Three types of auctions, ten auctions a year, and a great choice of instruments.
ABOUT OUR AUCTIONS

Three types of auctions, ten auctions a year, and a great choice of instruments.

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Amati holds an auction of stringed musical instruments almost every month of the year. We have three distinct types of auction: Specialist Auctions, Amati Affordable Auctions, and Single Owner Auctions.

Amati Online Auctions take place online. We use high quality photography for all our lots. The auctions last 12 days, and you can bid at any time. Bidding is particularly intense on the last day.

Amati hold Viewing Days so you can admire and examine the items that interest you. We always recommend that you try an instrument in person before you start bidding.

Occasionally some items remain unsold. If so, we hold online bidding open for the unsold lots. The aftersales period lasts 2 days.

After each auction, Amati holds a collection day in London where you can pick up your purchases.

Amati Specialist image

Specialist auctions focus on violins, violas, cellos, and bows of exceptional quality and high worth.

Amati holds Specialist Auctions at least four times a year. These important auctions are for the sale of violins, violas, cellos, and bows of exceptional quality and high worth. Prices range from £1000 to more than a million pounds.

Amati Specialist Auctions attract a keen global market of professional players, investors, collectors and dealers. At the viewing days, held before each auction, the instruments can be admired and played by interested clients. Viewing days are held in the beautiful surroundings of The Langham Hotel, London, UK.

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Amati Collection image

Interesting and varied collections put together by experts, makers and dealers.

Amati often hold Single Owner auctions at which we sell the stringed instrument collections of knowledgeable owners or retiring dealers. Each collection is different: we have sold luthiers tools, violins in the white, much-loved instruments ready to be repaired, and many fine violins, violas and cellos.

The joy of an Amati Single Owner auction is that the collector has already chosen his preferred instruments from the mass of stringed instruments available. Furthermore, the violins, violas and cellos that come up for sale in a Single Owner auction have often been out of the market for some time.

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Amati Affordable image

The perfect place to pick up a good quality violin for daily use, a child’s first instrument or a cello to restore, spare fingerboards, chin rests, pegs and tools.

Amati Affordable Auctions are run slightly differently from the Specialist Auctions. It is our usual practice not to put a reserve on items sold through an Amati Affordable Auction. In economists’ terms, we let the market decide what an instrument is worth.

We find that this works very well. The auctions are hugely popular with dealers and private customers alike. So, although all instruments in an Amati Affordable Auction have a starting price of £10, the great majority of the instruments sell for more than that, usually in the region of £200 to £5000. The highest price so far achieved for a single lot at an Amati Affordable Auction was £37,500

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Amati Auction Alerts

Are you looking for something in particular? Sign up for our auction alerts.

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Amati sells a broad range of violins, violas, cellos and bows suitable for those just starting out to internationally recognised soloists.

Amati sells violins, violas, cellos and bows for every budget and level of skill, from a child’s first violin to the fine instruments of the professional musician. Our experienced and friendly team is at hand to help throughout the buying process.

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To bid on any of the items (known as Lots) you wish to buy, you need to register as a buyer. We recommend that you register in good time (at least an hour before a lot is due to end), as your registration must be processed before any bids are accepted.

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Once registered, you will be able to bid for items you want in Amati auctions. You can set your price by selecting a fixed increment from drop-down lists tailored to each lot. Bids can be placed from the time the live auction is published online until the auction closes. Each lot has a specific end time, as indicated by the ticking clock on each lot.

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Once the auction has finished, you will receive an email informing you if your bid was successful. An invoice will be emailed the day after the auction, or as soon as we have the shipping quotation. We will also include our commission (22% + VAT) on your final, successful bid (the hammer price).

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Occasionally, not all the lots in an auction are sold. If this is the case, we hold bidding open for the unsold lots.

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With auctions almost every month, Amati is well-placed to help you sell your instrument.

The first step is to find out how much your stringed instrument or bow is worth and, where possible, establish who made it.

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Sometimes instruments and bows require closer inspection in order to establish who made it and its potential value.

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If you decide to sell your instrument, the next step is to complete a consignment form. The consignment form is a written record of the agreed estimates, the reserve (if you and the specialist choose to set one) and the costs of sale, which include our standard seller’s fee.

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Back in Amati’s UK offices, we will describe and photograph your instrument in preparation for the auction catalogue. We are the only stringed instrument auctioneers who use 360° photography, which gives our buyers a clear view of the quality of your instrument.

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You will receive an email a few days after the auction informing you if your instrument was sold or unsold. If it sold, we will request payment information. Payment is sent by bank transfer 35 days after the auction date. We can also issue a Sterling cheque to UK clients, if that if your preference.

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