Paul Laidlaw Biography – Paul Laidlaw Wiki
Paul Laidlaw is a Scottish auctioneer, known for his appearances on television game shows related to antiques.
He developed a career as an auctioneer, joining H&H Auction Rooms of Carlisle in 2002, and leaving in 2012 to set up his own auction house, Laidlaw Auctioneers and Valuers. His company offers specialist auctions to enthusiastic collectors.
He is a former BBC antiques expert and auctioneer. In 2006 he was filmed for the BBC Television show Bargain Hunt, conducting an auction. He was subsequently asked to screen test for the show, and now makes regular appearances as an expert advisor, where his role is to assist a team of two lay people in competition with another team, who aim to make the most money by buying antiques and collectables, then selling them at auction.
He is from Carlisle, which is a town located between Scotland and Lake District. Since 2013, he has owned Laidlaw Auctioneers and Valuers. He got into Bargain Hunt when the latter came to film with him as the auctioneer. He recalls how they set record profits. When they came back he was asked if he would consider screen testing as an expert on the programme. However, in his statement on the BBC website, he said, “It was the last thing I wanted to do (being shy of sticking my head above that particular parapet), but mindful of my mum’s advice that it’s better to regret having given something a go than not to have tried, I stepped up to the mark.”
He also makes regular appearances on the sister show Antiques Road Trip, competing in a similar fashion against another expert, one-to-one and appears in its celebrity spin-off version. He also appears on Flog It!, and has been a guest on For What It’s Worth. As of May 2021, he holds the record for the biggest profit on an item on Antiques Road Trip. In a 2017 episode, he purchased a Chambre Automatique De Bertsch sub-miniature camera for £60; it sold for a hammer price of £20,000, to a private collector in Switzerland. As with all profits on the show, the money made was donated to the charity Children in Need. In an earlier episode, screened in 2016, he purchased a Georgian drinking glass for £1, whose hammer price was £360.
He is a collector of arms and armour, Georgian glass, Georgian silver, books, netsuke, and watches. Apart from Antiques Road Trip, he has made appearances on BBC One’s Bargain Hunt and Flog It!, as well as Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Edinburgh with a view to working for NASA but he has had a passion for antiques since his childhood.
Paul Laidlaw Age
He was born in July 1967, in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. He currently lives in Carlisle.
Paul Laidlaw Wife
He is married to his wife, Maureen Laidlaw. They have three children.
Paul Laidlaw Children
He has three children. One daughter and two twin sons.
Paul Laidlaw Instagram
His official Instagram account is @laidlawauctions.
