James Braxton v David Harper 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.

It's amazing! Truly amazing!

Today our nifty northern champ David Harper takes on

the highest hope of the south, James Braxton,

in an all-out battle for profit,

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

Coming up, David takes to buying abroad like a duck to water.

D'accord! That's French.

Bingo practises the art of haggling.

He's hard! I'm happy not all the clients are like this!

LAUGHTER

-And David parts with a loved one.

-She's so lovely.

She's going to miss me and I'm going to miss her.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Today's caper pitches demon dealer, "Devilish" David Harper

against top-notch old school gent, James "Bingo" Braxton,

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

Our brave boys are on a booty-buying bonanza in Belgium.

Two knights of the barter charged with carrying out a daring raid

on an antiques market in Waterloo.

The stakes in this competition couldn't be higher.

It's our well-informed wheeler-dealer from the north...

That should really be a double-bubble.

"Double-bubble" meaning "doubling your money".

..versus the debonair deal-doer from the south.

A man who can tell a corker from a stinker at a thousand paces.

That's very good. That's a good price.

They've got £750 which is 825 euros, of their own money to spend,

and all the profit goes to their chosen charities.

David Harper and James Braxton,

it's time to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

-Voici!

-Salut, James.

Nice and bright and early. Good location.

-Glorious, isn't it?

-Sun's rising over the supermarket.

It's got a great feel to it. A very distinct feel to it.

Nice smell and everything else. We've got £750 worth of euros to blow.

-What are you going to do with yours?

-Spend it quickly.

I've been to these continental fairs before

and I know that they break out the beers and the wine at about noon.

They've been doing it since four o'clock this morning.

For me, I am armed with my secret weapon.

-You have your vocab, do you?

-From my daughter.

She's written all the best French words I need

to get the best deals so just you watch me.

En Francais, mon ami. En Francais.

Well, well, it's the boy-in-blue battling the red arrow.

And while Bingo is au fait with the Francais,

David is armed with a devilish plan to keep pace.

Using a French phrase cribsheet created by his daughter's fair hand,

he's out to bag the best bargains Belgium has to offer.

-Hello.

-Hello, hello.

Hi. Now then. Oh, I should, I'm going to practise my French

but you speak great English.

-It's OK, we can do it.

-Can you do good French as well?

-Yes, of course.

-Are you French?

No, I'm Belgian. You are in Belgium, here.

I know, we're getting confused.

No, David. You're the one that's confused.

I was going to get my French phrases out.

-Bonjour, madame.

-Bonjour, monsieur.

-Ah, mange tout.

-Mange tout?

That's more Del Boy than devilish!

That's a big punchbowl. It's an English transfer.

They not know here.

They say, "What is it? What is it?

"Is it for your corn flakes in the morning?"

Can I have a look at that? It's positively English, isn't it?

-It's got to be.

-I think so.

And so that's transfer printed and date-wise, would you say that's 1850?

Something like that.

DULL TAPPING Oh.

A bit cracked but don't do that!

David's tapped the bowl to check for cracks

and this little beauty has one, but he can still see a profit in it.

-My best price.

-Votre meilleur prix.

Hang on, hang on! Stop it!

Meilleur prix, madame?

Meilleur prix, pour vous, quatre-vingts.

Quatre-vingts which is, I will let you know, is 80, in actual fact.

Would you take quarante?

-Soixante.

-How about cinquante? D'accord?

-D'accord.

-Marvellous, marvellous.

-By the way, by the way. Oh, two.

I'm brilliant at French, absolutely marvellous.

-You are fantastic!

-Thank you.

Yes, it's like watching a master at work.

Devilish David does the deal,

bagging the punchbowl for 50 euros, which is just over £45.

And despite the farcical French,

he's punched his way into an early lead.

His rival Bingo is looking further afield for inspiration.

-As far away...

-TRIBAL DRUMMING

..as Africa.

It's very stylish. Just a tribal stool.

It's been cased with brass, some of it's been cased with brass,

just very crudely nailed there.

But very stylised figures.

It's all made of one piece of African hardwood

and it's all cut away rather like sculpture.

You're just removing items to leave your legs in here.

And then this has been cased in brass.

Mr Braxton isn't stalling.

As well as the stool, he's also clapped eyes on a colourful mask.

The mask is very unusual. I've never seen a mask like that.

-The mask is from Cameroon.

-From Cameroon?

Yes, in the centre of Africa.

These tribal stools generally make

anywhere between 50 and 80 en Angleterre.

So if I can try and get them for sort of 150 euros, I'd be all right.

And after a jolly good haggle...

-Deux cent. Last price. Good price.

-Deux cent.

..Bingo is in business with not one but two bargains for just under £182

at half the original asking price.

And it's not long before David, too, is drawn to the same stall

and is diverted from his attempts to master French

by a particularly eye-catching lady.

In French we call her reine mere.

-A reine mere?

-Reine mere.

-Meaning?

-The queen...

-The queen mother.

-OK.

This is the headdress worn only by the queen mother?

-Yeah.

-Oh, really? So these would be gifts given to people?

So could this be David's next target?

-I'm going to teach you a bit of French.

-Here we go again!

-So combien, monsieur?

-Combien? For you...

Special. Hang on.

-Meilleur prix?

-Meilleur prix, deux cent.

-Um, is that 200, you've just said? Cent, deux cent.

-Deux cent.

-Oh!

-Cent. D'accord?

-Cent?

-Yes!

-I can give you for 150.

-But I want to pay cent.

Meet me halfway at, erm...

cent vingt.

-Cent trente.

-What's that? Hang on.

-130, cent trente.

-130.

And he's done it.

With polite persistence and his one-page dictionary,

David gets his girl for approximately £118.

She's coming home with me,

this beauty, Nigerian Benin bronze, is coming to Barnard Castle.

She's never been to Barnard Castle and she's going to really enjoy.

For 130 euros, she's gorgeous.

# You're the love of my life... #

Looking for a bargain, our David has found love.

She's gorgeous.

Keen to keep up the momentum,

Mr Harper moves on and next to catch his eye is a funky coffee table.

This antiques business isn't all about buying items

that are over 100 years old.

Not at all. You've really got to keep abreast of fashion.

And this now is very fashionable.

1950s, 1960s vintage, retro, jazzy table.

10 years ago, you'd chuck it away.

But because things go out of fashion and get thrown away,

the items that are left when they do come back into fashion

have not a great value, in this case, but desirability.

It's for a young buyer who really wants to funk up their home.

Let's talk to someone. Bonjour, monsieur.

Tell me about this table. Where did it come from?

I bought it in Mechelen, which is between Brussels and Antwerp.

-Right, OK.

-I like the '50s, '60s style.

-Is it fantastically cheap for me to buy?

-I think so.

-Really?

I think that 75 is cheap. Can do sort of 10% off.

So I suppose it was a mass-produced thing.

It's got no names on it.

No names. If it was a really well-known maker...

-Then it's a different price.

-A different price but we don't know who made it.

And a name makes a lot of difference.

The glass is still OK. Normally it gets chipped.

There's a little, a little twitch there.

So monsieur, meilleur prix?

Soixante c'est le meilleur.

-I think you just said 60, did you?

-Soixante.

OK. Yeah. Work with me on this one, this is all very new to me.

OK, what if I said to you cinqante?

-D'accord?

-It's reasonable but it's cheap.

Cash. Cash is king.

No Visa for me!

Good man. Thank you very much. Great.

Yes, he does it again.

David puts an offer on the table of just over £45 and it's accepted.

Bingo had better bring on the buying

because this Belgian battle is being blitzed by David.

Before long, our bastion of the bargain, Mr Braxton,

bumps into a stall with items at bargain basement prices

and picks out three seashell balls.

-Cinq euro.

-Cinq euro.

Cinq euro pour les trois. That's not much, is it?

That's very good. That's a good price.

Merci, monsieur.

Bingo shells out just over £4.50 on the three balls.

What's the story, Mr B?

They're just balls that somebody's applied shells to.

But they have a really good look and they caught my eye in that bowl.

I'm sure somebody else in England will like these decorative items.

I can see them going down a storm

somewhere like Brighton by the seaside.

Well, Bingo's making up ground.

Next up is an Art Deco glass vase which he pays just over £7 for.

The nice thing about this, what attracted me to it,

it's quite complicated.

It's moulded, it's not cut, but everything is staggered.

It's all stepped, the buttressing.

The gilding's rubbed, here, it's been much used

but I like the fact it's been polished off at the base.

This will support some big flowers and it won't fall over in a hurry.

From nowhere, James is now on a buying frenzy.

David would be quaking in his devilish boots

if he wasn't having such a good day himself.

What a mighty clash this is turning out to be.

Now how are you doing so far? How's the secret weapon?

-Unbelievable.

-Unbelievable.

It's the best secret weapon I've ever employed. And I've employed many.

So this is a bridge between our two great nations

and you're bridging that with a bit of language, are you?

I think the government should send me as a representative of our nation.

En Francais himself, yeah!

It's been fabulous, but I think they've been very kind with me.

-And best phrase today?

-Best phrase would be, "d'accord" is good.

Love saying d'accord.

-D'accord, OK.

-But meilleur prix.

-Meilleur prix.

So I say how much first, "Combien?"

And then I say best price after that.

-Soften them up.

-Soften them up and them give it them, yeah!

What about you?

You were going to dash around and get it over with

so you could have a nice leisurely lunch, as they do on the continent.

I was worried about them losing focus and concentrating on lunch

while I was desperately looking for a second or third item or whatever.

I've done quite well. My best phrase to date is plus cher.

I might need to write that down. What does it mean?

I think you need that one. That's too expensive. Too dear, too dear.

-Plus cher.

-So they give you a price and you say, "Plus cher, monsieur."

What you should do is go "Combien?" Price. "Meilleur prix?" Price.

"Plus cher." Three goes at it.

Sorry, yeah. I've gone slightly beyond that stage.

It's lovely. We should soak it up a little longer

and then get back into the action.

Into the fray.

So far, David and James have had a real humdinger of a day,

purchasing antiques galore.

They both started the day with £750 of their own cash.

David has bought three items and spent just over £209,

leaving him just under £541 to play with.

James has gone one better and bought four items.

He, however, has spent nearly £194,

which leaves just over £556 still to spend.

As round two begins, our dealers know that this competition

could go either way and that the items they find now

could prove crucial in their quest for victory.

Devilish David is combing stalls, looking for pieces that leap out at him.

Let me introduce you to one of my all time favourite Chinese characters.

This is Liu Hai.

Liu Hai, I think from memory, was the god of needle-makers and of wealth

and the story goes that Liu Hai would travel around the world

with his three-legged toad in search of enlightenment,

happiness and peace.

The toad was an amazing creature because he had the ability to fly

and Liu Hai would fly on the back of the toad all around the world.

But the only problem with the toad is that every single time

the three-legged toad would see a well, he would dive down,

soak himself in the water and have a wonderful time wallowing around.

The only way Liu Hai could get him back out of the well

so he could continue on his flight around the world

would be to jangle money over the top of the well.

The three-legged toad could not resist this.

He would crawl up the well

and as the three-legged toad went to grab the money,

Liu Hai would grab the toad, jump on his back and off they would go.

Fantastic.

David Harper, ladies and gentlemen.

Dealer, linguist and storyteller extraordinaire.

But while Liu Hai is beyond our David's budget, it's not long before he spots

a piece that isn't - an early 20th-century chandelier.

This is exactly the kind of thing that English dealers

come to the continent to buy - very typical French or Belgian of course -

light fitting, but really stylish.

Very lightweight. Super-looking, nice size.

It's not over-big for any home.

It's very, very dusty, it's brass and then it's gilded to look like ormolu.

Ormolu is bronze and then gold-plated.

It's ormolu-looking, 19th-century in style,

but probably dates to about 1920s to 1940s.

It's got two wires, so it would need rewiring

but it wouldn't be expensive.

So, a quick rewire, a clean-up maybe highlight this gilding here

with wax and it would look the business.

I might try to buy it for vingt, which is 20. Monsieur...

-Er, vingt?

-Vingt-cinq?

Vingt-cinq, 25? OK, um...

D'accord. I agree.

Monsieur...

Merci. OK. Right, thank you.

I'm getting really good at this French, I'm amazing myself.

-Yes, and us too, David.

-I've just paid 25 euros, that's about 2o quid, plus a rewire - 20...

It's going to owe me less than 50

and I think that should really be a double-bubble.

"Double-bubble" meaning double your money. I'll go and give him some money.

-Right...

-Well, you've got to hand it to him,

our David is really putting his all into this

and he's sealed the deal on item number four for just under £23.

Let's hope his figures add up or it could be double trouble

for our fancy linguist. Mr Braxton, expert in fine art,

is searching for a stall that catches his finely tuned eye.

Got something for everybody here.

That is quite a strong palette, that one.

Agh! That's putting it mildly, Bingo!

But the picture I like is over resting against the van

and it's a townscape with a nice tram in it.

James knows that if the price is right, he can always turn a pretty picture into a handsome profit.

It's a nice picture. Where is it?

This is the Flemish part of Belgium - it's Ghent - the centre of Ghent.

-Yeah, yeah.

-And it's around 1940s. What you see is what you get.

Cent cinquante?

-BINGO LAUGHS

-Er, no.

The normal price is 250

but I can do, if you pay cash, 200.

A little lower?

-He's hard.

-I am hard.

-I'm happy not all the clients are. 190?

-I'll give you 190. It's very kind.

-Deal.

-Deal, thank you.

And James the gent gets the painting of Ghent for approximately £173.

Watto!

This buying business is painting by numbers for our Bingo.

I'm pleased with the picture. It's the sort of style I like.

It's impressionistic. It's a continental scene,

it's got figurative interest in it. It's got a bit of colour in it.

If you look at the back of it, I think it's in its original frame.

Do you see how the wood all seems to be of a sort of similar colour?

It sits well. It doesn't look as though it's been fiddled with much.

I don't think the moulding's ever been taken out.

It still looks quite bright, the frame.

I've got a private buyer in mind, but if he doesn't have

the appetite for it, it's something that I might take a risk on at auction.

Devilish David, that dragon of dealing,

is ready to sink his claws into another possible purchase.

He's spotted a small Chinese travelling inkwell.

These are interesting. A travelling scribe's box with an inkwell.

The ink will go into this little reservoir here

and then your quills in there.

Then, when the scribe - the academic - went on his travels,

that would simply fit onto his belt and off he would go.

When he was sat in situ, it would just sit beautifully on a desk.

This is distinctly Chinese. Look at the decoration!

We have a Chinese dragon coming down the body.

The thing to look out for with Chinese dragons are the claws.

If you find a five-clawed Chinese dragon

on a very early piece of Chinese anything -

pottery, porcelain, brass or bronze -

then that may well be an indicator that that dragon - that item -

was made for the Emperor or one of his many members of family,

which may run into many thousands of people who are connected to the Emperor.

Um, I can't actually see any claws on this particular dragon.

What a lovely thing! Distinctly Chinese.

Anything Chinese is absolutely flavour -

not of the month - I think, of the decade.

I'd like to pay 70 or 80, let's see what we can do here.

Monsieur, soixante?

Too low?

OK.

The dealer wants 130 euros for this well travelled Asian antique.

But with dogged determination, David manages to clinch the deal

at 100 euros - just under £91.

-Thank you.

-I'm a Lord.

-Really!

-You?

Oh, Lord Harper. Two Lords together.

What kind of Lords, I'm not sure.

Lords of loot maybe. But what's happened to your French, David?

Marvellous! OK. D'accord. That's French.

Oh, there it is. Never fear.

Gentleman James is looking pleased as punch.

He's finally spotted a bona fide bargain that ticks all his boxes.

It's very nice - it's very French.

Sweet, perfect! Parfait really.

I might paint it. Or the shabby chic, isn't it?

-Le chic!

-Ever the gentleman, our Bingo politely executes

a perfect final purchase and picks up the table for just over £27.

What I like about this table is it's so, so eminently for the garden.

You put it down on the floor, nice circular thing.

Why is it for the garden? It's got three legs.

Three legs always sit true.

There it is. We've got an uneven car park here.

It could be uneven grass. It's always going to sit true.

Well done, Mr B.

And with that, time's up on our Belgian bargain buying bash.

And it's time to check up on how our sparring Spartans have spent.

Both David and James started the day with £750 of their own cash.

Devilish David has played a cautious game -

bagging five items in total and spending nearly £323 in the process.

James bought six items by close of business

and spent slightly more, at just under £394.

All that remains is for our brave boys to assess each other's progress.

I told you, David, they'd lose concentration. Look at them! All packing up.

-I know.

-It's lunchtime.

-I know, but they have been here a very long time.

-They deserve some grub, don't they?

-They have.

-Have you had a cracking day?

Yeah, I've had a decorative and colourful day, by the looks of my goods.

Tell me, which is your favourite item?

Er, I do like my picture.

I like the fellow, the mask from the Cameroon.

That is funky, isn't it? I've got to say.

I think very similarly, I think my Benin bronze, that is my favourite item.

She is absolutely delicious.

I love your bowl. That's a huge, gigantic scale.

It's a beauty. Big punch bowl.

Mid-19th century, English. Staffordshire.

-Staffordshire.

-Bought in Belgium, marvellous!

-I'm taking it home, James, where it belongs.

-Yeah.

It's been well worth the journey.

And now, Dave the linguist,

getting in amongst them.

I seriously have impressed myself today.

I didn't realise I had such skills in the language department.

I think I'll have to watch the playbacks.

Our kings of collectables

must now turn their considerable clout from buying to selling.

They need to sell hard and fast to make as much profit as possible,

as only one of them can claim the Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is title.

The rolling hills of Sussex welcome home gentleman James

and the historic ruins of Barnard Castle herald the return

of Devilish David.

And once ensconced back at base,

they both begin to plot their selling strategies.

The 19th-century blue-and-white bowl, what a buy!

No money at all. Good profit in that baby!

Now the retro table. This stuff is really on the up.

I've got one guy who should buy it off me.

If he doesn't, I don't know who else will.

The Benin bronze.

Finding a home for it may well be a bit tricky

because it's not everybody's cup of tea.

The 19th-century Chinese bronze travelling scribe's pot.

Oh, my gosh, that is a cracking find!

As well as all that, David also has to sell his chandelier.

James is also assessing his awesome armoury.

That fabulous beadwork mask from the Cameroon -

the Bamileke tribe - that was a nice item.

Also from the same seller, I bought a lovely stool. That should do well.

I bought a fabulous Art Deco glass vase.

That was the one with the stepped corners. I really like that.

At eight euros, that was a bit of a steal.

The three-legged table.

It's a lovely item, beautifully designed, and works really well.

My most expensive lot there was a fabulous picture of Ghent.

At 190 euros, I might be found slightly wanting on that one.

And James will also have to sell his three seashell balls.

Our antiques entrepreneurs will be pulling out the stops

to find buyers for their items.

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

no deal is truly sealed.

Our brave boys fly forth from their respective HQs.

But Devilish David is first to knock on the dealing door.

He's taken his retro coffee table, bought just over £45,

to Newcastle, to see Steve, who deals in retro and vintage pieces.

-Steve... I'm going to reveal to you...

-I can't wait.

-Something delicious.

-It's going to be amazing.

-You'll be so impressed, it's unbelievable.

I'm just going to watch your face.

DRUM ROLL AND FANFARE

-Oh!

-Yes.

-It's a table.

It's not English, is it?

It's quite a nice design on there, mind.

-Date-wise?

-It's not best quality but it's quite stylish.

Yeah. I would say, being very precise...

-Yeah.

-1958 to 1962.

-Seriously?

-It's speaking to me.

-Really?

-You're still having those problems, are you?

-I am. I'm hearing tables.

Yeah. You know, it's got an '80s look to me about it.

I know it isn't '80s but, do you know what this reminds me of?

Do you remember the face, Age Of Consent?

I'm probably too young for that sort of thing but I do have a very similar hairstyle.

A lot of youngsters these days are looking back to the '80s.

Now they're in their 20s, 30s, making a bit of money

-and harking back to those...

-It's like candyfloss.

-..angelic days.

-Yeah.

You're desperate to buy that.

I don't know about being desperate to buy it.

-It's under £100.

-It would have to be, wouldn't it? Quite honestly. Really!

-90.

-Not 90.

-I don't see...

-75?

I was thinking more 60.

-Make it 70.

-Go on then!

Thank you, thank you. Great.

Yes, a good solid start by the devilish one.

He carves out a profit of nearly £25.

Mr Braxton, that hustling haggler, is now ready to make his mark.

He's taken his painting of Ghent to see old friend Andrew

with every confidence of a decent sale.

Here's the picture I showed you the photo of.

Aha! OK.

-What do you think of it?

-Um...

-It's of Ghent. If you stand back a bit...

-Yeah.

It's quite a nice Impressionist scene.

Done by van Deventer.

Um, I think, James, that might be

outside my appreciation buds.

-Do you, do you?

-I think you'll find somebody who really falls in love with that.

-Yeah.

I'll have to... I'll just have to search a little further, won't I?

You will do, yes. Good, good. Thank you very much.

-Don't worry, don't worry. Everybody's allowed to look.

-BINGO LAUGHS

Oh, dear! Bingo rebuffed.

Chin up, old boy, and stick on some inspiring music.

# We've got to keep the faith... #

Oh, well! Pictures aren't for everybody.

-At least I've got Richard up my sleeve.

-Yes, that's the spirit, James.

Back in Barnard Castle, Devilish David Harper

has been conducting some detailed research on his Chinese inkwell.

I've shown it to a very good friend of mine and colleague,

and it is exactly what I thought it was.

Certainly 19th-century or before.

It does make you wonder, if this is a travelling inkwell,

when you're travelling, any residue ink left in the pot

will leak out and go down your trouser leg.

But, in this one, something I didn't notice,

is that deep inside that well, there is some hair.

That is jet black Chinese hair.

This is a 19th-century version of a sponge.

And the hair actually has dried globules of ink.

This is the original hair that was in this pot

when it was last used. Probably at least 100 years ago.

This just genuinely sends shivers up my spine.

I'm going to take a chance. I'm going to put that into an auction with online bidding.

It's got speculative possibilities and it might just fly.

Hmm, we'll find out later how the auction goes.

Now, after his earlier setback,

the dogged determination of James Braxton

is once again shining through. With just the faintest whiff of a sale,

Bingo's off to Hastings in Sussex to see Robert -

an expert in African artefacts.

With his African stool and mask, which combined,

cost him nearly £182.

Robert, can I show you my first purchase?

I was told that it came from the Gambon,

-from a tribe called the Kota tribe.

-That's correct.

Kota's a very valuable commodity in Africa at one time.

Sometimes more valuable than gold. It's a nice, decorative piece.

Robert, this one I really fell in love with.

It's quite an extraordinary piece. It is glorious in its hideousness.

-There we are.

-Wonderful!

It's Cameroonian, isn't it?

It is modern again.

It's not terribly old, is it?

If you do that... it immediately comes up white.

-Yeah.

-If it had been used, you wouldn't have seen the mark immediately.

It would still have been black underneath.

The man told me that they sort of wore it, almost,

on the head like this.

-And then dipped their heads down.

-Yes.

It would be what they call sky-awarding.

Looking to the gods and forefathers,

if they're going to wear it like that.

-OK. I just loved it. I thought it was sensational.

-It's wonderful.

You ask someone to make a mask for you, you'd pay him four goats

and you'd give him two goats and then they'd have to wear the mask.

If the spirits come into the mask, and the dancer holding the mask

can feel the spirits in it, the guy will get the other two goats.

Don't worry, don't worry, Robert. I'm not asking four goats for these.

-ROBERT LAUGHS

-You've talked them up beautifully.

There's no need to do any salesmanship for myself.

-Could you do 250 for the two?

-No.

The absolute limit is 180, I suppose.

-A couple of hundred.

-A bird in the hand, 210, Robert.

-All right, 210 then.

-Great, thank you.

Bish, bash, bosh, Bingo brings home the bacon!

He's taken a combined profit of over £28 for the stool and the mask.

He's back in the race.

But Devilish David isn't about to let up in his pursuit of profit,

he's putting all emotion aside

as he sets off to sell his Benin bronze lady,

bought for just over £118, to Dale, a local dealer.

So, there she is.

-Now, Dale, let me just ask you a question.

-Yes.

Have you been thinking about her?

Well, a little bit, a little bit, I've kept in mind.

-I thought I might be interested to see what she looks like in the house, in the flat.

-Hm.

I'll see how it goes, you know?

Is it, it sounds like you're going to have a potential relationship?

-Well, I don't know, she's a nice girl, you know!

-THEY LAUGH

-She doesn't talk through much.

-No, no, she is cheap to keep!

-DAVID LAUGHS

-But possibly not cheap to buy.

-Well, we don't know that.

-I think the couple of hundred quid.

-A couple of hundred quid?

-Well, what about 190?

-Well, you know what, I think that's OK.

I'm not absolutely delighted...

not because of the money, I think the money is fine,

I just think she's so lovely that she's going to miss me and I'm going to miss her!

-So, well, can I visit her?

-You can do, any time you want.

-Perfect!

-We'll have a drink!

-Fantastic. Thanks, Dale.

-Thank you very much.

Oh, poor David's having his heartstrings well and truly tugged!

Chin up, David, you'll always have the memories!

MUSIC: "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston

Mixed emotions now, I've got to say.

I think you can tell that I'm slightly distressed at saying goodbye to that one, but...

it didn't take long, probably about 30 seconds, for me to realise

when she went on that table and I looked in the Dale's eyes

and he was looking into her eyes

she was not going to be leaving that house.

He's got very, very good taste.

And that sale means that David's wallet is as heavy as his heart

as he pockets nearly £72 profit.

We're nearing the halfway point

in this joust between our brave knights of vintage valour.

So, let's see how they're faring in their quests for profit.

So far, Devilish David has sold two of his five items

and has already amassed a profit of over £96.

Bingo Braxton has some catching up to do,

he's sold two of his six items

but so far has only yielded just over £28 profit.

Devilish David Harper, duke of dealing,

is angling to compound his counterpart's misery.

He needs to have his chandelier, that he purchased the nearly £23,

rewired and PAT tested.

So, he's taking down the road to restorer John

but, being devilish, he's decided to try and sell it to John

as a restoration project. Hm!

-Well, here's one from you, John!

-Oh, right, I see that one!

-Rewire job, can you give me an idea of what it's going to cost?

-Right, so if we just put all new cable in.

And look at these holders, now, and, not that you would,

-you can put your finger through there.

-OK? Yes.

-Now, more modern ones, you can't put your finger down there onto those.

-Oh, I see.

-And they've all got the Kitemarks and things.

-I've got you, yeah.

Look, for the whole light, give you a deal.

-I could wire it up for, say, for 40 quid.

-40 quid, all-in, new holders?

-Yeah, new holders.

-OK. Erm...would you buy it as it is?

-Yeah, decorators' piece...

-Is it worth 60 quid to you, as it is?

-No.

-No?

-No.

You see, I'd be looking at, once have done the work,

-I'd be looking at 45 from that, I'm afraid.

-To buy it?

-Yeah.

You wouldn't give me 60 quid for it?

-Er, not at this particular moment, no.

-Er...55?

Good piece of stock.

-Split with you, 50 quid. You're going to rewire it.

-Yeah.

-Give me the 50 quid, you can have it at 50 quid.

-OK, it's a deal.

OK, good man, thank you very much.

David makes over £27 profit from the sale, he rocks!

He's really whipping up a selling storm in the North.

HOWLING WIND

Southern boy Bingo wants a piece of the action too,

so he travels north.

I'm in the middle of Cumbria, I've seen a sign to Barnard Castle.

I'm think, you know, I'm in David Harper's manor.

Look here...

"DH"! He's everywhere!

He'll sell seashells in the shape of a ball.

This seashells he'll sell, he hopes, will make him a haul.

That is, if he can convince his good friend Gary to purchase them.

-I thought I'd bring you a souvenir of the seaside!

-Right!

GARY LAUGHS

I thought they were rather decorative.

Right, they are and I actually collect these

but these haven't got great age about them though.

No, no, they haven't.

If you notice, winking at you underneath

-is a lovely bit of polystyrene!

-Right!

-THEY LAUGH

-But they are a good size, aren't they?

-Right, they are, yes.

-Why do you collect shells, Gary?

-Well, if I can just show you.

People in the north-east used to do this.

-Ah!

-This is one of mine.

This is an old Maling Seaton ware plate

that has been covered in shells. About 1890s, 1900?

And that's on the Tyne, is it? The Maling pottery?

And the Tyne starts here in Alston.

But these openly picked at South Shields, where did yours come from?

-I think they look quite English, don't they, to me?

-Well, they do.

They're European, aren't they?

They're quite, well, they're North Sea.

What would you like to pay me the these?

What would I like to pay you for those? Um...

Don't treat me too hard, I know you're a hard man!

I would be looking at...

-five pound a ball.

-Five pounds a ball?

-You got the deal.

-Cheers.

The dealing duke of the South makes it decent profit of over £10.

It also sells his Art Deco vase and makes nearly £58 profits.

With the cash burning a hole in his pocket,

Bingo burns some rubber and returns to sunny Sussex.

Devilish David visits his local museum.

He's researching into his punchbowl that he bought for just over £45.

He's focused on making as much profit as he can.

Next, he drives to Alston

with the hope of selling it to fellow dealer Judith.

I'm just wondering if it could have been a rum butter bowl, actually.

Rum butter is a Cumbrian delicacy.

It originates back to, I think, the late 18th century.

So, these bowls would be used to make the rum butter in, yes.

Date-wise, I think 1850, I mean...

Hm, do you think it's as early as that?

-I do because if it was after 1891.

-Yes.

Then it would be marked on the base, the country of origin,

-which is going to be England, isn't it?

-Yes.

So, there's no England mark.

I think if we describe it as mid-19th century,

-that would be about right.

-Yes.

It'll be good at the collection but, of course, the question is how much?

£90, I think, in trade.

-I'd like it better the 70.

-Would you?

-Hmm.

Should we do what all good dealers do best and meet in the halfway?

Compromise, compromise is the key to success.

-Thank you, Judith, marvellous.

-Thank you very much.

So, David sells his bowl four £80,

which means he pockets nearly £35 profit.

Not to be outdone, that tireless trooper of trading Bingo

takes his shabby chic table, purchased for £27,

to see his friend Patricia.

Now, Pat, I'm asking...er, I want about, sort of, £50 for it.

I would say 40, 45.

-£45.

-£45.

And how do I pay you, with onions or garlic, James?

-Ooh, tempting, preferably cash, though!

-HE LAUGHS

Yes, that sale nets James a profit of nearly £18.

Now is the moment of truth for David and the Chinese inkwell

that cost him nearly £91.

Will it generate enough excitement at auction to bring a decent profit?

The bidding starts at £100.

At 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180...

-WHISPERS: Come on!

-..190. 180 in the room.

Come on! Give me the ins of it, come on!

180, come on!

-Ooh!

-180 -

which after fees, gives David a healthy profit of just over £52.

But still, profit is a profit but we didn't get the flyer.

James Braxton has one last throw of the dealing dice.

He has to make a huge profit on his painting of Ghent

that was purchased for nearly £173 to take today's competition.

Come in, come in.

He's finally found a potential buyer in Eastbourne.

A doctor called Alastair who collects fine art.

-Now, this is best seen from afar.

-Right, OK.

-So push along there.

-Yup.

And I hope, I hope you like it. Here we go, here we go.

One, two, three.

-Very nice, lovely.

-Is it?

-Where is it?

It's of Ghent, so this is Ghent Castle.

Give me a doctor's opinion.

-I think it's lovely, actually.

-Do you?

-I really like it.

-Oh, right!

-It's got lots going on...

and I don't have a Dutch artist in the collection,

so...that would be, you know, a nice addition to have

and I can think of somewhere I can put that.

-Fabulous, music to my ears, Alastair, music!

-Excellent.

Well, well thought of, in terms of bringing it round.

I want it, hoping to get, sort of, £300, something like that?

Oh, that's a big asking price

but will our Bingo be blessed with success?

We'll find out shortly.

First, though, let's recap on our second-hand sharpshooters' spending.

Both David and James started the day with £750 of their own money.

David spent nearly £323 on five items

and James bought six items and spent just under £394.

All the profit that David and James 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!

-James Braxton!

-David, how are you?

-Very well!

-Did we have a good time on our continental tour?

-It was lovely.

-There were all sorts there, weren't there?

-Yeah.

And how did you get on with your tribal items, all right?

Loved that bronze. I did very well with it.

Erm, it's gone to a very good home but I tell you what,

that's one of the few things, James, that I handled,

that I just wouldn't, under normal circumstances, sell.

She just had something and I adored her!

What else did you buy of interest there?

I bought, I bought quite an expensive item.

-I bought that picture, do you remember?

-Yes, I do.

-John van Deventer!

-Ooh, that's scary because that, is he a known artist?

He was a known artist, he's of Ghent and that picture, sort of 1930s.

Very bad news for me.

-That painting's going to kill me! Are you ready?

-OK, count it down.

Three, two, one...

-Doh, no, I!

-What did you get?

-Hey-hey!

-A big fat lunch on you!

HE LAUGHS

What a close one!

So, it must have been that painting

that won it for Bingo in the final furlong. Let's find out.

I want it, hoping to get, sort of, 300, something like that.

-How do you feel about that?

-I'm very happy to be £300 for it.

Alastair, thank you, you're a great friend!

HE LAUGHS

-That's great, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

A huge profit of over £127,

the largest profit of the day seals it for Bingo.

Back of the net!

He was very clever in his buying and very clever in his selling.

The painting was the thing that killed me.

My most expensive item looked after me,

the John van Deventer, that lovely flower market in Ghent.

It came good.

It's a short-lived victory though

cos tomorrow our boys will be faced with an even tougher challenge -

the showdown!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd