James Braxton v Catherine Southon - Foreign Antiques Market 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...

Elementary, my dear dealers.

..and gives you the insider's view

of the trade.

Rawr!

Each week, one pair of duelling

dealers will face a different

daily challenge...

Catch me if you can.

The axeman cometh.

..putting their reputations on the line...

Grr!

Ready for battle.

..and giving you their top tips

and savvy secrets

on how to make the most money

from buying and selling.

Get in there!

RUMBLE OF THUNDER

Today, Duke of the Deal

James Braxton goes head-to-head with

Queen of Quality Catherine Southon

for a Belgian bargain battle.

Coming up, it's risque business for James...

What on earth have I got myself into?

..Catherine's led astray...

See, old Bingo Brackers, he's sent me up here.

I think he may have sent me on a wild goose chase.

..and talking of geese...

Why aren't they eating it? What's wrong with my food?

Look, look, look, look!

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Welcome, one and all, to yet another battle of the bric-a-brac -

this time with funny accents.

Our experts have swapped their pounds for euros

and are heading to Belgium.

The streets of this medieval city will come alive with

the sound of warfare as they puff their chests and empty their wallets

and fight it out to be crowned king of the continental collectibles.

On one side is a smooth-talking saleroom superstar.

A man who will let nothing hold him back in the pursuit of profit.

It's the Squire of Sussex,

Sir James "Bingo" Braxton.

I've found a Holy Grail.

And in the other corner, it's the lean, mean Queen of Quality,

straight from the Garden of England.

This brainy beauty gets the dealers eating out of the palm of her hand.

It's auctioneer extraordinaire, "Canny" Catherine Southon.

Once more unto the breach, dear friend!

Yes, today's epic adventure takes place in the Belgian city

of Tongeren, where the historic streets stage a weekly

antiques market.

Our sparring spartans each have £750 worth of euros

of their own money to spend and any profit they make will go

to a charity of their choice. So, let battle commence.

James Braxton and Catherine Southon,

it's time to put your money where your mouth is.

-Hello, Catherine.

-James, good to see you.

-Very good to see you. Early birds here.

-I know.

Now, this is your territory. You have been here before,

-haven't you?

-Well, just once, yeah, for a day.

-Even so, even so!

It's more than I have.

I feel as though I have some advantage here,

so I must be benevolent and I will show you the way.

How's it set up? Is it quite posh? Is it quite rough and ready?

It's all rough and ready, it's all on the pavement.

Nothing's priced. I think the public start down there,

they come up here and it loops all the way around the town.

Our £750 will go a long way.

I love it like that, that means it's cheap. We'll find bargains.

We are going to find bargains.

So, James, where would you suggest I started?

I think you should start from the start, which is down there.

-OK.

-And I'll go in reverse.

-OK. And we might meet up for a coffee.

-Meet in the middle.

-Lovely!

-Good luck.

-See you.

So, Bingo sends Catherine to the start of the market

and heads straight to the town square.

But hang on, he's not being benevolent!

He's got ulterior motives...

Catherine's gone down to the start, where everybody starts,

and I think there are more people set up here.

It seems to be that they're all unpacking up here,

so I've got first mover advantage.

Mmm, a cunning strategy from Bingo there, sending his rival to the

opposite side of the market, leaving him a clear run at the good stuff.

But never fear, Catherine's got a plan of her own.

Fast and furious, I'm going to nip round as quick as I can,

spending just a few euros here and there.

I want to spend low amounts, maximise my profit.

So I'm going in for the kill.

Mm, the kill! She's talking tough!

But as the market gets going, so does Bingo...

Mmm! Blimey O'Reilly.

He's first to swoop in on a deal on a rather risque painted door.

What is your price on it, Peter?

-250.

-250 euros?

-Yes.

And that is the palette.

-What, the palette came with the door?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Would you do it for 200?

-Yeah.

-200? OK.

-200.

-We have a deal.

-OK.

-Thank you.

So James splashes out just under £164 for the door.

Has he been seduced by a naked lady? Mmm?

What on earth have I got myself into?

This is probably not one of the easiest things to resell.

It's rather fun, because it's a door.

It reminds me of sort of that great time, Peter Sellers,

sort of Britt Ekland, Sophia Loren, and also the palette comes in,

it looks like some sort of weird sort of gargoyle, doesn't it?

I'm looking for an artist without a bathroom door.

Yes, nothing like a challenge, eh, old chap?

With the opposition nowhere to be seen,

Bingo's on a roll, as he spots an unusual-looking item.

This is the interesting thing with all these items.

What would you use it for? It must be made for a purpose.

Beautifully beaten copper.

-WOMAN: Chocolat.

-Sculpture... For chocolat?

-Oui.

-Ah!

-Meilleur prix, c'est cinquante. 50.

-Cinquante?

That would look beautiful polished up.

Tempting.

But he doesn't splash the cash.

Has Sir Braxton lost his nerve?

Come on, Bingo, it's not like you to dally!

You always get a bit anxious after ten minutes of not buying anything.

You think, is that the end?

You need to keep buying in this game.

Buy now, worry about selling later.

Yes. While Bingo has existential buying angst, Catherine is poised

to put her "spend fast and pay low" strategy into action.

So here, we've got a lovely, lovely little apothecary cabinet.

That's medicine to you and me.

A doctor, once upon a time, would've walked around and had this,

carried this with his little bottles and potions and what-have-you in.

So, we open it all up...

..to the sides. We've got different apothecary bottles

and little drawers for pills.

How much do you want for this?

-MAN:

-255.

255. James said it was cheap here.

My last word is 250.

Go on, then. 250.

Blimey, that's nearly £205!

Not exactly sticking to her "buy cheap" strategy,

but Catherine thinks it's just what the doctor ordered.

I'm chuffed beyond belief with this apothecary cabinet.

I've seen a lot of these in my time, but nothing as good as this.

This one has these fantastic big hinges on.

And I would say this dates to around 1840.

The problem is, it was quite expensive.

Am I bothered?

Not really.

I think it's got great potential.

Canny Catherine is oozing confidence today. But what of Bingo?

Surely he's still not pacing the streets?

Has his strategy of staying up this end of the market backfired?

Not a lot of stallholders have still set up here.

So there's still later opportunities,

but I just want something to catch the eye.

Well, you know what they say about "all browse and no buy", old chap,

and now, it seems that all that legwork has worn him out!

Ah! That is so comfy.

-How much is this? Do you know?

-35.

-35?

20? 20?

That's the owner. 25 I think is possible.

-25 you think is possible?

-Yes.

-I think it would be.

-Very definitely.

Hold on! Bingo likes lazing around?

He's a bit of a kung fu king and he loves bamboo?!

He's like a shaved panda!

Hmm, anyway!

He bags the chair for just over £20

and our agile auctioneer's enamoured.

I love this rattan,

because it's the combination of very feeble parts,

with a bit of glue and a bit of whipped bamboo

and it just makes things of enormous strength, you know.

If it can bear my mighty bulk, it can bear anybody's.

In fact, this will be a difficult piece to part with, because...

I don't know if there's anybody else

who likes his bamboo as much as I do.

As James takes the lead with a second deal under his belt,

his opponent is keeping a close eye on the competition.

I spy with my little eye something beginning with B

and it's Bingo making... a very BIG purchase.

Yes, nothing gets past our sharp-eyed Southon.

She's right, though - James has his eye on something,

but first, it needs to pass his trademark "sitting" test.

Ooh, that's going to chafe!

Pot as a seat.

How much for your pot?

-20.

-20?

-20.

I will give you 20 euros.

Hmm, that was quick, and he paid just over £16 for the pot,

and James feels he's onto a winner.

What's not to like about this fabulous pot?

It probably comes from over the border, from Holland.

Um, it was, I'm told, for the use and preserving of sauerkraut.

This was the start of this early sort of, um, salt-glazed stoneware,

which is impervious, so it can hold liquids,

and, originally, it was known as Cologne ware.

Why was it Cologne ware? Well, Cologne was the harbour

from which the pottery was exported to the UK.

Anyway, I'm off with it,

and, remember, never trust a handle.

RECORD SCRATCHES

Hold on, shouldn't you be heeding your own advice?

As long as the pot stays intact,

James now has three deals to Catherine's one.

Smooth-talking Southon needs to catch up,

and she's found just the things. She just doesn't know what they are.

-What are they supposed to be? A doorstop?

-Dog irons?

-So you think for the fire?

-Yeah.

-To put across, you put the log on top of them.

-Yeah.

-What are you looking for on those?

-50.

-For the pair?

-Yes.

30? How does that sound?

-I think that sounds pretty good, don't you?

-40.

-35?

-OK.

-You're lovely, you are!

Ooh, what a sliver tongue!

She bags the dog irons for just under £29.

These dog irons are the business!

They weren't the sort of thing I thought I'd come and buy today,

but look at them! Really nicely cast.

I've got big plans for these

and it involves a big fireplace in a big hotel.

Sounds good to me.

Hmm, and me!

On the other side of the market, Bingo's retracing his steps

to give that copper chocolate scoop a second look.

-Quel prix, s'il vous plait?

-Le meilleur prix, c'est 50.

50. How about quarante-cinq?

-Ah! Good!

-Is that good?

-Yeah.

-Quarante-cinq?

-Merci.

-Where's your money?

-Here's the money!

So James gets a sweet deal

and scoops up the chocolate ladle for just under £37.

All I can say, with some certainty, is it's made of copper.

As to its age, you can

always rely on modern things being made slightly more simply.

It suggests to me 19th century, so mid-19th century,

but it definitely needs a handle of bois - a wooden handle here -

because otherwise, holding it with hot chocolate,

copper is a great conductor

and you'd get a very hot hand very quickly.

So I need to add a handle. I need length.

Yes, though Catherine's still thinking big as well,

and she's back at the stall where she bought the dog irons.

Now, this is my kind of thing.

SHE LAUGHS: A big cup of tea or a big cup of coffee!

-I don't do things in small sizes.

-Yeah.

-What can you do on that?

Ten. You can take it for ten?

-Ten? OK, I'll give you ten for that. It's a bit of fun, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Just over £8 for the colossal cup and saucer

and bang on her cut-price strategy.

This is the bargain of the day! £8 I paid for this.

And it has everything going for it.

I love the colour, it's very retro, very now, very funky.

I'm really, really excited about this

and there is no way James is going to beat me on this one.

Now, her arch enemy may have tried to throw her off the scent

at the beginning of the day, but Catherine wasn't deterred

and starting off at the bottom of the market has had its advantages.

These Belgians are so friendly!

One stall holder has just given me a punnet of grapes!

I don't know about you, James, you may be treating this very seriously,

but me... I'm having the time of my life.

So, while Catherine's feeling fruity,

Bingo's hoping his next purchase will be checkmate!

Over there, I like your chess... your chess thing.

The game. The bamboo.

What is your best price on it?

-Er, 20 euro.

-20 euro?

-Yes.

I'll buy it for 20. That's very kind, thank you. Thank you.

Oh, what a polite purchaser he is!

James pays full asking price of just over £16 with no hint of a haggle.

Was our profit-hunting panda blinded by the bamboo?

I'm always irresistibly drawn to bamboo.

It's a lovely material. I like it.

It has a continental cafe feel about it.

While you're sitting down nourishing the body

with a small coffee, or even a beer,

you can sit down and also nourish the mind with a bit of chess.

Yes! While Bingo nourishes his mind,

canny Catherine buys a more thirst-quenching item -

a tin advertising seat for a cheap and cheerful £8.

Both our treasure-hunting titans are packing in the purchases.

Time to check out the stats.

Our bargain-hunting Brits

each arrived with £750 of their own money.

James "Bingo" Braxton was quick off the mark.

He snapped up five items for just over £254,

leaving him nearly £496 still to spend.

Canny Catherine Southon has spent nearly the same,

with her four purchases costing a penny over £250,

leaving nearly £500 in her kitty.

So it's neck-and-neck for these auctioneer aficionados.

Though, of course, they're playing their cards close to their chests.

So, James, how's it going?

-Very well, very well. How are you doing?

-Hmm, really good!

-This place is very vibrant, isn't it?

-It is.

-Really exciting!

-I've only been down one side of it, though.

-Really?!

-Yes, I know!

-Where you pointed, I walked up and down.

-Well done. Rich pickings there.

You can say that again! Rich!

I mean, I thought I would probably spend 20 euros on the first purchase.

-Yeah.

-I went straight in and I spent just over 200 euros.

-Snap!

-Oh, did you?

-So did I.

-Good!

-OK...

-Where shall I go next? Around here?

-Well, around that,

-pictures, tools...

-Oh, pictures, tools?

-..metalware...

-Oh?

-..moving into more kitchenalia.

-Ooh, I love a bit of kitchenalia.

-Kitchenalia is roughly about there.

-I'm going off to kitchenalia.

-OK, good luck.

-See you later!

So our duelling dealers

throw themselves back into their Flemish forage.

But hold on! Has James been playing dirty again?

The old Bingo Brackers, he's sent me up here

and I'm not quite sure about this one.

He said to me kitchenalia, but this doesn't look very kitcheny to me.

I think he may have sent me on a wild goose chase.

And while Catherine continues her search,

Bingo has this end of the market to himself.

With two thirds of his budget unspent,

he's looking for a final killer purchase to complete his haul -

the cherry on top, the icing on the cake, the jewel in the crown.

Yes, so what will it be?

-How much is your little price?

-22.

-22?

-Yeah.

-What about a dix-huit price?

-Dix-huit?

-Could you do it?

-OK, sure.

-Thank you.

-No problem.

-Thank you.

James pays just under £15 for the print and he's chuffed!

I was drawn to this lovely picture.

You know, this is Holland, this is the Netherlands.

This is everything on a plate here, isn't it?

You know, a lot of European art was influenced by

Japanese wood block prints coming over, who were great exponents

of this idea that things could carry on and disappear.

They don't necessarily have to be centred in the middle.

But this really captures that, it has a very modern feel about it,

I like the colours, very sunny, orangey.

So, his orangey, Dutch, Japanesey print brings his total haul to six.

And, with that, Bingo calls it a day.

But with just four items in her bag,

his rival needs to seal some final deals fast.

She's not one to buckle under the pressure, though,

and she soon picks up a pair of hand weights for a not-so-hefty £24.

When I came here, I wanted to buy something quirky,

I wanted to think out of the box and I certainly have done it with these.

They're probably made from, I don't know,

iron, I would've thought, but they are handmade

and they've certainly got a nice little bit of age to them.

And I love the way that they've got the number, the amount,

the five kilos, engraved in each one.

Fantastic! I don't know who I'm going to sell them to. Maybe a gym?

Maybe someone who's pretty strong.

But it's certainly food for thought.

So Catherine weighs up her options

and, with the market starting to pack up around her,

she has one final deal in mind

and heads back to the first stall she visited

for a gander at a rather unusual calendar.

I saw this a bit earlier on.

-I quite like it. It's a perpetual calendar, isn't it?

-Yes.

They told me that it was a gift for a lady.

You think Victorian? Late Victorian?

What can you do on this? What's the best you can do?

38 euros.

-OK. I'm not going to argue.

-38.

What?! Not even a little haggling?

Paying just over £31 for the calendar,

she must think she's got something special.

I've seen many different types of perpetual calendar,

so ways of changing the date,

but I've never seen a brass one in the form of a flying goose.

I would probably date this to late 19th century, early 20th century.

38 euros?

I think I can fly away to sweet success.

Ah! See what she did there? Yes!

And that sixth and final purchase

takes Catherine over the finishing line.

We've had a Flemish field day here in Belgium today,

but who spent what?

James and Catherine both started the day

with £750 of their own money.

James did most of his buying at the start

and soon sealed the deal on six purchases, costing nearly £269.

Canny Catherine had a last-minute dash.

She too bagged herself six items,

but spent slightly more, at just under £306.

But, before they jump ship back to Blighty,

time for our duo to take a quick look at the competition.

Well, James, you're right about this place.

-It is the business, isn't it?

-It is!

I've had so much fun and you look like you've had fun too.

So easy to buy, isn't it?

I've got to ask. That is amazing!

-That is brilliant! I would have bought that.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, I think that's great.

-That came with the lady behind me.

Yes. What, did that come free?

Why do you like her?

-She's got a very striking look.

-Yeah.

It's a sort of real 1960s sort of thing. It's a bathroom door.

-I wish you lots of luck with that, James.

-Do you think it's a challenge?

-I hope it doesn't end up on the fire.

-Anyway, I like...

I like your apothecary thing. This is lovely.

-This has got real interest.

-It's nice, isn't it?

It was a big purchase, but you don't see anything like that very often.

-No, it's a lovely item, that.

-What's that for?

Um, I was told it's for chocolate.

It would have had a handle shooting off here

and the flat bit

is to scoop the flat bottom.

-Yeah.

-Fancy a cup of tea?

-Yeah, that's a big cup, isn't it?

-SHE LAUGHS

I thought about maybe going to a shop,

a coffee shop or something, using it as their display.

-You had to buy furniture, didn't you?

-I did and I...

You know, I'm a big fan of bamboo, rattan,

so I bought the chessboard and that.

Catherine, what's your favourite item?

-One of my favourites is probably the dumbbells.

-Yeah.

-Ever seen some like that?

-No, I've never seen some like that.

-Actual dumbbells, aren't they?

-They are.

-They look like dumbbells.

-They are pretty heavy.

-Best of luck.

-We've just got to sell it all now.

-We have.

-Come on, then.

-Lead on.

Back in Blighty and the pressure's on for our battling Brits,

because they've got to sell all their Belgian booty

and make as much profit as possible for their chosen charities.

They'll need to hit the phones, pound the streets,

and haggle as if their very lives depend on it, as every penny counts.

Back at Braxton Towers, James is feeling buoyant.

Well, Tongeren... Tongeren never fails to please.

This was my first purchase, the lovely lady,

the bathroom door, on my right-hand side. It also came

with the artist's palette, which I'm rather pleased about.

I remember Catherine rather liking it. Who am I going to sell that to?

A lothario!

The chocolate scoop. Lovely piece of copper, that.

Fortunately, in Brighton, there is a very famous chocolatier.

I'll take it there, and I should get a good price for that.

I like this. This is a classic bit of upcycling.

I'm going to put a wooden seat on it

and probably sell it to maybe a bar or... Yeah, probably a bar.

Then we've got this rather nice little Dutch print.

I'm going to find a buyer for that.

Chessboard, rather like that.

And then, another piece of rattan furniture. The bamboo chair.

Who will I sell that to?

Somebody who...owns a conservatory.

Anyway, I was pleased with Tongeren. It was great fun.

But all in all, I think I have the upper hand.

Mmm, I wouldn't count your chickens yet, Bingo!

Canny Catherine is at home in Kent surveying her Belgium buys

and she's feeling confident too.

I had a wonderful time in Tongeren

and I think I'm actually quite chuffed with the items that I bought.

This little perpetual calendar down there

has a bit of a question mark hanging over him.

I bought this as a Victorian perpetual calendar,

but I'm not sure that it actually is Victorian.

I think that it certainly has got some age to it.

Nevertheless, it's still a bit of fun. Now, this is fun.

Fun with a capital F.

I had to buy this as soon as I saw it.

I'm going to sell this, probably, to a coffee shop.

Fun all the way and big profits, I feel.

The seat, which is in the form of a soft drinks can,

is probably my least favourite item.

I can't really see a big profit screaming out at me.

I had to have these as soon as I saw these in the market.

I think I'm going to try and find a traditional circus.

I'd like to find a strongman as well,

or perhaps somebody who just collects circus memorabilia.

The dog irons, I just think they've got a look to them.

My feeling is maybe sell to a pub?

A pub with a big fire? Nice country fire?

The piece that I am most excited about is this apothecary cabinet.

To me, it feels like it's probably Dutch.

I paid just over £200 for it, but I think, out of everything,

this is where the money is, and it is incredibly exciting.

I think I'm onto a winner here.

In fact, I KNOW it.

Yes, brave talk from the Queen of Quality!

Both our profit hunters need to keep their focus on the goal now,

as they get their searches under way to bag the best buyers.

And remember, until they've shaken on it

and the money's changed hands, no deal is ever sealed.

James kicks off his selling spree

with that unusual copper chocolate scoop.

He's headed to a chocolatier in Brighton,

famed for their extravagant cakes and cocoa creations!

He bought his scoop for just under £37

and owner Christine is on hand to meet him.

-Hello, Christine! Hello.

-Oh, my goodness!

-James, hello.

-Hello, James.

-Nice to meet you.

-How are you?

-Very good, very good.

-What an amazing place.

-HE LAUGHS

Welcome to my world.

This is the item I spoke about, and this comes from Belgium.

And, um, made of copper. Feel the weight.

-It feels very practical. I love this.

-Yeah, yeah.

-The but is...

-Yeah, somebody has lost their temper.

HE LAUGHS And that's...that's interesting.

Cos I believe this is part of the tempering process.

-So I...

-Do you?

-I do.

-Right.

-I think the flat edge...

-Yeah?

-You temper chocolate on marble, so you warm up your chocolate...

-Yeah?

When you believe it's almost at the point of readiness,

you spread it out on marble and then you collect it again.

If you were to scoop that up on a flat surface, and stir,

you've got a set measure

and you've got a way of pouring...

-I see!

-..and a way of cooling at the same time.

Because you're right, because, um, copper is a great conductor

and it doesn't necessarily have to be hot, it can also be cold.

Now, what I want here...

I think it's quite special, it's got some age. Definitely 1880.

I would consider it, if it was the right price.

I was thinking a nice three-figure sum of £110.

-I employ somebody...

-Yeah?

-..called Guntis,

who is shortly to celebrate his ten-year anniversary with me

-and wouldn't this be a beautiful thing for him...?

-Beautiful, yeah.

-..for £60?

-£60?!

-£60.

You've done this before, Christine, haven't you?

75 and it's yours.

I'll tell you what I'll do.

Give me 75, yeah.

-HE LAUGHS I will give you 75...

-Great.

..and I'll also give you a bar of Guntis' chocolate.

Oh, you very kind lady. Thank you very much indeed.

-# Sweet like chocolate, boy... #

-Sale number one in the bag,

and Bingo scoops himself a profit of £38.11, plus that tasty treat.

# ..bring me so much joy... #

I don't normally eat into my profits,

but I'm very happy with this one.

Bingo, you chocoholic!

Meanwhile, his canny competitor has started her mission

with her most expensive item.

I've crossed the borders into Surrey armed with my apothecary cabinet.

I've come to see Glynis and she buys medical antiques.

She's quite particular about what she buys,

but I just hope that she'll go for this cabinet.

The apothecary set cost more than all her other purchases put together

and then doubled, at nearly £205, so there's a lot riding on this!

Well, Glynis, here it is. You've seen photos.

Is it what you thought it would be?

-It's very neat.

-I think it's neat.

-I love that size, actually.

-Yes, very neat from the outside.

-Nice and compact.

-Obviously not English.

-No.

-Um...

-Do you think Dutch?

-I would certainly think Flemish from the...

-from the hinges...

-Hmm.

-..and it's probably got a Flemish influence.

-This is probably 18th century, late 18th century?

-Mm-hm.

So it's gone through a couple of hundred years.

I think possibly there might have been a little...

-Set of scales?

-..handheld scale in there originally.

-Yeah.

And when people were collecting these,

they liked to have the original labels on, and also sometimes,

-if they have the contents as well, that adds to it.

-That's right, yes.

-I like it very much.

-Do you?

And now you're going to whack me with something I don't like.

I would like...

..somewhere in the region of between £300 and £400.

-275.

-275?

-I couldn't go that low. Honestly.

-300?

I was hoping that we would go more like 350.

-What about...

-Oh?

-..330?

-330. And I'm really pleased that you love it like I do.

-I really do.

Smoothly done, Southon,

and that's a very healthy profit of £125.08.

At home in Sussex, Bingo has a plan

to add value to one of his Belgian buys.

My intention with this lovely sauerkraut vase

from the foreign market is to put a seat on it.

Now, I've got a nice bit of ash from the Braxton timber yard.

And here, on top, it's quite a thick piece.

And I'll just fashion a seat here.

I think I will get more money for it.

So, to get the seat ready, Bingo burns the midnight oil,

but next morning, he's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

as he heads along the coast to unveil the newly-upcycled pot.

He's come to an antiques shop near Hastings to meet the owner, Badger.

-Now, hello, Badger, how are you?

-Very well indeed.

-Good to see you again.

-Here's that mighty jar I spoke to you about.

The person said it was a sauerkraut fellow,

so that's the cabbage, sort of pickled cabbage, isn't it?

-I've had sauerkraut. It's rather nice, in fact.

-Yeah.

You'll promise not to laugh, Badger? But this isn't all.

I didn't have a fret saw big enough to do the old thingamabob, er,

cut through this fine bit of ash

and so, I've got a lovely big seat here.

I like it. I had to pay some money for it. Um, I've brought it to you.

I wanted to get around 50-60 quid for it.

You can make a profit on this.

-I might even sign and date it for you, if you like.

-Call it 50.

-50?

You've got yourself a deal!

Bravo, Bingo!

That's another £33.61 into his profit pot

after an enterprising bit of DIY.

Never underestimate the power of pickled cabbage and upcycling.

Yes, whatever you say, James!

Now, Canny Catherine has been thinking outside the box too.

She's hit the road and run away to the circus!

She's brought her hand weights for Ringmaster John to take a look at.

They cost her £24.

Wow, this is amazing!

Ha-ha! This looks fantastic!

-Wonderful! Good to meet you, John.

-Nice to meet you.

-Lovely.

I have brought you...

-Oh, thank you.

-Grab hold of that.

-Goodness me!

I've brought you a couple of five-kilo dumbbells.

Difficult to say the age on them, but they're certainly cast-iron

and I would say - I don't know - maybe 100 years old?

-Do you have a strongman here at your circus?

-We don't this year, actually,

but we are thinking of... we're negotiating for booking

-a strongman for next year, so they might come in very handy.

-Ah!

-Are you?

-Yes, we are.

-So what do you think about these?

Well, I think we'd certainly have a use for them, yes.

-We need to talk about price.

-Indeed.

I think I would like around £60-£70 for them. How does that sound?

How about if we gave you slightly less to start with,

but, um, if you completed one of the circus challenges,

we'd up the price a little bit? Are you game for that?

If we had you on the roller, and if you could stay on there

similar to our man Ross, for, um, I should say ten seconds...

-Right?

-..we'd go from 50 up to 70?

Right, so £70 if I'm on there for ten seconds?

-If not...?

-£50.

-..50?

-OK, I'm game for that.

-Yeah?

-I'm game for that.

-Let's go.

I'm game for a challenge.

Yes, there's nothing our agile auctioneer won't do

in the pursuit of profit!

Is that enough for you?

-Yeah, go, go!

-One...

-One, two, three, four...

SHE LAUGHS

There's absolutely no way I could do that.

Not even going to give it another try, Catherine? Hmm!

-£50.

-Deal.

No, seems not.

She may not be joining the circus any time soon,

but she still doubled her money on the weights,

netting herself £25.41 profit.

And our antiques acrobat tops up her coffers again,

when she sells that advertising tin for £12, banking £3.80 profit.

Our trading typhoons have been selling up a storm,

so let's find out who's thundering ahead

and who's just full of hot air.

At the halfway stage of their selling session,

James has struck two deals and made himself a profit of just £71.72.

Catherine has done one better,

having made three sales, and taken a tidy profit of £154.29.

So they both have plenty of Belgian treasures still to sell,

and James is yet to bank any really big bucks.

He's got four items back at Braxton HQ,

so he hits his little black book of contacts.

I'll bring it along. Let's see how we go.

Catherine's selling spree shows no signs of slowing down.

She's brought her unusually-shaped perpetual calendar

to a farm in Leicestershire and, having cost her just over £31,

she's hoping owner Robert will give her a honkingly good profit.

GEESE HONK

-Hi.

-Hi.

-How are you?

-It's absolutely beautiful. Hello, Robert.

-Hello.

-What a wonderful place to be.

-Good.

-This is absolutely super.

-All I can see is just a sea of white.

-I know.

-There's about 3,000 here behind us.

-LOUD HONKING

Quite a lot of geese.

Anyway, I have come to, not only see the geese,

-but I've come to sell you something...

-Ooh!

-..hopefully!

-Ooh!

-Hopefully!

-You know what farmers are like!

-Well, what are farmers like?

-Mean!

-Are they?

-Oh, terrible, I've heard.

-What do you think of that?

-Well, let's have a look.

-I would say...

-That is a goose, first of all.

I think we could say it's a goose, yes.

-That's very nice. What's it made of?

-So this is made of brass.

As you can see, you've got quite chunky fingers,

if you don't mind me saying, as a farmer!

And it would be pretty tough for you to take all of these out.

-Yes, it would.

-So I think this is probably more of a lady's calendar.

-That is very nice.

-Do you like that?

-Yeah, but what am I going to have to negotiate?

-Being a mean farmer...

-Yes!

-..I'm getting a bit worried about this.

Somewhere between 50 and 60, how does that sound?

What about 48?

-Oh, all right, then. 48.

-48!

So, the calendar flies off to a £16.85 profit

and it seems there's a familiar face at the farm.

Hello, my friend.

-So, who's this that's come to join us?

-This is Bingo.

Bingo?! Are you a Bingo?

I've got a Bingo too!

I've got a Bingo! He's my partner in crime in this.

We're going to beat him, aren't we? DEEP VOICE: Yes, we are. Yes, we are.

Er, yes, not sure our Bingo will roll over quite that easily!

But, before she leaves, Catherine lends a hand with the feeding time.

Why aren't they eating it? What's wrong with my food?

Cluck-cluck-cluck! GEESE HONK

Um, I don't think you're meant to chase them!

Our goose whisperer is streaking ahead in this selling bonanza.

But Bingo is poised to make a comeback, with his most risque item.

He's taking his painted door to the bright lights of London town,

to meet - no, not a lothario - but a restaurateur with a passion for art.

But will the lady be his type?

James paid nearly £164 for her, along with the artist's palette.

-Hello, Ranauld.

-James, very good to see you.

Here is my mighty door.

Um, I bought this in Belgium and it has that '60s look.

You know, all those sort of glamorous things,

the sort of Pink Panther films, David Niven...

-Yeah, it's definitely '60s, all that mascara.

-Yeah.

I imagine that you didn't pay a lot of money for it?

I paid a reasonable sum and I'm looking to get sort of £275 for it.

-I do quite like it.

-I think...

-I've no idea where I'd put it.

She is growing on me. JAMES LAUGHS

Um, I think that...

It'd be churlish not to accept your offer.

Oh, that's really kind, Ranauld. Put it there. Thank you. Thank you.

Yeah! So, Bingo banks himself a profit of £111 for the door,

and he sells his palette to a West London dealer for another £40,

taking his profit for the pair

to a whopping £151.07.

His biggest deal yet!

But his Dutch print doesn't fare so well.

It sells for just a 25p profit.

Nevertheless, Bingo has struck out into the lead,

but Catherine is hot on his heels.

She's found a home for her fireplace dog irons,

selling them to a pub in Leicestershire for £70,

topping up her profit purse by just over £41.

Well, Bingo, that's another profit.

I hope you're feeling the pressure, because I'm turning the heat up.

# The heat is on! #

Yes, the temperature is certainly rising,

as both our stellar sellers line up their final sales.

Savvy Southon is hoping to round off her selling spree

by heading across the country with one of her quirkiest Belgian buys.

I'm in Bath and I've come to see Helen.

She's got a cafe, but I understand it's not an ordinary cafe.

But then, this is no ordinary cup and saucer.

She paid £8.20 for the giant teacup in Belgium,

but will it turn a giant profit?

# No time to say hello, goodbye, I'm late... #

-Helen, hello.

-Hello, Catherine.

-Welcome to the Mad Hatter's.

-Thank you very much indeed.

Well, I've gone a bit mad myself

and I have brought you this rather large cup and saucer.

I absolutely love it.

-This is where I would love it to go.

-So, price? Helen?

-Um...

-It all comes down to.

-I would offer you £30 for that.

Er...can we say 40?

Can we meet in the middle and say 35?

Go on, then. 35.

That gives her coffers a profit injection of £26.80,

and that's Canny Catherine over the finish line.

Bingo still has two items to offload,

and he's been pounding the West London streets.

I'm in Golborne Road in London with my two items of rattan.

I bought them separately, but I want to sell them together

to some fellow rattan enthusiasts, much like myself.

Well, surely there's no shortage of those, old chap!

The chair and table cost him over £36 combined,

but will the West London dealers be enraptured by the rattan?

Come on. Sit down, Dave. Feel the comfort of that chair.

-Sit.

-No cushion.

No cushion. It needs a cushion, doesn't it?

Well, it might be all right without one, actually.

-It's all right. You look settled.

-Fairly comfortable, yeah.

You look like a man of means there.

-Anyway, this is my table, I love rattan. Do you like rattan?

-Ish.

-You like it ish?

-Yes.

-So you're not...

-I like anything that sells.

Not a full believer? I think this would sell, because it's got colour.

Anyway, I like these two. Bargain basement prices...

-Mmm?

-..if you like them. I want 40 quid for that and 40 quid for that.

I quite like them, but I'd prefer to pay 70 quid for the two,

-if you would...

-Go on, you've gone and got yourself a deal.

-OK.

He's done it! That double deal

banks Bingo £33.12 profit, and you could call it checkmate.

So who will be crowned king or queen of the curio?

And who will be left feeling like a mere profit pawn?

All will be revealed, but first,

let's remind ourselves of what they spent in Belgium.

Both our experts started off

with the euro equivalent of £750 of their own money.

Bingo Braxton made six purchases and spent £268.84.

Canny Catherine also bought six items,

but spent slightly more at £305.75.

But the name of the game is always profit.

All the money James and Catherine have made from today's challenge

will go to charities of their choice.

So, without further ado, let's find out who is today's

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Champion!

-Tongeren!

-Tongers!

-I still haven't mastered the language yet, have you?

-Well, no, not the Flemish.

-The Flemish!

-Aw, what fun we had in Tongeren.

-It was lovely.

-It's a great market, isn't it?

-Really loved that! Good fun.

-And I had good fun selling it all as well.

-Did you?

-Yes.

-And you sold it well?

-Well, I'm not so sure about that.

-I had fun doing it. I went to a goose farm.

-Goose farm.

-Goose farm.

-I went to a circus, James!

-Circus?!

-Oh, yes!

That was brilliant, really good fun.

What about you?

Well, I went to a chocolatier.

Um... The door. The door!

-That awful door!

-That lovely door.

-Shall we see what happened?

-OK.

-What really happened!

Whoa!

-Ooh! Close one!

-Oh!

-Well done, James!

-Just have it, don't I?

-Very close.

-Please tell me it wasn't that door.

-I think it was, you know.

That awful door!

So, James walks away the winner, with just £17 between them.

The big profit on the risque door helped him pull it off.

I remain the Flemish champion.

Tongeren was mine. We both made very good profits.

But I just made that little extra more

and thank you to that rudey nudey door.

Even though I fed the geese and I went to the circus,

it still wasn't enough.

I can't believe that horrible door came between us.

But Canny Catherine gets another chance

to knock Bingo off the top spot tomorrow,

when they head to a seaside car-boot sale.

This is definitely going to be another winner.