Auction Houses

Notes on auction catalogue annotation, early-mid 1920s (in WA/HMM/CO/Sub/204)

It was not uncommon for more than one buyer to attend a single sale. Each buyer was asked to mark up a copy of the catalogue with the 'purchaser of every item, together with the price paid, including other lots purchased by our own people'.

Wellcome's marked up copies of auction house sales catalogues are currently being digitised and should be available online shortly (expected by end 2021).

Common auction house abbreviations used on index cards and object labels

Abbreviation	Auction House
Bon	Bonhams
Ch	Christies
Deb	Debenham Stores
Fos	Foster
Glen	Glendining
H	Hurcomb
K.F.&R.	Knight, Frank & Rutley
P.&S.	Puttick & Simpson
P.S.&N.	Philips, Son & Neale
R.&F.	Robinson & Fisher
R.F.&H.	Robinson, Fisher & Harding
Soth	Sotheby's
St	Stevens