What Ingles & Hayday does

Ingles & Hayday is a London-based specialist auction house and dealership for fine stringed instruments (violins, violas, cellos, and bows), founded in 2012 by Tim Ingles and Paul Hayday, both previously consultants at Sotheby's. The firm operates three interlocking service lines: (1) two annual auctions per year held at Sotheby's New Bond Street in London (typically March and October), conducted as exclusive consultants to Sotheby's for stringed instruments; (2) a bespoke private sale service matching authenticated instruments with collectors and performing artists outside the auction cycle; and (3) valuation services for insurance, probate, and authentication, including free verbal valuations and paid written valuations and certificates of authenticity. The firm also operates a London showroom at 77 Great Titchfield Street and a New York office at 420 Lexington Avenue.

Commercially, Ingles & Hayday earns transaction fees (buyer's premiums and seller commissions on auction lots and private treaty sales) plus professional service fees for written valuations and certificates. Pricing for individual instruments is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is global, with international valuation days conducted in major US cities (New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington DC) and European centers (Zurich, Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt, Milan, Rome); the website is localized for Japan, Italy, Germany, and France. Customer acquisition is driven by content marketing (a deep articles archive), press coverage in specialist outlets (The Strad, Classic FM, Antiques Trade Gazette), direct relationship management, and the credibility of the Sotheby's affiliation.

The firm does not disclose revenue or financial metrics, has 1–10 employees, and is privately held with no external institutional investment identified. Reference transactions include the Rosenberg Collection (£8,894,000 in 2023, against a £3.5–5.2m estimate) and a world-record £384,000 Vuillaume violin sold in London. The firm has transacted over 50 Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù instruments since founding, and its archive of notable sales spans 50–60 years.

Name

Ingles & Hayday

Legal name

Ingles & Hayday Ltd

Website

https://ingleshayday.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ingles & Hayday is a London-based specialist auction house and dealership for fine stringed instruments, serving ultra-high-net-worth collectors, estates, and professional musicians via biannual Sotheby's auctions, private treaty sales, and valuation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Musical Instrument Auction and Dealership Services

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail (CRALAEAH)

Keywords

• Fine instrument auctions
• Private musical instrument sales
• Instrument valuation services
• Stringed instrument dealership
• Violin auctions

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Auction Services: Ingles & Hayday conducts two musical instrument auctions per year in London in partnership with Sotheby's, earning commissions through buyer's premiums on sold lots. The auctions feature fine violins, violas, cellos and bows, ranging from notable master instruments to more accessible pieces.
2. Private Sales: Bespoke private sale service for clients looking to buy or sell fine instruments and bows. The company pairs discerning buyers with exceptional instruments, earning transaction fees on completed sales.
3. Written Valuations and Certificates: Free verbal valuations offered initially. Written valuations for insurance and probate purposes are provided as a paid service. Certificates of authenticity are issued for instruments, establishing an internationally recognized guarantee of authenticity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ingles & Hayday is a specialist auction house and dealer for fine stringed instruments (violins, violas, cellos and bows). It runs two annual musical instrument auctions in London as exclusive consultants to Sotheby's, and provides a bespoke private sale service sourcing instruments for discerning buyers. It also offers free verbal valuations, paid written valuations for insurance and probate, and certificates of authenticity, supported by a physical London violin shop and international valuation days.

Product overview

Ingles & Hayday operates as a specialized auction house and dealership for fine stringed instruments, offering three interconnected service lines: (1) Fine Musical Instrument Auctions - two annual online auctions held in London in partnership with Sotheby's for violins, violas, cellos and bows; (2) Private Sales - a bespoke private sale service for buying and selling instruments outside the auction format; and (3) Selling & Valuations - comprehensive valuation services including free verbal valuations, written valuations for insurance/probate purposes, and certificates of authenticity. The company also maintains a physical London violin shop showroom and an online archive of notable sales spanning 50 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fine Musical Instrument Auctions

Quantifiable outcome

• Sold over 50 Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù instruments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Luthiers Sans FrontièresminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Charity partnership supporting luthier training in developing countries. Ingles & Hayday has sold violins on behalf of LSF, donating all commission and buyer's premium earned on charity lots back to the organization. The partnership supports music education and instrument repair skills in countries where such services are scarce.
• Sotheby'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Ingles & Hayday acts as exclusive consultants to Sotheby's for stringed instruments. They hold two annual musical instrument auctions at Sotheby's New Bond Street, London, typically in March and October. This partnership provides global credibility and reach while allowing Ingles & Hayday to focus on their specialized expertise in fine stringed instruments.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tarisio Auctions: New York- and London-based auction house dedicated exclusively to fine stringed instruments and bows. Closest direct competitor to Ingles & Hayday, running online auctions for violins, violas, cellos, and bows with comparable authentication and provenance practices.
• J&A Beare: London violin dealer and auction house specializing in fine and rare stringed instruments. Competes directly with Ingles & Hayday in private treaty sales, valuation, and consignment of Cremonese and other master instruments, with overlapping HNW collector client base.
• Florian Leonhard Fine Violins: London- and Zurich-based dealer and broker of fine violins, violas, and cellos. Directly comparable private sale and valuation practice serving professional musicians and collectors in the same price tier as Ingles & Hayday.

Broad incumbents

• Sotheby's Musical Instruments department: Global auction house with a musical instruments department at which Ingles & Hayday serves as exclusive consultants. Overlapping expertise and shared bidder base, though Sotheby's operates across far broader categories than fine strings alone.
• Christie's Musical Instruments: Major international auction house with a musical instruments category that periodically offers fine stringed instruments and bows. Competes for high-value consignments and bidders despite a broader luxury goods portfolio.
• Bonhams Musical Instruments: International auction house with a dedicated musical instruments department, including stringed instruments and bows. Competes for consignments of fine master instruments from HNW collectors and estates across London, New York, and other hubs.

Regional players

• Skinner Auctioneers: US-based auction house with a musical instruments department that handles fine stringed instruments among broader categories. Comparable US-market auction venue for collectors but lacks the deep specialization in Cremonese master instruments.

Others

• Peter Infeld Strings / Thomastik-Infeld: Premium string manufacturer serving professional string players. Adjacent ecosystem participant in the fine stringed instrument value chain rather than a direct competitor, but the brand intersects with the professional musician customers Ingles & Hayday serves.
• The Strad magazine: Leading trade publication covering fine stringed instruments and the people who play, make, and trade them. Functions as an influential content and press channel rather than a competitor, frequently covering Ingles & Hayday's notable sales and the broader Cremonese market.

Emerging players

• Bromptons Auctioneers: UK-based auction house with growing musical instrument category. Earlier-stage entrant in the fine instrument auction space, with potential future overlap on consignment sourcing and bidder competition in the UK market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/InglesHayday
• Instagraminstagram.com/ingleshayday
• Xx.com/ingleshayday

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ingles & Hayday