Hammer & Co Est. 1897 · New York
(212) 555-0184

Besides the saleroom

Services

Three things the house does that are not an auction, each of which occasionally turns out to be the right answer instead of one.

  1. A cataloguing room with reference books, card index drawers and sale catalogues.

    01

    Valuations & appraisals

    Three different numbers for three different purposes, and a house that will not pretend they are the same one.

    Auction estimate
    Free · 3 working days
    Insurance valuation
    Charged · written schedule with photographs
    Probate appraisal
    Charged · signed statement of qualification
    Travel
    New York and the tri-state area; further by arrangement
    Valuations & appraisals in full
  2. A viewing gallery with paintings hung salon-style and a vitrine of ceramics.

    02

    Private sales

    Not everything belongs in an auction. A private sale is quiet, unhurried and priced rather than bid — and the house will tell you which route your property wants.

    Commission
    Negotiated, agreed in writing before offering
    Exclusivity
    Typically 90 days, renewable
    Publicity
    None. Nothing is catalogued or advertised
    Typical range
    From $50,000; below that an auction usually does better
    Private sales in full
  3. Rows of empty chairs facing the rostrum in the saleroom before a sale.

    03

    Estates & whole collections

    Sometimes the question is not what one object is worth but what to do with all of it — including the part that is worth nothing and the part nobody has looked at since 1961.

    First visit
    Free, two specialists, written schedule
    Written schedule
    Within 10 working days of the visit
    Single-owner sale
    Where the collection warrants one
    Transport & insurance
    Arranged; insured from the moment we take custody
    Estates & whole collections in full

Not sure which you need?

Describe the situation and a specialist will tell you which of the three it actually is.

Ask a specialist (212) 555-0184