Art finance

The Art Fund have launched a new crowdfunding scheme to help museums and galleries, the first of which should also help boost the art and antiques trade around Hastings.

Pawnbrokers borro have secured another £67m lending facility to help expand their activities in the field of asset-backed lending.

Bradford Council have come under pressure to auction some of their artworks amid sharp budget cuts.

The importance of China as a source of new clients in the international art market has been highlighted in a business intelligence report made available to ATG by Sotheby’s.

Spink have decided to give up their retail coins operation in order to focus all efforts on auctions and private treaty sales.

A major research project aims to investigate the history, evolving nature and importance of the British antiques trade in the 20th century.

Driving value for shareholders is at the heart of Sotheby’s business review and ongoing strategy, as third-quarter results show a big rise in private treaty sales and a long-awaited boost from their online offer.

Adam Partridge Auctioneers & Valuers, currently marking their five-year anniversary with a string of specialist sales, have acquired the established auction business of Patrick Cheyne based in Hale, Altrincham.

Sotheby’s board of directors have moved to counter increasing pressure for change from investor Daniel Loeb by issuing shareholders with new rights to acquire company stock.

Be Smart About Art have announced a competition for aspiring art dealers to win prizes and discounts worth over £2000 towards attending their Art Dealers Bootcamp, an intensive three-day course from February 3-5, 2014.

Christie’s successfully completed their first auction in mainland China on September 26.

Noble Investments (NBL) have confirmed that their board have recommended acceptance of the proposed acquisition by Stanley Gibbons (SGI) in a cash and shares deal worth 255p a share, 192.5p of which will be paid in cash.

Sotheby’s have announced that they are reviewing their financial strategy in a bid to create the optimum balance between future investment in the company and shareholder return.

The competition for private sales among the leading auction rooms will step up during the coming weeks as both Sotheby’s and Christie’s hold exhibitions at their new private galleries in London.

Borro have introduced a concierge service to help make their asset-backed loans programme much easier and quicker to use for clients across the UK.

Speculation over the future of Sotheby’s has been rife since Wall Street hedge fund billionaire Daniel Loeb’s firm Third Point announced it had acquired a 5.7% stake in the firm.

The Balance of Competences Review, as it is called, aims to provide an analysis of what the UK’s membership of the EU means for the UK national interest.

An appeal to keep in the UK a ring once owned by Jane Austen received an anonymous £100,000 donation just days after it was launched.

Global sales for the first half of 2013 at Sotheby’s totalled $3.14bn (£2.05bn), their latest set of results reveal.

Several of the main French auction firms and French branches of international houses have produced their half-year sales figures.