Charlie
Ross @ The Holt
The
organisers of Antiques@TheHolt were
delighted that BBC TV’s Charlie Ross agreed to ‘do the
honours’ and
officially open the second fair at The Holt hotel in March
2014.
Charlie
is perhaps best known as the jovial face of popular BBC
TV antiques programmes such as Bargain Hunt, Flog
it! and The
Antiques Road Trip. While his appearances on television
have made him a familiar household name – at least to anyone
with even a passing interest in antiques – this is just the tip
of the iceberg in his repertoire of talents.
As
a youngster Charlie had his sights set on becoming a dentist,
but ended up leaving school to join a company of chartered surveyors
and selling chickens at Buckingham Cattle Market. He was a natural
with a gavel and decided to make it his career. He progressed
through poultry and livestock until he was sitting at the rostrum
in front of a saleroom full of antique furniture. He’d discovered
his passion, and in 1982 he established his own company; Charles
Ross Fine Art Auctioneers, based in Woburn.
Driven
by his boundless enthusiasm the company flourished, and so did
Charlie. He honed his flair for selling antiquities and established
a reputation as one of the UK’s most experienced
and charismatic auctioneers. His reputation attracted the attention
of the BBC, who came to Woburn to film at his auction house.
A screen test followed and a star was born. After 25 years at
the helm Charlie sold Charles Ross Auctioneers and went freelance.
Since
then he has conducted sales not only for some of world’s
the top auction houses, including MacDougall’s and Gooding & Co
in America, but has also raised many millions of pounds for charities
such as The Variety Club of Great Britain, The Lord’s
Taverners and the Elton John Aids Foundation. In the process he has set a
few records, including the highest auction price ever paid for
a car in America of over $16 million (for a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa
Rossa) and $15 million for a catalogue of Jimi Hendrix songs.
More
down to earth and closer to home, in 2012 Charlie set a record
for an item sold on BBC TV’s The Antiques Road Trip, buying a damaged
Staffordshire figure of an elephant for £8 and selling it for a
staggering £2700. The ceramic was purchased by an American antiques
expert, Myrna Schkolne. “It was an Antiques Road Trip record*, but
what I didn’t realise until later was the buyer had spent 25 years
searching for this item,” admitted Charlie. Mind you, it takes two bidders to set a record, so the rarity of this particular piece must have been appreciated by more than just Myrna Schkolne!
Auctioneering
and antiques aside, Charlie is an accomplished amateur actor
and operatic singer, being a member of the Bicester Choral & Operatic
Society, Akeman Voices and the Oxford Operatic Society. Starring
roles in My Fair Lady (as Professor Higgins), The
Magic Lamp (as
Widow Wonkey) and The Mikado have followed. Charlie is also a keen
follower of cricket.
Charlie
lives locally, and was a natural choice when we were looking
for someone special to open the fair. He was booked up when we
had our inaugural Antiques@TheHolt in
November 2013, but we’re over the moon that he agreed to cut the
ribbon on our second.
Charlie
Ross opened the Antiques@TheHolt fair
on the Saturday morning, March 15th, at 10:00 am, and attracted
a lengthy queue of visitors. He stayed for over three hours,
chatting to dealers and fair-goers alike, and even making a few
select purchases. He continues to be a regular visitor to the fair, and usually manages to fit in a few hours on either the Saturday or the Sunday. Thanks Charlie!
Click this link to hear the
story of that elephant: Road Trip Video Extract.
*Update - In September 2016 Charlie's fantastic record was bettered by Anita Manning, who purchased a bronze figure of a Buddha from a shop in Sandwich for £50. At auction, the piece sold for a staggering £3800. However, Charlie's profit margin, based upon his £8 purchase price, still remains the target to beat! |