January 17 is Blue Monday – officially the most depressing day of the year – but there are reasons to be cheerful, writes Charles Hanson.
Love antiques and TV’s Bargain Hunt? If the answer’s yes, you’ll be pleased to know that Hansons’ Feb 17-22 Antiques and Collectors Auction will see TV cameras back at our Etwall headquarters, putting Derbyshire on the map.
The hugely popular TV show will be filming at Etwall Auction Centre on February 21- 22. As always, we will host red and blue teams supported by celebrity antique experts to create new episodes of the show.
This year I am celebrating 20 years of filming with Bargain Hunt – an unbelievable milestone. I received my first invitation to be part of the show in 2002 and I’ve loved every minute of it ever since. In fact, I’ve almost been there from the start. Bargain Hunt first aired in 2000 and in 2007 I took part in the 500th show.
Over the years, Etwall Auction Centre has hosted Bargain Hunt on several occasions, sometimes twice a year. More recently, the BBC programme makers have utilised the marquee at our Staffordshire saleroom, Bishton Hall.
But it’s back to Etwall next month, the first time since lockdown in 2022, and I can’t wait. As well as providing auction facilities for general episodes of the show Hansons has been proud to host Bargain Hunt’s Christmas special and Children In Need episodes featuring celebrity teams.
Some of you may recall that in 2017 I joined fellow Bargain Hunt regulars Charlie Ross, James Braxton and Philip Serrell to create a Christmas single, a rock cover of Sleigh Ride, in aid of BBC Children in Need. It was released digitally on independent record label Saga Entertainment and peaked at number 1 on the Amazon Rock Charts, number 1 on the Amazon Rock Best Sellers and number 1 on the Amazon Hot New Releases chart. Not bad considering I can’t sing!
For me, filming with the likes of Charlie, James, Philip and Kate Bliss is an absolute joy, and I know fans of the show love the opportunity to meet them and watch the TV show being made. Sadly, due to Covid, February filming will be closed to the public. Nevertheless, you can still play a part.
We are inviting entries for our February Antiques and Collectors sale until February 4. These monthly sales include everything from jewellery, silver and watches to furniture, prints and paintings, ceramics, metalware, toys, general collectables, interior items and more.
If your items enter the sale, they will join Bargain Hunt lots which are processed into the auction catalogue with everything else. Fans of the show will know that blue and red teams of two are sent out to source antiques which then go to auction. The team which makes the most profit wins.
So, what sells well in a general antiques auction? Looking back over sales results in 2021, most items find a buyer but jewellery, watches and silver tend to dominate the top 10 lots. Having said that in our last sale in November the top-selling item was lot 3064, a George Chinnery (1774-1852) pencil sketch, ‘Chinese Coolies gathered under an Umbrella’, which made £2,200. Chinnery was an English painter who spent most of his life in Asia, especially India and southern China.
Other top items included lot 265, a 20th century 18ct gold link chain, £1,900; lot 225, a 9ct gold charm bracelet, £1,200; lot 322, an 18ct gold pocket watch with Arabic numeral markers, £1,000, and lot 277, a cherry amber necklace, £800. Gold prices are at record highs and amber is always sought after.
But it’s not all about jewellery. Lot 3145, three pieces of Grand Tour bronze items, made £1,400. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, a Grand Tour trip around Europe was often undertaken by wealthy young people. Along the way they collected souvenirs. Another item to impress was lot 3120, a Chinese vase, £1,200. It’s always worth exploring the value of any Oriental objects because demand is high among wealthy clients in the Far East. Last year, a Chinese vase previously dismissed as worthless sold for around £50,000.
So, if you want to put a spring in your step this January, have a look round your home and see if you have something that might be worth consigning to auction. It’s great fun to take part in our sales, you can watch live online as your items go under the hammer and you just might bag a windfall.
Let’s turn Blue Monday into Happy Monday. After all, 2022 might just be your year!
FREE VALUATIONS
Book a free valuation at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, on weekdays, 9am-4pm, and Saturdays, 9am-noon, or arrange a free home visit.
On January 21, 10am-4pm, Hansons will host free textile and clothing valuations with Notty Hornblower.
To book or find out more, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
