News

Welcome to the Website of David J Barby FRICS

Bargain Hunt and Flog It Antiques Expert

The above picture of David is available as a signed photo. If you would like one, please e-mail your details.

David has a regular spot on local radio. He appears on the Bob Brolly programme on BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. The show is on 94.8FM, 103.7FM AND 104FM, at 1 to 4pm weekdays, and David chats with Bob about antiques. (Check schedules). You can also listen via the BBC website, http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/local_radio/. It's a nice light hearted programme and well worth a listen.

On the 6th of October 2007, David conducted an auction on behalf of Cats Protection. It was their 80th anniversary and The Aristocats Ball was held at The Grand Hotel in Brighton. The auction which included a holiday for six in a French cottage and afternoon tea with Anne Widdecombe at the House of Commons, contributed to an overall amount of £17,000 being raised.

David in auction mode....

David at the champagne reception.

'Cats Protection was delighted to welcome David Barby to The Aristocats Ball to celebrate its 80th anniversary. His professionalism, good humour and love of cats resulted in a fantastic amount raised during our auction' Julie Sharpe, Events Organiser.

David will be giving a talk on Antiques For All at Mallory Court on the 18th of May 2007.

St Michael's Church in Stoney Stratton, are having a fund raising evening and David will be the guest speaker, on the 5th of May 2007. David will also be doing valuations.

Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs will be holding an Audience with David on the 17th of April 2007.

The event raised over £1200 for Warwickshire Youth Clubs.

David will be the speaker at An Evenings Entertainment With Antiques, at the Town Hall in Leamington Spa on the 3rd of March 2007. The evening is in aid of The Alzheimer's Society.

This month's (December 2006), edition of Collect It magazine has an article by David. He has written about Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge. Of all the auction rooms I have been to, I think this is one of the best. If you live in the area, it is well worth a visit.

David has been asked and has donated items for a Children In Need auction. The auction is being organised by Hedge End Council, Southampton, and takes place on CIN night, Friday 17th of November.

These are the two lots provided by David. A blue and white Coalport trio c1810, and a green and white Samuel Alcock trio, c1830.

David will be giving a talk at the Thurlston Ladies Club on the 13th of November, with proceeds from the evening going to charity.

Dogs for the Disabled will be holding an auction in Leamington Spa on the 13th of October, at which David will be the auctioneer.

The Lions Club International will be holding a district meeting on the 8th of October, at Stratford Manor Hotel. David will be the guest speaker.

On the 21st of September David will be giving a talk to the Soar Valley WI.

I received the following email from Christine, Group Secretary of the Soar Valley WI.

More members attended our group meeting this year than ever before and David certainly lived up to all expectations. As of the 21st September 2006 his fan club increased by 140. The ladies of Soar Valley group of WI's thought he was wonderful. A natural enthusiastic speaker, knowledgeable in his subject and in tune with his audience. He gave the impression that he wasn't there just as a speaker but to join in the fun and enjoy the evening as much as his audience. Not only did he give his talk , and then talk about the items that had been taken in, he drew the raffle for us and presented the competition trophy. Unlike many speakers, who always seem in a rush to leave at the end of the evening, David was happy to stay and talk to his new fans as they clamoured about him. Luckily his wife was there to rescue him and take him home.

As I have already said the meeting was by far the best we have had for a considerable time however it has left me with a problem. David has set the benchmark and its going to be difficult for me to improve next year. I am going to be hard pushed to find another speaker as good as David. He really was excellent. I attach a photograph taken on the night. It shows, left to right, myself as group secretary, David holding one of the items bought in by a member of his audience and Janet Owen, president of Cossington WI, who were the host institute.

David will be one of the experts at the Flog It valuation day in Twickenham, Middlesex on the 21st of May. It will take place at Twickenham Stadium in The Invincibles Suite. For pictures click here.

David will be the auctioneer at a Promises Auction for St Martin's In the Field church in Coventry. This is taking place on Saturday 1st April at 7.30pm. www.smitf.org.uk

The whole evening was a great success, raising over £2800 from bids made and £3700 overall.

7th April 2006 - Antique Dinner in association with DMG Antique Fairs. David will give a talk at the dinner and there will be limited opportunity for guests to have items valued. www.newark.gov.uk

David will be on of the experts at the Flog It in Corby on 5th March 2006. The venue is The Willows Arts Centre, George Street, Corby , Northants NN17 1QG

March 31st, David will be filming Bargain Hunt at Bigwood auctioneers with fellow expert, Philip Serrell. Bigwoods auction rooms are in Tiddington, near Stratford upon Avon.

Filming of Flog It has started again and David will be one of the experts at the first two of the year.

15th January 2006 - Wrexham Memorial Hall, Bodhyfryd, Wrexham, Clwyd LL12 7AG

22th January 2006 - The Coliseum, Watford WD17 3EX

29th October 2005, David was the auctioneer for a Charity Auction. It was to help raise funds for the St. Andrew's church organ appeal in Rugby, with the auction taking place at Lawrence Sheriff school. At which, incidentally, David was a pupil. But David's help was not just as auctioneer. There were over 300 lots, which David stored at his home and office. He catalogued them, and provided bid numbers and all the paperwork in order for bids to be registered. David also provided one of his own glass display cabinets to house the jewellery and silver. Everyone was having a guess at the total amount that would be raised on the night. Well, a bottle of wine was at stake here! But I'm not sure if anyone came close to the eventual figure of over £7000. Congratulations to all involved, and well done David.

Lots of goodies up for grabs, and all donated.

The serious side of the auction. But always time for a laugh!

David has been filming with Harry Hill. The series starts on Friday 21st October at 4.pm on ITV.

A week of Bargain Hunt live will be on from Monday 19th September 2005. David will be on Tuesday's programme which comes from Grantham, Lincolnshire, at 11.30 to 12.30.

24th September 2005, David will be giving a Master Class at the DMG antiques fair in Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

25th September 2005, David will be at the Flog It valuation day in Llandudno, North Wales.

Two more Flog It valuation days for David,

26th June, Durham Castle, Palace Green, Durham.

17th July, Town Hall, Parade, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. For pictures, click here.

Mallory Court Country House Hotel

David will be one of the experts at the Flog It valuation day at The Courtyard Centre for the Arts in Hereford, 5th June 2005. The auction will be at Philip Serrell's auction rooms in Malvern, 7th July.

Just like to say that I was at Malvern for the auction and had a really good time. Bought myself a couple of bargains too. Including a set of four Royal Copenhagen plaques, with classical motifs.

David will giving a Master Class at the Shepton Mallet DMG antiques fair on Saturday 7th May 2005. The fair opens at 8.30am and is £7.50 to enter. Or if you go after 9.30am, it is £5.00. The Master Classes don't usually start until about 11am.

David's friend and fellow expert, Philip Serrell is bringing out a book on his experiences as an auctioneer. The book is called An Auctioneers Lot, and the book's launch is 11th April. I expect there are a lot of stories to tell and I think the book should be a good read. All proceeds are in aid of the Acorn Hospice, near to where Philip lives.

David and Janet getting their copy signed at the book launch.

David will be on of the experts at the Flog It day at The Guildhall, Market Place, Salisbury, on 3rd April. For pictures click here.

Horrible History Fair!

Sunday 20th March 12pm – 4pm. Horrible History Fair – Life in Medieval times. The Point, Leigh Road, Eastleigh, Southampton.

David will be giving a talk at the above. There will also be students from the University of Southampton giving valuations, at which David is going to lend a hand.

11th February, David will be filming Bargain Hunt in Hungerford, Berkshire. The filming will take place around the shops and an antique hypermarket. So if you around town, keep a look out for those cameras!

22nd February, David will be at Mellors and Kirk auctioneers in Nottingham, for Bargain Hunt. For pictures click here.

The Flog It valuation day in Birmingham was televised on 25th January 2005. In the programme Kate Alcock, who was presenting, David and Philip Serrell donned Medieval attire. For those who missed it, here are some pictures from the show. More pictures of the valuation day appear on the Flog It Archive page.

David will be one of the experts at the Flog It valuation day in Lincoln on 9th January 2005. This will be at Lincoln Drill Hall, Free School Lane. For pictures, click here .

David has made a contribution to a Children In Need auction taking place on 19th November, organised by Hedge End Council in Southampton. He has signed one of his ties and a Pudsey Bear. Details of the auction can be found on the Councils website. www.hedgeendtowncouncil.co.uk.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Prime time Bargain Hunt shown on 17th November pitched the best four experts against each other. David and Philip Serrell, as the blue team, made a profit on all three items and finished with an overall profit of £110, beating the red team. The reds were James Braxton and Michael Hogben who made a profit on two out of three items and made an overall profit of £80. Thank you to all the experts for being good sports and an entertaining programme.

Well done David and Philip.

David regularly writes for The Rugby Advertiser. The item he talks about is one he sometimes uses in his talks. Here is his article that appeared in the paper prior to Armistice day.

Bargain Hunt Live 1st - 5th November.

David will be one of the experts on the Monday and Tuesday programmes from Golding's auction rooms in Grantham, Lincolnshire. For pictures click here.

14th November, David is going to be at the Flog It day at the Bedford Corn Exchange, St Paul's Square, Bedford. For pictures click here.

21st November, David will be doing valuations at Canons Ashby House in Northamptonshire. Tickets are £20 and include lunch.

26th September, David will be at the Flog It valuation day at the Potters International Hotel, Fleet Road, Aldershot. Click here.

1st-2nd October, Bargain Hunt is being filmed at the Peterborough Antiques Fair. David will be one of the experts.

7th October, David will be doing a talk at the Cornmarket Hall in Kettering Northants. This has been organised by the local WI and is advertised as an afternoon of antiques and tea at a bargain price of £10.50. It starts at 2pm.

10th October, David will be doing a talk for the Lions Clubs International, at The Corus Group Hotel, Homiley, near Warwick.

David with Alan and Karen James of The Lions Club International.

11th -15th October there are live daytime Bargain Hunt shows. Although David isn't an expert on any of them, he is the auctioneer on the Wednesday show from Folkestone. For pictures see Fan Page.

20th October, David will be filming the auction for the Flog It day recorded at Aldershot. The auction will be at The Auction Galleries, in Warnham, West Sussex. For pictures from Aldershot click here.

On the 15th of August David helped his friend and fellow Bargain Hunter, Michael Hogben at a valuation day. It took place at The Leas Cliff Hall in Folkstone. The valuation day was held to help raise funds to restore a clock tower in Folkstone. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Monday 12th July David will be doing a talk on antiques for The Mid-Warwickshire Antique Society. This will take place at the sports pavilion, University Of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry. 7.30pm for 8.00pm.

Saturday 31st July The Friends of St Edith's present an Antiques Evening with TV's David Barby with wine and canapés at St Edith's Church, Monks Kirby near Rugby, starting at 7.30 p.m.

David is doing a series of talks on antiques at the DMG fairs this year. Dates and places as follows:

Tuesday 6th April Newark. For report and pictures click here.

Wednesday 21st April Ardingly. For report and pictures click here.

Saturday 8th May Shepton Mallet. For report and pictures click here.

Saturday 24th July Detling. For report and pictures click here.

So if you want to learn a little more about antiques, why not go along and get some advice from The Master.

Friday 25th June.

David will be the auctioneer at the Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs' black tie dinner and auction at the Ardencote Manor, near Claverdon.

Treats on offer in bid to raise funds

THE chance to drive a Porsche Carrera, and to take a holiday in Scotland, are on offer in a fundraising bid to help build a home for youth services in Warwickshire.

There are many promises on offer and the proceeds will go towards the new WAYC headquarters at West Lea Road, Leamington, for which it needs to raise a further pounds 100,000. It has outgrown its current home.

Other items up for grabs are an autographed picture of Damon Hill, House of Commons merchandise, a Land Rover off-road driving experience, and the chance to brew and sample a real ale in a Warwickshire brewery.

The Scottish holiday is for 12 and on the Isle of Islay.

Mervyn Kimberley, chairman of WAYC, said: "The evening will be in delightful surroundings, and we have some unique "promises" on offer.

Tickets cost pounds 75 a pair.

WAYC works with young people and youth clubs in Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull and this year marks its 50th anniversary.

Filming dates for Bargain Hunt and Flog It!

17th and 18th April David will be filming Bargain Hunt in Norwich,Norfolk.

22nd April in Woburn at Charles Ross Auctioneers will be the auction for the Northampton Flog It recorded in February. For pictures from Woburn, click here.

27th April in Colwyn Bay will be the auction for the Flog It day recorded in Dolgellau in March.

30th May David will be one of the experts at the Flog It day at the Medina Leisure Centre in Newport on the Isle Of Wight. For pictures from the Isle Of Wight, click here.

20th June David will be one of the experts at the Flog It day at The Old Library, Gibb Street in Birmingham. For pictures, click here.

On the evening of 3rd April I attended a play performed by The Barby Players. See below. But earlier in the day David showed me a meat platter he had recently bought at auction. It was to be the focus of an article he was writing for the Rugby Advertiser. He said he thought he would start the article with "One evening recently at Rugby salerooms, two worlds collided becoming manifest in one small object". I said that sounded pretty good! Here is the rest of that article.....

On the 3rd April David, Janet and myself attended the last night of The Barby Players production of Respecting Your Piers. The Barby Players are based in the village of Barby in Northamptonshire. David is their Patron.

The Barby Players are an amateur theatre group but from scenery to costume to the actors themselves everything was carried out with real enthusiasm.

The play was funny, sad and thought provoking.

Thank you to Barbara for inviting me and well done to all The Players.

Thank you also to David and Janet for letting me stay overnight at their home to save me a late drive back to mine.

The very enthusiastic Barby Players.

With Barbara playing Cilla Black, second from the right.

You never know where David will appear next!! Although many of you will know that David doesn't live in Barby. Reporters!!!

The Rugby Observer.

TV expert to trace collection.

TV antiques expert David Barby has been called in to help solve the real-life disappearance of a £60,000 haul of collectables. The rare pieces, described as among "the most valuable in the Midlands" were taken from the home of 91-year-old collector James Park, in Canley last year.

Now Rugby's Mr Barby, who has appeared on top television shows Bargain Hunt and Flog It!, has been brought in by solicitors to determine the value of the precious antiques. The 58-year-old expert has a life-long love of antiques - his great-great grandfather was a clockmaker in Coventry. As former manager and auctioneer at Locke & England in Leamington, he knows Mr Park and thinks the burglary last November was well organised and targeted.

He claims whoever broke in to Mr Park's home knew what they were looking for, taking the best items and leaving anything which had been broken or repaired. Mr Barby said the most valuable pieces were porcelain figures and related items, with paperweights and silver also taken.

He said: "I would say that James had a major collection in the Midlands - one of the most substantial. Whoever took these items must have spent a lot of time on the premises or knew the pieces, and anything damaged or repaired has just been left behind."

Among the items were a £4,500-£6,000 figure by leading 18th century pottery figure Ralph Wood, depicting St George slaying the dragon. Another of the most valuable pieces was by The Bristol Factory, and worth £3,000-£5,000.

Mr Barby added: "There's English porcelain, Chelsea, Derby, and Bow figures, and he had a collection of Natgawr and Swansea pieces - which are all top-of-the-range items. You wouldn't be able to go into any shops and buy them, you would have to go to specialist shops, fairs and auction houses."

ic.Coventry, 24th February 2004.

Filming dates for January/ February 2004.

David will be filming Flog It valuation days in Derby, at the University of Derby on the 18th January and in Northampton on 15th February, at The Guildhall, St Giles Square. For pictures from Derby, click here. For pictures from Northampton click here.

Website created and managed by The Red Devil