James Braxton v Catherine Southon - Showdown 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!

HE CHUCKLES

Raar!

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...

Argh!

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!

Today, it's the ultimate antiques challenge -

the moment our dealers have been waiting for.

Audacious auctioneer James Braxton steps into the ring with

the First Lady of Fine Arts Catherine Southon.

They have decades of antiques experience between them,

but that counts for nothing, because this is the mighty Showdown!

Coming up...

Catherine is outwitted at the car-boot.

-Did you see that?

-Deal done.

That was robbery!

James gets carried away whilst bidding.

That could present a problem for me.

And emotions run high at the auction.

Come on, it's cheap!

40 it is.

I give up!

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

Well hold on to your hats,

two sharp shooters are about to ride into town one last time,

to fight for their honour

as antiques experts of the highest calibre.

This is their final chance to outwit the opposition,

seal some killer deals, and lasso a profit to be awarded

the Put Your Money sheriff badge of honour.

Riding in from the West, it's the Sussex Saleroom Supernova.

A polished professional with an eye for quality

and impeccable manners to match.

It's James "Bingo" Braxton.

I've seen quite a few candidates.

Look a little further round and I'll hone in on them.

His opposition today is a true dealing diamond.

This agile auctioneer really knows her onions,

and her haggling skills are second to none.

It's Kent's Queen of Quality, "Canny" Catherine Southon.

I spy with my little eye...

An avenue full of bargains.

Today, our cowboys of the collectables

have £1,000 each to spend across four very different locations -

an auction,

a foreign market,

a car-boot sale

and an antiques fair.

Once they've bagged their bounty,

they need to use all their expertise to sell it,

and any profit they make will go to charities of their choosing.

But there is of course a tricky twist!

They have to sell half of their items at the Showdown Auction,

where they'll be at the mercy of the bidding public.

It could be where they win big...or lose it all!

So, James Braxton and Catherine Southon, steady your nerves

and think only of profits.

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

-James!

-How are you?

-Lovely to see you.

-Good to see you.

Welcome to the mighty Showdown. Are you ready for this?

Oh, yes, I'm ready. Read away.

OK, the rules are simple.

"You each must buy two items at every one of your regular

"Put Your Money challenges. You have £1,000 to spend."

Goodness me!

"You can sell up to four items wherever you want.

"The rest will be sold in the Showdown Auction

"in direct competition with your opponent."

That's you.

"The winner is the expert who makes the most profit." Good luck.

Mm-hmm. As you ready for this?

-I'm ready for this.

-Good luck.

-Good luck.

So our battling bargain hunters are poised

and ready for their gargantuan challenge.

Round One is the auction

and they're at Tamlyns in Bridgewater, in Somerset.

Both our expert auctioneers are on familiar territory in a saleroom,

and Catherine has already found something worth writing home about.

There's a real assortment of postcards here.

Anything from lifeboats to Barbados.

And I am sure amongst this lot

there is a gem to be had.

James has been marking his catalogue,

but he's got a different tactic.

If it's cheap, I'll go for it!

Discerning then, Bingo(!)

But now it's time to get those bidding cards ready

as the sale is underway! First up, those postcards.

Five, I have. At five pounds. Do I see eight anywhere?

Bids at five.

Eight. Ten.

12? 12. 15.

18? 18.

No. On my left at £18.

-£18.

-HE BANGS GAVEL

So with auction fees,

Catherine pays £21.89 for the postcards.

Next up, Bingo is ready to make his first bid, too,

on a rather unusual pigeon racing clock.

£40. No, at £40.

At 40. Standing at the very back at £40. You all done now?

-At £40.

-HE BANGS GAVEL

So the pigeon clock flies home with James for £48.64 with fees.

But it seems ornithology isn't his strongest subject.

The last time I had anything to do with pigeons

was a pigeon breast salad. But this is not for eating.

This is for racing. Nicely boxed. Here is the clock itself.

In here. Don't know how it works.

It's a highly interesting item that I obviously know

absolutely nothing about.

I'm going to put it back. I've got the case.

I think I'm on a winner!

Yes(!) So while Bingo gets in touch with his inner pigeon fancier,

Catherine's won herself a nautical watercolour for £42.56 with fees.

This could make me a very happy girl.

It's signed and it is dated.

It's an Australian artist - Alcott - dated 1920.

But I think I can easily sell it for £100 to £150.

There's no way that I will be on a sinking ship.

Aye-aye, Captain Catherine!

So that's our canny collector's two lots in the bag.

With the end of the auction approaching, Bingo's got one

more lot to buy, and he's spotted a collection of bread tins.

I've got £18 on here. It's 18. Do I see 20?

22. 25. 28.

30. 32. 35.

38. 40. At £40. At the back there at 40. 42.

Fresh bidder. 45.

48. 50. 55.

60. 65. 70. No, he's gone.

At 70. On my right at 70. At £70 then. Are you all done at 70?

-70 it is.

-HE BANGS GAVEL

Get a man on the rope. I marked those £14.

£70. The we are.

That could present a problem for me!

Yes, it just might. The 14 bread tins got Bingo bidding and bidding,

and he ends up paying over four times what he wanted to.

That's a whopping £85.12.

Here we are, the most expensive bread tins in Somerset.

There are three particular sorts.

We've got Reynolds. We've got the Hovis tins.

And farmhouse.

I think farmhouse refers to the type of loaf that was baked in it.

And it's a big fella. I am a secret bread-maker.

I'm looking forward to putting some of Bingo's special bread in here

and hopefully I can wriggle myself out of this one!

Bingo baking his way to success. Possibly.

And with that, Round One of this sizzling Showdown

is done and dusted! Time for a quick look at the books.

Both our experts started out with £1,000 of their own money.

James has spent a good £133.76 so far,

so has over just over 866 left to play with.

Catherine has spent a much more frugal £64, leaving herself

more than £935 for the rest of the game.

Without further ado, it's onto Round Two.

Our treasure hunters head

to a foreign market

in Tongeren, Belgium.

They convert their cash into euros and hit the historic streets

in the pursuit of their next potential profit.

And is appears James is feeling pretty chipper about the challenge.

There's lots of choice on these streets.

The pound is strong and the euro is in my favour.

So almost a 20% discount.

There's nothing our dealers love more than a discount!

And Catherine's hoping to get just that

when she spots a games compendium.

It's a games compendium.

That's nice. How much is this one?

Dominoes. Cribbage.

Chess. Racing game.

I ask 180.

Can I give you 100 for this?

I would like to say yes but...

Oh, go on! As I am your favourite.

-Yes, I know.

-110 and we are done. Go on.

-115.

-OK.

115.

So, after conversion, that adds up to £94.26,

and it's her priciest purchase yet. But she thinks she's got a bargain!

Delighted with my Showdown purchase.

This games compendium is going to win me lots of big prizes here.

This is going straight off to auction as it is. Not doing anything with it.

And I think it's going to turn a very good profit.

And, after all, the winner takes it all!

# The winner takes it all... #

Canny Catherine has her sights set firmly on victory!

And she wastes no time swooping in on her second purchase.

Don't ask me why, but I had in my mind today

I was going to buy an easel

of some description.

I thought maybe one of those tripod ones.

Then I saw this which is rather nice.

It's not old.

I'm hoping this will probably be around £50 to £60.

Then I will snap it up.

Watch this.

-Sir.

-Hello.

-Hello.

How much for your easel?

-75.

-What's the very best you can do on that?

-60.

-55.

-OK, 55.

-55? 55. Yeah?

-Yes.

55. OK. I'll take that from you!

That works out at a few pence over £45 sterling,

and Catherine's two items are in the bag.

But Bingo's been busy too,

and he's just bagged himself a polo painting for just under £29.

And he thinks it'll do well at auction.

I am thrilled with this.

Polo players. The auction's in Cirencester.

This has got Cirencester written all over it.

Cirencester...almost home of polo.

There will be buyers for this. I think I'm in the money!

Always thinking of the bigger picture is our Bingo!

And he's on a roll as he quickly bags himself an unusual

bronze leaf applique for a pricey £122.95.

It is a heavy fellow, this.

It's bronze. It's French. And it's by a J Rabillon.

This is quite a risky piece. I've got the Showdown Auction.

But really, at auction, this has got to make £150 plus.

That's the biggest purchase so far from Bingo the Brave!

And that brings us to the halfway point in our buying bonanza.

So who's spent what?

Both our treasure hunters started out with £1,000 of their own money.

James's four purchases have cost him £285.40,

so he's got over £714 left.

Catherine has spent a bit less, parting with £203.79,

leaving just over 796.

Round Three is the car-boot sale.

Our battling behemoths are back in Blighty

and getting some sea air at Brighton Marina, and savvy Southon can't

wait to get stuck in.

I have only spent a few hundred pounds of the Showdown money.

I know this place has great potential. I've just got to find it!

So Catherine says she's ready to splash the cash,

but when she spots a vintage hairdryer with a £120 price tag...

I can't pay you anywhere near what you're wanting though.

-Honestly.

-That's all right, then you can't have it!

Oh. Well, what...do you want to negotiate a little bit?

Negotiate?!

All right, I would accept £80.

-What about 60?

-I'm sorry. Tell you what I'll do, young lady...

-I think I'm mad, actually, aren't I?

-No, I think you're mean.

But I will take 75 off you. And I shouldn't do.

-£70.

-75 will do nicely.

-This hand says 70, this hand says 75.

-Correct.

-So there is a fiver in it.

-75.

-SHE GASPS

-Did you see that? That was robbery!

-Deal done!

Yes, that was a canny move worthy of you, Catherine.

But luckily, she's still happy with her purchase.

This is a super cool 1950s hairdryer!

I can imagine this, once upon a time, in a rather smart salon in France.

What I like about it is, it's got all its original paintwork

and the original maker's badge there.

This thing is, it will need to be PAT tested and I need to make sure

that all the electrics are working fine before I sell it.

I'm very happy with £75 because I think really it's worth about 300.

Cor! That's a pricey blow dry! Across the boot sale,

Bingo's just bought himself a pair of gates for £50.

I like the fact that they are different sizes.

They are the same design but they are different sizes.

This is to get the wheelbarrow through.

This is to allow the lady of the house to go through.

Ah, Lord Braxton, always thinking of the ladies.

And with the gates opened, he's soon treading in Southon's footsteps,

heading towards the dealer that sold her the hairdryer.

Watch out for his handshake, old boy!

What is this strange spiky thing I see there?

In France, they call it la herisson.

La herisson. Why la herisson?

-Pour la bouteille.

-Pour la bouteille?

-Yeah. Drying bottles.

What does la herisson mean?

Hedgehog.

-Ah, the hedgehog. Mini spikes.

-Mini spikes.

-Combien, s'il vous plait?

-Le prix?

-My normal price for this is approaching £100.

-No!

-Yes.

-Really?

-It is.

-God, I wasn't expecting that!

-It's possible I could negotiate.

I was going to... I thought it was going to be around 50, to be honest.

-Go on, then, 70 quid.

-65.

-No, no, no.

-65, chief.

-70. Put your hand there.

-I've got terrible tennis elbow.

-No, you haven't.

-Be gentle with me.

-Put your hand there.

-65.

-No, no, no.

-70. £70.

-Oh! Oh! Be gentle with me.

-That's right.

Ah, the handshake trick again. We did warn you.

And his bottle drier means Bingo's all bought up.

A few stalls away, Catherine has honed in on her second buy.

I've spied this in a cabinet.

I think it's a pretty smart item.

We've got a page turner in the form of an owl.

And it is really nicely modelled.

Beautifully carved throughout, with the feathers on the back there.

Lovely glass eyes. It's got lots of black splodges on it. Ink splodges.

But that's what I like because that makes me think that it's

probably late 19th century and it gives us that real age.

It's a little bit broken at the end there.

But I'm not really bothered about that.

The lady is asking £50 for it.

If I can get it at around £30, it'll be a very wise purchase.

I see you are asking 50. I would love to offer you 30.

Would you be happy with 30?

Uh... 40.

30, I think, is probably going to be my limit

because I've got to try and sell it on and make a bit of profit on it.

35?

-I've got to make sure...

-OK, I'm happy with that! 35.

-Thank you very much.

-We'll give that a go. £35.

And with that birdie bargain,

Round Three and the car-boot comes to an end.

Before we move onto the final round, let's take a look at the figures.

Both our agile antique hunters started

with £1,000 of their own money.

James has now spent £405.40

so still has a sizeable £594 left to spend.

Catherine has spent less than a third of her budget,

paying out only £313.79 so far,

meaning she has a whopping £686 to take through to Round Four.

So the final leg of their Showdown

steeplechase is the antiques fair.

Our profit pioneers are poised to hit the ground running

at Ardingly in West Sussex, and with over 1,500 stalls to plunder,

there's everything to play for.

Bingo, it's the final round.

With just two spaces left in their Showdown hauls,

our experts throw themselves into the fray.

And Catherine soon spots a pair of stools.

I quite like those.

They've got, I mean, they are almost quite Arts and Crafts-y.

They have got an Arts and Crafts-y bit, haven't they?

-I'll give you 20 quid for them.

-I can't do that.

-Oh, yes, you can.

-I really can't.

-Go on, 20 quid.

I've got 46 quid on them. 25 quid. That's the death.

Go on, then. 25.

-You're done.

-Thanks very much.

-OK, yes, I'll have those.

She's a hard haggler, and seals the deal at nearly half price!

Across the market,

Bingo's spotted a painting that's sparked his interest.

This picture is...just has a little twinkle about it!

Probably an impossible thing to resell,

but it just has an attraction to me.

Totally consistent with its date. 71.

Price-wise, I don't know. £40?

-No, 50.

-50? I'll give you 50.

-Right, cool.

-Thanks a lot.

-You're welcome.

-That's really kind!

Our daring dealers both have just one item left to buy.

The clock's ticking

and the whole Showdown could rest on this final deal.

As they prowl the stalls one last time, it's Catherine

who's first to move in for the kill,

bagging herself a set of cased bottles for £50.

These glass gentlemen's bottles in leather carrying cases

aren't that unusual to find. But what is nice about this set

is that these bottles are faceted and they're in really good condition.

Each top is monogrammed and the monogram matches the lid.

These tops are silver.

All in all, a pretty nice set for £50.

I think they're going to tootle off to auction.

So that's Canny Catherine spent up.

And hot on her heels is Bingo Braxton, who's poised to

pounce on an early-20th-century enamel-topped glass inkwell.

Bizarre item, isn't it?

Lovely hobnail cutting.

Isn't that glass lovely!

-It's got to be 50, has it?

-Yeah.

-Couldn't be 40?

Um...

-There is some doubt.

-Yeah, you can have it for 40 quid.

It's the end of the day. It's cheap, really.

-I'll buy that for 40! That's kind.

-OK, cheers.

Thanks a lot. Really kind.

Yes, he's done it! With that deal in the bag, our buying bonanza is over.

Eight epic deals done across four fantastic locations.

But before we catch up with our haggling heroes,

let's take a look at the final figures.

They both started with £1,000 of their own money.

James spent just under half his budget, at £495.40.

Catherine was even more cautious with the cash,

parting with just £388.79 in total.

Before they head back to their bunkers to plan their selling

strategies, a chance to compare notes.

HE GROANS Oh, the Showdown has been hard!

-It has been hard.

-I know.

-What have you gathered?

What are your principal sparkling objects?

I didn't buy any sparkling objects, really, in the end.

Oh, rubbish, you did! That games compendium is lovely.

-Oh, yeah, no. I love that!

-That was a great buy. Fabulous buy.

I think out of all the Showdown pieces that I've bought,

I think the best pieces I've bought were the ones in the foreign

market in Belgium. And I think, strangely, perhaps the boot fair.

What about you?

I bought that sort of polo playing picture, didn't I?

-Yeah, that was good.

-That's going to auction.

-Is it?

-Yes.

Cirencester, one of the great homes of the mighty game.

-It's all in the selling now.

-It is. I know.

-Good luck.

And you, my friend.

Now, there's a mighty long journey ahead.

Our brave profit hunters need to track down buyers for all

their treasures and squeeze every last penny

from their purchases in a quest to bank the most profit.

It's time to dig out their little black books of contacts

and really earn their selling stripes.

But if that wasn't hard enough,

the terrifying Showdown Auction is also looming large.

They must each select four of their items to go under the hammer

and can only watch on as their profits are at the mercy

of the bidding public.

Back at home in East Sussex,

the Don of the Deals, Bingo, feels variety is the spice of life.

What a miscellaneous bunch of items I've got here.

Probably one of the principal items is my pair of gates

that I'm going to sell privately to a very nice garden.

Here, on my left, the hedgehog - la herisson.

It's a bottle drier. A French bottle drier.

Antique dealers seem to want to buy them

in the trendy parts of towns all over the place. They want them.

I can't understand it.

It's rather like introducing a hazard to the home.

I've got a very workmanlike cased racing pigeon clock

that has already done good service here.

I've got to find a racing pigeon enthusiast to tell me

a little more about it.

Interestingly, the nation has gone baking mad.

And these breads tins, although quite expensive at auction,

I think they are sort of bang on-trend at the moment.

And then, lurking in front of those gates, that is the applique.

Very heavy item. It's bronze. It's a big old swag.

I think that might do quite well.

I think I might put that forward to auction. It's large.

It's decorative. But I've delegated all that part to the auctioneer.

It's up to him, really, whether I make a profit or a loss.

So along with his applique, James has decided to put his two paintings

and glass enamel inkwell into the auction.

Over in Kent, Catherine is pondering her purchases too.

As I see all the Showdown items before me,

I think I can safely say that I'm pretty happy with this selection.

Starting off with the owl here.

This is a paper knife and I think that it is really beautifully carved.

So I think it's a novelty piece that should do rather well at auction.

My favourite piece of the whole Showdown has to be this compendium.

It's superb in every single way.

This is another piece which is definitely going off to auction.

Because I can see this making £150 to £200.

The next item that is going off to auction is these lovely

gentleman's bottles. They've got everything going for them.

And the case as well is in lovely condition.

My artist's easel. It is a modern piece, but these things sell.

They sell so well at auction.

So that is something that I would like to earmark for auction.

The painting that I bought at auction, the marine picture,

it was one of my last-minute purchases.

It dates from about 1920s and I would love to sell it, perhaps,

to a pub or someone who collects maritime memorabilia.

But this has to be the real piece of the show.

I need to find somebody who's got the same vision as me.

Someone that can see this as a light in a corner of a room.

Well, I know the ones that are going off to auction

and I have no control over them now. They are in the lap of the gods.

But I've still got to sell the rest.

Never a truer word said,

and that includes those postcards and fire stools.

So for everything not bound for auction our energetic experts have

to hit the streets and find buyers. Any profits will go to their chosen

charities. And remember, until they've shaken on it,

no deal is ever sealed.

Bingo is kicking things off in Kent, where he's getting back to nature.

I've come to Hole Park in Kent to see owner

and friend Edward, who has most glorious gardens.

Hopefully, within the 16 acres, there'll be room to place my gates.

Well there may be plenty of space, but costing £50

will the gates open up to a profit?

I bought this at a car-boot.

The reason I bought it is, I quite like the asymmetry of it.

I'm still trying to work it out.

I would think we might use them near the house where we just

try to keep the public out of the very house domain, as it were.

Edward, I would dearly love to get £250 for them.

-250?!

-250.

I hope you might settle for 150 or something like that.

And we'll call it a day. How about that?

I tell you what, I tell you what, you are in the right area.

I'll do you a special price. 190.

-175.

-190.

-175.

-175.

-180 and we've got a deal.

Go on, you devil! JAMES LAUGHS

So our trading terrier manages to nip a nifty £130 profit

from his car-boot buy.

And he's quick to make it two in a row when he sells his unusual

bottle drier to a dealer in Hastings,

pocketing himself a £40 profit.

Over in West Sussex, Catherine's on the hunt for her first buyer.

And she's wheeling her vintage hairdryer

to show interior designer Laura. Remember, it cost her £75.

What do you think about it?

I love it.

It's going to take a bit of work, but I do love it.

I thought it was probably '60s and I love the fact that it's beehive-ish.

-It's a great shape.

-It ties in with the '60s.

And the fact that it's got the original maker's plaque on it.

I would say it's probably French from the wording.

Now, this did have its wiring inside it.

I checked it out, but it didn't work properly as a hairdryer,

so I thought the safest thing to do was to strip it of its electrics.

I'd convert it into a light, so I'd get it all rewired

and converted into a light anyway, I think.

In order to make any money at all, I would be looking at around 150.

OK...

I was thinking more around the 100 mark.

If we say 130, that would be good for me.

Would you do 125?

-SHE GASPS Laura!

-Meet in the middle.

-120. That's fine. We'll go for 120, that's fine.

-Lovely.

Er, hold on, did you just do yourself out of a fiver there?

She offered £125!

After paying for the electrical work, it brings her a £30 profit.

But she missed out on a fiver.

Someone tell her what happened!

I can't believe Laura said 125 and I thought she said 120,

and that's what we shook on.

Oh, well. It's only a little profit, but that's a huge weight off my mind.

Well, that's one of her priciest purchases sold.

And she follows it up with a trip to Leicestershire, where she sells

her pair of Arts and Crafts fireplace stools

to pub landlord Nick.

-35?

-Yeah.

-Absolutely.

-Absolutely! I should have said more.

Adding another tenner to her profit pot.

So Catherine has two sales under her belt.

But what's Bingo up to?

Well, he's taking a step back in time.

If you were around in the 1970s, you'd know

the landscape behind me is not in fact Yorkshire, it's Dorset.

Made famous by a bread advert.

And there's no better place to sell my tins!

Yes, Bingo's in Shaftesbury and heading to the Gold Hill Museum.

It's home to all sorts of local artefacts, and James hopes chairman

Terry might want to buy his bread tins to donate to the collection.

They cost over £85, so let's hope it's not an uphill struggle!

-Terry.

-Yes, James.

Terry, you are the august what here?

I'm the chairman of the committee that runs the museum.

-Amazingly, we have about 20,000 visitors a year.

-Really?

Most visitors to Gold Hill come to look at the museum.

Why do they come to Gold Hill?

Well, I suppose they've all seen the Hovis advert of 40 years ago.

It's still a very popular advert.

-Here we have it. The branded item.

-I've never seen one of those before.

-Haven't you?

-No, never.

-Really?!

-I wonder where you got them from.

-How funny.

I bought these at auction. There are 14 tins in all.

I was rather hoping somewhere between ten and £15 per tin.

I would have said eight.

It's a bit fine for me.

Um... 130.

-How about that?

-120.

THEY LAUGH

I think you've done this before, Terry.

Put it there, Terry. It's a very good thing!

So our star baker cooks up a tasty £34.88 profit on the tins.

Right place, right price.

They've got the tins and I've made some dough.

But he doesn't have quite the same luck with his pigeon racing clock.

It turns out not to be as unique as he thought!

But pigeon fancier Caroline agrees to take it off his hands for £40.

I'll take it, although I've made a thumping great loss.

I'm very happy to take that.

So Bingo's profits are hit by £8.64.

And with that, his selling is done till the Showdown Auction.

In Berkshire, Canny Catherine is still on her selling spree.

I've come to Hungerford to see Don with my lovely marine watercolour.

I've got a good feeling about this.

I think it's going to be plain sailing all the way.

Well, she's certainly feeling confident!

The painting cost her over £42 to buy.

-Don, how lovely to see you!

-Hello, Catherine. Nice to see you.

I have a surprise for you!

By John Alcott. Dated 1920.

Yeah, I like that.

How does 250 sound?

It sounds expensive.

What about two?

How about 175?

I was going to say 165, but...

Do you want to go 165?

-Yeah, I'd rather go 165.

-165. What am I doing?!

I'm taking the price down. I'm supposed to be pushing it up.

-165, yeah.

-165 is fine.

-Are you happy with that?

-I am.

Er, she's done it again! Talking herself out of a tenner!

But she did treble her money

and adds a heft £122.44 to her profit pot.

She then goes on to sell her postcards to a collector in Kent.

But it turns out there was no hidden gem after all.

She makes just a small profit of £3.11.

So that's both our dealers' private sales done and dusted.

It's almost time for the Showdown Auction. But who's sitting

pretty with the best cushion of cash?

James has sold four items and made himself a tidy

profit of £196.24.

After Catherine's haggling confusion,

she's a little way behind, with £165.55 profit in the bank.

So Bingo goes into the Showdown Auction with the strongest hand,

leaving his rival on the hop.

Our two ace auctioneers will get a taste of life on the

other side of the rostrum here in Cirencester.

They can only stand and watch as their items go under the hammer,

and being at the mercy of the bidding public

is always nerve-racking!

Hello, James. How are you doing?

Always a kiss, not a shake of the hand.

-Things going all right?

-Fine. How have you done so far?

Well, it has been a bit of a mixed bag. What about you?

I'm looking a bit fragile here

because I've got quite an expensive item.

-At the auction?

-Yeah, over £100.

-That is a meaty one, isn't it?

-It is a meaty one.

-You going to make a lot of money on that?

Could go horribly wrong.

-Let's be positive!

-Positive.

Well, they're trying to steady their nerves,

but they're not exactly brimming with confidence, are they?

Before the sale begins, they sneak a peek at each other's lots.

Of all of James' items, this has to be my favourite!

Polo players. Mixed media here.

I love the way that you can see the speed of the polo players

running through the field. The estimate on this is £50 to £80.

James paid just under 30. I can see this winning the race.

It's got to be £100.

From quite a humble plain mahogany box here...

you open her up and reveal contents after contents.

It's a really lovely item.

£50 to £80.

I know Catherine paid slightly more, but I think it has legs

and will do well.

I'll be totally honest with you,

I don't really think it's got a huge amount of age.

And I do think it will struggle.

But time will tell and stranger things have happened.

The letter opener. It looks a bit fragile to me.

It's lost some of its blade.

Catherine bought it for £35. It's got ten to 20 estimate.

In its favour, it's got a fabulous handle. Glass bead eyes.

Owl - emblematic of wisdom.

Has Catherine been wise?

Well, all will soon be revealed, James,

as the auction is about to get underway!

Our brave warriors take up their position,

and steel themselves for the Showdown.

Catherine's games compendium is first to go under the hammer,

it cost her just over £94.

Catherine, are you nervous about your first lot?

I am, really. I'm a bit upset because the estimate seems very low to me.

£50 to £80.

-What, for the games compendium?

-Yes.

-There's lots of people here.

-I'm sure it will do well.

-This one...I'm very worried about.

It's lovely.

..is the games compendium.

-50 to get on.

-Come on!

-At £50...

-Come on, give me some more hands!

-At 55. 60.

-At £60. Come on! Come on!

-At £60.

Internet! Internet!

-70. Internet!

-Internet.

-At £70 at the back here.

-Come on, internet!

-75.

£80. At £80 now. £80 here.

-Five. 90.

-Oh, yes!

-£90 in the room.

-Come on, room!

-At £90. Selling in the room then.

-Don't let me down!

£90. Are you all done?

HE BANGS GAVEL, CATHERINE SIGHS

Don't worry. Don't worry.

That's my biggest gamble, so I feel now...

-SHE EXHALES

-Everywhere is up now.

It's a breeze now, James.

Well, the gamble didn't quite pay off,

and the box makes a £34.08 loss after fees.

Not the best start.

Will James's bronze applique do any better?

He paid almost £123 for it,

and Catherine thought it was a risky lot.

It is a gamble.

-And we love a gamble.

-We love a gamble.

-Here we go.

Lot 45 is the Jon Richard Accessories applique there.

-50 to get on.

-50.

£50... £30.

At £30. Five.

-40. Five. 50. Five.

-There you go.

-60. Five.

-At £60 here. Five now. At £60 in front of me now.

-Where did it stop?

-60.

£60 bid. At £60 right in front of me now.

-Come on, internet! Come on!

-At £60. Are you all sure? At 65. 70.

-At 75. Someone is bidding. Who is bidding?

-£80 here.

Still cheap at £80. Five now. At £80. Are you sure?

A fiver if you like, sir. Five. At 85...

-HE BANGS GAVEL

-235.

How did you manage that? That was lucky, actually.

-That could have been a blood bath.

-That could have been a bomber.

She must have thought it would lose more!

But a whacking £66.79 comes off his profit.

Catherine's travelling bottles are next, they cost her £50.

Lot number 208 is the three...

-They look really...

-Come on!

-..gentlemen's bottles with silver tops.

-Come on.

Start at 100. 100?

-100. He is asking for 100.

-80? 50 to get on.

-Oh!

-Maybe 30.

£50. 50 bid. 60. At 60 in front of me now.

£60. Five on the net.

-Come on!

-70. At £70...

-They should be a lot more.

-At £70. Five now. At £70. Five if you like...

-Come on, internet!

-£70.

-Come on, internet! Don't let me down. Come on, internet!

-At £70...

-I can't believe that.

-I can't believe that because that was your lovely

-opportunity to make some money, wasn't it?

-Yes, yes.

Thank you, James, for making me feel worse!

That's another loss for Catherine,

this time to the tune of £5.86.

And James's sparkly inkwell

doesn't prove popular either.

-At 35. Are you all done?

-James, I'm sorry.

HE BANGS GAVEL

Oh, that's less than he paid for it.

And after fees, Bingo loses £23.93. It's not boding well.

Actually, we're not doing too well so far.

-We've made a loss on everything.

-We have.

SHE LAUGHS

-All be them quite small.

-Small. Yeah, that's all right.

We can draw comfort from that.

Yes. Positive thoughts, chaps.

But the sale of Catherine's letter opener isn't much

to write home about either.

At 30...

Ohhhhhhh!

Making her another £22.94 loss.

So it's all riding on her final lot, the easel,

which she bought for £45 in Belgium.

This is my last hope.

..stained beach artist's easel.

I can start you here at £30.

-£30 straight in. OK.

-Straight in.

-Good, solid easel there.

-I need a lot more. Come on.

-40.

-At £40.

-I told you. 40.

-Come on!

-At £40.

-It's cheap!

Five anywhere? All sure then? Are you all done?

At £40...

-HE BANGS GAVEL

-40 it is.

-I give up.

That's a final £25 hit to her profits, which means

she leaves the auction more than £80

worse off than she arrived!

Bingo's lead is safe for now,

but his portrait painting struggles to get much interest in the room.

At 12...

-£12.

-HE GROANS

Oh, dear. That's a quarter of what he paid for it.

And after fees, that takes £52.38 from his profit pot.

It all rides on the polo player!

The polo player has now go to make £300 for me to break even.

No pressure then! He bought the painting for just under £29.

Emotions are running high!

-Oh, the tension.

-I can feel it.

-Can you feel it?

The polo players. 30 then.

-Oh, James.

-20. It's got to be £20, hasn't it?

-Come on.

-£20 the polo players. £20 bid there. Five at the back. 25.

30 if you like, sir.

At £30. Five if you'd like, madam.

-£30!

-It's...it's a good thing...

-At 30.

-That is just so cheap.

A far cry from the £300 he needed,

Bingo takes a final loss of £16.63.

And that brings the Showdown to a crashing end.

That's really sad. I'm genuinely really sorry for you.

-That's very kind.

-That deserved to do a lot better.

I thought it would, but...

-Here we are.

-Let's go and cry together.

-Yeah.

Well, cry you might, it's been a disastrous sale for both our duo -

with not a single penny of profit between them!

But who's lost the least?

While they lick their wounds, let's have a look at the books.

Both our experts started their monumental challenge

with £1,000 of their own money.

James "Bingo" Braxton spent less

than half his budget, at £495.40.

Canny Catherine Southon spent

even less on her eight items,

just £403.79.

All of the money that James and Catherine have

made from today's challenge will go to charities of their choice.

And with the auction shocker behind them, let's find out who is

today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Champion.

James, it's been quite an interesting week.

-We got through it.

-We have just got through it, haven't we?

Culminating in that awful auction.

We bought...the rest of the time, I think we got some good things.

-Goodies, we did.

-I was happy with some of the things I bought.

I bought a painting and made quite a good profit on that. That was nice.

-I remember that.

-And yourself?

Garden gates. Did well with some garden gates.

-Right, shall we see?

-Yeah... I'm not sure about this.

-I think you'll probably have it.

-Do you think?

-Definitely, you've got it.

-One, two, three...

That is shameful! Both of us. Isn't it?

Well, I'm very pleased it's black and not red! I must say!

Well they may not be the biggest profits in the world

but it's Catherine who takes the trophy for the day.

But they've been building up their profit pots over the whole

week of challenges, so who's made the most?

-Go.

-One, two, three...

-752...

-SHE LAUGHS

787. Well done, Catherine.

-How close!

-That was very close. Well done.

-So near yet so far.

-Well done to the winner.

-It's been such fun, James.

-Well done.

-I've loved it!

-Very good.

So Canny Southon does it again!

Between them, they've made over £1,500,

and every last penny of that is going straight to good causes.

My profits are going to the Scuba Trust -

a charity that enables disabled people to scuba dive.

My chosen charity is Target Ovarian Cancer.

A few years ago, I lost my mum to ovarian cancer,

so it's a charity that's very close to my heart.

Well our hard-working pair can finally have a rest now,

after a week of all-out profit war.

And they really have put their money where their mouths are

and shown that they can make a convincing profit from buying

and selling antiques when their own money is on the line.