VO: The nation's favorite antiques experts, £200 each and one big challenge.

Well, duck, do I buy you or don't I?

VO: Who can make the most money, buying and selling antiques, as they scour the UK?

Look at the color.

VO: The aim is, trade up and hope that each antique turns a profit.

But it's not as easy as it looks, and dreams of glory can end in tatters.

Thank you.

VO: So will it be the fast lane to success or the slow road to bankruptcy?

Bad luck for Thomas.

£50 down.

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

This week we're out on the road with a right pair of rascals - auctioneers Thomas Plant and Mark Hales.

THOMAS (TP): ..drive by.

MARK (MH): Gentle as you can.

I know!

You keep talking about... Gotta pull away beautifully, smoothly.

Yeah, alright.

I... Do you think I'm a backseat driver?

Oh, I do think so.

I most definitely am.

VO: Thomas Plant isn't afraid to name his price.

How much is on it?

350.

What would you like it to be?

I want it to be for nothing, really.

VO: And this is Mark Hales.

He just loves antiques.

That's made my day.

Whatever happens to me now today, I'll still be smiling, because I've seen that and I've held that.

VO: Thomas suffered more losses than profits yesterday, but remained positive.

55.

Made money, though, didn't it?

Made a profit.

Made money, made money.

VO: And Mark was rather boisterous at auction.

Go, Floppy, go!

VO: From his original £200, Thomas now has a limp £209.75, and because we're about to buy in the Republic of Ireland, this converts to 226.53 euro.

And just ahead, by a nose, is Mark Hales.

He managed to add to his £200 kitty with a respectable figure of £223.89.

Converted into euros, he has 241.80 euro.

The vintage 1967 Sunbeam Alpine is the stylish choice of automobile for this week's antiques adventure.

This week, Thomas and Mark will travel all the way from Northern Ireland and will notch up a whopping 460 miles all the way to the beautiful village of Pontrilas in South Herefordshire.

And on today's show, we start in Dublin, with an auction showdown at Ballybrittas.

The River Liffey flows through the center of Dublin.

What better place for the chaps to kick off today's rendezvous and indulge in a bit of shopping strategy?

TP: Oh, what a lovely, big river.

MH: Very, very nice indeed.

Teeming with salmon and possible bargains in Dublin.

I hope so.

And are you gonna strike hard bargains this time?

Are you gonna deal strongly?

I think...

I think if you keep pushing, you make your own luck.

You can't play too safe, Thomas, can you, really?

Erm... You have to step out of your comfort zone if you're going to win a round.

Like you did, with your spoons.

You might have noticed that in the last round, I bought silver... Yeah, I know.

Come on, come on, less of this... You know... ..less of this self "congratulationry"!

I told you I wouldn't mention it, I wouldn't mention it.

This praise, this praise.

Come on, let's go.

MH: # 1-nil, 1-nil.

# TP: Yeah.

# 1-nil... 1-nil!

# VO: Well, they're certainly playful!

They're making their way to Dublin's antiques mecca, Francis Street.

It's Mark's turn first.

He's having a good old gander at Michael Connell Antiques.

Good morning, sir.

Morning, how are you?

I'm Mark.

Hey.

Michael Connell.

Pleased to meet you.

MH: How d'you do, Michael?

DEALER: How are you?

How refreshing, to walk into a shop that is very much the real thing.

Thank you very much.

Absolutely wonderful.

Would it be OK if I had a jolly good look?

Have a... have a good wander.

There's loads of stuff here.

Lovely.

Thank you very much indeed.

No problem.

VO: Mark is a master spy of hunting down unusual antiques.

He's a lovable charmer that knows how to work the room.

He takes his time, slowly but surely narrowing down the items he wants to consider.

And then bingo!

He makes his move!

Nice little camera here.

These are very, very collectable.

Maybe... maybe if we can get this for a good price, this might be worth a go.

VO: This little beauty is said to be an original spy camera from the 1940s.

A lot of people will buy this sort of thing at auction, to place online.

Postage is very little.

It's easy.

Can be anywhere in the world easily, and it's very collectable.

It's got its original leather case, it's all working, it's all there.

We'll have a bit of a think about that.

VO: And as he thinks about it, the search continues.

Now, this just caught my eye, because there's always RAF collectors.

Yeah, that's just come in, yes.

There are in my part of the world, anyway.

I'm down in Devon.

And whenever we have anything that's RAF, there's always somebody that wants to buy it.

I just thought that's a bit of... that's a bit of fun.

So that's definitely a maybe.

Alright, the camera, Michael.

Sixty-odd euros.

I'd do 50 on it, Mark.

I'm out of my comfort zone as usual.

I'd do...

I'll do 40, to bring you into your comfort zone.

Is... is it... is it... is it?

DEALER: It's working.

MH: Is it rare enough?

DEALER: It's rare enough.

Nice.

MH: Is it...?

It's a miniature, it's... A spy... Yeah, I don't remember seeing very many of these.

What they call a spy camera.

And it's all there.

It's all there.

The leather case, the lot.

Little spy camera, in its original leather case.

40 euros.

Oh, let's have a go.

Let's have a go.

Right.

Alright, I'll have that, Michael.

We'll shake on that one.

Thank you.

We'll have that one.

I'll get the money out in a minute.

Now what about this... this little matchbox holder?

This has to be pennies, because I'm not that enamored with it.

It's just RAF.

It's a collectable.

If it's really cheap, I'll have a go.

I'll do a tenner on it.

Alright.

We'll have a go with that.

Thank you, Michael.

DEALER: Thank you.

MH: We'll shake on that as well.

VO: The job's a good 'un, Mark.

It's an impressive start to your day.

Meanwhile, Thomas Plant is making his way to St James's Gate in Dublin - the home of the world famous Guinness beverage.

Obviously, there are other stouts available but it would be rude not to visit whilst one's in Dublin.

10 million glasses of this world famous stout are enjoyed in 150 countries across the globe.

But Thomas is not going for a drink.

Oh, no - he's here to find out about the history.

It all started in 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a rather unique lease for a disused brewery in Dublin.

Archivist Evelyn Roach is Thomas's guide for today.

I keep on hearing about this famous lease.

Absolutely.

One of the most famous leases in Irish history, probably, and I have a copy of it here, to show you.

Oh, right, OK. Erm, so this is it.

Erm... it's an indenture, as the term that would've been used back in the 18th century, and it was signed 252 years ago, for an incredible 9,000 years.

9,000 years?

That is an extraordinary amount of time.

I mean, did he think, "I may as well buy it?"

Very hard for us to conceive of 9,000 years, I think, as a period of time.

I guess all you can say is, about Arthur, he certainly had a belief in his beer and belief that he was going to be around for 9,000 years.

And, er...

I hear you've got something else to show me.

I do indeed.

I'll take you over here.

This is one of the absolute gems that we hold here in the archive, and it's a recipe book that dates right back to Arthur's time.

So it's a recipe that he himself would have brewed.

And what this shows is that he was actually brewing West India porter, and why this particular recipe is of such interest here to us in Guinness, is that it's the direct precursor of a beer that we sell still brew today, over 200 years later, here at St James Gate brewery, called Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.

Well, that is fascinating - it really is.

Um... what are these here?

These children's books?

This sort of Alice In Wonderland?

These are what are known as doctor's books, and they're really, really highly illustrated booklets, that were first produced in the early 1930s.

And they're called doctor's books because they were actually issued by Guinness to GPs, to general practitioners, around Christmastime of every year, as a thank you gift to GPs, who, at that point in time, would've been endorsing Guinness as a health tonic.

So very much you'll have to look at it as a point in time!

So this is the very first one, here.

It's based on Alice In Wonderland, so it would've been the cent... Lewis Carroll centenary in or around the 1930s, so would've been very topical, I guess, at the time.

What they would've done is just adapted... Yeah.

..adapted a lot of the copy and a lot of the ditties to Guinness.

And so...

This one here at the end's just one of my personal favorites.

You have the hare here, looking at his pocket watch, and saying "Oh my ears and whiskers!

"It's Guinness Time".

VO: Well, my ears and whiskers indeed!

While Thomas enjoys a touch of the black stuff, Mark's still shopping in Dublin's Francis Street.

MH: morning.

DEALER: Good morning.

Good morning.

I'm Mark.

Oh, I'm Esther.

Hello, Esther.

How do you do?

DEALER: Fine, thank you.

MH: What a lovely day out there.

DEALER: Oh, it's lovely.

MH: And what a lovely shop.

Thank you.

Would you mind awfully if I just have a little browse?

No.

VO: And off we go again.

This chap is a likable fellow, with a real love of antiques.

D'you know, it sort of makes a day worthwhile when you see something like that.

Absolutely love this.

19th century, French, Rousseau.

Superb.

Acid etched.

Look at the color.

That in front of the light.

Unfortunately, a lot of damage.

Um... Actually, it's not for sale.

Esther's keeping this and I really don't blame her, because if I found this somewhere, I would keep it.

Oh, wonderful piece of glass.

And that's made my day.

Whatever happens to me now today, I'll still be smiling, because I've seen that and I've held that.

VO: I think he likes it!

But you're here to buy, Mark - back to it!

Have you got any little bits and bobs?

Erm...

Anything there's a profit left in, anything that I can turn a copper with.

Oh...

I doubt it.

Anything you've bought well?

No...

I mean, this is very... a very English thing.

Oh, I like that.

Isn't that lovely?

DEALER: Yup.

MH: Mother-of-pearl.

Little penknife, fruit knife or anything... Yeah, a fruit knife.

MH: A little ladies'... DEALER: Yeah.

..penknife or fruit knife.

Is that pennies?

Little penknife?

There's 20 euro on it.

You... Well, we could do something.

You know, could it be 10 euros?

That'll give me a chance, wouldn't it?

It would.

It would, wouldn't it?

It could be 10 euro.

MH: Yes?

DEALER: Yes.

Esther, I think I love you.

DEALER: (LAUGHS) MH: But I... no, I love that.

It must make more than that, mustn't it?

Oh, it has to.

I mean... Oh, bless your heart.

You're a lovely lady.

DEALER: Thank you.

MH: Right, 10 euros.

DEALER: 10 euro.

MH: Thank you very much.

VO: Gosh!

Mark really likes to dish out the kisses and the compliments!

The charm seems to be working though - that's another cheeky lot to add to his bag of tricks.

Thomas, on the other hand, has a lot of catching up to do.

His first bout of shopping begins in Michael Connell Antiques.

TP: Hello.

DEALER: Hello.

How are you?

Good, thank you.

How are you?

Not so bad.

Michael Connell.

Pleased to meet you.

Michael, I'm Thomas Plant.

Nice to meet you.

How are you?

Can I, um, have a good scoot around and...?

Feel free.

Work away.

Take your time.

VO: Thomas loves sniffing out a bargain, and like Mark, he loves to get stuck right in.

Oh, I'll ask Michael about this.

A big, decorative drum, isn't it?

Well, it's made of...

This is pigskin, this is brass and this is wood round here.

Some... You know, somebody could have that on a sideboard or somebody could have that almost like a coffee table now.

They're quite decorative things.

I quite like the painting around it.

I think that's quite good fun.

But it's a lot of money - 350 euros.

The thing is, nobody's offended by an offer.

The drum.

Yeah.

What can that be?

How much is on it?

350.

What would you like it to be?

I want it to be for nothing, really.

It can be 50.

VO: Eh?!

What's that you say?!

50 euros?!

You... You couldn't make it for 50 quid.

No.

And it's old as well.

DEALER: Oh, yeah.

TP: It's definite... Victorian, Edwardian, Victorian.

It's got a bit of age to it.

If we said 40, would you do it?

If you said 50, I'll do it.

Um...

I am just, now... Do... Do you see the door there?

You'll be...

It's a good price at 50.

45.

Thank you!

(LAUGHS) Oh!

Are you giving me a tip as well?

No!

VO: Blimey!

That was a super-quick deal!

Perhaps Thomas has got a lucky shamrock in his pocket.

Goodbye.

Thank you very much.

VO: Meanwhile, we can't seem to get Mark away from Francis Street.

He's still shopping there.

This time it's Lantern Antiques.

Good afternoon, sir.

Good afternoon.

I'm Mark.

Yes.

I'm John.

How d'you do, John?

There's some very, very nice things here.

Can I have a browse?

Of course, yeah.

Thank you very much, John.

Thank you.

VO: Mark wastes no time, having a good old rummage.

And before too long, he spots a glass scent bottle.

DEALER: Everything could do with a bit of a dust.

MH: That's alright.

A bit of dust is always very nice.

Helps the aging process, doesn't it?

Yeah.

Lovely scent bottle.

It's quite late, isn't it, John?

Oh, yeah.

We don't think it... With bright gilding on it.

Yeah.

Is it... is it... is it... pennies?

Er... Is it... Did you buy it with other things kinda... 15 euro.

Well, that's tempting, isn't it?

I like that.

Very pretty.

Could it be 10 euros?

12.

Yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

I think we'll... we'll buy that.

Cuz that's decorative and that's fun, isn't it?

I think the ladies will like it.

My wife would like that, very much.

Oh, right, yeah.

She'd be quite happy to have that.

But then, she'd be quite happy to have anything I bought, frankly!

But... VO: Well there we have it - Mark has yet another goodie to add to his collection.

After all that excitement, Heaven knows what they'll get up to tomorrow.

The boys are up nice and early.

There's still more antiques to hunt down in Dublin.

So far, Mark has spent 72 euro on three auction lots - the spy camera, so-called, an RAF matchbox holder, the ladies' fruit knife and the glass scent bottle, leaving 169.80 euro for the day ahead.

Thomas, meanwhile, had a tremendous result with a fabulous deal on the Victorian drum.

He spent a total of 45 euro on one lot.

Goodbye.

Thank you very much.

VO: He has 181.53 euros to splash around town.

So, onwards with our Irish adventure.

Thomas needs to catch up with the old shopping.

He begins his day where Mark ended his shopping yesterday - it's Lantern Antiques, located on the boys' beloved Francis Street.

Good morning.

Morning, Thomas.

I'm Thomas.

Morning.

Welcome.

Thank you very much.

And you're...?

JOHN: John.

TP: John?

Do you mind if I have a good look around?

Of course.

Come on.

Oh, thank you very much.

VO: Thomas has been a tough taskmaster when it comes to naming his price.

Who knows what he'll get up to today?!

Crumbs!

That's a whopper!

This is a Victorian brass grain measure, as it says on there.

And you can see it's Victorian, cuz just here you've got a Victorian mark, "VR" and the crown.

And then you've got these proof marks here.

I rate that.

I like that.

I think it's a lovely thing.

And you must sort of, you know, scooped into the... into the grain, and then you sort of... off it comes and then that's your measure of grain.

Beautifully made.

You never know, I might ask about it.

VO: Interesting item, Thomas.

Let's hope it's in your price range.

This is a stilton waiter or stilton stand.

Cheese dish.

So... And it's prob...

It's mahogany and Georgian, I would have thought.

VO: Cheese coasters would've been used around the Georgian dinner table, to contain a round of stilton.

Normally they would have had casters, for ease of use.

It's the kind of thing which... is still quite collectable.

Because it's small and it's... it would fit into a modern interior...

There's no price on it, so I'm gonna have to ask John about it.

VO: Hold on to your hats!

He's going in for the deal.

It's the grain measure first.

I mean, I know you've got quite a good price on it, but obviously, I'm looking...

I'm sort of hoping that you're sort of... 200.

TP: Really?

JOHN: Mm-hm.

You wouldn't give... you know, you wouldn't sort of think again on that one?

Would you?

OK. 150.

No mo... no less.

TP: Really?

JOHN: Yeah.

No, go on!

JOHN: No.

TP: No?

No way, no.

It's worth a lot of money, that.

What's your price then?

Well...

I'd like to give you 75.

No way!

I can only ask!

OK, yeah.

I'll split the difference.

That's 100 and something... five or something.

Yeah...

I wanna get it under the three figure.

JOHN: No.

TP: No?

No less, no.

No way.

OK, well, w... w...

I can think... we can just think about that for a second?

OK, right.

And then I want to ask you about something else.

OK, yeah.

Um... just up this way.

If at all possible.

Of course.

Can I ask you about this... um... stilton piece?

Well, you know, it's incomplete.

The wheels are... Yeah, the wheels are missing.

Yeah, yeah.

When I bought it, I didn't realize that.

Is that cheap?

It is, yeah.

TP: Is it?

How much?

JOHN: 80 euro.

Would you do a little bit less?

60.

That's my lowest now, OK?

TP: Halfway - 50.

JOHN: No, 60.

50.

Go on.

No, no way.

Nup.

And with the grain thing?

What about 140 for the two?

Yeah, OK, go on.

You're happy?

I cannot get rid of you.

Go on.

You want to get rid of me?!

Yeah, yeah.

Really?!

VO: You're certainly being tough today, Thomas.

Remember - people do have to make a living!

It's been a real pleasure.

Thank you.

VO: Mark, meanwhile, has hopped in the car and is making his way to Sandycove, located eight miles south of Dublin.

He's got an appointment with Robert Nicholson, curator of The James Joyce Museum.

Good morning, sir.

You must be Robert.

ROBERT: I am indeed.

MH: I'm Mark.

Well, morning, Mark.

Welcome to The James Joyce Museum.

Why don't you come on in and I'll show you around?

Thank you.

VO: James Joyce is considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century.

The museum is situated in a Martello Tower, which was originally built by the British as a defense against the expected Napoleonic invasion.

Joyce is best known for Ulysses, a landmark novel that features a day in the life of a fictional character in 1904 Dublin, which was considered rather experimental and controversial for the early 20th century reader.

Well, here we are.

This... this used to be the living room of the tower.

It's still... we still have it more or less the way it was when Joyce was here.

VO: In 1904, James Joyce spent six nights here, along with friend Oliver St John Gogarty, owner of the tower, and acquaintance Samuel Chenevix Trench.

ROBERT: This is actually the room which is described in the opening chapter of Ulysses, where you find the three men sitting here, having breakfast.

And... well, if you can that imagine the whole room, as he describes it, as filled with smoke from the cooking breakfast, and all full of fumes, and he describes rays of light coming down from the window shafts there, and they meet just in the middle of the room, where the rays cross, and the smoke rising through it.

It's a vivid description...

I can smell it, I can smell it!

I'm there!

Wonderful.

That is wonderful.

VO: Downstairs, there's a very rare item that Mark must see before he leaves.

Ah.

Let me introduce you to the most famous and influential novel of the 20th century, Ulysses, and this is one of the rare first edition.

Joyce spent seven years writing Ulysses, and... it is an immensely complex book.

VO: The book was banned in America and London, due to the risque nature of some of the chapters, hence the reason that its first publication was in Paris.

It was finally published on James Joyce's 40th birthday, the 2nd of February, 1922.

It took another 12 years before the ban was raised in the United States, and then Britain.

"This edition is limited to 1,000 copies.

"Number 819."

Wonderful.

VO: While Mark's been brushing up on Irish literature... Thomas has traveled from Dublin to Newcastle - that's Newcastle in the Republic of Ireland, ha, to visit his last shop of the day.

Thomas is going for a good old nosy in Foley's Storehouse.

TP: Hello.

DEALER: How ye doing?

Is it alright if I have a look around?

Yeah, fire ahead - no problem.

VO: Now, here he goes.

Will his lucky run continue?

An antique Sevres painted double-handled urn with floral design and opposing English country scene.

Oh this is a nice thing.

It's been completely off.

This needs completely restoration.

But it's a nice thing though.

It's lovely, the harbor scene, isn't it?

Isn't it lovely?

You're gorgeous.

Love it.

I love the shape.

It's classical.

Again, it's a proper antique.

VO: Looks like Thomas is ready to negotiate.

Time to get manager Ewan in on the action.

OK, this here... Yeah, it's an interesting piece.

It's interest...

It's whacked.

It's completely been of its rim, isn't it?

Yeah.

Can anything be done there, in terms of the price?

Erm... Oh, er, price?

Yeah, price, price.

Certainly.

Well, let's just see now.

Oh, it's standing at 90 euros, so I could... erm...

I could do it for... 70.

How would you feel about that?

I was thinking, cuz it's so badly damaged...

I'd give you 20 euros for it.

EWAN: Hm.

TP: Because it is whacked... EWAN: Yeah, I know... TP: ..all the way round.

I mean, it is... it's just an interesting thing.

I love it for what it is.

It's just a decorative item now.

Right, OK, yeah.

Once it's... No, no, I...

I...

I...

I follow you, I follow you.

OK, I'll give it to you for 20, OK?

No problem.

TP: Yeah?

EWAN: Yeah, absolutely.

TP: 20?

EWAN: Yeah, absolutely.

TP: Alright.

EWAN: OK. Deal.

That's a... that's a deal.

Great stuff.

Thank you.

VO: What's wrong with you, Thomas?

You really are pushing it today.

Anyway, with the purchase of the vase, that means you have a total of five lots.

Back to Mark.

He's still in Sandycove and has decided to have a bit of a nose in Sandycove Antiques.

MH: Good afternoon madam.

FIONA: Hello.

How are you?

I'm Mark.

How d'you do?

FIONA: I'm Fiona.

How are you?

MH: Hello, Fiona.

Lovely things.

Lovely shop.

Oh, thank you.

MH: Really nice.

FIONA: You like it?

MH: Can I have a browse?

FIONA: You can, of course.

MH: Is it OK?

FIONA: Yes.

Thank you very much indeed.

VO: Our Mark loves a bit of a browse and he's not afraid to have a good old feel of the goods.

But what's he in the mood for buying?

I would love to buy a little bit of silver but I would be very much in your hands.

I mean, I know it's straightforward, but have you any Dublin silver?

I have a few Irish silver spoons here.

Right.

Two rat's tail spoons.

Rat-tail was... er... typically Irish.

That's called rat-tail.

Ah.

Isn't that lovely?

Mm.

And this is the bright-cut one I was going to show you.

That's bright-cut, it's called.

Star pattern.

Oh, isn't that lovely?

DEALER: They're beautiful.

MH: They're pretty.

DEALER: 1832.

Lovely hallmarks.

Yes.

I like your spoons.

Can we put them on your desk?

OK. VO: Mark fared well with his Dublin spoons at yesterday's auction.

Perhaps another set of spoons is a shrewd and canny move.

These are Irish here.

They are a pair of brass button shiners.

Apparently you were...

The people in the army, to shine the brass buttons on a uniform, they'd put this on, to stop the...

They're lovely.

They're Irish, because it says "FCA" on them, and that's, er... Now what does the "FCA" stand for, do you know?

No, I can't remember the name.

But is it military?

It's military, yeah.

Irish military?

Mm-hm, mm-hm.

That's good, isn't it?

VO: You're quite right, Mark - it is Irish military, and it stands for Forsa Cosanta Aitiuil, which means "local defense force".

The original ticket price for this shiny pair is 118 euros.

MH: Aren't they fun?

If we put those on the desk, have a little think about those.

Let's say I've got about a hundred and... 110 euros to spend.

What can I buy there for 110 euros?

FIONA: Perhaps those would be good and then these lovely brass button shiners.

Is that a good buy at 55 euros?

Can I get a profit at auction if I buy those for 55 euros?

I think 55's OK for those.

MH: Yup?

FIONA: Cuz they're Irish silver.

Right.

The rat-tail appeals to people.

And can I get a profit on those?

That just seems a lot to me, 55.

35?

Erm... what about 45?

I definitely wouldn't want to have a go at 45.

Maybe I'd have a go at 40.

Maybe.

At 40, it's 20 each, so that's... Do you think I should have a go at £40?

Yeah, I do.

Just because they're military?

I do.

Alright.

OK, Fiona.

FIONA: OK. MH: Thank you very much indeed.

MH: I will.

Thank you.

FIONA: Thank you.

VO: And just when you think he's finished for the day... You know the two pretty ones?

They're Dublin as well?

They are Dublin.

1832.

So... um... how about all four... £25 a spoon, isn't it?

If I, you know... You're quite happy with these...

Yes.

So same deal with those?

FIONA: OK, I'll do that.

MH: Yes?

Yeah.

I'll do that.

We have a deal.

Thank you very much.

That's really sweet.

Thank you.

I'm in the spoon buying mood.

FIONA: Good.

MH: You might have noticed.

Good.

I'm delighted you like the spoons.

Thank you.

VO: He loves a nice Irish spoon, and he's also one for kissing the ladies.

Maybe that's why he's always smiling.

It's time for the boys to show one another their antique goodies.

My first item, Thomas...

Wonderful.

So a little sort of micro camera?

A spy camera, Thomas.

Spy camera and vesta case.

Yup, that's very nice.

The camera cost 40 euros and the matchbox holder, the RAF matchbox holder... TP: Yup, sorry.

MH: ..10 euros.

Good luck.

Thank you very much, Thomas.

That's it, is it?

That's all you can say about them?

TP: That's all I'm gonna say.

MH: Lovely.

VO: Thomas isn't too impressed, it seems.

MH: Quite heavy.

Ah... Ah, my goodness me.

What have we here, Thomas?

Well, this, according to the antique shop, is a measure for grain.

MH: A grain measure!

TP: It's a measure for grain.

TP: And it is bronze.

MH: Yes.

That I like.

It is a thing of majesty.

That is absolutely beautiful.

90 euros.

I like that a lot.

I think you did extraordinarily well, actually.

Very well.

VO: Mark is very impressed though.

Right... Oh!

Look at that!

So these are to polish your buttons on your military uniform, without getting the polish on your tunic.

Top marks, Thomas.

A little bit of a chance on these, a little bit of a chance, but I just thought, well, you know, have a go.

Best of luck.

They will probably do you alright in the end.

It's for your stilton cheese?

For your stilton cheese.

It's in raw condition, it needs a bit of work but it's all there, really.

MH: Right.

TP: That was 50.

Well, I think that's safe enough, certainly.

There you are, Thomas, look at that.

A mother-of-pearl penknife.

Yes.

George Unite, Birmingham.

I bought it for 10 euros.

Bargain!

You will make a profit.

I thought it'd make 20.

Perfect.

VO: Thomas has a surprise up his sleeve - he managed to return to Michael Connell Antiques and bag himself another bargain.

Oh, goodness me!

That's most unusual and very, very nice.

You wouldn't have spent more than, let's say... 35 euros on them.

Less than that.

MH: A snip!

TP: 20 euros.

Goodness me!

That was a steal, Thomas.

VO: Looks like a good buy, Thomas.

Well, it's another little bricy-bracy thingy.

Ooh... don't break it!

I have to handle this one, actually, but it's...

It's a lovely little scent bottle, isn't it?

MH: Very, very pretty.

TP: Isn't that nice?

Yeah.

Remove your finger... Oh!

Lovely!

Lift the perfume, let the drops out.

I thought that was very pretty and very decorative, and there are always ladies at auctions, so surely it will be salable.

As you can see, it's a big item.

If I can wrestle it out of the bag... Oh, my goodness me!

There we are.

I would like you to put into words, words that people can understand, why you bought this drum.

It's in good condition.

What happens to these now is they get made into very nice wine tables, coffee tables, occasional tables.

Well, I... Do you know, Thomas...

I mean, I've got to be totally frank here.

I really dislike your drum quite intensely, actually.

Really?

No, it's quite fun!

Look, it just...

It's just all mucky and yellow and horrible and smelly, and I'm... Don't you...?

That's nice!

..just not very keen with it, you know.

But that's nice!

Right, I'm taking it away then.

VO: I think we can safely say that Mark doesn't like the drum!

Have a look at these.

So we've got some Irish spoons here.

Irish spoons.

MH: All Dublin.

TP: All Dublin, they're all Georgian.

MH: They cost 100 euros.

What do you think?

I think you'll have got a profit there, for sure.

MH: I've got a profit.

TP: You've got a profit.

So Mark... OK, this was my last shop.

Want to see this?

So there's the front, nicely painted.

I like that a lot.

That is so me.

Early 19th century, soft paste English porcelain.

You probably snatched it away for, er, 30 euros.

Er... 20 euros I paid.

Wonderful.

So that's something I would buy for myself at home.

TP: Exactly what I said.

MH: Because it was 20 euros!

It would go on the mantelpiece.

TP: To the auction then.

MH: To the auction, Thomas.

VO: To the auction indeed!

Both boys are pretty pleased with their buys.

But what do they really think?

I've bought real antiques, I mean, real antiques, and quality.

So... who knows?

Who knows?

That risk is so big.

But Mark seems to have spent all his money but on not great items, apart from the spoons!

Out came the drum, there was my opportunity.

I didn't like it.

It was smelly, it was horrible, the condition was appalling.

He's right, it was a Victorian drum, but I can't see it fetching more than he paid for it.

VO: It's been an exciting second leg from Dublin, Sandycove and the village of Newcastle, County Dublin, to the final destination of Ballybrittas, Portlaoise.

Ballybrittas is a small village located in the north east of County Laois, Ireland.

It's auction day, as our dynamic duo arrive at their second auction of the week.

Ashgrove Auction Rooms has been established since 2005 and holds two auctions per month.

Our auctioneer for today and owner of the auction house is Sean Eacrett.

Bid here.

He has a few thoughts to share on our chaps' purchases.

I think the silver spoons will do extremely well.

They should make their money.

The one I think that's going to do the least well - I could be totally wrong - would be the scent bottle.

Erm... we haven't had a huge amount of interest in it but we have quite a lot of ladies here tonight, and it more a feminine piece.

VO: Mark Hales started today's show with 241.80 euros and spent 212 euros on five lots.

Thomas Plant began with 226.53 euros and nearly blew the lot by spending 225 euros on five lovely lots.

It's the moment we've all been waiting for.

Quiet, please!

The auction is about to begin.

First up, it's Thomas's unusual cheese coaster.

We have bids taking us in here at 120 euros bid.

You're away, Thomas!

Look, we're smiling now!

130.

140.

We're on our way.

Any advance on 140?

Good, that's good.

MH: It's very good.

SEAN: 140 on commission.

Are we all out and done?

Fair warning to you all at 140.

And we're happy now, aren't we?!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

That's a good... That's a good, good result.

VO: It's a tidy profit for Thomas.

Next up, we have Mark's military brass button polishers.

Can we see 30 for them, please?

30?

20's bid.

20 bid.

22 and I'm out.

It's in the room at 22.

Any advance on 22?

On the right-hand side at 22.

25.

28.

Any advance on 28?

On the right-hand side at 28 euros.

All out and done at 28.

You won't be buying them again, will you?

No, I think I'll give... give button shiners a miss for the rest of my life.

I would.

VO: Button shiners clearly aren't so popular with this audience, it seems.

And now for Thomas's pigskin drum - the one Mark hates.

And we have commissions on the book.

Oh, no!

And 22 euros is bid.

Any advance?

25.

28.

30.

Two.

35 in the room.

On the left at 38.

40.

Two.

42 there.

Any advance on 42?

45.

48.

50.

Five, new play.

60.

Five.

70.

70 on the right.

Any advance on 70?

Selling at 70.

A round of applause at 70 euros.

(APPLAUSE) MH: Wahey!

SEAN: 569.

Smelly old drum!

VO: It seems Thomas is rather chuffed with that result.

It's Mark's scent bottle next.

Maybe it will lift him from loss into profit.

20 euros for this, please.

Tenner?

Go on, I will.

Tenner bid.

Any advance on 10 euros ?

12.

TP: There you are.

SEAN: 15.

TP: You're there.

18.

20.

22.

25.

28.

30.

Oh, I can't believe...

Selling at 30 euros, all out and done at 30.

Not so bad.

That's OK. You... You've got to be so pleased!

VO: It's a small profit but it's better than nothing.

It's Thomas's lovely English porcelain vase next.

We have commission starting this one at 65 euros bid.

Any advance on 65 euros?

And I'm selling on commission at 65.

Are we all done?

70.

Five.

80.

Two.

I'll take 85.

85 in the room.

Are we all done and finished at 85 euros?

Fair warning to you all.

At 85 euro.

MH: Well done, Thomas.

TP: Good result.

MH: That's great, isn't it?

TP: It's a good result.

That's a good result, isn't it?

A good result, yeah.

Very pleased with that.

VO: It is a good result.

Yet another profit for Thomas.

Next up, it's Mark's quirky little camera and RAF matchbox holder.

And we have bids taking us in at 35... 38 euros bid here with me.

38 bid.

MH: Is that all?

We need a lot more than that.

Any advance on 38?

I'm selling at 38.

40.

Two.

45.

48.

50.

I'm out.

In the room at 50.

55.

60.

Five.

MH: It's got to be a bit more... Any advance on 65?

70.

Five.

80.

85.

MH: Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.

SEAN: 90, sir?

90.

MH: Go for it.

Good man.

And five.

100?

100.

MH: That's more like it.

100 on the right.

Any advance on 100?

And selling on the right-hand side at 100 euros, fair warning to you all, at 100.

Doubled your money on that.

Yeah.

Quite proud of myself, really, cuz I'm not a camera man, am I?

VO: Clearly.

Well, it's a nice little earner and your best result so far, Mark.

It's Thomas's rather lovely carving set, next.

Here's to having another big slice of profit, Tom!

20's bid.

Any advance on 20 euros?

Any advance on 20?

22.

25.

25.

28.

30.

32, and I'm out.

Any advance on 32 euros?

To you, madam, at 32, selling at 32 euros.

Is that all?

No, I think that's very good.

No, it should've made 45 euros.

No, no, no, no, no, it made a profit, it's fine.

VO: Quite right, Thomas - at least it wasn't a loss.

It's Mark's delicate ladies' fruit knife next.

And we have two bids, they are small, but 22 euros is bid.

22 bid.

Any advance on 22?

And 25.

I'm out.

It's on the right-hand side at 25.

28 online.

30 in the room.

30.

And 32.

32 online.

Any advance on that?

To the online bidder at 32.

32.

Online at 32.

Selling at 32.

That is a world record for a...

It's very good, isn't it?

..for a bent, silver, mother-of-pearl fruit knife.

Thomas, how dare you?!

It was beautiful!

VO: That was unexpected.

Well done, Mark.

Thomas's turn now.

How will the unusual bronze grain measure fare?

And we have one, two, three, four, five... six bids.

Oh, really?

Starting at 190 euros.

Oh!

What did I say?

190 bid.

Any advance on 190?

200.

220.

240.

250.

I'll take 260.

260 online.

Oh!

That's good!

That'll do nicely, won't it?!

It's wonderful - wonderful result.

It's quite an unusual piece, because of the handles.

Normally you'd see them without handles.

260 euros.

Any advance on 260?

And I'm selling at 260.

Fair warning... 280.

300.

MH: It's getting better, Thomas.

320.

MH: (LAUGHS) 340.

I'll take 350.

TP: This is amazing, isn't it?

340 online.

Any advance on 340?

Online at 340.

Any advance?

Online at 340.

All out and done, and fair warning to you all, at 340 euros.

Brilliant!

Wonderful result!

340!

You're going to have rather a lot to spend in Wales, aren't you?!

VO: By jingo!

That's a tremendous result!

It's our final lot of the auction.

Maybe Mark's spoons will get him back on the road to recovery.

And... er... we have commissions starting in at 85 euros.

There you are.

Go, go, go.

85.

90.

Five.

100.

110.

120, I'm out.

120 on the left.

On the left-hand side at 120 and I'm selling at 120 euros... SEAN: 130 online.

140.

MH: Brilliant.

A little bit quicker online.

It's 140 in the room.

And I'm selling at 140 euros, fair warning, at 140.

Could be worse, for teaspoons.

That's brilliant.

It's a profit.

It's brilliant.

VO: Well, maybe not quite the result you were looking for, and, sadly, not enough to achieve a lead today, Mark.

It's only the second day in.

Yes.

There's still all to play for.

And, erm, you know, does one be cautious with one's profit or does one spend it?

VO: After paying auction costs, Mark has made a profit of 58.60 euros.

He has a total of 300.40 euros to carry forward.

VO: Thomas Plant is today's triumphant winner, with a spectacular array of profits.

He's made a wonderful profit of 321.94 euros and therefore has a staggering 548.47 euros going forward.

Is Marky driving?

Thank you very much, Thomas.

TP: Marky's driving.

MH: That's wonderful.

Oh, I think we know who won, don't we?!

I think we know who won!

I'm driving!

It's just down to luck, isn't it?

It's just down to sheer luck.

TP: You know, what a lovely, lovely evening.

MH: Nice people.

TP: Mm.

MH: Good auctioneer.

That was good fun.

VO: Next time on the Antiques Road Trip, the chaps head to Wales.

Mark is super-tough when naming his price.

Do you think she'd knock a pound off?

VO: And Thomas shows off his driving expertise.

..looking for more, Thomas.

Are you?!

subtitling@stv.tv