
Margie Cooper and Paul Martin, Day 5
Season 23 Episode 25 | 43m 48sVideo has Closed Captions
Paul Martin and Margie Cooper head to Plymouth for the final leg of their road trip.
Margie Cooper and Paul Martin head to Plymouth on their final trip. An eclectic mix of goodies makes for an enthralling auction – but who’ll take the crown of top antiquer?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback

Margie Cooper and Paul Martin, Day 5
Season 23 Episode 25 | 43m 48sVideo has Closed Captions
Margie Cooper and Paul Martin head to Plymouth on their final trip. An eclectic mix of goodies makes for an enthralling auction – but who’ll take the crown of top antiquer?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipVOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts...
I've got it, I've got it.
VO: ..behind the wheel of a classic car... Ooh!
VO: ..and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.
Argh!
VO: The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction.
(GAVEL) VO: But it's no mean feat.
Doubled up there!
VO: There'll be worthy winners... AUCTIONEER: £1,700.
SERHAT: Yay!
VO: ..and valiant losers.
Oh, no!
VO: Will it be the high road to glory... Loving it, loving it, loving it.
VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?
This is the Antiques Road Trip.
VO: Mm!
VO: Places, everybody.
VO: Welcome to the last bend in the long and windy road.
Well, we're on our final leg of the road trip.
Yeah!
VO: Margie Cooper and Paul Martin are chasseing around in their rather swish 1966 Jaguar Mark 2.
MARGIE: We look quite posh in it, don't you think?
PAUL: Yeah.
Oh, I love a bit of walnut.
Quality, madam, quality.
MARGIE: Yeah.
VO: Perfect for these two, don't you think?
We're just outside of Liskeard in Cornwall.
VO: Cornish-born Paul is right at home.
Your beloved Cornwall.
I owe it to Cornwall to do a proper job on you today.
(CORNISH ACCENT) Proper job, my lovely.
Yeah.
No, not "my lovely", my lover!
Proper job, my lover!
Not quite.
(CORNISH ACCENT) Proper job, my lover!
(IMITATES PAUL) Proper job, my lover!
PAUL: Proper job!
MARGIE: (LAUGHS) VO: (CORNISH ACCENT) By George, she's got it!
MARGIE: Go.
(RINGS BELL) VO: Cheshire-based Margie played it a bit chancy last time.
It's a real gamble, isn't it?
VO: Which didn't play off as well as she'd hope.
Who can we blame?
VO: She started out with £200 and after four auctions has £276.76 in her piggy.
MARGIE: (SIGHS) PAUL: Oh dear.
(HORN HONK) MARGIE: Oh!
VO: But Paul closed the gap to just over £40, buying with aplomb... Yay!
Howzat?
VO: ..which reflected well... PAUL: Yes!
VO: ..and won him the leg.
PAUL: Toot-toot, toot-toot!
VO: He started out with the same amount and has a teeny bit over £230 for today.
Is he going to get me?
Is he going to get you?
Is he, is he, is he?
You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!
MARGIE & PAUL: (LAUGH) VO: The pressure's on.
But first, let's have a recap of their journey so far.
Their trip began in Shepton Mallet with runs out to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
They'll finish off in Exmouth.
You are determined to win, aren't you?
Well, you want to win.
Of course I want to win!
VO: Strap yourselves in, one and all.
Their items will wind up in Stroud for the auction, but the race to glory kicks off in Liskeard.
VO: One of Cornwall's original five mining towns, the ancient medieval streets evoke the ambiance of peace and tranquility of time gone by.
VO: Or they did, until these two got here.
PAUL: Race you!
Ladies first.
VO: The Emporium is their hunting ground, with its fine mix of collectables, curios and antiques, all carefully curated by Rod.
Oh, a lovely shop, this, lovely shop.
High-end, though.
VO: Like our Margie, eh?
Oh... Fabulous cabinet.
Bet you don't know what that is.
VO: Bet I do.
MARGIE: It's a marrow spoon.
VO: Uh-huh!
MARGIE: They're usually Georgian.
When I say marrow, I don't mean a green marrow.
MARGIE: It's bone marrow, to get the marrow out, because they realized the value in the vitamins.
VO: Clever, those Georgians.
MARGIE: Now, this one's not very old, it's a replica of a Georgian one.
MARGIE: £75, so there's not much profit in this.
VO: Not for today, then.
VO: So where's Paul gone?
VO: Rude!
(TAPS TUNE) VO: What have you got, Paul?
I love fine art.
Reason being, they're one-offs.
Particularly oil paintings.
Not so keen on watercolors.
I like the depth, the richness of the oils and the texture on the canvas.
PAUL: That's nice.
It's definitely a nice little coastal scene.
It's quite nice.
It's got a nice look to it.
PAUL: It's not signed or dated.
This is definitely English school.
It's 20th century modern circa 1900, at the very latest 1920.
PAUL: It's a very low horizon, and that's so typical with the Norwich school.
You see an awful lot of low horizons dominated by skyline with big clouds and trees.
PAUL: And it's oil on board.
And something like that would be cheaper than buying a print, or a photograph, a modern one.
PAUL: And you've got something completely original.
VO: There's no price tag.
PAUL: I like that a lot.
It puts a smile on my face, makes me feel happy.
Right, I'll speak to Rod about that.
VO: Okey dokey.
VO: Ah!
Margie's found a tome.
Good book?
VO: Obviously not.
MARGIE: What's this?
Interesting.
Ooh!
MARGIE: Ooh, Oh, now those look nice.
Gilded forks, and it's from a jeweler in Hannover called J Dux.
MARGIE: Let's have a quick look, try and figure out whether it's a cake fork, a pickle fork, canapé stabber.
VO: Mm...pastry fork, I'd say.
MARGIE: These things are given as gifts and they're not actually used.
So I mean, these are probably 100 years old.
MARGIE: It's a lovely silver handle, it was an elegant age, wasn't it?
Edwardian, elegant.
MARGIE: And how lovely to have a set of six.
And they've sort of got the art nouveau flavor design.
MARGIE: In Germany, the art nouveau period was called jugendstil.
So it's all very elegant.
No damage whatsoever.
MARGIE: Even the lining, which is sort of like a crushed velvet type of lining, even that is undamaged.
MARGIE: I reckon those have hardly been out the box.
So it wasn't a great present, was it?
VO: But it's the thought that counts.
I'm going to see how much those are.
VO: Off she goes.
VO: Now, Paul was enamored with an oil painting earlier, but he's found something else to play with.
PAUL: These are nice.
It's a set of old Avery weights.
PAUL: And these would be for weighing parcels, for weighing goods, weighing anything.
PAUL: For me, this becomes a desktop toy.
VO: We noticed!
PAUL: Very very nice, but at £30, I think that's what they'll make in auction.
VO: Fair do's.
Margie, in the meanwhile, has wandered into a back room in the shop.
VO: Sort of a storage space.
Bit cheaper in here.
MARGIE: What are these?
Five old coach lamps.
They've seen better days, I think.
MARGIE: Probably one on either side of a coach.
It's not terribly old.
Probably the early part of last century.
MARGIE: Probably would have had a candle in it.
MARGIE: It's been electrified.
I mean, obviously, they end up on either side of a front door, don't they?
VO: That's certainly a good idea.
MARGIE: Taking a flyer on these.
There's even a tankard in there.
MARGIE: I'm thinking maybe a job lot.
Say somebody wants a part to put onto a piece that they've got.
If these were cheap enough, maybe if I go for the rough and ready, that, I might make a profit.
VO: Worth a punt, I'd say.
Rod!
I've seen a box of coach lamps.
What are the price on those?
They can be a grand total of a whole £20.
Oh, I thought you said a grand then!
MARGIE & ROD: (LAUGH) 20?
Well, that's... that's fine.
VO: And let's not forget the set of German art nouveau pastry forks she's already spotted.
ROD: They've got to be 30.
MARGIE: No leverage there?
ROD: No.
OK.
Thanks, Rod.
ROD: Thank you very much.
I'm going to leave you some money.
ROD: Splendid!
VO: That's £50 in total, leaving Margie with just over £226 in her kitty.
VO: Paul, though, is still having a mooch.
PAUL: Wow.
It goes on and on.
VO: Big shop!
PAUL: I love slipware.
I love the repetitive, naive decoration.
VO: The term refers to pottery coated with slip, or colored liquid clay, that then covers the surface.
PAUL: It's folk art, really.
I don't think this is English slipware, though, but it's got the look, hasn't it?
PAUL: And it's a lovely motto on there "Have courage, boys, to do the right.
Be bold, be brave, be strong.
By doing right you gain the might to overcome the wrong."
Now, that's a nice motto.
And the condition's very good.
PAUL: I put that at late 1800s, maybe 1890.
I like that, there's no price tag.
That sells well.
PAUL: I could be interested, at the right price.
VO: Tell us more, Rod.
ROD: I think it's actually American.
Oh, do you?
ROD: Yeah.
The writing, I think, is based on an American hymn.
PAUL: 1800s?
I think the hymn was actually done in 1900, so it's probably, in our terms, Edwardian period.
PAUL: And how much is it?
ROD: It's £40.
PAUL: £40.
Which is very cheap.
Is that the best?
ROD: Sadly, priced to sell.
PAUL: It is a good thing.
I'll take that, so that's £40 for the plate.
There is one more thing.
PAUL: It's a little oil painting, a coastal scene of a cottage.
ROD: That one will have to be £30, that one.
OK. Is that the best?
ROD: That is the death on it.
Okey dokey.
Um...I'll take that.
Lovely.
Thank you very much.
PAUL: I'll take that.
VO: That's two items bagged for £70 and Paul is up and running.
PAUL: Thank you for that, Rod.
VO: And he's left with £160 still to spend.
VO: Now, Margie is heading for Plymouth Argyle Football Club, to hear about a player from the 1920s who should have been a major figure in the game's history but was sidelined until now.
VO: Greg Foxsmith is one of those hoping to set that right.
GREG: It was 100 years ago that a player called Jack Leslie joined the club from Barking.
VO: Born in 1901 in Canning Town in London, Jack became one of the first Black professional players in the country.
GREG: His dad was Jamaican, his mum was from Islington.
GREG: After he left school, he was working as a boilermaker, but he loved his football.
VO: Playing for non-league side Barking, he was spotted by Plymouth Argyle's manager Robert Jack in 1921, who signed Jack Leslie and two of his teammates for £10 each.
GREG: He played at an inside left position, a key position at that time.
GREG: Very much an attack-minded player.
He was great at coming down the wing, providing assists and also, of course, scoring a lot of goals.
MARGIE: So, he had speed?
He had speed, agility, great ball control.
GREG: Somebody that we met who remembered seeing him play, he said there was a real buzz in the crowd whenever he got the ball.
(CROWD CHEERING) MARGIE: So, did he come up against problems with people's attitude?
He was highly regarded by his colleagues and fellow professional footballers.
GREG: It was their decision to make him captain of the team after just a few years.
VO: But he faced racism at away games and in his personal life, too.
GREG: He married a white girl from east London and he moved her to Plymouth.
But a mixed race couple was still quite unusual at that time.
As a family unit, they received quite a lot of abuse as well, and particularly directed towards his wife.
VO: Undaunted, Jack had a huge impact on the team, gaining attention for third division Argyle with his prolific goal-scoring skills.
VO: So in 1925, the then Argyle manager sitting in the 1920s equivalent of the dugout... MARGIE: Yeah?
..had some really exciting news.
Because Jack Leslie's prowess had come to the attention of the England selection board.
GREG: Jack Leslie made the team, and Bob Jack called him into the office and broke that news to Jack Leslie.
VO: It was a great honor for the team and rare that a player was selected from the lowest division.
GREG: Jack Leslie, the whole club and, in fact, the whole city were really excited that an Argyle player was going to make a debut for the England team.
But what happened?
GREG: The mystery is that, about a week after the initial call-up, suddenly Jack's name was removed from the team sheet.
And our understanding is that someone, or certain people on the board just felt that Jack Leslie, being a person of color, his face didn't fit.
GREG: He was very disappointed, but he took it in his stride.
I think probably as a result of racism that... MARGIE: He was... ..he had endured, he was almost used to it and accepting of it.
GREG: Jack moved on and very rarely spoke about it, actually.
VO: He was never called up again, despite helping Plymouth gain promotion, captaining the club and, in 1931 to '32, scoring 21 goals in 43 games.
GREG: Had Jack played for England, then maybe that would have been a role model for other Black people and... MARGIE: Yeah.
GREG: ..generations of footballers who could have been playing for England much earlier than the 1970s, when Viv Anderson finally got... MARGIE: Was he the first?
GREG: 53 years after what should have been Jack's debut.
VO: When his career was shortened after an injury to his eye, Jack returned to East London and resumed his trade as a boilermaker.
VO: But when he retired and had time on his hands, he ended up working in the boot room at West Ham United.
GREG: The irony of him polishing boots of England players - Geoff Hirst, Martin Peters, Trevor Brooking - their boots being polished by this humble guy who himself should have been an England professional.
VO: Indeed.
VO: But now, thanks to Greg, Jack Leslie's story has been brought to the nation's attention.
GREG: So, Jack's always been remembered as a Plymouth Argyle legend, he's revered as a player.
But I think over the years, people had forgotten the story.
GREG: We set up the Jack Leslie Campaign.
VO: So far they've raised £100,000 for a statue in his honor.
GREG: I think this will be a great legacy.
It will turn what was a travesty into a positive campaigning point moving forward.
To show that although there is still racism as an issue, we can be better than the type of experience Jack discovered 100 years ago.
VO: Now, Paul's motoring towards the Plym Estuary.
(CAR SQUEAKS) VO: Bit creaky, old boy.
What's quite bizarre is, when I'm in the car by myself, the steering wheel has a little squeak.
PAUL: Listen.
(LOUD SQUEAK) PAUL: And Margie's in the car, it doesn't squeak.
VO: It wouldn't dare!
(LAUGHS) VO: He has £160 to spend in Michael's Antiques, a rather large and echoey furniture warehouse.
VO: And there's the man himself.
Hey, Michael!
I like this, this is an eye-catcher.
Love it.
It's kind of just come out the Victorian period and it's art nouveau.
It's that 1910, 1915 look.
It's all bamboo.
That wonderful chinoiserie decoration on it.
VO: Chinoiserie, deriving from "chinois", which is the French word for Chinese, saw designers and craftsmen working to imitate the whimsical intricacies of Chinese silk and art.
Absolutely love it.
You can see that with cocktail glasses and things like that, as a drinks cabinet.
It'd be brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
I mean, in good condition, these kind of things, you know, sell well in America, they sell well all over the world.
£2,000 to £3,000, no problem, if it's in good nick.
PAUL: Michael?
MICHAEL: Yes?
PAUL: How much is that?
That bamboo cabinet, unfortunately, is sold.
Do you mind me asking how much you sold it for?
It was just under a thousand.
I've only got, uh...probably a tenth of that.
So... MICHAEL: Well, you can look at it for that.
Yeah!
My eyes are quite greedy, aren't they?
VO: All the better to seek for bargains.
VO: Ooh, hang on, who've you got there, Paul?
PAUL: Michael?
MICHAEL: Yeah.
How much are your turtles?
MICHAEL: They're not for sale!
VO: They're not antiques either.
PAUL: Can I... can I feed them?
Yeah, certainly you can.
PAUL: I don't know if they'll come up for a bit.
MICHAEL: The big one's called Harry and I'm sure he'll be up there soon.
PAUL: There he is.
VO: I wonder if Paul's going to do any actual buying.
PAUL: There is one thing that I've walked past twice now that appeals to me, and it's that little school desk.
I'd say it's around 1900, 1910.
PAUL: It's really well built, it's really strong.
PAUL: It's soft to touch because it has been stripped.
But what I like about it, original hinges.
PAUL: It's got its original lock.
PAUL: And you pick that up, that's lovely and solid.
That will survive a lifetime.
If you had a 12, 13 year old that wanted a small desk in their bedroom to do their homework, that is your ideal office station.
VO: No ticket price.
Michael?
MICHAEL: Yes?
PAUL: How much is this kid's school desk?
I was hoping to get £15.
But I'll tell you what I'll do for you, I will charge you £5.
Really?
Cuz Harry said in my ear, "You can have it for £5."
Oh, that is amazing!
I'm going to say yes to that.
VO: Well, you can't argue with Harry.
VO: Thank you, Michael.
VO: The desk will be picked up for the auction, leaving Paul with £155 for tomorrow.
VO: And after a busy day, our twosome are reunited at last.
MARGIE: I spy with my little eye something beginning with F. Ferns?
Oh, it was too easy.
VO: It was a bit.
PAUL: Alright, I spy with my little eye something beginning with D. MARGIE: Dog?
PAUL: No.
D...?
I give up.
Dracaena tree.
PAUL: They're succulents, they're like big palms.
MARGIE: Oh, for goodness' sake, stop showing off!
VO: Now, now!
(LAUGHS) VO: Nighty night.
VO: Wakey wakey!
VO: It's the last shopping day of the trip.
MARGIE: So we're nearly through.
PAUL: We're nearly there.
And you just had your breakfast.
MARGIE: Yeah!
PAUL: You had your porridge.
My banana!
VO: She'll need the energy, with only two lots bagged yesterday.
VO: A set of pastry forks... MARGIE: Trying to figure out whether it's a cake fork, a pickle fork, canapé stabber.
VO: ..and a melange of salvageable bits and bobs.
Taking a flyer on these.
VO: She has £226 still to spend.
PAUL: I'm still working hard to catch you up.
It's not all about winning, is it?
MARGIE: It's about taking part.
(LAUGHS) It is.
It's the journey.
VO: We believe ya.
VO: Paul purchased a 20th century oil painting and an American slipware plate.
"Be bold, be brave, be strong."
VO: And together with a 1920s school desk... That will survive a lifetime.
VO: ..he's left himself with £155 for today.
PAUL: I think we should call this car a boy's name... PAUL: Engelbert Humperdinck.
MARGIE: Engelbert Humperdinck!
My mum and dad used to love that guy.
Shall we call it Engelbert?
Engelbert.
Engelbert.
PAUL: Engel.
MARGIE: It's Engel... PAUL: Well let's forget that, let's call it Colin.
MARGIE & PAUL: (LAUGH) VO: Colin the car!
Perfect.
VO: Their items are heading to Stroud for the auction, but we're on the way to Stonehouse in Plymouth.
VO: Having dropped Paul off, Margie has £226 for her first shop of the day, Grosvenor Chambers, which seems to have a little bit of, well, everything.
Could spend all day in places like this.
MARGIE: If you root for long enough... reclamation, doors, fireplaces.
VO: I'm sure Robert the boss won't mind if you root away.
What is this?
A little rocking horse.
MARGIE: Bit primitive, isn't it?
MARGIE: You could say it's naive but it's a bit of a laugh, it's a bit of fun, isn't it?
VO: Makes me smile.
MARGIE: Oh, he's got a little tail as well, look.
(LAUGHS) Ordinary wool and it matches his mane.
MARGIE: I would think it's probably 1930s, '40s.
We'll call him Dobbin.
(HORSE NEIGHS) VO: Good choice!
MARGIE: But he's quite well made and you can improve it.
You could re-upholster it, paint it.
MARGIE: You can do something with it, can't you?
VO: It would be a jolly upcycling project.
VO: No ticket price.
MARGIE: If it's cheap, if it's like 30 quid, I think we'll buy it.
VO: Righty-oh.
But there's plenty more to see.
MARGIE: Oh, how cute is that?
Gosh, it makes me feel as though I'm in Lilliput.
What a sweet little Victorian child's chair.
MARGIE: Hundred years old.
MARGIE: This is a chair that was in fashion then.
Probably be in a very nice Victorian house somewhere.
MARGIE: And that's got into that state because it's been shoved in a shed or a garage for the last 50 years.
MARGIE: But that would be absolutely gorgeous if that was re-upholstered.
MARGIE: Stripped back to the wood, all the old springs taken out and that's going to be a super chair for somebody.
VO: But?
I just think it's a little bit too far gone.
MARGIE: It'll be quite a lot of money to redo it, 100, £150 to redo it.
VO: A little too steep then.
Onwards!
MARGIE: (SIGHS) Loads of pine.
Fireplaces... Lots of dust.
(LAUGHS) VO: (COUGHS) MARGIE: Well, that's a nice little clean little piece of furniture, isn't it?
It's a...it's an oak pot cupboard.
There would have been two on either side of your bed and you put your, uh...chamber pot in there.
MARGIE: It's got a maker's name - Farrar and Son - was made in Halifax.
MARGIE: So you've traveled a long way, haven't you?
VO: Yes, Margie.
Eh, it's in really good condition.
MARGIE: Nice brass hinges.
I quite like that.
MARGIE: Date?
Turn of the century, 1910.
VO: No ticket price.
MARGIE: I'm going to have a word with Robert.
VO: Good plan.
MARGIE: Ah...
Rob.
ROBERT: Hi.
MARGIE: I've seen two things upstairs.
That nice little oak pot cupboard and I've also seen the little hobbyhorse thing.
I did have a price in mind.
(CHUCKLES) VO: Robert looks bemused.
MARGIE: If I got the two together, can we do a deal at 55, Robert?
ROBERT: 55... That's tight, Marg.
ROBERT: OK, I'll agree to that.
MARGIE: (LAUGHS) Oh, that's kind of you.
VO: Very generous indeed.
So that would be 25 for the hobbyhorse and 30 for the pot cupboard.
And while her items head off to the auction, Margie has a little over £170 for the final shop of the leg.
VO: Meanwhile, Paul is on his way to Plymouth Sound, to hear the story behind one of the city's most iconic landmarks.
It's a fascinating tale of ingenuity and innovation in the 18th century.
And it all begins at sea, with skipper Andy Bridson at the helm.
Right, hang on, mate.
Scream if you want to go faster!
PAUL: (LAUGHS) Woo!
Boy, that is fast!
ANDY: Welcome to the Eddystone Reef.
These are the infamous Eddystone rocks, so feared by ancient mariners.
We're in what should be a very deep English Channel.
On average, 50 to 70 meters deep.
However, you can see from the rocks here, at this state of the tide, this reef is huge.
Is it?
And it goes on for a couple of miles further to the north.
VO: Yeah, so when the seafarers of old may have expected deep waters and smooth sailing, there was in fact a hidden deathtrap below.
A really treacherous piece of the English Channel.
So thousands of lives were lost with loads of shipwrecks.
One of the major shipwrecks on here was a naval ship, and it caused so much loss of life that the crown ordered a solution to be made.
VO: A warning light was placed on the largest of the rocks, built from wood and candles, but it simply washed away.
So, in 1696, a tower was constructed by Henry Winstanley, a painter and merchant, who'd lost two ships to the Eddystone Rocks.
ANDY: The Winstanley Tower was completed in 1698 and started to save hundreds of lives.
However, the tower was destroyed in 1703 by a fierce Atlantic storm.
And unfortunately, Winstanley and the lighthouse keepers lost their lives in that storm.
What a tragic ending.
VO: Indeed.
But in 1755, engineer John Smeaton started work on a new tower, one that could stand up to the elements in these perilous waters.
Four years later, Smeaton's Tower was completed.
Was it successful?
It was tremendously successful.
It lasted 120 years.
VO: And when it was decommissioned and replaced in 1882, the people of Plymouth didn't want to see it go, so they paid for it to be rebuilt, brick by brick, on Plymouth Hoe.
VO: It's a mere 93 steps to the top, and waiting for Paul is Plymouth's collection manager, Louisa Blight.
PAUL: Wow, what a view!
LOUISA: Isn't it?
PAUL: It's stunning!
I just touched that and it moved.
Obviously, this is floating, it's on a gimbal, and this is where all the candles burn.
That's right.
So there are 26 in total, each of them having to be lit by hand.
Why was this tower so groundbreaking in its design?
Well, where shall we start?
So, John Smeaton, who was the first self-styled civil engineer, used a whole range of techniques to make this the structure that it was.
You'll have seen from the outside that it sort of slopes.
It's because he modeled it on an oak tree.
It gave it a lower center of gravity.
He made better use of the block work.
So it's got granite on the outside and Portland stone inside.
And, effectively, it locks together like a 3D jigsaw.
Another innovation, actually, he brought back from Roman times in effect, was that he used hydraulic lime, which is a concrete which would set under water.
And all of this together made it so innovative at the time.
This lighthouse was cutting edge technology in its day.
Is it still celebrated as a success?
LOUISA: Absolutely.
So successful was this design, that it kind of became the template.
He set the standard for lighthouse design for the future.
It was opened in 1884 and has stood here, effectively as a visitor destination, ever since, and we think probably four million people have walked up... PAUL: Really?!
..the 93 steps that you've managed today.
VO: But it's so much more than a brilliant feat of engineering.
LOUISA: If you think, there are 600 shipwrecks that lie in Plymouth Sound, and how many more there would have been without this amazing structure.
It's not just a testament to his engineering skills, it lives on as an opportunity for people to remember how many people gave their lives - the designers, the engineers, the people who built these structures, to save people from the treacherous coastlines.
VO: And it's no wonder that it's the pride of the city and a reminder of the trials and tragedies of those who went before us.
VO: Not all at sea, Margie is out on the road.
MARGIE: I really, really am anxious to keep Paul behind in this competition.
And he's very anxious... to get ahead.
VO: Ooh!
The excitement mounts for her next shop, which is in Plymouth.
VO: Will Parade Antiques favor Margie's bid for victory... ..or will it pour rain on her £171?
John's the overseer of 40 dealers' wares.
MARGIE: So much to see and so little time!
Last orders!
(CHUCKLES) VO: Margie...
Anything?
VO: Margie!
MARGIE: Ah, that's great.
That's a Georgian wine cellar.
This is about 1820, 1830.
It's mahogany, with a brass handle, cross banded here with boxwood, original hinges.
This would be an item of furniture in a gentleman's home, and he would put his wine bottles in.
And actually, the rack where the wine goes is still in.
Usually, they're empty.
VO: No ticket price.
MARGIE: I'm not going to go for it cuz furniture's struggling.
But I do like it, lovely thing.
Nice feathered mahogany.
But...I shall leave it there.
VO: Okey dokey.
And just when you think you have a shop to yourself... Oh, look who's turned up!
Hello.
So why do you look a lot browner than you did at breakfast this morning?
Because I've been on a boat for three hours, so that's...that's kind of windburn and sunburn.
PAUL: Where have you been?
I've been shopping all day.
Right, I've got my work cut out.
I'll see you later.
MARGIE: OK. VO: Paul and his £155 have a lot of catching up to do.
VO: Yuck!
PAUL: I'm a big sucker for tribal masks, I love them.
Absolutely love them.
They're so decorative.
And these are period ones.
They're late 1800's, early 1900's.
Most of them are ceremonial.
They're well out of my price range.
They're around £400-£600, so I won't be buying one of those.
But I have seen something in there - English swagger sticks, said the Major!
(CHUCKLES) VO: Swagger sticks are usually short, often riding crops, and normally carried by a high ranking soldier as a symbol of authority.
There's a few of them, half a dozen in an old converted First World War shell.
I like that one because it's got a silver pommel on it.
It's ebonized, it's got a little silver tip on it, and it...you know, feels good.
It feels good.
It's got the right sort of feel, you know, it's got a good touch.
That's sterling silver and then the insignia on there tells me that is... the Devonshire regiment.
And there is the crown of Queen Victoria, so this is, you know, circa maybe 1880, right up to 1901.
May have seen action in the second Boer War.
VO: No price tag.
I think it's a good spot.
I'm quite excited about it.
Sterling silver, Devonshire regiment.
And I bet there's plenty of ex-Devonshire boys around here that would like to own a swagger stick.
Let's see what I can get it for.
I'm gonna hang onto that and look for something else.
"By the left, quick, march."
VO: Hup, two, three, four.
Hup, two, three, four.
VO: Hopefully Margie is feeling a little less rambunctious.
Oh, that's cute.
Look at that.
Little art nouveau... calendar.
It's silver, Birmingham.
I think it's about 1902.
VO: Thursday, June the 5th, 1902.
Ha!
MARGIE: That's lovely.
Typically art nouveau, lovely little flowers.
You know, the art nouveau period was so elegant, wasn't it?
Flowing lines, flowers... ..so different to the previous years of heavy Victoriana.
And then this wonderful art nouveau came in at the latter end of the 19th century and it was so refreshing and so lovely.
But that's cute, innit?
Do you think I should buy that?
VO: If you like it.
No ticket price.
MARGIE: (SIGHS) I don't know whether that's going to stand on its own though.
I think I might try and find something else to go with it.
So I'm going to look around... ..so I'm going to put that down and see if there's anything... Ooh.
VO: That was quick.
We've got a "seen better days" silver frame.
Same sort of period, early 20th century - with a Chester hallmark.
VO: Because the Chester assay closed in 1962, Chester hallmarked silver has a special collectable cachet.
MARGIE: It's a little bit worn, it's a little bit tired.
But silver frames are very collectable.
Pretty, isn't it?
Wouldn't be difficult to renovate.
I wonder if we could put the two together.
Similar age, that's a lot, but neither have got prices.
I'll go find John.
VO: It's an ideal calendar and frame combo for silver-loving Margie, though.
John, I've been having a root round.
MARGIE: (LAUGHS) JOHN: So I see.
MARGIE: Brilliant shop.
JOHN: Thank you.
MARGIE: That's sweet, isn't it?
JOHN: That's lovely.
And then I found this sweet little thing that needs a bit of care and attention.
JOHN: But still hallmarked... MARGIE: Yeah, it is silver... MARGIE: ..and frames.
JOHN: Yeah.
So I thought if I put them together.
So how much do you want for these items?
As it's you... Alright, let's do it for 40.
JOHN: You can't go wrong with that.
That is very fair, John.
VO: Certainly is.
And that's Margie all shopped out.
So let's check in with Paul, who's still strutting his stuff with his swagger stick.
Allo, allo, allo, what have we got here?
It could be a gendarme's helmet, it could be a policeman's helmet.
It's not military.
I know that for a fact.
But it's definitely French and it's very decorative.
Circa 1900, maybe 1920.
It's a sort of civic official's helmet.
That's what I'm going to call it.
Worn with pride.
There's no names... no maker's names, no price tag.
Lots of dust, but it's got the look.
That...has got...the look.
VO: C'est magnifique.
PAUL: I don't think it's sort of militaria collectable.
But costume wise, you know, textiles, theatrical things, I think that's highly desirable.
VO: Paul's after two prices, 'le' hat and the swagger stick that he hasn't put down since he found it.
I should say, "Attention, John!"
What's the price?
There's no tag on it.
25.
How's that?
25 quid.
OK.
If I buy something else, could we negotiate on that?
JOHN: Yes.
PAUL: How much is that?
VO: He's referring to 'ze' hat.
JOHN: If you're having the swagger stick, JOHN: I'll do it for 30.
PAUL: Can we do 50 quid?
JOHN: Yeah, go on.
Yeah, we'll do 50.
(WHISPERS) Thank you.
Thank you very much.
VO: Très bien.
That's a very kind 20 for the swagger stick and 30 for the chapeau de Fontanière.
And, as Paul exits with his dooberries, hereby endeth the shopping for the trip!
Aw... MARGIE: It's done...
Done.
PAUL: It's done.
VO: Sure is.
MARGIE: We've made memories... Great.
PAUL: We've made them together.
MARGIE: We have.
VO: Aw, that's nice.
I think it's a bottle of Champagne tonight at the hotel.
Yeah.
Go halves with you.
(MUTTERS) Oh... Loser pays!
VO: Cheeky!
Last time for some shut-eye, eh?
VO: Oh, trippers, I can hardly get out the words!
It's Paul and Margie's final auction of the trip.
No... VO: After tootling all over Plymouth, they'll be parking up in Exmouth, to watch their goodies going under the hammer.
The World Of Country Life has plenty of country on offer and matching benches for our clashing competitors, separated by a mere £46.
Pressure's on me.
Pressure's on me too.
VO: Bring it on.
Their items have winged their way to Stroud... ..to the town's auction rooms.
Auctioneer Stuart Maule has been perusing Margie's five lots, costing a total of £145.
My personal favorite is probably the pastry forks.
Really good quality, it's nice that they're in their original fitted case, and are sure to be popular.
VO: Paul spent £125 on his five lots.
Stuart?
The Slipware plates, being a piece of American folk art, will be very popular.
We get a lot of bidding from overseas, particularly in the USA.
VO: Well, howdy partners, and other online phone and commission bidders from around the globe.
VO: The goats are standing by and so are we.
MARGIE: Here we go.
VO: First to the plate, Margie's tasty pastry forks.
STUART: £50 starts the bidding.
55, 60's with me.
65 and 70's with me.
MARGIE: Oh, good.
PAUL: This is good.
Come on, pastry forks.
75, 80's still on commission... Oh, my goodness!
STUART: 85.
MARGIE: Now that is a shock.
STUART: 85 and 90.
PAUL: No!
I mean, yes!
(GAVEL) MARGIE: Making money is a lovely feeling.
VO: What a delicious start to proceedings.
You've not got me yet.
MARGIE: (LAUGHS) No, I haven't.
VO: But Paul is only just about to dip his toe in the water with his English school 20th century coastal scene.
STUART: £50 starts the bid.
MARGIE: Hey!
STUART: 55, and 60's with me.
65 and 70.
(GASPS) £70, 75, and 80 is still on commission with me.
MARGIE: (SIGHS) STUART: At £80.
Do I see five?
85 on the phone?
85.
Hey, you've got 85!
Sure it's not a lost masterpiece?
90's with me, 95.
Well done!
We're selling to the phone bidder at £95.
STUART: All done at 95... MARGIE: (GASPS) Well done!
(GAVEL) Yes!
It was a sweet little thing!
VO: A treat indeed.
Good work.
That's brilliant, isn't it?
No.
(LAUGHS) VO: He thinks she's joking.
Margie's Edwardian chamber pot cupboard is up next.
I can open the bidding straight up at £40.
MARGIE: Happy with the profit.
I mean, I wouldn't turn 200 down.
42.
45.
48 and 50.
55 and 60's with me.
MARGIE: Oh.
STUART: Five's on the net now.
Selling to a net bidder at 65... (GAVEL) Now I'm worried.
VO: That's two profits on the trot for Margie.
PAUL: Tosh.
MARGIE: Tosh!
PAUL: (LAUGHS) VO: If you say so.
Time for Paul's all-American motto slipware.
And I can open the bidding straight up at £20.
22.
25.
28 bid from the USA.
30 still with me.
USA.
STUART: At £32, the bid's on the net, do I see five?
35.
38 bid.
Serving up a little bit of folk art.
STUART: 40, 42.
MARGIE: (GASPS) STUART: 45 now.
45.
48 bid.
48 and 50, 55 and 60.
65 now.
STUART: 65, do I see 70?
MARGIE: (GASPS) PAUL: Oh... STUART: Selling to the USA then.
It's going back to the States!
(GAVEL) Yes!
VO: Paul has scored a touchdown, equaling Margie in the profit zone.
MARGIE: Congratulations!
PAUL: The power of the internet!
MARGIE: That's fantastic.
PAUL: Yeah!
Jammy little devil.
MARGIE: (CHUCKLES) PAUL: (GIGGLES) VO: He is a bit.
Margie's turn now, with her salvaged Victorian coach lamps and other paraphernalia.
STUART: £20 is bid.
PAUL: Yes.
STUART: 22 is on the net now.
At £22 and the bid's on the net, looking for five.
We're selling to the net then at £22.
(LAUGHS) £22!
(GAVEL) PAUL: £2!
MARGIE: It's a profit.
PAUL: It's a profit.
VO: It's a bargain for a whole heap of reclaim-ables.
MARGIE: Good, innit?
PAUL: No!
BOTH: (LAUGH) VO: What a gent, eh?
It's his 1920's school desk now.
And I can open the bidding up at £20.
How much?
At £20.
22, 25.
Oh... 25.
28.
28 and 30 now.
32, 35's on commission.
Alright, alright.
At £35 then, 38 takes my bid out.
PAUL: We have 38!
MARGIE: (GROANS) (GAVEL) That was a great result.
I've given up trying to count.
VO: I haven't.
Paul has pretty much narrowed the gap.
(LAUGHING) I wish I could spend £5 all the time and make that sort of money.
VO: Don't we all?
And now, in the starting gate, Margie's 20th century rocking horsey.
STUART: Two bids on this lot mean I can start at £25.
£25 starts the bidding.
STUART: And the bid's on commission with me.
STUART: Do I see eight?
MARGIE: Oh no.
STUART: At £25, we're selling.
MARGIE: Oh no!
At £25... (GAVEL) Oh dear.
VO: A small hiccup for Margie, that.
It's kind of neck and neck.
It's nose to nose.
We're riding to the very last fence.
I'm chasing after you.
(NEIGHING) Neigh!
VO: I'm hoarse with excitement.
Ha ha!
It's Paul's French official's early 20th century hat.
Fancy!
And I can start the bidding at £50.
MARGIE: Oh!
STUART: £50, 55.
55, looking for 60.
60, five.
65.
Do I see 70?
70, 75.
75, do I see 80?
Oh, well done.
80 takes my bid out.
That's brilliant.
That's fantastic.
STUART: £80... (GAVEL) PAUL: That's a good result.
MARGIE: Well done.
MARGIE: I thought it looked as though it'd come out of a toy town.
VO: But it's a very real earner for Paul, who may just have taken the lead.
Have I got a feather in my cap... MARGIE: I think you have.
PAUL: ..so to speak?
VO: Paul's certainly firing on all cylinders, and here's Margie's last chance to shine - her silver art nouveau calendar and frame.
STUART: Two bids at £40.
42.
45.
48 and 50.
Oh come on, last lot.
55 and 60.
At £60 then, it's on commission with me.
Oh, it should do more than that!
At £60, and we're selling to the commission bidder at 60.
MARGIE: This is my swan song.
(GAVEL) MARGIE: Naughty little lot.
That should have done a bit better.
VO: Nice profit though, but will it be enough?
It's close, isn't it?
I always laugh when I'm worried.
MARGIE: (LAUGHS) PAUL: And me.
VO: Here we go, it's Paul's final item.
His Victorian Devonshire Regiment's swagger stick.
It's all down to this one, isn't it?
I just want to go.
I just want to hide.
£50 opens the bidding.
Bid's on the book at £50.
Marching on.
£50.
55 and 60.
PAUL: With a swagger.
MARGIE: Oh... 65 and 70 now.
MARGIE: Oh...no!
STUART: £70 is with me.
75 and 80 is with me.
At £80.
85 and 90.
Don't let it go, sir!
Don't let it go!
One more!
STUART: At £100.
PAUL: Yes, 100!
STUART: At £100... 80 quid profit.
(GAVEL) VO: Yowzers!
Look at you, all pleased!
VO: What a corker, eh?
Ha-ha-ha.
VO: Margie was in charge all the way till now and began this leg with £276.
The girl's done good overall and ends up with more than £340 profit after auction costs.
VO: But Paul's gritty determination has catapulted him into pole position.
He's almost doubled his pot, from 230 to £415 after sale-room costs.
And he claims victory for the auction and the trip.
VO: All profits go to Children In Need.
Yay!
I may have won this, but I'll tell you what, you're going home with a trophy.
Shut your eyes, I'm going to put it on your bench.
Right.
MARGIE: Oh no!
PAUL: (LAUGHS) Oh no, not my jug!
Oh my g...
It looks brilliant!
I love antiques.
MARGIE: Gosh, if that was Pablo Picasso, it'd be worth twice as much for the mistake!
I shall never forget our trip.
VO: Ah, none of us will.
MUSIC: "Days" by the Kinks.
No!
I've stalled the Jaguar!
# Thank you for the days # Say hello.
# Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me # MARGIE: Woah!
Wey!
Don't move.
# I won't forget a single day, believe me # Hiya, Margie!
"Oh, it's Teddy!"
(HONK) Oh!
PAUL: Yeah!
Howzat?
MARGIE: I've left the U out of the "antique!"
MARGIE: Let's go.
PAUL: What a day.
Shall I fill this with ale or something?
PAUL: Yes!
MARGIE: We'll go and have a drink!
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