Antiques aficionado Charlie Ross, known from Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip fame, is gracing BBC One once more, dispensing his expertise on all things collectible. The record-breaking maestro of the gavel didn’t always mix it with mantiques and memorabilia, initially training at a humble estate agent’s office before diving into the world of livestock auctions dealing in chickens and turkeys.
Ross’ journey took him from poultry to prized antiques, leading to the establishment of his own auction house near Milton Keynes. Not just a household name in the UK, he’s also made waves across the pond, famously presiding over prestigious vintage car auctions in Pebble Beach, California and Scottsdale, Arizona with Gooding and Company.
His auctioneering prowess reached a high point with the sale of a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype fetching an eye-watering $16 million back in 2011.
In an interview with Express.co.uk, the beloved Bargain Hunt expert mused over his tenure and the thoughts of hanging up his auctioneer’s hammer, quipping: “I think as long as I enjoy it I will carry on doing it, and as long as I am wanted to do it. As long as no one says ‘Who is that boring bugger? We don’t want him anymore’.”
Although ambition once steered him towards a career in dentistry, his failure to ace the medical school exams charted a new course. With no familial ties to antiques, it was a fateful visit to a Buckingham auction room that sparked his enduring love affair with auctioneering, reports the Express.
Never lacking in verve, the spirited Charlie Ross has no desire to slow down, emphatically stating: “I’m always full of energy so I have no plans to retire. Onwards and upwards.”
“I’m extremely lucky and privileged to be on the show.”
Outside his professional life, Charlie is hitched to his spouse Sally, and they’re parents to their kids, Charlotte Macdonald and Olly Ross.
Grandad to four, he cherishes time with grandkids Finn and Max Macdonald, as well as Ana and Zac Ross.
The treasure-hunter has made his home in the vicinity of Bicester, just beyond Oxford, since 1981.
