Antiques Road Trip

(CAR HORN) VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts... Howdy, li'l lady.

VO: ..behind the wheel of a classic car... Oh yes!

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

Looking for some bargains?

VO: The aim... MARGIE: Yay!

VO: ..to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners...

Yes!

It is my lucky day!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

I actually can't believe that.

Annoying.

VO: Will it be the high road to glory... Yo, yo, yo!

VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?

This is Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

VO: Hold on to your hats, folks.

(GEARBOX CRUNCHES) Oh, dear... VO: Oh, Lordy!

MARK: I'm not very good... MARK: ..at hill starts.

MARGIE: There you go... MARK: I'm alright.

Ooh... MARGIE: Aah!

This is where I don't have a funny turn...!

VO: We're climbing to new heights with Mark Hill and Margie Cooper... ..as they smash their way towards the Scottish border on their road trip north.

Driving along in their sporty 1980 MGB.

MARK: I've loved this with you!

MARGIE: I know, same...

It's been so much fun.

MARGIE: I know, it's like a mini marriage.

It is, of a week.

MARGIE: It's a road trip marriage.

We got to know each other over the Royal Doulton.

Our eyes met over the Royal Doulton.

It's got to be royal, though, I'm not having anything that's not by royal appointment.

VO: Ha-ha!

And it's been beautiful watching this relationship blossom.

Starting off in Yorkshire for the first three legs of the trip, we're now heading into Scotland today, before reaching our destination in Edinburgh for the final upcoming stretch of the journey.

The finishing line is in sight.

We're hurtling down the race course.

Well, actually, I'm doing alright, aren't I?

3-0... MARGIE: Hey?

MARK: (PRETENDS TO SOB) VO: (PRETENDS TO SOB) Don't cry, Mark!

The truth hurts.

Margie certainly galloped ahead in the beginning, with a purchase that whipped up the bidders... (CRACKS WHIP) Hey!

Well done.

VO: ..before clinching a second victory, with a few silver sales.

What a lovely surprise.

VO: Mark thought he was on a bit of a comeback on the third leg, only for Margie to come back from the dead with her phenomenal sale of a Victorian mourning brooch.

MARGIE: Oh...!

Gosh!

MARK: Bravo.

VO: So that's 3-0 to Margie, but Mark still has his pride to play for.

What's left of it that is.

I've got some cakes here.

Have you been stealing things from breakfast again?

No, I just thought, you know, we're having a rainy, miserable time of it.

MARK: OK, so you've brought some cakes to cheer us up.

Would you break a bit off and put it in my hand?

It's like feeding the birds.

MARK: A bit dry.

MARGIE: Is it?

It's really dry!

This was your plan!

MARGIE: I'll give you a piece of that every time you go in an antiques shop.

MARK: To shut me up?

MARGIE: To shut you up.

VO: Well, in that case, Mark is in for a lot of flapjack, as we loop around the borders on this leg of the trip towards the Scottish town of Hawick.

But first, Mark has kindly dropped Margie off in Berwick-upon-Tweed... ..the place that has changed hands between Scotland and England a whopping 13 times.

Margie will be looking to get her hands on some hidden gems here in Rojo Antiques Gallery.

Alongside its displays of paintings, this charming store is also home to a treasure trove of porcelain and metalwork.

Dealer Jonathan is on hand to assist today.

MARGIE: I quite like those.

That's an interesting box, although I'm not that keen on alabaster, but isn't that attractive?

Probably late 19th century.

It is just like a trinket box, but the sort of thing that you would bring home when you did the grand tour, when you went around Europe looking at all the Roman sites.

VO: The grand tour was a traditional trip through Europe that was immensely popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, with Italy being a key destination.

Picking up a keepsake like this wasn't uncommon.

No price, though.

MARGIE: They're hunting dogs, aren't they?

Dogs are very collectible, trinket boxes are collectible, and things from the grand tour are.

So I quite like that.

And I like this detail here, that sort of...that color.

It's really quite hard to do, and beautifully done, which has made it really, hasn't it?

Never bought a piece of alabaster on the road trip.

So now maybe this is the first time.

VO: There's a first time for everything.

Mark has made his way to his first shop in Ford, just a stone's throw from the Battle of Flodden, the largest and bloodiest ever fought between Scotland and England.

He's dropping into Old Forge Antiques... ..a blacksmiths, turned antique shop.

I can see dealer John is armed and ready for any queries over there.

Now that's a handsome fellow.

So what we have here is a mantle clock.

What I really like about this is this wonderful transfer print on the face here, and that's behind the glass, which is just as well, because that's protected it.

And look at all the intricate detail.

There does appear to be a little bit of damage, however, to the pediment on the top here.

And what are we looking at?

�75.

Now, I'd be happy to have that grace my mantlepiece at home, but at auction, American clocks like this don't really fetch the money.

I think he's really handsome, but I'm afraid he's gonna have to wait for someone else.

VO: How's Margie getting on in Berwick-upon-Tweed?

Any money changed hands yet?

Or is she looking to add something to the alabaster trinket box?

This is pewter, probably from Liberty's, the store in London.

And the designer is a very famous man called Archibald Knox, of Scottish descent, who was the prime designer for Liberty in the early part of the 20th century.

VO: Liberty made its name selling ornaments and fabrics from the Far East, before expanding into metal work, eventually becoming famous for its art nouveau and Celtic revival designs.

Archibald Knox was not only Liberty's primary designer, but a leading figure in the modern style movement.

If this pewter is by Knox, she could be onto a winner.

MARGIE: And he didn't just do pewter.

He did silver.

He did everything.

He was just known as a fantastic designer, and his name is so important.

You can see the art nouveau motif on the front.

So I'm gonna leave that out... and ask Jonathan.

VO: So the serving tray and alabaster trinket box, but no price on any of it.

Time to get that negotiating hat on, I think.

MARGIE: Jonathan... (CHUCKLES) JONATHAN: Margie.

MARGIE: I've had a lovely time in your lovely shop.

That I quite like.

That's nice, isn't it?

MARGIE: Alabaster.

JONATHAN: Yep.

So what sort of price is that?

Well, I think I paid 25, so 30.

Oh, 30.

Now the next thing is this, the pewter.

Now, how much is it?

I can give you a really good deal at �50.

MARGIE: Right... Oh, I'm not gonna muck about.

Thank you, Jonathan.

VO: Straight to the point, she knows a good deal when she sees it.

JONATHAN: �80, brilliant.

MARGIE: Thanks a lot.

VO: That leaves 120 quid in her purse.

Now, how's Mark getting on over in Ford?

We all love family photographs, especially in this digital age.

And she's certainly not somebody who could have come from my family, judging by the fact she's wearing a coronet and has this rather fine, multiple strings of pearls, and her fantastic dress.

I'm rather intrigued by portraits like this, snapshots from the past.

And we've also got, interestingly, the name Bassano.

Alexander Bassano was a society photographer during the Victorian period.

All the great and the good were photographed by Bassano, right from Queen Victoria all the way down.

And I don't know whether you remember that poster of Kitchener pointing.

'Lord Kitchener needs you.'

He photographed that.

I wonder how much this is.

I'm rather taken by it.

I'm going to pop and have a word with John.

VO: Ooh!

A mysterious price for a mysterious lady.

Let's see if John has some answers.

MARK: John, hello.

JOHN: Hello.

MARK: I love the quality of the frame here, and I love the elegance of this sitter.

There's no price.

How much?

Erm, I was asking �30 for it.

Because we don't know who she is, could I make you an offer of �20?

I would be happy with that.

Yeah.

MARK: ..shake you by the hand.

JOHN: Thank you.

Thank you so much.

That makes me happy, and...here we go.

VO: Deal done, nice work... MARK: I've got a research project.

MARK: Thank you so much.

JOHN: Thank you very much.

VO: ..leaving Mark with �180 still to spend.

Let's hope the bidders are as entranced as he is.

VO: So, with their first buys in the bag, Margie has now made her way over the Scottish border to the town of Kelso, a historic hub of riding, fishing and shoe production.

Margie will be certainly looking to put her best foot forward here in EPTAS Arts, a gallery run by artists with Tricia running the class today.

Just �120 left, remember.

MARGIE: Still looking... Tricia's paintings... Ah, now, what's...what's this?

Let me sit down... (SIGHS) Oh, the nation's pictures.

So these are all prints of famous paintings dating back to 1900 probably.

An oriental one there.

Who's that then?

Preston Art Gallery.

So it's a way of people seeing these things without going along to the gallery.

(SIGHS) Quite like that.

VO: No price on it, though.

While Margie searches on, Mark has popped back over the border to the charming stone hamlet of Powburn, nestled in the foothills of the Cheviot hills, a haven of hillforts, bronze age settlements and more modern treasure troves like Hedgley Antiques Centre.

Home to 30 plus dealers, with 240 square meters of selling space.

There's plenty to get your hands on in here, and there's dealer, Sue, ready to lend a hand - thank you kindly!

He-hey...

Boxes are always popular, but boxes are normally square or rectilinear.

Let's say this is anything but.

So this spherical box, I believe, was once a bowling ball, and that's actually what it looks like.

It is lignum vitae, according to the label, which is an extremely heavy wood and dense wood that actually sinks if you put it in a bucket or a sink of water or something.

However, it's �75, but I'm afraid at that price, it's going to have to pop back up there for someone else.

VO: Priced out of that one, eh?

The search continues.

Let's see if Margie has found anything in Kelso to go with her artists' print book.

Where's she got to?

Ah, there she is, look.

Exploring a new career, are we?

From your back circle, put yourself a triangle.

MARGIE: Doing a horse, aren't I?

Have you got a hoof?

TRICIA: No, that's the knee.

Oh, it's the knee!

(CHUCKLES) VO: This might be turning out a bit more Picasso, I think!

TRICIA: Sign it... MARGIE: La-da!

TRICIA: ..sign it, and date it!

Sign it and date it.

VO: Yeah, it would fetch a fortune at auction, I'm sure.

But may be best to look for an alternative just in case?

MARGIE: That parrot looks interesting, doesn't it?

Not that I know much about it.

Late Victorian, early 20th century.

It's probably one of a pair.

Think it's Chinese.

It's not damaged in any way, hand painted, bit crudely hand painted.

It's from the famille verte family.

VO: Ah, famille verte!

This type of Chinese porcelain is well known for its vivid green enamels and over glazed colors.

You can really see it in action here.

Ha!

How much?

It's 140.

This is what happens, you move on to another shop, you spend your money, and you think, darn it.

Because I haven't really got that much money.

So I'm going to put it back... and with his ticket... ..and have a chat with Tricia.

VO: So the artist's book has no price, but the parrot alone will cost more than she's got left.

But I hope that Tricia is willing to negotiate.

MARGIE: Tricia.

TRICIA: Hello.

MARGIE: I've had a good look... TRICIA: Yes?

..and I've fallen for the parrot.

TRICIA: Right, OK, as one does... MARGIE: Don't ask me why.

I've only got �120 left... What!

..right.

And I also like that book full of...

So I'm just thinking, is there any chance, but say no...

Right.

Would you take 115 for the two?

Oh... Yeah, go on, then.

Are you sure?

Yeah.

Yes, that's fine.

Thank you... VO: How very generous...

Thank you very much indeed.

You're more than welcome.

Thank you.

Lovely to meet you.

VO: ..but that leaves Margie with just a fiver to spend tomorrow.

This should be interesting.

Is Mark still exploring his taste for wood carving back in Powburn?

I can never resist these.

I know exactly what this is, and I love it.

It's actually a spice pot or a spice shaker, or else a pounce pot.

So the material is not wood as it looks, it's actually a form of nut called a kokea nut.

There's another little feature in here, hiding at the very tippy top.

So if you look very closely at the finial here, you'll see that there's a very small hole, and what looks like a little piece of glass inside it.

And there is the other thing that I love.

What we're looking at is a Stanhope, as it was called.

So these were souvenirs that had micro photographs attached to one end of a tiny lens.

So if I take my specs off and I peer down, and hold it very close to my eye, I get a little tiny view of a souvenir, and what we have in here a very small...landscape.

Now the micro photographs often get washed off.

But this one is still there.

It's �55.

If I can get any better on the price, I'll be a happy little bunny.

VO: Nice thing if you can get the price down, then.

MARK: Sue, hello.

SUE: Hi.

MARK: So much to see.

SUE: Yeah.

MARK: I found one charming little item, kokea nut, I don't know, pounce pot or spice shaker or something, with a little stanhope hidden in the top.

It's got �55 on it.

Good price.

MARK: Oh...it is.

But what I'm looking for is a better price.

SUE: Right...

It's very rare.

MARK: It is.

SUE: How about 50?

MARK: 45?

OK!

Go on then.

MARK: Shall we shake on it?

SUE: I'll shake on it.

Thank you so much.

That's wonderful.

VO: He is such a charmer.

That leaves Mark with 135 smackeroonies still to splurge.

Nice work.

Time now to pick up your chum in the MGB and whisk her off to the land of nod, I think.

We'll need some shut eye before doing it all again tomorrow.

Good day?

Good day, as they say.

MARGIE: Yep, good day.

MARK: Yeah.

MARGIE: Hopeful.

MARK: Yeah?

Well, it's always hopeful, isn't it?

You know, you buy all these beautiful things, you fall in love with them... Yeah?

So there's always that sense of, you know, excitement about what's happen at the auction... MARGIE: Sense of hope.

MARK: Sense of hope, yes.

MARGIE: Fingers crossed.

MARK: I know.

VO: Ah, they'll be dreaming of soaring profits in no time.

Nighty night.

VO: It's a new day in a new country, north of the border.

They say all the very best antiques are hiding up this way, if you can reach them, that is.

(GEARBOX CRUNCHES) Oh, no.

Yeah, go on.

No, I'm going to try this...

It was... (ENGINE STALLS) VO: Don't strain yourself there, Margie, I'm sure Mark has it all in hand.

Yesterday, he picked up a spice sprinkler and a rather mysterious framed lady.

I'm rather intrigued by portraits like this, snapshots from the past.

VO: He's still got 135 smackers left to sploosh today, if he can get that MGB working, that is!

Yeah, go on, keep going... Hey, come on, come on... ..welly, welly, welly.

Go on, go on, go on.

Yeah!

MARK: Come on, Primrose.

MARGIE: Well done, well done.

MARK: There...we go!

VO: Well, Margie was certainly giving it welly yesterday, burning through almost all her cash to get her hands on an alabaster box, a pewter serving tray, a picture book, and a Chinese parrot.

Tell me a bit about yourself... VO: She's scraping by with just a fiver today, but will need to get there in one piece first.

Gentle with that classic car, now.

Can you see deep water ahead?

MARK: Ooh... VO: Oh, dear.

That looks a bit deeper than those previous puddles.

Wow, wow, wow, wow... Oh, gosh, it's a weir.

Oh my lord, be careful!

MARK: Oh my...!

What if we get swept down?

MARGIE: Go on, go on, keep straight.

Keep straight.

If we break down, it could be life threatening.

MARK: Life threatening!

MARGIE: (CHUCKLES) MARK: Oh, look, we're nearly over.

Yes!

MARGIE: Well done, mate.

MARK: Yeah, there you go.

You kept your...cool there.

They thought they could keep us out.

MARGIE: If you'd have just swerved then, we would have been in... ..all the way down the river.

We would.

Bobbing along.

We might have been washed away.

MARK: (LAUGHS) We'd have been washed away!

MARGIE: With a tray of cakes... ..never to be seen again.

She was last seen with a couple of flapjacks... A cherry scone and a flapjack on her lap.

Have you see my friend Margie?

VO: I was worried about the cherry scones for a moment there.

Remember to save one for me, won't you?

Now that we've crossed back over into Scotland, I'm sure Margie has been expectantly waiting for the sound of bagpipes to come drifting across the hills.

But these pipes might not exactly be the traditional ones she had in mind.

She's stopped by Ednam House Hotel in Kelso to meet a bagpiper with a difference.

My word, Matt.

MARGIE: I didn't expect... MATT: Hello Margie.

..the bagpipes to look like that.

MATT: OK, yeah.

These were quite widespread in the 18th century down the eastern seaboard of Scotland... MARGIE: Yeah.

..and into Newcastle, Northumberland.

Yeah.

MATT: They're called border pipes, and they're also called lowland pipes.

MARGIE: So how many different kinds of bagpipes are there?

I couldn't tell you.

MATT: Hundreds.

MARGIE: So many?

The classic highland bagpipe repertoire is called Pibroch... MARGIE: Mm.

It's very different from the kind of dance tunes or the laments that we play with...with this.

So it's easier to play the ballads from round here, on that particular bagpipe.

MATT: Yeah.

MARGIE: I'm looking at it, the boxwood there, and the brass... MATT: Yeah.

MARGIE: It's a beautiful thing.

MATT: Take that one out.

MARGIE: Yeah.

(LOW DRONE) MARGIE: Oh!

MATT: Take...take the next one out.

(HIGHER NOTE PLAYS) You can even take the wee one out.

I can play the bagpipes!

(LAUGHS) That's great!

So you need to block some of them up?

VO: Much like the lowland pipes themselves, the ballads and songs of the Scottish lowlands originate from a rich melting pot of peoples and cultures across a vast history.

Allan Connochie has dedicated much of his life to understanding how the story of the Scottish Lowlands gave birth to the ballads and instruments we see today.

ALLAN: In this part of the country, in the 600s, it was Brythonic.

It was Old Welsh speaking, and then it became part of Northumbria.

It was Anglo Saxon... ALLAN: ..speaking... MARGIE: Yeah.

..and then it became part of Scotland.

Yeah.

ALLAN: So...so we've had a good mixture of everyone.

Once this area was a kind of settled part of Scotland, like the rest of the Lowlands, we traded with continental Europe.

VO: A combination of these many cultures began to give rise to the language of Scots in the lowlands, often used in songs and ballads.

ALLAN: Scots became the national language of Scotland, the language of court, the language of poetry, the language of the people, really until James VI then became the king of England too... MARGIE: Yeah.

ALLAN: ..and moved down to London.

And then the importance of Scots started to demise then, but it still kind of survived in the local people speaking, and in the ballads and songs and poetry.

So a ballad, is that a song?

It's a specific song.

It would be orally transmitted.

It was generally narrative, so telling the story in the third person, four lines per verse, and there's not generally a chorus.

It's not a sing along.

So they're not written down.

They're just passed on.

They weren't written down at the time, until the likes of Sir Walter Scott wrote them down... Yeah.

..and he actually collected the ballads with some friends, like James Hogg and John Leyden.

And James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, his mother gave Scott a real row.

She says they've never been written down, you've wrote them down wrong, and they'll now never be sung any mare.

MARGIE: Oh, right!

Oh, dear!

ALLAN: But that was... ALLAN: ..200 years ago... MARGIE: Right.

ALLAN: ..and they are still... they're still being sung.

And he was trying to conserve them, wasn't he, really?

ALLAN: Yes, yes.

VO: About time we heard another one of those ballads in action, I think.

The Cobbles band have been busy setting up inside for a few more tunes.

Take it away, chaps.

# Oh dochter, why do ye greet sae sair?

# What need for all this sorrow?

# I could wed ye tae a better man # than the yin ye've lost in Yarrow.

# Oh faither, ye have seiven sons, # ye may wed them all the morrow, # but the fairest flouer in a' the land, # he is sleeping sound in Yarrow.

# VO: Thanks to the passion of musicians like Allan and Matt, the traditions of Lowland music are sure to be carried on well into the future.

While Margie is soaking up some cultural delights inside, Mark has his thinking cap on in the garden.

Seems there's one particular buy that's still bothering him.

I need to know who she is before I put her in front of bidders.

So thankfully, one of my very dear friends, who is one of the foremost experts in aristocratic and particularly royal memorabilia... VO: Sounds like it might be worthwhile giving her a ring, then.

Did you get the photos I sent you?

So let me just get this right, she was the youngest granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and she married King Alfonso XIII of Spain.

She's a pretty important political cultural figure.

VO: Well, that's a turn up for the books, then, isn't it?

Alfonso XIII was the Spanish monarch deposed by the formation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, a pivotal moment in the history of Europe.

Well, there we go.

And there was me thinking she couldn't possibly be a member of royalty.

Not only is she a member of royalty, she's a member of a major royal house, the royal house of Spain.

Now I know who she is, off to auction the Queenie goes.

(SIGHS) VO: So, having left Mark to his research, Margie has already raced ahead to their final stop of the day, Hawick, one of Scotland's cashmere capitals.

But the jumpers will have to wait.

She's here to get stuck into the Borders Antiques and Decorative Interior Centre.

Situated in an old mill, it has 15,000 square feet over two floors ready to explore.

Dealer Morris is here to help out in case anyone gets lost.

(SIGHS) Ah!

Just what I need.

I don't know what it is about chairs like this, but they make you feel rather grand.

You've got this side that drops down, and it's tied up with rope.

�950, so since I've only got �5...

..I don't think I could do a deal on this.

It's rather grand, it's just what I need at the moment.

VO: She looks ready for a bit of a kip.

Mark, on the other hand, is hot on her heels, having arrived at the shop with �135 to splurge.

MARK: I do love these chairs.

Now, it's not missing anything, it's not meant to have longer legs.

These low chairs were produced in North Africa or Morocco, and they've been produced for decades, if not centuries.

We've got the original stringing at the top here, and we've got the original woven seat base.

So although it's worn, it's not worn out.

I think it's a fantastically decorative piece.

When does it date from?

Probably the early 20th century.

And actually, if I'm lucky, it might even be earlier than that, and date from the late 19th century.

And it's got a price of �68 on it.

That's a definite maybe.

VO: His list is growing already.

Now, where's Margie gone?

Has she found that energy burst yet?

Ah, perhaps not.

Ha!

I can feel somebody's presence... ..and it's Mark Hill.

It's not even Christmas time.

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) I'm trying to grab 40 winks, can't get any peace.

Well, I'll tell you what, I've got so much catching up to do, make it 80.

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) VO: Right.

Now that power nap is out of the way, there's a fiver still to be spent.

Anything catching the eye, Marge?

MARGIE: That's quite nice.

Well, that's been in a French church.

And of course, the holy water is put into there, blessed by the priest, just as you're going in through the door that will be by the side of the door, and you bless yourself, go in, before you went to sit.

And it's �75.

But I haven't got �75, so move on, Margie.

VO: She might need divine intervention at this rate.

Oh...

I can't help looking at the unfashionable when I love it.

And if somebody tells me not to do something, I'm going to go and do it.

And this is a wonderful example of Victorian enameled glass, largely so hideously out of fashion at the moment.

And I know it's not everybody's cup of tea, but I think it's fantastic.

So first of all, the glass maker would have taken a gather of this sort of pearly colored white glass here, then it would have been blown into a ribbed mold and twisted to give this wonderful spiraling effect around the body.

Then it would have been cased in colorless glass, and then just treated ever so lightly to give this wonderful satin effect.

And then once it had been finished off, it would have been hand enameled with this pattern of flowers and leaves.

There's a lot of work in this, a lot of work.

The sad thing is, there's no price on it, so I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to go with that.

So I'm going to pop it back inside this cabinet and have a chat with Morris a little later on, and see whether he can work out a deal for something that I love.

VO: Mark's racking up the buys, and Margie's still on the hunt.

I see.

Any luck?

I've just spotted these.

These are Edwardian, they're silver plate, and they've got this lovely green glass...sort of holder, and they're called little epergnes.

And so you'd have flowers on the table, your dining table.

Put flowers in that, they'd look gorgeous.

If I can get those for �5...

..I think they'll sell for �25, �30.

VO: No price, though.

She'll need to tug at some heart strings here, I fancy.

MARGIE: Morris... (CHUCKLES) MORRIS: Hello.

MARGIE: This is embarrassing.

MORRIS: Go on.

I've seen a pair of little Edwardian epergnes with the green furled rim...

Yes, I know the ones.

How much are they?

Because all I've got is... �10... (LAUGHS) You've only got a �5...

I'm sorry.

Are you gonna send me out?

Out!

Go on, then.

You can have them for a fiver.

MARGIE: Can I?

MORRIS: You're welcome.

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) Spend it wisely.

MORRIS: I'll go and have a coffee.

And a bun!

MORRIS: You're welcome.

MARGIE: Thank you very much.

MARGIE: I'm gonna go and get them now.

VO: Ah, what a big softy, eh?

That clears out the very last of her budget.

I think Mark's quickly eating through his last cash as well.

He's already spotted the African chair and the glass vase.

Anything else?

Now, that's a rather handsome looking mirror.

So what we have here is an early 19th century or mid 19th century mirror, but there's a sort of Georgian feel to it.

Now, the gilding looks a little bright to me, so I wonder whether at some point it's been regilded.

It's kind of OK. Let's turn it round and have a look.

And look at this!

Oh, my.

Now that really makes me happy.

So this was a label applied by the maker on the back of the frame.

That's an incredible survivor.

It's not fallen off, or been removed, or been painted over.

I think that's just magic.

That's a real blast from the past, on a very practical item, but we're looking at �110.

Blimey, how much do I love that trade label?

Way too much.

I love this.

That's a great thing.

VO: Quite a spending spree, eh?

I think he'll overshoot his �135, though, unless Morris can give him a really good deal.

MARK: Morris.

MORRIS: Hi.

I have found three pieces.

Right, OK...

The first is the gilded mirror.

The second is the low African chair.

And the third is a blue glass vase with enameled leaves on.

Satin glass vase.

That's the one, yeah, but it doesn't have a price on it.

I'd like to offer you all the money I have left, everything, you're cleaning me out.

�135... You're amazing.

I am really happy.

You have made me a very happy man.

They're wonderful pieces.

I don't even need to count it out, but you might want to.

VO: Great deal.

So that's 35 for the chair, 25 for the glass vase, and 75 for the mirror, leaving both Mark and Margie's �200 budgets completely rinsed.

That's what I like to see.

Oh, look at you.

Well, I know, I've been shopping.

This is how you do it.

Bought the shop up.

Yeah.

MARK: Any chance of a hand?

MARGIE: No.

Come on... VO: The budgets aren't the only things that are totally spent out after today.

I think these two sleepy antiques experts have finally earned a proper nap after all.

If they can settle those auction nerves, that is.

You know, it's when that gavel is about to fall... MARGIE: Yeah.

MARK: (GULPS AIR) MARK: ..you hold your breath.

MARGIE: Well, you do.

Yeah, and then...and it's really upsetting, isn't it, when you...your oppo starts racing away.

Oh, I know.

Yeah.

You feel like saying, put the gavel down!

Put the gavel down!

That's enough!

VO: Quite enough for now.

We'll see you two in the morning.

Shut eye, please.

VO: Good morning.

It's auction day.

Our duo have taken a quick detour down to Brettell's auctioneers in Newport to get their discoveries under the gavel.

MARK: Oh boy, oh boy.

I really need some luck today.

Somewhere, please, give me bids!

Let's wait and see what happens.

VO: The room is filling up with bidders already.

With the team manning the phones and the online platforms, bids have been left on the book with auctioneer David Brettell.

Last chance.

It's gone at �70... VO: Mark has spent all �200 of his budget this time round on five different lots.

Anything getting David excited?

The glass vase, I actually quite like this.

It's nicely made, obviously quality there.

It's useful.

It's decorative.

Quite a few pluses with this.

VO: Interesting.

Perhaps Mark was right to go against the grain on that one.

Margie, on the other hand, has also splashed her entire �200 budget across five lots.

Has she come across any hidden gems, David?

The alabaster trinket box, nice commercial thing actually, should attract interest.

It will sell.

I like it.

VO: There's only one way to find out.

Places, please.

MARK: (SIGHS) Ready?

MARGIE: Here we are.

VO: Well, now that Mark's cracked the mystery of his lady in the photograph, let's see if he can crack a profit with his first lot.

MARK: It's Queen Ena of Spain.

MARGIE: Oh, really?

Princess Victoria Eugenie... MARGIE: A Royal photograph.

MARK: ..of Battenberg.

MARK: Yeah.

MARGIE: Really?

And it's in a really nice JC Vickery.

Good retailer... MARGIE: Oh, good!

MARK: ..original frame.

Well, let's start at 10... 12.

15.

Last chance for you.

I am selling, forever gone at 18.

All done, finished at 18... MARK: (SPLUTTERS) MARGIE: Ooh!

Oh, dear.

VO: She's still a bit elusive with the bidders, it seems.

Aw...love!

VO: Right, it's time for Margie's epergne that she scooped up for a fiver.

Come on, surely we can eek out a profit on these.

I bought two silver plated epergne, little green glass, little epergnes, flowers, and he said, "Oh, go on, you can have those for a fiver."

So I really can't take any credit for this.

Start me there, �5 bid, �5 got, �5.

�5 I'm bid, �5 here we go now, at �8, I have an �8.

Looking for 10.

I've got 10.

�10 bid.

12.

�12 bid, keep going.

Don't stop.

At 15.

Thank you.

18, 20 bid, �20 I have.

�20 got.

22, 22 bid now, 22.

All done down, I sell away at 22... VO: Those served up quite a tidy profit there.

Amazing what you can do with a fiver.

Well, that was alright.

Yeah, well done.

VO: Yeah, let's see if Mark can earn his first profit with the gilt wood mirror.

It's a good looker.

Right.

And it's completely original.

And what I really loved about it was picking it up and turning it over, there's the original trade label.

MARGIE: Oh, really.

Oh, that's nice.

How often do you see those?

You never see them!

And it's a nice small size.

It would go in any home.

Start me �50.

30, then.

�30, get me going.

�20, start me off.

�20 bid.

For a period mirror.

22, 25... 28.

�30.

30 bid, 32.

We're about halfway there now.

35, 38.

40 bid.

42, 45, 48.

50, five...

Yes!

Keep moving, keep galloping.

Come on.

You're nearly to the finishing line.

�55, all done.

There we go.

Gotta be sold this time.

60 bid.

MARK: Yes!

DAVID: 60 bid.

Five.

65... MARGIE: You've only lost �10.

Five... 10.

You should have made 50 quid on that.

I know.

VO: Yeah, oh dear.

Yet another loss for Mark to reflect on there.

Gosh.

What can I say?

I'm sure there are many things.

But I don't want to hear them.

VO: Parrots are supposedly omens of fortune.

Let's find out, shall we?

(GASPS) I bought a parrot.

(CHUCKLES) And it's this color.

MARK: Fabulous.

I've worn this just for the parrot.

I've got bids in from China!

MARK: How much did you pay?

MARGIE: Bids in from China.

We've got 10, 12, 15, is that all, China?

18, 20, two, five, eight, 30.

Two, five, eight, 40.

Two, five, eight, 50.

Five... MARK: Yes, you're getting there!

DAVID: 60.

Five.

Is it still China?

Five.

80.

Five.

Forever gone, it's sold at 85...

But off to China it goes.

Yay!

It's gone home, your parrot has flown home.

My parrot... VO: Ah, not the fortune to be had there, though.

Still, nothing to get into a flap about.

He's flown home, and lost me a fiver... (SLAPS THIGH) Yeah, but come on, that's still pretty good.

Well done.

It's alright.

It was nearly there.

It's alright.

VO: Do you know, there may be time for Mark to take the throne yet.

It's time for his African chair.

It's got all its original stringing.

It's complete.

And you love it.

I...do you know, I really do love it.

I'm starting at 18, though, that's a bit low, but we've got to start somewhere.

�20.

�20 bid.

Two, 22 bid now, 22 bid.

Five anywhere?

Five I've got, 25 I'm bid, eight I'm bid now.

28 bid, 28, �30 now, �30 got.

32, five, 35 bid now.

35.

35, eight, 38 bid now, �38.

All done, finished.

I am selling.

Here comes the hammer.

Forever gone at 38... That's cheap, though, isn't it?

It's still cheap, but I made a profit.

You did.

VO: Not exactly a standing ovation, but a profit is a profit.

Somebody else saw what I saw.

Of course they did.

Well done, love.

Thank you.

VO: Margie's pewter tray of delights next.

Milk and two sugars, anyone?

Ha!

Pewter, which I don't often buy.

MARK: Hmm...

It doesn't often fetch very much money, unless it's very early.

Yeah, or it's got Tudric underneath and... A good...good designers count.

Straight in at �20.

�20 for these bid, �20 bid now, 22, 22 bid now, five bid now.

28 bid now, 28 got, 28, 30 anywhere?

Fair warning.

Here comes the hammer.

I am selling at 28... MARGIE: It's a style of.

MARK: It's in the style of.

Margie Cooper, you silly girl.

VO: Shame.

Nice thing.

Moving on.

I quite like it.

MARK: I like the little ears.

MARGIE: You silly billy.

The handles look like little ears.

It was cute.

VO: Still, no point in crying over spilt milk, is there?

Let's see if Mark was right to buck the trend with his enameled glass vase, shall we?

Is this your beloved glass?

It is... Every time I see it, my heart goes boom-titty-boom-titty-boom... We'll start at 20.

�20 bid, two I have bid, five I'm bid.

28 I'm bid.

30 I have.

�30, nice thing, it will be sold at �30.

Are you quite sure?

Two, 32 bid now, 35.

35 bid now, 35...

Eight.

38 bid now, 38, 40 anywhere?

40 bid, �40 bid, �40, �40 bid, 42.

I sell this time at �42... Well done.

VO: See, it always pays to follow your instincts.

He defied market trends with that one.

MARK: Good old Czech glass.

MARGIE: Yeah, well done.

MARK: I'm happy with that.

MARGIE: I'm sure you are.

VO: Next up, will Margie's art book draw in some bidders?

It's not the sort of thing I usually buy...

But I just thought I like the fact that these paintings were there for people to look at, and if they really wanted to see it, they'd know where to go.

Yeah, it could be your guide to the nation's art.

MARGIE: A guide, absolutely.

MARK: OK. And it was rather lovely.

Five pounds.

Anybody want it for a fiver?

Bid, �5 I'm bid, �5, �5, eight bid.

�8 I'm bid, �8 I have.

�8 bid, �8, 10 anywhere?

Last chance for you, I'm not dwelling...any longer... All done down at �8... MARGIE: (SIGHS) Now that's a shame.

VO: Maybe Margie's horse drawing would have fetched more after all.

Ha!

Someone's gonna get MARK: ..a good read.

MARGIE: Your face!

Well, that... That's my disappointed face.

..was all over in a minute.

VO: This could be the final seasoning on Mark's first victory of the week.

It's time for the spice sprinkler.

I like things that have a functional use, you know, not just decorative.

They're functional, hand carved and handled.

There's a wonderful patina to this.

We'll start at 20.

Start at 10.

Bid, �10 I'm bid, �10 I've got, �10, �10 I have, �10, �10 I'm bid, �10 all done down?

�10 I'm bid, 12, 15, at �15... MARGIE: Oh, God... VO: Well, that could have gone better.

Not to rub salt in the wound, of course.

Now, your mother would slap you for that.

I know.

I've just been slapped already.

VO: They might have turned their noses up at the spice sprinkler, but just wait until they catch a scent of this.

Margie's hunting dog trinket box is the final lot.

I don't like Alabaster, but this is like a casket, with a dog...

Right?

MARGIE: ..edged in marble... MARK: OK. ..and it's the sort of thing... MARK: It's getting better.

MARGIE: ..you bring...

The sort of thing they'd bring back from the Grand Tour.

MARK: Oh, magic word!

MARGIE: So that's what I think.

MARK: It's a magic word.

MARGIE: Yeah, the grand tour.

�20.

What's the matter?

I think there must be a fault on the computer, because nobody's bid.

Oh, that's nice of you.

Turn it off and turn it on again.

20... Aha!

22, 25, 28, �30.

32, 35, 38, �40.

42, 45, so what was wrong in the beginning?

48, �50.

55, 60, five, 70.

Last chance.

It's gone at �70... Bravo!

VO: (HOWLS) What a sale!

Grand tour all the way to profit.

MARGIE: Yeah, it was lovely.

MARK: It's gonna be close.

MARK: But I think... MARGIE: It is close.

..you just pipped me at the post.

I think it's close.

I think you pipped me at the post.

MARGIE: Well, we'll see.

MARK: Well done.

MARGIE: (CHUCKLES) VO: So after counting all the pennies, and minus saleroom fees, Mark spent his entire �200 budget and ended on a loss, with �145 and 96p in his pocket.

It's just not his week, this one.

Margie on the other hand, after starting with the same sum, with saleroom fees deducted, ended with a slightly smaller loss, finishing with �174 and 66 pence, handing her victory once again.

She could be going for a clean sweep here.

Looking confident.

Ooft!

Blimey, that was a beating and a half for me.

Yeah, go on.

Straight off into the lead, why don't you?

(LAUGHS) MARGIE: I've got the luck of the Irish.

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