Colin Young Auctioneer: Age, Career, Bargain Hunt, Family and TV Work

Who Is Colin Young Auctioneer?
Colin Young is one of the better-known British auctioneers to have crossed over into television. His professional career has focused on antiques, fine art, valuation, and live auctions, while his television work has made him familiar to viewers of Bargain Hunt and other antiques programmes.
Colin began working in the auction profession in 1986. He later became Saleroom Manager at Golding’s Grantham Auction Rooms and eventually progressed to Principal Auctioneer and Valuer.
He is now associated with Golding Young & Mawer in Lincolnshire, where he works as Managing Director, Chartered Auctioneer and RICS Registered Valuer.
His professional background includes membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and qualifications related to art and antiques valuation.
Colin Young Auctioneer Career and Early Life
Colin Young’s route into auctioneering developed from an early opportunity in the auction trade rather than from a television career.
He began his professional career with Lyall & Co at The Bourne Auction Rooms in 1986. He later moved to Golding’s and became Saleroom Manager at its Grantham rooms.
His responsibilities expanded as he gained experience in auctions, valuations, antiques and fine art.
By the 1990s, Colin had established himself as a respected professional auctioneer. In 1996, he received the ISVA Young Auctioneer of the Year award.
His career also included recognition for professional assessment and valuation work.
Over the years, Colin has developed experience across a broad range of auction categories, including antiques, collectables, jewellery, fine art, business assets and unusual individual lots.
According to his professional biography, he has handled more than 2.5 million lots throughout his career.
That scale of experience helps explain why his work has extended beyond the auction room and into television.
Colin Young Bargain Hunt Career
For many viewers, Colin Young Bargain Hunt is the connection that made the auctioneer widely recognisable.
Colin became associated with BBC’s Bargain Hunt in 2002 and has appeared on the programme regularly over the years.
His role on Bargain Hunt can vary depending on the episode. In some programmes, he appears as an antiques expert who helps contestants assess objects and decide whether potential purchases could make money.
In other episodes, Colin takes on the role of auctioneer, conducting the sale when the contestants bring their purchases to auction.
This combination gives him a particularly useful role on the programme because he understands both sides of the process.
He knows how buyers think when selecting an item and how competitive bidding works when that item reaches the saleroom.
How Did Colin Young Join Bargain Hunt?
Colin’s route into television was connected to his established auction career.
Accounts about his early television work indicate that he initially went through a screen test for Bargain Hunt but did not succeed on his first attempt.
He later became involved with a Christmas special, after which his television career developed further.
The experience eventually led to a long-running relationship with the programme.
Rather than entering television as a celebrity first, Colin brought his existing auction and valuation knowledge to the screen.
What Is Colin Young’s Role at Golding Young & Mawer?
Colin Young is associated with Golding Young & Mawer, a long-established auction house operating in Lincolnshire.
His role combines several professional responsibilities.
He is a Managing Director, Chartered Auctioneer and RICS Registered Valuer.
The business handles auctions and valuations involving a wide range of categories.
These include antiques, fine art, jewellery, silver, gold, collectables, machinery and business assets.
Colin Young’s Professional Credentials
| Area | Information |
|---|---|
| Profession | Chartered Auctioneer and RICS Registered Valuer |
| Current role | Managing Director |
| Auction career began | 1986 |
| Joined Golding’s | 1989 |
| Principal Auctioneer and Valuer | Since the 1990s |
| Bargain Hunt | Expert since 2002 |
| Professional field | Auctions, valuations, antiques and fine art |
| Major professional award | ISVA Young Auctioneer of the Year |
| Experience | More than four decades in auctioneering |
| Lots handled | More than 2.5 million according to his professional biography |
His long professional career is important because television appearances represent only one part of his work.
Colin Young TV Shows Besides Bargain Hunt
Although Bargain Hunt remains his best-known television association, Colin Young has also appeared on other programmes connected with antiques, valuations and auctions.
His television work has included appearances associated with:
- Flog It!
- Dickinson’s Real Deal
- Cash in the Attic
- The Great Antiques Hunt
- Antiques Road Trip
These appearances have helped establish him as a familiar face within British antiques television.
His professional expertise also means he can explain the history and potential value of objects in a way that works for both auction clients and television audiences.
Colin Young Age: How Old Is He?
One of the most common searches about the auctioneer is Colin Young age.
A local biographical profile has reported Colin Young as being born in 1967.
However, his strongest professional biographies do not publish a full date of birth.
Because of that, the reported year should be treated as a biographical claim rather than a fully confirmed date of birth.
Based on the reported 1967 birth year, Colin Young would be 59 years old in 2026, depending on whether his birthday has already occurred.
This distinction is useful because many websites publish exact ages without showing where the information came from.
Colin Young Auctioneer Wife and Family
Searches for Colin Young auctioneer wife and Colin Young wife are common, but reliable public information about his private family life is much more limited than information about his professional career.
Some online biography websites publish claims about Colin’s marriage and spouse, but those details are not consistently confirmed in his professional biographies.
For that reason, it is better to separate publicly documented career information from private family details that have not been independently established.
There is clearer information about his professional family connections.
Kirsty Pearson, formerly known professionally as Kirsty Young, is also a director, chartered auctioneer and RICS Registered Valuer associated with Golding Young & Mawer.
Earlier company material identified her as Colin Young’s daughter.
This makes the Young family name closely connected with the auction business.
Colin Young Auctioneer Illness: Is He Unwell?
The search phrase Colin Young auctioneer illness appears frequently online.
However, a frequently searched question does not automatically mean that the underlying claim is true.
There is no reliable information confirming a specific illness affecting Colin Young in the professional information reviewed for this article.
His professional profile continues to identify him as an active Managing Director, auctioneer and valuer.
It is therefore important to avoid treating rumours, appearance-based speculation or unsupported biography claims as established medical facts.
Changes in someone’s appearance or periods away from television can easily lead to speculation, but they are not evidence of a particular medical condition.
Why Does Colin Young Wear a Fox Brooch?
One of the more unusual searches connected with the auctioneer is:
“Why does Colin Young wear a fox brooch?”
Viewers have noticed a small animal-shaped accessory or brooch appearing on Colin’s clothing and have become curious about its significance.
However, there does not appear to be a reliable published statement from Colin Young that definitively explains the personal meaning behind the fox brooch.
It would therefore be misleading to claim that the accessory definitely represents a particular organisation, personal story or family tradition without evidence.
There is also an interesting connection between fox imagery and Bargain Hunt because fox-themed jewellery has appeared as auction merchandise on the programme.
That does not, however, prove that an auction item was the same brooch worn by Colin.
So the safest answer to why does Colin Young wear a fox brooch is that its specific personal significance has not been clearly documented.
Colin Young Long Hair and His Distinctive Style
Colin Young has also attracted attention because of his appearance, particularly his hair.
During the COVID-19 lockdown period, his hair became considerably longer than viewers were accustomed to seeing on television.
The change quickly became a talking point among Bargain Hunt viewers.
Later, Colin had his hair cut as part of a fundraising activity connected with Comic Relief.
The episode demonstrated how recognisable he had become to television audiences.
His changing hairstyle may have attracted attention, but his reputation in the auction industry is based on decades of professional work rather than his appearance.
Colin Young and Major Auction Sales
Colin’s work extends well beyond television appearances.
One notable professional example involved the sale of Newbold Pacey Hall in 2021.
The auction included more than 1,000 lots and achieved a total reported result of around £366,000, above the pre-sale estimate.
Colin was involved in conducting the auction during a period when COVID-19 restrictions were affecting traditional auction practices.
The example illustrates how professional auctioneering involves much more than standing behind a podium and taking bids.
Before an auction begins, an auctioneer and valuation team may have to deal with:
- Assessing items
- Researching provenance
- Estimating values
- Cataloguing lots
- Advising sellers
- Marketing the sale
- Coordinating bidders
- Managing live bidding
- Handling online participation
- Closing successful transactions
The actual bidding is only one visible part of the process.
What Makes Colin Young’s Auctioneering Style Noticeable?
Colin’s professional presentation style is often described as conversational and humorous.
That can be particularly useful during a live auction, where events can change quickly.
An auctioneer has to maintain momentum while paying attention to bids from different sources.
Traditional auction rooms can include people bidding directly in the room, telephone bidders, commission bids and increasingly online participants.
This means the auctioneer must listen carefully, react quickly and keep the process understandable.
Television adds another layer because the audience also needs to understand what is happening.
Colin’s ability to combine professional auctioneering with an approachable television personality has helped make him memorable to viewers.
Colin Young Auctioneer: TV Personality vs Professional Auctioneer
| Television Image | Professional Role |
|---|---|
| Bargain Hunt expert | Chartered Auctioneer |
| Conversational and humorous | RICS Registered Valuer |
| Talks about antiques | Conducts auctions |
| Helps contestants | Advises auction clients |
| Appears on television | Works in professional auction rooms |
| Recognisable TV personality | Managing Director |
The difference matters.
Bargain Hunt is entertainment built around antiques and auction challenges, while Colin’s professional work involves real valuations, consignments, buyers, sellers and auction sales.
His television role gives audiences an introduction to the profession, but his professional career goes considerably deeper.
Colin Young Auctioneer Wikipedia: Is There a Dedicated Page?
The search phrase Colin Young auctioneer Wikipedia can create confusion because multiple people share the name Colin Young.
A Wikipedia page for Colin Young relates to an English singer rather than the Lincolnshire auctioneer.
This does not mean the auctioneer has the same biography.
When searching for Colin Young online, the most useful identifying information is his connection to:
Golding Young & Mawer, Lincolnshire, auctions, antiques and BBC’s Bargain Hunt.
This helps separate him from unrelated people who share the same name.
Colin Young Actor and Call the Midwife: Is He the Same Person?
No.
This is an important distinction because the keyword file specifically includes Colin Young actor and Colin Young Call the Midwife.
Another Colin Young is a Scottish actor who appeared in Call the Midwife as Jacob Milligan.
That actor is a different person from the British auctioneer associated with Bargain Hunt.
The confusion is understandable because both men are publicly associated with British television and share exactly the same name.
Anyone researching the auctioneer should therefore check the occupation before accepting a biography.
What About Jesse Colin Young?
The keyword file also contains Jesse Colin Young.
Jesse Colin Young is completely different from the British auctioneer.
He was an American singer-songwriter associated with folk-rock music.
Similar names can cause search engines and biography websites to mix up results.
For readers looking for the Bargain Hunt expert, key identifying terms include auctioneer, Golding Young & Mawer, Lincolnshire, and Bargain Hunt.
Frequently Asked Questions About Colin Young Auctioneer
Who is Colin Young auctioneer?
Colin Young is a British Chartered Auctioneer and RICS Registered Valuer associated with Golding Young & Mawer in Lincolnshire. He began working in auctioneering in 1986 and became a Bargain Hunt expert in 2002.
How old is Colin Young?
A biographical source reports that Colin Young was born in 1967. Because his exact date of birth is not consistently published in his official professional biography, his precise age should be treated with some caution.
Is Colin Young still on Bargain Hunt?
Colin Young has continued to appear in Bargain Hunt programmes during the 2020s, both as an expert and, in some episodes, in the auctioneer role.
Does Colin Young have an illness?
There is no reliable information establishing a specific illness affecting the auctioneer. His professional information continues to describe him as active in his auction and valuation career.
Why does Colin Young wear a fox brooch?
The specific reason has not been reliably documented. Although viewers have noticed the fox-themed accessory, Colin has not confirmed any personal meaning behind it.
Final Thoughts on Colin Young Auctioneer
Colin Young is much more than a familiar face from Bargain Hunt.
He has built a long career in the British auction industry, beginning in 1986 and progressing through auction management, valuation, professional qualifications and senior leadership.
His connection with Golding Young & Mawer has placed him at the centre of professional auctions involving antiques, fine art, collectables and other specialist items.
Television introduced him to a much wider audience, with Bargain Hunt becoming his best-known programme appearance.
At the same time, searches about Colin Young age, Colin Young wife, Colin Young auctioneer illness, why does Colin Young wear a fox brooch, and even Colin Young Call the Midwife show how easily facts about people with the same name can become mixed together online.
For anyone researching Colin Young auctioneer, the most reliable approach is to distinguish documented professional information from unverified claims about his private life.
His auction career, television appearances and professional qualifications provide a substantial public record, while some details about his family, health and personal style remain less clearly documented.
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