
Flog It! star's collection of silver fetches £124,614 at auction
His collection is being auctioned across three sales. The first comprised a wide selection of York silver, as well as silver from Liverpool, Chester, Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen.
Among the highlights was a George III York silver tontine chamberstick and snuffer by Hampston and Prince, York silversmiths of the late 18th and early 19th century.
It sold for £8,190, including buyer's premium, against an estimate of £1,000-£1,5000.
A Victorian provincial ceremonial spade with the maker's mark of John Bell sold for £4,032 against an estimate of £1,000-£1,5000.
The spade is engraved with an armorial and inscribed: This spade was presented to the Lady Mayoress of York, Mrs W. Fox Clarke, on the occasion of her planting a tree in St. George's Field in commemorating the marriage of H.R.H the Prince of Wales with Princess Alexandra of Denmark, March 10th 1863.
Baggott was known for his knowledge of silver spoons, two of which were sold together for £819.
Another highlight was a George IV silver-gilt sideboard dish by Birmingham silversmith Edward Thomason, which sold for £5,040.
Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said: '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.'
Baggott's interest in antiques began in his early years, and he progressed to work in Christie's auction house and was head of silver at Sotheby's Billingshurst for a number of years, before becoming a private consultant.
Baggott was also a published author, having written An Illustrated Guide To York Hallmarks 1776-1858 and As Found: A Lifetime In Antiques.
He joined BBC daytime show Flog It! in the 2000s, and valued various silver objects.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Rio Ferdinand predicts Man Utd's Premier League finishing position as he makes transfer point
Manchester United are looking to bounce back following their worst-ever Premier League campaign last season, and Rio Ferdinand has revealed where he thinks his former team will end up in 2025/26 Rio Ferdinand is backing Manchester United to rocket up the Premier League table this season - but not quite into Champions League contention. The Red Devils endured a dismal 2024/25 campaign, finishing 15th in the table, just three places above the drop zone. Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the United legend took a cautiously optimistic stab at predicting where his former club might finish in 2025/26. "I'm going eighth. Seventh or eighth," he said, before adding an important caveat: "Revisit this if we get one or two more signings and I might change my answer." United have already bolstered their attack by signing Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and are looking to land a new centre forward before the window closes. After missing out on Liam Delap, Viktor Gyokeres and Hugo Ekitike - who joined Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool respectively - the club have now turned their attention to other targets. They've trimmed their shortlist down to two names: Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko. Both strikers are reportedly open to a move to Old Trafford, though no official approaches have been made yet. With Marcus Rashford loaned out to Barcelona and confidence in Rasmus Hojlund waning - amid speculation that he too could leave - the club are short on firepower. Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho are also expected to be offloaded, making attacking reinforcements a top priority. But there's a financial balancing act at play, particularly amid ongoing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) concerns. United have already spent £133.5million this summer - more than Manchester City and Tottenham, and just £2m shy of Arsenal's total outlay - and a big-money striker signing could push their expenditure close to the £200m mark. RB Leipzig are holding out for over £60m for Sesko, while Aston Villa are expected to demand a similar fee for Watkins. Slovenian international Sesko, who netted 21 goals in all competitions last season, had previously been in talks with Arsenal, though the Gunners ultimately pivoted to Gyokeres. Liverpool and Chelsea have since cooled their interest in the 22-year-old, but Newcastle remain in the hunt. The Magpies have identified him as their top target should Alexander Isak be sold to Liverpool. While Newcastle hope to retain their star striker, Isak is pushing for a move, casting doubt over his future at St James' Park. United, meanwhile, are not pursuing Isak, having been deterred by Newcastle's mammoth £150m valuation. Liverpool, however, are optimistic that the fee could be negotiated down due to the player's desire to leave. As for Watkins, United have long admired the 29-year-old, who netted 16 Premier League goals last term. Although he once described playing for Arsenal as his "dream" back in 2020, Gyokeres' arrival in north London makes that scenario unlikely - leaving United in pole position if they choose to make a serious move. United ended last season 19 points behind Brighton in eighth and a hefty 23 off Nottingham Forest in seventh - so they'll need to improve dramatically for Ferdinand's forecast to become reality. That said, 2024/25 was a major outlier: it marked the only time the club have finished outside the top eight in the Premier League era, with their last comparable slump being a 13th-place finish back in 1989/90.


Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool hijack Arsenal transfer after agreeing deal with Gary Neville and David Beckham
Liverpool are set to seal a transfer for a teenage prospect ahead of Arsenal despite the Gunners agreeing a fee for the player first this summer, ahead of the Reds Liverpool have agreed a deal with Salford City over a move for Will Wright. The Reds are set to beat Arsenal to the signing of the 17-year-old forward as they finalise talks with the player's representatives to get the transfer over the line. The Gunners agreed a deal with Salford earlier in the summer but now look to set their move hijacked. Arsenal were said to have first submitted a bid worth £250,000 plus add-ons for Wright, a figure greater than Liverpool's reported first offer of £100,000 plus add-ons. But the Merseyside club appear to have returned to win the race to continue a busy summer of transfer business. Wright is said to have favoured staying in the North West. The teenage made his Salford in January against Manchester City and went on to make two appearances in League Two for the club. Wright has regularly featured for the B team of the club, owned by Gary Neville and David Beckham. The plan is set to be for Wright to join up with Liverpool 's under-21s. Arne Slot has already seen seven players signed for his first team so far in his second summer in charge at Anfield however. Florian Wirtz has been the headline signing as Liverpool broke the British transfer record to land the German international. Slot has also added Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman as the club's spending approaches £300million. Liverpool are also set to see a significant departure in the shape of Luis Diaz. The Colombia international will sign a five-year deal with Bayern Munich after the teams agreed a £65million transfer. Diaz left Liverpool's pre-season tour to travel to Munich earlier this week after the Merseyside club agreed to the transfer over the weekend. The 28-year-old was left out of the Reds' friendly against AC Milan on Sunday. Slot has been pleased with the club's work in the market this far. "I think what I've also said is I'm really happy with the squad we had," said Slot. "That's what we also showed by not bringing in new players last season. Now we won the league, but you can see everywhere around us – in the Premier League but also we play in Europe so we want to achieve things there as well – that all of these teams try to strengthen their squads. "So, if you do the same as we did last year we will probably not be able to win it again. So, we have to improve – the players that are still here and we've tried to bring new energy in but also 'weapons', as you called it, and I think the players we've brought in have shown already in the few times we have trained together and the games we've played. Now let's wait how Hugo [Ekitike] is going to do that. Really pleased what we did until now, but already really pleased we kept the players that had an extended contract last season." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.


Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Liverpool minicab firm defeats Uber in Supreme Court
A Liverpudlian minicab company has won a David vs Goliath legal victory against Uber that means small taxi companies will not have to pay VAT on fares. The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that minicab drivers could trade directly with passengers, a legal position that means the vast majority of private hire trips will not incur the 20pc tax. Uber and other minicab firms in London have had to pay VAT on rides since the US company lost a High Court case in 2021. However, the situation was unresolved outside the capital, which is governed by different private hire laws. Uber had sought a legal declaration that all minicab operators should have to pay VAT, with the High Court ultimately siding with the US tech company on the matter. However, this was later challenged by Delta Taxis, a Liverpool-based minicab firm that has operated in the city since 1968. Delta warned that a victory for Uber would lead to a 20pc rise in fares and had positioned the battle as a 'David vs Goliath moment', accusing Uber of a 'cynical, heavy-handed attack against smaller, independent family-run businesses like ours'. The Merseyside company, which has around 2,000 drivers, had raised money for the case by crowdfunding along with Cardiff firm Veezu. They were also supported by Uber rival Bolt. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court upheld Delta's successful Court of Appeal challenge, meaning that small firms can keep operating without paying VAT. The decision is the latest legal setback for Uber, which has suffered defeats over the status of its drivers as well as its business model in London. The legal arguments centred around whether minicab firms could employ an 'agency' model, in which a passenger's contract is with the driver, or a 'principal' model, in which the passenger's contract is with the business. Under the former model, fares are generally not liable for VAT, since individual drivers do not tend to meet the £90,000 annual revenue threshold for paying the tax. The Supreme Court ruled that operators outside of London could employ either model. Uber and other minicab firms in London pay VAT under the principal model. The US company has applied this policy nationwide and said it would continue to do so despite the ruling. 'Time to level the playing field' An Uber spokesman said: 'The Supreme Court ruling confirms that different contractual protections apply for people booking trips in London compared to the rest of England and Wales. The ruling has no impact on Uber's application of VAT, which has been upheld twice by other courts.' Bolt, an Uber rival, called for legal changes to overturn VAT charges in London. Kimberly Hurd, its UK boss, said: 'We welcome the court's decision to uphold the agency model, a framework taxi firms and customers across the country have relied on for 50 years. 'It's time for a modern, consistent regulatory framework that levels the playing field for all operators, regardless of where they are.' Uber and Bolt have separately challenged HMRC over how VAT is charged on fares. The companies have argued that the tax should only be applied to a business's cut of fares, which is between 15pc and 25pc, while HMRC had argued it should be the entire fare. HMRC has stopped collecting VAT from Uber after Bolt won a legal victory against the tax authority in March, pending a ruling in Uber's separate case.