Eric Knowles v Chuko Ojiri - Auction Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is,

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

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

I think it is 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.

Coming up, Chuko panics in the auction room.

Real sinking feeling and a feeling of desperation,

to be brutally honest.

Eric's eye is firmly in the past.

Victoriana, so not now, but am I bothered? No.

And Chuko broadens his customer base.

What do you think? Good?

Have I done well?

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for a galactic clash

as a pair of antiques experts fight the ultimate battle to buy,

sell and make interstellar profits for their chosen charities.

Our first contender is a man with such gravity

that his rivals burn up in his atmosphere.

It's Eric 'The Knowledge' Knowles.

Let the battle commence, you might say.

He is on a meteoritic collision course with greatness as he enters

his rival's orbit. It is Ochuko 'The Hat' Ojiri.

It's going to be me knocking him out.

Our pair have boldly arrived

at Reeman Dansie auction house in Colchester,

where they'll be putting their own money on the line.

This truly promises to be an antiques contest

that is out of this world.

But who will come out on top?

-Good morning.

-Morning, Eric.

-How you doing?

-Very well, sir.

What are you like with auctions, then?

It's not my thing. But I'm going to have a real good look.

I don't want come over as being smug,

but there's so many fantastic things in there

if you know where to look.

-LAUGHING:

-When you know what you're doing.

That being said, we've got how much to spend?

-£1,000?

-Yes, but it's not really, because you've got to bear in mind

that you can spend about 800 of that,

the rest goes in your buyer's premium and all that stuff.

I don't think there's £800 to spend in there.

-Oh, you don't? Really?

-Let's see.

I might have to borrow some from you, then.

So, remember, the motto today is - don't worry, be happy.

Be hatty.

THEY LAUGH

Yes, as you might expect, two contrasting approaches.

For Eric, an auction house is like putting on a pair of well-worn slippers.

Chuko is way out of his comfort zone.

It's not my natural habitat, I don't blend in here.

City boy hits the country.

But before the bidding begins, our contestants consider the path ahead.

This is a very diverse sale.

So I'm going to have to spread my net far and wide.

In other words, I will take into account

ceramics, furniture, pictures, textiles.

So Eric's keeping an open mind and Chuko, too,

seems to be warming to the auction room.

The more I've looked around here, the more optimistic I'm getting.

There is no way I won't find something here.

There's always a diamond in the rough.

And, sure enough, he quickly spots a possible diamond.

A nest of tables with a guide price of 20 to £40.

These are really interesting to me.

Pull one out.

Strong British company - G Plan.

For me, it's a feeling, it's the colours. It's the palette.

These tiles scream the '50s, and for my market,

that is absolutely perfect.

There's a little-known scene called granny chic that's really come into

fashion and these are bang-on-trend.

From granny chic to the grandaddy of ceramics,

Eric has found a porcelain figure he likes the look of.

Well, this is an interesting figure insofar as,

in the catalogue, it says Charles Vyse.

Charles Vyse was a potter doing figures similar to this,

down in Chelsea.

It's quality insofar as the way it's all been hand-painted.

Quite a nice, believable face.

Little rosebud lips.

Date-wise, it's probably somewhere around about 1910.

If she's struggling to find a buyer...

..I may well end up in this gal's suitor.

Not sure what Mrs Knowles would say about that.

Meanwhile, Chuko has found a pestle and mortar.

Marble.

-GROANING:

-Heavy.

Heavy lump of a piece.

I've no idea what the age is.

All I know is it's beautiful and it's got a story, again.

I'm looking at these colours.

Look at these lovely ambers and greys

and little dents and marks.

We use these to crush our food,

they were also used to crush and create medicines.

Interesting, practical and beautiful.

Auction estimate of 40 to £60,

so if I can get this anywhere in between that, I'll give it a go.

And so, as the bidders take their places

and the auctioneer assumes his position,

the time for perusing is over.

I love this bit.

It's nerve-racking.

There's an energy in the room, I can feel it. Am I going to win?

Am I going to lose?

Chuko's nerves are jangling, a fact which Eric is planning to exploit.

The auction's not his natural habitat.

I hope he just doesn't come a cropper.

-Well, I don't really, but...

-HE LAUGHS

Eric, you devil, you.

And so, with hearts aflutter, our brave pair take a deep breath

and prepare for the inevitable

as the auction kicks off.

Start now, then.

And first to get his hand in the air is Eric on the pottery figure,

estimated at 60 to £80.

Somewhere in the back of my mind,

I think I've seen that type of decoration before.

It's obviously early-20th century, but it's not signed.

Signed or not, it's not long before the bidding approaches the estimate.

55, 60. 65.

70. 75. 80.

£80, over here, all done. 80.

We're off to a start.

There are a lot of ceramic dealers here today.

I'm going to be given a run for my money.

Eric wins the figure for just shy of £100 including costs

and he's up and running.

Eric's giving me a cheeky look.

Chuko is keen to get going, too.

But as the prices start to soar...

150. No?

..he struggles to get a bite of the cherry.

This really is a baptism of fire.

55, £55 on my left.

They are crushing me.

34 in our place.

-Is he going for it?

-£34?

All done.

Real sinking feeling and a feeling of desperation,

to be brutally honest.

Oh, dear.

Well, this is bidding.

Yes, but he will have to win something

to stand a chance in this game.

Although, it's Eric with his hand in the air next.

And he goes after a job lot

including a stationary cabinet,

a mahogany box, and a slop pail with a guide price of 30 to £60.

All this lot, at 20 now. £20 only.

22, 24.

26. 28.

30 anywhere?

30. 32. 32?

Bidding? 34.

36.

£36.

Another one hits the dust.

Eric wins the lot for £44.64 all in,

but just what exactly is the rag-tag bundle he's bought?

Well, this is the lot.

It is a slop pail -

not a very romantic term -

but it is by Royal Doulton, it was probably made up there in Burslem

in Stoke-on-Trent.

To the best of my knowledge, it is not damaged in any shape or form.

But it's just a nice sort of Arts & Crafts type of design.

Transfer printed and then hand-painted on top.

A bit of a bonus, really,

is the fact that it's got this stationary box.

It has got a pencil and various other little bits in it.

Little box. And what have we got here?

Oh, look! Well, that's interesting, I didn't see that,

that's come off the front, though, that's 1914.

So that's rather poignant, isn't it?

So, pop that back in there.

It's been through the wars, I can see it's got a bit of a tear there.

Hopefully, I may even get my money back

just selling the stationary box.

We'll see.

Eric is pleased with his second purchase,

while Chuko is hoping to get in on the action with a pestle and mortar.

I'm not going to let this go, no-one will beat me.

He says.

Yes, but it looks like Chuko has competition and it's not long before

it's heading towards the top end of the guide price of £50.

46. 48.

50.

55. 60.

£60 at the back.

All done.

He's done it. He's bought something.

And that something was a pestle and mortar that cost him £74.40

after auction costs.

But Eric is really settling into his stride now as he eyes up a selection

of botanical watercolours.

Got an estimate of 60-80.

I'd be happy to get them nearer the 60.

50.

So Eric gets going with the subtlest bidding style

in Put Your Money history.

50 I have. 55 down here now.

Let's see that again.

Yes, that's the bid.

Selling now at 55.

And Eric wins the lot and buys the pictures for £68.20 all-in.

So, what's he got?

They're four framed and mounted watercolours of botanical specimens.

They're obviously probably lifted from an album

or maybe rescued from an album.

I do have somebody in mind who is very big when it comes to botany,

but the actual drawings themselves are obviously, I would suspect,

early-19th century. That being said,

I'm way out of my comfort zone with something like this.

But in times of need, needs must.

Well, that very profound note signals Eric's third buy

and brings us to the halfway mark.

From a £1,000 budget,

Eric has bought three lots and spent just over £212,

leaving him with almost £788 still burning a hole in his pocket.

Chuko has only won one bid costing £74.40

meaning he has £925.60 to spend.

-How are you, Eric?

-Oh, Chuko, I'm fine, thank you.

-How you getting on?

-Slow but sure.

It's not easy, is it?

-No.

-It's not going cheap.

No, these people know what they want, don't they?

And they're quite prepared to pay for it.

-Halfway through.

-We're halfway through, aren't we?

-I think we're doing all right.

-Well, we're off the mark.

-There's still a lot to play for.

-Yep.

-You follow your nose and I'll follow mine.

-Good luck.

Mmm, a bit of bluffing there from Chuko,

who's only bought one thing. With a 3-1 lead,

Eric is able to relax

while Chuko will need to pull his socks up to catch up.

Maybe a new auctioneer will bring him luck as a bound collection of

newspapers from 1918 go up.

With an upper estimate of £30, the lot is reaching the top end.

I'll take 28.

And Chuko wants in.

28. 30? Why not?

£30 is bid.

32. 34?

No, £32.

At the back there. 32...

I just got inspired at the last minute.

I didn't really expect to go for that one.

Just too much of an interesting item.

He wins the lot for just under £40, fees included.

This is dated to Friday, February 1st, 1918.

The final year of the First World War.

Real history, and that's what a lot of this is about.

That is why I've bought it. It's emotive.

The fashion, the style...

I can see this going to a really good home with someone

that loves war memorabilia. I think that's the way forward.

Chuko's hoping for a hefty profit margin on the newspapers

and the next item he's after is even meatier.

So I've got these early-19th century bone letters coming up.

I really like these. They're kind of old and modern at the same time.

The bone letters are estimated at 50 to £70.

40. 40 bid.

At £40 now. At 40.

42. Two now there.

At 42. All done at 42, then?

I got that one easy. Easier!

He buys the bone letter counters for a smidge over £52

with fees included.

So does he think a profit should be as easy as ABC?

Look at these lovely bone letters.

Early-19th century.

They could have been made yesterday.

I could see them being made into jewellery, necklaces.

A good thing, I think, is to sell them individually

and the ones that I'm left with, I'll use for Scrabble.

Our Chuko definitely appears to have found his stride now

as he draws even with Eric.

Hopefully, the tide's turned and Lady Luck's on my side.

It certainly looks that way as the tortoise of this race attempts to

overtake the hare and Chuko goes after a selection of paperweights.

Although it seems like Eric's got wind of the fact.

30 to 40 is a nice estimate.

He might have to pay more.

I've got a good feeling. I know the name.

But the auctioneer already has bids online.

40 I have. 42?

42. 44?

6? 48.

Go for it, man.

50. 5.

60. 65. 68?

I must go 70.

75 clears me. 75, back of the room. Where's 80?

That's enough, that's enough.

Put the hammer down. Put the hammer down.

I'm selling at 75.

Dropped the hammer!

75. Yeah, that was enough.

Yes. Really pleased.

Wish you all the best(!)

Eric's having a little cheeky nod over there.

He's put his feet up and I've raced ahead of him.

After commission, the paperweights cost Chuko £93.

So was he bidding blind or has he got a plan up his sleeve?

Really happy with these.

Decided to go with the limited-edition paperweights.

Caithness is a name that I recognise.

They were founded in Scotland in the '60s.

They were prolific throughout the '70s.

Thanks to this book, I know that these are dated around 1970.

I know there's a lot of collectors of these paperweights.

I've just got to find one and sell them.

Chuko is now leading 4-3 and keen to get back in on the action.

Eric goes after a Victorian display unit known as a whatnot.

It's proving popular

and the bidding is already tickling the upper guide of £180.

170. 180.

190. 200.

At 200 with the gentleman standing.

Now at 200. It will be sold.

All done? For £200.

That's a big spend.

Yes, and it wins the whatnot for £248 with costs.

So, why the whatnot and what's he got?

Well, this is the most money I've spent today.

It was, without question,

one of the best objects and furniture that I've seen here today.

The only minus point is that it is lacking

a barley twist support at the back. That being said, it is,

as they stay up North, it's a reet belter.

Because it's a good 'un. Victorian.

If you look, they've got ceramic casters.

We're talking around about 1850, 1860,

so the time of the Great Exhibition of 1851.

It's a very smart object.

Victoriana, so not now, but am I bothered?

No! Quality item.

Go for quality every time, you'll never go wrong.

Well, that's the theory, anyway.

Yes, but whether it brings in a profit in reality

remains to be seen.

Eric and Chuko are now level pegging, each with four purchases.

And up next is the nest of tables that Chuko saw earlier.

Auction estimate, 20 to £40.

If I can get this for under 20, I'll be very happy.

The auction room's emptied out a little bit.

Chuko is not going to have much in the way of competition.

He could be in for a nice surprise.

Let's face it, the lad deserves it.

Yes, the room has thinned out, but unfortunately for Chuko,

there's still one tenacious bidder hanging in there.

22. 24.

26. 28.

£28, then. And selling at 28.

Yes, sir. 618. Thank you.

So happy. Got the G Plan.

Little bit over what I wanted to pay.

Good profit in there for me.

Yes, he stood his ground, and the tables are his for just under £35.

Chuko likes his retro,

but Eric is steadfastly sticking to his plan of going for Victoriana.

There is a jardiniere next that he's already looked at.

Unfortunately, he's not the only one.

There's been a lot of... A lot of dealers looking at it.

That never bodes too well.

But, as Doris Day said,

"Que sera, sera."

What's that mean?

It means, "What will be, will be."

But whether this jardiniere will be going home with Eric is another

question. The estimate is 40 to £60.

£40.

Yes. Yes.

-30.

-30, I'll take.

Where's 2? 30 I have.

Where's 2? 32.

34. 36.

38. 40. 42. 44.

No, 42, then. 42 and selling.

It's a weird thing, but the quirky often come good.

So Eric's purse takes a final pounding of just over £52

once costs have been added.

It is quite a rustic-looking jardiniere.

It's a coopered barrel on top of what appears to be something like a

miniature cricket table.

It's quirky.

And Eric's quirky purchase takes us to the end of this bidding battle,

so, before our competitors come together,

let's see how they spent today.

From a £1,000 budget, Eric made five purchases and spent £512.12.

Chuko matched his five items, but only spent £293.88.

Hi, Eric. How did you get on?

Well, it was a gladiatorial contest, that, wasn't it?

-They weren't letting stuff go cheap, were they?

-No way.

I was surprised to see you go for paperweights.

Shall I be really honest?

Go on.

I was desperate!

THEY LAUGH

-I was desperate.

-Yeah.

I thought, "If I'm going to buy paperweights,

"buy the ones with the certificates."

-Quite right. Quite right.

-Collectable.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Caithness.

-Yeah.

-Scottish.

-Yeah.

They were dated '70s.

-People want these.

-Yeah.

I'm shocked at these botanical prints.

They're not prints, they're original watercolours.

Are they? Have I missed a trick?

Well, I don't know. Did you view them?

-I did view them.

-Oh, then you missed a trick.

On the back, there's a full description of what you're looking at.

-Massively on-trend.

-Yeah.

-All of that botanicals, massively on trend.

Which is your favourite object of the things you've bought?

I love these little bone letters.

Yeah. See, I reckon those are probably Napoleonic prisoner of war,

you know. Seriously.

-Wow.

-Yeah. So I think you've done OK there.

I'm going to turn them into some beautiful necklaces, I think.

-Have you got no conscience or what?

-I've got conscience.

I love beautiful things.

-OK.

-I love turning things from then into now.

The one that fascinates me most, believe it or not,

-is this figure.

-Yeah. You're not going to like me.

-Why is that?

-That's my least favourite object.

Oh, that doesn't bother me at all.

-It doesn't?

-No. No, you're a nice bloke,

but it doesn't mean you've got a monopoly in taste.

-I know.

-OK.

-I've got a monopoly in bad taste!

-Well...

-Bad meaning good.

I think, all things being equal...

Not a bad day's work.

..we did a pretty good day's work out there, yeah.

-OK.

-Let's discuss this over a cup of tea.

So, our auction heroes pack up their purchases and head back to their

respective base camps,

where they must now turn their acquisitions into assets.

And all of the money made will go to their chosen charities.

In his London lair, Chuko is drawing up his battle plans.

The auction was very difficult for me,

but I think I did quite well

considering I was out of my comfort zone.

This pestle and mortar, I think, is my favourite object.

I think this has been replaced.

It's a bit too clean.

But it's a great item.

These paper weights...

I'm not sure I've made the right choice on these.

Looking into it, maybe not quite as rare as I thought,

but I will find a buyer for them.

My lovely bone letters.

When I first bought this, I thought that they were Napoleonic,

but looking little bit more into it, digging a little bit deeper,

the evidence points towards them being Victorian teaching aids

and I've got a fantastic idea for them.

I'm going to get then made into handcrafted brass necklaces

and the good thing is, there won't be another like them.

They will be unique, one-off pieces. But I think, all in all,

I've got some great items

and I'm really looking forward to selling them.

So, Chuko also has to find buyers for the mid-century nest of tables

and the bound early-20th century newspapers.

Over in his High Wycombe homestead,

Eric is sifting through his sellables.

Well, buying at any auction can be tricky,

but I'm very satisfied with what I've managed to buy.

Starting with my Royal Doulton slop pail.

Way back in the Victorian age, people had jugs and basins,

usually in their bedrooms. After pouring the water into the basin,

it then had to be disposed of and it was the maids' duty to pour it into

the slop pail. It would be taken downstairs and then, of course,

it would be disposed of.

Well, my Canterbury whatnot, I thought,

was one of the best pieces of furniture in the entire auction.

Now, just to explain, the Canterbury is the section below.

Now, that is designed to take sheet music and its unusual when you

combine it with another shelf, which forms the whatnot.

This young lady is proving a little bit difficult for me to track down

when it comes to maker.

There's no signature on her, but it is a quality figure.

Completely hand-decorated

and the modelling on the flowers is fantastic,

but who made her?

She is, without question, my mystery woman of the moment.

Eric also has to sell his botanical watercolours,

the Victorian jardiniere and his early-20th-century stationery boxes.

Now, both players take to the roads,

pick up the phones and draw on every resource available to help them find

the right buyer for each item and turn profit up to the max.

As usual, each deal must be secured with a handshake

and the exchange of cash.

And first to get going is Eric, having travelled to Kew Gardens,

hoping to plant the seeds of success.

Well, these four botanical watercolours are my favourite buy.

And where better to sell them than Kew Gardens?

I'm here to meet Richard. He's the Director of Horticulture

and I've agreed to meet him somewhere near the Aquatic Garden.

The prints cost Eric just over £68, but first,

he has to find his contact.

Eric? Not that way.

Looks like Eric's been sent up the garden path.

So, after a bit of a diversion,

Eric locates Director of Horticulture Richard.

Do you know when these were painted?

Just looking at these sort of script that's been used,

it strikes me maybe somewhere between 1820, 1850.

I mean, I'm thinking early-19th century.

-I'm just going to have a slightly closer look.

-Please do.

So, someone who has quite a good eye for detail.

Someone who is clearly looking at the plants from a scientific perspective

perhaps, rather than seeing them as being decorative art pieces.

Around that period, it was often the pastime of gentlemen or ladies

to spend their time doing such things and really taking care with

-the detail to get things right.

-So, having seen them,

are these four drawings something you're going to be interested in?

They have attracted my interest.

From Kew's perspective,

we do always look at new representations of things,

even from old artists.

My opening gambit is £400.

£100 per watercolour, but let's see where we go.

To be honest, Eric, I'd probably honestly be looking at suggesting

something around 50 per artwork.

50 per artwork?

-Yeah.

-So we're looking at £200.

250?

Would 240 be acceptable to you?

240 would be acceptable to me.

It's more easily divisible by four.

-It certainly is.

-Right, well, we have a deal.

-We have a deal.

-Thank you so much.

-It's a great pleasure.

-Wonderful.

Yes, that's a blooming good opening profit of almost £172 for the

pictures and Eric is over the moon.

Well, that was obviously a pretty good profit, but in all honesty,

the money is incidental because what matters is the fact that those

botanical watercolours have now been returned

to what you might call their natural habitat.

Chuko is also in his natural habitat of trendy East London

and he's been carrying out his upcycle plans

with four of the bone letters.

I've done something absolutely spectacular

with those lovely bone carvings. Look at these.

A ring, two necklaces and a dog collar.

Upcycling to a different level.

Really happy with these.

With an extra £120 spent,

Chuko needs to make just over £170 before he's into profit.

Before the jewellery conversion, though,

he showed the letters to Stoke Newington-based hairdressers

Christophe, Declan, Faye, and Ella the dog.

And now he's going to reveal his products,

hoping they like what he's done.

I've got your bespoke necklaces here.

The inside... It's all carved bone.

And they're Victorian, so they're at least 130 years old.

And what we've had done, this is all solid brass,

they're bespoke and all handmade. Shall we try and put this on Ella?

-Yeah.

-You do it. You have a go.

-Come here, dog.

-Oh, she looks amazing.

So, what are your reactions? What do you think? Good?

-Have I done well?

-Really good.

-I love it.

-Yeah?

-Very nice. I love it.

-Shall we get stuck into the horrible bit?

I'm going to go in at a very reasonable offer.

£100 apiece.

I would go for 50.

The inside alone, I think, is 50.

I think... What about 90?

I'd stay at 50. Really.

-Yours may not be getting sold.

-THEY LAUGH

What do you think?

I'd go on par with Christophe and say...

Well, the potential is I'll be buying two.

I'd say 55?

I think the ring has got less. I'd say about 50.

I can't do it for 50.

My maximum is 60.

OK, this is what we're going to do. 70.

-Let's say 65.

-65?

Yeah, I'd go 65.

-Let's do it.

-Yeah?

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Woof! So, four happy customers there.

Phew!

Tip of the trade - never sell to more than one person at once.

It was like a poker game and they all knew my cards.

It was tough going, but I made a healthy profit.

Indeed, and his total profit comes to almost £108 when he sells the

rest of the letters for £20 to antiques collector

Anthony in Brighton.

But he's still behind Eric,

who is in Limington next with his whatnot.

I've actually sent my Canterbury walnut whatnot ahead of me.

I've come here to meet an antique dealer

that I've known for almost 40 years.

I'm just hoping that the view that he has taken is a positive one

because I'm hoping also he's going to buy it.

When Eric won the lot of the whatnot, it cost him a lot.

£248 in total.

Ooh...

Yeah, one or two nice things here, Charles.

One or two nice things.

Well, we're trying to keep the standards up, Eric.

I just buy what I like.

I share that criteria and that was true, actually,

when it came to buying a piece of Victorian furniture.

It's beautifully made, a fine craftsman made that.

-You couldn't even afford to make the drawer linings today...

-No.

..let alone get the veneers and the mahogany -

which you're not allowed to cut down any more - to make it.

Even though they're not commercial any more, they will be,

and I still think they're a work of art within themselves.

It does come with a problem.

Which is, you've probably noticed,

it's got one missing barley twist at the back.

I had noticed that one. At least it's at the back, not the front.

-True.

-How much do you want for it?

-Well, I would...

What I'm hoping for is somewhere in the region of around about -

and I don't want to be greedy here -

around about the £300 mark.

Hm...

-I'm thinking more like 240.

-240?

Because I think we're going to have to spend a couple of hundred

pounds on that to do the work.

OK. Well, I'm not going to nit-pick.

245. This is what they call damage limitation.

-I think damage limitation's fair. OK.

-All right.

-I'll take it off you.

-You're a good lad.

-Thank you.

Eric loses £3 on the sale of the whatnot.

Didn't make a profit,

but I only made a very small loss.

I'm going to put it down to damage limitation.

I'm not saying it was expensive when I bought it,

but maybe it was a little dear.

That's actually quite a big deer.

In spite of this minor setback,

Eric is soon zooming ahead again as he sells his jardiniere

to Buckinghamshire-based pub manager Tina...

-£105 and you've got yourself a deal.

-Perfect.

..for a profit just shy of £53.

Eric now has a 3-1 lead.

But not for long if Chuko's got anything to do with it.

He's in Harpenden,

having tracked down what he hopes is the perfect place to sell his

historical bound newspapers.

I'm at a newspaper archive.

Hopefully, they're going to give me good news.

The bound newspapers cost almost £40,

so he's hoping archive manager Thomas

will help him unfold a profit.

I've got my 1918 Daily Mail here.

Oh, fantastic. Let's have a look.

Will you be able to tell if this is the original thing?

I mean, you can tell that it's an old document.

-Yes.

-It would be quite hard work to reproduce this with tea bags.

And it's noticed that the front page itself,

they didn't used to have any news on them.

It was filled with classified ads, because that was the real estate,

the selling space which is to fund the newspapers.

So you didn't actually get into the nitty-gritty of the day's events

until the second pages.

This has probably got a bit of value for you.

Yeah, as we approach milestone birthdays from 1918,

people turning 100 years old,

what better gift than a piece of real history

from the time you were born?

So let me try and sell it to you.

How does 150 sound to you?

It is a little high.

We'd need to get them authenticated and stuff,

so I'd be looking ideally below 100.

What about 120?

120...

I mean, we could meet halfway and aim for the...

-115?

-..110 mark?

Erm... 110's good.

-Perfect.

-Thank you very much, Tom.

-Thank you.

-That's a good deal.

Chuko shakes and makes just over £70 profit on the newspapers,

so let's just take a moment to read all about it

and see how our pair are doing so far.

Eric has sold three items,

making the biggest profit and the first loss,

but totalling a running profit of almost £222.

Chuko is behind in sales, having sold two lots,

making just over £178 profit.

Eric is in the lead

and he's hoping to push further towards the finishing line

by coming to Haslemere to plant the seeds of a good sale

with flower shop manager Lucy

and grow a pretty profit from the slop pail that cost him £30.

What I do notice about your place is you're really big on what I call

inventive displays.

We're absolutely spoiled for all the beautiful things that we have in the

shop, so, yeah, it's lovely.

Well, I've brought along a beautiful thing.

-Well, I think it's beautiful.

-Yeah.

It might have been described as utilitarian

when it was first put to use.

Made by Royal Doulton, up at their Burslem factory in Stoke-on-Trent.

-OK.

-Probably in about 1905.

-Yeah.

-So it probably qualifies as Edwardian.

But I just thought it was a wonderful splash of colour.

It's a printed design

and then they've hand-coloured on top of the printed design.

-Oh, OK.

-So when I saw that, I thought of your place.

-Do you think it would work?

-I think it would, yeah.

I think it's really, really beautiful.

-Excellent.

-Yeah, really lovely.

All right, I'm going to pitch

-somewhere in the region of about £80 for it.

-OK.

But you come back at me.

I'd say around 60.

If I push you an extra £10, is that going to work?

How about I met you in the middle at 65?

OK. Meet in the middle, £65.

-Lovely.

-You've got a deal.

Eric makes £35 on the slop pail.

That's flower power!

So, that would be, like...

-Well, that probably like so, would it?

-Yeah.

So, I just need to think this out.

It's not 100% perfect.

-It's a good work in progress.

-Is it?

Eric's flower-arranging skills might be lacking,

but he knows how to arrange a sale

and he sells his stationery box and mahogany box

for a further profit of just over £20.

Chuko is now trailing behind 2-4,

but he's hoping to cook up some profits in London

with his third item.

I've got my pestle and mortar here all wrapped up.

I'm at Dom's house.

This guy's been integral in street food markets over the years

and I think he'll find good use for this.

Hopefully, I can grind a profit out of him.

So, with a purchase price of £74,

will the pestle and mortar bring in a profit now?

-Where did you find this thing, man?

-I actually got it in an auction.

-Really?

-So it's circa 1900.

It's beautiful. It's big. Not sure if it's going to fit in my kitchen.

-But it's lovely.

-Is that a bargaining tactic?

-I'm just being straight up with you, man.

-Just being real?

-Yeah, I'm just being real.

-I like it.

-Do you know why I thought of you?

Because for me, when I think of food and I think of drinks,

-I think of you.

-I hear you, man.

I'm not sure if I need a bird bath, though, bruv.

THEY LAUGH

Do you know what I mean, though?

But it's cool and we can definitely make this work.

It's a solid piece. It's been around a long time.

I even... I like these little nibbles and little knocks out of it.

-Gives it a bit of character, yeah.

-I think this may have been replaced.

-That end.

-That's very clean, isn't it?

-That's pretty new.

-And that's all walnut, solid.

-OK.

-And it's just a lovely thing.

-So, how much are you looking for it?

-I want to be fair.

I was thinking 150.

OK... I can see why you're thinking that.

How old did you say this is, 120 years?

I was going to give you a pound for every year.

-So if we say...

-125 years!

Yeah!

THEY LAUGH

-125, come on.

-125.

Well done. Brilliant.

Chuko grinds out a profit of £50.60

and they toast the sale with a cup of Moroccan mint tea.

-Cheers.

-Nice one, man.

And he makes further profits from his G Plan tables,

selling them to Sophie, who works at a London coffee shop.

-It looks really, really good, so I would go for 125, then.

-Brilliant.

Chuko makes just over £90 profit on the nest of tables.

He's got one item to go,

but in Marlow, Eric is also down to his last.

There's been a floral theme to his purchases,

but will the mystery flower girl that cost just over £99

wilt under the gaze of vintage shop owner Sara?

Well, I brought along a lady that initially I thought

was an English flower,

but I've come round to the reasoning that what I'm looking at

-is probably a Fraulein.

-Ah!

So, let me introduce you to my flower girl.

-Has she got a name?

-Well, I'm tempted to call her Gretel.

The thing that fascinates me about this...

Because, you know me, I'm a pot man, is the way it's been made.

It's been made in such a way that it's not mass-produced

because it's all hand-painted.

The frustration about it is that it's not signed.

And I don't mind admitting that when I bought that, I thought,

"I'm sure I can find out who made it."

And I've done a lot of homework,

but what I do love is this design on this girl's gown

because the more I look at that,

the more I see that being a sort of a Viennese-y type of decoration.

So, what do you think, Sara? Has she spoken to you?

She's not the sort of thing I would normally go for

but, actually, she's speaking to me now, just more as

an interest than the person that she is, if you like.

So, yeah, yeah, I think I'd be interested in giving her a go.

Gretel, by the way, she is bilingual,

so what she's saying to you is, "Buy me."

-Is she, now?

-Yes, that's exactly what she's saying to you.

I was hoping that I might get somewhere in the region of around

-about £80 for her, but...

-OK.

-50?

-50...

Shall we do her 55?

Why don't we do her 55?

-£55.

-Done.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Welcome, Gretel.

-OK?

Thank you. And, Gretel...

Auf Wiedersehen, mein Liebchen.

Yes, well, Eric loses just over £44 on his final sale.

Now, you're probably wondering,

why on earth did I sell that figurine at a loss?

Well, the fact is that when I bought it,

a profit was always going to be dependent upon me finding out

who the maker was and, alas, I came a cropper.

Yes, I bought it with my heart and not with my head.

And if you're watching, Chuko, stop chuckling!

Eric is done, but Chuko is in Taunton with one item to go -

his 1970s paperweights that cost £93,

but will baronet Sir Benjamin Slade

want them for his extensive family home?

I've got these Caithness paperweights.

I bought them at auction.

-Yeah.

-And they just caught my eye.

And I've got a bit of a magpie's eye.

And I'm hoping that you have, too.

I thought they'd make a great gift or...

-Where did you buy them?

-In Colchester.

-Oh, yeah?

-It was one of the few collectable things that I recognised

there, so I'm hoping that you can show me a profit in there.

Very handy to give a girlfriend, or I could

just sort of put them on the paper to stop it blowing around in some of

-the bedrooms.

-Yeah.

Because we need...

I really need about 34 of them because I've got 34 bedrooms.

-I'm going to come back to you!

-Yeah.

So, I mean, reasonably, I thought £20 a head.

140. That's just straight up.

I didn't want to go...

Well, I don't know.

-I think...

-I started too low.

..I'd call it 120.

Can I nudge you up just a touch?

-A touch?

-Just a touch.

-130.

-No, no, no, 125.

125, that's fair.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, then.

So, Chuko makes a final profit of £32 for the paperweights

and he's done and dusted.

It's almost time to reveal who's won, but before we do,

let's remind ourselves of how much our experts spent.

From a £1,000 budget, Eric made five purchases and spent £512.12.

Chuko matched his five items but, after his upcycling costs,

spent £413.88.

All the money from this challenge

will go to Eric and Chuko's chosen charities, so let's find out

who is the Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-How are you doing?

-I'm good, Eric. How are you?

-I'm fine.

Would you say that the auction world is your natural habitat?

-I don't think it is.

-No?

-It's just that air of desperation

-that you've got to buy something and if you miss a lot...

-Yeah.

-The odds are against you, aren't they?

-It's a lottery, isn't it?

Yeah. Tough, tough.

-So... But you did buy.

-I did buy.

-Yeah. And what came good for you?

I loved my bone letters. I did something very special.

I turned them into these lovely little trinkets.

-I didn't pierce them...

-No?

-Because they're beautiful objects,

but they were just placed inside these lovely necklaces.

-In fact, a dog collar, as well.

-Oh, really?

So a dog's walking around with a little 19th-century bone letter.

Somewhere in central London, obviously.

Obviously! Yeah. How about you?

Well, I suppose the highlight really for me were the botanical drawings.

Because they are now in a national institution.

-They were lovely.

-They were lovely.

-I wish I'd bought those.

-Yes.

So, erm...

shall we do the business?

Three, two, one...

-Ooh!

-Still healthy.

-Still healthy!

-Edged. I've edged away.

You have. You have as well, well done.

Well done, he said, through gritted teeth.

THEY LAUGH

Now, this is a wonderful garden.

I'm going to show you a very interesting tree. Come on.

Yes, after Eric made two losses, Chuko is victorious,

making money on every item sold.

We've both made respectable profits.

The auction's so difficult.

I'm surprised I managed to pip Eric at that one.

I think what I did was adding value.

Those bone carved letters were beautiful,

but I think I made them more beautiful.

Well, by their very nature,

auctions are something of a lottery and you need a sleeper,

something that nobody else recognises.

I thought I'd found her in the pottery girl, the flower seller,

but unfortunately, I couldn't track her down

and it made the difference between victory and defeat. Defeat for me.

But tomorrow,

Eric gets to fight again at a car-boot sale in Chesterfield.