BBC Antiques Road Trip presenter Irita Marriott and Raj Bisram were left devastated after a Royal item flopped at auction.
Antiques Road Trip presenters Raj and Irita were shocked (Image: BBC)
Antiques Roadshow stars Irita Marriott and Raj Bisram were left in shock on Antiques Road Trip when a Royal item failed to impress at auction. In the episode, which aired again on BBC1 on Thursday (November 16), the pair travelled to Stamford, Lincolnshire, hoping to find bargain items that would yield significant profits at auction.
Raj believed he had hit the jackpot with a Royal collection discovered at Stratton Oakford Antiques. The 67 year old co-founder of Bentley’s Fine Art and Antiques Auction House in Cranbrook, Kent, found a “set of medals that all belonged to the same person” along with a substantial amount of paperwork.
He explained: “Now, when you get a set of medals all on one bar, they all belong to the same person. There seems to be a lot of paperwork, and with everything that’s militaria, or anything, if you have the paperwork that goes with it, it gives it provenance, that will all help.”
He eagerly took his find to the front desk to learn more about its history. According to Chris, the owner of the antique shop, the naval medals belonged to a radar operator named John Philip Middleton during the Second World War.
The surname caught Raj’s attention as it is shared by the current Princess of Wales, Kate, reports the Daily Star.
A set of naval medals which belonged to a radar operator named John Philip Middleton during the Second World War (Image: BBC)
Raj Bisram, a dealer on ‘Antiques Road Trip’ was left stunned when a set of medals linked to Kate Middleton’s hometown of Reading fetched a mere £32 at auction – a devastating less than half he had paid. “I find facts like that intriguing,” he said right after acquiring the item for £80, hopeful of its connection to royalty.
The dramatic scenes concluded with Raj suffering a loss of £123.92 by the show’s end, while his opponent Irita Marriot clinched victory with a smaller deficit of £34.84.
The dismay continued when Raj’s attempts to sell a silver brush set for more than the £110 he spent proved futile. He desperately implored the auction attendees, “Come on! Are you still alive all of you? Come on! These are rare items! ” to no avail, with the hammer falling again on just £32.
The dramatic scenes concluded with Raj suffering a loss of £123.92 by the show’s end, while his opponent Irita Marriot clinched victory with a smaller deficit of £34.84.
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays at 8pm on BBC1.
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Source: USA Today
