Antiques Road Trip star gobsmacked as simple household item makes record-breaking profit

In a sensational episode of Antiques Road Trip from 2021, BBC expert Paul Laidlaw struck gold when his seemingly modest find at an antique shop in Margate, UK, soared to a jaw-dropping £20,000 ($26,742) at auction.

Paul unearthed the rare gem of a camera priced at a mere £60 ($80.23) amidst a treasure-trove antiquities shop. Starting negotiations, he proposed, "In your cabinet over there, optical instrument....£75 ($100.28) on that I bid you £50 ($66.86)."

The proprietor stood firm, countering, "Give me £60 and I'll shake your hand but I'm not doing any better than that, I'm afraid."

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A handshake sealed the deal. With a good eye for value, Paul observed, "I think this is a very early camera. If I'm right, that could be quite exciting. The photographic market is very much in the ascent, it's a hot market, I think that's a good thing."

Upon Paul's arrival at the Bury St Edmonds auction in Suffolk, a rare discovery immediately piqued the interest of Edward Crichton who confessed he'd "never seen one" quite like it.

Edward expressed his astonishment: "The sub-miniature camera - I have never seen one, in fact, we have carried out some research and cannot find any other example which has sold at auction, we were very excited to see this and it has certain potential to make a significant profit."

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As the bidding commenced with a hefty £1,000 (£1337.10), it quickly surged by the thousand, leading Kate to remark, "They're not messing around," while Edward announced: "£3,000 ($4,011.30), £4,000 ($5,348.40)."

Observing the shift in bidding increments, Paul noted: "He's now taking £1,000 increments," and Kate pointed out: "Which is a very rare thing."

Kate and Edward briefed the crowd: "It's not a record price, a record price for a general sale is £15,000, for a home and interior sale £16,000. £17,000, £18,000, £19,000. £20,000."

The bids climbed until the hammer fell with the auctioneer confirming: "At £20,000 online, at £20,000 if we're all done, £20,000."

Astounded by the result, Paul couldn't hide his delight: "I'm over the moon. I am genuinely flabbergasted," and Edward added: "Most items in this sale make between £50 and £500, so £20,000 is staggering, wonderful,".

Kate was "chuffed" for Paul when a private collector in Switzerland snapped up the camera he had for £20,000, netting him a whopping profit of £19,940. This spectacular gain eclipsed the previous record set by Anita Manning, who purchased a Tibetan bronze deity for £50 and sold it for £3,800 back in 2016.

All profits from the series were donated to Children in Need.