Asta Bolaffi
Aste Bolaffi S.p.A. is a privately held Italian auction house headquartered in Turin with offices in Milan and Rome, operating 19 specialist departments across fine art, jewelry, watches, classic cars, stamps, coins, wine, and other collectibles for high-net-worth buyers and sellers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersTurin, Italy
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Asta Bolaffi does
Aste Bolaffi S.p.A. is a privately held Italian auction house headquartered at Via Cavour 17, Turin, with branch offices in Milan and Rome. The firm operates 19 specialist departments spanning furniture and antique paintings, modern and contemporary art, classic automobiles and motorcycles, jewelry, watches and pens, stamps, coins and banknotes, medals and orders, rare books and autographs, photography, design, posters, vintage fashion, memorabilia, sport collectibles, wines and spirits, real estate, and special sales. Its commercial offering centers on timed and live auction events accessible via in-room bidding at Sala Bolaffi, internet live streaming, recorded telephone bidding, written absentee offers, and a post-auction Buy Now channel that monetizes unsold lots within 30 days.
The underlying platform is a conventional auction stack rather than a proprietary marketplace product: catalogs are produced internally and distributed physically and digitally to a proprietary client database, with authentication, condition reporting, valuation days in major Italian cities, temperature-controlled storage, and armored shipping providing ancillary services. Compliance with Italian cultural-heritage export, Art Loss Register provenance checks, and SIAE droit de suite remittance form part of the operational infrastructure. The Bolaffi catalog numbering system for coins, stamps and wine — originating with the 1960s wine catalogs produced with Luigi Veronelli — functions as an industry reference layer that extends brand value beyond individual sales.
Revenue is generated predominantly through category-tiered buyer's premiums on hammer prices (ranging from 15% on classic cars above €1M to 25% on most categories under €250K, all-inclusive of VAT), supplemented by fee-based expert appraisals for insurance, estate and bankruptcy purposes, and storage/shipping services. Buyers and sellers are predominantly high-net-worth individuals and collectors, with institutional anchors absent from disclosed data; record results include a €2.26M pink-diamond ring (October 2025), a €2.15M Fernand Léger painting (May 2025), and a €528K Luca Pacioli volume (December 2014). The company is independent, with no disclosed parent, private-equity sponsor, or external investors.
Asta Bolaffi firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Asta Bolaffi
- Legal name
- ASTE BOLAFFI S.p.A.
- Website
- https://astebolaffi.it
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Aste Bolaffi S.p.A. is a privately held Italian auction house headquartered in Turin with offices in Milan and Rome, operating 19 specialist departments across fine art, jewelry, watches, classic cars, stamps, coins, wine, and other collectibles for high-net-worth buyers and sellers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Asta Bolaffi is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Turin
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Asta Bolaffi business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Buyer's Premium (Commission): Aste Bolaffi charges a buyer's premium on hammer price, varying by category. For Classic Cars/Motorcycles: 20% up to €500K, 18% for €500K-1M, 15% above €1M. For Philatelic/Numismatic: 22.5% up to €500K, 20% for €500K-1M, 18% above €1M. For all other auctions: 25% up to €250K, 22.5% for €250K-500K, 20% for €500K-1M, 18% above €1M. Premium includes VAT.
- Valuation and Appraisal Services: Free valuations for auction consignment. Fee-based expert reports and appraisals for insurance, estates, bankruptcy proceedings, and certification purposes for notaries, liquidators, and insurers.
- Storage and Shipping Services: Temperature-controlled storage and secure shipping services for collected items, with dedicated armored transport for high-value purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Classic Car and Motorcycle Auctions: 20% on first €500K, 18% on €500K-1M, 15% above €1M |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Philatelic and Numismatic Auctions: 22.5% on first €500K, 20% on €500K-1M, 18% above €1M |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | All Other Auctions: 25% on first €250K, 22.5% on €250K-500K, 20% on €500K-1M, 18% above €1M |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Asta Bolaffi product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aste Bolaffi operates a multi-department Italian auction house with 19 specialized verticals covering fine art, modern and contemporary art, antiques, jewelry, watches, classic automobiles, motorcycles, stamps, coins and banknotes, rare books and autographs, posters, memorabilia, vintage fashion, design, photography, real estate, wine and spirits, and special sales. The platform supports in-person bidding at Sala Bolaffi in Turin, telephone bidding, online live internet bidding, and absentee written bids, complemented by post-auction 'Compra Subito' Buy Now sales, free expert valuations, on-site appraisals across Italy, valuation days in major cities, secure storage, and shipping coordination.
Product overview
Aste Bolaffi is a multi-department Italian auction house operating as an integrated platform with 19 specialized departments covering fine art, antiques, modern and contemporary art, classic automobiles, motorcycles, jewelry, watches, pens, stamps, coins, banknotes, medals, rare books, autographs, posters, memorabilia, vintage fashion, design objects, real estate, wine and spirits, and special sales. The platform offers a unified auction experience with online, telephone, and in-person participation, complemented by post-auction Buy Now services, free expert appraisals, and evaluation days across multiple Italian cities. The core offering is the auction catalog and bidding platform, supplemented by valuation services, secure storage, shipping coordination, and administrative assistance for export and customs procedures.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Aste Bolaffi Auction Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% sell-through rate for first two motorcycle auctions (2021-2022)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Asta Bolaffi
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Asta Bolaffi technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Asta Bolaffi partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Slow FoodminorCollaboration with Slow Food for the selection of certain wines in the Fine Wines department, based on quality, sustainability of the winery, uniqueness of producer or geographic area, history of the winery, and use or rediscovery of native grape varieties.
- Art Loss RegisterminorAste Bolaffi displays Art Loss Register logo on website footer, indicating membership in international stolen art database for provenance verification and authentication.
- SIAE (Società Italiana Autori ed Editori)coreAste Bolaffi collects and remits 'droit de suite' (artist's resale royalty) to SIAE for eligible art sales. Rates: 4% for €0-50K, 3% for €50K-200K, 1% for €200K-350K, 0.5% for €350K-500K, 0.25% above €500K. Maximum €12,500 per sale.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Asta Bolaffi competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Customer concentration
Asta Bolaffi social profiles
Digital presenceAsta Bolaffi financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Asta Bolaffi leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Asta Bolaffi funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Asta Bolaffi 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 Asta Bolaffi
What does Asta Bolaffi do?
Aste Bolaffi operates a multi-department Italian auction house with 19 specialized verticals covering fine art, modern and contemporary art, antiques, jewelry, watches, classic automobiles, motorcycles, stamps, coins and banknotes, rare books and autographs, posters, memorabilia, vintage fashion, design, photography, real estate, wine and spirits, and special sales. The platform supports in-person bidding at Sala Bolaffi in Turin, telephone bidding, online live internet bidding, and absentee written bids, complemented by post-auction 'Compra Subito' Buy Now sales, free expert valuations, on-site appraisals across Italy, valuation days in major cities, secure storage, and shipping coordination.
Is Asta Bolaffi a public or private company?
Asta Bolaffi is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Asta Bolaffi founded?
Asta Bolaffi was founded in -1.
Where is Asta Bolaffi based?
Asta Bolaffi is headquartered in Turin, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Asta Bolaffi make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Buyer's Premium (Commission) is the primary driver. The others are valuation and Appraisal Services and storage and Shipping Services.
Does Asta Bolaffi have an API?
No public API is recorded for Asta Bolaffi.