Kate Bliss v Caroline Hawley - Showdown Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is,

pitching TV's best loved antiques experts

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

I think I see a bargain.

Each day, one pair of duelling dealers

will face a mighty challenge.

Oh, yeah.

Putting their reputations on the line.

Ready for battle.

They'll give you the insider's view of the trade...

I'm a big boy, I'm a player.

..along with their top tips and savvy secrets.

It's not all about what you spend, it's about what you make.

Showing you how to make the most money...

It really is war.

..from buying and selling.

You've got to be in there like a whippet.

Today it's the toughest race endured by man or womankind,

the culmination of a marathon week.

It's the Showdown.

Coming up: Kate tries hard not to show her feelings.

I'll have a little think.

-WHISPERS:

-But I love them.

Cheeky Caroline tries her luck in the selling.

Well, I was thinking 500.

Caroline, you are joking!

And will they fly or flounder at the terrifying Showdown auction?

-Oh, Kate.

-Oh, no, this isn't going well.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

It's time to place your bets, antiques lovers,

and line the streets as two steely connoisseurs of collectables

limber up for a bargain bagging contest so fierce,

our dealers will batter their biceps, torture their triceps

and strain their sinews to the max,

all in search of the greatest profit.

First up is a fearless fortune hunter with superhuman skills,

a crack negotiator tirelessly tracking down her bountiful booty.

It's Kate "Absolute" Bliss.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all about absolute profit.

Pitted against her is a virtuoso of vintage,

whose soft smile hides a gritty determination

to ferret out the treasures and beat down every deal.

It is Caroline "The Hawk" Hawley.

When I see a profit, I swoop.

Today they'll be competing on four fronts.

A car-boot sale, an auction,

a UK antiques fair, and a foreign market.

Our experts have £1,000 of their own money to spend on eight items

they think they can sell on for the most profit

which will all go to their chosen charities,

but there's a twist.

At least half their items must be sold at the monstrous Showdown auction...

-Oh, no!

-..where they'll have no control over the buying public.

They must stand and watch powerless as their items go under the hammer.

Only one will take the crown, but who will it be?

-Hi, how are you doing?

-Hi, Kate!

-Good.

-This is the big one.

-The Showdown.

-Yeah, crikey, it feels like it's been a long road already.

-We better look at the rules.

-We had.

"Welcome to the mighty Showdown.

"The rules are straightforward.

"You must each buy two items across four different locations

"and you have £1,000 to spend."

That's a lot of money.

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

"The rest will be sold at the Showdown auction

"in direct competition with your opponent." That's you.

-That's you.

-"The winner is the expert who makes the most profit."

That sounds pretty straightforward.

A piece of cake.

Good luck.

Our expert opponents are kitted out, limbered up and ready to compete.

Round one is Battersea car-boot sale in South London.

And cool, calm and collected Kate

has her Showdown strategy all mapped out.

Principally, I'm looking for those auction items first,

things that are in good condition,

items of silver that are clearly hallmarked,

anything rare and unusual that collectors at auction

are really going to go for. I'm on a mission.

So, Kate's on it straight away, but what of Ms Hawley's plan?

I've got £1,000, so if, fingers crossed,

I'm lucky and find a biggie,

I can blow most of it.

If not, well, we'll just see.

Anything could happen. That's what I love about car-boot sales.

Yes, well, don't blow all your budget in round one.

She fires off into the market and quickly hits a potential target -

a long leather case.

What price is your...

-..case?

-Oh, that can be £10.

It's a gun case, isn't it?

Yeah. Without the gun. It's lovely.

I'll give you eight, deal?

Do you know, I won't sell it for anything less than ten.

-OK.

-I'm so sorry.

I shall have it for ten. Go on.

The stallholder sticks to her guns

and Caroline shoots off with her first Showdown purchase.

It's wonderful quality leather, it's a gun bucket originally,

but I think you could hang it on the wall.

It dates from the late 19th, early 20th century

and I can tell that because it's all beautifully hand-stitched

and these lovely copper rivets in the back here.

They do not make things in this quality leather now.

Things aren't what they used to be, are they?

And sticking to her theme of bagging receptacles,

she quickly makes it two in a row

with this collection of late 20th century wicker baskets.

30 and you have a deal.

-OK. We'll shake on that.

-Oh, thank you so much. You're a star.

Well, look at me. Here I am literally in a car

boot surrounded by baskets.

Six of them, different shapes, different sizes.

I think they would just be superb in some shop, retail display unit.

I think I'm going to have no trouble at all selling these.

It's goodbye to 30 quid and hello to 100.

With Caroline leading, Kate needs to step up her game,

but she's unaware this vendor is no SHOE-IN.

-Where do these come from?

-Er, they're quite old Versace.

-Beautiful colour.

-Yeah.

-Like the feather of a bird.

Yes, exactly.

They've got that kind of iridescence, haven't they?

-Totally.

-What's the absolute rock bottom?

25. Oh, yeah.

I'm just thinking about what my...

-You have a little think.

-I'll have a little think.

-WHISPERS:

-But I love them.

Such a great colour.

Um... So what is your absolute death?

-25.

-25. You couldn't do 22?

Um... 23.

Done. Done.

Before you change your mind.

Cor, that was tougher than negotiating Britain's exit from the EU.

They're a great pair of luxury designer shoes.

We've got the original tag,

we've got the original bag

and even the original box.

They're probably about ten years old, but check this out.

The price was £435.

For a meagre 23, there's got to be a profit in those.

Walking tall after her first purchase,

Kate tootles over to a Rugby School engraving

and prepares to haggle hard again.

-Hi, there.

-Hi.

-What are you looking for, for the print?

£2.

Done. Thank you very much.

Oh, that was easy.

Wow, well, you can't argue with that.

£2 for a 19th-century engraving.

They often have two names.

The name of the person who actually originally did the artwork and then

the name of the printer, and that's what we've got here.

Here we've got the name Radcliffe, who actually did the subject,

but then the lithographer was this name here, Day and Haig.

It actually says lithographer to the Queen.

Well, you can't get much better than that.

Our doyennes of dealing are done with round one,

so let's take a look at their spending so far.

From the £1,000 budget, Kate has spent just £25,

leaving a massive £975 for the next three rounds.

Caroline has spent a little more, £40,

so has a healthy £960 to spend.

Round two is an auction in Sevenoaks

where our arch-rivals must each snare two more items,

but with no guide prices available,

our duo need to keep their wits about them,

so what plans are afoot for Caroline?

I've got to get two items for the Showdown

and what I'm thinking,

because this sale isn't online and most auctions nowadays are online,

I might stand a chance of getting something cheaper here

and selling it higher in another auction.

We'll see, fingers crossed.

And the lack of internet presence

hasn't escaped canny Kate's radar either.

This auction is a little bit different because this isn't online

and if the auction that I'm selling at is online,

a whole new marketplace is opened up,

so I'm going to keep my options open.

So, both our dealers have, unbeknown to each other,

settled on the same strategy.

This could prove interesting.

As each expert takes her position and the auction begins...

who will be the first to enter the fray?

Three is the enamelled first aid box, a number of enamelled signs.

I'm just going to have a little nibble at these, just in case.

£10 I have to start on commission.

12 anywhere? 12, there.

15 is still on commission.

18. Commission is now out, it's in the room at £18.

Done.

Sorry, I've gone all dizzy.

Good job you've got that first aid box, then.

A bit of French, a bit of enamel, quite decorative.

Quite Caroline's kind of thing, actually.

She might do well.

The Hawk gets her quirky mixed lot for just over £21,

including auction costs, so what plans does she have?

They're not a fantastic age.

I'll tell you exactly how old they are.

1999, 1998.

But what I like are these wine box ends.

Now, I think, on a brick wall or a stone wall in a pub,

I think these would look really, really cool.

And, with them are these enamel signs.

These are just reproductions, so they're not worth much.

But they'll go along with them, a little sweetener, perhaps.

Along with this, as well.

So, all in all, I've got a little bit of work to do to get them moved,

but I think there's bound to be a profit in these.

Absolute Bliss is super keen to get off the mark, too.

And a contemporary wedding ring up next has piqued her interest.

Coming up is a diamond and platinum ring,

quite a commercial little ring.

I'm not sure whether Caroline's spotted it,

so I'm hoping to get in there first.

I have interest on commission at £60.

Is 70 anywhere? 70.

80? 90? 100?

And 10? And 20?

130. With you at 130.

That was my last bid for luck.

All done, at 130.

Like a good marriage,

she hung on in there and she gets the ring for a little over £153,

including costs.

Now, the reason I love this little wedding band

is because it's so of the moment.

The combination of platinum, with diamonds, is very commercial.

Particularly with the younger generation,

who aren't perhaps so into yellow gold.

Now, I looked at it very carefully with my loop,

and you can tell that it's platinum

because we've got a hallmark on the inside, stamped for 950.

That's the standard mark for platinum.

So, what we have here is a perfect little piece

that I'm hoping will all end in wedded bliss.

And another marriage made in heaven comes with Kate's final auction

purchase of a Victorian watercolour of Cornwall.

Costing just over a whopping £200, including fees,

that's a fifth of her Showdown budget.

So, it had better be worth it.

Now, I stuck my neck out for this watercolour.

It's quite a lot of money, it's a coastal scene, which I love,

and the colours and detail are really interesting.

You've got a beautiful blue marine sea

and the green of the clifftops is really vivid.

It's by an artist called Frank Walton,

who was born in London in 1840

and went on to be quite a prolific artist,

both in watercolour and in oils.

I think this is looking promising.

But it needs further research.

Kate's bought the two lots she needed,

but Caroline still has to make her second buy

and time is definitely running out.

SHE SIGHS

Got to keep going, got to battle on.

Yeah, she's cutting it fine.

The auction is almost over when she makes her move.

This is a small 17th-century chest.

I don't know what the market's like for early oak here.

But I'm going to have a go.

At 120. 130, anywhere?

130. With you at 130.

At £130, all done?

Thank you.

She wins the chest for a little over £153, including costs.

The construction of this chest

is absolutely typical of the 17th century.

It dates back to 1680, possibly, possibly even a little bit before.

It's oak and it's known as a six plank chest.

Six plank, one, two, three, four, five, six.

I can't wait to get my hands on a bit of polish

and give this a good rub.

And with that highly polished performance,

we've come to the end of the auction and round two.

So, let's look at the figures so far.

From a £1,000 budget, Kate has spent £379,

leaving her with £621 to spend.

Caroline has spent much less money, just under £215,

so has over £785 at the halfway point.

And so, we charge into round three at the antiques fair.

Their third battle ground

is the Decorative Home and Salvage Show in Surrey,

where they'll be sifting through the sellables to pinpoint the gems.

So, is big spender Kate planning to continue her splurge?

I've already invested quite a lot of money in my Showdown pieces.

So, today, I'm going to be looking for something

a little bit more affordable.

It looks like it's quite a decorative fair,

so what I really want is something that looks great,

but doesn't cost the earth.

Thrifty Kate plans to rein in her spending.

So, is it Caroline's turn to be the high roller?

Well, I'm halfway through and I haven't really spent much money.

I think today, at this antique fair,

I'm going to blow some dosh and buy something seriously tasty.

With these chalk and cheese approaches to today's task,

it's Kate who's tempted to buy first.

There's something about baskets.

You know, growing up, my mother had the most amazing basket collection.

I don't know whether it's that that started my penchant for them,

if you like. This one is a particularly nice shape.

It's actually for cut flowers.

I think I might get that one, too.

Hello, there.

-I've just spotted your two baskets.

-You did.

-Yeah.

That one's probably... What sort of age would that be?

I would think about 1940s?

-Yeah, maybe. And that one?

-That's probably much later.

-Yes, much more modern.

-'60s, '70s.

I can do 15 on the pair.

What if I said £10 for the pair?

I can't. I'm really sorry, no.

I work on very small profit margins.

-Do you?

-And I've got, you know,

goldfish at home to support.

Goldfish?! Well, that's a new one.

SHE LAUGHS

How about we split it at 12?

-Go on, then. Yeah?

-Lovely.

So, Kate starts out true to her penny-pinching strategy.

But splashes out a bit more on purchase number two,

a vintage brooch for £40.

-Done.

-No problem.

-Thank you very much indeed.

So, this is a little Scottish brooch

and it's set with stones that have come out of the Scottish mountains.

Agates and cornelian,

and we also know it's Scottish

because the silver is hallmarked in Edinburgh.

Now, it's 1960 in date on that hallmark on the silver.

But actually, the design goes way back to the Victorian period.

That's two deals done by Kate,

but is opponent Caroline keeping to her promise

to spend big on something tasty?

Is this your bench?

It is, yes.

Now, it looks Victorian to me, is that correct?

-Mid-19th century, French.

-Yes, that's what I would think.

And what sort of price is that?

We're looking for 340.

-How low could you go?

-Probably £300.

290, please?

-290.

-290, OK.

-I'll do it.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you very much.

One buy under her vintage belt and she's sitting pretty.

There are lots of things I love about this, not least it's French.

I don't think I would repaint it,

because that's going to make it look too new.

I think I'll just give it a bit of a rubdown, a bit of a light sanding,

and a waxing, and I think this would look stunning anywhere.

And after that big money purchase, Caroline goes to the other extreme

as she picks up a lobster pot for a mere £20.

-Can I choose my pot?

-Choose which one you want.

I want one with barnacles.

But will her profit be all at sea?

The storeholder thought it was probably 20-30 years old.

It's certainly seen some action.

It's seen lots of rust and it's covered in barnacles.

I do have somebody in mind for it, so I jolly well hope he buys it.

Cos if he doesn't, I don't have anybody else in mind.

And with Caroline going potty over both her buys,

it's the end of round three and time to look at the scores.

From £1,000 of their own cash, Kate has shelled out £431,

leaving £569 in her kitty.

Caroline has spent nearly £525,

so is going to go into round four with just over £475.

The final battle ground is the foreign market.

Our relic hunters are in Villeurbanne

on the outskirts of Lyon in France,

a brocante jam-packed with French vintage.

But our Kate has found an English print that's a long way from home.

It's by Alken,

who was very much known for doing hunting prints

and lithographs dating from about the late 19th century.

And I'm just wondering whether I might have found

one of my auction pieces.

IN FRENCH:

Let's do it.

So, no horsing around as Kate gets her engraving for just under £7.

Fancy in Lyon finding something that really couldn't be more English!

It's called The Right And The Wrong Sort.

Obviously there's somebody doing a jump just how it should be,

and this one, the horse, not really liking the fact

he's got to jump the stream and the hat coming off.

Now, for eight euros, I think that's a steal.

And while Kate bolts off in search of French buy number two...

Across the market,

Caroline's hoping to capture both her French items at the same time.

He's explaining it's the end of the market and it's not sunny.

He wants to try living in Yorkshire!

I'm going to buy them both.

Caroline gets two items for just under £9 for the pair

and puts her Showdown buying to bed.

Now it's a small double.

It's in great condition.

Very often, these are broken at the top.

It's in the Louis XV style

but I would think it only dates back to the 1920s, 1930s,

but I love it.

A lot of people paint these now.

I personally would sell this exactly as it is and let the customer decide

whether they want to paint it or not.

Moving on to the cot, I love this little bird effect here.

I think that this is late 19th century, due to the wood used,

which is walnut.

It needs putting back together, a bit of wood filler in here,

a bit of glue, but I am thrilled to bits

and just about £4!

£4! Wow!

And with her Showdown haul complete, she heads off to a pavement cafe.

Kate isn't far behind, picking up a marble-topped table...

-Merci beaucoup.

-Have a good day.

..spending just under £52, and she's all bought up.

These marble-topped tables have become quite fashionable,

because they're so practical.

You know, you've got a nice cold slab to work on in the kitchen

and underneath you've got a cast-iron base,

which is probably, I would say, certainly late 19th century in date.

The nice thing about it is that the marble is all intact.

And with that, we reach the finish line of our Showdown buying race,

but before our athletic experts embark on their selling marathon,

let's see how much they've spent.

Both our dealers started the challenge

with £1,000 of their own money.

Kate has spent less than half her budget, laying out just under £490.

Caroline has spent slightly more, shelling out just over £533.

But before the selling shenanigans,

our tussling two come together to talk shop.

-So we got it all.

-How good is that?

Quite a stash.

So favourite pieces?

My favourite is the 17th-century oak kist, which is lovely.

It's almost like a sword chest, isn't it?

Yeah, yeah. I love that and also the two French pieces I bought today.

I bought a lovely swinging baby's cradle and Louis XV-style bed.

-Oh, lovely. Really decorative.

-What about you?

Well, mine's got to be the luxury brand heels.

Just my kind of thing.

I love my Cornish watercolour.

I think it's really stunning, actually.

-Yes, yes.

-And it's an artist that I wasn't particularly familiar with,

so it's been quite fun researching him.

All we need to do is sell it now.

Piece of cake! See you at the auction.

See you then. Bye.

Back on home turf, and straining under the weight

of their wisely chosen collectables,

our agile experts must employ their vast experience to decide

which of their eight items will be sold privately and which will be

dispatched to auction.

At her Hereford headquarters,

Kate is working out which items to put under the hammer.

I'm going to put to auction my hunting print.

It's 19th century.

The colours are sharp on it.

It's got a little bit of humour in the subject.

I think this should go well.

My shoes, I'm a sucker for a decent pair of heels,

and I think to the right buyer, these are a gorgeous pair.

My brooch is a lovely Scottish subject.

It's in great condition.

I'm having slight regrets whether I paid a bit too much.

Wish me luck on that one.

But my all-time favourite piece is the table.

In fact, I wish I could keep it for my kitchen -

and if I don't make profit on that, I'm in the wrong job.

So that means Kate will need to find private buyers for the 19th century

Rugby School engraving, contemporary wedding ring,

Victorian watercolour and the 20th century wicker baskets.

Over in East Yorkshire, Caroline is sorting out her items for auction.

This leather case, when I first saw it, I thought gun case,

but on closer inspection I don't think this is a gun case at all.

It could be for an engineer or a cartographer,

and I'm going to put that into auction.

The cradle is a little bit rickety in places.

I'm going to give it a bit of a gluing up.

That one I'm going to put into auction as well.

This mixed box of...

I don't want to call it rubbish, but I don't know,

so I'm going to put the whole caboodle back into auction

and chance my luck. The baskets, I think those are lovely.

They're all very, very different.

I prefer the one at the bottom,

but I've decided to put those into auction.

So Caroline will have to find private buyers

for her 17th-century chest,

19th-century bench,

late 20th-century lobster trap and the 1920s French bedframe.

So both of our savvy sellers are hoping for the biggest profits

and the thrill of victory,

but no deal is sealed until a hand is shaken and the money taken.

Kate makes the first move,

taking her watercolour of Cornwall to...

A pub in Brecon in Wales.

Is there a method in her madness?

I've come to meet the owner, Edmund,

because not only does he own this pub,

but he owns two others down in Cornwall,

one of which is just up the coast from this very beach.

So I'm really hoping Edmund will fall in love with my watercolour

and take it down to the West Country.

Remember, this little watercolour cost her over £200 at auction.

Hi, Edmund, great to meet you.

-How do you do, Kate?

-It's really nice to be here.

This is the watercolour that I spoke of, so what do you think of it,

-now you can see it close up?

-It's a nice little watercolour.

We'd hang it on our walls

but make it clear to our guests that it's for sale.

I can easily see someone who's spent a week with us in Mousehole

wanting to take one of those home.

For want of a better word, it's a great souvenir piece, isn't it?

-It is.

-It just captures Cornwall, I think, brilliantly.

And in fact, Frank Walton,

when he was painting in the 1850s and '60s,

was known for his coastal scenes, but also his landscapes.

The sort of estimate I was hoping for

was somewhere between £300 and £500.

I think I'd be struggling up towards 500.

If I said to you, 420?

I very much have a number in mind that I'm happy to go to.

And that is actually 375.

Could I meet you in the middle and say a nice round 400,

so I'll come down to meet you a wee bit.

If it starts with a three?

If it starts with three, I'm happy.

395 and you're really twisting my arm.

-We'll go 395.

-395.

-Very happy with that.

-Fantastic.

That gentle coastal scene nets Kate a profit of over £194

and she's off to a dramatic start.

But there's no time to rest on her laurels,

as she returns home to Herefordshire

and sells her two wicker baskets from the '40s and '70s

to a perfectly-named florist called Heather,

who plans to use them for wedding flowers.

105 it is.

-Done.

-Thank you very much.

That's a blooming lovely gain of £93 to plant in her profit garden.

-What do you think?

-Gorgeous.

-You are a clever lady.

-Thanks!

Caroline is yet to start selling, but she's on the move in Derbyshire.

She's decided to paint the 19th-century bench

that owes her a hefty £290,

and has had it delivered to caravan park chairman -

or should that be benchman? - Dom.

-Hello.

-How are you?

You've had a look at the bench, what do you think?

-Do you like it?

-Yes, it's good.

I'll tell you a bit about it, Dom.

It's 19th century, French, cast iron, and I think it's hardwood.

I've given it a lick of paint for you, on the cast-iron metal base.

I thought this would look great in one of your leisure parks.

Something like this, to put it on the side

of one of our holiday lodges...

You can get the whole family on this, couldn't you?

Yeah, you could, actually!

About half a dozen and a dog!

Well, I was thinking 500?

Caroline, you're joking.

You've got no chance of me giving you £500 for this.

No, I fear that.

I mean, I can go out and buy any bench,

it'll cost me £100.

-So I'm going to be really generous...

-Yeah?

-£300.

Oh, mon dieu!

What about...400?

400?

-Go on, go on!

-So, I started at three.

-400.

-OK.

-Ooh, thank you so much!

-Pleasure.

And so the Hawk flies off

with a pretty profit of £110 for her coffer.

Back in Brough, in East Yorkshire,

she sells her 17th-century plank chest to Stuart,

a collector of early oak items for a profit of just under £147,

drawing level with Kate on two sales each.

But in Hereford, Miss Bliss is having none of it.

With her contemporary platinum and diamond wedding ring

in her clutches, she marches to see jeweller Robert

and sells it quick-smart.

So, 180, Robert, will do me.

-OK, sold.

-If you're happy?

-Yeah, sold.

Making a faithful profit of just under £27.

And after doing her homework,

she's had her 19th-century print of Rugby School's quadrangle spruced up

with a new mount and frame.

I've come to meet librarian and archivist Rusty,

who I'm hoping is going to tell me a little bit more about the history

surrounding my picture.

This car-boot bargain owes her £27 after framing costs.

Well, we've found the scene depicted in my engraving, Rusty.

-Where are we?

-We're in Old Quad.

This is the interior of Schoolhouse,

where the famous headmaster, Thomas Arnold, lived.

Where probably the most famous pupil would be Lewis Carroll,

author of Alice In Wonderland, lived.

Oh, fantastic.

Well, my engraving, I would say,

dates to the very early second half of the 19th century, would you say?

Well, it comes from a book called Memorials Of Rugby,

which was published in 1843.

And it echoes a much earlier etching by a chap called Westall,

which dates back to 1816.

Is this something you'd like to put on the walls?

We'd certainly like to put that on our walls.

Well, that's fantastic.

In terms of price, I was hoping for around the £250 mark.

How does that sound?

Possibly a little bit steep.

We'd be hoping for something about 150-170 mark.

Could I push you just a little bit to 200?

Probably slightly too high for us.

OK.

Well, I tell you what, shall we go to 170?

If you're happy with that?

-I think 170 would be fine.

-Reasonable?

-Yeah.

-Lovely. Thank you very much indeed.

-My pleasure.

That Rugby sale converts to a glorious profit of £143

after that very genteel wrangle in the quad.

And brings Kate to the end of her private sales.

The Hawk still has two items left to shift to private buyers,

and she hotfoots it to Staithes in Yorkshire,

where she sells her barnacled lobster pot to fisherman Sean,

who plans to use it on his boat.

Let's go 35 and call it quits.

Brilliant. Thank you very much.

Reeling in a profit of £15.

Before she heads off to Milton Keynes

with her 1920s wooden bed that was a steal at just over £4.

She's meeting vintage French furniture dealer Sophie.

Will the bed turn out to be a sleeper?

-Hello.

-Hello, how are you?

-Lovely to meet you.

-And you.

-You've had a look at the bed?

Absolutely beautiful. I usually find them with a lot less decoration.

Yeah. A lot of people paint these, Sophie.

What do you feel about that?

I think it's a very popular thing to do at the moment.

But, for me, I love the wood.

I love the quality, I love the depth of colour.

I prefer them in their original form.

Having undamaged detail is so difficult to find.

Yes, there's a little bit of damage here and there,

but to have it in such good condition is lovely to see.

I was looking for something like 220?

Erm, could we say 180?

-200?

-200.

Brilliant! Thank you.

That's a stonking final profit of nearly £196,

with which the Hawk can feather her charitable nest.

With all our private sales at an end,

and the mighty Showdown auction fast approaching,

let's take a look at the figures so far.

On the four items Kate has sold, she's made a profit of £457.

Caroline has also sold four items, making a profit of just over £467.

Could it get any closer,

with a mere £10.29 between our antiques experts?

But for now, they must put all thoughts

of their former selling triumphs to one side,

as they face the ups and downs of the dreaded Showdown auction.

No longer in charge of their own destinies,

our dealers are in the hands of the team and bidders

at the Criterion Auctioneers in Wandsworth in south London.

Our femme fatales rendezvous by the Thames

to gauge how each other is feeling.

Hey! Good to see you.

And you, how are you?

I'm well, yeah.

-Got high hopes?

-On some things, I have.

I'm a little dubious about others.

Yeah, me too. We're in London,

so charges at the auction house are relatively high.

Yeah, but the catchment area is great.

-I've just seen a Roller going.

-Have you? Well, hopefully...

It is a well-heeled area, isn't it, here?

And there should be some good private buyers, hopefully.

The internet as well.

-Yes.

-And phone bids. We've got no reserves.

Sometimes that's a bad thing, isn't it?

Because, of course, it can go for literally anything.

-Or nothing.

-Or nothing.

Oh, crikey, don't say that!

-No, but that's the beauty of it.

-Now you've got me worried!

-Let's go and have a look.

-Come on.

Yes, all smiles on the surface,

but what do they really think about each other's auction items?

There's one last chance to check out the competition.

Kate's 19th-century hunting print by Alken.

Sadly, I don't think there's going to be a profit in it for her.

Sorry, Kate.

Well, I think Caroline's cradle is a beautiful, decorative piece.

But how commercial is a swinging cradle these days?

The auctioneer, I see, has estimated it at between £20-40,

which is probably about right.

But here in Wandsworth, who knows?

What do you think?

HONK!

Well, Kate's Versace shoes, they are lovely.

But if somebody's buying a pair of shoes for themselves,

they would want to try them on.

So that would limit the market somewhat.

This is a bit of a mixed bag that Caroline's put in here.

And in my opinion, this is her weakest lot.

And also, she bought these at auction,

so it's quite an interesting choice to put them back into an auction.

She paid just over £20, and the auctioneer thinks £30-50.

Well, I really hope he's got that wrong!

No-holds-barred opinions from our duelling dealers.

But it's all in the lap of the auction gods now, because...

We're off! And the first lot up is Kate's Versace shoes,

which owe her £23.

I don't know about you, we're both hardened auctioneers,

but when you're this side of the rostrum,

there's got to be some nerves at auction.

It's just so exciting.

-They're coming up.

-Here we go.

-Cracking little lot.

Interest here. I have to start at £30.

Ooh! That's ahead of what I paid.

But I will take 35.

-Oh, come on.

-£30 I have on the book.

-The internet is out. The room is out.

-Oh, no!

Oh, no! That was quick.

But after charges and commission, I don't think that is a profit.

And she'd be right.

Well-heeled Wandsworth has left her

with a loss of over £11 after auction fees.

But can she stay positive with the sale of a 1960s brooch,

which cost her £40?

It's a really nice, Scottish one. Silver.

But, actually, Scottish brooches are doing better than most.

-Yes, yes.

-So I've got my fingers crossed.

Start me here at £100.

£50 then, got to start somewhere.

-It's struggling.

-£30 anywhere?

20? £20...

£20 in the room. Thank you, sir.

-25, madam?

-Crikey, I need a lot more than that.

35. 40 now?

Ooh, it's creeping up.

£35, then? Final time, the gavel's up...

-Oh, Kate!

-Oh, no! This isn't going well!

The brooch goes for £5 less than she paid for it,

with a prickly loss to Kate of nearly £24 after auction charges.

Now, it's the Hawk's turn to feel the chill of the auction room,

as her leather case - which owes her £10 - comes up for sale.

19th-century leather holder, and start me here at £30?

-Please.

-Ten, then, start me cheap.

-£10 bid, thank you.

-Gosh, that's cheap.

-Oh, it is cheap.

-No, the room is out.

-You're kidding me.

-£10 to the room, I'm selling...

No! £10!

Oh, no! I would have paid 50 quid for that.

-I loved it.

-I'll get you another one, then!

A stunned Caroline also crashes and burns with her first item,

losing just over £18.

And her late 19th-century French cradle -

a snip just over £4 when she bought it - doesn't do much better.

£20, then? Are we all done?

Final time, internet.

-Bother.

-"Bother"?

Times ten.

Knocking £2.67 off her profit margins after auction costs.

Can Kate do any better with her late 19th-century table,

which owes her just under £52?

Now, I hesitate to say this, but...

-Go on.

-I was hoping it was going to be my cash cow.

-Oh, yeah?

-We'll see.

I've got to start here at 70.

I really love this.

75, telephone.

80 with me. I'll take 85 next bid.

That's a good start.

£80 I've got on the book.

85, we've cleared the commission.

-Ooh, come on!

-£85 I've got.

Final time. The gavel's up, internet.

Yes! The gods are smiling!

Kate finally makes the first profit of the auction,

earning just over £10 on the table.

But, when the horse picture sells for £15,

she trots off with a loss of almost as much.

And that's all her items sold.

Crikey, that went quickly.

I haven't got a clue whether I made any money or not.

Caroline still has two items to go.

Up next, it's her eclectic mixed auction lot that cost over £21.

The auction I bought it from was not on the internet.

-Right.

-And this one is.

It might work to my advantage.

I can see your thinking. Is it going to work?

I don't know. Let's find out.

£20, internet.

20. 25!

£30. 35, if you like.

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

£40 on the internet.

£40!

And £40...

-Well, congratulations to you.

-Thank you, thank you, beauty.

I wouldn't have seen that coming.

Yes, and Kate might struggle to see

Caroline's microscopic profit of just 4p after auction fees.

But, a profit is a profit, nonetheless.

The Hawk's late 20th-century wicker baskets are the final auction item.

But will those bidders get carried away?

The baskets owe her £30.

I've got a start here at a £50 bid.

50! £50, straight in!

55 on the internet.

60 with me, internet goes 65 and still with you.

65, and you've cleared the commission.

-Yes.

-She's getting excited.

-Whoo!

-65, fantastic!

That's a good price.

Kate puts on a brave face as Caroline makes a profit of nearly £16

and shifts her final item.

-Do you want a cup of tea?

-I'm desperate for a cup of tea!

The agonising auction is over, and the private sales are in the past.

But before we learn which dealer is our Showdown queen,

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

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

Kate spent just over half her budget, £514.62,

including restoration costs.

Caroline has paid out slightly more, £533.26.

But now, it all comes down to profit.

All the money that Kate and Caroline had 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

Showdown champion.

Hi, there!

-Have you recovered from that auction?

-Oh, dear.

It was disappointing in the end.

It was. You lost a bit, I think I lost even more.

But the rest of it was good.

I had a really good sale with the bed,

and I sold it to a perfect place.

There was lots of profit from me,

and I think there'll be lots of profit for her too.

For me, it was a bit of a mixed bag that I bought.

-The engraving of Rugby School...

-Yes.

-..that went to Rugby School!

And then my watercolour, which I loved,

went a hotelier who has hotels down in Cornwall, in beautiful positions.

-Oh, lovely.

-So it was perfect.

So, after all that, I haven't got a clue what's in here, actually.

-Nor have I. Right.

-Are you ready?

-Yeah.

-I'm not!

-Three...

-Two...

-One...

-Go!

Whoa, that's really close!

-Look at that!

-Very close.

Well done, you!

So, Caroline triumphs, but doesn't end there.

As our eminent experts have been building up their profit pots

over a week of challenges.

But who's made the most money overall?

-Are we ready?

-Two, three, go!

-Oh, Kate!

-Whoa, look at that!

Now, that is a fantastic amount for our charities, isn't it?

They'll both be thrilled, won't they?

Do you know, you have been fantastic on this, Caroline.

I've found a really good mate, despite your competitive edge,

and I want to do it all over again!

Yes, Kate is the victor.

And our daring dealers have accrued more than £5,000 between them.

And every single penny will be going to their chosen charities.

My chosen charity is the Marches Family Network in Herefordshire,

which works with families who have young people with disabilities

and provides them with services and fun activities.

My chosen charity is Her Breast Friends,

a Hull and East Riding breast cancer support charity.

It's been a week of highs and lows, twists and turns, ups and downs.

Our excellent experts have really put their money where their mouths are,

and shown they can make a convincing profit

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