From KFC founder Colonel Sanders’ white suit to Antiques Roadshow – the life of America’s second ever female auctioneer
- Kathleen Guzman sold Sanders’ suit for US$25,000 and says she loves the customers who bid with their hearts not their heads, often for quirky items
- Having worked for some of the top auction houses in the world, she enjoys her stints on Antiques Roadshow, where a valuation can change a person’s life
Kathleen Guzman isn’t a household name in Asia, but she’s known in the auctions business, and is a small-screen star thanks to her work on the reality television show Antiques Roadshow, where she’s spent the past 23 years appraising people’s attic finds.
Guzman, who is the managing director of Heritage Auctions’ New York office, landed in Hong Kong for the first time in 25 years to preside over the house’s first luxury lifestyle sale in the city, held in December.
The second ever woman licensed as an auctioneer in the United States has plenty of stories to share about her time on the block and in front of the cameras, as well as insights on the auction market.
Guzman’s trip to the podium came by accident, when she was working at Christie’s East, a division of auction house Christie’s. “At the time, [auction house] Sotheby’s had nominated their very first female auctioneer, so Christie’s looked around and said, ‘Well, Kathleen has a big mouth – let her do it’. And that’s how I got to go down with the hot-dog vendors and the taxi drivers to get licensed to be an auctioneer in New York,” she says.
“I don’t look at myself as a trailblazer, but I certainly see how it’s paved the way for many other women in my industry to be auctioneers and art appraisers and heads of department.