BBC Bargain Hunt star faced sacking after grave error with expensive item

Bargain Hunt's Charlie Ross recalled a grave error he made at the start of his career, (Image: BBC)

Charlie Ross has been a firm fixture on the BBC’s antiques programmes for many years, but his career almost came crashing down when he made a serious error at an auction for an expensive item.

Early in his career, Charlie was working at WS Johnson and Co’s Morton Road saleroom with a senior auctioneer named John Collings.

After a few months of working together, John decided to push Charlie to the next step in his career and called on him to lead an auction.

Charlie, who was still a novice at this point, was tasked with auctioning an expensive silver toast rack, but says his career “very nearly sank the moment it hit the water”.

The 74-year-old wrote in his autobiography, Sold!: “I need to remind those not familiar with auctions of two things. First, when the hammer comes down, that’s it. End of story. No more bids. Item sold.

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Charlie Ross has worked in antiques for more than 50 years. (Image: BBC)

“Second, many people entering an item in an auction do so with a ‘reserve’, a minimum price they are prepared to accept. If that price is not reached, the piece is returned to the owner or held over for a future auction.”

The auction kicked off and the item brought in a flurry of bids, leaving Charlie thinking “this is a piece of cake” while John sat behind him in silence.

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Charlie continued: “I finally bring the hammer down at £6...I look down at my sale sheet. There it is in black and white, ‘Toast rack, hallmarked silver, Birmingham, 1935’. I run my eye further across the page to the figures in red ink in the ‘Reserve’ column.

“What the...? Crikey! It has a reserve of £12. Now it’s sold, that’s the sum we have to give the former owner and the remainder will have to come out of my wages. I’m on £3 a week.”

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Charlie Ross is one of the country's most respected auctioneers. (Image: BBC) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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Charlie said he approached the bidder and used the “off the chandelier” technique – when an auctioneer makes a fake bid to appear as if there is more demand for an item – and managed to bring the hammer down a second time at the required £12.

Charlie recalled John’s voice booming from behind him: “Don’t you ever do that again.”

“I won’t, John. Promise,” he replied sheepishly.

Thankfully, his career went from strength to strength and he is known for his high-value sales and work on Bargain Hunt, Flog It!, Antiques Road Trip and Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

He has also run his own auction house for over 25 years which sells items including fine art, vintage cars and property.