Mark Franks v John Cameron - Showdown 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 insiders' view of the trade.

Who's there?

Each week, one pair of duelling dealers will face

a different daily challenge.

The original cheeky chappy.

Putting their reputations on the line...

Full house.

..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.

Buckle up, we're about to witness an antiques extravaganza that

pits two of the biggest names in the business in a fight

for bargaining supremacy.

This is the showdown, the toughest challenge our two purchasing

powerhouses have had to face so far.

They're lean, mean profit-finding machines,

and they're on a mission to scour the country and the continent,

plundering the finest treasures they can find,

that they must then sell on for maximum profit.

Coming up...

It's a bartering battle as John tries some French flattery.

HE SPEAKS FRENCH

He doesn't want to take 30 euros for it.

Mark drops to new levels to get a deal.

Can I offer you a tenner?

I'm on my knees.

And John shows you how to spot

if pottery isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I have checked to see if there's any restoration,

and the places to look, are if anything that

protrudes on pottery is likely to get knocked and damaged.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Today, our two courageous collectors face one last battle for supremacy

as they square up to each other and step into the mighty showdown arena.

Yes, these Spartans of sellables are going to need to

draw their bargaining broadswords

and exchange trading blows to stake claim to the best trinkets in town.

First up is a man who slices through a deal like a knife through butter.

He's the assassin of antiques, it's...

I am still itching to buy something.

Facing him today is the antiques world's wiliest negotiator.

He's like a bloodhound to a bargain.

His bark, though, is definitely worse than his bite.

It's...

We will beat the Cameron.

In today's showdown,

our dealers will need to be on top of their game to claim victory.

They both have £1,000 of their own money to spend

and all the profits go to their chosen charities.

So, John Cameron and Mark Franks,

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

Mr Cameron. Mr Franks. The Hammer!

Got some of this. Come on, then. Sock it to me.

Welcome to the mighty showdown.

The rules are really simple,

we've both got to buy two items at every event we go to,

and we've got £1,000 to spend in total.

OK. You can sell up to four items, the rest will be

sold at an auction in direct competition with your opponent.

The winner is the dealer who makes the most profit.

We're in the last round, Mark,

is it going to be a knockout for one of us or is it going to go to points?

Is that your towel that's just been thrown in?

Let's get on with it.

Our experts are straining at their leashes to get out there buying,

so let's get round one of this mighty fight started.

Both our boxing barterers know that the £1,000 that they have to

spend must cover any restoration, repairs and buying fees.

This is a four-round bout,

with them scrapping in their favourite arenas -

a UK antiques market, an auction,

a car-boot sale and a foreign antiques market.

Round one is at the Bob Evans Antiques Fair in Peterborough.

With over 15,000 visitors,

our dealers will have to box clever to beat the crowds and each other.

And it's the Portsmouth Pummeller who's straight

out of his corner, hoping to land the first blow.

These are interesting. It's a set of Doulton jugs.

They're meant to look like leather, which would have been

used for drinking out of back in, well, medieval times.

These have got silver mounts which make them quite nice, actually.

When looking at something like this you've got to have a close look,

cos some of the restorers today can do a very good job.

Having done exactly that, John decides to buy them and pays £180.

They're made of Silicon Ware which is a patent body that Doulton made.

And they date from 1890.

How do I know they date from that?

Well, each one has a little silver mount, all the hallmarks match.

I have checked to see if there's any restoration.

I can't see anything.

The places to look are the places you'll often see chips,

so round the foot rim, handles.

Anything that protrudes on pottery is likely to get knocked or damaged.

I think there's some profit in that and I'll drink to that.

So that's the first blow to John.

But Mark is ready to retaliate

and he's pulling no punches as he goes for an authentic railway sign.

What's the def on the sign?

We'll do 65.

65. Go on, then, deal.

Isn't that nice?

Cast iron, well over 100 years old.

The reason I can tell you that is because as time went on,

they would use aluminium, plastic, the signs would be cheaper, thinner.

So this is heavier, heavier grade.

65 quid. It's a dawdle, really.

Yes, Mark has steamed through his first buy

and evened up the score sheet.

But John is determined to claw that lead back as he eyes up

a bronze tiger.

Is this going to be falling down money?

Very, very best is 120.

I can't go any less than that.

OK. I'll give you 120.

Bargain. In the latter half of the 19th century, around the 1870s,

there was big demand in Europe for all things Japanese.

And what I've picked up here probably dates to the last

quarter of the 19th century.

It's been cast in bronze and it's really nicely done.

The tiger stripes are raised up and polished,

while the rest has a nice matt finish to it.

Now, I've paid £120 on it.

This piece of game - it might just be my prize of the day.

And with that, the fighter from Portsmouth has done all

he can in this round.

Not one to be left behind, Mark's picked up a piece of jewellery -

a small charm in the shape of a railway signal light - for £60.

I had a look through my eyeglass, it's 375 -

37.5% gold which is very standard.

All I've got to do is sell it and make a profit. Dawdle.

Yeah, well, don't speak too soon,

there are three more buying rounds before you even think about selling.

So at the end of the day,

will it be John's jugs or Mark's warning sign that wins the match?

Before we dive into round two, let's see how much they've spent.

John and Mark's showdown budget is £1,000.

John has spent £300 on his two lots, leaving him with £700 in his kitty.

Mark has spent less than half this amount, parting with £125,

so he is left with £875.

It's time to step up a gear as round two is about to get under way.

Our two antique-spotting supremos are about to take on the room,

the internet and each other as they do battle in the fearsome

arena that is the auction.

Gildings Auctioneers in Leicestershire to be precise.

Our experts will need to be fearless if they want to leave victorious,

but there's one word that strikes fear into any dealer's heart...

Commission.

I'm going to have to buy at auction, pay commission and

sell them at auction and pay commission.

So really, I've got a double-edged sword.

I've really got to work hard to make a profit out of this one.

Watch me!

So it's all eyes on Mark, but he should watch out for his old

China John as he's already in the bidding for a decorative lamp.

Right at the back starting at 45...

GAVEL STRIKES ROSTRUM

Well, it's Chinese porcelain, it's know as "Blanc de Chine",

or White China.

And was probably made in the Fukien region, southeast China.

I think it's actually Guanyin.

She's known as the goddess of mercy to both the Taoist

and Buddhist religions.

Chinese porcelain, very popular at the moment,

so I should be able to get out of that with a profit.

John's little China girl set him back £53.10, with auction fees,

but there's no time to dwell on that as Mark is

back in the fray, as a Victorian oil lamp has taken his fancy.

70. 5. 80.

5. 90.

5. At £95. At £95, then...

Put the hammer down. GAVEL STRIKES ROSTRUM

That was hard work, wasn't it?

Yes, but John thinks Mark may be in the dark about a thing or two.

I don't know if anyone's told Mark,

but electricity was invented some time ago.

Yes, because in the world of antiques you never buy

anything old, do you, John?

I've seen lots of oil lamps, but this one,

I find, particularly elegant.

If you look inside the glass you can see the wick.

The point of this is, round the side there's some beautiful facets,

lovely, lovely facets round the edge.

Really stunning.

I paid a lot of money for it, but, I think, because it's elegant

and it's smart, I think it's going to light the way.

Hopefully, it'll see him into the black,

as Mark gets the Victorian oil lamp for £112.10, with fees.

But, John is far from burnt out as he's back at the post

and bidding again, on a bronze sculpture.

Selling at 50... GAVEL STRIKES ROSTRUM

John has a firm grip on this competition,

picking up his reproduction bronze statue for £59, with fees.

Now, what is this, you may ask.

Catalogued as a reproduction bronze group, mounted on marble

and with three children engaging in a tug of war.

But what I didn't notice was this charming little dog,

who's also lending his strength to their efforts.

There's no age to it, I've no idea who I'm going to sell this to,

but one thing's for sure, I'm probably going to put as much

effort into that, as they're putting into tugging that rope.

So, with that, he's finished for the round

and the pressure is now all on Mark.

He likes the look of a Victorian mould that's up next.

But, will he turn to jelly as he enters the bidding?

At £110... At 110, then. Going at 110...

GAVEL STRIKES ROSTRUM

For a minute there I thought you wobbled. I get it!

John made a joke.

Well, it does happen!

Our collector stayed firm

and got his Victorian jelly mould for £129.80, with fees.

It's a Victorian jelly mould.

All-in-all, considering this is probably 150 years old,

most of the berries are still perfect.

I did some homework, and guess what?

I found another one, available for...

£675.

I know it's not really worth that,

but I still think to the right person,

this is going to be a winner.

And as the hammer goes down, we reach the end of round two.

But will John's tug-of-war figure pull in the money?

Or, will Mark's oil lamp bring in the big profits?

Let's check on the spending so far.

Our boys started out with a budget of £1,000.

John has now spent £412.10, leaving him with £587.90 in his kitty.

Mark has spent £366.90,

giving him £633.10 to spend in the remaining two rounds.

The battle ground for round three is the car boot

sale at Ford Airfield, and both our dealers are as keen as mustard.

This is a very good car-boot sale

and there is quite a lot of antiques here.

I've got about 600 quid to spend.

Keep them peeled, I'm going to try and find some quality.

Let's go!

I've just under £600 left of my showdown money,

so I've got to buy at least two items here today.

It won't be too difficult trying to put a dent in that, but what I do

want to do is make sure I've got some money left for our trip to Paris.

Don't head to the bureau de change as yet,

as you still have some serious spending to do here.

It's not long before John spots something

he rather likes the look of.

It's a reproduction telescope.

You would say it's brand new,

although you can see it's oxidised a bit.

What's the best price you'd do on this? Call it 85 quid.

80... Just so one of us'll be right...

Not everyone's cup of tea, but I live near the sea

and there's one or two properties that I know are just crying

out to have a telescope in their

town house looking out over the Solent.

So, at £85...

I should be able to see a decent profit in that.

Yes, the sky's the limit for John, but did

he spot Mark in the distance, who's back to his bartering best?

£100?

I'll do 120. Best I can do.

Meet in the middle - 110.

OK. Deal. You're a gentleman.

Thank you very much.

So no messing there, but what has that hasty haggle bought him?

The roundedness and the squareness makes me think it's Victorian,

because as you went into the Edwardian period,

it got very square.

The slides inside are made of oak, which is a really good sign.

It's going to cost a few quid to restore, to be honest.

If this could speak, it'd be more interesting than me.

Surely not, Mark?

Whilst he shoots the breeze with his new cupboard,

John has managed to coast his way to another buy.

It's a twin bottle coaster.

You would put your bottle of claret in here,

and you would literally have this on the dining table.

The original models of these,

they go back to the middle of the 18th century

when every self-respecting gentleman would have an

array of items for the dining table.

They're a reproduction, not a super amount of age,

but they're silver-plated.

I've paid £100 for them, hopefully I'll be drinking to my success.

So, John is busy toasting to his own triumphs having picked up

the bottle coasters for £100.

Mark has returned to his favourite stall

and he's keen not to let on how desperate he is.

Can it be really, really cheap, pretty please?

50's the best I'll do on it.

Can I offer you a tenner?

I'm on my knees. I'm on my knees.

Yes, go on then.

Now, it's got a polished pontil.

That means this was made on a big pole

and then they snapped it off and that would be polished off.

I think it's 1960s.

For a tenner, I'm not going to make a fortune -

I might get the 15 you asked for initially.

I might get 20.

Which would make a 100% profit, Mark.

But it's not time for the selling just yet as there's still one

more buying round to go.

So, as the car boot draws to a close,

let's check on the spending so far.

Both our boys started the showdown with £1,000 of their own money.

John has spent £597.10, leaving £402.90 in his kitty.

Mark has parted with slightly less - £486.90,

meaning he has £513.10 going into the final round.

So, time to raise the curtain on the final round of this

spending spectacular.

And what better place than Paris, at the Porte de Vanves flea market?

Jonathon. Mr Franks, how are we doing?

Here we are, at Porte de Vanves

and we've still got items to buy and money to spend.

THEY SPEAK IN PIDGIN FRENCH

As the boys from Blighty get going,

hoping to discover foreign gems, John is the first to act.

I'm having a look at this glass inkwell here.

The lady's telling me it's by Baccarat.

It isn't a signed piece but she has a patent book here,

with designs from Baccarat.

And what is a special price?

30. 130.

Oh... THEY BARTER IN FRENCH

Yes, John manages to charm his way

into getting the glass inkwell for £90.91.

Is the writing on the wall for Franksy?

Well, maybe, cos John is powering on and he's seen some more

glassware that could have his name all over it.

This is a novelty bottle. I quite like that, actually.

At first I thought it might be Admiral Lord Nelson

and Trafalgar Square, but this is actually Napoleon, and this is, I

guess, would probably have been given away either with a sauce or a brandy.

THEY SPEAK FRENCH

THEY BARTER IN FRENCH

He doesn't want to take 30 euros for it.

I'm going to bite the bullet, I'm going to pay 40 euros for it.

Although the stall holder appeared to see through John's

attempts at flattery, he secures his glass column for £36.36

and is all bought up.

Mark, however, is still to part with any euros at all.

But that may well change as he takes a trip down memory lane.

What year's it from?

Come on, think about it.

You've got your flared trousers on,

you're watching Starsky and Hutch. What year's it from? Bang - 1970s.

In Paris, it's going to be double-bubble.

Ie - a bit too expensive.

Monsieur...

HE SPEAKS FRENCH

Come on.

HE SPEAKS FRENCH

40.

HE SPEAKS FRENCH

How easy was that? Good man.

Yes, that's how you do it.

Mark gives us a lesson in cross-Channel charming,

as he gets his lamp for £36.36.

But he still needs one more purchase,

and after looking high and low,

eventually picks up an ornate mirror that sets him back £45.45.

As the last boxes get shoved into the back of the vans,

and most of the stalls are clear, I buy this beautiful mirror.

Let's really look at what I've bought.

It's probably about 1910/1920.

It's a pine frame.

It's smothered in gesso, which is a fine plaster.

If you look up there you can actually see the plaster where it's been damaged.

It's got a bit of foxing.

This is where the mercury mirror has come off.

If this was in the centre, where you look at your pretty face,

I would be out, but cos it's at the side, that's fine,

we can live with that.

50 euros is what I gave the lady.

It's a deal, it's a steal, it's the buy of the century.

Bold words there from south London's finest.

And with that final Parisian purchase, both our dealers

can do no more than hope that their trip to France proves profitable.

The showdown buying is all now done and dusted, but before our two

eager beavers head home, time for a quick check on the spending totals.

Our haggling hotshots each started the day

with £1,000 of their own money.

John's selection has cost him £724.37.

Mark has spent quite a bit less in his bid for victory -

a total of £568.71.

But, what do our two purveyors of profit

think of their chances of victory?

Mark, the last of the showdown items have been bought, how you feeling?

Relieved is the word that springs to mind.

Absolute relief.

Your favourite item?

I would say the oak cupboard.

I've got somebody in mind that's going to possibly help me

restore it, hopefully.

My favourite item is probably my silver-plated wine trolley

with the little cherubs on.

Really like that. But, we've got

to pick four items from the eight to put into auction - without reserve.

That's not a nice thing to say, John, is it? "Without reserve."

What do you reckon, a points decision?

Eh, yeah. I feel totally KO'd.

May the lord be with you, John.

I'll probably see you next at the auction house. Yes.

Yes, bagging their booty was just the start of today's ultimate

challenge for glory.

Mark and John must now transform into selling superstars,

to market their merchandise for maximum profit.

But the showdown has a twist - the auction.

Mark and John must each put four of their eight items under

the hammer, where they'll have no haggling power over what

buyers will be willing to pay.

They might see their profits soar, or they could lose it all.

Over in Portsmouth, John's holed up at home

and he's sorting through his stock.

Here are my eight showdown items.

Eight, you're saying, I can only see seven.

Well, one of them, my glass Napoleon column that I picked up in

France, well, as you can see, I had a bit of an accident coming back.

The stopper is still in one piece,

and I may manage to sell that yet, even as damage limitation.

But, reflecting on the other pieces, well,

I'm fairly pleased with what I've got.

The telescope, whilst reproduction, is not extortionate.

I think there's a profit there.

My porcelain figure of Guanyin, I think I'm going

to take that off of the base and just sell it as a porcelain figure.

Then, my favourite item from the car boot was my silver-plated

wine-coaster trolley.

Another classy item - my Baccarat inkwell -

that needs to go on a very smart lady's desk.

Love my Doulton jugs.

£180, pretty sure I'll get a profit.

My little bronze Japanese tiger,

I've taken a piece of wood from my log pile,

stripped back the bark, I think that's really brought him to life.

Hopefully, I've added a bit of value to it.

I see good profits with this lot.

John's decided to sell the broken glass bottle at auction,

along with the bronze tiger, the porcelain figure

and the wine holder.

Now it's over to Mark, who's in his South London stronghold,

going over his goods.

The train sign - this is my showdown favourite.

It cost me quite a lot of money,

but I think there could be a big profit in that.

The cupboard, I love it, but I'm not sure that the restoration

it's going to cost to get it right will give me that much of a profit.

The glass - that was cheap.

This could really do well.

I need to find out the maker, do some more homework on that.

The lamp, unfortunately, the funnel got broken,

that needs to be replaced.

The little signal, that should wipe its mouth

and get my money back, minimum.

The jelly mould.

I paid on for that, but if I get the right person to buy it,

this could actually do very well.

And the lamp. You love it or you hate it.

To the right person, I could double or triple my money.

But we'll have to wait and see.

The mirror - could look good with a bit of work,

and this could bring me a big, big profit.

He's decided to put the train sign, the signal charm

and the cupboard into auction.

Just one more question - who is the fairest of them all?

Yes, it's me! Woo-hoo! Looking good, Franksy!

But now it's time for deeds, not words.

Our experts need to back up their plans with actions,

as they hit the selling trail.

But remember, no deal is truly sealed

until they've shaken hands on it.

And it's John who gets proceedings off to a flying start.

He's done his homework and found Andrew,

a Portsmouth antiques dealer with a special interest in Doulton pottery.

He's hoping he'll buy the jugs that set him back £180.

I love these because they're modelled as the old leather...

Yeah, I haven't seen these before in my life and I've probably

had about 1,000 or so Doulton pieces go through my hands.

And we can date these fairly accurately

because we've got the silicon mark on the base, which comes in in 1881.

1891, it has "England" underneath, as you know.

All three of them, wonderfully, have their silver mounts.

All hallmarked for 1890.

And all have the makers' mark of Cornelius Saunders and Frank Shepherd.

Yeah. I would be reluctant to let them go for under £300.

I think they're worth that. Yeah, I'll do 300. You would? Do you know what?

You're a gentleman. I'm glad you're having them, Andrew.

That deal nets John a profit of £120.

Franksy, you could be staring down the barrel of a very heavy defeat.

Tough talk from The Hammer, but Mark's away like a shot as well.

Never one to wobble on a deal,

Franksy's in London to sell his Victorian kitchenalia.

I'm here to see one of the most extraordinary

jelly makers in the world.

Mark is here to meet Sam, one half of jelly makers Bompas and Parr

at their latest exhibition.

But will he set Franksy up for a profit?

I bought this jelly mould at an auction. Nice.

It is gorgeous. I've seen them online, very similar.

It's Victorian, and I think it's quite stunning.

Are you interested in buying it? Take a look at it, Sam.

Wow. I love all the quilting round the side, it's beautiful.

Looking at it now, I'm a little bit apprehensive for the reason

that it's actually got some holes in it.

Make me an offer I can't refuse. OK.

My hand's ready.

At most 150, really. There's my hand.

You're a gentleman, it's been a pleasure to meet you.

So, that sale cooks up a healthy profit of £20.20.

Mark then heads to Winchester with his oil lamp.

The Put Your Money games masters have paid for a replacement glass

funnel, but will potential buyer Rex like what he sees?

I would say that it would benefit from something like this.

OK. Let's give it a go. Come on, then.

Because that is a reproduction one. This is?

That is a reproduction. Oh, OK.

Whereas this is how it would have been, you see.

I could do with something like that.

It stands me in around about £115.

You paid top money for that, Mark.

I would pay £105 for that.

Ahh! I hate taking a loss, but I think I have to.

Well done, Mark. Because if you won't pay top money for it, then no-one else will.

Mark gambled on Rex giving him a profit,

but with time moving on, was forced to accept a small loss of £7.10.

You win some, you lose some. I'm going to fight another day.

And as Mark slopes off to raise his game,

John's got his next sale in his sights.

The word telescope is the amalgamation of two Latin words -

"tele", meaning far and "scope", to see.

Well, I'm here in the Isle of Wight to see how far I can

push my friend Colin to buy this telescope and give me a nice profit.

I paid £85 at the car boot, I'm hoping to double it up.

Well, I brought the sunshine with me, Colin.

I ordered that for you, mate. You are really spoilt with these views here.

Have a look through there, mate, see how it looks.

What do you think?

Yeah, very interested.

It's a reproduction. Yeah.

But the nice thing about it is, you won't be too worried about it.

It's nice condition. How do you value this bit of brass, then, Colin?

200. 200 whack.

£200? Yeah. Top.

£200. You've got yourself a deal.

Lovely. I'll keep the view.

That sale nets John a profit of £115.

He then goes on to sell his glass inkwell to Rachael,

a dealer and collector,

who has always wanted her own piece of Baccarat glass.

Very, very pretty.

He sells it for £190, giving him a profit of £99.09.

Well, I sold my inkwell.

Rachael was lovely, and guess what?

I got even more kisses when I sold the item.

Franksy......

# Save all your kisses for me

# Bye-bye, baby, bye-bye. #

Taxi! Yes.

And as the karaoke king of Portsmouth heads off for some singing lessons,

Franksy's got his nose to the grindstone.

He's visiting a contact who's looking for some stylish

pieces for his flat, and Mark thinks his vase,

that cost him £10, will be right up his street.

I'm here in Kingston to see Kieron.

I've brought this piece of glass because he...

MUSIC PLAYS ..is at work.

Kieron is a musician, and today he's busking on the streets of Kingston.

How you doing? How's it going?

What's going on?

Yeah, it's sounding good to me.

I like this.

Yeah? What do you think? I like it.

It's nice, isn't it? Take a look at it. Do you know what?

This has got plenty of age.

I think this is 1960s. What do you reckon?

I think it's lovely, but I've said so many nice things about it...

It's music to my ears.

It's all right, you know. Come on!

Why don't you make me an offer I can't refuse?

I'm thinking £25, £30, something like that.

I tell you what... Yeah?

If you can learn a song on this thing here...

I am rubbish. This is the worst deal in the world for me.

Well, good. That works for me.

I was the one that said all the nice stuff, so now we're even.

All right then. Try and teach me. But you've got your work cut out.

HE PLAYS A SIMPLE TUNE

HE PLAYS TUNE INCORRECTLY

Oh, nearly!

HE PLAYS TUNE CORRECTLY

Yes! Come on, Kingston.

Deal. Deal. You're done.

What we up to?

We're up to...

20 quid. 20 quid.

And that sale nets Mark a £10 profit,

so good job busker Kieron has plenty of cash on hand.

I hope you like coins. What?

Change is going to come.

Change is going to come!

That's was a really good deal and a profit, but take a look at this.

Money's money, Mark. And in this game, every penny counts.

He then goes on to sell the lamp he bought in Paris to a contact

who was looking for a present for a friend.

And that sale nets him a small profit of £3.64.

But Mark versus John might not be the only fight fought today.

On the south coast, a battle is brewing

as Gosport and Portsmouth Scooter Clubs line up against each other

to settle old scores.

John's arranged for these two groups to square up,

with his tug of war statue as the prize.

I'm here on South Sea Common to meet the Gosport Scooterists

and the Portsmouth Scooterists.

There's fierce rivals between these two clubs

and we're here to sort it out today, with a tug-of-war match.

I'm about to meet the two captains to see the rules of the game

and see how much they're going to pay.

Bragging rights to the winners, the losers have to pay for the trophy.

John's trophy set him back £59,

but will he be able to pull off a profit today?

The idea I've got today is that both teams have got to pledge £10, OK?

Now, we have our tug-of-war,

the winning side get to keep the trophy, the losing side have to pay.

£10 each. Are you OK with that?

I'm OK with that. Kevin, your team OK?

Yep. So, £10 the losers have to pay.

The winners get the bragging rights and the trophy.

OK? Take me to your teams.

With ten men per team, John will get £100 for his statue.

But, who's going to win?

Gosport, ready? ALL: Yeah!

Portsmouth, ready? ALL: Yeah!

On my marks, get set...pull!

MEN SHOUT

CROWD CHEERS

£100 for the trophy, Portsmouth are off, celebrating their victory.

The Gosport boys have paid for the trophy.

Everyone's a winner.

Including you, John, as that sale nets you a profit of £41.

And with that, all the private sales are done

and the showdown auction is looming ever nearer.

So, who's currently the leader of the pack

and who's letting the side down?

John has, so far, sold four of his buys

and turned an impressive profit of £375.09.

While Mark has also sold four items,

but is significantly behind with a profit of just £26.74.

Our experts used all their knowledge

and skill to find the best buyers for the items they had to sell,

but now the remainder of this clash is out of their hand, because

all their remaining items must now be sold in the showdown auction.

Their bartering brilliance can't help them here

as they will have no influence over what happens next.

They must trust in their buying choices and hope that the

bidders in Northwich are looking to splash the cash.

As the final countdown begins,

are our experts ready for this challenge?

Mark, we're at the auction, how are you feeling?

Quietly confident, but very nervous. How about you?

The same, because always the things you think are going to do well

don't and the things you don't, sometimes surprise you.

Anyway, John, all we can do is cross our fingers.

Before the auction begins,

our anxious dealers check out each other's lots

and Mark is the first to sink his teeth into one of John's.

John has bought this lovely, lovely tiger, and he's added a bit of wood.

It doesn't do it any favours, for me.

This is a nice thing, it's got lovely stripes down it

and I think it's very saleable.

The bit of timber...don't know what you're thinking, John.

Well, it's all about the presentation, Mark.

Take a look at John's blazer.

And it seems The Hammer has taken a shine to one of Mark's lots.

If I'm honest, I actually like this item.

It's very novel and, unusually for Mark, it's very good.

He's usually buying rubbish!

Will his profits be go, go, go?

Or will they be held up at the station?

Well, like a runaway train, the action is gearing up.

Proceedings are under way for this final face-off.

It all comes down to this.

The fate of our experts lies in the hands of our bidders.

Our duelling dealers take their place on the trading floor.

And first up, it's Mark's mirror.

In a bid to make more profit, he's used leftover paint to spruce it up.

But John's got a few questions about Mark's DIY skills.

What happened with the paintbrush? There's more paint on the glass.

Didn't have my Morecambe and Wise glasses on.

It's like you used chewing gum for the filler.

Nice lot, this one. Victorian, painted bevel-edged mirror.

Carved surround.

Good condition.

Mark paid £45.45 for the mirror,

and the auctioneer thinks it's a good piece, but will the room agree?

Start me off at £30.

Have they fallen asleep?

32...32 in the room.

32, looking for 35. 35...

35...35...

For nothing. For nothing.

42? 42. 45?

There's some interest but will it be enough?

Slowly, slowly catchy monkey.

48, in the room and selling...

After commission I've lost a bit of money there.

Yes, a disastrous start for Mark.

After fees, he's made a loss of £4.65.

The showdown auction is never easy

and it's already testing the toughest of our experts.

So will John fare any better with his first lot?

His bronze tiger that cost him £120 is up next.

He thinks his handiwork has added extra appeal.

What did you think of the stand?

Dreadful!

What, like, firewood-dreadful?

Embarrassing dreadful. Here we go.

40/60. I'm 40/60. That's where I'm at.

That's less than half of what John paid for it.

But who knows? Perhaps, the bidders will spend big today.

..To the belly.

With me at £120... Yes!

130 on the net, 140 with me.

150 on the net, 160 in the room.

Yes!

It's the stand, Mark, it's the stand!

The crowd are going wild for John's tiger!

In the room and I sell at 180.

That sale gets The Hammer off to a roaring start with a profit of £33,

proving Mark all wrong when it comes to John's carpentry skills.

Do you know what? I think that wood gave it the eye of the tiger.

And with that, John delivers a knockout blow to Franksy,

who's already had a rocky start.

And it's not getting any better as his next lot runs out of steam

just shy of a profit.

His train sign brings in a small loss of £5.50.

This crowd is giving Mark a rough ride.

The showdown auction is, once again,

taking its toll on even our most experienced of experts.

Do you know what?

Slightly flat, I thought I'd do better than that.

That's nice.

Our dealers are putting aside their rivalry and banding together

to cope with this roller coaster ride of an auction.

Up next is John's porcelain figure of the Chinese goddess of mercy,

but is The Hammer having a case of renovator's regret?

Do you think she'd have been better kept on the lamp?

I think you've added value by taking that lamp off.

Yeah, I think it's got a chance.

£50. Do we have £50?

50 I have.

Looking for 55 now.

£50 is the bid and I sell for 50...

The bidders don't agree with Mark and the statue only gets one

bid, notching up a loss of £10.60 for John.

The buyers aren't showing any mercy to our auction room heroes,

but will this next sale signal a change in fortunes?

Mark's small gold charm is about to go under the hammer.

It cost him £60 and it's got at least one fan in the room.

I actually really like this. I think this should do well.

From your mouth...

37 grams. It's a lovely thing.

And the auctioneer makes two.

But is there anyone with cash to spend?

65 in the room.

70 on the net. 75?

75 in the room.

80 on the net. Go on!

And I sell at 80. Sold.

A small profit. Nearly enough to buy a cup of tea.

You've done better than a cup of tea, Mark,

you are in the black with a profit of £8.

Is it a sign at the tide is turning?

John will have his work cut out making a profit on his next lot,

as the broken glass bottle comes under the hammer.

I've put it in, see how it goes. The stopper is still in good nick.

Surely John's hopes of making anything on the £36.36

he paid are shattered.

No wonder he looks nervous.

450A is not quite what it's cracked up to be.

Oh, so the auctioneer does jokes.

But this room has been hard to please.

Will they bid on a broken lot?

A bottle top and a small plastic bucket full of broken glass.

The stopper's good though, Peter. The stopper is good.

£1.

We bid two, three, four, five...

Smashing all expectations, a bidding war has exploded.

Seven for the stopper now.

£8. £8.

Round it off.

£10? They all want it.

£12. The stopper's into double figures...

£12! For £12, astonishingly.

To B25A.

Snow and Eskimos, I think.

Yes, you've got some bottle!

Impressive work selling a broken item, but he didn't quite

crack making a profit, and that sale leaves him with a loss of £30.36.

Next up is Mark's most expensive auction item,

his Gothic oak cabinet.

He's had it polished and the sides re-glued,

so after renovation costs, it's set him back £160.

To make a profit, this will need to sell for nearly £200.

It's got a real good chance but it's not down to us, it's down to them.

Start me off at £40, please.

Start me at £40 only.

40 bid at the back, there.

42, 45, 48...50.

55. 60. 65. 70.

75. 80. 85.

That's nowhere near what it needs to make!

£100 the bid then. Any further interest?

Bargain. Ouch!

Mark puts on a brave face as he knows it's made a loss.

In total, he's down £75.

It just goes to show that the auction room test

the mettle of even the most hardened dealer.

The crowd have not been kind to Franksy today and now,

it's the very last lot - John's wine bottle holders.

John's already had one big win at this auction,

will he be able to land another?

This is my favourite lot.

I really will be disappointed if I hit a loss on this.

It's a nice decorative item.

Silver-plated, double wine coaster table cart.

And I'm going to start the bidding at £200.

I'm in profit there.

220 now. £200 the bid and I'll sell...200 it is.

I'm in profit, I'm happy with that.

And so you should be, as that sale nets you an impressive £70 profit.

You've done well. Put it there, John, it's been a pleasure.

Let's have a cuppa.

Yes, Franksy, you're a good sport because you've had a tough ride.

And with that, this mighty contest is game over.

But there can only be one winner,

so who will emerge the champion of champions today?

Our battling bargainers each started out with £1,000 of their own money.

John's showdown buys cost him a total of £724.37.

Mark's purchases, including restoration costs,

set him back £618.71,

but the only thing that matters now is who's made the most profit.

All the money that John and Mark have made will be going to a charity of their choice,

so let's find out who's today's

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is champion.

Hello, John. Mr Franks.

So what's the low-down on the showdown, Mark?

How'd you get on? The jelly mould, that put a bit of a wobble into my step.

I had great fun selling that.

I have to say, my telescope bought at the car boot polished up nicely.

Reproduction, made a respectable profit on that.

Come on, then, let's see how we did.

One, two, three...

Wow! John, look at that!

Mark, that's not a minus there? It's not, it's gone.

So it's showdown victory for John, but our two experts have been

building up their profit stash over a week of challenges.

So let's find out how much they've made in total.

See how we did over the week.

Over the week, Mr Cameron, you have...

Yes, you've beaten me fair and square.

Mark, I have to say, I've had immense fun with you, I'd do it all again.

If only for the laughs. Yes. Exactly.

Put it there, it's been a pleasure. Come on, let's go.

It's an overall win for John as he's been crowned showdown champion

and the winner of the week.

John was extremely lucky with his bit of broken glass.

But he's a lucky bloke, fair play to him, he did beat me.

Luck was definitely on my side on this occasion.

Who'd have thought I would beat Mark by selling broken glass?

Both Mark and John have made fantastic profits,

and all that money will be going to their chosen charities.

My chosen charity is Different Strokes,

which is a unique charity helping younger stroke survivors.

My chosen charity is Chestnut Tree House in Sussex,

part of the St Barnabas group.

It's a hospice that provides 24-hour respite and care.

It's been a week of all-out action and hard-fought close combat.

Mark and John have both proved that they can put their money

where their mouths are and make big profits from antiques

when their own money is on the line.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd