Here we have outlined all the information you will require to understand how to buy at auction.  If however you have any further queries please e-mail or telephone us.

Viewing
Our viewing times can be found on the Sales web page.  Our members of staff are on hand during viewing in the saleroom to help with enquiries about the sale and specific lots.  Please note that when handling any item at the view you do so at your own risk.

Printed Catalogue
All lots carry a description and pre-sale estimate of price.  Estimates suggest the price that the lot may reach.  Vendor's (or Seller's) reserves may be set, they are confidential, but they will not exceed the lower end of the estimate.  Estimates do not carry buyer's premium.  Lots may carry abbreviations such as a/f (as found - considerable damage).  We make every effort to note damage and restoration however the absence of such a note does not imply that the lot is without defect.  All clients should satisfy themselves of both condition and descriptions.  Any measurements and weights may be approximate.  Any changes to the catalogue after production will be displayed in the Saleroom in a Saleroom notice and will be announced prior to the lot being sold.

On-Line Catalogues
Our catalogues can be viewed and down loaded for FREE from this web site.  We aim to illustrate every lot in our Specialist sales on-line.  We also display our catalogues with the Antiques Trade Gazette at www.antiquestradegazette.com and Invaluable at www.invaluable.com.  These services are available seven days prior to the auction.  Our General Sale catalogues are on-line the Friday before the sale. 

Droit de Suite
Any lots where Droit de Suite may be payable are indicated with a D preceding the lot number. 

Registering to Bid At Auction
If you are attending the sale and wish to bid you should register at the office and will receive a paddle number before the start of the sale.  This number should be held up when bidding and paying.  Registration is carried out on the day of the sale only. 

Commission Bidding
If you are unable to attend the sale but wish to bid on a lot, we can do this on your behalf.  You will need to fill out a commission bidding form which can be found on this website, at the back of the printed catalogue or in the saleroom.  You should complete the contact details, list the lot and the maximum price you wish to pay, excluding the buyer's premium.  The bid will then be carried out by us and is completely confidential.  You can then either e-mail us directly, fax the form to us or submit the bid by telephone.  All commission bids must be received before 9.00 am on the morning of the sale.  Successful buyer's will be contacted by telephone or e-mail or will receive a postal invoice after the sale. 

Buyers Premium
Buyer's Premium is 17.5% (including VAT).  This is a commission that is paid in addition to the hammer price.

Telephone Bidding
We can only offer a limited number of telephone bidding lines on sale day enabling purchasers to bid live.  This facility is available on lots where the bottom estimate is over £500. 

Requests for telephone bids must be made at least 24 hours prior to the sale and are allocated on a first come first served basis.

Please note that any lots purchased by Telephone Bidding will be subject to an additional 3% commission charge + VAT at the rate imposed on the hammer price.

Online Bidding
Boldon Auction Galleries offer an online bidding service for our quarterly Antique & Fine Art Sales via the-saleroom.com for bidders who cannot attend the sale.

In completing the bidder registration on www.the-saleroom.com and providing your credit card details and unless alternative arrangements are agreed with Boldon Auction Galleries you:
1. authorise Boldon Auction Galleries, if they so wish, to charge the credit card given in part or full payment, including all fees, for items successfully purchased in the auction via the-saleroom.com, and
2. confirm that you are authorised to provide these credit card details to Boldon Auction Galleries through www.the-saleroom.com and agree that Boldon Auction Galleries are entitled to ship the goods to the card holder name and card holder address provided in fulfilment of the sale.

Please note that any lots purchased via the-saleroom.com live auction service will be subject to an additional 3% commission charge + VAT at the rate imposed on the hammer price.

Auctioning the lots
Generally we will cover approximately 140-180 lots per hour.  The speed of the auction will vary between auctioneers.  Bidding stops after the hammer has fallen and the auctioneer's decision is final.

Payment
Payment can be made during or immediately after the sale.  We ask that all items are paid and removed from the saleroom by 5.00 pm on the Friday after the sale. 

The successful buyer should give the paddle number to the office for processing.

Payment can be made by cash, cheque, debit or credit card (there is a 2% surcharge on credit card transactions on the total invoice). 

As Company Policy new clients who wish to pay by cheque should do so together with a cheque guarantee card or the items will be held until the cheque has cleared through the bank.
Once payment has been made, goods may be cleared and the purchaser will receive their invoice from one of our porters with their goods.

Package and Shipping
We are neither professional packers or shippers; however should you require small items to be packed and posted we will try to accomodate your requirements, after payment for the lots.  Demand is high for this service and although we aim to have the items packed and ready to send within a week, we cannot guarantee this.  We would like to remind all our customers that whilst we make every effort to pack suitably we can in no way take responsibility for the safe arrival of goods and take no liability for damage in transit. 

Condition Reports
For prospective purchasers unable to attend the sale, we offer a condition report service.  Requests for information are accepted by telephone, fax or e-mail.  Requests for condition reports must be received at the latest 24 hours before the sale otherwise we cannot guarantee we will be able to respond in time.  All lots are illustrated where possible for our specialist sales in our on-line catalogues.

Catalogue Subscriptions
If you would like to receive printed catalogues by post we offer a subscription service.  For further information please call us.