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

Cuz I'm here to declare war.

Why?

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

It's very good!

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

Oh!

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

CHARLIE: (SHOUTS) Push!

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

Do you think I'd believe that?

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

VO: Today we're in Wales with, appropriately, the two (WELSH ACCENT) Davids - David Barby and David Harper.

Although neither, of course, is a saint.

DAVID HARPER (DH): I think I'm lost.

DAVID BARBER (DB): Well, I'd be lost without my sat-nav.

DH: What do you call her?

DB: Harriet.

BOTH: (LAUGH) VO: David Harper is a dealer with a taste for the finer things in life DH: These can make thousands, can't they?

I'd give you 200 quid for that, you know.

VO: While co-driver David Barby does the shopping and is an auctioneer.

There's nothing he likes more than to go for a song.

# I want a dream lover so I don't have to dream alone.

# VO: Ooh, flat!

VO: David B has led all week, but David H is catching up fast.

DH: So how are you feeling then, still in the lead, Mr Barby?

DB: Well, I feel very relaxed about it.

BOTH: (LAUGH) DH: Well, don't feel too relaxed because somebody's nipping at your heels.

DB: Oh, I know.

Yapping, I would say.

DH: Yapping!

DB: (YAPS) VO: Hmm.

They began with £200 each, and David Barby goes into today with a very respectable £726.05 to spend, while the other David has almost as much with £674.98.

VO: This week, we're traveling from Northern Ireland, heading south towards the county of Meath, then across to the north coast of Wales, and once again heading south, ending our trip in Llanelli.

Today's show starts in Aberystwyth, and heads for an auction in Shrewsbury.

VO: In the mid-19th century, a fine pier and the railway were built, making Aberystwyth a Victorian tourist boom town.

Back in the Middle Ages though, when the English were much less popular, Aberystwyth Castle was once the stronghold of the Welsh freedom fighter Owen Glendower.

We have to try and mix and blend with the natives.

You mean you're ingratiating yourself?

Yes, just like you do rather nicely.

Oh!

So, I have a Welsh phrasebook, and I've written down one of your favorite phrases.

Please, just for me, cuz I just love to hear you say it, in English - how do you do it?

Is that your very, very best?

That is wonderful.

Now, in Welsh, you say... "Hoffech chi ddawnsio."

Say that.

"Hoffech chi ddawnsio."

Well, not in a Chinese accent, in a Welsh one.

Try that again.

"Hoffech chi ddawnsio."

"Ddawnsio."

I think... "Hoffech chi ddawnsio."

DB: "Hoffech chi ddawnsio."

DH: Exactly.

I want you to look into the vendor's eyes and stare at them with that twinkle that only you have, and say... "Hoffech chi ddawnsio."

VO: You naughty boy.

Music to my ears.

DB: Knowing you, it's probably a swearword.

VO: David Barby starts his shopping just a few hundred yards from the seafront.

DB: Gosh, this looks interesting.

DB: Hello, David.

DAVID: Hello there.

VO: On a mission to find something unusual, idiosyncratic or even downright odd.

Right, let's have a look at the quirky things.

VO: Yes, quirky, that's what he's after.

How about some Japanese jade snuff trays, suggests dealer David, or maybe a huge gramophone horn.

Hm, nice!

DB: How much is that?

DAVID: It'll be about 400.

DB: Oh!

That's a lot of money!

DAVID: Expensive and quirky.

VO: Keep your hat on.

That really has got some style.

VO: So has this, and quite a price, too, at £125 a fork.

DB: I love the sort of social history behind this, that you pass your bread roll or bread on the end rather than touch it or taint it with your fingers!

And that's rather nice.

What's the very best you can do on that?

DAVID: Oh, I can do that one at ...85.

Ooh... Too much.

75 then.

DB: Is that the very, very best you can do?

Go on, 25 quid.

DB: 25?

Yeah.

VO: £100 off!

A slap round the chops, and then... DB: I think it's got a little fracture down the side.

DAVID: Ah, really?

DB: Yeah.

There's a gaping hole.

VO: Aah, here we go.

DB: I've been told if I use a certain expression... Like "Hoffech chi ddawnsio."

I don't think you'd get very far.

In other words, is that the very best possible price.

Yeah, I think 25 is...

Even with that damage?

You quoted me that before the damage was noticed.

DAVID: Ooh.

Go on, 20 quid then.

OK, it's a deal.

Thank you very much indeed.

DAVID: Pleasure.

DB: Thank you.

VO: And after finally "forking out" - ha!

- David spies something that might go with his first buy.

DAVID: That was from my attic, so that could be any price.

DB: This would have been in a picnic hamper, and possibly you might have taken this out with your Bentley, and in there you would have a burner, and then this little...kettle would stand on that.

DB: First, £10.

VO: I'm really not sure where David got that from, but it seems to have been OK'd, and now he's had another idea.

DB: I like this, David, because it's the same period as the kettle.

I'd like to think that mum and dad had sort of unpacked the picnic and they brought the baby's dish along so they could make his rusks or little porridge, and then feed him whilst he was on the picnic.

And we have the alphabet all the way round the edge which are rather nice, and then this little, delightful golfing scene here VO: Hmm.

The golly image, which used to feature on a well-known brand of jam, and in books by Enid Blyton, is now regarded as an offensive caricature, but such items do have a value as pieces of social history.

DB: I'd like to buy the two to go together.

I think they should go together, don't you?

I think it'd be fun, yeah.

I think it'd be fun, actually.

DAVID: We paid 20 for that one.

DB: 20!

It's been here ages!

It has been here ages.

I remember coming on holiday when I was 12 and seeing that!

And wanting it ever since!

DAVID: We could do a deal perhaps with the kettle, how about that?

DB: And the uh... How about 30 quid for the kettle?

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... You mentioned 10 on it originally.

Go on, 20 quid with the kettle.

DB: 15.

15 with the kettle.

DAVID: Yeah, go on.

You waited all those years to buy it!

VO: And while David Barby is busy buying... DB: How is my Welsh, by the way?

DAVID: Well, I think... keep at it.

DB: Keep at it!

Thank you very much.

VO: Lechyd da!

David Harper has, meanwhile, taken the Triumph north around Cardigan Bay, driving from Aberystwyth to the seaside resort of Borth.

Very rarely is a business described as "an antique shop and pub", but that's what they have here.

DH: Hello.

SARAH: Hello.

Hello there.

I'm David.

How do you do?

VO: Very nicely, thank you.

The shop and the inn below have been in Sarah Pugh's family for generations, and it shows.

A delightful clutter that requires a fine tooth comb to find a bargain.

Or unearth a pocket general.

Here's a typical model of Napoleon.

Now, don't you find it strange to think that we made models of him in celebration of his greatness, which is quite a rarity.

How many enemies of a nation can you think of that the victors for many years later, after he's been vanquished, actually make models of him and sell them as mementos?

VO: Yes, but how would he fare in a "general" sale?

A bargain hunter doesn't need to conquer a continent though, just move a moggy.

DH: OK.

Anything else...

Excuse me, is this your sales assistant here?

Yes, she doesn't like people buying the jewelry.

DH: Oh, doesn't she?

What's she called?

SARAH: Mel.

Mel, what's your very best price?

VO: Meow!

Huh.

Unable to view the cabinet, David studies the place where his cash would have gone.

Wow, isn't that beautiful.

Is that for sale?

SARAH: No.

DH: Really?

SARAH: No.

DH: Are you sure?

SARAH: Oh no, absolutely.

DH: Seriously?

It's been in the family, you know, the pub.

DH: You see I would definitely buy that.

These can make thousands, can't they?

I'd give you 200 quid for that, you know.

No questions asked.

What do you think of the show so far?

DH: "Rubbish."

VO: After failing to buy the till, or anything else for that matter, David Harper is now heading inland, through the spectacular scenery of the Ystwyth valley, where they used to mine lead, zinc and silver, traveling from Borth to Rhayader.

VO: The oldest town in mid Wales dates back to the 5th century.

But the place really got on the map when, in 1843, the locals rioted over road tolls.

Many were dressed up in drag and they became known as "Rebecca-ites".

Anxious to finally start spending after drawing a blank in Borth, David is determined to shop here.

DH: So what's this building?

ROBIN: This is the old courthouse.

Magistrate's bench used to be up there.

The magistrate, eh?

Through where the books are, there's two holding cells.

No!

Is that where you put customers in there that don't pay?

I do.

VO: The courthouse holds many of the usual suspects, and for the right price, any of these items can get an early release.

But which ones?

DH: So what have you got?

You've got gin, bourbon, sherry, scotch, brandy and vodka.

Are they all the same?

ROBIN: They are.

DH: So probably 1960s, but you've got that Victorian shape, haven't you?

It's a very 1880s image shape, classical thing.

DH: I can tell you if they were in silver, they would be many hundreds of pounds.

But they're not, they're in pewter.

But the thing is, on six liquor bottles they would look the biz, wouldn't they?

ROBIN: Yes, oh yeah.

DH: What kind of money are they then?

Lots of money.

£20 for the six.

DH: Ooh, Robin.

Robin!

You know, honestly.

It's a bargain, innit?

DH: 20 quid!

It can be more.

I don't know whether I even dare ask if they could be less.

ROBIN: No, they couldn't be less.

DH: I think I'm going to have to have them, aren't I?

ROBIN: I think so.

DH: Good man.

Thank you very much, I'll have those!

VO: Six labels later, and Harper is in the hunt.

DH: That's a cracking thing Robin, isn't it?

I think that's 1835, 1840 with a later top.

DH: Can I take the glasses off, would you mind?

VO: This symbol was first used in 3,000BC and it's been associated with everything from religion and magic to politics.

DH: What kind of money is it?

Uh... To you, about £80.

80 quid.

Robin, that couldn't be 50, could it?

ROBIN: No, it couldn't be 50.

DH: It couldn't be?

It couldn't be.

Under any circumstances.

Under any circumstances.

Alright.

What could it be under any circumstances?

70.

DH: It's a good thing.

60?

No.

It's pushing it at 60.

I couldn't replace it for that.

DH: 65?

65's there, yeah, OK. Should we do a deal at 65?

Yeah, we'll do a deal at 65.

Robin, thank goodness for that, I love spending money here.

VO: Not content with table and labels, David goes looking for more.

Wow, look at that.

That is a Japanese Satsuma ware.

DH: What a grand, impressive thing.

Robin, what sort of money is the Satsuma?

ROBIN: It's got some damage on it, unfortunately.

DH: Has it?

ROBIN: Yeah, on the lions, on this one here.

DH: Oh yeah, missing its tail.

DH: So there you go, there's the male version.

That's the dog of Foo or the Shishi dog.

The dogs of Foo, they're there to protect the owner, aren't they?

Currently, you own it and they're scaring me away.

What would it cost for me to own it?

£40, there you are.

40 quid.

Blimey, that is a gift.

DH: I tell you what, you dress that up, you put that in someone's living room or a dining room or a hallway, and it would look £4,000 worth, wouldn't it?

Well, it can be.

Really, Robin, can it?

Would you mind, cuz I do want to spend big!

DH: Take 30 quid for it.

ROBIN: No, come on.

Go on, I'll spin you a coin - 30 or 40.

Go on then.

OK, good man, I love spinning coins.

DH: OK, you call.

Ready?

Heads.

DH: Yes!

(LAUGHS) Marvelous.

It's not a fix?

VO: So, £30 to David Harper.

Meanwhile, back in Aberystwyth, there's a museum dedicated to the history of Ceredigion, or Cardiganshire.

Hm.

David Barby has come to the beautiful old Coliseum theater to take a look.

Hello, David, welcome to Ceredigion Museum.

I'm Michael, the curator.

Hello, Michael.

Very pleased to meet you.

VO: The theater was built for variety in 1905, and later converted to a cinema.

It became a museum in 1984.

MICHAEL: That's the piano that was used during silent films.

DB: My mother, in Rugby, played the piano at the cinema where they showed silent movies.

But to keep us quiet at home, she would play "Hearts and Flowers", which was often that she employed during love scenes or some melodramatic scenes when she was looking at the screen.

VO: Upstairs, they still have the mighty projector that last fired up for "The Lady & The Tramp" in 1977.

Although most of the exhibits are much older and focus on the domestic lives of local people.

DB: My, Michael, what do we have here?

We have a very fine collection of indigenous Welsh chairs.

Welsh - those are Windsor chairs.

MICHAEL: We now think that these may well actually predate the English examples.

Really?!

They look very uncomfortable, but they are made out of local materials by the people who sat on them.

VO: Something that's undoubtedly made in Wales is the proper Welsh stovepipe hat.

And although you may think it's as old as the druids, it was only invented around 1830 as an early form of branding.

MICHAEL: This is something that the better-off women wore.

So if you went to market and you wanted to buy some good quality food from a Welsh-speaking person, the chances are they'd be wearing a Welsh hat.

VO: The festivals of music and literature, known as Eisteddfod, first took place in the 12th century and their revival in the 19th coincided with the rise of Welsh nationalism.

DB: What does 'eisteddfod' mean?

MICHAEL: It's a meeting place, really.

It's where everybody meets to share their skills and enthusiasm.

So it's a gathering?

It's a gathering of people.

I think that's a lovely concept.

VO: All that talk of music and the old theater seems to have had quite an effect on David Barby - someone never likely to suffer from stage fright.

# Keep the home fires burning, # though your hearts are yearning, # though your lads are far away, they dream of home.

# VO: I do believe he's had a...glass of sherry.

DB: # "..though the clouds are shining, # turn the dark clouds inside out till the boys come home.

# VO: And on that bum note... Day two of our trip in the Triumph - from the coast of Wales to the English border.

DH: Now, is it 'Shrowsbury' or 'Shrewsbury'?

DB: Depends where you come from.

I would say 'Shrowsbury'.

DH: Well, if you say 'Shrowsbury', I'll say 'Shrewsbury'.

BOTH: (LAUGH) VO: Yesterday, David and David both bought three things, with David Barby spending £35 on a mix of quirky dining-related items.

VO: While David H weighed in with £115 on some labels, a table, and a giant Japanese incense burner.

Heads.

DH: Yes!

Robin, I've got it!

VO: But what will today's jaunt do for the two Davids, as they make for that auction in Shrewsbury.

Or is it 'Shrowsbury.'

Actually, both are perfectly acceptable.

Starting out once more in Rhayader, where David Harper deposits David Barby.

DB: Hello.

Good morning.

Good morning.

David Barby.

What's your name?

David Carney.

Another David!

Oh, that's good, we have something in common!

VO: David Barby has found one antique already, and hopes to buy big today, and so stretch his lead.

DB: I think I ought to invest around about 200 plus.

With what I've bought so far, I think I stand a chance of making a small profit.

And nibbling away at the amount of money I've got, but I'd like to buy something a little bit different and just boost the price.

VO: But tactics are on hold while he enjoys himself.

DB: This is really a very interesting shop.

What is that, I suppose that's a reproduction?

The cocktail shaker?

I don't think it is, no.

I think this is as brand new as... Look at the inside of that.

DAVID: Never been used.

DB: Oh!

No staining, nothing.

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

DB: How much is the Worcester jug?

Oh, mega-dear.

You'll tell me it's not Worcester now!

DB: No, it is Worcester.

So how much is that?

DAVID: Has it not got a price on it?

DB: No.

That's chipped as well.

I reject that one.

Thank you.

DB: 15 pencil sketches in there.

Somebody on the grand tour.

What's the date?

1848.

DB: People didn't have cameras, and if they went on holiday, particularly abroad, they would take a sketch pad and they often had training to do quick sketches of scenes they were looking at, and often they'd do a write-up at the side of what they were looking at.

But this is by an amateur hand, and possibly a gifted female.

VO: Oh.

So the drawings are rejected, but here's something that could fly.

DAVID: How about a nice First World War propeller blade?

DB: Oh, this is...

This is a patent, it was manufactured as an example.

It actually has never been on a plane.

DB: How much is that?

DAVID: 50 quid.

Your very, very, very best... That started at the very, very, very best, that's a bargain.

Ooh!

He's from my neck of the woods as well, Birmingham.

I'm a Scouser.

DB: Well, it's close enough, isn't it?

(LAUGHS) DB: That is a possibility.

But I'd like it much reduced on that.

DAVID: How much?

30.

Go ahead, seeing as it's you.

DB: OK.

Seeing as it's a sale.

VO: Meanwhile, David H is once again behind the wheel and headed for his final shop, traveling from Rhayader to Llanidloes.

DH: Hi there, I'm David Harper.

MARK: Hi, Mark.

Nice meeting you.

Nice to meet you too.

So have a browse round, and... DH: I will.

Alright then, Mark, and I'll give you a shout if we can do something.

OK. What about that recumbent Buddha there?

Is it a modern one?

MARK: That is the good luck Buddha of the shop.

DH: So the first thing I look at and I can't buy.

That's a great start!

MARK: (LAUGHS) VO: Stumped again.

Oh well, as the Buddha says: "To the one who endures, the final victory comes."

Nothing about nice things in cabinets though.

DH: OK, so think of the man that has absolutely everything.

He wants for nothing, so what on earth are you going to buy him for Christmas?

Well...

The perfect gentleman's accessory - a really good pen.

He may not actually use it, but a Parker pen, and with a 14-carat gold nib, 16 quid is actually really cheap, because if you were to go to a vintage pen shop, I think that would make... 50 quid, possibly.

DH: That's a really nice pen, Mark, isn't it?

MARK: It is.

DH: Could that be devastatingly cheap, Mark?

Help me out here.

MARK: We can go down to 12 on that.

DH: 12.

I bet we could make it 10, because I haven't got any change, couldn't we?

MARK: Let's have a look.

I bet we could.

Seeing as it's you.

Good man, thanks Mark.

Deal done.

Thank you very much.

OK. VO: Come on, David, own up.

These are just the sort of toys you'd quite like to have for yourself.

Alright, let's have a look at this little watch here.

DH: That's a really good quality Swiss-made, small manufacturer Roamer watch, and my first good watch - it was bought for me when I was 18 - was a Roamer.

How much is it, Mark?

28 quid.

VO: And so, while David comes over all nostalgic, the dealer himself arrives to hear his offer.

Hello.

I'm Clive, I'm the owner of the items in the cabinet, so if you're looking for a deal... Oh, you've called him, have you?

Oh, good man.

Right.

OK. DH: Right, let's have a look at this little watch here.

What kind of money could that be?

CLIVE: I could do that at £20.

Could you?

Yeah.

DH: 20 quid, eh?

Do you want to say 15 and be really happy?

CLIVE: (CHUCKLES) Would that make you happy, Clive?

Yes, go on then.

DH: Sure?

CLIVE: Yes.

Good man, thank you very much.

DH: The pen was yours, I believe.

CLIVE: Yes.

DH: So I owe you 25 quid.

That's fine.

There's 20.

And five.

That's it.

I've hardly spent any money.

I can't believe it.

VO: And with that less than tactful comment, we shift our gaze to David Barby, who's struggling to spend his cash.

VO: David has traveled from Rhayader to Newbridge on Wye in search of that big purchase.

VO: But despite a huge choice, things are not looking good.

DB: I haven't seen anything yet that is going to be suitable for the auction.

VO: Eventually David finds something to ponder upon, but he's still not happy.

DB: Well, it's 1930s, Jacobean revival cabinet, which was very fashionable at that time, and it's a floor-standing gramophone, so in the lower section you have your storage for the gramophone, it's still got the original uprights.

And then you have the soundbox, which is here, and it normally has a sort of silk-lined screen, but we haven't got that.

And then you've got the actual turntable here, which is nicely dusty, but not in particularly good working order.

VO: Which is a shame because he could have played something to suit his mood.

Gloomy.

I'm quite, quite disappointed that there was nothing there that I can buy and make a profit at an auction.

VO: David Harper is on his way from Llanidloes to Presteigne.

VO: Straddling the River Lugg, just a stone's throw from the English border, the county town of Radnorshire has many fine buildings, and David has come to visit the old courtroom, known as the Shire Hall.

This 19th-century gem has been miraculously preserved, so that visitors like David can get a real sense of Victorian rural justice.

DH: My goodness me!

You're not the judge, I hope.

CHARLES: No, no, not today.

David Harper.

Charles Kitely, I'm one of the trustees here, and I help to restore the building.

DH: My gosh, look at this place.

CHARLES: There's the judge's seat up there, and the witness box.

Radnorshire juries were famous.

They would let them off.

One judge saw a hare just about to be got by a greyhound, and he said "the only thing that will save that hare is a Radnorshire jury".

DH: Is that right?

CHARLES: Oh yes.

VO: The building has been restored to its 1860s peak, complete with original "bat's wing burner" gas lighting.

That is so stylish.

CHARLES: This is the only house in Britain that's still got open-flame gas burners to light.

DH: That is amazing.

CHARLES: So here we are, in the judge's lodging.

DH: OK. Gas lighting?

CHARLES: No, that's oil lamps.

DH: Oh, oil lamps.

Of course.

I can smell it.

VO: Me too.

Not only the courtroom but the entire building has now been returned to its previous condition, which means no electric lighting.

CHARLES: This is the dining room.

This furniture here, the chairs and the table, were made for the house.

This is an extraordinary thing.

This is older than the house.

This is the jury box.

CHARLES: All the people who were eligible to be jurymen, all the names would be put in there, rolled up on bits of paper, and some indifferent person, in other words, someone who wasn't... put his hand in, and pick out John Jones, William Thomas... Really?

Is that right?

Yes, that's right.

And then they had to serve.

VO: Below stairs, things are also completely authentic in every murky detail.

CHARLES: This is still working.

Oh, that's a water pipe.

Whey, look at that!

And then we get into the more sort of business end.

VO: Folk accused of typical crimes, like horse and even duck theft, would spend an anxious time in the cells.

And these too are now open to visitors.

CHARLES: If you look in the cell here, I'm afraid we are going to have to keep you here.

DH: (LAUGHS) Hey!

VO: Ha ha!

That'll serve you!

Did David Barby put you up to that?

DH: Very amusing.

VO: Meanwhile, his co-defendant, David Barby, has traveled from Newbridge on Wye to Llangurig, where he arrives a desperate man.

Hello?

MIKE: Hello.

DB: David Barby.

Hi there.

Mike, Mike Gallagher.

Hello Michael, how are you?

Alright, mate.

How are you?

This is a privilege, thank you.

Coming to somebody's house that's also a dealer as well... Well, yes.

There's a few left.

Hidden treasures.

VO: There's certainly plenty of treasures hidden in Mike's crowded house.

The palpitations subside as David begins to feel at home here.

DB: This is so encouraging because there's things I feel that I can actually buy.

DB: What is this little piece here?

MIKE: That's only just come in.

I think it's a cigarette... or something, if you lift it up.

DB: Maybe cigarettes, cufflinks.

MIKE: I think it's sort of 1900 or something, isn't it?

DB: Yes.

MIKE: That can be 35 quid.

DB: Oh, sugars.

Why did I buy that kettle and... VO: Come on, David, no regrets about yesterday.

A little box to think about, and next door, a slightly bigger box.

DB: And what is that on its own, the small cabinet?

MIKE: It's rosewood, but it can be £45.

It's just a good bit of wood.

DB: I think that's got potential.

This is the base of an etagere, which is basically, in ordinary terms, a whatnot.

So above here, you'd have one, probably maybe three shelves, and it was intended for ornamental items, clocks, bijouterie, something like that.

I'm going to have that one.

MIKE: Good.

Thank you very much.

MIKE: Good.

Pleasure.

DB: That's an interesting little clock.

MIKE: Yes, yeah, yeah.

What sort of price range are we looking at?

MIKE: Two and a half.

VO: I think he means hundreds.

DB: And that's the very best you can do on that, Michael?

MIKE: Yes, yeah.

It does owe me more, I promise you.

Seriously.

DB: Is that the very, very best you can do?

MIKE: Well, the very best would be £230.

DB: Right.

I saw that little box, which you quoted.

Was it 30... MIKE: 35.

DB: £35 on.

And I think that is exquisite.

Absolutely exquisite.

MIKE: 250 quid, you might be able to marry the two.

That is very tempting.

Well.

That's cheap.

Tempting and cheap.

DB: Oh!

What have I done?

MIKE: Ooh!

VO: What a relief!

David's finally splashed that cash.

And now he's discovered something Mike will probably never sell.

His karaoke machine.

# I want a dream lover so # I don't want to dream alone.

# VO: Keep singing like that and you'll always be alone.

VO: And now the two must once again compare and contrast their respective purchases.

This might get tetchy!

DB: Oh, they're nice.

I think these are American.

What did you pay for them?

Round about £30?

A bit less.

20.

That's good.

That's a bit less, that's a terrific amount less.

VO: Very cordial.

Perhaps they'll behave themselves today.

DH: Oh.

What on earth is that?

It's part of a propeller.

DB: Yes.

Bit of a Deco feel to it.

It has got a Deco feel, and I just think it's a good piece of wood.

DH: I wouldn't know how to value it, but I do appreciate its historic interest to anyone who has a biplane.

You're so damning in your comments!

VO: Not so cordial.

Now for the vintage Swiss.

DH: It's a very good quality, stylish gentlemen's watch.

It is indeed.

I prefer this style of watch actually, because it's not like the sort of modern bling-bling in your face.

Oh, like that.

Yeah!

This is very, very stylish.

Because...it's very similar to your own watch!

VO: What about the muffin fork?

DH: I think it's a thing of beauty with that twisty handle.

And it's all silver.

Is the handle hallmarked as well?

Yes.

It's all silver.

I can see it, yeah, you've got the queen's head there.

DH: I would be happy to pay... 45.

It's yours!

Really?!

I paid 20.

That's very cheap.

VO: David's bargain fountain pen.

DH: I think that's a 14-carat mounted duo-fold Parker pen.

It says "roll gold" up here.

DH: It does not.

DB: It does DH: It doesn't.

That's a registration mark.

It's the duo-fold...

It's very nice.

I would imagine you paid about 15 for it.

I paid for that £10.

VO: The Edwardian eating lot.

Item one.

DH: It doesn't get me going.

I don't lust after it, I don't want to run away with it.

DB: No.

DH: Do you know what I mean?

VO: I think he does, David.

DB: That came with this little object, to make babies' food on the journey.

That's really sweet.

DH: Harking back to the early 20th century.

DB: It's full of sort of, what should I say, part of our social history.

It is.

In more ways than one.

Absolutely.

It's very interesting.

VO: David Harper's favorite buy.

Feast your eyes on that beauty.

It's hand-painted, hand-potted, and it's signed by the way.

DH: And I tell you what, David Barby - you put that on a good period table in a contemporary room, and it would look so modern.

DH: That, brand-spanking new in some flash shop somewhere would be hundreds of pounds, yet you can buy a real Meiji piece for £30.

Antiques expensive?

No.

I don't like it.

I can't see the quality there, David.

VO: Oh dear.

Here we go.

DH: Right.

Let's see how horrible I can be about something of yours then, shall we?

DB: I don't think I was horrible, I was non-committal.

DB: (GROANS) DH: Oh!

VO: Mind your back, David.

Ooh.

A little bit of rosewood.

DB: It's a vast amount of rosewood.

1860.

1870 maybe.

I wouldn't say as late as that.

It's got no arts and crafts sort of movement about it at all.

DH: Well, OK.

So a nice quality piece of brown furniture.

DB: I wouldn't call this brown, it's not mahogany or oak.

If you look at the back, David...

Sorry, what color is it?

This is rosewood.

If you look at the back...

Isn't that like a brown color?

DB: No, it's got these honey streaks in it.

VO: Oh, calm down, please.

DH: It's 80 quid's worth, 70 quid's worth.

£50 worth.

I paid £40 That's fine.

VO: Another nice piece of rosewood.

DH: This table is so similar to yours in so many ways it's unbelievable.

Because of this on the top there, I think it's added great interest to it.

How much do you think I paid for it?

I think you paid 45.

45...

I paid a bit more.

65.

I think that's very, very good.

VO: Liar.

Finally, David Barby's treasure.

DH: Ooh!

I think that's a little sweetie.

And it came with this little box?

DB: It came with that little box, yes, from the same house, according to the dealer.

DH: I think it's really bonnie.

Really nice.

I would say 120 for the two.

What did you pay?

Oh!

That's far too little.

I don't think I even want to tell you.

Go on, you're going to have to tell me!

I paid £250 for the two.

Did you really?

OK. VO: Is it me, or is that clock ticking?

I value your opinion, David.

Oh, thank you very much.

I value your opinion.

VO: Phew, I'm glad that's over.

I found the...the whole exercise today rather depressing.

David has an awful knack of putting in prices obviously well under what I actually paid for them.

He gets horrified when I give a price, but I'm not being awful.

It's just that it's a risky one.

So we're both going to be hoping on that one - in opposite directions.

David does have that ability of embellishing and making his objects sound absolutely wonderful when in fact they're not.

I dislike intensely the late Japanese Satsuma pieces because they are gaudy and fairground-like.

VO: After starting out on the Welsh coast at Aberystwyth, this leg of our tour will conclude just over the English border in 'Shrowsbury'.

That's the way I pronounce it!

VO: The English and the Welsh may have fought over the place for years, but the county town of Shropshire escaped the bombs of World War II and currently has well over six hundred listed buildings.

Street names such as Bear Steps, Dogpole and Grope Lane have remained unchanged for centuries too.

VO: David B and David H are crossing the River Severn for a general sale at Halls Auctioneers.

DB: I'm fearful that I should make a loss today.

VO: David Harper has spent £140 on five lots.

DH: I've hardly spent any money.

David Barby's going to hit the roof.

VO: While David Barby has, as promised, lavished a whopping £355 also on five lots, including this 19th-century timepiece.

Ooh!

What have I done?

VO: So while the good people of Shrewsbury take a peek at the lots, let's have a quick word with gavel-wielding Andrew Beeston.

The item that could do the best is the little William IV mahogany drumhead miniature timepiece.

Very nice, and we will see.

ANDREW: My favorite, oh, has to be the propeller.

Anything linked to aviation - very nice.

It's the sort of thing I'd love to have on my wall.

VO: Well, you can't have it.

Are we ready for this?

David, think lucky.

I'll think lucky, I'll think lucky!

VO: David Barby's fork.

With a crack.

ANDREW: £30.

30, 30.

20 and in.

Where are you?

20.

10.

£10 bid.

Taking 12 now.

At 10, do we have 12.

12.

£12.

14.

16.

18.

20.

22.

£22.

Come on, that's so cheap.

At 22... (GAVEL) I'm surprised.

VO: That tiny profit will be a loss after commission.

I am a bit concerned about the other lots.

VO: David Harper's nice piece of parquetry.

ANDREW: We'll start the bidding at 50.

50.

30 to start me.

Who's got it?

£30.

35.

40.

Five.

50.

£50.

DH: Come on!

ANDREW: Take the five.

£50 in the room now.

At 50.

Five now.

We are selling at £50.

No, no, no, David, no.

(GAVEL) ANDREW: Two two six.

VO: Another loss.

This ain't boding well.

That's a very bad start for me.

Don't worry.

You've got your Satsuma coming up.

Oh yeah, thank you very much!

VO: Now, David B's picnic collection with child's bowl.

10 bid.

£10 bid.

Taking 12.

At £10, is there a 12?

At £10... Oh God, this is terrible.

At £10... (GAVEL) ANDREW: £10.

DH: What did that... 15?

VO: A familiar outcome today.

DB: You're smiling, David.

I'm trying not to.

I wish you wouldn't!

VO: Now, what will Shrewsbury make of David H's prize Satsuma?

ANDREW: Start the bidding, should be straight away £40.

40.

40 bid.

Take the five now.

Come on, baby.

ANDREW: 45.

50.

Five.

55.

£55, where's 60?

At £55, selling at £55... (GAVEL) DB: You've made a profit... DH: It's a profit.

VO: Yeah, be very grateful.

They may be rare today.

I'm happy with that.

Just to make a profit.

VO: The auctioneer likes David's propeller, but will anybody else?

ANDREW: 30 bid.

30.

That's your money back.

At 30.

Five now.

At £30, who's got the five?

At 30, starter's bid.

35.

40.

Five.

50.

£50 at the back there.

At 50, we shall sell, make no mistakes... (GAVEL) Oh well.

How do you feel about that?

DB: It's OK. VO: Another profit.

Minus commission.

Give me a smile.

Ugh!

VO: Neck and neck.

What can these do?

ANDREW: 30.

£30.

There we go.

Label your bottles, 30 bid.

Thank you.

Excellent.

Come on baby!

ANDREW: At 30.

Two now.

At 30, who's got the two?

Bid's in front at 30, maiden bid at 30... (GAVEL) DB: Profit 10 quid.

£10.

That's alright.

There you go.

Didn't matter who made them DH: - they made a profit.

VO: That's the spirit.

VO: Next, David Barby's whatnot bottom bit.

ANDREW: Straight away, 20, 25, £30.

At £35, take the five.

At £30, five now.

Oh, shucks.

ANDREW: ..five.

35.

At 35.

40.

Five.

50.

£50, where's the five?

Five.

60.

Five.

£65 at the back.

Should be worth more than that.

At 65... (GAVEL) DH: You've made a profit.

DB: I've made a profit, yes.

VO: Yes, I think today is going to be "who gets away with it day".

VO: Next, David Harper's fountain pen.

ANDREW: 20.

At 10, we're going to start, 10 bid.

12.

15.

18 at the back?

18.

£18 the gentleman's bid.

20 now.

At 18.

Should be 20.

At £18 right at the back.

At £18, we are selling at £18.

(GAVEL) You've made a profit.

I've made a profit, I know.

VO: Yes, he has.

Just.

DH: I'm trying to tell myself "be happy, be happy", but I think it's not a great profit, is it.

VO: Now for David Barby's big risk, the timepiece and the box.

Start the bidding, straight away, with me, commission bid, so 180 I'm bid at 180.

190.

At £190.

Do I see 200?

At 190.

200.

At £200.

Commission bid against you now, £200, commission bid... (GAVEL) 200.

VO: Could that loss give David Harper an overall lead?

Very disappointed, but it's what I thought.

VO: Finally, the watch that reminded David Harper of his misspent youth.

20, where are you?

£20.

No?

£20.

10.

Start at 10 bid, £10 bid.

ANDREW: Take the 12 now.

At £10.

Should be at 12.

ANDREW: At £10.

DH: It should be at 12!

ANDREW: It's got to sell at £10.

At £10.

DH: Come on!

ANDREW: At £10, the bid's...

I'm trying!

Try harder!

ANDREW: At 10, it's in Australia though, it's upside, that bid.

ANDREW: £10.

DH: It works!

£10... (GAVEL) ANDREW: 681.

DH: I can't believe it!

David, I'm terribly, terribly... Oh, I can't believe it.

VO: That Swiss miss means a loss, but nothing like what David Barby just suffered on his timepiece.

Somebody is one or two pounds ahead of the other, I'd imagine, but I don't know who that somebody is because my maths is so poor!

VO: Good news, David Harper, because after a so-so day in Shropshire for both of them, he's just crept into the lead.

David Barby began with £726.05 and made a loss of £70.46 after auction costs today, so he has just £655.59 to spend tomorrow.

VO: While David Harper started this round with £674.98 and made a loss of £6.34 after auction costs, leaving him today with £668.64 to spend tomorrow.

A lead of little more than £10.

DB: I am so relieved!

You are so relieved!

DB: Absolutely!

Well, a victory for me, but not a great victory - DH: a weak victory.

DB: £10!

DH: It could have been substantially more, David Barby, if you had failed on that clock and I had won on something like my Satsuma or my pen.

DB: Quality will out.

DH: Ha!

VO: Join us tomorrow, to see David B sniff out a bargain.

VO: And David H create quite a stink.

DH: Can you smell my aftershave?

Slightly.

I poured loads on!

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