Scouring charity shops for the best bargains can be exhausting when items all look the same - making it hard to tell apart the tat from the treasure. But expert auctioneer Charles Hanson has helped shoppers dig out the more valuable items that are worth far more than their ticket price.
The 44-year-old TV personality, who can spot the best buys instantly, has been tasking his Twitter followers with finding the valuable item hidden in plain sight by posting the shelf photos, taken in charity shops all across Derbyshire. The items had been on sale for £1.50 to £4 - but were actually worth up to £100 at auction.
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One shelf, which he browsed last Saturday, shows an assortment of donated items, but Charles discovered a late Georgian tooled and gilt Morocco leather box, circa 1810. It only cost the auctioneer a couple of pounds but actually has an estimated value of £50-70.
In the week before, Charles came across a chipped 'Chinese 18th-century porcelain tankard' dating back to 'Emperor Qianlung 1735-99' - with an estimated value of £70-100.
He spotted it hidden on the bottom shelf in a charity shop, again costing only a couple of quid.
Other discoveries include a 1930s Shelley vase worth £40-60, sold for just £1, an Edwardian Christmas sweet tin, and a silver sugar castor from 1913.
Charles tweets his 'Track the Treasure' quiz every weekend, and it has gained him 10,000 new followers in a month.
Charles, who owns Hansons Auctioneers in Derby, said: "I have had an amazing response to my 'Track the Treasure' quiz on Twitter – and gained thousands of new followers.
"It’s all down to everyone’s ensuring fascination with antiques - plus most people like a good quiz challenge.
"It started when I was in a charity shop in Derby with my children this summer and spotted quite an ugly brown Shelley vase on the shelf.
"It stuck out like a sore thumb to me. I bought it for £1 and decided to take a photo of it on the shelf surrounded by other objects.
"It just struck me that it might be fun to ask my Twitter followers if they could 'Track the Treasure'.
"I’ve always loved charity shops and pop into them if ever I’m passing and have a few minutes to spare.
"I can’t say I visit on a weekly basis as I am so busy running my business. However, due to the popularity of the Twitter quiz, I’m trying to visit charity shops more.
"I’ve been amazed by the response. My first 'Track the Treasure' post had more than 400 likes and hundreds of people guessed which item was the potential treasure.
"It caused such a stir that I thought I must try to do this again. People like it so much that I have picked up 10,000 new Twitter followers in less than a month!"
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