Meet The Experts at Borde Hill Valuation Day
On Wednesday 17 September we are returning for a second valuation day at Borde Hill Garden, Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath, RH16 1 XP.
Come for a complimentary, and obligation-free appraisal of your pieces and gain two-for-one entry to the wider gardens which will be at the height of their autumnal glow!
Our experts will be on site from 10am to 3pm ready and eager to meet you and your items for appraisal.
Our travelling experts on the day will be, Pippa Green, Michael Grist and Liberty King.
Philip Belcher
Philip is Senior Executive Director at Bellmans and has a wealth of knowledge in all areas but possesses a particular fascination with Clocks and Timepieces. He rarely gets the opportunity to make it out to a valuation day so we are very excited he has this time and we hope he is rushed off his feet all day!
Previously Senior Director of Christie’s UK, Philip was also Deputy Chairman of Christie’s South Kensington and held various roles over twenty-six years there, specialising in European decorative arts. He has a wide-ranging interest across many fields, including English and Continental furniture, sculpture, clocks, works of art and garden statuary. Philip has a lifelong interest in horology and is a Freeman of the Clockmakers' Company.
Philip travels extensively throughout the UK and Europe, visiting clients in their homes, advising on all aspects of their collections and undertaking valuations for probate, taxation, sale and other purposes.
Starting out at Phillips’ furniture department in 1978, Philip worked for a Bond Street antique watch dealer for a few years, before returning to the auction house. In 1989 he moved to Christie's, where he headed various departments at both King Street and South Kensington, including Works of Art & Objects and 19th Century Furniture & Sculpture.
Micheal Grist
Michael is Bellmans' Senior Picture Specialist. He has over 20 years experience in pictures and specialises in 19th and 20th century British & Continental paintings with a particular interest in the Newlyn School and British Impressionism. He has assisted in the formation of numerous important private collections in the UK and abroad, as well as with acquisitions by public institutions and he is regularly involved with valuation days throughout the UK.
He began his career at Sotheby’s in 1999, as a warehouse porter - it was supposed to simply be a summer job post-university and he is still at it 26 years later. As well as acquiring a fork-lift truck license the warehouse provided a great grounding for a variety of departments; he remembers working in the wine department and came across an unmarked case and inside were six bottled of Napoleon-era brandy with hand-written labels worth £25,000. He was promoted to picture porter in the New Bond Street HQ and one of his first tasks was to unframe a Cezanne still life of fruit that went on to make on to make £16.5million. He recalls the thrill and terror of holding a canvas that had been held by Cezanne. For a brief period he was an administrator in the collectors department which included the Robbie Williams sale where the lyrics for Angels sold for £31k, 400 people packed in to the saleroom and the lyrics were bought by a couple whose child was born while the song was in the charts, the child had complications so this song kept them going during sleepless nights.
He then became a junior cataloguer in the British & Continental Paintings Department at Olympia for five years before moving to the New Bond Street saleroom as Deputy Director of the British Pictures Department. Here he ran the Sporting, Marine and Scottish sales and specialised in Victorian & Edwardian paintings.
In 2005 he was the expert in charge of the Trafalgar Bicentenary sale which realised over £5m. He recalls some staggering items, in particular Nelson’s washstand from HMS Victory from the collection of George Matcham, Nelson’s brother-in-law; it had some of the original glass in the mirror, extraordinary this would have reflected Nelson on the morning of the Battle of Trafalgar. It was not a particularly beautiful washstand, but the provenance meant it sold for £38,000. 'This is one of the most enduring aspects of the job, the life span of these items or works often far surpasses those who own them, where they have been, what they have witnessed is remarkable and to cross their paths is a genuine privilege.'
In 2012 Michael moved to St. James’s to become director of a leading dealership, renowned for exceptional 19th & 20th Century British, European and American works of art. He exhibited at TEFAF Maastricht, Masterpiece, LAPADA and TEFAF New York before joining Bellmans in 2020.
Liberty King
Liberty studied Fashion Styling with Creative Direction at Southampton, graduating in 2022.
Steering towards a jewellery focus for her final year, Liberty’s desire to pursue a career within jewellery and antiques was formulated. The auction world felt a natural next step with the avenues it represents for working with fine jewellery and gems - the auction world is not only a gateway to handling extraordinary pieces but for Liberty also a place to build deep expertise, forge industry connections, and develop her career steeped in artisanal craft and commerce.
Liberty remarks, “Working in the jewellery department of an auction house puts you at the intersection of artisanal craftsmanship and commerce. I am constantly exposed to rare and beautiful items - antique pieces with fascinating provenance, signed jewels from iconic houses, and exceptional gemstones from around the world. Every auction is different, every piece tells a story, and every day is an opportunity for me to expand my knowledge”.
Liberty is one of our lead jewellery experts and plays a pivotal leading role in curating our jewellery and fine jewellery auctions and is adept at meeting vendors and explaining the history and value of their pieces. She particularly enjoys researching provenance and design and takes pride in building collections that appeal to both new buyers and seasoned collectors.
Liberty joined Bellmans to advance her expertise and knowledge of period and antique jewellery and since joining has successfully completed her Gem-A-Diploma and is currently growing her expertise through further study in the history of jewellery.
Outside of work, Liberty enjoys reading, painting and gardening, as well as spending time with friends and exploring antique shops and local markets.
