BBC Bargain Hunt - Mark Stacey biography

http://www.markstacey.co.uk

Bargain Hunt Expert Mark Stacey is probably one of the most flamboyant characters on the BBC Bargain Hunt antiques show. 

The slow and clear vowels in his vocal delivery and strange (but unconnected) resemblance to another great bargain hunt expert David Barby have earned him the nicknames “Son of Barby” and “Wooooster.”

Mark Stacey was born in Neath, South Wales in 1964, where he grew up with his brother and two sisters. Later he moved to London where he started to work in the care profession.

However Marks interest in antiques began with his love for history where he found he had a passion for Blue and White transfer printed ceramics.

In London mark started his own successful antiques business before his expertise was noticed landing him a position in Bonhams Hove office in 1995. From here he moved to the auction houses of Sothebys specialising in ceramics and valuations for 5 years. 

(Mark has also been the Honorary Secretary of the “Friends of Blue”. The well known Ceramics collectors club).

Mark also worked for Hamptons/Dreweatt Neate Fine Art, where as well as being a successful valuer he was head of Decorative Arts, and was later made a Director.

But what of the man himself, I hear you ask?

Mark likes:

Ceramics, Lalique glass, theatre, and 50's and 60's collectables. He also has a passion for Spain where he likes to relax and read.

On his dislikes Mark has much to say!

There are so many but here are a few, BMW drivers, motorcycle riders who speed and push past you anywhere, rude people, bureaucracy, traffic lights that can always change to red when I get there, supermarket queues, my lottery numbers not coming up! . .

And on his resemblance to David Barby!

“He was a real "Father" figure to me when I filmed my first Flog It in Ipswich and no we are not related but he is an inspiration to us all.”

With over 20 years experience and his individual humour on Bargain Hunt, Flog it, Antiques Road trip and more recently Put your Money where your Mouth is Mark Stacey is a well known and high profile TV and Radio antiques expert.

For the last 15 years Mark has provided his services as an auctioneer and adviser to many charities within the UK and overseas, raising over £500,000 in the process.


Jackson's Hallmarks: English, Scottish, Irish Silver and Gold Marks from 1300 to the Present Day - Save £1.39 (20%) £5.56 from Amazon

This handy-sized guide is the most accurate and up to date on the market. and has been the bible for for scholars, dealers and collectors, selling in hundreds of thousands.

This edition contains complete cycles of silver marks for all the important Assay Offices, with variations shown for gold, platinum, Britannia Standard, import marks, etc, and has been updated to 1991 to include current assay marks.  See on Amazon UK

Anita Manning BBC bargain hunts most popular auctioneer

A recent poll carried out by this site has revealed that Anita Manning is by far the most popular antiques expert with viewers on BBC TV’s Bargain Hunt and Flog it.

This is a surprising result. The antiques experts are all generally popular and well liked so it was unexpected to see such an outright winner and by such a lengthy margin.

However, it is easy to see why! Anita Manning with her good-humoured warmth of character and a personality that literally leaps off the screen. Full of charm and wit, it seems that this irrepressible and stylish Scot has taken the TV public by storm.

So what is so special about Anita?

As a Bargain Hunt expert, she displays impeccable taste and seems to have a genuine desire to see her team win. Her good humour and obvious sense of fun make her seem like a truly nice person without being sickly or sentimental. Add this to her stylish taste, wealth of knowledge and enjoyment for the unusual and quirky object she sees the possibilities in the most bizarre or unassuming of objects.

As an auctioneer she is spell binding. Anita Manning transforms her auction room into real life theatre that makes her one of the best auctioneers to watch. She combines a persuasive and descriptive turn of phrase with extravagant gestures, sometimes standing up quickly when prices get particularly exciting, that brings a real buzz into the saleroom. Many other auctioneers can only envy this style.

What is not so usual about this result is that it seems that contrary to current BBC thinking. With the generally accepted BBC viewpoint that women over the age of 40 are not suitable for TV. Anita is another woman who has certainly bucked this trend.


Jackson's Hallmarks: English, Scottish, Irish Silver and Gold Marks from 1300 to the Present Day - Save £1.39 (20%) £5.56 from Amazon

This handy-sized guide is the most accurate and up to date on the market. and has been the bible for for scholars, dealers and collectors, selling in hundreds of thousands.

This edition contains complete cycles of silver marks for all the important Assay Offices, with variations shown for gold, platinum, Britannia Standard, import marks, etc, and has been updated to 1991 to include current assay marks.  See on Amazon UK

BBC Bargain Hunt - Charles Hanson biography

Charles Hanson has been on BBC's Bargain Hunt for 9 years, he has also been on two series of the Antiques Road Trip and appearances on Flog it!

He was born in Derby and has a younger brother and Sister John and Caroline.

His interest in antiques began quite young, firstly with general history and later with archaeology.

Charles enjoyed visiting National Trust properties in his teens and this was when his interest in antiques began to take hold.

When he was ten he went to a local jumble sale in aid of his primary school and bought a porcelain figure for 50 pence. Charles sold it at an auction where its sale price was £180!

During his school holidays and throughout his mid teens Charles became a tour guide at Kedleston Hall a neo-classical mansion near Quarndon in Derby.

Charles Hanson then went on to gain his MRICS and began his career at Christies the London auctioneers. During this period he worked in the European Ceramics and Glass Department.

He has since worked in fine art auction houses in Cheshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire as a general valuer and gaining valuable experience in his chosen field.  He is now the Director of Hansons Auctioneers in Derby.

Charles recently got married this year to Rebecca Ludlam in Mackworth, Derbyshire.


Jackson's Hallmarks: English, Scottish, Irish Silver and Gold Marks from 1300 to the Present Day - Save £1.39 (20%) £5.56 from Amazon

This handy-sized guide is the most accurate and up to date on the market. and has been the bible for for scholars, dealers and collectors, selling in hundreds of thousands.

This edition contains complete cycles of silver marks for all the important Assay Offices, with variations shown for gold, platinum, Britannia Standard, import marks, etc, and has been updated to 1991 to include current assay marks.  See on Amazon UK

BBC Bargain Hunt - Kate Bliss biography

Kate Bliss is known to many from her appearances as an expert on BBC's Bargain Hunt.

Kate really does live and breathe the world of Antiques.

Kate admits to being a self-confessed antiques fanatic. Even when she holidays with her husband Jonathan, the couple often duck into a local antique or junk shop and buy something they don’t need!

Kate grew up in Hampton Bishop and then Dorstone at the head of the Golden Valley in Hereford.

Immersed in antiques from an early age while helping in her father’s saleroom, Kate did a stint of work experience at what was then Russell, Baldwin and Bright Auctioneers, where her father had also served his apprenticeship.

Bitten by the antiques bug she didn’t look back. She left the county for only three short years to study English Literature at Oxford before moving back to her rural roots to work where she feels most at home.

Kate says:
“I was green to the commercial side of things but it was the love of the objects that attracted me to the antiques business and auction houses are a great place to learn.

You’re at the sharp end of the market, handling different things every day and researching them. I love learning about the history and craftsmanship of these beautiful things and you get a real buzz conducting an auction up on the rostrum.”

After gaining over seven years experience on the rostrum, Kate specialised in jewellery and silver and became a fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain and is also an appointed Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain

Kate made her television debut after being spotted by the Bargain Hunt crew when they visited Brightwells auction house to film an episode of the programme, then presented by David Dickinson.

“It came completely out of the blue. While at Oxford I thought about going into either fine art or the media and it is quite uncanny how I now combine the two.” She says.

Kate says:
“I’m dumbstruck Bargain Hunt has carried on so long. When I started I thought it may last a couple of months. Tim Wonnacott (the show’s current presenter) who is a good friend of Kate’s has really helped to keep the viewing figures high.”

Kate has appeared on Flog It! Bargain Hunt, Antiques road trip, and Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

In 2003 she set up her own antiques and fine art valuation business, Kate Bliss Valuation, based in Hereford, which she combines with her regular television appearances.



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BBC Bargain Hunt - David Harper Biography

David Kingsley Harper (born 1967) is a British TV antiques expert and published writer.

He is an expert on BBC's Bargain Hunt; Put your Money where Your Mouth Is, Cash in the Attic and The Antiques Road Trip.

He has featured on Through the Keyhole, Ready Steady Cook and presented pieces for The One Show, Inside Out and Country file Summer Diaries.

Although David is from the north of England and lives in Teesdale in South Durham, he also spent several years growing up in Africa and went to school in Zimbabwe.

From the age of 18, David spent 20 years self employed in Business. In his time, he has owned and run many businesses from printing companies to property developing - in fact since the age of 18 he’s been self employed.

In this time he has in fact had one job in the corporate world, where, because of his antique expertise was offered the position of sales director of a Thai/UK PLC company which imported antique style rubber wood furniture from the far east.

At 25, David was one of the youngest sales directors of a PLC in Britain.

David found his way into TV through his lifelong passions for antiques and classic cars. His first TV role was in 2005 as presenter of Channel 4's Natural Born Dealers.

Since then David has presented shows for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 including Country file, Inside Out, Bargain Hunt, The Heaven & Earth Show, The One Show, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and Natural Born Dealers. He’s also appeared on Celebrity Ready Steady Cook and has been featured on Through the Keyhole.

Antiques have always been David’s passion and he has been an antique dealer for more than 20 years, working with collectors, dealers and designers from all over the world, exhibiting at international top end fairs, writing for newspapers and magazines and buying for private and corporate clients.

He’s bought and sold individual items from a few pounds to tens of thousands of pounds. David has over 40 internationally published antique articles to his credit and has an antique shop in the historic market town of Barnard Castle in County Durham (home of the Bowes Museum)

David Harper Antiques.

BBC Bargain Hunt - Anita Manning Biography

Classy Scot Anita Manning is a long term expert on BBC's Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road trip and Flog it.

Her infectious enthusiasm for her subject has made her an ambassador for the antiques profession.

Anita's always been interested in antiques, and has been buying and selling them for forty years. She runs an auction house in Scotland with her daughter Lala.

Anita's specialist area is paintings, and her favourite era is 20th Century Scottish contemporary artists.

Anita Louisa Manning was born on the 1st December in Glasgow.
Growing up in the 50s and 1960s Anita Manning was not a fan of the contemporary design and trends and preferred the Victorian look and feel of her grandparents’ house.

As a child her father used to take her to the auctions. She grew to love this environment with its treasures, excitement and its sense of theatre

Anita enjoyed finding and wearing stylish 20, 30,s and 40,s clothes to go out in at the weekends,

Anita Says: “I need colour in my life”.

In 1988 her skill at both buying and selling antiques led her to establish Great Western Auctions Ltd in Glasgow and was probably Scotland’s first female Auctioneer.

Anita was made for this stage; she has not been labelled the 'Golden Gavel' without cause. The toast of the Fred McAuley Show (every morning on Radio Scotland) she puts her talents to good use.

Anita Pulls in the punters and makes the auction user friendly and pure theatre.

Anita says:
“There has been an elimination of the rarefied atmosphere of the bigger auction houses”. You can relax and enjoy the sale and bid for anything from a box of pots from a house clearance to a Georgian Bureau”.

Spend a fiver or five thousand - you will always go away happy and be back for more.



Jackson's Hallmarks: English, Scottish, Irish Silver and Gold Marks from 1300 to the Present Day - Save £1.39 (20%) £5.56 from Amazon

This handy-sized guide is the most accurate and up to date on the market. and has been the bible for for scholars, dealers and collectors, selling in hundreds of thousands.

This edition contains complete cycles of silver marks for all the important Assay Offices, with variations shown for gold, platinum, Britannia Standard, import marks, etc, and has been updated to 1991 to include current assay marks.  See on Amazon UK

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.

BBC Bargain Hunt - Tim Wonnacott Biography

Tim started attending auctions from a very tender age, watching his father conduct sales for the family firm during the school holidays.

His first experience of auctioneering (selling the contents of a kitchen at the end of a farm sale) when aged around 16 or so, led him to pursue a career as a professional in the auction and property business.

Qualifying as a Chartered Auctioneer and Chartered Surveyor enabled him to gather considerable experience in the provinces, but in order to further his interest in the field of Fine Art auctioneering; he was inevitably drawn to London.

Following a post-graduate course at the V & A’s study centre for the Fine and Decorative Arts, he joined Sotheby’s in London in 1978, becoming a junior Director in 1983 and full Director in 1985.

In September 1998, he was appointed Chairman of Sotheby’s South saleroom in Sussex and in 2001, became Chairman of Sotheby’s new saleroom at Olympia in London, dual roles which he held until January 2003.

Tim started his career at Sotheby’s nearly 25 years ago in London, working principally in the Furniture Department.

His main area of expertise lies in this field, but over the last twenty years with Sotheby’s, he developed a considerable breadth of experience throughout the decorative arts, including clocks, barometers, 19th century sculpture and works of art, ceramics and silver. He has conducted auction sales throughout the United Kingdom, North America and such far flung places as India!

Tim is now very well known as master of ceremonies and expert on BBC's Bargain Hunt.

Tim has helped many Charities over the years to raise money at auction, the most successful of which was the London ‘Cow Parade’ auction held in autumn 2002, which raised over £400,000 for Childline!