Eric Knowles v Paul Hayes - 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 Eric Knowles takes on Paul Hayes in an all-out battle for profit,

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

'Coming up, our dealers show you how to be saleroom savvy.'

If you've got any little chips, put it straight back in the cabinet cos no-one will want it.

'Paul is hoping to make millions.'

1709. If this is right, it's priceless.

'And Eric finds himself in Arts & Crafts heaven.'

Well, you can stroke without a conscience when it comes to furniture.

'This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.'

'It's a saleroom skirmish today as two antiques Trojans go head-to-head.

'It's Eric 'Knocker' Knowles versus Paul 'Mr Morecambe' Hayes

'in an all-out battle to make the most profit

'from buying and selling antiques. It's the brains from Burnley,

'the veteran maestro who'll go to super-human efforts to bag a bargain.'

I am literally ploughing through rubble

looking for the glint of a gem.

'Eric's taking on the muscles from Morecambe

'and what the youngster lacks in age he makes up for in fierce determination.'

The apprentice has taken over the master I think today, Eric.

'These northern warriors are risking their reputations and £1,000 of their own cash

'in a mission to make as much profit as possible for charity.

'They've travelled to Duke's Auctions in Dorset.

'With over 700 lots going under the hammer, our duo need to sniff out potential profit

'and then seal the deal with a winning bid. Who will be the saleroom supremo?

'And who will fall foul of the hammer? Eric Knowles, Paul Hayes,

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

-Hey up, Eric.

-Ah!

-How are you?

-I'm very well, thank you.

-We're a long way from home, aren't we?

-Bit of a hike down here.

-It really is.

Three days by camel, it was, from Morecambe. But an exciting place.

-Well, it's full of this, that and the other, isn't it?

-Do you know what I find really difficult?

You've got your eye on one particular piece

so you save your money to try and buy that one item, then it goes for more than expected

-and you missed all those earlier lots.

-Well, there's plenty to go for.

-Yep.

-Good luck, Eric.

-And to you, too.

-See you soon.

'Both these antiques heavyweights have bags of saleroom experience

'but from the opposite sides of the rostrum.

'Will today's victory belong to the daring dealer or the Goliath of the gavel?'

Well, I've spent most of my working life working in an auction house,

so I'm in my natural habitat, if you will.

It is a jungle and I am looking out for those items today that really shine.

The problem being, they're going to shine to an awful lot of dealers and collectors who are here today

and they'll give me some stiff opposition.

So I'm trying to pace the items. I'm trying to pick items that are...

Some items are a couple of hundred, some are 50 quid, and hopefully I can buy what I want to,

and more importantly, I can sell them when I've bought them.

'So, two very different strategies from our antiques giants.

'Mr Morecambe plans to cast his profit-hunting net far and wide

'whereas Knocker's determined to hook something with wow factor.'

Well worth the money.

'With limited viewing time before the sale gets underway,

'they need to get stuck in and fast.'

# We're S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G

# We're shopping

'While Knocker prowls the aisles like a profit-hungry panther,

'his blue-eyed opponent throws himself straight into the fray.'

OK, I've found one of my favourite items here.

This is called a barograph. It's a very delicate instrument.

It's quite a modern one. But it actually forecasts the weather.

The weather is measured in atmospheric bars, which is where the name barograph comes from,

and in this little coiled tube here is a vacuum.

That vacuum reacts with atmospheric pressure,

so it contracts and it expands,

and that reading is then registered on this chart here as it spins around over the course of a month

and that tells you whether you're going to have a high pressure for nice weather

or a low pressure for awful weather.

A very interesting item to have, a luxurious item,

and hopefully a very saleable item.

'Mr Morecambe has forecast a profit if he can pull off a sunny result

'when his find goes under the hammer.

'Across the saleroom, Knocker has spotted a diamond in the rough.'

OK, Loetz is an Austrian factory making this type of iridescent glass in about 1900

and this type of glass is called papillon glass or butterfly glass.

The first thing you're going to do with something like this is feel the edges

because if you've got any chips on there, put it straight back in the cabinet cos no-one will want it.

It says Loetz style. There's nothing wrong with that. That is Loetz. It's got 30 to 50.

Again, I just know it's going to do an awful lot more.

This is something I know for a fact that Paul is quite interested in.

'Leaving Eric to the vase, Mr Morecambe spots another potential string for his bow.'

What we have is a very good condition violin.

There's no cracks, no splits. Sometimes the necks get broken.

But when you're looking at violins, the label is actually inside the violin itself.

And this one is by one of the best makers in the world.

We've all heard of Stradivarius, but there was a family called Guarneri.

This is Joseph Guarneri, 1709.

If this is right, it's priceless. So it's in at between £50 and £100.

The case is worthless. The violin is easily worth that.

I'm going to go for it, maybe up to a couple of hundred, but that's it.

So it could be music to my ears.

-There are many strings to my bow.

-CYMBAL CRASHES

BELL TOLLS

Have you had enough now? Yeah, so have I.

'Yes. Could our Morecambe maestro really be onto a priceless treasure? It's nearly time to find out

'because the auctioneer has taken his seat and is ready to start the sale.

'And it's Mr Hayes who's first out of the traps and up and running.

'He's caught bidding fever and can't resist a cheeky bid on a mixed lot of grandfather clock parts.'

You're at £25. Selling, then, at £25.

-Sporting bid. Well done.

-HAMMER BANGS

'And the daring young whippersnapper takes them for nearly £31

'including fees.'

Now then, I'm delighted with this purchase.

I've bought myself a do-it-yourself grandfather clock kit.

This is a good white painted dial, square face, could be late 18th century, early 19th century.

Not in bad condition. The dial alone is interesting, but why I bought this is the movement.

It's amazing how many times you need a cog or a wheel to make another clock a good one.

So I think this is a good restorer's lot.

'Next up, the barograph. But will winning lightning strike twice for Mr Morecambe?'

£50 is bid with me for the barograph. 50. 60.

-Any advance on 60? Standing there at 60.

-60 quid.

-Going once.

-Going then at £60.

-HAMMER BANGS

'Nothing fazes this dynamic dealer.

'Just over £74 including costs

'and he's barely breaking a sweat!

'With things suspiciously quiet on Knocker's side of the saleroom,

'the boy from the bay gears up for what could be his ultimate auction find.'

If this is right, it's worth millions of pounds.

If it isn't... Well, not millions. Hundreds of thousands. Here we go.

I have 50. 60. Any advance on 60?

-70. At £70.

-£70. Come on, knock it down, please.

Could be millions. 80. 90. 100.

-No?

-£90.

-£90. Yours at 90. Selling at 90, sir, well done.

-HAMMER BANGS

-'And he takes it.'

I'm delighted with that. 90 quid. Either I've made a fortune and you won't see me again

cos I'll be on a Caribbean island or I just dropped 90 quid.

'We know which one your opponent would prefer.'

I'm hoping to goodness it's not the real thing.

Cos I didn't even spot it.

'The veteran master is flummoxed to think that he could've missed a trick.

'With fees, Paul bagged the violin for just over £111

'and that's the Lancashire lad three-nil up here in Dorset.

'And he's even found time to pick up some local info.'

Apparently, it's very unlucky around here to say the word rabbit, I'm saying it very quietly,

for the simple reason that superstition or legend has it

that if you say the word rabbit, the rabbits will come along

and burrow underneath the island of Portland and the whole lot will be lost into the sea.

There we go. Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit! Rabbit!

'Right. Well, that's going to come in handy, Paul.'

Rabbit! Grab your life jackets now!

'Mr Morecambe's purchases are multiplying fast but there's a long way to go

'and across the room, his learned opponent has simply been biding his time.'

I've just been having a scout about and I've spotted a pair of copper bellows

which have been described as Newlyn School, Newlyn type.

They're not marked but they are very pretty.

So I might have a quick go. But they're quite heavily estimated.

I've got 40. 5. 50. 5.

60. 5. Selling, then, at £60. Done?

HAMMER BANGS That's what they call a bit of an impulse bid.

'At just over £74 with fees, it's no cheap impulse buy,

'but at last it's a first purchase for this auction veteran.'

I've just bought myself a pair of bellows which are very much in the Arts & Crafts style.

To me, this is a perfect little work of art.

Date-wise, I suppose 1900, 1910. Well worth the money.

'No time to rest on his laurels, though, as treasure-seeking missile Paul Hayes

'is homing in on a fourth potential profit-maker.'

It'll be interesting to see how this lot goes, that collection of blue and white.

It's in the catalogue as a quantity of blue and white plates.

£35. I'll take 40.

At £35. 40. 45. 50. 5. And 60 for you, sir.

-5 is next. At £60.

-I'll have that little lot.

-Done at 60?

-HAMMER BANGS

There we go! 60 quid! Eric Knowles missed it. Come on! I thought he was going to go for that.

The apprentice has taken over the master, I think, Eric.

'Bagging the plates for just over £74 with fees,

'the youngest is convinced he's got one up on his esteemed opposition.

'He's full of fighting talk. But 'ey up, here comes the master himself.'

-What was that you just bought?

-I bought that little collection of blue and white.

-Oh, Dr Syntax?

-Yep. But amongst it is that famille rose charger.

-Yes, I did notice it.

-Did you see it?

-I did.

-Right.

Did you notice that it had some restoration to it?

Well, I think, to be honest, for 60 quid, I've got all that job lot of blue and white,

and that must be worth that on its own, that charger, don't you think?

I think if you find the right man

and you don't let him get within 100 yards of it, he's got to make that decision.

I'm just going to have a quick go on something.

-I've just missed it!

-Honest, have you missed it?

-I've just missed it!

PAUL LAUGHS I've just missed it.

'Ooh, that cheeky Morecambe charmer got Knocker good and proper.

'The plate chat distracted him from a potential bargain.

'It's been a fast and furious sale so far and it's time to check out the totals.

'Both our northern warriors started the day with £1,000 of their own money to spend.

'Eric's been a slow burner with only one item bought,

'costing just over £74,

'and that leaves him nearly £926 still to spend.

'But Paul's been a bidding whirlwind with four lots in the bag

'totalling £290.

'That leaves him £710 in his kitty.

'In the saleroom, it's time for our duelling duo to get back in position.

'With just one item in the bag, Burnley's best is feeling the pressure.'

# Pressure, pushing down on me

# Pressing down on you, no man ask for

# Under pressure

'The fight is far from over and Eric's eagle eye spots a potential candidate.'

This is an interesting job lot. You've got all sorts going on here.

First of all, you've got that, which is a shame because this dates to about 1860,

but it's missing a piece of glass here.

And then the next thing you come across is this, which is a lovely carafe

and it's covered in an amethyst flash.

It's nicely decorated. It's got a nice star base.

The other thing is this, which is Webb Corbett. Not of any great age

because it actually features, dare I say, our erstwhile prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

It'll be interesting to see how they go for price.

'Careful consideration is the name of the game, Knocker, and on the other side of the room

'Mr Morecambe is also on an inspection.'

Now then, I've found some of my favourite items here.

We've got some Staffordshire spaniels. These date 1880, 1900.

Good quality flat-back country antiques.

Very traditional. They're on the wane a little bit, but they're 150 years old, fantastic items.

But amongst this lot is this little fella here.

You might have seen one of these before.

This is a figure called Blanc de Chine

and the Chinese called it white gold at the time,

this wonderful, translucent, pure white material. So keep an eye out for this little lot.

'OK, Paul, you've got your bidding card so you know what to do.'

At £20, your bid, sir. I'll take 5.

-£20.

-I'll have that, thank you very much. Thank you.

-HAMMER BANGS

'Bargain indeed! At just under £25 including fees,

'that's the cheapest buy of the day so far. Porcelain Paul is on fire.

'He's now bagged five lots to Knocker's one.

'But Eric's preparing to pack a punch of his own with that mixed lot of glass.'

Thank you, I'll take 15. 15 at the back. 20.

25. 30. At £25 in the far corner. I'll take 30.

-At £25.

-HAMMER BANGS

We're very happy. Yes. We're very happy.

'Yes, he's done it. Knocker bags the glassware for just under £31

'with costs and suddenly he's off and running.

'With the nonchalance of the true professional, he bids on a canteen of silver-plated cutlery.'

£140 in the corner. 150 anywhere?

HAMMER BANGS Thank you. 1486.

'Driving off the competition

'and paying just under £173 including fees.

'Knocker has been biding his time but now puts himself firmly back in the game.

'Can he make it a triple whammy with the Loetz vase or will he have competition?'

326, the Loetz style Art Nouveau vase.

The estimate is 30 to 50, which is nonsense. It's a nonsense estimate.

'Knocker is waiting. He's waiting.'

-At £200.

-'And he strikes! But the Morecambe boy shows no signs of having a go.'

£220 seems a lot of money to me.

Eric's got it. Go on, Eric!

-We sell.

-HAMMER BANGS

'And Knocker reckons he knows exactly why his rival didn't bid.'

I don't think he actually got in there with the bidding.

I think once you get over £200,

he gets a bit nervous.

It's a lot of money. It's a lot of money for one glass vase. But good luck.

'Well, at just over £271 with fees,

'that's the biggest purchase of the day and the brawn from Burnley

'is feeling good about his bidding victory.

'The end of the auction is in sight but our two heavyweights are still slugging it out.

'Young pretender Paul loves a bit of history

'and he's passionate about a collection of militaria that's coming up.'

OK, this is a really interesting lot. It's the Second World War medals

but there were three generations of the same family in this. There was granddad, father and son.

Paul, he likes everything with a story.

He goes for the people behind the object rather than the object,

which is commendable, but quite often

it is a recipe for financial disaster.

'We'll see about that, because bid-master Hayes is ready to launch an auction attack.'

I've got £50 and I'll take 60. 70 is next.

-At £60. I'll take 70.

-70.

-80. 90 for you?

-90.

-Ooh, 90.

-Looks like I bought them.

-100 anywhere?

-I've bought them. Thanks.

-HAMMER BANGS

'Yes, his arch enemy may see trouble ahead for our sentimental soldier,

'but at just over £111 with fees,

'that's a sixth and final purchase for daredevil Hayes.

'Later in the day, he inspects his bounty in more detail.'

It starts with granddad here. This gentleman was involved in the First World War.

And it mentions being wounded at Gallipoli. "On 8th August 1915,

"he was rescued by the ship Valdivia".

And then he died of his wounds, unfortunately, in 1915.

So that's a very interesting item. That's the first item of this collection.

The second one is actually relating to his son, which is a D Howell,

and he was involved in the Second World War.

He's been in Africa, he's been in Italy and he's also been in France and Germany.

And then lastly, we have a medal here for meritorious service

relating to a William George Howell, so is he the grandson? I'd love to find out.

Three items relating to the same family, I think that's fascinating.

'A flying finish for General Hayes.

'But time will tell if he's let his heart rule his head when it comes to making money.

'Back in the warzone, Knocker's only got four buys in the bag,

'but with time running out, he's got a plan.'

I've got to be very disciplined.

And, you know, I've got a secret weapon.

It's called prayer.

# Whoa, we're halfway there

# Oh, oh, living on a prayer

'Well, it seems Eric's word with the man upstairs is helping

'as he decides to bid on a George III barometer.

'Time to find out if his maker was listening

'and whether he's actually going to spend some cash.'

-100. And 10.

-'Knocker means business. He's straight in.'

140. 150. 160.

170. 180. 190. 200.

-And 20.

-'He's got competition, but he's holding firm.'

At £220 then now. Back of the room, you're out. Going at 220. Absolutely sure?

240. 260.

-At £240. Going at 240.

-HAMMER BANGS

Oh, just in there.

240. I went the extra bid.

I might pay the price for that. However, having said that,

of all the barometers here today, that one stood head and shoulders above everything else.

It's in nice, clean condition. Date-wise, I think it's around about

1800, 1810. So it's got some age to it.

'At just over £296 with fees, that's a colossal purchase.

'But Knocker seems confident his over-bidding with be worth it.

'And this auction action man should know. With the gods on his side and the end of the sale in sight,

'he also snaps up an over-mantle mirror for just under £56 with fees.

'Knocker heads over to pack up his mixed lot of glass. But hang on.

'He's doing a deal with the under-bidder.'

Listen, if you say, "I'll take those off you, Eric, for £10,"

-you can walk away with them now.

-I'll walk away with them.

'He doesn't hang about! That £10 sale sets Knocker up nicely.

'But remember, he'll still need to sell the other glass job lot items to make a profit.

'It's been a rollercoaster of a day, but how much of their budget did our treasure hunters spend?

'Eric and Paul arrived at the auction with £1,000 of their own money.

'Eric started slowly but built up to a flying finish,

'bagging six lots for a total spend of just under £901 including fees.

'Paul too sealed the winning bid on six lots,

'but spent more modestly at just under £426.

'Before these two sparring gladiators go their separate ways to sell,

'they get the chance to brag about their bargains.'

Well, I love my violin. Where else do you get a violin from 1709?

-I think, between me and you, that's probably nine minutes past five.

-THEY LAUGH

The best thing you can do with that violin, my friend, is learn how to play it.

To be honest, I thought I'd play it at the wedding. Cos you've got a canteen, glasses,

mirror, all you need is a bride and groom and you've got the whole lot.

-I think you've hit upon a business opportunity there!

-We're definitely in the wrong job.

'The auction was only round one of this breathtaking brawl.

'Now the heat is truly on

'as our soldiers bring out the big guns

'and prepare to flog their treasures for maximum profit.

'The big don, Knocker Knowles, returns to leafy Buckinghamshire in a positive frame of mind.

'He's already made a sale and is feeling confident about the rest of his bounty.'

I can tell you that I got a quantity of glassware, a lovely barometer.

What about this for a bonus? Ohh!

A wonderful canteen. A setting for 12.

I'm hoping for great things there.

But talking of great things, I think this is a great pair of bellows. A firm favourite of mine.

But so, too, is the iridescent glass, because it was catalogued as "in the style of Loetz"

but it is Loetz. I paid in excess of £270 for it, so I didn't get it cheap.

'As well as all that, Eric's also got to sell his over-mantle mirror.

'Over 200 miles away in his beloved Morecambe,

'the boy from the bay is inspecting his mighty arsenal.'

First one dates from the 18th century,

it's a wonderful grandfather clock movement or long case clock, as the correct term is.

The second buy wasn't too good. This is the selection of pottery and porcelain from Dr Syntax.

And I found out that was a poem by William Combe.

I bought this lot, really, for this oriental charger.

Unfortunately it has been distressed, as Eric would say, it's broken.

I got this little collection of Staffordshire dogs, no problems there.

I've got a barograph, which I'm really excited about. That came with some lovely old charts.

All types of weather patterns. That's a very interesting item. Sure I can do well there.

But I think my best buys have to be these two here.

One is the violin, and then this collection of medals.

All we need to do now is get a medal myself for buying all this fantastic stuff.

'Our profit-hunting pros are armed, dangerous and ready for the ultimate selling slog.

'With red hot phones, they'll need to blast through their contacts books

'and sniff out possible buyers up and down the land.

'But until they've shaken on it and the money has changed hands, no deal is truly sealed.

'Mr Morecambe is first out in the sales race.

'He's travelled south to London with his violin that cost him over £111.

'He's arranged to meet Shaun, a professional violinist and owner of a musical instrument shop,

'in the hope that he can identify whether it's a genuine Guarnerius or if he's fondling a fake fiddle.'

-What's the likelihood of it being a genuine Guarneri?

-Er, 0.001 percent. Well, let's see.

OK, there we are. I kept it separate from the case cos the case is nothing whatsoever.

-What would you look for? Obviously it has the label.

-Things aren't looking good at the moment.

-Straight away?

-Straight away.

-What's on there, then?

-It's slightly amateurish in construction.

-So the label you don't really take into account.

-Labels mean nothing. They come and go.

There's probably a million violins with Guarneri labels in them. He only made a couple of hundred.

So labels don't mean much. It could be German, it could be Czech. It's something along those lines,

-but it's definitely not Italian.

-OK.

-I mean, it's not a bad violin. I'll give you that one.

-Don't get these mixed up now, will you?

-I won't.

This is Giovanni Battista Guarneri and he was a great maker from Milan.

And this was made in about 1750. We are talking many hundreds of thousands of pounds.

If you hold them together, you can see the quality is in this violin,

it's not necessarily the shine, but the F-hole, the edging, everything about it, the colour.

If you look at the two scrolls here, one is beautifully scooped out,

it's got something individual about it, whereas this one is a bit more mass-produced.

-So your gut feeling is it's late 19th century.

-Yes, I'd say late 19th century.

-Sort of 1890s, 1900.

-I'd be looking for a couple of hundred pounds, something like that.

-That's what I was thinking. I wouldn't want to go over 200, put it that way.

-You wouldn't?

-No.

-Because, er... So I would say £200 all in.

-And you'd be happy?

-Yeah, that's fine.

Well, I will shake your hand on that, very gently cos it must be a maestro's hand.

Could you give me a little tune? Will you play the expensive one?

-Don't mix them up.

-I won't. I'll try not to.

-What can you play?

-A bit of Mozart or something.

-Oh, fantastic.

HE PLAYS EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK

OK, so that's the very expensive violin there. Could you actually get a tune out of this one?

-I'll give it a go.

-HE PLAYS CLASSICAL MUSIC

-That's wonderful.

-Something like that. A few rattles in there.

How much did I say I was going to pay?

'It may not have been priceless but Mr Morecambe gets a great price

'and plucks out a profit to the tune of nearly £89.

'Money is this boy's music and he truly is a conductor of profit.'

CLASSICAL MUSIC

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

'His dealing nemesis, Mr Knowles, has done some digging and discovered exactly where the barometer,

'which cost him over £296, was made.

'He's brought the barometer back to its birthplace near Hatton Garden in London

'in the hope that he can sell it to Robyn, who owns a nearby restaurant.'

I will turn and show you what we're looking at.

-Oh, it's very handsome.

-I'm glad you think so.

-It's a wonderful-looking item.

Well, the barometer itself is of a type, they're sometimes called wheel barometers or banjo barometers.

I like an object with curves. And this one works for me.

Now, we get to the tricky bit, Robyn, when it comes to price.

I'm looking for somewhere in the region of around about £480 for this little treasure.

-Mm. Let's look at £435.

-£435.

Listen, let me put my hand round there. £435.

'Whatever the weather, the selling outlook is always good for Eric.

'He's made nearly £139 profit,

'and he'll even chuck in a few interior design tips for free.'

I think that will look the part there. Shall we try it for size?

-Absolutely.

-Shall we? Let's...

-'Oh, Laurence would be proud, Knocker. It's Eric two, Paul one.

'But in no time, Mr Morecambe responds. He takes his clock workings, bought for nearly £31,

'to see Andrew in Lancashire, who is an expert restorer of time pieces.'

What about if we... £50? Are you all right with that?

-Yeah. Shall we shake on that?

-Yeah. No problem.

-Fantastic!

'And he sells it for £50, which gives him a profit of over £19.

'When it comes to selling, it's always profit o'clock for Paul.

'Knocker is still in the big smoke, and he's found just the fellow for his bellows.

'He paid over £74 for them, and he has come to see Brian,

'who, just like Eric, is also an Arts & Crafts enthusiast,

'who also runs a shop dedicated to this style.'

-Brian, how are you doing?

-Very well. Nice to see you.

I tell you what, I'm like a small boy in a toffee shop in your gallery, it's full of wonderful things.

Feast your eyes on a pair of Arts & Crafts copper bellows.

Now, listen, I, off the top of my head, thought they were very Newlyn type,

from down there in Cornwall, but I would value your expert eye.

Well, so, I would certainly say they are Newlyn School.

These fish, maybe they're dolphins, slight kind of fantasy to them.

-Not marked. I can't see any marks on them.

-I've looked and I've looked.

Could be one of the Newlyn workers, making at home, moonlighting. That's often why pieces are not marked,

if they'd been made at home by one of the workers, rather than gone through the shop and the school.

-Yes, I would be interested in it.

-Well, I was...

-If the price was right.

Well, the price, I've put a ceiling of around £200 on them.

-I think it needs to be less than that.

-OK, all right, well, you tell me what you think.

-£150.

I think 150 is... Not everyone wants bellows.

-You think that's your absolute...

-150 is my...

OK. Well, if it's £150, we'll call it a deal.

-I'll go for it.

-It's a deal.

'Crafty Knocker blows all the competition aside

'and makes just under £76 profit.

'But Eric's found heaven and he's not about to leave without taking a little tour.'

# Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth?

# Ooh, heaven is a place on earth

# Ooh, heaven is a place on earth

You can fondle without fear when it comes to pottery.

Well, you can stroke without a conscience when it comes to furniture.

'Steady on, Eric. It's not that kind of show.

'Now, our brave soldier of selling, Mr Morecambe,

'has been researching into his medals that he bought for over £111.

'And he's come to the Green Howards Regimental Museum in Yorkshire to meet curator Susan,

'who he hopes can shed more light on his mystery soldier, DI Howells.'

What I managed to find out was that amongst this collection, when I got these out of the frame,

is that this last medal here is named and has the regiment on it.

So, we have a DI Howells and he was with the Green Howards,

and he was in the territorial section of the Green Howards at this time.

As they are framed in this way, do these other medals tell us anything about this particular gentleman?

From that, we can deduce that he was probably with

-the First Battalion Green Howards during the Second World War.

-Wow! Fantastic!

So you sent me a fantastic bit of information. What exactly is going on here?

You did find Mr Howells, didn't you?

This is a page from one of our registers.

It tells us his number, his name, and his first name being David, which we didn't know before.

And also it gives disposal in this column which shows us he went to the reserves in 1946.

So he would have stayed on in the regiment after the Second World War ended.

And that is how he managed to get his TA medal.

That really is priceless and makes a massive difference because these are quite anonymous.

Most of the Second World War medals aren't actually named. The only name amongst them is that one.

It's really lovely to talk to you and thank you very much.

'Armed with all this extra info, can Paul now command a higher price for his medals?

'He'll need to because Susan's research has cost him £25.

'We'll find out later if he can find a buyer. But now, as we approach the halfway mark,

'let's check on both our warriors' war chests.

'At the halfway stage, our valiant antiques assailants

'have both bagged two sales.

'Paul has drawn a blank on his medals so far,

'but he's well in the black with over £108 profit.

'Eric got off to a great start, and his bank balance is the bigger,

'with a profit of just under £215.

'Our heroes throw themselves back into the fray,

'redoubling their efforts and working all hours in pursuit of profit.

'Knocker knows that this is no dress rehearsal, it's the real thing. So he acts fast.

'He arranges to meet his actor friend, Robin, in Westminster.

'Robin plays John Major in a film about Margaret Thatcher.

'So he hopes his Thatcher glass, purchased as part of his job lot of items for nearly £31,

'will be the perfect souvenir.'

-So, tell me about playing the role of John Major.

-This is The Iron Lady.

-Yes.

Well, Meryl Streep, as you know, is playing Margaret Thatcher and she is off the scale.

-She's going to be absolutely fantastic.

-Is she?

The voice, the look, everything about it, just amazing.

And I hope she'll get her 18th Oscar nomination.

-What we've got here, I have to say, I've not come across another one.

-I've never seen one like it.

-Feel it, it's a good weight.

-Oh, it is, it's a nice weight.

Now, if I could just tell you, from a glassmaking point of view,

erm, that it is quality because you've got cutting, and then you've got acid engraving,

-and the make, it was retailed as Minton glassware.

-Right.

But it was made by Webb Corbett.

It doesn't get much better. I suppose I've got to ask the question,

does she bear any resemblance to Meryl Streep?

She bears an uncanny resemblance to Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher.

It would be very nice to have this as memorabilia of the film for me.

-It would be lovely.

-Well, it can be yours, Robin. It can be yours.

-It's always down to price, isn't it?

-It is a little bit.

-OK.

-But it's a special day today because it's be kind to Robin day.

-OK.

My opening gambit is that I would be looking for around about £60 on something like that.

Now, when you sent it to me, I thought, "If I can get this for £40, I'll go for it."

What about going halfway, what about going to £50 or thereabouts?

Oh, OK, how about if we split 50 to 40 and go 45?

-Er, if we split it, I can tell you now we've got a deal. Put it there.

-It's a deal.

-OK.

-Thank you.

'A great sale. You turn if you want to, Paul, but Eric's not for turning.

'He also sells his carafe for £50

'and nets a total profit from his job lot of glassware of over £74.

'And he sold his Loetz vase for a whopping £320,

'giving him a profit of just under £49.

'That selling salvo has put Eric in the driving seat, but Mr Morecambe isn't about to wave the white flag.

'Like the trading trooper he is, he battles on and lines up a potential buyer for his medals

'that have cost him over £136.

'He's in Poulton in Lancashire to meet medal collector Paul.'

What I've always wanted to find out is exactly who this gentleman was or how to research these medals.

So, what I did, I went to them and they very kindly sold me, not gave me, sold me a wonderful pack here,

which is all the information about the Green Howards

-and about what they did throughout the Second World War. Isn't that fantastic?

-That's incredible.

What I wanted to do was find someone like yourself who appreciates medals and who would want to keep them

-and want to research them, rather than just melt them or whatever people do with them.

-Not a chance.

So can you get me out? It's a bit of a battle for me. Can you get me out if I asked you for £150?

-I'm not even going to haggle over something like this.

-Shall we shake on that?

-Oh, yes. Deal.

'Arise brave Sir Paul, your trading duty in this battlefield of selling is exemplary.

'And you're awarded a medal of profit to the tune of nearly £14.

'He's in the midst of a selling storm and runs like the wind to Clitheroe

'with a barograph that cost him a little over £74 to see his contact, Glen.'

So, are you ready for this, Glen? There we are. Isn't that fantastic?

-Now, you've seen one of these before, obviously.

-Yeah, the barograph.

Now, what's the collectors' market like for these now?

Is it the sort of thing people ask you for regularly? I know these barometers...

It's not really that, it's that people who buy these are generally buying it for its decorative appeal,

not to use it as an instrument, but it's just a nice thing to have on a desk or in an office.

-So what, roughly, would these cost new?

-Er, to buy something similar now,

erm, I think you'd be looking at sort of £400 or £500, I would guess, to buy a similar thing new today.

A second hand one is worth a little bit more than that, isn't it?

THEY LAUGH

So how would you see it? If I asked you £150, something like that, would you...

I think I'd be looking at £100, really.

-So £100, that's how you see it?

-That's right.

-For a retail market.

-That's how I'd see it to buy it in,

-obviously we've got to sell it, put a small mark up on it.

-OK.

So there's no use me asking you to swing the barometer into the higher regions?

-You couldn't meet me half way, say £125?

-Not on that particular item, Paul.

I think £100, I'd be happy to buy it, but any more I think it would be too much, basically.

Well, do you know what my old dad used to say? One bid is worth a thousand lookers on.

-Is that not right?

-It is, Paul.

-Shall we shake on that, then?

-Lovely.

-Nice to see you, mate.

'It's raining profit now for Mr Morecambe.

'He's pocketed nearly £26 profit.

'The race is on and Knocker dives full pelt into another potential sale.

'He's on his way to see a contact, Chris, who is looking for a wedding gift,

'and Eric thinks his cutlery set, bought for nearly £173, will fit the bill.'

-Are you ready to open a box of tricks?

-Yeah.

-Well, not so much tricks but...

-Beautiful.

I would say a very handsome, an exceptionally handsome canteen set.

Silver plate with stainless steel blades.

And, to be honest with you, looking at it, it doesn't look as if it's been used more than once or twice.

-It's beautiful.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, feel that. That's quite a weight.

-It's a complete set, really, isn't it?

-Well, it is.

-I've been through it, I've counted everything.

-Mm-hm.

-And I find 12 of everything.

But I know it's difficult when you're buying a wedding present

because do you think that this is the sort of thing that they are going to really appreciate?

-Yeah, I think I'd struggle to find someone who wouldn't appreciate this.

-Aw, that's good to hear.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

So, for something like this, I think a reasonable asking price

would probably be in the region of around about £400, or thereabouts.

-Now, I don't know what your budget is.

-OK.

So you've got to come back to me and say what you're going to be happy with.

'Yes, that's a big opening price. Will he get anywhere close to it? We'll find out shortly.

'Time is fast running out and both our boys still have stock to shift.

'Mr Morecambe makes a crafty last-minute decision

'to sell his plates and collection of ceramics at a car boot,

'but in the end he makes a combined loss of just over £26 after fees.

'Knocker also takes a knock when he fails to sell his over-mantle mirror

'and has to reflect on a loss of nearly £56.

'They've been through a harrowing test of skill and endurance to get to this stage,

'but our daring dealers have made it to the finishing line at last.

'They each started out with £1,000 of their own money.

'Paul bought six lots and including fees and research

'he spent just over £453.

'Eric also bought six lots but he spent nearly £901.

'Now though, all that matters is how much profit they've actually made.

'All of the money Eric and Paul have made from today's challenge will go to a charity of their choice.

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

-Hey.

-Good morning, Eric.

-In an English country garden.

-Well met.

-What's a Greek urn?

-Let's not go there.

-So tell me about auctions, are you a regular?

-I am a regular at auctions, actually.

There's something quite exciting. A bit like going on stage. What did you buy in the end?

I think the most pleasing thing was I managed to repatriate my barometer

-back to some nice people in Hatton Garden.

-Oh, isn't that fantastic.

-So that was nice.

-What about yourself?

-The highlight has to be that fantastic violin.

I'm in the wrong job, Eric. There's money in violins. That was the highlight.

-You count me in.

-Are you ready?

-Yep.

-All right. Three, two, one.

121. Whoa! Dear me!

-I was romped.

-Well, there you are.

I'm dealing with people who can't say no. THEY LAUGH

'Our mighty veteran seizes the day. This time experience triumphs over youthful exuberance.

'So was it the silver-plated cutlery that helped swing that landslide victory for antiques ace Knocker?'

-Would you take 340?

-No. But I'd take 350.

-Yeah. Done.

-350. Thank you very much.

'Eric made just over £177 profit on the canteen

'and with that he had Mr Morecambe for breakfast.'

Eric, well done. You're still welcome in Morecambe even though you gave me a good kicking.

I don't get any great gratification out of beating you, mate. No, that's a lie, I do.

'Eric may have taken today's crown but tomorrow Paul has the chance to snatch it back,

'as our dealers compete in the ultimate Put Your Money test, the showdown.'

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