Despite the impact of coronavirus, 1818 Auctioneers has reported a record year for sales in 2021.
The firm’s manager Bill Nelson said three items that made nearly £60,000 at auction helped boost profits.
He said: “We sold a Lancashire dining table by Lodge and Co for £10,800, a jewel encrusted serpent necklace, from the Lakes, for £22,500 and a bid of £26,000, for an AC Buckland car, became the most expensive item auctioned by the firm.”
Based in purpose-built offices and salerooms at J36 Rural Auction Centre on the Cumbria Lancashire border, the pandemic severely disrupted 1818 Auctioneers business last year, he added.
“But, with a turnover of just short of £1.5million, we still made a 50 per cent increase in profit on 2020,” said Bill. “The result is extraordinary given what we and our customers have had to contend with. From the way people viewed and bought items to the fact that for much of the year we could only sell things from unoccupied properties.”
One new adaption that proved successful for the firm is a move to timed online auctions, from live one or two-day sales.
“It’s a model that’s served our customers well, with people quickly getting the hang of how it all works, and we’ll continue with that,” said Bill.
“We also saw some sale categories flourish as standalone auctions, like textiles and books, while the quality of items increased too,” he continues.
“And for this year, we’ll be reintroducing our popular figurine auction and making use of new display areas around the site, which can be seen by anyone visiting all the other businesses here.
“Plus, our other good news for 2022 is the arrival this month of Simon Thompson, an auctioneer and valuer from PF&K at Penrith. Simon, who has also worked at Mitchells of Cockermouth, is stepping into a new post to be my second in command,” added Bill.
