Christina Trevanion v Mark Stacey - Foreign Antiques Market 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 week, one pair of duelling dealers will face

a different daily 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...

HE GROWLS

..along with their top tips and savvy secrets...

That could present a problem for me.

..showing you how to make the most money...

Ready for battle.

..from buying and selling.

Get in there!

Coming up, Christina gets a lesson in negotiation...

Without any kind of discussion, without any kind of discussion.

I'm keeping it zipped, I promise.

..Mark explains how to spot a dear deer...

When you're looking at cold-painted bronze,

what you're really looking for is a mark for Franz Bergmann.

..and Christina picks the brains of a star baker.

It says "Arcoroc". I don't know what "Arcoroc" is.

They make very good glass bowls, dishes, for catering.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Welcome, one, welcome, all, to an early morning start

in this battle of the bric-a-brac in Belgium.

Today, two superstars of the antiques trade have travelled

in the dark of night hoping to collect some continental bargains

to sell on and make a profit back in Blighty.

First up, an all-round entertaining tower of talent armed with antiques

knowledge and an arresting personality.

It's Mark "The Maverick" Stacey.

APPLAUSE

I want to get on and see what else we can find.

And sharing Mark's lime light is a show-stealing,

deftly-dealing and always-appealing expert.

She's ready to maximise her profit margins.

Why, it's Christina "The Magpie" Trevanion.

It just keeps giving, doesn't it? It's amazing!

They're visiting the weekly Tongeren flea market,

located in the oldest city in Belgium and boasting over 300 exhibitors.

They've each got £750 worth of their own euros to spend,

and all the profit goes to their chosen charities.

So, Mark Stacey and Christina Trevanion,

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

-Christina!

-Good morning.

-Is it morning?

-Yeah.

It feels like the middle of the night.

Do you know what I love about antiques dealers?

They don't need a lot of sleep, do they?

They don't need a lot of sleep.

-You've got to be an early bird to catch the worm.

-You really do!

And we've got £750 worth of euros to spend in this wonderful

street market here in Belgium. Have you been here before?

I have been here before. It's very good. How's your Flemish?

My language skills are internationally famous.

So you don't know anything?

-Not at all.

-No. Fortunately, the Belgians do speak very good English.

-We're OK.

-Yes.

-We're OK, honestly.

I think it's a charming fair, there's lots to see.

-Really?

-It's a big fair.

I might have to follow you around there because I have no idea...

No, no, I want you as far away from me as possible.

-Oh!

-I want to sniff out the bargains first, you see?

-Come on, then, let's go sniffing.

-Let's sniff.

So, our pair of bargain-sniffing bloodhounds are up early and hoping

to worm out the treasures and wriggle off with a nice, juicy profit.

And with 300 stalls to get around, let's hope they have an action plan.

This is a very big market.

I've been here before. There's lots of things to see,

but I want to take my time. I don't want to rush into it.

I've got just over 1,000 euros to spend,

so it's a lot of money and I want to find something that I think I can

make a big profit on. That's the name of the game.

Indeed, profit is king in this game of give and take,

and seeing what's on offer is key.

But it seems that there's a bit of a problem for Christina.

I've never been antiques shopping in the dark before.

That could be an interesting experience.

I'm always rattling on to people about checking for condition,

checking the item's all original, making sure it is absolutely right

before you go in and clinch that final deal.

It's dark, the visibility isn't great,

so I might have to get myself a little torch

before I do anything else.

Don't worry, Christina, the sun will be up soon.

Meanwhile, she heads off indoors in search of a torch.

And, although she doesn't find one,

she does discover something else she's hoping will shed light

-on the proceedings.

-Wow, this is rather pretty, isn't it?

-It's an old one.

-It's an electric hall light.

-But it's a little bit broken.

-Oh!

It is a very low price.

Normally it's 120, 140, and now it's at...

45 euros.

Would you do it for 30?

-For 30, I can do it for 30.

-You could do it for 30?

-I do it for 30.

-30 euros.

-OK.

Christina makes an early purchase, and once the currency is converted,

the glass hall lantern costs her £22.22.

I've always had an eye for a bargain and I always love a bargain.

I thought, "My goodness.

"At a fraction of the price, what's wrong with that?"

Getting up close, you can see that it has got a bit of a chip,

both to the lid and the base.

But, nonetheless, it's a really attractive hall lantern,

and if I can find somebody that's looking for a vintage lantern

for their hall, then I should be quids in at 30 euros. My goodness.

Christina's happy with her knocked-down price

and slightly knocked-about lantern.

And she's off the starters' marks, but as she steps outside,

she looks a bit intimidated.

Well, she's never been here before and the market is spread across

the entire town.

I could go that way, I could go that way,

I could go that way or I could go that way.

Oh!

Oh, dear! Poor old Christina, bewildered in Belgium.

Mark, meanwhile, is in full stride,

having found an acupuncture model of a man that's tickled his fancy.

I honestly have never sold one of these before,

so I don't know if it's worth £20 or £500.

The cheaper I can get it, the better.

What is your best price, Madame?

-90.

-90 euros.

We can't do it for 85?

Please?

All right.

Mmm, settling on just a five-euro discount.

Mark must like it.

So he pays £62.96, and after cheekily hiding the model's modesty...

Oh!

..Mark takes his new friend to the side to get a closer look.

It's an acupuncture model,

probably 30 or 40 years old with all the lines and the pressure points of

where you put the pins.

It's a great-looking object.

It's vintage, it's now, people like these different things.

You'll go a long way to find another one.

And it might needle Christina.

Ever competitive, Mark, there,

finding the rarities in this foreign market.

In fact, you can learn a lot watching pros like these two.

Christina's key tactic when buying is always compliment the vendor.

-That's a great hat you've got going on there.

-Thank you.

-What a charmer!

-What bird is that?

It's a...

-pelican.

-A p...

-SHE LAUGHS

-A pelican.

-No, I don't know.

It's a dodo, that would make it incredibly rare.

Yeah, he didn't say dodo.

He said, "I don't know!"

-How much have you got on that, my love?

-15.

-15 euros.

So you're charging 15 euros for something that's half there

-and you don't know what it is.

-No.

-No.

-Right, OK.

What about five euros?

-Would five euros take it?

-What about ten?

-Eight, I'll split the difference with you.

-I paid eight.

-Well, there we go.

-Yes.

-And you don't have to pack it up again.

-Eight euros and I'll take it.

-OK.

-Eight euros.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

Well, whatever kind of bird it is, the little bird head

thing costs Christina £5.93, which is fine, but what is it?

I thought it was a teether.

Originally you'd see a piece of coral coming out of here,

which a child would chew on when they were teething.

It could potentially be the top of a walking cane.

It's very petite and very delicate.

It could be, it could very well be.

If it is, then there is a quite a buoyant market

for walking cane collectors.

I think it's quite an attractive thing, isn't it?

So, Christina is peck, peck, pecking her way through her purchases today.

But Mark is hot on her heels,

spotting a Lalique glass dish he likes the look of.

He dishes out 140 euros, or £103.70.

Now, this is post-Rene Lalique.

Rene Lalique was the founder of the factory, he died in 1945.

This one was made after his death.

Quite shortly after, I would say, maybe in the early '50s.

It's a nice, big, decorative thing.

I like it a lot, actually, and I wanted to find a piece of Lalique,

so I'm very pleased with it.

While Mark is chuffed with his equalising dish,

Christina has spotted a dressing case that's got her quite excited.

So we've got a vintage travelling trunk,

which is really rather lovely.

You've got this gilt-tooled name here, A Barrett & Sons,

63 and 64 Piccadilly. So, London-made piece.

Green-stained leather, but this has still got bottles in it

and they look to be the original jars as well.

And they're hallmarked.

That's going to be about 1912.

What's really nice is that it's got its dust cover as well.

It's got an Orient Line sticker. So you wonder, where's this been?

What wonderful travels that it could have been on.

So, having got her target in her sights,

she now needs to work some charm on stallholder Philip.

I was looking at the dressing case.

-That's good.

-It's missing a few bits.

-Yes.

-But we can sort of forgive that a little bit, can't we?

-Thank you.

-Yeah.

SHE LAUGHS

Philip, I think I love you already.

Steady on now, she's at it again!

-So we're missing a mirror.

-Yeah.

And we're missing some sort of jar...

-Yeah.

-..maybe there.

And I'm guessing that's reflected in the price.

Can't you see the number?

947.

Oh, is that a number? Well, what's this?

-Secret information.

-Oh, is it?

-Can I see it? 947.

-Ssh!

-Oh.

Philip's secret information reveals that the box is priced at 225 euros,

but Christina's charm is working.

I'll come down, without any kind of discussion,

without any kind of discussion.

Right. I'm keeping it zipped, I promise.

Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts.

-185.

-185.

Philip...

Time for Christina to whip out her secret weapon -

the compliment.

I like a man in a tie

that's very willing to do a deal.

However, I was thinking 150 euros was really the most

I'd like to pay for it, really.

What would your absolute best price be on that, my darling?

Come on, Philip. Come on, Philip.

-16O.

-160. 160.

-Yeah.

-I love a man in a tie, Philip.

160 euros.

Oh, don't cry. Don't cry, Philip. Don't cry!

So, Philip sheds a few crocodile tears and Christina buys

the dressing case for £118.52.

What an emotional rollercoaster this ride has been, and there's plenty

more ups and downs and loop the loops to go.

So, let's see how our experts are getting on.

From a £750 kitty,

so far Mark "The Maverick" Stacey has picked up two items

but spent £166.66,

leaving him just over £583 to play with.

Christina has bought more for less,

picking up three items for £146.67,

leaving just over £603 to spend.

So, with Christina in the lead and Mark trying his best to keep up,

our pair of scrappy pups meet up to compare their day so far.

This is a fabulous market, is it not?

It really is. I've walked miles.

Have you? I haven't actually left this little section yet.

-Really?

-No.

-Oh, gosh, I've been up there, I've been down there.

I've been round and about. I thought I'd buy more Belgian stuff,

but I've bought a lot of English stuff.

Oh, really? I've bought mainly continental stuff, actually.

-It's good.

-OK, I'll go and get more European.

How's your Flemish?

-My English is perfect, and they like that.

-Really?

-Absolutely.

-Dank u wel.

-Dank u wel.

-Dank u wel...

-SHE TRIES TO SPEAK FLEMISH

-Lovely.

-Yeah?

-See you.

-Well done.

Mr Stacey looking quite rightly confused by Christina's Flemish-ish.

Mark is trailing behind Christina but it appears there may be

a reason, as he's set his heart on finding something specific.

The one thing I thought I would find is cocktail shakers.

Lots of goodies, but no cocktail shakers.

I've found a cocktail shaker,

but all of the silver plate has come off.

There must be another cocktail shaker in this whole market.

Please, tell me there's another cocktail shaker.

Well, there is a downside to looking for specific things.

It sometimes pays to have an open mind

and go wherever the wind takes you,

which is precisely what Christina is doing.

That's rather beautiful, isn't it?

Look at that. It's a weather vane.

It's obviously a piece of cut-out horse silhouette.

A nice bit of folk art. That's rather lovely.

So, Christina fires up her charm and quickly gets

the camera-shy vendor down from 400 to 380 euros.

I think it's tres expensive.

However, j'adore it.

Therefore, 380 and you have a deal...

I think.

THEY LAUGH

Well, language skills aside, she gets the weather vane for 380 euros,

which is a whopping £281.48.

So, why is she so keen on it?

Do you know, there's something wonderfully simple about folk art,

and this, to me, just epitomises it. It's just so wonderful,

this really simple but incredibly effective silhouette.

Can you imagine it sitting on the top of somebody's chateaux

in the middle of France somewhere? I think it's gorgeous.

I have paid through the nose for it because I adore it...

and hopefully it will pay off.

Now, remember, Maverick Mark is a man with a mission.

Oh, I've spotted something.

Look at him go!

Now, what have I been looking for all day?

A cocktail shaker, and I've found one.

It's silver plate,

it's got a maker's name on the bottom

and it's a great shape, actually.

I love that sort of Art Deco shape.

It's quite modern as well.

But before he goes to do a deal on the shaker,

he spots another piece of metalware.

Something to serve your claret.

It's a really contemporary, funky design.

Maybe I should try and put a little package together.

Now, Mark knows that all good things come in threes,

and his final piece is an ice bucket.

As a little group lot, everything you need for the dining room table.

You can serve your wine, you've got your ice for your gin

and tonic, or your cocktails. Excuse me, madam.

That's 30, that's 85 euros for the lot.

-I can make 75 for you.

-Oh, you're so...

Very good, but not quite good enough. So, 75...

You couldn't do them for 60? For the three,

-because I am taking three things.

-65.

-65.

-I think we've got a deal.

-OK.

-65.

Thank you. I've just spent 65 euros on three lovely objects. Woohoo!

-I love it.

-Be honest now, who expected him to drop it?

Anyway, he's caught the shaker

and other tabletop essentials for £48.15, and he's back in the game.

Bolstered up by the drinking silverware,

Mark wastes no time getting his next target in his sights.

I've found this rather intriguing little item.

This is a little piece of amethyst, uncut amethyst,

which in itself is quite decorative.

But it's mounted with this little cast figure,

which has been hand-painted.

It's a process known as cold-painting,

so you paint the bronze or the metal after you've created it.

When you're looking at cold-painted bronze,

what you're really looking for is a mark for Franz Bergmann.

Franz Xaver Bergmann,

who was a very famous Austrian cold-painted bronze-maker.

And this is certainly very nice quality.

I rather like that, actually.

It says 410 underneath, but I don't know

whether that's a reference number or whether it's the price.

If it's the price, it's far too DEER. Ha-ha.

-DEER.

-CRICKETS CHIRP

Yes.

The deer is actually priced at 100 euros, but as usual,

-Mark is after a bargain.

-Could you do any better than 100?

80.

-Could you do it for 70 for me?

-75.

I thought you would say that.

They always say that.

I should have said 65, and then she would have said 70.

That's the market, you do it also.

I know. No, I know.

You really can't do it for 70? Please.

-OK.

-70. Thank you. Thanks very much.

I've just bought that for 70 euros, and I'm very pleased with it.

Cold-painted bronze figures are very sought after.

If, when I do some research, I can attribute this to

Franz Bergmann, then there should be quite a good profit.

So, Mark's amethyst deer ornament converts to £51.85,

and he's finally drawn even with Christina. Four items each.

Now, The Magpie, obviously hungry,

swoops in on a man selling a glass cake display.

What are you eating?

Walnuts. Eating walnuts.

Oh! I'd love a walnut, why not?

Oh.

SHE LAUGHS

Well, that's novel. Oh.

Oh, wow, thank you. Are these...

-Have you collected these?

-Yeah.

-Oh, wow.

Oh, merci, monsieur.

Shopping on an empty stomach may not be the best idea,

but now she's dealing with her mouth full. Oh...

22 euros.

-22?

-22.

-Would you take 15?

-15?

-Hm.

-18.

-15.

-Go on. Yeah?

-OK.

-15 euros.

Thank you very much. Brilliant.

There will have to be a coffee and walnut cake that goes in there, won't it?

Yes, he hasn't got a clue what she's on about.

Just laughing to be polite.

Anyway, the glass cake display costs Christina £11.11.

In my mind, it's full of the most beautiful petit fours you've

ever seen. Can you imagine this full to the brim, full of cakes

and little pastry fancies? I just think it's gorgeous.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think it's got a huge

amount of age to it at all, but if I go and find a cake shop to

sell it to, or even a budding baker, I think I'll be quids in.

Quids in and spent up, Christina takes a well-deserved rest...

Can I really sleep in this chair? Can I? He says I can sleep in it.

..leaving Mark to acquire his final item.

He's obviously in a macabre mood and picks up some kind of ebonised

box with waxed body parts that cost him a whopping 200 euros,

or £148.15.

This is intriguing. I mean, I don't know what they are.

I mean, I can tell you that they are limbs.

There's an arm, a leg, there's a lower denture,

there's a foot, and then there's some sort of ear, I think.

It's got a nice warm look about it

and I'm sure that I could date these to the mid-19th century.

It's going to be a bit of a journey.

My problem is, has this really cost me an arm and a leg?

So, whilst both our experts draw breath

and withdraw from the market, let's see the scores on the board.

Mark and Christina each started the day with £750 worth of euros.

Mark has five purchases and has forked out for £414.81.

Christina has also done five deals, but she's spent a little more,

£439.26.

Market day is over, so it's time for our pair of continental competitors

to come together and cast a critical eye over each other's wares.

-This is a good showing.

-It is, isn't? It's pretty eclectic.

-It certainly is. I like it a lot.

-Tell me what your thought process...

Actually, I don't want to know what you're thought process was.

-I think it's just a very interesting item.

-Really?

-I think I can go places with this.

-Really?

Well, because it's an acupuncture model and I think it's charming.

-Yes, he's a great...

-And he wasn't a lot of money, 85 euros.

-That's not bad, is it?

-No.

-Not bad at all.

-Not much per inch.

SHE LAUGHS

-I absolutely love, love, love your weather vane.

-Isn't it gorgeous?

I think he's wonderful. Didn't see it. I would have had it if I had.

Well, would you have paid what I paid?

-I don't know, what did you pay?

-380 euros. It's a lot, isn't it?

-That is pricey.

-But I loved it.

-No, it's fantastic.

-Just utterly...

-It's so simple.

-I think it's great.

-So effective, a little bit like myself.

-Simple.

-Yeah.

-I think...

-Vaguely effective.

-Yeah. Sorry, I left the end bit out.

-Thanks.

-Oh, naughty me.

-But I do like your little, what is it?

-Well, I think it is a dodo.

It's not a dodo, I think

it's more likely to be something like a wading bird, I think.

-You think, with that long beak?

-With the long beak.

Well, I think it could be a little walking stick handle.

-How much was that?

-I paid eight euros for it.

-How much?

-Eight euros.

Good Lord, Christina, you really weren't in a spending mood.

-That's nothing, is it?

-I have to tell you, I completely adore...

-Tell me that's Lalique.

-It is Lalique. It is Lalique.

-Tell me it's signed.

-It is signed.

I do like it a lot, I love Lalique glass,

and I do have a specialist dealer who buys Lalique from me.

-Oh, fabulous.

-So I'm hoping he's going to like that,

because I paid 140 euros for it.

-That's not too bad.

-Which isn't bad for a big piece.

It's not a rare pattern, but I think I can get away with that one.

Gorgeous, really love that.

All in all, I think it's another good showing.

-Yes, seriously impressive, well done, you.

-And you.

-Best of luck.

Oh, I will need it.

And so our continental contestants turn tail and return

to their respective homes, laden with their treasure troves.

This game of two halves is about to step up a gear as they must

now sell all their wares.

Back in his Brightlingsea bunker,

Mark is buffing up his Belgian booty.

There's no peace for the wicked, is there?

Here I am in my silver cleaning gloves, trying to clean these

cocktail items. They are looking absolutely pristine.

But I had a fun day in Tongeren, a very big market,

full of lovely stuff.

And I spent ages looking for a cocktail shaker.

But I'm pleased with the other items as well.

My little cold-painted bronze chamois is rather nice,

perched on a rocky piece of amethyst. Beautifully done.

I think that's going to find a buyer. The Lalique plate, I love.

It's just post-war, but it's in great condition.

A nice big piece, actually.

Well, something that's really needled me is the acupuncture model.

Because actually, so far, I've got no leads,

and I don't know where I'm going to end up with that.

But we'll find it, we'll get there. And of course my body parts.

Interesting story - they are for Catholics who had illnesses

and you'd go and buy the body part that you've got an illness in.

You'd take it to church

and then you'd pray that the illness is cured.

So, rather macabre, but I do like a challenge.

There we are, look at that. Lovely and clean.

A polished performance from Mark there.

So, now she's back in Shropshire, how's Christina feeling?

So I had never been to Tongeren before in Belgium, and I absolutely loved it.

It was vast. And I'm really pleased with what I've bought back.

Firstly, I love this dressing case here

in this wonderful green leather.

I love the fact that it kind of evokes these wonderful

images of travelling in the early 20th century.

Then I bought this lantern. Not quite sure why I bought that.

It's a little bit damaged. It's a relatively modern piece.

I think it will be a good-looking thing,

maybe in somebody's hall, a lantern, it's quite in vogue at the moment.

The absolute piece de resistance for me

was this amazing weather vane, which I completely fell in love with.

I think I might have bought it with my heart rather than my head,

sadly, but I just think it's visually beautiful.

Moving on to my little silver-coloured

unidentified bird here.

Potentially a guillemot, potentially a water bird,

potentially a game bird. I think we'll just call it a bird.

I think it's a lovely thing, just the detail on it is so beautiful,

it's very, very realistic.

And then, of course, I bought my French cake stand,

and personally, I cannot wait to see that full of the most

beautiful French fancies, pastries, cakes.

Not good for the diet.

But, nonetheless, I've got a lot of work to do.

I've just got to find somebody with a big barn

for that weather vane, haven't I?

Hmm, she's a bit worried about that, isn't she?

But with their saddle bags bulging, both Christina

and Mark must now grab the reins and gallop off in search of profits.

It'll take research, tenacity and good old-fashioned legwork to win.

And lest we forget, no deal is done until the hand is shaken

and the money is taken. First to the fore is Mark.

He's headed to Colchester, hoping to shake out an early lead

with his first items.

I've brought my cocktail-related items to my friend, Matthew.

He and his partner love entertaining,

and particularly making very powerful cocktails.

So, fingers crossed, I'll be shaken but not stirred.

Remember, Mark paid just over £48 for the set.

Well, I bought them in Belgium, so they're continental.

And it was quite stylish.

And it is marked underneath, it's got a maker's name.

Who is the maker?

-Funnily enough, I don't know. But it's nice to have it.

-OK.

And then I spotted this,

which is like a bottle pourer.

And this, which is a little ice bucket.

What do you think of them now you've seen them in the flesh?

Well, I like them very much, particularly the cocktail shaker,

because I definitely need a new cocktail shaker.

I wanted a very reasonable sort of £80-£120 for the three items.

I was thinking maybe more 60 or £70.

Gosh!

I mean, that's quite a difference, isn't it? £70.

-And I'll make you a cocktail as well.

-Fantastic, let's do that.

MARK LAUGHS

Well, I am a bit shaken after that.

And so Mark makes a potent profit of £21.85 for the three items,

and toasts his success with a little snifter.

Lovely.

Meanwhile, Christina is also keen to get going with her first sale,

as she heads to a hamlet just outside Whitchurch in Shropshire.

So, I'm here to see my friend Diana. I've known her for ever and a day,

but you may know her from somewhere else.

I've brought my cake stand to show her.

She's pretty teched-up when it comes to baking,

so she's probably already got hundreds, but it's worth a shot.

So, she brings a French dish bought in Belgium to

Great British Bake Off contestant Diana.

-Just in time.

-What are you doing?

Busy making raspberry buns, so you can have a go.

Now, in there we're going to fold in.

-Gently teased.

-That's it.

-There we go. Let's do it. 160 degrees.

-Yeah.

-For 10, 15 minutes.

-Brilliant.

Just enough time for me to show you this cake stand.

-Come and have a look.

-OK, I knew there was an ulterior motive.

CHRISTINA LAUGHS

Yes, and as the cakes rise in the oven,

will Christina raise more than the £11 she paid for the glass display?

When you pick the lid up, it says there...

"France, 21," but it says "Arcoroc".

-I don't know what "Arcoroc" is.

-Yes, they make very good

-glass bowls, dishes, for catering.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-You fount of all knowledge, you. My goodness.

It's a nice large size, it could be cheese, it could be...

-So, I need to sell it.

-You're right.

And I was hoping to get in the region of about -

don't drop it, it's glass - about £30, £40 for it.

What's it worth to you?

-25.

-Could I push you to 30?

-Yes.

-Or is 25...

-30 is fine.

-Is it?

Yeah, that's fine. So the cakes are going to go up by about 50p.

Oh, are they?

SHE LAUGHS

I'm a very expensive cooking lesson.

Christina makes a sumptuous profit of £18.89 for the cake display.

She doesn't have quite the same success

with her glass lantern, though.

Having spent £6 having it PAT tested,

she sells it for just 30 to shop owner Kate...

-£30.

-We'll do that.

Happy at £30.

..making a less than illuminating profit of £1.78.

Next stop on her travels is Tarporley in Cheshire,

where she's braving the elements.

I'm here in a very dark and pretty blustery Cheshire

to see a chap called Charles, who collects silver.

Now, I'm here to show him my dressing case.

The case isn't silver, but the content is.

So let's see if he's interested.

And interested enough to make a profit on the £120

she has invested in the case.

So I've brought you this dressing case,

which I thought you would quite like.

Open it up and see what you think.

But great that obviously it's got its original duster with it as well.

-And...

-Oh, that's rather nice.

-It is, isn't it?

Obviously, you've got a box missing there.

You've got the hand mirror missing there.

But the jars, I think this one in particular.

-JAR SQUEAKS

-Original squeak comes as an extra.

I don't pay extra for that.

-Are you sure?

-Absolutely not.

So you've got... Each one is hallmarked,

-obviously on the outside, for London 1912.

-OK.

And you've got the retailer stamp there,

-which is matched on the front of the case.

-Barrett & Sons.

Yeah, Barrett & Sons from Piccadilly.

I was hoping for £300 or £400 for it.

-Yes, that's a bit heavy, I think.

-Is it?

It does need a little bit of TLC. There are bits missing. So, 250.

-250, Charles, you're a very fair man.

-Jolly good.

-I'm very grateful.

Thank you very much, enjoy it.

Christina makes a profit on the travel case of £131.48,

which puts her way out in front.

So Mark will really need to shake his leg with his next sale.

He's headed to London with his box of unusual wax limbs,

which was his biggest buy in Belgium and stands him at almost £150.

I'm very excited about this.

I've come to East London, to the cabinet of curiosities.

I'm getting a bit scared.

Are you scared? Should we be scared together? Come on.

Oh, yes, let's.

Mark descends into the dark, dark depths of the museum,

where dreams and nightmares merge and nothing is quite as it seems.

ECHOING VOICE: Muhahahahaha!

THUNDER

Wow, these cabinets are full of the most amazing things.

I could be here for hours, you know.

I'm hoping this piece is going to fit in.

Should we go see what Rory thinks?

-Hello, Rory.

-Hello, how are you?

-I'm fine, nice to meet you. This is an amazing place.

-Thank you.

Talking of the unusual, I've brought this,

my own little cabinet of curiosities. I bought it in Belgium.

And I think it's mid-19th century, so 1860-ish, in an ebonised frame.

And I've learnt a bit about these - these little wax body parts

are related to the Catholic faith. They're known as ex votos.

And at first, I thought it was something that people go and put

in a church to pray for a miracle to heal an arm or a leg or a foot.

Actually, it's the other way round.

Once it's been healed, they hang them in churches.

They're very interesting items.

I'd like to get around 200 to 300. What do you think?

I think we could probably offer you 220.

That's a very good offer.

Do you think I could just nudge you up a bit to sort of, say, 250?

-We could meet somewhere in the middle, maybe 230.

-230.

-I can't say no, it's a reasonable profit.

-Brilliant.

So Mr Stacey puts the Mark in macabre

and makes a chilling profit of £81.85 for the wax body parts.

And he looks relieved to be heading back above ground.

Well, it just shows you, doesn't it? If you buy interesting things

and you find the right buyer, you really can make a decent profit.

He then heads east to Essex

and sells his Lalique dish to auctioneer Robin for £160,

topping up his profit pot by £56.30.

So, let's see what that does to their scores.

Mark Stacey has sold three items, racking up a profit of £160.

Christina has also sold three and is only a few pounds

behind, £152.15 so far.

Yes, Mark has a slight lead on The Magpie,

so it's important he doesn't put a foot wrong.

Until he does just that.

After an unfortunate trip, our hero ends up with his leg in plaster.

So he decides to call his opponent to give her an update.

You know when I said break a leg? I didn't actually mean it.

I knew it was your fault. Listen, how's the foreign market for you?

-That lovely weather vane.

-I haven't sold that yet.

That was the star of the show for me.

Oh, you were very jealous about that, weren't you, darling?

-I do, I love it.

-How have you been getting on?

Well, profits have been reasonable, but I had a whole schedule of things

to do, and then of course this puts you back to square one, as it were.

Oh, sweetheart. Well, look, very, very best of luck.

-And to you, Christina.

-Break a leg.

-HE LAUGHS

-She said break a leg again.

What's she trying to do, sabotage me completely? Help.

Yes, well, while Christina shows a modicum of concern,

it does mean she has a slight advantage.

With Mark temporarily laid up, she can race ahead with her sales.

So, with her biggest purchase in hand, The Magpie

flutters down to the capital to see whether a fair wind is blowing.

I'll let you into a little secret -

I'm really rather nervous about this.

I spent an awful lot of money on this weather vane

because I absolutely adored it.

I've brought it down to London with me

to visit a chap called Robert Young,

who has a reputation as being the UK's leading folk art specialist.

I sincerely hope he likes it.

Well, let's hope he does, as Christina paid a whopping £281.

-She may need more than just luck.

-How lovely to meet you.

We spoke on the phone about my weather vane.

What do you think now you've seen it in the flesh?

-It's got some good points and some bad, to be honest.

-OK.

What we like about this, what's nice about the movement...

-It has got something nice.

-A little bit.

..is the long back, the longer than normal back.

You know, it's elongated, so it's not anatomically correct.

And so that accentuates the movement.

And is that good that it's not anatomically...?

For this it is, because what's important about this is the movement.

-What we don't like is the fact that it has been interfered with.

-Right.

This paint is not old. It's not original to it.

-And we know that because you can see...

-It's all flaking off.

-Not only that, but it's painted over rust.

-Oh.

Well, having done a very brief look online,

-I would be hoping for maybe £600 or £700 for it.

-You'd be lucky.

-Oh, really?

-The problem is that we have to do work to it,

and we don't like doing work to anything.

-I wouldn't be able to pay you more than 500.

-More than £500.

Are you absolutely sure?

I can make it a little bit less if you want.

-No, no, don't do that!

-THEY LAUGH

£500, Robert, we have a deal.

Thank you very, very much.

Would you look at that, she paid big but made big.

The weather vane spins a whacking profit of £218.52,

by cleverly tracking down the perfect buyer.

Fantastic, just over £200 profit, but the real bonus for me

is the fact I've managed to find somebody who appreciates that

weather vane as much as I did. I'm gutted to have sold it.

But never mind, let's hope it will be plain sailing from here on in.

Mark, meanwhile, still has two more items in his selling conundrum.

And next up, he's taking his acupuncture model

to Ramsgate-based antiques collector Vicky.

But will it earn him more than the £63 he paid for it?

-What do you think about it?

-I love it. I love his face.

-It's very vintage, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Movie stars from the '50s,

they're very chiselled, aren't they? Very sort of upright.

He's a good-looking lad, isn't he? He's got many attributes about him.

-Yes.

-All right, keep it clean, Stacey!

And obviously he was originally used as an acupuncture model to

show patients their points, their power points.

I'm definitely interested.

I was kind of thinking around the 100 mark.

Is there any way I could force you up another tenner?

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

-Let's do it.

-Because I still think, actually,

if you decide to sell, there's a bit of a profit margin.

There's still something in it for me.

But I think you're going to have him for a while.

-I do think so.

-Let's shake on 110.

Mark makes a profit of £47.04 for the model

and he's down to his final item,

so heads further along the coast with his amethyst-mounted

bronze beast, and he's hoping Hove-based collector Sue will

want to pay more than the £51 he paid for it.

Sue, as soon as I saw this, I thought of you.

It's lovely to be thought of. Isn't it beautiful?

Oh, I do like that, Mark.

The detail on the fur and painting of the eyes,

-I think there's a certain amount of quality there.

-There is.

A lot of it depends on how expensive you are.

Well, I was hoping for sort of around 120-150. Is that...?

I'll give you 100 but no more.

You've got that look on, haven't you?

Well, I'm not going to shake your hand, shall we have a cuddle?

-Awww...

-Thank you so much. I knew you'd love it.

Well, the rules do state that a handshake seals the deal,

but on this occasion, a cuddle seems to suffice.

Well, he has got a broken ankle.

Mark nearly doubles his money and makes £48.15 for his deer,

and he's done.

Hoping to swoop in on her final profits,

Christina is in London armed with her bird's head which,

after a bit of research, she's now identified as a curlew.

I've come to Michael German Antiques in London

to meet a chap called Dominic.

Hopefully he'll be able to enlighten me

as to exactly what it was used for. And he might even want to buy it.

Remember, her ornithological objet d'art cost her almost £6.

My goodness, this is a treasure trove, is it not?

Well, there's quite a few things in here. We pack it all in.

So, tell me about the history of the walking cane.

I assume it grew out of necessity, did it not?

I mean, if you had a walking cane...

-But then it became a subject of fashion.

-It did.

People very much confuse them for ambulatory aids,

but in fact the canes we sell are mainly from the Victorian period

and they were primarily a fashion accessory.

Truly, perhaps, the first fashion accessory.

We've been talking a lot about walking canes,

and what I've brought you, I'm not entirely sure

-it was a walking cane head.

-Right.

-Shall I show you?

-Go on, then.

-Ta-da!

-Goodness! Yes, that is...

-Are you thoroughly underwhelmed?

-Well, no, it's...

It's not without charm, is it?

I was confused because obviously this section here is rectangular.

Generally speaking, obviously the cane handles tend to be

-round in diameter.

-Exactly.

And this would imply, to me, that it's come from a parasol originally.

Right. What do you think would be a fair price?

What would you be willing to pay for it?

Well, 55 would be the very, very best.

-I'm very happy at £55.

-Good.

-Absolutely.

Thank you very much.

Christina makes a final profit of £49.07 for the silver bird's head,

but was it enough for her to take flight and win today's competition?

All will soon be revealed,

but first, let's remind ourselves what they spent in Belgium.

Having each started the day with £750 worth of euros to spend,

Mark made five purchases and spent £414.81.

Christina also took home five items and, with electrical tests,

spent marginally more - £445.26.

But who has made the most profit?

All the money from today's challenge

will go to Mark and Christina's chosen charities,

so let's find out who is our

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Christina, we did have fun in Belgium, didn't we?

-Didn't we just!

-We started in the dark...

-I know! You bought some lovely things.

-Oh, that weather vane!

-I loved that weather vane.

I'm dreading the result on that one.

What about your weird and wacky and wonderful wax things?

The ex votos.

-What?

-Ex votos, they're called.

-Oh, OK. How fascinating!

And I sold them to a wonderful macabre museum in Hackney,

-in London.

-That sounds exciting.

-Which is great.

-Yeah.

You bought some other lovely things as well, didn't you?

That lovely dodo walking stick.

-Which wasn't a dodo.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Oh!

-Surprisingly enough.

-I was convinced!

I found out it was a curlew.

It would have been so much rarer had it been a dodo.

Wouldn't it just! I would have made much more money, probably.

What about your lovely little Bergmann bronze?

Yes, the little chamois. Well, I found a right buyer for it.

-I did all right on that, actually.

-Oh, good, well done.

How all right did you do? I'm intrigued.

-Oh, ready, after three?

-OK.

-Ready?

-One...

-BOTH: Two, three.

-Oh, Christina! Well done!

-Oh, my goodness!

-That was amazing!

-What was your biggest profit?

What was my biggest profit? I think it has to be the weather vane.

-What did you make on it?

-I sold it for £500.

-You did very well.

-I was very pleased,

but bearing in mind what you've been through,

I think that is phenomenal.

I'm very happy, and well done, you. Congratulations.

Thank you. Come on, we need to get inside and get a cup of tea.

-You need to get that leg up.

-I'll...

CHRISTINA LAUGHS

And so Christina is the winner, having made triple-figure

profits on the dressing case and the weather vane.

I can't believe it. I really can't believe it.

It just goes to show that all that hard work wasn't in vain.

Christina trumped me with that wonderful weather vane.

I wish I'd seen that. The wind was in her favour.

But Mark will have another chance to outwit Christina tomorrow

when our duo go head-to-head at an auction in Kent.