Knowledge centre
Questions answered
A permanent reference of 108 questions on buying, registration, bidding, payment, shipping, export, valuation, condition, provenance, preservation and the security of your account — each answered on its own page.
108 questions across 17 topics
Buying at Auction
How our sales are conducted, from catalogue to invoice.
- What kind of auction house is VALÉORINE?
- How do I find out about forthcoming sales?
- Do I need an account to browse the catalogue?
- What is a lot?
- What do the conditions of business cover?
Registration & Identity
Opening an account, registering for a sale and verification.
- How do I open a client account?
- Why must I register separately for each sale?
- What identity documents do you require?
- Why do you need identity verification?
- How long does approval take?
Bidding
Increments, reserves, absentee and maximum bids, and closing.
- How does timed online bidding work?
- What is a bidding increment?
- What is a maximum bid?
- Is my maximum bid confidential?
- What is a reserve?
Payments & Invoices
Buyer premium, invoicing, settlement and refunds.
- What is the buyer's premium?
- How is my total calculated?
- When will I receive my invoice?
- When is payment due?
- What payment methods do you accept?
Shipping & Collection
Packing, despatch, insurance in transit and collection in person.
- How is my purchase packed?
- When will my purchase be despatched?
- Is my purchase covered in transit?
- Can I collect in person?
- Can I use my own shipping agent?
International Buyers
Customs, duties, export licences and cross-border purchases.
- Do you sell to buyers outside the United Kingdom?
- Who pays import duties and taxes?
- What is an export licence and might I need one?
- How long does an export licence take?
- What happens if an export licence is refused?
Estimates & Valuations
Estimates, reserves, and valuations for insurance and probate.
- What is an auction estimate?
- How do you arrive at an estimate?
- Why do estimates sometimes look conservative?
- Is the estimate the price I will pay?
- How does the reserve relate to the estimate?
Consigning & Selling
Submitting an object, the review process and settlement.
- How do I submit an object for sale?
- What happens after I submit an object?
- Does VALÉORINE accept every object submitted?
- What does a consignment agreement cover?
- What commission does a consignor pay?
Authentication, Condition & Provenance
Condition reports, cataloguing conventions and ownership history.
- What is a condition report?
- How do I request a condition report?
- What are the limits of a condition report?
- What does foxing mean?
- What does a catalogue attribution actually mean?
Preservation, Storage & Insurance
Housing, environment, handling, display and cover.
- What conditions should I keep paper in?
- How damaging is light?
- What housing materials should I use?
- How should I handle a manuscript or print?
- Should books be stored upright or flat?
Manuscripts
Medieval and later manuscripts, charters, letters and archives.
All 1 question
Rare Books
Editions, issues, states, bindings and bibliographical description.
All 2 questions
Autographs
Autograph letters, signed documents and questions of authenticity.
All 2 questions
Photography
Photographic processes, printing dates and vintage material.
All 2 questions
Works on Paper
Drawings, watercolours, prints and questions of edition.
All 2 questionsAccounts
Your client account, its functions and the records held within it.
All 2 questions
Privacy & Security
Confidentiality, personal data, cookies and protection against fraud.
- Is my identity as a buyer or consignor confidential?
- Who within VALÉORINE can see my information?
- What personal data do you hold and for how long?
- How do I request a copy or erasure of my data?
- Do you use cookies and can I refuse them?
Each answer is written by the specialists who conduct our sales and revised as our practice develops. If a question is not answered here, it will be answered in writing.
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