In a remarkable episode of Antiques Road Trip in 2021, ‘s expert Paul Laidlaw made an eye-watering profit after a camera he acquired for a mere £60 made a staggering £20,000 profit at auction.
Paul stumbled upon the vintage gem in a Margate antique store brimming with curiosities. The shop owner, keen to have him rummage through his treasures, eagerly told Paul: “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 quipped back with a light-hearted: “Don’t send the calvary okay?” Following his explorative dive, he emerged with the fascinating camera and haggled over its price, putting forward £50.
Never budging, the seller eventually countered: “Give me £60, and I’ll shake your hand, but I’m not doing any better than that, I’m afraid.”
With a handshake deal, the camera was Paul’s, and he mused: “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.”
Don’t miss…
Paul couldn’t believe his luck (Image: BBC)
The scene was set for a surprise at the auction in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Auctioneer Edward Crichton was visibly intrigued by Paul’s discovery, admitting he’d “never seen one” quite like it before.
Brimming with anticipation, he divulged: “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.”
“You couldn’t fit many more in, could you?” Kate said, noticing how many people had filled the auction room.
As the bidding war began, five people quickly showed their interest. The bidding started at an impressive £1,000 and escalated swiftly into the upper thousands.
Amid the frenzy, Kate observed, “They’re not messing around,” as the price increased. Edward energetically announced, “£3,000, £4,000…”
Paul covered his mouth in shock (Image: BBC)
Paul was quick to note the dramatic change in pace as he gasped: “He’s now taking £1,000 increments,” to which Kate added enthusiastically, “It is not slowing down.”
Paul covered his mouth and said: “Oh my god,” as the auction hit £20,000.
As the hammer went down on £20,000, Paul chuckled with delight as his co-star smiled and applauded.
“Well done,” Kate shrieked as she gave Paul a hug of congratulations.
The camera was bought for £60 (Image: BBC)
Basking in the aftermath of the hotly contested auction, a beaming Paul couldn’t conceal his delight, exclaiming, “I’m over the moon.”
Kate beamed: “What an incredible result! I am so chuffed for Paul.”
While Edward captured the mood perfectly, reflecting, “Most items in this sale make between £50 and £500, so £20,000 is staggering, wonderful.”
Antiques Road Trip is available to watch on iPlayer.