Charlie Ross v Catherine Southon - Auction Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth is,

the show that takes the titans of the antiques trade

and pitches them against each other

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

That's amazing, truly amazing!

Today, dazzling newcomer Catherine Southon

takes on vivacious veteran Charlie Ross

in an all-out battle for profit,

giving you the inside view on the secrets of the trade.

Coming up, our experts cast aside convention

in their quest for victory.

What are you doing down here?

Catherine illustrates the pitfalls of buying at auction.

Don't do what Catherine Southon has just done

and buy the items and then look at them.

And could Charlie Ross be about to abandon it all for a new career?

If you get excited in court, won't it fall off?

It's time to put your money where your mouth is!

Today's extravaganza reveals what goes down when auctioneers attack,

as Put Your Money veteran Charlie "The Charmer" Ross

takes on young pretender "Cunning" Catherine Southon

in the antique-buying territory that's most familiar to them,

the auction house.

The Charmer is very much the respected master.

He's wielded the gavel

at multi-million-pound vintage car auctions across the USA.

She think she's giving this old man a right good whipping.

Young Catherine learnt her trade at Sotheby's auction house

before going solo

as a dealer, valuer and auctioneer of great cunning.

If I see him bidding, it's war.

They both have £1,000 of their own money to spend,

and their mission is to make as much profit as possible,

all of which will go to their chosen charities.

The Leicestershire town of Market Harborough

won't have seen a battle like this since the English Civil War.

Enjoy the ride as these two mighty hammerheads go head-to-head.

Hee-hee! Hello!

With a crash like that... it could only be you, Charlie.

-How are you?

-I'm very well. Have you been here all night?

No, I've only just got here!

I have been here earlier than you, having a sneaky peek.

-What have you got, £1,000?

-£1,000.

-So have I.

-How are you going to spend yours?

-With absolute ease.

-Really?

I always buy things across the room without looking at them properly.

-Yes.

-I'm not going to do that today.

I'm sticking to things I've looked at thoroughly

and about which I know something. What about you?

-I'm going to be very selective, I know what I want to buy.

-Yeah.

-And I'm going to stick to my limits.

-Is there much furniture?

-There's a few little bits and pieces.

-Yeah, I must go and have a look.

-I shall see you...later.

-Good luck.

Watching this pair, you'd think they were buddies,

but don't be fooled.

Now the game is on, our two titans of the trade are ready for a tussle,

combining their considerable nous

with every tactical trick they can muster to gain the advantage.

From the get-go, it seems cunning Catherine

has got the measure of the Charmer.

His plan was to look at things very carefully, to be very cautious.

I think he's doing that, actually.

He's pretending he's playing around, but he's no fool.

Indeed he's not.

When it comes to tactics, this Charmer is one smooth mover.

# You've been hit by

# You've been hit by a smooth criminal... #

Anyone for a biscuit?

Yes, behind the old-school charm, our Charlie is a sharp as a razor.

She said she was going to stick to her plan

and she wasn't going to be moved.

We'll see if we can get her to pay too much for something.

The auction will be starting soon,

so the Charmer and his cunning counterpart

must rifle through as many of the 760 lots as they possibly can

in order to choose their weapons of war.

Charlie is the first to spot a potential purchase.

William Moorcroft

worked for the Macintyre factory in the 19th century

then started on his own,

and then the factory was taken over by his son Walter,

and the factory still goes today.

And this is really nice,

because it's got a label on the bottom here, "Pansy pattern,"

which is what it is, Moorcroft, signed WM, circa 1925.

They've put £40-60, I'd pretty happily pay £60 for it.

Fingers crossed.

Catherine is carving through this auction house with laser-beam focus,

seeking out the item that might be a cut above the rest.

When it comes to seeking out bargains, she's simply the best.

# You're simply the best

# Better than all the rest... #

I quite like this. It is a bit wacky, a barber's chair.

Probably... I don't know, mid-20th century.

I like unusual pieces,

and something like this would make a good prop.

It has no guide price.

I think it should probably be about £20-30.

If I can get it for that, I would be very happy.

If not, I'll give Charlie a short-back-and-sides.

Yes, fighting talk from our cunning lady,

but there's a whole catalogue to work through,

and success will come to whoever keeps their hair on.

Now, when I saw this in the catalogue,

I phoned up a judge friend of mine

and said, "What about barrister's wigs?"

He said, "Things do look for..."

There must be three curls or rolls either side, which it's got.

Two at the back, which it's got.

Check the stitching underneath... and that looks pretty good.

Try it on...

Miss Southon. Take her down...

..and take her away.

So I might buy it.

Nice little daydream, Roscoe, but the lady's here to stay.

With just moments to go before today's auction kicks off,

our duelling dealers know

that victory will go to the one who buys the most profitable pieces.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the sale today.

We'll start with lot number one...

As the auction house settles into rapt anticipation,

bidding begins,

and our duelling duo are hit with their first curveball of the day.

It's quite interesting - he's selling the smalls,

and generally a porter holds up the lots so that you can see them.

There is nobody holding up the lots,

which means it makes impulse buying almost impossible,

because, er... I can't see half the things on the table.

Charlie's not wrong - both our warring warriors now face a major dilemma.

Do they bid only on the items they've had time to look at

or do they take a major risk by bidding on items unseen?

The Charmer's not having any of that.

He's sneaking his way to the front

to get a better look at the line-up of items.

He's a dark horse!

The sale's already started, he's not wasting a single moment.

He's over on his hands and knees looking at every single lot.

Cheeky monkey.

Well, Catherine, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

In no time, Catherine's spotted a set of rosewood tea caddies.

It's in quite bad condition.

But it's the sort of thing that a restorer might like.

It needs a new lock here.

The interior needs a bit of work there.

Yes, watch out, Catherine, you've got a Charmer incoming.

What are you doing down here?

Come on, you two, back on your feet, please!

Sanity is restored, but these duelling dealers

are determined to keep a close eye on each other.

-# Can't take eyes off you... #

-Looking more cunning than ever.

Charlie's making me nervous, he keeps looking at me and staring at me.

He's looking at me, I don't like it!

There's a real battle of wills playing out here today,

but it looks like it's Charlie who's the first into the fray.

His Moorcroft bowl is next up.

-Er, 86, Moorcroft...

-Here we go.

He's bidding on Moorcroft, he loves a bit of Moorcroft.

Lots of interest, 150, 160, 170...

There's a string of bids on this item.

-Ten, sir?

-The Charmer looks positively pained.

-90?

-No more, sir.

-Oh, and he's beaten.

He's struggling. He's out!

300 I'll take.... £290 and away.

GAVEL BANGS

Catherine thinks it's hilarious, but will she fare any better?

-One of her lots is next up.

-Lot 87.

-87, these are the tea caddies.

Bidding starts at £30. 35, 40, five.

50, five... 60...

-£60, selling in the room at £60...

-60 at the moment.

Oh, she's done it, Catherine lands the first purchase of the day,

four mahogany and rosewood tea caddies

for just under £71, including fees.

She's bought a moneybox, a tea caddy and two other caddy boxes,

which...I suppose would be quite good for starting a fire, really.

Ooh, harsh words, Charmer. You need to keep your hair on and show us what you're made of.

Right, here comes the barrister's wig.

It would look rather good on Miss Southon, wouldn't it?

I really, really don't want him to get this.

The bidding starts in earnest,

and the Charmer has some competition from cyberspace.

£70 is in the room. At 75.

-There's a magistrate on the internet.

-80.

Tell him I'll send him down, sir.

-90.

-And it's with Charlie.

£90 I am bid. And 95.

He's not listening. 100.

LAUGHTER

At £100, I am bid, then, at 100. Is that 110? New bidder. Thank you.

At £110.

LAUGHTER

He is there, 120. 130.

140.

140 bid this side, then. At 140 and selling, at £140.

Thank you, your honour!

Ah, what a character.

Charlie bags his barrister's wig for just over £165, including fees.

Both our dealers are on one purchase apiece,

but Catherine's picked out a pair of cast-iron doorstops

-in the shape of lion's paws.

-GROWLING

Pardon. It's a jungle in this auction room, but our cunning Catherine emerges victorious

and takes the doorstops for nearly £50, including fees.

Only time will tell whether her risk of buying unseen will pay off.

So far, we've got a pretty even fight on our hands with these two auction-house heavyweights.

They both started the day with £1,000 of their own money.

Veteran Charlie has only made one purchase,

but with fees included, he's spent a tad over £165,

leaving him with just under £835 still to spend.

Young pretender Catherine has bagged two buys,

spending a little over £120, with fees.

So, she's got a shade under £880 left.

Round two begins with our adversarial auctioneers

pretty much neck and neck.

Charlie starts this round knowing he needs to secure a second purchase,

a signature piece that will give real satisfaction.

Look what I've found, the Rolling Stones' autographs.

I asked the auctioneer whether he thought they were genuine,

and indeed they are.

The lady who has put this into auction saw them

at a concert somewhere near here, ran round the back afterwards,

and got their signatures.

So, we know, on good authority, that they're the right thing.

I reckon the Rolling Stones' signatures,

I could probably get certainly 300-£400 for them.

Yes, a good spot, Roscoe, but now you've got to win it.

363, autograph album, £110 opens the bidding.

Oh, and the bids are racing away like Wild Horses,

and for the second time today,

Charlie's butting up against those internet bidders. And he's not chuffed.

150, I'm bid 150.

-£160 on the net.

-Unplug it.

Hmm, it's not looking good.

£240 on the net. 250.

Oh, hold on.

All done, selling to the room, then, £250, all done.

Jumping Jack Flash!

Our very own Street Fighting Man holds firm and seals the deal

for £295, including fees.

-Parasol handle.

-Charlie's now on two items. And, with the bit between his teeth,

he drives on through

to win a pair of parasol handles for just over £33.

And he's delighted.

But, later in the day, when Charlie went to collect his purchase, he was in for a disappointment.

One of the handles had been accidentally given away with a different lot,

so the auction house agreed to refund him £15,

leaving him with one parasol handle for just over £18.

Well, I am pretty thrilled with my Victorian embossed, hallmarked silver parasol handle.

And it's Birmingham, 1892.

I don't think the ivory stem here has got much to do with it,

although it seems to fit rather well.

Here at £35...

The Charmer is now on three purchases to Catherine's two.

But the cunning one soon catches up

when she buys a mixed lot of six pieces for £88.50 including fees.

Catherine has now purchased three lots, and she's playing a tightly-controlled game.

But someone's keeping a very close eye on her every move.

# I always feel like somebody's watching me

# And I have no privacy Oh, oh, oh

# I always feel like somebody's watching me

# Who's playing tricks on me...? #

-£35. Are you ready, Charles?

-I wasn't bidding, sir!

I was waving at a lady.

Yes, watch it, Charmer, or you might find yourself paying a fortune for an item you don't want.

Charlie retreats to comb through his catalogue,

and it's not long before something catches his eye.

Lot 435A

is a nine-carat gold garnet ring together with another garnet ring.

Now, this isn't something I would normally buy,

but I do know someone who loves garnets

and wants to buy a garnet ring for their new grandchild,

but, if they don't like it then I'm really scuppered,

because this is a one-off chance.

It's a chance Charlie's willing to take,

and he bags the two garnet rings for just over £100, including fees.

Earlier today, Catherine, lover of science-related antiques,

spotted a Victorian engraving that got her pulse a-racing.

As you probably know, I have an interest in scientific instruments.

What I like about this is it's an engraving

of the distinguished men of science of Great Britain.

We've got James Watt, we've got Herschel,

but it's a great period piece.

I love the folios in the front, I love this lovely globe to the side.

And they're all in the Royal Institution.

That's the setting.

I know that I can probably sell this to one of my scientific buyers.

£40-£60, I'm going to bid hard.

Monochrome engraving, in the frame, £45.

Catherine's in at 45.

But the bidding's racing up.

90, five, 100, 120.

130, back in.

-135.

-135.

Oh, and look at that, she's delighted.

She's got the monochrome for just over £159.

Next up is the barber's chair she spotted at the start of the day.

The barber's chair.

-A lot of interest in the barber's chair.

-That's me out, so far.

The bidding has to start with me at no reserve at £40 on commission,

45, 50, five, 60, five.

-That's me out.

-Well, can't win them all, Catherine.

In the end the chair goes for a hair-raising £100.

But it's not long before Catherine's spotted another chair

in the catalogue.

It's an Edwardian corner chair,

and this time she wins it for just over £53, including fees.

But the chair brings with it a little lesson in the perils of buying without viewing.

Always look at the items before you buy them.

Don't do what Catherine Southon has just done

and buy the items and then look at them.

It was just very cheap.

But there is some good news.

The auction house offers Catherine a £25 refund on the broken chair,

reducing her expenditure on it to just over £28.

Item 26, the cushioned mirror.

The Charmer's just bagged his fifth item of the day,

a brass mirror for just under £83, including fees.

Flash but new.

Bit like Southon, really.

Again, our duelling dealers are level pegging with five items each,

but the Charmer is on a roll,

and next he's bidding on an Edwardian armchair.

Charlie gets his chair for £88.50 including fees.

But Catherine is hot on his heels,

and her weapon of choice is an antique oak wool winder.

And it's hers for just over £41.

So, has she played a blinder with her winder?

This is a classic example of look before you buy.

Oh, dear. This is deja vu, Catherine.

I have absolutely no idea

who I'm going to sell this to, and to top it all, it's falling apart.

Great(!)

Oh, that's got to hurt!

It's now the final furlong in this auction Grand National,

and Catherine is not ready to drop the pace.

She's spotted an Edwardian overmantle mirror in the catalogue,

and by golly, she's having a go.

Sold and away!

Well, you've got it, Catherine, an item seized in the nick of time.

Thank you all for your bidding, pay up, look happy.

So, the curtain has fallen on this auction altercation.

Our dealers both started the day with £1,000 of their own cash.

Charlie "The Charmer" chalked up a bill

of just under £750 including fees,

and he picked up six purchases.

"Cunning" Catherine spent less,

a little over £482, but she's made seven purchases.

With the buying part of this challenge over,

our warring warriors must start the process of selling their items,

and Catherine is not wasting any time.

She's been approached by someone interested in buying a brass button hook that was part of the mixed lot

that Catherine purchased earlier for £88.50.

How much are you happy to give me on this?

I was thinking about £8.

-No. £30.

-Meet me in the middle.

-25.

-That sounds good to me.

Catherine's made her first sale for £25,

and she goes on to sell her damaged Edwardian corner chair for £38

to the lady who bid against her.

Catherine is in the driving seat,

but that's not going to stop the Charmer

having a little dig at one of her purchases

when they compare their antiques armoury.

I've got an idea with the wool winder. If you put another couple of spokes into it,

you could make it into a hamster wheel.

-What about you?

-I bought that delicious mirror.

-You think it's delicious?

-There was just a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

-What about this wig, Charlie?

-It's wonderful.

-You're authoritarian with that on.

-Well, I haven't got the brains to be a barrister,

so the least thing I can do is buy the wig.

Our antiques entrepreneurs have swum the raging river of buying,

but must now climb the lofty mountain of selling.

And it gets harder from here on in.

Our would-be selling superheroes return

to the sanctuary of home to plot out their campaigns.

The Charmer, to awe-inspiring Oxfordshire

and cunning Catherine to captivating Kent.

With two items already sold, Catherine is surging ahead,

but what are her thoughts about the rest of her mighty arsenal?

The science print really interests me because it features

all the different scientists from the early 19th century.

Something like that would definitely go

to one of my science buyers, definitely.

Everything else worries me slightly.

It's going to be tough.

Well, in addition to her print, the First Lady of Cunning

also needs to shift a set of wooden tea caddies,

a pair of cast-iron lion paws,

an oak wool winder,

an Edwardian overmantle mirror and her remaining job lot items.

And what of the Charmer? What does he make of his mighty haul?

Two things I've more or less bought to order.

I do know someone that wants a bedroom chair,

they moved into a house relatively recently.

The jewellery, I know someone that loves garnets and specifically wants a garment ring.

And actually, in one lot, I bought two, so that's quite good.

The mirror was my, "Good Lord,

"we're getting to the end of the sale, let's buy something now,"

and we did. And there it is.

And we'll just have to hope and pray on that one.

Charlie also needs to sell his barrister's wig,

the parasol handle

and an autograph book.

Our samurais of selling will be pulling out all the stops

to find buyers for their items, but until they've shaken on it

and the cold, hard cash has changed hands, no deal is truly sealed.

Eager to catch up with cunning Catherine quickly,

Charlie is first to hit the road.

Now, the Charmer is one of life's bigger personalities,

a hero in the epic mould.

And the majestic beauty of the Oxfordshire countryside

will have a profound effect on such a fellow.

I wandered lonely as a cloud, when, all at once, I saw a crowd,

a host of golden daffodils.

And now I'm off to sell my ring. Doesn't rhyme, does it?

Oh, Charlie, you nearly had us all there. Don't give up the day job, old bean.

Roscoe might not be much of a threat to our poet laureate,

but when it comes to dealing, he's a dynamo.

And he's brought his two garnet rings to his friend, Roger,

who, so far, has expressed an interest in only one of them.

# Who wants to buy

# This diamond ring...? #

-A-ha! How are you?

-I'm great. How are you? Good to see you.

-What a great lifestyle, working in the sunshine.

-You can't beat it.

-I won't keep you long, but you know why I'm here, don't you?

-I do, yes.

-Close your eyes.

-And hold out my hand.

What do you think?

Oh, I say!

Oh, that's fantastic.

-You do actually like it?

-I do.

-Good. Who's it for?

-It's for my wife.

-I thought it was for your new granddaughter.

That's the other reason. Grandson, Charlie.

-Grandson?

-That's the other reason.

Does your grandson want a garnet ring?

It's to commemorate. He's going to be ten days old today.

You're a garnet freak?

Yes.

-I think it's high time to reveal my hidden card.

-Ah!

-Exhibit number two.

-Oh, I say!

Ooh, a favourable reaction!

Look at that.

-Do you like that one?

-I do.

-Is it a BOGOF?

-What?!

Buy One Get One Free.

-HE GUFFAWS

-Certainly not! No!

I was going to say 150, for one, but 200 for two.

-That sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

-Hmmm.

-I'll give you 175 for the two.

I'll take that. It's a deal!

Well, that's fantastic!

The cyclone of charm does the business,

grabbing nearly £75 profit from the deal.

Time to toddle off home to plan the next attack.

Back in Kent, cunning Catherine is also out on the road.

She's taking her ornamental mirror to shop owner Lindsay

in West Wickham.

# Mirror in the bathroom please talk free

# The door is locked... #

Kate, Lindsay, I love the little bits and pieces you've got here.

It just seems you bought these items and painted them up,

and given them your own little style.

So, where do you get things?

Upcycling, it's called.

-Oh, upcycling, I like that! I like that.

-It's the new word.

The it-word at the moment.

Brown furniture is out and it won't come back for a long, long time.

So we've just hit it at the right time.

It's not like shabby chic, it's more like vicarage chic.

That's what we like to call it, vicarage chic.

Let's not be too horrible about brown furniture,

because I have brought you a piece of brown furniture!

Yes.

But I'm hoping you can see beyond that,

and you can do something with this.

Did you have a figure in mind?

I did. I was hoping for around £100.

-No, couldn't give you 100.

-That was a very definite no. What about 85?

-All right, 85.

-85?

-85 it is.

-Done!

A great-looking sale that reflects brilliantly on our Catherine.

She's earned herself £40 profit.

She then burns across to Otford in Kent

with her four tea caddies to see her restorer friend Chris.

I'd go up to 70.

Can we squeeze another £5 out?

-Yeah, OK.

-Is that all right?

-Yes, that's fine.

Well, it's not the easiest sale,

but Catherine manages a profit of just over £4.

Well, I'm a little bit disappointed in that,

but, at the end of the day, I did pay a little bit too much for them

at auction, so I should be grateful with the profit that I made.

She sells the white metal buckle from her job lot of items for £50,

which leaves her £13.50 shy of making an overall profit on the lot.

With that sales hat-trick, Catherine has got to be the odds-on favourite to storm this race.

However, the seasoned thoroughbred that is Charlie Ross

isn't in it to be an also-ran.

He'll take it to the final furlong and beyond.

He's even working up his own fashion line for the spectators.

The latest Ascot hat.

The Roscoe Edwardian chair hat!

Hats off to the dapper chap. He thinks he's sorted his next sale.

I've got the Edwardian cross-banded chair in the boot,

and we're off to see Cheryl, a friend of mine who wants,

desperately, a spare chair for one of her bedrooms.

Is it what you're looking for, madam?

Well, I think it is.

Can I tempt you with a price?

Go on, then.

£140.

No. 120.

Yes?

120. Deal?

Got a deal.

Mwah!

With £31.50 profit in his pocket,

the Charmer is now sitting pretty in this competition.

But not for long.

The sale of his brass mirror doesn't go to plan.

He'll need to take a cold, hard look at himself

after losing almost £3 on it.

MUSIC: "Land of Hope and Glory"

London. The capital of England is steeped in history and grandeur.

The Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge,

and the oldest research body in the world - the Royal Institution of Great Britain.

It's the setting depicted in cunning Catherine's engraving,

and so she's brought it here to show to Arthur,

a scientific historian

who she's hoping can give her more information about it.

Well, this is fantastic, being in the British Institution Library,

which is where my engraving is set.

Isn't it? The first thing I noticed when we walked into the room was,

on the wall behind us, the big convex mirror.

And that must be it in the original painting.

Fantastic. But this actual scene is purely fictitious.

The painter didn't come here and have this group of scientists all in this room.

No.

It is possible that they did gather in a number of this sort of size,

because they must have been members of this institution,

but the artist couldn't have possibly painted them

all at the same time.

-No.

-So, he would have taken portraits of them later.

-Individually.

And the original painting, of which this is an engraving,

we believe is in the Portrait Gallery.

It is in the NPG, yes.

Arthur, thank you for your knowledge.

Hopefully, I I'll be able to use that to sell it.

Let's hope you get a buyer for it. You should, it's a nice thing.

It is a nice thing. Come on. Let's go and get a cup of tea.

Now she's got the knowledge, we'll see whether Catherine will be able

to put it to good use and command a higher price for her engraving.

Back in Oxfordshire, the late-night oil is burning.

The Charmer is doing some research of his own on his barrister's wig.

No, no he's not.

Anyway, as we hit the halfway point,

it's time to see how our champion chasers are racing.

After a slow start, Charmer Charlie

has now sold three of his six items and made nearly £104 profit.

Cunning Catherine had a great start,

selling two items whilst still at the auction.

But things aren't so rosy at the halfway point.

She's yet to break even on her job lot of items,

so her profit currently stands at £41.

As the sun rises on the second half of our epic antiques adventure,

Charmer Roscoe is up and about, bright eyed and bushy-tailed.

And he's made a little change to his silver parasol handle.

If you have a Victorian silver and ivory parasol handle,

there's only one thing to do with it, really.

Take it to a local carpenter and give him a fiver, and,

ladies and gentlemen, I give you the walking cane.

How smart is that?

Very smart indeed.

And he follows it up with another smart move, travelling down

to London to see an old friend at one of his favourite places.

MUSIC: "Soul Limbo" by Booker T and the MGs

Lord's. Home of English cricket.

All we're missing is the sound of leather on willow.

But I haven't got time for any of that,

because I've brought my cane along.

And I hope I'm going to sell it to John Fingleton,

aka Fingers, the quintessentially English cricket supporter.

Anyway, he loves a good cane, and, Fingers,

have I got the cane for you!

Well, Fingers, here we are at Lord's,

and you are the face of English cricket, are you not?

Some people say that. I think more the body.

I'm not sure I want to be the face of it.

-You know why I'm here?

-I've got a feeling you're going to separate me from some money.

I certainly am. I'm just looking at that little collection.

I've noticed there's nothing Victorian there, is there?

-Not a genuine antique.

-No genuine antiques, no.

I'm going to show you a genuine antique.

No, no, no, only if you like it.

Isn't that pretty?

-Isn't that magnificent?

-That is lovely?

-And it's got the hallmark on it, here.

-Can you tell me all about it?

-I can indeed.

-You know about these things.

-Well, I'm supposed to.

It has a little anchor on it, which tells you it was made in Birmingham.

It has, obviously, the lion passant, and then a date letter for 1892.

It's quite interesting.

People could look at this and think it wasn't Victorian,

because it doesn't have Victoria's head on it.

In 1891, when Victoria was getting a little crusty,

they decided to make the hallmarks without her head on them any more.

So, you actually get a Victorian hallmark from 1891-1901,

still silver, but no monarch's head.

-But did they continue with the monarch's head afterwards?

-Yes.

What are you going to try and sting me for this?

-75 quid.

-Not a prayer!

You know, Her Majesty appears on one of those nice, pink notes,

they're called 50. How about 50?

Fingers, you're a gentleman.

Howzat!

A selling wicket for Mr C Ross. Fingers gets a cane,

and Roscoe retires to the pavilion with nearly £27 profit.

# I don't like cricket, oh no

# I love it... #

Oh, dear. Cunning Catherine is in danger of being knocked for six,

but hold on, she thinks she may have found a buyer for her engraving.

When I first did some research on my science engraving,

I sent images to a colleague of mine in the science world,

and he's expressed some interest.

I gave him a ballpark figure of 250-350,

and he's said he could be interested. So, I'm going to give him a call.

Wish me luck.

OK. Good luck.

Hello, it's Catherine.

Remember the photographs of that print I sent you, the engraving?

The science engraving?

She needs to make it a big sale.

How does £350 sound?

Terrible? Erm, what about 300?

Deal. Fantastic.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Bye!

That was amazing. I cannot believe I sold that for £300.

Ah, well done, Catherine. That's a huge sale!

Like a mad scientist, our lady mixes bargains with selling prowess

and produces just under £141 profit, a seismic game-changer.

She's blasted her way into the lead.

But the Charmer isn't about to sign off.

He's still got the Rolling Stones autograph book,

which he paid £295 for,

and he'll need to sell it for a whopping price to make a decent profit on it.

Here I am. I've got the Rolling Stones' autographs.

And John Hayes and his family are bonkers on all memorabilia.

And they will buy these.

You hope, Charlie.

MUSIC: "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones

I was at an auction and some autographs came up.

When you think of autographs, you think of you. And quite rightly.

Unbelievable, your collection. Ever worked out how many you've got?

We think we've probably got about 13,000-14,000.

What's the most valuable one?

What, piece of memorabilia, or signature?

Signature.

Churchill, Churchill. Definitely.

What would that be worth?

Well, Churchill's signature's now going between £3,000-£4,000.

-Are they really?

-Great investment.

-My uncle was Churchill's dentist.

What about that? He's got a set of his dentures. They must be worth...

They've got to be worth more, no question(!)

Well, I saw these autographs and I thought, what I'm going to do,

I've told you what they are, it's the Rolling Stones.

What do you think? I'll tell you what I want for them. 750 quid.

-Too much, Charlie.

-Really?

-Seriously, too much.

Ooh, hit the brakes. That's not what the Charmer wanted to hear.

That was a mighty starting price, but we'll find out later

how close to it our Roscoe actually managed to get.

The cunning one has one last item to sell.

Her oak wool winder,

and she's winding her way up to Henley to see shop owner Penny.

There's a lady here that's got a spinning wool shop.

And she's expressed interest.

She said she's been looking for one of these for months.

Apparently, I've since found out that these are actually quite rare.

MUSIC: Recorder plays "Baa-Baa Black Sheep"

Good morning, Penny. Catherine Southon, hi. How are you?

I have brought you...a wool winder.

Right. Yes, it's what they call a squirrel cage.

How does it actually work? How would you use this?

You would adjust the cage.

Right. That moves up and down?

Up and down. Up to the length of the skein that you're going to wind.

You just pick the skein of yarn up.

A skein of yarn. I like that word. A skein of yarn. Right, OK.

-Or a hank.

-Or a hank.

-And then you would adjust it to the length of the hank.

-Right.

And then you would put it round the two cages,

and then find the end, and then you would either wind it off

on your hand into a ball, or you could put it on a ball winder

and turn it into a ball of wool that way.

So, this, a wool winder, basically turns the hank of wool...

Yes, into a ball of wool. You can't knit off a hank of wool.

-How did you get on before you had one of these?

-Husband's arms.

Backs of chairs. Knees.

Now, shall we talk about price?

How does £150 sound to you?

It's probably a bit higher than I would have gone to.

What about 130? Is that a nice compromise?

All right.

Are you happy with that? Lovely.

Mm, Miss Southon is spinning.

Her wool winder wound her nearly £89 profit.

Has Catherine done enough to take the crown back to Kent?

Who knows? The Charmer has one last throw of the dice.

His judge friend Christopher has expressed an interest

in the barrister's wig for a friend of his.

But it seems this isn't going to be the serious deal you might expect.

Boys will be boys.

When you get excited in court, won't it fall off?

Order, order! Gentlemen, to business, please.

Do wigs get longer the more senior you are?

When you're very, very senior, does the Lord Chancellor have one that goes down to the ground?

There's a very long one. That's the ceremonial wig.

There's the barrister's wig. And that stays whatever your age,

whether you are a QC or anything like that, you're still wearing the barrister's wig.

The judge's wig, which is the one I thought you were going to get me, is this.

Which is rather different.

That's rather like one of those helmets people wear

when they're riding bicycles, isn't it?

You do realise we're both sitting in the garden wearing them?

-I often do this...

-I'm sure you do.

So that's judgment. That's by the by.

Could I interest you in this wig?

I'd probably give you a couple of hundred for that, Roscoe.

Ooh!

Excellent, I'll take that!

Hold on! You've taken the wind out of my sails with that.

Yes, the Charmer's done it.

At this late stage, any profit is welcome,

and Charlie's made nearly £35.

She's travelled up and down this great land, but in the end,

Catherine couldn't sell all of the items from her job lot box.

And, overall, she makes a loss on it of £13.50.

But has that blown her chances?

Let's find out who's taken today's title.

Our commandos of collectibles have bravely battled their way

through an epic competition today.

They both started with £1,000 of their own money.

Charming Charlie spent nearly £755 on six purchases.

And cunning Catherine bought seven lots

and spent a total of just over £482.

But now, it's all about profit.

All the money Catherine and Charlie have made from today's challenge

will go to a charity of their choice.

So, without further ado, let's find out who is

today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Charlie, good to see you.

-Mwah! Mwah!

And good to see you looking perky.

I'm very happy now that I've sold everything.

Even the wool winder?

The wool winder was magical!

I sold it to the perfect lady, who's been after one for months.

Then you're probably the best dealer I've ever met.

I know. I'm terribly clever.

I had fun selling my stuff.

What about your Stones autographs? I wish I challenged you on those.

The Rolling Stones will have made the difference between you and me, Miss Southon.

How much did you sell them for?

Well, you have a look. One, two, three.

Ho-ho! The Rolling Stones!

Mick Jagger did it for me. Does he do it for you?

-He does it for me, yeah.

-Oh, does he?!

Yes, he certainly does, Roscoe.

Let's see how Charlie got on when he sold his autographs.

450.

I think that's very fair.

The Charmer signed off with £155 profit, his biggest of the day.

And so, our resident Prince Charming takes the butcher money crown.

I really thought, when it came down to it,

that I had given Catherine a good beating.

But she's canny, you know, and when it came down to it,

there was no more than about £50 in it.

I think, what I had, I sold extremely well.

But he just did a little bit better.

Charlie can't celebrate for long, because tomorrow,

our duelling dealers will be crossing swords at an antiques fair in Newark.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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