Curtis Dowling v James Lewis: Showdown 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've bought that.

The joy of car boots!

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.

Fondle without fear!

Wait till you hear about this one.

The challenge to our experts is clear.

Dealers, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Battling it out for today's crown are James "the Lionheart" Lewis

and Curtis "the Detective" Dowling.

Curtis specialises in spotting fakes and forgeries, making sure his clients get the genuine article.

So after 25 years in the business, it's still very, very difficult to spot the real thing from a fake.

So if you've got your own money to spend, caveat emptor, buyer beware.

The Detective has a real passion for antiques and he's made his mark on Cash In The Attic.

So there's still bargains to be had, you've just got to know how to look and use a bit of instinct as well.

Trust me.

Hoping to turn the table on Curtis is his rival and experienced auctioneer James Lewis.

He's seen 20 years of action on the podium and there isn't much

in the way of antiques that hasn't passed through his auction house.

The worst part of the job is letting people down.

It's very easy to tell somebody it's worth £1,000,

bit it's very difficult to tell somebody

it's not worth anything at all.

James' boundless knowledge of antiques has made him a firm favourite on Flog It!

And what did they cost? £15. There's got to be a profit in that.

So we have the experts. They have the knowledge, the contacts and an unyielding desire to win.

James and Curtis knew they would be facing a final special mission, and it's time for us

to take a look at the moment they open their envelopes as we find out exactly what that mission is.

-Curtis, how are you?

-James, I'm very well.

-Good. Good.

-I think this is for you.

-I think this is for you.

-OK.

Curtis and James,

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

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

The winner is the expert who makes the most cash.

Where we going to go for that, then?

This is your showdown.

You can buy whatever you like, wherever you like,

but you must sell your items at a special one-off event.

-Good luck, it says.

-Sounds fun.

-I'll have to get my thinking cap on.

So James and Curtis can spend up to £1,000 of their own money on antiques that they

can buy from wherever they like before trying to sell them on for a profit at special one-off events.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is showdown.

In order to maximise his profits, James is planning to auction off

the items he buys at an event being hosted by his charity.

It means he can concentrate all his energies on buying the right items

for the showdown challenge, and he won't have to worry about spending any money putting on his event.

Curtis, on the other hand, is also planning to hold a charity auction,

but his will be a more intimate event.

And, with the challenge laid down, he's headed to a shop

which is packed with character,

and more importantly, is also packed with antiques.

It feels like the Old Curiosity Shop in a place like this.

You feel like you could find anything, and everything you do find could be completely genuine,

and I think we've found something over here that is unique.

This is an indenture.

It's a legally-binding document between two people.

Generally, it was for things like apprenticeships, but this example

is a land deal and it's to rent out a house and a garden to an individual.

Some of the earlier examples go back to 1250, but this one is a lot later.

This one is 1838,

Now, this particular one is quite fascinating to read

and that's why these things do so well at auctions

or in places like this.

It says £85 on the ticket, but hopefully, because I'm trade,

I might get a little bit off, so let's see if that's the case.

Well, that's a fascinating item he's picked out

and we'll find out very shortly if he can he can get it for the right price.

Pretty much everybody Curtis and James try to do deals with will be aware that they're

on a mission to raise money for charity.

And our experts will be doing everything in their power

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

In Nottinghamshire, Mr Lewis is taking a trip down memory lane.

Whenever you're looking for something special, you need to come

to a special place, and this place is very special to me

for a number of reasons, but mainly because 21 years ago,

at the age of 15, I walked into my first ever antique centre and bought my first little thing.

Today, I'm not looking for normal cupboards or glasses or vases,

but upstairs, there's a cabinet containing wonderful early objects.

Anglo-Saxon, Chinese, Egyptian, Roman and in there, I'm hoping

to find something very special for my charity showdown.

It sounds as though James has got something a little out of the ordinary in mind for his showdown

event, and he's picked out something that he thinks is full of Eastern promise.

He's Chinese. He's about 1,500 years old, and he's a Tang Dynasty tomb figure.

You've all heard of those wonderful terracotta armies that have been

discovered in China about five or ten years ago, well, this little chap is a smaller version.

They were designed as tomb guardians.

When the body was placed in the tomb, you'd have little priests

like this that would accompany them to the afterlife.

He originally would have been brightly coloured,

but sitting in the base of a tomb, imagine as the weather changes

the water comes in and out, the colours naturally fade.

So this little chap, being 1,500 years old, you'd expect him to be quite a price.

At £120, he's not really expensive,

but I'm going to see if we can do a bit of a better deal.

Well, if James can cut a favourable deal, he thinks the tomb figurine could deliver a heavenly profit.

He's not the only one hoping to negotiate a good price though.

Curtis is aiming to get a healthy discount on the indenture.

£85.

Being trade, I was hoping for a small discount, so what can you do for me?

Well, I think I might let you have £10 off that, which would make it £75.

Perfect. That's just what I wanted.

-Lovely. Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much, superb.

Well, it's not the biggest discount, but it's a fascinating item

and the Detective seems pleased with his purchase.

In Newark, James has picked up the terracotta Chinese tomb figurine

for £70, and he's got his eye on some more exotic pieces.

Whilst he was hunting for items to buy for his showdown,

he found two African pieces in an auction catalogue.

He couldn't get to the auction himself, but he knew some dealers who would be attending the sale

and told them if they purchased the items, he might be interested in taking them off their hands.

So what exactly is Mr Lewis so keen on?

Fantastic.

This is a wonderful example of, believe it or not, a headrest.

African, tribal, probably Kenyan, it's very difficult to say where some of these headrests were from,

because they were used by the nomadic people.

They travelled from area to area grazing their goats and grazing their cows, so they never actually

stayed in the same position, which is why they needed a headrest rather than a pillow.

These sides here, these tall flattened sides were smeared with goat's fat.

Not only was that very smelly, but it was very sticky, and the idea would be when this base is sitting

on the hard ground, the head would lie back in here and any little nasty insects that go crawling up

the sides here would get stuck in the sticky fat, and that of course would prevent things like scorpions,

nasty little things crawling in your ears at night in the middle

of your sleep, so these are quite important things.

Ticket price on this is £80 so I'm going to ask for a slight discount, but not very much.

Well, from the East Coast of Africa to the West Coast of Africa.

This is something altogether more fancy and more ornate and, of course, a lot larger.

It's a seat or a stool, and this is from Ghana, from the Ashanti tribe,

and they're probably known as the major carvers of Africa.

Almost all of these very fancy, dish-top stools that we see

coming through the auctions today are from Ashanti.

Look at the colour. It's been ebonised.

It's been stained. It's darker than the natural wood that you can see coming through here.

Well, I have to say, it doesn't speak to me like the headrest does, but I still love it.

Let's have a look at the price. Well, per square inch, it's cheaper than the headrest. Again, it's £80.

I don't think that's expensive.

Two African items, I think they're going to do really well.

Let's see what I can get them for.

Well, I think it's fair to say that James is pretty taken with the two African pieces.

In Devon, the Detective is aiming to track down something quintessentially English.

Now, why have I come here today to buy items for my antiques auction?

I'll tell you why - because it's nostalgia.

When we were kids we used to come to places like this and find knick-knacks.

In fact, it's places like this that got me into antique dealing in

the first place, fabulous little centres full of treasure.

This is Wedgwood Jasperware.

This Jasperware was created by Wedgwood back in the 1800s,

and people have been collecting it for over 200 years now.

Look at this fabulous candlestick, with this amazing Grecian design on it.

Josiah Wedgwood had this on many, many of his items

and this Grecian pattern comes from something called the Portland vase, one of the most famous vases

of the last 500 years, not just for its beauty, because in the Victorian times someone walked into a museum,

picked it off the shelf and just smashed it all over the floor.

It took a long time to stick that back together, but so

much of Wedgwood has this style on it and I think that's one of the reasons

it was so collectible and still is - because it's classical design using classical figures.

Now, all this together is about £55, so if I can sell this at auction, one of two things is going to happen.

First of all, we might be lucky enough to start a new collector.

We might be unlucky enough to start a new dealer!

Yes, something tells me Curtis could probably cope with a little more competition, and having negotiated

a £10 discount, he's hoping the Jasperware will deliver a healthy profit at his showdown event.

In Newark, James is trying to negotiate a good deal for the two

African pieces he's fallen in love with.

They've both got £80 on them.

What do you think your best price would be?

It would be £70 on each.

£70 each is already a 10% discount if not slightly more.

At that, we've got a deal. Thank you.

Well, that's a real result for Mr Lewis and at his

charity auction he'll also be aiming to go sell a 19th-century Tibetan dagger which cost him just £10.

And some more conventional items, a Victorian blue and silver scent bottle,

a set of decanter labels,

and a Georgian decanter and a bottle of port for the combined sum of £142.

The race is on to buy the items with the most potential profit, and both

our experts are determined to be the top antiques gun.

James "Maverick" Lewis is buying pieces from around the world.

You've all heard of those wonderful terracotta armies that have been

discovered in China about five or ten years ago, well, this little chap is a smaller version.

His rival Curtis "Iceman" Dowling is calculating that antiques from

Britain will send him soaring to success.

This got me into antique collecting.

The beautiful style, the beautiful make.

It's going to be a fight to the finish,

and both our experts are aiming to shoot their rival down in flames.

Yes, whilst James and Curtis might well fancy

themselves as the Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer of the antiques world...

Well, maybe not, it's time to focus on the job at hand.

They've both been trying to buy the right items for the right prices,

but just how much of their kitties have they spent?

Our experts are allowed to spend up to £1,000 of their own money.

Mr Dowling has parted with £120, leaving him up to £880 in his kitty.

His rival, on the other hand, has spent £362, giving him up to £638 still to play with.

So, with hundreds of pounds left in their kitties,

our experts are looking to buy the items they hope will win them today's showdown challenge.

Now, as it's their showdown, our duelling duo can buy whatever they like from wherever they like.

And on a previous buying trip to an antiques market, James

spotted two items he thought were perfect for his charity auction.

A diamond pendant and a diamond ring. He set about trying to get a dazzling discount.

OK, now you've got £600 on that one.

-Yes.

-What would be your rock bottom lowest?

Normally I'd say £400, but...

I was thinking three.

I know that's a whooping great discount, I wouldn't normally ask.

Would you be able to do that at three?

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

-Brilliant. That's a deal.

-You're not going to come again?

Of course I will.

And how about this little one here?

Now, this one, 18 carat and diamonds.

The chain is nine, but of course, you can put an 18 on, but the chain is fine.

-Well, look...

-The £100 was on the pendant.

I'll say £75.

£75 is a deal.

Thank you so much.

Nicely done, Mr Lewis, he pushed hard to get a great discount and he's a happy man.

I'm delighted with this. A ring, and a pendant together for £375.

Those are a real bargain.

This is the most fashionable cut of stone. It's known as brilliant cut.

This type of cut came in the 1920s.

And the reason why this cut is so popular is because the facets

reflect the biggest sparkle you can get from a diamond.

It's cut with facets all the way round,

and if you hold it up, you can see the pointed section at the bottom, and this is open-mounted.

It has four platinum claws.

The shank is 18 carat yellow gold, and that's such a contemporary ring.

It's bound to appeal to everybody.

When it comes to the pendant, here we have three graduated brilliant cut diamonds.

Again set in 18 carat gold, and that's such a young-looking pendant.

Hopefully, everybody will go for it.

Well, James clearly thinks he's sealed a gem of a deal.

Time will tell if the ring and pendant will deliver sparkling profits at the charity auction.

In the West Country, Curtis is on the hunt for more pieces for his charity auction

at the Devon county antiques fair, and he's found something he thinks could be the answer to his prayers.

Ah, now this is just the kind of thing I'm looking for. This is beautiful.

Ivory, gilt metal clasp, it's a Book of Common Prayer.

These were very, very popular in the Victorian era. They go all the way back to Henry VIII.

If we open it up, we can see somebody's loved this book and looked after it.

Just as importantly, just to give it that personal feel, there's even an inscription inside.

It says, "A dying gift from her loving and affectionate sister Jane."

Dated 1891.

This is a lovely find, and at the right price could do very well for us.

It's up for £85.

If it goes for £60, it's coming home with me.

Let's see what we can do.

Excuse me.

Hello. Lovely little book.

-Yes. It's nice.

-£85.

I can't do terrific discount on it, perhaps £70?

Would you be happy with £65?

Yes, £65, I'll do.

-Fantastic.

-Good luck with it.

Thank you very much indeed. Cheers.

Good luck with that.

Well, it's slightly more than he wanted to pay, but

it's another interesting item for the Detective, and he's a happy man.

This is just the kind of item I think that's going to fly off my auction stand.

On a previous Put Your Money buying expedition to an antiques market, James was keeping a look out for

pieces for his showdown event,

and managed to pick up a pair of silver-plated bottle coasters for £120.

I'm hoping the people that attend this evening charity gala are going to be party animals and

I'm going to fill these 19th-century silver-plated bottle coasters with

a pair of champagne bottles, freshly chilled for the evening, and that should be a party animal's dream.

They're known as EP on copper, electroplate on copper.

About 30 years earlier, these would have been made from Sheffield plate, which is silver solded to cooper.

These are electroplated technique, invented by Elkington & Co

around 1850.

These are 1850 to 1870, so nice and early of their type.

The bases are in oak, and they're draft turned.

Now, the decoration around the outside is typical of the period.

It's very fussy, it's very over the top and I have to say not the most fashionable of decorations today.

People do tend to prefer a minimal look.

But I'm hoping on the night with pretty little lights shining on them

these will go down a storm.

Well, that's a rather glitzy item for James's showdown event,

and the Lionheart will be selling them with a bottle of champagne which cost him £18.

With hundreds of pounds still burning holes in their pockets, both our experts are racing

around trying to find the perfect pieces for their charity auctions.

James has bagged himself two more pieces of jewellery.

The necklace and another diamond ring for the combined sum of £118.

Not to be outdone, Curtis has snapped up a red leather writing set

for £175 and a pair of picture books about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood for £20.

With so much at stake in their showdown challenge, the Detective

and the Lionheart are pulling out all the stops.

Curtis has headed to an antique shop in Surrey to pick up another potentially profitable piece.

You might think a retail shop, that's a strange place for an antique dealer

to come to find a bargain, to make a profit at a charity auction.

Well, there are bargains to be had here.

Watch and learn!

We're watching, Curtis.

We're watching.

And this is the reason we're here, this lovely zinc alloy bird on a marble base.

I'm certain in is by a guy called Alexandre Oulin,

a Belgian fella, but he worked in France between 1920 and 1940.

Pretty famous for this animal physiology.

Great movement in this. I wonder if there's any movement in the price?

Now I like it.

I think I'll take it,

it's on for £110, now being in the trade, how much can you let me have it for?

I think the best price would be £95.

You've got a deal.

And we've got our bird!

Once again Curtis has got a smile on his face and his rival has had a small setback.

He spent a £1 on a pair of boxing gloves that he was aiming to get signed by his friend Henry Cooper,

but they were destroyed when his car caught fire.

The Lionheart isn't easily knocked out of his stride

and has bought a similar pair for the princely sum of £3.

We'll find out shortly when both charity auctions begin

whether or not the gloves will land a knockout blow.

But right now, it's time to find out how much our

battling experts have spent on the items for their Showdown Challenge.

Our duelling duo were allowed to spend up to £1,000 of their own money.

Curtis has kept a tight hold of the purse strings and spent just £475.

His rival, on the other hand, has splashed the cash and parted with £997.

So at his charity auction, Curtis will be aim to go profit from

a collection of classic Wedgwood Jasperware.

A Victorian prayer book.

A red leather writing set.

A 19th-century indenture.

Two illustrated books about the Pre-Raphaelites.

And an Art Deco-style bronze seagull.

James will be selling a Georgian decanter and a bottle of port.

A set of decanter labels.

A Victorian blue and silver scent bottle.

A collection of jewellery.

A pair of 19th-century silver-plated bottle coasters, and a bottle of champagne.

A pair of boxing gloves to be personalised by Henry Cooper.

And a collection of African and Eastern pieces.

Our battling experts James "the Lionheart" Lewis, and Curtis "the Detective" Dowling

have been challenged to spend up to £1,000 of their own money on antiques

that they must sell on for a maximum profit at one-off special events.

Both our knowledgeable antiques warriors know the best way

of raising large amounts of money is to hold charity auctions.

James is holding his auction at an event organised by his charity.

It's a rather swish, black-tie affair with some celebrity guests on the bill.

I don't know whether I've picked the right things for this audience.

I've never met most of them before in my life.

We're here in the centre of London.

I bought some things for those party animals like the champagne coasters.

I bought some things for the people that love Africa like that wonderful tribal headrest.

I'm just hoping the right people will be here on the night.

So I've got to go in, have a quick soundcheck and then back to the hotel to get changed.

-Well, the normally confident Lionheart sounds a little nervous.

-Hi.

I'm James. I'm the auctioneer.

Hi. Good to see you.

In Surrey, his rival has had a bit of a hiccup in his preparations.

His auction was going to be a rather more intimate affair,

but at the last second, Mr Dowling has decided that his venue isn't quite right.

All is not lost though, because a local rector has allowed

Curtis to use his garden free of charge to hold a garden party.

But like his rival, he's sounding less than 100% confident.

I'm a bit nervous now. I've never done a whole charity auction ever in my entire life.

Finding a table at the moment seems to be harder than it looks.

Hopefully, I've got luck on my side and a little bit of charm.

I'm hoping the crowd that we're going to get today appreciate

beautiful, beautiful things.

As his guests arrive, Curtis works the room, or rather, the garden,

trying to drum up interest in his lots.

Come and have a browse before you start bidding, ladies and gentlemen.

At least then, I know you've looked at these lovely items.

For the first time this week, dealer Curtis is a little out of his comfort zone.

By profession, he is not an auctioneer, but he's determined to win today's showdown,

and it is time for him to get his auction garden party started.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's start something that fits in with where we are.

What we've got here, a beautiful Victorian common prayer book,

in ivory with gilt fastening, in perfect condition.

There we are, lot one, who's going to start the bidding for me at £80?

£80, sir. Do I see £90 for that?

It has got to be worth more than £90.

£90 from Margaret.

Who's going to beat Margaret? Let's see it, £100, thank you, sir.

Anymore on £100? Who can see £110 on this for me?

£110, going once.

-Yes.

-Thank you, sir, £110. Can I hear £120 in the room, or the garden?

£120 anywhere? £120, sir?

Anyone going to beat me on £120?

£130. £140, sir?

Any advance on £140?

£140, going once.

£140 - thank you very much indeed. That man needs a round of applause.

It's a fantastic start for Mr Dowling.

He's more than doubled his money on the prayer book,

but can he repeat that result with his art books which cost him £20?

£60. Thank you, madam.

The Detective trebles his money on lot two and banks £40 worth of profit.

Unfortunately for Curtis, his fascinating indenture wasn't to his guests' tastes,

and sells for £75, meaning he's only broken even.

In the capital, the Lionheart has drawn up a plan to maximise the profits on his items.

Of all of the lots that I bought for tonight's event, I've split them up

into different sections, eight of them are going to a main auction.

Four of them are going to what we call a silent auction,

and that's where people write their name, telephone number

and the maximum bid they're prepared to go to and then one bid follows another on the piece of paper.

I've taken one of the diamond rings out and that is in a ring raffle or what we call a diamond raffle.

Lurking underneath this mass of ribbon and tags is that bottle of port. Remember?

The one that came with the Georgian decanter, and what I've done, I've attached one ribbon to the top of

the bottle and all the rest are just inside this paper cup here and the

idea is people sign their name and write their table number on the tag.

That costs £5 and whoever's tag is attached to the bottle wins not only

the port, but also the wonderful Georgian decanter, so hopefully that should raise a few hundred pounds.

So, his plans are in place, and with his guests arriving,

it's almost time for James to get to work and to sell his items.

You're doing the auction, aren't you? Are you nervous?

I'm absolutely terrified.

-Well, I'm not going to bid.

-Go on!

Yes, nice try, Lionheart.

James has piggy-backed an event hosted by his charity and after a little wining and dining,

it's time for him to take to the podium and to put his money where his mouth is.

Here we go with the first of the lots we bought

for Money Where Your Mouth Is and this is the pair of Victorian bottle coasters, silver plated.

They were made around 1850.

We have also got a bottle of champagne with these as a side addition for you.

James paid £120 for the coasters,

and a further £18 on a bottle of champagne.

Can he make a profit on his £138 investment?

And where shall we start the bottle coasters?

£100 including the champagne.

£100, £150, £200, £250, £300, £350,

£350, £400, £450, £500, £550, £500.

That's a fantastic start for James.

Right in front at £500, all done

and selling at £550, £600, £650.

At £600, at £600 in front.

It's yours at £600. Well done.

£600, that's an amazing sale for Mr Lewis, he's more than tripled

his money and made a profit of £462.

James is hitting his stride and is introducing his second item.

Lot two is the Ashanti stool.

The Ashanti stool cost James £70.

He's already bagged fabulous profits,

but will the generous guests at the charity event dig deep again?

And who will start at £100?

£100 bid, £150, £50, £200, £250

£350, £300 here and £300, at £300.

It's worth that.

At £300, at £300, £350 there, sir,

£400, £450 for the Ashanti stool.

At £450, £500 now.

At £450 right at the front table.

Five anywhere?

Once, twice, third and last.

Well done, £450.

Before his auction began, James was worried about whether or not he had

picked the right items, but it looks as though he's got it spot on.

He's banked a superb £380 profit from the Ashanti stool.

Next up is his £70 African headrest which delivers another hefty profit.

Well done, £450.

With the guests at James's charity auction bidding generously, it's looking good for the Lionheart.

In Surrey, Curtis is determined to raise as much money as possible from his items

and he's hoping the bidding on his next lot will really take off.

It's a bronze-based spelter figure from about 1930.

In order to make a profit, Curtis has to sell the figure for more

-than £95.

-So who's going to start me at £120 for this, please?

£120, please. £110?

£100, any advance on £100 for me?

£110.

Thank you, sir. Who's going to give me £120?

You'd pay easily £220 if you even walked into Farnham to buy something like this.

Sticking at £110, are we?

Going once,

£120, thank you, madam.

£130, thank you, sir.

Madam, all eyes on you.

£130, all done?

Thank you, sir, £130 and that's cheap at half the price.

Curtis had to work hard for it,

but £130 is a respectable price and adds more profit to his kitty.

With his rival banking hundreds of pounds on his lots, I think

it's fair to say that Curtis is unlikely to win today's contest,

but he's doing everything he can to raise as much money as possible for his charity.

Next up is his collection of classic Wedgwood Jasperware.

£80, thank you very much indeed.

Sold, that's five sales out of five for Mr Dowling, he has almost

doubled his money on the Jasperware and banked a profit of £35.

At his event, James's Tang Dynasty Chinese terracotta figure is up for sale.

£200, £200 bid, at £200. Three anywhere? At three.

Four, five, six, six either of you?

Six, sir, six.

The bidding has flown to £600.

The figure cost Mr Lewis £70 and it looks as though he is going to make a fantastic profit.

Do you want seven? Seven.

50, £800, £850,

£900, £900. £1,000 rounded up.

£1,000 bid and £50, £1,050, £1,100?

£1,100, do I see?

£1,050, table 24,

It's going once, twice and at £1,050, it's yours, well done.

The bidders in James's charity auction are doing him proud.

The Tang Dynasty figure has just banked him an eye-watering £980 profit.

It's a stunning sale, and he's racking up big money in today's Showdown Challenge.

Both experts were allowed to spend up to £1,000 of their own money

on their showdown events.

At his garden party in Surrey,

Curtis has sold five items for £485 and made profits of £185.

His rival on the other hand, has sold four lots for the amazing sum

of £2,550 and made an incredible profit of over £2,200.

With the Lionheart doing what he does best, the money is pouring into his profit pot.

£50, yes.

Come on!

One more and I won't ask you again.

Next up is his Victorian scent bottle which cost him £70.

£100 bid, £120 now,

at £120, do I see, is that all?

At £120, £150, £180,

£200, £200 at the back.

At £180 here, in the pink at £180, £200 where?

£200, sir, £250, £300, £300, sir.

Front table here now. £300.

£350, at £300, with you at table 20,

at £300, going once, going twice,

third, last time at £300.

-Well done, table 20.

-£300 is more than four times what

James paid for the scent bottle and he's banked £230 worth of profit.

He's on a real roll and banks another £546 from the sale of

the boxing gloves that will be personalised by Henry Cooper.

£550, well done.

At his garden party, Curtis might not be banking

the profits that his rival is, but he's working hard to make as much money as possible

for his good cause, and he's about to auction off the last of his six items.

It's the red leather desk set which set him back £175.

That brings us on to our rather lovely desk set.

It's immaculate, isn't it?

It really is immaculate.

This, I think, is definitely the star lot and I would hang on to it myself.

So, who is going to start me at £250 for this, please?

£240? £240, thank you, sir.

Any advance on £240? £260 in the corner, sir, £270, £270, thank you.

Madam, you've got to say £280 now.

£280 with you, sir. £290?

Don't get beaten. This is lovely!

£290?

Three, sir? £300.

£310? With you sir at £300.

Any advance on £300? £300, going once, going twice.

Thank you, sir, £300.

Well, he saved the best to last.

The red leather writing set sells for £300, giving Curtis his biggest

profit and the Detective is now all sold up.

In the capital, James is coming to the end of his auction.

He has made some amazing profits, but our auctioneer is in his element

and is determined to maximise the profits from his remaining lots.

First up is the more expensive of his two diamonds rings, which cost him £300.

Let's start then at £500.

£500? £500 bid.

£600 in the corner. £700 where?

At £600, £700 now? £700, it's worth three times that, £700, £800, sir?

At £700, for the diamond ring.

£750. £800.

£850. It's worth it. Come on.

Selling once, twice, third and last time,

right at the front at £800.

Well done, table 21.

Once again, James' bidders dug deep.

One lucky lady is going home with a very nice diamond ring, and Mr Lewis banked another £500 of profit.

Lot 8 is probably the most unusual lot of tonight's auction.

This is an amazing lot.

It's Tibetan. It's 19th-century.

The dagger is James's last lot and it cost him just £10.

Let's start it £100?

£100 bid at one. £150, £150, £200, £200 where?

£300 in the red, £350, £350, yes?

£350, £400, £400, do I see? At £350.

The price has rocketed to £400, but the bidders aren't done yet.

To the left, at £420, £450, sir? Yes?

Go on! £450? £450, well done, at £500, do I see now?

At £450, to the left and selling for the first, second,

third and last time. £450. Well done.

That's another incredible result for the Lionheart, thanks to his skill

in picking some fascinating items

and the generosity of his bidders, he's banked thousands of pounds and he is most definitely a happy man.

Well, the auction is finished and what a night!

That has been one heck of an auction.

It's done brilliantly well and you know sometimes you can be on that rostrum for hours, and when you

come off it, if the auction has done well, as it has tonight, you're not shattered, you're still on a buzz.

And that's how I feel tonight.

James has got every right to be on a high.

We'll find out shortly how much he raised from his silent auction and his two raffles,

because it's now time to tot up the totals and find out how much our dynamic duo have made.

Both Curtis and James were allowed to spend up to £1,000

of their own money on the showdown events.

Curtis spent £475 for the items for his garden party.

James, on the other hand, splashed out £997.

Both our experts have worked hard to raise as much money as possible

and every penny they make will be going to their chosen good causes.

It's time now for the talking to stop, as we reveal just how much James and Curtis have made.

-Mr Lewis.

-Curtis, how are you?

-I'm very good.

-Great to see you.

-Great to see you, sir.

-Well, big day.

-Yes. Showdown.

-Yes. So how did it go?

Not as well as expected. I tried to follow in your huge footsteps and I did an auction.

Yes. I think we've all got a degree in hindsight, I will be leaving auctioneering to you from now on.

Whether you've beaten me or not, I don't mind. Well, I do mind!

Because if you've beaten me at an auction...

I'll tell you what, if I've beaten you, I'll donate the whole money myself!

-Right.

-OK.

I just need to see this now.

I just need to see what this is.

-Three...

-Two...

-One...

-Go!

-No!

-Oh, my life!

-How on earth can you make £310 at a charity auction?

By getting it wrong.

Well at least the Detective is honest.

James got his event spot on.

In addition to the money he made from his auction,

he also banked a combined sum of £2,242

-from his silent auction and his two raffles.

-A round of applause.

Our experts have been battling against each other all week in

the quest for profits, and it's time to find out how much they've made.

Well, shall we find out our total profits for the week?

-No matter what it is, it's been fun.

-It has. Three!

-Two!

-One!

-Go!

Look at that!

What an auction god you are.

-Oh, Curtis.

-So, it's a comprehensive victory for the Lionheart, but both

our experts made good profits and every penny they've made will be going to their chosen charities.

Ace Africa have a very small little orphanage in Kenya,

and that will make a massive difference.

What a way to finish. Brilliant.

The charity I've chosen is Disability Challenges down in Surrey.

They're a fairly small charity and money like this will go an awfully long way.

Third and last time.

Well, after a week of no holds barred combat, both our experts

have put their money where their mouths are, and proved

they've got what it takes to make profits from antiques when their own money is on the line.

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