Antiques Road Trip

antiques experts... RAJ: That's me.

PAUL: I like that.

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

TIM: Hold on!

IRITA: (SQUEALS) VO: And a goal, to scour Britain for antiques.

En garde!

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

But it's no mean feat.

I don't believe it!

VO: There'll be worthy winners... PAUL: Yes!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

I was robbed.

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

Right, come on, let's go.

VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?

DAVID: Oh, Roo!

Oh, Roo!

ROO: (SQUEALS) VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Giddy-up!

MUSIC: "Every 1's A Winner" by Hot Chocolate VO: Good morning, lovely harvest fields of Nottinghamshire!

And it looks like the Antiques Road Trip has gathered in a fine fresh new face.

TIM (TM): Irita Marriott.

IRITA (IM): Hello... TM: Hello.

IM: ..Timothy.

It's great to be on the road, isn't it?

IM: I know.

TM: Your first ever Road Trip.

My first ever Road Trip, and I couldn't wish for a better partner.

Aw, that's very kind.

Are you quite a competitive person?

Cuz I'm fairly relaxed, as you know.

Course I am.

Who doesn't want to win?

I want to win!

Do you want to win?

TM: I want to win, yeah.

IM: Well, I think we'll... TM: The game's on, isn't it?

IM: ..have a great time then.

VO: I like her already!

Irita is a lovely, lovely name.

TM: Where does it come from?

IM: Thank you.

I am Latvian born.

But Latvia was still part of the USSR when I was born.

So do you like Russian antiques?

You like the odd Faberge egg here and there?

Well, if I can find a Faberge egg, I'll never say no to one.

You know, I might be a newbie, but I wasn't born yesterday, Tim.

VO: Irita cut her teeth at an auction house before becoming a trader.

Her passion is for porcelain.

A regular at antiques fairs, she also sources rare pieces for international dealers.

Sold.

�5,000.

I like everything that is grand and stands out.

So if it's gold, if it's got a cherub on it... That's you.

..and lots of scrolls!

Oh, so you like... you like glitz, glamour and... Glitz and glamour!

(CHUCKLES) VO: She'll definitely give him a run for his money then.

They have �200 apiece.

And they set off from the eastern counties of England and wend their way to the West Country and the south coast, before a final reckoning in Stamford.

And they're traveling in a rather splendid 1970s Reliant Scimitar.

I do feel a bit like Princess Anne driving this car.

TM: Really?

IM: Very famously, Princess Anne was a Scimitar driver.

I cannot stop thinking about budgies when I look at this car.

It roars like a lion but it looks like a budgie.

VO: Cheeky.

They'll be meandering as far as St Ives this time, but their first stop is Newark, where the word is that wicked old King John died of a surfeit of peaches.

But coin expert Tim has his eyes on the money.

One of my favorite periods of coins comes from Newark.

You're fascinated, aren't you?

Yeah, I'm...

I'm pretty impressed...

It's a bedtime story.

..with this convo, yeah.

So I always like going to Newark, cuz I can just envisage those coins.

Hm.

VO: Fascinating.

Well, nearly there.

And they'll both be hoping to get off to a flying start at Albert Street Antiques Centre.

It's your first ever antiques shop on the Road Trip...

I know!

Not that I'm excited... TM: Brilliant stuff.

IM: ..or anything, but you know.

VO: It's a former Salvation Army citadel, stacked to the rafters with a goodly collection of wares.

Last one in's a numismatist!

Ha.

Right-o.

Let's get lost in all these antiques.

I just got to get my head down and see what I can see.

(WHISPERS) And find the bargains.

Cuz Timothy's behind me.

I don't want him to see what I'm looking at.

So... VO: Er, he doesn't seem to be looking your way.

Yacht is going on here?!

VO: (CHORTLES) You thought my puns were bad.

Now, welcome to my world.

This is me.

This is what my stall would look like if I would be at a fair.

VO: She's, erm, very thorough, isn't she?

Hm!

It's not silver.

VO: But who's biting first then?

I love 18th century tea bowls, and saucers and plates.

I just think they're just brilliant pieces of history.

And look at this one here.

This one's caught my eye.

(DING!)

TM: Oh!

(SNIGGERS) This is a Ludwigsburg cup.

The factory was established in the 18th century.

And this teacup here, look at that.

It's got some underglazed raised decoration around the rim, and then painted with sort of romanticized 18th century scenes around the edge.

And I just think that's really pretty.

Over 300 years old, and it's stayed in one piece.

There appears to be a little hairline crack, but it looks like a firing fault to me, underneath the glaze, which is a little bit more acceptable in the ceramic collecting world.

So I just think that's a really pretty little thing.

And it's only �14, and it's 300 years old.

I'm having it.

VO: A fine choice.

Mine's an Earl Gray.

But what's catching the eye of our debutante?

Imagine 1950s, Christmas morning.

Child wakes up and at the end of the bed, he's got this waiting for him.

Are you ready for it?

Let me try to reach it.

Look at that sweet little face!

Well, it's �17.

It's not for me to buy, but for someone on that Christmas morning, it would have been priceless.

Aw.

Let's leave him down here.

Hopefully he will go to a good home one day.

VO: A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.

Ha!

There's so much to look at everywhere.

These cabinets are just rammed full of interesting things.

Talking of looking, look at that.

A little 19th century pocket telescope.

I think that's really charming.

It's a three drawer, so it's got three drawers there, and you pull it out.

Let's see if it works.

I see no ships.

Oh, no, it does work.

I see ships.

Look at that.

I love it.

And it's got a nice little mahogany polished handle.

And it's got lacquered brass mounts as well.

Unfortunately, it's got no maker's name.

And what you always look for on telescopes is a maker's name in the first drawer there.

And if it had a really smart maker, that can be worth quite a lot of money.

But it's still a nice quality little thing.

And if you wanted a pocket telescope, why not that one?

And it's priced up at �30.

Do you know what?

I could see that making a little bit of a profit in an auction.

If I do a bit of haggling, I'm gonna see if I can knock a bit of money off.

That could be a profit.

I might spy a profit.

Right.

Let's go and see what we can do.

VO: Well, about time.

Simon, how are you doing?

Hello.

Alright?

I've had a whale of a time looking around.

So many nice things.

And I found a teacup, �14.

So I'll take that, thank you very much.

And the telescope, priced at 30.

Do you think we could do 21 on that?

So 35 for the two?

Yes, that'll be fine.

TM: That be alright?

DEALER: Yeah.

Thank you very much.

Let me get you your money out.

You're a busy man so I'll pop it there.

There we are.

I'll leave you to it.

TM: Thanks very much indeed.

DEALER: Thank you very much.

DEALER: Thank you.

Good luck.

TM: Take care.

VO: A good start for Tim, but he'll need to watch his step.

Now, is Irita any closer to her first purchase?

I quite like the look of this.

So what it is is a desk stand.

So imagine an old gentleman's office.

I quite like that.

VO: It is rather good, isn't it?

It wouldn't have a pen like this on it, it would have a fountain pen.

And there would be a little glass canister for their ink.

And the mouse.

Bronze because it's cold to touch.

So bronze if, when you're holding it, it does not go warmer.

Erm...

It's made out of oak.

I quite like that.

�69.

Simon.

VO: Let's see what dealer Simon says.

(GIGGLES) I quite like this little desk stand.

Now, it is priced at �69.

What's the best you could do?

I'll do it for 40 for you.

Is there any more maneuver?

I'll do you another couple.

38 and that... That's me done there.

That's a deal.

OK.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, I appreciate it.

Right, I'd better give you some money for it.

IM: Here you go... DEALER: Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I'm happy with that.

Thank you.

I hope she brings me some good luck.

VO: Ta-da!

She's taken the plunge and looks pleased.

Oh my goodness, that was lower than I expected.

Get my long limbs in.

Oh!

VO: Avanti!

Ciao bella!

Move along!

Move along... Tim has been summoned by the law and is headed to the town of Grantham, to investigate the story of a policing pioneer.

The first paid and warranted woman police constable in the whole country.

Hello, how are you?

Hi.

VO: The museum's Amanda Schonhut is on the case of Edith Smith.

Why have we met in front of this lovely red brick Victorian building?

AMANDA: This is the Guildhall here in Grantham.

But originally this was the police station.

And we're here to talk about PC Edith Smith.

She worked here in Grantham, and this is the original cells.

TM: And that's the original bars, as well?

AMANDA: This is the original bars, yeah.

TM: Wow!

Lovely building.

If you'd like to follow me inside, Tim, I can tell you a bit more about Edith's life.

TM: I'd love that.

Lead the way.

AMANDA: Thank you.

VO: After a comfortable youth, Edith was a mother of four when she was tragically widowed in 1907, age 31.

And by 1914 she had trained as a nurse.

The outbreak of war opened doors previously closed to women, as they stepped into new roles like the women's volunteer police force, where new recruits were unpaid, had no powers of arrest, and their limited role was largely one of community support.

In Grantham, an army camp of 18,000 soldiers, rife with drunkenness and prostitution, posed a challenge to law, order and morality.

But Edith answered the call.

AMANDA: She was well known in the town for having that matronly aspect to her work, taking people into her own home on occasion to coach them and guide them.

The social aspect of her work was probably one of the biggest parts of her role as a police officer.

What was the reception like for these police volunteers?

It was received very positively actually, particularly the commander of the Belton camp itself.

He was so pleased with the work that they were doing, he actually did write a letter when he was under the impression that they were going to be removed.

So very positively, very positively indeed.

VO: And in November 1915, it was agreed that this volunteer force should be paid, and Edith became the first waged woman PC.

So she became a fully fledged female police officer.

That gave her the same powers as a male officer, so she was able to arrest.

Which was really quite a staggering achievement, for a lady police officer to be given that at the time.

If you think, in the two years that Edith was a police officer in Grantham, she made over 800 arrests.

411 alone in 1916.

This is on her own.

Unfortunately, her partner that she worked with resigned.

But Edith herself received a pay increase for the extra work that she would have been taking on, which was two shillings and 10 pence a week, which was more than most of the male police officers were on.

So that's a testament to Edith's work and how well valued she was in the town at the time, and the work that she was doing.

VO: Edith died in 1923, the same year that other women police officers were finally granted their warrants.

She blazed a trail for the 30% of police officers who are now women, like Inspector Rachel Blackwell.

Rachel, so I'm standing in front of a uniform in the style of what Edith would have worn... RACHEL: Yes, that's right.

TM: ..about 100 years ago.

Absolutely, yeah.

This is a really close replica to what we know Edith would have worn at that time 100 years ago.

TM: Wow, and I have to say, it doesn't look overly comfortable or useful.

The first time I saw it, I actually thought how impractical it is.

Yeah.

Considering that Edith was truly getting stuck into kind of crime and disorder issues in the town.

What I have to remind myself is that she had no personal protective equipment.

She had no handcuffs and no baton.

She just simply went out dressed in the uniform without any means RACHEL: to protect herself.

TM: Wow!

VO: And how does it feel to walk in Edith's shoes?

We've come such a long way, and that there are no roles within the police service that are unattainable to a female in present times.

I'm sure, at that time, she may have struggled to comprehend... TM: Yeah.

RACHEL: ..just how much she was setting up for future generations.

And that's really her legacy, isn't it?

Absolutely.

The fact that her work 100 years ago... RACHEL: Yeah.

TM: ..is seen today.

Yeah, she's the... one of the reasons why I'm stood here today and able to do this and have absolute freedom to progress my career in any direction.

VO: Edith Smith, we salute you.

Moving on, Irita is as free as a bird and out on the open road.

It's my first time driving the budgie.

I feel quite demure in it in a way.

I mean, what's not to love?

Look at it!

VO: She's heading north to the city of Lincoln via some very scenic B roads.

Lincolnshire is beautiful.

It's quite flat.

It reminds me a bit of Latvia because there's no hills.

VO: Well, here's one!

And with �162 left, Lincoln Antiques & Collectables, presided over by Dave, looks like a good place to spend some of it.

I mean... Oh!

(CHUCKLES) VO: Yeah, let's find something else that fits.

I love it.

That is a cold-painted bronze of a bulldog.

Essentially it is a bronze figure.

And when it's cooled, it's hand-painted over.

And it has something magical on the bottom of it.

It is marked for Bergman.

He started making bronze figures in the 1800s.

And he was very, very successful.

Hence there's a lot of Bergman style bronzes out there, because everybody tried to copy him, cuz he was just the best.

It's priced at �80.

I've got to buy that.

Let me just pop that down.

Bear that thought.

This is very me.

What do you think that is?

Looks like a piece of furniture.

It's actually a jewelry casket.

It is pure base metal.

By the looks of it, brass.

You always got to look out for damage on these because the legs are so fragile and they can...

They can just snap off and be reglued.

But this one looks so good.

�48 on that one.

I like that.

Right.

I am going to take these two.

Let's see, can I do a deal?

Dave?

VO: Dave, brace yourself.

Is there anything that you could do on the price of those?

So it's 48 and 80, so that's 128.

I can do... How does �110 sound?

Could I nudge you just a teeny, teeny bit?

IM: What about 100?

DAVE: Yeah, go on then.

IM: Yeah.

DAVE: Alright, let's do it.

Fantastic, that's a deal.

DAVE: Great.

Thank you.

IM: I'm a very happy lady.

Thank you very much.

Here's some money.

VO: 65 for the bulldog and 35 for the jewelry box.

IM: Thank you very much, Dave.

VO: And she's literally footloose and fancy free.

Nighty-night.

VO: Well, good morning, playmates.

Here we go.

Woo-hoo!

IM: (SQUEALS) Isn't it a glorious day today?

Absolutely, in our little yellow car.

I know, our little budgie.

He's a ray of sunshine all on his own.

VO: So what's on the minds of our effervescent pair today?

IM: I don't have much money left for today.

Do you not?

Cor, you've spent... No.

See, I feel really mean cuz I've spent the grand total of 35 smackers.

And that is it.

IM: What?

TM: I know.

VO: Yeah, Mr Cautious paid out parsimoniously yesterday for a porcelain teacup and a telescope... IM: Tim, I can spy a profit.

TM: Yes!

Oh, sorry, no.

It's a cow.

(THEY CHUCKLE) IM: I love it.

I love it.

TM: It's nice, isn't it?

VO: ..leaving Tim with �165.

Irita fell for a bronze bulldog.

IM: Ta-da!

TM: Oh, it's a doggy!

I know.

Do you like him?

Well, dogs sell, don't they?

Yeah, yeah.

There's a big following for it.

And to make it even better, it's the best of the best.

BOTH: Bergman.

TM: Nice.

IM: Yeah.

VO: She also bought a jewelry box and is left with �62 to spend today in the antiques shops of the county.

Interesting fact - the Lincolnshire sausage is that popular that they have a Lincolnshire sausage festival IM: in Lincoln... TM: Really?

..every October.

I love a good sausage festival.

(CHUCKLES) TM: I love a sausage fest.

VO: Moving swiftly on, Irita's first shop today is the ancient and scenic market town of Horncastle.

Listed in the Doomsday Book, it was once home to 29 villagers.

Today, it boasts a population of over 6,000.

I'm going to try to spend every penny I have left.

And I'm going big.

I'm going out there.

Go big or go home.

Go... Go big or go home!

VO: The gloves are definitely off.

Right, here we are.

How exciting.

Well, I hope you have the best time shopping.

I sure will.

VO: Drill Hall Antiques Centre is Irita's first stop today.

Hello?

Anybody home?

Hi there.

IM: Hello.

DEALER: Morning.

OK.

I'm just gonna have a browse around.

Thank you, OK. IM: I'll come back to you later.

DEALER: OK. VO: And there seems to be plenty here to catch her eye.

I love early English porcelain.

And this is a good example of that, dating to about 1820s.

Made in England.

In 1800s, this was referred as a trio.

So you have your plate, your teacup and your coffee cup.

When these days, the trio means that you have a cake plate, a saucer and a teacup.

This has somehow disappeared and been replaced with a cake plate.

Might be something to do with the fact that we all really like eating cake.

But yeah, I like that.

It has not got a price on it.

(SIGHS) I'll mental note that and I'll come back to it.

VO: Hm.

Carry on then.

And we'll catch up with Tim, who's off a few miles north to the bonny Lincolnshire town of Louth... ..where he'll be perusing the wares at the Old Coach House Antiques Centre.

There's oodles to see.

Go, Tim!

Oh, would you look at that?

The thing I love about antiques is I love how they're linked so much to social history.

Because they were used by people like we use new things today.

And this here, which looks like a mahogany stool, which you can sit on, acts as a baby bath.

Look at that.

It's a Victorian baby bath with its original ceramic liner.

Just look at that.

And you'd fill that with your water and wash your baby.

I think that's really, really cool.

And I suppose you don't really have much use for it today.

Apart from perhaps you could use it as a smart planter.

You could fill it with flowers.

Or you could use it as a stool.

Look at that.

Which you can still use today.

Ah, it's actually quite comfy.

I mean, it's just a bit of wood, but it's nice.

VO: It is.

Let's check in with Irita back in Horncastle.

There's a big collector's market for little bronzes, for animals, for dogs, for pin cushions.

And this is what I've seen, which I think is really, really sweet.

A little donkey.

And he's got two little cushions, covered in velvet, that a lady would put her pins in.

Now actually handling it, it is only spelter.

It is not the highest quality.

Because it has been cast in two pieces and then it has been put together.

And you can actually see on the tail the little holes on the legs where the separation is, they've not even filled it in.

It might have even come as a souvenir from a seaside to bring home.

It is priced at �58.

So if there might be some magic to be done, that might be a goer.

VO: Abracadabra.

Dealer James is nearby.

James, can I just get you for a minute?

Yep.

I would like to buy two things.

Right.

I've only got �62.

OK, right.

VO: Hm.

The porcelain trio has no ticket and the pincushion is priced at 58.

James needs to make a call to the owner.

Pincushion in cabinet 31, with �58 on it.

What's the best?

(WHISPERS) I want to take him home with me.

She'll do the donkey for 45.

OK. And I can do the trio for 17.

That takes me to my budget.

OK, yep.

Is that OK?

IM: That's fantastic.

DEALER: OK. Yeah, that's... That's a deal.

VO: And that's her cleaned out.

Let me just grab that.

And I'm all spent up.

Off to auction we go.

VO: Hopefully with our shoes on.

Meanwhile, has Tim succumbed to anything in Louth?

TM: One of the best things about antiques is that quite often every day, you can find something you've never seen before.

And I've never seen one of these before.

It's a very, very peculiar little thing.

It looks like some kind of penknife combination, say bookmark or something like that.

And at the end here, you've got a blade, probably for opening your letters, something like that.

And then you've got a bit of silk here.

And then on the end, a very charming silver horseshoe that says "good luck".

And I need some luck.

So I wonder if this could be my little lucky charm for the auction.

It's got English hallmarks here.

And you've got the maker's name and then the lion passant, which means English standard solid silver.

And then you've got the mark for Chester, so it's assayed in Chester.

And then the date letter, which brings it into the Edwardian period.

Now, it's priced at �39, which is probably the top end of what I think it should be for me to buy.

So I think if I can do a bit of negotiation on that... ..luck might be on my side.

VO: But is dealer Chris?

Chris, how are you doing?

Hi there.

I found this little paper knife bookmark.

Now you've got it up at 39.

Do you think you can do a little something-something on it?

35?

35.

Chris, do you think you could just give me a little bit of luck and go down a little bit more?

DEALER: 32.

TM: 32.

Very generous.

TM: It's a deal.

DEALER: No problem.

Thank you very much.

I know you're a very busy man so I'll pop your money on there.

There's 30, and another two.

There we are.

Thank you very much.

DEALER: Thanks a lot, Tim.

TM: Take care.

DEALER: Cheers.

Bye.

TM: See you later.

VO: Nice work.

(ENGINE STARTS) VO: Taxi for Medhurst.

Meanwhile, Irita is traveling 20 miles southeast, bound for the sea at Skegness.

Very bracing.

She's hoping to meet some new friends of the furry, fish-eating variety at Natureland Seal Sanctuary, a family business, which has been dedicated to caring for these much loved marine superstars since 1965.

Aw!

Dr Robert Lambert, of Nottingham University, is on hand to explain how the seal became a poster child for environmentalism and animal welfare.

IM: They are just so cute.

They're like little puppies with little eyes and long snouts.

ROBERT: And that sentiment that you've just expressed became more and more common in the 1960s and 1970s in Britain.

We embraced seals, we identified with them.

They became an animal that we saw as most like us, that seals have lacrimal glands that can shed tears like humans.

We identified with their concept of motherhood and looking after their pups.

VO: Humans in the past didn't view animals this way.

And seals have been hunted for thousands of years for their meat, oil, and fur.

By 1900, the gray seal had been hunted almost to extinction.

What's unique about the gray seal is it was the first mammal protected by the British parliament in 1914.

And that protected the gray seal on its breeding grounds and for a certain part of the year.

And that immediately ended subsistence hunting throughout most of Britain.

VO: In the decades that followed, the protection of gray seals led to a huge increase in their numbers and brought them into conflict with the fishing industry.

And the argument was essentially from the fishing communities, particularly on inshore fisheries, that the seals were taking in their view of something like 15% of the catch.

And eventually the government caved and in the late 1950s and across the 1960s, the first seal culls in Britain were introduced.

And by the time the late 1970s came around, those culls were orchestrated to almost get rid of a third of the population.

VO: Even after the 1970 Conservation of Seals Act afforded these animals some legal protection, the culling continued.

But there was a rising tide of protest.

By 1978, when the big culls were happening in Orkney to reduce the population to satisfy fisheries, Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace ship, sailed into Kirkwall harbor.

And almost immediately the seal culls were halted, because politicians realized that there were millions and millions of people in Britain who were absolutely against the killing of something so magnificent, so charismatic - so iconic, if you like - as seals.

Over a million people signed a petition in 1979.

Wow, that's... That's impressive.

VO: So why do seals continue to need our protection?

It's important ecologically, because they are a keystone species in their habitat.

And when gray seals are doing well, we have a sense that the marine environment is doing well.

And it's also important I think economically.

Because, as you see here at Natureland, gray seals are a very key part of a modern wildlife tourism and ecotourism industry.

In other words, gray seals are good for business.

VO: British waters are now home to 120,000 gray seals, 40% of the world's population.

Some sadly end up in the hospital here.

And that is the third generation of the Yeadon family doing sterling work rehabilitating them.

Oh, wow!

Look at... Look at these little cuties.

Hello!

Sweet little things.

How did your family get involved in all this?

Well, it was actually my grandfather answering a newspaper ad for somebody to come down to Skegness and run a zoo on the seafront.

And within the first year, somebody turned up with a baby seal in their arms and said "What can you do with this?"

And from then, that really kind of sculpted the direction that Natureland's gone.

So it went from a zoo to an animal sanctuary.

What should someone do if they find a seal?

The first thing we would suggest is making sure you give it room.

Because as cute as they are and as cuddly as they look, they're not cute and they're not cuddly.

And if they're scared or feeling ill, they will bite and it really hurts.

If you can stay with them, it's ideal, just for navigating and locating the seal, because sometimes it's very off piste where we ended up finding them.

And then wait for us to turn up and we'll come and sort them out.

And you take it from there?

We take it over from there, yeah.

VO: Time for a fish supper.

(CHUCKLES) How lovely!

That's how you do it.

Straight down... Oh, bless!

VO: Let's catch up with Tim now, bound for his last shop of the day.

Sunshine's out, loving it.

I am missing Irita though.

She is a laugh.

I'm really, really enjoying being on the road with her.

VO: But before they can meet up again, Tim is traveling on to Sutton-on-Sea, where he'll crack on with his shopping with �133 still in his pocket.

Though it's easy to see how you might wander off for a wee paddle and an ice cream.

His next emporium is the fantastically quirky Knicks Knacks, which looks like it owes a nod to Madame Tussauds.

The goods are stacked high and slung low in this veritable cornucopia of delight, belonging to Jeannie and Robin.

Crikey!

This is quite incredible.

Let me give you a guided tour.

OK, so this way, we've got stuff.

And then this way, we've got stuff.

And there's stuff down there, and here.

Which way should I go?

Well, there's a room that way full of stuff, and there's a room this way as well.

Erm, I might need a few days in here.

VO: Yeah.

But what's leaping out at you?

Now that's an interesting little thing.

I love a curio.

And I think this fits into that category.

It's a clay pipe.

19th century, Victorian.

And it's got this building decoration around here.

And I recognize that, it looks like Crystal Palace.

Now there was an exhibition in London, in Hyde Park, the Great Exhibition of 1851.

And it was held in Crystal Palace.

And I would have thought this pipe was made to commemorate that opening of the exhibition.

It has got a maker's name here, T Holland.

It's only priced at �22.

I think that's just a really interesting object.

So I think it's worth a shot.

VO: But this is a place a man could "bee" distracted.

This way.

(BUZZING) He's a big old bee.

He's going to really get lost in here.

I've got him.

I've got him.

Let's release you to the wild.

There we go, little bee.

Off you go.

Bye, Bob!

That's my good deed for today.

VO: Tim Medhurst, bee brigade.

Now that grabs me, and I'm not a militaria expert.

But to me that looks like a Second World War RAF, Royal Air Force, flat cap.

And look at that.

Fits.

What do you think?

(CHUCKLES) I like to think of one of the RAF servicemen sitting with that on their head, ready to scramble.

It's had some repair here as well.

And you wonder if he got into a tangle, and then repaired his own hat as well.

I think that's got a story to tell.

Now it's an important part of history, priced at �28.

I would imagine there's quite a lot of collectors out there of Royal Air Force memorabilia who would be keen to buy that, and it tells a story.

And at �28, maybe I should buy it.

But first, we'll negotiate.

VO: Time to line up the owners.

TM: Jeannie and Robin.

DEALERS: Hi.

I've had an amazing time looking around.

And I've found this rather nice RAF cap... JEANNIE: Jolly good.

..and this pipe as well, TM: which I quite like... JEANNIE: Great.

So a combined price, 22 and 28, �50 for the two.

What do you think you could do on price?

42?

Can we do a round number of 40?

JEANNIE: (CHUCKLES) TM: Can we go for it?

TM: Can we go for 40?

JEANNIE: Yeah, we'll do 40.

TM: Is that alright?

JEANNIE: Yeah.

OK, thank you.

Right, let me get... JEANNIE: Cheers.

TM: ..the money out.

And I will hit the road.

JEANNIE: Yeah.

TM: Thanks very much.

JEANNIE: OK.

Cheers.

TM: Bye.

Bye.

VO: Tim's mission is duly concluded.

That way.

VO: Roger.

And out.

Well, there we are.

First leg, almost over.

I can't believe it.

It has flown by.

It does.

Time flies when you're having fun though.

IM: Yes.

Yeah.

TM: That's a good sign.

And we're off to the auction.

Yeah.

IM: Exciting!

TM: It is exciting, isn't it?

VO: All in good time.

After some shuteye.

And we're in good company on the River Great Ouse this fine sunny morning, at the pretty market town of St Ives, which after 1,000 years in Huntingdonshire migrated to Cambridgeshire in the '70s.

St Ives, aren't you beautiful?

IM: Look.

TM: Hello there.

VO: Irita and Tim will be watching their antique purchases going under the hammer at Alnwick Auctions, where this sale is taking place online, by phone and on the book.

And the staff are poised for action.

Bold Irita blew her entire �200 budget on five lots.

What does auctioneer Nigel Blagburn think of what she bought?

The bulldog's my favorite piece.

That's a nice Bergman.

It is the bronze one.

It...

It'll do really well.

VO: Woof.

Tim spent a modest �107 on his five lots.

Nigel?

One of the items I really like is the silver hallmarked bookmark letter opener with a lucky horseshoe on it.

Nice old piece, will sell.

Gorgeous.

VO: I'm positively rubbing my hands together.

Well, here we are.

How are you feeling?

I have to admit, I do get nervous before these little auctions.

Cuz...

They are so unpredictable.

We're in the hands of the gods, aren't we?

TM: Right, let's check it out.

IM: Shall we get going?

Yeah, come on then.

VO: First up, I see no ships but I do see Tim's telescope.

I've got 20 bid.

TM: Ooh, straight in.

IM: Straight in at 20.

I paid 21.

NIGEL: 25 bid, at 25.

TM: Yes!

Come on.

Any advance on �25 there?

30.

30 bid, at 30... Oh, here you go.

NIGEL: 32 if it helps.

TM: Yes.

�30 bid.

Hammer's going down at �30... TM: It's going.

IM: Going, going... NIGEL: 35 bid.

TM: Oh!

NIGEL: 35 bid, 35 bid... TM: Just in time... Any advance on �35?

VO: And Tim's made a fine start.

Should I start getting worried?

No.

(CHUCKLES) VO: Irita's first lot is her French jewelry box.

Are you ready?

Yeah, I'm ready.

And we can start the bidding here.

We've got 50 bid, at 50.

�50... TM: Straight in at 50!

IM: What?

Any advance on 50?

Has he actually got a bid?

TM: Yeah.

IM: No!

It's all original.

55 bid.

55 bid, at 55.

Any advance on 55 then?

60.

60 bid, at 60.

You're dancing again.

Any advance on 65?

70 bid, at 70.

Back in at 75.

75?

�75 then.

75 we've got, at 75.

80 bid, at 80 now... TM: �80!

IM: Never!

Any advance on 85?

85 we've got, at 85.

85.

85 it is.

VO: Ooh la la!

I'm very happy for you but also a little bit TM: disappointed for me... IM: (EXCLAIMS HAPPILY) VO: Could she be happier?

It's early days though.

Time now for Tim's horseshoe paper knife bookmark.

I love the little silver hallmarked horseshoe.

IM: Yeah.

TM: It's my little lucky...

Didn't it say "good luck" on it?

Yeah, it's my little lucky buy for the day.

IM: Mm.

NIGEL: I've got 22 bid.

IM: Come on.

TM: Yeah, we've got a way to go.

25, 28.

Any advance on 28?

TM: A little more, come on.

IM: No, no, no, no.

32 bid, at 32.

35, 38.

38...

It's taking you in the profit.

NIGEL: Selling then... TM: Come on!

IM: Come on!

TM: Come on!

NIGEL: 40.

IM: 40.

40, they're back in.

Different platform now, at 40.

IM: Come on... TM: Got myself a little profit.

NIGEL: 42 bid.

IM: You have.

NIGEL: Selling at 42.

TM: No!

Little bit more.

NIGEL: Last chance at �42.

IM: Come on!

VO: That's a tenner for Tim.

I'm happy with a tenner.

IM: All those pounds add up.

TM: They do.

VO: Let's see if Irita can add up some more pounds now with her desk stand with mouse.

Bids online, starts me up at �20.

Oh!

Straight in at 20.

IM: Come on!

NIGEL: It's on �20 for it... TM: Come on!

NIGEL: Go to 22 if it helps.

Bid at 20, any advance on 20 then?

Oh, come on!

Selling then for �20.

No... �20 we have, selling at 20.

VO: Oh no.

Even the mouse can't believe it.

TM: It was a cool quirky thing.

IM: I know.

TM: I liked it.

IM: I'm disappointed.

Sorry about that.

VO: Per ardua ad astra.

Will Tim's RAF cap fly?

Would you have bought it?

No.

No.

OK.

I've got 15.

Bid at �15.

Thought he said 50.

So did I!

I've got 20, bid at 20.

Go to 22 if it helps anyone.

20, any advance on 20?

TM: Stay there, come on.

IM: Come on.

�20 bid, at 20.

Looking for 22.

20 bid, and selling then.

TM: No!

IM: Come on, come on!

NIGEL: �20.

IM: Oh!

VO: Oh, come on, people.

What happened to that Battle of Britain spirit?

I would still stick to not buying it.

VO: Ouch!

Don't hold back, Irita.

Let's see if she can do better with her porcelain trio.

I absolutely love it.

So hand-painted?

IM: All hand-painted... TM: Nice.

..hand decorated, hand gilded.

It's just one.

�20 anywhere for it?

Come on now... TM: Ooh.

NIGEL: �20 surely.

IM: �20.

NIGEL: Tenner for them then.

TM: Come on... NIGEL: �10 for the ceramics.

NIGEL: Fiver then.

TM: (GASPS) IM: Fiver?!

NIGEL: Surely somewhere a fiver.

�5 anywhere?

TM: Oh no!

IM: I'm getting my lip out.

�5 bid, at five.

Any advance on five?

NIGEL: �8 bid... TM: �8.

Shall I like celebrate now?

Selling at �8.

IM: Oh!

VO: Poetic justice perhaps?

What did you pay again?

17.

TM: 17?

IM: Mm!

Oh dear.

VO: Next up for Tim, it's the Great Exhibition pipe.

You only paid �15.

15.

I mean, you can't really lose.

It was in nice condition.

IM: Can you?

TM: So I can't possibly lose.

It's good that it has a name on it.

He started straight in at 15.

15.

Any advance on 15 for it then?

Surely... Can't just start and just stop.

Any advance on 15?

We don't like short and sweet.

At �15.

VO: Tim's not doing well here.

You've got to look at the positives here.

Oh, you deserved to be so much more than that.

VO: Yeah.

Irita's hopes are pinned on a little donkey now.

I think this might be laden with profit.

Those little baskets full of cash.

NIGEL: At �70 bid.

TM: (GASPS) TM: No way.

IM: What?!

Any advance on 70?

75 we've got.

NIGEL: Any advance on 75?

TM: Whoa.

Last chance... 80 it is.

TM: (GASPS) IM: (SQUEALS EXCITEDLY) Any advance on 80 for it?

Selling then at 80.

Surely more, I thought it would be a lot more.

TM: Did you?

IM: He thought it was a lot...

Selling at �80.

VO: Her animal instincts are paying off.

TM: Well done.

IM: �80!

VO: Tim's last chance to catch up.

His Ludwigsburg teacup is under the hammer next.

It was �14.

If you do not make profit on that... TM: There's no hope.

IM: There's no hope.

Start me at �100 anywhere for it?

TM: �100?

IM: What?

NIGEL: �100 anywhere for it?

TM: Oh no, he hasn't got �100, TM: he's asking for it.

NIGEL: 20 then.

TM: Oh, come on.

NIGEL: Tenner then.

TM: No!

IM: Come on!

10 bid, 10 bid online.

I suppose you've got to start somewhere.

It's a bit of a drop from 100, but you know... 18, at �18 bid.

At 18... You've bought the handle, come on.

(THEY CHUCKLE) Any advance on 18?

Selling then.

At �18 it is, selling at 18... VO: Well, it's the price of a box of tea bags.

When he said �100, I thought he had a bid!

I know!

I know.

I thought, "I'm quids in!"

VO: Sadly not.

Can Irita clinch her first victory now with her last lot?

The Bergman bulldog.

This, I am so jealous of.

IM: Goodness me.

I'm... TM: I mean...

I'm nervous, cuz that was my biggest buy.

I've got 60 bid, at 60.

60 bid, at... Ooh!

Straight in.

�60 bid.

65.

70.

IM: Yes!

NIGEL: 70 bid, at 80.

85.

90... Come on, doggy.

90.

95.

100.

NIGEL: 100, at �100 then... TM: They like it, they like it.

NIGEL: At 105.

IM: I said I wouldn't dance IM: but look at me!

NIGEL: Bid at 110.

115.

120.

�125.

Hammer's going down then at �125.

VO: Ha-ha!

It was best in show.

Well done, Irita.

Kerching!

TM: Well done.

IM: I'm in the bucks!

TM: Very, very good.

IM: I'm in the bucks!

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Tim's mixed fortunes reduced his initial �200 by 40p after auction costs, and his piggy now holds �199.60.

While Irita showed her mettle and increased her �200 after saleroom fees to �260.76, making her a winner on her very first Road Trip.

What an exciting start.

I am genuinely thrilled that your first auction went so well for you.

IM: Are you just saying that?

TM: No.

You would never do that, would you?

I wouldn't.

I think this sets you up for a good road trip.

Who's paying for dinner?

TM: Erm, well, you obviously.

IM: What?

TM: Come on.

IM: I didn't...

I didn't know those rules.

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