An Antiques Road Trip auctioneer left the room howling with laughter after mocking a £17 item to encourage bidders to jump in.
In the episode, which aired on BBC1 on March 7, antique experts Izzie Balmer and Ishy Khan took a trip through the Penines searching for items that could make them soaring profits at auction.
The pair collected everything from ‘afternoon tea’ glassware and fishing tackle to a nutcracking croc.
READ MORE: Celebrity Antiques Road Trip star gutted after jaw-dropping loss on purchase
But the mixed bag of items got mixed results at auction – with bidders in the room needing some encouragement from the auctioneer to splash some cash.
One of the items, which initially had customers on the fence, was a Squirrel Cage Swift – or as the antique dealer labelled it an “old wool winder thingy”.
Ishy explained: “How it would work is you’d have yarn and you would use this to make balls of wool, really. It just made it a little bit easier and took all the hard work out of doing it.”
The item was marked at £28 – but Ishy managed to bag a deal for it for just £17.
But when it reached auction – buyers were unsure until the auctioneer made a gaff that changed the game.
Pierre Macaig, at the Miners Welfare and Wilbys Auctions in Barnsley, tried to start the bidding at £30 but had to drop it down when he struggled to entice a buyer.
But he got the room interested when he quipped: “Come on. I’d look nice in your bathroom with two toilet rolls on.”
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People cackled with laughter and Izzie agreed it was “a good idea.”
The bidding then started at £10 but quickly climbed to £42 – making Ishy a £25 profit.
Ishy finished the episode with £169.94 left to spend – with Izzie taking the lead at £202.88.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk