(a) — Collecting

Guides

Written so that you can hold us to them. Everything here describes how we actually work, in the order you will meet it.

None of this is advice about the future value of art. It is about understanding what you are buying, what you are paying and what you will own.

01 · 4 min read

What you actually pay

Asking price, VAT, framing, delivery and installation — set out separately, so nothing appears at the end.

Every catalogue price is the price of the work. Framing, delivery and installation are quoted as separate lines before you commit.
VAT treatment depends on the seller and the route of sale. It is confirmed in writing on your invoice, never estimated verbally.
Where we act for a seller rather than as owner, we tell you on the artwork page and on the invoice.
We do not add fees after agreement. A price agreed is the price invoiced.

02 · 5 min read

What an edition number means, why proofs exist, and how to check that the register matches the object.

An edition is a defined, closed number of works. We publish the edition size, the number of proofs and which one you are buying.
An artist's proof is not a lesser work, but it is a different thing. It is always identified as such.
Ask to see the edition register extract. We provide it with every edition we sell.
A certificate is part of the evidence. It is not, on its own, proof of authenticity or of title.

03 · 6 min read

How to read a condition report, what a provenance gap means, and when to ask for specialist review.

Every work we list carries a dated condition report, including the limitations of the inspection.
Where provenance has a gap, we say so plainly rather than describing the work with confident language.
Restoration is disclosed. So is damage, however minor, with photographs.
For higher-value or historic work we commission external expertise and lost-or-stolen checks before sale.

04 · 3 min read

Insurance replacement, retail asking price, auction estimate and a trade offer answer four different questions.

An insurance replacement value is what it would cost to replace the work. It is not what you would receive for it.
A retail asking price is what the work is offered at. It is not a completed sale.
An auction estimate is a range set for bidding, not a guarantee of outcome.
A valuation from us is never an offer to buy your work, and we will never present it as money available to you.

05 · 4 min read

Images, scale, additional photography, delivery and your cancellation rights on a distance purchase.

We will send raking-light images, detail shots and a scale reference for any work, on request, before you decide.
Distance purchases normally carry a 14-day cancellation right from delivery, with limited exceptions we explain on your order.
Works travel packed to specification and fully insured in transit.
If a work arrives and is not as described, tell us within 48 hours and keep the packaging. We open a case immediately.

06 · 3 min read

The checks required on art-market transactions, what we collect, and what we do not.

UK anti-money-laundering rules apply to qualifying art-market transactions at or above £10,000, including linked transactions.
We verify the identity of the actual buyer or seller, and of anyone acting on their behalf.
We check that payment comes from the party we have verified. Unexplained third-party funds are held pending review.
We collect what the check requires and nothing more. We do not ask for health, family or wider financial information.

(b) — Still unsure