Eric Knowles v Kate Bliss - UK Antiques Fair Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is,

the show that pitches TV's best-loved antiques experts

against each other in an all-out battle for profit.

And gives you the insider's view of the trade.

Who's there?

Each week, one pair of duelling dealers will face

a different daily challenge. The original cheeky chappie. Lovely!

Putting their reputations on the line. Full house! Go, I say!

And giving you their top tips and savvy secrets on how to make

the most money from buying and selling. I'm feeling rather lucky.

Coming up on today's show: Knocker Knowles finds his will is weak.

It's an unknown force which is sucking me

into the vortex of ceramic nirvana. Kate Bliss offers a top tip.

There's no factory mark on the bottom

but the way to trace the factory is to look at the pattern.

And Eric does a spot of moonlighting.

Excusez moi, monsieur, s'il vous plait.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Yes, welcome antiques lovers to Newark where we're back with

another tiptop, knick-knack and bric-a-brac challenge today,

as two of Great Britain's very finest fine art

and furniture fanciers take each other on to settle who is the best.

And first to stand up and put his reputation on the block is

the great master, in a woolly hat,

the undisputed sage of ceramics,

the man who puts the terror into terracotta,

it's Burnley's most excellent son, Eric "Knocker" Knowles.

I want to be seen to be buying good objects. OK, we'll have that.

And facing up to Eric is Herefordshire's favourite

lady auctioneer.

This antiques expert is as sharp as a whip, as keen as mustard,

and will do anything she can not to lose.

Fighting out of the Welsh borders, it's Kate "Absolute" Bliss.

Ooh! Look at that! Cor!

Today, our two battling knights of the haggle will be

in their element as they're going to be thrust into the hustle-bustle

of Europe's biggest antiques event,

the Newark International antiques and collectors fair, where

there are over 2,500 stands crammed with the treasures of yesteryear.

Remember, both experts have ?750 of their own money to spend.

And buying to sell is the aim of the game with all the profits

going to their chosen charities.

So stand by your bids, Eric Knowles and Kate Bliss.

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

Good morning, Kate. Good morning, sir. How are you?

Well, what I want to know is, what does a girl from Herefordshire

feel about being in a field here in Newark? Do you know, I love it here.

I love Newark International antiques fair and there's so much to go at.

There's over 2,000 stalls here. It's great.

I mean, the fact is, if you can't find it here,

you wouldn't be able to find it anywhere, would you? Well, exactly.

My strategy, because you know, in my case, I'm going to simply try

and remember where I am, because it's just so big.

Today, I think I'm going to play to my strengths, maybe,

and go for something along the jewellery line. A bit of silver.

Sparkly things, maybe. We'll see.

Why spoil the habit of a lifetime? Listen, good to see you.

Best of luck. Catch you later.

Might see you for a coffee in about an hour. Good idea.

So off they go. Kate - cool, calm, confident, knows what she wants.

Eric, on the other hand, feigning bewilderment,

but you just know, underneath that crumpled exterior

is a man who knows what he's looking for.

What are you looking for, Eric?

I'm looking for arts and crafts metalwork.

Beaten copper, beaten brass, if it's made in Newlyn or Keswick,

then it's going to be a bonus,

but I'm keeping my eye out for anything but any old iron.

So, Eric's decided to shun his beloved pottery

in favour of arts and crafts metalwork.

Bold decision because Kate knows she's up against a mighty opponent

and is sticking to what she knows best.

Well, I said to Eric I was going to home in

on jewellery and silver today

and the reason for that is I want to start the day

and get a couple of really good buys under my belt

and also, in a fair as big as this one,

you can easily get distracted looking at all sorts of things.

So I'm really hoping there's some really good sparkly things in here.

Yes, Kate very much sticking to her specialist subject

and Eric turning his back on his.

Although, if that's the case,

what's he doing lurking around the ceramics stall, eh?

Eric, that's not metalwork!

So there I am talking about looking for metalwork

and arts and crafts, but I can't help it -

there's a stand here and it's got lots of pots.

I'm being drawn into this, it's an unknown force which is

sucking me into the vortex of ceramic nirvana or something, I'm not sure.

I'm never happier than when I'm looking at pots.

Well, perhaps he's just going to have a quick look

and move onto metalwork. Yes, that'll be what he's thinking.

Is that what he's thinking?

I'm looking at a lovely piece of Majolica there,

with not a big price tag on it.

It is at fault...

In other words, it's got some damage to it, but it is Wedgwood

and I know it's around about 1870.

I like that and then I like the plate next to it as well.

Oh, Eric, you're so weak-willed.

Hello, hello, I'm just admiring your plate.

I'm just looking at what... I might go to...

It's just you tell me and I'll say... 15. ?15.

You see, will you pull that glove? OK, pull that hand there.

Excellent, thank you, ?15.

So, Eric pockets the plate,

but you didn't really think he was going to stop there, did you?

I normally have a rule not to buy anything with a crack in it

but I do like that and I see it's got a price on it.

What would it be? Is there an Eric price on that?

An Eric price would be 40.

It's talking to me, you know.

It's paranormal, it's saying, "You know you want me."

DEEP VOICE: You know you want me, Eric.

RECORD SCRATCHES OK, ?40, that's a double whammy.

OK, lovely.

So, Eric puts up no resistance to his ceramic urges

and walks away with a pair of pottery purchases.

Well, two buys in one go.

A super plate, dating to...

I don't know, got to do me research,

but that must be around about 1900 or so.

You know, good quality - ?15.

I just want to double me money.

If I want to double me money to my jardiniere,

it's the jardiniere now I'm actually selling it.

It was a plant-pot when I was buying it.

But it is Wedgwood. It is Majolica.

It does date to around about 1870/1880.

So, if I can't double me money on that, again it'll be a sad day.

Yes, Eric's broken his duck, but across the market,

how is Kate doing?

Remember her plan to stick to her strengths?

Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, that sort of thing.

Yes, it's jewellery all the way.

Any ideas what this is used for?

Is it a big necklace?

This is actually for cheese, would you believe?

If you imagine a huge round of cheese,

that would sit in this, what's known as a "truckle", a cheese truckle.

It's made of mahogany, and it's a really nice Georgian one, actually.

I would say, with these roundels, it's typically 1820.

Maybe a little bit later.

Lovely mahogany BUT it's had a bit of a history because,

if you look closely just in here, can you see that?

There's a patch that's been put in there.

So, obviously there was a problem

with a little bit of the mahogany there.

A little bit of restoration, it's had a bit of work.

I'm just going to enquire how much this is.

How much is this, madam?

120, but I'm sure we can do something on it.

Oh, 120, it's had a bit of repair work, hasn't it? Just here.

And it's got a crack, which is unfortunate. Yeah.

But it's a lovely thing.

What are you thinking? I'm thinking, sort of, 60-ish.

Ooh. "Ooh", she says.

Yeah, 100? Eh...

90.

75?

Hm, 85. 75 would be good for me, I'll take it off your hands.

I'll say 80 and then we're there, I can't go any more than that,

I'll be murdered.

OK, ?80, let's not beat around the bush.

Superb, thank you. Done, thank you so much.

Yes, the lady drives a hard bargain but so does Kate,

knocking ?40 off the original price,

and the truckle is hers.

She was so determined to stick to her beloved jewellery,

but was wooed by a cheese-related item.

Mm. So easy to do.

"I prefer a biscuit, myself."

So now both their strategies are out the window. It's anything goes.

Or, in Eric's case, anything stays as he can't bring himself to

move away from the pots, plates, vases and glasses.

Like that, look.

Single feather Ich dien.

When you see that you think of the Prince of Wales.

That's his...that's his motto. Ich dien - I serve.

But you normally get three feathers.

But I like that.

I think the goblet itself might be older than the engraving -

a lot older.

Excuse me, sir.

Can I bend your ear?

I'm interested in your goblet. It's got some age, but I don't know...

Well, it's... I think there's a date on it, actually, when it was...

1969.

Oh, '69.

It's number 38 of a limited edition.

OK. It's got a price on there.

Is there a...

Yeah, yeah.

?50 to you. ?50 to me.

Right, what I'm going to do, I'm going to hold it close,

I'm going to put my hand out like that

and say you've got yourself a deal. Thank you very much. Excellent.

Yes, ?50 for the glass goblet

and Eric is once again sticking to what he knows.

In fact, it seems like such a good idea,

Kate is also now sticking to what Eric knows.

I've just bought this jug and it was a bit of a cheeky buy,

cos the store holder was asking 45. I bought it for 25.

It may just look like an ordinary ceramic jug to you, but what's quite

interesting is that it's quite old - it's Victorian,

so late 19th century in date.

It's very English. It's probably by a factory like Spode.

There's no factory mark on the bottom,

but the way to trace a factory is to look at the pattern.

That's the interesting bit.

You've got a really interesting

English blue and white patterned jug,

but the pattern is Chinese.

So what you've got here is a British factory putting these

stylised landscapes on very English pottery.

I'm going to try and find a good private buyer

who wants a nice water jug.

Well, Kate giving herself a bit of research to do.

Although, to cut corners, she could probably ask Eric

who has at last left that ceramic stand

and made his way to a ceramic stall.

So predictable.

If I can go through that well-worn little ritual - what's the best? 30.

?30.

Yeah, OK. I like that. Yeah, I do like that.

Well, I just bought this Coalport mug here.

It shows the iron bridge in...in Ironbridge

and it's also got Wenlock Abbey in Shropshire.

So it might be finding its way back there.

So a nice little quickie from Eric gives him his fourth item.

A Coalport mug for ?30.

Kate is still indoors

and some silver salt and pepper shakers have caught her eye.

These are nice. What are these?

They're Cartier and sterling silver.

Oh, sterling. Yeah.

What do you want for those?

?55.

For the two? Yes.

I could do 30.

No, I can't do that.

45.

40 cash and I'm happy. No. No?

45.

Are you sure? 45.

Thank you very much.

Hard-bargaining Kate only manages to knock ?10 off the asking price,

so does she still think these shakers can give her a profit?

I think that 45 was a very good price

because not only have we got sterling silver,

but we have got Cartier on the bottom.

Great name, good private buyer, I think, for these.

So Kate's happy with her purchase.

So happy, in fact, she's gone outside

and is making a huge racket about it.

Well, I don't know how Eric's doing, but I'm having great fun.

As far as I'm concerned, it's game, set and match...

..to me.

Yes, lovely to see our experts in such high spirits,

and that brings us to the halfway mark in this buying bonanza.

Let's have a quick catch up to see who's serving for the match

and who needs new balls.

Our experts arrived at Newark each with ?750 in their pockets.

So far, Eric has spent ?135 and bought four items,

leaving him ?615 in his kitty.

Kate is slightly ahead on the spending stakes having spent ?150.

But she's only bought three items

and still has ?600 left to play with.

So as things stand at this stage, very little in it.

"Knocker Knowles." How are you doing? "Kiss me, Kate,"

how are you, darling?

Are you well? Yeah, I'm fine, thank you. How's it going?

Yeah, it's going all right.

The frustration, as always,

I'm finding things that I don't want to sell, I want to keep.

I know! So there you are. What about you?

Have you bought lots of jewellery?

Do you know, I haven't.

My strategy hasn't worked at all! I've bought anything but.

I've bought a really nice Georgian cheese truckle. Oh, right.

Yeah, so that's my favourite buy. Is it?

What about you, favourite buy? Nothing old.

I bought a nice, sort of, goblet,

engraved with the Prince of Wales feathers on it.

Right. Limited edition, 1969. So, all in all, not too bad. Not bad.

Right, well, I've got no time to waste. Better get going.

You go that way, cos I'm going that way. All right.

Adios. See you later. See you.

So, pleasantries over, it's noses back to the grindstone.

With time ticking, both our dealers are racing against the clock.

Earlier on, Kate strayed into Eric's territory

and bought a bit of pottery.

Now the tables have turned,

and Eric has strayed into Kate's specialist area.

He's hovering around vintage ladies' cosmetics.

Little does he know,

though, that his rival is keeping a close eye on his movements.

I've just spotted Eric in the background, there, and I can't

quite see what he's buying but it looks like a lady's compact.

What's he doing buying ladies' stuff?

Yes, Eric, how very dare you?

It's a good-looking thing. There's not much to them, really, is there?

They're sort of pressed brass and... Pressed metal. Yeah.

That's quite a good design, that.

Of course, every lady had a compact. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. They wouldn't go anywhere without them, would they?

Let's have a look at that...again.

And what's that? Is there a name on there at all?

Would it say...Rex of 5th Avenue?

Well, that's a bit of a giveaway for America, New York, New York.

Might be worth a punt.

Dare I... Is that your best? I'm sorry to ask the question.

I'm afraid it is. No, that's OK. Well, I'm not afraid. I'll...

I think I might just splash out ?15, then.

Well, I don't mind admitting

I'm a little bit out of my comfort zone with this.

This is more your sort of, dare I say it, say, the competition?

AKA Kiss Me Kate.

And I just went for it, because I like that design. It's...

We know it's American, and I'm assuming it's going to

be around about 1940, but I'm going to do a bit of research.

But for ?15, I thought that was a jolly good spend,

and anyway, got to go.

I'm just going to go and powder my nose.

Whatever next, a bit of lippy and some vintage concealer?

# Lipstick

# Powder and paint

# Lipstick

# Powder and paint... #

Well, I suppose he could always ask Kate to sell it for him.

Anyway, Kate, possibly buoyed by seeing Eric buying ladies'

stuff, has at last found a bit of antique jewellery.

Now, I've just spotted these earrings in here,

and you've got 15 carat gold, which was used a lot in Victorian

times, not used so much now, in modern jewellery.

It's either 9 or 18 carat.

But 15 carat was quite a usual gold to use in those times.

They're probably about 1890 in date,

and you've got a little old cut diamond in the middle there.

If I hold them together...

There, you can see a little bit of sparkle in the middle.

Quite sweet, really.

What can you do those for me? 55, they have to be. 55?

Yeah, all right. We'll do that.

55, lovely. Cheers.

Thank you very much.

Well, Kate managed to knock ?20 off the asking price, and has

high hopes that her diamond earrings will bring home a sparkling profit.

And, of course, she's at last got herself back in line

with her strategy.

And guess what - her rival has also, at last,

found what he was looking for.

It's Art Nouveau, it's made of metal, it could be a real bargain.

Now, if you're going to have a crumb scoop,

it may as well be one by Archibald Knox.

This is Archibald Kn... Look at that.

The reason you can tell that is, first of all, this decoration,

which is a little bit worn, but it's still nice,

and it says on the back,

"English Pewter." So, Knox is a man from the Isle of Man

who is designing at... around about the 1890s, 1900,

doing a lot of designs for Arthur Lasenby Liberty.

Think of Liberty and Co, and that's a good-looking object.

As they say in your part of Nottinghamshire, combien?

Just for you, I'll do 80 on that for you. 80.

I want to be seen to be buying good objects. OK, we'll have that.

So, Eric at last achieves what he set out to do,

and pays ?80 for his Archibald Knox pewter crumb scoop.

And before you can say "Art Nouveau,"

he snaps up a tea tray from the same stall.

I could not resist this tray.

For two reasons - one is, it's such a pure Art Nouveau design.

The second reason I wasn't going to leave it behind

is that it was offered to me for ?20.

That double purchase brings Eric's tally to seven,

and he decides to call it a day.

His rival, on the other hand, is still on the lookout

for bargains, and she's spotted a Victorian folding bookshelf.

What's your very best? 50 for you.

50.

40? No, I'm sorry, that's rock bottom.

OK, we'll do 50 on that.

Done.

?50 is more than Kate wanted to pay,

but she adds the Victorian folding bookshelf to her collection.

Now, with this particular purchase,

I have committed what in my book is a cardinal sin,

because I've bought something that is damaged.

Somebody has screwed some horrible holes in the base,

and in the base that side,

it's obviously been screwed onto something, and one end extends

and one end ought to extend but it doesn't, it's fixed.

But the reason I bought it is, look at this lovely decoration

on the top here. Now, this is typically Victorian.

The combination of ivory and ebony,

dating typically from about 1880, and then these lovely brass studs.

And then, if you look really closely,

you've got, inlaid in the ivory, mother of pearl and abalone shell,

which just gives you a little bit of sheen there.

It's a good size, so it would fit in a small house, even,

and that makes it quite commercial.

So having broken all her rules, is Kate going to slope off defeated?

Not on your Nellie! She's spotted a watercolour she likes the look of

on the very next stall. And what's more, she even has a buyer in mind.

Now in Herefordshire, where I come from, there's a lovely vineyard.

And I happen to know the owner of the vineyard.

And I think she could just do with a watercolour like that on her wall.

So I'm really hoping I might have a sale for this piece.

What could you do for me on that? You've got 48 on there. I'll do 40.

I can't do 40. I'm thinking 30? Sorry, no!

OK, final offer, 35. 38, final. 38?!

OK, 38. Lovely. Thank you.

Yes, Kate concedes. ?38, but that's still a tenner off the asking price.

A good deal, and she is delighted!

Now this is really quite nicely painted, if you look at it.

It's a botanical watercolour.

And the nicest thing about it is that we have got a little signature,

pinpointing it to Lewis, the artist, but then a date for 1823.

So we know it's actually a Georgian watercolour, which is really nice.

But at ?38 - and with buyer in mind, I'm happy!

Yes, so happy, in fact, that Kate throws in the towel.

And while the stallholders pack up what's left of their wares,

time for a swift reminder about who spent how much and on what.

"They're both barking mad, if you ask me."

DOG YAWNS

Remember, both our dealers started with ?750 of their own money in their pockets.

Eric ended up buying seven items,

but spent a fraction of his budget - just ?250, in fact.

Is that going to be anywhere near enough to make a big profit

and beat his rival? Well, maybe,

because Kate bought just six items and, like Eric,

was also a bit slow putting her hand in her pocket.

She parted with a paltry ?293.

As far as money and items go, there's very little in it.

But as far as profit is concerned, how do our dealers think their rival has done?

Now, Knocker Knowles, you have veered off the ceramics a little bit, haven't you? I like this.

I have, yeah. I mean, I was trying to find arts and crafts metalwork,

and I came across this crumb scoop.

And I paid ?80 for it but it is a classic design. It is lovely.

Very arts and crafts. You've stuck to your guns, haven't you,

to a certain degree? You said jewellery.

I did. These are actually my favourite buy, I think.

This one - they're Victorian and they're 15 carat gold with a little diamond.

Lovely. Tell me about that? This is a Georgian cheese coaster.

Or truckle, if you want another word for it.

I've not come across that term. There you go.

We're on a learning curve, aren't we?

We are, all the time. I like it. I like it.

It's like a sledge, isn't it? And I like the jug,

but there again I'm a pottery person. I think it's time for a cup of tea.

I think it is. I know just the right place. Come on then.

Both our experts wave goodbye to buying

and say hello to selling, as they must now try

and shift all their goodies for as much money as possible,

in order to make the biggest profit and walk away victorious.

So, our competitors now return home to size up their goods.

Back in Buckinghamshire, Eric is assessing his hoard in his hall.

Well, I normally spend, spend, spend at Newark.

But I have to say that this time, it was a tough call.

The money was there but I just could not find those big money objects.

But I'm quite happy with what I did spend.

My Wedgewood Canadian plate,

I just thought it had been in a time warp,

because the colours and the enamels are as good as the day

it came out of the kiln in Etruria in Stoke-on-Trent.

My glass goblet, a piece that was designed to commemorate

the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

So a commemorative collector would be the perfect candidate there.

My compact - I've never bought a compact before.

I just thought the design was quite vivid.

I thought it was quite, you know, full of energy.

What about my mug? There it is - the Ironbridge in Ironbridge.

The date: Around about 1850, maybe 1860 at a push.

And I'm keen to sort of repatriate that piece to the Ironbridge Gorge.

And then last but not least, a classic piece

of British arts and crafts design. This crumb scoop cost me ?80.

I thought it was well worth the money.

At that sort of price, I'm confident of making a profit,

although I have to say, it's going to be a tricky one

to double up on this occasion.

But, hey, a profit's a profit!

Wise words from Knocker Knowles.

Eric also has the art nouveau tray and the Wedgwood plant pot to sell.

But what about Kate? She's back in her Herefordshire hideaway,

but how hopeful is she about her purchases?

I'm pleased to say that plans are in progress.

Now my watercolour behind me here, of this lovely grapevine,

lucky for me the buyer I intended it for has expressed great interest.

Here in Herefordshire we have got a cheesemaker.

And it suddenly occurred to me, this would be great

for the well-known cheesemaker to have either in their shop and dairy, or just at home.

For my lovely jug, I have contacted a collector of blue and white transferware.

And she seems very interested. So that's looking quite strong.

Because my earrings here are Victorian,

I'm going to direct these at somebody who loves antique jewellery as opposed to modern jewellery.

My silver pepper and salt, my pepperette by Cartier -

great name - I am also directing to an antique silver specialist.

Now for my little book shelf, I've found a specialist dealer

who deals in little wooden antique items just like this.

So I think this would be a great addition to his pieces.

So, Knocker Knowles, the gloves are off!

Yes, both our dealers have now assessed their arsenals

and are ready to strike. But first to draw fire is Eric,

as he travels to the capital hoping to find the streets paved with gold.

Or at least to get his first sale.

Having strayed into Kate's territory of ladies' cosmetics,

he's now cleverly tracked down a potential buyer in Linda,

a vintage fashion and jewellery shop owner.

And he's hoping for a profit on the ?15 he paid for his compact.

I know you know a thing or two about compacts? I do. I know you do.

So I'm here to see if I can interest you in this object. Yes.

I think, I haven't got one like this and I love the Art Deco motif and the flowers.

No, it's really nice. It's all original.

I do like that. You do? It says, "Rex Fifth Avenue".

Have you come across him before? I have heard Rex of Fifth Avenue.

I think it is about 1940s, '50s from the size,

cos the earlier ones were smaller.

But the design is very Deco. It's lovely.

Mm. Excellent. So, you see, I was hoping that I might get

somewhere in the region of around about ?45 for that.

Could you do any better on that? I could always do better. Always do better.

Come at me with what would be within your comfort zone.

I think about 35. About 35. OK.

?35, we got ourselves a deal. OK. OK.

A pleasure doing business with you, madam.

Eric's made up with his profit of ?20 from the compact

and he's off the starting blocks.

Well, that is one very stylish lady. But there again,

that was one very stylish compact.

And, er, I made myself a reasonable profit.

And on that basis alone, I do hope you're watching, Kate.

Well, actually, Kate's firmly focused on her own sales

as she heads to Leominster hoping to sell the 15 carat diamond earrings that cost her ?55.

But will Sally, an antiques dealer, be interested in them?

Well, have a look at these. Wow, they look pretty!

Yeah? You like? Mm-hm. So, they're Victorian.

So I would say very late 19th century in date. OK.

And they are gold. They're 15 carat gold.

And, of course, 15 carat was a grade of gold used quite a lot in the 19th century. Yeah.

And you've got a little old cut diamond set in there.

So, of course, the old cut diamond refers to the way the stone is faceted.

And the top of the stone just sits a little bit prouder than it would do on a modern...

So they will glisten nicely? Yeah, that's right. They have a different sort of reflective power,

old cut diamonds, as opposed to sort of modern brilliance.

And they've got very simple little clip fastenings.

So they are for pierced ears. Yes, well, that's good, cos screws now, nobody really wants, do they?

They can get quite uncomfortable, can't they, screws? Too right.

Yes, they're nice. I think they're quite a classic design, actually.

Yes, that wouldn't date. Well, because they are 15 carat gold

as opposed to 9 carat, so there's more parts of gold per thousand,

and you've got a diamond, I am looking for about ?150.

80 is going to be too cheeky, isn't it?

I think they are worth more than that, with the diamond. Yes.

130?

120.

120 is good for me. I'm happy with that.

It looks like I've bought myself some earrings.

An impressive profit of ?65 for the earrings

means Kate and Eric have both sold one apiece.

But not for long as Eric is hitting his selling stride.

After showing his Wedgwood plant pot to florist, Lisa,

he makes a pretty profit of ?10.

Next up he's back in London and hoping to get a princely sum for his glass goblet.

He's done his research and is taking it to Diana,

who collects decorative pieces and has a particular penchant for the Prince of Wales.

So I'm hoping you're going to like that. Oh, wow! It's very beautiful.

I'm glad you think so.

Or you could have a lovely glass of wine in it, that's for sure. Couldn't you just.

It'd hold half a bottle, wouldn't it?

It's engraved and it's actually signed on the base.

David Williams, 1969.

It's quite a weight as well, isn't it? It's lovely.

Now we come to the sticky question. We do! How much is it?

I was hoping for somewhere around about the ?75 mark.

?50 is my sort of top whack.

I was rather hoping you might just go a tad more.

I'll meet you half way.

55. Listen, I'm going to say "yes".

Do you know why?

For the simple reason I know that that goblet is now

amongst good friends.

Wonderful, thank you so much. ?55!

Eric sells the goblet for a modest profit of ?5

but next in line for a sale is Kate.

She's taken the book shelf that cost her ?50 to antiques dealer, Ben,

hoping he's the man to buy it.

Hi, Ben. Hi, Kate. How are you?

Good to see you. And you.

I know you really like small decorative things. Mm-hm.

Yeah. So we've a little book slide.

Open it up and you put your books in.

That end is slightly stuck but with your magic, Ben,

I'm sure you could sort that out. It's more a book half slide.

Well, I'll tell you why I really liked it. Yeah.

I do think that could be sorted.

It's this decoration which I thought was lovely.

It's typically Victorian, isn't it, with these lovely brass cabochon.

You've got three different kinds of wood going on as well.

You've got a lovely walnut, some cross banding here.

So loads of work in that.

It's been through the wars. It's been screwed on a desk, or something.

What was it you were wanting for it?

Well, I think, with that lovely decoration,

which you don't see every day,

I'd like to say ?100, really.

Big intake of breath. Very big.

Can we go for 80?

85?

Yeah. Fantastic. I think we can do that.

Lovely, thank you, Ben. Cheers, Kate.

Great, I thought it was your cup of tea.

Kate's sale of the book shelf brings in a profit of ?35

and also brings us to the halfway point

of this no holds barred selling battle.

So it's time to see who's rocketing ahead

and who's still in need of a fuel injection?

Eric Knowles has sold three items for a profit of ?35.

Kate Bliss has sold only two

but already has a profit of ?100.

So there's still everything to play for. Both our rivals have plenty of items to go

and only a fool would place bets just yet.

Next up Kate's back in Herefordshire with her

picture of a bunch of grapes. Now, remember, when she bought this

she cleverly had a potential buyer in mind.

So will she be able to turn that potential into profit?

I've come to Herefordshire's best-known vineyard.

I've brought my watercolour, which I paid ?38 for.

Now I think for an accomplished painting like this

there should be a good profit.

But will she be able to squeeze out that profit

from vineyard owner, Alexandra?

Shall I put the painting on here? What have you got here?

Oh, my goodness me. It's beautiful.

It looks to me as if it's perfectly situated.

Of course, they are white grapes that you grow,

so the painting is pretty apt. It's absolutely perfect.

Yes, and it's a beautiful picture. Can you tell me something about it?

I can, it's very competently done. Obviously, it's a watercolour

and we've got a date just under here for 1823,

which is quite nice.

It really pinpoints it in that early 19th century period.

It's original, isn't it? It's original, very definitely.

I like the way he's thrown up in relief the vine

because this is all heightened watercolour

and body colour as well, in white.

We've got a perfect spot for it in our cafe. Have you? Yes, we have.

I really do like it.

I am looking for between 150 and ?250. Right.

I think it's good condition, ready to go, framed and mounted. Right.

I'd hope for towards the upper end of that, but how do you feel?

I think I would be prepared to offer you...

..?200. Fantastic. Deal!

Thank you very much indeed.

With the deal done,

it's time to toast a profit of ?162 for Kate's painting.

Cheers, Kate. Cheers.

Nice doing business with you. My pleasure.

Yes, Kate's selling campaign is bubbling along nicely

and she goes straight on to sell her water jug to Steph,

a dealer who specialises in small items

for a profit of ?10.

But Eric is also making good progress with

a couple of quick fire sales.

First the French tray for a profit of ?5 to Sue,

who wanted it as a present for her daughter.

Then he hotfoots it to an antiques' fair at Alexandra Palace

in London where he sells his plate to a specialist dealer,

Peter, for a profit of ?20.

I like it, it's different.

High on his success, he travels to Shropshire, taking the Coalport mug,

decorated with the Ironbridge to yep, you guessed it, Ironbridge.

Now I'm here to meet a gentleman who knows a thing or two about Coalport porcelain.

He's expressed an interest, so I'm hoping to do a bit of business.

The mug cost Eric ?30 but will Simon, an antiques' dealer,

want to stir him up a profit?

And you're well situated in Ironbridge

because Coalport is how far away from here?

It's a five-minute walk away.

I'm bringing a pot made at Coalport.

I'm thinking this is around about 1840, 1845.

Yeah, that's right, 1840 to 1845.

Transferred.

Erm...

It's got the Ironbridge on the front. Yeah.

I've had it before, they do them on a black ground as well,

so the transfer is a black colourway.

The pink is actually a little bit rarer.

I mean, for the era as well, the transfer is really quite crisp.

A lot of the time you get overlaps and, yeah, it's nice.

What sort of price where you..?

I was hoping, or dare I even say wanting,

somewhere in the region of about ?70.

?70, that's a bit too rich for me.

Being generous, ?35.

If we could chop it to 40, we've got a deal.

It holds a good cup of tea, that does. It does.

I'd be tempted to have that. OK. I'll have it for ?40. Good lad, OK. You're on.

So Eric brews up a hot profit of ?10

but Kate is determined to prove she is no mug either.

She's tracked down Mark, a local Herefordshire cheese maker who

she hopes will be interested in the truckle she bought for ?80.

This is the coaster. Right!

What you do is put the bread in there. Right.

So you break up your bread. Homemade bread. Homemade bread.

Put your round of cheese in there and then shoot it up

and down the dining table.

Cheese certainly keeps better if it's in a large-ish piece.

That makes sense then.

I reckon this dates from George III period, roughly.

It's made of mahogany. Right.

The mahogany has actually been steamed to make it bend

in this lovely curve. Yeah.

That obviously makes the wood more vulnerable to cracking

and stress fractures and that's what you've got here.

You can see the little crack there.

The nice thing about it though is if we tip it up,

you can see it's got these lovely little brass casters on the bottom.

Yeah.

To have brass casters on these coasters is actually quite unusual.

You often see them missing.

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty then.

Oh, I've got to pay for it? Yeah.

I was thinking 275. OK.

I was hoping a little bit more than that, say 320.

I would go to 285. OK.

290 and round it up? OK.

290, are you happy? Yes. Fantastic.

HE LAUGHS

Yes, Kate makes a sizeable profit of ?210 for the cheese coaster,

meaning she's down to her last item, the salt and pepper shakers.

She's travelling to London to see Daniel, an antiques dealer

who's got a new shop in the West End and is looking for goods to fill it.

She shakes out a not to be sneezed at profit of ?155

and Daniel is one step closer to being open for business.

This will be my lucky piece of silver.

It's my first purchase in my new shop, so that's fantastic.

Another one in the bag, onwards and upwards.

Yes, for Eric, it's a case of onwards and upstream

as he travels to Buckinghamshire and Marlow on the River Thames.

Well, I've brought my pewter crumb scoop to a very smart hotel

and restaurant here on the River Thames.

Now, I paid ?80 for this crumb scoop.

And, erm, I'm on the trail of a profit.

But will Guy, the hotel manager, give Eric any more

than a crummy profit for the scoop?

I'm here for the simple reason that I've got something

that I think would prove rather useful. OK.

For anybody who's waiting on tables.

That is an Arts Crafts crumb scoop,

designed by Archibald Knox and it says on the back,

if you look on the back, it says simply,

"English pewter".

This was retailed by Liberty's.

I think, if I'm right in saying, that is probably a right-handed scoop

done around about 1902, 1903.

I see that as something that you bring out for special occasions.

It's in good condition, isn't it?

It is and that's quite typical of Knox.

He uses Celtic motifs because he's from the Isle of Man.

I think that is a classic piece of Arts Crafts design. Mm.

I'm looking for somewhere in the region of ?150 for it,

or thereabouts.

I think a crumber nowadays is about ?2.95.

Well, not by Archibald Knox.

How about 100? What if we were to go about 120, or thereabouts?

We'll shake on 120. ?120. Why not?

Eric makes ?40 for the crumb scoop

and having waited and waited for a profit,

now tries his hand at waiting tables.

Excusez-moi, monsieur, s'il vous plait.

DINERS CHUCKLE

FRENCH ACCENT: What I'm doing here is

removing the crumbs into an Arts Crafts crumb scoop.

I'm very grateful to you all and I can't keep this accent up!

THEY LAUGH

No, and we wouldn't want you to, Eric!

But with his outrageous accent Eric is all sold up.

Before we learn who will be today's winner,

let's remind ourselves of what our dealers have spent.

Having started the day with ?750 of their own money,

Eric bought seven items but spent only ?250.

Kate bought one fewer items, just six,

but spent ?293.

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

will be going to a charity of their choice.

Now, it's time to find out who is today's

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

Hello. Hi. How are we doing? Good to see you. And you, too.

It was such a huge fair, wasn't it?

I went out there intending to go straight for what

I specialise in, jewellery and silver.

What did I do? I went out and bought a cheese coaster but... Yes.

It turned out to be one of my best buys. Did it now?

I bought it for ?80. Yes, OK.

Sold for ?290. No!

Actually, I think that's a fair retail price.

I'm really pleased for you!

Well, I've got to say that I was a little bit out of my comfort zone,

going into the world of compacts.

I paid something like 15 for mine

and sold it for about ?35, or thereabouts.

So both buying outside our comfort zones.

Let's see how we got on, shall we? Are you ready? Ready?

On, Two, three...

Oh, my goodness me!

Kate Bliss!

KATE GIGGLES

My goodness me, you're printing money. Printing it!

I owe you a cup of tea.

I don't know, I'll settle for a cheese sandwich. Come on.

Yes, Kate is the winner in today's tussle after bringing home

a profit at every turn.

I remember that antiques fair really well.

Walking miles in the freezing cold,

trying to pick out the right objects.

It turns out it all came right in the end.

I can't really think what is worse,

working on the day at that antique fair

in freezing cold conditions, or being beaten by such a huge margin!

Kate may have beaten Eric today but anything can happen tomorrow

as our experts go up against each other in the ultimate contest.

The showdown.

Loads of money.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd