Kent auctioneer to start weekend sales
Kent auctioneer The Canterbury Auction Galleries has announced that all of its two-day sales will take place over weekends in 2020.
The auctioneer said that they see the move as a service to their clients, both buyers and sellers, whose weekday commitments may restrict them from attending auctions, either to bid in person in the room or be present when their property is sold.
“We are breaking new ground,” said director Cliona Kilroy. “A substantial number of auctions are held on Saturdays around the country, but the number of Sunday sales is considerably less. In previous years, we had both weekday and weekend viewing for our mid-week sales and found that the viewing attendance was strongest at the weekend, particularly so on Sundays. Our auction staff are here anyway over the weekend, so we believe our new sales calendar will be extremely popular.”
The auction house’s decision to change their selling days has evolved over time. Their two-day sales nearly always comprise around 1,000 lots, with the result that selling often goes on quite late on each day, and work and personal commitments can mean that people cannot afford the time to sit through a lengthy weekday sale.
“The idea of moving to weekend sales, when those commitments are fewer or more easily managed, has been welcomed by clients we have spoken to, particularly among the Trade. We also hope the move will attract people, particularly new collectors and home-makers who have never been to an auction before because they were previously held during the week.”
The Canterbury Auction Galleries also has new technology that allows buyers to bid online with its purpose-built, non-commercial bidding platform, which is free to use.
“We are fully committed to keeping up with new technology,” Cliona Kilroy said. “Use of our online bidding platform has grown consistently over the last year; in our two-day Christmas sale this year 52 people registered bid online and 30 of them made successful purchases.”
The first sale of 2020 is on Saturday and Sunday, February 8-9, with viewing on the Thursday and Friday prior.