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What was the motivation that made you start this whole path in your life and at what age?
I believe the motivation to pursue this profession was that as a child in Alexandria where I was born and raised I used to go with my father to auctions in the palace of Farouk the king of Egypt and also in the antique squares of Alexandria, since our house was full of antiques period furniture china silverware my parents loved and framed my father's house.
Your origin is from Greece, but you were not born here. Tell us about it.
Yes indeed I am Greek who was born and raised in the Alexandria of Cavafy, in a dynamic Greek village in Egypt by Greek parents.
At what age did the "germ" of auctions start entering your life and how did it start?
I think the germ entered my blood during my childhood in Alexandria in a multicultural city and then when private television was created in Greece. From the very first month I thought of starting to present my business to the world through the screen, which seemed an oxymoron for that time, considering that in the early days there was not even telemarketing, we had just come out of two state channels, two state television stations ERT and YENED and was something unprecedented for the Greek television audience.
Is there an antique or item very important to you that you won at auction and have had since childhood?
There are many things that I have collected over the years from my travels to many cities around the world, to Paris, London, Brussels, Rome and of course to countries in the East, such as Cairo, Alexandria where even great Greeks passed through painters, in Beirut, in America and generally wherever I find great objects. In addition, I must tell you that every day I participate in remote auctions in many parts of the world, to find treasures, whether from the field of works of art or jewelry, antiques, watches, precious stones, to auction them and offer them to our customers in Greece and Cyprus through our daily television auctions on one channel in Greece and on capital TV in Cyprus live every noon from three to five.
Which person do you admire and have as a role model in your life and why?
I could mention many names from many and different areas that I admire from the field of arts and letters, from the artistic field, sports, entrepreneurship, scientists, but especially I appreciate people who are prudent, fair and decent.
Fate dealt you a very hard blow as you lost both your parents. At what age did it happen and how did you experience it all?
It is a fact that my two parents passed away 45 days apart from each other, when I was only 12 years old and I grew up in a boarding school. This may have given me the ability to learn to live on my own, to face and manage each condition and difficulty with more maturity, however it appears that since my childhood I have been and continue to believe that I am a person who has dynamic self-confidence, optimism about life and probably a fighter for life.
You grew up in a boarding school. Tell us about it.
I have to tell you that life at the boarding school was not unpleasant, on the contrary I made friends, there was intense activity all day every day both at the level of education and training but also at the level of pedagogy. It was a strict school with rules. Of course, at the level of sports activities, it gave me the possibility to be intensely involved in sports and then even manage to stand out and get several medals in various sports.
If your story had a title, what would it be?
A title I would put for myself is "The Journey of a Self-Made Family Man and Entrepreneur". You know that the journey is often more valuable than the destination.
What is it that attracted you to this profession when you started as a child but now with all this experience?
What fascinates me most about the profession that I have been doing for many years now is that every day I look for treasures. Every day is like the first day. There is never monotony, there is constant vigilance for these pursuits. Every day smaller and bigger treasures pass through my hands, every day I gain even more knowledge and of course I no longer perceive it as a job but as a passion. But it's a good passion all in all, it's very charming, very creative and unpredictable. To earn money requires talent, but to spend money requires culture.
What is it that gives great value to an object beyond its antiquity?
An object has value and becomes overvalued when it is rare, hard to find, branded, valuable, has a heavy signature and above all when it is in demand. For all of this to happen, of course, it is necessary to have deep knowledge, good vision and smell, experience and maybe even talent.
What else does Giorgos Tsagarakis love to do in his daily life?
Giorgos Tsagarakis loves or rather adores his family. I like to search, read and enrich my knowledge about all that I deal with, but at the same time I am a simple person of life, like every person in his everyday life. However, auctions are in my blood and of course the art of auctioning is knowing when to stop, because auctioning is born when desire overcomes logic.
You became well-known to the television audience after your participation in "Cash or Trash", which is broadcast on STAR, while with your valuable knowledge and experience you have managed to stand out in the game from the first moment. How did this collaboration come about?
My participation in Cash or Trash came about because of my professional status and I am very happy to participate in this show, because it seems that this is a show that is of interest to all audiences, of all ages, men, women and even children.It is a show with content, with morals, with a level, where people's life stories unfold every day. We see objects in order to awaken memories, feelings, emotions and of course the old objects that may be in the chests in the attics in the warehouses acquire life again.
There is noble rivalry, friendly competition between buyers, humor and a generally very pleasant atmosphere throughout this television production.
The director, the editor-in-chief, the technicians, the set designer, the people in the cameras are great professionals, so that the shots, the sets, the musical investments, the technical editing are all very good and believe me for me personally all these are very important and so I am very happy to participate.
“Cash or Trash” Season 4. Will we see something new? Is there anything we could reveal to our readers?
In this 4th season, I have the impression from the filming that we are already doing that we see and will see even more interesting objects that I cannot reveal to you. In fact, some of them have great rarity and significant values.
Recently in "Cash or Trash" you hosted a unique personality, the great Greek actress, Mrs. Maro Kontou. You also discovered another aspect of her personality, tell us about it.
At cash or trash this year, for the 4th year, we have met several personalities of ordinary, unremarkable and famous people. Each and every one of our visitors definitely has something unique to describe from their lives. As for Maro Kontou, her life is known to all of us Greeks and beyond and she is a dignified lady who made a great journey in Greek cinema.
What are the most common questions you get on social media?
On social media I have a lot of communication and questions every day to appreciate all kinds of works of art, objects, jewelry, watches and of course I always answer immediately to serve the public that respects me. At the same time, lately I have posted on tik tok some educational and informative videos related to diamonds, in watches and rare objects and have been very well received and I would also like through your magazine to thank the public, men and women of all ages who surround me with the best words.
Thank you all very much for the appreciation, respect and kind words with which you describe my face.
What moment in your life are you most proud of and how did that moment shape you today?
It is difficult to judge, characterize or describe my own self. This is something I would rather say people can do.
If you allow me, I would proudly say how I felt and continue to feel about the great family that we have created with Mary and for our three wonderful children who mainly have morals, education, culture, are honest and prudent.
I can say with certainty that since they came into my life they have also contributed to the formation of my own character and I think I have also become and I try to become a better person every day. Finally, I want to point out that I feel proud to be born and to be Greek and even from Alexandria.
We know you are preparing a contest and the winner will win a diamond. Tell more about it.
Yes indeed on October 23rd during our live broadcast on one channel in Greece and on capital TV in Cyprus we will simultaneously blow out candles to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Galerie Tsangarakis. This year, we decided to offer a special gem. At the same time, the draw will be held live on TV to highlight the lucky winner.
What advice would you give to young people today?
I want to give the young people a lot of good energy, to assure them that everything is difficult until it becomes easy.
He who fights may lose, but he who does not fight has already lost. It's never too late to become what you could have been.
In our time there may be several difficulties, but in all ages there were. At the same time, there are always paths that can put you on the right path to success. So focus on the goal and persistence. Today, in fact, with the help of technology and especially artificial intelligence, the horizons for knowledge, information, communication and action are opening up before us on a global level. To work with their soul, their mind, to have self-confidence and with their good mood to pray to God as if everything depended on him, but to work as if everything depended on them and not to wait for luck, because I have learned in my life that the more I work, the luckier I become. No one is satisfied with his lot, even if it is the best. And no one is dissatisfied with his mind, even if it is the worst.
Remember that failures are lessons for success!
Impossible is possible!
Interview with Yiannis Theodosiadis