Eric Knowles v Philip Serrell: UK Antiques Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is pitches TV's best-loved antiques experts against each other

in an all-out battle for profit

and gives you the inside view on the secrets of the trade.

Coming up, our dealers show you how to root out the very top buys.

Let me tell you now that some of the best things I've ever found

have been in a box.

How to take no prisoners when a deal goes to the wire.

You're asking £50 for it? See, I see that at half that.

-Can't do it, mate.

-Let's put it back down.

-OK.

And how creative selling can bump up your profits.

You write your offer down on there

and I'll write what I'm prepared to accept on here.

This'll be interesting.

Today's challenge pitches two giants of the antiques world

against one another in an epic battle

as Eric "Knocker" Knowles

takes on Philip "The Fox" Serrell.

They'll be wheeling and dealing their socks off

to see who can make the most profit from buying and selling antiques.

Yes, it's the much loved man of the people from Lancashire...

Hello! Oh, you want to shake hands, do you? Oh, bless.

..versus the Midlands mauler with the soft centre.

-Do you reckon that's been restored, my dear?

-I know it's got a chip on the bottom.

-I didn't do it.

They're risking their reputations and hard-earned cash

to outdo each other with their antiques expertise.

Today's battleground is one of the UK's big antiques extravaganzas,

at Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire.

Set in the landscaped parkland

of a neo-classical mansion, designed by Robert Adam,

there are hundreds of stalls and thousands of collectibles on offer.

And who knows where the biggest pile of profit might be hidden?

Our duelling duo each have £750 of their own money to spend.

Their mission is to make the most profit over a week of challenges,

and all that profit goes to their chosen charities.

In this monster battle, there can only be one winner.

Eric Knowles and Philip Serrell,

it's time to put your money where your mouth is.

I don't know about you, Phil, but I do love an early morning start.

It's too early for me, Eric.

When it comes to strategy,

I'll put my cards on the table and I'll say

if I recognise it and I like it, I buy it.

I'll try and buy something that reflects my character -

-wacky and unusual.

-ERIC LAUGHS

I like things that tell a story.

-Good luck. See you later.

-See you.

Now, don't be deceived by all that chummy banter.

Neither of these two antiques colossi take any prisoners

when it comes to making profits.

They both come armed with clear strategies.

Eric is the undisputed prince of porcelain

and today he is determined to stick to his lifelong love affair.

I like your teapot. That's pretty, isn't it?

Yeah, I think I'm a lost case when it comes to ceramics, you know.

I am looking out for kindred spirits

so I can go into a room and sit down with them all in a circle

and say, "Hello, everybody. My name is Eric and I'm a pot-aholic."

Opponent Phil runs his own auction business

and, as a one-time rugby player,

can be a bit of a bruiser when it comes to doing a deal.

£34.

It's a lot, that, isn't it?

Our tough guy is on the hunt for the weird and wacky,

and it looks like he's in the right place.

I said to you that I wanted to buy quirky things and...

I'm not sure I can explain this because somebody will say, "Why?"

and I don't know the answer, but I quite like that.

And the Fox doesn't waste any time.

Could this smiling, carved roof support

be his first bargain of the day?

-How much is it?

-I'm looking at about 30 grand.

-You what?!

-I'm looking at about 30 grand.

I've got the whole roof.

-You've got the whole roof?

-HE LAUGHS

It's only the antique world,

and you've got a £30,000 roof next to a concrete dog

and golem, or whatever he is.

Funny old world, this.

In his quest to hunt down the weird and wacky,

Phil has taken a bit of a wrong turn.

To make things worse,

self-confessed pot-aholic Eric is on top pot-spotting form.

He snaps up two buys before you can say, "Pass the porcelain."

-What sort of price would you take?

-Best price on that would be £20.

-£20 for that. OK.

-The whole set.

£20 sees Eric enter the game.

But it's this harlequin figure that has him really excited.

Doulton figures tend to be ladies like this.

They seem to be everywhere.

But something like this shouts very much 1950s,

and I do like that figure.

Yes, so much that Eric pays a hefty £85 for it.

-Thanks very much.

-It's a pleasure.

Phil is prowling like a true antiques predator.

He's covering every inch of the place in his hunt for the weird and wonderful.

The problem is it's Knocker who seems to have found it.

HE CHUCKLES

Phil told me that he was going to be looking for things that are weird and wacky.

If he misses this particular stand, he's missing out big time because...

HE LAUGHS

I just wonder who buys this stuff!

Hmm. Your opponent, Eric, that's who.

I'm awfully tempted to try a bomb.

This stall is smack bang on Phil's buying strategy.

As well as the bomb, there's a box of wooden tools, an old loo

and a set of scales.

A lot of these were retailed by Harrods and the like and they're just good fun things.

I'd better check that it does work.

I'm not prepared to have this seen on camera. Just hold on a moment.

Oh, come on, Phil. You've got nothing to hide from us.

Yeah, it works perfectly. Look, 12 stone 3. Erm... Where's the man?

-Can I have a word a minute, please?

-You can.

What are you wearing?

-Shades.

-Shades?

-How much is that, please?

-It's got £130 on it.

-I want to give you £80 for that.

-You can't be giving me 80 quid for that.

-But we can work something else out.

-Work out another parcel, maybe.

I like those woodworking bits.

I think those are for lead workers for doing lead flashings on roofs.

-Yeah.

-Yeah? It is that?

I'd like to give you 175 quid for the two.

Can't do it. No profit.

£210.

Get out of here.

200 quid. Go on. We'll do the deal.

There we are, look. £200.

So the Fox is off and in the chicken coop at last.

He's spent £200 on two purchases

that seem to fit his weird and wonderful strategy.

Weird? Tick.

Wonderful? Hmm. Phil is not so sure.

-What do I do with those now?

-I'll put them in the back for you.

-But what do I do with them?

With the Fox back on the prowl,

Knocker is scouring every nook and cranny for his next profitable purchase.

He's been coming to antiques fairs like this for 40 years

and he knows exactly where the bargains are buried.

It's so easy when you're walking past a table like this

just to ignore the things in boxes underneath the table.

Let me just tell you now that some of the best things I've ever found

have been in a box.

Phil is targeting potential purchases with laser-like precision

and soon spots a pile of battered old notebooks.

-What's this? A game book?

-Yeah.

This says "Mr Liddiard, Head Keeper to the Earl of Harewood,

"Harewood Park, Leeds, Yorkshire."

It's just a really interesting little book, that.

It's vellum-bound by the looks of things, and it's dated to 1870,

although there's all sorts of dates here.

-You're asking £50 for it?

-If you stood me in at 40 quid...

See, I see that at half that.

No. Can't do it, mate.

-All right, let's put it back down.

-OK, then.

I'll have a look and see what else you've got.

Now, there's no stopping hotshot pot-picker Eric.

He's homed in on another prime porcelain target.

We're looking at Fieldings Crown Devon.

Fieldings are a huge company in Stoke-on-Trent.

They're probably better known

for the sort of pieces they made just before the First World War

which look a little bit like Royal Worcester.

Something like that, what you first look for is condition.

In this case it looks absolutely all right.

It's a pretty thing.

-Can I ask you?

-Actually, the best would be £60.

£60. I'm tempted with this.

If you wanted to squeeze me, I could go down to £50.

I'm tempted.

Yeah, all right, £50.

-Done.

-OK, you're on. I'll have it.

At £50, the Crown Devon bowl

completes a hat trick of ceramic buys for Knocker.

Can Phil hit back by snaring the gamekeeper's book?

He's after something else on the same stall to get the price down.

But, even with his hunger for the weird and wonderful,

in his wildest fantasies he couldn't have imagined this.

Well, it was a constructor's helmet made for the guy on the front from Cudnor.

How old is that?

Looking at the engraving and the lettering, it's late Victorian.

What I can't work out in my own mind is

we've got Egyptian pharaohs all the way round it.

I have never ever seen anything like that in my life before.

I think it's either 50 quid or 500.

-What's the best you can do that for?

-£280, to be honest.

-£280? Can you keep that for me for an hour?

-Yeah, no problem.

Keep it for an hour and I might have a deal with you.

Hmm... Phil now faces a major dilemma.

If he buys the helmet and the gamekeeper's book,

he'll be parting with over £300 of his £750 budget.

The Fox wants time to cogitate.

While Knocker's all-consuming search for profit

has moved on to this market's ceramics bargain basement.

This is what I like to see.

All items here reduced to only £10 each.

He quickly sees money in four replica apothecary jars.

Price: £40.

I'll have those.

Oh, I like that vase. What's wrong with that?

And Eric's eagle eye has spotted something else.

That's a lovely little cameo on the top of there. Look.

So that's glass on glass... on glass.

And it's beaded.

That's very tasteful, actually.

And I think a tenner... To use a well-worn phrase,

I think we're quids in there.

Knocker's raid on the £10 shelf leaves him as pleased as punch.

I think the vase is delightful.

To be frank with you, I can't help but think

that particular vase should be worth at least £50, if not more.

The Fox is still locked in thought,

debating whether to spend over £300

on an old notebook and a brass helmet.

SONG: "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" by Dusty Springfield

Do you know, there are places

that are built to think over what you should do in life,

and I think that this is probably one of those times, really.

# Don't know just what to do with myself... #

His visit to the mighty seat of inspiration works wonders.

Phil has now decided to take a deep breath and part with his money.

Now, what was it? £320, wasn't it?

£320 all together, yeah.

£280... £300... £320.

Thank you very much indeed. I'm ever so pleased about that.

-OK. Thanks, Philip. Have a good day.

-Yeah, will do.

That has just got to be like the dearest helmet in the world.

That's a brave and bold move from the Fox.

£320 on an old gamekeeper's book and brass helmet?

Let's hope he knows what he's doing.

Phil and Eric started the day

with £750 of their own money to spend.

So far Phil has made four purchases

and spent a whacking £520,

leaving just £230 in his kitty.

Eric has spent far less,

forking out just £205,

so he's still got £545 to spend.

But all that matters in this epic battle

is which of our dealers has found the most profitable pieces.

It's halfway through the day

and, with well over £500 still burning a hole in his pocket,

Knocker is holding an urgent review of his buying strategy

in order to maximise his chances of victory.

Much of what I've bought today has been of a ceramic nature.

So what I want to do,

bearing in mind that variety is the spice of life,

is to try and find something -

maybe it's furniture, maybe it's metal, I don't know.

The Fox has outspent Knocker by miles,

buying up the weirdest, wackiest antiques he can lay his hands on.

And he's soldiering on with a strategy

that's already seen him part with over two-thirds of his £750 budget.

I like this. It's a tobacco cutter.

Wouldn't that look great on a tobacconist's counter?

I love that handle.

Let's find out how much that is.

-How old do you think this is?

-I think it's round about 1830.

And it's got a name on the blade there.

You see, I think I'm going to get between 20 and 30 quid for that.

-Absolute bottom is £35.

-30 quid and I'll have it.

Hold on. Let me...

I've seen this sometimes work,

if you just get money out and start floating it in front of people.

-Go on.

-What a gentlemen.

What an absolute gentleman and a scholar.

Phil is merciless!

He picks up the tobacco cutter for just £30.

Eric told us that his new strategy

is to buy something - anything - that isn't a pot.

So, what is it our Lancashire lad has got his beady eyes on?

-Ooh!

-Yep - more pots.

When you look at pieces like this, you think: what sort of date is it?

I think maybe... late 19th century.

I'm going to take a chance on them

because I'm hoping they might turn out to be by a firm called Dudson.

Dudson are in Stoke-on-Trent

and they were making this type of black glazed ware

in the 1880s, 1890s.

So I'm going to buy these.

I'm going to pay £180. Yeah, I like them.

The Kedleston Hall antiques fair

has been up and running for over six hours.

And, with each hour that goes by, more wares are snapped up

by hordes of eager buyers.

Now our dealers need to call on their know-how and cunning

to clinch the best deals,

and Knocker knows it's time for action.

Well, it's nearly half past two, and I know full well

that this market starts to pack up in about an hour's time.

So no pressure, Eric!

There's no pressure on the Fox.

Whilst Knocker's flapping, he circles and strikes,

snapping up two more weird and wacky items.

First, a clock for timing racing pigeons.

Price: £20.

-Can I have that?

-Yes.

-You're a gentleman.

And then a piece of stone with a lion on it.

It's a water fountain, and the water comes out through here.

And it's salt glazed.

And you want £45? See, I think that's worth 20 quid.

£20 it is.

The Fox's no-nonsense dealing triumphs again.

If you went to a modern garden centre and bought a water feature,

would you get that for £20?

No, of course you wouldn't. It'll cost you £50, £60, £70 or more.

Who am I going to sell it to?

I haven't got the first idea...

yet.

Eric has got more urgent problems.

He still has over £300 to spend and not much time left to spend it.

Am I missing something? I don't want to miss anything.

No... No...

Come on, Eric, rise up and hunt those pieces down

like you've never hunted before.

Do I look like I'm panicking? Because I am.

And, after some furious searching,

our lad spots an Art Deco clock that might have some profit in it.

-What are we on the damage stakes here?

-A few little nibbles.

Nibbles on the top.

The best price on that could be...

-£75.

-That's a good price.

We'll live dangerously and give it a go.

£75 for an Art Deco clock.

But Knocker's still desperate to buy more.

The Fox is only too happy to twist the knife.

In the final phase of this buying battle,

Phil is ready to call it quits and leave his rival chasing his tail.

Will I buy something else? I'm not sure.

If I see something and I really like it, I will.

But if I don't...

I think I'm all right.

With vendors beginning to pack up left, right and centre,

Eric heads into a marquee

where an old friend of his is still open for business.

I'm just looking at your table.

What can you tell me? It's very stylish.

It's a Heal's table so we're looking at around 1905, 1910.

-Nice little thing. I've got £150 on it.

-£150.

-Yes.

-OK. I like that.

But Knocker's about to be hopelessly seduced by something else.

-This is WMF?

-WMF. It's got the stamps under her head.

It is quite a rare jewel tray. The stamps are up here.

-You put your jewellery on it.

-Yeah.

-How much is this?

-£250.

-£250?

-Yeah.

Ooh, our Eric is in a real dilemma.

He likes the silver lady AND the table,

but he can't afford both,

and he's running out of time.

All I'm thinking at the moment is profit.

Where will I get my greatest profit?

Would it be with this, or would it be with that?

So I'm looking this girl in the eye. She's very naughty.

She's flirting with me, this girl.

Oh, come on, Eric. Focus.

Decide. Seize the day.

OK. Big decision. I've got to make...

Listen, I'm going to go with it. OK? I'm going to go with...

I did like that but, you know, I've just spent up.

So if I spend £250 on that... I'm going to chance it. OK?

-I'll do £240.

-£240.

-I know it's not much, but every little helps.

-Well, that's very kind.

-And you know that I love you.

-Very kind of you.

Well done, Eric. A tenner off just because you're lovely.

That's what friends are for.

OK. Thank you very much.

For our duelling dealers, the buying is now over.

So who has spent the most?

Eric and Phil each started out at the antiques fair

risking £750 of their own money.

Phil bought seven items,

spending a total of £590.

Eric bought eight items

and, in the end, used all but £50 of his kitty,

spending £700 in all.

Before they go their separate ways to sell their items,

our duelling dealers strut their stuff

down the magnificent steps of Kedleston Hall,

where they get to sneak a look at each other's wares.

Well... Ahh!

HE LAUGHS

So, Phil, what was your best item? You did say quirky and wacky.

-And I've lived up to it.

-You certainly have!

I love this little game book, which refers to Earl Harewood.

There's names of his keeper and what was shot there.

It was £40. I'm really pleased with that.

I think my two dodgy bits, I'm sort of...

Scales and I have never got on - or I've never got on scales.

That was £100, and that might be trouble.

And my £280 helmet, I don't know where I'll go with that.

What was your best bit?

Well, the most money I spent was on that lovely Art Nouveau jewel tray.

She is good. Whether there's much profit in it, I don't know.

But I'll do some research when I get home

on that pair of black glazed vases.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they're Dudson.

We've done our bit. Now all we've got to do is sell it.

Now Eric and Phil must make as much profit as they can

on all the items they've bought.

As well as his silver jewellery tray

and pair of black glazed vases,

Eric must also sell this Royal Doulton harlequin figure,

a Copeland Spode tea service,

a Fieldings Crown Devon butterfly bowl,

four replica apothecary jars,

a single Victorian glass vase

and an Art Deco clock.

Along with his helmet, his scales and his gamekeeper's book,

Phil must also find buyers for

a set of lead worker's tools,

a tobacco cutter,

this racing pigeon clock

and a Victorian lion water fountain.

After a right royal rumble of a buying bout in Derbyshire,

Knocker and the Fox head back to their corners and get into training

for the serious business of making profits

that will knock their rival right out of the ring.

MUSIC: "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor

They're both working their way through their little black books

and putting together deals by phone and email.

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

no deal is truly sealed.

# The eye of the tiger... #

Plainly Knocker is still flummoxed by the Fox's fighting style.

He has a tendency to buy the most weird

and, I think, the most unsaleable items you could choose to do so.

As for me, well, I'm playing it safe.

Yes, I am the Crockery Kid.

Crockery Kid?! Bless him.

You're not a cowboy, Eric. Or a kid.

Anyway, speaking of the Wild West,

Worcestershire boy Phil has popped over to Herefordshire.

All along, his strategy has been

to go for the most interesting stuff that tells a real story.

It was all about social history in Derby

and it's all about social history here in Ledbury.

But I bought my own social history with me

and I'm going to go and find the local gunsmith

and try and convince him that he can't live without this little game book.

Phil's potential buyer, Malcolm,

is also a collector of antique shooting memorabilia.

But will he be interested in Phil's gamekeeper's book?

I've never seen anything like this.

You see game registers, but it isn't a game register.

-It's a game record, isn't it?

-Yeah.

You collect memorabilia relating to shooting from this era, or any era?

Any era really. Basically as long as it's British.

-Have you got anything else you can show me?

-Yes, yes.

I love all this stuff because it all tells a story.

There's an early game register.

I think that's lovely.

-That is almost like a mechanical version of that, isn't it?

-Yes.

Because you wrote down in here what you shot,

and on this, you turned this dial like a clock, the counter.

That little thing there is probably worth between £500 and £1,000.

-Is that right?

-If they're genuine.

So this is worth between £500 and £1,000...

Yes, but it's mechanical.

So we're saying this, which you've already got,

is a really good, valuable thing,

and this, that I'm trying to sell you, might not be that good.

I think it's of interest, certainly,

but with a limit on value, to me. Let's put it that way.

Realistically, I'd love to get somewhere between...

-If I tell you the lowest figure, that's what I'll end up with.

-Leave it to me. I'll make an offer.

I'll tell you what. You write your offer down on there

and I'll write what I'm prepared to accept on here.

This'll be interesting.

Ah, that's a cunning move from the Fox.

He knows he's dealing with a real specialist here,

so he wants to see if he can get an idea

of how much Malcolm might be prepared to pay

before he suggests a price himself.

-Let's have a look.

-You want me to show you?

-Oh! What a man! Look at that.

Cleverly done, Phil! That's £5 you wouldn't have got

without that little trick up your Foxy sleeve.

And an overall profit of £30 means that the Midlands mauler

lands the first blow in today's selling bout.

Eric's Art Deco clock was a last-minute purchase at the antiques fair,

but it's his first potential sale.

Knocker's come to Chase 55,

a well-known film, television and theatre props hire company in North London,

and, as a huge fan of all things Agatha Christie,

our Eric is in his element.

This is Art Decoville.

Anybody walking in and out of here is going to be Art Deco-nised.

Rumour has it that you people supplied all the props for Poirot.

That's correct. Poirot, Miss Marple...

So, it goes without saying, you've seen an awful lot of Art Deco.

It's also fair to say that you should recognise

a reasonable piece of Art Deco when you see it, I would hope.

And it's very well made.

So the price that I was looking for on this

was somewhere in the region of £150.

I thought I'd go in cheap, then you just say, "Yes, Eric."

I say £100, Eric, I'm afraid.

What about £130?

£110.

The old cliche, let's meet halfway. What about £120?

-You got yourself a deal.

-£120. OK, all right.

-Excellent.

Go, Knocker! That's a £45 profit on the clock.

And our likely lad makes his trip to the capital even more lucrative

by selling his Victorian glass vase...

-£45?

-Done.

-All right.

-Thank you very much.

..to a specialist dealer

for three and a half times more than he bought it for.

But if Eric is the top dog in the capital,

in Worcester, Philip holds the champion's belt.

I'm off now to see an old mate of mine.

Steve Lloyd. He was a pro rugby player,

and he is a big old unit.

DRAMATIC MUSIC

FOOTSTEPS THUMP

Blimey! You weren't kidding, Foxy!

Phil has convinced his man mountain of a mate that the restaurant he manages

would benefit from some retro weighing scales.

But they've not agreed on a price.

You might want to go careful on this one, Phil.

I'd like to ask you £175 for these.

Erm... A little bit of work to do to it.

I was looking more along the £140 mark.

Ooh, it's the Fox...

versus Goliath.

That's a long silence, Mr Serrell.

You want £175. I'll tell you what. I'll give you £150.

Deal? But you're going to help me carry them down to the restaurant.

So that's £150, delivered.

-Go on, then.

-Nice work, Phil.

That's £50 profit on the scales

and you've still got all your teeth.

-Ow!

-Come on, son. Here we go.

Lift, you great lump!

You don't want this on the first floor, do you?

Yes.

Good luck with that, then, Phil!

In the capital, Eric is in a happier place.

Hi. Nice to see you.

He's hoping to sell his most expensive Derbyshire buy,

his silver jewellery tray.

But this retro jewellery dealer is no pushover.

What about £320?

I don't know. £275?

-£275?

-Is that too low?

-What about £300?

Let me think.

-OK.

-It's like knitting fog, in this business. It really is.

£300. Put your hand there, darling.

Knitting fog?! Where does he get it from?

But £60 profit for our Eric is clear enough.

Phil is in the Cotswolds

visiting his old mentor and renowned art dealer John Noott.

He's hoping to sell him his stone glazed fountain.

John just hopes he doesn't end up with a Fox in his pond.

-Have you got a lifeguard's badge?

-No... but I know a man who has.

-You might need one.

-Yes, something like that.

-That height?

-I don't feel overly comfortable here.

-It's not very deep.

-I'm coming back over there.

-Minnie, what do you think?

-How much have you got in mind?

I think that would cost you...

£100 plus in a garden centre. I'd like 80 quid for it.

-It's something I don't need, Phil.

-What sort of an argument is that?

Sounds like a tough customer, but our wily Fox

still scampers off with a tasty little profit of £35.

Back in Malvern, he's lined up a potential deal for his tobacco cutter

with antiques dealer turned professional darts player

Terry "The Bull" Jenkins.

So, how much did Phil ask him for it? All together now...

£180.

Yeah, nice try, Foxy, but the Bull has other ideas.

Well, they call me the Bull, so I'd be prepared to offer you 50 for it.

-50 quid?

-50 is the Bull.

That's another great result for Phil,

and the tobacco cutter delivers him a £20 profit.

But is it enough to give him the lead in today's selling stakes?

So far Phil has sold £325 worth

of his Derbyshire deals,

banking £135 in profit.

His opponent, Eric, has sold £465 worth of goods,

netting him a profit of £140.

It couldn't be closer,

but both Knocker and the Fox

still have some big-money deals to make.

Knocker is planning his final selling push,

and that razor-sharp dealing brain is firing on all cylinders.

Right on strategy, the - ahem! - Crockery Kid

is sticking to what he knows best.

And boy, does he know his pots!

Let me show you the very first meaningful pot that I ever bought.

I bought this way back in 1971.

I paid the princely sum of 14 pounds 10 shillings.

If you don't know what shillings are, ask your mother.

And what did I buy? I bought a cup and a saucer.

I've got to put my hands up and readily admit

that I might have been considered something of an oddball.

There weren't many lads in northeast Lancashire,

where I was growing up,

who were big on spending a week's wages on a cup and saucer.

I don't know why. I just liked touching it.

It's tactile.

Anybody who is interested in pots knows exactly what I'm on about.

If you don't, you'll just have to give me the benefit of the doubt.

A fascinating insight into the origins of a genius, ladies and gentlemen.

Now, come on, Knocker. With only your ceramic items left to sell,

you need to get a wriggle on and make your play for victory...

because the Fox never gives up,

and if anyone can put the cat amongst the pigeons,

it's our Worcester warrior.

Phil has delved into his little black book of local contacts

and got in touch with David Bills of the Pigeon Racing Association

in the hope of selling him his pigeon clock.

It cost him £20 back in Derbyshire.

The Queen is a big pigeon fancier, isn't she?

Yes. There's the Royal Lofts at Sandringham.

In fact the Royal Family have been involved with pigeons

for well over 100 years.

I bought this clock at an antique fair in Derbyshire.

-There we are.

-Right. I can see that this is a Toulet clock.

They're still in use, although nowadays

many of the fanciers use electronic timing devices.

Do you want to buy it?

They're not uncommon, so it does depend on the price.

I'm quite happy to offer you £20 for this clock.

I'm sorry? I was hoping that I'd get between £50 and £80 for it.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah. It's gone quiet.

-Yeah.

£40 and you can have a deal.

-£40.

-You're a good man. Thank you so much.

See that? £40 for the traditional pigeon clock,

and Phil doubles his money.

In a hard world, one man's passion can really make a difference.

Eric is flying north, heading for his spiritual home,

and he's not going empty-handed.

SONG: "China In Your Hand" by T'Pau

Eric's first stop is the Peggy Davies Ceramics centre in Stoke.

Peggy was one of the pottery's most influential ceramic artists.

Eric is hoping that her son, Rhodri, who now runs the company,

will be interested in buying one of his mum's most iconic pieces, the harlequin figure.

It is just so 1950s.

-I've not seen it before, Eric.

-You've not?

-No.

-This is the first one you've got?

-It's the first Royal Doulton piece.

-It's something that I really would like to acquire.

-Excellent.

Well, I feel that I'm returning a member of the family

to the bosom of that family.

Yes, Eric is in his element amid these ceramic artists,

and he lands £40 profit for his war chest.

At £280, Phil's biggest and potentially most interesting gamble in Derbyshire

was his inscribed brass helmet.

He had hoped that research

might lead to a potentially lucrative private sale.

But the Fox has struggled to find a big-money buyer.

Desperate to avoid making a loss,

he's got in touch with a dealer who spotted it at Phil's saleroom.

I'm going to have a real...

I'd like £400 for it.

It's gone very quiet.

You'll give me £350 for it?

You're an absolute gentleman, and I'll take that off you.

I'll take your £350 and I really wish you well in it.

He bid me £350, and you've heard I've taken that.

I'm not overly sure whether I've sold him...

something that's worth £100 for 350 quid

or something that's worth £500 or £600 for 350 quid.

And I guess, at the end of the day, that's what dealing is all about.

Anyway, it's been great owning you.

Chin up, Phil. £70 profit is not a bad result.

And just think, Eric probably hasn't enjoyed selling his items

half as much as you have.

Oh, wait a minute. Maybe he has.

Knocker's rocked up to the Sutherland pottery works

to speak to Larry, who works there.

It's incredible to think, Larry, that we're standing inside the bottle kiln,

and back in the 1920s, 1930s,

there were what, 3,000 of these things in this part of the world?

Yep, right up until '63,

when they had to stop belching out black smoke so you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

No matter how clever your artists were and how wonderful your sculptors were,

when you remember that the most important person in any pottery

was the man they called the fireman,

the man that had to stoke that kiln

and make sure that it got to the right temperature at the right time

and, just as importantly, made sure it cooled at the right temperature.

-Absolutely, or everything cracks.

-Exactly.

-They were brilliant.

I don't know how they did it. They would look through the spyhole,

which was never a good idea because, with those temperatures,

-it would burn your eye out.

-Seriously? Burn your eyes out?

They would go blind in their 50s in one eye.

They kept the other eye for retirement.

It was an art. You know?

And, as you said, the fireman was the man.

Having talked about those products from the 1920s, 1930s and earlier

brings me rather nicely to a pot.

There it is.

Let's just get rid of that.

That is absolutely stunning.

What with the fact that I was at Crown Devon

before it all got knocked down,

the fact that I've been collecting it for 40 years,

the fact that we're in a place where I want something like this to be,

-and it ties in with ours...

-Yeah. Keep building it up, Larry.

I'm really in trouble with you now

because you know how much I want it.

This is almost cruel, Eric.

This man is in love. He's vulnerable.

-Do you think £160...?

-Yes.

You know I can't resist it.

HE LAUGHS

Incredible. Absolutely stunning. Thank you, Eric.

£160! That's over three times what Eric paid for it.

And he goes on to sell Larry his Spode tea set,

although Knocker only manages to double his money on that one.

This is a masterclass in specialist dealing.

We might not know how he does it, but we do know

that it all started with a cup and saucer way back in 1971.

Back in the 21st century, the Fox is still scrapping away.

His local knowledge is extraordinary.

But this Worcestershire roofer only pays £100 for Phil's tools...

-I'm very pleased with it.

-Andrew, you're a gentleman.

-Thank you.

..leaving the Fox with not one penny of profit.

And Eric comes down to earth with a bump

when he records his first loss of the day

on his four apothecary jars.

But he still has his two Dudson vases left to sell,

and so far Knocker has been on fire in the potteries.

You're quite a collector.

Yes. I've collected Dudson for about 16 years now

and it's only just recently that I've started collecting this type of ware,

-which is called jet ware in the book.

-Look at those colours!

They're absolutely beautiful, actually.

An awful lot of work would go into producing a pair of vases of this type.

Hand-decorated enamels they are, with gilded highlights.

-Victorian, probably about 1870, 1880.

-Excellent.

And a grand pair of vases altogether.

I don't want to sell these. I want to keep them.

So maybe I'm a frustrated Dudson collector waiting in the wings.

But today I have to make a sale.

It's like parting with your children.

Eric might not want to sell them,

but this keen collector certainly looks like he wants to buy them.

Time will tell if Knocker can strike a profitable deal.

Our two boys had £750 to spend

at the antiques fair in Derbyshire.

Eric parted with a healthy £700

in his quest for profit.

Opponent Phil was more cautious,

spending just under £600.

Over a week's challenges, all the profit that Eric and Phil make

will go to a charity of their choice.

So, without further ado,

it's time to find out which of them has made the most cash

and who is today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-El Knockero!

-Ah! The Fox! Good to see you.

-How are you doing?

-I'm doing all right.

-How did you find that fair?

-Well, it was OK, really.

But you were potty, potty, potty.

You know I am a pot-aholic. I came out years ago.

I told everybody. I just love pots.

The great thing was I bought a pair of black glazed pots

and I had a hunch at the time that they might be by Dudson.

-I did my research, and they were Dudson.

-There's a shock(!)

Which meant that I could have a trip to the nearest thing to nirvana.

To a pottery person, it's called Stoke-on-Trent.

What was your best buy? Tell me.

That helmet? Obviously destined for the Valley of the Kings.

Let's just say that all that glistens isn't necessarily gold.

HE CHUCKLES While we're on the subject of "brass",

-let's see what brass we've made today.

-On the count of three.

-You count to three.

-One, two, three!

-Oh, no!

-Ooh!

-Well, there you go!

-That's a caning!

I can alleviate the pain by buying you a nice large drink. So come on.

HE SIGHS

Eric is triumphant. And why?

Because nobody knows pots like our Knocker.

-Shall we say £320?

-£320 it is.

-OK.

-You're on.

-Thank you very much.

-It's a pleasure.

That £140 profit

put the final touch to a masterful dealing display.

I've learnt something about the character of my competitor

because he did buy some very weird and wonderful things,

and, in all honesty, I think doing that just backfired on him.

As for me, I stuck to what I knew,

and in this game, Phil, it's as well that you do.

Eric "Knocker" Knowles, the housewives' choice,

has just knocked me potless.

But I've made a few quid for charity,

and there's always tomorrow. I hope that's a good thing.

Don't count your chickens yet, Phil.

There's one more challenge tomorrow before your profit can be banked -

a 48-hour dealing marathon.

Show time!

I'm putting on a brave face but I'm up against it.

-We are open for business, aren't we?

-We are.

And on that basis, may the best man win.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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