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.

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Saltglaze stoneware extravaganza in a South Yorkshire sale

18 August 2025

Collection formed by South African surgeon who worked in London supplies exceptional examples

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The magic of an occult themed lot: £3 3s becomes £7100

18 August 2025

Occult group listed by specialist bookseller in the 19th century reappears at a 21st century auction

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Furniture to the taste of 18th century aristocrats

18 August 2025

A George III bonheur du jour offered for sale at Roseberys (26/25/20% buyer’s premium) in south London provided a fascinating window onto the collecting tastes of the British aristocracy in the 18th century.

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Virgin and Child originally sat in a French chateau's chapel

18 August 2025

A rare and early late 11th or early 12th century wooden statue of the Virgin and Child in Majesty was the highlight of the 'Haute Epoque' auction of antiquities and early works of art held by Aguttes (25/23% buyer’s premium) at Neuilly-sur-Seine.

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A later, 1930s, Polar Medal, for a relief ship... but still a £4600 hammer price

18 August 2025

Estimated at £800-1200, a British Antarctic Polar expedition bronze medal and miniature took £4600 at Bentley’s (20% buyer’s premium) in Cranbrook, Kent.

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Puisaye potters: Ceramicists from the Burgundy area take centre stage in a single-owner collection

18 August 2025

The second half of the 19th century was a key period in the European art pottery movement with much experimentation in glazing and design.

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Manuscript leaf flies to five times the low estimate

18 August 2025

A late 15th century French illuminated manuscript vellum leaf achieved the stand-out result in a collection of illuminated manuscripts offered at Batemans (25% buyer’s premium).

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Rare corkscrew excites the helixophiles

18 August 2025

A recent sale held by arms and armour specialist Antony Cribb (25% buyer’s premium) in Compton, Berkshire, included one of the rarest of British patent corkscrews.

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Edinburgh auction pays homage to influential dealer Gillian Raffles

18 August 2025

Gillian Raffles (1930-2021) was one of a very small number of pioneering female gallerists in Britain’s post-war art scene.

Chris Barrie with some of his signs

Red Dwarf star’s automobilia collection heads to auction

15 August 2025

Enamel signs are among the items from actor Chris Barrie that will be sold in September in Dorset.

WEB Henry Aldridge Jukebox 1

US space age jukebox inspired by Cold War rival shoots to £5000 top estimate result

15 August 2025

The AMI Continental II jukebox appeared in 1962, a time when space race excitement was gripping the US.

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Freeman’s Hindman holds auction to benefit the charity of The Winter Show

14 August 2025

The Hampton’s Design Edit, a timed online auction from US auction house Freeman’s Hindman, is underway, raising money for East Side House.

Flowers in a Jar by Duncan Grant and George Bergen

Sussex saleroom to offer rare collaborative Bloomsbury Group artwork

12 August 2025

Gorringe’s is selling a significant Bloomsbury Group painting in September.

Auctioneer David Elstob Holding Collecting Gravel By Ralph Staithes

North-east art stars in dealer’s retirement sale at Elstob

11 August 2025

A notable collection of paintings, with a strong emphasis on north-east landscapes and coastal scenes, will be offered for sale on Thursday 28 August.

Livingstone’s coffin attended by his African servant Jacob Wainwright

Faithful servant of Dr Livingstone in focus at Essex auction

11 August 2025

A rare photograph from the funeral of Victorian explorer Dr David Livingstone (1813-73) comes to auction in Essex this summer.

Barovier Floreali vase

Pick of the week: Murrine glass became fusion of old and new

11 August 2025

The lost art of murrine - the creation of complex patterns by fusing together slices of coloured glass cane - was rediscovered by glass blowers in the Venetian lagoon in the late 19th century.

Mrs Geoffrey Birkbeck

Lavery portrait auctioned as Trinity House Paintings sell-off begins, report reveals

11 August 2025

The sell-off of works once owned by failed art gallery Trinity House Paintings has begun with Sir John Lavery’s portrait of Mrs Geoffrey Birkbeck being sold at a Dreweatts auction.

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Medals tell tale of Hong Kong police scandal

11 August 2025

It’s not often that a group of medals offered at auction includes two that were in fact officially revoked. However, a lot that appeared at an East Yorkshire auction house on June 27 reflected a notorious tale of colonial corruption.

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Tommy Cooper magic robe bought by illusionist David Copperfield

11 August 2025

A robe worn by magician and comedian Tommy Cooper (1921-84) during the performance in which he which he suffered a heart attack and collapsed on stage has been sold at a North Yorkshire auction.

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Sizeable Guanyin figure generates large demand

11 August 2025

This unusually large giltwood figure of Guanyin, the Chinese goddess of compassion and mercy, attracted numerous bidders to Nagel’s (24.5% buyer’s premium) sale of Asian art on June 6-7 in Stuttgart.

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