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

That's cracking.

VO: With £200 each.

Wonderful.

VO: A classic car and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

I'm all over a shiver.

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

But it's no mean feat.

No brainer.

Going, going, gone.

VO: There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

So, will it be the high road to glory... Push!

VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?

How awfully, awfully nice.

VO: This is Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah.

VO: Tempus fugit, eh?

It's the penultimate instalment of our road tripping escapade with auctioneers Paul Laidlaw and Claire Rawle.

And Claire is feeling the pressure of the Laidlaw's successes.

What shop am I going to be in?

Will I find anything?

Oh my God, the Laidlaw.

The Laidlaw will just march in, thank you, do the deal, walk out, make a profit, what am I going to do?

VO: Come on, Claire.

Paul's your number one fan.

God darnit, you're formidable.

Formidable.

When was the last time you said that?

I don't know, I'm not sure anyone's said it to my face before.

VO: Well, someone just has.

From her original £200, Claire's purse is full with £466.84.

VO: Paul also began with £200.

He's made excellent progress and is the current leader with £611.90.

That's a lot of money.

VO: Yeah.

The trusty 1968 TVR Tuscan is a racy little number, getting them from A to B.

You know what, who does not want to do this?

English countryside, we're taking in the history, the views, the topography, the wildlife, the rays.

We're catching rays in Yorkshire!

Who knew?

Yep.

VO: You lucky beggars.

Paul and Claire set off from Wooler in Northumberland.

They begin in the northeast of England and will traverse through South Yorkshire, to finally land in the town of Stanford, in Lincolnshire.

The city of Hull is our first stop and later we'll auction in the city of Nottingham in the East Midlands.

I have had to use your good advice, you know, if you don't see something just keep looking, keep digging, keep digging.

Did I really give you that advice?

You did I'm afraid.

Fool!

VO: Oh, and there's the Humber Bridge.

Gosh.

Here we go, this looks good.

VO: Now, Claire's first to get stuck in.

Brilliant.

Well, enjoy, what can I say?

Good luck.

It looks good.

It looks alright, it looks a bit interesting, doesn't it?

VO: She's being dropped off at the deceptively large Kevin Marshall Antiques Warehouse.

See you later.

Paul, don't get too many bargains.

VO: We'll catch up with Paul later.

Bye.

Every inch is crammed full.

This is an amazing place.

VO: Isn't it just?

CLAIRE: It is just fabulous.

Great advertising stuff in here.

Big enamel signs.

These are so so popular at the moment.

Oh wow, another one.

Bristol tipped cigarettes this time.

And it's in its wooden frame, as it would have been mounted.

Single sided, obviously to put on a wall.

That's a nice thing.

It's just everywhere you walk, each room opens up and there's just more treasure.

VO: Whilst Claire's in her antiques dreamworld... Oh... VO: ..what's our old chum Paul up to?

No good, I suspect.

PAUL: She's good.

I mean she's frighteningly good, isn't she?

I mean, if I'm being really honest with you, I have looked at some of her lots and thought, railway lantern, suitcase (YAWNS) and she consistently hammers home good profits.

VO: Could our antiques ace be feeling the heat little?

Back to Claire.

I love going to the back of these places.

You're never quite sure what you're going to find.

There could be more luggage in the back here.

It looks like the sort of place that will have luggage.

VO: Oh, she loves her leather goods.

Oh wow, OK.

I have just noticed some amazing... Hey!

Fancy tripping out in that?

You know, Hull nightlife, very Elton John, aren't they?

Aren't those fantastic?

Goldfish in your heels.

VO: I hear Paul has the very same pair.

What I was also heading for, is this rather nice... we're back to luggage now, you notice... rather nice domed trunk here.

It's leather covered, brass studded.

Handle either side for carrying it and then if you lift it up, let's see.

Oh, that's nice.

Original lining of... ..sort of cotton lining, so that your clothes don't snag on the wood, because basically it is made of wood.

Very early trunks and things were made like this.

We're going back to the sort of 16th, 17th century and then it was carried forward into the 19th century, which I'm fairly sure this one is a 19th century one.

It's got that good shabby quality about it.

I quite like that.

VO: Yeah, the trunk and the advertising sign don't have a ticket price, so time to chat money.

Here's the man.

Hello Kevin.

Hi, Claire.

Hi, good to meet you.

And you too.

And I love, I love your warehouse.

Oh, thank you.

What would the Bristol one be that's in the... Well, for the Bristol, I could maybe do for £85.

OK... Just behind us here, this lovely domed leather trunk.

What sort of... Yeah, I think it's French.

Do you know, I wondered if it was continental.

Yeah, no, I think it's French.

It's got a bit of age to it, isn't it?

It has got some age to it.

Yeah...yeah...

If it had to go today, maybe 135.

OK. Well, what I might do is have a wander because I haven't actually ventured upstairs yet.

I mean, talk about an Aladdin's cave.

It's just fantastic.

VO: Claire's in her element.

CLAIRE: Wonderful.

VO: Now, what about Paul?

VO: He's travelled west to the village of South Cave in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Oh yes.

Paul has visited this fine establishment before, which you will recall, if you are a fan.

FIONA: Hello Mr Cheeky PAUL: Fiona!

How are you doing?

VO: Hey, Mr Cheeky?

We meet again!

Come on in.

VO: A bit personal.

Paul is £145 ahead of his compadre and he's ruminating on his buying strategy.

It's not fear of...

It's not competition that keeps me going here, it's um... the love of the... the thrill of the chase.

VO: Oh dear, you seem to have grown some antlers, Paul.

What about Claire?

No horns on her.

She's still in Hull, but now upstairs in her first shop, and what's she found?

Nice deco clock at the back.

Arts and crafts.

VO: Hmm...

It's got a ticket price of £70 and is worth a closer look, if you can get to it.

Hm, that's got more dama...

It's lifting quite badly at the back of it, I can feel now.

The face is a bit dished in as well.

VO: Aren't we all?

Maybe this will help get a reduced price from dealer Kevin.

Kevin?

I did move a bit of stuff to get to that.

Right, so I will go and have a look at it.

Go and have a look and then come back and tell me what you think.

Brilliant.

VO: That was quick, Kev.

Well, I've had a look at it, Claire, and it is definitely all ripply.

Yeah, it is a bit ripply.

Yeah, it's sucked in some damp over the years it's been hung there.

So I wouldn't want to spend much more than about 25, 30 on it.

VO: Claire has a combo buy in mind.

The prices so far are 85 for the sign, 135 for the trunk and 35 for the clock with the bished-in face.

KEVIN: 200 quid then.

Oh, hang on a minute... VO: £200 for the lot?

Yeah, 70, 100 and 30 quid for the... 100, 170, 80, 90.

Are you happy?

I'm happy.

I'm happy, thank you so much.

It's been an absolute pleasure.

Are you?

You're welcome.

VO: Blimey, a £90 discount for Claire's three lovely lots.

Thank you, Kev.

Let's catch up with Paul.

He's still mooching around in his first shop and it looks like he's found something.

I do like something that's not priced.

Tell you what we've got.

We've got pukka period lighting and you know how I feel about that.

VO: Excited, eh?

This is a pendant gaslight.

And this would have hung in your hall or vestibule back in the late Victorian era.

See how it works.

So, you look at this form here... ..which is inverted, truncated, pyramidal, to be very geometrically precise.

VO: Oh, I'd hate to play Scrabble with him.

It's in brass, now oxidized.

Between you and me, I love it.

I love it.

Why?

A, scarce.

B, not been converted to electricity.

A rare survivor.

What's wrong with it?

Any folk can tell you.

I shouldn't be able to do that.

It's missing all its panes, which is a bit of a pain.

(DRUM STING) VO: Boom boom.

He's here all week, folks.

What is that?

It's more trouble than it's worth.

Do I love it?

(CHUCKLES) Of course I love it.

VO: OK then, let's talk money.

With Fiona.

Pendant gas light... With the glass missing... And the tab is broken and it's black as the Earl of Hell's waistcoat and it doesn't have a price on it and I'm hoping that is something that you'd go yeah, you know what, I could do you a deal on that.

Take a punt on it.

Tenner and I'm serious.

15 and it's yours.

Let me dig my heels in for once.

15 and it's yours.

The hand's there, look.

It's that you're meant to do.

Looks like I did it then, didn't I?

Ah ha!

VO: This is unusual.

I'm easy, I'm easy to deal with.

Yeah.

I bought something.

Yeah, magic.

VO: I thought you were going to dig your heels in?

The Victorian pendant lamp for £15.

VO: Meanwhile, Claire has travelled northwest to the village of Barmby Moor in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Now, is Bar Farm Antiques ready for the rummaging hands of the lovely Claire?

Hello Greg.

Hi, I'm Claire.

Good to meet you.

VO: Nice beard, Greg.

He's from Louisiana, you know.

Yeah.

Welcome to Bar Farm.

VO: There is a lot of outbuildings here, stuffed full of juicy plunder and she's going to have a good sniff around.

Right, this is the treasure chest I am looking for.

Oh, what's that?

Oh dear.

Leg of mutton gun case.

Nice old one, leather.

Nice brass clasp on it, got a bit of age, in quite good order.

They are quite collected.

People... You know, people shooting these days wouldn't use these now.

Erm... £85, OK.

Need to do a bit of a deal on that.

VO: That's one possible.

What's next?

CLAIRE: Familiar territory again.

Back to the suitcases.

That's the best one.

That's the leather one.

Typical of its type.

Good brown leather, solid.

The stitching is good.

Let's have a look inside.

A bit moldy, but... ..fairly standard.

The handle is good.

Most important, the handle must be good.

It's so expensive to replace those.

VO: Top tip, Claire.

A couple of things I will talk to him about.

VO: It's priced at £46.

Time to talk money, Greg.

Yeah.

I just, I found a leg of mutton gun case which I quite like.

Alright.

You've got 85 on it... Uh-huh...

I'm wondering if you can come down a fair bit on that.

Like, what's a fair bit?

Well... if I could get it for much nearer sort of 50, really or just under, it would see me perhaps a bit of profit, but... 55?

It really needs to be...?

If I could... yeah...

But there is another thing that I want to ask you about, so we could always come back.

Yeah, we've got a general idea of that.

VO: Yeah... Now, will Greg give a good deal if there is a multi-buy in the offing?

Both of them for 70, yeah.

You can take both of them for 70.

Gosh.

Now you've put me in a quandary.

So that would be counting that as 50 and this is 20, really.

Yeah, I think I'll do it.

That's alright?

You like that?

Good.

Well good luck.

Yeah, thank you very much.

Thank you.

VO: Gee, she does love leather goods.

That's £70 for the two.

VO: Paul meanwhile, has travelled back to the city of Hull.

A seafaring port for centuries, the city has offered a vital link between continental Europe and the rest of the world.

That link became ever more vital in the late 19th century when thousands of Jews were desperate to flee persecution, from the tsarist Russia.

With a bleak future in their homeland, they were eager to escape persecution and poverty.

Hull became a gateway port to enable the very much desired freedom of a new life in the booming cities of the west.

Paul's meeting with Dr Nicholas Evans from the University of Hull to find out just how crucial the city's port was to thousands of Jews.

PAUL: Back in 1880 or 1900, is this water full of vessels with migrants?

NICHOLAS: This really is the Ellis Island of Britain, the entry point on which many people would then have a subsequent rail journey to Leeds, to Manchester, or further afield to the great cities of America, New York, Chicago, Boston, those great industrial cities where Jews could have a new life in the safety of America.

VO: As Russia expanded in the 18th century, she acquired the largest population of Jews in Europe.

The restrictions then imposed caused great poverty and overcrowding.

From 1881 to 1914, an estimated half million Jews came through Hull, en route to America.

We just can't imagine the conditions, the experiences these individuals went through in order to flee oppression and in order to provide a safe place where all they wanted to do was earn a wage, to be able to worship freely and to be able to enjoy life and get a basic education, the basic things in life.

Many of them were really in a terrible condition.

They'd eaten very little food, many had been ill, so therefore the assistance they received here was important.

From the state, they received medical offers of health assistance, so if you were ill, you were taken to a nearby isolation hospital, if you were in need of food, there was kosher food provided nearby, at a nearby lodging house.

PAUL: That surprises me and moves me, because you think Victorian times, harder times than today, but you're telling me the state, as well as the local population and various local communities step up to welcome and support these migrants.

The community and the indigenous populations, they certainly didn't want more people arriving, but if they did stay here, they would welcome them and the key here from the Jewish community was to ensure they were not an economic burden, these migrants, so therefore the poor house was not being overwhelmed.

VO: With the mass exodus of migrants, plans are put in place to allow for onward rail travel.

So Nick, how did the railways handle these increased numbers of people coming through?

You can see it precisely here.

You have the main railway station to our left and on the right, we have a separate emigrant waiting room.

Along here, we've got one of the longest railway platforms in Britain, a separate facility purely for the migrants.

And tracks either side.

Yeah and you can see just how long this facility is.

Some days when it is very busy, you would have very long trains on both sides of the platform and they were taking people on the non-stop train journey over to Liverpool, to new opportunities in the new world.

VO: The city of Hull proved to be a gateway to a new life for the impoverished and helped contribute to the improvement of millions of lives from 1851 to 1914, half a million of which were Jewish.

Eh, what a wonderful day, but it's time for a much-needed rest.

Nighty night, you two.

VO: It's a misty morning as our pair tootle about in the west Yorkshire countryside.

PAUL: You know what we have done Claire, don't you?

We've broken the weather.

Yeah, yeah.

I blame you for this.

I blame you entirely.

VO: What a pair.

Let's remind ourselves of their shopping bounty thus far.

Claire has transformed from cautious to bold, with five lots in the bag.

She's going after the lead with a vengeance.

She has the advertising sign, the travelling trunk, the wall clock, the leather gun case and of course the beloved leather suitcase.

Claire has £196.84 for the day ahead.

Our current leader, Paul, stop the press, has only one item, the Victorian hall lantern, which means he is overflowing with pounds and pence.

He's got £596.90 for the day ahead.

Psst.

He's rolling in it.

Our Paul is astonished by Claire's mighty haul of goodies.

Five things in one day!

Let me see what a smug face looks like on Claire.

CLAIRE: No.

PAUL: Oh, that's... Go on, give me some smug.

No, no, not any smug.

It's there, I saw that face.

No, it's not...no.

I can see it, it's there.

It's there!

VO: What larks, eh?

But Paul has got to start spending and fast.

Pontefract is his first shopping location today.

I love a cake, me.

PAUL: Here we go.

Do you like my cat?

Yeah, it's good, isn't it?

Big black pussy cat and the sheep and the... Aye ye ye.

Yeah, well enjoy yourself in the farmyard then.

Bye!

Have a good 'un.

See you later.

VO: With the stealth of a wildcat, what will Paul pounce on in here?

There's loads to choose from.

Oh, look, a nice horn spotted.

Come on, Paul.

You've only bought one item.

Get a wiggle on.

That's rather grand, is it not?

It does not have a price attached to it, so it's an unknown quantity in that regard.

Well, it looks perhaps more grand than it is.

It dates to the late 19th century and I think this was probably rather affordable in its day.

This isn't for the big house, this is a middle-class piece, is it not?

Yeah, this is the professional.

Do I like it?

Well, why not?

As a furnishing piece, as a statement piece, that works.

And I'm telling you now, it will run away merrily.

It's a two train movement, which means it strikes on the hours.

OK, shall we test it?

You want me to test it, don't you?

VO: Go on then, test it.

(DULL RINGING) VO: Not exactly Big Ben, but it works.

Ta da!

What a testament to 19th century engineering.

But sadly, demand for such has fallen away and while it was worth maybe 150, £200 ten years ago, today at auction that's worth 50-£100.

Is that value for money, or what?

It is, yeah.

No-brainer.

VO: Right, where's Mark to try and strike a deal?

I would ask 50.

Would you haggle on 50?

To what?

Let's see.

I'll show you something else.

Go on, then.

VO: Paul fancies having a go at the hunting horn he spied earlier.

So, copper, brass and nickel hunting horn.

Not a really early one.

Early, I'd want to see dovetail seam, or a seam at least, it's a spun one, but it's named and it's not been abused.

Yes.

It's not got dents and bends.

What's that priced at, or what can it be?

This only came in yesterday.

I gave it a little polish.

How fresh to the market is that!

Somewhere around 50 for that one.

It seems too much for me.

Alright.

I'll offer you 20.

Would you go a little bit more?

Why don't we join them together then?

Alright, then.

50 for the pair.

That might be too hard to swallow.

Could you go to 60?

Could you stretch to 60?

PAUL: Yeah, I could.

MARK: Go on, then.

That's fair, it's meeting in the middle.

OK. Mark, what a pleasure.

Thank you.

VO: We're gathering momentum, Paul.

The mantel clock for £35 and hunting horn for £25.

Well done, boy.

Meanwhile, Claire has travelled to Leeds.

As we know, Claire loves everything railway and as a special treat, she's off to find out about a pioneer of steam power.

Oh goody.

(WHISTLE BLOWS) The invention that changed the world, the steam railway locomotive has been around for over 200 years.

Names such as James Watt and George Stephenson are synonymous with steam locomotives, but ingenious engineer and adopted son of the county of Leeds, Matthew Murray, is a forgotten hero of this once groundbreaking industry.

Without him, things could have been very different.

Claire is meeting with historian Neil Dowlan at the Middleton Railway.

How lovely.

Matthew Murray has no small role to play in the development of what we would now think of as classic Victorian engineering.

Used to have Greek and Roman columns on beam engines, all beautifully cast, beautiful lines.

A lot of that is down to people like Murray and he's one of the very earliest who were doing it.

VO: By the year 1810, the Napoleonic wars were gripping Europe.

There was a block on imports of grain and with the burgeoning war effort, there is a high demand for horses and hay.

Horses were vital to the local mines, therefore an alternative to horse power was greatly needed.

The estate manager at the time for manager of the colliery, a man called John Blenkinsop had to find a different solution to that and the solution he came up with was a locomotive railway and this is what Murray gets involved with.

The project itself, if you like, is masterminded by Blenkinsop.

He patents the rack motion which actually allows the locomotive to adhere to the track.

VO: The year was 1812, along with Blenkinsop's innovative rail design, Murray manufactured the first commercially successful steam locomotive in the world - the Salamanca.

However, Murray wasn't quick to patent his ideas, which meant others had free rein on his groundbreaking creations.

NEIL: These locomotives were apparently seen by people like George Stephenson and as a result, Stephenson takes some of Murray's ideas and uses them to create Puffing Billy and he becomes famous for locomotives, perhaps more than Murray is.

Murray's role is slightly forgotten, but still absolutely vital in the development of these machines.

It is the kickstart for the development of lasers and engineering side as well, particularly locomotive engineering and within a mile of here by the late 19th century, there are about half a dozen locomotive manufacturers.

VO: Without Murray's inventive mind, Leeds wouldn't have seen on the right track for steam power.

The cutting edge developments here were leading the world in replacing beast with machine and now for the bit Claire's been waiting for.

(WHISTLE BLOWS) So Neil, this is really where it all started isn't it?

In a way, yeah.

Every railway line around the world starts here.

This is the first steam railway, but it's forgotten because his name isn't on the patent.

But without Murray, it probably wouldn't have happened.

He's not bothered about whether he's famous, he's more interested in the spread of ideas and his legacy is actually that he created something that would change the 19th century.

VO: Humble and modest, Matthew Murray cared more about the development and progress of man than profits and patents.

His designs and skills proved so innovative that he created the blueprint for commercially successful steam locomotives.

Paul meanwhile has travelled 15 miles to the town of Barnsley in South Yorkshire.

He's on the hunt to harpoon some antiques booty.

Can he find it in here?

And he's got the Laidlaw eye on something.

What am I looking at?

A broken pot, priced at £225.

Why exactly?

Well, this is no ordinary pot.

You are likely to know, but you may not, that that's a puzzle jug, which has a tradition, certainly going back to late mediaeval times.

This vessel has one, two, three spouts.

Know what this is?

This is Russian roulette for drinkers, because if I go, and have a wee sup out of here and pick the wrong one, it's going to pour all over me, out of the other.

VO: We don't want that.

That's the wager, and it's a puzzle jug, the puzzle being which is the right spout to quaff from?

The medium here is tin-glazed earthenware and that accounts for all the damage, because if you look here, there's glaze losses everywhere.

I would call that fritting and worse still, there's a spout detached, but the fritting is a hallmark of authenticity and confirms an 18th-century date of origin.

VO: Oh, lovely thing.

The very helpful Rachel is phoning the dealer for the very best price on the £225 jug.

RACHEL: Bye bye, bye bye.

I'm not an optimistic man.

What was the damage on that?

200 quid?

No... What?

Slightly better.

OK, I need it to be a lot better, but slightly is interesting.

OK...Um...it would be 180.

Don't think it's dear, but it's not for me.

Right.

OK.

If I'm wanting to take it home for myself, I wouldn't haggle at 180 quid.

Really...?

But as a business proposition... VO: OK, no success there.

What's this, then?

Oh yes.

I'm an expert.

You're asking the right man.

No idea.

VO: Yes you do.

Well, I might have an idea.

I think it's a smoke bell.

It is indeed a 19th-century smoke bell to be hung over a candle lamp to stop the soot staining the ceiling.

He knew that all along.

No pricetag.

I'd buy that as a curio, but I wouldn't pay much for it.

Should I ask?

VO: Go on, then.

I should ask, shouldn't I?

It will be the only one in the auction.

Yeah, come on.

VO: Well, there you go.

Um... there is no pricetag on this.

Shall I show you where it was?

Yes, please, thank you very much.

It was sitting precisely there.

On our sale shelf?

Paul, this could well be your lucky day.

Is this...

It's a sale shelf!

It's a sale shelf.

It could well be your lucky day.

This could be exciting for you.

That's going to be no money, I guess.

I guess...

I guess you're right.

Single digits.

Just take it away.

Right, fine.

Fiver.

Five quid...um... Do you know what, I think we could do that for you.

I'm going to buy it and I'm going to stick it in an action and see what happens.

OK, go for it.

Before I do that, let me shake your hand.

OK!

Magic.

VO: Interesting, but not what you'd call a big money buy, but something is still on his mind.

Ah, yes.

He's asked Rachel to phone the owner of the puzzle jug once again, this time with a death defying bid of £100.

Steady.

Oh, that was quick.

Was it shockingly quick?

I know.

Never phone me again.

I didn't expect this at all.

OK...

But... Yeah...

He's actually agreed to 100 quid on it.

I didn't expect that at all, but he has.

What I'm trying not to do here... what I'm trying to do is maintain a professional demeanor, but what I want to do is, you know, along the lines of, you know, fist pumping and all that.

So...

Understood, yeah.

Let's stick to plan A, shall we?

We'll do this professionally and say, "Oh, thanks very much, Rachel.

That's very kind of you," as opposed to "Get in, give me a hug!"

There is no more I can say, is there?

Apart from, "Get in, give me a hug!"

I don't know what you have on that person, but it's obviously very powerful.

Well, one tried, one tried!

VO: I can't imagine what.

I think you could say he's pretty joyful about his purchases.

The smoke bell for £5 and the fascinating puzzle jug for £100.

As Claire makes her way to her next shop, she's in full-on rival mode.

I mean, one hopes he is under pressure and makes the odd bad decision.

I can but hope the pressure will get to him and he will crack.

VO: Naughty Claire.

VO: She's made it to her final shopping emporium in the town of Featherstone in West Yorkshire.

Now, she already has a total of five lots, but she's still on the hunt for more.

Bless her.

Hello, Linda.

Hiya Claire, pleased to meet you.

Good to meet you.

VO: Claire is under no pressure to buy, but something has tickled her fancy.

OK, crested China is not doing exactly doing what it used to, but it is the more unusual pieces that are still quite collected.

This is a Scarborough piece, a bathing hut.

VO: The Shelley potteries were renowned for producing china souvenirs of British holiday resorts, over 100 years.

There was a fish round here, let me just see where that was.

That's another Shelley one.

Fleetwood.

I reckon if I can get those really cheap, I might just have a stab at them.

VO: The bathing hut is priced at £10 and the little fish doesn't have a price.

Linda, where are you?

Claire wants to make a deal.

So I picked out things that you know, weren't expensive.

That's fine.

We'll do the pair for 12, is that acceptable?

Oh, I was hoping you might come down below the ten, sort of around about five or six.

If I do that one it...

I will do that one at seven and that one at three.

£10, the best.

Could we throw in for good measure, Whitley Bay.

How about throwing that in to add to it as a tenner?

That's fine.

Is that alright?

That's fine.

Brilliant.

Thank you very much, thanks.

VO: Claire adds the three pieces of crested pottery to the rest of her haul, the advertising sign, the travelling trunk, the arts and crafts wall clock, the gun case and the leather suitcase, which makes a total of six lots.

Claire has dug deep and spent £280 exactly.

Paul has a total of five lots, the Victorian hall lantern, the 19th century mantel clock, the hunting horn, the smoke bell, and the 18th century puzzle jug.

Paul has spent a total of £180.

Right, my darlings.

Thoughts on one another's collections, please.

Leather... (YAWNS) leather suitcase.

Do you know what?

If there's any justice, her luck with regards to suitcases ends here.

The lantern... difficult to actually tell on that one.

He didn't pay an awful lot of money for it.

Doesn't look that exciting... Am I worried?

Well, I would be, if I wasn't in the lead and I hadn't bought five excellent lots myself.

I'm absolutely gonna thrash him.

Yeah, look out Paul, I'm coming along, yeah!

VO: Oh-ho, I'm excited about this.

We're heading south for the penultimate auction in the city of Nottingham, where the girls are so pretty and all that.

For no reason whatsoever, I will be the sheriff of Nottingham Oh, you are going to be the baddie.

Moo-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

The baddie.

VO: Cor, he would be great in panto.

Arthur Johnson and sons have been in the auction biz for over a century.

Philip Poyser is wielding the mighty gavel today.

What are your thoughts on Paul and Claire's gaggle of goodies then?

The crested Shelley jugs...I think we're going to struggle a little bit.

There aren't that many buyers of crested ware at the moment.

My personal favorite is the Delph jug.

It's 250 years old, they're easily damaged, yet it survived.

VO: Thanks, Philip.

The auction is about to begin and we're live for internet bidding too.

Good noise, that.

Yeah, yeah.

There's a big crowd.

Busy, busy isn't it?

Yeah.

VO: It's a packed house and Paul's 18th century puzzle jug is up first.

Identical puzzle jug to this.

Identical.

Made £840 at auction about four years ago.

OK. VO: Well, here's hoping then.

Various bids of the book to start.

I'm going to start at 75.

75 bid.

80.

90, 100, 110.

120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250... 250.

In the room at 250.

260 online.

270 in the room.

In the room.

280 online.

290 in the room.

300 online.

Oh, she shakes her head.

Don't shake your head.

£300.

Oh, what?

320.

God bless that woman.

At 320.

350.

350.

At £350 online.

Being sold then, at 350.

Very well done.

Hand to you.

VO: Kay, what a way to start!

A phenomenal £250 profit.

No pressure on me now then.

VO: Well, you never know, someone might really want your crested china...maybe... £10.

Well, I'll take five.

Oh, no!

£5 anybody, for the crested ware?

Thank you, five.

At £5 bid, at five.

Well, this is going well, isn't it?

I'll take eight.

Eight.

Thank you, sir.

At £8.

One more'll do it, one more.

At £8 bid, at eight.

Make it ten.

At £8 on my right and it goes.

Done, sold at eight.

Oh no!

That'll teach me a lesson.

VO: I'm saying nothing.

Just bought them to wind you up really and I thought they were quite sweet.

Backfired that one, then, didn't it?

It did, didn't it?

Yeah.

I won't do that again.

VO: It's Paul's hunting horn next.

So I'm going 25 to start.

30, in the room now.

At 30, £30 bid.

At 30.

Five online.

40 in the room.

45 online.

It goes online then, at 45.

All out in the room and I sell at £45.

Could have done a bit more than that.

That's enough.

"That's quite enough from you, Laidlaw."

Yes, absolutely.

VO: Yep, Claire needs a fighting chance, Paul, but it's still a £20 profit.

Next up, Claire's 19th century travelling trunk.

£65 bid.

At 65.

70.

70's in the room.

Five's online.

The net's coming in, the room's in, commissions are out.

85 online.

90 in the room.

95 online.

100 in the room.

Here we go.

110 online.

120 in the saleroom.

130 online.

140 in the saleroom.

It's determined.

150 online.

150 bid.

At 150.

Stopped...oh, keep going.

Last look round and it goes at 150.

VO: That's more like it, Claire.

A profit.

Long may it continue.

That's a good buy by you and by the next buyer.

VO: Paul's next with the unusual smoke bell.

Beautiful piece of glass and utterly useless.

£12, I've got.

12.

12 with me.

At 12.

At 12 bid, 15.

18, 18 bid 20.

20 bid's in the aisle at 20.

I'm looking for five now.

At £20.

At 20.

Last call, then.

It goes, done, sold at 20.

VO: Well, it's not exactly practical, but it's still a beauty and a profit to boot.

Claire's leg of mutton gun case is next to go.

£20, please.

Well, ten.

Ten I've got.

Ten.

Ten bid.

At ten.

Well, this is going well.

Ten, 12.

12 bid.

This is for nothing.

At £12.

At 12.

At 12 bid.

15.

18.

20.

Five?

25 at the back now.

25.

At 25 bid.

25.

This is not good.

This is not good.

At 25.

Make it 30, please.

At 25.

Cheap, so cheap!

Being sold.

It goes.

Done at £25.

Oh, that's cheap.

That was bad, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

That was cheap, wasn't it?

VO: Someone's definitely got a good buy there.

It's Paul's mantel clock next.

I've got five absentee bids here.

I can start the bidding at 75.

No!

Oh, you jammy toad.

How dare you, madam!

At 75.

At £75 bid.

Well it's going, to the highest of the absentee bids at £75, and I sell, at 75.

Well, everyone's fainting in shock.

Take that.

I'll take that.

VO: Of course you will, Paul.

You're having a consistent run of profits so far.

Now I've got to try and get my happy face on.

Well done!

I hate you.

I hate you.

VO: Keep it together.

Claire loves a suitcase.

She's tasted success at two previous auctions.

Fingers crossed.

Well, everything crossed, actually.

Give me £20 to start on this, please.

Ten...bid.

Thank you, ten.

Ten I've got bid.

At ten.

Ten bid.

At ten.

Front row at ten.

At £10 bid.

At ten.

I'll take 12 now.

At £10, at ten.

For goodness' sake.

At £10.

Where it's going to the opening bid, then, at £10.

Suitcase market has...

Bombed out in Nottingham.

PAUL: Gone on holiday.

CLAIRE: It has.

VO: Cheer up, Claire, things might get better.

Right, that's the last time I buy a suitcase...

It's not though, is it?

It's not.

No, it won't be.

No, no.

VO: Claire's arts and crafts clock next, with the biffed-in face.

£20, then.

Bid, thank you.

Five, 25 bid, 30.

30 bid.

Five, 35 bid.

40?

40 bid.

At 40.

Gentleman's bid at 40.

Against you online as well, at 40 and I sell...

It goes at £40.

VO: Good on you, Claire, a much-needed profit.

Try and take that as some sort of... hope for the future.

VO: Up next, it's Paul's hall lantern.

At £40 bid, five.

50.

Five.

60.

£60 bid.

At 60.

It's a good day for you, isn't it?

What did I tell you?

On the hall lantern at 60.

At £60 bid and I sell...it goes... done at £60.

VO: Cor!

Profits with Paul today.

Yet another goody, eh?

It looked like an elephant had sat on it, but it was...it did really well.

VO: Claire's feeling the pain.

Can her advertising sign rescue her from the doldrums?

With me at 70.

At 70 bid, five.

80.

Five.

90.

Five.

100.

100 still... Oh, three figures, net.

At 100.

At 100 bid.

The bid's on commission.

At £100.

I'll take ten.

At £100...I sell... it goes...done at £100.

Well, it made a profit, Can't argue with that.

..made a profit.

Can't argue with that.

So there we are.

VO: And a pretty good one, Claire.

Plenty of profits.

Shall we?

Yeah, we'd better go.

Onto the next, yeah.

VO: Let's tot up the sums, eh?

Claire began the penultimate leg with £466.84 and after auction costs she's made a tiny loss of £6.94.

Claire begins final leg with a respectable £459.90.

No shame in that.

Paul though, began with £611.90 and has made a whopper of a profit of £271.

Nice work, that man.

The mighty Laidlaw has a hat-trick of auction wins and has a king-sized £882.90 for the final leg.

We've got one more crack at this.

One more.

My last big chance.

VO: Bye bye, road trippers.

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip, it's the last leg and Claire and Paul are bonding.

Ah.

What he eats... can't tell you.

It's not nice.

You don't like my garlic aftershave after all.

Eugh.

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