Hold 'em or fold 'em? Let the seller beware when angling for a...

REAL DEAL

New HISTORY Series Premiering on Friday, November 25 at 9pm ET Reveals Risky Business for Collectors Looking to Cash In

November 1, 2011 - A 1956 Lincoln Mark II in flawless condition rolls into the lot. Its owner knows that only a handful of these beauties were produced, and he thinks he can get $70,000 for it. The dealer offers him $30,000. Should he take the money and run? The tension builds. No, the seller decides. For a collectible car in perfect running condition, he's sure he can get top dollar at auction.

The market for collectibles is unpredictable, and everyone wants to make a profit. REAL DEAL, a new 10-part / 30 minute series premiering Friday, November 25 at 9pm ET on HISTORY, zeroes in on the dramatic interaction between buyers and sellers as they haggle over the best price for a piece of history.

REAL DEAL captures the pressure of the pursuit. Dealers must summon their expansive knowledge of antiques - and human nature - to clinch the deal. But it's the sellers who have the advantage. They can walk away from the table at any time and head straight to the auction block, where big money could be awaiting. But there's always the risk of going home with far less than the dealer offered - or even empty-handed.

Whether it's a collection of footballs signed by NFL legends or an autograph by Harry Houdini, a WWII German Storm Trooper dagger or a 19th century spittoon, everything that comes into the auction reveals something about an earlier time and the way people lived in the past. But an article that's rich with history doesn't necessarily make its owner rich. One seller thinks he can get $580 for a 1904 home electrotherapy machine. The dealer offers $240. No deal, decides the seller, and heads to the auction house, where he gets only $225 for it.

But a gamble can sometimes pay off, as it did for Gary, the owner of the Lincoln who rejected the dealer's $30,000 offer. At the auction house, he gleefully looks on as bids keep rising. Eventually the vintage vehicle fetches $45,000...and Gary goes home a winner.

REAL DEAL is produced for HISTORY by Zodiak USA. Carl Lindahl is Executive Producer for HISTORY. Natalka Znak, Claire O'Donohoe and Rhett Bachner serve as Executive Producers for Zodiak.

About HISTORY(R)

HISTORY(R) and HISTORY(R) HD are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as American Pickers, Ax Men, American Restoration, Ice Road Truckers, Top Gear, Pawn Stars and Top Shot, as well as acclaimed specials including Gettysburg, America the Story of Us, WWII in HD, 102 Minutes That Changed America and Life After People. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, seven Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's signature initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY website, located at www.history.com, is the leading online resource for all things history, featuring over 20,000 videos, images, audio clips, articles and interactive features that allow visitors to dig deeper into a broad range of thousands of historical topics.