Christina Trevanion v Mark Stacey - Auction 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.

Let's make hay while that sun shines.

Each day, one pair of duelling dealers

will face a mighty challenge.

I've got a heavy profit here.

Putting their reputations on the line.

Who's there?

They'll give you the insider's view of the trade.

Rawr!

Along with their top tips and savvy secrets.

That could present a problem.

Showing you how to make the most money...

Ready for battle.

..from buying and selling.

Get in there!

Coming up - Mark is panicked by the saleroom...

It's all a bit pear-shaped. I don't want to look any more.

..Christina shows a flair for the artistic...

They're after an incredibly famous artist called Angelica Kauffman,

and they're all stipple engraving

and they've all got hand-coloured highlights to them as well.

..and there's straight talking in the selling.

-So what do you think of 40-60?

-I don't like it at all, really.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to the best seats in the house for

this clash of the titans.

A pair of the antiques world's finest dealers

go head-to-head and heel to toe in a bid for profit.

Our male lead has marched all the way from

his Brightlingsea home.

Let the battle commence.

He's profit-hungry, but don't trust him.

He's a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Baaa!

Yes, it's Mark "The Maverick" Stacey.

What's that smell? Profit!

Sharing the stage with Mark is the shiniest star

in the northern hemisphere.

Hello, have we met yet?

An auctioneer by trade, no-one takes it more seriously.

I'll get my bidding face ready.

From Shropshire, it's Christina "The Magpie" Trevanion.

I will be bidding, and bidding furiously.

The setting for today's battle is Sevenoaks

and Ibbett Mosely Auction Rooms,

where our tussling two will be bidding for victory.

Hold on to your seats. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

This could be quite an interesting battle.

They've each got £1,000 of their own money to spend,

and all the profits go to their chosen charities.

So, Mark Stacey and Christina Trevanion,

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

-Good morning, Christina.

-A vision in blue!

-And a vision in tangerine and cream!

-Why, thanks!

-Sunny Sevenoaks!

-Isn't it glorious? Feel the heat.

-But I'm so excited.

-This is my natural environment.

I'm a happy girl.

But you get a buzz, you see, out of cataloguing it and then selling it.

And research.

And I get a buzz from trying to find

that little nugget that maybe other people have missed.

Well, if you find the nugget and I do the research, we're a dream team.

We are, but then that really isn't the competition side, is it?

-Slightly defeats the object?

-I like the idea, though.

-And we've got £1,000 to spend.

-£1,000.

-£1,000!

-Burning a hole in our pocket.

-It really is, yeah. Let's do it!

Shall we get in there and start spending?

Yes, our brave bidders are full of beans

and up for the challenge ahead, but this path

will not be an easy one.

What's to be worried about?

Well, Mark, although there may be a wide selection of goodies here,

with the auctioneer's commissions on top, it's not always easy to

get those low prices. So does Christina have a plan up her sleeve?

My strategy for today is, basically, at auction,

you tend to get jewellery a little bit cheaper than you would

have to pay in a retail environment.

So I'm going to go for a little bit of jewellery

and there's also some really nice, good-quality pieces

that I might have to splash out quite a bit on.

Christina is displaying a cautious, strategic approach to proceedings.

Mark, well, he's already getting stuck in.

There's so much to see here and it's all rather cramped

so I'm knocking into everybody.

But I've got to look, cos I'm going to find the treasures that way.

Indeed you do, Mark!

And, across the saleroom, Christina is mirroring his behaviour,

and has spotted something she likes the look of.

We've got three mirrors here.

The one that I'm interested in is at the front.

It's a giltwood mirror, an early 19th-century piece.

I'm sort of hoping that it might be quite affordable

because we have got some damage.

We've got a piece there that's come off.

There is a little bit of damage to this corner, sadly.

So it would have been an over-mantle mirror originally,

and you can see that by the little bun feet that

are on the bottom there.

So often, you find these, and they're just carved

with leaves and flowers and they're fairly standard,

but this one, with its rope twist

has got quite a nautical theme to it.

I think it's really quite fun, and quite unusual.

Oh, sailor!

Christina is hoping the mirror will help her traverse the ocean of loss

and uncover the distant land of profits.

While Mark is considering a somewhat smaller body of water.

This is a Staffordshire pottery footbath.

Now, in the 19th century, if you were quite well-off,

you had wash jug and bowl sets in every bedroom.

This is a transfer-printed pattern,

and I suppose it dates from about 1870, something like that.

There's a little bit of staining and crazing,

but, you know, it's been around since 1870.

I've got quite a lot of crazing on me

and I haven't been around that long.

No, not quite that long.

But it seems he's not the only one to have noticed the footbath.

There may be trouble ahead with that one.

But now, Mark is on to his next target - a very small chair.

This is a chair I suppose you would use for a doll,

if you were a doll collector.

It's nicely carved to simulate bamboo.

It is, in fact, beechwood or something like that.

It's got the original sort of carpet-type upholstery on it.

It's got some very bad repairs.

Those are quite modern, I would say,

and there's quite a lot of people

who collect these miniature pieces of furniture.

And, I suppose, if you can pick that up for sort of £40-£50,

there should be quite a good profit at that.

On the other side of the auction room,

the Magpie is living up to her name,

as she is inexorably drawn to all that sparkles and shines.

This is a case set of six napkin rings.

Each of them is silver,

each of them is hallmarked here, you can see.

So often, you find that these

have been split throughout the generations.

Two have gone off to one member of

the family, another's gone off to someone else.

It's really quite unusual to find a

whole set that is still intact, still together.

So that's going to get marked down in my catalogue.

So, with their items earmarked,

Christina and Mark take their carefully chosen positions

from which they hope to conduct their victorious campaigns.

I'll have to keep everything crossed.

With catalogues in hand and hearts in mouths,

the auctioneer takes his place...

and we're off.

Auction started - here we go!

And they don't have to wait long for their first item,

as the footbath goes under the hammer.

Both of them were sizing it up beforehand,

so who's going to get it?

Well, we can't cut it in half and have half each, can we?

Not really, Mark, no.

Lot number 11.

So, as the auctioneer kicks off the bidding,

Mark is quick to get the first bid in.

Is that worth £10?

-Oh, he's bidding.

-Ten, I'm bid, at the top end, guy here, 12 now.

-Do I hear 12 to you?

-Christina ups the price.

15.

But Mark is sticking to his guns.

-18.

-So, once again, she goes for it.

£20.

Yes.

But drops out at £20.

It's the gentleman's bid.

And Mark wins the footbath.

Mark just bought that. I ran him up by £10.

He's going to be so cross!

And, once the commission is added,

Mark pays £23.60 for the footbath.

Which also comes with a sugar bowl, in case you need sugar.

On your feet.

I'm very happy. One down, lots more to go.

Or more lots to go, to be precise.

Now, things aren't going so swimmingly for Christina,

as it is not just the footbath she's lost out on.

190.

-180 then.

-That's fine.

55, 60.

Too expensive!

On my left at £90, then.

64 lots in,

and I have nothing.

Oh, dear, it looks like Christina is showing signs of ABS -

Auction Bidders' Syndrome.

Symptoms include...

He can see me bidding from here.

(So I might stand here instead.)

Because I have a feeling he might be out for some vengeance.

Something's happening.

She's trying to hide over there.

Hmm, waving in the middle of an auction is not the best idea, chaps.

You may go home with something you didn't want.

Hopefully, the napkin rings Christina saw earlier

will help her get back in the game.

They've got an estimate of £40-£60, so I've got to find somebody

that is going to hopefully buy them from me

that regularly has six people for dinner.

And I'm bid £90, do I hear 100 to you?

110 here, 120. With you at 120.

At 120, then.

I'm in shock.

A terrible shame, isn't it?

Awful, really.

Mark's looking a bit smug about Christina's dilemma,

but how will he get on when it's his turn to bid

on a selection of cow figures?

40 to you, 45.

50, 55, 60, 65.

Oh, he's not got it.

110, 120, 130, 140, 150.

160, then.

It's all a bit pear-shaped, I don't want to look any more.

Both our experts are struggling now, but, up next,

it's an Edwardian armchair that Christina has her eye on.

Worth £10?

She's getting ready to bid.

15 now.

15 to you, thank you.

She's off.

30. 35. 40.

-She's still bidding.

-45. 50. 55. 60.

65. 70.

65, back right?

All finished at 65, then?

(And I've got a lot!)

CROWD CHEERING

Yaay!

Oh, I can breathe now! I can breathe!

Her pink-upholstered armchair cost her £76.70 after commission,

so she takes the weight off her feet to get a closer look.

This chair is effectively wearing a badly fitting pair of trousers.

Reupholstered, beautifully upholstered,

this chair has a great, great shape to it.

But it's just not been upholstered particularly well.

At the moment, it's a bit of an ugly duckling,

but one day, quite soon, it will be the most beautiful swan.

So, Christina finally draws even with Mark.

But it may not be for long,

as he has his eye on a small watercolour of a rural scene.

Is this worth £10?

Ten I'm bid at the back there, thank you. 15.

Oh, look!

Are we all finished at the maiden bid of £10, then?

At the top end of the room?

-Yes!

-He wins the picture and then snaps up a second,

also for the starting price.

Total: £23.60 for both of them.

So, what's he got for his money?

This is a charming little sepia watercolour of a rural scene.

There's a little villager coming round the corner

with his oxen pulling the wagon.

And it is signed down here and dated,

but there's also another lot next to it,

of a similar sort of...

But this is a coaching scene.

Now, I rather like these.

They're terribly out of fashion, of course,

as a lot of the antiques market now

is based on big, bold and decorative.

A bit like me, really.

And these subtle, little drawings are overlooked.

Don't you think that's charming?

Yes, he's big, bold and decorative, all right,

and has a 3-1 lead.

So Christina is playing catch-up again as she goes for a tea set.

It's most beautifully decorated,

so let's hope I can get it for under £1,000.

118.

Here we go.

Davenport paint-and-gilt-decorated tea set. Here we are.

Showing the front, 118.

20 to start?

20 I have. 22 now.

At 20, looking for two. 22.

25 now?

25. 28. 30.

32.

35 anywhere else?

38 now, 38.

40 now?

At £40. Anywhere else?

At £40, all done?

It'll be fine, it'll be fine, it'll be fine.

Yes, it seems that bidding battle has our Magpie all flustered.

And, with commission, she spends a total of £47.20.

So will this Davenport crockery be worth the stress?

It's a really, really pretty, typically Victorian, coffee service.

But the thing for me is, A - the decoration's pretty.

But it's also got 12 settings.

We've got, unfortunately, only 11 cups,

but we've got 12 saucers, 12 plates,

a little bread-and-butter plate here,

and the slot bowl, which is really very, very pretty.

It's got a typical Davenport mark on the bottom there,

which was used about 1870, 1880.

And I just think it is absolutely exquisite.

I love the pattern on it, I love everything about it.

Mark's probably going to be terribly rude about it, but I love it.

Christina's crockery brings us to the end of act one,

meaning it's time to see how our battling bidders

are braving the elements in today's tussle.

And, with a budget of £1,000, Mark has bought three items

and spent £47.20, leaving him with just over £952 to play with.

Christina has two lots, but has spent much more - £123.90.

That leaves a little over £876 to spend.

Now, our experts' cash may not be spent,

but it appears their nerves are.

How tough is this?

Do you need a hug?

What's with the pink tea set?

-Oh, it's lovely, did you not see it?

-No.

-And it was cheap. Estimate of 50-70, £40 bought.

-Well, yeah.

-How are you getting on?

-Well, it's tough.

Most lots I'm bidding on, I just can't touch.

No, exactly, and some I haven't even had a chance to bid on.

Those have just gone...

-But you've got a few lots, so...

-Not really very many!

-I like that.

-Be positive.

-OK, will do.

-Honestly, be positive.

-You'll get there.

-Thank you, darling.

Right, go on, go on.

Oh, dear! In spite of Mark's efforts to cheer her up,

Christina is looking distinctly browbeaten by this auction.

Could these be yet more symptoms of ABS?

Such as...

Mark Stacey says think positive.

I didn't even get the chance to uncross my arms.

Look!

-MUSIC BOX CHIMES

-Aw!

Uh-oh, looks like it's contagious.

It's quite soothing, that music, isn't it?

Pull yourselves together, there's a competition to be won!

Next up, Mark is after a Royal Doulton pen stand.

£20 somewhere?

20 I have. Two now. At £20, looking for two.

All done, then, at £20? All done?

A confident move from Mark there, costing £23.60 with fees.

But, will it stand him a profit when he comes to sell it?

You can see it's an Art Deco desk stand.

You would put your fountain pen in here and keep your little

paper clips in there.

And you can rest a pencil or something in here.

And this design, you would think is shagreen or lizard-skin.

Actually, it's far too heavy for that, and look,

when we turn it over, you can see it's Royal Doulton.

This was probably made in the 1920s or '30s.

Now, I know quite a lot of Art Deco dealers and people who like

unusual items. Totally useless in today's society

with e-mails and things, who would use fountain pens?

I don't. Not even to write my cheques.

And the next item to get him bidding is a romantic rainy-day painting.

172 is Stephen Stevens, Summer Shower

and at 80 I have to start on commission.

80, I'm looking for 90.

90. 100.

Going 110?

110 at the back of the room, everybody else is out.

With £110, all done at 110?

I bought it.

I bought it.

Hmm, looks like he's regretting it already.

The romantic scene sets Mark back a heart-wrenching £129.80.

But, up close, will he fall in love with it?

I love the subject - the two lovers just leaving a table,

the rain has started, the umbrella is up.

It's signed and dated in the corner here.

It's got very much a sort of Jack Vettriano look about it.

And I think it will appeal to someone, it's quite impressionistic.

When you think how much I spent on it, £110 plus the bits and pieces,

you can't even buy a framed print for that.

Mark now has a 5-2 lead over Christina,

who, in spite of her next efforts, is still unable to catch a break

losing lot...

Done at 350, then.

..after lot...

160.

..after lot.

Shucks.

Maybe things will go her way with the mirror she looked at earlier.

I'm seriously running out of A) Time, and B) Lots.

But not C) Money, which you have plenty of.

I'm feeling a little bit anxious.

Hoping I don't have to pay a huge amount of money for it.

The next lot - wish me luck!

280 is the little over-mantle down in the corner, here.

So, with a look of...trepidation? on her face, Christina goes for it.

And I have 100 to start on commission. See 110 anywhere?

110. 120.

130. 140. 150.

At £150, all done?

£150!

At least she's bought something.

Christina's third purchase takes £177 with costs.

Which means Mark is still in the lead

with five buys under his belt

but, he's not resting on his laurels.

I've still got a few more that I'm going to go for,

my opponent on the other hand...

..has still got a long way to go.

I think she's a little bit worried.

With the auction now drawing to a close,

Christina goes after three framed prints.

The next lot is these pictures,

which, hopefully, I'll get a look in.

288, Thomas Baker after Angelica Kauffman,

£10 anywhere for the prints?

£10 I have. 12 now.

At 10, looking for 12. All done, then, at £10?

That's cheap.

Happy days! £10 for three beautiful pictures?

That's made my day.

Yes, without a bid against her,

the three prints set her back just £11.80 in total.

So, what did she get for her money?

They're after an incredibly famous artist called Angelica Kauffman,

who was a female artist in the 18th century.

And they're all stipple-point engraved, or stipple engraving,

and they've all got hand-coloured highlights to them as well.

They're wonderful classical scenes.

No idea who's going to want them, but I think they're lovely.

Yes, Christine showing us that, sometimes,

bidding blind can reap the rewards.

Meanwhile, the sale is almost over,

but Mark has one more potential purchase up his sleeve.

My last lot is coming up.

In fact, it's the last lot of the sale.

It's that rather nice 19th-century small chair.

I'm hoping to get it for £40-£50,

but who knows?

293, last lot of the sale, is the little doll's side chair.

Start me at £20 anywhere. 20 I have, 22 now.

At 20, looking for two. At £20.

Two anywhere else? 22.

25. £28 now? 28.

30. 32?

30 at the back of the room.

Two anywhere else?

At £30, all done?

I got it! £30!

Now, one of the other dealers was bidding for it,

but I got it below what I thought.

And I know it's only a miniature item,

but I hope my profit is not going to miniature at all.

Mark wins the final lot,

paying £35.40 for the doll's chair in total,

and that's it.

Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen,

that's the end of today's sale.

Or is it?

I don't feel like I've spent either enough money or bought enough lots.

So I'm going to go and have a chat with the auctioneer

and see if there's any

lots still up for grabs, maybe do some after sales.

Yes, Christina, the Magpie, now flutters over to the auctioneers,

knowing that unsold items can still be negotiated over.

And she has her eye on something shiny.

So we've not had that one, which is lot 113,

which is a little garnet set brooch or pendant, isn't it?

That's quite nice. Has that got a hallmark on it?

-It's not hallmarked.

-And it's nine carat, OK.

-What could that be, what's your best?

-If I said to you £50...?

-No.

-I won't go lower than 35.

-30, I'd be very happy.

-OK.

-Would you be able to do it for 30?

-32?

-I will split the difference with you at 32.

-OK, OK!

Well done, thank you very much.

So, it may not have sold under the hammer, but, with auction costs

included, Christina pays £37.76 for the brooch.

But, was it left unsold for a reason?

Let's have a look at it. We've got this circular broach here.

Typically 1960s/1970s in design.

Look at these radiating bars here.

Set throughout with garnets - very sweet.

And on this fairly bleak day, it's been like a little ray of sunshine.

Christina's shiny purchase brings us to the end of the buying half.

So, before we move onto the next act,

let's see how our experts spent today.

Our two auction heroes set off on the saga

with £1,000 of their own money.

Mark "The Maverick" Stacey bought six items, costing him £236.

Christina Trevanion acquired five lots at a total cost of £350.46.

So, with our tremendous struggle over,

our brave bidders take a moment to throw a critical eye

over each other's lots.

That was a tough auction.

It sort of slightly felt like this was a bloodbath.

LAUGHTER

Oh, stop it, Christina, that's another rib gone!

But I do worry a little about the tea set.

But look how pretty! Look, so pretty!

Oh, I've never seen a prettier tea service by Davenport.

SHE LAUGHS

-But, actually, those were a bargain, Christina, for £10.

-Really?

As were these, Mark, for goodness sakes, mine are just prints.

Yours are originals.

-Beautiful little pen sketches.

-I couldn't believe those.

I love your over mantle.

I know you had to pay a lot for that.

But, it is a good looking a good interior design thing.

That's what I thought.

Original back, lovely thing.

No, it's really nice.

But my favourite, favourite piece that you bought today...

Is...? Oh, I know.

-Do you know, I looked at it all through the sale.

-Gorgeous.

It really has got that Vettriano look about it.

It certainly has. I just think it's so romantic.

-I'm very jealous about that. I think it's fabulous.

-You are too kind.

And I think we bought really quite well between us.

Like always, Christina -

buying, they say, is the easy bit.

-Yeah, very true.

-It's the selling that's the problem.

-Well, yeah. Well, very best of luck.

-And to you.

And so the dust of the final gavel is whisked away

by the winds of inevitable change,

and the buying season turns to selling.

Down in his Brightlingsea digs, Mark is evaluating his valuables.

I am quite pleased with what I bought,

particularly the charming pair of watercolours.

I really do like these.

They're so sweet.

I love the carriages,

the one with the peasants with the cattle coming round,

the other one with a slightly grander coach and horses.

The ink stand is quite interesting,

because this is from the Art Deco period.

And when I first saw it, I thought this was sharkskin or shagreen,

but it's not, it's porcelain decorated to look like it.

I love my little miniature chair.

I had to wait virtually to the end of the sale to see

whether I could secure it or not, and I'm jolly pleased I did.

The footbath, I'm afraid, is not my favourite buy,

but I might be able to get a profit or at least wash my face.

And this charming picture called me all through the auction.

It was in my direct eyeline from where I was standing.

I hadn't viewed it, I didn't know anything about it,

and I ended up buying it blind.

But I'm so pleased I did, because there's a lovely gallery label

on the back, saying the artist -

and it's an old gallery from Hove in Sussex, my old stomping ground -

and I do hope it doesn't rain on my parade.

Talking of parades, Christina, how are you getting on?

Well, Christina is in Shropshire, coming to terms with her purchases.

I always say to clients, when you're looking at things,

looking for things, always try and buy things

in perfect condition if you can.

And I think it's fair to say that I haven't, indeed,

heeded my own advice, sadly.

Because, look - I bought a chair, which, it's fair to say,

has been beautifully upholstered by an enthusiastic amateur.

It's looking a little bit tired,

and hasn't been given the best of treatments.

I'll need to do a bit of work to that.

My tea service has got some damage throughout,

but, nonetheless, it's a beautiful thing and very displayable.

My mirror, over there, appears to have lost a foot

between the auction house and here.

And also some of the gilding has come away.

So, again, I need to do a bit of work to that

in order to find a buyer for it.

I have to say, I'm very pleased with these pictures, though.

I only paid just shy of £12.

And, to be perfectly honest with you, I think they're gorgeous.

They're early 19th-century, hand-coloured prints

depicting these wonderful diaphanously-clad maidens here

after Angelica Kauffman.

I'm hoping to find somebody who will love them just as much as I do.

But, overall,

I think it's fair to say

I've got some serious work to do.

Indeed. Both Mark and Christina must now conduct the research,

make the calls and cover the ground

that will lead them on to profit and victory.

And, lest we forget, a deal is not a deal

until sealed with a handshake.

Christina is concerned about her sellables,

so she must feel heartened when she gets her first whiff

of a possible profit.

I'm here in Market Drayton in Shropshire

to visit a chap called Steve who has his own brewery and pub company.

Now, he comes into my auction house to buy items to refurbish his pubs.

So I'm hoping that these might be of interest.

-Looking busy, as always.

-Christina, how are you?

-Very well, how are you?

-Of course, busy.

Oh, my goodness! Right, let me put these up on here.

Have a little look at those.

Well, they're interesting.

There we go. I love your panelling, Steve.

Where has that come from?

This is our pride and joy - our Mouseman panelling we got

from auction.

So, people love it and they come and try and find the seven carved mice.

Seven? I imagine if there's a party in here do they start seeing double?

14 mice?

-Well, we have had people say that they've seen nine.

-Oh, really?

There are only seven, so you've double counted some.

So, I kind of figure they walk around and around and the more

beer they have the more mice they see.

So, it's a very eclectic mix, how you furnish the pubs?

Yeah, all of ours... We try to give

them a lot of character so they're all a little bit different.

A lot of reclaimed material.

We come to your auction house quite often to get stuff.

So, every pub is a little bit unique.

And everything in there is a little bit different.

And it's quite in vogue, now, to use retro materials.

There's a lot of new stuff on the market which is reproduced retro.

So, finding the real thing is...

It just gives it a little bit more authenticity.

Talking of old and bashed.

I bought these pictures at an auction, you'll be happy to know,

and they are engravings of pictures

by an artist called Angelica Kauffman.

She's an 18th-century artist, and she's one of the first two

female members of the Royal Academy in 1768.

So they've got quite a good provenance to them.

And they've been actually done as etchings,

copies of her pictures into etchings, and then hand-coloured.

So they're not, obviously, oil paintings.

They are effectively reproduction prints,

but they are 19th-century examples.

-So they're quite nice, old examples.

-They are lovely.

Something that's authentic is quite nice.

I was hoping to get about £150 for them.

But what would you consider being a fair price?

-I could do 150 if that's what you need.

-Would you?

£150 for the three?

-Well, that's 50 quid each for me, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And they'll be seen by a lot of people.

-Exactly!

-We'll put them in a great spot as a set of three.

-As a feature.

-So, I'll bust my normal budget for you.

-Brilliant.

Well, I cannot wait to see them in place. Thank you very, very much.

Now... How many mice are in here?

Eight mice altogether.

Seven on the panelling, but there's

one hidden mouse on a piece of furniture.

-OK, so I've got to eight mice before I go?

-If you want to find them all

-there's eight.

-Eight mice, right. OK. Wish me luck.

She may not have found all the mice, but

she did find a whopping £138.20 profit for the pictures.

What a profit! I'm thrilled!

I found the auction really, really quite difficult,

but never underestimate the Magpie.

Back in the race!

So, with Christina striding ahead in this race for profit,

Mark had better not stall at the start.

He's brought his romantic painting to rainy North London.

It cost him just under £130,

but will private art collector Bronwen shower him with a profit?

It was painted, and it's signed down here, 1961.

It's very similar in style, actually,

to an artist called Jack Vettriano. Have you heard of him?

I actually have.

He painted The Singing Butler. That's his most famous painting.

What is also quite interesting, from a sort of provenance point of view,

on the back, you can see there's a label

from a gallery in Hove in Sussex.

Shall we see what it looks like up on the wall?

Actually, it looks quite nice there.

It actually looks lovely there.

Now you've actually seen it in the flesh, what are your feelings?

I do like it very much.

What about 290?

How about 240?

Put the kettle on.

I think I would be really happy...

-At 250?

-..at 275.

I was going to say 250!

-260.

-260.

-OK, then.

-You've got it.

-OK, my lovely.

I'm never buying a painting again!

I need somewhere to lie down.

There's the couch.

Mark makes a big splash of £130.20 profit

from his priciest auction purchase, and he's as pleased as punch.

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm rather singing in the rain.

So, it's almost even on the profit front.

Back at her Shropshire base,

Christina is having a look at the armchair

she planned to re-upholster. But there's a problem.

So, what happens when you upholster is that before you

put this final layer of fabric

on you should put a layer of calico which just holds everything

together and keeps its shape.

And then you put your final layer on as the final covering.

Unfortunately, in this instance, somebody has just padded

this full of wadding. You can see

unfortunately you've got the spring back and then the wadding.

And no calico.

Which is a real shame. A real, real shame.

So, my options are to spend a fortune on getting it reupholstered

or find somebody who wants a

fetching pink chair and a project piece.

Decisions, decisions.

Yes. To re-upholster or not to reupholster?

That is the question.

And, as Christina battles with her dilemma Mark has been

hard at work and found a potential buyer for his Doulton pen stand.

He's headed to Mouldon in Essex to meet, of all people,

a travelling auctioneer.

I'm here to see Robin,

who is a very busy auctioneer.

And he's got his hands full here

selling the contents of this grand hotel.

But I'm hoping to steal five minutes of his time because he's seen

photographs of this inkwell, and he likes Art Deco

and I'm hoping to write out a big profit.

Remember, Mark payed just under £24 for his pen stand.

Before we actually look at the item, I want to delve a bit deeper

into the hotel, cos there's hundreds of lots here

from the sublime to the ridiculous.

The important thing is the whole sale is no reserve.

But there is items here I've had to

put estimates on from £10-£15, up to £20,000-30,000.

So, it's an eclectic mix for everybody.

Well, I'm hoping to create a buzz with this.

I've never seen one of these by Doulton.

-Yeah.

-When I first saw it I thought it was shagreen - sharkskin.

-It's trying to be.

-It is.

-This probably dates to early...1930s

Somewhere near that. The two little dimples here

for your pen wipes, and a pen rest or a pencil rest there.

You can see it in that Art Deco type... Very much that period.

And particularly by a well known name like Royal Doulton.

It's got the export mark on it.

This mark originally came in in 1902... Disappeared and came back in

1925/26 and carried on up to about '35, '36.

So it clearly dates it.

But do you like it? Now that you see it in the flesh.

I think it's got something going for it.

I'm not going to be too keen.

Honestly, it's like being at the dentist.

I really was hoping to get between 40 and 50 for it.

Can we do a deal at 40, then?

I think we can do it at 45.

I can feel your hand coming over, Robin, at 45.

I think we'll probably be able to do something at 45.

Mark makes a profit of £21.40 for the pen holder

and nudges into the lead.

Meanwhile, Christina has made a major decision,

and is heading to an old Abbey.

But it's all right, she's not joining the nunhood

She's on a profit pilgrimage

and decided not to reupholster her pink armchair.

I've come to Combermere Abbey, just over the border in Cheshire.

Now, they're currently undergoing a very extensive restoration project

to restore the abbey to its former glory, and I think they might

be in need of some new furnishings for some of their rooms.

Let's go and see what they think of my chair.

I've had it delivered because it's quite large,

so let's go and see if they like it.

As she's not re-upholstering the chair

it stands her at just £77. But, will Sarah, the current owner

of this magnificent former abbey want to take on the project?

-Hello, hello, hello!

-Hi, there!

-I found you!

I know, I'm so sorry.

-I was having a little play.

-That looks fab!

Isn't it fantastic? Yes.

This is just the most stunning room, Sarah.

Absolutely, it is. It's the

pre-eminent room in the house, definitely.

And it has a history that goes back to the beginning

as the abbey as it was the abbot's lodge and then, in 1919,

my great-grandfather bought it.

-Ah!

-So, it's really exciting.

-Very.

-So, this is sort of the...pretty much the last piece of

the puzzle on the main abbey is the restoration of this wing.

-So, Sarah.

-Yes.

Forgive me, but you have the most stunning house,

-packed full of antiques.

-Yes.

You can't possibly want a chair.

I do.

-Really?

-Because I am restoring this north wing

and it's going to be run as a B&B,

and I have no furniture for that side of the house.

I understand, obviously, that there will be an upholstery cost to you

as well, which does cost quite a lot of money.

So I will try and be very, very nice.

-I'm so glad!

-In all honesty,

I was hoping to get a couple of hundred quid for it.

A little over my budget, actually,

because if I've got to upholster it and the fabric,

then it's not going to be quite so attractive.

Could you come down to closer to 100?

I would love to,

-but that really doesn't leave me a huge amount of profit.

-Oh.

-What about...

-It's going to go in a wonderful place.

CHRISTINA LAUGHS

Oh, yes, it will go in a beautiful place.

Don't try that with me!

What about 150?

Yes, that's meeting in the middle.

-Split the difference, meet in the middle.

-That's acceptable.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Happy with that?

-Happy with that.

-Brilliant. And I'm very happy.

-Shall we shake on it?

Yes, let's! Absolutely!

-Brilliant. £150.

-Perfect.

-But I'm entrusting you

to turn it from drab to fab.

It will be absolutely because the fabrics we are using

in this wing are just the tops.

Christina makes £73.30 profit on the chair,

and washes her hands of another sale.

Meanwhile, Mark has plans afoot for the footbath and sugar bowl

which he outbid Christina on back at the auction.

Footbath. Oh, gosh. It was a tough auction.

I've brought it to an antique centre. A dealer's interested in

seeing it. I hope I'm not in hot water and I can dip my toe

in the pool of profit.

-Now, this is a surprise to you, I know.

-It is a big surprise, Mark.

It's Victorian. It's got a mark on the back.

-It's called...

-Lotus.

..Lotus CM, which I think stands for Charles Meigh, M-E-I-G-H.

-Don't know them.

-Well, it fits.

Look, it is worn, let's be honest. It's got a bit of wear.

-It is, but it's big.

-It's big and bold.

And I love the colour.

I would use it, especially coming up to a function or a party,

I'd put loads of ice in it and some lovely big bottles of champagne.

Oh, do you know, that sounds wonderful. When am I coming round?

Any time you like.

I was hoping for somewhere in the region of sort of £40-£60,

but I'll throw in this absolutely charming Ming-period sugar bowl.

Well, this makes all the difference, doesn't it?

It is the icing on the cake!

Joking apart, it is what it is and it's OK, isn't it?

It's OK, but I don't think it should come into the negotiation, really.

Well, depending on how much you would pay,

-I thought I might give you it as a little freebie.

-OK.

-It's nice of you - a present.

-So what do you think of 40-60?

I don't like it at all, really.

Hit me with another price, Mark.

I'm going to be fair with you.

I paid about £23.50 for it in the auction.

So can I make a working profit on that with you, do you think?

Are we talking 30?

Well, if we must, but I was rather hoping

that there'd be something other than a zero after the three.

-31?

-35.

33.

-35.

-Oh, go on, then.

-Go on.

-Go on, then.

-And you get that as well.

-Oh, I'd forgotten this.

-You'd forgotten it.

I had. 35 is fine, then.

Do you know, there we are.

You see, I've put my foot in it again, haven't I?

Mark makes £11.40 on the pottery, regaining his advantage

so, let's glance at the money made at this stage in the game.

Mark Stacey has sold three items and made a profit of £163.

Christina Trevanion has only sold two, but she's out in front in

profit terms, £211.50.

So, Mark is trailing at this point in the game.

And he really need to step it up a gear. But, instead,

he takes his foot off the gas, quite literally, as disaster strikes.

Yes, our hero, known as The Maverick, is now The Mangled

as he ends up with his leg in plaster.

Hey, tell me, how are you getting on?

I've broken my ankle.

You've broken your ankle.

How did you manage to break your ankle?

I fell over a plinth.

I know. Christina, I hadn't been drinking.

-Yeah(!)

-Now, how are you getting on?

Very, very mediocre-ly.

It's not easy out there, is it?

No, it really isn't.

At least you've got lots and lots of time to make lots of phone calls

and do lots of sales and then you'll makes hundreds of pounds

worth of profit.

Anyway, listen, it's lovely to talk to you. Keep selling.

Yes, poor old Mark is up the creek. He's been knocked down

but he will get up again to start selling shortly.

Christina knows to give no quarter, though, and she's back

on the sell as she takes the gilt mirror that cost £177

to the Shropshire village of Stanton upon Hine Heath.

I'm here to see a friend of mine, Marcus Moore,

who not only is an antiques dealer, but he's also a restorer.

Now, my mirror, unfortunately, does need quite a lot of work doing to it

and he's the only man that I know

who could potentially restore it to its former glory.

Let's hope he wants to buy it.

-Well, Marcus?

-Well, it looks very interesting.

Very interesting, indeed.

But have you got all the bits?

-Well, hang on a minute.

-That's the question.

I've got that bit.

-I've got that bit.

-Is that anything to do with it?

I've got...

Oh, no, look! That bit.

-Right.

-And that bit.

-Is that it?

-Yes.

-OK.

Talk me through the construction of this piece, cos this is

gilt gesso. Isn't it?

-It is.

-And it's quite a complicated thing to get right.

Well, basically, it's gesso onto a wooden frame and then round here

this is all wired

and then the gesso round the wire.

So it's plaster that they effectively pack around.

-Yes.

-So it's quite a labour...

-It is. It is very much a labour.

..of love.

I know that you're the man to buy it

-because you'd do such a brilliant job of restoring it.

-Right.

What do you think would be a fair price, do you think, to pay for it?

Ordinary ones have got to be in the 80 to 120 region, haven't they?

But this is not an ordinary one.

So I'd suggest it was worth a couple of hundred pounds.

A couple of hundred pounds, OK.

That sort of figure, but, you know...

And even then, on top of that,

we're going to probably spend a couple of hundred pounds on it.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-OK. But, then, after that, it will be stunning.

It's going to be stunning.

Maybe 250?

-Yes.

-Yeah? You're a gentleman.

Thank you very, very much.

In spite of the restoration required,

Christina is still able to

reflect on a £73 profit on the mirror.

Perfectly honest with you, I was a little nervous

about selling that mirror as it was my greatest expense.

But, I'm quite glad to have found a

home for it now, so, that's a relief.

Let's just hope that Mark's not mirroring my profits.

Yes, well the only thing Mark is mirroring right now is Ironside.

And, like a true wheelchair detective, he's tracked down another

potential buyer in Hadley, in Essex.

Where, he's hoping to find some interest in the two

watercolours that cost him £23.60.

Well, as you can see, disaster struck, so I'm now being

pushed around by my partner Santiago to get me

around in the wheelchair.

And I've come to see Jonathan,

who I used to work with at an auction house,

who loves watercolours and I think his house is covered in them,

so I'm hoping to get a good profit

out of this lovely pair of watercolours.

Fingers crossed, let's go and find out how we do.

Johnny, thank you so much for inviting us to your charming home.

-It's just as I pictured it - lots of watercolours.

-There are, yes, lots.

-Hundreds, in fact.

-Hundreds.

-Well, I think I've found you another two.

-Just what I need!

-I hope so.

-I sent you photographs.

-You did.

I think you're going to like them better in the flesh.

I love this one with the coach and horses coming round.

It's very nicely done.

It's indistinctly signed, isn't it, I don't recognise that.

I know that artist. You see that a lot, don't you, Signed Indistinctly?

Yes. Yes, he's very famous.

Do you think they're mid-19th century?

-They must be, mustn't they?

-I thought maybe 1840, maybe 1860.

Yes, I think 1840s.

A little bit of damage there, top right.

Oh, I didn't notice that.

That's just knocked it down by quite a portion.

There are aspects of this which are very nicely done,

but the back wheel looks a little bit ropey.

-I can see the price plummeting.

-The price has plummeted instantly.

I was hoping to get a rather modest sum for them

of between 100 and 150 for the pair.

-That's not going to happen, is it?

-Good Lord!

-Well...

-Now you've seen them, you must be honest, Johnny.

-Oh, no, they're charming.

-Why don't we start at, say, 90?

You can start where you like.

But, you know what they say,

it's not where you start, it's where you finish.

-Right, so I think probably £30 each.

-£60?

-Yes.

-Oh, Johnny!

What's your very, very best price?

I should think 65, at an absolute push.

I've always said about you, Johnny, there's a heart of gold

lying somewhere in the deep exterior of your anatomy.

-Are you happy at 65?

-I'm happy at 65.

-Let's do 65.

-65.

-Thanks very much indeed.

-Splendid.

Mark paints himself a profit of £41.40 for the watercolours.

In this business you've got to

aim high and at least then you can drop down.

I got £65 for those which is nearly

tripling my money.

So. I'm very, very pleased.

Forwards, Sant.

And, as Mark wheels off in search of more profit,

Christina gets the ball back in her court

as she finds some possible interest in her brooch from

Shrewsbury-based jeweller Nigel.

-Wow!

-It's where it all happens.

This really is the engine room, isn't it?

-The nucleus.

-The nucleus,

-The wheels of industry turn here.

-Literally, they do. Look at this!

-Yep.

-What's this?

-An old 18th century draw bench.

Basically, what you do, you can have a piece of wire

that's 1.5mm thick, and you want to draw it and make it thinner.

-Yeah.

-You get a piece of gold wire and that fits into there

as such, and that stretches down,

and then you just put it through the holes.

-Blimey.

-And, as you can see, over the years

we have worn the bench away with gold wire.

-Well, I bought this...here.

-Right.

I know you're going to love it.

The auction house did test it.

They said it was 9-carat when they tested it.

It's obviously set with garnets throughout.

-I would say it's a 1960s/70s.

-OK. It's a little bit dated

not terribly popular.

It's retro, darling.

I know, but brooches aren't terribly popular.

I think we'd have to try and do something with it.

Like re-design it.

How could you re-design it?

On a ribbon rather than a brooch, something like that.

-Or a pendant?

-Something for a ball-gown.

There is a pendant loop on it.

It would need to be around these benches for while

-is what you're saying.

-Yeah.

Really, you would just be buying the gold, wouldn't you?

Garnets are not an expensive stone.

No, they're not. These are Indian garnets

and, you know, they're not any great value to them.

But, gold wise, I suppose we're looking probably about £70.

Could I nudge you up a tenner? Could we say £80?

-£80 it is.

-£80.

I'm a happy girl.

Some fine haggling earns Christina a glittering profit of £42.24,

and she's rightly chuffed.

Well, it was a risk, but none the less, a risk worth taking.

Doubled my money - can't be bad.

Actually, that was slightly more than double, and it means

Christina, like Mark, has just one item left to sell,

so, she heads north to Northwick in Cheshire,

famed for its smiling cat.

And she has a very important date at the Davenport Tearooms

that she definitely doesn't want to be late for.

I thought of you because I love this tearoom and the wonderful

-Alice In Wonderland theme that you've got going on.

-Thank you.

Tell me, why did you choose that theme?

Well, Cheshire is the birthplace of Lewis Carroll.

It's only two and a half miles, so it says it all.

-It seems perfect.

-Absolutely.

-Very, very appropriate.

-What about your murals? Who did those?

-I did those.

-Did you?

-Yes.

Well done, you. Gosh, you're very talented.

And I see they're taking tea,

which brings me to my tea service. It's a Davenport tea service.

-Oh, we like Davenport.

-And you're a Davenport!

You are Belinda Davenport. I mean, it's amazing.

-So, are you related to the Davenport family as in the china?

-No.

Right, but you like it because of your name.

Well, we like it because all of the Davenport ones

tend to do really good quality stuff, anyway.

So, obviously, it is Davenport.

-I agree.

-Check it. Well done, Belinda.

Now, they used that mark between 1870 and 1886,

so it's a good Victorian piece.

And I love the fact that obviously it's got this wonderful

pink and gilt decoration. Do you like it?

-I do like it.

-Do you?

-It's very, very pretty.

-Do you love it?

I love it, actually, yeah.

So, as a collector of Davenport,

Belinda Davenport,

what would you be looking to pay for a tea-service -

it's a beautiful tea-service -

such as this?

-You're going to try hard now, aren't you?

-Yeah.

Got to be worth a couple of hundred pounds, hasn't it?

What do you think?

-150, then.

-It's a deal.

I'm very happy that it's going to a Davenport.

Christina falls down the hole

and emerges with £102.80 profit for the tea set and she's all done.

What an amazing place. And such a talented lady as well.

And, bless her, she's just given me my last profit.

Happy days.

Mark is also down to his final sale.

It's the miniature chair that cost him just over £35 at auction,

and he's take it to a collector near Colchester.

Today I've come to see Michael who is an old-friend of mine who is a

collectable expert and he loves collecting miniature furniture.

So, hopefully, I'm sitting on quite a tidy profit, there,

do you get it? Sitting on a profit.

Come on, keep up. Let's go, Sant.

Well, I know you're an expert in collectables,

-but you like miniature furniture.

-I do.

As we can see around us.

Yes, I've got quite a few over the years.

They're great. You don't see them as much as you used to, though.

No, no - they're quite scarce.

Well, I hope, you like this. I found this at an auction.

-Victorian, I think?

-It is.

And this is possibly the originally sort of carpet type fabric.

I'm sure it probably is.

Without a doubt.

I liked it cos of this sort of simulated bamboo effect.

-But it's obviously come loose at some point.

-Really(!)

I haven't had that mentioned to me before.

No, no. I'm keeping the best for last.

But underneath, I'm afraid, it's had a bit of an amateur repair.

-Oh, my goodness.

-I think these are all later.

-Oh!

-Are they(?)

-Isn't that a dreadful repair?

These stainless steel things, are they modern(?)

Isn't it the worst repair you have seen?

I think somebody has just decided, because it was loose,

they've put those awful brackets in. Fortunately, they're underneath.

-This is old webbing.

-It is, yeah.

It really needs to be stripped and glued again, Mark, and put together.

-I haven't got one similar.

-You haven't?

-No.

-Ooh.

-That means I might have looked at some similar

and not purchased them, though.

-You never know.

-Or, you haven't been able to find them.

They're hard to find in that condition, certainly.

-I thought the old auctioneer's cliche, 80-120.

-Really?

Now you've seen it, are we anywhere near it?

Not quite as close as I'd like to be.

Where would you like to be

I'll throw those in.

Have we got a screwdriver?

Do you want to take them with you?

Can I give them back? Would that help?

I don't want to be unkind because you're a good friend. Thank you.

-£50.

-Oh, Michael!

Can't we get closer to 80?

I'll go to 60, but no more.

-Oh, Michael!

-60 is enough.

Well, the chair is a miniature and my profit is a miniature,

-but I'm happy with it. Michael, thanks so much.

-A good deal.

Mark makes £24.60 on the chair.

It's a small profit, but a profit is a profit and I've found the perfect

home for that miniature chair, don't you agree?

And what's best of all is I've sold up.

It was a tough auction, but I've made profits on everything.

And so, with both our experts all sold up,

it's nearly time to discover who is today's winner.

Will Mark's maverick mentality

come out on top against Christina's sensational selling skills?

All will soon be revealed.

Our two towering experts set off on the saga

with £1,000 of their own money.

Mark "The Maverick" Stacey bought six items and spent £236.

Christina Trevanion picked up five lots at a total cost of £350.46.

But who made the most profit?

All the money our experts have made

in their challenge will go to their chosen charities,

so let's find out who is our

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Christina.

-Darling, how are you feeling?

Cold and miserable, but how are you?

I'm all right. You brighten my day.

Oh, well, you've brightened mine as well.

That auction...

Don't let me relive it! It was bad enough the first time!

Oh, it was frightening, wasn't it?

Bearing in mind how difficult it was to buy, I think we bought

-relatively well.

-Well, I was so full of hope when I saw this stuff,

and I thought, "it's not online, we've got a real chance, here".

-Exactly.

-What happened?

-I know.

But you did get some nice things in the end, didn't you?

I loved my tea service, very pretty, very pinky, beautiful tea service.

-Very girlie, that.

-Very girlie. Did you like it?

Not particularly, no.

-It's not my cup of tea.

-Ah-ha!

I did like the painting I bought.

-Oh, that was fantastic!

-Yeah, I'm so glad I bought that,

because I found a nice lady in London who loved it.

-It was just so romantic.

-It WAS so romantic. Just like us, really.

I mean it's like today. But, please don't rain.

So, did you make a good profit on that?

I did make a reasonable profit.

That was one of the only things I made a reasonable profit on

but it was very good. I'm very pleased.

The footbath - appropriately enough - didn't do very well.

I don't think feet and you are meant to go together.

Not at the moment, no, no.

Definitely not.

-Shall we find out?

-Yes, let's do it. Are we ready?

Are you ready? One, two, three...

-Oh!

-Oh, my goodness!

Gosh, you did very well. How did you do that, Christina?

In all honesty, I have absolutely no idea!

You must have made a huge profit on something.

I think I made quite a good profit on those pictures.

-You know, those three pictures.

-Oh, the lovely 19th century engravings?

-Yes.

-Coloured engravings?

-Yes. After Kauffman.

They made about a £150.

Good Lord, that must be a record price in today's market.

Well done. It's about who you know, you see.

Well done, you. Thank you, and well done, you, darling.

I think you've done very well,

especially under these circumstances, Hopalong.

I'll have to start researching again. I clearly know nothing.

Mind you, I knew that at the beginning!

And so, Christina is the winner,

having more than doubled her money on the tea set and brooch,

then made over ten times her buying price on the framed prints.

If ever there was a buying location

where I didn't think that I would triumph, it was the auction.

I found it incredibly difficult, but, lo and behold,

it was that pink tea service that Mark was incredibly rude about

that helped win the day.

The auction was tough for both of us.

I thought I did rather well with the painting

and some of the other things. Christina really struggled,

but she still won. How did that happen?

Yay!

And, of course, all their profits will be winging it to their

chosen charities.

For Mark, that's the Dream Factory in Essex.

My charity is a small charity who make dreams come true

for children and young adults with life-limiting and severe

disablement.

My profits will be going to the

Beachtree Community Centre in Whitchurch,

which includes a day centre for elderly people to combat loneliness

and isolation within the community.

And, it's not just the charities

that have benefited from our experts hard work.

Since then, Kim has managed to sell the foot bath she

bought from Mark for a £15 profit.

Not so lucky, however, was the 1950s gold brooch Christina sold to Nigel.

It ended up in the melting pot and used for scrap.

Marcus, however, has restored Christina's mirror

to its former glory and likes it so much he's keeping it for himself.