AUCTIONEER & ANTIQUES ENTHUSIAST HILARY BOLT on TV’s ‘ANTIQUES ROAD TRIP’

Over the last 20 years I’ve been lucky enough to turn a life-long interest in “old things” into my current day jobs – auctioneering in Emsworth Auctions and running an antiques & collectables shop, Emsworth Antiques Etc. in the town’s West Street.

Through these, and after years of interested study, I handle thousands of items and advise their owners on their history and value.

Also, through the shop, I’ve been lucky enough to appear on ‘Antiques Road Trip’ on BBC TV. In case you haven’t seen it, the programme takes antiques professionals to shops and centres around the country. Their challenge is to buy items in the shops and sell them – for a profit – at an auction. To make it more fun, two experts (with the occasional celebrity) compete against each other. Any money they do make goes to Children In Need.

It takes 3 hours to produce enough footage for about a minute on camera, and everything is honest and above board. While you have to make a huge drop on a shop price for the expert to stand a chance of making a profit at auction, you do what you can to make sure that ‘your team’ wins. They do not give you the balance of the money off-camera.

The most recent piece of filming took place at the shop on October 4th with the show’s new expert Natasha Raskin looking for that special something to beat her opponent, Charlie Ross.

I can’t tell you what she bought (I’m sworn to secrecy), but you’ll find out in due course when they screen that episode – you’ll just have to keep watching the programme!

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