Lion and Unicorn
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersHollywood, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Lion and Unicorn firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lion and Unicorn
- Legal name
- Lion and Unicorn, LLC
- Website
- https://lionandunicorn.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lion and Unicorn industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art and Antiques Auction House Services
- NAICS
- Jewelry Retailers (458310), Art Dealers (45992)
- SIC
- Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sports Collectibles Marketplace & Auction Platforms (CRAMAOAI), Comic Books & Graphic Novel Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAH), Autographed Memorabilia Retail (CRAMAOAB)
Keywords
Where Lion and Unicorn is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hollywood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Lion and Unicorn business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Auction Commissions (Buyer's Premium): The primary revenue stream is the buyer's premium, calculated as a percentage of the final bid price. As of the most recent terms update (02/24/26), the buyer's premium is 30% of the final bid price. This premium is non-refundable and added to the hammer price as part of the total purchase price.
- Seller's Commission: Commission charged to sellers/consignors. For storage-related resales, a 50% seller's commission is applied. Standard seller commission rates are determined at consignment.
- Certified Appraisals: Professional USPAP-compliant appraisals for probate, insurance, estate settlement, and pre-sale valuation. Initial appraisals range from $50-$200, comprehensive appraisals from $300-$1,000+ depending on item complexity and estate size.
- Estate Sale Services: Full-service estate sale management including valuation, organization, marketing, and execution. Services include pickup, packing, transport, and liquidation support for estates requiring complete clearance.
- Storage and Handling Fees: Storage charges for uncollected items: $100 administrative fee plus daily rates of $50 (large items), $25 (medium items), $10 (small items) after 30 days. Additional charges for moving to alternate locations.
- Payment Processing Fees: Handling and processing fee of $75 for dishonored checks. Interest charge of 1.5% monthly on unpaid balances after 15 days.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Buyer's Premium - 30% of final bid price |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Initial Antique Appraisal - $50 to $200 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Comprehensive Appraisal - $300 to $1,000+ |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Storage - $100 admin fee + daily rates |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Check Dishonor Fee - $75 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels7 records
Lion and Unicorn product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lion and Unicorn is a full-service auction house based in Hollywood, Florida that conducts 5-7 weekly auctions of art, antiques, decorative arts, jewelry, coins, crystal, porcelain, and collectibles sourced through estate sales and consignment. The company operates a proprietary online bidding platform (bid.lionandunicorn.com) integrated with third-party auction aggregators (LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Bidsquare) and offers end-to-end services including certified USPAP-compliant appraisals, estate sale management, nationwide pickup/transport, and storage. Revenue is driven by buyer's premiums (30% of hammer price), seller commissions, appraisal fees, and estate sale service fees.
Product overview
Lion and Unicorn is a premier auction house based in Hollywood, Florida, operating primarily as a full-service auction and estate sale company rather than a technology product platform. The core offering is the proprietary online bidding platform (bid.lionandunicorn.com) combined with physical auction gallery services, estate sale management, certified appraisals (ISA/USPAP-compliant), auction consignment, direct buying of antiques and collectibles, and nationwide logistics including pickup, packing, and transport. The company specializes in fine art, antiques, decorative arts, jewelry, coins, porcelain, crystal, and collectibles across multiple auction categories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- bid.lionandunicorn.com: Company's proprietary online auction bidding platform
Products and services
- bid.lionandunicorn.com Online Auction Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- 20-40% higher returns compared to DIY estate sales
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Lion and Unicorn
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Lion and Unicorn technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
Lion and Unicorn partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- LiveAuctioneerscoreStrategic platform partnership enabling Lion and Unicorn auctions to reach LiveAuctioneers' global network of millions of registered bidders. Provides online bidding infrastructure, catalog syndication, and bidder verification services. Licensed partner under LiveAuctioneers platform.
- InvaluablecorePlatform integration allowing online bidding through Invaluable's auction aggregation network. Provides access to Invaluable's bidder database and bidding technology infrastructure.
- BidsquarecoreThird-party auction platform partnership providing additional online bidding channel and market access for Lion and Unicorn auctions.
- International Society of Appraisers (ISA)coreLion and Unicorn's appraisers hold ISA (International Society of Appraisers) credentials and follow USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) guidelines, the gold standard recognized by the IRS and courts nationwide.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lion and Unicorn competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sotheby's: Global incumbent covering fine art, jewelry, decorative arts, and collectibles. Competes for high-value consignments and the same collector bidders as L&U, especially in luxury categories.
- Christie's: World-leading auction house with deep jewelry, decorative arts, and collectibles categories. Represents the upper-bound competitive pressure on mid-market houses in the same buyer pool.
- Bonhams: Global incumbent auction house with extensive jewelry, decorative arts, and collectibles sales. Operates at a much larger scale and broader international footprint but competes for the same estate and collector buyers.
- Phillips: International auction house with strong contemporary art and jewelry categories. Broad incumbent that competes for premium collectible and jewelry consignments.
Direct peers
- Heritage Auctions: Largest US-headquartered auction house covering coins, jewelry, fine art, and collectibles across multiple weekly auction categories. Most directly comparable multi-category, high-volume US auction house with global online reach.
- Doyle New York: New York auction house covering fine art, jewelry, decorative arts, and estate contents. Comparable mid-tier auction house serving estate sellers in an East Coast wealth corridor.
- Brunk Auctions: Asheville, NC-based auction house specializing in fine art, antiques, jewelry, and decorative arts with strong regional estate-sale business. Closely comparable mid-sized multi-category American auction house.
- Cowan's Auctions: Cincinnati-based auction house running regular fine art, antique, and Americana sales with LiveAuctioneers integration. Comparable multi-category, event-driven US auction house with similar third-party platform dependence.
Regional players
- Wilsons Auctions: UK and Ireland-based multi-category auction house with strong estate and collectibles business. Comparable auction model but with primarily UK/Ireland geographic footprint rather than US focus.
Others
- 1stDibs: Online marketplace for luxury furniture, art, and jewelry connecting dealers and consignors with buyers. Represents the lower-friction, lower-commission alternative channel competing for both consignors and buyers in adjacent categories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lion and Unicorn social profiles
Digital presenceLion and Unicorn compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Lion and Unicorn financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lion and Unicorn leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Lion and Unicorn funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lion and Unicorn 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 Lion and Unicorn
What does Lion and Unicorn do?
Lion and Unicorn is a full-service auction house based in Hollywood, Florida that conducts 5-7 weekly auctions of art, antiques, decorative arts, jewelry, coins, crystal, porcelain, and collectibles sourced through estate sales and consignment. The company operates a proprietary online bidding platform (bid.lionandunicorn.com) integrated with third-party auction aggregators (LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Bidsquare) and offers end-to-end services including certified USPAP-compliant appraisals, estate sale management, nationwide pickup/transport, and storage. Revenue is driven by buyer's premiums (30% of hammer price), seller commissions, appraisal fees, and estate sale service fees.
Is Lion and Unicorn a public or private company?
Lion and Unicorn is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Lion and Unicorn founded?
Lion and Unicorn was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lion and Unicorn based?
Lion and Unicorn is headquartered in Hollywood, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lion and Unicorn make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Auction Commissions (Buyer's Premium) is the primary driver. The others are seller's Commission, certified Appraisals, estate Sale Services, storage and Handling Fees and payment Processing Fees.
Who are Lion and Unicorn's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams and Phillips. Direct peers are Heritage Auctions, Doyle New York, Brunk Auctions and Cowan's Auctions. Wilsons Auctions is listed as a regional player. 1stDibs is listed as an others.
Does Lion and Unicorn have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lion and Unicorn.
What industry is Lion and Unicorn in?
Lion and Unicorn's product category is Art and Antiques Auction House Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKAKAF, Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry), with a secondary code of CRAMAOAI, Sports Collectibles Marketplace & Auction Platforms. Its NAICS code is 458310 and its SIC code is 5944.