Eric Knowles v Catherine Southon - Car Boot Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is the show that pitches TV's best loved antiques experts

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

Let's make hay while that sun shines.

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

BANGS GAVEL 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.

And I'm truly rockin'!

WOLF WHISTLE

And giving you their top tips

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

Get in there!

EVIL LAUGHTER

Today we're at a car boot sale where purveyor of porcelain,

Eric Knowles, goes head-to-head with auctioneer extraordinaire

Catherine Southon.

Coming up... Canny Catherine meets her match.

-I tell you what, I'll give you £10 for it.

-12.

Things hot up and Eric slaps on the factor 30.

I like to believe that pasty is still tasty.

And the quest for profit proves harder than ever.

-I would give you £30 for it.

-Would you, is that all?

I'm afraid so.

Oh.

-You wouldn't stretch it?

-Well, that is stretching it.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Welcome to another battle of the bygones boffins,

as two of the United Kingdom's most revered antiques experts

come together in an almighty clash of dynamic dealing.

Between them they have acquired decades of knowledge

and a hunger for haggling.

They can put a value on just about anything.

And will seek a profit in the most unlikely of places.

First up, the Prince of Porcelain, the daddy of dealing.

He knows his classic cloisonne from his clapped-out clutter.

He is a priceless national treasure.

Please be upstanding for Eric "Knocker" Knowles.

Nice one, Knocker.

His competitor is one of the toughest women in the business.

She's the lean, mean queen of quality

who could flog fiddles to a Philharmonic.

Weighing into this fearsome fight,

put your hands together for "Cunning" Catherine Southon.

So, Mr Knocker Knowles, you may be going down the plug hole.

Today our experts are in Battersea in good old London town,

a place famous for its four-chimneyed Art Deco

power station that sits alongside the River Thames.

It also has a boot sale packed with items from the sublime to the ridiculous.

And, of course, there's plenty of dogs.

Our experts have each brought £250 of their own money to spend.

So will they make their fortunes in London?

Eric Knowles and Catherine Southon,

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

-So, here we are.

-Hi, Eric.

-Are you all right?

-I'm fine. We're in London,

we're in the shadow of the iconic Battersea Power Station, no less.

Because we're here for the car boot.

£250 to spend, how are you going to do it?

I'm going to try and spend it wisely,

but I can tell you now that with car boots,

he or she who hesitates stands to lose the object.

You are quite right.

I think we've got to adopt a very businesslike attitude.

-On that note, I will wish you all the very best.

-And you. See you later.

Cheers.

So on one side,

Cunning Catherine is keeping tight-lipped about her strategy.

On the other, Knocker Knowles, with businesslike bravado,

is lining up his ducks... Well, pigeons!

He needs to be quick, as his rival has beaten him to the site.

In fact, super keen Catherine has beaten everyone to it!

Well, I think I've arrived a little bit too early,

but that gives me plenty of time to think about my plan of action.

Now in my mind, Mr Eric Knowles is the godfather of antiques.

So I'm going to be walking behind him in his shadow.

And I think that'll let me achieve the ultimate goal.

So, what of the Godfather,

what magical masterplan has Knocker Knowles got up his sleeve?

Well, my strategy today is going to be to find it, check it,

price it and if the price is right, buy it.

Electrifying, Eric!

Faster than lightning, Knocker moves through the stalls.

The boot sale is bustling

and the Prince of Porcelain is straight in there.

Let's have a look.

From 100 yards that shouts... Portmeirion.

It's a well-known design.

-If I might ask you what the price is on this, please?

-45.

-So £45 and it's all there, no chips, no cracks.

-OK.

-£45 it is.

-Deal.

So this is part of my coffee set designed by Susan Williams Ellis.

It tells me that on the base, but I knew that.

And it is a design that they called Totem.

It was very popular in the 1960s.

It's not porcelain but it is an earthenware type body.

It benefits from that magic word of the moment, retro.

Yes, without a hint of a haggle, our Eric is putting his strategy

straight into play, no hanging about.

Now, she wanted to follow his lead but Catherine is on the other side

of the fair, trying to bag her first item.

I'm kind of drawn towards your leather handbag, your Italian,

-red leather Dolce & Gabbana.

-It is real.

We lived in Italy for seven years.

I actually used to go out to where the things were manufactured and designed.

And you probably paid a fortune for that at the time, didn't you?

That was about 160 quid, yeah.

It's nice, very nice.

Unfortunately, that... There was another one here.

-The original tag, yeah.

-Which is a shame.

-Which does make a difference for the price.

-That's why it's 15.

-I like the punky look to it.

-Little bit different, isn't it?

I think that's quite nice, and I love the colour.

Can you do a bit less on that?

On 15, because that's really a bit too steep

because of these faults, really.

Erm... 13?

-I tell you what, I'll give you £10 for it.

-12.

I'm not going to argue with you. Thanks very much indeed. Lovely.

Enjoy.

I might actually just use it myself. Thanks a lot. See ya!

Cor, that was a steely eyed stand-off!

And Catherine has paid more than she wanted.

She'll have to harden up her haggling to stand any chance of victory.

Oh, yes!

Now, all girls love a designer handbag.

And, OK, this one is a little bit rough around the edges

but I think actually that's its charm.

Personally, I don't like them when they're brand-new and all shiny.

This one is really nicely worn in. Lovely half moon shaped.

It's going to be a bit hard to let this one go.

Well, sell it you must, Catherine,

the rules of the game are rock solid on that.

Now, Eric's razor-sharp vision

has already clocked his next potential purchase.

That's all right though, isn't it?

Well, it's got all...

That makes a big difference, doesn't it?

Yes, you could take it home and polish it.

They look good when they're polished.

-What sort of money are we talking about?

-28.

28. Will £25 buy that by any chance?

Yes, all right.

Right, let's shake on that.

Cor, Eric meant what he said about not wasting time!

Straight in there with his second purchase.

Date wise, this is early 20th century.

The materials, well, we appear to have a mahogany base,

which is looking very tired.

As for the metalwork, it's all brass and, hopefully,

once it's sparkling it will catch somebody's eye.

As the day presses on, the sun is getting stronger by the minute,

increasing the heat on our intrepid experts.

They are just going to have to sweat it out, though,

as they are far from done.

But Miss Southon is on the case.

I love vintage luggage.

And that suitcase has got a very, very nice colour.

Let's just open it up and have a look.

It's quite nicely lined, although it is rather stained.

It's got a little label inside. Harrods Ltd.

Always important to check that these locks work.

LOCK CLICKS

Now that one is fine.

That one, slightly temperamental but it does work.

A lot of people are buying these at the moment,

not so much to use but they are buying to put them

on the top of wardrobes, sort of as decorative things.

It could well be from the '50s, maybe even the '40s.

Let me go and investigate.

Can I ask you how much your suitcase is?

I would like about £20-£25.

The problem is one of these locks isn't brilliant.

It's slightly temperamental.

So I wouldn't like to pay that much for it.

-Can we say 10?

-Yes.

-Can we shake on 10?

Oh, don't break your vase! OK.

A sizzling half price. What a nice lady.

The heat from the blazing sun is unrelenting and,

with the suitcase in her hand,

could Catherine be thinking of taking a break from it all?

Well, I feel like I'm going off on my holidays

and the sun is certainly shining.

So time to lose a few of these layers.

I say, things are really hotting up!

And across the sale, Eric is feeling the burn as well.

What I'm going to need is plenty of this. Factor 30.

Like Joan Collins,

I like to believe that pasty is still tasty.

Yes, well, Joan Collins has never looked like that!

Anyway, he's supposed to be creaming a profit,

not scaring the stallholders.

Catherine, however, has quietly implemented her strategy

of walking in Eric's shadow.

She's at the stall where he bought his scales

and is hoping for a sweet deal herself.

I absolutely adore advertising tins.

A lot of these tins, which would have once had crackers,

biscuits, in this case probably sweets,

are now very desirable, especially the really early ones.

What has drawn me to this one is this lovely

scene of the children on the front holding the balloons.

This probably dates from '40s or '50s. How much is this?

-Tenner.

-£10.

-I was looking for about six.

-I can't do six.

I'll split it with you, I'll do eight.

OK. I'll give you £8 for that.

So the tin makes a super tasty deal and just a few stalls away,

Catherine spots her next potential purchase.

Will she blow any money on it, though?

I'm being drawn towards your flute.

I know absolutely nothing about this.

-That's £30.

-Can you do 20 for it?

-25.

-No, it's just a bit of a gamble for me.

22, because I'm not certain on all the pieces,

whether everything is all right.

Well, I can assure you,

I mean, there's definitely all the pieces there.

It's a fantastic instrument. It's never been played. It's brand-new.

Everything in the box is in there. It comes with a bag.

-OK, we'll go with that because it's far too hot...

-OK.

-..to stand here and negotiate

-any more. Perfect.

Yes, a powerful pitch from the car booter and Catherine knew

she wasn't going to get her own way, or was she just pushing her luck?

Whilst some people might take a break to enjoy the weather

and an ice cream, our worthy warriors power on.

And, as they do, let's take stock before the rest of us

go into full-blown meltdown.

Both our experts started the day with a cool £250.

Eric has trodden a cautious path and,

although he's only bought two items

he's spent a chunky £70, leaving him £180 in his hot little hand.

Catherine has struck while the iron and everything else is hot

and has bought four items but has only spent £55,

leaving £195 burning a hole in her pocket.

Our experts are putting up a flaming fight,

but will they keep it cool with each other?

-Fancy seeing you here.

-Do you know, you've changed colour in this heat.

-Anyway, how's it going?

-I'm not spending a lot of money.

I haven't really flashed the cash.

But I did buy a really nice vintage chocolate tin from probably

the '40s or '50s. What about you?

I've gone for retro things.

A bit of a buzzword at the moment.

It's easier to sell retro than antique, I find.

I managed to buy myself a coffee set by Portmeirion in their Totem design.

It is a case of search and ye might find.

Yes, there's an awful lot to search through though, isn't there?

-Good luck.

-You too.

See you later.

What does that face mean?

Has old Knocker got our Cunning Cat running scared?

I thought Eric was going to come to the boot fair

and look for nothing but antiques.

Retro? Now that's really thrown me.

She actually is worried.

Catherine thinks she's underestimated the Prince of Porcelain.

But does she really need a full change of gameplan,

or is Eric the master of the double bluff?

Because that elegant figurine doesn't scream retro.

The first thing I'm looking at are the hands

because if any fingers are missing

then it's mission impossible to move something like this on.

It says in here in ein triangle, Wien,

which, in good old English, is Vienna.

-What is the asking price on this?

-45.

-45.

I just feel I've got to ask if it can be done for 40.

-OK.

-£40 it is.

This is my Art Deco figurine.

The strange thing is that although she's marked Vienna,

she looks like the sort of girl that would have

performed at the Folies Bergere in maybe 1925.

But she's got an awful lot going for her, this girl.

Hopefully she's going to earn me a reasonable profit.

Yes, she may be risque but for Eric,

a piece of porcelain has to be a dead cert for a profit.

The figurine isn't what you'd call retro.

And after his great, big retro spiel a moment ago,

that purchase will confuse Catherine even more.

However, Eric soon returns to his masterplan.

These candelabra are much more on message.

I'm not absolutely certain how old those are,

but they look sort of '50s or '60s. What are your thoughts?

My feeling is they are a bit later than that, probably about 1980s.

They look very now though, don't they?

They do, they're really contemporary.

-What sort of money are we talking about?

-£35.

-35, and that's the best, is it?

-The very best.

-OK, £35, let's give it a go.

-Thanks very much indeed.

I've just bought myself a pair of what

I can only describe as rather stylish table candelabra.

The only marks I can find on there are EPNS,

for electroplated nickel silver.

And at £35, you know, I wasn't going to leave them there.

They are of a design which at this moment in time

I think is very saleable.

Yes, Eric is firing on all cylinders.

He's putting Catherine in the shade and she's struggling.

Although this may be the coolest part of the boot fair,

it's also the one that's giving me the most amount of stress.

I can't find any of those bargains.

I'm going to have to go and brave the sunshine.

That's quite out of character.

Cool Catherine is starting to panic but Eric is on fire

and continuing to flip-flop between retro and deco.

I've got a couple of jugs

which are very sort of Art Deco in shape and form.

It says on the base, Flaxman Ware, handmade pottery by Wade Heath.

So they are made in Stoke-on-Trent.

They were probably made in about 1930. Excuse me, sir.

What sort of money are we talking on the pair of jugs?

I have £30 on them. I can do 28.

All right, I'll do 28 for you on that one. Thank you.

Yes, this is a stupendous performance from the legendary Eric.

Knocker Knowles is knocking out those deals.

And with a severe case of antiques whiplash,

we've whipped back once again into retro-ville.

Is this vase purchase number six?

Any clues? I'm looking for a mark.

-I think Holmegaard.

-Holmegaard.

It's very stylish, isn't it? How much is it?

-Five.

-Five?

£5.

I'm not going to say no for a fiver. Thank you.

Stylistically this should date to perhaps the '50s, '60s.

It's been suggested it's by Holmegaard,

which is a Danish glassmakers.

But when I asked the price and when he said five, I thought he meant 50.

If it had been 50 I would have thought, maybe,

but at £5 it was a bit of a no-brainer.

I'm not one to get glib but nice one, Knocker!

This man is a pro.

It sounds like he's found a sensational final bargain.

But what of Catherine?

She doesn't belong in Eric's shadow

but he does have her on the back foot.

Can she pull it back or is she done for?

Remember Plan A, follow Eric's lead?

Well, that worked for her earlier,

could she do it again by buying some scales of her own?

Look at the shape of that pan, that is absolutely lovely.

It's a bit like a pear. But would people actually use the scales?

I don't think so. I think they are there purely as a decorative piece.

They are probably about 1930s, 1940s.

So with a swift bit of haggling,

Catherine snaps up the scales for £12.

She now needs to throw everything she's got

into a comprehensive comeback.

Good job she can't see ice-cool Eric now,

relaxing with a soft, whipped cone, and the pressure is really on.

The booters won't be here for much longer.

Will a second musical instrument do the trick?

She is drawn to an electric guitar.

-How much did you want for it?

-45.

Oh, no, I can't spend that.

It's too much of a gamble for me.

-Make an offer.

-20 quid.

My son gave me a minimum price, I think we've gone below that.

HE LAUGHS

-What's the minimum?

-Say 35.

No, no. Because I would be taking a risk.

-I'd give you £20 for it.

-30 is a real low price.

I've come down from 45 to 30, that's a big reduction.

-Go on, £20.

-25.

Shake your hand at 25.

Why, oh, why did I buy an electric guitar,

when I know absolutely nothing about them?

Having said that, I do recognise this name, Squire.

Perhaps it's got a few strings missing,

but this is a guitar that has been truly loved.

I think I'm going to make money on it, and I'm truly rocking!

# Rocking all over the world...#

Yes, it looks like Catherine's got her confidence back.

She's being careful with her money,

which in this game is half the battle.

And before our lady calls it a day, she makes one quick final purchase.

I could not resist this last-minute purchase.

I've bought a lovely pair of taps to go on a fantastic butler sink.

They are French,

and they've got the name on the top of the Orient Express.

I would say they are probably about 20 or 30-years-old.

I only paid £15.

So Mr Knocker Knowles, you may be going down the plughole.

Oh, that's fighting talk from the lady!

It's been a piping hot day

and our experts have made it through just about unscathed.

Let's find out how much they spent in total.

Both our dealers arrived in Battersea with £250 to spend.

Eric started slowly but warmed up with the weather.

He made six purchases for £178.

Catherine started well but slowed right down in the heat.

She bought seven items but spent a lot less - £107 all up.

So, let's move into the shade and see what they make of each other's booty.

Eric! How was it?

How was it? Well, it happened, didn't it? You know.

I mean, you arrive at a car boot and you think,

"What on earth am I going to buy here?"

And then, as if by magic, we do find things.

I'll tell you what, it couldn't be more different, could it?

Mine's a bit of a mishmash. Yours seems a bit more defined.

We do share an interest in scales in common!

-We've both got the scales.

-OK.

-How much were yours?

-Mine? 25. What about yours?

-12.

-Oh, 12.

-Mm.

So Eric, what's your favourite piece?

I think the girl tips the balance.

Which was the one that floated your boat?

-Well, strangely, it's actually the taps!

-Really?

-And are you going to polish those to oblivion?

-Not at all.

-No. You're going to keep the patina?

-I love them like that.

I'm just really shocked at our differences.

Well, as they say in certain parts of Wales, vive le difference!

-Vive la difference! Bon chance!

-OK. Au revoir.

-Au revoir.

Mon cher!

Now, this is where the whole game shifts up a gear

as our Baron and Baroness of Buying become Squires of Selling.

The next part of their mission is to make maximum money from their car boot bits.

It's noses to the grindstone, because whoever winds up

with the biggest profit, will be crowned champion.

They need to be able to pitch their purchases perfectly.

So they must now analyse their acquisitions.

And at Knocker Towers, Eric is buoyed by his bargains.

My big spend at £45 was my Portmeirion Totem design coffee set.

And the main thing is it's all there. No chips, no cracks or anything.

My second biggest price was £40 for my Art Deco style figure.

I don't think she's period. But there's no doubting that my ewers are 1930.

They're made by Wade Heath. But for £5,

I find myself with a Holmegaard.

Well, I've yet to do my research, but I was sold it as a Holmegaard vase.

My candlesticks, which I was thinking actually of polishing.

But I've decided just to leave them as they are.

The only thing that you can hardly describe as being stylish

are my postal scales.

The one thing going in their favour is that they've got their original weights.

So all in all, I'm quite happy with what I bought on the day.

Catherine has returned home to Kent.

She's got one more item to sell than her rival.

So how confident is the cunning one?

I'm rather pleased with my selection because it is a real cross section of items.

First of all, my guitar, that was a last-minute purchase.

And at £25 I was actually rather pleased with that.

My taps - I love these taps.

I think they would look wonderful in a big white butler sink.

And my punky designer bag, which I'm rather happy with -

I think that was actually a bit of a bargain.

People love these vintage suitcases now, these brown suitcases.

It's a little bit tatty, but it's got the name Harrods inside.

My advertising tin has got a fabulous image of these lovely children on the front.

I know a vintage sweet shop who are interested in this already,

and I'm also going to try and see if I can flog them

the scales at the same time. Now this is my number one item,

because this is in fabulous condition.

£25 I paid for this flute.

This is the piece that's going to make me my money.

So, watch out Mr Knowles. You've got your work cut out.

Yes, the golden girl means business.

Our battle hardened veterans have taken stock

and set their sights on target profit.

First they must plunder their contacts book

and set up sales across the country.

And hopefully they'll be trading up for truck loads of cash.

But remember, until they've shaken on it

and the money has changed hands, no deal is truly sealed.

Catherine is going straight in with her prize purchase, the flute.

And she's brought it to a music shop in Croydon.

-Hello, Jonathan.

-Hello, there.

-Catherine Southon, hi. Nice to meet you. Hi, there.

Wonderful shop, first of all.

Well, it's the oldest shop in Croydon. 16th century,

and we've been here around about 13 years.

-I've come to show you this flute.

-Right, let's see what we have here.

-So this is a Buffet Crampon.

-Is it French?

It's a French company but actually this was either made

in the UK or possibly Germany.

A student instrument, silver-plated. It's a beginner flute, basically.

-Right.

-This would have been made probably in the sort of '80s, '90s, something like that.

Not that old. Let me just see whether it's in working condition.

HE PLAYS

-That sounds perfect to me!

-It's all there, yeah. It's all there.

The pads are in very good condition. The pads are what actually

sort of seal the tone holes and make the flute work.

We'd be looking probably around sort of £70 or £80, something like that.

-80 would be wonderful.

-75. We'll meet halfway.

-75?

-75.

-Are you happy with that?

-You've got a deal.

I'm going to shake your hand on that. Thank you ever so much.

-That's wonderful.

-Not a problem at all. Thank you.

Yes, Catherine knew it was the item to make the money.

The flute hits all the right notes and brings a profit of £50.

Eric's got some bold gameplay in mind as well.

He also wants to shift his biggest investment first.

The Portmeirion tea set he bought for £45.

He's driven to Stoke-on-Trent to the Portmeirion pottery,

hoping they'll want it for their own collection.

-Julian, good to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, too, Eric.

You had the distinction of actually working with Susan Williams-Ellis

-who designed my coffee set?

-I did. Back in 1984 I joined Portmeirion

and I had the pleasure of working with Susan for a good 15 years.

So tell me a little bit about the Totem design?

It is an iconic shape from the '60s. A lot of people were inspired by that within the ceramics industries.

For me, it's a piece of art. Even though I can use it,

I probably would rather look at it.

-What year did she design this?

-She designed it in 1962

and it went first to market in 1963.

I was staggered when I got in touch with you all to find

that you didn't have a Totem coffee set in dark olive green.

We don't. I wish we did. And possibly we may well soon.

I was looking for somewhere around about £120.

So how does 100 sound?

-I'll take £100. OK.

-Brilliant. Thank you very much.

-Excellent.

And welcome home!

Eric is the master. The tea set has returned to its rightful home

and Knocker claims a profit of £55.

Well, I think I can describe that as a satisfying conclusion,

and something of a bonus to actually meet somebody

who worked with Susan Williams-Ellis. So, onwards and upwards.

Aw, bless him. Eric always has a little frisson of excitement when he visits a pottery.

Our two thrill seekers are pretty much level pegging at this stage.

But Catherine is off again.

She's looking to bag a profit from her red designer handbag.

She's meeting Judy. And it looks like she might be a fan of red.

-Hi, Catherine!

-Lovely to see you. You look fabulous, as always.

You haven't disappointed, in lovely red!

Anyway, I've brought you something. What do you think?

-Is it new?

-It's not brand-new, no.

But I bought it because I just love the colour,

-I loved the sort of punky look to it.

-It's slightly distressed.

-It is distressed.

-Can I try it?

-Oh, please.

I just thought it was a really nice shape

-and I loved all the little belts, the straps.

-I'm not sure.

-Oh!

-Are you really not sure?

-I'm really not sure.

-I've actually bought quite a lot of red bags in my time.

-I can imagine!

If I was going to buy that, I don't think I'd pay more than £15 for it.

I paid £12 for it.

-I'd go for 15 then, Catherine, no more.

-Are you happy with that at 15?

-Yes.

-Shall we shake on £15?

-Yes, let's.

-Thank you so much, Judy.

Well, I'm so pleased that Judy liked it.

But that's still only a couple of pounds in the bag.

I really need to get cracking.

She's not wrong. A £3 profit really doesn't cut the mustard

when she is up against the legend that is Eric Knowles.

He's hoping his scales will tip things even further in his favour.

He has taken them to the British Postal Museum in Loughton in Essex.

# Postman Pat, Postman Pat...#

And Put Your Money's answer to Postman Pat is meeting

one of the museum's curators, Vicky.

-Hello, Vicky. Lovely to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you, too.

-What a place to work!

-Yes, it's fantastic.

-Isn't it just?

Well, we have over 50,000 objects in our museum collection,

and two and a half miles of archive. And they range from everything...

You can see the vehicles - we have underground trains, paintings,

we have lots of social history stories as well as stamps

-and stamp artwork as well.

-But what about scales?

-We do have some of those, yes.

-Right.

-Well, I brought along my humble little postal scales.

-Yes.

And I would value your expertise,

cos I'm not absolutely certain exactly how old they are.

-Would you like to have a peruse?

-Yeah, sure. Thank you.

Well, they're a lovely set of items.

I really like this detail here, which has the inland letter post and pricing.

It says that 4oz is a penny.

The penny post really died out with the First World War.

I would say these were pre-First World War, so we would be interested.

But I would need to compare them to what we already have,

to make sure we're not duplicating our collection.

And also, discuss it with another member of the curatorial team

-so that we can give you a final decision.

-OK.

-That's our acquisition policy.

-I'm prepared to sell those for £50.

OK, £50. That does sound like a fair price.

-Like I said, we just need to go away and look at things at our side and get back to you.

-OK.

Oh, that's a fly in the ointment. No special delivery of cash yet.

But Eric has a first-class attitude to the delay.

I've got to admit, this was very much a spur-of-the-moment visit,

and it's quite normal with a museum

that they've got to go through all the proper channels.

So, in the meantime, while I wait for their stamp of approval,

I'll also be waiting for a phone call.

So will Eric post a profit?

He, and we, will have to wait until later to find out.

Until a decision is reached,

there's only £2 between our charming challengers,

so can Cunning Catherine upset the status quo

and strum up a profit with her next item?

I'm in Chislehurst,

and I've come to see Pete, who's a guitar instructor.

Now, at the moment, he should be giving a lesson to Ian,

and Ian's expressed some interest in my electric guitar.

Catherine's instrument has a few strings missing,

so will Pete and Ian see past that?

So remember your anchor finger, yeah.

Hello, chaps! Sorry to interrupt the lesson.

So who's the tutor? Who's the student?

-Yeah, hi, Catherine, I'm Pete.

-Hello, Pete.

-I'm the teacher for today, yeah.

-Good to meet you.

-I'm Ian, the student.

-Hello, Ian. Oh, this is lovely, isn't it?

-Right, I'm going to give you this.

-Wow, let me have a look, OK.

-What do you think?

-Well, the first thing I notice

is that it's quite funky, cos it's only got three strings.

-This is a sort of standard copy Stratocaster.

-So not too bad.

-It's a very, sort of, good entry guitar.

-OK.

So the idea was, I could donate it to Peter,

who has students who can't afford their own guitar.

-That's a really, really nice idea.

-Obviously that depends on the price.

Obviously it depends on the price, I can see that.

I mean, does sort of £50-60 sound reasonable?

-I was sort of thinking of more about £40.

-What about 45?

-Yeah, I think 45.

-45? Does that sound all right to you?

I think £45 is a fair price for that guitar.

Well, I think that's so nice, that you're buying this for £45

and then donating it to a collection, it's a fantastic idea.

Now you can get on with your lesson.

-Yes, we will do.

-Great stuff, thank you.

What a nice fella, giving something back to the students of rock!

And a profit to Catherine of £20.

Eric instantly adds a counter blow.

He sells his brown glass vase to a lady in Northwood in Middlesex.

She pays £20, giving him a profit of £15.

Our titanic traders have been haggling hammer and tongs,

so let's give them a moment to catch their breath

as we tot up the tallies.

Both our experts have made a blistering start.

Eric "Knocker" Knowles has shifted two items and made a profit of £70.

But he's still waiting for the telegram from the postal museum.

"Cunning" Catherine Southern has notched up three certain sales,

and with them she's pocketed a profit of £73.

So it's on a razor's edge,

although neither Eric nor Catherine want a close shave.

Eric must make his next sale count.

He's motored all the way to the Essex coast

to meet an antiques dealer in Leigh-on-Sea,

and he's brought the Art Deco jugs that cost him £28.

-Jeff, good to meet you.

-And you.

I've got to say, I've never been in a shop quite like this.

So what's with the vegetation?

Well, my main job, actually, Eric, is I'm a gardener.

It's almost like a garden in a shop.

Yeah, but not one little bit of Art Deco,

and here is me bringing along a pair of Art Deco ewers.

I tell you what attracted me to these, it was the colour.

-I agree.

-It was the glaze, it was just the way they're mottled.

-That's right.

-And because they look like they should be at the seaside.

-Yeah.

-They've got a little bit of sunshine about them.

The mark on the base, it says,

"Flaxman Ware, handmade pottery, Wade Heath of England."

It's 1930s, then, so it's got to be worth a fortune!

I was looking for somewhere around about

sort of £70, something like that.

-I will offer you £60.

-I think 60, Jeff, will do the business.

-We've got a deal.

-Lovely. Thanks, Eric.

I'll tell you what, I'd love to have a look around your emporium.

Come with me.

Eric more than doubles his money and brings in a profit of £32,

but he needs to keep up his seismic selling,

because Catherine's had a flurry of activity.

She sells her scales and the sweet tin

to an old-fashioned sweet shop in West Wycombe.

It's very nice, I think it would go lovely in our window display.

-20 for the scales, 30 for the tin, £50.

-Fabulous.

The double deal brings in a sweet profit of £30,

and she's on a roll.

She packs a punch

by selling her suitcase to a dealer in Otford for £40,

and £30 of that is pure profit.

Yes, life is looking cushy in the Catherine camp.

Will Knocker notch up enough

to knock her with a double deal of his own?

Still in Leigh-on-Sea, he's at another antiques shop,

and he's hoping to rake in the readies

with his candelabra and Austrian figurine.

By way of a double introduction, Roger, lovely to meet you.

Good to see you.

-And my other introduction is my lovely lady...

-Yes.

..which I would describe as sort of certainly Art Deco in style,

the likes of which I've not come across before, I've got to admit.

I noticed that the facial detail is pretty good as well.

I like this soft gilt. So often that gold is...

-It's not too wild, is it?

-Sometimes it's really garish,

and so it's... so it's tasteful in every department.

It's really quite a confident piece of work,

and, as such, I'd be happy to discuss a price with you, Eric.

I was looking for somewhere in the sort of...£90 region.

I'm looking more at...55.

55...

Do you think we might push it to 60?

Uh, yeah, I think I'd go for 60.

-I'm happy with that.

-And me too, Eric.

-OK.

Right, would you like to just put it to one side,

because there are a couple of other things I want to show you.

Well, I say a couple, they form a pair,

a pair of plated table candelabra.

I like them in style,

and I quite like the fact that they're distressed somewhat.

What sort of date would you put on those, Roger?

-I would have thought these are sort of '50s.

-Yeah.

I was looking for somewhere in the region of maybe £80 for the pair.

I'd like to pay 40 quid for them,

and I really don't want to pay any more than that for them.

You were quick on the yes for the first one.

I'll be quick on the yes for the second one.

-Brilliant. That's great, Eric, thanks very much.

-It was a pleasure.

Well, that was quite a drop on the candelabra,

half of what Eric wanted,

but Roger makes two purchases nonetheless,

and Eric makes off with a combined profit of £25.

Well, at least I managed a double sale,

even though I wasn't able to double my money.

But the main thing is, I made a profit.

So Knocker's knocked out all his goods,

but he's still waiting for the word on the all-important scales.

Catherine has one last chance to tap a profit.

She's on her way to a bath specialist in Horley in Surrey,

and she needs to play this one carefully.

The last thing she wants to do is force it.

-Theresa, how nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, Catherine!

Fantastic. I love these baths! They look spectacular.

I haven't brought you a bath, but I've brought you some taps.

Right, great.

Well, what's nice about them

is this little indice that says "Orient Express".

But these are antique taps,

and these are reproduction.

That's right, how old do you think they are?

-Probably about ten-years-old.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

-Right.

They're an old-fashioned design but for the modern market.

And they are nice, a really nice shape and everything,

but unfortunately, because they're reproduction,

they're not really worth anything,

other than for the love of restoring them.

Right... Are you still interested?

Yes, cos I really like this indice, so I think they're really nice.

Wonderful, I like that, wonderful.

So how much are you willing to pay for them?

Well, if you scrapped them, you would get about £15,

so I would give you £30.

-Is that all?

-I'm afraid so.

Oh...

-You wouldn't stretch it any more?

-Well, that is stretching it!

-Is it?

Because it would probably cost me a few hundred to restore them, you see.

Oh, gosh, well, I couldn't possibly charge you any more.

-£30, we will shake on that, shall we?

-That's a good deal.

Well, it might not be quite what she was hoping for,

but that cunning streak comes through once more.

She doubles her money yet again - the taps run a profit of £15.

I thought those taps had great potential,

but obviously not.

Well, you win some

and you lose some.

Catherine's all sold up and heads off for an early bath.

But we finally get to the moment Eric has been waiting for.

Deep breaths, everyone, word is in on his scales.

Well, the postal museum have come back to me

and bad news, they don't want my scales.

But the good news is that I found a dealer

who's quite happy to pay me £50,

so all's well that ends well.

Well, we'll have to find out if that is true in just a moment.

First, let's remind ourselves of how much our dealers have spent.

They arrived at the car-boot sale with £250 in their pockets.

Eric "Knocker" Knowles bought six items and spent a total of £178.

"Cunning" Catherine Southon bought more but spent considerably less,

seven items for £107.

But now it all comes down to how well they sold.

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

will go directly to charities of their choice,

so let's find out who is today's

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Eric...

-It's that moment.

-Mwah!

-It is.

Mwah-ha-ha!

-So how was the selling for you?

-Well, it was interesting.

I actually went to meet the people at Portmeirion.

-Do you remember I bought the...

-I remember the Portmeirion...

-..coffee set?

-And you sold it to them?

They didn't have one, and they're adding to their museum.

I mean, you must have gone down the musical route,

-what with your guitar and your flute.

-I did...

Oh, yes, perfect, perfectly tuned.

OK, well, let's see if we're in tune with our prices, shall we,

and our final totals?

-Three, two, one.

-One.

And we go like that.

-Oh!

-Oh!

Not much in it!

That is so close!

-Unbelievable.

-Well, it's remarkable that both of us made a profit.

Having said that, the coffee's on me, yes, out of my own account!

So the narrowest of victories for Eric.

If only Catherine had eked out a few more pounds for that handbag,

it would have been a completely different result.

I can't believe how close I was to Eric.

There was literally an inch between us, very frustrating.

But well done, Eric.

The secret to this challenge

is to just make sure that you sell for more than you spend,

and then you keep your fingers crossed you've got it right.

Yes, when our rivals are so closely matched,

it means absolutely anything could happen

when they face their next challenge tomorrow.

They'll be fighting it out at an auction in Nottingham.

£100...