Antiques Road Trip star makes huge profit at auction
BBC show Antiques Road Trip stars Raj Bisram and Irita Marriott ventured to Stamford, Lincolnshire in search of valuable treasures to auction. Raj, co-founder of Bentley's Fine Art and Antiques Auction House, Kent, stumbled upon a set of medals and accompanying paperwork at Stratton Oakford Antiques.
He explained that finding a set of medals all on one bar, along with paperwork, enhances its authenticity and can significantly raise the item's value.
The medals were awarded to a Second World War radar operator named John Philip Middleton, and the fact that the recipient hailed from Reading, like Prince William's wife, Kate, piqued Raj's interest.
Raj said: "I find facts like that intriguing".
He purchased the item for £80, expecting a profitable return. However, at the auction, the item only fetched £32, resulting in a significant loss for Raj.
Both Raj and his competitor couldn't believe their eyes. "No! " they both exclaimed when the hammer confirmed the deal.
Irita replied with disbelief: "I don't think I dared say anything! £32?" Raj muttered: "Ok, don't remind me. I do not need reminding! "
Additionally, his silver brush set, which cost him £110, was also overlooked by bidders and sold for just £32.
Frustrated, Raj stood up and shouted at the auction-goers: "Come on! Are you still alive all of you? Come on! These are rare items!"
Unfortunately, once again, the hammer fell on the measly sum of £32.
By the end of the episode, Raj had lost a whopping £123.92, while Irita came out on top, albeit with a smaller loss of £34.84.
The records for the largest profit on a single item, the highest sale price for a single item, and the largest total profit on one road trip is held by Paul Laidlaw, who in one of the 2017 series (Series 15, Episode 5) bought a Chambre Automatique De Bertsch sub-miniature camera for £60 and sold it at auction for £20,000 (a 33,233% profit).
The previous records for the highest sale price for a single item and largest profit on a road trip was held by Anita Manning, who in 2016 purchased a Buddha statue for £50, which sold for £3,800 (a 7,500% profit).
The record for the most significant profit margin on a single item is 33,650%. It was set by Charlie Ross when, in the 2012 series, he bought a chipped Staffordshire elephant clock for £8, which sold for £2,700.
This was also the most significant profit made on a single item until Manning broke that record in 2016.
