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

That's cracking.

VO: With £200 each.

Wonderful.

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

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

I'm all over a shiver.

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

But it's no mean feat.

No brainer.

Going, going, gone.

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

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

VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?

How awfully, awfully nice.

VO: This is Antiques Road Trip.

VO: Yeah.

Welcome to the third leg of the trip!

It's a bit wet, but our experts Catherine Southon and Philip Serrell are negotiating some West Country roads in a 1970 Citro n DS 20.

Look at that.

What a lovely day Devon's got for us.

Why have we got this rain?

Where have you brought me?!

Why is it raining?

VO: Last time Catherine took a leaf out of Philip's book and bought rather larger items.

And some of them paid off big time.

Are you going to go down the rust and woodworm route again?

Well, it worked, didn't it?

Well, it's worked for me for years now.

I think you've educated me in turning...

I'm educating Britain, that's what I'm about.

I'm educating Britain.

Phil Serrell's Rust and Woodworm Trip, this should be rebranded.

VO: Behave!

Catherine started the trip with £200, but she's made a decent profit so far and has a healthy £269.58 to play with.

VO: Philip also started the trip with £200 but he's raced into the lead with a whopping £385.40 to spend on this leg.

PHIL (PS): It's a bit cozy, this lane, isn't it.

There's another nice Devonian pulling in for us.

Thank you very much.

CATHERINE (CS): You're a bit close.

PS: What?

CS: To the side.

Well I'm a bit close to this side as well.

It's a lane, dear.

VO: This pair's road trip kicks off in Coleshill in Warwickshire, meanders around the Midlands before heading due south to the coast, then turning west down to the tip of Cornwall, nipping briefly into South Wales and finishing up at auction in Wells.

Phew!

Today our experts start off in Colyton in Devon, and end up at an auction in the city of Exeter.

Oo-ar.

CS: Bluebells, Phil, they're beautiful!

"In and out the dusty bluebells".

We are going in and out the bluebells!

Sing with me, Phil!

Ready?

"In and out..." I was more into Hendrix and the Stones, really.

VO: The picture-skew market town of Colyton is the end of the line for the Seaton tramway.

And Philip is dropping Catherine off at the goods depot, home to the Vintage Shed antiques.

PS: Spend your money, girl.

Bye!

Good morning.

CLARE: Hello.

CS: Catherine, hi.

I'm Clare.

CS: Hello Clare.

JOHN: John.

Hello John.

Nice to meet you.

I think this is one of those places that looks fairly small from the outside, and you come in and it's massive.

Am I right?

Yes, it is, yes.

I may be some time.

OK. Ooh, like this.

See, if Phil was here, this is where he would be because this is his kind of area.

That is a nice piece.

I know it's simple but look at the shape on that.

That is a really beautiful shape.

A nice copper, quite heavy, substantial tray.

Now this is made by WMF.

I'm not even going to attempt to say the name, but it's something along the line of W rttemberger 'Metallwaren-fabrish'.

Something like that.

VO: I think you'll find it's W rttembergische Metallwarenfabrik.

I think.

How do we know this is WMF?

Because later WMF pieces have a nice big stamp on the back with the initials WMF but the early pieces have a little ostrich mark.

And there we have it.

That dates it certainly to the very early 20th century.

£75!

That's a lot of money for a tray.

It's a thought.

I tell you what though - I saw something when I came in that I'm just going to investigate.

You're going to be horrified.

VO: What now, Catherine?

This is what I saw.

I am now getting into Phil Serrell complete madness, but look at that.

It's a wheel.

Isn't that amazing?

That would look great in somebody's garden.

It's an architectural piece.

It looks amazing.

It's probably not even for sale but I have to ask.

I know I'm mad.

VO: No, you're not.

I know I'm mad... VO: If you insist.

..but, um, it's not the smallest item I've seen...

I just looked at your wheel outside.

Oh OK.

Yes.

Is that for sale or is that a part of your building?

No, that is for sale.

It's another trader's.

Somebody who rents a space, he put it out there.

Could be a bargain there for you.

Could it be a bargain?!

Could be.

Could be a bargain!

VO: Let's leave an excited Catherine with her wheel.

VO: Meanwhile, Philip has travelled to the pretty coastal village of Beer where he's made a little impromptu stop on the beach.

Ooh lord.

PS: Chaps, can I have a word?

What have you got that I can buy off you?

You can buy a boat, if you want one.

VO: It looks like Philip has drawn a blank.

Take care, chaps.

VO: Or has he?

There's some brass navigation lights up for grabs.

Oh, they'd be good.

VO: Friendly fisherman Nick might have something after all.

That's all I've got here, Phil.

There's a couple of old navigation lights.

They're a bit broken.

They're like me, they've seen better days.

Yeah, they have.

How much do you want for them?

What do you reckon, Phil?

£100?

(LAUGH) I reckon they're over 100 years old.

I had them on my old boat.

They're covered in paint.

Are they brass?

Yeah, they're brass.

How much do you want for them, Phil?

Go on.

Give us a clue.

I'll give you a tenner for them.

A tenner?!

Tenner a piece.

Give us 15 quid.

There is an expression: if you want to find a fool in the seaside, bring him with you.

And I've just arrived.

What did we say, 20?

Oh, you behave, you.

VO: So, this little soirée has seen Philip bag two ship's navigation lights for £15.

Well, good luck.

I'll need it, yeah.

Well, I think you would with those, but there we are!

I'm not sure who's done who here.

VO: Let's leave Philip on the beach then, and see how Catherine is getting on back in Colyton.

Is it a water wheel?

Or something like that?

An industrial wheel or something?

I don't know.

Do you know anything about it?

I think it's a water wheel.

I don't know.

John?

John, do you know anything about the wheel?

It's an olive press, so it's originally from France or somewhere like that.

Of course.

That makes it sound more exciting.

Olive press!

I like that.

It's still full of woodworm.

Yeah, don't worry about the woodworm.

Woodworm is good, it can add value!

Is it going to be hugely expensive?

CLARE: I don't remember.

Why don't we give him a ring.

It's got no price on it.

OK. Leave it with me.

I know I've been spending too much time with Phil obviously, but doesn't that look good?

And being an olive wheel, press, whatever, makes it sound a bit more Mediterranean and a bit more exciting.

Ooh I've come all over a shiver.

VO: Lovely!

Clare hasn't been able to contact the owner but she's made an executive decision.

What I could do is sell to you for 120.

That is a little bit more than I wanted to spend.

It's got "risk" written all over it.

Honestly, Clare, I'm looking for about 80.

I'm going to go and have another quick look at it just to make sure...

It is full of woodworm.

And it goes round, as every wheel should.

I could be carrying this round with me forever though.

It might not sell and then I'll have to take it to the next auction and the next auction.

Oh, someone tell me what to do!

VO: I'll tell you, Catherine - make a decision, love.

I'm really tempted at 80.

What do you think, Clare?

Go on, then.

I'm going to get into trouble, but go on then.

Let's shake on that.

£80.

I don't know what I've just done.

I may have just made the biggest mistake of my career, but it's been worth it.

There we are.

Lovely.

Thank you.

Would you like it wrapped?

VO: Hey, I do the jokes, if you don't mind.

Goodness me, what have I done?

Right.

John, follow me.

Come on!

VO: Good luck fitting that in the back of the Citro n. VO: Meanwhile, Philip is still in the village of Beer.

He's visiting the quarry caves which are famous for the limestone that was mined here for nearly 2,000 years.

John Scott looks after the caves.

Good morning, Phil.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

You are?

I am John.

VO: These manmade caves were started by the Romans who quarried a 20 foot layer of limestone that was unique to the area, called Beer stone.

It was coveted by local masons because it contained very few fossils, making it more durable and easier to work.

It's amazing to think, Phil, the entrance that we've just walked in was made by the Romans in the first century.

They did that 2,000 years ago?

Yes, and they quarried the stone from these chambers where we're standing to build their villas.

It would have been quite an industry.

You can see that the Romans quarried a quarter of a mile in that direction to get all the Beer stone they used.

And that's almost like a real perfect arch.

Well they supported the roof with beautiful, rounded arches.

VO: The Romans removed tons of limestone from here, but they also left things behind.

In this one chamber alone, we've unearthed over 30 beautiful Roman coins.

Really?

In fact there, in my hand, is one of those first century Roman coins we discovered.

So that's a 2,000 year old coin?

Very nearly, yes.

That is just beautiful, isn't it?

VO: Although there was money to be made from Beer stone, it came at a cost.

JOHN: You're working deep below ground which is dangerous anyway.

You're getting appalling burns on your arms, rubbing on the limestone.

The alkaline burns on their skin, split it wide open.

The only way they treated the splits was by running hot tallow candlewax on them.

VO: It wasn't only the Romans who endured difficult conditions mining the Beer stone.

JOHN: Throughout the centuries, the quarry actually changes shape like different styles of architecture because the Saxons came, not as good architects, left the quarry square.

The Norman period it's all upright pillars, capitals at the top like a Norman building.

VO: By the early 20th century, quarrymen were still working the caves.

Some carved their names into the rock.

So, is it George Gush?

It's actually Charles Gush.

Charles Cleaver Gush.

He was a quarryman here when he was 19 in 1909.

Did working conditions, did they change a lot?

No, the only improvement along the years was that they introduced the use of hand saws.

VO: But it was still back breaking work.

JOHN: Every day, single-handedly, to earn your living, you'd have to cut a four-ton block out of a blank rockface.

But all you'd have is that hand saw, four iron wedges and a sledgehammer.

VO: And danger was never very far away.

JOHN: One day when men were working in this section, the vibration of the noise brought a 48-tonne slab or rock out of that hole in the roof right above our heads.

That rock hit the floor in one piece with all the men beneath it.

VO: Danger wasn't the only thing the quarrymen dealt with.

JOHN: Now imagine being here with 100 men driving in iron wedges with sledgehammers, pushing hand saws and swinging their pickaxes.

(ECHOING BANGS) Now when that's 100 times louder day after day and you can't escape the noise, that's why we talk about going stone deaf.

PS: Oh, I love that.

After working 14 solid hours, you had to stand here shivering, waiting for a man called the tap stone to come, and he carries a hammer.

When the tap stone hits the block of Beer stone you've cut, if it doesn't ring like a bell but gives a dull thud, that means the stone is cracked, useless for a mason to carve, so they won't pay you a penny wages to your whole day's work.

VO: The extraction of Beer stone from the caves ceased during the 20th century when a new quarry was opened up nearby.

But the legacy of the men who worked these caves for hundreds of years is still visible today in some of the country's most iconic buildings.

JOHN: Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, 24 cathedrals.

People often say why is there no monument in the village to those who lost their lives quarrying Beer stone?

In fact written down here on one of the pillars is something that's written in St Paul's Cathedral, that says "si monumentum requiris circumspice", and it simply means if you're looking for the monument, go and look around you.

So you can either look around the quarry where they worked or you can still see the stone they quarried in all our historic buildings.

So that's their monument.

VO: Meanwhile, Catherine is in the east Devon town of Axminster.

She's visiting her second shop of the day, the Old Chapel Antiques.

Good afternoon, sir.

Hello, nice to see you.

CS: Who might you be?

IAN: I'm Ian.

Hello Ian, I'm Catherine, good to meet you.

Nice to meet you, Catherine.

Right.

Antiques center... Yeah, there's about 28 different dealers here over three floors.

If I have a look and I pick out a couple of goodies, are you the man to negotiate with?

Come and speak to me, yeah.

Come and speak to you.

Right, I'll come back to you.

Thanks very much, Ian.

I like that.

Not for sale.

It might be for sale though if I can offer a decent price.

That's lovely, isn't it?

Imagine that with a nice, big plant in it outside.

That would look rather super.

OK. That's lovely.

Ian, I've spotted a rather nice little penknife.

I like that.

Isn't that lovely?

Isn't it different?

Isn't it different?

Yes!

Look at that.

It's a little penknife in the form of a clog or a ladies' shoe or something.

I'd say probably more of a clog, isn't it?

I would say continental.

Definitely a clog, yeah.

Look at the detail there.

Look at where...

I shouldn't be telling you this because then you'll put the price up.

VO: I think the horse's bolted on that one, Catherine.

That's really pretty.

That's the blade that flicks out there.

It's just a really unusual piece.

What's on that?

It's got 28 on that one.

Right.

It's quite faded, that ticket, isn't it?

Has it been there a while?

VO: Now now, Catherine.

No, it hasn't.

Oh!

(LAUGHS) Do you think we could get a bit of a discount on that?

I could do that, yes.

Because at the end of the day, there's no precious metal here, there's no silver, there's no mother of pearl.

It's just actually quite basic.

There is on the price ticket "not to be sold under 18s".

Oh, I wish I was under 18.

Right.

VO: Yeah, you and me both.

What I would love to pay is about 15.

Right, I think that's unlikely, but let me go and ask.

I will ask.

What sort of price you can get as close to that as possible.

OK. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll come back.

Can I also ask you very cheekily...

Yes.

You've got something there which is not for sale.

Is there any way it could be for sale?

The chimney?

No, it's not.

CS: Definitely not for sale?

IAN: No.

It's got real character, it really speaks to you.

Yes.

But it's not going to speak to me.

VO: Not this time, Catherine.

But what about a deal on the penknife?

He can do 18.

OK. Yeah?

OK, 18 is fine.

Thanks a lot.

Fantastic.

Can I put that in the bag?

Yeah.

I'll put that one there.

Pop that in the bag.

VO: I think something else has taken Catherine's fancy.

Look at this, look at this!

Right at the back there, that's like the little biscuit tin that I bought, it was actually for sweeties.

VO: Yes I remember, and you made a handsome profit on it as well.

What I was really particularly interested in is that.

The one in there?

The trunk.

If I can have a look at that.

Let's have a look and see.

I like that.

VO: The ticket price is £33.

If you could do a reasonable deal for me.

OK, let me see.

Can I take the ticket...

Please do.

..and I'll go and speak to him.

VO: Ian's back and he's got news.

Catherine, he'll do that one for 25.

Right.

I was hoping for a bit less than 25.

There's nothing we can do on that?

Twist my arm and I'll take another...

I'll take it down to 22.

Right.

OK. That's fine.

I'll put that with my shoe, shall I?

So I'm going to go for those two.

IAN: Those two, yes.

CS: £40.

That's £40.

Ian, you've been marvelous.

Wonderful.

Nice to see you.

And you.

Thank you very much.

And all the best.

I shall take my travel trunk and my clog, or shoe, and bid you farewell.

VO: Let's leave Catherine in Axminster.

Philip's leaving the sea behind to head inland to the Devon town of Honiton, famous for its lace making.

VO: His first shop is Lombard Antiques, and he's a familiar face.

Oh, Phil!

We've met before, haven't we?

What a surprise.

Absolutely right, yeah.

Oh wow, hello.

How are you?

I came here when Charlie Hanson and I did the road trip round here, didn't I, but I didn't actually buy off you, did I?

No, no.

Charlie did, yeah.

We'll hopefully put that right in a minute.

I might just buy something.

Right.

PS: Can I have a look round?

DEALER: Yes.

I tell you what, space is at a premium, innit?

VO: Mmm.

It is a bit snug.

DEALER: That's an interesting thing.

Is it a military one, isn't it?

Yes, 1916.

And you can tell it's military by the... By the arrow, yes.

..by the arrowhead there.

And it's by Negretti & Zambra.

They were London makers, so this is a mid-First World War army field telescope?

Yeah, mid-First World War, very good condition.

What's interesting about it is that this year, this is an antique, and last year it wasn't.

Yes, that's true, yes.

Didn't think of that?

Because this is dated 1916 and a dictionary definition of an antique is something that's 100 years old.

So last year this was 99 years old and it wasn't an antique, it was a collectable.

I should have come and bought it then.

VO: Don't remind him, Philip!

I'll have to put the price up, Phil, now you've told me that!

This bit comes out as well.

That pulls out, doesn't it?

I like that.

VO: It sports a ticket price of £195.

But when I bid you for it, you might need a chair.

VO: Oh dear.

Let's just have a wander.

Have you got a store room, Barry?

I have got a store room, yeah.

That looks quite nice, Barry.

Yeah.

Got a lovely tray top commode here.

So this is Georgian, it's about 1765.

Tray top because this looks like a tray, and it's a bedside commode, so you would pull that out and this has probably been put in later, hasn't it?

Yes, yeah.

Cos this should be basically where your chamber pot went.

You've got a minor issue here Barry, cos that one's split.

And you've got a blister on it just there, look.

Yeah.

Where my finger is.

It does need a bit of attention.

VO: Don't we all, Barry?

Do you think it's been reduced in height at all?

I think it might have had casters.

How much is this, Barry?

I could probably do that for about £85.

The "about" sounds interesting.

VO: Anyway, down to business.

What's the best on the telescope?

BARRY: I could probably do the telescope for 140.

I think that's definitely worth buying.

PS: What about the commode?

We'll do it for 80.

You couldn't buy the wood for that.

He's got all the chat in't he?

All the chat.

I like him.

VO: That's nice.

PS: I don't like his prices.

VO: Not so nice, Phil.

What I'd like to do, let's put this on here and let's see if we can have a deal with these two.

I don't know anything about this, but I quite like it.

I love that commode.

It's an old fashioned antique, but you've got to start apologizing for it, and I was taught very early on in my life that as soon as you start apologizing for other things, it's got to come down in value.

I know that your prices are fair, but I'm going to bid you for me to make a profit on them.

Right.

And I'm going to end up with £200, that's it me finished.

VO: So that would be £140 for the telescope and 60 for the commode.

Are you going to shake my hand?

I think I will.

Yeah, go on then, Phil.

Thank you very much indeed.

What a gentleman, eh?

I better pay you now, hadn't I?

VO: That's a decent day's work for Philip.

I'll take this.

I'll do the heavy lifting.

I'm used to that.

VO: Time for a spot of shuteye, then.

Nighty night.

VO: Morning everyone.

Catherine's in the driving seat today, so watch out.

And our experts are enjoying the delights of rural Somerset.

Look at all these little...

I was going to say ponies, but they're not, they're cows.

VO: You're a country girl then, Catherine?

Anyway how's their shopping going so far?

Philip's been a busy boy.

He bought a Georgian commode, a telescope, and a set of old brass ship lights.

I'm not sure who's done who here.

VO: He has a healthy £170.40 left to spend.

Catherine's been keeping up though.

She bought the shoe penknife, the confectionary tin, and the wooden olive press.

As you do.

Ooh!

I've come all over a shiver.

VO: This gives shivery Catherine just under £150 for the day ahead, so she's in fine spirits.

All I'm going to say, Mr Serrell, you would be very proud.

VO: Their first stop today is in the Somerset town of Dulverton.

If they ever get there.

Oh Phil!

No, you want to be in first.

Can you change it?

Change the gear, change the gear!

Wooh!

VO: Oh lordy.

VO: Dulverton is considered the southern gateway to the Exmoor National Park.

Philip is visiting the family-run Acorn Antiques.

Out of small acorns great profits will grow.

(BELL RINGS) Hello, hello.

Peter.

Oh, hi.

Good to see you.

How are you?

Oh, this is a proper antiques shop.

A proper antiques shop.

Is it alright if I have a look around?

Yes, of course.

Some of you might have noticed that I'm just a little bit older than some of the other people who do this program.

VO: Really, Philip?

When I started in this business, you were selling tables and chairs and whatever.

Nowadays, antique dealers are selling a look, and this shop has got a great look.

Really lovely things.

You've got to pay for lovely things.

They have a price.

So I hope I can find something here that suits my pocket.

This is a leather fire bucket.

So most of these were 18th century, weren't they?

They were, yes.

Is this a little bit later than that?

I think so, yes.

Early 19th century.

Yeah.

It's probably about 1820, something like that.

Thereabouts, yes.

And this would have been filled with sand and basically it's to put out a fire.

Some country houses had ten, 20 or 30 of these.

So what do you do with that now?

Well, you perhaps use it in your office as a waste paper bin or you perhaps put a wonderful display of dried flowers in there, and it would look great on a table.

And if you look at that there, you've got this wonderful...

It's almost like chewed toffee.

Just a wonderful color there.

VO: Nice comes at a price.

That's £220, which is not expensive, but it's going to be out of my price range.

VO: What else is taking your fancy then?

What about your drum, Peter?

That's 95.

What could that be?

PETER: It is damaged.

Yeah.

But I'd probably lose that.

I'd put that one on this side and then put a little circular glass top on it, you've got a really cool coffee table.

Absolutely, yes.

It's French, isn't it?

It is, yes.

What would be the very best on that?

I'd do it for £70.

It's a nice thing.

Yeah.

Would I insult you if I tried to buy it with a five in front of it?

Meet me halfway.

60 quid?

Go on then, you're done.

You're a gentleman.

Thank you very much.

I better give you some money now.

There we are, £60.

Thank you.

Great.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much indeed.

VO: Deal done, let's get it down then.

This is going to rise or fall.

I wonder if anybody else can see what I can see in it.

VO: So let's leave our little drummer boy.

So sweet.

VO: Catherine is on her way to the village of Williton.

And she's here to find out about some revolutionary materials that transformed the world and even helped save elephants from extinction.

Good afternoon, hello!

Catherine.

Pleased to meet you.

You are?

I'm Patrick.

VO: Patrick Cook is the proprietor of the Bakelite museum.

Come and have a look at what we've got inside.

I've got a feeling this is going to be rammed full.

Is that right?

Just a little bit.

Let's get inside!

Thank you.

Oh my goodness me.

There is a lot in here.

Wow.

VO: It's the home to one of the largest collections of early plastics in the world.

Where should we go?

Through here?

There's so much here, Patrick, it's incredible.

VO: Astonishingly, billiard balls used to be made of ivory and in the 19th century a shortage of tusks prompted a New York billiard ball manufacturer to put up a $10,000 prize for the first person to create an ivory substitute.

As a result, celluloid plastic was invented, and used to make substitute ivory products, reducing the demand for the real thing.

You've got figurines which look like ivory, so is it that they're trying to copy what has gone before but obviously not using those materials?

That is the very positive side to look at, the fact that you were actually saving the animals.

There was devastation on the ivory trade.

VO: This new material could imitate more than just ivory.

That actually looks like tortoiseshell, but it's simulated tortoiseshell.

It is amazing.

Imagine wearing that.

It's so beautiful, so delicate.

PATRICK: Intricate.

CS: And so perfect.

VO: In 1907 the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was invented by Leo Hendrick Baekeland.

It would soon be mass produced in an endless list of products.

CS: It could be used for so many different things.

Many many things, and in fact some were more novel than others.

You have practical things, you have telephones and various household gadgets, and how about this.

Oh!

That was awful!

Oh my goodness me, I thought that was a snake coming out then.

PATRICK: This is a tie press called the Tie Master.

Right.

1940s, possibly carrying on into the 1950s.

Does the job, of course.

VO: Bakelite enabled a new way of designing things, and those designs collided with another great invention of the time - the radio.

PATRICK: Companies like Philips and the Echo company in particular had the best designers, so made good design available in people's homes.

VO: Although the designs were undoubtedly cutting edge, Bakelite became synonymous with rather drab colors.

PATRICK: This is a rather darkened room and dull, but color was the future of Bakelite at that time, and there were some extraordinary experiments.

The resin became very, very clear, which allowed you to put pure colors in.

I would love to see some of the color examples.

Can you show me?

Absolutely.

Shall we go along here?

Wow, colors!

Isn't it gorgeous?

Look at the color effects.

This is where science meets art in some ways and they're the holy grail for collectors, these fabulous luster bowls.

VO: The experiments with color also extended to Bakelite phones.

We have gorgeous green phone, which is... That is beautiful.

Yeah, isn't it?

A wonderful color.

We see quite a lot of the black ones.

That is stunning.

PATRICK: It does have all the quality of good design and an excellent color.

The very fact that they produced these for over 40 years says a lot for a good design.

VO: Improving technologies led to a new generation of more versatile plastics, but Bakelite is still manufactured today, and it has even been used on the space shuttle.

From the beautiful to the practical and downright bizarre, these vintage plastics have changed the way we look at the world forever.

VO: Meanwhile, Philip has made his way to Sampford Brett.

The village is nestled on the edge of the Quantock hills.

He's visiting Keith Richards Antiques which is based on the family farm.

He presumably doesn't play a guitar.

Hi Keith, how are you?

Hiya, how are you?

Yeah good.

Good to see you, man.

How are you doing, alright?

Yeah, very good thank you.

Isn't that cabinet fantastic?

Super piece, yeah.

That is absolutely stunning.

Museum quality.

It is, isn't it?

That's art nouveau at its best, isn't it?

Now, looking at what you've got, and I know what I've got!

I'm hoping there might be a bit of a common ground here somewhere.

KEITH: Depending on budget, isn't it?

Yeah, we don't discuss that just at the moment.

I don't believe in embarrassing myself too early.

For the first time in my life, I'm going to try and be methodical here.

Alright?

Let's narrow this down.

VO: This should be interesting.

This is a suite of Gnomeman furniture, thousands of pounds, out of my price range.

Arts and crafts bookcase, needs a bit of work.

Mm-hm.

Yeah, it's just come in.

How much is that?

220.

OK. Moving on.

Ah!

A lovely Wedgwood Fairyland luster bowl, and that is... ..£3,400.

VO: Maybe not quite for you, Phil.

That's nice.

So that's an oak silver chest, isn't it?

Yes, yeah.

And it's Mr Warre-Cornish, esquire.

You've got an oak strongbox effectively, or silver chest.

Metal bound.

Base-lined interior.

That would have held a tray in there, wouldn't it?

Yeah, it probably would have had the full sort of tea set, the whole works.

And we've got here Carrington & Co silversmiths, Regent Street, London.

So presumably over the years what was in there has been broken up.

The silver tray has gone in one direction, the three-piece silver tea set has gone in another direction.

And it's a pity it's not been kept together but at the time it probably wasn't worth a great deal.

You've got 165 on that, what's the best you can do that for?

120.

It's just a lovely size isn't it?

I've got a very tight budget here.

So is 120 your best?

Em, Yes.

Yes.

Let's just see if we can just tempt him a little bit.

There's 20, look.

30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 110.

You think that's all I've got don't you?

Absolutely not, look.

Because there is... Oh goodness.

..40p as well.

VO: Well that should swing it, Phil.

There is £110 and 40p.

I have not got a penny more.

Right.

Can I shake your hand?

You can indeed.

What a gentleman.

Alright.

Oh, what a good chap, I'm really pleased with that.

VO: Well that's Philip spent every last penny.

Good boy.

Let's catch up with Catherine.

She's heading west to the pretty Somerset village of Carhampton.

She's visiting her last shop, Chris' Crackers, and she's got just shy of £150 to spend.

Are you Chris?

And are you crackers?

I'm definitely crackers.

I'm Peter, nice to meet you.

Hello Peter.

Well, em... Well, what can I say?

Different.

It's different.

We do a little bit of everything.

Salvage reclamation, we do some antiques, furniture, roof tiles, everything.

Do you want to have a look with me?

Can you spare me a week?

Yeah, have we got a week?

Come on, show me the way.

Oh my goodness me.

This is one of our best and busiest rooms.

Really?

They love rummaging through here.

Do they?

I'm exhausted, and I haven't even started.

VO: Yes there is rather a lot to get through.

Woof.

The old gym horse.

They're very popular now.

What's on that?

Oh, about £100.

Oh, come on.

Really?

I thought you and I would be on the same wavelength.

How long have you had that?

It's been there a little while.

Years.

It's been there three years.

It came from St Audries girls' school.

This is all later though, isn't it?

Do you think so?

Yeah, of course it is.

So you'd love that space, wouldn't you?

Well... You'd love that space.

I mean think of all the things you could put in that space.

More junk.

More junk.

My kind of thought was about £40.

Right.

What does that sound like to you?

Could I get you up a little bit on that?

VO: Oh crikey.

Really?

Peter may be open for a deal.

On we go.

What do you think?

£40?

Yeah, we're not too far away.

We could have a deal.

Right, OK. We could have a deal.

Hold that thought, because we've only just started.

VO: Right, what else have you noticed, Catherine?

I'm seeing some blue and white stripes, is that a deckchair?

That's our massive deckchair.

VO: Of course it's a giant deckchair, it's a duet deckchair.

I think they were from the 60s.

Butlins used to have them.

Oh, to have your photo?

That's right.

And I've got somewhere behind you, I've got the baby.

Oh that's brilliant.

How much is it?

How much is it?

PETER: What, the chair?

CS: Yeah.

Oh, The best I could do on that would be £80.

I don't think you'll see another one in a hurry.

It'd be fantastic as a sort of advertising thing, wouldn't it?

To have outside a shop or something like that.

But can you do less than 80?

Can you do 60 for a friend?

You know why, because of that hole.

I'm being picky.

How do we get it out?

Oh my goodness me.

You're very kind getting all this out.

Right, which way up?

I'll just leave you to do it.

Oh, that is just fantastic.

Does it work?

Yeah definitely, try it by all means.

What do you think?

All I need is an ice cream, a beach, the sun, and I'll be happy.

Come on you, join me.

It's not going to break is it?

No, it won't break.

Come on then!

Come on then.

VO: And there's a dog.

Beside the seaside.

I can't believe... Beside the road!

So what do we think?

Well what did I say, 80?

Yeah.

What are you saying?

60.

Are we?

This is great.

Am I mad?

Chris' Crackers!

(LAUGHS) VO: Don't forget the little one, Catherine.

Does that one come with it?

Why not, why not?

VO: So, that's the deckchairs, what about the vaulting horse?

Can you do it for 40?

Go on.

CS: Can you?

PETER: Yeah.

Are you happy with that?

I'm happy with that.

So how much do I owe you?

Deckchair we said 60... that, 40.

And 40.

That's a nice round number.

£100.

100.

Thank you.

Does your dog come free?

Get out of it.

VO: So that's Catherine's shopping done, she's added the novelty deck chairs and the vintage vaulting horse, to the wooden olive press, a shoe pen knife, and an Edwardian confectionary tin, spending a total of £220 and having a lot of fun.

Philip bought a World War One telescope, a nineteenth century oak chest, a 1920s drum, a pair of vintage ship's lights, and a Georgian commode.

He's spent all of his £385.40 So what did our experts make of each other's buys?

Catherine Southon, you're trying to out-Serrell Philip Serrell.

That vaulting horse, I am so jealous of that.

I think it's no money at all.

CS: I love your drum.

Don't tell me, you're going to put a piece of glass on it and make it into a coffee table.

I don't think you're sitting on a fortune with your two deckchairs and I think your wheel of fortune might have suddenly ground to a halt.

The telescope, which is an area that I know a little bit more about, it might make £100.

I don't think so though.

VO: After setting off from Colyton our experts are now headed for auction in the Devon city of Exeter.

PS: Is there anything you're really anxious about?

The wheel.

The wheel.

Ah, the wheel of misfortune.

What possessed you to buy that?

I don't know.

I don't know, I had a Phil moment.

What would you do with it?

I'd try and find somebody who got the other three.

It's not that sort of wheel, it's an olive wheel.

It's a press.

Like an olive wheel.

Do you know, there is a big demand for those.

Exeter is known for its olive groves.

VO: Ha ha.

Welcome to Bearnes, Hampton & Littlewood salerooms.

What does auctioneer Brian Goodison-Blanks thinks of our experts' lots?

The little and large of the deckchair world.

It's something that's going to be quite a fun piece for somebody to have in their garden.

The commode is a very nice piece, it's what we refer to as more traditional antiques.

In the current market though, because of the sort of decline for brown furniture, it's probably only going to be about £40-£60 at auction.

The vaulting horse is one that's going to, I think, throw us all for a loop.

It might make sort of £40-£60.

It might take a flyer at £100 or so.

VO: Well let's hope it's got wings on.

Anyway, it's busy in here today.

Experts, take your seats.

First up, is Philip's pair of brass ship's lights.

Try saying that quickly.

And what am I saying for those, £20?

Ouch.

£10 to start then?

Ten, thank you madam.

At £10.

Thank you madam.

The back wall at ten I have.

12, 15.

See they all want them now.

18, 20.

Two.

At 22 for the ship's lights then.

That's got me out of trouble, hasn't it?

VO: Well it's plain sailing for Philip as he starts off with a profit.

Next up is Catherine's shoe pen knife.

This is the cutting edge of the lots that you've bought.

Oh, you're so smart.

And what am I saying for that, £50?

Oh, that'll be nice.

Start at 30 then?

20 if you will?

Ten if you will?

Ten I have.

And 12, 15, 18, 20, £20 seated.

The shoe penknife at 20, quite sure sir?

At 20 seated.

VO: Well, that's just about wiped its face.

I think this is going to be...

I'm a bit disappointed about that.

This is going to be a tough old day.

Do you?

Yeah.

Shall I go and start the car?

VO: Not just yet, Philip, your 1920s drum is up next.

Somebody start me at £50?

Start me at £30 then for the drum?

£30 I have, thank you madam, it'll make a nice coffee table won't it?

At 30, and five now.

Oh, they think like you, Phil.

A man after me own heart.

35, 38, 40, two?

Sure sir?

At 40 to the lady then.

40 and done.

They've got long pockets here haven't they?

VO: Blimey, don't bang on about it.

We're in it together.

£18.

I think we're right in it together.

VO: Yeah, maybe Catherine's Edwardian confectionary tin will fare better.

And various interest here at ten, 12, £15.

At 15 I have 18, 20, two, 25, 28, 30, two?

You've done it again girl, you've done it again.

£30 seated then.

That's when I say crumbs!

Are you quite sure?

All done then.

VO: That's not a bad result, Catherine.

Well it was a little profit, I would have liked a bit more.

VO: Wouldn't we all, love.

Now, it's time for Philip's Georgian commode.

And what am I saying for that, £40?

40?

20?

20 I have, thank you to the voice.

22, 25, 28, 30, two, 35?

£32 then.

35, fresh place.

38, 40, two, 45, 48, 50, five.

There you go.

£50 then?

£50 then.

At 50.

VO: Gosh, there're some lucky buyers in here today.

Well they say where there's no pain there's no gain but there's sure as hell a lot of pain and no gain at all here.

VO: Now for Catherine's wooden olive press.

It seemed such a good idea.

VO: Still might be.

In working order as you can see, and what am I saying for that unusual thing there, £50?

Nice decorative piece, 50?

£30 for the wheel then?

30 I have.

Look, you're in.

30, I'll take the bid at 30 and two if you like?

Easy stages.

I need a lot more than that.

At £30 and two, 35, 38, 40, two, 45.

Please.

48.

Please.

AUCTIONEER: 50, five?

CS: Yes!

AUCTIONEER: 60 CS: Yes!

Five.

At 60 and selling then.

VO: Never mind, Catherine, it was worth a shot.

Have you learnt anything?

Well I've learnt that big is not necessarily beautiful and profitable.

VO: Can she bounce back with her novelty deck chairs?

Start me somewhere at £40 for the two?

£40 straight away I have, at £40 for the deckchairs then.

And two now as well.

42, 45, 48, 50.

Come on, it's nice and comfy for the summer.

At £50.

Two, two of them.

Five now?

At 50 then.

Gosh, it's like getting blood out of a stone!

VO:: Oh dear, that's back to back losses for Catherine.

Do you think there are any other programs that we could do, perhaps one of those cooking things?

VO: Let's not be too hasty now, Philip.

Shall we see how your oak silver chest gets on?

Various interest here.

At 80, five...

There you go!

90, five, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180.

Well done.

I told you!

At £180 and I'll sell.

I told you you'd do well, you always do well.

VO: Crikey, that's a whopping profit for Philip.

Catherine's last lot is the vintage vaulting horse.

Can she leap into a profit?

I've commissions here starting at 22, 25, 28, 30, £30 is bid here with me.

At 32, 35, 38, 40, two.

No?

My commission at £40, do I see two?

42, 45, 48, 50, two.

Come on.

Keep going, please keep going.

Five now will you?

Quite sure for the horse then?

VO: So Catherine ends on a profit, well done.

They're just not with it in Exeter.

Not exactly the great escape that, was it really?

VO: Last up is Philip's World War I telescope.

And what am I saying for that, £80?

£50 to start then.

50 I have, wave of the catalogue.

And five behind.

And 60, can't see you madam, 60.

Five, 70, five, 80.

75 to you then madam.

80 standing behind, 85, 90, five, 100, 100 standing then to you sir.

£100 then.

VO: Well, that's a steal for some lucky bidder.

We off then?

Yeah.

VO: That's our experts' third auction completed.

Let's see how they're faring.

Philip started off with £385.40.

After paying auction costs he's made a loss of £63.96 leaving him £321.44 to carry forward.

Kathryn started off with £269.58.

After paying her auction fees she's made a loss of £46.16 leaving her with £223.42 to spend next time.

I think you won by default there.

It was an odd one, wasn't it?

You sort of kind of lost least, really.

What are you trying to say?

Well, I just feel now like I'm a man of leisure.

Do you?

Yeah.

With my driving, you won't feel like that for long.

VO: Tatty bye then.

(SQUEAKING) Next time on Antiques Road Trip we are in Cornwall.

Paasty.

Paaasty.

VO: Philip fancies a bit of silk.

There you are, look.

Noddy Serrell.

VO: While Catherine prefers wool.

Oh no!

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