Antiques Road Trip

antiques experts... Alright, fair enough.

It's a really cute subject.

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

NATASHA: Make it so.

MARGIE: Here we go!

VO: And a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Frankly terrifying.

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

VO: But it's no mean feat.

CHARLES: I've lost money!

VO: There'll be worthy winners... PHILIP: Get in there!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

Could have been worse.

VO: Will it be the high road to glory?

PHILIP: Ooh.

VO: Or the slow road to disaster?

TIM: Ugh!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

VO: What fun.

VO: Say hello to the fertile fields of Suffolk, in the company of a couple of serial road trippers.

Taking the lead, James Braxton.

And in the rear, Charles Hanson.

CHARLES: Give me a honk!

(HONKS HORN) (WEAK HORN) VO: That was a slightly underwhelming toot from James' otherwise impressive vintage Austin-Healey.

That car you're driving, what is it, 1962?

CHARLES: Is that the year you were born?

JAMES: No, I'm a '63 babe.

CHARLES: Oh, wow!

VO: Charles' MGA is older still, from 1959, a time before seat belts were mandatory.

JAMES: It looks great in my rear-view mirror.

Are you alright?

Are you troubling to keep up?

VO: Cheeky!

James is an antiques expert from Sussex, happy to stick his oar in, and take a punt.

There is opportunity, dare I say it, for profit.

VO: While Derbyshire man Charles, also an auctioneer... CHARLES: Now, it's just too much.

VO: ..is both a shrewd negotiator, and enthusiastic drummer - huh!

And it's he who has so far reaped the best rewards on this trip.

All finished, selling �220... (GAVEL) Thank you.

Thank you very much!

JAMES: Well done!

CHARLES: Thank you.

CHARLES: I'm just really excited, James.

It's midweek, I had a great auction, and it's great seeing you now take the stride in front of me.

JAMES: (LAUGHS) VO: 'Chance would be a fine thing' thinks James who began with �200, and currently has �192.70.

While Charles, who started out with the same sum, is currently the proud possessor of �422.50.

Out ahead in cash, but not on the road.

CHARLES: Would you rather I lead?

No, I don't want you to lead.

Do you feel a bit nervous being in front?

No, I don't!

I can bear the responsibility.

VO: Well said, that man!

They set out from Brackley, and after a bit of shuffling sideways, they're about to see an awful lot of East Anglia.

Then it'll be the turn of the B-roads of the southeast before their final auction, not far from where we began.

Right, I'm off.

See you later!

OK, good.

See you.

CHARLES: Yes, bye!

VO: Today's items are to be sold in Penkridge, but where to start?

Well, beside the sea, of course, at Aldeburgh.

VO: Although James and his good friend Austin seem in no hurry to arrive just yet.

JAMES: The car is lovely.

It's a bit like a rather fabulous wind instrument, isn't it?

It's like a glorious saxophone in the hands of a jazz master.

VO: Aldeburgh is an excellent spot for fish, plus famously the home of the great composer Benjamin Britten.

JAMES: (TOOTS HORN) VO: Awfully friendly as well.

First shop of the day is Mole Hall, like Toad Hall, but nicer... Ha!

JAMES: Now, people have always been rude about my...my go-to test, which is the Braxton weight test.

And here we have a fabulous great weight, and this would have been probably used in agriculture.

It says 56 pounds.

I wonder what would have been 56 pounds?

I don't know.

It's almost a whole me, really.

VO: Ahem... JAMES: I wish.

And then I'll try and lift it.

I...I can hardly lift it.

I can feel the sinews in my body straining!

Blimey O'Reilly... And I can't lift it!

I literally cannot lift it off the table.

VO: Steady James, bends the knees.

VO: Anyway, back in the sunshine, let's see where Charles is about to venture to for his first spending opportunity... VO: ..at Woodbridge... Well, you would, wouldn't you?

VO: ..on the river Deben.

Looks good enough for a paddle.

And here comes Moneybags.

Over �400 in that wallet, at Marlesford Mill.

Nice place too.

He could have fun in here, look.

It's also an old restoration workshop, and it's always quite nice to go to the far corners.

And you find lots of dust, lots of objects that might just inspire you.

Look at this dust here.

Look.

I mean, look, at look at that.

Hello... VO: Hello.

There you go.

Hello.

VO: Ha!

Ha!

Hello!

What about something a little more ready to go, though?

I'm tapping this picture to see if it's been realigned.

It's quite tense, quite taut.

Oh... VO: Steady...

It's quite taut.

VO: Charles!

CHARLES: When I first saw this picture, I glanced and thought, 'Ah, it can't be overly special,' because you've got this fairly unattractive, almost woven, cotton inner slip.

But the frame has some age.

But actually, you've got a beautiful scene here.

And the style of cattle, the way they have been painted, it's very typically 1820.

(WHISPERS) Interesting painting.

(WHISPERS) I think I've found something, I'm being serious.

(WHISPERS) No, you might laugh, but I think I have.

CHARLES: Love the windmill.

I'm going to take it down.

VO: He's got that look in his eye... CHARLES: Nice frame.

(SOFTLY) Right, Hanson, just think about it.

Don't get carried away.

Think...

I like it.

I do like it... And what's important is... (WHISPERS) I think it's William Shayer of 1814.

Could be a good painting.

VO: A very successful and prolific Victorian artist.

It says, "A Surrey lane, near Dorking, "children with bird's nest, W Shayer."

VO: Bingo!

I can't see any price on it at all.

CHARLES: The issue is my budget is only �420.

This painting, I kid you not, could be �1000.

Could be 1,200.

CHARLES: There's no label, and if it's under �400, I'll have a go.

VO: This could be interesting... Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

Hello.

Come hither.

WOMAN: Ooh!

(LAUGHS) CHARLES: Ah, your name is?

I'm Lesley.

Lesley, good to meet you.

Has it come from a local source, an auction house, or you bought it?

No, it was bought privately.

Sorry?

Bought privately.

Those magic words!

So it's what we call, Lesley, market fresh.

It might ripen.

I like it!

There's no price label at all, Lesley, how much could this picture be to ripen me?

I think the absolute bottom line on that would have to be 300.

CHARLES: Well, I think it's a charming painting.

Oh, that's lovely.

Do you know, well, it is lovely, but it means I spend all my money.

But sometimes good things don't come to those who wait.

Good things come to those who make a memory.

Is it worth it?

For the first time, second time, going, going, going... LESLEY: (WHISPERS) Gone.

Sold.

I'm over the moon.

VO: That's bold.

Back to Aldeburgh, where proprietor Peter's till has yet to be disturbed by any of James' cash.

JAMES: This is made of cast iron, here.

And it's gilded, has a nice regency look about that.

You know, it's a nice, heavy doorstop here, and it's got a manufacturer on it.

And there's an old trick.

Here, you get a piece of paper, plain bit of paper, and a pencil, and then you rub.

People used to rub brass things in churches years ago.

VO: Exciting stuff.

JAMES: Sort of early detective work here.

I feel a bit like Poirot.

I think it says, "Cross...number...88."

And I would imagine number 88 here is the model number.

So I think that would have been an early 19th-century foundry that would have cast this doorstop.

Peter it's got �32 on it.

Are you open for an offer?

I'll always listen to a sensible offer.

Would 22 buy it?

No, a sensible offer.

Shall we say 28?

Is that fair?

What about 25?

PETER: OK. 25?

Well, very good.

Thank you, Peter.

Just suddenly, when I was chatting to you, I spied this rather nice cased scientific instrument.

Which is sort of the home weather station, isn't it?

More commonly known as... PETER: Barograph.

The barograph.

Yeah.

VO: A barograph records atmospheric pressure.

JAMES: And we all love high pressure, don't we?

Well, we thrive on it.

Top will lift off, and then we got a nice mahogany frame, haven't we?

And it's Ben Franks, Hull... PETER: Yeah, it's a good name.

..Middlesbrough.

And... PETER: It's all ready to go, isn't it, with a bit of loving care, a bit of attention...

I think that's a good thing.

JAMES: Would �80 buy it, Peter?

The very best I could do, and it is the best, would be 95.

JAMES: It's a lovely scientific instrument, isn't it?

In for a penny, in for a pound, Peter.

PETER: Honestly...

I'm going to give you 95 for that.

PETER: I think that's a good buy.

JAMES: Yeah.

VO: �120 is a huge chunk of James' funds.

Perhaps that explains why he's temporarily forgotten his buys!

What about over in Woodbridge, where Charles has already parted with �300 for that painting?

Anything to go with it, sir?

CHARLES: That's nice... Just bearing in mind, you know, I love animals.

And here you've got a very typical farmer's meat plate with the transfer printed blue and white scene.

What's nice as well is you've got real wear, without the rim suffering any knocks or bruises.

And that, on a display shelf or within a dresser, I think will take pride of place.

VO: �28.

Staffordshire, too.

Let's see what Lesley will take.

CHARLES: Lesley, I love this plate because it's made in Staffordshire.

If I buy this for 28, and I put it with the picture, which cost �300, I will owe you �328.

Is there any way you could give me a small discount for buying two items?

So the best thing I could do is, if we're putting the two together, I can take the �20 off of the picture.

CHARLES: That's really kind, Lesley, �20 off the picture, 280.

This will cost me �28, which comes to... LESLEY: 308.

308.

Should we do it?

VO: Yes, let's.

Makes his painting a wee bit cheaper as well.

Thank you very much.

LESLEY: Nice to have met you.

CHARLES: Bye!

VO: Just about fit!

Quite a haul!

Leaves him with just a little over �100... Not that he seems bothered.

VO: Now, whither his chum?

Down on the farm.

Easton Farm.

Close to the little village of the same name.

Taking time off from the hurly burly of modern existence to discover the healing power of yoga, in the company of instructor Diana Malone.

JAMES: Hello, Diana, this is... DIANA: Hello, James.

Pleased to meet you.

JAMES: Very good to meet you.

VO: James is no stranger to the discipline, of course.

Happy to describe its physical and spiritual benefits.

Fingers towards the sky.

Come up onto the toes.

Have a good stretch out through the whole of your body.

Keep the breath moving.

VO: But Diana should be able to put him right on the fact that yoga began in India as far back as 3,000 BC.

And includes elements of both Hinduism and Buddhism.

JAMES: So, Diana, yoga, I think of India.

Am I right?

Yes.

That's where it all started thousands of years ago now, really as a practice of spirituality and meditation.

JAMES: (GROANS) DIANA: No?

Not happening?

JAMES: I can feel it all the way up my shins, my tummy.

VO: An important popularizer was Swami Vivekananda, a 19th-century Hindu monk who wrote Raja Yoga, the book which introduced the ancient eastern practice to the west.

JAMES: When did it first come over to our shores, Diana?

Well, really at the end of World War I, when they realized that everyone needed to have better health and some fitness.

And it was mainly focused on women.

Really?

DIANA: And if you look through all the old yoga books, you'll find there's just pictures of women.

And it's more modern times that men have been encouraged back to it.

JAMES: Oh, I'm feeling good, Diana, this is really good.

Stretch... lengthening the body!

Lengthening the body.

And yoga, the future of yoga, is it looking healthy?

Evermore expanding?

DIANA: We have an extra branch here.

Would you like me to show you, James?

Oh, yes.

Lovely.

VO: There are currently around three million yoga practitioners in Britain.

JAMES: Ah, excellent!

I feel energized.

VO: A number that's growing fast, with evermore innovative additions to the range of classes available.

JAMES: I've got a nervous feeling about this, Diana.

What are we doing here?

DIANA: We are going to be doing some goat yoga.

JAMES: Goat yoga?

Silly me!

VO: Come on, James!

JAMES: Thank you.

VO: Apparently, movie stars like Kate Beckinsale swear by goat yoga.

Diana, why goats?

Being with goats releases the oxytocin in your body, which is a feel-good hormone.

JAMES: Yeah.

DIANA: Bring that together with being out in nature, and people really do find that they are in the moment.

They certainly can't think about anything that's troubling them.

JAMES: Anything else, yeah.

And for some people, it is the best thing they've done for years, they tell me.

JAMES: What, really clearing the mind?

DIANA: Yeah, really.

Yeah, and... JAMES: It's just only the horns that slightly... (LAUGHS) As long as you're not in the way of them, you're fine.

JAMES: (LAUGHS) VO: Yeah, not to mention the other end, James.

JAMES: So presumably this comes from the Swiss Alps, this goat yoga?

DIANA: It actually comes from the States, from a goat farm owned by a lady called Lainey Morse.

They found that the goats and the people in the class interacted, and it was as simple as that.

JAMES: Well, I'm certainly interacting here.

JAMES: (LAUGHS) DIANA: Yeah.

DIANA: And some people come in, and they don't do any yoga, they just sit with the goat the whole time.

VO: Kids today, eh, James?

JAMES: Diana, this has been great fun.

I'm feeling... My mind is clear.

DIANA: (LAUGHS) Thank you for joining me, James.

JAMES: Thank you.

Ooh!

VO: Meanwhile, out on the open road, the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

CHARLES: Do you know, I'm over the moon with my picture.

Hey, how are you feeling?

Good?

Yeah, me too.

I love you.

VO: Charming couple... Do you think you're worth �100?

(HONKS HORN) Think you're worth �500?

(HONKS HORN TWICE) You think you're worth �1,000?!

(HONKS HORN THRICE) Yes!

VO: Save those dreams for a moment Charles, because there's more shopping to be done first.

In Sproughton.

VO: Complete with fine, 14th-century church, and in the high street, The Shed.

CHARLES: You stay there.

I'll see you shortly.

VO: Lordy... Let's hope it stays fair.

Brocante is French for flea market, by the way, and Charles has �114 to spend within.

CHARLES: Last shop of the day, and what's caught my eye... ..straight away, is this.

And this, obviously, is a weather vane pointing to the fact there's no wind.

It is so hot, even this pig ought to perspire.

And what's really interesting is these objects are actually really quite sought-after.

VO: Looks like a Saddleback from nearby Essex.

CHARLES: It might not have great age, but actually these are really appealing to collectors as well.

And I can't see a price, but you, Mr Piggy, of good weight, you might be coming to market, with me.

Hello?

MAN: Hello.

CHARLES: How are you?

MAN: Ah, hello, Charles.

How are you?

CHARLES: Hello.

Your name is?

BERTY: My name's Berty.

Hello, Berty.

Great to see you.

I can't see, Berty, a price on the pig.

I'm hoping it might go south in price to inspire me.

CHARLES: How much could it be?

I've got 95 on it... (INHALES) The best I could do for you, one day only, 70.

One day only?

One day only.

CHARLES: That's really tempting.

Did it come from a local source, privately?

We believe it may have come from a local barn.

You're joking?

BERTY: Could be... Yeah.

CHARLES: A local barn?

CHARLES: I like romance, Berty.

BERTY: You can't beat a bit of romance.

Good lad.

Let me mental note the weather vane.

BERTY: No problem.

VO: So, dibs on the piggy...

Anything else take his fancy?

VO: Never mind, back to business, please.

VO: More Staffordshire, sir?

CHARLES: There's a nice bowl here, which, to many, is just quite, quite unsightly.

But this is Clarice Cliff, and this is what we call the Crocus pattern - part of the Bizarre range that came out between 1928 and 1932.

And this was Clarice's great revolt against what was mainstream, printed, and mass industry.

All depends on the ring.

So listen to this - three, two, one.

(RINGING) There's a slight hairline crack somewhere in there.

You'll see the enamel of the green is slightly flaky, a bit like me, but that happens over time.

And this is obviously now 90 years old.

Priced - was 85, now "sale".

Who knows?

For one day only?

Berty?

Are you a Berty or a Bert?

BERTY: Berty.

VO: Definitely, Berty.

BERTY: Charles.

CHARLES: How much could that be?

BERTY: One day only offer, 45.

CHARLES: Really?

BERTY: Yes, that's a good price.

CHARLES: For the weather vane you said... BERTY: 70.

CHARLES: Which makes 115.

CHARLES: So if I bought the two together, the best price would be... BERTY: I'll knock another fiver.

110.

VO: Leaving him just �4 for tomorrow.

It's a bit embarrassing, really.

Can you, perhaps...

I'll tell you what, I'll do it for 109, that leaves you a crisp �5 note for your last shop.

CHARLES: You're so generous.

Going, going, going... BERTY: Sold.

CHARLES: Sold.

VO: Thanks, Berty.

CHARLES: Thank you very much indeed.

Bye!

VO: Don't forget your bowl, Charles.

CHARLES: Take care.

See you.

BERTY: Thank you Charles.

VO: He'll be back in a minute.

CHARLES: Bye bye.

Bye bye!

VO: Mind you, I can't see how he squeezes any more in, really.

CHARLES: Hello there... VO: At least his wallet's looking roomy... Time to get back in convoy.

CHARLES: Give me a rev, James!

Rev?

(REVS ENGINE) I'm hungry...

..I'm hungry for success.

(TOOTS HORN) VO: Toot toot.

Nighty night.

VO: Hang on... Hey!

Just imagine remaking Lawrence Of Arabia in Suffolk, with James Braxton in the Omar Sharif role.

Not riding a camel, though.

That would be ridiculous.

JAMES: Now, here am I, after my yoga, pursuing a more environmentally sound mode of transport.

But I must say, it may be good for the heart, it may be good for the sinews, but it takes a lot of puff!

VO: Bravo, James.

Eschewing both horse and camel power.

Plus, yesterday, coping with slightly limited spending power to acquire a barograph and a doorstop... JAMES: In for a penny, in for a pound.

VO: ..leaving him with just over �70 to spend today.

While Charles splashed almost all he had on a weather vane, a meat platter, a Clarice Cliff bowl, and 'that' painting.

CHARLES: I like it.

I do like it.

VO: I wonder what James makes of it?

JAMES: Hey, look at that.

CHARLES: Artist?

JAMES: Er, I can't see it.

Tell me, tell me.

Who is it?

William Shayer.

William Shayer.

It's the romance, James.

JAMES: It is...

It's sourcing a good thing.

How much?

I don't... Four to six hundred.

CHARLES: I paid �300.

JAMES: Wow!

I applaud you for going large.

I stowed something in your dinosaur vehicle.

CHARLES: Whereabouts?

Where?

Oh!

JAMES: Down there.

I never I saw that.

Oh, That's nice.

It could be 1830.

I love the fact it's got that great William IV feel about it.

So, function?

Doorstop.

Yes.

Or blunt instrument, I don't know.

JAMES: (LAUGHS) CHARLES: OK, catch!

JAMES: Oh, don't!

CHARLES: Sorry.

VO: Anyway, let's get on, because they have... VO: ..another sunny and shop-packed day ahead of them.

Starting out in Copdock where scooter boy James has the run of the Suffolk Heritage Antiques and Reclamation Center.

�72.70 left.

Oh, this is interesting.

Here we are.

Look, a big bit of cast iron.

That is heavy.

Watch out, hernia central.

It's a rainwater hopper, and a hopper would sit at the top of a vertical pipe that would take the rainwater away.

Got the cipher for Edward VIII on it, the king who abdicated.

And it's dated 1936.

So this would have been cast for a new-build.

All those fabulous art deco properties that were being made.

A rather interesting thing.

You know, he wasn't a king for very long, disappeared off with Wallis Simpson to France.

So it's a tiny little window of opportunity when this was cast, commissioned, and sold.

You know, there can't have been many of these made.

And it's a survivor.

It's beautifully made, and it's unusual.

VO: Ticket price, �300.

Dream on, James.

Hello.

Very good to meet you.

My name is James.

Good morning, James.

I'm Rick.

Hello, Rick.

This looks fabulous.

Absolutely stuffed.

RICK: There's a lot here.

JAMES: The decanter, that looks very nice, doesn't it?

VO: Right under his nose.

RICK: Good shape, nice decanter.

Cut glass.

It's very good condition, isn't it?

I'm just feeling around.

No great chips.

I'll turn it over.

JAMES: Yeah, there's nice wear, isn't there, on the base?

RICK: Oh, it's been across a few tables.

And you've got almost like a steeple stopper.

JAMES: That's very nice.

And this can transform a cheap bottle of wine, can't it?

Once you've decanted it, nobody knows, do they?

RICK: (LAUGHS) VO: Mid 19th-century.

Not officially for sale.

JAMES: This is quite simple, in a way.

They haven't got all fussy that they did towards the end of... RICK: Yes... ..Queen Victoria's reign.

JAMES: Really nice item, and amazing condition for that age.

That's lovely.

JAMES: Now, if I made you a cheeky offer, could you do that for 15?

Yes.

Yes, we could.

Rick, I will have that at 15.

Yeah.

OK. JAMES: I'll leave that with you.

That's very kind.

Thank you.

I'll keep looking.

VO: Yeah, good idea.

Explore the vast hinterland.

JAMES: I've always liked these solitaire boards.

Now, the name implies it is a game for one.

The idea is to take all the marbles off, leaving only one marble in the center.

And you do that by progressively taking marbles away by hopping over them.

Now, it sounds very simple, but, actually, in practice it's rather more difficult.

It's suffered the rigors of use.

It looks as though it's had raindrops on it.

These were often found in pubs, so it might have been spilt beer, this.

Yeah, definitely smell a stout, there.

VO: What a nose.

How much?

So that's �15, I think I've got the budget for �15.

It's a lovely item.

It's a pretty color.

That's �15, isn't it?

VO: Your point being?

Back to the man in charge.

JAMES: Rick, I found an...A N other.

It's priced at 15, and I'll give you 15.

That's very kind of you, James.

VO: 15 for the solitaire, and 15 for the decanter.

RICK: Good luck on your journey.

JAMES: Thank you.

Oh, that was great fun.

VO: He'll have those sent on.

A scooter man needs to travel light.

He now has just over �40 left in his wallet.

VO: Whee!

Ha ha!

VO: Now, somewhere in this field is our other happy shopper.

Ah, there he is.

Not shopping right now, though.

Close to the village of Monks Eleigh where he's come to learn about a fascinating farming custom, which is almost as old as agriculture itself, in the company of Wyn Gage.

Good morning.

Oh, good morning, Charles.

You must be Wyn, and I'm here to learn all about the corn dolly.

WYN: The corn dolly.

CHARLES: I can't wait.

WYN: Yes, this is the original corn dolly.

And it was made as a means of capturing the spirit of the corn.

We're going back to pagan times when the farmers worshipped a goddess of corn.

They made the corn dolly to protect the last ears of harvest.

They would worship it during the winter months and then, in the spring, when they'd sow the corn back into the field, they would return the corn dolly back to the field because they wanted the spirit to rest again in the fields so that they would have a good crop the following year.

So the corn dolly is a sort of fertility symbol.

Yes.

And they were made, as we would think of it today, as an insurance policy, that they weren't going to starve the next year.

VO: It's believed that the corn idol was first created in this very shape by the ancient Egyptians, some of the world's earliest farmers, before being brought to Britain, and especially East Anglia, by the Romans.

And here, in the country's breadbasket, the dolly has developed many local forms.

WYN: We have a Suffolk Horseshoe, which was made in respect to the Suffolk Punch horses that played a large part in agriculture.

The one below that is called the Terret, and that's Essex's emblem.

Now, a terret is part of the harness on the heavy working horses.

And then the one below, that's the Cambridgeshire dolly, and it was tradition, when they brought the last load home, they would ring the bells in celebration.

That's wonderful.

And the one that's closest to you... CHARLES: Yes, this one.

WYN: ..that's a Lover's Knot.

A lover's knot?

Yes.

And lovers would make them for each other.

And if they ended up joining the two together, that was called tying the knot.

And that's how that expression, when people get married, they say, "Oh, they're tying the knot."

VO: Amazing.

However, the first pagan and then Christian tradition, which somehow survived for many thousands of years, is now threatened by the rise of industrial farming.

Leaving Wyn amongst the last of the Suffolk dolly makers.

WYN: But you have to remember, you keep a square and you work on the sides of the square, so the right goes under the left, and the left over to the right.

The top straw comes down on the right-hand side of the left, and the left one goes to the left-hand side of the top.

VO: Perhaps Charles can help... CHARLES: So, I begin by laying out my lines of north, south, east and west.

Yes, just like a cross.

CHARLES: So I go... WYN: The bottom to the top.

CHARLES: Bottom to the top... And now the top to the bottom.

Done.

WYN: The right to the left.

Right to the left, that way.

WYN: And the left to the right.

CHARLES: Yeah.

The right-hand side to the top here.

The bottom straw goes on the right-hand side of the top.

CHARLES: Understood.

Oops... Hello.

WYN: Keep...yeah.

CHARLES: There we go, yes.

Done.

And you should have a little square forming there.

How's that looking?

WYN: Yes, it's fine.

Yes.

CHARLES: It's working!

CHARLES: Well, I'll tell you what, Wyn, I've really got the hang of this now.

I'm going to keep dolly making.

WYN: You have!

Oh, good!

If that's OK with you.

Absolutely.

Long live Suffolk and the art of the corn dolly, I say.

VO: Hear, hear!

And three cheers too for his scootering comrade.

That's the way to see the county.

JAMES: You know, this is the new man, this is the new Braxton.

This is the man for a new world.

Slightly leaner, a damn sight fitter, and slightly short of breath.

VO: Not far to go now, James.

VO: Just over the border, actually, towards the Essex town of Manningtree.

Once the haunt of Witch-finder General Matthew Hopkins.

I wonder what he'd have made of scooters.

Hello.

James, hello.

Good to see you.

I'm Ken.

JAMES: Hello.

Very good to meet you, Ken.

This is really lovely.

My eye is already wandering.

I'm off.

KEN: OK. JAMES: Thank you.

Give me a shout if you need me.

VO: He may need a glass of water at some point, Ken.

Just over �40 left to spend, remember.

And here comes our other Antiques Finder General.

CHARLES: Ah.

He's here.

The scooter's beaten me!

VO: The proud possessor of all of �5, Charles.

JAMES: And I've been dying to buy a stoneware flagon, and this is a mighty flagon.

In fact, it's the largest one I've seen on this leg.

It's salt-glazed stoneware.

It's got that lovely tactile orange peel glaze, which is synonymous with the ware.

So the salt breaks down into sodium chloride.

The chloride goes up the chimney and the sodium attaches to the silica of the clay and forms this incredible, impervious glaze.

So you get an incredible amount of items - they can hold water.

In this particular case, this ain't water, this is wine, and it's for wine and spirit merchants Cobbold & Sons of Ipswich.

So we're just over the border here.

VO: Probably mid 19th century.

Price, �45.

JAMES: (WHISPERS) Now, I want to buy this for under 30.

If I can get this for 28, I can see a profit, and I can see it being turned...

It's a really easy, quick fix to make a fabulous lamp.

VO: Huh.

Flagons roll!

Ken, I've managed to find your heaviest piece of pottery.

Yes.

JAMES: Price tag, 45.

Can I give you a cheeky offer of 25?

Er, a bit too cheeky James.

How close to 30 can we get?

Can we get to 28?

Certainly can.

I'll buy it at 28.

That's very kind of you.

VO: Nicely done.

But then James was loaded in comparison with this man.

CHARLES: What can I find for a fiver?

That's nice, �25.

Love that.

Striking, quite literally.

It's a cigarette box.

Throw your cigarettes or cigars in there.

You'd rest your cigarette on here, your ash in the divisions.

But, I mean, look at that for style.

So 1920s, so art deco.

It's almost figured flame work on the exterior of the glaze effect.

It's made, Ricardia Ware of Staffordshire.

1925.

But it's a bit too much money.

VO: Shame.

Anything else?

CHARLES: Now, this takes me back to my youth.

And as a young boy I used to love metal detecting.

It's always great to see...artifacts, and these are interesting.

From what I can see, the majority of this hoard is made up of these musket balls, or lead shot.

These must be 19th, could be late 18th-century.

And then you've also got what appears to be... That's not iron.

That's probably a stone cannonball.

It could be 17th century.

Really interesting.

And there's also other balls, so there's no price label, and it's something which just might be buyable.

Ken?

VO: That was quick.

CHARLES: Love it, Ken.

KEN: What have you found?

CHARLES: There's some interesting artifacts.

So, is that a cannonball?

KEN: Yep.

Fascinating.

That's probably quite early.

It will be quite early cuz it's not metal.

Could be 17th, it could be 16th-century.

KEN: Could be.

CHARLES: So it could be medieval.

Is there any provenance to where these balls came from?

Yes, in some way.

They were, in 1969, there was a dig at Hedingham Castle.

CHARLES: Really?

VO: Norman.

Begun in the early 12th century.

CHARLES: I can't see a label here, but I've not got a lot of money.

Is it your own fine collection?

It's not, no.

It's one of my dealer's.

I'm going to be honest.

I've got �5.

KEN: This particular dealer, he's had them for quite a while.

CHARLES: And he's happy with �5?

KEN: He will be.

I'll tell him.

Wow, I'm going to cock my gun.

Are you ready?

One second... VO: Oh, dear.

I'm going to load it up.

And if you're OK to take a fiver, and I'll say, going, going, going, pull back the cannon... Gone.

Fire.

Gone.

VO: Thanks, Manningtree.

Now, shopping done, it's time for our experts to depart.

CHARLES: Wow.

James... JAMES: Oh!

CHARLES: It is so nice!

JAMES: All over, isn't it?

And my carriage awaits.

JAMES: What vandal's done that?!

I don't know, James.

I must say, the environmental route is a hard one.

I think the wind's caught it, clearly.

VO: Never mind.

The auction's next.

CHARLES: Bye.

See you later!

JAMES: Bye.

Hey, wait for me!

James!

Oops, wrong way.

VO: Dear, oh, dear.

Let's have some shut-eye.

VO: Ahoy, there.

All aboard the good ship Online Auction which they're logging into from the Royal Dockyard.

JAMES: Charles.

CHARLES: What's all this?

Well, my mighty scooter got me here in record time, and I thought I'd just while away the moment.

VO: After soaking up Suffolk and a bit of Essex, our treasure-seeking crew have now voyaged as far as Kent, and Chatham.

Look at this landscape.

I mean, what an amazing place for battle to commence.

Yeah, surrounded by great maritime history.

VO: Exactly.

Although the auction they've shipped their lots to is actually hundreds of miles away at Cuttlestones in landlocked Penkridge.

Selling behind closed doors, both on the net, and on the phone.

Charles spent �420 - just 50p left over - on his five lots.

While James parted with �178, also on five auction lots.

Let's hear what online auctioneer Ben Gamble has taken a shine to.

BEN: My favorite lot is the barograph.

I'm not particularly scientific or technically minded, but I just quite like the intricacies and the movement.

It is missing something, but it's just...

It's just cool.

The large oil painting by Shayer, really good strong artist.

We've have had a ton of emails on it.

That's going to fly out today.

VO: Sounds awfully ship-shaped.

Now, devices at the ready, mateys... Three, two, one.

Good luck.

JAMES: One.

Go, go, go!

VO: First under the hammer is James's steeple-top decanter.

BEN: �5.

JAMES: Excellent!

JAMES: Straight in there!

CHARLES: Come on!

Come on!

JAMES: Come on!

Dig deep!

CHARLES: Aye aye.

BEN: Eight, 10.

Now we're off... CHARLES: Good lad, James.

BEN: At 10, 12.

15, quickly.

Come on!

Toast, my captain.

BEN: Selling.

You're out.

Goes at �12.

CHARLES: The world is out.

Lost at sea.

My tide's gone out, Charles, on that one.

CHARLES: Yeah.

VO: Says the message in the cut-glass decanter, eh?

CHARLES: Was it chipped?

JAMES: No, it wasn't chipped!

Well, what was up with it, then?

I don't know!

VO: Charles' turn.

His Clarice Cliff goes home to Staffordshire.

I love this bowl.

It's colorful.

JAMES: It's bright, isn't it?

CHARLES: Like me... JAMES: Jolly... Yeah.

CHARLES: Cheery... Like me.

�28 to start.

CHARLES: Come on.

BEN: 30.

JAMES: 30.

BEN: 32.

35.

45.

BEN: �35.

JAMES: 35!

CHARLES: Come on!

JAMES: Come on, easy life!

CHARLES: 40... BEN: 50.

CHARLES: �50!

BEN: That's more like it now.

BEN: At �50 I'm bid.

CHARLES: Oh, come on!

And I'll sell there at �50...

I'm disappointed with that.

Seriously.

JAMES: Are you?

CHARLES: Yeah, I am James.

JAMES: I think you got away with it.

It was a damaged item.

VO: Oh, well.

A profit's a profit.

It was a great piece of inter-war pottery, and I feel disappointed.

Well, they did produce literally tens of thousands of those bowls, didn't they?

CHARLES: Yeah, yeah.

VO: James' weighty doorstop.

What will the online bidders make of it?

BEN: Starting at �10... CHARLES: Come on.

Pick it up, man!

JAMES: Come on, pick it up.

CHARLES: Pick it up.

15, 20 now.

CHARLES: Come on.

JAMES: Come on, come on!

Selling it at two, at 22.

22, James!

20... BEN: �22 and five.

25!

25, Charles.

BEN: Goes at �25.

CHARLES: Come on, one more!

(GAVEL) That's not bad.

It's not good, is it, Charles?

Yeah, but look at me.

I'm looking at you.

CHARLES: You got your money back.

VO: Is one way of looking at it.

Keep the faith, man.

I'm struggling to keep the faith, Charles.

VO: Ancient weaponry next, or Charles' bargain balls.

BEN: �22.

JAMES: No!

CHARLES: Good lad!

30 and two.

CHARLES: Fire!

BEN: Good.

38.

38.

You're a money-making machine, Charles.

CHARLES: Get out of here!

BEN: At 40.

Five.

Fantastic!

That's good, Charles.

BEN: Selling at �45... Sold!

Thank you very much.

You're unstoppable.

VO: Yes.

They should name a battleship after him.

Here we are in a maritime location and, James, it delivered.

Thank you.

VO: James' spirits may be flagging slightly, but can his flagon for wine or spirits revive him?

I'm feeling good about this.

BEN: �30.

CHARLES: �30!

BEN: 32.

35.

38.

40.

JAMES: 40... BEN: Five.

50.

CHARLES: Hold on!

JAMES: It's running away.

BEN: Still with me at 50... JAMES: That's good, Charles... (GAVEL) CHARLES: Bravo.

JAMES: Well done!

Bravo, Captain.

Bravo.

JAMES: I needed a bit of luck.

CHARLES: You've doubled up.

VO: He has.

Almost.

Break out the rum ration, shipmates.

About time too.

(WHISTLES POORLY) I'm so excited, I can't whistle.

VO: Has the weather changed, we wonder?

Charles' Saddleback is next online.

BEN: 40, 45, 50... CHARLES: 50... BEN: 50.

At �50.

CHARLES: Come on!

50?

BEN: 60.

CHARLES: Hello.

At �60 now.

Come on, it's a runt.

It's a runt of a price.

And selling there at �65... (GAVEL) CHARLES: Doesn't matter, James.

JAMES: Rashers.

Right, shall we move on?

Doesn't matter, it's just life.

No, no, I'd like to dwell on it.

VO: A tiny setback for Captain Hansen.

The wind might be changing direction.

JAMES: (LAUGHS) It's filling up my sails.

I can feel them.

VO: Marbles next.

James' stout-smelling bar game.

Here we go.

Please don't make a huge profit.

BEN: Bids are in.

At �12 only.

CHARLES: Come on!

JAMES: �12.

At �12.

15?

CHARLES: Well played.

Come on!

And I shall sell, be sure.

Are you sure?

CHARLES: 15.

BEN: �15 only... (GAVEL) 15.

15.

50?

50!

One.

No, no, no, 1-5.

JAMES: 15?

15... Oh.

CHARLES: �15, that's good.

VO: Not as nice as 50, though.

I think it's quite tight, you know.

It is.

VO: Charles' meat platter.

Seen a lot of gravy.

BEN: How about �10?

CHARLES: Oh, come on!

BEN: For the sale room.

JAMES: �10?

BEN: 12.

JAMES: 12!

BEN: At 15.

It's half price!

BEN: 15 bid.

He's edging up, slowly.

BEN: 18, 20...

It's across the world.

BEN: At 20 bid.

CHARLES: Come on!

BEN: Here to go.

Two, at 22.

One more.

Go on, put it down.

Put the hammer down.

I think my cattle had a hobble, and a wobble.

VO: He's not done well with livestock today, that's a fact.

It's all part of the journey of the Antiques Road Trip.

It is part of the journey, isn't it?

CHARLES: Up and down.

JAMES: Yeah.

VO: More weather.

James' biggest spend, his barograph.

CHARLES: If it makes �120, I'll do two chin-ups on this anchor.

JAMES: Really?

CHARLES: Yeah, I mean it.

What will you do if it makes 150?

I will...jump in the sea.

Interest on the commission bid, but the internet's taken me out at 130 to start with.

CHARLES: Oh, my goodness!

Oh no!

JAMES: Woah!

In the sea with you.

140.

JAMES: 140.

I'd take the jacket off, Charles.

You don't want to shrink the jacket.

BEN: At 140 bid... JAMES: Come on, one more.

One more... All done at �140... Go on, James.

James Braxton!

I can't believe it.

That's great.

VO: A blow for the wild swimming crowd, though.

CHARLES: (GROANS) There you go.

JAMES: Very impressive, Charles!

VO: Here we go.

The one we've all been waiting for.

Come on, the net!

This is 1813.

It's a perfect Georgian pastoral landscape.

BEN: Starting us at... ..�220 bid.

230... Come on!

BEN: 240... BEN: ..250, 260...

I think he's struggling, Charles, he's struggling.

BEN: 270, 280.

CHARLES: Keep going!

BEN: 290, 300.

320, 350.

CHARLES: Yes!

JAMES: (GROANS) BEN: 380.

CHARLES: 380!

BEN: Live at 380.

BEN: Are we done?

Are we sure?

�380... Good!

That's a big profit, Charles.

That's a whopper.

VO: His gamble paid off, again.

It's quite a crucial auction, this.

It's the tipping point.

We're over the hump, Charles.

We're now on that homeward journey.

JAMES: Yeah.

VO: And may the best man win!

VO: James began with �192.70, and after auction costs, he made a small profit.

Taking him to �213.14.

VO: While Charles, who started out with �422.50, also made a profit after costs.

Leaving him even further ahead with �461.34, with just two auctions to go.

CHARLES: See you later.

JAMES: See you later.

JAMES: (LAUGHS) JAMES: Hooligan!

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