Antiques Road Trip

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!

Beep beep!

This time, we're in Scotland, following the adventures of a brand-new expert match-up.

Well, almost.

Izzie, we've only met once before, haven't we?

We have, and it was probably about five minutes, wasn't it?

I know, and I came up to you, and I said, "My God, you look so cool!"

And then I thought you thought I was a bit crazy!

VO: Awks!

Little did they know that a few years later they'd be squeezed into a 1980s Mini together.

You must have been born, what, mid-'90s?

I wish.

I'm an '89.

You're an '89 model?

VO: That's youthful Izzie Balmer at the wheel.

And by her side, the more experienced David Harper.

DAVID: So, you... Ooh!

This car is six years older than you.

IZZIE: Yes.

DAVID: Wow!

VO: But let's not speculate on whether there are any cars with six years on David still running - ha!

- and concentrate instead on their Scottish adventure.

DAVID: Are you a regular visitor?

Er, no, but I love it.

DAVID: Yeah.

IZZIE: Love Scotland.

I'm going to say the stereotypical thing here, but I flipping love haggis and whisky.

VO: Gourmand Izzie, from Bristol, is an auctioneer with a fascination for all things antique and vintage... Everything about this screams Scandinavian design.

VO: ..while dealer David, who hails from Barnard Castle...

Delicious...gold.

VO: ..likes to get right to the point.

But the burning question we all need the answer to is... IZZIE: Are you a whisky man?

Er, I'm not, but you can teach me all you know about whisky.

Which is very little, but I do love a good Scottish malt whisky.

Dear God!

Right, Izzie, you're a remarkable person!

VO: Our pair, with �200 each to spend on their dram-atic Scottish shopping extravaganza, start out in the Borders, and will head, by way of Glasgow and the north-east coast, towards an eventual end in South Queensferry.

I've never been to an antique shop in Scotland.

Oh, right.

Well, they are very similar to those in England.

This does not surprise me!

DAVID: No!

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: On today's tour, they'll be all over the Borders, starting out in Moffat... VO: ..which is famous for boiled sweets with unusually tangy centers.

And there's David, recently deposited in Moffat... ..and about to get the flavor of Lothlorien Emporium.

It's quite an unusual shop, this, when you think about it, because that tin-plate van, dating to about 1962...

Think the Beatles, 1963, the explosion of that music scene - that is when that tin-plate van was made by Triang.

Lovely thing.

Absolutely delicious.

I want it.

Then look below.

"These toys are not for sale."

Living the dream!

VO: Crikey.

Calm down, David.

Ha.

I'm sure that everything else can be purchased.

Now, this is called the Antiques Road Trip, so I'd love to buy proper antiques.

But I'm kind of speaking aloud here... VO: That is the normal way...

It's a glass barrel.

It's 1950s.

It's got a cork in the top there.

But it's just a good, fun, funky thing, and in a really smart bathroom, that, full of...

I don't know, bubble bath, shampoo, hand gel, something like that, that could look funky indeed.

And I know it's not an antique.

But bizarrely, it is as desirable as most antiques today, even though it's made very cheaply.

VO: Ticket price, �35.

I don't know.

I'm just going to leave it there for now.

I've never seen that before.

So just stay there, while I think about you.

VO: Or you could always consider the proper antique option instead.

Oh, my goodness me.

Let me just take you back in time to George III period, 1778... VO: A silver fruit ladle, or sieve.

..and if we were holding this in 1778, I would be a man of great taste and fashion, because this was a posh thing, at the time.

And I would be wearing white powdered make-up, I'd be wearing a big wig.

I'd be wearing tight tights on my calves, because this is the time of the Georgian macaroni.

The macaronis came before the dandies, and they were the men of high fashion.

VO: The Italian name derives from the fact that they often acquired their fanciful behavior on the Grand Tour.

So many stories to be told, just by holding that piece from history.

And what do you have to pay for that?

�110.

It's just delicious.

If I could get it for 70 quid, I'd have it.

I'll give it a go.

VO: He's a man in a hurry.

Izzie's not even reached her first shop yet.

Hey, cows!

VO: So, what's on her list?

I would really like to buy something Scottish.

And what I know about the most are the Scottish brooches.

And they're just cool.

And one of these, like, big tartan shawls, and you'd have this big brooch that would clasp them together.

And perhaps being in Scotland, cuz there'll be more of them about, I would have thought, they'll be a little bit cheaper.

VO: Well, you never know.

VO: Maybe she'll find one of those in Innerleithen.

VO: Apparently founded by St Ronan, in 737, a very long time before Keepsakes arrived on the high street.

Ha!

Who doesn't love a little cheeky penguin?

VO: Good question.

Is that equally applicable to cheeky monkeys, do we think?

Oh, this little chappy here is a Schuco monkey.

Now, I have to admit, I was really rather hoping that he was a scent bottle, because the really collectable, rare ones, you can remove the head and inside is a little scent bottle.

But I think I might end up tearing his head off, and nobody wants that.

Schuco were established in Germany, in 1912, by a chap called Heinrich Muller, in Nuremberg, which is Germany's toy capital.

And in 1921, the company shortened its name from something unpronounceable, by me, to Schuco.

VO: Short for Schreyer und Company.

Now, this is priced at �55, but I do quite like him.

And I just think he's got a really nice face.

VO: And who does he remind you of?

That cheeky antiques expert over in Moffat, that's who.

There he goes.

He's got his eye on that silver fruit ladle sieve.

Anything else?

DAVID: This is a kind of a funky table.

I don't know whether it's made up of older parts, or what.

But you've got a plastic top.

I mean, seriously, plastic.

Could I call it Bakelite?

Bakelite is the earliest form of plastic.

It's got that kind of marble-y finish, and definitely that brown coloration.

VO: Priced at �49.

So, what are the legs made out of, for certain?

So, beech...

They're not exactly turned, they're chamfered off, so nice little details, rounded rails...

I have never seen this design table in my life, and I love 20th century design furniture.

It's drop dead gorgeous and I'm buying it.

VO: He is decisive today.

Linda?

Yes, David?

I'm going to throw money at you.

VO: Novel approach!

A Bakelite, art deco, 1930.

It's priced at 49.

Is it 25?

I would say 35.

Next one.

Silver spoon, 1778, priced at 110.

Can it be 60?

No.

I could do it for... 75?

Make it 70, and I'll have it.

How's that?

OK. 70's fine.

Done deal.

VO: Gosh.

�105, please.

DEALER: Thank you!

Goodbye.

DAVID: Bye!

VO: So, while David exits Moffat with �95 remaining, we'll head back to Innerleithen... ..where proprietor Margaret is in charge.

And Izzie's got a monkey she's taken a shine to, amongst other things.

I've got...a box of treasures.

Well, hopefully.

A box of jewelry.

I love jewelry, but it's really hard to find something that's been overlooked, because most items are hallmarked.

So most people know what nine-carat, 18-carat, 22-carat gold is.

So it is quite hard to find things that have gone under the radar.

Do you know what, actually?

These beads were originally designed by Dior, no less, and they're known as Aurora Borealis.

And they were designed, sort of, 1930s-ish, and then the war happened, and so Dior went to making lenses for the war effort.

So they didn't actually come out in production until, sort of, the late '40s, early '50s.

VO: Plus chic, huh?

Rien d'autre?

Oh, this is quite nice.

So this is an art-deco necklace... Actually, I was going to say, does that work with what I'm wearing?

But it probably blends in a bit too much.

But it's an art-deco necklace, and it's probably Bakelite.

It's ever so fine, but it's typically art deco, in so many ways.

Firstly, it's a flapper necklace.

You know, it's long, they were into their long beads and necklaces, that, when they're dancing around, doing their thing... VO: Oh, yeah?

The Charleston, perhaps, or maybe the Shimmy, or the Texas Tommy!

It's priced at �48.

Hm.

That is quite a bit more than I'd like to pay, but I do like it.

And it'd be certainly worth asking Margaret what her best could be on that.

So I'm going to pop that there, and go and do some more searching.

VO: Moving on... Ooh!

Oh, I was really rather hoping that this was glass.

This is 1950s, and you do quite often get Venetian glass necklaces, made out of fruit, or berries, basically like this, but on a smaller scale, and made out of glass.

VO: So, this necklace is also plastic.

�15.

This one's kind of got it all going on.

We've got flowers, and we've got grapes, and we've got leaves.

Costume jewelry can be very popular.

This is a real statement piece.

I've just realized there's apples on here, as well.

This is like your five-a-day, but in necklace form.

Does it count, do you reckon?

VO: Maybe best consult Margaret.

Hello, Margaret.

Oh, hi.

How are you getting on?

I've seen a couple of items that I would be interested to find out your best prices on.

OK.

So, one of them is an art-deco necklace, which has got black and white links.

Now, it's ticketed at 48.

What would be the absolute best you can do on that?

38?

So, the other item I saw was the little Schuco monkey.

Ah, he's lovely.

I think he was ticketed at 55.

Mm-hm.

What could that one be?

Erm...45.

45 on him.

Then there's this necklace here, and that's at �15, so that seems fair.

Erm... Well, we can sort something out on that, if you're interested in that one, as well.

Ooh!

Excellent.

I could probably do the three for 90.

Is there any chance we can get down to 80 at all?

Well, how about 85?

Well, I'm not going to argue over �5, so yes, please.

I'll say �85.

VO: That's 40 for the monkey, 35 for the art-deco necklace, and just 10 for the non-edible fruit one...

There's 80, and then five.

I'll see you soon.

OK, bye!

VO: ..leaving �115 for her next shopping experience.

And so, while Izzie points the Mini towards another Borders antiquerie... ..we'll find out where David's got to, deep in sheep farming territory, close to the village of Ettrick... ..where he's taking time off from treasure hunting to find out about Britain's largest breed, the Border Leicester.

Do you think they're all girls?

Are you all girls, girls?

You're very pretty.

VO: Ah!

Here comes an expert.

Now, you must be Tom.

I'm Tom.

Welcome to Ettrick, David.

Well, thank you, Tom.

What stunning looking sheep.

Big ears, though.

Yeah, very distinctive, those ears.

That's what most people notice when they see the Border Leicester breed.

But they've got more qualities than just the ears.

They do a good job for the sheep industry.

VO: Tom Tennant is a former president of the Border Leicester Society, and a highly skilled selective sheep breeder.

He acknowledges he's following in the footsteps of the great 18th century agriculturalist Robert Bakewell.

TOM: He was a pioneer.

He really was a very, very clever man.

He used one or two different breeds to mate together, to turn into the Border Leicester.

I think, about that time, sheep were predominantly just bred for wool, because that was the only form of clothing.

And Robert thought, "We could eat these animals, as well."

So he just introduced them, made them bigger, longer, so they could carry more meat for the housewife's table.

I mean, incredibly forward-thinking.

Very much so.

One of his strains came north, to Northumberland, where it was crossed again with the sort of more hill Cheviot, hence the name the Border came out.

What makes them different to any other kind of sheep?

The size.

They mature very, very quickly, to big, big sheep.

So, therefore, the farmer could get more return.

If you mate these to some of the smaller, indigenous breeds, you get a real big, big second cross that goes on to become the mother of the butcher's lamb.

VO: Before Bakewell, ewes and rams were kept in the same field, which resulted in random breeding.

But he separated them in order to breed selectively.

His work was to influence Charles Darwin's On The Origin Of Species.

DAVID: Do you love them, Tom?

TOM: Yeah, I do love them.

I was first introduced to them when I was 11 years old.

I was given a ewe lamb that had lost its mother, from my grandfather, and I artificially reared that lamb on a bottle.

And the sheep you see here today are still descendants from that lamb, from 1971.

VO: The Border Leicester is known as the Great Improver, because it's such an excellent crossing sire, with each highly valuable tup siring about 350 lambs in its lifetime.

In here, David, we've got four rams that are for sale tomorrow.

VO: Tom has spent the last two months preparing a handful of his prize-winners for auction at the Kelso Show, fattening, and even coloring them up.

DAVID: Point out, Tom, some of the things we need to look for, because this is a great example of a Border Leicester.

We're looking for a good mouth... OK. ..and, if I can open his mouth... Oh, he's not playing ball.

But you want short, sharp teeth.

Yes.

You want a nice, smooth sweep up through the face.

Yep.

Some people say a Roman nose.

I can see that.

He's got that classical profile.

That's right.

He's very handsome.

He really is a handsome boy.

Yeah, and a big, stylish eye.

You know, this fella... DAVID: Yeah.

TOM: ..he's got a huge, big eye in his head.

So you've got high hopes for the auction tomorrow?

Well, we've always got high hopes.

You know what it's like.

You need two people.

And do you have any final touches?

Yeah, one of them is we try and make the face even whiter, and a trick is baby powder.

Oh, right!

OK. Come on, then, you lovely Georgian gentleman.

Let's get that wig of yours powdered.

VO: He seems to like it.

Can I put a bit on the ear?

Yeah, please do, yeah.

Yeah?

VO: Which just leaves one final task, the all important number.

You just place it down there, David... DAVID: Yeah.

TOM: ..firmly, and then just lift straight off.

OK. About there, then, Tom?

Yeah, about there.

And away.

So is he ready?

He's ready for sale now.

VO: And so, a few centuries later, the story of Mr Bakewell's dual-purpose breed carries on.

VO: Elsewhere in the Borders, Izzie has a different auction in mind.

Although do I wonder if David's ears are feeling a trifle warm?

All I ever hear about David is his really bright trousers, so I was expecting some bobby-dazzlers this morning.

I'm not going to lie, I'm a... Whoo!

..I'm a little bit disappointed, because he's gone for a subdued, pale lemon.

But I'm hoping for some bright-colored trousers tomorrow, cuz I feel like he's playing it safe and I want the real David to come out.

VO: Hey!

Careful what you wish for, Izzie!

But before that prospect, we have West Linton... ..location of her very next shopping experience at Junkshopantiques - all one word, ha!

- where, amongst a selection of goods with a distinctly Eastern vibe, our Izzie has �115 left to spend.

I really love all the clothing and fabrics in this shop.

I actually really want to go shopping for myself.

I mean, I know I'm here to buy antiques, and try and make a profit, and try and get ahead of David, but...

..I quite fancy doing some clothes shopping.

VO: Come on, Izzie, say "no" to the kimono!

VO: Eyes down.

Treasure could be lurking almost anywhere.

At first glance, I thought this was a Japanese wood block print, which it is.

But I'm wondering if some of it might have been hand-finished.

I would have thought that this dates to the turn of the century, so it's towards the end of the Meiji period, which was from 1868 to 1912.

VO: Ah.

Priced at �39.

Traditionally, it would be on silks, or on papers.

This one is definitely on fabric, and it possibly is on silk.

But what I really like about this one is we've got the artist's stamp down here at the bottom.

Now, I don't read Japanese, so I'm not sure who that is, but, to a collector, there are certain artists that are very collectable, and there are certain stamps that they would look out for.

This one I really like, because it's this wintry scene.

And I can only presume that it's a cherry blossom tree, and then, in the springtime, this is going to burst forth into life, and have all these beautiful cherry blossoms.

And, look, she's taken a branch of the cherry blossom tree.

Sometimes, Japanese items can absolutely fly, and sometimes they can completely sink at auction, and I really hope this isn't a sinker, I hope it's a flyer.

Viki?

VO: She's the one to talk to.

Ah!

Viki, I have really rather fallen in love with this beautiful wood block print.

No wonder!

It's gorgeous.

Now, it's ticketed at �39, but it's my first day of buying, and I'd really like to get a head start on David, and get as many pennies in the bank as I can.

Well, us girls have got to stick together, haven't they?

We do, don't we?

I'm so glad you said that!

For you, I'll do it for 20 quid.

Well, do you know what?

That seems very fair to me.

Yes, please.

VO: Well, that was all extremely convivial... IZZIE: Have a great day.

DEALER: Thank you!

IZZIE: Bye-bye!

DEALER: Bye!

VO: ..and that leaves Izzie with just under �100 for tomorrow.

VO: But first, some Scottish R&R.

IZZIE: Are we drinking whisky?

DAVID: We're drinking whisky.

DAVID: And what are we eating?

IZZIE: Haggis!

Of course we are!

We're such tourists!

VO: Nighty-night.

VO: Next day dawns, fair but chilly.

And you're a southern softie, aren't you, of course?

IZZIE: I am.

DAVID: Yeah.

And I'm very nesh, at the best of times.

DAVID: Nesh?

IZZIE: Cold.

Nesh means cold?

Yes!

Nesh, you know.

Oh, look, there's a bong.

What's a bong?

DAVID: A sheep.

IZZIE: No!

(CHUCKLES) DAVID: It is!

IZZIE: OK.

I've just made it up, like you!

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Yesterday, Izzie managed to assemble quite a pile of purchases for herself, including an art-deco necklace, a fake fruit necklace, a Japanese print and a Schuco monkey.

Cheeky!

I just think he's got a really nice face.

VO: ..leaving her with �95 at her disposal, while David plumped for a Bakelite table and a Georgian silver ladle sieve...

It's just delicious.

VO: ..which means he also has 95 left to spend in one of the places they'll be visiting today, including... IZZIE: H-A-W-I-C-K?

H-A-W... I-C-K. Ha-wick?

I think it's "Hoick".

DAVID: Hoick?

IZZIE: Yes.

Unless you're just making that up again!

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Hawick is definitely on the itinerary but the first stop is in Kelso... ..where the great Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott was once a schoolboy.

And there's the eternally spry David, having dropped off his chum.

I'm sure he'll be keen as mustard to scour Bridge Antiques.

Just look at the color!

Never mind the shape of that tin-plate car, the color is amazing.

It's original, it's a tin-plate German car, made by Schuco, famous German makers of high quality tin-plate toys... VO: The same firm that made Izzie's little monkey.

..and it's an unusual body shape.

I don't think it actually is modeled on any particular car, but it's inspired by the Mercedes Maybach, the big limousine.

And it's called the Kommando 2000, which is a really funky name for a 1930s car.

I could spend hours just looking, ogling and playing with this thing.

I mean, it's 20 quid, which is what it's worth.

But the toy buyers out there are really pedantic people, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.

So they'll pay the 20 quid, maybe even 30, but there just isn't enough in it.

As drop-dead gorgeous as this thing is, it's going back.

VO: That's a "nein", then.

He still has �95 left, remember.

If you want to start buying and selling things, if you want to give this business a go, and you like watches, then let me introduce you to the best design on the planet for no money - 1970s.

So, the market is really strong right now for anything that's 1970s.

And this screams mid-1970s.

And it would be referred to, generically, as a space watch.

I mean, it's just so fantastic.

Made by a very small, unusual maker, called Voken.

Barely anybody has heard of this maker.

VO: Which perhaps explains the �20 price tag.

They're Japanese, and put it on your wrist right now, and anybody and everybody that has a remote interest in watches is going to say to you, "My goodness me, you are a cool dude", and I'm going to buy it.

Now, Ronnie, can I chat to you about this?

I know you're a bit of a collector of watches.

Oh, yes.

It's in great condition for its age.

It's bonkers.

I'm just gonna have it.

No negotiating.

DEALER: That's great.

DAVID: I'll put the watch there and the money down, and continue.

Cheers, Ronnie.

Thank you.

VO: He's off.

Rolling his sleeves up, too.

There's probably more to come.

OK, so it's solid silver, and it's a pendant, a medallion, dating to 1976, which is the time of the medallion man.

Hello!

Cool!

And it's a unisex thing.

A man or woman could wear this.

It's just very stylish.

Needs a clean.

It would be good, clean.

VO: So you've got two classical Roman figures.

I think they're reading, so it's a little erudite.

You know, you are an intelligent medallion man, if such beasts actually exist.

VO: Yours for a mere �28.

I'm going to spin it in the air, because I love doing things like this.

I'm having it.

VO: Looks like he's about to medal.

Ronnie, I am red hot for this pendant.

That's very nice.

Cool, eh?

That's �28.

What's the best?

23.

That's fine.

�23.

There you go.

I'll grab my watch, and my pendant, back to the 1970s, and I'll see you again.

Thank you.

See you!

VO: �43 spent leaves him with 52.

And so, while David bids "ciao!"

to Kelso... ..we go to Gala, where Izzie's currently to be found.

That's the nearby town of Galashiels, to the uninitiated, by the way... ..where she's about to see the new gallery, which houses The Great Tapestry of Scotland, in the company of chief stitcher Dorie Wilkie.

Hello, Dorie!

Hello, Izzie!

Welcome to Galashiels.

IZZIE: It's super impressive!

I love the building, and I can see so many different panels, but what exactly is it?

This is the result of a community project that was put together in 2012-13, to tell people about where we came from, and what made us, as Scots.

And it's also a way of telling international visitors, to talk about our character.

This is how Scotland was formed.

I don't know about you, but I'm much better with a visual image, rather than just reading words in a book.

And, of course, using tapestries to tell a story has been used for thousands of years, because we have the famous Bayeux Tapestry.

That's right, absolutely.

But it also reawakens skills that everybody had, way back in the days of the Bayeux Tapestry... Yeah.

..and since you had to sew things, to put things together, and the stitches we use have been used for centuries.

Think of Egyptian textiles, all embellished with stitches that we've used.

VO: The tapestry, which tells Scotland's history from the Ice Age until 2013, consists of 160 embroidered panels, and required 300 miles of wool, longer than mainland Scotland itself.

Wow!

We were very, very keen to include people all over Scotland.

You didn't have to be Scottish... Aha.

..but if you were living in Scotland at the time, we wanted to include them.

And did you have to be able to stitch already?

No.

IZZIE: And why is it important to tell the story of Scotland through these tapestries?

DORIE: When I was at school, we never learnt the history of Scotland.

We learnt English history, so I think it's important to tell our own story.

VO: Like the Bayeux Tapestry before it, Scotland's version does feature several battles.

But it also includes an awful lot more, like these panels, which illustrate the communal washhouses, called "steamies", and the arrival of rock and roll.

IZZIE: I think it's absolutely fascinating, and I'm really able to engage with Scottish history by seeing it here.

This is an interesting panel, because we discovered one of the stitchers on this panel, she lives in a farmhouse that was given to her family from Robert the Bruce.

And this is about Bruce's siege of Carlisle.

And it was just extraordinary that she didn't know she was going to get this panel.

And these are Galloway cows.

That's their signature, and they're part of the Galloway Broderers.

That's an old-fashioned name for embroidery.

We don't know who stitched the Bayeux Tapestry, so we were determined that our stitches would be recorded.

VO: Of course, Scotland's story continues.

And so, in a few years' time, there'll almost certainly have to be some extra bits commissioned.

Passing Bristolians, apply within.

You insert the needle two millimeters away from the previous stitch, through to the back of the linen, and bring the needle up at the previous stitch.

Would you like to try?

Yes, please.

How many people worked on the project?

We say there were a thousand, but there were actually over a thousand stitchers.

But each stitcher has their own network of friends and experts, so we don't really have an exact number.

It's very therapeutic, isn't it?

It is.

It's meditative.

VO: All involved, take a bow.

Now, whither David?

Out in the glorious Border countryside, with his new best friend.

You know, I love my classic cars, but there's something very special about a little Mini.

They are just so positively bulging in character and charisma.

This is a very good place to be.

VO: Man and motor in perfect harmony... and en route to the final shop, in Hawick... ..where, amongst the many fine old sandstone buildings, they host an annual experimental film festival.

And here comes our little star.

Ha, well, co-star, actually.

VO: Not exactly a big budget - just �52 left, which, considering the quality at Border Antiques, could be a tad frustrating.

VO: Careful.

They may bite!

(PLAYS OUT OF TUNE) VO: Ah, there's Izzie, look.

Beaten him to it, although I'm not quite sure she'll get a tune out of that one.

Ouch!

I mean, that should be a D major arpeggio, but that ain't in tune.

VO: Here he comes.

Oh, my goodness me, I hear beautiful music.

Oh, David, you're too kind.

Now I know you're lying!

No, that was gorgeous!

You're like the Pied Piper of the antiques world.

I was drawn in by it.

VO: He's a charmer!

Either that or tone deaf.

VO: Enough musical appreciation.

What about some shopping?

Maurice is the man to appeal to, here.

These scream "Japanese".

That brown, patinated bronze.

Very understated, really, you know.

Not glam, or flash, or glittery, just really stylish.

The problem is there are no markings on them.

So the worry is, are they old?

Are they proper Meiji period?

Or are they absolutely brand spanking new?

Right, I have spotted a mark.

It's a sticker mark.

Just take a look at this under the light.

Can you see that round sticker mark?

And I would say that marking certainly dates to the Meiji period.

So certainly late 19th century.

So I'm pretty confident in saying that this pair of vases is definitely Japanese Meiji period, 1868 to 1912.

And I think they're really, really exciting.

VO: No price label, however.

Let's see if I can buy them.

VO: Yes, let's.

Gird your loins.

VO: Maurice, what sort of money are they?

Are they cheap enough?

�85.

Don't be horrified when I tell you I've got �52 in my pocket, and I can't pay any more.

How does that sound to you?

Yes.

I'll accept that off you.

DAVID: Will you?

DEALER: Yeah, yeah.

Good man.

OK. VO: Thanks, Maurice.

Very kind.

And I'm going to get out of here before you change your mind.

Maurice, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you, bye-bye.

Great to see you.

Bye!

VO: Well, that's him off.

But what about Izzie, though?

No longer tinkling, and with �95 remaining.

I just can't help myself, coming to look at all the pretty silver things.

He's quite sweet, isn't he?

Now, there are some marks on there, so...I'll get out my handy little loupe here.

Now, we've got a full set of silver marks, which is brilliant.

But it's less about the silver marks on this, and more about who's made this.

And I have seen on here the maker's mark, SM and Co. Sampson Mordan was an early 19th century silversmith, and he actually patented the first propelling pencil.

The other good thing about this is it has the date letter I.

Now, the date letter I, for Chester, is for 1909.

So we have here a true Edwardian piece.

VO: No price ticket, though.

Time to talk to Maurice.

IZZIE: Heya, Maurice!

DEALER: Hello.

I found this rather handsome little pheasant, but there doesn't appear to be a price on it at all.

Do you know how much it is?

�25.

Right, now, what is your absolute, rock-bottom, best price, for me, please?

�18.

�18?

I will say, "Yes, please."

VO: I should think so, too.

IZZIE: See you later.

DEALER: Bye!

VO: 77 left, and time for our new chums to get back in their Mini.

It has a very distinctive driving manner, this, doesn't it, Lizzie?

Lizzie?!

I'll have to start wearing a name badge.

Would you mind?

(CHUCKLES) Write it across my forehead!

VO: Shuteye, please.

It's auction day at Chatelherault Country Park in Hamilton.

Just look at those hedges!

Our very first auction, Izzie, together.

It's always very exciting, this moment.

And I always feel what I've bought is absolutely fantastic, and then I get the shock from hell that nobody wants it!

I'm always surprised!

VO: Chin up!

VO: After setting out back in Moffat, they've been all round the Borders, before making their way north and west towards the Central Belt, while their purchases have been dispatched towards Alton, in Hampshire and Leighton Hall Auctions... ..for sale on the phone, and on the net, and in the room.

Today's auctioneer is Toby Hall.

VO: Izzie parted with �123 on her five auction lots.

The Schuco monkey, very traditional, 1930s.

Great to see all the articulated limbs moving.

We think this could do well.

VO: David splashed all of his �200, also on five lots.

TOBY: The late 19th century Japanese vases, lovely items, great patination on them, and we think these could do very well.

VO: All sounds very encouraging, doesn't it?

Let's see what fate has in store for them.

DAVID: Shall we do it?

IZZIE: Let's do it!

OK. VO: Izzie's cheapest buy starts us off.

Her statement necklace.

What on Earth?

So, I feel like this necklace is... Horrific?

And I can come straight in on my commission at �10 bid.

Oh.

No loss.

Whoo!

�10 bid for the necklace... DAVID: �10, it'll go.

IZZIE: Oh.

I thought he said he had 12.

Has he got 12 or not?

TOBY: �12 bid on the net.

DAVID: That'll do.

Oh, come on, let's get a 15!

We don't need 15.

�12 only... (GAVEL) DAVID: That's more like it!

IZZIE: (CHUCKLES) DAVID: 12 quid.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: It's a profitable start.

Just.

I think one might call that a washing of the face, if I'm really honest.

Yes, exactly.

Take a bit of the commission off, you're alright.

VO: Remember the '70s?

David does.

His Japanese watch.

Have you ever come across that brand before?

No, I haven't.

No.

Yeah, it's a very unusual brand.

IZZIE: Very rare!

DAVID: It is very rare.

And we can come straight in at �20... IZZIE: Oh!

DAVID: Oh!

Come on.

Who's got two for me now?

At �20... Go on!

At �20 only... (GAVEL) IZZIE: Oh!

DAVID: After all that build-up!

IZZIE: And it started so strong!

I know!

VO: Looks like it was a little bit too obscure.

I'm not overly distraught.

Do you know why?

IZZIE: No.

DAVID: Cuz I'm used to it.

VO: More Japanese buys.

Izzie's turn.

Her print.

That's really contemporary-looking.

IZZIE: I thought so, too.

DAVID: Yeah.

TOBY: I've got �20 bid on my commission...

It'll make more money.

TOBY: 22... DAVID: There you go.

I've got five.

Would you like eight?

IZZIE: Yes, you would.

DAVID: Bit of profit.

Would you like to go eight on it?

Yes, you would.

�25 only... Well, there's a small profit.

Listen, well done for making a profit, but I think it could have made an awful lot more.

VO: It does seem inexpensive.

Now, for David's beloved bit of Bakelite.

His hopes are high.

Really good quality, actually, plain and simple, but you've got that lovely brown... Are you trying to sell it to me, David?

I'm selling...

Sorry, I forgot, DAVID: you can't buy it.

IZZIE: Cuz I'm not gonna... No.

Sorry, I went into sales mode!

OK!

And I've got �15 bid... DAVID: Oh, 15!

IZZIE: (CHUCKLES) DAVID: Come on!

15, 18 on the internet... Izzie, come on... On the internet.

Who's got 20 for it now?

At �18 bid, this seems cheap.

DAVID: It does seem cheap.

TOBY: ..on the internet... IZZIE: He is trying.

TOBY: At �18 only...

Devastating!

It does seem cheap.

Well, that's bonkers beyond belief, as far as I'm concerned.

IZZIE: Well, it is, isn't it?

DAVID: Yeah.

VO: Not off to the best of starts, is he, Izzie?

I still have faith in your taste.

Oh, well, thank you very much.

OK. Only you and I, though, Izzie - that's the problem.

Well... VO: Who's for a bit more Bakelite?

Izzie's flapper necklace is next.

At �10, I've got 12 on commission.

Would you like 15?

That'll do!

10, 12, 15, 18 on my commission.

Would you like 20... Stop.

I'm keeping quiet until I break even.

At �18 bid for the Bakelite necklace.

Who's got 20 for me this time?

No further interest?

Last chance at �18 only... DAVID: Result!

IZZIE: (SIGHS) Well, that's a shame.

VO: At least they're now in the same boat.

Nobody wants art deco!

Clearly not!

VO: What about medallions?

Might be better modeled on a chest, perhaps?

'70s, '80s jewelry is starting to make a comeback.

DAVID: It really is.

IZZIE: Yeah.

At 10, 12, I've got 15, would you like 18 on the internet?

You must like 18.

18, you've beaten the book, thank you.

At �18 bid, on my right...

I do think they are hard buyers, today.

They are.

At �18 only... (GAVEL) Well, after all that excitement... Mm.

..what an anti-climax.

VO: Well, at least it's not a big loss.

VO: Izzie's tiny little Sampson and Mordan pheasant.

Brace yourselves!

Isn't it amazing that, really, when you think about it, they go to such extreme lengths to make something so small?

I've got 22, and five... Yeah, he's going to go.

IZZIE: Good.

Thank you.

DAVID: Yeah.

At �25 bid, 28, at �28 bid, this seems cheap for Sampson and Mordan.

Ooh, he likes it, Izzie!

I like it!

At �28 only... (GAVEL) Well, that's OK, isn't it?

That's OK.

I'd have liked a little more, but that's OK. VO: It's her best result of the day, so far.

VO: More silver.

David's Georgian ladle, sifter.

This dates to just a couple of years after the American War of Independence... Mm-hm.

..and that really sent George III over the top, when he lost the American colonies.

It just drove him insane.

And I've got interest on the commissions.

I've got 20, two, five, eight, and �30 with me now... Come on!

We're not even halfway!

At �30 bid, we're looking for two.

32.

I've got five.

Would you like eight?

IZZIE: Come on!

DAVID: It baffles, doesn't it?

DAVID: It does.

IZZIE: 1770s silver.

I know.

Are we all done?

Selling away at �35 only... (GAVEL) David, I do feel for you.

I think it is outrageous that a piece that old, with that much history...

I know, it's bad, isn't it?

..makes �35.

I know.

I got carried away with my love for the Georgians.

I don't blame you.

I would.

VO: Oh, well, I think we all agree on that.

Still, no profits yet, though.

All we need is one big winner.

VO: Quite.

Maybe it'll be this wee fella, her last lot.

He's a monkey.

Monkeys sell.

A little cheeky chappy.

Reminded me of you.

Oh, really?

And I can come straight in at 30, 32, 35, would you like eight... Ooh!

Let's get a bit more, come on.

35, 38, I've got 40 with me.

DAVID: Oh!

IZZIE: Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on!

�45 bid... �45!

�50 bid...

I mean, I'm getting excited over a �5 profit, but I'll take it!

You're on 50, you're on a tenner!

Last chance at �50 only... DAVID: Nice.

IZZIE: I'm pleased.

DAVID: Izzie, nice.

IZZIE: Yeah.

VO: Looks quietly pleased, I'd say.

Finally, David's vases.

The auctioneer rates 'em.

I mean, you're not going wrong at all for �52, are you?

I don't think so.

I've got 55, 65... Profit!

Come on, come on... �75 on my top commission, who's got 80 for me now, then?

DAVID: Come on!

IZZIE: �75!

80, 85, 90, would you like five?

IZZIE: Yes!

DAVID: Come on, baby!

On the internet.

Who's got five?

DAVID: Come on!

TOBY: Quality always sells.

Are we done?

Selling at �90 only.

(GAVEL) IZZIE: Woohoo!

That's alright.

I'm OK. VO: Always nice to end on a high.

Do we think we've both lost today?

Yes, I feel we've lost.

Are you worried?

IZZIE: No.

DAVID: No.

We've got days ahead of us.

Days of fun and enjoyment.

IZZIE: (CHUCKLES) VO: Oh, yes.

They're right about the sums too.

David started out with �200, and after auction costs, he made a bit of a loss, so... he now has �148.42.

While Izzie, who began with the same sum, made a slightly smaller loss also after costs, which means she wins today and takes an early lead with �186.06.

You are currently the winner.

So, congratulations.

Thank you.

Wallow in it, because it's not going to last for long.

Oh!

Fighting spirit IZZIE: coming out!

DAVID: Sorry!

I'm sorry.

VO: That's what we like!

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