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Tell us how Gildings began and eventually found its home in Harborough
Gildings Fine Art Auctioneers was formed in 1980 by my father, John. In the early 80s, the auction industry was a world away from what it is today, and Dad started by operating the business from an office above the garage at our family home in Gumley. He hosted auctions on a pop-up basis in village halls and at properties around Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, and beyond. If he was instructed to sell the contents of a house (and it was big enough) it was not unknown for him to set up the auction on the front lawn! Soon, the business grew and the time came to seek a permanent home – Market Harborough was always identified as the town to have premises in. He acquired the first saleroom in 1988 on Roman Way. It stayed there until 2011 when it moved to the much larger premises of The Mill on Great Bowden Road, where we are today. How did you and Mark get involved? As young sons of a very busy auctioneer, the saleroom always played a large part in our lives. Dad was often out in the evening, doing this charity auction or that valuation evening. For us, many a Saturday morning and summer holiday was spent in the saleroom helping with the viewing of sales or ‘running the sheets’ on auction day. I remember as a young boy sitting on the rostrum alongside my dad, recording who had bought each lot and for how much. Mark ended up joining the firm after leaving Robert Smyth Sixth Form, so he has now been working here for well over 25 years. My route to the family firm was slightly more circuitous. I went to university and actually studied microbiology. I moved to London and submitted my CV to the big international houses – Christies, Sothebys, and Bonhams – as a stop gap really. It was Bonhams who saw some potential in me, probably from my upbringing at Gildings, and offered me a job as a porter in their Knightsbridge saleroom. A very traditional entry route into an auction house. From there I moved into a specialist department, focusing on 20th century decorative arts and design movements where I stayed for seven years as a specialist. It was a fantastic learning experience, and it was in London that I sold my first lots as an auctioneer. After eight great years, my wife and I wanted to settle down and with Gildings’ move to the Mill, it was an opportune time to come back to the family firm and assist Mark in taking the business forward. I joined in 2012. What sort of things do you typically have coming through the doors? As a provincial saleroom we value and sell any items you might typically find in your home, excluding electronic items. As a result, our sales calendar reflects that wide variety of material. The calendar typically operates on a fortnightly cycle with a mixed category ‘Antiques & Collectors’ auction every other Tuesday. In these sales you will find everything from ceramics and glass, sculpture, clocks, musical instruments, books, metal-wares, silver, pictures, furniture and furnishings, garden ornaments and very occasionally the odd car! Then throughout the year we host specialist auctions of ‘Jewellery & Watches’ (four times a year); ‘Toys, Model Railways, and Memorabilia’ (six times a year); ‘Wine, Whisky & Spirits’, and ‘20th century Art & Design’ (twice each a year). We then hold our ‘Fine Art & Antiques’ auctions that showcase the most interesting finds – these are held in April, September, and December. Most of our auctions are on a Tuesday, and they can be viewed in person the Friday and Monday prior to the sale. For most of the auctions, people can turn up to bid in the room, but some – such as Toys, and Wine & Whisky sales – are just held as online sales. It’s always worth checking online in advance. How has the popularity of auction-based programmes influenced the business? For auction houses, the television programmes that started in the late 1990s have really broken down barriers and given members of the public the confidence to come and buy and sell with auctioneers. They have educated the public into not just some of items we sell, but also the processes and the lingo we use such as: Hammer price, Reserve, Buyer’s Premium, Absentee Bid and so on. All those terms we use day-in-day-out are now much more understood. So, in seeing through a TV screen what the auction house offers, I think a lot more people would feel happy coming into the saleroom as a potential buyer compared to 30 years ago. How did the global pandemic affect the sale room dynamic? As with all sectors of life, the pandemic has completely changed the auction dynamic. For many years the internet has been a fundamental tool for our business, with our catalogues having a global reach for potential buyers and offering people the opportunity to bid live during our sales without having to be in the saleroom. Online bidders pre-pandemic equated to around 30% of buyers in any particular sale, with the remaining 70% of buyers being mostly bidders in person or absentee bidders (where you leave a bid with the auctioneer). Thankfully, the processes of using web technologies were in place and people were familiar with them when the pandemic struck. When we were told to cease all in-person trading, without internet bidding technology we would not have survived. In truth, we only missed two auctions through the whole period because we could very quickly shift our entire business to be online-only and contactless. With that brought the change in people’s buying behaviours, even the regular clients who would have been there every week bidding in person. Now, even though bidders can come and bid in person, we don’t see the same numbers. It has probably flipped to 70% buying online, and 30% from room and absentee bidders, which in some ways is a shame as you don’t get the same atmosphere on the sale day. As auctioneers, it does help to feed off of that energy – a bit like actors on a stage really – talking numbers to a webcam just isn’t quite as fun! What have been some of the most memorable items to have come through the saleroom? Every item comes with its own history, so part of the beauty of being an auctioneer is hearing those stories with the old custodians and conveying that to new. We quite literally see all sorts from the weird to the wonderful. Certainly, for me, the most memorable was receiving a phone call from a chap in Kettering saying he had 4,000 miniature bottles of whisky. My initial reaction was: ‘Surely he can’t have 4,000 bottles?!’ But a short drive later and sure enough, there they all were, every bottle listed, and amongst them some fantastic drops of Scotland’s finest product. So, after months of preparing it for sale it was a pleasure to help this gentleman’s lifetime collection achieve over £25,000 at auction. The funniest twist was that he couldn’t stand whisky as a drink! Another memorable story was discovering a Victorian Gothic Revival brooch that was not known to exist. Miraculously, a viewer had been watching the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, saw a fleeting drawing of it, and exclaimed: ‘That’s my brooch!’. The next morning, she called us and brought it in. We went on to confirm that it was the real thing and informed the Roadshow, who naturally loved the story. That went on to sell for over £20,000, only for a second one to appear a few months later that again came to us to sell. On that second occasion we were able to facilitate the brooch going to the V&A Museum in London, such was its importance for jewellery historians. There are lots of amazing stories in our line of work, which makes it a great pleasure. Thankfully the residents of Market Harborough and the surrounding region have great stories to tell in their objects, heirlooms, and car-boot finds! What are some of the unknown benefits of buying at auction? I think the sustainability of buying at auction is a massive plus. It is possible to furnish a small home for less than £1,000 at auction. Other than the carbon spent in transport, there is very little extra impact on the environment. The flip side is you have to be prepared to make compromises as to what furnishings you are willing to live with. But, as we as a population get more conscious as to our impact on the planet, auctions should give people an excellent opportunity to maintain a small footprint at a very affordable cost. Will’s top tips for buying at auctionAuctions are great fun, especially if you follow some fundamental rules:
BROWSE IN ADVANCE If you see something that appeals, try and view it in person during one of our viewing days – there is nothing better than seeing something in reality, rather than just via online images. DO YOUR HOMEWORK Make sure you know what it is you are looking to buy. Is it a Picasso print or the real thing? It makes a big difference! We describe each lot and publish auction estimates which reflect what we feel it should be making in the current market, based on comparative recent auction results. You could also see what the typical second hand value of that item is, on online auctions such as eBay or retail. Auction prices can be as much as a third less than retail price, especially in areas such as jewellery, so you should have plenty of scope to save money while bidding. FEES Be aware of auction charges. When it comes to bidding, you need to be aware that a Buyer’s Premium is applicable on the hammer price. With Gildings, the Buyer’s Premium fee is 24%, other auction houses do vary though. There may be other fees, such as online bidding fees, but at Gildings we decided to waive that charge when the pandemic struck so you can bid live through our website without extra charge. ASK QUESTIONS Our team are here to help and between us we have a wealth of experience, so don’t be afraid to ask any questions – however inconsequential they may seem. If you want us to take a look at an item for you, we can comment on any defects or repairs (what is known as a condition report). We also provide extra images if you need them. REGISTER TO BID EARLY To participate in an auction you need to have registered your details with us and then you will be given a paddle number (if bidding in person) or your online account will be activated so you can bid live online as the sale is taking place. Once you have an account with us, the registration process is very straightforward, but it is best have everything in place before the auction begins. ENJOY IT! Bidding at an auction is a unique experience. Shopping with competitors thrown in, and spiced up with emotions and adrenaline. Clearly you won’t win every lot you ever want to buy at auction, so remember there is always a next time. We sell over 600 lots every fortnight. There is always something different coming through our rooms, so keep looking. |
Issue 16
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