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?

There's nothing in here.

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

AUCTIONEER: Disappointing.

(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?

Terribly nervous now, James.

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

VO: All this week we've been on the road with antiques guru James Braxton who's been pitting his wits against young whipper-snapper auctioneer Jonathan Pratt.

VO: And it's been a far- from-close competition.

VO: Devilish James has stormed ahead, leaving poor Jonathan floundering.

Disaster strikes!

VO: So while Pratt fell flat, old Brackers made loads of smackers, which means he did jolly well.

That's not to say he's a bit conceited though.

I'm not smiling.

VO: From his original £200, James now has an impressive £320.94.

Great hat.

VO: But Jonathan is only scraping through to the final leg with less than half of James's budget - a pretty pitiful £155.36.

Bad luck.

It's been a tough week for Jonathan but his spirits are still high and that could be because James is letting him drive his pride and joy, the 1952 MG, to their first shopping location.

VO: This week they're traveling all the way from Altrincham, Greater Manchester to sunny Cornwall.

Today we kick off the fifth leg in Crewkerne, then head to the final auction showdown in Lostwithiel.

VO: The earliest record of Crewkerne in Somerset was in the will of Alfred The Great back in 899.

And during the 18th & 19th centuries, the main industry was cloth-making - including crafting sails for the Royal Navy.

Our fellows will certainly need a fair wind - not so sure about the rain - up their tails to shop until they drop.

But it's time to zip up and get the final leg of their competition under way.

JAMES: Good.

Anyway...good luck!

VO: Perfect.

VO: Noah's Antiques is packed to the gunnels with goodies - but will anything entice James?

Oh, what a day out there.

Morning.

Hello.

James.

DEALER: Michael JAMES: Michael.

Good to meet you, Michael.

VO: Morning.

Now, what Michael doesn't realize is that James has a whopping £320.94 to spend, so he can really afford to splash out on some expensive, top quality lots.

JAMES: I might have a quite look through your bargain area, Michael.

VO: Uh-oh.

Bargain area?!

James is acting like a rag and bone man, not someone whose pocket is bulging with cash!

JAMES: These were things for... for more rarefied dining really.

This is a rather unusual one, but it's sort of entrée dish- shaped, elongated octagonal, it's got sort of fruiting vines all the way round it.

But they're fun, you can use them for anything.

These ones are all quite early, sort of Edwardian, turn of the century, that sort of thing.

This one is inscribed, that one is inscribed, this one is a very nice chamber-stick so it would have had a cylindrical glass thing to protect it from the wind.

VO: 'Cylindrical glass thing?'

Is that a technical term then, James?

And then we've got the old swing basket, as they're known - would have been stamped out on some great machine in Birmingham or Sheffield.

And then this is...this is probably the youngest of the lot, this is just a...just a clean bit of plate, quite a big fellow.

What are we...it's 10 or 12 inches across, it's just been stamped out.

VO: So you won't be buying that then, James?

JAMES: That's a good little lot that.

VO: So you will then!

James is planning to buy - and then sell - this bundle as a job lot, which auction houses often do with cheaper items - there's no price on this as a group, but that's not stopping our man from chancing his arm.

JAMES: Let's see if I can make you a tempting offer.

A tenner?

Erm... JAMES: Stop wincing.

Put your hand out.

Go on.

JAMES: Thank you.

(LAUGHS) VO: Gosh, James's strategy seems to be spending as little as he can - so how about the man who has no choice - that's Jonathan by the way - he's arrived at his first shop, Crewkerne Antiques.

Morning.

Good morning.

Nice to come inside in the dry.

Hi, Jonathan Pratt.

Not the best of days, is it?

No.

Got some great things.

JONATHAN (JON): I know there's a lot of things I can't afford already, but you've got some good quality things here.

DEALER: There's a good mix.

Do you have any house clearance type areas, bit junkier?

Not really.

My budget is...has been depleting of late, so I'm looking for something...

The ultimate bargain?

Yes.

VO: Hm.

Well, you're not going to find the ultimate bargain if you hang around talking to Eddie.

VO: So how are you feeling today, Jonathan?

(WHISPERS) I'm quite nervous now.

(GROANS) VO: Hm - best head under the stairs then, it's worked for you before.

Been reasonably well painted actually and it's off the...it's gonna be off the south coast.

Dated 1911.

Again, this chap's not in superb condition but that one's better - by a chap called Flowers.

VO: Flowers, hm not quite Turner then.

JON: I do like these though actually, I do like these.

JON: Royal coat of arms, quite like that.

VO: Yup, nice piece of needlework there, but will it sell well at auction?

It all depends on whether Jonathan can do a good deal.

Now... JON: Do you mind if I ask you a few things about these?

EDDIE: Yeah, go on.

JON: That's the first thing... That struck me.

EDDIE: That is fabulous.

Nice 19th-century needlework.

Royal coat of arms.

Would you accept for that...£60?

EDDIE: Probably not.

Probably not?

I've got in mind about £80, I'll be honest.

I think it's worth that.

I think it's a nice thing.

JON: I'll put that down on the...iffy list, OK?

EDDIE: Alright.

JON: Flowers... OK, slightly faded paper, bit of foxing but nice subject.

He's not an academy hand but it's still quite competently painted.

JON: Sixty quid for them?

EDDIE: I could probably do that for those.

JON: You could do that?

EDDIE: That would be OK. JON: And, music stand - it's not in the greatest of order.

It's a little tired.

JON: It's a little tired.

It's only pine.

VO: A little tired?

Jonathan does seem to like buying bashed and broken items.

JON: Thirty.

EDDIE: Yeah, that's fine.

I can do that on that one.

JON: OK. Of all the things I want most is this one here.

Cuz that's the best one.

JON: Yeah, that's the one I like the most.

This one being, I think that's quite a charming thing.

£60 for that one...providing you buy that one for £30!

JON: (LAUGHS) £80 the two?

A little tear.

Yeah, OK OK. Alright.

JON: Oh, my word!

There we go.

VO: Hang on, Jonathan - what about sailing pictures?

Oh, gosh.

I know I've already said a price for them.

Er...

But I can't afford that now, can I!

Would you take... Would you take £40 a pair?

EDDIE: I'd like to help you out, but no.

(CHUCKLES) JON: £50?

EDDIE: Ye...OK.

If I can take all your money I will!

VO: You've almost have done that Eddie... and just as Jonathan is paying up, he's spotted yet another picture.

JON: I really quite like this only because... Funnily enough it's St Paul's, the paper's nice and white and what's drawn me to it is this little image here which is a little vignette, (DOORBELL) presumably of the artist... James is just arriving.

Limited edition print and it's a charming subject and he's painting.

You're only asking £15 for it.

Today's special price.

Today's special price.

Is it cheeky for me to make an offer?

Yeah.

It is, is it?!

12 quid.

Yeah, go on.

Hey, you're in a good mood.

Thank you very much.

VO: Nothing wrong with being a bit cheeky in my books.

James has arrived so Jonathan needs to shove off.

Hi James.

How're you doing?

JAMES: Very well.

How're you doing?

JON: I'm very very well, thank you very much.

Looking chipper!

You're smiling.

Nice to see a man smiling.

Yeah.

There's plenty here, James.

JAMES: Yeah, looks plenty.

Fabulous, isn't it?

Good hunting ground.

I think you'll have fun.

Good, good.

Good.

Cleared all the broken stuff out now?

No, nothing that's broken James, you'll see!

VO: Not going to tell him about the bashed-up music stand then Jonathan?

Oh well, looks very good.

I'm going to get exploring.

JON: And there's upstairs as well, James.

JAMES: Thank you.

Any basements?

EDDIE: I'm afraid not.

No.

No Val's basement?

JON: No.

No?

OK. VO: Haha!

So just to recap in case you missed it, Jonathan started the day way down behind James.

His solution - on his first day, in his first shop, was to buy four items and spend nearly all his money!

Rather him than me!

VO: As Jonathan heads off with just £13.36 left in his pocket, James is keen to get spending as he still has over £300.

And he's giving the place a good once-over hoping to hunt out a hidden gem.

JAMES: See, that's got big ears hasn't it, that brass fellow.

Might I have a look at old big ears?

JAMES: Look at that!

Big-eared fellow, isn't it?

EDDIE: It's clean too.

JAMES: Clean.

Somebody's put some work into it haven't they?

Lovely sort of wing-nut ears to it isn't there?

EDDIE: Kind of royal.

Tis royal!

Steady Eddie!

JAMES: See that might be tempting, mightn't it?

VO: Moving upstairs, will anything else catch James' roving eye?

JAMES: Traditionally, Braxton always buys one of these.

Every time.

It's probably Syrian.

They're a generic sort of Middle Eastern coffee table, so all those cafes and things like that would have these outside and you would take you mint tea or your dark Turkish coffee out to them.

VO: Hang on, James - didn't you have a disaster with ethnic goods this week?

JAMES: I can see how it would really work in a contemporary home this.

DEALER: Yeah, yeah.

JAMES: 150 for the two?

OK.

Thank you very much indeed.

AUCTIONEER: Done at £24?

(GAVEL) AUCTIONEER: Across the room at £50... (GAVEL) Dear oh dear.

Never mind.

Never mind.

VO: Lesson learnt?

No!

JAMES: I'm a North African at heart I think.

Oh!

They're sort of Damascus like.

Brass tray and stand.

Er...my offer for that is £20.

VO: He's asking £48.

JAMES: Or £25 for big ears.

EDDIE: I couldn't do that one.

JAMES: Couldn't do that one.

This I could.

You could.

£20?

JAMES: (LAUGHS) Thanks a lot, I can't resist.

I can't resist these.

Thank you very much indeed.

EDDIE: Thank you very much.

That's very kind of you.

Thanks a lot.

VO: Time to get back on the road.

James and Jonathan are crossing counties and driving 34 miles west to Honiton, VO: ..a town which used to have a ceremony called 'Hot Pennies', where local gentry would throw hot pennies from windows to local peasants, which resulted in burnt hands - nice!

VO: Perhaps James will spend a penny or two in The Grove Antiques Centre - stand by!

JAMES: Hello.

James.

James.

Lesley.

Hello, nice to meet you.

We're surrounded by lots of lovelies here, where should the astute buyer be looking for that elusive bargain?

LESLEY: ...Elusive thing.

Well, would it be a good idea if you had a look around and...or do I take you round?

What an excellent idea, Lesley.

Go on, James, don't be lazy, get looking, get working.

VO: Exactly, James.

You've still got nearly £300 burning a hole in your pocket!

Time to buy!

JAMES: I must say, I don't think I've seen the like.

VO: James has spotted a French scent bottle, costing £75.

JAMES: It's got a little pill- box on the top there.

Take that off and you've got a little stopper there.

Very pretty isn't it?

I think it's a lovely novelty item.

I like the fact that it has a pill-box.

My only problem is...is the donks in it.

JAMES: £25?

Thirty and it's yours.

Thirty, and I want to buy something.

Well done.

Thank you, Lesley, you're a very kind lady.

VO: James did quite well there... and still has time to explore the rest of the antiques center, and what should he find - but something which isn't even for sale.

Typical!

JAMES: Just been chatting to Lee here, looking at all his fabulous clocks and I just noticed this rather nice...this Chinese stand, this red marble.

We used to call these blackwood and now we use the name huanghuali.

A very nice tropical hardwood.

It's not Lee's, it's his mother's and he's used it as a shop- fitting for seven years and he wants... and he'll find out whether she wants to sell it or not.

LEE: No.

JAMES: No!

Oh, phew.

LEE: Unless...you pay £225.

JAMES: £225.

Yes.

JAMES: Would she settle at £200?

Are you a gambling man, Lee?

LEE: What I'd be gambling on is how she reacts if I were to tell her, er... JAMES: But we know - mothers and sons, it's...it's...it's unconditional love.

LEE: When it comes to money with my mother... Oh, right.

Is it..?

No love at all!

I tell you what, £200.

OK, well done.

That's great.

Good, thanks a lot, Lee.

I better go let her know!

I'll put my £25 profit there.

VO: Jonathan's nearly all spent up, so it's time to play instead.

He's traveling 50 miles to Bovey Tracey to discover the history of one of our most treasured childhood games - marbles.

VO: Has he lost his?

No but he's found the House of Marbles - a museum situated on the site of the Old Bovey Pottery, but before he gets to play, Marketing Manager Andrea's going to take him on a mini tour.

ANDREA: This is the old pottery site.

I think it's about 1750 in and around the area that they started making pottery.

JON: Have you still got some chimneys and things?

We do yes.

A lot of it is very derelict.

The three here are protected... JON: Yeah.

ANDREA: And they're outside.

There's not much of it left?

No, there isn't today.

What...so, where do we start with the very earliest of examples?

The earliest?

We do have some examples over here.

ANDREA: I'll just show you... JON: Oh, lovely.

ANDREA: Some artifacts here that have come from the site.

JON: Seeing the label at the back saying that Josiah Wedgwood came here obviously links into what were the fashion of that period.

That's it.

There was some rivalry with Mr Crisp here.

JON: Mr Crisp was the man who ran it?

That's it, yes.

And he was trying to develop...

I think different techniques were being developed at that time and Mr Crisp was really striving to get a successful business as many people do.

I believe Wedgwood pipped him to the post and became the famous man.

Mr Wedgwood was a very very clever man.

Yes.

And he did...

I think he was probably the ruin of many pottery.

VO: Enough of all that lark - please can we see some marbles?

No one is quite sure where the game of marbles first began - but archaeologists have found games, boards and clay playing pieces in the tombs of Ancient Egypt.

China and ceramic marbles were introduced around 1800 - but it wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that German glass blowers invented the tools to enable the marbles that we all know and love, to be made out of glass.

And lucky old Jonathan is going to find out how it's done as there's a glass- making factory on site.

Jonathan's going to be shown the ropes by seasoned glass-blower, Paul.

We're going to gather some glass out the furnace and make the inside, colored part of the marble.

OK. OK?

Go on then.

VO: All of these marbles are hand-crafted.

JON: So there's like a pool of glass down there?

PAUL: That's right.

JON: Oh, my word.

VO: Glass is melted in a sweltering 900 degrees centigrade then shaped and molded.

PAUL: There we go, like that.

VO: Dye is added to create the colors inside the marble.

The glass is twisted and shaped.

PAUL: Now squeeze and at the same time, I twist.

VO: Then a clear glass bulb is melted around it.

It takes a special pair of pincers to get that perfect marbley shape.

Finally it's snipped off and hey presto: the perfect marble...simple!

Well sort of.

JON: Amazing!

VO: Well, after all that hard work, I think it's time for both of our dear experts to snuggle down and get a good night's sleep before the final shop tomorrow.

VO: Day two dawns and our antiques experts are back on the road, pumped up and ready for battle.

VO: Yesterday the boys both spent the majority of their cash.

Jonathan blew £142 - practically all his pennies - on four items all from the same shop.

That leaves him with a mere £13.36 for his second day of buying.

VO: James started his day frugally but then blew a mind-blowing £200 on one Chinese stand, so all in all he spent £260 in three shops.

Which means today he's got £60.94 to play with.

JAMES: I'm heading to the MG!

VO: Today our boys are journeying south to the popular tourist destination of Dartmouth.

VO: Set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, the port was used as the sailing point for the Crusades of the 12th Century.

And James and Jonathan are on a crusade of their own today as they don't have much time, or money, left to spend.

VO: James heads straight off to Penny Farthing Antiques to see what treasures he can uncover.

Hello.

DEALER: Hello there.

JAMES: James.

DEALER: How do you do?

JAMES: Hi.

DEALER: Nick Williams.

Nick.

Hi, good to meet you.

JAMES: Well, I'll just have a look round.

NICK: Do.

JAMES: Thank you.

VO: Thank you.

With just £60 left in his pocket, James needs to be clever with his cash.

JAMES: Can I look at your Tudric jug?

NICK: Of course, yeah.

JAMES: Thanks.

NICK: There you are - Liberty c1910 JAMES: That's lovely, isn't it?

Mm.

NICK: I imagine it's part of a set, isn't it?

JAMES: Yeah.

NICK: We think that's hot water.

JAMES: Yeah.

NICK: But it's the right style, it's a good look.

It is isn't it?

It's very simple.

VO: This type of jug was often used to carry and keep water hot until required to refresh the teapot.

The cane-covered handle protected the user from the heat of the metal.

The founder of Liberty & Co, Arthur Lasenby Liberty, began to import modern pewter from Germany in 1899 and the success of this venture encouraged him to commission the 'Tudric' British-made range.

JAMES: And may I look at your chamber-stick?

NICK: Certainly.

JAMES: We've got 'made in England' at the bottom.

Oh, Torquay down there.

NICK: Yeah, I think it's early sort of Torquay-ware.

JAMES: That's rather nice, that.

NICK: Again, good style isn't it?

JAMES: Great style.

NICK: Maiolica glaze.

VO: With only £60 left, James will have to do some hard bargaining to bag both items, I can tell you!

JAMES: £60 for the two.

NICK: I was thinking more sort of £85 for the pair.

JAMES: I've only got £60.

NICK: I reckon you should go for this one, don't miss that, cuz that was privately sourced.

JAMES: Yeah.

NICK: The trade haven't seen that.

OK, so that's going to be good for the saleroom.

JAMES: The only problem is that handle isn't it, but you know, these things can be repaired.

NICK: Yeah, it's a proper name, isn't it?

JAMES: Yeah, proper name.

NICK: Yep.

JAMES: Nice fellow, good design.

Could you do £35 on that, Nick?

I can do £40, and then we'll have a deal.

JAMES: £40.

NICK: Yeah, we'll have a deal.

NICK: There's got to be a profit in that at £40 hasn't there?

I think there is, yeah.

Nick, I'll do it!

That's very kind.

You've probably saved me a lot of agony.

VO: It might seem like a good buy now, but will it sell well at the auction?

VO: Further down the road Jonathan is popping into Commerce, hoping to blow his final £13.36 on a star buy - good luck with that!

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

How're you?

Alright?

JON: Very good, very good.

What a charming shop you've got here.

DEALER: Thank you.

JON: I'm going to have to be honest - I have £13.36, so that doesn't really leave me very much, I think Well hopefully this could be an interesting turning point for your... you know... JON: So I'm looking at... so basically anything you think that you could have that you may offer me for less than £13.36.

VO: With such a small amount of cash left, I fear Jonathan is going to be hard-pushed to find a profit making purchase at all!

JON: I've already bought a pair of maritime watercolors which I think are quite good.

You know, they're quite nice and...I quite like the idea of trying to sort of find something almost in the same vein, almost like, you know, you've got like a lifebelt up there and little things like that.

VO: A lifebelt, surely not - I feel a metaphor coming on.

DEALER: I'd let that go for a fiver and you'd be...er...you know... JON: (LAUGHS) Would you?!

DEALER: ..you'd be in pocket.

JON: How much are your paddles?

Would you do a couple of paddles for £13.35 and I'll keep a penny back.

VO: Oh dear... Er, yes... JON: You would?

Yes, I'll do... Obviously that we've discussed and the pair of paddles then... Not with it, I wasn't suggesting with the ring, unless you want to through the ring in as well, it might be my life saver?

VO: Oh no, I knew it was coming.

JON: No, I'm asking too much here.

DEALER: A pair of paddles and that, DEALER: I'll take all your money, keep your penny.

There we go.

Brilliant.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome, it's a pleasure.

JON: Oh!

Right then, is this going to be my lifesaver?

I jolly well hope so.

VO: That's number two.

So while Jonathan leaves - clutching his lifebelt - James has taken himself off to Chudleigh.

He's here to visit retired council officer Robert Hough, a passionate collector of some rather amazing musical devices.

Hello James, welcome.

JAMES: Hello Robert.

ROBERT: Come on in.

VO: Robert's collecting urge started when he was only 12 - back then it was butterflies, but it soon graduated into antique mechanical musical machines.

Now he has 35 and they've taken over his entire house!

Well James, welcome to our music room.

Oh the house really opens up doesn't it?

It's lovely.

ROBERT: The music room was really conceived as a place to store our mechanical music collection.

It's evolved into sort of function space now and we do concerts... JAMES: Oh, lovely!

ROBERT: ..and all kinds of things here.

JAMES: So you're the musical hub of Chudleigh, are you?

ROBERT: Something like that.

BOTH: (LAUGH) JAMES: And what do we have here?

ROBERT: It's called a piano melodica and it's a sort of weird and wonderful kind of mechanism.

If you load it up... Erm, like this... JAMES: Goodness!

So all book form.

ROBERT: The little pressure bar.

Put the lid back down.

JAMES: Put the lid down.

ROBERT: And...you crank away.

(PIANO MUSIC) JAMES: That's amazing.

It's a well geared action that.

ROBERT: Would you like to try?

JAMES: I'd love to try.

ROBERT: You get an empathy for the music.

Off you go.

And you've got... And what does that mean?

Hurry up James?

Move to the right.

VO: Come on James, give it some welly!

(PIANO MUSIC) ROBERT: Then you come back to about...that's right.

JAMES: (CHUCKLES) There was always a little bit of hardship to entertainment.

The Victorians didn't like anything too easy, did they?

VO: Not sure this winding lark suits you James, what about a bit of peddle power?

JAMES: And what have we next, Robert?

This is a very early form of pianola called a piano player...

Right.

We have got 65 wooden fingers that come out of the back of this mechanism and they match up with the keys on the Bechstein piano... Really!

ROBERT: And when you sit down and you peddle which I'd like you to have a go at in a moment... JAMES: OK, I'll sit down.

And I'll just give you a little crash course on how to play it.

ROBERT: Alternate peddling and don't be frightened of it.

1900 but it's still going.

Alright?

Yep.

A little bit more peddle.

That's it.

(PIANO MURMURS) VO: Oh...this is pitiful...stop him, please!

Feet flat on the pedals.

And then I'm sort of waggling.

This was sold to be played by young ladies of a refined nature!

They'd have to work jolly hard peddling I think.

Feeling some lovely toning coming on here just beneath the thighs.

Would you like me to take over?

Yeah, I think it needs the hands of a master.

Come on, Robert.

This is a little bit of Beethoven.

Here we go.

(LIVELY PIANO MUSIC) VO: Ah, that's how it's supposed to sound.

The machine has come alive!

Morse action.

Oh, it's very good.

VO: Yes it is, when it's being properly operated.

One machine that Robert won't be letting James loose on is his pride and joy: his organ.

This is the Aeolian residence player pipe organ.

Right.

I actually persuaded my wife to take eight feet off the room to build an organ chamber because behind the tapestry there's 1,100 pipes.

JAMES: Really?!

Robert, fire away.

Would you like to hear it?

I'd love to.

We've got a little selection from Cavalleria rusticana.

And if you want to have a peep behind the tapestry you can see the organ pipes.

OK. (ORGAN MUSIC) JAMES: So it's behind here is it?

ROBERT: Yes, if you go to the right... JAMES: Yep.

ROBERT: Have a little look.

(ORGAN MUSIC) Oh, I see!

My word!

(ORGAN MUSIC) I must say, Robert, you have a very tolerant wife!

It is very impressive.

How many pipes was it?

ROBERT: There's 1,100 pipes.

JAMES: 1,100!

ROBERT: And that is relatively small as Aeolian pipe organs go.

Aeolian had the policy...if you could afford it, they would install a pipe organ anywhere - under stairs, under bedrooms, in cellars and goodness knows what.

JAMES: Yeah.

And some of the installations were enormous.

Erm...Mrs Vanderbilt in New York had a 70 rank - 70 rank!

- we've got 14 so you can imagine the size of it.

JAMES: God!

VO: Robert's house isn't open to the public, but he holds concerts there and welcomes enthusiasts.

But for now, it's time for enthusiastic James to say goodbye and head off to catch up with Jonathan back in Dartmouth for a little game of 'I'll show you mine, if you show me yours'.

Oh, look at that!

That's very nice, isn't it?

JON: Mid to early part of the 19th century, formerly a banner of a pole screen.

But nice needlework.

Very nice, isn't it?

Royal coat of arms.

Yeah.

How much did you pay?

I paid £60.

£60.

That's good.

It's very nice.

JON: Yeah.

JAMES: Nicely framed, rosewood frame.

Good item.

Good start.

JON: Yep, thank you much.

Over to you.

JAMES: OK, here we are.

My first lot - little job lot of plate.

OK, well... Ooh, I'm missing something.

Here we are - and that fellow.

OK. Erm...a bit bitty but...very good.

JAMES: £10.

Pff!

Well you've got a profit there haven't you?

I hope so.

JON: OK... JAMES: Cor, Mr Picture!

JON: There we go.

JAMES: That's nice, isn't it?

Nice artist's scene.

A little engraving.

JON: I'm hoping it's St Paul's but I don't know if you've got these little turrets up the back... JAMES: No, it's Sacré Coeur.

JON: Sacré Coeur... JAMES: Yeah, in Paris.

JON: In Paris - oh, OK. JAMES: It's been reframed.

Not very well.

And I paid...£12.

JAMES: £12.

Yeah, that's nice isn't it?

VO: Hm, a little unimpressed there, James...so what will Jonathan make of your North African table?

Here you are.

So, nice sort of Damascus, sort of Syrian fellow.

Here's your coffee table and there's... JON: Oh, that's a pretty, pretty... JAMES: Scrapper Braxton's trademark... JON: (LAUGHS) And it sits very happily up there.

I mean, there's not an enormous amount of age to the base particularly...

I mean... No.

It's 20th-century, you know.

JAMES: Yeah, it's 1920s, '30s... JON: £30?

JAMES: £20.

JON: £20 paid?

JAMES: £20.

Yeah, OK.

There's potential profit there.

Another little profit there.

VO: I don't think he was blown away there.

Get rid of that one.

Here we go.

Oh, marine, very nice.

Rounding the buoy.

JON: Rounding the buoy, yeah... JAMES: By Mr Flowers.

There's a pair to it.

There we go.

Oh, that's very nice, isn't it?

JON: That chap there.

JAMES: Nice marine scenes.

JON: Yeah... Again, shame they're not in contemporary frames but they're nice, bright pictures aren't they?

How much did you pay for them?

For these I paid £50.

£50?

JON: Yeah.

JAMES: You're racking it up, aren't you?

JAMES: My third item.

JON: OK.

It's got a little pill top...pill-box in the top there.

Yeah.

Which unscrews.

That's rather sweet isn't it?

JAMES: Yeah.

JON: Crack on the inside of the lip there.

Nice to have that function...

The novelty, yeah.

Without... without that bit there... JAMES: Would have been dead.

JON: Pff, boring.

But...but that makes a difference doesn't it, so... very good.

You've paid...£30?

JAMES: Correct.

Well done.

VO: Ah, now I get it - this is a game of who can underwhelm whom the most.

There we go.

It didn't really start off life, I think... JAMES: Yeah.

JON: ..looking like this but functional - you could paint it.

Children learning to play a musical instrument, you know, for the front room or whatever... You paid...£20?

JON: Yes, £20.

That's good.

VO: Now for James' star buy... JAMES: This is where good sense departed me, I'm afraid.

Oh, good.

OK. Cor.

Nice sharp edges on it.

JON: 100 years old, perhaps.

Chinese hardwood.

Nice little functional thing.

JAMES: I paid £200 for it.

You didn't?

Really?

JAMES: Yeah.

It's a bold buy, James.

It's a bold buy but it's a lovely buy.

It's a very fashionable item at the moment.

It might make £150, it might make £250.

It might make £700.

Yeah.

You know, it's impossible to predict these.

JON: Well done, very good.

Now bearing in mind I had £13.36 left...that's all.

I bought... A rubber ring.

Well done.

I thought these could be my lifesaver!

VO: Oh, no, another one!

JON: I got some change out of my money.

How much?

JON: There we go, I have my penny left.

Yeah.

It's great fun.

I think...you've correctly targeted your purchases... ..to where we're going.

JON: I'm hoping.

JAMES: Here's my last.

It's Tudoric, Liberty & Co.

It is...a touch boring.

VO: Ooh, that was a lethal jab.

JAMES: Needs something a bit bright going on.

JON: Needs a bit of flowers going on in there, a little bit of embossing.

Handle's not in great shape but then you didn't have a lot of money left?

No.

How much money did you have left?

Well I paid £40 for that.

OK. That could be a good purchase that.

JAMES: Hm.

JON: So, good, excellent.

Well I think that's a good mixture of stuff, isn't it?

The dye is cast.

VO: Well, it looked civilized but these two spared no punches.

I don't think I can bear to hear what they really thought... Oh go on then.

Jonathan has bought items according to his budget.

Erm...I think he's...he's put a lot of thought into where we're going, so there's a lot of marine interest and that might serve him very well.

I am relieved that James has been bold and has spent a lot of money.

Er...£200 on that table was...it is a gamble, it may do it but I'm pleased.

It's a real battle now cuz there's...we've got a lot between us.

VO: Certainly have.

It's been a highly-competitive fifth leg of this road trip from Crewkerne to Honiton and onto Dartmouth.

The destination for the final auction showdown is Lostwithiel in Cornwall.

VO: Situated on the wooded banks of the Fowey River, Lostwithiel boomed 800 years ago, exporting tin - becoming the second busiest port on the south coast of England.

Wow.

VO: Our final auction of the week is at Jefferys Auctions - so does auctioneer Ian Morris think our experts' items shine...or lack luster?

Obviously the Chinese rosewood...erm...vorstand, it is going to do well but obviously it's a nicer piece, it's a more expensive piece anyway and I would hope we'd get in the region of £180-£220 for that.

That's the real thing that really stands out.

Then everything else really is...is maybe bumbling along in the region of as low as £10 start up to £50 or £60.

So I'm hoping the guys haven't paid a lot of money for their bits and pieces really.

VO: Well, James started this leg with an impressive £320.94 and has gone on to spend exactly £300 on five auction lots.

VO: Jonathan, meanwhile, began with a rather measly £155.36 but he managed to spend every penny except one...ha...on five auction lots.

Time to find out who's able to flex the most financial muscle.

VO: First up, Jonathan's rather bashed music stand.

Part 19th-century on bobbin turn supports there.

Er...£20 away.

£10 to start me off very quickly.

10 I'm bid.

IAN: At 10.

At 10 I'm bid.

I'll take £12 now.

At £10, £12, £14, £16.

At £16, £18.

At £18, £20.

At £20 I'm bid, two and up... Keep going, keep going, keep going.

No, no, no, no... (GAVEL) £20 to 547.

This is like groundhog day.

This happened to me last time.

Bought for £20, sold for £20.

VO: It certainly didn't sing to the buyers.

VO: Next up - James's silver-plated job lot.

Some items are silver-plated including a Mappin & Webb pierced border chamber-stick and Mappin & Webb pint tankard.

IAN: Lot 115.

£20 away very quickly.

£10 I'm bid.

At £10.

At 10, I'll take £12 now.

At £10, £12, £14, £16... (TUTS) Pfff!

IAN: At £18 I'm bid.

£20, not.

At £18, £20, not.

Are we done?

At £18.

(GAVEL) £18.

JON: Steady James.

JAMES: Steady profit there.

VO: A small profit for James, but a profit nevertheless.

VO: Jonathan's engraving of the Sacré Coeur is up next - let's hope a little French charm goes a long way in Cornwall.

French school, early 20th-century, a signed limited edition etching there.

IAN: Parisian street scene.

That one there, very quickly.

Can I say £20 away?

£10 you say, no more.

£10 I'm bid.

IAN: At £10, at £12, at £15.

At £15 the bid's with me.

At £15, £18.

At £18, the bid's at the back.

At £18 I'm bid.

£20 down.

At £18, £20 not.

We all done?

At £18... (GAVEL) Well done.

Back in the game.

Result!

Back in the game, back in the game.

VO: Un petit profit for Jonathan.

Ooh-la-la!

VO: Continuing the French theme... IAN: The novelty, French white metal-topped bottle with integral pillbox complete with stopper there.

IAN: Pretty little thing there, £50 away?

£30 away?

£20 I'm bid.

At £20, £25, £30, £35, £35, £40, £45.

At £40 I'm bid.

At £40 I'm bid.

Five not.

We're done at £40... (GAVEL) Well done, tenner.

Disappointing, as per normal.

VO: The good folk of Cornwall certainly seem to like items from across the Channel.

VO: So will they be drawn to Jonathan's marine theme?

Pair of signed watercolors there, dated 1911... JON: Here we are!

JAMES: Good luck, lovely lot.

Shh!

IAN: Can I say £50 away?

£30 away?

£20 I have.

At £20, £25, £30, £35, £40?

At £35, at £35... Keep going!

IAN: At £35, £38, at £38, £40 now.

At £38 though I'm bid?

At £38 I'm bid.

£40 not.

We're done at £38... (GAVEL) to 825.

JAMES: Oh Jonathan.

Don't worry, I could lose it all on the... By the look of it he might sell the table for about £30.

VO: Don't give up James - the auctioneer liked your table!

VO: But first, the pewter jug - remember, the one the trade hasn't seen and which is sure to make a profit.

The Liberty Tudoric pewter hot water jug there.

Pattern number 0213.

£20 away?

£10 away?

£10 I'm bid.

At £10, at £10 I'm bid.

I'll take £12 now.

At £10 bid £12, £14, £16, £18, £20.

£20, the bid's right at the back.

£22.

£25?

£25, £28?

£28.

£30?

£30.

£32?

£30, still at the back.

£32?

IAN: At £30 then, going at the back at £30... (GAVEL) to 28.

Up and down, James.

Up and down, up and down.

VO: Oh deary me, moving on... VO: Jonathan's got a right royal hope with his embroidery.

19th-century...er...framed needlework panel.

Er...depicting the royal coat of arms and the nice rosewood frame there.

IAN: Out there, very quickly, can I say £50 away?

£30 away?

£30 I'm bid.

JAMES: He's got one buying.

Come on, keep going.

Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going!

At £45.

At £45, £50 not.

Are we all done?

Going at £45.

(GAVEL) He gives with one hand and he takes with the other doesn't he?

JAMES: Yep, that's life.

BOTH: (LAUGH) VO: How coy!

We may be in the Duchy of Cornwall, but no one's feeling very patriotic here.

VO: It's James' North African coffee table - are the good people of Lostwithiel up for a little ethnic charm?

Brass circular coffee tray there, folding legs.

Lovely tray.

What a lovely tray.

Feel the weight, sir.

Shh!

We've two bids.

At £10 I'm bid, I'll take 12 to get on.

At £10 I'm bid, at £10 I'm bid, 12 not.

At £10, 12 not.

Are we all done at £10?

Going at the £10... (GAVEL) No.

This isn't the 1970s!

What a crime.

What a crime!

£10.

VO: Oops - I could have told you James.

VO: Now... could Jonathan's life be saved...in more ways than one?

Red and white lifesaving ring together with a pair of military-painted paddles.

IAN: Somebody might need a little lifesaving ring in a minute!

VO: Oh, even the auctioneer's at it!

IAN: £10 away.

Five I'm bid.

At five.

At five I'm bid, I'll take six now.

At £5, six, seven, eight, 10.

At £10 I'm bid... Go on, keep going!

IAN: At £10 I'm bid, £12 now.

You're up the river without a paddle.

IAN: At £10 I'm bid, £12 not.

£10, going at £10... (GAVEL) Steady work.

Steady work, yep.

Steady work.

Yep, sorry kids.

Yeah, there'll be... there'll be no bird on the table this Sunday!

VO: The bidders are just not in today... VO: The final lot of the day is James' big punt - his pricey Chinese rosewood stand, bought for £200.

Lot 104 there is a late 19th-century Chinese carved rosewood three-tiered vorstand.

There it is, it's in prime place.

IAN: I have one, two, three, four bids on this one.

IAN: I'm going to start at £210.

Oh, no!

IAN: At £210, at £210...

CROWD: (LAUGHS) Far too much!

Shall I go down to £50?

At £210, at £210, all the bids with me.

At £210, £220 not.

All done at £210?

All the bids with me at £210... (GAVEL) Really?!

£210!

Oh, Chri... JON: That's very good, James, you should be pleased.

No, probably the top bid was probably £500.

VO: His dreams dashed - this has not been the final hurrah James was hoping for.

VO: Nervous Jonathan started this leg with £155.36, and unfortunately made a loss of £47.93.

So he ends up with...um... £107.43.

In fact, that's nearly half what he started with.

Not great.

VO: Devilish James, however, kicked off today with £320.94.

He also made a loss, of £47.44, but he ends with a grand total of £273.50, making him this week's clear winner.

Well done, old fruit!

VO: And what a competitive week it's been!

Since leaving Altrincham near Manchester, James and Jonathan have driven over 300 miles south to glorious Cornwall.

James has needled his rival from the start.

It's nice to see a man scratching around isn't it?

JON: You can hear him now, can't you?

He's round there, skulking around, putting me off!

I'm not smiling.

AUCTIONEER: Lot 137.

Good, good, good.

You cleared all the broken stuff out now?

No, nothing is broken, James.

VO: Occasionally he's lost the birdie.

JAMES: For a cuckoo clock, do you need a cuckoo?

VO: While Jonathan has been confused... Oh, dear.

God!

VO: He's dithered... (SIGHS) OK, £100.

Oh, God, I'm so...so... (LAUGHS) VO: But at least they've had a jolly good jaunt down the country in James's trusty MG!

VO: Next week we're on the road with David Barby and David Harper, as they travel all the way from Northern Ireland to Wales.

VO: There's plenty of rivalry... No.

(GASPS) VO: And occasionally the gloves come off... Dear, I feel so awful for you.

VO: But which David will win the day?

Hey, David!

Come on!

David!

Best of luck.

Oh, sorry!

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