{"id":2265,"date":"2019-04-12T09:14:53","date_gmt":"2019-04-12T09:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/stamford\/?p=399"},"modified":"2019-04-12T09:14:53","modified_gmt":"2019-04-12T09:14:53","slug":"30-years-of-auctioneering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/business\/30-years-of-auctioneering\/04-2019","title":{"rendered":"30 Years of Auctioneering"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TV auctioneer Colin Young.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2019 auctioneer Colin Young celebrates 30 years bringing the Golding Gavel down on pots of lots, putting art in the frame and discovering antiques aplenty. This month he shares the secrets of his success and reveals why the area\u2019s auction houses are enjoying – not just enduring – the internet era…<\/h3>\n

\u201cExcuse the amount of items in the place,\u201d says Colin Young as we walk past lot of lots towards the auctioneer\u2019s office. We visited Golding Young\u2019s Bourne sale room shortly before their monthly sale. As such, all of the lots that would feature in both the collective and Arts & Antiques sales were stacking up.<\/p>\n

Hard to believe, but in a day or two, after the auction, the whole place would be empty. There was really no need for an apology. My eyes darted everywhere, over such a variety of furniture, antiques, art, household effects, vintage cameras, motorcycles and antique clocks. If it\u2019s not in the room, you probably don\u2019t want it!<\/p>\n

Does the company find it difficult to find stock in the internet era? Oh no. In fact internet auction sites as they\u2019re known have created a whole new market for real auctioneers for products that previously failed to sell. Having sales like those hosted by Golding Young means a wider range of quality of stock, not only those you feast on glamorous results cherry-picked by experts like Colin, who also presents BBC programmes like Bargain Hunt, and won Young Auctioneer of the Year in 1996, but at the lower levels too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can pay a commission to online sites, and do all the work yourself,\u201d says Colin. \u201cOr you can pay us to do all the work; collect the item, photograph it, catalogue it, process the sale, publicise it and collect the funds with the security of RICS regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as improving auction rooms\u2019 quality of stock, the internet has increased the audience of sale rooms well beyond buyers\u2019 willingness to travel a particular distance, and made it possible for them to be in two sales at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreviously we used a platform to sort of \u2018piggyback\u2019 on other auction technologies,\u201d says Colin. \u201cBut just recently we\u2019ve invested in our own platform – technology that was previously the preserve of the World\u2019s top few auction houses.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company has sale rooms in Bourne, Grantham and Lincoln, and hosts monthly Collective sales as well as Arts & Antiques sales and sales through the year for automobilia, ceramics, Asian art and so on. Each sale features about 1,500 lots, and they\u2019re typically attended by an audience of about 200 people in person. But now, there\u2019s a hidden audience of thousands online making bids too.<\/p>\n

That means as a seller, you\u2019re likely to get a better price, as a buyer, you\u2019ve easy access to better lots than ever and as an industry, the likes of Golding Young are really prospering.<\/p>\n

But where on earth does the auction room\u2019s stock come from? \u201cOh that\u2019s the easy bit!\u201d says Colin. \u201cPrivate individuals, liquidations of businesses, estate clearances… it\u2019s a real misconception that you have to send off a huge amount to the auction room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact, many of our lots are single items, and we\u2019re always happy to visit those who are downsizing from large properties or redesigning their homes and want to have a single item or just a couple of bits valued for sale; we\u2019re always happy to advise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Selling around 70,000 lots annually, Colin\u2019s successes include a Cello which sold to a Canadian collector for \u00a311,000, a sideboard which sold for a cool \u00a3135,000 and a James Campbell painting which was sold to the Tate Modern Gallery for \u00a315,000. The firm\u2019s antiques and fine art department has valued about \u00a340,000,000 over the past five years or so. But what\u2019s the secret of auctioneering?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s necessary to be technically brilliant,\u201d Colin admits. \u201cAfter all, you\u2019ve live bids, phone bids and internet-bids all coming in simultaneously, so you have to be aware of what\u2019s going on and count forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut honestly, the secret is that I\u2019m an auctioneer first and a businessman second. It\u2019s important to engage with the audience, make them feel the atmosphere and the excitement of the sale room. It\u2019s a unique and fun place to be, and the more of a buzz there is, the more of an exciting atmosphere, the better the reflection on the business. After that, achieving good prices for the seller will take care of itself and buyers will enjoy the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people are still intimidated by the auction room, by the myth that you\u2019ll scratch your nose and buy a Rembrandt, but the reality is we\u2019re here for both seller and buyer, and it\u2019s in our interest to make the experience fun and lively and likable. The banter you can have, bringing people in, reading their body language and the humour are all part of the sale experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another part of the fun for Colin is that you never know what lots are going to come through the door. Colin is a fan of vintage motorcycles and was delighted to see a vintage Triumph through the door; it\u2019s now parked next to a convertible Mercedes which will also feature in the next automobilia sale.<\/p>\n

Valuation is tricky, but again, that\u2019s part of the skill. All items have a sort of Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s valuation; with all items\u2019 value dependent of age, provenance, and the ebb and flow of trends and fashions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a thin line between auctioneer and anarchist!\u201d jokes Colin. \u201cBut after 30 years I really wouldn\u2019t do anything else!\u201d<\/p>\n

Colin Young has 30 years experience as an auctioneer based at Golding Young, established in 1864. The company has sale rooms in Bourne, Grantham and Lincoln, and offices in Stamford and Louth. For no-obligation advice, valuations and to view catalogues of future sales online, see www.goldingyoung.com or call 01778 422686.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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