VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts... Alright viewers?

VO: ..with £200 each, a classic car, and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

I'm on fire - yes!

Sold - going, going, gone.

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

But it's no mean feat.

50p!

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

Tricep dips!

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

Ooh!

Oh!

Ah!

Should be a good one.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

VO: This week's Road Trip is proving to be a particularly profitable one.

And our two auctioneers are basking in success.

PAUL (PL): We're totally up for it.

Both come away with profits at the last auction, it's all ahead of us.

Sun shining.

Cool car.

We're laugh...

Suited, booted, feeling good.

VO: As you should.

Paul Laidlaw is comfortably in the lead, but he's remaining vigilant, and is taking it all very seriously.

I'm a disappointment to myself.

VO: Challenger Thomas Plant is playing catch up... PL: Plant, whoa.

VO: ..and he's gaining ground, coming out guns blazing.

THOMAS (TP): Gun slinger Plant.

Every auction is like going into the ring with Laidlaw.

You know, there are these sort of little nips I do, these little light punches, gently doing it.

But no... PL: You keep punching me in the shins, that's your problem.

TP: Yeah, there's a sucker punch.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Those little hits are adding up, Thomas, as after three rounds at auction he's turned £200 into the £399.08 he's got to spend today.

Not bad.

But Paul's thrown some killer blows, converting his initial £200 into the huge budget for today of £899.78.

Unfortunately, these financial differences are starting to strain relations in old the Sunbeam Alpine.

PL: Just drive, OK?

So..

So... Have you got this air of... PL: It's gone to my head.

TP: You have got £900 in your back pocket.

Yeah, I could have killed for that kind of money.

You're still talking.

Yeah, I know.

VO: Lordy.

These two sparring partners started this trip in Morecambe, Lancashire, and will end the week in the county town of Bedford, covering around 600 miles.

Today, they're savoring the delights of East Anglia, kicking off in Cromer, Norfolk, and making their way to the auction in Colchester, Essex.

PL: We're near the coast.

TP: Yes.

Do we get to see the sea at any stage?

TP: I think I get to see the sea.

PL: Where you off to?

TP: Cromer.

PL: Cromer?

Crabs.

TP: Crabs.

VO: Cromer is indeed the place to come for its famous crab... and seaside holidays, first popularized by the Victorians and still an important part of the local area's economy.

Cromer is also Thomas's first shopping destination, at Brisbane Antiques.

Hello, I'm Thomas.

Hi Thomas, nice to meet you, I'm Philip.

Hi Philip, nice to meet you.

Where do you buy most of your stuff?

Well, if I told you that I'd have to kill you.

TP: Really?

DEALER: Yeah.

VO: Careful Thomas, Philip designed ejector seats for military aircrafts before getting into antiques, so he's a well connected man.

Got to that stage in the week where it's even more pressure because you've only got two more auctions left, you don't want to lose the money you've gained.

And you want to buy with a definite profit.

It is so much pressure right now.

You don't want to make a mistake.

VO: He's sure feeling the strain but with just under £400 in the pot, Thomas, there could be opportunity aplenty here.

This is quite a nice thing really, isn't it?

DEALER: Not a bad thing, I like the sunken handles on the side.

I like the rawness of it.

VO: This 19th century sewing box, with mahogany veneer, is showing some signs of age and no ticket price, but Thomas is tempted.

We've done alright with boxes this trip, haven't we?

Maybe the box is coming back.

VO: On the last leg both experts made profits with boxes they bought.

Man, what a sale!

VO: So he could be on to something here.

What is that extraordinary number there?

Oh, it is nice that is, that has got Cornish serpentine on it.

It is silver.

I think they're supposed to be running out of that serpentine down in Cornwall.

I didn't know that.

VO: Cornish serpentine is a hard stone that was championed by Prince Albert in the mid 19th century.

And this piece was made into a brooch about 100 years later.

Yeah, it's not bad, what have you got on that?

48.

48.

Yeah, it's not unattractive.

I quite like the way it moves.

It is well made, has a look to it but whether it's going to make anything at auction, that's another matter altogether.

VO: Thomas is wavering on the serpentine, but Philip has a wide selection of brooches he could pin his hopes on.

Including those made in memory of a loved one, very popular with the Victorians.

What I like about momento mori jewelry is it is complete utter devotion and love has gone into this one piece.

Somebody has died, they have left money to all the family, have paid for their hair to be taken and plaited, mounted in a gold brooch, and then on the back, on the reverse, instead of just knowing that it is you who knows that this is Elizabeth's hair, no, they have gone and inscribed it and dated it and given the date of her death, and the age she was.

21 years old.

VO: So Philip's dangling the two brooches and the box - will Thomas take the bait?

DEALER: I've got 55 on that.

TP: Yeah.

That can be a 50.

I can squeeze a bit off that but at 48 there's not masses.

It's not massive, no, no, no.

I'll do you 40 and that box has got to be £50.

TP: Has it GOT to be 50?

DEALER: It's got to be £50.

TP: Can't be 40?

DEALER: No, definitely not.

Why not?

Because I'd be making a loss.

Well, I don't want you making a loss, do I?

Can it be 45?

No.

Can it be 48?

I'll do it for 48 for you.

TP: I like the four in front.

DEALER: Yeah.

48, 50 for that?

Yeah.

No arguing with that, there's... No, that's good.

Um, this is my sticking point, to me that's worth £35.

I will knock a tenner off, make it 38.

Such awkward maths.

VO: Come on Thomas, don't embarrass yourself.

98...

I can add it up, 136.

Alright.

Do you want me to round it down to 135?

Just makes my life easier for me.

OK. 135.

135, three items, we are in.

I knew you would.

What?

I knew you would.

I knew I'd get ya.

VO: Hook, line and sinker, eh Thomas?

But a bold move parting with more than a third of your money in the first shop.

This is the first time I've gone big.

Thank you very much.

VO: And rival Paul's on the road in search of an equally thrilling experience in the market town of North Walsham.

The town features a grade-I-listed market cross that dates from the 17th century.

But today Paul's concern is a newer addition to the area.

An attraction that charts the often mystifying art of magic.

The Magic Kingdom is one of the largest collections of magic memorabilia in the world, and the creation of the Davenport family, who have made magic their business for over 100 years.

Paul's come to meet Roy to discover the tricks of the trade.

PL: You must be Roy?

ROY: Paul?

PL: Good to see you.

ROY: Tremendous to see you.

What a place, I mean...

I've just walked back in time into...

This is it.

Into your ancestor's shop?

This is an absolute replica of my great-grandfather Lewis Davenport.

He was the man that started it all off in my family.

VO: Born in 1881, Lewis Davenport entered the world of magic as a young boy.

He started selling tricks from home before starting his own shop and becoming a noted performer.

His lifelong passion for magic, which he passed on to his children, resulted in a spectacular collection, now preserved in the museum.

VO: But the jewel in the family crown is a book thought to contain the first published material on conjuring.

Written in 1584 at a time when women were persecuted for being witches.

A time when being identified as a witch by those in power was the difference between life and death.

ROY: The defining line between magic, conjuring and witchcraft, was at that point, very gray indeed.

And people assumed that if you make something happen that I can't understand, you must be a witch.

Then we come to Scott, he was appalled by all these goings on.

PL: Aha.

ROY: And so what he did, he wrote the book, and it was the majority of the book is talking about herbal remedies, about ways... witchcraft in a good way and so on.

PL: OK. And so...

But as a chapter, there was a chapter 13, and chapter 13 was an actual description of magic tricks.

PL: Oh right.

Not so much how to do it at home, it was more expose - it was like, "This is how they do it."

VO: Against a backdrop of religious unrest, Scott's book was so revolutionary that King James I ordered all copies to be burnt.

Meaning that this first edition is one of only a handful left in existence.

VO: And not just a relic of the past, this book influenced generations of magicians.

But it wasn't until the 19th century that magic as we understand it today really took off.

And it all started when a French clockmaker took it off the streets and into the theaters.

Here we are, Paul, at Eugene Robert-Houdin, Robert-Houdin was the surname.

And he is known within the magic world as the father of modern magic.

Ah!

Because, in France particularly, before him.

people would dress, magicians were dressed in wizard's robes and pointy hats and with big - you know how magician's think, think it's up the sleeve?

It comes from that time when they had sleeves this big.

And everything went up there, basically, geese and everything.

And then he was the man who then went in modern garb.

Now, famous for his clock, his mystery clocks.

And this is one of them.

And the idea is that you have the clock face telling the correct time but there's no visible way it can work.

PL: That's glass.

ROY: That's glass.

The face, yeah.

Indeed.

But it does keep correct time, absolutely.

As if by magic?

As if by magic.

VO: Robert-Houdin altered the landscape of magic dramatically.

He inspired the young magician Erik Weiss, better known later as the great escapologist Harry Houdini.

This superstar once shared a stage with Roy's great-grandfather Lewis.

And luckily for Paul, four generations later, magic still courses through the veins of this family.

What are you going to show me, Roy?

Well, the thing is, my passion is manipulation, a sleight of hand, and this is exactly where my great-grandfather all started off all those years ago.

You take a bit of magic and make a ball appear.

PL: (LAUGHS) There's the ball, a bit of magic here where you take the ball... Go on, ball.

And it's gone again and back in the hand.

And the handkerchief, here we are, take the ball, in it goes, in it goes, and all I need you to do is give a little blow, blow.

Ah, well done.

You have got the magic touch too.

Have I got that wonderful assistant thing going on?

You have.

Fishnets - I can see you in them.

(THEY LAUGH) Right, you've been amazing, this has been one of the best, I assure you.

Ah, you're very welcome.

VO: Fishnets eh?

I imagine your driving companion would have something to say about that.

And back in the Sunbeam, Paul's newfound magical prowess starts to show.

I do have one piece of magic to show you.

TP: Oh yes, let me see.

PL: (LAUGHS) TP: No, no, no, don't, don't.

Let me guess.

You're going to make my 399... PL: Yeah.

TP: ..into 100.

PL: (LAUGHS) TP: Your 899 into 15,000.

PL: (LAUGHS) And it will involve no top hats or rabbits.

VO: They're en route to the market town of Holt.

This once-thriving medieval settlement was largely destroyed by a great fire in 1708 and was rebuilt in the Georgian style.

PL: Oh.

This looks like a cracking place for an amble.

Looks great.

It does, I hope it is not too expensive.

Well, I'm not going to concur.

You'll forgive me that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I've been here before.

So I know what it is like.

Have a good one, big man.

TP: I will.

Bye-bye.

PL: See you later.

VO: The nine rooms of Shirehall Plain Antiques are managed by Mandy.

Hello.

Hello, how are you?

Very good, how are you?

Very well, thank you.

Lots of different dealers here, all renting a room.

I think you have a good chance of finding something floating about.

Chintzy cherub.

VO: There are some divine items in here.

..Padre.

I don't think I make a very good vicar.

Nun, very good vicar, priest, man of the cloth.

VO: Oh there he goes - dressing up again.

I should really get on and buy some antiques.

VO: Not a bad idea, Thomas.

This is pretty, little cloverleaf pendant.

Do you like that Mandy?

I think it's very sweet.

TP: It's very pretty, isn't it?

DEALER: Yeah.

VO: Oh he likes this and it's only £5.

These little marks here, I hate to tell you, spell out the one and the five.

And then a CT at the end of the lozenge.

So that's 15-karat gold.

And that's... 15-karat gold stopped production, we stopped hallmarking 15-karat gold, or making items in 15-karat gold, in 1932.

I will buy that for £5, I'm not going to haggle at all.

I'm buying it.

It is not going to make a huge amount, but it's definitely a good profit in there.

And it's pretty as hell.

That is dead sweet.

VO: So, a Victorian pendant - this has turned out to be a lucky find.

It's gold, 15-karat gold, a fiver - yes!

It's not going to make hundreds, but it's going to make a good profit.

So I'm really pleased.

VO: Things are looking good for Thomas, but without an object to his name, Paul is pressing on in search of his own four-leafed clover.

VO: He's making the short journey to nearby Fakenham.

VO: This market town boasts a parish church that dates from the 14th century.

So it seems fitting that Paul's first shopping opportunity today is housed in a former church.

Hello.

Hello there.

I'm Paul.

I'm David.

David, it's good to see you.

Anything you want to know about or any help you need, do ask.

That's great, that's tremendous of you David.

Thanks very much.

Best case scenario, as always, my eyes alight on something that I feel strongly about.

It has a great story that I can enjoy.

It has no issues, and it's got a profit in it.

I don't care whether that's £20 or £800.

If it ticks those boxes, no problem.

And I won't be shy of spending the money.

So the hunt is on for the perfect piece.

Polishing off too many of these rooms too quick.

VO: £900 could go a long way in here, but Paul just can't seem to get past all this glass.

Although that shouldn't pose a problem to such a lover of the stuff.

It's a great form.

Almost a tear drop.

Um... it's delicious, it's good quality glass.

And it's wheel cut with that, er... (CHUCKLES) ..snazzy-looking hound.

I think it's great fun, I love Orrefors glass VO: This vase is by the Swedish company Orrefors, dating from the 1960s.

It has a ticket price of £48 but the owner Colin isn't here right now.

PL: I would buy the Orrefors vase at 30.

And it's a bit off I know but...

I think it is a long way off.

But I can always ring him and see.

No harm in asking.

VO: He's sniffed out that something he likes but can he get it for the right price?

Paul, I have spoken to Colin.

He's not very happy and said could you manage another couple of pounds so that he can deal with you?

If it's a couple of pounds, I am not falling out with anybody over a couple of pounds.

DEALER: Alright.

PL: Got a deal at 32 then?

We've got a deal at 32.

Thanks very much, thanks for your efforts there.

PL: And say thanks to Colin.

DEALER: OK. Yep.

PL: That's fair enough.

DEALER: Thank you.

VO: An extra £2 - I think you can afford that, Paul.

So with his £32 vase he's off the mark, and just in time as day one on the road draws to a close.

Nighty-night, chaps.

Morning has arrived, along with some fresh enthusiasm for yesterday's purchases.

TP: The last thing I bought... ..was... brilliant.

It was something I knew about, they didn't.

You know, it's just one of those things.

It's a banker.

Banker, banker, banker.

PL: A healthy wee profit in it?

TP: Yeah, yeah.

PL: Don't say, "Oh yeah, yeah," like that, say... What happened to... TP: It quadrupled its money.

PL: Oh, wait a minute.

PL: Pull over.

TP: You having a heart attack?

PL: I've got stabbing sensations.

TP: Oh, my... Is it coming out of your left arm?

PL: It's coming from you.

TP: What?!

VO: That £5 gold clover pendant is already creating quite a stir and it's not all Thomas picked up yesterday.

There's also the sewing box and the two brooches.

In total he spent £140 which means he has £259.08 to spend today.

This is the first time I have gone big.

Thank you very much.

VO: Paul only parted with £32 for the glass vase.

So armed with £867.78 he's got his sights on the shops.

And this morning, they're starting in Norwich, the county town of Norfolk.

Once the largest city in England after London, and with much of its medieval past intact, Norwich is steeped in history.

If you can get there of course.

PL: Any idea where we are going?

TP: No, have you got that feeling that I could be lost?

PL: (LAUGHS) What are we going to give this before we actually ask someone?

TP: Never ask anybody.

PL: I mean, maybe after an hour though.

VO: Come on chaps, get it together.

Thankfully, they do find a place to park but it's not exactly in the right spot.

PL: I don't... TP: Come on.

Why you looking at that wall?

Cuz there is the shop.

Yeah, and there's the pavement.

Come on Paul.

What are you doing?

Whoa!

Did you get shot or is there a big drop behind there?

There is a drop.

I didn't expect it.

What?

This is how a gentleman does it.

Aagh, I'm at the void!

(THEY CHUCKLE) TP: Come on.

VO: Well, that's one way to do it chaps.

Their destiny awaits at Aladdin's Cave - 16,000 square feet of antiques.

Basically, I haven't grown up.

Have that Laidlaw.

Four items down, four items.

What have you got?

One!

Cuz I was quick.

Do you know, I hate being in the same shop as my compadre, because all I can hear is him muttering.

VO: Yes.

Thomas, do behave - you're even distracting your rival.

Something has got to change.

I've got to get my game head on.

I've got to think.

Here I am, I'm sauntering, I'm trying on hats.

Cowboy holsters, pretending to shoot Paul.

I mean, honestly, next I'll be stalking him, behind him, doing a leopard crawl.

VO: With four items already, he really is taking it easy today.

Can I've a look at this bowl in here please?

VO: Ah, something to buy and not try on at last.

Ha!

Ticket price says £22.

It's quite a nice bowl for one's nuts, but what you have got is an Egyptian silver coin and you've got the Egyptian sign there and it would be...

Probably dates from, I don't know, late 19th century.

I would say early, early 20th century.

What's the best on that please?

Can probably do 18.

15?

Cuz I like to keep figures sort of nice and round and simple.

DEALER: I can ask.

TP: Is that alright?

Thank you.

Yes.

Leave that with me, I'll see what I can sort out for you.

Yeah.

I hope I can get it for 15 - it just makes my head... That means I would have spent £155, which I know is very mean but that's life.

She will do that for 15 for you.

Oh really?

Brilliant.

Yep.

OK, there is... DEALER: Thank you very much.

That's brilliant.

I'll get you some change.

Yes!

Done.

VO: He's pretty pleased with himself, but that's not new, and Paul's not faring too badly either, because he's stumbled across two military objects, and if there's one thing Paul knows about it's militaria.

It's a propeller tip photograph frame.

Price is £38.

That is actually pretty fair retail, isn't it?

And that's pair of early goggles.

VO: So he's fighting for a First World War RAF propeller tip made into a photo frame.

And a set of goggles, also dating to the First World War period, but with a higher price of £55.

What's the story with the pair of them, then?

I'd need a bit off.

Because they're a lot of money.

PL: This is fair, but... DEALER: Yeah, yeah.

At auction, if you don't know... if they are just a set of goggles to you, they're worth five to 15 quid.

That's where I've got the problem.

I can do you a deal.

I'll do you £40 for the two.

You've just done a deal.

Eddie, you're a good man.

Easy, wasn't it?

OK, Paul.

Sweet as a nut.

VO: Our military man's over the moon.

The photograph frame is as it is.

The goggles, on the other hand, are considered by many to be the first pattern officially adopted by the Royal Flying Corps during the Great War.

My problem is, not a lot of people know that.

And you can be sometimes too clever for your own good when you're taking to general auction.

VO: So a photo frame and a potentially valuable set of goggles for £40.

And Paul's choice of objects is particularly fitting for an area that has such close ties with the RAF.

Norfolk and its RAF base, Neatishead, have played a crucial role in Britain's air defenses.

Starting out as part of our country's first system, the base is one of the longest continually operational radar stations in the country.

VO: Radio detection and ranging, or radar, became essential to defenses by the Second World War.

To find out how tracking an enemy in the air became one of our country's most significant military achievements, Thomas has come to the Air Defence Radar Museum to meet manager Chris Morshead.

Hello, I'm Thomas.

Hello, I'm Chris.

TP: Chris, nice to meet you.

CHRIS: Nice to meet you.

This looks fabulous, this place.

Is this a radar station?

It certainly is, yes.

Dating back to 1942.

VO: As an island, the UK has historically relied on the Navy for protection.

But with the development of military aircraft, airspace became a key area to defend and so a new response was needed.

VO: From the 1920s, acoustic mirrors were used to harness the sound of incoming plane engines, giving an indication of their location.

But their effectiveness was limited, especially as the speed of aircraft were increasing.

With the threat of invasion from Nazi Germany rising, a top secret mission to control the new battlefield in the sky began.

The air ministry approached Robert Watson Watt, a scientist working with long range radio waves at the Met Office, to help develop an air detection system.

And in February 1935, Watt and his colleague Arnold Wilkins first put theory to the test.

CHRIS: Robert Watson Watt and Arnold Wilkins set themselves up in a little van a few miles away, borrowed a Heyford bomber from the RAF and they simply got that to fly up and down through the radio beam and from that, they realized that, yes, they could detect this aircraft when it approached them.

And then they could detect it when it sort of flew away again.

VO: With this breakthrough, the government quickly developed the technology, and within 18 months had installed a series of radar stations to monitor the skies around Britain, including here at Neatishead.

By the outbreak of war in 1939, this so-called Chain Home system was fully operational.

TP: Chain Home?

CHRIS: Yes.

Why is it called Chain Home?

It simply provided a chain around the homelands, so that is the depth of it really.

And so what am I looking at here?

You're looking at basically the power transmitter, so the radar signal, at very low power, would have been fed into this, and then this is basically a huge great amplifier, before it goes up to the transmitting aerial.

This is the boost, it boosts it all up.

What receives it then?

We then have a receiver which processes the information and then displays it for the operator to actually pick up any contacts coming in.

VO: This technology became vital in 1940 during the Battle of Britain.

During air attacks, radar guided the brave RAF pilots in their counterattack.

But even then, the system wasn't perfect... CHRIS: It'd been rushed into service, we didn't have time to perfect it.

And it had a number of problems associated with it.

It wasn't very accurate.

Which is something we find difficult to understand today talking about radar.

And so we needed to set up what we call a filter room to process the information, to make it usable, and then pass it out to the sector operations rooms, and they then control the fighters that were scrambled against the Luftwaffe raids.

VO: It was in filter and operation rooms like these that a predominantly female staff of operators played a decisive role in victory for the allies, ending Germany's plan to invade.

Do you think us having radar was one of the main factors in us winning the battle of the skies?

Yes it did, it acted in what we call a force multiplier.

It made the RAF seem bigger than it actually was.

Because we could keep the aircraft on the ground until they were needed and then position them precisely where they were needed, in front of the oncoming raids.

VO: But former alliances quickly descended into a new conflict and the Cold War saw the British Government reopen improved computerized stations to match the threat.

Once again RAF Neatishead played an important role in protecting our shores.

And with such a passion for trying things on, Thomas isn't leaving here without having a go.

Who would I be speaking to if I put these on or listening to?

As a fighter controller, you would now be talking to an aircraft.

An aircraft?

Carrying out interceptions.

Permission to intercept, identify and report.

RADIO: Roger.

CHRIS: So you'd be guiding that aircraft into position, where it would then carry out an interception on an unknown aircraft.

RADIO: Roger, 280.

Permission to intercept, identify and report.

TP: Wow, this room is unbelievably amazing.

It's like a Bond set.

VO: Well, he's been a fireman, a soldier and a cowboy on this trip and now he fancies himself as James Bond.

I think it best we leave it there Thomas, and join Paul back in Norwich, who is visiting Looses Emporium for his final shop.

With over 60 dealers in one place, these guys claim to be the biggest antique center in East Anglia.

And they could be right.

I'm off the boil.

VO: Nothing taking your fancy, eh, Paul?

I'm a disappointment to myself.

VO: Hmm, a budget of more than £800 and he's still struggling.

Perhaps Patrick can help him out.

Cherries in mouth.

Yeah, I know, yeah.

(CHUCKLES) My kind of gal.

VO: Well, this art nouveau bust sure has cheered him up.

What would you ask for that?

Erm, asking 280 for it.

PL: No.

ss No?

No, unfortunately.

She's a... She's a... She's an interesting lassie.

VO: She's too rich for his tastes.

Your special constable's truncheon, is that what it is?

Yeah, and the other one... Rochdale Special Constabulary, yeah somebody's long service.

DEALER: I'll do that for £45.

What about the bust?

It must be... At the price you have quoted, you must have slack on that?

You wouldn't have waded in deep on that.

250 for the two.

PL: No.

DEALER: There y'are.

I'm going to offer you... but it's real money, I'm backing it up.

Yeah.

Well... None of your haggling over 15 quid.

A straight two and I'll take them and I'll walk out the door.

Yeah, how does that grab you?

They're yours, they're yours.

Patrick, you're a good man.

VO: The bronze bust and the late 1930s or early 1940s police truncheon for a well-discounted price.

That's given our boy a bit of a boost.

Look at that!

Oh!

That's exceptional.

That is a craftsman.

Look at that.

VO: You said you wanted to buy things that fired you up, Paul, and this 1940s child's chair seems to be doing the trick.

PL: That's got 38 quid on it - what can it be?

DEALER: Er, 25 quid.

15 quid.

£20 and that is it.

That is it.

DEALER: That is it.

Done.

PL: (LAUGHS) There you are, it's yours.

Great, so I owe you 220 do I?

220.

VO: With £220 spent, Paul has five items.

I think he's rather proud of them.

VO: But what will they make of each other's purchases?

They're meeting in Coltishall for a big reveal.

You ready for me to reveal first?

Yes, your turn.

A silver bowl with an inset... Egyptian coin.

..Egyptian coin.

That Egyptian coin is one of the rarest types of that coin.

A very rare mint.

You mean it's a bowl for your mints?

Yeah, yeah, it's a very rare mint.

Yeah, absolutely fantastic.

And what would you hope it will do?

PL: 30 or 40?

TP: 30 or 40 quid.

Mr Margin.

Mr Margin.

Mr Margin.

Now, the little pendant.

That is delightful, isn't it?

Oh, and it's marked as well.

15ct.

That's delightful, what a sweet little pendant by any measure.

PL: I dropped... TP: Oh, no, no, no!

PL: Oh no.

TP: Don't do that.

PL: (LAUGHS) TP: It should make 30/40.

I do like... that.

Some shrewd buying there.

TP: Shrewd buying.

PL: Shrewd buying.

You're looking very smug, you know, you said you've had a difficult time.

I've had a difficult time, Thomas.

But I've pulled those rabbits out of the hat.

And that.

That's a beautiful child's chair, isn't it?

Glad you like that.

Love that.

Oh!

Ah, but it's hitty-missy.

VO: Hitty-missy, eh?

Is that a technical term, Paul?

God, look at that.

Foundry mark stamp to it.

Yeah, yeah.

Cherries in the mouth.

The nose is quite big, Laidlaw.

Was that cataloged as spelter and you got that for £65?

I so wish.

I had to pay for it.

Add a one at the beginning of that.

165.

I've paid the money for it.

And what are these, flying goggles?

Now these... they are considered to be the first-issue pattern of binocular to the Royal Flying Corps.

TP: Really?

PL: The first.

Photographs bear it out.

TP: So what, 19...?

PL: 14.

TP: 1914?

PL: Yes!

Oh my God, and how much were those?

40.

Oh!

Laidlaw.

But it's niche, it's so niche.

They're great.

Profits - you've got profits across the board.

I hope so.

Put it there.

TP: Let's go.

PL: Let's go.

VO: Profits possibly, but do their real opinions pack more of a punch?

My prediction is the bronze will be well met.

And that I will make consistent profits.

And Tom will have a few problem lots.

And I will come out on top again.

You know, I think we both have good lots and it is going to be a really good auction.

God only knows what he thinks about my things but I think he quite likes the box, he did say he liked the box.

VO: The question is will the buyers at the auction?

And there's only one way to find out, so back in the Sunbeam the boys face another impending battle.

PL: An auction duel.

TP: An auction duel.

I haven't had...

I don't hold out much hope.

PL: I don't... why?

TP: I don't know.

PL: £5 gold.

TP: Yeah, yeah, that's alright.

PL: Ah, there was that.

TP: There was that.

VO: They're making their way to Colchester in Essex.

Once the Roman capital of Britain, Colchester claims to be the country's oldest town.

It's certainly brimming with history including ancient city walls and an impressive Norman castle.

Antiques, silver pawnbrokers.

PL: Not today.

TP: Not today.

PL: Selling today.

TP: Selling... Look at that, an old ruined church.

PL: Look at that, they are city walls.

Surely.

The city walls, yeah.

Fantastic.

VO: Well, I do hope their final destination at Reeman Dansie auctioneer and valuers impresses just as much.

Oh Paul.

Thank you driver.

You going to have both these parking spaces?

VO: Nice parking Thomas.

Will you, please, honestly.

I think the car drove quite well actually.

Right, Laidlaw.

Let's make £1,000.

Let's make £1,000.

Like we did last auction.

PL: Yes!

VO: They're going in with high expectations.

So, does auctioneer Timothy Medhurst share this enthusiasm?

The picture frame, of the propeller tip, is quite interesting.

The goggles as well.

Nice combined lot, I am sure that will sell well, probably £60 to £100, hope for the higher estimate.

The Cornish serpentine brooch, not sure it is going to appeal to a lot of people unfortunately, but people like a bronze but unfortunately, she has berries or something in her mouth and it looks like she has got a growth, so, that might play against it I think.

VO: Today, Paul is offering up five lots at a total cost of £292.

VO: Thomas also has five lots that cost him £155.

VO: So, with everyone sitting comfortably, take it away, Timothy.

Great name.

Number nine, the Egyptian white metal bowl.

VO: We're starting with Thomas and his Egyptian bowl.

Nice bowl this one, £30, start this one at £30, worth 30.

30, 32.

New bidder at 32.

Is this it?

Is this it?

VO: Do pay attention chaps.

No it's not.

VO: Yes it is Thomas.

No this isn't it, is it?

TIMOTHY: At £38.

All done?

PL: Is it?

(CHUCKLES) VO: That lot went right over his head.

TP: Is that it?

PL: It is.

VO: But Thomas has got another £23 in the kitty.

Missing it.

VO: Well, now we've got your attention, let's see how Paul's glass vase fares.

TIMOTHY: £30 start this one.

That's it.

There you are.

Straight in, thank you sir, at 30.

32, new place.

34.

At 34, 36, 38.

At £38, down here now at 38.

40.

At 40, 42, back in.

No, 42 at the back.

With you sir at £42.

VO: There's a bit of profit to lap up there Paul.

Phew.

Good, good, good, good.

VO: Now for Thomas's lucky little find - the gold pendant.

£40 start it.

£40 the pendant.

Pretty pendant here at £40.

30 then away?

TIMOTHY: 30, 30 bid, thank you.

TP: Oh.

Lady's bid at 30, 32.

34, 36, with you sir.

I'll take it.

I will sell then TIMOTHY: at £36.

TP: Margin.

VO: This margin man keeps getting stronger.

Your spend thus far 20, your hammer return 74.

(THEY LAUGH) VO: It's certainly impressive but Paul's not taking this competition sitting down.

And £20 start the chair here.

£20 for it?

15 then away.

£15, 15 bid, third row.

Lady's bid at 15.

16, new bidder now.

18, 20, 22.

Lady's bid, third row then, with you madam, seated then, at £22.

VO: It may have been love at first sight but it won't make him any money after costs.

Can the first of Thomas's two brooches do any better?

PL: This is the one.

I think the mourning brooch is going to make lots.

This one, it'll... TP: Tenner.

PL: ..sink or swim.

TP: Tenner.

PL: No.

£20 start the brooch.

£20, start the brooch here at £20.

15 then away?

15 bid, lady standing at 15.

Now at 15.

Oh dear.

PL: There's no competition.

TP: No.

16, new bidder at 16.

18, at 18 bid.

20.

£20, standing then at 20.

VO: Hmm, a loss of £17 isn't helping anyone but it is hideous.

I would say I was feeling your pain.

No, you're not.

You don't care, do you?

Hate me.

VO: That did hurt and is he about to feel the pain of Paul's truncheon as well?

I have commission bids, start with me on the book at £40.

TIMOTHY: With me.

PL: Profit.

TP: Profit.

Truncheon now at 40 with me with me.

On the book, 42, anywhere else for the truncheon here now at 40?

42 new bidder.

44.

At 44, 46, 48, 50, 55.

At 55, still with me now.

60 and I'm out.

TP: 60, there you are.

All done?

VO: Another £25 bagged.

Profit is climbing slowly upwards.

We are heading towards that £1,000.

PL: (LAUGHS) VO: Next is Thomas's Victorian mourning brooch.

I hope this one does better than the last.

I have commission bids, start with me at 20.

Choice.

Somebody else bid at 18.

At £20, 22, 24.

26, I'm out.

28 new bidder.

30.

32.

34, 36.

At 36, come in now?

At 36.

38, 40, at £40.

At £40 furthest from me then.

At 40.

I'll take two anywhere.

40 then, with you sir, standing then, at £40.

VO: Oh, that means both brooches have made a loss, I'm afraid, Thomas.

I hope Paul's lovely lady fares better under the gavel.

I have commission bids, start with me at £60.

Come on, a million miles off.

65 I'm out down here.

Gentleman's bid at 65.

He's out at 65?

Five, 80, five, 90.

It's going to do it, it'll be fine.

TIMOTHY: Five, 100.

TP: It's going to be fine.

TIMOTHY: 110.

TP: It's there.

TIMOTHY: 120.

130.

TP: It's gonna be fine.

At 130, 140, 150.

No, 150.

On my right at 150, gentleman's bid standing at 160, back in now.

At 160, 170.

Standing then, furthest from me, then, at £170.

VO: That's a loss of over £25 once the costs are deducted.

He won't be happy with that.

PL: (GROANS) It's not fair, is it, Laidlaw?

It's not fair.

VO: Thomas's last lot is the sewing box he bought in Cromer.

The two brooches he also bought from Phillip in Cromer haven't done brilliantly, so can this darn the hole in his balance sheet?

This box here has to make back the money I've lost... and more.

PL: This box owes you big style.

TP: It owes me big style.

60?

£60 for it?

It's well worth £60.

60 this one, 60 bid.

PL: Fair enough.

TP: 60.

PL: Good.

Straight into profit.

Five seated, 70, five, 80, 85.

Oh, feels good, feels good.

Seated at the back then, with you sir.

85 then.

All done.

VO: A decent profit at last but is it good enough to forgive Philip?

Gonna phone him and tell him?

I'll do more than phone him.

I'll do more than phone him.

He's getting a visit.

I am driving to Cromer.

He's getting a visit.

VO: Oh stop plotting, fellas, and turn your attention to the last lot - it's Paul's frame combined with his rare goggles.

But do the buyers know just how special they really are?

Nice little lot, this one.

And I have commission bids, start with me at 32.

At £32, 34, 36, 38 I'm out.

Down here now, 40 new place.

42, 44, 46.

Oh yeah, you've got some serious buyers here.

TIMOTHY: 60, five.

TP: There we are 65.

TIMOTHY: At 65.

Sure?

Serious, doubled your money, 70.

80.

80's where I thought it'd go.

85, 90, five... PL: They know what they're paying for.

TP: Well done.

They know what they're buying.

100.

At £100, 110 back in.

120.

130.

At 130?

On my left then.

At 130.

VO: I'd say that's pretty good going.

Another £90 profit for Paul.

Clearly my work here, Thomas, is done.

I think we've both made profit, have we both made profit?

Yeah, I mean, I've lost a couple of profits, then made a couple of things.

So you know, the margin game played.

VO: Thomas started with £399.08 and, after auction costs, has made a profit of £24.58, giving him £423.66 to spend next time.

Paul had £899.78 to spend.

Adding a profit after costs of £55.68, he goes forward with £955.46.

Will he be able to make it 1,000?

PL: This is it, one more bite at the cherry.

TP: One bite of the cherry.

PL: Double our money.

(THEY CHUCKLE) PL: Come on.

TP: That would be lovely.

More margins to be played.

VO: Next time on Antiques Road Trip, Paul feels the pressure for buying for the last auction.

Don't occupy me - I'm busy.

Can't you see I'm working?

VO: And Thomas tries to take glory in the final hour.

Nip it at the last with the help of the masons.

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