Paul Hayes v John Cameron - Showdown 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 I can 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, viewers, it's the finale of a thrilling week

and the biggest battle yet. The mighty Showdown.

Coming up, Paul dreams of striking the jackpot...

There was a set of pottery like this in four panels,

went for over £100,000.

..John pops his cork for an unusual bit of upcycling...

I've seen a number of items made from old champagne bottles,

but I haven't seen one made into a little serving table.

..and will our dealers make a profit

in the toughest Showdown test, the auction?

I'm delighted with that, that's brilliant.

I'm delighted too. Through gritted teeth!

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

In today's Showdown, our superhuman dealers

flex their muscles and sharpen their talons

as they prepare to fight for the title of top dealer.

There is but one way to reign supreme -

make the most profit and the accolade is guaranteed.

First up is our Northern Powerhouse of Porcelain,

a giant of the antiques world

who can scale mountains of tat to wrench the bargains

from the hands of the competition.

His quirky humour hides razor-sharp knowledge and extensive experience.

Why, it's Paul "Mr Morecambe" Hayes.

It really is the North versus the South today, John.

And do you know what? I've got the upper hand.

His opposition today is a champion of upcycling,

a trinkets tour de force,

who will tirelessly track down a bargain and won't desist

until he's pummelled the price tag.

A snappy dresser who can turn a sow's ear

into a profit-making silk purse.

It's John "The Hammer" Cameron.

I'm in it to win it. I come out swinging and I come down hard.

Paul Hayes, I've got my eye zoomed in on you.

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

across four different locations -

an auction,

a car boot,

a foreign antiques market

and a UK antiques fair.

Once they've landed their booty they must use their talents and charm

to sell the lot, and any profit they make

will go to their chosen charities.

But the Showdown has a twist.

At least half their items must be sold at the special Showdown Auction

where our dealers have no control over the buying public.

As the plot thickens,

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

Only one will be crowned king, but who will it be?

-Good morning, John.

-Morning, Mr Hayes.

-Welcome to the North.

-Is this a battle of the cheap suits today?

It must be, yeah!

Good job they're waterproof, isn't it(?)

Well, "Welcome to the mighty Showdown.

"The rules are straightforward.

"You must each buy two items across four different locations.

"You have £1,000 to spend."

This says here, "You can sell up to four items wherever you want."

That's always good. "The rest will be sold at the Showdown Auction

"in direct competition with your opponent."

-That's you.

-Is that me?

-Yeah, that's you!

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

So, have you got your eye on anything already?

-I've had a look at the catalogue. Have you?

-Yeah.

First thing I'm going to buy is an umbrella!

Well, the first thing I'm going to buy is a cup of tea! Come on.

Two sugars, am I right?

Our opponents are armed and dangerous,

so let the battle commence with round one, the auction.

Our dashing dealers have arrived at Warrington Auction in Cheshire,

where they'll need to purchase two items each.

So, what are their moneymaking strategies?

I'm on the lookout for a couple of items for the mighty Showdown.

Now, at least four of those Showdown items have to be sold at auction,

so I'm unlikely to sell my auction items here today at auction again,

because you're paying two lots of commission,

and you'd have to buy really well in the first place to make a profit.

For Paul, it's more about psyching himself up

than any complex buying strategy.

You know what? It's a lot harder than it looks.

I've got two by two items for the Showdown,

which really is the test of the whole week.

It separates the men from the boys,

and do you know what? I'm quite nervous.

Man up, Paul! You can do this!

There's time for a viewing of the goods on offer

before the bidding starts,

and The Hammer's picked up on a contemporary bit of bling.

I've got my eye on this little ring.

It's catalogued as gold tanzanite ring,

and tanzanite is a relatively modern-ish stone

that enjoyed a lot of popularity coming out of Tanzania.

It's catalogued as vermeil,

and that is a rather glossy, costume jewellery way of saying

gold-plated silver. Quite dressy, not everyone's cup of tea

with all those claws on there, because they catch jumpers and that,

but quite a fashionable stone and I think I'll keep my eye on it.

Paul is interested in more spiritual things and is about to enlighten us

on a mysterious 19th-century statue.

OK, now, this is a strange anomaly.

This is a lovely old Buddha.

It dates probably to the 19th century.

You can tell that by all this wonderful age,

the way it's been cast.

But I think it started its life as a bronze.

The problem is, over the years, somebody has taken to polishing it

and polished all the wonderful patina away,

and we end up with a brass-looking item.

As a cheap brass Buddha, it's worth maybe £50 or £60,

which is what it's in the catalogue as.

As a genuine bronze item, it's worth several hundred pounds,

and I think it started its life out as that.

Where there's muck, there's brass, Paul!

Or bronze. Preview over, it's time for the main event,

as the auction begins.

Up first is John's favourite sparkler.

But can he get it within the £60-£80 estimate?

I've got £45 bid, I look for 50 now.

50 in the room. Is there 55 anywhere?

£50 in the room, then.

Good chance of a profit there.

Looks like he's got that tanzanite.

I think I had that once, but I got some cream off a doctor!

Oh, what an image, Paul!

After commission, John pays £60 for the ring and it's a glittering start

to his Showdown campaign.

He's soon gunning for his second buy

when a contemporary chrome stag's head comes up.

Estimate's 30-50.

I don't really want to pay much more than the bottom estimate.

I'm looking for 30. 30.

In the room at 30. Selling.

John gets his prey for £36 including fees.

But why a chrome stag's head?

A lot of people are still quite funny, quite rightly so,

about real taxidermy,

so this one kind of crosses both fields.

It gives you that look, but it's made in stainless steel.

£36, well, it's not DEER, is it?

John's bought his two items, but Paul still needs to get bidding,

and the Buddha he spotted earlier is up next.

Start me at £100.

He's trying to open at £100. It's too expensive.

£50. 50 bid in the room.

-Looking for 55. 55. 60.

-60.

£60 in the room. 65. 70.

-Go on.

-70 in the room now.

£70, then, in the room.

Go on, drop the hammer!

It's about what I wanted to pay.

A good old antique item.

Paul wins the 19th-century Buddha for £84 including costs

and can dig deeper to solve the brass versus bronze mystery.

Asian artefacts are definitely on Paul's buying menu today,

as next he goes for a Chinese ceramic plaque...

55. 60.

55.

I think that has the biggest potential

in the whole of this auction room.

..fighting off the competition to secure it for £66, including costs.

This is 20th-century, it's Chinese, it's called famille rose palette,

which is the name of the colour that they actually used to decorate them.

These Chinese characters usually represent some sort of poem.

Most modern Chinese pottery tends to be very affordable,

but there was a set of pottery like this in four panels,

went for over £100,000.

You can but dream, Paul!

Our auction room opponents have made it through round one,

so let's tot up the totals.

From a £1,000 budget, Paul has spent £150 and has £850 left to spend.

John has spent £96, leaving £904 in his kitty.

So, let round two commence, at the car-boot sale.

Our booter-rooters have arrived at Marks Tey in Essex.

And once again, it's John who's quickest off the mark,

motoring towards an unusual vintage toy.

How much is the little Mamod steam truck?

85 on it, but I'll do it for 80.

It's a little bit rich for me if I want to make a small profit on it.

-70.

-£70?

-Yeah.

Madam, can I shake your hand? Thank you very much.

It's a Mamod steam truck.

Now, interesting toy manufacturer from Birmingham,

they go back to the 1930s.

And their fortunes turned very much in the lead-up to the war

as people turned away from German-manufactured toys.

And suddenly, Mamod became a real key player.

But these were all the rage in the early sort of post-war period.

Now, you can believe children would have played with this -

you literally filled up the boiler here with water,

under here you have a little spirit heater with a live flame

and the spirit would heat up the water to produce the steam,

and you'd just pull this lever here and that would

kick the whole thing into action. This thing would go along.

Today these wouldn't pass safety tests,

but 20 years in the auction world,

I don't think I've ever sold one of these.

So at £70, I should be able to turn a little bit of profit.

And with that, he soaks his engine and steams straight back into

the bustling boot sale.

And our John is anything but predictable,

as next he snaps up a late-20th-century

Native American-style carving for £50.

Let's hope it doesn't frighten off the buyers.

It's a faux Native American totem pole.

It's made of teak. Why do I like it?

Well, my first job was as a carpenter-joiner,

and I've never lost that love of wood.

I just need to find Paul Hayes now.

I wonder if he's sending up any smoke signals.

Well, Mr Morecambe is on fire, John,

and he's ferreted out a genuine antique.

I've just spotted this little vase here, sir.

-What can you tell me about this?

-Late 17th, early 18th.

-Yeah.

-Later drilled by the Victorians, who shoved a base on it,

-as they do.

-It's an old pestle and mortar?

-Yeah.

-And someone's drilled through it.

It's 200.

Do you know what? One bid's worth a thousand lookers-on.

-It can't be a oner?

-125.

-You won't lose.

-Go on, I'll have that.

I'll shake your hand. Thank you very much.

Well, do you know what? I'm absolutely delighted.

I bought a fantastic, genuine antique item.

This is bronze, it dates from the 18th century, it's neoclassical,

it's a restudy of all the wonderful classics

from ancient Rome and Greece. What a fantastic thing.

This would be £600-700 plus

if it hadn't had a drill hole in the bottom.

But I still think there's a bit of profit in this one, definitely.

And after splashing out on his first buy,

Paul gets frugal, picking up a tea set...

-Thank you very much!

-..for £15.

This dates from the early 20th century,

the golden age, really, of tea drinking.

Silver and silver plate became very affordable,

so these sets were in every good-quality household.

This is fluted base with an ebony top and this sort of oval shape.

It's got a sugar basin with it and a cream jug.

15 quid, an absolute bargain.

Exactly my cup of tea.

Our connoisseurs of the car boot have both bagged

their potentially profitable items,

so let's see how much they've spent so far.

From his £1,000 budget, Paul has spent £290,

leaving him with £710 to spend.

John has forked out less, £216,

which leaves him with £784 at the halfway stage.

So, both our dealers have plenty of euros for round three,

the foreign market.

They've travelled to Sommieres in the glorious South of France.

What strategy has Paul got up his perfectly-pressed sleeve?

Come a long way to buy our items here today,

so why go back with things that you can buy anywhere else?

Buy something typically French.

So I'm going for some ormolu,

some nice French furniture, some nice porcelain,

some Lalique glass - something that's typically French,

something with a bit of je ne sais quoi.

Mr Morecambe is definitely going native today.

For John, it's all about the Showdown Auction crowd.

I'm looking for a couple of items to potentially put into auction here,

so perhaps something that you won't always find quite readily at home,

something with a bit of impact here,

something that the UK auction bidders

are going to want to snap up.

And off they leap onto the buying merry-go-round.

Paul's first fancy is an ancient Roman pot.

Hang on, Paul, weren't you just vowing to buy French?

And this one is genuine Roman? Can I just have a look?

-It's almost third century...

-B...?

-After.

OK, so we've got something that dates from

-the third century AD, Roman.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-And how much is this one?

-This one is 60.

-60.

-Can it be 50 euros?

-No.

-60 euros. Can we shake on that?

-Yeah.

-OK, sir.

-With pleasure.

-Merci beaucoup. Merci, monsieur.

-Thank you very much.

So, there we are, I bought a Roman pot.

-How much does a Greek urn?

-RIMSHOT

That's an English joke, I'll explain it over a cup of tea.

Yes Paul's jokes are almost as ancient as his purchases,

and he bags his little pot for just under £52.

I think this is absolutely an amazing piece, a genuine antique.

This is an archaeological discovery, if you like.

Who would have used this at the time?

Isn't that absolutely fantastic?

The romance around this is wonderful.

And, of course, this area in particular

was a massive Roman settlement.

It's not something that turns up very often in England,

so I think this is something that's not typically French,

typically Roman, but hopefully a nice selling item.

Just my cup of tea!

And keen to bag foreign market item number two,

he sniffs out a 1930s perfume flask,

buying it for just over £17.

This is a beautiful scent bottle. It's extremely Art Deco -

just look at the geometric lines of this.

It's in wonderful condition, it's a great name,

which is local to the area, Cacharel.

I think that's something that's typically French,

which is what I wanted to buy here today,

and for 20 euro, that's the sweet smell of success, I think.

-HE SNIFFS

-Ah, c'est magnifique!

John has also hit the market with a goal of buying French,

and he could be on track with this 19th-century fire grate.

That's nice, decorative. How much?

-200.

-200, yeah.

-It's a real nice...

-It's nice, it's nice.

It's well done, and it's style, you know?

Renaissance, you understand the Renaissance?

Of course, of course. I'll do...

180?

S'il vous plait? No?

-190.

-190.

190. OK, you know what? 190, I'm going to do it.

-190.

-190?

-OK?

-OK.

-All right, 190.

You drive a hard bargain.

With fire in his belly, John gets his grate for just under £164,

though the stallholder is a little confused who he sold to.

-John. Paul was the other guy...

-Ah, John.

..the handsome guy, you know? Blonde, handsome.

-Moi, Michel.

-Michel, of course.

This has to be one of my favourite pieces.

It's an 19th-century cast-iron fire grate cover.

Beautifully cast, wonderful strap work here,

figures emerging from these niches, classical cornice

and these pilasters here - just oozes Renaissance.

But even better than that, when you open the doors,

the decoration continues inside.

I managed to pick it up for 190 euros.

I still think there's a good profit there -

the right buyer, I think, would pay £300-400 for something like this -

so, good work.

A bold claim, and from the decorative and antique

to the, well, downright weird.

There we are.

He buys this thingamajig for just under £26,

but what the devil is it?

I've seen a number of items made from old champagne bottles,

but I haven't seen one cut in half like that and made into

a little serving table, a bit like a lazy Susan.

An interesting little thing.

Lots of people love champagne, so should find a buyer for this.

And with that, we bid au revoir to the French antiques market.

So, let's see where they stand after round three.

From his £1,000 budget,

Paul has spent £358.96,

which leaves him a little over £641.

John has spent a total of £405.65 so far,

leaving him with just over £594 for the final round.

So, time for round four at Ardingly Antiques Fair.

Our dealers arrive in West Sussex

for the ultimate chapter of this treasure hunt.

They each have two items left to purchase before

the buying challenge ends, so what are their final strategies?

Today, I'm trying to find two things that I can put into auction

with confidence it'll make a profit.

Off John goes, as keen as mustard, but what of Mr Morecambe's plans?

So here we are, this is my last buying day,

this is my last chance to get one over on that John Cameron.

So I'm going to surprise you here, John -

I might even buy some furniture.

Who'd have thought that?

So, surely Paul's going to sweep straight towards some furniture.

Er, no, it's a painting of some mountains.

Is £35 your best price?

-32.

-32, hey!

It's a lovely watercolour,

a fantastic landscape, mountainous views.

Why I bought it - the back of the picture tells you

just as much as the front.

It has a previous saleroom label,

this one's from Christie's in London,

so that means that this has actually gone through the auction,

they've obviously rated it.

What I liked about it as well is the other label which we have here,

which is framers and makers to the Queen,

that of course being Queen Victoria.

Definitely it's a watercolour from that period,

it's been through a good saleroom,

and potentially it could be a bit of a sleeper.

With one purchase to go, is Paul going to scour the stands

and upturn every table in search of that last elusive buy?

No, right under his nose at the very same stall he lands on this

airline memorabilia from the 1980s.

What's the story with these?

The lady used to put them in the back of the Concorde seats.

-So she works for British Airways...

-She actually put them in.

And actually, they are still in their original box.

This is the Concorde box that they were actually in.

-So these have never been used on board...?

-Nope.

That's amazing, isn't it?

You're £8 here - what are you asking for them if I bought a few?

-How many do you want?

-Well, I don't know,

-how many's in the box?

-23. Did you want all 23?

That one looks a bit worn, doesn't it, that one?

If you wanted the lot, I'll do you 120.

And you can have the box that comes with it.

Bearing in mind I've got to try to sell them on.

-How about...?

-£90 for the whole box.

£90... Where did you come from?

THEY LAUGH

65 quid, we'll have a deal.

Oh, there you go!

These have come off what is probably the most famous aviation...

most famous aeroplane ever existed, the Concorde.

It was the fastest that we ever made.

These are fantastic, very rare things.

They're called a conference pack.

Little sort of diary, a certificate of flight,

they're collectable in the future,

and I think a bit of a bargain. It's supersonic warp three.

Or was it Mach 3? Who knows?

And with that, Paul soars above John and beats his rival

to the finish line of the buying bonanza.

John's now under pressure with two items still to nail,

and he swiftly rounds up this doorstop for £25.

It's a 19th-century cast-iron doorstop modelled as a black sheep.

In my family, black sheep are considered lucky items,

so I've bought this purely for luck.

Paul, you won't pull the wool over my eyes.

With just one purchase to go and feeling shipshape,

John navigates towards something nautical-looking.

But looks can be deceiving.

It's just a shelving unit, it'll stand up on end,

but I quite like it.

I'm a sucker for wood and that could go into auction for the Showdown.

What's the best price on that?

-45.

-You'll do the boat for 40?

-Yeah, it's fine.

-£40? OK.

I just noticed that this is Oxford Rowing Club 1938,

just been mocked up, but the oars also say Oxford as well.

I think they look nice together.

How much are the oars?

-£12 each.

-No budging on that?

No, sorry.

All right.

He lands the naughty boat and oars for £64 in total.

There's no age to this at all,

they're just a bit of fun and a play on the whole vintage look.

And it's not about buying antiques, it's about making profit.

Paul I'm not up the creek yet, and even if I was, I've got two paddles.

And with that last splurge from John,

our foes reach the climax of this buying stage.

Each armed with eight well-chosen items,

they face the momentous selling struggle ahead of them,

but let's see how they doled out their dosh.

From a £1,000 budget,

Paul has spent under half his money, shelling out £455.96.

John has splashed out just a little more, spending £494.65.

Before our dealers turn their minds to selling,

what do they make of their collectables?

So, here we are, the Showdown.

This is the final result of the whole week's buying.

And I've got a few things up my sleeve, actually.

Can you remember what I bought?

I can't, actually, what are your favourite bits?

My favourite bits has to be that famille rose plaque,

the Chinese plaque. The Concorde memorabilia,

that could be supersonic.

-Yeah, commercial.

-You never know. And what about you?

Well, my favourite items are my little tanzanite ring,

I like that. I love the steam truck.

-Have you got it going yet?

-I haven't yet and I haven't tried.

Well, really good luck to you.

-Good luck.

-And you.

-See you at the auction.

Don't try too hard, will you?

Up ahead lies the dreaded Showdown Auction, but before they face

that gruelling challenge,

they must first find the perfect private buyers for half their items.

The other half will go under the hammer,

where any chance of profit will rest in the lap

of the bidding public.

The first step on this long and arduous journey is to draw up

their selling strategies.

So, what are John's big plans?

Now I've just got to decide which items to send to auction

and which to sell personally,

remembering that I've got buyer's commission to take off

of any price we make at auction, and also they go in without reserve,

so it's a real roll of the dice.

Probably sending the tanzanite ring

and my lucky black sheep doorstop there.

Also the boat - I think at that price there should be a profit there

even at auction. Quite nice thing, nice and contemporary.

Last but not least, I think I'm going to send in

the modern stainless steel stag's head.

I know I bought the stag's head and the ring at auction,

so I've already paid buyer's premium there,

it's a tall order now to sell them again at auction and try and

make a profit, but I'm going to take a chance with those.

So, John needs to line up private buyers for his vintage steam wagon,

contemporary faux totem pole,

19th-century cast-iron grate

and his modern champagne glass stand.

Over at Hayes HQ, Paul has also chosen what to put under the hammer.

So, going to auction are four items,

and what I've tried to do is to find two expensive and two affordable.

So the four items that I've got,

has to be the wonderful 19th-century krater,

which is a form of wine and water mixing bowl.

And the Chinese porcelain plaque.

It shows the scene of the Mother of the West,

and there she is, right in the middle there,

she's surrounded by the immortals, so it's got a great story.

They're the two expensive items, the two cheaper ones being

the silver-plated tea set and the scent bottle.

Those have all got to go under the hammer.

Just be a bit careful with that porcelain plaque, won't you?

Bang, bang.

So, that means Paul has to find private buyers

for his early-20th-century Buddha,

his '80s Concorde seat brochures,

his late-Victorian painting

and his little Roman pot.

Our antiques experts must now throw themselves into selling their items

for the best possible prices,

with all their profits going to the charities of their choice.

And remember, until they've shaken on it and the money's changed hands,

no deal is ever sealed.

In Portsmouth it's John "The Hammer" Cameron who's out first,

hoping his vintage steam wagon will steer him into an early lead.

I'm at a classic car restoration workshop

to meet owner Mark, who loves vintage cars, motorbikes and toys.

And I'm hoping he's going to want to add my little classic steam wagon

to his collection.

So, will Mark give John a return on his £70 investment?

-Hello, Mark.

-Hello, John, how are you?

-All right?

-Not bad. Don't tell me you're getting your hands dirty.

-No, just looking, just looking.

-Can't believe what you've got in here.

-Yeah, there's loads of stuff.

Mainly American stuff, but a lot of British stuff and some scooters and old British bikes.

-Well, look, I'm hoping this might sort of appeal to you.

-Yeah.

And maybe something to go in your collection.

-In the cabinet there.

-They were originally children's toys.

This one, I think, probably dates to the early '70s.

-Really?

-Probably when you were a boy, Mark.

-Nearly.

Nice things, you've got the little original oil can here,

the little funnel for putting the water in.

Everything but the box, really.

Yeah, no, it's a lovely old thing, isn't it?

I'm looking, sort of around the 150 mark.

Where were you seeing it?

-A bit lower than that.

-Were you?

-Yeah.

-How much lower?

I don't know.

-Hundred quid.

-Could you do any better than that?

Er, one and a quarter.

£125.

-Good stuff.

-Got a deal, sir.

John's wagon wheels in an opening profit of £55,

and he takes an early lead.

The profit on my little truck should see me steaming ahead.

And do you know what? Paul Hayes, I know you're a bit of a '50s man,

but I think I pull this off better than you do.

Very cool, John.

And he zooms further into the lead

with his next sale, of the 1960s totem pole, to Ross,

landlord of a Western-themed pub in Southsea.

Would you do 110?

-I'll do 105, cos it's you.

-Ah! Ross, how could I...?

-105, you've got the last word in.

-ROSS LAUGHS

John rounds up another £55 profit and puts himself in pole position.

Mr Morecambe is on the road to enlightenment for his first sale,

taking his metal Buddha that cost £84

to dealer Raymond, who specialises in, well, Buddhas.

-Hello, Paul.

-Hello.

-How are you doing?

How are you? You know what? This place is amazing.

It's different, isn't it? Very different.

I feel like I've brought snow to the Eskimos in a roundabout way.

I don't think so. I like to try and buy all the Buddhas, if I can.

What's the thing with Buddhas, then? Obviously, you specialise in Buddha.

Looking round, there's hundreds of them in here.

The only way to actually survive in the business is to specialise.

So I looked at Buddhas and just fell in love with them.

I have brought you one here.

-You brought me one?

-What I thought, was, oh, that's a really rare thing.

It's a Mandalay Buddha.

-How would you know that's a Mandalay Buddha from any other Buddha?

-It's a Burmese Buddha.

The Mandalay period, this one is about 1860.

-Oh, right.

-The eyes are shell and black sapphire,

and this is a bronze piece,

made lost wax method, which is quite common, really.

-Yeah.

-It's still got its casting core intact,

which is really quite nice. For me, it's a lovely little piece.

-Yeah.

-How do you see it?

I'd go, for something like that, ooh...165.

Because you've been so informative, let's do 150.

-OK.

-Is that all right with you?

-Got a deal.

A random act of kindness from Paul as he knocks off £15,

but still lands a sturdy profit of £66.

But what made him spread that good karma?

Do you know what? Seeing all those Buddhas in the one room,

it really did have an effect on me.

And you can't help but feel the energy,

that wonderful sort of Zen force that's going on.

I feel like I've learnt something. It's a real education there.

And Paul continues his search for dealing nirvana,

selling 22 pristine '80s Concorde seat packs to Michael,

a collector of memorabilia in Oxfordshire.

If you were a fiver each, that makes them 110 quid.

-I'll go for that, yeah.

-Well, that sounds like a deal to me.

-Shall we shake on that?

-Yep, 110.

-All right.

Paul flies off with a profit of £45 and draws level on sales with John.

But in Emsworth,

The Hammer is making supersonic progress of his own.

He's had his 19th-century cast-iron grate that cost him nearly £164

delivered to fireplace shop owner, Alan.

-Alan.

-Hi, John.

I see you're having a nice look at it.

Yes, very ornate.

Nothing like anything we've got here in our showroom.

We have the British or English version of a little bedroom cast

fireplace next to it, as an example of what we would

normally be dealing with.

So, yeah, it's, er, it's quite an unusual product.

You think you could find a buyer for it here?

It could be made to work.

It would need some fire bricks and installation work, obviously,

but, yeah, in the right setting,

local small fishing cottages for instance,

that might be just the job.

You got a figure in your mind?

I would probably open the gambit at about £200?

Well, I'm thinking more 250, Alan, if I'm honest.

I'm willing to take a chance on that.

-At 250?

-At 250.

-Alan, shake my hand.

The Hammer nails himself a great big profit of just over £86,

his biggest and best yet.

And his fiery streak continues with his other French item,

the champagne bottle stand.

He sells it for £60 to Southsea restaurant owner Jason,

making over £34 profit.

That's John's private sales all done,

and with two items to go before the auction,

Paul sells his late-Victorian painting

to Lancashire-based dealer, Aidan.

If I was to ask you, say, 50 quid?

Go on, then. It's a pleasure doing business.

-It's lovely doing business.

-I might make a profit!

PAUL LAUGHS

Mr Morecambe steps out £18 up and moves on to his final item,

the little ancient Roman pot.

Embarking on a fact-finding mission,

Paul takes it to show archaeologist Roger in Oxfordshire.

Now, have I bought something that is a very priceless treasure,

or is it something that's common to yourself?

You give me that look there, Roger.

-It's not priceless.

-No? OK!

-It looks Roman.

-OK, great.

The shape's fine. It's consistent with it not being British, you know,

shape looks a bit more continental.

These are found, you know, all over the Roman Empire, basically.

Would it be something that somebody of high status would've used?

No, no, right down to the bottom of the social scale.

In fact, the opposite, this would be used by those of the lower classes.

So what age are we looking at here?

It's probably second or third century, but it could be fourth.

Armed with a little more knowledge,

Paul takes the pot that cost him nearly £52

to antiques dealer Phil in Yorkshire.

-What I've actually brought you along is a third century Roman pot.

-Right.

This has come from the South of France.

It's called an amphora pot, the idea is it sits straight in the sand.

-Can you see a profit in it?

-Is it a small one?

Ah, smashing. If I was to ask you 70 quid, how does that sound?

And I'd bid you 60.

-Would you?

-Yeah.

-Is that a genuine bid?

-Yeah.

-And you're happy to do that?

-I'm happy for that.

-Let's shake on that, then.

-Shake on that.

-Thank you very much.

Paul's pot unearths a profit of just over £8

and his private sales are done.

With the first half of the selling challenge at an end

and before our dealers offer up their remaining items

to the Showdown Auction, let's look at the gains so far.

Both our experts have now sold four items.

Paul is doing well, with a profit so far of £137.28.

But it's John who's leading at this stage,

with a profit of £230.35.

And now, we approach the culmination of today's events...

the Showdown Auction.

Our dealers can no longer conjure up their own sales,

as their fates lie in the hands of the bidders

at Brighton General Auctions.

So, how are our dynamic dealers feeling?

-Good morning, John. How are you?

-Morning, Paul. Very well.

How have you got on?

Well, I've sold everything, so I've started sleeping again.

It does feel like that, doesn't it?

A little bit worried about today, I must admit.

There's no reserves on anything in the auction today.

All those good profits you've made

could be blown away today at the auction.

Obliterated in one fell swoop.

But I've put some good things in the auction.

I've high hopes for that krater, that little sort of mixing bowl,

I think that could do quite well. What have you got in today?

The item I think that could do quite well is the, um, tanzanite ring.

-Oh, yeah.

-It's quite fashionable,

but the other thing to remember is we've got to pay

-the auctioneer's commission.

-That's right.

Two of my items in here I bought at auction,

so I've already paid commission,

so I'm taking quite a risk with those, the ring and the stag's head.

Am I going to make profit with two lots of commission?

Bit of a risk. I think we're in the hands of the auctioneer.

-We certainly are.

-And just enjoy it.

Yeah, OK. I'll try to, mate. But I know we've got a good...

That's a heady combination of last-minute nerves and high hopes,

as our dealers step inside.

But before the auction commences,

there's one last chance to critique each other's items.

Now, I know this is one of John's favourite things,

he was so excited when he bought it, but the four precious gemstones

are diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires.

Tanzanite doesn't come under that list.

So I think he's going to struggle. Not sure about this one, John.

I know why he's gone for this, he's taking a bit of a gamble

on the demand for Chinese ceramics at the moment.

£66, he paid for that.

In a market that's pretty strong, I think he's got a good chance.

Frankly, I'm staggered that John's put this stag's head

into the auction, but you know what?

It fits in great here, because it's chrome, stainless steel effect.

I think it could do all right, actually.

I've got to be honest, had I seen this, and the price tag,

I probably would've bought it myself.

There is a good market for collecting perfume bottles.

And at £17, he really has nothing to lose.

John's bought something very traditional here.

It's got a very country feel to it.

I'm not sure that's the best thing to pitch here in Brighton,

but a good useful antique.

-What's not to like?

-With just minutes to blast-off,

are the signs looking good?

Can you feel the tension building, John?

I can. But the good thing is the auction room is packed.

And do you know what? Today, with the internet bidding,

everyone views the sale and bids from home.

So you're not used to seeing such crowds today.

-That's a good sign.

-Talking as a dealer,

these are the places you want to come,

cos you've got a chance of finding that gem there.

And here come the gems now,

because the bidding kicks off with John's modern tanzanite ring.

First of my lots up now, that I paid £60 for.

I need to be making about 80 quid on this to even get out with a profit.

-Start the book at £24 with me.

-Oh, there we are.

Got 26 now on the net.

It's not looking good.

I've got 28 now in the room.

-I've got 30 now on the net.

-30 on the net...

-Looking for 32 now?

I will sell it at £30.

Ah... That's a devastating loss.

Perhaps I should've sold that privately.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, John.

That's a shaky start,

as the ring makes a loss of over £36 after auction fees,

so will he have better luck with his other auction buy?

The contemporary stag's head, which owes him £36.

What's the market like for modern stainless steel stags' heads?

We're about to find out, Paul.

I've got five on the net.

Six with me, I've got eight,

I've got ten here. I've got 12, do you want 14?

-Come on...

-I've got 12, I've got 14 with me.

16 in the room.

18. Do you want 20?

Do you want 22?

Do you want 24?

-Yeah, go on.

-Come on.

-24 on the net. Do you want 26?

-Everyone wants it.

-Don't be so tight, Matt.

Got 26. Thank you, sir.

-Getting closer.

-I will sell it at £26.

-One more.

-I've got 28. Do you want 30?

-Come on.

All done at £30...

So there's no stag party for John, as he nets his second loss.

This time it's £12.40 after fees,

but will Paul fare much better with his Edwardian tea set?

£15. Do you think I've got a chance?

This will make 25, 30 quid.

Let's hope so. It's clean and ready to go.

-A bit like ourselves.

-Yeah.

PAUL LAUGHS

I can start the book at £20 with me, looking for 22 now.

-Come on.

-I've got 20 with me.

-Is that it?

Looking for 22 now.

I will sell it at £20.

Well, it does brew up a profit of 40p after fees.

I think this is going to come down to who loses the least.

PAUL LAUGHS

Indeed, John. But Paul hasn't actually lost anything yet,

so can he continue his winning streak

with the 20th-century Chinese plaque that cost £66?

I must admit, I am quite nervous about this one.

I think I'm going to need about £80.

-To get out of it?

-Yeah, but there is interest on the internet.

-Who told you that?

-The auctioneer.

Are you sure it just wasn't Chinese whispers?

Well, Chinese whispers or not,

the bidding is soon approaching the £60 mark, and Paul can't look.

55 on the net. We've got 60 on the net.

-There you go.

-We're nearly there.

-65 on the net.

-70, 75.

-Come on.

-I've got £80 on the net.

-INDISTINCT SPEECH

-90 now on the net.

-Come on.

Is there 95 anywhere?

-Come on, there must be somebody here.

-All done at £90...

One over here, mate. One over here.

-He's hot.

-THEY LAUGH

Well, the temperature is definitely rising,

as Paul banks a second profit of nearly £7 on his plaque.

John's 19th-century black sheep is up next,

but Paul predicted it would be a fish out of water in Brighton.

-I did pay £25 for it.

-OK.

-Which is probably about all it's worth.

-OK.

-This is something I really would've bought for myself.

-Black sheep in my family is a kind of lucky emblem.

-OK.

So we're about to see how lucky it is for me.

John's got everything crossed.

Come on, my lucky black sheep.

We've got six, eight, I've got ten on the net.

Do you want 12? Is there 14 anywhere?

-Come on, all we need is another bidder...

-14, 16.

-Do you want 18?

-Come on.

Do you want 20?

22? Do you want 24?

-Come on, black sheep.

-I will sell it at £24.

Ah...

But it's third time unlucky, with a loss of just over £6.

My profits are being sheared.

I'm starting to think you picked the better lots today to auction.

And to add insult to injury,

Paul's Art Deco flask sells for £50...

..and makes almost £23 profit.

I'm delighted with that. That's brilliant.

I'm delighted, too. Through gritted teeth.

PAUL LAUGHS

Our dealers are now down to one item each,

and Paul's antique krater is up next.

So can he make it four profits out of four?

I must admit, I've put all my eggs in one basket.

This stands me at £125.

Bearing in mind, he could start the bidding at two quid.

But you've been lucky today.

And I think that it's your day today.

And things start well.

Start this at 80.

We're almost there. Come on, that's all right.

I've got 95 on the book. 100 here.

-I will sell it at 100.

-Oh, no. Come on, come on.

Paul suffers a catastrophic loss of 44 precious pounds.

Unfortunately, John's final lot, the boat shelf and oars,

fails to come to his rescue.

Got 44 in the room.

-Is that it?

-I've got 48 now.

-50 somewhere, come on.

-I will sell it at £48.

-48.

-Ah!

Making a fourth and final loss of almost £26.

Another loss for me.

If I'm nothing, I am consistent.

I'm kicking myself now, because when I bought that,

the guy had two more oars that had "Brighton Rowing Club"...

-Ah, there you go.

-And that's it.

Our dejected dealers are released from the dark nightmare

that is the Showdown Auction and live to see another day.

We'll reveal the victor in just a moment,

but first let's remind ourselves of how much they originally spent.

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

Paul spent under half his budget, £455.96.

John spent slightly more, £494.65.

All of the money that Paul and John have 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.

-How are you, John?

-Mr Morecambe.

-How was your auction experience?

-Disastrous.

Whereas you, on the other hand, you have the Midas touch.

I lost on all four things and you were making good profits.

Do you know what? I think it's particularly difficult,

because you're not in charge of the situation.

I think you did very well, I think you did all right on the day. For me, anyway!

The only thing I was disappointed with was that bronze krater, the little mixing bowl.

That was a good thing, potentially that's a great thing,

-but hey-ho.

-I have nothing good to say about my items,

-they all let me down.

-THEY LAUGH

But my fire grate, that nice black fire grate,

really nice thing, would've loved to have kept that.

I would've built a fireplace to go round it, but it's found a good home.

Well, there we are. That's what it's all about, really.

Do you think we're quite close on this one?

I'm not sure if I made any profit.

What I did make, I'm sure I lost at the auction, so, shall we?

-Let's see how we get on. OK.

-One, two, three.

-You still managed to beat me!

-Oh, no!

-THEY LAUGH

-Look how close we were!

-Look at that.

-Wow, amazing.

-Well done, Paul.

-I thought I had the upper hand on that one, as well. Never mind.

-I did, too.

-Shucks.

John is the conqueror.

Despite having a disastrous Showdown Auction,

his profits from private sales did the trick.

But it doesn't end there.

Both our experts have been building up their profit pots

over a week of challenges, so who is the overall winner?

Shall we see how we got on over the week?

Let's see how we've done over the week.

-OK.

-One, two, three...

-Whoa, look at that!

-Look at that.

-That's twice as much.

-Decent sums of money there for our charity.

-Yeah.

-Not an easy challenge, Paul.

-It was definitely not an easy challenge.

-Would you do it again?

-I enjoyed every minute of it,

but I think I would need a few months off.

-I think we need a good rest...

-That said, there's a car-boot sale up the road.

A convincing win from John.

Between them, they've made almost £2,000 overall,

and every penny of that will go to charity.

My profits are going to Alder Hey Children's Charity.

The charity does vital work to raise funds

and support the needs of the poorly children in Liverpool

and the surrounding areas.

My chosen charity is the Lancaster & District

Homeless Action Service.

They provide support to the homeless community in the Lancaster area.

It's been a week of dealing thrills and spills.

Our impressive experts have really put their money

where their mouths are, and shown they can make a profit

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

-JOHN LAUGHS

-John.