Mark Franks v Philip Serrell - 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...

Let's make hay while that sun shines.

..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. Lahvly!

Putting their reputations on the line...

And I'm truly rocking!

WOLF WHISTLE

..and giving you their top tips

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

Get in there!

Today, one of the most formidable antiques challenges ever -

daring dealer Mark Franks floats like a butterfly

as he goes toe-to-toe

with heavyweight auctioneer extraordinaire Philip Serrell.

They're two of the biggest names in the business,

but even THEY will struggle when faced with the showdown.

Coming up... Light-footed Mark is feeling super confident.

It's a winner, it's a sinner, it's going to buy me dinner.

Phil gets a tip of his own.

I will try and age them a bit, because the leather's a bit stiff.

-How?

-If it weren't for the wool lining,

you can stick them in the washing machine.

And our prize-fighters get a little too close for comfort.

Take your arm off. You've got your arm around me.

This is Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Brace yourselves, people.

The titanic trade-off is about to begin.

Our bargaining battle stars have one last chance to prove

themselves the ultimate antiques expert.

And there can only be one winner.

Knockout knowledge, rapid reflexes and bargaining bravado will

come to the fore as our purchasing powerhouses seek supremacy.

First up, a master deal-maker with unrivalled observation.

He ducks, he dives and his lateral thinking and winning smile

mean endless profit potential. All the way from south London,

it's Mark "Franksy" Franks.

This is fantastic. This is the place to be.

He has an imposing opponent - a tiptop tactician

with tons of experience - over 35 years in the business.

A stealthy approach and sharp senses,

he sniffs out a deal at 100 paces.

Weighing in, from Worcestershire,

it's...

Now is the time to get out there.

Our experts have £1,000 of their own money to spend

across four different locations -

an auction,

an antiques fair,

a car-boot sale

and a foreign market.

Once they've amassed their antiques arsenal,

they must use their wit and their wisdom to sell it all

and any profit they make will go

straight to a charity of their choice.

But the showdown has a twist -

at least half their items must be sold at the special showdown auction

where our dealers lose all control over the buying public.

Anything can happen,

but one thing is for sure - only one man will win,

worshipped for ever-more.

The loser will slope off forlornly with his tail between his legs.

So, Mark Franks and Philip Serrell, this is it -

it's time for the Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is showdown!

Here we are!

-How are you?

-Mr Serrell.

-Are you well?

-Yeah, not bad.

I'm excited by the mighty, mighty showdown.

I'm having a job to hold myself in at the moment, I must admit.

Calm it all down, blood pressure.

Now, the rules are really simple.

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

-and the challenge is to spend... £1,000...

-£1,000?

-Yeah, yeah.

You can sell it wherever you want,

four of the items have to go into auction, though.

The winner is, guess what?

The one who makes most profit! If only, it would be nice!

Franksy seems a little nervous.

Our bouncing bounty hunters start their monumental challenge

with round one - the auction.

They're at the Stacey's saleroom in Rayleigh in Essex.

Franksy is on the back foot here -

the auction house is Phil's home turf.

My first boss always said to me,

if the only thing you've got to apologise for is the price

when you're looking at antique things, then you're on a winner.

So my plan for the showdown is to buy things that I think

are good quality and I think there's going to be a market for.

Watch this go wrong!

Yes, don't be fooled by the self-deprecating humour.

As the bidding gets under way,

Mark can only watch on as Foxy jumps in for a carved bear...

At 45, any advances at £45 now?

-Sir.

-48 is bid.

At 48 now on my left, at 48 I shall sell, then - are we all done?

And Phil gets it. Adding the auction house fees, Mr Serrell pays £57.60.

These bears were produced from the Black Forest region,

and are known as Black Forest bears,

back in the 19th century, always of carved wood.

But I've never seen one with this skin on it before, or this hide.

But he's a fun thing, isn't he? I really like him.

So, Phil's jumped in early.

But Franksy is not in the least bit unsettled -

his sellable sonar is beeping.

OK, the next lot is an Art Deco tea set

with French marks.

I THINK it might be silver...

I'm really hoping it doesn't make too much money

and I'm going to have a go.

The tea set is not listed as silver, so Franksy is working on a hunch.

At 400 with me, any advances at 400?

At £400 against you now...

400, 420, 450.

480, 500. Still a commission bid, sir.

Keeping his arm well in the air is Franksy's firm statement

-to the room that he wants the tea set.

-680, I'm out.

Are we all done and selling at 680?

7380.

Well, that is one of the boldest first bids

in Put Your Money history.

Including the commission, Franksy

pays out £816 from his total budget

of £1,000 on his very first purchase.

Mark, my dear and new close friend Mr Franks,

has just bought a tea set, an Art Deco tea set,

which I think might be a world record price for a tea set.

If I've got this right, the showdown is over.

I have won.

If I've got it wrong, I'm in big trouble.

I've spent most of my showdown money on one item.

(Aaaaahhh!)

Well, to win the showdown, you've got to take chances,

but this is taking risk to a whole new level.

Does Franksy really know what he's doing?

If it's not silver, I have bought one of the nicest,

most expensive silver-plated tea sets in the world.

Now, it's French and it's Art Deco -

there's all these geometric sides - lovely strong, straight lines.

Look at the way these run together, strong, strong lines down there.

Mark LOVES his purchase, but he won't know for certain

whether it's real silver and worth the money he paid for it

until he can get a second opinion.

Phil still has plenty of money to spend

and he's spotted something on the other side of the room.

It's a desk stand, Regency period.

About 1810, 1815.

A really lovely thing.

Ten years ago, that's worth probably £300-£500. Now?

Probably between 200-300.

It's one of the lots I'd like to take home with me.

While Phil waits for the desk stand to come up, Mark pushes on.

Having spent so much on the tea set,

he's taken a different route to secure his second purchase.

I've gone into the office, I've spoken to the staff

and said, "have you got any unsolds with no reserve?"

The minimum bid here is £5.

The first lot that's unsold is this lot here. So I've bought it.

It's a load of empty jewellery boxes,

but, luckily enough,

these all will sell.

A couple of quid here, a couple of quid there,

I've got my two lots for showdown and I've spent as little as possible

on this next lot, allowing me to spend the money at other fairs.

Hopefully I've got the showdown sussed.

Despite not bidding in the room,

there's still auction commission to pay.

All up, the jewellery boxes cost Mark six pounds.

Phil is still waiting

for the Regency rosewood desk stand to come up.

But as much as he wants it, he knows it's a big gamble.

What I'm about to bid on is the antique equivalent

of a Black Forest gateau and a rum baba -

they went out of fashion 30 years ago.

£100 now, 110. 120.

130. 140. 150.

160. 170.

180. 190. 200.

210. 220.

230. 240.

250.

At £250 on my left, at 250 now, are we all done?

I shall sell at 250.

Oh, another big spend.

Including all the fees, Phil lays out £300 for the desk stand.

What an exciting start to our showdown! Let's look at the figures.

Both our experts started out

with £1,000 of their own money.

Mark struck out early on.

He spent an enormous £822,

leaving just £178

for the remaining three rounds.

Phil has been a little more restrained.

A total spend of just under £358.

So, lots more still to play with -

over £642.

And there's no time to waste -

it's straight into round two,

the antiques fair.

Our collectable connoisseurs are at a market in West Sussex,

but they need their wits about them because this place is enormous -

1,700 stalls!

So how will Mark cope with such a limited budget?

Will it leave him severely disadvantaged?

What I want to do here, I'll buy a couple of cheapie items.

Look at this sign. This is what I'm looking for. £5 an item.

So what am I going to buy? This is a block and tackle.

I'm not sure if it's the block or the tackle,

but you hang it up, a rope goes round it, and it's a pulley.

So I'm going to go and spend my £5 wisely.

I wonder what he's going to do with THAT.

So our cheeky chappie strikes first once again

and before Phil even gets a look-in,

Mark's eye lands on another potential purchase.

I don't know why I like these sacks.

Can I buy one for three quid rather than two for a fiver?

-I like this one, don't like that one.

-No.

-Pretty please.

-Come on, I'm asking you nicely.

-It's a bit boring though, isn't it?

-You've lost weight, you're looking really well.

-Thanks, mate!

-Three quid?

-Oh, go on, then.

You've got a deal. Gentleman.

-Thank you very much.

-Franksy's gift of the gab wins through.

The hessian sack puts him firmly on track.

Phil, though, still needs to get his wallet out.

I know I keep saying this business is all about a look,

but there's a ladder just over my shoulder.

You've got to see beyond what it is.

Shabby-chic the paint, and then you've got a great towel rail

in a big farmhouse kitchen.

I know the dealer was asking £20 for this one,

so I think that's got to be cheap.

Particularly if it comes for a bit less.

-15?

-If you like it a lot...

Well, I like it at 15, I don't like it any more than that at all!

-Thank you very much.

-So, that's one down. One to go.

Foxy sneaks over to the indoor stalls

and quickly sniffs out a tot glass.

-That's nice, isn't it?

-Nice size.

-Little horn tot, isn't it?

-Yes.

This is made out of cow's horn, isn't it?

-Yes, because it was mass available at the time.

-These date from when?

-About anywhere from 1760 through to about 1860, aren't they?

-Yeah.

It's a nice little tot, isn't it?

-Be ideal for your whisky or sloe gin.

-Are you offering?

-Later!

-How much is that?

-You can have that, and it IS silver, 25 quid.

-Did you say 20 quid?

-I said 25, Philip.

There's an echo in here, it was 20?

I'm sure it was 30, actually, but I'll deal on 25!

-But I've only got... Oh!

-Oh, don't do that to me!

Now, I've seen people put these on the table.

I've seen them do that.

-That is surely a tempter, isn't it?

-It's nearly a tempter.

-It wants fattening up with a fiver, I'm afraid!

-There you are.

Yes, the lady doesn't budge.

Phil gains no ground and pays £25 and that brings us to the

halfway point in our bargain battle.

Let's tot up the numbers.

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

Mark spent very little at the fair.

He's now paid out £830,

so has £170 left in his kitty.

Phil has now parted with almost £398.

That means he now has more than

three times as much as Franksy in his coffers -

over £602.

Next up, round three,

the car-boot sale.

Our boys are back in Essex

at the Bonzer sale in Romford.

The car boot requires the eyes of a hawk to swiftly sort

the wheat from the chaff and dig out the very best bargains.

Franksy is right at home at the car boot,

but while he goes in search of some rock-bottom prices,

the Fox pounces straightaway.

He pays £2 for a set of first-day covers.

The Post Office produced first-day covers

to commemorate various events -

in this particular instance, the centenary of English county cricket,

16th of May, 1973.

My plan, I've got lots of mates who are cricketers,

I'm hoping I can sell it to someone who's really into his cricket

and there should be a profit in them.

Our keen cricketer couldn't resist the covers and at £2,

it will be hard not to make a profit.

Across the field, Franksy has found his own sport-related item

and it's also priced up at £2.

What I know about football or sport in general,

you could write on the back of a very, very small stamp.

But I know Chelsea is quite a well-known club

and for my showdown, I'm going to buy this.

Two quid, I'll have a go.

I haven't got a clue who any of these people are.

All I know is two quid, it's going to show me a profit.

# Blue is the colour, football is the game... #

Mark shoots and scores, so both our dealing dynamos

are bang-on target, but they each have one more item to find.

They root around the car boots,

but it's Mark who finds something first - some ordnance survey maps.

-How much is it?

-A pound a map.

-How many is there?

-Four.

That's three quid, that sounds all right, reasonable!

-OK, you've got a bargain!

-I'm not very good at maths, is that right?

I might even put them straight into auction as they are.

There is potential here, they're very cheap.

If you owned that farm, you might like this map.

But I do think this might be the X

that marks the magic spot.

Will Franksy's maps navigate him to Profit Peak?

He's certainly found all the treasure he needs at the car boot,

and so has Phil.

He's just made his second purchase and it cost him £12.

There's a huge market for collecting old tools.

This little beauty, it's a mortise chisel...

If you're going to start collecting these things,

go for something that just fits the hand well,

that's got some colour to it.

It just actually tells a story in its own right.

And the tool collection brings to an end round three.

Let's look at the money.

Both our boys started the showdown

with £1,000 of their own money.

Franksy was forced to be frugal in the last two rounds.

Overall, he spent £835,

leaving up to £165

to spend in the final round.

Phil's total spend is suddenly looking low - less than £412,

which means he keeps more than

£588 for the final push.

And so we reach round four,

the foreign market.

Our demon duo convert their remaining money into Euros

and head to Belgium.

They're in the Flemish town of Sint-Truiden

and the market here is vast -

plenty to whet their appetites.

Phil wastes no time when preying for profit.

Our foxy fashionista spots some 1950s sleeveless leather jackets.

-Come from England...

-This jacket has come from England?

-Army, England.

-This is an English army jacket?

English army jacket, Belgian bring it...

And put Belgian buttons on it?

I have another one.

This is medium, I have...

You've just seen a first,

because I've just got into a medium jacket - how cool is that?

-How much for two?

-16.

-16.

15 euros for two.

-Good.

-Good? Very good.

Thank you very much.

Any chance he'll wear that for the rest of the day? Very fetching!

Converting it back into sterling,

Phil spends £13.64.

But he doesn't stay ahead for long.

Elsewhere in the market, Franksy soon notches up HIS first purchase.

I've just bought this clock and these garnitures for 15 euros -

no, not 50, 15.

This is screaming Art Deco,

1930s marble clock.

The garnitures elongate it.

On your mantelpiece, this is in the middle,

the garnitures make it even bigger and more of a statement.

This is a screamingly cheap item.

It's a winner, it's a sinner,

it's going to buy me dinner.

Franksy clearly loves that clock.

It costs him the equivalent of £13.64.

We're into the final furlong

and our thoroughbreds are both hunting out that elusive last item.

It's Franksy that gets fired up first.

This is a heater for a conservatory or greenhouse.

It's cast iron, which is enamelled.

You've got the doors at the front which open.

It's SO cheap, it's hard for me not to buy it. What's the best price?

-20 is OK.

-20? I'll pay the beautiful lady!

Do you know, I've got to buy it. For the beautiful lady!

Thank you!

Is this your daughter?

Oh, stop flirting, Franksy!

He doesn't argue on the price,

the heater costs him £18.18.

So, almost all done. Phil has one item left to find and it's...

Oh! It's another clock and garniture!

He pays 80 euros, which works out at £72.73.

This is my very last lot for the showdown.

A marble clock garniture, Art Deco.

A garniture really is a clock piece like this

and then two side supports.

Yes, Franksy said that.

I think these are undervalued here in Belgium.

I'm hoping that when I get them back home,

there'll be a good mark-up in it for me.

So, they both buy clocks and garnitures.

It just shows how closely matched these two extraordinary experts are.

So, there we have it - four epic locations, eight items each.

But before we catch up with our haggling heroes,

let's see the final figures.

Both our experts started

with £1,000 of their own money.

Mark "Franksy" Franks spent

a total of £866.82.

Almost all of that went

on his first, high-risk purchase,

the tea set.

Phil "the Fox" Serrell forked out

pretty much half his budget,

£497.97.

So, they are worlds apart.

But who will reap the rewards

and who will be left crying into his Belgian beer?

I tell you what, I'm glad the buying for the showdown is over

because I did take on quite a challenge by spending

over 800 of my £1,000 on a tea set.

You had a go, didn't you?

Mind you, I have bought the most expensive

rosewood brass inlaid desk tidy

I should think the world has ever seen.

300 quid!

We're not out of the woods yet(!) Let's trot on.

Indeed, there's a long way to go.

Our two fine foragers need to uproot themselves

and branch out into the world of selling.

They must sap every penny from their spends as they "leaf" no stone

unturned in their quest for profit.

If they thought buying was bad, they must steel themselves

for selling, because this is where they really earn their money.

And of course they have something else to think about -

something terrifying - an event where they have no control.

The fire-fight that is the showdown auction.

At least four of their items must go under the hammer

and they can only watch on as the public decides if they profit.

At his South London warehouse,

Mark has no illusions about the immense task ahead.

The thing I'm worried about is the tea set.

Art Deco, excellent styling, excellent quality.

If you look inside, you can see it's been gilded...

the gold of the inside. The quality is there.

Is it solid silver?

Is it silver plate?

It will make all the difference.

I've got the lovely clock and garnitures.

I bought that for 15 euros.

It's beautiful. It's 80 years old, it's stunning, in great condition.

It will make me a profit. I got a heater from France, 20 euros.

A gift!

£6 for a load of jewellery boxes.

Look at this one - the quality of that...

That's my money back, the rest is profit.

All of this doesn't matter.

What really matters is the tea set.

Is it silver? Is it not silver?

It's the make or break of this show.

So, that means Mark's auction fodder is the pulley and hook,

the hessian sack, the Chelsea FC photo frame and the maps.

Over in Malvern, Phil is outside his saleroom

and he knows what he's selling privately.

In any sort of language, this is what you'd call an eclectic mix.

I love these leather jerkins. Seven and a half euros each.

The tools are lovely.

Swiftly moving on, the cricket things are really my thing.

All I need to do now is find a top cricketer to sell them to.

But for me, in terms of pure antique, the best thing that

I've bought all week is this Regency rosewood brass inlaid desk stand.

I think it's a real beauty

and it's just waiting for someone to love and enjoy it.

-I've just got to find that someone, really.

-Ah, that's the tricky bit.

So, Phil is going to auction with the carved bear, the wooden ladder,

the silver and horn tot glass

and the Art Deco clock and garniture.

Our dealing duo must dig into their contacts books

and phone everyone they know to line up the very best buyers.

Remember, until they've shaken on it

and the money has changed hands, no deal is ever sealed.

The first items up Phil's sleeve are his leather jerkins

that cost him £13.64.

He's just outside Great Malvern to see Catherine,

who specialises in vintage clothing.

So who is the buyer of this?

Other than you!

Probably someone who collects or who has classic cars or something.

It's open to a lot of different people, really.

-Do they get used as theatre props, as well?

-Yes, definitely.

So will you sell them like this or will you try and age them a bit?

I will try and age them a bit because they're a bit stiff.

How do you do that?

Well, if it weren't for the wool lining, you can

-actually stick them in the washing machine.

-That ages them?

That batters up the leather, yes.

I was hoping I might get somewhere between 50 and 80 quid for them,

-what do you reckon?

-It's a bit steep.

-This is what we call a sharp intake of breath!

-Bit steep.

-So 80 quid is out of order?

-80 quid is way out of order.

-70 quid.

Out of order.

-60 quid.

-Close.

-You're hard, you are!

-Yes!

-What do you think is fair?

-I'll give you 50 for the two.

-That's your best shot?

-That's my best.

I'll take that. You're an angel, thank you very much.

Phil's sleeveless jackets launch his campaign with a profit of £36.36.

Now, both our boys bought clock garnitures in Belgium.

Phil is putting his into auction,

but Mark is planning a private sale for his.

The Art Deco timepiece cost just over £13

and he's brought it to another Mark -

this one runs a clock shop in Carshalton.

Franksy is upfront about a little damage.

-There is a little chip on there.

-That's doable.

It's not the end of the world.

It's a shame, because it's a nice clean, sharp...

-I don't remember it being there, to be honest.

-Art Deco has to be sharp.

Didn't look at the movement. Here we go.

The bit I'm dreading - does it work? Probably not.

-Not?

-I can just tell.

Not a good quality movement.

All I'll do with that, I'll use all the original hands,

I'll put a quartz movement in there, nobody's got to wind it,

it'll tell the time and it'll be fine.

The thing is, Mark, I bought it cheap,

but I think you'll give me a fair price like you normally do.

Talk to me. What's it worth to you?

-Short, sharp answer, £100.

-£100?

Which I think is very fair.

Take into account - that.

I'd have paid another 50 quid if that wasn't broke.

-Such is life.

-Can you make it 113?

Yeah, go on.

So Mark's sale to Mark gets him off the mark with a mark-up of £99.36.

Back in Malvern, Phil's ladder needs some care and attention.

Rather than get his own hands dirty, he's roped in his daughter Clem.

-I want you to just get all this skanky stuff off here...

-Right.

And then paint it and then I want you to shabby-chic it a bit

-by rubbing some of the edges off.

-OK.

-Know what I mean?

-Yeah.

-Then wax the paint.

-And I'm doing this because...?

-Because you're my ever-loving daughter.

-For a fee of...?

-Zilch.

See you later!

Phil Serrell there,

outrageously avoiding anything that looks like hard labour.

Clem is going to use some paint they've got lying around,

so there's absolutely no renovation costs.

The next time we see that ladder will be at the showdown auction.

So, what's Franksy up to?

He's in Sutton, hoping to sell his iron heater cover to his mate Jason,

who's a man with a fruity little hobby. Mark paid just over £18.

-What are you doing?

-I'm making preserved lemons, Mark.

-Beautiful in Moroccan dishes, mate.

-Mangetout, mangetout.

Have a look at that.

What's it used for?

Originally, there would have been some sort of heater in there.

You lift these doors up and you access the heater,

but what I thought...

-It's actually pretty cool.

-Spider plant or something like that...

-Yep.

-Then all the babies would come... I know you like gardening.

-How old is it, then?

-I would guess it's 1920s.

-Fair enough.

I've got a spot for that in the conservatory.

For the right price.

-200, nice and easy.

-£200?!

What about 70 quid?

-Can't we just call it a round 100 and be done?

-Let's meet halfway, right?

We'll go 80 quid.

80 quid and you do me a Moroccan dinner when these are ready.

I'll do more than that - I'll do you a jar of preserved lemons.

Deal!

Well, the lemons don't count towards the result, but the profit does -

£61.82.

Mark got a much smaller sparkle out of his empty jewellery boxes.

He sold them to a lady for £8,

which means his profit is just £2.

Now, Phil is a keen cricket fan,

so he's quite excited about his next meeting.

He's travelled to North London for the pleasure.

I'm at the home of cricket, Lords.

All the greats have played here - Bradman, Hutton, Compton, Edrich

and Mike Selvey, who is now a cricket correspondent

and hopefully, I'm going to try and sell him my first-day covers.

I just hope he doesn't slip me a googly!

So, Mike, when was the first time you played here?

The first time I played here was a Varsity match,

Oxford-Cambridge, actually, '71.

Then I joined Middlesex in '72, the following year.

-I went to a car boot in Essex...

-Oh, right.

That well-known minor county... And I bought these.

-These are first-day covers. Are they any interest to you?

-Well...

-I was hoping to get 20 quid for them.

-No way!

-Go on, then.

You're kidding me. I'll give you a fiver.

No, they cost me £2, they've got to be worth a bit more.

Give me your best shot. Give me your one-off best shot.

All right, I'll give you a tenner.

You're a gentleman.

Thank you very much indeed.

The covers bowl Phil a profit of £8 - four times what he paid.

So, he can afford to hang out at Lord's for a while enjoying himself.

Franksy, however, has no such luxury.

He's on tenterhooks about his hugely expensive tea set.

He's in Romford to discover

whether or not it's silver from dealer James,

who can run an acid test.

And for Mark, his entire game hangs on this one item.

He spent £816 on it.

OK, James, what do you make of this little set?

Yeah, it's nice, I like it. Very Art Deco.

I like the wooden handles.

-What's your thoughts?

-Well...

If it's silver, obviously it'll be more than if it's plate.

I'm not 100% sure.

We've not got the acid on it yet. Make me two offers, James.

-It being genuine, it not.

-If it's plate, I would say...

..200 quid.

Cor, you must be able... It cost me a lot of money!

-You must be able to do better than that! 300 quid?

-Um...

-Meet in the middle, come on.

-250, then.

-275.

-250.

-250, all right.

-We shake on that if it's not right.

-OK.

-What if it's right?

Heavy, good age, quality.

There's enough weight here, if it's silver,

it's got to be 750, 800.

I was thinking 1,500 quid, because it's deco, isn't it? It's lovely.

Give us a dozen, give us 1,200 if it's right.

900? Give me a chance.

-All my eggs are in this basket.

-OK, if it's silver,

-£1,000.

-1,200.

I can't go more than £1,000.

-Is that it?

-Yeah.

So, let's just clarify.

Mark is looking at £250 if the tea set is silver plate.

Or £1,000 if it's solid silver.

So, this is the moment of truth.

James makes a small scratch on the underside of the pot lid

and adds a drop of nitric acid.

So what are we looking for, James?

It should stay red. It would go black if it was plate, anyway.

It's looking pretty red. Are you happy?

That would instantly change to another colour

if that wasn't silver, so I'm pretty happy with that!

Yeah-heh!

Oh, I LOVE this guy! Oh, thank goodness for that!

Do you know what? I've been so scared, just in case.

What a relief!

Mark was staring down the barrel of a £566 loss,

but it turns out he walked away with a healthy profit, £184.

Your instincts were right, Franksy.

I can breathe again.

Do you know, I was quite worried.

It was a big, big risk, but I'm now out of jail!

Wahey!

And so the pressure is on Phil.

He brings his last two items to a shop in Malvern.

He starts off with his most expensive item,

the desk stand that cost him £300.

He's meeting antiques restorer Jeff.

-Jeff, I brought this for you.

-Right.

Which I think's a lovely thing.

English...rosewood, cut brass, mid-Regency, 1810, 1825,

-something like that.

-Yeah, I'd say.

-This is rosewood, isn't it?

-Yes, definitely.

-That's Rio rosewood from Rio de Janeiro.

-How can you tell?

The other rosewoods tend to be Indian rosewood,

which are a totally different grain.

-So what do you think that might be worth?

-About 350.

And is that...

That's a good offer, is that your best offer?

-Whatever is your best is fine.

-It is, really.

-OK.

Well, that's a tidy profit,

£50. Phil goes on to sell his tools to Jeff's father, Les, for £20.

And that hammers home another £8 profit.

Which means all that's left is the showdown auction, can't wait!

Before that, let's see how our excellent experts are doing so far.

Both our boys have sold four items.

Franksy is in a very strong position,

over £347 profit.

Phil is trailing at this stage,

his four sales have so far garnered

a profit of just over £102.

And that is where our mighty merchants lose all control.

No more sweet-talking, no more sad looks - from here on in,

they're at the mercy of the showdown auction.

Their fate rests with the auctioneers and bidders

at the Gilding saleroom in Market Harborough.

-So, how are our prize pair feeling?

-I'm quite excited.

I spent a few quid, I've got what, £150-£200 invested.

Speculate to accumulate. What about you?

You're talking my language.

I've listened to every word you say and I've taken it all on board.

-How much have you spent?

-13 quid. Four items, 13 quid in total.

-What?

Yes, £13. Have I spent too much?

-How much?

-13. 13.

-Idiot. Absolute idiot.

Every word he says, I hang on it.

Now, this is an interesting strategy from young Franksy.

It might be hard for him to make masses of profit,

but he'll be hard pushed to lose too much either.

But it's worth pointing out every item that goes under

the hammer is subject to a £5 lotting fee

in addition to the standard commission.

Before the auction kicks off,

our rivals have one last chance to look at each other's lots.

Franksy has gone seriously wrong here

because we're in Leicestershire. These are of Cambridge!

Who on earth is going to want to buy these?

This bear I actually think is really, really charming.

It's a little bit rubbed, but you'd expect that,

because it's got a bit of age.

At 50 odd quid, I think

it might have a little bit of trouble making a profit.

I'm not really a football man, and I've no doubt

that Chelsea Football Club are one of the best in the world.

But £2 on this?

This is worthy of the bin.

I'm sort of a little bit lost for words with this one.

This is Phil Serrell's crop-picker's ladder.

It must be for very small fruit trees...

Um...

Yes.

There's a certain Franks theme developing here.

This was another really expensive lot.

I don't know, £5 or something -

how can he fail to make a profit?

Now, Philip's little horn beaker with silver mounts

and a little silver top... For £25, it's quite charming.

I wouldn't be surprised if he sees a profit.

Only Mark Franks could buy a sack that's got... Well,

it's got one big hole at the top and little holes down the bottom.

It's horribly stained, but do you know what?

He's paid little or nothing for this.

I can see this making a profit. The rat!

I've got to be honest, at 70 quid-ish,

I think this has got a good, good chance.

It's a good example, you've got nice ormolu mounts on the front,

it's all there.

I can't see any damage.

I like the shape... 70 quid?

I think he could see a decent profit. Unfortunately.

Well, the clock is the first of our items to go under the gavel.

Phil paid nearly £73.

What are you going to say for this?

A couple of hundred should it be, really?

£60 I'm bid, then, at 60.

At 65, 70.

75, 80.

Something's gone wrong, I've made a profit.

90. 95.

He still wants it.

100. 110. £110.

-How did that happen?

-I haven't got a clue. First time for everything!

Well, that's not a bad start.

The clock brings in a profit of £11.47

after the fees have been deducted.

We are not worthy,

we are not worthy.

But Phil is not celebrating just yet.

His flock-covered brown bear is next to come up.

It owes him over £57.

He could do really well.

-Do you like a little bear on your desk?

-I like a little bear.

-It does look pretty.

-It does.

-I don't quite know what to say about this.

£50? OK, a fiver I'm bid, then.

-Uh-oh.

-£5, at £8, £10.

£12. 15.

A shake of the head then, at 15. We're at 18, new bidding at 18.

-I do think that's quite cheap, you know.

-It is cheap.

-A new bid at 25.

28. 30 online. 32.

-I think I'll settle for this now.

-I wouldn't.

This is slowly, slowly, catchy bear.

Seated at £42...

That's a result, mate. Trust me, that is a result.

Um, not really.

After fees, it's quite

a sizeable loss, actually.

£29.16, to be precise.

Mark's first lot soon comes under the spotlight.

-It's his £5 pulley and hook.

-Ooh, that's nice!

LAUGHTER

£5, I'm bid.

-A fiver I'm bid.

-Help! Come on!

-Bid on it, please, somebody!

-Here at five. It's up to you entirely.

It's here to sell at £5.

At £5.

Help!

Maiden bid at five. Commission, thank you.

-Do you know what, you've lost money!

-Look how happy he is!

-Look how HAPPY he is!

-Well, that's made Phil's day.

And because of the lotting fee,

Franksy makes a loss bigger than his investment, £6.90.

That means he actually owes the auction house money!

So, will he fare any better with his next bargain basement buy?

My sack, coming up now, cost me £3.

-I can see this making a huge profit.

-The old hessian sack...

Don't smile, he's laughing! Don't laugh!

The old hessian sack with a couple of holes,

-what will you take for this?

-Thanks, yeah!

-Mention the holes!

-£5 I'm bid, then, at five.

-How can this make a profit?

-£8 I'm bid, at

-£8. Thank you!

-£10 I'm bid.

-People know!

-Cheers, mate. Have a lovely day.

£10 in the room, at £10.

-306, thank you.

-He's such a sore loser, isn't he?

Franksy is delighted, but it's still a loss after fees,

80 pence down.

Soon, the focus comes round to Phil's £25 horn tot.

So, will he be raising a glass to some much-needed profit?

Sell it for me, son.

£20 I'm bid, 22, 25, 28 online.

-30 now.

-30? Look at it, it's flying.

Selling to the internet at £30.

Phil shrugs it off, but that's not good for him.

Another loss after fees of £6.40.

We next move on to Mark's cheapest item of all,

the framed Chelsea Football Club pictures.

He paid £2, Phil remains unimpressed.

This is just rubbish.

Come on, you blues!

You've probably got Roman Abramovich on the phone.

£5 I'm bid, then for the Chelsea photographs,

-£5 only.

-Give it a chance. £5.

Yeah!

Mark's excited that it sold at all, but it's still a loss - £3.90

after fees, which means that once

again, he owes the saleroom money.

-£10 only.

-Phil's ladder is no stairway to heaven either.

That sells for £10,

leaving the Fox with a loss

of £12.80 including the fees.

And so we come down to the final showdown item - Mark's maps

that cost £3.

It would be nice if these did well, what are the chances?

£5 I'm bid?

Come on, put your hand up!

Selling at £5.

There is no justice.

Well, he does make a loss

of £4.90 and yet again,

owes the saleroom money.

I'm going to go onto a singing programme next, I think.

-Mate...

-Take your arm off.

-You've got your arm around me.

-How's your day been?!

As you can tell, our Phil is not really a touchy-feely kind of guy.

But Franksy has clearly had a lovely day - somehow!

So our bargain behemoths' mammoth challenge is over.

We'll reveal the winner in a moment, but before we do,

let's remind ourselves of what they spent in total.

Both our experts started out with £1,000 of their own money to spend.

Mark spent a whopping £866.82

on his eight items.

Phil spent considerably less,

just £497.97,

but now it all comes down to profit.

All of the money that Mark and Phil have made from today's

challenge will go to the charities of their choice.

So, let's find out who is today's

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Showdown Champion.

Franksy, on the terrace...

-I say, old boy!

-How are you?

-Very well!

-You bought a seriously expensive lot, didn't you?

I took a bit of a risk, to be honest.

I put most of my eggs in one big basket

and I did honestly have a couple of sleepless nights

until I had it checked out.

Was it all right?

It was all right,

but it did give me a stomach ulcer or two, worrying about it.

-How did you get on?

-Those first-day covers, £2.

They were first-class!

We went to Lord's and I sold them to Mike Selvey, I had a great day.

Anyway, this is the moment - three, two, one...go!

Look at that!

-Wow, you've absolutely nailed me!

-Blimey!

Yes, Mark chalks up a convincing win

and his high-risk strategy has been thoroughly vindicated.

But both our experts have been building up their profit pots

over a week of challenges, so who is the overall winner?

So, Mr Serrell? It's the week's total, are you ready?

Go!

Look at that, you caned me!

-Not a lot in it!

-You BEAT me!

How much is there in that? 70 quid?

-Well done, matey, well done, you.

-Blimey O'Reilly.

-I know the drinks are on you, matey!

-Drinks are on me?

So Mark is the overall victor and that's some serious money.

More than £1,900 between them.

And every last penny of that goes straight to their charities.

My profit's going to Hearing Dogs For The Deaf

which basically provides funds

to train dogs for hard-of-hearing people.

The profits I've made will go to a small charity

called Smile With Siddy.

It's been set up to deal with the problems of neuroblastoma.

This mainly affects children and young infants.

It's a type of cancer and quite rare.

It's been a week of no-holds-barred combat.

Our excellent experts have really put their money

where their mouths are and shown they can make a convincing profit

from buying and selling antiques

when their own money is on the line.