Around the Auction Houses

Suffolk auction house Bishop & Miller is holding its first-ever specialist Oriental Art and Antiques Sale on May 24.

A look at the latest saleroom appointments, including Roseberys appointing a former director and works of art specialist at Christie’s.

Whether you’re in the market for mammoths or missiles, for 10 years Summers Place Auctions has been a likely destination. In 2008 SPA held its first auction, having been formed the year before.

“Full steam ahead” is the battle cry of Marcus Budgen, the soon-to-be head of the medals department at Spink. He is due to replace David Erskine-Hill who is leaving that role following an ‘offer he can’t refuse’ – to be the curator of the best collection of Victoria Crosses in the world.

It’s lucky that Michael Scott and Paul Hodson are such firm friends, or the next War of the Roses could break out.

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood of Exeter plans to hold its first-ever 20th century and contemporary art and design sale later this month.

Three years since he launched his Suffolk auction house Bishop & Miller, managing director Oliver Miller is fine-tuning his sales line-up.

After more than a decade of holding auctions in west London, Holts Auctioneers is relocating to a new saleroom to the south-east of the capital this March.

The rising popularity of the tribal art collecting scene is tempting auction houses to take steps in that direction.

Not only is industrious Derbyshire auction house Hansons about to launch its new saleroom down south, but it is also starting a new sale format building on the popular tribal art collecting scene.

Auctioneering is a fiercely competitive business, on the face of it. Behind the scenes, however, there are many examples of salerooms helping each other – from sharing business experiences to providing specialist counsel on objects.

New year brings a new sales calendar at Halls of Shrewsbury, not least launching a dedicated Asian art auction.

Lucie Rowe, who started her career with Cirencester auction house Moore Allen & Innocent 15 years ago as a part-time saleday porter, has been promoted to her first management position: assistant saleroom manager.

Not many new faces at salerooms can include among their experience “a trained horse whisperer”.

In business for 20-plus years, former Sotheby’s auctioneer Catherine Southon, founder of the eponymous auction house and antiques TV presenter, takes nothing for granted.

It’s a new name and a new start for a Jedburgh saleroom this autumn.

Huge new auction centre ready to launch on the edge of Bedford includes five salerooms...

Keys is holding two specialist sales next year to whet the appetite. Not only does the Norfolk auction house have a shipshape selection dedicated to ‘local hero’ Nelson, but it has also secured the diploma collection of the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA), Tom Derbyshire writes.

Thomson Roddick has been running auctions across Scotland for more than 130 years but is now planning to expand its operations in the Borders.

Security shouldn’t be too much of a problem when opening a gallery space if one of your new neighbours is a former prime minister protected by armed guards. But aside from Tony Blair’s London residence down the road, Lyon & Turnbull had plenty of its own reasons for choosing Connaught Street, just north of Hyde Park, as the location for its new showroom.