Frequently Asked Questions

Unless otherwise indicated on the title page of the catalogue, our auctions are free and open to the public. If you are a new client to us and wish to attend the sale in person please contact the relevant office for more information.

Within 24 hours of the end of an auction, you will be able to access full results in our Prices Realised section.

Spink is based in Bloomsbury, London and has offices in New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Switzerland. On the main Locations page, you will find a map and full contact details.

You can click the buttons on the navigation bar at the top of the page and on the left hand side of the page, the subjects and images on the pages, and the subjects in the site map.

The catalogue search facility allows you to either search specific items or browse entire catalogues.

You can log in from the homepage. You will need to use your client number and password.  If you are a new user, you should complete the registration form.  Once submitted your client number and password will be emailed to you immediately.

Registration information provides the email address for online bidding and purchase confirmations together with the billing address for successful bidders and purchasers.

Our online search engine allows you to view images and specific information from Spink catalogues and stock lists 24 hours a day and allows you to submit online absentee bids.

As catalogues are published, they become available to view online. This can be up to two months in advance of the sale. Following the sale, the catalogue can be viewed in our archive section

No. The online catalogue includes images of all lots illustrated in our printed catalogues.

Three common reasons may be:

* Your search words may differ from those in Spink catalogues.

* Spink data may not correspond to the field searches you have selected.
Tip: Try entering the information in the keyword(s) text entry field.

*Your item is not included in currently available catalogue information.
Tip: Try again in a few days or register with us to be notified of auctions or items pertaining to your area of interest by email.

For assistance, please contact Spink Client Service Group, 9.30am - 5.30pm (GMT) on +44 (0)20 7563 4000 or email [email protected].

The first step is to find out whether Spink sells your type of property and how much it might be worth at auction.

Go to Spink's Appraisals and Valuations page to find out how we can help you to obtain a valuation of your property.

You can bring property to any of the Spink offices.  For your nearest location and hours of business please refer to our contacts page or locations page.  However, to ensure that a specialist will be available to examine your property, we strongly advise that you make an appointment. Under no circumstances should you ship property to us or leave property at Spink without first discussing it with one of our specialists.

Responsibility for environmental and social issues

Spink have a dedicated team, headed by Ian Copson and Monica Kruber, to ensure that Spink continues to implement effective solutions to address the company's environmental and social obligations.

Through reading and understanding the guidelines set out in "Your Business and the Environment". Spink is well placed to actively promote environmental issues within our business.

As market leaders in the collectables field, we acknowledge our duty to promote greater environmental awareness and to implement new ideas not only within our company but to our clients and competitors.

Our policy is pursued through:

Employee awareness

The continual management and improvement of Spink's environmental impact, with greater emphasis on staff awareness, by promoting and explaining new issues (ie recycling within the business to all our employees).

Minimise waste

Spink produces State gifts, Orders, Decorations and Medals (please see the accompanying declarations).  The high quality of these goods ensures a lifetime guarantee.

Spink does not now issue company cars.

The use of electronic mail for both internal and external correspondence has greatly reduced the amount of paper we use.

All images produced for our catalogues and publications are produced digitally, we no longer use film.

We are actively reducing the number of auction catalogues we print, ensuring we have the bare minimum for our needs.

Our air conditioning system is programmed to switch off over weekends and the whole system is turned off during cooler weather.

A good course of natural light in our premises ensures a reduced usage of electric lght.

Our water is metered.  Through staff awareness this means that usage is kept low by turning off taps.  We have low pressure water filter machines which are healthier for staff to drink; this water is released at a slower rate than regular taps.

We have contracted to have our water tested twice yearly.

Recycling

All departments are issued with recycling bins for paper and card.

We recycle paper and paper products, bottles, aluminium cans, plastic cups and bottles.  Used toner and ink cartridges are collected by Office Green, who make a charitable contribution relating to the value of these items.

The wooden elements of our medal display cases are made using Sapele Mahogany and Latvian Birch ply, both of which come from sustainable sources.

Suppliers

Upon renewal of contracts, Spink endeavours to research the environmental policy of its suppliers.

Clients

Our auction catalogues are printed with a notice to our clients informing them of the fact that Spink catalogues are printed from paper from sustainable forests and only non-hazardous inks are used.  We also encourage our clients to recycle the publication when it is no longer required by them.