VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts.

This is beautiful.

That's the way to do this.

VO: With £200 each, a classic car and a goal to scour for antiques.

Joy.

Hello.

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

But it's no mean feat.

(LAUGHS) (GAVEL) VO: There will be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Sorry, sorry!

VO: So, will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

The handbrake's on.

VO: This is Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah.

What could be finer than a road trip through Ireland with two titans of antiques?

CHRISTINA (CT): So if you were an antique, what would you be?

THOMAS (TP): I'd be like a beautiful gold and enamel beautiful bit of Edwardian jewelry.

What would you be?

I think I'd be a pitchfork.

VO: Lordy!

Behind the wheel today is pitchfork enthusiast, auctioneer and country lass Christina Trevanion.

Were you sporty at school?

Er, individual sports.

Very keen fencer.

You did fencing?!

You did fencing at school!

Yeah.

Oh my God, you are the poshest person I've ever met in my life.

TP: Don't be so ridiculous!

CT: You are.

Everybody can fence.

Fencing isn't that posh.

VO: Oh yes, our favorite fencing auctioneer Thomas Plant is locked in a duel with his fellow Road Tripper.

VO: On this road trip, our pair kicked off in Cashel in Tipperary, and are enjoying the delights of Ireland before hopping across to North Wales, traveling around England, and will end up over 700 miles later in Stoke-on-Trent.

Today they begin in Prosperous - ha!

- in Country Kildare before making the journey over the water and heading for auction in the Welsh town of Wrexham.

What else did you do?

Backgammon, chess?

No.

I swam, sailed!

Sailed!

Oh my God!

VO: Sailing would certainly explain the jacket covering your usual elegant attire, Thomas.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Just like their school days, this fabulous Bedford van is from another era, a time before seat belts were compulsory.

Did you learn to dance when you were at school?

Do I have to have this conversation with you?

Yes!

We used to have dance classes at home in...

In the ballroom!

TP: No!

CT: (LAUGHS) In the main hall.

CT: And did the maids help?

We didn't have sta... Well... No, we didn't have staff... CT: And did... TP: ..then.

Um... VO: There will be some currency converting to do when they head to Wales later, but they begin their road trip in Ireland with 285 euros each.

After their first trip to auction, Christina pulled in a small profit, giving her just over 292 euros to splash today.

That's about £205.

VO: And it's close so far, as Thomas lost a little, leaving him with almost 281 euros in his pocket.

That works out at almost £198.

In the heart of County Kildare, the rather confidently named Prosperous was given its title in the hope that its 18th century cotton trade would follow suit.

Guess what.

CT: High-class furniture.

TP: Come on.

CT: Brilliant.

Let's go in.

TP: In you go.

TP: Hello.

GER: Hello Thomas, how are you?

GER: Lovely to meet you.

TP: Very well.

Ger Nevin is my name.

How are you?

GER: Lovely to meet you.

CT: What was your name?

Ger Nevin is my name.

Thank you very much for coming.

CT: Ge... Gerry?

GER: Ger.

VO: Introductions over, it's time to get cracking.

Oh.

I'm a bit confused because these things have got lot numbers on them.

Am I in the right place?

VO: Well, this establishment is a little different, as it also operates as an auction house.

The items here are ready to go under the hammer, but many of the sellers are happy to let them go pre-sale.

If the money's right.

Ooh.

Bit of Moorcroft.

Look at that.

Isn't that beautiful?

VO: Modesty will get you everywhere, girl.

Kidney-shaped... All these different boxes... ..could be a little lot, really.

We've got a little horn snuff with white metal ends.

That would be for... cheroots, tobacco.

Probably 19th century.

A cigar case.

Sort of zinc-lined to keep that tobacco fresh.

A Japanese kidney-shaped little box.

Slightly damaged but in the lacquer.

A souvenir ring box.

And this Californian Poppy brilliantine.

I think that is for tobacco as well.

It's a nice little lot, you know, it looks rather good.

VO: Let's get Ger over.

Try and set you off on a good deal.

Could you?

How about 50 euro?

They're surely worth 10 euro each.

Could we go any... little bit better?

How about 40 then?

That seems very fair, doesn't it?

That does seem fair.

40 euros.

TP: You're a good man.

Deal.

GER: Deal.

Right, so that's my first deal.

GER: You're very welcome.

TP: I'll carry on looking.

VO: First deal of the day.

How are things faring upstairs?

That's beautiful, isn't it?

Love that.

That's a great picture.

Wonderful rural scene.

Obviously bygone days.

This guy is driving his cattle down the road, leading his horse, and there's a little girl there feeding her chickens.

It's just luminous, isn't it?

It's wonderful.

I like that a lot.

I suspect it's gonna have quite a high price tag on it though.

VO: That's one to consider, then.

How about Thomas?

This is like the bowl which keeps on giving.

Like a cornucopia, which sort of carries on.

Oh, I love mother-of-pearl.

Mother-of-pearl is carved shell, and the way you can tell if it's real mother-of-pearl is it's like a pearl, it'll be gritty against your teeth.

Can you see the way it shimmers?

These are obviously ends off sort of handles or something.

But I love it.

This I think is a piece of agate.

Well, it is a piece of agate.

Let me get the light on this.

It's got a really... ..gray but sort of translucency to it.

Could be a salt dish for the center of the table.

And then you've got a collection of Oriental soapstone.

These are scroll weights.

So when you're laying out that Chinese scroll, you want to weigh it down so it doesn't roll in on itself.

I might call over Ger and see what we've got here.

See if there's a price to be had.

Ger, can I have a chat with you?

That's the little hidden gem.

It's a little hidden gem!

Was I allowed to find this bowl?

Of course you were.

A bit naughty of me.

Absolutely.

So you've got the contents of the bowl.

Yes, exactly.

Um...

I mean, I like it.

Yes.

It all depends on what... value wise, what you want to charge.

GER: Well, for you... TP: Yeah.

We'll give you a good price.

You think so?

Absolutely, absolutely.

If we said 55 euro for the lot.

That's immensely fair.

I don't think I can argue with that.

No, I don't think you could.

I'm not going to argue with it.

I am really not.

Are you sure you're happy with that?

Absolutely.

TP: 55 euros?

GER: For you.

VO: After that buying frenzy, Thomas has landed the soapstone collection, some mother-of-pearl handles and that lovely salt and enough boxes to start a collection.

Christina best get a move on.

Oh, look at that.

Oh, it's fantastic.

Country-house club fender with this leather top.

Brass base.

Put that in front of your fire.

Can you imagine warming your back on the fire?

That's fabulous.

And again, these are selling really quite well at the moment, but there's no price tag.

VO: Time to call on Ger.

Comfortable?

I'm feeling very confident.

Which is always a bad thing.

CT: Oh, fantastic.

I do really like that.

So we have got a signature down there.

CT: GC Harlow on that.

GER: Yes.

CT: Oil on board, is it?

GER: Oil on board, exactly, yes.

Ah, GC Barlow, artist, exhibitor, Paris.

That's great that that label's... GER: Yes, yes.

CT: ..still on there.

CT: That's fantastic.

GER: Yes.

CT: Can we spin it over?

GER: Absolutely.

It's got its original frame again.

Mm-hm.

So how much is on that one?

175.

And what could you do me that for?

How about 120?

120 on that one.

Yes.

OK. VO: That's definitely a potential.

Any more, Christina?

How much for your tatty club fender?

There's a good...

This could be a deal for you.

220 euro.

That's nearly all my budget!

GER: (LAUGHS) How about 180?

Oh, you've got to keep going.

I think it's well worth that.

That's quite good value.

CT: And how much did you want for the picture?

GER: 120.

Could you come down any more on this?

What did you say on this, 180?

180.

160?

Is there any, any, any, any chance you could do me the picture and the fender for 200?

GER: (GASPS) You are such a convincing woman.

CT: Really?

Am I?

GER: You have a deal.

I don't think many people would say that!

GER: You are.

CT: (LAUGHS) So 200 for the club fender and the picture.

GER: Deal.

CT: I'm a happy woman.

That's good, I'm glad you are.

I love shopping in Ireland, it's amazing.

GER: Absolutely.

CT: Brilliant.

CT: Thank you so much.

GER: You are more than welcome.

VO: With that very generous deal it's no wonder Christina's happy.

VO: Time to wake Sleeping Beauty.

Thomas, what are you doing?

Get your feet off the bed!

Wake up!

Sorry, Christina.

Come on, we've got things to do.

I've actually done quite well today.

Oh, hang on a second.

Yeah, you know.

I'm feeling quite...

I bought a few... VO: While Thomas goes in search of his next shop, Christina has made the trip to Dublin.

From Medieval castles to Georgian splendor, Dublin has a vibrant and charismatic reputation.

Ireland's capital has been home to Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and James Joyce, and Christina is on the trail of another literary great.

She's visiting Trinity College, Ireland's premier seat of education, where archivist Jane Maxwell is on hand to reveal the story of former student Jonathan Swift.

Known for his masterpiece Gulliver's Travels, he became one of the greatest satirists in the world and started a legacy that would change the face of literature in Ireland.

JANE: He's the chap that's famous for saying that the world was founded, more or less.

CT: Jane, this is just visually the most stunning place CT: I think I've ever been.

JANE: Isn't it lovely?

JANE: Isn't it wonderful?

CT: It really is.

Gorgeous.

JANE: The old library.

CT: It really is.

So was Swift ever here?

Not physically in this building, no.

He pre-dated this, this is 300 years old.

He was here in the 17th century.

This is an 18th century room.

Right.

But this library has a privilege of holding the Jonathan Swift collection.

VO: Born in Dublin in 1667, Swift was sent to Trinity College in the city at the age of 14.

JANE: This is the register that records him arriving in Trinity College.

Oh, there he is!

Jonathan Swift.

Did he show any talents as being a writer when he was this age, when he was here?

JANE: We don't have anything that he wrote at the time, and he got into disciplinary problems.

He was a naughty boy?

He was a naughty boy, yes, er, so...

I quite like him.

(THEY CHUCKLE) It ends up that he gets his degree by special grace.

VO: Despite a shaky academic career, Swift began to build a reputation as a writer, first working for former politician William Temple, then as a clergyman arguing the position of the church on political matters.

He becomes a political propagandist and he is writing pamphlets left, right and center.

That's what they did, that's how you waged war.

JANE: You wrote.

CT: And you produced pamphlets.

Endless pamphlets.

And because Swift's specific talent was satire, and if you can make people laugh, you have them half won over.

So he made it really readable.

VO: While satire has been around for centuries, in this age of the Enlightenment, Swift was part of a resurgence of the craft which interrogated moral and political views.

Later in his life, Swift was to display his moral outrage at the treatment of Ireland's poor in one of the most famous satirical essays in the English language.

This is the Modest Proposal, which everybody knows about even if they're not entirely sure... A Modest Proposal For Preventing The Children Of Poor People From Being A Burden To Their Parents Or The Country And For Making Them Beneficial To The Publick.

Yeah, they kind of liked long titles, you know.

That's snappy, isn't it?

JANE: This is a time when poor people were considered to be slightly less human, so he starts off in this tone of voice saying, "Yeah, we all know this is a problem," and then he just, without as much as a blink of the eye, he segue-ways seamlessly into, "I think they should eat their children.

"I mean, if you've fed a nice, plump, poor baby, er, well, "you know, you could serve them up for dinner."

What?!

And then all of a sudden you realize he's making fun of you and your prejudices and your bias because for a moment you might have thought, "Yeah, he's right, yeah, he's right."

(GASPS) "Whoops!"

That's what he did, and he did it beautifully because he sucks you in.

You think he's writing a boring economic pamphlet.

VO: With his wit and fearless approach, Swift towered over his predecessors.

As partisan politics emerged, he used his satire to tackle this new complex political world.

CT: Ah, so here we have... VO: In 1726 he took his arguments to a wide audience, creating what would become his best known work.

This is how we know Jonathan Swift really, isn't it?

JANE: Yes.

Yes.

CT: His Gulliver's Travels.

But it says here Travels Into Several Remote Nations Of The World In Four Parts By Lemuel Gulliver, First A Surgeon And Then A Captain Of Several Ships, Volume One, London.

It goes on and on and on.

JANE: Yes, I know.

Well, at the very first page he's making a little fun of the tradition of writing travelogues.

CT: Right.

JANE: Which were becoming very popular at the time.

So he gives the name Gulliver, but also he gives a little background to make it seem more like this is actually a genuine travelogue.

VO: By presenting the book as Gulliver's own memoirs, Swift distanced himself from a controversial tale that criticized the politicians he felt had blocked his own career.

This is political satire again, because he goes to all of these countries and he picks out individuals and characters whom all of his readership know who the contemporary politician is that he's making fun of.

Oh, it is not a children's book at all.

It's actually political satire?

Yes.

But now it's marketed as a children's book.

I mean, you couldn't get more poles apart really, could you?

No.

VO: Each group that Gulliver encounters represents a different section of society, all afflicted by one type of prejudice or another.

Like the character of Flimnap, a wily politician torn by jealousy, who is understood to be a thinly veiled caricature of Britain's first modern prime minister Robert Walpole.

VO: Scared of prosecution by those targeted in the book, Swift's publisher used several different printers and even changed sections of text.

The tale becoming an instant success.

JANE: It was immediately hugely popular.

Even people who said they didn't understand who the targets were found it incredible.

Erm, and even people who didn't like Swift had to admit that it was wonderful.

VO: Swift's book gave readers an entirely different perspective on this new age of politics and politicians.

Since its first release Gulliver's Travels has never been out of print and is heralded as a milestone in satirical literature.

Once he had an idea, he took it to its rational, obvious conclusion and he was prepared to go a step further than everybody else.

Always was, even with... Stretching the boundaries?

Absolutely.

VO: Swift died in Dublin in 1745.

His pamphlets remain amongst the most important texts held in the great library of Trinity College, and Gulliver's Travels inspired readers and influenced writers for centuries to come.

VO: Just over 15 miles back down the River Liffey, Thomas is in the village of Straffan in County Kildare.

Straffan Antiques is a family-run affair managed by Eion.

VO: The jacket's off.

He means business.

They're rather fun.

Very stylish.

VO: Much like yourself, Tom.

Oh, so vain.

Really!

These are good.

Look at these sweet little things.

Children's folding chairs.

They look great fun.

Ow.

(CHUCKLES) VO: I'd take a seat Thomas, if I were you.

Ticket price is 480 euros.

TP: You've got a pair of them.

EOIN: Pairs is unusual, yeah.

That is unusual, isn't it?

EOIN: Yeah.

And it looks like original upholstery on them.

I think so.

Probably, erm, maybe late 19th century, something like that.

They're quite sweet, aren't they?

Yeah.

What can you do those for?

Erm... We could do those about maybe 220.

Ooh, gosh.

I don't think I've got 220.

I've only got 185 and I need some left for tomorrow.

So I was looking at those at sort of 50 euros each, you know, 100 euros.

If you can't do it, you can't do it.

TP: I don't want you to... EOIN: Yeah, yeah.

I'll, I'll try and find something else.

Could do 150 on them.

I think 150's a bit, a bit strong for me.

Could you meet me halfway somewhere?

Could do 130.

125 we've got a deal.

Go on.

Go on.

125.

125.

You're a good man.

VO: A bold buy, Thomas!

Great discount but it doesn't leave you very much.

All I've got left.

What have I done?

Oh, what have I done?

VO: Heaven knows!

You won't make money on those.

VO: Blissfully unaware of Thomas's big spending, Christina is hotfooting through Dublin's streets in search of a bargain.

CT: Hello.

DEALER: Hey, how're you doing?

Very well thanks.

Christina.

Nice to meet you.

Alistair, how're you?

Alistair.

Do you mind if I have a quick look round?

DEALER: Yeah, sure.

CT: Yeah?

If there's anything I like the look of I'll come and give you a holler.

DEALER: OK. VO: A holler eh?!

Owner Alistair has been running the shop along with his mother for four years and they do a lot of their buying in French markets so the shop has a certain je ne sais quoi.

You are feeling it?

CT: Ooh.

That's quite cool, isn't it?

So, normally with British telephones you'll always get a series number on the inside of the handle and usually a date as well, when they were registered.

This is a French example.

95 euros.

I haven't got that much left in my budget, have I?

Never mind.

Move on.

So that is quite cool, isn't it?

Look at that.

"The Royal Dragoon.

"Ales and prize medal beers".

So, it's obviously an old pub sign, isn't it, the Royal Dragoon?

Breweryana and advertising is really quite in vogue at the moment.

But that's also a really very powerful, strong image.

It's 45 euros.

I wonder what Alistair can do on that.

Alistair?

Yes?

Where are you, darling?

We picked this up at a French market about two months ago.

Did you?

I'm not sure how old it is, but it's certainly nice anyway.

Hm.

It's a decorative thing, isn't it?

Hasn't got a huge amount of age to it, has it?

Yeah.

Probably about 1970s I'd say, maybe.

Mm.

So, what would be your best price on that?

20.

It's quite fun, isn't it?

I do quite like that.

There's something about the image which is really quite powerful, isn't it?

Yeah.

That horsey strutting off to war.

Is there any chance you could do that for 15?

(INHALES SHARPLY) 20's quite cheap for it as is.

Is it?

Yeah.

For a modern, repro sign?

For a bit of fun.

It is, it is hand-painted.

Hmm.

Go on, 15 euros and you've got a sale.

DEALER: OK. CT: Yeah?

Yeah.

It's a deal.

I shall take my Royal Dragoon and charge off into the sunset.

VO: With 15 euros spent on an old-ish pub sign, your sunset awaits.

So nighty night you two.

VO: Good morning Dublin!

I love Ireland, but I do spend a lot of money in Ireland.

Join the club.

VO: You're telling me!

Thomas got off to a flying start yesterday grabbing a collection of boxes, a pair of mother-of-pearl handles, an assortment of Oriental soapstone, an agate salt and a pair of Edwardian chairs.

That leaves him with just 60.98 euros.

EOIN: Thank you.

I'll get your change.

TP: Yeah, get my change, thank you.

VO: Christina was no slouch either.

She picked up an oil painting, a 19th-century fender and a painted pub sign.

After all that she has 77.16 euros for today's Irish adventure.

I have a renewed appreciation of Ireland now.

TP: I'm very sad that this is our last day here.

Yeah.

It's been like a little holiday.

Yeah.

VO: Later they'll be heading for auction in Wrexham but for the rest of the day Dublin beckons.

As Christina goes off in search of a place to spend her last few euros, Thomas is headed to the cultural home of Irish sporting glory.

VO: While Ireland can lay claim to many sporting stars of rugby, football, snooker and golf the most widely played and popular sports in the land have a distinctly Irish flavor.

VO: Thomas is meeting Micheal at the Gaelic Athletic Association's museum at Croke Park, to discover the story of the man who turned hurling and Gaelic football into a cultural phenomenon.

Who are we standing in front of?

A man called Michael Cusack.

He was the visionary that instigated the founding of the GAA - the Gaelic Athletic Association.

I'm sure before the day is out we'll learn another little bit about him.

VO: Born in 1847, Michael Cusack was a schoolteacher who worked in Dublin.

An athlete in his youth, he was evangelical about sport.

MICHEAL: We'll go inside, yeah.

VO: So as Ireland emerged from long, hard years of famine, Cusack became a part of a resurgence of spirit.

His desire was to use sport to regain a sense of national and cultural identity.

He reached out to local leaders asking them to support the creation of a national sporting organization.

Michael Cusack was the first person to say, why not have an association dedicated to the preservation and cultivation of national pastimes in Ireland?

In... Well...

It was a good idea.

It was a brilliant idea.

VO: Across Europe associations were being created.

Rugby and football were formalized into leagues.

Their popularity increased across the continent.

But in Ireland, which was still under British rule, Cusack was part of the newly formed Gaelic Athletic Association which governed a number of sports capturing the spirit of the nation.

Ireland embraced their own games, making Gaelic football and hurling the most celebrated, played and watched sports in the country.

The Gaelic games are the national games.

They're by far the strongest sport in Ireland.

And it's still amateur today?

Still amateur today and I think that is its main strength.

Wow!

The emphasis is on the community, betterment of the community - have a good football pitch, dressing rooms, in every parish in Ireland.

VO: Each team became an integral part of life in each community.

Gaelic football and hurling are energetic team games.

The ball can be struck at speeds around 100 miles an hour, giving it claim to be the fastest field sport in the world.

VO: In 1913, the GAA purchased the land that would become Croke Park... ..and the spectators flooded in to watch the games.

Gaelic games were first broadcast on TV in 1961, making players instantly recognizable.

The popularity of one player was so great that it helped him to become the most powerful man in the country.

I would say a person that captured the imagination of an awful lot of people was a man called Jack Lynch.

Really?

And what did he play?

He played both.

VO: Jack Lynch was one of the few players talented enough to win titles in both hurling and Gaelic football.

Towards the end of his playing career he entered political life.

His popularity was so great that he rose to the position of Taoiseach, equivalent to prime minister, serving two terms in the 1960s and '70s.

He was the most powerful man in the country and everywhere he went he was recognized as a popular sportsman.

But he was popular at all levels.

Was he?

He often stated he could go into a constituency where people normally did not vote for his party.

He'd be welcomed there as Jack the sportsman.

TP: Jack the sportsman.

MICHEAL: And he behaved like an ordinary man.

No airs and graces about him.

Popular all over the country.

A man of the people?

And beyond it.

A man of the people.

VO: The popularity of the games continues to grow.

The 80,000 seats of Croke Park are regularly filled by spectators of Gaelic games.

Matches are now broadcast globally and GAA teams can be found across the globe.

But on home turf traditions are still maintained.

Teams are still amateur and based in their communities, and all over Ireland children grow up playing Gaelic football and hurling.

The ambition of every young person is, "Will I reach Croke Park", as a player, sort of, not as a spectator.

"Will I reach Croke Park?"

It's the ambition of everybody.

On that hallowed turf?

Yes, indeed.

VO: Cusack helped to create a sporting phenomenon.

Gaelic football and hurling represented a unifying passion.

They have helped created a sense of cultural identity and continue to grow in popularity.

It's been a real pleasure, Micheal.

You've been absolutely marvelous.

I've absolutely enjoyed myself.

VO: Christina meanwhile is wandering through Dublin's art and antiques quarter, hoping to uncover something special.

CT: Hello.

DEALER: Hi.

How're you doing?

I'm alright thanks, how are you?

DEALER: Good thanks.

CT: What's your name, darling?

DEALER: Alistan.

CT: Alistan.

Great name.

CT: Alistan, you're very tall.

DEALER: I know.

How tall are you?

DEALER: 6'6, 6'7 on a good day.

CT: I should've worn my heels!

CT: (LAUGHS) This is pretty cool.

VO: It's certainly eclectic.

Mind your feet.

So what have we got?

We've got a shop back here as well.

OK, yeah.

You've got some nice teak furniture in here.

Yeah.

Oh, I like your skeleton.

How much is on him?

He's about 500.

Alistan, I have to be perfectly honest with you.

Go on.

I do not have 500 euros.

So Steve the skeleton is not for me then, no?

No.

No.

Bit out of my price range.

VO: Never mind, Steve What's on your storage jars?

Erm... they're about 175.

Are they?

Yeah.

They're nice aren't they?

Yeah.

OK, so Kleen kitchenware, one pint.

So you've got...

They're very, very kitsch, aren't they?

DEALER: I like the typography on them.

Yeah, that lovely sort of, that text's fab isn't it?

Yeah.

It's cool.

And also you get the TG Green ones, which are obviously the blue-banded CT: Cornishware ones.

DEALER: Course.

I really like the fact that these are in green.

Yeah.

It's the color of Ireland isn't it?

Yeah.

It's very cool.

Yeah, it's true.

I'm a bit worried there's a little bit of damage around them, isn't there?

We can talk about price.

I mean, what have you got in your mind?

Er... don't hate me.

Go on.

But I think I have 77 euros left.

DEALER: 77 euros.

CT: Yeah.

Tell you what, I could probably give you half the set for 77.

No!

You can't split the set.

What about...?

OK. You look like a really cool mid-century guy.

OK.

I have got a really cool mid-century vehicle outside.

OK.

So we do a swap?

CT: No.

DEALER: OK. (THEY LAUGH) CT: Mmm... OK, OK.

I thought that's where this was going.

What about 77 euros... DEALER: Yeah?

CT: ..and a ride in my van?

What do you think?

That sounds a bit, erm...

Does that sound like a deal?

Do you know what?

OK, OK. Yeah?

As long as it's going to a good home.

I think it's going to go to a good home.

Done.

Happy?

Yeah, I think so, yeah.

Cool.

Come and have a look.

It's pretty cool.

And it does go quite fast.

VO: Here we go.

You will be amazed.

Hop on in, baby.

VO: I hope someone is watching the shop.

Can you fit in my van?

Yeah.

OK, there are no straps.

There's no straps!

No, it's pre-straps.

You'll be fine.

You ready for the ride of your life?

DEALER: Yeah.

Come on, let's go.

CT: Let's go.

Second, good gear change, hold on tight.

Be careful with him, Christina.

There's just time for a quick run around the block.

I didn't terrify the life out of you?

DEALER: No you didn't.

CT: Are you sure?

DEALER: No, not at all.

CT: Good.

VO: Well that's one way to get yourself a set of storage jars for 77 euros.

Thank you.

You're an angel.

So are you.

Very, very pleased with my jars.

Nice to meet you.

CT: Take care.

See you again.

DEALER: Take care.

See ya!

VO: Just a few paces down the street, Thomas is on the prowl.

Hello, I'm Thomas.

Thomas, how are you?

Mervin is my name.

Mervin.

You're very welcome.

You're very welcome.

This looks fabulous.

I'm going to have a really good look around.

Yes, good stuff.

And, er, I will warn you... VO: Oh yes, stand by.

There is not a huge budget.

But what there is is burning a hole in my pocket OK, we'll try and help you spend it.

VO: I don't think he needs much help.

The thing about these big oval trays... is that once one's got one's gin and tonic on them or drinks, they're immensely heavy to lift up.

You've got to make sure one's butler has got strength to carry it round the room and serve the drinks.

And, you know, it's just difficult.

You just can't get them these days.

VO: Oh, if Christina could hear you now!

Look at that.

That's quite a fun thing, isn't it?

Yeah.

It's a cartridge filler, isn't it?

That's right, yeah.

For filling one's gun cartridges with.

Yeah.

You clamp that onto the table, on it goes.

This is where your firing pin goes, on the top here.

You fill your beast as you wind it off with all the powder.

DEALER: And that's it?

And then you fold it up into there.

This is when one used to make one's own gun cartridges for shooting.

It's quite an interesting thing, isn't it?

Yeah, it's nice.

I've not seen one like that before.

Right, OK. You called it Victorian, yes, it's about that sort of level isn't it?

DEALER: Yeah.

TP: Yeah.

OK. VO: Ticket price is 185 euros.

Merv, I'm going to level with you.

I said I had some money burning a hole in my pocket.

I do and it's going to have to be spent.

There are 60 euros.

What can you do for 60 euros?

What can I do for 60 euros ?

Well, you were looking at that.

So that would relieve me of 60 euros, would it?

It would.

That would be it, done?

Done and dusted.

That's really not a bad price.

DEALER: Yeah.

That has to be a purchase really.

DEALER: Very good.

TP: Very fair.

DEALER: Thank you.

TP: You've been immensely fair.

You've relieved me of all my money, apart from a couple of cent.

Right.

Sure, you can throw that in if you want.

Well, I could probably throw that in, couldn't I, really?

VO: So that generous deal makes it 60.98 euros.

That has cleaned Thomas out and ends this trip's shopping.

VO: Thomas spent all of his 289.98 euros on the collection of boxes, the 19th century soapstone items... ..an agate salt, the mother-of-pearl handles, the cartridge loader and a pair of children's chairs.

Christina only left herself with loose change, as she spent 292 euros on a set of 1950s storage jars with coffee pot... ..a 19th-century brass fender, an oil painting of a rustic scene and a painted pub sign.

What do they think of each other's offerings?

Do you know what?

I think actually he's been really quite risky.

He's been quite plucky and I like that.

I would happily swap probably most of my stuff to be perfectly honest for that beautiful banded agate salt that he bought, which I think is just an absolute stunner.

But I'm not entirely sure that I have a huge amount of faith in those chairs.

I really love her picture she's bought.

I think it's delightful.

The item I don't like are all those jars but there's a lot there for your money.

It's going to be such a close call thing.

VO: After starting this leg in Prosperous in County Kildare, our experts have traveled via Dublin to the Welsh town of Wrexham.

I love Ireland.

I miss it.

CT: See, I feel at home.

Less than half an hour away CT: from my house... TP: Yes.

And I am a happy girl.

That's a very comfortable feeling to have.

Yeah, it is.

VO: The largest urban area in North Wales, Wrexham was a renowned center for the brewing trade thanks to its natural underground water reserves.

Today our pair are headed straight to Wingetts Auction House.

Wielding the gavel is John Lloyd.

So, what does he make of our pair's lots?

It's an eclectic mix of items.

The sort of collection of 10 pieces of soapstone, they are quite decorative.

Nothing exceptional though.

Sort of £30-£40 mark.

Club fender, nice bit of Victoriana.

The sort of gentlemen's club look is very much in vogue at the moment.

I wouldn't be surprised if you got sort of £100-£150 for that.

VO: Now in Britain, the rest of the trip will be in pounds.

So with currency converted, Christina has spent a total of £205.63 on four items.

While Thomas's six lots have set him back a total of £197.87.

We're back into pounds now.

I know.

Slightly more comfortable.

Are you?

I quite like the euro.

VO: First up are Thomas's collection of boxes.

I've got £20 bid with me to go.

Straight in.

20 bid, five bid, 30, five sir?

40, five?

£40 bid.

40, in profit.

That's good.

45 on the net, and I'm out.

Sold on the internet.

TP: Yes!

CT: Well done.

Good job.

TP: Result.

CT: Yeah.

VO: A cracking start for Thomas.

Will his luck keep going?

His cartridge loader is next.

I've got £15 bid, straight in with me, to go at 15.

What did you spend on this?

16, 18, 20... 45.

45, OK.

In the door at £20.

I'll take two for it.

Now, at 22 I'm bid.

24.

26.

24.

41.

Next time.

Next... VO: That's a blow, but there's plenty left to go at, Thomas.

So disappointed.

It's OK.

It's OK. Do you think you'll cope?

It's alright.

I'm gonna lose loads of money today.

VO: That's the spirit!

It took Christina some clever negotiating to get the storage jars but how will they fare?

We're on the internet then at £26.

28 bid, 30.

CT: Bid 30.

JOHN: And five, sir.

40.

Making more.

40 bid.

Five sir?

CT: Oh, go on, sir.

They're lovely.

£40 we've got bid.

All finished at 40?

VO: Perhaps the damage to the jars has hit your chances of a profit.

I think that's disappointing.

I don't mind taking a loss because I had such a lovely ride in the van with Alistan.

TP: Did you?

CT: Yeah.

VO: Let's see if Thomas can get us back on track with his mother-of-pearl handles.

I'll take £20 to start for them.

Nobody's gonna bid.

No bid for these?

Oh, I don't believe that.

10 then?

£10 I've got, 12 I'm bid.

14.

16.

16, back in.

18, 20.

You're out on the net, at 18 bid.

TP: It's £18.

(GAVEL) TP: 18.

That's good.

£7 profit.

Not really.

Not when I was expecting three figures.

CT: Oh, were you?

TP: I was.

Well you know what they say about expectations.

No, don't... (LAUGHS) VO: Perhaps your hopes were a little high, but that's still a profit.

Are you in a huff?

No, course not.

At least you're not giving me the cold shoulder.

Actually I think I prefer it when you give me the cold shoulder.

Go away.

VO: Next up, the Club Fender.

This cost Christina 120 euros, which comes out at just under £85.

Cheap.

I've got £100, straight in with me to start then, at 100, 110, bid 120, 130, 140, 150.

High five?

High five?

160.

170.

170, 180, 190, 200.

£200 on the internet.

£200 on the internet.

240.

Get in there.

£220 in the room.

£220, the bid's in the room.

This never happens to me.

220 bid.

All done?

(GAVEL) Well done.

VO: A superb profit for the fender gives Christina a healthy lead.

Well, I've got some catching up to do, Christina.

No, you haven't, you'll be...

I have.

No, no.

VO: Can the collection of Chinese soapstone perform as well for Thomas?

£10 I'm only bid again starting.

12, I've got on the internet.

14 bid, 16.

16, see it's going, it's going.

£18, you're out on the internet.

Thanks for coming.

20, back in.

Two.

20... You're into a profit.

On the net.

CT: Oh.

TP: Too low.

VO: Sadly after auction costs that's a small loss.

VO: Next up it's Christina's painted pub sign.

Ought to be £20 to start.

Ooh, internet bid 15.

That's good.

Yeah, 15.

See, straight in.

Profit.

I'll take 16 if it helps you.

16 I'm bid.

At £16, we're still on the net, at 16 bid.

I'll take 18.

18 I've got.

20?

20 bid.

Two.

24.

26.

28?

28 bid.

30, two?

In the room at 30.

That's good, isn't it?

Again, high five.

That's more of a medium five.

JOHN: Lot 91, we've got various AA badges... Jealous.

(CHUCKLES) Well jeal'.

VO: Another good profit.

Things are going very well for Christina.

I'm this green here.

Green with jealousy.

That's sort of pink, Tom.

No, there's a green there.

No, it's a... TP: Green with envy.

VO: Thomas is playing catch up and his agate salt is next.

£5 I've got to start.

It's in the door, I'll take six and bid eight.

Six internet, eight internet, 10 internet.

See, profit, profit, profit, profit, profit.

14.

16, 18.

Goes on the internet.

£18.

So, what's that?

£7 profit.

Yeah, £7 profit.

CT: That's good.

TP: It's OK. VO: A modest profit for Thomas.

Christina's oil painting is her final lot.

Maiden bid for this one at £30, I'm only bid.

35 I've got and I'm out.

At £35 the bid's in the room.

That's cheap at £30.

That's gonna wipe out all my profits.

TP: No, I don't think so.

CT: Should be £100.

TP: 40.

Moving on.

CT: Quite right.

50.

All done?

CT: Oh, go on.

JOHN: 50 bid, five?

CT: Good man.

TP: See, there you are.

Sold at 50.

VO: A small loss... ..and it's not over yet.

You're not going to end up with a loss like me.

JOHN: £10 - must be that.

CT: Thomas... (WHISPERS) Just ignore them and they'll go away.

I can't.

They're there.

Look at them looking at me.

VO: Thomas spent a huge 125 euros on those chairs which is around £90.

But will it pay off?

10 for them.

Oh!

£10 I'm only bid on my right, standing.

12 bid.

14.

16.

18.

20.

And two.

24.

26.

That's good, it's getting there.

28, 30.

It's getting there.

And five, sir?

40.

And two.

£42 I'm bid in the room, standing.

At 42 bid.

JOHN: I'll take 44 if you want.

CT: That's alright.

It's standing.

Actually that was like a body blow.

That actually... A hammer going through, through my body.

VO: Well, someone's got a bargain, picking up a beautiful pair of chairs for a great price.

Anyway, come on.

Let's go and see how much money I've made.

I think, no.

It might take us a while.

TP: To count it all?

CT: Yeah.

You're so cruel!

VO: So how have our pair fared?

Thomas, looking grim, spent every last penny of his £197.87.

After auction costs he's made a loss of £60.93, leaving him a total of £136.94 to take onto the next leg.

VO: Christina started with £205.75 and after auction costs made a fantastic £73.17 profit.

So she has won the day with £278.91 and a substantial lead, so well done girl!

My goodness!

Well done.

I need a telescope to see where you are and you need a telescope to see where I am.

You might have to go and get the, you know, the van because, erm... my pockets are weighing me down with all this money.

Are they?

Can I borrow some money?

I'm finding it hard to walk.

TP: Can I borrow some money?

CT: No, don't be daft.

Cuz you've like made hundreds.

VO: Cheerio.

VO: Next time, our experts' adventure continues.

We are in Wales, where it rains.

VO: Christina calls for help.

Hello?

You got any bargains for me?

VO: And Thomas gets a bit cheeky.

This one has somebody in not many clothes.

subtitling@stv.tv