[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: It's the nation's favorite antiques experts-- What a job.

NARRATOR: --with 200 pounds each-- You with me?

NARRATOR: --a classic car-- Buckle up.

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

Oh, Sorry.

Ha-ha.

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

[AUCTION HAMMER SOUND] But it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners-- Yes!

NARRATOR: --and valiant losers.

So will it be the high road to glory-- [LAUGHING] NARRATOR: --or the slow road to disaster?

Have a good trip.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah.

[HORN HONKING] Hark, the sound of the noble triumph stag bearing our seasoned antiques hunters Charles Hanson and Anita Manning and another day of rambunctious rivalry on the Caledonian roads.

[LAUGHS] I'm now a stag next to my-- next to my dear.

Hello, dear.

[LAUGHS] And I just-- I need to, you know-- like you're stalking these lanes now, looking for my antique kill.

And hopefully, on the chosen two, it'll be our time.

NARRATOR: What is he on, eh?

Charles set out with 200 pounds and made a modest profit last time, giving him a new budget of 223 pounds and 86p, while Anita began with the same amount, but streaked ahead in the last saleroom and starts out in front today with 332 pounds and 26 pence.

But who will wear the crown this time?

Well, I'll tell you, Charlie, I love your bonnet.

[LAUGHING] Well, Anita, you know, just I obviously admire your headdress and I thought I'd wear my hat today as well then.

Do you think we are the glam couple of the Antiques Road Trip?

[LAUGHING] NARRATOR: Yes, yes, yes, you are.

Our debonair duo began in Kilbarchan and will zigzag north and south, crossing and re-crossing the border, before a final auction in North Shields.

Onwards and upwards!

Yes!

Yes!

NARRATOR: Today, they're setting forth from the Kingdom of Fife before wending their way by the banks of the Tay and the Tweed, to auction in Dumfries.

First, to Dunfermline.

The local abbey and palace was once the favorite residence and last resting place of the medieval Scottish monarchs.

Today, our king and queen of antiques are proceeding to Anita's first shop, the enigmatically named Secret Door.

Have a great time.

Bye.

Hello.

Hi.

I'm Anita.

- Hi, Anita.

My name's Stuart.

- Oh, lovely.

Pleased to meet you.

Welcome to the secret door.

Lovely to be in Dunfermline.

This is my very first time in this historic town.

A lot of history, here, a lot of history.

Yeah.

Can I have a good look?

Absolutely.

A good rummage.

I want you to.

NARRATOR: What treasures await our regal one here?

I love these.

It's a flutter of butterflies.

Mid-20th century Scandinavian enameled brooches.

They're absolutely lovely.

They're priced-up, at 35 pounds.

Not dear, but I wouldn't want to buy just one, I'd want to buy the whorl.

NARRATOR: A flutter for another day, eh?

Moving on.

I can't resist cabinets with jewelry and silver.

And that's a bit of oriental silver there.

Now, oriental items are hot in today's market.

There's a set of spoons here.

They are very, very light.

They have a mark on the back, an oriental mark.

I can't read it.

I don't know the date.

I think that these are possibly not terribly old but they do come from China.

I've given a wee bend and silver always has a little bit of give in it.

So I know that they are.

silver.

I know that they are oriental.

They're priced-up, at 55 pounds.

I would need to get them reduced from that price, but I'm going to have a go at them.

NARRATOR: That's the spirit.

Stuart-- Hello.

Do you know anything about the background of them?

I know that the person that they came from, his great aunt was a missionary in China before the war.

Wow.

Nice.

So she picked up little bits when she was out there.

So they're definitely pre-war, I would say.

I was wondering if I could buy them in the round about 30 pounds mark.

Um, if we said 35, how's that?

35 would be absolutely fine with me.

You put them in the counter.

Will do.

I'm going to rummage further.

Keep going.

NARRATOR: Spoons which could surely grace a royal table, eh?

Lovely.

Meanwhile, his lordship has made his way to the lovely seaside village of Aberdour, which faces south, across the islands of the Firth of Forth.

His first shopping destination is Blake's Vintage and Collectibles, so standby.

- Good morning.

- Hello, Charles.

How are you?

I'm very well.

How do you do?

I'm Debbie.

- Hi, Debbie.

I love this shop.

What I'm looking for, Debbie, are the more interesting-- Yeah.

--sleepy objects.

I'm a man who likes real antiques, so anything with a big capital A, I'm after.

NARRATOR: Well, that looks like balls, with a capital B.

[CLATTERING SOUND] NARRATOR: Oh, [LAUGHS] for heaven's sakes, Charles.

I've lost a ball.

Sorry.

NARRATOR: Oh, blimey.

Moving swiftly on.

Is he cute, this little bear.

And I say, a small bear.

I'll take his ribbon off.

He's OK.

I quite like this piece.

He's got this slight hump on the back of his shoulder, which takes us back to the early Teddy bears of, maybe, Chad Valley Chiltern or, of course, the German bears which go back to Steiff.

And you're looking a bit miserable in that his butter nose is slightly tired, but he's got character.

He's early, this bear, I suspect, is certainly 1930s, probably, feeling inside, he appears to be almost wood shaven- or even straw-filled.

He's priced at 45 pounds.

NARRATOR: Time to talk to Debbie.

I like him.

What's the best you could do?

NARRATOR: 20.

- How much?

20.

20 pounds?

Yes.

If you don't ask, you don't get.

Give him a kiss goodbye.

- Aw.

[KISS SOUND] - There we go.

He's off.

Thanks, Debbie.

If I can put him behind your counter-- You can.

--I'll let you take him away.

And I'll keep on my little circuit around the shop.

OK. NARRATOR: And Teddy was very happy because he was chosen to go to the auction.

Stay tuned, boys and girls, to find out how Teddy gets on.

And now, over to Auntie Anita, in Dunfermline, for the next story.

A lovely pair of volumes of the works of Shakespeare.

The outsides are just divine.

They are bound in this wonderful tan leather with gilded tool work on the front cover.

In this volume, the title is "The Works of Shakespeare," with notes by Charles Knight.

Now, Charles Knight was one of the most prestigious publishers in the 18th and 19th century.

And we have a lovely selection of engravings.

Macbeth, with Macbeth dagger, and Lady Macbeth egging him on.

The other volume contains comedies and stories.

Stuart, I'm not a book specialist-- No?

--I've fallen in love with these.

I was looking for sort of, round about 150 for the pair.

I could do them for about 100.

Oh, round about 100.

[LAUGHS] [LAUGHS] I mean, just give me it straight, Stuart.

Give me it straight.

Uh, 90 would be the best I could do on them.

Let's go for it.

Let's take a chance.

I'm delighted with them.

And I hope they bring a smile to my face and don't end in tragedy.

No, no.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: Exit, Anita.

All's well that ends well, eh?

Now, wherefore art thou, Derbyshire man?

Ah, I'm a long way away from home.

I really am.

And then, suddenly, you see a view of Tissington, which is near Ashbourn, about eight miles from where I live in Derbyshire.

It's made at my local factory, Royal Crown Derby.

There's a mark.

Royal Crown Derby date code, probably about 1928.

You've also got a small artist signature WEJD is for William Edward James Dean, a good local artist at Derby in the early 20th century.

How nice.

And quite simply, it's purely a decorative, little picture, which is on this porcelain rocky outcropped back.

And I quite like it.

Debbie, I can see on the back, here, a small label.

It says 30.

Yes.

And the best price would be?

22.

Yeah, I think it's good.

For 22 pounds, I can't say no.

I'll take it.

22 pounds.

Thank you, so much.

NARRATOR: Two items in the old bag and he's still hunting.

There's some really interesting medals in here and mainly they're all World War II.

And you wonder what stories they could tell.

What's quite interesting, though, is there's a very young looking serviceman, here, and it says, on the exterior, "Kindest regards, Gordon, Cairo, 1942."

And there he is.

And in fact, with the small card of him, is this interesting little brooch.

It reads, "Gertrude, with love, from Gordon."

It's, quite simply, a decorative brooch.

On the inside of the star, there, you've got the date 1941.

And on the bottom, very indistinct, but on that yellow gilt tablet, it reads, "Iraq."

Debbie, sorry to be a pain, again, and bother you.

Hi.

There's a, perhaps, a lovely story here, which you might tell me more about.

There's an image here of a young man called Gordon.

I think he was about 17.

He made the brooch for his girlfriend and it's a sweetheart brooch.

It's difficult, Debbie, to put a price on this.

I'd probably want to pay, because it's purely decorative and the value is the emotion, 15 pounds.

I'm happy with that.

So I'll take this for 15 pounds.

Yes.

I'll also, obviously, take the plaque, which is reserved, and also the Teddy bear.

Monty.

NARRATOR: Which makes a grand total of 57 pounds, and concludes a fruitful visit to Aberdour for Charles.

Anita's next stop is 10 miles up the Fife coast, in the ancient borough of Kirkcaldy, once a busy North Sea port, thriving on industries like salt, whaling, and linoleum.

Into this mercantile world of the 18th century, came one of the most influential thinkers of his age, whose ideas are still hotly debated today.

At Kirkcaldy Galleries, Anita is meeting Gavin Grant, and a moral philosopher still very visible in everyday transactions.

Gavin, I've got a 20 pound note in my pocket.

On the back, there is an image of our Kirkcaldy man.

Who was he and what did he do?

Well, that's Adam Smith that we can see on the note and he's one of the greatest thinkers of all time.

He was born here, in Kirkcaldy, in 1723, was educated at local school here, and went on to get further education at Glasgow and Oxford, and he really developed ideas about philosophy, economics, and politics as well, that have influenced generations since the mid-18th century.

NARRATOR: The Scottish Enlightenment, with its flowering of scientific and intellectual thought, was part of a wider European philosophical movement, and Smith was a trailblazer.

He wrote his most famous book, which was published in 1776, which is "The Wealth of Nations."

It was published in London, it's in two volumes, and it sold, at the time, for 2 pounds and 2 shillings.

It's a lot of money at that time.

A lot of money then.

There was 750 copies sold then.

So we are fortunate to have one of them here.

And it went on to become a bestseller by the time that Smith died in 1790, gone through further editions, and it was a best seller.

Are you telling me that a book on economics was a best seller?

That's right.

A sell out!

It doesn't happen very often, but it happened then.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: "The Wealth of Nations," 10 years in the writing, analyzed the creation and uses of wealth and capital within society for the first time, and gave birth to the social science of political economy.

He really was against tariffs and tax, a lot of taxation.

He was more in favor of freer trade across countries, breaking down boundaries.

He wasn't a total advocate of the free market, he was in favor of some government regulation, but he really argued to have deregulation as far as possible.

NARRATOR: Smith's invisible hand theory, that self-interest frequently promotes the interests of society, is often used to paint him as the father of modern capitalism.

But Smith was a moral philosopher who also believed that no society could flourish in the face of widespread poverty.

Those ideas have influenced people across a whole range of political spectrums, from left to right.

NARRATOR: Indeed, Mrs. Thatcher and Kirkcaldy's own, Gordon Brown, are two prime ministers who have each claimed Smith as an inspiration.

Today, the hand of the great man can quite literally be seen in this book, part of the museum's collection.

It's by John Locke, the philosopher.

Adam Smith owned it.

And inside the book, on page 15, I can show you, especially, where there are hundreds of notes.

Now, it's only in the last couple of years that we've found out that these notes were actually written by Adam Smith, himself.

So he would have been sitting at his desk with his inkwell, his pen, and his writing paraphernalia studying that book on writing "The Wealth of Nations."

NARRATOR: And still earning a place in politics and economics more than two centuries later.

I'll never look at a 20 pound note in the same way again.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Charles is traveling north through Fife, turning eastwards at Perth, along the banks of the silvery Tay.

This road runs through the Carse of Gowrie.

In the summertime, a land of strawberries and raspberries, but it's a fine crop of antiques at Michael Young's shop in Glencarse that Charles is hoping for today.

- Hello, sir.

- Hello.

You must be Charles, are you.

- I am.

Your name is?

Michael.

Established, I see outside, since 1887.

We were established in Aberdeen in 1887.

You deal in real antiques.

We try to.

What they call the proper stuff.

Yeah.

Thank you.

I can't wait to go for a wander round, and report back to you, sir.

Excellent.

You're free to look around.

Thank you, very much.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Well, here's those antiques with a capital A.

Just under the chandelier, here, that-- I'm often called hawkeye Hanson, and these might be eagles, in fact, but goodness me.

They are so substantial.

I suspect these eagles are probably late 18th, if not early 19th, century, very much made for a grand tourist.

Pair of eagles, probably Italian, price to you-- 18,000 pounds.

I better fly away and keep dreaming.

NARRATOR: Wakey-wakey, there must be something with your name on it.

On this top shelf is a very attractive pendant, 15 karat, almost got a suffragette feel to it because you've got the sepals, the opals, and the Amethyst.

And this would date to around 1910.

It's very organic.

It's very Art Nouveau and I think it's a beautiful pendant, which, you can see, has also been converted.

So it can be a pendant worn like that for a lady, but also it's been mounted, perhaps, with a later bar to form a bar brooch as well.

It's not labeled.

There's no ticket price to it but it's 15 karat gold.

I'm going to find Michael and find out just how much his Art Nouveau brooch might be.

Michael, hello.

Hello.

I saw earlier and I've gone back to it, this very, very nice Art Nouveau pendant come brooch.

I like it because it's got the Art Nouveau whiplash form.

How much is it, please?

I wanted 95 pounds for it.

Yes.

Fine.

I'll take it.

- Thank you, very much, indeed.

Thank you, very much, sir.

That's very kind of you.

95 pounds.

I think it's a beauty and quality has to rule the mind, and this is an object of great quality.

Now, don't go without your hat because that's, I'm sure, a treasure for you.

- Thank you, Michael.

- There you are, sir.

- Hup!

That's very kind.

- Well done.

[LAUGHS] - More cool.

Take care.

- Goodbye, now.

Bye.

NARRATOR: Somewhere over the rainbow, Anita's waiting.

So how's it been, so far?

Just a journey.

You know, it's a right place, right time, and hopefully you find that pot of gold.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: And you still have tomorrow to find that treasure.

See you in the morning, munchkins.

Nighty-night.

The sun is up and our early birds have flown the coop, landing in the rolling hills of the Scottish borders.

Look at that.

It's just awe inspiring.

Oh, it's wonderful.

And talk about being lost in the most beautiful and poetic landscapes.

This is it.

Oh, Charlie, you're inspired to poetry.

Will you be inspired to make profit today?

All I will say, is my heart is beating-- [LAUGHS] --more and more.

NARRATOR: Yesterday, Anita was swept away by 2 leather-bound volumes of Shakespeare and a set of Chinese silver spoons-- I hope they bring a smile to my face.

NARRATOR: --leaving her with 207 pounds and 26p to spend, while Charles sailed off on a tide of nostalgia for a Teddy bear, a Crown Derby easel plaque, a wartime sweetheart brooch, and an Art Nouveau pendant.

- Give him a kiss goodbye.

- Aw.

[KISS SOUND] - There we go.

He's off.

NARRATOR: Aw.

And that leaves 71 pounds and 86 pence in his piggy.

The Borders is famed for its fishing, Charlie, and we've got the marvelous River Tweed where you fish for salmon and trout.

Are you a fisherman yourself?

Anita, I'm not a fisherman but I must say, you're a good catch.

[LAUGHS] [LAUGHS] Hey, Charlie, have you ever tickled a trout?

And I don't mean an old trout.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: Ahem!

Moving on.

Today, our pair are wending their way to Hawick, a town built on textiles.

The first knitting machine arrived in 1771 and the town still produces luxury cashmere and Merino wool goods for export around the world.

Anita and Charles will hunt for their particular Golden Fleece at the Borders Antique Centre.

I'll take the high road and you take the low road.

- Anita, that sounds fine to me.

- [LAUGHS] Good luck.

I'll see you later.

OK. OK. NARRATOR: Dear, dear-- [LAUGHS] time for some serious browsing.

I like buying pictures.

This pair of late 19, early 20th century pictures have got my attention.

Now, they're presented very well but the actual work, the actual painting is not of any quality.

But at that time, we had what was called itinerant artists or painters who would travel about the country, painting local scenes to be sold to the local people.

They were people who had some facility in painting but they weren't trained artists.

They're priced-up at 65 pounds.

If I can get a reasonable chunk off of that, this might be my lot in the Border antiques.

NARRATOR: Well, that sounds promising.

Now, where did Mr. Hanson go?

On tiptoes.

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

I just-- Sorry, sorry, sorry.

- Charlie, Charlie-- - Yes, Anita?

Yes?

I was lucky with my picture before-- Oh, yes?

--so I've been kind of drawn to pictures again.

Yeah.

I was looking at the companion on the wall.

I thought we could maybe buy one each, go in halves I'll have one, you have the other one.

[LAUGHS] NARRATOR: Nope.

Your companions but no companion pieces allowed.

(WHISPERING) I like that.

NARRATOR: Yes, go find your own antiques.

These are nice.

I quite like these Chinese bowls because, in fact, they're early.

This Chinese bowl is completely beaten but it was clearly admired in its heyday because back in the 1920s or '30s, somebody has put these rivet staples into the body of the bowl to keep it secure and to keep it alive.

On the exterior of the bowl, you've got this predominant green, which is what we know as being famille verte.

And that was a pallet of Chinese color introduced at the end of the Kangxi period, so we know it's about 1700, 1720.

The other one, that's attractive, this is what we call Chinese export market porcelain.

This is Chien Lung in period and would date around 1770.

So this one is later but they're quite nice.

NARRATOR: The ticket price for both is 60 pounds.

Time for a world with shop owner Maurice.

I've spotted these bowls.

OK.

They are beaten, they are a bit bashed.

How much could they be for the pair?

My very best price would be 35.

Is that your very best?

Cash?

It'll be cash.

Oh, yes, it'll be.

30 pound.

Really?

Yeah, I mean, they just are survivors, aren't they?

Like you and me, Maurice, they're alive still.

[LAUGHS] Maurice, I'll take them for 30 pounds.

NARRATOR: And with that gentleman's agreement, Charles' shopping is concluded.

But has Anita made a decision?

You have wonderful furniture in here and I have fallen in love with at least half a dozen pieces.

Very good.

But I don't think I can get them in the back seat of the stag.

Stag, right.

OK.

But these two pictures have caught my eye.

These are not what I would call works of art.

They are decorative pictures.

Mm-hmm.

I would be looking to buy them, say, in the region of 30 pounds.

Is there a possibility that you could come near there?

Can I get a bit nearer 40?

How near?

35.

Let's go, for 35.

NARRATOR: Bravo.

And while Anita puts her booty in the boot, Charles is off, down the road, now, to Hawick Museum for the story of Jimmie Guthrie, a local man turned legendary sportsman.

This is a recording of his voice from 1937 when he shares the thrill of his success.

NARRATOR: Charles is flagging down Richard White to tell us about this Borderer who was once the fastest man in the world on two wheels.

Who was Jimmie Guthrie?

Jimmie Guthrie was a local guy, born in 1897, who went on to become a classic motorcycling legend in the 20s and 30s.

His father was a famous pedal cyclist, who also had motorcycles, and Jimmie became a dispatch rider in the trenches in the Western Front in the First World War.

Their job was to take written information between officers and commanders, possibly under shell fire, and the bikes they had, although they were built lighter, were still heavy to pick up and, say, get out of a trench, or whatever.

You had to learn how to handle those bikes to be a good dispatch rider.

NARRATOR: Guthrie survived the war and returned home to a family business in motor engineering.

But he was hooked on two wheels and joined the Hawick Motorcycle Club.

A teetotaller, he kept himself very fit and developed his own style of riding, bent far forward for maximum velocity.

He bought a motorbike and started sand racing.

Sand racing?

Yeah.

Well, on the east coast of Britain, there are some famous sand racing tracks.

There are Redcar, St Andrews, Aberdeenshire, and he made his name there first.

Was he a daredevil?

Well, I think he was.

He was famous for his handling of Norton bikes and he took corners at amazing speed.

He used to ride with his spanner in his boot, which was quite dangerous if you came off.

A Spanner in his boot, why?

Yep, there's photographs of him.

I suppose, in case he had to stop and adjust the bike.

I don't know but it's a dangerous thing to do.

NARRATOR: In 1928, Jimmie became part of the Norton Motorcycle Team and in 1930, won his first Isle of Man TT, which stands for Tourist Trophy, with an average speed of 64 miles per hour.

I can see, in this room, there's a tremendous number of trophies.

Statuettes of Mercury, yeah.

TT trophies won by Jimmie Guthrie, and two from the Spanish TT in 1933, and a pewter flagon and cups from the Swiss Grand Prix in 1936.

We've seen the trophies and, of course, just behind me, is an actual bike-- Yeah, owned by-- --owned by Guthrie.

--and ridden by him, tuned up by his brother, Archie.

Amazing.

So this bike is probably the bike that led him into the big time.

A family affair, with his brother.

Tuned up, there you go, brother.

Off you go.

Your fortune, your legacy, your fame awaits.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Guthrie was king of the racetracks through the 1930s.

An unassuming man, he even became a poster boy for cocoa.

[CHUCKLES] In 1936, his success at the German Grand Prix brought him, perhaps, his most dubious admirer.

The cup we have, here, was presented to him by Adolf Hitler, the German leader at the time, who, we assume, had wanted to give it to a German rider but that wasn't to be.

And Adolf Hitler was a fan?

I would have said so, yeah.

And obviously, in '37, that was only two years before the outbreak of another war, which, of course, he never saw.

No.

Well, in the last race, his bike crashed into trees.

I think they think it ran out of oil and he had severe injuries, including a head injury.

Had he been leading the race?

He was expected to win and he was lapping a slow rider.

And after he died, a uniformed guard was arranged to take him to the German border, escort him to the German border.

Such was the regard that they had for him.

And the esteem in all that they held in him.

Yeah.

Amazing.

NARRATOR: And at home in Hawick, a three-mile funeral procession paid its own tribute to the town's sporting superstar.

Back on the road now, and stomachs are rumbling.

There's only one dish to eat in this countryside.

Let me guess.

Hold on.

Salmon.

Yeah, that's right.

[LAUGHS] [LAUGHS] - Or trout, Charlie.

- Or trout-- - [LAUGHS] - --or haddock.

Haddock.

So we'll have a lovely fish tea tonight.

NARRATOR: Anita is off to her last shop of the day and Charles has made a request stop by the River Tweed.

Anita told me she would really like fish for dinner tonight and she wants some salmon.

OK, I'm going to get it.

(SINGING) Oh, I do like to be beside the river.

Fishy, fishy, fishy.

NARRATOR: That is not how you guttle a fish, Charles.

I can't see any fish.

The water is so clear.

I can't even see a tiddler, let alone a minnow.

It might be boring, old crumpet tonight, for Anita.

I'm sorry, Anita.

NARRATOR: We'll leave Charles, looking for supper, then.

Where's Anita got to and what's her plan?

I bought three items.

I'm happy with all three of them.

I've get plenty of dosh in my pocket and I want to spend big.

NARRATOR: Our big spender is headed for Innerleithen, a town nestled close to the mighty River Tweed.

This is Walter Scott country and the 19th century writer was a frequent visitor to the spa here at Saint Ronan's Well.

He even used the name as the title of one of his novels.

No spa time for Anita, though.

Her destination is Lou Lou's Emporium.

Hello.

Are you Lou Lou?

- Oh, hello, Anita.

Hi, it's lovely to meet you.

It's lovely to meet you.

And it's lovely to be back in Innerleithen.

Good.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Time is marching on.

Anita has 172 pounds and 26 pence left in her purse and she needs to find auction gold.

Do you know, Lou Lou, when I was a wee girl, I had a budgie called Joey.

Did you?

And it was the spitting image of that one, there.

This is quite interesting.

This is made by the same factory, the same German factory as the little Hummel figures.

Oh, really?

Oh, I didn't know that.

OK. Yeah.

They produced the Hummel figures in 1930.

And it was a nun who designed-- who drew and designed all these little figures and they became hugely collectible.

OK.

This is much later.

Yeah, it is.

But you know, I like it.

NARRATOR: And the pretty boy is priced at 25 pounds.

If I was looking to buy it-- Yeah.

--25 pounds is a bit expensive and I would really be looking, you know, to maybe go about halfway there, which would be about 12 pounds.

OK. Is that at all possible?

Yes.

It's been sitting on a shelf for a little while, so I think it can fly off to a new home, yes.

In Dumfries.

[LAUGHS] Yes.

Is that OK with you, Joey?

[BIRD NOISE] Yeah, sure it is.

Right.

OK. OK.

Thank you.

Thank you, very much.

NARRATOR: This little birdie still needs one more shiny thing.

Happily, she can cast her beady eyes around Keepsakes Antiques, just a few doors down.

Margaret-- Oh, good to see you, dear --lovely to see you again.

Oh, lovely to see you.

Yeah.

I love this shop.

[LAUGHS] Oh, it's nice to have you by.

Can I look around and give you a wee shout?

- Absolutely.

- Terrific.

Now, you go and have a good look.

Margaret, I love this cabinet of silver.

Mm-hmm.

You've got good Victorian pieces, you've got a beautiful Art Nouveau dressing table set, you have the first electric kettle-- [LAUGHS] --so there's a wide range of things there.

But do you know what caught my eye?

This little photo frame.

Mm-hmm.

When I saw it, I thought of modernist design.

Mm-hmm.

I thought of abstract art.

Yeah, it is.

Yeah.

What is the very best that you can do?

Um, well, why don't we see 25.

25?

Is there a wee, tiny more movement on that?

How about 20?

20 would be absolutely fabulous.

That's fine.

NARRATOR: It's closing time and that's our auction lot, all gathered in.

I think she might have the budgie in her Bonnet.

Are you exhausted, my darling?

I think it's all that mental energy and looking at all those wonderful objects and taking it all in.

Yeah and they'll all be off to auction and we've got that to look forward to.

NARRATOR: After that catch of the day, eh?

And some shut-eye.

Robert Burns' old stamping ground of Dumfries is the next stop on our road trip.

Charlie, our second auction.

I can't believe it.

[LAUGHS] I know.

Are you feeling excited?

Yeah, I'm always excited at an auction.

[LAUGHS] [LAUGHS] NARRATOR: Anita and Charles went forth, from Dunfermline, through Fife, and north to Tayside, before heading southwards through the Scottish Borders.

But will the best laid plans for Charles and Anita go awry at Dumfries auction all today?

Well, Anita splashed out a total of 192 pounds on five auction lots.

And Charles shelled out a wee bit less on his five lots, 182 pounds.

So how do they like each other's buys?

Anita?

This Teddy bear's a darling, just like Charlie and just as cuddly.

At 20 pounds, he's got to make a profit on that.

This is Anita's silver photo frame and it actually gives me the heebie-greebies.

The monogram concerns me.

It might be something quite important and might make some serious money.

NARRATOR: What does today's auctioneer David Hill think of what they bought?

The Chinese spoons are my particular favorite item.

And there clearly silver, so they should sell quite well.

The 15 karat gold Art Nouveau brooch, that's a popular item and has been looked at by a number of people.

And I estimate that that should fetch between 50 and 100 pounds.

NARRATOR: So park yourselves and off we go.

OK, Charlie, here we are, a packed saleroom.

This is the moment, isn't it.

Hold tight.

Enjoy the ride, OK. [LAUGHS] [AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: First up, Anita's 19th century rural landscapes.

Any interested?

11, 12-- (WHISPERING) Yes --12, 13, 14, 15, 16, - (WHISPERING) Is that profit?

- --17-- (WHISPERING) No [LAUGHS] (WHISPERING) Sorry.

--18, 19, 20, 20 pounds, 22, 24 at the very back, there.

- (WHISPERING) Yes!

- (WHISPERING) She's doing well.

(WHISPERING) She's good.

28, in the back.

29-- (WHISPERING) Yes!

Selling for 29 pounds only.

There's no further interest.

[AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: The oil's slipped away.

6 pounds lost there.

In your bag, I think that was your weakest lot.

And I think, that's not bad.

Well, onwards and upwards, Charlie.

Exactly, Anita.

NARRATOR: Who will enlist for Charles' wartime sweetheart brooch and photograph?

Do we have 13?

13.

14?

14.

15?

15.

16?

17?

Do you have 17?

You can go to 17.

- (WHISPERING) Go on.

18?

18.

19?

19.

(WHISPERING) One for the road, sir.

20?

Do I have 20?

No, no.

19?

Selling for 19 pounds only, on my left.

[AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: True love always triumphs, forever.

That's life.

Oh, well done, Charlie.

I'm quite happy about that.

And a wee profit.

Exactly [LAUGHS] NARRATOR: Who's a pretty boy, then?

What do we bid for Joey?

11, anybody?

11, 11.

New bid at 12, 13, 14, 15-- (WHISPERING) All right.

--16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32.

Selling for 32 at the back of the hall.

(WHISPERING) What, do I love my birds.

[AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: Oh, for the wings of a budgie.

20 pounds profit for Anita.

Well done.

Well, there you are, Charlie.

Anita, I kid you not, that bird was not cheap-cheap.

NARRATOR: From cheap to chips, it's Charles' 18th century Chinese bowls now.

Any interested at 32?

32?

(WHISPERING) Hello.

35?

(WHISPERING) Go on.

36, anyone?

Looking for-- 36 in the back.

38.

40?

Do we have 40?

41.

42?

42.

43?

Would you bid 43?

(WHISPERING) Oh, it's tough, Anita.

- It'll sell for 42 pounds only.

- (WHISPERING) I'm happy.

I can't grumble with that.

No further bidders.

[AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: No, you can't.

12 pounds to you, sir.

- Well done, Charlie.

- Oh, Anita.

- Well done.

- It's one big-- You bought with your heart, but it paid off.

Exactly.

NARRATOR: Will there be much ado about Anita's leather-bound volumes of Shakespeare now?

Looking for 35, anywhere.

35.

38.

- (WHISPERING) Go on.

40?

Do we have 40?

(WHISPERING) That's OK. 45.

50?

Do we have 50?

50.

55?

60?

65?

Selling for 65, at the very back.

[AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: Love's labor's lost, Anita.

25 pounds, methinks.

Well, again, I've made a loss but it could have-- TOGETHER: --been a lot worse.

NARRATOR: Next up, will the Crown Derby plaque, which reminded Charles of home, appeal in Dumfries?

Start the bidding at 10 pounds.

Any interested?

10?

10.

11?

11.

- (WHISPERING) Let's go.

Let's roll.

13, 14, 15, 16?

15, at the back.

Looking for 16, anyone?

New bidder, 16.

17, 18, 19, 20, 21-- (WHISPERING) Come on!

--22, 24, we might have 24.

26, 28-- (WHISPERING) Here we go.

I'm moving a bit, now.

--30, 32, 35?

35.

38-- - (WHISPERING) Go on.

--40-- (WHISPERING) Go on.

--45, 50, 45.

Selling for 45 pounds only.

(WHISPERING) Go on.

[LAUGHS] [AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: He's doubled his money.

There's no place like home.

I'm really happy-- Yeah.

--because it was such quality, hand-painted by Dean.

I'm over the moon.

NARRATOR: Time, now, for Anita's silver teaspoons to stir up some interest.

20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32-- - (WHISPERING) Well done.

- (WHISPERING) Come on.

Come on.

--38, 40?

Do we have 40, anyone?

40.

Selling for 40 pounds only.

[AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: A modest 5 pound profit, there.

Well, it's licked his face.

NARRATOR: Well, the next lot is Charles' Art Nouveau pendant or brooch.

Auction gold?

Start the bidding with me at 5 pounds.

Looking for 6, anyone.

6.

(WHISPERING) Oh, it's tough.

Oh, it's tough.

[LAUGHS] 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

Now, with you, sir, for 14.

15, 16-- (WHISPERING) We've got a long way to go.

--16 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24-- - (WHISPERING) Keep going.

- --26-- (WHISPERING) Keep going.

--new bidder.

30, 32, 35, 38, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60.

It's with you now, sir, for 60.

Come on.

Keep going.

65, 70.

(WHISPERING) Come on, Charlie.

70, at the front, here.

All done.

Now selling for 70 pounds, at the front.

[AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: It glittered but not brightly enough.

Oh, Charlie, that was-- Frenetic.

--that was very stressful.

[LAUGHS] But, you know, I felt good.

I felt as though I came out the other end in one piece, and that's key.

I'm alive still.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Anita's photo frame is next under the gavel.

Any bids at 10 pounds?

Anybody, 10?

(WHISPERING) All these hammers going up.

11 pounds.

11, at the back.

12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 38?

38.

40, 45, 50, 55?

Selling for 50 pounds.

[AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: What a picture.

30 pounds profit, eh?

You've doubled up.

Look at me.

I'm impressed.

NARRATOR: At last, it was Teddy's turn.

He hoped that someone would think he was a very, very valuable bear, indeed.

Honey anyone?

10 pounds for a Teddy bear.

(WHISPERING) Give him a life.

Go.

he's over there.

13?

13.

13 pounds.

14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.

New bidder.

22, 24, 26, 28?

28.

30, 32, 35, - (WHISPERING) Yes!

- (WHISPERING) Go on.

- --38-- - (WHISPERING) He's gorgeous.

Selling for 38 pounds for the Teddy bear.

[AUCTION HAMMER] NARRATOR: Teddy looks solemn, but inside he was a very, very happy bear.

Charlie, we've worked hard this morning.

I'm hoping we both come out smelling of roses.

[INHALES] Yeah.

[LAUGHS] It's a bit musty in here.

Shall we go for a cup of tea?

Come on.

Let's go for a cup of tea.

NARRATOR: Builder's strength, with extra sugar, I think.

Anita started with 332 pounds and 26p, but after fees, she made a loss today of 14 pounds and 88p.

This leaves her with 317 pounds and 38 pence.

[AUCTION HAMMER] While Charles set off with 223 pounds and 86p, he lost the least today, i.e., 6 pounds and 52p, after auction costs.

We declare him the winner this time, with 217 pounds and 34 pence.

I think this was Charlie's auction.

Get out of here, Anita.

Go ahead.

Follow my lead.

- You're buying the tea.

- Come on.

Come on, then.

A little skip and a hop, a little twirl as well.

There you go.

NARRATOR: And the merry dance will continue on another antiques adventure.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]