

Kate Bliss and James Lewis, Day 3
Season 2 Episode 13 | 44m 11sVideo has Closed Captions
James Lewis has been winning big so far, and Kate Bliss is struggling to keep up.
James Lewis has been making big profits at auction so far, and Kate Bliss is struggling to keep up. Can some ornate candleholders light up her fortunes? James struggles with his health and his haggling, but gets great insight into Scotland's Curling history. Kate arrives at auction in Edinburgh, but will her travelling partner be joining her?
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Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback

Kate Bliss and James Lewis, Day 3
Season 2 Episode 13 | 44m 11sVideo has Closed Captions
James Lewis has been making big profits at auction so far, and Kate Bliss is struggling to keep up. Can some ornate candleholders light up her fortunes? James struggles with his health and his haggling, but gets great insight into Scotland's Curling history. Kate arrives at auction in Edinburgh, but will her travelling partner be joining her?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipVoiceover (VO): The nation's favorite antiques experts, £200 each and one big challenge.
Testing, testing.
VO: Who can make the most money buying and selling antiques as they scour the UK?
It's a deal.
VO: The aim is trade up and hope each antique turns a profit, but it's not as easy as it sounds and there can only be one winner.
Yes!
VO: So, will it be the highway to success or the B-road to bankruptcy?
I'm feeling very sorry for myself.
This is the Antiques Road Trip!
All this week, we're out on the road with antiques experts, Kate Bliss and James Lewis.
KATE: I'm hoping there's going to be something really special.
JAMES: I'm hoping I'll find it.
(BOTH LAUGH) VO: Kate's been in the business for 15 years, with a unique approach to haggling... # You know you're so sexy # You know you're so fine... # VO: Unleashing feminine charm... KATE: Just for me?
DEALER: Go on!
VO: ..followed by deadly silence.
From Nottingham, with 20 years in the trade, James has some finely-honed tactics.
Point out the faults...
I just don't know who on Earth would want it.
VO: ..then go for the killer offer.
Oh, I don't know.
25 quid.
Do you want to sell it?
VO: Playing it safe has brought Kate some modest success.
From her original £200, she's making steady progress, with £332.15 to start today's show.
KATE: Well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
JAMES: Oh, yeah?
Tell me all.
No, I'm not going to tell you.
JAMES: Why?
KATE: No way.
VO: James, meanwhile, has taken success to a new level, with some shrewd choices.
His £200 has mushroomed to a thumpingly huge £927.61.
JAMES: What I would certainly go for is things you can't look up in a book.
That's always my plan.
VO: This week' journey takes Kate and James from Helmsdale, through stunning Highlands and Lowlands to their final auction in Ayr.
And today, they're leaving Dundee, heading for auction in Edinburgh.
First stop is Blairgowrie.
KATE: Oh, it's very pretty down here.
JAMES: Great place for a picnic, as well.
VO: Blairgowrie was granted a town charter by Charles I in 1634, 15 years before he lost the Civil War - and his head.
Charles gave the local baron judicial powers, "for the trial of thieves and other characters disgraceful to society..." Certainly something to bear in mind, as the Love Bug brings our experts into town.
Best behavior, please, chaps!
JAMES: It was the river that helped the flax industry, that's what Blairgowrie was built on.
Is that right?
Well, I heard that it was known for its raspberries.
They used to send the raspberries down to Covent Garden in London.
You're thinking of your stomach again.
Well, you're just trying to bamboozle me with history.
I'm focused today.
VO: And that's quite enough competitive banter.
Now, how about some antiques one-upmanship?
It's a new day and the shops are open.
JAMES: Gosh.
What a lovely shop.
I think I need...
There he is, old Sherlock, I need his help.
Help me find some bargains, matey.
VO: Elementary, my dear Lewis.
You've just got to know where to look.
(WHISPERS) In the writing desk!
Now, that's interesting cuz that's Welsh.
VO: At £25, this pretty carved rack was used either for displaying pipes or spoons.
I suppose it depends on which you're most proud of.
JAMES: Look at the quality of these carvings.
You have a stylized corn flower there, on the end.
And imagine that in a country cottage somewhere in Wales.
It could be a Scottish one, I've not seen them in Scotland before.
But can you imagine that next to a big inglenook fireplace, you know, with clay pipes hanging or maybe those Welsh carved love spoons?
A token of love and affection.
VO: Love is a strong emotion.
Love it enough to take a chance at £25, James?
JAMES: A love sign.
That's quite sweet.
VO: Our other chancer, Kate Bliss, has gone searching across town.
She needs some Premiership antiques to launch her up the auction league table.
This is really lovely, I really fancy this.
This is made of pewter.
VO: A pewter wall-hanging doesn't say Antiques Premiership to me, but it does have an interesting mix of Scottish motif and art nouveau flourishes.
Pewter is an alloy, formed of mostly tin, and has been popular in Britain since the early 15th century, for kitchenware and decorative items - and tankards.
However, this "antique" is in rather too good condition.
Now, the price is 95 and the date her on the ticket says 1900, but you can tell a lot by looking at the back of things like this.
If I turn it over, it's a little bit scratched, but the pewter looks very clean.
There aren't any signs of dimples or dents.
So, to me, that looks a lot later than 1900 and it's just the sort of thing, if it was a modern piece, it wouldn't make much money at all at auction.
VO: Smart move, Kate.
It's good, but it's not right.
Back with James, he's found Roy to haggle with.
As well as nice piece of Road Trip favorite, Clarice Cliff.
It's a pretty bowl, with a ticket price of £48, but it's not in mint condition.
ROY: Well, I always buy them, even if they are damaged, because there are people who will restore them.
You can't just go past them, because if they get thrown out, that's them lost and gone forever.
VO: With bright, hand-painted designs and unconventional patterns, Claris Cliff was ahead of the game.
Her popularity peaked in the 1930s, with ceramics that look as much 1960s today.
Certain mint-condition pieces can fetch thousands at auction, but I'm not sure about this little joker.
JAMES: It's a funny little chap that, isn't it?
It's absolutely covered in this pink emulsion paint.
It hasn't been restored, has it?
It's just been painted, which is bizarre.
ROY: I'll make it the bargain of the day.
I'll do it for 30, if you'd really like it.
I'm not going to argue with you over a price because I think it's a fair price.
VO: Sorry.
Did I hear that right, James?
(TAPE REWINDING) I'm not going to argue with you over a price because I think it's a fair price.
I'm not going to try and knock you down.
JAMES: I think that's fair.
ROY: Right.
VO: James, what on earth is the matter?
Where's the tough haggle gone?
Something's not right here!
Kate, meanwhile, has defaulted to her specialty of silverware and discovered some sugar tongs from Dublin.
Irish silver is quite rare and these tongs feature one of the most popular Irish patterns, the Celtic Point.
KATE: I'll just have a little look... at the hallmarks.
VO: It is also what is known as Bright Cut, where facets are cut out of the silver surface to create a reflective appearance.
And the ticket price is a glossy £48.
KATE: What could you do for me on those?
35... 30.
Mmm...20?
Split the difference - 25.
VO: Ah, she's interested.
Will Kate deploy Plan A - the uncomfortable silence?
Yup, this is her technique, it is awkward, isn't it?
How long's she going to go on for?
KATE: 22?
DEALER: Oh, ho, ho!
KATE: Final offer.
DEALER: 22?
I can't, Kate.
Only a couple of pounds.
I know, would you lose it for 22?
VO: I'm not sure this silence lark is working.
Time for Plan B, Kate.
I mean it's £48.
I've come down quite a way.
I know, I've just got to beat the other guy.
The problem is James is just streaking ahead and I've got to try my very best.
(VIOLIN PLAYS) VO: Could this be the new secret weapon - playing the sympathy card?
DEALER: Go on, then, Kate, 20.
KATE: 20?
VO: And it worked!!
It's a deal!
Thank you very much.
OK, done.
I think I have been!
(BOTH LAUGH) VO: An excellent first buy and a rather good price, too.
Could these tongs turn Kate's fortunes around?
And I hope you win.
Lovely.
Thank you very much.
I'll need a bit of luck.
VO: And back with James, he's been drawn to the spoon rack again, priced at £25.
ROY: Erm...how about 15?
JAMES: 15.
Again, I'm not going to argue on price.
VO: He's doing it again!
"Not arguing over price."
I really am getting worried.
Do you think he's alright?
15?
VO: A shadow of his former self, I'd say.
James is hanging in there and still has the Clarice Cliff bowl on his mind.
JAMES: You've got the name, you've got the shape, you've got the design... ROY: And it's collectible.
JAMES: And it's collectible.
VO: Complimenting the item in front of the dealer?
Oh, James, you poor, stricken fellow!
Will you take 40 quid for the two?
Yeah, yeah, no problem.
Deal done.
VO: Even with his lack of form, James has still chopped a full £25 off the asking price.
You can't keep a good man down, and James Lewis is no exception.
Irrespective of car sickness, our experts our moving on again.
KATE: Ah, it's lovely with the sun shining.
JAMES: Isn't it?
VO: For James, that next stop is due south, as the Road Trip gets him shopping on the outer fringes of Perth.
I feel really dodgy.
I shouldn't have had those prawns for lunch.
Cor, dear me!
VO: So that's it!
James is off-color and off his game from some ill-mannered prawns.
What is the strange connection between dodgy seafood and confident haggling?
We may never know!
JAMES: Wow!
DEALER: I thought you'd like that.
VO: Luckily, James hasn't lost his appetite for the weird and wonderful.
JAMES: Gee!
What a fantastic snuff mull!
VO: This incredible, terrifying item is a very Scottish take on an oversized, outlandish snuff box called a snuff mull.
James has a bit of a penchant for a nice snuff box, but he's not going to get this one in his pocket.
JAMES: What a cover.
That is the best you will ever see.
VO: Snuff-taking took a long time to become popular in Europe and was once seriously frowned upon.
In the early 17th century, Pope Urban VIII threatened excommunication, and Tsar Michael of Russia set the punishment of nose removal for taking snuff.
Ouch!
JAMES: This would have been, probably, a regimental mascot.
Do you know, I don't think I've ever seen one better.
£6,500 - beyond my budget.
VO: Back to reality, then.
How about something for £18, like this candle holder?
JAMES: This is a funny little thing, really, because it's made of bronze and it's dark patinated, 19th century, probably French, a little boy holding a sconce for a wax taper.
And these are known as so-to-beds, which is an awful name, I hate the name, but also known as chamber sticks.
VO: As a rule, few classic chamber candlesticks have survived in good condition.
The earliest examples you're likely to find will date from the beginning of the 18th century.
This one's from the mid-19th century.
Can James get it for anything less than £18?
Couple of pounds.
Couple of pounds, well that's part of the way.
Got to have a bit of a bargain.
16 quid.
Right, let me have a think on that one.
DEALER: Thank you.
JAMES: Thank you.
VO: James, you've got about £900 in your pocket!
What exactly is there to think about, pray?
Well, at least James is still shopping.
Kate's risking precious buying time to indulge a passion for antique furniture.
She's headed north to Pitscandly Farm to meet antique furniture restoration specialist Jeremy Gow.
Hi, you must be Jeremy.
Pleased to meet you.
Come in.
Thank you for having us.
I've been looking forward to this.
VO: Jeremy's been mad keen on antiques and fine woodwork since his teens.
After training in Austria and France, he's now one of only two certified antique furniture restorers in Scotland.
KATE: It's amazing, it's like a lesson in antique furniture up here.
You've got examples from every period.
VO: Nothing is wasted in this delicate craft and certainly no quick visits to a DIY superstore.
Using new wood to fix something old is avoided whenever possible.
For Jeremy, it's all about re-using and rejuvenating.
JEREMY: We keep everything.
There's chest of drawers that are full of all the brass, the veneers, tortoiseshell, ivory, all the sort of things that we need.
And a lot of it is recuperating bits of furniture, or recuperating bits that we use to repair other bits and that's the secret of how it's done.
VO: Jeremy also runs courses on how to recognize adapted furniture.
These days over-restoring antiques is a definite no-no.
The idea is to be sympathetic to the original structure and character of a piece.
So ink stains and faded patches might be left rather than sanded back.
And you might be surprised by some of the techniques.
JEREMY: This is a set of chairs that are badly damaged in the sense that someone's dear dog decided that it would chew the ends off the chairs.
Oh, and there they are.
These are the bits that we have replaced off the bottom of the chairs.
So we have actually had to cut the legs off here, re-turn this piece in mahogany and now we'll glue that back on again.
And then we use old keys and other things just to age them a little bit.
And then we'll do it with black wax and we'll fill them in just to make them blend into the rest of it.
I don't know what's happened to the dog, but anyway that has cost them a small fortune.
Gosh, he did a good job, didn't he?
And that was six chairs.
Look at that, what a shame.
VO: Including work on the upholstery and making mends to these horribly hound-ravaged feet, the dog's master will pay the best part of £1,400 for Jeremy's skill, care and attention.
It's like taking marzipan off a sponge cake.
VO: Jeremy combines using modern restoration techniques with centuries-old materials.
Currently on the slab are a pair of card tables from 1790 with severe flood damage.
It's a painstaking process as all the veneer has to be removed first.
JEREMY: And that is the veneer coming off.
KATE: Gosh, you can really see the thinness of it now, can't you?
JEREMY: And the whole table needs this treatment done to it.
Everything will come off.
VO: Patience, great care and a delicate touch are required to bring these fine pieces back to their glory days.
Kate's had an enriching experience, but its time to head off in search of great riches.
Back in James's corner of the world, something else large and outlandish has caught his eye.
It's a rather busy ornamental vase, a piece of 20th-century Satsuma ware - nothing to do with the seasonal oranges though, but a type of Japanese earthenware with distinctive, dense patterning.
JAMES: I think the size is good, it's decorative, it's got the warriors on there, it's got a look to it, hasn't it?
It's got a look.
VO: Following major success at the 1867 Paris Exhibition, Satsuma was mostly produced for a European market with a slightly gaudier look than before.
This one even comes with its own stand.
JAMES: The stand is horrible.
I hate the stand.
I hate it.
I don't like the vase either, but it's big.
VO: And it has a big asking price too - 195 British pounds.
And so far, James hasn't done badly with items he's claimed not to like.
JAMES: It's totally grotesque, isn't it?
You can say it now, I've bought it.
VO: Yesterday's peculiar figurine made a cool £200 at auction.
AUCTIONEER: 200.
JAMES: Fantastic!
The vase is the better lump.
Yes.
VO: Don't worry, lump is just a technical term for a great find.
James is checking this lump from all angles, but still avoiding his usual critical tactics.
JAMES: Oh, I don't know.
I'm normally decisive.
VO: Those prawns have much to answer for!
I'm feeling very sorry for myself.
I hate prawns.
I shouldn't have eaten the prawns.
VO: Oh, dear, we need to get this poor expert back on his feet.
Maybe some focus and a bit of tough haggling can pull him back from the brink?
The vase has got potential, the stand has no potential.
VO: Ah, good.
James is back to his old self - an old tactic of rubbishing the item.
Those dodgy prawns have thankfully stopped worrying our James!
Now, where were we?
I think the asking price here was £195.
JAMES: I'd rather have the vase on its own for 70 than the vase and the stand for 100.
It's the cheapest export Satsuma pottery you can get and the stand is just awful.
90 for the both.
VO: James is back on form.
The asking price is tumbling and he hasn't finished yet.
My natural instincts would say meet me halfway and say 80.
But how about 85?
JAMES: Are you happy with that?
DEALER: Yeah.
You have just sold me the most revolting stand in the world.
And it's just kit form, isn't it, put together with screws?
DEALER: Awful!
JAMES: Ha!
You're more pleased with this than me, aren't you?
(BOTH LAUGH) VO: It's been an eventful and emotional day.
There's been movement of prices and a miraculous, gutsy recovery for poor James - not before time.
As the shops close, the day draws to an end and our experts need shelter for the night.
VO: The next day brings bright sunshine in Perthshire.
James and Kate have a full day's shopping ahead of them and money to burn - some more than others!
James spent £125 yesterday £125 on three items - the Clarice Cliff bowl, the carved spoon rack and the Satsuma vase.
He's got a cracking £802.61 left to play with.
Kate spent just £20 on one item - the Dublin silver tongs.
She's now completely behind both in the profit stakes and on the shopping front, so she needs to buy wisely and buck up.
This leg's auction will take place in Edinburgh and today our pair are headed away from Perth, going somewhat southwest to the outskirts of Doune.
This is it, James?
That's it, antiques and art center.
It does look pretty big, James.
JAMES: You go in first, go whichever way you want to go and I'll go the other way.
Go on, lead the way.
VO: Let's hope this fine emporium is big enough for the two of them!
Kate and James can divide the territory, but the main challenge will be the strict maximum 10% discount.
This is a general rule in large antiques centers with multiple dealers.
JAMES: Alright, thank you.
Thanks very much.
That is one of the biggest problems with an antique center, that there isn't as much negotiation as usual, but the advantage is you've got all these different dealers under one roof.
So it's swings and roundabouts.
VO: Of course, rules were made to be broken, weren't they?
Kate's doing plenty of looking and lots of thinking, but she could really do with a stint of buying, ASAP.
Our James is honing in on his next bargain and it might be this odd Royal Doulton smoking pair.
It's a ceramic match holder at £60, and matching tobacco jar.
JAMES: How much is that?
That's £95!
VO: Ah, someone's getting their appetite back!
If you nibble the edge, sometimes it feels a little soft if it's had any restoration, but that feels fine.
So we've got the tobacco jar and logically we've also got the match striker.
So two smoking pieces together.
Smoking not the most fashionable of things today.
Dalton, again, not very fashionable, going down in value.
VO: I don't think you're convincing anyone, here, James!
There might be another cause for concern, though.
James needs to sell at auction in Edinburgh and this item rather celebrates a historical Englishman.
JAMES: If I bought two, would you do more than 10%?
Because that would bring it way, way up to over 150 quid.
95 plus 60.
I'd have to contact the dealer.
Would you?
To do anything other than what we're supposed to do.
Would you ask him for me what his best would be... ..from a very big, groveling, groveling, groveling auctioneer?
VO: Kate's still just browsing.
It's not looking very positive at all.
Now we expect James to do his duty.
From the initial £155 for both pieces, the dealer's called back with an absolute, definite final price of £138.40 for the pair.
JAMES: That was a good move.
£138.40.
JAMES: Is it as strict as that?
DEALER: Yeah.
Even for the 40p?
Yeah.
You're not going to charge me the 40p, are you?
Yeah.
You really are going to charge me the 40p?
They can be that picky.
Let's just test how much they want to do a deal.
£138?
Alright then, OK. Wahey!
Since it's you.
VO: Wow, an amazing 40p reduction!
And whilst James has wrestled with his Nelson, Kate's just upped and gone.
She's desperate for some auction slayers in her arsenal and Doune's not 'Doune' it for her!
As shopping time begins running out and the hour of auction approaches, James is finally on a roll and wants to buy more.
He's still burning a candle for that lovely chamber stick in Blairgowrie yesterday, so calls the shop to seal the deal.
Would it be OK to have that for the £16?
Lovely, that's very kind.
VO: The chamber stick will get dispatched to the auction house in Edinburgh and James now has five strong items to sell.
Kate, meanwhile, has only got the silver sugar tongs.
She's now racing off course and off plan, with a desperate detour north to the town of Comrie.
Let's hope it can work some magic for her.
KATE: Hello there.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Kate.
DEALER: And you, Kate.
KATE: Hi.
VO: This is pretty much Kate's last chance today, but she's straight into bargaining for a 1939 art deco christening mug.
It's silver, again, and it's £85 - well, currently!
Could you do 50?
No, not on that, no.
I'm sorry.
No?
What would be your absolute rock bottom?
DEALER: 65 and that's it.
KATE: OK. VO: Leaving it a bit late to play the long game, Kate moves on to some 19th-century brass candelabrum with black marble bases.
Candelabrum being the wonderful collective noun for candelabra, don't you know?
They're a lovely pair, but would normally be grouped with a matching mantle-clock.
The clock is absent, and so is time for Kate.
KATE: What could you do on those?
220.
KATE: I'm thinking 150.
No, I couldn't do that, they cost me more than that.
Did they?
They did indeed, yes, honestly.
VO: Perhaps Kate could try pulling heart strings again?
KATE: The problem I have is I'm up against my colleague and he's streaking ahead at the moment with £900 in his pocket and I've only got 300.
(VIOLINS PLAY) VO: Oh, no joy for the sob story.
Got anything else, Kate?
KATE: If I took this little cup and I took this pair here, what would be your absolute rock bottom for me?
250.
VO: How about the deathly silence attack?
It's worked before.
Ooh.
VO: I don't know, this is getting to that awkward moment again.
It's a long pause this time.
What about a nice round £200?
Couldn't do it, I'm sorry.
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
VO: Hell's bells, this is awkward!
All the Bliss tactics are dying.
Let's leave her to it for a moment.
With his antiques arsenal full and weary of shopping, James is heading 25 miles south to the city of Stirling for a bit of pure indulgence.
Scotland is the birthplace to the ancient winter sport of curling, so James arrives at the Stirling Smith art gallery and museum for a historical sweep with collections manager Michael McGuiness.
JAMES: Lovely to see you.
MICHAEL: Hello James.
And is this a sport for kings or for... for paupers or for everybody?
This was for everybody.
Anybody who could bring a stone along could play curling.
There was no divisions whatsoever in curling.
You would go along, even if you were a tramp in the street and you had a stone, you could play with the laird on his team.
Amazing.
It made no difference, and that's the only ethos of the sport now actually.
VO: This extraordinary basalt curling stone is dated 1511 and is believed to be the oldest such stone in the world.
MICHAEL: The stones have changed because... No handle.
No handle, it was thrown in a more sideways motion.
Very difficult to hold.
Go on.
It was thrown more on this sort of motion so you would actually slide it and let go.
Ah.
It's very difficult, very sore on the back.
Yeah, I bet.
VO: This ancient sporting stone is a far cry from the smooth Olympic versions, and it predates the use of competitive sweeping in modern curling.
JAMES: So curling was done on ponds, not on rivers, yes?
No, it was done on ponds.
But more commonly it was actually on a piece of grass.
There was literally a curling rink on every street corner and all you would need is a lawn and at three or four o'clock in the morning, the estate would send out one of the serfs who would spray water onto the grass and then at four in the morning it would be minus five, minus six degrees, it would freeze.
And so at seven o'clock everybody would turn up and you'd be able to play curling for three or four hours.
Hm.
VO: Back in Comrie, Kate's pushing the haggling envelope.
Forget charm, forget silence and forget sympathy.
What she needs is a classic Lewis maneuver - just point out all the faults!
KATE: I'm worried about a couple of things - I'm worried about the damage on the bases, because I think private people will want them in really good condition and I think those nicks around the marble bases could put some people off.
DEALER: Yes.
KATE: And I am worried about the price, yes.
They're slightly ecclesiastical in their look and that's not particularly in vogue at the moment, so that makes me slightly cautious, too, which is why I am being a bit mean on my price.
I think 200 has got to be my final offer, I'm afraid.
No, I couldn't do it, I'm sorry.
You can't do that?
Impossible.
VO: Andy's turning out to be Kate's toughest adversary yet.
Who's going to crumble in Comrie first?
(INHALES SHARPLY) I don't know, she's trying that... silence thing again.
(CLOCK TICKS LOUDLY) This is awkward.
I'm going to gamble.
OK, so 210?
Yes.
The cup and the candle sticks, 210?
KATE: Mmm.
ANDY: OK. KATE: Yes.
We've got a deal, fantastic.
Let's shake on it... before I change my mind and you change your mind.
VO: Wow, all that for a movement of just £10!
Still, that's a deal done in the nick of time.
The hour is here for a Stirling rendezvous and the all-important show and tell.
JAMES: Well, here we are.
KATE: How did you get on?
This is probably the thing that I am most pleased with.
It's not great, I know, but...
Pipe rack or spoon rack?
Well, they called it a pipe rack and I thought it was a Welsh spoon rack.
I really like this carving.
JAMES: I liked it.
KATE: It's quite fine, isn't it?
For a country piece where things were quite crudely made, when you think of Welsh spoon racks, I think of quite plain, oak pieces and this is really decorative, isn't it?
Tenner.
It's got to be good, hasn't it?
That's what I'm pleased with.
How about you?
A very uncommercial object.
OK. Oh, they're lovely, though.
Aren't they?
They're in super condition and they've got lovely little scallop ends to them.
JAMES: What did you pay?
KATE: I paid £20.
Oh, that's cheap!
That's a guaranteed profit.
Just put that in writing, Mr Lewis.
I will.
I like it.
KATE: What's next?
JAMES: OK.
I know it's totally predictable, but it's not really me.
A piece of Clarice Cliff?
Mm.
That's not really you, is it?
JAMES: No.
KATE: It's a funny shape.
It's a bit mucky, isn't it?
How much?
30 quid.
Hmm.
As I said, I found it more difficult this time.
What do you think to that fabulous stand?
It's not really you, James.
(BOTH CHUCKLE) Isn't it horrible?
I'll tell you the why.
I bought it for this.
Oh, right, you got the two together?
It's a great size, isn't it?
I know it's a very standard Japanese export lump.
KATE: It's pretty dirty, isn't it, which doesn't help.
JAMES: Hmm.
KATE: What did you pay?
I paid £85 for it.
KATE: I can see an interior designer buying that.
An interior designer who wants an impressive-sized piece, very decorative, would easily pay £80 for that.
KATE: Quite a gamble.
JAMES: I know.
I struggled.
I really struggled.
JAMES: Next.
KATE: A little chamber stick.
Hmm.
KATE: How much?
JAMES: 16 quid.
Well, for 16, fun.
I don't know what to say about that.
VO: Will James find something more to say about Kate's rather more OTT candle holders?
These look great.
KATE: Well, I've been completely rash and impetuous, which is very unlike me.
Ha-ha!
Mmm.
JAMES: I think they're lovely, I like them.
The damage puts me off slightly with this big chunk out.
How much did you pay?
I bought them together with this.
Go on.
KATE: 210.
JAMES: Ooh.
JAMES: It's a lot, isn't it?
KATE: For that with that.
What's that going to make?
£60?
KATE: Which makes these 160ish.
You've really had guts to buy them.
I mean, I hope...
So you can't see a profit at all?
They should have, they should have and I think you're going to say exactly the same thing about my final lot.
I have to say I struggled with more than any of the others.
KATE: Dolton...and Nelson.
And, of course, I thought, "Great.
Nelson, always really popular."
And it says, "England expects every man will do his duty."
But we're not in England, we're in Scotland, and how popular that statement will be in Edinburgh, I really don't know.
KATE: Right, so you're going to tell me you paid 30 for them?
No.
No, no, no.
I paid £138 for them.
OK.
So you've got a chance.
Fingers crossed.
VO: OK, gloves off time, what do they really think of each other's chances?
JAMES: Winning and losing all depends, I think, on Kate's candlesticks.
If somebody has the vision, then they might do well, but they also might lose.
I think on this occasion we both might lose.
Well, James, for the first time, seems quite anxious about his items, genuinely, and I don't think he has bought as well as he has in the past.
And when he said he struggled, I think he really did.
VO: It's been a roller-coaster ride from Blairgowrie to Perth through dashing Doune, Comrie and Stirling.
Auction day is here and the Road Trip arrives in Scotland's fair capital city, Edinburgh.
She's a good-looking city, is Edinburgh.
Set around an old volcano and wonderful Edinburgh Castle, it's a stand-off between medieval and Georgian architecture.
Holiday-makers of the world just can't get enough of it.
Sadly, James is not going to make the auction today.
He is accompanying a relative to hospital in Nottingham.
KATE: I'm here in Edinburgh, but I'm here on my own because poor old James has been called to a really important family commitment, so I am finding my way by myself.
I'm quite excited, really.
(BAGPIPES PLAY) Oh, great bagpipes!
VO: Going solo, Kate will keep errant James in the loop via her amazing 21st-century mobile telephone.
Ha.
James has six lots going under the hammer and Kate just three.
The Ramsay Cornish auction house is down a wee lane in the Leith area, and auctioneer Martin Cornish has a few thoughts on today's outcome.
The Satsuma vase, I think he bought well.
It's maybe not the most fashionable style these days but it's in good condition and the stand adds a certain sort of poise to it, if you like.
VO: Well, at least someone likes the stand!
I think the candlesticks possibly will do best.
I think they're lovely, they're fantastic quality.
They were a great buy, the figures are in wonderful condition and they'd look wonderful in any drawing or dining room, they're really make a feature for anybody that bought them.
VO: Let's hope the candelabra steal the show - Kate needs a boost, but time alone will tell.
(PHONE RINGS) Hello?
'Hi, James, it's your Doulton tobacco jar coming up.'
VO: James bought this Royal Doulton tobacco jar and matchstick holder together, but they're being sold separately.
First up is the tobacco jar.
MARTIN: 50 to start it off?
30?
30, I'm bid.
30 I'm bid for this, 35, 40.
Five, 50, five, 55.
60.
At £60?
At £60?
Last call at 60 and I'm selling it.
VO: Oh, dear, £24 down, and that's James's first loss this week.
You don't sell something plastered with England all over it in Scotland.
My fault, stupid buy.
VO: Will the match holder do any better?
MARTIN: 30 I'm bid, 30 I'm bid for this.
35?
35.
40, five, at 45?
I've got a phone bid coming in, at £45?
Oh, it's 45, but he says there's a phone bid.
Ooh, phone bid, phone bid, phone bid!
50, five, 60, five.
65.
70, five, 80, five.
90.
90.
95?
At 95...
He's shaking his head.
At 95...
I'm selling it at 95.
KATE: £95, James!
JAMES: '95, well done, auction room.'
VO: Cor, that's a bit more like it.
Now, Kate's first lot are the silver sugar tongs.
MARTIN: 20 for them, 20 I'm bid.
KATE: Come on.
At £20 I'm bid.
25, 30.
At £30 on the right, now.
35.
KATE: Oh, go on!
Still cheap at 35 to me.
At 35, at 35?
VO: A good profit for Kate, but James is still way ahead.
How will his Clarice Cliff bowl perform?
Hi, James, it's me again.
Hi, Kate.
'Now this is your Clarice Cliff piece.'
MARTIN: 40 for this?
20?
20 I'm bid.
25, 30?
30 at the back, at £30 for the lot?
35.
40, £40, gentleman standing at the back.
At £40 for the lot, nobody else, and I'm selling it at £40, at 40?
You have it.
VO: A small profit, but not an amazing performance.
Maybe James's candle stick will deliver more.
50?
30 for this to start it off?
30 I'm bid.
35, 40, five, 50.
Five, 55 on my left.
60, five, at 65 again.
Lady's bid on the left at £65 and I'm selling it at 65, last call.
VO: Looks like James could be marching into a strong lead again.
Let's hope the christening cup can help Kate's fortunes.
MARTIN: 62, the Sheffield silver-plated...
Here we go.
It's not silver plated.
Sorry, Sheffield silver, tapered tankard.
Thank goodness for that!
30 for it?
30 I'm bid.
35, 40, five, 50.
MARTIN: Five, 60.
At £60.
KATE: Come on!
At £60, a lovely christening present.
65, the lady's bid.
At 65 in front, at 65, last call and I'm selling it at 65, at 65.
VO: A modest return and no loss at least, but James has two more items to sell.
Next is the Welsh wooden spoon rack.
50, 30 for it, 20 to start it off?
20 I'm bid.
20 I'm bid for the spoon rack.
22, 24, 26, 28, 30.
32, 34, 36, 38, 40.
42, 44, 46, 48, 50.
50.
Five, 55 in the back.
55.
At 55 in the back.
At 55, last call.
At 55 and I'm selling it.
Thank you.
KATE: Brilliant, that's a tidy profit for you.
That's good, that's good.
VO: With a lump in his throat and a lump on display, James's Japanese Satsuma vase is next.
JAMES: Phew, I've got this horrible Satsuma vase coming up and if they can sell that they can sell anything.
VO: The auctioneer thought it might do rather well.
MARTIN: It's got the stand as well.
100?
100 I'm bid.
£100 I'm bid for the large Satsuma vase and stand.
110, 120.
At 120, for the large vase, at 120.
Nobody else going?
At 120, and I'm selling it at 120.
JAMES: '120.
Well...' 85, it's a small profit, but, hey, that's great.
VO: Expectations for the vase weren't quite lived up to.
Is this an omen?
The auctioneer had high hopes for Kate's candelabrum too.
This is my star item coming up, at least I hope it is.
The thing is, if these don't do well then I'm really stuffed.
200 for them?
100?
100 I'm bid.
110, 120, 130, 140, 150.
160, 170, 180, 190, 200.
220, 240, 260, 280, 300.
At £300.
320, 340, 360, 380.
At 380, at 380.
At 380, last call, at 380, and I'm selling them at 380.
380, yes!
VO: That's a major boost to Kate's fortunes and for once she's made more profit at auction than James.
380!
Shall I call James?
£380!
Oh, my goodness.
380.
Oh, what a gamble!
VO: Although, sadly, not nearly enough to catch him.
380!
That is fantastic!
Oh, well done.
VO: James started today's show with £927.61.
His profit after commission is just £79.34, but it's sent him up into four figures with a dazzling total of £1006.95 to carry forward.
Kate had £332.15 in the kitty and her profit after commission was a marvelous £165.40, so she's bounded up to £497.55.
Well done!
Although James is still in the overall lead, Kate is the rather ecstatic winner of today's auction.
What a result!
VO: Next time on the Antiques Road Trip, our experts smarten up for a first-class auction in Hamilton.
James tries something old.
JAMES: My friends normally get me dressed up as Henry VIII.
VO: Kate tries something new.
Is the bow meant to be at the back, do you think?
And they both head into the great blue yonder.
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