As an American watching this British show via Netflix, I find it educational and endlessly fascinating. While I do believe there is a lot of pre-conceived intentional folly in the buying choices of the antiques experts who compete for profits, this is excusable for its entertainment value. In every episode we see two experts shopping various venues for good deals on collectibles with the goal of re-selling them for a profit. Inevitably, one of them fails by either losing money or making an embarassingly paltry sum usually because they bought something with very narrow appeal at too high a price. The mistakes are part of the fun for us viewers who, like me, groan when the expert is not negotiating hard enough or has something in hand that is of highly questionable value. Mixed in are genuine finds that reap profits, even though the profits are often so small they could not actually support an ongoing business.
What I find so absorbing about this show is that it presents the antiques business in a very amusing way, it shows the sheer volume & diversity of collectibles that can be found in Europe which is awe inspiring, and it presents the unique retail culture in the UK that is still comprised of hundreds of small, independently owned specialty shops and artisans who continue honored traditions of quality. This is so different from the U.S. retail scene where strip malls and shopping centers offer up the same merchandise no matter what city you're in. The host-experts all have great personalities and you can tell this show gives them an opportunity to indulge in riskier, sometimes silly, purchases they would not normally make. Nevertheless, you are bound to learn something about antiques in every episode, smiling all the while. I deducted one star because I find the frequent reminders of the budget amounts vs. what is spent repetitious and unnecessary.
