Buying at Auction

Bid by bid you can enjoy the true thrill of the chase with a Bellmans auction. Find out about our latest auction dates, preview the lots and let us help you to pursue your prized item from the comfort of your home or office.

HOW TO BID

BellmansLive - this live auction feed allows Bellmans clients to watch, listen and bid from anywhere in the world. Click here to register for this service.

Absentee bidding - clients once registered can leave an absentee bid through the Bellmans website. This is the maximum bid you would like to place on an item but is not necessarily the opening bid that we use. If you do not have a Bellmans account, it's simple to register.

Live telephone bidding - Bellmans offer a personal telephone bid service with a member of our staff. As we have a limited number of lines so we can only offer this service for lots with a low estimate of £300 or greater. We recommend booking this service in good time and no later than 4pm the day before the auction.

Attending the sale - if you are planning to attend a Bellmans auction, please register in advance. On arrival at Bellmans we will then give you a bidding number.

The-saleroom.com - all Bellmans auctions are streamed live on the-saleroom.com. Clients may bid through this, however there is a surcharge of 5% plus VAT for this service.

REGISTERING WITH BELLMANS

Before you can bid with Bellmans you will need to create a client account. Simply click My Account followed by Create Account.
Once your client account is created you will need to complete our registration process in advance through your online account.

Bellmans’ registration process has three distinct levels:

Uncertified - Whilst uncertified, you will have access to your client account and will be able to browse auction catalogues, submit online valuations, book appointments and place Lots on your watch list.

Basic - To participate in one of our auctions you need to complete basic certification. This simple process involves verifying your email, telephone number and address. Once completed this also gives you access to BellmansLive, our online bidding platform, with no additional surcharge for online bidding. This subscription will expire after 5 years.

Advanced - The advanced level is required for clients who wish to bid on lots that fall within the scope of the Art Market Anti Money Laundering legislation. This level of certification requires two forms of identification, a passport or other government-issued photo ID and proof of your residential address (such as a bank statement or utility bill) dated within the last three months.

Bellmans, as with other art market businesses, is obliged by current legislation to verify the identity of all clients. Consequently, we have introduced an industry-leading registration process to ensure best practice and compliance with the legislation.

Confirming your ID
These verification documents can easily be uploaded through your online account. Should your original certification documents expire you will be prompted to upload new documents.

PICTURES, DRAWINGS, PRINTS, MINIATURES AND SCULPTURE

“HANS HOLBEIN”
- a work by the artist without any qualification.

QUALIFIED HEADINGS

“ATTRIBUTED TO HANS HOLBEIN”
- probably a work by the artist in whole or in part.

“STUDIO OF HANS HOLBEIN/WORKSHOP OF HANS HOLBEIN”
- a work executed in the studio or workshop of the artist, possibly under his supervision.

“CIRCLE OF HANS HOLBEIN”
- a work of the period of the artist and showing his influence.

“FOLLOWER OF HANS HOLBEIN”
- a work executed in the artist’s style but not necessarily by a pupil.

“MANNER OF HANS HOLBEIN”
- a work executed in the artist’s style but of a later date.

“AFTER HANS HOLBEIN”
- a copy (of any date) of a work of the artist.

“J*** BELLMAN”
- a work by an artist without literary reference or auction record

“SIGNED/DATED/TITLED”
- the work has been signed/dated/titled by the artist.

“BEARS SIGNATURE/INSCRIBED”
- the signature/inscription appears to be by a hand other than that of the artist.

The date given for Old Master, Modern and Contemporary Prints is the date (or approximate date when prefixed with ‘circa’) on which the original composition was conceived and not necessarily the date when the impression was printed or published.

"Artist's Resale Right / ARR" - a royalty payable to a qualifying artist or the artist's heirs each time a work is resold during the artist's lifetime and up to a period of 70 years after the artist's death. Royalties are calculated on a sliding percentage scale based on the hammer price excluding the buyer's premium. The royalty does not apply to lots selling below £1,000 and the maximum royalty payable on any single lot is £10,000. Droit de Suite, which is not subject to VAT, will be added to the buyer's purchase price and then passed on to the relevant collecting agency. Please enquire for the accepted exchange rate on the day of the sale. Royalties for Droit de Suite are as follows:

4% - Up to £50.000
3% - £50.000.01 - 200,000
1% - £200,000.01 - 350.000
0.5% - £350.000.01 - 500.000
0.25% - In excess of £500,000
Up to a maximum levy of £10,000

Please note dimensions listed for pictures and prints refer to the work itself and do not include frame dimensions.

VIEWING

Viewing days are offered several days before the auction dates.
Due to the recent lifting of government restrictions an appointment is no longer required.
Viewing staff will be available to assist locating items in the saleroom and to answer any questions.


CONDITIONS

Condition reports can be requested, free of charge, by clients from the on-line auction catalogue.
In some cases, condition reports are pre-published on lot pages, as well as additional images.
A condition report from our specialists can offer their opinion of condition and any restoration which supplements our catalogue description.
Additional photos can be requested.
Please note our catalogue does not include reference to condition or repair.


SUCCESS?

All results will be available on our website.
If your bid has been successful, you will be notified by Bellmans and the invoice will be available to view and pay through your Bellmans Client Zone.

PAYMENT
A Buyer's premium of 25% on the hammer price plus VAT at 20% is payable on all lots. (The VAT rate may alter and will be levied at the appropriate rate).
Lots purchased via the-saleroom.com are subject to 30% buyer’s premium plus VAT at 20%.
Payment details are available in your Bellmans Client Zone as well as printed on your invoice.
Payment is due immediately following the auction.
Payment can be made by bank transfer.


COLLECTION & SHIPPING

We kindly request that payment and collection of all lots is made within one week of the auction; storage charges apply thereafter.
Please inform Bellmans if you are arranging collection via a third party.

Please see below our recommended companies:
Clearhouse Moves (Delivery of Furniture and Larger items)
T: +44 (0) 7919 363 760 E: [email protected]