold in front.

Thomas... 35.

First handshake of the day.

VO: Well done, Thomas, a solid gain!

There's a difference between you and me, isn't there?

What do you mean?

One of us makes a profit.

VO: Now, don't give up, Charlie.

It's your toffee mallet!

Bought for 36p!

£5?

£5 I got.

Eight bid.

Ten, sir?

12.

15.

Rosco.

20?

£18 I'm only bid with you.

I should have bought five of these.

On my right... Sold at 18.

Well done, sir.

36p to £18.

VO: Yeah, that's the way to do it, boy!

A well needed sweetener for Charlie.

50 times what it cost.

Mm.

VO: Now what about Thomas's pairing of the pewter dish and the mirror?

£20 then?

Mirror and the dish for £20, got to be that surely?

£20 I've got, thank you, madam.

We're away now, Thomas.

30.

And five.

40.

And five.

50.

And five.

60.

And five.

70?

Good night road trip.

Shut up, Rosco.

65.

And seated.

I'm not very good at this, Rosco.

CHARLIE: Thomas, you are... THOMAS: I'm not good at this.

VO: False modesty is most unbecoming, Thomas, but well done all the same!

Do you know, Thomas?

What?

I couldn't be thrashed by a nicer person.

No, shut up, please, you're not being thrashed.

VO: It's Thomas up again now, this time with his early WMF spirit kettle.

£50?

£20 I have got, five, bid 30.

35, sir?

40.

And five.

50.

Five.

65, 75... 60, 70, 80.

I'll take 75 if you want then.

At £70, the bid's on the left.

75, madam?

80.

And five £80 standing.

All done and finished?

Well done, washed your face.

Mm, just about.

VO: Certainly not what Thomas expected.

That's a loss after commission.

That was quite... You're quite pleased, actually, aren't you?

You were worried about that.

I'm really pleased.

VO: Glad you are!

Now it's Charlie's big gamble.

He needs to make up a lot of ground and it all comes down to his enormous dinner service.

£20 alright I'm bid standing on my right with you, sir.

Maiden bid at 20, now five bid.

30, if you like, sir?

At £25... VO: Oh, dear, it's not looking good.

35 bid.

40.

And five, sir?

50.

50 at the back and five?

It's quite a big chunk.

Getting there.

You'd think if someone wants it for 60... Oh!

At 60 bid seated with you, sir.

We need a little bit more!

VO: You need a lot more!

CHARLIE: (SIGHS) I have to say that's a lot for the money, isn't it?

VO: It certainly is.

Someone's got themselves a bargain.

Stop laughing.

You started with a modest loss.

VO: Now, will Thomas's table lighter make it out of the starter's block?

£20 alright I've got then, thank you madam at the back and five bid.

30.

Five, sir?

40, five.

45, 55.

55, sir?

60, five.

70, five.

80, five.

This is a masterclass in dealing.

80.

At 85, 90.

All going, five... THOMAS: Oh, get in there.

100, 110?

110, sir?

It's jumping over those furlongs.

Go on, 105.

Break the seal.

120 and five.

130 and five.

140?

And five?

Selling and going at 140?

Rosco!

Rosco!

VO: A stonking profit for Thomas as his table lighter streaks across the finishing line!

Have you ever seen me sulk?

No, and you don't sulk.

Have you ever seen me sulk?

You don't sulk, you don't sulk.

I'm going to sulk now.

I'm not speaking again today.

VO: Don't be moody.

Now Charlie, it's the last lot of the day and it's your Roman bottle!

Nice antiquity there.

Give me £50 for it?

It's 2,000 years old.

Yeah, it's nearly as old as me!

£20 in the corner now and I'll take five.

The maiden bid 25.

30.

Five, sir?

40.

And five.

50.

And five, sir.

60.

Do you think it is going to make a million?

£65, dead ahead.

£65,000.

60 back in, five.

70?

Go on.

Sold at 65.

It's a very good return on my money.

There are you then, Rosco.

VO: Hurrah!

At last, an extremely respectable profit for Rosco!

This is the nadir of my existence.

This is... You're going to turn the corner and you're going to nail me.

Nail me from now on in.

VO: Well, that remains to be seen.

So, Charlie started off this leg on the back foot with £195.36 and has... (LAUGHS) Oh, dear, made a loss of £24.80 after auction costs.

That leaves him with a depleted £170.56 to carry forward.

Don't cry, Charlie, please, it's humiliating.

Thomas's winning streak though, continues unabated.

He began this leg with £416.88 and has made a profit of £68.96.

That means his total soars again.

He has £485.84 to spend next time.

Well done.

Gosh, do you know, I've never been in a car with such a rich person.

Right, there's only one way I am going to win this competition - scaring you.

Goodbye, Wrexham, I hope I never see you again.

THOMAS: It wasn't that bad!

VO: Next time on the Antiques Road Trip... ..Charlie has hair issues.

Do I need a nit comb?

VO: And Thomas is well, just, hair raising.

Rosco, this is Planter, your merciless Mysteron!

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