Auctioneers

The auction process is a key part of the secondary art and antiques market.

Firms of auctioneers usually specialise in a number of fields such as jewellery, ceramics, paintings, Asian art or coins but many also hold general sales where the goods available are not defined by a particular genre and are usually lower in value.

Auctioneers often provide other services such as probate and insurance valuations.

TSR January 26 Turpin Hats

White-gloves and a trilby hat for Dick Turpin sale

26 January 2024

Sworders enjoyed a white-glove sale and a £406,000 total for the personal collection of Maurice Turpin (1928-2005).

Prime Minister signatures

From Walpole to Sunak, a prime ministerial autograph collection comes to market

26 January 2024

A private collection comprising the signatures of every one of Britain’s Prime Ministers comes for sale at Chiswick Auctions this month.

Wolf mask

Rare Northwest coast shamanic mask prompts tribal gathering in Royston

25 January 2024

A 19th century Native American wolf mask, once used in religious ceremonies on the Northwest coast, emerged from the obscurity of a £50-100 estimate to bring £14,000 at auction in Hertfordshire.

New recruits

New faces at auction houses in the UK and overseas

25 January 2024

A new director at a West Sussex firm and expansion in Sheffield are among the latest Movers & Shakers across the world of art and antiques.

Edward Hopper's etching Night Shadows

Edward Hopper etching tops Bonhams’ print sale in Los Angeles

25 January 2024

American artist Edward Hopper (1882-1967) is known for his moody views of his native New York with his paintings often imbued with garish light and contrasting bright and muted colours.

2628NEDI Dressed Fleas W&W CUTOUT ALL

Flea market? Flea circus? Fleas at auction this time, dressed for the occasion

24 January 2024

Mexican dressed fleas were made originally by nuns probably a way of subsidising the income of a convent

Alasdair Gray's Glasgow Triumph of Death

Major record for Alasdair Gray as apocalyptic canvas turns heads in Edinburgh auction

24 January 2024

A shot in the arm for the picture market of Alasdair Gray (1934-2019) came at the start of the year when one of his most momentous paintings emerged at auction and set a major record for the Scottish artist and writer.

House of Commons dispatch box

Betty Boothroyd’s dispatch box and brooch entice bidders at memorabilia auction

23 January 2024

Politics fans and admirers competed for items from the estate of Betty Boothroyd (1929-2023), the first female Speaker of the House of Commons.

Jaywick Noonans Morris Pic

Medal given to 'Taffy' after audacious Operation Jaywick mission to sink Japanese ships in the Second World War takes £120,000

23 January 2024

A medal awarded secretly following Operation Jaywick, one of the most daring raids of the Second World War, has sold for a hammer price of £120,000 in a London auction.

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Charity gifts that keep on giving when sold at auction

22 January 2024

Spotlight on a couple of shop donations that both ended up making £20,000 hammer prices

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US president mesmerised by Lillie Langtry

22 January 2024

Though largely forgotten today, Lillie Langtry (1853-1929) was probably England’s first superstar, moving effortlessly from the stage to high society.

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Captain America punches in for a debut comic appearance

22 January 2024

Top lot in the Potter & Potter (25% buyer’s premium) comics sale featured the debut of Captain America – introduced on the cover punching Hitler.

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Extensive dolls collection came from house where whole rooms were crammed full of displays

22 January 2024

Special Auction Services is selling what it bills as ‘the largest and most valuable doll collection to been seen at auction for 25 years’.

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Photo collection offers huge mix of eclectic subjects

22 January 2024

A huge collection of black and white, celluloid negatives was described by the Lincoln auction house that offered them as a ‘magnificent, massive, eclectic mix of subjects’.

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The 70s to 90s: ‘People are buying their childhoods back’

22 January 2024

The appeal of more modern toys for the latest collectors buying based on nostalgia for childhood playthings was underlined by a large group of Transformers offered at Special Auction Services on January 17.

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Early Newcastle silver sniffed out in Oxford saleroom

22 January 2024

The earliest records of the silversmithing on the Tyne date from 1249.

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English Civil War siege relics race away to hammer for 25 times the low estimate

22 January 2024

This 19th century glazed wooden case containing musket balls, ceramic fragments and three complete clay pipes was eagerly contested at auction.

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Signed Fab Four photos are big hits with bidders

22 January 2024

A c.1964 publicity photograph signed by all four members of The Beatles sold for £13,000 at Bristol auction house Auctioneum (21% buyer’s premium).

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Obituary: Irish auctioneer George Mealy

22 January 2024

A “true gentleman”, who was “full of cheerfulness, good humour”, and with a “ready smile”, are some of the words used on rip.ie to describe the late George Mealy, who died on December 22.

Kenneth Armitage sculpture

Plea to trace Kenneth Armitage sculpture stolen from Sloane Street Auctions

22 January 2024

A sculpture due to be offered at Sloane Street Auctions has been stolen from its gallery.

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