Buying at Auction

Please ask any staff member or contact us if you have any questions. We’re a friendly team and only too happy to help.

Auction dates

Auction dates are published on this website well in advance. You can also subscribe to our email reminder service, where we will email you to let you know when a new catalogue has been released. View auction dates >

Browse the catalogues

Illustrated auction catalogues are uploaded to our website for you to peruse. Print versions can be purchased directly from our auction rooms.

Catalogues see the auction lots arranged by category, i.e. silver, furniture, paintings etc… Each lot has a description and most have photos, condition reports and a guide price.

You are welcome to ask us for extra images or details about any particular item; please contact us with your questions.

Please Note:
• There could be changes to the catalogue before the sale
• Lots with * have VAT added to the hammer price at the current rate of 20%
• Electrical goods buyer beware. Cuttlestones does not assume any responsibility for the condition or safety of any electrical item(s)
• Bidders are to consider electrical lots as spares and repairs and to be purchased at their own risk
• All purchases are to be removed from the Saleroom by Midday on the Friday after the sale, storage charges will apply otherwise

Condition Reports

Condition reports are provided upon request, and the absence of a report on the website does not imply that a lot is without imperfections. Condition reports are provided on the understanding that they are carried out to the best of our ability and that these reports refer solely to the condition, not the age or attribution, of a lot. Books are sold as seen and are not guaranteed to be complete. Condition reports should not be considered a replacement for viewing in person or a service for which we accept any liability whatsoever.

Viewing by appointment

Viewing takes place the day before each auction, offering the chance to see lots up close. We strongly recommend that, where possible, you attend the viewing and examine the lots you are interested in. If you cannot attend viewings, the condition report and descriptions in the catalogue should give you a good idea of what you’re bidding on, and you can always contact us with any questions.

Register to bid

Register with us for in-person bidding, and you will be assigned your own bidding number against which all lots you purchase will be logged for collection. You will be asked to provide a recognised form of ID (driver’s licence or utility bill) and proof of address.

Register with your chosen platform for online bidding. The platforms we list our sales on and their fees are shown in the section below.
Please note that pre-registering with a different bidding platform will still mean their own fees apply, irrespective of where you eventually bid.
We reserve the right to decline a registration.

Buyers premium

Cuttlestones’ buyer premium is charged on top of the hammer price, this is 20% + VAT (24% inclusive).

Online auction bidding platforms then charge an additional commission of

• auctions.cuttlestones.co.uk fee is 3% + VAT
• easyliveauction.com offer two options
  • FREE Registration then a further 3.60% on the hammer price of all lots you win or
  • A flat fee of £3.00 regardless of whether you bid on / win lots, and no further fees

Place your bids

Bidding in the room
If you are attending the sale in person, you simply need to find a good spot in the auction room on sale day – if you can clearly see the auctioneer, they should be able to see you. When making a bid, clearly raise your hand (and don’t worry about scratching your nose; it won’t be taken as a bid!). If you are the successful bidder, the auctioneer will ask for your number – raise your card so they can see it and make a note.

Bidding if you can’t attend
If you are unable to attend the auction, there are other ways to bid:

Commission bidding – You can lodge a bid in advance with the administration team; the auctioneer will have your bid ‘in the book’ and take account of this during bidding – if your bid is the highest, you win.
Commission bids can be left via email up to an hour before the start of the auction as long as you are registered with us. All new bidders must please call the office first.

Telephone bidding – Booked with the administration team in advance, you will have a live telephone conversation with a member of the Cuttlestones team in the auction room when the lots you wish to bid on are being sold; you instruct them when to bid and how much on your behalf.

Live online bidding – With live bidding now available for all of our auctions, this is increasingly the most popular means of remote bidding. You register online via auctions.cuttlestones.co.uk, or Easy Live Auction and bid live, with the option to watch a streamed live video of the sale as it happens.

Pay for your goods

At the end of the sale, you will need to collect and pay for your lots; you can do this on the day of the sale. To pay, you must go to the main desk and give your number; you will then be presented with an invoice listing all the lots you have purchased alongside the hammer price and a total with the buyer’s premium added on. You can pay by cash or debit card.

Credit card payments can be made in person only, no telephone payments, and must be accompanied by identification & proof of address. We reserve the right to refuse a credit card payment.

From international buyers, we request a direct bank payment; please ensure all bank charges are covered to ensure we receive the correct payment.

Collection, Shipping & packing

Collection by pre-booked time slot.

We just ship individual coins, jewellery items that fit into a small jiffy bag (within the UK) by Royal Mail Special Delivery.
We are unable to post to an alternative address.

For all other items, we confidently suggest the following as an alternative choice:

• That’s Your lot of Wolverhampton 01902 475212 or https://www.thats-your-lot.co.uk/contact
• Mailboxes Wolverhampton 01902 243 663 Book Shipping – Mail Boxes Etc. (mbe.co.uk)
• Shipping Services Direct Carl 07453 848981 or www.shippingservicesdirect.co.uk
• Local deliveries – Stuart Bentley 07988 229350
• National deliveries- Paul Van4us 07792204448 or paul@van4us.co.uk
• Paul Gurden 07890 926530
• Steven Briscoe Removals 07967 715789

We are unable to pack items for collection.

Terms and conditions

We require that you familiarise yourself with our terms and conditions and if you have any questions please contact us.