Caroline Hawley v David Harper - 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.

Elementary, my dear dealers.

And gives you the insider's view of the trade.

HE LAUGHS, HE GROWLS

Each week, one pair of duelling dealers

will face a different daily challenge...

Catch me if you can.

The Axman cometh.

..putting their reputations on the line.

Eurg! 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, the dealing dynamo, David Harper,

faces up to the First Lady of the lots,

auctioneer Caroline Hawley, at an antiques auction.

Coming up, David shows how to handle fine china.

You should never be afraid of them.

-There's foul play in the saleroom.

-There's a devil on my shoulder.

And Caroline's profits get shot down in flames.

-40.

-SHE GASPS

Gavin, you wound me!

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Hear ye, hear ye!

Gather round for a tale of countryside combat

and antiques adventure.

Our two experts have travelled the length and breadth of the land,

and today, they have arrived in rural Nottinghamshire.

Our antiques outlaws will be going into battle armed with only

bidding cards as they fight to secure the best bargains at auction.

First up is the Robin Hood of the antiques world.

He steals deals from under his rivals' noses

and shoots arrows straight towards potential profit.

Riding in from Durham, it's the dealing dandy,

Devilish David Harper.

Yeah, baby.

And he's going head-to-head with a haggler from Hull.

This auctioneer extraordinaire knows just how to lead her rivals

a merry dance. She's saleroom savvy and determined to win.

It's the bargain-hunting bird of prey,

Caroline The Hawk Hawley.

Simple reason I bought this is the big P - profit.

Our daring duo are going head-to-head

at the Henry Spencer Auctions in Langar, near Nottingham.

They each have £1,000 of their own money to spend,

and that must include the cost of the saleroom fees.

But they will be up against the other bidders in the room,

so on they'll need to keep their wits about them.

Once they've sold their lots on,

any profits they make will go to their chosen charities.

So, let's get this bidding battle underway.

David Harper and Caroline Hawley,

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

-Good morning, David.

-Good morning to you.

-And you look absolutely gorgeous.

-Thank you so much.

And so do you against this wonderful Nottinghamshire countryside.

-I'm blending in.

-You are, with the sheep.

-Isn't it gorgeous? I love country sales.

-I do.

I always think nobody else is going to find them.

-It's all going to be just for me.

-Yeah, right.

-Well, you just keep on dreaming that.

-I know.

-What kind of things are you going to be looking for?

-Well, all sorts.

You know, I mark up the catalogue before, obviously, with things

that interest me. But then I tend to anything that goes cheap, really.

I'm interested across the board.

I can't believe it because that's always my tactic.

Well, I tend to just mop up all the, you know, whatever is left.

-We've got £1,000, should we go and mop up?

-Let's. Come on.

So, our duo hotfoot it to the auction house,

where the doors are open.

-Of course, I'll be a gentleman.

-Oh!

But these titans of the trade will need to deploy

all their profit-hunting tactics to root out the best bargains here.

Before the sale gets underway,

they take their chance to view the lots and plan their strategies.

In auction, I'm known for going with my gut instinct

and bidding on things that just feel cheap,

even when I haven't seen them.

It's a rare tactic and not many people employ it,

but here we are today.

Caroline The Hawk Hawley also employs that tactic.

That's devastating. But it could be very interesting.

Hm, has David met his match in The Hawk?

I think I'm going to have to go slightly off-piste.

I've looked at a bit of furniture, a few smalls, a bit of silver...

I think it's going to be a lucky day, but I'm going to

have to keep my wits about me and I'm going to watch carefully every lot.

Well, with identical game plans,

this is shaping up to be a real clash of minds, bodies and spirits.

What we have here are a pair of genuine late

Chinese Ming Dynasty porcelain plates.

Quite probably from a shipwreck called the Binh Thuan

that went down in 1608. So that is very late Ming Dynasty.

They are not worth a fortune.

£100, £200 maybe for a good pair of Ming Dynasty dishes like this.

I'll have a go if the price is all right,

but they are still mind-blowing to me to hold

and to handle genuine Ming Dynasty plates.

ALARM SOUNDS

And you should never be afraid of them. Oh, that scared me!

Yes, don't try that at home, ladies and gents. He's a professional.

Now, while David plays plate juggler,

The Hawk has spotted a hidden gem.

It's fabulous. Threefold decorative screen.

Hopefully nobody else has seen it. It's gorgeous.

I really, really want it. I'll cover it up again.

Oh, a sneaky move from The Hawk.

She swoops off to find her next prey -

a set of pharmacist's bottles.

Now I think these would look great with coloured water in.

Could you imagine them blue or pink water on the windowsill

in a bathroom? I think they are really quite cool.

Yeah, I'm going to go for those,

and I know a couple of pharmacists that might just be interested.

So, Caroline knocks her catalogue, but across the saleroom,

it appears she didn't hide that folding screen well enough.

Love this. Absolutely love this.

Just found it tucked in a corner wrapped in a blanket there.

It's a mahogany screen, a room divider.

Very fashionable in this period,

so this would be 1860, 1870 in its style.

It might be a bit later, so it might not be a 19th-century one,

but it doesn't matter, it's got the look.

Absolutely delicious.

I think what I'll do is I'll stash it back in the corner...

where no-one else has seen it.

And keep quiet.

Ooh! What a clever idea.

Isn't it a shame The Hawk has already beaten you to it?

And now she's got her eye on another potential profit maker.

This is just something a little bit interesting.

Prinknash pottery is how it's spelled,

but it's actually pronounced Prinish.

And it's from a pottery that was set up by the Benedictine monks.

It's not going to be worth a great deal of money

I wouldn't have said, but if it's cheap, I'm going to keep my eye out,

and I might just have a punt.

All rise as legal eagle Harper takes the stand.

Now, come on. Order, order, everybody.

This obviously is a barrister's wig,

and I assume it's made from horsehair.

I can tell you that it once belonged to a chap called Mr Wagner,

and he was a London barrister.

And that... Oh, my gosh! That...

I was going to say that smells pretty horrible,

but I am going to now say that smells of 1,000 victories.

Yeah, baby.

Was Austin Powers a barrister? No, I think that wig's gone to his head.

With the sale about to get underway, there is

just enough time for some fighting talk.

-My tactic is just to follow you.

-Is it?

Anything you are interested, I'm just going to bid on. Goodbye.

Oh, goodbye, David. Goodbye.

Well, at least he's honest.

Battle lines are drawn, bidding cards at the ready,

and with only a handful of other buyers in the room and no

internet bidding, will our experts be able to seal some killer deals?

They are in position, and David is keeping a close eye

on his rival as that Prinknash vase comes up for sale.

1605. Prinknash pottery. Who's got five pounds for this?

I've got a five pound bid, do we see eight?

Oh, she's bidding. What is she bidding on?

Any advance on eight?

Let's run her up.

So, true to his word, Devilish plays copycat. But Caroline drops out.

-She says no. Bid sold. Ten pounds.

-GAVEL BANGS

76. Ten pounds, thank you.

(It's got no age. I don't like it, really.)

And it's David who wins the vase for just over £12, including fees.

Got your fingers burnt there, Devilish.

I've just bought something. I have no idea what it is. There we are.

One down to me.

Having been bitten once, David stands back

while his rival goes for an 18th-century silver teapot.

-190, she says.

-Uf!

-Who can give me 200?

-Oh, she's a big spender.

We sold it, £190. I think this is for nothing. It's sold at 190.

GAVEL BANGS

At nearly £232 with fees, that's a whacking great purchase,

and she hasn't even viewed it.

I'm looking at it and I'm seeing just one or two little problems.

There's a little bruise here, but it's basically

an 18th-century teapot, original ebony handle and knob.

It's a nice thing, but I've paid all the money for it.

It's one-all so far in this auction extravaganza.

Next up is a piece of war memorabilia,

and it's got both our experts' attention.

Lot 1613 is a Belgian World War II helmet.

Who's got five pounds? I've got five. Are you eight?

Eight. Ten.

Caroline is first in with the bid,

but Devilish is right behind her, and she doesn't even know it.

25. 25?

I've got it again. I've got it again. She's going to go mad.

-GAVEL BANGS

-She's going to go mad.

She's going to go mad!

She doesn't even know it's me.

Wait till she sees this little collection.

And once again it's Devilish David who makes the winning bid,

buying the helmet for £30.50 including fees.

This time, he's got no regrets.

This is the helmet that Caroline was bidding on which made me

want it desperately.

Standard edition Second World War described as a Tommy hat.

What might make it a bit rarer than the standard is

the fact that we have the Belgian flag there.

So that could be interesting. It needs a little bit of research.

It's in good order. It's a nice thing.

£25 plus commission,

not a bad buy at all.

Hello, soldier.

Back to the trenches, Corporal Harper.

Caroline may have missed out on the helmet,

but she's not waving a white flag yet.

And our battling bargaineers soon go head-to-head again over

a World War II aircraft inspection lamp.

We've got £15 on the book. Can we see 20 for this? To be sold.

We've got 20. Got 22. 25. 25.

It's a dealer dogfight.

-32. 35. 38.

-She can have it.

-She can have it.

-For the lady. 38.

-81.

-Number 81, thank you.

So, The Hawk is the queen of the skies, winning the lamp

for just over £46 with fees.

I've just gone and bought this World War II inspection lamp

for an aircraft.

I've no idea apart from that what it is

and I'm looking forward to finding out a lot more about it.

And she's on a winning streak,

bagging herself a silver egg cup and spoon...

Sold at 18.

..for just under £22.

With three buys in the bag, Caroline now has her eye on two separate

lots of 19th-century metal figurines.

First up, a male figure, and The Hawk prepares to swoop.

Being sold to the lady at £38.

She wins the figure for just over £46.

But, when she tries to buy the matching female figurine,

her arch rival just can't resist pushing the bidding higher.

We can't separate them now.

-48.

-She's going to have to pay for them.

-50.

-Oh!

-52.

It didn't ought to be allowed. 55.

-No!

-£60.

You do know he's behind you?

-72.

-She can have them.

£70. Being sold to the lady at 70.

-Thank you.

-£70, well done.

-Let no man put asunder.

Yes, and it's not just any man putting her asunder.

-Was that David bidding?

-No, it wasn't me. It wasn't me.

-No, it wasn't me.

-Yeah, she's on to you, Harper.

So the female figurine cost Caroline just over £85,

but she doesn't seem to mind.

I bought these two delightful figures.

They are not bronze, they are spelter,

which makes a huge difference to the price.

They are French. Complete with their wooden bases here. No damage.

They are a great lot. I'm very happy with them.

Spelter isn't worth as much as bronze,

but The Hawk is still pleased.

She now has five lots to David's two

-and she is showing no sign of stopping.

-Now this is nice.

-An antique chestnut roaster. I love chestnuts.

-You 20?

22.

No? Going for £20.

-GAVEL BANGS

-81, £20.

That's buy number six for The Hawk at £24.40 with fees.

It's a chestnut roaster. Let me show you.

You take the lid off and there's a little griddle here

for putting the coals on.

And then you put the chestnuts in the top.

And here, this little door opens

and closes to increase or decrease the flow of air going into it.

I'm not absolutely sure where it is from. It could be French.

I love this and I'm sure that I'm going to find another barmy devil

that's going to love this just as much as I do.

Our professional auctioneer is racking up the purchases.

But now it's time for a clash of the titans.

The threefold screen is up next, and both our profit-hungry predators

have this in their sights.

But who will be victorious?

-75. 80.

-It's a dealers' duel.

-90.

-Only two of us want it.

-100.

110.

-120.

-Mm-hm.

-130. 140.

150. 160. 170.

-Can Caroline hold her nerve?

-No, I'm out.

180. £180. 76, thank you.

-No, I think it's too much money.

-She has just paid me back big time.

If Caroline was not in this room, I would have bagged that for £50.

I can't believe it.

Never underestimate The Hawk, Harper.

Devilish gets his comeuppance,

and the screen costs him nearly £220.

I love it to bits.

Our experts have fought tooth and nail so far.

Time to take a quick peek at the figures.

Both our dealers arrived in Nottingham

with £1,000 of their own money to spend.

David has made three purchases so far and spent just over £262,

leaving £737 to play with.

But, thanks to Devilish's tricks,

Caroline's six lots have cost her just over £456.

That leaves her nearly £544 in her kitty.

It's been a battle of two buyers so far,

and Caroline has just spotted a potential profit in a side room.

It has a Middle Eastern flair.

Now, I am not an expert on rugs,

but new, these things sell for a lot of money.

You know, we are talking £2,000 or £3,000.

But today, I think I might be able to get this, £200-£300.

It's a big price, but The Hawk is never afraid to take a gamble.

Back in the saleroom, David has got his eye on a painting.

Here comes an interesting picture by Tom Keating,

the famous modern-day forger turned good.

I've got £50 only on the book. I've got 60. 70. 80.

90. I've got 100.

-The book is out.

-OK, £100. £100 for an original. Thank you very much.

Very, very interesting person.

So, David buys painting unseen

for £122 with fees.

Time for a closer look.

So there we have the Tom Keating original.

This is the first time I've seen it.

But Tom Keating was a fascinating man who tried to exhibit

his work to get in the market, but was stonewalled wherever he went.

He found this so frustrating.

He felt that the art world was controlled by a select few

dealers and galleries.

And in an attempt to get back at these people, he decided to

start forging paintings and placing them onto the market.

Now, they say that Keating faked around 2,000 original pictures,

copying over 100 old artists.

And then later, the establishment accept him

as an artist in his own right.

And I think it is drop-dead gorgeous.

And while David has been admiring his painting,

The Hawk has been hard at work,

securing her pharmaceutical bottles for just under £49 with fees.

But David is poised for another purchase.

So upcoming is the barrister's wig.

£20 bid. Can we see five? We've got 25.

We've got 30. 35? I've got £30. 35 at the back of the room.

I've got 40. You 45?

I've got 45. Can you give me 50?

-It will be sold at £45.

-£45. Thank you very much. There you go.

Case dismissed, missus.

Yes, that's just shy of £55 for the wig

and the fifth lot in the bag for the barrister of bargains.

He rounds his day off with one of those Ming plates.

Sold at £55.

Not bad going that, is it, really? Fantastic.

That's just over £67 with fees.

Bidding starts at £100 for the second plate,

so David decides to leave it, and that is his buying done.

I employed my tactic.

I bought several objects that I've never seen before,

so that's all very exciting.

And it's good to live life by the seat of your pants.

Yes, Devilish Harper always living life on the edge.

But his opponent isn't done yet.

She puts her hand in the air

for a 19th-century wooden string dispenser.

On 50.

81, £50. Thank you.

Winning the lot for £61 with fees.

With the end of the sale in sight,

David has come to keep a close eye on the opposition,

just as Caroline's Persian rug comes up for sale.

-It's coming up now. It's very large.

-Oh, I fancy this one.

-I fancy this one.

-I fancy it too.

-I was going to bid on this.

No, you're not.

But this silver-tongued devil finds other ways to cause mischief.

-(You want it.)

-I do want it. I do want it.

-(Go and get it.)

-40.

-There's a devil on my shoulder.

-(Get it.)

-No!

-(You know you want it.)

-I don't want it.

-Sold for 280. Any more?

-One more.

-£300.

-Yeah, get off my back.

-Sold at £300.

-Thank you. 81. 81.

-Off my back, you.

-The evil devil worked. I can't believe it.

Devilish Harper living up to his name at £366,

it's one third of Caroline's budget.

With that big spend, it's time to tot up the totals.

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

David made the winning bid for six lots, costing a total of £506.30.

Caroline won an impressive nine lots,

taking her total spend up to a whopping £932.08.

Well, having given it their all,

what do our duo make of each other's hauls?

-The barrister's wig.

-Yeah.

-I can see why you've bought it.

HE CHUCKLES

No, no! Sorry, no, no! No offence intended.

I was interested and I don't know why I didn't bid on it.

-I think it looks great.

-I might wear it on a Friday night.

SHE LAUGHS

-And bonny you'd look, too.

-Yeah.

Now, I do like those objects.

You had a bit of a rough time there, though, didn't you?

-The guy went first.

-How much?

-£38 for him.

It would've been fantastic if she was included. But no.

Do you know what I had to pay for her? 70 quid, and I got carried away.

-How did that happen?

-I don't know.

There was somebody else in the room that wanted her.

You devilish... Did you bid for her?!

-Did you?

-(I did.)

-David Harper,

you better watch your back. HE CHUCKLES

-But you did get me back.

-I did.

-With that one.

-You well and truly stuffed with that.

-You did.

Then I got you back again being a devil on your shoulder making

-you buy the rug.

-Oh, but I can sell that.

-Well, shall we get to it then?

-Absolutely.

-OK, exit right.

-Off we go.

Well, having survived the saleroom, our battle-weary warriors head home.

But there's no time to rest as this is where the going really gets

tough, as they take on the herculean challenge of selling all their lots.

They'll need to regroup, reenergize and reel in the profits.

Back at Harper HQ near Durham, David has

gathered his weapons of mass profit.

Well, what a collection.

From the sublime to the ridiculous to the absolutely wonderful.

I mean, I can tell you, just to touch

an original Ming Dynasty plate that is centuries old...

Then something that is completely different - the barrister's wig.

What's all that about? Why do barristers wear those things?

Is it for fashion, do they think they look sexy? I don't know.

But I'm going to find out.

Oh, gosh.

I don't even want to talk about that thing, but I really should.

You know I hate it. I only bought it to bid Caroline up.

So when I find someone who loves it, I will,

for a few moments only, love it too. Ha!

And what about the tin hat?

On reflection, I think now that this thing has been used

in recent times in kind of re-enactment groups.

So that's the obvious route to take. So I've got a few ideas there.

Talking of ideas, the Tom Keating painting, the famous faker.

I've only just discovered, bizarrely,

there are people out there faking the big faker,

because his pieces of art now are quite valuable in their own right.

Before I sell it, I need to find out if indeed this is an original

Tom Keating the faker, or a faker of the Tom Keating the faker.

That's it, my brain has gone now.

Finally...

The screen. I absolutely love it. And you know what?

One of my passions in life is painting.

And I'm going to get some brushes, some mad, bonkers colours

-and I'm going to paint it.

-HE CLICKS

Oh, isn't he creative?

At home in Yorkshire, Caroline is still smarting

about the bidding war.

I'm sort of quite cross about this wonderful pair of spelter figures.

I've ended up paying over the odds, really, for them.

So they are going to be a struggle. But I will get them away.

The pharmaceutical bottles caused slight problems.

I had two pharmacists in mind.

I was absolutely positive one of them would have them, but sadly, no.

They were both downsizing and didn't want to buy them.

So I'm going to have to do quite a bit more legwork to get

these things away.

Then we have this, which is

a World War II aircraft inspection lamp.

Not everybody's cup of tea, but if I can place that

with an air museum or something, that would be absolutely ideal.

This little baby is a chestnut roaster.

I know a man who makes his living roasting chestnuts.

It will fly with him.

Which brings me to the carpet. It is enormous.

It is a great, big, hulking thing of wool.

This will have cost a fortune new, and it's cheap at half the price.

Caroline also has to sell her silver egg cup,

18th-century teapot and Victorian string box.

Both our brave profiteers now hit the roads in search

of the best buyers.

Any money they make will go to their chosen charities.

Remember, until they've shaken on it and the money has changed hands,

no deal is ever sealed.

Before David gets his selling spree underway,

he's getting in touch with his inner Picasso.

OK, so you remember the Victorian screen?

I did say I was going to paint it.

Well, I am, but I'm not going to touch the wood.

I'm doing the panels. And I'll tell you why.

This is because I have a guy interested in the screen,

but he hates Victoriana.

I know what he likes. He is funky, he's loud, he's colourful.

He's a florist and I'm going to create something for him.

Making the canvases cost £20.

But, of course, the Harper artwork is priceless.

Further south, The Hawk has flown over to Harrogate with her

set of pharmacist bottles.

She's coming to see Chris, who runs an antiques shop.

-I thought these might be just the ticket.

-Oh, excellent.

Yeah, this is the sort of thing I do like. Yeah, very different.

-They are all in great condition.

-Oh, lovely. Yeah, absolutely lovely.

There's no damage at all.

And I think they are sort of early 20th century, early mid-20th century.

I'd say early 20th century looking at these, actually.

For me, I think they are ideal for props, for film props.

Or if we are doing a bar out that's unusual, that's doing cocktails

or something. And it's nice that they're English ones.

You get a lot of European and foreign ones.

But these are definitely from the English market,

-and they look fantastic.

-Oh, I'm so pleased. Now there is ten of them.

They're all great. What about...

Is £120 OK? Which is £12 each.

I think on these, to be fair, £100 would be a good price for them.

Well, do you know, because they've gone to such a good home,

I'm going to take your £100.

-Thank you very much. That's lovely.

-Thank you, Chris.

Caroline more than doubles her money,

making £51.20 profit.

And she is quick to make it

two in a row when she sells her silver egg cup for £50

to the couple who run

her local pub as a christening present for their new granddaughter.

Aw!

Grandpa, it's a deal.

-Thank you.

-Making herself a cracking profit of just over £28.

Back in Barnard Castle, David is also heading to the pub.

Look at this.

You couldn't get a better location - directly opposite

my business premises is the watering hole for the local

amateur dramatic group, The Castle Players.

Inside is Judith, so is their costume department.

This is a bit of costume. Let's see if we can do a deal.

Remember, the helmet cost him just over £30 at auction.

Anybody there?

Hello, David. Oh, it suits you. How are you doing, darling?

I've never kissed anyone wearing a tin hat before.

-I've never kissed anyone with a tin hat either.

-Well, there you go.

It's a new experience for us both.

It's actually amazingly comfortable.

This is very good.

Now, our costume mistress, Leslie, she would definitely want this.

-60 quid to you.

-Right.

I'm sure it would be worth that.

-But I cannot.

-What?

-I cannot, honestly.

-We don't have that sort of money.

-Oh, come on.

-No, I don't.

Our budget is very, very limited.

-I'll tell you what I can do, though.

-What?

-Are you up for a challenge?

Judith, you know I'm up for a challenge.

-Erm... And you don't mind trying things on in a hurry?

-No.

-I've done it before.

-Five pound an item, two minutes, and you are on.

-Let's do it.

-You're on.

-OK.

-Ready, steady, get dressed!

-OK, one item and a hat, yes?

-And a hat. You must have a hat.

Otherwise I don't pay. Yes!

Challenges and hats -

there's nothing Devilish loves more.

How many?

-Judith!

-Oh, fantastic.

-I love this one. This is my favourite.

-Yes.

You can leave the red hat on too.

Yeah, fantastic! Five.

Oh, oh. That's got to be the best one ever.

-Ten seconds to go.

-35.

What the hell is this little hat?

-SHE LAUGHS

-Yes!

-£40. Thank you, David. That's a perfect deal.

-Thanks a lot.

SHE LAUGHS

Bye!

Oh, dear. After all that, David walks away with just £9.50 profit.

Hardly a showstopper.

Onwards and upwards, though.

And he soon makes another local deal

when he sells that little Prinknash vase to a vintage clothes shop.

The uglier something is,

it means someone else is really going to like it.

Topping up his coffers by another £7.80.

Next, it's Caroline's turn to shift an item bidded up by her rival.

This time, it's the spelter figurines.

She sells them to Amanda, who wants them

as decorative pieces in the hotel she manages for £160.

Brilliant. 160, thank you.

Just £28 profit.

After Devilish David drove up the price,

Caroline is pleased to get away unscathed.

Now it's the turn of that Persian rug.

The Hawk sent it over to a local B&B in Beverley,

but will owner Walter feel it is the perfect fit?

-Hello, Walter!

-Hello, Caroline.

Wow, so it has been delivered.

Well, it transforms the room. It could have been made for it.

-It's just the right size, isn't it?

-It's extraordinary.

-Brilliant. I'm definitely interested.

-Right.

What sort of price are you looking for?

Well, I was hoping around 600-ish.

That's more than I want to pay.

-Right.

-400, would that be...?

Well, that's less than I was hoping for. So...

-500?

-500, yeah.

-500.

-You got a deal.

-Excellent, Walter.

-Very good.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much indeed, Caroline.

That is a very decent profit of £134,

more than doubling The Hawk's haul so far.

Now, over in Darlington,

Barnard Castle's answer to van Gogh is about to unveil

his masterpiece, which he painted especially for Carl, the florist.

-Bright and cheerful.

-What have we got here, then?

-A Victorian...

-Victorian.

..1870 frame. I've modernised it. What do you think?

You've done a good job of brightening something that's

-pretty dark and dull.

-This is my original artwork here, Carl.

Yeah, I appreciate it. To a degree. So...

Well, what are you... What sort of price are you looking for?

-600.

-600?!

-Not per panel. Not per panel.

-600, David? No.

For three panels and an original Victorian screen.

-Oh, I think that's a bit much for me. 300.

-300?!

-300.

-No.

-I could push it to...400?

-Oh!

520.

-450.

-500.

-450. I can see 450.

-490.

-480.

-Go on, then. You are blinking hard work, you.

So Carl bags himself a Harper original

and our artistic expert walks away with more than £240 pure profit.

With both our experts having just banked some plus-size profits,

let's take a look at the books.

David sold three of the six auction treasures, and minus the cost

of recovering the screen,

he's banked a sizable profit of £257.70.

Caroline has sold five of her nine lots

and that rug sale has catapulted her profits to £241.48.

So, our battling behemoths are neck and neck so far,

which means the pressure is really on to seal some final killer deals.

Leaving his comfort zone of the North East, Devilish has travelled

all the way to London town in the hunt for his next potential profit.

You couldn't get a better place for a wig than this,

Lincolns Inn here in London,

where barristers have been practising

since around 1422.

So I've got an appointment to meet a newly appointed barrister,

Alex, right here in the grandeur of the great Hall.

Wa-hey.

In the heart of the legal district,

our debonair dealer is on a voyage of wig discovery.

What is the history here with the wig? Why do barristers wear wigs?

Well, they wear wigs broadly because lots of professionals,

upper-middle-class people, upper-class people wore wigs

in the 18th century.

It started in the 17th century, through the 18th century.

-So it started out purely by being fashionable.

-Quite right, yeah.

And I understand it was at least partly

because of the difficulty in keeping long hair in that period clean,

and there's not any hot running water.

Then eventually, they turned into this rather stylised wig,

which is much smaller and doesn't cover as much of your

own hair as the wigs that they wore for fashion would have done.

Now were you very excited

when you first got an opportunity to go buy the barrister's wig?

I was, actually. Yeah, I was. It's quite fun.

I bought that in auction, and it cost me about £55

with commission, or thereabouts.

Can you point me in the direction of, do you want a spare one?

As you see, I have one.

I can't really, you know, it's difficult to wear two.

DAVID LAUGHS

I don't know, you could do worse than put a notice up downstairs

saying, "Wig for sale."

Well, it's a no-buy verdict from Alex.

So David puts a sign on the notice board and keeps his fingers crossed.

Next, he heads up west with something that has an Eastern flair.

Well, whilst in London and specifically Chinatown,

and if you've got a Ming Dynasty plate about your person,

you might as well hawk it around.

The plate cost him just over £67 at auction.

Despite David's best efforts, it seems no-one is keen.

OK, well, I've probably had better ideas.

That has been an absolute nightmare.

Mingy is minging, and it's coming back with me.

Oh, dear. London hasn't come up trumps for our Durham dandy.

So he heads back up north to draw up a new plan of attack.

Meanwhile, The Hawk has navigated her way to Hull

and has her next potential profits in her sights.

I'm here at Fort Paull, which is now a wonderful military museum to

meet Gavin the manager, hopefully to sell him my aircraft inspection lamp.

He's asked me to meet him on the Beverley.

And this Beverley isn't hard to miss.

It's a World War II transport plane,

the perfect place to showcase her little lamp.

-Hello, Gavin.

-Hello.

-I've brought my aircraft inspection lamp to show you.

-Let's have a look.

There is no War Department marks on it.

No, I've searched high and low. I can't see any marks at all.

It might not be military.

Right, it could be civilian aircraft.

-It could be civilian. Yeah. Yeah.

-Right.

-Can we hang it somewhere in here and see what it would look like?

-Yep.

Right, well, I think

it might be something you could use on one of your wonderful displays.

-All depends on price.

-Could you give me £85?

-40.

-SHE GASPS

Gavin, you wound me! I cannot take 40.

-If you make it 50, because it's you...

-45, meet you halfway.

-How's that?

-47 and that's it.

-£46.50.

-47 and that is it.

-46.50.

-I can't do 46.50. 47!

-Go on.

-Thank you.

Ouch. That's a teeny-tiny profit of just £0.64.

The Hawk was really under fire there,

but doesn't let it knock her spirits.

She has a better result when she finds a buyer for her silver teapot,

selling it to a jeweller's in Sheffield

for a modest £18 profit.

Back on home turf,

David has been working through his little black book of contacts, doing

his research, and has managed to find a buyer for his Ming plate.

Though at £60, it gives him a seven pound loss.

He's hoping for a better result with his painting, which he's decided to

put back into auction.

This time, with online bidding and a more detailed listing.

But is it the real deal?

You know the story of Keating. He was a fascinating bloke.

And it's odd, isn't it, that they're now faking the Keating fake?

I mean, they tend to fake his famous pictures

-that are copies of Degas and Rembrandt.

-Yeah.

So I don't see any reason to believe that that isn't by Tom Keating.

-I guess we'd better have a look at an estimate for it.

-Yeah.

-Well, are you happy at £150-250?

-I'm happy to give that a go.

A few days later, the painting sells only slightly over the bottom

estimate for £170, making Devilish

just £11.94 after commission.

So, now he's got one item left.

Now, do you remember my wig?

Well, come on, how could you forget something

that looks as good as that?

Well, the last time you saw it, I was placing an advert

at Lincolns Inn looking for a poor, impoverished,

starving barrister looking for a cheap wig.

Well, not even one phone call.

Rubbish response. So I thought, "Well, I'll dump it."

I'll put it on an online auction with a starting bid of three pounds,

purely to cover the postage and get rid. No expectations.

Well, the thing went ballistic. I've sold it.

I've more than doubled my money.

And this little baby is wigging its way to Germany.

The wig sold for a whopping £137, and after postage,

David makes a profit of £69.45.

All rise as the master of selling does it again.

With her opponent sold up, the pressure is on Caroline

to find buyers for her last two items.

First up, that chestnut roaster, and she is feeling festive.

I'm here to see my friend Tommy, the chestnut man.

I met him in Beverley market several years ago

and I go every single year and get his chestnuts.

There is nothing about chestnuts that Tommy doesn't know.

And I think he's going to love this miniature chestnut roaster.

# Chestnuts roasting on an open fire... #

-Hi, Tommy!

-Hello, Caroline.

-Hello. Nice to see you on your home turf.

-I normally see you in Beverley, don't I?

-Of course.

We're just getting ready for the old chestnut season.

I bought this, Tommy, as an antique chestnut roaster.

-Have you ever seen one before?

-Only in books. It's a nice little piece.

And is it something you would like for your collection?

We could come to some sort of arrangement.

SHE LAUGHS Right. OK. I've got...

All right. I was thinking, what about £60?

When did they let you out?

LAUGHS: Tommy! Tommy chestnuts.

-I would say more than likely 30 quid.

-50.

It's all there.

-A bit of black lead.

-Yeah. I'll split the difference with you.

I'll give you the 40.

Will you split it again and make it 45?

You're a hard bargain, you, aren't you? Only cos I want it.

-Thank you, Tommy!

-You're welcome.

-Don't let those burn!

-I won't.

See you later.

So, Caroline banks another £20.60 profit.

And she dances over the finish line when she sells her Victorian string

box to West London florist Michael,

who is looking for something to keep his bouquet accessories in.

110.

-OK.

-Good.

-Deal, Michael!

Making herself a final profit of £49.

So, that's both our experts sold up.

But who will be on the winner's podium

and who will be left for dust?

Let's first to remind ourselves of what they spent at auction.

Both our experts took £1,000 of their own money to Nottingham.

David won six lots, and including the cost of recovering the screen,

he spent just £526.30.

Caroline bagged herself nine lots

and spent a whopping £932.08.

But now, it's all a matter of profit and selling prowess.

All of the money that David and Caroline 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.

-Hello, David.

-Hello, you. How are you?

-I'm well, thanks.

You are looking little bit nervous, I've got to tell you.

-Apprehensive, I think is the word.

-Yeah, I can sense it.

-Apprehensive, not nervous, David.

-OK. What were your best bits?

I was very pleased with my carpet that I bought,

and it fitted absolutely perfectly into a wonderful,

-wonderful house near me in Beverley.

-Did you make lots of profit on it?

I made good profit and it looked fantastic, so it was a double whammy.

Talking of which, I loved that screen you bought. You overpaid for it.

How did you get on with that?

I overpaid for it because you ran me up, missus.

I could have got that for 50 quid, but that would have been 1,500.

-It would've done.

-But I added a little value.

-What did you do?

-I painted the panels.

You did what?! Oh, come on, then! Come on, then!

-Are you ready?

-Yes.

-Should we count to three?

-BOTH:

-One.

-Two.

-Three.

Oh, my... Oh, my goodness me.

-I've beaten you by, what?

-Two pounds only!

That is close, Harper. I'm on your tail.

How much did you make on the...?

So, David walks away the winner with just two pounds in it.

The big profit on the screen helped him to pull it off.

Crikey milikey, that was close.

Nothing in it, a couple of pounds.

But it was the screen that did it.

And my paintings, love them or hate them,

they added value and they made me some money.

Thank you very much.

Well, how close was that!

I had a great time at the auction

and I was really pleased with just about everything I sold after it.

But David beat me by a tiny smidgen. Well done, David.

But Caroline gets another chance at the top spot tomorrow

when they cross the Channel for a Parisian market adventure.