Mark Franks v John Cameron - 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...

Hey-hey!

..and gives you the insider's view of the trade.

Who's there?

Each week, one pair of duelling dealers will face

a different daily challenge.

The original cheeky chappie. Lovely!

Putting their reputations on the line... Full house!

Oh, I say!

..and giving you their top tips and savvy secrets

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

I'm feeling rather lucky.

Today's auction room ruckus

pits the antiques aficionado John "the Hammer" Cameron

against the chuckling champion that is Mark "Franksy" Franks.

Coming up, Mark talks out of turn...

Bargain!

Sorry?

I said "bargain," sir, sorry.

John proves that if you snooze, you lose.

I've just missed it.

And top tips from Franksy on auction know-how.

The most mistakes are made when you just put your hand up

on something you've not checked properly.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Today, we're at an auction in Leicestershire,

where our battling behemoths must bag the best bargains

to make the most profit.

They face a challenge of epic proportions,

a true 21st-century skirmish

because this auction is logged on and online.

They are not only up against each other, but the whole wide world.

Yes, our tenacious twosome face cut-throat competition

because internet bidders from all over the globe

will also be grappling with the gavel.

Buckle up. It's going to be a wild ride.

First up is a man who's held more gavels than a computer has gigabytes.

He's more likely to be found browsing collectables

than surfing the web.

It's John "The Hammer" Cameron.

His opponent today is the original cheeky chappie from London town.

He's done more deals then downloads, more haggles than hashtags.

It's Mark "Franksy" Franks.

Today's bidding bash takes place

at Gildings auctioneers in Leicestershire.

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

and all the profits go to their chosen charities.

Power up, John Cameron and Mark Franks.

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

Out of your range, mate, innit? Well, it is in the fine art sale.

I was just admiring these three thoroughbreds,

and there we are standing here. Two donkeys! Two donkeys.

How are you doing, Mark? Yeah, good. To be fair, John,

you've been an auctioneer.

You used to be a market boy. We're in a market town.

What chance have I got today? Well, listen... I might as well go home.

The worry isn't us two

because, remember, we're not just competing against each other.

We're at an auction, so competing against the rest of the room.

And it's on the web, you can buy this on the web,

so we're competing against the world. Well, effectively you are,

so have you had a look at any of the lots, Mark?

I might have sat on the internet last night

and had a little cheeky look.

A sneaky peek. And have you got your £1,000?

Yes, in my skyrocket. Rhyming slang for pocket.

OK, well, you're not going to tell me anything you're interested in?

Yes, a cup of coffee, come on, let's go.

So, Franksy's acting like a true blue politician

and giving nothing away,

but John has studied his opponent and he wouldn't vote against him.

Mark is very clever

because he's got this gift of seeing an alternative use for an item,

so I'm expecting him to surprise me at the end of the day

with a lot that he's got a new end user for

but, anyway, I've had a good look

but I'm keeping my cards close to my chest,

so I don't want Mark to see what I'm looking at.

So John's going to keep his rival firmly in the dark

but Mark is also a man with a plan

and he knows the key to winning any battle is doing your homework.

Now, I'm very relaxed about today

because I've been sitting on my laptop and running through this sale

lot by lot by lot.

My catalogue is marked, I know what I want to buy.

It's me against the internet and the room and the whole wide world.

If anyone can take on the planet, Franksy can.

And he wastes no time in working the room to his advantage,

making a beeline for a garden urn he's researched earlier.

If you ever go round the big houses, you know, National Trust houses,

one of these out the front, very common.

This is called egg-and-dart, the reason being,

these look like eggs

and these look like darts,

so this is an egg-and-dart end. It's made of cast iron.

You can see the rust in it but that can be added at a later date.

What you can't get is where the rust has started to affect the finish.

You only get that with age.

Now, this, probably 100 years old, something like that.

It's been sat outside.

I think the estimate is about £50-£80 on this

and it will sell for absolute top retail.

I've pencilled it in but, in reality, I think

I've got more chance of getting John to buy me a pint afterwards.

Yes, no chance, then.

With just minutes until the auction kicks off,

John is hard at work checking out a set of crockery that caught his eye.

Quite a common sight at general auctions like this are dinner sets.

This one, in fact, is Doulton.

It's called the Fairfax pattern, and that's a reference to

this gilded decoration on this plain cream ground.

One of the things to check when you're looking at these dinner sets

is the condition of them.

Check to see if there's any wear to the gilding

and look at the dinner plates

and see if they have heavy knife marks right across the centre

because a set like this you might be able to buy for £100

but if you go to a specialist dealer to supply a missing piece,

you may well pay £30 or £40 just for one plate.

So, with the crockery on his list, what will John go for next?

Oh, more crockery.

This is a mid-20th-century tea set,

and this is in the Derby Posies pattern,

so another lot I'm going to keep an eye on.

It's by Royal Crown Derby,

one of the best names in English porcelain production, a company

with a history stretching back to the middle of the 18th century.

So, while John searches for a kettle,

Mark's got his eye on something

that's not everyone's cup of tea -

a set of vintage men's mags.

I found something which I think is definitely undervalued

and has a huge potential to sell for big profits.

These are gent's magazines from the '50s and '60s.

Estimate, £10-£20.

82 of these magazines. But do you know what?

I've sold them before and made loads of money,

so these have got my name on them.

As Franksy marks his lot for later,

John has spotted a potential big money signing.

This is a lot of Topical Times player cards.

Issued in the '30s, very popular with children.

You could collect entire sets, full length, like this.

I will keep an eye on them. There's about 70-80 cards in here.

The thing to look out for in these is condition.

You want to check that the cards in the corners aren't too bumped.

You don't want cards with heavy creases in them and always look for

popular teams, like Manchester United

and Liverpool and Chelsea.

Those are the teams that are going to command the best prices today.

And, of course, Portsmouth.

Spoken like a true Pompey fan.

Now, John and Mark have both downloaded their items

and it's now time to transfer to the auction room,

as the bidding is about to begin.

Having been an auctioneer, John knows better than anyone

that this is one tough challenge.

We have got internet... live internet bidding here,

so those buyers, we can't see. We don't know who's viewed the sale

or who's going on the telephone, so it really is a game of chance.

Yes, nervous words from John and, across the room, Mark is suffering

his own bout of auction anxiety.

Auctions are a bit like going to the dentist.

You have that apprehension and that, sort of, fear and worry.

Then, afterwards, you think, it wasn't that bad.

"I love my dentist."

It's all smiles now, but as the auction gets under way,

our boys will need to get their game faces on,

as this is serious bidding business

and first to run the gauntlet of the gavel is John.

Remember that Doulton Fairfax dinner service that I saw earlier?

I'm going to keep my eye on it because I do know somebody

whose name is Fairfax and they've just got married,

so this could be a, sort of, belated wedding present to his wife.

But somewhere in cyberspace, there is a bidder who also

wants this dinner service.

70...5, 80.

And they are sending the price sky-high.

£100. 110 in the room now. At 110. GAVEL BANGS

Yes, it's first blood to John, as he beats the worldwide web

and gets the Doulton Fairfax dinner service for £129.80,

including auction fees.

I think I should get a profit out of that,

IF Mr and Mrs Fairfax want this dinner service.

If not, then I might be eating my breakfast off of it.

Well, stay focused, John,

as the second set of crockery is about to go under the hammer.

It's good to stay alert at auctions, cos it's quite easy to drift off.

Now, I want to make sure that nothing sells really cheaply.

I've marked quite a few lots

because there's always a danger you don't get them,

so I'm staying alert.

There's one coming up, that Crown Derby tea set.

Yes, the consummate professional, Mr Cameron would NEVER miss a lot.

I've just missed it.

I've just missed it.

Practise what you preach, John.

Yes, viewer, that's right. He's just missed his lot because he was

too busy telling us about the importance of not missing the lot.

Well, nothing gets past our Franksy,

as he swoops in on a potential cheap buy.

The next lot coming up is a lot I quite fancy -

a pair of Art Deco pink-tinted,

chrome-played table lamps. Need a bit of love.

Might sell cheap. Estimate, I think, is 40-60 quid.

Table lamps. 20 anywhere? 20?

Thank you. 20 bid. At 20, in the corner...

But he's got competition, from an online bidder. 28.

At 28. 30. 32.

At 35.

38. 40. At £40.

At 40. Going at 40. GAVEL BANGS

Yes!

So, Mark's up and running, beating the room and the internet

to pick up a set of Art Deco candleholders for £47.20, with fees.

These are Art Deco at its best. Look at the geometric lines

around the top and the circles round the bottom with the lines coming out.

The shapes are strong and bold. It's so Deco. The tops are made of glass.

A candle would have gone in there. If you run your fingers round,

you can actually feel there's no damage. That would come out

and then the base, we unscrew that, get this re-chromed,

because the chrome has gone on it. As you can see, it's coming through.

Suddenly, what you've got is two wonderful lamps.

These, I'm really pleased with.

So, it's one apiece, but not for long,

as John scores a screamer,

bagging the football cards he was eyeing up earlier

for £64.90, including commission.

And he's hoping to make it a hat-trick

as a set of sports encyclopaedias catch his eye.

But, once again, he's got competition from an internet bidder.

Four volume set. 20? 10 then?

10 bid. Thank you, at 10, at £10, at 10.

12, at £12, 12.

15, at £15.

20, at £20. 22.

Five. At £25.

Going at 25 then...

HAMMER DROPS Oh, just too late online.

Yes! Too late, online!

I bet they're sorry they didn't get that faster broadband connection.

Yes, John again comes out on top in this battle of man versus machine,

as he secures his encyclopaedias for £29.50, including fees.

I bought this set of four books. They are The Encyclopaedia Of Sport.

You can see they're in four volumes, they're 1911 in date,

and they've got their original gilt-tooled green cloth bindings.

I think these are going to go some way to seeing me

crowned the undisputed antiques champion.

Mmm, fighting talk from John

but across the room his rival is feeling more sociable.

John, John. Two bottles of wine coming up, do you want one each?

We could split this one, is there anything in the rules to say we can split this?

How are you doing?

Slowly, slowly, I'm hoping to catch a monkey.

Do you know what? I'm thinking about going

and cutting the fibre-optic to bring the internet down

because, I tell you what, it's barmy.

There are things nearly going down at 100 quid in the room

and they end up 300 quid on the internet.

That's what I said to you at the beginning of the day, didn't I?

It's not you against me, it's you against me, the room and the rest of the world.

I don't think there's any foul play here,

there's no-one in the room running us up,

it's the curse of the internet. The ether.

Well, good luck for the second half. Cheers, mate.

So, as we go into stand-by for a moment, time to see

which of our experts is running at full capacity

and who's gone into meltdown.

Our dealing duo started the day with £1,000 of their own money.

John is in the lead, bagging three lots costing £224.20.

Leaving him with £775.80 for the rest of the day.

Mark is lagging behind on just one purchase,

spending £47.20 and leaving him with £952.80 in his kitty.

We're ready to reboot this competition

and get back to the bidding.

With only one item to his name,

Mark is going to need to switch it on and fast.

But, behind or not, he's not hitting panic mode yet.

Most mistakes are made when you just put your hand up

on something you've not checked properly,

like a chest of drawers with knobs missing or broken drawers,

or a bit of China that's smashed and you haven't checked it.

Yes, good tip, Mark,

and one that John is completely ignoring,

as he goes in blind on the next item - a silver salver.

John's not even seen the salver

but the bidding's already reached the hundreds.

280, 290, 300...

At £300, at 300...

HAMMER DROPS Thank you.

Ooh, a massive risk by John.

He's paid a whopping £354 including fees

but what has he actually bought?

It's a silver salver,

a classic design dating from the 1740s or 1750s.

It would have just been used to put things on,

like drinks or a coaster or something like that.

Pie crust border, this has been cast and applied

and, typically, four cast and applied hoof feet.

Nicely, it hasn't been engraved.

It's hallmarked to Birmingham, 1931.

It does look to be in pretty good condition.

I'm pleased with that but I took a chance and got out of jail.

Always look before you buy.

John's dodged a bullet and storms into a 4-1 lead

but there's a long way to go yet and Mark is armed

with a secret weapon - his own bidding blueprint.

When I'm at the auction, I have a technique.

And it is nonchalant.

So, I put my...like that, up in the air,

nice and strong, as if you mean it, and leave it there.

And leave it there, leave it there, like that,

while they're bidding, look away, check your nails,

as if you don't care, as if you've got all the money in the world.

And at the last-minute...

drop it.

And then that way it shows you're interested in buying it

and you're there for the full run.

As the next item comes up,

it's the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his technique.

This is the gent's magazines.

Estimate, 10 to 20 quid.

I'll be quite happy to pay 150 quid for them. Here we go.

279 is the collection of girlie magazines, 1960s.

He's in at 130.

150, 160...

Yes, very nonchalant.

Back corner then, at 170.

Going at 170, selling at 170...

HAMMER DROPS

This is easy, I'm going to double my money.

Well, it seems his technique has paid off,

as Mark bags the vintage magazines,

though he pays a little more than he wanted at £200.60,

including commission.

But this spending spree is just getting started,

and he marches on and picks up a set

of Churchill centenary medals

for a whopping £318.60 with fees -

his biggest purchase so far.

There are actually 24 medals in here

and some beautiful coins which are solid silver and then gilded.

And each one showing what's going on in his life,

different parts of his life that are important.

This has got a real good chance.

If you wanted a set of these for your collection,

there's not a lot out there.

I'm amazed John didn't buy them.

In the words of Churchill, we'll take them on the beaches.

Yes, at ease, Mark, you're only one behind John now.

And it's not long before he draws level,

picking up a watercolour of Stanford in Lincolnshire

for £118 with commission.

When I was on the internet checking what's going into the auction -

which you can do at home, as well -

I saw this come up and thought, "I wonder if that's still like that."

So I Googled the image and guess what?

It's still just like that.

There was a fellow in the auction who was bidding against me.

I spoke to the chap and said, "You know,

"once I've done a bit of homework I might offer it to you."

He was still interested.

And, after that buying bonanza, Mark is back in the game.

But, at just four items apiece, this is no time to slow down.

As the gavel keeps falling, time is running out

and, having not raised his paddle in a while,

the Hammer is starting to worry.

The lots are running out

and I've still got quite a bit of money to spend,

so I'm starting to panic and I have to have another look at this catalogue.

MUSIC: "Panic" by The Smiths

The old panic's starting to set in a little bit.

A panic buy.

Going to the room at £25.

What did I buy there?

As hysteria takes hold, John's made another impulse buy.

This time it's a spinning chair

that's cost him £29.50 with fees.

Often associated with the Welsh spinning industry,

and usually made locally, vernacularly,

and using local materials.

This one's been decorated with poker work,

which is basically a series of little dots

that have been tooled to leave this decoration planed,

almost like marquetry.

I don't think anybody's going to want to use this any more.

We should get £50, £60 for this.

And the rush buying continues,

as John picks up a Victorian steel footman

for £21.24 commission.

But, having nabbed it,

he's now looking to his rival for reassurance.

It's got a scrap at that price, hasn't it? No.

Cheers, Mark(!)

I'm frantically buying in everything and anything,

all low-value stuff but, um...

It'll at least give me a chance of making a profit.

So, there is some method to John's buying madness

but, even with time ticking on,

Mark is not resorting to the tactics of his impulsive rival,

as he's waited for the garden urn he marked earlier

to go under the hammer.

The garden urn, lovely piece, this is, please.

I like this.

But, once again, the action isn't just in the room.

An internet bidder is waging war.

140, 150, 160. You're out on the net.

170...

All done? Go on, Mark.

£170, I shan't dwell.

HAMMER DROPS 802.

180 quid, you can't go wrong.

I'll swap you for my footman.

Yes, nice try, John, but you're going to have to keep hold of your footman for now.

However, Mark is a happy chappie,

as he gets his garden urn for £200.60 with fees.

I will sell that at a profit.

So, it's all going to plan for Mark but John is still flying blind

as he's bidding for another unviewed item - a glass vase.

£10, all done? Sold and away at £10.

Hey! I've just bought myself a carboy.

What is it? Well, they would have been used

for planting indoor gardens with cacti and things like that inside

and I remember these from the 1970s and always wanted one.

I know one or two people that may just want this.

Not massive profits but, hey, a profit's a profit.

So, with commission, John gets his carboy for £11.80.

And, as the final few items go under the hammer,

Mark is hoping for a sneaky last-minute steal

as he spots a wooden coffee table.

Sold then at £30. 802.

Bargain!

Sorry? I said bargain, sir, sorry.

Calm down, Mark.

Me and you can have a dance on it later, that's how strong it is.

You still don't want to swap it for my footman?

I wouldn't swap it for any of your lots.

As John once again tries to off-load his footman,

Mark walks away with his wooden coffee table

which, including auction fees, cost him £35.40.

Right, this is beautiful.

It's solid oak, there's lovely peg joints coming out there.

I mean, what a lump of timber.

30 quid plus commission?

It's the steal of the day. Back of the net.

And Mark is riding high as he swings straight in for another lot -

a Shaker-style rocker chair.

When that girl's sitting on that chair, that chair looks a million dollars.

When she gets off it... It looks about eight quid.

THEY LAUGH

The cheeky charmer gets the chair for £64.90 with fees.

I've got to be honest, without that pretty lady sitting in the chair,

it's not quite the same.

But it is a cracking chair.

It's in the Shaker style.

Now, the Shaker movement happened in the late 1700s,

1780, around about there.

This isn't from that period.

I reckon this is probably from the '60s.

I think it's going to be an absolute winner.

So, before our experts power-down,

time for a reminder of what they've spent.

They both started the day with £1,000 of their own money.

John is hoping he has done enough with his seven lots,

at a total cost of £640.74.

While Mark has also bought seven items

but paid more, spending £584.30.

But this game is all about the profit.

Our auction room supermen have had to fight

tooth and nail for everything today

but which of their items do they think deserve a hero's reward?

So, Mark, my old China, how are you feeling at the end of the day?

I feel bashed up by the World Wide Web.

It felt like anything I wanted to bid on,

the auction was bidding against me, bidding against me,

so I paid, really, top money for everything.

But what I have to say is one of your items that

I kind of almost wish I'd gone for was your gentleman's magazines.

170 plus commish.

My favourite knee jerk reaction lot

has to be my four sporting encyclopaedias.

They're a wonderful insight into sports of the Edwardian period.

But very fascinating.

Come on, let's pack up.

Right. Now, why is it you don't like China?

HE LAUGHS: Yeah, good luck.

So, with their bidding paddles safely sheathed,

the battle ground is shifting.

If our two dealers thought the buying was tough,

they're about to enter a whole new world of pain

as they now need to sell the items they fought so hard to acquire.

Back in Portsmouth, John is recovering from the bidding battle

and assessing his spoils of war.

I have to tell you, I much prefer being an auctioneer

than being a buyer at auction.

I marked 30 potential items from which to buy around six

and I came away with only two,

being this wonderful Fairfax Hatton Doulton dinner service

and these wonderful Topical Times football cards.

But, because of the disappointment

of being outbid by the internet bidders, I ended up with,

well, four spontaneous panic buys -

my carboy, my 19th-century cast iron footman,

my spinning chair and my encyclopaedia of sport,

which I've actually fallen in love with.

And that leaves me with something of a rather risky purchase -

my silver salver, which I hadn't even viewed.

But I do have a buyer in mind and if I do manage to get that away,

well, Franksy, it's game, set and match.

Yes, John is serving a warning there

but back at his rival's South London lair,

Mark is eyeing up his armoury and preparing to return fire.

This little lot here is nearly £1,000 worth.

How scary - I'm terrified.

This beautiful urn, which I really love,

the guy I had in mind is not interested,

so that's up in the air.

Coins.

The lovely little Art Deco candlesticks.

The chrome on the side there needs to be re-chromed.

I've got 15 quid, roughly, left in my budget. That should just about do it.

The picture, Stanford. It's a nice little watercolour.

I've never even been there but I'm going to go.

The magazines - they should have cost me 20 quid but I did want them.

The best buy is this coffee table. Solid oak, wasn't a lot of money.

And the rocking chair. Woo hoo!

You've got to love a rocking chair, ain't you?

Wish me luck. I think I'm going to need it.

Mmm, there's no luck in this game, Mark.

As our two bidding barbarians enter the selling arena

their weapons of choice are the trusty phone and contacts book

as they aim to make a killing from their purchases.

But, remember, a deal isn't ideal until it's sealed with a handshake.

John is the first act, as he runs on to the pitch

for a hometown fixture in Portsmouth,

where he's hoping to take an early lead.

I'm here to meet sports memorabilia dealer Steve

with my Topical Times cards.

The big question remaining is,

will this be a home win or an own goal?

John will be looking for a profit on his big money signing,

as the football cards cost him £64.90.

I have bought something that I'm hoping you might be interested in.

These are in immaculate condition, John. They're not bad.

The Topical Times was a magazine by Thompson, they did the Beano

and the Dandy, and it was in its heyday between 1919 and 1940.

Mostly football but it did cover other sports, boxing and so on.

There'd be a lot of people that come into the shop

that would be interested in the Pompey ones.

Yeah, these are really nice. How does a couple of hundred quid sound?

I'd probably be looking to pay, well, 120.

175? How about 150? Make it 160.

160. 160, you've got yourself a deal, yeah? Yeah.

OK, cracking, mate, yeah. 160, OK. OK, mate.

So the celebrations start early for John as he bags a profit of £95.10.

I think you'll find, Mr Franks, I'm the auction champion.

Yes, don't get too cocky, John, as this battle has only just begun.

You join us at Brighton Racecourse for the highest stakes

dealing derby. Over to commentator Mark Franksy-Franks.

Come on, round the bend, come on. Come on, giddy-up, yeah.

Mr Franks wins.

Yeah, not quite yet, Mark. He's here,

hoping to sell his oak table that set him back £35.40.

Welcome to Brighton Racecourse.

My mate Andy runs his auction house from here.

Now, do you remember the coffee table that I bought?

I'm going to show it to Andy and hopefully sell it to him

and I will be the race leader.

Well, Andy, here we are, Brighton, the sun's not really shining

and I thought I'd come and show you this

because I know you like a coffee table and you know a bit of quality,

so you're the man for the job, what do you think?

Yeah, let's have a look at it. Yeah, looks well made.

I'm not going to stand on it but I have stood on it, it's solid.

It's absolutely... Can you sit on it? I'll prove it to you. How about that?

Very nice.

I think I paid a very little price for it, I gave 35 for it.

Give you 45 quid for it. Tell you what, you've got a deal.

That was perfect, lovely.

Coffee table sold, profit made. Number one - Franks, two - Cameron,

second across the post.

And it's Franksy, Franksy in the lead by a nose.

Go on, Franksy, and Franksy takes it.

Yes, that's a respectable £9.60 in profit

but will John fall at the next hurdle?

He heads to a flower shop with the carboy that he bought for £11.80

but, be warned, this smooth operator is armed with his best lines.

Hi, John. How are you? In a shop full of beautiful things,

you're still the most beautiful thing in here. Ah-h! The charm...

I'm trying to work the charm offensive. Lovely.

Oh, John, is that the best you can do?

Oh, this is wonderful.

I've seen one of these before, I know what it is.

They used to be all the rage in the '60s. It's called a carboy.

It is called a carboy.

And people used to use it to grow gardens inside of there.

You know, I always thought that you must have put the soil in

and then had to somehow with some sort of stick...

All you need to do is make a funnel out of newspaper or cardboard,

then you just drop the seeds down and they just kind of work together

and let nature take its course. So, how much do you want for it?

I was thinking about £40. And I was thinking about 20.

I'll tell you what, would you go to £30? £30, thank you, John.

Ah, the sweet smell of success as John makes an £18.20 profit

but, ever nipping at his heels,

Mark is heading to Hampshire on a horticultural trip of his own.

Now, do you remember the urn I bought at auction?

This is just the right place to sell it.

Fingers crossed that Ed will like it.

I'm going to show it to him and, hopefully,

I might even be able to make a profit.

He's brought his urn to an ornamental garden furniture dealer

but he's going to need a generous offer

as it set him back just over £200.

So, here it is, Ed, and I've got to be honest,

on the pedestal it's actually looking quite nice.

What do you think? I think it's very nice.

You mentioned that you'd got a cast-iron urn

and I was a bit worried that it could well be a modern copy

from India or the Far East or China or somewhere like that

but, actually, no, I'm quite happy that this is

a genuine 19th-century tazza-shaped urn. With original rust.

With original rust. Now I'm going to be really straight with you.

I fell in love with it, if I could keep it, I would,

I paid much more than I wanted.

It stands being, with commission, it was pence over £200.

Now, I know it's not cheap,. No, it's not. If it had been a pair...

Yes, I know.

..a pair would have been 500,

I'd be much happier but it being a single... Yeah, I know.

..but I would give you 230. 230, you've got a deal.

If you're happy, Ed, I'm happy. I'm happy.

Well, everyone's happy.

And Mark walks away with a profit of £29.40

but, back in Portsmouth, John's setting out to wipe

the smile off his rival's face as he heads to meet antiquarian

book dealer John Westwood.

Now, these are the books I spoke to you about.

I've looked at them, condition-wise, minor bumps to the corners

but the cloth boards seem to be good, hinges are all OK.

Well, like you say, these are in nice condition for what they are

and the information inside is fantastic. So, are they of interest?

Well, I have to look at it through purely commercial eyes,

if I'm honest. I mean, did you have a figure in mind at all?

I certainly think a good set like this,

it's got to be worth about 150 quid, hasn't it?

The most I'd want to give is about £30 or £40. I couldn't do that, John.

Best I could give you is 60 and, if I'm honest, I'm going

to make minimal profit on it. 70 quid and I'll shake your hand.

I've got to squeeze every last penny. 65 and you've got a deal.

65, you're a mean man.

65, 68. Go on.

Oh, John was made to sweat on that one

but he comes by way with a profit of £38.50, piling more pressure on Mark

who's in Stamford in Lincolnshire looking for artistic inspiration.

He's brought his watercolour and he wants to see if the painting

is up to scratch but can he find the street in the picture?

PINK PANTHER THEME PLAYS

Stamford Broad Street, I've found it.

It's exactly the same as the picture, time's moved on a bit.

All I've got to do now is sell it. Let's see how I get on.

So now he has to find George, the man he outbid

when he bought the picture for £118.

Nice to meet you.

Well, what a lovely room, and Stamford,

what a charming place it is, isn't it? Yes, it's lovely.

We've been here for 25 years now.

Yes, and I feel quite guilty

because I bought this painting at the auction and, unfortunately,

the reason I bought it is because I thought that looks the same...

I've checked the image on the internet.

It looks exactly the same, it hasn't changed an awful lot, has it, George?

No, in fact, it's almost identical.

Virtually every building is still there exactly as it was.

Apart from that's a chip shop now.

Apart from the fact that that's a chip shop, yes.

And what was it you liked about it, then, George?

It's just that it is exactly the same...

almost exactly the same as it was in the mid-late 19th century.

Are you still interested in buying, George?

I think probably a deal could be done.

Would you like to make me an offer, so...

What you paid. You'd like to give me my money back?

Give me a pound profit. Then it's a profit. Deal's done. Deal's done.

George, you're a gentleman.

Well, it may only be a pound profit

but the painting has found an appreciative home

and with that sale,

let's see how our selling superstars are faring.

John has sold three items

for £258, giving him

a profit of £151.80.

Mark has also done three deals

but is trailing

with a profit of just £40.

John may be on top now but the fat lady isn't singing just yet.

However, he goes straight on to cement his lead, hitting the

high notes and selling his Victorian footman for a profit of £28.76

and he's not stopping there,

as he warms up for another sale.

I'm at a tennis club on Hayling Island for a quick match

but, more importantly, I need to sell this silver salver.

Now do you think it's going to serve up a nice profit or will it

be a double fault?

John is meeting with Giles Babb, he is a member of the local tennis club

and is looking for commemorative trophy but will the service salver

John spent £354 on deliver a profit?

Well, some time ago,

you did mention to keep my eye out for some sort of silver

trophy or salver that you could possibly purchase to

donate at a tennis tournament in honour of your mum.

The idea... the thinking behind it is to try

and raise money for the Rowans Hospice.

I guess I ought to show you the salver.

I mean, absolutely pristine condition.

Birmingham hallmarks actually date it to 1931.

It's a form that's been around since the time of George II,

so this particular style of salver

very popular around the time of George II, George III,

and it's remained a classic.

That's exactly what we're looking for, to be honest, John.

I'm looking for around 600 quid for it.

Cor, sounds a bit steep to me, John. Well, what do you reckon?

What's your idea? 350. I paid more than that for it.

I can do better than that. How does 550 sound?

What about a nice round figure of £500?

I'll tell you what, 500, if you give me a whipping at tennis, right?

550 if you don't. Does that sound like a fair deal?

Sounds like a fair deal to me, John. New balls, please, then, Giles.

Yeah, no probs.

And we join them in the final game with Cameron 40/30 up

and serving for the match.

The pressure is on the hammer as the enormity of this one point

starts to dawn on him.

Will he be able to hold his nerve?

Powerful serve from Cameron, forehand return from Babb.

Cameron.

Babb returns. Oh, yes! Oh, it's long.

Oh, it's game, set and match to John and, with it,

a massive profit of £196.

Extra £50 and that's called putting your racket where your mouth is.

Where are the showers?

So while John scrubs up, Mark takes a small defeat in battle

as he makes a £24.90 loss on his Shaker-style rocking chair.

He may be down but he's not defeated

and on the front line in West London,

Mark knows that one failure is not fatal.

It's the courage to continue that counts.

Here I am in Notting Hill and I'm at The Churchill Arms.

Where else would I sell my Churchill medals?

These cost me roughly £320 at auction.

All I've got to do is now sell them for a profit.

And all it's going to take is a V for victory.

Mark is marching gallantly into meet with Jerry, the pub's landlord

and Churchill memorabilia collector.

Nice to meet you. We spoke on the phone. That's right. What a place.

I went to an auction and I bought these Churchill medals

so this is a limited edition, number 283,

and each one is made of solid silver and then gilded with gold.

These were reduced in 1975.

These have sold in top London auction houses in excess of £400.

I know it's a lot of money but they are made of silver.

Yes. Are you interested in them?

I am, I am, I'm definitely interested,

I'm definitely interested.

I'm going to let you make me an offer that you're happy with, yes,

and my hand is ready to shake. 350, how about that? 350?

I'll tell you what, 350, you've got a deal.

With a profit of £31.40, Mark advances but John holds him off

with a counter attack, selling his spinning chair to a contact

who's decorating his holiday home for a profit of £30.50.

And he is now sitting down for tea with newlyweds, Chris and Joanne,

hoping to dish up a tasty return

on the Doulton dinner service he paid £129.80 for.

So Mr and Mrs Fairfax, how does that sound, Joanne?

Absolutely fantastic, couldn't be happier about it.

Second question, did anybody buy you a dinner service for your wedding?

No, they didn't, actually. I'm afraid not, no.

Well, my lucky stars are shining down on me then.

When I saw this at auction, when I saw the word "Fairfax", I thought,

"I know a couple of newlyweds that might, just might, like that".

What are your first impressions?

I think it's really tasteful, actually.

You know, quite basic. I think they are kind of timeless.

Well, we've got a mark on the bottom here. Let's look at that cup.

We see Doulton, it's the famous Royal Doulton mark.

It says TC and then a number.

TC is short for a Translucent China.

That was a mark introduced, or a body, that was changed in 1960.

We know it's after 1960.

Have you any kind of idea in mind what you would want to pay for it?

I think the figure in my head is about £150.

150 is a little bit shy of the mark.

Would you do 250?

Erm...

I'll do 200.

200? Yeah, I'll do 200.

I think at £200 you have a deal and a dinner service.

Fantastic! Wonderful, thank you.

So the newlyweds get themselves a belated wedding present

and John leaves with a profit of £70.20.

With that, he's all sold up.

But his rival is still pounding the streets in search of sales.

Though it's not long before Mark makes a profit of £9.40

on his collection of vintage magazines,

which leaves him with one final item.

Now do you remember these beautiful little, Art Deco lamps?

I have had the bottom resilvered and they look fantastic.

I'm in East Sussex, a place called Forest Road, to see my friend,

who hopefully will give me a profit.

Mark's taking the lamps, that cost him £47.20,

to a contact who's a specialist in Art Deco furniture

and decorative objects. Will he make enough profit to snatch victory?

What do you think?

As you say, you know, there's got to be something for everybody.

They look clean enough to me.

On a dining table, or sideboard, they might look quite pleasing.

Yeah, yeah, I mean... As long as they're not expensive.

They stand me in at roughly £60. That's including resilvering.

So what sort of profit are you looking for?

As much as purely possible!

All right. 70 would be fine for me.

Fine for you, is fine for me. Brilliant!

Mark spent £14.70 resilvering the lamps

and so has made a profit of £8.10.

With that he too is all sold up.

Now our exhausted experts can do no more.

Before we reveal all, let's have one last look at what they both spent.

Our gavel-gazing pair each started with £1,000 of their own money.

John bought seven items and spent a total of £640.74.

Mark also hauled seven items and, with the resilvering costs

for his lamps, he spent his whole budget, £1,000.

But one question still remains, who has made the most profit?

All the money that John and Mark have made will go to the charities of their choice.

Now let's find out who is today's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

Hello, Mr Franks. Hello, John. Fancy seeing you here again.

How did you get on at the auction, then? To be honest, John,

everything I bought I felt like I had paid top money for.

I struggled to make a profit because it's always the commission on top

is the thing that we always forget about. It eats into your profits.

Mark, I've got to be honest with you, as an auctioneer,

I don't do too well at the auction but I did have fun

selling one piece that I paid a lot of money for,

my silver salver, which I hadn't even viewed.

It's funny you should say that because you bought that, I bought the silver medals, Churchill medals,

and I thought you paid top money for the salver and I thought I paid

top money for the medals but I made a profit on those too.

Good, so shall we see how we did? Yeah, fingers crossed, mate.

One, two, three.

Wow! You wiped the floor with me! Mark, I thought that said 640.

I thought you did ME there.

Are you sure you haven't got my case and I've got yours?

Mark, finally, I've won an auction show.

So, you can see what a friend I am to you. You are, mate.

Yes, all's fair in love and war

and John emerges victorious due to some savvy selling.

At the auction, I chose the lots,

I paid top money and I just couldn't get a big profit out of them.

Mr Cameron, you wiped the floor with me, I take my hat off to you.

We both found it very difficult.

Neither of us bought the things that we'd hope to get.

The good thing about that is it pushes you outside of your comfort zone

and makes you search for new buyers.

Tomorrow, Mark has another chance to stage a comeback

as our intrepid heroes square up for a car boot bonanza.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd