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!

It's the fourth day of this road trip, and Thomas Plant and Mark Hales are once again sailing through the countryside to the purr of the 1967 Sunbeam Alpine.

And new boy Mark is keen to up his game.

MARK (MH): I've got to have two good buys to catch you up, two good buys, and I need you to fail miserably at the same time, so it's not an easy situation.

THOMAS (TP): Maybe you might have to take a few risks.

MH: But I do have a little strategy, actually.

I'm desperately going to try to avoid things that I think have a £10 profit.

VO: Yeah, good plan!

So, throughout the week, Thomas - a veteran antiques valuer and auctioneer - has had his eye turned by a shapely figure.

It's so horrid, but it's lovely.

Even her bottom is rather delightful.

VO: But has come a cropper when it comes to keeping his eye on the road.

Oops!

VO: Huh-huh.

Mark is also an auctioneer with a passion for ceramics who can see the good in every pot.

They're not going to set the world alight, but I'm very pleased anyway.

VO: But when it comes to sealing a deal, he prefers a bit of ooh-la-la.

Mainly on the cheeks.

(SINGING IN FRENCH) Not so keen, that one.

Ha!

VO: Our experts started the week with £200 worth of crisp notes to spend - and after the third leg of this road trip, Mark is being lapped by this rival.

VO: So far, the new boy has made a respectable £287.33.

And despite suffering a recent auction defeat, Thomas is still the front runner with a massive £455.78 to play with.

Which means Mark has got to win over lady luck to even get to smell victory.

I can't have you galloping away in front of me, I need to catch up.

VO: This week's road trip started in Portrush, Northern Ireland, and takes our boys some 460 miles east to the beautiful village of Pontrilas, South Herefordshire, for the final showdown.

Today though they begin in Newport, Pembrokeshire and motor the 48 miles to the auction in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire.

So here we are, we're coming to the sign at Newport.

There we are.

VO: This Newport - not to be confused with the other, bigger Newport in South Wales - sits on the south-west Pembrokeshire coast and is known for its great beaches.

Sadly though, beaches are not on the schedule today.

Here we are, Mark.

Yes.

Look at that.

Right, we are going shopping.

VO: They're heading for the Carningli Centre... ..a shop specializing in lots and lots of railwayana.

(TRAIN WHISTLE) VO: Thank you.

Right, what's Mark found?

Oh, that's a big one.

Goodness me.

What on Earth is it for, that large with one handle and it's only supposed to have one handle?

It's alloy.

Food mixing bowl.

VO: Oh well, they don't make them like that any more.

So which one of our intrepid antiques hunters will bag the first bargain?

Thomas - you got something?

It's probably taken me 10, 15 years to realize that this is edelweiss.

But you get them in everything, you get them carved out of wood, you get them on little bone brooches, so you know, that is probably 1920s.

I mean Switzerland and Austria was really popular places to visit, not just as we go now for skiing, it was to see the mountains.

I mean, I love the mountains.

I love going to the mountains, and I like skiing.

VO: Er?

But I just love the mountains, they just do something to you, don't they?

VO: Oh come on, concentrate, man!

After a week in the mountains...

I mean, I'd like to spend two - you sort of tend to sort of... get full of energy, and... VO: We'll come back to him in a minute.

Can someone just say something sensible, please?

MH: These are rather nice.

GWR, Great Western Railway, buttons.

Very, very collectable.

VO: Indeed they are.

These coat buttons date from the 1930s and would have been worn by staff of the Great Western Railway, which linked Wales and southwest England to London.

Hello Anne, I'm Mark.

Hello, Anne.

How do you do?

Is there a price on these?

Just £10 for the set.

Aren't they lovely?

Yes.

I wonder... yes.

They're very tempting, very tempting.

I wonder, can we do a little bit for the price?

Could they be sort of £7 for the six?

£7 for six... go for eight?

MH: Anne, they're lovely.

ANNE: Right.

I think £8 is fine, I'd like those, please.

OK, right.

Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you.

I'll have those.

VO: Not the big, bold buy we were hoping for, Mark, but there's still time.

Meanwhile, Thomas's mind is back on the job - thankfully - and he's found a police truncheon.

SWR, on here it says South Wales Railway.

Quite nice that, we're in south Wales, this is a real bit of Welsh history.

These truncheons, with the painted ones, are widely collected.

VO: The SWR was built in 1845 to transport coal from the Welsh valleys to London, but only lasted 17 years before merging with the Great Western Railway.

This railway police truncheon dates from around 1850 and is priced at £100.

Would you do it for 80?

Would you meet me halfway, 90?

What, 75?

(THEY LAUGH) No.

Um... Go on, it has got a bit of damage on it.

I'll do it at 80, then it's a deal.

Oh OK, go on then.

You're a star.

VO: Great.

They're both up and running, but Thomas is off on one again.

Oh dear.

I think Mark's bought something pedestrian.

I mean, I've taken a risk.

What is it with me?

I come into a shop, I say I'm not gonna spend any money, and then I start buying things, taking risks.

But I think my risk I've taken is a good, calculated one.

VO: Well, sounds like Mark's reluctance to splash some cash is rubbing his rival up the wrong way.

I heard your very expensive purchase.

£8, I think it was, wasn't it?

I thought you wanted to make big profits this time?

I know.

More than £10!

It's an illness, Thomas.

VO: Well, as Mark contemplates the wisdom of yet another cheap buy, the Sunbeam Alpine hits the road again.

VO: So it's goodbye to Newport and hello to Penffynnon near Llangeler in the neighboring county of Carmarthenshire.

VO: Apologies for any mispronunciation.

Mark wants to go back to school, and the bell's just rung at the West Wales Museum of Childhood.

I'm Mark.

Hello Mark, I'm Hilary.

Croeso, welcome to West Wales Museum of Childhood, let me show you around.

Thank you very much.

VO: This museum is packed with childhood memorabilia.

In fact, there are some 10,000 artifacts crammed in here, much of it the personal collection of Hilary and her husband Paul, who've had a passion for these things for much of their lives.

As well as the toys, there's also a mock up of an old classroom from the first half of the 20th century, with its wooden desks, chalk boards and milk bottles, that hark back to 1946 and the first free school milk for all.

There are also gruesome reminders of the tough side to school life.

In fact, when classes come, we actually put them in here, we actually get the children writing on the slates, and we show them the canes.

Look at that.

Oh my goodness me.

And the sound of it on... We just woosh it through the air and they can imagine it.

And for the really sadistic teacher, a knobbly one.

Look at that one.

What about this one?

MH: Now, what is that?

What on Earth is all that all about?

That's a backboard.

A backboard?

Yeah, so if you're slouching in class, if you put this bit behind your back, in front of your arms, there you are, you've got to go and stand in the corner for 20 minutes like that, that teaches you deportment.

Oh really, keeps your back upright?

Yes, so 20 minutes of that, you will then remember not to slouch.

This isn't familiar to me, but I think I might know what it is.

I'm just wondering, I'm trying to catch up Thomas Plant at the moment, he's been doing terribly well.

I'm still there.

Do you think you might have to wear one of these at the end of the week?

I'm just wondering if I...

Try it on now.

If I haven't caught him by the end of the week, do you think maybe I should stand in the corner with that on?

Looking very solemn.

Oh dear.

VO: Oh dear.

This museum also has an impressive collection of Welsh-produced toys.

The country was a magnet for big name toy manufacturers like Louis Marx, Tri-ang and Mettoy, producers of Corgi toys.

They originally came to Wales for war work, liked the place and stayed, and in the 1950s they brought in Corgi cars.

They wanted a name that was small, cute, and very Welsh, and you've got a relatively new queen on the throne at that point, so Corgi.

Welsh corgi, wonderful.

Absolutely.

And they were huge, I mean there was 5,000 people working there at one time.

Not many toys are made in Wales any more, but this one is.

Ah!

This is a firm called Timber Kits.

They're up in north Wales, and if you turn...

There you are.

So toys still produced in Wales.

He's rather lovely, isn't he?

He's great fun.

VO: Another toy that marks the end of a great manufacturing era is this - the Silver Racer - one of the last mechanically driven toys before the advent of batteries.

Like to... Aha.

..see this.

Oh, I like that.

Isn't that lovely?

Yeah, I've had lots of motorbike... MH: Tin plate?

HILARY: It is tin plate, yes.

1950s.

'50s, yes, it's German, it's Tipco.

And this is in good order, isn't it?

It's lovely.

Isn't that nice?

Can I have a go?

Yes, go on, have a go.

That would be fun, wouldn't it?

Right.

I don't know how we're going to get on on this floor, but let's see what happens.

Wonderful.

VO: And time to return to the world of grown ups.

And Thomas is on his way back west to Newcastle Emlyn, a town perched on the banks of the River Teifi, the second longest river in Wales, where the majority of the population - 941 according to the 2001 census - speak Welsh.

But Steve, owner of the Emlyn Antiques Centre, is cutting Thomas some slack with the language.

Thank goodness.

I'm Thomas.

Nice to meet you, Thomas, I'm Steve.

It's alright.

Has it got age?

I'm no great one on furniture, I'm not great on furniture, I don't know what I'm doing looking at it!

VO: Well, for heaven's sake then, put it down!

Huh!

What's this then?

Dough bin.

Oh, dough bin, oh yeah.

VO: Dough bins were used for mixing bread dough and allowing it to rise.

Fairly obvious, really.

This one's priced at a lot of dough, £220.

It's quite a nice patina to it.

Got a bit of worm, but I think that's not kicking out.

I think it's Victorian, would have been in a pantry.

A real country cottage farming thing, probably.

Its uses now in the home are for towels, so to speak, outside a bathroom or on a landing.

I don't know what they're worth, I've never sold one, really.

Look, what can it be?

The best on that is 150.

Really?

Yeah, really.

Can I offer you 100 for it?

125.

Oh, go on.

125.

Go on!

120.

What do people use them for round here, blankets?

Blankets and...

They plant them up, take the top off and plant them.

Really?

Yeah.

What, for £110?

Cuz you'd sell it to me for 110, wouldn't you?

Yeah, I'd sell it to you for 110.

Um... Really?

They do that?

Yeah.

Alright, I'm gonna take a huge risk.

Good man.

I don't think you're taking a risk.

You don't think so?

No.

VO: Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?

For a man who doesn't like to buy furniture, there's a danger that this bit of dough could fail to rise!

Thank you, sir.

VO: So, with the shopping over and a nightcap beckoning, our boys head for bed, ready to do battle again tomorrow.

It's day two, and Thomas and Mark have hit the road again, but all is not well.

I've got a wet bottom.

MH: (CLEARS THROAT) TP: I don't think... Actually, actually... Yeah, I think I've just joined the wet bottom club!

Oh great, wet pants all day, lovely.

VO: OK then.

Moving along...

So far, Mark has only bought one item and spent just £8.

MH: Thank you very much indeed.

DEALER: Thank you.

VO: Thomas, on the other hand, is shooting for the stars.

He's spent a monstrous £190 on two auction lots... ..and is now feeling smug enough to pile some pressure on his less-experienced Antiques Road Tripper.

You've got to start buying, Mark.

I know.

Cuz you know, you're being very badly behaved recently, you've been spending very little amounts of money.

Sensible.

No, I don't think it is sensible.

It's BORING!

VO: Quite right.

So what can Mark pull out of the bag today?

Our boys are heading for Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, a town dominated by a castle where Mark plans to offload his outspoken opponent.

She's all yours.

Oh, wonderful, I can't wait.

I can't wait.

Well, don't break her.

"Don't break her!

Don't break her!"

Now, spend some money.

VO: Right, off you go Mark - make hay while Thomas is banged up here.

Because this castle has been a prison of some description or other since the 12th century.

Even when Cromwell set about dismantling it after the English civil war, a county prison sprang up within these ruined walls.

Only remnants of the actual jail remain, but it's the castle's long association with the penal system that Thomas has come to find out about.

Hello.

Hello Tom, welcome.

Simon, isn't it?

That's right.

Thank you very much for letting us come here, this looks fascinating.

VO: This building, once the prison governor's house, and later the Pembrokeshire police headquarters, is now home to the county museum.

And upstairs there's a stark reminder of the type of weapon used to apprehend criminals in these parts.

This is a particularly interesting object, because we think this is one of the early Pembrokeshire police firearms.

Were they such a lawless lot that the police had to be armed?

Mid-Victorian Haverfordwest, and especially a suburb called Prendergast, were pretty rough places, you had thousands of navvies who brought the railway to Haverfordwest in the 1850s.

Irish navvies?

Not just Irish, but people from depressed rural commentates across Wales, and of course people regularly carried knives and other sorts of weapons, so the police had to be fit for duty, and unfortunately assaults on the police were very commonplace.

Really?

All the records have survived, and it really was a very difficult time to be a police officer in those days.

So I always had the impression it was "fair cop, Guv, "I'll come down to the station with you".

Unfortunately not, it was... Society was very red and raw in tooth and claw, and this is one of the protections that the police officers could call upon I suppose in an emergency.

On the barrel it's got engraved "County of Pembroke", which means that it was an official weapon.

VO: This pistol dates from 1850 and would have been the last line of defense for the 78 officers of the Pembrokeshire force.

Can I hold it?

Of course.

So this is a mid-Victorian, well, 1850s, mid-19th century police pistol.

I wonder if it was already pre-loaded, and then they'd sort of just... You know.

Did they stand sideways on?

I bet you the recall on this would have been... One arm, it would have ripped your ligaments in your arm, but of course then, if you missed them, you could then use it as a real blunt force trauma on their head or something.

VO: Archive documents suggest that, by the 19th century, the police were battling a rising tide of lawlessness in Haverfordwest.

With 76 pubs in a town of just 6,000 people - wow - there was bound to be trouble.

For offenders, conditions at the 110-celled castle prison were harsh.

Men, women and children have to break barrels of stones, they have to work the treadmill to grind the corn which gave an income to the prison.

And of course there was this horrible repetitive task called oakum picking, which is this great black of massy tar, filled with fibers which they'd have to remove to try to reconstitute rope, which of course would be sold for the Royal Navy, so everyone was given tasks to destroy their spirit and independence, and to make them cower as much as they possibly could.

VO: Prisoners also had little to eat - breakfast was one pint of gruel and eight ounces of bread.

Men, women and debtors were also separated - and crimes, petty by today's standards, included leaving your apprenticeship without permission and having an illegitimate child.

While the prisoners and the police are long gone, Haverfordwest's contribution to eight centuries of penal history in Pembrokeshire remains standing.

Back down the hill in the center of Haverfordwest, Mark's been immersed in furniture and more furniture at Tree House Antiques.

Donna's on standby to lend a hand, and with just one item in the bag, our boy's feeling the pressure.

Bit of a rush today, cuz I've only got today, I've got to find something today.

Must find something today.

VO: Yes, today.

Not next week.

Can I ask you about a box over here?

A bit of damage round the keyhole, as there often is, but that could have an insert or something.

But it's just very, very pretty.

DEALER: Yes.

MH: How much is that?

Can you find out for me?

Yes, I can find out for you.

I mean, is it a tenner, something like that?

Oh, I think it'd be a bit more than that.

Would it?

Would it be lots more?

Could you find out for me?

I'll find out for you, yeah.

Just in case, cuz it's very pretty.

VO: That's right.

With not a ticket price in sight, time for Donna to play middle man and nip round the back to consult the camera-shy owner on getting a deal.

Is my luck in, Donna?

How much is it?

Well, he wanted £20 for it, and we can come down a little bit.

What do you think, what would you...?

Well I just think it's a pretty little box, it's not rare or anything, I just have to buy something today.

If he'll do it for 15, I'll have it.

Cuz I've got room then, haven't I?

Yeah, that's fair enough then, yeah, you can have that for 15.

Thank you very much, that's wonderful.

I've made a purchase.

That's good, we're all happy.

You've got the day started.

VO: A box - not exactly the big spend we were hoping for, but at least Mark's moved into double figures!

Oh, and there's more.

Was it this one in the corner?

Right in the corner, Donna, please.

I rather like that.

It's got to be a good price, though, Donna, honestly.

How much is it?

£50.

It's 50, is it?

Let's have a look.

DEALER: That's not expensive.

It's decorative, it's nice, people like a sundial.

A little bit of paint...

I think that's great.

Erm... Oh dear though, I don't want to pay £50, I really don't, honestly.

Erm... Look, I tell you what, Donna, I won't mess you about.

You can either do it, or you can't.

If it were 40, I'd buy it.

If it's £40, I'll buy it.

Oh... Alright?

Well, seeing as it's you.

MH: Yeah?

DEALER: Yes.

VO: And to seal the deal...

Thank you, £40.

(SINGING IN FRENCH) VO: Smoothie.

So, our new boy is finally motoring.

VO: With the wind in his hair, he's heading the 31 miles east to Carmarthen, and seems ready to take on the world - well, Thomas anyway.

Must buy two more items today.

And I think I'll just let Thomas carry on with his psychological warfare.

And let it go in one ear and out of the other.

I'll do things my way, and I'll get the result I need my way.

VO: Oh, that's fighting talk!

Carmarthen claims to be the oldest town in Wales.

The Mount Antiques Centre - where Mark is heading - hasn't been around quite that long but judging from the amount of stuff here, you'd think it had.

Cor.

Look at that!

Crammed.

I'm looking for something that's got a decent profit in, obviously, as always, and I don't really care what it is any more, I've thrown all that to the wind.

VO: Oh, hark at him - watch out, Thomas!

Gone, gone, gone.

VO: In fact...

I like it here.

It's interesting things.

Ooh, let's see what we have here.

That's really nice, not very good quality, minor factory.

I think it's Scottish, actually.

Portobello factory.

North of Edinburgh.

VO: In fact, it began life in Staffordshire and was sent to Edinburgh for decorating.

It dates from the 1920s and with that rare Charlie Chaplin figure on the front, it's sure to appeal to movie buffs.

Jack.

Hi.

This is great fun.

Great fun.

That's really nice.

Um...

I'm a ceramics man, so immediately... Got a nasty old star crack there.

Bit of restoration in there.

I really do like it, but...

But it's all in the price.

Have you any idea, I mean, can it be considerably less?

I've got to ask.

MH: Got to do my best.

JACK: What I can do is try and get hold of one of the traders there, cuz that's the best way to get the best price, and I will come back and let you know what they say.

Tell 'em I love it.

I really don't want to pay £52.

Really don't want to pay £42.

But whatever I can get it for, I've got to have it.

I must buy it.

It must be worth a go, it could be a sleeper in any sale anywhere, it could be the sleeper.

VO: Hmm.

The word "sleeper" is often used to describe an antique that's been undervalued.

So could Mark be on to something?

It's all down to that phone call to the dealer.

Mark.

I managed to get hold of the traders, and they said the lowest they can do it for is £40.

And that's the absolute rock bottom.

So no point in offering any lower, seriously?

Seriously.

I can't offer them 35 or anything?

They wouldn't take it I'm afraid, £40 is the absolute rock bottom.

I think we've got to have that, then.

VO: Ah - Thomas.

Mark's here.

I hope he hasn't nicked all the bargains!

VO: Well, better chop-chop then, Thomas, hadn't you, because upstairs, Mark's finally thinking big, and it's £95.

Lovely pine bench.

I really like that.

I can tell you that the very, very best that she will go down to on that is £70, and that's the absolute best.

That's her bottom line, is it?

Yeah, that's her bottom line on that one, I'm afraid.

VO: Those attractive gothic ends suggest this bench came from a chapel, and Mark's hoping for some divine intervention on the price.

Do you think she'd do it for 60?

I'll give her another ring, and just... Tell her what I'm gonna do with it.

Yeah, right, I will do.

It's going to a local sale, and, you know, deserves to find a good home.

OK. Mark?

She's said she'd meet you in the middle at 65.

But that...

It really is the absolute lowest now, there is no more room to move.

Do you know, I think it's enough money, but I'm gonna have it, I'm gonna say yes.

VO: Good lad.

So, with one more item in the bag and another in the back of the car, Mark heads off, leaving his rival, Thomas, in danger of disturbing the peace.

(PARPING) VO: Oh dear.

Maybe he should stick to the day job.

I think I could have found my third purchase.

VO: With vintage cars short on space, these trunks would have been the answer - packed with clothes and strapped to the boot or roof.

Now they're popular with interior designers, doubling as blanket boxes and even pieces of furniture.

It's another coffee table.

It's another coffee table, isn't it?

Just cleaned up, waxed up.

Shame it's not leather, but...

I'm gonna take it away.

If I was a porter in a railway station...

I don't know if I'd make a good one.

But I'm going to find out how much I can get it for.

VO: Well, with a price tag of £49 and made of canvas and leather, it's certainly worth a gamble unless there's something else, Thomas, that takes your fancy?

Ah-ha!

I quite like it.

It's probably like a...

It says here Victorian hop or grain scoop, so it's Victorian, you can imagine a big vat of grain or hops, and scoop in and out it comes.

You know.

Some big guys... scooping the grain in and out.

It would make something great for your kitchen.

VO: At 65 though, it's more rusty than rustic.

That's tetanus central.

Maybe that's part of my bargaining.

Tetanus central.

VO: Maybe Thomas is hoping this grain scoop can scoop up the same huge profit his grain measure made earlier in this road trip.

Do you remember Portlaoise, in the Republic of Ireland?

Any advance on 340?

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

Wonderful result.

340!

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

VO: Yep - a massive 250 euros!

So...

I quite like it, it's a good plant pot, good for your kitchen, but... Ah, right.

These are really dangerous.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

TP: Really dangerous.

JACK: They are quite sharp.

What are you thinking then?

20 quid, cuz of that damage.

20 quid I think should be fine.

I shall give them a ring just in case.

I can't believe that!

Quite sharp edges on it, so would you accept a £20 offer?

It's your lucky day, he said 20 is fine.

20 is fine for that.

Yep, 20 is fine for that.

That's alright, and... the trunk... JACK: Right.

TP: I'd like to offer 30.

So 50 for the two.

That should be fine, go on then, yeah.

You think so?

It should be fine for 30 for that.

Erm... cuz it's been here a while.

Has it?

Yeah, it has been here a while.

Oh, that's a good sign, isn't it?

VO: So at £50 for the two, could these items secure Thomas's lead in this competition?

Thank you very much.

VO: We'll have to wait and see.

First, they must show each other their items.

Hm, this should be interesting.

Here we are, Thomas, are you ready?

TP: I'm ready.

MH: OK. Da-da!

Right, that's very nice.

You like it?

Yeah, a sundial.

Good, I didn't think you'd like that, I'm pleased.

How old do you think it is?

I don't think it's got enormous amounts of age, but I just thought it's an auction piece, it's got character.

VO: So, the thumbs up from Thomas.

I wonder how long that'll last.

Goodness me, I like that.

That's lovely.

South Wales Railway.

MH: Very rare.

TP: Very rare.

MH: Really, really like that.

Deserves to do well.

Now, talking of railways... Just a little thing, but I couldn't resist it, as always.

TP: GWR buttons, well, it's quite good, it's fitting that I bought a truncheon and you bought something railway.

MH: 1920s.

TP: Yes.

GWR brass buttons, £8.

A small profit I would have thought, maybe £2-3.

MH: Oh!

TP: Maybe a bit more, but knowing you, Mark... MH: As much as that!

TP: You have such good luck.

£20.

22, 25.

Yes, that's what's gonna happen.

I can hear it now.

I hope not.

VO: Oh, meow.

Now, will the grain scoop bring back auction nightmares for Mark?

I saw this today and I thought of you.

I had a jolly good look at it, and I thought, "Grain scoop."

TP: Yep.

"Lightning can't strike twice, "I'll leave it alone, but I bet Thomas sees it."

How much did you pay, Thomas?

TP: 20 quid.

MH: Did you?

Well, you can't go wrong, surely to goodness.

VO: So, fair words from Mark but I fear for his box.

TP: Does it open?

MH: Yes, it does, Thomas.

Is there anything inside?

No, Thomas.

And I think it was a good buy.

It's a good little box.

It's so boring!

It's not a rarity.

TP: It's so boring!

MH: But it's clean and tidy, and it's beautifully inlaid... MH: Look at the color, the... TP: It's not beautifully inlaid!

MH: ..fruitwood, it's beautiful.

TP: It's not beautifully inlaid.

VO: I don't think he liked it, Mark.

So, next item... You may think it's just a trunk.

It's actually a very fine example of a trunk.

VO: It is?

Oh.

A car trunk.

Oh well that makes a difference, doesn't it?

It just needs a bit of waxing up, it will come out beautifully.

It's a super trunk, a lovely size.

VO: Aw, he's all sweetness.

But just wait till Thomas sees that battered jug, ha!

You have to educate me on this one.

Large following, many Chaplin collectors, and honestly, extraordinarily rare.

Restored all the way round the rim... No, it's not restored... ..and all the way round the base.

It's not restored all the way round the rim.

Well, I can see...

Very small section on the rim, there's some small minor chips and there's a star crack in the base.

But this is the important thing.

It could be a sleeper.

TP: That's concerned me.

MH: Good.

TP: That's a good thing.

MH: Good, good.

A shame that it's so restored.

It's not so restored!

And damaged and crazed... You've got to stop knocking things.

VO: Boys, boys.

..knocking things, we're talking ceramics here.

That is 98% a super jug.

The molding is crisp and clean, the colors are not rubbed, these are overglazed colors.

That's enough.

You do go on.

I'm sorry.

VO: Well yes, he does a bit.

Still, moving swiftly on.

Is the top supposed to be domed?

It's a dough bin.

Jolly good, it's a dough bin.

It's rustic, 19th century, very country.

Oh, I do like that, that's lovely.

Right, here we go.

I can see exactly what it is.

Oh, Thomas, this is a beauty, a beauty, Thomas.

Good thing, actually, nice pitch pine.

I like it, I do like it.

I like it too, that's why I bought it I bought it because I liked it.

Now, how much did I pay for it, Thomas?

£80?

No, Thomas.

£65.

Oh, that's brilliant, Mark.

VO: It is, but what does Thomas really, really think of Mark's items?

Again, has he been buying safe?

Yes.

Has he bought bold?

Not really.

He's bought safe.

It's a big of a yawn-fest.

VO: Ow!

His truncheon - well, extremely rare.

Extremely rare.

If I'd have seen that before him, undoubtedly I would have bought that.

Overall, I think Thomas did very well, actually.

VO: So with no further ado, it's off to the auction.

Thomas and Mark started this road trip in Newport, Pembrokeshire, and after a number of pit stops, they're heading for Llandeilo, in Carmarthenshire.

VO: Their rendezvous with destiny - auctioneers Jones and Llewellyn.

£10 I'm... Do you know, I always feel excited at this point.

Really?

I feel extremely nervous.

This is catch up day for me.

I think I'm not going to do very well.

Oh, rubbish!

VO: This auction house sells everything from fine antiques to household goods and furniture.

And master of ceremonies today is auctioneer Hefin Jones.

And "Hefin" knows what's going to happen.

The dough bin is the one that I like the best.

Obviously because it's a traditional piece of furniture, it should sell well.

Chaplin jug is the first one that we've ever sold in this auction... ..and I would say it's the first one that I've handled and seen.

Hopefully it will make a good price today.

My least favorite is the trunk, I can't...

Specifically there's nothing wrong with it, but it's the type of thing that has a limited market.

VO: There you are.

Mark started this leg of the road trip with £287.33 and has spent £168 on five auction lots.

Thomas, on the other hand, started streets ahead on £455.78 but has gambled £240 on four auction lots.

VO: So can Mark make up lost ground?

Let's get going.

Oh, you might think this auctioneer was more used to selling livestock the way he speeds through the lots, so better pay attention, folks.

Right.

Here comes Mark's sundial.

On you go, £100 away, £100.

£20 I've got, £20 I'm bid, £20 I'm bid, £20 I'm bid, £20 I'm bid... What a beauty.

At £20, at £20, 25.

30 here.

£30 I'm bid, 30.

Five over there, 35.

Lovely one there, 35.

Last call, last time.

35, yes it is, 35.

159.

So what was that?

I don't know, what did it finish?

I think it was £35.

I made a loss, anyway, Thomas.

VO: Hmm, but hardly anything to worry about at this stage, Mark.

Now, anyone fancy a vintage trunk for the car?

At £28 I'm bid, 28 I got, £28 I'm bid, 28.

£30, I've got 30 over there, 32 I'm bid.

I'm out now, Last call at £32.

32.

Hey, got away with that.

Got away with that.

VO: Only just, Thomas, only just.

Now, Thomas thought this box was a plain Jane, but will the bidders agree?

Five I'm bid, five I've got, £5, I'm bid 5, £8 I'm bid, £8 I'm bid, £8 I'm bid, £8 I'm bid, £8 I'm bid.

£10 I'm bid, £10, I got 10, £12 I'm bid, £12 I'm bid, 12.

And I've got 15, 15, 15.

Open the gate, £20 I'm bid, £20 I'm bid, £20 I'm bid, 20 and two now.

At 22, £22 I'm bid, 215 now.

At £22 I'm bid, and one more.

£1.

24, 26.

26, come on, one more.

27 then?

Alright.

27, one more?

27 he goes, last call, last time at £27.

HEFIN: 27.

TP: Well done.

He did me proud.

VO: Ooh, Mark is nudging ahead, look.

But now it's Thomas's rare, secret weapon.

Will Mark's fragile lead take a beating?

I've got £35 I'm bid, at 35, 35, £40.

I've got 40 here as well.

45 here.

45.

47.

47.

£50.

50 bid.

Last call, last time at £50.

73.

Unlucky, Thomas.

Genuinely unlucky.

Ridiculous.

Should have been £150.

VO: Hmm.

I bet you're glad it wasn't, Mark!

Right, you're back in the dock.

Let's pray there are some train buffs in the crowd, or at least button collectors.

£5 I'm bid, £5 I've got, £5 I'm bid, £5 I'm bid, £5 I'm bid.

Five I'm bid then, £5 I'm bid, selling at £5.

195.

Fiver.

Have you lost a bit of money on those?

But not much, because you only paid £8 for it.

VO: Hmm, well someone's got a good deal there, and it's not Mark.

Thomas's grain scoop is up next.

He made a packet on a grain measure recently, so can he do it with the scoop?

I bet not.

£28 I'm bid, at 28, 28 I'm bid, 28, at 28, this is a disappointing price here.

£28 then, last call, last time at £28.

MH: It all adds up.

TP: All adds up.

VO: Well, that's one way of looking at it.

Now, Mark's Chaplin jug.

Is this the sleeper he predicted?

I've got three bids on the pot, gonna go straight in at £115 I'm bid.

TP: 115!

MH: Go, go, go.

At 115.

£115 then, I'm selling at £115.

120.

Go 120.

You've got to go more, sir.

I've got 120 here as well.

130.

130, I'm out, you're in.

At 130.

At 130, I'm selling at £130.

Cor, well done you!

£90 profit.

Come on, we must...

I'm pleased, of course I'm pleased.

VO: Well, he doesn't sound it or look it.

Still, that profit, before costs, puts our new boy firmly in the lead today.

So, can Thomas's dough bin make some real bread?

A lovely item here now then, 50... five.

60.

£60 I'm bid.

70 at the back.

£70 I'm bid, at 70, at 70.

80.

90.

90.

100.

TP: One more, go on!

HEFIN: £100 I'm bid.

I'm selling at 100.

It could be worse.

I have lost 30...

It could be a lot worse.

It's not a lot of money to lose.

VO: Well you say that Mark, but you're not trailing really badly.

And not even a disaster with the pine bench will knock him off the winner's podium now.

£55 I'm bid.

At 55, at 55, at £55 I'm bid, all out of the room at 55... Come along now!

HEFIN: £60.

£60 I'm bid.

MH: Go on then.

Good man.

At 60.

£60, it goes then at £60.

You've had a loss.

I can afford a very small loss.

Aw!

You can afford a small loss, look at you!

VO: You tell him, Thomas.

3-1 up.

3-1 up to you.

I'm on schedule.

You're on schedule to overtake me.

I'm clawing it back.

Unless I do something amazing.

Which you probably will.

Which I probably won't.

Under pressure, that's when you pull it out the hat, Thomas.

VO: So with the results in, it's Mark who claims victory today.

Thomas started this leg of the road trip with a huge £455.78 but lost £67.80 after auction costs today, leaving him with £387.98.

So it just shows how unpredictable this game can be.

Mark, however, began with £287.33 and made a profit of £42.74 after auction costs, leaving him with £330.07 going in to the final round.

Looks happy, which is nice.

Oh, we can tell we're in Wales!

Drizzle.

Certainly can.

I hope the next couple of buy days aren't gonna be like this.

Oh, me too.

Oh!

MH: Eugh!

Eugh!

My bottom is wet.

TP: Come on.

VO: Oh no, not again.

I hope it's the car's fault.

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip, Thomas has a funny turn.

I need to sit down.

VO: Mark thinks he's an estate agent.

A rather nice suburban detached.

Two large double bedrooms, bathroom.

Garden to the front and rear.

VO: And the Sunbeam Alpine... well, has had enough.

The car is making an extraordinary noise.

(GRINDING) It's smoking.

Why does this happen to me?

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