antiques experts... RAJ: That's me.
PAUL: I like that.
VO: ..behind the wheel of a classic car.
TIM: Hold on!
IRITA: (SQUEALS) VO: And a goal, to scour Britain for antiques.
En garde!
VO: The aim, to make the biggest profit at auction.
But it's no mean feat.
I don't believe it!
VO: There'll be worthy winners... PAUL: Yes!
VO: ..and valiant losers.
I was robbed.
VO: Will it be the high road to glory...
Right, come on, let's go.
VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?
DAVID: Oh, Roo!
Oh, Roo!
ROO: (SQUEALS) VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!
What fun.
Welcome to the kingdom of Fife.
NATASHA (NS): You're the king of Fife.
STEVEN (SM): (CHUCKLES) King of the Fifers.
VO: Not strictly true.
Our Scottish tour continues with auctioneer, lovely Natasha Raskin Sharp, and chirpy ceramic expert Steven Moore.
NS: You do know in Scotland we drive on the left-hand side of the road?
There's no...
This car's so wide, she takes the left and the right.
VO: She is a mighty motor.
The 1960s Rolls Royce is a beauty, and she was made before seat belts were mandatory, don't you know?
Morning.
Oh, she just gave us a very much... That was a "ooh!
Look at those two!"
Do you know, I think that was the Prince of Wales.
VO: I thought you were the king of Fife.
Ha!
Despite some early profits, Natasha has only managed to grow her £200 starting budgeting slightly.
Meaning she begins today with £225 and 20 pennies.
Whereas Steven's money bag overfloweth.
He has a mighty £388.36.
Come on, come on Scotland, give me a win.
Give me a win.
I remember... Scotland for the win.
Yeah.
I remember the taste of it.
VO: Maybe fortune will shine upon Natasha today.
We began in North Yorkshire, meandering around the North East, crossed the border into bonnie Scotland, and will conclude in Perthshire.
A couple of thousand years ago this would have been Pictish land.
Pictish country.
And the Picts were, Steven, led by women.
Would you be a matriarch?
Absolutely.
Telling all the men folk what they had to do.
Well I do that anyway.
(CHUCKLES) VO: Quite right.
For this Scottish installment, we will be selling at an auction house in Hamilton.
Our pair will be shopping together this morning in the town of Inverkeithing.
SM: This must be us.
This looks like one of those places where treasure NS: needs to be uncovered.
SM: Do you think?
SM: A bit of snooping?
NS: Oh, I'm ready for a snoop.
VO: With the snoop detector set to on, we're venturing in here.
Fleming's Antique and Furniture Centre.
Ooh!
From antique to retro, there should be something to tempt our road trippers.
I am back over the £200 starting budget.
It freaked me out that I dropped below it.
So now the pressure's on to stay above, keep my head above water.
VO: Meanwhile, Mr Big Bucks has a wallet jammed with wodge.
SM: When I first saw this my heart sort of skipped a beat, cuz it's a Wemyss Ware advertising plaque.
I love Wemyss Ware, Wemyss Ware, made in Fife, in Scotland.
And there's something about the painting of Wemyss.
It's kind of, it's got a lovely softness to it.
And I saw £180 and I thought, "That's cheap," but... not a problem, but when I turned it over...
So we've got the Wemyss mark.
But we've got this mark as well, "Exon", and "B Adams".
And Brian Adams recreated Wemyss at the Exon pottery, but he only started in the 1980s.
So whilst this is genuine, it's hand-painted, it's in a style of Wemyss, it isn't actual Wemyss.
But you know what?
If I was a Wemyss collector on a budget, and I wanted a centerpiece for my collection, £180 as opposed to the 1,000, 1,200 for the real thing?
I'd be buying this.
VO: But this one is not for the pile, this time.
If I pop this on...
I mean, why on Earth was I not wearing that earlier?
All of a sudden, I look like a serious contender.
VO: It certainly adds a je ne se quoi.
Now, where's Steve-o?
SM: Now...
I'm all about elevating.
What could be nicer than enjoying a cup of coffee, or a cup of tea, stirred by one of these lovely little art-deco silver spoons?
With a little deco thistle on the top.
These are really cute, there's six of them.
Birmingham silver, 1925.
£43?
You know what, that's not a lot of money.
But having these at home on a cold winter's day, taking out your little pretty silver spoons and serving some friends...
I think that elevates your afternoon.
This is what antiques can do.
They elevate your life.
VO: Well said!
That's one possible.
How about Natasha?
NS: Steven?
SM: Mm-hm?
I know you're busy, but remind me how much money you have?
Er, just shy of 400 quid.
I'm just over 200, you're just under 400.
Mm-hm?
For £380... Oh, a bit of Wemyss.
We could club together and go in on this ewer and basin.
Well we could, but it's my money, sorry.
VO: Ha-ha, charming!
The search continues for Natasha.
NS: I quite like this.
VO: Blimey!
Ooh!
It's heavy, actually.
Isn't that really smart, bit of studio pottery?
There's just something really attractive about that.
Studio pottery, £12.
OK, so basically, I believe that this is not going to be a famous potter, because if it were it's not going to be marked up at £12.
There's something really attractive about this bulbous kind of gourd shaped body, with these smart little kind of fluted sections here.
That's very Ruskin, that color.
That Ruskin blue.
And if this were a proper arts and crafts piece, perhaps if it were made in pewter, then that would be a Ruskin blue cabochon, piece of glass, or lapis, or something like that.
VO: Yeah, very striking.
And it suits your budget.
Let's find the lady in charge, Sandra.
Sandra.
Sandra!
NS: Sandra?
DEALER: Oh, hello.
Here's my find of the day.
Wow, well done.
I'm really into Studio poetry, but I know it can be divisive.
Would you give that houseroom?
DEALER: Yes, I would.
NS: Right, OK.
So I'm not quibbling at £12, as you'll be pleased to hear.
Yes.
15, there we go.
I'll ask you kindly for some change.
VO: That bargain buy has hardly dented Natasha's kitty, leaving her with £213 and pennies.
And as Natasha hits the road, what's next for Steven?
Now, these look promising.
And who doesn't like a gin?
A little set of four, probably Scottish, Scottish stoneware.
We've got a registration design mark there, and I love this little detail at the end of the handle - that's gorgeous.
So we've got brandy, we've got Irish whisky, gin, brandy, and Scottish whisky.
These are going to be late 19th, early 20th century.
£68 for a set of four.
We are selling in Scotland, and this kind of more folksy Scottish pottery and kitchen ware particularly is on a roll at the moment.
Ah.
Oh, hang on.
(SIGHS) Right, this is Scottish as well.
VO: Well, when in Scotland.
SM: This is Scottish art pottery from the early part of the 20th century, and they were almost always decorated by women.
And they did this lovely hand-decorated ware, always on bought in pottery.
So bought in undecorated, and then decorated by these female decorators, in sort of this lovely, slightly naive but charming vague late arts-and-crafts style.
VO: Yeah.
It's priced at £20.
There's also the set of teaspoons at 43.
Let's find friendly Sandra to ask her best.
Sandra.
Sandra, can I interrupt you?
Certainly.
Can I...
I need your help.
Oh, decisions, decisions, is it?
Yeah.
Well, there's these four whisky flasks, are 68.
There's this, which is only 20, that's not a... And I've also got... Obviously I wasn't stealing them, there's these... DEALER: Lovely spoons.
SM: ..wee spoons.
They're 43.
VO: Making a total of 131.
I don't suppose they could be 50 for the four?
OK. OK.
So 50, and what about the spoons?
38?
So that's 50, 88.
108 for the three, it's a deal.
I'm gonna get my money out before you change your mind, OK?
That's great, thank you.
VO: That splurge leaves Steven with just a smidge over £280.
SM: Thanks, Sandra.
DEALER: Thank you very much.
DEALER: You take care.
SM: Thank you so much.
SM: See you again now.
DEALER: Thank you.
Bye.
VO: Meanwhile, Natasha has traveled to the Fife town of Kirkcaldy.
In the 19th century this small coastal town would be transformed into a global powerhouse.
It would floor the world with the magic material of linoleum.
Natasha's meeting with curator Gavin Grant to hear all about it.
The story begins in the 1840s, when the town began manufacturing floor cloth, a basic form of carpet.
Local canvas trader Michael Nairn saw an opportunity, and invested everything.
He took a gamble, he borrowed £4,000 to build this huge building in Kirkcaldy.
And the traditional story in Kirkcaldy is that this was called Nairn's folly, because local people were very skeptical about how successful he was going to be.
But he did make a success of it, and by the 1860s floorcloth was booming in Kirkcaldy.
VO: Despite the boom a more durable material was needed.
In 1861 linoleum was invented, which used linseed oil to produce a robust material perfect for flooring.
When the patent ran out Nairn's factory was perfectly placed to begin manufacture of this rubber-like invention that would transform the world of flooring.
I'm presuming that Nairn's and other companies were big employers in the area, because looking at this photograph, it looks like half the town's working here.
Really, really massive employer for the town, it's hugely important.
At its peak there was at least 3,000 people directly employed in the various linoleum factories across the town.
VO: The demand for linoleum from households to hospitals became so great that another six factories dominated the skyline here.
Sprawling over 55 acres.
It's hugely important, great pride obviously locally, as well because of the industry.
And different generations of workers employed there, you know, passed down between families.
It's likely then that if you started out even as a real youngster, working in a factory like this, your whole working life would be spent in that factory.
People's lives were intimately connected to their workplace, they also had social lives and recreational lives based around the factories.
There was sports clubs, football clubs, bands as well.
VO: A job for life, linoleum was embedded in the DNA of the locals, and was popular not just in the UK.
Linoleum was clearly a huge success, but why was it so popular?
It was popular for many reasons.
It was...
Most people were able to afford some type of linoleum.
There was a high end of the market, very expensive linoleum, the tsar of Russia had it on his yacht, for example.
It was also marketed as being hygienic, and durable.
So people wanted it in their homes.
VO: The meteoric success can be attributed to the thousands of patterns available.
Lucky Natasha is getting the chance to peek inside an early catalog.
Right, I'm quite keen to dive in.
Right, let's have a look.
What was on offer in 1891 to '92?
Look at that, very traditional.
I mean that's so Victorian isn't it?
But of course you associate that with tiles, so it's lovely to think that this was a pattern for linoleum.
Oh, I like this one.
Look at that, Rye.
Gosh, that's so modern, that's amazing.
That looks like something from an art-deco cafe.
Oh, I absolutely love it.
VO: Linoleum began to fall out of fashion in the 1960s, when carpeting was more in vogue, which led to the closure of nearly all the town's factories, shrinking the job market from over 4,000 in the early 20th century to around 200 today.
Kirkcaldy is now the only place in the UK that makes linoleum.
So we're very proud of that here, so it's a very important local industry and employer.
VO: A tremendous legacy that 170 years on, the linoleum capital of the world is still in production from Michael Nairn's big gamble factory.
Talking of gambles, let's seek out Steven.
I'm battle ready.
Natasha better watch out.
(CACKLES) Oh, sorry.
I don't know where that came from.
VO: Someone's feeling perky today.
Steven's traversed west to the Fife town of Dunfermline.
VO: The 12th century abbey here is the final resting place of King Robert the Bruce.
But today Steven's in town and visiting The Secret Door.
That's what it's actually called.
With a spring in his step, and just under 300 smackers in his pouch, he's raring to go.
Oh, a cat.
Hello.
(CLICKS TEETH) Typical of a cat, doesn't want you.
I bet if there was food around he'd be interested.
This is more of an interest to me, though.
This is really nice, that is autumn on a plate.
So sgraffito is basically scratching.
So when the clay is wet, this design has been scratched into it by hand, into the wet clay.
And it gives this lovely rustic design.
£42.
It's Italian.
It's probably... 1910, 1900, in date.
I think that's really...
I mean it is kind of a posh tourist souvenir from Italy.
Do you like it?
Hello, Mr Pussycat?
World of his own.
VO: Let's see if we can find something else that will get the kitty's attention.
You couldn't get more Scottish than curling stones.
And these... 150, hm, well I could afford them.
But these look like Ailsa Craig granite, which is the lovely gray granite from Ailsa Craig, just off the coast of Ayr.
Which is the best kind of granite.
But people use them for door stops.
There's a pair of them, which is always quite nice.
VO: From the mid 19th century Ailsa Craig has been quarried for its rare type of micro granite, and is one of only two sources for curling stones in the world.
Dealer Stuart is the man to talk prices with.
Stuart, sorry to break into your rearranging.
Hi there, Steven.
There's these curling stones, they're out at 150.
Right, yeah.
How much can we pare them back?
We could do those for £100 for the pair.
Sorry, this is really cheeky.
Would 90 buy them?
95, and that would be...
Right, I'm not going to argue.
The moths are coming out.
That is yours.
Thank you.
Could you have those sent round?
No problem.
I think my back, you know.
Good to see you.
DEALER: Thanks very much.
SM: Take care now.
Bye-bye.
VO: Steven does know he's not the real king of Fife, doesn't he?
I'm not sure.
Huh.
Our road trip companions are reunited.
Don't tell me, don't tell me what you've bought.
Just buy me dinner, and we'll be square.
OK.
I can only be a gentleman.
VO: Enjoy your supper, then.
Nighty-night.
VO: Our Scottish whirl continues, and someone's forgotten their petit dejeuner.
SM: You haven't got a picnic in the back, have you?
Could have got me a Scotch pie.
You wouldn't say no, would you?
I wouldn't, and I never... or a curry pie.
I love a curry pie.
VO: Don't we all?
(CHUCKLES) Natasha's keeping her money close.
She's only spent £12 on the Scottish Studio pottery vase so far.
Isn't that really smart?
VO: Leaving Natasha with £213.20.
Meanwhile, Steven's been dishing out the dosh on the set of silver teaspoons, the Scottish stoneware spirit flasks, the pottery ladies' vase, and the pair of curling stones.
I'm all about elevating.
VO: Giving Steven £185 and pennies.
Do you want to come on a pie journey with me, darling?
Just you try and stop me.
I'll edumacate you all about pies.
VO: Can I come too?
VO: After dropping off Steven, Natasha is in South Queensferry.
Sitting in the shadow of the Forth Bridges, the nattily nautical Sea Kist resides, awaiting the arrival of Natasha.
Can I do it?
World's hardest car to park.
Did I do it?
Hold on... Let's see if I can just back it up a wee bit, try and improve.
Come on, you can do it, girl.
VO: Plenty of space.
Come on, here we go.
VO: It's a beast of a car to park.
Er...no.
Let's just stop here.
Yeah, cool.
That's...
I'm leaving it there.
VO: Well, it's kind of straight.
NS: Yeah, yeah, that's the worst parking in South Queensferry.
Never mind.
Right, here we go.
Hi Jenni.
Nice to see you.
Hello.
You too.
Did you see that parking?
I did.
Impressive.
(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Natasha needs to start spending.
She's got just over £200 to splurge, and owner Jenni's got it rammed to the rafters in here.
Woof-woof!
Ha.
See anything tempting?
Certainly something I have never clocked in my puff is what looks to be an Albert chain for your pocket watch.
Bleugh!
It's made out of human hair.
That is so weird, but also in a way so wonderful.
Because look at the condition of that.
I mean, this is Victorian, so it's 19th century.
We're here in the 21st, and that is immaculate.
They would attach their pocket watch here.
I think that might be called a dog clip, not sure if I made that up.
But they attached their pocket watch to this clip here, and it would sit like that, and your pocket watch would sit in your pocket.
And then you want to check the time, out it comes.
VO: The Victorians had a fascination with death.
And this extended to the production of a range of memento mori - objects designed as a reminder of a loved one that's passed on.
It doesn't freak me out, holding it in my hands, because the way that the hair has been woven it feels like a different material.
It doesn't feel like hair.
Yeah, that's a bit macabre, and that can sell.
And the watch market is really buoyant, it's an international one.
And the macabre market is, and always has been, big.
VO: But does it have a big price tag?
What would you let it go for?
I could let that go for 40.
Oh yeah?
DEALER: Yeah.
NS: OK. Well, I think we have a deal on £40 for the hairwork chain, because I haven't really seen the likes.
VO: Natasha's definitely drawn to the quirky today.
Anything else, ma'am?
NS: If you imagine these plates in their original setting they would have been on a grand ocean liner, specifically a Red Star Line liner.
You may have been cruising across the Atlantic, and each day that you were on that boat the most important part of your day was dinner.
And these would have been on those tables, in that dining room.
VO: Albert Einstein and Irving Berlin were amongst the two and a half million passengers, mainly migrants, who took the Red Star Line's ocean liners from Belgium to America from the 1870s until 1934.
They're market up at £40 each, I'd presume we could do a wee bit of a deal.
But it's just the idea of... is there enough for them to really attract interest at the auction?
I just don't know.
The thing that freaks me out about buying china is that I'm up against Mr China himself.
That's what worries me.
VO: Er... Jenni!
Jenni, what's your best price on the two crescent dishes?
I could let you have them both for £50.
£50?
DEALER: Yep.
NS: (INHALES) Right, do you know something...
I think I'm sold.
VO: Plus the Victorian pocket watch chain at 40.
So that's £90 in total?
Excellent.
£90, right, I'll pop them in the fishy dish.
VO: Finally, she's delving into her purse.
Thank you so much.
Right... Aargh!
Doesn't get weirder.
VO: That quirky little spree means Natasha now has just over £120 left.
Here we go, handbrake is off.
But aah, bollard!
No, indicator!
OK. We're fine, we're fine.
(CHUCKLES) VO: Phew!
Steven has sashayed his way to the port district of Leith, in the city of Edinburgh.
Berthed here is the glorious Royal Yacht Britannia.
Steven is here to discover why this magnificent ship was the last of the royal yachts that has served crown and country for over 300 years.
Access all areas.
VO: Steven's particularly giddy because he is stepping on board using the royal brow - oh, nice slippers, ha-ha - the entrance solely reserved for the Queen and her family.
Historian Tim O'Brien awaits to tell all.
Permission to come on board, sir?
TIM: Permission granted, Steven.
SM: Thank you.
Welcome to the Royal Yacht Britannia.
What a ship.
She's fantastic, isn't she?
Please come on board.
And you lead on.
VO: This tradition for a floating royal residence began in 1660, when King Charles II was gifted His Majesty's Yacht Mary, by the Dutch.
The Clyde-built Royal Yacht Britannia would be launched in 1953, and would be home for the Queen and the royals for 44 years.
A majestic symbol of the commonwealth.
Let's take a peek inside.
It's rather homely in here, isn't it?
Yes Steven, it certainly is.
This is the state drawing room, this is where the royal family would relax, they'd invite guests in here from presidents and kings around the world.
VO: But the royal yacht was more than a floating palace.
Important business dinners would be held here, and from 1991 to 1995 it's estimated that Britannia made £3 billion in overseas trade missions.
From the grandeur of the royal household, we must not forget that there was a dedicated crew of 220 royal yachtsmen onboard, affectionately known as yachties.
This is nice and cozy, what went on in here?
Welcome to the sergeants' mess.
There are two halves to this ship.
The back of the ship was basically the royal apartments, where the household would be.
And the front of the ship was the 200 officers and crew.
The yachties themselves dedicated their lives to the service of this ship and the Queen.
So the other yachtsmen were their fellow family, if you like.
VO: So when the Queen wasn't on board was life different, was it still as busy, or...?
Well, they were getting ready for the next event, whether or not there was government officials on board, whether or not that was sea days where business, perhaps from Shanghai, as they did in '86.
It was important the ship was in top-top condition.
So it didn't matter if the Queen wasn't on for six or seven months.
The Royal Yacht Britannia was always busy.
VO: A glittering ambassador for Britain, her travels from continent to continent would take place right here, from the bridge.
TIM: There's some fantastic articles on here.
This here is in fact the magnetic compass binnacle.
It came originally from the Victorian and Albert III.
VO: Ah, this was Britannia's predecessor, much loved by Queen Victoria.
When the Victorian and Albert III was being scrapped, back in the '50s, Prince Philip went on board her, and he rescued some of the artifacts.
VO: After steaming over 1 million miles, and carrying out over 700 royal visits, at home and abroad, a new horizon was on the horizon for Britannia.
There was a plan for a new royal yacht, two thirds the size, two thirds the amount of crew, helicopter landing pads, state of the art conference facilities, and a longer range.
But as it was there was there was a general election in 1997, and the Labour government came in under Tony Blair.
And the decision was made that there would be no more royal yacht.
So that's where the royal yacht was finished.
SM: End of an era.
TIM: End of an era.
That must have been a very sad day for Her Majesty?
Yes, when Britannia was finally decommissioned, it was the 11th of December 1997.
It was the one and only occasion I think, that the Queen has shown some real emotion, as did other members of the royal family, on seeing the Royal Yacht Britannia...
This was their home, wasn't it?
Exactly.
I suppose the only happy part of the story is the fact that because of what happened, she's here in Edinburgh for us all to enjoy today.
Yes, she's a visitor attraction for everyone to come and enjoy.
She's proudly in Leith, and she's kept in the same condition that she was kept in during her 44 years of fantastic service.
So if the Queen came back, she'd recognize the place.
She would, and it would be lovely to have her back.
VO: Testament of a bygone age, and royal customs.
The Royal Yacht Britannia served Queen faithfully, and is a large part of the reason why Her Majesty is the most-traveled monarch the world has ever known.
Would you get the Dubonnet chilled?
I'm coming down.
VO: While Steven has drinkies on the poop deck, Natasha's setting her sights high.
For £50 I'd love to find a sovereign.
A sovereign for 50, sold for 350.
Oh, I'd be back in the game.
I'd be back in the game.
VO: Natasha has motored north to the Clackmannanshire village of Alva.
We're venturing in here, Alva Antiques and Collectables.
That's good.
VO: From big China doggies - woof-woof - to vintage school bags, there's plenty to explore.
And in Natasha's purse, £123.20.
Hold on.
Let's get a closer look.
Well, first of all, you'd want it to be arts and crafts.
But this is arts-and-crafts style.
There's nothing wrong with that.
As it stands, this is inspired by that era.
And let's have a closer look.
Maybe it's kind of '40s, '50s.
It's certainly not modern.
What you would really want would be a lantern with a bit of age, arts and crafts.
And the top would be pagoda shaped.
So it would be inspired by the Far East in its form.
And it would be so obviously furnished by hand.
Would I have it in my home?
Absolutely.
I'd have it hanging above my Studio pottery vase, and the world would go wild.
VO: Ha.
That's a given.
It's reasonably priced at £35.
Anything else?
There's a well bucket.
I'm loath to go and pick it up.
Because I know that once I pick it up, I'm gonna buy the bucket.
I mean, you know it's happening, it's on.
Once I touch it, it's happening.
VO: Natasha's eye is definitely drawn to the curious and bizarre today.
First things first, it looks watertight.
I'm not sure if it's late 19th century, early 20th century, it's got some good age to it.
You can just see from looking at it that it has good age to it.
Imagine if you had a nice arts-and-crafts home, and you had...
I don't know, an open fire.
This might be quite smart for storing your logs, could be good for that.
VO: The ticket price is £45.
Add it in with the lantern, we have a total of 80.
Let's chat moolah with dealer Tom.
Hi, Tom.
Hi, Natasha.
I come bearing bucket and lantern, and I wonder what you would prefer for me to do.
Would you like me to go in with a cheeky offer?
Or would you rather tell me your best price?
Yeah, I think I'll tell you my best price if you don't mind.
I would be quite happy at £70.
£70.
Well, my cheeky offer was going to be 60.
So I wonder, would you meet me in the middle?
Would 65 be OK?
Y-Y-Yes, go on then.
TOM: That'll give you a chance.
NS: We can go 65?
We will go 65.
OK, well, I'm very grateful for the discount.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate it.
DEALER: And thank you.
VO: While Natasha has been adding to her bag of curiosities, where is Steven?
Where else but east?
In the village of Powmill between Perth and Kinross.
VO: Even-Steven's on a mission to find even more potentials for auctions, in here at Claymore Collectables.
There's literally all sorts in here, from early cameras to antiques, vintage, and retro.
From a nearly-£400 kitty, Steven now has £185 remaining.
This seems to be the militaria corner.
It's not really my area.
But there's one thing I do know about it, it's very popular at auction.
And popular at auction is what we need, we're here to make a profit.
So there's this great little box of cap badges.
You know, little buttons.
Also a real, what we call a mixed lot.
There could be anything down here.
Little fusilier's cap badge there.
It's £25, it's not much money.
And I've also seen... these dog tags as well, which servicemen would wear round their neck identifying who they are.
VO: Priced at £20.
So what I'm kind of thinking is if I put them together it makes a little lot, it pads the lot out.
What you want is the buyer to think this isn't just some old tat thrown into a sale.
This is somebody's collection, somebody who's thought about this.
The great thing about the boxes, people love to rummage.
They can pick in there and think, "What's inside that box?
There might be a treasure."
This might just add a little bit to the party.
And there's this as well, which...
Sometimes called souvenir belts, sometimes called hate belts, which is a slightly unpleasant sort of phrase.
But they were essentially badges and buttons from fallen colleagues, or sometimes from the enemy, in war.
So soldiers would collect these, and they'd keep them as a souvenir.
VO: The ticket price is £110.
Sometimes you get them on the leather officers' belts, they're the best ones.
But this is actually quite...
This is quite a good interesting thing.
Do I go for the three things and make one mega lot?
(INHALES SHARPLY) Mm... VO: Well, this is a far cry from Steven's beloved world of ceramics.
Let's find the man in charge, Max.
Max.
How are you?
Steven.
Are you feeling in the mood for a deal?
Of course.
Always in the mood for a deal.
Well I've seen three things.
There's that hate belt.
That's a horrible phrase, SM: isn't it?
MAX: Yeah.
I know they're interesting things.
And there's the wee box of metals, and the dog tags.
What could the hate belt be?
I think you've got 110 on it.
110 on that, that could be 90.
Do it for 130 for all three.
That's £25 off.
It's like getting one for free, isn't it?
SM: But two, get one free.
MAX: Absolutely.
I'm talking myself into it.
Go on, right, let's... let's do this.
Get it done before I change my mind.
There's £130.
Perfect, thank you.
VO: And with breathless excitement, the shopping is now finito.
Together again, Natasha is in charge of the Rolls.
Hold on, let's get these off.
That's the fuel.
Let's not cut the fuel.
Let's cut the windscreen wipers.
VO: These old cars, they're so temperamental.
Time to get some shuteye.
We rise and shine in glorious Perthshire.
Our pair have traveled to Scone for a suitably majestic setting for some online viewing.
We're heading back in time here, aren't we?
And they've got the flag up as well.
Yes, they knew you were coming.
They did, I know!
VO: He's the king of Fife after all!
He-he!
One of the finest examples of late Georgian gothic architecture, Scone Palace was the hallowed ground where the kings of the Scots would be crowned.
But you'll know about all of that, Steven.
I'm gonna do a full turning circle, because why not?
NS: Well why not?
SM: Exactly.
We're only going to come to Scone Palace NS: in a Rolls Royce once.
SM: Exactly.
VO: While we luxuriate in our stately surroundings, our duo have sent their beloved antiques to the town of Hamilton in Lanarkshire.
They will be sold in here at Hamilton Auction Market.
Wielding the gavel today is auctioneer James Henderson.
It's an online auction, with plenty of commission bids.
VO: What do you think about Steven's five lots, costing bang on £333?
The hate belt, belter of a lot.
Very interesting with the badges and dog tags.
We have military collectors coming to the sales, and they'll target something like that.
VO: Natasha spent £167 on five lots.
What's impressing you?
The brass lantern, that's a fantastic lot.
Original glass, original suspension chain, and it's in mint condition.
Everything going for it.
VO: Sounds promising.
Now let's glide with elegance to the grandeur of Scone.
No pressure, Steven, but we're sitting at Queen Victoria's dining table.
How long do you think we'll have to sit waiting before the champagne comes round?
Er, days.
Oh, well shall we get on with the auction in that case?
VO: (CHUCKLES) Let's.
Steven's pair of curling stones are up first.
50 for them.
Five, 55.
At 55, 60.
And flying, at 65, 70...
They're flying, you see.
They are flying.
At 85, 90 now.
At 90, at 90 bid, 90... Come on.
No, come on, for Queen and country!
At £90.
They flew down the parquet and out the floor.
NS: (CHUCKLES) VO: That's a pity.
They're usually very popular.
For a pair of curling stones, £90 is a good deal.
You were robbed.
SM: I was robbed.
NS: Yeah.
VO: Next we have Natasha's wooden well bucket.
45.
At 45 online.
50 now.
At 50 bid.
At 55, 60 now.
65, 65, 70 bid.
At 70 bid, five now.
At 75, 80.
And five, at 85 bid.
JAMES: Online at 85.
NS: What?!
Are you serious?
At 85 bid, 90 now.
At 90 I'm bid.
At £90.
I did have confidence in my well bucket, but not £90 confidence.
VO: A surprise profit for Natasha, well done.
Well I never.
That's...
I think I don't need champagne, I need brandy.
Yeah, that's... that's unexpected, Steven.
VO: Right, can Steven get some fortune with his combo militaria lot?
Online interest.
£30.
At 30, bid.
At 30 I'm bid, five now in the book.
It's going in the right way.
40, five now.
At 45, at £45.
50, 50 online.
Come on.
55 now in the room.
At 55.
At 60 now, online at 60.
Fair warning at £60.
Oh no, no, keep going.
At £60.
I hated that.
It was a hate belt.
It was, yes!
Well, someone's got themselves a bargain.
That's how I look at it.
VO: I'm loving the positivity, Steven.
OK, so militaria is off the table for you now?
I tried it once, and I didn't like it.
OK. VO: The Victorian hairwork pocket watch chain from Natasha is next.
I can start the bidding.
£50 in the book.
60 now, online at 60.
At 60, 65 now in the book, 70 online.
JAMES: At 75... NS: Oh, good!
Five now in the book, at 75.
At 75, 80.
85 on commission.
At 90 online.
At £90.
95 now.
100.
110 now.
At 110.
On commission at 110.
At 110.
All done now, at £110.
SM: Brava.
NS: (SCOFFS IN SURPRISE) If you fell in the dock you'd come up with coal, you, today.
If I fell in the dock I'd never come out again.
VO: What a triumph!
Great find, Natasha.
Albert was there, he was with me.
Well, you see, it's funny, they're praying for you, the ghosts of Victorian and Albert, not me.
VO: Come on, Steven.
Maybe your Scottish pottery ladies' vase will turn things around.
Internet interest.
£12.
It's going to be a climber.
14 now.
At 14 bid online.
At 14 bid, at 14...
It's gonna sell at £14, isn't it?
Come on!
At £14 online.
We was robbed.
The ladies, they spent so much time painting.
VO: Someone's got another lovely bargain.
What, my auction mojo's gone.
What's happened, Natasha?
VO: There, there, Steven.
Next it's Natasha's pair of Red Star Line china plates.
With interest online at £22.
At 22 for these.
24.
That's what I was worried about.
26 online, 35 now.
40, at 40.
Five now, at 45.
NS: Oh!
SM: Oh!
JAMES: 50, just in time.
SM: Oh.
50 bid, 50 bid, 50.
All done at £50.
It feels like a profit because I thought they might make 20.
It would feel like a profit to me.
(CHUCKLES) VO: A big sigh of relief there from Natasha.
I genuinely thought that was going to be a bit of silly move.
VO: Yeah.
The set of silver spoons from Steven is up next.
Fingers crossed.
£40 online for the spoons.
JAMES: £40.
NS: Come on.
At 40, bid 40.
Online at 40, bid 40, all done?
At £40.
I'm £2 in profit!
Hallelujah.
Steven.
VO: Can I have an amen?
Finally, a profit.
Well, Scotland wasn't very brave for me this time, was it?
VO: Natasha's bargain Scottish Studio pottery vase is next under the gavel.
What's it worth?
£6 online, eight now.
At eight, eight.
10, at 10 bid, 10.
12, at 12, 14, 16.
Yay!
At 16, 18.
20 now.
At 20 I'm bid.
Two now, in the book at 22.
At 22 bid.
Four now... At 24.
At 24 online.
24, all done?
At £24.
It made money.
VO: Great find.
Yet another profit for Natasha.
Well, your luck has turned.
VO: Can it for you, Steven?
With the set of Scottish stoneware spirit flasks.
I can start the bidding at £30.
NS: Oh, we need more.
30 bid.
At 30 bid.
Five now online.
At 35.
40 in the book.
45 online now.
It's getting closer.
50 in the book now.
At 50 bid, at 50 bid for it.
At 50 bid for the spirit flasks.
No, keep going, keep going.
All done at 50?
55 now online.
All done at £55?
Oh, is that about £9 profit I've made so far?
VO: I think you'll need a wee dram after this.
I knew there was a profit in them, I just didn't know it was so small.
VO: Now for the final lot.
Natasha's arts-and-crafts-style lantern.
There is some interest in this.
35, 40, 45, 50 online.
Yay!
At 50 bid, five, 60, five.
At 65, 70, and five.
At 75.
That's amazing.
And 80 on commission.
Five now online.
85, 90.
At 90 in the book.
At 95 online.
JAMES: 100.
NS: 100?!
It did not make £100?
110!
At 120, 130.
140 now.
At 140.
150 online.
150, 150, all done?
At £150.
Did that make £150?
NS: That's amazing.
SM: So you've doubled your money and some.
Well, I'm delighted.
VO: Truly superb result, Natasha.
Hamilton loved your lots.
Unexpected.
The shandies are on you tonight.
Yeah.
VO: Stupendous auction.
Let's work out the calculations.
After auction costs, Steven made a painful loss of £120.62, giving him £267.74.
Natasha is today's glittering winner.
After saleroom costs, Natasha has made a whopping £180.68, giving her a delicious £405.88 for the final adventure.
NS: Steven, only one more of those to go.
I know, it's a bit sad.
I know, time flies when you're hanging out in a palace I suppose.
Absolutely.
The palace life.
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