Buying at Auction

BUYING AT AUCTION

We want to make buying at auction as transparent, accessible and straightforward as possible.

Please refer to Conditions of Sale for full Terms and Conditions.
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BUYER’S FEES

All purchases are subject to a buyer’s premium, which is charged per lot at 25% of the hammer price (+ VAT)

VAT at the current rate of 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium of all lots (with the exception of books and unframed maps). In some cases, although unusual, VAT may be applied to the hammer price of certain lots. These will be clearly marked in the online and printed catalogue.

VIEWING LOTS

ONLINE

All our auctions are listed in our auction calendar. Illustrated catalogues are available on the days leading up to the sale on Easylive and the-saleroom.com, and you can request to receive email alerts to be notified when catalogues go live online.

IN PERSON

All our sales are open for public viewing at Hawthorn House in Farnham. Viewing times vary for each sale, so please check sale listings or the online catalogue for each sale. You will find the viewing dates here.

CONDITION REPORTS

Condition reports can be requested by contacting us at info@parkerfineartauctions.com or calling us on 01252 20 30 20.

Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the condition of each lot. A Condition Report is an honest expression of our opinion and not a statement of fact and is provided as a service to the Seller. Requests for condition reports must be submitted 24 hours before the start of the sale.

REQUEST FOR IMAGES

Requests for additional images of items in the sale can be made up to 24 hours before the start of the sale.

Please note the colours portrayed in the catalogue, and in additional images, are the best attempt at a likeness but cannot be confirmed as identical to the true colours.

HOW TO BID

To bid in one of our sales at Parker Fine Art Auctions Ltd for the first time you will need to provide:

• Your name
• Your address
• Photo identification (driving licence/passport)
• Valid debit or credit card

ATTENDING THE AUCTION

If intending to buy you are required to register your name and details at our reception desk on the day of the auction. You will then be allocated a bidding number, which you use when bidding for an item.

ABSENTEE BIDS

You can place an absentee bid, and the auctioneer will bid on your behalf to obtain the lot as cheaply as possible as allowed by other bids and reserves. To make an absentee bid you can complete a bidding form at reception, telephone us, or send us your bid by email. You should give us the maximum hammer price you are prepared to pay, remembering to take into account the buyer’s premium and any taxes and charges payable on top of the hammer price.

Absentee bids must be submitted by close of business on the day before the sale. If identical bids are submitted, the person who bid first will take precedence.

TELEPHONE BIDDING

You can take part in the sale by bidding over the telephone. Telephone lines must be booked by close of business on the day before the sale, and are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

ONLINE BIDDING

Bidding can be done through Easylive Auctions or the-saleroom.com. Bidding on these sites is directly through the relevant platforms and will incur extra commission charges. Please refer to the individual bidding websites for their individual terms and conditions.

PAYMENT

Payment will be accepted, if you are a successful bidder, by bank transfer direct into our bank account, by debit card issued in the name of the Buyer by a UK bank and registered to a UK billing address, by all major UK issued credit cards issued in the name of the Buyer and registered to a UK billing address (up to £1000), or in cash up to £8,000 (subject to relevant money laundering regulations). The name of the bank account holder should match the name of the buyer. Payment may also be made by sterling personal cheques drawn on a UK bank account and made payable to ‘Parker Fine Art Auctions Ltd’, however Lots paid for by this method cannot be collected until your cheque has cleared. Payment can be made and purchases collected during the auction. All accounts must be settled within 14 days of the sale. Accounts not paid within 14 days will automatically be subject to an interest charge (not exceeding 1.5% per month on the total amount due). Wire transfers should be sent to:

Sort code: 201143

Account number 83710246

Account Name Parker Fine Art Auctions Ltd (Client Account)

IBAN: GB04 BUKB 20114383710246

Swiftbic: BUKBGB22

Monies from wire transfers and cheques must be cleared into our account for 24 hours before items may be collected.

If the buyer has failed to collect within a period of two months (from sale date), Parker Fine Art Auctions reserve the right to re-enter the uncollected items through auction, to recover the cost of storage and associated costs. At this time the buyer relinquishes all claims to ownership and any right to financial compensation. For full details please see our terms and conditions.

COLLECTION

Before being able to collect your purchases you are required to pay the hammer price, plus the applicable charges, and obtain a receipt acknowledging payment.

Once payment for lots has been received collection or transportation of purchased lots must be made within 14 days of the sale to avoid storage charges.

We are open for collections Monday – Friday between 9am and 5pm, or by arrangement.

STORAGE

Storage charges will be levied on all lots not collected within 14 days of the sale of £5 plus VAT per lot per day.

DELIVERY

If you are arranging your own professional collection and delivery, please ensure the lot has been paid for and the transport company has full details of the items to be collected, and we have received an authorisation note.

Please contact us if you would like details of local shipping companies.

IMPORT/EXPORT

It is your responsibility to obtain the correct import/export licenses for items which you are buying and to ensure that your shipment can be lawfully imported to the destination country. Parker Fine Art Auctions can take no responsibility for the export of goods which you have bought.

In order to qualify for a VAT refund, your lots must be exported by a shipper within 90 days of the auction and valid export documentation must be provided. Please note that due to the withdrawal of the Retail Export Scheme by HMRC, we are unable to provide VAT refund documentation (C88) for hand-carried exports.

TERMS OF DESCRIPTION

The forename(s) (or asterisks where not known) and surname of the artist indicates, in our opinion, an original work by the artist named. The initials of the forename(s) and the surname of the artist indicates in our option a work of the period of the artist which may be wholly or in part his/her work.

‘Attributed to…’ In our opinion probably a work by the artist, but with less certainty as to authorship in whole or part.

‘Studio of …’ In our opinion a work by an unknown artist in the studio of the artist, possibly under the artist’s direction.

‘Circle of …’ In our opinion a work of the period, by an unknown artist with the artist’s influence.

‘Style of …’ In our opinion a work at a later date, by an unknown artist following the artist’s style.

‘Follower of …’ In our opinion a work at a much later date, by an unknown artist following the artist’s style.

‘Manner of …’ In our opinion a work at an unknown date, by an unknown artist following the artist’s style.

‘After …’ In our opinion a work at a later date, by an unknown artist copying a work of the artist.

‘Signed, Dated & Inscribed’ In our opinion the signature, date and inscription are from the hand of the artist.

‘Highlighted Signature’ In our opinion the signature is/are from the hand of the artist, in whole or part, that may have been restored.

‘Bears a Signature’ In our opinion the signature is not by the artist and has been added by another hand at a later date.

‘Oil Painting’ In our opinion is painted in oils or acrylic.

‘Mixed Media’ In our opinion a mixture or combination of part, some or all of the following – Oil, Watercolour, Gouache, Pencil, Ink or Print.

All references to signature, inscriptions and dates refer to the present state of the work.

Dimensions are given in height before width and do not include the frame (unless stated).

Pictures, unless stated, are framed. Pictures will not have been removed from their frames unless specifically mentioned in the condition report.

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING POLICY

This firm is required to comply fully with the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (‘‘Regulations’’) (Amendment) 2019 and as such we are required by law to get satisfactory evidence of the identity of our clients and and/or any third parties involved in the transaction. This information must be provided at the time of forming a business relationship. If this information is not provided as agreed, your transaction may be delayed, or we may have to withdraw our services from the sale. For an individual person, we require to a current form of photographic identification such as a current passport or driving licence and a document that provides a satisfactory proof of address such as a bank statement or utility bill which is no more than 3 months old. Please note if a driving licence is provided as a form of identification it cannot be used as a proof of address.  

The requirements for corporate entities such as companies or partnerships are more complex and you will be required to provide documentation e.g. certificate of incorporation, articles of association etc that confirm whom the beneficial owner is of the firm or the person(s) with significant control over it. The beneficial owner of a company is someone who has more than 25% of the shares or voting rights in the company or any person who exercises control over the management of the company. In the case of Trusts this might include full details of the Settlor and or the Beneficiaries.

Original documentation will be the required for verification purposes wherever possible but if copies are provided, they must be independently verified by a professional person such as a solicitor and accountant and the photocopy marked up accordingly. In all cases and in line with the ‘Regulations’, the firm will retain copies of your ID in either paper or electronic form up to a period of 5 years after the date we have ceased the business relationship or longer if legally required. In addition, we also reserve the right to use the services of third parties including on-line credit check companies to carry out identity verification of any client.

In addition to verification of the client the firm will have to verify the source of any funds that are being used for the purchase.  Funds received on your behalf from a third party require the same levels of identification and verification checks as the client themselves. For example, proof of funds in the form of a bank statement might be requested. In addition to verification of the source of funds there are occasions when the firm must be satisfied as to the source of wealth of any client instructing us, and we may need to ask you for an explanation of that source.

This firm has a professional and legal duty to keep your affairs confidential. However, it is important to note that should the firm form a suspicion that a client is in any way concerned with money laundering we are under a legal obligation as set out in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to make a formal report to the National Crime Agency (NCA) who are responsible for collating all reports of potential money laundering. The firm is legally prohibited from notifying the client that a report has been made or the outcome of such a report.

PLEASE NOTE:

We act as agents for the Seller, whose details remain confidential. If you buy at auction your contract is with the Seller, not us.

The principle of caveat emptor applies to the sale of all good sold at auction by us.