On January 23rd, Clarks Auction Rooms celebrate only their ninth birthday. In this very short time, Clarks’ have established themselves as one of the leading players on the Devon & Cornwall auction circuit. By the summer of 2017, Clarks’ had already been filmed by BBC’s Antiques Road Trip & Flog It! as well as CH4’s Posh Pawnbrokers.
The Heathlands Road based saleroom remain the only auction house in both counties to hold a world record for a sold lot, a boxed limited edition 1937 Australian nickel & copper coin set which sold for £14500 at the hammer, eclipsing the previous record held by Australia’s biggest auction house. Clarks’ have led the way in other areas too; auctioneer Paul Clark has ensured his saleroom were among the first to embrace all forms of social media way back in 2012.
In 2014, Clarks fully embraced the world of online bidding whilst a number of competitors continued to procrastinate as to whether to take the leap. Auctioneer Paul Clark added, “The is only one live bidding platform worthy of our sellers & that is the-saleroom.com – they are the go-to site for all items of interest to collectors & investors” adding, “We continue to work with ATG in developing online live bidding within our own website to ensure our sellers continue to achieve the best possible prices”.
Clarks has had in-house shipping since 2013 – as a former online dealer, our auctioneer Paul Clark already held ten years’ experience of shipping various items worldwide. He added, “If you embrace the benefits of online bidding then it has to be considered a given to offer a shipping service otherwise hammer prices will undoubtedly be suppressed”, adding, “We have now shipped over ten thousand items to all corners of the globe & the compliments we receive as to our low costing & packing quality prove we are getting it right”.
Also, way back in 2013, we were the first saleroom locally to promote antiques being green, a bandwagon other auction houses nationally, are now jumping on. Auctioneer Paul Clark says, “It’s important that we all understand in this world of endless & unsustainable consumerism that we all must do our bit – throw away furnishings contribute heavily to the carbon footprint & recycling or upcycling of items is surely the way forward”, adding “Let’s face it, since when does a mass-produced set of drawers compare with a George III oak chest with all of its charm & lived in patina – you don’t need an old property to show off antique items”.
Paul Clark said, “When I see our competition continually copying our lead it makes me smile. I know from the feedback we get from regular room buyers that we have always rattled the cages of the local competition & it is my intention to continue to do so”, adding “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, although personally I have always preferred to be the shepherd than the sheep, I remain prepared to continue to show them the way”.
The world currently has a spanner in the works but forward-thinking remain Clarks’ ethos. A new valuation suite was implemented last August not only to be in line with CV19 guidelines but to offer an even more professional look, which is more in-keeping to the quality service we provide our sellers. Auctioneer Paul Clark “The long term plans we mapped out in 2015 were going to come to fruition in 2020 until CV19 popped up” adding, “We have had to put these on hold now. These will remain under wraps until such time allows us to execute them”.
Auction sales of late have shown a significant rise in interest. The world’s leading live bidding platform, the-saleroom.com, used for every sale by Clarks, has invested heavily in recent years & have a seven-figure database of good collectors & specialist buyers. Perhaps with this in mind, it has become clear there has never been a better time to sell on any unwanted collectables, furnishings or jewellery & reinvest into a nice painting, piece of jewellery or another area of collecting. If you have anything to sell call 07756070198 or email: clarksltd2020@gmail.com.
