Industry data

Sales figures or 'bilan' for the first half of this year have been released by some auction firms in France.

Asian buyers have become the dominant force at the top end of the auction market, according to Christie’s.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic caused the global art market to contract by nearly a quarter.

Despite the near absence of face-to-face trading, 2020 was a record year for London’s coins and medals auction houses with combined total sales just shy of £53m.

In the absence of face-to-face contact, 2020 was a difficult year for the numismatics market as a whole... but the auction business found a way to thrive.

Sotheby’s edged ahead of Christie’s in terms of annual turnover in 2020, with private and online sales helping both firms offset declines in totals from live auctions.

Online sales of art, antiques and collectables reached $4.82bn in 2019, a rise of 4% from the previous year, and digital demand is set to increase further in the years ahead.

The antiquities trade has welcomed a new independent report that estimates the volume of looted objects on the market is much smaller than previous reports have suggested.

The art and antiques sector could benefit from a boost by the UK government after the coronavirus pandemic when the focus shifts to growing international trade.

International exports are predicted to return to growth following the easing of the lockdown in the UK. However, current art and antiques exports have slowed to a trickle.

A record take of £48m and a one-third increase in the number of lots available to bidders – ATG reviews a healthy 2019 for London numismatic saleroom

Business was certainly hard-won but the elite of Britain and Ireland’s regional fine art auction houses enjoyed a largely positive 2019.

Dedicated collections boost Sotheby’s as it tops list of French auction turnover figures.

Losses narrowed for stamps, coins and medals business Stanley Gibbons in the six months to September 30.