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 and our staff will be able to help you.
Viewing
Our viewing times can be found on the Auction Dates 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 our web site.
We aim to illustrate every lot in our Fine Art & Antiques Auctions on-line.

We also display our Fine Art & Antiques catalogues on-line with www.the-saleroom.com. www.invaluable.com and www.ukauctioneers.com.
These services are available seven days prior to the auction.

Our General Sale catalogues are on-line the Friday before the sale.
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.

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.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE
1. The highest bidder shall be the purchaser, subject to the restriction that the auctioneer reserves the right to refuse any bid, to regulate the amount of bids, and has the absolute discretion in all disputes between bidders.

2. The Auctioneer reserves the right to fix a reserve and be bid up to such a reserve on behalf of the vendor.

3. The Auctioneer reserves the right to consolidate, withdraw or alter any lots.

4. The lots will be sold as they stand at the time of the sale with all their qualities and defects – irrespective of their description in the catalogue.

5. All lots after the fall of the hammer will be held at the Purchaser’s risk.

6. The Purchasers to give their names and addresses and, if required, to pay a deposit in part payment.

7. All lots purchased by any one person will be considered and taken as being in one contract.

8. No goods to be delivered or to be removed during the sale until paid for.

9. The Purchasers of each lot shall pay to the Auctioneer THE SUM OF 17.5% BUYER'S PREMIUM plus Vat to be paid in the lot.

10. All lots to be removed at the Purchaser’s expense immediately after the sale, or a charge for warehousing may be made by the Auctioneer.

11. Any damage to the premises caused by the removal of goods shall, be paid for by the purchaser.

12. All lots sold without reserve are sold at the auctioneers’ discretion.

13. In accordance with ‘Artists Resale Rights Regulations’ or Droit De Suite enforced on 14th February 2006 all lots marked with a D are subject to a resale royalty charge payable by the buyer. This will apply only to lots prefixed with a D selling for 1000 euros or more and will be charged at the rate of 4% of the total hammer price (exclusive of buyer’s premium). The resale royalty right payment is not subject to VAT and is payable in sterling. The amount due is calculated on the day of the sale at the prevailing rate of exchange. Payment is passed directly to the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS), 33 Great Sutton Street, London, EC10 0DX. For further information please contact DACS 0845 410 3410 or www.dacs.org.uk.
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 is found at the back of this catalogue, in the saleroom or on-line via our web site. 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 be carried out by us and is completely confidential. You can then either e-mail us directly from the website, fax the form to us or submit the bid by telephone. Telephone commission bids must be received before 9am on the morning of the sale. Successful buyer’s will be contacted by telephone or email or will receive a postal invoice after the sale. Please note that we offer this service as a convenience.

Buyer's Premium
Buyer's Premium is 17.5% (plus 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. This facility is available on lots where the bottom estimate is over £500.00. 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 (within 24 hours after the sale), 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.

Payment
Payment can be made during or immediately after the sale. We ask that all items are paid and removed from the saleroom by 5pm on the Friday after the sale. The successful buyer should take 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 customers 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 on-line.

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