David Harper v Paul Hayes - Foreign Antiques Market Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, pitching TV's best-loved antiques experts

against each other in an all-out battle for profit

-and giving you the insider's view of the trade.

-I'm on the case.

Each week, one pair of duelling dealers will face a different daily challenge.

-I'm a cheeky chancer.

-Lovely!

Putting their reputations on the line and giving you top tips and savvy secrets

on how to make the most money from buying and selling.

-Let's go and spend some money!

-Get in there!

Today devil-may-care antiques assassin David Harper goes up against

dapper international man of mystery Paul Hayes.

Coming up: Paul's attempts at bilingual buying.

Je pense...

-Est-ce que vous...quarante pour moi?

-Non, non!

-Cinquante?

-Cinquante.

-David struggles to make himself understood.

-Do you speak English?

-Non.

-Oh, gosh.

Do you speak English, anybody?

The best price... The beret's not doing me any good at all, is it?

-And it's coin toss mayhem for Mr Harper.

-Is it heads or tails?

-What is it?

-Heads.

-Heads.

Do it again.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

The location: Northern France, Europe.

A special undercover operation is about to get underway

involving two top secret antiques agents. It's going to be sell-adelic!

First up, a double-O operative who does it for Queen and country every time.

Versus the spymaster from Morecambe, the man who knows too much.

They've jetted across the water to Douai, France.

Their mission, should they choose to accept it, is to hunt down the best bargains to sell for cash. Groovy!

They've each got £750-worth of their own euros to spend and all profits go to their chosen charities.

David Harper and Paul Hayes, it's time to put your money where your mouth is.

-Bonjour, David.

-Bonjour, Paul.

-Ca va?

-Oh, I have no idea!

-You say, "Ca va bien, merci."

-I'm very well. And look at the size of that.

-It's massive! And full of antiques.

-Any plans?

-I have a cunning plan.

-Would you reveal it to me?

-Well, let's see yours first.

-OK. You have to close your eyes.

-OK.

Remember, I am a master at blending in wherever I go.

-Is it a string of onions and a beret?

-Oh, la la!

It IS a beret! Hello? Is it David?

-Oui, monsieur! Bonjour.

-I've got a similar thing here.

A list of jokes in French. Right...

It says here, right, "Tu as deja entendu la blague de la cravate? C'est longue et plate."

Which translates as, "Would you like to hear the joke about the tie? It's long and flat."

-And that's the best French joke I could find!

-That's the best English joke you've got!

-Is that right? Want to hear another one?

-Yeah, go on.

They might be all jokes and smiles now, but as they run off into the fray,

this duplicitous pair get to work and Paul has plans to use his good humour as a weapon.

I've got a list of really good French jokes. That should put the stallholders at ease

and get me a lesser price.

When you're in France buying antiques, you can buy things that are distinctly French,

which makes them more unusual back home. I've got the beret, I've got some money,

I'm in France, I'm excited. But I look more French than the French.

Well, with David going over the top and Paul going undercover,

it's time for our espionage antiques experts to start spying what's on offer.

-David's looking for a foreign object and it doesn't take long.

-That's got a real French look.

A Louis XVI-style mirror. Probably 1920s, I'd have thought.

Might have been gilded at one time. It's been painted. All it needs is a great big piece of mirror.

It's a console mirror, so originally it would have been made to fit above a table

that is either attached to the wall or on legs with a marble base.

Excuse me, monsieur.

Er, c'est combien? Combien?

-Soixante euros.

-Soixante euros.

-Sixty.

-Six-oh?

-Oui.

-OK.

The best price... The beret's not doing me any good, is it? ..No.

Forty-five.

-Forty-five.

-Oui.

-Yes?

The beret has worked its magic. You don't realise it, but it has. Thank you.

The mirror and frame reflect well on David's negotiating skills,

costing him £38.46.

And French-bereted Monsieur Harper desperately tries to win over another seller

when he spots an Art Deco table.

-Hello, madam.

-Hello.

-Do you speak English?

-A little.

-Good.

-Because I speak no French. Do I look French?

-It is very difficult for me.

-You're very good. Very good indeed.

-Thank you.

-What do you think of the beret? Like it?

-It's very blue.

-Now this little Japanese-inspired table.

-It's lovely.

-A little, little price.

-Little price. Can we go and have a look at it?

-Yes.

What do we say in French when a dealer deals with a dealer? We trade, we look after each other.

-We make sure that we're happy...

-I can give a good price.

-OK!

-What would a good dealer price be?

-60. Soixante.

Soixante. How about we do what all good dealers do?

Meet in the middle? Compromise?

-Cinquante-cinq. Is that right?

-Yes, yes.

-55.

-I can.

Oh, my God. Marvellous. Thank you.

Tres bon! The table costs David just over £47 and puts him into a two-nil lead.

There's a few things going on here. You've got a Japanese influence,

you've got the aesthetic influence from the late-19th century,

and an Art Deco feel from the 1920s, 1930s, all kind of combined.

So, date-wise, 1925, 1930. There's a real multiple mix of designs there,

but a really good-looking thing.

So David's got two purchases to Paul's nul points, but Mr Morecambe is not sleeping on the job

as he deploys his laudable linguistic abilities to inquire about an antique cradle.

Monsieur...

..le age de la...?

-Cent ans.

-Cent ans. 100 years old.

-Et le prix? C'est combien?

-Cent.

-Cent. 100 quid for me.

I think you mean euros, Paul.

-Est-ce que vous acceptez...?

-Non.

-Non?

-I'm asking 80.

-Quatre-vingt dix.

-Quatre-vingt dix. 90.

Souhaitez-vous entendre une blague?

Oui? You'd like to hear a joke? OK, here we go.

OK.

Je voudrais acheter.

Merci. Merci beaucoup, monsieur.

Yes, Paul's cunning comedy comes good and the cradle rocks up at £76.92.

Yeah, baby!

What have I bought? A cradle. It's a wonderful item.

You just don't see these in England. If you've got a new-born baby, what an impressive bit of furniture.

Also, these are great-selling items for the vintage doll market.

If you've got a good old Victorian doll, this is perfect to display it.

I'm so pleased, I fancy a bit of a nap myself. If only I could fit in there, it would be lovely.

And hot water bottle.

Yes, there's no time for a snooze, Paul. David has seen an item that he hopes won't blow his budget.

Is it OK if I blow? Yeah?

-See if it works.

-MUFFLED NOTE

Not exactly Louis Armstrong, is he?

Monsieur? Combien?

-Quarante euro.

-Quarante?

Quarante. Thirty euro? Yeah? OK?

Thank you very much. ..So I've just purchased a nice vintage trumpet without its case,

with its original cord and a factory mark from Paris. In brass.

Dated probably 1920, 1930. For 30 euro.

That, to me, is a celebration and I've got to do it again.

Bought.

David blows his own trumpet and the vintage horn puts him back £25.64.

David now has three items to Paul's one, but Paul has found something else to spend his money on -

money.

This is something that I find really interesting.

The study of banknotes.

We've got a thousand Deutschmarks here, which is quite a lot of money.

This is pre-euro years, this one. 1,000 Deutschmarks.

And this one is...5,000 roubles.

I hope he'll do a good price for the lot. I'd rather pay 50 quid and have 10 or 20 of them

-rather than buy one for a fiver.

-Soixante-dix pour le tout.

-Which is...seventy.

-Seventy.

-Seems a lot of money.

-Est-ce que vous acceptez quarante?

-Quarante? Non, non.

-No?

-Cinquante.

50 the lot? Hang on. Monsieur...

-Souhaitez-vous entendre une blague?

-Oui.

-Oui.

There we go. We've got an audience.

Not that old chestnut again!

Oui. Oui, oui, effectivement.

Paul hands over 50 euro for the early 20th-century Russian notes

and the vendor offers to write down a new joke for him!

It's the universal language. Humour is universal.

And Mr Hayes' humour helps him withdraw the banknotes for £42.74

and he hopes he'll laugh all the way to the bank when he sells them,

but what was the joke the seller gave him?

I've had this translated. Hilarious.

It says it's better to be a little bit courageous than to be a lot lazy.

Hilarious(!) Almost as bad as one of my jokes, that one.

Perhaps it got lost in translation.

Anyway, it's the midway point of Operation Antiques and time to find out who's feeling the heat

and who's coming in from the cold.

Both our deadly dealers came armed with £750 of their own euros to spend.

David has captured three targets, spending £111.11,

leaving him with £638.89 in his kitty.

Paul has done two deals costing £119.66,

so he has £630.34 still to play with.

Before heading back into the fray, Agent Hayes and Operative Harper meet up at Checkpoint Charlie

for an exchange of information.

-Bonjour.

-It is David, isn't it?

-Yes, it is. Monsieur David.

-It's not working at all pour moi.

-My jokes are going down a storm.

-Really?

-What have you bought?

-Oh, my gosh, yes. Some good things.

-Are you happy?

-I am, but don't you find the things you want to buy are a thousand euros?

-Yes!

There's absolutely no rhyme nor reason to the pricing.

-Well, good luck to you. As they say in Morecambe, bonne chance.

-Ah, bonne chance.

Yes, back patting over, it's time to get back to work and re-infiltrate this foreign market.

David is quick to home in on his next target.

I just love those. Four cinema seats or theatre seats.

Numbered.

I just absolutely love them to bits, but where on earth would I take them? Who do I know to buy them?

Look at that. It's a fake crocodile seat.

It's just plastic. When you're dealing in these things, you've got to have an idea,

maybe not a specific customer, but an idea, a feeling that you can move them on to somebody.

-Ah, bonjour. Do you speak English?

-Non.

-Oh, gosh.

And zero French. So it's not good.

-The cinema seats.

-Cinema.

They're cast iron, with this bent wood. Very cheaply made. Of course, made in big numbers.

Monsieur, combien?

Trois cent.

OK, best price. Monsieur?

200?

No?

-C'est possible.

-250?

How about, monsieur, 220?

-Eh? What do you think about that, then?

-Er, non.

Oh. You're going to write it down.

-240.

-240?

-Vrai.

Well, I think I'm going to buy these for 240.

They're 1930s cinema seats. No idea where I'll go with them, but I do think they're fantastic.

Monsieur, I understand everything and I will shake your hand. Thank you. Yes. Tres bien.

The seats cost David £205.13, but will he be able to find a buyer for them?

David now has four purchases to Paul's two, but Mr Morecambe is catching up

and has bought an Art Deco statue.

I think that might be one of the better buys of today.

I bought an original Art Deco bronze figure. These are so stylish and fit into the modern home.

The fact that the balls are gilded, the boules or the balls,

tells me it could be a Lorenzl piece.

He made lots and lots of objects at the time and for a very stylish original Art Deco figure

130 euros is cheap, actually. I think it's a good thing

and I hope it shows a bit of a profit.

The statue costs Paul £111.11 and brings the score to three-four,

but Agent Harper isn't resting on his laurels and he's moving in for the kill.

Doesn't that just ooze style?

It really does. A really good garden piece. Very continental. Very French. It has age.

It's not a reproduction. If it was, it would be so light and flimsy.

The frame of that thing, made of wrought iron,

is superb, but the seat, just look at it.

You really wouldn't want to put your bottom on that seat. It wouldn't stay very long.

So is it repairable? I suppose it is, but with great expense.

It's a restoration project.

Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen. Do you speak English?

-C'est combien? How much?

-Cent euros.

-OK.

So 100 euros. Gentlemen, 50 euros?

-Oh, non...

-Oh, yes!

He was going to say yes.

-OK, go on. You show me.

-Un moment.

-Go on.

-Quatre-vingt.

-Ah!

OK...

Gentlemen, get ready to be amazed.

Does he look like he'll be amazed?

-What do you think about that?

-Non...

-Yes! No?

-No?

-Non, merci.

-55?

-55?

-C'est impossible.

-55 and you can have my hat.

-Non.

You can have it.

Yeah. Here, here. Have that. And 55 euros.

Non, non.

Le prix...

-You want...?

-Quatre-vingt.

-Go on, write something down. Yes.

Seventy.

Quatre-vingt.

A little.

It does help, it does help. OK, 70 euros.

I can't even give this beret away! If you can't give a beret away in France, you're in big trouble. 70.

-Merci beaucoup.

-Merci beaucoup. It's been a great pleasure.

The early-20th century garden bench costs £59.83

and David hopes his restoration project will restore his chances of winning.

But Paul is hot on his heels with an item that gets his heart racing.

This is interesting. Look at that.

Circuit 24. The 24-hour Le Mans race. Look at that.

That's motor racing, isn't it?

Can you imagine that? It looks like 1950s, maybe 1960s.

24-hour circuit. Never seen one like that before. A slot racing machine.

It's got its original box and both cars are here. Look at that.

Wow.

That is so stylish. Look at that. The original Ferrari.

Isn't that wonderful? There's a massive market for anything like this. And it looks complete.

Let's see how much this is. Bonjour, monsieur. Ca va?

-J'aime beaucoup le jouer. C'est combien?

-Soixante euro.

-Soixante euro.

-Sixty.

60 euro. Ah, that's quite nice. Quelle age? '50s?

-'60.

-'60. 1960, yeah. And 60 euros.

Soixante. Quarante?

-Non?

-Fifty.

OK, I'm going to have that. OK, oui. J'achete.

The slot-car racing set costs Paul £42.74, but Mr Morecambe is still behind in this race

with four buys to David's five. With the finishing line in sight,

Paul puts his pedal to the metal and moves in on one more purchase.

My dad used to say if it doesn't go in your pocket, don't buy it, but there are exceptions.

I've come across this wonderful pedestal table. It's got four legs,

all heavily carved. She's asking 230 euros,

but it dates maybe 1830, that sort of time.

And it's typically French. The pedestal is a cracker. It's worth that just for its base.

With a bit of a polish, a bit of TLC, this could be a good seller.

Let's see if I can get a bit of a discount on it. Madame? Ca va?

Quelle age? Quelle age?

-Em...100 ans.

-Yeah, and a bit.

And le best price pour moi?

-150 euro...

-150?

-80.

-180?

-80.

Un cent cinquante? 150? I buy.

It's nice. Non?

No? Too low?

I would like to pay... Je voudrais de acheter for 150. Non?

C'est trop bas?

Oui. On coupe la poire en deux? 50/50.

50/50? So...

-Oui.

-Oui? 175. OK, oui.

Je prendrais.

Merci. Merci, madame. Merci beaucoup.

And Paul takes the table for £149.57

and brings the buying round to its denouement. With the best prices extracted,

it's time to say au revoir to this special assignment and find out how our super spies got on.

Our astounding operatives each started the day with £750-worth of their own euros.

David picked up five purchases,

costing him a total of £376.07.

After a slow start, Paul also ended up with five deals,

costing him £423.08.

But this frenetic game is all about who will make the most profit.

So with the foreign foray over and items of intrigue bagged,

it's time for our explosive experts to see who's ended up with what.

Well, my beret was absolutely rubbish. I've just chucked it away.

-It was devastated.

-My jokes went down a storm.

-Seriously?

-"Where did you get these jokes? They're wonderful!"

-No way!

-I've been offered a slot to tell them.

You need to move to France, Paul. They understand you, obviously.

-Can I tell the truth now? They were dismal.

-Were they?

-Not one laugh.

-Gosh. What about the items?

-My favourite item is...well, it's got to be the slot-racing machine.

You've got two vintage Ferraris. The whole thing just says 1950s, 1960s, Le Mans.

-What about yourself? Where's the rest of the theatre?

-I know.

You could never predict what you're going to buy.

-I bought this with you in mind.

-Really?

-My favourite item.

-Want me to impress you?

-Go on.

-Would you give me a job in your band. Tell me in three seconds.

STRAINED NOTE

-Have I got the job?

-No. You're not one to blow your own trumpet.

-No, never! Best of luck.

-OK, best of luck to you, too.

-Here we go. Back to Blighty.

Our special antiques operatives now head back home and gear up for the second part of their mission.

Each will be trying their hardest to sell their acquisitions for the biggest profit,

hoping to secure a win. On home soil now, our brave boys take time to peruse their purchases.

Back in Morecambe, is Paul pleased with the products of his foreign foraging?

I've got some great stuff here. The first one is this cradle or rocking cot.

It's oak, it's about 1920. It's in great usable condition.

The table is a cracker. It's French oak, dates from about 1830, 1840.

And the quality of the carving is superb. Such a great rustic table.

A complete contrast, we have two 1960s Ferraris here with this slot-car racing set.

Le Mans 24-hour race. Very French.

The most traditional piece has to be this lovely Art Deco figure.

It's bronze, 1920s. A bargain. I think I know where that might go.

And then a complete gamble, really - I bought some banknotes. Russian.

I've never seen these before. From the beginning of the 20th century, the time of the Russian Tsars.

So au revoir for now. How did you get on, David?

I did say I was looking for anything distinctly French. I think I've got it. Don't you think, Buttons? "Yes!"

Look at that. That is a beautiful early 20th century, real antique French garden bench.

Just the business. And this very distinctly French Art Deco table, circa 1930.

The trumpet. Well, I know now it's actually a bugle. I'm not particularly musically minded.

I'll turn that into something else. Wait and see what I do.

Then the mirror frame. That is so French. I'm going to turn that back into a mirror

by putting the mirror glass in. And then, finally, the theatre seats or cinema seats.

They're in the garage. They'll take me on an adventure. Now it really begins.

All right, Buttons? "I think so."

Yes, as David's talking dog says, this antiques adventure is about to begin

as our secret selling agents start setting up potential buyers, knowing that no deal is truly sealed

until they get that final handshake.

It's Paul who's first to get going as he heads over to Southport to visit

Art Deco expert Paul Wood, who he hopes will be interested in his bronze lady statuette

which put him back £111.11.

In my opinion, you're the fountain of all knowledge on Art Deco.

-I've brought a really iconic piece of Art Deco.

-That's rather nice.

-Do you recognise the artist?

-There's quite a few it could be.

-I suspect this is by Bourain.

This bit here is original. That's probably Algerian onyx.

This bit at the bottom I suspect was put on later to give more support.

-What age are you looking at? 1925?

-Probably '30s.

-'30s?

-Yeah.

-It was 130 euros. Could I ask you a couple of hundred for it?

-That's difficult.

-How do you see it, then?

-You'd need closer to 150.

-160?

-And there's her phone number on the bottom.

-Has she really?

-Split the difference. 155.

-Absolutely.

-Absolute pleasure.

What a start for the man from Morecambe. He makes a profit of £43.89.

David isn't going to let Paul get away with his early lead for long.

Keen to make the most of his purchases, he's done some repairs.

This absolutely delicious early 20th century French garden seat might look exactly the same

as it did when I bought it, but it's very much different. Look at the seat.

Identical to the eye, but on the underside I have attached a big piece of steel, welded on.

It cost me 20 quid. So now I've brought it to a mate in Yorkshire who runs an architectural business

and I'm hoping that it's going to be right up his street.

After repairs, the bench cost David £79.83, so will Andrew show any interest?

-Absolutely wonderful.

-Isn't it?

-Very nice.

-I did think of you.

-I know you have a love of France and have a place there.

-We do.

-I could see that over in France, no problem at all.

-Yeah.

I spoke to my local blacksmith and if I can just show you what I've done on the underside,

can you see that big strap of steel? That now has saved that original seat,

-which I think is fantastic.

-Yeah, I do.

-I thought you would. How do you see it price-wise?

-Possibly about £100?

-Andrew...

170.

-What about we meet somewhere in the middle at 150?

-Make it 160.

-Go on. I do like it.

Thanks very much. Good piece.

David makes a formidable profit of £80.17 on the French bench.

These things are always so much more comfortable than they look.

I'm just going to relax and enjoy it before it heads back to France.

How bonkers is that?

-Come on, Andrew! Glass of wine!

-No chance!

With strong starts from both our boys, David makes the next move.

Do you remember this shabby chic French mirror frame?

I did say that I wanted to do some restoration and put a mirror in.

My guy's done it for 30 quid, which is brilliant.

A client of mine, Barbara, lives here in the middle of the city of Durham.

She's seen it already in the shop without the mirror in.

The mirror frame cost David £38.46. So will the extra £30 spent on it be reflected in the price

as he tries to sell to Barbara who hasn't seen it since David's restoration?

-Are you ready?

-I'm ready.

-Open your eyes.

Ah! That is very nice.

Oh, golly. Yeah.

I'd like to put it just up there.

-Did you do any more work to this?

-No, but because the mirror is in it,

it makes the rest of it look so much better. And fresher.

I think it's circa 1920. That would be a safe date.

It could be 19th century, but this finish is only 20 or 30 years old.

But the frame of the mirror is much older.

-It's a question of how much you want.

-If I said to you £130...

-130? Would you take about...£90?

-Honestly, you've just tried to knock me down

40 quid! 125.

Let's toss a coin for it.

-Right. You decide what we're going for.

-You want... You said 110.

-No, 125.

-Oh, right.

125. OK. I'll tell you what, I'll round it up to 100. 100 or 125. How's that?

-115 or 125.

-OK.

-Go on, then.

-Hang on. Who's heads and who's tails?

-Ah, is it heads or tails?

-What is it?

-Oh.

-Heads.

-Heads. No, do it again.

-Yes, better had.

-I'll have heads.

-OK.

-Do you want me to catch it?

-Aww! OK.

-Ready?

-And go.

-Tails!

-Oh, no! I can't believe it.

-I've won!

-Well done, you.

Yes, David may have lost the toss, but he's won a profit of £46.54, including restoration.

So with David racing forward, Paul gears up for a sale of his own

with the 1960s slot car racing set that cost him £42.74.

These slot cars are wonderful items. They all remind me of my childhood.

I've made a few phone calls and managed to track down Kevin

and he has a big collection of original 1960s slot cars,

so I'll hopefully make a sale

I was so excited when I saw this, Kevin.

So what have I bought here? I've never come across this maker.

What you've got here is Circuit 24. French manufacturer, 1/30th scale,

-made between 1962 and 1974.

-Right.

-So...

-The heyday of slot cars.

-Now how important is the box?

If you've got a really tatty box, it does devalue the set a lot, but your box, it's not too bad.

-There we go. Do you know what cars these represent?

-Ferrari Testarossa.

I deliberately cut the plug off. It doesn't fit our system.

-It's cost me 50 euros, which is about 40-odd quid.

-Yeah.

-If I asked you 70 quid for it, would that be too expensive?

-I would say £60.

-And that's fair?

-£60.

I'm willing to let you have this for £60, providing I can have a race with you on your set.

-Of course you can.

-Go on, then!

So with a profit of £17.26, Paul revs his engine and goes head to head with Kevin.

-Three, two, one, go!

-It's Paul's yellow Lotus taking on Kevin's green BRM.

Kevin's in the lead. Paul's struggling to catch up.

Paul takes the lead on the straight.

-I'm gong to catch you!

-But Kevin puts his foot down! Let's see that again.

Oh, Kevin just beat the man from Morecambe.

Well done. I thought I had it. Where's the champagne?

So with Paul now zooming on ahead, he accelerates towards a nursery goods shop

and sells the 1920s crib that cost him £76.92 to Adrian and Vivienne,

rocking up £33.08 of pure profit.

So it's time to see which of our super sellers is raking it in and who needs to ramp it up a notch.

So far David has done two deals and made a profit of £126.71,

including restoration costs.

Paul has sold three of his items, but has made slightly less - £94.23.

But this mission still has some way to go before the final result

and our brave boys can't afford to relax if they want to keep alive their chance to come out on top.

Next up, both dealers go head to head in a tussling tale of two tables.

Paul has his 19th-century table, while David has his Art Deco one,

but who will have a leg to stand on when they come to sell?

Paul is first to make a move, taking his extendable table to Shropshire-based auctioneer Jeremy

and he's hoping for a tasty profit.

I bought this table out in France. French oak. I thought it was a circular breakfast table,

but the lady was trying to explain something to me. She had five leaves that go in the middle.

-Ever come across one like this before?

-We've come across French dining tables like this.

Five leaves absolutely helps you when you try to sell it.

In this country, it would be Victorian. Mid to late-19th century.

-But because it's French, this is called Henri Deux style.

-Really?

-After the 16th-century monarch.

It's sort of Renaissance revival.

But the leaves, I understand that in France they're not above having their dining tables covered,

so they don't particularly worry about what the leaves look like.

They'll put a nice Chantilly lace or whatever on it, a nice French lace cloth.

-They don't seem to match.

-But they may well be original, funnily enough, so that might help.

-What sort of estimate would you put on it?

-Slightly more than you paid.

-Can I put a reserve on it?

-Put your money back on it. 150.

-But only if we set it up, Paul.

-Right.

-We'll set it up.

That's a really impressive table. I didn't expect that. It looks much better than I imagined.

So Paul's got his auction planned and now it's David's turn.

He takes the Art Deco Japanese-style table that cost him £47.01 to Cumbria

to see whether fellow dealer Andy will fall in love with it.

I think, Andy, this is a very unusual table with lots of stuff going on.

-What do you feel?

-It's actually got, have you noticed it's got two initials on the far corner?

-No.

-I hadn't noticed that.

-OK. Don't know what those mean, but the guy who carved it, I'd have thought.

It's really unusual. You've got the 1930s in its time,

a bit of a Japanese kind of feel, which reminds you of the late-19th century Aesthetic Movement.

I don't think it'll be expensive at about 90 quid.

-What would make you happy?

-What about 60 quid?

-Meet you halfway. 75 quid.

-We'll do that.

-Brilliant. Thanks.

So David rings up a profit of £27.99.

But what about Paul's auction?

Remember that fantastic extending dining table? Well, it didn't actually reach the reserve,

but the auctioneer rang me up and said he had somebody interested, so it has sold for £150,

minus a bit of commission.

So after auction fees, Paul is down £29.81.

Having pushed up the prices of his mirror and bench with some natty repair work,

David now turns his attentions to the bugle.

He asks restoration expert John to convert the bugle into a sellable object, but what will he make of it?

This bugle will never play a tune ever again because it has been recycled

into a really jazzy, wacky table lamp.

It's very safely and professionally converted. Lovely what looks like old 1920s, 1930s cable,

but it's completely brand new.

And it's been weighted and sat on this base, lovely turned mahogany.

And then to give it some real weight a big old slab of marble. It's fantastic.

The bugle cost David £25.64 and the lamp conversion put him back another £30,

putting the total cost at £55.64, so what will musician Steve think?

A light?

Fantastic.

Yeah, em... That, yeah, will bring light into somebody's house very nicely, yeah.

Paris is a good part for instruments.

-Is it?

-French, Paris-made instruments usually carry quite a lot of value.

OK. Now date-wise, I'd have thought '20s, '30s?

I'd have to do some research. You'd look for a serial number. I'm not seeing anything.

Yeah, it's funky. In the right place it could look the business.

So where are we, then? Is it worth 100 quid? £95? How's that?

Well, it's coming down, but...

-90?

-90? I still think it's too much.

£85.

80!

-There's somebody definitely out there who will fall in love with this.

-There always is.

-And buy it.

-OK, thanks anyway.

-So Steve politely declines. What a blow for David's bugle.

But ever the professional, David returns home, wounded but resolute,

and manages to sell the bugle lamp to another dealer for a resounding £34.36 profit.

David is down to his final item, the set of four 1930s theatre seats

that cost him £205.13. He tracks down Durham cafe owner Michael

with a view to raising the curtains on a fabulous profit.

-Michael, feast your eyes.

-Oh, my gum!

-Feast them, Michael.

-Enjoy yourself. Isn't that just a great piece of kit?

-I like it.

-I do like it.

-They're French. I bought them just outside Lille.

And the chap told me, I think, that they were produced in 1932 for this particular theatre.

-Oh, you know I love that 1920s, 1930s thing.

-You are a bit of a Deco man.

-You had me up your sleeve for that, didn't you?

-So there you go.

-Nice.

-Could you find a place in the cafe for it?

-I've a place in mind.

-Good.

-What sort of money is it worth?

-How much are you going to charge?

-Three and a half-ish.

-Oof!

£350?

Well... Come on, it's me you're talking to, David.

360, then.

-Come on.

-345?

-Go for it. Tell me.

-320 quid.

-320...

-Am I being too hard on you there? Come on.

-330.

-Split the difference. We can't spend all day like this.

Nattering like two old wives.

-325 quid.

-Always a pleasure.

David makes an incredible £119.87 profit and he's all sold up.

But with time running out Paul still has the collection of early-20th century banknotes

and he's brought them to Gloucester.

Dosvedanya. Time now for these fantastic banknotes.

I've framed them nicely in this gold frame for £8,

so this now stands me about £50. Hopefully there's a good exchange rate here. I'll try to sell them.

The notes and frame set Paul back just over £50, but will antiques dealer and expert on old notes Rob

want to swap them for sterling?

Now I mentioned that I had these fantastic Russian banknotes.

And what I realised when I bought them is that they go from one rouble

all the way up to 5,000 roubles.

Now would that have been a lot of money at the time, Rob?

At the time it probably would have been. It's nice in a frame.

Will Rob want to hand over enough money to inflate Paul's chances?

All will soon be revealed.

David and Paul both started this contest with £750-worth of their own euros to spend.

David made five purchases costing him a total of £456.07, including restoration fees.

Paul ended up with five items as well, which cost him £431.08, also including restoration.

But all that matters now is who's made the most profit.

All of the money that David and Paul have made today will be going to charities of their choice,

so now it's time to reveal who is today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Bonjour, Monsieur Harper. How are you?

-We're still in the French mode. We just blended in, particularly me.

-What's French for rollercoaster?

-Don't ask me the French for anything! It was a rollercoaster.

-Any good with the sales?

-Yeah, I did OK with the lovely cradle.

-Did you really? I had a good result with my theatre seats.

-Brilliant.

But I had a disaster with my bugle.

-Turned it into a lamp.

-Great.

-Took it to a pal, a musician, and he just didn't want it.

Are we ready for it? Three, two, one.

-Look at that!

-Not to worry. We had a good day, didn't we? It was good fun.

-Enjoyed it.

So David is the winner in today's tussle after consistently bringing home a profit at every turn,

while Paul suffered his second disappointment when the used condition of the Russian notes

lost him £25.74.

Well, nice profit and it goes to show if you're going to a foreign environment,

get something distinctly foreign. When it gets here, it's different and unique.

Nice for me, but unlucky for Paul.

I lost my shirt on those roubles. If I buy them again, it'll have to be in mint condition.

Overall, I've got a bit of a profit and it's better than a loss.

Yes, Paul may have been beaten, but anything can happen tomorrow

as our experts go up against each other at an antiques fair in Lincolnshire.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd