A vintage leopard-skin rug by Van Ingen Sold for £940
A Reading style gypsy caravan circa 1910 Sold for £7,000
Scarce Ewenny Pottery zoomorphic jug 'The Wild Pig' circa 1900 Sold for £1,000
Selling at Auction
We receive items from all parts of the United Kingdom and the Continent. Over 90% are from private estates and individual sellers whether consigned through probate, downsizing, moving abroad or just changing interiors.
We are aware that the auction business has changed and developed over the past few years and strive to make the process of selling a painless, straightforward and enjoyable one. We operate from our own saleroom which is presented to inspire people to visualise the items on offer in their own homes, rather than ‘pile it in and stack it high’!
One very important aspect of our service is that we auction on site. None of our lots will be shipped to other salerooms or out of the area, resulting in a far lesser risk of loss or damage.
Due to changes in public awareness, Provincial auction houses now achieve comparable and often higher prices for goods than the London salerooms. This is assisted in part by competitive exposure, including illustrated catalogues placed on the internet allied with the lower charges levied by provincial auction houses, resulting in significantly higher returns for the seller and a better deal for the buyer.
We regularly sell to buyers worldwide and always attract a strong London trade presence.
Promotion
We extensively advertise all our auctions both at home and abroad including Hampshire’s premier newspapers, both of which have a wide readership – The Hampshire Chronicle: covering Winchester, Romsey, Stockbridge and Chandlers Ford and The Herald series, reaching Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, West Sussex.
We also place monthly illustrated advertisements in national trade publications including The Antiques Trade Gazette and Antiques Magazine as well as various other premium publications.
Our full catalogues, complete with hundreds of illustrations, are published to the worlds leading Fine Art & Antiques websites: The Antiques Trade Gazette (available without subscription to both trade and private persons) Invaluable (available on subscription and very popular to collectors worldwide with very specific interests), UK-Auctioneers (a growing database for collectors) in addition to our own web site. www.antiquestradegazette.com www.invaluable.com www.ukauctioneers.com www.the-saleroom.com
Over the years we have compiled a very large worldwide data base and target those buyers with specific interests in addition to those who have previously registered or purchased from us.
Free Valuation for Sale
(Please see also “valuation services” page)
We are always happy to provide verbal valuations FREE of charge, either at the saleroom or at your home. Customers intending to bring items to the saleroom are advised to telephone and book an appointment, to ensure a valuer is available. Alternatively, where possible, we will give an estimate of value from an emailed image or photograph.
Reserve Price
This is the minimum price at which the item will be sold. It will be agreed in advance between the vendor and ourselves at a level that is mutually acceptable. Once the catalogue is printed (with estimates), the reserve figure cannot be increased.
It is normal to allow the auctioneer a minimum 10% discretion on the reserve price but, if required, we can firmly fix the price.
Applying a reserve price is entirely optional and if no reserve is required, we will provide an estimate in the catalogue which we believe can be achieved or bettered. It is worth noting that items offered with realistic estimates often attract greater interest and can therefore surpass expectations.
Charges
Our commission rates are highly competitive within the auction industry, although when comparing our commission rates with other auctioneers, please take into account any additional or hidden charges – these will considerably increase your costs even if the basic commission percentage is slightly lower than ours.
All charges are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate.
Commission Rates
Our vendor’s commission is charged per lot at 15% (17.62%)
Lotting Fee
We charge a lotting fee of £2 per lot for Saturday Antiques Auctions and £3 per lot lotting/internet fee for Fine Art, Antiques & Decorative Furnishings Auctions.
Insurance
You have the option to insure all items submitted to auction. A charge of 1.5% is made to cover this. If you would prefer that your items are uninsured, please mention this when your goods are consigned.
Withdrawals
A fee of 10% of the reserve figure or lower estimate will be levied if any item is withdrawn once it has been officially catalogued.
Unsold items
We do not charge an unsolds fee (see lotting fee)
Unsold items need to be collected within three days of receipt of notification of your sale result(s), unless we agree to re-enter the item into the next suitable sale. We will generally review the reserve figure and decrease it by up to 50% for the next auction.
Illustrations
We do not charge for illustrating items in either the printed catalogue or the internet catalogue although we reserve the right to illustrate or not any lot consigned for sale and to further use such in any pre or post sale promotion.
Pre-sale Information
We will send a pre sale advice letter approximately one week before an antiques auction, which will list the items consigned to the sale, their lot number, reserve price and catalogue estimate. It is no longer possible to issue such advises for general action sales as these consist of largely lower value goods, the sales for which are compiled at short notice. When consigning items an indication will normally be given as to the sale destination and the values.
It is very important that this information is carefully checked and if something is incorrect that you contact us immediately. Any alterations a client requests can only be made prior to sale!!
You are very welcome to come and view the sale.
Post-sale Information & Settlement
Generally within one week of an antiques auction we will advise you by post of your results. At this point you will need to arrange collection of any unsold items or discuss with us about re-entering into another sale.
We will send a statement and cheque for the balance - typically within two weeks for a general sale, and three weeks for an antiques sale.
In the unlikely event that we have not received payment for a lot we cannot account to the vendor until such payment has been made. It is worth bearing in mind that the International Banking System can, at times, delay payments.
We hold monthly valuation days at our Winchester city centre premises 6b St Thomas Street, SO23 9HE.
Call 01962 842155 for more details – no appointment necessary. Next valuation day:
Andrew Smith & Son is the trading name of Andrew Smith & Son (Winchester Auction Rooms) Ltd. Registered in England & Wales
Company Number 07146270 Registered Office: 6B St Thomas Street, Winchester, SO23 9HE
