Eric Knowles v James Braxton - Showdown Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

We pitch TV's best-loved antiques experts against each other

in an all-out battle for profit...

Whaa-hay!

..and give you the insider's view of the trade.

I'm on the case.

-Whoo-hoo!

-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!

Hold onto your hats, people, we're ready for take-off,

because this is The Almighty Showdown,

the fiercest battle our duelling antiques dealers have faced yet.

Our finely-honed profit-hunters will be tested to the max,

as they're sent on a mission to scour the country and Continent

to plunder the finest treasures they can find

and then they must sell them on for maximum profit.

Coming up, Eric reveals the tactics that made him a legend...

I buy everything with a view to doubling my money.

..James has dark predictions for the battle ahead...

It's going to be pretty bloody.

..and there's an auction-room first as Knocker's knocked for six.

Words are just not... They're not coming.

Tears are! Tears are coming.

It promises to be clash that will go down in antiques history,

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

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

In today's showdown,

our duelling dealers face off in one final fight for profit

and for ultimate victory over their opponent.

Our trading titans are two of the world's most esteemed treasure hunters.

First up is the Earl of Earthenware, the Arch Duke of Art Deco,

it's Burnley's blue-blooded Baron of Antiques...

And ready to rumble in the opposite corner is the Viscount of Valuables,

the Prince of Pictures and Portraits,

it's the auctioneer who knows no fear...

Our dealers will need to use their knowledge,

expertise and skill to emerge victorious.

They both have £1,000 of their own money to spend

and the winner of this challenge will be the one who makes the most profit,

and that profit will go to a charity of their choice.

Let the battle begin.

Mate, once again, and we've made it to the end of the week!

Final day.

-It's the Showdown!

-The mighty Showdown.

And here we are in Ardingly.

With a title like "Showdown",

we should be at the OK Corral like a couple of gunslingers.

It's a vast, almost like a poultry shed in here.

It is, isn't it?

Now, listen, I've got some info. Do you want to start us off?

What does it say? I've not brought my specs.

"Welcome to the mighty Showdown. The rules are simple.

"You must each buy two items at every one of your regular Put Your Money challenges.

"You have £1,000 to spend."

It then goes on to say, "You can sell up to four items wherever you want.

"The rest will be sold at an auction in Leicestershire,

"in direct competition with your opponent."

-That's you and me.

-You and I.

"The winner is the dealer who makes the most profit."

-Token "Good luck".

-That's very generous, isn't it?

I think we might need it!

But having said that, go for it, kid.

-Go for it.

-Good luck.

-See you!

Yes, this Showdown ain't big enough for the two of them. There can only be one victor.

Both our buying banditos know that the £1,000 they have to spend

must cover any restoration, repairs and buying fees.

Eric and James will be buying from their usual hunting grounds,

a UK antiques market,

a foreign antiques market,

an auction and a car boot sale.

-BELL RINGS

-Round 1 for our bargain buccaneers

is the antiques fair.

The arena for this clash is the Ardingly International Antique and Collectables Fair in East Sussex,

where hundreds of potential money-making items

are just waiting to be snapped up.

Now, like a man from the Wild West pioneering the frontier,

Eric is blazing a trail in search of profit-making items to lasso.

And he's quick to set his sights on a picture.

I'm just intrigued with your, erm,

your Lionel Edwards.

Actually, it looks like it's a print that's been over-painted.

-Is that the best, 30 quid?

-Er... It can be 25.

-25. I'll buy it.

-Good.

-Easy as that.

I bought this painted print. It's been overpainted, but it's purely decorative.

It's Lionel Edwards. He's very well-known for his hunting subjects

and horse subjects in general.

I'm thinking this is probably maybe 1920s or thereabouts.

As for me, at 25 quid I've taken a bit of a punt.

Our Eric's not horsing around

as he gallops into an early lead by bagging the print for £25.

And without pausing for breath, he ropes in his second buy.

The King of Antiques pays £20 for a figurine of Her Majesty The Queen,

made to commemorate her 80th birthday in 2006.

Well, I was motivated by what you might call the two Ps -

patriotism and profit.

Because a Royal Worcester figure of Her Majesty The Queen for £20

has got to be a good deal.

Eric has rounded up his two antique-fair items,

while James is still to buy.

But, like the sheriff riding into town,

Bingo is quick to restore order, spying an Indian silver dish.

I could make that 25 to you.

Michael, I'll have it. That's very kind of you.

Bingo's first buy is in the bag.

I like this little silver dish. Indian. It's got this lovely decoration here.

Michael, who sold it to me, tested it. It's unmarked.

The solvent came up a very deep red, which denotes a high silver content.

I only paid £25. I'm hoping for a profit.

Sheriff Braxton doesn't stop there.

Bingo squares things up by buying an early 20th-century photo of the Royal Family for £20.

I bought this fellow.

Great fun. It's a sort of royal portrait.

But the only person who seems to be smiling

is old top dog here - Edward VII.

So here he is, on his own manor, in Windsor Castle,

and various selected heads of European states here.

It's 1907. It's a great loo picture, isn't it?

Hang it in the loo, next door to the yacht that you always wanted to own.

Clearly Bingo is thinking of staking his claim to the Showdown Throne with that purchase.

Round 1 has a patriotic feel,

with both antiques experts buying royal memorabilia.

But how much have our brave boys spent?

Eric and James' Showdown budget is £1,000.

Eric spent £45 on his two lots, leaving him with £955 in his kitty.

By pure chance, James has spent exactly the same amount,

parting with £45,

so he's also left with £955 for the remaining three rounds.

-BELLS RINGS

-It's neck and neck

as the bell rings for Round 2.

Our treasure-hunting titans are going cosmopolitan,

as they hit the stylish streets of Paris

and head for the Bastille Antiques Market.

Here, Eric and James must hunt down two items each.

With grim determination, they begin working their way through the 450 stalls,

spread over a kilometre of ground.

But this challenge is not going to be easy.

I've yet to find that one thing that's given me what you might call the "wow" factor.

Because, hopefully, IF and when I find it and I buy it,

you hope that whoever you sell it to

shares the same emotion.

If they do, you've got yourself a winner.

Luckily, expert Eric knows exactly what he's looking for

and when he finds it, he's quick to pounce,

buying an engraved Lalique glass ashtray for £59.83.

Our Lancashire lad is chuffed to bits.

It's always nice to make a purchase.

I've gone with an old friend,

although he was long dead when this was made in the 1960s.

It's crystal Lalique.

It features this sort of sailing ship.

I've paid, erm, what, 70 euros, which I think is a fair price.

There's not a big margin in it for me

unless I can find somebody who's big on shipping

and big on Lalique at the same time.

That's a tall order, Eric.

But Bingo Braxton has spotted what could be his first foreign profitable plunder.

He pays £128.21 for a painting of a steeplechase.

I like this composition.

We've got the artist's name here.

It's dated 1912.

I like the shape of it. It's a very long landscape.

We've got foxing and staining down here,

and it's all because of this -

the paper has deteriorated

and it's allowed moisture and dirt to actually creep in.

It's priced at 280.

It was mine for 150.

Well, jolly nice work, Bingo.

Both our dealing dynamos need one more purchase in Paris.

The race is on to find that little piece of je ne sais quoi

that could be the coup de grace.

And James has just spotted a piece of pottery that looks very, very British.

The nice thing about this particular dish, it's made by Wade Pottery.

It's all written on the back for you.

It's a 1929 Bentley of Dorothy Paget and Henry Birkin Team.

Birkin was the great racer

and Dorothy Paget was a very wealthy lady.

I know quite a few car enthusiasts, petrol heads, who will love this.

Excusez moi, monsieur, vingt euros, s'il vous plait?

-It's 25.

-25?

-Yes.

-OK.

Merci, monsieur. Merci.

Bingo va-va-vooms his way to the Bentley dish for £21.37.

The speedy spender from Sussex has done all he can in Paris

to give himself the best shot at the Showdown title.

It's all down to Eric. He might've found what he's looking for.

It's French, it's glass, it's Art Deco

and it's got his name written all over it.

I'm looking at a Daum vase.

I'm looking at a vase that dates to 1930.

It has got a signature.

If I point it out to you, it's down there.

So this is made in Nancy.

I rather like that.

I'm just checking it for chips. I don't see anything really wrong with it.

It's got a price tag of 280 euros.

It's quite thinly-walled. They made two types.

Some of them were quite thick. This one's a thinly-walled one.

It's got acid cutting.

It gives the texture of granulated ice, almost.

Eric goes in for the kill.

-220.

-220.

-OK.

He seals a deal on the 1930s vase for just over £188.00.

And with that, Round 2 in Paris is done and dusted.

Our purchasing powerhouses have landed all the punches they can,

so let's see how much they've spent.

Our boys started out with a Showdown budget of £1,000.

Eric has now spent £292.86,

leaving him with £707.14 in his kitty.

James has spent £194.58,

giving him £805.42 to spend in the remaining two rounds.

The battleground for Round 3 is Sworders Auction in Essex

and, as auctioneers themselves, both our competitors are about to step up a gear.

Well, James, this has to be the toughest call of all the showdowns.

I've got a lot of money. I've got £800.

I'm like you. I've got money to spend.

The important thing is, I want to spend it wisely.

-Whatever happens, just go for it.

-Yes. Good luck.

They may be encouraging words from Eric,

but both those antiques heavyweights have their eyes fixed firmly on the prize

to be crowned the Showdown King.

Like lions stalking their prey, they take up their positions in the auction room,

biding their time as the lots come up.

It's Bingo who's first to pounce.

The next lot, I'm really after.

This is 15 bottles, a mixed lot of whisky.

I know there's going to be a lot of competition for it. It's going to be pretty bloody.

Estimate - 50 to 100.

I think it's going to be around 150 to 200.

-..130, 140...

-As the bidding begins, will Bingo be proved right?

..200. 220. 240.

260. 280. 300.

In the room at £300. All finished at £300?

I'm going to turn 300 into at least 500.

Ooh! Confident words from Mr Braxton,

despite paying over three times the reserve price.

He takes home the mixed lot of 15 bottles of whisky

for £372, including costs.

This is the lot I bought.

It's principally Scottish malt whisky.

We've got some old fellows.

We've got a very nice presentation case here.

This looks rather special, doesn't it?

This is the Aberlour.

It comes in a fabulous presentation case.

It's distilled in 1970,

bottled in 1991.

That's a fabulous lot. 42 years old.

That's got to be 50 to 200.

So I think this is going to be a good little earner for me.

And Bingo's firing on all cylinders, because without stopping for breath

he lands a Regency rosewood table at a total cost of £37.20.

This is my bargain of the day. Lot 342.

Very nice rosewood here.

Very nice circles here.

I think it's sort of bird's-eye maple going on.

The only problem is, missing one of its feet. I've got three feet here.

I can get these turned out of rosewood. It'll look fabulous.

In the catalogue, it's described as Regency.

I think that's pushing it slightly.

I think it'd be best to say early Victorian. It's pre-1850.

James has bagged his two required items

and now the pressure is all on Eric to match his rival's purchasing prowess.

He bides his time, before plunging into the bidding on a mahogany table

with an estimate of £200 to £300.

240. 240. Gentleman's bid at 240. Selling in the room at £240.

And Knocker stealthily nabs the Victorian mahogany table

for £297.60, with commission.

Let me make this absolutely clear.

I did not buy this Victorian glass epergne.

What I did buy was this lovely Pembroke breakfast table.

It's Victorian. It dates to around about 1840, 1860.

But the beauty of this table is all hidden, because it's all here, underneath.

It's all in this support,

with these wonderful, strong sort of spreading legs

and, if you look carefully here, these lovely sabot

or, should I say, the caps on the end of each of the feet.

And underneath, white ceramic casters.

Very popular in and around about 1850.

Well, it's very much sort of got a Gillows feel about it.

It's very fashionable to tell everybody that a piece of furniture is by Gillows.

But there's just little bits of detail here.

There's a little bit of ebony stringing here

that you do find on Victorian Gillows furniture.

Having paid just short of £300 for this,

I think that I've got to be asking at least 400 to 500 for it.

It's just a matter of finding somebody who's got impeccable taste.

And Eric's not sleeping on the job, as he soon follows up with purchase number two,

a Victorian-style brass double bed he bought for £161.20,

including fees.

I had my eye on this particular bed and I'm glad I've got it,

although it's the first time I've ever bought a brass bed.

I think for £130, plus the premium,

I've got myself something of a bargain.

So, will Eric's Victorian table and brass bed furnish him with a tidy profit?

And will Bingo be able to turn his 15 bottles of whisky into competition-winning cash?

With that in mind, let's see how their finances are currently faring.

Both our boys started the Showdown with £1,000.

Eric has spent £751.66,

leaving £248.34 in his kitty.

James has parted with slightly less, £603.78,

meaning he has £396.22 going into Round 4.

-BELLS RINGS

-And so it begins,

the Final Round in this clash of the antiques aristocracy.

It's time for our brave boys to show they can spot the treasure amongst the trash

as they take their marks at a car-boot sale in Melton Mowbray.

Well, the Showdown items are coming together.

There's definitely a couple of items that I'm very keen to have.

It's just a matter of, dare I say, putting my money where my mouth is.

Yes, that's exactly the name of the game, Eric.

Knocker's first off the profit-hunting starting grid,

but as he pulls into his first stall

he has an important question for the vendor.

How much does it cost to put somebody's bottom on that chair?

Or in layman's terms, "How much?"

£25?

I've got a £20 note. Would 20 buy it?

-Yes.

-All right. £20. We'll have it.

Bring it here.

Nice thumbshake, Eric.

And he zooms into pole position with that first buy at the boot sale.

I've just bought this Georgian-style miniature armchair

for the princely sum of £20.

This sort of thing has been made in the Far East

and this, I can tell you now,

is probably a little more than 20 or 25 years in age.

I buy everything with a view to doubling my money.

I think I'm in with a chance with this. It's no great work of art.

There's no great cabinet-making going on here.

It's just a lovely little miniature chair.

Not willing to languish in last position,

Bingo puts his pedal to the metal in search of his profit busters

and he homes in on two card cases.

-How much have you got on that?

-That's 50.

-50. And what's that?

-And that's 50.

I'll give you 50 for that. I'll give you 50 for that. Thank you very much indeed.

In a shock move, Bingo Braxton bags both his items at once,

overtaking his nemesis and crossing the finish line first.

He pays £50 apiece for a Chinese card case and a mother-of-pearl card case.

This is a Chinese, Cantonese ivory card case,

made for the European market. You keep visiting cards in there.

This fellow - 1890, 1900,

when people were giving visiting cards,

so well before the 1947 act restraining the trade of ivory.

I'm rather hoping that it makes somewhere between 500 and 2,000.

On the same stall, I also bought another card case,

mother of pearl this time.

I bought this, again, for £50.

This is probably going to make 100, maybe 150.

With Bingo's mission complete, Eric needs to power home with a final piece

if he's to keep his Showdown dreams alive.

And when the Lieutenant of the Loot spies this metal-topped reversible card table,

he snaps it up for £20.

If we turn it upside down

we find that we have got,

when I get it right, yes, pull that back, out we go

and an envelope table falls out to become, yes, a card table.

Date-wise, we're looking at the first, perhaps, er,

two decades of the 20th century.

Now, granted, it could do with being rebaized,

but if I can't make a profit at auction,

well, hey, I must be in the wrong business.

So the final round is over and our swashbuckling spenders have bought all they can.

Will Knocker's games table put him in pole position

or will Bingo pull the biggest profit with his card cases?

Our rummaging rivals each started the day

with £1,000 of their own money to spend.

Eric's Showdown selection has cost him £791.66.

James has spent less in his bid for victory -

a total of £703.78.

Buying over, there's just enough time for our profit-hunters

to show each other a glimpse of their wares.

You've got to admit that you had to plough through an awful lot of rubble

to find anything of any real merit.

It was. And it was so dispersed, wasn't it?

-So show me what you bought, James.

-Well, this is what I bought.

-I bought this rather nice little mother-of-pearl fellow.

-That's lovely!

-How much, James?

-50 pounds.

50 pounds very well-spent.

What else did you buy?

I bought this, Eric. I bought it at the same time.

So we're talking Canton, 1860, 1880.

-How much did you get that for?

-I paid exactly the same price. I paid £50.

You've never seen a man get out 100 quid so quickly.

-So, are you putting any to auction?

-I can't make my mind up.

One or the other is going to go into the auction.

I'm going to put these two into auction, I think.

I have to say, James, if I can quote a certain Mr Arthur Daley,

-"I think you're in for a nice little earner, my son."

-Thank you, Eric.

-Just wish me the same!

-I will!

Now, buying their booty was just the start of today's ultimate challenge

for Showdown glory.

Eric and James must now transform into selling superstars

as they look to offload their items for maximum profit.

Our eminent experts now have to sell all their items.

But the Showdown has a twist... The auction!

Eric and James must each put half their items under the hammer,

where they'll have no haggling power

over what the buyers will be willing to pay.

They might see their profit soar or they might lose everything.

Over at Knocker Knowles's lair in Buckinghamshire, Eric is sizing up his stash.

Well, what have I got?

I've got my chair, which I think is going to sell itself.

I've got my little Lalique cendrier,

or, if you prefer, ashtray.

Yes, batting for me, I've got Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth,

a patriotic pal.

And finally, that lovely Art Deco vase,

dating from the 1925, 1935 period.

Eric must also sell the 1920s Lionel Edwards painting,

the Victorian mahogany table,

the 1980s Victorian-style brass bed

and the 1920s metamorphic card table.

All in all, what you're looking at is ammunition

because this is a duel, Mr Braxton,

and I sincerely hope that you do choose your pistols well.

Fighting talk from Knocker Knowles.

But over in East Sussex, James is also feeling confident

as he assesses his haul.

I'm surrounded by these four items that I'm going to retell.

I've got the rosewood table, rather nicely inlaid,

missing one of its bun feet, which doesn't help it.

I love the steeplechasing watercolour there.

Also, the Bentley dish there, made by Wade.

It cost me under £22.

Showdown-wise, I think it hinges on the whisky.

This is where I could make my money and what could knock-out old Knocker.

James must also sell the early 20th-century Persian metal bowl,

the 1907 Royal Family portrait, the 1850 mother-of-pearl card case

and the 1850 Cantonese ivory card case.

So the time for talk is over.

Our experts need to back-up their words with actions

as they hit the selling trail.

Remember, no deal is truly sealed until they've shaken on it.

James is the quickest off the starting grid,

having got his first potential buyer to come to him.

I'm waiting for a friend to come in a rather special car,

to sell him this dish.

When he arrives, he'll know why I want to sell him this particular dish.

Bingo paid £21.37 for the dish in Paris.

But will classic car enthusiast John drive up a profit for him?

-James!

-What about my little dish? The 4.5-litre Bentley.

-Super-charged. There it is.

-Yes. Beautiful car.

-Lovely car, isn't it?

-I'd love one of those(!)

The good news is, the dish is considerably cheaper than the model.

How old do you think it is?

I think it's about 1950s. It's made by this manufacturer called Wade.

I want to try and get £80 for that.

£80! I think that's probably a bit rich.

How does 30 or 40, on the toss of a coin, sound?

How about 35 or 45 on the toss of a coin?

Go on.

-Heads.

-Heads it is.

-35 pounds! James, thanks very much!

-JAMES LAUGHS

He may've lost the coin toss, but James still pockets a £13.63 profit.

But Eric looks to retaliate

as he takes the figurine of the Queen, bought for £20,

to an antique centre in Stoke-on-Trent

to show owner Bill.

Here she is in all her, er, all her regalia.

-Royal Worcester.

-Yes.

It was done for the 80th birthday of the Queen in 2006.

Unfortunately, this one was mass produced.

-Value-wise, not too much.

-Not too much?

-No.

I was looking for sort of 50 quid, but you come at me, Bill.

I'd like to pay you £30, Eric, for that.

-£30 and it's yours.

-OK, great.

It may not be a regal sum, but Eric still earns £10 profit.

I think it's a bit squalid to haggle over Her Majesty The Queen,

so I was happy to accept a 50-percent profit

and all's well at my end.

And Knocker's not stopping there.

He launches himself into the lead when he strikes a deal

on the 1965 Caravelle Lalique ashtray that he bought in Paris,

which delivers a profit of £40.17.

It's an impressive start from Eric,

but James thinks he may have got the scoop on his next deal.

Ooh, I'm on!

Hello, this is James Braxton, coming to you from the heart of the city.

I'm in Canary Wharf. I bought a lot of whisky

and I've come to see one of the world's leading mixologists.

I'm hoping that she'll find a goody amongst my little lot of whisky.

I'm rather hoping she might buy the lot!

James splashed £372 at auction

for the mixed lot of 15 bottles of whisky.

But will they be to Hannah's taste?

# Yeah, I got the shakes

# I got the hippy-hippy shakes #

The whisky doesn't change inside the bottles, that's important.

It doesn't continue to age.

The moment it goes in the bottle, it's inert.

-You've got quite a fun one. You've got a bottle of Bells from a royal wedding.

-Yes.

Andrew and Fergie.

There are a few in existence. It probably doesn't have a lot of value.

How do you feel about giving me £500 for these?

450 seems about right to me.

Hannah, I am very, very happy,

not only with my cocktail but also with the price.

-That's very kind of you.

-Terrific.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, James.

-Cheers.

Yes, James gulps down a tasty profit of £78.

And his thirst for selling doesn't stop there.

James sells the early Victorian rosewood table

that he bought for £37.20 at the auction,

landing a solid profit of £27.80

and regaining the lead.

But our Eric isn't a man to give up without a fight

and he's hoping to land a killer profit blow

as he heads to fine dining shop in Beaconsfield

with the Daum vase that cost just over £188.00.

The owner is a chap called David Shuttle.

I took the liberty of sending him an image

of my 1930s Daum glass vase.

He likes the look of it. I'm hoping that he likes it enough to buy it.

I bought this, erm, in Paris.

-There it is.

-Can I have a touch?

-Yes, do.

How do they get this smooth and this cut so rough?

It's acid cutting.

-"Daum..."

-Yes.

-"Daum, Nancy."

-Nancy, France.

-1930.

-Yes.

-Or thereabouts.

I like it, but it all depends on the money!

-OK.

-Tell me about it.

I was looking around 550.

I would think round about 450.

-450?

-That's what I had in mind.

-OK.

Go 480 and we've got ourselves a sale.

475 and I shake hands.

475.

The Daum vase leaves Eric with the sweet scent of £286.97 profit

and a healthy lead.

James quickly looks to respond

as he gallops to see a friend and art collector Monty

with the 1890 steeplechase painting he bought in Paris for £128.21.

It's a landscape. It's a very long fellow.

-And it's got motion. So they're going over a fence.

-Yes.

-And I liked this bit, the asymmetry.

-Yes.

-French artist. 1912.

-Yes.

It's a little bit of a shame around this jockey's face

-where it looks like some of the paint's come away.

-You're right. There's some deterioration.

They call this foxing. It must've been exposed to damp.

But you've got a nice oak frame.

I'd expect to see something like this

-around 200, 250.

-Right.

I would like to see it around, sort of, the £60 mark.

-£60?! Really?

-Yes, I do.

The lowest I would take for that is £150.

Really? At that price, I don't think it's for me.

It seems Bingo may've fallen at the first hurdle.

But he's suddenly back in this race when Monty's wife Amanda, an avid collector herself,

disagrees with her husband and takes a shine to the print.

-It's fun. 125.

-125.

Unfortunately for Bingo, he misses out on a profit by a nose,

making a loss of £3.21.

With that, James has now offloaded all the items he planned to sell privately.

Eric, though, is hoping to land one last deal.

I'm in Henley-on-Thames and I'm here to sell my chair.

But this is no ordinary chair.

This is a special chair, made for a specific character.

Eric's special chair set him back £20

and he's hoping Joan, a specialist shop owner,

will see that he's sitting on a pot of profit.

-Hello, Joan.

-Hi! How nice to see you!

-You, too.

Listen, I've just announced that my chair was designed for a special character,

but looking around me, you're not short of characters.

No, we're certainly not. We've got masses of characters.

-That's an interesting-looking chair.

-I think the wood is a south-east Asian hardwood.

The general shape is very much sort of George III.

I was hoping that we might be looking around the £60 mark.

-I never pay more than £50 for a chair.

-I'll shake on £50.

-OK!

-So, shall I try this chap?

-Of course.

Let's have a see what he looks like. Is he all right for scale?

I think he's absolutely perfect. I think we'll name that bear Eric.

Eric's teddy bear chair sees him sitting on a comfortable profit of £30.

You know you've made it in life when they name a bear after you.

With the Showdown auction looming and all their private sales done,

who's currently leading the money list

and who needs big-money bidders on their remaining items?

Eric so far has sold four of his buys

and turned an impressive profit of £367.14.

James has also sold four items but is significantly behind

with a profit of £116.22.

Our experts fought hard to track down the most profitable buyers,

but the remainder of this clash is now out of their hands,

because all their remaining items will be sold at the Showdown auction,

a place where their hard-nosed haggling skills

have absolutely no influence over what happens.

They're in the hands of the team at a saleroom in Leicestershire.

Before the auction begins, our anxious dealers assess the lie of the land.

This is a very difficult moment in time for me

because I'm actually picking up one of Bingo's purchases.

It's this lovely Chinese carved ivory...

..sort of card case.

It is in remarkable condition.

In fact, the one thing going against it is its colour

because it's quite white.

And you wouldn't expect that from something that was made

in around about 1850, 1870.

Look at this! This is Knocker's party bed, this fellow.

I've never seen such a wide bed in my life!

This is more than king-size. This is double king.

Anyway, it's a very impressive piece,

made of brass,

and then we've got a cast-iron frame, side rails here.

If you can find a boxspring and mattress big enough to sit on this fellow,

it is a great buy and I think he'll do well with this.

Having checked out each other's items,

our duelling dealers take their position in the auction room arena

and prepare themselves for the first lot at the impending battle.

-Eric, I'm up first, I think.

-You are.

-I've got the little dish.

The Persian white-metal dish...

James paid £25 at the antiques fair for the dish.

But when the lot comes up...

Opening bid on my book here...

..our experts are somewhat distracted.

-AUCTIONEER DROWNS OUT CHATTER

-18. 20...

£25, I'm bid. 28. 30.

-32 with the net now.

-32!

£32 bid. Selling at 32.

I think that's a profit.

Unfortunately not, James, after fees.

The metal bowl has served up a small loss of £4.35.

But Bingo doesn't have time to dwell on his loss

because next under the hammer is his prize lot.

This is my big fellow coming up.

Cantonese, eh? Carved ivory.

James paid £50 for the 1850 ivory card case,

but he valued it at ten times that.

So as it goes under the hammer, will it deliver the profit Bingo expects?

-What are we going to start with, then?

-200.

-50. 60. 70. 80. 90. 100.

120. 140. 160. 180.

260. 280. 300. 320...

Oh, you're motoring!

-Come on, a bit more.

-..340. 360.

-380. 420?

-420. Come on!

-Come on, China!

-460 now...

-460.

-I'm bidding against myself here!

-..480. 500...

-Good lad.

..520. 540.

-Last chance here...

-That's a belter.

-..£540.

£540! Eh, come on, Bingo!

I think the word is "Bingo!"

James's card case earns him a mighty profit

of £387.21, after fees,

and knocks Knocker for six.

I think I might as well go home early! Take an early bath, as they say!

Don't worry about me, I'll be all right.

Of course you will, Eric. Thankfully for Knocker, there's the chance to retaliate,

as his £25 Lionel Edwards painting goes under the hammer next.

He's hopeful it'll ring up a big profit.

-25...

-£25. Oh, no.

-25?

-25 pound?

-Selling...

-25 pound... Ouch.

Ouch indeed! Because once house fees have been deducted,

Eric makes a loss of £8.55.

-I think we're in the ditch.

-I think I am very much in the brink on that one.

There is some comfort for Knocker, though,

when James's 1850 mother-of-pearl card case

makes a loss of £18.69, after fees,

a result that leaves both dealers lost for answers.

You know, I can't explain that situation.

I mean, I saw that as at least £100, maybe 150.

James is hoping for a more profitable return though,

as his final item, the 1907 royal portrait costing £20, goes up for sale.

Fiver bid. £8. £10.

£10. 12. 15.

With me on commission at 15. 18. 20.

30. Go on. You're ahead.

-32. 32 bid. 35.

-Well done.

42 bid. 42.

-It's a good old scrap, isn't it?

-It is.

-Internet versus room.

-He's not going to let it go.

-He's not. He's got himself here.

..£45 and away.

James is back in the black, as he snaps up a profit of £11.31 on the photograph.

With that, he's all sold up.

But Eric has still got three of his lots left to sell,

including two big-money items,

so he's hoping to make up ground on James.

First up, it's the regency mahogany table

that cost £297.60.

£100 for that.

£100. 45 bid. 45 bid. No reserve. It will be sold.

50 in the room. Five.

-60. £60 I'm bid.

-Oh, come on.

-ERIC GROANS

-60 I'm bid. 60 at the door.

All finished and away, then, at £60.

Eric, can I close your mouth?

And that leaves Eric with a gobsmacking loss

of £252.45,

and in considerable shock.

Words are just not... They're not coming.

Tears are. Tears are coming.

Before tears get a chance to arrive, though,

Eric needs to steady himself for his next lot,

the 1980s brass bed he laid out £161.20 on.

How do you feel about your bed?

-Is it going to be a winner?

-To be frank with you, James,

I'm having one of those days when I wish I'd not got out of bed.

-This would scrap at least 300 to 400 pounds.

-Really?

King-size bed.

Absolutely sparkling, this one.

28. 30. 32. 35.

It scraps for 300 quid.

-£40 I'm bid.

-Come on.

-Are you all done?

Well, I think I've gone down for a three-figure sum there.

Lady Luck isn't smiling on Eric,

as he endures yet another colossal loss

of £132.45, after fees.

The auction room battle for Showdown superstardom

has proved disastrous for Eric so far,

with all his items making losses.

Knocker has one last shot at profit redemption.

-I've got one more lot.

-On what?

And I think it's fair to say I'm not holding my breath.

Eric paid £20 for the 1920s card table,

but will it be his first profit of the day?

-Metamorphic card table...

-Go for it.

He's trying hard, is our auctioneer.

10. 10 pounds. 12. 15.

18. 22. 25?

-Come on, give us another.

-25.

-Give us another.

It's 25 and away.

So no joy for Eric as he makes a clean sweep of losses at the auction,

ending up £3.55 down on the table.

It's been a roller-coaster ride for our battling boys, but all their items are now sold.

All that remains is to find out who is the victor.

-You're still smiling, Eric. All credit to you.

-You've got to.

It's not my finest hour, in all fairness.

I'm just mindful that this is a competition over five days, so, er...

But credit due where credit's due.

You did well today.

I think I took today, but I'm unsure about the others.

We'll never know until we get those final scores.

Our battling bargaineers each started out

with £1,000 of their own money to spend.

Eric's Showdown buys cost him a total of £791.66.

James spent a total of £703.78.

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

All of the money that Eric and James have made will be going to charities of their choice.

Let's find out who is today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Ah, Mr Braxton!

-How are you?

-Well...

There were a few positives about my Showdown.

I did manage to get a good price on my Daum.

I did not oversell it, I sold it at a very reasonable price.

-But when it came to the auction, it was a dark day!

-A dark day.

Out of the auction, my whisky did well

and, of course, my Cantonese card case, for all to see at the auction.

-Shall we just do it?

-Yes, come on.

-Because I know this is going to hurt a lot.

Three, two, one...

-Oh, I've never seen a red one.

-A red one!

I've never seen... Listen, it could've been worse.

So, it's Showdown victory for James.

But our experts have been building up their profit stashes over a week of challenges.

Let's find out how much they've made in total.

BOTH: One, two, three...

-Not a million miles away!

-No.

-I came from behind on this one.

-You certainly did.

But every dog has his day.

In this case, it's you, so woof-woof.

So not only is James our Showdown Champion,

he also came out on top throughout the week's head-to-head challenges.

I've snatched victory from Knocker.

With that amazing auction result, I've managed to pull through

and overall victory is Bingo's.

Well, it was all going so swimmingly well

and then I entered the auction from hell.

But it was Bingo's calling-card case

that sealed the fate of Knocker Knowles.

Both our experts have made fantastic profits.

So, where is the money going?

My profits are going to the Brain Tumour Research charity.

My chosen charity is Charlie's Challenge.

It raises money to research cancer in children.

I've chosen it because I know Charlie

and he survived cancer at an early age.

It's been a week of all-out action and hard-fought close combat.

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

and proved that they can make big profits from antiques

when their own money is on the line.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd