[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: It's the nation's favorite antiques experts.

Yes, a good weight.

And it smells.

[BEEP] NARRATOR: Oops.

Steady.

Behind the wheel of a classic car.

Good morning, my lady.

Good morning, Parker.

NARRATOR: And a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Whoopsie.

Come on.

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

But it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners.

Ahhh!

NARRATOR: And valiant losers.

[FAKE CRYING] NARRATOR: Will it be the high road to glory?

It's about winning.

NARRATOR: Or the low road to disaster.

Pop, pop.

NARRATOR: This is the "Antiques Road Trip."

Oh, Yes.

[MUSIC - EUROPE, "THE FINAL COUNTDOWN"] Welcome to a glorious Northumberland, where "Road Trip" veteran Phil Serrell and his fierce competitor Stephanie Connell are embarking on their final voyage in a delectable 1966 Jaguar Mark 2.

It's enough to bring a tear to your eye.

Steph, I've loved this.

I can't tell you how disappointed I am that it's coming to an end.

- I know.

Me, too.

Don't, I'll cry.

NARRATOR: Oh, pull the other one.

Surely, it can't all be a bed of roses.

I hate working with you.

When you say I'm buying things that weren't that fashionable 20 years ago.

Steph, 20 years ago was not a long time ago.

Well, if I bought something from the 50s, that would have been something that my grandparents-- You're just sticking a knife in further now.

--older people would have bought.

All right.

That's it.

Get out.

Honestly, get out.

Out.

Go on.

Out you get.

Thanks, thanks, Phil.

Out you get.

NARRATOR: But Phil's many, many years of experience are knocking Steph into a cocked hat.

She started this trip with 200 pounds, and after four auctions has 255 pounds and 82 pence to spend.

Whereas Phil, who started with the same sum, has stuffed his piggy with an impressive 574 pounds and 30 pence for this final leg.

Amazing.

He's a legend.

I'm going to try and spend some money.

You've got a lot of money to spend.

Yeah, it'd be nice to try and go out in a blaze of glory, wouldn't it?

I am now looking for a miracle.

NARRATOR: Chin up, Steph.

It's still anyone's game.

Our intrepid trippers set out from Cockermouth in Cumbria and journeyed north into Scotland, where they cruised from coast to coast.

Now, they're turning back south, and will be ending this odyssey with a final auction in Darlington County Durham.

But before we hit the sale room showdown, we're starting in the Northumbrian town of Corbridge, known as a shopper's paradise.

Let's see how Phil and Steph fare at their first shop, Corbridge Antique Center.

Ready, steady, go!

NARRATOR: With 40 dealers over two floors, there should be a plethora of possibilities here.

Aye, aye, Captain.

Now, modern antique shops have all kinds of things that are bordering on from your own time.

They're not antiques anymore, they're retro-- and you'll remember them.

So before you had your own smart scale-- before you tracked your fitness-- you would have gone to your local chemist and put your coin in and then weighed yourself on an Avery scale like this one.

PHIL: What are you doing?

Just weighing myself.

Scale-- scales!

There's no money in it, so just says zero.

So that's OK.

I'm allergic to scales.

I keep well away from them.

NARRATOR: Very wise, I'd say.

Come on, Steph, time to get some buys in the old bag.

So in this cabinet, there's this chopper here.

Now, it is described as a three-blade herb chopper.

And I think in the current market, anything to do with your kitchen-- "kitchen-alia," as it's called-- is very popular.

So for 24 pounds to something that you could actually use, but makes a vintage feel, bringing it to your kitchen.

I think at auction, it could do all right.

NARRATOR: So that's one possibility.

Now where's Phil hiding?

Do you know this is what I absolutely love about the antique business?

Because to all intents and purposes, this looks like a butcher's block-- and I love butcher's blocks.

But it isn't.

Butcher's blocks are really close-grained Sycamore.

And Sycamore because there's an antiseptic quality in the timber that ensures there's no bacteria when you cut your meat on the block.

So this is not Sycamore.

And I would suggest to you there's actually no age at all to this top.

And if you look underneath, you've got a Singer sewing machine base.

So what someone's done is got a lot of old timber, made it into a top that looks like a butcher's block, put it on a sewing machine base, and you've got a really cool, sort of, barbecue table.

It's 180 pounds.

I wouldn't want to make it for 180 pounds.

But at auction, I think it's probably 50 quids worth.

NARRATOR: Maybe not then.

Over to you, Steph.

For some reason, I always like rustic tools.

They're interesting for your garden, and they've got a bit of social history.

Now this one is described as a vintage spit used for peat or drainage.

But I just like it because I think it's got good weight, good piece of garden, sort of, salvage, really.

It's 24 pounds.

I would like it to be nearer to 20, but I think it's got potential.

Yeah, I like it.

I might take it downstairs and see what it can be.

NARRATOR: Off she shuffles with her shovel to go and find dealer Alison.

Now, I've seen a couple of things I really like.

The chopper and the spade, coincidentally, they are both 24 pounds each.

OK. What is the best, best, best, best, best price that they could be for the two?

Best, best-- 20 pounds each, so 40.

Oh, lovely.

Great.

I'll take them.

Thanks very much.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Steph's first deals with the day are done for the best, best, best, best price of 20 pounds apiece.

And off she goes, leaving Phil the run of the shop.

Oh.

Now that's a Serrell lot.

That's a salt-glazed, corner trough.

Would have probably fitted in a stable or a manger.

It's salt glazed-- you can tell from this treacle effect.

You, basically, chuck a handful of salt into the kiln, and it gives us this effect.

I would think it's probably early 20th century.

But what looks nice about it is it says it's by Jamison and Son of Corbridge on Tyne, and that's where we are.

So you've got a real good local context there.

NARRATOR: The ticket price is 110 pounds.

We're going to need to talk money again with Alison.

Alison!

I think that's really cool, isn't it?

Definitely, yeah.

What I didn't realize, Jamison and Sons of Corbridge.

Yeah.

It's a local pottery.

They started with, um, sort of, sewage pipes, that sort of thing.

- As they all did.

- Yeah, exactly.

[INAUDIBLE] Yeah.

And then went on to, to this sort of thing later.

And then, they still in business or-- No.

They're not in business now.

There's a street of houses called Jamison Drive where they used to be.

- Really?

- Yeah, yeah.

- That's really cool, isn't it?

Yeah.

110 pounds.

Mm-hmm.

Go on help me.

[INAUDIBLE] 99.

Go on then.

Yeah.

In for a penny, in for 90 pound.

Two, four, six, eight.

Here we are.

Why not?

NARRATOR: With the cash handed over, he's off.

[INAUDIBLE] Mind your back, Phil.

[SMALLPIPE MUSIC PLAYING] In the meantime, Steph's put her shopping on hold to visit Hexham Abbey to find out about Northumbria's very own musical instrument.

She's meeting Andrew Davison OBE, chair of the Northumbrian Pipers' Society.

That was brilliant.

Now, what is it you're playing?

It looks like a bagpipe, but it isn't a bagpipe.

It is a bagpipe.

These are the Northumbrian smallpipes.

The difference here is that we have the air supplied not by blowing into them, but with some bellows down here.

NARRATOR: Whilst the powerful Scottish bagpipes were used to rally troops on the battlefield, the Northumbrian smallpipes evolved into a softer instrument, mostly played indoors to accompany singing and dancing.

So the reason why I've brought you into the abbey is to show you this wonderful carving of a piper.

And here's the mouthpiece, the drones, and the chanter.

Dates back to the 15th century and is one of the earliest representations of bagpipes in Northumbria.

[SMALLPIPE MUSIC PLAYING] Popularity of the pipes grew and grew.

Yes, it did.

STEPH: Wow.

This is quite the collection.

It's fabulous, isn't it?

This is the whole development of Northumbrian pipes, from start to, to modern day.

So we start off at this end with what are known as the Northumbrian half-long pipes, or border pipes.

This is what was being played in the 1600s and before that.

And you'll hear why this sort of instrument largely died out in most parts of Europe.

[BAGPIPE MUSIC PLAYING] Wow.

Very loud.

The real transition took place when we moved to this set here.

This is when they became Northumbrian smallpipe, but you'll hear it's a much, much sweeter sound.

[SMALLPIPE MUSIC PLAYING] So these are now the smallpipes-- and you'll hear, very quiet.

Now we come on to the most modern of sets.

And this is where you have a go.

Oh, is it?

So I'll tell you what, you can put your plaid on.

And what's the relevance of the fabric?

The fabric is the Northumbrian tartan.

And its-- this is the shepherd's plaid from Northumberland, one of the oldest tartans in the world.

It now is recognized as the costume for Northumbrian pipers.

Right.

So I've got the bellows on-- You got your bellows on and your plaid.

--the plaid on.

So now you're ready to go.

So you put that bag under the other arm.

Right.

And plug yourself in across the middle.

OK. That just pushes into there.

Push it in really hard.

There's a hole at the back.

Oh, like a recorder.

Just like a recorder, yes.

Three fingers.

And then four fingers there.

And then you blow them up.

So use your bellows.

All the way out, and all the way in.

Put some air into the bag, and now squeeze.

[BAGPIPE MUSIC PLAYING] ANDREW DAVISON: Fantastic.

When you get that funny noise, it means there's a finger not quite on the charter.

STEPH: OK. Now lift one finger.

Brilliant.

NARRATOR: In 1756, the Countess of Northumberland appointed an official piper to her household, who played at the coronation of King George III.

A ducal piper has served the region ever since.

The official duties include playing at all major family events, but also playing at the Shrove Tuesday football match, which is another long-standing tradition in the region.

And at that event, the football is thrown by the duke from the castle battlements while the piper plays.

And then the piper leads the players down onto the football pitch.

Fantastic event.

STEPH: Wow.

[SMALLPIPE MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: Northumbria now proudly stands as the only county in England that's maintained its tradition of regional bagpipes.

Wonderful.

How lovely.

Phil, meanwhile, is marching to the beat of his own drum and venturing 10 miles east to Horsley.

See, I think that I've been really lucky on this road trip.

I've had the rub of the green.

And Steph, bless her, I don't think she has had that much luck.

So I've just got to hope that our respective fortunes don't change for this last auction.

NARRATOR: Well, fortune favors the brave, Philip.

Time to stride boldly into Graham Smith Antiques.

[MUSIC PLAYING] But I think they're really fun things.

NARRATOR: These carpenter's mallet would be used to drive chisels or knock pieces of wood together.

Wooden mallets don't deform metal tools and offer the craftsmen better control than a hammer.

That's got a lovely color if you look at that one.

Just look at that timber.

They're made out of composite of different woods-- some ash, some fruit wood, might be a bit of walnut.

I mean, you've got all sorts there.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-- 6 of those.

So you got a ticket price here of 240 squid.

I'd like to buy those for 20 pounds apiece, which is like 120 quid.

And if I was pushed, I could probably go 150.

I want to have a look around.

Oh, [INAUDIBLE].

This is a really wonderful shop.

And it's got some beautiful things in here.

But if ever you read of a break in here and the only thing that was stolen is this, it's me.

NARRATOR: We are watching, you know?

Because I just think that's absolutely marvelous.

This is a regency letterbox.

And this would either have sat in a gentleman's office or sometimes even on the-- a whole table in a large country house.

And if you were wanting post to go out, you popped it in here.

And then the footman or the butler or your member of staff would have come and collected the post and posted it for you.

So in date, this is about 1800-1820.

And the price-- it's 685 pounds.

So it's just a tad out of my price range.

NARRATOR: Yeah, just a tad.

Those are lovely.

And you know what?

I have never seen enameled bin labels.

These would be in a gentleman's cellar.

And the best ones to have are claret.

But, you know, they're normally in porcelain.

They're ceramic with script written on them.

But these I just think are really lovely.

We've got sherry, Madeira-- Madeira, gin-- gin, so there's a set of three here, which are 160 pounds.

Three there, 160 pounds.

One there, 40 pounds.

But if I bought them, I think I'd probably like to buy a Madeira and a sherry, because that kind of goes together.

So they might be an option-- for my other lot.

I think they're really good somethings.

Happy days.

NARRATOR: And it seems our Phil's not done yet.

That's a cool thing.

So this is a-- for want of a better word, it's a toast rack.

It's an expanding one.

And, um, thick slice-- thin slice.

But what's really interesting about this-- look.

You've got a little engraving here of a sol--of a soldier.

It looks like it could be Stanley Baker in the film "Zulu."

And then these tents are in the background.

Then on the reverse, you've got-- I think it's the love of his life-- waiting for him to return from across the water.

Silver plated, priced up at 68 pounds.

Which would I prefer?

I'd rather have the wine labels.

But you never know.

I'm going to go and see if I can have a deal with Graham.

Wish me luck, because I am going to need it.

NARRATOR: Go get him, tiger.

PHIL: Graham.

Hi, Phil.

How we get on?

I got to tell you, I think you have a fabulous shop.

- Thank you.

- I really do.

- That's very kind of you.

- I really, really do.

You've got things that I would love to buy-- a lot I can't afford.

Right.

But I've seen three things.

OK. OK. Oh, yeah.

This came in.

It's very cute.

PHIL: I think it's worth not much.

GRAHAM: Yeah-- PHIL: Until you see that [INAUDIBLE].. GRAHAM: --but it raises it a little bit.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Yeah, it does.

--and also, I was hoping I'd forget these in my pocket.

All right.

I just love these.

GRAHAM: Yes.

NARRATOR: Oh, don't break them.

Hm.

I just-- I mean, I've never seen them in enamel before.

GRAHAM: No, you're quite right.

And the other thing I love-- those handbell thingamajigs.

GRAHAM: Oh, yes.

PHIL: What's the best on those?

The death to you on the trade would be 160 pounds and that's it.

PHIL: And what about these two.

Well, that's priced at 68 pounds.

Yeah.

The trade price on that-- you could have them-- 45 pounds.

Yeah.

GRAHAM: I know this is two out of three, isn't it?

PHIL: Yeah.

GRAHAM: You can have the two for 100 pounds.

The bells are 160?

160.

PHIL: I'll have those.

GRAHAM: OK. All right.

And you've got these at 100 pounds, and I'm at 45 quid.

GRAHAM: Yeah.

I'll give you 200 pounds.

That's me done for that and your handbell things.

That's squeezing-- Yeah, it's not much difference.

It's squeezing a fiver off you.

OK, then.

All right.

PHIL: You're a gentleman.

Thank you very much.

NARRATOR: Phil's coughed up 160 pounds for the set of six carpenter's mallets and 40 pounds for the toast rack.

All in all, it's a good day shopping.

Time to pick up Steph.

Do you know where we're going?

Where does the sun rise?

In the east, isn't it?

The sun rises in the east.

So if that's true, so if wait till morning, then we'll be able to know which direction to go.

We could sleep in the car-- You worry me sometimes, Steph.

NARRATOR: Probably best to dig out the maps then, you two.

Good luck and nighty night, eventually.

It's a glorious morning in County Durham.

And up and at 'em are our two antiquers.

PHIL: Go, Steph, go, go, go, go, go.

NARRATOR: They're cruising the country lanes in their Jaguar Mark 2.

(sing song) Horses on the road.

I could buy one of these with what I got left.

NARRATOR: All this country air is sending them barking mad.

I used to like Scooby-Doo.

PHIL: I used to love Scooby-Doo.

(SCOOBY-DOO VOICE) Raggy.

Yeah.

Do it again.

(SCOOBY-DOO VOICE) Raggy.

NARRATOR: They've gone totally cuckoo.

I think it's best if we get back to the task in hand.

Our Cumbria girl developed a hankering for horticulture yesterday-- splashing out on a herb cutter and a shovel.

Might be onto a winner.

NARRATOR: She's left with just shy of 216 pounds for her final buys.

Phil made three purchases yesterday-- the manger, toast rack, and his most expensive buy of this trip, the six wooden mallet.

Any buyer's remorse, Phil?

Spent 160 pounds on one thing, but I think this could also make 45 quid.

Oh.

Yeah.

Why did you buy it then?

I don't know what I was thinking of.

Could it be the dearest firewood the world's ever seen?

NARRATOR: And Phil's still got over 280 pounds burning a hole in his pocket.

After offloading her fellow tripper, Steph's motored to the former colliery town of Stanley.

I've got quite a lot of money to spend, so that's good.

Always good to have a decent amount of money to spend.

NARRATOR: With her purse bursting at the seams, she'll be mining for treasure in the unashamedly quirky Raine and James Antiques and Vintage interiors.

He doesn't look impressed.

[MUSIC PLAYING] This, I really like.

And the reason I like it is because it's quirky, vintage, unusual, and something that I've very seldom seen in any antique shop or auction.

So optician's eye test chart-- electrical, all the different relevant pieces.

It is in reverse because when you're in an opticians, if you think about it, you are looking into a mirror that's on the wall.

It's got different original features like this light switch here-- switch that on and off.

You can change these here.

NARRATOR: The machine dates from around the 1970s.

It could make a wacky talking point for a home.

Where's the shop owner, Phil?

STEPH: How are you doing?

I'm very well, thank you.

STEPH: I'm having a great time in your shop.

- Lovely to meet you-- - Nice to meet you too.

- --glad you like it.

- Oh, it's really fun.

Love it.

- Cool.

Very cool.

Now, the main thing I was interested in-- PHIL: It's a beauty.

STEPH: --is this optician's machine.

PHIL: Absolutely cool.

I really like it.

Now I've had a little twiddle with this bit to turn it around.

And I can see it's got the original lights and everything on it.

Now it's 140.

What is your best, best, best price?

I will go best, best, best, price-- and you're here-- and don't bid me-- 100 pound.

100 pound.

Deal.

I'll take it for 100.

PHIL: Yeah.

NARRATOR: Didn't take her long to clap her eyes on it, and it's a quick deal too.

Steph spent almost half of her remaining cash on the ophthalmology eye chart.

Fingers crossed it pays off.

Ha!

[MUSIC PLAYING] Let's catch up with Phil, 10 miles away in Springwell.

This area was mined in Victorian Britain for coal to power the Industrial Revolution.

Blacksmiths like John Jeffrey were tasked with keeping the miners tools in check.

In the 19th century, what type of things would a blacksmith have produced here?

The blacksmiths would have produced anything to contain coal, and then all the maintenance.

So I noticed you've got a-- is that a pick in your hand?

That is the miner's pick, yeah.

PHIL: Right.

And what was your role with that then?

My role would be, maybe, sharpen 200 or 300 hundred of them in a day.

200 or 300 in a day?

In a day.

How did you do that?

In the fire.

I'm gonna put this in the fire.

PHIL: Yeah.

NARRATOR: Don't try this at home if you've got any blunt picks hanging about, folks.

JOHN: Heat it up, trim the end off, and then sharpen the pick as it should be sharp for the miners.

And how long does a sharpened pick last?

Well, depends on how hard they work.

One shift?

JOHN: It'll last you-- they'll get a shift or two shifts out of it.

Right.

[INAUDIBLE] Cut the butt end off.

Yeah.

[HAMMERING] I'll show you what to do.

[HAMMERING] John, stand back.

Hot, very hot.

- Stand back.

- Very hot.

Just hold the tip.

That's it.

Oh.

You've took over.

PHIL: Hey, look at that.

Get your coat off, John, get your coat off.

JOHN: I'm gone.

Stand back.

PHIL: Really?

NARRATOR: After it's sharpened, the pick is cooled rapidly in oil.

You are the genie of the chisel.

[LAUGHS] Genie of the chisel, oh yeah.

[COUGHING] Gordon Bennett.

NARRATOR: As the demand for coal increased, the labor force grew.

But the mines needed an efficient way to get the coal to market.

The answer-- rail.

Guide Jeff Morrison is here to keep Phil on the right track.

Ha!

Who writes this stuff?

This whole area of the northeast of England was probably the, the biggest coal field for a long while-- PHIL: Really?

JEFF: --before others opened up.

So.

We're talking in terms of hundreds of thousands of employees, underground and aboveground, moving the coal around in those days.

That's massive, isn't it?

JEFF: Yes.

Whole communities grew up.

The village of Springwell, here, didn't exist before the mine opened.

NARRATOR: In the early days, the coal was transported to the river Tyne by horse and cart.

A better solution was needed, and it came from one of the brightest minds at the time-- engineer George Stephenson.

Well, we are trying to get to the river Tyne, which is down here to the east of us.

PHIL: And how far is that down there, the Tyne?

To the bottom of the incline here is about a mile and quarter.

And then, there's about another four miles around to Jarrow where the staves were.

And deep water on the Tyne would allow sea-going collier's, many of which are going down to London, to supply the new demands for coal in the [INAUDIBLE]..

So that's the North Sea just there.

The North Sea's just over here, yeah.

The system he's put in here uses the terrain to his advantage.

So the full wagons going down-- full of coal-- down this incline are connected by a continuous rope to the empties at the bottom of the hill.

And as the fulls go down, they will pull your empties back up.

NARRATOR: By the time it was completed in 1855, the Bowes railway was 15 miles long.

It comprised of seven rope-worked inclines and four locomotive-worked sections.

At its peak, it handled over one million tons of coal per year.

George Stephenson made his mark here, and his inventiveness would earn him the moniker of the "Father of the Railways."

Jeff are you kind of claiming that the northeast, then, is the birthplace of the railway systems.

Yeah, I think other parts of the country would put their claim in, but this is where it really exploded with major innovations.

The Stockton and Darlington railway is generally attributed as the first public steam-operated railway in the world.

And that opened in September 1825, this railway, the Bowes, January 1826.

So they're contemporary, and Stephenson was involved with both-- the development of both.

NARRATOR: Stevenson's early pioneering railways, like here at Bowes, proved their worth.

And by 1870, Britain had over 13,000 miles of railroad.

Pretty impressive.

Back to Steph, now.

She's on her way to the village of Cleadon.

Phil has a very big lead, and there's not that long left.

It's my last shop of this road trip, sadly.

NARRATOR: There's no time to waste then, Steph.

She's headed into Cleadon Antiques and Gifts with just over 115 pounds in her pocket.

So they've got a little cabinet of silver pieces.

Let's have a look what's in here.

They have this little mustard pot.

It's got a good clean hallmark on the underneath for Chester.

And they've dated it already, it looks, as 1898.

Solid silver.

It's got quite a little bit of damage.

It's got a spoon with it, but always check if the spoon matches.

In this case, it doesn't.

It's a Mappin and Webb spoon, so it's not the same maker as the mustard pot itself.

And it's also silver plated and not silver.

It has a liner inside, but the liner doesn't really fit.

So I think, normally, the liner would fit pretty flush so that it's easy to use, which it doesn't.

It would need to be pretty reasonably priced, really, for me to consider it.

It's 55 pounds.

I think unless it was about 20, then I probably wouldn't be looking to buy it.

NARRATOR: Perhaps pass on the mismatched mustard pot and browse on.

In the meanwhile, where's Phil got to?

He's made it to Newcastle's fashionable district of Jesmond-- half an hour away-- home to Fern Avenue Antiques Centre, an emporium with 17 dealers.

It's also Phil's last chance to find some winning wares with his remaining 284 pounds.

This is a really cool thing.

This is [INAUDIBLE].

It's a push-along child's bear, and I think he's absolutely lovely.

I'm guessing he dates from probably the 1920s or thereabouts.

And look at that face.

How can you not fall in love with that?

I'm not even going to ask the price, because I know this is going to be way out of my price range.

But I would love to own that.

Just imagine the child's face who woke up on Christmas morning all those years ago and found this at the end of their bed.

He's lovely.

NARRATOR: Oh, you big softy.

Oh, I like that.

That is a very cool thing.

I know I keep saying it, but in this business now, we're not selling an antique, you're selling someone a look.

And I think this has just got a fantastic look.

Now, this is Continental.

It's either Continental or it's English from someone who really, really, really can't spell.

Because "coffee" is spelled K-O-F-F-I-E. NARRATOR: Hey, it's Dutch spelling, Phil.

This is going to be a great thing for a decorator.

The type of thing that I think-- well, if you've got a coffee shop, what a great thing to have on display.

You could make it into the best lamp in the world.

I really love that.

I don't know how much it is.

No price on it.

I'm just going to go ahead and take this down to Giuseppe and see what he says.

Actually, it's not that heavy.

Whoa.

NARRATOR: With Phil hoping the auction will be bursting with baristas from Holland, let's see how Steph's getting on back in Cleadon.

Ah!

She's found owner Judith-- and something else by the looks of it.

STEPH: Now, I've seen this gramophone cabinet hiding away.

And it looks like it's probably a nice one, am I right?

It's wonderful.

It just came in last night, into the shop.

It's in excellent condition.

And you can take it out on a picnic.

STEPH: Really?

Take the whole thing out on a picnic?

Yes, it's called a picnic gramophone.

STEPH: Right.

JUDITH: Would you like to wind?

STEPH: Yeah.

Play it.

[RECORD PLAYING] STEPH: It really is nice.

[INAUDIBLE] And it's got lots and lots of spare needles.

Lovely.

Now, I noticed down on the floor, there's all records.

Do they go with it?

JUDITH: The records come with it, yes.

It's really nice.

I really like it.

I haven't even looked at the price, so I'm just going to ask you straight out.

What could it be?

What's your best, best, best price for the cabinet and all the records.

I could do 60.

60?

60 for the records and the cabinet.

OK. Well, I think I'm going to take the cabinet with all the records, and I might carry on doing a little bit more shopping, if that's OK?

JUDITH: Mighty fine.

STEPH: All right.

Great.

Well, we'll shake on the cabinet.

Thanks very much.

So 60 pounds for that.

Straight in, straight out.

STEPH: Yeah.

If everything was like that, I'd be a millionaire.

NARRATOR: Steph's a woman who knows what she likes Judith.

Right.

Let's catch up with Phil down the road in Jesmond.

I quite like that.

It's some arts and crafts copper priced up at 95 pounds.

And it's actually really got a look to it.

It's probably 1910, something like that.

But I love these feet here.

And it's kind of beaten copper, which is typical of that period.

Would you polish it up?

Well, no I wouldn't.

You can see that you've got this verdigris on the inside, which gives you some indication of the metal.

But I think that's a really cool thing.

Is it a cold box?

No.

I think you probably keep your aspidistra in it.

But I just love that.

Simplistic, but again, it's got a look.

Dennis?

DENNIS: Yes.

I love that-- your shop's looking as good as ever.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: I think you'll have to work harder, Phil.

I love these two.

That's got a 95 pound price ticket on it.

That, I couldn't see a price ticket on.

No, that's just come in.

Has it?

It might just be going out.

The very best on that would be 150.

And the copper pot, 80 pound.

So my reckon that's 230 quid, is that right?

Yes.

PHIL: Lovely.

NARRATOR: And that's a wrap for Mr. Serrell.

Back in Cleadon, can Steph find anything else before the final whistle?

Further to my industrial theme, a pair of kitchen scales.

They've obviously been shabby chic'd or repainted at some point recently, in this, kind of, funky blue and green color.

Got the weights.

Good quality pair of scales.

They're 15 pounds.

Can I pick these up?

Oh gosh, they're heavy.

Don't dare put these on your glass cabinet.

Set them right there.

You sure?

Yeah.

STEPH: Can I lift it that high?

That is the question.

Oh.

There we go.

Well, I'm not surprised-- there's quite a few weights on there.

I quite like these-- I think they're fun.

And they are 15 pounds, is that right?

WOMAN: That's right.

I think I'm going to take them.

Is that all right?

WOMAN: That's fine.

STEPH: Lovely.

WOMAN: Thank you very much.

NARRATOR: Adding the kitchen scales to the gramophone and records, Steph's got a full house of goodies for the final auction.

Shopping concluded.

Let's point the Jag to Darlington.

So it's on to the auction now, isn't it?

Yeah.

Our last auction.

We are going, going, gone.

Yeah.

Finito.

[RASPBERRY] Out the window.

It's gone so quickly.

I know.

I am anxious about the auction.

Oh, I think you'll be fine.

Will just make me one promise?

What?

When you get to the auction, don't laugh.

NARRATOR: Anyone else sensing some last-minute jitters?

Let's hope they can settle down enough for some shut eye.

The sun is shining on Phil and Steph's deciding auction in Darlington.

On this final adventure, they toured Northumberland and Tyne and Wear before turning back south into County Durham.

Now for the final reckoning at Thomas Watson Auctioneers.

That is a lovely dress, you know?

Thank you.

You are very smart today.

I am impressed.

Weddings, christenings, and funerals.

Is that-- which one is this?

I hope it's not the latter.

NARRATOR: Steph started with a slimmer wallet, spending 215 pounds on five lots.

But does Phil think she's been canny with her cash.

I really love this.

I think Steph brought a really, really cool thing.

And I keep saying, you don't buy and sell objects anymore.

You buy and sell a look.

And I think that's a really cool look.

It's a great talking point.

And I wished I'd seen it.

I don't know about eyes, but that could give me a headache.

NARRATOR: Phil's own buys have also been giving him a furrowed brow.

He spent more than twice as much as Steph, 520 pounds-- again on five lots.

But is he right to be worried?

I like this big coffee can.

I like that it's European, a little bit different, and I like the color.

But I still think Phil paid a lot-- he paid 150 pounds.

And I could see it making-- I could see it making a 100, but I think 150 might be a stretch.

Yeah, might need caffeine for this one.

NARRATOR: Holding court today is auctioneer Peter Robinson.

What does he make of our pair's purchases?

Well, this is one of the six bell-shaped wood carver's mallets.

Wood carvers use these as mallets because they have a softer application than something made of metal.

I wouldn't say that they're a terribly rare, but there are six of them in the lot, so I'm hoping that we'll definitely get some following for these.

The herb cutter.

That's a really sturdy item-- almost dangerous for use.

It'll sell, I'm sure of that, but it's going to be in the low tens.

NARRATOR: With bidders this in the room, on the phone, and on the internet.

Fingers crossed they're here for mallets and herb cutters, hey?

AUCTIONEER: [INAUDIBLE] This is a beautiful room, isn't it?

It's a-- it's a fabulous room, isn't it?

NARRATOR: First up.

Are the good people of Darlington keen diggers?

We have 10 pounds.

Bid for it at 10 pounds.

15 pounds.

15 on bid.

20, 20.

Can I have 20?

25.

25, gentleman upstairs on the left.

30 bid.

35, 40, 45.

40 pounds in front of me.

At 40 pounds and selling now.

Bid's upstairs at 40 pounds.

NARRATOR: That's a nice start for Steph.

Might buy more spades in future.

Absolutely right.

Quite like that.

NARRATOR: Next up-- Phil's manger.

40 pounds bid.

Start at 40 pounds.

45 upstairs.

At 45.

45.

What was paid?

AUCTIONEER: 60, 65-- Don't remind me.

--70, 75, 80, 85.

85 in the balcony.

90-- Still going.

--95, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140-- - I knew it all the time.

- Oh, I'm done.

You knew all the time.

- No, I knew it all the time.

I just knew it all the time.

- It's local.

That's why.

AUCTIONEER: --in the balcony at 130 pounds and selling at 130.

All done.

NARRATOR: What a start, Phil.

Kicking off with a great profit.

90 quid.

How did that happen?

Master at work.

That's what it is.

NARRATOR: Now, let's see if there are any keen bakers in the room.

10 pounds, 15.

Can I say 15 on the internet?

20 pounds-- Oh, that's surprising.

--at 20 pounds, selling on the book at 20 pounds for the lot.

Now we'll finish at 20 pounds.

All down.

NARRATOR: Oh, another ounce of profit for Steph.

I'm actually delighted with that.

Well, that's a profit.

NARRATOR: Phil's collapsible toast rack is next.

Bid in the room at 25 pounds, at 35-- Oh no, there's a bid, gentleman seated.

--45, 55, 65.

60 seated on my right.

At 60 pounds and selling.

All down.

NARRATOR: Can't complain about that.

You're making it loads of money.

Yeah, but I've got some real my big ticket numbers [INAUDIBLE], aren't they?

I could absolutely crash and burn on the next two.

NARRATOR: Now, Steph's herb cutter.

Good piece of kitchen-alia here.

10 pounds to start, 10 pounds to start.

15, 20, 25, 35.

40, sir.

40 upstairs.

And selling at 40 pounds the lot.

All finished.

NARRATOR: A nice slice of profit.

Well done, Steph.

It's absolutely fine and dandy, isn't it?

Yeah, it's good.

NARRATOR: Now, can Phil's coffee canister leave him full of beans.

50 pounds for the large canister.

At 50 pounds, 60, 70, 80-- Here we go, here we go, here we go.

AUCTIONEER: --100, 100 with Colin.

At 100 bid.

110, 120, 130, 140.

140 the bids in the room with Colin.

NARRATOR: Oh, Colin's keen.

AUCTIONEER: Selling now.

All finish at 140.

NARRATOR: Phil was a little ambitious with that one.

Bad luck.

You lost a little bit, but not too much.

You thought you were going to get wounded there.

I thought-- wounded-- I thought I was going to get impaled.

NARRATOR: Now, for Steph's most pricey purchase of this road trip-- the optician's equipment.

30 pounds I'm bid.

30 pounds, 5 anywhere?

35 bid in the middle of the room at 35, 40, a good wall piece.

40, 45, 50, 55, 50 pounds and I'm bid.

At 50 pounds.

It's all finished, and selling at 50 pounds.

All down.

NARRATOR: Ouch.

I didn't see that coming.

Maybe I do need my eyes tested?

Well, if you do, I'm with you.

I thought that would absolutely fly.

No, died.

NARRATOR: Now, it's Phil's most expensive buy, and one that's been giving him the willies.

50 bid.

Thank you at 50 bid.

5 can I say?

5 I have.

60 bid, 5, 70, 5, 80-- Oh, you'll be all right.

--80 commission bid out on the internet.

At 80 pounds, commission bid at 80 pounds, 85 in the room now on my right, 85 pound.

Gentleman seated to my right at 85 pounds.

And selling now at 85 pounds for the lot.

NARRATOR: Oof, he was right to be worried.

I actually really like those.

I like them too.

But I think unless you physically handled them, unless you were-- the person that bought them was here-- I think unless you were here, it's hard to know what was nice, though.

That was like 15 quid apiece.

It's cheap.

NARRATOR: That loss means Steph's in the lead.

Can she extend it with her final lot?

Here we go.

20 pounds bid, 20 pounds bid, 25 bid, 30 bid, 30 bid, 40 bid, 40 bid against internet.

45 internet bidder, at 50.

Thanks, Colin.

50 in the room now.

Internet sale at 50 pounds.

And selling at 50 pounds at the back of the room.

NARRATOR: It's a bargain for the bidder, but a dent in Steph's profits.

Sad times.

NARRATOR: Phil's got some catching up to do, and his last chance lies with the jardiniere.

At 50 pounds.

Low start at 50 pounds.

Five can I say.

At 5 a hub.

At 60, at 60 bid with me against the net, at 60 pounds, 65, can we have?

65, 70 with me, 70 with me.

At 75, 80 with me, 80-- He's going 80 pounds.

80.

He's going on.

--80 bid.

5, 95, and 95, 100-- You're going to get 100.

AUCTIONEER: --10, 110?

AUCTIONEER: --20, 130, 140, 140 commission bid.

At 140.

And selling now at 140 pounds commission bid.

At 140.

All finished.

NARRATOR: The master strikes again.

But is it enough to crown him a winner?

I think I might have snuck ahead.

You--you think.

I think I might have just snuck.

- You think?

- I think so.

Yeah.

I don't really think we need the calculator.

Come on then.

NARRATOR: Well, luckily for you two, I'm a whiz at the maths.

Go on, lovely.

Thank you, Phil.

NARRATOR: Now, time for the calculations.

Steph started out with just under 256 pounds.

But after today's auction costs, she's made a loss.

Bringing her final tally to 204 pounds and 82 pence.

Phil began with 574 pounds and 30 pounds.

After [INAUDIBLE] room costs, he too made a loss.

But his final figure stands at 509 pounds and 40 pence.

Making our "Road Trip" veteran a victor once more.

All final profits go to children in need.

How sad is that?

That's it.

It's over.

It's all done and finished.

Highlight for you?

Meeting you.

Oh, that's so lovely.

Highlight for you?

No one else got me in a suit, Steph.

NARRATOR: Don't they make a picture-perfect pair?

Well, folks, it's been a hell of a ride.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Go, Steph, go, go, go, go, go.

NARRATOR: We've had some action-packed adventures.

I'm actually the captain-- Captain Serrell.

Yay!

I'm not too fond of heights.

Wow, I struck gold!

NARRATOR: But times, it's been a real mouthful.

They're really good.

NARRATOR: But it's time to bid our colorful characters a very fond farewell.

You all right, Mum?

(QUEEN'S VOICE) I'm very well thank you.

You can call me Philip.

(QUEEN'S VOICE) Philip.

[MUSIC PLAYING]