Buying at Auction

We host around 25 auctions per year, the majority are live auctions taking place in real time on a scheduled date, alongside a calendar of online-only timed auctions in which you are able to leave bids in advance.

We make buying at auction enjoyable and uncomplicated, whether you choose to visit our salerooms and bid in person, or participate online from anywhere in the world. We also provide a telephone bidding service, should you like one of our team to bid on your behalf.

Before the auction

All of our auctions have illustrated cataloguing on our website. As part of our efforts to reduce unnecessary print we no longer have a printed catalogue for every auction. If the auction appeals to you, we welcome you to come and view the sale at our premises or on location for offsite auctions. Viewing times will be published on our website and in the catalogue ahead of time.

Each lot has an estimated guide price that gives an indication of the anticipated sale result. The hammer price may be higher or lower than the estimate, depending on demand. Some items have a reserve price and cannot be sold below that figure. Please note, reserves are never higher than the bottom estimate. For further guidance on lot value and interest, simply contact the relevant department specialist.

Due to the nature and age of the material we sell, it’s commonplace to request a condition report from our team ahead of sale day, which will detail any condition issues in more depth. All condition reports are available on our website and can be viewed as long as you have registered with us.

To participate in an auction, you will need to register to bid by creating an account on our website; we recommend doing this in advance of the auction date to ensure processing time.

To bid up to £10,000 a basic registration is required. To do this please follow the below steps:

Once you are on our home page, there is a tab in the right-hand corner labelled ‘SIGN UP’. If you click on this, it will allow you to create an account. You will then need to click on the link sent via email to you it will be from [email protected], this does sometimes go into spam folders.

The link you receive should take you back to your account on our website, if it does not happen please select ‘MY ACCOUNT’ in the top right-hand corner on our website and log in to view your profile. You must confirm your telephone number and home address. There is a £3.99 plus VAT registration fee however, once this is paid you are set up and ready to bid for the next 5 years.

Once you have completed these steps, you will be able to bid live on our website, in person or via absentee and telephone bids with no additional charges.

You will be promoted by a member of our team if your advance certification is required.

Auction day

Once registered, you will be supplied with a paddle number, unique to you, which can be used either online, by telephone (booking ahead of time), or in person in the saleroom on sale day.

We are also currently on three online bidding platforms - Duke's website, Easylive and TheSaleroom.com, all of which offer a livestream and realtime bidding.

Online-only timed auctions

Once approved, you are able to leave a bid on your chosen lots via the online catalogue. You will be kept up to date with the bidding via email alerts, so you don’t miss out.

Payment

All purchased lots are subject to a buyer’s premium which is 25% (plus VAT) on the hammer price. Payments can be made by credit or debit card online, BACS, in person or over the phone. Please note, phone payments have a maximum of £500.

Collection & Shipping

Our offices are open Monday to Friday 9am – 5.30pm for collections in person (up to 5 working days after the auction date).

Unfortunately, Duke's are unable to offer a postal or delivery service. We are pleased to recommend the following reputable carriers. For advise on air-freight and other forms of dispatch please contact us directly.