Bid & Hammer

What Bid & Hammer does

Bid & Hammer is a niche fine art auction house founded in January 2008 and headquartered in Bengaluru, India, operating as part of the diversified Dadha Group (Dadha 100+) conglomerate. The company specializes in auctioning Modern & Contemporary Indian Art — featuring works by artists such as Jamini Roy, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, F.N. Souza, and V.S. Gaitonde — alongside Works of Art & Other Collectibles (silverware, ceramics, glass, jewelry), Company School Paintings & Drawings, and Antiquarian Books, Maps, Prints & Photographs. It serves two primary customer segments: art collectors and connoisseurs seeking authenticated works, and consignors (individuals and estates) seeking expert valuation and access to a curated buyer pool.

The core technology stack consists of a web-based auction platform (bidandhammer.com and bidandhammer.in) and native iOS and Android mobile applications built on the third-party Auction Mobility platform. The system supports four distinct bidding channels — live floor auctions (primarily in Bengaluru), online real-time bidding via website, silent/absentee bids, and private treaty sales — giving participants flexibility in how they transact. Over 47 numbered auctions (ASN0001 through ASN0047+) have been conducted since 2008, with a planned flagship event — Significant Indian Art III — scheduled for October 2026 in Bengaluru.

Revenue is generated through a transaction-based model: buyer's premiums on winning bids, seller's commissions on consigned and sold lots, and direct negotiated transactions via private treaty sales. Lot estimates range from ₹30,000 to ₹6,000,000 ($360–$7,200 at approximate exchange rates), and pricing is determined by competitive bidding rather than fixed list prices. With approximately 9 employees, the operation is deliberately lean, relying on specialist expertise in Indian art rather than scale, and serves both domestic Indian collectors and an international buyer base reachable through online and mobile channels.

Name

Bid & Hammer

Legal name

Bid & Hammer

Website

https://bidandhammer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bid & Hammer is a Bengaluru-based fine art auction house (founded 2008, part of Dadha Group) that conducts live, online, and silent auctions of Modern & Contemporary Indian Art, decorative collectibles, Company School paintings, and antiquarian books for collectors and consignors primarily in India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Art Auction Services

NAICS

Art Dealers (45992)

akta.pro primary industry

Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)

Keywords

• Fine art auctions
• Indian art sales
• Auction house services
• Collectibles marketplace
• Live online bidding

Headquarters

HQ city

Bengaluru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Auction Commission and Premiums: Revenue generated through buyer's premiums and seller's commissions on auction transactions. Auction catalog sales also generate revenue.
2. Private Treaty Sales: Direct negotiated sales outside of auction format for select artworks and collectibles

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bid & Hammer is a fine art auction house that buys and sells authenticated Indian art and collectibles through live auctions, silent bid auctions, and private treaty sales. The firm operates an online auction platform and dedicated iOS/Android mobile applications that allow collectors to browse catalogs, place bids remotely, and manage their accounts, while consignors submit artworks for expert valuation, cataloguing, and sale. Its portfolio spans Modern & Contemporary Indian Art, Works of Art & Other Collectibles, Company School Paintings & Drawings, and Antiquarian Books on India.

Product overview

Bid & Hammer operates as a fine art auction house offering a unified platform for buying and selling art through multiple auction formats. The core offering consists of an online auction platform complemented by a mobile application for iOS and Android, enabling remote participation in auctions. The auction portfolio spans multiple specialized categories including Modern & Contemporary Indian Art (featuring works by artists such as Jamini Roy, S.H. Raza, and F.N. Souza), Works of Art & Other Collectibles (silverware, ceramics, glass, jewelry), and Company School Paintings. Auctions are conducted through diverse formats including live events, silent bids, and private treaty sales. The company, part of the Dadha Group, is based in Bengaluru and serves collectors internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Auctions Real-time auction events conducted with live bidding at auction venues and via the website, enabling in-person and remote participants to bid competitively on Indian art and collectibles lots.
• Silent Bids Auctions Auction format where buyers submit written absentee bids in advance of a sale, allowing confidential bid placement without live competition.
• Private Treaty Sales Direct private sale of artworks outside the auction process, providing discreet negotiated transactions between buyers and sellers.
• Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auctions Specialized auction category featuring works by renowned Indian artists including Jamini Roy, S.H. Raza, M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, V.S. Gaitonde, and other modern and contemporary Indian painters, targeted at collectors of Indian fine art.
• Works of Art & Other Collectibles Auctions Diverse auction category featuring decorative arts, silverware, ceramics, glass, furniture, jewelry, and other collectibles including European and Indian artifacts, targeted at collectors of works of art and antiques.
• Company School Paintings & Drawings Auctions Specialized auction category focusing on Company School paintings and drawings from the colonial era of India, targeted at collectors of historical Indian art.
• Antiquarian Books, Maps, Prints & Photographs Auctions Specialized auctions featuring antiquarian books on India, historical maps, prints, and vintage photographs documenting India's history from Raj to Swaraj, targeted at collectors of historical documents and ephemera.
• Bid & Hammer Mobile App Native mobile application for iOS and Android that enables users to place bids and manage their auction accounts from their mobile devices, supporting remote participation in live and silent auctions.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dadha GroupcoreOthersParent company. Bid & Hammer operates as part of Dadha Group (Dadha 100+). The auction house is affiliated with the broader business group, providing institutional backing and resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Auctions: Large US-headquartered auction house covering fine art, collectibles, and antiquities. Less specialized in Indian art than Bid & Hammer but competes for cross-border consignments of Asian works.
• Christie's: Global auction house with a dedicated Indian Art department. Competes with Bid & Hammer for high-value Indian art consignments but operates across far broader categories (paintings, jewelry, watches, real estate) with global reach.
• Bonhams: International auction house with dedicated Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian art sales. Competes for South Asian art consignments but offers a far broader portfolio including cars, watches, and wine.
• Sotheby's: Global auction house with strong Indian and South Asian art sales. Overlaps with Bid & Hammer on Indian modern art but serves a much wider collector base and operates at materially higher price points across diverse categories.
• Phillips: Global auction house competing across 20th-century art, watches, and jewelry. Overlaps with Bid & Hammer's collectibles categories but is not specialized in Indian art.

Direct peers

• Pundole's: Mumbai-based auction house specializing in Modern Indian Art and antiquities. Closely comparable to Bid & Hammer in category focus, target clientele (Indian collectors and estates), and traditional live auction format.
• Astaguru: Indian auction house focused on Modern & Contemporary Indian Art with an online bidding platform. Directly competes for the same consignor and bidder pool as Bid & Hammer, with overlapping artist rosters.
• Saffronart: India's leading online auction house for Modern & Contemporary Indian Art and collectibles. Directly competes with Bid & Hammer in the same product category, serving similar collectors and consignors with an online-led auction model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bidandhammer
• Instagraminstagram.com/bidandhammer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bid-&-hammer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bid & Hammer