David Barby 1949 - 2012 Antiques expert

We have just heard the sad news of the death of David Barby.

Familiar to a legion of TV antiques fans, David Barby has been a long running presenter and expert on many antiques TV programmes including Bargain Hunt, Flog It, Antiques Road Trip and more.

It seemed appropriate to write a small obituary - so with information gleaned online and with sincere condolences to his many friends and family, please accept our best wishes and sympathy.

David Barby was one of the highlights of the daytime TV antiques programmes. 

His flamboyant manner, a sense of fun, his famous stare accompanying the question

"Is that your best price?" Followed by his dead pan silence to some unfortunate antique dealer,.

Adding this to his wealth of knowledge and wit, made him one of the Bargain Hunt stars. It will not be the same without him.

David John Barby was born on 23^rd April 1949 in Rugby Warwickshire.

Becoming interested in antiques at around 12 years old, he went into this profession on leaving school and qualified at the age of 21 as a member of the Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers.

Originally, he was an auctioneer and worked for a local company in Rugby before leaving to work for a London firm in 1974.

He returned to the Midlands in 1978 when he was head hunted by Leamington Spa based auction house Locke and England and became a manager and valuer and later a partner of the firm.

He established his own valuation business in the 1990s. Called David J Barby and Associates, the company was based in Hilmorton - a small village just outside Rugby. 

He was actively employed in this business at the time of his death.

David Barby was a patron of the arts, raising money for Leamington Art gallery as well as undertaking charity work and fund raising for the Royal Leamington Spa rehabilitation hospital.

His TV career began in 2002 when he featured on the first ever episode of Flog In this show he appeared as the auctioneer but later his skills were deployed as a valuation expert, later appearing in the same role on Bargain Hunt.

A canny valuer and hard bargainer - delivering outrageously low offers in such a charming way it must have been difficult to resist, he soon became known as The Master on Antiques Road Trip. 

Earlier in the year he appeared on this show up against fellow antiques expert Charles Hanson.

No doubt his fellow experts and people he worked with on these TV shows will miss him and we will look forward to seeing a tribute to his life and career later in the year.

However, he will also be sadly missed by the millions of people who tune into Bargain Hunt each day - a show beloved by pensioners, students and people who work from home.

To many people, David Barby felt like a friend rather than remote celebrity and we shall miss his company.

David Barby suffered a stroke on the 13^th July and died a week later in Coventry hospital. He was 63 years old.

How to make profit on Antiques Road Trip

Mark Stacy and Anita Manning are the current competitors on the BBC TV show Antiques Road Trip.

Mark and Anita both trawl the local antiques shops trying to spot antiques that they think will have more value at an auction than the price they pay at the Antique shop.

There is some haggling, fixed grins and hands are thrown in the air until a deal is reached.

Then at the end of the show, the items are hauled off to Auction to see if they will make a profit.

The basic idea of this show seems the wrong way round to me. Going to Antique Shops to buy antiques and then selling the items back to an Auction House is the reverse of the way antiques traders work.

It's like going to Harrods for a chair and then selling it at a car boot sale!

In Bargain Hunt, a lunchtime programme featuring many of the same experts, two teams comprising of two shoppers and one expert buy from markets and antique fairs and then sell at Auction.

This at least gives them a chance of making a small profit. However, in reality, small profits of £2 -3 would probably not pay the auction house charges for selling the items.





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So how can you make this idea actually work for you?

Well you might not make a living at antiques and collectables, but you could certainly make a profitable hobby.

The experts on the antiques shows have a broad knowledge of the antiques market because of their experience and enthusiasm for the trade.

From expert Valuers like David Barby, to auctioneers like James Lewis, all the experts have inside knowledge of their business.

Every day they deal with the day-to-day business of buying, selling and valuing objects. This is ground level marketing and will lead to both experience and wisdom of the trade.

However, all of them have a specialist area where they have a detailed knowledge of their subject. A smaller range of items but very detailed.

This is how you too can become involved in antiques.

By choosing one small area of antiques, you can read and learn all you can from the front of a computer screen, books and by visiting local antiques shows and auction houses.

You can quickly gain the current values by checking auction sites like eBay against auction houses selling the same items.

You can find out about specialist auction houses and current trends in fashion.

It is easy to become an expert on your chosen subject by experiencing it from the internet, books and by talking to people involved in the business.

Most of all enjoy it! The important factor in this is you.

You must have an interest in the antiques you collect. You should like the items enough to want to have them in your own home.

If they end up in a box under your bed, you probably aren't that interested. Bargain Hunt expert James Lewis, specialises in snuff boxes. You can tell he loves the subject and he admits he has too many in his collection, but he always makes a profit because he knows his stuff!

Whatever your interest, you are not alone. If it is collectable, you'll find collectors somewhere wanting to buy it.

As long as you have a growing interest in your collecting hobby, your experience will gain and you should end up making small profits.

The Experts’ ability to understand all of these factors makes the difference on Antiques road trip

BBC Bargain Hunt - David Barby Biography

If David Barby had a motto it would be "Have Gavel Will Travel"!

David has been interested in the arts, and in fine furniture, all his life. His enthusiasm and experience are well known from his many TV and radio appearances.

During the last ten years he has been involved as an expert on BBC's Bargain Hunt and valuer on programmes as diverse as "20th Century Antiques Road Show", "Antiques Road Trip" and "Flog It".

He also hosts antique and fine art themed lectures and talks throughout the country and on cruise liners around the world.

David says,
"There is nothing more enjoyable than speaking to people with a common interest, sharing anecdotes and experiences of acquiring collections or endeavouring to build up enthusiasm for the subject".

David Samuel Barby was born on the 29th May 1948 in Derbyshire. Eldest of three children he has a younger brother John and his younger sister Caroline.

David’s first interest in antiques began when he was just 12 and he has continued to be fascinated with antiquities ever since.

His qualifications were gained by examination with the Society of Landed Property Agents in 1963 and he is now a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

After operating a Fine Art Saleroom in Leamington Spa for twenty five years, he decided to specialise in valuations and created his own company with the sole purpose of providing a service relating to various aspects of chattels.

With a natural curiosity for people, their possessions and the environment, nothing gives him greater gratification than entering a client's property and commencing on a voyage of discovery.

David gains a terrific amount of pleasure when examining an object and understanding the function within an historical and social context.

With over 30 thirty years behind the rostrum as a freelance auctioneer David Barby now sells at Morphets Saleroom in Harrogate at their fortnightly and fine art sales.