What Gorringes does

Gorringe's LLP is a privately held UK auction house founded in 1929, operating from a primary saleroom in Lewes, East Sussex, with a secondary office in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The company conducts over 50 scheduled auction sales per year across 12+ specialist departments, including weekly Monday House & Garden sales, quarterly Fine Art & Interiors timed sales, dedicated Asian Works of Art auctions timed to coincide with Asian Week, and category-specific Jewellery, Silver & Watches, Coins & Stamps, Furniture, Design, Bronzes & Metalware, Carpets/Rugs/Textiles, Paintings/Prints/Maps, and Fine Wine & Spirits sales. The Jewellery department alone handles more than 3,000 lots annually. Notable headline outcomes include a world-record £250,000 Vigo Five Guinea coin sale, £221,000 for a French colonial coins collection, and £190,000 for a Chinese archaic bronze ritual vessel.

The underlying platform combines in-person saleroom auctions with online bidding via the proprietary BidLive platform (bid.gorringes.co.uk) and third-party aggregators The Saleroom and Invaluable, plus telephone and commission/absentee bidding for higher-value lots. Technology infrastructure is conventional: PCI-DSS-compliant payment processing through WorldPay and AIB, Bidlogix-powered bidder management, and Google Analytics for web tracking. No proprietary API, mobile app, or AI/ML capability is disclosed. Gorringes maintains GDPR-compliant data practices and publishes accessibility commitments.

The business model is transaction-fee based, with buyers paying a 25% Buyer's Premium plus VAT on hammer price and sellers paying 15% commission plus VAT (minimum £10 per lot). Supplementary revenue includes £1.50/lot illustration fees for weekly sales (£15/lot for Fine sales), 1.5% loss/damage waiver, storage fees, and shipping/delivery services. Free valuation services for probate, insurance, and private treaty purposes act as the primary seller acquisition funnel. Customer segments span private collectors, antique dealers, estate executors, and insurance companies, with no single anchor account disclosed.

Name

Gorringes

Legal name

Gorringe's LLP

Website

https://gorringes.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gorringe's LLP is a UK auction house founded in 1929, operating from Lewes and Tunbridge Wells, conducting 50+ annual fine art, jewellery, and antique auctions for private collectors, dealers, estates, and insurance clients via in-person and online channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Auction Services (Fine Art, Antiques and Collectibles)

akta.pro primary industry

Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)

Keywords

• Fine art auctions
• Antique auctions
• Jewellery auctions
• Valuation services
• Saleroom auctions

Headquarters

HQ city

Lewes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Buyer's Premium: Buyers pay a premium of 25% plus VAT on the Hammer Price of each lot purchased. This is the primary revenue stream from buyers.
2. Seller's Commission: Sellers pay commission calculated as 15% of the Hammer Price (plus VAT). There is a minimum commission charge of £10.00 plus VAT per lot. Sellers also pay illustration charges for catalogue production.
3. Additional Fees: Fees include insurance charge (1.5% of hammer price plus VAT for consigned goods), storage/warehousing charges for unsold or uncollected items, and withdrawal charges (30% of lower estimate plus VAT for items withdrawn after cataloguing).
4. Shipping and Delivery Services: The company offers delivery service for purchased lots, with shipping costs charged to buyers. VAT is applicable on shipping costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gorringe's LLP is a UK regional auction house that conducts scheduled live auction sales of fine art, antiques, jewellery, watches, coins and stamps, Asian works of art, and other collectables from its Lewes and Tunbridge Wells salerooms. It supports in-person, telephone, absentee and online bidding, and offers free valuations for probate, insurance and private-treaty purposes, earning revenue through buyer's premiums, seller's commissions and associated fees.

Product overview

Gorringes is a U.K.-based auction house offering a diversified portfolio of auction services across fine art, antiques, and collectables. The company operates weekly Monday auctions and quarterly Fine Art & Interiors sales from its Lewes, East Sussex saleroom, complemented by a Tunbridge Wells office. With over 50 scheduled auction sales annually, Gorringes maintains specialist departments spanning Jewellery, Watches, Asian Works of Art, Carpets/Rugs/Textiles, Bronzes & Metalware, Paintings/Prints/Maps, Coins & Stamps, Furniture, Design, Modern & Contemporary Art, and Fine Wine & Spirits. The product portfolio functions as a unified auction platform enabling in-person, telephone, and live online bidding through proprietary (BidLive) and third-party platforms (The Saleroom, Invaluable, Bidlogix). Additional services include free valuations for insurance, probate, and private treaty purposes, supported by specialist expert staff across all categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekly Auction Sales Weekly Monday auction sales (excluding bank holidays) covering antiques, fine art, jewellery, watches, collectables and household items across multiple categories, run from the Lewes saleroom.
• Fine Art & Interiors Auctions Quarterly specialist auctions of fine art, paintings, prints, sculpture and high-value decorative arts, with timed-online variants, targeting collectors, dealers and interior buyers.
• Jewellery Auctions Specialist jewellery auctions handling 3,000+ lots per year from antique through modern and contemporary jewels, with FGA/DGA gemologist authentication and valuations for collectors, estates and trade buyers.
• Watches Auctions Specialist auctions of modern and contemporary collectors' wristwatches through rare 17th-century pocket watches and gold pocket watch estates, for collectors and trade buyers.
• Asian Works of Art Auctions Specialist auctions of Chinese, Japanese and Indian ceramics, metalware, ivories, jades, enamels and small works of art, held to coincide with Asian Week, led by MRICS-credentialed specialist Dan Bray.
• Carpets, Rugs & Textiles Auctions Specialist auctions of traditional Persian carpets, tapestries and vintage textiles for sale, probate and insurance valuations, ranging from individual pieces to whole collections.
• Bronzes & Metalware Auctions Specialist auctions spanning 16th-century to contemporary bronzes, brass, pewter, Arts & Crafts, Art Deco and modern design pieces, with authentication and auction estimates.
• Paintings, Prints & Maps Auctions Specialist fine-art auctions spanning Old Masters, 17th-century European works, British Impressionism, Post-War and Contemporary art, led by Head of Paintings John Holmes.
• Coins & Stamps Auctions Specialist auctions of stamp, coin and medal collections, including notable sales of rare Vigo Five Guinea coins (£250,000 world record) and French colonial / cape triangles collections (£221,000).
• Furniture Auctions Specialist furniture auctions covering traditional English vernacular, continental furniture, 20th-century design, decorative furnishings and specialist collections.
• Design Auctions Specialist design auctions covering Modern British art and 20th-century design including mid-century, Art Deco and Arts & Crafts furniture, with works by Maggi Hambling, David Hockney, Arne Jacobsen and Carlo Bugatti.
• Fine Wine & Spirits Auctions Specialist wine and spirits auctions valuing and marketing entire cellars to individual bottles, with expertise in Sussex, Kent, London and international fine and rare wines, led by WSET Diploma-qualified specialist Lisse Garnett.
• Valuation Services (Insurance, Probate, Private Treaty) Free formal valuations for Insurance, Inheritance Tax (Probate) and Private Treaty purposes, available at the Lewes saleroom, the Tunbridge Wells office and as home visits across Kent and Sussex, provided by FGA/DGA- and MRICS-credentialed specialists.
• Live Online Bidding (BidLive via bid.gorringes.co.uk) Real-time online auction participation through Gorringe's BidLive platform and partner platforms (The Saleroom, Invaluable, Bidlogix), enabling global remote bidding with additional surcharges applied on third-party-channel bids.

Quantifiable outcome

• World record price of £250,000 achieved for Vigo Five Guinea coin
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The SaleroomcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline auction platform partnership for expanded online bidding reach. Timed sales require registration through The Saleroom. Additional surcharges apply for bids placed through this platform.
• InvaluablecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party online auction aggregation platform connecting Gorringes with additional buyer audiences internationally. Additional surcharges for bidding through this platform.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bonhams: Global auction house with significant UK regional presence offering overlapping categories including Asian Art, jewellery, watches, and fine wine. Operates at substantially larger scale than Gorringes and competes for the same consignor and bidder pools in categories where Gorringes specialises.
• Christie's: Global fine art auction house with the most comprehensive category coverage including jewellery, Asian Art, watches, and decorative arts. Sets the upper-end price benchmarks Gorringes' specialist sales must compete against.
• Sotheby's: Global auction house with deep UK presence across fine art, jewellery, watches, and Asian Art. Provides the dominant competitive reference point for hammer-price benchmarks and high-end consignment flows in Gorringes' specialist categories.

Others

• The Saleroom: Online auction aggregation platform operated by ATG; Gorringes is a channel partner that routes online bidders through The Saleroom. Functions as ecosystem infrastructure rather than a competing auctioneer, but influences buyer behaviour via platform surcharges.

Direct peers

• Sworders: Essex-based fine art auction house holding regular specialist sales across modern and traditional categories. Comparable in department mix, specialist auction cadence, and regional full-service auction model.
• Dreweatts: Berkshire-headquartered UK regional auction house conducting fine art, jewellery, and specialist decorative arts sales across multiple salerooms. Closely comparable business model, cadence, and product categories to Gorringes.
• Halls Holdings: Shropshire-based regional auction group running fine art, antiques, and jewellery sales alongside commercial property services. Comparable as a UK regional multi-discipline auctioneer with similar transaction-based revenue model.
• Lyon & Turnbull: Edinburgh-headquartered regional auction house operating specialist fine art, jewellery, and decorative arts sales. Comparable as a UK regional multi-department auctioneer serving a defined geographic catchment.
• Cheffins: Cambridge-based regional auction house with a full-service model spanning fine art, antiques, jewellery, and valuations. Comparable in scale, department breadth, and regional full-service positioning to Gorringes.
• Bellmans: Sussex-based regional auction house offering fine art, antiques, and jewellery sales from a comparable scale and saleroom model. Direct regional competitor with overlapping category mix and customer base in the South East of England.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GorringesTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/GorringesAuctioneersLewes
• Instagraminstagram.com/gorringesauctioneers

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Gorringes