VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts... Alright, fair enough.

It's a really cute subject.

VO: ..behind the wheel of a classic car.

NATASHA: Make it so.

MARGIE: Here we go.

VO: And a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Frankly terrifying.

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

But it's no mean feat.

I've lost money!

VO: There'll be worthy winners... Get in there!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

Could have been worse.

VO: Will it be the high road to glory?

Ooh.

VO: Or the slow road to disaster?

Ugh!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yee-ha!

VO: It's another super-duper Antiques Road Trip, and we're in lovely Lancashire.

Hurrah!

(BELL DINGS) NATASHA (NRS): Sheepies!

Wee sheepies!

Oh.

There's nobody here.

VO: Auctioneer Natasha Raskin Sharp is on two wheels, bonding with nature, while dealer Margie Cooper is at the wheel of the mellifluous Mercedes 190 SL.

I just love this car.

VO: Manufactured more than 60 years ago, seat belts weren't compulsory at the time.

Oh, there's a bi...some sort of bird of prey!

VO: Well, praying for glory might be the answer!

With so little between our pair... NRS: Yay!

VO: ..after three auctions.

Last time, Margie went a bit arty.

Success, at last!

VO: She's taking forward £206.28.

Natasha made some lovely profits, and came out a smidgen in the lead, with £213.42.

(BELL DINGS) I think I'm covered in horseflies.

Oh!

Don't bite me.

VO: Our courageous contenders started out in Scotland.

And via the Lakes and Lancashire, their final auction will be in Shropshire.

MARGIE: Ah!

NRS: (RINGS BELL) Here she comes on two wheels.

NRS: Hello!

You're feeling good, you're...?

Yeah, I'm ready.

I'm ready to get back... NRS: Yeah.

MARGIE: ..in this beautiful car.

But how do I look on two wheels?

Cuz you were so glam.

Oh, do me a favor!

I didn't look in the mirror, I was just trying not to fall off.

So you've inspired me, actually, to add something to the look... MARGIE: Oh, right.

NRS: ..in your honor.

What's that?

No helmet is complete without a clip-on!

I had no idea I'd left my earrings on.

Welcome to beautiful Lancashire.

Look at the view!

It's amazing.

Is this your neck of the woods?

We're close.

When I was a little girl, yeah, where I was born.

Give us a wee bit of Lancastrian.

Yeah.

Have you got owt I can buy, love?

Owt I can buy, love.

MARGIE: Owt.

NRS: Owt.

MARGIE: Anything - owt.

NRS: Owt.

(SHE LAUGHS) VO: By George, she's got it...almost.

I think you're just jealous, because I... (DINGS BELL) ..have a bell!

NRS: Wish me luck!

MARGIE: I certainly do!

NRS: Smell that countryside!

VO: Mm, delightful!

They'll go their separate ways now, until later.

Today's items will be off to Penkridge in Staffordshire for the auction, but the leg kicks off in Longridge in Lancashire.

Lovely people, lovely scenery.

And we've got a lovely day.

VO: Margie has around £205 to spend in Berry Antiques & Interiors.

That's Ellie, the proprietor, and a bread bin.

And another bread bin.

Yeah, a lovely shop, a little bit of everything.

VO: Indeed there is.

MARGIE: Now, this...that's a proper watering can.

That's the Monty Don of watering cans!

I quite like these.

A proper gardener would have watered his tomatoes with this.

I think that's the better one, wasn't it?

VO: Oh!

Watch out, rose.

Moving on.

These are always very nice.

Look at that, little Edwardian stamp case.

Look at that.

Pretty, isn't it?

And it's Birmingham 1908, and we've got £33 on there.

If you were a very rich Edwardian lady, you had a lot of time to write letters, believe me.

Cuz you weren't doing much housework, that's for sure!

Or bringing up your children!

£33.

Very cute.

Quite nice condition, as well.

Mm, that's a thought.

So I'm going to put it back for the moment, while I have another little look.

VO: OK, let's find out what Natasha's up to in Preston birthplace of Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit animator Nick Park.

With £213 in her pocket... NRS: Here we are.

VO: ..let's hope Natasha's not wearing The Wrong Trousers.

NRS: Amazing!

Hello?

BRIAN: Hi.

NRS: Oh, hi!

You must be Brian.

I am, yes.

I'm Tasha.

It's lovely to meet you.

Right.

And I'm instantly in love with your place.

Right, thank you.

It's amazing from the outside, and stepping in, it's like another world.

It's absolutely chocka.

We are a bit, yeah.

Yeah.

VO: Down to work, then.

NRS: Ah!

I like these.

I've never actually bought a tappit hen, but every auctioneer around the country has sold many a tappit hen.

The only thing is, is that some of them have been sold for hundreds of pounds, and some of them sell for pounds, just a few.

And I'm not quite sure where this one would fall.

VO: A tappit hen, so-called because it's shaped like a hen with a top knot, was a measure of liquor, usually holding between one and three quarts of booze.

NRS: Pewter.

That's what you would expect.

It's not the finest-looking example.

Look how worn this is, look how smooth on the outside it is.

This has been passed around groups of people, possibly in an English public house in the 18th - late 18th, if 18th - early 19th century, the Georgian era.

This is a lovely thing, with authentic age... ..a history to it.

And it's just quite an earnest item, and I like it.

VO: There's no ticket on it.

Oh...

I wonder what Brian's best price is.

VO: Right, let's pop back to Margie.

She was looking at an Edwardian stamp case earlier.

I wonder what else will catch her eye.

MARGIE: Right, what have we got in here?

It's got a Victorian boot jack.

It's a very basic one.

Some of them are really, really smart, and they fetch quite a lot of money.

VO: Useful to take off your riding boots.

MARGIE: £38, but it just looks a bit home-made.

Shame.

I'd like to have bought that.

VO: Yeah.

What's next?

I always think these things are quite useful.

I mean, it's not of any great value.

Like a little specimen cabinet.

Obviously it was for keys.

Quite nice, though.

Mahogany.

That's, er, £45.

Not terribly old, but I think that's a useful piece of... ..kit.

VO: Yeah, it's a possibility.

Oh, Ellie!

What's the best on that little mahogany cabinet?

That could be 30.

Right.

Doesn't sound a lot of money.

VO: Certainly less than the original £45.

I love the little stamp case, but I think I'm worried about the price of that.

VO: There's £33 on the ticket.

I do love it.

If I bought that, and the Edwardian cabinet together?

Mm.

25... 25, right, I'll buy that.

..and 30.

It has to be 30 on the cupboard.

Does it?

ELLIE: Mm.

MARGIE: Definitely?

Yeah.

I really like the cabinet.

Would you say 28?

Yes.

Alright?

28.

I'll have it.

So, stamp case, 25, that's very kind of you.

And the Edwardian cabinet, 28.

Yeah, that can be 28.

OK, that's kind of you, Ellie.

And let's see if we can make a profit.

Yeah, I hope you do.

VO: Thanks to Ellie's generosity, that's a total of £53.

Nice!

Meanwhile, in Preston, Natasha and her tappit hen are in the kitchen.

NRS: OK, I'll just pop this on the fridge-freezer.

VO: Why not?

Oh, there's some more pewter.

That's quite...

Isn't that nice?

VO: Yes.

I really like that shape, sort of fluted here, but then with a scalloped edge, and that makes me think of a pie crust.

It's got that medieval look.

When you think of a big slice of pie, a big meat pie, from a public house, on a plate like this.

It kind of has a feel of Henry VIII to it, Tudor times, but it's not.

But this is cool because... ..pewter chargers are something that you see on the market, quite regularly, this larger plate.

But I don't know if I'm so familiar with this octagonal shape.

It's really attractive.

There's something almost arts and crafts-y about it, which would make it 1920s, as opposed to 1820s, when I think the rest of it's sort of dating from.

I'll start with the tappit hen, see what Brian's best price is.

And if it scares me, I'll try and do a bulk buy.

Yeah.

I think that's my plan.

VO: Stand by, Brian.

What do you say, Brian?

What's your best price on the tappit hen?

Is...is it worth a tenner to you?

Would it make £10 at auction though?

It would.

It would, surely.

VO: Surely!

But, OK, so I did see in the room that I love, they're selling stuff from your kitchen.

I'm obsessed with that.

I love that.

OK.

There was a really nice octagonal charger.

Do you know the one I mean?

Yes, yes.

And I wonder what would be the price if I put the two of them together?

£15.

15.

OK, I'm not scared.

So what about if I put all the wee scalloped plates that went with them, as well?

Make it 20.

20!

I feel so cheeky!

Are you sure, £20?

Yeah, go on, yes.

Right, £20 for a bunch of pewter.

Thank you.

I'll pop it down.

Brian, you're a gentleman.

A great deal.

Thank you so much!

Thank you Thank you, thank you.

VO: Don't forget the other bits and pieces.

I don't want to speak too soon.

I think, for £20, that's alright.

Look out, Margie, I'm coming with my pewter.

VO: Great stuff.

Not sure how they'll all fit on the bike though.

MARGIE: Hi!

WOMAN: Hi!

VO: Friendly, our Margie.

It's nice to be back in Lancashire.

A lovely county.

Whoops!

Oh... VO: Uh-oh.

Oh, come on!

VO: All being well, she's on her way to Leyland, where she's about to find out how the town came to lead the way in revolutionizing the world of transport.

MARGIE: Well, this looks very exciting.

VO: Geoff Southworth is her guide.

MARGIE: Geoff, what an amazing place.

There's all sorts of different kinds of vehicles here, so what ties them all together?

GEOFF: They're all basically commercial vehicles.

Not just for the movement of goods and materials, but passengers, fire engines, different things.

So it covers a wide spectrum.

VO: The connection between the town and these vehicles dates back to 1896, when local entrepreneur James Sumner crossed a pedal tricycle and a steam wagon.

The result, a steam-driven lawnmower.

Ha.

Whatever else?

GEOFF: He was fascinated with steam, which a lot of people were then, and thought, well, there must be a better way of doing things, you know, than... than having horses plodding up and down.

MARGIE: Quite.

Really, it started off as a bit of a novelty, and it took off.

MARGIE: Right.

And there were quite a number of them made.

And the beauty of this is, if it rained, you could just turn this tap on and make yourself a kind of... A brew?

Yeah.

So... VO: Make mine an Earl Grey, eh?

This kooky creation kick-started an enterprise that placed the town at the forefront of a burgeoning industry.

By the outbreak of the First World War, the company had produced 1,275 petrol engine vehicles and 415 steam wagons.

GEOFF: Prior to the First World War, Leyland, really, was just one step up from a cottage industry.

Leyland entered a number of vehicles they'd just brought out now to the war department... MARGIE: Yeah.

..and then they bought, well, this vehicle here... Yeah.

..which was commonly known as the RAF-type, and it was very successful.

VO: It was indeed.

At the height of the war, 3,000 employees geared up to supply the British forces.

GEOFF: This actually probably put Leyland on the map.

By assisting in the war, the business progressed?

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's unfortunate that you have to have a war... Yeah.

..and all sorts of things progressed.

Suspension, engine reliability... GEOFF: ..brakes, steering... MARGIE: Yeah.

..everything.

Not just Leyland, but throughout, you know... it was a big step forward.

MARGIE: Yeah.

After the war, from before the war, it was a complete transformation of vehicles.

VO: Their truck designs and engineering continued to develop.

And in the 1930s, production started on fire engines and trolley buses.

MARGIE: How old's this bus?

GEOFF: This bus is 19...it's mid-50s.

MARGIE: So this collection is vital to show us how, you know, transport, which is so important to all of us, how it's evolved.

It's...it's a vision of the past, right through to present day, from... MARGIE: Yeah.

GEOFF: ..horse-drawn vehicles to battery and hybrid and electric.

VO: The company's commercial vehicles have innovated and engineered their way into British history, and into the very fabric of the town where it was created.

Oh, hang on!

What's Margie doing behind the wheel of that fire engine?

(HONKS HORN) Yeah, here we come!

This is better than the classic!

(HONKS HORN) VO: Keep the noise down!

MARGIE: How old is this, Geoff?

GEOFF: 81 years.

It feels really solid and beautiful.

Oh, they are, yeah.

VO: How's Margie's driving, Geoff?

Excellent.

You're a natural.

My father taught me how to drive.

He was a policeman in the Flying Squad in the 1930s, flying about in those MGs.

Any cats stuck up trees?

VO: Right, that's Margie busy for a while.

Now, what's Natasha up to?

Och, I'm quite happy on the bike.

I grew up near a park.

We were allowed to cycle to it.

I just feel, like, 10 years old.

VO: Talk about young at heart.

Natasha's heading just west of Leyland to the village of Bretherton, home to the Old Corn Mill.

NRS: Oh, look at that, "quality antiques".

Oh!

And the Venus de Milo at the door!

Must be very good quality.

VO: Concrete, I think.

Which is great, because Natasha still has £193 to spend.

Now, this is a classy joint.

It's got the phone and everything.

These enamel signs, I bet this costs a fortune.

£165.

VO: Yoikes!

You can see from its style, it's that kind of Soviet era, 1940s, '50s.

But over time, this has become really trendy, for whatever reason.

I can understand why this dealer wants £165 on it.

The retail environment can demand the price, and can achieve it.

At auction, there is no way that would make more than 40, £50, max.

It really kind of makes you think.

Because what I'm trying to do is take things from the shop, and put them into the auction, which is why it's so hard!

VO: Oh, you can do it, Natasha.

Spoilt for choice?

Carry on, Jeeves.

NRS: I'm always attracted to items with dogs on them.

I just can't help it.

"Raingo Freres, Paris."

So is that Raingo?

Must be, French maker.

VO: Indeed.

Raingo Freres were well-known clockmakers working in Paris in the 19th century.

Who, in the 1860s, supplied several clocks and bronzes to Emperor Napoleon III.

Oh!

The clock does look like it's been through the wars a wee bit.

I'm not convinced it hasn't been dropped because the glass is missing.

But it's so nice almost without the glass.

You can see the enamel dial really clearly, because those numerals are hand-painted.

I'm intrigued by this clock.

It's not in the finest condition, and does that affect the price?

I don't know, because there is no price attached.

VO: You can almost hear her thoughts ticking over.

(TICKING) It's made her head hurt.

I can't help it.

Everywhere I go, I love a vessel.

I love a brass vessel.

Very arts and crafts.

All around the trumpet rim, you have this lovely little motif, the little bumps that go all the way around, and they're just hammered in.

You do it by hand, very precise.

But with a hammer, you create that little lump.

There's something so appealing about arts and crafts, and the fact that it comes after the Victorians had industrialized everything.

Enough of the machines already!

Let's make something with our hands.

Remember those?

And there's no price, once again!

Oh... VO: Ah.

Maybe Aiden's the man with the prices.

Right, see what you can do.

The vase... AIDEN: Yes.

NRS: ..and the clock.

Oh, my little clock, yes.

I think let's start with what I imagine is the younger of the two items, possibly the cheaper?

The vase?

What were you hoping for that?

What's your ballpark?

Oh, 65, 75, something like that.

The brass clock?

AIDEN: The clock... NRS: Oh.

125, 165, something like that.

In the spirit of doing a deal, for the two?

How about 150?

150.

You wouldn't take, for the two... NRS: ..110?

AIDEN: No!

Bit nearer.

140.

140.

Yeah, why not?

That's very generous of you.

VO: So, that's 100 for the French mantel clock, and 40 for the arts and crafts brass vase.

The items are off to the auction, and shopping is done for the day.

MARGIE: Off to Liverpool tomorrow.

The 'pool!

Liverpool!

VO: Where are you going tomorrow?

Liverpool, here we come.

(HE LAUGHS) VO: Well, fingers crossed.

Nighty night.

VO: Wakey-wakey, roadtrippers.

(BELL DINGS) VO: Morning has broken.

NRS: On my bike, feeling pretty good.

Off to meet Margie for a bit of brekkie.

VO: Sounds delish.

Croissant, coffee, and chatting antiques.

Talk to me about all the wonderful things you've bought.

This is what I bought yesterday, because I thought it was useful, right?

It's this sweet little Edwardian... Oh, this screams "dealer".

..mahogany, like a specimen cabinet.

It was £28.

It's got to go for 45, surely?

It has to!

You could add some tiny wee shelves, couldn't you?

That'd be cute.

Oh, you could put anything in it.

The more I look at it, the more I like it.

VO: Good-oh!

She also bought an Edwardian stamp case, spending £53 in all.

She has just over £153 for today.

Now, Natasha?

I did spend a wee bit of money.

Well, that's good, isn't it?

I spent £100 on one item.

Oh, well done!

That's brave.

Let me show you.

Well, terrifying, perhaps.

Well...

I splashed some cash on a greyhound.

Oh my goodness, me!

That looks brilliant!

What a... And I know you love your dogs.

I do.

What a statement piece that is!

I looked up the maker, good French maker.

Yeah.

Is the maker on there?

It's, eh, Raingo Freres, Paris.

VO: Well said.

Together with an arts and crafts vase, and a collection of pewter, Natasha's bounty cost her £160, leaving her with just 53 in the kitty.

It's beautiful.

You've set the bar now.

So, here's to you.

Cheers.

Here's to you.

Margie.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Bon chance!

Thank you.

And bon voyage!

VO: The items will be winging their way to the auction, but Margie's heading for Crosby.

This coastal town is home to College Antiques.

And Margie's still got £153 to spend.

MARGIE: Good morning, Angelo.

ANGELO: Hiya.

Morning.

MARGIE: I'm Margie.

ANGELO: Hiya.

I'm going to have a good old browse.

Nice.

Yeah.

Lovely.

This is very cute.

I've got a little quirky item, a little Victorian quirky item.

And it's a little tape measure in the form of a flatiron.

That's so sweet, for people who collect, you know, sewing items.

Er, it says £48.

It's obviously getting a little bit raggy, which is a bit of a shame.

So obviously, there's been something on the end of that.

I do like it, though.

It's a real feminine thing, isn't it?

ANGELO: Lovely.

MARGIE: Yeah.

Nice collector's piece.

Yeah, it is, yeah.

Can I have a think?

Absolutely.

Yeah, course you can.

VO: The place is packed to the rafters.

I love these.

This is a book press, Victorian book press, that a publishing company would use to actually press down their books, their leather-bound books.

There, right, so you put it in like that.

And down it would go.

I wonder how long you had to keep it in.

ANGELO: I'm not too sure, to be honest with you.

No.

And down you go, and you end up with a tightly compact book, ready to...ready for sale.

VO: Just like that.

This old piece of heavy old brass - how much is it?

ANGELO: 85.

MARGIE: Oh, it's not, is it?

To be honest with you, I think that old English items, like that, anything to do with books, printing, it's collectable at the minute.

VO: Hm.

Time for a ponder and a wander.

MARGIE: This is what they call an American rocker.

You get the normal size, for an adult, and then you get a little child's one, like this.

I've seen a couple of things.

See if we can broker some kind of a deal with this lovely man.

VO: Oh, the flattery.

I must say, I really like this.

Yep.

85.

But I also like the cute little quirky little tape measure.

So I think the book press is a good thing.

Yeah.

So, that can be how much?

ANGELO: 60 quid.

MARGIE: That's good, Angelo.

ANGELO: To make you some money.

MARGIE: Yeah.

VO: Very kind.

Right, 60.

And how much for the little thing?

I'd do that for 25 quid.

Oh, that's great.

85 quid for the two.

We're done.

I'm pleased with that.

So I have some money now.

Yep.

Right, so I'm going to put it on here.

OK. 20, 40, 60, 80.

VO: At 60 for the book press, and 25 for the novelty tape measure, Margie has left herself with £68 for the last shop of the leg.

Natasha is on her way to the Liverpool suburb of Edge Hill, where, for some reason, she's dressed as Bob the Builder.

Only joking!

She's about to explore an astonishing underground world, buried beneath the crumbling facade of this early 19th century home.

NRS: I think I'm going the right way.

VO: It's a web of tunnels surrounded in mystery that very few people are aware of, until now.

NRS: What lies beneath?

Intriguing.

Down here.

A little bit more precarious.

VO: Careful, now.

Chris?

Chris?

VO: I don't know about Natasha, but I'm scared!

Oh, there he is.

NRS: You must be Chris.

VO: Chris Iles has been involved in excavations here for 20 years.

Chris, I genuinely have no idea where I am.

I know I've never been anywhere like it, but where do I find myself?

This is the Williamson Tunnels, or part of the Williamson Tunnels.

VO: A retired tobacco merchant, Joseph Williamson began his unexplained construction in the early 1800s.

NRS: Tell me about the function of the tunnels, because I don't quite understand.

Well, the tunnels weren't really built for any particular reason.

Why they were so extensive, we don't really know.

But we know that Williamson employed lots of unemployed, and he kept...just kept them in work for many years.

VO: The plot thickens.

As well as the tunnels, his team built houses on the top.

NRS: That's a huge amount of work, creating the cover for the quarry, building all the houses in the area.

So it was a kind of a job creation scheme of the time, really, if you think about it.

They say he employed half the population of Edge Hill and the returning soldiers from the Napoleonic War.

VO: Was it simply an act of philanthropy?

Nobody knows, but Williamson was clearly a man of great wealth.

CHRIS: He came to Liverpool as a boy.

Er, got a job with Richard Tate in the tobacco and snuff works, and he eventually moved through the company and married the boss's daughter.

VO: That'll do it.

NRS: I'm going to say lead on.

Show me some more tunnels.

CHRIS: OK.

Right.

Let's go, let's go.

Yeah, OK. A bit rocky underfoot.

VO: This is just one of Williamson's tunnels, but there's more.

Is this deeper than where we were before?

It is.

About 18 meters, level four.

Yeah, it... it feels deeper.

How deep are we talking, Chris?

This chamber, from roof to floor, is 12 meters.

(NATASHA LAUGHS) I'd have said more!

Look how quickly you're going!

I'm taking my time.

(BOTH LAUGH) Oh, do you know what?

I'm fixated on my feet.

VO: Take a breather, Chris.

She'll be along in a minute.

This high-vaulted chamber, nicknamed Paddington, is in fact one huge cellar cistern.

NRS: It's incredible, and 12 meters, you said?

12 meters, yeah.

It feels so much deeper than that.

A place like this, people in the local area must have come up with some theories as to what went on down here.

Yeah, there have... there have been other theories as to why the tunnels are here, ranging from Williamson used them for smuggling, smuggling his tobacco.

I don't believe that that's true.

Em, they're so far away from the city center that I don't think it would have been the case.

The other theory would be that Williamson's wife believed in the end of the world being nigh, Armageddon, so she, er... Williamson built these to hide when the world ended.

VO: We may never know Williamson's real purpose in all of this, but in some ways, the tunnels speak for themselves.

Time for Chris' colleague Tom Stapledon to take up the story.

We curse the man for not giving us any plans of the system that he built.. ..and not giving us any other information about why he did what he did.

But on the other hand, part of the excitement for us, as diggers, is exploring and rediscovering.

VO: It was in 1999 that they found Paddington, and finally got permission to dig in 2012.

We've excavated these chambers out, from top to bottom, down to 60 feet below ground.

Four levels, over exactly four years.

VO: Ha.

And after modern equipment failed them, their work echoed that of the men who dug out the tunnels so long ago.

We fell back on the only way we could think of, which turned out to be superb.

10 liter plastic buckets with wire handles... NRS: That's the way to do it.

..and picks and shovels.

They were ideal, just enough for one of us to carry, sort of, half full.

And then we got clever and we installed first one, then a second, then a third hoist... NRS: Yeah.

TOM: ..and we did it.

159 skipfuls of material we took out of here, by hand.

That's amazing, and while you were clearing out all of this, you know, rubble, and filling those skips, you'd come across items like this.

VO: It's believed locals threw belongings they no longer wanted down into the tunnels.

TOM: All these wonderful artefacts came out, and so many of them were either undamaged or nearly complete.

But for us, they're treasures.

NRS: They are, they are a glimpse into... TOM: Well worth keeping.

NRS: Yeah, the way of life.

..a way of displaying... Yeah.

VO: And while these tunnelers continue to seek more secrets of this strange, subterranean world, it's clear Williamson's legacy will live on.

VO: Margie is also headed to Liverpool, the world-renowned city that evolved from a small fishing village on the banks of the river Mersey.

She has £68 to spend in the Liverpool Antiques Centre.

And, for now, 20,000 square feet all to herself.

Wow!

There's so much to see!

These are great, aren't they?

They're so popular, these.

Office equipment, really.

When you're looking at antiques, if we can roughly date it, and we know what wood it is.

VO: Oh, yeah?

I'd say oak.

And then you look here in the drawers, and there you are, it's going to speak to us now.

Ah, here we go.

Clues.

"18th of the 12th."

Just before Christmas in 1928.

Yeah, it's just an office cabinet for all the invoices, but how lovely to have that in your home though.

VO: Indeed.

Ticket price, £550.

Well, I can understand it.

It's a nice thing.

VO: But not for you.

Well, maybe a bit of costume jewelry would be quite nice for a change.

Any rings?

That's a good one, isn't it?

VO: If you say so.

Look out!

Here comes Natasha!

NRS: Here we are.

VO: She has just £53 left and lots of ground to cover.

It's a tricky mission.

(SHE HUMS) VO: Margie's spotted something.

Look, I think that's a snooker scorer.

VO: Sure is, it's a scorer.

And this is quite a well-known company, isn't it?

I think.

VO: (HE LAUGHS) Yes, it is.

Riley began life as a sports shop in 1897, and by the 1920s, was a leading manufacturer of snooker tables and accessories.

MARGIE: That would be quite nice, polished up, wouldn't it?

Scoring board, which is quite useful for people who have snooker tables.

It's £80.

I quite like things with names on them.

VO: Cue the owner, Steve.

Ha.

But I thought that was quite nice.

Yeah, lovely little scoreboard.

MARGIE: Yeah.

STEVE: Em... Nice mahogany.

You couldn't really ease that off, could you?

80 quid.

I'll take 65 quid.

VO: Game on.

You know the figure I like?

VO: Do tell.

38.

38?

VO: Crikey!

STEVE: 48.

VO: Ha!

48?

Let's say 40.

STEVE: Yeah, OK, £40.

MARGIE: Are you happy?

Yeah.

VO: 50% off?

That's generous!

Steve, thanks a lot.

VO: Right.

Meanwhile, Natasha's got a new hairdo.

MARGIE: What are you doing?

I... And before you ask, no, I didn't have one.

I thought that was you in the picture!

No!

I did not have one.

I'm quite digging it.

Em, I mean, apparently there's a shoulder strap that comes with it so you can pop it on and do the housework!

Right, OK, Margie... Have you finished your buying?

NRS: Oh, no!

VO: Very fetching!

I'm all done.

You're not?

I am.

I'm all done.

I'm finished.

Right, well, I'd best get to it then.

Yeah.

I'm going to spend all my money.

Right.

Off you go.

Watch me go.

Quick sticks!

VO: Better get a move on!

I'm quite keen on these two artist's objects, an easel and a palette.

The easel's definitely the more attractive of the two.

I think it's because it has actually seen more action.

You can see this hinge here, this brass hinge.

You can't really fake that sort of patina, that kind of age.

It's probably 1940s, 1950s, I would say, so around the Second World War.

It's just a really lovely, charming object.

So transportable, that's what it's designed for, for a Reeves palette.

Reeves is a well-established company, good brand.

And they are not asking the Earth, whatsoever.

VO: £5 for the palette, and 10 the easel.

I think that, at £15, is a nice little lot.

I'm going for that.

VO: Okey dokey.

Anything else?

I am so keen on these wall lights.

They are really trendy.

They're mid-century teak wall fittings.

And teak furniture, mid-century?

It's the watchword, really, just now, at auction.

They've really simplified the shape of almost antlers hanging on the wall.

£65.

If I were at an auction, I would absolutely snap these up.

VO: Oh, Steve?

There are two things that I'm into.

Yep.

Behind you, an easel and palette.

Oh, yeah.

And in front of you, just slightly around the corner, some very cool mid-century wall lights.

VO: Together, the items come to £80.

May I confess to you that in total, here we are, I have £53 in my pocket.

So I'm going to leave you going home skint?

Either skint or without objects.

What do you reckon?

Yeah, go on, we'll take the money.

NRS: Are you sure?

STEVE: Yeah.

NRS: Quite happy?

STEVE: Yeah.

VO: That is truly amazing.

That'll be 38 for the wall lights, plus the combined ticket price of 15 for the easel and palette.

And she's pretty well all spent up.

There's something fishy going on.

Right.

Bye, Steve.

Thank you.

Thanks again.

NRS: Quite happy with that?

MARGIE: Yeah.

Are you?

Yeah, pretty happy with these.

MARGIE: All wood.

NRS: Yeah, all wooden!

MARGIE: A wooden afternoon.

NRS: We're so wooden!

VO: They're all shopped out, and the items are off to auction.

This is it.

It's kind of getting to crunch time.

I'm coming for you, Margie.

VO: What say you, Margie?

MARGIE: You know what?

I don't think I'm going to bother with this auction.

I think I'll just keep going.

Get on the ferry.

And go to the south of France in this car.

VO: She's only joking...I think.

Time for some shut-eye.

Nighty night.

VO: It's auction day.

Our delightful duo began this leg in Longridge in Lancashire, and have parked themselves up at Willington in Derbyshire.

From there, they'll tune in and view their goodies going under the hammer.

Natasha!

Look at this spot!

You're here before me!

I know, but... On two wheels!

NRS: Right, you ready?

MARGIE: Are we going to go?

Are you ready?

(TAKES DEEP BREATH) VO: The auction is taking place in Penkridge in Staffordshire.

Cuttlestones are the auctioneers, where bidders will only be online or on the phone.

It's Ben Gamble in the chair.

Good name.

Have any of Natasha's five items, on which she spent £213, caught his eye?

BEN: The greyhound mantel clock is...it's a good, stylish decorator's piece.

It looks the part, the movement isn't fantastic, but it's just a really nice, showy clock.

So that'll do well.

My favorite lot today is the teak wall lights.

That mid-century style is flying out of salerooms at the moment, they're doing really well.

So I'd put this on my wall myself.

VO: Looking good then.

Margie's haul was less costly, totaling £178 for her five lots.

BEN: The novelty tape measure, the internet's built for things like that.

Small, easy to post.

It's missing a little bit, sadly, which will hamper it.

But it's...again, quite a quirky lot, easy peasy.

The book press that's come in, we hate these.

They're so big, they're so heavy, they don't make very much money.

Erm, I can't wait to see it go out of the door.

VO: Ouch!

MARGIE: You ready?

NRS: No, I don't want to!

MARGIE: You're going to.

NRS: I don't want to!

MARGIE: You've got to!

NRS: I don't...

Right, make me, make me!

Go!

Off we go!

VO: First up, Natasha's early 20th century artist's easel and palette.

At 18, at £18.

Oh, he has 18!

BEN: 20.

NRS: Oh!

Yay!

I shouldn't be excited by £5.

Sure?

To go.

It'll be sold there at £20.

VO: A profit is a profit.

MARGIE: Oh, well, that's OK. NRS: It's OK.

It's what you were expecting.

I think it should have made a wee bit more.

VO: It's Margie's miniature novelty tape measure next.

Ironing is the worst.

Oh, I'd rather iron than do a lot of other things.

(SHE LAUGHS) At £22, we have.

Five now?

At £22, it's... Oh, for goodness' sake.

And eight.

28.

Yay!

30.

At £30, I have.

Oh, come on.

It should be... Should be 65.

It's going... it's going!

At 32.

Any more now?

32.

It's to go and be sold at £32.

VO: Nice little earner there.

You're creeping, you're creeping.

You're a wee creep!

I'm a wee creep, I know I am!

VO: Never!

Stand by - Natasha's pile of pewter is at the ready.

The charger.

It's so divine!

We'll see.

At £10, I have.

At £10, 12 bid, you'll be having them at £12.

Is that it?

Who would like 15 now?

They're to go.

They're cheap.

(SHE SIGHS) Yes?

No?

All done.

Selling at £12.

VO: Uh-oh.

What a shame.

What did you say about that charger being gorgeous?!

Ah, don't rub salt in my wound, thank you so much!

That charger.

VO: Now, now, you two.

Ah!

Here's Margie's tiny Edwardian stamp case.

NRS: Stamp case.

MARGIE: Stamp case.

VO: Stamp case.

NRS: Here we go, here we go.

Right, you're off.

Lot 110, at 32 I have.

NRS: See?

BEN: At £32... NRS: Easy money!

BEN: 32. Who says five?

The maiden bid's in, and it's here to go.

Come on.

At 32, at 35 bid.

Eight, quickly.

Yes, go on!

At £35.

VO: That's two profits in a row for Margie.

That's cheered me up no end.

Yeah!

VO: Natasha's Danish teak wall lights are a-comin'.

At the time, I thought I was... You never know.

..absolutely onto a winner.

NRS: Right now, I'm petrified.

MARGIE: Well, let's see.

15, we'll tempt you at 15 bid.

He likes them.

15, 18, 20.

Oh, hold on.

Getting there.

20 only.

It's on commission at £20.

Two... Is that it?

I'm out at 22.

And I genuinely am out, it was me at 22.

MARGIE: Oh.

NRS: Oh, no.

Are we five now?

Any more?

To go.

It'll be sold there at £22.

VO: Everyone's disappointed with that.

Stop laughing!

I always laugh when things aren't going well.

I've got a twitchy foot now!

I laugh when things aren't going well, I can't help it!

VO: Me too.

Right, fingers crossed for Margie's Edwardian key cabinet.

For lot 106, at £10 I'm only bid.

Oh, it's a wee bit low.

At £10 I'm bid only.

Surely, who says 12?

12, thank you.

At £12.

Oh, come on.

It's very cheap, but I'm going to sell it, it's here to go.

Ugh!

15, quickly.

Bid 15.

18.

Finished and selling at £18.

VO: Well, that's nibbled into Margie's winnings.

Margie, you were robbed.

I was robbed!

We was robbed.

VO: It's Natasha's big ticket item next.

The 19th century French maker's clock.

BOTH: Oh!

I love it!

At 120.

130, 140... NRS: Oh, that's nice!

MARGIE: (GASPS) BEN: ..150, 160... NRS: Yay!

Well done.

At 160, 190, 200.

Yay!

At £200.

Oh, I'm so pleased!

At 220, are we sure?

Oh, that's fantastic!

..commission bid at... 30.

Oh!

Just in time!

We'll have one more at 240 bid.

At 240 now.

NRS: Woo!

MARGIE: You little devil.

At 240.

I'm selling.

You're out on the net.

Be sure, at 240.

VO: Well, quality wins out and Natasha romps into the lead.

BOTH: Oh, yeah!

Margie!

I can confirm, it feels good!

VO: You betcha!

Up next, Margie's Victorian cast-iron book press.

£30, I have, at £30 now.

Who would like two?

NRS: (GASPS) BEN: 35, 38.

Margie, I thought this was easy money.

Come on.

BEN: £38 bid.

MARGIE: Come on!

NRS: Go on!

BEN: £38, 40.

Yeah!

It's £40, and I'm going to sell...five.

Come on!

50 now.

Yeah!

All done?

Selling now, at £45.

VO: Well, that's flattened Margie's kitty.

MARGIE: Could have been worse.

NRS: That's sad.

VO: Time for Natasha's final item, the arts and crafts vase.

It was gorgeous, it was hand planished.

It had these lovely sort of... roundels battered into it.

MARGIE: Oh, did it?

NRS: Oh, it was gorgeous.

VO: Here we go.

Stand by.

A bit of interest at £15 only.

Och, you can't call that interest.

..I'm bid on the saleroom.

At 15, I have.

At 15, who would like 18 now?

NRS: Oh, that's dire.

BEN: At £18.

Oh, God.

Yes, no?

All done?

Are you joking?

On the saleroom at £18.

VO: Someone bagged a bargain.

That was... That's actually soul-destroying.

VO: Heads up now, it's the last lot - Margie's Edwardian snooker scoreboard with maker's name.

This is my favorite, and I'm hoping for success.

BEN: At 30.

NRS: Ooh!

BEN: At 32, 35, 38.

MARGIE: Oh, come on.

NRS: Yes, they like it.

MARGIE: Come on!

At £40, to sell.

Oh, please!

All done at £40?

VO: What a pity.

Congratulations.

Margie, it's OK. That was alright for me.

Yeah, you've edged ahead now.

NRS: I'm sorry.

MARGIE: You've edged ahead.

NRS: I feel guilty now.

Oh, don't feel guilty.

What you want to do is buy a greyhound.

Yeah.

Do you think a live one might sell?

(SHE LAUGHS) VO: Margie set off with just over £206, and has £167.68 left in her kitty.

Natasha began with £213.42, and is £42 richer and comfortably ahead, with a little over 256 for the final leg of the trip.

Well done.

Only one more of those to go, you know.

MARGIE: I know, I know.

NRS: I'm terrified.

So you can get on your bike, with your big pile of money.

And I'm going to...drive.

Well, just keep your chin up, Margie.

MARGIE: Bye, dear.

Be careful.

MARGIE: Cheerio!

NRS: Whee!

Ooh!

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