BBC One – The Bidding Room
Our very own Jane Cave (Deco Cave) joins Nigel Havers and a group of dealers to bid for extraordinary items bought in by the public in this new BBC One TV series. Each expert attempts to outbid the others to secure an interesting item at a great price!
From a wondrous old mill, deep within the rolling hills of the Yorkshire countryside, Nigel welcomes people with an item they’d like to sell. First, he introduces the seller to The Bidding Room’s resident valuation expert Simon who has more than thirty years’ experience as an auctioneer. Simon will examine the item and tell the would-be seller all about its key selling points before valuing it. All this advice will help the sellers know how best to sell their item when they come face to face with five eager dealers – all ready to spend their own money.
The dealers have no idea who is going to walk in or what they’ve brought in to sell. When the seller enters the bidding room, they’ll present the item to the dealers who then try to work out what it might be worth. It’s the seller’s opportunity to talk up the item in the hope of pushing up the potential bids, without giving away Simon’s valuation.
Then it’s on to the bidding – a high stakes, tense game of bluff and double bluff. The dealers bid against each other; the more of them who bid, the higher the price will go. The seller will try to push them up as far they can – hopefully without giving away any idea of the price they might sell at. It’s a real battle of wits, as the dealers will not want to give too much away either!
As the bidding progresses, each dealer will have an idea about what they’d prefer to pay for the item – so if the bids go beyond that, they’ll drop out. One by one, the dealers stop bidding until there’s just one left. The seller can then decide if the final price offered by the last remaining dealer is high enough for them to sell. Can they keep a straight enough poker face to get the dealers up to the highest possible price? Will that be enough to tempt them to sell?
The series starts on Monday 8th June, BBC One 3.45 pm
…and don’t forget to pop along to see us at Bayfield Hall Antiques & Interiors to check out Jane’s bidding successes…