Eric Knowles v Paul Hayes - Showdown 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.

Get ready for a rip-roaring, rollercoaster ride.

It's The Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is showdown.

The greatest challenge our experts have faced yet.

Our sparring Spartans of the antiques trade will be tested

to the absolute limit as they're challenged to scour

the length and breadth of the country

and continent to find antiques and collectables to sell on for profit.

Coming up. The battle lines have been drawn.

Look at that, there's a book about me and Eric at this auction. The Duel.

Knocker falls head over heels.

I don't want to sell it cos it's such a lovely pot.

And has Paul found a new career?

I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day.

-Couldn't find any anywhere.

-Very good.

It promises to be a rough and ready rumble, today,

as our antique experts go head-to-head for the title

of this week's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

This is the showdown where two heavyweights of the antiques world

go head-to-head in pursuit of prizeworthy profits.

An ultimate showdown supremacy.

First into the frame, The Master.

It's Eric "Knocker" Knowles, maestro of the gavel

and sultan of the saleroom.

If, um, if I look happy, it's because I am.

He's up against The Apprentice, Paul "Mr Morecambe" Hayes.

Don't be fooled by his boyish charms, this second-generation

dealer has bargain-hunting blood pumping through his veins.

Hopefully, we'll get one over on that Eric Knowles.

This will be a challenge unlike any other.

A true test of our dealers' antiques acumen,

selling skills and profit-hunting prowess.

Time to find out what's in store.

-Hey-up.

-It's showdown.

-Yes, it is.

Well, we've got our instructions for today.

-Shall I start the ball rolling?

-Go on, then.

"Eric and Paul, welcome to your final and biggest challenge yet,

"the showdown."

Now, "You must each buy eight items

"during your regular Put Your Money challenges."

And, "You have to buy two items at each event."

It says here that, "You can spend up to £1,000 of, yes, your own money."

Right, OK. "You can each sell up to four items wherever you want.

"The remaining items will go into an auction.

"Your auction will be in Cambridge.

"In approximately eight weeks from now

"in direct competition with your opponent."

Ah, that's a good idea, isn't it?

"Choose your items wisely

"because the winner will be the one who makes the most profit."

An auction in Cambridge, there we go. That's a challenge and a half.

Let's get this straight.

If we're going to Cambridge, we'll be going to an auuuction.

-OK?

-Oh, I do apologise.

-No, no, I'm here to teach, I'm here to teach.

-Thank you very much.

-See you later.

-See you later, mate.

And actually, Knocker, you're here to buy.

Both antique-acquiring assassins are equipped with £1,000

of their own money which they can spend on antiques

and any restoration fees and repairs.

The dealer with the most money to show at the end

will take the showdown crown.

They'll be hunting in familiar territory.

A UK antiques fair, an auction, a car boot sale

and a foreign antiques market.

First, Round One, an Antiques Fair.

Our bargain boys are in Malvern where there are over 700 stalls

overflowing with potential profit-busting bargains.

So, what are our boys on the hunt for?

Good quality Chinese porcelain, jade, that sort of thing.

Paintings always do well at auction

because if you can find the right artist, you've cracked it, really.

I'm going to go looking for, what you might call, the quirky.

Things where, you know, there's just that element of chance

that, with the right people, that item, or whatever, could fly.

So, I'm going to put my trust in a woman.

And her name is Lady Luck.

MUSIC: "Luck Be A Lady" by Frank Sinatra

And while Knocker tries to woo Lady Luck,

his archrival is preparing to pack the first punch

on a pretty painting.

This is a very, very popular scene, in the late 19th century.

It's a nice, gilt frame.

It's got a little bit of foxing around it,

where the colour has faded slightly.

How much is your watercolour?

The watercolour, best on that would be 350.

350. Do you know where that is, actually?

Yes, it's the Athog hills near Barmouth, Mid Wales.

-Mid, it's Welsh, right, OK. Mid Wales.

-Thomas Danby.

-Thomas Danby.

-Who was renowned for, sort of, Welsh landscapes.

-Right.

That's food for thought.

And I shall have a think on that one and I'll try and see

if I can find some more information about Thomas Danby.

-All right.

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

The man from Morecambe's pressed pause

on the purchase of the painting.

But Lady Luck is smiling on our cunning connoisseur Knocker.

He's spotted something that he really likes.

Well, I instantly liked this because it's so stylish

and I can tell you now that it's German.

Now, you're probably wanting to know how on Earth can you tell

that this was made in Germany?

Well, you're here to learn, everybody, you're here to learn.

So, you turn it upside down, look. And it says Germany, there.

That's a pretty good pointer, isn't it? I mean, let's be honest.

But I think this one was probably made in West Germany.

It's nice, it's stylish.

Excuse me, madame, could I ask you the price on that? And what...?

-The deff on that one is 35.

-35. And that's, that's...

-That's the deff.

That's the deff. OK, all right. Well, I'm not hard of hearing.

So, £35. I'm going to spend my money and I'm going to buy that

from this lady for £35 and I'm very pleased to do so.

Knocker is a pot-a-holic

and it seems he simply can't get this lovely vase out of his head.

MUSIC: "I Just Can't Get You Out Of My Head" by Kylie Minogue.

'It's handsome. I like it. I don't want to sell it.

'I don't want to sell it. I don't want to sell it.'

Well, Knocker, the rules are the rules

and you're going to have to sell it.

After a spot of research, the Muscles from Morecambe

returns to that lovely painting and dishes out a mammoth handshake.

I'll have it for 280.

-All right, I'll buy that, thank you very much.

-My pleasure.

That's good. I said today, I'm not going to buy anything damaged.

I just hope that I can do something with this mark in here.

-But, potentially, that's a very nice painting.

-Yeah, yeah, I think so.

That's a big price paid.

Mr Morecambe has blown over a quarter of his budget already.

And it'll need more money spent on it for restoration.

Has he paid too high a price?

Knocker has also pushed on in the purchasing race

and has nabbed his final item.

But what is it?

Well, I've just bought this very weird-looking lamp.

I say lamp, in actual fact, it's got two candles.

Now, they're actually sprung so, you know, when this candle burns down,

the actual candle is pushed up on a spring.

So you don't get candle wax, necessarily, dripping everywhere.

I've just paid £50 for it.

I can see somebody, hopefully,

paying in excess of 100 and maybe a bit more.

So, I think I might be onto a bit of a winner with this one.

Knocker's clearly hoping his lamp will light up this competition

and extinguish Paul's chances like a candle in the wind.

The Morecambe marauder is hot on his heels, though,

netting a 19th-century vase for just £35.

This is definitely going to come home with me.

It's a made for the Emperor, the Emperor of Morecambe, I think.

We bow to you, oh Emperor of antiquities.

Our duelling duo have wreaked haggling havoc

at this antiques fair.

So, let's check up on their spending.

They each had a budget of £1,000.

Eric has kept spending to a minimum, having shelled out £85,

leaving him with £915

for the next three rounds.

Paul has blasted his way through Round One and splashed out £315,

leaving him with £685 to spend.

Round Two. The Foreign Antiques Market.

Our pair of prize-winning profit-pursuers find themselves

in France at an antiques market in Reims.

This intimate market is full to the brim with bargains just waiting

to be brought back to Blighty.

And our boys march right in.

Paul wants to have his cake and eat it and spies

a nice-looking silver server set.

-Best price, le meilleur prix.

-Le meilleur prix. Soixante.

-Je prendrais pour soixante.

-Oui, OK.

-That's 60. 60, I'll buy it.

Merci beaucoup, madame.

He forked out just under £55, that's a sweet-tasting deal

but anything Paul can do, Eric can do too.

He's already swooped in and snapped up

a pair of crystal glasses for just under £64.

Smashing.

It's one-all in this French frenzy but Knocker homes in

on his second buy, faster than you can say fashion.

Ladies at home, I'm asking you the question,

would you wear this Hermes scarf?

It's the best in French luxury, er, couture, could I say couture?

I think I can. Cos I just did.

-Qu-est-ce que c'est votre meilleur prix?

-Cinquante.

-50. Oui.

Merci beaucoup.

Well, who'd have thought

Knocker would be haggling for Hermes?

He nets the scarf for just over £45

and wraps up his buying for the day.

Our hero Hayes needs one more purchase here

and soon homes in on a 19th-century Majolica bowl.

And he's determined to drive a hard bargain.

OK, the gentleman said 250 Euros is the minimum. I think it's worth that.

I'm trying to, I'm going to offer him, est-ce que je peux offrir...

deux cents vingt-cinq?

-OK.

-Is that OK?

-Oui.

-Deux cents vingt-cinq is 225 Euros. OK.

-Oui.

Merci beaucoup, monsieur.

And some Hayes bags the bowl for just under £205,

another huge purchase

from our blonde bombshell.

And with that, it's time to ring the timeout bell on Round Two.

So, let's have a quick look at the balances.

Eric has kept things tight to the max,

spending just over £194 which leaves him

nearly £806 to play with.

Paul has already spent over £574,

leaving nearly £426

for the next two rounds.

Round Three the Car Boot.

Our collectables colossi have headed back to Blighty,

bruised and battered but bloodthirsty for bargains.

Colchester in Essex, the Roman capital of England

and the scene for our gladiators' next mighty battle.

There are 700 stalls for our dealers to pore over. And they're off.

And, once again, it's the Morecambe maestro who takes an early lead.

Isn't that fantastic? I've bought myself a 19th-century plaque.

Of Mr Jean Baptiste Adolphe Aderer.

I'm not sure who he is but I'll find out, definitely.

I'll look up the...research the foundry mark

and the artist's signature.

I'll get all that together, get it into an auction and, hopefully,

get one over on that Eric Knowles.

Hmm, fighting talk.

He splashed out a sizeable £120 on that bronze plaque.

So much for the spending slowdown.

MUSIC: "Big Spender" by Shirley Bassey

Eric has got money to burn and is ready to splash some cash.

# Hey! Big Spender. #

Come on, Knockers.

# Hey! Big Spender. #

Let's see some serious money.

# Big Spender. #

-Well, I bought a table for a tenner.

-Or not, then.

Eric's pleased with his '70s tile table.

But cheap and cheerful isn't usually Knocker's style.

Maybe he's saving himself for a show-stopping finale.

In the mean time,

the Morecambe's spending tornado keeps on spinning.

I've never seen such a big collection of clowns.

I'm not looking at you there, mate. There you are.

But these are the sort of thing, I used to love these type of things.

If you went to Murano, which is near Venice in Italy,

this is the sort of thing you used to bring back

as, like, a tourism item, 1950s, 1960s.

You get these wonderful glassblowers that are working in Italy

and they would make these fantastic mirrors and chandeliers.

And, at the end of the day,

they'd have lots of remnants of bits of colour.

So, they would mould these bits of colour into these items

and sell them off at the end of the day quite affordably.

I'll have a think on them.

Those glass clowns have put Paul in a funny mood

and he can't help clowning around.

Come on, Mr Morecambe, back to work

because your rival is about to get down to business

with a very curious-looking object.

Is there, what you might call, a good price to be had on it?

-I think I offered you a base price of about £60, didn't I?

-You did.

-But you could twist my arm to about £40, I think, today.

-£40, OK.

-It is a little bit specialist.

-Yes.

And if I was to take it to the right place,

I know it's probably worth another hundred or so on top of that.

-But...

-Oh, what a schmoozer.

-But I can afford to do it for you for that price.

-Can you? Good lad.

A knockout blow from Burnley's best, but what on Earth is it?

That hooks onto your fireside, on your front grate.

You can put a kettle on there.

If you want to keep it hot, whatever's in there, push it forward.

Then, if you want to cool off, bring it back towards you

and away from the fire grate.

What I like about it is the way that it's just been,

it's pierced with this very, sort of, neo-Gothic design.

Which tells me it must date from around about 1850, 1860.

Because this is Victorian Gothic Revival.

And that's Knocker done for Round Three.

He can go and put the kettle on now.

But Paul isn't quite ready for a tea break, yet.

He still needs one more purchase. So, returns to the glass clowns.

I've got, I've got to ask you for 12 quid each for them.

-12 quid a piece.

-Yeah.

-So five would be 60 quid.

-That's right, yeah.

-Do you know what? I like you.

-I like you too.

-Good.

And I think, to be honest with you, we're both a couple of clowns, aren't we?

Five figurines for £60 and Mr Morecambe ends Round Three

with a bang.

So, time to check up on their spending.

Eric, once again, has kept his wallet close.

He's only spent just over £244, which leaves him

with nearly £756 to play with.

Paul is eating through his budget.

He spent just over £754, which leaves him

with just under £246 for Round Four

and any restoration he'll need.

With his £1,000 budget fading fast, Paul has decided

to get his painting restored before we enter the final buying round.

So that he knows what he's got left to spend.

He's travelling over to see Richard,

an expert restorer of fine arts.

But Paul doesn't even know if he'll be able to afford the restoration.

Right, you're in luck, in that...

this is all one piece of paper.

-Right.

-So, that's going to cheapen the overall job.

Can you get the painting looking as...you know, better for £200.

That's my maximum. It's not the case that I don't want to pay any more, it's just...

-Gosh, you are a charmer, eh?

-I'm trying.

-OK, we'll do it for 200.

That's fantastic, is been an absolute pleasure, Richard,

a real craftsman. I can't wait.

Including restoration this painting will cost Paul £480.

But that doesn't seem to have dampened his spirits.

Our brave hero is convinced he's onto a winner

but only time will tell.

And so to Round Four. The Auction.

Our tough northern negotiators are at the Duke's Grove Auction in Dorset.

They frantically need to scour the 700 lots going under the hammer

today, on a search for a last-minute bargain.

I've got, well, about £750 of spending power.

But, in real terms, that means I can only spend about 600

cos I've got the premiums to put on and all that sort of thing.

-Right, OK.

-And, on that basis, how much have you got to spend?

Well, I bought some real quality items before this auction.

No, Paul, you're hedging. How much have you got to spend? Come on.

-I've got £50.

-£50.

Well, actually, about 35, with the commission, to buy two items today

which is going to be a nightmare.

I think we're in a parallel universe today.

Hmm, it's a tale of The Prince And The Pauper

and Paul is going to be very limited on what he can buy.

So, he heads straight to the tatty, old books.

There's a book about me and Eric, here, at this auction, The Duel.

-50, 50.

-The auction kicks off

and the books are flying off the shelves.

-At 80.

-No, sorry.

-90.

All these books that are in the catalogue at £10,

this one's just gone from £90.

I think I'm going to have to listen out for the auctioneer.

As soon as he says, "This is a fiver, this is a tenner."

I'm going to buy it, whatever it is.

Could be a bike, could be a washing machine.

Paul's under the cosh but you know what they say.

MUSIC: "When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going" by Billy Ocean

When the going gets tough.

# The tough get going. #

The tough get going.

At £20 at the back of the room. At 20. I'll take five from anywhere now, then.

-Going at £20, at the back, for the Chinese lot, I sell.

-Thank you, sir.

Thank you, sir, well done.

20 quid, a bargain, actually. There we are. Should do this more often.

And it's one-nil to Paul. Never under estimate this northern hero.

With saleroom fees, that's just under £25.

And later in the day,

he gets his hands on them.

So, these are very modern Chinese items

but they're made in a very traditional manner.

It's called Blanc de Chine, which is pure, white porcelain.

It was made maybe 20, 30 years ago, but aren't they well presented?

It must be worth 40, 50,

perhaps even £60 as a good pair of quality vases.

Well, you can live in hope.

Paul's got pound signs in his eyes

but he's still got one more lot to buy and only £21 in his kitty.

Can it be done?

-At five, 10, anywhere? Come on, give us 10.

-Go on.

-10 is bid.

Well done, thank you for helping me out.

At £10, right at the back, there, at £10. Goes.

Thank you very much, sir. There we are. Right.

I've just bought Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour,

a collection of books on fishing.

That's me spent, I think. That's 30 quid, I can't buy anything else.

But I've managed to do it. It can be done. There we go.

We never doubted you.

Bagging the books for nearly £12 with fees, our Morecambe hero

flew close to the wind, but he did it.

That's Paul's showdown buying done and dusted, over to you, Knocker.

With hundreds of pounds burning a hole in his pocket,

it's time for Eric to show the saleroom what he's made of.

There's a Boulle work inkstand going under the hammer

and Knocker is determined to make it his own.

150, 160. 170.

£160, I'll take 170. One more, 170. 180? 190?

At 180, now, I'll take 190. All done on this one, then?

At £180.

Bingo.

1486.

If, um, if I look happy, it's because I am.

Well, what I've just bought is an inkstand by Lund of Cornhill.

Now, they were a top, top retailer.

I think, date-wise,

they said Regency, but I think it could well be around about 1830.

So, maybe just into William IV.

But it's, um, it's Boulle work.

At £180, I'm thinking I've got the bargain of the sale.

We'll watch, wait and see.

At just over £222, Knocker spends nearly as much

on the inkstand as on all his other items combined.

And with the end of the sale in sight, he wastes no time

throwing his bidding card into the air

for a piece of Regency furniture.

All done at 140?

Yes, he's speechless.

Eric nets the dumb waiter for just under £173.

A triumphant flying finish which heralds the end

of the showdown buying.

It's been an epic battle for these two treasure-hunting Trojans

as they fought across the country and continent in pursuit of victory.

So, let's check on their final spending.

Our duelling duo started this epic showdown with £1,000 each

of their own cash.

Eric's final spree took his total spend to a touch under £639.

Paul bought big and, with the painting restoration included,

his total stands at nearly £991.

Before these battling bargain hunters head home

to tackle the selling,

they get one last chance to size up the competition.

I've got just the book for you,

it's Dave Whitlock's Guide To Aquatic Trout Foods.

I've been looking for that for years.

I think, I think I'm more a candidate for Fly-fishing For Duffers.

To be honest, I don't think any of these items

are going to go to auction.

Listen, you know, I'm here to give you words of encouragement.

But I'm not.

-Well, good luck anyway, mate.

-OK. Listen, let's head north.

-Do you want something to read on the train?

-No, no.

-Are you sure?

-No, it's too heavy for me, is that.

With the buying behind our brave, bargaining boys,

they must now turn their sizeable skills to selling.

They need to offload all their stock

and achieve the highest possible profit.

The dealer who makes the most money can look forward to taking

all the glory.

The loser will have to face a world of pain and humiliation.

This is their ultimate contest. The showdown.

And there's a real twist in this tale. The auction.

With no reserve price on any of their auction lots,

they stand to lose big if no-one bids.

But they could also walk away with a fortune.

The key to this competition will be

selecting the right items for auction.

So, Eric, which items are you planning to put under the hammer?

I've gone for a mixture of quality and quirky.

When it comes to quality,

it doesn't get much better than Saint-Louis glassware.

I can tell you now that that is one very beautiful scarf.

When it comes to the quirky, well, I've gone for the student's lamp.

It's all there. It's marked up by a firm called Williams and Bach.

It's a bit of a relic, but very few of these have survived.

Then, something traditional,

something British, in every sense of the word.

A dumb waiter.

I'm loathe to sell it, in fact, I'm loathe to sell all these things.

And I'm trying to come to terms with the fact

that I've got to sell them without reserve.

Paul has got his restored painting back

and is eyeing up his items for auction.

First one has to be this fantastic bronze plaque of Adolphe Aderer.

Now, he was a critic-cum-author, French guy,

dates from around about the turn-of-the-century.

Not too well-known in this country but known abroad.

I do know that the auction that these are going into

is Internet linked.

So, hopefully, that should create the interest,

which is why I've put that one in this particular sale.

We've got this fantastic Canton enamel vase, the yellow ground.

This planter is a fantastic 19th-century Majolica planter.

The showstopper has to be this fantastic watercolour

by Thomas Danby.

His work regularly brings over £1,000.

Before that,

our bargain buccaneers have to find buyers for their other items.

Eric will need to shift his German vase, tiled coffee table,

trivet and Boulle work inkstand.

And Paul will need to find homes for his silver server set,

his set of clowns,

a pair of Chinese vases and a job lot of sporting books.

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

no deal is truly sealed.

Our brutes of the bargains are up and running

and Paul is first out of the traps.

He's travelled the 250 miles from Morecambe to London

with the silver server set that he paid nearly £55 for.

But can Mr Hayes convince silver specialist Daniel

to fork out a decent sum.

There we go. Now, can you tell me anything about those?

-I bought these out in France.

-OK.

-In a place called Reims.

Nice design.

But I've been on the Internet to try and find similar sets

and they're described as a foie gras set.

-Are they?

-Have you had anything like this before?

I have and you get them in different sizes as well.

As to whether it's foie gras, I think it's probably a bit debatable.

-OK.

-I think they're just a lovely little serving set.

Now, the hallmarks are, obviously, different

-to what you find here in the UK.

-They are, Paul.

And what I'm going to look for, which is very hard to find,

in the mark there's a very, very tiny one, number one.

-Or number two.

-Right.

This will tell me whether it's, if it's number one,

it's going to be a 950 standard.

-OK.

-Which is the French higher grade. Sterling is 925, as we know.

Right.

-If it's number two it's going to be an 800 standard.

-OK.

-So, it's a bit like saying it's 95% pure or 80% pure.

-Yeah.

And, just looking at it, then, which I'm very pleased to see,

there is a number one. So, it's a 95%.

-So, are you going to give me a price or am I...?

-No, I can, if you like.

-Sort of, 20, 25 a piece.

-Right.

-How does that sound?

Which puts you, sort of, between £80 and £100.

That's what I was expecting, what I was thinking.

-I may be well underestimating them at that.

-Could be.

-Could be, there we go.

-OK.

-How do you rate them, yourself?

It's interesting cos, yes, I think certainly at £25 a piece,

I have one of my regular dealers coming in.

-I would certainly have bought them for £100.

-Well, then.

So, if you want to sell them for that,

I feel like I've had a bit of a deal.

-Can we shake on that?

-I think so.

-Merci, monsieur.

-Thank you.

Fantastic.

A great start for the Muscles from Morecambe.

That silky smooth silver sale

gives him over £45 profit.

But could he have asked for more?

Well, he can't pause to ponder on this

because he races on to his next sale.

He takes the Chinese vases that set him back nearly £25

to Stratford-upon-Avon to show Raymond,

a dealer in Chinese artefacts.

-How do you say 35 in Mandarin?

-Mandarin, san shi wu kwai.

-San shi wu kwai.

-Exactly.

-San shi wu kwai.

Well, there you go,

he learns some Mandarin and takes home a profit of over £10.

With a two-nil selling lead over the master,

our apprentice Mr Morecambe can start his journey home happy.

But Eric "Knocker" Knowles is ready to dish out a dealing masterclass.

He's had the Boulle work inkstand restored at a cost of £108.

Meaning he spent a total of over £330 on it.

But the veteran is confident of making a decent profit

and he's travelled down to Hertfordshire to meet Martin,

a dealer contact of his.

First of all, date-wise, I think we're looking around about 1830.

I think we're looking at about William IV.

As you notice, it's, actually, inlaid in ebony.

It does have a maker's mark in there, Martin.

If you look in the draw, it says, there we go.

-Is it Lund of Cornhill?

-That's it.

-Very good maker, yes.

He was a renowned maker of the 19th century.

Probably earlier than 19th century, about 1830, 1840.

But this one, yes, it's fine quality.

What and you're looking to sell this to me, are you?

I am, indeed. It would be lovely to get the magic five

but am I pushing it?

-I think it needs to be slightly south of five.

-Can we go to 490?

I was going to say 485, that sounds a decent figure.

485, you've got yourself a deal. OK, good lad.

Yes, that's great work. A massive profit of nearly £155 for Knocker.

After the sale of the inkstand, is the writing on the wall for Paul?

Mr Morecambe is at risk of looking silly

if he doesn't pull another sale out of the hat.

So, he arranges a meeting with a local entertainer, Ali the clown.

He's got two things on his mind. One, to sell a couple of clowns.

-So, I'll tell you what I'll do, for cash.

-Go on.

-I'll do 38 quid.

Check.

And two, to realise a childhood ambition and become a clown.

I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day.

-Couldn't find any anywhere.

-Very good.

Someone stole a toilet from the local police station.

And the spokesman said, "We've nothing to go on."

That's good.

-Why are there no aspirins in the jungle?

-I don't know.

Why are there no aspirins?

-Cos the parrots-et-amol.

-Aaah.

-See.

Oh. Check. But our Hayes can't juggle two jobs at once.

So, it's back to the selling and he manages to sell

his remaining glass clowns to reap a combined profit of £8.

And he's not done there.

He takes his job lot of books that cost him nearly £12

to see bookshop owner Richard in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Up to about £30.

-Shall we shake on that, then?

-OK.

That's a real good deal, thank you so much.

And nets over £18 profit from that £30 sale.

And that's the end of

the private selling chapter for Mr Morecambe.

Eric, on the other hand,

still has plenty to do before he can retire for tea.

But he thinks he's brewed up the perfect potential sale

for his trivet.

I'm in lovely Shropshire and I'm here to meet Rupert Acton Scott.

Now, Rupert owns a Victorian cottage and, the thing is,

when you walk in through the door, you're back in 1860.

But the one thing he hasn't got in his cottage is a trivet.

And have I got a trivet for you, Rupert.

Now, let me tell you, I paid £40 for it.

I'm not going to take less than 80.

And, I've got to say, that he'd be barmy not take it.

Will Rupert think Knocker's Victorian trivet is terrific?

Well, I've got the prince of trivets for you.

Only in so far as, well,

what is wonderful is the fact that it's not your average trivet.

What makes it a prince is the fact that I know who made it.

-Ah.

-Because if we look on the back, it's very faint

but in there you'll find WT,

and a star.

-And that's William Tonks.

-Right.

-Of Birmingham.

-Ah-ha.

-So, quite a well-known maker.

-Yes.

But what I find pleasing about it is this lovely pierced design.

-Yes, it's beautiful.

-Pure Victorian Gothic Revival.

-Yes, yes.

It's got a lovely, little ceramic handle because, obviously,

-that's going to stay cool.

-Absolutely.

When everything else is hot.

-Let's give it a go, shall we?

-Oh, that's not too bad, is it?

There we are.

Let me just say that I was looking for somewhere in the region

of about £100.

-I would be prepared to pay £60.

-When it comes to, you know, the final.

-Yes.

-I think we might do 75.

-75, well, I think that's a deal.

Put it there.

It may look like it's from a bygone era

but Knockers hammered out a very modern profit of £35.

In London, he goes on to sell his retro, tiled coffee table

to vintage dealer Karl.

-Er, 20. £20.

-Er, £20, sounds good.

25 would sound better.

-Go on, 25.

-25, all right. You're a star.

-Thanks.

For £15 profit.

And he sells his beloved German vase

that cost him £35 to bar owner Heidi.

-65?

-Split the difference at 70?

-OK, done.

-Is it?

-Yup.

Which gives him a decent profit of £35.

The gladiatorial auction battle is looming.

So, let's check up on their all-important profits, so far.

Eric has sold four of his eight items

and has a healthy profit of nearly £240.

Paul has also sold half his items but needs to put in

the extra work at auction

as his profit currently stands at nearly £82.

MUSIC: "Carmina Burana, O Fortuna" by Carl Orff

Time for our antiques bounders to face the ultimate test.

Their remaining items are up for auction with no reserve.

This could make or break their bid for glory.

But before the hammer falls,

our gladiators have one last chance to check out the competition.

Now, I have to admit that when Paul bought this bronze plaque, I did

have my reservations because it's not an easy thing to move on.

Unless, of course, we can find members

of the Jean Baptiste Adolphe Aderer Appreciation Society.

I think they might be thin on the ground

in this part of the world.

I don't want to be negative but I've got my doubts.

Now, what I am delighted about, not only is it a fantastic object,

and I think so, but the auctioneer agrees.

He's put an estimate of between £200 and £300. Which is great.

It cost me 120 quid.

So, there's definitely a good chance of a good profit in this.

I think that this has got a bit of life in it.

In fact, I'm hoping it just might, with a bit of luck,

get into three figures.

Because it's got something called female appeal.

I think my mum wears one of these. Do you wear it like that?

Is that how you wear it?

He's paid the best part of almost £500.

So, I can't make my mind up

whether he's very brave or totally daft.

OK, so here we are, this is my fantastic watercolour.

It's here, it's restored. It's been well advertised.

I've done all I can, really, with it.

Now, bearing in mind it stands me at about £480 with the restoration.

Thomas Danby's work do fetch over £1,000 in good condition.

Well, so, fingers crossed.

It's the moment of truth for Paul and his watercolour

that's now set him back £480.

It's the first of our dealers' lots to go under the hammer.

Bit of interest in this one. Quite a nice painting.

Start at 240 on this.

-240. Really? OK. It's not bad. Come on.

-260, 280.

-300, 320.

-Come on, there must be somebody.

-340, 360. 380.

-Come on.

-400.

-400. It's not doing so bad.

-£400, bid now.

-Come on, we need a bit more.

-400.

-We know it's worth more.

-420.

-420.

-Come on.

-440.

-440, you're getting there.

-440, bid.

-Come on.

-Come on. Oh, come on, one more.

-460.

-460, come on, 480.

-480.

-Bit more, come on.

-500.

-Oh, 500.

£500, bid.

-Going for five.

-No, a bit more, a bit more.

-Bit more.

Aaah.

-I'll tell you what...

-I'm relieved.

After selling fees, Paul's looking at a loss.

I'm relieved at that. I'm delighted, to be honest with you.

No, Paul, I said a loss.

-It's not going to make a hole in your pocket, that, is it?

-No.

-No, you're right.

-You'll come good.

But I tell you what, that restoration was well worth it.

No, listen, the painting has made a loss of nearly £71.

Our Mr Morecambe doesn't seem to mind too much.

And, up next, is Knocker's mahogany dumb waiter.

-What's it standing at?

-It stands about 170.

-170 quid.

-About 172. Anyway, here it is.

-Come on.

65, the George III mahogany dumb waiter, there, look.

-And start at 150, here, on this one. At 150.

-150, you're in.

-150.

-There you go.

£160 and selling then, once, twice.

-Oh, no.

-£160.

-160.

The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away.

Well, it seems to be more of the taketh away, at the moment, chaps.

Because, just like Mr Morecambe,

Knocker's profit pot takes a knock.

He loses over £42 after fees.

Will Eric's silky scarf provide some salvation? Time to find out.

1453, the Hermes scarf, there, height of fashion, this one.

-Start at 55 on this one. 60, 65.

-Come on, Eric.

70, 75. 80, 85

-90, 95.

-Come on, Eric.

-100. 100 bid, there. On the scarf.

-Wow.

100, 110, new bidder.

-120, thank you very much. £120 bid.

-That's amazing for a scarf.

-Oh, 130.

-Now, are you sure? £130 bid on the scarf.

I don't want anyone to be disappointed.

I know it's not my wife cos I know where she is and she's locked in.

£130 bid, then.

-At 130 I shall sell.

-That is incredible.

-At £130.

-That is a complete shock to me.

He's back in business.

with the sale of Eric's designer scarf wrapped up,

after fees, Knockers made nearly £61.

Do you know what? At home, my missus has got a drawer full of scarves.

I'd get back there and check through them.

Got to bring them straight down here.

The pressure is on for Mr Morecambe, now, to make a profit.

Up next, is the yellow vase. How's he feeling?

Do you know, I really fancy this one, Eric.

It's the yellow ground Canton enamel vase, you know,

19th-century item.

I think this has got a really good chance. This was 30 quid.

The auctioneer has put in at 100 to 200.

-How much did you pay for it?

-35 quid.

-You paid 35 quid for it?

Can I just hold the arm again, please?

Yeah, but, yeah, but what worries me is you seem to be liking this.

Do you work out?

Start at 45 on this one. £45 bid on the vase. At 45.

45. Oh, you're ahead.

-Come on. There must be somebody.

-Come on.

-50.

-55, 60.

-Come on, then.

-£60 bid.

£60 bid, now. At £60 bid.

-65.

-65.

-70, anywhere? At 65.

65.

-That's a little back off it, isn't it?

-Yeah, into the right side.

You're into profit.

Come on, indeed.

That's given our Mr Morecambe a tasty profit of nearly £18 after fees.

Back in the saleroom, our boys' purple patch is fading fast.

Paul's Majolica pottery pot that cost him nearly £205.

£130 bid. At 130.

-Oh, dear.

-I will sell, then, at £130.

-Come on.

-No.

Come on. Oooh.

That sets him up with a loss of nearly £99 after fees.

And Knocker, too, suffers a painful loss on his wine glasses.

Selling, then, at £65.

Oh. Somebody got a bargain. Somebody got a bargain.

-There you go.

-Oh, that was a hurter. That was another hurter.

MUSIC: "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M.

Ouch, ouch, ouch.

After fees that leaves him looking at a loss of nearly £11.

Finally, though, there's light at the end of the tunnel for Eric.

When his student lamp that cost him £50.

Selling, then, at £90.

-Quirky's winning the day today.

-Certainly is.

Sees him off in style when he makes a profit,

after fees, of over £23.

All Paul's hopes now rest on the bronze plaque

that cost him £120.

Now, I must admit, out of all of my items, this is the one I fancy.

It's that fantastic bronze roundel of Adolphe Aderer.

-Have you heard of him?

-Never.

-He used to play for Burnley, apparently.

-Really?

-No, he's a French critic but he's a nice one.

-OK.

Let's hope the Internet comes in. And I need it today.

-Interest in this. I'll start at 100 on this.

-Come on.

-Were in at 100 already, there we go.

-120, 130, 140.

Come on. Keep going. It's worth every penny.

170, 180, 190. 200.

-220.

-220, come on.

-220.

-220 in the room. £220 bid.

-220.

240, anywhere? I shall sell then. At £220.

Hey, we're in the money.

A solid gold sale of the bronze plaque.

Paul takes home a hefty profit of nearly £60 with fees.

And that's the auction over.

Has Mr Morecambe's late success been enough?

I think we both ended up in a, very much, in a sort of level pegging, I think.

It's nearly time to find out. So, let's check on their final spending.

Both our experts started the contest with £1,000 of their own money

to spend at four different antiques events.

After all costs, Eric spent nearly £747.

And Paul spent nearly £991 on all eight items including restoration.

All of the money that Eric and Paul have made from today's challenge

will be going 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.

-Hello, Eric.

-All right, dear, boy.

-The showdown was a tough call.

-It certainly was. It certainly was.

I think we both had an item restored, didn't we?

I think my painting, I was delighted with the results.

Delighted with the price, really,

it was the auctioneer's commissions that scuppered it for me.

-But it was nice to do that sort of thing, though.

-Yeah.

I mean, from the auction point of view,

I've got to say that scarf flew away, didn't it?

That was an absolute shocker. I know nothing about ladies clothing.

Obviously, you know a lot about them.

-But that was great, wasn't it?

-Anyway, we've gone there.

-We know what happens here.

-Do we know?

-I thing we do know already.

One, two, three.

BOTH: Oooh.

-Very close, though, wasn't it?

-Very close. Yes.

The master takes it.

After today's loss, Paul may not have made the profit margins

he'd hoped for, but both our experts have been building up

their profit pots all week over a series of challenges.

And it's time to reveal whether Paul or Eric will be this week's champion.

-Ready?

-OK.

-Go for it, one, two, three.

-Oh.

-What have we done?

-Ooh.

-Look at that. That's a fortune.

The apprentice is given a dealing masterclass.

A massive victory for Knocker.

Both our experts have made fantastic profits

and all that money will be going to their good causes.

Well, my chosen charity is the Prostate Cancer Charity.

And because it's one of those areas which affects

so many families up and down the country.

My chosen charity is The Loyne School of Lancaster.

It's a school for people with learning difficulties.

Yes, it's been a week of no-holds-barred combat.

Eric and Paul have both put their money where their mouths are

and proved that they can make a convincing profit from antiques

when their own money is on the line.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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