A LEADING auction room is thrilled to re-open its doors – with an impressive sale of more than £1,000 at its first post-lockdown auction.

Under government guidelines, Carlisle’s H&H Auction Rooms hosted socially-distanced viewings at Rosehill this week, with more than 370 lots on offer to those who were eager to get back into the bidding game.

And as the Monday auction has been so sorely missed by buyers, sellers, valuers and auctioneers during the pandemic, Stephen Farthing, of H&H Auction Rooms, was delighted to see the event back up and running – and a £1,300 sale of a gold charm bracelet.

“The new arrangement was an unusual set-up but one that worked surprisingly well,” the auctioneer and valuer said.

“Although the sale was much more managed by the auctioneer with instantaneous judgement on every lot, it was tremendous to reunite with purpose again.

“We could really feel the camaraderie between the people who were able to reacquaint themselves with each other once more in the days prior.

“To renew these connections was a great pleasure and happened in tandem with a very successful sale.”

But it wasn’t just the success of the auction room’s latest safety measures that intrigued Mr Farthing, as he added that the price of precious metals had soared post-lockdown.

He said: “Prices being achieved were about 20% higher than pre-Covid, which is significant and hints at the overall surge in demand post-lockdown.

“We also saw furniture dealers keen to replenish their stocks and general high levels of enquiry for architectural sales, with people concentrating on their house and gardens.”

Mr Farthing explained that household items that would have sold for £40 before lockdown went for £75, for example, and believes this is due to “people concentrating on spending on their interiors and outdoor spaces”.

H&H Auction Rooms is set to hold three more sales over the summer, on July 28, and August 11 and 25.

For more details, visit www.hhauctionrooms.co.uk, or call Mr Farthing on 01228 406 320.