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.

A photograph of Oscar Wilde

White gloves for Oscar Wilde auction at Bonhams

18 February 2026

All 156 lots of the Jeremy Mason collection are sold as bidders vie for choice items related to iconic figure.

Sotheby's London

Sotheby’s raises buyer’s premium to 28% at the lower tier

18 February 2026

Auction house Sotheby’s has amended its buyer’s premium, raising its baseline rate to 28% for works selling for a hammer price of under £1.5m.

Bonhams New York

Movers & shakers: New Bonhams headquarters in the US and latest hires in the UK

18 February 2026

New locations, hires and industry developments across the world of art and antiques

Henry Greaves by Walter Greaves

Walter Greaves portrait of his brother Henry turns heads at Dorset auction

16 February 2026

Thanks to their artistic bent, the London-born brothers Walter Greaves (1846-1930) and Henry Greaves (1844-1904) are now two of the city’s most famous ever boatsmen.

Mousehole harbour by George Hammond Steel

Charity shop discovery takes four-figure sum at auction

13 February 2026

A painting by Modern British artist George Hammond Steel (1900-60) which was discovered in an RSPCA charity shop in Royal Wootton Bassett drew strong interest at auction earlier this year.

Meissen plate

Meissen with a Delft touch emerges in Nottingham

13 February 2026

This Meissen plate painted with a view of Delft was among the contents of Lamb Close House sold by Mellors & Kirk in Nottingham on February 11.

Michelangelo’s foot sketch

Michelangelo puts his stamp on latest Old Master sales

13 February 2026

The sale of big-ticket lots by artists such as Rembrandt, Canaletto and Michelangelo boosted the overall total at the latest Old Master auction series in New York to a record high.

Elizabethan Lambert table

Elizabethan table stands out in Fitzsimmons sale

13 February 2026

Paul Fitzsimmons of Marhamchurch Antiques in Bovey Tracey, Devon, is one of the foremost early English oak specialists in the UK, with over 30 years of experience in the trade.

img_18-5.jpg

Antique props once seen on screen, now starring in the saleroom

13 February 2026

Latest sale of props from renowned company features several surprises such as Spanish revivalist chairs

img_17-2.jpg

Indian service in the spotlight

13 February 2026

Several lots linked to a George Henry Robertson who served in Victorian campaigns in India impressed at Toovey’s (25% buyer’s premium) of West Sussex .

img_19-3.jpg

Derbyshire Shrovetide football scores £4200 many miles away in Cornwall

13 February 2026

The ancient game of Royal Shrovetide Football has been played in the Derbyshire town of Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday since the 17th century.

img_17-5.jpg

‘Death penny’ medal group makes nine times estimate

13 February 2026

While a First World War memorial plaque (‘death penny’ or ‘dead man’s penny’) is not usually worth that much on its own, when presented with an associated medal group the price can rise considerably.

img_15-2.jpg

Bradbury Wilkinson saved for posterity

13 February 2026

Two collections of banknote designs and specimens from engraving and printing firm Bradbury Wilkinson & Company were offered at either end of 2025.

img_16-4.jpg

Show of ‘magnificent courage’

13 February 2026

A First World War Distinguished Conduct Medal casualty group of four sold for £2800 at Tennants (24% buyer’s premium) in Leyburn on December 10.

img_16-3.jpg

Here comes the Heavy Brigade

13 February 2026

The disaster of the Charge of the Light Brigade inevitably dominates the tale of the Battle of Balaclava on October 25, 1854, but far more successful actions also took place that day: the Charge of The Heavy Brigade and The Thin Red Line.

img_19-5.jpg

Door opens to Dorothy Garland at the Dominion Theatre

13 February 2026

Incomparable! Delightful! The one and only! Miss Show Business Judy Garland’s All Star Variety Show – as billed at the time – opened at the Dominion Theatre in London’s Tottenham Court Road in October 17, 1957, for a four-and-a-half week run.

img_17-6.jpg

Order awarded by a doomed Afghan king

13 February 2026

The Order of the Durrani Empire (Nishan-i-Daulat-i-Durrani) was established in 1839 and awarded to British field officers and above during the First Afghan War by Shah Durrani of Afghanistan (1785-1842) in gratitude for his restoration to the throne as Shah Shuja-ool-Moqlk, King of Afghanistan.

img_14-2.jpg

Masterpiece of numismatic neoclassical design on offer

13 February 2026

The reverse to the 1817 George III crown is considered a masterpiece of numismatic neoclassical design.

img_16-1.jpg

Trafalgar and Spartan add up to £9100 result

13 February 2026

The clasps (metal bars across the ribbons) signifying participation in particular actions are a key factor driving value when it comes to the Naval General Service medal 1793-1840 awarded retrospectively for Royal navy service.

img_11-2.jpg

Modern era gold coins: The battle of the giants

13 February 2026

A Ferdinand III (1608-57) 100-ducat gold piece briefly became the most expensive ‘modern era’ European gold coin ever sold at auction when it hammered for SFr1.95m (£1.83m) in Geneva.

News

Categories