Terms & Conditions
Important Notices for Purchasers
1. Bidding Information
(a) Bidding Numbers
These will be used at the Auction. Application forms are included with the catalogue.
(b) Buyers Premium
A premium is payable by you to us if you successfully bid for a lot. It is calculated at 20% of the hammer price by reference to the hammer price of the lot and is charged in addition to the hammer price. There is no VAT payable on the Buyers Premium.
(c) UK Import VAT
For UK buyers only, 5% Import VAT is payable on the total invoice amount on antiques over 100 years old and this will be added to your invoice. The prevailing rate of UK VAT (currently 20%) is payable on any lots under 100 years old. There is no VAT payable on items remaining in Guernsey
(d) Methods of Payment
Please Note: There is a limit of £1,000 for 'Cardholder Not Present' debit card payments. Credit cards are not accepted. ALL payments for gold and silver items MUST be made by bank transfer.
Purchases can only be released when full settlement (inclusive of all charges) of all invoices issued to the buyer is received in cleared funds. Before bidding, you should ensure that you have the necessary funds available and be able to pay according to one of the methods set out below. We accept the following methods of payment:
• sterling cheque drawn on a UK branch of a bank: All cheques should be made payable to Martel Maides Auctions. All cheques must be cleared before you can collect your purchases, unless agreed with us in advance. Cheques drawn by third parties cannot be accepted;
• bankers draft: if you can provide suitable proof of identity and we are satisfied as to the genuineness of the draft, we will allow you to collect your purchases immediately;
• cash: we do not accept payments ‘in person’ of more than £3,000 in cash;
• bank transfer: ALL payments for gold and silver items MUST be made by bank transfer. All ‘remote payments’ of £1,000 or more must also be made by bank transfer. Please quote your invoice number as the reference. PLEASE NOTE: A bank charge may apply and payers should “pay/accept all charges” to ensure the full invoice amount is received.
Our bank details are as follows: NatWest International, PO Box 55, 35 High Street, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 4BE
Sort Code: 60-09-20
Account Name: Martel Maides Auctions Ltd
Account Number: 45286914
BIC: RBOS GG SX
IBAN: GB60 NWBK 6009 2045 2869 14
• debit cards: there is a limit of £1,000 for 'Cardholder Not Present' payment by debit cards;
• credit cards: we do not accept payment by credit card.
If you have any questions with regard to payment, please contact our client services department.
2. Commission Bids (Absentee Bids)
If you are unable to attend the sale Martel Maides Auctions will bid on your behalf. You should fill in the Commission Bidding Form, which is available at the reception desk. Martel Maides Auctions will endeavour to buy the lot for you as cheaply as possible, other bids and the owner’s reserve allowing. This service is offered without charge. If bids are given to Martel Maides Auctions staff over the telephone then they must be confirmed in writing or by e-mail no later than two hours before the start of sale.
3. Storage and Shipping
(a) Storage Charges
Any purchases not paid for and collected by 4.30pm on the fifth working day after the sale, will be moved into Store at a cost of £10 per lot and from that point on will incur storage charges at the rate of £5.00 per day on each and every lot uncleared (regardless of size).
(b) Shipping
Martel Maides Auctions do not offer a postal service for any lots.
All lots, with the exception of furniture and large items, will be shipped to Mail Boxes Etc in Portsmouth, UK at a minimum charge of £10 per lot, dependant on lot size and number of lots purchased. Arrangements for onward delivery or collection from Mail Boxes Etc are the responsibility of the buyer and will incur additional delivery charges.
Purchasers of large items and furniture are required to make their own arrangements for shipping, but contact details for Guernsey based removal companies can be provided upon request. For any further information on shipping please call 01481 722700.
(c) Exportation and CITES
Although there are no major restrictions concerning the exportation of any works of art or antiquities being offered in this Guernsey auction, buyers are obviously responsible for the proper importation of their purchases into their country of destination. Your attention is directed to the CITES regulations in your country and no items subject to CITES can leave Guernsey without a CITES certificate. No ivory items can be sent to the USA.
4. Conditions of Sale
Please make sure that you have read the Conditions of Sale included in this catalogue.
5. Saleroom Notices
Check all saleroom notices, including catalogue amendments, as these supersede catalogue descriptions.
6. Jewellery - Gemstones
Historically many gemstones have been subjected to a variety of treatments to enhance their appearance. Sapphires and rubies are routinely heat treated to improve their colour and clarity, similarly emeralds are frequently treated with oils or resin for the same purpose. Other treatments such as staining, irradiation or coating may have been used on other gemstones. These treatments may be permanent, whilst others may need special care or re-treatment over the years to retain their appearance. Prospective buyers should be aware that if Martel Maides Auctions have been given or have obtained certificates for any lot in the Sale these certificates will be disclosed in the Catalogue. As a matter of policy, Martel Maides Auctions endeavours to provide certificates from recognised laboratories for certain gemstones. However, it is not feasible to obtain certificates for each lot. In the event that no certificate is published in the Catalogue, buyers should assume that the gemstones may have been treated.
Martel Maides Auctions does not accept any liability for contradictions or differing certificates obtained by buyers on any lots subsequent to the Sale.
Estimated Weights
If the stone(s) weight is stated to be approximate, the stone(s) have been examined by a qualified jeweller within their settings. Stated weights are statements of our opinion only. This information is given as a guide and buyers should satisfy themselves with regard to this information as to its accuracy.
7 - Picture Frames
Whilst Martel Maides Auctions will endeavour to take all possible care, they cannot be held responsible for accidental damage to plaster picture frames.
8 - Catalogue Colours
The colours printed in this catalogue are not necessarily true.
9 - Telephone Bids
Clients wishing to bid by telephone are advised to book bids well in advance. Martel Maides Auctions reserve the right to refuse requests for telephone bids at their discretion.
10 - Explanation of Cataloguing Terms
Care is taken to ensure that any statement as to attribution, origin, date, age, provenance and condition is reliable and accurate but all such statements are statements of opinion only and are not to be taken as statements or representations of fact. Martel Maides Auctions reserve the right, in forming their opinion, to consult and rely upon any expert or authority considered by them to be reliable. Martel Maides Auctions for themselves and for the seller of each lot point out that certain terms used in descriptions of lots contained in their Catalogue have the meanings ascribed to them below:
i. A Named Artist means in our opinion a work by the artist. When the artist’s forename(s) is not known, a series of asterisks followed by the surname of the artist, whether preceded by an initial or not, indicates that in our opinion the work is by the artist named.
ii. “Attributed to” means that in our opinion probably a work by the artist but less certainty as to authorship is expressed than in the preceding category.
iii. “Studio of” means that in our opinion a work by an unknown hand in the studio of the artist, which may or may not have been executed under the artist’s direction.
iv. “Circle of” means that in our opinion a work by an as yet unidentified but distinct hand closely associated with the named artist but not necessarily their pupil.
v. “Follower of” means that in our opinion a work by a painter working in the artist’s style, contemporary or nearly contemporary, but not necessarily their pupil.
vi. “Manner of” means that in our opinion a work in the style of the artist and of a later date.
vii. “After” means that in our opinion a copy of a known work of the artist.
viii. The term “signed” and/or “dated” and/or “inscribed” means that in our opinion the signature and/or date and/or inscription are from the hand of the artist.
ix. The term “bears a signature” and/or “date” and/or “inscription” means that in our opinion the signature and/or date and/or inscription have been added by another hand.
