Letters to the Editor

MADAM – a simple question to auctioneers in general: are you in danger of slowly killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?

MADAM – I totally agree with the comments made by Eddie Holt (‘Spectacularly wrong valuations? No thanks’, Letters, ATG No 2376) regarding valuations given by ‘experts’.

MADAM – Bearing in mind that auctioneering can be a university qualification (unlike dealing) and is an occupation that charges for its services, should there not be some form of censure and control over firms that get it so wrong?

MADAM – I refer to your Brexit article (‘No deal warning for CITES-listed items’, ATG No 2376).

MADAM – Recently I was interested in an Chinese tile for sale at a well-known auction that was estimated at £5000-8000.

MADAM – You continue to receive letters from dealers complaining about buyer’s premiums.

MADAM – Various of your correspondents over the last few weeks find that the prospect of paying for a condition report, as well as a buyer’s premium, sticks in their craw.

MADAM – At what point is the auction world going to own up and confront the shame of poor valuing?

MADAM – I write to inform your readership of what I believe is potentially a disastrous new aspect of auction house practice.

Antiques trade bodies are stepping up their plans for a judicial review of the Ivory Act that will come into law later this year.

MADAM – Your new year’s resolutions piece (ATG No 2374) was thought-provoking, citing aspirations and concerns reflecting the current art and antiques market.

MADAM – F Segolini makes some interesting and valid points about the failure of alcohol prohibition in the US (Letters, ATG No 2373).

MADAM – I write regarding charging for condition reports for lower-value lots.

MADAM – Re: ivory ban. I would very much like to add my tuppence worth to this ongoing issue.

MADAM – Have we lost the plot? Recently the ATG letters page has been taken over by debating whether one television show about antiques is better than the others available.

MADAM – As someone who has been dealing in early furniture for over 50 years and who has served on vetting committees for the Grosvenor House and BADA fairs as well as having been a consultant for Sotheby’s, I find TEFAF’s decision to exclude dealers from their vetting is frankly bizarre.

MADAM – I appreciate I had my turn the other day (Letters, ATG No 2369), but a quick note covering two points if I may.

MADAM – Re: condition report charges at Moore Allen & Innocent for lower-value items.

MADAM – Now that sticky labels have raised ire in the art world (Letters, ATG passim), your readers might like to know that they are the bookseller’s equivalent of Post-It notes in books.

MADAM – We have been watching 'Make me a Dealer' since it started (ATG Letters passim).