PREPARATION OF AN AUCTION SALE

The preparation of an auction sale takes about 3 to 4months work before the sale itself. There is lot of work beforehand which allows the success of a sale.

Here are the different steps of the auction sale :

Receiving artists’ applications :

One can send by email (address : dossier@stal-expert.com), or mail, 8 rue Sainte Lucie, 75015 Paris, an application with pictures of sculptures or paintings containing as much information as possible : techniques, formats, signature, references, origins for expertise.

Contacting artists:

A couple of days after receiving your application, we contact the artist, to give our estimation of the pieces, our sales : sale fees, the place of sale, the date of the sale, hours and dates of the exhibit, the colored photo catalogue for the event.

After agreement of the sales conditions:

The artists must send their pieces to the Cabinet Dominique Stal. When we receive the piece, there is a signing of the summons with the piece number on the summons and the piece, photocopy of an id, as well as the address of the owner, information on the piece, minimum sale price, sale fees and date of the sale.
A copy of this document is given to the owner.

Numbering

We organize sale of 200 to 300 pieces: as soon as all of the pieces have been received a tour offices, we close the sale. After this step we proceed to numbering all of the pieces establishing a passage order for each piece, this is fot he sale as well as for the catalogue.

The Pictures

A professional photographer is in charge of photographing each piece which will maybe serve for the catalogue (we do not guarantee that every piece will be included in the catalogue), on the other hand, each photo will be online (www.auction.fr), 10 days before the auction sale.

The catalogue

Production of the catalogue and printing of 4000 copies, sent by transporters 10 to 15 days before the sale. These are sent to our contacts as well as the auctioneer’s contacts and to all of the people who have subscribed to the Drouot catalogue.

Publicity

Publicity to announce the sale is done in different newspaper and specialized magazine 1à to 15 days before the sale.

Organizing the exhibit:

The sale’s exhibit is organized 48H before opening to public visitors, on the place of the auction sale. The exhibit last for a day and a half before the sales.

The auction sale

Each piece is presented to the public with its designation and starting price given by the auctioneer.

The auction sale is done by the auctioneer (French public officer).  

The sale depends on the speed of the auctioneer, about 90 to 100 pieces per hour.

The pieces are delivered to buyers after payment.

Promissory notes are done by the Expert or the ministry officer.

Payment to the owners of the pieces are done between 4 to 5 weeks after the sale, by the ministry officer’s accountants.

LEXICON :

The estimation of a piece has two separate numbers on the catalogue with its designation and its passage number.

The minimum price is decided with the owner of the piece. Under this price the piece will not be sold.

The starting price is the starting point of the auction for the expert.

Promissory notes are an engagement that one will buy a certain piece at a given price, and is given to the expert or the ministry officer.