Don’t. consign
In my experience, Sworders is one of the most disappointing auction houses I have ever dealt with.
What concerns me most is the enormous gap between the estimates given in their catalogues and the eventual hammer prices. Look at their published results and compare the estimates with the prices actually achieved. Time and time again, there appear to be substantial discrepancies. This is not an isolated occurrence or an occasional auction estimate being wrong — it seems to be a recurring problem.
Whenever this is questioned, the explanation that the estimate was deliberately kept low to create interest and generate a “buy it now” type of effect simply doesn’t wash with me. There is a difference between deliberately estimating conservatively and simply getting the valuation wrong. From what I have seen, there are far too many occasions where it looks like the latter.
And that matters enormously to anyone consigning valuable antiques or works of art.
A badly researched or poorly catalogued item can completely change its eventual result. Provenance, attribution, description, comparable sales and accurate cataloguing all matter. An item that might have achieved considerably more at a specialist London auction house, with the right description and exposure to the right buyers, can be seriously disadvantaged if it isn’t presented correctly.
There is also an element of luck involved. If an item isn’t properly catalogued or marketed, whether it happens to attract the right buyer on the day can become almost a matter of chance. That is not what I would expect from an established auction house handling valuable property.
The results speak for themselves. Anyone considering consigning an important item should do their own research: look at Sworders’ published estimates, then compare them with the eventual hammer prices. Don’t simply take the estimates at face value.
I have also found the attitude of some senior staff extremely disappointing. In particular, my dealings with Guy Schooling have left me with a very poor impression. I found the manner arrogant and dismissive, which is particularly frustrating when you are entrusting an auction house with valuable property.
Overall, I would advise anyone with a genuinely valuable or important antique to get a second opinion and compare several auction houses before consigning it to Sworders. A London specialist with the right expertise, provenance research, cataloguing and buyer base may well produce a very different result.
For me, the combination of questionable estimates, cataloguing concerns, the resulting uncertainty over what items could actually achieve, and the attitude I encountered makes Sworders an auction house I would be extremely reluctant to use again
