A thoughtful next step for your collection.
For collectors moving pieces on, consignors with a single treasure, and families looking after an inherited collection. It starts with a conversation, and you're free to decline at any point.
From first note to final settlement
Tell us about it
A short description through the inquiry form. Photos help but are optional.
A conversation
We read it, ask what we need to know and explain how a sale would work.
Agreement and intake
If we go ahead, terms are set in a written agreement before anything moves.
Research and cataloging
Each lot is photographed, researched and described with its evidence kept clear.
Auction on HiBid
The catalog opens on HiBid, where buyers register, bid and are invoiced.
Settlement
Your share is paid under the agreement once results are final and buyer payment clears.
Before you get in touch
None of this is required to start, but each item helps us reply with better questions.
- Clear photographs of the front, back and any marks. How to take them
- Approximate quantity, by category if it's a mixed collection.
- Where the items are, by city and state.
- Any documentation you already have: receipts, letters, certificates, appraisals.
- Things left as found: no cleaning, polishing, repairs or re-sorting.
Three numbers worth keeping apart
Hammer price
The winning bid when bidding closes, before anything is added.
Consignor share
The part of the hammer price owed to you under your written agreement.
Buyer premium
A charge the buyer pays on top of the hammer price, at the rate in that event's terms. It isn't part of your share.
Illustrative only; your agreement sets the actual terms. Read the consignment economics guide
Questions to settle before you sign
A good agreement answers each of these plainly.
- Which items are included, ideally with an inventory
- Your share, and that it's calculated on the hammer price
- Any other charges and how they're worked out
- Whether reserves are used and how they're agreed
- What happens to lots that don't sell
- When and how settlement is paid
- Who is responsible for items in storage and in transit
Guides for owners
What we will and won't say at the start
- We won't quote a sale price or estimate from an inquiry.
- We won't promise a sale date before terms are agreed.
- We will tell you plainly what we can and can't establish from photos.
- We will put every term in writing. Until you sign, you're free to decline.
Ready when you are
A short description is enough to begin, and photos are optional. Rather talk it through first? Send us a message.