Kate Bliss v John Cameron - Auction Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is -

the show that pitches TV's best-loved antiques experts

against each other in an all-out battle for profit...

Yee-haw!

..and gives you the insider's view of the trade!

Who's there?

Each week, one pair of duelling dealers will face

a different daily challenge...

The Axeman!

..putting their reputations on the line...

Ready for the ball.

..and giving you their top tips and savvy secrets

on how to make the most money from buying and selling.

Get in there!

Today, an all-action auction where the diva of the deals, Kate Bliss,

has a bidding battle with the squire of the saleroom, John Cameron.

Coming up, our trading twosome tussle over a desk...

I think Kate is interested in the Ercol desk I looked at earlier.

If he bids on my desk, he will not be popular.

Kate makes a monumental mistake.

Oh, I haven't got 220! Sorry, sir.

I've gone over. I can't do 220.

And John fails to impress with furniture.

What you think about a piece of furniture like this?

-Can I be honest about it?

-Yeah.

-It's mediocre.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

Fasten your seat belts and put your chairs in the upright position.

We're about to witness an almighty clash

as the emperor of ephemera takes on the baroness of bric-a-brac.

They'll be battling it out in the trading trenches,

waging all-out war in the heat of the auction room.

And as it's two awesome auctioneers,

this promises to be a titanic tussle.

First up, the first lady of antiques.

She's a one-woman charm offensive.

But don't be fooled by those innocent looks.

Underneath, she's the hardest haggler in the business.

Weighing in from Herefordshire, it's Kate "Absolute" Bliss.

I mustn't do the smug thing. Pride before a fall.

Her contender is a gallivanting gavelier.

He leads from the front and isn't afraid

to go where others fear to tread.

Yes, his speciality is turning the unusual and unique into pure profit.

All the way from Portsmouth, it's John "The Hammer" Cameron.

I won't let that Kate make a monkey out of me.

Our experts come head-to-head at Moore Allen and Innocent saleroom

just outside Cirencester and there's plenty to go at here -

over 800 lots today.

They've each brought £1,000 of their own money to spend.

Buying done, they sell it all on and any money they make

will go to the charities of their choice.

So, Kate Bliss and John Cameron, get ready to wave those paddles.

It's time to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Morning, Kate.

Well, this is almost, almost on my doorstep,

-the heart of the Cotswolds.

-Have you been here before?

I actually came for bit of a reach around last night in the dark.

Oh, I see.

It was freezing cold, but I had a little bit of a mooch

and earmarked a few things. Have you been here before?

I have been here before. Now I'm thinking you've got

the advantage on me. You've had a good look around already.

Well, you are just such a fast mover, JC.

-I've got to get ahead of you somehow, haven't I?

-Right, OK.

I think we ought to get in there and have a look around.

Let's have a look.

Listen to Kate, making out she's worried about John.

This is a woman who wants to win, and there was nothing to stop John

making it in time for the viewing day either.

Well, apart from his busy day job of course. But the fact remains -

Miss Bliss is one serious senorita.

So, now they've sized each other up, what are their plans of action?

There are always surprises at auction, so my strategy is

to have a few items up my sleeve so if I do get outbid

on my favourite items, I've still got a few more

that I can have a go at.

So, cunning Kate's not only done her homework,

she's also got a back-up plan. What about John?

She's had time to look at this. I'm really under pressure here.

It's difficult to sort the wood from the trees,

all these lots so close together on the table.

Oh, dear. Is he starting to panic?

At this early stage? Mm, that's not good.

Anyway, Kate wants to show us something she clocked last night -

a box she thinks contains bags of profit.

Ah-ah-ah!

We have three bags by Irish designer Orla Kiely,

who is really hot at the moment.

She's very known for her stylised motifs and repetitive patterns.

She only started designing in the 1990s,

but has gone straight to the top and people can't get enough of her.

While Kate has designs on the handbags,

John is eyeing up some porcelain.

There's a little mixed lot here of Chinese porcelain.

These two are the figures Guanyin, she's the goddess of mercy,

very important in Chinese culture

and a figure claimed by both Buddhists and Taoists.

The Chinese blanc de Chine

also comes with a pottery figure of Buddha.

Across the room, our own goddess of mercy

is checking out an elm desk by Ercol.

I made a beeline for it because for me, it's iconic '60s design.

The thing that Ercol were known for was combining traditional

craft techniques with modern machine design.

You can see that here on the dovetails on the side,

which is a very traditional way of making furniture.

But also, these oval handles which are really

distinctive of Ercol show the modern machining turning methods.

It's also a great size, not too big,

and from my point of view, I think it's very saleable.

Somebody could use it with a laptop or even as a little dressing table.

Hmm. But she's not the only one who likes the look of it.

John also gives the desk a once-over.

Could be interesting later on.

But John loves the big, the bulky and the quirky,

so a pair of large industrial lights should fit the bill.

These would have been in a factory.

I did promise myself I wouldn't buy anything electrical today,

but I have to say, they are quite tempting. Estimate is £80-120.

I have no idea what I would do with them after,

but I tend to worry about that after I've bought things.

So, John's had a chance to scout out the best stuff,

but the viewing time is over. It's now all about bidding.

As the sale starts, Kate's designer handbags are the first up.

If I can get this bought, I'll feel as if I've started

and I'm on a roll.

But John's ears have pricked up.

Interesting.

I've just heard Kate say, "I've got one lot to go,"

so she's now about to bid on something.

I might have a bid on it myself.

Oh, naughty, naughty, Mr Cameron!

Lot 61 is the handbags. 65 bid on the lot. Up five, 70. Five, 100.

-The book's out at £100.

-That's me at 100.

-£100.

-It's with me at the moment.

-All sure?

-Looking good.

Yes, in the bag!

Pardon the pun.

Oh, no, we like puns. Hadn't you noticed? So, she's off and running.

Of course, there's the saleroom commission to add in.

All up, she pays £121.60.

I was going to bid on that. I couldn't do it to you.

Just keeping her on her toes.

But John needs to concentrate on his own game plan.

The two Chinese figures and the Buddha are up next.

I don't think there are massive profits in them,

even if I buy them at estimate, but I do need to buy something.

£20 for the Buddha. A £20 bid there...

There's lots of interest in the room and the internet bids quickly push

the price higher and higher.

60 if you'd like. Five. 70. At £70, it's on the net.

John pulls out. Not a great start,

but just four lots later is a porcelain Christmas table decoration

in the shape of a railway track... And he's in.

90, five, 100, 110. On the books at 110. 120 anywhere? 110...

-GAVEL BANGS

-I didn't realise you were a train spotter.

-It takes all sorts.

-I should have guessed.

So, John's off the mark. His first ticket to ride

costs £133.76 with fees.

It's a modern Christmas table centrepiece by Villeroy & Boch,

a well known company. Great condition.

You've got the train, the station, the little figures here, and this

would be literally in the centre of the dining table.

You've got candles in the back of the carriage and the rolling stock

there, and inside the station you've got some little tea lights.

The other thing is that I didn't realise is that it came

with this Austrian vase as well, this spill vase.

That's a little bit of a bonus.

It should help offset that buyer's commission a bit.

Anyway, I left the station and from here on in, it's full steam ahead.

Yes, his pistons are pumping.

And he's sticking with ceramics. Soon, a pair of 19th-century figural

dishes come up, not that he's looked at them properly.

£30 to get on. Nice little figures there. 20, then.

Got to be cheap at 20 then, haven't they? 20 bid there...

John's keen, but he's the only one.

At 20...

The dishes cost £24.32 including fees.

They are well over 100 years old.

They are stamped by Copeland who later became Copeland Spode.

Blanc de Chine figures.

Now I've had a look at them, I've noticed a bit of restoration

to the basket handle here and also to the feet of the little girl there.

Even if I make £15 profit on that, it was worth buying them.

Now I know John has got a couple under his belt already

and he is looking like the cat with the cream at the moment.

I might have to do something about that.

Well, she'll have to work fast

because as the auctioneers swap over,

John's industrial lights soon come up.

150. Do I see 160 anywhere? 160, 170, 180, 190, new blood.

190, 200.

220... 220 I have. All done at 220.

-GAVEL BANGS

-220.

There we are, another good lot has passed me by.

Now I've got to find something to fill that gap.

Well, he might not have to wait long because this amusement arcade sign

could fill that hole.

I've promised myself I wouldn't have a go at this today, but here I am.

I'm not buying it. I'm not buying it.

Really? No interest at all?

-Do we see 50?

-There we are...

£50 in the room, then. 60, five...

£80 I have, then. 85.

-All done at 85.

-What have I done?

You've just bought it, that's what. £103.36 with fees.

Everybody remembers going to the arcades where you would put

pennies or twopences in with the shifting shelves and the pennies

and coins build up and then fall down as your prize money.

This would've adorned the top of the machine.

Think of all those sounds and lights flashing as you go into an arcade,

it really does conjure up visions and memories of your childhood.

I'm hoping my profit will be more than loose change.

So, John's got three items, Kate's on one.

Maybe her visit yesterday was a waste of time.

She needs to put her finger out.

But after a while, we get into the silver section,

Kate's specialist subject. She's watching carefully when a pair

of early 1990s silver candlesticks come up.

At 55, number 60. Five, 70, five. £80, looks cheap at £80.

-They do look cheap.

-100. At £100, 110.

At £100 in the room now, at 100, you're out on the web.

All sure, you're out on the web on 120. 130.

Now that was a bit of a spontaneous buy.

A pricey impulse purchase. Add in the fees, it's £158.08.

It's always best with candlesticks like this to check the sconces

because these just lift out and here you can see it's small,

but it's there - a tiny little mark which exactly matches

the date mark on the candlestick.

So always check your sconces along with your candlestick.

And our silver surfer doesn't stop there.

Two lots later is a silver sugar caster dated at 1937.

Five, 80. At £80 the back now. At £80, you all sure?

And that's hers as well, £97.28 including commission.

And her visit last night has now paid off.

There's only so many things you can get from a photograph

or from looking online.

Seeing it in the flesh, you can gauge how heavy it is,

if it's silver, which is crucial, what the condition is like,

and also you can really study that hallmark

and see how clear that is, because some collectors

like a really crisp, clear hallmark, and these are really clear.

It's a really good, solid, heavy, clean example.

If you look inside, I don't think it's ever been used.

Mm, someone's feeling happy. Right, while Kate goes back in,

let's pause for a second to look at the figures.

Our experts each arrived with £1,000 of their own money to spend.

Kate Bliss has bought three lots and spent £376.96,

so has £623 to spend.

John Cameron has also made three purchases,

but spent significantly less - £261.44.

He's got over £738 left in his kitty.

So, it's all to play for.

While The Hammer wanders round wondering about his next lot,

Miss Bliss has sniffed out a collection of assorted items,

and she's particularly keen on a double-ended

silver-mounted scent bottle from 1879.

Silver is making really strong money

and, bearing in mind it comes with a whole load of other

pieces, I think I might really have to stick my neck out for this one.

-433...

-Here we go.

-80, five, 90, 100.

At 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180,

190, 200 now. At 190 on my left...

-Oh, go on.

-200.

That's mine. 200.

I better hope I can get quite a lot of money for the other items.

Well, you can say that again. Including fees, she pays £243.20.

Though in the Victorian period, you couldn't go out

and buy ready-made scents in bottles like you do today.

You would buy your bottle, a real luxury item,

and then you'd take to the chemist

or the perfumier to get your chosen scent and fill it up.

This one is great for perfume bottle collectors

because it's in fantastic original condition.

No chips to the glass, no dents to the silver...

The only catch is, all this comes with it.

So, Kate's had a flurry of activity and spent a lot of money.

Time for John to step up, and he doesn't disappoint.

He buys a jade cup for £54.72 including commission.

Jade varies in colour.

This type here is known as spinach jade for obvious reasons.

It's a little libation cup modelled as a longevity peach.

Not badly carved, definitely worth a punt.

And he's not finished with jade just yet.

At five, 65, at 65, 70 now.

He buys five jade dishes that are all part of a bigger job lot

of decorative pieces. He pays £103.36 with fees.

And to make matters sweeter, he's then approached by the under-bidder

who still wants most of the lot.

Now, John only wanted the jade dishes and a pair of soapstone pots,

so the rest is up for grabs if they can agree a price.

-Terry, make me an offer on these.

-£20.

-Can you do 30?

-No.

-25, can you stretch to 25?

-No, I'm going to stick with...

-Go on, 25.

-£20 maiden bid.

-All right, £20. They are yours.

Well, that's a stroke of luck.

Kate's unaware of all this because she's waiting for a set of ten

pictures by the artist Sidney Horne Shepherd.

And quite a few of them are nudes.

Oh, yes, didn't expect that, did you, huh?

At £90. It's on the books at £90. Five there and the book is out.

At £95. 100 if you'd like on the net.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Yes, they're mine for £95.

Yes, but remember the fees. The price goes up to £115.52.

What we've got here is a collection of pen and ink drawings

and watercolours by Sidney Horne Shepherd.

He's a 20th-century artist. In fact, he died in 1993.

Some of the better ones are selling in galleries for up to £400,

but in this lot, you've got quite a few...

some more erotic than others.

Oh, I say!

So, they're level-pegging five lots each.

But things could soon hot up - the Ercol desk is next.

I would really like this.

I think it's top quality

and it's what the market really likes at the moment.

I think Kate is interested in the Ercol desk I looked at earlier.

If he bids on my desk, he will not be popular.

Kate's kitty is dwindling. In fact, before fees,

she's now only got £217 left to play with. Let's see what happens.

At 160, I'm starting. 170, 180, 210, 220. At 220...

It's gone above her budget.

-At 220...

-Bother!

-240 on the books out.

John has more wiggle room, though.

-On the net at 240. 260 we've got to go.

-No, 250.

-I got to go at 260.

280 on the net. 280.

But it goes too high for him as well.

Two disappointed people, that's not fair.

At 280, one of you ought to be happy. At 280...

-GAVEL BANGS

-John hangs his head.

It's all too much. But, there's only 150 lots to go,

so determination is replaced by desperation

and our two bidding buccaneers scour the room looking for inspiration.

Well, we are right down to the dregs of the furniture now.

This is where you end up getting desperate.

Desperate maybe, but not defeated.

He has a go on a Middle Eastern teak coffer

that's inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

At 200 here. 220 now. At 200, 220 anywhere?

At £200, you all sure?

Yes, he gets it but at a hefty price - £243.20 with fees.

So a lot of work has gone into this. It's a very beautiful thing.

It really does draw you in.

I have paid four times the bottom estimate, 50-80.

I've paid £200 plus commission.

When you consider the work that's gone into it, it still seems cheap.

Oh, well, that's fine, then. John is now leading six items

to Kate's five. But she's hoping a Victorian pine farmhouse table

will end up within her limited budget.

160, the books out of 160. 170, 180, 190, 200.

At £200, 220.

-At 220 on my left.

-Oh, I haven't got 220!

At £220 is here, all done.

Sorry, sir. Sorry, sir.

I've gone over. I can't do 220.

I'm so sorry.

Sorry, sir.

Ooh. Never in the history of Put Your Money

has such a withering look been seen.

-15?

-No.

Pipe down, Kate, he's having none of it.

At £200, you all done.

Bother.

Kate's chaos hasn't gone down well. But everyone manages to move on.

She gets the next thing she bids on - a pine corner cabinet comes in

just within her budget. Including fees, she pays £218.88.

And that, not surprisingly, is her last item.

And before you know it, John pips in a cheeky final bid.

He gets a Victorian mahogany sideboard for £60.80.

Everything has been going way over estimate today

and is completely untouchable,

but I think I've just bought the bargain of the day.

This is a 19th-century mahogany sideboard.

Mahogany, beautifully flamed veneered.

You got drawers here, these pulvinated drawers in the top.

£50 plus commission, an absolute steal.

And that's it! It's been quite an auction.

There've been highs and definitely some lows.

Let's look at the all-important figures.

Both our experts arrived in Gloucestershire

with £1,000 of their own money.

Kate Bliss spent almost all of it - six items for £954.56.

John Cameron bought more for much less - seven lots for £723.52.

And now that the saleroom dust has settled,

how do they think they've done?

What happened here today?

Well, no, you've got...

I think, actually, you've got some quite wacky stuff.

I quite like your bit of fun down there.

The fairground, I know.

What am I going to do with it? I'm not even going to get it in my car.

-SHE LAUGHS

-I tell you what,

I've spent a serious amount of money.

Almost all the budget.

Well, having looked at your handbags,

-I think there's profit there.

-Hmm.

I think we've both had to pay top money today, actually,

but it's where we go from now.

-So all I can say is bonne chance...

-Good luck.

..cos I think we're going to need it.

Well, if they think they paid top money,

they're going to have to pull out all the stops

if they stand any chance of making punchy profits.

They need to think laterally and hit the phones

to tap up the very best buyers this country has to offer.

But remember, until they've shaken on it

and the money has changed hands,

no deal is ever sealed.

In Herefordshire, Kate's looking over her lots

and thinks she's sitting pretty.

I am so pleased I went the night before to the auction

and had a very good root around.

Now, this lot I bought for one piece in particular,

and that was this scent bottle, which is super condition.

It's Victorian, and just the sort of thing

that a collector of scent bottles would like.

I've got a sugar caster here, which is from 1937.

I don't think it's ever been used. It's in pristine order.

My silver candlesticks are super quality. They're not old.

And I've got a pair of interior designers I know

who would just love these.

My watercolours were an interesting little lot,

and I bought them a little bit at the last minute.

The artist is Sidney Horne Shepherd.

In a gallery in Dundee, his work is quite widely recognised,

and the same sort of watercolours

are priced at between £300 and £500.

The handbags are just my sort of thing

and some of my girlie friends would die for one of those,

and I think there's serious profit there.

And the pine cupboard was my last buy.

I got it home, looked how much I paid for it

and thought - disaster.

But, actually, I found a specialist in old pine

who also has a restoration workshop and he loves this kind of thing.

So, John, are you regretting not doing just a little bit of homework?

Because I think I'm sitting on a little bit of a gold mine.

Yes, confidence, enthusiasm and ambition by the bucketload.

What about John?

He's in his saleroom on the south coast.

I love my Copeland figures here.

Victorian.

But there is a reason they were so cheap,

it's because they're out of fashion.

A wonderful fairground piece here from an arcade machine.

Paid just over £100 for it.

I think I'm going to really have to have a good sale there

if that's going to bring me in the jackpot.

The jade pieces and my soapstone bits - I really like those.

Oriental works of art are quite popular at the moment.

The market is good.

This Middle Eastern coffer here inlaid with mother-of-pearl

is a wonderful thing.

But, with commission, I've ended up paying over £240,

so I'm going to have it really hard trying to get a profit out of that.

This 19th-century mahogany sideboard.

And it is my favourite piece

because I already have somebody who's interested in buying it.

This little Christmas porcelain centrepiece here.

It is quite specific,

and trying to find a buyer may not be as easy as you hope.

Kate, you will have to go some if you're going to derail my train.

Yes, they're both pumped up and raring to go.

As they prepare for the off, they know that all the profits they make

will go to charities of their choice.

John's starting with that mahogany sideboard.

He's in Southsea to see Colin who's a furniture dealer.

The piece owes John nearly £61.

What do you think of a piece of furniture like this?

-Can I be honest about it?

-Yeah.

-It's mediocre.

Bit of a clean up and a makeover, I think we could make it acceptable,

make it commercial.

So, when would you date it?

I'd certainly date it around the 1820s, 1830s.

It's certainly pre-Victorian.

What I like about it is it's not overornate.

-Correct.

-It's not too fussy.

It is a functional piece of furniture.

I'm going to allow you to make me a generous offer, Colin.

I would say...

..110.

Do you think you could do 130 on it?

-Reluctantly.

-You are a gentleman.

Hmm, Colin says it like it is.

But the deal is far from mediocre.

John more than doubles his money,

a profit of £69.20.

So, how will Kate's first sale go?

She's brought some of her watercolours to Hereford

to see Michael, who needs artwork for his office,

which probably explains why she's left the nudie ones at home.

-Well, these are all by an artist called Sidney Horne Shepherd.

-Yes.

-And he was a Scottish artist.

-Right.

-He did still lifes, as you can see here.

-Yeah.

So, that's one.

And then this could almost be sort of the pair to it.

It's drawn in charcoal

with this lovely sort of sepia watercolour wash over it

and signed, of course, here.

So, those are the still lifes.

But I promised you a selection so you could have a little choose.

-Yeah, OK.

-These ones are a little bit more off the wall, as it were.

A little bit more abstract.

And a similar sort of abstract there.

I think I prefer the first two.

A gallery price is anywhere between sort of £200 and £500,

so I'm hoping somewhere between £200 and £300 each,

something like that.

-£150 each is kind of where I would be looking to go.

-OK.

If we did the two for, say, 325...

-..how does that sound?

-It sounds like £25 too much.

-Does it?

-HE LAUGHS

How about 310?

310 - I would rip your arm off for that.

I'm very, very grateful. Thank you for bringing them.

Wonderful. Great.

That suits me really well.

BOTH: Thank you very much.

Well, that went well.

All the other watercolours and sketches are bought by a gallery

in Dundee for £200,

and Kate even convinces them to pay the postage.

And, in total, that means Kate makes an incredible starting profit

of £394.48.

So, John's got rather a lot of work to do,

and that's putting it lightly,

so he teams up a couple of his lots in the hope of a double deal.

He's at Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard with his jade cup,

jade dishes and the soapstone pots

and he's brought them to meet Andrew, who's an antiques dealer.

The first piece, if we can have a look at this little libation cup.

-Have a look.

-OK. Interesting colour.

What it has got in its favour - it's probably not brand-new

because jade, being such a hard stone, wears very, very slowly.

I'm looking at that around 150. How do you sit?

-Um, about 100.

-About £100, OK.

-All right. Well, let's have a look at the other pieces.

-Yes.

-I've got five jade cups there. Have a look at those.

-OK.

Again, I think... Are they little sort of wine cups, do you think?

Yeah. Bit of sake in.

-I like the colours. This is a spinach...

-Spinach jade.

-Yeah.

A beautiful little size.

And again, I do appreciate just how hard jade is to carve.

Oh, it must have been a nightmare to do that, yeah.

-But, for me, my favourite pieces of the whole lot...

-Yeah.

..are this wonderful pair of these little...

I'm not sure if they're wine ewers or what.

-They're soapstone. I know it's softer to carve.

-Yes.

Much easier to carve, and I love them.

Yeah, they're interesting. Obviously soapstone is nowhere near

-as valuable as jade.

-I know.

What do you think agewise of them?

Could be 50 years old...if I'm hopeful.

Well, I know they're cockerels but, you know, we've got to talk turkey.

So, for the two cockerel wine ewers and the five jade cups,

I was looking for about 200 for them.

No, no, no.

Basically 150 on those.

-150 on those?

-Yeah, yeah.

-And 100 on the cup.

-Yeah, yeah.

Well, I will shake your hand, Andrew, and I will certainly drink to that.

Thank you very much, John.

Well, that worked.

So, let's keep it simple and go through them in order.

First up, the jade cup pours in

a profit of £45.28,

which is great.

Then we take the money Andrew pays for the other bits

and add it to the £20 that Terry the underbidder paid

for the rest of the job lot back at the auction,

and John walks away

£66.64 better off.

Phew!

I'm really happy with that sale.

Sold both pieces of jade and made a respectable profit.

Now, Kate, I hope you're not feeling too jaded just yet

but you could be staring down a barrel of a heavy defeat.

Well, Kate thinks her handbags might be ammunition enough.

She's been doing her research and discovered

she's got some high-class brands,

which makes her £121 investment look like a bargain.

She's brought a selection to the village of Brinsop to see Pat.

As you can see, we've got some really nice brightly coloured,

design ones here,

and then you've got something perhaps

for a little bit more formal.

And then there's Tods one, which I think is a really lovely colour.

-I call it mushroom.

-Yes.

-I don't know what you think.

-Yes, yes.

-I'm looking for around the sort of £300 mark.

But, of course, if you want to take a couple, I'm sure we could...

do some sort of deal.

-Well. Let's have a little... Let's keep looking.

-Mm-hm.

Well, the other leather one is this one here

by J & M Davidson.

Got quite a nice snap clasp there.

Little bit of wear inside.

That one, again, is around the sort of £300 mark.

Right.

What's the cost of one of these to buy new?

That one is around the sort of 700-750.

I'd rather offer you about 200.

Well, I was hoping for 300 each, really.

-Hmm.

-How do you... What's your...

What would your offer be?

My offer to you would be 400.

-For the two?

-For the two.

Well, if I could say a straight 500 for the two,

I'd be happy.

-OK.

-Happy?

-Yes, OK, we'll go for that.

And John might want to look away now because it didn't stop there.

Our classy bag lady sold all the other handbags

to women in Bournemouth, London, Bath and Hereford

for a combined price of £265.

And that packed a profit punch -

wait for it - a stunning £643.40.

So, shall we see what that's done to the figures so far?

Come on, John, you can face it.

John has sold three of his lots and, in isolation, is doing well.

He's made £181.12.

Very respectable.

But Kate has launched herself into the selling stratosphere.

Just two lots sold but she's already sitting on a profit

of £1,037.88.

Amazing.

John may well be behind, but he comes out fighting.

And he dives in with his most expensive item -

the teak coffer.

He's in West Sussex to meet Johnny who owns a pub

and who The Hammer thinks has a rather flamboyant side.

I think it is quite a...a kind of ornate and rather decadent piece.

Am I wrong to have thought of you?

Not normally the sort of piece I would buy, but I think it, um...

It's a nice piece.

I'm looking here and I think this is, you know...

-Something has been gnawing this.

-JOHN LAUGHS

Listen, this has come from North Africa. It's Moroccan.

-It could have been a camel or a goat gnawing at it.

-Wow. There you are.

A show of wealth was to have a coffer to put things in of value

and transportable, hence the handles on the side.

I haven't got enough valuables to fill this up.

I wouldn't have enough valuables to fill half the size.

This would look nice set on top of a Moroccan rug.

You're right.

It's perfect for that, isn't it?

I saw this at about 3.5.

-150.

-John, behave yourself.

No, I'm sorry. You'll have to take a loss on it.

Come on, John. This is worth 350 quid of anyone's money.

And if I make it into a table, I've got to spend money on it

to put a piece of glass on the top of it.

So what's the best you can do, John?

-Come on.

-250.

-250.

Make it 300 and I still think you've had a good deal.

Come on, John.

I'll give you 300 and nothing more.

John, God bless you. £300.

Cor, Johnny played hard ball.

But our man ends up with a profit -

£56.80.

John also sells his pair of 19th-century Copeland figural dishes

to a lady in Portsmouth for £50,

and that brings in another £25.68.

Kate also makes a quick sale.

The modern silver candlesticks

are bought by an interior design specialist in Ledbury.

He pays £210,

which adds another £51.92

to her profits.

But you'll remember Kate bought a lot more silver as well,

and she's brought it all to Central London.

I've brought all my silver pieces to show one specialist buyer,

Daniel Bexfield, because he certainly knows his stuff.

Now, he may only buy one piece, or he might buy the lot.

Let's see how we get on.

Well, Daniel has a quick look at what's on offer,

but he's only interested in the sugar caster,

the scent bottle and a christening cup

that was part of the same job lot.

The sugar caster is a nice gauge in good condition.

-I think it's 1937, somewhere around there.

-It looks that sort of date.

-Yes.

-And that, with a little, gentle cleaning by hand,

that's going to look lovely. On the other hand,

we've got something decorative here - the christening mug.

And you've got a date of 1866.

A lot of people won't want to buy it because it has initials in it.

Now, that's lovely because...

Have you got hallmarks on this?

-Yes. We have got hallmarks on there.

-Oh, you have - Victorian.

-Very late Victorian.

-Yes. And what's interesting about this...

Cos it looks very, very plain and, being Victorian,

if you imagine most of the Victorian things

were really heavily decorated, which was the fashion.

At the time, this would have been really, really modern looking,

-really designerish, if you like.

-Hmm.

And, obviously, you have scent on this side

and this side would be smelling salts.

-Let's take the sugar caster to start with.

-Yeah.

I was hoping for somewhere like 220.

-Were you?

-Something like that.

And tell me what you were thinking about this.

The mug, I'd be happy with £100.

OK.

The scent bottle, however,

I think is a really nice-quality piece.

I was hoping

for around the 320 mark.

OK. If you are able to do that at 200, I'd be really happy with that.

The mug - I'm happy at £100.

I think that's... It'd be more than fair with that.

And we've got the scent bottle.

How about... Cos we've got really round figures at the moment.

We've got 200, we've got 100.

What if we made that 300?

I'm more than happy.

Well, that's a tonne of money.

Let's go through this in order as well so it doesn't get complicated.

The sugar caster doubles its money.

The profit is £102.72.

And then, there's the assorted collection.

Kate sells the bits Daniel didn't want

to an antiques dealer in Oxford for £40.

Add that to the money for the scent bottle and cup

and Kate makes

an even heftier profit - £196.80.

Now, that is my kind of shop.

And what a great way to do business.

Beat that, John.

Well, it might seem unlikely, but anything can happen.

He's near Havant to see a lady he grew up with.

I'm about to meet my friend Debbie who loves Christmas decorations

and whose son loves railways and trains.

And I've brought my porcelain centrepiece

modelled as a Christmas railway station.

I'm hoping she's going to like it, and Christmas will come early for me.

The table decoration owes John more than £130.

Right, so I've set it all up. What do you think of it?

-I actually really like it.

-Do you really?

-Yeah, I do.

So, there your tea lights go in the station

and it all lights up.

Piece is actually made by Villeroy & Boch.

-OK.

-There we are. Good maker.

And, as you can see, it comes with a box and some wrapping...

some bubble wrap there,

and it doubles up as a cat bed.

-Sold.

-I think Coco likes the box and packaging anyway.

How much do you want?

I'm looking for £300.

I think that is a little bit too much.

-Really? What do you see it as?

-200.

200 is not enough.

220.

Going in the right direction.

Call it 250.

Nice, round number.

In fact, I've got a deal sweetener for you here.

Another hard-paste porcelain flower vase for you,

hand-painted.

It comes with that. 250.

-OK then, John.

-250.

-Got a deal.

And the vase. And Coco has got himself a new bed.

Yes, looks like Coco's the big winner there,

but John is chuffed with the deal.

He chugs away with £116.24

in profit.

Kate is down to her last lot,

the pine cabinet which she's already suggested she paid too much for.

She's come to see Ken who's a pine furniture dealer near Aylesbury.

I think it's probably late-Victorian

but it's the dimensions that I really liked,

cos it's quite tall and thin, as you can see,

quite an elegant shape

and, for that reason, I think it would be fairly commercial.

The proportions are nice, yes. Yeah, I quite like it.

Is this the sort of thing that you could sell, do you think?

It might be, yes. My customers are very hard on negotiating, so...

-I have to buy at a reasonable price.

-OK.

Well, I would love for around the £300 mark.

I could pay around about 200 possibly.

250, that's bang in the middle

between 300 and 200.

So, 230, and we've got a good deal and everybody's happy.

Do you know, I really like fours, and 240 just sounds so much better.

Go on, then. 240.

-240?

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

All right. Lovely. Thank you very much.

Yes, Ken had her on the ropes there.

Maybe she did overpay at the auction.

At £21.12, that's far and away

her smallest profit of the day.

So, this could be John's big opportunity.

His last item is the amusement arcade sign.

He's brought it to Mark,

who's a car dealer in Southsea who collects weird and wacky items.

So, does this fit the bill?

Nice. Yeah, I like it.

It reminds me of my youth. It's the sort of things

we used to play in the arcades down in Southsea,

but it's going to need a little bit of work there

cos that panel's missing.

But I think it would have to be rewired and illuminated

-to really...

-To make it work, yeah.

I think of something like this flashing.

You've got the petrol pump here, all sorts there,

you've got another light there.

-I think up high...

-We could wire them together.

Illuminated, I think it would look quite good.

-So, you like it?

-I like it.

-How much is it?

-Couple of hundred quid.

-Nah.

-No?

No, it needs too much repair work.

I'd give 125 for it.

Now you sound like a car dealer.

-I am a car dealer.

-I know you are. THEY LAUGH

Can you go to one and a half?

-Go on, then.

-Yeah?

Well, that's more than you usually get out of a 10p machine.

He hits the profit jackpot - £46.64.

So, there we are,

everything's been sold.

But before we reveal the winner, let's get a reminder

of what they spent at auction.

Both our experts started with budgets of £1,000.

Kate had done her homework and it showed.

She bought six lots for nearly £955.

John found it harder to pinpoint purchases

but he did find seven lots that he liked

and paid more than £723.

All of the money that Kate and John have made from today's challenge

will go to charities of their choice.

So, let's find out who is today's

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Well, hello, my friend.

-Hello, Kate.

-How are you doing?

-Yes, all right. How are you?

-Yeah.

I have to say auction is my least favourite challenge.

Is it?

You never get the items you want, and the ones you do get,

you end up paying far too much for.

Well, all right, Mr Grumpy.

I quite enjoyed it, actually.

Well, I enjoyed it till the end

and then I started running out of things I wanted to buy.

My porcelain Christmas centrepiece went down a treat.

New home, very happy lady and son,

-and the cat even loved the box and my wrapping.

-Is that right?

-Got rid of the whole lot. Yes.

-And it's not even Christmas.

-No.

It was for me. So, how about you. What was your best profit?

Well, I think the thing for me was

I bought quite a few lots which had a number of items in them.

So I sold to actually a long list of buyers

cos I sort of split it up.

Let's see, shall we? Shall we put ourselves out of our misery?

-Come on, then. Ready?

-Three.

-Two.

-One.

-Go.

-BOTH:

-Oh!

-Oh, my goodness, Kate.

-Wow.

-Whoa, well, that's pretty respectable.

Yeah, but it's about £1,000 different there, Kate.

I have to say the handbags did it.

-Was it really?

-Hmm.

Could you teach me a thing or two about vintage handbags?

I probably could. How long have you got?

As long as it takes.

Well, we knew she'd done well, but that is extraordinary.

Our golden girl makes a gargantuan profit

and, quite frankly, wipes the floor with John.

I have to say congratulations, Kate,

you outmanoeuvred me in the auction room.

Early bird catches the worm.

You got there early, you had a good viewing and you bought better.

And I think the credit goes to you for buying multiple lots,

splitting them up.

Created more work for yourself there, more sales,

but that generated more profits. Congratulations.

Well, I certainly put in the homework on this one,

which paid off.

And at the auction, I bought pretty much what I wanted to buy,

but...what can I say?

Handbags - a girl's best friend?

They certainly were mine.

So, will it be handbags at dawn tomorrow?

Our experts will be showing what they're made of

at a car boot battle in London.

You snooze, you lose.