James Braxton v Kate Bliss - 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.

Let's make hay while that sun shines.

Each day, one pair of duelling dealers

will face a mighty challenge.

I've got an 'eavy profit here.

Putting their reputations on the line.

Who's there?

They'll give you the insiders' view of the trade.

Along with their top tips and savvy secrets.

That could present a problem for me.

Showing you how to make the most money...

Ready for battle.

..from buying and selling.

Get in there.

Coming up, one expert has delusions of pet-bed grandeur.

Not really for me, is it? I think it has the look of a dog basket.

Kate's got her eye on a growing collector's trend.

There is a buoyant market for ophthalmic antiques.

Look at those.

And James fails to get the answer he's looking for.

So, is this my pathway to riches?

James, no.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Ah, Kent. The Garden of England, peaceful, beautiful, restful.

Yes, this is just the calm before the storm, as the tranquillity

of this quintessentially English countryside is about to be

shattered by two raging warhorses of worthy wares.

Fighting for Sussex, it's the auction room assassin.

Knowledge is his armour, and bidding prowess is his sword.

Why, it's...

Always a good thing to unsettle your opponent.

And flying the flag for Herefordshire is a cunning

combatant. She's got style, she's got stealth,

and she won't stop until she's got the wealth.

It's...

I'm quite excited.

Today's battleground is the Hop Farm auction room, an eclectic sale

where our daring duo will both be risking £1,000 of their own money.

And all the profit they make will go to charities of their choice,

so, bidding cards at the ready.

James Braxton and Kate Bliss,

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

-Morning, James!

-Morning, Kate, how are you?

I'm well considering the long trek down here,

of course it's a stone's throw for you.

Yes, welcome to Kent, it's about an hour for me. Home territory.

Well, I actually had a really good run down yesterday,

from Herefordshire, and I had a little pop in to the auction

-house, just before they closed...

-What's it like?

..and had a little look. Well, it's certainly variety.

Variety - now that's a euphemism, isn't it?

No, it's quite a mixed bag,

but I think most things look fairly affordable, so I think even

I might struggle to spend the whole £1,000 that we've got to spend.

-That's of course including the buyer's premium, isn't it?

-Right.

So that's rather like a film really,

it's billing. General Items, starring Some Antiques.

-Well, yes.

-Go on, show me, show me.

So, James is going in blind - he could have previewed the sale

last night as well, but he chose not to.

A sign of a confident Bingo, perhaps.

Remember, both of our gavel grafters are auctioneers by trade,

and even though Kate has done her homework, with over 650 varied

lots going under the hammer, she can only have scratched the surface.

So, she will still need a good game plan.

My strategy today is to be absolutely

rigid about my price limits.

I think it's fair to say that I can get a little bit swept away

with the whole auction fever. And today, I'm going to be ruthless.

Stick to the limit, there's a competition to win.

Yes, Kate is planning to be super strict, and aim for self control.

Now, Bingo has had a chance to run his eye over the lots.

Has he spotted any gems amongst the junk?

It's a nice little auction room, in fact, the more I've looked,

the more I've marked. I'll know pretty quickly,

within the first ten lots,

whether I'm going to have a good day, or a difficult one.

Bingo thinks he's got a few prize pieces up his sleeve,

but he's keeping an open mind.

There's a lot on offer here, so that could prove to be a canny tactic.

Determined not to be left in the dark, Kate's radar has detected a

retro lamp, with an estimate of £25 to £35, and her eyes have lit up.

Now, I think this little lamp is one of the grooviest pieces in the sale.

It dates from the 1960s, and its origins are in the Anglepoise lamp,

which was invented in the 1930s, by a man called George Carwardine.

Now, Carwardine invented a spring, which allowed the lamp to

move in every conceivable position, but to hold its position.

And that's exactly what we've got here.

Now, Carwardine gave the design to the manufacturers

Herbert Terry & Sons, who are based in Worcestershire,

and they devised the series of Anglepoise lamps.

This comes from their more futuristic series, the 2,000 series,

in the 1960s.

I love it.

Not to be outdone, James steams towards something he hopes

will get him on the right track.

Now these are all railway signs.

Now, being a rail enthusiast,

of course I know exactly what yellow and blue means.

Regrettably, I don't, but I know somebody who does.

Generally made in Birmingham.

Most sort of metalwork's generally made in Birmingham.

£30 to £40 - that doesn't sound like too bad.

You know, if I was a railway enthusiast,

this is the sort of thing I'd want in my bedroom.

Hmm, I'm not sure Mrs Bingo would agree with that, James.

Meanwhile, refusing to be outmanoeuvred,

Kate eyeballs her next target, and brings it sharply into focus.

Now look what I've just found.

This is an optician's lens set, presumably for testing eyes,

and you've got numerous different lenses here,

and this is the frame to slot them in. Look at those.

Well, there is a buoyant market for ophthalmic antiques.

I haven't got a clue about these, but they look

quite funky, don't they?

Also with his eye on the prize,

James has spotted a carved Indian seat.

But he's having a little trouble making it work.

Not really for me, is it?

I think it has the look of a dog basket.

Now, people are potty about their dogs.

You know, that is great, isn't it? If you want to spoil your doggy.

Not so sure about the ply,

but maybe the seat was sort of webbing underneath,

an Indian seat, and you'd have sort of luxurious cushions. £150 to £200.

I don't think its got a tremendous amount of age.

It's quite crudely carved, we've got

all these sort of guardian figures - musicians by the look of it.

But...with a cushion in there,

great dog basket, fabulous dog basket.

Is he barking mad or a visionary genius? Only time will tell.

But, back in the land of the sensible,

Kate's decided it's time for tea.

This is a great little retro tea set.

It's known as Picquot Ware, and what we've got here is

an alloy of manganese and aluminium.

The pieces are cast as one piece,

to ensure there aren't any leaks around the spout, and then

it's polished, so it's not plated, it's just polished magnalium.

Now it's not rare, the products were quite prolific, but you've

got a nice four piece here and the tray, which you don't often see.

And I quite fancy it. The estimate is £65 to £75,

which is probably all the money at auction,

but if it goes a little bit cheaper, I'm after it.

So, they've both run the gauntlet of possible profit makers,

and without further ado,

it's time for our enemies to lower their visors and draw

their swords, because this is going to be a tense tussle for trinkets.

And as the auction gets going, James has carefully chosen

his vantage point for the proceedings.

Kate's just round the corner there, she can't see what I'm doing.

I might have a go at this glass vase, it's not my usual

sort of thing, it's sort of art glass, but I'll have a go.

If I get it for under a tenner, I'm a happy man.

22, the heavy studio coloured glass vase. £15 for this, £15.

I can hear James twitching there in the corner.

-I think he's bidding on this.

-12 anywhere. £12 bid.

Oh he's got competition.

16. 16's there, 18. 20.

22. 24.

26. 28.

30. 32. 34. 36.

34's there, 36 in front.

And there's not just competition in the room, this sale is online,

and the invisible bidders, are closing in.

36 has jumped online. 36 has jumped, 38 to you sir.

38's there. At £38, in the room at 38.

GAVEL BANGS

He's bought it.

Yes, James held firm and the vase is his

for £44.65 including fees.

That's more than four times the price he wanted to pay,

so does he still think there's a profit in it?

Here we are, rather interesting vase.

It's very colourful.

It's like a millefleur, a paperweight

whereby it suggests 1,000 flowers.

And you've got these canes of glass,

multicoloured glass, he's chopped them at right angles,

and then they're inserted on the inside.

It's rough on the inside, smooth on the outside,

so it's obviously been polished or something. Profit or loss, hmm...

At the moment I think more the latter.

Uh-oh. Has James made a terrible mistake?

We'll have to wait and find out.

Bingo may be 1-0 up,

but Kate is about to launch her own covert attack.

Her target is a 19th century riding whip.

I'm talking really quietly cos I don't want James to hear.

Now this is a really nice piece.

They've actually catalogued it as a riding crop, and my idea

of a riding crop is quite a short whip, the kind that jockeys use.

This is actually a really long whip with a lovely long shaft handle,

and it's silver mounted. So I'd quite like this.

The estimate here is £50 to £70.

If I can get it for around there, we're looking good.

-1889 holly wood riding crop, silver tipped. £50 anywhere?

-I'm waiting.

£45 it's got to be. £45 there.

Ooh, somebody's in.

45 there, 46 anywhere. 46, 48.

50, 55.

60, 65.

70, 75.

80, 85.

We're above the estimate.

Will Kate stick to her strategy of not pushing her prices?

120, 130.

Uh, no.

130's there, 140. At £130.

GAVEL BANGS

£130. What did I say about the strategy?

And with the auction fees added, that's a hefty outlay.

Now there's a buoyant market for horse riding

and racing associated items, and this whip is no exception.

It's got a lovely wooden shaft,

with all these lovely knobbly bits on it, which are really tactile.

I think it's probably holly wood, and is in really nice condition.

This whip would either be used in carriage driving,

or in lunging a horse, which is used to direct the horse,

so it's very definitely not an item of cruelty,

it's an item of instruction.

Little bit of damage just to the end here.

It probably would have had a little leather piece on the end,

but I think it's a lovely thing, dating probably from

the late Victorian, early Edwardian period.

Our warriors are level pegging on one item a piece.

But next are the vintage railway signs that James spotted earlier.

And he's eager for these to signal victory.

I'm hoping to get these for £10 each. There's three in all.

Let's hope I do.

Mm, fortune favours the bold, eh, Bingo?

But with an upper estimate of £40,

will he be bold enough?

£30. 32's here. 34 next.

34. Already with 34.

34 in the room there. 36.

38. 40.

42. 44.

46. 48.

50? 48 it is.

At £48.

-GAVEL BANGS

-171.

I bought them. Second lot. Very happy.

James pays...

..and he's chuffed to bits.

And there's now no stopping him.

Up next is the carved Indian seat/dog bed he spotted earlier.

And he's about to go fetch.

130 anywhere?

130. Thank you sir. 140 anywhere?

-Let the show begin.

-130's in the room, 140 next if you want.

At 130, maiden bid, it's going. At 130.

GAVEL BANGS

Always a good tip - when the bidding's with you,

get your number up.

It focuses the auctioneer on putting his hammer down.

Especially to you.

Little tip, that.

I think he's chuffed with that.

Yes, and he looks it. With auction fees, Bingo pays...

And he's blazing ahead with three items to Kate's one.

But Miss Bliss is back by royal appointment,

and has found something palatial to take a flutter on.

There's a quirky little lot coming up.

It's a little model of Queen Mary's doll house,

and I think it's quite sweet.

I think Kate looks rather anxious, I think she's preparing to bid,

so ears open, eyes open, let's see what she's going for.

Is he on Her Majesty's Secret Service?

James is spying on me.

The guide price is £20 to £25

and Kate is about to make a distinctly un-royal cheeky offer.

What can I do you?

15 I can do, has to be. 15?

Thank you very much, 15's there, 16 anywhere else?

Go on, keep bidding. Somebody bid.

At £15, she takes it at 15.

GAVEL BANGS

-Yes! 15.

-Kate pays..

..and is jubilant.

It's a piece of Cauldon Ware china, known as Parian Ware, which is

the name for white china, which is then glazed.

And it dates from the early part of the 20th century.

But this was made to commemorate the Queen's doll house.

And that's what it's a model of.

It was designed by Edwin Lutyens -

the leading architect and designer of the day.

And it was crammed full of some of the best little, tiny pieces

of furniture and art made by leading artists and designers.

This is a model of it.

I think this is going to appeal to people who love royalist

memorabilia, but also to people who love doll houses.

And that flurry of bidding brings us to the halfway mark, so let's

find out who's leading the charge and who's waving the white flag.

-How are you doing?

-I've bought a couple.

-Yeah.

-Bought a couple.

Chuffed with what you've got?

Uhh, one I paid too much for, one I paid all right for,

-and the third one, I got a bargain.

-OK, well, can't be bad, evens out.

It's all right, isn't it?

I think I probably paid too much for one, definitely,

and the other one was a bargain, but, hmm,

I don't know whether there's a strong market for it. We'll see.

Good luck.

And after that brief ceasefire,

our dealing duo dot back to their trenches and take aim once more.

With no time to lose, Kate reveals her next plan of attack.

There's an orange glass lampshade just down here, that's coming

up in just a second, and they've catalogued it as Art Deco.

I think it's probably a bit later, but I might have a quick go at it.

The estimate is £5 to £10, so there could be a bright profit in it.

It's £5 for the lampshade. £5 anywhere, 5 I have there. £5..

-Is that five?

-Well, it is in Roman numerals.

-At 5 it is..

-Get the hammer down.

£6. Are you bidding, sir?

-You dare!

-Nope.

-You dare!

Very generous of you.

For goodness' sake, I don't want it.

That was jolly lucky, I nearly got it for £6.

£5. The little devil, he nearly bid against me, just for the hell of it.

That is called one for spite.

Kate draws even with her third purchase, paying...

But will she be able to bask in the warm orange glow of profit?

I don't think it's particularly old, it's a great shape,

and it's got a wonderful retro look to it.

It's made of glass.

It's actually a double layer of glass,

so you've got opaque white glass on the inside,

then this lovely orange glass on the outside.

Remember, this is a lampshade.

And lit up, she's going to look stunning.

And for a fiver,

plus premium, I think it's a bargain.

And shine a light, she's at it again.

The 1960s lamp she spotted earlier, with a guide price of £25 to £35,

is up next, and she's bidding intently.

22 is with me, 24 if you want.

24 to you. 24 I'm out, 24 is in the room.

And the bidding steps up a gear.

46. 48.

50.

48 it is. Staying under the 50, at £48. Selling, at £48.

GAVEL BANGS

Yes. That's with me. 48.

Tenacious Kate held her ground, and sealed the deal.

That looks very stylish,

it's the first bid of Kate's I've quite liked.

Ooh, saucer of milk for one.

Now, Absolute Bliss is absolutely storming it,

and quickly extends her new lead, with the retro tea set.

At 55.

GAVEL BANGS Buying it under the estimate for..

I'm chuffed with that.

And for the first time today,

Bingo's trailing 5-3 behind Kate, and the stress is getting to him.

The heart is going like that. So much pressure.

Ooh, steady on there, Bingo, don't keel over.

An Art Deco money box he likes the look of, with a guide

price of £10 to £15, is up next,

so he could be in with a chance of catching up.

Right, this is my lot.

Oh, it looks absolutely rubbish on the photo, that's good.

£10 for this. £10. 10 I'm bid.

£12 for this. £12 sir? Thank you.

12 at the back, 14 anywhere.

£14 it is, if you want.

At £12, last chance. At 12.

GAVEL BANGS

£12 for the money box. Very pleased with that.

The penny's dropped and so has the hammer.

Bingo steals away the money box for..

It's a humble money box.

But it has a really good look about it, it has the look of

PG Wodehouse about it. I'd say 1920s to 1930s, bit of damage there.

I think I could repair that. Here's our character.

I like this, I like cut-outs, because, funny enough,

they're only two dimensional, but they become animated, and he's

made a rather sedentary object into something like a bit of fun.

Our enterprising expert is really motoring now,

purchasing a handsome pair of vintage car badges.

Last chance, selling at 24, to 171.

This is turning into a close one.

The vintage optician's set that Kate had her eyes on earlier, with an

upper estimate of £150, is the next lot,

but there's already pre-bids on the books.

Starts at 85, 90 if you want.

-Ohh.

-90 if you want on the set, £90 on the lens set, anywhere?

£90 on this, for 90, 95, 100.

-No.

-100. 100 it's yours.

-Is she going to bid?

-Go on, then.

100, you've got it. 100's yours. 110 anywhere else.

At 100.

GAVEL BANGS

Nope, that wasn't an optical illusion, folks.

In case you blinked and missed it,

here's Kate's lightning quick bidding reflexes again.

Go on then.

Like a coiled cobra she snatched the ophthalmic case for...

..and brings her purchases to six.

That's mine.

Bingo is once again eating Kate's dust,

but he's a brave little soldier, so he gets himself up, brushes himself

down, and goes into battle for something to drown his sorrows in.

Coming up, it's a rather nice Dimple whisky. Lovely.

589, £45 anywhere for this, 40 I'll go.

40 I'm in, thank you. 42 anywhere, 42's there, 44.

46. 44's there, 46 anywhere else?

At £44.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Thank you.

Bingo seals the deal at...

..but can he pour a wee dram of profit?

70% proof, it's laid in somebody's sideboard,

it hasn't lost a lot, considering the stopper it's got.

There's quite a good market for old whisky, and this certainly is old.

Look at that - it's either '30s or '50s, by the lettering.

I think this is a winner,

and also, I get a little miniature as well with it.

It's rather sweet, isn't it? So we get the two together.

I'm fortunately able to sell single bottles like this,

because I have a personal license, so not only am I a landlord,

a publican,

but I also have a personal license to sell said wines and liquors.

I think there's a good profit in those.

So, after James' final flutter,

let's call a temporary truce, as we tot up the totals.

James bought six lots.

Kate bought six lots.

But all that matters now is profit.

Our duelling dealers have had themselves a good clean scrap,

but what do they make of each other's spoils of war?

-So, how did it go?

-Yes, very good.

I was determined not to go above the prices that I'd set.

-Did you set prices?

-I set prices, and it went out of the window.

-Well you obviously need disciplining, what's this?

-This?

-Actually this is one of my favourite items.

-Is this for coaching?

Yes, or for carriage riding.

-I think carriage, because you've got length haven't you?

-Yes.

What's going on with the spirits, then?

The spirits, well, I like this, because the auctioneer told me

it came out of a house clearance.

And I think this is from either the '30s or the '50s,

and very little evaporation.

Is that right?

-Look at that, nothing.

-I'd sooner have a cup of tea out of that.

You sure it's whisky?

-Of course I'm sure it's whisky.

-OK, OK.

-What about the old spectacles?

I know there's a really buoyant collectors' market

-for ophthalmic antiques, if you like.

-Is there?

Yes, oh yes. Tell me about this.

I'm going to find the most extraordinary dog owner in the UK, for a basket.

It sounds like you've got it sewn up.

-Good luck.

-Best of luck.

The auction was but a warm-up battle for the main event -

out-and-out selling war.

For it's only now that our pair of auction action heroes

can prove they've got what it takes to defeat their nemesis.

Both now head back to their bunkers to plan a path to profit.

In his Sussex abode, James is rifling through his wares.

So, this is my selection from the auction.

This was the first thing,

these fabulous semaphore railway signal arms.

There's nothing reproduction about these.

You can see where they were bolted on to the mechanical arms,

so they're fun.

And I'm hoping to sell those to a great railway enthusiast.

And then, the next thing that leapt out at me

was this rather fun 1920s money box.

I think some lovely dad would have made that for a child or something.

In fact, funnily enough, I do the odd profile,

so that's my car with one of my sons, and it's rather fun.

You bring a photograph to life.

And then, our mighty dog basket here.

I think it was a sort of Indian musician's seat here.

But, from a musician's seat,

with the introduction of a small rug, it becomes a dog basket.

Ready for the European market.

Well, Miss Bliss, will you be in the basket, or will I be in the basket?

Well, let's hope nobody ends up in the basket.

So, James will also need to find buyers for his vintage whisky,

his glass vase, and his vintage car badges.

Over in her Herefordshire home, Kate is also looking through her lots.

Now, these are my more affordable items.

The model of the doll house is a bit of fun, and I'm hoping

I can find a royal memorabilia enthusiast who's going to love that.

Now, my lamp, I really loved. It's pretty groovy for me.

It's not the sort of thing I go for, 1960s lighting.

I've had it PAT tested, so it's all safe and legal,

and that's cost me around another tenner, so I'm really

hoping that will deliver the goods and bring me a profit.

But I have found a fabulous retro old electric shop.

It's right up their street, and I think, with a bit of luck,

they might take my glass lampshade as well.

Kate also has to find homes for her optician's set,

the retro tea set, and the Victorian riding crop.

Now, both our savvy sellers must begin the phone work, legwork,

and web work that will make their profits go stratospheric.

Don't forget, no deal is truly sealed until a hand is shaken,

and the money is taken.

James is first out of the station with the vintage railway signals

that cost him just over £56.

He's in rural Sussex to meet rail enthusiast David.

He's hoping he'll want to add the signals to his

impressive railway collection.

TRAIN WHISTLE BLASTS

Now, David, what are we surrounded by here?

We're surrounded by a multi-collection,

over many years, started a long time ago.

When I spoke to you on the phone, you immediately identified these

as a true enthusiast would, and you said something about semaphore.

What does that mean?

They're the old-fashioned way of signalling trains.

-Yeah.

-Unfortunately, we don't have any to show on the model railway.

But basically, it is the way...

Now it's all done like a traffic light system.

-Yeah.

-In the old days, they would be at several positions.

-OK.

If you bought these, David, where would you put them?

Well, I would attempt to hang them up in here, believe it or not.

Yeah, they'll work really well, because you'll be able to get a nice fixing.

They would look particularly fine in here.

They'd bring a real bit of colour.

David, you would make me a very happy man if you paid £200 for them

How does that sound?

-A bit too much.

-A bit too much.

What do you think they're worth?

-I think they'd be worth £120.

-£120. Well, I tell you what,

can I tickle you up a bit?

-£150, and you've got a great deal.

-£130.

-£135, and you've got yourself a deal.

-All right, £135.

-Well done.

-Yes, James read the signals

correctly and makes a profit of just under £79.

It's a strong start, and he chugs further up the profit track

when he sells his 1930s money box to collector of curiosities, Andy...

£50, put it there.

..popping another £35.90 worth of coins in his profit piggy bank.

So, what of Kate?

Well, she's in Hay-on-Wye with a cheeky plan for a double sale.

She hopes her PAT-tested 1960s lamp,

which now owes her just over £68,

and the glass lampshade which cost her just over a fiver, will

bathe vintage shop owner, Hannah, in a warm, orange, spend-inducing glow.

This is the lamp I told you about. It's by Herbert Terry.

This is called the "Eyeball Lamp."

This is from the '60s range in design.

And they called it the 2,000 Series, which, of course,

was very futuristic at the time.

-Very modern.

-I love the orange.

-It's a good colour.

And the black. Yeah.

And the fact it's in a box is quite...

It's very '60s, having that geometric shape,

and then that kind of eyeball...

-It's got a great '60s look to it, hasn't it?

-Mmm.

Now, I bought this, and since buying it I've had it all safety tested.

It's good to go. It's in working order. What do you think?

Is it something that would go well in the shop?

It would fit really well in the shop, and I think customers

would like it, and hopefully I'd be able to sell it.

Obviously, that depends on what I'd be selling it for.

Well, just before I talk price on that, I have brought

something else, which I wondered might be up your street.

And that is this rather nice glass lampshade.

Now, I have noticed you've got one very similar...

-I think we've got one exactly the same.

-..in the back of the shop.

So, I was wondering if you might like a nice pair.

A lovely pair of lampshades. I'd be very interested in that, too.

Great. What do you think price wise?

Are you looking to sell the two together?

-I am. I could do you a great deal.

-A special price.

I said, roughly, I know,

between £100-£200 in my e-mail to you, for the lamp.

I have seen them sell online for 125,

not quite in such good order as mine.

I think that's maybe a little bit high.

I would be happy to give you £80 for it, which would allow me

then to make a profit on top.

What if we said...

Cos I think the lampshade,

-I was hoping for about £25 for the lampshade.

-OK.

So...

So you could do me a good price at £100 for the two.

BOTH LAUGH

-Go on, then. That sounds like a good deal.

-I'm happy with that.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you.

So, that double sale makes Kate a combined profit of £25.98.

It's slightly less than she wanted, but mean's Kate is

now on a level pegging with Bingo,

who, it seems, has decided to hit the bottle.

Oh, no, sorry, scrap that. He is actually working.

He's brought his vintage spirits to a London whisky bar to show

general managers, Lizzie and Jenny.

And he's hoping for a rosy-cheeked return on the £51 investment.

-Here are the bottles I sent you photos of.

-Fantastic.

I bought these at auction, and I rather like...

-It's a very tactile bottle.

-Yeah.

I wanted to try and date this,

and I thought, sort of, maybe 1940s or '50s, but then you think,

we were all at war, Second World War, up until '45.

So it's probably about, I think, 1950s, this bottle.

And are you both quite expert on this?

I think that's probably... Well, I can only speak for myself.

I could never call myself an expert.

-I'm training my palate to enjoy it.

-Training your palate.

Dan, who's a real expert, so we might have to call him over

and see his thoughts.

-Dan is your expert?

-Dan is our whisky man.

Time to send in the reinforcements.

It's Dan, the whisky man.

-We're trying to date it, Dan.

-The spring cap tells me it's

pre-1970s. The wire, because it's not gold,

and there's no sign of it fading from gold,

tells me it's pre-1958.

I would say this is a 1950s bottle.

-I'm happy with that. 60-year-old.

-Can I ask a question?

Does this have any significance?

Do these come specifically as a pair,

or have they just been sold as a pair?

I've never seen them with a miniature on the side.

That's worth a fortune.

THEY LAUGH

An absolute fortune, that one.

It looks like a later addition.

Very good. Anyway, knotty question - price.

What are you looking for?

I was looking for... I saw some up on various sites.

And they were quite high prices.

I couldn't do that to you, could I?

-I don't know.

-You could try.

I was looking for around £300 for the two.

For the two. For me, that's a bit of a bonus, but this is the bottle of interest.

£300...

That price may be in line with a bottle that has the box.

Yeah. I'd be more, kind of, halving what you're looking for.

What, to around £200 is where you were thinking of, Lizzie?

Well, yeah, £170, probably.

How about a special price, £220? Go on, give me an offer.

-One...

-£200.

-£190?

-£190. Lizzie, come on. Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you, Jenny.

-Thank you.

That's the spirit.

James pours out a substantial £138.30 profit for the whisky,

and, keen to capitalise on his earning streak,

takes the vase, which cost just under £45,

to show antiques dealer, Robert, in St Leonards-on-Sea.

Now, I've got this very heavy vase.

Put it in your hands. All right.

I think this is a nice, heavy fellow. It's cased glass.

And it's got these thousand flowers, so millefleur canes.

But sometimes, like paperweights, you get a bigger section.

But they're quite thin, aren't they? Filmy.

It's nice. It's a nice piece.

Where do you think it's from?

-It's Italian, isn't it?

-Do you think it's Italian?

I think so. Very attractive piece.

-It's a big piece, isn't it?

-Yep, it's a good piece.

Keep talking about attractive pieces.

How much is it?

Big money, Robert.

You don't often find this sort of thing, do you?

I'd like to get, sort of...

I don't know, 130, 120, something like that for it.

-That's a lot of money.

-Is it?

I think so. What about 60 quid?

-I think that's too little for that.

-Really?

-Yeah.

I think it's too little for that.

I can go slightly under. 95.

£70.

-95...

-That's a fair offer.

No, I think that's too little for that.

80 quid and you've got a deal. Go on.

Go on.

-80...

-70 quid.

No, go on. £80.

It's more like it. £80. Come on.

-75 quid.

-No.

-Otherwise it'd be 85. Go on. Put it there, £80.

-80 quid. Go on.

Cor, that was hard work.

But gives Bingo £35.35 profit

and brings us to the halfway mark.

Time for our dealers to meet once more, because this dogged duo

have been given the chance to get together

and find out who's in the lead.

I'm a little bit worried here, I'll be absolutely honest with you.

Put my cards on the table.

Cos I think you had a few good lots in there.

Don't mention the dog bed.

Oh, come on. That was quite expensive, wasn't it?

-LAUGHING:

-It was.

No, I bought some chunky ones.

I've been selling away quite steadily.

And I've made all right profits. All right.

Have you? I don't like the sound of that.

-I've still got quite a few to go, you see.

-Really?

-Mm.

-Yeah. My railway did all right, which... Shall we look?

-Shall we see?

-I'm not sure I want to.

If I'm not in the lead, I will be a... Hmm. Hmm.

Hmm. Hang on, wait for me.

Wait for me. Wait for me.

Oh! "In the competition

"you have made less profit than your opponent." You're ahead.

Yeah, more profit at the moment, but I have sold more items than you.

So, you know, everything to live for, Kate.

I'm not sure about that. I think

-I have a bit of a steep wall to climb.

-Do you?

-Mm.

-Excellent!

Get out of here!

Well, this was always going to be a tricky one

because I did think James had a few good lots there.

But it sounds like he's still got that dog's basket,

which I was never convinced on.

So it's still all to play for.

I'm not entirely happy about that,

although I'm currently with more profit,

I know Kate is a fearsome adversary.

And I know she's got some more items to sell.

I haven't got many items to sell.

It's touch-and-go who's going to win this one.

That's right, Bingo, so let's see where things stand.

In the lead, James has sold four items, making a profit of £288.15,

while Kate has only sold two items, and notched up £25.98 in profit

So, Kate's got a lot of catching up to do in round two.

She'll need to whip up a frenzy of zealous buyers

if she's to overtake James, and...

Hold up. It looks like she means business.

# Whip crack-away

# Whip crack-away

# Whip crack-away... #

Costing over £150,

the late Victorian riding whip was Kate's most extravagant purchase,

so she'll need horse-and-carriage master Mark to dig deep.

-Hi, you must be Mark.

-Pleased to meet you.

-How do you do?

-And who are these fellows?

-This is Apollo, and Harry there.

They are just gorgeous creatures, aren't they?

-They are. They're half-brothers.

-Are they?

-Yes.

-A carriage pair.

-How long have you been carriage driving?

-About ten years.

-I hear you're very experienced and you've driven

for the royal family, is that right?

That's actually where I started learning my carriage driving, at

-the Royal Mews. And I worked there for about two years.

-Fantastic.

Well, this is the riding whip that I told you about.

-Wow.

-Have a little look at it.

It actually dates from the Victorian period, I think, this shaft,

-which is made of holly wood.

-Yes, that's right.

Now, I know a lot of whips, and I would call it a coaching whip.

Would you call it a coaching whip, or a carriage whip?

-Yes. Yes, that would be right.

-Because of the length of it?

Yes. And it would be used for a pair.

As you can see, the string on the end is quite short,

so it wouldn't quite reach in a team situation.

This is ideally used for a pair of horses.

Why was holly wood used?

Cos I've noticed on quite a lot of Victorian pieces,

holly wood is quite commonly used for the shaft.

It was a very fashionable thing.

I believe that it was to help when you wrapped the string

after you've used your whip,

to hold it in place, to stop it from sliding up to the end

and creating a loop that might get caught in something.

Oh, I see. So actually,

the knobby bit that are diagnostic to holly wood

actually have that function to help hold the string in place?

Yes, I believe so.

-Well, do you need one, Mark? This is the question.

-We do.

-Do you?!

Yes, we've just broken our modern carbon fibre one,

so we are looking for one. Definitely.

Well, the price I was hoping for

was, sort of, around the 200, 250 mark.

How does £250 sound?

I think it sounds, erm, about our budget, more or less.

We wouldn't want to go any more, but it's a lovely piece.

It's a nice comfortable whip to hold,

and that's what really is most important, for me.

As well as that, it looks very striking,

and being Victorian, I think it would give the right impression.

-I'm happy with that, if you are.

-Thanks very much.

-Fantastic.

-Yes, super.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Kate makes just over £97 profit, and, like a true pro,

insists on sticking around to make sure it works.

So should I get in there?

So, foot on here, there, and...

On a hot summer's day, there would not be a better way to travel.

While Kate tarries in a carriage,

bloodhound Bingo's on a fact hunt in Worcester.

He wants to find out more information about his automobile

badges in order to find the right buyer.

So he's brought them to the Caravan Club communications manager,

hoping she can pack him full of caravanning knowledge

and steer him to a good profit.

-Hello.

-Hello, James.

This looks a very organised site.

When did the Caravan Club start?

The Caravan Club was founded in 1907 by 11 people.

Ten men and one woman,

who all came together to enjoy the great pastime

of being in the outdoors and touring holidays.

And to enjoy the health benefits.

My catalyst for coming to see you.

-This is what I wanted to know about.

-Ah!

Oh, how wonderful.

Very interesting, these badges.

They are extremely challenging to date.

What I'm hoping, if this is preWW2

there will be a number on the back.

There will be a two- or three-digit number on the back.

-That will give us a much better idea. Are you ready?

-Yeah.

Let's see.

Alas, no. Oh, dear.

So I know it's post-Second World War, this.

-Yes.

-Yeah. OK. I'm happy with that.

It looks to me, by the damage and the quality of the thing,

-it looks '50s or '60s, doesn't it?

-It does.

These would have cost around ten shillings to make at that time.

Right, so is this my pathway to riches?

-James, no.

-No. More than ten shillings though?

Well, as ten shillings is around £10 in today's money,

let's hope it's a lot more.

I think normally it would've been around £60.

It does have some damage on it.

Do you still issue these rather nice chrome and enamel badges?

No, we don't, but we still have the horseshoe on our pennants,

which is on our logo.

The horseshoe is an homage to how caravans were originally towed.

Which was true horse power.

It was by horse.

And I've got something quite interesting to show you.

Lead on.

Yes, the birth of caravanning came about as many city slickers

wanted to escape the smog and pollution from the

industrialised cities at the end of the 19th century.

And while many went on seaside holiday and camping,

there were a few who wanted to glamp in style.

This is The Wanderer,

and it's the first-ever custom-built for leisure caravan.

It was built in 1884.

It was commissioned by Dr William Gordon Stables.

-May I have a look round it.

-I'd love you to see it.

This is the main salon, is it?

It is. As in a modern caravan,

this area would have been used for lounging, eating -

if they weren't dining alfresco.

-Sleeping area.

-You make it sound so glamorous.

-It is.

-Dining alfresco.

Very nice, isn't it? Lovely.

So, armed with a breadth of knowledge on his automobile badges,

James must hit the open road

and track down the right place to sell them.

Kate is in Shrewsbury, with her sights set firmly

on selling item number four.

I've brought my ophthalmic set to an independent opticians.

I've only spoken to them on the phone before.

It's a very modern shop.

I hope it's what they're expecting.

Well, Kate has just over £117

invested in the set, and is hoping

optometrist Allison sees fit to give her a profit.

This is the optician's set.

It's a really nice oak box, actually, that it's in,

which helps us to date it to about, I would say, turn of the century.

About 1900, maybe 1910.

That sort of time is when the first cases came out.

-They weren't around much before then. So...

-Right.

..if it's that sort of time it's one of the first.

Well, let's have a look inside.

So, as you can see,

it's all really nicely fitted.

And, I mean, I would think it is a lens testing kit, isn't it?

It's for testing your eyes with various degrees of lenses.

What can you tell me about it?

It's a very large set, which is great.

It goes up to 20 dioptres - plus and minus.

It does look pretty old to me. I really like it.

-Good! I've noticed your set over there.

-Yeah.

Although it's shiny and obviously new and modern,

-it's not dissimilar, is it, in the layout?

-No.

It's very similar. In fact, it might be shinier,

but it's not particularly modern.

I happen to like older things.

Yes, it's got the same layout of lenses,

same tray for putting bits and pieces in.

So is this something you might be interested in buying, Allison.

I certainly might be. It would make a fantastic window display.

Because the box is in really nice condition,

I was hoping for something between 150 and 200.

Perhaps around 180.

Right, it sounds a little bit on the high side,

because it would be lovely in our window

but it's quite an expensive thing to buy purely for window display.

Um... I was thinking more...

120 or 130, something like that really.

Mm-hmm.

Could I say... I could come down and meet you a little bit.

Could I say £140? How does that sound?

£140 sounds fine. I would definitely go for that. Thank you very much.

-Wonderful. Thank you very much, Alison.

-Shake on that.

Yes, that's a 20.20 profit of £22.50,

and there's just time to check that steely gaze.

So, nice healthy retinas, which is great news for you.

That is brilliant news.

Let's hope I've got an eye for a profit.

Hmm, it seems she does,

as she takes her model of Queen Mary's doll house

to show specialist, George, in Hay-on-Wye.

-40 will do.

-Thank you very much.

And walks out with a small but perfectly formed £22.37 profit.

Smashing.

Bingo is on the road again near Battle

with his vintage car badges.

These badges took me all the way to Worcestershire.

And I found out more about this one in particular.

I know it's after the Second World War. 1950s, 1960s.

And the caravan I'm about to see

is of a similar age.

It could be a perfect combination.

The badges owe James just over £28.

He hopes Jimmy, who's renovating a vintage American caravan,

can find a place to stick 'em.

-Permission to come aboard.

-Hello, James, how are you doing?

-Very good, Jimmy, how are you?

-Yeah, good. Good to see you.

This is...

This looks absolutely fabulous from the outside,

but the inside needs a bit of imagination, doesn't it?

It does, it does.

Yeah, yeah, I've got my work cut out for me.

I think I'll be back here tomorrow with a sledgehammer, knocking out cupboards.

Jimmy, what are you hoping to do with this item?

-I'm hoping to turn it into a mobile cocktail bar.

-Fabulous.

So that's the plan, yeah.

How old is this?

I've been told from the people who

-sold it to the people I bought it from...

-Yeah.

..in Texas that it's the 1961 model.

-Look, here is the great badge.

-This is what we're here for.

The Caravan Club badge.

-OK.

-Obviously been used a lot.

These...these...

These were attached to badge rails on the front of the car.

It's obviously had some stone chips on it.

Yeah, to the front grille of the car.

I know it's post-Second World War.

So it's probably 1950s or '60s.

This is rather fun.

So, this shows you where the Caravan Club stems from,

this horseshoe, because caravans were towed by horses.

And also, a good luck symbol.

-Yeah. Horseshoe's a good luck symbol?

-Good luck symbol.

Good to know, good to know.

And also, you get this funny fellow, which is slightly unassociated.

I don't think it's a car badge, but I tell you what you could do,

you could have "Star Cocktail" or something in there.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Perfect. These are interesting to me.

Good. Tell you what, Jimmy, I wanted...

I want to try and get, sort of, north of £50. How about £70?

How does that sound?

£70. Erm, a little bit steep to me

given that it wasn't something I was looking for specifically.

But I do like it.

-You've only got floors to do, light...

-Exactly.

I've got to think about the project. I'd love to. Yeah.

So how much?

I mean, you mentioned the figure

of £50, maybe we could meet in the middle at £60.

You've got yourself a deal.

-Deal.

-Thank you, Jimmy. And best of luck with this.

-Thank you very much.

He hitches up his profit wagon with that £31.80 gain,

and more than doubles his money.

Kate is in Cheltenham and has just one item left to sell -

her vintage tea set.

I've cleaned my Picquot Ware up a bit.

And I've brought it to a lovely vintage shop

which also sells coffee.

Let's hope it's their cup of tea.

It owes her just under £65,

so can she persuade Sylvia to take it off her hands for more?

I told you about this on the telephone - my Picquot Ware.

I've just noticed your lovely coffee machine here.

-That's stunning, isn't it?

-It's fantastic.

-It's gorgeous.

And really '50s in style, which is pretty much what this is.

-Late '50s, early '60s, maybe.

-Right, yeah.

And if I put it down there, you can see

it's got the name quite clearly on the bottom there.

Picquot Ware.

I love it. I really love it.

It's something that would really sell well in our shop.

We have actually sold a piece like this before.

Whether we get it for the price or not is a different story, so...

-OK, so we'd better talk price.

-Well, can I just bring my husband in?

Because he really loves this type of stuff.

It's really his thing and he loves it.

Of course, you just want to gang up on me, don't you? Two against one.

I do, it's better in numbers. Paul!

Let's hope he's not too far... Oh, there he is.

-1960s, right?

-Late '50s I would say.

Late '50s, early 60s..

I've seen them go for quite a range of prices, actually.

But I think this is a really nice example. It's all in good condition.

-Yeah, I can see that.

-You've got the tray as well.

So, you know, the top end would be around the £150 mark.

-BOTH: Ooooh!

-Not much in it for us on the back end.

-It's retail price.

-Yeah, that would be far too high for us.

-OK.

I would be quite happy to pay about £70 for it.

We feel that's a fair price.

I need a wee bit more than that, I have to say.

Just a wee bit more. If I could just...

Could you come up and meet me at, say, the £100 mark?

-How does that sound?

-Still a wee bit high.

-£80 sounds better.

I've come down quite a way.

-We will go up a little bit more, if you want.

-I think £80.

Kate's met her match here. Can she squeeze the price up any more?

You're killing me. You're killing me.

-Why don't we say £90? You're really twisting my arm.

-£90?

-Final price.

-£90.

-£90. Could you do 90?

-£90. Fantastic.

-Sounds a good deal to me.

Thank you very much.

Oh, she did it.

Kate pours that final £25.37 into her profit pot,

and what does that mean, Kate?

I'm all sold up. Well, I don't know what Bingo's doing,

but I'm going home for a nice cup of tea.

Yes, back in East Sussex, it's not quite tea-time for James,

as he has one more item left to shift.

And it's the one we've all been waiting for -

the carved Indian seat that James thought would make

a cracking dog bed. Hmm.

How's that going to go, then?

I've tried to find a passionate dog owner, but I came to a dead end,

so I've brought my exotic eastern seat to an exotic tent hire company.

It's too heavy for me to carry, so I've had it delivered.

SIGHS With the idea of costly canine sleeping solutions behind him,

Bingo's popped in a sort of brown cushion thing,

and is about to ender a whole new world of glamping.

The carved seat cost just over £152, but will James be

sitting on a profit when he shows it to company boss Catherine?

-Here is the item.

-This is beautiful.

-Really lovely.

-I think it's beautiful.

Do you know, Catherine, I think you and I have similar taste.

I have tried to get somebody with a dog, a passionate dog owner,

-and I've just come up against a brick wall, really.

-Have you?

Well, I think maybe we can look at it in different ways.

Perhaps it doesn't have to be for a dog.

Perhaps it could be for a musician to sit in, in a tent.

I think it definitely was intended for that. A sitar player.

Do you know that, for definite?

I think so, because the figures on the legs are

emblematic of musicians.

Yep, there's lots of different musical instruments being

played on each of the legs.

I'm sure that, at some point in the future, a sitar player will sit

in this, in one of my tents, playing the sitar,

-for a Mhendi party or for a wedding or something.

-Yeah.

It looks really lovely, really lovely piece.

I know exactly what I'm going to do with it.

Right, out with the cushion.

Out with the cushion,

in with something that's a little bit more fitting.

-Yeah. It's bringing more colour, isn't it?

-Little bit more colour, exactly.

Yes, you can't have something brown in there, I don't think.

-It's transformed.

-It is.

-Now, knotty business of price, Catherine.

-Yes.

OK, how much do you want for it?

-I wanted to try and get about £220 for it.

-OK, OK.

I think, actually, there's quite a lot there.

I think it's been used, I think it's quite nicely carved.

-Yeah, actually, you know what? I think that's a fair price.

-OK.

-Catherine, thank you.

-I'll go with that.

-Thank you very much indeed.

And that final £67.25 profit signals the end of our selling spree.

Will James have been able to hang on to his lead

or will Kate take home the victory cup?

We'll find out soon,

but first, here's a reminder of how much they spent at auction.

Having each started the day with £1,000 to spend,

James bought six items, spending a total of £347.80.

Kate also bought six lots, spending £426.53,

including PAT testing costs.

But who's made the most profit?

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

challenge will go to charities of their choice.

So, let's find out who is our

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Hey.

-Good to see you again.

-You too. How are you?

Very good, very good, but how are you after all your selling?

Yeah, well, OK. I think it's fair to say,

at the auction, I bought a little bit out of my comfort zone,

but the selling was great fun.

-I had my eyes tested when I sold the optician's set.

-All good?

-All good.

-How about you?

-Yeah, no, I did all right.

I went to see a most fabulous model railway set,

-and my whisky did all right.

-Did it now?

Because I was a little bit dubious about that whisky.

I have to say, I did knock it. But it went well, did it?

It had age, that's the thing.

-OK, shall we find out.

-Are we ready?

-I'm dying to find out.

-Are you ready?

-Ready...go!

-Go!

-Ooooooh! You've trounced me!

-Kate.

-Well done.

-Dear oh dear, what's going on?

-£387!

So, what was in the whisky?

-It was seriously old, was it?

-Gold, Kate. Gold.

-Let me tell you about it.

-You've done well.

-Let me tell you about it.

-Congratulations.

JAMES LAUGHS

A convincing win from James, making more than double Kate's profit,

and it was the whisky that made him the most money.

I'm not just pleased, I'm absolutely delighted.

There seems to be gold in them whisky bottles.

Well, I am gutted.

Fair dos to Bingo, he has smashed me on that one.

But what I'm really cross about is that he spotted that whisky,

which to me looked disgusting,

and he couldn't have found a better person to sell it to.

Hats off, old boy.

Between them, they've made over £580 and every penny of that

will go to good causes.

My chosen charity is the Windmill Hill Windmill Trust.

Bought at auction over 20 years ago,

saved from dereliction.

And about to grind corn.

My chosen charity is the Herefordshire branch of SSAFA,

because it gives lifelong support to servicemen,

veterans and their families.

Our excellent experts have really

put their money where their mouths are and shown they can make a profit

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