BBC Antiques Road Trip expert speechless as hidden household item makes record-breaking profit

A hidden gem raked in thousands of pounds

In a memorable moment from Antiques Road Trip in 2021, BBC expert Paul Laidlaw made an ordinary purchase that turned into an auction sensation when it fetched a whopping £20,000. Paul found the hidden gem of a camera, priced at just £60, in a Margate, Kent antique shop filled with treasures.

The enthusiastic shop owner described the store as having "Three floors, the upstairs is mainly furniture but there's stuff everywhere". Unfazed by the daunting prospect, Paul joked, "Don't send the cavalry okay?" After searching the shop, he returned with his find, ready to negotiate on the ancient camera's price.

With his initial offer, he said: "In your cabinet over there, optical instrument... £75 on that I bid you £50."

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The seller responded firmly, "Give me £60 and I'll shake your hand but I'm not doing any better than that, I'm afraid."

A handshake later, the transaction was completed. Sensing the camera's potential, Paul said: "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," according to the Mirror, reports the Express.

Upon Paul's arrival at the Bury St Edmunds auction in Suffolk, the rare find immediately caught the eye of Edward Crichton who confessed he'd "never seen one" like it before. Edward said: "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."

The bidding started strong at £1,000 and quickly escalated, prompting Kate to remark, "They're not messing around," as Edward announced: "£3,000, £4,000."

Observing the change in bidding increments, Paul noted: "He's now taking £1,000 increments," while Kate observed: "Which is a very rare thing."

Kate and Edward informed those present: "It's not a record price, a record price for a general sale is £15,000, for a home and interior sale £16,000. £17,000, £18,000, £19,000. £20,000."

The bids continued to climb until the auctioneer finally declared: "At £20,000 online, at £20,000 if we're all done, £20,000."

Astonished by the result, Paul exclaimed: "I'm over the moon. I am genuinely flabbergasted," to which Edward replied: "Most items in this sale make between £50 and £500, so £20,000 is staggering, wonderful,".

Kate was "chuffed" for Paul when a camera he found fetched £20,000 from a private collector in Switzerland, netting Paul a massive profit of £19,940. This sale smashed the previous record set by Anita Manning, whose Tibetan bronze deity purchase for £50 sold for £3,800 in 2016.

All profits from the series were donated to Children in Need.