Wondering what to do with those dusty antiques sitting in the house? We speak to Frances Robinson at Chorley’s Auctioneers, near Cheltenham, on the benefits of selling goods at an auction house

Great British Life: (c) Chorleys(c) Chorleys (Image: Archant)

“The valuing process is less scary than you think”

Getting your items valued at auction is a quick, no-nonsense process even if prospective sellers don’t have the time to drop into the auction house themselves. Clients can come in personally to drop an item in, simply send an email along with a photograph of an item or even request a home visit. Clients can even sell from the comfort of their own home – Frances Robinson of Chorley’s Auctioneers says, “We have an Instagram, a Twitter and a Facebook account and clients will post things on social media for valuations.”

Great British Life: (c) Chorleys(c) Chorleys (Image: Archant)

“Expert advice for valuing items”

The benefit of selling at auction is the specialist knowledge valuers have and their ability to know how to market items effectively to the world. Everyday valuers will meet clients from all walks of life and handle a wide variety of items thus furthering their knowledge of high quality antiques and art.

Frances Robinson of Chorley’s, specialises in modern contemporary and art following a fine art degree and a keen interest and wide knowledge of the topic. Alongside sales focusing on all sorts of items, Frances says “every year we have a modern contemporary sale which includes items from the arts and crafts movement which covers all disciplines from paintings, sculpture and ceramics.”

Great British Life: (c) Chorleys(c) Chorleys (Image: Archant)

“A lot of love and care goes into auctioning items”

There’s no typical day at an auction house. From valuing items at the auction house or at a client’s home, to preparing salerooms for auctions, organising catalogues and marketing before sales and then the auctions themselves, valuers and auctioneers never expect a simple day at the office.

At Chorley’s Auctioneers, auctions take place monthly with deadlines for items ending six weeks prior. Items will be photographed, and buyers can expect to see items displayed in the catalogue, on the website and social media. Items are then set up in the room so buyers can envisage what they’ll look like at home before they’re lotted up.

Excitement can be felt in the sale room on auction day. The sale room enjoys a lively atmosphere with bidders competing alongside buyers on the telephone and online for their favourite items.

Great British Life: (c) Chorleys(c) Chorleys (Image: Archant)

“Bigger reach for your item”

The sale room at an auction is still a busy one with lots of bidders keen to get their hands on a hidden treasure, whether privately or for trade.

With the internet a new market has opened up, not only on a national but an international basis with buyers from all over the world competing for items. Buyers in the sale room alongside online bidders drum up the competition for lots and really create a buzz in sale room.

Auctioneers are juggling bids over the telephone, online, and managed buyers in the room. This is great for vendors as their items are gaining more exposure and the potential for a good price increases.

“Attic treasures could be worth thousands”

An item could be worth a lot more than a client thinks, and searching the attic could unveil a hidden treasure that had been long forgotten about. Chorley’s have seen items sell for a lot more than predicted.

“The Chinese market has been strong for quite some time at auction and I remember going to a client’s house and seeing a pot on the side and thought it was quite unusual. It was completely broken – all riveted with old staples - but I thought that’s definitely something special and it ended up selling for £74,000 at auction.”

There are plenty of lovely stories when it comes to selling lots at auction too:

“A Christopher Wood still life came from a private collection in Gloucestershire and had been in the gentlemen’s collection for some time. It went in at £40-60,000. We took it down to London for a preview alongside some of the others from the collection to give London buyers a chance to see and it came back to Gloucestershire and the piece sold for £320,000. It made a lovely story and we were really happy it stayed in the UK.”

“It generally only takes a few to get excited and push that price up”

Bidders generally get caught up in the excitement of an auction and it only takes a few to start bidding and push the price of an item up.

Buyers also have a whole host of ways to bid for their items; from turning up on the day of sale, via telephone and from the website. There’s so many ways for buyers to bid; and with more buyers, its more likely clients will achieve great prices on their items.

Chorley’s, positioned in the beautiful grounds of Pricknash Abbey, host frequent auctions of high quality antiques and art as well as offering valuation services for private and corporate clients. For more information, or to find out the next upcoming sale, visit the website or call 01452 344499.