Eric Knowles v Charlie Ross: Antiques 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?

Watch out!

Who's going to make the biggest profit of all? Me.

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.

-Come on, Knowles.

-The competition is really hot.

The challenge to our experts is clear.

Dealers, put your money where your mouth is.

Today's dashing experts are the smooth-talking Charlie "The Charmer" Ross

and the king of ceramics, Eric "Knocker" Knowles.

Charlie built up his antiques know-how running his own auction house for 25 years.

That moment when you're on the rostrum and start selling something,

and two people start bidding, or three or four people

and it makes 10, 20 times what you had expected it to make...

He's best known for sharing his know-how and knowledge on the Antiques Roadshow and Flog It!

This is a real work.

His opponent today earned his stripes with 32 years working for a top London saleroom.

If I had a choice, if I had a fantasy buy, it would be without question a good Tiffany lamp.

Eric's a stalwart of the Antiques Roadshow, as they tour the country in search of treasure.

I love having a rummage. I can't help it.

I'll go into your front room, I'll do a 360-degree turn, and I'll have worked out what there is there.

So, our experts are poised and the stakes are high.

With their reputations on the line, their own money at risk and the hopes of their favourite charities

in their hands, it's time for us to find out what challenge awaits them.

Knocker! Morning.

-Good morning, Charmer.

-Lovely day.

-Lovely day.

-Where are we?

Well, we're obviously at a sports ground, and I can see you've brought a bit of a crowd with you today.

Listen, I've got to give you that, and you've got to give me this.

-Shall I open first?

-Go for it.

"Eric and Charlie,

"your challenge today is to spend £750 of your own money on antiques.

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

-"The winner is the presenter who makes the most cash."

-Right, OK.

"Today, you must buy all your antiques from an antiques fair."

And it says here, "Good luck."

So I think we'd better get there pretty well post haste, don't you?

-Good luck, Knocker.

-See you there.

So, our antiques gurus each have to spend up to £750 of their own cash

buying antiques, which they will have to sell on later for a profit.

Pretty much everybody that Charlie and Eric try and 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 persuade people to give them the best possible prices

when they try to buy and sell the items that they hope will drive them to victory.

Charlie and Eric will be going head-to-head at Ardingly Antiques Fair in West Sussex.

It's one of the biggest antiques fairs in southern England.

With up to 1,700 stalls, it should provide rich pickings -

but with so much to choose from, are our boys up to the challenge?

Well, my strategy for a place like Ardingly

is to remember exactly where I am, because this place is ginormous.

It's very easy to get lost,

and it's very easy to actually miss what might be crucial stalls.

On top of that, I'll be switching on my bargain-o-meter, which I do by doing this,

and what happens there is that I'm now actually between this ear and this ear

completely focused on looking for the bargains.

So while Mr Knowles is working his socks off, using his knowledge to his advantage,

I'm just going to lie here, make a couple of phone calls, phone a couple of mates,

see if I can get a couple of bargains...and then, job done.

In the meanwhile, I'm going to have a kip.

So, Charlie's planning to take a laid-back approach to the challenge,

whilst Eric will be relying on his bargain-o-meter.

Time will tell which approach is best suited to today's mission.

True to his word, the Charmer is straight on the phone to one of his contacts.

Ah, Mick?

It's Charlie here. How are you?

Lovely day for it.

I'm going to radio and see if I can buy something off you.

Whereabouts are you?

Trust you to park near an ice cream van. Fantastic!

I'll see you shortly.

OK. Thanks, mate. Goodbye.

Never know!

So, the Charmer is sticking to his strategy and is on his way to see an old friend.

Elsewhere, Knocker is doing it the old-fashioned way.

I'm going to go round in a big loop.

# One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you. #

Lorenzo with no legs -

it's a bit like jam roly-poly without custard, isn't it, really?

Eric's doing his best to see each and every stall.

You've got to do a deal, haven't you?

And remember, there are over a thousand.

But Charlie has spotted something en route that's got his pulse a-racing.

Should we be taking my blood pressure at the beginning of the day,

or the end of the day?

It would be nice to do both, see how it compares.

Whether this still works or not, I don't know,

but it looks pretty complete.

Put the strap round your arm, pump it up, and then it makes

a pinging sound - or should do - when it gets to the correct pressure.

-Madam, is this your blood pressure gauge?

-It is.

Do you want to take your blood pressure? Is it going to be...?

After talking to you, I wouldn't mind. It'll go through the roof!

Yes, they don't call him the Charmer for nothing!

And whilst Mr Ross gets ready to start haggling,

his opponent hasn't stood still for long enough to find anything yet.

The old bargain-o-meter's playing up.

No, there's nothing here with a light flashing on it.

I'm moving and shaking, OK?

Fancy that, it's not as old as I'd like it to be.

I can hear it saying, "We're here. We're waiting for you."

I've never seen the shape before. It's a good-looking thing.

No, no, I'm looking out for something good, really good.

Eric's working hard, but his rival is hoping to put the pressure on

by sealing the first deal of the day.

How much is it?

-£15.

-£15?

-Very good, nice old one.

Would you take a tenner?

-Yeah, go on then.

-Oh! I should have offered you five.

Hold on, I've got real money.

First buy of the day. Something to take my blood pressure with.

A bag, that would be lovely. Wonderful.

Have a lovely day. Thank you.

Charlie's leisurely pace seems to be paying dividends, but having scoured the market,

Knocker has seen something that's stopped him in his tracks.

Now, my eye has been drawn to this rather splendid dish.

I just love blue and white,

and it's a handsome dish, but it has got this damage down here.

Normally chips like this don't really matter, but cracks do.

And although I'm tempted, I'm going to leave it for somebody else

to take home and treasure and fondle.

Cos the great thing about ceramics is you can fondle without fear.

Easy, tiger! It might be "fondlable",

but because of the damage, Eric's decided the plate isn't saleable.

Elsewhere in the market, Charlie's found his contact that he phoned earlier.

He's spotted a piece he likes and intends to haggle hard.

It's post-Regency -

the Regency period, 1820 -

but it's not heavy enough to be Victorian,

so it follows in between the two. It's in a fairly sorry state, Mick.

You have bashed a few bits off it in the van, haven't you?

No, I can assure you it was like it when we took it out of the house.

The only problem of course is the price.

It's got £219 on one side, and £140 on the other -

well, I'm going to start at £140.

That's a good price to start at.

-So you will take 50 quid for that, won't you?

-I certainly will not,

but I'm certainly sure we can come to an agreement.

-What about 120?

-It's better than 140.

But an old mate deserves a better discount than...

It's more than 10%.

-I'm prepared to pay £100.

-Gosh, you're a hard man.

-I'll give you 100 quid.

-You're getting harder as you get older.

-Getting older, certainly.

-A deal, sir.

I'll shake your hand. I think that's great, Mick. I think that's fantastic.

-Steal it from the mother-in-law?

-No!

-HE LAUGHS

The Charmer is on brilliant form. That's another purchase,

and he's knocked a hefty sum off the asking price.

It's been a one-horse race today so far. But what's this -

is Eric coming up on the inside?

That's a handsome looking decanter. That's probably Belgian,

it's probably by a maker called Val Saint Lambert,

and it's handsome. Probably about 1910 or something like that.

-What's the asking price?

-£120.

Ooh...

Right, £120.

And...well, what's the best? Come on, what's the very best?

About £100.

Eric's pulling out all the stops -

well, some of the stops - to secure a knockdown price.

And outside, Charlie's lining up another - yes, Eric - ANOTHER purchase.

Mr Stephens...

another deal!

-Money's flying.

-I'm going to leave your stall.

He's spent another £15.

Charlie's contacts are coming up trumps for him today.

However, Knocker has finally tuned into his bargain-o-meter.

There's something else in here saying to me, "You've got £80 to spend, Eric.

"Will £80 buy it?"

-Yeah - all right, I'll do that.

-Would you? OK.

Right, you've got yourself a deal.

-Thank you.

-Thank YOU very much.

Today's buying battle is well and truly under way.

Charlie may have set the early purchasing pace, but inside, Knocker Knowles has his eyes on the prize.

I should stay clear of things I don't really understand,

but now and then you see something, you think "I like that."

Because it's a lovely print,

and there's every chance that that was hand-coloured

in the Victorian age, or maybe even early 20th century.

But it works, it looks lovely.

And...what's the price?

£42.

You know, £42 for an 18th-century print like this, framed -

I mean, the frame's £40 worth.

We'll go and try a little bit of a hard bit of bargaining here.

Eric needs the bargaining to go well,

because his rival means business.

Look what I've just bought.

Isn't that beautiful?

A lady's walking cane.

Rosewood stem,

carved ivory leg.

Now, we have to be careful with carved ivory.

It's pre-1947, so provided we know that it's 19th century...

And if ever anything was early 19th century, it was this.

It's French.

Beautifully carved leg.

Perhaps a little plump in the calf, do we think?

There are a lot of collectors about who will buy this sort of thing.

The guy asked £150 for this.

I offered £100. We settled at £120.

And I think at £120 there's a pretty useful profit in there.

I think it's just perfect. Very swish.

Here goes.

Well, Charlie looks quite the dapper gent and he sees a healthy potential profit in the walking stick -

but Knocker's got good news too.

I'm pleased to say that the sun is shining on the righteous out here

in Ardingly today, and one or two of the ungodly as well.

The good news is that the coloured print that I was admiring, I've gone and bought.

The lady dealer gave me a 10% discount, and I thought that's good enough for me.

The only thing is that I've got an awful lot more to buy.

And I'm rather conscious that the competition is really hot.

Eric's finally fired up about today's challenge, and hopefully his earlier legwork will come in handy.

With his bargain-o-meter on red alert,

Mr Knowles homes in on his favourite type of antique.

130 for cash, OK.

I don't normally buy on impulse.

But if you look really carefully, if you look there...

there's a red light flashing.

And if you look there - can you see that bubble?

It says there, look, "Buy me."

Well, if you can't see it, I can.

I guess the bargain-o-meter worked after all, Eric.

As if we ever doubted you.

The competition is really hotting up today.

Eric and Charlie both set out on their mission with £750.

Knocker has splashed out £247 on three items,

leaving him with £503 to spend.

Charlie "The Charmer" Ross, on the other hand, has bought

four items and parted with £245,

leaving £505 in his kitty.

With over £1,000 left to spend between them, our treasure hunters need to get busy.

There are plenty of stalls and no shortage of items on offer,

and Knocker Knowles is on the case.

Now, I don't mind admitting, I like this, because it's a quality item.

First of all, it's cut glass, it's not pressed.

And it's unusual insofar as you've got this silver-plated foot rim.

But the crowning glory really is that lovely cover.

It leaves you in no doubt what you're going to keep in there.

So it's £50.

If that's £50, you've got a buyer, and he's called Eric Knowles.

OK? Although I do answer to George Clooney.

In my dreams.

Yes... Whilst Eric dreams of Mr Clooney,

Charlie is dreaming of a life on the ocean wave.

Look what I've found here.

The Bunting Yacht Fire.

Pure Art Deco, and '38, '39.

Sadly, the filament's broken.

So whether you could get

another one of those, I rather doubt.

But do you think you could make it into a lamp? You possibly could.

Polish it all up,

and put a light bulb, a fluorescent light bulb, from top to bottom.

Wouldn't it make a fantastic lamp?

I think I might call him over

and see how much he wants for it.

Wait for him to say £175, and then I'll have to run off.

-How much is this object?

-How much would you like to pay, sir?

It's £110. You can have it for £70.

-£70. So 60 quid'll do the job?

-Absolutely.

Quickest negotiation I've ever done!

Charlie may be top of the haggling class, but he's not the only one who's happy with their latest deal.

Well, look what I bought.

Do you know, you start questioning the meaning of life

when you start looking at a biscuit barrel like that

and you begin to eulogise about it.

You think - "You should get out a little bit more, Eric."

But having said that,

I've got to say that this is the biscuit barrel of biscuit barrels.

In fact, you could say - and I know it's painful -

this one really does take the biscuit.

It's a good thing he's better at buying antiques than he is at telling jokes.

Having borrowed the yacht seller's headgear, even Charlie has his own thoughts about Eric's comedy skills.

Fetch me Eric Knowles this instant.

I have the hat, I have the cane,

and Eric, trust me - this is going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me.

I'll find you.

Fortunately for Knocker, despite the relish in his voice,

Charlie's concentrating on buying game-winning pieces and has tracked a contact with a cabinet to sell.

-A very fine cabinet.

-It's really fascinating.

I think it's extraordinary.

-Cos it's kingwood...

-It is, and walnut on the top...

..and walnut on the sides as well.

-And it's mid-Victorian, it's 1860...

-Yeah.

Just needs a bit of TLC.

I can see that.

Got your glue kit(?)

There's a bit of gilt metal missing as well.

But that's all right.

Can we try and get the door in?

I think it would look pretty... Even with its warp.

There we go.

Very smart. You'd like a pair, wouldn't you?

Yeah. I think the price has just gone up, Charlie! Look at that.

-That's a good-looking cabinet.

-Isn't it?

-What do you want for it?

-I could be interested.

-Well, I would have thought about 480.

Not Euros - £480.

Just look at the quality, Charlie.

£480?!

Well, you've got to try and make a profit.

A bit of veneer missing there. So you've got a little bit to do.

200 quid?

Well, if you can find a few for me,

I'll gladly buy them off you at that kind of money.

No, I'm trying to buy the damn thing.

Well, if this is how he treats his friends, I wouldn't want to be Charlie's enemy.

Outside, there's bad news for Knocker.

He's got hundreds of pounds to spend, and some of the stallholders are beginning to pack up.

I thought it closed at 6:00.

I've just been told they close in like... I thought it was 6:00, but it's 5:00.

Don't panic, Captain Mainwaring.

Do you know, this is so sad. I'll tell you why.

It reminds me of when I used to work on Burnley market as a kid,

and the saddest time was the packing up at the end...

MUSIC: Theme from "Last Of The Summer Wine"

..when the atmosphere evaporated,

and the only thing that kept me going was knowing that the caff in the corner

sold all the puddings at half price,

so you could have a double helping of baked jam roll

and custard that was thick enough to draw through your teeth.

-MUSIC STOPS ABRUPTLY

-Just showing me age, really.

Oh, come on now, Eric, focus! You need to spend some money.

Elsewhere, Charlie's working hard to seal a big deal for the cabinet.

250.

-380.

-It's still too much money at 380.

Can we shake at 300 quid? I'll pay you 300 quid for it and no more.

Can't do it for that, Charlie.

330.

-330?

-330.

Do you like the way this man is...

-What are you...?!

-330, Charlie, come on.

-You can't take it with you.

-What...?

It's getting there.

300 quid.

-I'm very excited about that.

-How to lose money quickly!

-Stately home material.

-Could be a winner.

Fingers crossed. Thanks, Adrian, very much indeed.

Quite pleased with that.

By George, he's got it! Charlie stood firm with his offer,

and bought the cabinet for nearly £200 less than the asking price.

That's how it's done.

I have nailed that cabinet. I think I rather put him through the ringer, don't you?

I offered him 300 quid, he nearly had a heart attack.

He started at 480. 460. 440.

300! 420, 400, 380, 300!

And I think we agreed at 300. I'm still a bit shell-shocked with that.

And I think there is the best part of 100% in that.

Eric, if you're watching - good profit!

Elsewhere, Knocker's also sounding pretty pleased with himself.

Burnley's finest has picked up a Victorian chair.

It was £45. So when the gentleman said that,

I said, "I think I may be buying that."

So er...Eric's a happy bunny.

And the happy bunny has also sown up the purchase

of a portrait of one of history's most important figures.

Well, I've just spent some money on George Washington.

Date-wise,

probably around about 1860 or thereabouts.

The frame - well, if you look at the frame,

the technical term for that frame...is "knackered"!

It certainly needs a lot of work on it.

And as for the tapestry itself -

well, that is in need of a jolly good clean.

So I've got to invest a little bit in the way of money

when it comes to presentation.

"And what price George Washington?" you might be asking.

Well, I paid the princely sum of £120

for this first President of the United States of America.

Now, when it comes to the selling, all I need now

is the proper and full address of President Barack Obama,

and I could be in the money.

"Ladies and gentlemen,

"the President is about to leave the showground"!

MUSIC: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Yes, and he's not the only one. Time's up for Charlie and Eric.

So, let's find out how much they've spent.

They both started the day with up to £750 to spend.

Eric has parted with just £462, on six items.

Charlie has also bought six items,

and he spent £605.

Our ultra-competitive pair have thrown themselves into today's challenge.

Before they head off to try and make a profit,

they're both desperate to have a sneaky look at each other's purchases.

-Have you had a good day, Eric?

-I've had a very nice day.

The sun's been shining on the righteous - and let's be honest, one or two of the ungodly out there.

But all things considered, it's been a smashing day.

And I don't know about you, but I've been bumping into lots of people that I knew.

Amazing how many people I saw that used to come to my saleroom.

What's your best buy? Come on.

-The nicest thing, I think, is the walking stick.

-Oh, the walking stick?

Time will tell. And what about you?

Well, for me - biscuit barrel. You know you're getting sad in life

when you get excited about them.

-But that is a Rolls-Royce of biscuit barrels.

-It is a good one.

But it's remarkable, bearing in mind the sheer size of this place, that

that we've been able to actually sort of ferret out some good objects.

Yeah, yeah. I'm going to get them loaded up into the car

-and go home.

-Good to see you.

-And you.

-Happy selling.

-Thank you.

So, as our treasure hunters head for home,

Eric is taking with him a cut glass biscuit jar,

a print of Greenwich,

an Arts and Crafts chair,

a late 19th-century tapestry of George Washington,

a Belgian cranberry glass decanter,

and an Art Deco Crown Devon vase.

His rival will be attempting to sell a vintage blood pressure gauge,

an early 19th-century ivory-topped walking stick,

a large gilded overmantel mirror,

a collection of copper and brassware,

an Art Deco yacht-shaped heater,

and a striking Victorian kingwood and walnut cabinet.

After their market adventure, our two antique-hunting knights

have headed back to their castles to prepare for the next part of the battle.

They now have to try and sell their purchases to make as much profit as possible.

Eric and Charlie will be knuckling down to find the right buyers for all of their items.

They're working through their little black books, putting deals together on the phone and by e-mail.

But until they've shaken on it and money's changed hands, no deal is truly sealed.

Never one to hang around, Charmer Ross

is off to get one of his most expensive purchases restored.

I think it's quite nice. I think it's got potential.

But as you can see the door is warped.

-And some of the veneer is coming off.

-OK.

-Tell me what you think.

Well, I think it's rather nice.

And it is interesting you've got walnut on the sides,

walnut on the top and kingwood on the front.

-I don't know why it's like that.

-No, no.

-I've never seen that before.

I've never seen that combination. Is it English?

I think it's definitely English.

Anyway, what about the damage for doing it?

The panel's completely bowed, and the veneer's lifting.

-And we'll have to re-veneer a piece on the back.

-Right.

Flatten the panel, clean the polish off the back,

find an eighth-of-an-inch piece of veneer, of thin board, mahogany,

and glue it on the back.

That's fantastic.

It's quite difficult to put in, because...

-But it'll look good when it's done.

-Oh yes, no, it'll be very smart.

So, cutting to the chase, how much to do it?

Probably a couple of hundred pounds.

Remember, any restoration costs will eat into his profit - but Charlie is a man with a plan.

Right. So, when you sell something,

-it needs delivering...

-Yes.

If I made myself available for lots of trips - free delivery service - could I work off £200?

Well, I'm sure you could. Careful how you say that though!

So I could deliver things. I've got an estate car.

Yes... OK. Yes, you could.

-If we come up with a rate...

-A £40 delivery.

You'll restore this if I do five deliveries?

-That's right, absolutely.

-I think that's fantastic.

-We've got a deal.

-We've got a deal.

Charlie's determined to win today's contest, and he's not afraid

to get his hands dirty if it helps him to beat Knocker.

He'll need to do five deliveries to work off his debt.

However, he isn't done with his restorer just yet.

Well, when I bought this, I thought I was buying an absolute steal.

I bought it at the fair, and I thought "I can get £300 for this standing on my head."

Oh, I don't think so... Standing on your head(!)

DEJECTEDLY: Oh.

Yes, oh indeed.

This isn't going very well.

If I made you a once and never-to-be-repeated offer...

150 quid.

140.

You are so hard!

145, and I'll shake you by the hand.

All right, 145.

That gives me a profit of 45%.

That's fantastic, we've got a deal.

£45 profit is a lot less than the Charmer was hoping for -

but he still banks the first cash of the day.

This will be a fight to the finish,

and Knocker Knowles has headed to the bright lights of London

with some of his favourite buys.

PET SHOP BOYS: # Call the police, there's a madman around

# Running down underground

# To a dive bar in a West End town

# In a West End town in a dead end world

# The East End boys and West End girls

# West End girls. #

Our Burnley boy might be far from home, but he's ready to take the West End by storm.

Well, I may have bought my things in a field in Sussex,

but when it comes to the selling, I'm here in central London.

I'm in a very smart part of Mayfair, outside a very important antiques centre.

I've made a few phone calls beforehand,

and a couple of dealers have expressed an interest

in my biscuit barrel and also in my decanter.

So let's see if they're going to put THEIR money where THEIR mouths are.

Good luck, Knocker. Go forth and conquer.

-Hello, Arnold. How are you?

-Nice to see you.

And you too. I come bearing gifts.

Well, gifts at a price, anyway.

One biscuit barrel.

All right. Let me put that there. Let me move this stuff to one side.

Yes, it's a nice hobnail cut...

-A few minor little chips, but nothing tragic.

-No.

-It's a good quality piece.

-Good.

Um... Well, it's yours for £100.

Eric, Eric.

Very nice, but at this moment,

-plate is not exactly flying out.

-No.

How about 70?

Ooh, I'm not so sure about 70. I tell you what -

£80, and it's yours.

-OK. You've got a deal.

-All right.

-Thank you.

-Excellent. Thank you very much for being Eric-friendly.

Bye-bye.

Nicely done, Eric.

That's a £30 profit - and Mr Knowles wastes no time

trying to secure a profit on his £80 cranberry glass decanter...

-It's a fabulous decanter, isn't it?

-It is.

-It is.

OK, it will be fine.

-130?

-Yes.

-130. Put it there.

..topping up his profit pot by another £50.

London Town is coming up trumps for Knocker today,

and he's taken an early lead,

but whilst he pounds the city streets,

his opponent is taking a more laid-back approach to selling.

I bet Eric's up and down, up and down the country trying to sell his bits.

And here I am, in my local, having a pint.

And while I'm here, I thought I'd sell something.

Because it's an old pub,

I've got an old Victorian watering can which I bought at the fair,

and we've got a lovely landlord, he's bound to buy it. So, here goes.

Cheers, Eric.

-Sean!

-Hello, Charlie, how are you?

-I'm doing well.

-Nice to see you.

-Enjoying a little pint.

-I should hope so.

-Now, have you got a watering can in your pub?

No, but I could do with one for my little plants in the conservatory.

-Could you?

-Yeah. It's pretty sweet.

-It's old.

-Is it?

-Victorian. Yeah.

30 quid?

I'm a poor publican, Charlie. Come on, let's be fair.

-Well, try me.

-I'll give you 15.

-20 quid and it's yours.

-Done. £20 it is.

-Superb. Thank you!

Thank you very much.

Short and sweet.

£20 isn't a bad price for the watering can, and Charlie sells the rest of the items

from the mixed lot of copper and brassware

to another of his contacts, giving him a total profit of £70.

The Charmer is on a roll, and there's more good news

when he bags another £5 profit for his antique blood pressure gauge.

Both our gents are slugging it out to get ahead in today's profit-making competition.

In London, Eric's pulling out the big guns with his most expensive purchase.

Having paid £130 for the vase,

he's going to need to work his socks off.

Mm. Well, it is very nice, yes.

Oh, good. That's the seal of approval from probably this country's top collector!

It's like a Mattajade piece, but it doesn't actually SAY Mattajade.

-Hang on a minute. Mattajade...?

-That's a kind of line,

it's a sort of... a type of Crown Devon.

-It's not actually Mattajade, but it's like it.

-It's like it. OK.

Cos that was a name I'd heard before.

I've certainly not seen this shape before.

I thought it was a good shape.

But look at the condition.

Go on, Eric. Reel him in.

Anyway - yes, very, very nice. So what would you like for it?

-Well, do you want to buy it?

-Yes, I'd like to buy it.

I'd quite like to buy it. I'm quite prepared to buy it.

I'll give you £225 for it.

£225? That's more than enough.

I think you're being very generous.

Well, I'm not being generous - to me it's worth it.

-I'm a potaholic.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-Well, I am a bit.

-I think you are a lot, actually.

-I do like this stuff.

-Good.

-Just in case it went up to 250.

-No, no! It's going to 225.

-Well, that's good enough for me.

-OK?

-Pleasure.

That's £95 into Eric's profit pot.

Another smooth deal from the king of ceramics,

and Knocker can hardly believe his luck.

He who laughs last, laughs loudest.

Our two treasure hunters are both desperate for victory today,

but the winner will be the one who makes the most profit.

Eric has stormed into an early lead,

selling £435 worth of goods and netting £175 profit.

Charlie is trailing in second place,

with just £245 worth of goods sold and £120 of profit in his pocket.

Mr Ross might be lagging behind,

but he's waiting for his most expensive purchase, the cabinet,

to be restored to its former glory.

He's also sent his Art Deco yacht heater to another restorer,

so he's hoping to land some serious blows

when these two items are shipshape and ready to sell.

His rival is also working hard, and has decided to invest in a little restoration work of his own.

-Let's have a look.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-Let's put it like so.

-You got it?

-Right...

-OK.

Well, as chairs go, it's pretty sound but I have to admit, Nigel,

it does look a bit tired, bless, doesn't it?

It needs a bit of a facelift.

And look at that fabric. It's just so appalling.

So...what do you think?

Erm, the problem with chairs like this is

they were glued together with the old animal glue,

and when the glue gets warm it loosens the joints,

and so obviously we've got to take it apart and reglue it completely.

Hang on a minute. You started off talking about a facelift -

it seems to me that we're moving more into sort of

open-heart surgery with this one.

At the end of the day, if we've got to sell a chair,

-you can't sell a rickety chair.

-That's true.

If you're going to spend money out, do it properly.

I'm just conscious about spending the money out.

I know what I paid for it.

Plus your charges -

you then sell it, and then we split the profit.

Yeah, I think we could cut a deal on that.

It just leaves me to say...

-maestro, just work your magic.

-We'll see what we can do.

Eric hasn't quite struck the same deal as silver-tongued Charlie.

And 50% of his profits going to the restorer

could have a big impact on his money pot.

The same restorer has given his tapestry a makeover for a set price of £80,

and a newly revitalized George Washington pours plenty of cash into Eric's kitty.

It's a one-off price, and it's £450. Are we happy with that?

-I'd love it. I'll go get a cheque right now.

-OK.

-Thank you very much.

That's a pleasure.

Nice work, Knocker.

That's a whopping £250 into Eric's profit pot,

and there's more good news for Mr Knowles

as he bags another £63 profit from the sale of his Greenwich print.

Eric's pulling out all the stops to beat Charlie, but don't underestimate the Charmer!

He's hoping to pull off a show-stopping deal.

The quirky walking stick with the leg-shaped handle

was one of Charlie's favourite market purchases,

and he's hoping for a high-kicking profit.

That's absolutely lovely.

A lovely ivory leg on there. Nice and plump. French, I should think.

-Yep.

-Early 19th century, late 18th century maybe.

I think it's early 19th. I would think it's 1830, 1840.

-Super thing.

-I think the handle belongs to the cane.

So often you see marriages.

Oh, I think it's always been on there, yes.

Right. Interested in buying it?

Yes. I'll make you an offer for it.

How much?

£200.

£200 will give Mr Ross an £80 profit -

but our silver-tongued Charmer isn't about to accept the first offer.

It's more than I thought you'd offer, but it's not enough. It's worth 500.

You know it's worth £500!

It might be worth 500 to somebody one day.

CHARLIE LAUGHS

300.

I'll come down to 400, but no lower.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah, I'll do a deal at 400.

-400.

-Fantastic.

-That's great. Let's go and sort out the money, then.

-Rather!

-In the office, yeah. OK?

Wow - Charlie keeps his cool and nets a colossal £280 profit.

With both our antique heavyweights banking hundreds of pounds at a time

this is going to be a fight to the finish.

The Charmer's selling spree continues when the Art Deco yacht heater delivers an excellent profit.

I'll sell it to you for 250 quid.

I'd say yes.

-Would you?

-Yes.

-Let's shake on it. Where are we going to put it?

Shall we try it in the study? Let's go and have a look.

-Right, lead on.

-OK. Off we go.

That is a sensational result for Charlie.

Even with nearly £60 worth of restoration fees, he's more than doubled his money.

There's no stopping him at the moment.

How are you getting on, Knocker?

I suspect not quite well enough.

You're up against the top man here.

Yes, well, Knocker's also determined to win today's contest.

He's aiming to cash in on his newly restored Arts and Crafts chair,

and there's interest from a very famous buyer.

-Shaky!

-Pleased to meet you. Yeah.

I'd never have you down as being and Arts and Crafts man.

I thought you'd be... I thought you'd be a '50s retro man, whatever.

-Ah, see?

-Just goes to show.

He's been very mysterious with me on the telephone.

He says, "You'll know him, you'll know him." Do you like the chair?

I think it's fantastic.

-The material and everything is great.

-The fabric works, doesn't it?

Remember, Eric bought the chair for £45 - but with half

the profits going to the restorer, he needs to haggle, and haggle hard.

I feel like I've been caught on the hop here

because we haven't even talked about a price.

So we'll be up front with you, Shaky.

So, Nigel, come on -

if that's in your shop window, what's it going to be priced at?

I would think that I would put that in the shop for about £240 to £250.

But obviously Shaky's a regular customer of mine, so we need to give him a good deal.

So I was thinking of £200. Don't know how that sounds to you.

Well, I'll have to go out and do some busking, but...

Well, you're never short of a crowd, are you?

Could you hold the chair for a couple of weeks(?)

You can go out the front if you want.

-Are you happy with 200?

-Yeah, I'm...

OK. I mean, we're all...

-Are we all happy?

-We're all happy.

-Put it there.

-Thank you.

I'm going to ring my mum and tell her.

THEY ALL LAUGH

That's £155 profit -

but with 50% going to the restorer, Eric will only bank half of that.

Not bad - but will it be to enough to win today's competition?

Knocker has made some massive sales, but the Charmer is hoping for a knockout blow

as he lines up a buyer for the newly restored cabinet.

Are you still buying hotly like you used to in the past? Yeah?

Pier cabinet.

Oh, it's good.

It's got lovely mounts on it, it's been restored.

At least you'll have a look at it, won't you?

You're a good man.

Well, I'll bring it along. Get your chequebook out!

That sounds promising, but it's all or nothing now for the Charmer.

He might have an interested buyer, but if he fails to seal the deal

he'll be handing victory to his rival.

Right. On the table, without spoiling your lovely table...

How's that?

What do you think?

Well, I think it's very nice.

It is good. I mean, it's a really unusual combination.

It's walnut on the top, walnut

down here, walnut on the plinth,

and the rest of it is kingwood.

-So you tell me, is it French or is it English?

-French.

But it's got real English qualities to it.

These ormolu mounts, which look very French, are fantastic quality.

They're better quality, really, than this in the middle here.

-But it's good.

-Sounds like the price is going up, Charlie.

The price is so reasonable, you can't believe it.

Well, we'll find out shortly if the buyer agrees with Charlie -

and remember, if he fails to sell it Eric will be today's winner.

Time now to count up how much profit our warring experts have made,

and reveal which one of them will emerge victorious.

Eric spent £462 at the market,

but his restoration costs took his total spend to just under £620.

Charlie, on the other hand, spent £605 at the market

and a further £58 on restoration.

All 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.

-How are you, matey?

-I'm good, thanks.

-How was Ardingly for you?

-Big.

-It's a big place, isn't it?!

-It certainly is.

I've got you down now for sure as being a leg and thigh man.

Yes?

-Cos that was quite a walking stick.

-You refer to my walking stick.

That was the easiest thing to sell. But you bought some nice things.

I did all right, yes. I think so.

George Washington? How did he do?

-He's er...he's now on somebody's wall in Connecticut.

-What?!

-That's brilliant.

-But Charlie, the question I'm now asking myself -

-how we went on with our profits.

-I am sitting on a thumper here.

OK. Well, show the man... and here we go.

Ohhh!

You're printing that money! That is staggering.

This was a result, wasn't it?

That is a result and a half.

Well, that's not bad.

Well, it all adds to the coffers - but even so,

you've virtually doubled me. I'm stuck for words.

In fact, I don't want to come across as a very bad loser but I'm going to

phone my mum - because...Charlie, I'm losing the will to live.

I'm going away to weep.

-Give her my love.

-I will.

So, it's a victory for Charlie, and it was the deal

for his Victorian cabinet that gave him such a convincing triumph.

-800?!

-If you want to.

I'm going to shake your hand, and put my arm round you. I think that's very generous.

A massive £500 profit nearly doubles Charlie's total

and crowns him today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

Charlie may have won today's battle, but both our experts worked round the clock to sell their items,

and all their profits will be going to charity.

My chosen charity is The Prince's Trust.

My chosen charity is CLIC Sargent - children with leukaemia.

So, Charlie's restored cabinet led him to victory today, but the competition doesn't stop here.

Tomorrow, our experts will go head to head again when they tackle a car boot sale.

So when it comes to price - well, two pounds?

I just paid more than that for a cappuccino up the road.

I could get thousands for them.

Watch out, Knocker Knowles!

I'm right on your heels!

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