Mark Franks vs David Harper: UK Antiques 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 and gives you the inside view of the secrets of the trade.

Coming up, our dealers show you how timing is crucial when it comes to sealing the deal.

If you want to bag a bargain, now is the time to do it.

How sometimes antiques aren't always what they seem.

It didn't actually start life as a chest of drawers.

It started life as a commode.

And how flashing the cash can often work wonders.

-Have a smell, go on!

-Oh-ho!

Today's epic extravaganza pitches that unstoppable master

of the bargain, "Devilish'" David Harper

against everyone's favourite fast-talker,

Mark "Franksy" Franks to see who can make the most profit

from buying and selling antiques.

The stakes in this competition couldn't be higher.

It's the hero of the north...

I might have to get you up to the north. You might be surprised.

-We do.

-My passport is out of date!

-..Versus the champion of the south...

-Not 'arf!

..risking their reputations and their own hard-earned cash, in a battle

that will test their knowledge and contact books to the absolute limit.

Our duelling duo have up to £750 of their own money to spend.

Their mission, over a week of challenges,

is to make the most profit, all of which will go to their favourite charities.

Today's battleground is the Lincolnshire Antiques and Home Show,

where there are more than 600 stalls packed with thousands of antiques and collectables.

In the battle for profit, there can only be one winner.

Mark Franks and David Harper, it's time to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Well, here we are in Lincolnshire. I mean this is my natural habitat.

We've got tents, we've got antique dealers, we've got mud and we've got rain.

I'm going to go and blow that £750 very quickly, boyo!

I don't want any rain, but what are actually going to be looking to buy?

Quirky things. Interior design stuff, maybe even furniture.

Furniture has been in the doldrums the last few years, but it's making a comeback and it's still cheap.

-I'm going to be looking for non-normal, run of the mill antiques.

-Oh, yeah?

Unusual gear.

-Like yourself!

-Is that for sale?

-Ha, ha, ha!

-750 quid!

What a bargain!

Well, the banter and bravado were flying thick and fast, but don't be fooled by the bonhomie.

Underneath it all beat the hearts of fierce competitors.

Both our dealers have come armed with clear strategies.

David's mission is to hunt down interior design gems and furniture with profit-making potential.

Franksy is on the hunt for all things unusual,

or at least that is the story the feisty former market-trader has sold his opposition.

Well, David is definitely off my scent, because I've told him a pack of lies.

Number one, I'm not looking for the weird and wonderful, I'm going to look for some traditional antiques

and number two, I'm not going to tear around like a mad person.

I'm going to go to the tea stall and make some phone calls.

Everyone and anyone I know that loves antiques, buys themselves antiques, I'm on the blower.

What are you looking for? I'm going to find it!

Oh, so cunning.

Franksy's pulled a fast one, selling dear old David a whopping great red herring!

His real strategy is to phone around all of his contacts, compile a shopping list of what they're after,

and then hit the stalls on a buy to order covert mission.

It doesn't get much more Machiavellian than that,

but Devilish David is not one to underestimate his opponent.

He is going to be happy here. he's not a fish out of water, he knows his car boot,

he knows his fair, so he's not going to be a walkover, not today.

Yes, better keep your wits about you today then, David!

Our duelling dealers are armed with their own money

and they're under starters orders and it's Mr Harper who comes haring

off the blocks with what must be a contender for our fastest ever Put Your Money purchase.

I have literally walked around the corner and I clocked this thing.

It's not the kind of furniture I was really wanting to buy,

but it was the price that sucked me in, so let's see what we've got.

We've got a big table, bamboo chairs, two carvers and four singles.

This whole set is priced up at 50 quid. I bid him 30 quid.

This has got to be an absolute cracker!

With David racing away like a world-class sprinter,

the only thing Mark is running up is his phone bill!

It's always good to have a shopping list when you're out antique dealing, so a lot of my friends have

got shops might need this, might need that, see if I can find it.

Hello, Stuart, how are you doing?

Kers, it's Mark. I'm not bad, mate.

Hello, Helen, how are you?

Nick now. Sorry mate, cheers, bye.

Wrong number!

Just a very quick one, is there anything your heart desires?

Chest of drawers. Armoire, OK!

Yeah, wood top not marble, yeah. Table and four? Something with profit in it?

Well, I'm never going to let you down on that one, am I!

All right, I'll speak to you later. I'll call you tonight. Take care. Bye!

That's the hard work out of the way. Here's the easy bit.

Going to make money!

When they're buying, professional dealers often

get a wish list from their contacts, a strategy which is focused and can prove highly profitable.

Between them, Mark and David boast almost 50 years of antiques

experience and they're a veritable goldmine of tips and information.

If you see something that you really, really like, you can afford it, and the dealer is willing to do a deal,

for goodness' sake get it, because if you go away and think about it,

when you come back there's every good chance that it's not going to be

there, or you may not ever find the stall again, so if you see it and you like it, you can afford it, bag it!

And as if to prove the point, it's not long before David's finely tuned

antiques radar has homed in on another great purchase, that might not be quite what it seems.

It's a regency English mahogany chest of drawers.

Now we can tell it's regency, simply by its lovely shaped scalloped

apron there and also if you turn it upside down

and you look at its construction,

you'll see these fixing blocks there and that's a real typical late 18th, early 19th century way of fixing.

Now it's a beautiful size, and for

a chest of drawers it's absolutely tiny

which will tell you something.

It started life, and you can tell by

this little cut-out here, it started

life as a commode and this would flop

down as opposed to pulling out,

and inside that little compartment

you would put your potty.

It is an absolute cracking buy at £160.

Well, David has racked up

two deals and spent £190 of his own money in next to no time.

From the off, his strategy was to hunt down furniture

and he's sticking to his masterplan like glue.

Mark, on the other hand, sold the devilish one some shameless porky-pies and our master bluffer

is now armed with a secret wish list from his contacts and £750 just crying out to be spent.

Now look. By rights, that finger

should be able to pull that drawer out.

Damp!

Give me a price to make me want to buy it.

-160 I'd like for it, Mark.

-Well.

A man of keen mind and cunning tactics, Franksy is expert at using

every trick in the dealers' almanac to get the asking price down.

The cop beading is missing there, which doesn't help it at all,

and the worst thing of all is that handle is missing.

This is why I'd offer him a really bad price and as he goes to punch me, I duck!

The most I would give you for that would be £100.

-Could we meet somewhere in the middle?

-No! That would be. honestly, that's my best bid.

I'm not being horrible, that's my best bid.

There has to be one bid left in you Mark.

-No!

-I'll do it for 130, then.

Ooh, Mark is really playing hardball here.

Let me leave my bid with you and then that way,

if you have a change of heart or you decide you want my money, you don't want to take it home.

Someone may come in the meantime and offer me more.

-That's a chance I'm going to take.

-You're going to have to come back then.

-Give me a shout. I'll have a walk round.

-We'll shake hands on that, then!

-What, £100?

-Yeah, we'll do that.

-Deal?

-Deal!

-Right, I'll pay you.

-Good.

Ooh, smoothly done, Mark has stuck to his guns and with one of his phone contacts keen to get their

hands on a chest of drawers, it looks like Mark's real strategy could be a corker!

I'm not being horrible, I wouldn't give you a penny more because that's a lot of work.

-Yes.

-But...

-Well, I'm not being horrible...

-Please, god...

-..But if you had bid me less, I was going to take it!

Ha-ha-ha, now I know you're lying!

Franksy is hot on David's heels and it's not long before he's

spotted another potential purchase,

but surely his shopping list made no mention

of a pile of old firewood,

so what exactly is that Mr Franks up to?

It's the first form of furniture which comes apart

and goes into your house. Very clever!

Probably about 100 years old.

You can tell by the shape that

it's not Victorian, it's a little bit newer than that.

I would say 1910, somewhere around about there, but do you know what,

it doesn't matter what the age is.

What matters is you can get it into your flat

or your small conversion house and in London, it's a flyer!

So it is in fact an early 20th century knock-down wardrobe.

I'm going to try a bit of magic.

With the potential purchaser in mind, Mark needs to buy at the right

price and our boy has more cunning tactics up his sleeve

than a champion poker player.

Right, I've pulled 80 quid out of my pocket and

I'm going to offer it and he's packing his van up,

he wants to go home, he doesn't want to be here,

he's had enough. He's got to go back to Germany. Germany from here is a long old schlep.

Would you take offer?

80? Then you don't take home!

Deal!

Success, despite Mark's use of a terrible German accent!

Keen to see his new purchase in all

its glory, Mark ropes in the boys

at the production team to help him put it up.

MUSIC: "Build Me Up Buttercup"

This wardrobe is more than 70 years old.

proof that flat-packed furniture

has been confounding us for a lot longer than we might realise!

Mark has now bought two items

and he's gobbling up that

gap between him and David.

The battle between north and south is only just beginning, though.

Both our brave boys want victory, and they're ready to fight for it!

They started the day here in Lincolnshire with a budget

of £750 of their own money.

David flew out of the stalls faster than a thoroughbred on Derby Day,

racking up two purchases for a total of £190,

leaving him £560 still to spend.

After a slow start, Mark is coming up on the inside.

He's sealed two deals worth £180

which means there's still £570

in his kitty,

but it's early days yet.

Devilish David is hunting down his next potential purchase with laser-beam focus.

-This is interesting.

-And in no time he's spotted a stall he likes the look of.

-Hi there.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Now this was probably made for the western market I would imagine, wouldn't you?

Well, yeah. They're from the '20s and they were brought back from the early tourists.

Now keep an eye on David here.

Like Mark, he's going for the trusted dealer's

technique of pointing out the damage and then haggling the price down.

-What have you got on him, trade?

-His best is 50.

50? He's missing an eye.

Yes. He would have been about 150, 180 without the damage.

-Couldn't be a bit cheaper, like drastically cheaper, could it?

-Not really.

OK, so we'll think about him and put him there.

Can we have a look at this box here?

Look at the carvings on the top. I mean that's real, traditional Indian scenes. What's trade on that?

100, but you get a free box for repairs!

Well, there you go, there's a deal. Two for one, eh, is that what it is?

Yeah. buy one, get one free!

What if I buy that, do I get the water buffalo free?

-No!

-Aah!

Mmm. Looks like David is getting locked up in haggling hell, but this

could be the perfect opportunity for Mark to seize the advantage

so what on earth is he doing over there,

wasting valuable time on a rusty old box?

I'll give you £80 cash

and you haven't got to put it in your motor,

you haven't got to carry it home and you'll be a very happy man.

What, did you find it on a skip or something? You don't want this.

-How easy...?

-I was saying to you, I'll meet you in the middle.

I can't be no fairer than that, right?

That can be in your pocket or that can be in your van.

90 quid.

That's meeting me in the middle.

Do you want to toss a coin for the odd tenner? 80 or 100?

-Take 80 quid!

-Go on, then.

-I'm trying to...

-Go on then, spin it!

-I'm trying to...

-Go on, spin it. 80 or 100.

I don't carry change. I'm like the queen, I've only got notes. Come on!

Deciding the deal on a toss of a coin isn't just for fun.

it's a common tactic used by dealers when their best attempts at haggling hit a deadlock.

Flick it in the air, let it land. I'll take heads. I'll take heads.

Heads it is! There's your £80.

Every one's a winner. Top man!

Well, it's worked for Mark

who is now the proud owner of a lump of heavy metal.

David has spotted a marble lamp that he wants to add to the Chinese water buffalo and the Indian jewellery box

and is trying to seal a deal for all three items.

What if we said 120 for the three?

-No.

-No?

-160.

160? I'll go 130 for the three, how's that?

-No.

-No?

-No.

-Well, 135.

-No.

-Do you want my money? 140?

-No, 160.

For goodness' sake! Is this the longest haggle in dealer history!

I'll spin a coin.

-Right.

-140 or 160, how's that? Do you want to do it?

-Yeah.

-OK.

Ooh, now this is a turn-up!

Just like his rival, David is also staking his hopes on the toss of a coin.

OK, if I spin, you call, so if you win it's 160, if I win it's 140.

-Ready?

-Tails.

Please be heads! Yes!

That's the first time I've won a spin for absolutely ages!

Good man, put it there, thank you very much indeed.

So, both our dealers have won their coin tosses and sealed their deals.

David is sticking to his strategy like a limpet.

he wanted interior decor items and with the lamp-based jewellery box

and buffalo ornament, he's ticking the box each time.

140, you're a gentleman, thank you very much.

Now, talking of boxes, Mark is the proud owner of a big metal one.

Has the lad taken leave of his senses?

Let me out, let me out!

David Harper, help!

Well, what do you reckon to this?

My favourite buy of the day. It's a galvanised steel water tank.

Yes, and how are you going to shift that for profit?

This will become, with a bit of effort, a table.

-Hmm.

-A what?

This will become, with a bit of effort, a table. Hmm.

So, if you cut up here a nice little bit of shape,

along there and back down there, take this section out,

you've suddenly created a pair of legs.

Do the same round all the sides so you've got

these main areas that are coming down as legs.

You've still got this lovely riveted top, get it sandblasted,

get it waxed, get it sold.

This is a watertight buy that's got a great profit attached.

Wait and see!

Yes, but right now it looks riddled with holes and your opposition is powering round this market,

snapping up profit-turning furniture like this pre-World War I oak bureau bookcase.

I've paid 70 quid for it.

Now that is a very cheap piece

of drop dead gorgeous furniture.

The devilish one has now snapped up six items,

but Franksy has just got three buys in the bag.

He really needs to get a wriggle on.

Never one to disappoint though, it's not long before he's spent

£35 on what looks like a panel chopped out of an old door.

Look at the fruit up there.

Are you happy?

So am I.

Well, who knows what Franksy has got

planned for that little work of art, but one thing is for sure.

The lad has hit his stride and it's not long

before he has lined up another potential megadeal of four items.

a 1930s silver cigarette case,

a modern silver ring, a silver matchbox case

from the mid 19th century

and a reproduction Victorian letterbox.

It's clever what they can do these days, isn't it!

The clock is ticking away.

Franksy has got no time to waste.

If he pulls this deal off he will have spent almost all of his kitty

and instantly snatched the advantage right out of David's clutches.

So we've got that, that and a letterbox.

-What would you do it?

-Two-and-a-half.

That's it. And the ring's in the swindle.

-Done.

-I've got 455 burning a hole.

-Do you want to take it or leave it?

-You're right!

I know, but am I right enough to make it. Have a smell, go on!

-455?

-It's all I've got. Yes, or no?

-Well, I've got to to get rid of you!

-All right, OK. Oh, dear!

-Do you do anything else?

-Yeah, I can dance!

-Go on then.

Oh, dear! Let's hope Franksy's judgment

is a lot better than his hot shoe shuffle but what a turnaround.

Mark is now grooving and poor old David is groaning.

My gosh, just look around you! The pressure is really on, people are going home, for goodness' sake!

It's only early afternoon and vans are leaving and boxes being filled.

For goodness' sake, my gosh, I've got some pressure!

I just hope old Franksy is feeling the pressure too!

MUSIC: "Chant No 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)

TING

Ooh, poor old David isn't looking so devilish now.

With £350 still to spend and the stallholders upping sticks and

heading home in droves, this really isn't the end of this hard-fought day that David was hoping for,

but he's not about to give up and next into his bulging swagbag

is a Victorian coffee table with a lyre-shaped walnut base and a flay mahogany top, purchased for £55.

-There's your fiver. Thank you.

-Cheers, lovely, thank you.

Good news, but David has still got £295 left to spend and very little time to do it. Come on, David.

The hopes of the north rest on you.

Go, go, go!

Mark's kitty is empty and the only thing our southern

star has got left to give are pearls of dealer's wisdom.

If you want to bag a bargain, now is the time to do it.

If you were the owner of this stock, would you want to load it up or do you want to sell it?

Money fits in your pocket. all this stock takes a lot of moving

to load that lorry up so here is the place to get a bargain.

Nice one! What a shame you've spent all your dosh, eh, Mark!

Desperate David has found his way into another stall.

This really is his last chance saloon.

I've just spotted a rosewood, very small, neat sideboard.

Now it's an early sideboard, I haven't had a close look at it, but I can see it from here.

Twin pedestal with a nice top on it.

I think it had two hundred and something on it. Now that,

compared to what they used to be ten years ago, is so cheap it's unbelievable.

And, this is the little beauty that has got David all hot and bothered.

It's an early 19th century mahogany sideboard with jewelled pedestals and a very attractive asking price,

which is within David's remaining budget, of £295.

-He's called Brian.

-Brian, hi.

With the vendor away from his stall, David will have to do the deal over the phone.

Time to get devilish.

Do it 210, I'll have it. I'll shake Gary's hand at this very moment if you say yes.

-Do you say yes?

-'Yes.'

-Good man. Shake my hand.

Yes, what a result!

Just in the nick of time David's devious devilishness has

made a full comeback and he's snapped up a mighty purchase.

Our duelling dealers have given their all and with the buying now over, who has spent the most?

Mark and David both started out with £750 of their own money.

Mark bought a total of eight items and spent every penny of his kitty.

After a real white knuckle ride, David also bagged eight items

and spent an impressive £665.

Our dealers have used their knowledge, contacts

and experience to buy the items they think will net them the most profit,

but before they go their separate ways,

they're keen to have a quick snoop of their opponent's wares.

Now please tell me, Mark, that you're very jealous of my favourite item.

It is very nice.

-Never been restored and the most beautiful patination.

-Yeah, OK.

You could lick it, it's that nice.

-I had an ice cream earlier on. That was much nicer.

-I'd rather that!

-Look at that!

-Look at that!

-Is it silver?

-"Is it silver", he asks!

Oh, yes, it's hallmarked. Look at her. I mean she is a snapshot

of a beauty from the 1930s, isn't she?

Yes. Reminds me of an old girlfriend of mine.

-Really? From the '30s?

-Yeah, about right!

-I like it!

Well, what about this, then?

-I don't like it!

-Why not?

Typical 1930s dull and boring.

-OK. I'll discuss this table.

-Oh, yes, nice!

Oh, I see. Up north, "nice" obviously means something very different from down south.

How much do you think I paid for it?

-One table, how many chairs?

-Six chairs.

One, two, three, four, five, six chairs. £7!

30 quid. There's profit in it, there's profit, and that's what it's all about!

With a bit of red sauce, I'd probably eat your hat if you sold

-that for a profit!

-You just watch me!

-Let's have a cup of tea.

It's now down to Mark and David to start selling the items.

The aim is to secure as much profit as possible

and donate it to their charity of choice.

Mark will also be selling

a Victorian chest of drawers, a reclaimed water tank,

part of an early 20th century stained glass door, a modern

silver ring, a silver 19th century match case,

and a Victorian-style reproduction letterbox,

while David also has to sell a Regency-era chest of drawers,

an early 20th century Chinese water buffalo ornament,

an Indian jewellery box

and another one free to provide parts for repair,

a marble lamp base,

a solid oak bureau bookcase from the early 1900s

and a Victorian mahogany coffee table.

With their arsenal of antiques complete, the challenge

for our mighty warriors is now to sell their purchases in order to make the biggest possible profit.

They'll both be pulling out all the stops to find buyers, rifling through their little black books,

and doing deals left, right and centre, both on the phone and by e-mail.

Clive, hi, it's David Harper.

But until the cold, hard cash has changed hands, no deal is truly sealed.

Well, do you want to meet up, then?

With the selling part of his campaign underway, mighty Mark is in London.

He's heading north of the Thames

to enter his enamel cigarette box and Vesta case into an auction

and with more than 20 years in the business under his belt, our Franksy has got friends in very high places.

If you put that in the sale, I'll put it on the front page of the catalogue.

Deal! That's it, that was easy.

Thank you, Boyce!

Having his 1930s pin-up adorning the front cover

of the auction's catalogue is sure to generate interest.

That is a great result for Mark!

So fingers crossed, and we might make a big profit.

Come on!

Good work, Mark. Profit is the name of this game and we'll see how the items perform, later.

In Barnard Castle, David has arrived at his shop and he's raring to go.

He's showcasing items to local dealer contacts

and Gordon has arrived to take a look at his oak bureau.

Cracking thing, full front, very narrow, Arts and Crafts, solid oak.

-Yep.

-You've got all that Art Nouveau thing going on, too.

I'm desperate to polish it.

I'm looking for 145. Possible?

-Not a million miles away.

-OK.

-Not a million miles away.

-And remember, Gordon, that's hand-polished by me.

-Yup.

The devilish one is laying it on thick!

He's aiming high and £145 would more than double his money.

In this contest, Mark would love that sort of return, but he's bought items which need work

and with none of his budget left he's going to need to offer up something else in return for services rendered.

First up is that lump of heavy metal.

Now, Mark's plan is to turn it into a highly desirable urban chic table

and he's set up a deal with a steel fabricating company to get the side panels cut out of it.

In exchange, he's offered to wash three of their vans.

Whilst Franksy gets soapy, sparks begin to fly.

Using an angle grinder and a spot welder, the metal box is cut

and the panel sections are removed.

Our London lad moves to the van interiors and before long,

the water tank is transformed into a table and the vans are valeted.

The water tank now looks fabulous.

If you ever want your vans cleaned again,

don't phone me!

In Barnard Castle, David's had a call from dealer Gordon.

He's interested in the oak bureau but he wants to see it polished up

and delivered to his shop before he will agree a price.

Our David needs to work some devilish magic on the desk

to get the deal in the bag.

Brown wax, it covers a multitude of sins.

It doesn't necessarily have to be an oak wax, it could be

a mahogany wax, it doesn't matter as long as it has got a colour to it,

because just watch this.

See this scratch here, and this is going to be the best example I've ever shown.

Scratchy area, looks terrible, a little bit of brown wax,

just about gone, buff it up,

completely gone. Now transfer that all over the bureau

and again, don't be too precious.

You don't have to polish every nook and every cranny.

Just give it a once-over, it gets the dust out, it gets the grime out.

Top tips from David.

He's hoping for a polished performance with this sale and to rub Franksy right up the wrong way.

Our London lad is chasing a sale as well.

He's in Surrey and has tracked down a pub which uses old doors as decorations.

He's thinking that his stained glass door section would fit right in.

It cost him £35 at the antiques market.

This is all hand-painted, all this fruit up the top, beautiful.

-So where are we? What are we looking at?

-Well, just 100 quid and it's done, that's easy.

-No, no, no, no.

-What?

-I'm more the £30 mind.

-What about £80, give you a chance?

-No, no. £40.

-60.

-You know where it's going to be.

-Yeah, I know where it's going to be!

-In the middle, 50 quid.

-£50, you've got a deal.

Thank you, Mark. That is smashing though, isn't it!

So, Mark kicks off his campaign with a nice little earner of £15.

How are you getting on, David Harper? Ha-ha-ha!

Yes, well David is doing just fine, thank you very much.

He's polished his £70 oak bureau and he's taking it to Gordon and he's hoping to make some serious money.

So I'm going to have to try and be hard with you.

I really need to stick at 145.

-I think it's a cracking thing.

-145?

I think it was a find.

I bought it in the middle of a field.

That's what worries me, yeah, that worries me.

-But I did buy it.

-See the fields I've been in...

I think it is a real find.

I think I bought an absolute bargain.

-Yup.

-I need to make a margin, but I'm leaving plenty of margin for you.

I think there's plenty in it, as near as, but funny as you're counting, I'm going to tell you 140.

Oh, Gordon! Well, I'll tell you what.

It's not a lot! It's the price of a drink!

Well, you know what, I can't deny you that.

That's a great return of £70 for Mr Harper

and he storms into the lead in our contest.

Well, that's what we call in the trade a "double bubble deal".

100% margin. I bought it for nothing, I sold it for nothing, still made a

good margin, plenty of margin left over. That's the way to do it.

Franksy, how are you getting on?

I'm about to boldly go where no other antique expert has been before!

Good grief! What's he up to now?

-Be afraid, be very afraid!

-Afraid?

Petrified more like! With his budget all gone,

Mark has persuaded an old friend Phil to let him use the

sandblaster at the factory where he works

to remove the debris from his newly-created metal coffee table.

The sandblaster fires sand at the dirty surface and

blows away flaking paint and rust.

With the hard work done, Mark's old pal steps in to finish off the job.

Now Phil said I did a great job, but being a bit of a perfectionist

he's gone to give it the finishing tweaks.

In minutes the job is done and the transformation is stunning!

-I was going to give it a coat of wax. What do you think?

-Yeah.

Wax or like a good wax into it, bring up some texture in it and everything.

-Phil, you've been a top man, thank you very much for all your help.

-No worries.

So Mark now just needs to wax the table and then try and sell it for a whopping great profit,

but his restoration projects don't end there.

He dusts himself off and rolls up

his sleeves to replace the glass from his knock-down wardrobe.

-Horrible!

-He fills the gaps with wood panels.

There we are, look at that and once it's had a coat of paint

and a little bit of filler, that will look lovely.

And there's more. He also wants to transform his chest of drawers.

He sands the top, stains it and then applies brush-on

French polish to the entire chest to give the wood a uniformly-rich hue.

Whilst Mark is putting in the elbow grease, his northern rival is putting in the legwork.

He's in Newcastle and he's going to see an old contact.

Wish me luck!

I'm going in.

He's trying to sell his coffee table

which he bought at the Lincolnshire Antiques and Home Show for £55.

-So we've got a base dating to about 1870...

-OK.

..Victorian, very fine, nicely carved, hand-carved.

-This is where it goes slightly off-piste...

-OK.

..because the top has been added later.

Cut to the chase.

George, that table can be yours.

-For?

-£140.

Don't be stupid! Say 75?

-Make it 120.

-No, No, David, no!

I'll go up a bit, say 85.

110, George, and we're done.

No, David, no! Come on. 90?

Why don't we just call it 100 quid and you've got the best table.

No, no, no. Come down, just come down.

A little compromise. Compromise always wins.

-It does!

-Where do we want to be?

-95?

-You've got it.

-Well done.

-Deal done.

-It's a good table.

-Yes, it is.

-Well, it had better be, David.

Well, I paid two quid for it.

Ooh, the Devilish one can't resist pulling George's leg,

even though he's just given him a tasty £40 profit!

Happy, happy, happy.

Both our experts are working furiously to sell their items so

let's see who's selling well and who's dragging their feet.

Mark has been a busy boy restoring his goods

and has sold one item for £50, giving him just £15 profit.

David, on the other hand, has made two sales for a total of £235,

and has netted a profit of £110, giving him the upper hand.

Now remember, the winner of today's titanic tussle will be the dealer who makes the most profit.

Earlier, Mark put his silver Vesta case and cigarette case into auction in the hope of a tasty return.

200, going, going, gone at two.

That boy is always chasing a profit.

Let's see if his sales match his expectations.

What have we got, 120 and 200 minus a bit of commission.

I do think that's a profit!

What a great result, but hold your horses, Mark.

You're not in profit until you get shot of the other items in that job lot.

From the auction house it's a quick hop, skip and a jump

across the Thames back to Franksy's South London stomping ground where he's hoping to flog his silver ring.

It's a really pretty ring, Mark, but it's not an original.

17 is my best, my absolute best.

-Now I'm not going to budge on that, Mark.

-£17.50.

-Excellent.

-Hooray, we have a deal.

-Thank you very much.

Ooh, he does push his luck, that lad.

Every penny counts for competitive Mark, but he

won't be in profit until he sells the last item from that bulk buy.

the Victorian-style reproduction letter box

which he is hoping will post a profit from a neighbouring dealer.

That looks so at home!

-Come and have a look!

-Typical you!

Look! It just looks naturally correct in your shop.

It is very svelte, actually. No, it's lovely.

It is a talking point. You will get people come in and looking,

especially if it's in the window.

-Yeah, I think it's great!

-Yeah?

-Lovely.

-250.

-180?

-190.

All right, 190, yep, done.

Deal, thank you very much.

Before we part with money, can I show you something else in the van?

-Sure.

-Go to the side door...

So, Mark has sealed a deal for £190 on the letterbox, but it's bad news!

Overall, on his job lot of four pieces,

he's made a loss of just under £4.

The devil is always in the detail and it's the commission and VAT from the auction house

that have cost Mark a profit. But you can't keep a good dealer down.

Can Franksy bounce back with a deal on his freshly waxed and polished

chest of drawers that set him back £100?

Yep, I think...

I would need to get the cock beading done.

-Just a tidy-up and...

-Just a little cheapie.

-..And a quick polish.

-Solid top, it's ash-lined.

-Yep.

-Good quality.

-Good quality, yep.

It can be 160.

Oh, Mark, you know me!

What's your best offer?

-130.

-You've got yourself a deal.

Thank you very much. You're very kind.

And bingo, it's a £30 profit for our irrepressible London lad

which just goes to show that a lot of elbow grease

and a little know-how go a long way in the quest for profit.

Now, it wasn't just Mark who bought a job lot at the fair.

David paid £140 for a water buffalo sculpture,

two Indian boxes, and a marble vase, so the devilish one has come to Derbyshire with one aim in mind...

to notch up some serious sales.

David has taken his marble vase

to the three owners of an interiors shop

and when it comes to turning on the charm, he's an absolute pro!

Well done! Thank you very much. You've got a good deal there.

And one final bonus for you three girls is this.

I'm going to give you all a kiss.

-Michelle...

-Relying on his wit, charm and downright animal magnetism,

David seals the deal for £60 on the marble vase but it's not over until the last item in the job lot sells

so the Devilish one isn't in profit just yet.

-Bye.

-Bye-bye.

However, he's lined up a potential purchaser, Dale, for his Indian boxes.

The carving is just fabulously Indian.

It's lovely. Very, very detailed.

You can see there's figures here with a bow and arrow

and they're obviously having a bit of a fight or something there!

Now help me out on something. Mark Franks and I have discussed this.

Now there is a name, a term that we use in the antique business

to describe the Anglo-Indian carved wood and I can't quite pronounce it.

It's something like vizamarzipan!

Right, right. I mean, it's an area, I think it's called Vizagapatam.

-Vizagapatam.

-Vizagapatam.

-I'll try and remember that, Dale, well done.

-It's your bag, I hope!

-Yep.

-How do you see it?

Well, did you have a price in mind, or?

-I do, sort of.

-Yeah?

-140?

-Could you make it a little bit less than that?

-What are you thinking?

Maybe about 120.

Is that your best bid?

-120, yeah.

-I'll have it.

-Are you going to take that?

-Thank you, Dale.

-Thank you very much.

So, having got Dale on-side with a spot of linguistic gymnastics,

David has notched up a sale for his Indian boxes.

After selling his buffalo carving at auction, the devilish one

has netted a total of just under £70 profit on his job lot purchase.

With David stretching his lead, the pressure is piling on Mark to rise up and fight back.

He's given his knock-down wardrobe a paint job

to give it a shabby chic appeal and he wants to try and sell it to Gill, one of his contacts.

The wardrobe owes Mark £80.

Can he turn a profit on it?

Very handy for the big houses around here for getting them upstairs and into front bedrooms and things.

Be gone by the weekend, I'll bet!

That would be nice!

-So...the question.

-200 quid, how does that sound?

-200?

No, I'm afraid not.

For me it's about 120, 125.

My beating heart just stopped then. I wonder what happened?

How about 150?

-140.

-Oh, Gill!

-So, 140.

-It's no more than a 140 for me, I'm sorry.

-She is really hard work!

-I am!

-145?

-You are so cheeky!

Yes, London's cheekiest chappie seals the deal

and pockets a £65 profit

for his newly refurbished knock-down wardrobe.

Mark is not the only one making money from furniture.

David has sold his garden furniture set and made a tasty £50 profit

and he's been furiously bashing away on the phone

to try and offload his regency chest.

I've had a couple of trade bids which I said no to,

but, you know, now time is coming to an end,

I've got to get all of my money in

to beat that Mark Franks so I've had to take the offer,

which was 190 which was not quite as much as I was hoping for.

However, it's all about getting money in and that's what I've done.

It's a further £30 profit for David

and he now has only his regency sideboard left to sell.

For Franksy, it's all starting to get a bit emotional.

I'm welling up, my tears are going to come.

I'm going to tell you a story and it was love at first sight...

it was a water tank, in a field.

It was a beautiful day, I saw it, I fell in love with it, I bought it.

We were happy together and then I cut it up.

I washed vans, I washed trucks, but I got it cut up.

Then, I went to the Moon, Buck Rodgers I was, 21st century with my helmet on, and I sandblasted it.

it was no easy thing but I did the job.

I'm going to miss that water tank...

like a hole in the head. Think about the money!

Let's meet Alan and sell it.

-Hello, Mark.

-How you doing, mate, all right? I've got something wonderful to show you.

I did e-mail you so don't be surprised. Come and have a look.

-It's certainly quirky.

-It is, yeah.

I think that could find a home here.

I think we could introduce that to Crystal Palace, if the price is right, of course!

Yeah, the price is always right, Alan, we'll always have a deal.

So Mark looks like he's closing in on a deal

and he needs to because David has some corking news about his regency sideboard.

I sent an image of this to a dealer/interior designer I have in Florida and he bought.

Well, we'll find out shortly how much the American dealer paid and whether Mark's heavy metal mayhem

gives him he profit he needs to win today's confrontation.

It's time now to tot up the totals and reveal who is today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

Mark spent his entire budget of £750

at the antiques market in Lincolnshire.

This left him no money for restoration.

David, on the other hand, parted with £665 of his budget.

All the profit that David and Mark make over a week of challenges

will go to a charity of their choice so, let's find out which of them has made the most cash today.

-Mark.

-David Harper, how the devil are you?

-Good to see you! Very well.

-How are you?

-Not bad, mate!

-Shall we go for it?

-On the count of three. One, two, three, go.

-Ooh, you wiped the floor with me, David!

-Ah, well, I've got you... It was the sideboard.

-Ah!

-So, wonderful trip, great experience.

-Do you want me to look after that?

So it's a victory for David, thanks to his American buyer of the regency sideboard.

He's bought it for £420. He'll pick it up at some time in the future.

That's a great profit to me... 100%.

And at 100% return gave David a £210 profit and secured victory.

Despite all the hard work on his beloved water tank,

-it was unfortunately a bit of a wash-out for Franksy.

-130.

-125.

-Go on, then, you've got a deal!

So it's a respectable £45 profit for Mark...

not enough to beat an elated Devilish David Harper.

A couple of cracking things just cropped up,

flew out at me at the right money.

Well, Mr Harper, what a great profit you made.

-I've got to be honest, he wiped the floor with me.

-Well, done to Mark, too.

Not fantastic profits but good restorations, lots of imagination, good on him.

I tried hard. Unfortunately, the profits weren't quite there.

So David takes today's accolades but there's more challenges to come before any profits can be banked.

Tomorrow our dealers face-off at auction.

Quick impersonation.

And they can sell for £200 or £300.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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