A foot in the past, but an eye
firmly on the future

As local auctioneers and valuers Lindsay Burns & Co. approach their silver anniversary, Karen Elwis talks to Nick Burns, son of founders Lindsay and Elspeth, about life in the fascinating world of antiques.

Looking back on 25 years

When local couple Lindsay and Elspeth Burns celebrated Lindsay’s birthday, on 28th January 1982, by setting up their own auctioneering business from a small saleroom in Perth’s Canal Street, the idea of their newly founded business celebrating its silver anniversary must have seemed very far away. However, Lindsay’s expertise in valuation and auctioneering, complemented perfectly by Elspeth’s excellent administrative skills, made for a winning partnership. Their fledgling business took off quickly and within a few years they were in a position to take on larger premises at No. 6, King Street, where the company has continued to flourish since. Twenty-five years on, Lindsay Burns & Co. is one of Scotland’s leading provincial auctioneering firms. The Burns have achieved that rare feat of expanding their business, whilst at the same time retaining the exemplary levels of professionalism and client care which make them so highly respected by both vendors and buyers alike.

As you approach Lindsay Burns & Co.’s saleroom on King Street, be it by car or on foot, the first thing that strikes you is the imposing facade of the former St Leonard’s church which has now been home to this thriving family-run auctioneering business for the best part of 20 years. My eye is immediately drawn to the attractive stained glass windows which set the tone perfectly for the saleroom inside: a giant Aladdin’s cave, teeming with treasures of every age, shape and size. A profusion of paintings jostle for prime position on the walls, whilst the tables and other pieces of furniture are laden with a feast of objects d’art, not to mention clocks, crockery, silver and even the occasional old violin (of which more anon!). Yet despite the distinct scent of history in the air at Lindsay Burns & Co.’s saleroom, when I meet Nick Burns, son of partners Lindsay and Elspeth, it’s soon clear that the Burns family combine their enthusiasm for things from the past with a forward-looking, modern approach to business.

A wealth of experience

Nick, a graduate in Fine Art Valuation from Southampton, joined the company earlier this year after spending the previous six years working with international auction houses. This experience allowed him to extend his knowledge and experience of the antiques trade, and to focus on his own particular interests of ceramics, glass, decorative and Asian art, and metal ware. His father’s interests, he tells me, lie in furniture and pictures, whilst Ramsay Ferguson – saleroom manager and the third member of the valuation team – has a wide range of knowledge including collectors’ items. Apart from Lindsay and Elspeth, Ramsay is the longest-serving member of staff at Lindsay Burns & Co., having been with the company for almost 20 years. However, Keith Ballantine and Alan Gilbert – the dynamic duo who man the saleroom van for deliveries, removals and house clearances – plus administrator Jill Mair, have all been with the company for many years. It’s clear from Nick’s description that they form a close-knit team, and no doubt this accounts for the outstanding personal service – typical of a traditional family company - that Lindsay Burns & Co.’s clients have come to rely on.

Regular clients include executors and solicitors dealing with the estates of the deceased; private vendors from Perth & Kinross, Fife, Angus and beyond; and people who simply walk in off the street or ring up out of the blue. Lindsay reckons that the reason clients are attracted to their company is their competitive, friendly service which provides a welcome alternative to larger international salerooms. In addition to their regular auction sales, the company offers a range of services, including: valuations for probate, inheritance tax, insurance, sale or family division; household removals; and house clearances. Commission on items sold at auction is generally around 15% of the price realised, and fees for valuation work tend to vary depending on the precise nature of the job.

Sales

After our tour of the saleroom, Nick and I continue our discussion in an office surrounded by smaller items which are waiting to be catalogued and photographed individually. Catalogues illustrating each individual lot for auction are produced in the run-up to every sale, and a total of around 300 are sent out to relevant buyers 10 days or so before the date of the auction. The company also e-mails their substantial database of buyers with details of each forthcoming sale, and if there’s an item of specific interest, then they’ll identify potential interested parties and alert them well in advance of the requisite sale too. Nick and the team thereby ensure that the right people are in the saleroom when specialist lots pass under the hammer, and that Lindsay Burns & Co. can obtain the best possible price for their clients i.e. the vendors. Two recent examples of such specialist lots were an Edinburgh violin, bought for a few pounds at a car boot sale and eventually sold at auction for £2,000. Or the clock which a young lad had been given for nothing, had hawked around the car boot sale at McDairmaid Park and then brought to Lindsay – in a plastic bag! – to seek his opinion. Lindsay’s expert eye quickly identified the clock as a highly collectable piece of Lalique, which subsequently realised a price of £1,800 at auction following some frenetic bidding.

Nick explains that Lindsay Burns & Co.’s general sales take place every fortnight and consist of some 800 – 1,000 lots of Victorian, Edwardian and later furniture, in addition to collectable ceramics, glass, pictures and silver etc. Antiques sales are held quarterly in the winter, spring, summer and autumn. Each antiques sale comprises approximately 500 – 700 lots of furniture, rugs, works of art, silver, jewellery, painting and prints, Asian art, ceramics and glass. There’s truly something for everyone!