Flog It experts personal collection sells for | UK News

The vintage collection of an skilled on BBC’s Flog It! has bought for more than double its estimate at public sale just months after his death. Michael Baggott, who labored on the BBC sequence from 2004 to 2018, died unexpectedly in January aged 51 after a coronary heart assault.

The late TV star was a recognised authority on vintage silver, specialising in early spoons, containers, provincial, and continental silver. and his rigorously curated items had been, therefore, extremely sought-after by collectors around the globe. According to public sale home Woolley & Wallis, his antiques collection included probably the most complete set of silver assessed by metallic testers in York to ever enter the open market. Among the highlights of the sale was a uncommon George III York silver tontine chamberstick and snuffer, by probably the most revered York Silversmiths of the late 18th and early nineteenth century, Hampston and Prince. “Tontines” had been well-liked in the 18th and nineteenth centuries and used to fund varied initiatives and silver was a method to take part in the scheme.

In complete, more than 150 tons bought with an anticipated determine of £60,000. However, the gadgets introduced in more than double that price as the collection bought for an spectacular £124,614.

The remaining 290 tons shall be bought at two later auctions, because of the impression that promoting your complete collection at once may have on the markets, the auctioneers stated.

Commenting on the public sale end result of half one of the collection on Thursday, Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, stated: “We have been so thrilled with the interest in Michael’s sale from worldwide collectors and every lot in the sale was sold. This is only part one of his collection with two more sales to follow and this selection achieved £124,614 against an expected figure of £60,000. The public view was very well-attended and everyone was extremely impressed with the variety and quality of his collection.”

He added that there was an “unprecedented amount of interest” in the collection, primarily from non-public collectors. “The main thing that brought people in was the fact that it was this rare collection of York silver,” he stated. “The reality that Michael in his collection has bought over 500 items of York silver is kind of a wow.”

As properly as silver from York, Baggott’s collection contains gadgets assessed in Liverpool, Chester, Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen.

The public sale home stated that he was a recognised authority on vintage silver, specialising in early spoons, containers, provincial and continental silver.

Baggott was born in Birmingham and his curiosity in antiques started at an early age.

Before becoming a member of Flog It!, he labored at Christie’s public sale home and was head of silver at Sotheby’s Billingshurst, before turning into a non-public guide.