
Izzie Balmer & Catherine Southon, Day 3
Season 21 Episode 23 | 43m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
Izzie takes to the waves in Newquay and Catherine wrestles with local history.
On the North coast of Cornwall, Izzie channels her inner surf dude and Catherine observes the ancient art of Cornish wrestling. Who’ll be crowned the champ at the auction?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback

Izzie Balmer & Catherine Southon, Day 3
Season 21 Episode 23 | 43m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
On the North coast of Cornwall, Izzie channels her inner surf dude and Catherine observes the ancient art of Cornish wrestling. Who’ll be crowned the champ at the auction?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipVOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts... Alright, fair enough.
It's a really cute subject.
VO: ..behind the wheel of a classic car.
NATASHA: Make it so.
MARGIE: Here we go.
VO: And a goal to scour Britain for antiques.
Frankly terrifying.
VO: The aim, to make the biggest profit at auction.
But it's no mean feat.
I've lost money!
VO: There'll be worthy winners... Get in there!
VO: ..and valiant losers.
Could have been worse.
VO: Will it be the high road to glory?
Ooh.
VO: Or the slow road to disaster?
Ugh!
VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!
En garde!
VO: Will you look at that!
I can almost taste the cream teas.
Scrummy!
I feel so happy.
Cornwall is one of my favorite places in the whole country.
VO: Mine too, especially if, like auctioneer Catherine Southon, I'm behind the wheel of a 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider.
Ha!
(HONKS HORN) CATHERINE (CS): This car just drives like an absolute dream.
It's one of the nicest vintage cars to drive.
VO: I know.
Meanwhile, it's pedal power for fellow auctioneer Izzie Balmer.
IZZIE: The saddle's a little bit solid.
Erm...
So it's a little bit uncomfortable, but I am aware that I probably sound like the princess and the pea.
Being the optimist, I'm getting some great exercise in.
VO: Yeah.
Our fairy tale romantic loves a brooch.
IZZIE: Give you 25 smackers?
Or is that something else, is that a kiss?
I'm not going to give you 25 kisses.
VO: Ah.
Previously, Catherine's mutual love of jewelry has made her profit soar.
And the internet, at £280.
CS: Yes!
IZZIE: No way!
That's brilliant!
VO: Last time, however, it was some Victoriana that served up some ecstatic joy.
(GASPS AND LAUGHS) You'll never guess who owns these.
I can't imagine.
£90.
This is such a good feeling.
Your cheeks are like... ding!
VO: Despite the ups and downs, Catherine remains super relaxed.
I do hope I'm going to have time to sunbathe.
That's important.
Come on, sun!
VO: Let's talk kitties.
Izzie's purse is slightly lighter, with £231 and 70 pennies.
While Catherine is still bathing in riches, with a delicious £390.54.
I couldn't be happier actually, and especially because I've got so much money.
It's almost falling out of this car there's so much of it.
VO: Oh-ho-ho!
Cheeky!
The girls began their adventure in Storrington, visiting the emporiums of the sunny south coast.
They headed further southwest, will now scamper around the Cornish shoreline and finish their quest in Bristol.
What could be nicer?
Let's have a pow-wow before we get stuck in properly.
Izzie, you look fabulous on that!
You've got like two little slits on the helmet.
They look like your eyes.
IZZIE: Do they?
CS: Yes.
VO: Don't listen, Izzie, they absolutely don't.
There is a little bit of distance between us, but not much.
What?
There's loads!
You're miles ahead of me.
In the car, in the money.
Just carry on buying brooches, Izzie, you will be fine.
Oh, Catherine, you rotter!
VO: Keep flying the flag for brooches, Izzie.
With the battle lines firmly drawn... IZZIE: Bye!
CS: See you there.
VO: ..let's begin.
Woohoo!
VO: Today's antiques delights will be heading to an online-only auction in Sidmouth.
First, we're starting this buying bonanza in Hayle.
Breathe in!
And we begin in this grand building, which is home to a warren of shops, including Foundry Gallery.
Despite just the two wheels, Izzie is first to arrive.
With £231.70, what will she find to spend it on in here?
Now...what's this then?
IZZIE: These are probably what I would describe as a pair of mid 20th century modernist cufflinks.
They're by a designer, Hans Hansen.
I know, because it has his marks stamped onto the bar here.
VO: Oh, yeah.
The company, founded in 1906, is renowned for Scandinavian modernist jewelry design.
IZZIE: I like these because they're simple.
And when I look at it from the sides it does have a slightly smoky color.
There doesn't appear to be any chips or scratches.
So that would indicate that it is maybe a quartz as opposed to glass, because glass would chip and scratch and abrade more easily, because it's a softer material than quartz.
What price are they?
£45.
On a bad day, I would put these in auction at 40 to 60.
On a good day... 60 to 90?
VO: Very stylish - like you.
That one's a potential then.
Meanwhile, Catherine has finally turned up.
Must have taken the scenic route.
Miss Moneybags has just under £400 to splash.
CS: Hand-forged grab hook.
I like this - £45.
What could we grab?
Grab a crab.
Grab some fish, grab some lobsters.
I like this.
I could grab Izzie!
Where is she?
VO: Ooh, there she is!
Not really sure what I'm going to buy this leg.
I mean, I really shouldn't buy brooches.
I'm not going to buy brooches.
VO: Gotcha.
Catherine's nabbed dealer Paul to chat about a Victorian tablecloth.
CS: What I like about it, it's very autumnal.
Mm-hm.
And I like the fact that it's quite bright colors.
Yeah.
I suppose the thing to look at when you're looking at this is just to make sure that the threads are all intact.
I mean we've got a few loose threads... PAUL: Yeah.
..but no real loss.
PAUL: No.
CS: Feels a bit silky, doesn't it?
I'm sure it's not silk, because that wouldn't be practical.
PAUL: I don't think... What's your price on this?
Ticket price is 85.
Right.
Well, if I said 45, that would be my very best on it.
OK.
I do like that, Paul.
VO: While Catherine ponders... Oh, Izzie?
You know how I said I wasn't going to buy any more brooches?
VO: Yes.
Well, look at that.
Well, it's another Scandinavian brooch.
This one's just stamped Denmark, so ideally I would like there to be a maker's name on there.
Without that, it isn't... it isn't as desirable.
Izzie, what are you doing?
IZZIE: Nothing to see here!
That looks... That looks a bit like a brooch to me!
Nothing to see here, Catherine.
CS: We said no brooches, didn't we?
I know!
I can't help myself.
CS: I'll leave you to it.
Caught red-handed.
VO: Yep, brooches are definitely Izzie's guilty pleasure.
Yet another item with Nordic heritage.
It doesn't have a price on it, which is kind of why I'm drawn to it because, ever the optimist, I'm hoping that it's really cheap, in which case I could be tempted to break my rule of not buying any more brooches.
VO: Oh, such a rebel, Izzie!
Working the room elsewhere is busy bee Southon.
CS: So these are a set of... celestial maps, celestial engravings... Yeah.
Engravings, yeah.
..of the constellations.
Yeah.
They're just quite a nice thing to frame.
They are quite faded though, aren't they?
What can they be, then, Paul?
I could do those at a bargain price of £10.
£10.
And I don't think you can fail on those.
I don't think you can fail.
Well, we can fail.
We've failed on all sorts of things!
Nothing's ever guaranteed at an auction.
Nothing is ever guaranteed.
VO: Never a truer, Paul.
Coo-ee!
Izzie.
Ooh, that's a little bit different.
There's a couple of round Victorian door knobs in here.
Glass handles, brass.
One of them is painted.
I quite like them.
VO: Come on, Paul.
You're needed over here.
They're both cut glass, not molded.
That's always nice to see, isn't it?
Yes.
Yeah.
And, you know, they're...there's no, you know, sort of chips or anything in them, which is quite unusual for these, because they do tend to get a bit of a hammering sometimes in their lifetime, so... VO: What's the price, Paul?
If you wanted them individual, they would be 15 each.
OK. VO: Do you not usually buy door handles in pairs?
Anyways... And the cufflinks, and the brooch?
PAUL: Cufflinks I'd do for 25.
That seems very reasonable.
Yeah.
The brooch, 15.
If you bought the two together, well, let's say 25... 25, 15, so that's 40.
I'd do the two for 35.
The two for 35?
35, yeah.
And then 15 for the single door handle.
PAUL: 50.
IZZIE: £50?
That's it.
That is more than generous.
Thank you very much.
There's 50.
You're very welcome.
I'll take my goodies.
Yeah.
IZZIE: And thank you very much.
PAUL: And thank you.
VO: The cufflinks for 25, the brooch for £10 and the Victorian door handle for 15.
Phew!
Leaving Izzy with £181.70.
How's Catherine getting on?
CS: I'm drawn towards this, Paul.
I don't know why.
And I don't really know how much age there is to it, but I like...
I do like a dinner gong.
Whether this gong... (GONG RINGS SOFTLY) ..is actually original, I don't know.
VO: The earliest written mention of the gong was in sixth century China, but this one is quite a bit later.
I think it's got some age to it.
I don't think it's 19th century.
I'd love it to be 19th century.
I think it's probably 20th century.
And a lot of people will hate this, but I just think it's attractive.
PAUL: I do.
And I've never seen anything like that.
And I just think... PAUL: As they say, find another one.
Exactly.
It's a decorative piece.
I think it's quite fun.
VO: Yeah, fun.
But I can point to an injury.
There's a digit missing, look.
That in mind, Paul's asking £40.
Time for a deal, I think.
CS: Your tablecloth, which you said 45... PAUL: Yes, 45.
..and you said the constellations at 10.
PAUL: Yeah.
CS: So that's 95.
PAUL: 95.
If you wanted all three, I would do 90.
CS: Thank you very much indeed.
40, 60... VO: Gee whiz.
Gee whiz!
Woo!
Catherine has dished out £40 for the tablecloth, 40 for the gong, and £10 on the celestial charts.
That's not a lot, is it?
Leaving her with just over £300 to spend.
Careful on the steps!
Now, where is our friend Izzie?
Oh, it's so beautiful being by the seaside.
I feel like I'm on top of the world, on top of this hill, and there's just gorgeous views.
VO: And things are about to get even better.
Izzie's zooming towards the turquoise waters of the Cornish seaside town of Newquay.
Which is a gorgeous place.
Dubbed the home of British surfing, the town has over nine beaches providing the perfect waves.
Izzie is meeting with the original beach boy and former surf champ Roger Mansfield to find out more.
When did surfing first come to the UK?
We had what we call flat belly board surfing, before we have the stand up surfing, and that came to Cornwall after the First World War, where Cornish servicemen actually picked up from South Africans.
They rode to the beaches on planing boards.
The Cornish guys who came back after the war went to the coffinmaker.
He helped them make flat pieces of board, and they started riding their bellies to the beach.
VO: It's believed surfing began in the 18th century, when Polynesians started riding waves for fun, but it's claimed Nuneaton's Jimmy Dix was the man who brought the sport to Britain's beaches.
ROGER: He was a man who was very curious about many things, and he discovered surfing by looking through Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Of course, in fact, it was one the only things that carried an image of surfboard riding.
VO: As a regular belly boarder at Newquay, Jimmy had a hunger for Hawaiian-style surfing.
ROGER: He penned a letter to the Hawaiian Islands, enquiring more about what the surfboards were like that were being used, and nothing happened for months.
Then a great big crate arrived, and when he opened it up, inside was a great big surfboard... Ah!
..like had not been seen by him before, like had not been seen in Britain before, like had not been seen in Europe before.
That is really cool.
He got sent the first, yeah, European surfboard.
Yeah.
VO: The letter had been seen by Olympic gold swimmer and one of the greatest surfers in history, Duke Kahanamoku.
In a grand gesture of goodwill, Duke had sent one of his very own surfboards.
That must have been such an exciting parcel to receive in the post.
Like, you know, something so huge.
VO: Amazingly, this monumental relic of the UK's surfing heritage still exists.
Good lord!
Roger!
This is huge.
VO: It's a whopper, measuring 14 feet and weighing 66lb.
What on earth did Jimmy do with it?
Jimmy Dix did have a plan, you know, he wanted to go back to where he'd learned to do the belly boarding, him and his wife, you know, in Newquay, where there's waves, and headed to the beach...
So basically... ..in order to experiment.
VO: And the presence of that board at the beach had an effect on a local ice cream seller, Pip Staffieri.
ROGER: And he saw them, and the whole picture was taking place in his mind as to how he could build his own hollow wooden surfboard, which is exactly what he did, over the next two or three years.
VO: In 1941, Pip was photographed surfing here, the first ever shot of its kind in Europe.
So this is the first one to come to Europe, but Pip's was the first surfboard to be built in Europe.
VO: Ha!
Despite this success, it was in the early '60s that surfing really exploded in Newquay, and would earn the town the name Surf City.
ROGER: The modern surfboards are made of foam and fiberglass.
Once those materials arrived in this country, and the whole technique of how to build surfboards in the early '60s, then that was the beginning of the growth of surfing.
VO: On the same beach that Pip rode his homemade board, Izzie's found an instructor surf dude.
(SHE LAUGHS) Don't say she's going to have a go in the water!
She jolly well is, look!
IZZIE: Woo!
VO: That happens lots and lots and lots of times.
Is she getting up?
IZZIE: Aah!
VO: Yes, look at that!
Perfect pose.
INSTRUCTOR: Perfect!
VO: Yes.
I'm proper chuffed!
VO: (LAUGHS) I can't believe it.
Woohoo!
VO: Whoops!
(LAUGHS) What good fun.
IZZIE: That was so much fun, I absolutely loved it!
I don't want to come out, I want to go back in!
VO: Ha-ha!
Well, that's a gold star for you, Izzie.
Now, Newquay has undoubtedly played a pivotal role in the evolution of UK surfing.
With at least half a million surfers in the UK, the quest for the perfect wave rides high upon Cornish shores.
Back on dry land, though, and moving with a bit more speed, our Catherine.
CS: Little bit excited, and carried away with buying, because now I'm really not sure about that gong.
VO: Yeah, I know what you mean, but there's got to be a gong lover out there somewhere.
Meanwhile, we're off to Redruth.
The once beating heart of the Cornish mining industry.
Catherine's going for an explore in here, with a weighty purse of £300 and 54 pennies.
ice.
Dealer Walt is the man to see if you're in the market for a Toby jug.
Or two.
CS: I feel like I'm in quite a good position, because I bought three things early on.
So I feel I can relax a bit.
VO: Walt's also quite the lighting enthusiast.
CS: You can't help but look at these lamps, really, and wonder who made them, how long it took, and what sort of houses they were in.
Some of them are very spectacular.
Walt, I like this.
WALT: The blue column?
CS: Yeah.
Beautiful, innit?
Yeah, I like that.
Bristol blue.
Yeah.
It's very eye-catching, this Bristol blue.
VO: Bristol blue glass has been around since the 18th century.
It's the cobalt oxide that gives this beautiful inky blue, don't you know?
CS: That is good, isn't it?
WALT: It is beautiful.
And I love the base of that as well.
So you would sell it for?
WALT: 125.
I'm going to walk around, see what lucky cat thinks.
I really like that oil lamp, but it's a gamble.
We like to have a bit of fun, don't we?
I mean what's the point of doing this if you're not going to have fun?
VO: Quite right.
Anything else?
CS: The spoon's nice.
WALT: It' unusual being as the handle is a rifle.
CS: I think initially this probably would have been one of a set of six.
We have initials on the reverse of the bowl, L&S.
I'm guessing that's Levi and Salaman.
VO: In the mid 19th century, coffee was regarded as a temperance drink, and as such, coffee spoons were de rigueur.
Nicely dated, nice and clear.
It is quite nice quality.
It's quite heavy.
WALT: I'd do it for 25 if you're interested.
I'm going to give you an offer, Walt.
Right.
OK, try.
(BOTH LAUGH) Good luck!
CS: So I was thinking about maybe doing the two together, at sort of 130?
140, you've got a deal.
140?
140's a deal.
Right.
20... VO: The much-loved Bristol blue lamp stand for £110, and the little rifle spoon for 30.
Can you believe it?
Today's frolics are now at an end.
A perfect way to end the day would be, I think... ..to go and sit by the coast with a nice glass of wine and have some delicious seafood, or maybe crab.
I am hoping for a big fat fish and chips tonight.
After all this cycling, all this exercise I've done today, absolutely exhausted.
VO: Enjoy your nosh.
Night-night!
VO: Wakey wakey, we're up and at 'em.
I'm extremely relieved that I've got the car today.
I love driving the car anyway, but it's so nice to have a roof over my head.
Woo-hoo!
This is fast!
Too fast!
VO: What a speed demon.
Ha.
How about a morning rendezvous with a nice bit of Cornish drizzle thrown in?
CS: I got carried away yesterday.
Did you?!
Throwing my money out left, right and center.
Good day, enjoyed it.
VO: Now, Izzie, you're first to show us one of your goodies.
This is like a terrible magic trick.
I bought a door knob.
Oh, interesting.
Victorian?
Yes.
CS: Very nice.
How much?
IZZIE: 15.
Oh, come on.
You cheapskate!
VO: Izzie also bought the silver cufflinks and the brooch... You know how I said I wasn't going to buy any more brooches?
Well, look at that!
VO: ..giving her £181.70 for today.
Meanwhile, Catherine has £160.54 left from her monumental blowout on the Indonesian dinner gong, as you do... As a decorative piece, I think it's quite fun.
VO: ..the Victorian tablecloth, the set of celestial engravings, the silver coffee spoon, and the Bristol blue glass lamp stand.
I didn't play safe yesterday!
I took a massive gamble.
I spent a lot of money.
I spent £110 on an object.
I think it's beautiful.
It's a lot of money, though, isn't it?
No!
I mean, I've never seen one, so I don't know!
No, I know, it is a lot of money.
I can understand why you paid that for it.
It's a gamble!
We have a bit of fun.
Anyway, adios.
I'll see you a bit later.
Have a lovely day.
See you later.
CS: And you!
IZZIE: Bye!
VO: Let's go our separate ways, ladies.
That Miss Balmer is being very clever with her money.
She's being a bit of a miser and not spending very much.
Some would say clever.
Some would say mean.
I don't think my items have the same wow factor as Catherine's lamp.
I can see Catherine's lamp making a really big profit, whereas mine are... mine are a couple of pounds.
VO: An online auction in Sidmouth will be where our experts' goodies will be going under the hammer.
But first, Izzie is in glorious St Austell.. ..where, in the 18th century, the discovery of china clay catapulted the town into a wealth of riches.
Which is just what Izzie could do with.
Can she find it in here?
Dealer Lee runs this fine establishment, full of antique, vintage and retro goodies.
Izzie has just over £180 to splurge.
IZZIE: I do want to spend some money.
I would quite like to find something that's a bit more expensive, but then the other part of me thinks, maybe I'll just keep buying cheap things, just to annoy Catherine, really.
VO: A breath of fresh air beckons for Ms Balmer.
Well, this is kind of me, and it's kind of not me.
This is a lovely, lovely Victorian cast iron plant stand, you know, contains a plant pot.
It's very, very typical in its design.
It's got these paw feet and then you've got the flowers and these cast figures.
It's a little bit crude, it's not hugely detailed, but I like it.
If I made a profit on that, that would be Catherine's expression.
VO: You cheeky monkey.
Uh-oh, watch out, Lee.
Izzie's on her way to talk money.
IZZIE: Lee.
Lee, you're always busy.
I'm trying my hardest!
So, your Victorian planter outside.
Yeah?
IZZIE: How much is it?
LEE: 65.
65.
And does it come with the plant pot... LEE: Yeah, with the terra... IZZIE: ..and weeds?
Yep, the terracotta pot.
And we'll donate the weeds.
I was going to say, you can keep the weeds.
Right.
£65.
OK.
Thank you very much.
Pleasure doing business.
Yeah, enjoyed it.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Very pleased with my pot.
LEE: Good.
IZZIE: Bye bye.
Bye bye.
VO: And just like that, Izzie's neat little buy gives her a little over £116 for the rest of the day.
Now, I spy a Catherine.
CS: I feel like I could cycle off some of my pasties and my cream teas.
And then there may be room for a little bit more.
VO: Why not?
With athletic precision Catherine is speeding towards the ancient Cornish town of St Columb.
Our girl is off to discover more about one of the oldest martial arts in the world, Cornish wrestling.
Right here at the Red Lion pub, she's meeting up with Gerry Cawley A former champ, and wrestling historian.
What is Cornish wrestling?
Basically, it's the martial art of the ancient Britons.
So, in point of fact, it's the oldest sport in the British Isles.
And the magical thing about it is that it's still going.
There's no other thing that's gone so continuous and so long.
VO: The sport traveled successfully to medieval Europe.
During a peace summit in France known as The Field of the Cloth of Gold, keen fan Henry was defeated during a bout with the King of France.
Luckily, he had a team of Cornish wrestlers who triumphed over the French and spared the king his blushes.
Who is the gentleman on the plaque outside?
Well, that is James Polkinghorne and he was actually landlord of this pub we're in today, the Red Lion in St Columb.
VO: In the early 19th century, Cornish champ James Polkinghorne would take on the Devonian champ Abraham Cann in one of the most controversial matches in Cornish wrestling history.
GERRY: They had a royal rumble indeed.
There was amphitheater seating erected and they had a crowd of some 17,000 at Tamar Green in Plymouth.
Good grief!
It was in Devon, and it was under the Devonshire rules, so kicking was allowed.
Right.
VO: But despite the fierce kicks, and Cann being thrown to the ground, the result was, and still is, hotly disputed.
The outcome has never had a satisfactory ending, really, because he wouldn't return to the ring after the Cornish fans had carried Polkinghorne out shoulder high.
And Cann, remaining in the ring, claimed the ring, and Polkinghorne refused to come back in.
One took away the sash and the other one kept the money.
Both the counties, to this day, will say that their champion was the winner on the day.
VO: Cornish wrestling is defined by the stout canvas jacket for better grip.
Instructor Mike Cawley is the man to give Catherine the lowdown.
Good to see you, Mike.
Hello.
This is where the action's happening.
I was expecting something like a real rough and tumble, but it's actually almost quite calm and very skillful...
It's no good... ..which is totally different to how I imagine wrestling to be.
It's no good losing your temper.
Yeah.
If you lose your rag and get in a... And get the red mist, and come flying in, they'll just turn, take you right over, and drop you.
You've got to stop, you've got to be thinking all the time.
VO: And to keep things in check are three judges, or sticklers.
CS: So where does the name stickler come from, then?
It's just the fact they carry sticks.
But it's come to mean that, somebody who's a stickler for the rules is very strict.
A wrestler would never argue with a stickler.
They're sticks now, for health and safety reasons, but it used to be swords.
The wrestling was, at one time, was the only entertainment, so there was a lot of drinking going on, a lot of betting.
And then, you're here now, you've bet your week's wages on one, and he's losing, you just run in and thump the other one.
There was no inquiry.
They'd just throw a bucket of water over them and they'd have to wrestle on, so your money's safe.
So they had swords to keep the crowd under control.
VO: I don't know about you, but I think Catherine would be a perfect stickler.
And she's going to help judge a bout between Simon and Jamie, kicked off with a traditional Cornish oath.
Gans geryow ow hendasow, "Gwary whek yu gwary tek".
VO: When the wrestler successfully throws his opponent flat onto his back, the sticklers will raise their sticks and the match is over.
Under over.
Right.
Ouch!
Three.
Do we say three?
No, back.
Back.
Back!
They're not saying anything!
(SHE LAUGHS) VO: A treasure of Cornwall's heritage, this ancient Cornish martial art has survived for over 3,000 years, by the careful guardianship from the people of Cornwall.
Meanwhile, Izzie's wrestling with her thoughts on her buying strategy.
Got one last chance to find something amazing... ..to turn the tables and bring the good fortune back round to me.
VO: Best of luck.
The final shopping destination is in the north Cornwall town of Wadebridge.
During the first English Civil War, the bridge here was thought to be of such strategic importance that Oliver Cromwell captured it with 500 dragoons and 1,000 horsemen.
Hopefully this fine emporium will come up with the goods for Izzie.
IZZIE: Hello, hello.
KARL: Hi.
Karl, where am I best starting?
Because I can see this place is huge.
Yeah, it is rather large.
I mean, we've got three floors.
So, you're probably best to start at the top, I would have thought.
Top and work my way down?
Yeah, I think so.
Yeah.
You're just making me get my steps in for the day, aren't you?
Yeah.
It'll keep you fit.
Fantastic.
I'll give you a shout if I need any help.
KARL: OK. IZZIE: Thanks very much.
OK. VO: While Izzie has a delve around, where's her Road Trip compadre?
Oh, there we go.
Ding-ding!
(DINGS FLATLY) That is the most pathetic bell ever.
We need a good drrring!
Maybe that's what I should buy, a nice bell.
VO: Huh!
I concur.
You'll never guess, Catherine's pointed towards Victoria Antiques too.
Stand by.
She's dented the old kitty, but she's still got just a smidge over £160 left.
CS: What I'm looking for is five rifle spoons to go with my one other rifle spoon.
VO: Ms Southon's not short of a few pearls of wisdom.
CS: Izzie, what are you doing?
IZZIE: Hey, Catherine!
Have you found anything?
No, but I'm having...
I mean, there's just so much here, isn't there?
So, I sort of feel like I turn a corner, and then there's just even more.
Give it a strike and something might come to you.
VO: Well, we know what Catherine thinks about gongs.
Come on, let's get on with it, Izzie.
I quite like that mirror hanging up on the wall.
I've never seen one before that is hung by ropes either side of it.
And it's sort of got an Egyptian revival look, sort of, you know, following the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in the 1920s and Howard Carter, and all of that sort of Egyptian items became popular again.
And it just has that look.
VO: It's priced at £120.
Brace yourself, Karl!
IZZIE: It's really impossible to tell the age, isn't it?
KARL: Mm.
But I do like the look of it, and it's something I would very happily have on my wall.
Please can we say 50?
It's cost us a little bit more than that.
I could do it for 55.
Do you know what?
I'm not going to argue over £5.
IZZIE: Yes, please.
KARL: OK.
Thank you very much.
That'd be super.
KARL: Lovely.
Thank you.
IZZIE: Thank you.
VO: Uh-oh.
And with that amazing discount, the mirror spells the end of Izzie's shopping adventure.
Now, what about Catherine?
CS: Haven't really found anything to complement my spoon or anything else, really.
So I think I'm going to leave it there.
I'm happy with what I've bought, so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.
VO: Well, there we have it.
Our Cornish spree is now over.
After all that, are we happy, ladies?
Catherine still somehow manages to look super-glamorous, even with, like, bedraggled, wet hair.
Izzie's bought some rather nice items.
But I'm pretty confident in mine.
A pretty long way to this auction, though.
I hope I'm not going to cycle the whole way.
VO: With all that fresh air, it's time for some shuteye.
VO: It's auction day.
Izzie and Catherine have traveled southeast to the port city of Plymouth.
CS: (HONKS HORN) IZZIE: Hello!
CS: Hello, my lovely.
How are you?
VO: The backdrop for our antiques gurus is this dramatic clifftop rendezvous on the south Devon coast.
Izzie, lovely to see you again!
Hello!
In beautiful Plymouth by the sea.
This is not great for hair.
IZZIE: No.
Next time, if you could pick somewhere less windy!
VO: Dear oh dear.
Hopefully it's a bit calmer in Sidmouth, where the experts' antiques delights are to be sold at Potburys Auctions.
They're holding a closed door sale for phone, online and absentee bidders only.
PHILIP: I can see no more.
VO: The man with the golden gavel is auctioneer Philip Hurst.
£260.
Fair warning.
I'm about to sell.
VO: Let's see what he thinks of Izzie's five lots, costing £170.
PHILIP: The cufflinks I like a lot.
They are very stylish, functional.
Like the quartz crystal in them.
They've been attracting quite a bit of attention.
I think they'll do quite well.
VO: Catherine spent £230 on five lots.
What do you think, Philip?
The 19th century engraved star maps, very attractive things, finely drawn, finely engraved, nicely colored.
I would think about 40 to 60.
VO: Thanks, Philip.
Let's scoot over to our windswept compadres.
Shall we see how we've done today?
Very best of luck, Catherine.
And to you.
VO: The auction begins with Izzie's stylish Hans Hansen cufflinks.
Very dapper.
You've only got to put that name onto the internet, and everyone zooms in on them, so they should do well, shouldn't they?
I'm hoping so.
PHILIP: I have two commission bids which start me at £40.
£40!
(IZZIE SCREAMS) Just gone into decibel level there!
Back then to my commission bid of £40, I'm about to sell.
All done?
VO: Splendid start there, Ms Balmer.
That's a nice profit.
It's a nice little start.
VO: Uh-oh, watch out!
It's Catherine's big gong next.
I wish we had a great big gong here to do, like, a... Gong!
..to sort of announce it!
I have a commission bid of £12.
Oh no, £12.
Internet offers 15.
I have 18, my commission bid.
20 on the internet, 22 I have on commission.
CS: Ooh, 22.
IZZIE: Creeping up.
25 on the internet.
I have 28.
28.
He's got a good commission bid, then.
The internet offers 30, 32.
35, 38 I have.
40 on the internet.
I have £45.
48 beats my commission bid.
Catherine, you're in profit.
So it's on 48?
Fair warning.
I'm about to sell.
VO: Blimey, it made a profit.
I'm quite happy with that.
That's fine.
VO: Izzie's turn now, with her weighty mirror.
And I paid £55, so quite a big chunk of money.
That is a big chunk of your money, isn't it?
Yeah.
I have no commission bids so it's all with the net at £28.
CS: 28?
IZZIE: Oh.
Climb now to 30, to 32.
It's climbing.
Very slowly!
£32.
I'm about to sell.
VO: Izzie's great big mirror hasn't returned to riches.
That's really unfair, isn't it?
It was very pretty, but never mind.
VO: Talking of pretty, it's Catherine's huge Victorian tablecloth.
I just thought the embroidery was lovely in it.
I love the autumnal colors.
Two commission bids I have, which start me at £26.
I always get excited when he says he has two.
The internet has overtaken that to 32.
32.
I have 35, my commission bid.
Thank you, internet at 38.
40 would be nice.
At £38 I'm about to sell.
VO: A tiny, tiny loss there, Catherine.
What a shame.
What's a little loss between friends?
VO: Precisely.
Izzie's sparkling citrine door knob is next.
You should double your money at least.
I hope so.
PHILIP: I have an internet commission bid of £9.
I thought he was going to say 90!
£9!
Climbing to 10 now.
IZZIE: No!
PHILIP: Fair warning at £10.
VO: Perhaps a pair would have made £20 and a profit for Izzie.
Ha!
I thought it was very pretty.
Yes, it was really pretty.
Never mind.
VO: That's the spirit.
Time for Catherine's dinky silver spoon.
CS: £30 for a spoon is a ridiculous amount of money.
But it was only because it was just a bit different.
I have one commission bid of £3.
Oh dear!
PHILIP: But the internet has climbed to 28.
Oh!
It's risen to 30.
Oh, I paid 30.
Internet bid then, of £30.
I'm about to sell.
VO: Unusual little thing, but at least it wiped its face.
So I did break even.
It was just one spoon.
VO: The rather large Victorian planter from Izzie is next.
Just nice.
Chunky, solid hard-wearing.
Like us!
Well like me, anyway!
Catherine, we are not chunky and solid!
No, no, I meant the hard-wearing!
Speak for yourself!
35 I have on commission.
Internet offers 40.
Climbing now to 42.
42!
PHILIP: Climbing to 45.
To 48.
It's going up.
We climb to 50.
Come on, keep going.
Keep going.
At 55.
At 60 now.
IZZIE: Come on!
PHILIP: Fair warning at £60.
VO: Ah, another titch of a loss.
Catherine, it nearly did it.
VO: Catherine's big gamble buy of the Bristol blue lamp stand is next.
Nice thing.
I was so pleased to buy it, but it is a big splash of the money.
But, you know, if you can't do it on the Road Trip, when can you do it?
PHILIP: I have two commission bids, which start me at £60.
I look to the internet, which has climbed to 75.
Back to my commission bid at 80.
I think this has got legs.
85.
I have 90 on commission.
90.
95 on the net.
100 I have on commission.
The internet has come in 110.
So you broke even.
I have 120.
120.
At £120.
I'm about to sell.
VO: Shame it wasn't a bit more, but it's still given you a little something, Catherine.
I really believed in that, and thought it was a good thing.
VO: Can this little brooch come up with some fortune for Izzie?
Scandinavian, silver, mid-20th century.
And the best bit - £10!
In my opinion, this is by far your best purchase of the whole Road Trip.
It is fabulous.
PHILIP: I have one commission bid, which starts me at £8.
(SHE SIGHS) I have 10 on commission.
12.
Back then to me on my commission bid of 15.
CS15.
PHILIP: 18 I have on commission.
Well, it's still a profit.
PHILIP: At 20.
Climb to 22.
Climb to 25.
25.
Fair warning.
I'm about to sell.
Lovely.
So, that is a profit.
VO: Maybe brooches aren't so bad after all.
Someone's got a really good buy there.
VO: Yeah!
And you have a profit on your last lot.
Catherine's final lot now - the charts.
They were so cheap, £10, I would hope they would make something.
My commission bid on the book starts me at £10.
The internet has come in with £32.
Yay!
Climbing now to 35, 38.
Oh, wow!
This is exciting!
Climbing to 40.
To 45.
To 48.
50.
55.
They were a nice set.
To 70 now.
75.
That's fantastic!
At £75 then.
I'm about to sell.
75!
Oh, Catherine!
Fantastic!
Well done.
VO: What a corker of a profit!
Excellent result, Catherine.
Well done.
Plymouth is lovely, madam!
(DOG BARKS) Yes, it is, she says.
VO: Don't frighten the locals, Catherine.
He-he!
Right, let's tot up the figures.
After saleroom costs, Izzie made a loss of £33.06 giving her £198.64.
Catherine's triumphed.
After all auction costs, she made a profit of £25 and tuppence, leaving her with a mighty £415.56.
Gosh!
Wasn't really a risk with a £10 brooch, and that was a risk because it was a brooch.
But... We have had a laugh.
And if you jump on that bike and do a few more circuits of Plymouth, you'll be fine.
I'll be exhausted!
(BOTH LAUGH) See you soon.
Have a lovely time.
VO: See you later, alligator!
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