Many of my readers come to Antique-HQ and ask where they can sell their antiques and collectibles. You can read a general article on how to sell your antiques and collectibles here.
In this article I am going to focus only on selling your antique or collectible clocks at auction.
Contents
Clock Specialty Auction Houses
In this section will I cover auction houses in the United States that specialize in clock auctions. Note that I have only personally used Tom Harris Auctions all others were found by researching this topic.
Selling at auction is always my number one suggestion for selling just about any antique or collectible item.
There are many specialty auction houses and I recommend using one if you are looking to sell antiques or collectibles. Most auction houses will take single item, multiple and full collection consignments.
Top United States Clock Specialty Auction Houses:
- Tom Harris Auction – Has a semi annual clock auction.
- Fontaine’s Auction Gallery
- Jones & Horan
- R.O. Schmitt
- Cottone Auctions – Has a semi annual clock auction.
General Auction Houses
There are also some general auction houses that auction a fair amount of clocks. A complete list of these auctions houses can be found in a past Antique-HQ article.
Pro’s and Con’s of a Specialty Auction House
There are always pro’s and con’s no matter what avenue you choose to use when selling your clocks.
Pro’s:
- With a specialty clock auction house you will get targeted advertising. This means everyone on the auction house floor is there to buy clocks.
- Auction houses usually have an extensive mailing list. This means they have a large buyer base and your items will be advertised to the right buyers.
- They are experts in their field and can help you get the correct value for your item. They will also help you with any information you may need to know about your clock.
- Auctioneers work for you, they want to get as much as possible for you items as they usually get a percentage of the sale. The more your item sells for, the more they get paid.
- Using an auction house is safer. When using an auction house you protect yourself from having to deal with strangers or getting ripped off.
To lean more about how auctions work you can find an complete auction guide here.
Con’s:
- Your clock may go unsold and need to be put into another auction.
- There is usually a seller fee. This fee is usually a percentage of the hammer price and varies for each auction house.
- There can be extra costs such as transportation fees, photograph fees, reserve fees, and buyback fees if the item is unsold because of a reserve.
There are many ways to sell an antique or collectible these days. No matter which one you choose make sure to research your items and read the fine print.
If you have any questions about using an auction house feel free to leave a comment below.
Leave a Reply