Taking part in an auction at Tennants has never been easier, whether you want to bid in person in the saleroom or browse lots and bid on the go.
We want to make buying at auction as transparent, accessible and straightforward as possible, no matter the price point of the lot you are after.
The following rates of buyer’s premium will be added to the hammer price of each lot that you purchase.
VAT at the current rate of 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium of all lots (with the exception of books and unframed maps), and any extra charges such as transport.
VAT may be applied to the hammer price of certain lots. These will be clearly marked in the online and printed catalogue.
All our auctions are listed in our auction calendar, along with forthcoming sale highlights and all the latest auction news. Fully illustrated catalogues are available in the days leading up to the sale, and you can subscribe to receive email alerts when catalogues go live online.
All our sales are open for public viewing in our Leyburn salerooms. Viewing times vary for each sale, so please check sale listings or the online catalogue for each sale.
Printed catalogues can be purchased in our Leyburn salerooms or in our Harrogate office. Alternatively, you can subscribe to receive catalogues for the Fine Sales, Modern and Contemporary Sales, and 20th Century Design Sales by post. Please contact us on +44 (0)1969 623780.
Single catalogues – UK £20 (inc. p&p)
Please enquire for catalogue prices for Europe and the rest of the world.
Once you have found your item, a condition report written by one of our specialists and extra images can be requested through the online lot listing or by contacting us.
To bid at Tennants for the first time you will need to create an account, which can be done by creating an online My Tennants account, telephoning us, or in person when you arrive in the saleroom. You will need to provide:
Once you have an account with us, you will simply need to register to bid in each sale. This can be done when you arrive at the saleroom, when you will be issued with a bidding paddle.
If you are unable to attend the sale in person, there are easy alternative ways to take part in the sale:
Create or log in to your My Tennants account to submit absentee commission bids online (no internet surcharge), or bid live online through Tennants Live Bidding (a surcharge of 1.5% plus VAT of the hammer price in addition to the standard buyer's premium and other charges will be payable).
VIEW OUR SIMPLE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO CREATING A MY TENNANTS ACCOUNT
You can also register to bid live online through www.the-saleroom.com (a surcharge of 4.95% plus VAT of the hammer price in addition to the standard buyer’s premium and other charges will be payable to the-saleroom.com).
You can place an absentee bid, and the auctioneer will bid on your behalf to obtain the lot as cheaply as possible. To make an absentee bid you can complete a bidding form at reception, telephone us, or submit your bid using your My Tennants account by clicking the ‘leave a bid’ button next to the lot details. You should give us the maximum hammer price you are prepared to pay, remembering to take into account the buyer’s premium and any taxes and charges payable on top of the hammer price.
Commission bids made by telephone or in person to us must be submitted by close of business on the day before the sale. Commission bids may be submitted online via your My Tennants account up to 30 minutes before the auction starts. In either case, if identical bids are submitted, the person who bid first will take precedence.
You can take part in the sale by bidding over the telephone for lots with a lower estimate over £500 in the Fine Art Sales and £200 in all other sales. Telephone lines must be booked by close of business on the day before the sale, and are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
Timed Auctions were introduced to Tennants in 2020. To learn how to take part in timed auctions on the Tennants website, please read our Guide to Timed Auctions.
Payment for lots can be made online via the Payments link at the top of the page.
Payment (in pounds sterling) can be made as soon as you have won your lot. We accept bankers draft, cashiers cheque, personal cheque, travellers' cheques, debit or credit cards and cash up to £8,000. Payment by debit card may be made over the telephone up to the amount of £500 only.
Wire transfers should be sent to:
Barclays Bank, High Row, Darlington, DL3 7QS
Sort code: 20-25-29
Account number: 13187632
Account name: Tennants Auctioneers Client account
IBAN: GB68BUKB20252913187632
Swift/Bic: BUKBGB222
Payment should be made within 14 days of the sale, and monies from wire transfers and cheques must be cleared into our account before items may be collected.
For full details please see our terms and conditions.
Once payment for lots has been received collection or transportation of purchased lots must be made within seven days of the sale.
We are open for collections by appointment Monday – Friday between 8.30am and 5pm. Collections may be made on Saturdays by prior arrangement between 8.30am and 2pm only on Saturdays on which an auction is held (check our auction calendar). Smaller items can be collected from our Harrogate Office by prior arrangement during their office hours.
Storage charges will be levied on all lots not collected within seven days of the sale. This will include a handling fee of £5 plus VAT per lot as well as a storage charge of £5 plus VAT per lot per day. Furniture, carpets, clocks and larger works of art will normally remain in the salerooms for seven working days following each sale, after which they will be removed to storage and arrangements for collection must be made in advance.
National buyers
We offer a packing and shipping service up to a total value of £5,000 (inclusive of buyer’s premium, VAT and any other associated charges). Packages can be up to 60cm x 60cm and maximum of 20kg in weight.
Prices range from £20 depending on the size and destination. Items are fully insured and can be tracked from dispatch to delivery. If shipping is available for an item, it will be shown under the Shipping Tab under the respective lot. If you choose shipping, you will receive a revised invoice which you will need to pay in full before items are despatched. We aim to despatch within seven working days following receipt of payment.
To obtain a quote for packing and shipping, please email shipping@tennants-ltd.co.uk or call 01969 623780.
If we are unable to provide the service, here are other carriers you may wish to contact:
Carrs Carriers Ltd
Email: carrscarriersltd@gmail.com Telephone: 0191 307 7024 or 07958 023028
Bradley's Antique Packing Services Ltd
Email: info@antiquepacking.co.uk Telephone: 01325 281332 or 07968 941588
Mail Boxes Etc Leeds
Email: info@mbeleedscity.co.uk Telephone: 0113 242 8715
Mail Boxes Etc York
Email: info@mbeyork.co.uk Telephone: 01904 672623
London Link
Email: richard@london-link.com Telephone: 07831 651499
Please note: we do not pack items for couriers or shipping companies to collect from our premises.
International buyers
If shipping is available for an item, it will be shown under the Shipping Tab under the respective lot. Prices range from £20 depending on the size and destination. Items are fully insured and can be tracked from dispatch to delivery. If you choose shipping, you will receive a revised invoice which you will need to pay in full before items are despatched. We aim to despatch within seven working days following receipt of payment.
To obtain a quote for packing and shipping, please email shipping@tennants-ltd.co.uk or call +44 1969 623780.
If we are unable to provide the service, here are other carriers you may wish to contact:
Bradley's Antique Packing Services Ltd
Email: info@antiquepacking.co.uk Telephone: +44 1325 281332 or +44 7968 941588
Mail Boxes Etc Leeds
Email: info@mbeleedscity.co.uk Telephone: +44 113 242 8715
Mail Boxes Etc York
Email: info@mbeyork.co.uk Telephone: +44 1904 672623
Please note: we do not pack items for couriers or shipping companies to collect from our premises.
Since the UK left the EU, items forwarded to countries within the EU, including Ireland, are subject to Import Duty imposed by the country of receipt. Potential purchasers must ensure they are aware of any import duties they may incur. Any documentation accompanying the package will detail the full value of the invoice and this will not be amended. If you are arranging your own professional delivery, please ensure that the lot has been paid for and the transport company has full details of the items to be collected.
The following specialist packing and shipping companies can also be contacted to transport large items from Tennants:
Carrs Carriers Ltd
Email: carrscarriersltd@gmail.com Telephone: 0191 307 7024 or 07958 023028
Bradley's Antique Packing Services Ltd
Email: info@antiquepacking.co.uk
Telephone: 01325 281332 or 07968 941588
London Link
Email: richard@london-link.com Telephone: 07831 651499
If you buy a work of art by a living artist or an artist who has died in the last 70 years, which costs more than the UK sterling equivalent of €1,000, you will have to pay a royalty relating to the Artists Resale Right Regulations 2006. The royalties are administered by the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS), or the Artist’s Collecting Society (ACS), and no handling costs are retained by Tennants.
Items that may qualify for this royalty are marked in the catalogue with a tick next to the lot number.
The current royalty charge for qualifying items over €1,000 are:
Up to €50,000 – 4%
€50,000.01 to €200,000 – 3%
€200,000.01 to €350,000 – 1%
€350,000.01 to €500,000 – 0.5%
Exceeding €500,000 – 0.25%
Royalty charges are calculated using the Euro to UK sterling exchange rate on the day of the sale.
We conduct appropriate Due Diligence checks to comply with current Anti-Money Laundering regulations for any buyer exceeding the threshold of £8,000. We reserve the right to withhold the purchased lots until such checks have been completed.
CITES-restricted items and Ivory Exempt items will be accompanied by a current CITES Article 10 licence/Ivory Exemption Declaration where applicable and the licence/exemption declaration number will be displayed within the original catalogue description (required by UK law). Both CITES Article 10 licences and Ivory Exemption Declarations are non-transferable and buyers must apply for a new Article 10 licence/Ivory Exemption Declaration in their name if they wish to sell to a third party.
It is the sole responsibility of the buyer and/or contracted shipping agent to have in place the correct CITES re-export and import licences into the buyer’s chosen country before shipping can be undertaken.
CITES regulations are given on www.ukcites.gov.uk or may be obtained from:
The Animal and Plant Health Agency
Centre for International Trade
Horizon House
Deanery Road
Bristol BL1 5AH
wildlife.licensing@apha.gsi.gov.uk
0117 372 3700
Those species that are covered by the US Endangered Species Act (USESA) or The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA): potential US bidders should check with USF&W (US Fish and Wildlife Services) for trade/possession restrictions in the US prior to bidding.
4th December 2023, 12:00
View Tennants' policy on restricted items
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