Published at 09:42, Friday, 30 July 2010

IT’S reassuring to know that you don’t have to look like David Dickinson to be an antiques expert.

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Take Georgina Nixon, for example. The trainee auctioneer and valuer has transformed her life-long passion for antiques into a promising career at H&H auction rooms in Carlisle – and all without the aid of a wacky suit or an orange permatan.

Indeed at the age of 26 Georgina is already regularly dealing with expensive treasures and ensuring they get the best price under the hammer.

Raised in Haltwhistle, she discovered a flair for art and design while a pupil at Haydon Bridge High School.

“I have always loved antiques,” she said. “When I was really little I loved visiting National Trust properties because it felt as though you were stepping back in time.”

She went on to study art history and history at Northumbria University and fell in love with the work of the Impressionist painters.

Towards the end of her degree, however, she spotted an opportunity in the Big Apple too good to miss – and, having landed the dream job with Christie’s auction house in 2007, she jetted to New York to spend 15 months working and training under the watchful eye of the world’s biggest art dealership.

It was her first taste of working at an auction house and she was far and away the youngest pupil on her course.

Nevertheless she got the chance to handle a number of celebrity lots, her favourite being a selection of Andy Warhol paintings belonging to English actor, Hugh Grant.

She said: “I’d often come across original paintings by Picasso or Claude Monet and it’s something else when you say that you’ve seen them.

“It was the glitz and glamour side of antique dealing, but despite all this, I knew I wanted to come home and be near my family.”

Georgina was offered the job at the auction rooms in Carlisle by fellow antiques enthusiast, Paul Laidlow.

Paul, who Georgina claims knows everything about everything, is also a BBC antiques consultant, and makes regular appearances on Bargain Hunt.

“Paul values absolutely everything on a day-to-day basis,” she said. “I’m shadowing him at the moment but eventually I’ll be valuing items on my own.

“I don’t know anybody my age working as a valuer in an auction house, but that’s what makes the job appealing.”

It doesn’t stop it from being daunting, mind. “It’s different and you get to learn something about everything. Any object could come through that door at any moment and that’s what keeps you on your toes.

“At our last book sale in Carlisle we sold the complete works of James Gillray – the 1850s Bohn edition made more than £2,000 at auction.

“Knowing exactly when something was made and where it comes from is down to a lot of extensive reading and experience. There’s no shortcut to all that knowledge.

“Paul’s like one of those experts you see on the Antiques Roadshow, who can tell you straight away when something was made and by who.

“That’s the aim for me. After all my training I want to be able to do just that.”

Although Georgina aspires to be as knowledgeable as her mentor one day, she has already added the all important woman’s touch to the auction rooms.

She said: “Paul and I come at things from different angles.

“I’ve been here eight months and I’ve persuaded him to branch out into textiles, costume clothing, and vintage outfits.

“Vintage clothing is my passion and outfits by BIBA and Mary Quant have sold really well since I’ve been here.

“I like the idea of trying to introduce younger people into antiques.

“The thing is you can completely furnish your home with antiques and it’s not that expensive. There’s certainly a revival of retro objects and furnishings at the moment.”

When she’s not busy valuing rare antiques, Georgina allows herself time to collect her own favourite items.

“I have a real fondness for samplers,” she said. “These are pieces of embroidery done by children as a demonstration of their ability.

“They usually have a name or date on them and can vary between a range of subjects, such as the alphabet.

“I think you either have the collecting bug from very early on or you don’t. I was definitely a collector, and I was into sewing and textiles from a very young age.”

H&H auction rooms in Carlisle is one of the longest established auction houses in the North of England and traces its roots in the city back to 1890 when the firm was founded by H E Winter.

Georgina says the establishment has changed dramatically over the years, and feels it is her responsibility to transport it into the 21st century.

“Paul told me he hired me because I was young and enthusiastic,” she said.

“It’s up to me to sell antiques to a wider audience and encourage young people to take an interest in history and artefacts.

“This is by no means a dull and stuffy career – I love my job because no two days are ever the same.”

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk