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

I just love it.

VO: Behind the wheel of a classic car.

(HORN TOOTS) LOUISE: It's fast.

CHARLES: It's a race.

VO: And a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

PAUL: This could be tricky.

MARGIE: £38!

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

VO: But it's no mean feat.

ROO: High five!

There'll be worthy winners... CHRISTINA: Mind-blowing.

VO: ..and valiant losers.

Could have been worse.

Will it be the high road to glory...

Car!

..or the slow road to disaster?

CHRISTINA: Aaagh!

TIM: Oh my!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

VO: Yee-ha!

MUSIC: 'Sleigh Ride' by Leroy Anderson VO: Welcome to the frozen north.

Look at the snow.

Look at this.

VO: No, it's not Christmas.

But our intrepid experts, Roo Irvine and James Braxton, are still having to brave the elements to go shopping for antiques goodies.

They're going out now and they may be some time.

ROO (RI): Why are there no snowmen?

If it was us, we'd be making snowmen all over the place.

JAMES (JB): I know.

They're probably pleased to be released from their homes.

Yes, they can go out and buy their rations again.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Well at least they've brought their own provisions.

Now what have you got?

Have you...

I've brought you some...

Stuffed tomatoes, wasn't it?

Some, no... Smoky stuffed peppers with paprika.

And chili flakes.

RI: And they've got a kick.

JB: Very good.

RI: Mm.

JB: Clears the channels, doesn't it?

VO: Ha-ha!

It's not the channels you want to worry about!

It's only the second time out for dealer Arusha - that's Roo to you and me.

She's a big fan of small shiny things and is passionate about glass.

Guess what Roo's found!

VO: See what I mean?

Auctioneer and bon vivant James is a veteran tripper with a soft spot for hefty items.

Loves a picture, too.

Now, never underestimate the power of cute.

VO: Although they don't always love him back.

It's a print.

James, it's a print.

VO: Easily done.

To help them battle the Beast from the East, they've enlisted the help of this bad boy, a 1966 Ford Mustang.

Yeah!

More used to cruising down the interstate than these Northumbrian B roads.

Look at that.

I think we should name him.

What would you name a white car?

With it being a muscle car... JB: Yeah.

..it screams out strength and power.

JB: Yeah.

I would think Tiberius.

Tib... Oh that's very strong, isn't it?

Very gladiatorial.

What do you think?

I'd call it Mary.

VO: I think we'll stick with Roo's suggestion, eh?

Ha!

Our two happy shoppers are kicking off with £200 apiece and they're already sizing each other up.

How are you feeling about our road trip?

My traditional role is generally to lose, so I don't want to get into sort of any unfamiliar territory where I'm ahead.

VO: Ha-ha-ha!

I think that's called kidology.

We start this jaunt on the coast, in the North East of England, pop briefly into Scotland and then back across the border to head down the west side.

We'll meander into the Midlands before ending up at a final auction in York.

Today, we'll be making for a saleroom in Edinburgh.

And we begin in the Northumberland village of Ford.

Very appropriate for the Mustang, get it?

VO: James is going solo for his first shop of this road trip.

The Old Forge Antiques.

What an entrance, Jim Bob.

Hoo-hoo!

JB: Ho-ho-ho-ho.

Hello.

John, very kind of you to brave the weather.

Very, very bad this year, yes.

Very.

Have you been trapped at home then?

Er, yes, nearly a week.

You're bearing up well.

Yes.

Wine supplies... the cellar run right down, has it?

Very heavily so, yes.

(THEY LAUGH) VO: Well, it's definitely cozy in here.

Right then, time to get stuck in.

VO: It's not a huge place but it's deceptively well packed.

What you got there, then, James?

Breakfast?

These are commonly known as meat platters, and you might've had a roast chicken or a leg of lamb or something and then roast potatoes round it.

Pretty ordinary, aren't they?

This is more interesting.

Japanese esthetic, if we lift it up, quite heavy, I can see it's made by Wedgwood and Co.

There was an international tariff act that we were a signatory to, and it was decided that country of manufacture should be stamped on every item.

But because it's not stamped England, I know it's pre-1891.

You know, quite fun, but it's all a bit yesteryear.

If I bought this for £35, I would probably make a loss of £30.

VO: Ha-ha-ha!

Well that won't do at all, will it?

Maybe check out the shed round the back, eh?

John, what's this rather gruesome item you've got here?

It says spittoon.

VO: Charming.

This wouldn't be in a domestic home, would it?

I don't think so.

I mean, I would've thought it might be in a pub, or a... Pub.

Or an alehouse or something, yes.

Yeah.

Oh, I would say very much... very much in the public bar, John, wouldn't you?

Very much.

You would've been... You wouldn't have been allowed in the landlord's saloon bar with this, would you?

Doubt it.

I doubt it.

VO: Five phlegm-filled pounds then.

It's been given a sort of naturalistic look, hasn't it?

It's like a little barrel.

You see, as an innkeeper, it is absolutely irresistible to me.

Done some good wear.

It would've had to have put up with a lot of abuse, wouldn't it?

I think so, yes.

John, I'm going to buy that for the princely sum of a fiver.

Excellent.

Lead me to your till.

VO: So James is off the mark with that, erm, delightful item.

Let's hope they've washed it.

Do you think I'm going to make my fortune with this spittoon?

I don't think...

I think you'll do alright on it.

Do you think so?

But I don't think there are going to be very many of them around.

I know.

But are they still desirable objects?

VO: With some polish, no spit though.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Bye.

Bye.

VO: And with his spittoon safely stowed, it's time to hit the road, Jack.

Now where's Roo got to?

VO: She's headed into Scotland, on the east coast at Eyemouth.

She's come down to the town's harbor to visit Gunsgreen House and to find out about the shady local merchant who had it built.

Tony Bolton is the manager of this 18th century "house of secrets".

RI: Hi Tony, I'm Roo.

TONY (TB): Hi.

RI: Lovely to meet you.

TB: Pleased to meet you.

What would life have been like in the Georgian times in Eyemouth?

Eyemouth at that time was a fishing village but there were quite a few merchants around, so John Nisbet came from a merchant family.

His brother was a merchant and his father was a merchant so he used to do quite a lot of importing and exporting into Eyemouth.

Gunsgreen House was built in the 1750s as a really imposing building and in those days there was nothing else on this side of the harbor so he was really making a statement, to say, "Well, I'm rich and affluent.

"In the area, I'm Mr Big."

VO: Gosh.

High taxes on imported goods at the time meant that a black market had emerged.

Tea in particular was taxed at an eyewatering 119%.

And Nisbet, a legitimate businessman by day, plied a less than honest trade at night, as a tea smuggler.

John Nisbet was very shrewd.

He saw an opportunity to make some money and he used to buy his tea in Sweden, legally, and then bring it into Scotland and of course he wasn't paying tax on it and therefore it became smuggled goods, contraband, and then selling it out to local people and to the big houses in the Borders.

But how did Nisbet's tea smuggling tie into this magnificent house?

Well, that's why this house is known as the house of secrets.

Come this way and I'll show you.

Oh, I'd love to.

Thank you.

VO: Gunsgreen was designed by one of the most renowned architects of the day, John Adam, and was the height of Georgian style.

However it's a matter of debate as to whether the architect was aware of some of the more clandestine features devised to help this illicit trade.

This hidden room built between the floors allowed the smugglers to remain undetected by the customs men.

And the building has another secret.

TB: The house was built to hide a tea chute, like a giant tea caddy.

So this model helps us to see the secrets of the house.

So if I just lift the floor off there and as we lift this little bit out, we can see that this is the tea chute.

So this is made out of tea chests like this one here, lined in lead, so it would keep the tea dry.

This is where we are now, we are at the base of the tea chute on this floor here.

And if I were to tell you that it's hidden here...

This?

If we just slide that open there.

That's very clever.

Then this bit opens out there and then here we have the base of the tea chute.

RI: That's amazing.

VO: This secret tea compartment was filled via a hatch on the third floor, and was big enough to store 500lbs of tea.

That's a lot of bags.

Nisbet's smuggling operation was prolific and he was often caught.

But with some well placed bribes, he'd soon be back in business.

However his success couldn't last forever.

TB: There was another merchant in Eyemouth called Alexander Robertson.

And he really wanted this house.

I mean this was the house in town and he bought a debt that Nisbet owed to a trader in Sweden and then he went to Nisbet and said, "I want my money."

Nisbet couldn't pay, and so Alexander Robertson went to the courts and had him made bankrupt.

Robertson bought the house at auction and then John Nisbet had to move out.

VO: Tea running came to an end in 1784 when the government slashed the tea tax to 12.5%, and put the smugglers out of business.

Nisbet managed to carry on as a trader, but never got over the loss of his home, signing letters "John Nisbet of Gunsgreen House" right up until his death.

VO: Meanwhile, James, and trusty steed Tiberius, are southward bound.

And his mind is on his new rival.

I've got to really look to my mettle.

She's a younger competitor and she's probably got her fingers closer to the... closer to the market than I have.

I'm a dinosaur, after all!

VO: The beast from the South East, eh?

Ha-ha!

His next port of call is the Northumberland town of Wooler.

"Gateway to the Cheviots."

And a visit to Borders Architectural Antiques.

Baa.

Hello.

Hello, hello.

DEALER: Hello.

JB: James.

Nice to meet you, James.

I'm Gordon.

Gordon, what a lov... what a lovely place.

This is meat and drink for me.

Nice architectural items.

Whatever I buy will be heavy from here, won't it?

Chances are.

Yeah, excellent.

I like heavy things.

In the next life I shall deal in stamps.

VO: First class idea.

Definitely more manageable than these big lumps you've got in here, Gordon.

I'm not talking about James.

I have this limited budget so, you know, it's not going to buy me this lovely architrave here, is it?

Obviously.

No, it wouldn't even buy you the pediment.

VO: His remaining £195 is more of an im-pediment in here, I'd say.

Who writes this stuff?

Oh, hello.

JB: Is this loo special?

Extremely.

It's got an excellent provenance.

Really?

Oh yes.

Came from Glamis Castle.

Really?

Yeah, absolutely.

And the famous resident of Glamis was... Well, it was the Queen Mother, of course.

The Queen Mother.

Have you got a sort of bill or is this just word of mouth that it's from Glamis?

I got it from the land agent.

You got it from the land agent.

Who was ordered to clear out some outhouses.

OK, and how much is this?

This...

The royal throne.

VO: That'll be toilet humor, then.

575.

575.

Slightly beyond my budget unless you are being very... very favorable.

But I better...

I'll have a look, I'll have a look round, Gordon.

Please do.

VO: So while James is otherwise ENGAGED - ha!

- let's catch up with Roo, now south of the border, but only just, at Berwick upon Tweed, which has changed hands between England and Scotland more than a dozen times over the years.

She's arrived at her first emporium.

Great legwarmers, by the way.

Very Flashdance!

Hi, I'm Roo.

Hello, I'm Ann.

Welcome to the Auction House.

Oh, thank you for having us here.

You've got quite an eclectic mix here.

We have.

It's really charming.

I could spend hours in here.

ANN: It's lovely.

Especially trying on all the clothes.

VO: Better get stuck in then.

This is reminding me of a certain Mr Braxton.

My head's a wee bit too big for it.

VO: I'm saying nothing.

You know I'm a complete magpie for glass.

I just can't help myself.

The minute I see it, I get some juice flowing through my veins and it's so geeky but I can't help it.

Made at 3,400 degrees.

But yet if I drop it it'll smash in one second.

A bit of Victorian glass, but this is almost antique.

In two years' time it will be.

Art deco.

It's quite Egyptian shaped, it's got those lovely gold bands.

This would've been sort of 1920s, 1925 and this comes with six glasses.

These are so cute.

So cute.

You could fill them up with cranberry juice or something far more potent.

It's become quite a trendy item.

Will it make money at auction?

It's £36, so it might be worth a punt.

VO: She's in her element here.

Anything else?

Ah, I was just about to step over that but this is something I've pretty much grown up with my whole life.

This is an Asian prayer mat.

You cannot stand on them with shoes.

It's so disrespectful.

You can only be barefoot and completely cleansed before you stand on it.

Looking at it, it doesn't look like it's been used much.

If this was your family prayer mat and you were standing on it five times a day for four decades, there would actually be bald patches here, really, from where your feet have actually stood on the prayer mat.

It's a very sweet, nostalgic thing.

It doesn't have a lot of value to it, no antique value.

It's quite new and it's not ornate, but it still makes me smile because it's nostalgic, and to me, it's home.

VO: Now from the sacred to the profane.

When we last saw James, he was pondering the porcelain.

These are quite fun, aren't they?

These are pulls for loos, cisterns, aren't they?

That's right.

VO: Still potty time, I see.

And they're ceramic, so they're pottery and this one's rather fun.

Directions.

That one says pull.

This one, you're left to your own devices with this one, aren't you?

And then this is the... this is the sort of Rolls Royce, isn't it?

Piece de resistance.

They've got their chains.

They're ready to go.

I see you've got some fancy prices on those, Gordon, eh?

What's that, 65, so 30, 30, so that's about, you know, you're north of a hundred there aren't you?

DEALER: Oh yes.

VO: 125 to be precise.

50 quid, Gordon, come on.

(HE CHUCKLES) VO: Cheeky.

75.

75.

That... put it there.

Thank you very much indeed, Gordon.

VO: D'you know, I think he's pulled.

Ha-ha!

Check it.

Check it.

I come from Eastbourne.

VO: Job done, and flushed with success, he's off.

You're building up quite an unsavory collection there, James.

Back in Berwick, has anything else caught Roo's eye?

I'm such a magpie for jewelry, anything that sparkles, and I've really fallen in love with marcasite.

But marcasite is actually the stone, it's that lovely smoky gunmetal gray color that almost blends in with the metal itself but what's even better is it's silver, it's not just costume.

Not British hallmarked, which would've been ideal but it's silver and it's very art deco style.

No stones missing.

So this has got a good chance at auction.

I think I'm going to speak to Ann about this.

Ann?

I found something beautiful and shiny and sparkly.

The price you've got on this is £30.

Now if it had been obviously hallmarked silver... ANN: Yes.

Yes.

RI: ..I would've been dancing all around your shop, but what could you do on this?

RI: We want to win.

ANN: 25?

If I could get it for 20, I'd be so happy and it gives me a good chance.

Oh, go on then.

Yeah?

20, Ann, I'm so happy with that.

Thank you.

You've got me off and running.

ANN: Good.

VO: Right.

£20 paid.

It's a good start.

Like a little box for it?

No.

I think I'm going to wear it until I have to part with it!

Thanks, Ann.

Thank you.

Or it's stuck on her finger and she can't get it off.

Anyone got some soap?

Back together on the open road, and once again, our pair's thoughts turn towards grub.

I bought you the snacks today.

Yep.

What are you bringing me tomorrow?

The golden rule of any Road Trip is to eat regionally.

I'm going to alienate Scottish viewers now, but I have yet to find merit in the square sausage.

VO: Probably a good job you're heading south, then.

Ha-ha!

Nighty-night, you two.

VO: Dawn breaks on a glorious Northumberland morning, and our Roo is behind the wheel today, having never driven a left hand drive before.

So, brown trousers.

You liking being driven by me?

Um... Yeah, I'm really enjoying sitting in the middle of the road.

Makes me feel warm and vulnerable.

Well I like to give you a better view of the oncoming traffic.

VO: Lordy!

Yesterday our nervous driver was a bit slow off the starting line, only buying a marcasite ring.

I'm such a magpie for jewelry.

VO: So she still has £180 spending money today.

While our nervous passenger managed to get his mitts on a trio of loo pulls and a spittoon.

Do you think I'm going to make my fortune?

VO: Leaving him with £120 in his wallet.

And a little worried.

My purchases have been quite, um, I would say, er, not top drawer.

Are you bluffing me or are you genuinely...?

No.

I'm genuinely...

This is the voice of panic.

VO: Early days James, early days.

VO: Later, they'll be making their way to an Edinburgh auction, but our first destination of the day is the village of Powburn.

VO: And having dumped James, Roo's got a bit of a crush on Tiberius.

He is glorious.

He's strong and I feel very, very safe in his capable wheels.

The snow is trying to trip me up but I'm not going to let that happen because I'm on a mission.

VO: Ooh, very determined.

And she needs to be, she's got a lot to do today and Hedgeley Antiques Centre seems a good place to hedge her bets.

RI: Hi, Steve.

STEVE: Hello.

RI: I'm Roo.

STEVE: Nice to meet you.

This is a meaty place.

Yeah.

Hopefully some treasure for you.

I'm actually gonna whizz round like a whirling dervish.

Yeah.

And fingers crossed find something.

VO: Best boot forward then.

She's still got £180 in her pocket and there's plenty in here to get stuck into.

This is somewhere where you actually need hours.

A whole day.

Cos I'm indecisive.

It's my weakness.

VO: Oh, you can do it, Roo.

You're on a mission, remember?

That is lovely.

I do have a fondness for display cabinets, and that one's pretty regal.

It's got lovely inlay on it and I think it's velvet lined but it's £165.

Might fit in the boot of the car.

But the price has got to be right.

Can you imagine me trying to carry that out of the shop?

I know at auction that's going to fly, because it's functional and people would happily put their collection of, I don't know, brandy glasses, whisky glasses, things that you would use.

I'm going to have to speak to Steve about that.

That's one to keep in mind.

VO: That's a good start then.

Let's keep the focus, Roo.

There's so much I like, I've got to rein it in.

Cos this is what I do, I just go off on all these different tangents and directions, then it gets messy.

This is a sterling silver propelling pencil, so it just takes you back to being in school really.

You twist the top and the lead just comes out, infinitely.

This is quite simple, but it's 19... £18 actually.

Not exciting but it might be a nice, safe buy.

VO: Looks like she's struck a bit of a silver seam here.

This is a thankfully British hallmarked and assayed sterling silver compact.

The reason I like it is that lovely oval design to it.

I would say it's probably very early 1900s.

And it's a fair weight of silver and the mirror isn't cracked.

Obviously the powder is gone but that's good because it lets me see the hallmarks.

The price on this, 48.

I'm going to put that back and I might go and speak to Steve because I've got a few ideas whizzing round in my head now.

VO: Ah, the man himself.

RI: Steve.

STEVE: Yeah.

I have flown around this emporium and found a few things I like.

OK. A few silver items.

But that lovely big display cabinet, that's the first thing that caught my eye.

You've got that priced up at 165.

Yes.

I do love it and I'd be looking at double figures ideally because it's such a big chunk of what I have.

STEVE: Erm... 125?

Could you do sort of 95?

Is there anything else that you're looking at?

Maybe we can put a few things together?

Yes, there is.

There was also the propelling pencil, which was 18, and the silver compact.

VO: Those three items have a combined ticket price of £231.

RI: If you could do... VO: Wait for it.

..one... VO: Any second now.

..forty... (SHE LAUGHS) Mm.

Erm... Quite a chunk.

Erm... Could you come up to 150?

145?

STEVE: Yeah, why not?

RI: Yeah?

I'll meet you in the middle.

Thank you so much, Steve.

You're welcome.

I'm absolutely bamboozled after that.

VO: How do you think he feels then?

That's £32 for the compact, £18 for the pencil and £95 for the cabinet.

That's been a very productive morning.

You have been an absolute legend, Steve, thank you.

You're more than welcome.

I'm going to try and get the cabinet now.

I'll watch.

Wish me luck.

VO: Now, if there's one thing our James loves more than antiques, it's a good nosh.

So he's made his way to the tiny fishing village of Craster on the North Sea coast to discover the local delicacy that has adorned many a breakfast table, the famous Craster kipper.

He's here to meet Neil Robson, whose family have been smoking kippers here since 1906.

And it smells like it.

NEIL (NR): Neil.

Pleased to meet you, James.

JB: Good to meet you.

NR: Welcome to Craster.

Is that your smokehouse I can smell?

Probably is, there's a...

There's a waft of it coming over, yeah.

(THEY CHUCKLE) What is a kipper?

A kipper's a smoked herring and it's been split open... JB: Yeah.

..brined, and hung up in the smokehouse.

Originally it was to preserve them because obviously people didn't have refrigerators or anything, so it was a way of keeping them edible for longer, but nowadays of course it's enhancing the flavor.

And this is a family business?

Yeah.

I'm the fourth generation and I've got daughters hopefully that's going to come into it eventually as well.

Snapping at the heels.

Snapping, yeah, definitely.

Hopefully.

That'd be great.

Will you take me to your smokehouse?

NR: Yes.

Certainly, yeah.

JB: Thank you.

VO: The smokehouse was built in 1856, at a time when most places along this coast had one.

The herring fleet would leave Scotland in the spring and pursue the shoals of fish down the east coast until the autumn, landing their catches at villages like Craster along the way.

The fleet was followed by the herring girls, traveling from port to port, fileting and salting the fish as they went.

In fact, one explanation for the name kipper comes from the "kiphouses" where the girls would sleep.

NR: Would you like a go, James?

Yeah, love... Come on.

Shall we take a couple of these?

Whoa, nice and chilly, aren't they?

It's like the Generation Game.

How many have I got to do now?

I'll just stand well back.

So take it all the way down to the end.

All the way down.

Yeah.

And then all the way... ..up here and then open it up.

Yeah.

And so that's what would be hung up, would it?

That would be hung up, yeah.

I'm not quite a fully qualified herring girl yet, am I?

Well, not quite, seven out of 10 for that.

Oh, I'm happy with that.

I'm happy with that.

VO: Nowadays the splitting is done by machine and it's the only part of the factory that has been automated.

The rest of the process, from soaking in brine, putting the fish on tenterhooks and then hanging them in the smokehouse, has remained the same for over a hundred years.

It's a labor intensive job, but they still manage to smoke 7,000 to 8,000 kippers a day.

Wow!

Wow!

Come in, James.

Goodness.

So the... Oh, it's all above.

Isn't that incredible?

What's this all on the wall here?

That's just the smoke that's caused the tar.

Plus the oil out the kippers as well, that.

God, that's amazing.

And layers and layers, and is this generations of tar on the wall?

Well we have cleaned it off in the past, or attempted to.

JB: It smells of a rather smart bonfire, doesn't it?

It's... very, very posh bonfire, yes.

JB: And it does remind me of a sort of dark, Satanic limestone cave, stalagmites and stalactites.

Well, these are the fires that we light.

It's white wood shavings with oak sawdust over the top, and it takes about four lots of fire and each fire lasts about three hours, so it takes about 12, 14 hours before the actual kippers are ready.

This smokehouse runs presumably 24 hours a day?

Yeah, soon as it's empty, it's filled up again, yeah.

VO: With the kippers in such high demand, we should let them light those fires and get smoking.

Time to sample the goods then, and Mr Braxton has invited a friend along.

RI: James.

JB: Mm, mmm, hang on.

You have asked me to come to the edge of a cliff to join you for lunch.

I know.

What have you got for me?

It's no ordinary lunch.

That's a kipper bap.

I've never had kippers before.

You've never had kippers before?

Never.

The key to a long and healthy life, kippers.

Mm.

They're quite fishy, aren't they?

The bones, there's bones.

Come on, we've got antiques to buy.

I think I'm happy to park my lunch.

And who's driving?

Who's driving?

RI: I'm driving.

JB: You're driving?

VO: You might want to crack open the windows in the car, mind you.

Oh, look, roof down, even better.

Ha.

No bad breath.

VO: They're heading to Alnwick, county town and the seat of the Dukes of Northumberland.

That's their castle.

And that's their surprised lion.

But we're here to visit the V&A.

Vintage and Antique - ha!

- not the other one.

You excited?

Very excited.

Looking forward to this.

JB: Bargains, bargains.

RI: Looks lovely.

JB: Come on, after you.

RI: Thank you.

VO: Gosh, loving the hat, Roo.

James has a fair bit to do in here with only two buys under his belt so far.

He's still got £120 to play with, though.

Careful, James.

Oh, lordy.

JB: It's all there, isn't it?

VO: Oh dear.

Roo has the opposite problem.

She's bought four items already, but she's got just £35 in case she fancies something else.

This catches my eye.

It's a traveling dentist's case.

It's not glamorous, but they are very, very collectable.

Five drawers and, the best part, inside we've got all of the tools that they used.

Implements, teeth guides...

Things that would strike fear into the heart of every single one of us.

The price on this is £76.

I've got less than half of that.

I can't buy it, it's not going to be mine.

I've got to find something because time is a-ticking.

VO: She's not wrong there.

I like this.

It's got a great shape.

It's art deco in style so we've left all the frilliness of the 19th century, and now we're in the time of the train, of the aeroplane, of the motorcar.

So machine decoration on quite a plain dial here and then we've got these Arabic instead of Roman numerals, very modern.

Let's turn it around.

Quite a cheap movement, so you just wind up the spring there.

JB: Turning it the wrong way.

VO: Oops.

Rather nice item.

What have we got on it?

£64.

I'm going to see what the best price is.

Brian, what could be the best on that?

I would think probably the best on that would be... 50.

50?

Is that any good to you?

Yeah, I think it is.

I think I'm in with a fighting chance with that.

JB: If you hold onto that.

DEALER: OK. JB: Don't let Roo see it.

DEALER: Right, I'll hide it.

VO: Shrewd move, Brackers.

What's he spotted now?

Cor!

Boom, boom, eh?

So this is a mills bomb.

And they were used in the First and Second World War.

And I'm not a great militaria man but it's a very iconic sort of piece that would represent that period of time.

This one, fortunately, is deactivated and the Braxton test of weight, this certainly fulfills it.

It comes to hand worryingly well.

VO: Don't look now, James, but I think it could be live.

What are you doing with a hand grenade?

You can relax.

JB: Ooh!

RI: Ah!

This is how you eliminate the competition.

That's how I eliminate the competition.

VO: If you've quite finished putting the wind up your rival, let's have a chat with Brian about it.

Brian?

Have you sold many of these?

Not too many.

You don't come upon them that often.

But a good paperweight.

JB: A good paperweight, yeah.

(THEY CHUCKLE) I think that's what they used to call a conversation piece, didn't they?

Yes.

This was for practice use, wasn't it?

That's a drill one, yes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Incredible sort of curio.

I know it represents sort of death and destruction, but an interesting object... DEALER: An unusual thing.

JB: ..you don't often see.

Anyway, you've got 49.

Could you do me a deal?

If that was in auction, it'd probably go for around 30 to 50 quid, so what about 30 quid?

30 quid, I'll shake your hand.

OK.

Thank you very much indeed, Brian, that's a great buy.

JB: Thank you.

VO: Well let's hope it doesn't just bomb, eh?

Ha-ha!

Roo, meanwhile, having recovered her composure, seems to be thinking along similar lines.

Basra, 1921, and it's very, very weighty.

The thing is, you wouldn't expect me to like trench art.

You'd think I'd go for anything shiny and sparkly but I've got a real meaty masculine side and I love trench art.

It's got a Middle Eastern scene on it.

Obviously this soldier was in Basra, the couple embracing, it's got a little romantic scene, so maybe the soldier was missing his girlfriend or his wife.

This is priced at 42 but I want to beef it up a little bit.

This little small one is 19...16, World War One, Calais, and I could see this on, well, MY desk and I'd put my, er, fancy, um, pens in there.

Put together with the other one, that comes to £50.

VO: You'd better speak to dealer Helen then.

See if she's in a generous mood.

I found two pieces of trench art.

This large one here at the back that's priced at 42... 42.

And this little baby one that's priced at eight.

So I'm going to confess to you.

You haven't got very much money.

I have £35 on the nose.

Would it be possible to have both for £35?

Let me just see what's on the ticket.

RI: Ooh.

Yes, I think that would be fine.

Yes.

RI: Yeah?

You sure?

HELEN: Yes.

RI: Thank you, Helen.

Ooh!

HELEN: OK. RI: That's a deal then.

VO: So that's Roo completely cleaned out.

I guess her shopping is done.

James is still on the hunt though.

He's got that clock under consideration, and he's bought a grenade.

So, what else?

I like this.

Ooh, the first thing I like about it is the weight - it's got a very good weight.

It's made of... Obviously made of brass.

It's a model of a field cannon.

VO: What's with all the weaponry today?

It's got the big wheels there, a turned cannon here.

The only slightly disappointing thing is the carriage could be slightly more splendid.

That would look great on somebody's desk.

If that was polished up again, it's...

It's...

It's well in proportion, it's solidly built, and £27 doesn't seem a lot for an item of quality.

VO: Quite.

Let's chat to your man Brian again then.

Aah, I think I found another item.

BRIAN: Right.

JB: Could that be cheap?

I can, er, put it down to £20 if you... 20, you are talking my language.

Well there you go.

So... VO: Don't forget the clock.

JB: So we've got 50 and 20.

BRIAN: 50 and 20, £70.

£70, put it there.

BRIAN: OK. JB: Thank you.

Thank you.

Very good.

God bless you, God bless Alnwick!

VO: He seems quite pleased with that deal.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much indeed.

Bye.

BRIAN: Been a pleasure.

VO: It certainly has.

Right, you two, next stop, auction.

Do you think we are going to have good fortune?

I think so.

They are well-to-do people up in Edinburgh, we'll do well.

Well, they're well-to-do people, but we're hungry people.

Are you going to provide the snacks?

VO: It's like a broken record isn't it?

Time for a kip then.

And get some shuteye.

VO: Ah, Scotia's darling seat.

Our adventurous antiquers have arrived in Edinburgh.

More specifically, Leith.

Look, sunshine!

Rarity.

I think I should have brought some popcorn so we can watch the drama unfold.

Drama.

And watch me beat you!

VO: Don't count your chickens!

After starting out at Ford, in Northumberland, we've headed to Scotland's capital.

Here to sell at Ramsay Cornish Auctioneers.

James spent £180 on his five auction lots... ..while Roo burned through her whole budget on her five lots.

So what do you make of each other's buys, chaps... and chapettes?

This peer cabinet would have stood between windows, bare walnut marquetry, it's got gilt metal mounts, all that for £95.

I think Roo could do well.

I was really quite envious when I saw this, I thought that is brilliant.

So collectable, a very cool thing and he only paid £30 for it.

Out of all of James's items I covet this the most.

VO: Our man with the gavel today is Martin Cornish.

What does he make of their efforts?

MARTIN (MC): The spittoon...

Personally it's not the sort of thing I would maybe want to have at home.

It might not be easy necessarily to buy find a buyer for it but I'm sure we'll sell it.

The trench-art brass shell cases are really unusual.

One of them particularly because of where it comes from.

They're always popular.

VO: It all sounds very promising.

Let's get stuck in then.

JB: This will pep me up.

RI: Cheers.

Cheers, cheers.

VO: They never stop eating, these two, do they?

VO: Must have a worm.

RI: Mm!

VO: First up, James's spittoon.

Do we EXPECT-TO-RATE it?

Ha-ha!

You rarely see them now.

When was the last time you...?

There might be a reason for that, James.

Yeah.

Unusual item, don't often see them these days.

You see.

Yes.

20 for the spittoon.

20 I'm bid.

£20 I'm bid for the spittoon.

At £20 I'm bid for the lot, 22, 24.

(SHE GASPS) 26, 20, 30.

At £30, at 30... RI: Good job.

£30.

That's alright, isn't it?

That's brilliant.

VO: First blood to James.

It'll look nice in someone's boudoir.

Think of the ugly pieces.

Oh, they need a home too, don't they?

JB: They do need a home.

RI: They do.

VO: Let's see if Roo's silver pencil will be a draw.

I think you're somewhere between £10 and £20.

That's what I think.

But I may be wrong.

Start at 20 then.

20 I'm bid.

JB: Oh, here we are.

MC: 24, 26, 28... JB: How wrong am I?

RI: I'm not getting excited.

I'm not getting too excited.

The little propelling pencil at £40.

RI: A little bit more.

Little bit more.

Nobody else now?

At 40, and I'm selling it.

I take it back.

VO: That's a good start for Roo too.

Goes to show that hopefully there is a silver-buying audience here.

VO: Time now for James' art deco timepiece.

Wound it up this morning, set the time.

Listened to it tick.

20 I'm bid.

25, 30, five, 40, at £40.

This sweet little clock, at £40.

At 40... (GAVEL) MC: 83.

JB: Thank you.

Nice profit there.

Nice profit.

Is... Is there a profit?

I've forgotten how much I paid for it.

VO: It's definitely not a profit.

Ha!

Sorry, James.

It'll go to a home where it's loved.

That's all that matters.

No it isn't.

It's the profit.

It's the profit that matters.

VO: Roo's second bit of silver, now.

Will it reflect a profit?

D'you know, I know a lot of ladies now who are going back to the old-fashioned compacts.

Really?

They're... Yeah, because checking your reflection in a mobile phone isn't classy.

£30, 35, 40.

Five, 50, at £50.

We want to see more of this.

In the back at £50, and I'm going to sell it at 50, last call.

RI: I'm happy with that.

JB: 50, you've done well.

RI: I'm happy with that.

VO: She'll be made up with that.

It wasn't the most exciting compact but it's made a profit and it's pretty.

VO: Just like these!

The toilet pulls are up next.

Could it be a loss or a profit?

Well, you...

I can start the bidding at £30 on commission.

RI: Ooh.

JB: £30.

35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, five, 70.

Oh, you've done it.

Five, at 75.

Lady standing... JB: 75.

MC: ..at 75.

Well done, that lady.

I'm going to sell then.

Thank you.

191.

High five.

VO: Well, it washed its face.

Now wash your hands.

RI: So you're relieved?

JB: I'm relieved.

RI: Semi relieved?

JB: Yeah.

VO: Unfortunate choice of words there.

OK, Roo's trench art now.

The auctioneer was a fan.

I went a wee bit military here.

I do love my trench art.

20 for them?

20 I'm bid, 25, 30, five... RI: I just want it to make a profit.

MC: 40, five, 50.

RI: OK. MC: At £50.

JB: Wow!

MC: 50.

JB: Well done.

That's good.

RI: Thank you, thank you.

JB: Very good.

VO: Yes, that's another good result for our girl.

It was, it was a nice wee romantic scene.

OK, don't go on.

VO: The model cannon next.

Will it go with a bang?

Do you think it'll go above £50, my cannon?

I'm gonna go for... How much?

34.

JB: 34?

RI: Definitely.

£20 I'm bid for this.

25, 30, at £30.

You're in profit.

For the cannon at £30, nobody else?

At 30, on commission with me at 30, then.

RI: Nice.

JB: Oh!

It's a profit.

VO: Yeah, cheer up James, it's pointing in the right direction.

I think the old adage is, you're never going to make a huge profit unless you're Roo Irvine.

VO: Well, let's see if that holds true for her marcasite ring.

I think when I bought this ring...

I bought it for myself.

I love it.

20 I'm bid, £20 I'm bid.

22, 24...

There was too much of a pause there.

30, at £30.

Lady seated now, at 30.

That's good.

It's good, Roo.

I'm selling it at 30.

Well done.

Profit, you've got a profit on everything!

Thank you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

VO: She has indeed.

Well done, Roo.

JB: Watch and learn.

RI: The day is not done.

VO: Let's see what happens when we lob James's last lot into the room.

JB: It's...

It's almost living.

RI: You don't want to handle it.

It is.

I think...

The way that spring, the clip, I pulled the pin and the clip just flies off.

30 for it.

30 I'm bid.

35, 40, five, 50.

MC: Five, 60, at £60.

RI: You're gonna fly here.

Over in the doorway at £60.

Very, very good, James.

At 60 and I'm selling it.

479.

JB: That's alright.

RI: Doubled your money.

That's brilliant.

JB: That's better, isn't it?

RI: That's... VO: That's a very good result, old bean.

Positively explosive.

That was my favorite buy of yours.

VO: Finally, Roo's cabinet.

It's her big-ticket item.

Could lose all that profit - it could just come out of my pockets, pockets like a sieve.

We'll see.

50 to start it?

50 I'm bid.

£50 I'm bid for this.

55, 60... More, come on, keep going... Five, 80.

Keep going.

Five, 90, five, 100...

So close.

110, at 110, nobody else?

At 110 and I'm selling it.

Well done.

Well done.

Well done.

(SHE EXHALES DEEPLY) JB: Excellent.

VO: That's five out of five then.

Good job.

Well, the next leg I'm buying silver.

Oh, no, you can't copy me now.

Of course I can.

Does that mean I'll be buying hand grenades?!

If you can find them.

Let's hit the road, Jack.

VO: Yes, off you pop, while we work out how well you did.

A bespectacled James set off with £200.

After all auction costs, he made a profit.

Next time, Gentleman Jim will have £212.70 to spend.

It's a start!

VO: Roo started with the same amount.

However, she's had a little more success and after deducting saleroom fees she has £229.60 to spend on the next leg.

Look a bit happier about it.

James, have you got any snacks for me in the glove box?

I think I need some, the nerves have eroded my waistline.

What shall we have then?

Steak pie?

Ooh, with all the trimmings.

Dumplings?

Oh, yes, yes, yes.

VO: Next time on Antiques Road Trip...

Car!

Argh!

James!

VO: There's no hanging about.

JB: Go quick.

RI: Catch me if you can.

VO: Roo's on the lookout for a good deal.

These are eye goggles.

I can read into your mind.

VO: And James is after the perfect physique.

Say goodbye to the old me, hello to the new me.

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