[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: It's the nation's favorite antiques experts-- What a job.

NARRATOR: --with 200 pounds each-- You with me?

NARRATOR: --a classic car-- Buckle up.

NARRATOR: --and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Oh, sorry.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: The aim, to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

They'll be worthy winners-- Yes!

NARRATOR: --and valiant losers.

So, will it be the high road to glory-- [LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: --or the slow road to disaster?

Have a good trip.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: This is the "Antiques Road Trip."

[THEME MUSIC] MAN: Yeah.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Hang about.

It's only the fourth leg of the road trip with auctioneer Paul Laidlaw and dealer Margie Cooper.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Here we go.

We're heading on to midday.

[LAUGHS] Past the halfway point.

And I'm feeling quite happy this morning.

NARRATOR: Mm.

Positively perky.

PAUL LAIDLAW: This is bit I like.

I like the bit where we're just tootling about.

I know.

The auctions are behind us, shops are ahead of us.

But for now, no pressure, good company.

Hey, pleasant sunshine.

NARRATOR: Sounds too good to be true.

From her original 200 pounds, Margie now has 323 pounds and 32 p. Despite losing at the last auction, Paul is still in the lead with a kitty of 407 pounds and six pence.

PAUL LAIDLAW: I was just relaxing and then-- and there's-- and now, I've got to put my game face back on.

Dust it off and put it on.

Good.

The part where you are gloating.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: Crumbs.

They're in a Morris Minor, which was first registered in 1963.

It seems Paul's a bit hot under the collar this morning.

Yeah.

Maggie, I can see you in my-- in my rearview mirror now.

I thought I was leaving you behind at the stoplight.

NARRATOR: Cheeky.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Our pair of road trip kicked off in Hemswell Cliff in Lincolnshire.

They will gallop around Yorkshire and take a spin around the Midlands before concluding in Shrewsbury in Shropshire.

Today, our adventure begins in Chesterfield in Derbyshire, and we end with an auction in Leicester in the East Midlands.

Well, we're gonna kick off-- Yeah.

--in this-- under the same roof, Margie, you and I. Oh, no.

That's lovely, isn't it?

It's nice to be together, isn't it?

You hanging around.

[LAUGHS] - What you-- what you looking at?

What you picking that up for?

NARRATOR: They're best friends, really.

[LAUGHTER] Told you.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Hey.

NARRATOR: And good job their first shop is big enough for the two of them.

MARGIE COOPER: Here we are.

How are your jolliness levels?

Are they still high?

In fact, adios.

[LAUGHS] Chomping at the bit.

No time for stragglers.

Come on.

Let's go find some treasure.

NARRATOR: Bossy, isn't he?

[LAUGHS] Olympia House is an emporium full of traders dealing their wares.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Right in.

Right.

I'm gonna peel off left here.

Oh, nice.

MARGIE COOPER: Yeah.

See you.

See you later.

MARGIE COOPER: Don't follow me.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Right.

What can you get your hands on in here then, Margie?

Oh, god.

I hate these things.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Keep calm and take any advantage you can of the situation.

NARRATOR: He's geared up.

Here's an English classic.

And an English classic that's had a life.

That is the Windsor armchair, a design that goes back to certainly the 18th century and characterized by the use of bent wood elements.

Whatever are you talking about, Paul?

I am talking about, for one, the hoop back there and this horseshoe arm.

How on earth do you bend that wood without snapping it?

Well, you steam it.

You steam it.

It makes it pliable.

That one there is going to be all of a 150-year-old if it's a day.

NARRATOR: It's priced at 50 pounds.

Sounds like a strong possible.

Look at that.

Bagatelle.

Do you know what bagatelle is?

It's a game.

And you put your balls in there, wire it, and then whoever scores the most where the ball lodges.

Well, I like the look of that.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Popular in 19th-century taverns, bagatelle originates from billiards.

I think it's got a good look about it.

But not for 30 pounds.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: Oh.

Paul looks pleased with himself.

Come on, you've got to love this.

That is a London transport company toy ticket machine.

This is a clippy's ticket clipper.

And here we go, we're playing buses.

Come on, let's play buses.

And you got every ticket.

Give me your ticket, ma'am.

[LAUGHS] Stick it in there, and your ticket goes.

I bet your paper goes in there and we go click, click, and a wee punch is made.

There you go.

See you later.

[LAUGHS] You down by the sweets.

[LAUGHS] Is that not tremendous?

I mean, isn't that not tremendous?

NARRATOR: It certainly is.

And I think you played that game before.

Look at the price tag on this on a piece of nostalgia.

1950s/1960s.

Yeah, Eight pounds.

That's nothing.

Eight pounds.

Eight pounds.

And if you are a collector of transport memorabilia or toys, I'm sure that is a gift.

Whether it's for me remains to be seen.

And I'll tell you what, you'd be darned unlucky not to make money on that at auction.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Uh-oh.

What's this?

Yeah.

I just think it's nice to have interesting things.

And that's interesting.

I reckon that this is-- it must be 100 years old in the days when they docked horses' tails.

'Cause, let's face it.

It's like having long hair, isn't it?

Tails were a flipping nuisance to be looked after.

They're all soiled up.

Oh, it feels great.

It's very tactile like these things are.

It's part of our history.

I know it's gruesome, but it's part of what happened.

NARRATOR: Horses, especially those used for hunting, would have had their tails docked, a practice now illegal.

Horses have their tails plaited instead.

But it's 45 pounds, and I'm not buying it for 45 pounds.

NARRATOR: Dealer Debbie is on hand to help our Margie.

Whose is this little bit section?

- One of the traders.

- Is it?

Yeah.

But, I mean, he's put here he's only knocking four pounds off.

You know, I'd be looking to buy that much cheaper 'cause it's-- I don't know whether they'll even-- you know.

I don't know.

I just think they're-- they're really unusual.

Yeah.

They're not something that you would see every day.

No, I absolutely know that.

NARRATOR: Oh.

We've got an interloper.

There's big business going on here.

Yeah, the mirrors.

Is that what you'd like me to-- MARGIE COOPER: No, it's all frosted.

It makes you look better.

Oh, I like his beard.

I think it suits him.

I should say.

Handsome.

Yes.

I'm having a job to keep my hands off him.

Are you really?

I would be, too.

Yeah.

[LAUGHTER] MARGIE COOPER: Out in a minute.

See you, Margie.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: Control yourself, ladies.

I think you all need to calm down.

Let's get back to business, eh?

MARGIE COOPER: Ah, 30 quid.

32.

[LAUGHS] I've got-- I've obviously got to do the best for the trader.

I know.

I understand that.

- So.

- I'll go on it.

Let's go for it.

- 32.

- Yeah, thank you.

- Fabulous.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: And while we're at it-- MARGIE COOPER: Debbie, what about this bagatelle?

Well, unfortunately, it's only just come into the shop last week, and I have been told I can only knock five pounds off, which would make it 25.

Oh.

Can it just sneak under 20?

20 would be the bottom line on it.

OK.

I'm not going to argue anymore.

- Yes.

- OK. Fine.

So that's two items.

NARRATOR: Margie has spent a total of 52 pounds.

Now, is Paul still playing at buses?

- Is it Sophia?

- It is.

Good to see you.

I'm Paul.

Nice to meet you.

It's very nice to be here.

I've wrecked your joint.

[LAUGHTER] Have you found something?

Yeah, a piece of frivolity, but it is charming.

One wee vintage toy template clippy's machine-- Yes.

--with a modest price tag.

I hate to haggle over such modest sums, but somehow, I dig deep, and I find the stamina to do so.

Right.

[LAUGHTER] PAUL LAIDLAW: Is there anything can be done on that price tag?

Can that be a five?

It can't be five.

What can it be?

It can be six.

It is six then.

Yeah.

Good deal.

- Easy.

- Easy peasy.

Easy.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: Lemon squeezy.

But what about that charming Windsor armchair?

PAUL LAIDLAW: My offer is 35.

- I can ring them and ask them.

- Would you?

SOPHIA: Yeah.

Hi, now.

It's Soph.

Would you accept 35 pounds on that Windsor chair in your space?

WOMAN (OVER PHONE): Yeah, that's fine.

Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah.

That's great stuff.

Thank you.

WOMAN (OVER PHONE): All right.

- All right.

Thanks.

Bye.

35 it is.

Easy peasy.

NARRATOR: Great result.

Two lots for auction.

Six pounds for the toy clipping machine and 35 for the lovely Windsor armchair.

Oh, boy, I like that.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Meanwhile, Margie has made her way to the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire.

She must have been behaving herself because look where she's headed, the lavish Chatsworth House.

It may seem like the unlikely inspiration for today's global banana industry, but the majority of bananas eaten in the Western world are directly descended from a plant grown in a hothouse on this very estate 180 years ago.

Yes, really.

MARGIE COOPER: Hello.

- Welcome to Chatsworth.

- Thank you very much.

Come on in.

Great.

NARRATOR: Head Gardener Steve Porter is going to tell us more about the green-fingered genius that made it all happen, Joseph Paxton.

So, Steve, I know Joseph Paxton was a famous gardener.

So how did he come to be in Chatsworth?

Well, he was actually spotted by the Sixth Duke of Derbyshire at Chiswick House in London, where the Sixth Duke got a home.

Yeah.

And he was obviously really impressed by Paxton because in 1826, he offered him a job of head gardener here at Chatsworth, and Paxton was only 23 at that point.

NARRATOR: The talented gardener continued to impress with several incredible creations, including the emperor's fountain, which was twice the height of Nelson's Column.

But his experimentation in glass houses was the beginning of his fascination with tropical fruit.

STEVE PORTER: As the years went on, he got more adventurous and the glasshouses got bigger, and they got different shapes.

And he also worked with engineers to develop bigger panes of glass and different ways of arranging the glass so the light levels were better.

NARRATOR: And this pioneering work with hothouses would be a fruitful project.

Southeast Asian farmers first domesticated the banana, but Paxton came across a specimen imported from Mauritius.

Wow.

Gosh.

Amazing place.

STEVE PORTER: Warmer in here.

Yeah.

The crowning glory really is the Cavendish dwarf banana.

MARGIE COOPER: Yeah.

STEVE PORTER: And the Cavendish banana's named after the family here, the Cavendish family.

MARGIE COOPER: Yeah.

STEVE PORTER: And Paxton, back in 1836, had obtained the plant, and he brought it here, and he cultivated it.

And he got it to flourish and flower and fruit.

And it was a huge success.

So he was very proud of this particular banana.

NARRATOR: Some of Chatsworth's bananas were given to a missionary, John Williams, who took them to the new colonies like Fiji and Tahiti.

The Cavendish dwarf banana prospered abroad.

Time for Margie to channel her inner David Attenborough.

Ooh.

[LAUGHS] I feel as though I'm in the jungles of Borneo.

STEVE PORTER: Yeah, yeah.

MARGIE COOPER: So how many crops do you get?

It varies from year to year.

Some years like this year, we'll have six or seven bunches.

But the bunches have 100 bananas on maybe.

So, you know, 600 or 700 bananas.

Some years, we have much less.

But these are probably the plants that Paxton were growing.

Because they don't produce seeds.

You can't produce them from seed.

You have to take a bit of the plant and grow it again.

So there's every chance these plants have just been perpetuated over the years.

MARGIE COOPER: So you've got to treasure these.

STEVE PORTER: Yeah.

NARRATOR: 55 million tons of Cavendish bananas are grown annually worldwide.

That's a lot of bananas.

MARGIE COOPER: And is that the end of the story?

STEVE PORTER: Well, no.

In the 1950s, a disease called the Panama disease came along and wiped out many of the bananas around the world.

Lots of the commercially growing bananas were just wiped completely away.

Luckily, the Cavendish dwarf was immune.

So the Cavendish dwarf survived.

It carries on and still produces most of the bananas grown around the world.

And to this day, it seems to be immune to the disease, and it seems to follow it on.

And it all started here.

STEVE PORTER: It all started back here in the 1830s.

NARRATOR: With more than 100 billion bananas being munched every year, it's truly wonderful that the success of the Cavendish dwarf banana is all down to a Chatsworth gardener with a passion for hothouses.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Right.

Let's seek out Paul and the Morris.

Don't panic.

Don't panic.

I think Margie is gonna get a bit overconfident.

I suspect she thinks she's back in the zone, she's rediscovered her mojo, and she's gonna overstep the mark, I hope.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Welcome to Sheffield.

The city of steel is the hunting ground for Paul's next antiques mission.

Dronfield Antiques is a family-run establishment.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Is that Howard?

Yes, it's Paul.

Good afternoon.

NARRATOR: Paul's wallet is bulging.

He's got just over 366 pounds.

And the goods.

Let me show you a scarce mirror.

It's all about the decoration, the ornament round and about.

There's some mount.

Incorporates a scroll with their welcoming message.

Look at this.

Welcome, welcome thrice.

Either side, you've got these putty or [NON-ENGLISH].. And then there's pendant floral swagger, ribbon-tied swag.

It really is-- it's a jewel, is it not?

A confection.

But it's going to be about 80 or 70, let's say.

I think, frankly, if you want it, if you've got the right corner or the hole for it, that's worth-- it's cheap at 150 and not inexpensive at 250.

I kid you not.

What they're worth at auction, all bets are off then.

But it's a good thing.

I'm going to leave it at that.

You still don't like it, do you?

Trust me.

It's a reality.

NARRATOR: And it's not priced.

Let's continue the foraging expedition.

You've got to ignore this.

That's the red herring.

Because what it's not is an ornament to sit on a sideboard, but it is.

And an ornament to go atop a flag standard.

And these were carried by armies going back to the Year Dot.

I put it to you that that is European and probably I would think, if not a German state, Austrian.

Imperial Austrian.

And date-wise I'm gonna suggest the First World War.

And I think this is a trophy of war.

And someone took it home in their kit bag or whatever and go home and thought, well, there you go.

That's my little souvenir of war.

What we're gonna do, take it down their cabinet makers, and they turned up this nice oak socle to display it.

That is a fabulous object by any measure.

And scarce.

NARRATOR: It's also not priced.

Let's seek out dealer Howard.

Howard, fabulous mirror.

No, I've seen it.

Yeah, very unusual.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Can we play the game as we do?

Go on then.

Fire away.

- 50 quid.

- Oh.

[COUGHS] [LAUGHS] Um, no.

I'll need a bit more than that.

I'll give you a bit more than that for it.

75, you'd want it?

Another tenner off it.

65.

70 would be better on it.

NARRATOR: Now, what about the First World War flag standard finial?

20 quid.

PAUL LAIDLAW: 85 for the two.

Then we've got a deal.

We've got a deal.

Excellent.

NARRATOR: Operation antiques was a great success.

70 pounds for the Victorian cast iron wall mirror and 15 for the First World War flag stand finial.

And that concludes today's shopping.

So is it gonna be the usual?

I don't know what I fancy.

What do you fancy?

No.

Until the menu is brought to me.

NARRATOR: Wondered what they were talking about there.

Time for dinner then and some rest.

So, nighty night.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Wakey, wakey.

Buckle up because we're back on the road for another fabulous day of adventure.

Our experts certainly scrub up well.

You're looking very smart today.

Why, thank you, Margie.

You know, you were like, a jeans man on your client days?

No, no, no, sometimes, tweed shorts.

[LAUGHS] Or if I'm swimming, tweed trunks.

[LAUGHS] MARGIE COOPER: Well, you look very smart.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Well, you are very kind.

NARRATOR: Blimey, that polite.

That won't last, of course.

Heh.

Let's refresh our minds of what our lovies had bought so far.

Margie has two lots, the antique horse tail docker and the retro bagatelle.

Oh, I like the look of that.

NARRATOR: Margie has 271 pounds and 32 pence for the rest of the day.

Paul has four very different lots, the Windsor armchair, the Victorian cast iron wall mirror, the First World War standard flag finial, and the child's clippy machine.

You'll be darned unlucky not to make money on that at auction.

281 pounds and six pence is the sum he still got to play with.

Tracky bottoms.

[LAUGHS] Darton tracky bot-- I have a pair of tracksuit bottoms.

I wore them the one time I went to the gym.

[LAUGHS] That was a mistake.

So I'm still paying that subscription.

NARRATOR: I can't imagine him in joggers.

The Nottinghamshire town of Newark is next for Paul.

Albert Street Antiques Center has over 50 dealers selling under its roof, and Paul's got just over 280 pounds to spend.

PAUL LAIDLAW: What have we here.

Eggs in a basket.

Yeah.

Label tells us John Grinsell, silver plated with poultry egg, salt, and pepper.

So that wants to be a novelty cruet set, but where is the third pot?

Mustard, most likely.

My problem is I don't think they belong together because they're rattling all over the place, are they not?

Now, if you know your stuff, there's one name you think about when you think about ceramic eggs.

James Macintyre and Co produced extremely finely decorated examples.

Commonly, silver-mounted as little scent bottles, perfumes.

And they are a joy, and they're somewhat valuable.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: James Macintyre and Company were a great pottery in the late 19th century and even had William Moorcroft working there for a time.

What on Earth is that staple doing there?

Well, that staple and that one there is holding it together because the poor little pepper pot was dropped and the wee egg burst.

But someone thought this was so valuable, so precious to them that they had the repair carried out.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: One to think about.

Anything else?

I like that.

This is good fun.

It's also silver, English silver.

Fully, I said, early 20th century.

Why am I looking at it?

Not because it's silver, not because it's an egg cup.

Because it's an egg cup that has features drawn from a Scottish object, the quiach.

Yeah.

You know what a quiach is?

A distinctly Scottish drinking vessel.

NARRATOR: It's also by luxury goods company Mappin and Webb, which can trace its origins back to a silver workshop in the late 18th century.

PAUL LAIDLAW: I like that.

It's got something going on.

I'm gonna find Simon and have a wee conversation.

NARRATOR: It's priced at 22 pounds.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Simon, how are you doing?

All right, for you?

Good, thanks.

Having a ball.

Having a ball.

One little early George V silver egg cup.

Before, a cabinet had a little quiach and two pot eggs in them.

SIMON: Yeah.

PAUL LAIDLAW: 22 pounds.

And if we cut to the chase, what could-- both lot should be together, egg cup, eggs.

[LAUGHTER] Yeah.

30 pound, the pair.

So 15 and 15.

Well, that's not daft.

SIMON: OK. PAUL LAIDLAW: Thank you, sir.

SIMON: Thank you.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Wonderful.

NARRATOR: That's a pretty unusual lot.

Well done, Paul.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Let's join our friend, Margie.

I'd like to spend a bit, buy something now.

I bought a sort of weird, quirky things yesterday.

NARRATOR: Right, you are.

Heh.

The town of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire is where she's motoring to.

There are 20 dealers in here.

Margie's got a lot of ground to cover, and she's got over 270 pounds.

[LAUGHS] Flies.

NARRATOR: Maybe owner Rich can point you in the right direction.

What is that?

RICH: That, Margie, is actually a honey separator.

MARGIE COOPER: Well-- how amazing.

It looks like a bicycle chain.

RICH: It's quite interesting, isn't it?

Yeah.

It came from a smallholding.

I can't remember where, but-- MARGIE COOPER: Do you know how it works?

RICH: You put your honeycomb in there.

MARGIE COOPER: Yeah.

RICH: Give it a whizz around.

MARGIE COOPER: Yeah.

Yeah.

[LAUGHTER] - And it separates.

- Yeah.

[LAUGHTER] Is there a tap or something down there?

RICH: There must be something-- NARRATOR: The honey separator is priced at 110 pounds.

MARGIE COOPER: How did you value that?

It's 100 and-- did you think of a number and double it?

Well, yes.

[LAUGHS] If I'm honest.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: She's having a great time.

What's next?

That's-- that's quite nice, isn't it?

Not English.

It's got a good age.

It's-- I think it's a wine or liqueur decanter.

Probably German, mid-19th century.

All this nice gold decoration.

Here is a nice young chap going through the forest.

An exotic sort of bird here.

More little birds.

That's a good-looking thing, isn't it?

I like that.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: It's priced at 75 pounds.

Let's get Rich over.

I was thinking more in the way of, like, 45.

RICH: 45.

MARGIE COOPER: Mm.

RICH: It's your lucky day today.

MARGIE COOPER: Right.

RICH: 45 pound, then it's yours.

- All right.

Thank you very much.

- OK.

Indeed.

All right.

I'm just gonna have a final little click up here-- Oh, OK. --then see if I'm on for it.

But thank you very much.

No problem.

Yeah.

Hmm.

So do I go for this or not?

Or I am thinking about the honey separator as well.

NARRATOR: Oh, blooming heck, Margie.

RICH: Now, though, Margie, I've had a word with him, the gaffer.

- He's a gaffer, is he?

- Yeah.

Well, likes to think he is, anyway.

Go on.

It actually doesn't earn him that much.

MARGIE COOPER: Didn't think it would.

RICH: Right.

So he says, to you, 50 pounds.

Mm.

OK?

Well, it's very good of him.

NARRATOR: That's-- [LAUGHS] That's a huge discount, Margie.

Decision time.

If we've had the two, can it be eased a bit more?

Tenner off.

- I'll knock you a tenner off.

Right.

Yeah.

You have a deal?

Yeah.

Thanks, Rich.

We'll do it.

No problem.

I must be mad.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: You have the patience of a saint, Rich.

Thank you for your generosity.

40 for the glass of wine ewer and 45 for the honey separator.

Dear, oh, dear.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Next, Paul's Nottingham bound.

The city is home to the legendary outlaw Robin Hood, but it is also the birthplace of another hero, the father of the Salvation Army, William Booth.

Hello.

Julie?

Hello.

NARRATOR: Curator Julie Obermeyer is going to tell Paul more about this great man.

150 years since its creation, this Christian movement with the military flavor has become one of the largest distributors of humanitarian aid in the world.

What is the significance of this room?

Well, we're standing in the bedroom where William Booth was born on the 10th of April, 1829.

PAUL LAIDLAW: It's a fine Georgian residence.

What was his background?

Is it well-to-do?

You could say the Booth family were comfortably well off in terms of having enough food and having comfortable surroundings.

NARRATOR: But when William was 13, his father became bankrupt.

And suddenly, life took a very different turn.

JULIE OBERMEYER: William couldn't continue in his school because they couldn't pay for it any longer.

So he's taken out and apprenticed to a pawnbroker in Nottingham.

And that would have been a real change for a young William Booth because he would have seen destitution, people living hand-to-mouth, feeding-- you know, back in each week just to try to make ends meet.

NARRATOR: Life as a pawnbroker wasn't to be.

JULIE OBERMEYER: In his teens, he had started attending a Wesleyan Methodist chapel in Nottingham and was so moved by his experiences there that walking home one night, he had a conversion experience and decided to dedicate his life to preaching the gospel.

NARRATOR: In his mid-20s, Booth met his wife, Catherine, a fellow preacher.

The genesis of the Salvation Army began when they met like-minded preachers within a group called the East London Revival Society.

13 years later, rebranding of the group took place thanks to Booth's son.

William was riding that the Christian mission is a volunteer army waging a war against sin.

His son Bramwell overheard him, and said, dad, I'm not a volunteer.

I'm a regular.

[LAUGHTER] And so, William struck out the word volunteer and put in the word salvation.

And the name really stuck since that time.

And it just gathered momentum, this idea of an army.

NARRATOR: The Salvation Army grew in popularity.

But thanks to its abstinence policy, publicans were up in arms.

Riots became commonplace.

Members were in danger and needed protection.

So a unique form of bodyguards were born.

JULIE OBERMEYER: It was a Methodist family, Charles Fry and his three sons, and they just happened to all play brass instruments, which worked really well at, obviously, drowning out opposition and hecklers.

And it sort of developed from there almost really naturally all over the country.

Within about four or five years, you had up to about 400 Salvation Army bands all over the country.

NARRATOR: And on that note-- [BRASS INSTRUMENTS PLAYING] [APPLAUSE] Superb.

Gentlemen, that was fantastic.

And, of course, now it's Christmas.

[LAUGHTER] It gets you there.

That is such a sound.

But I've got to say, you've got the cool kit with the heavy artillery.

What is that?

It's a tuba.

You want to have a shot?

Are you serious?

Go on, yeah.

Oh, come on.

You're a gentleman.

Hey.

[LAUGHTER] PAUL LAIDLAW: Gentlemen, come on.

Clearly, I'm a virtuoso here, a natural talent.

Set me up.

There must be few bars or something you can play to end with this.

[BRASS INSTRUMENTS PLAYING] Hey!

[LAUGHTER] [MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: What a beautiful day.

I feel great.

Yeah, I feel very relaxed, sunshiny.

NARRATOR: Margie has made her way to Bolsover in Derbyshire.

Bolsover Antiques Center, brace yourselves.

Our Margie is on the mooch.

Hmm.

I don't want to do handbags, do I?

NARRATOR: With a little under 200 pounds, she's got a decent amount tucked away in her purse.

The man in charge today is Andy.

Lovely.

Brassbound.

Looking a bit of mahogany, isn't it?

Was it, right?

Is it mahogany?

I think it's rosewood, isn't it?

MARGIE COOPER: Is it?

ANDY: Mm.

MARGIE COOPER: Yeah.

Oh, yeah, it is.

Oh, I can see that.

Certainly.

I love rosewood.

ANDY: Yeah, I do.

MARGIE COOPER: It's a really good hardwood.

ANDY: It's beautiful.

Yeah, it's got-- what's it?

ANDY: Secret drawer.

Yeah.

Right.

Pull one of these up.

ANDY: Yeah, pull one of those.

MARGIE COOPER: So that one.

Whee!

[LAUGHS] They always fly out.

Good fun finding them.

Put all your love letters in there, Andy.

[LAUGHS] Yes.

Don't get many of those.

[LAUGHS] - Don't you?

- Yeah.

What a shame.

I don't either.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: I refuse to believe it, Margie.

This is an antique and legal to sell, but the international trade in rosewood is strictly controlled.

ANDY: No sovereigns, unfortunately.

No.

How many people have left the deeds of their houses and things in there?

ANDY: True.

MARGIE COOPER: Yeah.

Right.

So how much is that?

I've got 120 on it.

Mm.

It's a nice, clean thing, isn't it?

Well, it's nice.

Thank you, Andy.

That's very nice.

- That's OK?

Yeah.

NARRATOR: After a final mooch and a mull, it's time to talk money.

So, like, something like 68 is out of the question?

ANDY: It is, yeah.

Like I said, really, it's got to be-- it's got to be 80.

I can probably squeeze to 75 at the best.

MARGIE COOPER: Yeah.

I like it.

So I'll have it.

- OK. Lovely.

Thanks so much, Margie.

NARRATOR: No messing about there, Margie.

The Georgian writing box with a very generous discount from Andy.

That's it.

We've completed the shopping for this trip.

Hooray!

So do you know the way to San Jose?

[LAUGHTER] Do you know the way to Leicester?

'Cause that's where we're going, kiddo.

No, [MUMBLES] Is that right?

No one said anything about navigating.

I was just gonna be chauffeured.

NARRATOR: You're in for a shock, then.

Time for a bit of shut-eye.

[MUSIC PLAYING] We're off to the city of Leicester in the East Midlands for the penultimate auction.

Churchgate Auctions is the place to test the profit-making skills of Paul and Margie.

MARGIE COOPER: Maybe that.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Oh, second last one.

Tis.

Wait till you see what I've bought, Margie.

Oh, don't start.

[LAUGHS] It's gonna wind me up.

You're gonna love it.

NARRATOR: Margie has gone large and spent 212 pounds on five auction lots.

Whereas Paul is being frugal by comparison.

He's totted up a sum of 156 pounds also on five lots.

Dish the dirt on one another's buys, please.

MARGIE COOPER: Well, I'm lost for words.

[LAUGHS] I think Paul's on a flight to fancy.

This is a child's ticket puncher.

This does not look like Paul Laidlaw, does it?

[LAUGHS] PAUL LAIDLAW: What a lovely piece of 19th-century glass.

And nobody cares.

I think she's gonna struggle for no other reason than fashion.

Ouch.

[LAUGHS] Great news.

I've never seen anything like this.

I'll be really interested to see how he gets on with this.

Because I don't like it, but I think it's a good thing.

NARRATOR: Dicken Dem is today's auctioneer.

Now, what are his thoughts on our experts' buys?

My favorite item in the sale today is the Georgian rosewood writing box.

It's got a very good interior.

It's also got the secret drawer and the secret compartment.

It's got the original key with it, which is always a bonus.

The First World War Austrian flag standard finial is probably the most unusual item in the sale today.

I think that that's certainly an item to look out for.

It would definitely be one of the most unusual pieces that I've seen this year.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Thanks, Dicken.

The auction is about to begin.

Dang, it's a packed house.

Look.

Exciting.

Oh.

It's busy, man.

Nice to see a busy action house.

I must have had to wet my loins.

Be quiet.

NARRATOR: Zip it, Paul.

Margie's horsetail docker is first to go.

We're opening the bidding here at 30 pounds on this.

30 pounds being bid.

Do I see a 35?

40, Barron?

45.

50.

55.

60.

65.

65 now.

65.

Is there anyone at 65?

A new bidder.

70?

70 pounds now.

70 pounds.

Is there anywhere?

70.

Do I see a 70?

I think you just did.

AUCTIONEER: 70 pounds being bid.

Do I see a 75 now?

75.

Is there?

Selling then for 70 pounds.

How it gleams.

NARRATOR: Certainly has.

Even though it's gruesome.

Knock yourself, love.

Every one of my dearl loins.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: Well, it's your turn now to test the water with the well-loved Windsor armchair.

50 pounds.

Any interest at 50?

50 pounds.

There you go.

Yeah, it's worth that.

60 pounds.

60.

70 pounds.

- Oh.

AUCTIONEER: 80.

90.

100 pounds are being bid just there.

100 pounds.

Let's see 110 then.

110.

110.

I have you just there, madam.

110.

120.

120.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Character.

- 130.

- Character.

AUCTIONEER: 140.

140.

Gosh.

Who'd have thought that would a run.

AUCTIONEER: --at 140, do I say.

And no further interest.

Selling then for 130 pounds.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: My goodness.

That's a heck of a way to start, Paul.

Someone shares your passion.

I think you're a bit lucky with that.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: Well, let's see if you can score high with the bagatelle, Margie.

I'm opening the bidding here at 30 pounds on this.

- That'll do.

- It'll do it.

AUCTIONEER: Do I see 35 now?

35 just there.

40 pounds.

45.

50, madam.

55.

55.

60.

65, Baron?

65, just there.

70 pounds now.

70 pounds.

Selling them to you, sir, for 65 pounds.

[LAUGHS] Don't look so surprised.

I knew it was going to fetch that.

AUCTIONEER: And lot number four-- NARRATOR: Fibber.

[LAUGHS] Well done.

It's a lovely thing.

We are flying, Margie.

We are, aren't we?

NARRATOR: Long may it continue.

Paul's child's clippy machine is next.

Cheapskate.

[LAUGHS] Opening the bidding here at 20 pounds on this.

20 pounds are being bid.

Do I see a 22 pounds?

PAUL LAIDLAW: How dare you?

22.

24.

26.

MARGIE COOPER: Oh, thank goodness.

AUCTIONEER: 28.

30 pounds.

32.

34.

36 now.

36 now.

36.

Is there anywhere 36?

Do I see?

Selling then for 34 pounds.

Oh, my goody.

Would-- would you like some mayonnaise with those words?

NARRATOR: Double helping, I think.

This is great.

Another chunky profit.

Well, that was very good.

How many percentage profit is that?

Millions and j-- big gazillions.

NARRATOR: Yeah, not quite.

Time for Margie's honey separator.

It's different.

Any interest at 50?

50 pounds being bid.

Thank you, madam.

You're in.

AUCTIONEER: 50 pounds being bid.

Do I see a 55 now?

55.

55.

Is there anywhere at 55?

PAUL LAIDLAW: Stop, stop, stop.

No.

Don't bid.

70.

75.

75.

80 pounds.

80 pounds have been bid.

Do I see 85 now?

85.

Is there anywhere?

Selling then for 80 pounds.

[SIGHS] That'll do.

Outrageous.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: Unusual sells, and this is a fabulous return.

[SIGHS] We haven't had the last yet, have we?

Don't jinx it.

NARRATOR: Look at what's next, Paul's super heavy cast iron Victorian mirror.

50 pounds are being bid.

Thank you.

Do I see a 55 now?

55.

55.

Is there a 60?

65.

70.

75.

80.

85.

No.

85 now.

85.

Do I see any further bids?

No?

Selling then for 80 pounds.

Thank you.

- Look at that.

I took a punt.

- Yeah.

I took a punt.

You did.

NARRATOR: It's good to take risks, and it still made a little something.

Uh, was it the lowest prophecy of the day?

I can't remember.

[LAUGHS] Really, no idea.

[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Don't listen to her, Paul.

Margie's 19th-century glass wine ewer is next.

Tenner, if you like then.

10 pounds.

12.

14 pounds, sir.

14.

Oh, god.

AUCTIONEER: 16.

16 pounds.

18.

No.

18 pounds.

18 over there.

20.

20 pounds.

22.

24.

24 pounds.

26.

28.

28.

30 pounds.

32.

32.

34.

36.

38.

38 pounds.

38.

40.

40 pounds, madam.

40 on the front.

Back to you for 42, sir.

No.

42 now.

42.

Is there anywhere 42 do I see?

Selling down here then for a 40 pounds.

I've lost.

Thank goodness for that.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: See what happens when you become too smug, Margie?

This audience here seem to know what they're doing.

I think-- you know what?

You're right.

NARRATOR: Let's see how savvy they are with Paul's first World War standard flag finial.

Any interest at 50?

50 pounds being bid straightaway.

Thank you.

Do I see a 55?

60.

65.

70.

75.

80.

85.

90.

95.

100 pounds.

100 pounds.

110.

You paid 15.

AUCTIONEER: 110 then.

Oh, god.

AUCTIONEER: 110.

Is there anywhere 110 do I see?

Any further bids?

No.

Selling over there then to you, sir, for 100 pounds.

[SIGHS] [LAUGHS] NARRATOR: Well, someone knew what it was.

Another high profit for Paul.

I'm not gonna be with you anymore.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: Patience, Margie.

Your top quality Georgian writing box is next.

I'm opening the bidding here at 80 pounds on this.

Buying on.

AUCTIONEER: 80 pounds on a commission bid.

Do I see 85 now?

85.

85.

Is there anywhere?

We're at 85.

I see a 85 just there.

90 pounds now.

90.

90, do you say?

95.

It's gonna creep.

AUCTIONEER: 95.

100 pounds.

100 pounds.

Thank you, madam.

100 pounds.

110 now.

- Well, I liked it.

AUCTIONEER: 110.

110.

Maybe you bought well.

120, I would.

AUCTIONEER: 110 is being bid.

120 now.

120.

120.

Is there anywhere at 120?

Do I see any further bids?

- It's about right for it.

- Very nice.

It was well-bought.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Not bad, Margie.

It is a thing of beauty.

Look at us.

Look at us with our profits.

[LAUGHTER] [MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Isn't it wonderful?

Last lot, Paul's George V silver egg cup and little egg cruets.

20, if you like then.

20 pounds.

20 pounds, you said.

It has been bid.

Do I see a 22 now?

22.

22 pounds.

24.

26.

28.

30 pounds.

32.

35.

37.

40 pounds, madam.

40.

42.

Yes.

45.

47.

50 pounds.

55.

60.

It looks-- just making a lot.

AUCTIONEER: 65.

Yes.

70.

70 pounds now.

70 pounds now.

70.

Do I see a 70?

New bidder just there.

70.

Fresh pick.

AUCTIONEER: 75 now.

75.

75.

Is there anywhere at 75?

Do I see a 75?

80 pounds.

80, madam, just there.

85 now.

85 is the-- selling then for 80 pounds.

Thank you.

Well, done.

Over the board.

NARRATOR: Lovely way to finish.

What an auction.

We've done OK, haven't we?

What?

Should we just go home early now?

Yeah.

Not do any more buying and selling.

I think we might repeat, Margie.

Repeat.

Come on, let's-- let's just-- let's just hold-- Slip away.

Hold the profits on a day's outing.

Come on.

NARRATOR: No, you will not.

Let's get the abacus out and tot up the figures.

Now Margie began with 323 pounds and 32 pence.

And after sale and room costs, she's made a profit of 87 pounds and 30 pence, giving her 410 pounds and 62 p for the next leg.

407 pounds and six pence was the starting figure for Paul.

After all auction costs, he made a marvelous profit of 191 pounds and 68 pence.

Paul is today's winner and starts the finale with 598 pounds and 74 pence.

Well done.

Hey.

Not a bad day.

Superb.

Yeah, but I'm flying, and you're soaring.

It's all-- That's my problem.

It's all good, Margie.

Come on, let's soar over here.

[MUSIC PLAYING]