Izzie Balmer and Mark Hill clash after tense Antiques Road Trip auction
On the latest leg of their east-coast run, izzie balmer and Mark Hill searched Lincolnshire for treasures before a fraught auction left one expert biting back. The buying, the bids and a sharp comment about the crowd make this episode stand out.
Izzie Balmer and Mark Hill's Lincolnshire antique hunt
Izzie Balmer and Mark Hill spent the second leg of their east-coast journey scouring Lincolnshire. They explored an Aladdin's cave complete with a genie and visited a former pub while shopping for lots to take to auction. Away from the stalls, the pair also enjoyed a ride on a former troop transport that had once helped the county move its famous potato crop to market.
Izzie's buys and early auction losses
On the day, izzie balmer found a range of distinctive pieces and took a shine to an item similar to a previous purchase. Her first lot yielded just a £1 profit and she labelled that item "a bit of a poop. " Later, her clown figurine sold at a £2 loss, but her final lot, a striking green vase, returned a £24 profit. After auction fees, she began with £200 and finished the round with a modest loss of -£9. 10p.
Mark Hill's mixed results and sharp reaction
Mark Hill's mid-century crockery set, bought for £18, attracted little interest and sold for only £10. Frustrated by the subdued bidding, he snapped back at the auction crowd: "Well, I hope they choke on a carrot. " He quickly added, "I don't... obviously. " Despite that low point, he turned a profit on an Art Deco photoframe bought for £20 that fetched £40, and his golden parrot-shaped ink pot, paid for at £50, sold for £55, netting a £5 gain. As Izzie noted during the sale, fountain pens don't seem to be in vogue these days.
Victorian bottle, toothpick and the final tally
Mark also picked up a Victorian bottle for £85 that sold for £110, while his final, surprising winner was a miniature toothpick that generated a £28 profit. After the auction concluded the pair added up their totals: Mark finished with a slightly smaller loss of -£4, making him the episode's winner. He cheekily summed up the result to Izzie with: "It's all about the toothpick.."
Series notes and background details
The episode made clear the ups and downs of hunting and selling antiques: Izzie pursued pieces similar to earlier buys, Mark dug out novelty items such as an ink pot shaped like a bird, and both used local history—the former troop transport and the county's potato trade—as part of their day out. Mark joined the series in 2022, and the auction round left both experts slightly down on their starting £200 stakes, with Mark narrowly ahead on the day.
