Have you ever wondered what goes on at an auction or wanted to improve your buying and selling skills? In this new book, the star of Auction Manand regular on the BBC’s Bargain Hunt, takes an insider’s look at what really goes on at auctions and antique fairs, sharing his tricks of the trade to help you build your confidence and achieve success.
Looks at what really goes on at auctions and antiques fairs. This guide teaches buyers the vital tricks of the trade, including how to bid, understanding commission charges and estimates, how to spot fakes, how to haggle and how to anticipate changing trends. It is useful for anyone even thinking about buying or selling antiques.
Born in Ford Road in Folkestone, Kent, Michael Hogben's mother died when he was five leaving him and his brother with their father. Hogben purposefully failed his Eleven plus examination to attend the same school as his brother.
After both brothers had graduated from school, Hogben's father decided to emigrate to Australia leaving the two boys to fend for themselves. Hogben left school at 15 to work in a shop, and within a year was running one himself. Aged 17 Hogben came into a small inheritance, which he invested in opening a fashion boutique called "Mickey Finn" (named after a drug-laced drink), which over the next ten years he expanded with outlets over Kent and South London. He also invested in Kent's first wine bar – "McCartney's" – in Dover.
Having briefly studied art, Five years later he opened his own auction house in Folkestone, which then traded for the next fifteen years until he sold it in 2004.
