VOICEOVER (VO): The nation's favorite antiques experts, one big challenge - who will make the most profit buying and selling antiques as they drive around the jolly old UK?

DEALER: £6.

PHIL: £5.

Done!

Is that your very best you can do?

VO: At the end of their trip they should have made some big money.

Yes!

VO: But it's not as easy as it sounds.

And only one will be crowned champion at the final auction in London.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

This week we're on the road with former Warwickshire chorister David Barby, a buyer, seller, collector and valuer.

He's been weighing up the challenge.

DAVID (DB): The difficulty in buying antiques at the moment is trying to judge what's going to be in fashion.

VO: Natural born seller Anita Manning wields her auctioneer's hammer in Glasgow.

She's got to toughen up.

ANITA (AM): Bargaining is not in my nature.

I'm an auctioneer and I see everything as beautiful and like it to be the best price possible, so I've got to keep the price down.

This week sees them traveling from Aberdeen in northeast Scotland to Leyburn in North Yorkshire.

In today's program, they're leaving St Andrews and heading for their next auction, in Edinburgh.

Anstruther is their first stop.

After a cracking start, David's £200 fund has swollen, giving him £260.83 to spend today.

But Anita had a disastrous first auction.

What did you pay for that?

VO: She's now only got £80.37 to play with.

The only way is up, Anita!

David and Anita are driving through some of Fife's most tantalizing coastal towns, hoping to find a magical crock of gold somewhere over the rainbow.

Or possibly in an antiques shop.

Maybe in Anstruther?

I love that first glimpse of the sea.

It reminds me of when I was a child.

You were going away your holidays and you saw the sea there.

It was fabulous.

VO: Anstruther is one of the best fishing ports in Scotland, and fish curing remains important, along with rope, sail and oilskin factories.

Now, Anita, what are we going to do, bearing in mind the auction yesterday?

Yeah, that was pretty bad news for me, David.

I mean, I brought really pretty things.

Hmm.

And you bought, um... You CAN say it.

An unrare book, a lamp that was incomplete and a broken vase.

And you made £100 profit and I made £100 loss!

So how much have you got to spend now?

AM: £80.

DEALER: £80!

(LAUGHS) I've got £260.83, and I'm so worried what I'm going to do with the 83p.

Oh, I know!

My heart bleeds for you.

VO: David heads off in search of some regional craftwork.

And Anita?

Well, she needs to toughen up and stop being so nice.

Well, I've got to be very, very careful today, very careful.

I've only got £80 left.

Two pieces of advice to myself.

Number one, be cautious, Anita.

The other thing, don't let your heart rule your head.

A wee bit canny.

First up for the underdog, a trip to an Anstruther Aladdin's cave.

Anita must be hoping for a bit of magic.

You know, I was curious, how did the name Jean Genie come about?

Right.

Well, when I took the shop on, I wasn't sure what to call it, but I knew I wanted on the windows "for all things old and new", so, I thought, "I'm Jean, my granny was Jeannie, "so she's the old."

I thought, "I'll have my name and my granny's name, Jeannie."

Just roughly the same time, David Bowie came out with the record Jean Genie.

Ah, right.

So you knew it must have been right?

It had to be that, yes.

Aha.

VO: It's one of those shops you've just got to really root around in.

AM: What I'm looking for, Jeannie, is something with a rock bottom price, because I haven't got a lot of money to spend.

It's a wee vesta box.

AM: Oh, it's a tape measure.

JEAN: No, it's a measuring tape.

And you wind the tail.

The tail winds it in.

Oh, that's very, very good.

Yeah, it's just a novelty.

The thing is, in today's market, people are looking for...

It's a wee, odd and unusual thing, isn't it?

VO: But at £30, I think it's too pricey for you, Anita.

Jeannie, could I have a wee look at that watch there?

It's got a wee look about it.

It's never been a fine thing, Jeannie, but it's got a wee look, you know?

I quite like that type of thing and I like that period.

I think it's got style.

JEAN: Right.

AM: The diamantes are good, but I like the green, AM: round here.

JEAN: It's lovely isn't it?

It's got a nice kind of '50s stuff and that's becoming a wee bit more popular now.

It's collectable.

It has got one diamante missing.

Yes.

My other problem is the price, and it's the type of thing that I could buy if it was totally and absolutely... ..rock bottom.

JEAN: So what would you offer?

AM: I mean, it's really... JEAN: 10?

JEAN: 10?

AM: Not even that.

JEAN: No?

AM: Erm...

If there's a possibility of it at a couple of pounds?

But I don't...

I don't want you to be unhappy.

No, that's alright, no.

I don't want you to be unhappy, Jeannie, I really don't.

VO: Blimey, that is tough negotiating, Anita!

It's what I can offer because I've got to try and sell it again.

JEAN: What do you think you'd get for it?

AM: I'm hoping that I would get maybe about 10... AM: 12 for it.

JEAN: Right.

And I'm a long, long way behind.

So would you go five?

If it was in good condition.

It's chrome, it's not silver AM: or white metal.

JEAN: It's not silver.

So we know it's not a precious thing.

No.

But we know that it's got a bit of style about it.

Mm-hm.

Is it doable, Jeannie?

If it's not, say no.

Yes, I'll let you have it for two.

VO: I don't believe it!

Well, Anita did very well there.

In fact she couldn't have got that watch any cheaper without... Well, nicking it!

Meanwhile, David's in no hurry to spend his dosh.

Being a fan of porcelain figures, he's taken a detour to the village of Ceres to meet respected artisan Griselda Hill.

Griselda has revived a traditional craft that was started locally in Fife in 1882.

What a fabulous shop!

David Barby.

Very pleased to meet you.

Griselda Hill.

What's it like being a living legend?

Well, I don't think I'm quite a living legend!

You're so well known with the Wemyss fraternity.

VO: The world-famous Wemyss Ware was invented by a local pottery owner, Robert Heron, together with Karel Nekola, a gifted designer from the former Czechoslovakia.

The pottery in Kirkcaldy closed in 1957, but Griselda bought the copyright for the designs, prized for their free-flowing and naturalistic hand-painted techniques.

DB: Do you feel yourself as a revivalist or continuing a pottery tradition?

We certainly revived the pottery, but I certainly feel that I'm allowed to do my own designs within the umbrella of the Wemyss tradition.

I think these are lovely.

When did you start putting... Are they glass eyes on the cats?

Yes, yes.

Where did you get those from?

From a special company or something?

Well, yes, a taxidermist, who we get some from.

Can we go and see how the potting is done?

Of course you can, yes.

Gosh, that's quite wet, isn't it?

POTTER: Yes.

DB: It really is.

DB: And it's very heavy.

POTTER: Yes, it is.

Well, that would be left to dry.

This is what it looks like once it's been fired.

DB: Can I feel that?

POTTER: Yeah.

That's bisqueware.

Yes, and it's so much lighter because it's had all the moisture... That's right.

Here we've got the painting room.

This is where everything gets painted, then it goes back to get fired in the kiln.

This is where it gets its identity for Wemyss, doesn't it?

It certainly does.

This is very classic Wemyss.

VO: The cabbage rose pattern has a unique, three-dimensional effect, and it takes the artist more than two years' training to master the skill.

If an original pair of Wemyss cats came up for sale, let's say this height, we would be talking, what, £2,500, £3,000?

GRISELDA: Yes.

Per cat.

DB: Per cat?

GRISELDA: Per cat, yes.

DB: They're as expensive DB: as that, are they?

WOMAN: Yes.

What sort of price are yours?

Well, this one is 180.

That's a great differential, isn't it?

Yes, it's a bargain!

VO: Has David got the Wemyss bug now?

He's leading the contest by a mile, but Anita might have just bought a nice little earner.

Following her quick getaway from Jean Genie, Anita is continuing her search for good investments and aiming to part with as little money as possible.

Make yourself at home, you could be here for hours.

We have everything apart from space in here.

That's the only thing that's at a premium.

Anita has found something.

AM: It's a typical Victorian oil on canvas Highland landscape with a little loch here.

There's a signature here, David Watt.

Condition isn't good.

There's no date, but I would put it late 19th, early 20th century.

Hm, interesting.

We'll keep that in mind.

VO: And there's a second canvas.

Same artist, David Watt.

That type of picture, not as popular as it was before, a wee bit of damage on the canvas, unframed, that's what I'm thinking.

Bargain basement price, perhaps?

Perhaps.

Can I be absolutely straightforward?

You can indeed.

I wouldn't expect you to be any other way.

You can throw me out of the shop if you wish.

VO: He might!

Could I pay £15 for both?

You can pay £20 for both.

Can you pull it down to, say, 16?

You're a hard woman, Anita Manning!

I'm not, I'm a wee softy!

You can have them both for £16.

Oh, that is wonderful.

You're welcome.

I hope that I make a couple of bob out of these pictures.

If I do, I'll come back and buy you a cup of coffee, or a wee half.

That's a date.

VO: Ooh, steady on, Anita!

But then, desperate times call for desperate measures.

And Anita's certainly fighting back with gusto.

David's now moved on to the pretty seaside town of Pittenweem.

What will he find in his first antique shop of the day?

The difficulty in buying antiques at the moment is trying to judge what's going to be in fashion, and those items that are completely out of fashion, but might come back, you can never tell.

This is quite interesting.

Because this is Scottish vernacular furniture in miniature.

This is a child's doll's cradle.

And what is so nice is the 19th-century decoration, which is this scumble work.

VO: Scumble work is a decorative painting technique to make wooden items look more interesting.

It's often used on pine, which some people find a bit boring.

Oh, dear, poor little thing!

We only have the upper section of the doll.

That's why we have these heavy quilts in front of it.

(CHUCKLES) But I like the cradle.

Bit old to be playing with dolls, aren't you, David?

DB: Right.

DEALER: She's a funny baby!

Isn't she just?

Yes.

They're called cradle dolls.

Because you never see the lower section.

So how much is the cradle?

The cradle as such would be... DEALER: ..90.

DB: (GASPS) How much did you think?

Much less?

Oh, much less, yes.

Dare I throw a figure at you?

DEALER: Mm-hm.

DB: 30.

No.

No, no way.

Compromise, 35.

OK. And would you like this?

Oh, how kind of you.

Oh, you must have that inside.

VO: What a cozy deal!

DB: Does she sit nicely inside?

DEALER: There you are.

DB: Thank you very much indeed.

That is so kind of you.

Well, that was a charming lady.

I almost feel guilty because this was such a very good buy.

Almost, David, but not quite, eh?

A busy day's hunting draws to an end, and it's time to relax.

David, it's so nice to see you being Mummy!

Ha-ha!

I've been everything else today.

So how did you get on?

AM: I had a wonderful day.

DB: And did you buy?

That's the important thing.

Yes, I bought some modest items.

Really?

With due respect, Anita, you couldn't afford to buy anything else, could you?

Oh, you besom!

VO: Ooh!

So what will another day hold in store for our two intrepid experts?

Will David's comfortable lead ease him to the finish line first?

Or will the underdog have her day?

Another beautiful day and frontrunner David is still looking confident.

He's bought one item and still has £225.

Meanwhile, the pressure's on Anita to claw her way back, and she's done some hard bargaining.

She started with £80, she bought a couple of items and she's still got £62.

But it's old moneybags in the driving seat today.

David and Anita leave Cupar and enter Stirlingshire.

David's heading for Auchterarder after dropping Anita in Callander, which lies in the heart of the Trossachs.

Close by is Loch Katrine, which was the setting for Sir Walter Scott's famous poem The Lady Of The Lake.

As David's got more money to spend than Anita, he can afford to be more choosy.

He's seen a shop in Auchterarder which deserves closer inspection.

There's a barometer over there.

Not fashionable, with that rounded top, but it's a good period one.

What I like about it is the mother-of-pearl and the rosewood.

Hello, there.

What's the best on that?

The best price on that would be £100, that's really the best I can do.

DB: You can't tug it under?

DEALER: No, I'm sorry.

VO: Cor, that's a lot of money!

It's certainly a gamble if David's right about barometers being unfashionable.

Meanwhile, the recent past beckons Anita in a retro emporium in Callander.

It may not be big on traditional antiques, but it's great for quirky collectables to invest in.

Look at what you've got here.

That's great!

Can I have a wee look round?

Have a look round, yes.

There's quite a selection.

Owner George Johnson has some fun arcade machines, which can be very revealing.

I was giving you 10p, cuz I thought we could test out what your personality is like.

I mean, the machine never lies.

I'd love to know.

Well, there you go.

Place your 10p in the slot, pull the handle and we'll find out what your true nature is.

We've got spendthrift or tight!

AM: Oh!

(CHUCKLES) I'd rather be red hot!

Now, pull the handle.

GEORGE: Amorous!

AM: Amorous.

Come here!

VO: Not sure if this kind of personality is going to get Anita very far in George's shop, eh?

My word, this is an extensive showroom, isn't it?

I love those glass panels.

Those are superb aren't they?

They're very pretty, very good quality stained glass.

Absolutely.

Have you got any other stained glass?

There's another panel round here with an armorial.

It's a Scottish lion rampant on it.

I like that.

What's the price of that?

That's £120.

120.

I notice there's some damage here.

That, I think, is quite difficult to have restored.

These pieces are quite easily done, the clear glass.

This piece, you would have to repaint, have a new piece made.

What's the very best on it?

That piece I could do for £90.

For £90, I like that.

I can see a profit margin in that.

What I was looking for here was the wow factor.

Something that sort of...

I'd stand back and say, "Ah, that is superb!"

I've got it with the armorial device, I think that's very good.

The barometer... doesn't necessarily have that wow factor, but thinking in terms of Edinburgh, the type of housing there, and it has that quality.

Very wise, David, thinking ahead to the type of buyers who might be at the Edinburgh auction.

AM: I'd love to buy that brooch.

GEORGE: It's a beautiful brooch.

Mm-hm.

But that's way beyond, er... You might be surprised.

£95.

It's a 1920s costume piece.

AM: Ah, right.

I am so tempted!

I am so tempted, but what I have left is not a lot of money.

VO: Well, you've got £62.

And I'm going to say something really daft to you.

And you can throw me out of this shop if you want.

Go on.

AM: I've got 20 quid to spend!

GEORGE: Oof!

(LAUGHS) I'm sure I can find you something else for £20, but it won't be that brooch.

VO: Nice try, but George isn't falling for Anita's guile.

Meanwhile, it's all going swimmingly for David in Auchterarder.

I'd like the armorial window panel, at 90.

DEALER: Yes.

All my worldly goods, I thee endow.

OK.

Thank you very much.

VO: David's thrown caution to the wind.

Looks like the stained-glass window wasn't the only purchase here.

That shapely package looks rather familiar.

But where can Anita go to catch up?

Well, given her teeny budget, she's drawn to an unexpected opportunity back in Callander.

Looks like a wee car booty up there.

(GASPS) Oh, I might be in a bit of luck here!

Let's go up and have a look.

The situation that I'm in, this is great news.

Well, you never know what's going to turn up.

People are clearing out their garage or clearing out their... Just things they no longer use, so you can occasionally find something which is just a nice wee absolutely wonderful piece.

VO: Looks like she's found something from a mystery stallholder who likes his privacy.

Don't you, John?

AM: How much are they?

JOHN: £30.

AM: £30?

JOHN: £30.

Would you take 20?

No.

I can get 24 in scrap.

Could you come down at all, John?

I'll give you a bargain.

I'll give you them for £24 - that's the scrap value.

24.

Can't knock that back, can I?

JOHN: It's a deal.

VO: So you don't always need antique shops to find old treasures.

If those gold cufflinks turn out to be worth their weight in, well, gold, then Anita's fortunes may be about to turn.

AM: Want a wee tune?

(TUNELESS STRUM) VO: Lovely.

Not!

The hills are alive with the sound of, well, not exactly music... (MOOING) ..but David and Anita certainly found their rhythm today and both came away with rather interesting and diverse items.

Now it's time to show and tell.

AM: Oh-ho-ho!

I really want to see what you've got.

DB: I think this is super.

AM: Oh that's a sweet thing.

This is a little Scottish cradle, probably made in Fife, and she's included in it.

And it's only the upper torso.

You big sissy!

(THEY CHUCKLE) DB: Now what about yours?

I was thinking about the Edinburgh young girls, wearing 1950s vintage clothes.

DB: Bling-bling!

AM: Bling-bling.

It's a diamante watch.

DB: How much did you pay for that?

£2.

Oh, that's ridiculous!

That really is.

There's a profit there.

I hope so, David.

Oh, there's a profit there.

AM: Is that a piece of stained glass?

It is indeed.

Once I get it out.

Is it in good condition?

(WHISPERS) No, it's not!

(CHUCKLES) So you've have bought a lot of old broken junk again!

(THEY LAUGH) So I think this is absolutely su... Look at the color of the glass.

A little bit of damage here and there, but not excessively.

I bought two Scottish scenes, a rather nice loch scene here, with this silver birch, which is beautifully done, and this sort of thundering sky, with the loch and the hills in the background.

The artist is not a well-known artist.

DB: How much did you pay?

AM: £16 for the two.

16?

That's ridiculous.

You must have smiled!

I smile all the time, David.

We were walking along the street and we found a car boot sale.

And I managed to find a pair of nine karat gold cufflinks.

They could be from the 1930s, 1940s.

Very good.

Price, what do you think on price?

I would have thought you would pay about £40.

24.

That's very good.

That's very good.

David's turn to reveal the barometer he couldn't resist.

That's a very nice barometer, David.

The whole thing reeks of quality.

Round about, I suppose, 1835, 1840.

It's an earlier one.

How much did you pay for it David?

DB: £90.

AM: Mm-hm.

I was looking for that wow factor.

AM: Yes.

It doesn't have that!

DB: The wow factor.

VO: (CHUCKLES) Don't hold back, Anita!

I think she was looking at it from the auctioneer's eye point.

The barometer...

Barometers are out.

The watch, I thought, was dreadful.

At £2, I'd be surprised if the auction house put it in as a separate lot.

He's bought some nice items.

I can't tell you if they're going to make a profit or not.

I hope they don't!

That's not nice, is it?

VO: So the gloves are off and only the auctioneer's hammer will decide who is today's champion.

Our two experts finally arrive in Edinburgh.

It's auction day.

Scotland's stunning capital, a jewel set amongst majestic hills, home to some of the most beautiful public buildings in the world, and also, the Scottish Parliament.

AM: Well, David, here we are.

Are you looking forward to it?

DB: Apprehensively.

AM: Let's go, David.

DB: There we are.

(THEY CHUCKLE) DB: Keep your fingers crossed.

VO: The Ramsay Cornish auction house has regular sales in arts, antiquities and furniture.

It also features antique toy sales and is popular with collectors.

David started this leg with £260 and he spent £215.

He's nervous.

How much is the barometer going to make?

Erm, well, traditionally, barometers have always done quite well, but at the moment, the market for clocks and barometers is a bit flatter.

I would estimate at somewhere between £80 and £120 at auction.

Anita's only spent £42 of her £80, but she can't afford to lose any more.

What about the pictures?

David Watts.

They're really nice.

As you know, he was an RSA.

I've got someone who is quite interested in them, so AUCTIONEER: fingers crossed... AM: Excellent.

..we'll do quite well for you.

Yeah, aye.

VO: It's the moment of truth.

Will Anita's hard bargaining pay off?

First lot is lot number one.

And we have a very nice 1950s diamante and white metal fob watch.

20 I'm bid.

20 I'm bid.

22, 24, 26, 28, 30.

Two, four.

£34, the nice diamante watch at £34.

I'm only bid.

Last call and I'm selling it at £34, 34.

Perry, 34.

That was a good start.

VO: Well done, Anita.

Mind you, no sign of any guilt at striking such a hard bargain for that watch.

Next, it's those car boot cufflinks that Anita really did get from the back of a lorry!

20, I'm bid.

22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38.

Lady's bid, on my right, 40.

AM: Excellent, excellent.

AUCTIONEER: Still a bargain.

42.

At £42, at 42.

To 26, thank you.

DB: Gosh, how much did they cost you?

Er, £24.

That is good!

It's nice to see you smiling.

VO: Now, will David's doll's cradle rock the saleroom?

50 for this, to start it off.

50 I'm bid.

For the doll's cradle etc, at £50.

55.

60, at £60.

Nobody else going?

At £60.

At 60.

Not bad.

Not bad.

VO: The pressure's on with David's unfashionable, un-wow-factor barometer.

50, I'm bid.

55, 60, five, 70.

At £70, at £70.

For the barometer at £70.

Last call at 70.

Ouch!

That's a bad loss.

It's giving Anita the chance to catch up.

Lot 50 is David Watts, a RSA, showing here on the left-hand side.

50, I'm bid.

55, 60, five, 70, five, 80, five, 90, five, 100, 110, 120.

120.

At £120, bidding on the left at 120.

Last call.

AUCTIONEER: You have it, 120.

AM: Yes!

VO: Anita sure knows her Scottish artists.

And that hard bargaining has really paid off.

Lot 51.

A very nice stained-glass panel.

100, I'm bid.

£100, I'm bid.

The stained-glass panel.

110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220.

At £220.

230, 240, 250, 260, 270, at £270.

Seated at £270 for the lot.

(GAVEL) Mr Scott, 270, thank you.

Congratulations!

VO: David started today's program well ahead on £260.83.

He spent £215, the gamble paid off, and after auction fees, he now has a fantastic £369.96.

Anita started this leg of the road trip with £80.37.

She spent 42 and made a stonking profit of £154.

After paying commission, she's on a whopping £197.18.

Who would have thought it?

The underdog is back in the game.

I think we should both congratulate each other.

Yes, why don't we celebrate?

Come on.

VO: In tomorrow's episode, the road trip takes David and Anita from Edinburgh to Anita's home patch, where she plays even tougher.

Could you go 25?

You know this isn't like me!

VO: And David gets carried away on a charger.

DB: But here's the rub.

I've only got £233, so I'll negotiate.

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