Eric Knowles v Danny Sebastian - Foreign Antiques Market Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is,

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

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

Let's make hay while that sun shines.

Each week, one pair of duelling dealers

will face a different daily challenge.

I've got a heavy profit here.

-Putting their reputations on the line...

-Who's there?

-..they'll give you the insider's view of the trade...

-Rrroar.

..along with their top tips and savvy secrets...

That could present a problem.

-..showing you how to make the most money...

-Ready for battle.

-..from buying and selling.

-Get in there!

Coming up, Danny Sebastian plots an antiques invasion.

Wouldn't mind getting a bit of pottery, really,

just to show Eric that I can play him at his own game.

Eric Knowles brushes up on his bronze-making.

It's given me a good idea of all the work that's gone into producing it.

And there's a singsong in the selling.

# Sewing machine, sewing machine The greatest thing I've ever seen

# Sewing machine sewing machine The greatest thing I've ever seen. #

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Willkommen, bienvenue and goede dag

to this latest conquest of the collectibles from the Continent.

Our two valiant challengers have spurned the warmth of their beds

in favour of an early morning stroll

around the antiques market at Sint-Truiden in Belgium,

all in the name of buying, selling

and beating their opponent to a winning profit.

Our first contender is a knight of the round Chippendale table,

determined to throw down the gauntlet

and be victorious in his quest to find the finest antique spoils.

It's Eric "The Knowledge" Knowles.

This is where you do battle.

Keen to thwart Eric's challenge is the prince of paraphernalia.

He's the silver-tongued golden boy from Wellingborough,

Danny "Del Boy" Sebastian.

Plenty of nice stuff here, plenty of nice stuff.

They've each got £750-worth of their own euros to spend

and all the profit goes to their chosen charities

but who will be able to stake their claim

and secure the best of today's bounty?

Eric Knowles and Danny Sebastian,

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

-Good middle of the night to you, cos it feels like it.

-It is that.

But I'm used to that, because I worked the markets,

-I've done the fairs.

-Yeah.

But generally, by now, usually, I've sold up and gone home.

Looking at what I've seen,

-it looks like it's going to be a very nice fair today.

-OK.

-There's plenty of vehicles, there's plenty of people.

-Yep.

You can always spot the bargains,

cos they've got a red light flashing over the top of them.

Talk for yourself. You're a connoisseur in this game,

so YOU can always spot... Shall I follow your lead?

You can follow my lead and whatever you do,

buy the thing next to whatever I buy,

you'll probably make more of a profit.

-I'll keep that in mind.

-Good on you. OK.

-Good luck.

-Go for it.

-Remember, we're batting for Britain.

-That will do.

So, on the surface,

both our experts are presenting a unified front.

But how long will this entente cordiale last,

especially as Danny, it appears, isn't as confident as he let on.

There's only one thing that's really worrying me

and that is the communication lapse.

Obviously, they speak Belgian or Flemish here and I speak English.

I haven't really got a clue how to speak Flemish,

so I've just got to work with my pen,

but I'm raring to go and I want to buy some good gear.

Yes, the pen is mightier than the Flemish phrasebook, Danny.

Now, "The Knowledge" Knowles knows this market well,

so how's HE going to approach this campaign?

Got to be methodical cos there's a lot of area to cover.

It's about the size of a football pitch and a bit bigger,

so I'll have to do two or three circuits,

just to make sure I cover everything.

So, Eric plans to scout out the stalls before he spends his euros.

Danny, on the other hand,

has already homed in on a potential purchase...

..a milk urn.

How much?

-Ah, non.

-It appears Danny's pen has been replaced by a calculator.

-Oh, oh, oh, oh.

-20.

25. 25. 25. 25. 25.

-22.

-25. 25. 25.

-22.

Well, no translation necessary, but just to be absolutely clear...

..au lait...

-OK.

-OK

Yes, unable to resist the sheer enthusiasm of the man,

Danny settles on 25 euros for the urn,

which converts into £18.52.

So, is he happy with his first purchase?

This is a lovely brass urn. I'd date it round about mid-20th century.

Very, very decorative piece and I find, nowadays,

that people just buy them, they like them

and this is quite a nice piece, being brass.

They generally come in aluminium.

Going to milk this one, I tell you, for a good profit.

Yes, you'll be churning out the money, Del Boy.

Across the market, Eric is sticking to his word

and is methodically perusing up and down every aisle.

-20?

-For the two.

20 for the two. OK, thank you.

But he's yet to spot anything he likes the look of,

so he decides a change of tack is in order.

I'm going to have to keep an open mind here

and maybe go for the quirky.

But, there again, my competitor, when it comes to quirks,

he knows a good quirk when he sees one.

Yes, he does indeed.

Ooh, what's that quirky little thing you've spotted there, Danny?

Seems like a very early telephone. Um, it's got no digits on it but...

HANDLE SQUEAKS

You've obviously got to wind it to get your numbers out, I suppose.

Quite interesting.

So, intrigued by the piece,

Danny moves in to negotiate with the camera-shy vendor.

-How much for this old phone?

-95.

-Ow!

That's a low blow!

-Very low blow.

-It comes from the mines.

-From the mines?

-Very interesting. What sort of period? How old?

-1938.

-1938?

-Roughly.

-What's the best price you can do me?

-80.

-72.

-No, no, 75.

-Is that your best?

-Yes.

# No need to ask He's a smooth operator... #

Slick and smooth, 75 euros for the mining phone converts to £55.56,

but was it a good call?

I'm going to be very interested in finding out

a little bit more about it.

Something that I've not really seen before.

The gentleman's telling me it was used in the mines.

I suppose you'd be ringing and telling upstairs

that the coal bucket's full.

Seems all intact as well, even the handles.

It's got that nice firmness about it, that's just right.

# Hey, baby I'm the telephone man... #

With two buys to Eric's zero,

it seems our Del Boy has a spring in his step.

Plenty of nice stuff here, plenty of nice stuff.

Whilst Eric has barely moved an inch.

At the moment, I'm struggling to find anything

that comes under the heading of "old".

Right, aisle number two.

But, as Eric wades ever deeper into the market,

he soon casts his line and catches some pottery...

Let me look at this.

..reeling in a set of 19th-century plates with a price tag of 30 euros.

-You know where they say, "What is your best price?"

-It's 10 euros.

-10 euros each?

-Yes.

-OK, excellent.

No haggle, Eric? 20 euros is £14.81

and he's finally landed his first catch of the day.

Well, my two plates could well be relatively local,

because I'm seeing a BK there, on the back,

not very distinct, which tells me

that they were probably made by Boch Keramis, quite a well-known maker.

But what I love about these plates

is that they show French/ Belgian humour.

The top one shows a fisherman and he's hooked a whale,

only because he's got a lady's corset

and the stays in the corset were normally made from whalebone,

so that's the connection there. And this one...

My French is somewhat wanting, but the verse at the bottom says,

"Oh, I do like a man who knows how to row his own boat."

I think there's something in the saying there,

"I like a man who knows where he's going in life."

These plates, I don't think,

were ever meant to see a meal of any description.

They were made, primarily, to put on the wall.

They're there for nothing more than amusement.

So the prince of pottery has stayed in his area of expertise

with his first purchase

and it seems Del Boy has forgotten his early worries

and his confidence is growing in bounds -

so much, he feels spurred on to venture into Eric's turf.

Wouldn't mind getting a bit of pottery, really,

just to show Eric that I can play him at his own game.

-But it's got to be a good piece.

-Hmm, this will be interesting -

taking on the ceramic lord himself at his own game.

-Oh...

-What's going on here?

-Hey, get off my ground, you.

-This is MY ground.

-What are you on about?

I thought you were outside.

When I go out, then you come in.

Now, knowing your Wedgwood from your Wallendorfer in this game is key,

but it seems Danny's not averse to getting some inside information.

I tell you what, though, I've just seen a lovely bit of Royal Dux.

-Can I have your expert opinion? I thought it was quite pretty.

-Yeah.

-What's it worth?

-I don't know. You're the expert here, mate.

Yes, it's every man for themselves in this game,

so while Danny finds out the price...

600? Wow! That's a big figure. Bit too rich for me, I think, that one.

..Eric leaves his rival to it and moves outside,

where he snaps up a mantle clock for 35 euros or £25.93.

I'm very pleased with my clock garniture.

A lot of people might refer to it as being art deco.

To be technical, it is sort of more art moderne.

It's a style that finds its way in to mainstream art around about 1930.

Black Belgian slate with marble facings. It's very chic.

That purchase means our dealers are now level pegging

at two items apiece.

Around the corner, Danny is hoping it won't stay that way for long.

This is a lovely sewing machine. I quite like industrial.

And this is just a bit different. I've seen a lot of sewing machines.

I used to collect for a company in England that was buying them

for display purposes. but I've never seen one like this.

It's for leather, I think. Probably about 1940s.

Made of cast iron with the foot pedal.

But it's just a little bit different

and, with that, got my name all over it.

-Tell me, sir.

-What?

-How much?

-200.

-No, no.

-Yes.

-No, no.

-How much?

100? Oh, no!

What do you mean, oh, no? Come on.

-No, no, no, no.

-How much? What's the best?

-No, no, no.

-Give me a good price.

-180 is the last price.

-150.

All right, go.

-150, I love that.

-All right.

-Have you tried to sell it before?

Yes, I have, many...

You've tried to sell it many times and no-one had bought it.

Yes, he was obviously waiting for you to come along, Del Boy.

That 150 euros converts to £111.11,

making this sewing machine his most expensive purchase so far.

That brings us up to the halfway point

in this Belgian buying bonanza.

Time to find out who's been commanding and conquering

and who's been waving the white flag.

With a £750 kitty, Eric has taken his time

and so far spent £40.74 on two items,

leaving a little over £709 in his pocket.

Danny spent fast and big, with three items costing £185.19,

which leaves him almost £565 for the rest of the day.

It's honesty time because I don't mind telling you, my friend,

-I am struggling out there.

-It's hard, isn't it?

-It IS hard.

But isn't that the challenge?

Danny, I'm trying to feed off your positivity,

but there have been times during this trawl

that I've lost the will to live. But now I've met you, I'm recharged.

Oh, well, that's what I didn't want to do!

I want to keep all that energy for myself.

Have you found a few bits though?

I have found a few bits but, like you say, it's difficult.

It's looking for those big value objects

that you think you're going to make some big money on

and, so far, I've just been fishing and catching tiddlers.

Just snap up what you know you're going to make a few quid on.

-OK, all right. So onwards...

-And upwards.

-Carry on, number one.

-Bonjour.

-Take the bridge.

-Take the bridge.

Well, Eric's made no bones about it.

He's been finding this market hard work

and, having spent just a fraction of his budget,

he's now on the lookout for his prize piece.

When you're going round a place like this,

you've really got to scan every stall, even though it looks

as though the things on there are of no great consequence,

because that's quite often where you find the hidden gem.

In spite of thinking big,

Eric's next purchase is hardly a bank breaker.

He spends 10 euros on an art deco inkwell, which converts to £7.41.

Meanwhile, Danny is turning up the heat,

spotting an early 20th-century blowtorch

with a price tag of 25 euros.

-But our Del Boy has a lower price in mind.

-How much?

-VENDOR LAUGHS

-Combien?

Hmm, it seems the high five was obviously too low.

Perhaps a pen and paper haggle will work.

18 and a smile.

-19?

-19.

-OK.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

A flash of those pearly whites helps Danny nab it for £14.07.

This is a lovely little brass blowtorch.

I'd estimate it to be about 1920s.

Quite nice. I think it's absolutely fantastic, really.

It's got some great writing on it. "Beware of imitations".

Got a nice wooden handle. It's nice and tactile.

You're going to want to pick it up and play with it.

It's a prime boy's toy.

Somebody's going to polish this up

and bring it back up to sparkling condition. I love it.

Danny's boy toy blowtorch nudges him back in the lead,

with four buys to Eric's three.

Inside the market, old Knowlesy is still trying to spot a big-money buy

and something catches his eye - a pair of early Victorian spectacles.

Can I look in the...? Thank you very much.

You've got to try them on, haven't you?

Careful, Eric, these are no ordinary specs.

They can reveal your inner hippy.

Yeah, baby!

They're nice.

-They suit you.

-They suit me, do they? Oh, thank you.

-How much are they?

-I'm asking 45.

-45.

-If I was to offer 40, would that be acceptable?

-Yeah.

-OK.

So, Eric pays a thrifty £29.63 for the ocular objet d'art.

It's nice to see that they're in their original carrying case,

which is just carved wood.

But what makes these spectacles interesting

is the fact that they've got blue lenses.

Now, I can tell you these are not sunglasses.

Apparently, they're made for an eye condition.

I think it's something called astigmatism,

but I might have that bit wrong. But what I do know,

is that these date to around about 1840 to maybe 1860.

I'm now in search of a specialist spectacle collector.

And having spent just a tenth of his budget,

Eric goes back on the prowl, but time is running out.

As the stalls begin to shut down,

the question is, will he get his big-money buy.

Meanwhile, Danny is having a minor meltdown.

I hope I look worried cos I am. Time's running short.

Well, you won't find any more in there, Del Boy.

So, in the race to the finish line, Danny is feeling indecisive...

How much?

-10, 10 euros.

-10 euros.

-Yeah.

-I might be back.

-Yeah.

..while Eric, who's been once round the track,

has headed back to the vendor who sold him the spectacles

and he has his eye on a 19th-century ornament.

I've just found this bronze model of a racehorse.

The first thing you obviously look for

is to see if there's a signature.

But nothing.

He's just missing a screw and he'll be back on his feet properly.

So, the price is 180. I'd like to offer 175.

Is there any chance we could do that for 175?

So, that's my biggest buy of the day.

So, after chomping at the bit to find a big-money buy,

Eric spends £129.63 and decides to call it a day.

Danny, however, is not far behind,

as he heads back to the mirror with a 10 euro price tag

and, despite having over £550 still in his kitty,

Del Boy's pleading poverty.

-10 euros.

-Come down. I've run out of money.

-Can you do 5?

-Oh, it's good.

And the deal is done. So, cue Danny's horse impression.

Yes? Eh-eh-eh. That's made my day. That's made my day.

And with that, Danny secures his final item,

in the last throes of the market, for 5 euros or £3.70.

It all got a bit desperate towards the end. I ran out of time.

I bought this mirror. It's quite a simple one.

It's got a nice brass frame on it and it's in the shape of a watch.

It's not bevelled edge but it only cost me 5 euros.

Very, very cheap, really,

so I don't think I'm going to have a problem selling this piece.

And that brings us to the end of our foreign foray,

so let's see what they spent in beautiful Belgium.

Starting the day with £750-worth of euros,

Eric purchased five items and spent £207.41.

Danny bought the same amount but spent a fiver less.

So, with neither dealer managing to splash the cash,

what will they make of each other's hauls?

Danny, I've got to say that we've both come pretty good.

We've come up trumps again, haven't we?

That's got to be your favourite, that little bronze.

Well, I'm hoping that I've backed a winner with that,

if you pardon the pun.

But racehorses and bronze racehorses

-invariably find the right type of buyer.

-Definitely.

I love the plates because they're Belgian,

although they're lettered in French, but they're very humorous.

I won't go into too much detail, but that's Belgian humour for you.

In your case, I can see I'm dealing with a heavy metal man.

-You definitely are. We rock!

-Do you?

-Yes. I think my...

-That Singer, I like it.

-It's a big one.

-It's actually a leather sewing machine for shoes.

-Is it?

-It is.

You'd know that because you're a Northamptonshire lad, aren't you?

-That's right.

-What's this big thing?

This little baby here is an early Ericsson. It's a mine telephone.

Oh, is it?

Not quite sure how it worked but I suppose that was underneath

or upstairs and they'd telephone through and said...

-Oh, I see.

-"Take the cart away."

They've got to be very careful with electric sparks, so once it's in...

-That looks like a very solid cast-iron cabinet.

-That's right.

-OK.

-Insulated and all that.

-Right.

-What's your favourite lot?

For me, my favourite lot...

Well, to be frank, I love the spectacles

because I saw the box,

I knew it should have had specs in and when they came out,

they were that little bit special

because they've got blue lenses and I think they use those

for a form of astigmatism or it's some eye defect, either way.

So, you get...

For every, let's say 500 pairs that you get with clear lenses,

-you'll get one with blue lenses.

-Bit special then.

-Yeah.

Listen, we've had a day out.

We could be at home doing the ironing, couldn't we?

-Look on the bright side of life.

-I shall do.

-OK.

-Ciao.

-See you.

Our pair of Belgian bargaineers must now head home to good old Blighty

and turn their attention to selling.

Eric and Danny will scour the breadth of our great nation,

from its metropoli to its manor houses,

in search of profitable homes for all their foreign spoils.

Each expert is driven,

driven to win and make more profit than their opponent,

with all their earnings going to a charity of their choice.

So, back in Wellingborough,

Danny is reflecting on his collectibles campaign.

The real cream of the crop here, today,

is this Singer cobblers sewing machine.

A great thing, that.

I've not seen any of these sewing machines with this base before,

so it's just a little bit different.

Nowadays, if you look on the high street,

you see that a lot of people have got old machinery

in their shops as props.

There's going to be a healthy profit on it.

Then I've got my little Sievert blowtorch.

Sievert is the maker's name. It's got writing on it.

It's even got "This is not an imitation".

Great, I think it's quite fun.

Got to try and find a collector of blowtorches,

or something of that description, for that piece.

My milk urn - nice little thing, that.

Quite commercial, whether someone wants to use them in the garden,

but I'm not going to use it in that field.

I'm going to stick a cushion on the top and sell it as...

..a seat, a stool.

Hmm, how very creative, Del Boy. Let's hope it pays off.

Don't forget, Danny will also need to find homes

for his miners' phone and mirror.

Over in Buckinghamshire, Eric is considering his Belgian bonanza.

Well, I'm now back from Belgium

and I've brought a little bit of Belgium back with me.

My horse, well, still need to find a stable for that, at the moment.

It's a nice object.

It's not a huge amount of money, but it's not signed

and with bronzes, you do like to see a signature.

Now, I've got to say that the spectacles,

I was delighted to find those.

I've always been interested in early specs and those are,

having done my research,

from around 1845 to maybe 1865, so relatively early.

I've got an art moderne clock.

You can say art deco, if you like, but I like to say moderne,

cos these are round about 1930, 1935.

In black Belgian slate.

And also Belgian is this wonderful, very heavy,

masculine marble inkstand.

Now, these really need to go into

a good and large art, dare I say it, moderne house.

There are one or two in this area,

so I'll be maybe knocking on a few doors.

He'll also need to find a profitable home

for his 19th-century Belgian plates.

So, now is the time to hit the phones, the internet and the road.

But remember, no deal is done until they've shaken on it

and they're counting the cash.

First off the starter's gun is Danny,

who's found a micropub in his home town of Wellingborough

where there's interest in the brass milk urn he bought for £18.52.

Danny planned to turn the urn into a stool,

so time to reveal his expert upcycling.

Tell you what I've got...

Stool.

Ooh! Well, it was a nice idea,

but will owner Martin appreciate all that effort?

If it's a stand-up day, take the stool off, umbrella stand,

especially if it's raining.

-Course.

-Want to keep the door open, put it against the door, door stop.

-Lovely, that.

-No, I do like, it.

Are you going to like the price, that's the question?

-Let's get to the business part.

-Give us 75 quid.

-No.

-As you say, micropub, microprices.

-Micropub, micromoney, eh?

-I don't believe that for a second. I've seen this place packed!

-£25.

-Ooh, no, Martin.

-I do like it but...

You do like it, but you don't like ME.

Come on! 60 quid.

-40.

-5.

-40. Final offer.

Why are you being hard on me now?

Oh, dear, is Danny's milk urn going to turn sour on him?

-I like it but...

-This is an adaptable thing

that is going to fit into your shop greatly.

How about meeting in the middle? £42.50.

-45.

-42.50.

-All the fours.

-42.50, I'll take it.

-I'm going to grab it.

Well, Martin was no pushover, but our stubborn salesman manages

to milk a profit of £23.98, a nice little "urn-er"!

That's my first sale done.

I did double my money but, to be quite honest with you,

it was just a small purchase with a small profit. I need to up the ante.

So, Danny's desperate to do better.

Meanwhile, Eric has made his way to Soho, London,

and he's hoping to get up close and personal with his first buyer.

I'm here to meet a man who'll always see me right

because he sells spectacles.

Ah, good one, old boy.

Remember, Eric paid just under £30 for the spectacles,

but will framemaker

and vintage optics collector Tom like what he sees?

What is it about spectacles? There you are wearing a designer pair.

-Did you design those yourself?

-These, yes, these are my own work.

The beautiful thing about spectacles

-is they're an amazing piece of design.

-Yeah.

-They also help you see.

-I hope I can get you excited with my spectacles.

19th century, steel, steel wire.

Oval lens with a blue tint.

Over the last 2,000 years, people have used

all types of colours of lenses

-to affect and ameliorate different medical conditions.

-Right.

Blue was very popular in the 19th century,

partly because there's that psuedo-medical element,

but I think it became associated with status in society as well,

particularly the legal profession.

So, do you have a collection of early specs?

Yeah, absolutely, so I'd love to add to my 19th-century metal collection.

All these things are possible, Tom, all these things are possible.

But if I was to ask for, say...£80 for those,

-where would you come at me from?

-So, 80 seems a bit punchy to me.

If I was looking at an auction or a collectors' fair,

I'd be looking more in the range of £40 to £45.

£55, do you think we could do a deal?

-I think we could do a deal.

-Good lad. Put it there.

Eric certainly saw clearly on that deal,

adding £25.37 to his profit pot.

# Cos he's a dedicated follower of fashion... #

Yeah, that's enough now. Time to get back to selling.

Eager to build on his sales success,

Eric rolls his wheels to Oxfordshire.

He's brought his 19th-century Belgian plates

to show French restaurateur Antoine.

Un and deux.

-Parfait!

-They're not actually French.

-Um, they're Belgian.

-Very well.

Cos they've got the mark on the back for Boch, Boch Freres.

But they are in very good order and I think, datewise,

they're around about 1895, maybe 1900.

So, would you be kind enough to translate into anglaise pour moi?

-Avec grand plaisir.

-OK.

-"Sports, fishing."

-Yes?

-"Amazing, wonderful."

-OK...

-"A deep-fried whale's bone."

-I beg your pardon?

-If it makes any sense to you.

-Yes, yes, it does.

-Then "corset".

-Well, Eric seems to get it.

So, basically, we know that the corset

-has got whalebone stays, you know?

-Yeah.

So, that is the connotation, yes?

-OK, and this is, obviously, French humour.

-It is indeed, yes.

-OK.

-Do they appeal to you, that's the thing?

-They do indeed.

They remind me of my grandma's house, where she's got a few -

not those ones, sadly, so it gives me an idea.

-So, it depends, of course...

-OK. Well, come at me with an offer.

Normally, I would spend about £20 for a present,

so what about that one at 20 and this one at 30?

-20 and 30 - that's £50.

-It is, indeed.

-OK.

-Cash.

I tell you what. Let me offer another deal.

I'll offer you that at 25, OK, and I'll offer you that at 25.

-How does that sound?

-Not quite the same.

But it's the same money!

It doesn't matter, at the end of the day.

Yes, with a joke befitting his plates,

Eric is laughing all the say to the bank, pocketing just over £35.

That sale nudges Knowlesy ahead with two sales to Danny's one.

But not to be outdone, Danny is eager to prove

his boots are made for walking with his next sale.

I'm here in Earls Barton,

the historical town of the boot and shoe industry,

to see Georgina. She has a village museum.

I'm going to try and sell her my Singer cobbler's machine.

Let's hope I don't get stitched up!

Remember, this cobbling collectible cost Danny a whopping £111.11,

so will he make his money back?

-Good morning, Georgina.

-Hello.

-I see you're having a lovely look at it.

Yes, well, I want to know what you've got me into here.

Course you do. What do you think?

-Yes, not bad, not bad.

-Not bad?

It's going to need a bit of rubbing up, a bit of conditioning,

but I know a man that can do that. That's not a problem.

How it works, you see - that revolves at 360 degrees,

and that is why you can mend all sorts of things,

because you put the leather behind

and then you can stitch it and move it round.

-It seems like a great thing.

-Yeah, it's a good bit of kit.

-I'm dreading this moment, to be honest.

-Come on then.

-Are you ready?

-Yeah.

-330.

-No! That's too much, Danny.

-Too much?

Yeah, you got to go down a bit, I'm afraid.

If you sing the nursery rhyme "The sewing machine, the sewing machine,

"the greatest machine I've ever seen", I'll go up to 235.

Yes, Georgina has a bizarre bartering technique, hasn't she?

Well, this is a "Singer" sewing machine, but Eurovision this ain't.

I'm a terrible singer.

I can do a lot of things, but one thing I can't do is sing.

A great big man like you with a big booming voice?

-"Sewing machine, sewing machine."

-Well, we'll have a...

-240, if I pass the test.

-OK.

# Sewing machine, sewing machine

# The greatest thing I've ever seen

# Sewing machine, sewing machine

# The greatest thing I've ever seen. #

-You're done. It's... That's brilliant, OK.

-Will that do you?

-I'll let you off.

-Oh, lovely. You deserve a...mwah.

Wow, talk about singing for your supper!

But that performance brings Danny a tasty profit of £128.89.

And that sale puts our duo neck and neck,

but the singing salesman decides to get ahead

by heading to the market town of Kettering in Northamptonshire...

# Here comes the mirror man... #

..where he sells his novelty mirror to vintage cafe owner Jade...

-£18?

-Yeah, go on then.

-Give us a shake.

..making a modest profit of £14.30.

And with that, we're at the midway point of selling,

so let's see whose profit is knocking it out of the park

and whose sales are striking out.

So far, Eric has made a profit of £60.56

on the two items that he's sold,

but Danny is way out in front, having sold three items,

giving him a meaty £167.17 profit.

Now, we all know that Eric is the prince of pottery.

Bronze isn't his forte, so to help him sell his equine sculpture,

he's decided to buff up on his bronzeware.

He's come to Oxfordshire to meet Hamish,

an artist and master sculptor,

to find out how much of a thoroughbred he's backed.

-It's got some age.

-It's lovely, isn't it? Late 19th century.

It looks like it's been sand-cast

because of the slight pitting on the surface.

If you were lucky, you picked it up for a couple of hundred quid.

What would it cost today to make something like that?

We're looking at just over £1,000, just to make.

So, an asking price, from my perspective,

of, let's say, £200 to £250 should be considered to be reasonable?

-Very reasonable.

-Good.

So, Eric may have got a bargain in Belgium,

but before he gets back to trying to find a buyer for the bronze,

he takes the opportunity to find out

exactly how this magnificent metal is cast today,

starting with the design and modelling of the sculpture from clay

and making it into a negative mould, which is fired and hardened.

We're finally ready for the bronze pouring,

which is where the magic happens.

The metal is heated to 1,200 degrees and poured in to fill the mould.

When a bronze is finished, it comes out the colour of a shiny 2p coin.

-Yes.

-And what I now do is I patinate it.

You're basically changing the colour

and we use a mixture of heat and various different chemicals.

It's given me a good idea of all the work that's gone into producing this

and, by rights, I should be asking the best part of £1,000 for this.

-I think so.

-But I don't think I'm going to get away with that.

-Listen...

-Thank you very much for coming.

Well, £1,000 may be a bit steep

but, as Eric only paid just shy of £130,

he's still in a very strong position,

and armed with all that extra info about his horse,

is taking it to show an old antiquing acquaintance, Geoffrey,

who owns an upmarket gallery in Belgravia, London,

and specialises in bronze equine pieces.

-And that is my little horse. He's..

-I'll put my glasses on for this.

-OK.

-He is what he is.

-It's 19th century, isn't it? Quite squeaky in there.

Yeah, I like it. What do you want for this?

Well, I see this maybe around the 300 mark but...

Anything to do with horses, you're pretty well on the mark.

Well, that flattery, Eric, goes a long way, I have to say.

You know, I do like it. It's not quite our thing, but I like it.

I would be more tempted around the 250, you might push me to 260.

Geoffrey, I'm not going to push you anywhere.

If you're happy around the 250 mark, that's good enough for me.

Are you sure? No, I'm happy with that. I think I've got a bargain.

Listen, listen, I make a profit, you make a profit -

-that's what this game's all about.

-Everybody's happy.

-Yeah.

-Perfect.

And make a profit he did - £120.37, to be exact -

proving his bronze horse was a solid bet.

Both dealers have sold their big-ticket items

for a healthy profit and the competition is still wide open.

On a roll, Eric goes on to sell his marble inkwell

to an antique dealer in London for £50,

earning himself a profit of £42.59.

He then travels to Westerham in Kent

with his art deco clock to meet Ashton.

-I would go in at £80.

-I think, at £80, I can take a chance.

Clocking up a profit of just over £54

and, with that, "The Knowledge" is all sold up.

While Eric's already crossed the finish line,

Danny still has two items to sell and he's not hanging around,

scooting north to the old Norman stronghold of Clitheroe,

where he sells his 1920s miners' phone

to Matt at his vintage emporium.

-Can I squeeze you for a bit more?

-90?

-That will do.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, 90 quid will do.

-Happy at that.

-Yeah.

So, Danny can phone home and report a profit of £34.44.

And continuing his northern selling spree,

Danny heads to the picturesque village of Whalley in Lancashire

with his vintage blowtorch

to show head chef Gareth at a local restaurant and deli.

It cost Del Boy just over £14, but will he be able to cook up a profit?

Now then, I came here one time before

and I thought that creme brulee that I ate needed a bit more glaze.

I've got just the thing to put the job right.

-Yeah, it looks just the ticket.

-Ah, that's what I like to hear.

It just looks the ticket, that, doesn't it?

But I'm not sure if it works.

I thought, you know what, I'm not going to muck about with it,

I'm going to leave it, but I think, in this kitchen, it...

A great souvenir, that could... This is a special one, this is, look.

-Looks good, doesn't it?

-It certainly does.

Right then, shall we see what needs to go in it and fire it up?

I wouldn't bother with all that. I'm getting a bit...

You don't want to be firing it and all that carry-on.

Are you not confident in your product?

It's not to say I'm not confident in my product,

it's just that you've got to appreciate, Chef,

that this is an antique and I'm just...

It's had a lot of wear and tear, it's had a lot of usage.

-It's been in service longer than I have, that has.

-Exactly my point!

The only problem I have is that this runs on kerosene

or something like that, or paraffin,

and we can only really use butane in the kitchen,

-with it being a food product.

-Yes, but of course, you know, um,

make a nice little, you know, showpiece or...

-It would look nice in my kitchen, actually.

-It can be yours.

-Right, if the price is right.

-Exactly, exactly.

-Let's talk turkey.

-Yeah, talk turkey?

-I prefer to talk goose - it's a bit more expensive.

-Right.

-Well, I want 50 quid anyway, Chef.

-£50?

45, for cash?

-And a free creme brulee?

-Well, can we go 48?

-I'll go 48.

-You'll go 48? Give us your hand here.

-Good man.

-Excellent.

-Deal's done.

Del Boy secures a delicious profit of £33.93

and that sweet deal is Danny's final sale of the day.

I couldn't resist it.

Mmm, so sweet. And a sweet profit also.

With the moment of truth nearly upon us, who will be walking away

with today's crown and who will be left weeping at the sidelines?

First, a quick reminder of what they spent in Belgium.

Our duo started the day with £750-worth of euros to spend.

Eric backed five items, costing £207.41.

Danny also picked up five purchases and spent £202.96.

But now it's all about the profit.

All the money our boys have made will go to their chosen charities

so, without further ado, let's find out

who is today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

Well, Danny. It's good to go travelling

-but it's good to get back home, isn't it?

-It is, indeed.

Tell me about your best buy and your favourite item.

My best buy, without a doubt, was my cobbler's Singer sewing machine.

Very much your area, Northamptonshire.

-Well, of course, yes, the Cobblers.

-Yeah.

-Lovely people, lovely profit.

-Yeah?

-What was your best one?

Well, profitwise, my little bronze horse came in at very good odds.

-It did, did it?

-It did.

-Galloped in and won.

Well, it led by more than a head, let's put it that way, all through.

-Shall we see how we got on?

-Why not? Come on!

-OK, one, two, three...

-Oh!

-Oh!

-You pipped me!

-Oh.

-You pipped me to the post.

-By a smidgeon.

-Well, that's enough.

-It's enough. Come on, let's go and resolve this.

-Yes, indeed.

Yes, Eric has won today's race

and it was that little bronze horse that got him a photo-finish win.

It's always good to win.

It's going to put my competition on the back foot there,

but in all fairness, I think it was miraculous that we both found

enough interesting objects to buy on the day. It was a tough call.

I wish I'd have squeezed a couple more quid out of my clients

cos it was close but it just weren't close enough. Better luck next time.

Yes, tomorrow, our pair get to fight it out in one last hurrah,

as they go head-to-head

in the contest to end all contests, the showdown.