
Phil Serrell and James Braxton, Day 5
Season 9 Episode 20 | 43m 50sVideo has Closed Captions
Phil Serrell and James Braxton begin their last leg in Wales, with James closing the gap.
Antiques experts Phil Serrell and James Braxton begin the final leg of their road trip in Wales. With James closing the gap, it’s all to play for as the experts head for a final auction showdown in Newport, Shropshire.
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Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback

Phil Serrell and James Braxton, Day 5
Season 9 Episode 20 | 43m 50sVideo has Closed Captions
Antiques experts Phil Serrell and James Braxton begin the final leg of their road trip in Wales. With James closing the gap, it’s all to play for as the experts head for a final auction showdown in Newport, Shropshire.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipVoiceover (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts with £200 each, a classic car... CHARLIE: (SCOTTISH ACCENT) We're going roond!
VO: ..and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.
I want to spend lots of money.
VO: The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction but it's no mean feat.
Oh no!
VO: There'll be worthy winners...
Yes!
We've done it.
VO: ..and valiant losers.
You are kidding me on.
VO: So will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?
What am I doing?
Got a deal.
VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.
Yeah!
VO: It's the fifth and final leg of our Road Trip with wily old foxes Philip and James, and Phil is getting all nostalgic about what's been a rather amiable journey.
I am quite sad that this is all coming to an end now James.
So am I, Philip.
We've had some fun, haven't we?
What's been your highlight?
Eh, what's been my highlight?
VO: Mm, this is awkward.
I want to give that some thought.
VO: Nothing springing to mind then?
What's been the highlight?
VO: Moving on then.
Worcester warrior Philip Serrell has not been adverse to a bit of random purchasing on this trip.
I love the can.
Do you want to sell this?
Can I buy this off you?
Yes you can.
VO: And it's been standing him in reasonable stead.
I'll take 21... Sold.
VO: James Braxton has also been taking a flexible approach to his buying.
Don't do this at home but it is alright, I do yoga so I have got a good balance.
VO: Although it has had him on some shaky ground.
Urgh!
VO: This pally pair started the road trip with £200 each.
With some ups and downs James has worked hard to bring his total up to £348.74.
And Phil has appreciated admirably also to £449.26.
So with only about £100 separating them, it really is all to play for along the final furlong.
James, this is our third country on this trip.
I know.
We are in Wales.
Talk about doing the union.
Sorry about the glasses but those raindrops they can cause the odd black eye can't they?
I thought you were going to burst into song there.
# Rain drops keep falling... # No?
VO: Well we are in the land of song Phil, so a little tune would be appropriate.
Very stony, isn't it?
Well it's Snowdonia, isn't it, I suppose.
Snowdonia.
This is it, the last one, it has been really good fun hasn't it?
It has been great fun.
Really good fun.
Really good fun.
And you know all the way from Scotland through England and now here in Wales.
And you've been my little ray of sunshine...
I have.
..all the way through.
You know... (PHIL LAUGHS) VO: Ah, isn't that sweet?
The trip has indeed taken the boys from Scotland, down through the borders to Lancashire and Cheshire and the final leg sees us travel around north Wales ending up at an auction in Newport.
First stop the town of Conwy, incorporating trips to Snowdon and Holyhead before traveling across to Newport in the county of Shropshire.
Conwy's famous castle and walls guard this medieval market town.
Now would this have been to keep us out or keep them in?
I think a bit of both, really.
VO: I'll hazard a guess that it was to keep you two out.
Conwy's a medieval market town surrounded by a circuit of walls over three quarters of a mile long and guarded by 22 towers.
Built for Edward I, it's one of the finest surviving medieval fortifications in Britain.
It's also home to Collinge Antiques, so it's time to procure some purchases.
PHIL: You have got a great shop here mate.
You know this fellow?
I know this man, and I am very very envious of you.
Oh good.
Good shop Jim.
Well thank you, thanks for the very pleasant drive, well driven.
I am going to phone him up and tell him to whack the prices up a bit.
Hold on...
This is if I can get him on the line.
Just tell him I might be some time.
Right, do you want a lift out?
I haven't had any breakfast, so I have got no core strength for this one.
VO: Still struggling with your exit I see, James.
Get in there and start buying.
James I hope you have an awful time.
Thank you.
See you mate.
Keep taking the tablets.
Hi James.
Morning.
Hi nice to meet you.
Very nice to meet you.
What a lovely treat to come into a shop like this.
I think this looks a good emulsifier of money in here.
So I have got about 350 to spend.
Good, that's a decent amount, isn't it?
I am sure I could help you with that.
VO: I think James likes the look of this place.
You show me around, you know your stock better than I do.
Em... well, yes.
You want a story as well, a bit of interesting...
Always.
A bit of a story.
What about this... History and story.
What about that?
Apparently made for an adaptation of King Lear, for a stage production.
Right.
Probably dated about 50s or 60s but I just thought a bit of fun, you have got Richard Burton, RB, could be, who knows.
Fabulous.
I am not saying it is, but you never know.
JAMES: A very famous Welshman.
Yes.
Any chance Elizabeth Taylor has been on this?
Probably, I don't know.
VO: You should be so lucky James.
How much is this, Nicky?
NICK: To you?
JAMES: Yeah.
£40.
Sold.
VO: A quick decision, James really likes this place, and the prices.
NICK: Ideal pair beside the bed.
Yeah.
Your glass of water.
Here... or wine.
Or wine.
They are lovely, aren't they?
Different, aren't they?
JAMES: Aren't they lovely?
Good drawer, probably French.
How much could they be then?
140.
140?
The pair, that is for two, not one.
Definitely sold.
Thank you.
This is easy work, isn't it?
Keep going.
VO: He's rattling through this shop at a rate of knots but will he live to regret it?
Is that enough furniture?
Can anybody ever have enough furniture?
No.
Not as far as I'm concerned.
Exactly.
VO: And he's not done yet.
What about a moose?
Oh, look at that!
Isn't he a great fellow?
VO: A moose loose in this hoose.
That is quite a pretty little picture, isn't it?
NICK: A proper little drawing.
Signed.
Watercolor obviously.
JAMES: George Oyston, yeah.
That's very nice, nice clean little fellow, isn't it?
Yeah, £40.
£40, done.
Definitely going to have that.
Definitely have that.
Easy shopping, isn't it?
It is, isn't it?
Easy shopping.
VO: James really is going for it.
Is there any stopping him in here?!
Another item please.
Make it expensive.
Worcester.
A bit of Worcester.
Nicely potted, nice color, only cuz we want to beat Philip badly... We'll say £40.
VO: Surely not?
James you'll be all in if you're not careful.
It is interesting because they have had difficulty getting the glaze on it, haven't they, sticking, so it has sort of bled a bit but it has got good casting, hasn't it?
Very good casting.
It is not marked as a second, is it?
No.
If they let it out the factory, they would mark it as a second, wouldn't they?
What do you think?
Go', that is taking on Philip on his own turf, isn't it?
Good, definitely, I will have that one.
Lovely, thank you.
It has got a chance.
Thank you.
Yup.
Nicky, I think you've been really kind, I think my work is done here.
Is it?
Very good.
Nice having you.
Thank you.
Well, watch out Philip, Worcester to Worcester.
Nicky, thank you very much indeed.
Pleasure.
VO: Four lots in one shop, eh?
He's got the theater prop throne, the bedside cabinets, the signed watercolor and the Worcester figure all for £260.
Check those.
I hope you do alright with those, James.
Yeah, no I'm sure I will.
VO: A very unusual but bold start from James but time will tell if he's spent wisely.
Thanks a lot.
VO: Phil, meanwhile is on the road towards the village of Llanberis at the foot of Mount Snowdon, and seems to be reveling in rural north Wales.
Do you know, we've been really really lucky because it is such fantastic countryside.
VO: And make no mistake, while he might be friendly with James he's still up for the competition.
He's going to be trying really hard to beat me but I am going to be trying really hard to beat him.
But I want to try and spend all my money, I don't want to wimp out, get in there, spend it, boy.
VO: Let's just hope the weather holds up for you, eh Philip?
Just up there is a bit of sun just waiting just to creep its way through the clouds.
I might even get up to Snowdon and see it up there.
VO: Snowdon's the highest mountain in Wales.
With breathtaking scenery it attracts around half a million tourists a year, but you don't have to don your mountaineering gear to enjoy the views.
For the less energetic of us there's a railway that takes you most of the way to 3,560 foot summit.
This extraordinary feat of Victorian engineering was built in 1869.
150 men with picks and shovels and dynamite built two viaducts, constructed several bridges and laid almost 8km of track up to the top of the mountain - all in 14 months.
The train has carried around 12 million passengers up the mountain since it was built.
Almost 120 years later the railway remains a top tourist attraction and Phil's here to meet Vince to learn about its remarkable history.
Why would you want to go to the top of Snowdon anyway?
Well, my first answer would always be for the views.
I am from England right, you are going to have to forgive me here, but it is a well known fact that in Wales it always rains.
I rest my case.
Today I will give that to you but nine times out of ten, some nice clear skies, some sunshine and some marvelous views.
They went there for the views?
Absolutely.
Definitely.
Fair enough.
VO: Hopefully it might clear up when you get to the top, Phil.
You better get a ticket though.
Two tickets please.
Oh, thank you.
We're cutting this a bit fine, aren't we?
We are indeed... VO: All aboard!
(WHISTLE BLOWS) During the Victorian era tourism boomed, and holidays and trips became increasingly accessible for ordinary working people.
Are we here?
That's the guards.
VO: In 1869, keen to jump on this bandwagon, railway pioneer Richard Moon suggested that a train should run to the top of the mountain.
VO: The local landowner George Asheton Smith was opposed to the idea as he believed it would spoil the scenery and for 20 years he turned down every request.
But Moon was a persistent fellow and his powers of persuasion, alongside the prospect of some local competition, eventually pushed the construction through.
VINCE: When news came out that a rival rail company was planning to build a line from Beddgelert up to Snowdown on the other side of the mountain it pretty much would have wiped Llanberis off the tourism map.
It is hard for me to understand how over 100 years ago, they are focusing on tourism as a business really, aren't they?
They are and the interesting thing - this was one of the first railways that was built specifically for tourism, and in May 1896 the railway opened for the first time.
And that had to be spectacular.
Absolutely fantastic.
All go well?
Unfortunately it didn't.
On the second train of that day, there was a derailment and what they feel is there was some subsidence on the track and on the way back down a locomotive actually disengaged with its carriage, and actually toppled over the side of the mountain.
A couple of people inside panicked and actually jumped off the carriage, one gentleman hit the side of the mountain, fell back underneath the carriage and unfortunately it was a fatal injury.
So from that day, they actually closed the railway for investigation and it took a whole year till it re-opened.
So it has been a real labor of love to get this thing up and running, hasn't it?
It has.
Thankfully that was the only major incident.
Yeah, so just for the record you have been rock solid safe ever since.
Absolutely, yes.
VO: Despite the inauspicious start, the railway has been ferrying passengers safely up the mountain for nigh on 120 years.
One of the original locomotives still pushes a carriage up the mountain and I'm sure behind all that cloud there is some stunning scenery... somewhere.
You brought me up here for the view and the weather.
Welcome to the top of Wales.
VO: You look chilly old chap you better get yourself warmed up in the visitor center.
So Phil, do you fancy a walk up to the summit?
No.
Frozen.
Soup is good though.
Mm.
This is just the best soup there is.
Traditional Welsh leek and potato soup.
Homemade soup, top of Snowdon, in the warm - not going out there.
VO: Well, you finish your soup then and make sure you don't miss your train back down.
Ha!
Nice up here.
VO: Back at the bottom of the mountain, does Phil have his eyes set on a deal?
How much would one of those cost?
About £1.2 million.
£1.2 million, that's about 1.9999999 million more than I've got.
Em, what about a name plate or something off one of these?
Yeah, I have got a few parts that have just come off another locomotive - we could take a look at those?
Yeah, yeah, where are they?
Just over here.
These are brass water gauge covers.
I don't know what you would ever use them for.
Maybe candle holders.
Yeah.
Could be quite nice.
£15 I will give you.
15, done.
Go on, you are a gentleman.
VO: Well Phil, the views may not have been up to much but you've got yourself a cheeky little purchase and you never know - it might turn a profit.
That is a real good double whammy for me because I've had a great visit and I've bought something.
VO: James has also been out buying.
In fact he can't seem to stop today.
He's now made his way to the seaside town of Colwyn Bay to visit North Wales Antiques.
Hello, James.
Hi.
Frank.
Nice to meet you Frank.
VO: Hello, I'm Tim.
I come here armed, I want to try and spend up.
Right.
And I've got a sum of monies under 100 quid, so I wonder whether we could find something.
Right.
Now, what have you taken in?
What's nice and fresh to the market, Frank?
Most of it's fresh, we turn it over a lot, as you'll see there's quite a few things...
Perfect.
..that we've moved along.
Should I have a wander round?
Please do, yes.
And I'll come and hook up with you.
Right.
And I'll chance my arm.
We will do the best we can.
VO: James is very keen to splash the cash, but with very little separating him and Phil in the competition he needs to spend wisely.
Good old pot, isn't it?
That's what you want to do, you want to buy small furniture and big china.
That's always the way, isn't it?
I quite like that.
FRANK: I would do you that for 75.
Ideal for a collection, if you... of miniatures.
Yeah.
Say Hummel or something like that.
It Is mahogany.
Can I put two bits together, Frank?
Right.
What else could I put with that?
Here comes the dealing side of him now, see.
Here comes the deal, this is the punishing part.
This is where he's twisting the knife.
Twisting the knife.
VO: You make it sound so brutal, chaps.
James has picked a mirror to go with his display cabinet, now is there a deal to be done?
That is two wall bits here.
I tell you what I quite like about this Frank, it has got top quality hangers there.
Frank, I've got a total of £88.74, would that buy that lot?
And then I am all in.
Those two.
The notice board and the mirror.
Yup?
Do well.
We have a deal.
Thank you very much indeed, Frank, that's very kind.
VO: A thumbs up from Frank, I think it was the 74p that swung it.
So James has a notice board and mirror all for £88.74 and that's his spending complete.
I'm wearing a smile, I'm totally spent up, all my money is gone.
North Wales has all of it.
VO: Bold move Brackers, bold move indeed.
Phil, who's so far only had the opportunity to spend £15 on the water gauge covers from the steam train at Snowdon, has returned to Colwyn Bay to Shawna Peter's shop.
Hi Shawna, I've seen your name over the door sign, I know you're Shawna.
That's right.
I'm Philip, how are you?
Good thank you.
I am looking for something really quite specific.
I need to buy a profit.
VO: That is the point of the game, Phil.
I'll have a look round and I'll see what I can come up with.
Uh-huh.
VO: And he's already spotted something he likes the look of.
Shot silk, aren't they?
This one is about 1919 because it's got a star on the bottom which they started putting on in 1916 and it has got three dots so it is about 1919.
These used to be really quite sought after and fashionable.
VO: Weren't we all Philip, weren't we all?
These items are Worcester porcelain, so no wonder Worcester local Phil is considering them.
I think those are a real possibility.
Can I put them on the... on the counter.
Put them on the counter.
And let me have another look around.
VO: And what have we got here?
Oh, here we go.
Sounds like... you hungry?
VO: A squeezebox?
Go on Phil give us a tune.
(PLAYS BADLY) Do you know, I never knew I could play one of these.
VO: I can't say I know that one.
I think I am going to put that down.
VO: Shall we get back to business then?
Hold on a minute.
Go on Shawna, what can you do those for?
120.
VO: Shawna's giving as good as she gets.
If you could do them for £100, I'd have them.
That's £50 each.
No, it isn't.
It's £60-70 for that one.
And it is 30 quid for that one which is broken.
Not 110?
That's giving me a tenner on what I paid.
In that case, that is what I'll do.
OK. That is what I'll do, if you're happy with that.
Yeah.
10, 20... VO: So after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, Phil walks away with the Worcester figures for £110.
Thank you very much indeed.
Wish me luck.
I will.
Cheers now.
All the best.
VO: It's been a busy first day with James going for the risky tactic of spending everything.
Phil still has over £300 in his coffers though, so will tomorrow be his day?
Night night.
VO: The next morning and the inclement conditions mean the boys have the top up on their Austin Healy.
Now, there is a lovely view, isn't it?
That's a lovely view.
Just the driving rain pounding into the hillside.
VO: No wind-swept hair today I'm afraid fellas.
I am all in, mate.
You done?
Yup, all done.
What done, finished, spent, caput, over?
Down to the last 74p.
What, you spent every penny?
Every penny and I forgot to ask for a bit of luck money, I thought I'd have just a little bit of cash.
You are alright, aren't you?
Yeah, I'm all in.
PHIL: Well I am very envious that you have done the job.
Yeah, I have done the job.
You can just go and enjoy this wonderful Welsh weather, can't you?
VO: Yesterday, James spent all his £348.73 on a theater prop throne, a pair of bedside cabinets, a signed watercolor picture, a Worcester figure and a notice board and mirror.
Our first stop of the day is the beautiful village of Penmaenmawr.
Phil's come to Perry Higgins Antiques, but Perry's nowhere to be seen.
He's meeting Mick to see if anything here tempts him.
Hello Philip, good to see you.
When was I here last?
Oh, five, six years ago.
And I did well then, didn't I?
You robbed me nicely, yes.
Can I have a quick look around and I'll come and give you a shout in a wee while.
VO: And he's wasting no time getting re-acquainted with the place.
It's either out of a chemist or it is sort of out of a really good store.
You would ask for, I don't know, two ounces of antimony and the shopkeeper would go over, open the drawer, get it out, serve you, and these things have become hugely collectable and valuable.
And I've got about £324 left to spend or something like that and if I could buy those, for £324 I would spend every penny on them.
And they are... ..1,650 quid.
VO: I'm not sure even the old Serrell charm could wangle that price down enough.
Back to the matter in hand.
PHIL: Mick, this place is massive.
It wouldn't be a road trip for me if I didn't buy something big, lumpy and a'kard.
VO: Big, lumpy and what?
You got any big old stone, lumps of stone?
Or...
The yard is full of stuff like that.
Which way is that?
I'll take you out, it is this way.
PHIL: Oh, this is heaven.
Look at all this!
What I love about it is you've got a millstone and someone has sort of fabricated a fairly rustic frame, haven't they?
Has that been here a long time?
Not that long, it's only been here about three years.
VO: Not long at all then Mick, eh?
And how much is that?
Em, could be about 120.
Can I bare that in mind?
Yes, certainly.
VO: Back inside out of the rain it's a veritable treasure trove in here.
You have got some good stuff, haven't you?
Yes.
He's quite fun, isn't he?
VO: And Phil's only just getting started.
So these are Globe Wernicke bookcases, aren't they?
Globe Wernicke was the brand, they're library book cases.
And why people love these is because you can take the top off and then you've got stacks, then the top lifts up and slides back in, And these would date to... MICK: 1920s, 1910s.
It is also 385 quid.
Could we do something on that, perhaps?
Might be, depends what else you buy in this place.
VO: Sounds like Phil could be looking for a bulk deal here.
He has the millstone as an option and he might be up for a bit of horse play.
There's your other horse.
Oh yeah so it is.
PHIL: Dobbin.
MICK: Dobbin.
VO: Dobbin?
Can we get him down do you think, Mick?
Just to have a look at it.
I'll give you a hand.
This is heavier than you think.
It is, isn't it?
You weigh a lot Dobbin.
VO: Careful, he's a thoroughbred you know.
Put him down there.
What date would he be Mick?
He's Edwardian almost.
I think he could be earlier.
So you think he is Victorian.
You think he's 19th century, not early 20th.
I think so, well somewhere between the two.
What have you got these priced up at?
165.
Oh blimey.
185!
185.
VO: Time to strike a deal, I think.
This is very cool Mick, this is an annex to your antiques business then?
It certainly is, yes.
This is where you come for lunch?
Mick, I would like to have a deal with you.
I would like to buy the millstone on the iron frame out the back.
I would like to buy the brown Dobbin horse.
I would like to buy the Globe Wernicke style bookcase.
I would like to put them all together and buy them as a parcel off you.
One price, take the three.
And I am thinking like 250.
It's not nearly, it's not enough Philip.
He has the look of a wounded man.
Come on Philip, don't muck about.
£300.
£300.
£300.
£300.
£300.
A bit more, a bit more.
£300.
A bit more.
£301.
£305.
£312.
I'll make... £310 you'll have a deal.
What a man.
I better pay you now, hadn't I?
VO: We have a deal at £310 for the three items.
£160 for the bookcase and £75 each for the rocking horse and millstone.
Although Philip looks like he needs to work on his arithmetic a bit.
Ten, you are way out, you have robbed me.
Look, 10, there is all 100 quid, and a 10.
I have robbed you, haven't I?
I am so sorry Mick I didn't mean to do that.
I am really sorry.
Philip school of thieves, look that is it.
VO: Hey, naughty boy Phil.
Lucky for Mick he was on the ball there.
James meanwhile is heading west to the port of Holyhead.
The largest town on Anglesey, Holyhead's history is intricately linked to its position, jutting out into the Irish Sea.
The fast tidal currents in the major shipping route from the large ports of Liverpool and Dublin has earned Holyhead the reputation as one of the most dangerous stretches of coastline.
This led to Wales' first ever lifeboat station being built here in 1858.
The station is now the Holyhead Maritime Museum which tells the tales of the countless rescue attempts conducted off the coast, including one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters to occur in the UK.
The submarine HMS Thetis was undergoing sea trials in preparation for war in 1939.
On 1 June, Thetis left Birkenhead to undergo final diving tests, but only hours into the dive all 103 people on board were facing a catastrophic disaster.
James has come to meet volunteer Leslie Jones to hear more about it.
Initially she just failed to surface.
And they didn't know what had happened to her until her stern appeared above the water.
And two escaped and then it became clear that the for'ard torpedo room had flooded.
VO: With part of the submarine flooded and weighted down, those onboard decided to send some men to the surface.
First out was Royal Naval Captain Oram who escaped using an early underwater breathing mask.
An expert on submarines, Oram helped coordinate the rescue attempt.
Despite days of trying the rescuers failed to save the remaining 99 souls on board.
Thetis was eventually salvaged and brought to Holyhead, with some of its artefacts now housed in the museum.
LESLIE: The T is an original T off the conning tower, the inclinometer, which shows you the angle of descent, the act of dive.
JAMES: And so the poor old captain was looking at that thinking, 'Oh my God.'
I have never seen one of those.
No, I suppose it is quite rare.
VO: During the ensuing inquiry it became clear that the tragedy was caused by an inner torpedo pipe door being opened when the outer door to the sea was also open.
And were lessons learned from the tragedy?
Yes.
Afterwards, they introduced what everybody knew as the Thetis clip, which was a second stage clip on the inner torpedo door.
You could just open the inner door but just a fraction to see if there was water there.
And they had a system with a lever that they could close it again.
It didn't just swing fully open.
And that is still on submarines.
Leslie, thank you very much indeed for this afternoon.
VO: Despite this tragedy, the legacy of the Thetis has no doubt helped to save countless lives.
With James making his way back from Holyhead, Phil's heading to his final shop Denbighshire Antiques, with the princely sum of £14.26 left to spend.
PHIL: Hi Paul.
PAUL: Hi.
How are you, you alright?
You OK.
I'm fine, you?
You've got some good stock here.
Thank you.
Now, I'm in an imcep... Blah, blah, blah.
VO: Spit it out Phil.
Impecunious state.
I am going to give you every shilling I've got.
Right.
Alright.
Are you ready for this?
OK.
Put your hand out.
There is £10, there's 11.
12, 13, 14, £14.26.
That, I am afraid to say is all I've got.
Right, I am definitely going to go away with something.
OK. Now all we have to do is find something.
Right, let's go outside.
Right, we will go to the bargain basement.
Absolutely right.
I like bargain basements.
VO: Paul certainly has some interesting stock here, including what looks to be a very impressive collection of wildlife.
I bought all this lot from one house.
But I am talking three years ago and I couldn't walk through the center of there and they were all this high.
Right from here to the top.
Why?
He was a man who collected for 35 years, he was an old man, and he had it all in one garden.
VO: You can't afford any of this lot, but might you be able to swing something here with these old prison doors?
PAUL: Dartmoor prison these.
Dartmoor nick?
Are they £14.26's worth?
You are miles away but I think I am going to do you a favor here.
Really?!
Yeah, I think I am going to give you a go with one.
Really?
Could you do something on one of those?
Yeah, I am going to let you have one of those.
Whey-ho!
I want to see how they go.
I am so pleased.
I am so so pleased.
You go back inside and I am going to have a brevit through these.
VO: That's a great deal, especially if they do indeed hail from Dartmoor.
He said I can have any one that I want so what I really want is perhaps 'The Kray twins were here' or 'The Richardsons were here' on the door.
It is what you call provenance, prison provenance isn't it?
Perhaps even Ronnie Barker in Porridge he might have been in there.
VO: Fletcher.
They really didn't mean anyone to get out.
So you have got a spyhole here look, you look through there.
You really wouldn't get out of this in a rush, would you?
Let's just... Oh!
VO: Careful Phil.
I think I am going to go for the red one.
What a fantastic buy that is.
Prison door from Dartmoor, Victorian for £14.26.
I think it is time for me to check on prisoner 47398 Braxton just to see if he's behaving himself.
VO: Looks like nothing too suspicious.
With all the shopping done and everyone spent out, let's have a look at the lots.
Phil's picked a bookcase, a pair of Worcester figures, a millstone, a rocking horse and his wildcard lot of the prison door and railway water gauges all at a total cost of £449.26.
Whilst James has gone for some bedside cabinets, a notice board and mirror, a signed water color painting, a Worcester figurine and a theater prop throne all for £348.74.
But what do they make of each other's choices?
I think this is going to be a really interesting one because we have both spent out.
James, I think has bought some really really good things.
The throne though, at £40, how did that happen?
If that doesn't make, I don't know, £120-180, for James there is no justice.
It looks a really really good thing.
Philip has bought some good items and he has spent out.
He had £100 more than I did.
But the googly is that prison door.
I thought, something like that was worth about £100 and he appears to have bought it for absolutely nothing.
That might be his winner.
That little bit of Worcester that James bought, what is he doing buying Worcester?
There is only of us buys Worcester.
I don't go around buying things from Tunbridge.
James, that is my area, you leave it alone.
VO: Quite right too.
After starting out in Conwy and traveling all around north Wales this final leg of our trip concludes at an auction in Newport in Shropshire.
James, what have been your highs and lows of this road trip?
I mean clearly other than us working together which could fall into both categories.
No I think definitely high.
Yeah.
You know, working with you.
The car has been a real high.
But it hasn't rained, has it?
It hasn't rained...
Yet.
And we've seen some fabulous things on our trip.
We have been to some lovely places.
I don't know that I've had a low.
I haven't had a low.
I haven't had a low.
No, I think we've had a jolly good time.
We've had a good time.
VO: Don't speak too soon chaps, we still have the auction to come.
One last time.
VO: I really will miss you boys trying to get in and out of that car.
Ha!
(JAMES LAUGHS) VO: Welcome to Brettells Auctioneers in Newport.
Seasoned auctioneer David Brettell will be conducting affairs, so, what does he think of the items?
What an eclectic mix.
When they came in I just couldn't believe it.
I thought, 'what are you doing, boys?'
A prison door and some steam engine glasses together.
What?
What?!
I can safely say this is the first prison door I have ever sold in my entire auctioneering life.
VO: Well there's a first time for everything, eh David.
Now are we all sitting comfortably?
I have got a spring sticking where a spring shouldn't stick.
Really?
Yes.
VO: Never mind, let's begin.
First up it's James' bedside cabinets.
JAMES: OK, here we go.
£30 bid, at £30 bid, 35, 40, five, 50, five, 60, five, 70.
£70, £70, five, 80, five, 90, five, 100, five, 110.
110, 110.
15.
20.
120 bid, 120, nobody else?
£120.
Sold away.
Last chance.
Last chance, quickly round, all done at 120?
783.
VO: Not a great start there James, that's a £20 loss and double that when you add on the commission.
£40 loss isn't a bad start.
Is it?
VO: Phil's on familiar ground for his first lot, the Worcester porcelain figures.
£100 straight in.
£100 bid, surely now?
£100?
Way to go.
50, 60, 70, for the pair of Worcester figures.
£70 bid.
£70.
80.
90.
100.
10.
20.
120 there.
120.
120, 120, to have them sold, 120, anyone else?
That's enough, I think.
120, that's enough.
120, hands up.
Will be sold, at £120...
Put it down, put it down for goodness sake.
VO: So the result Phil was expecting if not hoping for.
I think I said to the lady in the shop that one was worth 80 quid and one was worth 40.
You are spot on.
VO: How will James fare stepping onto Phil's turf with his Worcester porcelain?
Over 100 and I am back.
I am nipping, begin to nip.
20 start me then, 20 bid and 25?
25, 25 bid.
At 25.
25.
Anybody else?
Happy to go at 25.
25, 25.
Anyone else?
Keep going, keep going.
Keep going.
..sold.
Dear oh dear.
All gone.
VO: James loses out on the battle of the Worcester, and Phil can keep his head held high when he gets home.
Will Phil's grindstone turn a profit?
£40?
Ten.
Ten, ten, ten.
£20?
Thank you.
£20 bid, at £20.
And five?
£30.
35... Looks very determined.
45.
You are going to be lucky, you are going to be lucky.
£50 bid.
£50, £50.
Somebody here?
Yup, she got it for 50.
VO: Nobody's really standing out here, but it's still all to play for.
Next it's James' oak theater prop throne.
20?
Thank you.
£20 I am bid, at £20.
Throne chair.
25.
£30.
35, £40.
45.
£50.
See it didn't hurt.
It didn't hurt.
£50 bid, £50, in front of me now £50 gone, at £50 last chance...
Right in front of me, sold away.
All done at 50.
VO: Oh!
That's a disappointment.
The Richard Burton rumor clearly didn't spread.
Limped home really.
VO: How will Phil's horse fare?
£10 for the rocking horse?
Hours of fun.
Thank you.
£5 I am bid, at £5.
That is a monstrous loss.
Eight?
At £8.
Not an option!
At £8 I am bid.
At £8 now.
I can't believe that.
10!
12!
£12 is bid.
£12 the lady bid.
At £12 sold away, but thanks for your help anyway.
Sold away at 12.
Good luck.
VO: Poor Dobbin fell at the first hurdle.
Doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.
VO: Back to James and his combined notice board and mirror lot.
Start at 10?
12, 15, 18, 20.
£20 bid.
22, five, eight?
Anybody else?
£30, £30 bid.
£30 will be sold.
Left, right.
£30 sold then, £30.
Not going very well for me.
VO: Well, this is not going to plan.
Surely Philip's bookcase will get us back on track?
£50 start me off?
£50 bid, 60, 70.
80, 90, 100.
10.
20.
30.
40.
50.
Bid?
60.
70.
80.
90.
200.
10.
20.
30.
40.
50.
60.
Are you sure?
Still in?
One more?
260 now, 260 will be sold.
Anybody else?
Last chance for you.
£260 on my right, sold away at 260.
778.
VO: That's more like it.
I don't believe that.
260, that's a good price.
VO: James has some catching up to do here, his early spending spree may come back to haunt him.
Will the signed watercolor get him up and running?
150?
£100 start me?
Gone really quiet.
50 bid.
60 bid.
70 bid.
80 bid.
£80 I have.
90.
90.
£90.
At £90 bid, £90.
100.
£100 bid.
100.
10.
20.
120 bid, 120 going to be sold.
120 bid.
£120, anyone else?
Selling it... Quickly round, last chance... 120.
That's better.
VO: A solid profit to keep James' hopes alive.
I've come out of my corner, thrown the sponge away... Of course I am really pleased for you.
VO: It all comes down to Phil's combined lot of the prison door and the steam train water gauges.
If he can turn any sort of profit on these he'll win the day!
There we are, interest in this.
Interest.
Where will we start?
100.
How much?
50?
30, five, 40, five, 50, 60, 70.
Well done.
£70 with me on a commission.
At £70 bid, 80.
80.
100.
10.
20.
30.
130 left of me.
40.
I am staggered, I am staggered.
160, 170... VO: This is looking very good, Phil, very good indeed.
And 20.
220 there.
£220.
Unbelievable.
That is good.
Last chance.
220.
Anybody else?
Hands up.
Sold away, quickly now.
220.
780.
Blimey O'Reilly, Philip, that's good, isn't it?
It's not good, it is luck.
That's luck.
VO: Whether it was luck or good judgment the gamble paid off and then some - that lot was the game changer.
Well done, mate.
Well done matey.
VO: James began today's leg with £348.74.
And after paying auction costs lost £65.84, leaving him with an overall total of £282.90.
Phil had £449.26.
After paying his auction costs, he made a profit of £93.58 and is left with £542.84 and wins this trip by over £250.
Congratulations.
Stick it there.
A handshake?
Sly old fox.
Sly old fox.
What are we going to do now then?
How are we going to fill our time?
I think we probably just ought to go and have some lunch before we go any further.
Lunch.
Lunch in Ludlow.
I hear there are some fine establishments.
There's some very good places there.
VO: Sounds smashing, can I come?
VO: This trip's been a real eye opener.
Hello?
Is anybody out there?
VO: But hats off to Philip on his victory.
PHIL: That is a bit racy, isn't it?
VO: His keen eye for the unconventional won the day.
Oh, I love that.
VO: If only James could have stretched himself that little bit more...
It is alright, I do yoga.
VO: It could have been oh so different.
VO: Oops.
It doesn't get any easier that.
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