Derbyshire auctioneer Charles Hanson fronts his own TV series, Secret Life of the Auction House, for the first time
Derbyshire auctioneer Charles Hanson blows the lid on what really goes on behind the scenes of an auction house in a new television series starting this week.
Charles, 47, is fronting his own show for the first time, after regularly appearing on Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road Show and Flog It!
Secret Life of the Auction House gives exclusive, behind the scenes access as Charles and his 75-strong team research provenance and spot fakes as well as appear on the rostrum to sell everything from rare Harry Potter first editions to Victorian vampire-slaying kits.
Queen Victoria’s bloomers and a 1966 World Cup flag are among other treasures unearthed at the Derbyshire saleroom in the series, which starts on Thursday, July 31 on the Quest channel.
Charles also reveals the more outrageous aspects of his job, including how he discovered an Anglo-Saxon skeleton in a client’s wardrobe. He said: “He had dug it up in his Lincolnshire garden and decided to hang it up in his wardrobe. It was fascinating.”
In the series Charles, who has auction houses at Etwall, Bishton Hall in Staffordshire, Oxfordshire and London, ventures around the country with his team in search of rare antiques.
Unlike traditional auction programmes, Charles says his new show captures the true essence and a behind the scenes reality of what it takes to run a successful auction house.
Charles’ passion for antiques started aged 13 when his parents bought him a metal detector which he used to scour the fields around the family farm.
He said: “I remember so well digging up a silver shilling which was dated 1630. I still have that coin which really kick-started my love of antiques.
“I’ve always said if objects can come alive, what could they tell us? I think that it the great heartbeat of history.”
Secret Life of the Auction House airs on July 31 at 9pm on Quest.