Judith Miller.
Born in Galashiels in the Scottish borders in 1951, she wrote more than 100 books on the subject of antiques and co-founded the Miller’s Antiques Price Guide, with her first husband Martin Miller, in 1979.
She had recently been working on the forthcoming edition of the Price Guide.
Miller began collecting in the late 1960s, starting with inexpensive antique plates (while a student at Edinburgh University), and became one of the best known antiques and collectables specialists in the country.
A well-known face on TV, she joined the BBC's Antiques Roadshow in 2007 and contributed to numerous newspapers, magazines and radio programmes.
In 2019 she celebrated 40 years of her guides at the Art & Antiques for Everyone fair at the NEC in Birmingham.
Her death, over the Easter weekend, was announced by publisher Mitchell Beazley (part of Octopus Publishing Group). She leaves behind her second husband and work colleague of over 30 years, the writer John Wainwright, her children Cara, Kirsty and Tom and her four grandchildren, Aria, Leo, Lila and Clea.
Tributes
Publisher Alison Starling, at Octopus, said the firm had been associated with Miller since “the 1980s when the Miller’s Antiques Price Guide was created from a bustling office in the picturesque Kentish village of Tenterden”.
She added: “I’ve been lucky enough to work with Judith on and off for the last 30 years and the news of her death is a huge shock. She had such energy and spirit – and always combined her impressively broad-ranging, indepth knowledge of antiques with a life-long passion to make the world of collecting accessible and unintimidating to all.
“Judith will be much missed by all those readers and viewers who looked to her for expert and reassuringly friendly advice… and of course here at Octopus, where she established long-standing friendships with numerous members of staff over the years – forged through topics of conversation as diverse as work, family, dogs, Scottish rugby and her other passion, Bruce Springsteen.”
Many tributes were paid to Miller online following the announcement this week.
It’s with great sadness that I post this picture of our great friend and @BBC_ARoadshow colleague Judith Miller who passed away this weekend.
— Marc Allum (@Marc_Allum) April 12, 2023
She was magnanimous in giving me writing work early in my career.
Here with Will Farmar too, all our thoughts are with her family. RIP pic.twitter.com/vDwJZvSYxG
Devastated to hear that Judith Miller has died aged 71, she was very generous to us over our antiques journey with various editorials. We loved a wine and a giggle together. We just got on. We will miss her. A great loss to our trade. #JudithMiller pic.twitter.com/t9JldSdgii
— Fontaine (@FontaineBoys) April 12, 2023
Miller’s Price Guides got me on my antiques journey in the early 1990s and so sad to learn Judith Miller passed away over Easter . I had lunch with Judith a year ago and we ignored the menu price guide for once … A delightful lady ❤️ pic.twitter.com/e2gK8Q4TXC
— Charles Hanson (@HansonsAuctions) April 12, 2023
