‘An auctioneer has to look after both the vendor and prospective purchasers’

As an auctioneer, no sooner have you finished one auction than you’re planning the next. Where is the stock coming from? Will you have enough time to research bikes for originality and provenance? What about getting machines photographed and catalogued, advertising the sale?

A lot relies on vendors giving you enough notice of their intention to sell. An auctioneer has to look after both the vendor and prospective purchasers, so due diligence is paramount. We have to be able to stand behind our description should it be contested. The most basic test is checking the paperwork. Does the V5C match the registration, frame and engine numbers? But there’s more to it than that.

With high-end machines like Vincents or Gold Stars, a recent certificate from the owners’ club adds value. The club can verify the stampings, but it takes time. With a race bike, what’s its history? Who rode it, where did it race and how original is it? If you have a particularly interesting machine, a magazine may be interested in featuring it. Great publicity, but it will normally have to be two to three months before publication.

Prepare your bike for the auctioneer’s visit. I am always grateful for advance information so I can do some research. Provide all paperwork – V5C, V5, RF60, old Mot’s, receipts, history, previous owners, etc. Present the bike in the condition you’d like to view it. If it’s an oily rag example, leave it alone. If it’s a runner, kick it over. If it’s in good condition, clean it, pump up the tyres and again, kick it over.

I like to video a bike, so a clean, well-lit location where I can photograph it from multiple angles and walk around it with its engine running is good. Ensure frame and engine numbers are easy to read, too.

Consider sending the bike to the auctioneers early for pre-sale display. Let the auctioneer take your history folder and documents when you consign the bike; he’ll need them for research and cataloguing.

Leave all of the advertising to the auctioneer, too, so no posting on social media – and relax. You’re in good hands.

Andy is head honcho at Spicers Auctioneers incorporating Dee, Atkinson and Harrison. spicersauctioneers.com