VO: It's the nation's favorite antiques experts, with £200 each, a classic car, and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

Going, going, gone.

Yes!

I think I've arrived.

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

But it's no mean feat.

Yes!

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

Tails.

VO: So, will it be the high road to glory, or the slow road to disaster?

Argh, argh!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

VO: Yeah!

VO: It's Scotland versus England on the third leg of the Road Trip, with Englishman David Harper and Scots born Paul Laidlaw.

When negotiating a bargain, savvy southerner David likes to leave it to lady luck to decide.

What do you want?

Heads?

DAVID: Tails.

VO: Whereas canny Caledonian Paul's buying habits can only be described as, well... PAUL: Quirky.

And I'm not ashamed.

OK, I feel slightly dirty.

VO: David started the week with £200, but two auctions later managed to increase his loot to £214.60.

Not much to live on.

VO: Paul started with the same amount but his pockets have bulged to an impressive £369.40.

Better.

VO: It's another glorious day in the British countryside!

Actually, they're battling the elements in this red 1968 Triumph Herald.

DAVID: A moment ago, wearing our sunglasses.

PAUL: Yes.

DAVID: It was OK, sort of warmish, wasn't it?

PAUL: Bracing.

DAVID: Bracing.

But doable.

PAUL: Absolutely.

DAVID: Now, suddenly we've gone to November.

PAUL: Indeed.

DAVID: This is a time traveling machine, isn't it?

BOTH: (LAUGH) VO: On this route, our fearless compadres started in Windermere in the Lake District, traveling a 600 mile journey to the city of Dundee.

Today they're starting in Hexham in Northumberland before heading northwest across the Scottish border for auction in Dumfries.

VO: Located just a few miles south of Hadrian's Wall, the charming market town of Hexham was once a key border town.

It has played scene to many battles between the Scots and the English.

Today it's host to another one, with auction riches and reputations at stake.

Ugh.

There we are, Paul.

Hexham, I presume.

First day shopping.

DAVID: Raring to go.

Good luck, my man.

See you later.

Have a good one.

VO: Such good sportsmanship, chaps!

Paul is popping in to the family run Ashbourne House Antiques to bag the first bargain of the trip.

PAUL: I've not introduced myself.

I'm Paul.

Oh hello, I'm Beryl.

Beryl, it is good to see you.

And this is yours?

Yes, it is indeed.

VO: This place has a lot of antique militaria, much from the first and second world wars.

As a keen collector, that should be right up Paul's street.

PAUL: A lamp above.

Yeah.

VO: But this doesn't look military to me.

PAUL: I love this.

This is a superb... Look, I've got to say it, horrible word, quirky, look, I said it.

And I'm not ashamed.

OK, I feel slightly dirty.

You know what that is.

That's a Wee Willy Winkie style chamber stick, is it not?

It's a little portable candle stick to get one from chamber to chamber in the dark hours of the night.

VO: We have light switches for that sort of thing nowadays.

It's battery operated and possibly from the 1940s, made from Bakelite plastic.

It's ticketed at £26.

PAUL: Bit of a problem.

Little breakage.

Never buy anything you're going to have to apologize for.

Golden rule.

But I'm still tempted.

It's great, isn't it?

VO: I don't know, it might give me sleepless nights, if I had to sell that at auction.

Something a bit more weighty has caught Paul's eye.

It's a late 19th or early 20th century marine navigational sextant or quadrant.

Seafarers would use one to measure the angle between two objects in the sky, and plot their exact position at sea.

It's a good thing.

It's a good thing, look at that.

VO: Hm, but good enough for its £200 ticket price?

PAUL: If it's going to be two, I can't buy it.

What about 180?

PAUL: It's not enough.

I tell you what I want to do.

I want to try and buy something else from you.

I picked that up.

BERYL: That has...

I know it's damaged.

What a shame, but isn't it just...crazy?

Love it.

But a straight 20 would be alright.

Ah, no, no, no.

So I want to give you, so you know where I stand, I want to give you £10 for that and 150 for that, but we're not striking a deal right now, but that's where I stand, OK?

BERYL: No, indeed we're not.

No, no indeed.

Right.

VO: Beryl doesn't seem to be budging.

Paul is wandering around but isn't particularly keen on much else.

Is this a tactic to soften Beryl up for his final offer?

It could be a good strategy, this.

PAUL: Are you gonna give me that sextant for 150 quid then?

160 for the sextant and the Bakelite.

A wee candlestick which is a bit of frivolity, and the sextant is what it is, I know exactly what we're talking about, I'm happy to take a punt at it.

160.

Go on, then.

Thanks, Beryl.

Loving your work.

VO: The wandering around seems to have worked!

Beryl seems happy with the price, and Paul's secured his first piece and that "Wee Willie Winkie" for £160.

Marvelous!

Meanwhile David has arrived at the nearby Malcolm Eglin Antiques, and this must be Malcolm!

Hello, Malcolm.

Hello Malcolm, David Harper.

MALCOLM: Nice to see you.

DAVID: I love those trousers.

MALCOLM: Just borrowed them for this morning.

DAVID: Did you really?

It would have been ironic if I'd put mine on, wouldn't it?

Yeah, I brought a change just in case!

Did you?

No, I'm teasing.

I'm teasing.

VO: Malcolm's a man prepared for any eventuality, but is he prepared for David's hard bargaining?

His shop is family owned, and has a nice homely feel to it.

DAVID: This is really how antiques shop are going, this is how they should be presented.

It gives you an idea of how an object might look in your house, rather than just piling stuff in, it's so well done, everything's clean and fresh, and you could feel it in your own home.

VO: David is £155 behind Paul, so needs something impressive on this trip to bridge the gap.

So, as ever, he has set his eyes to the Orient for inspiration.

This 19th century Chinese games board looks like it's made from lacquered wood and papier-mache.

It may have been made for export around the 1880s and has a ticket price of £165, but David will want a discount.

Of course.

MALCOLM: 165 on the ticket, how would it be at 110?

Yeah.

I mean, it's nice, it's nice.

Where do you want to be with it?

DAVID: Oh, I daren't say.

MALCOLM: If you daren't say, don't say it.

I know, well, I dare, really.

But yeah!

VO: It's not like you to be bashful, David.

There is a photo on the wall however that I think is quite priceless.

DAVID: Oh no, please.

Can I not go anywhere without seeing this character?

VO: No, you cannot!

DAVID: He gets everywhere.

VO: Yeah well somebody's got to keep an eye on you lot!

David's back at the games set again - he is certainly keen on it and is ready to make a new offer, I fancy.

For me to get out of it, 90.

Yeah.

It's... That's got to be a profit in that, David.

It couldn't be 60?

I tell you what, shake on 80.

I'll do it at 70.

Couldn't.

I'm not gonna lose on it.

Sorry.

I know.

I know.

I'm being mercenary, only cuz I have to be for this one.

Because he's blinking thrashing me, Malcolm, that's what he's doing, trashing me.

VO: OK, here we go, it looks like he's playing the sympathy card.

Come on, 75, and I'll take the five off.

Good man, thank you very much.

Good man.

OK. No problem, no problem.

VO: It worked!

Is this a new negotiating tactic from David?

Another string to his bow?

First item bagged, which is just as well as Paul is on his way.

Well, about time, Laidlaw.

Compadre!

The sun is shining... And here comes a groin strain.

Whahey!

Hang on!

Wait a minute David, have you stolen something?

Am I technically a getaway driver?

Hang on.

And...

Yes.

PAUL: Boot it!

VO: Oh crikey, Batman's job's safe!

VO: Paul's driving David 12 miles to the village of Mickley in Northumberland.

Here you go.

Thank you very much indeed.

This is my treat for the day.

I am looking forward to hearing how this goes, I envy you this one.

Do you?

Yeah.

Cracking.

Have a good shop.

Enjoy, I know you will.

I will, see you later, Paul.

PAUL: See you later.

DAVID: Bye.

VO: David's visiting the exquisite Cherryburn House, the birthplace of 18th century naturalist and trailblazing print artist Thomas Bewick.

David's meeting Emily Bryce from the National Trust.

You must be Emily.

Hello.

Hi, nice to meet you.

Thank you very much, and I see you've just been admiring that wonderful northeastern view there.

EMILY: Yeah, it's really something quite special, particularly on a day like today.

VO: Thomas Bewick spent his formative years at the Cherryburn farmhouse.

It's here he developed a passion for ornithology, which, together with his artistic flair, enabled him to make precise drawings of the wildlife around him.

Aged 14, Bewick became an engraver in Newcastle, but this museum at Cherryburn still retains examples of his work.

EMILY: It's a first edition of the History of British Birds, which was Bewick's second major work, and this is the land birds version of it, he also did a water birds book.

And you can get to see lots of very intricate images of the birds themselves.

VO: During the day Bewick engraved business signs, but in the evenings he would work on great illustrations that would reveal his true creative craftsmanship.

EMILY: He started off by doing drawings from stuffed birds.

Oh, did he?

EMILY: But what he decided was that actually, the stuffed birds, they were never sort of posed in natural poses, so he didn't like that, he used to ask people when they would go shooting or kill a bird to either post one to him, or he got them from a whole range of sources, so what you found was that he was getting them through the post.

VO: Bewick developed a method of using engraving machinery to create complex printed images.

This is a replica of the printing press that would have featured at Bewick's workshop in Newcastle.

It's operated by historic printing advisor Christopher Bacon.

This is the original wood engraved block made by Thomas Bewick, and it's from the picture you've just been looking at.

What's interesting about it is you can actually see that the block has been relieved to different levels.

This was all part of his technique, it meant that lower levels would actually ink more lightly, and the higher levels would have more ink and they'll get the pressure first when the platen comes down.

VO: This was a completely new innovation.

Until this point, most printing plates had been flat and if you wanted an engraving it would need to be done on a copper plate.

But Bewick combined the skills he learned as an engraver to create something special.

There you can see the detailing.

DAVID: Oh my golly gosh.

CHRISTOPHER: Thank you very much indeed!

VO: Bewick revolutionized print art in Georgian England, and Cherryburn House offers a snapshot of the 18th century rural life of perhaps Northumberland's greatest artist.

VO: Whilst David is in Mickley, Paul has driven to the seaside town of Whitley Bay to take in some bracing sea air.

VO: The town was simply known as Whitley until the 1880s, but constant confusion with the town of Whitby in the North Yorkshire led to a rechristening with the simple addition of the word bay.

One place that has kept the old name though is Whitley Jewellery and Antiques, and that's where Paul is.

It's bright but it's parky out there, I'll tell you.

PAUL: Nice to meet you.

PHILIP: You are?

Philip.

Philip, good to see you, I'm Paul.

And Linda, my wife.

Linda, how are you?

I'm fine thanks, Paul.

Good to see you.

VO: Formalities out of the way, Paul likes to make his way around each shop clockwise...or is that anticlockwise?

Now I've deviated, haven't I?

I was clockwise, and now I've gone there, that's all wrong.

That's how you miss stuff.

VO: Easy mistake to make I guess!

Paul's going for a deep rummage - his eagle eyes have spotted something though shining on the floor.

PAUL: How bizarre.

Never seen the likes.

Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee, and one of the Queen of Hearts' pages.

VO: These brass plaques feature the characters from the original novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and are probably late 19th or early 20th century.

PAUL: Amazing, but too far gone, aren't they?

Polished to oblivion.

VO: Someone's had a right good go at cleaning these and it's taken a bit of the shine off them.

PAUL: Is there any money on the brass plaques?

Are they dear, or are they not dear?

Well, we've got them marked up at £25 each.

PAUL: So they're dear in my book!

PHILIP: You think they're dear, do you?

PAUL: I do.

See if they were sharp, they're worth a punt.

VO: Paul looks like he's deep in thought about Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.

Are they really worth £50?

And can he do a deal?

I do want to buy something, to be honest with you.

I want to buy something, but I'm not a gambler, and I am going to make you a puny wee offer.

Right.

Of a tenner.

Each?

Nah.

VO: Oh, he drives a hard bargain!

PHILIP: I'll see what I can do for you.

Look at all that damage.

PHILIP: Shall we go in the middle?

15?

PAUL: I'm offering you a tenner.

Ah, Paul.

You know what you need to do next time?

Not have them buried in the corner, as though you'd given up all hope of getting anything for them!

PAUL: That is sending me a subliminal message!

PHILIP: That'd be lovely, you can have them for 10.

You, my friend, are a good man.

Thank you very much!

PHILIP: Thank you.

VO: Can there be a better pair of mascots than Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee to join our wondrous road trip?

VO: Having avoided any white rabbits, Paul's picked up David and the two seek shelter for the evening.

So night night.

VO: It's the start of a new day on the road!

So, you've got a lot of shopping to do today.

Yeah, I do, I'm excited, I'm raring to go.

DAVID: I just want to get on the ground, and I want to get buying.

DAVID: The evil laugh is out!

PAUL: Just as I had suspected.

He's fallen for my plan.

VO: Oh lordy!

Yesterday David splashed out £75 on a 19th century Chinese games board, leaving him £139.60.

Paul pushed the boat out, spending £170 on the marine navigational aid, a Bakelite chamber stick and two brass plaques, leaving him £199.40 today.

VO: This morning the boys are off to the historic coastal borough of Tynemouth.

They're heading straight to Tynemouth Market, a place that's just about big enough for the two of them.

OK, left or right?

Well, there's nothing that way, you go that way.

Aw, David!

You... You... David, it was meant in jest.

DAVID: Look at all that, and I've got... Good luck.

See you later.

VO: Get on with it then!

Tynemouth Market is based at Tynemouth's magnificent railway station.

It's a working railway station for the Tyne and Wear Metro, but at weekends it transforms into a bustling marketplace.

They sell just about everything imaginable here.

Cracking pair of boots there.

That was a fine man, a gentleman that wore those.

Oh yes.

Gee whiz, can you imagine?

VO: But with so many stalls to choose from, it's a race to see who bags the best bargains first.

I've not got time to think about what David's up to, he'll be a man on a mission, a machine, a bargain hunting terminator.

VO: Our David though is no terminator, he's actually a pussycat!

But he is on a mission.

DAVID: 1959, Paul, will remember that, he would have been... How old is he now?

..75, he would have been I suppose just getting married in 59.

He looks good, mind, but he's had a few operations.

VO: Ho, ho, ho.

I didn't think he was as young as that!

Speaking of things of a fair age, David's picked up a silver lady's parasol handle in the form of a swan.

DAVID: It's a novelty thing, but missing the eye is a major problem, isn't it?

DEALER: It is, yeah.

DAVID: Gosh, that would have been a very fine piece of kit, made for a lady of quite some substance.

VO: It's hallmarked 1901 but has a bit of damage.

Silver can sell quite well, but is it worth the £50 dealer Chris is asking for it?

DAVID: I can't do it.

I mean, I'd like to own it because it's an item of quality.

DEALER: It has got a little bit of damage on there.

It's got damage.

What's a price that you would like to buy it at?

Well, I'd love it at a tenner, but I'm not gonna get it, am I?

DEALER: No, not at 10.

DAVID: OK.

Anywhere near?

DEALER: Um, I think the bottom would have to be 30.

Make it 20 and I'll have it.

Let's do some business.

25.

Spin you for it?

20 or 25?

OK. VO: Oh lordy, he's not going to try this old trick again is he?

If he wins he gets it for 20, lose and it's 25.

DAVID: OK, what do you want?

DEALER: Heads.

DAVID: Tails.

VO: Ha, fluke!

And for just £20 let's hope he's even luckier at the auction.

DAVID: First purchase, first stall, this is what I like.

VO: Paul meanwhile is on the other side of the concourse and is being called towards some vintage phones.

PAUL: I mean, I'm a man for my vintage technology and instruments.

These are style icons, are they not?

VO: A bit like yourself, Paul!

But are they stylish enough to pay dealer David £48 for them?

They look magic, they look absolutely spectacular.

Clearly you've worked on these, these are good to go.

Plug them in and you're away.

DEALER: That's right.

PAUL: Could you sell me one of these at a knock down price?

Er, it depends on what the knock down price is.

Well, I don't know, what am I gonna buy for 25 quid?

Anything?

No, I'm afraid not.

PAUL: The red and ivory affair... DEALER: I've got that at 48.

And I would take 38.

PAUL: There any way on God's earth you'd take 30 quid for it?

It's a one off, so I would agree to do that.

PAUL: You're a good man, I like your style in every regard.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for that.

I'll give you some money.

OK. VO: Whilst Paul secures his first item of the day, David is still struggling to find something he likes.

So much choice, and potentially so little time.

He knows he needs to buy carefully if he wants to close the £155 lead Paul has on him.

Speaking of which, Paul is eyeing up these watchmaker's glasses priced at £40.

Now, if you have a broken glass on an old watch, it's nearly impossible to ever find a replacement.

PAUL: An interesting thing, isn't it?

You got much money in that?

Trying to get about 40 for them.

PAUL: Have you been trying for long, is the question!

DEALER: I've had that about two years.

PAUL: No!

Oh, let me have another wee look at it, yeah.

VO: The set comes with several rubber tools and glasses to repair many different types of watches.

However, there is a part missing.

Could dealer David take another offer?

Looks like a mandrill that's missing.

Bid you a tenner for it.

Take it off your hands, two years later.

DEALER: 15.

Take the money and run!

DEALER: 15.

PAUL: Tenner.

I'll meet you half way, 12.

PAUL: It's a deal.

Cheers, my man.

Thanks for that.

VO: The watch glasses join the phone, making up a £42 haul for Paul.

David however is still wandering around, but can't see anything else he fancies.

But with just two items against Paul's five and with one more shop to go, he really needs to start buying.

But it looks like he's decided it's not to be.

VO: Paul, having completed his shopping, is heading north, up the coast to the former mining town of Ashington.

VO: Woodhorn Museum records the rich mining history of the town, but that's not the reason he's here today.

Paul has come to hear about one of the key turning points of the Second World War - the capture of the German coding machine Enigma.

Whilst the Enigma isn't here, Paul is meeting Charles Baker-Cresswell.

His father captured the first Enigma machine seized during the war.

Hello.

Is it Charles?

It's Charles.

Pleased to meet you, I'm Paul.

Good, great.

VO: Britain required more than a million tonnes of imported material per week in order to survive the war.

Charles' father AJ Baker-Cresswell was a commanding officer of HMS Bulldog.

During the war he ensured the safe passage of merchant ships, supplying essential materials and food for the war effort.

PAUL: My word, he cuts quite a fine dash in his naval uniform!

CHARLES: He does, he was a good looking man.

PAUL: So this would be I assume it was the tail end of the First World War?

Yes, I would think so.

Yeah.

VO: On 9 May 1941 their convoy was fired upon by German U-boat 110.

They returned fire, crippling the German U-boat, forcing them to abandon ship and surrender.

Crucially the U-boat stayed afloat, giving Commander Baker-Cresswell's crew a rare chance to get their hands on the elusive Enigma machine.

And there is a photograph taken by my father from the bridge.

PAUL: Oh my God.

CHARLES: That is HMS Bulldog, that's U110.

Those are the British sailors on the U-boat.

PAUL: And she' down at the stern already.

CHARLES: She's down at the stern, and Lieutenant Balme, who was a young man of 19 then, he went down the hole, in the U-boat, and the whole lot went down, started passing stuff up, everything, anything, including the encoding machine.

PAUL: My word.

And knowing that at any point, this thing could go under.

CHARLES: She could go under, yeah.

PAUL: My word, bravery.

VO: Once in their hands though, code breakers worked to understand the machine.

Within a few months they were finally able to decipher top secret German military instructions.

PAUL: By capturing this Enigma machine from 110, it resulted in the saving of countless lives because we had broken the Enigma code, and we knew what the Germans were up to... Oh.

VO: Historians believe the capture and cracking of the Enigma code shortened the war by two years, saving many lives.

But the enigma machine wasn't the only treasure Baker-Cresswell's crew found that day.

CHARLES: This is a chronometer that my father got out.

Being a navigator, he was interested.

PAUL: This is the actual ship's chronometer, from U110?

CHARLES: Absolutely.

PAUL: My word!

CHARLES: And there is the German sea eagle.

PAUL: Ownership mark of the kriegsmarine.

CHARLES: And here is the sextant, which my father also took star shots from the Bulldog with that same night.

PAUL: My word, would you believe I bought one of these yesterday?

Did you?

Albeit not a kriegsmarine example!

My word.

Well, I hope it works well.

VO: Addison Joe Baker-Cresswell played a pivotal role in turning the war around, living well into his 90s.

A true British hero.

May I thank you sincerely for treating me to that.

VO: Whilst Paul hears about an amazing piece of history, David is still hunting for a bargain.

He's popped along to the leafy suburbs of Jesmond, north of Newcastle city center.

VO: He's now at the Fern Avenue Antique Centre, his final shop of this trip.

But with only £119 left and just two items in the bag, he really needs to do some buying.

NEIL: Hello there.

Hi.

Hello, David Harper.

I'm Neil, nice to meet you.

Hello, Neil.

Great to meet you too.

So what's your position here?

I'm sort of general manager.

Oh, OK, OK. Top salesman.

NEIL: Yes.

DAVID: Ah right, OK. Well, hopefully today!

Oh I see, I like that.

Keenness, keenness.

VO: This shop has a range of goods from around 12 different dealers.

Urgh, gosh, there's so much to look at!

What is this?

What is that?

VO: David's picked up a cast iron figure of a horse drawn carriage.

DAVID: So what we have there then is a child's toy.

Purporting to be from the very late 19th century, circa say 1900, which if I was really confident it was from that period, that would be the cheapest thing I've bought on this road trip so far at 20 quid, but it's a funky, funky monkey.

VO: They're not monkeys, they're horses.

Funky perhaps, but tricky to date precisely.

Can you make a call and bid them a tenner?

Just for a bit of fun.

NEIL: Right, go and see, yes.

That would...if I could own that for a tenner, it's really chancey, it's the kind of thing in auction that could surprise you.

VO: Good fun it may be, but can you get a few pounds off?

Neil has called the dealer to find out.

Come on, Neil.

Very best he can do would be £15, David.

£15, I've gotta buy something Neil, thank you very much indeed.

That's good, OK. VO: A nice addition to David's collection, but let's hope he won't be flogging a dead horse with this at auction.

He's not stopping there though.

DAVID: Quite like that.

VO: Really?

I'm sure somewhere there's a disco missing its table.

This one has a ticket price of £40.

DAVID: A bit greasy.

VO: Well they do say "Grease is the word"!

God only knows what this thing's seen.

VO: Lots of flared trousers and cravats I guess.

DAVID: See, this is a 20th century thing, obviously, but it's got that kind of bejazzle look, hasn't it?

VO: Bejazzled?

What is he on about?

DAVID: Bid him 20 quid, please.

I'm sorry, first of all, say I'm very sorry.

NEIL: Yeah.

DAVID: Right, for being horrible.

NEIL: No, no, no, no, don't worry.

But, alright, bid him 20.

That'll be bonkers if I buy that.

NEIL: He's very, very, very sorry, but it has to be 40.

DAVID: Really?

NEIL: Yes.

He's very, very, very sorry?

DAVID: Very, very, very sorry.

Is he?

If I was even sorrier, he wouldn't come down a bit more?

NEIL: No.

DAVID: No?

VO: It looks like it's not to be, David wants a better discount than that.

Whilst he mulls it over it he's spotted a large brass bowl, possibly 19th century north African, for burning charcoal.

It has a ticket price of £75.

DAVID: What can that be?

Um, £40 would be the best I could do on that.

40 quid?

VO: Neil's offering him a whopping £35 discount on that.

DAVID: It's got the exotic, hasn't it, the exotic feel to it, which is fantastic.

Um, I think I'm gonna have to have it.

Right, that's good.

I've got to have it, £40.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, purchase number two.

VO: Two purchases in the bag, but David still has that table on his mind, and has asked Neil to offer the dealer £30 for it.

He won't come down below 40.

Seriously?

Yeah.

Oh right.

If you were in my shoes Neil, would you take a chance?

I would take a chance on it.

Shall I take a chance?

Yes.

Neil, I'm gonna take a chance.

Alright, thanks a lot, that's a quirky bunch of purchases!

Quirky bunch.

Thank you very much indeed.

VO: It certainly is, £95 conceivably well spent on three items.

And as the shops close on the final day it's time for our fellows to reveal their wares.

DAVID: I think it's my turn to go first.

Voila!

Yeah, I'll tell you what, I'd walk up to your stall at a fair.

Is that cast iron?

DAVID: Yes, it's cast iron.

PAUL: Looks substantial.

It's a cast iron, late 19th century style piece.

PAUL: You're hoping it'll make 40-80 quid again.

That's what I'm hoping for.

What did you pay for it?

£15.

Right, now.

One, two, three, four.

VO: Have you lost something, David?

I was looking down at my fifth item thinking 'well someone's put this old manky table there', but it's mine.

VO: Yes it is, in all its glory!

DAVID: Think 1980s, discotheque.

PAUL: It's broken and oxidized and ghastly.

DAVID: I know, thanks.

I know, it's great, isn't it?

It's 20th century funk.

It's something that rhymes with funk.

VO: Junk?

Well, a bit harsh perhaps!

PAUL: Come on, how much did you pay for it?

Come on!

Oh my lord, 40 quid.

Behave yourself.

You paid four quid for that.

I did, I paid £40 for it.

I couldn't help it, Paul, it's different.

It's different from sellable!

VO: I get the feeling Paul doesn't like it!

OK, move on.

That looks rubbish, doesn't it?

DAVID: No.

I love the colors.

PAUL: Isn't it magic?

DAVID: Love the colors, that's what would draw me to it.

A plain red one or a cream one, in a general auction, I've no idea.

20-40, 20-30?

PAUL: I think it's 30-50.

DAVID: Yeah.

So we're in agreement, there or thereabouts.

So I paid 30 quid for it.

OK. What's in there?

PAUL: That is a 19th century marine sextant.

DAVID: Oh my gosh.

PAUL: Navigation aid.

That's your one, isn't it?

That's the one.

Paid 150 squids for that.

DAVID: OK, well, you know, pff.

I hope it makes 250.

I think it's got every chance.

That's good, that's your star lot.

PAUL: Without a shadow of a doubt.

DAVID: So I think a very, very interesting table yet again.

Another good spread.

Paul, look forward to Dumfries.

See you at the auction.

VO: Indeed, but first I want to hear what they really think about each other's lots.

Biggest scary number has got to be the sextant.

That could be very meaty, and it's quite worrying.

The two things I preferred the most were the Alice in Wonderland plates, in terrible condition, but pretty rare too, so they may be a surprise.

For me, it's all about the table.

The table is a hole in his fortunes, no two ways about it.

The silver parasol handle, it's a smart thing, it's silver.

Could make him a decent profit.

I personally like the Chinese games box.

I can't call this one.

Good offering.

It's going to be an interesting sale.

VO: You're right, so let's get on with it!

VO: After shopping in England, the boys are heading across the Pennines and up to Scotland and Dumfries for today's auction.

VO: Located near the mouth of the river Nith into the Solway Firth, Dumfries has a strong connection with Robert Burns.

It's where the Scots poet spent the final years of his life.

Our very own wee sleekit cow'rin tim'rous beasties have finally arrived at Thomson Roddick Scottish Auctions.

It's the scene of today's auction showdown.

PAUL: Oh, he's gonna take the sign out.

DAVID: Thank you very much.

PAUL: I'd expect nothing less, driver.

DAVID: Thank you.

We have landed.

VO: This family owned auction house was founded in 1880, and fifth generation auctioneer Sybelle Thomson will be at the podium today.

She has some thoughts on the boys' lots, particularly the sextant.

Sybelle: The sextant is interesting, unfortunately we believe it's actually a quadrant rather than a sextant, a quadrant is a quarter of a circle and a sextant is a sixth of a circle.

The umbrella handle, it's got lovely decoration, and I think it'll actually hopefully do quite well.

A very glitzy looking mirrored table, but maybe slightly out of fashion in the present market, but you never know with changing tastes.

It looks very much like something that came out of a 1970s nightclub in Blackpool or somewhere.

VO: David started this leg with £214.60 and has gone on to spend £190 on five auction lots.

Paul meanwhile kicked off with £369.40 and has parted with £212 also for five lots.

So let the auction begin!

First up it's game on for David's Chinese games board.

Start it at £32, 32.

PAUL: Off and running, where's it gonna go?

AUCTIONEER: 38, 40... two, five, eight, 50.

David Harper!

AUCTIONEER: 60, five, 70, five... DAVID: Come on.

PAUL: You're on a knife edge.

AUCTIONEER: £75.

914.

VO: That's exactly what he paid for it, but after costs it works out at a loss for David.

That's what I'm here for, you know that, to make you look good.

You're my fall guy!

VO: Next it's high time for Paul's watch glasses.

Start straight in at 10 bid, 10 bid, 10 bid.

12.

15.

18.

PAUL: Oh, more than that.

Yeah, yeah.

GO on, it's worth a punt, this.

DAVID: No, no more.

That's all the money.

30.

£30, any advance on 30?

DAVID: It's horrible.

VO: A great result for Paul's watch glasses, more than doubling his money.

Not bad that, Paul.

Well done.

VO: Next, will Paul's slightly damaged Bakelite lamp hold its own in the cold light of day?

£10, 10, 10 bid, 10 bid...

They're in straight away.

AUCTIONEER: 15, 18, 20, two, five, 25, any advance on 25?

DAVID: Must have a handle!

At 25.

VO: The Bakelite has done incredibly well, delivering £15 profit.

Well done, no seriously, well done, that was good.

VO: It's time for Paul's retro telephone.

AUCTIONEER: Start it at 18 bid.

18, 20.

Two, five, eight, 30.

£30, gentleman on my left, at 32.

DAVID: No!

AUCTIONEER: 35.

35.

PAUL: Isn't it keen at that?

At £35.

VO: A profit, but after costs there won't be much left for Paul.

Got out of that one.

Just got out of that.

You've gone red!

VO: David's second item for auction is the copper and brass charcoal burner.

10 bid, 12, 12, 15.

18.

20, two, five, eight, 30.

PAUL: Bobbing along, bobbing along.

AUCTIONEER: 30, 32, 35, 38, 40.

42, 45... DAVID: Yes!

PAUL: Oh!

AUCTIONEER: At £45.

VO: Again after costs David's just about broken even.

I made a fiver, didn't I?

On paper.

PAUL: Before charges.

DAVID: Oh.

Horrible Paul!

VO: Will Paul's Alice in Wonderland brass plaques work wonders for his profits?

20 bid, 20 bid, 22.

PAUL: Come on.

DAVID: Ooh.

AUCTIONEER: 25, 28, 30, 32, 35, 38, 40, 42, 45, 48, 50, 55, the bid's with the lady at 55.

£55, and your number is... VO: An incredible profit for Paul.

Unbelievable.

What?!

Unbelievable.

Another discerning purchase.

I know.

VO: So far David has started with a canter.

Could his toy carriage gallop into the lead?

I'm going to start at £45, 48.

50, five, 60, five, 70, five, 75, now it's on commission... PAUL: Come on, Dobbs.

75.

DAVID: Come on.

AUCTIONEER: At £75.

VO: A triumph for David, who has been just about breaking even thus far.

Well done, man, well done.

Get in there!

Good buy, good buy, 15 to 75?

Get in!

Lovely, lovely.

I need that so badly.

VO: It's time for Paul's sextant, or is that a quadrant?

Start it at £100.

100.

110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160.

DAVID: Oh, well done.

170, 180, 190, 200.

New bidder, 210.

220, 230, It's made its money now.

AUCTIONEER: Any advance on £230?

VO: With £80, profit Paul will be very happy with that.

That feels good.

Seriously.

Cheers, man.

Seriously.

Get in there!

Argh, argh!

VO: Haha!

Next up is David's swan parasol handle.

20 bid, everywhere.

22.

Everywhere.

Sea of hands.

30, two, five, eight, 40... Come on baby, come on baby.

AUCTIONEER: two, five... ..45, 48, 50, five, 60, five... DAVID: Go on.

PAUL: Getting there now.

AUCTIONEER: Away on my left at £65.

VO: A very nice £45 profit for David.

Last one to go.

You're up.

I'm up.

I could go down.

PAUL: Could?

DAVID: I could.

Could.

Could?

Will!

VO: It's all down to that final lot - David's mirrored table!

AUCTIONEER: 20 bid, 22, 25... PAUL: What's happening?

AUCTIONEER: 30... PAUL: This can't be your lot.

AUCTIONEER: ..five, eight, 40.

Go on!

Get me some profit.

AUCTIONEER: Can I tempt anybody else?

DAVID: Go on!

AUCTIONEER: 42, at £42.

VO: Everyone thought it would bomb, and although after cost it's a loss, a lot less than they had thought.

Pass me a piece of that humble pie.

Well, no, you were right, cuz I made a slight loss.

It wasn't the fiver that you wanted!

You got out of it!

Unbelievable.

VO: David started this leg with £214.60.

After auction costs he made a profit of £57.64, ending the leg with a total of £272.24.

VO: Paul meanwhile started with £369.40, but after costs made a profit of £95.50, thereby winning this leg of the road trip with £464.90.

Sunlight, give me sunshine.

And a warm glow from within as well, given those results, my man!

A warmer glow for you, but well done.

Well done.

PAUL: Thank you.

DAVID: What's wrong with that bonnet?

Three down, two to go.

DAVID: There's still chance.

PAUL: I don't want this one to end.

DAVID: Which way are you going?

That's the way out.

VO: Onwards and upwards, then, chaps!

PAUL: Path of least resistance.

DAVID: Next leg, it's gonna be mine.

It's gonna be mine.

VO: Next time on the Antiques Road Trip: Paul tries to get into the mind of his opponent.

David Harper would buy that, wouldn't he?

VO: Whilst David's luck begins to change.

This is the start of the big comeback.

Laidlaw.

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