Industry News
Sothebys and Christies have both announced that they will no longer be accepting lots under the value of £5,000
Both auction houses have confirmed that it is no longer a viable option for them to include such items in their sales & have stated that they are more than happy to leave this to the provincial rooms.
Being close to the centre of London, only 20mins by tube on the central line, has placed Boningtons in an enviable position, ideally located to cover this gap in the market.
‘Not only are we within easy reach for central London vendors that wish to consign pieces with us, but we have proven sales results that show that the proximity to London helps us to achieve the best prices as we are not too far for the central London dealers to view & purchase at our sales.’ A representative confirms.
Boningtons were happy to host the TV program Cash in the attic for BBC1 recently.
Leopard Films who film the show were so pleased with the results when a vase estimated at £180 - £200 sold for £2,000, that they asked to come and film the next aution as well!!! The two shows were aired in February and March 2008.
Hot on the heels of the success of programs such as ‘Antiques Road show’ and ‘Cash in the Attic’, demand for antiques, object d’Art and interesting items has never been higher. Louise Asser from Boningtons says that ‘when you are about to move this is possibly the best time to have a good look in your loft to see what objects may be there that could be extremely valuable. Often there are items that have been inherited and put away for safe keeping and, often, these become extremely valuable as the years go by.
There are many occasions of course when Boningtons are called in to do a specific house clearance of valuations on antiques for properties within the area, and this has unlocked considerable value for clients.
Boningtons can be called on to assess the contents of a loft, house or indeed an estate totally free of charge. Surely, this would be a worthwhile exercise to carry out whilst your property is being considered for sale.
One persons junk is another persons treasure!
People are totally unaware of the value some items hold. We have had some very exciting and rewarding results, making over £5,000 for a rare Dunhill lighter and over £6,000 for some football programmes, which were a complete surprise to the vendors. We rescued a Queen Anne chair from the dump and sold a really plain looking stool for over £150 because of it’s makers name to name but a few examples. It really is important not to throw anything away without letting the professionals have a look!!
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