The recession has grown a new kind of consumer; the value-seeking auction addict. Lured by affordable estimates, numbers attending auctions are up. What are they buying, writes ALANNA GALLAGHER
GOING, GOING, gone! Three little words that light a fire in the belly of the auction addict – a not-so-new breed of savvy shopper with a keen eye for interesting interiors.
The internet and eBay have introduced a new generation of buyers to the auction concept: their interest has been piqued and their confidence has grown, says Rory Guthrie of auction house de Veres.
This interest was evidenced by the “huge reaction” to de Veres’ recent contemporary furniture auction, where pieces by designer brands such as Ligne Roset and Poltrona Frau exceeded expectations – so much so that the auction house will be holding a second interiors sale with contemporary pieces later this year.
David Herman, proprietor of Rathmines auction house Herman Wilkinson, has also noted the sea change – particularly in the vintage of clients themselves. “Traditionally my auction audience would have been from 40 to 70. That generation had cash in times gone, but they’ve been affected by cuts to their bank shares and pensions and no longer have any disposable income. Our buyers are now more likely to be aged from 30 upwards.” What’s the allure? “People enjoy the theatre at auction,” says Guthrie. Plus there’s always the possibility of striking gold with your purchase. With prices down as much as 50 per cent, now’s a good time to start bidding. Since its launch eBay Ireland has gathered approximately 100,000 registered users.
What’s selling? Decorative pieces, says Herman. “Ornaments and china tea sets are flying out.” What’s not? Large pieces like sideboards, Victorian wardrobes and sizeable chests of drawers. Lifestyles and house sizes have changed, he admits. “Most people no longer have the room to accommodate such furniture.”
DUNCAN SHEPARD
Duncan Shepard’s mother taught him how to bid at auction. By showing him what interesting pieces there were to be bought, she unwittingly introduced him to a life-long hobby. He lives with his mother and often asks her if she’s sorry she gave him the introduction.
At times she is, he admits, having recently been caught red-handed halfway up the stairs trying to secret a purchase into the house behind her back.
But the damage is done. The 40-something Shepard is a regular at all the Dublin auctions. For him, the draw is “the element of surprise and being able to admire the beauty of things”. Viewing catalogues online spoils that fun, he says. What interests him are “items that are worthwhile and of good quality; ideally Irish and of good provenance”.
eBay’s UK website and television programmes like Cash in the Attic and The Antiques Roadshow have all helped to educate him on the subject. He’s also invested in a large library of reference books. They include a second-hand copy of Norman Adams Antiques, written by an 18th-century furniture specialist, which he picked up in the basement of a shop on the Portobello Road in London, as well as numerous Judith Miller price guides. The social aspect of attending auctions is another reason to go, he admits. “You find the same faces. We all have a common interest. I’ve become very good friends with some and have gone out for dinner, drinks, and even been invited into their homes.”
How do you catch the bug? “You have to grow up in a house with antiques to grow an interest in the subject, he explains. “The next generation has to be brought into the world of antiques. Just because you live in a small apartment doesn’t mean you can’t have a few antiques in it.”
Already, he’s preparing his 10-year-old niece for the excitement of her first live sale. She has taken an interest in some of his clocks.
ANN GARGAN
Ann Gargan works part time. At 50-something, she’s an empty nester. Her two sons have left home. Her husband is in business for himself and works long hours. “I needed to fill my time,” she explains.
It all started when she attended a knitting club at the Yarn Room in Arklow, Co Wicklow. Buoyed by the get-up-and-go of her fellow stitchers, many of whom had their own enterprises, she decided to make her hobby of attending auctions pay for itself.
“I’ve always loved old and nice things – things that have a bit of history to them,” she explains. “I’m not in it to make a living. It’s a hobby. I don’t know if I’ll ever tire of mooching at markets.”
It’s given her a new interest and a whole new lease of life. This “very enjoyable enterprise” has seen her upcycle small pieces of furniture, sanding them down and refreshing them with fashionable paint colours. So much so that for her birthday last March she asked her husband for a sander and a drill. She keeps her stock in the spare bedroom. It has also sprawled out to fill the shed and is encroaching on the sitting room.
She scours auction rooms such as Merchant's Yard on East Wall Road; Buckley's in Sandycove and Herman Wilkinson. She sells her finds at a stall at the monthly Brocante and Pure Vintage fairs held at New Market Square in Dublin where there's "a huge interest in vintage items from the 1940s to the 1960s". See purevintage.organd facebook.com/thebrocantemarket.
CHANTAL FORTUNE
I’ve always been into old stuff, says 27-year-old Chantal Fortune. She’s been going to auctions since she was a kid. The first thing she bought was a dozen silver teaspoons from Annamoe Antiques in Co Wicklow. “I still use them every day,” she says.
Nancy Fortune, her maternal grandmother, had an eye for gorgeous things. It was she who taught Chantal to “appreciate beautiful things and how to make a house beautiful without spending money”. She left her an “amazing collection” when she died. Her grandfather ran a filling station cum scrapyard in Callery, Co Wicklow. Her father, who she met for the first time last year, is an art collector in Spain who worked with Sothebys in the 1970s. “It’s very much in the blood,” she explains.
She buys and sells antique Irish lace and is in the process of opening a by-appointment salon selling lace, as well as setting up a lace museum.
Her first lace buy was at the Adams’ country house auction at Slane Castle in 2009. Given a heads-up about some of the lots, she “saved like a squirrel” and bought three of the five lots on her wish list. In the two and a half years since then, she has met many of the same people on the auction circuit in Dublin. She calls them her “auction acquaintances”.
To better understand the craft, to identify stitches and the difference between hand-made and machine made she joined the Guild of Irish Lacemakers. She’s also studying auctioneering and valuing at the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV).
She sells vintage fur and put her first pieces into the Adams Wishlist sale last Christmas. The lots – which included a Julian Vard long mink, a short mink and a mink cape, also with Irish labels – all sold.
Now she's passing on the bug to the next generation. Her son Ruben, age four, already attends car boot sales and markets. See Mymagpieeye.blogspot.com.
Useful links
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