Charlie Ross v Catherine Southon - Foreign market 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, queen of collectables Catherine Southon takes on

veteran of vintage Charlie Ross in an all-out battle for profit,

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

Coming up, the charmer is smitten.

What will Mrs Ross say?

I suggested a tete-a-tete.

Her and me having a little meal together.

Catherine is on the hunt for a hunk.

-You can buy a few 20 to 30 euro pieces, but nothing chunky.

-Yeah.

Nothing big and meaty, and that's what I'm looking for.

-What about me?

-Oh!

And she discovers a hidden wonderland.

You have got absolutely everything you can possibly imagine.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Location - Belgium.

One hundred kilometres south-east of Brussels

lies Ciney, HQ to the Ciney antiques market.

We are sending in two of our most highly-trained and deadly dealers

on a risky raid for antiques.

Classified profile - Cunning Agent Southon.

She's new to the Put Your Money agency but,

when it comes to cunning, she's the best.

What a result when somebody doesn't have enough change!

He was supposed to give me five.

He gave me ten!

Classified profile - Agent Charmer Ross, a veteran of many a mission,

relies on immense charm, vast knowledge to always come out on top.

-Ohhh! 160!

-160.

Mwah!

Armed with £750-worth of euros, all their own cash, our agents' mission,

should they choose to accept it,

is to make as profit as possible from buying and selling,

with all profits going to their chosen charities.

Charlie Ross and Catherine Southon - fail and we will deny all knowledge of your mission.

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

I am so excited being here!

The sun is out, there is so much here to see.

Absolutely. This place, Charlie, is oozing with goodies.

-It certainly is.

-Just for us.

I've got £750-worth of euros, the sun is out

and I'll have it all spent by lunchtime.

-You're very confident today. Charlie.

-I certainly am.

-So what's your plan?

-I'm thinking, let's find something English, because if they've got something English,

they might have undervalued it slightly.

-Mm-hm.

-Failing that, small decorative items for the home. What about you?

I'm going to break the habit of a lifetime and I'm going to be quick,

and I'm going to be decisive.

You? Quick and decisive?!

Ho ho ho ho!

Well, our antique secret agents are bursting with excitement today,

which is fantastic news, as they'll need to pull out

all the stops if they want victory.

# I'm so excited And I just can't hide it

# I'm about to lose control And I think I like it! #

Catherine is determined to buy quickly and decisively and,

as she storms onto the field of battle,

our lady is absolutely in her element.

I absolutely love it here.

And what I like is it's completely different to the UK

because we've got lots of different really quirky things,

really unusual things, which is great news for me.

I think I'm going to have a good day.

Now, Charlie the Charmer is in his hunting hat,

looking every bit the quintessential Brit abroad.

He's out in the midday sun, scouring this Belgian market for British artefacts

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

Now, what was I talking about my plan earlier?

See I could find some English here. This looks English.

Desk stand or a stand dish.

That's gorgeous. With its own delightful little chamberstick.

Isn't that a fabulous thing?

Beautiful things.

C'est mille cinquante?

-Mille cinquante.

-Mille cinquante. It's 1,050.

My budget is 825.

Bonsoir.

Yes, good night indeed, Roscoe. A few too many euros for your budget.

If all the British merchandise here is on at those kind of prices,

the Charmer is going to have real trouble sticking to his strategy.

But what of Catherine and her tactic of being quick and decisive?

Well, she's spotted a coffee grinder that she can see a profit in,

so stand by for a masterclass in speed buying.

Vingt-cinq.

# Flash!

# Aha!

# He's a miracle. #

25 euros. That's just under £23 for Catherine's first deal of the day.

Now Charlie doubted that I was going to be quick and decisive

but there we are, I've been true to my word.

And I have bought this within seconds, and I love it.

I was a bit concerned about this big gouge here but that's where you

wind the handle here and it's just where it's scratched against there.

For 25 euros I think it was an absolute bargain.

Catherine's ground out her first purchase and

Charlie needs to do the same if he wants to keep up.

He's not one to disappoint

and it's not long before his profit radar is buzzing.

Aha!

A little bit of kitchenalia. Enamel kitchenalia.

All the rage back home now.

And it's a salt pot. Goes on the wall.

Salt - sel.

Little wooden-hinge top.

Made in Czechoslovakia.

Well, we don't mind that too much.

After all, it's not a huge amount of money and I like the quality of the enamel.

There's a little bit of chipping but, you know, people like chipped enamel nowadays.

And, in fact, when they make the reproduction ones out of enamel, they build the chips in already.

Time to launch a bidding assault, Charlie.

C'est tres jolie.

C'est possible d'acheter pour quinze euros?

Vingt euros. C'est tres bien.

THEY BANTER IN FRENCH

I've tried to buy it at 15 and he said 20,

and I've said 18 and he said 20.

And I said 19 and he said 20.

I dare say if I said 21, he'd say 20.

Anyway, I think at 20 euros - £18, merci, monsieur. Oui!

The Charmer bags his first buy - a wall-mounted enamel salt container

for 20 euros which is just over £18.

So far, Charlie's bid for British bounty has proved unsuccessful

but he's got bags of bulldog spirit and he's not about to give up on his strategy just yet.

Never before in the field of human conflict

has so much been owed by so many to so few.

And to think that dear old Winny's still here,

in Belgium.

-What do you think?

-Do you know what it is?

-Yes, it's a cigar hole.

-No!

I think you cut the... Well, I was talking to it.

I think you keep your matchsticks in there, you see.

And you strike them on there so it's an enormous Vesta, really.

You remember that wonderful Churchill phrase?

When Bessie Braddock came up to him and said,

"Mr Churchill, you are drunk."

And he looked at her and he said, "And, madam, you are ugly.

"But in the morning, I shall be sober."

Ha ha ha ha ha!

-This has got you written all over it.

-It has, but it's 175.

It's trop cher pour moi but it's really nice.

Oh, Charlie! Foiled again.

At these prices, it's starting to look like the Charmer

might need to reconsider his tactic of buying British.

Don't panic, Ross. Don't panic!

Catherine, too, is having trouble sticking to her quick and decisive approach.

She spots a small child's cart and, after some umming an ahhing...

Do you like it? Not at 60 euros.

She decides it's better to keep cool and consider before jumping in.

Right, I'm going to hold that thought.

Can I think about it for a little while?

-Would you be happy to hold it for me for about half an hour or so?

-An hour.

Oh, an hour's lovely, if we can do that.

Thank you. I'll be back.

In this battle of wits, flexibility is the key and our lady

is abandoning the boldness for a more considered and cunning approach.

Oh, I like these little skittles.

Aren't they sweet?

Little kittens.

And little rabbits!

-They are rather nice. How much for the skittles?

-75 euros for that.

-You're asking 75.

-Yeah, I'm asking.

Is there any way you could do a little cheeky deal with me?

Yes, I can give you for 60.

60. I'd like to be a bit cheekier if I could.

Can you do 50?

-OK, that's good.

-50's good?

Hmm, she's interested, but this is the new Catherine Southon

and she's taking time out to weigh up our options.

They are so cute, those skittles.

The problem is, I think I'm thinking with my heart and not my head,

because, at 50 euros, I would have to sell those for £70 - £80,

at least, to make myself a profit, and I'm not sure I could do that.

Now, the indomitable Charmer is still looking to buy British

despite the sky-high prices.

You've got to hand it to him for determination.

But, by now, is our Roscoe flogging a bit of a dead horse?

It's an Austin J model, I think. Certainly it's pre the A30, A35,

the cars that my father used to have in the '60s.

And this would date from 1950-something.

And it's a great, great thing, but it's 2,200 euros.

Hmm, Charlie is still barking up the wrong trees

but Catherine has got the bit between her teeth

and has homed in on her next potential purchase.

-That's enormous. Monsieur?

-Yes.

Cocktail shaker - where did you get it from?

-I bought it in the USA.

-OK, it's just got America written all over it, hasn't?

-They always do things bigger in the States, don't they?

-Yes!

-Now, what can you do on this?

-How much will you pay for it?

-OK, 20 euros.

-25.

I might take that because I think that's quite fun.

-OK.

-Yep.

A spot of luck for Catherine.

The seller doesn't have enough change so he lets her have

the cocktail shaker for 20 euros, rather than 25 which is approximately £18.

What a result when somebody doesn't have enough change!

He was supposed to give me five. He gave me ten!

So I got this for 20 euros.

It's quite stylish. It may not be authentic but I like it.

The cunning one is on a roll.

She returns to the wooden cart

she was looking at earlier and seals the deal at 55 euros, around £50.

This is where I find that the wheels come off.

Catherine really is motoring now. As we approach the halfway mark,

she's comfortably ahead of Charlie in the buying stakes.

So, as our duelling dealers grab lunch on the run,

it's the perfect opportunity to suss out the progress of the opposition.

So, Charlie, how has it been for you this morning?

-Unbelievably hard.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-You surprise me.

I thought it would be a piece of cake.

How many items have you bought?

Not going to tell you, but not many. It's unbelievable money.

It's not a question of, you know, are they going to ask 500

and we'll knock them down to 400.

-I'd give 400 for this and it's 1,200, 1,500.

-Yeah. Completely, yeah.

We're way out on prices. Absolutely.

I can buy quite a few 20 to 30 euro pieces but nothing chunky.

Nothing big and meaty, and that's what I'm looking for.

-What about me?

-Oh, no!

-Pass!

-Ohhh!

-How cruel.

-I'll stick to my chips!

Behind the banter, it's been a tough first half

with both our experts struggling to splash the cash.

They both started the day with £750 of their own money,

which comes to 825 euros.

So far, Charlie is the tortoise of the race.

He's only bagged one item, at just over £18,

leaving him just under £732 to spend.

Catherine is the hare.

She's bought three items, spending just under £91,

leaving her over £659 to play with.

Oh, gosh.

Panic, panic, panic.

As round two begins, our booty-hunting buccaneers are

really feeling the pressure to boost their antiques armoury.

Catherine's mind is racing.

I'm really surprised that Charlie's struggling actually.

I thought that he probably would have had at least four or five items bought by lunchtime.

But there you go.

The pressure's really on this afternoon because I have got to buy chunky pieces

that are going to make me big profits.

But veteran dealer Charlie is a man who thrives under pressure.

He knows he's got to turn things around and key to that is a major change in strategy.

Well, before I came away, a friend of mine said,

"What I'm really looking for is a Ricard jug."

And, well, I've combed the place but I have spotted one on a table.

And, provided it's half reasonable,

I have to buy it because it is a dead cert for a sale.

And it's on this coffer over here.

Monsieur, bonjour! Votre Ricard pichet - combien?

Vingt euros.

Vingt euros. That is 20.

I think it's time to shoot across the bows, don't you?

Yeah, go for it, Charlie.

-Peut-etre dix euros?

-Non, je peux pas.

-Non?

EXPLAINS IN FRENCH

It's an authentic Ricard jug and he will not sell it to me for 10 euros.

-Quinze euros.

-Quinze! That's meeting halfway. He said 20, I said 10.

We agree, 15.

Yes, the Charmer bags purchase number two for just under £15.

-Au revoir.

-Au revoir, Monsieur.

As the day goes on, the pressure only increases.

Now is the time for our competitors to think hard and search harder.

Catherine makes a beeline for the market's indoor space.

We cannot afford to do any browsing. We've got to do serious looking.

And Charlie is scouring the outdoor stalls.

With the ultimate bargain still proving elusive,

our competitors succumb to obsessing about each other's progress.

Old Roscoe, he's getting a bit tired.

And, of course, Miss Southon's got age on her side.

I bet Charlie has probably bought about five or six items now

and is probably sitting down with a cold beer,

whilst I'm in here sweating and starting to get very stressed.

In fact, Catherine couldn't be more wrong.

But at least her fears are driving her on until... a miracle!

Oh, no. No. It's a monocle, but Catherine likes what she sees.

# I can see clearly now the rain... #

Deux cent cinquante, that's 250.

Two five zero.

# I can see all obstacles... #

Ivory has a controversial history and isn't to everyone's taste.

Items like this can only be traded if they were produced before 1947.

This monocle is safe to buy as it's 19th century.

-Deux cent vingt?

-Deux cent vingt.

Catherine's beaten the vendor down from 250 to 220 euros.

That's approximately £200.

I've just bought this and I think it is a little blinder.

Nice little monocular. So a lady's opera glass. Just a single eyepiece.

Lovely little piece of ivory there, in beautiful condition.

We have got a tiny little crack there but, overall,

in very nice condition.

The Charmer has also brought his search inside and it looks like a successful move.

Now I may have found something here. Just took my eye. It's Japanese.

It's papier mache. It's, I think, about 1920. And it's a rack.

Now, the thing is, what is it a rack for?

The kind gentleman who owns this object said possibly for painting.

Put paintbrushes in it. I think it would make a fabulous spoon rack.

Les cuilleres. Cuillere - French for a spoon, and you could put your spoons in there.

Wouldn't that be wonderful? That that wouldn't really fabulous.

Quel prix? Le meilleur prix! The very best price.

Voila! C'est soixante euros.

-Le meilleur. Best, best price!

-60 euros. We have a handshake.

-Thank you very much.

-Merci, Monsieur.

Smoothly done, Charlie.

For just under £55, our man's racked up his third purchase of the day.

Now Charlie's really hitting his stride.

He finds a stall that boasts some items of English provenance

and a vendor who inspires him to raise his charm levels to peak performance.

Hello!

Ah! Henri huit?

Le roi d'angleterre, oui?

Si vous voulez!

I think this could be Henry VIII and she said,

"If you want it to be Henry VIII, it can be Henry VIII!"

Qu'est ce que c'est en francais?

Hmm, could the Charmer be developing a bit of a soft spot for this lovely lady?

He's certainly pulling out all the stops.

The very jolly lady here, I'm determined to buy something from her.

The trouble is...

it's no good just buying something from somebody because they're jolly.

It has to be worth the money.

And when has that ever stopped me?

Do you know what these are? These are menu holders.

Put them in front of your place setting

and you put your menu down into the little groove there.

Wonderful thing to have six or eight of.

Unfortunately, the lady has only got two so I suggested a tete-a-tete.

Her and me having a little meal together and she seemed to agree

but I think she only agreed because she wanted to sell them to me.

And then she asked me cinquante euros.

What can I do?

I suppose I'd buy them for vingt.

After a heavy-duty charm offensive,

Charlie pays 30 euros, which is just over £27,

for the pair of menu holders.

Catherine is also busy.

She's consulted her inner cunning and returned to the seller

with the skittles to see if she can get them for an even better price.

-Shall we shake on 40?

-OK.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-40.

And she does. She knocks them down to 40 euros, about £36.

Well, I've just bought my lovely little novelty skittles and,

when we discussed the price earlier,

we definitely said 50 euros as our final price.

But when I've gone back just now, the lady said 40 euros.

So I bought them for 40 euros.

I'm happy with that.

With the finishing line in sight,

Charlie finds one more item that he's keen to get hold of, a 19th-century gaming box

but he and the stallholder can't agree a price.

So they revert to that most trusted of dealer's tricks to seal the deal.

We're having a bit of a toss-up here because we simply are ten euros apart.

I'm at 150, the nice lady's at 160.

She has not sold anything all day.

I am going to be her first sale, I hope.

If it's heads, Charlie wins. If it's tails, he loses.

Ohhh! 160.

Tails it is so Charlie has to fork out just over £145

for the gaming set but he's battled through

and ends his day on a heroic high.

It's probably pear wood, interestingly enough

and it's inlaid beautifully with brass.

Late 19th century, possibly just into the 20th century.

The reason I bought it is because last year I went to

a fair in Brussels and bought a box that was almost identical.

I put it into auction and it made £350!

So that's exactly what I'm going to do with this one.

The Belgian booty battle is now over

so let's take a look at our warriors' war chests.

Both Catherine and Charlie started the day

with £750 of their own money to spend.

Charlie's late flurry meant he spent just over £259 on five items.

Catherine also purchased five items but she spent slightly more,

just over £327 in total.

Before our duelling dealers retreat,

they seize one last opportunity to assess each other's assets.

Frankly, seven hours' hard graft.

You haven't, frankly, done much better than I have, have you, by looking at that lot?

-That's a bit unkind, actually.

-But I like your skittles.

-My skittles, aren't they gorgeous?

-They're so jolly, they're wonderful.

-Wonderful.

-They are fun.

-I like this. What's in your box?

-It's a cracking box.

It's full of ivory counters and a couple of packs of cards.

-A good 19th-century gaming box.

-Yeah, beautiful quality.

I'm not that keen on this little stand, or whatever,

but I can see it's beautiful quality.

It's lovely quality and, to be honest, I was getting to panic mode by the time I bought that.

-Well, I think we'll be all right, won't we?

-Do you?

-Yep.

And, frankly, if the selling goes as well as the weather has today, we will make a fortune!

I hope you're right.

Now our intrepid booty buccaneers must depart the Belgian bay of buying

and sail home on the high seas of selling,

where things can get a little more stormy.

Once back at base, our valiant crusaders begin plotting their selling campaigns,

the Charmer in the heart of Oxfordshire and

cunning Catherine in Kent, the Garden of England.

The Charmer begins by reflecting on his purchases.

Buying in Belgium - huge fun, but almost impossible to find

something that I thought would make a profit.

My pear wood box I bought simply because I bought one of those before,

and did really well, but perhaps that was a one-off.

The little salt pot. Why did I buy it?

Because it said "sel" on the front and I have a great friend

who has a house in France. I think she'll love that.

The menu holders - well, I know why I bought the menu holders.

Because I was extremely attracted towards the woman that owned the stall

and I walked past and I looked at her

and I said "good morning" and she smiled at me and I thought,

"Well, frankly, I've got to buy something off her stall."

Ah, we suspected as much at the time, Charlie.

Roscoe will also need to sell his Japanese rack and his pastis jug.

The cunning one is also hard at work assessing her mighty arsenal.

The monocular is something that is right up my street.

It's absolutely beautiful.

I'll either sell it to a scientific collector or perhaps a dealer.

My orange cart I bought purely with my heart.

The art deco shaker was just purely a bit of fun.

It's not real art deco.

Its art deco style but it's got the look and it's just a fantastic size.

You could put a heck of a lot of alcohol in there.

Yes, Catherine's happy with her haul and also has to sell the skittles and her coffee grinder.

Our two determined dealers must now hit the phones

and go all-out 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.

After a successful end to his buying campaign,

the Charmer is fizzing with energy and, like a force of nature,

powers his way towards his first potential sale.

# We're going down the pub... #

He takes the menu holders he bought for £27 to Jonathan,

the publican at one of his locals.

I'll tell you what. I'll meet you halfway - 60.

-Sure, OK.

-Yep?

-Yep.

-Shake on it. That's really kind, thank you.

Charlie makes nearly £33 profit and he's chuffed to bits.

Well, Miss Southon, I've doubled my money!

With the bit between his teeth, Charlie makes an appointment

to see his friend Debbie, a physiotherapist.

He's armed with a salt container which he purchased in Belgium for £18.

-Debbie, am I on time?

-Perfect.

-Good, where would you like me today?

Through there, please.

I don't think I've ever been in that room.

I've got a secret to hide away from you.

-You think I've come for treatment, don't you?

-Well, I hope so.

Well, I have but I've got an ulterior motive. You've got a house in France?

-I have.

-And you haven't got a salt pot there?

-No.

-What about that?

-Oh my word!

-Oh!

-It is lovely.

-I think you like it.

-That's really nice.

-Isn't it fab?

-It is.

-Have you got somewhere you can put it?

-It's really pretty.

-I can picture the wall now.

-Marvellous! That'll be £800, please!

Done!

-I thought 50 quid might be a fair price.

-Oh my goodness!

Ooh, poor physiotherapist, you know.

CHARLIE LAUGHS

What do you reckon?

I don't know. 35?

-45?

-40.

-As it's an extra long treatment...

-Extra long treatment.

-It is.

It's a deal!

Yes, the Charmer sorts the sale of the salt container,

making a profit of nearly £22.

And that's not his only reward.

# Let's get physical, physical

# I wanna get physical... #

Well, I think that went swimmingly well.

# Let me hear your body talk... #

Oh, steady on, Debbie!

You only paid £40 for it, not 400!

No need to hurt.

CRACKING SOUND Ooohhh!

Ooh!

Charlie's right to watch his back

because cunning Catherine is hot on his heels.

She's taken the coffee grinder, which she bought for nearly £23,

to see Roy, who runs her local coffee shop...

-Come and sit down.

-Thank you.

..with the hope of grinding out a great sale.

-I found something that had your name written all over it.

-Really?

Yes, I saw something and I sort of you and I thought, "You know what?

"I'm going to buy it for Roy and I'm going to bring it back over here and see what he says."

-Are you ready for this?

-I can't wait(!)

Da-dah!

-Wow!

-What do you think about that?

-It's, um, it's got potential.

-Potential? It's fine.

-It's got rustic charm.

-Oh, it certainly has rustic charm, all right.

That's what you're looking for.

-What do you think?

-Well, we haven't discussed how much that is yet.

-OK.

-How does 50 sound to you?

-50?!

Well, it is an antique. It is actually an antique.

But you can't call it an antique because an antique, officially, is 100 years old.

This isn't 100 years old.

-35.

-What about 40, Roy?

-Come on, I've got to earn some money on this.

-All right, then.

-Are you going to give me 40?

-40, all right.

-Ohhh!

Yes, she's done it!

Cunning Catherine walks away with just over £17 profit.

Roy gets a couple of big smackers thrown in!

Hang on, that could be it - the secret to our Catherine's success.

A liberal dispensation of kisses.

# Kisses for me

# Save all your kisses for me

# Bye-bye, baby, bye-bye

Ooh, look at her go! And the selling sensation that is our Catherine isn't done yet.

She's worked a magical transformation on the child's cart,

purchased for £50.

So as not to upset the apple cart, she rings ahead and

arranges an appointment with florist Toni.

-How does £70 sound?

-I was thinking maybe 65?

65. Would you be happy with 65?

-Yes.

-OK, 65 it is.

She comes out of that sale smelling of roses

and pockets £15 profit in the process.

Time is racing and, as we approach the halfway mark, it's time to

open up our warriors' war chests and take a peek at their profits.

Charlie the Charmer set the early pace.

He sold two of his five items, making nearly £55 in the process.

Canning Catherine has also sold two of her five items.

But, with just over £32 profit,

she knows she'll have to step it up in the final leg.

As we enter the last mad dash for the finishing line,

our experts must pull out all the stops to ramp up the profit in those crucial final deals.

Catherine is taking the skittles she bought for £36 to a friend in London.

-So, Julia, what do you think?

-I think they're lovely.

-Aren't they sweet?

-Aren't they gorgeous? They're so rustic as well.

I know. They're really pretty.

It's the sort of thing you can have in the house and it doesn't look garish.

And they're quite well made too. I know some of the paint's coming off but they haven't been repainted.

-They are in their original condition.

-I like that though.

-So it's something you would go for?

-Definitely.

-Shall we talk about price?

-Go on then.

-How does 60 sound?

Hmm, I was thinking more in the sort of region of maybe 45, 50.

45, 50.

-Can we say 50?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Is that all right? That would be wonderful.

Catherine's made a profit of nearly £14 and who better to put

the skittles through their paces than Julia's little girl Claudia?

-Throw it at the skittles.

-On the floor.

-On the floor.

-Roll it on the floor.

-Oh, nearly!

Push, push, push!

Ohhh!

Hold on, hold on! Ooh!

Selling, it's like child's play for Cunning Catherine

but veteran Charlie takes a rather more measured approach.

He's driven down to West London with his Japanese rack to meet up with

Elliott, an old dealer mate of his.

I've bought something that's Japanese.

I thought you might like it. What I really want to know is, what it is.

-Oh my goodness me. That's...

-It's, it's a rack, lacquered.

-Pretty thing, isn't it?

-It's very pretty.

I'll get my glasses out and have a good look at it.

-It's hinged so...

-It's hinged so you'd think it's probably

so you can close it down for travelling purposes.

-Yeah, it is.

-Nice shape too.

-It is a nice shape.

-Very nice shape.

Are you interested in buying it?

I think I would be, yes. I think I'd... depending on how much it is.

Yes, 125 quid.

Ooh! 125 quid.

Was that excitement of it being so cheap or so expensive?

That makes it an investment.

And you know what the antiques dealer's definition of an investment is, don't you?

-No.

-Something you can't sell.

But it's very nice. It's very nice and I'm prepared to make an offer.

£90?

-I think it'll look really nice on the wall.

-Yeah.

I actually really, really like it and, when I took it home,

my wife really liked it.

-Oh good, I'll sell it to her!

-No, you're not allowed to do that!

I'll sell it for 100 quid.

I'll make it 95. Come on. That's, that's a good offer.

Well, it's more than I paid for it, in which case, I suppose it's a good offer.

95, yep, it's a deal.

Charlie's negotiation skills had his old pal on the rack there

and he takes over £40 in profit.

# Turning Japanese, I think I'm turning Japanese... #

Ooh, the Charmer is back in the driving seat and increases his advantage by

selling his 19th-century gaming box at auction and raking in over £7 profit.

London town, where the streets are paved with gold.

Cunning Catherine needs a cracking sale to get back in the game,

so she takes her cocktail shaker, that she purchased for £18,

to Murray, the manager of a cocktail bar.

Murray, it's great to be here, in your cocktail bar.

Now, I understand that you personally collect cocktail shakers, is that right?

Yes, it's become quite a passion of mine.

So, how many do you have, roughly, in your collection?

At the moment, 15, but I do tend to give away and take on more.

What's your favourite one at the moment?

It's old Peter, we have Pete the Penguin.

He is a 1920s cocktail shaker in the shape of a penguin.

-His fab, isn't he?

-He is a replica - the originals, their beaks opened

-and he could actually pour the liquid through...

-That's right,

you can pour it in through. They're brilliant, aren't they?

What do most people order? What's the most common cocktail these days?

The most popular cocktail for sales the mojito, which is very simple.

-We've got your rum, lime, mint and sugar.

-That's what I like.

Which is synonymous with Cuba,

but in actual fact it's a 400-year-old English cocktail.

-Is it really?!

-Yes, British sailors were rationed with rum

and it didn't taste very good, really poorly made rum.

When they were sailing around the Caribbean,

during Sir Francis Drake's times.

So, what they used to do is, they used to have a lot of mint

and they threw the mint in with the rum.

-They used to have a lot of mint because it settled their stomachs on the boats, the mint.

-Yeah.

And the lime, they had lots of lime on the boats -

the Americans used to nickname English people Limeys for that very reason.

Oh, yeah, of course, I've heard, yeah, Limeys...

They'd put lime in the rum

and the lime was preserved with sugar, lime cordial, like we have today.

-So, that, they used to call The Drake.

-Fantastic.

Because I've got a cocktail shaker for you,

which I HOPE you'll add to your collection.

-Are you ready for this one?

-Yes.

-OK.

-There we are.

-Very good.

You know, I love the wooden base. I actually haven't got any cocktail shakers with a wooden base.

-Well, there you go.

-It's something I haven't seen before.

I'd be interested in purchasing something like this.

How does 80 sound to you?

Well, 80 is always 30 above more than I am probably willing to pay.

-Well, shall we say £70?

-£70 I can deal with.

-I think that would be very good.

-Yes.

-Yes? Shall we SHAKE on £70?

-HE CHUCKLES

Oh, nicely done! She's shaken up a profit of nearly £52,

which means she's right back in the game.

-Great deal.

-Here's to a great deal.

But defeat isn't in the Charmer's vocabulary

and he's building up to a toast of his own with his wife Sal

and his good friends Roger and Sue.

He bought a pastis jug for nearly £14 in Belgium, specifically with them in mind

and now he's invited them round with the hope of making a sale.

A votre sante, Monsieur! Madame! Excellent!

-Now, there's something missing on the table, what you reckon it is?

-Dinner?

THEY LAUGH

What did you ask me for ages ago?

-Crumbs! A pastis jug!

-A pastis jug.

It's probably not what you're expecting

cos I think you're probably expecting a glass one, but...

-Oh!

-Oh, that's lovely.

-Isn't it fun?

-Isn't that great?

-Wonderful.

-Would you like to handle it, sir?

-Oh, I'd love to.

-Could I interest you in that stunning object?

-I think he possibly could.

-What you think, Sue?

-I love it!

-What's your price?

I suppose I'd like 30 quid for it, really.

-I was thinking something around a tenner, Charlie.

-Oh!

CHARLIE LAUGHS

I'll be absolutely honest with you,

I want to try make a profit on it and it did cost more than a tenner.

-Right.

-Erm...25?

He said, coming down rapidly.

-Sue, you really like it, don't you?

-I do, I do, but, you know...

-Yeah.

-I tell you what, Charlie.

-He's holding the polling.

I'll go to 25 if you chuck the rest of the bottle in!

THEY LAUGH

He's a hard bargainer!

-Seeing as the missus doesn't really like it, I'll do that!

-Success.

-THEY LAUGH

The charm cyclone gets to toast a decent profit of just over £11.

Cunning Catherine has one last throw of the dice, her monocular,

which she purchased in Belgium for £200.

She's arranged a meeting with David, a collector of science artefacts,

and she knows that all her hopes are resting on this sale.

I've bought my beautiful ivory monocular along

to someone who collects scientific instruments,

but when I say collects, just look at this!

# People are strange When you're a stranger

# Faces look ugly when you're alone

# Women seem wicked When you're unwanted

# Streets are uneven when you're down

# When you're strange

# Faces come out of the rain

# When you're strange

# No-one remembers your name

# When you're strange... #

-David, hello!

-Catherine, hi, how are you?

-Lovely to see you.

Oh, well, fine, thank you.

A bit...well, a bit mind blowing, really, this place is incredible!

You have got ABSOLUTELY everything you can possibly imagine connected with science.

It is keep buying, that's the problem, I can't stop!

Well, that's what we like to hear! You buying!

But where does all this come from?

I've been accumulating over the years

and just buying more and more and, sort of, hiring it for films

and so all of this stuff goes out on film locations

for feature films, music videos.

I'm not sure if you've ever seen one of these before,

but I'm pretty damn sure that you probably have

-and you've probably got one in your collection, but...

-Let's have a look.

There we are.

I thought it was a very nice example.

Oh, leave got a nice eyeglass, monocular, yeah.

-Yeah. Lenses look perfect.

-I think it's lovely quality.

It's beautiful quality.

I can see it in a movie when they actually take it out of the case and use it, I think it could work.

-Could work.

-It would be a very proud moment if you saw that in a movie,

-would it, David?

-Well, for me and you both, I think.

-Yeah!

Well, Catherine, your wish is our command.

She was an antique dealer

who had a dream to find the perfect antique...

I have got to buy a good fair few items

and I want some chunky pieces that are going to make the big profits.

She travelled the world on an epic search...

Panic, panic, panic.

Until one day, she found the miraculous monocular.

Cunning Catherine and the Perfect Monocular,

coming soon to a cinema near you.

Ahem, anyway, back to business.

Can we say 280?

Oh, that's a big price.

If Catherine can get anywhere near that, she'll take the title.

We'll find out how she got on shortly,

but now, let's see how our duelling dealers are shaping up.

Our tough troupers of the timeworn

have surged through this competition today.

They both started with £750 of their own money.

Charming Charlie spent just over £259 on five purchases

and Cunning Catherine also bought five items

and spent just over £327, but now, it's all about profit.

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

will be going 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.

-Bonjour, Charlie! Bonjour!

-Et bonjour, Mrs Southon!

-Ah, tres bon, tres bon!

-How was it for you?

Oh, not too bad, actually.

And from memory, Charlie, didn't you buy some absolute rubbish?

From memory, no.

You've got a really bad memory, haven't you?

-That...

-Jug.

-Come on, how many of those did you see around that fair?

-Only one.

-There must have been about 20!

-No, no, the others were repro.

-Yeah, right!

-Did you buy a little monocular?

-I did and that was beautiful.

Oh, and you made a thumping great profit, didn't you?

Not as thumping as I would have liked, but it was...not bad.

-You've done me this time.

-I'm not so sure.

You've travelled to Belgium much better than I have.

-Have I?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Shall we have a go? Une...

-Deux...

-Trois.

Reveal!

Ho-ho-ha-ha!

BOTH: Oh!

FRENCH ACCENT: Sacre bleu!

You are a swine!

I will take you away.

Catherine takes the title and so, surely,

it must have been the monocular that was the making of her.

-Can we Shake on 280?

-Definitely, 280.

-Thank you, David, you're a star.

-Thanks, Catherine, thank you.

Catherine makes a massive £80 profit from her monocular

and that was the secret of today's success.

I bought cheap things, came away with slim profits

and Miss Southon did me, good and proper.

I thought that one was going to be a little bit touch and go,

but, at the end of the day, I did buy that rather nice monocular,

which I think he was a little bit jealous of.

Catherine can savour this victory, but not for long

because tomorrow it's the ultimate competition, the showdown.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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