Katherine Higgins v John Cameron: Car Boot Sale 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?

If that's £50, you've got a buyer.

There's Knocker's stuff just leaving.

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.

100% profit.

That's £300, that is amazing.

The challenge to our experts is clear.

Dealers, put your money where your mouth is.

Today's Knights of the Barter are auctioneer John "The Hammer" Cameron

and collectibles expert and author Katherine "The Great" Higgins.

Although she's not a wheeler dealer by trade, there's no doubting

Katherine's expertise or her love of collectibles.

I think the things that give me a real buzz

are items associated with some sort of post-war design.

I love modern design, I love the things I grew up with as a child.

Katherine's vast knowledge of 20th century collectibles has served her well

whether it be writing books and articles

or revealing the true value of people's treasures on the Antiques Roadshow.

I'm in my early 40s now and I kind of,

it's just this huge amount of nostalgia attached to the toys,

the tableware, the fabrics, the furnishings,

everything from the post-war era.

John "The Hammer" Cameron is a qualified valuer and auctioneer

and despite having 15 years in the business,

he loves the unpredictability of the antiques world.

Going to work as an auctioneer is a real labour of love.

Every day is a day at school, and you just don't stop learning.

It gives me a chance to submerge myself in history on a regular basis

and I'm frequently confronted with an instruction

to sell something I haven't handled before.

When he isn't valuing antiques,

John can be found selling them from the podium or appearing on Cash In The Attic.

420, are we all done at £420, then?

So we have the experts, they have the knowledge,

the contacts and an unyielding desire to win.

It's time to find out the aim of today's game.

Katherine the Great. Welcome to the sunny south coast.

I do like a day by the sea, Mr Hammer.

-Do you have something for me here?

-A little golden envelope.

-Yours. What have we got?

-Let's see.

John and Katherine, your challenge today is to spend up to

£250 of your own money on antiques.

You must then re-sell your purchases, making as much profit as possible.

The winner is the presenter who makes the most cash.

Today you must buy all your antiques from a car-boot sale. Good luck.

Well, the battle lines are drawn.

-I think we should go.

-This way.

Today's clash of the antiques Titans

is taking place at the Bursledon car-boot sale just outside Southampton.

Pretty much everyone that John and Katherine try to do deals with

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

Our experts will be doing everything in their power to persuade people

to give them the best possible prices when they

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

Katherine has decided to try and purchase items a little more modern

than she would normally buy and which have a potential profit in them.

THEY MEOW

Oh, dear. Got them all going now!

Her rival, on the other hand,

will be trying to purchase items with buyers in mind.

Now, here's an interesting item.

We've got ourselves a naval binnacle or compass.

Living by the sea, there's no shortage of maritime collectors

in my neck of the woods, so this might be something that we can use.

We know it's naval or maritime because it's made of brass.

Doesn't corrode. It's in its gimbal,

which again tells us it's for a ship and what the gimbals do

is they counteract the rolling motion of the ship,

so at any time, the compass should sit nice and level.

Now, sadly, there doesn't appear to be a maker's mark on here,

which, if it's the right mark, will help us with regards to value.

That is quite a nice item.

If I can buy that at the right money,

I'm pretty sure that I can find a buyer for it. Excuse me, sir?

Your compass binnacle here, what are you asking for this?

-£15.

-£15!

-Near £15.

£15 sounds quite reasonable.

-There we are.

-Thank you very much.

-£15. Thank you very much.

-Thank you. Cheers.

At £15, that was so cheap, I didn't even have the heart to haggle.

Anyway, this thing looks like it's working. I need to find my car.

That's a good buy for John,

and he's hoping the compass will point the way to victory.

Elsewhere in the boot sale,

his rival has spotted a collectible item from the recent past.

It's not often you see a great piece of computer history

sitting on a pretty average trestle table.

Clive Sinclair, he's the guru of competing, really, in my mind.

In April 1982, this arrived, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum.

It cost an amazing £125, which was a pricey price tag at the time.

This is a really nice collectable because, well,

first off, it's still in its box.

It's got, underneath here, if you have a little peek with me,

it's got the original instructions, the user guide, which is lovely.

It's got the power supply

and it's got the top of the cover saying Sinclair on the top.

On its own, I would probably pass on it,

but because it's got the box, I think a collector would go for it

and I know just the man who loves Sinclair.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-You clearly were a boy who loved computers.

-Yes.

-Was this yours?

-Yeah.

You've got to part with it, though, because I want to buy it.

-Right.

-How much am I going to have to pay for it?

-£30.

A bit too steep for me.

Can't do that, I'm afraid.

-What about ten?

-15.

-You're a good man.

-OK. Thank you very much.

So, Mrs Higgins has picked up a real milestone in home computing.

Both our experts are determined to win today's car-boot cash

but it seems as though Katherine is taking things a tad too seriously.

I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman but I have the heart and soul of a King.

The King of England.

Katherine, don't you think you're taking this whole Katherine the Great thing just a bit too seriously?

I mean, come on, that's Queen Elizabeth I's line!

Yes, but listen, I am a Queen and I'm allowed to say it.

Yes, Katherine might think she's a queen but only time will tell

which of our experts will be wearing today's crown.

With hundreds of stalls to choose from, there's no shortage of items on offer today.

The key to success for our experts is to buy the right items at the right price.

Now the great thing about car-boot sales is you really

don't know what you're going to find and here is a classic case in point.

It's a pair of 20th century fencing foils.

Now I did a bit of fencing when I was younger.

I'm going to find out what the chap wants for these and see where he got them from.

-Excuse me, sir.

-Yes, can I help you?

These foils, where do they come from then?

These came from the auction.

-You bought them at auction?

-At auction.

-And what are you asking for them here today?

-I'm asking 20.

OK. Would you take £15 for them?

-Yeah, I will.

-There's your £15.

I'm off to have some fun with these before I try and sell them.

Well, don't hurt yourself!

They'll take your eye out. You sound like my mum!

Yes, well, with apologies to John's mum, the swashbuckling Mr Cameron

has backed himself another buy and he's hoping it will go some way to foiling the challenge of his rival.

Now this is an interesting item.

Here we are on the south coast but there's a bit of American history

here in the form of motorbikes and I think certainly quite an interesting collectable.

Very modern, very made yesterday or even about five minutes ago.

Not my kind of thing at all normally but the reason I'm interested in it is because I think I should get it

first before Mr Hammer comes in and sifts it from under my hand.

So, I'm going to try and strike a bargain. Hi. Hello.

Hi there. How can I help?

-How much do you want for this?

-I'm asking for a tenner for that.

-£10. Does it have its box?

-Yes, I have the box here.

I like the box. Go for the original box.

OK...I don't want to pay £10.

I'd like to pay a bit less. Fiver?

Mmm... that's too less I'm afraid. It has to be...

Can we meet the middle?

-I'll takes £7.50 for it.

-£7.50. Bargain. Deal done.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

So, sticking to strategy, Katherine has snapped the collectable biking memorabilia

and she got there before John.

There are plenty of pieces on offer in today's car-boot sale though

and John has bought a bike of his own and this one works.

Now the uninitiated would think that the Harley Davidson is the ultimate

and oldest motorcycle brand in America but they would be wrong because it's this fella here -

the all-American Indian set up a full two years prior to Harley and Davison's start-up.

And here we have a fantastic child's replica model.

Wonderful. In perfect working order with its charger and a little bit of charge in there and even a good horn.

I know some collectors of classic American bikes back in Portsmouth and I know a shop that deals in spares.

£25? I'm sure I can make a profit on this. Katherine the Great, on your bike!

Yes, that's tough talk from the Hammer, but his rival is not easily intimidated.

Perfect, there you go.

And she has snapped up a classic 1970s children's annual for £1.

Mr Hammer, the reason I bought it really was because that's you and that's me, the killer snake.

Just be prepared.

Katherine clearly means business today

and she's also bought a collection of children's games for £4

and two empty whisky bottles which cost her just 25p.

John is also hard at work but he's stopped to take a trip down memory lane.

Now here's a piece that takes me back to my youth.

No, not this kettle and this box but what's underneath.

This 19th century stripped pine dome-topped chest.

Now, when I was about 16, 17 years old, I was an apprentice trained joiner.

A poorly paid one, I might add and I used to supplement my income

by buying things like this and selling them on.

Back then there was a huge demand for this sort of thing and not so much now.

We've got the original carrying handles on the side which is nice

and we have also got the original metal work here and some evidence of hand forgings.

I think this is a nice 19th century piece.

Open up in there and you can just smell the age coming out of there.

I quite like this. Usually I wouldn't be looking for things like this.

As I've said, not a huge demand for it.

But I've got a friend who only recently asked me

for a nice chunk like this to put at the top of his stairs, to put all the children's things away in it,

when they have guests around and they want to make the house look tidy.

I want to know what the dealer's asking for it and see if I can make a bit of a profit out of it.

Excuse me, sir? This 19th century chest...

-What are you asking for it?

-£60.

-£60.

If I can buy it for 40, I might be able to make a small profit out of it.

-Take £40 for it?

-I'll have a deal with it.

-You're a very good man.

-Let me give you the money.

-Nicely done, John.

It might not be the most fashionable of pieces but sticking to the strategy of purchasing items

with potential buyers in mind, Mr Cameron thinks there's money to be made.

He's alsoe expecting a profit on a lathe-spun Victorian preserve pan, which cost him £15,

a punchbag which cost £5 and a collection of children's books

and a pop group tour guide that set him back £8.

Katherine might be aiming a little more modern than she would normally go for

but that doesn't mean to say she's going to pass up the chance

to snap up some bona fide antiques when she sees them.

You've got an array of things here, haven't you?

These are great. They are Victorian perfume bottles.

At a time when you didn't go into the department store

and buy your bottled perfume from a branded manufacturer.

You went your dispensing chemist or you got your lady's maid to go and buy you some perfume

in a larger a bottle and decanted it, your cologne or scent, into here.

These were small enough for you to carry around with you.

No stoppers, sadly. Let's see what I can do.

What would you do on these?

Without the stoppers, I've got two quid each.

£2 each. Um...

What about... 50p each?

That's quite harsh.

I'm a harsh girl at heart.

I'll meet you in the middle. A pound each.

That's great, fabulous. Thanks a lot.

That's a great bit of negotiating from Katherine

and she's bought some genuine antiques to boot.

Our two experts might be trading blow after buying blow at today's car-boot sale

but it's time to declare a ceasefire as our rivals are keen

to compare notes in order to gain some vital intelligence.

-How is your day going?

-My day has gone brilliantly.

Predictably girly, I've gone for Victorian scent bottles.

And do we scent the sweet smell of success?

We scent the smell of victory. How about you?

I bought a couple of fencing foils.

I don't know what I'm going to do with them. I haven't got a buyer lined up.

I think it was the boy in me that they appealed to.

Cutting purchases indeed.

I think we've got the rest of the day to go though.

-I think we ought to get off and see what else we can buy, shall we?

-Adieu.

-Adios.

So it's back to the boot sale battlefield for these two but which of our experts

has been cutting a dash with their own hard-earned cash.

Our duelling duo can spend up to £250 of their own money.

Katherine is being very careful with her pennies and has spent less than £33,

leaving the frugal Mrs Higgins almost £218 still to play with.

Her rival on the other hand has parted with almost half

of his budget but still has plenty of cash left in his kitty.

So John might be splashing the cash but is he buying the items with the biggest potential profit?

As our experts hunt through the car boots, Katherine is making a move

for something she hopes will turn up the heat on her rival.

-Hi! That radiator, I need to take it off your hands.

-Right.

How much do you want for it?

-I would take 40 for it.

-£40. Right.

-Is it your taste?

-It's not mine...

See, you don't want it. You need to give it to me for... £20?

Go on, you know you don't like it!

-Because it's hot with the hot weather...

-Exactly.

-Yeah, go on, take it off my hands. £20.

-Perfect.

That's the way to cut a deal!

It's Katherine's biggest expenditure of the day, so what exactly has she bought?

Well, a classic. It can only date from the 1950s.

The condition is immaculate. There is not a scrape or scratch on this enamelled surface.

And the chromed legs are pretty good as well. There's only a little bit of bubbling on the surface.

A great conditioned piece by a firm that's long gone, no longer in production.

A good, classy collectable.

Well, she sounds happy with her purchase and Katherine will also be aiming to make money

from a pair of cups and saucers, a Bakelite ashtray

and a West German ceramic pot bought for the combined sum of £3.

Katherine might not be spending big bucks but she is working hard to find potentially profitable pieces

Elsewhere at the boot sale, the Hammer is putting

his specialist knowledge of sporting ephemera to good use.

There's a big market for early football programmes.

In fact, a couple of years ago a 1901 FA Cup Final replay programme sold for £18,000.

I myself sold a '23 FA Cup Final programme for £4,000.

And ticket stubs I've sold for up to £800. A strong collecting area.

I'm not expecting to find anything terribly early here but we might uncover the odd gem.

What I'm looking for are some Cup Finals.

The other thing to think about when looking at programmes are the two teams involved.

There is demand higher and lower for certain teams.

Manchester United is always pretty popular so we should be able to do something with that.

This World Cup souvenir.

A different market for these, there are people who just collect

internationals and World Cup ephemera.

We have a 1970 souvenir brochure.

Brazil won that year, that's when they got the Jules Rimet outright.

What are you charging for this lot?

We'll call it two quid all in.

-Sounds fair.

-Thanks, mate.

Nicely done, John. Mr Cameron has netted himself some footy ephemera and,

with his specialist knowledge, I suspect there may be a decent amount of potential profit in that deal.

There are two players in today's contest though, and Katherine has

bagged herself a pair of items that she's pretty pleased with.

These two great pieces are from Denby, which has a long heritage dating back to the 19th century.

This particular design was by a lady called Gill Pemberton and is known as arabesque.

She'd gone to Russia and she was inspired by the local costumes -

the colours, the circles and the symmetry, which was the basis of her design style.

I am hoping I can improve on the £2.50 I paid.

£2.50 for such a well-known name sounds like a good deal.

There's no shortage of items to browse through at today's car-boot sale,

and Katherine has got her eye on some collectable tin boxes.

Tins are really interesting things, there are lots of

people who collect them because they are quite good records of advertising and records of

the firm's beginning.

Here we've got lithographed tin.

It's tin that is printed.

The condition isn't fantastic so I'm not going to pay a fortune for it.

However, this little fellow is rather sweet.

He is a reminder of the days of posting letters when it cost...

Goodness me, one-and-a-half pence if you had a letter weighing under an ounce.

Gone are those days. It dates from the 1930s, it's George IV.

A lovely little tin.

There's another one here, probably a post-war piece.

So that's three boxes Katherine has picked out and, true to form,

Mrs Higgins negotiates a great deal and buys them for just £1.

Both are experts have used their trained eyes to pick out

the pieces with the most potential profit at today's car boot sale.

The Hammer has homed in on what he things could be a bit of a winner if he can get it for the right price.

I didn't come here today to look at furniture, however, this is quite an attractive piece.

It's a classic piece of furniture that's been

affected by the drop in demand for mahogany and dark brown furniture.

But I think this is quite a tidy thing.

Good tip - always have a look at the back of furniture.

You often find woodworm and things like that.

This looks pretty good, woodworm doesn't tend

to like mahogany as much as it likes walnut and oak and things like that.

This is quite a neat table.

It has some interesting features, a nice three-quarter gallery top and these handles, they look original.

There's no evidence that there's been any other handle in there.

Moving down to the leg...

It's nicely turned baluster support, very typical

of the mid-19th century and the late Georgian and early Victorian period.

I would date this table to about 1840 - 1850.

It wants a little bit of tidying up, some staining to the top, but I think a good polish would bring this back

and make it ready ready for someone's sharp.

The big question is - how much is this guy going to want for it? Let's find out.

-Excuse me, what are you asking for this?

-55.

£55. It wants a bit of cleaning up, I'm going to have to spend some more money if I buy it.

50 is the lowest I can go, honestly.

-Let's shake on it, you've got yourself a deal.

-Thank you.

£50 - that's the biggest spend of the day.

After a rip-roaring ride around the car boot sale, it's time to find out how much our experts have spent.

They both started out with up to £250 of their own money.

It's been a long day but before heading home our experts just

can't resist sizing up the opposition's purchases.

-Mr Hanna.

-Katherine the Great.

-I see you've been cooking.

-I will be soon, making some preserves.

Have a look at my favourite item - my dome-topped chest, which I've got a buyer lined up for.

I didn't think I'd see one here today but here we are, my first sale,

-pretty confident.

-Well done.

I found this very 1950s, very retro, very stylish, elegant and very me radiator.

It is very you.

I picked that up earlier and the Harley-Davidson montage and I knew you would you would go for those.

I nearly bought them. I think we ought to get this stuff packed up.

-The hard work begins.

-May the force be with you, Katherine.

-And also with you.

So as they head for home, Katherine the Great's hopes of success rest on a very collectable 1980s computer.

Memorabilia of an iconic motorcycle.

Five Victorian perfume bottles, two empty whisky bottles,

a Bakelite ashtray, a selection of children's toys and a children's annual, a retro 1950s radiator,

early 20th century collectable tins and a selection of pottery,

including the two arabesque Denby pieces.

Mr Cameron is hoping to profit from a brass maritime converse, a pair of

20th century fencing foils, a mini motorcycle from a classic American company,

a mid-nineteenth century trunk, a Victorian preserve pan,

a punchbag, some children's books, some collectable football ephemera

and a Victorian mahogany side table.

So having returned from the car boot sale,

our experts must sell on their items for the biggest possible profit.

Both Katherine and John will be pulling out all the stops to find

the right buyers for all of their items and they're working their way through their little black books

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

They might even talk about figures with potential buyers but until

they have shaken on it and money has changed hands, no sale is secured.

With the selling part of today's challenge now under way,

John has taken his mini motor bike out for a spin.

But, can he make a profit on it?

It cost him £25.

John, when you said you had an Indian classic for sale, I was

really interested but this happens to be a toy and we don't sell toys.

-It is not for me really.

-Come back, come back,

you haven't had a real look at this. It is a classic.

It is a bit of fun and will be an eye-catching display in your window

-What have I got to pay for it then?

-I want £50 for it, Trevor.

Do you? Life's full of disappointment, young man.

I'll give you £30 for it.

What you want, to see me on my knees today?

Yes, why not?!

I couldn't sell it to you for £30 I would be literally giving it away, Trevor.

What will buy it then?

-£40.

-I must be crazy, go on, it is a deal.

£40, since you took me for a ride on the price, how about taking me for

a ride on a little something that I spotted on the end of the line.

Funny enough, you can, but it is 40 quid!

Come on, let's have a look.

John's powers of persuasion didn't let him down.

The mini motorbike has delivered a £15 profit

and with the hard part over, it is time for a spin in a car that is not much bigger than a bike.

Messerschmitt entered the car market in the 1950s and nowadays,

some models of these collectable cars can fetch tens of thousands of pounds.

It is a 1962 KR 200.

-Can I get in the back?

-OK.

If I get in first, I have to do that otherwise I can't get in. Once I go down, you can get in.

It is a good job I am nice and slim.

It is. That is a matter of opinion.

Comfy? Arms in.

I feel we should be going for a picnic, Trevor.

Off we go then.

In Basingstoke, Katherine the Great has travelled to meet

a collector of early computers, but what will the connoisseur make of her car-boot collectable?

-There it is.

-We know what that is.

It is a ZX Spectrum. Sinclair's famous computer from the 1980s.

I guess one has to admire Sinclair and

what he achieved, certainly because the ZX Spectrum was a great piece of design.

It looks nice. You could hang it on a wall.

It comes at a price I'm afraid to say.

-All Sinclair comes at a price.

-They do today.

Don't forget Katherine paid £15 for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum.

-What were you thinking of?

-Well...

I'd say...£45.

-£45. That, to me, is a fair price.

-Good, I'm pleased.

A fair price and more than a fair profit of £30.

If you are buying items from a private seller rather than from an established second-hand dealer,

you might want to get it checked over by a qualified electrician before using it.

Katherine's pulling out all the stops to sell her car boot items

and she also bags over £40 for her classic memorabilia.

Despite not managing to sell all her children's items,

she still makes £29 on both those and her collectable tins.

On the south coast, John is hoping to turn a nice profit

on the Victorian mahogany table that cost him £50.

-Good morning, Chris.

-Good morning, John, how are you?

-Good, mate. Nice to see you.

I can see some more bad news you have brought me.

Don't even start that. I know it needs a little bit of restoration but have a look.

It is pretty original, nothing structural to be done, Chris.

How much do you seriously want for it John?

I want £120 for it, Chris.

I don't see it as 120, I really don't, John.

-You can have it for £100.

-And you are not going to move no more?

I can't move. £100, let me make a small profit.

Seeing it's you and we do have a good deal and banter, I'll have it.

-Good man. You won't regret it, Chris.

-I'm sure I will!

John doubles his money on the table making £50 profit.

The Hammer means business and he's also sold his football ephemera

and banked £13 of profit.

With both our experts sealing deal after deal,

it looks as if it will be a tightly-fought contest today.

Both our experts are on the profit-making trail

and Katherine has headed north to try and seal a red-hot deal.

Katherine paid £20 for the radiator, can she make a profit?

If I was a late '50s early '60s housewife, I would have done exactly that.

I have been carrying it from room to room.

But it is made by Faulks, who were very good manufacturers of

domestic home goods. They made portable hairdryers and a nice travel iron

and everything was all about quality design for them. What d'you think of it?

It is a lovely piece of industrial design post-war.

It is a very nice piece.

I'm sure you would like to know how much I would like for this.

Painful thought coming.

I think a fair price might be around the £100 price. How does that sound?

I was thinking more like £50.

I'd like to settle a little bit more. If I came down a fraction to 80.

-Am I making you feel warmer?

-A little bit warmer.

What about

70 quid?

You strike a hard bargain.

I can feel the heat is radiating and it has got to be done.

A deal is struck. Thank you, Paul.

-Thank you very much.

-I think it should go in the window now and we should watch the crowds flock in.

Let's get it in the window.

Look at that. Perfect place, fabulous profit. I couldn't be happier.

As the shop owner will have to make sure it is in safe working order

before he sells it, a £50-profit for the radiator is a good result.

Mr Cameron is working hard to sell his items,

but Mrs Higgins is determined to maximise the profits from every sale she makes.

And is hoping to cash in on the Denby crockery that cost her just £2.50.

-Hello, Bruce, hi.

-Hello, Katherine, how nice to see you.

-Nice to see you.

When I bought this, I was quite careful because I knew how precise you are about the pieces you buy.

Quality is paramount.

You have such a discerning eye.

I was very careful to make sure it had no chips, cracks, damage on it.

You did the ping, did you?

I did a minor ping but it is probably nothing like yours.

JUG RINGS

Like a bell, you get the ring sound.

If that had got a hairline crack in it that you perhaps couldn't see,

it would be dead and you would get a dull thud. You have done well there.

-It has passed the Bruce test.

-Yes.

-Excellent.

-What sort of price have you got in mind?

Can we do a good deal on a pair?

Something like that, a tenner?

For the jug, eight for that, we are talking about £18 for the pair.

What figure had you got in mind?

I think round about £24.

You know what they do in the trade.

I said 18,

you said 24.

Split the difference.

22 it is.

-Perfect.

-Seeing as I know you, OK.

-Deal done.

-This lady knows her retro crockery.

The Denby storage jar and jug have passed muster with

a very discerning buyer. They have added almost £20 to her profit pot.

Katherine also sells her vase, two cups and saucers, the ashtray

and two empty whisky bottles adding over £50 to her kitty.

The pressure is now building on John, but Mr Cameron is keen

to prove that if Katherine is the profit Queen, he is the king.

Katherine the Great, you may have an ivory tower but I have the Spinnaker Tower,

located here in the heart of Portsmouth's historic dockyard.

From here, I can survey my lands from Chichester to Southampton and across to the Isle of Wight.

It is in this great part of the Queen's country that I will plan my assault

and make the profits that will leave you firmly in my wake.

I think today's competition is getting to both our experts a little.

At the car boot sale, John bought a brass compass with a buyer in mind.

The man in question runs a shop in Portsmouth's historic dockyard selling maritime collectables.

Can John smooth talk his way to a profit?

-Ahoy there, Andrew.

-Hello, John.

-Permission to come aboard.

-Permission granted.

Andrew, I don't think we could have picked a better place to meet today.

It is a favourite of mine but working so close to home on a daily basis,

she must feel like part of your family.

Yes, it is a wonderful ship.

You can get a feel of the length of the deck here.

It was Britain's first iron-clad, launched in 1860.

It was the nuclear deterrent of its day, so powerful.

Getting down to brass tacks and talking of brass,

I've brought you this binnacle compass to have a look at. What d'you think?

I know north is that way so at least it works.

It looks a reasonable piece. Any age to it?

I don't think there is a great deal of age to it, a bit like myself.

Do you mind if I show you something a little bit more aged?

Not at all.

All right, it might not be the best compass ever to set sail from Portsmouth Harbour

and may be dwarfed by this specimen, but John only needs to sell it for more than £15 to make a profit.

-What are you asking for it?

-I would like £40 for it.

Really? You cheeky monkey.

-30 quid, surely.

-Come on, you drive a hard bargain.

-It is a dry compass, that is why.

-£40, it has to be worth 40 quid.

-35.

35, do you know what, as it is such a lovely sunny day, 35 quid and you buy the ice-cream.

Absolutely, I will get some money out.

Nicely done, Mr Cameron.

Our very own captain of profit has banked £20 from the sale of

his compass.

And the two fencing foils add another £25 to his profit pot.

John has banked a profit on every item he's sold but a crucial test is looming.

At a car-boot sale, he bought the pine trunk with a buyer in mind, but will his potential buyer

be impressed with the trunk and can John seal a profitable deal?

In your quest for decorative objects, you asked me to look out for a dome-topped trunk.

Love that dome.

Probably about 1815 date, would have been painted.

It has since been stripped and waxed. A nice thing, nice visual.

I do like it, it just depends on how much.

-I want £150 for this here today.

-I am absolutely sure you do.

I think it needs a bit of repair.

I'd like it to be lockable.

-I think £100 is fair.

-Come on, this is worth every bit of £140.

£140, it is a lot of trunk for 140.

Or 120.

-130?

-Or 120. 120 sells it.

120 sells it, today, cash?

-In your hand.

-£120, shake on it. No other conditions?

You are going to have to carry it to the top of the stairs with me.

-How many flights of stairs have I got to go up?

-Just the six.

-Is this it?

-Yes. Let's see how she looks.

Not too bad.

John had to work hard for that sale but it was worth it

as he has bagged £80-worth of profit.

Both our experts are cashing in on their car boot treasures,

but Katherine the Great has got the scent of victory in her nostrils

and is on the way to seal a big deal for her perfume bottles.

A glass dealer friend has given Katherine some stoppers as a favour.

That is the good news.

The bad news is since she bought them at a car-boot sale,

one of the bottles has been damaged so will she still be able to make a profit?

I just thought it evoked a passion for perfume and I know your wife is quite a keen perfume lady.

Does she collect bottles?

She loves glass in any form.

Where did these come from?

They are either English from Stourbridge

or perhaps from Bohemia,

which was the centre of the European glass making industry in the late 19th century.

Certainly, the date, the design, the handwork points to something that dates around 1890.

Wow, really old.

-Can I tempt you to buy them then?

-If I don't buy them, I might be in trouble.

Well, this sounds very promising for Katherine.

He's definitely interested in the perfume bottles but the big question is, how much is he prepared to pay?

On the south coast, John is hoping to seal a big deal of his own.

Now, the main reason I am here is to try and sell my preserve pan to my friend Debbie.

The pan I bought at the car-boot sale.

But, that is merely a foot in the door

because I also picked up another number of items with her children in mind.

I know that might seem callous, but the gloves are off.

Katherine the Great, yes, we'll see.

It is not callous, John. All is fair in love, war and the battle

to be the Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

Wish me luck.

I have a number of things I want to show you but first,

I want to show you this.

-Put it over here.

-What is that?

What do you think that is?

A dirty pot.

10 out of 10 for your observation.

Yes, it is a dirty pot but nothing half a lemon won't do to clean it up.

Rub that all over the body, the natural acids will clean that up a treat. It will shine, I promise you.

Now, you know how you said you wanted to start making some preserves and chutneys and things like that.

-Not in a dirty pot.

-We are going to clean the pot up.

You can't do that unless you have a proper preserve pot and that is what I have got here.

The preserve pan cost John £15.

Can he make a profit?

How much?

Forget what it looks like, I know what is there underneath.

-I think we are looking at 30 quid for this.

-That is a bit much.

I wouldn't pay £30 for that.

What about 20?

Now you are driving a tough bargain.

I can't go with 20, I will meet you halfway, 25 quid?

25 plus all the fruit from your garden.

You want me to supply the fruit, the apples and the plums.

£25, I'll give you some apples and some cider and plums.

But I want some of the chutney.

-Deal.

-There we are.

That sounds like a fair exchange on the fruit and John has banked £10

on the preserve pan.

His profit making mission isn't quite complete.

He's also hoping to sell all his items with kiddie appeal. They cost him £13 in total.

Can he seal another deal with Debbie?

Let's recap. £25 for the children's books and the girl band tour brochure. £15 for the boxing stand.

OK, you've got a deal.

Another deal. Now, I think I've worked hard enough, any chance of a cup of tea around here?

It is a well earned cuppa for our antiques heavyweight.

He's netted £27 profits from that deal,

but will it be enough to beat Katherine?

We'll find out very shortly because it is time to tot up the totals

and reveal whether we will be crowning a car-boot queen or king.

Our experts were allowed to spend up to £250 of their own money

on items at a car-boot sale.

Katherine kept a very firm hold of the purse strings

and parted with less than £60.

Her rival was prepared to speculate to accumulate and spent £175.

Every penny that our experts have made will be going to charity,

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

-Katherine.

-John. Great to see you.

How are you feeling since our car-boot challenge?

It was quite a challenge for me.

It is not my normal environment.

I was slightly out of my depth but it was great fun.

I want to know how much profit you have made. Are you ready?

I am going to count us down.

Three, two, one, go.

You only spent £50 at the car boot, how did you manage that?

-When a girl goes shopping, she does it properly.

-Well done.

I'll tell you what, you may have won the battle but you certainly haven't won the war yet.

There is a tomorrow.

There is no more today. Come on, let's go.

So it is a victory for Katherine and a fabulous £175-deal

on her perfume bottles sealed the victory.

-Yeah.

-Deal done, perfect.

-She is going to have to love me a lot.

HE LAUGHS

That fantastic sale netted Katherine a whopping £170-worth of profit.

I think it is fair to say she is happy with today's results.

I'm absolutely delighted. I couldn't have done any better than that.

I spend just under £60. John, you spent a fortune and seriously,

he didn't make that much at the end of the day

so you don't have to spend fortunes to make lots of money.

-I did well.

-I'm quite shocked about the result of the car-boot sale

because Katherine had only spent just under £60 and to make nearly £400 profit is quite remarkable.

I bought a lot more, my sales went smoothly and I thought I'd pip her at that one. It wasn't to be.

I am gracious in defeat and I guess that is why they call her Katherine the Great.

Katherine may have won today's contest but both our experts raised hundreds of pounds today

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

Deal done.

I have made just under £400, which is a life-changing sum of money

for my charity, the Amassi children's charity project.

It is an orphanage in Cape Town, South Africa.

On the bright side, I still made £240 profit for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust so everyone is a winner.

So Katherine takes today's crown but tomorrow, John will have the chance to strike back as our experts

go head-to-head one last time in a Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is showdown.

-Pirates Of The Caribbean?

-Yes, from the third film. Looking good, isn't he?

Great, I love it.

They will be able to buy whatever they want from wherever they want,

but they will have to sell it all at special one-off events.

230.

I can stay here all night. 240.

The police have closed the road, right. OK.

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