Charlie Ross’s career ‘hung in balance’ after auction blunder. (Image: Getty)
BBC antiques expert Charlie Ross revealed an excruciating blunder that left him fearing his career “hung in the balance” during his early days as an auctioneer.
The Flog It! and star recalled an “unusual lot” he was tasked with selling back in 1979. It included silver items like candlesticks, cutlery, dishes and cruets,
Charlie recalled in his autobiography, Sold!: ‘Our final piece of silver was rather special. Lot number 103, an antique circumcision set, is definitely a collector’s item.”
The expert explained: “I always do my homework before a sale, going through the catalogue, familiarizing myself with pronunciation, provenance and prices, and making prompt notes on things to refer to or avoid during the auction.
“Next to Lot 103 I had written ‘no jokes’ and underlined it heavily. I’m not sure whether I didn’t see it or deliberately ignored it, but I found the temptation too strong to resist.
:
Charlie Ross is known for his appearances on Bargain Hunt and Flog It! (Image: BBC)
“‘Good afternoon everyone. The bidding stands at six hundred and fifty pounds. Seven hundred anyone? No, then for the first time…for the second time…and for the third time, at six hundred and fifty…Sold! Congratulations, sir. A bargain or, if I may say so, a snip.’”
Charlie said he couldn’t believe what he had just said, especially because the auction was held in a wealthy area in Finchley, North London.
He continued: “For a split second, I felt my presence at this auction, if not my entire career, hung in the balance.”
Thankfully, Charlie’s blushes were spared as he heard a “ripple of appreciative laughter” around the auction house.
His career has gone from strength to strength and he has set several records for selling items at the highest price ever. He once held the record for the highest price ever achieved for a car sold by auction in the US.
This was a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype, which fetched over $16 million in 2011. However, this record was surpassed in 2013 and again in 2014 when a Ferrari 250 GTO was sold in Carmel, California for over $38 million.
In 2018, Charlie made headlines again when he sold a 1935 Duesenberg for $22 million making it the most expensive car ever to sell at auction in the US.
Charlie also once held the record for the largest profit on a single item on Antiques Road Trip. He purchased a chipped Staffordshire elephant clock for a mere £8, which later sold for a staggering £2,700 at auction.