UNDER THE HAMMER

I would like to draw attention to the involvement of provincial auction houses in the field of pop music auctions. In the last few years, two major UK auction houses have effectively withdrawn from pop music memorabilia auctions. The other major house caters mainly at the ‘higher end’, which has left a void, readily filled by the smaller auctioneers. Some of these ‘general’ auction houses have no specific expertise in the field and my dealings with one in particular, is a warning to all. I have alerted this auction house to the amount of ‘unauthenticated’ autographs, ‘repro’ items (flyers, posters etc) not listed as such, and other articles incorrectly described in the catalogue. I was greeted with the oft-quoted mantra of ‘buyer-beware’, indicating a complete lack of dependability and client care and seemingly concerned only with exploiting a gap in the market.

For the smaller, and perhaps less experienced, collector who cannot compete at the London auctions (or feels too intimidated!), these smaller houses are the main avenues for buying. Whereas the ‘majors’ employed experts, the provincial houses are often ‘jack of all trades’, which has also led to some unscrupulous vendors entering ‘inappropriate’ items for auction, knowing the provenance will not be challenged. My advice is to treat all dealings with smaller auction houses with caution and do not necessarily believe all you read in catalogues or all you are told!

by Dave Sallis
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