

Natasha Raskin Sharp and James Braxton, Day 5
Season 28 Episode 15 | 43m 37sVideo has Closed Captions
Creepy dolls, conjuring and cowboys feature in this final showdown at auction.
Scotland is Natasha Raskin Sharp and James Braxton’s final stop. Our pair hit the shops from Alexandria to Glasgow, with James being drawn to big and colorful items, but it’s a small-but-heavy object with a mystery purpose that might yield the best return. Natasha has an eye for the unusual, with one item conjuring up a memory of her grandfather and another reminding her of James.

Natasha Raskin Sharp and James Braxton, Day 5
Season 28 Episode 15 | 43m 37sVideo has Closed Captions
Scotland is Natasha Raskin Sharp and James Braxton’s final stop. Our pair hit the shops from Alexandria to Glasgow, with James being drawn to big and colorful items, but it’s a small-but-heavy object with a mystery purpose that might yield the best return. Natasha has an eye for the unusual, with one item conjuring up a memory of her grandfather and another reminding her of James.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship(CAR HORN) VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts... Howdy, li'l lady.
VO: ..behind the wheel of a classic car... Oh yes!
VO: ..and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.
Looking for some bargains?
VO: The aim... MARGIE: Yay!
VO: ..to make the biggest profit at auction.
But it's no mean feat.
There'll be worthy winners...
Yes!
It is my lucky day!
VO: ..and valiant losers.
I actually can't believe that.
Annoying.
VO: Will it be the high road to glory... Yo, yo, yo!
VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?
This is Antiques Road Trip.
Yeah!
VO: There's a whiff of heather and the distant sound of pipes on the breeze, as two antiques experts head towards Scotland.
James, we're almost done.
It is the last leg.
It would bring a tear to your eye, wouldn't it?
VO: (PRETENDS TO SOB) Oh, it does!
Our road tripping best buds Natasha Raskin-Sharp and James Braxton are nearing the end of the road.
I'm so used to you now, you've become... People talk about their work husbands and their work wives, don't they?
You're my work husband for now.
Aww, I'm honored.
Definitely... We're husband and wife for now.
Husband and wife.
But not for long, the divorce is imminent!
VO: But they seem so right together.
Natasha.
VO: Last time out, our perfect couple were even sharing the same hobbies.
NATASHA: Oh, that was actually quite good.
We're getting better.
VO: But their purchases couldn't have been more different.
NATASHA: What is wrong with these designers?!
It doesn't look like Victoria at all.
JAMES: Well, I don't know what it is, but it certainly passes the Braxton weight test.
VO: And whilst neither of them shone at the auction... OK, listen, £2 loss.
VO: ..James fared particularly badly.
I'm giving a big smile.
NATASHA: Smile through it.
Yeah, yeah.
VO: So, with three auctions to one, it looks on paper like Natasha can't be beaten.
But James isn't going to let a little thing like that get in his way, oh, no.
It doesn't matter what's happened behind us.
That's behind us.
Yes.
The fifth and final auction is THE auction, isn't it?
It is the auction.
Have you brought a nice outfit for it?
Are you going full tux, or what are you thinking?
I'm thinking blue.
Blue...!
Are you thinking navy blue?
JAMES: I'm thinking navy blue.
NATASHA: Cravat?
JAMES: Cravat.
NATASHA: Waistcoat... JAMES: A waistcoat.
NATASHA: Right.
Your outfit, basically.
VO: He's nothing if not consistent.
So, it's one last run out in 1967 Daimler Sovereign.
A fresh £200 for each of them, and a burning desire to buy good things.
I want you to go full eccentric on this final leg.
I want the full bamboo experience.
JAMES: Oh, I know!
NATASHA: I want Bamboo Braxton.
I've ignored bamboo.
I think I've set a trend.
I think all the bamboo's been hoovered up.
VO: You're a victim of your own success, James!
Having started this grand tour in the southwest and powered up through England, country number three beckons as we head north of the border, making friends along the way.
JAMES: Hello!
NATASHA: Hello, lovely.
Hello, little people.
Hello, gorgeous.
Oh, they're lovely.
VO: For this final leg, we'll be shopping all the way to Natasha's home city of Glasgow.
But we start in Alexandria.
The one in West Dunbartonshire - rather than Egypt!
- home to this magnificent edifice - now a shopping center, but originally a car factory.
And our two are venturing inside.
Give me an antique shop and I'll show you a loss.
NATASHA: (LAUGHS) VO: That's the can-do attitude we've grown to expect from you, James.
But I'm sure from amidst the furniture, pottery and other assorted curios on offer in Ben View Antiques, you'll be able to pick a winner.
Ahh...
These are nice.
Amazing pair of Japanese Satsuma vases.
Nicely gilded, nice paintings of sort of elders and children.
And then, bizarrely, the one thing that I'm not finding very attractive, somebody's watched some home Repair Shop, haven't they?
And they've said, "I know the way forward.
Let's get some gilt tape and let's put it round that."
And all this fiddling around is for one crack there.
And the problem with tape, of course, it draws off the gilding.
Silly people!
VO: Not the most invisible restoration, is it?
JAMES: Exactly the same here.
I'm not gonna harp on about it.
We got the maker's name there, and they've got a price tag of 140.
VO: Which is nearly three quarters of your budget.
I like these.
They're a good size.
Lots of decoration.
Lots of bang for your bucks here.
VO: One to consider, I reckon.
Meanwhile, in another part of the shop... Oh, I love Moorcroft.
I don't know why because it's very old fashioned.
It's not cool to like Moorcroft.
I don't think so anyway.
This is the Pansy pattern, which I really like.
But it's not just the pattern.
William Moorcroft, the company is named after its founder and lead designer, and here is his signature.
You can just about make out the W and the M-oorcroft.
It's known as the Flash signature.
VO: £170.
Bit pricey for you.
But a piece like this, a small comport like this, was probably a classic wedding present in the 1930s and 40s.
Now, you think, 'Huh, Moorcroft.
Is that worth anything?
Can I translate it into some cash?
Let's sell it at the auction house.'
But actually, that's the problem.
Nobody really wants it.
VO: Oh, well, keep looking.
There's plenty more to discover in here.
Isn't that right, James?
Always fascinates me, this.
Papier-mâché furniture.
Now, most of us come across papier-mâché when we're at primary school and we're mixing newspaper, old newspaper, with wallpaper paste and we're fashioning things out.
This is exactly the same, and if we turn it over, you can see, you get a feel of the roughness of the thing.
Now that looks like something that would have been made at primary school, doesn't it?
VO: I think this might be a little advanced for eight year olds!
JAMES: But the top, this is where the magic is.
We don't call this painting, we call it japanning.
So it's given this high polish black paint.
We've got the gilded bands rushing around the edge here.
And then you've got this lovely bouquet of flowers.
Really pretty.
Classically Victorian.
VO: And priced at £190.
I've only got a £200 budget.
I'm gonna leave that.
VO: They've both got expensive tastes today.
I think they need to lower their expectations.
Oh, that's quite sweet.
VO: Carved wooden box.
Looks Japanese to me.
NATASHA: (SOFTLY) Oh, it's...
Sometimes it's really hard to tell if something is touristy or authentic, the real deal.
The quality of the carving is a little bit too good to be touristy.
I think it could be boxwood, because it's reminding me of netsukes, which are little toggles worn on the cords of kimono.
Very Japanese tradition to model those as little creatures.
These little creatures, our terrapin and our snail, have been put onto the lid of a box.
The terrapin is actually quite naturalistic, but the snail is so stylized.
Really nicely carved.
VO: And unpriced.
So, you might be able to afford it.
Lovely.
NATASHA: I think it's probably 19th century, maybe early 20th century.
I think it's come all the way from Japan.
And whether or not it was made for export, so for a tourist, it's not a touristy item.
I think when there's no price, you have to be bold and just make an offer.
VO: Yeah, you go for it, Tash.
And when you're ready, Alan's the man to do a deal with.
VO: Now, across the shop... JAMES: Hm.
VO: ..the hunt continues for James.
I like this.
VO: A bit like that table you were just looking at.
JAMES: We've got...
This isn't papier-mâché.
This is tin.
Given the same treatment again, it's black japanned.
Nice and shiny, lots of gilding.
And I always like it when I think a label is wrong.
And they've written "Russian tray".
The Russian ones are generally tighter.
But they often had motifs like Russian figures on them, or they had sleighs.
This doesn't.
We've got this stylized oak leaf.
You know, this is our national wood.
We've got holly.
We've got a trailing vine around the edge.
The shape, the decoration, it's very definitely English.
And I think it's very definitely from the Victorian period.
And I'm attracted to it.
It's a good size.
It's very decorative.
It's got color, it's got age.
VO: And it's got a price tag of £88.
I'm in the market for that.
VO: We can tell.
Ha-ha!
These two have definitely hit a rich seam of treasures in here.
Any more?
That's quite an unusual looking card table.
Why is the central section raised?
I don't know.
VO: If in doubt, turn it over.
NATASHA: Well, there is label, actually.
What does this say?
Oh, stop it.
"The trick holders."
It's for a magician.
Are you kidding?!
It tells you how to do a trick on the base!
So this is exactly the sort of kit that is sold at magicians' conventions up and down the country.
And I know that, because my grandfather actually founded a society of magic here in Scotland.
VO: That's certainly a claim to fame.
NATASHA: It still exists and people go there, to gather, to honor the young magician of the year, and to buy kit for their tricks.
And that's perhaps where you would have bought a table like this.
I mean, exactly when, I'm not sure.
But aren't these step sections - which obviously will have a very specific purpose - quite art deco?
So I'm thinking it's around the interwar era.
It's just a really attractive little table, without knowing that it has anything to do with magic.
But that just lifts it, doesn't it?
VO: Priced at £65.
Magic enough for you?
I am absolutely in love.
However, I have to report, I am terrible at magic tricks.
So, yeah, I'll leave it to the professionals and I'll try and offer it to them at the auction, I reckon.
VO: Well, let's see if you can conjure up a deal.
You just need a member of the audience!
NATASHA: Alan, hi, how are you?
ALAN: Good, good.
I've found a couple of things.
The first is... the magician's table.
I love that it's very trick specific, that someone might figure out how to do said trick.
ALAN: Nice, isn't it?
NATASHA: It's really nice!
So you have 65 on that.
And then I'm also bringing to the table a little box, carved, Japanese I think, with a terrapin and a snail.
And it doesn't have a price on it.
ALAN: So it's priceless.
NATASHA: It's priceless.
Oh, OK!
Gosh darnit!
Would you take, for the two, £70?
ALAN: Yes.
NATASHA: Oh, you would?!
Oh, cool!
Just as I said please!
Oh, that's really kind of you.
Thank you very much.
No bother at all.
VO: And hey presto!
65 for the table and a fiver for the box.
130 still up her sleeve.
Thanks very much.
I'll grab the two of them.
ALAN: Cheers now.
NATASHA: Thank you.
Bye bye!
VO: Back to James.
Still looking for something that'll do the trick for him.
This is something and nothing, isn't it?
We've got a big tin here.
Things like this fascinate me, because it's sort of early packaging.
I've got here, it says "one pound, 12 ounces".
Why would you have a one pound, 12 ounces tin?
Why not make it two?
You need another two ounces.
Anyway, there we are.
It's quite a nice item.
Airtight.
What would it be for?
Well, my first instinct would be tea.
And I think this large quantity would be a shop display.
And look, do you see we've got a sort of slight shadow line?
I think that would have had a gummed paper label on it, telling you where it came from.
Underneath, we've got two shillings.
Now, this must have some age.
Impressing in the factory the price seems a bit odd.
Because now we're used to price inflation, aren't we?
Prices go up.
VO: And that's the only price on it.
It'll cost more than two shillings, I wager.
No price.
Sounds rather tempting to me.
VO: In that case, you'd better see a man about some antiques.
JAMES: Alan, what are you... ALAN: Hiya, James.
..what are you counting?
Shillings.
Shillings?
Is that the week's takings?
Your pocket money in your day... JAMES: (GUFFAWS) I've seen quite a few things.
I've seen a pair of Satsuma vases.
They've got a price tag of 140 on them.
Would I be chancing my arm at 80?
Oh!
You'd be chancing more than one arm.
JAMES: (LAUGHS) What could you do on that?
ALAN: 100... JAMES: I quite...
Hundred?
That's as low as I can bear.
Low as you can get.
VO: Let's turn our attention to that tin tray.
Could it be sort of 35, 40?
What else have you got to buy?
A rather funny tin for loose leaf tea or something... Oh, yeah.
With "two shillings" on the bottom?
Exactly.
How about we do the three... JAMES: Three.
ALAN: ..145?
JAMES: What about 135?
ALAN: What about 140?
Go on, you've gone and got yourself a deal!
VO: Quite a sizable one at that - making the vases 100, 35 for the tray, and a fiver for the tea tin.
ALAN: Thank you very much... JAMES: OK.
Thank you.
VO: Only £60 left for James.
Now, as we're in the area, Natasha is taking just a short trip to the pretty village of Luss.
A popular spot for tourists, it nestles on the west side of Loch Lomond, one of Scotland's most stunning landscapes, famously celebrated in song for its natural beauty.
She's here to find out about a hiking trail that was created to preserve these bonnie banks from destruction.
Her guide - waterbus skipper, John McMurtrie.
NATASHA: How did it come about, John?
JOHN: So the West Highland Way was developed by a chap called Tom Hunter, who was a railway worker and an ex-RAF serviceman.
He was an avid walker, and he and his wife actually walked up Ben Lomond one day in 1947.
And they noticed the developments on the western shore, specifically the Loch Sloy hydro-electric system.
And he didn't want that to happen to the eastern shore.
They mapped it out with his walking club, to pick where could be relevant areas of development, and it was specific to basically trying to stop it.
VO: To get the footpath from a concept to a reality was no easy task.
It would take years of negotiations to try to get Scotland's first official long distance walking route off the ground.
Tom faced challenging terrain and even more challenging opposition.
I think there was a lot of landowners and people who were perhaps wanting to develop the land for monetary reasons.
And obviously he came up against that.
And it took a long time to do, but he was successful in the end.
VO: In 1974, some 27 years after his big idea, Tom's trail was finally approved.
And six years later, the West Highland Way was officially open to hikers.
JOHN: It's established well.
There's about 150,000 people attempt the West Highland Way every...every year.
I presume you've done it countless times?
I have walked it once, yeah.
You only need to do it once, I suppose... JOHN: Only need to do it once, yeah.
VO: Through tenacity and perseverance, this stunning landscape was protected and the countryside was opened up for walkers.
Such as this fella.
Blimey.
Anyone lost a gnome?
Just needs a fishing rod, doesn't he?
Our happy wanderer James has headed to Milngavie, the official starting point of the West Highland Way.
Ahead of him, 96 miles to the finish line in Fort William, through some gorgeous Caledonian countryside.
But he won't be walking alone.
Seasoned hiker, Joshua Adeyemi is here to show him the way.
BOTH: Oh!
JOSHUA: Are you alright?
JAMES: (LAUGHS) I was just plotting the course.
Where about are you going to exactly?
JAMES: I haven't a clue, in fact!
(LAUGHS) I was rather hoping you would show me.
Am I appropriately dressed for Scotland?
I think you are, but considering it's very sunny and it's a beautiful day, perhaps you might want to take this off.
VO: Yeah, all gear, no idea!
Over the years, the trail has given a huge boost to the local economy, with the area attracting thousands of nature lovers, sightseers and walkers.
But Joshua is on a mission to entice a whole new group of people to explore this beautiful part of the world.
JAMES: Josh, what do you do?
JOSHUA: I help run a group called Black Scottish Adventures here in Scotland.
And our aim is to help connect ethnic minorities, particularly Black folks in Scotland... JAMES: Yeah.
..to the great Scottish outdoors.
And the fact that we have world class access rights here in Scotland, I think it's a privilege that everyone should tune into, and everyone should enjoy.
So for loads of folks in my community, they don't even know that that access right is there in the first place.
So it's about educating them to connect to the space.
And when I was connecting with the outdoors, I wasn't doing this for my physical and mental wellbeing, to be honest with you.
I just wanted to go out and just enjoy the access right that we have here in Scotland.
But in doing that, I quickly realized that it was benefiting my physical and mental wellbeing as well... JAMES: Started standing differently.
JOSHUA: Breathing better... Sleeping better!
Sleeping better.
You know, like, eating better as well.
Eating better!
Well, I tell you what you can do - you can eat more, can't you?
VO: Through social media, Josh has attracted a huge community of Black and Asian followers, all keen to connect with the great outdoors.
JOSHUA: On every walk, we get about 100 people, on every walk.
Really?
Yeah!
But at the same time, from them benefiting from it, we'll quickly see more people giving back to the space in volunteering activities, be it tree planting, pathway restoration and all.
So it's been a great journey and we're really looking forward to even expanding more and supporting more people.
And have they been good hosts?
From the national parks here in Scotland, to the community groups as well, little groups, the support has been immense.
And we're really thankful for that.
And I think that even reassures our members that the outdoors belongs to them.
VO: Now, without even having to lace up a hiking boot, our Natasha has made it across the loch to the village of Balmaha, a popular stop on the West Highland Way.
But it looks like someone's beaten her to it.
Oh, you look the part, James.
You absolutely look the part.
JAMES: Do you like all my kit?
NATASHA: (LAUGHS) I do!
JAMES: I'll tell you what, I've been pretending to use it.
I haven't a clue.
Shall we earn our dinner?
What a good idea... Let's walk back to Glasgow, OK?
NATASHA: (LAUGHS) JAMES: You know the way to Glasgow, don't you?
Well, actually, er, no.
Keep the water to your right.
Can I wear the backpack?
JAMES: You may.
Just to take a load off you, because if you've been walking all that way... JAMES: I'll carry the thermos, OK?
..you'll need me to take a load off!
JAMES: Left, this way... NATASHA: Did you say that?!
I thought you said right!
JAMES: No, I did, but I changed my mind.
VO: It doesn't really matter.
You know, they're just heading straight for the car park.
NATASHA: Do you know what we've done on this trip?
We've bought antiques, we've sold antiques.
We've talked a serious amount of bumf.
We have, we have.
Serious.
We are experts at talking bum... ..like you wouldn't believe.
I think drivel and flannel... JAMES: ..are our friends.
NATASHA: Yeah, they are!
VO: Ah, but you do it so well.
Nighty night.
VO: It's the last chance to go shopping for our two antiques adventurers, and the last chance to ask the question that's on everyone's lips.
What has James's jug got in here?
What do you have in James's jug?
A lovely lady came up to me, and she said, "James, I have made you..." NATASHA: Oh.
JAMES: .."a fruitcake."
Hold on, I got it.
VO: Yesterday, our fruitcake fans hit the ground running, with Natasha bagging a Japanese wooden box and a magician's card table...
I am absolutely in love.
VO: ..leaving her £130 to spend today.
James bought more - a pair of Satsuma vases, a large Japan tray, and a tea tin.
As you do.
Sounds rather tempting to me.
VO: Just £60 left for his final bit of shopping.
Now, what's the verdict on the cake?
NATASHA: That's amazing.
JAMES: Oh!
Oh, what a woman.
Is this the woman that fancied you?
She had a twinkle in her eye.
And I didn't realize she slipped you half a fruitcake.
Half a fruitcake?
Whole fruitcake.
A whole fruitcake?!
I've eaten the other half.
VO: Wouldn't fit in the jug otherwise, would it James?!
Later, we'll be off to that final auction in Newport, Shropshire.
But we start our last day of shopping in Paisley, a big weaving town during the Industrial Revolution, giving its name to the distinctive fabric pattern that was very popular in the psychedelic '60s - groovy!
And turned up, tuned in and dropped off, James is heading to his next shop.
Bailey's Antiques is where it's happening.
Their motto - come in and buy old things, which is exactly what James is intending to do.
And if he needs help, Ben is the man, man!
Oh!
Look at these.
What have we got here?
I've got two sort of...I suppose you'd call them friezes.
Very much after the antique, aren't they?
They have a Roman feel about them.
We've got centurions, we've got soldiers, and looks like a chariot.
I think this has a gladiator feel, doesn't it, about it.
There's not enormous definition.
Maybe it's due to age and where.
Could these possibly be Roman?
VO: That'd be nice, wouldn't it?
There's nothing on the back, although I've got an impressed 12 that is in Arabic numerals, not Roman numerals!
VO: That blows that theory out of the water then.
JAMES: I think they would have been to, one might say, pimp up a piece of furniture or a clock or something.
In fact, the more I look at these, the more I go off them.
VO: Nil desperandum, James.
There's plenty more to see in here.
Meanwhile, on the road, Natasha is having one last run out in the Daimler.
The car has been fantastic.
You have been fantastic.
(TOOTS HORN) Toots for you.
Toots all round.
You have been amazing.
The third member of our team.
VO: She's steering the Sovereign towards Glasgow, and in particular the city's vibrant west end.
Home to Natasha's old alma mater, don't you know?
Everyone always makes fun of me because when visitors come to Glasgow, I do Tasha's tours.
And this is a key part of Tasha's tours.
It's called the Pearce Lodge, and it's the oldest part of the university as it stands.
Not as old as the university itself, which is 15th century.
The original site was in town.
This, however, was brought from the original site stone by stone.
VO: Oh, she's good, isn't she?
Honestly, if you're visiting Glasgow, I live nearby.
We'll start here, we'll go all the way down University Avenue.
You'll love it.
You will love it.
VO: But that'll have to wait because she's got shopping to do, at nearby Ruthven Mews... ..an arcade full of antique emporia.
Just the place for an eager shopper with £130 to spend.
NATASHA: Yeah, here.
VO: Let's see what she finds.
Now, I like this.
Hold on, let me grab this... (STRAINS) Oh!
(CHUCKLES) VO: Bit of an assault course in here.
NATASHA: This decanter has to be described as a globe and shaft decanter.
It's very Edwardian.
And it's not just the shape.
The thing that is just so Edwardian about it is this little star pattern.
From top to bottom, there are stars.
Top, there are little cut stars into the stopper.
They are echoed throughout the globe of the body, all the way to the base.
This is very specifically described as star cut.
I just liked the fact that so often you cannot identify, you're humming and hawing.
"Is that the real stopper?"
But the exact pattern is there so we know that it's the exact stopper.
VO: Which is always a good thing.
Doesn't have a price on it.
"Please ask for Paul."
I will have to ask Paul the price.
But it's just difficult these days to find a decanter that will stand alone at auction.
So often you see them in a job lot, they need company.
And this one, I think, is quite happy on its own.
VO: Jolly good.
Now, let's pop back to Paisley.
Any luck yet, James?
JAMES: Ah...
This is what I like about antique shops.
There's always something from a different quarter of the world.
And here we've got a really heavy, sort of like a cup or a trophy.
And it's engraved, "Lal Chand & Sons" - printers from Kolkata.
And I think it's probably for burning incense.
Part of many religions around the world is to give offerings, offerings to the dead, and also to gods.
And this would be an offering, you'd light it.
I like the fact that it has Kolkata.
I like the fact that it's 19th century.
I love the fact, of course, that it meets the Braxton weight test, very heavy.
VO: And I'm sure he likes the fact that it's only £9.
In this world of the internet, when you register something like Kolkata, you suddenly open it up to over a billion people in India.
It only takes two to get a good price, doesn't it?
VO: In that case, let's go and see Ben.
I've almost found the smallest thing in your shop, Ben.
Oh?
What have we got?
It's a...a very heavy fella...
It's really heavy, yeah.
Yeah.
I think it was for, er, offerings.
So, incense offerings.
Yeah, it's a nice... And I've got a price on the bottom there.
BEN: OK. JAMES: £9.
BEN: £9.
JAMES: And I'll give you £9.
BEN: Thank you.
JAMES: Yeah, I'm just... BEN: No haggling.
..just one of those moods.
VO: Such a generous soul, isn't he?
JAMES: Thanks a lot, Ben.
BEN: Thank you.
Really enjoyed it.
Thank you.
VO: And that leaves him with £51 to play with.
Back to Glasgow, where Natasha is right in the thick of things.
NATASHA: It's such a rummage in here.
And I do like the look of that little revolving bookcase... ..but I don't fancy my chances of getting it out without knocking anything over!
VO: Come on, Tash, it just takes a steady hand.
NATASHA: (STRAINS) Oh...
I can do it, I'm sure I can.
VO: Easy does it!
NATASHA: (SIGHS) Oh!
Got away with it.
Right.
VO: A revolving tabletop bookcase.
Very nice.
Does it turn...?
Yeah.
VO: That's a relief.
It is Edwardian.
It looks as though it's lasted remarkably well since then.
It's not in perfect condition.
Listen, this has been used and it was made to be used.
Oh, how annoying.
Look, a little mark.
Is it heat?
A heat stain from a cup?
Ahh, the classic.
But it's a really smart little bookcase, because so often these are just squared off.
So no inlay design, no serpentine border, and yet we have both present here.
And of course, there's no price on it.
VO: But there is another of those signs.
You better do as it says.
NATASHA: Paul.
Hi, I've found you.
PAUL: Hi...
I was hiding.
NATASHA: How are you?
(LAUGHS) NATASHA: I've found a little Edwardian revolving bookcase, a tabletop one that's inlaid... PAUL: Yeah, a small one.
Exactly.
And I also have in mind a little globe and shaft decanter, covered in stars.
So, I'm wondering, seeing as they don't have any prices on them, what would be your very best price, Paul?
£60 for them both.
I think I'll go for that, actually.
£60, that's a deal... PAUL: I'm giving you a chance... NATASHA: Yeah!
I'm really grateful for that.
VO: That makes £15 for the decanter and 45 for the bookcase.
NATASHA: Paul, that's yours.
PAUL: Right, thank you.
NATASHA: I will go and grab my little Edwardian beauties.
NATASHA: Thanks, Paul!
PAUL: Thank you.
VO: And still £70 left in reserve.
Meanwhile, James has also made it to the big city, but all the way over to the east, to the area known as the Barras, named for the hundreds of barrows used by traders in this market district of Glasgow.
So, it sounds like a good place to go shopping, and in you go, James.
Randall's Antiques & Vintage Centre is the place.
Sprawling interior market, jam packed with really old things, really cool things, and really odd things... Er!
So, our man Braxton has got some work ahead of him.
That £51 won't spend itself, you know.
I like these.
Little Jersey cream jugs.
The island Jersey, famous for its Jersey cows, hence cream jugs.
And this was a particular shape that they use.
It's got its original lid, there we are.
And then you've got this rather nice cane handle here.
Only £10.
The only problem is, it's a bit bashed.
VO: I think you can do better, James.
Keep hunting.
Now, look who's made it across town, with a whole £70 jangling in her pocket.
Tash is also here to rummage through the weird and wonderful.
NATASHA: (WHISPERS) Oh, God... VO: Some more weird than others, mind you.
Well, howdy, li'l lady.
(SPLUTTERS) Sorry!
OK, you're giving me a bit of Hank Williams.
I don't really know.
Oh, Hank Williams.
I was trying to channel me Elvis.
VO: Sounded more like John Wayne to me.
Someone maybe not as polite as me would say I was bound to meet a cowboy in the Barras.
JAMES: You found him.
NATASHA: (LAUGHS) Yeah!
The only problem is, I'm not selling, I'm buying.
You're not... Have you lassoed anything yet?
I haven't found anything yet.
I hear the Barras has a great reputation... NATASHA: It does.
JAMES: ..for bargains.
NATASHA: You know what they say?
They say the Barras, the Barras, no need for Rome or Paris.
(LAUGHS) Right, get out of here, cowboy.
JAMES: Get out of here.
VO: And the horse you rode in on.
There's still antiques to corral.
Who's this wee guy?
Oh, not so much of a wee guy, actually.
Quite a big guy.
I think that might be Falstaff.
VO: Shakespeare's debauched and disreputable knight who appears in three of the Bard's plays.
He is mischievous.
I think he's a bit corrupt.
He's clearly fond of a beverage.
It's just like I'm holding James Braxton in my hand.
No, I'm just kidding.
Only similarity is that he's hugely popular.
VO: Yeah, nice recovery there, Tash.
NATASHA: I've seen Falstaff's figure on Toby jugs, printed onto plates.
But I haven't seen a doorknocker.
And I have to say, it is actually quite nicely cast.
I can make out the features.
I can make out his little bag of coins.
I can make out his little ale glass.
VO: But you can't make out a price, eh?
No ticket on that.
It's hopefully cheap.
It's certainly cheerful.
But I'm in the Barras, so the offer is going to be cheeky.
It has to be.
VO: Gird your loins, John.
NATASHA: Oh, John, there you are.
How are you?
Not too bad.
So, I've found this little door knocker.
Would you take a crisp £5 note?
I'm quite sure we can manage that for you.
You would?
Oh, cool.
We'll shake first and I'll say, John, thank you very much.
VO: Her final purchase, and £65 left unspent.
NATASHA: Thanks very much, John.
JOHN: Thank you... VO: Back to James, still on the prowl.
JAMES: This is a nice vase.
This is really tactile.
We've got a Crown Devon vase here.
Very art deco.
1920s, 1930s.
We've got this sort of tube line decoration where you...you just, rather like icing, you make these enclosures and then you drop the glaze in.
It's a very stylized tree.
It's very...
Reminds me of Clarice Cliff, the Latona pattern.
And then we've got some really lovely hot primrose-y flowers at the base here.
It's got a lot going for it.
What's the price?
VO: £18 to you, chief.
It's not a king's ransom.
I think I'm gonna buy that.
VO: In that case, off to the till with you.
JAMES: Jane.
JANE: Hello.
I've finally found something.
Good.
Very nice Crown Devon vase.
The one with the dripping trees on it?
The dripping trees.
Price is at 18.
JANE: OK. JAMES: I'm happy to give you 18.
Oh, right, that's nice.
I saw you looking at this one as well, which is of the same era.
It's got lucky bamboo on it.
So, how about two for the price of one?
You lovely person.
It's rather nice, isn't it?
VO: And bamboo too.
Your favorite!
I like the hot colors.
Exactly like the Crown Devon.
That's called a "bog off".
(CHUCKLES) Yes!
VO: That generous deal leaves him with £33 untouched.
And with that, their shopping is over!
JAMES: Ahh... NATASHA: We're all done.
JAMES: It's been a great trip, really great trip.
Lovely to land in Glasgow... Is that bamboo?!
It is!
You finally found some bamboo.
Yeah, and do you know, the lady who sold it to me said bamboo is lucky.
Walk with me, tell me... ..has it passed the weight test?
Erm, this one doesn't, but this one does.
VO: So, as the sun sets on their final shopping day, time for shuteye.
VO: We've run out of road on this epic journey, and the final auction awaits.
South Wales to Glasgow, and now we're here in Shropshire.
NATASHA: And we march on.
JAMES: We march on.
NATASHA: We march on.
JAMES: Best foot forward, eh?
VO: After a wander around the west of Scotland, auction number five takes place in Newport.
Back once again to Brettells Auctioneers with bids on the books and punters poised online and in the room.
Calling the shots today, gavel-meister David Brettell.
Here comes the hammer, at £32.
VO: Tash shopped canny, spending just £135 on five auction lots.
But which are enthralling David?
DAVID: The magician's table, it's been quite a fascinating thing for me to look at.
All the little secret places to hide your cards and put little things where nobody knows.
Unfortunately, if I've never ever sold one before, I can't tell you exactly what it'll make.
My guess, £50.
VO: James forked out a little more - 167 on his five lots.
What do you make of his offerings, David?
DAVID: We've got this heavy... goblet, for want a better word.
I suppose it could've been an incense burner.
Is it something to do with weight, to stop it tipping over?
Not sure.
But it's a nice thing and it's very heavy for its size.
VO: Now, plonk yourselves down, cuz there's no time to waste.
Your items are imminent.
Starting with Tash's magic table.
Now, what sort of magic will it make for her?
I'm sure I've told you before about my grandfather who was a magician.
NATASHA: And it's... Yeah.
JAMES: Oh?
And he was on television.
So when I saw this trick table, I had to have it.
Coming up at 32.
35.
38.
40 bid.
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
42... Keep going.
Oh, don't stop now!
Come on, we're waiting for you.
We're waiting.
I've got £40 bid then, 40 bid.
Got £40... Oh, it's too shy.
Last chance for you then, gonna be sold.
Oh, it's shy, it's shy... DAVID: Anybody else moving on?
Here comes the hammer.
I am selling at 40... NATASHA: I missed a trick... JAMES: Aww.
VO: If only you knew someone who might have appreciated it.
Oh, Raj.
Sure, Raj would've loved it.
Yes!
He's a magician?
Yeah, he's quite good.
VO: First up for James is the pair of very glitzy Satsuma vases.
I was influenced by Freddie Mercury.
NATASHA: Oh, were you?
JAMES: Yeah... ..glitz and glamor.
He had lots of very nice Japanese Satsuma, had lovely lacquer... Oh, were you channeling your inner Freddie Mercury?
I was!
VO: Wasn't Hammer To Fall one of his?
£30 bid, £30.
£30.
Two.
NATASHA: Oh.
JAMES: 35.
DAVID: You wish.
NATASHA: Oh!
DAVID: 32 bid, 32.
Look at the gold.
You could scrap that.
DAVID: 32... We're hoping and wishing.
DAVID: 32.
NATASHA: (GASPS SOFTLY) JAMES: (GRITS TEETH) 32.
Here comes the hammer.
I am selling... That's a wee soul-destroying result.
..at 32... VO: Another one bites the dust.
JAMES: Hey, come on.
I'd quite like to see your Freddie Mercury impression.
Tash.
That's... That's not...that's not an impression.
"Tash!"
VO: And speaking of Tash, it's her turn again.
Her little Japanese carved box.
And I'm starting at 15, which is very low.
DAVID: 18.
20.
22.
25.
28.
£30.
NATASHA: Oh, good.
DAVID: Two.
JAMES: Well done.
DAVID: Five.
Eight.
40.
NATASHA: Come on... DAVID: Two.
NATASHA: Yes, quite rightly.
Five.
I wonder if they're bidding on the snail or the terrapin.
45 now bid.
Oh, they're slowing.
Eight.
50.
55 I have.
55, all done?
I think it's very nice.
Nicely carved.
DAVID: 60... Five.
NATASHA: Come on, yes!
Selling forever at £65... That is alright!
I tell you something, I'm delighted.
VO: It was the terrapin what swung it.
NATASHA: It was gorgeous.
JAMES: Beautifully done.
NATASHA: Yes.
Hey, the lid fits.
JAMES: Well done.
VO: Time for James's very large japanned tin tray.
On this trip you've loved trays.
I know, I've gone tray-potty, haven't I?
There we are, starting at 20 bid.
We're steaming.
Two.
Five.
NATASHA: Yes.
JAMES: 25.
25.
Bright colors.
It is bright.
It's good, it's a good item, isn't it?
Selling then.
Quickly, last chance for you both.
All done?
At 25... NATASHA: I liked it.
You... JAMES: I liked it.
I liked it!
And who cares...
I liked it because I bought it... Who cares?
We've gotta buy stuff we like.
VO: I think the trick is to buy stuff that other people like.
If I'd worked that one out, I'd be making money.
Yeah...!
But I haven't worked it out.
No.
VO: Natasha's globe and shaft decanter - her star lot, perhaps?
Who'll start me there?
£10 for it.
No?
Maybe?
£5 I have.
NATASHA: £5?!
Oh, no... JAMES: (SCOTTISH ACCENT) Oh, no.
£5, quickly round... Och.
No, David...
I'd buy...
I'd want to buy it.
NATASHA: David, no... DAVID: Here we go.
I'll have to sell it.
At £5, all done?
At £5.
NATASHA: That's shocking.
JAMES: Oh.
VO: More of a falling star, I'd say!
Find me another one with the original stopper... ..with the beautiful stars... Find you another one, and you'd have a pair.
(SCOFFS) Oh!
VO: Up next for James, his two shilling tea tin.
He's hoping for a bit more, of course.
Who'll start me for a fiver?
NATASHA: What did you spend?
JAMES: Fiver... Shh, no clues.
DAVID: Start me at two then.
NATASHA: Oh, two!
£2 I've got, £2.
Five anywhere?
Oh...!
Good job you're here.
Sold away and quickly at five.
There you are.
Buttered him up earlier on.
VO: If that were true, you should've used grease.
Ha-ha!
But now you have to reveal to me what you paid for it.
JAMES: Five.
I paid a fiver.
NATASHA: Oh!
VO: Natasha's revolving bookcase now.
Bibliophiles, take note.
Start me then, 20 for it.
Well, I spent 45.
£20, here we go.
Anybody else moving on?
Oh, no one cares for it.
DAVID: This is disappointing.
NATASHA: It is!
Five.
Eight.
30.
NATASHA: OK. JAMES: Lovely.
Come on.
Don't let me down.
Do not let the auctioneer down.
JAMES: 32.
DAVID: 32 bid now.
JAMES: It's climbing... DAVID: Five anywhere?
Five, thank you.
Nobody else in the room.
All done at 35...?
What can you do?
VO: Swings and roundabouts, Natasha.
No one cares.
They're all online, aren't they?
They're all in their bedrooms... You can't put an audiobook in a revolving bookcase, can you?
VO: Now, James is in dire need of a profit.
Can his Indian incense burner do the trick?
Come on!
This will be the one.
Let's get going though, at £20.
£20 bid.
22.
NATASHA: Oh.
DAVID: 22.
Five.
NATASHA: Yeah, it's happening.
DAVID: 28.
NATASHA: A runaway.
DAVID: 30.
Two.
Five.
Eight.
40.
JAMES: That's good.
DAVID: Two.
Five.
Eight.
50.
Five.
Five, thank you... NATASHA: The world likes it... DAVID: 55 bid.
DAVID: Anybody else in the room?
All done, finished?
Anybody else going?
Then you have it, 55...
Doesn't that feel good?
That feels good.
NATASHA: Doesn't that feel good?
JAMES: Ooh!
VO: His prayers were answered.
Yes!
I feel good, vicariously... JAMES: I feel good.
I feel good.
NATASHA: Vicariously... Nice...!
VO: Natasha's last lot, her Shakespearean door knocker.
£10 I have, £10 got.
12... Well, £10 is a profit.
I paid five.
DAVID: 15 anywhere?
12, 15.
JAMES: 15.
Here we go.
A wee Falstaff, purchased in the Barras.
Last chance down.
Sold this time, are you sure, at £15... Oh, that's three times the price.
With his tankard.
VO: A cheerful look, and a most noble carriage, according to the Bard.
I don't mean to be insulting, but he just sort of reminded me of you a wee bit.
JAMES: Really?!
What... NATASHA: Well... ..his fine stature?
I daren't say!
VO: Ha-ha!
James's buy-one -get-one-free vases now, one with his trademark on it.
Is this the only bit of bamboo...
I know.
..that Bamboo Braxton purchased on our trip?
I know!
Which is appalling.
We'll start surely at 10.
12.
15.
15 bid.
NATASHA: Oh, go on... JAMES: 18.
Go on.
18.
Oh, don't sell yet!
Bit disappointing... 18.
Oh!
OK, keep chugging.
DAVID: 18 bid.
£18, £18.
DAVID: 20 bid.
£20 bid, £20... NATASHA: Yes!
Yes... DAVID: 22.
22 bid now.
JAMES: 22!
DAVID: 22.
22.
Anybody go five?
NATASHA: Yes!
Hammer's up.
It's coming down.
I sell at 22...
Put it there.
VO: Bamboo Braxton strikes again!
And with that, it's all over.
Is that it?
That is actually it, yeah.
I feel like we need a chat.
I think we're just gonna disturb everyone if we do it here.
NATASHA: Shall we get out... JAMES: Yeah.
Shall we get out?
(WHISPERS) Thank you.
VO: How very considerate of them.
James started with £200 and gave it his all.
But after saleroom costs, he ends the day on £146.98.
But Natasha, who started with the same amount, finished on £196 and 20 pence, winning yet another auction victory.
So, with four auction wins, she reigns supreme, as the queen of the trip.
But there's consolation for James, as he made the lion's share of the overall profit, all of which goes to Children In Need.
Natasha, well done.
It's been absolutely lovely, hasn't it... NATASHA: C'est fini.
I wish it didn't have to end!
I... No, I don't want it to end.
We've had such fun.
Oh, I hope they let us do it again.
JAMES: Of course they will.
VO: Absolutely.
You two are welcome back anytime.
NATASHA: What's your MC name?
JAMES: MC Big Boy.
Oh, I'm starting a band.
(SNIFFS) Ooh, cola bottles!
This is bonkers.
Look at all... (EXCLAIMS) Oh!
Oh!
(SPLUTTERS) Henry, thank you very much.
(BARKS) Oh, that's very good.
Yes.
NATASHA: Agh, there's a wasp in the car!
Agh, it touched the chamois!
JAMES: I nearly went off then!
(GUFFAWS) Yo, yo, yo!
Is that you twerking?
VO: Ciao for now!
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