Batemans holds regular Antiques, Collectables, Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Gold, Fine Art and Specialist Auctions throughout the year. 

For a list of upcoming sale dates visit our Auction Calendar page. 

We are pleased to offer a free verbal 'Valuation for Auction' service for any item brought to our Valuations Office and intended for auction sale with us.

We ask that clients arrange an appointment by telephone or email, or via our online booking system, found here: www.batemans.com/appointments.
Appointments are normally available throughout each weekday between 10am and 4pm, as well as during occasional Late Night Valuations, and during off site Valuation Days - please visit our Calendar page to find one convenient to you.

You can also email photos of any items you would like advice on by sending them to info@batemans.com. You can also use our photo upload tool and send us a message from our Contact Us page.

This is a very useful service in particular for larger items that are difficult to bring to us! We will try to reply to email valuations as soon as we can but it can take several days or even weeks if our Valuers are particularly busy (which is very often unfortunately!). Please be aware it is sometimes difficult for us to give accurate valuations based on photos or descriptions alone, so any additional information you can give in your email, size, provenance, etc., will assist us in making a more accurate appraisal.

We can also arrange, in certain circumstances, to view and value large items or quantities of items at your home. This is a also a free service and is made by appointment - please contact Greg Bateman at our Valuations Office on 01780 766466 to discuss your request and if appropriate to arrange a time.

Finally we can assist if you require formal, written valuations for Insurance, Probate, Inheritance Tax or Family Division purposes. This is a chargeable service; please visit our Valuations page for more information.

I want to enter my item into an auction. What do I do?

Our Valuers will need to inspect and value your items prior to consignment to decide if they are worth entering for sale. Follow one of the steps above to find out how much your item is worth.

If appropriate you can then book an appointment to bring smaller items yourself into our Valuation Office between 10am and 4pm on Mondays and Fridays. We can also arrange an appointment on other days at our offices for larger quantities of items or for anything of more significant value.

We hold a Late Night Valuation every month, for the next one visit our Calendar page. This is especially useful if you work during the week and are busy at weekends, when your only opportunity to visit us is after work.

Collection Service Batemans can collect items from you in our own transport, or arrange an external carrier. There is a minimum charge of £60 (Incl. VAT) for one or two items locally, larger loads and items from a greater distance will be charged from £80 - £200 depending on time spent. Items for collection must be easily accessible. Another option is to arrange a 'Man & Van' to collect from you and deliver to our Saleroom and Offices on Ryhall Road - we find this is often much more economical for a small number of items.   Please contact Greg Bateman at our Valuations Office on 01780 766466 to discuss your request and if appropriate to arrange a time.   During a consignment collection we will list your items on a receipt, a copy of which will be given to you and must be signed and agreed to. This is the contract that we are bound by and will record the item description, estimates, and reserve if applicable, together with any other instructions agreed during consignment. The reverse of your copy has the most important details of Batemans Terms & Conditions of Sale that you as the Seller will be bound by.

We require items at least three weeks prior to each Sale Day, in order to catalogue and photograph each lot, but we continually consign items for entry into future sales. Occasionally we will hold items for a specialist section to be offered in a later sale, but most items will be entered into the upcoming sale where possible.

What will it cost me?

We are proud of our extremely simple and very competitive selling fees; there are no hidden costs and no complicated calculations for you to work out.

Monthly 'Jewellery | Antiques | Interiors' Sales:

• Vendor's Commission: 15% (12.5% plus VAT), subject to a £12 (£10 plus VAT) minimum charge per lot.

• No Sale No Fee: If a lot does not sell there is nothing to pay.

All charges are deducted after the sale, and indicated on the Vendor's Post Sale Statement.

Most other auctioneers advertise their fees as a commission plus VAT, and then might also charge unsold fees / insurance fees / photography fees - all these hidden charges will mean you end up with less money whilst making it look like it will be cheaper!

By deducting a simple percentage from the final hammer price, together with our efficient sale advice before and after each auction, you can quickly see how each item has done!

We firmly believe that we offer excellent value in selling your items - we are cheaper than many of our local competitors whilst, in the opinion of many of our past customers, offering a "better service and achieving better prices"; we are proud to have served Stamford and the surrounding counties for over 20 years in selling at auction and look forward to the next 20 years!

How will my item be catalogued?

All lots in our catalogues are photographed to a high standard, often with multiple images to provide further confidence to potential bidders, and are fully catalogued using our extensive experience, with sizes where relevant. Our cutting edge website receives tens of thousands of visits every month and displays upcoming lots to their best advantage.
Batemans regularly advertises in the local press and in national specialist trade publications to ensure the largest possible number of interested, relevant bidders see your items.
LIVE Online Bidding: We use three bidding platforms, the market leader the-saleroom.com, easyliveauction.com, and also through our own website batemans.com to reach as many potential bidders as possible to maximise the reach of each and every item we offer for sale.

Online Catalogues: An online catalogue is available for each sale, viewable from approximately one week prior to the sale date. All lots are photographed and illustrated online, here on Batemans' own website (batemans.com) plus several other specialist auction sites including the-saleroom.com, easyliveauction.com, and ukauctioneers.com.

Printed Catalogues: we no longer produce printed catalogues - this saves paper and is greener for the environment!

What about reserves?

Subject to our Valuer's advice, you are able to set a reserve price on an item, this is the lowest hammer price at which we will sell your lot, any bids below this will not be accepted. Our Valuer will be happy to suggest if a reserve would be appropriate on your items. If you want your items to have the very best chance of selling then tell the Valuer that you do not wish to set a reserve. The reserve, if any, will only apply to the first sale in which the item is entered. Generally we do not set a reserve for any item with an estimated value below £200.

Which sale is my item entered into?

We will send a Pre Sale advice letter to each Vendor 5 to 10 days prior to every sale with a list of each item that has been lotted for sale. We would like to use email if you are able to provide it, we will ask for this, but will post your Pre Sale advice letter if you would prefer. This letter is very important as we ask you to carefully check over each description, estimate and reserve (if applicable), and contact us if you see any errors, which we will endeavour to correct prior to sale.

What happens to unsold Lots?

We will endeavour to contact you throughout the month following the sale to confirm your instructions regarding collecting or relotting any unsold items, or would be happy to hear from you directly at your earliest convenience. We will send a Post Sale Advice letter by email or post to you in the week after the sale giving provisional results of sale. In many cases if a reserved item is unsold in the first sale it will be automatically re-offered for a second sale and the reserve price will automatically be dropped to approximately 80% of the original value for the second sale or it may be removed completely, unless specifically requested by you to the contrary in writing. If you do not wish to enter items into a second sale, you must inform Batemans within four weeks of the sale date or earlier to avoid automatic re-offering. Storage charges of £2 per lot per day for small items and £10 per lot per day for larger items and furniture may be levied if unsold items not for re-offer are not collected.

Risk of loss or damage

Batemans is not regulated by the FSA for the provision of insurance to its clients, however, Batemans for its own protection, assumes liability for property consigned to it at the value of the goods. Unless otherwise instructed in writing, all goods on our premises and in our custody will be held insured against risk of fire, theft following forcible entry and water damage, and accidental breakage or damage. Items are covered only at the reserve price agreed on your consignment sheet or if this has not been set a market value for a similar item at auction as agreed by one of our Valuers. The seller authorises Batemans to assume, at the Vendor's sole expense, the risk of loss or damage to the property from the time of Batemans receipt of such property until risk of loss or damage to the property passes on to the buyer as set forth in condition (9) (Responsibility for Purchased Lots), please see Batemans Terms & Conditions of Sale for details.

When is settlement after the sale?

After the sale, Batemans will post a Statement to the seller informing them whether lots were sold or unsold. A Post Sale Advice letter will also have been emailed or posted to you in the week after the sale giving provisional results of sale. On the settlement date, being approximately five weeks after the completion of the sale, we will post your Statement to you detailing the results of sale and the charges to be deducted. Normally payment will be made by cheque and included with your Statement but can make payment by electronic bank transfer on request.

Agreement

Each seller, by entering items for sale with Batemans Auctioneers & Valuers Ltd acknowledges his or her acceptance of Batemans Terms & Conditions of Sale, and the Terms of any Notices and other Conditions in the Sale Catalogue.