Knowledge centre
Property is accepted only after specialist review. The answers below explain how a submission is assessed, what a consignment agreement covers, and when a seller is paid.
Complete the submission form, describing the object and uploading photographs and any documentation you hold. Your submission is reviewed individually, examined by an independent specialist in the relevant field and answered in writing.
Read the full answerYour submission passes through a defined sequence: receipt, specialist review, any request for further information, an accept or decline decision, the issue and signature of a consignment agreement, transport arrangements, receipt of the object, photography, cataloguing, allocation to a sale, publication, sale and settlement. You can follow each step in your client portal.
Read the full answerNo. We accept property only where the independent specialist consulted is satisfied as to authenticity and where the object is suited to our sales. Where property is declined, the reason is given, and where another route would serve you better, that is said plainly.
Read the full answerIt identifies the property, records the agreed estimate and reserve, states the consignor commission and any charges agreed in writing, records that the object remains with the consignor unless custody is transferred by prior written arrangement, and fixes the timing of settlement.
Read the full answerConsignor commission is a percentage of the hammer price, agreed in advance and set out in the consignment agreement. The rate reflects the value and nature of the property; there are no undisclosed deductions.
Read the full answerSettlement is made once the buyer has paid in full and the funds have cleared, normally within thirty days of the sale. Where a buyer defaults, the consignor is informed and the available options are explained.
Read the full answerYou do. Objects are not routinely warehoused: an object stays with its owner throughout review and sale, and travels once — directly to the buyer, after the buyer has paid. Custody moves to VALÉORINE only where that is arranged in writing beforehand, and that written arrangement states who bears risk and who arranges any cover. VALÉORINE holds no blanket policy over client property.
Read the full answerWithdrawal after a catalogue is published damages the sale and prejudices bidders who have relied on it, so a withdrawal charge applies as set out in the consignment agreement. Before publication, withdrawal can normally be accommodated by agreement.
Read the full answerYes. A single autograph letter of consequence is as welcome as an entire library, and we assess each on its own merits. Larger collections may be catalogued as individual lots, as groups, or as a combination of the two, whichever we judge will realise the best result.
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An estimate is a specialist's considered opinion of the likely hammer range for a lot. This guide explains the evidence behind it, why it is a range, and how it differs from a reserve or a formal valuation.
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How to obtain an opinion of value on a manuscript, book, autograph, photograph or work on paper: what to send, what a specialist looks for, and which kind of valuation you actually need.
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What owners, families, executors and institutions can expect when property is offered to VALÉORINE: assessment, agreement, cataloguing, sale and payment.
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