Michael Newman has spent all his professional career in the West Country. At age 19, he became the youngest-ever qualified Chartered Auctioneer, winning the President's Award in the Specialist Antiques section. He now runs his own firm of fine-art auctioneers and valuers in Plymouth, and he is an associate of Bonhams, the London auctioneers. He also broadcasts regularly on local radio and television and writes articles for national and local papers and journals.