AN auctioneer has stumped Twitter users by asking them to guess which item in his collection is worth a fortune.
Charles Hanson – known for digging out valuable items for low prices on BBC’s Bargain Hunt – set the challenge to help people identify £1.50 bargains that could be worth up to £100 at auction.
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The 44-year-old antiques expert found items including an 18th-century Chinese tankard – worth around £70 – and a 1930s Shelley vase worth between £40 and £60.
Both these items, among others, were piled amongst the tat in Derbyshire charity shops and bought for just a couple of quid.
He tweets his “Track the Treasure” quiz each weekend, asking users to identify the valuable item hidden in the photo.
The game has gained him an extra 10,000 followers in a month.
It started after he spotted the Shelley vase when visiting a charity shop with his children.
“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”
On the success of the quiz, Charles says: “It’s all down to everyone’s ensuring fascination with antiques – plus most people like a good quiz challenge.
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“I’ve always loved charity shops and pop into them if ever I’m passing and have a few minutes to spare.”
The TV star runs his own auction house in Derby and regularly hunts around the local charity shops for hidden gems.
He plans to carry on tweeting the quiz but can’t guarantee it “on a weekly basis” as he has to run his own business.
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