Curtis Dowling v James Lewis: Auction Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

We've all seen them on TV, but how will the country's favourite antiques experts fare

when they're challenged to make a profit with their own cash?

I'll be switching on my bargainometer.

Knocker Knowles, I'm right on your heels!

From car boot sales to auction houses, our experts will be recreating

some of their real-life deals as they go head-to-head

and try and make the most money for their chosen charities.

You watch out here, Miss Bliss.

So the pressure is really on.

The challenge to our experts is clear - dealers, put your money where your mouth is!

Battling to prove their expertise today are animal-loving auctioneer James "The Lionheart" Lewis

and the antiques investigator, Curtis "The Detective" Dowling.

The Detective has a real passion for Art Nouveau and Art Deco pieces

and an unquenchable thirst for antiques knowledge.

It's a business you always think you know nothing about

and the more you learn the more you want to learn.

His moniker of The Detective comes from his speciality of spotting fakes and forgeries.

So how do you tell the difference?

Well, after 25 years I know one thing - fakers are getting better and it's very, very difficult.

His opponent, James Lewis, is an auctioneer and has 20 years' experience in the antiques business.

That is the bargain of the sale. 20. Five. 30.

I had two loves, animals and antiques.

The animal thing didn't work out, so I went for my second love - the antiques.

Derbyshire's very own master of ceremonies can be seen dispensing

pearls of wisdom on "Flog It!" and Bargain Hunt.

I guess the turning point for antiques and collectables for me

was when I took on a stand at Ewart Market on a Monday.

It wasn't easy and there were lots of people doing it,

but I used to buy at car boot sales, jumble sales, and make whatever I could.

We have the experts, they have the knowledge, the contacts and an unyielding desire to win,

so without further ado, it's time for us to find out the aim of today's game.

-Lionheart, good morning.

-Detective, how are you?

-Very well.

-Good.

-This is for you.

-And this for you.

-Let's see what's in it.

"Curtis and James, your challenge today is to spend up to £1,000 of your own money on antiques.

"You must then resell your purchases with the aim of making as much profit as possible.

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

-That'll be me, then!

-Probably!

"Today you must buy all of your antiques from...

"an auction house."

Oh, it's like eating your own, isn't it?

It certainly is.

-I don't think I'm going to enjoy this.

-Good luck.

-Good luck, you.

-I'll see you later.

-I'll follow you.

So our antiques warriors can spend up to £1,000 of their own money

at Fielding's Auctioneers in the West Midlands.

It's the dealer versus the auctioneer, and they've both drawn up their battle plans.

James will be relying on his years of experience as an auctioneer to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Curtis is counting on his heart to lead him to the items he needs for victory.

There are hundreds of lots on offer at today's auction, and as they browse through the items,

Mr Dowling has found a striking piece of artwork that he thinks has the potential to make him a profit.

Now, Freitag was a fabulous German artist born in the Victorian era,

but the first time he put a brush on to board with oil on,

he was painting in a style that was already 100 years out of date.

He wasn't inventing anything -

he was just doing a really good painting,

because by the time his art was selling, people were buying Picasso

and all the Impressionist artists.

I love it, and at £200 to £300 someone will think it's lovely,

even if that starts with a five or a six or a seven,

so I'm going to buy it and keep my fingers crossed that people love it just as much as I do.

Well, it seems like Curtis is prepared to pay

big money to try and secure the painting when it comes up for sale.

With so many lots to choose from, our experts are having to use

all their expertise to pick pieces with the potential to win today.

But James thinks he's sniffed out a small item that could deliver a big profit.

Imagine you're an 18th-century lady or gentleman.

You're walking through busy streets, sometimes in the 18th century flowing with raw sewage.

You had to have something to take that smell away, and that something is a vinaigrette.

This, though, is slightly more unusual than the norm.

A vinaigrette that we normally see opens up and inside we have a pierced grille.

That pierced grille holds a sponge that's soaked in aromatic vinegar,

and what one would do is take it out from a pocket or the end of a watch chain...

waft it under the nose to remove the smell of sometimes the streets,

but also sometimes the people walking down the streets.

But what makes this different is, A, it's American, not British, but, B,

it has these three individual compartments

for a different smell for a different occasion.

This has an auction estimate of £50 to £60.

In my opinion it's cheap.

Well, if he can pick it up for its estimate,

James thinks the vinaigrette is a bit of a bargain,

but there are no guarantees at auction, so that's a pretty big if.

Spotting the items with the biggest potential profit

is crucial if our experts want to win today's auction challenge.

And Curtis has homed in on something that he not only loves, but he thinks could make a big profit.

If you wanted to epitomise the late '30s and the '40s,

you'd probably look at something like Clarice Cliff.

If you want to epitomise the '20s and early '30s,

nobody better than Rene Lalique himself.

Now, the one thing you've got to be careful of

on these fabulous iconic items is

because they're popular, they get copied a lot.

How can you tell?

Now, this little fella has got an E on it, and that's telling me one important thing.

It's telling me that this was made in 1930.

But one thing to remember - condition, condition, condition.

If it's chipped, cracked or damaged don't touch it.

If it's in lovely condition like this little baby,

try and get it as much as you possibly can.

So, fingers crossed, I'll be taking this home and...

I'm going to struggle to part with it, and struggle to make a fortune profit on it, but you know what?

I don't care because it's gorgeous.

Yes, I'm not entirely sure that's going to help him beat James,

but Curtis is clearly passionate about the Lalique dish,

and if he can get it, that passion could help him sell it for a good profit.

Anyone else?

Mr Dowling also has his eye on a modern Galle vase, and we won't have to wait long

to see if he gets it, as the vase is about to come up for sale.

If we get it for the right price, which to me is going to be about £70, which is mid estimate,

add 15%, we're going to make some profit. Let's see how we get on.

The bid's in me at 45. I look for 50. 50 with the lady first.

50 I have there and five standing. 55. And 60. And five.

70. And five?

Your lot, sir. 75 to 564.

Spot on. 75 quid, just where we wanted to be.

Now add that 15% commission, and that's coming in around the...

coming on to £90.

So it's strike one to The Detective. Curtis and James have to factor the auctioneer's commission

into everything they buy today,

which means the vase has cost Curtis a little under £90.

James' vinaigrette will be up for sale shortly, but first,

The Lionheart is hoping to snap up an eye-catching glass whisky barrel with an estimate of £100 to £150.

We've got the John Walker & Sons of Kilmarnock Old Highland Whisky.

A nice barrel there. Bids and interest with me.

-Oh, there's interest.

-I'll get us under way at £85.

£85, below estimate.

-Let's see what happens in the room.

-At 85, then, on a maiden bid. 85.

90. And five. 100?

100, the nod, thank you. It's out in the room at £100.

£100. And your number is?

-Thank you, sir.

-Fantastic. £100, lower-end estimate.

That's 115 including commission, so I should think there's a good £70, £80 profit in that.

Let's see how we go.

With commission James has paid £115 for the whisky barrel,

and that's one item each.

It's going to be a fierce fight in the saleroom today,

but James is hoping to steal a march on his rival by buying the vinaigrette case

estimated at £50 to £60.

-Here it is.

-Interesting item. Bids and interest again.

-140...

-Oh, 140 straight in!

-140 takes all the other commission bidders out. At 140.

150. Five? 160. Five?

-170. Five?

-No.

-He says no.

-170 here. 175 anywhere else?

-Silver is expensive today.

£170 I'm selling it. Are you sure and done at 170? Are you finished?

So the vinaigrette case was too expensive for James.

Will his rival have more luck with his Freitag painting?

We have the Clemens Freitag oil on board.

170 I have, I look for 180.

180, thank you. Is there 190 now?

180, the gentleman's bid, and 180 I'll sell.

-All sure and done at 180?

-GAVEL RAPS

-I think that's fantastic.

-Curtis, it's a print!

Yes, his rival might be teasing him, but The Detective is happy with his purchase.

180. With buyer's premium, that's coming in just over the 200 mark.

I think there's another third in that from a profit point of view.

The painting's cost Curtis over a fifth of his budget,

but he seems pretty confident

about its potential profitability.

Mr Dowling also had his eye on a Lalique dish, but when it came up for sale,

he'd popped out of the room.

That's the bad news, the good news, at least for The Detective, is that there's still a chance

for him to take it home.

All will be revealed at the end of the auction.

With cash left in their pockets,

both our experts are keen to snap up more potentially profitable pieces.

And earlier today, they cast their eyes over the lots on offer.

James decided to go for gold.

In times when people are talking about minimalism,

clearing the surfaces and going for very simple lines

you wouldn't think that these

are fashionable, but they are.

One simple reason, they are

what we call Orientalist.

They're inspired by the Far East.

If we have a look at this, we've got burnished gilt,

matt gilt, and this is gilt on bronze, ormolu.

Fabulous quality casting and we do, of course, have the pair.

Here's the first with the gentleman,

the second with the lady.

A pair is so important.

Whenever we're talking about candelabrum or candlesticks,

a single one on its own is a little bit like a bike with one wheel,

nobody wants it, but a pair, fabulous.

I think they've got quite a realistic auction estimate. They've got 300 to 500 on them.

For us to stand a chance of making a good profit,

I'm going to go up to about 500, 550, something like that,

but I think we might just sell them for 1,000.

Well, Mr Lewis might think that the candlesticks are a potential double-your-money moment,

but spending £550 on just one item is a very big gamble.

Elsewhere in the saleroom, The Detective thinks he's found something

that could point him in the direction of victory.

The estimate on this is £100 to £150. Why is it so cheap, you think?

1806 map in very good condition, beautifully framed.

Well, look at the size of it! Where would you put it?

It's not going to go in your downstairs loo, at this size.

So, an item like this, who's going to buy it?

It could go in the hallway of a hotel, it could go in a public building.

That's the type of people that are going to buy it.

And if I got this for 100 quid, I think there's tons of mark-up in this.

So this is going to be one of the items I'm going for

and if I'm lucky enough to get it, this could be the real winner for me.

Both our experts are thinking big and with today's saleroom showdown heating up,

James is the expert with an item of interest up next in the auction house pressure-cooker.

It's a walking cane with an estimate of £40 to £60.

And the next lot is this walking stick.

Ivory hafted, silver ferial, malacca shaft, good colour, good condition.

Let's see if there are any walking stick collectors here.

21 is a malacca walking cane, lovely example. £40 on a commission.

And five. And 50. And five. And 60.

And five. And 70. And five. And 80.

And five. £80 on a commission. 85.

Fresh bid there first, 85. And 90.

And five. 100. 110. 120. 130?

130? 120 here on a commission.

130 anyone else. 130's back. 140.

130's standing. All done at £130 for the cane?

Oh, no, he's got that, but that's close to the edge, I tell you.

That's a lot of money.

Well, with commission James has paid almost £150 for the walking cane.

Rather than worrying about his opponent's recent purchase, though,

Mr Dowling has got other things on his mind.

That's a fitting number, 666.

I didn't notice that before! A sign of something, isn't it, or something?

Yes, very good, Curtis, but whilst he's cracking jokes James is making purchases.

All round to yours, sir.

Thank you!

Mr Dowling, though, is none too impressed.

Now, that smacks slightly like the signs of a desperate man.

Buying bottles of whisky.

There's no doubt it is a quirky purchase for Mr Lewis,

but what he's really hoping to buy are the ormolu candlesticks.

Remember, James is prepared to go as high as £550.

-£700, then?

-Oh, £700!

720 anywhere else?

Last time of asking at £700.

All done and finished? 720 anywhere else? All done?

I can see those retailing at £1,200, but it just wasn't quite enough.

So, the candlesticks were a bit pricey for The Lionheart

and whilst he licks his wounds,

it's time for Curtis to try and secure another item.

The next lot for me is the map.

I mean, it's huge and I'm hoping because of the size people are going to say,

"Don't buy that, how will we get it home?"

867 is the map of England and Wales. The big one over there. A bit of a bruiser.

£100, £150, you never know your luck. Let's see.

Where do we start on that one? Bids with me at 90.

I look for £100 in the room. 100 there. It's with you at 100. Do I see 110 anywhere else?

-BANGS GAVEL

-Yours, sir.

-Hurray! I'm going to shout that loudly. Hurray!

-I've got something I wanted!

-Well done.

The bidding was short and sweet and with commission the maps cost Curtis £115.

With his rival shouting his delight about his purchase to all and sundry...

-Hurray!

-..James is feeling the pressure and decides to try and makean impulse buy.

A pair of card cases. I haven't even looked at them, but they seem cheap.

25 for them? Quickly, two card cases for £25.

-Thank you, sir. 28 anywhere else?

-BANGS GAVEL

£25. That was cheap.

Hopefully there's a profit there.

Well, James may be upset at missing out on several of his targets,

but he's managed to snap up the card cases for just under £29

It's time now to find out just how much he and Curtis have spent.

Both our experts can spend up to £1,000 of their own money.

Mr Dowling has spent just under £410, leaving a little over £590 in his kitty.

His rival has parted with just over £430, giving him almost £570 still to spend.

So, with over £1,000 still to spend between them

and the lots sliding by, the pressure's building on both our experts.

All is far from lost, though, and earlier today they cast their eyes over the hundreds of lots on offer

and The Detective spotted something he thought could turn up the heat on his rival.

This is interesting if you've heard of the Kelvin scale -

absolute temperature measurement - this is the guy

that started the company that made this clock.

Now this one is probably from the turn of the last century,

so about 1900,

and they'd been making items like this for 30 years,

40 years before this clock came out

and they're still going today as Kelvin Hughes Ltd.

And I think we're all slightly fascinated, aren't we, with time

and all slightly fascinated with travel and this ticks both boxes

because this would have been on a metal ship.

It's been round the world, so the stories this could tell.

It's small, so it's nice and portable,

it still works and on your kitchen wall,

well, it's better than popping down your local shops

and buying a new one for what's going to be about the same price.

Now, in the book, they're estimating this at £80 to £120.

If it comes in even at slightly over that,

I still think I've got a bargain

and I still think I'm going to make a hefty profit on it,

so we'll just have to wait and see. Well, time will tell.

Yes, very good, Curtis. Fortunately for him his antiques knowledge is better than his puns,

His rival has decided to make a move for some garden urns,

but before they go under the hammer, it's time for Curtis' timepiece to go before the room.

I've got that little brass clock coming up now. I like the movement, it's quite small, I'm hoping...

I mean, it says £80 to £120. I'm hoping for a bit less now.

80 I'm bid on a commission. And five in the room anywhere for the brass clock? 85. 90. Five.

-100.

-No more.

-95 then with you.

Oh, it's looking like my day.

-Then we are all done.

-BANGS GAVEL Go on!

You know, the old Detective Dowling is doing well.

That's a good purchase, there.

Well, his rival thinks he's got a good buy

and, including comission, Curtis has picked up the clock for just under £110.

The competition in today's saleroom is fierce. Curtis and James have been bidding against a room

full of knowledgable buyers, as well as against each other.

But, having only bought four items each, they're desperate to bag more lots.

A pair of cast iron garden urns for you.

Now these...

These look OK. It's summer.

-130. They seem cheap...

-130.

At 130. Absentee bids and interest. I'll come to you at 140.

I'm out straight away. 140. Bidding is in the room.

-140. 140.

-150. 160. 170. 180.

180.

-190. And 200.

-200.

-210. 220, sir?

-220.

-220. 230? 230. 240.

250.

260. 270.

280. 290. 300.

-£300.

-300. 310.

-It's too much really, but I need to buy it.

320, gentleman's bid.

Thank you.

666, thank you.

That is tough going. Whether there's a profit or not in that I really doubt it.

Well, James needed to buy something to sell on, but with commission,

he's paid a whopping £368 and he doesn't seem too happy about it.

His rival, on the other hand, is over the moon.

Earlier in the day he had his eye on the Lalique dish.

If it's in lovely condition like this little baby try and get it as much as you possibly can.

Unfortunately for Mr Dowling, he was out of the room when it came up for sale,

but clever Curtis has got some very good news.

And it's a result!

You may be wondering how did that happen?

It didn't make its reserve, so I popped my head round the door

and they let me have it for the lowest estimate plus commission.

What that means is I've just paid £230 for this beautiful Lalique bowl, which is now all mine.

Hurray!

Well, that's all perfectly standard practice in an auction house

and it means that both our experts have bought five items each.

It's time to find out just how much they've spent.

Both Curtis and James were allowed to spend

up to £1,000 of their own money in the saleroom.

Including commission, Curtis has parted with just under £750.

The Lionheart, on the other hand, has parted with almost 800.

It's been a tough day for both our experts, but before they head

for home and try to make a profit on their items, they can't resist taking a look at each other's wares.

This just about sums up our day, James, doesn't it?

I can't even see you, my glasses are so wet!

-Well, if you could see me, you'd be just looking at one depressed, wet auctioneer.

-Yes.

And opposite you,

-a slightly depressed, wet antiques dealer.

-Yeah.

-What have you got?

Well, I started off with a barrel this morning, and that's all I got in the first stage.

Then I bought a walking stick and I really have no idea why I paid that much money for it,

and then these, three lots to go and I had no choice.

£150 too much, really.

Well, I feel slightly better than you, I have to say,

because I got a bit lucky towards the end of the day.

I got this map.

Yeah, I can see that's really working for you.

-Now, the Lalique bowl was more emotional than financial.

-Was it?

Yeah, because I paid 230 for it.

-There might be a bit of profit in there.

-Just a tiny little bit.

-Best so far, I think.

-Yeah, that's a nice piece.

-We've had a hard day, haven't we?

-It's not been an easy day. We've had everything against us today.

We've had the inclement weather, we've had the most expensive auction house in the world.

-Haven't they done well!

-Good luck to them.

-Absolutely.

They've kicked us out so they can get on and book their Caribbean cruises! Well, best of luck.

Great, and to you. Well, you can find your way home with that, eh?

-At least it's got one use.

-Take care.

So, as they head for home, Curtis' chances of victory rest on

a modern Galle vase,

an early 20th-century brass clock,

a 19th-century map,

a Lalique glass dish

and an original oil painting by Clemens Freitag.

James is aiming to profit from a large glass whisky barrel,

an ivory-topped walking cane,

a very large bottle of whisky,

a pair of card cases

and a pair of cast iron garden urns.

So, having gone head to head in the auction house,

James and Curtis are preparing themselves for the second part of the challenge,

which is to sell their items and make as much profit as possible for their charities.

Pretty much everyone that they try to do deals with

will be aware that they're on a mission to raise as much money as possible for charity.

And our experts will be doing everything in their power

to get the best possible prices for everything that they sell.

James and Curtis are working their way through their little black books

putting deals together on the phone and by e-mail.

They may even talk figures with potential buyers,

but until money has changed hands no deal is truly done.

With just five lots to sell, James knows that he has to work hard

with every single sale if he's going to win today's contest.

The sun might not have shone on him at the auction,

but he's hoping that a specialist walking cane dealer will put some profit in his pockets.

# I'm walking on sunshine

# Wo-oh

# And don't it feel good? Hey! All right... #

Dominic.

-Yes.

-James Lewis, nice to see you.

-Nice to meet you.

Hi. The thing that I loved about it was the handle.

-I thought it had the most wonderful colour.

-Sure.

-And the malacca shaft seems in good order.

-That's right.

-And it had a little silver collar, a silver ferial.

-With a hallmark there.

-Birmingham hallmarked for 1895.

-Right.

-So I thought it was great.

I mean, it's... It's an earlier style I thought than 1895.

That's... That's probably right.

The hallmark will tell us for sure, but I think you might have some good news here

because although the hallmark tells us that date,

I... My instant feeling

is that actually the handle of this cane is earlier.

-It has an earlier style and feel, doesn't it?

-It does.

Also, which is particularly obvious in this case, a fantastic patina.

-Yeah.

-A really sort of rich colour

-which, frankly, only comes with age.

-Yeah.

And so my instant feeling about this cane is, believe it or not,

it's probably something we call a marriage,

whereby this handle, I would guess,

would be considerably earlier than the shaft and collar.

What period do think it is?

Well, I think the handle really could be as early as 1720.

The dealer sounds interested in the walking cane,

but in order to make a profit James has to sell it for at least £150.

I was hoping for something like 300, 310, something like that.

I think we can afford to be more generous with you than that.

-I think it's probably worth a little bit more.

-Oh, fantastic.

-And, well...

Now that is unusual for a dealer.

Well, I, think it's probably...

You know, I'm happy to give you say 350 for that as, albeit a marriage,

it's got a lot of interesting things going for it.

-That is brilliant. You've got a deal. Thank you so much.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you.

-You're very welcome.

Well, that's something you don't see every day - a dealer paying more than he was asked -

but he's paid what he thinks the cane is worth

and that's a real result for The Lionheart.

He's banked a fantastic profit of over £200.

There are two runners in today's race, though, and James' rival

is trying to sell an item that he thinks could lead him to victory.

This is one of my favourite pubs in Surrey and I know the owner, who's a friend,

has just refurbished it and is looking for a centrepiece. Let's hope this is the one.

It's a cunning plan, but Curtis not only needs to convince the landlord that he wants the map,

but also that he wants to pay more than the £115 purchase price.

-Well, there we are.

-Well, Curtis.

-What do you think of that?

-I absolutely love it.

I think it's a fantastic piece, but what is it?

Basically, if you went travelling in 1806 you've got to carry a map with you to find your way.

-Makes sense.

-Of course. But you can't carry something

this size, so this would have been folded up and put in your pocket.

-I understand.

-It's amazing that it's survived if you think about it

because it's been unfolded and folded, unfolded and folded, in all weathers for a long time.

I like it.

It's a very interesting piece to have in the pub.

I think the customers will like it, but it all boils down to money.

A map like this is going to come in at something like £500 to you.

-£500!

-£500.

-Come on, Curtis, you've got to do me a deal.

-What were you thinking of?

I'll be happy round about the 300 mark.

-You'll be breaking my arm at that sort of price.

-It's a nice day, summer, come on, let's do business.

How about 400?

375 and we've got a deal.

Well, I can shake on 375.

To be fair, on a hot sunny day like today and the size of this I don't

-want to be walking with it, so 375.

-Fantastic.

-It's a deal.

Let's see the colour of your money.

Look, born shopper! Always carrying that sort of money.

Come prepared!

-Wow.

-375.

-Lovely. Thank you very much.

-I'll leave you with the map and I'm going in your lovely pub.

-Thank you.

You not going to give me a hand? What am I going to do with this?

Take that, Mr Lewis! A £260 profit for the map is a fantastic result.

The Lionheart isn't afraid of a bit of competition though

and he's aiming to cash in on his cast iron garden urns.

He's had them delivered to a friend who, as it turns out,

isn't exactly bowled over by them.

-They're not big enough. They're really... You find...

-OK.

-Here's a challenge for you.

-OK.

-You find somewhere that I think they look good in this garden, I'll buy them off you.

How about the bandstand?

Go stand them at the bandstand, let's have a look at them and then we'll take it further.

-OK, we'll give it a go.

-All right, OK.

So, the urns aren't right for the terrace, but James is hoping

that moving them to the bandstand might help him seal the deal.

-What do you think?

-Looking better, James, looking better.

-How much do you want for them?

-They are 600 of your finest English pounds.

Your car's on the front, James, put them back in the boot!

Or...or we can go and sit in the house and negotiate.

-Let's go and do a deal.

-All right.

Well, if you don't ask, you don't get.

And James is doing his best to maximise a profit from his garden urns.

On the Essex coast, Curtis is hoping to make a profit from his brass clock.

When the sun's shining, England's the best place to be. This is one of the best places in England to come.

This is Malden and behind me is the Jolly Sailor

and if I remember rightly, this pub has got a maritime collection already.

It doesn't guarantee they'll buy it, but we might be halfway there. Let's see.

Well, The Detective is a man with a plan, but he needs to sell the clock for at least £110 to make a profit.

-Hello, Alan, how are you?

-Not bad. And yourself?

-Yeah, nice to see you.

-Good.

-I was happy until I saw that big clock.

-It's a whopper!

-Yeah! I've got another one you might like.

-That'd be nice.

-Shall we go in the sun?

-Why not?

-Let's have a look.

Now, I know you've got quite a lot of maritime memorabilia in the pub already,

but I was hoping this slightly different piece might complement what you've got.

Curtis is giving the publican the hard sell, but I suspect

he's far from a pushover, so there's work to be done yet.

In Derbyshire, his rival is trying to pocket £600 for his garden urns.

I admit the ones you've got in the garden are bigger, more impressive, but these are period.

-They're 150 years old and they're going to be here in another 150 years, you know?

-I won't.

No, you won't, but your family will be, your generations will be and they're a better investment.

I'll give you £400 for them, James.

400 is just no good. It doesn't do anything for me. There's no profit there.

-So you want £600.

-I want 600.

Well, just like his rival, Mr Lewis is giving it the hard sell

and we'll find out shortly whether he gets his price.

Curtis might not be asking as much for his brass clock

that cost him almost £110, but he's working hard to secure that sale.

I'd be looking at something like £250.

It's nice, but it's not £250 worth of clock.

OK, well, I guess the starting point is what it's worth to you.

Well, I suppose the sun's shining,

good offer, one and a half, £150.

It would have to be 200 I reckon to make it worth a deal.

It's a bit rich for me.

175.

Can we agree on 190?

-You're a hard man to do business with.

-It's a deal. Fantastic.

The Detective is on top negotiating form

and nets just over £80 profit for the brass clock.

Another lovely day, a lovely place, a lovely pub, a lovely profit of 40%.

James, I'd bail out if I was you.

So, Curtis is a happy man, but in Derbyshire, his rival has got his price for the garden urns.

-£600.

-£600.

-Deal.

-It's a deal, my friend.

James has managed to seal a deal for his garden urns, but there's bad news, too.

-I would have... I would have paid more.

-You wouldn't!

-I would.

-You swine!

Well, the walking cane dealer paid a little extra earlier,

so James will just have to call that quits.

£600 gives him an excellent £232 profit

and with both our experts sealing deals

it's time to see who's on course for victory and who's staring defeat in the face.

Curtis "The Detective" Dowling has sold £565 worth of goods

and made just over £340 profit.

James "The Lionheart" Lewis, on the other hand,

has made sales totalling £950 and banked profits of just over £430.

With everything still to play for our experts are putting together deals on the phone and by e-mail,

but until they've shaken on it and got the money in their pockets no deal is truly sealed.

In Devon, Mr Dowling is hoping to sell his Lalique dish.

# Seemed like the real thing, only to find

# Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind... #

My favourite item. I'm sad, but I hope it sells.

-Hello, Dom!

-Curtis, good to see you!

-How are you?

-Yeah, fine. Come in.

-Thanks very much.

He fell in love with it at the auction,

but if he's to make a profit, he needs to sell the dish for more than £230.

-A Lalique coquille plate from 1926.

-Gosh.

It is... It does look nice.

-It's a bit small, isn't it?

-Well...

But I love the colours.

The coquille pattern was made in small bowls, small plates, large bowls, large plates

and Lalique has raced up in price,

certainly over the last 20 years,

as it's become harder and harder to collect pieces with absolutely no damage.

So, a very large plate like this I would have probably hesitated to bring you

because it's going to have four figures attached to it.

-It wouldn't have stopped ME buying it.

-So what are you asking for this?

Well, you'll be pleased to hear it's only going to be about 260.

I mean, I'm in the more of 200, really.

200 is less than I paid for it.

I'm willing to give you 225.

-It's your last word?

-Yeah.

OK.

-225 it's going to have to be.

-Deal?

-At least it's going to a fantastic home.

Well, it's a sale, but unfortunately for Curtis not a profit.

He sold the dish for £5 less than he paid for it,

but a small loss is better than a much bigger one if he hadn't managed to sell it.

However, he's not the only one with problems.

20 years of selling, approximately 2,000 auctions

and two million lots later,

you'd think that this auctioneer might just know what he was doing,

but, no, even an auctioneer with that experience can make a complete mess of things

and that is exactly what I've done.

I paid £25 for them, I reckon that's about £24.50 too much.

They have completely had it. From the front they look pretty good, but if we turn them over...

a big hole in the back there where the veneer's starting to come away.

You know, these are a nightmare to try and sell.

No dealer is going to touch those with a barge pole and, do you know, I don't blame them.

I don't know. I'm going to try every single shop that I know and I'm not going to give up,

I'm going to try my hardest and maybe there will still be a profit in them.

# Help! I need somebody, help... #

That's the spirit, James. Mr Lewis is going to try and sell his card cases on London's Portobello Road.

Not a chance.

Unfortunately for him, it looks like it could be easier said than done.

Not interested.

As The Lionheart tries to seal a deal though it seems that,

just like his rival, he's in danger of making a loss on one of his items.

This is becoming a bit of a habit.

After a dismal start to his quest, James finally finds a specialist dealer

who might be interested in his card cases.

I'm here to sell.

I have this wonderful pair of card cases, have a look.

Damaged card cases.

They are damaged, yes.

OK, I have to think what I could do with these.

I think these should be made into love tokens

and maybe a small poetry book inserted inside or a love poem.

How much do you want for these?

-So you are interested in them.

-I feel sorry for them.

-OK.

-I'd like to give them a new lease of life. I feel sorry for things.

The most I'd give you for these is 40 quid.

That's a start. How about 60?

45.

-£50 you've got a deal.

-OK, go on.

-Brilliant. I'm pleased about that!

Oh, that's a big relief for Mr Lewis.

They are damaged, but thanks to the dealer's idea of turning them into love tokens,

he's still banked a decent profit from the card cases.

With their reputations and hard-earned cash on the line

both our experts have been working flat out to sell their items

and bank as much money as possible.

# Money, money, money

# Must be funny

# In a rich man's world... #

-It's a deal. Let's see the colour of your money!

-Deal. Thank you so much.

# Always sunny... #

It would need to be a tad more, I think, to close it.

Both our experts are determined to win today's contest

and Curtis has banked over £110 for the sale of his Galle vase

and just over £50 for the original Clemens Freitag oil painting.

Mr Dowling has sold all his items.

# It's a rich man's world!"

If James wants to win he has to make big profits from his glass whisky barrel

and large bottle of whisky.

He's in London to meet a whisky specialist.

It's make or break time for The Lionheart.

# Show me the way to go home

# I'm tired and I wanna go to bed

# I had a little drink... #

Yes, don't worry, Mr Lewis wouldn't jeopardise an important deal by arriving under the influence.

Time to get down to business.

James, this I'm familiar with,

a very large bottle of whisky.

I think eight pints in there, that's about, what? Six bottles, I think.

But when it comes to antique glassware I'm a little bemused,

so perhaps you can tell me a little bit more about this.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this is the thing that I thought was wonderful.

A really good interior decorator's piece, really.

I mean, when it was made, I should think made around 1890 to 1900, this was something that you'd have seen

on the bars of almost every Scottish pub.

They were designed to hold the water and they would be turned and the little tap would overhang the bar.

The barman would pour you a whisky and you'd top it up to however weak or strong you'd like it.

I think our customers would appreciate that and the history.

Now then, I know this is just a bottle of Bells, but it was the size! I think it's great!

Yes, it's a superb fun, isn't it?

Very impressive, particularly the embossing on the back of the label

OK, let's cut to the chase, James. How much do you want for them?

Collectively the two whisky items cost James £153

and we'll find out very shortly if he was able to make a profit

and which of our antiques gladiators has emerged victorious because it's time to tot up the totals.

Both our experts were allowed to spend

up to £1,000 of their own money on antiques at auction.

Including commission, Curtis "The Detective" Dowling

bought five items and spent just under £750.

His rival, James "The Lionheart" Lewis

parted with almost £800.

Every penny of our experts' profits will be going to charity,

so without further ado it's time to reveal who is today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

Detective Dowling, how are you?

-Mr Lewis, I'm very well.

-Me, too. Me, too.

-Here we are, results day!

-I feel like I'm doing my A-levels again.

-What did you get in your A-levels?

-I'm not telling. Not good!

Well, I got Ds, so I'm never nervous about this sort of thing.

Well, I mean, how did you find it?

-I'm afraid heart ruled head with this a little bit, so... I did well on a couple of items.

-Yeah.

-Lalique bowl?

-Yeah?

-No.

-Gave it away.

Well, I'm better on the rostrum than in the auction room, buying.

-I'm not going to trade positions.

-But you did pretty well, did you?

Yeah, the best thing was the malacca cane. It turned out to be pretty good, eventually.

-Wow!

-Yeah, so...

-Learning all the time.

-Absolutely. So shall we?

-Are you ready?

-Go on, then.

-One, two, three!

-Pipped at the post!

-I thought that was 50,000 at one point!

-How good would that be!

I'm glad to see the decimal point in there. Oh, dear!

Well, there's always another day.

-There is.

-Congratulations.

-Let's go and fight on.

So, it's a victory for James

and a fantastic deal on the two whisky items

helped him secure today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Crown.

How about 600 for the two?

I think, well, we're getting closer, James.

I think 550's about as far as I can go for the pair.

-Do you know, that shows me a profit and I'm happy with that.

-Excellent. Thank you very much indeed.

-Well done.

-Thank you. Brilliant.

£550 gave Mr Lewis a profit of almost £300

and I think it's fair to say he's a happy, or perhaps a relieved, man.

Do you know, I really thought Curtis was going to win this one,

but if I can't win in an auction room where can I win?

I was a bit disappointed with this one because I actually thought I would win this.

James is an auctioneer so he really is a fish out of water for this.

I think the problem is my heart ruled my head on one of the items and that was my undoing.

Well, Curtis might have been a bit disappointed to lose, but both our experts have made

fabulous amounts of money and all their profits will be going to their chosen charities.

But on the positive side, I did manage to raise £500 for Disability Challengers.

They're a centre for parents with disabled children.

It's a respite for them so they've got somewhere the children can be dropped off.

And I'm absolutely honoured to be able to give £750 to Ace Africa.

James may have been triumphant today, but this clash of the antiques titans isn't over yet.

-Hello, Alan, how are you?

-Tomorrow, Curtis will have the chance to strike back

as our experts go head-to-head once again at a car boot sale.

This, at an investment of £25, should show at least a 100% profit.

Lost, one very large man with a beard and a pinstripe suit.

There's certainly a lot of interest in America at this car boot sale,

but I have to say that's mainly the flags on the burger wagons.

£30,000, please.

Do you know, that's cheap for you!

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