CONDITIONS OF SALE


(1) St. James’s Auctions [the Company] is a division of Knightsbridge Coins. These sales at public auction are undertaken as agent only, acting on behalf of the seller. The contract of sale for any lot will be between the seller and the buyer.

(2) The buyer of any lot will be the highest bidder. In the event of any dispute, the auctioneer shall have absolute discretion to settle the dispute as he thinks best; this may mean re-offering the lot for sale.

(3) The auctioneer shall have absolute discretion to divide any lot, combine two or more lots or withdraw any lot or lots without giving any reason. In the case of a dispute, he may re-offer a lot for sale. The auctioneer also has the right to refuse any bid or bids without giving a reason.

(4) The Company and auctioneer shall have absolute discretion to refuse admission to their premises or attendance at their auction of any person they deem unsuitable, without giving any reason for, or prior notice of, their action.

(5) The minimum increment between bids will normally be 5%. The auctioneer has the right to refuse any bid which is not in line with this increase. He also has absolute discretion to vary this increment as he sees fit.

(6) All lots are subject to a Buyer’s Premium of 24.00%, inclusive of VAT, (20% + VAT), payable by all buyers.
In the case of a lot marked with a dagger (†), import VAT at 5% will be added to the hammer price and will be payable by the buyer if resident in the EU. If the lot is being exported outside the EU, this import VAT can be waived or refunded on proof of export.

(7) Each bidder shall be deemed to act as principal unless the Company acknowledges in writing prior to the auction that he acts as agent for a named third-party principal. For bidders unable to attend the auction in person, commissions will be executed free-of-charge. Such bids must be written and must be received at least 24 hours before the sale begins. The Company cannot guarantee to execute bids received less than 24 hours before the sale. ‘Buy’ bids will not be accepted. The Company shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in executing such commissions.

(8) All buyers must, if requested, notify their name and address to the auctioneer and, if required, provide additional proof of identification, bank references or other credit references. All buyers must pay the full purchase price, at the point of collection of purchases, or a fractional deposit as may be determined at the auctioneer’s discretion, unless the Company has previously arranged credit terms. Seven working days must be allowed for clearance of personal cheques before delivery can be made unless a prior agreement has been reached. A 2% surcharge will be applied to all credit card payments.

(9) Ownership of lots does not pass to the buyer until the Company has received payment in full.

(10) All lots, however, are held to be at the buyer’s risk from the fall of the hammer. All lots shall be removed by the buyer within seven working days after the date of the sale. Any lots not so removed may become liable to removal, insurance and storage charges. Such lots may, at the auctioneer’s discretion, be re-offered for sale at auction or by private treaty without further notice to the buyer.

(11) All lots are offered for sale subject to any reserve price that may be imposed by the seller. The seller may not subsequently change the reserve without the agreement of the Company. Where a reserve has been set, only the auctioneer may bid on behalf of the seller. Lots are normally reserved at 80% of lower estimate, with auctioneer’s discretion. Unless re-offered for sale, the collection of unsold lots shall be the responsibility of the vendor.

(12) (a) Lots are sold as shown with all faults, imperfections and errors of description and lack of authenticity. Neither St James’s Auctions nor the vendor shall give any warranty to any buyer in respect of any lot or be liable for any fault or error of description or lack of genuineness or authenticity of any lot. All statements as to items sold, whether made in catalogues, during the course of the auction or otherwise, are statements of opinion only and are not and shall not be taken to be statements or representations of fact. St James’s Auctions reserve the right in forming their opinion to consult and rely upon any expert or authority considered by them to be reliable.



(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any lot, other than a miscellaneous item not individually described in the catalogue, should be proved by the buyer to be not genuine or authentic, or to have been wrongly described in any material respect, the buyer may reject the same provided that he shall have given notice of his intention so to do and shall have returned the same to St James’s Auctions within one month from, and in the same condition as at, the date of sale. The onus of proving a lot to be not genuine or authentic or to have been so wrongly described shall lie with the buyer. Proof of the inability of any recognised expert or authority to express a definite opinion shall not discharge such onus. If the buyer shall discharge such onus, the auctioneers shall rescind the sale and repay to the buyer the price paid by him. Save as provided herein, St James’s Auctions shall not under any circumstances whatsoever be liable for any costs, expenses or damages (whether direct, indirect, special or consequential) incurred by the buyer in respect of any lot, whether or not as a result of any fault, imperfection, error or description or lack of genuineness or authenticity, including but not limited to loss of any kind of profit whatsoever.

(13) Save as provided in the preceding paragraph of these conditions buyers must satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of their purchases at the time of delivery. St James’s Auctions cannot be held responsible for any discrepancy which might be discovered after the lots have been removed from either the auction room or the auctioneers' premises.

(14) As stated in paragraph (1), the Company acts solely as agent between buyer and seller and shall not be held responsible for any default by either party or for any action or claim that may arise in connection with any lot.

(15) Any part of the purchase price still outstanding after the auction, in line with the terms of paragraph (8), shall be paid in full within thirty days of the date of the auction. Without prejudice to any other rights, the Company reserves the right to charge interest on any overdue payment at a rate of three per cent per month. In the event that the company shall have paid the vendor (normally 35 days after the sale) and part of the purchase price is still outstanding, title to the lot will pass to the Company. The Company shall then have the right to sell any other goods belonging to the buyer and held by the Company for whatever reason at such a price that the company, in its absolute discretion, thinks fit. The buyer shall also reimburse the Company for any additional costs incurred in this process.

(16) Buyers accepting commissions from third parties do so at their own risk. They remain responsible to the Company for full settlement according to these conditions

(17) By making a bid, the buyer acknowledges his acceptance of these conditions and agrees to be bound by them.

(18) If any buyer fails to comply with any of these Conditions, the lot or lots in respect of which the failure is made may at the discretion of St James’s Auctions be put up again and resold. The damages recoverable from the defaulting buyer shall include, but not be limited to, the auctioneers' expenses and commission in respect of the resale and the amount (if any) by which the price obtained on the resale is exceeded by that obtained on the first sale.

(19) A variation of these Conditions shall only be binding on St James’s Auctions and the vendor if it is made in writing and signed by a duly authorised representative of St James’s Auctions.

(20) These Conditions shall take effect and be construed in accordance with the provisions of English law.