David Harper vs Phil Serrell 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 time, 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...

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, Phil Serrell is caught in a dealer's despair...

I want to go home.

..David Harper finds information in imperfection...

If you look just here you can see there's a scratch,

so you might call that a bit of a fault.

However, it's showing that it is indeed bronze below the patination.

..and The Fox has met his match.

I was sort of kind of hoping that I'd get £150 for that, Mary.

£150?

This is an object lesson for you in negotiations. It really is.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Royal Leamington Spa -

a place one can amble at leisure,

cruising Georgian streets in this sophisticated, refined town.

But beneath the surface, behind auction house doors,

there's a battle brewing for the supremacy of the saleroom,

and waging war are two profit-hungry pros.

First to the table is the wild thing of Worcester.

He has a nose for knick-knacks and profit is his prey.

It's Phil "The Fox" Serrell.

The real danger in this business is that you buy what you like.

Knowing my taste, that's a recipe for disaster.

And he's up against the Durham demon,

a piranha of the priceless with a bloodlust for bargains

and a killer instinct for curios.

It's "Devilish" David Harper.

Never pay too much. Don't get carried away.

Today we're at Locke & England auctioneers...

This might be fun.

..and our ravenous pair will be risking £1,000 of their own money

to buy and sell to make a winning profit.

You do change your mind in a nanosecond in an auction.

So, grab those bidding cards, as, David Harper and Phil Serrell,

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

-David, how are you?

-Good morning, Phil. Very well. How are you?

Well, the sun shines on the righteous.

Well, it's never shone on me, Phil. What does that mean?

It means I'm righteous.

So, what happens today?

-So, we've got £1,000 in our pockets each.

-Right.

We're at the auction room in Leamington Spa.

We're going to go and blow it, Phil, big time.

What are you going to buy? Are you going to spend all of it?

-No, who knows?

-Have you got a plan?

-No, course I... Have you got a plan?

-I've never had a plan.

-I've never had a plan.

-Shall we go and have no plans together?

-Good luck.

-Good man. Thank you.

-Not too much.

Yes, our two sun-drenched dealers are all fired up,

but without a plan between them

and with over 630 lots going under the hammer,

they'd better have a bidding brainwave soon.

Though it appears David is determined

to fly by the seat of his pants.

You can never really come up with a strategy for anything

until you actually get your feet in the location.

If you look around here, this is quite a smart sale,

so the strategy really is quite simple. It's good stuff.

All I need to do is bag that good stuff at the right money.

That's the trick.

Hmm, so Devilish is relying on his expert eye

to find the finest this auction has on offer.

But Phil, well, he's already spotted his prize piece,

with an upper estimate of £150.

But he doesn't want anyone else to see he's interested. Shh!

At auction it pays never, ever to show your hand.

Now, I'm standing here amongst the furniture,

but up by the rostrum there's a really, really lovely little drawing

of a ringmaster by Dame Laura Knight.

Now, she lived in Malvern for a time, and for me,

coming from Malvern, I love her work.

Her oil paintings can make tens, hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The one big problem is that a lot of her little drawings,

they're very, very easy to fake.

Now, the auctioneers have given this a full attribution,

which means they're happy it's by her.

What am I going to go to? I don't actually know at the moment.

But I'd love to own it.

Yes, Phil there, cunning like a fox.

And Devilish is on the ball as well,

and in his case, it's not any old ball.

It's a cannonball with an upper estimate of £150.

I have never in my life handled an American Civil War cannonball,

and it absolutely fascinates me.

Blows me away.

I know nothing about it.

It's got drill holes in places and a massive hole here.

Whether that was made for a detonator,

I have absolutely no idea.

The dream, really, is to bag the cannonball,

and the cannonball will take me on a journey of discovery.

On the other side of the auction house,

Phil has discovered a Victorian oak writing desk,

and it's certainly captured his imagination.

I love bits of furniture that do something.

That looks like a little side table, but just watch what happens.

So, you've got a really cool writing table here.

The other minor point about it is that these corners

have been filled in wax.

Really, really not good.

So, if I buy that, I've got to factor in

perhaps trying to make it right.

Well, while Phil sizes up repairs on the writing desk,

David has spotted a potential diamond in the making.

So, ordinarily, I would never look at a Victorian coal scuttle

these days, but because it's different, I'm interested.

I've never seen that design or model before.

And the copper bucket itself is really well made.

Fantastic quality and hand-beaten. Estimated at 60 to 80.

It's no money. I'll have a go at it.

So, David's up for a tussle today.

Speaking of which, Phil is manhandling a table as we speak.

What's he doing?

This is a really good Georgian mahogany occasional table.

The thing with these is, does the top match the bottom?

There's only one way to find out.

If you look, this is what we call a shadow,

and that block just fits on there a treat. It's always been on there.

You can see that. That's a lovely table.

Yes, Phil there showing us that it's important to look at bottoms -

of tables, that is.

Meanwhile, David is casting his net far and wide.

So, what we have here, lot 163,

is a collection of four Nottingham-style wooden -

probably mahogany - fishing reels.

You know, they're vintage.

Probably 1920s. I've got to admit, I've never really been into fishing.

What I love about them is the fact that they are "mantiques" -

the buzzword of the year.

Ah, yes. "Mantiques". Defined as...

Hmm.

These things would sit beautifully on a man's desk.

£30 or £40 worth,

I would have people queuing up to buy these babies.

With an estimate of £40 to £60,

let's hope you can reel that one in, David.

With viewing time over and having surveyed the finest on offer

in the saleroom,

our pair must settle in and prepare to bid, bid and bid some more.

Right, well, good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Right, lot one.

I never, ever fail to get excited by auctions.

I've only been doing it for...

-HE COUGHS

-..years now, and every time

I go to one, it really gets the blood flowing.

Yes, and it's not just Phil that's excited.

The saleroom is full to capacity,

with bidders on the phone and online,

so there's lots of competition.

And The Fox is so excited he's straight in on the bidding

as a second Victorian writing desk catches his eye.

Oh, he's twitching.

Give me £80 to start. Thank you. 85 here. 90. 95.

His eyebrows are going.

The bids go higher.

190.

Oh, he's doing that.

And even higher.

270 on my left.

He's dropped out.

That's called running out of steam.

But suddenly after a single bid... GAVEL BANGS

Yes!

Oh, no. He's lost it. Phil's change of heart was too late.

Just missed it. How frustrating for Philip. Ha-ha!

He's only been in the business for 800 years.

He knows that if he's going to get it,

he's got to act a bit quicker than that.

What I love about David is his enthusiasm.

Well, now he's limbered up, will it be second time lucky?

The next lot, lot number 22,

is that adjustable oak writing table.

Yes, this is the one he looked at earlier.

Have we got 50? Thank you.

Keep an eye on Phil. He's bidding on everything.

55.

100. 110.

110. 120.

HE SIGHS A bidding bailout there for Phil.

He's not doing very well, is he?

Maybe third time's a charm.

I kind of want to get off the mark here now.

-240 now. 240.

-No.

In auction you're meant to buy things. What is wrong with him?

Come on, Foxy. This is the one.

140. 50.

He's going to keep on going cos he's so frustrated.

170.

He's desperate to buy something.

-190.

-No, thank you.

-Do you want a hug?

-No. I want to go home!

MUSIC: You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' by The Righteous Brothers

Aw, it appears The Fox's excitement has turned into despair.

DOG WHINES

With Phil yet to place a winning bid,

David is coming off the sidelines as he's rocked by the next item

that's about to go under the hammer.

An interesting lot coming up.

I haven't seen it but it's actually a child's rocking chair in oak.

I don't think it's got any... Oh, there it is.

A child's oak rocking chair.

A quick on-the-fly inspection and David puts his best foot forward.

30. £30.

35. Five. 40. 45. 50. 55.

It seems Harper's buying without breaking a sweat, eh, Phil?

David bags his first buy for £66.56, including auction fees.

That was a great little purchase. First time I've seen it.

So, it's a child's rocking chair,

but you can tell it's a one-off handmade piece.

Look at the hand little sculpturing on the arms there.

No machine making going on here. It's a little bespoke beauty.

Phil, just to let you know, that's actually how you do it.

When you bid on something, you actually try and own it.

Brilliant. One down.

Play nice, Devilish.

It does seem, though, the goading has our Fox flustered,

as he decides to bid on an oak-panelled settle.

£100 bid. Set at 100. 110. 120. 130.

140. 150.

No, thanks.

-Speak up, Phil. He can't hear you.

-£150. At 150.

They think it's all over.

It is now.

You?

I said "No, thanks" and he took my bid.

I said "No, thanks,"

but the auctioneer clearly thought I was still bidding,

and I'm not that disappointed,

because I think this is quite a nice little settle.

-Is it comfortable?

-Lovely.

-Really?

-It's wonderful.

-Excellent. Do you want to buy it?

-Not for the price you paid for it.

Thanks very much.

Yes, that bidding blunder with fees cost Phil over £181,

so with one reluctant and one intentional buy between them,

David is up next when the Victorian coal scuttle

that he saw earlier comes under the hammer.

70. 75.

80. 85.

Just amazing what some people will pay for firewood, isn't it?

Ooh, the pot calling the scuttle black there, Phil.

That could have come to me for £35 or £40

if I was the only person interested.

It's amazing what can happen.

Yes, but that's the name of the auction game.

Still, David pays £102.86 with fees for the coal scuttle.

So, that's two for two for David, and one own goal for Phil,

but he's hoping to even up the score with a Victorian oak pew.

-65. Five. 70.

-Go on, Phil.

-80 on the next.

-Watch the eyebrows.

100. 110.

-160 online.

-No, thank you.

-No?

Last time I said "No, thank you" I ended up buying a settle.

Indeed. At least Phil has learned his lesson.

It's David, though, who's eyeing up the next lot

with an upper estimate of £80.

The next lot is a contemporary bronze sculpture of two figures.

-It's got a nice look to it.

-90. Five. 100.

110. 110.

It's all going so well.

The bronze sculpture sets David back just over £133,

but was it worth the major investment?

We've got two very tall figures, arms outstretched,

almost about to be entwined, I think.

If you look just here, you can see there's a scratch,

so you might call that a bit of a fault in the sculpture.

However, it's showing that it is indeed bronze below the patination,

because you've got to be so careful today

with modern bronzed sculptures,

and they're literally resin, like a plastic, almost, plaster

coated in a bronze effect,

and they're really scary because they can catch people out.

So, while David revels in his perfect purchase,

across the saleroom Phil's decided to live dangerously.

Sometimes it pays to live on the edge.

And a little lot coming up, a jewellery box,

which I haven't even looked at, but the illustration looks OK.

And they've said it's 19th century, they've said it's mahogany.

Estimate is 80 to 120,

so if you bid somewhere between £60 and £90 for it,

you'd kind of think it was cheap.

We'll find out.

Right. It's time to see if our Fox's gavel gamble pays off.

For 60. It's at 65.

70. 75. 80.

£80. 85. 90. £90.

He's dropping out again.

I'm going to be forever the bridesmaid here.

You'll be lucky to get an invitation at this rate, Phil.

We actually want to go home at some point today.

Not with the things you've bought.

Jealousy. It's a terrible thing. Really is.

That's the thing about auctions. It's a little bit like marriage.

You do it in a rush, you have a long time to regret it.

And that pearl of wisdom ends the first round of buying,

so let's tot up what our dealers have spent so far.

From a £1,000 budget, David has bought three items for £302.52,

leaving him with just over £697 for the rest of the auction.

Phil has struggled to buy, with one item for £181.50,

leaving him with just over £818 in his pocket.

So, with a brief ceasefire, the battle is back on,

and after a difficult first half,

Phil is first up when he spots a table toy cannon

with a guide price of £30 to £50.

60. Five. 70.

Yes, Phil.

And he's back with a bang

with an early warning shot across the bow, winning it for £84.70.

At first glance, it looks like I bought myself a toy cannon,

but you know, there's a massive difference

between a toy and a model.

I would guess that this is probably the first 20,

25 years of the 20th century.

So, this is no great antique, but I just think it's a really,

really lovely model.

All I've got to hope now is that someone else thinks the same as me,

otherwise I'm just being fired out the end of this.

CANNON FIRES Yes, but it's usually a cannonball

that gets fired, and talking of cannonballs,

the one that David had his eye on is up next,

but he may have some loading issues.

It's one of those objects that in the heat of the bidding

you might just go a bit crazy because you want it.

At £60 it is. £60, we're selling. 70. 80. £90.

Room bid, selling, yours at £90. Room bid at 90.

90. Come on, baby. Get that hammer down.

Get that hammer down. Get that hammer down.

I want a cannonball. And I have got a...cannonball.

Thank you very much.

David fires back, securing his cannonball for just under £109.

So, David Harper has just bought a cannonball.

I can only hope that it's his Waterloo.

Now, now, Philip.

Just because his is bigger than yours.

Four down.

Ever ready, David is now preparing for his "mantiques".

Right, next up are the fishing reels.

Estimated at about £40 to £60, so here we go.

35. I've got 35 here. £40 in the room.

But there's an internet bidder in his way.

At 55 back on the internet. £60, room bid. 65, back in.

-Go on, then.

-£70.

£70 now, room bid. 70 in the room. Yours in the room at 70.

Sold at 70.

I think I'm going to go fishing.

David hooks the lot for £84.70,

and with that, he decides he's spent enough

and retires from the auction room race...

I'll be going home now, Phil.

..leaving a rather red-faced Fox to fend over the final few items,

including this 16th-century sketch.

MUSIC: Footloose by Kenny Loggins

Not by any stretch of the imagination

is the foot the most attractive part of the human body,

but I quite like this little sketch of somebody's foot.

I'm just hoping that no-one else does.

And at £50 to start.

£20 bid. I need 20. Bids at £20.

Oh, he's bidding, he's bidding, he's bidding.

-What do you know about art?

-35. We're back at £35.

-Nothing else to do.

-At 40. 45. 45. 50 now.

And all spent up, a footloose and fancy free-free David

tries to break Phil's stride.

-Five.

-Are you bidding on some feet?

Pictures of feet?

£55.

Phil has walked away with this piece for £78.66, including fees.

Just think of what it would cost if it had been a whole body.

And as old Devilish disappears,

Phil's circus sketch is coming up for sale.

For me, this is my star lot of the auction -

the Laura Knight sketch.

The question is,

is my enthusiasm going to get the bidding carried away with me,

or is someone else going to outrun me?

With an upper estimate of £150,

will The Fox manage to tame the beast

or be left looking like a clown?

-50.

-And as the action kicks off,

Phil is faster with his bids than a lion tamer's whip.

-260.

-And up it goes.

-320.

-And up.

-340 bid.

-And up past the estimate.

-Yours, sir.

-And thank God for that.

Just bought a drawing.

And do you remember when I said don't ever let your own enthusiasm

get you carried away with buying something?

Yes, the sketch is his,

but that's a huge amount of money on just one item.

£411.40, including fees.

We're into the last few sections of the sale,

but Phil isn't content with his four buys.

Oh, no.

Now I've got to just buy something else now.

Well, that's easier said than done, eh, Phil?

One of the lots he's mocked up is this 1930s silver bowl,

not that he's had a chance to actually inspect it.

70. 75. 80. 85. 90. 95.

100. 110. 120. 130. One more here. 130. 140. 140.

Much prefer to buy lots I haven't seen.

£60 over the estimate with fees, this final purchase cost £169.40.

So, was it worth it?

Having got this and not seen it before,

I'm quite pleased with this.

This is a mid-1930s Hukin & Heath,

and they were really good silversmiths.

Doesn't even look like it's ever, ever had a cloth to it.

But I think that's a really lovely thing.

And it's a very stylish thing of the times.

What am I going to get for it?

I don't know, but hopefully a profit.

Well, Phil might be hoping for a profit,

but David is just hoping to go home.

Finally, he's done it.

He's bought his last object just as the saleroom is emptying

because the sale has come to an end.

It's been four days...

OK, slight exaggeration.

..of waiting for Philip Serrell to perform.

Oh, let's not delay David any longer.

Time to look at the scoreboard.

From a £1,000 budget,

David took it easy and spent less than half -

£496.12 on his five purchases.

While Phil, after a very slow start, spent much, much more -

£925.66 for his five lots.

So, let's have a look at what they bought.

-Phil, that was an experience.

-Was it ever. Yeah.

How many hours were you stood there not buying?

Yeah, well, I had a go in the end, didn't I?

-You did in the end.

-I'm pleased with what I bought, though.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-Good. So, what's your favourite object?

Oh, I love my Laura Knight.

You know, I just think that's so lovely.

Expensive and lovely, but I've suddenly discovered

that I'm probably into feet. Um...

Did you not know you were into feet until today?

-It's one of those things that's come at me late in life.

-Oh.

Actually, I think my two best bits are...well, one that I hadn't seen,

and the other I didn't know I'd bought.

-Oh, well done, you.

-What about you? I love that.

-Do you?

Yeah, a modern structure.

We know it's where the market is with modern, contemporary things.

But my favourite object, bar none, is the cannonball.

-Oh, the cannonball.

-The cannonball. American Civil War. 1865 in date.

It is mind-blowing, so I'm going to do lots of research

and talk to people that know, and I'll learn a lot from it.

-I love that to bits.

-Yeah, I do. I think that's a nice thing.

-Yeah.

-OK, one question for you.

-Yes.

Is there anything that you'd swap of yours for mine?

See, I thought you were going to say you were into feet now as well.

-No, I'm not. No. No, Phil. No. I'll leave the feet to you.

-OK.

Now our pair of auction room assailants must turn their attention

to selling, and selling well,

using all their contacts and every ounce of antiquing acumen.

David and Phil must hunt high and low across the country

in search of homes for each of their items

and all the profits will go to their chosen charities,

but the important thing is, whose will be bigger?

Back home in his Durham den,

David is assessing how much restoration he needs to carry out.

Looking in all the bright light here, I can see what I need to do.

My lovely mahogany coal bucket

is just screaming out for some wax polish,

and the fishing reels, exactly the same.

They are truly bleached out,

so I'm going to have to get really stuck in to them.

But this, I think, will show you, actually, when they're done

just how much value you can add to objects with very little work.

But my favourite item, bar none, is the cannonball.

I've done loads of research, I've spoken to lots of experts.

This is a fascinating piece of kit.

It can hit a 50-foot-wide target from over a mile away.

We're talking 1860 here. It's mind-boggling.

However, I found homes on paper for most of these objects.

I've got people interested in everything,

apart from my favourite object.

Nobody as yet has shown any interest in buying it,

so that's going to be the big struggle.

Well, he may have had calm waters at the auction,

but will his cannonball sink his ship?

Down at his Malvern saleroom,

Phil is already hard at work restoring one of his buys.

When I bought this, it was all tarnished.

Just wants a bit of a polish so we can get the full benefit.

I love the way the bodywork of it is all beaten.

Hukin & Heath were a great silversmith,

and of course probably one of their most famous craftsmen

was Dr Christopher Dresser,

who produced things at the back end of the 19th century.

I mean, his work is so highly prized.

If this was by Christopher Dresser, it will have been a fortune,

but it isn't.

Now, I think this little bit of work

that I'm doing now is going to make it look really special.

And that's not all he's done,

having spent £15 framing his Laura Knight sketch

and £20 removing the foxing stains on his old master drawing.

With our experts chomping at the bit,

they're hitting the phones, internet and the road in an effort

to turn their wares into wealth,

but no deal is done until the handshake takes place

and the cash is collected.

Keen to get cracking,

David begins his selling spree in his own back yard,

bringing his Victorian coal scuttle to a local pub.

This is the exciting bit, and this is my first potential sale.

A local pub, and I've got a bit of a hot lead,

because my daughter has just started working here part-time

and she tells me that the owners are looking for

a really cool coal bucket.

He may have had a tip-off, but this is no done deal.

The question is, will supervisor Justin like the coal scuttle

that cost David £103?

Now, Hetty tells me you've been looking for a coal scuttle.

We are, yes. We've just had the fires done.

Well, you might've noticed when I walked in -

-the fact that I have a pretty good coal bucket.

-Mm-hm.

And I've got to tell you,

I don't ordinarily get very excited about 19th-century coal buckets,

but this thing got me going because the design is very rare.

-Just feel the weight of that.

-Does that actually...?

Oh, it does, doesn't it?

-Isn't that gorgeous? Copper.

-It's a thing of beauty, isn't it?

It is a thing of beauty.

If you look on the inside there,

you've got a maker's label and registration in there,

and that tells us it was registered for copyright reasons in about 1894.

-Wow.

-So, this is a new-fangled design.

It's got screw holes here, so it's obviously been fitted permanently

to a wooden floor, which would be good for here,

so it's perfectly usable.

-I do like it.

-So, what is the budget?

Well, the budget starts at around £100,

but I can go up a little bit above that.

Can you double it?

Ooh. Can we meet somewhere in between?

190.

-180.

-160.

-This is where we meet in the middle, Justin.

-170. We've got a deal.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-I do love it.

Yes, a strong start there from Devilish,

using his contacts at his local to make a £67.14 profit

on his first sale.

Down in nearby Darlington,

David also sells his oak rocking chair

to a furniture boutique for £80, securing a profit of £13.44.

And not to be outdone,

Phil takes his ringmaster sketch to a high-end gallery

in the beautiful Cotswold village of Broadway,

and The Fox is hoping his piece won't be outclassed

by the gallery's other impressive pieces.

Now, on these walls,

there are millions of pounds worth of paintings,

and I brought Dame Laura Knight along.

I'm sort of hoping

that she's not going to look completely out of place

amongst the Monets, and there might just be a home for her here.

Remember, this was Phil's most pricey piece,

costing a head-spinning £426, including the cost of a new frame.

Time to meet art dealer Stephen.

What I've brought you is a Dame Laura Knight pencil sketch.

-I'm sure you've sold lots of them.

-Actually, we sold one last month.

-Really?

-Yes. It was a ballerina work and it had two ballerinas.

-A little sketch?

-Yeah, it was a pastel.

Yeah, and how much was that?

It was a five-figure sum.

And what would be real top money for a Laura Knight painting?

-One work fetched circa £1 million, so it's...

-But it ain't that.

-It's not that, no.

-THEY LAUGH

Stephen, is this actually good enough for your gallery?

It actually would be of interest.

-Would it?

-It would, because it's an approachable piece

by a well-known painter that we can sell through the gallery.

If I asked you for £600, how would that sound?

-£550, we'd both walk away with a balloon.

-Yeah, I've got a balloon.

-And I've got a Dame Laura Knight.

-Thank you very much.

Just going to go buy a Monet.

What's really lovely is not that I've made a profit out of my Laura,

but she's found a place amongst the grandees of art on these walls.

Quite right, but the £123.60 profit is pretty lovely too.

Phil continues on his upward thrust for profit,

as over in Worcestershire

The Fox has sold his 18th-century oak-panelled settle.

That's right. The one he bought by accident. Hmm.

I can see people snoozing off on this.

It cost him £181.50.

-240 and I'll shake your hand.

-You're on.

So, Phil manages to serve up a stout profit of £58.50,

and with that our dealers are level pegging with two sales each.

But David has decided to cast the net even wider

and has brought his reels all the way to London

to meet an expert dealer in fishing antiques.

Would you believe it?

Well, get me. Here I am on London's Pall Mall.

I've come to visit one of the city's oldest

established fishing shops, over 175 years.

Hopefully they're going to be interested in some vintage ware.

Here we go.

To make a profit, he needs to reel in more than £85 the lot cost him.

-Now, you must be Brian.

-Hello.

This is fantastic. I love the feel. It's got a great atmosphere.

All sorts of adventurous objects.

I mean, how long have you been selling them for?

-This is my 48th year.

-40th?

-48th.

-48 years.

It's been my love for all those years.

I'm not a fisherman and I want to know more

about the Nottingham reel.

Well, these Nottingham reels

were originally made in 1790 in Nottingham.

Ah, hence the name.

And all these wooden reels were made for bottom fishing.

Right.

Bear in mind, Brian, I have no idea what you're talking about.

Attaching a weight and lowering it over a pier or a boat.

-So, you'd have to drop the weight in.

-Drop the weight in.

The quality's there, but they're not in good condition.

-Right.

-The walnut's warped with age.

I wouldn't say more than £50 for all four.

Oh, dear. That would give him a £35 loss.

Time to counteroffer, Devilish.

-Cos I was going to suggest 50 quid each.

-Oh!

-HE LAUGHS

-No way.

It's not a comedy show, Brian.

Well, someone's laughing, David.

I need £120 for a small profit.

-I'll give you £60 now.

-I need 100 quid.

Well, you won't get £100 from me. I'm sorry.

And if you go to a dealer, he will offer you half that amount.

I was told you were such a nice guy. "Go and meet Brian.

-"He's been in the business forever. He's such a gentleman."

-60.

That is my final offer.

You're the hardest man I've dealt with in years.

For £60, you've done incredibly well.

Brian, I haven't done incredibly well. I've done incredibly badly.

£60, that's it.

Brian, I'm going to have to take your money

and take the shame.

Thank you.

-They're going in my cabinet at home.

-Well, I'm so pleased for you.

They're going to a good home.

Oh, dear.

Hard-bargaining Brian certainly knew his onions

and had David hook, line and sinker,

resulting in a loss of just under £25.

You have just witnessed me being mauled to death by Brian.

But our Devilish is looking on the bright side.

But you know what? I don't mind so much.

He's so charming, so experienced and so knowledgeable,

that small financial loss is actually a gain in knowledge.

Yeah, if you say so, David.

And that brings us to the midway mark.

Let's whose bank balance is bulging and who is in the red.

David has made three sales so far,

but because of that loss, he's only banked £55.88.

Phil has sold just two items but is way out in front,

having £182.10 in his profit pot.

Eager to increase his lead,

Phil has hopped over to the very grand Hartlebury Castle

near Kidderminster, and he's been telling them all about his cannon.

Hmm. And the estate trustee is very interested.

-Where...? Where is it?

-What? Oh, the cannon?

-The cannon.

Oh, it's there.

Oh, Philip, it's shrunk.

-Come in, come in.

-It's an age thing, Mary. It's an age thing.

-Is it?

OK, maybe not what she had in mind,

but remember, Phil spent nearly £85 on the model cannon.

But you see, we did have cannon trained on the castle

in the Civil War, but they didn't actually fire.

Really? Who did that?

-Oh, it was Cromwell's lot.

-Oh, his lot?

-Yes.

-Bad egg, wasn't he?

-Oh, absolutely.

-Bad egg.

-We were for the King, yeah.

-Absolutely right.

OK, I was sort of kind of hoping that I'd get £150 for that, Mary.

50?

Was that the echo, Phil? Try again.

No, ONE-fifty. 150.

I misheard you. I thought you said 50.

No, I didn't say 50.

I do rather like it, actually, Philip.

-£150?

-This is an object lesson for you in negotiations. It really is.

Yeah, £150.

No, Philip. Definitely not.

What about £90?

Mary, you are a lovely, lovely lady, but you are hard work.

I think you're outgunned there, Foxy.

-Final offer.

-Yeah, go on then.

-£100.

-Mary, I love you so much.

I'm just going to take your offer because you're a star, my love.

-Oh, thank you.

-Thank you very much indeed.

So, after being rather disarmed by the lady of the house,

Phil walks away with a small profit of just over £15.

With three sales each, our dealers are now tied.

Phil has made his way back to his saleroom in Malvern.

He's meeting specialist silver collector Rod

with his newly polished bowl that cost over £169.

It's a very nice piece of silver. Very nice.

Make me an offer I can't refuse, Roddy.

-Shake it at 215.

-Go on, then.

And The Fox makes a sterling profit of £45.60.

Now, determined not to lose sight of Phil,

David is still in London and has brought his bronze sculpture

of two figures to show private collector

and radio presenter Lizzie.

But she's come with a chaperone of the spiritual kind.

But to what end?

This is Lee Whyberd, healer-medium.

Anything I buy or bring into the home,

I really need a good feeling about.

-It has to go through Lee.

-And this is why I have Lee in my life.

Right.

So, I pick up the energy of people, the energy of an object.

Just make sure the vibes are good on it.

-It's Lee I need to win over then.

-It's Lee you've got to win over.

I do love my antiques. Tell me about this piece, David.

OK, it's not old. It's a piece of modern art.

So, I'm guessing it's probably within 20 years. What do you think?

I feel myself it's got a very nice energy and vibe to it,

and it is beautiful.

I'm wondering whether Lee is getting any sort of vibes.

-Could it be French?

-Uh, could be.

-I feel that it's only had one owner.

-French? One owner?

Sounds like one of your cars, Devilish.

It has a beautiful energy off it.

It will look beautiful next to my fireplace.

Lee may have to do a little cleansing.

Cleansing?

Yeah, that's second door on the right.

You just go around your object.

Yes, I think it could bring you a lot of good luck, Lizzie.

Well, the price is going up now that Lee likes it.

What are we looking at? What price?

I'd like £230.

Now, I do like it, but do I like it enough for that?

-160?

-210.

-190.

-Go on.

-Lee?

Yeah.

-Are you ready?

-Yes.

-Yes.

Ah, positive vibes all around then.

The sculpture's aura secures David a profit just shy of £57.

You know what?

I really do believe that you do get feelings from objects,

and I've always had a good feeling about that bronze.

So, with our pair neck and neck with four items apiece,

things move from the mysterious to the world of medicine,

as Phil heads across the border to Wales.

He's visiting a private hospital in Newport to meet Mr Hariharan,

who just happens to be a foot surgeon - which is helpful,

given what Foxy's got left to sell.

After restoration costs,

the 17th-century sketches owe him just under £100.

-Sir.

-Hi there, Phil.

-Lovely to see you.

-Welcome.

-Come on in.

-How were you? Thank you very much.

-Have you got a collection of old foot stuff?

-I collect medical books.

And what sort of period are we talking about?

-My earliest book is a book from 1501.

-That is early.

That is an old one, but it's my baby. It's a wonderful passion.

It's an expensive passion, as my wife reminds me very often.

And I'm pleased to hear you say that it's an expensive passion,

because I'm hoping that you might be interested in buying this.

This is a 17th century sort of old master-style sketch.

I think line sketches, they've got a certain panache about them

-which I quite enjoy.

-Character.

-Yes, there is.

Is there a place for this in your collection?

I'm sure there is, if the price is right.

That's what I was frightened you might just say here.

I was hoping I might get around £250 for it.

Well, let me remind you that surgeons are notorious

-for their persuasive tendencies.

-HE LAUGHS

Listen, I'll take whatever you give me. I want to get out of here alive.

I would probably say maybe £180 is probably a reasonable price

that I would be willing to pay for it.

I'll tell you what I'm going to say to you is this -

-make me your best offer and I'll take it.

-OK.

-I'm prepared to push it to 190.

-Fantastic. Thank you so much.

Yes, a walk in the park there,

as Phil ends his day with a profit of £91.34.

MUSIC: Happy Feet by Cab Calloway

That's me finished. All sold, done.

And you know what they say -

if you want to get ahead, get a foot.

Yeah, I'm not sure that's what anyone says, Phil. Ever.

Now, back in London, Devilish has found a buyer for his final item,

and he thinks he's found the perfect place.

Where on earth should I sell a hugely heavy cannonball?

Militaria dealer?

No. Far too boring.

What about a hotelier?

Well, that was slightly unexpected. A cannonball at a hotel. Hmm.

But it appears this isn't any ordinary hotel.

It appears there's one room in particular

his cannonball would suit,

so David's delivered his weighty item to the feet of Danny,

the hotel's proprietor.

So, I did some research into the hotel.

I found out this was actually the private residence

of Napoleon's surgeon, so the War & Peace room was a tribute.

So, what's in it?

Got the French legionnaire hats in there, we've got the sword.

But do you have a cannonball?

I don't have a cannonball.

It's not exactly Napoleonic, but it wouldn't be that dissimilar.

What period is this?

American Civil War period, which again is a fascinating time.

Was this from the winning side?

It was from the winning side, and I can tell you why I know that.

The Confederates had similar balls,

but we know it's northern because of these two ears.

These ears were there to accept a tong which would slip in,

and two men could then lift the 88-pound ball

and drop it into the mortar cannon.

-It ticks all the boxes. Winning side.

-Yeah.

-Good history.

-Talking piece.

So, can I tempt you to put the cannonball in the War & Peace room?

I was thinking £160.

-What?

-Yes.

For 88 pounds of steel.

-150.

-145.

-Top man.

David finishes his selling spree with a profit of just over £36.

That's it.

All sold up, and now I can't wait to see Phil Serrell -

which is unusual - but I'm desperate to know how he's got on.

Well, you won't have to wait long, David,

as it's almost time to find out who's got

up to speed in the dash for cash and who's out of profit puff.

First, a quick reminder of how much our experts spent.

From a £1,000 budget,

David bought five items and spent a modest £496.12.

Phil also bought five items but spent considerably more.

With restoration costs, he spent £960.66.

Of course, all that matters now is profit,

and all the money that David and Phil made

will go to their chosen charities, so let's find out who is today's

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

-Mr Harper. How are you?

-Hello, Philip. Great to see you.

Yeah, well, did you have lots of success at the auction?

I went crazy at the auction, but I had a bit of a disaster.

-Why, what happened?

-Those fishing reels.

-Yeah.

I was really switched on.

I took them to a great, flash fishing shop in Pall Mall in London.

Long way from the river. Did you do all right with them?

-No, I didn't.

-You didn't?

Lovely, charming man. Wonderful. Learned a lot about fishing reels.

-So, they didn't make much money then?

-They didn't make any money.

Give me some bad news.

Laura Knight - did that go down a bomb?

I was so pleased with Laura because I sold her to a gallery

and she went on the walls with million-pound paintings.

How cool was that? How about your cannonball?

-Was that a firing success?

-Cannonball was interesting.

You would've thought I'd go to a militaria dealer, but no,

I went to a hotelier.

-Doorstop?

-You're kidding, aren't you?

You couldn't move this thing. This is a funky hotel.

-Wait till you see it.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-OK, it's time to find out, isn't it?

-Right.

-Are you ready?

-This has got me worried.

-Open up. Ready? Three.

-Two.

-One. Go.

Wow!

Get out of town. How did you do that?

Well, I didn't lose money on fishing reels.

-Tell me how not to lose money.

-Let me just tell you about it.

-So, what you do, you buy something...

-Sell it for less?

No, you sell it for more. So...

So, Phil "The Fox" Serrell chose the worthiest of wares,

which shot him straight to the winner's seat.

I found the auction really quite tough,

but at the end of the day, it all worked out OK.

And I enjoyed selling those things, but David, mate,

you've got to make money when you sell things.

You can't lose money.

Now, I would've said if I was to lose at the auction,

it would all be down to those blasted fishing reels,

but it wasn't.

It was the child's chair, the coal bucket,

the bronze and the cannonball!

You did all right and the most important thing is all the money

is going straight to charity.

Shame it wasn't a little more, eh, David.