Latest news with #MichaelBaggott
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Flog It! antiques expert Michael Baggott's silver set to be sold
A collection of York silver belonging to late Flog It! antiques expert Michael Baggott could be the "most comprehensive" set to be sold publicly, an auctioneer has who worked on the BBC series, died earlier this year aged 51, after a heart antiques collection, expected to sell for more than £200,000, includes an extensive selection of silver assessed by metal testers in York."It includes over 550 pieces from the late 17th Century to the closure of the [York] assay office in 1858," Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said. "The Baggott collection is probably the most comprehensive collection of silver assayed in York ever to come on to the open market," Mr Slingsby also includes items assessed in assay offices in Liverpool, Chester Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen. According to the auction house, highlights of the collection include a rare George II provincial mug, a Victorian novelty Jester pepper pot and a George IV gilt sideboard was born in Birmingham and his interest in antiques began at an early worked at Christie's auction house and was head of silver at Sotheby's Billingshurst, before becoming a private consultant, known as an authority on joined BBC daytime show Flog It! in the early 2000s, and valued various silver programme showed members of the public having their antique items appraised by experts before being given the option to sell them at auction, but it was axed amidst BBC One daytime schedule changes in this year, the head of BBC daytime and early peak commissioning, Rob Unsworth, described Baggott as one of the show's "most memorable characters".He was an "expert in all manner of collectables but in particular with unrivalled knowledge and enthusiasm for antique spoons and silver", Mr Unsworth added. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Flog It! expert's collection ‘most comprehensive set of York silver to be sold'
A collection belonging to late Flog It! antiques expert Michael Baggott could be the most comprehensive set of silver tested in York to come up for public sale, an auctioneer has said. Baggott's death aged 51 in hospital after a heart attack, which followed a stroke in October, was announced earlier this year. The collection, expected to make more than £200,000, comprises hundreds of lots, including an extensive selection of York silver, as well as items assessed in assay offices in Liverpool, Chester, Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen. Highlights include a George IV gilt sideboard dish from Birmingham silversmith Sir Edward Thomason, with an an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000; a rare George II provincial mug by Liverpool silversmith Benjamin Brancker, with an estimate of £1,500-£2,000; and a Robert Hennell-produced Victorian novelty Jester pepper pot dating from 1868, with an estimate of £1,000-£1,500. There is also a tankard by Benjamin Cartwright, who was London-based, which could go for between £1,500 and £2,000, and a rare George IV provincial Gibson-type medicine spoon, which was named after the doctor who designed them, with an estimate of £600 to £800. Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said: 'The Baggott collection is probably the most comprehensive collection of silver assayed in York ever to come on to the open market. 'It includes over 550 pieces from the late 17th century to the closure of the (York) assay office in 1858.' Another item is a George IV silver-mounted naval snuff box, bearing the words 'Made of the wood from Northern Discover Ships by Michael Jones at Deptford, 5th May 1824', which is believed to be a reference to 16th-century English vessels sent to find a northern sea route to Asia. Baggott, born in Birmingham, was an authority on antique silver, specialising in early spoons, boxes and provincial and continental silver. His 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 early 2000s, and valued various silver objects. Earlier this year, the head of BBC daytime and early peak commissioning, Rob Unsworth, described him as as one of Flog It!'s 'most memorable characters', and an 'expert in all manner of collectables but in particular with unrivalled knowledge and enthusiasm for antique spoons and silver'. The Antiques Roadshow-style programme – which saw members of the public having their antique items appraised by experts before being given the option to sell them at auction – began in 2002. The corporation announced in 2018 that the series was being axed in a shake-up of BBC One's daytime schedule. The Baggott sale begins on July 15 at 10am. The estimates do not included buyer's premium, which the auction house said was 26% on top of sales.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michael Baggott, expert on antique silver who valued objects on BBC TV's Flog It!
Michael Baggott, who has died after a heart attack aged 51, was an authority on antique silver and one of the most recognisable of the team of experts on the BBC daytime antiques show Flog It!. The 45 minute-long programme, which was hosted by Paul Martin, ran for 17 years and more than 1,000 episodes from 2002 and saw members of the public have their treasured possessions valued. Unlike its rival Antiques Roadshow (on which it often seems to be de rigueur for owners to insist that they would 'never' sell their family heirlooms), Flog It! had no qualms about appealing to the profit motive. People were invited to bring along objects that they might be interested in selling, then asked to decide whether they wanted to put them up for auction based on the valuation given by the experts. The owners and experts (who put their reputations on the line with their valuations) were then filmed biting their nails as the items went under the hammer. Baggott joined the Flog It! team in 2004 and did not confine himself to valuing silver. In 2012, when the show visited Normanby Hall in Lincolnshire, he was called on to examine a collection of what the owner believed was African tribal art, which he valued at £200-£400. When the collection went to auction with a reserve price of £150, it turned out to be Aboriginal, and to contain a rare Broad Shield. It was bought for £30,000 by the Sydney Museum of Primitive Art. 'During the auction it quickly became clear that I'd missed something, but I wasn't sure what it was at that point,' Baggott recalled. 'I just liked the items and thought they were unusual, that's why I selected them for filming at the valuation day. This is what antiques are all about though, you can't be an expert on everything and you never stop learning, from this experience I certainly learnt a lot.' Flog It! was axed by the BBC in 2018 to make way for a 'new generation' of daytime programming. Michael Baggott was born in Birmingham on April 18 1973, the son of a butler and sometime wholesale market trader. According to a self-published memoir, As Found: A Lifetime in Antiques, the 'highlights' of his childhood included 'nearly dying on a pedalo in Menorca, nearly dying walking down Spaghetti Junction in the snow, nearly dying walking with Dad along disused sections of the Birmingham canal network', before 'something far more dangerous happened to me, I was accidentally introduced to the world of Antiques.' He saved up £22 in school dinner money to buy his first antique, a Chester silver Vesta case, and went on to take a degree in fine arts valuation at the University of Reading. During vacations he worked at the auction house Christie's, and after graduation he joined Sotheby's, where he ran the silver department for four years before becoming a freelance consultant and dealer in antique silver. He had a passion for early silver spoons and carried out research into provincial British silver, publishing An Illustrated Guide to York Hallmarks 1776-1858 and contributing to The Finial, the journal of the Silver Spoon Club of Great Britain. He recalled the highlight of his time on Flog It! was 'handling a silver trophy made as an award by Fabergé for the best car of 1924'. Baggott maintained an active presence on social media platforms, sharing news about his professional interests and his struggles with his weight. In January last year, responding to a hoax report of his death, he reposted the offending article with the words: 'The truth is it's the 'Vintage Specialist' bit that really hurts...' In October, however, he suffered a major stroke which left him bedbound in hospital. Michael Baggott was unmarried. Michael Baggott, born April 18 1973, died January 26 2025 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Flog It! star dies aged 65
Flog It! Star Michael Baggott has passed away aged 65. The antiques expert, who was a regular feature on the BBC series, died in hospital on Monday following a heart attack. A statement posted on his social media accounts read: "Heartbroken to share that Michael died yesterday in hospital of a heart attack following a stroke in October. "He was a dearly loved son, brother, nephew and uncle who will be deeply and profoundly missed," it continued. "There will be a memorial service in the coming weeks, the details of which will be shared here." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Michael Baggott (@baggottsilver) The news of his passing comes after it was announced that he had been hospitalised in October after a stroke. Friends and colleagues in the industry paid tribute to Michael in the comments. Antiques Road Trip star Timothy Medhurst was among those paying tribute: "Such a sad post to see, an oracle of knowledge - always happy to give a youngster in the business kind opinions on my (probably basic) questions without any hesitation." Mark Stacey, antiques dealer expert on , Flog It! and Antiques Road Trip, tweeted: "Very sad news. I've known Michael for over '25 years' when we both worked for sothebys. I will always remember his love, knowledge of antiques, which he readily shared, my deepest sympathies to his family, rest in peace Michael no doubt with a silver spoon." In early December, Michael left fans worried after posting on social media from a hospital bed. The antiques specialist told fans that he had been bed-bound in hospital for five weeks after his stroke, and was feeling hydrated "at last". He also let fans know that he was feeling "happier" and "more hopeful", thanking everyone who sent him a message. His final social media post was on December 29 last year, when he criticised an episode of Antiques Roadshow for inaccuracy: "Expert: I can see these [don't] London in 1758. Well he must've had a [explicit] time machine because they've got the date letter for 1762 struck on them. "You can get away with this [explicit] when I'm dead, not before," he jested. Michael, the son of a wholesale market trader, was one of the most recognisable faces on BBC One's Flog It!. During his career, he worked at auction house Christie's while still a university student, and led Sotheby's southern silver department for four years before becoming a private consultant. Michael appeared regularly on the show before the BBC ended the show in 2018, after a 17-year run. The series, hosted by Paul Martin, had broadcast over 1,000 episodes before it was scrapped to make room for new commissions aiming to 'modernise' the daytime schedule.
