Rubbish Bargain Hunt experts

Pink_PounderPink_Pounder Posts: 13,168
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One for the students and unemployed this but ugh...why are some of the 'experts' on BH so absolutely rubbish?

Who is that woman with blonde hair who to my knowledge has never made a profit on anything. She loves everything that a contestant goes to her for advice for. Even a small bit of tin-based tat that even I sat without my glasses on from 15 feet away could tell was rubbish gets the "Ooh now, this is an interesting little piece isn't it?" treatment.

I appreciate knowledge of hallmarks and makers and all that stuff but it's like knowing the alphabet yet not knowing how to spell.

..says me the arm-chair layman :D

But it really does annoy me at times. Oh what a surprise that piece of crap didn't go for £75 at auction. Gosh who'd have thought it was an interesting little piece after all.

I'm not really taking this too seriously (bites fist and kicks computer desk manically to suppress rage) but if I was on that show I'd demand not to have some of the 'experts' they assign as some of them seem to be less than absolutely useless.
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  • allafixallafix Posts: 20,683
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    I actually like Bargain Hunt the way it is with fallible "experts". Especially blonde female ones. :D Even more especially Catherine Southon, who can examine my undervalued items any time she pleases. :p

    Surely the whole point is uncovering some small bit of tin-based tat for a fiver that a collector will pay hundreds for? It's much more boring when they choose a safe item.

    It's the only non-news daytime TV show I actually choose to watch (if I happen to be around at the time). The banter between Tim Wonnacott, the experts and the autioneers is great.
  • SULLASULLA Posts: 149,789
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    Never mind the experts, the real star is Miss Hornblower;)
  • allafixallafix Posts: 20,683
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    SULLA wrote: »
    Never mind the experts, the real star is Miss Hornblower;)
    So she was. :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 12,613
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    SULLA wrote: »
    Never mind the experts, the real star is Miss Hornblower;)
    Yes! I love the name Hornblower.
    She buys what other's don't really want and I also love Charles Hanson's wacky character too.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,411
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    The 'expert' on Cash in the Attic is terrible! just the other week a family found a set of medals to one of their relatives and i presumed it was Jonty valued them at around £100-£150, when one of the medals on its own was worth near £1k!
  • Lizzie60Lizzie60 Posts: 450
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    We love B.H. Watch it when we're having lunch. They should show us Miss Hornblower, she's a star. We also watch out for the fellow in the trappers hat at Mold, he's always in shot
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,984
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    Miss Hornblower runs a costume museum in Derbyshire, she also appeared on an episode of the Restoration Roadshow and she looked much younger than she appears when you see her on Bargain Hunt.
    Charles Hanson invited her to his wedding last year.

    I have met Charles at a Bargain Hunt Auction ( he was the Expert) and he is a lovely man.

    http://www.hopehousemuseum.co.uk/
  • girlfrommarsgirlfrommars Posts: 2,749
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    I love BH and I must confess I have a slight crush on 'twinkly' James Lewis not only does he seem like a lovely chap he is also IMHO the best expert.
  • janetcomelatelyjanetcomelately Posts: 7,399
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    I like a bit of Bargain Hunt.

    Kate Bliss is one of the blonde ones, she usually does well on this and other programmes of this nature.

    The Scot woman makes me laugh - she is great.
  • AidaAida Posts: 2,786
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    I work from home and take my 'lunch break' to watch 'Bargain Hunt' - Tim Wonnacott's a hoot, and I like the majority of the experts, especially Anita Manning, Mark Stacey and James Lewis.

    I see it as just a bit of fun, although as an inveterate 'car-booter' I've learned lots about identifying 'marks' on ceramics, silver etc.

    It isn't surprising that the contestants and experts scarcely ever find anything really profitable as the kind of antiques fairs they use in programme are usually composed of dealers who've already made their profit from scouring car-boot sales/house clearances and buying their stock as cheaply as possible then marking it up to whatever they think they can get for it.
  • KapellmeisterKapellmeister Posts: 41,322
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    I love Bargain Hunt and if I can't see it then I record it. Tim Wonnacott is brilliant. James Lewis is by far the best expert. David Harper is good too, but Kate Bliss and the awful Catherine Southon are crap.
  • rfonzorfonzo Posts: 11,771
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    I think Anita Manning comes across as the nicest and most genuine person, she has a laugh.
  • SULLASULLA Posts: 149,789
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    rfonzo wrote: »
    I think Anita Manning comes across as the nicest and most genuine person, she has a laugh.

    I like her best when she is on the rostrum.

    Paul Laidlaw IS the man;)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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    It's a shame it's rigged and the teams are told what to buy
  • will2510will2510 Posts: 1,098
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    rfonzo wrote: »
    I think Anita Manning comes across as the nicest and most genuine person, she has a laugh.

    Anita's nice but is that a wig she wears? :D
  • LowriLowri Posts: 3,094
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    It's a shame it's rigged and the teams are told what to buy

    A friend of the family once had a stall at a fair that they were using to film BH. He was given an item by the BBC to put on his stand so that they could look at it and he was told the price he was supposed to sell it to them for if they chose it (which was much lower than the fair price).
    In the end, they didn't buy the item so he asked if he could buy it at that price and they said no! :D
  • mikwmikw Posts: 48,715
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    What happened to Louise Weir?

    A blonde, female expert who was very good, she stopped doing it after a couple of series.
  • Miles_TMiles_T Posts: 2,519
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    Love Bargain Hunt it's my guilty pleasure I sky plus it and watch it when I get in from work!

    Tim the presenter is great, a bit terry thomas like, love his little looks to camera and his raising of eyebrows :D

    Most the experts are good and pretty shrewd. I like it when a contestant goes for something obviously new and the expert looks at it like it's something they've just trod in!!
  • richard craniumrichard cranium Posts: 4,388
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    Maybe my imagination and an indication that Scots are far from being mean, but has every Scottish show that ended with an an auction at Anita's place resulted in profit for both teams ?

    I agree, Paul is a shrewd dude and has an eye for a bargain.
  • RichmondBlueRichmondBlue Posts: 21,279
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    These antique programmes are one of my guilty pleasures as well. I work so can't watch them during the day, but I'm always looking through catch-up to see what I've missed.
    I think the OP was rather harsh. The format of the shows mean they have to buy something, and buying in the trade to sell on in auction (mostly to the trade again) is not easy. Even at car-boot sales, most sellers are pretty savvy these days.
    They are all experts in their own field, but some have a wider knowledge than others. I dabble a little in collectables myself, and I'm not too surprised to hear that some items may have been "planted", I still enjoy the programmes, trying to guess how much items are likely to fetch.
  • sheila bligesheila blige Posts: 8,010
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    Paul Laidlaw, Anita Manning and Phil Serrell are the best ones. Sure - sometimes they make a mistake but they're few and far between. I love Charles Hanson though - he's totally useless as an expert - but he's an absolute genius when he's holding the auctions (as is Anita).
  • SeasideLadySeasideLady Posts: 20,766
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    Miles_T wrote: »
    Tim the presenter is great, a bit terry thomas like, love his little looks to camera and his raising of eyebrows :D

    I agree, and I love his vast collection of half - eye reading glasses.
  • StaffsyeomanStaffsyeoman Posts: 613
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    kitty_koo wrote: »
    The 'expert' on Cash in the Attic is terrible! just the other week a family found a set of medals to one of their relatives and i presumed it was Jonty valued them at around £100-£150, when one of the medals on its own was worth near £1k!

    Well, it was the whole group worth over a grand, not just the one. But it was an utterly hopeless valuation, agreed. He did the same thing with a bloke's small medal collection in one series, which should have gone to a better sale - the only light was that someone who collected to a particular regiment paid a premium price for one medal.

    The inherent problem with BH is the one of 'buy retail, sell wholesale'.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 27
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    Once the red team bought a little figureine for £200 and it sold for £22 yet Kate Bateman thought it would make a profit!?
  • coughthecatcoughthecat Posts: 6,876
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    I enjoy Bargain Hunt, although I tend to watch on iPlayer and skip to the auctioneer's valuation and the subsequent sale!

    I'm not convinced that any of the experts are "rubbish" (they wouldn't have got very far in the business if they were!) but they're often specialists, have a time limit, and need to let their teams have some say in the matter. For experts in their "comfort zone", something like "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" works better.

    It also often comes down to who's at the auction. Not everything sells for it's true value! For me, that's why there's often a discrepancy between the expert's valuation and the auctioneer's valuation. One knows the general market value of the piece, or how much it would probably make at their auction house, but the auctioneer on the day know how much it's likely to make in their sale-room. I've seen genuinely high value items generate absolutely no interest, so someone walks away from the auction with an absolute bargain, and complete tat going for ridiculous prices! It's the unpredictability of the auction that makes it fun!

    I seem to recall that in the early days, Paul Laidlaw struggled a bit as an expert, but now when it comes to the bonus item, he'll often stick to the likes of militaria which he knows so well. Poor Thomas Plant likes to buy jewellery, but it rarely finds it's true value in a general sale! Philip Serrell always goes "wacky" so when he buys a bit of ornate guttering or a pair of paddles, they might make £5 or they might make £105! I like the fact that they all have different personalities and different areas of expertise.
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