Eric Knowles v Catherine Southon - Foreign Antiques Market Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

The show that pitches TVs 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.

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 am truly rocking!

WOLF WHISTLE

And giving you their top tips

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

It's getting there.

Today, two prime professionals go head-to-head

as the veteran valuer, Eric Knowles takes on the auspicious auctioneer,

Catherine Southon in a plush Parisian market.

Coming up, Catherine shares her haggling secrets.

It's OK to have a bit of a laugh, push them a little bit.

At the end of the day you don't want to upset them.

Eric stakes his claim.

Oh, merci. OK.

Possession is nine tenths of the law in this business!

You've got to grab it when you see it.

And Catherine is entertained the old-fashioned way.

You can make the dog bark.

DOG BARKS

It looks gorgeous, the colours are wonderful.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

'Allo, 'allo and bienvenue to another rip-roaring roller coaster

ride through the peaks and troughs of the antiques world.

If any show can give you palpitations about pottery

or put you in a fine art frenzy, it's this one.

Let's bring out the bargain bunting and dance to a trading tune

as we watch in awe

as two of the greatest dealers the world has ever seen square up.

First, a man who's an antiques idol.

He can reduce robust retailers to discounting dust.

When a price is too high, one nip of know-how

and he's negotiating like a ninja.

It's Burnley's best boy, the prince of porcelain,

it's Eric "Knocker" Knowles.

I'm now in a position to do business.

Facing up to him, a woman for whom bargaining has no borders.

Oh, no, she's masterful with merchants from London to Lyon.

She'll hunt down and haggle until the dealers squeal

and the price is repealed.

It's Kent's collectables queen, it's the baroness of buying,

"Cunning" Catherine Southon.

One can always break the rules.

We'll be keeping a close eye on her!

Today, our experts have been planted in Paris

at the Saint Ouen flea market.

A paradise packed with awesome artworks, top treasures

and one-off wonders that will leave clued-up collectors

salivating into their sauvignon blanc.

Our sparring Spartans have each brought £750 worth of euros

and, as ever, it is their own money that they'll be spending.

Once they've bought their bargains they must sell it all

for maximum profit.

So, the stalls are out, the shops are stocked, this is a battleground

braced for the bargaining behemoths that are about to break forth.

Eric Knowles and Catherine Southon,

it's time to put your money where your mouth is.

Mon cheri! Mon cheri!

-So here we are in Paris.

-In Paris, the city of love.

Yes, as far as we're concerned the city of purchases.

We're in the Marche Biron, which is quite a smart little part

of the Marche aux Puces, or the flea market.

I'm a bit worried because this is all very familiar to you, isn't it?

-This is your territory.

-I've been coming here for quite a few years.

-We have £750-worth of euros.

-Right, OK.

And I have absolutely no idea about this place.

I've never been here before so I might be following you.

There's just so much, you know, to take in.

So forget about lunch, that's not going to happen.

Time is the second most precious commodity that we've got today.

-Right.

-OK.

The fact I've been coming here for years and years and years,

counts for nothing. All right?

-That makes me feel a bit better.

-OK.

-That's what I am here for.

-Bonne chance.

-Thank you.

-Have a good day.

-You too.

-See you later.

-Au revoir.

Don't worry? Is Eric already playing mind games?

Surely his experience of Saint Ouen must count for something?

Catherine thinks I have a decided advantage here today because

I've been coming to this particular market for literally donkey's years.

But there's so much legwork to do that I think she's got the advantage

because at least she has youth on her side.

Well, he's right about this place.

It's absolutely enormous.

A massive mixture of outdoor and covered spaces

spread across a warren of streets.

And while Eric insists he doesn't have an advantage,

Catherine is not at all convinced.

I'm actually rather worried.

Now, I could do one of two things.

I could either follow in his footsteps

or I could just go off my own route, find the cheapest shop

and buy everything there.

I don't know what I'm going to do.

But I think you're going to have to wish me good luck.

Be bold, be brave, be cunning, Catherine.

Knocker's nemesis may be more nimble but she's far from confident.

One thing's for sure, we're in for a fearsome fight.

Our antiques athletes get cracking and against the odds,

it's Catherine who makes the first find. Some antique entertainment.

She's spotted a slide from a Magic Lantern, an early type of projector.

These can be really collectable.

If you think, once upon a time, we didn't have television,

we didn't have radio.

These are the kind of thing that used to amuse the family.

They can be very desirable. I'm going to find out how much it is.

Bonjour.

She's acting all sweetness and light.

C'est combien pour moi?

But she's going in for the kill.

It's got 150 on. Quatre-vingts?

Catherine goes in at 80.

Quatre-vingts. 80.

So we've got down to 80.

He agreed to that a bit too lively, which always worries me.

Shall I try and knock it down a bit more?

Soixante-dix?

So, that's 70.

Soixante-dix. Merci beaucoup.

Well, what a laid-back gentleman.

Maybe he just wanted to get rid of her.

Nevertheless, reducing her offer right at the end

is an interesting way to trade.

But they don't call her Cunning for nothing.

Convert that money back to sterling and it works out at £63.64.

Now this lantern slide is French.

There's an interesting little scene going on.

The fact that we've got a little dog in it is a nice seller.

I would have thought it's about late 19th-century, maybe 1870, 1880,

but the chap in the shop is convinced it's earlier.

He thinks more 1850. I really think I can make a profit on this.

The only thing worries me is that he sold it to me so quickly.

Mmm! Was Cunning Catherine actually outwitted by a clever seller?

Or was he just a very generous man?

We won't know until she sells the piece.

Now it's Eric's turn to get a taste of the buying action

and show the colour of his money, as a cake slice catches his eye.

What I like about this is that the handle is very Deco, and it matches.

Sometimes you get knife handles that have just been married,

and it's just silver plate. I'm going to have a go on this.

-Bonjour, monsieur. Ca va? Donner un prix pour...

-Vingt-cinq euro.

-OK, 25.

OK, yeah, oui. Put it there. OK.

Yes, piece of cake.

For Knocker, £22.73 is a nice price for a silver plate slice.

He moves on to the scoreboard with a smooth, no-nonsense purchase.

While I was looking at this, I noticed in the same tray,

you see, what I like about this place is that everything is priced.

His predator's eyes are darting everywhere.

Underneath that smooth exterior is a shark ready to bite.

And when another buyer gets too close to his next target,

he pounces like a coiled spring!

Possession is 9/10 of the law in this business.

You've got to grab it when you see it.

I've just come across this lovely little inkwell,

in French enamel. This is called champleve enamel.

This is actually a brass that's been cut into

and then the enamel's been inset into the brass.

But that is a little treasure.

It's got a pen rest, it's in onyx,

and it's down at 30 euros.

So I think that's worth a go.

A nifty bit of Knocker negotiation sees the price of the inkwell

dip to 25 euros, or £22.73. And the man is nothing short of a miracle.

He immediately knocks up his third success, a tea caddy for £54.55.

Eric's campaign has claimed

three quick conquests in speedy succession.

Well, I've just bought myself a tea caddy, or should I say,

as in La Belle France, a THE caddy.

Date-wise, it's probably round about 1860-1880.

It's in a lovely, lovely rosewood.

It needs a little bit of work.

It's got its brass feet, that's all there

and I've got somebody in mind to buy it.

He's actually a cabinet-maker as well,

so, for that sort of money, I'm a happy bunny.

And with a buyer in mind, he's already got a leg up.

Maybe Catherine was right to be worried.

Eric kicks off with a hat-trick, and whilst he's doing well

out of what IS here, he's also concerned about what isn't.

One thing you will notice

when you come to one of these flea markets

is the total lack of anything

that appears to be British.

It's as though, as a country, we don't exist.

Oh, surely not, Eric!

Just stop for a second.

If you listen, listen like a French dog with its head cocked,

it'll come to you. You'll hear it. Something unmistakably British.

Yes, a Brit abroad, bargaining in terrible Franglais.

I have to carry it to Angleterre.

Carry. Oh, it's so heavy! Vingt. Vingt?!

Quarante?

40? I won't pay any more than 20. Vingt? Yeah?

Are you happy with that?

I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but merci!

Yes, Catherine's "woe-is-me, I'm a poor, weak woman" act

has paid off. Our iron lady buys an iron plant stand

for half price, at £18.18.

Imagine this with some beautiful plants

and lovely flowers flowing out.

This is going to be fantastique!

Yes, she's clearly got her confidence back

but just as she's catching up with Eric, he only races off again

and makes his fourth purchase -

a pair of wall lights for £81.82.

So, has he unearthed a glowing bargain?

They've got a hint of that very

sort of 1940 look,

which has always been popular.

The decoration's enamelled.

It's all hand-done.

No machine decoration there.

And, for 90 euros, I think

they're well worth buying.

Eric really is setting the pace today.

And he was worried his Knocker knees wouldn't be nimble enough.

Catherine really does need to pick up speed,

or she may find herself going down the pan.

Talking of which...

Love these copper pans. Aren't they super?

I mean, that's heavy before you even put the contents in.

I just really love this whole idea of the big, heavy copper pots.

I just think they look lovely.

I don't think you'd ever use it.

Monsieur. Bonjour, bonjour! How much are these two pots?

First one costs 20 euro, and that one is 10 euro.

20 for this one and ten for that.

I tell you what, I'll give you 20 for two.

But he's not agreeing. Boss is saying no.

-Will you go and have a word with Boss?

-OK.

-Just give me a few minutes, I'll be back.

-OK, lovely, in a few minutes.

20 euros is what I'm asking, 20 euros for the two.

-He said OK.

-Did he?

-Yeah.

-Oh!

Very good. Wonderful. OK, let's shake.

-Thank you very much.

-20!

Oh, and a hint of a little dance there. She's pleased as punch.

Catherine carts off

the copper pots for £18.18.

When you are haggling and trying to get the best possible price,

whether it's abroad or whether it's in England,

the important thing is to gauge the vendor correctly.

And make sure that you're being fair to them.

It's OK to have a bit of a laugh and push them a little bit.

At the end of the day, you don't want to upset them.

You want to get that deal, but you want to get it right.

Hmmm! A little peek inside the mind of a master dealer there,

ladies and gentlemen. As Cunning Catherine heads off to hammer out

yet more hard haggles, let's see how our daring dealers have done so far.

Both our experts arrived with the euro equivalent of £750.

Eric "Knocker" Knowles has wasted no time.

Four pacy purchases for just under £182

leaving him little more than £568 to spend.

Catherine has been slower on her uptake.

Three deals done for bang-on £100, so there's £650 still in her kitty.

Neither of our battling barterers seem to be caving in

under the pressure just yet, but stop right there!

Is our Catherine considering a Cunning croque monsieur?

-Excusez-moi!

-Ah, caught in the act!

I did say to you that this is a very demanding day

and I did say to you, did I not, Catherine,

that lunch was not even an option, never mind a consideration?

Well, I thought I would peruse the menu

-because things are going rather well, Eric.

-Oh, are they?

Oh, I'm delighted for you(!)

I was going to follow in your shadow

but then I thought, no, I'm going to go off on my own.

And I have to say, not bad. What about you?

Once you've made that first purchase,

-all of a sudden you seem to get on a roll.

-Go on a roll.

Yeah, I'm about halfway there but I've got it all to play for.

-And time is...

-Ticking on, isn't it?

Not only is it ticking on, but time is money, Honey!

So, listen, if your conscience is clear, you go ahead,

but as for me, it's business as usual.

-See you.

-Bye!

I think I'm going to press on as well.

Forget the lunch.

Yes, no lunch for our master of... Oh!

I'm not sure if my opposition today is showing confidence

or sheer defiance, but I'm not proud.

I am going to be eating literally on the run.

Yes, that's the way to do it, Knocker,

but no refuelling for Catherine!

No, she's found the inner strength deep down at the core

of her competitive nature.

Or is this an act?

Is she calm on the surface,

while underneath paddling away like the proverbial...swan?

That is fabulous.

We've got a planter in the form of a swan.

What I would do is sell that, either to a pub, The Swan Pub, Hotel,

somewhere like that, or take it somewhere

where they have lots of swans, somewhere like Cookham,

but what's the price?

Madame!

-Madame, bonjour. C'est combien?

-Deux cents.

Deux cents.

The lady's asking 200 euros.

Je prefer

un cent vingt.

120? That's a lot of money!

Uh, it's OK.

-Is that OK?

-Yeah, it's a good deal.

-Yeah?

-A good deal for you or me?

-No, for you!

Catherine swans off with her fourth purchase, having paid £109.09.

And in celebratory mood, Catherine makes time for a tipple.

She buys a set of retro glassware for 75 euros, or £68.18 back home.

Fancy a drink? I know I do. This is very thirsty work.

But I've picked up this rather smart 1950s little decanter set

with eight shot glasses.

Very retro, very now

and pretty funky.

I love the different colours here.

I love the primary colours - nice, bright, in your face, very retro.

Nice textured glass there.

75 euros? I don't think that's too bad at all.

Cheers.

Yes, bottoms up!

And that mini run has helped Catherine storm past Eric,

whose cheese baguette appears to have slowed his purchasing prowess.

He's been wandering round and round and, if the truth be told,

Knocker's struggling to spot anything.

This is not a look of panic on my face. It's just a look of...

..determined concern.

"Determined concern"? Hmm, must remember that one!

Maybe this is a matter of nimbleness after all.

While Catherine has youth on her side,

is age really going to be a barrier to the boy from Burnley?

Surely not, this man's a pro and he focuses on what he knows best -

pots.

So, you have a very interesting collection here, haven't you?

The things I'm interested in - for example, who is this by?

-Louis Dage.

-Louis Dage?

It was made in the '20s.

-Combien? How much is that?

-It's not very expensive.

Oh, I like those words.

"Not very expensive",

that's the first time I've heard a Frenchman say that.

-195.

-Are we talking derriere prix?

-Don't mind me asking, I have to ask.

-150.

150, OK.

I love to see a signature.

I like to see a man who's proud to put his name on his pot.

150, well, I'll give it a go.

There he goes, back at the heart of the game.

The ceramic pot sets Eric back £136.36.

He knows he's running short of time, so he decides to stay where he is.

That, and the fact that his legs are tired.

But it's all good, because he's clocked his next target.

Cor, blimey! Be careful with that! Eric's nerves are shot as it is.

Ah, voila.

I think it's stylish.

I like the dragonfly.

And is that derriere prix? 45?

35.

-35.

-OK.

-Yep, definite.

-Eric, stop saying "derriere prix"!

your derriere is your backside,

but no matter, really - the man understood

and Eric makes purchase number six.

The red vase costs him £31.82.

I've just gone and bought myself two pots and I have to admit

that I knew nothing about the maker of either.

Starting with this fella, this lovely platinum design.

It's a cross between Nouveau and Deco,

but I love the dragonfly on there.

But even more pleased with this box and cover.

Louis Dage - I'd never heard of him before.

The great thing for me

is I'm going back to England knowing far more than I did before I came.

But I love that design

and I just love the pot itself,

because this is so, so Deco,

and the decoration, it's almost raised like, if you will,

almost like copper-type enamel decoration.

But, of course, it's ceramic.

I thought it was worth a go

because I think that is a fabulous piece of Art Deco ceramic design.

Well, there's proof - you can teach an old dealer new tricks

and Eric's so pleased with his haul, he decides to call time on his shop.

Catherine, however, is still in the party mood,

always wanting one last dance before home time.

She's hoping to siphon off a little more party profit.

This is priced up at 85 euros.

I quite like the fact that it's glass, cos quite often they're...

-Big glass.

-..metal. Yeah, it's very thick.

This is probably '30s.

-1920s...

-'20s, '30s, yep.

And this is etched, is it?

It was the name of the bar.

The bar, ah, I see.

-The owner of the bar. It was in Rouen.

-Ah, in Rouen.

-Yep.

OK, would you take 50?

No, I can't. It's impossible.

-You can't?

-No, because I buy at 50.

-You buy at 50?

-I can sell at 70 if you want.

Can I give you 60, and then you have a little profit and then I can sell?

Yeah? Yeah, 60?

-Is that OK?

-60, OK.

Thank you very much. It is lovely.

Yes, Catherine's usual trick of holding out her hand works

once again and in that final spurt, the siphon costs her £54.55.

And that winds up the Battle of St Ouen,

but before our combatants convene for a little rendezvous,

let's take a look at their spending figures.

Both our bargain barterers started the day

with the equivalent of £750 in their pockets.

Eric picked up six purchases and spent £350.01 in the process.

Catherine also did half a dozen deals

and spent very slightly less, £331.82.

Despite neither spending even half of their budgets,

they're very evenly matched, so do our have-a-go hagglers stand

half a chance of making a decent profit?

-Tres bien, tres bien!

-Mission accomplished, you might say.

-I think yours looks better than mine.

-I've gone a bit Deco, I know.

I always do, but you can't help it in France, it's here.

And you are a heavy metal chick, no two ways about it.

Well, I think I've gone down a bit of a homely route.

With an emphasis on drink as well, I've noticed, there.

-Sh, you're not supposed to see that.

-Big lump of wrought iron over there.

20 euros.

Hey, at 20 euros, it'll scrap for more than that back home.

What have you bought?

I actually quite like the earliest thing,

which is probably this little caddy, actually inlaid with "The".

Now, I don't know about you but I'm catching a train

and on that train there is a place that sells "the"

and I will stand you to a cup of whatever you like.

-So, I will get packed and I will see you...

-See you on the train.

Yes, one train ride later

and Eric and Catherine are back on British soil

and our prime purchasers must now become super sellers.

All their carefully selected foreign fare needs to make maximum profits

and it's our dealers' jobs to find the best buyers

using their contacts, researching people they've never met,

or just finding someone with loads of money. It doesn't matter.

What's at stake?

Only the glory of being crowned today's Put Your Money champion.

Yes!

It's time for our bargain hunters to assess their wares.

At Knocker HQ, Mr Knowles is rather pleased with his stash.

Surprise, surprise - everything's French,

including an interesting pair of Art Deco wall lights,

enamelled with gazelle-type designs.

There's no doubting that my rosewood caddy is French

because it's beautifully lettered.

My Art Deco cake slice, it's very stylish,

and it was very inexpensive,

as was my lovely little inkwell on an onyx stand.

My most interesting object has to be this Art Deco box and cover.

I'm all the wiser from having gone to Paris to find out about Louis Dage.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will probably notice

that I'm actually lacking a red pottery vase.

Well, the sad tale there is that it, through no fault of my own,

actually got broken in transit from la belle France.

Yes, these things do happen.

Since the breakage wasn't Eric's fault,

the Put Your Money games masters have decided to pay

to have the vase restored,

so we'll see what happens later on.

In Kent, Catherine's back at Cunning Towers,

so how's she feeling about her French foray?

I was little bit sceptical about St Ouen when we first started

at the market because it was a market

that Mr Knowles knew extremely well.

Firstly, my copper pots -

20 euros I paid for those. Bargain.

I love my magic lantern slide.

That is going to be a peach of a purchase.

My soda siphon - you see these all the time

but that is a really nice example.

Lovely, colourful, retro glasses there.

I don't think they'll be too problematic.

As soon as I saw this swan,

I had to have it. I've got just the person in mind for this.

One of my favourite pieces has to be this wrought iron plant stand.

I really can't believe that I paid just under £20 for it.

All in all, I am delighted with everything here,

so it wasn't too bad after all.

Good news.

So, our titanic twosome get down to some fearsome phone bashing

to line up those stellar sales,

and remember, until they've shaken on it

and the money's changed hands, no deal is ever sealed.

And Catherine is the eager beaver,

straight out there on the hunt for a double deal.

She's brought the soda siphon

and the decanter set to the village of Wateringbury near Maidstone

and a tea room that sells antiques,

so will the owner, Mark, be interested?

You did express some interest.

-It's very nice.

-..in this soda siphon.

Have a feel, because feel the weight of that -

it's pretty heavy, isn't it?

Oh, it is a nice one.

It's got a real quirky look and we like quirky in this shop.

You like quirky? Oh, I am pleased.

It all depends on the price, Catherine. You know how it goes.

I would like around...

-..about £80.

-I think I would be happy on 70, if we could do 70.

-OK, £70 for that one.

-Is that a deal?

-We'll shake on that.

I'm very happy to be the new owner of this little fella.

The soda siphon squeezes out a profit of £15.45,

not the greatest starting profit, but she's not done yet.

I've brought you something else as well,

because I think it's quite retro, it's quite fun,

-so we've got a little decanter set.

-Yeah.

I thought the colours were great and all in good condition.

-They're not rubbed or anything.

-There's no chips either.

That's always very nice.

And how much were you looking for?

In order to make an eentsy-teentsy profit, again,

I'm looking at £90, 80-90.

Outside of my range. I could go up to 50.

I would make a loss on that.

-I could help you a little bit and go to 60.

-Could you?

-Yeah.

-You happy with that?

-I'm happy.

Yes, but it's still a loss.

The decanter set leaves Catherine £8.18 worse off,

thought the siphon sales does mean she leaves in profit overall.

That's the way this game works

and we've only just started this mammoth selling mission.

Now, our Knocker has decided to kick off his campaign in London's Soho.

He wants to sell his cake slice

to the oldest patisserie in the capital.

It's been there for over 140 years.

The Art Deco item owes him nearly £23,

so will the shop's owner, Michelle, give him a profit?

There it is.

It's in perfect working order.

From a date point of view, I'd have thought that's about 1925.

Just about the time of the big Paris Exposition

that happened and which is synonymous with Art Deco.

Could you tell me why it's got this little pattern on it here?

I think it's just part of the design,

but it goes without saying that it makes it that little bit lighter,

because it's actually reducing the weight.

We're going to see if it works first of all, are we? Go on, give it a go.

I'll see if it slices.

-It looks very nice, doesn't it? Look at that?

-Yeah.

I was hoping for somewhere round about £45 for this little fella,

but what would you be happy paying?

£30.

Could we meet halfway? 35 at a push?

-32.50?

-32.50? That gets complicated.

Can we just round it up?

Round it down?

-OK, let's round it down to £32, shall we? Yes?

-Yes.

-You've got yourself a cake slice for £32.

-Merci beaucoup.

That's all right. No, merci bien.

Mmm, a savvy businesswoman there.

So, no icing on Eric's cake.

He does leave with a profit, though, of £9.27.

It's not going great for either of our experts,

but it's a marathon, not a sprint, and Put Your Money's answer

to Sebastian Coe is hoping for more luck with his next sale.

He's heading for another specialist shop in London,

this time in upmarket Hampstead.

He's taking his inkwell to show Smarda, who deals in fountain pens.

Eric paid almost £23 for it.

There it is. Let me just show you.

Please, feel free to hold it,

and you can see that the decoration has champleve enamel,

so it's been cut into the brass

and then the enamel's been flooded into the cloisonnes

and the base itself is a very pale green Brazilian onyx.

It's a beautiful piece.

The problem with them is they don't collect like marble.

-The onyx?

-Yeah.

-Oh, right.

-So that's a little bit reduced the value.

You've got to re-educate them.

The people I deal with crave good quality onyx.

I valued it about the £40 mark.

And I value it about 20-25.

-So if we can do a deal at 30...

-Shall we go in the middle?

Shall we say 28?

-28 will be OK.

-Thank you very much indeed.

Another hard deal - what is going on?

Eric's inkwell writes a profit of just £5.27.

So while Eric goes off to try harder with his potential buyers,

Catherine gets back on the road.

She did quite a lot of research before setting up her next meeting.

She's in Suffolk and she's feeling hopeful.

I'm here in Newmarket and I've come to see Richard,

who's a member of the Magic Lantern Society

and I'm hoping that he's going to buy my magic lantern.

Yes, Richard is a big collector of magic lanterns.

Will he pay more than Catherine's outlay of nearly £64?

So were you just collecting the actual lanterns,

-or is it the slides as well.

-Oh, the slides.

-Good.

-I only collect what I can make use of.

I hope it lives up to its expectations. I saw it...

I bought it in Paris

and I just fell in love with it.

-It is obviously a French one.

-Yes.

What date do you think?

It's got to be between, yes, 1850-1860, something like that.

You've done very well to find it.

I always remember the ones with some sort of mechanical...

The chromatropes.

The chromatropes, or these with the levers tend to be the ones

that are more desirable and more collectable.

-Yes.

-I was looking for somewhere around the 150 mark.

I do love it, so, look, I'll give you 125.

Can we make it up to a nice, round 130 and then we're done?

-Yes, OK.

-Shall we?

-Why not?

-Thank you very much.

-No, thank you.

-I'm so pleased...

-Have you got any more?

If only, Richard. So the lantern slide lights up Catherine's game.

It projects £66.36 into her profit purse

and before she goes, Richard gives her a demonstration using her slide.

So it's completely reversed now from what we saw.

If we take this longer lever,

we can make the dog bark.

HE IMITATES BARKING

I think this is absolutely charming. It looks gorgeous.

The colours are wonderful and I really hope that you use this

in one of your shows, because I think it's pure entertainment.

Oh, we will.

Rest assured, we will use it.

HE IMITATES BARKING

Well, Richard's clearly a very happy customer.

As we reach the halfway stage of this selling saga,

let's see how the money is totting up.

Eric "Knocker" Knowles has so far sold two items,

but he's not so flash on the cash -

a profit of just £14.54.

Catherine, however, has made three sales,

and her profit's looking much healthier, £73.64.

Well, Catherine's clearly queen of the castle now,

but Eric's determined to battle back into prime position.

He pulls out his big gun, the Art Deco ceramic pot.

He clubs it together with the rosewood tea caddy

in the hope of a double deal.

He takes them both to Haslingden in Lancashire

and he's pinning his hopes on antiques dealer John.

I've brought a couple of things along that might be of interest to you.

Let me show you this for starters. It's a tea caddy.

The thing I like about it is just this beautiful,

delicate stringing that's on there.

Date-wise, I had it about 1860.

It's mid-Victorian to late-Victorian,

it's a lovely little rosewood caddy. Unfortunately...

-That is the minus.

-..it is missing its innards.

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

I'd be...

..comfortable at £50-60.

If it's the 60,

we've got a deal.

You should never say a range, should you? You should always say a price.

I've gone within the range, so if you're happy with 60,

I'm happy with 60.

Thanks very much.

Oh, Eric, another small profit - £5.45.

So, will he wow John with the big one.

So we're moving to something completely different,

a ceramic box and cover

by Louis Dage. He was working in northern Paris in about 1925.

Have a look at it, see what you think.

I'm fully aware that we're dealing with something

that you don't see every day.

I might even use the word esoteric.

In itself, it's not to me wildly exciting.

It's got the name, it's got the signature, it's a nice thing.

-I suppose it comes down to...

-The right price.

So I was looking to get somewhere in the region of around about £120.

-I was thinking in the... £70, £80-range.

-Right.

I would like to think I might get £90.

-Somewhere in the middle.

-Can we do an 85 on that?

-Yes.

-Shall we do an 85? OK.

-Thank you.

Oh, Eric, that is an enormous loss.

£51.36!

This really isn't his game, is it?

OK, I know, not my finest hour - a minimal profit on my tea caddy

and as for my Louis Dage,

well, something of a loss, but to put a more positive spin on this,

somebody at some stage is going to own one superb French Art Deco

pottery box.

Well, you look for an upside all you like, Knocker,

but there's no way round it - that's a huge disappointment,

but, true to form,

Eric throws himself wholeheartedly into selling his last items.

And he's going to have to.

Catherine's on the scent of her next deal

and she's off to Henley-on-Thames to visit a florist,

so will she get a cash bouquet for her wrought iron plant stand?

She's meeting Annette.

I've just been looking around and I notice that you have

quite a few of these old-style pots,

so I'm hoping that my plant stand would fit quite well.

It's very unique.

It's just where my market is, really - something unusual.

I'd probably just put overflowing plants or something like that

so it had a bit more character to it.

I am going to start at about £70-80 for this.

I was thinking probably 50-ish.

65?

65 would be the maximum I'd go.

-Maximum?

-Maximum.

-Could we shake on 65?

We could shake on 65.

Thank you so much, Annette, that's wonderful,

and I know you're going to do something fabulous with this.

Yes, Catherine comes up smelling of roses -

a blooming great profit of £46.82.

Back to Eric, who's gone to his old stomping ground in Lancashire

looking for some home luck.

And he's certainly needs it.

He's in Eccleston to meet Harry,

who he's desperately hoping will like the wall lights enough

to give him a profit on the near £82 he paid out.

-Harry, found you.

-Hello, Eric.

-How are you?

-What an emporium! It goes on for ever, doesn't it?

-It does, yes.

Feast your eyes on... That's one of a pair.

Very nice.

Obviously, they're going to need complete rewiring

and the word is PAT testing.

I think these are round about 1925-1930.

They're brass and then they've been enamelled

with this deer and fawn design. Would they be of interest?

Yeah, they would.

I am interested.

Let's say round about £110.

I was thinking more about 70-75.

If I could do these for about £90...

-OK, I'm all right at that.

-You're all right at 90? OK, all right.

Hmm, not ideal at all.

The wall lights offer just a glimmer of a profit - £8.18.

Back down south, Catherine's travelled to Berkshire,

and she thought she'd found the perfect place

to sell her large swan planter.

The Old Swan Uppers Pub in Cookham seems to be the perfect place

to sell my swan planter.

But have a look at this - I've got competition.

And I think they're slightly better. Sh!

Ooh, that's put a fly in the ointment.

Let's hope Simon, the publican, wants another one.

Catherine paid nearly £110 for hers.

-Is it Swan upping in Cookham?

-Swan upping, certainly.

And that's where the tag the swans? They do indeed, once a year.

Lovely. That's why I brought my swan to you,

but I've got competition outside, haven't I?

Yeah, I have a pair of swans out the front looking splendid

and fantastic.

So does mine!

Whether I can add this to my collection remains to be seen.

This has age to it.

-I think it's probably '50s.

-Right, I can picture it, maybe, on the bar.

-Mmm.

-With some flowers coming out of it, or menus,

-as a menu receptacle.

-I like that idea. That would be quite nice.

I can picture it.

-Depends on the price, I guess.

-Right. I am looking, Simon,

for around £160.

Er...

I was thinking possibly 120?

-What about 140?

-That's good, that's fine.

-Is that good?

-I can see 140.

Simon!

-You're a star and I think...

-Pleasure.

-..menus.

-Yeah, I think so.

Yes, Catherine glides elegantly away with a profit of £30.91

and she keeps her head above water with her final deal of the day,

the copper pots.

They sell for £45, cooking up a profit of £26.82,

which means it all comes down to Eric's red vase.

You'll remember he was having it repaired after it got damaged

on the journey back from France.

Well, there's been a bit of a situation.

Well, this is a sorry sight

because this is the extent of the damage to my red vase.

Now, I've shown this to several restorers

and they've all said the same thing - that it's impossible to restore

because they're never going to be able to emulate

the platinum lustre type of decoration,

so it is simply not cost-effective.

I'm afraid the only place for what you see before you

is the bin.

And for a ceramic fanatic like Knocker,

that's the worst thing of all.

Since the breakage wasn't Eric's fault,

it wouldn't be fair for him to lose out financially,

so the Put Your Money games masters

refund him what he paid out in the first place.

He doesn't make a loss but he can't make a profit either

and that could have made all the difference in today's game.

So before we find out the final results,

why don't we remind ourselves of what they spent?

Both our bargain hunters started out

with £750-worth of their own euros to spend.

Taking Eric's broken vase out of the equation completely,

he made five other purchases and spent £318.19.

Catherine struck six deals and spent £331.82.

But it's all about profit now and this one could be interesting.

Any money that Catherine and Eric have made from today's challenge

will go to charities of their choice,

so let's find out who is today's

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Ha-ha!

-Bonjour.

-Bonjour!

"Comment allez-vous?", as they say in certain parts of the world.

Not bad, not bad. How was the selling for you?

Well, I've got to come clean and say it was a tough call.

Oh, good.

What was your big one? Come on.

Well, one of my highlights

was that magic lantern.

-We saw it on the big screen and it looked amazing.

-Ha-ha!

Very nice, and you?

The tea caddy, or should I say, the "the" caddy.

Yes, that was nice.

It was such a beautiful piece of rosewood and I wanted to keep it.

-Shall we have a look?

-You want to do this in French.

Un, deux, trois...

-Ah...

-Oh!

-Eric!

-I know.

-It was not my finest hour.

-It wasn't, was it?

I found myself having to bite the bullet

and sell my fabulous Louis Dage ceramic box and cover at a loss.

-I'm going to buy you a drink. Commiserate.

-I think I need one!

Well, who would have predicted that when they arrived in Paris?

Full credit to Catherine, though.

She conquered in what turned out to be a very tough competition.

Well, I normally do OK when I'm in la belle France, but on this occasion

I don't quite know what the French word for tragedy is,

but that's what it was.

I got a red card, I made a minus!

I am shocked and horrified that I have won.

Eric knows this fair so well

and I thought he'd be making thousands!

Ha-ha-ha...

The cunning streak's still on show, so can Eric redeem himself tomorrow?

It certainly won't be straightforward.

It's the ultimate antiques challenge -

the mighty Put Your Money Where Your Mouth is showdown.

Where there's a will, there's a way.