Holstebro Auktioner

About Holstebro Auktioner

Holstebro Auktioner is a traditional auction house at Stationsvej 76 in Holstebro, West Jutland. It holds live hammer auctions in its own saleroom, and its catalogues mix Danish design, art, ceramics, jewellery, silver and vehicles. Consignments come from private sellers and estates, and also from bankruptcy estates, the Danish Tax Agency (SKAT), the police and lawyers.

The house has several halls, a large reception area with a café and bright exhibition rooms. It also has large storage facilities and a big car park at the door.

History

Holstebro Auktioner was founded in 1985 by Hans Jørgen Eriksen, then a practising lawyer. He started it as a side business with a doctor friend who was keen on antiques. In 1996 Eriksen sold his law practice to run the auction business full time. The house held a 40th anniversary auction in March 2025. On 1 September 2025 Eriksen handed the business to new owners, Ditte L. Burmølle Knudsen and Kristian Hjalmar Pedersen.

The house has held hundreds of auctions over the years. The best known include:

• the bankruptcy estate of Alfred Christensens Musikforretning
• the cars of Karen Blixen and Kaj Munk
• a COBRA art auction
• several sales of Skagen painters' works

The house says it has also sold works to leading museums, and its staff often appear on television and in newspaper articles.

What Holstebro Auktioner sells

The house values and sells a very wide range of objects. The categories it lists include:

• older and modern art
• antique furniture and small antiques, clocks and watches
• modern furniture and modern lighting
• porcelain, glass and ceramics
• jewellery and silverware
• coins, books, weapons and curiosities
• old toys, mechanical music and musical instruments
• vintage and special cars and horse-drawn carriages

The house says it has achieved very high prices for many items, including record prices for modern furniture.

Selling at Holstebro Auktioner

Anyone can sell at Holstebro Auktioner. If you have only a few items, you can bring them to the saleroom on Thursdays between 13:00 and 16:00, apart from public holidays and staff holidays, when free valuations are also given. For larger consignments, the house handles packing, transport in its own removal vans and storage until the sale. Its vans regularly visit most large Danish towns, so it can often offer collection at a reduced price.

The conditions of sale set out these costs for sellers:

• Seller's commission: 20% of the hammer price, with the VAT on the fee paid by the buyer
• Registration and cataloguing: DKK 100 plus VAT per catalogue number, each time it is catalogued, whether or not it sells
• Reserves: a reserve can be agreed with the house, but for items valued under DKK 10,000 only in special cases
• Insurance: consigned goods, apart from vehicles, caravans, trailers and boats, are insured against fire, burglary and water damage up to the house's valuation

Buying and bidding

Anyone can buy. In the saleroom you collect a bidding paddle at reception and raise it to bid. If you cannot attend, you can leave a written commission bid, including through the website, or bid by telephone on more valuable lots. The house stresses that it is a traditional auction and not an internet sale. The hammer falls in the saleroom, and online bids are treated as commission bids.

• Buyer's premium: 26% on top of the hammer price, plus 5% on lots marked /CD, which covers the artist's resale royalty collected for Copydan
• Full-VAT lots: lots marked with an asterisk carry a 20% fee plus 25% VAT on both the hammer price and the fee
• Minimum fee: commission and telephone bids carry a fee of at least DKK 100
• Condition: everything is sold as seen, and there is no right of withdrawal
• Payment and collection: payment is due on the auction day, or within five days for commission bids. Lots must be collected by the following Thursday between 15:00 and 18:00.

Storage is charged on lots that are not collected on time. The rate is DKK 300 a week for small items and paintings, and DKK 600 a week for furniture and larger pieces. Hammer prices are published on the website shortly after each sale.

Location and viewing

The saleroom is at Stationsvej 76, 7500 Holstebro. Office hours are Monday 9:00 to 16:00, Thursday 9:00 to 16:00 and Friday 9:00 to 13:30, and the office is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The recent calendar shows a general sale roughly every two months, and there is a public viewing before each auction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the buyer's premium at Holstebro Auktioner?

Buyers pay 26% on top of the hammer price. Lots marked /CD carry an extra 5% for the artist's resale royalty, and full-VAT lots marked with an asterisk carry a 20% fee plus 25% VAT on the hammer price and the fee.

Can I bid online at Holstebro Auktioner?

Yes, you can leave commission bids through the website, and you can bid by telephone on more valuable lots. The hammer still falls in the saleroom, so online bids are executed as commission bids rather than live internet bids.

Does Holstebro Auktioner offer free valuations?

Yes. Single items are valued free of charge at the saleroom every Thursday from 13:00 to 16:00, apart from public holidays and staff holidays. You can also send a valuation request by email.