Bargain Hunt star details huge profit Prince Charles’ toast made

Auctioneer Charles Hanson discusses the difficulties of auctioning

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Charles Hanson will be a familiar face with viewers as he began his Bargain Hunt career almost 20 years ago. He also regularly appears on the BBC programme Antiques Road Trip, and when he’s not busy filming, Charles runs his own auction room called Hanson’s Auctioneers. Over the years, the antique expert has been presented with hundreds of unique and rare finds ranging from a letter from Lord Nelson to Queen Victoria’s bloomers.

However, in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, the 44-year-old remembered being presented with a rather bizarre royal item.

Speaking about his career highlight, Charles began: “We were selling a piece of toast for Prince Charles on his wedding day…he couldn’t eat.

“When my client’s mother cleaned his breakfast tray in July 1981 on his wedding day, he left that piece of toast.”

“When I saw that piece of toast, my response was, ‘Crumbs’,” he joked.

In the end, Prince Charles’ piece of uneaten toast went for a staggering £800 at auction.

Another career highlight for the expert was when he valued a rare Chinese vase.

He continued: “My highlight was a Chinese vase we found in a house in Birmingham.

“It was Aunt Beryl’s vase, which was given to our client in 1976.

“They had no idea of value, and I went to the house and met the two grandchildren who held the vase out for me.

“I said, ‘Be careful put it down.’ I thought it might make £50,000 and it made £700,000.

Charles may run a successful auction house nowadays, but back when he first started, he admittedly made a few mistakes.

The expert explained ever since he was a child, he had a love and passion for antiques and history.

After his parents bought him his very own metal detector, his passion grew, and he ended up studying history and art at university.

The Bargain Hunt star recalled how he worked for a couple of businesses when he graduated, before branching out on his own.

However, at the very beginning, not everything went according to plan.

“When I was 27 years old, I wasn’t married had no dependents and I made a few mistakes,” Charles admitted. “But you learn and you build it slowly, and slowly it grew.

“I am humbled because you never forget how hard it is to build that base and how you can be knocked.”

Despite having a love for art and history, Charles explained at the beginning he wasn’t confident when it came to the “business side” of his auctioneers.

“Chasing debtors and doing all of that, I was out of my depth,” he added.

“But I had a colleague who worked for me three days a week, and that helped my business.”

Bargain Hunt is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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