Nagel Auktionen GmbH

What Nagel Auktionen GmbH does

Nagel Auktionen GmbH is a privately held German auction house headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, founded in 1922. The firm is described as one of the leading art auction houses in Germany and operates a twice-yearly live auction calendar covering Fine Arts, Antiques and Jewellery, Modern and Contemporary Art, Asian Art, and Varia (diverse collectibles including carpets, textiles, Islamic art, handbags, and vehicles), supplemented by timed online-only auctions and a post-sale (Nachverkauf) service. It serves two customer segments: sellers (private collectors, estates, museums divesting works) and buyers (collectors and investors), with a particular specialization in Asian Art that has produced German auction records including the €14,070,000 Vajrabhairava bronze.

The company's core technology is conventional: traditional auction-house processes augmented by digital bidding infrastructure. It operates through five representative offices (Stuttgart HQ, Cologne, Munich, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Benelux) and four online bidding partnerships (BID4IT, Lot-tissimo, Drouot, Invaluable). There is no disclosed proprietary AI, machine learning, or data platform; provenance is verified through the Art Loss Register, and authentication relies on human specialists.

Nagel Auktionen generates revenue primarily through a buyer's premium of 29.5% on hammer prices for items under differential taxation (§ 25a UStG) and 24.5% for items subject to standard VAT. Consignor-side fees include a €30 per-lot fee, illustration charges of €15-€380, and 1.5% insurance premiums. Distribution combines direct in-person bidding in Stuttgart with inside sales (telephone bidding for lots above €750), written absentee bids, and self-serve online platforms, supported by free Expert Assessment Days (Expertentage) across German regions as the primary top-of-funnel customer acquisition channel.

Name

Nagel Auktionen GmbH

Legal name

Nagel Auktionen GmbH

Website

https://auction.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nagel Auktionen GmbH is a Stuttgart-based German art auction house founded in 1922, serving private collectors, estates, museums, and investors through twice-yearly live and online-only auctions in Fine Art, Asian Art, Modern & Contemporary Art, and Varia collectibles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Auction Services

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920), Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRAKAKAF

Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry)

Consumer Products & Retail/Jewelry, Watches & Luxury Accessories/Pre-owned, Vintage & Resale Luxury

SECONDARYCRAKAKAJ

Estate Jewelry & Collection Liquidation Services

Consumer Products & Retail/Jewelry, Watches & Luxury Accessories/Pre-owned, Vintage & Resale Luxury

Keywords

• Art auction services
• Fine art auctions
• Asian art auctions
• Antique auctions
• Jewelry auctions

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Auction Commission (Buyer's Premium): The primary revenue stream is a 29.5% buyer's premium levied on the hammer price for items subject to differential taxation (§ 25a UStG). For items subject to standard turnover tax (such as imports from non-EU countries), a 24.5% premium is charged on the hammer price plus applicable taxes. The company also charges catalogue fees, insurance premiums, and processing fees for CITES certificates and export documentation.
2. Consignor Services: Revenue from consignors includes lot fees (€30 per lot), illustration costs (€180 full page, €100 half page, €70 quarter page), and top presentation fees (€380). The company charges a 1.5% insurance premium on the estimated value plus VAT. Additional revenue comes from follow-up rights (droit de suite) contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nagel Auktionen GmbH is a traditional German art auction house conducting scheduled live and timed online auctions of fine art, antiques, jewelry, Asian art, modern and contemporary art, and miscellaneous collectibles (Varia). The firm provides end-to-end auction services including expert valuation, authentication, catalogue production, marketing, floor/online/telephone/written bidding facilitation, and post-sale (Nachverkauf) handling. Consignors access free expert assessments and estate liquidation support, while buyers participate via in-person attendance at the Stuttgart saleroom or through proprietary and third-party online platforms.

Product overview

Nagel Auktionen GmbH is a German auction house operating as a single-brand, full-service auction platform rather than a modular SaaS product. The company conducts physical and online auctions across multiple specialized categories: Fine Art & Antiques (Kunst, Antiquitäten & Schmuck), Asian Art (Asiatische Kunst), Modern & Contemporary Art, Varia (diverse collectibles including carpets, textiles, handbags, and vehicles), and Nagel Collect (curated collection sales). Services include timed online auctions, post-sale (Nachverkauf) services, remote bidding via partner platforms (BID4IT, Invaluable, Lot-tissimo, Drouot), telephone and written absentee bidding, free expert assessments, and consignment services for estates and collections. The company has representative offices in Cologne, Munich, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Benelux.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fine Arts, Antiques & Jewelry Auctions (Kunst, Antiquitäten & Schmuck) Two major annual catalogued auctions featuring fine art, antiques, and jewelry, conducted both in-person at the Stuttgart saleroom and via online platforms. Includes professional cataloguing, photography, condition reporting, and provenance verification.
• Asian Art Auctions (Asiatische Kunst) Bi-annual auctions specializing in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian artworks and artifacts, covering categories including China I, China II, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The firm holds the German auction record in this category.
• Modern & Contemporary Art Auctions (Moderne & Zeitgenössische Kunst) Two auctions per year featuring modern and contemporary art, including design pieces, conducted both in-person and online via timed auction formats.
• Varia Auctions Miscellaneous auctions covering diverse collectible categories including carpets, textiles, Islamic art, handbags, accessories, Africana & tribal art, and exclusive vehicles & classic cars.
• Nagel Collect

Quantifiable outcome

• €14,070,000 hammer price achieved for Vajrabhairava bronze (€1,000,000 estimate)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BID4ITcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline bidding platform partnership enabling real-time and timed auction participation. Nagel-live.de provides 1.6% buyer's premium for Asian Art and 2.6% for other categories.
• The Art Loss RegistercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading database of stolen and looted art used by Nagel Auktionen to verify provenance and ensure items are not stolen property, protecting both sellers and buyers.
• BDK (Bund Deutscher Kunsthistoriker)minorOthersGerman Association of Art Historians - shown as partner/member indicating professional network affiliation within the art historical community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Christie's: Global premier auction house with salerooms in London, New York, Hong Kong, and Paris. A broad incumbent in Fine Art and Asian Art auctions and a key competitor for trophy consignments and top-tier international buyers.
• Bonhams: International auction house operating across Fine Art, Asian Art, Luxury, and Collectibles categories. A broad incumbent peer with overlapping Asian Art and luxury offerings, competing for similar European and international buyers.
• Dorotheum: Vienna-headquartered auction house and the largest in the German-speaking region, offering Fine Art, Antiques, Jewelry, and Asian Art auctions. A broad incumbent peer with similar category coverage but materially larger scale and broader geographic reach than Nagel.
• Sotheby's: Global premier auction house with major salerooms in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Paris, conducting Fine Art, Asian Art, and Luxury auctions. A broad incumbent competing for the same high-value Asian Art and luxury consignments that anchor Nagel's premium results.

Direct peers

• Villa Grisebach: Berlin-based German auction house focused on Modern & Contemporary Art, 19th-century art, and photographs. A direct German peer competing for similar Modern & Contemporary Art consignments and operating a Berlin gallery presence similar to Nagel's Berlin office.
• Ketterer Kunst: Munich-based German auction house specializing in Modern & Contemporary Art, as well as Fine Art and rare books. Directly comparable as a German competitor competing for similar consignors and buyers across overlapping categories.
• Lempertz: Cologne-based auction house (founded 1845) conducting Fine Art, Antique, Modern, and Applied Arts auctions. Directly comparable as one of Germany's oldest auction houses with a similar category mix and Cologne base that overlaps with Nagel's representative office there.
• Hindman: US-based mid-market auction house (formerly Leslie Hindman Auctioneers) operating Fine Art, Asian Art, Jewelry, and Luxury auctions. Comparable as a mid-tier full-service auction house competing in overlapping categories with similar transaction scale.

Regional players

• Artcurial: Paris-based French auction house conducting Fine Art, Asian Art, Jewelry, and Luxury auctions. A regional peer with comparable category mix and similar reliance on European and Asian art consignments, but operating primarily in the French market.
• Bruun Rasmussen: Copenhagen-based Scandinavian auction house with Fine Art, Antiques, Modern, and Asian Art categories. A regional peer with comparable multi-category auction model but focused primarily on the Scandinavian market rather than German-speaking Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nagelauktionen

Compliance1 record

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 Nagel Auktionen GmbH