Our next major auction will be held on 19th May 2026

For my introduction to this auction I thought I would share some scenes from our auction in April and why I believe attending the auction in person is the absolute best way to bid and secure your purchase. 

First a brief history, and where we are now, with Barnard Marcus being the only national auctioneer offering bidders the choice to either attend the sale, bid online or bid via telephone.

Up until the pandemic, every property auctioneer except one held sales at a venue.  The majority of bidders attended the auction or bid via telephone.  Like most, we offered online bidding as an option but of the 1,000’s of lots we offer every year, no bidder took up this option.  During lockdown the industry adapted at record speed and sales were conducted online only with no livestream, bidders saw a figure on their screen and that’s how they bid. Bidding increments were invariably pre-set, and, in many respects, the auction was almost run by an algorithm with no interaction with bidders, no auctioneer salesmanship and no ability to adjust to the many nuances that happen during an auction sale.  The pandemic restrictions were lifted and at Barnard Marcus, we were the first to return to a venue-based sale in September 2021 with the addition of still allowing bidders to participate remotely online but, via a live-streamed platform simultaneously with bidders at the venue and on the phone.  Others have tried this and failed or, simply don’t want to spend
the many £1,000’s it costs to hire a venue and stage such an event. 

The other change has been the approach taken by other auctioneers registering bidders.  With online bidding only, these auctioneers require not only pre-registration by bidders but specifically, require them to state which lot they wish to bid for and, are only permitted to bid for that particular lot.  If you are a bidder, you have already declared your intent to bid, the auctioneer knows that, unlike if you turn up to a venue on the day.  They also know which lots they have no bidders for and simply withdraw those lots denying the seller the opportunity to sell but critically, bidders the opportunity to make a last-minute decision and bid for a lot that in the moment they believe represents good value for money.  At the same time, the auctioneer can declare a far higher sales success rate as, lots withdrawn prior to auction don’t count in the published statistics.  Some auctioneers are withdrawing over one third of the lots they accepted instruction on only three weeks or so before the auction because it will make their sale percentage look better. 

At our sales, this does not happen.  Firstly, once you have registered you can bid on any lot you like!  Secondly, we don’t know who will come to the auction on the day, which lot they are intending to bid for and in any event, both attendees and online bidders can bid on any lot they like. 

So, why would you come to the auction?  Well, in this introduction I have shown you some photos of our recent sale, this is just a sample of the day in which 100’s of people came to the sale and successfully bid.  These bidders know this is the best way to bid.  It is the only place where they can interact with the auctioneer.  It is the only way of bidding whereby you can jump the bidding increment to see if you might be able to put off the competition and similarly, they only way you can ask the auctioneer to consider a smaller bidding increment if you are close to your financial limit.  It is the only way. as auctioneers, that we can see you and react.  So if you are at the sale with others and need a moment to make that critical last minute decision, we can see you maybe having this quick “conference” and accommodate those vital few moments for you to make a decision. 

It is of course the only place where highly experienced staff are on hand to help with your last minute questions and, if you don’t get the lot you want, the only place where you can bid on a whim but, make sure you know what you’re doing before making a snap decision such as that.  And obviously it is the only way to be 100% secure with your bidding, when waving your bidders paddle at me, your bid is not at risk of being missed due to your internet or phone connection failing at the critical time.

So, in the lead up to this major sale, make sure you do your due diligence, come to the auction – don’t leave it to chance, and enjoy the excitement of the day first hand.  As always, my teams at our auction centres are here to assist with all your enquiries, we look forward to welcoming you to The Grand Connaught Rooms on Tuesday 19th May and wish you the best of luck with your bidding!