Eric Knowles v Chuko Ojiri - 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.

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 insiders' 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.

Coming up, Eric comes over all continental...

So French.

A little naughty, you might say.

..Ochuko gets carried away in the buying...

I love it. Please!

..and Eric tries not to scare off the customers.

John, I'm creeping forward in trepidation here.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

The fortress town of Villeneuve-les-Avignon

in the hills of southern France is bracing itself.

The locals have been prepared for battle since the 14th century,

but they never expected an antiques attack as bold as the one afoot.

With a cloudless summer's day expected,

this scrap is set to be a scorcher as our two commandos

of collectables clash once more.

Blimey, it ain't half hot, Mum!

Our first dealer to answer the call to arms

is the sergeant major of souvenirs,

a stiff-upper-lipped bastion of Britishness who's primed

and ready to face the French heat.

It's Eric "The Knowledge" Knowles.

I am buying for Britain today.

And ready to take the fight to foreign soils but maintain an entente cordiale

with the locals, it's our new cadet on the block.

Any vintage item in his firing line had better take cover, and quick.

It's Ochuko "The Hat" Ojiri.

In francais, Ochuko le Chapeau!

All of the profits made from selling today's items will go to

our experts' chosen charities, so the stakes couldn't be any higher.

This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill.

This is the early bird trying to catch the worm.

Morning, Eric. Beautiful, isn't it?

-It's lovely.

-How great is it to be here?

It's wonderful to be here in La Belle France.

I mean, you're a regular in this part of the world?

I'm more Italy, really.

That's more my comfortable stomping ground to buy bits.

I know what I'm looking for, but I don't know until I see it.

It takes an awful lot of rooting and...

-Is that not the fun? I like that.

-I love this job.

The painful bit is spending your own money, but hey-ho.

It's the rules of the engagement.

-Yes!

-OK.

-Good luck, Eric.

-Enjoy yourself.

With £750 worth of euros to spend,

our duelling dealers have each drawn up their battle plans.

I'm looking for French objects.

And by that, I'm looking for French objects

that I'm not going to be able to find back in the UK.

It's not an easy task,

but I'm there and I'm going to ferret

like there's no tomorrow.

So, Eric's strategy is to use his surroundings to his advantage,

while Ochuko is on a reconnaissance mission.

What I really want do now is to just quickly spin around.

Not commit to anything.

And just get a feel for the market.

And is it giving off any particular vibe so far?

-I feel a tingle.

-Sacre bleu!

It seems France is appealing to The Hat's flamboyant side.

Nice little PVC chair.

Gold, sparkly, like me.

Yes... With our boys armed with very different tastes,

both advance deep into the market,

but with every overseas campaign comes the element of surprise.

Ooh-la-la!

Another one of my brilliant French expressions.

Ochuko's first sortie has uncovered one of the market's more colourful characters.

He's got a curious little cabinet, and The Hat wants to know more.

What year do you date this?

BC!

Um...

(Walk away!)

Ochuko retreats quickly, but is soon on the attack again as he spies

an unusual folding bed, and he's all fired up.

This is so interesting.

It's almost like a sun bed.

Looks 1930s to me.

And this is what I love about it. Look at this.

And it's got age and it's all intact.

Something like this at the right price,

I'm all over it. Something I wouldn't see in the UK.

C'est combien?

-200 euro.

-Ouch!

I think I might need another tactic.

I'm going to ask about a couple of items and maybe we can do a job lot.

Canny Ochuko knows a double deal might mean a better price,

and thinks this vintage hostess trolley could be

the perfect second item.

-Quel age?

-It's 1950.

1950s.

That's an interesting one.

This, I can do 80.

80?

My brain's ticking. I've got to get a good price.

-A price for the two-piece.

-For the two, please.

-200.

-200. 150?

-180, best price.

-180.

Let's meet, 170.

-OK.

-Thank you, sir.

Ochuko's new tactic pays off.

His cracking double vintage deal

secures the 1930s folding bed for just under £95

and the 1950s hostess trolley for a smidge under £52.

Got two really great pieces.

1950s, 1930s.

Right up my street. Look at the work on this.

Beautiful iron, lovely patina.

And these trolleys are all the trend right now back in the UK.

And this is just so quirky.

All intact, original.

Gorgeous pieces. So happy.

Ochuko is ahead, but there's no time to relax and soak up the rays,

because Eric is on the prowl.

I'm just wondering how Ochuko is getting on.

I hope he's doing OK.

Not too OK.

Well, Eric, Ochuko is leading 2-0

and is in his stride as he spots an unexpected collection.

Love this coral. Reminds me of a cabinet of curiosities.

Just the shapes...

-Bonjour.

-Bonjour.

-Parlez-vous anglais?

-A little bit.

-A little bit. Is he from Hackney?

Well, he's not from Paris, that's for sure.

I love this coral.

Any information on it?

-The thing I can tell you is the price.

-Go on.

-150 euros.

-150 euros.

London guy...

London prices.

THEY CHUCKLE

There are seven pieces on offer and Ochuko has a better deal in mind.

10 euros apiece.

-That's...

-That's 70 euros.

-I can't...

-From a dealer to a dealer.

I can't do that.

-Meet me in between the two.

-90.

Well, we said 80, didn't we, in between? Go on.

Well done. Thank you, sir.

-Brilliant.

-You have to wrap them yourself, though.

-Oh, no!

Ochuko captures the vintage coral for just under £69,

but can he see a profit?

I love these bits of coral that I just bought.

£69 for all of this

and on a good day, I can get £69 for this one piece.

£69 apiece is a bold claim,

so can Eric boldly catch up with an art deco coffee set?

That's a good shape, that.

You know? If that was in pottery,

it would be almost a bit of Clarice Cliff, wouldn't it?

That very angular handle.

Nice quality. And then, there's the sugar box.

Or as we say up north, pass me the sucriere, Mama!

The north of where, Eric?

-Bonjour.

-Bonjour, monsieur.

Could you tell me a price?

One, two, three, what would they...?

-50, the three.

-50, the three.

OK, I'll take those.

Eric's got himself a deal.

50 euros, or just over £43 for the coffee set.

But his work here is not done yet.

Eric's eagle eyes have spotted

another piece of silverware, and he swoops.

That's very Art Nouveau.

This, I can do 40.

40?

-30?

-30?

Oui. It's a French plate dish.

It's attractive. Pure Art Nouveau, pure organic,

and it's worth 30 euros of anybody's money.

And 30 euros of Eric's money is £25.86 sterling.

Well, I've just gone and bought myself a very stylish French

art deco silver-plated coffee pot with milk and sugar.

Date wise, around about 1925, 1930.

It needs a jolly good clean.

I'll get it gleaming,

it will look far more desirable and obviously far more saleable.

Now, I bought this silver-plated dish

which is obviously Art Nouveau period.

That comes before art deco.

We are looking at around about 1900 with something like this.

And I assumed it was French.

And then I turned it over and the mark is in English.

Not that this was made in England.

It was made in the United States of America.

Um, Eric, what was your strategy?

I'm looking for French objects.

Not a huge profit to be had there.

I'm not quite sure what the market's like for American plated Art Nouveau

dishes, but no doubt within the next few days, I will find out.

So, Eric makes the score 2-3 and brings us to the halfway mark.

So, let's find out who is charging into the lead

and who's waving the white flag.

From a £750 budget, Eric's bought two items and spent just under £69.

Leaving him with just over £681 in his kitty.

Ochuko has spent considerably more -

£215.52 on his three items.

Leaving him just over £534 for the rest of the day.

-Hi.

-How are you doing?

-Halfway there.

-Yeah, we are, aren't we? Yeah.

-How are you getting on?

-A slow start but I'm slowly getting there.

-It's different.

-It is.

It's multi-various.

It's a lovely market.

I didn't see a lot of pottery.

-No. No.

-No.

Ooh!

Well, hey ho, you know.

There is life after crockery...

-There is.

-..you know. That's the important thing.

-That's my life.

It is your life. Problem is that there's so little time.

-Yeah.

-So don't think the rude, but it's always a pleasure.

-Move on.

-Time's pressing!

Yes, the day is getting on and both our experts have their work cut out

if they are to escape from this mission with enough ammo

to stand them in good stead when it's time to sell.

So, how does the new recruit feel he's doing against the old guard?

I don't see a lot of pottery here.

And what I do see is maybe not the quality that Eric is used to.

I think I've got an advantage on him there.

Well, I'm having to learn about Ochuko

because he does keep his cards very close to his chest.

But I think he was being absolutely genuine insofar as we are working

very, very hard here today.

The Knowledge and the Hat are, indeed, toiling away and next,

Ochuko spies something that's right up his street,

a mid-century hatstand.

I think you're going to start to notice a bit of a theme.

'50s, colours, screams at me.

At the right price, I can do very well with this in my London market.

Let me try and find out how much it is.

-How much?

-Er, 100.

-100 euros.

Petit small, small. Please, please.

Oh, where's he gone?

I love it. Please!

45? So I can sell.

-It's a good price.

-70.

So, she put 70.

We're nearly there. We are close.

This... Please, one more, one more.

You won't mind.

One more.

You are very, er...

Yes!

Thank you very much.

So, 65 euros.

Ochuko they're proving it really can help to get down on your knees

and beg as he hangs 65 euros, or just over £56 on the hatstand.

What a lovely item.

Hatstand. It's like a harp.

1950s harp.

Something I wouldn't find in the UK.

Very happy to find it here.

Look at these.

Gorgeous colours.

Tactile item.

It's not a lot to do to it.

It needs a bit of a clean-up.

I love the age.

I think this old clothesline could do with a little bit

of a spruce up, but apart from that, it's good to go.

I can see in a lovely east London hallway.

Finally got somewhere to hang my hat.

It might be better to keep your hat on as with the sun creeping higher,

Eric's getting rather hot under the collar.

Oh, I like those. Somebody being somewhat coquettish.

So French.

A little naughty, you might say, but still demure.

Interestingly enough...

The artist here is called Casanova.

Casanove, anyway.

Paris 1927.

Yeah, don't doubt that one.

Anyone for tennis?

Don't you love that? Yes.

More Virginia Wade, I think, than Andy Murray.

-120.

-120.

Do I want those? Yes, I want those.

Oui. Oui, oui, oui. Merci beaucoup.

Eric is clearly quite taken by the cheeky French Mademoiselles,

shelling out just over £103 for the pair of pastel sketches.

Well, I don't normally go for graphic things,

but this is all original.

It's not a print.

Um... And I like the frame.

It's not burr wood.

It's all been done to resemble burwood...on both of them.

Does it matter?

No. They're good, they're stylish, they're ready to hang.

What more could you want?

Eric's French flappers flip his number of buys up to three,

but he's still trailing behind Ochuko.

Maybe he can draw even with this glass dish.

Oh, Schneider.

Very interesting.

This is probably around about 1925, 1930.

I love this frosted effect.

-Bonjour.

-Bonjour.

OK.

Monsieur. Merci beaucoup.

And without even the merest whiff of a haggle,

the decorative plate is Eric's for just over £86.

Not cheap, but will it serve up a profit?

Well, I've gone down the art deco route once again

with a piece of glass that, from a distance,

I felt sure was going to be by Daum.

D-A-U-M.

Now, they are a maker in Nancy.

But when I turned it over, I find the name Schneider,

which is a good glass-maker.

I'm not normally happy to spend money, but I was very happy to spend

100 euros on this dish.

I think it's got potential, with a capital P.

Eric's P purchase makes it 4-all,

until Ochuko finds a vintage TV unit with a T and V.

He turns on and tunes in, buying it for just under £69,

then drops out with his final item.

So, what's he got?

I think what's really working for me in this market, in a sea of brown,

these beautiful bright mid-century colours are really singing to me.

Look at that yellow primary, look at the blue.

So strong.

Classic 1950s.

Back in those days, you put your magazines down there,

you put your big TV on here.

It's all original. It's all in good condition.

And in my market, I think I can get anything from 250 to 300 for that.

Maybe a bit optimistic, but watch me.

Ochuko's finished spending, and just in the nick of time.

Everybody is packing up, going home.

Midday sun is beating down.

I'm all bought up. Started strong, ended strong.

Eric, on the other hand, is still beavering away and he needs to get

a wriggle on.

So far, my strategy has been working.

I've been buying some good objects, I'm very happy with the prices I've paid.

So I now go into the final phase.

I have to buy more and so I am going to go into what I call

desperation phase!

Yes, it looks like it's D-Day for Eric, but being such a seasoned campaigner,

he knows that some of the best bargains can be bagged

at the very end of the day.

What have you got here that you think should have sold today?

Traders really don't want to take their unsold stock home again,

so Eric is wisely using this to his advantage.

The seller directs him towards an antique fishing basket.

I've seen these. Looks like it's got some age to it, this.

A creel. Ooh!

120. That's a bit heavy.

Bonjour. You must have very little fish in France.

Could you stick a fish in there?

You are obliged to fish a special size.

Bigger. So if it goes in there, you cannot keep it.

Oh, is that it? Oh, I see.

How old is this? Do you know?

-How old?

-I think beginning of the 20th century.

Yeah. Um... What is your best?

Your demi prix?

Your demi, demi prix?

-100.

-I'm going to take a risk on this because, do you know,

I don't really know what that's worth.

I just think it's an interesting object.

In for a penny, in for 100 euros.

Yeah. Let's see what I've got.

Goodbye, old friend.

Eric nets the fishing basket for just over £86

and he's all bought up.

And a little puzzled.

What have I bought?

I mean, living dangerously.

I've bought myself quite a handsome, I think, woven basket fishing...

They're called a creel, aren't they?

It's got some age to it.

I dare say this could have been around in the early part

of the 20th century. I'm very happy with it.

I mean, whether I paid too much or not, I don't know.

And on top of that,

it all got better because the lady I just bought it from

gave me a fishing line!

Anyway, she said the Mediterranean was that way.

What she didn't say was that it was 45 kilometres away.

And as Eric sets off for sea, the buying battle of

Villeneuve-les-Avignon is over.

But there's just time to tot up the totals.

They both started the day with £750 worth of their own euros to spend.

Eric hopes his five finds will have that foreign flair

that he was looking for.

His total spend was £344.83.

But Ochuko hopes his portfolio will win the day.

His five sellables cost him £340.52.

Time for a bit of show and tell.

-Hey!

-Eric!

-Good to see you again.

-Got there!

-We did!

Hot work. Still is, isn't it?

I want to know what you paid for that very nice little trolley there.

Lovely, isn't it? Roundabout £50.

-Is that all?

-Yes, I think I've done well with that. Yeah.

That would have been a very expensive item when it was new.

It's going to be an expensive item now.

And what about a good night's sleep?

Do you think you'll get a good night's sleep on that sort of camp bed?

I just love it. It's all original.

Well, I'd like to give it a try, but I mean, how long does it extend?

Enough for you, not for me.

OK. All right.

Well, I can't compete with the organic side.

Although I can now go fishing.

Yeah, fishing for customers.

Well, I'm going to... I stuck my neck out with this.

That cost me the equivalent of about £87.

Where would you find it in the UK?

Well, probably on the shoulder of a fisherman.

It will be now.

But I did go very much with the art deco, with my dish.

That's by a firm called Schneider, a very good glass-maker.

-Where would you date that?

-About 1930s.

-Yeah.

-Thereabouts.

-Nice smoked glass.

-Yeah.

-Three years earlier, 1927...

-These, I like these.

I particularly like this lady.

-She is very coquettish, isn't she?

-Yes, she is.

So, I think it is fair to say...

We've both done OK, haven't we?

-We came, we saw and we conquered.

-We did.

And so, our French foragers make a sharp exit back to Blighty,

leaving the Continent behind in order to see what wide range

of opportunities they can cook up at home.

They must both now attempt to turn their goods into gain,

selling them for profit that's destined for their chosen charities.

In his London lair, Ochuko is planning ahead.

I love France. I got absolutely amazing pieces.

My mid-century TV stand has been repainted but very true to the time.

It could be a shop display.

Someone may even use it as a desk.

Love this coat stand.

I considered changing these strings, but in my experience,

people that collect these kind of items want them all to be original.

Out of everything that I bought in France, this is my favourite.

Done some research on it.

And it is actually called a cabinetta.

Early 20th century.

They were used for military campaigns.

A real high-ranking officer would have this as his camp bed.

What a brilliant way to rest your head in quite a traumatic situation.

My coral. Very rare and valuable thing.

A lot of people would love this in their home.

People just have it on the side, people use it as bookends.

Now, all I've got to do is sell it, and that's the difficult bit.

And he's also got to find a buyer for the vintage trolley.

In his High Wycombe kitchen, Eric is cooking up plans.

Well, of all the buying venues,

I've got to admit that my favourite is the overseas market.

Took a bit of a flyer, I went out and I bought myself a fishing creel.

A French fishing creel. What did I pay for it?

Probably a tad too much.

I boldly went where I shouldn't have gone in my right mind,

but having said that, it's still a nice saleable object

to the right person.

But my favourite items have got to be

my two drawings by a man called Casanove.

He is listed and he seems to have been a very proficient

commercial artist, working in France, I think in Paris,

during the 1920s and the 1930s.

The silver-plated tea set is art deco.

You can tell that by the sort of cubistic shape, the panel forms.

The use of what appears to be a Makassar-type ebony.

I intend to polish this up

and once that is gleaming, it will look the money.

And Eric will also be looking for money

from his silver Art Nouveau bowl

and glass art deco dish.

And so both our experts apply the necessary elbow grease,

along with the leg, phone and web work

to find the match for each item.

They'll both try to turn their purchases into profit,

but no deal is sealed until they've shaken on it

and the money's changed hands.

And first off the mark is Eric,

who's in Kent, hoping to sell his pastel mademoiselles.

I'm going to show them to a man that I know for a fact recognises

good, freehand drawing when he sees it,

so, fingers crossed, we can do a deal.

The pictures cost Eric just over £103,

so will fine art dealer Ashton help him draw out a profit?

Ashton, hi. Good to see you.

-Good to see you.

-And you too. And you too. I come...

I'd like to say I come bearing gifts,

but I come bearing two women, in actual fact.

-Really? Wow!

-At first glance, you might think,

that's an interesting print, but if you look very carefully...

it is a drawing. This one is a bit more lively.

-As in, anyone for tennis?

-Right. OK.

My tennis player has got a wonderful sense of movement,

but as for this girl, there's a sort of demure, if I might even say

sensuality about her.

I love the styling of it.

Very confident line, as well.

And dated, it's by the same artist.

I'm amazed that they are by the same hand.

-They look so different.

-Yeah.

Sort of thing you'd be interested in?

I would. They are jolly nice quality.

I can see that hanging in a little boudoir somewhere.

-Me too. Me too.

-And that in the games room.

-Yes. Exactly.

I reckon them around about 250, maybe a bit more.

-Gosh, wow!

-We'll start at 250. That's for two.

Two originals.

I would be looking more at the sort of 140-ish.

Right. I'll go down to 190.

-Go on.

-I think we'd need to go to about 160.

We'll split the difference. 170.

-170, OK.

-170?

-Yeah.

-It's a deal.

That's a profit of £66.55 for the two pictures.

It was difficult to say au revoir to my two mademoiselles,

but a profit is a profit. So, bonne chance, mademoiselles.

The Hat is hoping for his first sale

as he arrives in London's hip and happening Hackney.

I'm here with my lovely 1950s atomic coat stand.

I don't want to sell it but I've got to.

I paid about £56.

I'd love to double my money.

So, Ochuko's got profitable aspirations for his retro stand,

but will vintage shop and bar owner Hannah agree?

It's a coat stand. I call it a hatstand.

Of course you would.

How old would you say this is?

-To me, it's '50s.

-OK.

-What would you say?

-I would say the same.

I have seen reproductions, but this kind of looks like the genuine article.

This is what I love -

to find something in such original condition.

We're always looking for interesting ways of displaying things.

-Yes.

-We are a music venue at nights, so it's quite useful for people

-to have somewhere to put their coats and hats.

-Yeah, brilliant.

So it might be something that we could accommodate.

I'll be really straight. I wanted to go 180.

Ooh!

But I'm going to start 165.

-It's...

-I've done your bit already.

It's a bit steep. You have, you bargained yourself down, I like it.

I know. It'll be £40.

I'll just shut up. I mean, I'd hoped to be around the £100 mark.

-£100, OK.

-It is something I'm going to use.

So, in that sense, I can justify spending a bit on it,

-more than I would if I was going to be resell it.

-Yes.

What about if we say...

130?

120 and I could definitely meet you.

Let's say 125. In the middle. Brilliant.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank YOU so much.

Ochuko makes a profit of almost £69 for his first sale,

making it one all in terms of sales

and giving him the slight edge in terms of money made.

I virtually doubled my money.

I've got nowhere to hang my hat, but I've made a great profit.

I don't know how the Knowledge is doing though.

Actually, Ochuko, Eric is in Kent,

embarking on a journey into the world of art deco.

Well, this is Westerham,

and for years this has been something of an antique centre.

But today a lot of people deal online,

so it's always nice to have the opportunity

to go into an antique shop or a gallery.

I'm here to meet John, and he specialises in art deco.

And I've got one very special art deco dish.

So I'm off to do a deal.

The dish owes him just over £86,

so will art deco specialist John want to plate him up a profit?

-John, hello. Hello, hello.

-Eric, great to see you.

-How are you?

-Nice piece of furniture that, isn't it?

-Thank you.

Yes, that's a modern burr walnut.

Talking about quality, John,

I've brought what I think is very much a quality glass dish.

Now, who would you have thought would have made this?

First impression would be Daum, something like that.

Daum? Absolutely.

That's exactly what I thought.

-Yeah.

-And then I turned it over

-and it says Schneider.

-Oh, right.

I've never seen a piece of Schneider glass like this before.

No, more colourful usually, isn't it?

Date-wise, I think it's probably round about 1930.

Yeah. There or thereabouts, absolutely.

And it's in great condition as well.

It's a bit of a statement, when you see them

on a good art deco piece of furniture.

One lifts the other.

-Absolutely.

-Let's have a look.

Yeah, subtle. That is subtle, isn't it?

Well, I have to say, it does complement it very well.

It does do that. In a modern context, it just works,

particularly with the more geometric detail to it.

Yes. So, would this be on your shopping list?

-Absolutely. No, it's just got to be the right price, Eric.

-OK.

I was wanting somewhere around about the 300 mark for it.

Yeah... I mean, that's not far away from a retail price.

So I'm looking at, say, 175.

-Is that too far for you?

-I would...

I would be happier if we could get nearer the two.

I'm happy to do the two.

-You're happy to do two?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's worth it.

Good lad. Excellent. Well done.

-Thank you, Eric.

-Thank you very much.

Eric makes an impressive profit of almost £114 for the dish.

Well, I think it's fair to say that I've made quite a good profit there

but the main thing is that John is also left

with an object from which he will also make a good profit.

And in my business, that's the name of the game.

Yes, Eric makes the biggest profit so far

and sends the ball flying back into Ochuko's court.

So, from the charming market town of Westerham

to super-stylish east London.

Back in my home turf of Dalston,

I've come to one of the hippest hairdressers on the strip,

and I'm going to sell them my trolley.

You may think, drinks trolley, hairdressers? Watch this.

The drinks trolley cost Ochuko almost £52,

so will salon owner Andy want it

and will he think about getting his hair cut?

I've got something perfect for you.

I know that you serve your customers drinks.

-You're all about customer service.

-That is a big part, yeah.

-So, I've got a drinks trolley.

-Nice.

-How old is this?

-I was told, as I bought it, 1950s.

-OK.

-But the more I've looked into it, I think it could be even 1930s.

-All right.

-This style, with the wrought iron, is a bit earlier.

And I just... I love the oxidisation.

-I love the green.

-Yeah, man, I love the colour.

Like you said, it's nice oxidation.

Perfect to serve, like, a cocktail or a fruit smoothie.

I think it would be perfect, yeah.

-How much do you want?

-200.

200?

Well, I was more hoping for half of that, £100, my friend.

£100.

I want you do have it. Let's say 175.

-120...

-120.

165?

150, I'll have it straightaway.

Can you put a fiver on for luck?

155?

-Let's call it 160.

-160!

Look at that! That's how you make a profit.

Indeed it is.

That's a top profit of just over £108 for the trolley.

While Ochuko is plying his trade in the Big Smoke,

Eric's art deco pilgrimage continues

and it's led him, and his polished-up silver coffee set,

that cost just over £43, to the door of a man named Bevis.

I feel a little bit like a time traveller because I'm surrounded by

wonderful early-medieval buildings in the Hospital of St Cross,

just outside Winchester.

Now, I'm here to meet a gentleman who in the late 1960s wrote

the very first book in English on art deco.

So, if Eric is the Prince of Porcelain,

Bevis is the Godfather of Art Deco.

Well, I have to admit, Bevis,

that you have always been a mentor to me.

In the early days when I became interested in deco,

your books were the only ones that were available at that stage.

Thank you very much, Eric.

I wrote the first book on art deco when I was 28, in 1968.

And I've still got a bit of art deco.

Well, in all fairness, I've brought a few bits of deco.

That's rather stylish. And French, I imagine.

It is French. So, Bevis, what do you think?

Well, I've always liked the later phase of art deco.

I regard deco as essentially domesticated Cubism.

And to me, Cubism doesn't belong in the frames, as pictures,

it belongs in objects like this.

And I think they are marvellous.

So, what sort of price are you looking for?

Well, I was thinking around about the 120 mark.

I would be more in line for £80.

Do you think we might nudge it one more £10 note?

Do you think we might get 90 for it?

-I'd agree to that.

-You'd agree to 90. Shake, OK.

That's a profit of almost £47 for the coffee set.

It's been a great privilege actually

to meet up again with the great Bevis Hillier

and the cherry on top of the cake is - I doubled my money.

And the end of Eric's art deco journey

brings us to the halfway mark of ours.

So, let's see who is at the top of the leaderboard

and who is at the bottom of the pile.

So far, Eric has sold three items and made a profit of £227.24.

Ochuko has only shifted two, but has made £177.25.

So, Eric is in the lead, but there's plenty more work

for both our boys to do, and it's still very much anyone's game.

Eric is all wellied up and hoping to cast a line

and haul in some more profits with his next sale.

Well, I'm actually crossing the River Itchen,

which is one of Hampshire's wonderful chalk streams.

I'm here to meet John Hotchkiss.

Now, he's an expert on fly fishing.

I'm hoping he's going to take an interest in my wicker creel

and obviously I'm hoping that I'm going to hook myself a sale.

# Gone fishing

# By a shady-wadey pool... #

The fishing basket cost Eric just over £86,

but will John bite?

John, I'm creeping forward in trepidation here.

Only because I know you can't startle the fish, can you?

-Yes.

-Good to see you anyway.

-Yeah, good to see you.

This is the fishing creel.

-That's rather nice.

-You have a handle of it.

You can see that...

..it's got what almost looks like an army issue canvas strap.

-Yeah.

-I mean, date-wise, I'm thinking maybe '30s...

Yeah, I would have said that. Mid '20s, '30s.

This is so splendid because I've got a lot of split cane rods,

older rods, but that would sit perfectly in my fishing room.

This is music to my ears. It really is.

Well, I mean,

my opening gambit on something like this would be £140,

-something like that.

-OK.

I think I would be prepared to pay about...

-85.

-85.

Let's say 120, are we getting anywhere near the mark, or...?

-90?

-90.

-How does that sound?

If we can just round that up to £100...

-OK.

-..I think we've got a deal.

-Eric, you've got a deal.

-OK.

Eric catches a tiddler of a profit, making just shy of £14.

So, he has just one item to go - the silver dish.

In London, Ochuko still has three,

but he's hoping to sell two in one next,

as he arrives at Spitalfields market with the vintage coral and TV stand.

Together, the items owe him just under £138

and he's visiting the shop where he used to work,

in the hopes of squeezing a profit out of his old mentor, Fiona.

It's just great to be back, you know. It's been a long time.

This is where I've really learned to do what I've done.

-I know, you've set it out.

-I've set it out neatly for you.

So, what do you think? It's a 1950s TV stand.

It's something you can retail or a great display.

Yeah. It pops out. It would be more of a prop for the shop.

-Yeah.

-It looks great.

And as you know, coral is so on trend.

And it's just... Look how sculptural it is.

-Just how different... Different pieces.

-Yes.

Like you said, it's on trend.

-Yeah.

-We've got a little fish story going on.

And we're going to continue that in our autumn/winter season.

So, it's something that would fit in with what we do, definitely.

OK. So, let's talk money.

-What are you saying?

-Let me go individual first.

The coral, I want 200 for the lot.

That'll be a bit of a struggle for us to sell it on at that price.

I'm thinking maybe 120.

I'm thinking 150.

-135.

-135.

OK. We've got 135 for the coral, possibly.

This desk... I think 190.

I was thinking more 130.

OK, 130. So that's 265 for both.

It's lower than what I wanted.

310.

And that is pushing me.

You're skinning me. Round figures. You know I like round figures.

£300, you've got a deal.

Come on, you want to do it. Come on.

Yeah. Very happy with that.

So, Ochuko makes just over £81 on the vintage coral

and the same again on the TV stand.

And he rounds off his sales in Taunton

where he sells his camp bed to Sir Benjamin Slade,

who hires out his family home for large events.

Could possibly be very practical for the wedding business, yes.

Agreeing £150 for the bed,

Ochuko makes a final profit of a shade over £55.

Thank you very much. Gentleman.

Ochuko's splendid sale means he's all done.

But Eric is also surrounded by splendour for his final sale.

Well, I'm in one of the many hallowed corridors

of Cliveden house here in Berkshire.

I'm here to hopefully do a deal on my American silver dish

because there is a strong American connection with this stately home.

Yes, it used to belong to a notable American family.

Whether that will help Eric find a profit on the £23 it cost him

from general manager Sue remains to be seen.

The house itself, tell me, when did it all start?

So, there's 350 years' worth of history.

So, 1666, Duke of Buckingham.

So he was the first to build here.

But I think the period in time which is really so very interesting is

really the Astors. So, so, first bought by William Waldorf Astor,

wealthiest man in America.

He came over with his family and bought this house in 1893.

Queen Victoria was not impressed...

-No?

-..that it had gone to an American.

-Dreadful!

-Well, for me,

I have to say I would probably look at this piece as something of...

Well, a piece of Americana.

But when you look at it, it is pure French Art Nouveau.

Stylistically, something like this, you would say dated to about 1900.

It is only plate, but it is quite a rarity.

-Do you just want to have a...?

-It's a very attractive piece, isn't it?

And I might imagine a house like this would have had

a great store of silver, once upon a time.

In fact, we still have a room below stairs

which we know to be the silver room.

I just saw that as... winging its way to Cliveden...

-Something that might sit here?

-Yeah, I did.

Do you have an idea of what the value of this might be?

Well, I've got a starting price.

I thought that it would probably be in the region of maybe £80

-or thereabouts.

-Well, I was wondering

if that might be somewhere nearer 45.

-I was wondering.

-What about £55?

Well, I think, at 55, I'd be pleased to have that in the house.

-You would.

-I would. I think we can agree on that.

-Well, I want you to be pleased, Sue. OK?

-I am.

Eric makes a smidge over £29 on the dish

and brings the selling to an end.

Well, I've had a fascinating time here

learning about the Astors, and in all fairness,

I don't think I will ever look at Cliveden house again

with the same eyes.

And on top of that, I actually managed

to make a reasonable profit on my dish.

So, all that remains now is to find out

who made a mountain of profit

and who is left with a molehill of despair.

They both started the day with £750 worth of their own euros to spend.

Eric bought five items and spent a total of £344.83p.

Ochuko matched the number bought, but spent slightly less,

picking up five for £340.52p.

But all that matters now is the bottom line.

All of the money that Eric and Ochuko have made

will go to charities of their choice,

so let's find out who is today's

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Hiya, Eric. How are you doing? We've made it.

-We've made it.

We have as well, yeah.

So, quite an experience, buying over in La Belle France.

I loved it. What I liked is that maybe trends that we have here,

they don't have there.

So it's a good opportunity to make money, to make a good profit.

-That's what I found.

-So, what was your favourite sale?

I did very well on that 1930s, I think, actually, drinks trolley.

-Oh, I like that.

-A lovely thing. I made a great profit on it.

-A lot of work in that, wasn't it?

-Yeah, really ornate.

-How about you?

-Well, my art deco silver-plated coffee set,

sold it to a mentor of mine called Bevis Hillier.

-Did he love it?

-Yeah, he did.

And I was really pleased that he wanted it.

He really did want it.

-So, shall we see how we got on?

-Shall we see? I'm curious.

-I'm scared.

-OK, well, don't worry,

as they say in certain movies, we're all scared, son.

OK. One, two, three.

-Whoa!

-The boy got there.

-He came good.

-He did.

-That's a healthy profit, isn't it?

-That is a healthy profit.

-A very healthy profit.

-I think we've both done well there.

Well, I think, all things being equal,

-I'm game to do another one in La Belle France, aren't you?

-I'd love to go right now.

Yes, Ochuko takes it again

because even though Eric took the single highest profit

on the glass dish, Ochuko made more overall.

Wow! Can't quite believe that.

I won by not a massive margin, Eric made a very respectable profit,

but to beat someone of his knowledge and his stature is just an honour.

So, I'm staring into the jaws of defeat,

but it wasn't by a huge margin.

And full credit to the new boy.

I think he did very well,

because that really was a tough French market.

But Eric gets to fight once more

when he takes on his opponent on his own turf,

as they go head-to-head at the auction tomorrow.