antiques experts... Let the Road Trip begin!

VO: ..behind the wheel of a classic car.

IZZIE: Ooh!

DAVID: You hit the roof then!

VO: And a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

Pump yourself up... with antiques.

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

But it's no mean feat.

That's a top job, isn't it?

VO: There'll be worthy winners... AUCTIONEER: £400.

RAJ: Fantastic!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

I'm screaming on the inside.

VO: Will it be the high road to glory...

The gloves are off.

VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?

The gearbox has gone!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Ha-ha!

What fun!

Welcome once again to our saunter around the South West, and it looks like there's been weather.

JAMES (JB): Look at this water!

NATASHA (NS): Did we miss a downpour?

JB: Oh!

(CHUCKLES) We are now floating.

I think we made it.

I think we made it.

VO: Our puddle jumpers in the Porsche, James Braxton and Natasha Raskin Sharp, are currently circling Bristol, and they're in fine voice this morning.

# Yodel-ay-hee-hoo!

# Can you yodel?

(LOW PITCH) # Yodel-ay-hee-hoo!

# (CHUCKLES) It's not my culture, I'm an Englishman.

(MUTTERS) VO: Yes, not that many Alps around here.

Last time out, Natasha went for cute and cuddly.

That is so sweet.

VO: While James opted for Scandi cool.

It's that sort of look.

VO: Sadly, his lots went off the boil at the auction.

Come on, I want a feeding frenzy.

£60 bid.

VO: But there was a clean sweep of modest profits for Natasha.

NS: I am delighted.

JB: £20 profit.

Congratulations - you've won another leg!

Well, that feels good, but it's not going terribly well.

I mean, neither of us even have our original starting kitty of £200.

JB: We've got to get competitive.

James has been replaced by Genghis Khan.

Oh gosh, right OK. Look out!

VO: Quite.

Our Genghis started this trip with £200.

And two auctions in, that's shrunk considerably to £121.36.

Hardly empire building, is it, Genghis?

Better luck for Natasha, though.

She started with the same amount, and after an initial nosedive, she's climbed to £189.60, almost back where she started.

Now how about some words of encouragement from our Bard of the Bargains?

The distant past is auction two.

We're moving on with gusto.

Lest we forget, from this point on, big profits are a must-o.

VO: Here's hoping they don't go bust-o!

Our pair kicked off on the South West coast and are heading eastwards, aiming for a final auction in Oxford.

But this time out, they'll be shopping all the way to Shipton Bellinger in Hampshire.

But we start today by the River Avon in Bristol... ..where, having been dropped off in the pretty suburb of Clifton Village, Natasha's heading for her first port of call, Rachel's and Michael's Antiques.

Oh, great shop.

VO: There's lots to keep an antiques nut occupied in here.

Furniture, stuff for the home and a few old favorites.

One thing I haven't bought on this trip with James, anything trinkety.

And this shop is full of lovely, tiny pieces of jewelry.

So I'm definitely tempted.

VO: Don't let us stop you.

Now, I like these because they have a whiff of the macabre about them, but not really.

Victoria went into mourning in 1861 when Albert died, and she never came out of mourning.

40 years, she wore black.

And her preferred jewelry was black Whitby Jet.

VO: Named after the Yorkshire town, where a rich seam of the stuff was found.

It's actually ancient fossilized trees.

Those are priced at £35.

They're lovely dangly earrings, kind of tiered, nice teardrop shape.

And there is a little drop at the bottom.

You can see a carved rose, and that's still intact.

And these are formal, not fussy.

Still collectable.

People are quite into Whitby Jet.

There are a lot of goths in Whitby, and I think this could appeal to quite a glamorous goth.

VO: Yes, that post-punk subculture with a love of all things gothic, very fond of the color black.

I haven't bought any jewelry yet, so a wee nod to Queen Victoria and her late husband might be quite a nice way to do it.

VO: Do you know, she seems to be in her element there.

Now, 50 miles along the road lies the ancient Somerset city of Bath.

And somewhere down there, amidst all that splendid Georgian architecture, James has made the rarest of finds - a parking spot.

Ha!

Lovely Bath.

VO: His first retail opportunity today is at Michael & Jo Saffell Antiques.

In you go, sir.

Goodness me.

(CHUCKLES) Well, I think I can buy everything, as long as it's a tin.

VO: You're not kidding.

A lot of biscuits were eaten to get this collection.

If you're going to go for a tin, why don't you go for the biggest tin?

So you get that tea canister down and you would have just poured a bit out and you would have made a blend.

So these three would have been numerically indexed.

It's not bad condition, there's rust, but it's got gilding and it's got a clear 18 on it.

But it ain't got no bottom, has it?

It's a drawback, isn't it?

VO: It is if you want to keep tea in it.

If this is cheap, I'll go for it because you're getting quite a big object for your money.

VO: Sounds logical there, I think.

Back up in Bristol, Natasha's hunt continues.

Oh, now you are talking.

Deco and delicious, I think, is how I would describe these.

Look at these dining chairs.

Can you imagine the original set would have been eight?

There would have been a huge table.

Probably the same material.

We have maple, which is, by the by, what you want in art deco furniture.

Have I before seen legs like these on art deco dining chairs?

I'm not convinced that I have.

Think of the Chrysler Building in New York.

Think of the top of the Chrysler Building.

It's stepped, so everything about them is screaming 1930.

VO: Except for the price tag, which is screaming £125.

If I can't afford them, I'm walking away.

What I will do while I'm here is politely ask for Rachel's best price.

VO: She's so well mannered, isn't she?

And here's the lady in question.

Rachel, hi.

Hi.

This is a good spot because I can see the two items in which I'm interested.

OK. First up, a pair of jet earrings, Victorian pendant screw back earrings.

DEALER: Yeah.

NS: £35.

But I'm wondering, is there a better price?

Can you do a discount?

I think I could do 20 on the earrings, which I think is a really good shout for those earrings.

Thank you so much.

I'll park them, though, just in case I can afford these lovely art deco chairs.

They're 125.

I think the best price on those would be 65, which is an excellent shout.

A very good deal.

For 65?

Yes, but you only get them for 65 if you also buy the earrings.

Done!

How could I say no to that?

VO: You couldn't.

She's very persuasive.

£85 all in for that couple of pairs.

Such a good discount.

And these look excellent in the daylight.

VO: And she still has over £100 intact.

Over in Bath, James already has a tin under consideration.

Fancy another?

Now, I know Natasha, in the last auction, she had a bit that was made for Liberty's, Tudric pewter.

This is a very polished metal.

It's very light.

I would suspect it's aluminum.

It's in the form of a tea caddy, but was obviously made as a biscuit tin.

But it's made by an incredibly famous designer called Archibald Knox.

VO: One of Liberty's biggest names.

This is based on one of his most iconic designs, and the originals can sell for hundreds.

Don't think he made biscuit tins, though.

£95.

Well, I've got the princely sum of £121.

I could buy it, but I'd have to do a serious deal to get that.

So no more Mr Nice Guy.

It's mask on.

VO: Blimey!

Here comes Genghis.

I feel sorry for the owner.

JB: Michael?

DEALER: Hi, James.

I've walked around your lovely shop and my eye has alighted on a couple...

Right.

..of tins.

And I thought, if I'm here, I might as well buy the biggest tin.

Can you tell me about that big tin up there?

Unfortunately, that particular example has got no bottom and no lid.

And the price?

Is it cheap?

And the price is commensurate.

It's £15.

£15?

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

Yeah.

There's one other thing.

What about this?

Well, so it's a Carr's biscuit tin.

Obviously, they pinched the idea from Archibald Knox and the Liberty.

Yeah.

I don't think they paid them anything.

I think it was just a bit of piracy.

Yeah, piracy.

Yes.

Yeah.

What is the price of this?

Um...

I suppose I could do 65.

I think I'll give you that.

So that's 15, 65, £80.

Thank you.

VO: Two thirds of his money gone on two tins.

That's a gamble.

Only £41 left.

Michael, thank you.

Thank you very much indeed.

No, it was great fun.

Nice to meet you, James.

JB: Good to meet you.

Bye!

DEALER: Bye!

VO: I hope he knows what he's doing.

Now, elsewhere in Bath, in one of the city's iconic Georgian townhouses, is a museum dedicated to the rich art and cultures of East Asia.

Natasha's come to find out about the Japanese martial art of judo and its surprising connection to the British suffragette movement.

So come on inside and have a look at the judo exhibition.

Oh, wow, this is fabulous.

VO: Dr Amanda Callan-Spenn has made a study of female martial arts pioneers.

Amanda, what exactly is judo and what are its origins?

So judo is essentially a martial art, but it's not about brute strength and just grabbing them and throwing them.

The idea is to take your partner off balance.

VO: It was devised in 19th century Japan by Jigoro Kano, badly bullied as a child because of his short stature.

He took up jujitsu, the unarmed combat of the samurai.

Removing the more aggressive and lethal aspects, he developed it into a new martial art, judo, meaning the gentle way.

So in 1882, he opened the first ever judo school, the Kodokan in Tokyo.

Did Jigoro Kano himself bring judo to Britain?

He often would visit Britain, traveled extensively.

But he would also send his students all around the world to disseminate the idea of judo.

So in the music halls and the variety theaters, the young Japanese guys would take on allcomers.

They would even offer cash prizes to people who could beat them on the stage, you know.

VO: At the turn of the 20th century, judo was growing across the world, including here in Britain.

And as this new physical discipline allowed small fighters to take on larger opponents and win, it gained popularity with women as a form of self defense.

One of these really early women, Emily Watts, is very interesting.

She would demonstrate with other women, but they would always have a man kind of rush at them pretending to be somebody attacking them, and then they'd just throw them over their shoulder.

It only took a couple of years from her starting to write a book all about the techniques.

Of course, at this point, we're then moving into the suffrage movement.

VO: The women's social and political union mobilized in the early 1900s in the struggle to give women the right to vote.

The movement's marches and demonstrations were often plagued by physical attacks from men and the police, so a number of the women turned to this new Japanese way of fighting to defend themselves.

One of these "suffrajitsu", as they were dubbed by the press, was Edith Garrud, born here in Bath.

She trained a fighting unit of women, known as The Bodyguard, to protect the prominent leaders of the movement.

This is in relation to the Cat and Mouse Act, where the hunger strikers were allowed out of prison because they were so poorly, only to be locked straight back up again when they recovered.

So every time they would appear on a stage or in a march, the police would be trying to swoop in and catch them to put them back in prison.

And The Bodyguard would go all out to stop that happening, and they'd attack the policemen and just put a stop to any re-arrests.

VO: Nowadays, judo is more commonly thought of as an exciting Olympic sport, rather than a tool of protest and emancipation.

So, keen for some judo action, Natasha's headed across town to the University of Bath's sports village, home to Team Bath's judo squad.

Does that hurt?

Not at all?

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Now, our Tasha is far too valuable to be thrown around like that, but a few basics from head of judo Adam Hall might be doable.

So the first thing we normally cover in judo is how to land or how to do a break fall.

Here we go.

VO: That's falling down.

How about staying upright?

Oh, oh, oh!

(GIGGLES) Oh.

Try and go forward a wee bit.

Oh, don't get cocky.

Ah!

VO: What's next?

Core strength, I think.

Can I just lie here?

No?

OK, right here we go.

Core engaged and... (GROANS) Is it real, is it happening?

I don't... Is that good?

That's spot on.

Well done.

(CHUCKLES) I think I'm done.

VO: You'll never get a black belt with that attitude!

Ha!

VO: Now, out on the road, James is grappling with his own predicament.

I'm very conscious this is the third leg.

This is really the tipping point.

If I don't improve my situation, I've rather handed it to Natasha.

So I've really got to get back in the room and bring the competition to her.

VO: Easier said than done on £41 and change.

He's off to try his luck in Wiltshire and the village of Pewsey.

Next stop is the fabulously named Digger & Mojo Antiques, where our digger is hoping to find his mojo.

Cor - ha-ha!

- nice in here, isn't it?

You could almost move in.

JB: This is quite fun.

This could be somebody's home, isn't it?

There's a most beautiful dressing table mirror there, walnut one.

And then there's a lovely lady over here.

VO: Let's go introduce ourselves then.

This is rather nice.

So we've got a carved bit of wood and you know, everybody's immediately going to ask, "what wood is it?"

VO: What wood is it, James?

It's got quite a nice close grain.

You need a close grain if you're going to carve something.

And it's got a lovely reddish color.

I don't see why this couldn't be a fruit wood.

Here's this lady cupping a scallop shell or something like that.

Emblematic of sort of bathing.

You've got a lovely drape cloth and really nice face.

And I think it's 19th century.

VO: No price on her though.

That's a really nice item.

I'd like that.

Not only would I like to own it, but I'd like to buy it.

No, it's the other way round.

Not only would I like to buy it, but I would like to own it as well.

VO: That's alright, James.

We get the gist.

Now, this is my sort of area.

This is sort of behind the scenes and this is where the rummager is at home.

VO: Yeah, loves a storeroom, does our James.

Now, I like this.

This should be heavier.

So it's a sort of bracket clock, something you might put on a piece of furniture.

And I'm going to open the back here... ..and there... there is the criminal.

That is not quite the movement that it would have started off with in 1875 or 1880.

So this is esthetic movement.

It's oak.

We can see it's oak.

It's got this great ceramic dial.

And I like the way we've got rid of the Roman numerals, but the movement is gone.

And, you know, in a way, its very soul has been taken away.

VO: No price on that either.

Could be cheap.

Souls cost extra.

So that's 140 years ago.

140 years ago.

Where does time fly?

Well, in this case, it flies with the help of an AA battery.

VO: Such a wag!

Should we see if a deal is in the offing?

Clarissa is the lady in charge.

Hello, Clarissa.

Hello, James.

I found a rather nice sort of carcass of a clock.

Oh, blue and white face?

JB: Blue and white.

DEALER: Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yeah.

At fault, but a lovely thing.

And a bonus, the battery is included.

Excellent, yes.

The battery comes at no extra charge.

Which is always a bonus.

And then in your lamp room, you've got a rather nice Flemish lady.

Very nicely done.

Now I'm a man on straitened circumstances.

Yes.

So could I buy those two for 40?

Yes, I could do...

I could do 40 on that.

That would really help me.

And that would allow me £1.36 to spend tomorrow.

Oh, right.

£1.36!

JB: (CHUCKLES) VO: He's really eking it out.

£20 each for the carving and the clock.

That's very kind, I've really enjoyed it.

Thank you very much.

DEALER: See you again.

JB: Bye.

VO: And having just about blown the budget, it's time he caught up with his traveling companion.

Well, what a day.

Have you enjoyed the day?

Yes.

How about you?

I think I may have found a winner.

Oh, stop it.

A winner.

I feel fortune and destiny are clutched.

VO: Along with your handful of pennies, eh?

Nighty-night.

Another lovely Wiltshire morning, and we're putting the Porsche through its paces.

JB: Go on, give it some toe.

NS: Yeah?

JB: Some vroom.

(ENGINE REVS) JB: There we are.

NS: (SNIFFS) Oh!

JB: Oh!

Lovely bit of clutch.

It's really smelly!

I'm so sorry.

Eau de Clutch.

VO: The scent of the road trip - along with dust and brass polish.

It was all smelling of roses for Natasha yesterday...

There we go.

VO: ..as she got some hefty discounts on two deco dining chairs and a pair of jet earrings.

I think this could appeal to quite a glamorous goth.

VO: She now has just under £105 to spend today.

Much healthier than James's £1.36 kitty after he bought a clock, a carved wooden lady and a rather tatty tea tin...

If this is cheap, I'll go for it.

VO: ..and another tin, slightly posher.

There we are, look.

Now, that's nice.

Tea caddy?

This is a bit of early 20th century plagiarism by the very famous designer, Archibald Knox.

And... NS: And here we have an aluminum... JB: Copy.

NS: ..knock-off.

This is a knock-off.

I suppose it's a bit like buying a bit of Gucci in a street market, isn't it?

VO: Other counterfeit brands are available.

Ha!

Later, all their prized purchases will be heading north to an auction in Halifax.

But we start today in the cathedral city of Salisbury.

And with James having alighted, this one's for Natasha.

The Salisbury Antique Centre, home to a collection of some very fine pieces indeed, perhaps a little too fine for someone with £104 kitty.

No.

VO: So eyes peeled, fingers crossed.

And let's see what you can find.

In a world of highly polished, expensive wood, this looks like an affordable little watering can.

From the Langham Hotel.

If you'd been there at the very beginning of the 20th century, 1910 or so, you might have seen one of the staff going around and watering the plants with this brass watering can.

This one is four pints, Barron and Wilson Strand.

So a London brass watering can for a London iconic hotel.

But it's sort of London prices.

£55 firm, it says.

VO: But at least it's in budget.

Oh!

The Langham, how posh.

VO: Nothing but the best in here, you know.

Anything else grab you?

Hello to you, my little Scottish national animal.

The unicorn.

VO: You can't move for them in the Trossachs.

Ha!

Looks like a hall chair.

This is mahogany by the looks of things.

It looks to be Georgian, I'd say George IV.

We're in the early 19th century, the Regency period.

I like the form.

It's quite simple and sleek.

Obviously, a hall seat is meant to be used.

Not for long.

You're not meant to be too comfortable.

But look, the patina here is slightly different.

Many bottoms have sat on this seat, and all the visitors seem to have been on the edge of the seat, waiting for the host.

Yeah, I like...I like this.

There's a real nice feel to this.

VO: £70 on the ticket.

And there's that word again - "firm".

I think it's worth that, at least, at auction.

I'm sure it is.

If there's a deal to be done, I think I'm in.

VO: Her wish list is growing.

What lies behind this door?

VO: Now, where's she off to?

I hope you've got permission.

This is the first port of call for items in this shop.

Oh, it goes on.

VO: It's a whole different world behind here.

Lots of stuff waiting to be brought back to life.

Pre-primped, you might say.

This would stand out like a sore thumb on the saleroom floor because it's unpolished and it doesn't look particularly glamorous, like everything else.

It's a miner's lamp.

Not only that, it is a Welsh miner's lamp because it's Hockley Lamp and Limelight Company, so a good Welsh company for a good Welsh colliery.

This is mid 20th century.

Number, shall we say, maybe 1940s.

This, I don't think, however, has been used in its life.

Colliery number, blank.

Serial number, blank.

VO: Price tag, blank.

And I think that pre polish, this would fetch around £20 at auction.

Maybe I'll get a staff discount because it was staff only in here, wasn't it?

Oh yeah, that works.

VO: Nice try.

Somehow, I don't think Chris, the dealer, will fall for that.

Chris, hi.

Hi, Natasha, how are you?

I'm very well, thank you.

I've discovered three items in which I'm interested.

Mm-hm.

The first one is this watering can from the Langham Hotel, NS: which is very nice.

DEALER: Oh right.

Yes.

The second item is a Regency mahogany hall chair.

And the third is the miner's lamp.

And it has no ticket price.

So straight up, I'm wondering what you're asking for that.

Yeah, it can be £15.

So, 15 for this.

55, and 70 for the chair.

May I ask your best price?

It's going to be 135.

135.

Let's move that to one side.

So for the lamp and the chair, what would be the best price?

85.

So no movement on the chair?

There's no movement on the chair at all, I'm afraid.

No?

VO: I think that's what the word "firm" means.

So, lamp and chair for 85.

Thank you so much, Chris.

VO: And that leaves her with a little under £20 to play with.

Cannot believe I bought another chair.

VO: I can't believe you'll get it in the Porsche.

I think it will.

Sorry, James, your seat is now taken.

VO: I stand corrected.

Now, also in Salisbury, James is taking a trip to the city's cathedral, boasting the tallest church spire in the country.

It's an impressive building.

But it's another of its treasures that James has come to see - its huge collection of stained glass windows.

And his guide will be the cathedral's head glazier, Sam Kelly.

Hello, Sam.

Hello, James.

Nice to meet you.

Welcome to Salisbury Cathedral.

VO: It's Sam's job to care for the cathedral's 365 windows, many of which are around 25 feet tall.

Construction started here in 1220 at the height of a cathedral building boom all across Europe, also coinciding with the arrival of this new art form.

Stained glass was the big new thing to have in your ecclesiastical building.

It was the way you showed that you had wealth and position.

Presumably, were they educational to some extent?

Yes, probably a great deal.

Once you've got stained glass windows, you can have a sort of pictorial representation of a biblical scene.

So that immediately means more to the general populace who probably were, for the vast majority, illiterate.

VO: Salisbury stained glass is a pictorial history of artistic styles through the centuries from the present day, all the way back to the original medieval windows from the 13th century.

The earliest glass is what's termed the grisaille.

So a French term that means dull, gray.

Colored glass is much more expensive than tinted glass.

So it's a geometric pattern with a geometric painted design added to the glass.

And that was what would have filled most of the windows within the cathedral because it was fairly easy to produce fairly quickly.

The oldest figurative glass that we've got is the remains of the Tree of Jesse.

It's quite a unique window in the cathedral, but unfortunately, it's one of the windows that's in the worst condition in the building and is yet to have conservation work carried out on it.

VO: The ravages of time haven't been the only threat.

When Henry VIII disbanded the monasteries in 1536, many windows in churches across the country were destroyed, but he wasn't the only vandal here in Salisbury.

In 1790, the church hired architect James Wyatt to make the place brighter.

His solution?

Get rid of the old glass.

Whatever medieval glass was left, he was the man who was responsible for removing it.

And actually, there are letters in the library that state that the glass was taken away by cart load and thrown into the town ditch.

VO: But the tide of destruction would turn in the 19th century, with the gothic revival, a craze for all things medieval.

Artists such as William Morris produced new windows using the authentic medieval methods, and work was begun to preserve original glass from the Middle Ages.

The cathedral had employed a glazier called John Beer, and he was the person who gathered together most of the medieval glass that was in various windows around the building and put it together in the patterns that we find it today.

And having that gothic revival period probably was the thing that saved the medieval glass that was here.

VO: And now that vital task falls to Sam and his team.

From their workshop in the shadow of the cathedral, they bring the glass back to its former glory, restoring it with the same methods used by craftsmen centuries before.

How have techniques changed, have your tools changed?

Probably if you brought the medieval craftsmen in here and told them how the gas worked to turn the lights on, SAM: they'd be off.

JB: Yeah.

Biggest change is probably what happens with glass cutting... JB: OK. SAM: ..because now we have SAM: a tungsten wheel.

JB: OK. Just breaks the surface tension, fingers underneath.

Breaks down the crack.

Wow!

And the medieval craftsmen, they've had an iron heated in a brazier.

You touch the iron on the glass, cracks the glass roughly where you run the iron.

The crack will follow.

SAM: But that's only roughly.

JB: Oh, I see.

If you want to get your piece of glass to be the right shape, you have to cross the edge.

So you had an iron with little notches out of it, depending on the thickness of the glass, and just work the edge until it was the right shape.

So why is it important to save stained glass?

Well, I think it's like most other art things from the past.

It's about preserving your heritage.

It's important to preserve what you've got left.

VO: And thanks to Sam and the long line of glaziers before him, this magnificent building will continue to be illuminated for centuries to come.

Now, out in the afternoon sunshine, Natasha is taking stock of the situation.

Between us, James and I are turning up to the next antique shop with less than £21.

That's so embarrassing.

What a cringe.

VO: Just be grateful most of it is yours.

The final shopping stop is in the Hampshire village of Shipton Bellinger...

Antique center.

VO: ..and a little enclave of antique shops, including this one, Mr Mercurial's.

You never know what you might find in here.

I've decided I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself because how can I?

I have £19.60 to play with.

VO: Could be worse.

Now, is that the sound of loose change I hear?

Ha-ha.

James has arrived.

Doesn't seem particularly stressed either, does he?

I can recommend these, Natasha.

I can hear you crunching from the other side of the shop.

JB: It's an apple.

NS: Do you know something?

What do you have left, just over a pound?

You could probably afford a pack, maybe six.

No you can't.

I've just bought them and they cost me over £2.

Gosh, so you can't even afford a punnet of apples?

This is just to fortify me before I make that very wise decision with £1.36.

OK. Good luck.

OK, thanks.

VO: It's you that needs it, chief.

At least make a show of browsing around.

Pretend you're weighing up your options.

That'll do.

Time to throw yourself on the mercy of the owner.

Hello, Marcus.

This is very kind, Marcus.

Well, for special guests, we always get the red carpet out.

Looks very nice.

It's just out for airing at the minute.

So, Marcus, I come to you with very little.

I've got £1.36.

Right.

OK. Have you got anything really you want to get rid of?

I have a piece of military behind me... OK. ..that can be exactly your money.

Fabulous, lead on.

DEALER: Come along.

VO: Sounds promising.

Came in free with some other bits.

Wow, that looks a piece, doesn't it?

Nice army box.

What would have gone in there?

So it would have had vehicle spares, vehicle parts in there.

Could I just see inside it?

Could you lift the lid?

There we go.

Oh, I see.

So it has a sort of...

Exactly what was in it.

What sort of age would that be?

Er, '60s, maybe '50s.

OK so it's... Not... Not Second World War.

Yeah, it's quite fun.

Beautifully made, isn't it?

OK, I'll take a punt.

I'll go with the box.

VO: Not that you have much choice.

Turn out your pockets, James.

Thank you very much.

There it is, all yours.

Thank you, Marcus.

That's really kind.

My pleasure, James.

Oh, blimey O'Reilly!

Got some weight here, haven't I?

VO: That's a lot for your money.

Now, back inside, Natasha is zeroing in on something else.

I just want to have a closer look at this bracelet.

So, clear hallmarks on the padlock there.

Er... Birmingham 1970s by the look of that.

Is that a wee mark?

Did you know something?

My eyesight's good for a hallmark, but I do need a loop for this one.

It is tiny.

Oh, I think it is!

I think it is a silver hallmark.

OK, so some of these links are marked for silver.

The padlock certainly is.

There is also a little stirrup charm, which is very sweet.

VO: That'll be a charm bracelet then.

No price on it.

Anything to do with horses can be pretty darn collectable and can inspire quite a bit of competition at auction.

It's marginal, but I think it's affordable.

And yeah, very wearable, if you like horses.

VO: You'd better round up Marcus.

Marcus, I like this little bit of silver.

You've probably heard on the grapevine that I don't have a huge amount of money... DEALER: Indeed.

NS: ..burning a hole in my pocket.

Am I able to afford this bracelet?

I think you can.

What's it...

So it can be £12.

Oh, really?

And also, there's a little charm in there, like an Aladdin's shoe.

You can take that with it as well.

Oh, I didn't even see that, another charm?

Have a look.

Yes.

Oh, perfect.

Well, at £12, I would say the more, the merrier.

My pleasure.

Brilliant stuff.

Thank you so much for that.

Right.

VO: And with a smidge under £8 left, that's her done, too.

Thank you so much, Marcus.

Great stuff.

My absolute pleasure.

OK, let me just grab it.

Oh, I see it.

You can see it?

Right.

Aladdin's shoe.

Hopefully, that'll just add to the charm.

DEALER: (CHUCKLES) NS: See what I did there?

NS: Thank you.

DEALER: Bye-bye.

Bye-bye!

VO: So, next stop, auction.

If we can get there.

Your car is backfiring, madam.

Is it my driving?

No, I don't think it is.

I think it's just rude, unseemly noises.

May I suggest prunes?

(CHUCKLES) VO: Thanks for that, Dr Braxton.

Time for some shuteye.

Fasten your seat belts and put away your tray tables.

Auction day is clear for take off.

JB: Look, hangars.

There's a little door for little people.

JB: Go on.

You try.

NS: Shall I be the first NS: to venture in?

JB: You're smaller than me.

JB: If you can't fit in... NS: (GASPS) James, wait till you see this.

JB: Really?

NS: This is amazing.

VO: They've come to Boscombe Down Aviation Museum for a spot of auction watching.

Meanwhile, all their goodies have jetted off up the country to Halifax... ..under the hammer at Halifax Mill Auctioneers, with a room full of bidders and even more lurking online.

£20.

VO: James went through his entire £121.36 on five auction lots.

Let's see if today's auctioneer, James Watson, thinks any will fly.

JAMES (JW): So, this is my favorite item.

A lovely 19th century piece.

Certainly, if I was a buyer out there, that'd be the main thing that I'd be looking to get hold of.

VO: Natasha also bought five lots for a total of £182.

Any stand-outs amongst them, James?

So this pair are probably one of the nicest things we've got in in the jewelry side.

We've had lots of positivity around them, so I think we'll have a good result.

VO: Excellent.

Now back to the hangar, where we're about to taxi onto the runway.

Just a few pre-flight checks first.

The horizon thing, that's the thing you've got to look at, isn't it?

So the blue and the black.

Don't go in the black.

Oh, I'm in the black.

Can you see that?

I'm in the black!

You're going down.

I'm in trouble.

NS: Is that ominous?

JB: You're in trouble.

Well, shall we just get down to business?

Shall we get down to business?

In this very odd setting.

Ready, steady... go.

VO: First up, Natasha's backroom bargain, the miner's lamp.

Who's got 50?

Anybody at 50 for this one?

That would be wild.

OK, so we'll start off at 20.

JW: £20 for the miner's lamp.

(THEY CHUCKLE) Unfortunately, dropping down to £10.

Who's got 10?

£10, we have.

Looking for 12.

It's like watching the stock exchange on a crash day, isn't it?

We're up to 18.

18, now, we have.

18, that's alright.

Selling to the internet for 18.

VO: If only you'd given it a bit of polish, eh?

But it's still a profit, Natasha.

A teeny weeny one.

Yeah, but you know, is greed good?

Is greed...?

VO: Aha, says the man who spent pennies on this bit of militaria.

20 at the back of the room.

Thank you very much.

20.

Room bid.

Looking for 22 on the internet.

That is the best profit I've made.

20, we have.

Final warning then.

To the room for £20.

VO: That all turned out incredibly well.

I like the ascending auctioneer.

So you would have liked him to start at five.

Or even £1.36.

You're incredible.

Let's remind everybody how much I paid for it.

VO: Natasha's Regency hall chair, next.

Everything has unicorns on it these days.

Who's got 50 for this?

Well, it needs more than that.

£20 for this?

What!

did he just say £20?

He did say 20, I'm afraid.

So, 20 we have.

Thank you for your bid.

22 now.

22, we are.

24 in the room at the back.

26 now, back in.

Are you sure, sir?

OK.

This one selling to the internet for 26.

Oh dear, that looked a bit uncomfortable.

That's really hideous.

I'd like to move on swiftly, if you don't mind.

VO: Yes, let's do that.

It's James's knock off bit of Liberty next.

His biscuit tin.

20 for this set.

So 20, 22.

26.

Oh, oh!

28 now.

So £30?

30 in the room.

Looking for 32.

I did pay 65 for this.

But it's climbing.

They love it.

£34.

36.

We're at 36.

And that's selling, then.

Room's out.

To the internet for 36.

VO: I think Archibald Knox just got his revenge.

JB: 36.

NS: Fiddlesticks.

VO: Well, let's hope the bidders' pockets are more like tin number two - bottomless.

And yet you bought it because... Well, it was cheap.

15 quid.

£50, we have.

(CHUCKLES) Looking for 55.

£50, a final warning then for 50.

To the internet for £50.

VO: Well, somebody saw something in it.

Probably the floor.

Jammy.

Jammy?

Jammy doesn't cover it.

NS: £50?

JB: Jammy, jammy.

For a bottomless barrel!

VO: It's the turn of Natasha's charm bracelet now, with equestrian and footwear interest.

Anybody going to give 20 for this one?

Anybody at 20 for this?

Nobody at 20.

£10, then.

So £10 we have.

12 now.

Thank you.

So looking for 14?

Room's quiet.

£14 we have on the internet.

Oh, this room's always quiet.

16.

18, now.

18.

I haven't noticed the bustle yet.

(LAUGHS) Hey!

For your lots, there was loads of bustle.

So £20 we have and that one is selling... That's a profit.

..to the internet for 20.

VO: That's a little better.

Going in the right direction, at least.

I don't think I can take this.

How many more auctions do we have?

VO: We haven't finished this one yet.

And now it's your two deco dining chairs.

So, 50?

Nobody at that.

So 20 then?

£20 to start.

10, then.

10 just to start us off.

(EXCLAIMS) So £10 on the internet.

Looking for 12.

£12 in the room.

Thank you.

So 14, 16.

18 now.

So 20.

20 in the room.

NS: I am speechless.

JW: Rest of the room's quiet and that's a final warning.

These two are selling for 20.

VO: Ah, Natasha.

Chairs might be off the menu from now on.

I just can't believe that.

My sympathies.

VO: Time for James's esthetic movement clock now, the one with the unesthetic movement.

But it works?

It works because it has its own single AA battery.

So, £50.

Thank you for that bid.

50 online.

Oh, he's actually got the 50!

JW: Looking for 55.

NS: It's running away!

So, 50 we have.

JB: Come on, keep going.

JW: Room's out for this one.

Maiden bid.

That one is selling for 50.

VO: Very good.

The old Braxton magic might be making a comeback.

I'm very jealous at this point.

I'm green.

Don't... Don't be jealous, Natasha.

I'm green.

(CHUCKLES) It's not a good look, is it?

NS: It's not a good look.

JB: So, I had to pick you up on greed.

Now jealousy.

(CHUCKLES) VO: Natasha's last lot now.

Here's hoping the goths are out in force.

£20, we have.

Oh, in at 20.

That's what I paid.

22 we have on the internet now.

Looking for 24.

Room's quiet on this one, but internet's interested.

Oh, I wish the room would pipe up!

JB: (CHUCKLES) So, 22 we are at.

Final warning then, and that's selling to the internet for 22.

VO: A teeny final profit.

It's not been Natasha's day, has it?

I think I have one word for that.

It's a French word.

JB: What?

NS: M'aidez!

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Not the French word I thought she was going for.

Finally, the auctioneer's favorite - James's carved lady.

Who's got 20 for this?

One of the best pieces in the sale.

Oh, it's all go in the room.

Eight?

30.

32, sir.

34 now on the internet.

JW: 36.

38.

NS: Oh, oh!

Back in.

40 now, to my right.

£40 is where we are.

Oh, you've doubled up.

To the room.

Internet's out.

For 40.

VO: I think we all know which way that one went, eh, madam?

I think I've gathered a bit of pace there.

I mean, I'm terrible at maths, but James, NS: I have fallen behind.

JB: Really?

Well, I did say this third auction is the tipping point.

VO: And it might just have tipped in your favor.

Natasha began this leg with a little under £190, but after saleroom fees, she's gone into a tailspin.

Her funds have dipped to £94.52.

Crumbs!

VO: But it was up, up and away for James.

After auction costs, his £121 has climbed up to £160.72.

That's more like it.

I think we should jet off to the next leg.

NS: Chocks away.

(CHUCKLES) JB: Chocks away.

My only concern is you haven't got any wings.

Sh!

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