Antiques saleroom manager marks 20 years with GTH
April 2026
Samantha Biss celebrates 20 years with Greenslade Taylor Hunt today (April 14). And what an eventful two decades it has been.
Appropriately a 20-year anniversary is celebrated with a porcelain or china gift. What could be more apt for our long-time antiques saleroom manager.
Samantha was seconded to the fine art department from the agricultural department for temporary, emergency cover. The chance move had not been a career plan, but it turned out to be the perfect fit.
The switch heralded Sam’s true vocation as she was able to put her creative skills and knowledge from an art history degree into action. She has been saleroom manager for the past 10 years, pushing the department to the success it is today.
“The auction world isn’t for everyone. It’s quite stressful and not for the faint-hearted, but I absolutely love the cut-and-thrust of it all.
I like the structure, the facts and figures, the numbers, but I also like the chaos, and the creativity. Meeting and greeting people. The history, the treasure hunting – really everything about the job.
I’m the oil that keeps the saleroom machine working. I keep everything calm amongst the chaos,” she explained.
Over the years she has witnessed many exciting days in the saleroom, but the Joy Barnes Sale held in 2012 remains a favourite memory.
The atmosphere was electric and the bidding fevered on the day of the sale, which proved to be the most successful GTH fine art sale of all time. One lot in particular, a Dame Barbara Hepworth alabaster sculpture, which sat, pre-cataloguing, on the end of Sam’s desk for three months, realised a whopping £400,000.
Another stand out lot for Sam was a Chinese mother-of-pearl inlaid dish which the vendor used to serve milk to her cat. The “cat bowl” turned out to be Qing Dynasty and fetched several thousand pounds.
Away from work she is a proud Nana to Ottilie Jayne, who was born in November – her middle name a nod to Samantha’s middle name and that of her late Mum. She also enjoys working on the family farm, which she runs with her husband, Derek, a Partner and former Chairman of GTH.
Samantha relishes life in the saleroom.
“The only downside is doing a five-day week in three days, so the job is very busy!” she explained.
Somerset Auction Rooms is now based at Sedgemoor Auction Centre, Junction 24, North Petherton, which was a good move explains Sam, as the purpose-built auction centre, just off the M5, is ideally placed for antique and farm sales alike, and has plenty of free on-site parking and a café.
The proximity of the antiques department to the agricultural hub has resulted in the saleroom building up a dedicated fanbase among farmers and their families.
Appropriately a 20-year anniversary is celebrated with a porcelain or china gift. What could be more apt for our long-time antiques saleroom manager.
Samantha was seconded to the fine art department from the agricultural department for temporary, emergency cover. The chance move had not been a career plan, but it turned out to be the perfect fit.
The switch heralded Sam’s true vocation as she was able to put her creative skills and knowledge from an art history degree into action. She has been saleroom manager for the past 10 years, pushing the department to the success it is today.
“The auction world isn’t for everyone. It’s quite stressful and not for the faint-hearted, but I absolutely love the cut-and-thrust of it all.
I like the structure, the facts and figures, the numbers, but I also like the chaos, and the creativity. Meeting and greeting people. The history, the treasure hunting – really everything about the job.
I’m the oil that keeps the saleroom machine working. I keep everything calm amongst the chaos,” she explained.
Over the years she has witnessed many exciting days in the saleroom, but the Joy Barnes Sale held in 2012 remains a favourite memory.
The atmosphere was electric and the bidding fevered on the day of the sale, which proved to be the most successful GTH fine art sale of all time. One lot in particular, a Dame Barbara Hepworth alabaster sculpture, which sat, pre-cataloguing, on the end of Sam’s desk for three months, realised a whopping £400,000.
Another stand out lot for Sam was a Chinese mother-of-pearl inlaid dish which the vendor used to serve milk to her cat. The “cat bowl” turned out to be Qing Dynasty and fetched several thousand pounds.
Away from work she is a proud Nana to Ottilie Jayne, who was born in November – her middle name a nod to Samantha’s middle name and that of her late Mum. She also enjoys working on the family farm, which she runs with her husband, Derek, a Partner and former Chairman of GTH.
Samantha relishes life in the saleroom.
“The only downside is doing a five-day week in three days, so the job is very busy!” she explained.
Somerset Auction Rooms is now based at Sedgemoor Auction Centre, Junction 24, North Petherton, which was a good move explains Sam, as the purpose-built auction centre, just off the M5, is ideally placed for antique and farm sales alike, and has plenty of free on-site parking and a café.
The proximity of the antiques department to the agricultural hub has resulted in the saleroom building up a dedicated fanbase among farmers and their families.