BBC Antiques Road Trip biggest profit ever as 'staggering' auction leaves expert emotional

Paul Laidlaw was gobsmacked by the huge profit (Image: BBC Two)

BBC Two's Antiques Road Trip made history when host Paul Laidlaw discovered a vintage camera that fetched an astonishing £20,000 at auction, marking the show's highest profit ever.

While rummaging for treasures in a Margate, Kent antique shop, expert Paul Laidlaw stumbled upon the rare find priced at a mere £60.

The moment of truth came at the Bury St Edmunds auction in Suffolk, where Paul and his antiques competitor Kate Bliss were left stunned by the sky-high final bid for the camera.

Describing his emporium to Paul, the store owner said: "Three floors, the upstairs is mainly furniture but there's stuff everywhere. And on this floor, there are four rooms through and in the middle, there's a staircase which goes down to a room full of chairs and another room full below! ".

Paul faced a daunting challenge as he sifted through the myriad of old items, quipping: "Don't send the calvary okay? ", reports the Daily Star.

Paul Laidlaw made a huge £20,000 profit on the episode (Image: BBC Two)

After an extensive search, Paul zeroed in on the vintage camera, leading to a negotiation over the price.

Paul proposed: "In your cabinet over there, optical instrument... £75 on that I bid you £50."

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To which the shopkeeper responded: "Give me £60 and I'll shake your hand but I'm not doing any better than that, I'm afraid."

When expert Paul unveiled his discovery, he shared with the audience: "I think this is a very early camera. If I'm right, that could be quite exciting. The photographic market is very much in the ascent, it's a hot market, I think that's a good thing."

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As Paul arrived in Bury St Edmunds with his early-era camera, auctioneer Edward Crichton couldn't contain his enthusiasm, announcing to all: "The sub-miniature camera - I have never seen one, in fact, we have carried out some research and cannot find any other example which has sold at auction, we were very excited to see this and it has certain potential to make a significant profit."

The auction kicked off with an impressive opening bid of £1,000 and escalated quickly, leading Kate to observe: "They're not messing around."

With bids rising by £1,000 with each call, Paul noted: "He's now taking £1,000 increments," prompting Kate to comment on the rarity of such large increases.

As the auction soared past the £10,000 mark, it was clear that this item was truly exceptional. The hammer finally came down on an astonishing £20,000 bid.

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A thrilled Paul exclaimed: "I'm over the moon. I am genuinely flabbergasted," to which Edward added: "Most items in this sale make between £50 and £500, so £20,000 is staggering, wonderful."

Kate exclaimed with glee: "What an incredible result, I am so chuffed for Paul."

The surprised original owner remarked: "I really was shocked, when he bought it, he knew he bought a good thing, but I don't think he realised. And he said 'it looks like a camera' but we didn't know it was a camera."

A private Swiss collector snapped up the item for a breathtaking £20,000.

Paul's eye-popping profit of £19,940 obliterated the previous Antiques Road Trip record, set when Anita Manning picked up a Tibetan bronze deity for £50 and flogged it for £3,800 in 2016. All profits from the show are kindly donated to Children in Need.

Antiques Road Trip can be watched on BBC iPlayer.

BBC Antiques Road Trip biggest profit ever as 'staggering' auction leaves expert emotional

BBC Antiques Road Trip biggest profit ever as 'staggering' auction leaves expert emotional

BBC Antiques Road Trip biggest profit ever as 'staggering' auction leaves expert emotional

BBC Antiques Road Trip biggest profit ever as 'staggering' auction leaves expert emotional

BBC Antiques Road Trip biggest profit ever as 'staggering' auction leaves expert emotional