Salvage Hunters

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Grahamdub said:

I guess some of them are, but he does put a fair mark up on stuff. We probably don't see everything they buy on their trips either.

Also, I think they do a lot more stopoffs than they make out. If you look carefully at the "look what we bought" reveals back at base, you'll often see exactly the same cars parked in exactly the same places on several of them.
I only noticed because Drew bought something like an RS6 on one trip, and not only was it already there when he got back, but it appeared in the same spot on several subsequent shows, and it wasn't just because it hadn't moved - the cars around it were identically parked too.

There are frequently continuity errors which suggest that the road trips are a lot more productive than they make out.

Best not to analyse it too closely - it's a "facts-based Reality TV show" after all.

Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Sunday 18th August 21:20

[Clockwork Cupcake]

droopsnoot said:

I hadn't noticed that, but I've often had the impression that the stuff in the van was in a different order to how it had been put in when they bought it earlier in the programme.

Yes, I've noticed that too.

I've also noticed them buy a large table at one place, load it into the van, and then go to another place and buy stuff and put it into an empty van.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Something else that is starting to bug me is that they tend to spoiler whether or not Drew bought something, inasmuch that if they show the item(s) cleared and moved to a better area for an establishing shot whilst they tell you the estimated value, then it's pretty much a given that Drew is going to be successful in buying it/them.

This is particularly spoilery when he's bidding at an auction.

Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Saturday 6th February 10:47

[Clockwork Cupcake]

mike74 said:

Just watched an episode featuring the propeller from a Heinkel HE111.

After Nev the blacksmith had created a superb display stand for it and Drew had established that the Heinkel had actually been shot down by Guy Gibson he reckoned that the provenance would mean it was worth a ''six figure sum''

Oh dear...

https://www.dominicwinter.co.uk/Auction/Lot/79-guy...

You win some, you lose some. I bet Drew still made a profit though, even after whatever he paid for it and whatever Nev charged him for the work.

But, yes, not a 6-sigure sum.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

mike74 said:

Yeah I agree, he probably did still make a profit on it, but it just goes to show that especially with more obscure items his valuations are complete pie in the sky... but I bet there are still plenty of idiots with more money than sense that do pay those prices due to the emperors new clothes effect as it's the "renowned Drew Pritchard" selling it (although obviously not in this particular case).

"Provenance" is extremely ethereal, and at the end the day something is worth what someone will pay for it. It's really "finger in the air" estimates with something as unique as that.

Personally I think that it's worth more than £9k although even when I saw the programme I thought 6 figures was rather ambitious. I could easily have imagined it selling for £20k+ though.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Anyone else watching the "Salvage Hunters: The Restorers" spin-off and thinking it is becoming rather Wheeler Dealers?

An item is bought for (say) £500 and goes to Alex, or Nev, or Craig, or Bo Hare, or the sculptor guy, or the leather guy, or the gold leaf lady, or the lighting restorer lady, or whoever, sometimes more than one of them, and racks up several weeks of work from them, and then has an estimated value of £2000 after.

Are these people charging minimum wage or something? And nothing for materials?