Spink and Son
Spink & Son is a London-founded (1666) specialist collectables auction house operating live and timed auctions, plus private treaty sales, across stamps, coins, banknotes, medals, wine and lifestyle collectables for high-net-worth collectors worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Spink and Son does
Spink & Son is one of the world's oldest continuously operating businesses, founded in London in 1666 as a goldsmith's and pawnbroker's business and now operating as a specialist collectables auction house. It conducts live and timed auctions, plus private treaty sales, across multiple collectable categories: stamps, coins, banknotes, medals, bonds & shares, autographs, books, wine & spirits, and lifestyle collectables including handbags and cigars.
The platform is built on Spink Live, a proprietary real-time bidding system accessible via web browser and an iOS mobile app that combines video streaming with live bid placement. Supporting infrastructure includes the My Spink personalised portal, which tracks lots, manages bidding, and browses an archive of approximately 933,475 past lots; downloadable e-Catalogues; and dedicated salerooms in London (HQ), New York, Chiasso (Switzerland), and Hong Kong. The company also publishes reference works such as the Spink Maury Catalogue and Coins of England, and produces the Spink Insider Magazine.
Spink operates as a privately held UK company under controlling shareholder 1818 Capital (a Singapore-based investment vehicle with an 88.5% stake since 2005), having been delisted from the London Stock Exchange and acquired from Christie's in 2002. Revenue is generated principally through buyer premiums and vendor commissions on auction transactions, with ancillary income from private treaty sales and catalogue/publication sales. The customer base consists of high-net-worth individual collectors and estate or collection owners, served by an 11+ department specialist bench built through acquisitions including Shreves Philatelic Galleries (2007), R.M. Smythe (2008), and Phila China and Oeno China (2012).
Spink and Son firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spink and Son
- Legal name
- Spink and Son Ltd
- Website
- https://spink.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Spink & Son is a London-founded (1666) specialist collectables auction house operating live and timed auctions, plus private treaty sales, across stamps, coins, banknotes, medals, wine and lifestyle collectables for high-net-worth collectors worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spink and Son industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Collectables Auction House
- NAICS
- Jewelry, Watch, Precious Stone, and Precious Metal Merchant Wholesalers (42394)
- SIC
- Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Stamps & Postal History Collectibles Retail (Philately) (CRALAGAG), Art, Collectibles & Specialized Asset Advisory (Valuation, Storage, Lending) (FSAAADAO)
Keywords
Where Spink and Son is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Spink and Son business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Auction Commission: Spink charges buyers premiums and vendors commissions on auction sales of collectables including stamps, coins, banknotes, medals, bonds & shares, autographs, books, wine & spirits, and lifestyle collectables. The auction house conducts live auctions, timed e-auctions and single-owner specialist sales.
- Private Treaty Sales: Exclusive and confidential service for discerning collectors or vendors to buy and sell outside of auction through private negotiations.
- Catalogue Sales: Sale of auction catalogues, reference books and publications including the Spink Maury Catalogue and Coins of England series.
- Spink Shop: E-commerce platform for private treaty gallery items including jewellery, handbags and accessories.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Auction items are sold at hammer price plus buyer's premium and applicable taxes (20% VAT on Buyer's Premium standard; 5% tax on Hammer Price for certain items) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Spink and Son product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spink & Son operates as a multi-department collectables auction house conducting live auctions, timed e-auctions and private treaty sales across stamps, coins, banknotes, medals, bonds & shares, autographs, books, wine & spirits, handbags and lifestyle collectables. The firm provides authenticated sales with expert cataloguing, global salerooms, and an online bidding platform serving collectors and consignors worldwide.
Product overview
Spink & Son operates as a multi-department auction platform offering live and timed auctions for collectables. The core product consists of the Spink Live bidding platform (web and app), My Spink account management portal, and e-Catalogues. The company is organized into specialized departments handling distinct collectable categories: Stamps, Coins, Banknotes, Medals, Bonds & Shares, Autographs, Handbags & Accessories, Wines & Spirits, Cigars, Books, and Special Commissions. Additional services include Private Treaty Sales for confidential transactions, a mobile app for catalogue access, and publications including the Spink Insider Magazine and printed auction catalogues.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Spink Live: Live bidding platform for online and timed auctions
- Spink Insider Magazine
Products and services
- Spink Live Online Bidding Platform Real-time online bidding service that enables registered users to watch, listen and bid in live auctions worldwide as if physically present, accessible via web browser and the Spink mobile app for iOS devices.
- My Spink Account Portal Self-service online account portal enabling users to register, participate in online and timed auctions, select collecting interests, receive recommendations, track lots, submit bids and manage personal auction calendars.
- Private Treaty Sales Service Exclusive and confidential sale service for discerning collectors or vendors seeking to buy or sell collectables outside of the auction process via private negotiations.
- Spink Mobile App (iOS) Mobile application for iOS devices (iPad, iPod, iPhone) providing users access to and the ability to download all Spink auction catalogues on the go.
- e-Catalogue Digital Publications Digital downloadable auction catalogues featuring high-quality images and detailed descriptions of collectable items offered at Spink auctions.
- Stamp Auctions Department offering live and timed auctions of rare stamps, including general sales, specialist one-country sales and single-owner specialist sales, with historical expertise tracing to the integrated Robson Lowe philatelic department.
- Coin Auctions
Quantifiable outcome
- World auction record for China Dowager stamp: US$950,000 (2019)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Spink and Son
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Spink and Son technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Spink and Son partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Pen & Sword GroupminorOne of the world's leading publishers of military, naval and aviation history. Spink sold the assets and goodwill of Spink Books to Pen & Sword in 2015. Customers can still purchase all Spink titles via the Spink Books website, with Pen & Sword managing orders and fulfilment.
- Phila ChinacoreLongest-standing Chinese philatelic auction house. Acquired in 2012 as part of Spink's expansion in China, providing access to the Asian philatelic market.
- Oeno ChinacoreFine wine auction house founded by Anna Lee. Acquired in 2012 to expand Spink's wine & spirits auction business into the Chinese market.
- InvestphilaminorAcquired in 2011 to enhance Spink's presence in the Americas and Russia, strengthening the company's philatelic business in these regions.
- R.M. SmythecoreOldest auction house in New York in numismatics and scripophily. Acquired by Spink in 2008 to strengthen its position in coins and financial instruments collectables.
- Shreves Philatelic GalleriescoreAmerica's leading philatelic auctioneer with offices in New York and Dallas. The acquisition created the world's largest auctioneer of rare stamps, significantly expanding Spink's presence in the North American market.
- Robson LowecoreChristie's stamp auction department, formerly one of the greatest 20th century philatelists. Integrated into Spink in 1995, bringing historical expertise and reputation in philatelic auctions.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Spink and Son competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Christie's: Global fine art and luxury auction house historically connected to Spink (Christie's owned Spink from 1993 until divesting in 2002). Operates in overlapping collectables categories including jewellery, watches, wine and decorative arts, with comparable live and online bidding infrastructure.
- Sotheby's: One of the world's largest auction houses competing with Spink across luxury collectables, jewellery, watches and fine wine. Operates a global network of salerooms and an online bidding platform analogous to Spink Live.
- Heritage Auctions: Largest US-based collectables auction house, a direct competitor to Spink in stamps, coins, banknotes, autographs and sports collectables. Operates extensive timed online auctions and shares Spink's event-driven, transaction-fee business model.
- Bonhams: Global auction house competing with Spink in jewellery, watches, coins, medals and decorative arts. Operates live and online auctions across multiple geographies with comparable HNW collector positioning.
- Phillips: Global auction house operating in 20th-century art, jewellery, watches and design with growing online bidding capabilities, directly competing with Spink for HNW collector consignments in luxury categories.
- Stanley Gibbons: UK-based philatelic specialist and long-standing direct competitor to Spink in rare stamps. Operates retail, auctions and reference publications analogous to Spink's philatelic department.
- David Feldman: Specialist philatelic auction house focused on high-end rare stamps and postal history. Directly competes with Spink's stamps department for trophy consignments in the international philatelic market.
- Stack's Bowers Galleries: Major US numismatic auction house competing with Spink's Coins and Banknotes departments. Operates live and online auctions with similar HNW collector client base and authentication-led value proposition.
- Acker Merrall & Condit: Leading US wine auction house competing with Spink's Wines & Spirits department, particularly in fine and rare wine. Operates live and online auctions targeting HNW collectors with similar commission-based economics.
Emerging players
- Zachys: US-based wine auction house with strong online auction platform and growing global footprint, competing with Spink's expanding wine & spirits auction business, particularly in Hong Kong and Asia.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Spink and Son social profiles
Digital presenceSpink and Son financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spink and Son leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Spink and Son subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Spink and Son funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spink and Son M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spink and Son
What does Spink and Son do?
Spink & Son operates as a multi-department collectables auction house conducting live auctions, timed e-auctions and private treaty sales across stamps, coins, banknotes, medals, bonds & shares, autographs, books, wine & spirits, handbags and lifestyle collectables. The firm provides authenticated sales with expert cataloguing, global salerooms, and an online bidding platform serving collectors and consignors worldwide.
Is Spink and Son a public or private company?
Spink and Son is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Spink and Son founded?
Spink and Son was founded in -1. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Spink and Son based?
Spink and Son is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Spink and Son make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Auction Commission is the primary driver. The others are private Treaty Sales, catalogue Sales and spink Shop.
Who are Spink and Son's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Christie's, Sotheby's, Heritage Auctions, Bonhams, Phillips, Stanley Gibbons, David Feldman, Stack's Bowers Galleries and Acker Merrall & Condit. Zachys is listed as an emerging player.
Does Spink and Son have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spink and Son.
What industry is Spink and Son in?
Spink and Son's product category is Collectables Auction House. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKAKAF, Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry), with a secondary code of CRALAGAG, Stamps & Postal History Collectibles Retail (Philately). Its NAICS code is 42394 and its SIC code is 5944.