We kindly ask for the prompt collection of bought items during the auction or during our opening times: Tuesday – Friday (9am – 12.30pm & 2pm – 5pm). The auction house is closed on Mondays and during the Weekend.  Following every auction, we open an additional day for the collection of your items. This is usually a Saturday (9am-12pm) and the date will be announced together with the dates for the specific sale.Your property will only be released after we receive complete payment. We accept payments in cash, by EC-Card (German debit cards and in person payment with signature only!), or bank transfer. We do not accept credit cards or cheques. Bidders present at the auction are required to pay in cash or by EC-Card.It is our pleasure to help you with the packing of your goods. If you cannot collect your items in person, we are happy to advise you on appropriate shipping and delivery services. However, it is your responsibility to arrange the shipping with the carrier. 

Forwarding Agencies & Transports

Hammer prices are published in our online-catalogue immediately after the lot is sold. Unsold lots will automatically be available through our Post-Auction Sales and can be bought for the reserve (plus 21,42 % buyer’s premium incl. VAT).The top results and a PDF-list of all results will be published on our website after every auction in a printable format.

With a registered user account, you can create a 'remember me'-list of lots in our online-catalogue that are of interest to you. You can also access the feature 'Plan your bids', which allows you to access and send your commission and telephone bids. The section 'Sent bids' allows you to see if we have processed your bids. After the auction, you will also be able to see the hammer prices here.You can also sign up for 'LIVE-Bidding' directly via your user account.

The most exciting way to participate in an auction is to bid in person in the saleroom. All you need to do is to get a bidding number from our cashier and you are ready to go.As an alternative, it is possible to leave a commission bid with us. In this case you inform us about the maximum sum in Euros that you would like to spend on a lot and we will bid up to this sum on your behalf. Please note that commission bids have to be instructed in writing (oral instructions to our staff – if in person or on the phone – will not be processed!). This is possible via our bidding form or via an informal e-mail, telefax or letter. If you register on our website you can send commission bids conveniently via our online-catalogue.Telephone bidding is available for lots with a reserve of at least 240,- €. If you would like to be independent of telephone bidding or location, we recommend you register online for LIVE-Bidding. Detailed instructions on how to bid are also available in the section How do I bid?.

CITES (Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora) is the result of an international conference in Washington DC in 1973. The agreement is connected to a set of rules to prohibit the trade with animals of endangered species as well as affiliated materials (e.g. ivory, corals, etc.). A CITES-certificate is not needed for trade within the EU. However, if a product consisting wholly or partly of materials from an endangered species is imported to the EU or exported outside of the EU, a CITES-certificate is needed.There are different regulations for different countries. For instance antiques with ivory that can be proved to be produced and sold before 1st June 1947 can be traded without specific approval. In exceptional cases, this rule applies to objects produced after this date if their legal origin can be verified.We respect the CITES-agreement and only trade with products of endangered species that were produced or processed before 1947.

Clients buying at auction pay a commission fee of 24,99 % (incl. 19 % VAT) and the resulting costs if we are advised to ship the items. If you buy an item via LIVE-Bidding online, an additional fee of 3 % or 5 % respectively (depending on the platform used) plus VAT is payable that we pass on directly to our LIVE-Bidding provider lot-tissimo.Vendors pay a fee of 17.85 % (incl. VAT) as well as an insurance fee of 0.5 % of the reserve. We do not charge any additional fees. The usage of our online-catalogues and archives is part of our free service. Vendors do not pay any fees for photographs and catalogue entries, advertising, Internet services, or unsold lots.

The reserve is the lowest price that bidding can start from during the auction. It is set in agreement with the vendor and is also the lowest price that a lot should be sold for. For lots offered ‘without reserve’, bidding will start at 20,- €.

LIVE-Bidding is an additional service and we charge an additional fee of 3 % plus VAT (which we pass on directly to lot-tissimo) for lots sold through LIVE-Bidding links on our website. When bidding live, you are actively participating in the auction – even if you are not at the auction location or cannot bid via telephone. Your LIVE-bidding number has to be requested separately before every auction. You can find all information on how to register and bid live here.

To bid live, you have to register for LIVE-Bidding again before every auction and at least 24 hours before the start of the sale. It can take up to two hours for your registration to be processed and therefore bidders, who register shortly before or during the auction, cannot take part in the sale immediately.

Lots that were not sold during auction automatically enter the Post-Auction Sales. They can now be bought for the reserve (plus a buyer’s commission of 24,99% incl. VAT). The Post-Auction Sales are part of the auction and take place during the three weeks following each auction. Unsold lots will be presented in a separate section of our auction house and are available via our online-catalogue. During the Post-Auction Sales, bids lower than the reserve, so called 'under proviso' bids, can be made in writing, only after the auction and only for lots with a reserve of more than 100 €.. As during the auction, the highest under proviso bid will have priority. During the third week of Post-Auction Sales, we will contact the vendors to discuss the acceptance of under proviso bids. If the vendor agrees, the lot is sold for the highest offered under proviso bid plus the usual surcharge for bidders (24,99% incl. VAT). If the vendor does not accept the under proviso bid, the object remains to be unsold and the items will be returned to the vendor when the Post-Auction Sales have finished.

If you are a new client registering at the cashier in the auction house, please bring your National Identity Card or Passport. We also ask new clients who wish to bid via commission bid or online to provide information on references from other auction houses, galleries or art houses that the client bought from before. Bids of new clients are only processed if we accept the references or if a cheque covering the maximum bid plus surcharges (it must be validated by your bank!) is left as a deposit. As a new client we kindly ask you to contact us in order to discuss this process.

For buyers, we charge 21 % plus 19 % VAT on the hammer price. This results in a surcharge of 24,99 % on all bought lots. If you buy an item via LIVE-Bidding online, an additional fee of 3 % or 5 % respectively (depending on the platform used) plus VAT is payable.Vendors receive the achieved hammer price with a reduction of 15 % plus 19 % VAT, which sums up to a commission fee of 17.85 % for sold items. The VAT is only charged on the buyer’s or vendor’s fees – not on the lots themselves.

All bids that we receive are binding and cannot be withdrawn. The catalogue is published three weeks before the auction, giving enough time to interested clients to verify the offered lots through research, request of additional information and preview, and to plan their bids carefully.

Die Rechnungen werden kurz nach der Auktion per E-Mail oder - an Kunden ohne E-Mail-Adresse per Post verschickt. Die Zahlung ist umgehend zu leisten, spätestens jedoch 8 Tage nach Rechnungslegung. Teilen Sie uns abweichende Lieferanschriften schnellstmöglich mit, da Ihre ersteigerte Ware nach Zahlungseingang zügig verschickt wird und die Rechnungsadresse im Regelfall auch als Lieferadresse verwendet wird.

In general, if you won a lot the hammer price is binding. We do not guarantee nor are we liable for catalogue descriptions, denoted age, origin, size, weight, signatures, marks, and materials, nor damages etc. Clients have the duty to preview the objects. Additionally, condition reports can be requested via e-mail or phone. If a client does not use the opportunity to preview the objects it does not make him eligible to claim. Faults concerning the object that we are notified of within the legal warranty deed will be passed on to the vendor and in particular cases, e.g. in suspicion of a fake, we will claim in the buyer’s interest from the vendor as far as this is possible. This procedure is under the condition that an expertise of an accredited expert is provided (paid for by the client submitting the claim) latest 4 weeks after the auction or the time of acquisition.

Consigned items are valued according to current prices on the market and accordingly the reserve is set in agreement with the vendor at an appropriate height to encourage bidders. Therefore, the set reserve does not necessarily represent the ultimate value of the objects. The reserve only serves as the lowest starting point for bidding during the auction and the lowest price the vendor would like to achieve with his item.

Telephone bidding is only accepted for items with a reserve of at least 240€. It is not possible to telephone-bid on lots with a lower reserve – even if you hand in a higher written bid. For those lots we recommend LIVE-Bidding as an alternative. Telephone bidding has to be requested in writing and at the condition that the client bids at least the reserve. We will call all accepted telephone bidders about one hour before the estimated time at which their lot will be sold to test the connection and to inform about possible delays in the schedule. If we cannot reach a telephone bidder when his lot of interest is sold, we will bid the reserve on his behalf and the item will be sold to him if there are no other bidders. Telephone bidders can also hand in a security bid that would act as a commission bid during the auction if we do not manage to reach the client by phone. In this case, a member of our staff would bid on the client’s behalf until the provided maximum.

Invoices will state the VAT that is charged on our commission fees and on shipping fees. Companies from other EU states can request an invoice without VAT. For this purpose, please inform us about your VAT-ID. This exception is only valid for one auction and has to be newly requested every time.

The shipping of your goods is an additional and optional service and will only be initiated upon request. The payment of the additional shipping fee advised on your invoice represents said request. We exclusively use the services of DHL and ship at the buyer's risk. However, possible damages to the lots that occured due to shipping via DHL are insured by us via Artima Insurance (by Mannheimer Insurances) up to the following sums: 25.000 Euro within Germany, 10.000 Euros for shipment outside of Germany, and 5.000 Euros for jewellery in both cases. Please contact us for additional insurance if needed.Shipments are processed in the order in which we receive payment. Therefore, some delays might occur. If we are not informed otherwise, we will send the items to the address stated on your invoice. Please inform us immediately after receiving the invoice if your delivery address is different from the invoice address. We do not ship furniture and larger items. Please arrange collection of your items immediately after the auction. We are happy to provide you with information about appropriate transport and delivery companies who have worked with us for many years. Detailed information about the costs of shipping, packaging and insurance can be found here, for reccomended delivery companies and shippers please click here.

If, although carefully packed, the content of your parcel gets damaged, please note the following information to claim from the insurance of the German Post:For a damaged lot value up to 500 Euros: Show the parcel within 24 hours to your local post office. Only staff members of post offices can initiate a damage claim. Please request a record of the damage and ask for a copy. Following those steps, please contact us immediately.If the value exceeds 500 Euros: Please send us a picture of the damage (parcel outside + lot) via email. We will then be able to initiate further steps to claim the insurance value from our insurer ARTIMA (Mannheimer Insurances).

Normally, bidding on a lot commences at the reserve. Lots 'without reserve' start at 10,- €. If there are several commission bids on a lot, bidding will start at the second highest bid. Our increments follow 10 %-steps, but the auctioneer may deviate from those in exceptional cases. We always bid in the interest of our clients, which means that we do not take advantage of the maximum height of your commission bids. A lot is sold if no higher bid is offered after announcing the current maximum bid three times. Lots can also be sold if we receive a bid on the reserve and no further bid form a different party. Our increment practices can be seen in the following example: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, ... 170, 180, 200, 220, 240, 260, 280, 300, 330, 360, 390, 420, 460, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, ..., 2000, 2200, 2400, ...

Our clients have the possibility and duty to look at the items in order to verify their condition and quality, or to send a third party to do so on their behalf. During the preview, we do not only extend our opening times (starting on Saturday before the auction, daily 9am to 6pm), but also offer the opportunity to talk to our specialists in person. If you cannot come in person nor send someone on your behalf, we kindly ask you to call us or to send a request by email to talk about possible questions and ambiguities.

We accept payment in cash and via EC-card (German Debit card) at the cashier in the auction house. Alternatively, you can pay via bank transfer (no charges) or Paypal (charges apply). We only accept cheques upon request and in exceptional cases. We do not accept payment via credit card.

We produce a time schedule for every auction, which shows the order of the sale categories and an approximated time of sale for the lots at the different auction days. You will find a link to this schedule underneath every auction on this website. Detailed information on the date and time of sale can be found when opening the lot of interest in our online-catalogue. Please note that we sell about 140 to 150 lots per hour. Although our sale runs quickly, delays might occur. Therefore, please understand the provided information on the time of sale as an indication only. 

If you export objects to a non EU-country and the invoiced value is more than 1000€, you need to declare them at the responsible customs authority. For certain countries and items you might still need to register your objects, even if they were invoiced for less than 1000€. If you ordered the shipping of your items through our service, we will request the necessary paperwork for customs and include it in your parcel.

We report seriously visible faults and damages in our catalogue entries. Usually, traces of age and usage that go in hand with the age of the object will not be mentioned specifically. A catalogue entry without a note on the condition does not mean that the object is in perfect condition nor free of faults. It is the client’s duty to preview the objects in order to verify the items and to address uncertainties before the sale is conducted. When publishing the catalogue, we recommend clients who are not able to preview their lots of interest to request condition reports and, if needed, additional photographs via e-mail. During the preview, we are available to answer questions and special requests on the phone between 9am and 6pm, daily.

We ask you to pick up your goods no later than 3 weeks after the auction. If it is not possible for you to pick up your goods, we will be happy to advise you and provide you with an overview of the forwarding agents & transport companies that drive for many of our customers. You independently commission the goods collection from the forwarding agent and inform us about the planned collection. If it concerns small goods that can be shipped, you are also welcome to make a shipping request. However, you must expect longer waiting periods directly after the auction.

Forwarding Agencies & Transports